DUTERTE ON SCS: AVOID ESCALATING TENSIONMANILA — Expressing “serious concern” over recent incidents in the SouthChina Sea, President Duterte urged yesterday fellow members of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly parties to theSouth China Sea dispute, to refrain from escalating tension and abide withtheir responsibilities under international law.Participating in the 36th ASEAN Summit held via video conference, Dutertespecifically mentioned the need to abide by the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).In the midst of ongoing rivalry between the US and China, Duterte called forASEAN to remain united and defend “an open and rules-based internationalorder that gives all countries – large or small – not just one voice, but anequal standing.”Malacañang said the ASEAN leaders instructed ministers to craft acomprehensive recovery plan – one that will, hopefully, be innovative andambitious, leading to a greener and more sustainable future.Duterte and other leaders also expressed serious concern on the matter ofterrorism, while at least two leaders discussed the “continuing issue” onthe state of Rohingya over alleged human rights abuses.There was a consensus among leaders on the need to contain COVID-19.They also noted the shift to digitalization as means of ensuring continuityin business and the need to employ digital means for the trade sector.The leaders have adopted 12 outcome documents, including the ASEAN Leaders’Vision Statement on “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN,” ASEAN Declaration onHuman Resource Development for the Changing World of Work, Work Plan of theASEAN Plan of Action to Prevent and Counter the Rise of Radicalization andViolent Extremism 2019-2025, and the Terms of Reference of the ASEANTechnical and Vocational Training Council, among others.ASEAN SEEKS RETURN OF BUSINESS TRAVEL DOT CHIEF SEES RECOVERY OF PHILIPPINETOURISMMANILA — Resuming business travel within the Association of Southeast AsianNations was raised by at least three ASEAN heads of state, Malacañang said,as the grouping convened yesterday for a virtual summit to map out astrategy to revive regional growth stymied by the coronavirus disease 2019or COVID-19 pandemic.Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said business trips – if allowed toresume within ASEAN – will still be subject to strict quarantine and otherhealth protocols.Roque did not name the leaders who made the proposal.At yesterday’s 36th ASEAN summit, officials said the leaders sought economicintegration within the region to speed up the recovery from the COVID-19crisis, along with digitalization of trade and commerce.“And what’s needed – this is something discussed by at least three heads ofstate – is the reopening of the region to business travel subject toquarantine and other health restrictions,” Roque said at a press briefingyesterday from Davao City.In his intervention or remarks at the summit done via teleconference,Duterte said only “a cohesive and responsive ASEAN can help us all safelynavigate out of this perfect storm of a crisis.”“Greater cooperation and connectivity are vital for our region to thriveunder the new normal that COVID-19 imposes on all of us. It is in this lightthat I welcome our Plan of Action on strengthening economic cooperation andsupply chain connectivity, as well as the establishment of the ASEANCOVID-19 Response Fund,” the President said.CEBU CITY LIMITS MOVEMENT OF RESIDENTS WITH NEW NUMBER-CODED PASSESMANILA – Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella on Saturday said new quarantinepasses in the city now contain QR codes aimed to limit movement of residentsin an effort to curb the rising number of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) infections in the area.In an interview on ABS-CBN Teleradyo, Labella said that passes will beissued to one person per household and is non-transferable. The passes arenumber-coded, with the bearer allowed to go out of the house only on certaindays.“We divided them into 2 groups. 'Yung mga passes na ang QR code ng mgabarangay ends in odd numbers makalabas lang sila Lunes, Miyerkoles andBiyernes. 'Yun namang quarantine pass na ang ending ng QR code number ayeven, makalabas lang sila ng Martes, Huwebes at Sabado,” he said.No one would be allowed to leave their homes on a Sunday, not even for thepurpose of buying essential goods, unless it is an emergency situation, saidLabella.Earlier this week, local officials suspended quarantine passes given to250,000 out of the city’s 1.1 million residents to stem further spread ofthe virus.Labella admitted that they continue to struggle to bring down the level ofCOVID-19 infection in the city, particularly in very critical places such asinformal settlers’ areas where houses are only separated by walls.“This is a result of decades of neglect by former bureaucrats running thecity. Hindi talaga natingnan ang housing program sa city kaya ngayon isa itosa cause ng dumarami talaga,” he said.He said he saw the problem when he assumed office and immediately startedaround 2 to 3 four-storey vertical housing projects prior to the pandemic,where he will transfer families currently living in “sub-human conditions.”DOH COUNTS SUSPECT, PROBABLE COVID-19 DEATHS AS CONFIRMED CASESMANILA - Suspect and probable COVID-19 fatalities or those without aconfirmed positive test will now be included in the nationwide death tally,the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday, in an effort to gauge the truetoll of the outbreak."'Yung mga suspect, probable COVID-19 patients na namatay habang naghihintayng results nila are going to be considered as confirmed case when they arehandled," said Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, DOH director for health promotionand communication service.Those exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness, with travel history andexposure to a COVID-19 patient are considered suspect cases while patientswithout confirmed diagnosis are tagged as probable cases.Ho said there was insufficient evidence that testing those who died frompossible coronavirus infection would yield high results."In general, hindi rin po namin nire-recommend ang post-mortem testing parasa COVID-19 suspect or pag-test after nila pumanaw dahil wala pong sapat naebidensiya na mataas 'yung magiging yield no'ng kanilang test," she said.PHILIPPINES CORONAVIRUS CASES SURPASS 34,000; RECOVERIES CROSS 9,000MANILA - The Philippines on Friday reported another huge jump of coronaviruscases with 1,006 new infections, marking its third-highest daily case countsince the pandemic began in January.The new cases took the nationwide tally to 34,073, with the Department ofHealth (DOH) attributing the climb to expanded testing and communitytransmission in several areas.In its latest bulletin, the health department reported 788 “fresh cases” orthose validated within the past 3 days.112 AREAS NATIONWIDE UNDER LOCAL LOCKDOWNMANILA — Over a hundred areas nationwide have been placed under localizedlockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19,according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the government sees the localized lockdownin areas where there is a concentration of positive and suspected cases asthe “best approach” in containing the pandemic.“Localized lockdown is like hitting COVID-19 at its source, which has beenproven to be effective, especially in the 112 areas where it is currentlybeing implemented. It really works since the hot zones are secluded from therest of the community, hence, stopping the transmission to othercommunities,” Año said in a statement before the weekend.The Cordillera Administrative Region leads the regions with the most numberof areas under localized lockdown, with 67 areas, which the DILG said hashelped keep the number of positive cases in the region low.Cebu City is second with 19 communities under tight watch, 18 in MetroManila, five in Cagayan de Oro City and one each in the provinces of Cavite,Quezon and Leyte.DOH SAYS COVID-19 PATIENTS NO LONGER INFECTIOUS AFTER 10 DAYSMANILA -- New Department of Health (DOH) guidelines now allow the dischargeof COVID-19 patients with no more symptoms after at least 10 days, based onstudies showing evidence that they are no longer infectious after thatperiod.The revised "symptoms-based" approach is expected to increase the number ofrecoveries in the Philippines, said Health Undersecretary Maria RosarioVergeire.Under the old system, patients were cleared only after 2 consecutivenegative results using RT-PCR tests, a highly sensitive process that coulddetect traces of the coronavirus even if they were no longer infectious, shesaid."Hindi naman sasabihin ng RT-PCR sa'yo kung ang tao'y nakakapanghawa pa ohindi na. Ang sasabihin lang ng RT-PCR, nade-detect ko pa tung virus sa loobng katawan mo," she said in an online press conference.Vergeire explained the new protocol, saying: "As long as the patient doesnot exhibit symptoms at all, 3 days na, and naka-reach na rin sya ng 10thday nya nung sakit nya, maaari na syang i-clear ng kanyang physician napwede na syang umuwi."A new set of criteria released by the World Health Organization (WHO) sayspatients may be released 10 days after they first showed symptoms "plus atleast 3 additional days without symptoms.""With these updated guidelines, makaka-dagdag ito dun sa recoveries natinkasi nga hindi na natin kailangan hintayin magpa-test yung tao bago masabi natin na recovered sya," said Vergeire.BILL ON AUTO REGISTRATION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES FILEDMANILA — The Philippines may soon join other advanced economies across theglobe in encouraging the use of pollution-free electric vehicles (EVs) asmeasures are in place to amend its antiquated policy of accrediting onlygas-fed motor engines.House Bill 4075 (Electric Vehicle and Charging Stations Act) authored byAbra Rep. Joseph Sto. Nino Bernos is now undergoing deliberations at thecommittee on energy of the House of Representatives headed by MarinduqueRep. Lord Allan Velasco.“We need to reduce the dependence on imported fuel for the transport sectorand carbon emissions that affect health and conduct of commerce in thecountry,” Bernos said, as he encouraged the manufacture, importation andutilization of EVs.THE REST========5 MAYORS TOP COVID RESPONSE PERFORMERSMANILA — Mayors Vico Sotto of Pasig City, Joy Belmonte of Quezon City andIsko Moreno of Manila are the top performers in their response to thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, according to a recent survey.The three neophyte local chief executives topped the survey of RP-Missionand Development Foundation Inc. (RPDinc) among 3,000 respondents aged 18 to70 from June 10 to 15.Leading the pack is Sotto, who garnered an approval rating of 86 percentamong the 177 residents in Pasig who took part in the survey.The city government of Pasig, under Sotto’s leadership, has raised P1.2billion for the procurement of laptops and tablets for public schoolteachers and students in the city.Belmonte ranked second with an 80 percent approval rating. Among the recentaccomplishments under her watch is providing temporary shelters for healthcare workers and alternative livelihood programs for displaced publicutility vehicle drivers.She has also orderd a crackdown and investigation on people who are behindscheme giving out persons with disability identification cards to well-offfamilies.Moreno, meanwhile, ranked third with a 78 percent approval rating amongManila residents. Yesterday, he led the opening of the city’s own reversetranscription-polymerase chain reaction testing center at the Sta. AnaHospital for persons with COVID-19 symptoms.Rounding up the top five are Mayor Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina with anapproval rating of 74 percent and Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian with 72percent.“The survey was conducted with the intention to reassess the efforts done bythe local government units and its officials amidst the coronaviruspandemic,” RPDinc said in a statement.NEARLY A MONTH INTO GCQ, GOV'T UNCERTAIN ON JEEPNEY'S FATEMANILA — The return of jeepneys on the road next week is anything butcertain with transport officials still unable to provide clear plans howFilipinos’ iconic vehicles will carry passengers, and drivers allowed toearn a living, nearly a month under a more relaxed quarantine regime.Almost like a script, transport agencies, when asked, have repeatedly citedhealth risks on riding the “King of the Road” while the threat ofcoronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection persists. A solution proposedis a shift to a modernized public utility vehicle (PUV) under a programwhere drivers, getting fuel subsidies from the government, are asked to paybank loans slapped with 6% interest.Apart from infection control, the Department of Transportation also insistedon a “hierarchy” of transport systems, under which jeepneys and UV Expressvans come in last because they carry the least passengers— even as smallertricycles, supervised by cities and municipalities, are already back sinceJune 1.“Following the hierarchy of transport, traditional jeepneys may be allowedto operate starting next week, when there is a lack in supply of buses,modern PUVs and UV Express,” said Vicky Apacible, the agency’sofficer-in-charge for communications.“Provided, that they comply with roadworthiness standards, as well ashealth, safety, sanitation, and security protocols,” Apacible said in a textmessage on Thursday evening.54 PCG PERSONNEL GET CORONAVIRUSMANILA — At least 54 employees of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) testedpositive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an official saidyesterday.Forty-two personnel have recovered while 12 are recovering, PCG commandantVice Adm. George Ursabia said during yesterday’s Laging Handa program.He said the 12 personnel in recovery are “asymptomatic” and he is optimisticthat they will fully recover.The PCG has required the conduct of regular reverse transcription-polymerasechain reaction testing of its employees since the agency tied up with othergovernment agencies in providing services to repatriated overseas Filipinoworkers and locally stranded individuals who wish to go back to their homeprovinces.FORMER ACTOR AND SENATOR RAMON REVILLA SR. PASSES AWAYMANILA - Former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr. has died, his son and namesake Sen.Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. said Friday.Revilla Jr. said the family patriarch "succumbed to heart failure" at 5:20p.m., nearly 2 months after the former senator was brought to the hospitaldue to breathing problems."He is now free from physical pain and is in the loving arms of ourCreator," he said in a separate statement."Thank you very much for the love and prayers, as we ask for continuousprayers for the eternal repose of his soul," the senator added.Revilla Sr. was known as "Hari ng mga Agimat" (King of Amulets) inPhilippine showbiz.He first suffered a stroke and underwent angioplasty in 2008.In February 2017, he had a successful heart surgery and was able tocelebrate his 90th birthday in March 2017, a star-studded party attended byfamily and old friends from showbiz and politics.The wake of the Revilla patriarch will be held at the family's compound inBacoor City, Cavite starting Saturday at 1 p.m."The family requests the public to give them and close friends time togrieve privately until further notice," the family said in a statement.SOME PRIVATE SCHOOLS CUT FEES, DEFER TUITION HIKESMANILA — Despite additional expenses for the shift to blended or distancelearning, some private schools have decided to either reduce fees or haltplans to increase tuition next school year.In a statement, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations(COCOPEA) said its members recognize the financial difficulties of manyfamilies affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.It said many of their members have either reduced fees, withdrew applicationfor increases or deferred scheduled hikes for the upcoming school year.And, as the education system adopts blended learning methods to protectstudents from the coronavirus, Sen. Bong Go urged the Department ofEducation (DepEd) to draw an action plan to address the concerns ofFilipinos for school year 2020-2021.He also reminded agencies to work together to provide for alternative andremote learning methods that can ensure access to education even forstudents who have no internet connection.Teachers, Go added, must be given sufficient training in the use of variousmultimedia platforms for teaching as well as in providing psychosocialsupport to students.In ensuring tuition would not be hiked for the incoming school year,Federation of Associations of Private Schools Administrators presidentEleazardo Kasilag pointed out that many of the COCOPEA members are afraidthat enrollment would plunge, with some considering temporary closure untilface-to-face classes can be resumed.Not only will there be no tuition hike, “most of us even scrappedmiscellaneous fees,” he told The STAR.ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLELUIS, JESSY MARK 4TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SWEET PHOTOSMANILA -- Admittedly, they've had their downs.But there's no doubt that Luis Manzano and Jessy Mendiola are still verymuch in love with one another, exchanging sweet posts on Instagram thisFriday to mark four years as a couple.For his anniversary message, Manzano shared a few photos of him cozying upwith Mendiola, whom he refers to as "howhow," with the caption: "4 years ofups, downs... and so much more!"Mendiola, for her part, posted a snap of them watching a sunset together.She wrote: "Happy 4th anniversary. I love you."The actress also shared on Instagram Stories that Manzano sent her a bouquetof roses.Manzano and Mendiola first went public about their relationship back in July2016. They have been vocal about the idea of settling down.SPORTSVINCE CARTER OFFICIALLY RETIRES AFTER 22 YEARS IN NBAMANILA — Vince Carter has officially announced his retirement following arecord 22 seasons in the NBA.On his podcast "Winging It With Vince Carter", the 43-year-old made itofficial that he was hanging up his jersey for good."I'm officially done playing basketball professionally," Carter said.Carter's final year in the NBA was cut short after the 2019-20 season wassuspended early March due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.His current squad, the Atlanta Hawks, were not invited to the NBA's returnwith only 22 teams going to Orlando, Florida to play the rest of the delayedseason.Carter's final NBA game came on March 11 (March 12, Manila time) rightbefore the league announced the season suspension.