100,000 EMPLOYERS AWAITING CASH RESCUE DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: LABOR DEPT

MANILA - Some 100,000 employers are awaiting cash aid from government, the

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday, as workers reeled

from Luzon's month-long lockdown.

The agency has so far disbursed P5,000 cash each to several workers in Metro

Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, Assistant Secretary Dominique Rubia

Tutay said.

The Department of Budget and Management is set to release the fund to DOLE

field offices on April 1, she added.

"Dumagsa ang ating applications at more than 100,000 na po ang na-process ng

ating regional offices awaiting for payment," Tutay told radio DZMM.

"Pumasa na po sila sa evaluation ng ating regional office and then iyan po

ihahanda na po iyong pera."

The aid will be coursed through the employer's bank account if the company

has a payroll system. It can also be given directly to the employees through

money remittance centers, Tutay said.

Some 2,433 informal workers in Metro Manila have so far received aid from

DOLE since March 20, Tutay said. The next payout will be on April 6 and 7 to

17,660 and 31,190 informal workers, respectively, she said.

DOLE's regional offices will be disbursing aid to provinces next month,

Tutay said.

Government will also give out cards which will be used to identify how much

financial assistance a citizen has received from its agencies.

Some 18 million families will receive P5,000 to P8,000 each under the

stimulus law that gave President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to deal with

the pandemic.

"Makikita po doon sinong ahensiya at magkano po ang tulong na naibigay," she

told radio DZMM.

"Halimbawa po, dito sa NCR, nakapagbigay na kami ng P5,000. Ita-top-up na

lang po yung remaining amount kasi P8,000 po ang threshold dito sa NCR."

DUTERTE WARNS LOCAL OFFICIALS AGAINST USING COVID-19 CRISIS FOR OWN GAIN

MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte late Monday reminded local government

authorities not to use the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis for

their own gain.

Duterte warned that there will be sanctions for those who will steal or

politicize the distribution of food packs to their constituents affected by

the enhanced community quarantine.

"I will see to it even tomorrow, if I discover some embezzlements, some

hoarding there, at dina-divert 'yung pagkain sa mga tao na dapat hindi sa

kanila, you better think. I am not a cruel man. Pero kung may report ang

pulis, I will order your detention hanggang matapos itong COVID-19," Duterte

said in his televised address.

"Sabi ko huwag ngayon. Huwag na huwag kayong mandaya, mangurakot at taguin

'yung mga pagkain at 'yung iba hindi bigyan kasi. You know, people sometimes

think that they own whatever they receive from government. This is not

yours, neither is it mine," he added.

The president said actions will be taken against local officials who are

caught taking advantage of the health crisis.

"Pero kung mamulitika ka tapos mabalitaan ko na 'yan ang nagawa mo, I will

suspend you ora mismo. And for those who are really absconding the money, I

will detain you, I said, and maybe I will release you pagkatapos ng COVID."

Duterte made the statement as his administration embarked on what he called

as the "largest and widest social protection program in the country's

history," allotting as much as P200 billion in social protection measures

for the poor who are most affected by the government-imposed lockdowns to

prevent the community spread of COVID-19.

The Philippines as of Monday confirmed 78 deaths out of 1,546 confirmed

cases of the disease. Forty-two patients recovered. The tally could spike

with the arrival of additional test kits, said the health department.

SOTTO: SENATE RECEIVED DUTERTE COVID-19 EFFORTS REPORT PAST MIDNIGHT TUESDAY

MANILA - Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III received President

Rodrigo Duterte's report on the actions of the government in containing the

spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Sotto reportedly received the report 12:40 a.m. of Tuesday, past the set day

of submission as provided by Republic Act 11469 or the "Bayanihan to Heal as

One Act." A copy of the transmittal letter to the Congress, as posted by

ABS-CBN, was however dated March 30.

News5 reported that the senate president has yet to detail the contents of

the report.

Section 5 of RA 11469 provides that "the President, during Monday of every

week, shall submit a weekly report to Congress of all acts performed

pursuant to this Act during the immediately preceding week."

"The report shall likewise include the amount and corresponding utilization

of the funds used, augmented, reprogrammed, reallocated and realigned

pursuant to this Act," the law also read.

A Joint Congressional Oversight Committee composed of four members each from

the Senate and the House of Representatives will determine whether the acts,

orders, rules and regulations are within restrictions provided in the law.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also confirmed Tuesday morning that the

Office of the President transmitted the report to the Congress.

"For the budget breakdown, I would ask for a final copy," Nograles said in a

mix of English and Filipino.

Nograles, the appointed spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force on

Emerging Infectious Diseases, apologized and said he will report what can be

made public in the document submitted to the Congress.

Monday deadline?

Duterte publicly addressed the nation at around 11:40 on Monday night, but

did not mention on the report he was then due to submit to the Congress.

An Inquirer report published 9:52 p.m. Monday quoted Sotto as saying that

the report may just be "delayed" and a reprimand is not needed.

"Let's cut them some slack. It's just started," Sotto was also quoted as

saying.

Former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te noted Monday night that there

is nothing in the law that stated that Duterte's report should be made in an

address.

"It just needs to be signed by the chief executive, with the information

required by the [Emergency Powers Law]," he also said.

PHILIPPINES EYES RICE IMPORTS AS CONTINGENCY: COVID-19 TASK FORCE

MANILA -- The Philippines' COVID-19 task force said Tuesday recommended to

President Rodrigo Duterte the importation of 300,000 metric tons of rice as

a contingency as the Luzon lockdown moved past the halfway mark.

The Philippine International Trading Corp will arrange the purchase through

government-to-government arrangements, said Cabinet Secretary Karlo

Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force.

The National Food Administration said last week that the country had "more

than enough" rice supply for the month-long quarantine of Luzon. The state

grains agency said it had 9.3 million bags of rice and unmilled rice on

standby.

Even though food supplies are exempted from transport restrictions during

the lockdown, several farmers and traders have reported difficulties in

delivering their goods.

Nograles reminded authorities manning checkpoints and local government units

to allow the unimpeded movement of cargoes.

Luzon's borders were temporarily closed on March 17 to limit the entry and

exit of possible COVID-19 carriers. The lockdown is scheduled to end on

April 12.

MEDEVAC COMPANY PLANES GROUNDED

MANILA - The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has grounded

the entire fleet of Lionair Inc. after one of its light planes crashed and

exploded shortly after takeoff from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport

last Sunday night, killing eight passengers and crew.

CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio yesterday said Lionair's fleet will not be

allowed to operate until the order is lifted.

He said investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry

Board (AAIIB) of CAAP have also recovered the black box of the aircraft that

could reveal why the plane exploded as it was taking off from the NAIA

runway 06-24.

Probers are collecting parts of the plane, an Agusta WW 24 Westwind jet with

registry number RP-C5880 owned by the Philippine firm Lionair Inc.

PHILIPPINES TO TURN CONVENTION CENTERS, HOTELS INTO COVID-19 QUARANTINE

SITES

MANILA- The Philippines is converting some government facilities, ships, and

hotels into alternative quarantine facilities as hospitals become

overwhelmed with the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

The Philippine International Convention Center, World Trade Center, and the

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will be converted into "fully-functional"

quarantine facilities, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday.

The Department of Public Works and Highways was tasked to coordinate with

private firms to convert the said facilities, he said.

The Department of Transportation was directed to identify ships that can

serve as floating quarantine centers while the Department of Tourism was

ordered to identify hotels that could serve as quarantine areas in every

region in the country.

Nominated hotels will be assessed by the Bureau of Quarantine for adequacy,

Nograles said.

Identified facilities will be further classified so that the government can

isolate patients who tested positive for COVID-19 but have mild symptoms,

persons under monitoring, and patients under investigation, Nograles said.

DUTERTE ADVISER PUSHES FOR BARANGAY-BASED QUARANTINES TO SAVE ECONOMY

MANILA -- The Philippines should shift to a barangay or village-based

quarantine once the Luzon lockdown succeeds, an economic adviser to

President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday, stressing the need to restart the

economy.

Marketing, construction and public transportation should resume with

safeguards to prevent the spread of COVID-19, said Presidential Adviser on

Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.

Concepcion said he was at a recent meeting of Duterte's economic managers

with business leaders to discuss a "post lockdown scenario."

"The goal really is while we have to be guarded against the virus, we have

to start reviving the economy," he told ANC

"We might kill the virus but we might die because the economy is

floundering. That's the biggest challenge we're facing right now," he said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 should be "very clear" on the rules

of the barangay-based quarantine, he said.

CPP VOWS NO OFFENSIVES VS SOLDIERS CONDUCTING COVID-19 RELIEF DUTIES

BAGUIO CITY - The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the

Philippines disputed government claims that it had planned an attack on

troops in Rodriguez, Rizal over the weekend, adding no operations will be

launched against soldiers during a declared ceasefire.

Marco Valbuena, chief of the CPP Central Committee information bureau said

"the claim that the NPA unit was planning an attack is baseless," citing

Armed Forces of the Philippines reports that the clash on March 28 "was an

armed encounter which broke out when troops under the 2nd [Infantry

Division] carried out patrol operations mounted by the local AFP unit."

A soldier and a communist rebel were killed in the gunbattle.

The Palace on Sunday condemned the supposed attack "in the face of a

declaration of ceasefire on both sides and in the midst of an emergency

health crisis."

Valbuena insisted that "all units of the (NPA) will continue to uphold the

ceasefire declaration of the CPP Central Committee in order to give full

play to efforts to extend public health service to the people amid the

COVID-19 pandemic."

He vowed "the NPA will not mount armed actions against military, police,

paramilitary and other armed agents attached to the [Government of the

Republic of the Philippines]," though "they will, remain alert against

offensive actions launched by AFP units."

BANKS PREPARED TO TAKE PROFIT HIT TO LIFT ECONOMY FROM COVID-19: OFFICIAL

MANILA -- Philippine banks will do their part to help revive the economy

from the COVID-19 pandemic, even if it means taking a profit hit, the head

of an industry group said Tuesday.

Some 30 percent of bank branches in Luzon are open, mostly in key areas to

serve as many as possible. Around 90 percent of ATMs are running, said

Banker's Association of the Philippines President Cezar Consing.

"A bank like us is prepared to make no money and in some cases, lose money,

to do our part," said Consing, also president of the Bank of the Philippine

Islands. He said BPI was lending to corporations at a rate that is "very

near" its most recent bond offering.

"We all realize we have to help... If that means lower profits, so be it. If

that means extended payment terms, so be it," he told ANC.

The economic fallout from COVID-19 is shaping up to be "far worse" than

global financial crises in 1997 and 2008, he said. In the Philippines, it is

comparable to the 1983 debt restructuring crisis that resulted in 3 years of

negative growth, he said.

The Philippines is "a lot stronger now" than in 1983 due to lower debt

levels and ample liquidity, but that doesn't mean that jobs will not be lost

or businesses will not close, he said.

"The ability to recover from this adversity is a lot better than anytime in

our history," he said.

'TRANSITORY' ECONOMIC DOWNTURN MAY LAST 2 QUARTERS: PERNIA

MANILA - Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Tuesday the

Philippine economy could register zero or negative growth in the second and

third quarters due to the COVID-19 pandemic before it bounces back late this

year.

Pernia said some 300,000 to 600,000 Filipinos could lose their jobs due to

the lockdown imposed until April 12 to contain the spread of the

coronavirus. It could bring unemployment rate to "close to double digits"

this year from a record low of 5.1 percent in 2019, he said.

The downturn is expected to be "transitory" as cash aid under the

government's recovery and stimulus plan will revive household spending,

Pernia told ANC.

Some 18 million families expected to lose livelihood due to the Luzon-wide

lockdown, will receive cash aid for 2 months.

"Although we can expect some negative growth perhaps the second quarter,

probably moving to the third quarter but those will be transitory. We should

be able to resuscitate the economy to a positive growth rate by the 4th

quarter or later in the year," Pernia said.

"We hope it's not going to be negative even in the third quarter if we do

something about the enhanced community quarantine before the third quarter,"

he said.

A technical working group headed by NEDA has been created to revive the

economy, Pernia said.

"I think the plan is to revive consumer and business confidence even

sooner," he said.

"That's going to be the way which we could plan systematically to get back

to where we were before," he said.

The economy could register negative growth of 0.6 percent to an expansion of

4.3 percent this year, depending on how long the Luzon lockdown will last,

Pernia earlier said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

JOSHUA GARCIA GREETS JANELLA SALVADOR ON HER BIRTHDAY

MANILA - Actor Joshua Garcia took to social media to greet actress-singer

Janella Salvador, who turned 22 on Monday.

In a post on Instagram Story post, Garcia shared a photo of a sleeping

Salvador, with the simple caption that read "happy birthday @superjanella."

In a previous interview, Garcia said that he is lucky to have Salvador as a

friend.

The two starred in the hit series "The Killer Bride."

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE': WHAT LIZA SOBERANO TOLD ENRIQUE GIL AMID

QUARANTINE

MANILA - Liza Soberano shared on Monday a heartfelt birthday message for her

long-time boyfriend and co-star Enrique Gil, who turned 28 on March 30, amid

the Luzon-wide quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Happy birthday my love. Your smile never fails to make me smile," Soberano

captioned a set of photos of their travels over the years.

The choice of photos, Soberano said, was based on her assumption that Gil

has been yearning to travel again, over two weeks since the community

quarantine started.

"I thought you wished you were elsewhere for your birthday, that's why I'm

posting a bunch of our travel photos," Soberano wrote.

"Earlier you said, 'I'm so happy, this is exactly how I want to celebrate my

birthday.' That made my heart flutter. You're happiest when you're with

family. To more time with family. I love you!" she said.

Soberano and Gil have been together for five years.

Their ongoing teleserye, "Make It With You," was among the ABS-CBN

entertainment programs that halted production as a safety measure against

the spread of COVID-19.

SPORTS

REPORT: NBA PLANNING PLAYERS-ONLY NBA 2K TOURNEY

The NBA has plans for a players-only NBA 2K video game tournament to be

shown on ESPN, Yahoo Sports reported Monday evening.

Per the report, the league hopes to launch the event Friday and involve some

big-name players. Each team is expected to have a representative, the report

added.

The NBA regular season was suspended on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy

Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

Almost every other sport in the United States -- and many across the world

-- have been shut down and are expected to remained shut down for some time.

Various esports have continued across the United States, with many moving

planned live events into a virtual format.

The NBA 2K League -- which features 23 teams, including 22 who are

affiliated with NBA franchises -- has postponed its own season, which was

scheduled to start March 24.

The Lakers' Anthony Davis was chosen for the cover of the latest edition of

the game, NBA 2K20, after Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the cover

for 2K19.

Other recent cover athletes include Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Stephen

Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

EVOLVE MMA OFFERS FREE ONLINE WORKOUTS

MANILA -- Evolve MMA is giving the martial arts community a boost by

offering a full schedule of daily online workout sessions that everyone can

avail of, free of charge.

This, as the world continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evolve MMA closed its doors for the first time ever last March 27, as the

Singapore government ordered "all center-based classes" stopped and banned

gatherings of ten or more persons.

With three locations across Singapore, Evolve MMA has become a haven for

combat sports students and fitness enthusiasts. It provides world-class

training for beginners and mixed martial arts superstars alike.

Now, Evolve MMA tries to fill a void in people's lives caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic.

It started online classes on Monday evening, with participants from all

around the world invited to learn from some of the elite coaches in MMA.

Evolve MMA founder Chatri Sityodtong made the announcement via his Facebook

page earlier on Monday, saying: "Everyone is welcome to train together with

us from the safety and comfort of your home."

Memberships in Evolve MMA are highly sought-after, so this news provides a

golden opportunity for students wishing to enhance their skills under the

tutelage of experts.

Evolve MMA's instructions hope to make the days of isolation a positive

experience.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 50.96

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated. - George Bernard Shaw