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Whole New Game

The 2019–20 season of the National Basketball Association officially resumes today, at least on paper. In truth, the eight seeding games and the playoffs present little to no continuity with the first four-fifths of the campaign, and not just because they will be held under a different set of circumstances. Even the league itself acknowledges the contrasts, adopting the slogan “Whole New Game” for its bubble environment. At this point, it’ll gladly take any semblance of normalcy for its setup at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. “Where Amazing Happens” doesn’t seem to be apt in a situation that has it hoping for the best while in the midst of a pandemic.

Of the two matches on tap for the reopening at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the second figures to generate more attention. The Lakers and Clippers, pegged by all and sundry to meet in the Western Conference Finals, will be burning rubber, and their encounter provides a legitimate look-see on the NBA experiment’s potential for success. And, make no mistake, an experiment is precisely what it’s conducting; its stringent enforcement of all-encompassing health and safety protocols has led to zero infections to date, a remarkable outcome given all the many ways they can be breached, and when juxtaposed with the setbacks being experienced by other organized sports leagues, including, most recently, Major League Baseball.

To be fair, much of the interest is likewise generated by the promise of the set-to itself. The Lakers and Clippers could conceivably take things easy through their seeding schedule; their respective places in standings are by no means locked up, but the absence of any true homecourt advantage on campus has devalued traditionally coveted spots. Instead, they’re bent on showing their best, if for no other reason than to claim bragging rights. Never mind that they boast of changed or incomplete rosters. The names on their jerseys and the final score are what matter.

And so the NBA has gone all out to trumpet today’s feature presentation. It’s determined to show the world that it can more than hold its own amid chaos, and that its principal product is a decidedly plus for stuck-at-home fans starving for familiarity. In this regard, it’s fortunate to have stars that will shine no matter what. When the marquee includes the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Paul George, it’s not likely to have any problem parading its best on the floor. At the same time, it knows ultimate success will depend most on what happens off the court between contests.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

US records a coronavirus death every minute as total surpasses 150,000

US coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days. Image via Reuters.

One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world.

The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally.

US coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days.

Nationally, COVID-19 deaths have risen for three weeks in a row while the number of new cases week-over-week recently fell for the first time since June.

A spike in infections in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas this month has overwhelmed hospitals. The rise has forced states to make a U-turn on reopening economies that were restricted by lockdowns in March and April to slow the spread of the virus.

Texas leads the nation with nearly 4,300 deaths so far this month, followed by Florida with 2,900 and California, the most populous state, with 2,700. The Texas figure includes a backlog of hundreds of deaths after the state changed the way it counted COVID-19 fatalities.

While deaths have rapidly risen in July in these three states, New York and New Jersey still lead the nation in total lives lost and for deaths per capita, according to a Reuters tally.

Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth for deaths per capita, at 45 fatalities per 100,000 people. It is exceeded by the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Peru, and Chile. — Reuters

Hong Kong police arrest 4 under new security law

HONG KONG — Hong Kong police have arrested four people aged 16-21 for suspected offenses under the city’s new national security law, the first such detentions outside of street protests since the legislation took effect a month ago.

In a press conference shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a police spokesman said the three men and a woman, all students, were suspected of being involved in an online group that pledged to use every means to fight for an independent Hong Kong.

“We arrested for … subversions and for the organizing and also the inciting (of) secession,” said Li Kwai-wah, police superintendent at the national security department.

“They wanted to unite all the independent groups in Hong Kong for the view to promote the independence of Hong Kong.”

China considers Hong Kong to be an “inalienable” part of the country, so calls for independence are anathema to Beijing’s Communist Party leaders.

Police said some mobile phones, computers and documents were seized in the operation.

Beijing imposed the contentious legislation on its freest city just before midnight on June 30, punishing what it broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Activists in Hong Kong scrambled to shut or rebrand social media accounts that could fall foul of the new security law before it was imposed. Police said the four were suspected of posting content that violated the legislation in July.

Human Rights Watch condemned the arrests and urged governments to impose targeted sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese government officials responsible for the new law.

“The gross misuse of this draconian law makes clear that the aim is to silence dissent, not protect national security,” Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said.

The law has been condemned by some Western governments, business leaders and human rights groups who say it represents the latest move by Beijing to tighten its grip over the former British colony.

Beijing says the law is crucial to plug gaping holes in national security defences exposed by months of sometimes violent anti-government protests that rocked the city over the past year.

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law will be used to target only a minority of “troublemakers.”

In a Facebook post, Initiative Independence Party said four former members of Studentlocalism, a pro-independence group that was disbanded before the new law took effect, had been arrested on suspicion of violating Articles 20 and 21 of the legislation that include inciting secession. They were denied bail.

Police did not name the suspects but local media and online posts said Tony Chung, a former convener of Studentlocalism was among those arrested.

Critics of the security legislation fear it will crush wide-ranging freedoms not seen on the mainland, including freedom of speech, that were guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Like Studentlocalism, many anti-government groups disbanded just before the law came into force, ranging from pro-independence Hong Kong National Front to pro-democracy Demosisto, which was led by young activist Joshua Wong.

Hundreds of small shops have taken down protest slogans off their walls, while publishers have started to censor or even reject books they fear authorities might deem subversive. — Reuters

Herd immunity seems to be developing in Mumbai’s poorest areas

AROUND SIX in 10 people living in some of India’s biggest slums have antibodies for the novel coronavirus indicating they’ve recovered from infection, in what appears to be one of the highest population immunity levels known worldwide.

The findings, from a July serological survey of 6,936 people across three suburbs in India’s financial center of Mumbai, may explain why a steep drop in infections is being seen among the closely packed population, despite new cases accelerating overall in the hard-hit country.

“Mumbai’s slums may have reached herd immunity,” said Jayaprakash Muliyil, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of India’s National Institute of Epidemiology, and the retired head of one of its premier medical colleges. “If people in Mumbai want a safe place to avoid infection, they should probably go there.”

The findings of the study, which was conducted by municipal authorities and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, suggest that despite efforts to contain its spread, Mumbai’s poorest places may have unwittingly pursued the controversial strategy of herd immunity. This describes an approach in which infection is allowed to run through a population to faster neutralize the pathogen’s threat.

About 57% of surveyed people in the slums of Dahisar, Chembur and Matunga had antibodies in their blood, compared with 21.2% found in an April study in New York City, and 14% reported in Stockholm in May.

A “hands-off” approach has been criticized in places like Sweden, where it appears to have resulted in more deaths than neighboring countries that implemented lockdowns. But the findings from Mumbai’s slums, where the population is young and less pre-disposed to severe cases of COVID-19, may support public health strategies more focused on protecting the vulnerable without trying to suppress the virus completely.

With social distancing more or less impossible, Mumbai’s slums are singularly well-suited for the coronavirus’s spread. Dharavi, the largest, packs a population as big as San Francisco’s into an area the size of New York’s Central Park, with as many as 80 people often sharing a public toilet, and families of eight regularly packed in a 100-square-foot room.

Yet the slums have seen steep drops in infections in recent weeks after cases first erupted in April, even as India’s overall cases grow at the fastest pace globally. Credit has largely been given to the intensive containment measures officials implemented in the slums, like door-to-door health screenings and rapidly erected quarantine facilities.

The serological findings suggest another possibility: the crisis may be largely over because the virus has spread efficiently, not because it was stopped.

“One explanation is they did an excellent job containing it, the other is that herd immunity has been reached,” Muliyil said. “The virus does its work. The virus doesn’t worry about your quarantine and it is much more efficient than your efforts to contain it.”

He does, however, credit the government’s containment measures with keeping mortality rates low in the slums, because the proactive surveillance ensured that cases were caught early and given high quality care. Of a population as big as a million people, Dharavi has recorded 253 deaths.

Growing herd immunity may also be behind the dip in cases in the capital city of New Delhi, said Muliyil, where a study in early July found that a quarter of the population had been exposed.

Epidemiologists generally believe that infection levels must reach 60% to create herd immunity. But exposure concentrated in the populations least able to socially distance could still slow the overall spread of infection.

In Mumbai overall, new cases dropped to the lowest tally in almost three months this week, although the July antibody survey found only 16% had been exposed to the virus among those living in places where social distancing is more feasible, like apartment buildings and houses. — Bloomberg

Schools turn to artificial intelligence for efficient campus administration

By Patricia B. Mirasol

Schools are turning to Edusuite, an artificial intelligence-powered management system that automates campus administration. 

“The pandemic made us realize our schools need to go digital,” said Patricia Mauricio, assistant directress for finance of the Sacred Heart Academy of Pasig. “It has been an extraordinarily challenging time for us since we never relied on any management system as we were used to a face-to-face approach.”

Three out of four Filipino students in the K-12 program have enrolled in public and private schools in the country for school year 2020–2021. In public schools, 88% of those who enrolled last school year registered again. The Department of Education is advocating blended learning because physical distancing restrictions are still in place and not everyone has access to digital resources.

POWERED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Edusuite described in a July 29 media conference how its school management system is digitally transforming schools to respond to the need for efficient campus administration amid the global crisis.

Using artificial intelligence and data analytics, Edusuite’s cloud computing solutions enable automatic student advising, online enlistment and enrollment, forecasting of class demand, and automated scheduling and computation of assessments. The software also allows students to pick relevant subjects as real-time availability is reflected on the school’s portal. The system moreover reduces the processing time of student registration and school fee payments.

Automated school management systems have become more relevant today especially with the continued imposition of quarantine measures to help curb COVID-19’s spread. 

“This year, we’ve achieved our target to help over 25,000 students across 10 schools or more. However, because of the COVID-19 situation, many more schools are in need of our solution,” Edusuite co-founder and president Niel Dagondon said. The school management provider counts Sacred Heart Academy in Pasig City, University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, and Joji Ilagan Bian Career Foundation Center in Davao City and General Santos City as its most recent school clients. 

“While we look forward to going back to what normal used to be like, schools must also transform their systems to respond better to current and future needs,” he said.

Edusuite is among the first batch of recipients of the Startup Research Grant Program of the Department of Science and Technology through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development in 2017.

Meralco provides continuous power supply to COVID-19 treatment centers

Meralco crews are seen conducting service upgrades at the Philippine Arena Complex, Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue, Bulacan.  The mega tent quarantine facility dubbed as We Heal as One Center, is a 300-bed facility that serves as a temporary treatment facility for COVID-19 patients. The service upgrade works include the installation of 11 concrete poles, 240-meters 3-phase overhead lines, 9 distribution transformers, and 3 metering facilities.  The center is one of the many vital hospitals and COVID-19 treatment and testing centers in the Meralco franchise area.

China’s Sinopharm to test potential COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil

Sinopharm’s candidate vaccine is already being tested in the United Arab Emirates with 15,000 volunteers. — REUTERS

RIO DE JANEIRO — Chinese drug company Sinopharm and Parana state have agreed to launch the fourth major COVID-19 vaccine trial in Brazil and will seek regulatory approval in the next two weeks, the Brazilian partners said on Wednesday.

A trial by Sinopharm would join Phase III trials already announced in Brazil by AstraZeneca, Sinovac Biotech, and a Pfizer partnership with BioNTech.

Jorge Callado, head of the Parana Technology Institute (Tecpar), said they would soon finalize their proposal and submit it for approval with federal health regulator Anvisa.

Brazil’s COVID-19 outbreak, the world’s worst outside the United States, has made it global testing ground for potential vaccines.

Sinopharm’s candidate vaccine is already being tested in the United Arab Emirates with 15,000 volunteers.

Parana is also in talks with Russian researchers about producing their potential vaccine, the state government said in a statement, adding that Governor Ratinho Júnior would soon meet with Russia’s ambassador to Brazil.

Russians have also contacted Sao Paulo’s Butantan Institute to discuss testing their vaccine, the institute’s director told reporters on Wednesday. — Reuters

The Philippines needs a bigger stimulus plan, Vice-President says

The Philippines should pass a 1.3 trillion-peso ($26.4 billion) stimulus package that would give wage subsidies and bigger assistance to pandemic-hit companies, Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said, supporting a bill which government officials say can’t be funded.

Tax incentives should also be given to companies that will help aid the poor, Ms. Robredo said in a speech two days after President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s state of the nation address. The corporate income tax cut endorsed by Mr. Duterte wouldn’t be enough, the opposition leader said.

She called on Mr. Duterte to address the COVID-19 testing backlog, improve the management of infection data and provide health workers a more equitable pay.

“The pandemic won’t end if we just wait for a vaccine. We have to stem the spread of the virus as soon as possible,” Ms. Robredo said.

The Philippines’ coronavirus cases more than doubled this month to over 85,000, including 1,962 deaths as of Wednesday—the second-highest number of infections in Southeast Asia. — Bloomberg

Top envoys of Philippines, Malaysia spar on Twitter over Sabah ownership

The Philippine foreign minister sparked a diplomatic fight over Twitter by asserting ownership over the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, reviving a longstanding territorial dispute between the Southeast Asian nations.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, on his official Twitter account, said he will summon the Philippine ambassador on Monday in reaction to his Philippine counterpart’s July 27 tweet.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., tweeted that “Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines,” reacting to a US Embassy item describing the area straddling both nations as part of Malaysia.

Sabah is a long-standing, on-and-off flashpoint between the neighbors, with the most recent flare-up in February 2013 when followers of a self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu, sought to claim sovereignty and led to clashes that killed dozens.

The sultans of Sulu once ruled over Sabah and the Sulu islands in southern Philippines. The state fell under British control after World War II and joined Malaysia in 1963, shortly after Sulu ceded its sovereignty to the Philippines.

The Sabah state itself is facing its own domestic political upheaval as the opposition party said it has enough majority in state parliament to take over—leading Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, who has also been touted as a possible prime minister candidate, to hold a lengthy meeting with the state governor late Wednesday amid talks of a snap state election. — Bloomberg

Digital tax bill hurdles House panel

The Philippine government has been studying how to capture the potential value-added tax (VAT) leakages in the digital economy. Among those that may be affected are services offered by global tech giants such as Netflix, Inc. — GABBY JONES/BLOOMBERG

By Charmaine A. Tadalan, Reporter

THE House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would impose a 12% value-added tax (VAT) on digital services, particularly those offered by foreign technology companies such as Facebook, Netflix, Inc., Alibaba’s Lazada and Alphabet’s Google.

The move to tax the digital economy comes as the government seeks new sources of revenues after tax collections plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Based on the estimates, it (will generate) P10.66 billion (in annual revenues). Around P9.31 billion will come from transactions with non-residents and around P1.36 billion will come from (local companies),”  Finance Assistant Secretary Dakila Elteen M. Napao said during the House panel’s hearing on Wednesday. “This is on top of the existing VAT on e-commerce that is being collected.”

The bill will be sponsored in the plenary next week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman and Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said in a phone message.

Under the measure, all digital transactions will be subjected to a 12% VAT. This would apply to service providers that operate online platforms for buying and selling, supply online advertisement services, and provide digital services in exchange for a subscription fee, among others.

The bill said digital services include mobile apps, video and online games, online software licensing, webinars, search engine services, social networks, electronic marketplaces, file sharing and cloud storage services, advertising platform, website-hosting, internet-based telecommunication, online training, e-learning, online newspapers and payment processing services.

The digital economy has been booming in the Philippines, as the lockdown measures forced people to stay at home and businesses to close brick-and-mortar shops.

Many small businesses have expressed dismay at the government’s plan to tax digital services, but Mr. Salceda assured the digital transaction tax will not affect them.

“If your net income as a sole proprietor is below P250,000, you are exempt from paying and filing income taxes. So, the small Facebook online seller will not be taxed. I guarantee you,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Salceda also noted under the VAT law, businesses with gross sales below P3 million are exempted.

The bill also states that non-resident digital service providers that sell digital services in the Philippines should register for VAT if their gross sales or receipts in the last 12 months have exceeded P3 million or “there are reasonable grounds to believe” their gross sales or receipts will exceed P3 million in the next 12 months.

The digital transaction tax measure is one of the House panel’s priorities, along with the proposal to tax Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations and update the road users’ tax.

Based on his tax impact analysis, Mr. Salceda said 76.91% of the revenues will come from upper middle-income families and above, while 20.38% will come from households that earn at least P100,000 but below P250,000 annually. Only 0.04% of all revenues will come from the bottom 20% of the population.

“This is the mildest imposition you can make when the country is in severe need of new revenues. And it covers a mostly discretionary spending,” he said.

Mr. Salceda noted the bill does not impose new taxes, rather it seeks to capture VAT that should have been imposed on digital transactions under the present tax code.

“We imposed no new taxes. We’re simply clarifying that they should be ‘VATed.’ In general, if you sell, you pay VAT, unless you fall under the exemptions for small businesses,” Mr. Salceda also said.

AAMBIS-OWA Rep. Sharon S. Garin, House Ways and Means Committee vice chairperson, said during the hearing the bill intends to “level the playing field” by covering foreign corporations.

“What we’re addressing here is… the service providers from outside because they are gaining profit from us and from our constituents and hindi sila nagbabayad ng tax (they’re not paying tax),” she said. “While kung dito ka nag-bebenta, mag-babayad ka ng tax. (While if you do business here, you’re subject to tax).”

No counterpart measure has so far been filed in the Senate, but a resolution has been introduced asking the Senate Ways and Means Committee to study the possibility of collecting taxes from the digital economy as a way to generate revenues for the government’s pandemic response. 

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto, however, said in a phone message that the proposal “will be difficult to implement.”

“Having said that I do not think it is wise to impose new taxes at this time,” he said.

Gov’t plans to borrow P170B in Aug.

The government set a P170-billion borrowing program for August. — BRENT LEWIN/BLOOMBERG

THE government is planning to borrow P170 billion from the domestic market in August, nearly a fifth lower than the July borrowing program, the Treasury said on Wednesday.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is also offering longer term papers next month as investors seek higher returns.

In an advisory on Wednesday, BTr said it plans to raise P110 billion in Treasury bills (T-bills) and P60 billion in Treasury bonds (T-bonds) next month. This is 17% lower than the P205-billion borrowing plan for July, but similar to the program in June and May.

Auctions for T-bills will be held every week, while T-bonds will be offered fortnightly.

BTr will offer P5 billion worth of 91- and 182-day debt papers each, and P10 billion worth of 364-day securities every Monday. It will auction off P15 billion worth of 35-day instruments every other Tuesday — on Aug. 4 and Aug. 18.

The Treasury is looking to raise P30 billion from the issuance of 10-year notes on Aug. 11, and another P30 billion from 20-year T-bonds on Aug. 25.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said the longer tenors are being offered to accommodate investors seeking higher returns, as rates continued to slide.

“(Market participants are in) search for yields and some investors need long tenors to match their asset liability management like insurance companies,” Ms. De Leon said in a text message on Wednesday.

Kevin Palma, peso sovereign debt trader of Robinsons Bank Corp., said investors will continue to flock to government securities for safety next month, but some players will shift to longer tenors for higher yields.

“Demand for (government securities) is still expected to spill over in August more so for the offerings on the front end of the curve as dealers and investors alike may continue to park excess liquidity on that sector,” Mr. Palma said via Viber.

“With local bond yields not expected to tick higher anytime soon due to relatively benign inflation amid our current battle with the global pandemic, the market may continue to hunt for higher yields which the 10-year and 20-year can offer,” he added.

In July, the government raised P165.5 billion via government securities.

The Treasury has canceled three scheduled auctions during the month to give way to the public offer of retail Treasury bonds (RTBs) which is set to run until Aug. 7.

Ms. De Leon has said the amount so far has already exceeded the record P310 billion in three-year retail bonds sold in February. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Worst is over for economy, says Diokno

THE Philippine economy may have contracted by as much as 20% in the second quarter, when the strict lockdown was in place. — BLOOMBERG

By Beatrice M. Laforga and Luz Wendy T. Noble, Reporters

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno on Wednesday said the “worst is over” for the economy after it already hit the lowest point of the crisis.

Think tank Capital Economics projected Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) to have shrank by nearly 20% in the second quarter as the strict lockdown came into full swing. 

“We estimate that the Philippines economy shrank by almost 20% year-on-year in Q2, after output fell 0.2% in Q1,” Capital Economics said in a July 28 report titled “Emerging Asia Chart Book: A mixed second quarter.”

A 20% contraction, if realized, will be the steepest decline in quarterly GDP in history and plunge the Philippines into a recession.

The PSA will release second-quarter GDP data on Aug. 6.

“I foresee a ‘hockey stick’ like recovery, with the lowest point in the second quarter…The worst is over,” Mr. Diokno said in a speech at an online forum on Wednesday.

“But the third quarter will be better and the fourth quarter will be even stronger. We expect a strong rebound in 2021 and 2020,” he added.

The government sees GDP shrinking by 2-3.4% this year, but expects growth of 8-9% in 2021 and 6-7% by 2022.

Capital Economics attributed the grim second-quarter GDP performance to the government’s stringent containment measures. Metro Manila and other parts of the country were placed under a strict lockdown from mid-March to May, causing a “massive economic impact” as nearly all economic activity was halted.

While restrictions on mobility are slowly being eased, Capital Economics said economic activity remained “depressed and is recovering much slower than elsewhere.“ It noted, however, the economic contraction may have already bottomed out in May.

“There has been more evidence that the fiscal response in the Philippines has been inadequate in the face of a huge slump in activity,” it added.

The Philippines, along with Thailand and India, are projected to be the “worst-performing economies” in the emerging Asia region due to prolonged strict lockdown measures and large exposure to the tourism sector, Capital Economics said.

Raul V. Fabela, professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines, said a slow reopening of the economy might push the government to release more funds for jobless Filipinos.

“The deficit and credit rating worry is misplaced. The economy is in the ICU (intensive care unit) but the government is acting like it is in the outpatient clinic! The recovery fund in Bayanihan II should be larger,”’ Mr. Fabella said in an e-mail, referring to the P140-billion stimulus measure approved by the Senate on Tuesday.

University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics Dean Cid L. Terosa said further opening up the economy should be complemented by “confidence-building health measures,” good governance and digitalization to assure the public that the government can control the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

“I believe the approach should shift to building the resilience of cities and local communities so that they can  become active regenerators of economic and business activities. Opening up the economy and keeping it afloat means preparing, shielding, and nurturing the geographical spaces that cradle businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and workers,” Mr. Terosa said via e-mail.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte said in his State of the Nation Address on Monday that opening up the economy to a pre-pandemic level “is not an option” for now as they assess the tradeoffs between public health and the economic impact.

NO STRICT LOCKDOWN
Amid the continued surge in coronavirus infections, Mr. Diokno said the country has built enough capacity to respond to the health crisis. Wider, stricter lockdowns will no longer be needed,  and only targeted ones may be imposed in the barangay-level, he added.

“We have to be hopeful that things are starting to open up and that more people are going to get employed,” he said.

The country’s jobless rate rose to a 17.7% in April from the 5.1% a year ago. This is the highest since 2005 and represents 7.25 million jobless Filipinos. To add to this, more than 102,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated due to the pandemic.

Mr. Diokno expressed confidence the July unemployment numbers to be reported by the PSA on Sept. 4 will not be as bad as the April figures.

But Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Benedicto V. Yujuico said more Filipinos are likely to be jobless as the crisis stretches on.

“For unemployment, I see that it will continue to get worse — that is the report I am getting in the field — unless business actually opens up with a certain degree of safety,” he said during the forum.

“The key is consumer confidence, the key is businesses to recover slowly, and for us to manage the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) crisis. And all of this together will actually bring back the employment,” he added.

The Department of Health (DoH) on Wednesday reported 1,874 new coronavirus infections and 16 additional COVID-19 deaths. In a bulletin, the DoH said total deaths have increased to 1,962 while confirmed cases have reached 85,486.

Wednesday marked the 15th successive day of 1,000 or more new cases, which has pushed many hospitals nearer their patient capacity. — with Reuters

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