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Philippines deports US Marine who killed transgender woman

MANILA – The Philippines on Sunday deported a United States Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the Southeast Asian country in 2014, after he was granted an absolute pardon by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton left Manila’s international airport at 9:14 a.m. local time (0114 GMT) aboard an American military aircraft bound for the United States, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokeswoman Dana Sandoval.

Pemberton was accompanied by representatives from the U.S. embassy on his way to the airport, she told state television PTV-4.

“As a consequence of the deportation order against him, Pemberton has been placed on the Bureau’s blacklist, perpetually banning him from coming back,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement.

Details of Pemberton’s flight arrangements were not disclosed to the media until after he left amid tight security measures.

A court had found Pemberton guilty of killing Jennifer Laude in a hotel in Olongapo, outside a former U.S. navy base northwest of the capital Manila, six years ago, in a case that sparked debate over the U.S. military presence in its former colony.

Duterte’s move to pardon Pemberton has sparked condemnation from activists who described the move as a “mockery of justice”.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who served as a lawyer in the prosecution of Pemberton, had said Duterte’s decision may have stemmed from his desire to get access to coronavirus vaccines being developed by U.S. firms.

However, the Philippine health ministry quickly said that none of the U.S. vaccine makers the government is in talks with had set any conditions. – Reuters

DoH says no conditions set to access US vaccines

PHL COVID-19 cases hit 250,000

The Philippines will have access to potential COVID-19 vaccines being developed by US firms without any strings attached, the Department of Health (DoH) said on Friday, after the presidential spokesman had linked the pardoning of a US Marine to ensuring access.

This as the DoH reported that the country now has over 250,000 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said none of the US vaccine makers that the government is in talks with had set conditions, adding that all potential vaccines will undergo a regulatory process to ensure safety and efficacy.

“No conditions were provided or given to us,” Ms. Vergeire told a news conference.

The Philippines has met with US vaccine manufacturers Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. to secure a supply of COVID-19 vaccine. It has also held discussions with China and Russia, which are among countries leading the global race to develop coronavirus inoculations.

The government plans to buy 40 million doses worth $400 million for 20 million people, about a fifth of the country’s population of 107 million.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to pardon a US marine convicted of killing a transgender woman nearly six years ago may have stemmed from his desire to ensure access to coronavirus vaccines. But Mr. Roque reiterated on Friday that he was merely stating a personal opinion.

Joseph Scott Pemberton was serving a six- to 10-year sentence for killing Jennifer Laude near a former US navy base in 2014. He will likely be released from a military jail and deported this weekend, the Bureau of Immigration said.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said US officials were “surprised” by the pardon. While they inquired about Pemberton, they did not push for his release, he told ANC News channel.

250,000 cases, 4,000 dead

In its daily case bulletin on Friday, the DoH reported an additional 4,040 cases, bringing the country’s total COVID-19 tally to 252,964.

The DoH also reported that the number of recoveries has reached 186,606, including 566 newly reported recoveries. An additional 42 deaths were also reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 4,108.

Meanwhile, the government’s task force against COVID-19 — the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) — on Friday said it had approved the recommendations made by the Department of Communication and Information Technology (DICT) regarding its contact tracing system StaySafe.PH. It will be used as part of the government’s official COVID-19 response along with the DoH’s COVID-19 Data Repository System (CDRS).

“…The training, integration, and the use of StaySafe.PH and the COVID-19 Data Repository System (CDRS) shall be incorporated in the country’s COVID-19 response, particularly, in the response of local government units,” the resolution said.

The task force also approved the DICT’s recommendation for an “enhanced’ RapidPass System. A technical working group in charge of making policies regarding the system will be established.

The RapidPass system was created to make passing through checkpoints easier for frontliners and other authorized persons in areas under lockdown. — Gillian M. Cortez with a report from Reuters

IATF eases distancing rules for commuters

Distancing rules in public transport have been eased, allowing jeeps, buses, trains, and planes to carry more passengers amid the region’s worst coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.

The one-meter physical distancing rule has been reduced to 0.75 meters, and will be gradually eased to a third of a meter in a month. Commuters will still have to wear face masks and face shields, the agency said, and passengers are still discouraged from speaking while inside public vehicles. Standing commuters will be allowed in buses.

The distancing rule change will be implemented starting Sept. 14.

The agency and economic managers’ proposal to increase public transport ridership and accommodate more people going back to work was approved by the government’s coronavirus task force, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement Friday.

“There is a need to safely optimize the carrying capacity of the various public transport modes as Metro Manila and its adjacent areas to continue with the transition towards the ‘new normal’ where more workers are expected to return to their re-opened workplaces and more businesses are expected to resume operations that were stopped during the enforcement of strict quarantine measures,” said Mr. Tugade.

The easing is in line with economic officials’ push to reopen the economy more, even with the highest coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, with over 250,000 infections as of Friday.

The physical distancing requirements in the various train lines — LRT-1, LRT-2, MRT-3, and PNAR — will also be reduced, increasing capacity. Passenger load capacity of roll on-roll off vessels will also be increased.

“As for airlines and passenger ferries, optimizing the physical distance between passengers will mean more passengers being allowed to enter airports and seaports,” the statement said. — Gillian M. Cortez with a Bloomberg report

OVP initiates job platform for Filipinos affected by pandemic

The Office of the Vice-President (OVP) has again initiated a program to assist Filipinos left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic — this time a platform for job listings free for both job seekers and employers.

Vice-President Leni Robredo on Thursday announced the OVP has partnered with tech company Elevatech Solutions to build the website Sikap.PH, calling the initiative “BAYANIHANAPBUHAY.”

“The goal of this initiative is to offer a platform that will make it easier for our countrymen who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic to look for other job opportunities,” Ms. Robredo said in Filipino on her Facebook post. 

Ms. Robredo, who is known for collaborating with civil society organizations and local enterprises through her AngatBuhay program, said the program was the result of her talks with various employers including EMS Services Philippines, Inc., D.M, Consunji Inc., Lots’a Pizza, Get Philippines, Empire East Land Holdings, and Solarwinds Software Asia PTE LTD- Philippine branch, among others partner organizations and companies. 

According to the VP, applicants looking for job openings should proceed to the website and click “Sign up as a worker,” while employers who want to post their job vacancies should send their contact details to the e-mail address bayanihanapbuhay@ovp.gov.ph

As of press time, the Sikap.Ph website posted openings in the finance, food, real estate, business outsourcing, and services industries. 

Since the pandemic began, Ms. Robredo’s office has launched several programs to help various sectors cope with the loss of their livelihoods. In June, Ms. Robredo announced that her office tapped families of drug war victims to help in the production of local personal protective equipment. —  Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

PHL to resume polio, measles immunization despite COVID-19 pandemic

The government will soon resume its polio and measles immunization program for children despite the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ Resolution No. 70 said that the Department of Health (DoH) can conduct its measles-rubella and oral polio vaccine supplemental immunization activities regardless of the community quarantine status in the place where these activities shall be held.

Local government units are directed to support the drive.

The DoH said last month that because of the strict lockdowns first imposed last March to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the immunization drive for polio and measles had been delayed. However, its Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio (SPKP) campaign resumed last July in selected regions.

The Philippines had been considered polio-free for two decades before two cases were reported last year in Laguna province and Lanao Del Sur. The current tally for polio cases is now at 25.

Polio is a disease caused by the poliovirus and affects a person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis or death. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the rubeola virus whose complications include pneumonia and encephalitis. — Gillian M. Cortez

Fund for local infra projects may be tapped for unemployed Filipinos

A lawmaker is seeking to create additional jobs to boost local employment, through the appropriation of at least 10% of all funds allotted for local infrastructure projects.

Transportation Committee Chair and Samar Representative Edgar Mary Sarmiento filed House Bill 7591, otherwise known as the Employment Generation Through Infrastructure Investment Program, which mandates the government through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to automatically allocate no less than 10% of project costs of infrastructure projects to “labor-intensive items of work” designated as “COVID-19 Items of Work”

COVID-19 Items of Work are pure labor tasks that require minimal skills which are needed in the implementation of a portion of an infrastructure project which shall be identified by the DPWH.

The said set of works includes construction of footpaths, construction and rehabilitation of sanitary and community facilities, installation of small scale water supply systems for schools, among other “minor construction” activities.

The hired workers will be considered as “extra hands” who should not be given “items of work which necessitate the use of equipment,” according to Mr. Sarmiento.

The lawmaker said the house measure “could provide the much-needed lifeline for many Filipinos,” especially the overseas Filipino workers who were forced to come back to the Philippines and those who have returned to their provinces due to loss of jobs in the country’s metropolis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This proposal basically wants the government to help Filipinos who want to help themselves. Giving employment to help our people survive the pandemic is more sustainable than giving dole-outs,” he said. “The bill aims to address two pressing concerns. First, it will address unemployment. Second, it will benefit the community as the infrastructure projects are communal.”

Mr. Sarmiento believes that the government’s Build Build Build program remains a driving force to sustain the economy against the backdrop of economic recession.

“We have long known that infrastructure investment creates a multiplier effect which substantially boosts economic growth. The bill creates a mechanism wherein local infrastructure investment will directly translate into job generation,” he said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Enhanced protection, benefits for media workers eyed in Senate measure

A Senate measure is seeking to provide enhanced protection, security, benefits for the country’s media workers.

Senate President Vicente Sotto’s Senate Bill No. 1820, otherwise known as the Media Workers’ Welfare Act, guarantees security of tenure for media workers given how they go “the extra mile” to give the public necessary information.

“At times when reliable and accurate information is crucial, such as today amid the menacing health impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, media workers have set aside all fear and reason and have gone the extra mile to gather facts and figures to make the public fully aware of what is happening in their government and communities,” Mr. Sotto said in a statement to the press on Friday. “The media has even gone beyond their duty of newsgathering. They have become the voice of the marginalized and the scared. They bridge and connect the people and their public leaders.”

Citing the hazardous circumstances media workers are exposed to, the bill also guarantees them P500 daily as hazard pay for dangerous coverage.

Mr. Sotto said that media workers should be provided a comprehensive benefits package while also receiving current benefits enjoyed by other workers in both public and private sectors, adding that they should also be entitled to insurance benefits aside from what the government currently provides.

The House measure also hold media entities, including their franchise holders, responsible for “all contents released under its name,”

“Owners of media entities, including the franchise holder, shall be solidarily liable for any claims against media workers in connection with their work, regardless of the nature of engagement,” the bill stated.

The bill also noted that stakeholders of a media entity shall also be “solidarily liable for any claims arising from the aired through advertisements.”

“Any agreement to the contrary shall be void,” it further said.

Asked to comment on the proposed measure, National Union of Journalists of the Philippine Chairperson Nonoy Espina told BusinessWorld that any attempt to legislate matters concerning the media has serious consequences, saying that it could be used by state forces to suppress or regulate the press.

“Actually, the NUJP is, on principle, against any attempt to legislate media matters. First, we should not be treated as a special sector or subject to class legislation because we are not entitled to any more rights as everyone else. Second, any legislation affecting the media may always be used to regulate or suppress,” Mr. Espina expressed.

Proper enforcement of labor laws is enough, said the union leader. “All we want is the proper enforcement of laws such as those on labor,” he said.

Mr. Sotto’s proposed measure on media mandates the country’s labor department to create a News Media Tripartite Council that will cater to the concerns of media stakeholders.

Under the penal provision, a penalty of P30,000 to P500,000,000 would be imposed on a person or entity operating as a job contractor without a license. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

BJMP pushes for law placing provincial jails under its control

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Friday said that it supports the measure of lawmakers to place provincial jails under BJMP’s control, adding that this will streamline management of jails.

In a Laging Handa briefing on Friday, BJMP Spokesperson Xavier Solda said it is about time for provincial jails to have a standard management system.

“Ang nais po nating gawin, tulungan iyong ating mga provincial governors sa pagma-manage ng mga jail facilities nila na mag-extend ang BJMP ng karanasan kung papaano mas matutulungan pagdating sa reformation and rehabilitation programs. Pagdating sa records management, sa pag-strengthen ng security ng facility mahalagang factor po kasi ito,” he said.

(What we want to do is help our provincial governors in managing jail facilities with BJMP extending their experiences on how to help in terms of reformation and rehabilitation programs. When it comes to records management, [BJMP] can strengthen the security of the facility which is a valuable factor.)

The current law states that provincial governments have control over provincial and sub-provincial jails.

Earlier this week, the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs approved a bill that will transfer the control of provincial and sub-provincial jails to the BJMP to establish a national standard in managing these facilities.

Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa, who heads the panel, said many provincial jails are in poor condition, with overcrowding and poor sanitation. — Gillian M. Cortez

 

PHL economy won’t be worse in next 12 months: Diokno

THE ECONOMY will not deteriorate further in the next 12 months as businesses are gradually resuming and with the virus better managed, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Friday.

“Let me assure everyone that based on immediate past, nowcast, and forecast data, the Philippines is now on its way to recovery. Hence, the economy would be in a better — not worse — shape 12 months from now,” Mr. Diokno told reporters in a Viber message on Friday.

The central bank chief’s statement came after a survey released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Wednesday showed adult Filipinos had a 40% economic pessimism rate. This was the highest since the 52% logged back in June 2008.

More Filipino adults expect worse economic conditions in the next 12 months than those who expect it to stay the same (24%) and those who are optimistic that the economy will improve (30%), the SWS survey conducted among 1,555 adult Filipinos across the country showed.

Mr. Diokno said the survey only reflects the perception of a “limited number of adults with limited information.”

“I expect that the economy will be more open in Q4 than in Q3, more open in Q1 2021 than in Q42020, and so on. So it boggles my mind how the economy will be worse 12 months from now,” Mr. Diokno said.

After the country’s gross domestic product’s (GDP) record 16.5% contraction in the second quarter, which plunged it into recession, Mr. Diokno said he “cannot imagine how the economy will be worse off” as lockdown measures have already been eased since then.

Mr. Diokno added the virus is now better contained and lockdowns have been more localized and granular, allowing more businesses to reopen.

The government expects gross domestic product to shrink by 4.5% to 6.6% this year amid the ongoing crisis. By 2021, the economy is seen bouncing back with a 6.5% to 7.5% growth.

The economy may continue to contract until the first quarter of 2021 due to the crisis, but the decline will be less steep, said ING Bank NV-Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa.

“Although we may not see gross domestic GDP to contract by 16.5% anymore, negative GDP and the challenging job market may still be enough reason to be pessimistic over the next few months,” Mr. Mapa said in an email.

“We may have seen the worst of the downturn but it will be a while before we get back to where we were prior to COVID-19,” he added.

With this, Mr. Mapa said the government should redouble efforts to boost economic activities to complement the sizeable moves done by the central bank so far. — L.W.T. Noble

Fitch sees worse decline in power sector in the near term

By Denise A. Valdez, Senior Reporter

THE RESEARCH UNIT of Fitch Solutions Group Ltd. has downgraded its forecast for the Philippines’ power and renewables sector this year, projecting a 5.9% decline in power consumption and a 14% drop in coal generation.

In a Sept. 10 report sent on Friday, Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research said it continues to see the coronavirus pandemic weighing on the Philippines’ power sector in the near to medium term.

Problems stemming from the pandemic such as government financial constraints, weaker private investments and disruptions in labor and supply chains will remain a drag to the industry.

However, Fitch sees power demand rebounding strongly in the longer term, resulting in the need for an additional 44.8 gigawatts of new power capacity by 2040.

“This is driven by strong macroeconomic and demographic growth, along with government goals to achieve a 100% electrification rate by 2022…, which will drive up power demand over the coming years,” it said.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Fitch was anticipating a 5% growth in power consumption this year. This was revised to a 2.4% contraction after the pandemic, but is now downgraded further to a 5.9% drop due to the continuing effects of the lockdown.

“As the market continues to struggle to contain the virus, we have seen renewed lockdowns across several cities, and our initial expectation for a (second half) recovery is now unlikely,” it said.

“Philippines has seen one of the longest and strictest lockdowns, which has led to a substantial slowdown in economic activity… (We have) revised real GDP [gross domestic product] growth for 2020 to contract by 9.1%, and we expect the recession to weigh heavily on power demand and generation by extension,” it added.

Power generation, particularly from coal, is likewise seen taking a hit from the pandemic. Fitch anticipates a 14% decline in coal generation this year, larger than its 8.4% forecast in the last quarter and its 5.1% forecast before the pandemic.

The decline can be attributed to coal’s baseload nature, among other reasons, which led to several coal-power plants temporarily suspending operations during the strict lockdown, the research firm said.

Until the medium term, Fitch expects that the Philippines’ power sector will remain challenged by other effects of the pandemic. Specifically, it said the financial limitations of the government may push it to redirect funds from infrastructure projects to more “immediate concerns” such as wage subsidies and handouts.

But the research firm projects power consumption to grow 4.6% annually from 2020 to 2029, with the growth coming from the demand for thermal sources and renewable energy, and in the longer term, nuclear power.

“We believe that President Duterte will likely pivot back to his infrastructure strategy and ‘Build Build Build’ campaign after the situation improves, which will provide the necessary support for the power sector,” Fitch said.

Export-oriented PEZA firms may now sell 50% of their output locally

HALF OF THE production of export-oriented economic zone manufacturing locators may be sold locally during the pandemic, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said.

Export locators with PEZA incentives must have an export threshold of at least 70% of their production. Under PEZA’s recommendation, the domestic sales allowance has increased to 50% from the previous 30% of the total sales of the locators.

PEZA Director-General Charito B. Plaza said in a webinar on Friday this would put foreign owned businesses “on equal footing” with Filipino-owned locator companies.

“This will benefit not just the export producers with their expanding sales and increased access to the domestic market, but also the local economy through the ecozones’ enhanced forward and backward linkages,” she said.

She said this is a COVID-management measure to assist locators affected by the pandemic by allowing them to sell manufactured products locally while global export demand is down.

“In the process, PEZA is able to keep the locators afloat as well as the economy by ensuring the continuous operations of the makers and thereby sustaining the created jobs, livelihood, and other economic opportunities.”

This has been approved by the interagency task force on the coronavirus, Ms. Plaza said.

Merchandise exports in July declined by 9.6% to $5.654 billion compared with a revised 12.5% fall in June, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed. This marked the fifth straight month of decline.

Meanwhile, imports fell for the 15th consecutive month in July by 24.4% to $7.481 billion. — J.P. Ibañez

DBM releases 95.6% of budget at end-August

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) has released 95.6% of the P4.1-trillion spending plan for 2020 as of end-August.

The agency has so far released P3.924 trillion of the budget, data from the DBM showed. This leaves P176.303 billion yet to be distributed to respective government units.

Line agencies have already received 90.58% or P2.127 trillion out of the reduced P2.348-trillion programmed under the 2020 General Appropriations Act.

Some 49% or P297.395 billion of the P491.422 billion allotment for special purpose funds have also been released. The funds include budgetary support to state-owned firms, allocations to local government units (LGUs) and the contingent fund, among others.

Under automatic appropriations, the DBM has already disbursed P1.261 trillion, higher than the downwardly-adjusted program of P1.259 trillion. The segment includes retirement and life insurance premiums and the internal revenue allotment of local government units, among others.

On the other hand, the DBM has already completed the disbursement of other releases worth P237.148 billion under the 2019 General Appropriations Act. — LWTN

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