Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 45 | Friday, May 7, 2021 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

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SM City Davao eyed as seniors vaccination hub

Cargo planes are parked infront of the cargo section of the Davao International Aiport. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered for the immediate resumption of all kinds of fights to and from Davao City through Executive Order No. 26 Series of 2021 issued on Thursday. Edge Davao

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VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

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A public utility vehicle (PUV) driver submits himself for a swab test at the Davao Crocodile Park in Ma-a, Davao City. The City Health Office (CHO) of Davao City has reported that 12 of the 2,300 swabbed public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers were tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 2 in the ongoing free surveillance RT-PCR testing as mandated by Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte’s Executive Order (E.O.) 22. Edge Davao

SM City Davao eyed as seniors vaccination hub By MAYA M. PADILLO

he city government of Davao is eyeing SM City Davao as another vaccination hub in Davao City and the mall has offered its three cinemas.

Davao City Covid-19 Vaccination Program head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte led the inspection of the mall’s three cinemas on Tuesday. During the inspection, the city was identifying where the registration area, vaccination area, and post vaccination area in the said cinemas. The city is evaluating other requirements to use the mall as vaccination hub. When finalized, the mall

will be the vaccination center for senior citizens as part of the priority group. The city is targeting to inoculate 120,000 senior citizens or Priority Group A2. The city will proceed to senior citizens aged 60 years old and above, right after the Priority Group A1 or the medical frontliners is completed. Apart from SM City Davao, the city is also eyeing SM Lanang Premier as

vaccination site. Meanwhile, SM has partnered with various local government units (LGUs) nationwide in its multi-mall vaccination program to help curb the spread of the Covid-19. SM Supermalls has long-standing commitment in ensuring the health and safety of the public and provides convenient and accessible venues where the community can get vaccinated safely. The program prioritizes the vaccination of health workers, front liners, senior citizens and other priority groups identified by the

government. In a statement, Steve Tan, president of SM Supermalls, providing convenient, safe and accessible venues for the community to get vaccinated is part of the company’s continuing efforts in preventing the further spread of Covid-19. He said SM malls all over the country can provide convenient, safe and accessible venues for the community to get vaccinated and through the company’s long-standing relationship with the LGUs, the company remains committed in ensuring the health and safety of the public.

‘yong delivery natin ng ano ng May, baka po from 4 million madadagdagan po tayo ng 7 million. Malaki po ‘yon, Mr. President, kasi ang dadagdag po dito ‘yong COVAX mukhang makakapag-deliver na po ng Pfizer at saka ng AstraZeneca (The good news is that, the delivery

this May may increase from 4 million doses up to 7 million doses. That’s a huge volume, Mr. President, because the COVAX facility may also be delivering Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines),” Galvez told President Rodrigo Duterte in a Cabinet meeting Wednesday night. Galvez assured that

enough doses dedicated for the vaccinees’ second shots would arrive on time. “’Yong second dose wala na po tayong problema. Mayroon po tayong makukuha ngayong May more or less baka mga 1 million or 2 million na AstraZeneca. Iyong definite date lang po ang ina-ano

Duterte orders pullout of Sinopharm vaccines

resident Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night ordered the withdrawal of Covid-19 vaccines developed by Chinese stateowned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. Despite having received the first dose of the vaccine brand himself, Duterte said he told an “ambassador” that he wanted the vaccines pulled out over concerns that the Sinopharm vaccine has yet to be cleared for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Just before this meeting started, I had a talk with the ambassador. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Ang mga experts nagsabi na, o wala pang ano ito, ‘di pa dumaan ng examination sa atin. Ang binigay lang (I told him, ‘Experts are saying it did not go through examinations here. They just gave it) compassionate use which is really a legal excuse.’ Compassionate use. Ibig sabihin, magamit mo (This means you can use it).Compassionate. Kaya lang (But), maybe it’s not acceptable to them but it’s legal actually,” he said in a public address. Duterte did not identify

the ambassador but might have been referring to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian. “Sabi ko (I said) ‘Tanggalin mo nalang, you withdraw all Sinopharm vaccines. One thousand of them. Huwag ka nalang magpadala ng Sinopharm dito parang walang gulo (Don’t send Sinopharm vaccines here so there’s no issue),” he added. Some medical experts, he said, are also concerned over the “dangers” of Sinopharm’s use. A Chinese vaccine expert earlier referred to Sinopharm as the “most unsafe vaccine in the world,” after it was found to produce 73 side effects. “The fact that may konting ano na hindi dumaan, para walang ano, tanggalin nalang natin (The fact that there are some concerns that it did not go through examination so that there’s no issue, let’s just pull them out),” he said. He then asked the envoy to provide Covid-19 vaccines produced by another Chinese drugmaker, Sinovac Biotech: “Bigay mo nalang sa amin yung Sinovac na ginagamit sa lahat (Just give us Sinovac being used by everyone).”

po natin. So matutuwa na po ‘yong mga nakapag-first dose dahil kasi mayroon pong padating na COVAX na AstraZeneca (We don’t have a problem with the second dose. We might be having more or less 1 million or 2 million doses of AstraZeneca this May. We are just working on the

definite dates so we are glad because the AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility will be delivered),” he said. As of May 4, a total of 2,065,235 Filipinos have been vaccinated with at least one dose against Covid-19, with 320,586 persons fully vaccinated.

PH to get up to 7M doses of Covid-19 vax in May: Galvez

he Philippines will start receiving the bulk of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines of up to 7 million doses this month, said vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., also chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19. “Ang maganda po dito

EDGEDAVAO

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NEWS 3

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio distributes electronic tablets to over 100 children of garbage collectors, dump truck drivers, and Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) workers of the city government of Davao through the LGU’s Students Sibling Tablet Sharing project. CIO

Sara rallies Dabawenyos to carry on against Covid-19

avao City Mayor Sara Duterte called on Dabawenyos to continue adhering to the minimum public health standards such as wearing of face masks and face shield, social distancing, avoiding crowds, and frequent washing of hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub. Until the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) shall declare that all are safe from the pandemic, the minimum health protocols remain the best ways to prevent getting the SarsCoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease The call to follow the minimum health protocols is also addressed to those who already received the antiCovid vaccines. Mayor Sara said the vaccines are meant to lower the chances of death and the severity of symptoms of the person infected with Covid-19. “Kung kita nabakunahan na, magpadayon kita sa pagsuot sa facemask. Magpalayo gihapon kita sa laing tawo. Likayan ang mga tapok. Dili sab nato kalimtan ang paghugas sa atong mga kamot gamit ang sabon ug tubig o alcohol (If we have been vaccinated, let us continue wearing a face mask. Stay away from people. Avoid mass gatherings. Let us also not forget to wash our hands with soap or alcohol),” she added. Mayor Sara said the discipline and sacrifices that everyone has done in the past months are getting results and these must not

go to waste. During the past weeks, Davao City saw a decline in Covid-19 cases. “Dili na nato usbon ang mga kasaypanan nga atong nahimo kaniadto — apil na ang atong pagpasagad sa minimum health standards ug pagbaliwala sa mga direktiba o mando nga ang tumong mapugngan ang pagkatag sa makamatay nga COVID 19 sa atong mga panimalay ug komunidad (We must not repeat our mistakes from the past — including non-compliance of minimum health standards and neglecting the directives and the mandates aimed to contain the spread of the deadly Covid-19 in our homes and community),” she said. Mayor Sara said no one wants Davao City reverted to an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) because of its impact on the economy and the livelihood of the people. An ECQ, Mayor Sara said is still possible if the city and the people disregard and complacent in implementing the basic health protocols. The mayor urged everyone to remember all Dabawenyos who have died of Covid-19 and all the doctors, nurses, guards, janitors, medical technologists, and all other medical personnel sacrificing their lives every day to help fight against the virus. Dabawenyos experiencing influenza-like illnesses and other respiratory illnesses are urged to have themselves tested and consult infectious disease specialists to receive immediate medicine and care.

DOT calls out city gov’t to take actions vs. erring Toril resort By MAYA M. PADILLO

he Department of Tourism (DOT) has called out the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) and the city government of Davao to take quick actions against an erring resort situated in Toril, Davao City, which was found to have violated health and safety restrictions. In a statement released on Thursday, DOT stated that an employee of the resort was reported to have served liquor to guests despite the liquor ban and hosted 60 guests, beyond the limit of 25 imposed by the city. The establishment was also supposed to be closed for having no business permit. City Tourism Operations

Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson identified the erring resort as the Blue House in Lizada, Toril. “The resort is operating without a business permit and we already forwarded this to the business bureau,” she said. Tecson reminded resort operators in Davao City to always follow the minimum health safety regulations

imposed by the city. “The protocols are in place so that we can open tourism and we are doing it because of the economy. It doesn’t mean that Covid is gone. So, let us all help each other by following the guidelines set. It is now one for all,” she said. According to the statement,TourismSecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat reiterated her directive to the regional offices of the DOT to work closely with the LGUs in ensuring that accommodation establishments across the country will observe the health and safety protocols called for by the quarantine levels established by

the national and local governments. The DOT calls on the local tourism offices and the LGUs to continue to be vigilant in monitoring our tourism establishments as it notes with grave concern and dismay, that some tourism establishments continue to violate the health and safety protocols established by the national government to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the country. Puyat said it is only by strictly enforcing these restrictions in close coordination with the local government units the country can hasten the revival and survival of the tourism industry.

the reopening of Davao International Airport (DIA) on June 8, 2020, for domestic commercial flights under the strict health safety protocols. In October last year, direct international flights to and from DIA were allowed and the city also welcomed airline companies to reopen their international operations. Meanwhile, there has been a proposal in a letter dated May 4, 2021 from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) DIA highlighting the need to remove all restrictions on

flight operations to allow for more economic activities in so far as civil aviation is concerned. To ensure safety of arriving passengers at DIA, the city has required reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for all arriving travelers at DIA pursuant to Davao City Ordinance No.0477-21 Series of 2021 entitled “an order providing for mandatory testing prior to entry into Davao City via the Davao International Airport”. Currently, there are 46

flights at DIA being serviced by the three airlines – Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines between the city and Manila, Cebu, Clark and Zamboanga. City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson, who is also the head of Davao City Airport Health Monitoring Team, said flights to Iloilo City and Bohol were put on hold by the airlines. “Kasi parang nahirapan ang mga airlines sa requirements and lack of passengers (Iloilo and Bohol),” she said. By Maya M. Padillo

Int’l, domestic comm’l flights resume at DIA

ayor Sara DuterteCarpio ordered the immediate resumption of all kinds of fights such as scheduled international flights, unscheduled domestic commercial flights (chartered) and other general flights to and from Davao City through Executive Order No. 26 Series of 2021 issued on Thursday. Last year, the city issued EOs No. 12 and 22 suspending all international and domestic air travel to and from Davao City. Mayor Sara announced

A1 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

A Lumad woman prepares coffee for her guests at the tulugan of the Higaonon tribe in Sitio Mintapod, Barangay Hagpa in Impasugong, Bukidnon on Wednesday (5 May 2021). MindaNews photo by H. MARCOS C. MORDENO

MinDA to unite avocado, jackfruit industry players B

Full-year inflation expect to remain elevated: BSP

hilippines’ leading carrier Cebu Pacific launched on Tuesday Super Pass, which enable travelers to book and decide later where to fly.

M i n d a n a o Development Authority (MinDA) chairman Sec. Emmanuel Piñol said that the virtual convention on the launching of the Hass Avocado and Jackfruit Industry in Mindanao on May 17 will unite farmers and stakeholders of the said high-value crops. Piñol said that it will also learn from the sad and painful lessons of

the disorganized agroindustrial ventures like rubber, palm oil and Cavendish banana. “The Rubber Industry, which was first introduced to Mindanao through Basilan, Zamboanga, and Cotabato over a century ago, had been beset by a free-for-all attitude with no set and accepted standards in production and the failure to complete the

DTI eyes PH as AI powerhouse in region

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched the national artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap which made the Philippines be one of the first 50 countries in the world to have a national strategy and policy on AI. DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said AI adoption can increase Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) by 12 percent by 2030, or equivalent to USD92 billion based on estimates of research firm Kearney.

Lopez said the AI roadmap aims to accelerate the adoption and utilization of AI in the country to advance industrial development, generate better quality entrepreneurship, and higher-paying opportunities for Filipinos. “Through the AI roadmap, we hope to establish the Philippines as an AI Center for Excellence in the region that is backed by our rich local talent pool and vibrant innovation

FDTI, B1

value chain leaving farmers at the mercy of rubber cup lumps traders. This is the same narrative for both the Oil Palm and Cavendish Banana where government support and interventions had been sorely missing leaving both sectors to fend for themselves,” he said. He added that it was only during his time as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) when the Banana Industry took the first step to full organizing with the creation of the Banana Industry Development Council.

“The absence of a g ove r n m e n t - a s s i s t e d research and development program had left these sectors in the doldrums,” Piñol added. Led by the Mindanao Avocado and Jackfruit Organizing Council (MAJOR-C), both sectors will draw a road map that would carefully craft production targets based on the market’s absorptive capacity. “With these lessons in mind, I will present to the participants during the Hass Avocado and

FMINDA, B1

angko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno expects supply side pressures to result in elevated price increases this year as domestic inflation remained at 4.5 percent last month. Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that average inflation this year also stood at 4.5 percent, higher than the 2-4 percent target band until 2023. In a Viber message to journalists Wednesday, Diokno said the inflation print last April was within the central bank’s 4.2-5 percent projection for the month. “The timely approval of the temporary cut in pork

import tariff is seen to help address supply constraints and ease price pressures going forward,” he said, referring to the measure targeted to address the impact of the African swine fever on domestic pork supply. Diokno said inflation expectations are also still well-anchored and the outlook “remains well balanced around the baseline path in 2021, while towards the downside in 2022.” He added the global health crisis plays as a downside to risks on inflation and growth but “improvements in external demand, as well as continued rollout of the

contributor to inflation this year, hence we urgently need to temporarily augment our pork supply through importation. Retaining the status quo will cause 100 million Filipinos to suffer longer from high food prices,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in a statement Wednesday. The continued outbreak of African swine

fever (ASF) resulted in a 26-percent contraction in hog production in the first quarter of 2021. As the Department of Agriculture and the domestic hog industry pursue repopulation strategies in the medium term, the NEDA chief said the temporary decrease in tariff rates and increase in MAV for pork are needed to immediately stabilize

FINFLATION, B1

Ramp up pork imports needed to temper rising meat inflation

he temporary reduction of pork tariffs and the increase of the minimum access volume (MAV) for imported pork are essential to immediately curb the rising pork inflation for the benefit of some 100 million Filipinos, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the country’s headline

inflation rate in April 2021 remained unchanged from the previous month at 4.5 percent, above the government’s target range of 2 to 4 percent. Meat inflation reached a record high at 22.1 percent, as pork inflation soared to 57.7 percent and remains as the top contributor to the headline inflation rate with 1.4 percentage points. “Meat has been persistently the top

FRAMP, B1

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ECONOMY A2

An employee of the Securities and Exchange Commission-Davao Extension Office (SEC-DEO) assists out-of-town clients on the Online Submission Tool (OST) enrollment. The OST was developed to allow corporations to digitally and remotely submit their annual reports, as part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to automate transactions and limit face-to-face interactions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of SEC

BARMM logs 4.7K approved biz registrations in Q1 2021

espite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has approved a total of 4,740 business name registrations (BNRs) for the first quarter of this year. Records from the Bureau of Trade and Industry (BTI) under the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) of BARMM showed that the significant increase in BNRs this year is 300 percent higher compared to the 1,251 business registrations for the same

period in 2020. “The BNRs from January to March this year had also generated some PHP423million investment cost and 10,109 employment during the period,” MTITBARMM Minister Abuamri Taddik said in a statement released Thursday. He said the notable increase in the BNRs was due to the intensive campaign of the MTIT in registering business names and the participation of the MTIT provincial offices in the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) activity of local government units

FBARMM, B1

DTI-11 lines up series of trainings for MSMEs

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 has lined up several activities to equip the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region in expanding and improving their business further. With the need to go into online marketing and virtual operation, the agency has looked for ways to assist its clients to keep up with the changing and challenging times.

To help MSMEs go digital, initiatives related to increasing online visibility have been launched and considered. Recently, it has conducted several activities in partnership

with various companies that offer virtual platforms, such as the Philippine Long Distance Company (PLDT) KaAsenso Ka, Shoppee and Lazada. With them, DTI has been able to hold onboarding undertakings crucial to preparing local entrepreneurs in widening their market reach. These are part of its package of interventions for the OTOPreneurs, or the entrepreneurs enrolled

under the One Town One Product (OTOP) Next Gen program. DTI 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi shared that the goal of DTI in intensifying its efforts to assist MSMEs is for them to improve their sales especially in these trying times. “Being tagged as ‘next gen,’ it is definitely important that we guide

griculture Secretary William Dar is looking to expand the country’s agricultural imports, particularly coconut products, to Germany. In a virtual meeting on Wednesday, Dar met with German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel to discuss agricultural cooperation and trade between the Philippines and Germany on the latter’s food import situation. “Balance of trade is in favor of the Philippines, with tuna, banana chips, pineapples and desiccated coconut as the Philippines’

top four agri exports to Germany,” Dar said. The agri chief encouraged Germany to expand its importation of Philippine agricultural products, specifically mentioning coco sugar, ready-to-drink coco milk, coco water, and organic extra virgin coconut oil. This, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) has revived the Philippine Coconut Authority board of directors. The new set of directors lays out the coconut development plan to help boost the economy. Germany, he said, is one

Dar keen on expanding agri exports to Germany

Megaworld earmarks P36B for 2021 capital spending A T ownship developer Megaworld is allocating P36-billion for capital spending this year, as it realigns project developments with the restrictions brought about by the strict quarantine measures that affect construction movements as well as demand for residential properties especially in Metro Manila. This year’s capital expenditure (CAPEX) is 29% higher than the P27.9-billion actual

spending last year. Around 76% will be allocated for real estate developments, particularly on the construction of new residential properties, while the remaining 24% will be for investment properties. No amount has been allocated for landbanking initiatives. “We remain cautious and prudent with our spending as we are still observing how the vaccination program will progress and where this

pandemic will be leading us in the next few months. This is a very targeted CAPEX program aimed at optimizing the use of our available cash during this time,” says Kevin L. Tan, chief strategy officer, Megaworld. This year, the company is launching four (4) residential projects, particularly in its key provincial townships at Maple Grove in Cavite, Capital Town in Pampanga, Iloilo Business Park in Iloilo

City, and The Upper East in Bacolod City. These new residential projects are expected to generate around P8.3billion in sales. During the year, the company is also turning over almost 4,000 units and lots from its completed residential developments across the country with a total value of around P60billion. These residential projects for turnover are

FMEGAWORLD, B1

FDTI-11, B1

FDAR KEEN, B1

4 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

On a resort business operating without a license in Toril:

The resort is operating without a business permit and we already forwarded this to the business bureau.” GENEROSE TECSON HEAD, CITY TOURISM OPERATIONS OFFICE (CTOO)

EDITORIAL Filling the vacuum In the light of the exacting pandemic demand for healthcare workers, we are more and more feeling the crunch of brain drain.

The country’s pool of healthcare professionals, in particular the nurses, had been left with a big vacuum ever since the demand overseas sucked dry our resources. The dearth for nurses became even more imminent during the pandemic. What made matters worse is that other countries went out with high price tags for Philippine nurses to pack their bags and head down to their beleaguered hospitals.

Hence, the need for immediate solutions in the form of the so-called ‘underboard’ nurses or those unlicensed graduate nurses.

On Thursday, a leader of the House of Representatives on Thursday backed the proposal of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco to tap unregistered nurses as additional health workers to supplement the current health workforce in the country amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

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To make this happen, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) can make a special arrangement to allow expected takers of nursing licensure exam to work as health workers under the supervision of a registered nurse or doctor. This is the answer to the lack of medical workers and staff.

Based on DOH data as of April 25, a total of 17,365 health workers have been infected with Covid-19, 195 of them are active cases. It also showed that 88 health workers have died, while 17,082 have recovered during the same period. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This is one measure that falls under that conversation. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

MAYA M. PADILLO Senior Reporter

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN MEGHANN STA. INES FERINA SANTOS Lifestyle

CHRISTIAN JAY H. RAFAL ANA MARIE G. SILPAO Layout

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. Consultant Correspondent Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBON • MARY ANN C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO DAVAL SR.,TRIA • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY Columnists: ANTONIO V.“ADI” FIGUEROA • HENRYLITO D. TACIO •B.JOHN CARLO • MUJAHID NAVARRA ••FRED C. LUMBA • DENNIS R. GORECHO ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO •“GICO” G. S. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER GREGORIO G. DELIGERO VIDA MIA VALVERDE • HAROLD CAVITE M. PEREZ

OLIVIA D. VELASCO SOLANI D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONAJASPER OLIVIA D. VELASCO V. BACSAL General Manager PresidentAdvertising Specialist Finance General Manager / VP Operations JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

The proponent of the measure believes mobilizing nursing graduates who have yet to take the board exam would help fill the gap arising from shortages of healthcare workers during the pandemic.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE RICHARD C. EBONA LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-YacapinProduct Sts. Development officer Cagayan de Oro City Address: No. 18 Purok 4B, Madelo Street, Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Tel: (088) 852-4894 Mobile number: +63 947 265 2969(smart); +63 916 955 8559(globe)

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VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

VANTAGE POINTS

HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

FOR THE LOVE OF WORK All of us have to work. For God said so: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground” (Genesis 3:19). Adam, the first man, was given the job to take care of the Garden of Eden. All throughout the Bible, God has commanded man to work. In the Ten Commandments, He said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” Henry Ward Beecher expounds it this way: “When God wanted sponges and oysters, He made them and put one on a rock and the other in the mud. When He made man, He did not make him to be a sponge or an oyster; He made him with feet and hands, and head and heart, and vital blood, and a place to use them, and He said to him, ‘Go work.’” Somebody once said that work is the father of success and integrity is the mother. If you can get along with these two members of the family, the rest of the family will be easy to deal with. However, too many people don’t make enough effort to get along with the father and leave the mother our completely. Some even quit looking for work as soon as they find a job. I have been working in the company where I am currently employed for more than twenty years now. I still find my job challenging and I am happy with what

I am doing. But I find it strange that some people have a hard time staying with one employer. Maybe because they are bored or worse, they thought they should be paid more for the work they are doing. Walter Hoving advices, “Find a job that’s suited to your talents and then do a lot more work than you’re paid for. In time, you’ll be paid much more for what you do. Workers who get what they can, are bound to be disillusioned. Such people fail to make progress simply because they aren’t profitable to the people who hire them.” I have met some employees in other institutions who work for the required eight hours. Most of them don’t bother to give an extra minute or two if there are other works to be done that day. I know personally some people who, when the clock hits 5 p.m. immediately leave their desk without bothering cleaning their tables. “That’s what the janitor does,” they say. But what American inventor Thomas Alva Edison said? “I am wondering what would have happened to me if some fluent talker had converted me to the theory of the eight-hour day, and convinced me that it was not fair to my fellow workers to put forth my best efforts in my work. I am glad that the eight-hour day had not been invented when I was a young

man. If my life had been made up of eight-hour days I do not believe I could have accomplished a great deal.” The Laggard’s Excuse confirms the principle that the man who is born the luckiest is the man who doesn’t believe in luck – but in work! The poem goes this way: “He worked by day and toiled by night. He gave up play and some delight. Dry books he read, new things to learn and forged ahead, success to earn. He plodded on with faith and pluck. And when he won, men called it luck.” Luck is always waiting for something to turn up. Work, on the other hand, with keen eyes and strong will, turns up something. Luck lies in bed and wishes the postman would bring him news of an unexpected inheritance. Work springs out of bed in the morning and lays the foundation for success with competence. In a workplace, there are people who work diligently and there are people who watch other’s jobs thereby placing their work in jeopardy. Elmer G. Leterman was right when he observed, “The average human being in any line of work could double his productive capacity overnight if he began right now to do all the things he knows he should do, and to stop doing all the things he knows he should not do.” We were not put here on

earth to play around. “Life is real; life is earnest,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote. We are not here to “have fun,” which seems to be the chief ambition of everyone. “There is work to be done,” said Alden Palmer. “There are responsibilities to be met. Humanity needs the abilities of every man and woman.” For twenty years, he worked in the “trenches” in hospital emergency rooms, only to find himself overwhelmed with a bad case of “burnout.” He describes his work this way: “It was years of screaming, dying, drunks, drug overdose, terminal cancer, and exhaustion.” It was at that time that Dr. Lance Gentile enrolled in the University of Southern California’s film school. While continuing to save lives on hospital late shifts, he tried his hand at writing a screenplay. State of Emergency was turned into an HBO movie. Then, the offer to be part of the successful popular television show, ER, came. He did not act in the series but part of his job was to monitor story lines to ensure no harm was done to make-believe patients or the show’s credibility. He made sure actors use correct terminology, hold instruments correctly, and have their X-rays right side up. Gentile’s story reminded me of this statement: “When you do the things you have to do when

you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.” In the Holy Bible, perhaps one of the most often quoted chapters is Psalm 23. Someone has adapted the said chapter with emphasis on work. It reads: “The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining. He reminds me that he is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor him in all that I do. “Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn’t cooperate every morning, I still will not stop --- for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through. “He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go. His Faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check. His retirement plan beats every plan there is! When it’s all said and done, I’ll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I bless His name.”

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

GEORGE R.L. POND, MABINI PLANTER The cavalcade of successful American hemp planters that dominated the Davao landscape before Japanese investors arrived includes both well-chronicled and less recognized faces in the then booming abaca industry, the backbone of Davao’s plantation economy. One such lesser known profile is George Reinsford L. Pond. A native of Hollister, San Benito Country, California, Pond arrived in Davao as a member of the Army hospital corps in October 1902. Shortly thereafter, he sought discharge from the Army and did not leave Davao since then. His reason for quitting the service was the potentials he saw in cultivating the jungle, which was adjacent to the gulf, into a farming estate. Pond started his venture by acquiring a 16-hectare homestead, which he cultivated. To clear the land, he hired Japanese labor, which impressed him for their industry. Later, he applied for an extra eight hectares, which was allowed under

the Bureau of Lands guidelines. To his credit, the homesteads became a huge success, yielding an annual P7,500 income. In hiring Japanese labor, Pond offered an interesting compensation package. The American Chamber of Commerce Journal, in an article (‘Independence on Down Homestead—What May Be Done with Sixteen Hectares’), in its January 1026 issue, described the scheme: [The Japanese] cleared off the jungle and planted the place to coconuts. For every palm planted, Pond gave them fifty centavos. For every palm living at the end of one year, he gave them another half peso; for every one living at the end of two years, a peso; and for every one living at the end of three years, another peso, making three pesos per palm brought to the age of three years, at which time plantings are out of danger and begin to thrive with very little further cultivation. In this way the whole place planted up. Some 2000 coconuts are growing on it.

The first homestead hosted roughly 2,000 coconuts that yielded 500 piculs of copra each year, or a net income of P5,000 per year. The additional lot, which was smaller, contributed another P2,500 annually. Pond’s other interests included the Bongabong Plantation Co., which he fully owned, and the 1,005-hectare Moro Improvement & Trading Co. (MITC), where he was an investor. MITC was based in sitio Tagnanan, Mampising, Mabini, Davao de Oro; it was first managed by Charles M. Simmons, part owner, when it started operation in 1906. The MITC agricultural estate, under lease, commenced with 100,000 hills of hemp and 3,000 coconuts. Moros from nearby villages were recruited and jobseekers from the northern provinces were brought in to do labor. In 1918, an application to purchase the land was filed, which meant depositing the purchase price of the plantation with the government while the documents were being pro-

cessed. Until 1926, nothing came out of the application, which was “either tangled in red tape or equally confused by other absurd impediments making delays interminable.” By then, the plantation had already 120,000 hills of hemp but now without the coconut palms. George, who died in the US due to tuberculosis, married twice. In his first marriage, he had seven children, namely William, Russell, Robert, Adolf, Billy, and daughters Anita and Margarette. His second wife was Clara Dangyao who bore him a brood of five, namely Theodore, Rodley, David, Roy, and daughter Dolores. It is also worth considering that the Mabini-Pantukan corridor, in the first decade of U.S. occupation, was heavy with American-owned farms. Outside Pond’s plantation and MITC, there was Tagdangua Plantation Co., Gulf Plantation Co., Pindasan Plantation Co., Tagnanan Plantation Co., Mampising Plantation Co., and Moro Plantation Co.,

among others. Pindasan Plantation Co. (owned by Leonard C. Schoppe; later sold to the Japanese), Mampising Plantation Co. (Schoppe’s but managed by a Filipino), Moro Plantation Co. (Frank A. Crowhurst), MITC (Pond, Simmons, and William Gill, manager), and Tagnanan Plantation Co. (owned by a U.S. firm but managed by Simmons) were situated in Mabini, Davao de Oro, while Gulf Plantation Co. (Herschel H. Ames and William A. Reece), Magnaga Plantation Co. (Charles Lindsley, manager), Rogers Plantation Co. (I.H. Rogers owner-manager), Bongabong Plantation Co. (Pond), and Tagdangua Plantation Co. (David Jacobson), were in Pantukan, Davao de Oro. Rogers’ plantation was the oldest of hemp plantations on the east side of Davao Gulf. It was home to roughly 50,000 hills of hemp. Gulf Plantation Co. was later taken over by the Philippine National Bank in the 1920s after it failed to pay its mortgage.

6 EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021 VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

EDGEDAVAO LIFESTYLE

MOTHER’S Day is just around the corner and the best way to honor your mom is to treat her like a real queen. Apart from taking the initiative to take care of things that ordinarily fall on her plate like doing the dishes, taking out garbage, and doing the laundry, which will undoubtedly be appreciated, make the day extra special. It is the perfect day to take the lady of the house to dusitD2. dusitD2 oﬀers Mom’s Day treats fit for a queen from a weekend getaway to dining indulgences. The “Mom’s Weekend Getaway” room package ensures the family gets a comfortable and relaxing experience in one of dusitD2’s well-appointed rooms. Let mom rest and give her what she’s been desperately craving: a few hours of uninterrupted snooze. Mother’s Day also means good food that

moms need to try and enjoy. For a little palate adventure, an authentic Thai experience at Benjarong awaits those who want to celebrate Mother’s Day ahead. This 4+1 Mom’s Day Set is a 5-course Thai menu featuring well-loved Thai dishes like Tom Yam Gung, Green Curry Chicken, and Mango Sticky Rice. This is available at P 1, 500 per person, from 11:30AM-8:00PM on May 7 and 8, 2021. For month-long treats, Dusit Gourmet has a delectable selection of desserts and pastries for the sweet moms. This includes sugar dough cookies, strawberrycoated chocolates, red velvet macarons, sunflower cupcakes, and a Mother’s

TREAT YOUR MOM

LIKE A QUEEN

Day Cake Tart-these will make moms happy as can be. The Madayaw Café has an equally exciting treats also for mom and the family.

The excitement does not end there. Let mom take advantage of the warm early-summer weather and spend a day relaxing at the courtyard-style pool of

dusitD2 while feasting the sumptuous treats. Make it even more fun pool with the family getting on the water. Mom will truly appreciate you going out of your way if you give her Kaayo Modern Mindanao products as gifts. dusitD2 partners with Kaayo and guests can avail discounted products of the brand. For bookings, guests may email d2dvrsvn@dusit. com. To book a table or inquire for reservations, guests may e-mail fb.reservations@ dusitdavao.com.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

After the expiration of the Six (6) years lease period, the remains shall be exhumed and transferred to an Ossuary under a new yearly contract which will have an Imposition Fee of Two Hundred Twenty Pesos (P220.00) and an annual renewal fee payable every January.

Republic of the Philippines City of Davao Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Failure to do so will cause the exhumation of the remains and moved to a common grave. 19 th City Council 46 th Regular Session Series of 2020

No physical improvement shall be allowed on the lots, niches and ossuaries. xxx xxx xxx To: Section 317. Imposition of Fees. – There shall be collected the following rental fees for a period of six (6) years for the rental of City cemetery lots:

PRESENT: Councilor Edgar P. Ibuyan Jr. – Temporary Presiding Officer Vice Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte Councilor Ralph O. Abella Councilor Nilo D. Abellera Councilor Maria Belen S. Acosta Councilor Bai Hundra Cassandra Dominique N. Advincula Councilor Wilberto E. Al-ag Councilor Dante L. Apostol Sr. Councilor Conrado C. Baluran Councilor Jessica M. Bonguyan Councilor Louie John J. Bonguyan Councilor Pilar C. Braga Councilor Augusto Javier G. Campos III Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang Councilor Jonard C. Dayap Councilor Edgar R. Ibuyan Sr. Councilor Richlyn N. Justol-Baguilod Councilor Pamela A. Librado-Morata Councilor Diosdado Angelo Junior R. Mahipus Councilor Jaffar U. Marohomsalic Councilor Bonifacio E. Militar Councilor Myrna G. L’Dalodo-Ortiz Councilor Antoinette G. Principe-Castrodes Councilor J. Melchor B. Quitain Jr. Councilor Alberto T. Ungab Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte Councilor Jesus Joseph P. Zozobrado III

A. Rehabilitated and Newly Established Public Cemetery a) Rental fee for Grave lots Adult section Children section b) Compartmentalized Niches Rental Fee Ground Level Second Level Third Level Fourth Level

Failure to do so will cause the exhumation of the remains and moved to a common grave. No physical improvements shall be allowed on the lots, niches and ossuaries. c) Rates for the use of Multi-Purpose Building for wake purposes are as follows: • Rental Fee for Space Php 1,500.00 per day • Table 15.00 each/day • Chairs 5.00 each/day • Electricity 300.00 per day

xxx

Article Sixteen. Sta. Ana Port (New Article)

Be it ordained by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao City in session assembled, that: SECTION 1. TITLE - This Ordinance shall be known as “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE 2017 REVENUE CODE OF DAVAO CITY TO INCLUDE THE IMPOSITION OF ADDITIONAL FEES AND CHARGES, PARTICULARLY SECTION 256 FOR THE CITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CENTER AND SECTION 317 FOR THE MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING FOR WAKE PURPOSES IN CITY-OWNED/OPERATED PUBLIC CEMETERIES, AND INSERTING ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS IN CHAPTER FIVE, NAMELY, ARTICLE 16, SECTION 392, FOR STA. ANA PORT FEES, AND ARTICLE 17, SECTIONS 393 AND 394,FOR MAGSAYSAY PARK AND OTHER SIMILAR CITY- OWNED REAL PROPERTIES”. SECTION 2. AMENDMENTS. There shall be an amendment to some provisions of Ordinance No. 0291-17, to wit: 1. Chapter 5, Article Three, Section 256 shall be amended and shall read as follows: From:

Article Three. – Fees for Library Services Section 256. Imposition of Fees. There shall be collected for services rendered by the Davao City Library and Information Center, the following fees: -

P 30.00/annum

- -

P 1.00/page 1.50/page

- - -

3.00/page 8.00/page 10.00/hour

Section 392. Rates for Imposition at Sta. Ana Port.- The following rates shall be imposed to any individual, group, association, NGOs or government entity or office who shall utilize the tents, facilities, and parking space at Sta. Ana Port: a. Rental Fee for Tensile Tents 1. Large Tents (Night Time rate) 2. Kiosks b. Rental Fee for Facilities 1. Tables 2. Chairs 3. Electricity

Php 1,250.00 per hour 10.00/sq.m./day Php 15.00 each/day 5.00 each/day 200.00 per hour

c. Parking Fee (for the first 3 hours): 1. Day Time Rates 2. Overnight

Php 40.00/vehicle 60.00/vehicle

Php 15.00/succeeding hour

Excess (after 3 hours)

d. Vehicle Entry 1. 4-wheeled vehicle 2. Tri-sikad

Php 15.00/vehicle 10.00/tri-sikad

Article Seventeen. Magsaysay Park and Other Similar City-Owned Real Properties (New Article) Section 393. Rates for Imposition at Magsaysay Park and Other Similar City-Owned Real Properties.The following rates shall be imposed to any individual, group, association, NGOs or government entity or office who shall utilize the parking space at Magsaysay Park and Other Similar City-Owned Real Properties: a. Parking Fees (for the first 3 hours): 1. Day Time Rates 2. Overnight

Php 40.00/vehicle 60.00/vehicle

Php 15.00/succeeding hour

Excess (after 3 hours)

Section 394. Exemption. – Any government entity or office occupying a space in Magsaysay Park shall be exempt from paying parking fees therein, provided the following requisites are met: 1. Only those government-issued vehicles may be subjected to exemption; 2. The office must inform the Park’s Board or the City Economic Enterprise of the details pertaining to the vehicle to be exempted. SECTION 4. RE-NUMBERING. – All succeeding sections shall be re-numbered accordingly.

To:

Article Three.- Fees for Library and Information Center Section 256. Imposition of Fees.- There shall be collected the following fees for the Davao City Library and Information Center: a. Library Fee (library card for in-house users) - P 30.00/annum b. Additional Fees: 1. Special Access Card - P 100.00/annum 2. Overdue Book - 1.00/day 3. Conference Room - 2,000.00/day 4. Machine Copy (short) - P 1.00/page (long) - 1.50/page c. Internet Services: 1. Printing Services – black (short &amp; long) - P 3.00/page colored (short &amp; long) - 8.00/page 2. Internet Fee - 10.00/hour A discount of Twenty Percent (20%) for internet fee shall be given to students. d. Rental Fee for Use of Space in the City Library Building: 1. Airconditioned - Php 25.00/sq.m./day 2. Non-airconditioned - 16.50/sq.m./day e. Advertisements 1. National Advertisers - Php 40.00/sq.m./day 2. Local Advertisers - 16.00/sq.m./day 2. Chapter 5. Article Seven, Section 317 shall be amended and shall read as follows: From: Section 317. Imposition of Fees. – There shall be collected the following rental fees for a period of six (6) years for the rental of City cemetery lots: A. Rehabilitated and Newly Established Public Cemetery a) Rental fee for Grave Lots Adult Section Children Section b) Compartmentalized Niches Rental Fee Ground Level Second Level Third Level Fourth Level

xxx

SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS. The following impositions shall be included in the 2017 Revenue Code of Davao City:

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE 2017 REVENUE CODE OF DAVAO CITY TO INCLUDE THE IMPOSITION OF ADDITIONAL FEES AND CHARGES, PARTICULARLY SECTION 256 FOR THE CITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CENTER AND SECTION 317 FOR THE MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING FOR WAKE PURPOSES IN CITY-OWNED/OPERATED PUBLIC CEMETERIES, AND INSERTING ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS IN CHAPTER FIVE, NAMELY, ARTICLE 16, SECTION 392, FOR STA. ANA PORT FEES, AND ARTICLE 17, SECTIONS 393 AND 394, FOR MAGSAYSAY PARK AND OTHER SIMILAR CITY- OWNED REAL PROPERTIES

Internet Services: 1. Hard Copy - black (short &amp; long) - colored (short &amp; long) 2. Internet Fee

7,040.00 8,800.00 7,920.00 6,160.00

ORDINANCE NO. 0433-20 Series of 2020

a. Library Fee (library card for in-house users) b. Additional Fees: 1. Borrower’s Card (books for take out) Overdue Book 1.00/day 2. Machine Copy - (short) - (long)

P 13,200.00 5,500.00

P 13,200.00 5,500.00 7,040.00 8,800.00 7,920.00 6,160.00

SECTION 5. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE – If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Ordinance is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not affected by such declaration shall continue to be in full force and effect. SECTION 6. EFFECTIVITY – This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon approval. ENACTED, December 10, 2020, by a unanimous vote of all the Members of the Sanggunian present, there being a quorum. CERTIFIED CORRECT:

CHARITO N. SANTOS Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Government Department Head II)

ATTESTED: EDGAR P. IBUYAN JR. President Pro Tempore Temporary Presiding Officer cns/ray

APPROVED : ________________,

SARA Z. DUTERTE City Mayor

ATTESTED:

An Ordinance amending the 2017 Revenue Code of Davao City to include the imposition of additional fees and charges, particularly Section 256 for the City Library and Information Center and Section 317 for the Multi-Purpose Building for the wake purposes in City-Owned Operated public cemeteries, and inserting additional provisions in Chapter Five, namely, Article 16, Section 392, for Sta. Ana Port fees, and Article 17, Sections 393 and 394, for Magsaysay Park and other similar CityOwned Real Properties

EDGEDAVAO

MINDA... FROMA1

Abuyog Jackfruit Virtual Convention a development approach, which covers all areas - from product research and development to reliable funding programs, to scientific and efficient production, to a consolidated marketing program and a complete value chain,” the MinDA chief added. There will be no mad rush to plant, which marked the introduction of new crops in Mindanao in the past, as the Road Map will identify which areas are suited for the development of these new crops, he further added. Piñol emphasized that only those whose areas are ideal for the growing

of these crops will be accredited as members of the new sectors that will subscribe to the production and environmental protocols to be set by MAJOR-C. “Quality, Quantity, and Market Absorptive Capacity will be the guiding principles that MinDA will inculcate into the minds of the farmers and stakeholders of these new industries. With these guidelines religiously observed, the Philippines could rise to become one of the major producers of Hass Avocado and Jackfruit in the world in 5 to 10 years, just as it did with Cavendish Banana production,” he further stressed.

government’s Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccination program and other stimulus measures, will bolster economic recovery.” In terms of the impact of the latest monthly inflation rate on the BSP’s policy stance, Diokno said the policy-making Monetary Board (MB), which he chairs as the BSP

chief, will consider this factor as it reviews the latest developments. “The BSP remains watchful over the evolving economic conditions and challenges brought about by the pandemic to ensure that the monetary policy remains consistent with its price and financial stability objectives,” he added. (PNA)

overall inflation and ensure food security. “Price stability and food security during the ongoing pandemic should be given the highest priority. The temporary measure will also buy time and enable our local hog industry to repopulate their stock, without sacrificing the purchasing power of households, especially those who lost their jobs and income amid the pandemic,” Chua said. On the other hand, overall food inflation slowed down to 5.0 percent in April 2021 from 5.8 percent in March 2021, as price inflation at -0.3 percent tempered food inflation. “Today, we continue to reap the benefits of the Rice Tariffication Law as palay production improved and more imports came in during the first quarter of 2021, easing our overall inflation rate. As evidenced by our experience in rice,

boosting the supply of key agricultural commodities helps bring down and stabilize food prices,” Chua said. He added that given the persistence of ASF, the government must continue to provide support through financial assistance, hog repopulation, and the initial rollout of ASF vaccine trials, while temporarily boosting imports to cover the shortfall and allow domestic production to catch up. According to the Department of Agriculture, to allay the concerns of local hog raisers and to promote fair and stable prices across domestic and imported pork products, the government has set suggested retail prices (SRPs) on imported goods, established an Inter-Agency Compliance Monitoring Team to ensure SRP compliance, and mandated proper labeling to determine imported goods. (PR)

(LGUs) in the region. Taddik said recent data showed that the key growing sectors amid the Covid-19 crisis include financial and insurance services, construction, professional services, transport, storage, health, and food services. He noted that during the celebration of Labor Day on May 1, the MTIT has also done its part to sustainable socioeconomic development suitable to the systems of life, needs, and aspirations of the BARMM constituents. “This is through bringing the inclusive services to communities, ensuring

the implementation of laws provided in the Bangsamoro Organic Law, ensuring multistakeholder participation, and facilitating appropriate partnership,” Taddik said. For his part, BTI Director Hussein Biruar has encouraged the micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs to continue their businesses particularly those involved in the delivery of essential commodities. “Nevertheless, let the enterprises and establishments be reminded to always observe minimum health protocols and adjust to the new normal,” he said. (PNA)

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VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

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and entrepreneurship ecosystem,” he said. As the country aims to be an AI powerhouse in the region, the roadmap will establish the private sectorled National Center for AI Research (NCAIR) which will serve as a shared hub for AI research. Lopez added the AI roadmap would help the country to be a hub for data processing providing high-value data analytics and AI services to the world given the country’s strong business process management sector. Among the applications of AI are in real estate, banking and financial services, surveillance, retail and e-commerce, education, space exploration, agribusiness, urban planning, manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics and transportation. AI would also help government services become more efficient. With the launching of the AI roadmap, the DTI targets to provide guidance on the use of AI to maintain the regional and global competitiveness of local industries; and identify key areas, in both research and development and technology application, for investing time and resources of government, industry, and broader society. It also aims to

DTI-11 ... FROMA2

recommend ways for effectively fostering a triple-helix of research and development (R&D) collaboration among government, industry, and academe, which would be essential to national development; put forward approaches for preparing the future workforce for the jobs of the future; and attract the biggest industries to set shop in the country, which would generate more jobs for Filipinos. Lopez added AI is a vital innovation amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic where human-to-human interaction should be limited. AI can also be used in contact tracing, health assessment and monitoring, knowledge management, and addressing supply chain issues. “While there is this fear that AI will automate so many jobs that millions of Filipinos might find themselves unemployed, this fear should instead be viewed as opportunities for new possibilities. The structure of the workforce will change. Newer, better, and higher-income jobs will emerge. AI will also allow us to create a knowledgebased economy, which we can leverage to create a more inclusive and prosperous society,” he said.(PNA)

our OTOPreneurs when doing business in the new era or the age of industrial revolution. DTI is here to help them identify and embrace the most appropriate innovations they need,” she said. Ambi continued by saying that with the limited movement of people these days because of quarantine and other restrictions, most people are into online shopping. By just opening an app and tapping on their desired products, they can go shopping at the convenience of their own homes. “This is a huge market, and we want our MSMEs to take advantage of this opportunity,” she said, adding that the least DTI wants to happen is to see their clients closing shops. “We want to help them sustain their business by keeping up with the current trend,” the trade official emphasized. These digital platforms support MSMEs as they go online and make their presence known in the different digital platforms. Through the Market Seller Onboarding Support, sellers are assisted in setting up their online shops and start selling

online thereafter. Likewise, they get to experience Marketing Seller Education and Marketing Support wherein they are trained on how to sell online and increase their sales during and even after the quarantine. The program aims, too, to provide sellers with marketing support as they build their online brand and presence. To prepare them some more, the target MSMEs are also taught the basic requirements for online visibility, including a mobile device, computer, or laptop, internet connection, bank account details where earnings can be sent, pick-up address, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) 2303 Certificate of Registration, DTI or Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration, collection receipt, and sales invoice. “What we want to witness is for our OTOPreneurs to continuously grow amid the pandemic. Times have been difficult for us for a year now but we consistently strive to meet the challenges with utmost resilience and with the help of innovation,” Ambi concluded. DTI11

in Uptown Bonifacio, McKinley Hill, McKinley West, Eastwood City, Westside City, Capital Town Pampanga, Iloilo Business Park, and Makati City. “We look forward to eased restrictions by

second half of the year. It’s still wait and see as of this time, but we are optimistic that the domestic economy will bounce back fast once all of these strict quarantine measures are lifted,” adds Tan.

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ration sports director Alfrancis Chua last week, also Ginebra’s representative to the PBA board of governors, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senator Bong Go said the league can only begin its season if the number of active Covid-19 cases continues to dwindle. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the situation remains on a good track as the active cases are down to 62,713 after 8,961 more recover-

ies have been tallied. The trend continues downward with only 5,685 new cases confirmed. Marcial is hopeful that by May 16, when the modified enhanced community quarantine is expected to be lifted in the NCR Plus region, the teams can continue their practices. “Hopefully, mapagbigyan tayo ng IATF sa ating kahilingan (the IATF will grant our request),” Marcial said. (PNA)

Barrett also each scored 14 points. The Knicks had won 12 of 13 before Wednesday night. Rivers got extended playing time with Denver’s backcourt decimated by injury. P.J. Dozier suffered an adductor strain in Monday’s loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, the fourth guard to go down in the last month. “This is one of our most impressive wins of the year considering who we have available and the quality of opponent,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Denver led by 28 midway through the second quarter but New York went on a 12-3 run to cut it to 59-40 late in the period. The Nuggets took a 64-43 lead into halftime. The Knicks got to 78-62 with a trio of 3-pointers from Barrett and had a couple of chances to get within 13 but

couldn’t get any closer. Porter hit a 3-pointer and Rivers two free throws to make it 108-77 with 5:48 left. “We either win or we learn, and I think we learned a lot,” Thibodeau said. “It was a physical game, it was tough and it went against us.” TIP-INS Knicks: Shot 38.6 percent for the game and failed to score at least 100 points for the first time since April 7. ... New York has lost 13 straight in Denver. Its last victory was 109-107 on Nov. 8, 2006, when Ball Arena was known as Pepsi Center. Nuggets: Coach Malone said he doesn’t expect P.J. Dozier to return any time soon from his right adductor strain suffered Monday night at the Los Angeles Lakers. ... Campazzo had five steals for the second straight game.

gained the lead for the Jazz at 11-10 thanks to a threepoint play, and then Clarkson, a Sixth Man of the Year contender, hit consecutive shots for a 15-10 lead. Utah scored the final seven points of the first quarter, taking a 38-26 lead, and then registered the first 10 points of the second quarter for a commanding 48-26 edge only 14 minutes into the con-

test. Joe Ingles, who finished with 14 points and seven assists, opened the second period with eight consecutive points for Utah. Utah stretched the gap to as many as 41 points at 112-71 after reserve Matt Thomas hit a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter.

in the NBA’s play-in tournament to reach the playoffs proper. But Vogel said the Lakers wouldn’t rush the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. “We want him back as soon as possible. But we want him back as healthy as possible,” Vogel said. “That’s the number one goal. Wherever we end up in the standings, we

want him as healthy as possible going into the playoffs. “Other than that, we’re just going to compete and try to win as many games down the stretch here.” The Lakers are 9-13 without James this season. His brief return proved no panacea as they lost both games he played before beating Denver without him.

of the country’s leading partners in agricultural exports. In a January 2020 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, Germany is next to the Netherlands as the major trading partner in export among the European Union (EU) member countries. Exports of agricultural goods to EU member countries in the third quarter of 2019 amounted to USD265.39 million or a share of 12.5 percent to the country’s total exports which was USD5.06 billion. Among the EU member countries, Netherlands was the country’s top buyer of agricultural commodities.

Germany followed with exports value of USD30.07 million and UK and Northern Ireland with USD25.14 million. Dar likewise expressed his gratitude to Germany for continuing trade relations with the Philippines despite the ongoing pandemic. Apart from coconut products and by-products, the DA chief also mentioned heirloom rice, pili oil (for cosmetic use), pili nut, pineapple concentrate, and cashew nuts as potential export champions. He also requested Germany’s support on the country’s application to export pili nut to the EU as a novel food.

NUGGETS... FROMB1

CLARKSON... FROMB1

LAKERS... FROMB1

DAR KEEN... FROMA2

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

SPORTS B2

The Nuggets are back at no. 3 in the West.

Lakers want LeBron healthy for playoffs

eBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ crosstown duel with the Clippers on Thursday, as the reigning NBA champions aim to get their superstar healthy for the playoffs. “He’s out for the Clippers. He’ll be day-to-day after that,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters on Wednesday, two days after James sat out the Lakers’ win over the Denver Nuggets because of soreness in his injured right ankle in his two-game return. James has missed 20 games with a high right ankle sprain. When he returned against the Sacramento Kings last week the Lakers hoped to have him back for the last 10 games of the reg-

ular season. But plans changed after he departed the Lakers’ loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday midway through the fourth quarter, later saying he had experienced some pain. “It’s not an ideal situation,” Vogel acknowledged. “Ideally, he’s 100% and has 10 games to get his legs and rhythm and timing under him. “We’re not going to have that situation. So we’re going to make the best of it.” The Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference with a one-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers. The seventh through 10th placed teams will have to compete

FLAKERS, B1

PBA begins Covid-19 information drive

he Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has launched its own campaign in helping curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Titled “Ituloy ang Laban”, the drive aims to continuously inform the people on what to do amid the pandemic as the league hopes to finally begin its 46th season. The PBA officials, coaches, and players have been using social media to scatter the information with the hashtag #PBAItuloyAngLaban, a slight tweak from the #PBA TuloyAngLaban hashtag the league when it resumed its 45th season inside a bubble in Angeles City last year. “Inilunsad natin ang #PBAItuloyAngLaban upang bigyan diin ang kahalagahan ng pagsunod

nating lahat sa mga safety protocols na ipinatutupad ng gobyerno. Ito lang ang paraan upang mapababa natin ang pagkalat ng (We launched the #PBAItuloyAngLaban to reiterate the importance of following the safety protocols being implemented by the government. This is the only way for us to minimize the spread of the) coronavirus,” PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said on Wednesday. He added that this is also their contribution to the government’s Covid-19 fight as they await the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for them to open the season hopefully by June. In a meeting with Marcial and San Miguel Corpo-

FPBA, B1

Nuggets defeat Knicks, tie Clippers for third in West

ENVER — Nikola Jokic scored 24 of his 32 points in a dominant first quarter in the Denver Nuggets’ 113-97 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night (Thursday, Manila time). Jokic hit 8 of 9 shots in the first quarter and finished with 12 rebounds to help lead the Nuggets to their 10th victory in 12 games. Denver, which led by as much as 31, moved back into a tie with the Los Angeles Clippers for third place in the Western Conference. “Some games I don’t score in the first half and then

I score a lot in the second half,” Jokic said. “The team was finding me, I was making shots. It just happened like that.” Austin Rivers scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter against his former team, Michael Porter Jr. had 17 points, and Facu Campazzo 16 points and nine rebounds.

This one got away from New York early. The Knicks committed three fouls in the game’s first 22 seconds and coach Tom Thibodeau was hit with a technical 28 seconds in. Things got worse from there. RJ Barrett picked up his third foul with 5:32 left in the first period, the Knicks shot 4 of 24 from the field and went 5:46 between made shots. “It was pretty much the start of the game. We didn’t come ready to play,” Julius Randle said. “I’m throwing this one in the trash; 2-1 to start the road trip, got a great

opportunity in Phoenix so I’m throwing this one in the trash.” Jokic doubled New York’s point total on his own in the first (24-12). “When he’s going like that we get to just chill,” Porter said. “We just throw to him and we just chill. If he finds us on the weakside we’re ready to shoot. No big man in the NBA can guard him one-on-one so we let him to go to work.” Randle had 14 points and eight rebounds and Derrick Rose, Reggie Bullock and

their second straight double-digit home win over San Antonio in three days. HIGHLIGHTS: Utah rolled despite

not having injured All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. Former University of Utah center Jakob Poeltl put

the Spurs up 10-8, but that was the only time the visitors were on top all night. Bogdanovic quickly re-

FNUGGETS, B1

Clarkson scores 30, Jazz alone atop West

ordan Clarkson scored 30 points and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in with 24 as the Utah Jazz crushed the San Antonio Spurs 12694 on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City for their third consecutive win. Combined with the Atlanta Hawks' 135-103 win over the Phoenix Suns, Utah regained first place in the Western Conference and the top record in the NBA. The Jazz (48-18) are now up a game on the Suns (47-19) with six games remaining in the regular season. San Antonio (31-34) remains in the No. 10 spot in the West, in the final position to make the NBA's new playin tournament. Luka Samanic scored a team-high 15 points for the Spurs, who only shot 40.2 percent from the floor. The Jazz shot a blistering 55.7 percent of their field-goal attempts and hit 18 of 41 (43.9 percent) from 3-point range en route to

FCLARKSON, B1

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) looks at basket while San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) tries for the block during the fourth quarter at Vivint Arena. Reuters

8 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

ROW TO TOKYO

VOL.14 ISSUE 45 • FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021

PSC backs PH Rowing team vying for Olympic spot

he national rowing team starts its campaign in the 2021 World Rowing Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday with a “thank you” to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for supporting their efforts for Olympic slots. PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said he hopes for more qualifiers from the national team and as-

The Philippine Rowing team hopes to end the long chase for an Olympic berth.

sured that “the PSC will give all-out support for our athletes no matter the present situation, for as long as we can.” “Salamat po sa PSC sa pagsuporta at pagtitiwala sa amin. Regular po ang online consultations namin sa sports psychology and sports physiology (Thank you to PSC for supporting and trusting us. We have regular online consultations

with sports psychology and sports physiology),” Melcah Jen Caballero said in a news release. Caballero thanked the PSC for constantly strengthening their mental health, through the agency’s Medical Scientific Athletes Services (MSAS) units. Five rowers will vie in three events – Caballero and Joanie Delgaco in the women’s light-

weight women double sculls, Zuriel Sumintac and Roque Abala in the men’s lightweight double sculls, and Cris Nievarez in the men’s single sculls – from May 5 to 7. Rowing coach Edgardo Maerina gave his own expression of appreciation to the sports agency. “Diresto ang suporta at monitoring nila sa amin. Hindi man naging madali ang preparations, motivated ang mga athletes natin (They [PSC] continue to support and monitor us. The preparations are not easy, our athletes are motivated),” said Coach Maerina, the first Filipino to compete in Olympic rowing in 1988. The team’s hotel accommodation, allowances, and airfare amounting to more than PHP1.4 million were covered by the PSC. This includes the additional support covering the reverse t ra n s c r i p t i o n - p o ly m e ra s e chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests upon entry to Tokyo, and accommodation assistance on their return to the country. All competing and non-competing national teams are continuously monitored by the PSC’s medical units. (PR)