The day I went to the office on the first week of Metro Manila’s lockdown, it felt like the life I knew was suddenly an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror or Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.
Roxas Boulevard — a road that usually makes me want to pull my hair out for its heavy traffic — was empty. From Parañaque to Luneta, I must have seen fewer than 15 vehicles. The Philippine Star newsroom was quiet with just a few editors around. The things that made Metro Manila the home we both love and hate had all but disappeared — and in their place, blue skies, empty streets, long lines to get inside supermarkets, checkpoints.
That was March. It’s now May and the lockdown, originally from March 15 to April 14, has been extended twice until May 15. If there is anything that COVID-19 has taught us and the rest of the world, it’s that it doesn’t give a f*ck about anyone’s timetable — not even US President Trump’s, who idiotically predicted in February that the virus would “magically go away” in April and just two weeks ago suggested injecting disinfectant into the human body to fight COVID-19.
The virus doesn’t follow our calendars either, as we tick off yet another week of a summer slipping through our sanitized fingers.
With COVID-19 cases going up in Metro Manila and testing not reaching an ideal level, we have two more weeks of super enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), making it a total of eight weeks in lockdown. Our third-world country has been fighting the virus, our economy and businesses are melting down — and China is ramping up construction of artificial islands in contested waters near Palawan. This is Malacañang Palace’s friend? And, no, Imelda Papin, it’s not “Iisang dagat” (One sea) as your propaganda song says. This is not a time-share condo or a build-operate-transfer project; it’s the West Philippine Sea and it’s ours alone.
Some questions we ought to ask ourselves during this lockdown: Has the coronavirus reset our perspective in life, our notions of what’s normal, what’s right, what’s wrong and what to fight for? Has news of abuses, both by citizens violating quarantine rules and by authorities quick to resort to violence, enraged us yet and opened our eyes to this government’s lack of preparedness and — after five weeks of emergency power — a lack a coherent report on how the P275-billion fund for coronavirus response was and is being used? Have the weeks made us more patient, more generous to the poor, made us love ourselves and our families more?
Photos and videos of empty cities, airports and stadiums around the world, blue skies above skylines, mountain ranges suddenly visible from a hundred kilometers away, animals roaming city streets — it feels like we’re in someone else’s reality; like our time now is that one second between turning a light switch off and on again to test if the light bulb has burned out.
March was an eternity ago, April has vanished, and May — as other countries are easing restrictions — is giving us a preview of the new reality. The world has changed and so should we, but how?
The New York Times reported at the start of April that “the worldwide economic downturn could be especially deep and lengthy, with recovery limited by continued anxiety.”
In the Philippines, Luzon is predicted to have an economic meltdown, many small and medium businesses are sure to shutter permanently, personal debts — from the middle class to wage earners — will grow. Rent during the lockdown can be deferred for six months from the moment it’s lifted — but you still have to pay. It’s the same with credit cards, they’re waiving late charges but not the interest — and definitely not the balance.
The UK’s Oxfam reported in a study that “half-a-billion people could be pushed into poverty by coronavirus” with the shutdown of economies. “This could set back the fight against poverty by a decade, and as much as 30 years in some regions… Over half the global population could be living in poverty in the aftermath of the pandemic.”
What about travel? Many airlines will require passengers to wear face masks. Airasia, for example, states on its website a “no mask, no boarding” policy once flights resume. Experts have said that by the time we can all step out of our homes, it’s to wave goodbye to budget travel as the new reality is that even airlines have to make sure there’s physical distancing on flights. The fewer the passengers, the more expensive it is to operate a flight, a cost that will be shouldered by passengers of course.
Forbes reported last week that “it could take two to five years before passenger numbers return to the go-go levels of 2019” even as airlines are downsizing.
Experts have said that psychological trauma is the next crisis to hit exhausted health workers and other frontliners.
Retail and consumer spending will be a different landscape. As it should be. Because one thing our now blue skies — largely due to lack of pollution from factories — have taught us is to end our conspicuous consumption, that we should be more judicious about what we buy — and where they are made.
The list is endless but one thing that never changes whatever the crisis is the need for accurate and truthful information. And kindness. Not spin or fake news, not gaslighting by government officials.
By the time we emerge from this shelter-skelter, it’ll be a different world. And hopefully a kinder, more honest one.
Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.
THANKS to quarantine and stay at home orders, people are working late or bingeing shows until the wee hours of the morning, resulting in tired skin. American skincare brand Olay has launched a new line of products meant to address tired skin and arrest premature skin aging.
The new Regenerist Retinol24 line uses retinol as its main active ingredient. Retinol is Vitamin A and is said to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, fade dark spots, and tighten pores. This new Olay collection comes with a night moisturizer, a serum, and an eye cream.
The night moisturizer (P1,999 for 50 gm) is said to hydrate the skin for 24 hours with “its rich texture” and upon continuous use, the skin’s deeper layer will be strengthened and “look more nourished than ever,” according to a release.
The night serum (P1,999 for 30 ml) claims to rejuvenate the skin while sleeping and is called “eight hours of sleep in a bottle” so the user can wake up with younger-looking skin.
Finally, the eye cream (P1,999 for 15 ml) brightens the eye area.
All the products are available online via Watsons Online (watsons.com.ph)
A note of caution though while using products containing retinol: they may cause skin irritation especially if it’s the first time you’re using them. Products with the ingredient can take a few days to be tolerated by the skin.
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) will launch an application that will allow mobile phone users to directly order farm and fishery produce from producers.
The ‘ekadiwa.xyz’ app, the DA’s first such online service, is partly intended to decongest public markets and minimize the need for the public to shop for produce during the public health emergency.
“The DA, with the guidance of President Rodrigo R. Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), is committed to help ‘flatten the curve’ and promote safety and convenience to all Filipino families,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.
Initial partners for the app include Zagana Inc., AgriNurture Inc., Benjabi Ventures Corp., and Mober Inc.
Logistics and delivery services providers Grab Philippines and Lalamove also signified their intent to join the program. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) is discontinuing projects with an aggregate budget of P295 million to redirect the funds to the government’s COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) response.
The agency tasked to power rural communities took the recommendation of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to halt some programs to generate the said amount.
NEA committed to dropping the rollout of financial grants amounting to P250 million to electric cooperatives for post-disaster rehabilitation under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11039, or the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF) Act. It has allotted P500 million to implement the funding program this year.
It also suspended the allocation of P10.9 million to power local government unit and non-government organizations resettlement sites, as it saw the projects are no longer feasible for completion within the year.
R.A. No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act authorizes President Rodrigo R. Duterte to suspend Executive-led agencies’ programs, activities, or projects whose allotments are unobligated and to add these funds on the government’s efforts against COVID-19.
Recently, NEA turned over P1.35 billion of unused subsidies and dividends to the Bureau of the Treasury to contribute to the government’s COVID-19 relief operations. — Adam J. Ang
YIELDS ON government securities (GS) fell last week on expectations of rate cuts from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
On average, GS yields dropped 19.2 basis points (bps) week on week, according to the PHP Bloomberg Valuation (PHP BVAL) Service Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website as of April 30.
At the secondary market, GS yields fell across-the-board at the close of trading last Thursday. The 91-, 182- and 364-day Treasury bills (T-bills) declined by 10.5 bps, 9.9 bps, and 28.5 bps, respectively, to 2.974%, 3.064%, and 3.010%.
Debt papers at the belly also dropped with the two-, three-, four-, five-, and seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) falling 23.1 bps (to 3.077%), 21.2 bps (3.159%), 19.2 bps (3.236%), 18.3 bps (3.305%), and 19.8 bps (3.413%).
The 10-, 20-, and 25-year T-bonds went down 27.3 bps, 18.1 bps, and 15.3 bps from the previous week to fetch 3.490%, 4.321% and 4.465%.
Analysts attributed the decline to investors’ expectations of more aggressive actions from the BSP.
“Follow-through buying pushed yields lower versus [previous] week over BSP’s pronouncements of another possible rate cut and its willingness to utilize a wider set of monetary policy tools at its disposal,” First Metro Asset Management, Inc. (FAMI) said in an e-mail.
“With supportive policies from BSP and strong liquidity in the market, T-bills auction and FXTN 5-74 reissuance were also well demanded,” it added, referring to the five-year T-bonds reissued last week.
In a mobile phone message, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the decline was caused by expectations of further cuts on the policy rate and banks’ reserve requirement ratio during a sharp decline in global oil prices that could drag inflation slower.
“The latest $2.35-billion global US dollar bond issuance of the Philippine government earlier [last] week also helped ease local interest rates… as this somewhat reduces the need for the government to borrow from the local market (less crowding out effects) to finance its stimulus measures and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) program,” Mr. Ricafort added.
In a television interview last week, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said that monetary easing is “still in the agenda” as the country tries to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
The Monetary Board (MB) canceled its May 21 meeting after the 50-bp cut in benchmark policy rates in an off-cycle meeting on April 16 meant to boost lending. The move, along with earlier 50-bp and 25-bp cuts this year, left the reverse repurchase rate at 2.75%, the lowest on record and since the BSP shifted to an interest rate corridor in 2016.
Mr. Diokno said they will observe current developments as monetary policy works with a lag. The MB’s next scheduled policy-setting meeting will be on June 25.
Last week also saw the government offering 10- and 25-year dollar-denominated senior unsecured bonds that will be used for “general purposes, including budgetary support.” The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday said it sold $1.35 billion and $1 billion for the 25- and 10-year dollar bonds, respectively.
For this week, RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort said markets will look to domestic economic reports such as inflation and the gross domestic product (GDP) data, for leads.
Inflation and factory output data will be reported Tuesday, May 5. Meanwhile, data on trade and GDP will be released on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
For FAMI, the lack of catalysts will influence the market to trade sideways and remain at current levels on prolonged extended community quarantine measures.
“We think April inflation will fall within BSP’s projections of 1.9-2.7% despite upward pressure coming from higher food prices and electricity rates. Furthermore, [first-quarter] GDP numbers won’t probably reflect yet the impact of the pandemic hence, macroeconomic indicators slated for release in early May have been broadly priced into current yields’ levels,” FAMI said. — Marissa Mae M. Ramos
Monica Angelique Ramos entry for National Museum’s coloring set — CREDIT: MONICA ANGELIQUE RAMOS
CCP Online
The following shows are premiering online this week: Ballet Philippines in Firebird and Other Ballets on May 5, 3 p.m.; Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady, written by Carlo Vergara and directed by Chris Martinez for Virgin Labfest 9, on May 7, 3 p.m.; and actress-singer Bituin Escalante belts out well-loved Filipino songs in Triple Threats: Everything in Bituin on May 9, 3 p.m. Access the shows through bit.ly/CCPOnlineYT.
To keep in touch with art lovers, Silverlens presents Art Boost, an online drive to maintain engagement with art through social media, exhibition catalogues, and videos. The current At Home With series features Bernardo Pacquing, Hanna Pettyjohn, and Chati Coronel. Revisit contemporary artist Gary-Ross Pastrana’s notes on collage making; and Mit Jai Inn’s use of light, color, and structure in his Actantis exhibit. Visit Silverlens’ official social media accounts and its website (https://www.silverlensgalleries.com/) to view the exhibitions.
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.
MegaMoveTunaMax
To keep its promise of encouraging a healthy lifestyle, Mega Tuna launches #MegaMoveTunaMax, a series of Facebook Live events featuring fitness classes. The fitness sessions will run all Mondays of May via the official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/megapuretuna/). Week 1: HIIT; Week 2: Pop Dance (tentative); Week 3: Total Body Workout; and Week 4: Hip Hop Dance (tentative).
CAST recordings on Spotify
CAST PH offers CAST Recording, a collection of one act plays, recorded online and released as radio/audio drama. The first recordings are A Matter of Husbands by Ferenc Molnár, featuring Pinky Amador and Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven; and Enemies by Neith Boyce and Hutchins Hapgood, featuring David Bianco and Jennifer Blair-Bianco. Listen at https://open.spotify.com/show/5bLSOsJPkZnlaEFDfSSHbl?si=fDsW-kNpT6iP89En-dWbog.
National Bookstore delivery
National Book Store has reopened its branch in Cubao, Quezon City and now offers delivery services for its supplies to selected areas around Metro Manila. For orders from Marikina, San Juan, and Quezon City, contact 0917-631-1374; Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, and Taguig contact 0917-834-3224; Caloocan, Manila, Navotas, and Valenzuela, contact 0917-302-7475; Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, and Las Piñas, contact 0917-791-0916. Orders are accepted on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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.
National Theatre online
LONDON’S National Theatre launched National Theatre at Home on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre). Every Thursday (7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. EST) they will release free to watch shows which will be online for one week. Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Frankenstein, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, premiered on April 30. Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, starring Ralph Fiennes, premieres on May 8.
Fully Booked delivery
FULLY BOOKED is back in business for book orders (https://www.fullybookedonline.com/). In a Facebook post, Fully Book stated: “[O]ur Lazada and Shopee stores will be back online, too. Please do expect some delays and changes in our processes.” For advisories, visit bit.ly/fb-ecq-advisory.
English National Ballet shows online
ENGLISH National Ballet launched ENB at Home, releasing one show weekly for its Wednesday Watch Parties. The first in the lineup is Broken Wings, a Frida Kahlo-inspired production starring lead principal and ENB artistic director Tamara Rojo as Frida. It is available to stream for free for 48 hours. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/user/enballet or https://www.facebook.com/EnglishNationalBallet/.
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 benefitting the World Health Organization and other charities. The two-hour concert is currently available on his YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/davidguettavevo).
Josh Groban concerts
JOSH Groban brings his concerts to your home via online, streaming every Thursday on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/joshgroban). The second concert in the series, Stages: Live (2016), premiered on April 30. The singer has also includes commentary throughout each film. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/JoshGroban/.
Worldwide Concert for Our Culture
JAZZ at Lincoln Center’s annual Spring Gala: Worldwide Concert for Our Culture is now available to stream online. The honorees of the event are Clarence Otis and Jacqueline L. Bradley (Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in Jazz) and Phil Schaap (Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence). Performers at the gala include: Wynton Marsalis, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner, Chucho Valdes, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Baqir Abbas. For more information, visit jazz.org/gala2020. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IjJbZetCvGw.
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/.
Movie night with Jamie Lee Curtis
EVERY Saturday (in the Philippines) until May 8, Lionsgate and Fandango’s Movie Clips YouTube channels will be streaming films. On May 2, watch La La Land (2016) by Damien Chazelle, and John Wick (2014) by Chad Stahelski. Aside from the screening, Ms. Lee Curtis will also engage with the online audience via real-time chats and movie trivia.
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.
MoMA free courses online
After offering virtual tours, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is now offering free online courses. The courses include a series of five free classes for contemporary art, fashion, and photography. It includes readings and exercises which can be completed within 12 to 38 hours. For details, visit https://www.coursera.org/moma.
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 2 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.
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/.
Stories After Dark features podcasts on Philippine true crime and mystery stories. It currently has 14 episodes including The Maguindanao Massacre (2009), The Ozone Disco Fire (1996), and Pepsi Paloma: Rape or Publicity Stunt? Suicide or Murder? (1982/1985). To listen, visit https://www.facebook.com/storiesafterdarkph/.
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 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.
LOCAL SHARES are seen to climb this week as investors expect a recovery in some sectors with the easing of rules for areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ).
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose 56.74 points or 1% to 5,700.71 on Thursday. This sustained the main index’s weekly climb for a second straight week, recording an increase of 4.3% last week.
Value turnover slipped 1.4% to an average of P4.95 billion, while net foreign selling grew 8.4% to an average of P669.95 million.
The local market was closed on Friday in observance of Labor Day.
“Prospects of modified lifting of ECQ provided hope for equities players, pushing the PSEi 235 points higher to 5,700,” online brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said in a market note.
“Part of the positive mood was aided by the launch of ‘Operation Warp Speed’ in the US, that aims to gather private pharmaceutical firms to cut the development time for a vaccine on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) by as much as eight months,” it added.
The government issued last week its updated guide on areas observing GCQ starting May 1, which will allow the resumption of operations of some non-essential establishments such as malls and shopping centers.
The mood of investors this week will remain focused on positive developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, 2TradeAsia.com said.
“With a structured approach on mass testing, listed firms are emerging with clearer focus from the ECQ, specifically to their resumption trajectory, this time, fortified with risk contingency measures,” it said.
“(P)articipants should get a picture of how things would unfold for the ECQ-GCQ transition mode, with virtual briefings in place from select stocks,” it added.
Scheduled to hold their briefings this week are Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.; Cemex Holdings Philippines, Inc.; Globe Telecom, Inc.; Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; International Container Terminal Services, Inc.; and Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.
For Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan, developments in Wall Street will also push activity in the local bourse, after White House signaled new tariffs on China because of its handling of the coronavirus crisis.
“I think the market catalyst for this week is development in the US markets, how it will react to the coronavirus tariffs. These tariff issues have (arisen), and as we know, these tariffs affect market in a negative way,” he said in a text message yesterday.
He also said the market may be on wait-and-see mode, as seen in the consolidated movement of the PSEi in the past two weeks. “I expect this week to be within the (5,440-6,000) range also,” Mr. Tan said.
2TradeAsia.com is putting immediate support for the PSEi within 5,500-5,600 and resistance within 5,800-5,900.
AMID this time of uncertainty, the Autohub Group tells customers it is sure of one thing: That it has kept its promise to bring in the Shelby brand into the Philippine market.
Autohub now introduces the newest iteration of the Shelby Super Snake, which builds on the Ford Mustang GT and reworks it with aesthetic and performance enhancements “for a faster and more thrilling drive.” Shelby’s top-of-the-line, high-performance Mustang imbues Ford’s iconic 5.0-liter V8 with forced induction via an Edelbrock supercharger for an increased output of up to 825 horses.
Dissipating the additional heat generated by the engine is an external cooling upgrade specifically designed by Shelby American, Inc. This consists of a new radiator, aluminum tank, and heat exchanger. Performance half shafts, transmission, and a Ford Performance exhaust complete the drivetrain upgrades. Handling is sharpened as well with additional stability brought by a Ford Performance Track Pack suspension set.
Exterior modifications include a new front bumper, hood, grille, rocker panels, front splitter, rear spoiler, tail panel, rear diffuser, and more. The Super Snake runs on Shelby 20-inch forged aluminum wheels wrapped with Shelby performance-spec tires. For enhanced braking, the system has been bestowed with Shelby by Brembo brakes, which consist of red six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
The cabin of the Shelby Super Snake Mustang features new floor mats and door sill plates, and gauge cluster. It bears custom Shelby badging on the dashboard and engine cover. Shelby-exclusive components were developed and tested with original equipment manufacturers. On pump gasoline and street-legal tires, the Shelby Super Snake can reach 100kph from standstill in 3.5 seconds.
“We are thrilled to finally unleash the Shelby brand to our market,” said Willy Tee Ten, president of Autohub Group of Companies. “Indeed, the iconic Shelby brand will bring more excitement and fuel passion to motorists and petrol-heads alike,” he added. The Shelby Super Snake is now available for retail at Autohub Car Care Services (ACCS).
Toyota significantly ramps up production of face shields
TOYOTA MOTOR Corporation and Toyota Group companies are exponentially scaling up production of medical face shields by around 20 times as they envision producing 40,000 units per month for distribution to frontliners in the fight versus the pandemic.
From 500 to 600 units per week, the auto conglomerate has started making 2,000 units a day since April 27. Toyota plans to further expand in-house production to approximately 70,000 pieces per month (approximately 3,600 pieces per day).
Toyota Group companies engaged in producing medical face shields include Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc., which provided 3,000 units it produced to the Miyagi Prefecture on April 20; Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.; Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.; and Hino Motors, Ltd. The firms have all started trial production, with Daihatsu and Hino providing face shields to medical facilities in their immediate areas.
Toyota Industries Corporation also plans to produce 10,000 units per month, and Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. is furthering considerations toward starting production of medical face shields from mid-May onwards.
The production of personal protective equipment is part of Toyota’s Kokoro Hakobu Project. The Toyota Group is prioritizing the provision of the medical face shields it produces to medical facilities and local governments in the localities of the various companies of the group.
THE FARMGATE price of palay, or unmilled rice, rose 4.58% week-on-week to P18.28 per kilogram in the second week of April, with prices still down 2.19% on a year-on-year basis, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its weekly update on palay, rice, and corn prices, the PSA said that the average wholesale price of well-milled rice (WMR) rose 1.5% week-on-week to P39.17 while the retail price rose 0.17% to P42.47.
The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice (RMR) rose 2.26% to P34.91 while the retail price rose 1.44% to P37.39.
The farmgate price of yellow corn grain fell 0.98% week-on-week to P12.11.
The average wholesale price of yellow corn grain rose 7.83% to P25.07 while the retail price rose 1.61% to P25.91.
The farmgate price of white corn grain fell 0.4% to P14.94.
The average wholesale price of white corn grain was flat at P25, while the retail price rose 2.72% to P31.33. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
THE Office of the Solicitor-General (OSG) cautioned the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) that it cannot grant provisional authority (PA) to media network ABS-CBN Corp. and its unit without their legislative franchises, which will expire on May 4.
Solicitor General Jose C. Calida, citing a jurisprudence, said the NTC can only issue a provisional authority to operate to a broadcasting company if it is given a franchise by the Congress and is awaiting approval of its application for a certificate of public convenience (CPC) before the NTC.
“Hence, a PA should only be issued once a congressional franchise has been granted and an application for CPC is pending before the NTC for approval. The NTC cannot issue a PA when the broadcast company has no valid and existing legislative franchise,” Mr. Calida said in a statement.
“No less than the Constitution requires a prior franchise from Congress. Hence, when there is no renewal, the franchise expires by operation of law. The franchise ceases to exist and the entity can no longer continue its operations as a public utility,” he added.
His stand is contrary to what Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said in a Senate hearing in February that the Congress may authorize the NTC to issue a PA to ABS-CBN pending the renewal proceedings of its franchise with lawmakers.
House Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Palawan Representative Franz E. Alvarez, chair of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, sent a letter to the NTC, asking it to grant a PA to ABS-CBN on May 4 until the Congress decides on the networks franchise.
NTC said in March that it would issue the provisional authority to ABS-CBN.
Mr. Calida said the letter from the House of Representatives or the Senate Resolution No. 344 only expresses their sentiments and does not grant power to the NTC, citing a Supreme Court decision.
“These issuances cannot amend the current law requiring a congressional franchise for the operation of broadcasting networks. Not being separate laws themselves, they cannot amend or repeal prior laws,” he said.
The state’s top lawyer also said the NTC cannot use as a legal basis the opinion of the Department of Justice and “equity considerations” do not justify the grant of PAs to ABS-CBN and its affiliates, saying equity only applies when there is no law to be applied.
He also warned that the NTC commissioners may face anti-graft and corrupt practices complaints if they issue the PAs to ABS-CBN and its unit.
It can be recalled that the OSG filed a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court for the cancellation of the legislative franchises of ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc. for “highly abusive practices” and violations of law.
The petition includes supposed violation of the laws on foreign ownership restriction and operation of a pay-per-view channel without NTC approval, among others. — Vann Marlo Villegas
