DUTERTE INVOKES UNCLOS IN CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER'S VISIT

MANILA - Chinese state councilor and defense minister Wei Fenghe on Friday

paid a courtesy call to President Rodrigo Duterte.

During the Chinese official's visit to Malacañang, Duterte invoked the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to maintain peace

and stability in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims in its entirety.

"We must always be guided by our commitments in international law. Any and

all disputes must be resolved peacefully in full accord with the UNCLOS and

all relevant international instruments," Duterte said in a statement.

Duterte also called for the conclusion of a code of conduct in the

resource-rich waterway, which will govern how countries act within the South

China Sea despite territorial disputes.

"All relevant players with a stake there must see themselves as playing an

important stabilizing role," Duterte said.

For his part, Wei told Duterte China "is ready to work with the Philippines

on maritime cooperation, advance negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the

South China Sea and manage differences in order to secure peace and

stability in the South China Sea," the Palace said.

Wei is in Manila as part of his tour in the Southeast Asian region.

Meanwhile, in his earlier meeting with Wei, Defense Secretary Delfin

Lorenzana reiterated the Philippines' rights to the West Philippine Sea as

upheld by an arbitral ruling that invalidated China's sweeping claims 4

years ago.

Lorenzana said he and Wei agreed that both countries should continue to

resort to dialogue and consultation to manage disputes.

DUTERTE SIGNS P165.5 BILLION ECONOMIC STIMULUS LAW

MANILA — President Duterte signed yesterday the Bayanihan to Recover as One

Act, allocating P165.5 billion for an economic stimulus package to help the

country recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Sen. Bong Go confirmed the

signing of the measure, which was ratified by the Senate and the House of

Representatives last month.

Bayanihan 2 was ratified by the Senate on Aug. 20, with the House of

Representatives following a week later.

The stimulus plan is deemed necessary as the country grapples with the

coronavirus disease and its severe impact on the economy.

Bayanihan 2 requires the President to submit a report to Congress monthly

until the end of the year – a departure from the old requirement of a weekly

formal report under the first measure or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

The plan consists of P140 billion worth of regular appropriations and an

additional standby fund of P25.5 billion.

The Bayanihan 2 likewise provides for a P10-billion fund that will be on

standby for COVID-19 testing and purchase of medicines and vaccines once

they become available.

Bayanihan 2 stipulates that the Department of Health will receive P3

billion for additional face masks, personal protective equipment, shoe

covers and face shields, alongside P13.5 billion for emergency employment

and compensation of health workers.

Another P4.5 billion for the construction of temporary isolation and

quarantine facilities as well as the expansion of existing public hospitals

shall also be taken from the Bayanihan 2 law.

The Department of National Defense shall get P4.5 billion to cover expenses

in isolating and treating returning overseas Filipino workers who test

positive for COVID-19.

The Department of Foreign Affairs shall also be getting P820 million for

repatriation efforts.

And while certain areas in the country are subjected to lockdowns from time

to time, P6 billion will be given to the Department of Social Welfare and

Development for cash assistance to affected Filipinos.

Displaced workers shall also get assistance through cash-for work programs

wherein a P13-billion fund is allocated for such purpose.

Reports have it that Bayanihan 2 shall likewise provide subsidies to

certain sectors and government initiatives in combatting the effects of the

pandemic.

Another P600 million will be earmarked as subsidies and allowances for

students severely affected by the pandemic; and P300 million in subsidies

and allowances to teaching and non-teaching personnel and part-time faculty

in state universities and colleges.

National athletes and coaches shall get P180 million as allowances and

subsidies.

University of the Philippines-DilimanÂ’s Computational Research Laboratory

shall get P15 million.

Another P10 million shall be used for the research fund of the Health

Technology Assessment Council and at least P2.5 million has been allocated

for the computer-based licensure of the Philippine Red Cross.

The fund also provides P9.5 billion to the Department of Transportation to

assist businesses critically affected by the pandemic.

The tourism sector shall also get P4.1 billion which includes P100 million

for training and subsidies to tour guides.

The Department of Education shall get P4 billion for the implementation of

blended learning and another P3 billion for the development of smart

campuses across the country.

PHILIPPINES SIGNS CONFIDENTIALITY DEALS WITH 5 COUNTRIES

MANILA — The Philippines has clinched five confidentiality data agreements

(CDAs) with foreign institutions that are leading globally in efforts to

develop a potential vaccine against COVID-19.

Dean Rowena Cristina Guevara said the Department of Science and

Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development

(DOST-PCHRD) has signed separate CDAs with Adimmune of Chinese Taipei;

Sinovac and Sinopharm, both of China; Gamaleya Institute of Russia and

Seqirus of Australia.

The signing of the CDAs with the foreign institutions paves the way for the

conduct of their respective Phase 3 clinical trials most likely by the

fourth quarter of the year, or November at the earliest.

Guevara, DOST undersecretary for research and development and chair of the

Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) sub-technical

working group on international collaborations on COVID-19 vaccine

development, also said the department is still pursuing talks with other

foreign bilateral partners for clinical trials in the Philippines for a

candidate COVID-19 vaccine.

ANTI-INSURGENCY GROUP DEFENDS PROPOSED MULTIBILLION-PESO BUDGET

The Philippines' anti-insurgency task force goes on the defensive after

opposition lawmakers likened its proposed multibillion-peso budget to "pork

barrel for the generals". Meanwhile, the task force's spokesperson alleged

of red-tagging left-leaning congressmen vows to resign but with conditions.

SOLON FLOATS CONSPIRACY FOLLOWING NTC'S RECALL ORDER ON ABS-CBN FREQUENCIES,

CHANNELS

A House lawmaker floats a grand conspiracy following the National

Telecommunications Commission's recall order on ABS-CBN's highly coveted

frequencies. As Alvin Elchico tells us, the association of Philippine

broadcasters urges the network to re-apply for a franchise as its former

frequencies are now up for grabs.

PHILIPPINES SEEKS GERMANY HELP IN WIRECARD PROBE

MANILA - A top Philippine financial investigator said Friday he has asked

Berlin authorities for information on dozens of "persons of interest" in a

Manila inquiry on the Wirecard accounting scandal.

German payments giant Wirecard filed for insolvency in June after admitting

that the 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts -- which

it initially claimed was deposited in two Philippine banks -- did not exist.

The company's former chief executive and several other top executives have

since been arrested on fraud charges.

Mel Georgie Racela, executive director of the Philippines' Anti-Money

Laundering Council, said it and the justice department's National Bureau of

Investigation shared a list of "57 persons of interest" with German

investigators.

It includes Jan Marsalek, Wirecard's former chief operating officer who is

also being sought by Berlin investigators, he said.

Another is German businessman Christopher Reinhard Bauer, who the Philippine

government said died from natural causes in Manila in July.

"We also need evidence... that these foreigners are engaged in fraudulent

activities," Racela told an online news conference.

CRITICISMS ON MANILA BAY BEAUTIFICATION 'MISPLACED,' ONLY P28-M SPENT FOR

WHITE SAND: DILG

MANILA - Officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)

defended the Manila Bay beautification project anew, saying criticisms

against the program were "misplaced."

"Once the project is completed, we invite the public to enjoy the

rehabilitated and nourished beach and see for themselves if it is harmful,”

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, vice chair of the Manila Bay Task Force,

said in a statement Saturday.

Año, a retired general, claimed dolomite which was used as artificial white

sand in Manila Bay "is a common material used in beach nourishment" in

resorts around the world.

Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the project was only P28

million, contrary to reports.

"That already covers the price of dolomite sand, transportation cost, taxes,

and other fees. ThatÂ’s the package of the cost including delivery from Cebu

to Manila Bay. ItÂ’s not 389 million but 28 million," he said in a statement.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources had said the white sand

project was funded through a special purpose fund under the 2019 General

Appropriations Act intended for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

He also claimed the project did not affect the government's coronavirus

pandemic response.

“We urge the critics to study the issue first before they make baseless

allegations against worthwhile government projects. We welcome any

investigation into this project whether in the courts of justice or in the

court of public opinion. All this criticism is misplaced,” Malaya said.

But storms and the high tide could wash away the artificial white sand that

the government dumped around Manila Bay, a scientist had said.

OVP LAUNCHES BAYANIHANAPBUHAY TO HELP OFWS FIND JOBS

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo has launched a free job posting

platform, which seeks to help millions of Filipino workers displaced by the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Robredo said jobseekers may visit https://sikap.ph, a website developed by

Elevatech for work opportunities.

She added that her office aims to help Filipinos who lost their jobs due to

the pandemic, particularly the blue-collar and overseas Filipino workers, in

the “Bayanihanapbuhay” project.

“We have been receiving a lot of SOS messages from people looking for work.

When we were doing our shuttle services, we had passengers who were doing

door-to-door job applications. We hope that, through this platform, they

would have an easier time finding work opportunities,” Robredo said in a

statement.

It also said that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has been working

over the past weeks with companies from various industries in enrolling on

Sikap.PH in order to provide jobseekers more opportunities.

As of Thursday, there were 2,796 job openings posted by various companies on

the website.

LACSON ON MANCAO APPOINTMENT: DUTERTE 'CAN APPOINT AN ANGEL, A DEVIL'

President Rodrigo Duterte has the prerogative to tap “even Lucifer” for any

government post, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Friday, after a former police

official who accused him of murder joined the administration.

Duterte recently tapped former Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II as the

head of the Department of Information and Communication TechnologyÂ’s (DICT)

cybercrime center.

Mancao once linked Lacson, a former police chief, to the murder of publicist

Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver in Cavite in 2000.

Asked to react on Mancao’s appointment, Lacson said, “Two words:

presidential prerogative.”

“The President can appoint an angel, the President can appoint a devil, the

President can appoint even Lucifer to any government post bastaÂ’t

presidential appointee,” he told ANC.

“That’s all that I can say. It’s presidential prerogative,” he added.

While on the run, Mancao later retracted his accusations against Lacson and

former President Joseph Estrada, saying he was forced by the previous Arroyo

administration to implicate them in the double murder.

Mancao surrendered to the police in 2017.

The Court of Appeals cleared Lacson of any liability and the Supreme Court

later affirmed this ruling.

THE REST

========

PUBLIC TRANSPORT DISTANCING RULES EASED

MANILA — More commuters in Metro Manila will soon be accommodated by trains

and public utility vehicles (PUVs) as the government is set to relax

physical distancing measures on various modes of public transportation.

The Department of Transportation said the Inter-Agency Task Force on the

Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the proposal of the

DOTr and the Economic Development Cluster (EDC) to increase ridership in

public transportation by reducing the physical distance between commuters.

“There is a need to safely optimize the carrying capacity of the various

public transport modes as Metro Manila and its adjacent areas continue with

the transition towards the new normal where more workers are expected to

return to their re-opened work places and more businesses are expected to

resume operations that were stopped during the enforcement of strict

quarantine measures,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

In a statement, the DOTr said the new policy wherein the physical distance

between commuters inside public transport units would be optimized from one

meter to 0.75 meters would be implemented starting Monday.

It would be further optimized to 0.5 meters after two weeks and to 0.3

meters after another two weeks. However, transportation assistant secretary

Goddess Libiran clarified that the Department of Health (DOH) has requested

for a meeting with the EDC and the DOTr to discuss the approved reduction of

passenger social distance requirements.

IATF APPROVES ANTIGEN SCREENING PROTOCOL FOR DOMESTIC TRAVEL

MANILA — The government has approved the Antigen Screening Protocol for

Domestic Air Travel for tourism, a few days after President Duterte allowed

the resumption of local tourism activities to boost the economy battered by

the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Based on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging

Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 70 released yesterday, the IATF has

adopted the Department of TransportationÂ’s proposal, subject to the

alignment with final Department of Health (DOH) protocols.

For this purpose, the IATF has directed the DOH to incorporate the

“suppletory use of antigen testing for all domestic travel.”

The antigen test is a requirement as a “pre-boarding requirement” for

asymptomatic domestic tourists before departure and travel to tourism

destinations or as a requirement upon entry at the place of destination, if

in accordance with the protocols set by the local government unit.

“Confirmatory antigen test will be undertaken three to five days

thereafter,” the resolution read.

PROPOSED BAN ON HOME QUARANTINE PUT ON HOLD

MANILA — The ban on home quarantine for mild and asymptomatic cases of

COVID-19 has been placed on hold as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the

Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has decided to study the

proposal further, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Thursday night.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told “The Chiefs” on OneNews / TV5

that the IATF is taking a second look at the recommendation of the National

Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 and the Department of the Interior and Local

Government (DILG) to disallow home quarantine.

She said the proposal was brought up at an IATF meeting on Thursday and it

decided to study the proposal further, but they are expecting the task force

to issue a resolution on this issue next week.

VCO SHOWS HIGH RECOVERY RATE FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS

MANILA — The clinical trials being conducted by the Department of Science

and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) on virgin

coconut oil (VCO) as a food supplement to help in the treatment of probable

COVID-19 cases in Santa Rosa, Laguna continues to show high recovery rates.

Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, DOST assistant scientist and DOST-FNRI officer-in-charge

of the Nutritional Assessment and Monitoring Division who is also leading

the DOST-FNRI VCO clinical trials in Santa Rosa, said they have seen

practically a 100 percent recovery of the subjects in the trial.

Agdeppa said that of the s47 participants, 30 have finished the program and

gone home.

She, however, declined to say that they have officially recovered.

“Of course, they are considered recovered, because they would not be sent

home if they are still sick,” Agdeppa admitted.

But Agdeppa said that they can only make the conclusions once they finish

the clinical trials with 56 participants.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

'MANANATILING MATATAG': JINKEE PACQUIAO CELEBRATES 21 YEARS WITH HUBBY MANNY

MANILA - Celebrity and social media star Jinkee Pacquiao on Friday

celebrated 21 years with husband, boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao.

"God gave me, you" 21 years and counting! Grabe, how time flies," said

Jinkee, as she posted photos from their civil wedding ceremony on her

Instagram page.

Jinkee, who has been with Manny since he was a struggling neophyte boxer,

said she is thankful they have surpassed so many trials.

"Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon sa lahat, ang dami nating pinagdaanan,

nalampasan ang mga pagsubok at ngayon mananatiling matatag at malakas sa

gabay ng Panginoon! I love you, babe. God is good all the time," she added.

In her Instagram post, Jinkee also poked fun at Manny's hairstyle.

"Blond pa ang hair mo @mannypacquiao ?? ikaw murag si jimuel ako murag si

queenie," she said, referring to two of their kids.

In his last Instagram post about his wife, Manny congratulated Jinkee for

her make-up business.

"I am more than proud to see my wife @jinkeepacquiao have her own spotlight

and be her best version, while contributing to the beauty story of every

Filipina. Supportive wife, a loving mother, and now, the partner of every

woman in unleashing the best version of themselves," Manny said.

SPORTS

NBA SCORES SEP 11

FINAL

    1    2    3    4    T

team logo 3 Nuggets 2-3    23    21    29    38    111

team logo 2 Clippers 3-2    28    28    24    25    105

GAME 5: LAC LEADS 3-2

SCORING LEADERS

J. Murray DEN

26 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST

K. Leonard LAC

36 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST

FINAL

    1    2    3    4    T

team logo 3 Celtics 4-3    26    24    22    20    92

team logo 2 Raptors 3-4    27    19    25    16    87

GAME 7: BOS WINS 4-3

SCORING LEADERS

    J. Tatum BOS

29 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST

    F. VanVleet TOR

20 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.54

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Some people believe that holding on and hanging in there are signs of great

strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know

when to let go -- and then do it. - Ann Landers