Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
READ: New super contagious Omicron mutant spreads
THE quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious Omicron mutant that's worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in numerous other countries, including the United States. Scientists say the variant — called BA.2.75 — may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. It's unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other Omicron variants, including the globally prominent BA.5. The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there, said Lipi Thukral, a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. It's also been detected in about 10 other countries, including Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. Two cases were recently identified on the West Coast of the US, and Helix identified a third US case last week. Another concern is that the genetic tweaks may make it easier for the virus to skirt past antibodies — protective proteins made by the body in response to a vaccine or infection from an earlier variant. But experts say vaccines and boosters are still the best defense against severe Covid-19. In the fall, it's likely the US will see updated formulations of the vaccine being developed that target more recent Omicron strains.
READ: NCR Covid positivity rate up more than 10%
THE Covid positivity rate in Metro Manila and 12 provinces have reached more than 10 percent, OCTA Research said on Monday. OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the positivity rate in Metro Manila rose from 8.3 percent on July 2 to 10.9 percent on July 9. Eight other provinces in Luzon breached the 5-percent threshold set by the World Health Organization. The biggest increases were in Nueva Ecija, from 3.5 percent to 14 percent, and Tarlac, from 6.4 percent to 16.7 percent. The other provinces with more than 10-percent positivity rates are Batangas (from 7.3 percent to 11.3 percent), Cavite (from 11.7 percent to 14.9 percent), Isabela (from 3.4 percent to 10.3 percent), Laguna (from 10.3 percent to 18.2 percent), Pampanga (from 9.1 percent to 16.5 percent) and Rizal (from 11.3 percent to 16.6 percent). Four provinces in the Visayas also recorded a positivity rate of more than 10 percent: Aklan (from 21 percent to 26.9 percent), Antique (from 17.1 percent to 17.8 percent), Capiz (from 6.2 percent to 18.8 percent) and Iloilo (from 7.2 percent to 11 percent). In its weekly bulletin, the Department of Health (DoH) reported 10,271 new Covid cases from July 4 to July 10, or 1,467 cases daily. This is 30 percent higher than the June 27 to July 3 figure. As of July 10, Metro Manila or the National Capital Region had the highest number of new cases with 838. Three provinces had more than 100 cases: Iloilo (139), Cavite (135) and Laguna (122). In Metro Manila, Quezon City had the highest number of new cases with 160. The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were tested and found positive for Covid-19.
READ: There is room for upstarts, business experts agree
SEVERAL business leaders believe there is room to grow for startup businesses. Speaking at The Manila Times forum, management experts from the retail, BPO (business process outsourcing), logistics and entrepreneurship sectors shared their experiences and offered advice to entrepreneurs who want to start their business despite the prevailing economic downturn. For Mercato Centrale co-founder RJ Ledesma, entrepreneurship is always trying to find ways of solving problems. The pandemic may have closed businesses down, but new ones have emerged, embracing new techniques like digital marketing and e-commerce. But it also bought about new sets of problems, such as logistics, he said. BEXCS Logistics Solutions Inc. co-founder Marjorey Rubio said new businesses tend to get overwhelmed by the challenges. The experts also discussed how new businesses should lead. According to Mr. Freeze Tube Ice Inc. Gerry Santos and [24]7.ai president and country manager Rienzie Ramirez, one must lead with compassion.
READ: 46% of Filipinos hopeful on economy
NEARLY half of Filipinos believe the economy will improve in the next 12 months, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed. The April 19 to 27 poll showed that 46 percent of the respondents believe the economy will get better while 6 percent believe that it will worsen. This resulted in a net economic optimism of +40, classified by SWS as excellent. Compared to the previous quarter in December 2021, the net economic optimism went down a bit by 4 points. Net economic optimism was highest in Balance Luzon at +46, followed by Metro Manila and Mindanao at +43 each, and lowest in the Visayas at +18. It stayed excellent in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila and Mindanao despite a decline of 6, 4 and 3 points, respectively, while it also stayed fair in the Visayas, hardly moving down by 1 point.
READ: Marcos names Lotilla Energy secretary
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. named Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla as secretary of the Department of Energy (DoE), Malacañang said Monday. This will be Lotilla's second tour of duty in the said agency. He served as DoE chief from 2005 to 2007 during the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He also served as president of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. and deputy director-general of the National Economic Development Authority.
BUSINESS: Net FDI up 48% in April
Topping business, net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows grew by 48 percent to $989 million in April from $667 million a year earlier, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced on Monday. The funds primarily went to the construction; real estate; professional, scientific and technical; and manufacturing industries. April's result brought year-to-date net FDI inflows to $3.4 billion, a 12-percent increase from the $3.1 billion recorded in January to April last year.
SPORTS: Bolden's hat-trick sends Pinay booters to semis in AFF
In sports, Sarina Bolden scored a hat-trick to power the Philippine women's national football team to a 4-1 win over Indonesia in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women's Championship at the Rizal Football Memorial Stadium in Manila on Sunday night. With the victory, the Filipinas clinched a semifinals berth and also solidified their hold of the top spot in Group A with 12 points built on four wins in as many games. This is the third game where the Philippines steamrolled the opposition after its 7-0 drubbing of Singapore and 4-0 rout of Malaysia.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses on reframing the administration of higher education, while Makabenta gives his thoughts on the assassination of the late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Today's editorial discusses what the country's medium of instruction should be. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.