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Government still debating size of economic recovery package

THE government’s economic team has identified funding for P1.171 trillion worth of social amelioration measures and tax and fiscal action to mitigate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with a decision yet to be reached on how much will go towards supporting economic recovery.

According to a document sent by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III to reporters late last week, the COVID-19 response package consists of four pillars, for which funding levels for only three have been pencilled in. These consist of P830.47 billion worth of fiscal and monetary action, P305.218 billion for emergency support to vulnerable sectors and P35.722 billion to fund medical expenses.

The last pillar is the economic recovery plan, the funding level for which has yet to be determined.

The P1.171 trillion package is equivalent to 6.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). The accepted international rule of thumb for prudent deficit spending is around 3% of GDP, which the government has sought to exceed in recent years to drive its flagship infrastructure program.

The P830.47 billion worth of fiscal and monetary action includes additional financing from multilateral and bilateral lenders worth P310 billion. Some P470 million comes in the form of administrative relief through tax deadline extensions as well as the exemptions from documentary stamp tax for credit extensions or loan restructurings.

On the monetary side, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accounted for P520 billion after buying P300 billion worth of government securities at zero interest and injecting liquidity to the financial markets totaling P220 billion via the reduction of policy rates and bank reserve requirements.

Support for the vulnerable will include P205 billion for emergency cash aid to 18 million low-income families, a P35 billion wage subsidy for employees of small businesses that closed during the lockdown, P30 billion worth of additional assistance to local government units (LGUs), P16.5 billion worth of rice programs to boost reserves and a P10-billion lending package for the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) intended for LGUs.

Other programs include P3 billion worth of online programs offered by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), P2.8 billion in zero-interest loans by the Agriculture department for farmers and fisherfolk, P2 billion worth of cash assistance by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) for displaced workers and P1.5 billion to support Overseas Filipino Workers.

Some P1.2 billion will fund unemployment benefits provided by the Social Security System (SSS), and P1.203 billion will support loan programs for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with P15 million worth of loan programs for micro and small businesses involved in agriculture and fisheries.

Funding for medical expenses outbreak include P22.185 billion worth of coverage by PhilHealth for COVID-19 patients and assistance to health workers, including compensation for severe infections and a death benefit; P5 billion from the World Bank in the form of a fast-track loan facility to buy medical supplies and test kits; P2.9 billion worth of medical equipment and supplies funded by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); P2.701 billion worth of tax and duty exemptions for the import of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical goods; P1.8 billion to the Department of Health (DoH) to acquire 1 million sets of PPE.

Also authorized was P511.8 million worth of compensation to private facilities used in the COVID-19 response; P420.6 million from PCSO for Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) medical coverage remitted to COVID-19 patients; and P53.2 million allocated for the production of test kits developed by the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).

The government can also tap a P150 million grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support health measures.The estimates were issued on April 9 and are subject to regular updating.

It said the “bounce back plan” for the post-quarantine period aims to create jobs and sustain economic growth via continued investment in social and infrastructure programs.

While some of the funds were sourced from the national budget, Mr. Dominguez said the government will tap multilateral lenders as well as commercial markets to plug the funding gap.

The government has sought a $100-million loan from the World Bank to fund the DoH’s efforts to contain COVID-19. The loan is expected to be acted on by the bank’s board on April 20.

With the additional spending on COVID-19 items, Mr. Dominguez said the budget deficit may rise to 5.3% of GDP this year, against the previous target of 3.2%, while the debt stock is expected to rise to 47% of GDP from the record-low 41.5% last year.

Mr. Dominguez has said the government may consider raising taxes “in a year or two” for additional revenue in order to support the higher debt load. However, there are still no immediate plans for such a move.

Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center said legislators should conduct “meaningful and genuine consultation” to draft appropriate tax bills by engaging with businesses, civil society organizations, labor groups and fiscal experts.”

The proposal to increase taxes must be anchored on a clear and coherent relief and recovery plan. Meaning, any legislation for this purpose must palpably be about ensuring the healthy recovery of the country from this global pandemic,” Mr. Yusingco said in an e-mail. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Board eases rules on gov’t payments for COVID-19 items

THE Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) has doubled the ceiling on advance payments for procurement contracts involving items needed to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

The new ceiling is 30% of the contract amount, against 15% previously, in order to expedite the delivery of goods, according to Resolution No 06-2020.

The board will endorse for approval of the President (Rodrigo R. Duterte) the following recommendations relative to the rules on advance payment, (such as to) increase the allowable amount of advance payment from 15% to 30% of the contract amount for procurement projects for (COVID-19-related items.

Resolution No 06-2020 was approved on April 6 and published Sunday.

Budget Undersecretary Laura B. Pascua confirmed on Sunday in a mobile phone message that the directive is ready for implementation.

The directive also limits advance payment to a maximum of 50% on contracts requiring down

payments such as leases of real property.

The GPPB ordered government agencies to “promptly release advance payments within three working days” starting from the award of the contract to facilitate immediate delivery of items or services by suppliers and contractors.

The directive covers goods and services for relief operations for affected communities and the lease of property for housing health workers or for temporary quarantine facilities. It also covers procurement projects to build and operate temporary medical facilities and utilities needed to operate quarantine centers, aid distribution centers and other such facilities.

The directive also covers procurement deals for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, gowns, masks, goggles and face shields; surgical equipment and supplies;

laboratory equipment and reagents; medical equipment and devices as well as for their support and maintenance; medical supplies, tools and consumables including alcohol, sanitizers, tissue, thermometers, hand soap, detergent, sodium hypochlorite, cleaning materials, povidone iodine and common medicines; test kits and other supplies deemed needed by the Department of Health (DoH) and other government agencies.

Separately, the GPPB issued Circular 01-2020 ordering all procuring entities to expedite the procurement of supplies, equipment, utilities and other services that are critical for the COVID-19 emergency response.

In the circular the board also urged agencies to directly source agricultural goods from farmers to ensure food security for affected communities. — Beatrice M. Laforga

IATF to monitor food security via new group led by Agriculture department

THE government has established a group headed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to report regularly on the state of food and water security during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

In a briefing Sunday, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said that a Food Security subgroup will be established under the body tasked to implement the government’s National Action Plan on dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is to “ensure food and water security, including shelter and energy.”

The Food Security subgroup under the Technical Group of Resource and Logistics Management of the National Task Force will be led by the DA. Member agencies the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Mr. Nograles said the Food Security subgroup will “give regular updates to the appropriate NTF TG on food production and manufacturing.”

According to Mr. Nograles, activating the Food Security subgroup was a recommendation of the National Security Council (NSC) and approved by the IATF-EID.

Last month, the IATF-EID approved a P31-billion supplemental budget for the DA’s so-called Plant, Plant, Plant program to boost food production during the COVID-19 crisis. — Gillian M. Cortez

PSA cleared to resume field work for national ID, indicators

THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will resume data collection operations starting this week, including work on the national ID, after its employees secured exemptions from quarantine protocols during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

PSA Chief Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the PSA’s regular reports will be released as scheduled with the resumption of data gathering and survey activity.

“We got an exemption to continue with our data collection needed to report the CPI (consumer price index), agricultural surveys and labor force survey (LFS) for the April round. LFS will start on April 20. CPI and agriculture surveys will be from April 15 to 30,” Mr. Mapa said in a mobile phone message Sunday.

In a briefing, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said Sunday that the exemption also allows PSA to resume activity on the national ID system subject to accepted distancing protocols.

“The PSA shall be allowed to operate at a capacity necessary to conduct data gathering and survey activities related to COVID-19, including those related to the registration and the implementation of the national identification system of the national ID, provided that such exemptions shall be without prejudice to the requirement of strict social distancing measures in all of its operations and data gathering services and activities,” Mr. Nograles said.

Mr. Mapa said the PSA adopted guidelines on distancing for its field employees that conform to the rules set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“Moreover, we will make use of several mechanisms to collect the data and limit the face to face interviews and encourage phone interviews, answering the questions online or through e-mail, while maintaining our representative sample,” he added.

According to PSA’s calendar of data releases, April CPI data will be released on May 5, agriculture data for the first quarter with a new base year of 2018 will be issued May 6, while the results of the April LFS survey will be up on June 5.

Mr. Mapa said earlier that first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) will be released on May 7 as planned. Meanwhile, the time series of GDP from 2000 to 2019 using the new 2018 base year is set for publication on April 21.

Prior to the lockdown, Mr. Mapa said the PSA should have started with the LFS survey on April 9 but decided to delay it for two weeks given the quarantine protocols.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte extended the Luzon-wide lockdown until April 30 to further contain the spread of COVID-19. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Tax breaks in these trying times

(Second of two parts)

As we discussed in the first part of this article, the tax system in the Philippines has been significantly affected by the strict implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and social distancing measures imposed by the Government to address the COVID-19 crisis.

With the extension of deadlines for 2019 annual income tax returns (ITRs) and other tax filings, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) also relaxed the deadlines for other tax reportorial requirements. The BIR also introduced and implemented new policies to ensure continuous operations and for duties to be fulfilled despite the ECQ and in the spirit of service to the community.

More recently, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, with the recommendation of BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay, promulgated Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 7-2020, implementing Section 4 (z) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11469, otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, particularly on the extension of statutory deadlines and timelines for the filing and submission of any document and the payment of taxes.

Note that the deadline extensions mentioned in the first part of this article are consistent with the recently issued RR except for the following:

• The required submission of attachments to e-filed annual ITR was moved to June 1

• The provision qualifying the application of the tax filing extensions to certain jurisdiction was not mentioned

In the second part of this article, we discuss these additional BIR initiatives during the ECQ.

FILING AND SUBMISSION OF TAX ASSESSMENT CORRESPONDENCE:
In view of the suspension of offices under the Executive Branch, the BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 31-2020 on March 23 that gives taxpayers 30 days from the date of the lifting of the ECQ to submit the following documents:

• Letter Answer to Notice of Informal Conference (NIC)

• Response to the Preliminary Assessment Notice (PAN), Protest Letter to Final Assessment Notice (FAN)/Formal Letter of Demand (FLD)

• Submission of relevant supporting documents to support the requirements for re-investigation of audit cases with FAN/FLD

• Appeal/Request for Reconsideration to the Commissioner on the Final Decision on Disputed Assessment (FDDA) and other similar letters and correspondences with due dates

The extension applies to taxpayers whose response to the revised NIC, PAN, FAN, FLD, FDDA, and other similar notices fall due within the ECQ period. The extension also applies to other jurisdictions where concerned Local Government Units (LGUs) have adopted and implemented the ECQ measures.

We should note that the deadline extension is consistent with RR No. 7-2020. However, it does not provide for any qualification on the jurisdictions to which such extension shall apply.

Consequently, target collection from covered tax assessments by the concerned jurisdictions may be delayed, potentially adding to the expected shortfall in tax collections from 2019 annual income tax filings.

FILING OF CERTIFICATE OF RESIDENCE FOR TAX TREATY RELIEF (CORTT) FORMS:
A deadline extension was also given to parties concerned with the filing of the CORTT Form through the issuance of RMC No. 32-2020, dated March 20, and RR No. 7-2020.

As a brief background, on March 28, the BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 8-2017 to modify the procedure for availing of tax treaty benefits on the payments of dividends, interest, and royalties to non-residents. It provides that, in lieu of the tax treaty relief application (TTRA) required by RMO No.72-2010, preferential treaty rates for dividends, interests and royalties shall be applied and used outright. Under the procedure, non-residents claiming tax treaty relief shall submit a duly accomplished CORTT Form to the International Tax Division (ITAD) and Revenue District Office (RDO) within 30 days after payment of withholding taxes due on the dividend, interest and royalty income of non-residents based on the applicable tax treaty.

Previously, the filing of COURT Forms for final withholding taxes on said income types paid on or before March 10 were to be made on or before April 13. This has been extended to April 30 without penalty.

AVAILING TAX AMNESTY ON DELINQUENCY:
Also extended is the period to avail of the tax amnesty on delinquency covering the taxable year 2017 and prior years.

President Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11213, which includes the Tax Amnesty on Delinquency. The BIR then issued Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 4-2019 to implement the rules on tax amnesty on delinquency effective April 24, 2019.ÊThe provisions of RR No. 4-2019 were further amended by RR No. 5-2020, particularly on the duration that it may be availed of given current conditions.

Most recently, the BIR issued RMC No. 33-2020 dated March 24, extending the deadline on availing of tax amnesty on delinquencies under RR 4-2019, as amended by RR No. 5-2020, to May 23.ÊSuch extension was also consistent with RR No. 7-2020.

ACCEPTING TAX RETURNS:
The BIR implemented policies in relation to accepting 2019 annual ITR and other tax returns with due dates that fall within the ECQ.

On March 23, the BIR issued Bank Bulletin No. 2020-03 to reiterate the relevant responsibilities of authorized agent banks (AABs) in connection with the “file and pay anywhere” rule provided by the BIR under RMC No. 28-2020 to ease the process of filing and paying the 2019 annual ITR. It authorizes all AABs to accept payments of 2019 annual income tax until May 15 without imposing penalties. The same 30-day extension applies to payments of tax returns with due dates that fall within the ECQ, including out-of-district returns.

LGU INITIATIVES:
Certain LGU offices in the National Capital Region announced the deadline extension for real property taxes and other local business taxes. Hopefully, other LGUs nationwide will follow suit.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
With the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country, government may become more stringent in implementing ECQ measures. Despite this, the tax authorities are doing their share to help ease the burden on taxpayers.

We cannot tell where this pandemic will take us or when it will inevitably end. What we do know is that in the middle of this uncertainty, we are all reminded of one enduring Filipino value — solidarity. Given the very limited options that taxpayers have during the ECQ, one of our best expressions of solidarity would be to comply with our tax obligations that will provide the government with the much-needed resources to overcome this adversity and for the good of the nation.

The deadlines and timelines mentioned in this article are pursuant to the Author’s understanding of the existing administrative issuances of the BIR as of the date of writing. These may be subject to change in light of the recently passed RA No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which authorizes the President to move statutory deadlines and timelines for the submission of documents and payment of taxes, fees, and other charges required by law, among others.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of SGV, the global EY organization or its member firms. EYG no. 001665-20Gbl

 

Noel Andro D. Bico is a Senior Associate from the Global Compliance & Reporting Sub-Service Line of SGV & Co.

Gov’t to review medical worker deployment ban

A TASK force made up of Cabinet officials will review an order barring Filipino health workers from leaving the country as it battles the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened more than 4,000 people after critics questioned its legality.

“All the task force members will issue a position on this,” task force spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said at a briefing on Sunday.

In an order dated April 2, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) suspended the deployment of doctors and nurses while the country is in a state of national emergency.

Also covered by the ban are microbiologists, molecular biologists, medical technologists, clinical analysts, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, laboratory and X-ray technicians, nursing aids, medical equipment operators health supervisors and hospital equipment repair men.

POEA also suspended negotiations for government-to-government deployment of health workers.

It said the country’s health facilities, personnel and other resources are under severe strain due to the rising number of persons affected by the COVID-19 virus, according to the order signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, who heads the POEA board.

The Department of Health yesterday reported 220 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the total to 4,648.

Fifty more patients died, raising the death toll to 297, it said in a bulletin. Forty more patients recovered, bringing the total of those who have gotten well to 197, it added.

The Philippines was 290,000 short of health workers last year, which was aggravated by the migration of 13,000 health professionals, POEA said earlier, citing a Human Resources for Health Network (HRHN) report.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said the deployment ban violates citizens’ right to travel.

“We will fight the ban in the Inter-Agency Task Force,” he said in a social media post. “We will fight the ban in the Cabinet. We will never surrender our constitutional right to travel and our contractual right to work where there is need for our work.”

British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce had reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) after Filipino health workers employed by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service were barred from leaving the country.

Mr. Bello had said among those who had voted in favor of the POEA order was a representative from the DFA.

But Mr. Locsin said DFA had no vote in the POEA governing board. “The DFA representative’s views were ignored,” he said in a separate social media post on Saturday.

“With no vote, he couldn’t do anything but invoke standing IATF resolution excluding OFWs with work contracts from any restriction or ban,” Mr. Locsin said, adding that he would raise the matter during Monday’s task force meeting.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said health care workers should prioritize serving the country, noting that the state has given them benefits during the health crisis.

“They’re being given allowances and hazard pay,” he said in a mobile-phone message yesterday. “They should serve their own country first.”

The president on March 16 ordered that Luzon be locked down, suspending classes, work and public transportation to contain the pandemic. He later extended the month-long lockdown by two more weeks until April 30. — Gillian M. Cortez, Charmaine A. Tadalan and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Manila faces mountain of COVID-19 wastes

MANILA should properly dispose of 16,800 tons of infectious medical wastes produced in the past two months of battling the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, or risk overwhelming its medical transport and disposal systems, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Manila-based multilateral lender said medical transport and disposal infrastructure around hospitals in China’s Hubei province, where the virus was first detected, were overwhelmed after infectious medical wastes surged seven times to 240 tons a day.

“Other countries will face similar challenges,” ADB said in a brief posted on its website at the weekend. “Few cities have the capacity to deal with the expected excessive amounts of waste. Governments should consider dealing with excess waste as soon as possible.”

ADB expects Manila, home to 14 million people, to produce 280 more tons a day of medical wastes or a total of 16,800 tons in 60 days, the highest among five major cities in the region.

Jakarta is expected to generate 12,750 tons in 60 days, Bangkok 12,600 tons, Ha Noi 9,600 tons and Kuala Lumpur 9,240 tons.

Local governments can project the potential rise in the volume of medical wastes daily by multiplying the number of estimated infected patients by 3.4 kilos.

It said the experience in Hubei, China showed that its transport and disposal systems were the first to be overwhelmed when medical wastes surged.

“It is critical that additional waste management systems are put in place to help reduce the further spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of other diseases,” ADB said in the report.

China’s peak management and treatment campaign lasted more than 60 days in Wuhan City, where the novel coronavirus is believed to have started, ADB said.

Other countries will experience different emergency timelines depending on policies and predicted infection curves, it added.

Intermediate sorting of waste will result in higher infection rates and dispersal of infected waste, ADB said.

“The risk of infected waste being handled multiple times needs to be avoided,” it said. “This risk is particularly high with informal sector workers.”

Safe transport requires vehicles that can be sterilized, trained drivers and waste collectors, dedicated routes, and vehicle and waste tracking systems,” according to the report.

“Training must be conducted for crews who will be exposed to household infectious medical waste,” it added.

ADB said sanitary landfills, medical incinerators and medical autoclaves are used to deal with pre-pandemic waste amounts.

Other resources including mobile incinerators, industrial furnaces and cement kilns could be assessed for use if existing systems are overloaded and capacity is limited, it added.

“Some cement kilns and industrial furnaces may be used as temporary disposal facilities,” ADB said, noting that China had successfully made use of cement kilns for this purpose.

Governments can also use secure facilities as temporary storage of excess infectious wastes, ADB said.

Government should reschedule the collection of solid wastes and set aside available assets for infectious medical waste management.

Meanwhile, ADB discouraged recycling of wastes to prevent infected domestic and medical wastes from reaching households.

“All municipal waste should be treated as non-recyclable and disposed of through incineration or sanitary landfill,” it said. “Landfill sites with informal waste picking will need increased management and security,” it added.

“Ensure that transport and disposal systems implement duty of care, waste tracking and labelling, disposal unit licensing, record keeping and emissions monitoring,” ADB said. — B.M. Laforga

500 Filipinos from US and Dubai come home

ABOUT 500 Filipinos from the US and Dubai have come home amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has sickened 1.78 million and killed almost 109,000 people worldwide, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The agency said 208 seafarers of MS Norwegian Jade arrived on Saturday evening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, while 290 crew men from Oceania and Norwegian Cruises arrived on Sunday morning.

This brings the total number of repatriates to 11,903 out of DFA’s 20,000 target beneficiaries.

“The DFA and its partners will continue to bring home distressed land- and sea-based overseas Filipino workers affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic well beyond the Holy Week,” it said in a statement at the weekend.

The Filipinos were subjected to the mandatory inspection of the Bureau of Quarantine upon arrival and will undergo a 14-day home quarantine.

The return of the 208 crewmen from Dubai was facilitated by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi in coordination with Norwegian Cruise Lines and local manning agency CF Sharp, it said.

This followed the arrival of 246 seafarers from the United Kingdom on Saturday afternoon and almost 1,500 other seafarers from the US, United Kingdom, Germany and Portugal on Friday.

DFA said it was monitoring 379 Filipinos overseas who were being treated for COVID-19. A total of 188 Filipino patients have recovered and 84 died, it added.

The Tourism department earlier said about 11,000 hotel rooms in and outside Metro Manila would be used to house the repatriates for the mandatory 14-day self quarantine. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

#COVID-19 Regional Updates

LUZON

2Go ships ready as quarantine facility for homecoming OFWs

THE TWO passenger vessels of shipping and logistics provider 2Go Group, Inc. that will be used as quarantine facilities for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are now ready for use, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said. In a statement issued late Saturday, the DoTr said the two ships docked at the Port Area in Manila would be open by April 12. “We have seen the need to step up and help the health sector attend to the needs of our countrymen. As we are expecting more repatriates to return home, we came up with these quarantine ships to serve as their temporary accommodations while they are on forced 14-day quarantine,” DoTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said, noting that most hospitals in Metro Manila are already on full capacity. One of the ships can accommodate 800 individuals while the smaller vessel can serve 300. — Arjay L. Balinbin

EAMC receives more body bags

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence T. Go on Sunday confirmed providing assistance in acquiring “cadaver bags” for a government-owned hospital in Quezon City due to the rising number of deceased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. “Nakatangap ako ng sulat kahapon. Ni-refer ko lang sa gusto tumulong… ginawan ng paraan… nabigyan ng (I received a letter yesterday. I referred it to those willing to help… we found a way to give) body bag(s),” Mr. Go told reporters through a phone message Sunday. The East Avenue Medical Center sought the supply from the senator in an April 11 letter, which was shared by journalist Arnold Clavio in a social media post. Mr. Go said the additional cadaver bags may be intended to ensure there is enough supply as the hospital continues to treat COVID-19 positive patients. The letter particularly asked for assistance to procure at least 50 cadaver bags due to the unexpected increase of deceased patients. The report came with allegations that there was an order for hospitals to stop reporting deaths related to COVID-19, which has so far infected over 4,000 and killed 247 people in the country. The Department of Health (DoH) has denied giving such instruction and committed to investigate the allegation. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

VISAYAS

DoH-Western Visayas gearing up for COVID-19 mass testing

THE DEPARTMENT of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) is preparing for mass testing in the region while the Iloilo City government is also set to offer free tests to qualified residents to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). DOH-CHD 6 Regional Director Marlyn W. Convocar said mass testing is particularly crucial for determining community transmissions. “To substantiate transmission, we should be guided by more testing… we will do this in the next few weeks,” she said in a press conference last week. Local transmission has so far been confirmed in the towns of Guimbal and Lambunao in Iloilo province, and the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. “We will subject those who are qualified as a suspect case to COVID-19 testing whether they had exposure to a positive case or not,” Ms. Convocar said. In Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said last week they are finalizing the purchase of test kits developed by scientists from the University of the Philippines while personnel are also getting ready. “Our medical technologists are preparing to go on mass testing starting Monday. They are identifying the persons to be tested,” he said in a statement Saturday. Ms. Convocar said “suspect cases” or those with progressive symptoms and at risk for contracting COVID-19 will undergo the test. Based on the new DoH reporting guidelines, a suspect case is a person with any of the following conditions: All severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) where no other etiology fully explains the illness; Influenza like illnesses (ILI) with no other etiology and a history of travel to or residence in an area with COVID-19 local transmission; with contact to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19; with fever, cough, shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms aged 60 years and above, with comorbidity, assessed as having a high-risk pregnancy, and health workers.

LABORATORIES
Meanwhile, Ms. Convocar said that they are also preparing to have more accredited laboratories to handle the testing. The Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City, currently the only accredited site in the region, can process 120 to 200 specimens a day, according to Ms. Convocar. “Before the mass testing will be rolled out in the region, the 11 subnational laboratories should first be capacitated to operate at most 500 specimens a day… We are reinforcing WVCM by providing more machines and medical technologists,” she said. She added that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has 300,000 test kits in preparation for the mass testing. “We will start with the surveillance on Monday, April 13. We will monitor barangays with clustering of ILI cases,” she said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

MINDANAO

RESU tracking 10,000 persons with close contact to Davao derby attendees

THE DAVAO Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit is aiming to track down up to 10,000 people who are believed to have contact with those who attended a series of cockfighting events in Davao City, which has been determined as a source of local transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “I realized the 1,937 recorded individuals (attendees) is not even one-third of the possible total number of people exposed because there were several contacts there and they are saying, although, this is yet to be verified, we need to look into about 9,000 to 10,000 individuals,” RESU Medical Officer Cleofe Tabada said in a live-streamed press briefing last week. “But efforts are being done and the tracing is going forward. We call on the local government units (LGUs) to help us out. The LGUs are actively involved but we need to widen our search and reach to find more people,” she said. As of April 8, the contact-tracing team has reached over 1,800 persons in Davao Region and 104 in other regions. — Maya M. Padillo

Nationwide round-up

Task force to assess proposed wage subsidy for SME workers, freelancers

THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will study a lawmaker’s proposed P45 billion wage subsidy for workers in small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), solo entrepreneurs, and freelancers. “Let the IATF study this proposal because it’s a matter of: number one, funding the budget for this; and number two, kung hindi ba natatamaan na ito dun sa ating kasalakuyang programa (if this is not covered yet in our current programs),” IATF-EID Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said in a briefing Sunday. Albay 2nd District Representative José María Clemente S. Salceda said on Saturday that he is looking at wage subsidy program called the Payroll Support for Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Self-employed Program for five million formal sector workers affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. The subsidy is between P2,500 to P3,000 per month for three months. One of the government’s approved programs is a one-time P5,000 cash aid for formal workers distributed through the Department of Labor and Employment. Meanwhile, another solon has proposed to include lower middle income families in the assistance program through a one-time unconditional cash grant of P5,000 per beneficiary. “There’s one way to expand the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) Social Amelioration Program to include the lower middle class. For the lower middle income families that are not receiving any salary from the government or the private sector,” Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence H. Fortun said in a statement on Sunday. He recommended the use of various databases for determining eligible beneficiaries such as the Social Security System for registered kasambahays (househelp), police’s registry of licensed security guards, and the Commission on Higher Education’s enrollment list of indigent and low-income students in public and private colleges. — Gillian M. Cortez and Genshen L. Espedido

DSWD supports temporary release of high-risk detainees amid COVID-19 threat

THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) expressed support to the proposed temporary release of sickly and elderly detainees in highly congested jails amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. “As the lead social protection agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) fully supports the recommendation of the House Committee on Justice, chaired by Leyte Rep. Vicente “Ching” (S.E.) Veloso (III),” DSWD said in a statement Sunday, citing humanitarian considerations. The House committee on justice, chaired by Mr. Veloso, earlier made the recommendation to the Defeat COVID-19 committee of the House of Representatives, citing that the Philippines has one of the highest congestion rates among global detention facilities. “In sum, Cong Veloso recommended the creation of an ad hoc committee… to evaluate and draft guidelines for the temporary release of non-violent, first-time offenders, sick and elderly detainees,” Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr., vice chair of the House committee on justice, said in a Viber message to BusinessWorld. — Genshen L. Espedido

Lawmaker calls on DoH to withdraw position vs spraying disinfectants

A LAWMAKER called on the Department of Health (DoH) to withdraw its claim that misting or spraying disinfectants in public spaces are ineffective against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). House Deputy Speaker Danilo S. Fernandez, in a Facebook post on Saturday, said every possible action must be undertaken to combat the disease. In a radio interview Sunday, the Laguna representative noted that local governments launched misting operations following DoH recommendations on the use of disinfectants. “So somehow parang (it’s like an) error of judgment,” he said. Mr. Fernandez added that while there is no evidence that these methods are effective against the virus, there is also no evidence showing that it is ineffective. The DoH issued a statement on Friday discouraging spraying or misting as protection against COVID-19. “The DoH does not recommend spraying or misting. There is no evidence to support that spraying of surfaces or large scale misting of areas, indoor or outdoor with disinfecting agents, kills the virus,” it said. — Genshen L. Espedido

Tour organizers leaning on deferment, not cancellation

PARIS — Tour de France organizers are focusing on a postponement of this year’s race rather than a cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an email seen by Reuters on Saturday which was sent to the publishers of the official Tour program.

The Tour’s main publisher said in the email it was “freezing the administrative aspects of our collaboration” ahead of the sport’s most prestigious race which is due to run from June 27–July 19.

“The unpredictable nature of the global crisis that we are all caught up in means that we will have to be patient until there’s an official announcement of (Tour organizers) ASO about the 2020 race, bearing in mind that the current focus is on a postponement until later in the summer rather than a cancellation,” the publishing arm of L’Equipe newspaper, which is owned by the same family as the Tour de France organizers, wrote.

Tour de France organizers declined to comment.

The Tokyo Olympics, soccer’s European Championship, Wimbledon and French Open tennis, and golf’s British Open are among the major sporting events this year which have been postponed or cancelled.

Postponing cycling’s greatest stage race would be a major challenge for organizers as some 4,500 people — riders, sponsors, organizers and media — are directly involved in the three-week event.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) said last month that the grands tours (France, Italy, Spain) and the major one-day races would have priority on a revised scheduled once racing resumes.

May’s Giro d’Italia, as well as the Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege classics, have already been postponed.

Briton Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, said on Saturday he hoped the race would go ahead.

“That’s a bit of a shame at the moment but there’s a lot of serious things which need to take precedence over that,” the Team INEOS rider told the BBC.

“It is a shame but hopefully it can go ahead. Obviously there are bigger things that need to be sorted out first but … It’s the pinnacle of the sport, it’s what it’s all about. I’m not sure when but hopefully it goes ahead this year.”

Since its inception in 1903, the Tour de France has only been cancelled amid the two World Wars with no races held from 1915–18 and 1940–46. — Reuters

Local pro hoops league still keen on staging All-Star Game

IF IT WOULD HAVE its way, the Philippine Basketball Association would like to stage the annual All-Star Game despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic messing up with the league’s season calendar.

Currently at a halt as the country’s battle with COVID-19 rages on, the PBA is bracing for a reconfigured schedule, looking at staging just two conferences, or worse one, instead of the traditional three and doing away with some of its other activities for now.

But the league said conditions permitting it would like to push through with the staging of the midseason classic, seeing it as a huge part in what it is trying to accomplish as an organization every season.

“We just can’t scrap the All-Stars because it’s really for the fans and it generates fund that we turn to the Players Trust Fund,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial was quoted as saying in the league Website.

“So if we won’t do the All-Stars we have to find a replacement event but it will not be that easy,” he added.

This year All-Star festivities were set to happen sometime in July in Passi, Iloilo.

It remains to be seen if it will push through on the scheduled date after the PBA was forced to suspend all of its activities for the season on March 11 as the government declared a state of public health emergency with COVID-19 beginning to take root in the country.

Under a public health emergency all mass gatherings, including sporting events, are prohibited.

The suspension of activities came immediately on the heels of the opening of the PBA Philippine Cup on March 8, which saw the defending champions San Miguel Beermen beat the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok, 94-78.

The league was angling to resume proceedings this month or in May, hinged on the possibility of some semblance of normalcy after the 30-day Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) lapses today, April 13.

But with the government deciding on April 7 to extend the ECQ for another two weeks, or until April 30, the PBA was forced to reevaluate its schedule.

The league is looking to have a more concrete plan moving forward when the board meets anew on April 30.

In last year’s edition of the PBA All-Star Game in Calasiao, Pangasinan, the North team won, 185-170, with Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra and Arwind Santos of San Miguel sharing the most valuable player award.

Mr. Aguilar finished with 32 points on an efficient 16-of-22 shooting while displaying aerial artistry with creative dunks throughout. Mr. Santos, meanwhile, had 34 points and 17 boards.

Paul Lee also of the North squad had 27 points on a record nine triples.

For the South side it was Magnolia veteran Peter June Simon who led the way with 34 points, followed six-time league MVP June Mar Fajardo with 26 points. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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