PUV Modernization

On 19 June 2017, the Department of Transportation issued Department Order No. 2017-011
(Re: Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation
Services and Franchise Issuance) or the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program
(PUVMP), a flagship program of the Duterte administration which envisions a restructured,
modern, well-managed and environmentally sustainable transport sector where drivers and
operators have stable, sufficient and dignified livelihoods while commuters get to their
destinations quickly, safely and comfortably.

The PUVMP is not merely a vehicle modernization program. It is a comprehensive

system reform that will entirely change the public land transportation industry. It features
a regulatory reform and sets new guidelines for the issuance of franchise for road based
public transport services. It devolved the function of route planning to the local
government units as they are more versed in the terrain and passenger demand within
their respective territorial jurisdiction. The LGUs are required under the program to
submit their own Local Public Transport Plan (LPTRP) as a pre-requisite for the opening
of PUV franchises within their jurisdiction. Route rationalization studies will also be
conducted to determine the appropriate mode, quantity and service characteristics of
the public transport service in each corridor which will make the routes more responsive
to passenger demand and ensure that the hierarchy of roads and modes of
transportation are followed.

“IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM REFORM THAT WILL ENTIRELY

CHANGE THE PUBLIC LAND TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY.”

Among the major components of the PUVMP is fleet modernization. New vehicle
standards are being developed which is based on extensive consultations with involved
government agencies, jeepney associations and local and international manufacturers.
The modern PUV are designed to be environment-friendly, safe, secure and convenient
with due consideration to our Persons-with-Disabilities (PWDs) passengers. The
PUVMP also encourages industry consolidation or the strategic merging of smaller
transport industry players to form into a consortium either by forming cooperatives or
corporations. The PUVMP likewise adopts a Vehicle Useful Life Program which consists
of policies and programs that deal with different stages of the vehicle’s useful life. This
includes the provision of a Motor Vehicle Type Approval System for new vehicles,
maintenance programs and improvement of Motor Vehicle Inspection System and a
Scrappage Program for end-of-life vehicles.

In order to soften the impact and assist small operators who will be affected by the
PUVMP, a special loan program with Landbank and DBP is being proposed which will
provide access to operators and drivers to adequate funding. Stakeholders will also
have access to various trainings and social support programs which will be offered to
enable them to be competent, self-sufficient and well-equipped with the necessary
technical knowledge and skills.

The DOTr, LTFRB, LTO and OTC, as well as the other concerned agencies will conduct
a Pilot Implementation in order to review and assess whether the new policies are
responsive and efficient in achieving the program’s intended outcomes. The success of
the program will revolutionize road-based public land transportation and will usher in an
improved riding experience for the benefit of our present and future generations of
Filipino passengers.

PUV modernization gets no

budget in 2020: Who
suffers?
Among the scrapped programs is the Tsuper Iskolar initiative, which provides free skills
training for displaced drivers and operators

MANILA, Philippines – In its proposed budget for 2020, the Department of

Transportation (DOTr) does not have any approved allocation for the Public Utility
Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), whose transition period runs until July next
year.

The PUVMP was among the projects cut by the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) when it finalized the national budget. This prompted the DOTr,
during a House hearing last September 5, to ask for budget augmentation of P1.5 billion
for road projects.

The modernization program was brought up again during a Senate hearing on the
DOTr's budget on October 3, pushing the transport agency to reevaluate its targets for
the program.

The Senate hearing showed that only 3% of the target number of modernized units has
been operationalized, 3 years since the start of the program's transition period.

To add, senators found the subsidy and loan programs provided for affected drivers and
operators ineffective, since only a few of them would avail. At its cheapest, drivers and
operators would have to pay a P500 amortization rate per day.
Social support

One of the components that will cease to be funded is the social support for drivers and
operators under the Tsuper Iskolar program of the Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

The program had offered free skills training and free skills assessment to persons who
would be displaced by the PUVMP; those who voluntarily exited, continue, or were new
to the transport industry; and family members of affected stakeholders. These
beneficiaries were also given free entrepreneurship training, and food and
transportation allowance.

Under the PUVMP, the LTFRB had vowed to establish an academy to train drivers and
operators on safety measures and etiquette while operating PUVs.

In the past, transport strikers had said that the PUVMP would only lead to displacement
and loss of livelihood among drivers and operators, since only big companies would be
able to afford the required fleet management system of a minimum of 10 units per
franchise. A modernized unit is worth around P1 million, which is beyond the means of
small-time drivers and operators.

As September ended, another nationwide transport strike was held to protest the
government's method of public utility vehicle modernization. Operators and drivers
called for rehabilitation, not replacement of their PUVs. However, LTFRB Chairman
Martin Delgra III maintained that the program would push through.

In 2018, the PUVMP had an P843-million budget, which was allocated for training
programs, the Davao Public Transport Study, interregional route planning, a
communications campaign, and funds for the Office of Transport Cooperatives and
Project Management Office (PMO).

This year, the program had a reduced budget of P447 million. The training programs,
information education campaign, and PMO funds remained intact, albeit with much
smaller allocations. Two new line items were introduced: the Tsuper Iskolar program
and the PUVM "support infra database," which is technology-based recording system
for franchises. Route planning and transport studies were not among the funded
components.

The DOTr acknowledged the challenges to implementing the PUVMP according to its
proposed 2020 plan to phase out jeepneys older than 15 years old, so the agency will
reevaluate the targets of the program. – Rappler.com
ASF hits backyard farms hard in the Philippines
The sea has not been able to stop the march of African Swine Fever in Asia. In
September 2019 the virus was also confirmed in the Philippines. What happened on the
islands exactly and what are some of the longer-term perspectives?

The total pig population of the Philippines is around 13 million head, including a 1.75
million sow population. Around 40 % of this total current population consists of smaller
groups of pigs held in numerous backyard farms.

Approximately 40 % of the total pig inventory is concentrated in 3 regions: Central

Luzon, northern Mindanao and western Visayas, which account for 17%, 13%, and 10%
of the total inventory, respectively. Most of the commercial pig farms are located in
these 3 areas, see Figure 1.

However, the backyard population is spread more thinly across the Philippines, e.g.
central Visayas and the Bicol regions both have 10% of the backyard population. Many
of the backyard farms across the Philippines purchase weaner age pigs between 5 to
10 kg bodyweight and fatten them prior to sale at 30 kg (‘lechon’ markets) or at 90 kg
(pork markets). Pigs are housed in simple backyard structures and fed a range of waste
food or by-products, often with some commercial feed added.

Most pigs for sale are aggregated by local dealers and taken to local slaughterhouses
or lechon processing facilities. On larger backyard farms, a number of sows may also
be housed and used in breeding programmes and piglet production.

Emergence of the Philippines ASF cases

In early September 2019, three backyard farms in Rizal province, just north of Manila in
central Luzon reported high mortality losses. One of the affected farmers transported
some diseased pigs to the neighbouring Bulacan province. On September 9,
confirmation of the diagnosis of African Swine Fever (ASF) led to restrictions on pig
movements across central Luzon, in the affected provinces of Rizal, Bulacan and
Pampanga. Current reports suggest the spread of the ASF zones north to Pangasinan
province. The original cause of the primary Rizal outbreak was suggested to be the
feeding of contaminated waste food by-products from Manila sources to backyard pigs.

Because the Philippines are an island nation, this source must have arisen from
contaminated imported pork. This confirms the very high danger of imported pork
products from positive ASF countries coming into other nations.

On September 13 and September 18, further backyard farms in other provinces –

towards the metropolitan area of Manila – Quezon City and Antipolo were confirmed to
be positive for ASF. Samples were taken from two separate backyard farms in Quezon
City province by Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) personnel. Testing at the Veterinary
Laboratory Division of the BAI indicated that both farms were positive with eight of 45
blood samples positive by real time PCR for ASF. A total of 166 pigs, including all pigs
within a 1 km radius of each farm, were culled. The spread is suggested to arise from
movement of contaminated feed materials from the initial affected provinces into
adjacent metropolitan provinces.

Road blocks have been mounted by armed national police to prevent pig movements
between provinces. The local government in Quezon City has allocated 10 million PHP
(US$ 193,000) as compensation for removal of suspect pigs. The current compensation
rate has been set at 3,000 PHP (US$ 58) per pig. This is near to the current market
price for 30 kg lechon pigs but well below the current market price for porker pigs
(around 9,000 PHP or US$ 174 per pig). Despite this programme, other cases may be
unreported and some affected farmers in affected provinces have disposed of dead pigs
into local waste sites and rivers. In total 36 dead pigs were recovered from the Marakina
river, which flows from Rizal province towards Manila and three more pigs from local
rivers in Quezon City, north of Manila.

Local veterinary authorities are monitoring and depopulating many backyard piggeries
across central Luzon, however it is likely that spread to other backyard farms may
continue in the near future.

ASF control
The ASF virus is a large and complex DNA virus with multiple outer layers and
numerous mechanisms aimed to avoid an immune reaction in the host pig. There is
therefore little likely value in development of a killed or subunit vaccine approach for
ASF control. Strategies to develop a suitable live attenuated vaccine have not yet been
successful.

The key to ASF control currently relies on depopulation of affected farms and prevention
of new cases via strict biosecurity. ASF virus is mostly spread via contact with infected
pigs (including wild boars) or pig materials, such as pork meat or offal products. There
are few wild pigs in the central Luzon area, however native pigs are common in rural
provinces of the Philippines.

Possible impacts on Philippines production

There are similarities in the arrival of ASF to the Philippines with its outbreaks of Foot-
and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED) in the past. A
major outbreak of FMD across the Philippines occurred in 1995, but was finally
restrained by vaccination and eradication to central Luzon by 2004, with Visayas and
Mindanao then being declared free. The Philippines including Luzon, was finally
declared free of FMD in 2011. There was therefore a number of years where Luzon was
FMD positive but other regions remained negative. Currently the aims are to restrict the
spread of ASF to central Luzon, with the Mindanao and Visayas regions hopefully
remaining free.

A projection of the likely impact of ASF across each nation of South-East Asia, based
on its likely impact on commercial and backyard farms, indicates that the Philippines is
third only to China and Vietnam in the major losses likely to happen, see Table 1. The
calculations are based on a likely infection rate and consequent complete losses among
larger commercial farms of 30 % and in backyard farms of 80% of each type of farm.

Changes in the price of pigs and market pressures for likely reduction in supply of pigs
are well-recognised features of the aftermath of ASF arrival into a pig farming nation.
Some estimates foresee a rise in price of 30-50% in the price of locally produced pork,
thus a major reduction in pig numbers can still be tolerated by pig farming businesses to
a certain extent. The volume of pork imports is also likely to rise. The imports of pork
into the Philippines in 2017 was recorded at 261,000 metric tonnes, with a value of
around US$ 400,000 (€ 366,000).

Pork from China caused

African swine fever outbreak
in Philippines
Agriculture Secretary William Dar says smuggled Chinese pork products that were fed
to pigs caused the African swine fever outbreak in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) pointed to smuggled pork

from China as the culprit behind the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the
Philippines.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a press briefing on Monday, November 4, that
illegal shipments seized by authorities at the Port of Manila last October were a clear
indication that the virus originated from China.

Last month, shipments from China were declared as tomato paste and vermicelli, but
were later discovered to be pork upon physical inspection. Tests then confirmed that the
meat was positive for ASF.

Dar went on to say that these products were likely dumped in Rodriguez, Rizal, where
local hog raisers fed the infected meat to pigs. (WATCH: Rappler Talk: Dealing with the
African swine fever outbreak)

China's swine herd is down by about 40%, and the shortage has caused prices to soar.

The shortage is being exacerbated by stuttering imports from the United States due to
the lingering trade war.
A Rabobank report warned China could lose 200 million pigs during the epidemic, with
some farmers fearing that the figures are actually much higher.

Philippine authorities previously said that canned and processed meat from overseas
Filipino workers who went home as well as hotel food waste were the causes of the
outbreak. Officials did not categorically name countries then.

Government agencies are now eyeing pressing charges against traders. Smuggling
probes are within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Customs. – Rappler.com

DA confirms Mekeni
longganisa, hotdog tested
positive for African swine
fever
(UPDATED) The Department of Agriculture is still checking where Mekeni sourced its
pork that tested positive for African swine fever

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) under the
Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed that some pork products of Mekeni Foods
Corporation tested positive for African swine fever (ASF).

In a press briefing on Monday, November 4, BAI chief Ronnie Domingo said Mekeni's
skinless longganisa and hotdog turned out positive for ASF upon the agency's validation
tests.

The DA earlier said tocino was included, then later clarified that it was not.

Officials are still investigating where the tainted food products were sourced from.

Mekeni's meat products sourced from Canada, the United States, and France tested
negative for ASF.

Mekeni has already voluntarily recalled all of its pork-based products.

"Despite this unfortunate development, we assure government that we will continue to
cooperate in its ongoing investigation to determine the source of ASF. We will also
actively support the review of current protocols on issuing certifications for both local
and imported raw meats," Mekeni said in a statement.

Operations of its pork-based processing area have been suspended since October 26.
The company said the facility has been cleansed and disinfected.

A third-party company was also tapped to do swabbing and testing of the facility before
it can resume operations.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar reminded the public that selling ASF-tainted meat is a
criminal offense.

"It is a crime to sell, trade, slaughter sick or dead pigs for meat or for processed pork
products. Violators face imprisonment from 6 to 12 years or a fine of up to P1 million,"
Dar said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it inspected 63 out of 178 accredited meat
manufacturing plants, all of which tested negative for ASF. – Rappler.com

Revisit rice tariffication law

The whole rationale of Republic Act No. 11203 or the rice tariffication law (RTL) is
to provide affordable rice prices for consumers, coupled with the goal of raising the
income of palay/rice farmers. These twin objectives of the law would supposedly
ensure food security for all, and secure the income of producers and the need of
consumers. Supply and demand should always remain balanced. Economists want the
public to believe this.

The implementation of RTL in March 2019 has, however, resulted in higher rice
prices for consumers but lower palay prices for rice farmers. This is not the balance
that economists envisioned from the law.

The current farm gate price of palay is ridiculously low. It currently sells between P7
and P10 per kilogram (fresh). In Central Luzon, the country’s rice granary, the
average price of fresh palay is P10.60 (low P9, high P14). In Cagayan Valley, it costs
P12.31 per kg (low P11, high P15). If one compares this with the cost to produce a
kilogram of palay at about P12.40 per kg, farmers are losing.
Under this current pricing scheme, no farmer will continue planting rice below
production cost. The impact on the farmer household level, such as higher incidence
of malnutrition, school dropouts and increased vulnerability to early marriage, are
effects that cannot be ignored.

The National Food Authority (NFA) buffer stocking for 15 days is equivalent to
488,895 metric tons, and the budgetary requirement for palay procurement is only
P15.5 billion. The 30-day stock is equivalent to 977,790 metric tons, requiring a palay
procurement budget of P31.5 billion. But the government can only provide budgetary
support of P7 billion. Under the RTL, the NFA is limited only to maintaining buffer
stocks (to be sourced locally) for emergencies and disaster relief. Only one import
restriction remains under the RTL, and this is the Bureau of Plant Industry sanitary
permit. This is easy to secure.

The recommendation to engage the services of local government units (LGUs) in the
market price mechanism seems interesting but problematic. Are LGUs willing and
capable to take on the task of buying and selling palay, same as the previous role of
the NFA? Do they have the necessary logistics to purchase, store and deliver palay
from farm to market places?

A World Trade Organization trade and food security expert has said that the
government’s (pre-RTL) tariffication should have looked first into the effects of
tariffs before pursuing a rice deregulation policy. The WTO did not require the
Philippine government to deregulate the rice industry. What the WTO required was
simply to replace quantitative restriction (QR) with tariff as the standard form of
global trade policy, and not total rice deregulation measures for the domestic rice
industry as now enshrined under the RTL.

This was primarily why the Department of Agriculture (during pre-RTL) had warned
of the adverse effects of unilaterally liberalizing the domestic rice industry. As the
only “state-trading enterprise notified by the Philippines in the WTO, the NFA has
exclusive or special rights or privileges, including statutory or constitutional powers,
in the exercise of which they influence through purchases or sales.”

What farmers now recommend to the government and lawmakers is to suspend the
RTL implementation during the competitive measures phase, a period crucial to
making Filipino rice farmers viable. Filipino rice farmers are not mere recipients of
conditional cash transfers. They are key staple food producers. Assistance along the
lines of the pre-RTL palay price support of P20.70 will go a long way, especially for
cash-starved Filipino rice farmers. Farmers need at least eight cropping seasons (two
cropping seasons a year) to become competitive. The government should continue to
regulate rice imports and should provide direct farm and market support to farmers.

As with any responsible government, it should keep its option for quantitative
restrictions in case of disasters, manmade (such as policy failures) or otherwise.

Understanding rice
tariffication
We are firm in defending and asserting the rice tariffication reform despite the
current transitional problems that it faces in its implementation. The reform will
benefit both Filipino rice farmers and Filipino consumers.

First, we present a historical background.

The Philippines, being a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since
1995, has to comply with its rules that entail the elimination of trade barriers,
nevertheless, the Philippines was granted an exemption from the removal of its
quotas on rice importation. This exemption was originally meant to expire in
2004, but was extended until 2014, and further stretched till the passage of the
Rice Tariffication Law in early 2019.

The long regime of quantitative restrictions, ostensibly to protect farmers, had

severe costs. For one thing, the protection meant that the Philippines had to
compromise other sensitive economic sectors by opening them up to more
competition. For another thing, quantitative restrictions bred massive
corruption, created an ineffective and incompetent import monopoly, and
imposed a disincentive on farmers, beset with inefficiencies, to shape up. The
government became lax and felt no pressing need to enhance our farmers’
productivity since it relied on the import quota to shield farmers from
competition.

Because of the failure of agricultural modernization due to poor institutions and

weak policies, including the short-sighted quantitative restrictions on rice, the
country’s agricultural production has stagnated. In terms of efficiency and
productivity, the Philippines has lagged behind its ASEAN counterparts such as
Vietnam and Thailand. Our farmers incur higher costs of production and hence
could not compete with the more efficient rice-producing farmers from Vietnam
or Thailand. The ultimate effect has been the deterioration of the well-being of
our farmers.

Worse, those who suffered the economic burden of the quantitative restrictions
were the whole Filipino population (for we are all consumers including the
farmers themselves who in the main are net consumers).

A consequence of the import quota was higher food prices. Higher rice prices
heavily contributed to over-all inflation. This was most pronounced in the
inflation spike in 2018. The main culprit was the surge in rice prices, resulting
from the mismanagement of imports that resulted in a rice shortage. Rice makes
up for about 10% of the consumer basket. For the poorest Filipinos, rice
accounts for about 23% of its total consumption spending.

But the unusual rise in inflation in 2018, which many critics mistakenly blamed
on the effects of the comprehensive tax reform package, became an opportunity
to introduce a hard reform. The higher-than expected inflation was triggered
principally by the unwarranted spike in rice prices, resulting from the
mismanagement of imports to meet supply. This forced the hand of government
to remove the quantitative restrictions and shift to the tariffication of rice
imports.

Tariffication is still a form of protection. The high tariff (35% of declared value)
drives up the price of imports and the revenue derived from the tariff is
earmarked to benefit farmers. The Rice Tariffication Law’s also provides
funding of P10 billion to provide seeds, mechanization, technical assistance, and
credit. Any amount above P10 billion that can be generated from the tariff can
be used for cash transfers and other forms of financial assistance to the farmers.

In other words, the law still maintains a significant degree of trade protection,
but it does not impose the supply bottlenecks and institutional monopolies.
Moreover, it has created a significant budget to enhance the productivity and
well-being of rice farmers.

What was supposed to be a limited period of quantitative restrictions had a

short-term objective of giving time for local rice producers to become more
efficient and productive. But after a generation of an import-quota regime, the
intended goal of making our rice industry competitive and improving rice
farmers’s income has not been realized.

Rice tariffication is thus a most significant reform. However, because the

country’s reliance on the quantitative restrictions lasted so long, the farmers
face hard adjustments in the early implementation of the reform, the so-called
transition pains.

Imports have significantly increased. The country is projected to import about

2.4 million metric tons of rice in 2019. The retail prices of rice have fallen
greatly, relative to 2018 prices, and prices are anticipated to go down further.
This is good for the consumers, but rice farmers face an enormous challenge.

Two problems have arisen. First, retail prices have not fallen as much as farm-
gate prices have. This suggests a role for the Department of Trade and Industry
and Philippine Competition Commission to investigate whether there is market
power at the wholesale/trader segment. Consumers have not yet realized the
full gains of the reform.
Second, the price drop in farm-gate prices has now reached at- or below-cost
levels for many rice farmers, and this certainly threatens their livelihood. The
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP) provisions for seeds and
mechanization, among others, will benefit farmers by reducing their production
costs, increasing their farm yields, and ultimately raising incomes. However,
these gains are expected to be realized in the medium term. But the short term
is very critical.

Here, we present a proposal to address the immediate problems.

The cash transfer, similar to the 4Ps, with the sole condition being that the
beneficiary is a rice farmer, is absolutely necessary. The transfer should give the
farmers income relief while the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program is
still being rolled out. Cash transfers, together with the zero-interest loans that
the Department of Agriculture (DA) has introduced, have an immediate,
tangible, and direct impact on the farmers.

We estimate that of the two million rice farmers, about 600,000 to 700,000 are
vulnerable (are impoverished or at risk of poverty). A cash transfer of P5,000
per farmer per year would cost about P3 billion to P3.5 billion, excluding
administrative costs. But we can go farther than that by providing cash transfers
to all farmers owning rice land of two hectares and below. They constitute 1.7
million farmers of the Philippine total of two million rice farmers. After all, all
small rice farmers need the support to adjusting to the new policy regime.

There is enough fiscal space for a cash transfer of P5,000 for a cropping season
(the amount is based on a study done by the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies or PIDS) to be given to the 1.7 million rice farmers. This
amount per farmer perhaps is quite generous, especially given that there will be
other interventions for rice farmers. Hence, the amount can still be reduced
reasonably. Be that as it may, the total amount for such unconditional transfer
to cover 1.7 million farmers is P8.5 billion. This is a small price to pay for the
reform.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is in the best
position to do the transfers. It has the experience and lessons, the logistics and
the infrastructure.

The next question is where to get the P8.5 billion. The revenue from tariffication
is projected to reach P15 billion, thus freeing P5 billion for cash transfers.
Perhaps the remaining P3.5 billion (excluding the administrative costs) can be
obtained from the government’s unprogrammed funds?

Simultaneous with this, funds for seeds, credit, and mechanization should be
disbursed soonest. Planting season has begun.

Admittedly, the law’s current formulation is rigid. While financial assistance can
be funded, it is conditioned on tariff collections exceeding P10 billion. As it
stands, collections are projected to reach P15 billion and Congress ought to
consider advancing these funds towards the rice farmers in need.

Another task is to update the existing registry and targeting systems such as the
DA’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture or RSBSA and the
DSWD’s Listahanan.

We also welcome the DA’s introduction of no-interest loans amounting to

P15,000 for every farmer and payable in eight years. It is a form of cash transfer.
Farmers can repay these loans, given the long period of repayment and given a
well-designed system of monitoring and enforcement.

On top of this, the National Food Authority (NFA) should aggressively buy rice
from local producers, especially in the areas with depressed prices. Such buying
can influence higher prices towards alleviating the impact on farmers of
low palay prices. The NFA, too, must be quick in disposing older stock, even at a
cheap price to supplement their aggressive buying. This will not only result in
freeing space for NFA to buy more local rice, but will also benefit consumers
through lower prices of rice. Local government units and other government
agencies must likewise be involved in buying local rice for their constituents to
contribute to the over-all effort.

Rice tariffication is ultimately to the benefit of the whole people, but we must
act quickly to safeguard the welfare of Filipino rice farmers.

Woman dies of
meningococcemia in
Batangas
The Department of Health is awaiting confirmation on 3 other suspected cases of
meningococcemia monitored in the province in September

BATANGAS, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a 53-
year-old woman died of meningococcemia in a hospital in Tanauan City here in late
September.

DOH Calabarzon Director Eduardo Janairo said on Wednesday, October 2, that the
cause of death was confirmed based on the test results from the Research Institute for
Tropical Medicine (RITM).

The patient reportedly had bruises on her body and experienced symptoms of the
disease such as headache and high grade fever, prompting authorities to get blood
samples for testing.

The DOH is also awaiting confirmation on 3 other suspected cases of meningococcemia

resulting to deaths monitored in the province last month.

This includes the death of a one-year old girl who was rushed to the emergency room of
the Apacible Memorial District Hospital in Nasugbu, a two-year old boy from the same
town, and a 46-year-old woman from San Jose.

Janairo said there was no outbreak in the province because the cases – 3 of them still
to be verified – are not concentrated in one place. He urged the public to remain calm
but vigilant.
''Unang-una, huwag magpapanic. Napakaimportante pa-check up kaagad, humingi ka
ng prophylaxis sa isang epidemiologist o mga doctor at may mga gamot naman sa kahit
bata na para ibigay na prophylaxis 'yung proteksyon, para hindi siya magkaroon ng
meningo,” the official said.

Based on the latest available data from the DOH, a total of 130 Meningococcal cases
were reported nationwide from January 1 to June 29, 2019. Most of the cases reported
(18%) were from NCR, followed by Region IV-A or CALABARZON with 16%. There
were a total of 68 reported deaths among the reported Meningococcal diseases cases.

For the year 2018, CALABARZON had 17 reported cases and 9 deaths. This increased
by 24% as of June 2019 with 21 cases and 11 deaths. – Rappler.com

DOH: No meningococcemia
outbreak despite 4 cases in
Batangas
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday ruled out
an outbreak of meningococcemia in Batangas, despite the province having four
fatalities in two weeks, including one whose death was confirmed to be due to the
respiratory disease.

DOH Calabarzon director Eduardo Janairo downplayed the four reported cases of
meningococcemia as “isolated cases,” adding that these occurred in different areas in
the province.

Isolated cases

“We don’t have an outbreak. These are isolated cases. Every once in a while, we do see
meningococcemia cases. But it’s not really widespread and there’s no clustering of
cases in a particular area,” Janairo said.
He said the 54-year-old patient confirmed to have died from meningococcemia last
Sept. 21 was from Tanauan City, while the three other suspected cases were from the
towns of Nasugbu, Lian and San Jose, which are “far from each other.”

Awaiting confirmation

Janairo said they are awaiting confirmation from the Research Institute for Tropical
Medicine if indeed the three patients died due to meningococcemia, a respiratory
infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria.

Polio Outbreak in the

Philippines
On 19 September 2019, an outbreak of polio was declared in the Philippines. Children
in the Philippines are at risk of lifelong paralysis because of this outbreak.

The Philippine Department of Health and partners are working together on a

comprehensive outbreak response, including mass polio immunization rounds from
October 2019. All children, regardless of whether they are covered by the mass
immunization campaign or not, should be vaccinated according to the routine
immunization schedule.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is supporting the Philippine Government’s
response. The GPEI is a public-private partnership led by national governments with
five partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its goal is to eradicate polio
worldwide.

WHO is providing technical advice on the outbreak response, on-the-ground monitoring

and support for risk communication.
PH declares polio outbreak
as disease returns after 19
years
The Department of Health says a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur tests positive of the
poliovirus, the first case of the disease since the country was declared polio-free in
October 2000

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, September 19,

declared a polio epidemic after it recorded a case of the disease in Lanao del Sur. This
is the country's first confirmed case after 19 years of being polio-free.

The DOH said it found the disease in a 3-year-old girl who is "now apparently well but
with residual paralysis." The case was confirmed on Saturday, September
14. (READ: EXPLAINER: What is polio?)

"The result of [the girl's stool exam showed vaccine-derive poliovirus (VDPV) type 2,
and the child was unvaccinated against polio," DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director
Ferchito Avelino said.

The DOH said it is waiting for another case to be confirmed, adding that they would
make an announcement once it is confirmed.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told media on Thursday the DOH declared an
"epidemic" or "outbreak" after they found one positive case of the disease in Lanao del
Sur and after environmental samples from Manila and Davao tested positive for
poliovirus, as these are "considered an epidemic in a polio-free country."

The country was declared polio-free since October 2000, with the last case of
poliovirus reported in 1993.

The DOH said it found type 1 poliovirus in Manila and type 2 in Davao. There is another
type of poliovirus, type 3. Their main difference is the makeup of the outer, protective
coating called the capsid.

According to Rotary International, an organization which has been conducting anti-polio

initiatives for 30 years, type 1 poliovirus is the known cause of the few cases of the
disease existing in the world today. Type 2 poliovirus, meanwhile, was declared
eradicated in September 2015, with the last virus detected in India in 1999.

The DOH sees low vaccination coverage, poor early surveillance of polio symptoms,
and substandard sanitation practices as culprits in this reemergence.

The DOH had earlier said that the Philippines was at “high risk” of poliovirus
transmission after Manila’s sewage showed two samples that tested positive for
poliovirus.

Philippines Situation Report 8 - Dengue Outbreak (4

October 2019)

Highlights

 322,693 dengue cases, including 1,272 deaths, reported from 1 January to 21 September 2019: 115%
higher than in 2018.

 8,856 newly reported dengue cases and 15 deaths between 15 and 21 September, decreased from 9,815
cases in the preceding week, but 25% higher than in the same epidemiological week in 2018.

 Weekly Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.17% in epidemiological week 38 (15-21 September 2019) is lower
than in the same time period in 2018 (0.45%).

 A National Dengue Epidemic was declared on 6 August 2019.

 15 out of 17 regions exceed either the alert or the epidemic threshold

Current Situation

Between 1 January and 21 September 2019, Philippines, epidemiological week 1-38 2018 and 2019 322,693
dengue cases including 1,272 deaths were reported through the DOH routine surveillance system, with a
CFR of 0.39% (Table 1).

Since the beginning of the outbreak, children aged 5-9 years have consistently been the most affected age
group among dengue cases (23%) and deaths (38%). Similarly, the majority of dengue cases are consistently
male (56%), and the majority of dengue deaths are female (54%).
Between 15 and 21 September, 8,856 cases and 15 deaths were reported, compared to 9,815 cases and 37
deaths in the preceding week, but still 25% higher than in 2018. Similarly, the weekly CFR of 0.17% in
epidemiological week 38 is lower than in the same time period in 2018 (0.45%) (Figure 1 and 2).

Philippines: Worst dengue

outbreak in years kills over a
thousand
Outbreak reported across Southeast Asia but the
Philippines has the highest number of cases and
confirmed deaths.
Manila, Philippines - Emie Angeles and her husband, Rico Reyes, have not
had a decent night's sleep for days.

Two weeks ago, the couple rushed two of their children, two-year-old Katelyn
and seven-year-old KD, to hospital with a fever of over 39C (102.2 Fahrenheit)
that would not subside.

Katelyn had contracted dengue last year and the couple did not want to take
any chances.

Her blood test was positive for dengue while KD's showed no infection but
indicated a low platelet level, so the parents decided to have both children
admitted.

Two days later, Katelyn no longer had a fever. "She was already singing her
favourite song about balloons ... We were getting ready to go home," Reyes
said.

Then Katelyn's fever came back.

"It all happened so fast. She vomited blood, her nose began bleeding and she
began to convulse. The doctors tried to revive her but …" said Katelyn's
mother, still dazed.
Katelyn was pronounced dead on September 8.

Dengue outbreak
Over the past months, the Philippines has been grappling to stem its worst
dengue outbreak since 2012.

According to the Department of Health, a total of 271,480 dengue cases were

reported from January to August 31 of this year, prompting the declaration of
a national dengue epidemic.

In 2012, 187,031 cases of dengue were recorded.

As of August 31 this year, an estimated 1,107 people have died of dengue in the
Philippines, almost half were children between five and nine years of age.

At Manila's Tondo Medical Center, where Katelyn was treated, 21 dengue

patients were crowded into one room in the paediatric ward.

Two to three patients have to share a bed, with additional beds set up in the
corridors to deal with the overflow.

"Children are particularly susceptible to dengue because they have weaker

immune systems compared to adults," said Amado Parawan, health and
nutrition officer at Save the Children Philippines.

An attempt in 2016 to run a dengue vaccination programme - using the

Dengvaxia vaccine - ended abruptly when the efficacy and safety of the vaccine
were called into question.

Tens of thousands of dengue cases have been reported in neighbouring

Southeast Asian countries but the Philippines appears to be the worst-hit in
terms of the number of cases and fatalities, according to a report by the World
Health Organization (WHO).

According to the WHO report, 124,751 cases of dengue were recorded in

Vietnam, 85,270 in Malaysia and 10,206 in Singapore as of the end of August -
as much as a three-fold increase compared with the previous year.
Trying to contain the disease
A patient infected with dengue exhibits flu-like symptoms and a fever that
runs for two to seven days.

The fever may go down temporarily after three days, making many patients
think it is over. However, this is a critical phase that must be monitored as
it may progress to severe dengue, according to Leila Jane Narag, the doctor
overseeing the paediatric ward at the Tondo medical facility.

In reaction to the outbreak, the health department has intensified its dengue
prevention campaign, destroying mosquito breeding sites and ensuring
adequate blood supply in hospitals. Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes
aegypti mosquito, common in all parts of the Philippines.

The rainy season, typically June to February, is the peak period for dengue as
water collects in blocked gutters and street drains, turning them into breeding
grounds for mosquitoes.

According to Narag, reducing mosquito populations by cleaning water sources

like wells and water storage containers is essential to preventing further spikes
in dengue cases.

"A dengue outbreak is not exactly a new phenomenon. We have seen this
happen every four to five years and it is often linked to changing weather
patterns," said Rabindra Abeyasinghe, Philippines representative for the
WHO.

But higher temperatures and longer rainy seasons contribute to the scale of
the outbreak, as can a change in the type of dengue virus, he added.

Among the four types of dengue, the "Asian" genotypes of DEN-2 and DEN-3
are frequently associated with severe diseases like pneumonia, accompanying
secondary dengue infections.

An estimated 64 percent of profiled dengue cases in the Philippines are DEN-

3, according to the health department.
Dengvaxia controversy
In 2016, large dengue outbreaks were reported worldwide.

More than 375,000 suspected cases of dengue were reported in the Western
Pacific region, almost half were in the Philippines.

The same year, the Philippines rolled out a large-scale school-based dengue
immunisation campaign using Dengvaxia, touted at the time as the world's
first dengue vaccine.

However, the programme was suspended in 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur, which
manufactured the vaccine, issued new clinical findings saying that taking it
may not be effective in some cases and may lead to more severe symptoms of
dengue among those who have not been previously infected.

Consequently, the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration permanently

revoked the use of Dengvaxia, although several investigations had concluded
that no deaths could be directly linked to it.

Officials of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration were criticised for their

"knee-jerk" reaction to the vaccine controversy, given that the programme was
introduced during the previous government.

As dengue cases escalated in August, Duterte said he would consider the

resumption of the use of the vaccine upon the recommendation of the health
department.

But Health Secretary Francisco Duque was adamant that Dengvaxia would not
be appropriate for an outbreak response.

Currently, the vaccine is licensed for use in some countries in Europe, the
United States and Latin America.

Doctors for Truth and Public Welfare, a group of medics and scientists led by
former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, is appealing to the government to
allow Dengvaxia back onto the market.

"It is not a perfect vaccine, but we think that it should be made available to
those who need it and can benefit from it," Cabral said.
"This (outbreak) is not normal. We cannot accept the 1,000 deaths related to
dengue. With proper treatment, you do not die from dengue."

Young inventors create a device that converts

noise to electricity
The gadget reverses the functioning of a normal speaker which vibrates to create
sound when electricity is passed through it. It uses sound and converts it to
electricity.
KOLKATA: A group of students from the Philippine Science High School-Western Visayas
Campus (PSHS-WVC) has created an inexpensive device that converts noise to electricity and
can power bulbs.

According to a report on Manila Bulletin, the gadget was created by Grade 11 students Kirsten
Dianne Delmo, Nico Andrei Serrato, Joecile Faith Monana, Frelean Faith Engallado, and
Raphael Francis Dequilla.

The gadget reverses the functioning of a normal speaker which vibrates to create sound when
electricity is passed through it. It uses sound and converts it to electricity. The gadget can come
in handy in heavily polluted areas like roads and construction sites.

The invention won the Silver Award during the Young Inventors Challenge 2019 in Malaysia.

According to the team and reported by Manila Bulletin, they are aware that converting noise to
electricity is not a new concept but no infrastructure has been made applying this concept.

“When sound waves hit the diaphragm of the speaker, the magnet and the coil inside interact
thus creating electrical energy. This is then stored in a power bank which could power up light.
The gadget costs only P200 pesos or $4 which was spent on the capacitors,” Manilla Bulletin
quoted one of the team members.

With this low-cost light, rural communities would be able to have access to electricity especially
light to help improve their way of life. With this invention, students will be able to study in the
comfort of their homes. They said that if the device is to be placed in an airport where the sound
intensity reaches up to 140 decibels, this can generate enough electricity to light a 5 Watt LED
bulb throughout the night.

A larger speaker with a lot more devices added can harness enough electricity for the whole
community.
Magnitude 6.5 earthquake
rocks parts of Mindanao
(7th UPDATE) The strong earthquake happens just two days after a magnitude 6.6
tremor struck Cotabato and affected other provinces in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (7th UPDATE) – A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked Central and
Eastern Mindanao on Thursday, October 31, just two days after a strong tremor killed
several people and hurt hundreds of others in the region.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a bulletin that
the tremor, which was tectonic in origin at a depth of 2 kilometers, struck Tulunan,
Cotabato, at 9:15 am on Thursday. (WATCH: Rappler Talk: Earthquakes and hazards in
the Philippines)

The earthquake happened just two days after a magnitude 6.6 tremor struck the same
area.

It was felt in the following areas:

 Intensity VII - Tulunan, Cotabato; Kidapawan City; Bansalan, Davao del

Sur
 Intensity VI - Matanao, Davao del Sur

Instrumental Intensities:

 Intensity VII - Kidapawan City

 Intensity V- Malungon, Sarangani
 Intensity IV- Kiamba and Alabel,Sarangani; Tupi, South Cotabato;
Koronadal City; General Santos City
 Intensity III - Gingoog City; Cagayan de Oro City

While the earthquake struck just two days after a stronger magnitude 6.6 tremor rocked
the same area, Phivolcs Science Research Specialist Erlinton Olavere said in an
interview on CNN that it could not be considered an aftershock because they have
nearly the same magnitude.
Phivolcs said damage to infrastructure and property were expected in areas affected by
the quake, which were still reeling from the effects of two strong earthquakes this month
– a magnitude 6.3 tremor on October 16, and another on October 29.

The October 29 earthquake killed at least 8 people, based on the latest official report of
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (NDRRMC).

President Rodrigo Duterte was in his hometown of Davao City when the shaking began,
but his spokesman said he was unharmed.

Frightened residents ran to safety as the strong shaking hit just as businesses and
classes opened for the day.

"Everyone rushed outside," said Reuel Limbungan, mayor of the Tulunan town, which
was once again near the epicenter. "It was as strong as the previous one."

The latest tremor caused the covered court of the Father Tulio Favali Municipal Hospital
to collapse.

Hospital chief Dr Lilian Roldan they have 14 patients taking shelter in the open ground
hallways.

Gonzalo Cadiena, a hospital administrative officer, said that the annex building with a
10-bed capacity had been abandoned after the second earthquake on October 29.

Meanwhile, the flow of traffic between Davao City and Cotabato City had been halted
after the DPWH shut down the Bulatukan Bridge in Makilala, Cotabato due to cracks.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines' Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) has
raised its alert status for disaster response, said Eastmincom Commander Lieutenant
General Felimon T. Santos Jr.

While the military focuses on disaster response in the region, Santos said the military
will also remain "vigilant to ensure that terrorists will not take advantage of the
situation." – With reports from Bobby Lagsa, Agence France-
Getting measles wipes out
immune protection for other
diseases
Scientists says the findings 'means the (measles) vaccine is that much more valuable'

WASHINGTON, USA – Measles, the contagious childhood disease that is once more
on the rise globally, is more harmful than previously thought.

A new analysis of 77 unvaccinated children from the Netherlands carried out by an

international team of researchers led by scientists at Harvard has found that the virus
erases the body's memory of previous pathogens – effectively wiping its immunity
memory.

The virus eliminated between 11 and 73% of the children's protective antibodies, blood
proteins responsible for "remembering" previous encounters with disease, the team
wrote in the journal Science on Thursday.

This left some of the children with immunity close to that of a newborn baby.

"It sort of resets your immune system back to sort of a more naive state," Harvard
epidemiologist and coauthor Michael Mena told AFP.

In order to rebuild their defenses, they will need to be exposed to numerous pathogens
as they were in their infancy, he added.

To validate their result, the team then carried out experiments on macaque monkeys,
with the animals losing 40-60% of their protective antibodies.

"The virus is much more deleterious than we realized, which means the vaccine is that
much more valuable," said study coauthor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Investigator Stephen Elledge. – Rappler.com
PH’s 2nd microsatellite
marks 1st year in space,
shows Manila Bay
improvement
MANILA - After just a year in space, the Philippines’ second microsatellite Diwata-2 has covered
almost half of the country’s land area, taking images of towns and bodies of water that provide
important insights about the nation’s changing landscape.

Proponents of the Philippines’ microsatellite program gathered at the University of the Philippines
(UP) on Tuesday to celebrate Diwata-2’s first anniversary in space.

The 57-kilogram microsatellite, which is as big as a balikbayan box, was launched into space on Oct.
29, 2018 via a rocket from Japan. It is the country’s third Filipino-made satellite, after Diwata-1 in
2016 and cube satellite Maya-1 in August 2018.

IMAGE MONITORING

Since its deployment, it has helped monitor the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay. An image taken by
Diwata-1 in early 2018, almost a year before the rehabilitation project, showed areas of the bay that
were murky.

Through PH satellites, the gov’t is able to monitor turbidity of Manila Bay and other bodies of water.
The left photo shows red areas where water is not clear (which is an indication of water quality).
After a year, improvements are already seen from
space. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/JmCkRDS0lu

— Kristine Sabillo (@kristinesabillo) October 29, 2019

Shielo Namuco, university researcher for the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and
Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, said high
turbidity of a body of water, or that which appears murky, is “an indication of (poor) water quality.”

The image was then compared to another photo taken by Diwata-2 in June this year, which shows big
improvement in water turbidity.

Because it follows a sun-synchronous orbit, where it revisits or passes over the same area at the same
time every 11 days, Diwata-2 will be able to better monitor areas such as the Manila Bay for water
quality assessments.
Satellite images from Diwata-2 have also been used to monitor typhoons and growing urban areas in
provinces. Images of Rizal from Google Maps compared to photos taken by Diwata-2 showed the
conversion of agricultural areas into residential areas and roads.

Applications of Diwata-2 include monitoring of weather disturbances like typhoons and monitoring
of changing land cover and use (2nd photo shows more residential
areas) @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/webPAp7Obn

— Kristine Sabillo (@kristinesabillo) October 29, 2019

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

According to Joel Marciano Jr., acting director of the Department of Science and Technology -
Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), the small but powerful computer-
controlled system is capable of other tasks.

“These satellites are beyond taking pictures,” explained Marciano.

“They’re also viable communication devices. In the context of the Philippines, in cases of
emergencies and disasters, this can provide a ready solution.”

He and other experts explained how the amateur radio unit in the microsatellite can be used to send
reports and messages in the event of a typhoon and the subsequent breakdown of communication
lines.

Namuco said Diwata-2 has also “created opportunities for learning” as students and government
agencies have learned from its capabilities through trainings and visits to the microsatellite program’s
facilities.

Enrico Paringit, executive director of DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging
Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), also talked about the shift from a resource-
based to a knowledge-based economy.

“Even if we still need to harness our natural resources, a crucial part of that will be to harness these
technologies in order to utilize our precious resources in a sustainable manner,” he said.

Satellites all over the world have long been used to aid efforts to improve agricultural productivity
and monitor effects of urbanization and environmental degradation.

13 SATELLITES

Marciano said the Philippines will have a total of 13 satellites in the coming years. Three are already
in orbit already and a few others are being used as engineering models.

Four cube satellites will be developed in the Philippines by University of the Philippines graduate
students while the rest will be made by Filipino scientists and engineers abroad through programs
facilitated by partner countries.

Such developments coincide with the creation of the Philippine Space Agency, which will focus on
space research for national security and development, hazard management and climate studies, space
research and development, space industry capacity-building, space education and awareness, and
international cooperation.

“If we don’t don’t start something like this (satellite program), we’ll forever be consumers of data
provided by other countries. What if geopolitical situations change that we are not able to take
advantage of other countries’ help,” Mariano said. “Now, the Philippines is not just standing by
passively…We can also contribute.”

With Diwata-1 expected to end by 2020 and Diwata-2 having four more years in its life span,
Marciano and the STAMINA4Space team are hoping that the Philippines can launch another cube
satellite by 2022.