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Nationwide round-up

DBM to take charge of COVID-19 test kit procurement

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) facade
THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) will be in charge of procuring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapid test kits instead of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) due to transaction limitations, OCD Undersecretrary Ricardo B. Jalad said. “Ang administrator kasi ng civil defense ay limited lamang sa P50 million per transaction. Ito ay aabot ng billion (The civil defense administrator is limited to P50 million per transaction. This will cost billions),” he said over radio DZBB on Thursday. The government plans to purchase two million test kits. Mr. Jalad said the government is still considering where to procure the kits, including local producers and foreign sources. Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is finalizing the guidelines for the use of the test kits. In a briefing Thursday, IATF-EID Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said, “(T)he Department of Health in coordination with its technical advisory group is directed to finalize guidelines for the supplementary utilization of FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved rapid anti-body test kits.” He said they are eyeing its use as “clearance mechanism” for COVID-19 patients who have recovered. President Rodrigo R. Duterte announced earlier this week that the government will procure two million rapid test kits alongside the immediate purchase of 900,000 Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR test kits, which detects the actual presence of the virus. — Gillian M. Cortez and Genshen L. Espedido

DSWD directs LGUs to immediately distribute cash aid, to conduct post-validation

THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has given local government units (LGUs) the green light to immediately distribute the emergency cash aid from the national government, with validation to be undertaken within two weeks after the delivery to target low-income households. In a statement on Thursday, DSWD said it has amended its guidelines requiring prior validation of beneficiaries to speed up the distribution of the fund intended to help poor families most affected by disruptions arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. “Thus, local government units may proceed with the distribution of the cash aid within 24- hours upon receipt of the funds from the Department,” DSWD said. Meanwhile, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles reported on Thursday that as of April 15, a total of 1,228 LGUs have already received their allocation for the cash aid program. The total downloaded amount was P65 billion, which accounts for over 80% of the P80.9 billion program budget.

SOLICITATIONS
Meanwhile, the DSWD has also issued an advisory Thursday reminding individuals and organizations on the need to secure a permit from the agency to conduct solicitation activities. “It has come to our attention that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, various persons and organizations are allegedly conducting unathorized public solicitation activities… The DSWD reiterates that all entities must apply for a solicitation permit with the nearest DSWD office,” it said, citing Presidential Decree No. 1564, the Solicitation Permit Law. The permit requires a processing fee that should be paid to the Bureau of Treasury. DSWD Undersecretary Camilo G. Gudmalin, in a live-streamed briefing on Thursday, said those already conducting donation drives should “secure the permit” to “make their solicitations legitimate.”–Gillian M. Cortez

DoLE closes cash aid window for formal sector employees

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has stopped accepting applications for the cash assistance program for displaced workers, citing that the allocated fund will soon run out. “The labor department has been swamped with volumes of requests that the available fund for the program amounting to P1.6 billion is very close to being depleted,” DoLE said in a statement on Thursday. The application window was closed April 15. Under the coronavirus disease 2019 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP), employers can apply for cash subsidy that will be given to workers affected by the enhanced community quarantine measures. Each worker gets a one-time P5,000 assistance. DoLE said 236,412 workers from 10,663 establishments have so far availed of the program, and another 85,563 have been lined up. DoLE said they had difficulty processing 1.6 million CAMP applications received at its headquarters and regional offices. The agency assured that an alternative assistance program is currently being planned together with Congress in order to help more workers. DoLE is also preparing a recovery plan for employers and workers in post-quarantine period, which will end April 30. — Gillian M. Cortez

Former Health chiefs say COVID-19 battle is about ‘speed’

FORMER Health Secretary Manuel M. Dayrit said the government needs take up “speed, speed, speed” to “prevent, detect, isolate, and treat” the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “We have to implement these fundamentals nationwide. You cannot just implement it in NCR (National Capital Region) or the urban areas because once the virus enters any jurisdiction, it has the capacity to expand exponentially,” he said during the teleconference meeting of the Defeat COVID-19 committee in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Mr. Dayrit, who headed the Department of Health from 2001 to 2005 within which the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak took place, recommended modernizing disease surveillance capacity, laboratory capacity, and the facilities for quarantine, primary care and critical care. “The system that we operate with now… that’s basically the system that I was using years ago. With some improvements of course, but still not quite modernized. You don’t have surveillance facilities all the way down to the level of the provinces that can actually feed data on disease surveillance,” he said. “Given all of that we have accomplished, the critical question we have to ask ourselves honestly is, is our health system equal to the threat? Because no matter how many accomplishments we’ve made, if our system is not equal to the threat, then we’re still playing catch-up,” he added. Meanwhile, another former Health chief, Esperanza A. Icasa-Cabral, recommended four imperatives to reduce the toll of COVID-19 in the country: knowing the enemy, taking care of the ill, protecting the frontliners, and protecting the citizenry. “We need to practice all of these with speed… with scale and, very importantly, with transparency so people will be co-owners of all these strategies,” she said. — Genshen L. Espedido

US provides another $1.3-M in aid for PHL’s COVID-19 programs

THE UNITED States government has provided an additional $1.3 million (P66 million) to the Philippines for programs to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “This US government support to the Philippine Department of Health for its COVID-19 response demonstrates our longstanding commitment to our Philippine friends, partners, and allies in times of need,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said in a statement on Wednesday. The amount, which is on top of the $2.7 million initially provided by the US government in March, will allow the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to help the country improve its laboratory systems, intensify case-finding and surveillance, and prevent and control infections. Moreover, the assistance is also intended to help the Philippines expand its testing capacity and establish a more accurate COVID-19 information. The Department of Health has so far accredited 16 testing centers this week, increasing its capacity to test at least 3,000 samples per day. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Lawyers call for JSCC meet to address jail congestion

A GROUP of lawyers has asked Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta to convene the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) to address concerns on jail decongestion, especially with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), in a letter to Mr. Peralta, said they are concerned with the overcrowding in jail facilities and this may result in “‘cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment’” which violates the Constitution. “With all due respect, we believe that the solution may lie in coming up with an interim policy on jail decongestion that takes into account a nationwide profile of inmates, the nature of their cases, their personal health status, as well as special circumstances that may warrant either early release or humanitarian treatment,” the letter read. “(M)ay we respectfully request Your Honor to consider convening the JSCC to come up with a clear and coordinated plan and a strategic approach towards jail decongestion and humanitarian treatment during this pandemic,” it added. The council is composed of all attached offices of the judiciary, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and their attached agencies. FLAG also noted that the Justice Zones established in different cities may help assess the profile of detainees in their jurisdiction. For areas with none, the local Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Prosecutor’s Office, and Executive Judges “may work together toward this end.” The letter was signed by National Chair Jose Manuel I. Diokno and Regional Coordinator Theodore O. Te. More than 20 prisoners who are elderly, sick and pregnant have asked the Supreme Court for their release through bail on humanitarian grounds. Several groups have also asked the court for the release of those vulnerable to COVID-19, including the House of Representatives’ Makabayan bloc and the business sector-backed Judicial Reform Initiative. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Senate bill filed protecting health workers, COVID-19 patients from harassment

A BILL penalizing threats, harassments, or any form of discrimination against health care workers, frontliners and patients of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), among other notifiable diseases, has been filed in the Senate. Senate Bill No. 1436, the “Mandatory Protection of Health Workers, Frontliners and Patients Act,” seeks to eliminate discrimination against COVID-19 patients and those who are at the frontline of battling the disease. “Discrimination against health workers is a crime against public health,” Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement on Thursday. She cited an incident in Sultan Kudarat, where a health worker on his way home was splashed with bleach on his face. Some health workers and patients have also reported being denied access to groceries, banks, and even their boarding houses. The bill proposes to impose a fine of P20,000-50,000 and jail time of up to six months. If enacted, the measure will also consider unfair treatment to frontliners and all forms of physical, emotional and psychological violence or threat against patients, suspected or confirmed of having contracted the disease. Meanwhile, Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara, who just recently recovered form COVID-19, appealed to the government to lead efforts to reach the public for convalescent plasma donations. Mr. Angara said researchers have reported that convalescent plasma treatments have helped improve the condition of critical COVID-19 patients. “In the donation of plasma, dapat government-led ‘yan because the information is with government agencies,” he said in a separate statement. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Ways companies cope with COVID-19 crisis

By Adrian Paul B. Conoza
Special Features Writer, BusinessWorld

Execs from reputable brands share experiences of managing the effects of ECQ

Since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) forced organizations to shift into a work-from-home (WFH) setting and set skeletal workforces in their offices, companies have suddenly been working their way through the crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In the third episode of The Philippine STAR Career Guide’s “CGLive!”, the panel, consists of executives from some of the country’s reputable companies, shared how their organizations are coping with the ECQ.

Lucien C. Dy Tioco, executive vice president of PhilSTAR Media Group (PMG), has observed a lot of adjustments taking place as the media is expected to deliver information that is vital to the public.

“Operationally, it’s a major disruption for us since it’s the first time it really made us think of how seamlessly we can operate and deliver news,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jocel De Guzman, head of corporate communications at HGS Philippines, has noticed that many companies are having difficulty coping with the ECQ. While firms have designed their business continuity plans usually for natural disasters from which they could bounce back quite easily, the current pandemic is a very different kind of crisis.

He added that connectivity is a challenge for companies in activating remote work settings, noting that not all areas have ‘fiber optic footprints’ and that connections with cell sites are shared with multiple mobile users.

“We have to address the Internet gap. Now is the time… for the telcos and government agencies to basically fast track this,” Mr. De Guzman said.

Mitch Hernandez-Suarez, marketing and communications head of Stores Specialists Inc., shared that working on skeletal forces has been new to the company, but she observed that the transition has been fairly smooth and it brings new learnings for the group’s diverse departments.

“It’s very disruptive, but it has also provided us with learnings and an avenue to be more efficient at work,” Ms. Hernandez-Suarez said.

Checking up and reaching out

One of these learnings, she shared, is keeping open communication between colleagues, which she deems helpful to determine what aspects of work are effective during the present working situation as well as what needs to be improved.

The marketing and communications head also shared that checking up on co-workers is vital during these trying times.

“It’s also important to check that everyone is okay… because everyone is going through this traumatic experience,” she said.

Keeping a positive spirit, Ms. Hernandez-Suarez advised that it is also important to keep companies through the crisis, aside from keeping open communication within teams.

“With the right attitude and mindset, we would be able to apply the learnings to have a more productive and more efficient organization,” she said.

Mr. De Guzman also agreed on the value of checking on employees and staying connected with them, as implied by the Filipino word “kamustahan”.

Under HGS Philippines’ communications program during the crisis, he shared, WFH employees are informed on how to maximize their benefits, and they are also engaged to let the company know about their situation by participating in a TikTok video contest.

From this, he pointed out important factors in communicating with employees during this crisis. “You have to be transparent, honest, and empathic. After being emphatic, your content should be engaging to them,” he said.

He also advised companies to take care of their employees first before helping communities through corporate social responsibility efforts.

Mr. Dy Tioco, meanwhile, shared how PMG is heeding the call for companies to share their resources during the crisis, as many companies have done.

Tala Para sa Kapwa, the PMG EVP shared, is the group’s CSR initiative designed to help underserved communities, particularly in those areas where achieving social distancing and proper hygiene is difficult.

“It makes you shudder to think about how can you possibly achieve social distancing in such communities, and how can you keep them inside their homes. And the most possible way is to answer their needs,” he said.

The program also launched the COVID-19 WATCH page and microsite (www.bworldonline.com/covid19watch) on PMG’s diverse publications in an effort “to pacify the anxiety of the general public on what to know about the pandemic.”

Preparing for a ‘new normal’

The current crisis is perceived to alter the way work is done once the quarantine is lifted and the crisis ends.

Mr. De Guzman finds remote work to be further adapted and maximized in the future, hence it is essential to have a digital mindset.

“Companies should start doing or fast-tracking their digital transformation,” he said.

He also called for the government to take this mindset, and initiate further infrastructure that will enhance the country’s connectivity.

“I think this is a hard lesson for us to prioritize infrastructure, but I think this is the right time,” he said, telling those who oppose the construction of such infrastructure that they are depriving people of livelihood if they deprive them of Internet access in their areas.

Mr. Dy Tioco pointed out that employees should be further clarified on what WFH is, while HR departments should determine what kind of outputs should be expected from WFH employees.

Families should also be oriented about WFH, Ms. Hernandez-Suarez added, since it is not only employees that will be adjusting, but also their families.

Furthermore, Mr. Dy Tioco highlighted that an opportunity lies for companies to think about the learnings they can pick up from this health crisis.

“It’s putting everyone on a reset button, and that reset button is actually making us think how can we make this world a better place,” he said.

Airlines, shippers warn of trade delays if seamen can’t travel

THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said governments should facilitate the movement of international transport personnel who have been affected by travel restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Each month, about 100,000 merchant seafarers need to be changed over from the ships on which they operate to ensure compliance with international maritime regulations protecting safety, health and welfare,” IATA and ICS said in a joint statement on April 14.

“As a result of government-imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19, flights to repatriate or position marine personnel are unavailable. Immigration and health screening protocols are also hampering the ability of merchant ships to conduct vitally necessary crew changes,” they added.

IATA represents some 290 airlines, accounting for 82% of global air traffic, while ICS, an international trade association of merchant shipowners and operators, represents over 80% of the global merchant fleet.

IATA and ICS said that regulations intended for passengers and non-essential personnel unnecessarily jeopardize the ability of airlines and shipping companies to keep global supply chains operating when such restrictions are applied to transport personnel who do not engage with local communities.

They said governments should identify airports that seafarers can use for crew changes and make appropriate adjustments to current health and immigration protocols.

“Priority airports should include those close to major shipping lanes which also have direct air connections to principal seafarer countries of residence, such as China, India and the Philippines as well as destinations in western and eastern Europe,” they explained.

They said that such measures will help keep global supply chains open, noting that shipping companies deliver about 90% of global trade while airlines, apart from their passenger flights, carry some 35% of global trade by value.

ICS Secretary-General Guy Platten was quoted as saying: “Seafarers are unsung heroes who everyday throughout this COVID-19 crisis are going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that countries are kept supplied with the goods they need. We are working with the airlines to come forward with solutions. We now need governments to support our seafarers and facilitate safe passage for them to get home to loved ones and be replaced by crew members ready to keep supply chains open.”

Artemio U. Tuazon, Jr., Transportation undersecretary for administration and a department representative on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, was asked to comment but had yet to reply at deadline time.

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Air, Inc., Philippines AirAsia, Inc., Air Philippines Corp., and Cebgo, Inc. have grounded their passenger operations due to the government-imposed enhanced community quarantine.

Over 30,000 flights were canceled, affecting nearly five million passengers, the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Households to pay deferred power bills in installments starting mid-May

POWER consumers enjoying deferred payments on their lockdown bills have been given the option to pay off their arrears in installments between May and September.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), in an advisory issued late Wednesday, ordered the power industry to give customers a grace period on bills incurred during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which was extended to April 30, without interest, penalties, fees, and other charges.

The ERC originally ordered the deferral of payments on bills due within the first quarantine period, which was to end April 14, but which was extended to April 30.

The deferred amounts will be reflected as separate items in the electricity bill due in the succeeding cycles, “provided that the first billing due date following the ECQ shall be no earlier than 15 May 2020.”

The ERC still urged consumers to settle their arrears as soon as possible to help power companies “manage (their) cash flow… and ensure the continuous supply of electricity.”

Distribution utilities have been allowed to offer incentives for customers who do not avail of the extended payment period and choose to pay earlier.

Payments by distribution utilities and retail electricity suppliers to power generators and suppliers, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), National Power Corp. (NPC), National Transmission Corp. (TransCo), National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), independent power producers (IPP), IPP administrators and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market operator, have also been extended to beyond the end of the quarantine.

The collection of feed-in-tariff allowance (FiT-All), which is also a component of charges paid for by consumers, has been suspended until the next billing cycle.

ERC also reminded utilities using average billing that they must inform their customers that their bills are estimates. The ERC permitted bills to be based on average consumption in past months because meter readers were also unable to perform their duties during the ECQ.

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has said bills falling between March 15 and April 14 will be based on average monthly consumption in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) clarified on Thursday that only rural poor households who consume less than 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity will see their bills in the March-April billing period waived.

“Consumers of less than 50 kWh, or those so-called lifeline consumers of electric cooperatives… your power for the March to April billing period is free,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo B. Nograles said in Filipino during the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases briefing held on Wednesday. — Adam J. Ang

NEDA identifying supply chain issues to guide task force

THE National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is evaluating the performance of supply chains during the pandemic and is hoping its findings will guide decision-makers on potential improvements.

In a briefing, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Spokesperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said the task force approved the recommendation of the NEDA “to pursue Supply Chain Regulatory Impact Assessments and to develop the Supply Chain Analysis (SCAN) Dashboard in cooperation with partner agencies and select private entities.”

The enhanced community quarantine imposed on Luzon to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak established a system of checkpoints that have disrupted the flow of goods, according to exporters. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has also needed to issue special passes to truckers hauling food that will allow them to bypass checkpoints, but some shipments have been held up at the local government level, where the exemptions decreed by the national government for exempted goods have sometimes not been honored.

“The outputs of the Regulatory Impact Assessments shall be referred to the IATF as a whole or any of its member agencies and the outputs of the SCAN Dashboard shall be referred to the National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 for its consideration,” Mr. Nograles added.

According to the second report to Congress issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on how the government is using its emergency powers to deal with COVID-19, NEDA was planning to create a national supply chain plan for food, medical supplies, and other urgently-needed goods during the state of calamity.

The report, dated April 6, also said that NEDA is setting up a transport analytics tool to identify supply chain issues that will need to be improved.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia earlier this month said there is a need for a regular review of restrictions imposed on the movement of manufactured goods to ensure supply disruptions are minimized. — Gillian M. Cortez

Food pass validity extended after ECQ prolonged

ALL food passes in use by accredited truckers of agricultural goods have been revalidated following the extension of Luzon’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The food passes, which allow cargoes to bypass checkpoints, were given extended validity by DA Memorandum Circular No. 11. The passes apply to cargoes of rice, vegetables, fruits, meat and processed products, farm inputs, raw materials, and equipment.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said Tuesday in a statement: “The extension aims to ensure the seamless and smooth transport of food, cargoes, and agri-fishery inputs essential to food production and processing, including the movement of our frontliners — farmers, fishers, and workers in food processing facilities — across the country.”

All food passes issued starting March 18 are deemed valid until the end of the month.

Truckers are still subject to health checks at the checkpoints, including temperature readings.

The DA has issued a total of 73,189 food passes.

DA bureaus have also issued their own passes including the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for fish products, the National Meat Inspection Service for meat, and the Bureau of Animal Industry for live hogs, poultry, and other farm animals.

“We are calling on all DA regional field offices (RFOs) to coordinate with their respective local government units, including the Philippine National Police to ensure that the extension will be honored at all checkpoints nationwide,” Mr. Dar said.

Mr. Dar also issued a new estimate for the national rice inventory, which he said is sufficient for 84 days.

“We earlier said that we have rice supply for the country good for 75 days. With the implementation of the Plant, Plant, Plant Program, we are optimistic to produce an additional 9-day supply going into the lean months of July to September,” Mr. Dar said.

The DA said the rice supply will be augmented by the expected wet-season harvest and imports, the volume of which can be estimated via the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs).

“At a conservative assumption of 70% adoption rate of the Plant, Plant, Plant Program interventions on rice, we can produce an additional 1.3 million MT. Add that to our projected local production and imports with SPSICs of 1.86 million MT, we will have a year-end stock good for more than three months,” Mr. Dar said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases recently approved P8.5 billion for the Rice Resiliency Project under the Plant, Plant, Plant program.

By the end of 2020, the DA’s rice resiliency project aims to boost palay production to 22.12 million MT, equivalent to 13.51 million MT of rice after milling.

DA also estimated that six regions will have insufficient local supply of rice by the end of the year.

These are the Cordillera Administrative Region, the National Capital Region, Region IV-A, also known as Calabarzon, Region VII or the Central Visayas, Region XI of the Davao Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“We will preposition rice stocks to meet the demands in rice-deficit regions,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Rent relief for airport tenants extended to April 30

TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur P. Tugade has instructed airport authorities to extend the rental holiday for airport concessionaires until April 30.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran made the announcement last Wednesday.

She said Mr. Tugade’s order covers all airports managed by the government.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte extended the Luzon-wide lockdown to the end of the month, pending containment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In March, Mr. Tugade ordered the Manila International Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to suspend rental payments at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for that month and defer collection of such charges for the following month.

The Transportation department said such measures are needed to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry.

Philippine Airlines, Inc., Cebu Air, Inc., Philippines AirAsia, Inc., Air Philippines Corp., and Cebgo, Inc. recently appealed for government help with the pandemic threatening their survival.

Among their requests is a full waiver of all navigational and airport charges, which include airport office rentals and land leases, until the end of 2020.

The airlines shut down their passenger operations after Luzon was placed under enhanced community quarantine.

Over 30,000 flights were canceled, affecting nearly five million passengers, according to the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines.

The Transportation department said it continues to facilitate the unhampered movement of essential flights to ensure sustainability of the supply of food, medicine, and other essential goods.

It said that from March 25 to April 12, CAAP had accommodated a total of 4,456 flights. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Indigenous peoples urged to plant more on ancestral land

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking the use of indigenous peoples’ (IP) ancestral land for food production to shore up food security during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar urged the indigenous peoples (IPs) to convert part or most of their idle land to farm vegetables and high-value crops.

“Our IPs can also consider going into diversified farming systems, integrating vegetable and livestock raising, that will provide them not only a continuous source of food, but also a source of additional income,” Mr. Dar said.

Mr. Dar added substantial funding is available from the DA to support enhanced food production on ancestral land.

“It forms part of the Duterte administration’s P31-billion Plant, Plant, Plant Program, where we will, among other projects, intensify the promotion of urban and community agriculture as one of the interventions to help ensure availability of and access to food nationwide,” Mr. Dar said.

According to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), IPs occupy about 7.7 million hectares or 26% of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares.

As of 2019, the NCIP has issued 243 certificates of ancestral domain title, covering an area of 5.7 million hectares. Some 1.3 million IPs have been certified as rights holders.

Mr. Dar said that the IPs can grow ampalaya, asparagus, cabbage, cassava, garlic, ginger, mungbean, papaya, peanut, sweet potato, and tomato.

“Aside from profitable types of vegetables — like onion, string beans, potato, carrots, pineapple, garlic, cauliflower, and watermelon — our brother IPs can grow cacao, coffee, abaca or black pepper, or they may go into raising native pigs and free-range chicken,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Staging the Tour in 2020 seen vital for the sport

PARIS — Staging the Tour de France this year despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was vital for road cycling, the race’s director Christian Prudhomme said on Wednesday.

The sport’s governing International Cycling Union announced that the Tour, initially due to be held from June 27–July 19, would be staged from Aug. 29–Sept. 20 amid measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We started to talk about a postponement to the local politicians as soon as March 18 — a day after France was put in lockdown — and all of them were on board,” Prudhomme told Reuters in an interview.

“Everyone in the world of cycling supported the idea, even those who usually don’t like us. Some teams said they would have to close down without the Tour in 2020.

“The Tour is the base of the revised calendar.”

Sponsors usually invest in cycling teams for the broad TV exposure and the Tour de France is one of the world’s most watched events, after the Summer Olympics and the soccer World Cup.

With no elite racing before August, cycling teams and sponsors have been dramatically hit financially by the coronavirus, which has infected over two million people worldwide and brought the world of sport to a standstill.

The Tour route will remain 99% unchanged with a Grand Depart from Nice and the traditional final parade on Paris’s Champs-Elysees.

“The only thing we might have to change sometimes is when we go through bigger cities,” said Prudhomme, who on Tuesday called 49 local politicians to inform them that the Tour dates had been changed.

The 2020 summer holidays are due to end on Sept. 1 in France, where public events have been banned until mid-July although French President Emmanuel Macron said the confinement would be progressively lifted from May 11.

Asked about potential safety measures due to the coronavirus pandemic, Prudhomme said the Tour organizers would adapt.

Prudhomme added that earlier dates for the Tour in August had been considered before being ruled out. — Reuters

UFC aiming for May 9 comeback, says Dana White

THE ULTIMATE Fighting Championship (UFC) is aiming to stage a fight card at an undisclosed location next month featuring at least two title bouts, the promotion’s president Dana Frederick White Jr. told its broadcast partner ESPN.

White cancelled the proposed UFC 249 event last week, which was due to take place on April 18.

Prompted by fears over the spread of the coronavirus, White came under pressure from politicians and ESPN’s owners at Disney to postpone the event.

ESPN is now reporting that Tony Ferguson will face Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight at an undisclosed location on May 9 instead.

Also on the bill is a bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz and a featherweight matchup between champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer, although it is unclear if Nunes’ belt is on the line.

When asked by Reuters to confirm the title fights, the UFC responded in an email that they had no further comment “aside from what Dana has said to ESPN.” — Reuters

Property developer pushes for earth-friendly sailing

WITH the country boasting among others of beautiful islands and beaches, sailing presents itself as an exciting way to explore the Philippines. It is something that property developer AboitizLand recognizes and pushes for.

To highlight its thrust on such front, AboitizLand partnered early this year with the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Federation (Phinsaf) for the 20th Philippine Hobie Challenge.

Regarded as the country’s premier international extreme sailing event, the challenge is a five-day regatta promoting earth-friendly sailing aboard the Hobie Cat 16, a 16-foot long, twin-hulled wind-powered sailboat capable of negotiating open seas.

For this year’s edition of the Hobie Challenge, the race sailed off from AboitizLand’s Seafront Residences property in San Juan, Batangas to Boracay Island.

The event was a throwback of sorts, retracing its original Laiya-to-Boracay route when the regatta was introduced in 1999.

Portuguese sailors Maria Videoira-Hagedorn and Tomas Camelo ruled the regatta, clocking 24:32:39 to edge 10 other teams from the Philippines, Australia, the United States and Hong Kong.

Geoff Rowden and Rosie Phelan of Australia settled at a close second while Keli and Arli Corlett, also from Down Under, ended up at third place.

Organizers said the Philippine Hobie Challenge is a way of promoting earth-friendly sports across the archipelago and a unique way to sharpen sailing skills to international standards, create environmental awareness, discover various hidden islands, and support communities through outreach programs.

For Aboitizland, events like the regatta are also a good platform to push eco-sports tourism in places like Laiya.

“It was a great opportunity to showcase how Seafront’s residents will enjoy the benefits of living by the sea,” said AboitizLand first vice-president for operations Rafa de Mesa as he spoke of their involvement with the Philippine Hobie Challenge.

To address the residents’ need for a peaceful respite to pursue life’s passions, Mr. De Mesa said they are continuously rearing development of Seafront to such a direction.

Seafront Residences offers house and lots, parks and outdoor amenity areas, as well as Residences and Villas designed and inspired by world-class designers and featuring modern Filipino styles with panoramic viewdecks.

The property also has the Seafront Villas or condominium by the beach and has a cozy lifestyle hub for dining, retail and leisure. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Coping

Of all organized sports, tennis is argued to be among the easiest to plan for in transitioning to a post-COVID-19 setup. It presents few challenges, at least on paper. It’s a non-contact endeavor, with players, line judges, ball boys, and the chair umpire theoretically able to practice social distancing throughout any given set-to. Then again, it’s one thing to think about the match itself, and quite another to consider both what should come before and what happens after. Relevancy requires that it be part of a tournament, thus presupposing the involvement of hundreds more, at minimum, even absent spectators — from other competitors to coaches to medical teams to organizers to service professionals.

In other words, preparation won’t be anywhere close to the cakewalk it initially seems. Travel is required of all, coming from different countries whose governments have varying measure in place. And even granting mobility, there is the not insignificant hurdle of trying to house those involved in one place big enough to keep them isolated and apart from each other for the duration of a fortnight. It takes no genius to start a discussion while basking in the ideal: a remote broadcast, with fans enjoying tennis at its finest while in the comfort of homes. Safety, though, needs to be all encompassing, and the very nature of the enemy compromises it at the outset. The coronavirus disease 2019 can affect, and be transmitted by, the asymptomatic, thus putting into question the viability of any form of testing that should supposedly guarantee clean bills of health.

Which is why the best of the best have been left with no choice but to feed their need for competition through other ways. Even as they rely on more informed quarters to come up with solutions in transitioning to the new normal, they bank on themselves, and one another, to make the most of the interim. Last week, living legend Roger Federer issued a #tennisathome challenge that compelled those who took him up on it to make a string of volleys against a wall. Naturally, he did his in style, donning an all-white ensemble that included a fedora hat. And, naturally, myriad other players and celebrities — and fans, of course — followed suit.

Some were serious. Coco Gauff was a picture of intensity in the short video she posted on Twitter, and she noted “it took me way too many times to get this right.” Some were funny. Novak Djokovic asked Federer if he was “good enough” while doing the challenge. The response: “You’ve beaten me with that volley more than a few times, I don’t think you need any tips.” Some were both. Clearly joking, Serena Williams said in her Instagram post, entitled “4 days later…,” that she had been at it for a while, with her count already “at six billion, 743 million, or trillion;” yet, she was clearly invested in doing well, even going totally silent for the last third of her one-and-a-half-minute post to concentrate on her volleying.

Soon enough, Andy Murray tweaked the idea and turned it into a doubles affair. He and wife Kim did a 100 volleys back and forth, and then called on everybody else to do the same. Djokovic and wife Jelena did, a couple of times almost flubbing the effort but succeeding all the same. Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan saw fit to answer the call with cellphones and a ping-pong ball, punctuated by a between-the-legs final volley. Unfortunately, Federer has yet to commit, pointing out that wife Mirka “totally would but is social-media shy.”

Beyond parlor games, the sport is following in the footsteps of NASCAR and the National Basketball Association by scheduling the Mutua Madrid Open Virtua Pro later this month. Yes, marquee names will be picking up Sony PlayStation 4 controllers to compete in a tournament via Tennis World Tour. Such notables as Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, John Isner, and Murray will be part of a 16-strong contingent doing battle at the digitally rendered Manolo Santana Stadium. On the distaff side, the likes of Angelique Kerber, Madison Keys, Victoria Azarenka, and Eugenie Bouchard have signed up.

As with other competitions, gamesmanship is key. Whether or not there will be trash talking remains to be seen. What’s evident, however, is the commitment to stay active while safe — and to help when possible. At stake is a purse of €150,000 in both draws, with the victors slated to decide how to divvy it up among members of the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association Tours affected by the suspension of schedule. Clearly, everybody’s trying to cope, fueled by optimism for a better tomorrow.

 

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

alcuaycong@bworldonline.com

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