The Social Security System (SSS) has temporarily extended the filing periods of sickness notifications and sickness benefit claims for contingencies starting on 1 March until 30 April 2020.
SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said the initiative is for its members and employers to avoid the penalties of late filing while there is the occurring threat of COVID-19.
For sickness notifications of home confinement, under the temporary extension, employed members may submit their Sickness Notification Forms to their employers within 60 calendar days after the end of their confinement. Their employers, on the other hand, are also given 60 calendar days from the receipt of the said forms to submit them to SSS.
Self-employed (SE), voluntary members (VM), and Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) members are likewise given 60 calendar days after the end of their confinement to submit their applications to SSS.
Meanwhile, sickness benefit claims for home and hospital confinement with filing deadlines that fall within the said temporary extension period will not be reduced or denied.
Employers and SE/VM/OFW members may still file their sickness benefit claims until 30 June 2020.
“We understand the situation that our members are currently experiencing due to this public health crisis. As part of our mandate in providing meaningful social security protection in times of contingencies, we have adopted a flexible schedule to accommodate their sickness benefit claims,” Ignacio said.
Before the temporary extension, the filing of sickness notifications for employed members is within five calendar days after the start of their confinement, and another five calendar days is given to the employers to notify the sickness of their employeesto SSS. The same applies to SE/VM/OFW members on the submission of their applications to the SSS. OFW members, however, are given a 30-day grace period to submit their respective applications given the nature and location of their employment overseas.
The prescriptive filing period for sickness benefit claims, on the other hand, is within one year from the last day of confinement, if in a hospital, or one year from the start of the illness, if at home.
Employers are also encouraged to pay in advance the sickness benefits of their respective employees, which is one of their primary obligations under the Republic Act 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018.
Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chair and CEO Mary Liza Diño addresses the issues faced by the movie industry, including developing audiences via local film festivals, and safeguarding film workers following the death of actor Eddie Garcia in 2019. Ms. Diño also tells
Zsarlene B. Chua, Arts and Leisure reporter, her plans for the final three years of her term. Produced by Nina M. Diaz, Paolo L. Lopez, and Sam L. Marcelo.
In partnership with DA5, a leading authorized agent of Western Union in the Philippines, First Shoshin Holdings Inc. will open up a WU branch as part of its $5M FinTech Hub project that aims to create a “tellerless” one-stop shop for financial needs.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, First Shoshin is on a mission to address the growing demand for moving money with speed, ease, security, and affordability. WU has been providing Filipinos money transfer services since 1990, and First Shoshin is proud to join forces with DA5 to leverage emerging technologies and create an enhanced user experience for both senders and receivers.
The WU branch is set to open by Q2 of this year, with both companies collaborating with plans to reinvent how OTCs operate and scale real-time cross-border payments.
“Our partnership with DA5 will help us reach a wider global consumer base through WU’s expansive scale and size and curtail regulatory issues with cross-border and cross-currency transactions,” said First Shoshin Chairman Jack Ponce-Enrile. “But more importantly, it allows us to explore ways to boost WU’s response to digital developments and bring speed and transparency when it comes to remittances.”
Under the partnership, and in line with its FinTech Hub plan, the Western Union branch will incorporate a contactless, tellerless, and cashless model for an expedited remittance service. Their goal is to enable an end-to-end solution that allows anyone in the world to send or receive money in any currency in real time, through a combination of digital and physical services.
“Our vision is to modernize global money movements and offer customers an improved remittance service with more transparency. Through this branch, we are giving Filipinos a seamless choice to receive money digitally, on the go,” said Ponce-Enrile.
“We are excited to work with First Shoshin and offer this service to Filipinos who are recipients of OFW remittances,” said DA5 CEO and President Raymond Babst. “Our goal is to provide fast, reliable, and convenient money transfer services to meet the needs of people across the country, and we are taking this important step forward because we believe First Shoshin’s commitment to innovation can help us accelerate the process.”
Joining the growing list of resources that Filipinos can access while in quarantine, Eskwelabs just announced they are now offering two free data science courses: Covid Aral-Aral, a data science prep course, and Analytics SkillsCourse, a digital course with classes on data analytics, productivity, and mindsets for success.
Eskwelabs is a Manila-based education technology startup looking to help those who might benefit from upskilling while in quarantine.
Covid Aral-Aral
A basic Python programming program, this version of Covid Aral-Aral was specifically designed for those who are affected by the lockdown and are excited about a data- and tech-filled future. Content is released on a fixed schedule and is complemented with a peer-supported online study group where members get to discuss exercises and share answers.
“We designed it this way because we know that self-paced online courses do not work. Most people simply do not enjoy learning alone and that’s why you see such low completion rates for online courses,” said Angela Chen, co-founder and CEO of Eskwelabs. “We know that many are looking for ways to learn a new skill, but people’s preference to learn socially still remains the same. So we thought, why not create a Covid-19 edition of Aral-Aral and share our resources with the public for free.”
Analytics SkillsCourse
In line with the company’s mission of providing in-demand skills that add value to people’s careers, Analytics SkillsCourse is a virtual program for those currently working – or are looking to work – remotely during and after the quarantine period, especially in the Virtual Assistant (VA) market. Eskwelabs analyzed both the supply and demand sides of the said market and learned that VAs who had data analysis skills commanded higher wages.
As explained by Chen, “We want to democratize our programs since data science is an elite set of skills. We already developed a curriculum for business intelligence which teaches learners how to use existing tools instead of creating them, so the Analytics course was a natural next step.”
The course has twelve live classes and is on a pay-what-you-can model.
THE government has set a P190-billion borrowing program for April focused on short-term tenors, even reintroducing a 35-day term, as investors shun securities with longer maturities amid ongoing uncertainties.
In a memorandum issued Thursday, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said next month’s borrowing plan will consist of P130 billion in Treasury bills (T-bills) and P60 billion in Treasury bonds (T-bonds).
The April borrowing plan is a departure from the usual quarterly program released by the Treasury. The BTr said they want to assess developments as they go along as the market is filled with uncertainty due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Situation is still fluid. We will monitor developments and assess [the] results of our auctions in April to determine if full issuance program for second quarter can be released,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon told reporters via Viber yesterday.
Ms. De Leon said the BTr has offered the 35-day papers in the past, adding that its plan to auction off this tenor next month is meant to accommodate a shift in demand from the central bank’s term deposit facility (TDF), which was suspended last week.
“BSP suspended TDF. The 35-day bill provides outlet for investors while at the same time provides funds for our short-term requirements,” she said.
Broken down, the government will offer T-bills every Monday, broken down into P10 billion for the 91-day tenor and P5 billion each for 182- and 364-day T-bills, while the 35-day tenor will be auctioned off fortnightly at P15 billion each.
For the T-bonds, the Treasury will auction off P30 billion in one-year securities on April 14, and another P30 billion in two-year bonds on April 28.
Ms. De Leon said short-term tenors are more attractive to investors now as they prefer to hold on to their cash amid disruptions caused by the virus.
“Cash remains king as markets continue to remain watchful of impact of measures to battle COVID,” she said.
A trader said the shorter tenors could restore calm to the market.
“It’s nice to see that they are issuing very short bonds. It can help calm the market also as it won’t add to [the] current supply of the longer tenor,” a bond trader said via Viber yesterday.
The trader said a shorter borrowing plan will help the market focus on “fundamentals and address liquidity needs, if there are, rather than focus on the yield curve.”
In the first three months of the year, the government raised just P315.261 billion out of its P420-billion local borrowing program.
It raised P196.475 billion in T-bills out of the P240-billion plan and P118.786 billion from T-bonds, also short of the P150-billion program.
In February, the BTr also raised a record-high P310.8 billion from the sale of three-year retail Treasury bonds at a coupon of 4.375% amid strong demand.
It likewise sold €1.2 billion worth of euro-denominated bonds in January — €600 million each for three-year and nine-year papers. The issue was priced at a rate of 0.1% for the three-year papers and 0.7% for nine-year bonds.
The government earlier said it plans to raise P1.4 trillion this year from local and foreign lenders. — Beatrice M. Laforga
A MAN wearing a protective mask sits outside a building in Makati City as the government implements an “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon to contain the coronavirus pandemic. — REUTERS
By Luz Wendy T. Noble,Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES still has room for a more aggressive fiscal response to blunt the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to credit raters who said that the expected widening of the budget deficit will not affect the country’s credit standing as long as the debt rise is temporary.
Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have “Baa2” and “BBB” debt ratings for the Philippines — both a notch above minimum investment grade — while S&P Global Ratings upgraded the country’s rating in May last year to “BBB+”, a step short of single “A” grade.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said separately that the country has enough buffers to cushion the pandemic’s economic impact.
“Fiscal accommodation will be a key part of a multi-faceted policy response to mitigating the economic and public health fallout from the coronavirus outbreak,” Christian de Guzman, senior vice-president at the Sovereign Risk Group of Moody’s Investors Service, said in an e-mailed response on Tuesday to BusinessWorld’s questions.
A recent report by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the government’s budget deficit could balloon to as much as 4.4-5.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, as “aggressive efforts to contain COVID-19, including the Luzon-wide quarantine, could by itself add pressure on the country’s fiscal position.”
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law a measure that gives him extra powers to combat the pandemic, including the ability to realign savings from the 2020 budget of agencies under the Executive branch. Around P200 billion will go to a emergency subsidy program for 18 million low-income households for two months.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III on Wednesday said the government is looking to borrow up to $2 billion from multilateral lenders to support increased government spending.
Mr. De Guzman noted that budget deficits are not the only indicator to gauge a country’s institutional strength.
“For example, despite the widening of the budget deficit in 2019, the government was able to record an improvement in other key metrics, such as debt as a share of GDP (public indebtedness) or interest payments as a share of government revenue (debt affordability),” he said.
Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed the budget deficit soared to a record P660.2 billion in 2019, breaching the P620-billion deficit programmed for the year and surpassing the P558.3-billion deficit in 2018. This brought deficit to GDP ratio of 3.55%, slightly higher than the 3.25% set for the year.
Debt-to-GDP ratio was marginally down at 41.5% in 2019 from 41.8% from the prior year despite a higher national debt of P7.731 trillion.
“Given improvements in these metrics over the past decade, the Philippine government has the space to implement fiscal stimulus measures without threatening its overall credit profile, as long as any consequent rise in debt or deterioration in debt affordability is temporary,” Mr. de Guzman said.
Stephen Schwartz, head of Asia Pacific Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, noted the country’s general government debt ratio is still well within the average for its similarly-rated peers and has seen a downtrend in the recent year.
“The Philippines’ general government debt[-to-GDP] ratio of around 36.5% in 2019 is broadly in line with similarly rated peers (the ‘BBB’ median is about 36%),” he said in an e-mail.
Mr. Schwartz said that they would watch supplementary spending measures from a rating perspective in the context of the country’s medium-term fiscal health. “We would typically seek to assess whether such measures are temporary, and what implications they may have over the medium term,” he added.
Moody’s Mr. De Guzman also noted the fiscal stimulus complements the central bank’s monetary easing and liquidity management.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has already slashed its benchmark rate by 50 basis points (bps) and granted regulatory relief to banks. It is also buying P300 billion in government debt, and reducing the reserve requirement ratio for universal and commercial lenders by 200 bps.
POLICY BUFFERS
At the same time, IMF’s resident representative to the Philippines, Yongzheng Yang, said the country has enough policy buffers to deal with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The Philippines does have considerable policy buffers. It has a high level of [gross] international reserves (GIR), a relatively low level of public debt, and a sound banking system, just to mention a few,” Mr. Yang said in an e-mailed response to BusinessWorld’s questions.
Data from the central bank showed that GIR as of end-February was at $87.606 billion, higher than the January level of $86.868 billion and the $82.78 billion seen in the same month of 2019. This GIR level is equal to 5.4 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.8 times based on residual maturity, according to the BSP.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, Mr. Yang said that the country should ensure its debt is sustainable although its current level is relatively low. “[Y]ou (Philippines) can certainly go up… The purpose for having buffer is you use it for crisis like this. So my view is that you should be using the spaces the government has accumulated and fight this virus and to protect the people to get the economy back running,” he told ANC on Thursday.
Mr. Yang said the IMF will lower its current growth forecast of 6.3% for the Philippines to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Like in most other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on the Philippine economy. It is affecting tourism, trade, retail, investor sentiment, etc. We will revise downward our current growth forecasts to reflect the impact in these areas and release the revised forecasts during the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings next month,” he said.
The NEDA on Tuesday released a study showing economic growth may slow to -0.6%-4.3% this year. This compares to the 6.5-7.5% government target, which was set before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
A soldier checks the body temperature of health workers before entering a free shuttle service following the suspension of mass transportation to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Quezon City, March 20. — REUTERS
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, including local government units (LGUs), are being urged to simplify and streamline procedures and requirements as the country is under a state of national emergency due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
In an advisory released on Wednesday, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) identified several measures that all government agencies can implement to speed up the delivery of government services.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday signed a law that granted him emergency powers to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and placed the country under a state of national emergency for three months unless extended.
ARTA recommended the “emergency” extension of the validity of permits, licenses and certifications that are expiring, especially those whose applications for renewal or extension may not be filed during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
It also said agencies may also consider accepting and approving applications and reports through e-mail and online platforms, on the condition that there are security measures in place.
“Further, it is suggested that these transactions be subjected to post-audits when able,” it added.
ARTA said that agencies may also consider suspending the notarization requirement for documents, noting that the submission of false documents, notarized or otherwise, is punishable by law.
Government agencies may also process incomplete applications that may be completed “when conditions normalize,” ARTA said. These include using electronically signed or pre-signed licenses and authorizations and using alternate signatories when the authorized signatory is on official business or leave.
Payments may also be processed online or through outsourced payment collection centers. ARTA said that agencies should consider waiving or deferring payments if the said options are not possible.
ARTA also encouraged agencies to submit copies of regulations to the University of the Philippines — Office of National Administrative Register electronically to give legal effect to their issuances.
The advisory is a response to Mr. Duterte’s call to cut red tape in a national address on Tuesday, ARTA said in a statement.
“We would like to remind all agencies to adopt a zero red-tape policy, especially in this emergency situation during which red tape literally kills,” ARTA Director General Jeremiah B. Belgica said. “To deliberately commit red tape at this time of global emergency is unforgivable.”
Meanwhile, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is prohibiting the imposition or collection of additional port charges and fees, including the hazard fee.
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago issued the notice to shipping companies, terminal operators, cargo handling operators, pilots and pilots’ associations, private ports and port service providers, port managers, and other port stakeholders.
This after the Quezon Harbor Pilots Association Inc. released an open letter dated March 23, informing the public that it will be collecting “P60,000 as additional pilots’ health hazard fee for every vessel that they will be assisting in Quezon ports.”
“The PPA clarified that neither its office nor its Board has granted the authority to impose additional charges or fees to any terminal operator, cargo handling operator, pilots and pilots’ associations, private port operators, and port service providers, including the Quezon Harbor Pilots Association,” the Department of Transportation said. — Jenina P. IbañezandArjay L. Balinbin
NETFLIX Inc. is reducing video quality in India, Australia, and some Latin American countries following conversations with internet service providers and governments, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Netflix operates the world’s most popular paid-TV network, and is the second-biggest driver of internet traffic in the world. Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, the biggest traffic hog, reduced its default video quality around the world this week.
Governments are concerned about preserving internet access for hundreds of millions of people stuck at home due to the coronavirus. Video streaming, one of the biggest strains on the web infrastructure, has boomed in recent weeks after governments across the world ordered people to remain at home.
Netflix streaming traffic hit an all-time high on AT&T Inc. networks, the telecommunications giant said, while music-video streams climbed 7% last week in the U.S., according to Nielsen.
EUROPEAN PUSH
Europe started the push to rein in video streaming. Netflix, YouTube, Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Video, and Walt Disney Co.’s Disney+ all pledged to reduce their bandwidth consumption in Europe after conversations with government officials. YouTube has since enacted its policy worldwide as a precautionary measure.
Netflix isn’t following suit just yet, said the person, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of conversations with government officials. Instead, it is acting on a case-by-base basis after conversations with regulators and internet service providers. India, one of the countries where Netflix reduced the so-called bit rate, has ordered its citizens to remain at home for the next 21 days to contain the spread of a virus that has killed more than 20,000 people worldwide in the past couple of months.
Both Netflix and YouTube already adjust users’ video quality based on the strength of their internet connection. Users watching video over a poor connection will get lower quality so that the stream isn’t interrupted. But the companies are now reducing the video output even for those customers with robust internet access.
There isn’t yet evidence that internet service providers or their customers are suffering widespread outages or poor service. Netflix users experienced temporary outages across the US and Europe on Wednesday, though it wasn’t clear if that was related. — Bloomberg
FOREIGN business groups are backing government measures to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and support the economy.
American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) Senior Adviser John Forbes said that the special powers granted to President Rodrigo R. Duterte permits the “aggressive” spending they support to address the pandemic.
“AmCham supports strong monetary and fiscal policies to support the macroeconomy,” he said in a mobile message on Wednesday.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday signed a bill that grants him emergency powers to deal with the pandemic, including the ability to realign savings from the 2020 budgets of government agencies under the Executive branch.
AmCham is one of 32 business groups, including seven foreign chambers, that called on the government last week to pass the “maximum fiscal response” to address the pandemic.
The business groups’ recommendations include funds to support workers affected by the quarantine and temporary hospitals, as well as subsidies for the transport and tourism industries.
The emergency powers granted to Mr. Duterte include the ability to take over some operations of private hospitals and public transportation for front liners, speed up test kit approval, lower lending rates and reserve requirements for banks, regulate fuel, power and water distribution, and offer cash aid to low income households.
Mr. Forbes noted a focus of government programs on the needy, and supported work on saving public health, preserving economic health, and protecting jobs.
“Only time will tell if it is enough,” he said.
Nabil Francis, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), said in a mobile message that the chamber supports the president’s emergency powers, provided that the powers are not “too sweeping and overreaching.”
He said the powers must be limited throughout the heath crisis, and remain consistent with constitutional safeguards.
“There may also be some lessons to be drawn from the good practices of other countries in terms of economic relief support.”
Mr. Francis referred to Malaysia and Italy, which have targeted subsidies in health, transport and tourism, and Germany’s increased public investment spending.
Germany plans to increase borrowing by up to $160 billion and pass a $167-billion supplementary budget, reports said. The German government is increasing subsidies for work schemes, and is putting up funds for small businesses.
The foreign chambers in the Philippines support the monetary stimulus from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
BSP said it will buy P300 billion in government securities from the Bureau of the Treasury to support government programs to counter the economic impact of COVID-19. The BSP also cut the reserve requirement ratio of universal and commercial banks by 200 basis points to release more liquidity into the market.
“Like all central banks around the world BSP is acting quickly to support the economy. We are sure they will continue to assess the situation as matters develop,” British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Director Chris Nelson said in a mobile message.
He said that it will take time to assess the impact of government measures responding to COVID-19, but noted that interested investors understand the global nature of the crisis.
“We are keeping them updated so that they will return quickly once the situation allows,” he said.
TOP Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artists have come together for several online fundraising concerts to benefit the COVID-19 front liners — from a concert series held by Smart Communications to another by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.
The Smart series, called Smart Music Live: Online Sessions, started on March 23 and will continue until May 15, according to Smart’s Facebook page.
The fundraising concert series will feature performances from 6Cyclemind, Pedicab, Gracenote, Banda ni Kleggy, Imago, and Ultra Combo (a band composed of Pinoy rock icons and former Eraserheads members, Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala).
Rock band Moonstar88 kicked off the series on March 23 while March 24 saw performances from Kean Cipriano, Janine Tenoso, This Band, Brisom, and Rice Lucido. The concert fundraiser was to benefit the Philippine Red Cross and was streamed on Facebook Live by FM stations Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, and 99.5 Play FM.
The Smart concert series will be on view on Smart Communications’ Facebook page. Donation details will be mentioned during the live performances.
Meanwhile, National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab organized a two-week online fundraising concert series to address “the food and personal protection needs of the most vulnerable Filipinos in the National Capital Region.”
The concert series, which started last week, featured performances from Mr. Cayabyab, Ebe Dancel, Sponge Cola, Top Suzara, Noel Cabangon, and Bayang Barrios, among many others.
Called Bayanihan Musikahan, likely a play on Mr. Cayabyab’s former TV music show, Ryan Ryan Musikahan which ran from 1988 to 1995, is to benefit the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PSBS), Caritas Manila, and Oxfam Pilipinas, who will deliver survival kits to vulnerable people in the capital.
“We call on our citizenry to heed the call of the times, to stay at home and to prevent at all costs the spread of this virus that has wreaked havoc all over the world,” Mr. Cayabyab said in a statement.
“And while doing so, be reminded that there are many, many of our brothers who are in dire need of assistance in the form of food and medical supplies. This is a call for citizen action. All of us are in this together. We the artists are there to throw a lifeline to the most vulnerable among us: “Bayanihan na tayo!” Any amount you can donate will all help our kababayans who are in dire need. Let us help them as much as we can,” Mr. Cayabyab added.
On Friday until Sunday, the concert series will feature performances from Jewel Villaflores, Jacky Chang, Eamarie Gilayo, Joseph Gara, Sitti Navarro, Johnoy Danao, and Chud Festejo, among others.
Previous concert performances saw Ice Seguerra, Martin Nievera, Morrisette, and many others perform. Previous and current performances can be viewed on the Bayanihan Musikahan Facebook page.
Those interested in donating to the cause can donate via pymy.co/pbsp or donation.ph/pbsp (for BPI Debit/Credit Cards only).
POWER generation companies are not allowed to shut down their operations despite falling energy demand amid the Luzon-wide lockdown, the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Thursday.
In an advisory dated March 23, the department informed of reports from trading participants at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) that they wish to halt the operations of their generating units for economic reasons.
“A decline in power demand does not mean that operations could and should be put to rest,” DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said in a separate statement on Thursday.
“In fact, as we battle the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] crisis, now is the time for us to double our efforts to ensure that we can provide sufficient and continuous electricity services to each and every household, as well as across key industries of our country,” he added.
The DoE told the market participants that they should continue submitting their offers to the WESM.
Specifically, it told gencos “to exercise prudency in the submission of their offers and ensure utmost compliance to the instructions of the SO [system operator] to maintain market integrity and power system security.”
Citing the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP), the DoE noted a “significant” decline in electricity demand in the Luzon and Visayas grids since the implementation of the enhanced quarantine period.
Last Sunday, Robinson P. Descanzo, IEMOP chief operating officer and head of trading operations, told BusinessWorld in a text message that “the market is still continuous in its operations.”
He added that the power demand in Luzon is “significantly low compared to summer months” due to the lockdown.
“Unless the market is suspended pursuant to existing rules and regulations, the operation of the WESM shall continue and the WESM Rules and its Market Manuals must continue to govern,” the department said in the advisory.
As of March 25, electricity price in the WESM fell by P209 to P1,692 per megawatt-hour.
Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said on Thursday that around 83 electric cooperatives had announced a 30-day extension for electricity consumers to settle their power bills amid the public health crisis.
NEA Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong said the payment extension would help ease consumers’ financial burden, especially those hit by the enhanced community quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“My appeal to the electric cooperatives is to comply with the advisories of both the Department of Energy and the NEA since they also get reprieve from paying their obligations to their power suppliers,” he said in a statement.
Last week, NEA issued an advisory to the 121 electric cooperatives, as the infectious COVID-19 is expected to take a financial toll on many Filipino families and industries nationwide. — Adam J. Ang
TWENTY-four-year-old singer-composer Seth Dungca is set to release his debut single “Halika,” a song meant to “uplift people’s spirits” in these time of fear and uncertainty, on April 3.
“I write about what I feel; I will never invalidate emotions. I want people to understand that mental health is real; you can’t keep going with the whole ‘huwag-mo-na-lang-isipin-iyan mentality’ (‘just don’t think about it’ mentality) because if you keep something in without processing it, it will only get heavier and heavier,” Mr. Dungca said in a statement.
Beyond being a singer-composer, Mr. Dungca is also a special education teacher and mental health advocate, which shaped him to be the kind of singer he is now as he thinks of singing as “an outpouring of emotion and information — basically acting and teaching your message.”
“Being a special education teacher lets me write about emotions without the inclination to invalidate them. When dealing with students who are overwhelmed by their emotions, I stay with them until they feel better, instead of telling them not to cry,” he said.
“Halika” was written when he himself was in a bad place.
“The song talks about me trying to find solace by going into some dream world where I could cry myself to sleep and wake up feeling a little better after my sadness,” Mr. Dungca said.
The song’s lyrics include the line: “Sa mundong puno ng takot, na dilim ang bumabalot, hahanapin natin ang liwanag sa piling ng isa’t-isa.” (“In a world full of fear and covered in darkness, we find our light in each other’s arms.”)
He said that he hopes people who hear “Halika” will also allow themselves to feel their emotions — to escape their everyday routines and go where their hearts may lead them.
After the release of his debut single, Mr. Dungca said he will continue to write songs about “validating emotions until it becomes the norm.”
“I imagine a day when our response to someone saying ‘Parang hindi ko na talaga kaya’ (‘I don’t think I can really do this anymore’) is no longer ‘Hindi, kakayanin mo iyan, go lang nang go,’ (‘No, you can do it. Just keep going.) but ‘Pero habang hindi mo pa kaya, nandito lang ako, nakikinig sa tabi mo.’ (‘While you still can’t do it, I’m here beside you, listening.’) ”
