LOCSIN: FILIPINOS LEAVING SABAH SHOULD NOT BE CALLED REPATRIATES

MANILA - Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday said

Filipinos leaving Sabah due to the COVID-19 pandemic should not be called

repatriates.

In a virtual interview on "Usapang Community Quarantine" by former

diplomatic beat reporter Malou Talosig-Bartolome, the top Philippine

diplomat said the virus crisis should not be politicized amid a

long-standing dispute over Sabah, a territory east of MalaysiaÂ’s northern

Borneo and southwest of the Philippines' Sulu.

"When this COVID-19 was starting and Zamboanga was getting quite a lot

infections from Filipinos leaving Sabah to go to Zamboanga, I told the

ambassador, 'Don't you dare call them repatriates,'" he said, referring

apparently to the Malaysian envoy to the Philippines.

"You just say you're moving Filipinos from one place to the other. Don't you

dare call them that and he has not."

Authorities earlier said some 5,300 Filipinos were expected to return to the

Philippines from Sabah.

Locsin said those facilitating the transfer of Filipinos from Sabah were the

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Organization

for Migration (IOM).

"They [UNDP/IOM] never say anything. They are moving human beings from one

place to another and let's keep it that way," he said.

"Let's not use the misery of people regardless of nationality as an excuse

to assert something that might piss me off."

'GASOLINE IS NOT DISINFECTANT,' CHEMISTS SAY AFTER DUTERTE REMARK

MANILA — Don’t use gasoline as a disinfectant.

This is the stern warning of Filipino chemists to public after President

Rodrigo Duterte once again told people in a televised speech that gasoline

can be used as a disinfectant.

“Gasoline must not be used as a disinfectant,” the Integrated Chemists of

the Philippines said in a Facebook post, adding this can be harmful to

humans when inhaled.

The advisory came a few hours after Duterte said Filipinos can use “gaas”

(kerosene) as a disinfectant if alcohol is not available.

“Totoo ‘yang sinabi ko [sa] alcohol. Pag walang alcohol [na] available,

hindi ka naman puwede lalo na kung mahirap. Magpunta ka na lang diyan sa

gasoline station, pagkatapos magpatulo ng—that’s disinfectant,” the

president, who is a lawyer by profession, said.

There is no evidence that gasoline can disinfect face masks or kill the

virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The United States Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention said that repeated or prolonged skin

contact with liquid gasoline can degrease the skin, causing irritation and

dermatitis.

First- and second-degree skin burns can also occur from continuous contact

with liquid gasoline for several hours, the US CDC added.

DA OFFERS P5.5 BILLION IN LOANS FOR SMALL, MEDIUM 'AGRIPRENEURS'

MANILA - Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Friday said his department

would allot P5.5 billion in loans for small and medium entrepreneurs in the

agricultural sector.

Dar said in a webinar that among all micro, small and medium enterprises in

the country, only 1 percent is composed of those involved in agriculture,

forestry and fishing.

With the country facing the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges in rice

sufficiency, he said it was time to “unlock the sector of agriculture,

through agribusiness,” citing current loan programs being offered to

different sectors of the society through the Agricultural Credit Policy

Council or ACPC.

The Survival and Recovery Program or SURE AID aims to provide emergency

financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk affected by calamities or

disasters. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was expanded to provide

financial assistance to about 40,000 small farmers and fisherfolk.

Under the program, there is the “Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat” (ALPAS), which

aims to provide financial assistance to 150 to 200 or more micro and small

enterprises, depending on their loan amount, according to ACPC executive

director Jocelyn Badiola.

As of last April, ACPC has released loans to a total of 164,274

beneficiaries.

Small farmers and fishers who are registered in the Registry System for

Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) may apply for loans of up to P25,000.

It is payable for up to 10 years with zero interest and no collateral.

The RSBSA is a database of farmers, fisherfolk and farm laborers that is

used by the DA and its attached agencies and bureaus in identifying

beneficiaries of its various programs.

Micro and small enterprises, on the other hand, may take loans of up to P10

million. It is payable for up to 5 years with zero interest.

NCR STILL UNDER GCQ; QUARANTINE EASED IN CEBU

MANILA — After strengthening their healthcare capacity and strictly

enforcing health standards and quarantine rules, the cities of Cebu, Mandaue

and Lapu Lapu – all in Cebu province – will be under general community

quarantine (GCQ) beginning today, from the stricter modified enhanced

community quarantine (MECQ) in the last two weeks.

President Duterte made the announcement yesterday in a recorded televised

address wherein he also bared his decision to keep Metro Manila and some

provinces in Central Luzon and the Southern Tagalog region under GCQ status

until Aug. 15, based on recommendation by the Inter-Agency Task Force for

the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Thursday.

Other areas in Luzon under GCQ are Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and

Rizal; in Mindanao, Zamboanga City is under GCQ.

“In the case of Cebu, the province shall be placed under MGCQ except for the

City of Talisay and municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion, which

shall remain under GCQ, with strict enforcement of indicated local actions,

to be monitored by the NTF,” an IATF resolution read.

After announcing the status for the next two weeks, Duterte reminded

everyone to avoid unnecessary trips and to observe minimum health standards

to avoid contamination to “shorten your (experience in) purgatory.”

He said the problem will be never-ending if the people wonÂ’t abide by

measures laid down to contain the virus. He also assured the public that the

government is ready to buy the vaccines by end of the year once they become

available.

Duterte expressed hope the novel coronavirus will not mutate and pose bigger

problems.

The IATF also issued guidelines to local government units of NCR and Region

4-A for addressing areas identified with high community transmission. The

guidelines call for strict implementation of localized lockdown/ECQ in

barangays with 80 percent of cases.

All highly urbanized cities and the municipality of Pateros shall continue

to be under GCQ.

TELCOS BLAME LGUS FOR SLOW TOWER ROLLOUT

MANILA — Slow internet?

To build just one telecommunications tower, companies need to secure from 25

to 30 permits mostly from local government units (LGUs), with the process

taking an average of eight months, a Globe Telecom executive told President

Duterte at Malacañang.

This prompted Duterte to order government agencies to speed up the process.

In a televised address aired yesterday, he also urged telcos to identify

government officials responsible for the red tape in the processing of

applications for thousands of telcos towers.

Sen. Grace Poe on Thursday also urged telcos to reveal corrupt officials and

regulators blocking or delaying the processing of permits.

A telco official who requested anonymity, however, told The STAR before the

weekend that the companies feared retaliation if they identify the local

officials, which could make it even more difficult to secure the permits.

“Customers will then complain about no signal or poor services. It’s really

a difficult situation for us,” the official said.?

Duterte has ordered concerned agencies to act on the complaints of

telecommunications company on the bureaucratic red tape in securing permits

to be able to construct telecom towers in the country.

Duterte issued the order to the Department of the Interior and Local

Government and key agencies to make sure that these issues are threshed out

to make sure that there will be better service before his term ends in 2022.

NEW RECORD-HIGH: OVER 4,000 MORE COVID-19 CASES RECORDED AS GOV'T EXTENDS

QUARANTINE

MANILA — The Department of Health on Friday reported 4,063 additional

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, the highest number of cases reported in a

single day since the start of the pandemic.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 93,354. It means the

country has exceeded the University of the Philippines OCTA Research GroupÂ’s

updated estimate of 90,000 for the end of July.

The announcement came several hours after the government announced the

extension of the relatively relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) in

Metro Manila despite the continued rise in cases.

It was also a day after the DOH announced more than 38,000 additional

recovered patients due to “data reconciliation,” which brought down

drastically the countryÂ’s number of active cases.

“Of the 4,063 additional cases reported today, 3,813 (94 percent) occurred

in July,” the DOH said.

The top regions with cases in July were:

NCR: 2,153 cases (56 percent)

Region 7: 558 cases (15 percent)

Region 4A: 492 cases (13 percent)

For Friday, the DOH reported 165 additional recoveries or a total of 65,178

recovered patients.

There are also 40 additional coronavirus-related deaths or a total of 2,023

fatalities.

THE REST

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MILD, ASYMPTOMATIC CASES AS RECOVERED PATIENTS? DOH SAYS OTHER COUNTRIES

FOLLOW SAME CRITERIA

MANILA — The Department of Health on Friday explained that the

implementation of “time-based tagging” or “mass recovery adjustment” where

mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients are declared recovered after 14 days

of quarantine is at par with international standards.

This followed its announcement of record-high recoveries of some 38,075

coronavirus patients on Thursday, which prompted doubt and drew questions

from the public on how DOH handles critical COVID-19 data.

“'Yung clinical criteria hindi siya masyadong different from other criteria

or countries,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters

during a virtual forum. “'Pag nakita ng physician na na-resolve ang symptoms

we can already classify as clinically recovered.”

Vergeire said this a day after the DOH announced 38,075 additional recovered

COVID-19 patients, of which 37,166 are from “Oplan Recovery” or the

departmentÂ’s data reconciliation efforts with local government units.

The said campaign resulted in the re-tagging of mild and asymptomatic

patients as recovered, based on the criteria that they have already spent at

least 14 days in quarantine.

“Across countries, repeat testing is no longer required,” she added,

responding to those asking why the Philippines stopped re-testing patients.

WEARING OF FACE SHIELDS TO BE REQUIRED IN METRO MANILA, CALABARZON

MANILA — As the government extended general community quarantine in Metro

Manila and Calabarzon until August 15, the COVID-19 task force announced

that it would be amending minimum health standards in these areas to include

the wearing of face shields on top of face masks.

"We will have stringent enforcement of minimum health standards, these are

the washing of hands, wearing of masks, and social distancing. And the

wearing of [face shields], there are now four minimum health standards,"

COVID-19 task force spokesman Harry Roque said in Filipino during a

televised inter-agency meeting with the president.

He added that these heightened standards are being placed on Metro Manila

and Calabarzon due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections and

hospitalizations in the regions.

Roque did not mention when the additional requirement of wearing face

shields would take effect but stressed that it was one of the

"conditionalities" for the continued placement of these areas under GCQ.

Under IATF Resolution 60, local government units of Metro Manila and

Calabarzon shall implement the following measures in areas with high

community transmission:

EXHAUSTED HEALTH WORKERS WANT 'BREATHING SPACE', SEEK METRO MANILA'S RETURN

TO ECQ

MANILA – Health workers overwhelmed by the surge in cases of coronavirus

disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients needing hospital care are urging government

to give them at least 2 weeks of “breathing space” by shifting Metro Manila

back to a strict lockdown.

This as COVID-19 cases in the country, mostly in Metro Manila, surged this

month as government relaxed quarantine restrictions to revive the crippled

economy. On Friday, over 4,000 cases, another single-day record, was

reported.

“Rekomendasyon namin, ibalik tayo sa ECQ kahit panandalian lamang, mga 2

linggo, bigyan nÂ’yo lang kami ng breathing space. Kasi kami po ang naririyan

sa battlefield, kami po 'yung humaharap at nakakakita ng nangyayari.

Kailangang pakinggan kami ng gobyerno,” said Dr. Maricar Limpin, Vice

President of the Philippine College of Physicians.

In an interview on ABS-CBN Teleradyo, Limpin said exhausted health care

workers- from doctors down to ambulance drivers- were also getting infected

by the highly contagious virus.

As of this week, over 4,500 doctors, nurses and other health care workers

have contracted the disease.

“Kung kami po ay napapagod na, huwag ninyong hintayin na bumagsak lahat

kami. 'Pag bumagsak lahat kami papaano na po mamamayang Pilipino?” said

Limpin.

She said they fear the day when hospitals and health care workers all bog

down due to the rising number of COVID-19 patients that need treatment,

especially as more sectors are reopening due to a more relax lockdown

status.

“Bubulusok dami ng taong magkakaroon ng COVID-19 at ang pinakamahirap dyan,

marami tayong itataboy na pasyente dahil ‘di na kakayanin ng ospital na

tumanggap pa ng higit sa kung ano meron tayo,” she said.

FACULTY TRAINING FOR ONLINE EDUCATION TO START

MANILA — The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde will hold a five-day

training program next week to prepare college educators to adjust to an

online learning environment for the upcoming school year.

Benilde vice chancellor for academics Geronio Ulayao said the free training

program would benefit around 480 faculty members from 120 higher education

institutions across the country.

The training, which will be held online from Aug. 3 to 7, is part of the

HiEd Bayanihan initiative of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

“Based on the need that was expressed to us by CHED, we are prioritizing

schools that have no capabilities for institution-wide implementation of a

learning management program,” Ulayao told “The Chiefs” on One News/TV 5 on

Thursday.

“We will provide tips on how to jumpstart online classes with available

tools right now,” he added.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

ABS-CBN TO LIVESTREAM NEW, OLD SHOWS VIA KAPAMILYA ONLINE LIVE STARTING

AUGUST 1

MANILA -- ABS-CBN announced on Friday the launch of Kapamilya Online Live,

which will provide livestreaming of new and well-loved shows on ABS-CBN

EntertainmentÂ’s YouTube and Facebook pages starting Saturday, August 1.

The Kapamilya Online Live livestream is offered for free and without any

subscription as part of ABS-CBN's move to strengthen its digital presence to

reach more Filipinos.

Kapamilya Online Live will livestream ABS-CBN programs throughout the day

and will also allow viewers to catch the latest episodes of their favorite

shows as it will be available on-demand in the next 24 hours.

On YouTube, the Kapamilya Online Live will stream continuously throughout

the day from as early as 7:40 a.m. until 10 p.m.

On Facebook, viewers can catch their favorite shows on regular timeslots

with scheduled breaks between timeblocks.

Livestreaming of shows on both platforms will be available exclusively in

the Philippines.

“Kapamilya Online Live is the newest home of ABS-CBN’s well-loved shows that

Filipinos miss watching on TV. Our bond with our Kapamilya is unbreakable,

and we will continue finding ways to be with them and provide entertainment

to Filipinos despite the non-renewal of our broadcast franchise,” said Cory

Vidanes, ABS-CBNÂ’s chief operating officer of broadcast.

The weekday slate will begin with “Magandang Buhay,” “Magpahanggang Wakas,”

and “MMK” in the morning block, and continue with “It’s Showtime,” “Love Thy

Woman,” and “The General’s Daughter” in the afternoon.

On primetime, Kapamilya Online Live will initially stream in its first three

weeks “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” episodes that were previously aired on

Kapamilya Channel on cable and satellite TV before new episodes come out in

the fourth week.

Viewers will also be able to watch “100 Days to Heaven,” “Forevermore,” “Los

Bastardos,” and “A Soldier’s Heart” for the rest of the night.

On Saturdays, the morning lineup will feature “Halik” and “It’s Showtime,”

followed “Wansapanataym Presents” and “I Feel U” in the afternoon, and Judy

Ann Santos-Agoncillo’s “Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan” and “It’s Showtime sa

Primetime” in the evening.

Kapamilya Online Live’s Sunday programming, meanwhile, will include “Pangako

Sa ‘Yo,” “ASAP Natin ‘To,” and “Ipaglaban Mo” in the morning and Angel

Locsin’s “Iba ‘Yan” and “Be Careful With My Heart” in the evening.

During “TV Patrol” and “The World Tonight,” meanwhile, viewers will be

redirected from Kapamilya Online Live to ABS-CBN NewsÂ’ YouTube channel and

Facebook page.

STAR MAGIC TO HOLD ONLINE WORKSHOPS

MANILA -- Star Magic will be conducting online workshops, it announced on

Friday.

The talent arm of ABS-CBN said classes will start on the third week of

August.

Those who wish to join the workshops must simply fill out the registration

form in this link and wait for the next steps of the application.

SPORTS

NBA: SPURS PULL AWAY FOR 129-120 WIN OVER KINGS

The San Antonio Spurs pulled away in the final three minutes to seize a

129-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings, in their first seeding game of

the NBA restart on Friday at the Disney World complex in Orlando (Saturday

in Manila).

A short jumper by Lonnie Walker IV gave the Spurs the lead for good,

114-112, with 2:48 to go.

DeMar DeRozan took over from there, nailing back-to-back jumpers to give San

Antonio some breathing room. The guard stretched their lead to 10 points,

127-117, with two free throws with 22.5 seconds left.

DeRozan scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and also had 10

assists, while Derrick White added 26 points, eight rebounds, and five

assists for the Spurs. Rudy Gay came off the bench to score 19 points.

Squandered in the loss was a 39-point explosion by Sacramento point guard

De'Aaron Fox. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 24 points.

The Spurs got off to a hot start and led by as much as 16 points, 39-23,

late in the first frame. But the Kings recovered thanks to a 35-point second

quarter, and the game was nip-and-tuck from there.

Both the Spurs and the Kings are chasing the eighth seed in the Western

Conference.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No man, however strong, can serve ten years as schoolmaster, priest, or

Senator, and remain fit for anything else. - Scott Adams