DUTERTE BANS PHILIPPINES FROM JOINING NAVAL EXERCISES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

MANILA — The Philippines will no longer be participating in joint maritime

exercises in the South China Sea with other countries, Defense Secretary

Delfin Lorenzana said Monday.

According to Lorenzana, President Rodrigo Duterte issued this directive to

reduce tension in the contested waterway.

"President Rodrigo Duterte has a standing order to us, to me, that we should

not involve ourselves in naval exercises in the South China Sea except our

national waters, the 12 mile distance from our shores," Lorenzana said at an

online press briefing.

Just last month, the United States declared that it would treat China's

pursuit of resources in the South China Sea as illegal. Beijing rejected

this, claiming that the accusation was "unjustified."

The US, along with allies such as Australia, has been recently conducting

joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea following its latest policy

on the maritime disputes.

"If one countryÂ’s action is considered as belligerent, another tension will

normally rise, so I hope that all the parties in this exercise will have,

will work on their actions there, to exercise prudence and carefulness so

that there will be no miscalculations that could further increase the

tension," the defense chief said.

DUTERTE GIVES LGUS 3 DAYS TO PROCESS TELCO PERMITS

MANILA — President Duterte has ordered the Department of the Interior and

Local Government (DILG) to hold accountable local government units (LGUs)

that fail to process in three days pending applications of

telecommunications companies to build cell sites or towers.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año called on LGUs handling pending applications

to approve or reject them in accordance with requirements.

“As the President has ordered, those LGUs with pending applications from

telcos should be released (approval or rejection) in three days. If their

requirements are lacking, you have the reason to disapprove that. You do not

withhold and delay,” he said in an interview aired yesterday over Teleradyo.

MANILA ADOPTS SKELETAL WORKFORCE

MANILA — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday ordered offices and departments

of the city hall to adopt alternative work arrangements as Metro Manila

reverted to the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ

beginning today.

Moreno signed Executive Order 34, directing city officials and employees to

implement a skeletal workforce until Aug. 18.

“We have taken proactive measures in protecting the health and well-being of

city employees to ensure the unhampered delivery of basic services to the

people,” he said.

27-M FILIPINOS RETURN TO STRICTER LOCKDOWN AS VIRUS CASES SOAR

MANILA — Some 27 million people in the Philippines or about a quarter of the

population went back under the second strictest lockdown level on Tuesday

after exhausted health workers warned the country was losing the battle

against the coronavirus.

Since the beginning of June, when much of the country emerged from one of

the world's longest stay-at-home orders, confirmed infections in the

archipelago have increased fivefold, surging past 100,000.

The new restrictions announced by President Rodrigo Duterte late Sunday

apply to Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal

and Bulacan until Aug. 18.

For the next 2 weeks, public transport will be halted and domestic flights

grounded to try and slow the spread of the virus, which has killed more than

2,000 people in the country.

People have been ordered to stay home unless they need to buy essential

goods or exercise outdoors. Only a limited number of businesses will be

allowed to operate.

Security guard Lito Sulit was among thousands who had to walk or rely on

free rides to get to work. He started trudging 16 kilometers at 3 a.m. to

reach his office in Quezon City.

“Kahit walang masakyan, maglalakad na lang ako para lang may maipakain sa

pamilya ko," he said.

Vice President Leni RobredoÂ’s office, other agencies and some drivers

offered free rides. However, these were not enough, leaving workers waiting

for rides at some thoroughfares.

Authorities in MECQ areas revived checkpoints between towns to make sure

that travelers are on essential business.

Researchers from the University of the Philippines project the total number

of infections to top 200,000 by the end of August.

Despite the grim trajectory, Duterte has been reluctant to reimpose a

lockdown after the previous stay-at-home order took a heavy toll on the

economy and threw millions out of work.

Data to be released on Thursday is expected to show the economy tumbled into

recession in the first half.

ROBREDO RESUMES FREE SHUTTLE FOR FRONTLINERS

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo has reactivated the free shuttle

service for health workers and other frontliners starting today as Metro

Manila and nearby areas reverted to the modified enhanced community

quarantine (MECQ).

“In response to the need of our frontliners for transportation during the

two-week implementation of MECQ, our office will again offer free rides for

them,” Robredo posted on Facebook.

The shuttle service schedules can be viewed from the Office of the Vice

PresidentÂ’s official Facebook page, VP Leni Robredo.

She said the free bus rides are being offered in partnership with UBE

Express, Diamond Motor Corp., Pilipinas Autogroup and Seaoil.

EMPLOYERS GROUP FLAGS CONCERN FOR WORKERS' WELFARE DURING MODIFIED LOCKDOWN

MANILA - Companies likely have contingency plans to survive another lockdown

but the government should assist workers who would lose jobs or income as

restrictions tighten, a group of employers said Tuesday.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines agree with Bangko Sentral ng

Pilipinas Gov. Benjamin Diokno that reverting back to modified enhanced

community quarantine has "limited impact" to the economy, its president

Sergio Ortiz-Luis told ANC.

The government however should ensure that workers who will lose their income

for the next two weeks will be taken cared of, Ortiz-Luis said. At least 3

million workers in NCR will be affected, he added.

"Business I think, (and) I agree with Mr Diokno that whatever adjustment, we

have factored it in already. The effect on the workers is more of our

concern because there maybe at least 3 million workers that would be back to

the barracks," Ortiz-Luis said.

"It will be the problem of the government in the next 2 weeks because they

will have no income...These people who would have to stop immediately, no

notice... youÂ’re talking even of bus, jeepney drivers. I donÂ’t think they

have enough money to support themselves (even) for three days," he added.

The group said the government should ramp up approval of a stimulus package

and to lay down the exact amount of aid allotted for firms and workers.

Cash aid should be enough and should be timely distributed, Ortiz-Luis said.

Testing should be improved, additional rows in hospitals should be allocated

and barangays should have their own quarantine centers, he added.

DOCTORS, MEDICAL WORKERS SORRY IF DUTERTE TOOK THEIR SUGGESTIONS AS 'CALL

FOR A REVOLT'

MANILA — The Philippine College of Physicians on Monday apologized that

President Rodrigo Duterte took the call of medical workers for a return to a

stricter quarantine as their demeaning the government and calling for a

revolution.

In a clarificatory letter posted on PCP's website, Dr. Mario Panaligan, PCP

president, said that Duterte's "quick response on the matter was highly

appreciated" and that help that the president had offered the medical

community would "go a long way."

Panaligan stressed, however, that the call for ECQ was not just give medical

doctors a chance to rest and also provide the best quality of health care to

patients.

He said, though, that the PCP was "taken aback and surprised" at some of

Duterte's comments about the medical workers who gave a statement on

Saturday.

Medical workers on the frontlines of the countryÂ’s battle against

coronavirus are calling for help, not calling for a revolution against the

government, health workers groups said Monday.

“It was not a call for revolution. Excuse me, Mr. President Duterte. We were

asking for your help because you might not be seeing or nobody is reporting

to you the real state of health workers,” Jaymee De Guzman, a staff nurse at

San Lazaro Hospital, said in a mix of English and Filipino at a forum

organized by Filipino Nurses United (FNU).

"We are not calling for a revolution. We need your help it is now us who are

getting sick," she added.

SHOOT TO KILL THREAT VS MECQ VIOLATORS 'WRITTEN OUT OF DISMAY': QC TASK

FORCE DISIPLINA HEAD

MANILA - The head of Quezon City's disciplinary task force on Tuesday issued

a statement over his controversial Facebook post that said violators of the

modified enhanced community quarantine in the city should be killed.

In his Facebook post, QC Task Force Disiplina head Rannie Ludovica said his

"shoot to kill" remark on Facebook is not official policy of the city. He

also blamed Rappler for reporting on his statement.

"Bilang paglilinaw, walang ganitong polisiya ang Pamahalaang Lungsod Quezon.

Ang aking personal Facebook post lamang ang pinagbatayan ng Rappler ng

malisyosong impormasyon na ito upang palabasin na pormal na polisiya ito ng

lungsod," Ludovica wrote.

The Rappler article, however, did not say that Ludovica's statement was

official policy of Quezon City.

Ludovica's original post has been reportedly taken down but several netizens

posted screenshots of his statement.

In his statement, Ludovica said his remarks were out of frustration after

Metro Manila and neighboring provinces were again placed under MECQ due to

the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

"Nagmula ang nasabing personal na Facebook post ng inyong lingkod sa aking

pagkadismaya sa pagbalik natin mula sa GCQ to MECQ. Patuloy na tumataas ang

bilang ng COVID19 sa lungsod at buong bansa dahil sa kawalan ng disiplina ng

karamihan sa ating mga mamamayan at sa paglabag nila sa batas," he said.

Ludovica's earlier statement drew flak from Quezon City residents, including

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who said she will be working personally to hold

Ludovica responsible for his statement.

"As a QC resident for the last 35 yrs, I will personally work to hold this

public official accountable for inciting violence vs civilians," Hontiveros

said in a tweet, tagging Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and the Commission

on Human Rights.

Quezon City Councilor Irene Belmonte also expressed dismay over Ludovica's

statement.

Sought for comment, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the personal post of Ludovica

isn't reflective of the policies of the city.

"I think it was very wrong and in very poor taste for him to have posted

this message and I'd like to assure the people of Quezon City that his

personal post in no way reflects our city's policies, principles and

inclinations." Belmonte told ABS-CBN News.

IMMIGRATION BUREAU SUSPENDS ONLINE APPOINTMENT SYSTEM DURING MECQ PERIOD

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration suspended temporarily its online

appointment scheme as it reduced operations at its main office, under the

modified enhanced community quarantine status of the Philippine capital.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Tuesday that those with

confirmed appointments to the bureau from August 3 to 18 may reapply for a

new schedule once the modified enhanced community quarantine imposed on

Metro Manila is lifted.

BIÂ’s main office is located in Intramuros, Manila.

With stricter quarantine protocols in place, the bureau reverted to

maintaining a skeleton force to run its main office.

The BI said following transactions are currently suspended:

Applications for conversion to or renewal of immigrant visa

Petition for recognition as Philippine citizens, including Republic Act 9225

or the dual citizenship law

Downgrading of visa status

Tourist visa extension

Special work permits and provisional permit to work

Renewal of alien certificate of registration (ACR I-Cards)

Implementation of applications for visa conversion and extension by the

bureauÂ’s Board of Commissioners

Morente said the online appointment system, however, will remain open for

foreigners who are “scheduled and are intending to leave the Philippines

during the MECQ period.”

The bureauÂ’s online system will continue to accommodate foreigners who need

to secure their Emigration Clearance Certificate, re-entry permit and update

their extension fees. Morente said they should present their confirmed

flight booking or plane ticket before they enter the bureauÂ’s premises.

Meanwhile, foreign nationals with tourist visa, who stayed in the country

beyond six months, are told to pay their visa extension fees at the airport.

THE REST

========

'LAPTOPS WORTH P100-M': PHILHEALTH'S MORALES REPEATEDLY APPROVED

QUESTIONABLE IT BUDGET - OFFICIAL

MANILA - Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) president Ricardo

Morales and other high-ranking officials approved the purchase of overpriced

equipment and software amounting to millions of pesos, a board member of the

state-run insurance firm said Tuesday.

The PhilHealth's initial information and technology (IT) budget for 2020 was

pegged at P2.1 billion, but the proposal was thumbed down after a review of

the costs showed that multiple items were either overpriced or were

redundant, said Alejandro Cabading, a certified public accountant who was

part of the agency's board of directors.

"There were numbers in the IT budget and financial reports that do not add

up," Cabading said during a Senate invetigation.

Cabading said the budget proposal was questionable because several items

were priced up to quadruple the amount approved by the Department of

Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

The "anomalous" proposal also had questionable items like two sets of

laptops with one amounting to P4.11 million, while another worth P115.32

million.

Another item priced at P98.07 million was only labelled as "three projects,"

Cabading said.

"I tried to find a solution by raising this with management, but the most

frustrating part is it seems that management seems to be tolerating this

act," he said.

Cabading said he only approved the release of P25 million for PhilHealth's

IT needs, but Morales allegedly authorized a separate P302 million

"supplemental budget" for IT-related purchases.

Months later, Morales approved another P750 million for IT expenses,

Cabading said.

"There were items in the budget not approved by DICT," he said.

Morales told senators that he believed that there were "major discrepancies"

in the PhilHealth's IT budget.

"I don't think there was an irregularity," the PhilHealth chief said when

asked about the allegations.

"I think it was a matter of explaining to the board... because information

technology is a very complicated system," he said, noting that the documents

Cabading presented were just "budget proposals and not contracts."

But Sen. Panfilo Lacson scorned the PhilHealth chief, saying that the

irregularities were "too blatant."

HONTIVEROS SAYS LAWYERS LOOKING INTO NETIZEN'S KILL THREAT

MANILA -- Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Tuesday her lawyers were

looking into a Twitter user's post urging authorities to shoot her, adding

that the Philippines needed to stop a "culture of violence."

Hontiveros shared online a screenshot of the tweet that said she should be

first in a "shoot to kill" remark by a Quezon City official against

violators of the return of stricter lockdown measures in Metro Manila.

"My lawyers are looking into this. Not char (no kidding)," Hontiveros told

her 227,000 Twitter followers.

"Di ako naduduwag sa mga threats. Nasanay na since IÂ’ve been critical of

this government. Pero di natin palalampasin ang mga ganito kasi nasasanay

lang. We have to put a stop to this language & culture of violence," she

added.

Several opposition leaders have been harassed online. Opposition leader Vice

President Leni Robredo recently looked into legal action against online

bashers who had spread false information against her, while Sen. Francis

Pangilinan's family sought government help against a man who threatened on

Twitter to rape his daughter.

MOTORCYCLE BACK-RIDING IN AREAS UNDER MECQ ALLOWED FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS

MANILA — The enforcement arm the COVID-19 task force on Tuesday said that

back-riding in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine is

permitted if the passenger is an essential worker or an authorized person

out of residence.

"Yesterday, the national task force convened....and the NTF gave a guideline

through Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Secretary Eduardo Año that

back-riding will be allowed under MECQ due to the suspension of public

transport," Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the Joint Task

Force Shield, told GMA's Unang Hirit in Filipino.

He emphasized that travel must be work-related.

Eleazar added that the driver of the motorcycle does not need to be an

authorized person out of residence if they are transporting an essential

worker.

227 ARMY RECRUITS TAKE OATH

MAGUINDANAO — A group of 227 Army recruits took their oath and vowed to

uphold peace in Mindanao during a ceremony in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao

on Sunday.

The event, held at the Division Training School of the ArmyÂ’s 6th Infantry

Division, was presided over by 6th ID commander Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon.

The 227 members of the “Matindig” class of 2020 are composed of 189 men and

38 women, Carreon said.   

“They will be involved in various programs that complement the peace

initiatives of President Duterte in southern Mindanao and in other

peacekeeping missions like pacification thrusts in areas where violent

extremists exist,” he said.

The 6th ID covers provinces in Central Mindanao such as Maguindanao, South

Cotabato, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat as well as the cities of

Cotabato, Koronadal and Tacurong.

SPORTS

NBA: MILTON DRILLS CLUTCH TRIPLE, LIFTS SIXERS OVER SPURS

Shake Milton drained a three-pointer with 7.2 seconds to go, and the

Philadelphia 76ers hacked out a 132-130 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs

in their NBA seeding game at the Walt Disney World Complex in Orlando.

The Sixers lost a 14-point lead and battled the Spurs down the stretch, but

they had the final say in the back-and-forth contest.

Derrick White gave San Antonio a 130-128 lead with 10 seconds left, but

Milton calmly knocked down a three-pointer just seconds later to put

Philadelphia ahead for good, 131-130.

The Spurs had their chance to take the lead again, but Jakob Poeltl missed a

lay-up with 2.4 ticks left, and Joel Embiid pegged the final scorer with a

split at the line.

This was the Spurs' first loss of the NBA restart.

Embiid finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, and Tobias Harris added 25

points. Milton finished with 16 points in the win.

DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points, but he missed a three-pointer at

the buzzer that could have given them the win. Rudy Gay had 24 points off

the bench.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 49.09

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

In order to be able to think, you have to risk being offensive. - Jordan B.

Peterson