HOUSE SETS HISTORIC TEXT VOTING AT SESSION MANILA - For the first time, House members are set to vote via text messaging and online video conferencing to replace floor deliberations to pass legislation needed to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The House leadership has approved the proposal of Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. to allow lawmakers to cast their votes by text during the special session when they are either currently in self-quarantine or in their provinces due to the enhanced community quarantine, The STAR learned yesterday. He made the proposal, saying it is "impossible for members who are in Bicol, Visayas or Mindanao to go to Batasan physically." Barzaga, who heads of the National Unity Party, said he could manage the long-distance plenary participation of NUP members in the House. "If a House member questions that before the Supreme Court, I don't think it will prosper," he added. Several lawmakers have already filed measures seeking supplemental budget and stimulus packages, saying the P27.1-billion stimulus package of the government might not suffice for the economic repercussions of the crisis. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez agreed with Barzaga and defended the legality of the proposal. Rodriguez, chair of the House committee on constitutional amendments, explained that the House might amend its own rules to allow voting via text messaging or online video conferencing during special session. 48 CURFEW VIOLATORS DETAINED FOR DAYS IN MANILA MANILA - Due to the absence of court personnel to process their inquest, 48 persons in Manila were detained for days due to curfew violations and other offenses during the implementation of the Metro Manila enhanced community quarantine. Manila chief prosecutor Joselito Obejas yesterday said the detainees were ordered released Friday but only after days of being in police stations. Their cases were either referred for further investigation or dismissed outright. There were no docket staff and stenographers since Wednesday due to the lack of public transport and declaration of work from home policy. It was Friday when inquest proceedings resumed, Obejas said. "I called for the indispensably needed staff to report to the office to process the cases of alleged ordinance violators. We really face a difficult situation now," Obejas said. Obejas lamented that his office is receiving criticisms for the prolonged detention of alleged violators even when court personnel are risking their lives amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. "We are still in the field despite the COVID crisis and yet we are being criticized," Obejas said. 4 MORE TEST KITS GET SPECIAL LICENSE FOR COMMERCIAL USE MANILA - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a special license for four more test kit brands for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from South Korea, Singapore and Germany. FDA director general Eric Domingo said this would scale up the country's testing capability and ease the backlog in unprocessed samples. "These testing kits will be available for commercial use or for the private sector," he said as he assured the public that the test kits have been duly validated and approved by authorities in their countries of origin. The approved testing kits are Standard M nCOV Real-Time Detection kits from Korea, A*STAR FORTITUDE KIT 2.9 (COVID-10) Real-Time RT-PCR Test from Singapore, TIB MOLBIOL LIGHTMIXRMODULAR WUHAN CoV RdRP-Gene and TIB MOLBIOL LIGHTMIXRMODULAR SARS AND WUHAN CoV-Gene from Germany. The 100,000 test kits and other medical equipment - 10,000 N95 masks and 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment - donated by the Chinese government to support the country's efforts against COVID-19 arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport yesterday. MINDANAO OFFICIALS CHECK ON FOOD SUPPLY IN CASE OF LONG COVID-19 QUARANTINE COTABATO CITY - Officials on Saturday tasked agriculturists to focus on increasing production of short-term food crops as contingency in case of A prolonged anti-coronavirus quarantine. Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr. said Saturday he has directed the Provincial Agriculture Office to estimate how much food crops local farmers can produce in the next four weeks as well as their projected retail prices. "This is a contingency preparation. We are also focused on preventing undue increases of food supplies being sold in commercial establishments and in public markets," Adiong said. Prices of fish from the Lake Lanao are also being monitored, according to Adiong. "We are anticipating constraints on transport of commercial goods from outside so we have to ensure the adequacy of food and fish supplies from local producers while ensuring the continuity of inbound shipment of supplies, " Adiong said. North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco told reporters Saturday she has tapped barangay officials to help ensure the productivity of local farmers during a quarantine in the province. "For now our assessment is that there will be enough food in the province in upcoming weeks, beyond the 14-day quarantine that started this week. Just the same, we need accurate estimates by our provincial agriculturist," Catamco said. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE COVID-19 TEST KITS NOT TO BE USED AT HOME: DOH MANILA - The 8 COVID-19 test kits approved by the Food and Drug Administration for commercial use cannot be availed by ordinary people on their own to test themselves, the Department of Health said Sunday. "A lot of citizens have this notion that they can just buy from a drugstore and they can test themselves. These are not rapid diagnostic kits," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ANC. "It needs a capable laboratory for it to be used. This is not to be done at home. You cannot buy it in regular drug stores." As of Saturday, there are 5 subnational laboratories processing the COVID-19 testing: the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. Vergeire emphasized that the COVID-19 is a "biosafety hazard" following Marikina City's purchase of a laboratory testing center for the virus. "When you do the processing, you have a very high risk for your healthcare workers and also to the community. If you do not have the expertise, you are just exposing our community to increased risk of infection." "We laud you for the efforts you had been doing to take care of your citizens but there are guidelines and regulatory measures you need to follow in order for us to have safe and effective interventions being provided to our community." Vergeire said the agency would send a team to Marikina on Monday to provide technical assistance and training. TAYTAY TAPS LOCAL GARMENT SECTOR TO MAKE FACE MASKS MANILA -- Taytay, know as the "garments capital of the Philippines" has taken an economic hit amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Once crowded by local and tourist shoppers, the famous Taytay Tiangge, which spans for over 5,000 square meters, is a ghost town after it was shut down. "We closed the tiangge to implement the social distancing policy," Mark Jay Valdez, Taytay municipal public information office chief, said. "Unang-una na naapektuhan ang mga dressmakers, manufacturers, and mananahi namin. Nawalan sila ng trabaho at puhunan," he added. To help ease the financial blow on the town's dressmakers, the local government asked them to produce washable face masks in lieu of the usual garments they manufacture. "The municipality reached out to them, para may kita sila kahit papano, during the community quarantine," Valdez said. According to Valdez, each face mask is sold for P8. On top of providing temporary jobs, according to Valdez, the initiative also mitigates the insatiable demand for face masks, which, like elsewhere in the country, is sold out in every pharmacy. DUQUE TESTS NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19 MANILA - Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an official of his agency said Sunday. "Negative ang COVID-19 result for Sec. Duque. He is okay," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ABS-CBN News in a text message. Duque, 63, was placed on home quarantine since Wednesday after he was exposed to a coronavirus-infected patient -- also a senior health official. He suffers from underlying conditions such as asthma and hypertension, which makes him vulnerable to the fast-spreading disease that has so far claimed 25 lives in the Philippines. Duque earlier told radio DZMM he and his wife, also a doctor, were monitoring each other. His wife also developed coughs. Last Tuesday, the health department confirmed that one of its directors working in its central office had contracted COVID-19. As of Sunday, there are 380 cases of COVID-19 in the country, including 15 recoveries. SMB'S ROMEO DONATES FOOD, MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO VETERANS HOSPITAL MANILA - San Miguel Beermen's Terrence Romeo is providing an assist to frontliners combating the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The 28-year-old has reportedly donated 100 meals along with much-needed medical supplies to Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. Physician Maxinne Dompor posted the cager's efforts on her twitter account on Saturday. Apart from Romeo, other PBA players have also lend a helping hand to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. A number of players like CJ Perez, Cliff Hodge and Chris Ross are donating at least P20,000 each to help PBA personnel who are feeling the brunt of the season stoppage. The players, along with Alaska head coach Jeff Cariaso are raising funds to give salaries to game-day personnel of the league who are paid on a play-date basis. ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE JINRI PARK GETS MARRIED IN AUSTRALIA AMID COVID-19 "I can't wait till the virus dies down so I can wear my wedding dress and have my dad walk me down the aisle." This was what TV host and model Jinri Park wrote as she shared this Saturday that she and her non-showbiz partner had to settle for a low-key ceremony for now, until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis ends. On Instagram, she posted a photo of her and her partner, John, whom she had already married in a Korean wedding ceremony, sharing a kiss after marrying again at a church in Sydney, Australia. She added that only John's family was present as their witnesses. Park, a former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate, was clad in a simple white dress, and she wrote in the caption that she is still very much looking forward to the day their planned church wedding with friends and family would push through. "Today was our wedding day but due to the virus we decided to postpone it. We still went to the church to legally sign the registry and got married. The weather was perfect and we had John's family there to witness," she told her fans, before reminding them to stay safe during this time of crisis. MORE THAN 100 KAPAMILYA STARS TO PERFORM FROM THEIR HOMES FOR 3-HOUR DIGITAL CONCERT MANILA - Fans of ABS-CBN will find plenty of things to watch this Sunday night from the safety of their own couches, as more than 100 Kapamilya stars will perform from their own homes for a three-hour digital show-an effort to spread joy to a nation adjusting to a new reality of life under quarantine. The "Pantawid ng Pag-ibig: At-Home Together Concert" will begin at 7 p.m., and is expected to feature a range of musical performances and entertaining vlogs. It will also double as a fundrasier for ABS-CBN's campaign, "Pantawid ng Pag-ibig." launched in partnership with the local government officials of Metro Manila and other private companies, that aims to provide food and basic necessities to Filipinos who are unable to make a living. The digital show will be aired live on ABS-CBN, ABS-CBN S+A, ANC, MYX, DZMM Teleradyo, as well as AM radio station DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, FM radio station MOR 101.9, and streaming service iWant. It will also be livestreamed on YouTube. A teaser video for it showed Paolo Avelino, Coco Martin, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, Luis Manzano, Xian Lim, Martin Nievera, and Angel Locsin as among the 100 Kapamilya stars in the lineup. SPORTS ASIA BADMINTON TILT POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS MANILA -- The Badminton Asia Championships 2020 has been suspended by the sport's governing body due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The tournament was initially set to take place in Wuhan, China but was moved to Manila, where it was scheduled for April 21-26. The rapid spread of the virus has forced the Badminton World Federation to suspend all of its remaining tournaments for the next two months, however. In a statement, the BWF stressed that "the healthy, safety, and well-being of all athletes, their entourage, officials, and the greater badminton community remain as the top priority." Aside from the Asia event, also postponed are the following tournaments: The Thomas and Uber Cup The European Championships The Pan Am Individual Championships The Croatian International The Peru International All events were pivotal for badminton players trying to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. CLAMOR GROWS TO POSTPONE TOKYO GAMES LONDON - Calls from sporting organisations for this year's Tokyo Olympics to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic gathered pace on Saturday with USA Track and Field (USATF) and Brazil's Olympic Committee the latest to join the throng. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organisers still insist the July 24-Aug. 9 showpiece will go ahead as planned despite Europe and the U.S. struggling to control the spread of the flu-like virus. Their optimism that the show will go on, however, is looking increasingly out-of-step with countries in lockdown and athletes around the world unable to train. In a letter to United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) chief executive Sarah Hirshland, USATF urged USOPC to use its voice to "speak up for athletes". Chief executive Max Siegel said the USTAF "understood" the ramification of postponing the Games for the first time ever in peace time, but that moving forward would not be in the best interest of athletes. "We acknowledge that there are no perfect answers, and that this is a very complex and difficult decision, but this position (to postpone the Games) at least provides our athletes with the comfort of knowing that they will have adequate time to properly prepare themselves physically, mentally and emotionally to be able to participate in a safe and successful Olympic Games," he wrote. USA Swimming wrote to USOPC on Friday calling for a delay of one year, CEO Tim Hinchey saying "we have watched our athletes' worlds be turned upside down". Brazil's Olympic chief Paulo Wanderley echoed those thoughts on Saturday, saying athletes would not be able to arrive in Tokyo in top form because of the impact of the crisis."It's clear that right now, maintaining the Games for this year will impede (the athletes) dream from being realised," he said. FOOTBALL: FORMER REAL MADRID PRESIDENT SANZ DIES AFTER CONTRACTING CORONAVIRUS MADRID, Spain -- Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, who was hospitalised with coronavirus, died on Saturday at the age of 76, his son announced. Sanz was in charge of the Spanish giants from 1995-2000, overseeing two Champions League titles. "My father has just passed away. He did not deserve this ending and in this way," tweeted his son, Lorenzo Sanz junior. "One of the best, bravest and hardest-working people I have ever seen. His family and Real Madrid were his passions." Three days ago, Sanz Jr., a former professional basketball player, said that his father had been admitted to a Madrid hospital after suffering the symptoms of the coronavirus which has killed more than 1,320 people in Spain. Sanz claimed a place on the Real Madrid board in the mid-1980s, when the president was Ramon Mendoza. He replaced Mendoza as president in 1995. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Doing what is right isn't the problem. It is knowing what is right. - Lyndon B Johnson