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Opportunities, lessons for esports amid COVID-19

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

AS THE coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a growing concern it has affected various affairs, including those in the sporting world, which has been effectively put to a standstill.

With social distancing urged and mass gathering prohibited as means to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease, sports fans have to bear not having their usual sporting fix for two months now, with return to normalcy anything but a certainty at this point.

Proving resilient though is esports, which continues to be a presence despite COVID-19 albeit sans the usual live audiences that watch it.

And the thing about it is that it is not only the “usual” stakeholders that are making it happen as football leagues in Europe, motorsports and the National Basketball Association, among others, have seen it fit to tap on the sport to continue to engage their fans during this unusual time.

In the Philippines, local esports stakeholders acknowledge the strong potential of the sport to be resilient in crisis times like the one at hand but they are quick to say that the current episode of COVID-19, too, provides a learning experience for them.

“We believe esports and online games become even more relevant and compelling in these times. While on-ground activities have been hampered, we can still hold online tournaments and reach out socially through these,” said Ronald Robins, CEO and founder of esports and gaming company Mineski Global, in an online interview.

“It’s all about making use of the available technology we have at our disposal to help keep the community connected in such unprecedented circumstances,” he added.

Mr. Robin’s group has been busy of late despite local sporting activities forced to a halt, staging a series of community quarantine fundraising tournaments known as the “Lockdown Games” for the benefit of the medical frontliners in the country’s battle against COVID-19, in particular the Philippine General Hospital Medical Foundation.

Esports in the country got a major boost when it was featured as one of the events for the first time in the Southeast Asian Games in December here.

The sports did well for the Philippines at the Games, providing five medals, three of which were gold.

The good showing of esports, stakeholders said, was a testament to the Filipinos’ potential to excel in the sport and the gaming community to grow in the country, and something that could be enhanced further by how local esports performs amid COVID-19.

“The situation right now with the crisis will just accelerate (esports) initiatives as conventional sporting events struggle to engage their audience and return to the norm,” said Jab Escutin, COO of BrenPro Inc., in a separate online correspondence.

BrenPro is a multimedia company focused on gaming-related content and events and maintains a team — Bren EPro — in The Nationals, the country’s first and only franchise-based esports league.

Mr. Escutin shared that they at The Nationals, while currently in temporary halt, will be continually working to ensure that they engage their audience during these trying times, banking on the inherent advantages of esports, including the relatively easy access to play it.

MUCH STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE
But apart from seeing opportunities to advance esports, the ongoing situation with COVID-19 is an eye-opener for the community — that much still needs to be done as the sport builds its legs here in the country.

“We are learning a lot of things because of the situation and are studying the best way to move forward and keep the competition going. Of course the priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of our athletes, production crews and fans,” said Mr. Escutin.

“All of these are new for us and admittedly we did not prepare for this specific situation. So right now we are eyeing measures to handle it and how the ‘new norm’ will affect how our athletes train and compete,” he added.

Mr. Escutin went on to highlight the need to shore up business continuity measures, including lockdown procedures, employee assistance, emergency funds and client notification.

The BrenPro official also assured that their players are well taken care of during these tough times, giving their full benefits.

Lessons also abound for Mineski, particularly how even in such situations business can still be done provided one plays its cards correctly.

“Mineski’s global ambition is to help make esports the top sport all over the world. While we have come a long way since our humble beginnings, we realize we still have much work to do, especially in times like this,” said Mr. Robins.

“Our learning as a group is that we can still hold tournaments even with the ECQ in effect. While it may have put projects and partnerships on hold as we deal with COVID-19, we’ve been maximizing the technology we have at hand, and that has been our advantage,” he added.

Mr. Robins touted the Lockdown Games as a possible model for them, gearing tournaments towards corporations by having them a taste of esports.

Moving forward, both Messrs. Robins and Escutin recognize that there will be more challenges as the world adjusts with COVID-19, something they said they are girding for to tackle.

“The current challenge is how to leverage gaming’s ability to connect people through purely online platforms. On-ground activities will be limited in the near future so tournaments will need to be online — maximizing the technology we have, and making the most of digital marketing and advertising to augment our plans. For our partners, the way to engage with the community may change but we believe there will always be a way without having to circumvent physical distancing guidelines,” Mr. Robins said.

“The demand for esports has never been higher. We are looking to leverage on our partnerships with key sectors to bring esports and gaming to still untapped or underserved segments of the community,” he added.

For Mr. Escutin the local esports community should only come out stronger as it deals with the impact of COVID-19.

“We are still optimistic about the local esports scene when the crisis is over. With everything that we’ve learned and will be learning in the coming weeks, I’m pretty sure that we will be more prepared to handle any kind of necessary adjustments that we need to make if the situation calls for it,” he said.

MLB owners to present proposal to start season

REUTERS/BRIAN BLANCO

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball owners will present a proposal to players on Tuesday that will outline plans for the start of the coronavirus-hit 2020 season, a source close to the talks told Reuters on Monday.

Like other major professional sports leagues, MLB’s calendar has been put on hold amid the outbreak and its March 26 Opening Day never materialized.

Team owners on Monday agreed a plan to start playing in empty stadiums in early July, with the owners and players splitting the revenues 50-50, ESPN reported, citing sources.

The players are expected to push back against the revenue-splitting proposal and an inability to strike a deal could jeopardize the entire season, ESPN said.

MLB and the Players Association did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

According to ESPN, other elements of the plan include a reduced 82-game season, instead of the usual 162 games, an expansion in the number of playoff teams to boost revenues and having teams play rivals located in similar geographical areas to cut down on travel.

The pandemic has upended much of daily life and claimed more than 81,000 lives in the United States. — Reuters

Vettel reportedly leaving Ferrari at end of year

LONDON — Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel is set to quit Ferrari at the end of the year after contract talks broke down, German media reported late on Monday.

The Italian team was not immediately available for comment.

Germany’s best-selling tabloid Bild and Auto Motor und Sport both reported that the 32-year-old, who will be out of contract at the end of 2020, had rejected the terms offered in a new deal.

They said the separation with Ferrari, the sport’s oldest and most successful team, could be announced officially on Tuesday.

Italy’s Gazetta dello Sport newspaper recently reported Vettel being offered a one-year extension with a salary reduction.

Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 after winning all his titles with Red Bull and dreaming of emulating his boyhood hero Michael Schumacher, who took five of his seven titles with the Maranello-based team.

The father of three told reporters last month that he could have a new deal done before the start of a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ferrari has said the German was its first choice to partner Charles Leclerc but reports in Italy said it wanted an answer by the end of April to ensure potential replacements were still available.

Leclerc, who won two races last year and is only 22, has a contract until 2024 and is seen as Ferrari’s future and likely first champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

The Monegasque outperformed Vettel in his first season at Ferrari last year, finishing ahead of him overall and taking more points, poles, podiums and wins.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, at Renault, and McLaren’s Spaniard Carlos Sainz have both been mentioned in media reports as leading candidates to take one of the most coveted seats on the grid.

Both are also out of contract at the end of 2020.

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has also been linked to Ferrari but has repeatedly indicated he intends to stay with Mercedes.

Formula One has deferred to 2022 a major technical rule change planned for 2021, meaning teams will use the same cars next year as this.

Ferrari appeared to be behind Mercedes on pace in pre-season testing but have not been able to run its car in race conditions due to the March 15 Australian opener being cancelled.

The sport hopes to get going behind closed doors in Austria in July. — Reuters

FIBA World Cup set for August–September 2023

THE next edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where the Philippines will be one of the hosts, is happening from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, 2023, the world governing body for the sport announced on Monday.

Happening every four years, the approved dates for the World Cup, the FIBA Central Board said, were arrived at after consultation with the host nations and on the recommendation of its Competitions Commission.

The 2013 FIBA World Cup will mark the first time that the tournament will be staged by more than one country, with the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia sharing hosting duties.

The three countries won in 2017 the rights to host the World Cup, beating Argentina and Uruguay which jointly submitted a bid.

Under the approved dates, the Group Phase would take place in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, with the Final Phase of the tournament happening here.

Thirty-two national teams from different parts of the world are set to compete in the high-profile tournament.

In an interview with BusinessWorld following the country’s winning of the rights to host, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Alfredo S. Panlilio said they are very excited for the Philippines hosting and showcasing what it can do.

“We are a basketball-loving country so it is huge from a basketball perspective. Beyond basketball, foremost is showcasing the Philippines to the world that we are capable of hosting such events,” the SBP president said.

He went on to say that they will try everything they can to make the hosting a success, considering it was four decades ago since the country last hosted the event.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime event to host at this stage. It took a while for us to get this. FIBA has shown confidence in us to host and it’s not for nothing. So everybody must come on board and make this a success,” Mr. Panlilio said.

Qualification for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will take place from November 2021 to February 2023, with 80 national teams competing for a spot in the World Cup. The first window of qualification will be played from Nov. 22–30, 2021.

Spain is the defending champion after topping the competition last year, beating Argentina, 95-75, in the championship game.

Along with the announcement of the competition dates, FIBA also launched the official Web site for the World Cup (http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/) where fans can get updates on various developments. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Jordan mindset

Little outside of the ultimate outcome could adequately explain away Michael Jordan’s singular abrasiveness throughout Episodes Seven and Eight of The Last Dance. Heading into the new week, much of the run-up to the release of the latest episodes of ESPN’s documentary series was devoted to underscoring the surprise — shock, even — of director Jason Hehir in the face of its principal protagonist’s willingness to be portrayed negatively. And if any further proof was needed to mark the behavior as abhorrent, it was in his pronounced disbelief that the best of the best in the sport allowed the inclusion of unflattering footage. Stripped to basics, his view was as much a unique selling proposition as an indictment of the truth.

Indeed, Jordan was branded a “jerk” and an “a — hole,” and by the very teammates with whom he carved paths to the championship. He spared no one, and, sometimes, his attacks would escalate from verbal to physical. For all the characterization of his actions as reprehensible, however, there was the accompanying context: They were precisely why the Bulls won. He even deemed it a source of pride. “You ask all my teammates,” he argued. “The one thing about Michael Jordan was, he never asked me to do something that he wouldn’t f — ing do.”

Jordan’s justification of the dynamic notwithstanding, there can be no glossing over its abusive nature. Perhaps he couldn’t have been wired any other way, not when he strutted his stuff in an era that condoned mugging in the paint, and not when the bullying Pistons, erstwhile rulers of the roost, informed his nation of success. Nonetheless, the narrative that The Last Dance appeared to promote is fallacious at best. The Bulls thrived simply because he was without peer on the court, with those around him made better by his utter refusal to lose. They didn’t display superior versions of themselves under the klieg lights because he beat them up first away from prying eyes.

Sorry, but no amount of repeating the opposite can change the truth. If anything, a compelling contention can be made that the Bulls stamped their class despite being weighed down by oppressive circumstances. Dysfunction ruled the days of the red and white — from general manager Jerry Krause butting heads with head coach Phil Jackson to All-Star Scottie Pippen going to war against ownership to Jordan pulverizing whatever egos his supporting cast had in order to feed his own. True, there can be no disputing the results. Then again, there is also no disputing the most critical reason behind them. His Machiavellian pursuits paid off because he was first among equals in sanctioned competition, period.

Make no mistake. Jordan believed, and still believes, his being exceedingly hard on his teammates toughened them up for the battles ahead. The fact that his spirited defense of his actions at the end of Episode Seven led him to tears, however, accentuates, at the very least, his acknowledgment of the contrarian opinion. Presented with a blank canvas, he chose to paint it black and blue. Meanwhile, the very concession to his unparalleled talent lends well to the alternate explanation: He could have collected hardware with any color — but become a better winner in the end.

 

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.

Coronavirus cases hit 11,350, mostly in capital, nearby cities

CORONAVIRUS infections in the Philippines rose to 11,350 after the Department of Health reported 264 more infections on Tuesday, mostly in Metro Manila where a modified lockdown would be in place until May 30.

Twenty-five more patients died, raising the death toll 751, it said in a bulletin. One hundred seven more patients have gotten well, bringing the total recoveries to 2,106, it added.

Of the 263 new cases, 165 came from Metro Manila, 74 from Central Visayas and 25 from the other regions, DoH said.

The agency said 2,067 health workers had been infected, 643 of whom have recovered while 35 died.

DoH said 166,472 people have been tested for COVID-19 — 15,436 positive and 150,471 negative cases.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the number of positive tests was greater than the reported cases because these still have to be validated.

She said companies should prioritize workers’ health and safety once an area relaxes a lockdown.

Ms. Vergeire also said employers should ensure that workers wear personal protective equipment, keep work places clean and regularly sanitize common areas.

An inter-agency task force made up of Cabinet secretaries kept Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu City under a modified lockdown until May 31.

Regions 2, 3, 4-A and the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon, Regions 9, 11, and 13 in Mindanao, and Region 7 except Cebu City were placed under a relaxed general quarantine. The lockdown in other regions were lifted.

Earlier in the day, Ms. Vergeire said the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City would only test COVID-19 samples from patients and health workers with severe and mild symptoms, have a history of travel or contact with someone sick with the virus.

These people would be prioritized under the government’s expanded mass testing, she said in a statement.

Ms. Vergeire issued the statement after a social media post claiming that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City and Lung Center were no longer accepting swab samples and had not issued results for samples sent four or five weeks ago.

“As for delays in results of reporting, DoH is working hard to ensure that adequate supplies and personnel are available in our laboratories to ensure their timely release,” she said.

RITM operations were scaled down from April 16 to 24 after 43 of its workers were infected with the coronavirus disease 2019.

The country has 26 laboratories that can process 7,215 samples daily. The estimated daily minimum testing capacity was at 5,000, while the maximum is at 12,000, Ms. Vergeire said.

The Health department on Monday said the testing laboratory at Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in Pampanga province opened on Saturday, boosting the national capacity by 3,000 tests.

The virus has sickened 4.3 million and killed more than 287,000 people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization. More than 1.5 million people have recovered, it added. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Philippines posts 58 new outbreaks of African swine fever

THE Philippines has reported 58 new African swine fever outbreaks on the main island of Luzon, culling 11,074 more pigs, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

In a report to the World Health Organization, the bureau said the municipality of Mulanan in Quezon province was the hardest hit, forcing it to slaughter 1,556 pigs, bureau Director Ronnie D. Domingo said.

It was followed by Naga City with 1,000 culled pigs and Canaman with 746 culled pigs. Both are in Camarines Sur.

The towns of Baggao in Cagayan and Kabayan in Benguet posted the least number of pigs culled at one each.

The country has culled 282,899 pigs affected by the disease as of May 4, since the outbreak started last year, Mr. Domingo said in a mobile-phone message.

The other areas with new outbreaks were Laurel, Batangas; Saguday, Quirino; San Fernando City, La Union; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; Indang, Cavite; Botolan, Zambales; Calamba City, Laguna; Dilasag, Dipaculao, and Maria Aurora in Aurora; Angono, Tanay, and Binangonan in Rizal.

Also affected were Binmaley, San Carlos City, Basista, Malasiqui, Laoac, San Fabian, Asingan, Bugallon, and Labrador in Pangasinan; San Manuel, San Pablo, Reina Mercedes, Echague, Quirino, Mallig, San Isidro, Gamu, Luna, Roxas, San Guillermo, and Ramon in Isabela.

Catanauan and Lopez in Quezon; Asipulo, Lagawe, and Hingyon in Ifugao; Pilar, Orion, and Mariveles in Bataan; Solana, Amulung, Allacapan, and Iguig in Cagayan; and La Trinidad in Benguet also reported outbreaks.

In the Bicol region, Camarines Sur reported cases in Camaligan. Gainza, Calabanga, Bombon, Magarao and Cabusao.

The outbreak was traced to illegal movements of animals and swill feeding, according to the May 11 report. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Duterte offers P2M bounty for rebels

THE government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte has offered a P2-million bounty to anyone who can give information leading to the capture of communist rebels.

Informants would also get a piece of land if they help capture top officers of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the President said in a taped address on Tuesday.

“If you helped capture a high-ranking commander, you will get a cut,” Mr. Duterte said in Filipino. Informants would be placed under the government’s witness protection program and get resettled, he added.

He said informations should go the army or police and not to local government officials.

“The reason why they thrive until now is because there are some local officials who are actively supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines,” Mr. Duterte said.

Communist founder Jose Maria C. Sison earlier said they would extend a unilateral cease-fire as the government battles a coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

The government had not extended its own cease-fire, citing alleged attacks by communist rebels.

Mr. Duterte had threatened to impose martial law if Maoist rebels continued their attacks during a Luzon-wide lockdown meant to contain the outbreak. — Gillian M. Cortez

Typhoon Ambo likely to strengthen, make landfall Thursday in southern Bicol

TROPICAL depression Ambo is predicted to strengthen into a tropical storm before making landfall Thursday afternoon or early evening, weather bureau PAGASA reported on Tuesday. “It is possible that it will intensify into a tropical storm before landfall,” Senior Weather Specialist Chris Perez said in a streamed report. “Gail warning signals may be raised later today… initially over Eastern Visayas and some parts of Mindanao,” he added. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the typhoon was almost stationary at 410 kilometers (km) east of Surigao City, maintaining its strength of 55 km per hour winds and gustiness of up to 70 km/h. The typhoon is expected to move up along the eastern seaboard, and will be east of Sorsogon on Thursday, and west-northwest of Alabat, Quezon by Friday. By Saturday, Ambo is forecasted to be 145 km west-northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, and 185 km north-northwest of Basco, Batanes come Sunday.

#COVID-19 Regional Updates (05/12/20)


FINEX welcomes EDSA single bus route system as 1st step to efficient transport service

THE Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) said the planned single bus route system along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) is the first step to more reforms needed to improve the country’s public bus transportation service in the capital.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters on Tuesday, FINEX welcomed the change that will be implemented by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) as lockdown restrictions on public transport are eased.

The group said the new system “will reduce the number of buses and help unclog EDSA from excessive load of buses that contribute to severe congestion and low productivity.”

FINEX earlier called for a bus system reform and “not to return to the chaotic bus service status quo ante when public transportation will be allowed after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is lifted.”

Eduardo H. Yap, FINEX chair of the national affairs committee, was quoted as saying: “The coming transition period with subnormal passenger demand will be a more manageable environment and ought to be used to introduce and pilot test a new bus transportation system. Don’t waste a crisis.”

“This single route reform on EDSA is an important first step. More reforms are needed to achieve a more efficient public bus transportation service. Bus operations must be integrated and systematized to operate as a cohesive unit for better productivity where passenger throughput is improved and to eliminate ruinous competition,” the group said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Cebu governor says time to ease restrictions and start economic recovery

CEBU Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia said the province is ready to ease restrictions and jumpstart the local economy that has been significantly weakened by lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“It’s about time that we resuscitate our struggling economy and take steps to improve the lives of people that are now suffering because of this (COVID-19 outbreak),” she said during a streamed briefing on May 11, ahead of the national government’s supposed Monday night announcement on quarantine classifications effective May 16.

Ms. Garcia said the people and local leaders have shown discipline in following the quarantine protocols in the past weeks as evidenced by the “minimum” number of COVID-19 cases.

Cebu province, excluding the independent cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, had 49 confirmed cases as of May 11, of which 25 are at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

“From initial assumptions, we have seen that actual data is not really corresponding to the initial dire projection.

These are lessons that we are learning, although each day is a learning experience,” she said.

The governor also said the reopening of economic activities will be done alongside continued COVID-19 testing, isolation for positive patients, and observance of health safety protocols.

“(W)e have to get the economy back, running. We can’t be isolating everybody.. but it would not be an abracadabra back-to-the-old-normal.”

She added, “We will have protocols in so far as gatherings are concerned, in so far as the work environment is concerned, and certainly in so far as sanitation and hygiene is concerned.”

TRANSPORT AND AGRI
Among the recommendations made during the province’s Task Force New Normal meeting last May 5 is the resumption of 30% of registered public transportation, with priority for buses, modernized jeepneys, and UV Express vans.

The provincial government will be coordinating with the city governments of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu to define routes and number of public vehicles that will be allowed to cross borders.

The transition and economic recovery program will also focus on agriculture through an enhanced countryside development (ECD) policy, according to the governor.

The ECD, she explained is about “invigorating the countryside with economic opportunities so people won’t have to flock to urban areas.”

Ms. Garcia earlier said the province, host to several of the country’s popular tourist destinations, will have to lessen its dependence on the sector as travel limitations are expected to continue while the COVID-19 threat remains.

“We will be transitioning from ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) to ECD, which encourages a plan with emphasis on the enhancement of the agricultural capacity of the different local government units in order for them to be self-sufficient,” she said.

The entire Central Visayas Region, except Cebu City, was among the areas given the greenlight by the national government on Tuesday morning to ease restrictions by May 16. — Marifi S. Jara

Nationwide round-up

1M expected to heed Balik Probinsya call

AROUND a million Filipinos are seen to take part in the government’s plan to decongest the capital within the next six months. In a briefing Tuesday, National Housing Authority General Manager Marcelino P. Escalada, Jr. said 5,000 have already enrolled less than a week since the launch of the Website for the Balik Probinsya, which means back to the provinces. “If this will be the figure… perhaps we can hit a figure in the next six months (of) one million residents of Metro Manila who would like to enroll,” he said. The Palace last week issued Executive Order No. 114 institutionalizing the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa program, which aims to address the population density in Metro Manila and the unbalanced regional development in the country. Mr. Escalada said eight provinces have so far expressed interest to participate in the program’s pilot testing. — Gillian M. Cortez

DoE asks gov’t agencies to reduce energy use for COVID-19 fund

Department of Energy (DoE)
THE Department of Energy (DoE) directed government agencies to adopt energy saving measures so that more funds can be channeled to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response. “[A]ll concerned government agencies are enjoined to implement energy conservation projects and measures to achieve at least ten percent (10%) cost savings in the petroleum products, air, steam, and electricity consumption that would result to the addition to government’s resources to contain the spread of COVID-19,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said in an advisory signed May 8 and released late Monday. Government offices have been ordered to report to the DoE their energy efficiency plan with target savings and other strategies. Meanwhile, there is an estimated P66 billion capital gap for energy efficiency projects by government-run facilities, according to the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2). The group recently proposed a P55-billion share in the stimulus package to bolster green projects alongside the country’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. — Adam J. Ang

Teacher nabbed for social media post offering reward for killing President

A TEACHER was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for posting online that he will give P50 million to anyone who would kill President Rodrigo R. Duterte. NBI Officer-in-Charge Eric B. Distor identified the teacher as Ronnel Mas, 25, who was arrested in Zambales by agents from the NBI-Dagupan District Office. He posted on his twitter account: “I will give P50 million reward kung sino makakapatay kay (to whoever can kill) Duterte.” He was brought to the NBI Head office in Manila and was presented for inquest on Tuesday afternoon at the Department of Justice for inciting to sedition in relation to Republic Act No. 10175 of the Cyber Crime Prevention Act of 2012. Mr. Mas also faces a complaint for violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said an “apology is not one of the grounds for extinguishing criminal liability” following reports that Mr. Mas has said sorry for the post. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Standard Chartered Bank donates PPEs to hospitals and treatment centers in NCR

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), through its global COVID-19 fund aid, donates protective personal equipment (PPE) to help augment the limitedmedical suppliesin the country. In partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress and Bayanihan Musikahan, the bank will give more than 6,600 PPE sets which include reusable coveralls, shoe covers and faceshields to 20 hospitals and treatment centers in the National Capital Region.

SCB Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Mai Sangalang, together with employee volunteers, recently led the distribution of 800 PPE sets to San Juan De Dios (SJDD) Hospital in Pasay and Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center (VRPMC) in Mandaluyong City.  These were received by SJDD Medical Director Dra. Mirla Severino and VRPMC Nursing Division Head Mabel Oamil. The hospitals extended their gratitude for the bank’s donation as they are currently providing care and treatment to positive and suspected COVID-19 patients.

Standard Chartered Bank has started to distribute much-needed PPEs to various hospitals in NCR. SCB Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Head Mai Sangalang (4th from left) led the delivery and distribution to Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center in Mandaluyong City recently. She was joined by VRPMC Nursing Division Head Mabel Oamil (2nd) and other bank officers.

Mai Sangalang said, “There is a global shortage of medical supplies and equipment and many Philippine hospitals are trying to supplement with improvised PPEs. Healthcare workers rely on PPEs to protect themselves but shortages endanger the lives of medical doctors, nurses and other frontline workers. The bank-donated PPEs will help keep healthcare workers safe and somehow relieve the shortage.”

Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer Lynette V. Ortiz highlights Standard Chartered Bank’s commitment to help all sectors affected by COVID-19.   “The bank has always been passionate about going beyond banking and we are pleased to be able to extend support for the safety of our health workers.  Globally, the bank’s priority is to immediately get the essential products and services to the front line through a $1 billion loan financing on preferential terms to companies that are providing goods and services to help fight COVID-19.”

Other beneficiary hospitals are RITM Muntinlupa, San Lazaro Hospital, UP-PGH, Delos Santos Medical Center, Medical Center Muntinlupa, Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center, San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital, Medical Center Taguig, Trinity Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, United Doctors Medical Center, World Citi Medical Center, Medical Center Manila, Cruz-Rabe Hospital, Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, Las Pinas General Hospital, and Quirino Medical Center.

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