CONGRESS RESUMES SESSION TODAY

MANILA — Congress will resume session today with lawmakers set to prioritize

measures to help the country recover from the coronavirus disease 2019

(COVID-19) crisis under a “new normal” that could slow down legislative

proceedings.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said at least 12 senators have signified

their intention to be physically present today. This constitutes a quorum in

the 24-member chamber, allowing them to vote to change the rules so they can

hold sessions and other legislative proceedings via teleconferencing.

“Security guards in hospitals, health workers, those delivering food are not

afraid, and so why shouldnÂ’t senators do their job? The Constitution

mandates that we have a legislative calendar and we should follow it,” Sotto

told dzBB over the weekend.

He said permitting teleconference or other electronic means to hold sessions

and committee hearings requires amending the Senate rules where senators

have to be physically present.

Senators will also have to decide how to go comply with the Supreme Court

ruling that requires the chamber to publish first any changes in its rules

before they become effective.

SENATE TO PASS CITIRA FOR BUSINESS RECOVERY

MANILA — The Senate is likely to pass the proposed Corporate Income Tax and

Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) to help companies get back on their

feet, and help jumpstart the economy that has been battered by the

coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, senators said yesterday.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the CITIRA will help corporations as

well as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) recover from the slump.

CITIRA aims to lower the corporate income tax (CIT) and improve the

incentives system for businesses.

“This will also have some benefits to the government, which will be able to

collect revenues from sectors that were not taxed before,” Sotto told dzBB.

He however stressed he would push for amendments to make sure that the

bill—pushed by the Department of Finance—will not lead to loss of jobs or

burden consumers.

Under the bill, the countryÂ’s CIT rate will be gradually lowered by one

percent every year, from 30 percent to 20 percent by 2030. The measure will

also rationalize fiscal incentives given to firms to make these

“performance-based, time-bound, targeted, and transparent.”

The bill intends to prioritize incentives to business activities that

generate domestic employment; promote research, development and innovation;

promote agribusiness; and invest in areas that are less developed or are

recovering from disasters and conflicts, among others.

CITIRA shall likewise offer additional tax deductions to reward

corporationsÂ’ good behavior, such as local job creation, exports, and

investment in high technology.

ECONOMY TO SHRINK FURTHER ON LONGER LOCKDOWN, REBOUND SEEN IN 2021: BSP

MANILA -- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Monday

the economy could contract deeper than expected due to the 2-week lockdown

extension.

Gross domestic product could shrink by 0.8 from 0.2 percent, which was

premised on the lockdown ending on April 30, Diokno said. There will be a

strong rebound in 2021, with growth as high as 7.8 percent, he said.

"It's basically the lockdown, the reduced economic activity as a result of

the lockdown," he said. "I expected the lockdown to be eased by 15 May."

January to March gross domestic product growth likely grew "below 6 to 6.5

percent" due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Taal Volcano eruption, he

said.

Official GDP data for the first quarter will be released on Thursday, two

days after the release of April inflation figures. With "benign" inflation,

Diokno said the BSP had "more room for monetary easing down the road."

"We will use all our tools to help our people pass this coronavirus crisis,"

he said.

Since the Philippines locked down the capital and other high risk areas in

mid-March, Diokno cut the benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points,

slashed 200 basis points off the reserve requirement ratio for banks and

authorized the purchase of P300 billion in government securities.

The country is poised for a recession this year with the lockdown or

enhanced community quarantine in the capital and other urban centers set to

last until May 15, after 2 extensions. The rest of the country was placed

under general community quarantine with fewer restrictions from May 1.

GCQ LIKELY FOR METRO MANILA AFTER MAY 15 – DILG

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)

yesterday expressed optimism that Metro Manila would be able to shift to a

more lenient general community quarantine or GCQ after May 15.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases is seeing

good indicators that could merit the lifting of the enhanced community

quarantine (ECQ) in many parts of Metro Manila, according to DILG spokesman

and Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.

“It looks like Metro Manila will graduate from ECQ by May 15. Of course

matagal-tagal pa Â’yan, thatÂ’s two weeks from now. But by all indications,

mukha pong we will shift to GCQ,” Malaya said in an interview on dzBB.

He said the government is taking into consideration critical health care

infrastructure, number of cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 and expanded

COVID-19 testing facilities to see if the National Capital Region would be

eligible for a GCQ.

Malaya, however, said the ECQ would still be implemented in some areas,

including portions of Quezon City and Manila, where certain areas have been

placed under “hard lockdown.”

AREAS WITH LOOSE ISOLATION MEASURES RISK TIGHTER QUARANTINE: DOH

MANILA - Areas that have loosened quarantine measures may again be placed

under an enhanced community quarantine if novel coronavirus cases rise, the

Department of Health said Monday.

In order to avoid the rise of COVID-19 cases in an area, individuals,

households and local government units must implement physical distancing,

wearing of face mask, handwashing and proper cough etiquette, according to

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

"Kailangan maipatupad ang measures na ito. Kung hindi, babalik ang kaso sa

kanilang lugar," she told Umagang Kay Ganda.

"Maaari pong mangyari 'yan. Ang ating magiging basehan ay 'yung case

doubling time atsaka 'yung critical care utilization rate o 'yung kapasidad

ng health system sa isang lugar," she said when asked if areas under general

community quarantine may be placed under a tighter isolation measure.

As of Sunday, the Philippines has recorded 9,223 cases of COVID-19, with

1,214 recoveries and 607 deaths.

DILG RECEIVES THOUSANDS OF SAP COMPLAINTS VS BARANGAY OFFICIALS

MANILA — Over 2,000 complaints against barangay officials have been received

by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) over the

social amelioration program or SAP.

DILG Undersecretary Martin Diño said they have received numerous complaints

that some officials are messing with the distribution of cash subsidies from

the national government amid the community quarantine.

He said complaints include barangay captains prioritizing relatives and

political allies in the distribution of cash aid.

Some barangays are also reportedly asking for processing fees while others

are dividing the intended cash aid to more families in their areas. Diño

warned barangay officials not to engage in any nefarious act or they will be

charged in court.

“Warning to the (barangay) captain. Those are public funds and there is

accountability. Not only will you be removed from your position, you will be

imprisoned. The punishment will be severe,” he said in Filipino in an

interview on dzBB over the weekend.

Diño said barangays handling the distribution are still the best means to

quickly get the cash assistance to vulnerable households.

Some 18 million households are set to get around P5,000 to P8,000 in

amelioration packages in the first tranche of the SAP.

Local government units have been given until May 7 to finish distribution of

the first tranche.

The text hotline and email are additions to the hotline number 16545 earlier

set up by the DSWD with the support of PLDT Enterprise to receive complaints

under their SAP grievance redress system, as well as mobile numbers for

Globe, 09162471194; Smart, 09474822864; and Sun, 09329333251, which are

designated to receive calls only.

NO MORE AIRCONS, ONLY 5 PATIENTS DAILY: DOCTORS, PATIENTS ADVISED ON NEW

NORMAL

MANILA - The Philippine Medical Association on Monday urged patients to

consult doctors first through telemedicine and advised physicians on the new

normal following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Benito Atienza, vice president of the association, said doctors must

limit their patients to 5 daily, observe physical distancing, wear personal

protective equipment, and change gowns after every other patient.

Doctors' clinics must not have air-conditioning nor electric fans and

windows and doors must be opened, Atienza said. The clinic's staff should

also be limited to 1 to 2 persons, he added.

"We advise them to maintain at least 3-feet distance from the patient and

clean the entire clinic everyday," he told ANC.

Patients must also wear mask and consult first through online or telephone.

The group offers online consultation at https://docph.org, Atienza said.

"This is aimed to decrease the patients going to the hospitalÂ’s emergency

room," he said. "They can request for their medicine, prescription."

Atienza also called for doctors' testing for COVID-19 as they are set to

open their clinics.

"I'm starting my clinic with 5 scheduled patients per day for vaccinations

because most of our children were not vaccinated for the last 2 months and

we need to vaccinate them in order to prevent other diseases like polio,

measles, diphtheria," he said.

As of Saturday, some 1,723 healthworkers have contracted the virus in the

country. Of this number, 272 have recovered while 34 died.

THE REST

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JINGGOY ARRESTED, RELEASED FOR QUARANTINE BREACH

MANILA - Former senator Jinggoy Estrada was brought to a police station in

San Juan on Sunday for allegedly violating the government's guidelines on

enhanced community quarantine.

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said Estrada was arrested for going around the

city's barangays even though the former senator was not authorized to do so.

Estrada was released by the police at around 8 p.m. The former senator said

the police did not file any charges against him and just gave him a warning.

In an interview, Estrada said he was "invited to the police station" for

allegedly violating quarantine protocols, specifically, physical distancing

while distributing relief goods.

He also denied allegations he was giving away money along with the relief

goods.

DAVAO CITY NAGHIGPIT SA CHECKPOINT DAHIL SA PINALAWIG NA LOCKDOWN

DAVAO CITY - Lalong hinigpitan ang mga checkpoint sa lungsod matapos

palawigin ang enhanced community quarantine hanggang Mayo 15.

Nitong Lunes ng umaga, isa-isa ang pagiinspeksyon para matiyak na nasusunod

ang ipinatutupad na number coding at may dalang food and medicine pass.

Bawal naman lumabas ang mga residente sa kanilang bahay tuwing linggo.

Kabilang ang lungsod sa mga lugar na kinokonsiderang "high-risk" dahil sa

patuloy na pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19.

Sa huling tala ng Department of Health-Davao, mayroong nang 125 na COVID-19

case sa lungsod. Sa bilang na ito, 19 ang namatay at 67 ang nakarekober.

Itinuturing na ground zero ang sabungan sa Matina dahil karamihan sa

nagpositibo sa sakit ay dumalo sa sabong noong Marso.

Nakasailalim naman sa general community quarantine ang Davao Oriental, Davao

del Sur, Davao Occidental at Davao del Norte, malban sa Tagum City.

Suspendido pa rin ang sea at air travel simula Marso 11, maliban sa cargo at

medical supplies.

SOME OFWS ALLEGEDLY FORCED TO WORK AS DOMESTIC HELPERS TO WEATHER PANDEMIC

Some manpower agencies are allegedly forcing overseas Filipino workers to

serve as domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, a sector advocate

said Monday.

These agencies are required to provide lodging and food to OFWs who clean

buildings. However, many of these agencies have stopped receiving job

requests with businesses shuttered to prevent the disease's spread, said

Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training

Institute

"May mga nag-report sa amin, pinipilit na silang gawing domestic workers

para lang kumita iyong agency sa kanila dahil pinapakain [sila] sa

accommodations. Wala namang kumukuha sa kanila ngayon," she told DZMM.

"Iyong iba, nire-repurpose ang contract at pinipilit pumirma ng waiver na

parang sarili ko tong kusa na magtrabaho na lang as domestic worker," she

added.

Ople said she also feared that many OFWs would lose their jobs if lockdowns

continue worldwide.

She urged Senate and House labor committees to look into the welfare of

migrant workers.

OFWs who will lose their jobs or are stranded in the Philippines due to its

lockdown will get $200 from the government, said Labor Secretary Silvestre

Bello.

The labor department allotted P1.5 million for this and so far approved

about half of 307,000 OFWs who applied for the aid, he said in a separate

DZMM interview.

ILANG TRICYCLE DRIVER SA PASAY, TULOY ANG PASADA SA GITNA NG PINAIIRAL NA

ECQ

MAYNILA - Marami pa rin ang tricycle sa mga kalsada sa lungsod ng Pasay

kahit ipinagbabawal ito ngayong may banta ng COVID-19.

Nitong Lunes ng umaga, nakapila ang mga tricycle na naghihintay sa mga

pasahero sa may Arnaiz Avenue at Taft Avenue.

Marami rin dito ang nasa kalsada at may mga sakay na 2 katao sa loob at isa

sa likod.

Sa Wowee Market, hindi naoobserbahan ng mga mamimili ang physical distancing

at hindi rin nakokontrol ang kanilang pagpasok.

Marami ang naglalakad sa kalsada na tila walang enhanced community

quarantine na ipinatutupad.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

ANGELICA PANGANIBAN, KIM CHIU REMEMBER BELA PADILLA ON HER BIRTHDAY

MANILA – Both Angelica Panganiban and Kim Chiu turned to social media to

mark the special day of their good friend, Bela Padilla.

On Instagram, Chiu shared several photos of her and Padilla taken during

their travels together as she greeted the latter a happy birthday.

“Happy birthday to this beautiful soul!!!! Thank you for being a great

friend to me, you are one of a kind momsie,” she wrote in the caption.

Chiu also explained why she picked the pictures that made it to her

Instagram greeting.

“I know you are not happy on those days and you have a heavy heart but when

I told you to smile for the camera you never say no to me. Smile ka lang

kahit malungkot ka. So I took plenty of photos as much as I can para kahit

papano ngumiti ka,” she said.

Without disclosing what her wish is for Padilla, Chiu said the actress

deserves all the love in the world.

Meanwhile, Panganiban also shared a photo of her and Padilla in a tight

embrace.

Absent a lengthy caption, Panganiban just greeted the actress with a simple

“happy birthday” and an “I love you.”

The three actresses became close in July 2017. They call their group

AngBeKi, a combination of the first letters of their names.

In a previous interview, Chiu told ABS-CBN News that their friendship

unexpectedly formed when she and Padilla "gatecrashed" a party where

Panganiban was also invited.

“Gatecrasher kami ni Bela. Galing kami sa isang birthday tapos ayaw pa

naming umuwi. Pumunta kami doon sa birthday ni direk Andoy Ranay na nandoon

si Angelica. Ang saya saya. Nagtawanan na lang kami hanggang sa lagi na lang

kami lumalabas,” she said.

Asked what their common denominator is, Chiu said: “Ang babaw pala naming

lahat. 'Yung mga simpleng jokes, tawang tawa kami. 'Yung simpleng takbo sa

UP, enjoy na enjoy kami.”

WEDDING BELLS NEXT? KARLA ESTRADA FUELS MARRIAGE RUMORS WITH 'SOON' POST

MANILA--Karla Estrada is fuelling rumors she's getting married to boyfriend

Jam Ignacio, whom she met last June.

On Instagram Stories this Saturday, the "Magandang Buhay" host shared an

intriguing picture of a pair of rings.

This followed a post of hers showing a clip of a beachside captioned "Soon,"

followed by a string of emojis of a blue heart, a diamond ring, and another

heart.

It remains unclear whether Estrada is hinting to her fans about her own

relationship, or someone else's.

It was only last June when Estrada met Ignacio. She said that she fell for

her boyfriend because of how upfront he was about his feelings.

Last week, Estrada was with Ignacio when her family celebrated the birthday

of her son, Daniel Padilla.

VIRAL DIVA MULA ILOILO NAKATAMBAL NINA MORISSETTE, KYLA

MAYNILA — Bumida sa "ASAP Natin 'To" ngayong Linggo ang isang viral Ilongga

singer, na naka-duet pa nina Morissette Amon at Kyla.

Pinahanga kamakailan ni Klite Candelario ng Lemery, Iloilo ang netizens

matapos mag-viral ang video ng pagkanta niya ng "Irreplaceable" ni Beyoncé.

Itinanghal ni Candelario ang parehong kanta sa "ASAP" kasama ang mga

pambatong diva ng programa na sina Amon at Kyla.

SPORTS

WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN? SPORT BIDS TO STEP OUT OF VIRUS SHADOW

PARIS, France -- Sports' big ticket events, the 2020 Olympics, European

football championships, Wimbledon and the British Open golf tournament have

gone to the wall due to the coronavirus.

However, there are some shoots of recovery as sports worldwide make

tentative plans to return to action.

AFP Sport looks at what we know so far with the major events:

FOOTBALL

-- English Premier League, which still has 92 games to play, has reconfirmed

their commitment to finish the season. But matches would be behind closed

doors and reportedly at up to 10 neutral venues. Liverpool are on the brink

of a first league title for 30 years with a 25-point lead at the top of the

table.

-- Horst Seehofer, the German minister for the interior and sport, said he

supports a resumption of the season despite three people testing positive

for coronavirus at Bundesliga club Cologne. A resumption would not be

possible before May 16. A final decision is expected Wednesday.

-- In Spain, La Liga is reportedly planning to start testing players for the

coronavirus between Tuesday and Thursday, after which they would then be

able to resume individual training programmes within 48 hours.

-- Italy's footballers can now take part in individual training sessions as

the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures begin to ease. But Prime

Minister Giuseppe Conte will only allow teams to resume organised group

activities on May 18.

-- South Korea look certain to have the honour of being the first league

back in action. The season will start on May 8 but behind closed doors.

-- In France, Paris Saint-Germain were declared Ligue 1 champions after

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced professional sport could

not resume before September.

-- The Dutch football federation called an end to their season on April 24.

BASKETBALL

-- The NBA could complete its season on courts in Las Vegas convention

centres. Players and their families, plus other essential personnel, would

stay in a quarantined area in MGM hotels along the Las Vegas Strip while

practising and competing on courts in the same facilities.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Never give up on something that you canÂ’t go a day without thinking about. -

Winston Churchill