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It’s now a go for Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3

Local three-on-three basketball action is set to resume after Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 got the green light to begin its new season.

Its initial request to stage its tournament denied, the now-recognized professional league recalibrated its push and was recently granted a provisional license to proceed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

The league will stage its President’s Cup, now powered by TM, from Oct. 16 to 31 in a “bubble” setting inside the Inspire Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

“We are grateful for the Inter-Agency Task Force composed of the Games and Amusements Board, Department of Health, and Philippine Sports Commission for giving us the clearance to hold our bubble,” said league owner Ronald Mascariñas in a release.

“All of us are excited to get the ball rolling for our season.”

The President’s Cup will see 12 teams competing, namely, Zamboanga Chooks-to-Go, Uling Roasters-Butuan City, Bacolod-Masters Sardines, Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, Palayan City Capitals, Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV, Porac Big Boss Cement MSC, Bicol 3×3 Pro, Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors, Saranggani Marlins, Pagadian City Rocky Sports, and Petra Cement.

Zamboanga is composed of national team pool players Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Troy Rike, and Santi Santillan.

Mr. Mascarinas said the league is committed to having a successful staging of its new season, which is why they built their schedule tightly, putting the safety of all the participants above all things.

The teams will have their final practice in UP Epsilon Chi Center in Quezon City from Oct. 5 to 7. For the next two days, everyone entering the bubble will have their RT-PCR testing.

From Oct. 8 to 13, everyone will be under pre-bubble home quarantine after which another series of RT-PCR testing will be done before entering Inspire Academy from Oct. 14 to 15.

Teams will begin practice from Oct. 16 to 18 in Laguna.

A preseason tournament will be held on Oct. 19 before the league begins its first leg on Oct. 21.

Three more legs will be played on Oct. 23, 25 and 27. The Grand Finals, which has P1 million at stake, takes place on Oct. 30.

Everyone in the bubble will leave the venue on Oct. 31 and will undergo a 14-day home quarantine.

Apart from getting 3×3 basketball going anew in the country after some time because of the coronavirus pandemic, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 is also using the tournament to help the national team, which will see action at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Folayang underscores key role teachers play in honing the youth

A HIGH SCHOOL teacher prior to becoming one of the top mixed martial artists in the country, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang surely knows the key role that teachers play in honing the youth.

On National Teachers’ Day on Monday, former ONE Championship lightweight world champion Folayang took time to pay tribute to the men and women of the teaching profession, underscoring the sacrifices they make in dispensing their duties and the need for them to be role models.  

“When you touch the lives of your students, even in the simplest way, that was the most fulfilling for me, back when I was still teaching in school. It’s such an honorable profession, even if it’s not easy by any means. Being a teacher is hard, but we still do it with passion because we want our kids to succeed,” said Mr. Folayang, who taught high school English and Physical Education before deciding to go full time in MMA.

He went on to say that teachers in the country should be valued for all their efforts, including making sure they are compensated well.

“We need to take care of our teachers because they have a very important role. They take care of our children when we are not able to. They teach them how to be adults,” he said.

Adding, “I think all work has its own unique set of challenges. But as teachers, it’s such a worthy sacrifice. The youth are very important in our society. They will go on to be leaders of our country in their own ways. It’s important that they be brought up with the right values and the right character.”

But while Mr. Folayang is no longer teaching in the traditional classroom setting, he still finds himself doing mentorship to young talents of Team Lakay. It is something he finds much satisfaction in and takes seriously.

“In some ways, I’m still very much a teacher. Now, I teach the younger generation of martial artists, to help them navigate our industry,” he said.

“I like to inspire by giving a good example. I try to be a good role model. In my position, I know a lot of people look up to me, that’s why I try to conduct myself in the right way. I want to be a good influence on peoples’ lives.”

Mr. Folayang (22-9) was last seen in the ONE cage in January this year where he lost by split decision to Pieter Buist.

He is currently training with Team Lakay and is awaiting another call up from the promotion. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Surprises keep coming in wild women’s draw of the 2020 French Open

PARIS — It is not unusual for the French Open to throw up surprises in the women’s draw, but this year’s re-scheduled tournament has been more wildly unpredictable than ever.

On Sunday Argentina’s 131st-ranked Nadia Podoroska beat Czech Barbora Krejcikova, ranked 114th, to make it two qualifiers into the last eight for the first time since 1978.

Earlier, Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan, ranked 159th, had beaten Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens in another huge upset on the day that Polish teenager Iga Swiatek thrashed top seed Simona Halep for the loss of three games.

The draw had already been shredded with only 13 of the top 32 seeds having made it through to the third round — the lowest number in a women’s draw since 32 seeds were introduced in Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2001.

The heavier than usual balls being used, the relentless cold and rainy conditions in Paris, the impact of a season severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the tournament to be switched from May/June, and the fact that only a smattering of fans are allowed may all have contributed to the upsets.

The 23-year-old Podoroska, playing in only her second Grand Slam main draw, is the first Argentine woman to reach the last eight in Paris since Paola Suarez’s semi-final run in 2004.

Asked for her thoughts on all the surprises, she said the strange circumstances may have proved a leveller.

“I play too many matches in these conditions, so it’s a little bit, I feel, comfortable,” she joked after beating Krejcikova in three sets on an almost empty and windswept Court Simonne-Mathieu.

She will face third-seed Elina Svitolina in the last eight, the highest-ranked player left in the draw, while Trevisan plays 54th-ranked Swiatek meaning at least one unseeded player will reach the semi-finals.

“No one is going to give me the trophy just because I’m the highest seed left,” Svitolina said.

“They beat those higher-ranked players, and they are there for a reason.”

The fourth round concludes on Monday with Australian Open Sofia Kenin, seeded four, and twice Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova trying to restore some order.

Halep, for one, will not be surprised if the lower-ranked players continue to make headway on the damp red clay.

“Everyone at this level is playing really well and in the fourth round of a Grand Slam, it’s not a surprise any more because if you are there, it means that you have a great game,” the Romanian said on Sunday.

“I believe that every match is open at this level and it’s about the day that you play. So, yeah, all the credit for the players who are winning the matches.” — Reuters

Social media abuse drives girls off Facebook, Instagram, Twitter — poll

Attacks were most common on Facebook, where 39% of girls polled said they had been harassed, followed by Instagram (23%), WhatsApp (14%), Snapchat (10%), Twitter (9%), and TikTok (6%).

LONDON — Online abuse is driving girls to quit social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, with nearly 60% experiencing harassment, a global study showed on Sunday.

One in five girls and young women has abandoned or cut down on using a social media platform after being targeted, with some saying harassment started when they were as young as eight, the survey by girls’ rights group Plan International showed.

“Girls are being silenced by a toxic level of harassment,” said the organization’s chief executive, Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen.

Attacks were most common on Facebook, where 39% of girls polled said they had been harassed, followed by Instagram (23%), WhatsApp (14%), Snapchat (10%), Twitter (9%), and TikTok (6%).

The charity, which will share the report with social media companies and lawmakers around the world, said the abuse was suppressing girls’ voices at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was increasing the importance of communicating online.

It called on social media companies to take urgent action to address the issue and urged governments to pass laws to deal with online harassment.

The study found reporting tools were ineffective in stopping the abuse, which included explicit messages, pornographic photos, and cyberstalking.

Nearly half of the girls targeted had been threatened with physical or sexual violence, according to the poll. Many said the abuse took a mental toll, and a quarter felt physically unsafe.

“It is time for this to stop. Girls should not have to put up with behavior online which would be criminal on the streets,” the report said.

Facebook and Instagram said they used artificial intelligence to look for bullying content, constantly monitored users’ reports of abuse, and always removed rape threats.

Twitter said it also used technology to catch abusive content and has launched tools to improve users’ control over their conversations.

The survey polled 14,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 25 in 22 countries including Brazil, India, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand, and the United States.

Ms. Albrectsen said activists, including those campaigning for gender equality and on LGBT+ issues, were often targeted particularly viciously, and their lives and families threatened.

“Driving girls out of online spaces is hugely disempowering in an increasingly digital world, and damages their ability to be seen, heard, and become leaders,” she added.

In an open letter to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, girls from around the world called on social media companies to create more effective ways to report abuse.

“We use (your platforms) not just to connect with friends, but to lead and create change. But they are not safe for us. We get harassed and abused on them. Every. Single. Day,” they wrote.

“As this global pandemic moves our lives online, we are more at risk than ever.”

Plan International also urged the companies to do more to hold to account those behind such abuse, and to collect data on the scale of the problem. — Emma Batha/Thomson Reuters Foundation

NFL roundup: Browns in rare territory after wild win at Dallas

ODELL BECKHAM Jr. caught two touchdown passes and ran for a third that helped stave off a furious Dallas Cowboys comeback in the fourth quarter Sunday as the Cleveland Browns held on for a 49-38 win at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In increasing its record to 3-1 for the first time since 2001 with its third straight victory, Cleveland ran roughshod over Dallas’ leaky defense, piling up 307 rushing yards despite losing leading rusher Nick Chubb (knee injury) in the first quarter.

Beckham accounted for 50 of those yards on the play that kept the Browns from blowing a 41-14 fourth-quarter lead. With 3:25 remaining, Beckham went right on a reverse, skirted a tackle attempt and used some nice downfield blocking to race into the end zone after Dallas (1-3) had closed to 41-38.

Dak Prescott finished with a monstrous stat line thanks to the late rally. The Cowboys’ quarterback completed 41 of 58 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns. His only mistake was an interception by Denzel Ward at the Cleveland 4 with 1:36 left in the game that sealed the outcome.

BILLS 30, RAIDERS 23
Josh Allen passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as Buffalo remained unbeaten by handing Las Vegas its first home loss.

Allen, who completed 24 of 34 passes, left the game briefly late in the second quarter, grabbing at his left shoulder after completing a backhanded, left-handed shovel pass to Stefon Diggs. Diggs caught six passes for 115 yards, and Devin Singletary rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown for Buffalo (4-0).

Derek Carr completed 32 of 44 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns for Las Vegas (2-2), breaking the franchise record with 151 career touchdown passes. Darren Waller caught nine passes for 88 yards, but also had a costly fumble. Josh Jacobs rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries and Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals (54, 39 and 25 yards) for the Raiders.

VIKINGS 31, TEXANS 23
Dalvin Cook rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns while Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson each posted 100-yard receiving games as visiting Minnesota held off Houston.

The Vikings (1-3) needed a last-minute replay reversal to seal the victory, as a 5-yard fourth-down touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to William Fuller V with 1:15 remaining was ruled incomplete upon review. Thielen (eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown) and Jefferson (four catches for 103 yards) teamed with Cook to give the Vikings their first game since 2000 with a 100-yard rusher and two 100-yard receivers. Kirk Cousins passed for 260 yards and a score for the Vikings.

Watson passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns, but the Texans dropped to 0-4 for the third time in franchise history (2005, ‘08). Fuller (six catches, 108 yards) and Kenny Stills (two catches, 39 yards) made the touchdown catches.

SEAHAWKS 31, DOLPHINS 23
Russell Wilson threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns and Chris Carson rushed for a pair of 1-yard scores as Seattle remained unbeaten with the victory over host Miami.

Wilson, who completed 24 of 34 passes, found David Moore in the corner of the end zone for a 17-yard score to put the Seahawks (4-0) ahead 24-15 with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. That came after the Dolphins (1-3) had closed to 17-15 on the fifth of Jason Sanders’ field goals.

Miami’s Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 29 of 45 passes for 315 yards and rushed for a team-high 47 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown scamper with 1:50 left. A two-point conversion pulled the Dolphins within eight points, but Seattle recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

RAVENS 31, WASHINGTON 17
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes to Mark Andrews and also rushed for a 50-yard score to lift Baltimore over the host Washington Football Team.

Jackson completed 14 of 21 passes for 193 yards and added 53 rushing yards to lead the Ravens (3-1). Andrews caught a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter and added a 22-yarder in the third for his fourth career multi-touchdown game.

It was the third straight loss for Washington (1-3). Dwayne Haskins Jr. completed 32 of 45 passes for 314 yards, with top target Terry McLaurin hauling in a game-high 10 catches for 118 yards.

SAINTS 35, LIONS 29
Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes to Tre’Quan Smith, Latavius Murray scored two rushing touchdowns and visiting New Orleans shook off an early deficit to beat Detroit.

Brees passed for 246 yards while completing 19 of 25 attempts for the Saints (2-2). Alvin Kamara rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown and Murray gained 64 rushing yards. New Orleans trailed 14-0 before scoring the next 35 points to take control.

Matthew Stafford threw for 206 yards and three touchdown passes for Detroit (1-3). The Lions were held to 90 rushing yards, with Adrian Peterson leading the way with 36 yards and a touchdown with 3:40 left that pulled Detroit to within six.

BUCCANEERS 38, CHARGERS 31
Tom Brady passed for 369 yards and five touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay past visiting Los Angeles.

Five different receivers caught touchdown passes for the Buccaneers (3-1), led by Mike Evans with seven catches for 122 yards.

Justin Herbert completed 20 of 25 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers (1-3). He was intercepted once.

RAMS 17, GIANTS 9
Unable to get their offense on track until late, Los Angeles rode its defense to victory over winless New York at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

Let by two-time defensive player of the year Aaron Donald, the Rams (3-1) held the Giants (0-4) out of the end zone while improving to 2-0 at the $5 billion stadium. The Giants fell to 0-4.

Los Angeles’ high-powered offense finally delivered with just under seven minutes remaining when quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Cooper Kupp on a 55-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown and a 17-9 lead. Goff was 25 of 32 for 200 yards, his lowest passing yardage of the season and his lowest since Week 10 of last season. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was 23 of 36 for 190 yards, with an interception.

BENGALS 33, JAGUARS 25
Joe Burrow became the first rookie quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards in three straight games, and Joe Mixon scored a career-high three touchdowns as host Cincinnati held off Jacksonville.

The touchdowns were the first in four games this season for Mixon, who piled up 181 yards from scrimmage (151 rushing, 30 receiving) for Cincinnati (1-2-1). Burrow completed 25 of 36 passes for 300 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Randy Bullock made all four of his field-goal attempts.

Gardner Minshew completed 27 of 40 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns to D.J. Chark Jr., who had eight receptions for 95 yards. Aldrick Rosas converted 4-of-5 field goals for the Jaguars (1-3), who have lost three in a row.

PANTHERS 31, CARDINALS 21
Teddy Bridgewater threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Carolina was in control most of the way in the victory over visiting Arizona.

Running backs Mike Davis, who rushed for a game-high 84 yards, and Reggie Bonnafon each posted a touchdown. The Panthers (2-2) won for the second week in a row despite the absence of injured All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle sprain).

Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray completed 24 of 31 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. His 78 rushing yards also were tops for the Cardinals (2-2), who lost for the second week in a row.

COLTS 19, BEARS 11
Philip Rivers passed for 190 yards and a touchdown and Rodrigo Blankenship kicked four field goals as Indianapolis defeated host Chicago for its third straight victory.

Rivers connected with Mo Alie-Cox for a 13-yard touchdown in the opening quarter, and Blankenship, an undrafted rookie, drilled field goals of 21, 30, 44 and 30 yards. Julian Blackmon added an interception in the fourth quarter for the Colts (3-1).

Nick Foles was 26-for-42 passing for 249 yards, with one touchdown and one interception in his first start for Chicago (3-1). Foles connected with Allen Robinson for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:35 to go before David Montgomery ran for the two-point conversion. The Colts recovered the ensuing onside kick. — Reuters

MLB roundup: A’s, Braves, Dodgers advance

THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS rallied from an early deficit and used eight pitchers Thursday to post a 6-4 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox in the decisive Game 3 of their American League wild-card series.

Oakland’s first postseason series win since 2006 advances the second-seeded AL West champion into the AL Division Series against the sixth-seeded Houston Astros. The White Sox were trying to advance in the postseason for the first time since winning the 2005 World Series.

Chicago’s Luis Robert opened the scoring with a 487-foot home run, the longest at Oakland Coliseum in the Statcast era (since 2015). The White Sox pushed the lead to 3-0 after Robert’s RBI single and Nomar Mazara’s run-scoring double in the third inning.

The A’s rallied from the three-run deficit, using a four-run fourth and seizing the upper hand for good with a two-run fifth. Oakland starter Mike Fiers allowed five hits in 1 2/3 innings, and seven A’s relievers worked in and out of trouble until Liam Hendriks struck out the side in the ninth inning.

DODGERS 3, BREWERS 0
Clayton Kershaw dominated over eight innings and Mookie Betts had a key two-run double as Los Angeles earned a spot in the National League Division Series with a victory over visiting Milwaukee.

Austin Barnes had an RBI single among his two hits as the Dodgers swept the best-of-three wild-card series at Dodger Stadium. Chris Taylor also had a pair of hits for the Dodgers.

With Kershaw’s rocky playoff history looming over the proceedings, the veteran left-hander was in complete control, giving up just three hits with 13 strikeouts. Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (0-1) gave up three runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

BRAVES 5, REDS 0
Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall each hit eighth-inning, two-run homers as host Atlanta swept Cincinnati in their best-of-three National League wild-card series.

Ronald Acuna Jr. had three hits and rookie Ian Anderson struck out nine over six strong frames for the Braves. Atlanta snapped a 10-series playoff losing streak by winning its first since 2001 after Ozuna and Duvall both went deep late off Raisel Iglesias to put the game out of reach.

This was a brief but historic set that opened Wednesday with a 1-0, 13-inning win by Atlanta. The Reds set a major league record by going scoreless in their first 22 innings of a playoff series.

PADRES 11, CARDINALS 9
Fernando Tatis and Wil Myers hit two homers apiece and Manny Machado added a game-tying homer as host San Diego overcame a pair of four-run St. Louis leads to force a winner-take-all third game Friday in their National League wild-card series.

Tatis (five RBIs) and Myers (four RBIs) became the first pair of teammates to hit two home runs apiece in a postseason game since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1932 World Series. The Padres also became the first team in postseason history to hit five homers from the sixth inning on.

Padres starter Zach Davis yielded four runs in two innings while Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings. St. Louis used eight pitchers and San Diego used nine. — Reuters

Nadal crushes qualifier Korda to reach last eight

PARIS — Rafa Nadal blew away American qualifier Sebastian Korda (6-1 6-1 6-2) to romp into the French Open quarter-finals on Sunday and close in on a record-extending 13th title at Roland Garros.

With the sun out and the wind up on Court Philippe Chatrier, it always looked like mission impossible for the 213th-ranked Korda, and so it proved in a one-sided fourth round match.

Nadal has lost no sets and only 23 games in reaching his 42nd Grand Slam quarter-final and is yet to face a seed.

Rising Italian Jannick Sinner, the first player since Nadal in 2005 to reach the quarter-finals on his debut, is next.

“I’m in the quarter-finals without losing a set and having very positive scores. So. I can’t complain at all,” the 34-year-old, who needs one more Grand Slam title to equal Roger Federer’s 20, told reporters.

“Today, the conditions out there were so difficult to play a fantastic match, the wind was very high. But in general terms. I am very happy.”

The 20-year-old Korda, son of 1992 runner-up Petr, had enjoyed a dream run in his first Tour-level event on clay and was up against his idol — the man he named his cat after.

If he was to stand any chance of making it at all competitive he needed a good start, and he will rue the fact that he lost the first two games despite having game points.

Nadal, who needed nine minutes to hold serve in the first game, admitted that had been a crucial factor in ensuring this was a Sunday stroll.

“Of course it was tough for him because after he played I think two very good games, he was 2-0 down in the score,” Nadal, who has won 97 of 99 matches at the French Open, said.

“It was important at the beginning because when you play a player with big talent, young players, when they start well and they are in front, you encourage them.”

“I fought for those couple of games.”

After that sticky start Nadal bounded into a 5-0 lead and his tall opponent, bidding to become the first American man to reach the last eight here since Andre Agassi in 2003, began to lose heart as the wind gusted and Nadal put the hammer down.

The first two sets went by in little more than an hour but even Nadal can lose focus occasionally and he dropped serve at the start of the third set to trail 2-0.

Normal service was soon restored though as Nadal rattled off the next six games.

“Qualifying for my first Grand Slam, winning my first tour-level match, and then playing Rafa on Chatrier in the fourth round of a Grand Slam, it’s a big blessing,” Korda said.

“I learned a lot. The score wasn’t the closest, but I mean every game was pretty close.” — Reuters

Philippines lets malls reopen further while virus deaths rise

Essential shops in malls are now allowed to operate at full capacity, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. Photo by Michael Varcas/PhilStar

The Philippines has allowed malls and several businesses to reopen further even as the Southeast Asian nation recorded more coronavirus deaths last month.

The task force against the virus outbreak has approved economic managers’ recommendation to reopen more industries and public transport, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr., said at a briefing Monday. Essential shops in malls, miners, and money exchanges are now allowed to operate at full capacity, he said.

Restaurants can now operate round-the-clock, while malls can stay open until 11 p.m. Salons and barbershops can also operate at 75% capacity. Current quarantine classifications are also expected to be maintained, and will only be changed as a last resort if COVID-19 cases are rising, Mr. Roque said.

The Philippines is pushing to revive an economy that plunged into recession in the second quarter, despite having the worst outbreak in Southeast Asia with more than 322,000 cases as of Sunday.

Coronavirus deaths rose by over 1,900 in September, the highest monthly increase since the start of the pandemic. New virus cases, meanwhile, decreased to more than 90,000 last month from 127,000 in August. Improved contact tracing has been the critical factor in slowing the virus spread, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a separate virtual briefing Monday. — Andreo Calonzo and Claire Jiao/Bloomberg

Debt cancellation needed to help poorest countries — World Bank president

Amid warnings the pandemic could push 100 million people into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass (pictured) renewed his call for private banks and investment funds to get involved too. Image via World Bank / Grant Ellis / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

BERLIN — The COVID-19 pandemic could trigger a debt crisis in some countries, so investors must be ready for granting some form of relief that could also include debt cancellation, World Bank President David Malpass was quoted as saying on Sunday.

“It is evident that some countries are unable to repay the debt they have taken on. We must therefore also reduce the debt level. This can be called debt relief or cancellation,” Mr. Malpass told Handelsblatt business daily in an interview.

“It is important that the amount of debt is reduced by restructuring,” Mr. Malpass added.

He pointed to similar steps in previous financial crises such as in Latin America and the so-called HIPC initiative for highly indebted countries in the 1990s.

Rich countries last month backed an extension of the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), approved in April to help developing nations survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen 43 of a potential 73 eligible countries defer $5 billion in “official sector” debt payments.

Amid warnings the pandemic could push 100 million people into extreme poverty, Mr. Malpass renewed his call for private banks and investment funds to get involved too.

“These investors are not doing enough and I am disappointed with them. Also, some of the major Chinese lenders did not get enough involved. The effect of the aid measures is therefore less than it could be,” the World Bank head said.

Mr. Malpass warned that the pandemic could trigger another debt crisis as some developing countries had already entered a downward spiral of weaker growth and financial trouble.

“The enormous budget deficits and debt payments are overwhelming these economies. In addition, the banks there are getting into difficulties due to bad loans,” Mr. Malpass added. — Reuters

As cities bake on a warming planet, insurers cook up heatwave cover

LONDON — As health workers carried out COVID-19 tests in public squares in Washington DC in July, work had to be suspended as temperatures in the paved spaces soared to what felt like 43 degrees Celsius.

The heat-wilted US city of Phoenix, meanwhile, has already seen planes delayed from taking off when airport temperatures hit 48C. And soaring thermometers in Los Angeles this summer led tens of thousands to lose power for days.

In Greece, rising heat is now “one of our city’s greatest challenges,” Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis told an online event in August.

Longer and hotter heatwaves driven by climate change are becoming an increasingly dangerous—and costly—menace, with sweltering cities often picking up the tab for everything from repairing melted roads to running more cooling centers.

But a new way to cut the financial risks is emerging: heatwave insurance.

Since the 1990s, utility companies in cities like Chicago have used weather derivatives—an early form of heat insurance—to hedge the cost of buying additional power on hot days when electricity demand outstrips supply, said Daniel Osgood of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI).

Heat has also been an indirect part of “index-based” insurance for poor farmers, which provides automatic payouts for assumed crop losses if, for instance, enough days pass without rain, said Mr. Osgood, who has worked on developing such policies.

But a wider range of heat insurance offerings—likely aimed initially at city authorities or similar government buyers around the world—are now being explored as the risks and costs of heatwaves rise, insurance experts said.

Michael Spranger, of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), said insurance cannot fix the problem of heatwaves, which will increase in frequency if climate-heating emissions continue to rise.

But “insurance helps to absolve some of the financial consequences”, said Mr. Spranger, chief risk management officer for the CCRIF, which runs a multi-country weather catastrophe insurance pool in the Caribbean and is expanding its remit.

‘NO STANDARD PRODUCT’
Barney Schauble, chairman of Nephila Climate, one of the companies figuring out ways to transfer risks from climate and weather threats, said as yet there is “no standard product that is heatwave insurance.”

Instead, creating insurance that works for heatwaves requires taking a hard look at the risks a city or company wants to protect against, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Is it three consecutive days over 43C? A summer 20% hotter than usual? The key is figuring out what costs might result from that heat that usual budgets cannot cover, he said.

Those will vary widely from place to place, but might include anything from utility bill support for the most vulnerable to run air-conditioning to covering income losses or providing compensation if airports or public transit shut down.

While figuring that out “does require some work, it also means you can customize the protection for what you want,” Mr. Schauble said.

Insurance removes uncertainty, he added—such as worries a heat disaster could eat up city budgets and result in potentially politically unpopular spending cuts.

Other questions that need to be resolved to make heat insurance work include determining who would be financially responsible for losses and so needs to pay for policies, said Sophie Evans of the London-based Centre for Disaster Protection.

“When the roads start to melt, whose job is it to manage those risks? Whose job is it to make sure people can get to work?” she asked. “That risk ownership is crucial.”

LOSS AND DAMAGE
With richer countries having produced the most planet-heating emissions, the question of who is responsible for rising heat could lead wealthy nations to support heat policies for poorer ones as part of pledges to address climate “loss and damage” under the 2015 Paris Agreement, climate experts said.

Today there is “woeful under-funding to deal with heat risks” around the world, noted Julie Arrighi, an Africa-based climate adviser with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.

One advantage of heat-menaced cities buying insurance, risk experts said, is that it would drive them to step up efforts to adapt—from planting more urban trees for shade to installing reflective roofs and pavements—in a bid to reduce premiums.

But as emissions—and planetary heating—continue to rise, there will be limits to how effectively insurance can help deal with the threats, warned Madeleine Thomson, interim head of the London-based Wellcome Trust, a health charity.

“Insurers like to insure things that don’t happen very often,” she noted. As heatwaves become fiercer and more prevalent, insurance policies “will be increasingly difficult to maintain”, she predicted.

For the moment, cities and other potential buyers are not yet stepping forward to buy heat policies because big losses from heat still happen too infrequently—and because they’re not aware coverage is possible, the insurance experts said.

“You need to find early adopters who are thoughtful enough to say, ‘This makes sense,’” said Mr. Schauble of Nephila Climate. “Most will say I don’t want to be the first, just the second or fifth or tenth, once it’s proven.”

“We think it’s too logical not to happen eventually, but you need to find those initial champions.”

CCRIF’s Mr. Spranger said he was confident “the time will come.”

“It’s a rapidly increasing problem many cities need to face,” he added. — Laurie Goering/Thomson Reuters Foundation

Duterte’s trust rating rises to 91% amid region’s worst outbreak

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has maintained majority approval and trust ratings amid Southeast Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreak, according to pollster Pulse Asia.

Mr. Duterte’s approval rating rose to 91% from 87% in December, based on a nationwide survey of 1,200 adults conducted from September 14 to 20. His trust rating also increased to 91% from 83% in December. There were no surveys in the first half of the year amid virus lockdowns.

The Philippines has the most coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia, with over 322,000 cases as of Sunday. Its economy is facing its deepest contraction in decades after plunging into recession in the second quarter. — Andreo Calonzo/Bloomberg

Pharmacist training program helps support hypertensive patient needs

Through a national training program for community pharmacists developed by Upjohn, a Pfizer division, and the Philippine Pharmacists Association (PPhA), pharmacists will be equipped with the essential skills to support the needs of hypertensive patients and refer them to the appropriate primary care facility. Hypertension is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country, according to 2018 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. 

“This short course intends to enhance pharmacists’ competencies in supporting the physicians in managing hypertensive patients by equipping them with the essential skills to effectively detect potential hypertensive patients and refer them to the appropriate primary care facility,” explained Bryan Posadas, PPhA assistant secretary and program lead. 

Developed before the pandemic, the program was sped up after COVID-19 broke out. “We sensed the urgent need to train pharmacists to provide support for hypertensive patients,” said Mr. Posadas. “Because of the pandemic, many Filipinos may not want to visit hospitals or clinics despite possibly exhibiting hypertensive symptoms.”

Training will focus on monitoring blood pressure and medication adherence, conducting physical assessments, recommending lifestyle modifications, and providing counseling and education to patients with hypertension. The training methodology consists of hybrid interactive online lectures, case studies, case presentation, and skills development aligned with national hypertension guidelines. 

After completing the program, pharmacists will be able to screen patients for hypertension as well as deliver appropriate pharmacy interventions, particularly in the community pharmacy setting.

“Pharmacists play a crucial and important role in dispensing medicines to Filipinos and, in the new normal, they are sometimes the only healthcare professional that patients get to see,” Dr. Yolanda Robles, immediate past president of the PPhA, said. “That’s why we believe that community pharmacists can help address the need to support hypertensive patients.” 

At least 80 pharmacists will be trained per batch; a total of six batches will receive training from the fourth quarter of 2020 to 2021. Participants are from a mix of chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies in areas that have a higher incidence of hypertension.

“We ensured that this training program is targeted towards community pharmacists in key strategic locations—making Internet connectivity is less of a problem,” said Mr. Posadas. “Moreover, most pharmacies are also connected to the Internet as this is vital to their operations.”

Upjohn Philippines is providing support with the technical and logistic requirements of the program implementation. — Patricia B. Mirasol

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