METROPOLITAN
ILOILO
the first business newspaper in metro iloilo
TIMES
VOL. II ISSUE NO. 58
March 23 - 29, 2014 Php 12.00
developmental news | critical views www.iloilometropolitantimes.com
2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. HISTORICAL EXCHANGE RATE Weekly MIDPOINT Rates - March 14-20, 2014
USD/PHP
44.8500 44.8038
44.8000 44.7500 44.7000
44.6713
44.6500 44.6051
44.6000 44.5500
44.6034
44.5968 44.5836
44.5474
44.5000 Mar 14, 2014
Mar 16, 2014
Mar 18, 2014
Mar 20, 2014
DTI PRICE MONITORING Prime Commodities (25 Oct 2013) Prime Commodities (25 Oct 2013)
CANNED SARDINES Current Price INSTANT NOODLES Current Price
Paradiso (155g) Young’s Town Bonus (155g) Lucky 7 (155g)
12.15 Lucky Me! (55g) 13.00 Payless (50g) 13.25
PROCESSED MILK Current Price
7.10 6.30 Current Price
BREAD
Alaska Sweetened Filled 49.50 Milk - Condensed 300 mL Pinoy Tasty (400g) Alaska Filled Milk 34.50 Pinoy Pandesal Evaporated 370 mL Angel Filled Milk Evaporated 410 mL
35.75
37.00
(pack of 10 pieces) 22.50
DA PRICE MONITORING Processed and Manufactured Commodities (25 Oct 2013) Processed and Manufactured Commodities (25 Oct 2013)
Commercial Rice Regular Milled Well Milled Premium Special (Fancy) Sugar Refined Washed Brown Sugar Cooking Oil Lapad (bottle)
Current Price 35.00/kg 38.00/kg 42.00/kg 45.00/kg 45.00/kg 42.00/kg 38.00/kg
Meat & Poultry Pork Liempo Pigue (Ham) Beef Rump Brisket Chicken Fully Dressed Egg (Medium) Fish Bangus
Current Price
190.00/kg 180.00/kg
260.00/kg 200.00/kg 120.00/kg 4.50/pc
INJAP INVESTS 5 MALLS
Tomatoes are now sold in public wet markets at five pesos per kilo, the lowest in its season so far. Photo by Reymar Latoza/IMT
Colorum vehicles under tight watch BY MONTESA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN
Colorum vehicles had been the oldest problem of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Western Visayas. LTFRB-6 regional director Romulo Bernales admitted that colorum vehicles (without franchises) still clandestinely operating regionwide especially at the airports thus, they are now into the process of identifying those private vehicles. “These vehicles are also asking excessive payment but we have no control over them”, he said. Bernales advised commuters not to patronize these colorum vehicles that are pretending to pick-up their relatives but are in fact negotiating passengers. He added these colorum Colorum /p11
BY MONTESSA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN & MARY PAULINE BALMES
Edgar Sia II, President and Chief Executive Officer of Double Dragon Properties Corp. targets to establish five city malls worth P1.4 billion in Iloilo City. He said the five city malls that will be erected in Iloilo are part of 25 malls to be constructed in the country before 2015. “We prioritized Iloilo as an expansion area of our company. The city is a great place to highly conducive business from scratch”, he said. He acknowledged also a Korean investor who will operate a restaurant
to his soon to open 21-storey Hotel in Mandurriao district next month. Recently, three big companies in the Philippines inked investment and shareholders agreement to acquire the CityMall Commercial Center, Inc. (CMCCI). The SM Investments Corporation, owned by the Sy group, shares 34% of the CMCCI while the Double Dragpon Properties Corp., a joint venture of Edgar ‘Injap’ Sia II, founder of Mang Inasal under Injap Investments and Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee under Honeystar Holdings Corp. share 66% of the outstanding capital stock.IMT
DOLE expects PH jobless rate to soar
BY REYMAR LATOZA
Welcome to the world of unemployed! With about 700,000 students to graduate this month, the Department of Labor and Employment is expecting an additional number of
jobless Filipinos. In Western Visayas (WV), more than 40,000 college students in the region will march for graduation, according the Commission on Higher Education 6 (CHED-6). DOLE expects /p9
20.00
Current Price 120.00/kg
Tourism sector, region’s major strength
BY REYMAR LATOZA “Tourism is the major industry in Western Visayas.” Arsenio Balisacan, secretary for SocioEconomic Planning and director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) pointed out in his speech during the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, Miag-ao, Iloilo Forum on AEC 2015: The Critical Role of the Country’s “Kalibo International Airport Regions which was held recently has an average of 25 flights daily, in Iloilo City the major strengths mostly chartered flights from and the significant projects in the Taiwan, Korea and Japan. With region that can meet the challenges AEC, we can expect to reach out to of ASEAN Integration. a wider tourism market,” Balisacan Balisacan said Western Visayas said. hosts the world famous Boracay The Iloilo Airport will be also Island in Aklan and many natural expanded to cater more domestic attractions in Guimaras Island and and international passengers and Southern Negros Island. Tourism sector /p9
PH MSMEs need repair BY REYMAR LATOZA
Mila’s Hill
Mini Hotel Amenities
In Land Resort OPENS DAILY 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. FOR RESERVATION : Call or Txt (033) 396 9698 09059347957
Cottages
Pavilion Iloilo Doctors College - Dentistry
www.milashill.blogspot.com
EMAIL ADDRESS
milashill.inlandresort@gmail.com
Gazebo
West Timawa Street Avenue
Amiga Salon & Spa de Iloilo
Iloilo Doctors Hospital
Infante St.
WEBSITE
Pasil, New Lucena Iloilo
UPV
Delgado St.
The structure of Philippine enterprises need changes to propel the micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs), according to Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, senior research fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). “Our structure is so unbalanced…. not dynamic and for us to grow we need dynamism,” Aldaba said “Many are not graduating from micro, from small, and some remained in medium enterprise…..the movement is so slow,” she added. Aside from lack of access to finance, Aldaba also cited other constraints to MSMEs growth such as the lack of access to technology and skills, availability of inputs and supply chain problems. “High cost to access raw materials and inputs due to the problem of sourcing and transporting raw materials,” she added. With these problems, Aldaba believed that it is very important for the government intervene and shift their focus on the promotion and the development of our MSMEs. “If you look at the experiences of other country, MSMEs have really driven their growth, their success and their development, but looking at our own experience, it is much different,” Aldaba said. In a report she presented MSMEs constitute the bulk of enterprises, mostly comprising more than 99% of all enterprises and it employs more than 60% of the workforce.IMT
METROPOLITAN
the first business newspaper in metro iloilo
2
Western Visayas
March 23 - 29, 2014
developmental news | critical views
E-motors’ turnover of E-trikes for Boracay transport group lauded www.iloilometropolitantimes.com
Zum E-trikes of Emotors’, the country’s first manufacturer and assembler of electric 3-wheel vehicle, turnover of two units of electricpowered tricycles to the Boracay Land Transportation Multi Purpose Cooperative (BLTMPC) earned praises from no less than the Senate President Franklin Drilon. The Zum E-Cruizer is also the first and only units that have licensed plate issued by the Land Transportation Office and also with Certificate of Registration (CR) and Official Receipt (OR). The test-run is to let the drivers of BLTMPC to have first-hand experience of the company’s energy efficient vehicles. Once the company passed the standards of the BLTMPC, the company will provide at least 100 registered e-trike units to cater to
Boracay tourist and residents. The Local Government of Malay hopes to see the full operation of e-trikes in Boracay by 2016. Emotors is a 100 percent E-trike Filipino owned led by former COO of Universal Motors Corp. (UMC) and Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) President Elizabeth Lee is the first to be registered with the Board of Investment’s Motor Vehicle Development Program (BOI- MVDP) under EO 156. It also the first to be registered with the country’s EO 226 or Investment Priority Plan supporting one of President Aquino’s thrust to clean our environment, lessen pollution, and clean our air. The company is also accredited with the Land Transportation Office.
BRIDGE TO CONNECT BORACAY, MALAY STILL UNDER SCRUTINY
Denver C. Osuyos, Cherry Joy M. Rubido, Kent Angelo D. Costales, Jovelyn E. Esbieto, Deam Rose A. Berte. Clyde Joshua N. Delgado, Vivien Ann A. Juarez, Blessy Diane O. Pampura, Kent Spencer M. Mendez, Mardy L. Untalan, Alfred P. Panaungon, Mayriel Zen E. Vedeja, Jonah H. Baguna, Heidie P. Dollete, Benjie M. Franscisco and Johnmel E. Mamantar. These passers are covered under RA 7687 said Moscoso who are qualified to pursue four or five-year college course with priority on science and technology fields. The scholars according to Moscoso will receive tuition subsidy, monthly stipend, book allowance and many more. DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo said the scholarship programs will provide the new awardees access to quality education in leading public and private institutions as it targets to substantially increase the number of scientists and engineers needed to boost economic productivity and knowledge creation in the country. (www.dost. gov.ph).(JCM/PSM/PIA6Antique)
THE SANGGUNIANG Bayan of Malay is now reviewing a resolution to authorize the Municipal Government to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a Korean development firm for the construction of a bridge that that will connect Boracay Island to the mainland. Committee on Laws Chairman Councilor Rowen Aguirre, said the resolution is already calendared for second reading for its next session on March 18.Aguirre said this was the recommendation made during a joint-committee hearing with the members of the Committee on Laws and Committee on Public Works and Highways conducted March 10. However, Councilor Floribar Bautista questioned the result of the said committee hearing. Bautista lamented why no one from the Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company attended the said committee hearing, saying that it is necessary for the SB to hear their plans for the proposed project. Once approved, the resolution will allow Mayor John Yap to sign the MOA with Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company. The MOA will then allow the firm to conduct the feasibility study to identify the financial, technical and engineering design, environment and socio-economic aspects in building the bridge. The decision whether to build a bridge would be based on the results of the feasibility study and in consultation with the different stakeholders in Malay and Boracay. (Informer/Karen Bermejo)
It could be a lowly banca, but it enriches the fisherman who uses it as the tool of his trade. Photo taken at Ukoy Beach, by Riche Magbanua for Lin-ay Kang Antique come December 2014. I should say that this was the highlight of the festival because for two long nights, people from all over town and from nearby places flocked to the plaza and witnessed the unravelling of beauties, brains and bodies. It is in this pageant which is similar to a Miss Universe Competition where we get to see beauty and brains to its highest level. I was touched by one contestant revealing her dream for Libertad, “which is not just a municipality, it is our home” by “dreaming something big to make it progressive in this part of the world and that everyone has something to contribute”. Indeed, Libertad is on its way to become Antique’s biggest contributor to progress, as its hard working Mayor , Hon. Norberto Raymundo, Jr. Said “when we work in a cohesive force, we could attain our dreams for Libertad...if we have the From L to R– First Runner up, Ms. Delvic Saracanlao; 4th runner up, Ms. Ma. Lorena courage to pursue it .” His challenge to his Prado; LIN-AY KANG LIBERTAD, Ms. Leizle Belbis, 3rd runner up, Ms. Diane fellow elected officials, to the department Aguilar; and 2nd runner up, Ms. Jobelle Geronimo. heads and employees of the local
The “manugraras” of Brgy. Union, Libertad demonstrate their adroitness in mat weaving, while the bloggers (from Negros, Iloilo and Manila, and 1 Italian ), UPV bird- watchers, tour operator NIckson Calawag and this writer (in yellow “Beloy “ tshirt,) look and admire their age-old skill inherited from their ancestors. government unit of Libertad is summed up in this famous quotation by Lowell Peacock : “Attitude is the first quality that marks the successful man. If he has a positive attitude and is a positive thinker, who likes challenges and difficult situations, then he has half his success achieved.” Ti, maayan kita sa Libertad? Its beauty and splendour and richness, both in culture and its warm people is best figured in the lyrics of its municipal theme song : “ang ngaran kang banwa ko, buut hambalun KALUWASAN, amat uswag ang parangitan-an, matawhay, pagkaun dili mawad-an....magbugtaw, maghulag, amligan ta ang lahi, dihunon ang paginugali....pag-abi-abi, wara it pili” kag saburan ta ang kanami kang kadunaan (which means, nature at its best).#lmpt@ Antique tourism/
DepEd Antique conducts earthquake drill
Zum Electric Vehicle product lines include Zum Aero, Zum E-Cruizer,
26 young Antiquenos pass DOST college scholarship
BY PILAR S. MABAQUIAO
SAN JOSE, Antique, March 17 (PIA 6) - - The Department of Education Division of Antique in San Jose will serve as ceremonial site for the earthquake drill on March 19 at 9:00 A.M. according to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Broderick Train. Train said that the activity is in line with the directive from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC) to join in the conduct of the national simultaneous earthquake preparedness drill on said date. Train said that the NDRRMC directs local DRRMC to identify schools that will serve as ceremonial sites, but decided during the emergency meeting that the DepEd Antique Building will serve as a ceremonial site with the school officials and teachers as key players in the execution of the earthquake drill. The drill will help reinforce awareness and preparation of teachers
and students on what to do during occurrence of earthquakes. “The activity will also involve all other offices/institutions in a drill of ‘drop, cover and hold on’ earthquake survival skill,” Train said. Train said that the activity will help various institutions to implement through the drill their respective emergency and rescue plans. “The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) will give a scenario and it is at our level that we execute our responses to a particular emergency situation,” Train said. He said that everyone should know how to protect themselves during an earthquake because it could cause significant damage to property and loss of life. Train also emphasized the need to inform that public of the scheduled conduct of simultaneous earthquake drill in order to prevent panic from the residents.(JCM/VWV/PIA 6-Antique)
SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) – Poor but deserving students from the Province of Antique have once again grabbed the opportunity of getting a college education supported by government after they passed the qualifying exam of the Department of Science and Technology. Engr. Eleazar Moscoso of DOST Antique said, every year the province gets a slice of the scholarship grant from DOST since a lot of young Antiquenos are competent enough to pass the exam. Out of the 3,982 national qualifiers this year, 26 are from Antique coming from 15 secondary schools provincewide. Of the total passers nationwide, 3,473 are children from poor families qualified under RA 7687 Scholarship grants while 509 are under the Merit Scholarship program. The list of passers are Eunice S. Arbolo, Mirabelle Marie G. Baghari, Paul Ian N. Bacongallo, April C. Dadibalos, Renz Nicole M. Tajan, Ma. Monica B. Consul, Jhonel C. Libhan, Jeremy Lloyd Gallego, Gerald A. Magallanes, Kevin M. Ludas, Clark
BY LEAH MARLIE PAGUNSANTAMBANILLO Provincial Tourism Office Province of Antique
patience and hard work” because “every strip of the bariw speaks of the lovely vision of a multi-faceted people and that in every bariw product, the history, aspiration and life of a Libertadnon is being revealed. The activities lined up for this year included a Fun Run, a singing competition entitled “Libertad Got Talent”, the Grand Parade, playground demonstration facilitated by the DepEd; the IFI Night and the Holy Masses initiated by the IFI and the Roman Catholic Churches and the Merry Making. Drummers banged their locally – made drums to the famous “banigan” beat while dancers and merrymakers danced to their hearts’ delight, even under the mid-day showers. The festival also featured the Biray, featuring their man-rowed bancas adorned with colourful banderittas to show the gaiety of the festival. For Libertad is not only focused on its OTOP, which is the bariw and mat-weaving, but the town is also gifted with the richness of the “marina”. Being strategically located at Antique’s tuna highway, fresh catch of tuna
and other sea products are abundant and thus the Libertadnons take pride in being the blessed fisherman; The Pasundayag or the exhibits wherein the eleven (11) barangays showcased their banig products that speak of the ingenuity and the patience of the “manugrara” is a must-see during the Festival; the Balikbayan Night where Libertadnons who made good in other countries come home and join their kasimanwas in the festivities and the merriment ; and the recognition of the families of manugraras who had endured the hardships of life and were able to send their children to college. Since it started in 2008, the Paghimakas Awards recognized 27 awardees and gave due acknowledgment to exemplary families. And the highlight of the Festival was the Search for Lin-ay Kang Libertad where young ladies paraded on stage showcasing their best – talents, wit, beauty and charm. This year’s Search for Lin-ay Kang Libertad saw ten lovely daragas vying for the title and hoping to represent Libertad in the annual Binirayan Festival Search
BY VICENTE W. VILLAVERT
Zum Ezee Cargo and Zum Pick up. (Informer)
Maayan Kita sa Libertad... “pag-abi-abi, wara it pili” March 10 to 16, 2014 were the dates when all roads led to the municipality of Libertad, the farthest town in the northern part of Antique. It is their 14th Banigan Festival and this year, it carried the theme : “Banig : Dalangpan nga palangitan-an sa tunga kang kalalat-an”. Libertad is not only known to be endowed with wonderful works of nature what with its Maanghit Cave, Punta Pucio sunset, Bonganbongan Creek, Pangitanan Falls , Bato Beach and its Mt. Pinupo, but because it is here where “bariw” grows abundantly. Bariw leaves undergo a complicated process and through the expert hands of the manugrara, banig products are made. The process had been mastered since time immemorial and thus, Libertad is now considered as the mat-weaving capital of the Province of Antique. The efforts of the manugrara now bore fruits and mats and other products such as hats, bags and gowns from Libertad became known not only in the province but in Region 6 and the whole country as well. Banigan Festival, as one candidate for this year’s search for Linay Kang Libertad sums it, “is not just a celebration, it is our way of life” because bariw has been long considered as the life blood of Libertad and its by-products reflect the skills and the ingenuity of its people. Another one would add that “banig is a master piece of my people’s
March 23 - 29, 2014
METRO BUSINESS
3
LTFRB junks ‘unworthy’ vehicles BY MONTESA GRINO-CAOYONAN The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is now focusing on its modernization program that strictly phases out obsolete or unworthy vehicles that are already 15-year-old in road service. LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said in modernizing the transport industry, LTFRB will be strictly implementing the Age Limit Rule for all Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs). Ginez added they will no longer allow these obsolete vehicles such as 15-year-old buses and 13-year-old PUVs and taxis to ply on roads to
reduce road accidents. “We need to ensure (the) our public that all vehicles on roads are road worthy”, he said during the blessing and inauguration of LTFRB 6 Annex building, Wednesday. To make their campaign more effective, Ginez said they are continuing and strengthening their surprise inspection not only for the units but also in its respective operator’s garage. “We are checking all their records including the actual unit’s chassis, safety measures such as seat belts and condition of wheels to make sure that all the units are road worthiness”, he said. In fact, Ginez stressed that their office is also standardizing the processes
and procedures in the issuance of Preventive Suspension Orders (PSOs) for violations committed by the operators for purposes of strict imposition of fines and penalties. “We will continue to impose that
fleet-wide suspension for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) operators involved in any road accidents resulting to death and physical injuries to ensure only roadworthy PUVs ply on our roads,” Ginez said. IMT
BY REYMAR LATOZA
DTI activates business assistance centers The Department of Trade and Industry is strengthening its business transaction convenience by activating 26 of its Business Assistance Centers (BACs) in the province of Iloilo. Located in various municipalities in the province, these BACs serve as administrative extension offices of DTI in facilitating the needs of the business sectors outside the city especially those who were affected by Typhoon Yolanda. “This is to facilitate implementation of recovery and
rehabilitation programs to the towns affected,” said DTI 6 OIC Director and concurrent Iloilo Provincial Director. Furthermore, BACs aid in the processing of business name registration, and building linkages among local government units (LGUs) and conducting business consultancies to facilitate the needs particularly of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). DTI aims to set up BACs in all 43 localities in the province before April 2014.PIA6/IMT
BFP estimates P75M fire losses
Distance education to curb school dropouts
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will phase out obsolete vehicles, 15 years old above to pave way for their modernization program.
Ileco-1 denies questionable Slaughter House bill
BY MONTESA GRINO-CAOYONAN The Iloilo Electric Cooperative-1 (Ileco-1) cleared out that they are not issuing any electric bill without corresponding amount of usage to the consumers. This after City Legal Officer Atty. Daniel Denopol said they found out several Ileco electric bills of the City’s slaughterhouse in Brgy. Tacas, Jaro district bearing no corresponding amount. IIeco-1 billing custodian Ma. Teresa Erta based in Tigbauan, Iloilo said she has no idea of the questionable bills but confirmed that the City’s Slaughterhouse gets electric supply from them. Although, Erta said the slaughterhouse is updated on their billing mostly amounting to more than P 40, 000.
She said the last billing being paid by the slaughterhouse was last month and they directly received the payment from the Iloilo City Treasurer’s Office. “We have no problem with them when it comes to payment because they are updated”, she said. To recall, the Iloilo City’s Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) came up with an investigation on the possible electric pilferage or jumpers within the seven public markets and slaughterhouse here. This, after the city government owed Panay Electric Company (PECO) more than P 16 million electricity bills on the operations of these markets and slaughterhouse many years back. Denopol said they come up with the suspicious thought after they found out several electric bills without corresponding amount. IMT
Acquiring formal education is possible at home or anywhere using the new technology. Congressman Mark Villar, author of the House Bill 4883 or The Distance Education Bill, believes that information and communication technology can be utilized to provide education to those who can’t go to school as they are already working. Section 8 of the said bill says that “open learning may be delivered using information and communications technology and other approaches, such as print, audio-visual, electronic and face-face sessions.” If approved, distance education will be implemented to give quality and accessible education especially to the working students. Villar acknowledged the reality that education in the country is not absolutely free and the government finds it hard to provide quality education to all. Many students also stopped from schooling and chose to work even in low-paying jobs to help themselves and their families. With the new system, education in the country will be availed fairly by many through open learning and distance education in post-secondary and tertiary levels. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the UP Open University are mandated to support the higher education institutions and post-secondary schools in promoting quality programs in cyber world. IMT
DTI seeks support of students, business owners in fair trade laws dissemination
Photo by Jonathan Jurilla Estimated cost of fire damage in Western Visayas for the period January to March 10 this year now stands at P75,372,849.00 posting a 152 percent increase as compared with the same period last year. This is based on data obtained from the BFP Regional Headquarters which also showed that occurrence of fire in the region rose by 12 incidents, from 322 recorded in January to March last year to 334 of the same period this year. BFP 6 Information Officer Insp. Stephen G. Jardeleza said the increase in fire damages can be attributed to big fires which gutted commercial establishments in Iloilo, storage occupancies in Bacolod City and a host of school buildings and residential houses in some municipalities of the region while the increase in the number of fire incidents can be attributed to the many grass, rubbish and electrical post fires responded to by the Bureau. He said the province of Iloilo has the most number of fire incidents during the period with 186 with an estimated damage of P51,969,750.00 followed by Negros Occidental with 91 incidents estimated at P16,318,000.00. Fire incidents and damages in the province of Aklan reached 22 incidents amounted to P2,416,800.00, Capiz with 14 at P1,655,000.00, Antique
with 13 at P2,623,300.00, and Guimaras with 11 at P389,999.00. During the same period, the BFP 6 has also recorded seven deaths, six of whom were children aged 9 and below. There was only one fatality reported for the same period last year. “Despite of the increases in fire damage and fire incidents, the Bureau of Fire Protection in Region 6 never ceased to conduct its fire prevention campaign, utilizing the quad media in informing the public about the hazards of fire and the basic fire safety tips at home,” said Jardeleza. He cited the top five causes of fire in the region that include electrical connections, lighted matchsticks or lighter, lighted cigarette butts, open flame due to unattended cooking and electrical appliances. Electrical overload and short circuits resulting to fires in residential houses were caused mainly by octopus connections, damaged electrical insulations and jumpers. Jardeleza called anew barangay officials to take positive steps in creating their barangay fire brigades which would greatly help in combatting fire as they occur in the community and assist firefighters in putting out the blaze. He said the dried grass which easily catches fire from cigarettes
Aside from reaching out to different barangays and local officials in the province, the Department of Trade and Industry also seeks the support of students tin the dissemination of fair trade laws. Engr. Lynna Joy B. Cardinal, Trade and Industry Development Specialist of DTI Antique, said they are bringing their advocacy to different secondary schools in the province seeking the support of the youth in eliminating deceptive practices of unscrupulous traders. The students will be the future prime movers , thus they should be taught how to identify deceptive practices and report them to proper authorities, said Cardinal. Under the leadership of Provincial Director Lea Gonzales, DTI is set to conduct the forum in San Antonio National School in Culasi, Egana posed hazards in barangays and the rubbish fire in the Calajunan dump site which raged for days incurred high fuel, water and manpower costs to the government. Jardeleza further encouraged homeowners to conduct their own evacuation and fire exit drills to acquaint family members with what to do in case there is fire in their homes as the country observes Fire Prevention Month this March as mandated by Presidential Proclamation No. 115-A. (JSC/LAF/BFP6-PIA6)
FAIR TRADE LAWS. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Capiz Consumer Arbitration Officer Merian Asas (left) briefs the students of Capiz State University (CapSU) on the Fair Trade Laws National High School in Sibalom and Guintas National School in Hamtic . Invited to attend are the members of student Supreme Government, Parent Teachers Associations and Barangay Officials. Among the topics to be discussed in the forum are the ways on how to deter deceptive practices such as internet or email scam, text scam and
pyramiding including compliance to standards law like the use of PS Mark for locally manufactured products and ICC stickers for imported products.BY: PILAR S. MABAQUIAO/pia6
METRO NEWS
4
METRO
on the road
NYC The NYC will soon have its area office in Iloilo City. NYC Visayas Commissioner Erwin Andaya said the Iloilo area office will cater for the whole region. He is hoping that with the establishment of the area office there will be more actvities & programs for the youth in the region to be implemented jointly by the NYC, LGUs & line agencies.PIA6
Guimaras
Gov. Samuel Gumarin said the province is ready to mass produce organic sweet potato as one of the province’s major commodities next to mangoes. He said that sweet potato is resilient to climate change that’s why it’s suitable to be planted not only in the island province but all over the country. On the other hand, Guimaras motorboat owners are considering increasing boat fares from P14 to P20 on Holy Thursday and Good Friday as tourists are expected to flock in the island, but Guimaras Gov. Samuel Gumarin is not in favor of this.PIA6
BSP Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Director for Advocacy Group Rogelio Garcia lauded the efforts of the school administrators and teachers of Sta. Barbara Elementary School here for religiously inculcating among the pupils the value of saving money and integrating in subject lessons the importance of financial literacy. Hundred percent of pupils in the school have “alkansya” where they keep their savings.PIA6
NEDA NEDA-6 said SMEs will greatly benefit from the trade and investment opportunities under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Integration by 2015 which will have the free flow of goods, services, investments, capital and skilled labor as core components, although Western Visayas will have to brace itself for inevitable consequences of cutthroat competition, price wars and unemployment concerns accompanying the integration.PIA6
Iloilo City The Iloilo City government is inviting interested businessmen to invest in the development of various lots and properties owned by the city in different areas possibly under a publicprivate partnership agreement. City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the offer is open to those interested to invest here as the city is currently experiencing an economic boom with the entry of several business locators.PIA6
NHA The National Housing Authority-Iloilo said during the Cluster on Recovery and Rehabilitation meeting that the LGUs need to hasten cmpliance of requirements for housing assistance to Typhoon Yolanda victims, otherwise these remain constraints to the recovery of the victims. PIA6
March 23 - 29, 2014
wet parties banned BY REYMAR LATOZA The tragic “wet and wild party” that occurred recently at the Plazuela de Iloilo prompted the Iloilo City
Council to tighten the procedures for the issuance of permits to the parties especially those that involve the use of water and other things that can cause harm.
Public transport lane eyed for two relocation sites in Jaro
BY MONTESA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN
A public transport lane for two relocation sites is now being proposed by the Iloilo City government to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 6 (LTFRB-6). The city hopes that it will be approved before the opening of classes this year. City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said they are still complying with the needed requirements particularly the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. He said once the requirements are submitted and approved by the LTFRB, the transport lane for Uswag Subdivision in Brgy. San Isidro and
Iloilo River Plains Phase 1 in Brgy. Lanit, all in Jaro district will be opened immediately. Mabilog said they are expecting thousands of relocatees from North San Jose in Molo and Diversion road in Mandurriao district will be transferred as soon as classes will close this month. “The LTFRB will be the one to classify what transport groups will have its new routes. We are just hoping that the transport lane will be approved soon so that it would be easy for those relocatees to transfer and continue with their usual livelihood”, he ended. IMT
The city government will be implementing the stricter requirements before the conduct of parties within the city following the approval of a resolution filed by Councilor Lady Julie Ann Baronda. Baronda said the step aimed at ensuring the safety of the public. Mayor Jed Patrick immediately implemented the new measures and temporarily held the issuance of permit to “wet and wild parties” and the likes while the investigation into the incident that caused the electrocution of two teenagers is still ongoing. Authorities have yet to release the final result of their investigation to determine who should be held liable of the tragic event. According to PO1 Angelo Martinez, investigator of the Mandurriao Philippine National
Police, the two students identified as Mar Valentine Conejar, 19-year old, of Guanco St., Iloilo City (dead on arrival) and Wilson John Barel of Mandurriao (hospitalized) were electrocuted after holding the steel railing during the event, dubbed “Chasing the Sun: Beach Party in the City” organized by the students of the College of Business and Accountancy, Central Philippine University (CPU). Contrary to the reports, CPU President Dr. Teodoro Robles, Phd. clarified that the victims are not CPU students and said that the event does not have the approval of the university. The organizer, led by Stephen Yuson, a part-time teacher, failed to request an inspection from the Bureau of Fire (BFP) and secure other important permits.IMT
Ilonggo lawmakers hope smooth sailing for FOI Bill
BY REYMAR LATOZA After the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill was approved on third and final reading, Ilonggo lawmakers expressed optimism for the its passage to be smooth sailing as it inches nearer to the president’s signature. The Senate Bill 1733 received a total of 22 votes of all senators present during the Hearing of FOI Bill a week ago. Senate President Franklin Drilon, a known supporter of the bill, welcomed the development. “FOI Bill enables the public to take a significant part in curbing corruption in Philippine bureaucracy,” Drilon said. “The disclosure of government actions under the FOI bill will be a crucial and effective deterrent against possible malfeasance and corrupt practices by those in power. The
proposed legislation is our way of acknowledging that the people’s eye is the most potent tool against corruption in our government,” Drilon added. On the Other hand, Miriam Defensor-Santiago challenged the government agencies to become more transparent and accountable using the internet and information and communications technology. Meanwhile, Iloilo City Lone District Congressman Jerry Treñas and Iloilo 5th District Congressman Niel “Jun-jun” Tupas Jr. articulated their support for the FOI Bill. Treñas said that if implemented, FOI will heighten the confidence of Filipinos in the government as it promotes transparency. Tupas also said he is hopeful that the house version of the bill will be passed anytime soon. IMT
Iloilo to get new Guinness World Record
Iloilo City gears up for another attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Flaming Image Using Candles” with the motto, “World Peace through Inner Peace”. After a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed last The Middleway Meditation, together with the local December 22, the event government unit (city and provincial), the catholic was created and called as the “Light of Peace in church , and other public and private organizations the Philippines 2014” prepares for the attempt of Iloilo on another Guiness which will be held at Book World Record. the Savannah City, Oton, Iloilo City on reach their aim to gather the 100,000 April 14, 2:00 p.m. needed participants in the event. The event aimed to raise awareness “Our DepEd family committed for Genuine World Peace among the to support the event on April 14 people in the global community, amidst and we will give our 6,000 students the growing international conflicts and and volunteer teachers to attend the violence. event,” said Mr. Ricseno L. Tanmado, A conference was conducted this representative of the Department of morning with the presence of the seven Education Region VI (DepED VI) . core organizers that include ThailandMeanwhile, Dr. Rex C. Casiple, based The Middle Way Meditation Officer-in-Charge of CHED, said Institute (MMI), the Villar Social the event was already endorsed in 30 Institute for Poverty Alleviation and higher education institutions and they Governance (SIPAG), Archdiocese tapped the National Service Training of Jaro, the Province of Iloilo in Program (NSTP) to provide volunteers the presence of Mr. Nereo Lujan, and criminology students to assist the Information Officer of Iloilo, the City Philippine National Police (PNP) in of Iloilo by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog securing the safety of the people in the , the Commission on Higher Education event. (CHED) and the Department of Iloilo City broke the Guinness Education (DepED). World Record by flying simultaneously A total of 100,000 participants are 15,185 sky lanterns to the sky on July expected to join the event and light the 14, 2013 in the “Inaugural Light of candles for the world record. Peace 2013”. This April 14, Iloilo will Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo again attempt for another world record. said he is very confident that they could PNA
The Central Philippine University College of Business and Accountancy spearheaded the ‘Wet and Wild Party’ of the which electrocuted two students causing the death of one of them.
Army in Panay Island on red alert for NPA anniversay
Philippine Army units in Panay island are on red alert status in anticipation of the 45th anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA) on March 29. In an interview, Brigadier General Arnold Quiapo of the 301st Infantry Brigade based in Dingle town said that the Army is closely coordinating with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in safeguarding the public and securing peace in Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, and Aklan provinces. Law enforcers are also tasked to secure installations such as police stations, government offices and city and municipal halls while patrols will be undertaken to monitor insurgent activities, he said. Some of the recent attacks on public and private facilities and “liquidations” of individuals were linked to the NPA’s anniversary
celebration. Activity of the insurgent group heightens in the days leading to the celebration. “We have learned recently the there were many attacks in the past weeks,” the Army official said, “We are preparing for any future attacks. But I don’t think they will be successful.” Quiapo has called on the NPA to abandon the armed struggle, noting that the economy has improved despite the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda last year. “We can see that the government is doing good,” he said, adding that 70 percent of the Armed Forces is engaged in developmental projects while the remaining 30 percent is focused on combat operations. Quiapo is also urging citizens in rebel-infested areas to cooperate with the Army in maintaining peace and order. (PNA) FFC/AJP/RCA/VLO
Politicians not off limits to graduations
BY MONTESA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN The Department of Education 6 (DepEd-6) here welcomed politicians to be the guest speakers for the graduation rites. DepEd-6 director Corazon Brown said she did not issue any memorandum to the schools discouraging them from inviting politicians as their guest speakers since this is not an election time. “We only disallowed politicians to be speakers during election period”, she said. Brown said most of the school heads are inviting known personalities including those politicians that are successful from their own field to give inspiration for graduating students. She added that sometimes other school heads are also inviting politicians who they think can help them financially on their school buildings and other school-related programs. As of this school year, a total of
101,739 high school students around the region will be graduating while 146,970 elementary pupils will also take their graduation rites. Apart from this, the department also warned school-teachers of requiring students for non-academic projects before the school year ends. Brown said teachers are also discouraged to collect some contributions in exchange of the students’ clearance. She stressed proper sanction will be slapped against those who will violate the rules. Also, teachers were being warned against overspending and collecting unauthorized graduation rites fee. She stressed that teachers should only gather authorized graduation fees but voluntarily in nature. Brown also emphasized that DepEd is not requiring dress codes or expensive dresses to be worn during the rites although, she said that school uniforms will do. IMT
March 23 - 29, 2014
METRO HEALTH
5
Test may predict 5-year risk of death
Will you be alive five years from now? New research suggests it might be possible to predict if you’ll die from a medical condition in the next halfdecade. How, you ask? With a simple blood test. According to a recent study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, if your blood registers high levels of four “biomarkers,” biological molecules found in your blood, body fluids, or tissues, you are at a substantially higher risk of dying in the next five years. Researchers from Finland and Estonia followed more than 17,000 people between the ages of 18 and 103 to determine causes of death, tracking them in what is called a prospective cohort study. The researchers first looked at more than 100 components of blood taken from the Estonian
group. They found that high levels of four different molecules (naturally present in everyone’s blood) - albumin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, citrate and very low-density lipoprotein particles — predicted imminent death. In the Estonian group, for instance, 288 people who died during the five-year study period tested in the top 20% for presence of these four molecules, while only 15 people died who tested in the bottom 20%. The researchers found that those who were tested in Finland faced similar risks when these biomarkers were elevated. These predictors remained unchanged even after researchers factored out both genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices such as age, weight, tobacco and alcohol use, cholesterol levels and pre-existing illness. While all of the four biomarkers were associated with frailty and onset
of illness, only one, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, had previously been associated with deaths from all causes, mainly for the elderly. No individual biomarker currently exists to test an individual of any age if they are at risk of ill health in general. The discovery of this combination of four biomarkers suggests the possibility of eventually creating such a test. But a lot of work remains to be done. Researchers now have to figure out why these biomarkers are linked and how a test like this could be helpful for doctors and patients. According to Dr. Johannes Kettunen, one of the lead authors of the study, a general test for risk of dying may become an important means of identifying highrisk asymptomatic people so that they can be referred for more specific screening procedures. “If we can identify people who appear healthy, but actually are at high risk for developing severe disease, then we
may – in the future – be able to act to cure their looming disease state,” Kettunen argues. “This could eventually open a window for prolonged prevention, and hopefully extend the life span.” Critics say a general test for mortality like this may cause as many problems as it solves. Dr. Daniel Callahan, a biomedical ethicist and former president of the Hastings Center, an independent bioethics research institute, says this type of screening would likely catch the attention of patients and doctors alike. But it could also be a source of a lot of anxiety, particularly if the condition the test indicates cannot be reversed or treated. “I could see lots of problems at the clinical level to explain to the patients what to do with something like this.” Callahan says.
Photo by CNN It could raise issues surrounding insurance coverage. Given these concerns, Kettunen predicts that this kind of test will only be accessible to the public once treatments for those who are at high risk are available. “If we can uncover the mechanisms and come up with some effective treatment strategies, then I believe they could be part of patient screening - in a similar fashion as blood cholesterol is now used,” he said. So don’t obsess too much over your annual blood tests just yet; more research is needed.CNN
DOH urges medtech, lab personnel to demand for better lab facilities
BY LEONARD T. PINEDA I
ILOILO CITY, March 19 (PIA6) --- The Department of Health in Western Visayas urged medical technologists, pathologists and laboratory personnel to demand from their head or chief of hospitals for better and appropriate laboratory facilities in order to deliver better health services. In the orientation on the strategic plan for the National Health Laboratory Network (NHLN) held recently, DOH6 Regional Director Marlyn Convocar said that it is about time for lab personnel to raise their concern on the need for upgraded laboratory facilities and equipment. “We advise these med tech and lab personnel to identify what are the prescribed equipment, what are lacking and what are to be replaced in their labs,” said Convocar. She said they need to raise these laboratory and equipment concerns to their respective chiefs of hospitals so these could consolidated in the provincial health offices
which shall serve as basis for the region’s plan. She said that they are willing to invest some of the funds of the region to ensure that all the laboratories are providing quality services whether government or private. She also said that treatment of patient starts with a good clinical eye and good physical examination but most importantly a very reliable laboratory results. She said that a reliable lab result would avoid treating false positive results and keep away patients from unnecessary expenses. (JSC/LTP-PIA6 Iloilo)
T E C H N O L O G Y
Samsung NX-mini hands-on; the ‘selfie cam’ to beat BY MICHAEL JOSH VILLANUEVA
There was a time when the flexibility of an interchangeable lens was only available on bulky Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs). But times have changed, and the ability to swap lenses has come not only to mid-sized mirrorless cameras but also to a new breed of pocket digital point and shoots. Announced on Wednesday, March 19, the Samsung NX mini SMART Camera is the latest ultra compact interchangeable-lens camera to hit the market. Competitors include the Nikon 1 J3, Panasonic Lumix GM1 and Pentax Q7. The NX mini is not the smallest but is the lightest, packs the most megapixels and comes with flippable touch screen. Samsung claims it is the “world’s slimmest interchangeable lens camera,” and at 22.5mm, it is. The NX mini was designed to look and feel like a premium camera — with its metal chassis and a retro style leather-like finish, this miniature camera lives up to expectations. The NX mini is available in a host of funky color options including bright pink and mint green, our photos are of the white model, but theblack and brown models are sentimental favorites. Size-wise, the mini is perfectly pocketable and will fit snuggly inside a shirt pocket or clutch. It’s not one that you’d hold like you would a regular camera so the lack of a grip of any kind is forgivable, maybe even preferable. You’ll end up holding the device more like you would a smartphone when taking photos. One of the best design decisions on the NX mini is a touch screen
that flips upward 180 degrees. Fully extended, the touch screen rests on top of the device allowing you to take proper selfies. Only two other Samsung cameras have this feature, the compact MV900F and the NX300m, I don’t see why it can’t be the standard. None of the current crop of point and shoot interchangeable lens cameras have flippable screens. CONTROLS With some customization the NX mini was a pleasure to use. On top of the usual A, S and M modes, there are also Smart Modes (i.e. Beauty Face, Macro, Action Freeze and Light Trace) similar to what you’d find on a Galaxy smartphone. There are also dedicated buttons for selecting between single or continuous shooting modes, selecting the autofocus type, and for tweaking exposure compensation – the latter being a real gem. On a lot of cameras, exposure compensation is buried under a series of menus. On the NX mini it’s a quick down press on the nav pad and then left or right to decrease or increase exposure respectively. A quick tap of the function button on the touch screen also brings up a
menu that allows you to quickly set exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO (depending on which shooting mode you are on). LENSES With the NX mini Samsung introduces another lens mount to the photography world, the NX-M. With this initial release 3 NX-M lens options were introduced a 9mm f/3.5, a 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS, and a 17mm f/1.8 OIS lens. The camera will also work with existing NX lenses with a $149.99 mount adapter accessory. Like the new camera the new lenses are small as can be, an engineering marvel if you may. Initial test shots came out great, definitely a step up form the usual point and shoot. SOFTWARE Like the rest of Samsung’s SMART Camera line up the NX mini comes with a range of wireless features. Thanks to built-in WiFi and NFC connectivity Tag & Go allows quick and easy transferring of images from the camera to smartphones, using a paired smartphone as a remote viewfinder, and using the camera as a baby monitor. Dropbox and Flickr
integration is built-in for easy uploads. Users also get 2GB of free Dropbox storage and the full version of Adobe Lightroom. The NX Mini with a 9mm prime
lens will retail for $449 while the model with the 9-27mm zoom lens and an external flash is priced at $549. The camera is expected to hit US stores in April 2014. — Rappler.com
Iloilo City ranks 72nd ‘Selfiest Cities in the World’
BY REYMAR LATOZA
With 36 selfie-takers per 100,000 people, Iloilo City ranked as the 72nd ‘Selfiest Cities in the World’, according to Time Magazine. “The photos were downloaded from the Instagram API in two sets of five days: from Jan. 28-Feb.2, 2014 and Mar. 3-7, 2014. Each day’s data consists of the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight to account for all time zones equally. During that time, 402,197 Instagram photos tagged “selfie” that included geographic coordinates,” Time said. Time added that for every city in the world of at least 250,000 residents, they then counted the number of selfies taken within 5 miles and divided by the population of that city. Pasig and Makati city occupied the number spot and tagged as the ‘Selfie Capital of the world’, with 258 selfie-takers for every 100,000 citizens. In a report of Rappler, a social news network, Makati and Pasig were merged into one due to Time’s ‘nearest neighbor’ algorithm, which collects photos from within a radius of five miles from the city’s center. With Makati as the main city, some photos also come from nearby Pasig, as it also falls within the covered area. Similarly, Manhattan’s coverage also includes a
bit of neighboring New Jersey. Cebu City was among the top ten, with 99 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 1. Makati City & Pasig, Philippines: 258 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 2. Manhattan, New York: 202 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 3. Miami, Florida: 155 selfietakers per 100,000 people 4. Anaheim & Santa Ana, California: 147 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 5. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: 141 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 6. Tel Aviv, Israel: 139 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 7. Manchester, England: 114 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 8. Milan, Italy: 108 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 9. Cebu City, Philippines: 99 selfie-takers per 100,000 people 10. George Town, Malaysia: 95 selfie-takers per 100,000 people Other Cities from the Philippines are Baguio City (16th with 82 selfietakers) and Quezon City (59th with 44 selfie-takers) According to American English in Oxford dictionary, ‘selfie’, noun, is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.IMT
6
METRO OPINION
EDITORIAL
Integration what?
T
he ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015 has suddenly resurrected itself from conception since more than a decade ago as regional economic cooperation among ASEAN nations that aims to strengthen the economic atmosphere of every nation and enhance global competitiveness. Its sudden resurrection has revived dying debates started among nations on the viability of economic integration it will create among ASEAN member nations and how it will affect the capacity of stronger and weaker economies once the competition begins. The Philippines has declared that its evaluation by the AEC has yielded a 73 percent score card, and is almost ready in the next nine months once the community goes full-blast. The trouble is, while the Philippine score card is on the positive mark, the regional reaction today when AEC 2015 was discussed in Western Visayas is one with uncertainties. While the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is projecting a stronger and firmer attitude towards the capacity of the country to face off other ASEAN economies and compete squarely, the economic department is at the same time resolved that there are several weaker industries in the country that will eventually fail and lose as the economic integration heats up. Ro-an Bacal of NEDA 6 has conceded that Western Visayas’ sugar industry is expected to suffer and industry players are worried that it cannot survive eventually. Sugar is a primary agricultural product in the region providing business among businessmen and work among the thousands of laborers. Its failure will mean poverty and an added burden for the government. Less the staggering statistics and positive reviews, the sugar industry is a classic and realistic example of how the economic integration will burden the recovery of the Philippine economy. And who is to blame? Are the other ASEAN countries bound to failure also? A self-examination will answer the questions above. While other ASEAN countries are busy preparing and protecting their interest by setting up safety nets in preparation for the coming of the economic integration, the Philippines is busy with politics. While other ASEAN countries are busy putting their safety guards on trial, the Philippines has just started releasing press and praise releases about the wonders of economic integration. Today AEC 2015’s time has come. While other ASEAN countries are ready to rumble and slug it out at the arena of healthy economic competition, the Philippines is only about to begin talking about a failed framework.
March 23 - 29, 2014
RA 10368: Human Rights Victims Reparation Act of 2013 A
fter more t h a n one year that President Benigno S. Aquino III approved on February 25, 2013, Republic Act No. 10368, otherwise known as the Human Rights Victims Reparation Act of 2013, we still await its implementing rules and regulations (IRR). We can have this IRR soon, I guess, because the composition of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board, I think, has already been finally determined and completed. It is, however, important to know some important features of this law, while awaiting its implementation. Under the law, the Board is an independent quasi-judicial body attached to but not under the Commission on Human Rights. It has the power to receive, evaluate, process, investigate and approve applications for claims of Human Rights Violations Victim (HRVV) with finality. For a person to qualify as an HRVV, he or she must be a person whose human rights were violated during the period from September
21, 1972 to February 25, 1986; but may also cover one (1) month before September 21, 1972, and one (1) month after February 25, 1986. The violation must also be committed by persons acting in an official capacity and or agents of the State. Claimants in the class suit against the estate of Ferdinand E. Marcos in the US Federal District Court of Honolulu, Hawaii wherein a favourable judgment was rendered are conclusively presumed HRVVs and also those recognized by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation. The Board shall set the period for the commencement and termination of applications by HRVVs and such period must be published. But such applications for reparation must be filed within six (6) months from the effectivity of the IRR. Those who fail to file are deemed to have waived their right to file their application. The legal heirs or representatives are entitled to file an application for reparation on behalf of their deceased, incapacitated, or missing
due to enforced disappearance. Any HRVV seeking reparation shall execute a detailed sworn statement narrating the circumstances of the pertinent human rights violation/s committed. We have to be aware also that within two (2) years from the effectivity of the IRR, the Board shall complete its work, because after the two-year period the Board becomes “functus officio”. For our elaborate information about “functus officio”, I have consulted Black’s Law Dictionary, which provides that “functus officio” means “a task performed”; “Having fulfilled the function, discharged the office, or accomplished the purpose, and therefore of no further force or authority.” It is applied to “an officer whose term has expired and who has consequently no further official authority; and also to an instrument, power, agency, etc., which has fulfilled the purpose of its creation, and is therefore of no further virtue or effect.” In other words, the Board
will no longer have any power to further its work beyond the twoyear period granted by RA 10368. It is mandated to finish its work within such period. The source of reparation is the P10 billion plus accrued interest Marcos ill-gotten wealth and forfeited and transferred in favour of the government by virtue of an order of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. HRVVs, regardless of whether they opt to seek reparation or not, shall be given recognition with their names in a Roll of Human Rights Victims. The law also creates the HRVVs’ Memorial Commission to establish, restore, preserve, conserve the Memorial/Museum/ Library/Compendium in honor of the HRVVs during the Marcos regime. *** BAR PASSERS. Congratulations to the 2013 bar examination passers, especially to Atty. Sedfrey Cabaluna.# Send feedback to: arnoldcares@yahoo.com
The science of psychohistory
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ave you e v e r wondered what will h a p p e n next in the story of your favorite TV soap opera? Do you wish to know what your future will hold? With predictions and predictors everywhere we do not ran short of all sorts of future visions, be it on our own personal lives or with our favorite showbiz stars. Maybe one of you have tried to think about the future of our country and what would be happen to the Filipino nation decades after. Maybe some of you have asked if there is any science, machine, person or computer that can predict the future of a country. Maybe the apt word for the prediction dilemma is psychohistory. Psychohistory is defined by the Association for Psychohistory as the science of historical motivations, combines the insights of psychotherapy with the research methodology of the social sciences to understand the emotional origin of the social and
political behavior of groups and nations, past and present. This scientific branch is really not for ‘future use’ as it cannot be applied for predicting the behavior of future generations. It is more on understanding why such social and political behavior came into form by combing the many facets of emotional and psychological spectrum underlying such. This might be useful for answering questions like why the present generation are fond of taking selfies or videotaping themselves in their sexual adventures. My favorite author, Isaac Asimov, in his seven-book Foundation novels, anchored his galaxy-spanning tale of an empire on the fictitious science of psychohistory. In his version, psychohistory combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people, such as the Galactic Empire. In the Foundation novels, Asimov described psychohistory as the guide to
foresee crises in the future and steer their planet and empire from ruins and catastrophe by inserting amendments to the equation. In the novels the psychohistorians can predict, analyze and modify the future, but they cannot become authocratic because they are not the ruling authority. It is important that the mass of people subject to the psychohistorical model do not know about the existence of such plan. The Foundation series is an interesting read, thought-provoking and revolutionary which catapulted Isaac Asimov to the zenith of science and speculative fiction genre and winning him the Nebula and Hugo Awards, the Oscars of science fiction writing. He influence a generation of science fiction writers up to this day earning him the moniker as the Balzac of Science Fiction. Now, having read all the Foundation novels over and over again, it was hard work thinking how on Earth or Trantor did the Marcoses came back to power after just a little over three decades of
Martial Law with the tendency of buying their way into the presidency again. How on Earth or Terminus did we maintain Enrile to be a Senator for so long after he trampled us with his Martial Law antics and so-called heroics at EDSA? Lest we forget, being a hero was far from the mind of Enrile et. al. They want to form another government or military junta ala southern american states with the plan of making the Philippines as another banana republic. Why nine coups against Cory if not for power grabbing? And now the PDAF, budol-budol style. I really wished Asimov’s psychohistory was really true so that we can see the future of our country and act now to vote out the marcoses and enriles from our midst and completely erase them from the future landscape. Since no psychohistorical plan, computer (not even the 1.5 million core Sequoia supercomputer of IBM), mathematical equation or person can predict our future I can only deflate in frustration and resign myself to wishful thinking.
The Need for Clear and Consistent Limits (Discipline)
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t is the right of every child to be given clear and consistent limits. Children need to know when an action is acceptable or not. They need to know from significant adults which actions are allowed and which are not. According to Dr. Honey Carandang in her book, Self-Worth and the Filipino Child (2004), it is important to use the six Cs in effectively disciplining our children: 1. Conviction – As a parent, we need to implement something that we strongly believe in. We should be convinced that the value is a good one based on our values. Our children will know if we are truthful to what we want to impart to them or if we are doing it haphazardly just so others will know that we are doing it. 2. Clarity – The rules we implement must be clear to everyone concerned. The rules must be stated explicitly to our children. 3. Consistency – We must set limits repeatedly and consistently
until our children can follow through even without us having to tell them or remind them. 4. Consequences – We must make our children understand that inappropriate behavior has consequences. Bad behavior must have a corresponding punishment. This way, our children would know that we are serious and that we want them to grow up knowing that unacceptable behavior will not go unnoticed. 5. Care – When disciplining, we must make it clear with our children that we are doing it not out of anger, but that we are setting things right. We must make them understand that we care so much about them that we want them to do what is right. 6. Communication – As with anything that is worth imparting, it is important that we keep communication lines open with our children. It must be something that is ongoing so that we as parents are able
to listen to our children’s thoughts and they can share important insights with us too anytime. It is also important that we should also know that we can discipline in a positive way. For every “don’t” or “can’t” that we tell them, we should always have a “do” or “can” too. If they can’t go out with friends, maybe they can go out with older cousins. If they can’t play with gadgets during weekdays emphasize that they can during weekends. If they can’t stay up late on the phone, they can start with homework early the next day so they can have 30 minutes on the phone. Our children just need to know which actions are acceptable and which are not. Last year, when our two older kids were 11 and 7 respectively, they always fought. Even with petty things such as body language, our eldest would always find something wrong with his younger brother. It came to a point when he already said hurtful words to his brother. That was the last
straw for us parents. My husband and I thought that we had to intervene. We made contracts which both of them had to sign. The contract stated what they must do to each other. We enumerated positive things which they can try. Take note that the contract stated positive statements. There were no don’ts in the contract. It contained dos which were very doable at their age. At the bottom, we also enumerated consequences. One of which is: Gadgets will only be allowed after a week, provided that all the conditions stated above are strictly followed. After a week, no one remembered about the gadgets. They played with each other every single day. Spoke nice words about and with each other. That has changed how they regard each other. Knowing their limits clearly and consistently made all the difference. Next week, read about the fourth need, the need for a sense of competence. God bless and enjoy parenting!
March 23 - 29, 2014
METRO OPINION
7
How to write award-winning stories – Part I
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ow do you write an award-winning story? Start with a very good story. Follow the rules and guidelines of the contest. And pray that your story is chosen best by the judges. If you want to win awards, pay special attention to my advice on following the rules. I know a literary contest, for example, that disqualifies an entry just because it does not follow the 1” margin all around requirement. No, they don’t even read a word of your story anymore. Your line spacing is single or 1.5 instead of double, your font size is 10 or 14 instead of 12, you have something else instead of what requirement they specify, and your entry is out. I agree with them completely! I mean, if you cannot be bothered to honor rules, why should others bother to have you honored? Now, if you just want to be a writer, you really don’t need to win awards. It’s enough that you have winning stories.
So, how do you write winning stories? There is really nothing new that I can tell you that great teachers and writing courses and workshops have not covered before, but because you asked me, I’ll try a decent answer based on my methods. I think that it all boils down to Plot and Words. Now, plotting is the most difficult part of story writing for me. I really try to work out the whole plot arc before I begin to write anything at all. If I don’t see the ending, I can’t start writing the first sentence. I don’t like wasting my time on false starts. Too many false starts undermine my confidence. That’s why, given also my day job as a nurse, I can produce only one or two very good stories every year. Of course, that will be corrected very soon when I finally move to Maryland for my retirement as I really want to focus on my writing and try to write book-length collections of short stories every year. Any tips on plotting? If you want your story to matter,
I think that you should: [1.] bring up something of interest, [2.] inject ways of thinking about it or at least wonder about it, and [3.] resolve it with satisfaction at some level. I wish I could refer you to my last year’s Palanca winner “Si Padre Olan kag ang Dios,” but I didn’t get a chance to update my website. In it, the issue was the power of prayers, the ways of thinking about it involved church politics and the bigger God question, and the resolution was inevitable and pretty magical. I have two other stories you can check out. In “Donato Bugtot” [http://petersolisnery.com/ hiligaynon/donato-bugtot/], the something of interest was kidney donation, the wondering part was basically just a musing on “to donate, or not to donate,” and the resolution was a dramatized “goodness prevails.” In “Candido”[http://petersolisnery. com/hiligaynon/candido/], the issue was the superstitious use of antinganting or amulets, the tinkering part was how the early prophesies came true, and the resolution was how the amulets failed the revolution.
The Hunt for Flight MH370
T
ransiting in Singapore from Indonesia en route to Iloilo last Saturday (March 8), I received a tweet that Flight MH370 vanished during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The news jolted my senses on the hazard of air travel. There is no guarantee to being safe even when one takes a state-of-thearts aircraft like Boeing 777-200ER. Earlier reports said that air controllers lost contact with the outbound airline while it was cruising over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam. Malaysian authorities said that for inexplicable reason the plane went off course, made a turn around, and was last tracked over a tiny island in Malacca Strait. On board Flight MH370 were 227 passengers and 12 crew members. All the 239 people are now presumed dead, a grim addition to the growing list of fatalities from air disasters. For the families of the involved passengers and crew, reference to a
missing plane is more acceptable as it offers hope that there could be survivors. Scouring the sea where the plane was last detected are search crews from 10 countries. But all previous reports of spotted debris and oil slick from the plane were later declared to be false leads. Aviation experts agree that the plane is now submerged under the sea. A spokesperson from a Chinese government agency reported lately that flotsams as big as 22 meters by 24 meters were spotted by the Chinese satellite in waters northeast of Kuala Lumpur and south of Vietnam. There is a possibility that the debris could belong to the missing aircraft. There are lots of mysteries associated with the doomed flight. Was it a security screening lapse that led to hijacking, explosion, or bombing; meteor collision; pilot error; communications and navigational equipment failure; and/or mechanical problem? Until the wreckage is located, the flight recorders retrieved - assuming that these are still functioning after
the impact - and the flight history analyzed, the concerned authorities are at a loss in explaining what really happened. Based on internet search, Boeing 777-200ER is one of the most technologically advanced and ultra ranged (up to 16 hours uninterrupted flight) passenger aircrafts in the world. It has a wing span of 61 meters and a length of 64 meters. For passenger enjoyment, the aircraft features AVOD (Audio and Video On Demand) where each seat has access to radio stations and with more than 4,000 MP3s and various movie and music selections. Except for the British Airways incident at Heathrow Airport in 2008 and last year’s Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco runway, the 777 has high efficiency and safety records. Malaysian Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200ER jets in its fleet, each one costing about $261.5 million. Meanwhile, the families are waiting agonizingly for whatever glimmer of hope there still is. Some keep on calling the mobile phones
7,000 DepEd employees to lose jobs BY ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – More than7,000 non-teaching personnel under the Department of Education (DepEd) will be losing their jobs when the full blown Rationalization Plan of the government is implemented this March, according to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT). Randy Rigor, 38, is one of the 7,000 non-teaching personnel who will be affected of the rationalization plan this month. The said rationalization plan will affect nonteaching personnel of the DepEd Central Office and all the regional and division offices in the country except for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and non-teaching personnel in divisions created in 2013 and those who are under the plantilla of their respective schools. Rigor is working in the utilities department of Moises Salvador Elementary School in Sampaloc,
Manila under the DepEd plantilla. The rationalization plan is mandated by the Executive Order 366, which was signed by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004. Its main objective is to streamline government expenses for personnel services. The first to be affected by the rationalization plan were contractual and casual employees who were axed from work last December 15. Regular employees on the other hand have two options: early retirement/separation or to stay in government service but their permanent status would be converted into co-terminus with the incumbent (CTI) status. This means that the appointment is co-existent with the appointee; the position will be abolished after the appointee resigns, retires or is terminated from the service. In a meeting with non-teaching personnel in Manila last year, Rigor said DepEd Undersecretary Rizalino Rivera discussed with them their
options. “Undersecretary Rivera guaranteed us that those who will choose early retirement will receive a retirement package according to years of services. Those who choose the coterminus to incumbent option will be in floating status. We will be put in the Civil Service Commission pool of employees and we will have to wait if any vacant position will be available in another government agency,” Rigor told Bulatlat.com in an interview. He added that Rivera said they will still receive their monthly salary but with no benefits. Rigor is one of the employees who opted for the CTI. Broken promises Rigor said they were told by Rizalino that until the rationalization plan is fully implemented they will still be receiving their salaries. “But those who chose the early retirement option said that they still have not received their salaries for February. What if they do the same thing to us?” We want an assurance that
Any tips on finding one’s true interests? I find that thinking of the story in terms of a question and an answer is very helpful in plotting. My starting point is usually something that happened to me, or to someone I know. For “Donato Bugtot,” the story came to me when I admitted a patient who had a Tylenol overdose. I never had a case like that before, and it really interested me because I was concerned about my patient. I talked to a doctor about it. I remember asking the question, “What is going to
happen to this patient?” Apparently, we can pump out the Tylenol, but that really didn’t interest me. Or the patient can die; that didn’t interest me either. The doctor also said that the kidneys can be so severely damaged with acetaminophen toxicity that they need to be removed. Now, that was interesting for me. I asked about surviving on one kidney, until we talked about kidney transplant, suitable donors, etc. I see light bulbs lighting up in my mind, and that’s how I got my story: I knew someone was going to overdose on Tylenol, would need a kidney donor, and, from the get go, I knew that he will successfully get a kidney. But keeping the plot interesting meant that I had to make it difficult for my character to get a kidney donor. The next question for me was: “Who is a suitable donor?” I wrote down all my answers, and stuck with a twin brother because it appealed to me the most. I think that it was on the third day that I decided that the twins would be polar opposites. From then on, everything just flowed.
of their loved ones and are able to connect but not getting answers. These make them think that there could be survivors somewhere, a speculation dismissed by experts who say that the ringing is just a call forwarding feature of some network providers. Some relatives have turned to “crowdsourcing”, an internet phenomenon where volunteer netizens analyze myriad of information obtained from satellite feeds and upload their findings to news channels like that of CNN’s iReport website. There has been no outstanding success in this area so far. Media descriptions about the tears, fears, and screams of the victims’ relatives are poignant enough to make us emphatize with their plight. They feel that the Malaysian authorities and airline officers are so confused themselves and not getting their acts together, thereby slowing down their disaster responsiveness. Even the Vietnamese are so frustrated by the lack of coordination and cooperation from Malaysia that they had decided to pull out their reconnaissance and rescue teams.
It will take a while to pinpoint the exact location of the disappearing plane. Finding it could be as tricky as Air France 447 which left Rio de Janeiro in the middle of 2009 and went down few hours after takeoff. The bodies, wreckage, and voice and data recorders were recovered from the ocean floor only two years later. Many are baffled that in this age of technological progress, GPS features like those of “find my iPad, find my iPhone, find my car, or find my other synced gadgets” are not seemingly embedded within the sophisticated instruments of Boing 777-200ER. Had the plane crashed into the sea or into the sparsely populated and rugged mountains of Malaysia or Thailand, a homing device should have immediately alerted the ground-based controllers. With the transponder decommissioned just before the plane vanished, the mystery deepened. Let us hope and pray that the hunt for Flight MH370 becomes successful soon. Hopefully, the lessons learned from this tragic incident will result in sound policies and best measures to ensure safe air travel for everyone.
we will indeed get our salaries, including those who will avail of early retirement.” Better still, Rigor said, the rationalization plan should be junked. Rigor is the only non-teaching personnel who mustered the courage to speak publicly against the rationalization plan that is being implemented by the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III. According to ACT, non-teaching personnel who are to be affected by the rationalization plan are being threatened by their principals no to talk about it in public. “The hiring of non-teaching personnel is really needed in public schools. Who will maintain the cleanliness of the school? The teachers? The students?” Rigor said. Louie Zabala, president of the Manila Public School Teachers Association (MPTSA), said once the rationalization plan has been fully implemented, the government will outsource the hiring of security guards, janitors and clerks. “This means that these employees will be receiving meager salaries and no benefits.”
According to Zabala, at present, schools are already lacking in support staff. “Teachers are compelled to do extra tasks such as cleaning the school. ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio said that every year the biggest savings of government is on teachers and other school staff, along with those in other sectors. “This policy of tightening the belt of the education sector forces teaching and non-teaching personnel to live with starvation salaries and take on the workload of several persons due to lack of items.” Zabala lambasted the plan saying that while the government is crippling the education sector, billions of pesos in taxpayers’ money are just being misused in corruption. “The pork barrel scam proved that there is money that the government can spend in education. The President even has trillions of pesos in lump sum discretionary funds.” “The rationalization that we need is a program that regularizes employees and hires more nonteaching personnel as support staff in schools,” Zabala said
How do you choose the subject or topic of your stories? As far as the subject or theme is concerned, I always go back to what I know, or what truly interests me. “Padre Olan” is about prayer because I was a seminarian at one time, and I’m really a very prayerful person. But I’m also superstitious [yes, I check my daily horoscope], that’s why I was able to do “Candido.” “Donato,” obviously, is informed by my work as a nurse.
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March 23 - 29, 2014
METRO AGRICULTURE
9
Raise Chickens for Eggs and Meat (Part 9)
The dangers of modern chicken production
Modern chicken production strives to provide a constant supply of chickens and eggs to the consumers. The demand for both has led to the development of technologies for efficient production, from genetics to feeding, to disease control and to the inclusion of growth hormones in the diet or directly injected to the bodies of chickens. To enable layers to lay consistently and for more number of days per year, hormones are also included in the diets. When antibiotics were first found to help fight disease in humans, animal scientists studied its applications in chicken and livestock production. By the 1950s, it was standard procedure to include antibiotics in commercial feeds and as a prevention measure, veterinary companies were selling soluble antibiotics coupled to vitaminminerals as a standard supplement allegedly to boost immune systems and as a disease prevention mechanism. The widespread use of antibiotics however has sown a wave of disease resistant bacteria where scientists
scrambled to find new generation antibiotics just to check in resistant strains that do not anymore respond to the present types of antibiotics being added to the ration or to the water of chickens. These new antibiotics have also become more expensive that they have added to the production cost of both meat and egg type of chickens. The need for efficient feed conversion and more eggs laid also led to the research of hormones and their use in livestock. By the late 1950s, the use of hormones became standard in the livestock industry and by the early part of the 1970s, a widely used synthetic hormone, DES (diethylstilboestrol) had been banned due to findings that it increases the risk of cancer. The efficiency brought about by hormone use however has encouraged producers to continue the use of hormones in other forms and research in this line even intensified. While the use of hormones is still widespread in large livestock like feeder or finisher cattle, poultry industry insiders contend that there is no need for hormones use in poultry, especially broilers which are harvested in less than 30 days now. They claim that the truth is that no hormones are used in poultry production. This is according to Dr Tom Tabler (Extension Professor), Jessica Wells (Extension Instructor) and Dr Wei Zhai (Assistant Research Professor, Poultry Science) of Mississippi State University Extension Service.
There are several reasons why broilers now. First is genetics: due to the competition, breeding companies breed the fastest growing strains and usually use hybridization which had been tested to produce fast growing and more resistant chickens. Geneticists now have produced chickens which grow to at least 1.2 kilograms in just 28 days. Second is the new findings in nutrition that allow feed companies to produce the best quality feeds at the least possible cost without the use of additives. Each type or strain of chickens are also studied to determine their exact nutritional requirements so that there is no waste and that optimal growth is attained. Third is that housing and other environmental requirements are now studied and the best possible growing environment for chickens are given. Concerns such as floor space requirements, ventilation, and other aspects are well taken cared of in the design of housing so that the chickens can grow at their fastest rate. This new information should serve to somehow allay the fears of consumers on eating broilers or fast growing chickens. However, native chickens which are grown for a longer period tends to be more flavorful due to well developed tissues where glutamine, an amino acid that gives flavor had been fully developed. This is also the reason why for soups, older chickens are preferred while for fried chickens, the fast growing broilers are used.
DOLE Expects...from page 1 According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) almost 3 million are unemployed in the country in January 2014. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said they are now preparing of more job fairs for the new entrants in the labor force. Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) encouraged graduating students to earn experience first in our country before working abroad.
“You need to be prepared. You need to be skilled. You need experience to be accepted in the foreign job markets. Fresh graduates can’t easily get work,” POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said. Based on the data presented by POEA, there are 1,705,047 Filipino are working overseas. The top 10 Destinations are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, Kuwait, Taiwan, Malaysia, Bahrain, and Italy.IMT
Tourism Sector...from page 1 cargo. He added that the Iloilo-CapizKalibo highway will be expanded to accommodate the increasing traffic plying the said route and to open Panay to the captive visitors of Boracay. He also said that the region is a strategic region of the country’s RORO highway. “This is the reason why ports of Caticlan, Dumangas, and Banago will be expanded and modernized to accommodate more traffic of cargo trucks, vans, and passenger bus,” he explained. The plans are already underway to transfer the container terminal in Loboc, Lapuz to the Dumangas port which can accommodate larger cargo vessels needing a deeper harbor. In preparation for the APEC ministerial meetings in 2015, which will be held in Bacolod City, Iloilo
City, and Boracay Island, there are ongoing construction of hotels, condominium units, shopping malls, and convention in the said cities and island as well as in other major urban areas in the region. On the other hand, Balisacan recognized the region’s rich culture historical heritage, other than its natural resources. In terms of food production, Balisacan mentioned Capiz, Northern Iloilo, and Northern Negros Occidental as the major seafood producers of the region. “These areas supply the seafood, fish and marine products requirements of Boracay Island, Metro Cebu, and Metro Manila,” Balisacan said Furthermore Balisacan recognized the processing facilities in Northern Iloilo that export processed seafood products directly to Taiwan and Japan.IMT
METRO SPORTS
10
March 23 - 29, 2014
“Pacquiao will KO Bradley in 5”
MANILA, Philippines - Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez may have just three pro fights to his record, but was one of the United States’ most decorated amateurs of recent years, finishing off a long career by winning the National Golden Gloves and earning a spot as an Olympic alternate for the 2012 team. His amateur record of 221-9 is indicative of the experience he has accrued in the sport of boxing. Given his credentials, it’s hard to argue against the qualifications of the
versatile 19-year-old boxer-puncher from Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. to be one of Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners for his April 12 rematch with WBO welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 knockouts) in Las Vegas. Rodriguez got his first taste of Pacquiao’s power on Saturday afternoon (Sunday in the Philippines) when he sparred four rounds with Pacquiao (55-5-3, 38 knockouts). Pacquiao worked four rounds with former IBF junior lightweight
Abueva, Santos headline PBA All-Star reserves
The PBA has released the list of stars who will complete the cast of the PBA All-Star team that shall go up against Gilas Pilipinas on April 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Reigning PBA Most Valuable Player Arwind Santos and Rookie of the Year Calvin Abueva leads the seven reserves. Santos will play in his 7th All-Star game; he is also the reigning All-Star co-MVP with Gilas Pilipinas’ Jeff Chan. San Mig Super Coffee Mixers’ Joe Devance and Peter June Simon - who
played key roles in the PBA Philippine Cup finals - are also part of the list. Completing the cast are KG Canaleta of Talk ‘N Text, Marcio Lassiter of San Miguel, and Sonny Thoss of Alaska. They will join starters Greg Slaughter, Chris Ellis, Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca and James Yap. Reigning three-point champion Chris Tiu of Rain or Shine will defend his crown against a competitive field which includes Mac Baracael, Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro, Mac Cardona, JVee Casio, Ryan Buenafe,
titleholder Steve Forbes before working four more with Rodriguez at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Calif. “He always keeps you thinking,” Rodriguez (3-0, 2 KOs) tells Rappler. com. “He’s always moving his head, moving his feet. There’s always something that he’s doing that always keeps you in check. He has good speed and he’s heavy-handed. His punches have good snap, also. “It was good,” continued Rodriguez. “I kept my hands up and never got careless throughout the sparring so I didn’t really get hit with anything clean. But like I said, he is heavy handed.” Though he’s only been in LA for a week, the project has been a “Hollywood” experience for Rodriguez, who got the opportunity to meet with Grammy Award-winning recording artists Bob Dylan and Ashanti. In addition to Rodriguez and Forbes, Pacquiao is sparring with junior welterweight prospect Lydell Rhodes of Oklahoma. Rhodes had been in Pacquiao’s camp in General Santos City, Philippines before traveling with the Pacquiao camp last week to finish up training. Former WBO junior
welterweight champion Kendall Holt was originally tabbed to be Pacquiao’s fourth sparring partner, but begged off due to prior engagements. Bradley, 30, is also training in Southern California with trainer Joel Diaz, hoping to silence skeptics that feel Bradley didn’t deserve the splitdecision he was awarded in their first bout in June of 2012. Rodriguez, who is managed by Pat Lynch and trained by his father Alex
Devia, had previously told Ringtv.com that he felt Pacquiao would emerge victorious, but now feels that Pacquiao will be able to close the show on the Palm Springs, Calif. native. “I’ve been watching and listening to the things that (Pacquiao’s trainer) Freddie Roach is telling Manny to do, and it’s really technical. Freddie is a great coach, and I think as long as Manny follows the game plan, he’ll KO Bradley in 5.” - Rappler.com
Mac Macapagal, Gary David, Marcio Lassiter and James Yap. In the skills challenge, Air21’s Jonas Villanueva will be tested by JVee Casio, Willie Miller, LA Tenorio, Terrence Romeo, John Wilson, Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Jayson Castro, and Sol Mercado. Lastly, high-flying dunk champion Chris Ellis of Barangay Ginebra will have to come up with better tricks as challengers like Justin
Melton, Arwind Santos, Japeth Aguilar, Rey Guevarra, Cliff Hodge and Calvin Abueva out there to try and steal his crown. The PBA Greats vs Stalwarts, featuring a mixture of active players and retired PBA stars, will be the weekend’s curtain-raiser. The Greats are composed of Atoy Co, Freddie Abuda, Vergel Meneses, Franz Pumaren, Johnedel Cardel, Rey Guevarra, Terrence Romeo, JVee
Casio, Willie Miller, Cliff Hodge and Jonas Villanueva. Bogs Adornado, Dickie Bachmann, Noli Locsin, Jeffrey Cariaso, Richard Del Rosario, Justin Melton, Ronjay Buenafe, Sol Mercado, Chris Tiu, Mac Cardona and John Wilson meanwhile banner the Stalwarts team. The PBA All Star weekend takes place from April 3 to 6. - Rappler. com
IMT Fun Time
ARIES:
Even big, bad, bold you needs a little support now and then — like at the beginning of this week. Since you’re usually so self-sufficient, you might have to ask. By Wednesday and Thursday, though, the stars send bountiful super energy right to you, and you’re probably ready to make a daring move (at work? In the love department? Maybe both?). Go for it! If you’re staying up late or partying on Friday and Saturday, be sure to make up for it with some healthy stuff, too. And on Sunday, use a little charm to get your desire.
TAURUS:
LIBRA:
Just getting through your regular tasks may be tough at the beginning of the week, but getting upset about it won’t help. Keep at it, and look for better energy coming your way on Wednesday and Thursday. Now you’re making progress, and looking so good doing it that others might just ask you what your secret is. Will you tell? Social time’s favored on Friday and Saturday, as is some lazing about — that is, recharging those batteries. A couple of days of extra sexiness start on Sunday — what are you going to do to take advantage? Dreams, intuition and other less-than-logical stuff figure prominently at the beginning of the week. Heed your inner voice, and let your subconscious provide clues. Around Wednesday or Thursday, some real-world hassles require your attention; handling them calmly reduces the stress factor. Your karma gets a major boost if you step outside yourself and donate your time, money or expertise (or all three) to a good cause on Friday or Saturday. And on Sunday, be extra patient with everyone — including yourself.
GEMINI:
SAGITTARIUS:
CANCER:
MEDIUM
A deeper, more meaningful level can be reached at the beginning of the week, whether in a relationship or in your own outlook. Your core values are especially relevant now. You’re a winner on Wednesday and Thursday, if the stars have their say — and remember, you can’t win if you don’t play. Take a chance (maybe in the realm of romance!). Beware of imbalances of power on Friday and Saturday; anyone who thinks they’re the boss of you could be problematic. You’re extra articulate and very tuned on on Sunday — speak up! Conflict, opposition or limiting factors may come into play at the beginning of the week, and your response is everything. Use your powers of patience and flex your muscle of understanding. Make a busy schedule and stick to it on Wednesday and Thursday — it could come in handy when you’re asked to do something you’d rather not do. Friday and Saturday find a goal or two definitely within reach, and not just when it comes to work, either. On Sunday, the vibe is good for kicking off a new project.
LEO:
AQUARIUS:
VIRGO:
Turn those organizational abilities toward planning a social event or a great date at the beginning of the week — it’ll likely come together as the best thing ever. You may be the underdog in a certain situation on Wednesday or Thursday, but somebody’s pulling for you. Figure out who, and get some tips and support. Friday and Saturday are great days to be you. With the stars on your side, you can get a ton done and also attract some attention via your extra sparkle. On Sunday, don’t commit. You’ll want to stick with ‘maybe’ on any big decisions — at least for today.
Answer for March 2-8, 2014
The rule of the game are simple: You simply fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the 3x3 squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9 without repeats or omissions.
CAPRICORN:
You may want to nest or play it safe at the beginning of the week, but the stars are sending some not-to-be-missed possibilities your way. Welcome the new energy and make a new start. On Wednesday or Thursday, it might be time for a splurge — you deserve a reward, don’t you? Plans go nicely on Friday and Saturday, and you’ve got the ability to make others feel understood and right at home, no matter where you are. Sunday brings a problem and an active, honest approach gets things going in the right direction. You have a catlike sixth sense at the beginning of the week, with the reflexive knowledge of how to approach people and situations. You’ll definitely land on your feet now. Wednesday and Thursday look even better, with your personal heat turned up to sizzling. Energy, excitement, fun and fabulousness are there for the taking. Keep your expenditures to a minimum on Friday and Saturday; feed your mind instead of opening your wallet. On Sunday, the universe serves you sweetness, with a cherry on top. Revel in it.
KU
SCORPIO:
Home may be where the heart is at the beginning of the week, but communication’s favored now, too. Get on the phone or online and share your feelings, and you’ll get very nice responses. You could encounter somebody as stubborn as you on Wednesday or Thursday; think what you can accomplish if you join forces instead of butting heads! On Friday and Saturday, you’re looking lucky, and the chance for romance is looking good. Plan a great date or head out on the town with friends. On Sunday, excitement awaits in an unexpected place. Find it! Being thrifty at the beginning of the week gives you a bit of a creative challenge, and it also gives you a little extra for a future plan or splurge. Make your own lunch and make your own fun. You’re quick with ideas and have the stamina to carry them out around Wednesday and Thursday. Progress abounds! On Friday and Saturday, watch out for some sort of interference — a misunderstanding, a busybody, something getting lost in the shuffle. Be clear and concise. Sunday’s stars send you extra sexiness now. Make the most of it!
S U DO
Even if you’re off-balance at the beginning of the week, stick with your routine as much as possible. Going through the motions has a therapeutic effect. By Wednesday and Thursday, you can identify a contradiction, make a discovery and find a way to move Across forward that feels great. An interruption or delay could be a good thing now. You’re not so much judging books by their covers as speed-reading on 1 I don’t know waht to say (5,4,2) Friday and Saturday; find out a lot in short order. On Sunday, the stars send 9 Leaving no will (9) extra brains and curiosity your way. 10 Consumption (3)
PISCES: 11 Brownish yellow (5)
You’ve got the power of love on your side at the beginning of the week — platonic, romantic, altruistic and more. How will you use its mysterious forces? Wednesday or Thursday ask that you hone your concentration and be attentive to what’s around you. The most mundane things hold important keys now. You’re rather analytical on Friday and Saturday, which may take somebody by surprise. Show your soft side, too. Sunday is all about sorting through old things to make way for new ones
13 Achieve a agoal (4, 3) 14 Data transmission unit - large sum (6) 15 Appraise (6) 18 Poison, As (7) 20 Middle East capital (5) 21 Historic period (3) 22 Amounts deducted from wages (9) 24 Stamp collector (11)
Answer for March 2-8, 2014 Down 2 Not at home (3) 3 Merit (7) 4 Poured over crushed ice (6) 5 Perfectly suited (5) 6 Magnificent tomb or monument (9) 7 Vanished 911) 8 Ungenerous behaviour (11) 12 \(9) 16 Surgical knife (7) 17 Nobble (6) 19 Of the nose (5) 23 Neon, for example (3)
March 23 - 29, 2014
METRO SPORTS
11
Iloilo dominates Regional Selection for NBA training
BY REYMAR LATOZA
Eight out of nine young basketball enthusiasts qualified to represent Western Visayas (WV) in the National Training Camp for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2014 were from Iloilo. Gerry Abadiano and Anthony Ogunsanya of St. Robert’s International Academy; David Umadhay, John Gan and Vince Dolendo of Huasiong College of
Colorum...from page 1
Iloilo and Franz Diaz of Ateneo de Iloilo will hoist the banner of WV in the Jr NBA. On the other hand, Ann Pingol and Zendie Padre of Iloilo and Luisa de la Paz of Silay City will be the region’s representatives in the Jr. WNBA. They will be the among the 50 boys and 24 girls from all over the country chosen to participate in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Training Camp in Manila on April 25-27. From the said numbers, only 10 Jr. NBA and 4 Jr. WNBA All-Stars will be selected after the national clinic and they will have the opportunity to play against a counterpart team from another country later in the year. The Jr. NBA was led by PBA Legends JojoLastimosa and Jerry Codiñera and the camp was ran by PerlasPilipinas Coaches Ish Tiu
and Melissa with Alaska coaching staff and local volunteer coaches. In a news release sent to Iloilo Metropolitan Times, NBA Asia said that each year a new city benefits from the grassroots basketball program that involves not just young players but also their parents and coaches. “This year, more than 80,000 students, parents, and coaches will benefit through Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA activities including camps and clinics, NBA Cares outreach activities, television programs and digital initiatives,” NBA Asia said. IMT
vehicles could be easily detected bearing with green plates. “Our personnel will post as observers and they will list down those private vehicles suspiciously transacting business with passengers”, he added. Bernales stressed drivers caught will immediately report to them and will Republic of the Philippines be summoned to explain. Province of Iloilo Municipality of Dumangas Meanwhile, LTFRB OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL CIVIL REGISTRAR chairman Atty. Winston Ginez aims to get rid or NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION minimize the proliferation of colorum vehicles Public Utility In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to Vehicles (PUVs) on roads. In fact, Ginez said the the publict that GRACE M. HORTINELA haas filled with this Office a petition Department of Transportation for change of first name from MERRY GRES to GRACE in his birth certificate and Communications (DOTC) of MERRY GRES ALANG MAHINAY who was born on 01 FEBRUARY 1982 is funding a project on the use of at DUMANGAS, ILOILO and whose parents are WILFREDO Z. MAHINAY technology-based solutions in and JOSEPHINE G. ALANG. apprehending colorum PUVs. LTFRB is also establishing Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition an Inspection and Compliance with this Office not later than _______. Unit (ICU) that will pro-actively inspect PUVs to ensure they comply with the 2011 Revised March 23 - 29, 2014 Terms and Conditions. IMT
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late JESUS COSTANILLA CASAS known as lot no. 3, Block 12A, Pcs-06-00072 situated in the District of Jaro, City of Iloilo, Island of Panay containing an area of two hundred nine square meters with Transfer Certificated of Title No. T-80639 is the subject of the deed of adjudication with waiver as per doc. no. 1276, page no. 237 book no. V series of 2014 of notary public ATTY. MEL GABAR M. TOLENTINO. March 23 - 29, 2014
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Pacifica P. Parreño known as lot no. 1740 B to G of the Cadastral survey of Potatan, Iloilo Covered by TCT no. T-19983 area of 1,690 sq. m. more or less has been adjudicated by NIDA GUSTILO NADANZA and that she sold the portion of lot 1740-E with and area of 632 sq. m. more or less equivalent at P 1500,000.00 to Tessie M. Paracale as per doc. no. 12, page no. 97 book no. XXXI series of 2014 before Notary Public Ex Officio JUDGE EVA SAUL PADILLA. March 23 - 29, 2014