Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 9362

Turnaround

For a long, long time, the Redskins insisted that their name wasn’t derogatory. It didn’t disparage anyone or any group, they argued. Never mind that its use in common language dating back to the 1800s was typically as a pejorative. Forget that Native Americans continually opposed it; from the seventies onward, it became targets of organized action on official and legal fronts. And still the National Football League franchise resisted any change; in fact, they contended that they were honoring indigenous peoples by trumpeting it proudly. Meanwhile, they filed for, and secured, multiple trademarks on its application, as clear a sign as any that they were digging in on the matter. As Dan Snyder, owner since 1999, told USA Today eight years ago, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER; you can use caps.”

Considering the adamant stand of Redskins’ officials through time, their decision over the weekend “to undergo a thorough review of the team’s name” came as a complete turnaround. It was also inevitable, the result of pressure borne of escalating social unrest and, most importantly, from within. George Floyd’s death in May launched a powerful, and still-growing, movement that stands for the protection of basic and constitutionally guaranteed rights, and it compelled influential shareholders and business partners to put the team on notice. Start the 2020 season with a new name, they insisted, or else.

The “or else” figures to manifest in many forms, but, for the Redskins, none proved more intimidating than that which is tied to the almighty greenback. Once FedEx formally requested that they change their name, they had no other choice but to accede to the move. Parenthetically, the company, which owns naming rights to the franchise’s stadium until 2025 under a $205-million agreement, is chaired and led by minority stakeholder Frederick Smith. Nike, PepsiCo, and Bank of America likewise tightened screws with public pronouncements supporting the call for a new name.

And so the Redskins are slated to do something it should have long done, in honor of a cause it should have long recognized. It bears noting that the NFL is no less complicit, all the while defending the use of the name and only recently changing its tune; as in its handling of former player Colin Kaepernick’s activism, it was late to the party. That said, late is better than never, and ensuring that they do right from here on is more critical than insisting they were wrong until now. Needless to say, the name change is but the first step. What happens next matters much, much more.

 

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.

Fearful and frugal: coronavirus wreaks havoc on America’s psyche

As the US reopens, Americans aren’t much interested in going out and spending.

A survey of 2,200 US adults shows how COVID-19 has dramatically changed behavior in the world’s biggest economy, potentially for the long haul. The data flashes warning signs for the recovery, showing waning interest in public events and material things, like appliances and clothes, and a new austerity, expressed through pantry stockpiling and delayed big-ticket purchases.

This foreshadows an era of fear and frugality that could push a full economic rebound—one that Washington and Wall Street are banking on—out of reach. The data also raises doubts about how much rising consumer confidence will translate into spending, on which the economy heavily relies. And this survey, polled last weekend, doesn’t account for the past week when a spike in cases stalled reopenings in several states, potentially deepening the pandemic’s behavioral impact.

“People are generally expressing that they’ll do certain things less, or at home, on their own,” said Victoria Sakal, managing director of brand intelligence at Morning Consult, Bloomberg News’s partner on the survey taken the last weekend of June. “There’s also a health component to how safe, comfortable and protected people feel.”

Americans—often stereotyped around the world as confident to the point of arrogance—have developed a fear of enclosed retail spaces. While about three-quarters of US adults feel okay shopping inside grocery stores or small businesses, more than half don’t feel safe inside a shopping center, the data show. This is only adding to the woes of malls.

And that new preference for smaller retailers appears to have staying power: Even once the pandemic ends, nearly 30% of Americans say they plan to buy more from small businesses than they did before the virus.

“Small businesses have built people’s trust,” unlike shopping malls, Ms. Sakal said.

It’s not just malls that have Americans more circumspect. When asked about their social plans after the economy fully reopens, more than half said they weren’t looking forward to going to a movie theater, sporting event, concert or show.

Bars, in particular, have lost their appeal, with half of US adults not even a little bit looking forward to grabbing a beer when the lockdowns end. That apprehension comes amid a recent surge in cases tied to drinkers spreading the virus. Around 100 people were recently infected from just four bars in Minnesota, and another 100 cases are linked to one watering hole in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Image via Reuters.

Americans appear less fearful of restaurants, but even then, roughly two-thirds say they’d feel better about eating indoors at an eatery that required employee masks, new kitchen cleaning protocols and spaced-out tables.

These cautious attitudes mark a stark change for a country that is both admired and derided for its at-times extravagant consumer culture. America invented the shopping mall and the movie theater, and has eight of the world’s ten biggest sports stadiums. But the coronavirus lockdowns have given rise to a new attitude: If you reopen it, they might not come.

Some of the hesitance is economic. Americans became more frugal during the pandemic, the survey shows. Over the past three months, 23% of respondents purchased more generic items, 28% increased bulk purchases and 41% chose to save money more often by forgoing a purchase. People also increased price comparing, while putting luxury and expensive purchases on hold at a higher rate.

This thriftiness could be here to stay, permanently shifting the makeup of the average American consumer—not unlike the Great Depression’s impact on spending habits 90 years ago. More than three quarters of consumers say they expect to increase their savings rate and financial conservatism after economies fully reopen.

The survey comes just days after the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, announced a “disturbing surge” of new cases, sparked by hotspots in Texas, Arizona, Florida and California. At the same time, New York and neighboring New Jersey, the original epicenters of the disease, had second thoughts about the speed of their reopenings and delayed the return of indoor dining. Meanwhile, cases in young Americans have spiked.

Nonetheless, when the lockdowns fully come to an end, it’s those youngest Americans who will be first out the door. The survey shows 29% Gen Z consumers are looking forward to returning to restaurants, with about one in four getting excited about concerts and movies—more than any other cohort.

If they can afford to go out, that is. The study shows that when it comes to saving, Gen Z adults, ages 18 to 24, are the most intent on “definitely” being more frugal after the pandemic.

That makes sense, according to Ms. Sakal. “Younger generations are more likely to have changed their purchasing due to Covid,” she said. “They’ve been more directly impacted by job changes, and don’t have as much savings.” — Bloomberg

US population growth has been driven exclusively by minorities

US racial and ethnic minorities accounted for all of the nation’s population growth during the last decade, according to new Census Bureau estimates.

The data underscore the nation’s growing diversity and suggest that the trend will continue as the White population ages and low birth rates translate to a declining share. Non-Hispanic Whites declined to 60.1% of the populace in 2019 and their number shrank by about 9,000 from the 2010 Census to slightly more than 197 million.

Over the same period, the US added 10.1 million people identified as Hispanic. The median age for White non-Hispanics rose to 43.7 years — more than a decade older than the median Hispanic of any race — with Black and Asian American residents in between.

“The declining White population share is pervasive across the nation,” according to a report by William Frey, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. The decline was “accentuated in the past few years by a reduction of births among young adult White women and an uptick in deaths, perhaps associated with drug-related ‘deaths of despair.’”

If the data are confirmed by the 2020 census that’s underway, the decade after 2010 would be the first one since the first population count was taken in 1790 that the White population didn’t grow, according to Mr. Frey.

White people’s share of the population declined in all 50 states, increasing only in the District of Columbia, according to the Brookings analysis. It fell in 358 of the 364 US metropolitan areas and in 3,012 of its 3,141 counties.

More the one-quarter of the 100 largest metropolitan areas have minority-White populations, including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. Leading the states with the highest share of White residents last year were Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and New Hampshire. — Bloomberg

Australia’s economic slump threatens openness to immigration

Australia’s immigration program, a key factor in the economy’s record stretch without recession, is under threat amid calls for the nation to turn inward while it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

Skills-based immigration has helped fill roles in industries experiencing high demand, slowing the aging of the country’s workforce. Crucially, the swelling population has delivered about 1.5 percentage points to annual GDP growth, allowing the economy to defy the business cycle.

Harry Triguboff personifies the program. The billionaire octogenarian fled to Sydney from China in 1948 ahead of Mao Zedong’s takeover, eventually becoming Australia’s fifth-richest man. His wealth was generated by building apartments to house the multitudes who followed in his footsteps.

“Australia was always built on migrants. We are the most successful with it,” Mr. Triguboff said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Migrants are important because they work and build, and migrants of course need housing.”

Yet Australia’s bipartisan openness toward immigration is fraying amid a pandemic-induced recession. With the virus forcing the closing of borders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison anticipates an 85% drop in permanent arrivals this fiscal year.

Bill Evans, chief economist at Westpac Banking Corp., estimates that such a reduction could limit overall population growth to about 0.75%. The population could even contract if the number of Australians leaving the country doesn’t change, he said.

This has “profound implications for the nature of the job market, from the perspective of supply, the future and structure of the dwelling construction cycle and Australia’s potential growth rate,” Mr. Evans said. “Supporting Australia’s population growth is paramount. Australia should not accept the prospect of a collapse in net migration.”

Australia has been hailed for running the world’s best immigration program. In 2016, just under half of all Australians were either born overseas or had a parent who was. It ranks highly even among developed-world counterparts: 29% of Australians were born overseas, compared with 23% in New Zealand, 21% in Canada and around 14% in the U.S.

Immigration played a central role in helping Australia avoid recession for 28 years — until coronavirus hit. In per capita terms, however, the expansion halted temporarily in 2013 following the mining investment boom, and again in late 2018 as residential dwelling construction slowed.

“The post-COVID-19 question we must ask now is this: when we restart our migration program, do we want migrants to return to Australia in the same numbers and in the same composition as before the crisis?” said Kristina Kenneally, the opposition Labor party spokesperson for immigration.

“Our answer should be no,” she wrote in a May opinion article. “Our economic recovery must help all Australians get back on their feet, and to do that we need a migration program that puts Australian workers first.”

WHAT BLOOMBERG’S ECONOMISTS SAY
“Migration has been a key driver of Australia’s growth story over the past decade, bolstering demand — particularly for housing — and easing labor market and demographic pressures through a strong supply of younger skilled workers. A migration-led slowdown in population growth risks exposing several underlying weaknesses in the economy, dampening demand, and revealing shortcomings in the training of skilled workers,” said James McIntyre, economist.

Australia’s Treasury department said in a 2018 research report that migration is typically attacked because it adds to existing problems. The department noted that from 1996 to 2016 Australia’s population rose by more than 6 million people, with 75% of the growth in the states’ capital cities.

“Issues such as congestion and pollution are not new. These issues have concerned policy makers for decades and are the result of a range of legacy issues, such as environmental practices or town planning decisions, in addition to population growth,” the Treasury report said. “However, population growth tends to heighten existing challenges.”

Veronica Sparagis, business manager and co-owner of Ultima Building Group in Sydney’s western suburbs, warned that scaling back migration would hurt homebuilding. It could erode demand for new homes and deprive the industry of specialist knowledge from offshore, she said.

Net immigration creates demand for an additional 80,000–100,000 homes per year, responsible for around two-thirds of underlying property demand, based on a calculation of net arrivals and average persons per household. Almost 10% of Australians work in construction, which accounts for about 9% of GDP.

“The industry most impacted by a cut in immigration is construction,” Ms. Sparagis said. “The building industry may be forced into a standstill.” — Bloomberg

TikTok distances from Beijing in response to India app ban

NEW DELHI — Social media app TikTok distanced itself from Beijing after India banned 59 Chinese apps in the country, according to a correspondence seen by Reuters.

In a letter to the Indian government dated June 28 and seen by Reuters on Friday, TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer said the Chinese government has never requested user data, nor would the company turn it over if asked.

TikTok, which is not available in China, is owned by China’s ByteDance but has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience. Along with 58 other Chinese apps, including Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s UC Browser, it was banned in India this week following a border clash with China.

“I can confirm that the Chinese government has never made a request to us for the TikTok data of Indian users,” Mr. Mayer wrote, adding that data for Indian users is stored in servers in Singapore. “If we do ever receive such a request in the future, we would not comply.”

The letter was sent ahead of a likely meeting next week between the company and the government, one source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

One Indian government source told Reuters this week the ban was unlikely to be revoked soon. Lawyers have said a legal challenge was unlikely to be successful, given India has cited national security concerns for the ban.

The ban, which upset India’s growing legion of TikTok stars, has also given a lift to local rivals such as Roposo, which added 22 million new users in the 48 hours after the ban took effect.

TikTok has committed to spend $1 billion in the region. Since its launch in 2017, it has become one of the fastest-growing social media apps. India is its largest market by user, followed by the United States.

In the letter, Mr. Mayer played up the company’s investment in the region, highlighting more than 3,500 direct and indirect employees and content available in 14 languages.

“The privacy of our users, and the security and sovereignty of India, are of utmost importance to us,” Mr. Mayer wrote. “We have already announced our plans to build a data center in India.” — Reuters

Anti-terrorism bill signed into law without amendments

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte on Friday signed the anti-terrorism bill despite widespread calls for a veto and further consultations on provisions that could infringe on constitutional rights.

Now logged as Republic Act 11479 or The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, the bill transmitted by Congress was approved by the President “in toto,” according to Interior Secretary Eduardo G. Año.

RA 11479 states that the government “recognizes that the fight against terrrorism requires a comprehensive approach, comprising political, economic, diplomatic, military, and legal means duly taking into account the root causes of terrorism without acknowledging these as justifications for terrorist and/or criminal activities.”

A terrorist is defined in the law as a person who engages in acts intended to harm any person or endanger their life; engages in activities meant to destroy or damage public or private property; engages in acts meant to interfere with critical infrastucture; is involved with the development, possession, or transporting of weapons and explosives; or releases dangerous substances or causes fires, floods and explosions.

Those found participating and/or conspiring in the planning, training, facilitation or preparation of such terrorist acts can also be charged andbe sentenced to life imprisonment without any chance for parole.

RA 11479 amends the Human Security Act of 2007, which supporters of the controversial law say was too weak to address the terror threat in the country.

Critics, on the other hand, have questioned several provisions that threaten rights and raised alarms over possible abuse by security forces.

Earlier on Friday, almost 300 organizations representing various sectors, including the business community, have signed an appeal calling on Mr. Duterte to veto the bill and allow for further public discussion.

The 295 organizations, which include 14 business groups and 28 labor groups, launched an online petition,through change.org, opposing the bill.

“We the undersigned citizens and organizations appeal to the President to veto the Anti-Terrorism bill. We are one with its proponents that we need the proper legal provisions to fight this scourge,” the organizations said.

“However, more thorough discussion is needed to get broad support for a law as important as this, and to strengthen the unity the country needs to fight the bigger health and economic crisis we are all facing.”

The Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, and Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines have signed on, along with various academic institutions, political and youth groups, and religious organizations.

The parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also appealed for a veto.

Among the questioned provisions is the power given to the Anti-Terror Council (ATC) composed of Cabinet officials to order the arrest of suspected terrorists, a function otherwise reserved for courts.

It also allows the government to arrest terror suspects without a warrant and detain them for up to 14 days.

Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in a statement on Friday evening, “(T)he President, together with his Legal Team, took time to study this piece of legislation weighing the concerns of different stakeholders. ”

The implementing rules and regulations of the law will be drafted by the ATC and the Department of Justice “with the active participation of police and military institutions” within 90 days from the law’s effectivity. — Gillian M. Cortez and Jenina P. Ibañez

Converge ICT applies for P35.92-billion IPO

FIBER INTERNET provider Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. has submitted an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday to do a P35.92-billion initial public offering (IPO).

In an email to reporters, the SEC said it received a registration statement from Converge ICT to do a public offering of up to 1.5 billion shares at a maximum price of P24 each. The shares will be listed on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

In its prospectus, Converge ICT said the offering will be composed of 1.3 billion common shares with an over-allotment option of up to 195.19 million common shares.

It has tapped Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte. and UBS AG Singapore Branch as joint global coordinators and bookrunners, BPI Capital Corp. as sole local coordinator, and with BDO Capital and Investment Corp., joint local underwriters and bookrunners for the offering.

The target retail offer period is from Oct. 13 to 19 and listing on Oct. 26. About 90% of the proceeds from the offering will be used for capital expenditures, while the remainder would go to general corporate purposes.

If the plan pushes through as scheduled, Converge ICT would be the second company to do an IPO this year, following MerryMart Consumer Corp. which raised P1.6 billion in a public listing last month.

Bloomberg reported Converge ICT’s planned IPO on Thursday, where it said this would be the Philippines’ biggest public offering to date.

Converge ICT is a local internet provider owned by Pampanga-based businessman Dennis Anthony H. Uy. Last year, it received $225 million in equity funding from United States-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus to expand operations.

The company’s operations is currently limited to Luzon where it had approximately 750,000 residential subscribers as of June. Converge ICT Chief Operating Officer Jesus C. Romero said in 2019 that the company’s target was to expand to Visayas and Mindanao by 2021. — Denise A. Valdez

BIR tweaks requirements for POGOs securing tax clearance

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) revised the list of documents and relaxed some of the rules Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) companies and their service providers have to comply with for tax clearance.

BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay on June 24 issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 64-2020 containing the revised list of requirements for POGO licensees, which requires POGO companies to register with the BIR, settle the five percent franchise tax, remit and pay withholding taxes and submit a notarized undertaking to pay tax arrears.

The new rules however no longer require the companies to submit copies of their 2019 and first quarter 2020 quarterly returns for franchise tax.

It also tweaked the requirement on the notarized undertaking that companies need to submit. Previously, the undertaking had to say “to pay all tax arrears for prior years,” but the new rules now only requires it to say “to pay tax arrears.”

It likewise removed the detail in the previous guidelines released on May 7 that withholding taxes will have to be settled for the “January to April 2020 period.” The new rules now simply state that withholding taxes must be paid.

Meanwhile, for POGO service providers, the BIR also updated the conditions but maintained they still need to register with the bureau; submit a copy of their 2019 income tax return (ITR); remit and pay withholding taxes due in January-April; and submit a notarized undertaking to pay tax arrears.

The BIR however also removed the required payment of 25% final withholding tax due from their foreign employees and said the undertaking must simply state “pay tax arrears” from the “pay all tax arrears for prior years” specified previously.

“Failure to comply with any of the above-mentioned conditions as well as submission of falsified or fraudulent documents shall result in the denial of the issuance of a BIR Clearance for resumption of operations,” the BIR said.

POGO firms and their service providers will still have to submit documents to secure tax clearances, namely: copy of application for registration of corporations or a BIR certificate of registration; copies of monthly remittance form for income taxes withheld, quarterly remittance return of income taxes withheld or the payment form for January-April 2020; as well as the notarized undertaking.

POGO companies are also required to pass copies of their franchise tax returns and proof of payments while the service providers need to submit copies of 2019 ITR with proof of payments.

“Please note that the application of a Service Provider for the issuance of a BIR clearance shall not be approved in case its POGO Licensee failed to comply with the BIR requirements for BIR Clearance,” the document read.

The new rules were signed and approved by BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel SD. Guballa who also heads the bureau’s POGO Task Force.

Sought for comment, BIR officials did not respond to queries sent as of publication.

Last week, officials of the gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) confirmed that at least two POGO companies expressed interest in leaving the country due to several factors, including the issue on franchise tax.

The BIR has been struggling to collect the 5% franchise tax, which is on top of the 2% franchise fee of PAGCOR, from overseas-based POGO companies that question its applicability.

So far, the BIR has not released data on the number of POGO companies and service providers that have secured tax clearance to resume operations.

There are 60 POGO licensees registered in the country, most of which are based overseas, and more than 200 service providers who provide outsourced works for the operators.

The government collected P6.42 billion in taxes from the POGO industry last year, up 170% from the P2.38 billion generated in 2018. — B.M. Laforga

ERC orders refund of excess WESM transaction fee

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has ordered the refund of some market transaction fees which were over-collected from participants of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Luzon and Visayas in 2015.

In a recently published 78-paged resolution, the regulator approved with modification the level of market transaction fee for 2015 stated in the June 2014 application made by state-led Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the governing body of the WESM.

ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Agnes VST Devanadera said in a statement that the agency cut its proposed P896.41 million by almost half to P477.47 million as some portions are deemed “unnecessary and unreasonable,” which the PEMC also failed to back with documents to justify their collection.

The removed components include some provisions on capital expenditure, participants’ development cost, research and development and life insurance of personnel.

The commission also based its decision on the PEMC’s actual expenses after finding it has under-utilized its budget for some items, as well as the consideration of its function as a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) vested with public interest.

“We are directing PEMC to refund its over collection in the market transaction fee for the 2015 calendar year to be apportioned among all the Luzon and Visayas participants,” the official said.

The PEMC was ordered to implement the refund in the next 12 billing months from the receipt of the decision. The transaction fee adjustment must be reflected in a separate line item in the WESM monthly billing statements.

Moreover, the ERC is expecting a plan of action from the WESM manager for the enforcement of the refund scheme. — Adam J. Ang

Gov’t to expand testing as cases top 40,000

THE GOVERNMENTaims to expand testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even as it continues to struggle with meeting targets and the total number of positive cases in the country exceeded 40,000 on Friday.

Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, in a briefing, said the government can go beyond its prioritized categories to include even those without symptoms and other frontliners following the procurement of 10 million test kits.

As of mid-June, the country had a testing capacity of 42,000 per day, based on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s report to Congress. However, Department of Health (DoH) data showed only an average of 11,5000 were being conducted.

“Kasama na rin po ang mga asymptomatic at posibleng makasama na rin po iyong iba pang mga frontliners gaya po ng media. Iti-test din po natin iyong iba pang mga ahensya ng gobyerno na nagsisilbing mga frontliners (The asymptomatic and possibly other frontliners like the media will be included. We will also test other agencies of the government that serve as frontliners),” Mr. Roque said.

The national task force handling the COVID-19 response and the DoH will soon issue guidelines on the expanded testing, he added.

Less than 1% of the country’s total population have undergone testing so far. The DoH said it aims to test 1.5% of the population by the end of July.

Meanwhile, the DoH reported 1,513 additional cases on Friday, bringing the total to 40,336.

The DoH said the latest additional cases consisted of 688 fresh cases, or those reported in the last three days, and 843 late cases.

The fresh cases camefrom only 57 out of the 70 accredited testing labs.

An additional 400 recoveries were also reported, bringing the total to 11,073, while deaths reached 1,280 with an additional six.

PETITION
In a related development, former Social Welfare Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo led a group that filed a plea before the Supreme Court (SC) to compel the government to provide free COVID-19 testing to the public.

Ms. Taguiwalo, who heads the Citizens’ Urgent Response to End COVID-19 (CURE COVID), and 10 other petitioners said in their filing that the virus”continues to lurk and spread in communities” and it is the obligation of the government to protect Filipinos from the virus. — Gillian M. Cortez

Restrictions on salon services, other activities eased

THE GOVERNMENT has further eased restrictions in areas still under the general community quarantine (GCQ) category, including salon and travel agency operations, sports activities, and religious gatherings.

Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque announced Friday that the national task force handling the coronavirus crisis response has issued Resolution No. 51 containing the new guidelines.

Under the new rules, religious activities by July 10 will no longer be limited to 10 people, but 10% of the venue’s capacity

“Magkakaroon muna po tayo ng dry run na 10% itong mga darating na linggo . Pero iyong 10% po na allowed na ang lahat ay magsisimula po iyan ng (There will be a dry run of the 10% in the coming week, but that 10% will only be allowed starting) July 10,” he said.

The “dry run” is intended to ensure that minimum public health protocols are observed, such as distancing and wearing of face mask.

For travel agencies, partial operations with a skeleton workforce will be allowed for processing of refunds on cancelled bookings.

Salons and barber shops will be able to expand services from the current rule of just basic haircuts.

Mr. Roque said this will take effect after the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issues the detailed guidelines.

In sports, professional basketball and football teams can resume practices and conditioning.

The Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Football Federation have submitted their respective proposals on how they will conduct training amid the continued coronavirus threat. — Gillian M. Cortez

Lapu-Lapu City mayor asks council to pass law for informant’s reward vs face mask violators

LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Junard Q. Chan has asked the local council to pass a law that will allow “citizen’s arrest” against those not wearing a face mask in public after the city recorded 86 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mr. Chan said his proposal does not necessarily involve actual arrests to be undertaken by private individuals, but reporting violators to the police or the local government hotline.

Informants must provide a video or photo as proof of the violation.

Half of the monetary fine set for mask violators will be given to the informant. The rates, based on a local ordinance, are currently set at P1,000 for the 1st offense and P2,000 for succeeding violations.

Other local governments have stiffer fines ranging from P5,000 to as much as P50,000.

“There are wars better fought together,” Mr. Chan said as he urged the public to follow the face mask policy to help contain local transmissions.

The mayor noted that among the 86 new cases, 12 are police officers who have been on the frontline to ensure health safety protocols are implemented, including wearing of face mask.

“For our estimated 500,000 population in the city, we only have 450 police officers, which means each cop needs to monitor 1,100 people,” he wrote in Visayan.

Lapu-Lapu, a highly urbanized city located in Mactan island in Cebu, had 775 coronavirus disease 2019 cases as of July 2.

Of the total confirmed cases, 635 are active, 115 have recovered including the mayor, and 25 died.

Cebu City in mainland Cebu is considered the new COVID-19 epicenter in the country after an outbreak in recent weeks increased cases to over 6,000, the highest among all major cities, including those in Metro Manila.

Cebu City, which serves as the provincial and regional center, has been placed under strict lockdown with additional cops and special force troopers deployed to help implement quarantine protocols. — Marifi S. Jara

1...9,3619,3629,363...14,238Page 9,362 of 14,238
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube