DUTERTE: METRO MANILA UNDER GCQ ON JUNE 1

MANILA — Metro Manila and several other areas in Luzon will transition to a

general community quarantine (GCQ) starting June 1, with the option for

local areas with a high risk of coronavirus contagion to again tighten

quarantine restrictions.

In a televised address last night, President Duterte said the National

Capital Region; Cagayan Valley; Central Luzon; the provinces of Cavite,

Laguna, Batangas and Quezon (Region 4-A); the provinces of Pangasinan and

Albay as well as Davao City would be placed under GCQ “until we have

reviewed the general situation.”

The rest of the country will be under modified general community quarantine

or MGCQ.

“Let us move to the so-called new normal,” he said.

Duterte announced his decision after hours of meeting with the Inter-Agency

Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“We are not happy to put you in this place,” he told the nation, adding that

the decision was reached in line with the recommendation of the IATF. “We

are doing this because the interest of the nation calls for it, demands for

it.”

He stressed the importance of continuing to wear face masks in public, to

protect oneself and others from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and

to abide by health safety measures such as physical distancing.

From May 15 to 31, Cebu City and Mandaue City had been placed under ECQ,

while Metro Manila and seven other provinces in Luzon were under MECQ.

“In other areas, it will be, again, on a piecemeal basis, depending on the

viability of the place to meet the challenges of COVID. But from time to

time, Secretary (Harry) Roque will give us the places where there will be

changes,” Duterte said, referring to his spokesman.

COVID CASES REGISTER BIGGEST JUMP

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday the highest

number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in a span of 24

hours, with 539.

At the peak of the pandemic last March 31, a total of 538 cases were posted

in a day.

The DOH attributed the surge in daily new COVID cases to the improving

capacity to validate laboratory test results.

“These new cases we reported came from those that we have

validated. The number will still rise since we have able to hire additional

encoders to validate data,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire

said.

Vergeire, however, said the so-called “doubling time” of COVID-19 cases and

mortalities nationwide has slowed down.

Vergeire said the slowdown in COVID case and mortality rates served as basis

for the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)Â’s

recommendation to place Metro Manila and other considered high risk areas

under general community quarantine (GCQ).

From two to three days, Vergeire said case and mortality doubling time rose

to five and then now about seven days.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO RESUME IN 2 PHASES UNDER GENERAL QUARANTINE

MANILA -- More public transportation modes will be allowed in areas where

pandemic restrictions will be downgraded to a general community quarantine

or GCQ, the government said Friday.

From June 1 to 21, permitted train and bus augmentation units, taxis,

ride-hailing cars, point-to-point buses, shuttle services and bicycles will

be allowed to operate a limited capacity, the Department of Transportation

said in a statement.

Tricycles will be allowed subject to approval of local government units

while provincial buses are still barred from entering Metro Manila, it said.

For the second phase, which will run from June 22 to June 30, public utility

buses, modern jeepneys and UV express vans will be allowed to operate, the

agency said.

"In the adoption of these guidelines in areas under GCQ, there will be two

phases to be executed for allowing the operation of the different modes of

public transportation," the DOTr said in an advisory.

The agency also reiterated the new normal protocols for the transport

sector, which include:

• Mandatory wearing of face masks

• Use of cashless payments

• Use of thermal scanners

• Availability of alcohols and sanitizers in PUVs

• Disinfection of high-touch surfaces

• Establishment of disinfection facilities in terminals

• Contact tracing

• One meter social distance rule inside all PUVs

Automatic fare collection, cashless payments and electronic toll collection,

will be employed to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, the DOTr said.

DUTERTE URGES LANDLORDS, LESSORS TO ALLOW DELAY IN PAYMENTS

MANILA - In a changed tone, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday appealed

to landlords and lessors to allow a delay in payments from their tenants and

lessees amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Due to the lockdown placed since March in parts of the Philippines to curb

the fast-spreading COVID-19, most workers and businessmen were forced to

stop their normal operations, leading to loss of income.

"Ako nakikiusap, nagmamakaawa dahil nga...how are you supposed to pay? Maawa

naman kayo sa mga kababayan natin. Let us help one another," Duterte said in

a briefing in Malacañang streamed online.

The President said that if delay in payments won't "spell bankruptcy" for

landlords and lessors, they can use their savings for the meantime for their

needs.

"Tiisin na lang ninyo with nothing except your savings to tide you over," he

said.

'WE ARE IN FULL SOLIDARITY': CALIFORNIA CITY COUNCIL BACKS ABS-CBN FRANCHISE

RENEWAL

MANILA — The city council of Daly, California urged Philippine lawmakers to

grant ABS-CBN Corp. a fresh 25-year franchise that would allow it to give

Filipinos abroad "connection to the homeland."

About 34 percent of the city's 100,000 people have Philippine roots, making

Daly one of the largest Filipino settlements in the US, said the council in

a letter dated May 27 to Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, chairperson of the

House legislative franchises committee that started tackling the proposed

license for ABS-CBN last week.

Daly has "witnessed the connection through ABS-CBN TFC (The Filipino

Channel)," wrote the council.

Marginalized communities in the Philippines should have "access to

information at these critical times in human history and even more so during

a health pandemic," the council told Alvarez.

ABS-CBN — which regulators forced off air last May 5, a day after its

franchise expired — reaches millions of Filipinos through its television,

radio and internet platforms.

"Without ABS-CBN present in the Philippines, there will be a void for so

many, and a feeling of losing a piece of themselves as it has been such an

integral part of millions of Filipinos' daily life," said the Daly council.

It said it hoped that when lawmakers resume their hearing on Monday, they

would "understand that Filipinos are watching globally and that we are in

full solidarity for a 25-year franchise agreement for ABS-CBN."

DON'T RUSH TO SCHOOL ON JUNE 1, DEPED TELLS PARENTS

MANILA - Parents should not rush to schools to enroll their kids on June 1,

an education official said Friday, after Malacañang confirmed the start of

enrollment.

Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno A. Malaluan said the Department of

Education has asked schools to contact students on the proper procedure for

registration and enrollment to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Do not go to school on June 1...Wait for the call. On Monday they do not

need to go to schools. They will wait in their homes," he told TeleRadyo.

The DepEd confirmed opening of school year 2020-2021 will push through on

August 24. Since physical classes are unsafe due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

the DepEd has finalized 3 alternative learning methods or "distance learning

modalities".

One is that printed or digital modules can be delivered to the home of

students or picked up by their parents at designated areas.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones also proposed using online learning

platforms, which have been used by schools during the earlier months of the

coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines. Briones said students can use the

DepEd Commons, the department's own online learning resource.

"Right now we have over 7 million subscribers, wherein lessons homework,

quizzes and tips to learners and teachers are all in DepEd Commons and are

accessible even to the parents," she said.

Another method she proposed is television or radio-based instruction.

JAPAN'S SUMITOMO JOINS PANGILINAN-AYALA CONSORTIUM FOR LRT-1

MANILA -- Japan's Sumitomo Corp is joining the Pangilinan-Ayala consortium

that operates the Philippine capital's oldest elevated rail, LRT-1, as a

strategic stakeholder, one of the Filipino partners said Friday.

Sumitomo acquired a 34.9-percent stake in Metro Pacific Investment Corp's

unit that has a stake in Light Rail Manila Corp, Pangilinan-led MPIC told

the stock exchange.

Light Rail Manila, a consortium of MPIC, Ayala Corp and Macquarie

Investments Holdings, has a 32-year concession from Sept. 12, 2015 to

maintain and operate the LRT-1. It ferries on average half a million riders

daily.

"This investment by Sumitomo is a welcome illustration in their belief in

the future of this project. We are all eager to resume operations of LRT-1

when the current extended quarantine is released," MPIC Chairman Manuel

Pangilinan said.

Metro Manila will shift to a general community quarantine on Monday after

nearly 80 days on lockdown. Under the GCQ, the LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3 can

resume with strict physical distancing measures.

An extension project that will bring the LRT-1's southern tip to Cavite from

Baclaran is underway.

Sumitomo is helping the Philippine government rehabilitate the capital's

busiest train line, the MRT-3.

OVER 300 HOSPITALS ON VERGE OF CLOSURE

MANILA — More than 300 small private hospitals are in danger of closing down

due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic and

the failure of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to release

insurance claims, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc.

(PHAPi) revealed.

Rustico Jimenez, president of the 744-member PHAPi, said some members have

already partially stopped operations, with only the emergency rooms still

open.

“Among our members, about 50 percent are about to close,” Jimenez said in an

interview with “The Chiefs” aired on One News/TV 5 on Wednesday night.

“There are many factors,” he explained. “Number one, there are only a few

patients going to non-COVID facilities because they are scared. Coupled with

that is the much delayed payment from PhilHealth.”

Jimenez said only 46 percent of their members have so far received the

payment that PhilHealth said it had advanced.

Among the members that have yet to receive payments from PhilHealth are

those in Lanao, Iloilo, Bulacan and Batangas, including those affected by

the eruption of Taal Volcano in January.

PhilHealth reimbursements, he said, would enable the small hospitals to

continue operating amid the impact of the pandemic.

He also expressed hope that more private hospitals in the provinces would be

accredited to conduct testing for COVID.

THE REST

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PNR TO KEEP FARES UNCHANGED DESPITE PROJECTED REVENUE HIT

MANILA — The Philippine National Railways will keep its current fares

unchanged even if safety protocols against the novel coronavirus are

expected to slash revenue, an official said Friday.

PNR's 3-car trains, which have a carrying capacity of 750, will only ferry

143 passengers at a time when operations resume on June 1, the first day of

the looser general community quarantine in Metro Manila, said the railway's

Acting Assistant General Manager Ces Lauta.

This is expected to result in an 80-percent loss from PNR's monthly revenue

average of P25 million, she said.

"Dati lang po ang ating pamasahe. Iyan po ang suporta sa hakbang ng

pamahalaan. Ito rin po ang tulong ng pamahalaan sa ating mga kababayan,"

Lauta told DZMM.

The railway, which runs from Tutuban, Manila to Los Baños, Laguna, will

require passengers to pass through foot baths, handwashing stations and

thermal scanners, she said.

The PNR has 6 new trains and 5 other trains that have been operating since

the 1990s, said Lauta.

Aside from trains, bus augmentation units, taxis, ride-hailing cars,

point-to-point buses, shuttle services and bicycles will be allowed to

operate a limited capacity from June 1 to 21, the first phase of public

transport resumption, authorities said.

Tricycles will be allowed subject to the approval of local government units

while provincial buses are still barred from entering Metro Manila, the

Department of Transportation said.

For the second phase that will run from June 22 to June 30, public utility

buses, modern jeepneys and UV express vans will be allowed to operate, the

agency said.

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES READIES PROTOCOLS FOR FLIGHT RESUMPTION

MANILA - Philippine Airlines said Friday it was working with authorities on

safety protocols as it prepared to resume operations on June 1, when Metro

Manila and other urban centers further loosen pandemic restrictions.

The flag carrier said it was working with authorities on safety protocols to

finalize routes and flight schedules.

The airline said it would inform the public of the final operating schedule

as soon as it is finalized.

Acrylic barriers in check-in counters, social distancing managers, intensive

aircraft disinfection, hepa filters and personal protective equipment for

flight crew are some of the new normal for the airline, it said.

Metro Manila will be under general community quarantine or GCQ starting June

1. Public transport will gradually start to operate in phases, the transport

department said.

SC: MORE THAN 22,000 DETAINEES RELEASED SINCE LOCKDOWN

MANILA — The Philippine Judiciary has released more than 22,000 detainees

through videoconferencing since the lockdown was enforced, Court

Administrator Midas Marquez said.

Marquez said that 1,350 trial courts were able to conduct 3,201

videoconferencing hearings while parts of the country are placed under

community quarantine. The trials resulted in the release of 22,522 persons

deprived of liberty (PDLs) since the lockdown.

The court administrator disclosed this in a webinar hosted by the Judicial

Integrity Network in ASEAN, the Supreme Court Public Information Office said

in a statement Friday.

The inmates were released “either through bail or recognizance, or after

serving the minimum imposable penalty for the crime they were charged,” SC

said.

‘NOT GIVING UP’: PHILTOA SETS EVENT PLANS TO JUMPSTART DOMESTIC TOURISM

UNDER ‘NEW NORMAL’

MANILA — As early as May, the Philippines Tour Operators Association said

that it is already coming up with plans to jumpstart the tourism of the

country in the context of the so-called new normal.

In a webinar last week, PHILTOA president Cesar Cruz said his group,

composed of some 400 tour operators and travel agency members, have been

communicating virtually in the past two months to update each other on their

situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the government-imposed lockdown.

Cruz said the group has embraced virtual technology and are updating

situation in each destination where their members are located.

Although crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruz said the group is

optimistic and have already scheduled events that would jumpstart the

domestic tourism and fire up the “consciousness” of the traveling public.

“We are not giving up,” he said during the “Re-imagining Food Tourism”

webinar hosted by the Department of Tourism and the World Food Expo.

Philippine Travel Mart to push through

The group said it planned on coming up with the virtual version of the

Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) by October and a physical version by December.

The PTM is longest-running annual travel exhibition that helps promote

domestic and inbound tourism by showcasing tour product offerings to both

local and foreign visitors. This yearÂ’s 31st edition was initially announced

to be held from September 4 to 6 at the SMX Convention Center.

“We believe that we have to start travel activity before the end of the year

to bring back again that kind of consciousness for our traveling public.

Having this kind of show would more or less slowly generate again that kind

of consciousness for our traveling public to go traveling again outside of

their homes,” Cruz said.

“This will be done within the context of new normal,” he added.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

WATCH: FIRST TRAILER FOR JO KOY'S NEW NETFLIX SPECIAL SHOT IN PH

MANILA -- "Every element of this show is Filipino."

That's the promise Filipino-American comedy star Jo Koy made in the trailer

for his new, upcoming Netflix special, "In His Elements," which was shot

back when he visited Manila early this year.

Released this Thursday, the trailer features some of the quips he threw

during a show at Solaire, him eating adobo with a friend, and a glimpse of

the Filipino talent on show, including a young rapper, hip-hop dancers,

local comedians, and Kapamilya star Inigo Pascual.

"Jo Koy: In His Elements" is scheduled to premiere on Netflix this June 12.

SPORTS

FOOTBALL: ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE TO RESTART ON JUNE 17, REPORTS BBC

The Premier League season is set to restart on June 17, three months after

it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, British media reported on

Thursday.

No matches have been played since Leicester's 4-0 win over Aston Villa on

March 9.

Top-flight clubs voted unanimously in favor of a return to contact training

on Wednesday and were meeting again on Thursday to discuss issues such as

the restart date.

The BBC reported that the first two matches would be Aston Villa v Sheffield

United and Manchester City v Arsenal. The matches are the two games in hand.

A full fixture list would then be played on the weekend of June 19-21.

PBA: SAN MIGUEL CORP. TEAMS UNDERGO COVID-19 SWAB TESTING

Players and members of the coaching staff of Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel

Beer, and Magnolia underwent swab testing to make sure they are COVID-19

free.

"Yes, all of our players and coaches got tested," said San Miguel team

manager Gee Abanilla in an article posted on the PBA website. (LINK ON PBA

WEBSITE

https://pba.ph/news/players-coaches-of-smc-teams-undergo-covid-19-test)

"It was all right. A bit uncomfortable but bearable. No need to get scared

of."

The swab testing was done at an undisclosed hospital Wednesday.

This is part of the conglomerate's plan to have all of its 70,000 employees

tested for the coronavirus.

"We are doing this in phases. The success with which we can quickly test a

large percentage of our employee population over the next few weeks will be

a key consideration in the timelines of our overall return-to-work plan,"

said SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang, who said the company is setting up

its own laboratory to process test results.

"Currently, we are working with partner laboratories to process the tests,

but once our lab is up, we expect to be able to process more tests quickly

so we don't burden the system and we can take care of our employees."

Ang also offered to have all PBA personnel tested.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We must not indulge in unfavorable views of mankind, since by doing it we

make bad men believe that they are no worse than others, and we teach the

good that they are good in vain. - Walter Savage Landor