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Court to hear ABS-CBN return-to-air plea on July

THE Supreme Court is set to deliberate on July 13 the petition of ABS-CBN Corp. seeking to stop the implementation of the order by the National Telecommunications Commission which directed the media company to go off-air on May 5.

“That will be deliberated on July 13 because we waited for the comments of the House of Representatives, the lower House and upper House and I think we only received the comments last Monday or last Friday pero the member in charge asked for July 13 for deliberation,” Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said in a virtual press briefing.

The deliberation date is more than two months since the filing of ABS-CBN’s petition for a temporary restraining order against NTC’s cease-and-desist order on May 7.

The network went off air on May 5 after the issuance of the order following the expiration of its legislative franchise on May 4.

ABS-CBN said in its petition that its halt of operations will affect the livelihood of its more than 11,000 employees and the government will also lose revenues as it has paid P70.5 billion taxes from 2003 and 2020.

The network also noted that it would lose up to P35 million daily when it is off-air.

In its comment, the telecommunications regulator maintained that it did not commit grave abuse of discretion when it issued the cease and desist order.

The NTC also held that it did not violate ABS-CBN’s right to due process and equal protection clause.

The Supreme Court early this month dismissed for lack of legal standing the petition of lawyer Lorenzo G. Gadon in March to stop the House of Representatives from asking the NTC to issue a provisional authority to the network once its franchise expired.

The House of Representatives issued the letter to NTC, asking it to issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN. The telecommunications regulator instead issued the cease-and-desist order.

ABS-CBN’s franchise is being heard by the House of Representatives. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Gone with the Wind, Cops pulled as pop culture reckons with racism

OSCAR-WINNING Civil War epic Gone with the Wind was pulled from the HBO Max streaming service and reality TV show Cops was canceled as America’s reckoning with systemic racism extended to its popular culture.

Less than 24 hours later, the DVD for Gone with the Wind jumped to the top of Amazon.com Inc.’s list of best-selling TV shows and movies.

Outrage and mass protests over racism following the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody have forced media companies to take a closer look at their programming.

AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia, which runs HBO Max, said it removed Gone with the Wind. The company acknowledged the film is a product of its time but added that it “depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society.”

“We felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible,” an HBO Max spokesperson said.

The 1939 film will return to HBO Max with “a discussion of its historical context” and a denouncement of racist depictions, the spokesperson added.

The movie, set on a Georgia plantation, won eight Academy Awards including best picture and set a milestone in Hollywood when supporting actress Hattie McDaniel, who played a black maid, became the first African American actor to win an Oscar.

The Paramount Network, a cable TV channel owned by ViacomCBS Inc., removed Cops from its schedule. The show debuted in 1989 on the Fox network and was considered a pioneer of reality television as it followed real-life police on the job. But it came under criticism as glorifying law enforcement without any footage of police brutality.

Spike TV, now the Paramount Network, picked up Cops in 2013.

Civil rights group Color of Change applauded the decision to drop Cops and called on media companies to end other troubling portrayals of crime and policing.

“Cops led the way, pushing troubling implications for generations of viewers,” the group said in a statement. — Reuters

Second coronavirus wave emerges in US

TEXAS on Wednesday reported 2,504 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day total since the pandemic emerged.

A month into its reopening, Florida this week reported 8,553 new cases — the most of any seven-day period.

California’s hospitalizations are at their highest since May 13 and have risen in nine of the past 10 days.

A fresh onslaught of the novel coronavirus is bringing challenges for residents and the economy in pockets across the US. The localized surges have raised alarms among experts even as they’re masked by the nation’s overall case count, which early this week rose just under 1%, the smallest increase since March.

“There is a new wave coming in parts of the country,” said Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s small and it’s distant so far, but it’s coming.”

Though the outbreaks come weeks into state reopenings, it’s not clear that they’re linked to increased economic activity. And health experts say it’s still too soon to tell whether the massive protests against police brutality that have erupted in the past two weeks have led to more infections.

In Georgia, where hair salons, tattoo parlors and gyms have been operating for a month and a half, case numbers have plateaued, flummoxing experts.

Puzzling differences show up even within states. In California, which imposed a stay-at-home order in late March, San Francisco saw zero cases for three consecutive days this week, while Los Angeles County reported well over half of the state’s new cases. The White House Coronavirus Task Force has yet to see any relationship between reopening and increased cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said on a podcast.

But in some states, rising numbers outpace increases in testing, raising concerns about whether the virus can be controlled. It will take a couple of weeks to know, Mr. Toner said, but by then “it’s going to be pretty late” to respond.

Since the pandemic initially swept the US starting early this year, almost 2 million people have been infected and more than 110,000 have died.

After a national shutdown that arrested the spread, rising illness had been expected as restrictions loosened. The trend has been observed across 22 states in recent weeks, though many increases are steady but slow.

In New York, the state hardest hit by COVID-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo only recently started reopening by region. New York City, the epicenter, began the first of four phases Monday.

“We know as a fact that reopening other states, we’re seeing significant problems,” Mr. Cuomo said Tuesday. “Just because you reopen does not mean you will have a spike, but if you are not smart, you can have a spike.”

Experts see evidence of a second wave building in Arizona, Texas, Florida and California. Arizona’s daily tally of new cases has abruptly spiked in the last two weeks, hitting an all-time high of 1,187 on June 2.

Texas on Wednesday reported a 4.7% jump in hospitalizations to 2,153, the fourth consecutive daily increase. The latest figures showing an escalation came as Governor Greg Abbott tweeted a public service announcement featuring baseball legend Nolan Ryan urging Texans to wash their hands and to not be “a knucklehead.”

Mr. Abbott was criticized for an aggressive reopening last month. Mobile-phone data show activity by residents is rebounding toward pre-COVID levels, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s PolicyLab. — Bloomberg

ABS-CBN says PDR issuance ‘above board’

ABS-CBN Corp. assured lawmakers on Thursday that its issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) is “above board” as evaluated by the government and market authorities.

“Their acts are all above board, they have relied on the approvals and the permits and licenses issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE),” ABS-CBN legal counsel Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo said during the hearing of the House committees on legislative franchises and good government and public accountability on Thursday.

“If for any reason, those decisions are wrong… we have po, in good faith, relied in them. So it’s going to cause some effect on the Philippine capital market dahil po it will erode the investor’s confidence in the decisions made by these government agencies and market regulation authority,” she added.

A PDR is a security that grants the holder the right to the delivery of sale of the underlying share, according to the PSE.

Ms. Roxas-Del Castillo said that PDRs are “purely financial instruments” which cannot be used to participate in the management of ABS-CBN.

“PDRs are purely financial instruments,” she said, adding that they are not shares that can be used to vote or participate in the broadcast company’s management.

The lawyer added that PDRs are not new since it was introduced in the Philippines right after the Asian financial crisis to offer financial relief.

Ms. Roxas-Del Castillo also said that ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. are different entities, saying that the former is a company incorporated to invest in shares while the latter is the company involved in mass media.

“Hindi po party sa PDR instrument ang ABS-CBN Broadcasting. Ang only link po, if you can call it a link, is that ang PDR investors po, when they invest in PDRs, they track the performance of ABS-CBN Broadcasting kasi dun po nanggagaling ang kita ng ABS-CBN Holdings,” she said.

Meanwhile, Anakalusagan Rep. and House committee on public accounts chair Michael T. Defensor said that ABS-CBN’s issuance of PDRs circumvents the Constitution in terms of mass media ownership.

While foreigners do not have their names on the shares of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp, Mr. Defensor said that PDRs allow them to own the same.

“There is an actual share in ABS-CBN Corp. They may not have their names, wala po sa pangalan nila yung ABS-CBN Corp. share, pero ang bawat PDR, ay may katumbas na share sa ABS-CBN Corp. ‘Yan po sa aking palagay is a circumvention of our Constitution on ownership. Sa maraming pagkakataon, yan po ay pwede nating sabihing na merong banyaga, meron siyang kinabitan na korporasyon na Pilipino, pero ang kita at pagmamay-ari, sa katotohanan, ay kanya ” he said.

Mr. Defensor also contested Ms. Roxas-Del Castillo’s statement that PDR investors cannot take part in the management of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.

“Papasok po ako doon sa kontrata natin, yung Philippine Deposit Receipt Instrument. Ang sabi, ‘it will not alter, modify or otherwise change its Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws or take any other action so as to materially prejudice any rights in relations to the PDRs.’ Ito po ang tinatawag na negative covenant. Wala kang pwedeng gawin hangga’t kapit ko ang PDR,” he said.

Meanwhile, SEC Commissioner Ephyro Luis B. Amatong said that the commission was still waiting for the ruling of the Supreme Court on how to treat media companies that issued PDRs to foreigners.

“At this point, your honor, we do not look at derivatives like the PDRs. We await the ruling of the Supreme Court on what is the correct test and how we will treat those who have already issued PDRs, not just ABS-CBN, but GMA7 and any other media company that issued PDRs in favor of foreigners,” he said.

The two panels were discussing whether ABS-CBN violated the Constitution when it sold PDRs to foreigners which allegedly allowed non-Filipinos to own the network. The 1987 Constitution states that media companies should be 100% Filipino-owned. — Genshen L. Espedido

Coachella, Stagecoach music festivals canceled for 2020 on virus concerns

THE 2020 editions of the Coachella music festival and its country music counterpart Stagecoach have been canceled due to concerns over a possible autumn resurgence of COVID-19 cases, Riverside County health office said late Wednesday.

“I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall,” said the County’s Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser, who signed the order canceling the festivals.

Coachella, one of the biggest music festivals in the world that brings half a million fans to an open-air site in Indio, east of Los Angeles, and Stagecoach were initially scheduled for April, but were re-scheduled for October.

Entertainment news website Billboard had earlier reported that Coachella is unlikely to take place this year, adding that Anschutz Entertainment Group, the parent company of both the music festivals’ organizer Goldenvoice, is laying off 15% of the workforce.

Goldenvoice did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. — Reuters

BoP excess widest in 15 months

THE COUNTRY’S balance of payments (BoP) position ended at a wider surplus in April amid inflows from government loans secured to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data released Thursday showed the country’s BoP position stood at a surplus of $1.666 billion in April, marking its third consecutive month in surfeit. This is wider than both the April 2019 surplus of $467 million as well as the $448-million surfeit in March.

The April surplus is also the biggest since the $2.704 billion booked in January 2019.

The BoP shows the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world within a given period.

The BSP said on Thursday it now sees the country’s BoP position hitting a surplus of $600 million this year, down from the $3 billion estimate given in November last year. The new projection is 0.2% of the country’s gross domestic product from 0.7% for the November forecast.

“The BoP surplus in April 2020 reflected mainly the inflows arising from the national government’s deposits with the BSP of its foreign loan proceeds as well as the BSP’s foreign exchange operations and income from its investments abroad,” the central bank said in a statement on Thursday.

Inflows were partially offset by foreign currency withdrawals made by the government to pay its debt obligations that month.

For the first four months, the country’s BoP position stood at a surplus of $1.598 billion, thinner than the $4.265-billion surfeit seen in the same period last year.

ING Bank N.V. Manila Senior Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said the BoP surplus may have been due to loans secured by the government for its fight against the pandemic.

“BoP remained in surplus in April even as we noted some capital flight with successive days of net foreign selling in the bond market. These outflows were likely offset by incoming dollars linked to the government’s loans from multi national institutions and foreign issuance,” Mr. Mapa said in an e-mail.

RECORD-HIGH RESERVES
At the current level, the end-April BoP position reflects final gross international reserves (GIR) of an all-time high $90.942 billion, the BSP said.

This is higher than the $88.861 billion at end-March and the $83.613 billion seen as of April 2019.

At this level, the GIR can cover eight months of imports of goods and services. It also represents about 5.5 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and four times based on residual maturity.

Data showed the BSP’s gold reserves, which form part of the country’s reserve buffer, totaled $8.015 billion for the eleventh consecutive month or since end-June 2019. This was, however, lower than the $8.123 billion seen in April last year.

Special drawing rights or the amount that the country can tap from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stood at $1.171 billion, lower than the $1.182 billion seen at end-April 2019 but beyond the $1.167 billion as of March.

Gains from foreign investments stood at $77.886 billion, up from the $76.48 billion in the preceding month as well as the $71.847 million logged a year ago.

Meanwhile, the country’s reserve position stored with the IMF stood at $580.4 million as of April, higher than the $524.3 million at end-April 2019 as well as the $578.5 million in the previous month.

Foreign currency deposits totaled $3.288 billion, surpassing the $2.2 billion a year ago and the $2.619 billion as of March.

The BSP expects reserves to reach $91 billion by end-2020, slightly higher than the $90 billion projection it gave in November.

Security Bank Corp. Chief Economist Robert Dan J. Roces said the GIR has been one of the country’s strengths even before the pandemic and has continued to support market confidence, as seen in the peso.

“Record high GIR solidifies BSP’s ability and credibility to provide dollar liquidity and tame currency speculation especially now amidst the pandemic,” Mr. Roces said.

“The sustained build up on GIR is proof that we can continue to enjoy foreign exchange stability and GIR levels without needing to keep interest rates elevated to attract foreign inflows,” ING’s Mr. Mapa added. — L.W.T. Noble

Lilly COVID-19 treatment could be authorized for use as soon as September — chief scientist

ELI LILLY and Co. could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) authorized for use as early as September if all goes well with either of two antibody therapies it is testing, its chief scientist told Reuters on Wednesday.

Lilly is also doing preclinical studies of a third antibody treatment for the illness caused by the new coronavirus that could enter human clinical trials in the coming weeks, Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Skovronsky said in an interview.

Lilly has already launched human trials with two of the experimental therapies.

The drugs belong to a class of biotech medicines called monoclonal antibodies widely used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and many other conditions. A monoclonal antibody drug developed against COVID-19 is likely to be more effective than repurposed medicines currently being tested against the virus.

Mr. Skovronsky said the therapies — which may also be used to prevent the disease — could beat a vaccine to widespread use as a COVID-19 treatment, if they prove effective.

“For the treatment indication, particularly, this could go pretty fast,” he said in an interview. “If in August or September we’re seeing the people who got treated are not progressing to hospitalization, that would be powerful data and could lead to emergency use authorization.”

“So that puts you in the fall time: September, October, November is not unreasonable,” he said.

Coronavirus vaccines being developed and tested at unprecedented speed are not likely to be ready before the end of the year at the earliest.

Earlier this month, Lilly announced it had initiated patient testing for two separate antibody treatments. One currently designated LY-CoV555 is being developed in partnership with Canadian biotech AbCellera. The other, JS016, is being developed with Chinese drugmaker Shanghai Junshi Biosciences.

Both work by blocking part of the virus’ so-called spike protein that it uses to enter human cells and replicate.

Lilly’s third antibody treatment candidate acts on a different part of the virus and will most likely be tested in combination with one or both of the others, Mr. Skovronsky said.

The drugmaker, however, said it has a strong preference to develop a treatment that can work well in COVID-19 patients as a stand alone, as manufacturing these types of drugs, which are typically administered by infusion, is a complex process and capacity is limited.

“It’s good to have two antibodies. The downside is that manufacturing is precious. We have limited manufacturing capacity. If two antibodies are required, half as many people will get treated,” Mr. Skovronsky said. “So our goal is to see if we can do one antibody at as low a dose as possible.”

Lilly will have the capacity to make hundreds of thousands of doses by the end of the year if it can treat COVID-19 patients using a single antibody drug rather than with a combination, he said.

Preventing the disease with these types of drugs presents a different manufacturing challenge entirely.

“Global capacity for antibodies is just not high enough that we could ever think about adequate doses” for “billions of people in the prophylactic setting,” Mr. Skovronsky said.

The better solution is to widely inoculate people with COVID-19 vaccines when available, and reserve antibody treatments for people who have the disease or were recently exposed to it.

They could also help vulnerable populations where vaccines are less effective, such as nursing home patients, he said.

Lilly hopes to conduct a COVID-19 prevention clinical trial in nursing home patients later this year, he added.

The Indianapolis-based drugmaker plans to produce the medicines in plants in Kinsale, Ireland and New Jersey, and is willing to use its capacity to help manufacture another company’s successful treatment, should Lilly fail in clinical trials.

Lilly is continuing to screen for antibodies through its partnership with AbCellera, which is working with the US National Institutes of Health to identify promising compounds, Mr. Skovronsky said. — Reuters

Filinvest Land to expand rental business through 2024

GOTIANUN-LED Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI) is looking to expand its rental business with a target of reaching 2.146 million square meters (sq. m.) of gross leasable area (GLA) by 2024.

In the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting held virtually on Thursday, FLI President and CEO L. Josephine Gotianun-Yap said the company’s rental business already accounted for 48% of its net income in 2019, larger than the 46% that came from its residential business.

FLI’s plan is to expand its GLA further until 2024, which would translate to a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23%.

“Close to half of our revenues come from our rental or investment properties. We will continue to grow this segment,” Ms. Yap said in a statement. “Based on an international appraisal company, our existing investment portfolio and those under construction are valued at P190 billion.”

The company earlier announced a capital expenditure (capex) allocation of P16 billion for 2020. Of this budget, P7.3 billion will be spent on its rental business, while the balance will go to its residential trading business.

FLI said it is approaching the post-lockdown future with a two-pronged strategy: expanding its rental business or investment property portfolio with a more diversified mix, and prudently expanding its residential portfolio in new territories.

On the rental business, Ms. Yap said FLI has 94,379 sq. m. of office GLA currently under construction. The plan is for the office segment to have 1.235 million sq. m. of GLA by 2024. “Our investment strategy will focus primarily on office and logistic products,” Ms. Yap said. These will be distributed in Metro Manila, Cebu and Clark.

Aside from the office segment, the target GLA for retail will reach 471,000 sq. m., for warehouse 400,000 sq. m. and for dormitel 40,000 sq. m. by 2024.

For the residential business, Ms. Yap said the plan is to focus on the end user, affordable and middle income markets. The company is also geared towards low- and mid-rise buildings to manage construction risk.

“In 2020, (FLI) will be offering more (mid-rise building) developments as we believe it is a preferred product of families for convenience and accessibility, as well as because of the presence of bigger and inspiring open spaces in the development,” Ms. Yap said.

“(FLI) will continue to focus on landed housing and provide value-for-money homes in safe and accessible locations,” she added.

These new projects will be in secondary cities in Greater Metro Manila and provinces such as Zamboanga.

Ms. Yap said the company decided to reduce by half its residential launches this year from the original P30-billion target due to dampened demand. But should recovery be quick, she noted FLI is ready to proceed with the projects as needed. “In the second half, our construction focus will be to catch up on project completion,” she said.

Earnings of FLI fell 25% to P1.35 billion in the first quarter due to disruptions amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ms. Yap said the company will be treading more cautiously and will keep reassessing its lineup of projects as the situation develops.

Shares in FLI at the stock exchange dipped one centavo or 0.96% to close at P1.03 each on Thursday. — Denise A. Valdez

EastWest Bank looking to hike loan provisions

EAST WEST Banking Corp. (EastWest Bank) is targeting to set aside loan loss provisions worth P10 billion this year as the pandemic continues to hit the economy.

“The bank reported to its shareholders that as of April 2020, it is almost halfway to its target with total provisions at P4.5 billion,” the bank said in a filing with the local bourse on Thursday.

“This year is supposed to be even much better, but it was not to be due to the pandemic. We are nevertheless happy that our balance sheet is resilient and could churn good profits that we can face this pandemic squarely,” said EastWest Bank Chairman Jonathan T. Gotianun.

EastWest Bank’s income hit P2.7 billion from January to April, the bank said in its filing.

EastWest Bank President Antonio C. Moncupa, Jr. said it was originally eyeing record profits of P12 billion this year, supported by the expansion in its core deposits and loan businesses, better economies of scale and trading gains from government bonds.

However, with the coronavirus disease 2019, the bank opted to set aside higher provisions amid a possible increase in soured loans due to the worsening economic fallout from the pandemic.

“We stand ready to assist our borrowers to get through these challenging times,” Mr. Moncupa said.

The lender’s net income ballooned by 75% year on year to P2.3 billion in the first quarter, despite allotting provisions worth P2.4 billion which is 2.8 times higher than last year.

Its shares ended trading at P7.68 apiece on Thursday, up by a centavo or by 0.13% from its previous close. — L.W.T. Noble

Grammy Awards organizers tighten conflict of interest rules, say show to go ahead in January

LOS ANGELES — Organizers of the annual Grammy Awards on Wednesday announced tighter rules regarding conflicts of interest after claims that nominations for the highest honors in the music industry were rigged.

They also said the next Grammy Awards show would go ahead as planned in January 2021, despite the coronavirus epidemic that has sidelined multiple cultural events.

Under the new rules, released by the Recording Academy, members of the committees that nominate artists for the Grammys must declare in advance whether they have any financial, family or other ties to artists being considered.

A failure to voluntarily disclose such ties will result in the person being barred from taking part in the process in the future.

Allegations that the Grammy nominations process is tainted were made in a complaint filed in January by the former chief executive of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan.

The academy at that time described Dugan’s claims that its members pushed artists they have relationships with as “categorically false, misleading and wrong.” Dugan was later fired.

All the changes and the rules for the Grammy Awards will be published on the Recording Academy’s website to reflect an “ongoing commitment to evolve with the musical landscape and to ensure that the GRAMMY Awards nominating process and rules are more transparent and fair,” the academy said in a statement.

Recording Academy interim president Harvey Mason, Jr. told Variety in an interview on Wednesday that planning for the 2021 Grammys on Jan. 31 was underway, with three options being considered.

“One is the traditional show with the full crowd, two is a limited crowd, and three is no crowd, and there’s creative around all three of those ideas: how and where we would film it. But none of them involve changing or postponing the date,” Mason said. — Reuters

Stuff to do at home (06/12/20)

TP’s Mabining Mandirigma

Tanghalang Pilipino, through the Pantawid ng Tanghalan fundraising project, presents the award-winning steampunk musical Mabining Mandirigma beginning June 12 on iWant. To donate, visit https://bit.ly/KTXPantawidNgTanghalan. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/tanghalangpilipino/.

Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita

iWant is streaming a roster of LGBTQ+ films for Pride month. This week’s featured film is Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita on June 15, 2 p.m. It follows 13-year-old Anita as she goes through puberty and self-discovery. She meets Pilar, a newcomer in town, who becomes the center of her affection. A Q&A session with the director will be held after the screening.

Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis

Lav Diaz’s eight hour-long film, Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby To The Sorrowful Mystery), will screen for free from June 12 to 14 on TEN17P’s YouTube channel (/bit.ly/ten17phele). The film stars Piolo Pascual as Crisostomo Ibarra/Simoun and John Lloyd Cruz as Isagani.

Livin’ La Vida Imelda

Catch the late Carlos Celdran’s one-man show Livin’ La Vida Imelda, directed by Ralph B. Peña, for a limited free streaming from June 17 to 30 at the Ma-Yi Theater Company’s website (www.ma-yitheatre.org).

The Madness of King George III

The UK National Theater will stream its adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The Madness of King George III at its YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDq1XzCY0NIOYVJvEMQjqw) this weekend. Mark Gatiss stars as King George III while Adrian Scarborough plays the Prince of Wales, Debra Gillett is Queen Charlotte; and Sara Powell is Lady Pembroke. The show is available until June 18.

PETA’s Storytelling Sundays

This month, PETA family-oriented Storytelling Sundays series focuses on themes of nationalism and heroism in celebration of Independence Day. On June 14 (7 p.m.), the series will feature stories about Andres Bonifacio and Gregoria De Jesus such as Ngumiti si Andoy by Xi Zuq and Ang Lakambini at Ako by Becky Bravo. To watch, visit PETA’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/petatheater and YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/petatheateronline.

Ayala Museum online

The Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library extends its commemoration of the Declaration of Philippine Independence beyond June 12. The museum will offer Spotify playlists, virtual tours and online exhibitions about the battles of past generations for independence. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ayalamuseum/. For more online content, visit ayalamuseum.org/online-resources.

Virgin Labfest online

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Tanghalang Pilipino and Writers’ Bloc present the special online edition of Virgin Labfest (VLF), the theater festival of untried, unstaged and untested works, from June 10 to 28. Dubbed VLF 2020 Kapit, 10 main featured plays, as well as staged readings and revisited plays will be performed live online during the first week of the festival. Live performances are free to view on CCP Facebook live. The recorded versions will then be streamed on Vimeo website and/or app from June 14 to 28. For the full schedule, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph), CCP official social media account in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and the Tanghalang Pilipino and VLF pages. There are also free sessions of the Playwright’s Fair and CoLab, the discussions with collaborators (including festival directors, designers, stage and production managers, and directors). Join the online Tambayan (Hangout place) at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/VLFTambayan/) for conversation or interaction with the VLF artists and staff. To create a Vimeo account, go to vimeo.com/ondemand and join. Once the account is set up, search for Cultural Center of the Philippines or VLF Kapit, and browse through the page to read the full description, watch the trailer, and make a purchase.

4 exhibits at Vinyl on Vinyl

AFTER being shut for three months, Vinyl on Vinyl reopened on June 6 with four new exhibits. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, viewing is by appointment and the gallery will only allow three to four people to enter at a time. On view are Denis Bato’s exhibit A Line Starts and Ends with a Point; For/Ages by Anjo Bolarda, which features an army of human-faced spoons; Forest of Agencies by Isola Tong, where the artist considers the relationship between queerness and the forest; and Faye Pamintuan’s gestural paintings in oil on canvas in Ugh. The gallery is at the La Fuerza Compound 1, Chino Roces Ave., Makati. For details contact info@vinylonvinylgallery.com.

New show at BenCab Museum

JOHN Frank Sabado’s solo show, Distinction, which is up at BenCab Museum’s Gallery Indigo until Aug. 2, can be viewed online at the museum’s exhibit Facebook page (https://web.facebook.com/pg/bencabmuseum/photos/?tab=album&album_id=3113556848702650). The exhibit features Mr. Sabado’s new series of intricate pen and ink drawings that take a deeper look into the distinct ethnic markers of the peoples of the Philippine Cordillera.

Silverlens’ online show

SILVERLENS gallery is holding an online exhibition, Anticipating the Day, which is on view until June 20. Instead of installing the works in the gallery, they are installed in the artist’s studios, in-situ. Showing a more raw, but also more alive and organic part of the process, the show is a melding of what the gallery showed during lockdown through its social media #athomewith series, and works that the artists have been making while on lockdown. It features works by Martha Atienza, Frank Callaghan, James Clar Chati Coronel, Nicole Coson, Corinne de San Jose, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Dina Gadia, Gregory Halili, Mit Jai Inn, Pow Martinez, Wawi Navarroza, Elaine Navas, Renato Orara, Gina Osterloh, Bernardo Pacquing, Gary-Ross Pastrana, Hanna Pettyjohn, Norberto Roldan, Ryan Villamael, and Eric Zamuco. To view Anticipating the Day, visit www.silverlensgalleries.com.

PPO holds online ‘Instruments Petting Zoo’

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines presents the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) in a Musical Instruments Appreciation Series for Children and Families, a virtual “instruments petting zoo” to be held on Sundays, starting June 21 at 4 p.m., in celebration of Father’s Day. The series focuses on a different instrument every Sunday. Its maiden session will feature the violin with PPO violinist Christian Tan. The series will see one to two members of the PPO per session who will discuss their musical instrument and demonstrate how it is played. The series aims to promote an appreciation for the individual instruments of the orchestra and its music among children and families. The program is open to the public via Facebook live through the PPO Facebook page.

PETA’s online workshops

PETA launches its first paid and exclusive workshop Let’s Get Creative Plus. Courses include Children’s Theater, Musical Theater for Teens, Acting for Screen, and Acting for Stage. Classes will be conducted via Zoom. For more information and to register, visit http://bit.ly/PETAOnlineWorkshop.

Digital PRIDE week

Benilde Hive (BHIVE), the LGBTQIA+ student organization of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, takes its Benilde Pride Week 2020 advocacy to its social media platforms. With the theme “Experiencing Love in Diversity,” the first online Benilde Pride will be held from June 8 to June 20. The Spectrum: Art Exhibit spotlights Benildean and non-Benildean artists who continue to promote self-expression through art. PRISM, an online spoken word event, will go on view on June 16 (4 p.m.). Benilde Hive Unfiltered: The Making of Pride is a podcast that discusses the establishment of the country’s first LGBTQIA+ student organization in a Lasallian setting. Hosted by Aica Sylianco and Jacko Ordoñez and facilitated by Justine Macachor, it will be on a pre-recorded Zoom conference on June 17 (2 p.m.). In the Ready, Set, Drag! webinar, guest drag performers will share their personal experiences, on June 20 (3 p.m.). Benilde Pride Week 2020 will be available on view at the organization’s official social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram @benildehive and Twitter @csbbenildehive. For inquiries, contact bhive@benilde.edu.ph.

Ballet Manila online

BALLET Manila is streaming Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s favorite roles from her Swan Song Series at its official social media pages (www.facebook.com/balletmanilaofficial) and (www.youtube.com/c/balletmanilaofficial). The series opens with Swan Lake, which is available until June 12 (10 p.m.).

CAST Recording

CAST Recording’s third radio drama: Arnold Bennett’s A Question of Sex is now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5bLSOsJPkZnIaEFDfSSHbl?si=ndUICgUUQj-UKIjxEGbW6w&fbclid=IwAR06k5DEB0zRa4b1jCqeglmtENl3lTwCAwlcOiLltwcNGjg84r8qHdhmL-M). Directed by Nelsito Gomez, the reading features Reb Atadero, Sarah Facuri, Cathy Azanza-Dy, and Jeremy Domingo.

National Museum of the Philippines

THE National Museum of the Philippines has released a new coloring set with Larry Dianco’s illustrations of endemic orchids such as the waling-waling. To download, visit https://www.facebook.com/nationalmuseumofthephilippines/photos/a.195151237175869/3282991451725150/?type=3&theater.

Landers online workshops for kids

LANDERS Superstore’s Mommy Club, in partnership with Child’s Home Educational Center, is offering free weekly online workshop classes. It is open to children of Landers members who are aged four to seven. Kids can learn about nature, science, animals, and health. There are storytelling, arts and crafts activities, science experiments, and games. The workshop classes are held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will run throughout June. Each class will be 45 to 60 minutes long and will be facilitated by two preschool teachers from Child’s Home Education Center. Participants are required to have a stable internet connection, as well as a phone, tablet, or laptop with the Zoom app. They will receive the Zoom meeting ID and list of materials needed on the day of their kid’s scheduled class. Sign up at https://www.landers.ph/lofcustomermembership/buy. After signing up, go to the Landers Mommy Club Facebook page @LandersMommyClub and join the group. Only 15 kids will be accepted for each class and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/LandersPH/.

J.K. Rowling’s The Ickabog

Best-selling author J.K. Rowling is releasing her new children’s novel The Ickabog online. Ten chapters are currently available, with more chapters to be released over the next seven weeks. The book is set for full release in November. Read the chapters for free at https://www.theickabog.com/.

Swans for Relief

Thirty-two premier ballerinas from 22 dance companies in 14 countries — including Ballet Philippines’ Denise Parungao and Jemima Reyes — dance in a video of Le Cygne (The Swan) to the music by Camille Saint-Saëns, performed by cellist Wade Davis. The video was done in support of Swans for Relief, a fundraising program organized by dancers Misty Copeland and Joseph Phillips. Funds will be distributed to participating dance companies as a COVID-19 relief fund. To watch performances, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT14o5Wq7gE/. To donate, visit https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/swansforrelief.

NCCA online

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) presents The National Artists series of Sagisag Kultura TV at the NCCA Youtube (https://tinyurl.com/NationalArtistSeries). Premiering episodes include videos of National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa-Gocquinco, and National Artist for Music Lucrecia Kalisag.

NHCP Museums

LEARN about Philippine history by visiting various National Historical Commission of the Philippines museums across the country online. To do so, visit https://www.facebook.com/historymuseumsPH/photos/a.474072142988822/769005046828862/?type=3&theater.

The Royal Opera House online

AS part of its #OurHousetoYourHouse, the Royal Opera is streaming Glacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica at its official Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/royaloperahouse/). The show stars soprano Ermonela Jaho in the title role.

Foo Fighters at the Wembley Stadium

THE Foo Fighters’ concert film Live at the Wembley Stadium is now available online at the band’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcwBsntqjmY&feature=emb_title). The show features guest performances by Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

Tanghalang Ateneo’s Lysistrata ng Bakwit

TANGHALANG Ateneo’s Lysistrata ng Bakwit (2018), an adaptation of Aristophanes’ Greek classic, is available for viewing online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HhUJTXE2A&feature=emb_title. Directed by Ricardo Abad, the story is set in a fictional war-torn Philippine province and follows the revolt of women evacuees fighting their own wars concerning territory, familial ties, and tribal disputes.

Shelter fund’s photography

THE Shelter Fund gives freelance photographers a venue to exhibit their art for sale amidst the challenges posed by the quarantines. Each print is an original signed artwork specially selected by the photographer for the Shelter Fund, and printed on archival, heavyweight paper in A2, A3, A4 and A5 sizes through Shutterspace Studios. Visit the Shelter Fund on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shelterfund and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shelterfundph.

Jerrold Tarog’s Senior Year

WRITTEN, directed, edited and scored by Jerrold Tarog, the film Senior Year (2010) is now streaming on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/404089376). Set in a Catholic school the story follows the struggles and anxieties of students during their final year in high school.

Dulaang UP’s Adarna

DULAANG UP’s play Adarna (2013) is now streaming online. Adapted by Vlad Gonzales and directed by José Estrella, the story is based on the narrative poem about three princes’ quest to save their ailing father by capturing the Adarna bird which is believed to have curative powers. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hV2UPXi1wMA&feature=emb_title.

National Library of the Philippines

THE National Library of the Philippines offers free scholarly eResources including research related to COVID-19. The list of resources come from the National Emergency Library, Cochrane Library (Medical & Health Science), De Gruyter — Journals (Multidisciplinary), and more. To view access links to eResources, visit https://www.facebook.com/NLP1901/photos/a.375779479606724/912930019224998/?type=3&theater.

Jenkins at Royal Albert Hall

WELSH mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins performed alone at The Royal Albert Hall. The online show is the first in a series of performances of the London Together initiative as a tribute to the COVID-19 frontliners. Watch the concert at The Royal Albert Hall’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugNt9gmBgZSFEv4lc4B6Zg.

Guggenheim artbooks

THE Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum offers downloadable items from its archives for free. Titles include modern and contemporary art books about Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Vassily Kandinsky, Gustav Klimt and more. The archive is searchable by artist, year, medium and artistic style or movement. Visit the archives, https://archive.org/details/guggenheimmuseum.

BioBalance Wellness consultation

THE BioBalance Wellness Institute offers the following services and features: free online consultation with its clinical nutritionist and nurse practitioners, wellness expert psychologist; online health and immunity risk assessment; and more payment options for availed services and products. For more information, contact 0917-521-4860 or concierge@biobalanceinstitute.com.

IkotMNL tour from home

THE Museo de Intramuros, Ayala Museum, and Presidential Museum and Library in Malacañang Palace have partnered with Google to put their works online. Learn new things at home and visit the museums through a virtual tour: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/malacanang-presidential-museum-and-library; https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/ayala-museum; and https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/intramuros-administration.

Film masterclasses

LEARN film concepts through interviews and film retrospectives from more than 60 directors, producers, writers, and actors including Bong Joon-Ho, Abbas Kiarostami, Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog (with Roger Ebert), Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, Todd Haynes, Ang Lee, Jessica Lange, and Clint Eastwood. To watch, visit https://walkerart.org/magazine/series/dialogues-film-retrospectives.

Radiohead Concerts

BRITISH rock band Radiohead has been uploading some of its concerts via its official YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/radiohead). Fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, known for songs like “Creep” (1992) and “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995), can watch the concerts Live from a Tent in Dublin (2000) and Live in Berlin (2006).

David Guetta: United at Home

FRENCH DJ David Guetta, the man behind the song “Titanium” (2011) featuring singer SIA, held a live concert fundraiser inside his Miami home benefiting the World Health Organization and other charities. The two-hour concert is currently available on his YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/davidguettavevo).

Dior’s Designer of Dreams exhibition

DIOR’S exhibition titled Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is now available to view online. Originally held at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs from 2017 to 2018, the exhibition traces the evolution of the house of Dior from post-war Paris to the present through a behind-the-scenes in-the-making of the exhibition, plus a virtual tour of its rooms. Visit Dior’s YouTube channel to watch the documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1521&v=FLWDWzMrkBE&feature=emb_title).

Frank Lloyd Wright virtual tours

THE Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation is offering #WrightVirtualVisits every Thursdays (1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific time) in participating sites. Check the participating sites at https://savewright.org/news/public-wright-sites-swap-virtual-visits/.

Color Tolkien characters

THE official Facebook page of the late author J.R.R. Tolkien has uploaded an illustration of Smaug the Magnificent from The Hobbit Movie Trilogy Colouring Book. Download the coloring sheet at https://bit.ly/2wKY3lp.

Print & Play activities for kids

KEEP kids entertained with new curated Print & Play activities from HP. The activities from craft making, mazes, dot-to-dot drawing and puzzles are suitable for ages two to 12. With HP Print & Play, parents can choose from a range of activities that are best suited to their children’s needs to achieve the best possible learning outcomes. To try the activities, visit https://www8.hp.com/ph/en/printers/printandplay/index.html?jumpid=va_u19mhncewr.

Harry Potter exhibit online

THE British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition is available online through Google Arts and Culture. Its features include video clips and sketches, a Q&A with exhibit curator Julian Harrison. To view, visit https://artsandculture.google.com/project/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic.

Science experiments at home

ENJOY 44 science experiments with the kids at home with the James Dyson Foundation Challenge cards. To download the challenge cards, visit https://www.jamesdysonfoundation.co.uk/resources/challenge-cards.html.

Hogwarts online

HOGWARTS Is Here, an online version of the Harry Potter series’ magical school by Harry Potter fans that allows visitors to take courses like the characters from J.K. Rowling’s book series. Various courses include Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, and Transfiguration. The website also includes a forum, groups, and library feature. Visit http://www.hogwartsishere.com/.

Color Manolo Blahnik designs

MANOLO Blahnik shares a selection of his original sketches for coloring. The shoe designs are downloadable at https://www.manoloblahnik.com/gb/smile.html.

Palacio de Memoria virtual tour

ART and history enthusiasts can now go on a virtual tour of Palacio de Memoria, the resplendent Colonial Revival mansion, and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces online. It features the showroom of Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Casa de Memoria or the Casa, which houses the Lhuilliers’ unrivalled collection of antiques, the Mosphil Lounge, and a passenger plane that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions. To view the complete Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.com/tours. For more updates, follow @thepalaciodememoria on Facebook and @palacio.de.memoria on Instagram.

E-coloring books

THE Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute of Los Angeles offers the Color Our Collections edition for 2020. To view, visit http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/page/11/.

Vista Residences sets safety policy for residents

Leisure condominium developer Vista Residences, Inc. has worked with Globalland Property Management, Inc. to develop an extensive health and safety protocol to ensure the well-being of their community.

“Our residents, tenants, and employees’ health and safety are our utmost priority. We didn’t hesitate to tap into the expertise of Globalland Property Management to assist us in crafting and implementing precautionary measures to decrease the risk of disease transmission,” said Elizabeth M. Kalaw, chief operating officer of Vista Residences, in a statement.

The health and safety protocol comes as condo dwellers living in buildings with shared facilities and compact spaces face health challenges as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to sicken thousands of people worldwide,

Vista Residences, the vertical development arm of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc., said it is strictly observing physical and social distancing protocols as recommended by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization.

Vista Residences said its new guidelines on elevator etiquette call for a maximum of four people who can take the lift at a time to avoid overcrowding. It said markers had been put in place to serve as guides for those lining up for the elevator. Also, elevator buttons are covered with plastics that are regularly disinfected and sanitized.

“Sanitation and maintenance have always been a matter of great importance for Vista Residences, more so now than ever,” it said. “Hand sanitizers and alcohol dispensers can be found on the counter by the entrance. Globalland Property Management is on top of making sure that the building is cleaned and sanitized at all times.”

Louie G. Guillarte, operations head of Globalland Property, said: “Our maintenance team conduct a thorough and frequent cleaning and disinfection of the building premises every hour. We also make sure that our custodial staff are well-equipped and protected with masks and gloves to ensure their safety.”

For new tenants, move-ins, visitors and guests, a health declaration form must be filled out and a health certificate or quarantine clearance issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) may even be submitted if the conditions apply.

Another best practice that’s being exercised in all Vista Residences properties is the “no mask, no entry” policy.

Everyone entering the building will also undergo a mandatory alcohol spraying and thermal scanning for temperature check. Guests who show signs or symptoms of cold, flu or the like will not be allowed entry.

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