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A boy belonging to the Badjao tribe walks by heavy equipment that are being used to build a bridge at Sta. Ana Port, which is part of the 18.2-kilometer Davao City coastal road project. Edge Davao
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DOT 11 reminds MUHs to monitor quarantine of guests, ensure safety protocols are in place STORY ON PAGE 2
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VOL.14 ISSUE 248 • SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022
STRICTLY MONITOR President Rodrigo Duterte presides over a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malacañan Palace on Thursday night. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
DOT 11 reminds MUHs to monitor quarantine of guests, ensure safety protocols are in place By MAYA M. PADILLO
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o prevent a similar incident involving a Filipina traveler tagged as “Poblacion Girl” for breaking quarantine rules, the regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT 11) reminded Multi-Use Hotels (MUH) to continue ensuring safety protocols in place at all times, to remain vigilant, and to regularly monitor not just quarantine but also leisure guests in their respective establishments.
In a statement, regional director Tanya Rabat-Tan said that in the event where guests will breach quarantine protocols, the MUHs are obliged to report such
incidents forthwith to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for immediate investigation. The “Poblacion Girl” identified by authorities as Gwyneth Anne Chua
arrived on December 22, 2021 and checked in at Berjaya Hotel in Makati. Chua violated quarantine rules when she was spotted in a bar in Poblacion, Makati City when she was supposed to be in the quarantine hotel. This resulted in her infecting at least a dozen other people with Covid-19. Tan stated the DOT 11 is also in constant communication and coordination with MUH partners in anticipation of issues and concerns that may arise regarding the
Returning Overseas Filipinos’ (ROFs) quarantine stay. MUH are accommodation establishments that have been inspected by a team composed of personnel from DOT and BOQ and determined to be suitable for the accommodation of both quarantine and non-quarantine guests because of compliance with standards for physical separation of guests. Hotels, accommodations, and resorts in Davao
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DavOr guv wants movement restricted to control Omicron
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avao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said he would have wanted a temporary provincial lockdown to prevent the transmission of the highly-infectious Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus to the province. During an interview with James Galay, radio anchor of the Davao City Disaster Radio 87.5 Governor Dayanghirang said the best way to prevent the transmission of Omicron to the province is to temporarily prevent the entry of people from other regions particularly from Metro Manila to the
province. “Pinaka nindot unta diha… tagaan unta authority ang local government unit to come out with an order na mag lockdown sa iyahang kaugalingon para maundang sa ning transmission. Undangon sa nato kadali ang lihok sa mga tao kay naay threat sa omicron (the best way is to give authority to the local government units to come out with an order for a lockdown all by itself to prevent the transmission, let us stop momentarily the movement of the people because of the threat
he six hundred employees of the City Hall who remain unvaccinated will be last in the priority to be hired this year according to Lemuel Ortonio, chief of the Human Resource Management Office of the city government. He said the affected employees are advised not to report but to wait for the signed master list of hired employees of the city government. Ortonio bared that there were
already employees who pleaded to be hired even unvaccinated. He stood pat with the Executive Order No. 46 which mandates that only the vaccinated employees will have the priority to be hired by the city. Ortonio bared that out of the 19,000 personnel of the city hall, 18, 397 have been vaccinated while 603 have not. He said the 603 comprise of plantilla employ-
PRRD orders barangay chiefs to restrain unvaxxed people T P resident Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered barangay captains to restrict the movements of unvaccinated individuals as the country grapples with a sudden spike of Covid-19 infections. “I now giving order to the barangay captains to look at all those persons who are not vaccinated and
just would request them or order them if you may to stay put and if they refuse and goes around their house and goes around the community, wherever magpunta (will go), he can be restrained,” Duterte said during his prerecorded Talk to the People. Duterte reiterated that the government is just keeping the public
safe amid the prevailing pandemic. “I said the ministrant function of the government is to come up with measures that protect the public interest, public health, and public safety,” he said. Duterte said he come up with the decision to restrain unvaccinated for their safety.
“So, in the absence of the law. The president is called upon to act and because it is a national emergency it is my position that we can restrain and that I have ordered the barangay captains because under the law barangay captains can enforce all the laws of the land within their communi-
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Unvaxxed workers of City Hall last priority for renewal
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VOL.14 ISSUE 248 • SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022
NEWS
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A Good Samaritan reaches out to a farming community in a remote village in the municipality of Burgos in Siargao Island to distribute relief goods on Wednesday (6 January 2022). Typhoon “Odette” devastated many parts of the island. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
F2F to be suspended once Davao’s alert level hits 3 By MAYA M. PADILLO
Youth for Peace rolls out mushroom project for former rebel youths
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he Youth for Peace Movement of Tagum City has come up with “Project Kabute” as social startup for youths who have relinquished allegiance for and affiliation with communist terrorist group. Guesting during the recent episode of Network Briefing News of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Youth for Peace Movement President Winberth D. San Jose explained that the project is aimed at providing livelihood for former rebel youths to eventually change their way of life. “Ang project na ito po ay naglalayong na mabigyan ang mga kabataan na ito ng pagkakataon na makagpahanap buhay. Also, ma-change yong kanilang lifestyle po kasi nga po they are former rebels,”he said emphasizing the importance of giving attention to its project implementation.
Using the P30,000 grant that the Youth for Peace Tagum had won during the International Peace Camp and Grants Competition in Tagum City in March 2020, the youth organization engages former rebel youths in mushroom production in which 100 percent of the profit goes to the beneficiaries. In rolling out the project, the Youth for Peace Movement Tagum is linking with the 1001st Infantry Brigage under the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army which San Jose said is the partner of Youth for Peace Movement in advocating peace and development. The Youth for Peace Movement is a non-partisan youth organization which pushes peace and development advocacy through peace education, leadership summits, among other youth-oriented activities. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan)
A
n official of the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd 11) bared that the implementation of face-to-face (F2F) classes in Davao Region will be suspended once the region will be placed under alert level 3. Currently, Davao Region is under alert level 2. “It is our desire nga magpadayon ang implementation, however, dependent ta sa mama-
himong desisyon ni President Duterte subay unya sa recommendations sa Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) tungod aning development sa Omicron
variant. In the event nga ang atong level 2 classification will rise to level 3, automatically suspended dayon ang F2F hinoon, ibalik lang siya kung magbaba ang level,” Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo, spokesperson of DepEd 11 told Edge Davao. Atillo said currently DepEd is finalizing its report on the pilot F2F implementation which began on November 15, 2021 for
the public schools and November 22, 2021 for the private schools. “We will submit said report to the President and we will comply kung unsa man ang iyang mamahimong desisyon,” Atillo said. There are five public schools in Davao de Oro and three in Davao del Sur and one private school in Davao City that are implementing F2F classes.
Booster By The Sea” they are eyeing to inoculate 10,000 individuals from the tourism and allied services sectors. The WIHD and the Gatchalian family in partnership with the city government of Davao initiated BBTS to fast track the vaccination of Dabawenyos to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021. At least 17,000 individuals belonging to var-
ious tourism-related establishments that include accommodation, spa and wellness, restaurant, travel and tours, land and sea tourism transport, and events were inoculated during the BBTS from June to September last year. Meanwhile, BBTS won third place during the Pearl Awards of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines for Best Tourism Practice
During the Pandemic held on December 12, 2021 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. “We were able to really work together and the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ really flourished where everybody was willing to contribute and help their resources with the same goal of vaccinating a lot of tourism workers,” Gatchalian said. By Maya M. Padillo
‘Bakuna By The Sea’ to start booster shots for tourism, allied services
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he award-winning “Bakuna By The Sea” (BBTS) will start giving booster shots to tourism workers and allied services on January 12, 2022 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao (WIHD). Gatchi Gatchalian, president of the Davao Tourism Association (DATA), told Edge Davao that for this vaccination drive dubbed “Bakuna
4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO
VOL.14 ISSUE 248 • SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022
Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi says the agency is pleased to issue an amended policy that would address the long-standing concerns of the Renewable Energy (RE) law’s target recipients, including RE developers, fabricators, and manufacturers regarding the availment of the law’s incentives. Edge Davao
BSP chief cites proper timing of unwinding pandemic responses B angko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said Thursday the unwinding of monetary policy interventions needs proper timing and this remains uncertain for the Philippines at this time. Citing experiences in recent crises, Diokno said the withdrawal of monetary interventions is the first step before raising the main policy interest rates. “Timing of the exit remains very much uncertain at this time,” he said in a virtual briefing. Diokno said the threat of further coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)
infections continues to pose a downside risk to both growth and inflation in the coming months. “Therefore, we deem it prudent to leave some room for flexibility in policymaking to account for uncertainty and risk, especially as the situation remains very fluid,” he added. The BSP’s policymaking Monetary Board (MB)
slashed the central bank’s key policy rates by a total of 200 basis points in 2020 to help cushion the impact of the pandemic on the domestic economy. The rate cuts are targeted to encourage lending to ensure that economic activities remain robust despite the challenging situation. However, banks became more cautious about extending loans, taking into account the impact of the pandemic on borrowers’ capacity to pay. Bank lending has started to recover after posting contractions
since late 2020. Aside from the rate cuts, the BSP also reduced the banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by as much as 200 basis points and allowed a certain period for banks’ lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as RRR compliance. Diokno earlier said their pandemic-focused policy interventions have reached more than PHP2 trillion to date. He said the withdrawal of the BSP’s pandemic policy responses would also depend on
manufacturers regarding the availment of the law’s incentives,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said. Last December 24, the agency signed Department Circular 2021-12-0042 amending the IRR of the RE Act. “This includes, among others, the implementation of the tax provisions,
particularly the automatic availment of the 10 percent corporate tax rate and zero-rate value added tax,” Cusi added. The new DC also simplifies requirements to avail the incentives. “The circular also complies with the Act, which provides that savings de-
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Availment of perks under RE Act now simplified
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he Department of Energy (DOE) has simplified the availment of incentives under the Renewable Energy (RE) Act following the amendments to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law. In a statement Thursday, the DOE said simplifying the availment of RE
incentives aims to further promote the development of the renewable energy industry among local and foreign investors. “We are pleased to issue an amended policy that would address the long-standing concerns of the RE law’s target recipients, including RE developers, fabricators, and
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DBP lends P700M to private industrial park developer
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tate-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has extended a PHP700-million seven-year syndicated term loan to Science Park of the Philippines, Inc. (SPPI) to finance the company’s development projects to meet rising demand amidst the steady recovery of the manufacturing sector, a top official said. DBP president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Herbosa said the loan was granted with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as co-lender and the Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines as financial adviser and lead arranger. “DBP recognizes this financial collaboration as a strategic and huge step in advancing the country’s infrastructure landscape which can spur further economic development,” he said. Herbosa said proceeds of the loan would be used to partially finance current and future projects and capital expenditures such as land develop-
ment, road system construction, water utilities, and a centralized wastewater system. SPPI was established in 1989 and has developed four Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered industrial parks with an aggregate area of nearly 800 hectares in Laguna, Batangas, Bataan, and Cebu. It is constructing two more facilities in Bataan and Batangas, which are equipped with a proper road network and storm drainage system, water distribution, wastewater treatment, power, telecommunications, among others. Herbosa said DBP foresees more locators coming into industrial parks such as SPPI’s as the country continues to strengthen its position as a viable site to host firms in the manufacturing, logistics, electronics, semiconductors, packaging, food, and other industries. “DBP will continue to work with various institutions and economic
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ECONOMY 5
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VOL.14 ISSUE 248 • SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022
A worker of a vulcanizing shop works on a bicycle along Chavez Street in Davao City on Friday morning when business is slow and quiet . Edge Davao
Unemployment eases to 6.5% in November
Nat’l gov’t seeks P300-B bridge financing from BSP
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he national government has requested lower funding accommodation from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) amounting to PHP300 billion. “As an encouraging sign of improving public finances, the national government requested for only PHP300 billion in provisional advances this January, lower than the previous advance of PHP540 billion,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a virtual briefing
on Thursday. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, the BSP extended provisional advances to the national government. Initially, it was through a PHP300 billion reverse repurchase (RRP) agreement made in March 2020. The RRP or repo agreement has a threemonth term, with a clause for another three months extension. It was fully redeemed in September 2020.
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Duterte signs law providing 1 percent preferential tax for all private schools
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resident Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law providing a 1% preferential tax relief to all private schools until June 30, 2023. This is provided under the Republic Act 11635 signed into law by the President last December 10, 2021 but only released on Thursday, January 6. The measure also amended the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Law by apply-
ing the preferential tax rate of 10% on taxable income prospectively and deleted the limited coverage of 1% preferential tax relief to non-profit private schools. House Ways and Means Chairperson and Albay representative Joey Salceda welcomed the President’s decision, saying that the new law will help private schools hire more teachers. “Applying the CRE-
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he number of jobless Filipinos declined in November 2021 amid less stringent quarantine restrictions during the period which allowed more businesses to operate, a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed on Friday. The number of unemployed adults - ages 15 and above - stood at 3.16 million reflecting an unemployment rate of 6.5% in November last year.
This is lower than the 3.5 million unemployed individuals or an unemployment rate of 7.4% recorded in October 2021. The National Capital
Region, the country’s economic center, was under Alert Level 2 from November 5 until it was upgraded to Alert Level 3 on January 3 due to spike in new COVID-19 cases. Under Alert Level 2, establishments are allowed to operate indoors at 50% capacity with additional 10% capacity if they have a safety seal. For outdoors, they will be allowed at 70%.
o streamline applications and fees for truckers, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) will launch the Unified Logistics Pass (ULP) this month. “The ULP is poised to streamline requirements for a unified Quick Response (QR) Code that will eliminate the varying and separate pass-through stickers being required by economic zones, ports, and local government units (LGUs), and will facilitate easier movement and ease of port-entry restrictions,” it said in a statement.
The ARTA’s inspiration for the unified QR code for truckers is the successful implementation of the Rapid Pass System that allowed the unhampered delivery of goods at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Last year, a joint memorandum circular was issued by ARTA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Finance, directing all LGUs to stop collecting separate fees and taxes from delivery trucks. This was after ARTA received complaints from
truckers that they were paying pass-through fees imposed by LGUs despite a previous regulation that prohibits the collection of fees and taxes among truckers. “The launch of the ULP is in line with ARTA’s flagship National Effort for the Harmonization of Efficiency Measures of Interrelated Agencies (NEHEMIA) Program, which aims to reduce the time, costs, and requirements or procedures of government services in five priority sectors by 52 percent in 52 weeks,” the agency added. Before the launch of
Under Alert Level 3, several establishments will be allowed to operate at 30% indoor venue capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals and 50% outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated. Face-to-face classes, contact sports, funfairs/ perya, and casinos are among the activities and establishments that are prohibited under Alert Level 3.
the NEHEMIA, truckers were required to register with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to submit requirements, register, and pay for pass-through stickers from different LGUs. The same process will be done in economic zones, port authorities, and other LGUs for them to be allowed to enter and ply within their areas. With the ULP, the ARTA aims to streamline these processes in one platform as part of its goal to improve government services to the public. (PNA)
Unified Logistics Pass system to be launched this month T
6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO
VOL.14 ISSUE 248 • SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022
On the possible suspension of the F2F classes:
It is our desire nga magpadayon ang implementation, however, dependent ta sa mamahimong desisyon ni President Duterte subay unya sa recommendations sa Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) tungod aning development sa Omicron variant. In the event nga ang atong level 2 classification will rise to level 3, automatically suspended dayon ang F2F hinoon, ibalik lang siya kung magbaba ang level.”
Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo Spokesperson of DepEd 11
EDITORIAL Preparing for the storm The government of Davao City is requesting allocation for other brands of vaccines in order to be ready to serve more Dabawenyos in the rollout of booster shots.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Council COVID-19 Task Force, revealed that the city has begun administering Sinovac and Astrazeneca vaccines IN the ongoing booster rollout. However, there are many Dabawenyos who prefer Pfizer and Moderna vaccine brands for their booster doseS.
Right now, majority of the vaccines that we have administered are Sinovac and Astrazeneca because these were the brands initially served on our frontliners and senior citizens, Dr. Schlosser said. The good doctor, however, assured Dabawenyos that
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Our authorities therefore are prepared to launch an ideal booster vaccine rollout should the need to do so arise amid the expected wave like what’s happening now in the National Capital Region (NCR). In fact, the booster rollout has been going on for the past week in various vaccination centers and the vaccines are allowed to enter anytime and have themselves vaccinated without so much trouble. This is reassuring to the public. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief
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City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and the local COVID-19 Task Force and vaccination clusters are doing their best to procure the needed and wanted vaccine brands by Dabawenyos.
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VANTAGE POINTS
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HENRYLITO D. TACIO SERAFICA J. WEIS THINK ON THESE! IBP DAVAO CORNER
WHY EDUCATION IS NECESSARY If there is one sentence that could sum up the focus of the time of Jesus Christ on earth, this would be it: “And He went everywhere teaching, healing and preaching.” In her book, Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership, Laurie Beth Jones wrote: “Since teaching is educating the mind and preaching is educating the heart, twothirds of Jesus’ work was education.” Jones explained it further: “If you look at the instances when he healed people, nine times out of ten he spoke to them about an attitude change or a new way of behaving that was to go along with their physical state of being. ‘Go, and sin no more.’ I feel safe in saying education was Jesus’ number-one priority.” It’s March and a lot of pupils and students are soon to graduate. Of course, there are those who will take another step in next year’s school year. Some are looking forward to it while there are those who may not be able to continue their studies. But one thing is sure: education never fails. One Chinese saying said: “If you give a man a fish, he will eat it once. If you teach a man how to fish, he will eat for the rest of his life.” One philosopher puts it further in these words: “If you
are thinking a year ahead, sow seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people. By sowing seed, you will harvest much. By planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold. By educating the people, you will harvest one hundredfold.” Joel Weldon compares education to that of a moso bamboo tree. It is grown mostly in China and the Far East. After the moso is planted, no visible growth occurs for up to five years -- even under ideal conditions. Then, as if by magic, it suddenly begins growing at the rate of nearly two-and-one-half feet per day, reaching a full height of 90 feet within six weeks. “But there is no magic behind all this,” Weldon wrote. “The moso’s rapid growth is due to the miles of roots it develops during those first five years, five years of getting ready. It’s like the hidden years of an education!” Education never fails -- if you keep watching what’s going on. I was reminded of an anecdote which appeared in Reader’s Digest. “From the day we entered the biology class in high school, one blackboard was covered with the names and locations of the major bones and muscles of the human body,” the author
wrote. “The diagram remained on the board throughout the term but the teacher never referred to it.” On the day of the final exam, the students observed that the board was wiped clean. The examination consisted of only one question: “Name and locate every major bone and muscle in the human body.” Of course, the whole class protested with one voice: “We never studied that.” The teacher answered: “That’s no excuse. That information was right in front of your eyes for the last few months.” After the students had struggled with the test for a while, the teacher collected the papers and tore them up. “Always remember,” the teacher told the class, “that education is more than just learning what you are told. Most education comes from looking.” Education is not just learning but also training. “We must distinguish between being educated and being trained,” someone commented. “They are not the same. Education is the enlargement and enrichment of the mind. Education gives the mind breadth, height, depth and vision. Training makes the mind an effective tool to do a specific job. Training is like grinding the mind to a keen cutting edge.” This sage compared
“trained chap who holds a position which pays a big salary” and an “educated man who receives only a minimum wage.” Of the first, he said: “But he is uneducated: he is neither broad nor high nor deep. He knows almost nothing, has no interests outside of routine duties.” Of the second, he noted: “He can talk and write entertainingly on almost any subject. He has plenty of breadth, height and depth, but has never been able to hold a job paying more than a minimum wage. His educated mind is blunt. He is high-grade steel which has never been sharpened to a keen edge.” The sage ended the comparison with these words: “Neither of these men is as big as he is capable of being. An educated mind is a luxury. A trained mind is a necessity. But blessed is he who possesses both! The ideal should be, to be educated in a broad sense, and be trained to perform a specific work of usefulness. If you must choose, go first for training. Get an education by all means, but recognize its true purpose: to lend vision to a mind trained to do one useful thing very well.” Finally, education is like a cave, according to Paula Ripple. She shared the story of three wise men who were asked to find what had been called “the
cave of wisdom and life.” All three made careful preparations for what would be a challenging and arduous journey. When the three men reached the place of the cave, they noticed a guard at the entrance. They were not permitted to enter the cave until they had spoken with the guard. He had only one question for them, and he demanded that they answer only after they had talked it over with one another. He assured them that they would have a good guide to lead them through the regions of the cave. His question was simple: “How far into the cave of wisdom and life do you wish to go?” The three travelers took counsel together and then returned to the guard. Their response was, “Oh, not very far. We just want to go far enough into the cave so that we can say that we have been there.” The response of the guard manifested one of his great disappointments as he summoned someone to lead the three wise men a short distance into the cave, and then watched them set out again after a very short time, to make the long journey back to their homeland.” Nelson Mandela, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, said it all: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD
THE ROTUNDAS OF DAVAO Foremost among the contributions of Spain to the country is town planning, which the Spanish clergy introduced. On the other hand, the American colonial rule introduced the advanced version of urban planning that features roundabouts, also known as rotundas. Filipino landscape architect Argao, Cebu-born Paulo Alcazaren once wrote that ‘Rotundas, rotaries, circles and roundabouts… were classic elements to be found in all civilized cities in the world,’ adding the country’s first ‘rotundas were built as part of a greater master plan prepared by Daniel Burnham, the great American city planner and architect.’ Burnham, after whom a park in Baguio was named, proposed the rotunda and introduced it in the islands in 1905 as part of a grand transport system
devised ‘to link sections of the city via wide, tree-lined avenues, fountain or monument-embellished rotundas and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks or landscaped parkways.’ Following his plan, rotundas such as the Taft Avenue Circle, Bonifacio Monument Circle, Agrifina Circle, and Quezon Circle, started to thrive in Manila. Later, in Cebu, William E. Parsons, a consulting architect with the defunct Bureau of Public Works, introduced his own master plan that included six diagonal avenues or thoroughfares converging at the Fuente Osmeña rotunda, the original site for the Cebu Capitol. While Metro Manila prides itself with surviving roundabouts, Davao, in the pre-Commonwealth era, was home to three Burnham-inspired rotundas with distinct American hallmarks.
The Claveria-Magallanes rotunda hosted the 20-foot-tall Rizal monument in the Washington area while the Jones Circle at the junction of Claveria-Oyanguren featured the bust of American lawmaker Rep. William Jones who authored in the U.S. Congress the Organic Act that replaced the Philippine Organic Law of 1902. The law was enacted in 1916. The 18-foot Winged Victory Monument, meanwhile, was the sculpture erected at the junction of Oyanguren-Bonifacio (Piapi). The monument faced the open sea as if welcoming mariners and ships entering the gulf of Davao. Inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic epoch, the American version is actually a World War I memorial conceived by American artist Alonzo Victor
Lewis for those who died in the conflict. Before it was called Manuel L. Quezon Boulevard, the road linking today’s Magsaysay Park to Romualdo C. Quimpo Boulevard was labelled in prewar maps as Piapi which, during the Commonwealth, hosted Davao City’s first Obrero district. In the 1960s, Oyanguren (misspelled in old street signs as Uyanguren) was renamed Ramon Magsaysay Avenue. Interestingly, the three monuments went through diverse destinies. The Rizal statue was removed after the war and in its place was installed the Bonifacio memorial. The Jones bust, on the other hand, did not escape the destruction of war. The Victory landmark, meanwhile, was removed to allow a smoother traffic flow in the nearby Santa Ana pier but no one exactly knows
what has happened to the American-commissioned monument. Another American-inspired rotunda was at the end of Oyanguren Street, with roads radiating around it. Under the plan, the old Tomas Claudio Street would dissect the circle before merging with J.P. Laurel Avenue. Viewed from the air, the streets forming like rays of the sun around the roundabout are Jacinto Extension, part of Claudio (now Elpidio R. Quirino Avenue), Jacinto Street, Roxas Street, Ponciano Reyes Street (now Cayetano Bangoy), and Mabini Extension. A modified but smaller version of this prewar traffic rotary system or circular junction is the one that merges traffic from Quirino, Roxas, and Magsaysay streets. The circle, also known as the Veterans Rotunda, is actually at the west end of the island fronting the postal office.
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Whether you’re traveling for business or going on vacation, there are popular hotels to choose from in General Santos City and there is a new player that is set to perk up the hospitality industry of the Generals.
The 102-room Grand Summit Hotel General Santos, which opened its doors to the public on October 15, 2021, promises a complete grand hotel experience rather than just a place to stay in the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines.” “We’ll be having a total of 102 rooms by the second quarter of 2022,” said hotel general manager Jesse Chua in an interview with Davao media and influencers. As of December last year, 68 rooms were already available for guests. This 4-star hotel offers deluxe king rooms, deluxe twin rooms, and twobedroom suites carefully designed to meet the evolving needs of its guests. Chua also said that
EXPERIENCE A GRAND LIFESTYLE before Christmas 2021, the hotel would also open a swimming pool and pool bar. The hotel also boasts world-class facilities and excellent amenities including casino, which is one of the only two operating casinos in Mindanao and is open to guests from 2 PM to 1 AM. The hotel also has function rooms that can accommodate up to 30 guests, which may be used for business meetings, exhibits, training and seminars, and other social gatherings. More amenities like the Grand Summit Ballroom that can fit 500 banquet guests and up to 700 guests with a “theater set-up”, spa, and fitness center are slated
AT THE ‘TUNA CAPITAL’
day dining restaurant, the Café Summit, prepared in a variety of ways, catering to the personal preferences of the hotel guests. The restaurant is open from 6 AM to 9 PM daily, serving Filipino and international (including Indonesian and Latin American) fares on ala carte. On weekends, they offer a buffet breakfast
to open by the second quarter of 2022. Our favorite spot was the lobby lounge that offers an inviting and cozy ambiance that will make guests want to hang out to relax or people-watch or while flexing on wifi. Since it is situated in the “Tuna Capital,” don’t be surprised if there’s fish on the menu of the hotel’s all-
from 6 AM to 10 AM. It has also a bar that serves signature cocktails like The Grand and Summit Lady, and other liquors and beverages. To ensure the safety of the guests, Grand Summit Hotel General Santos complies with World Health Organization’s (WHO’s)
hygiene and cleanliness standards and Health department protocols. The Grand Summit Hotel General Santos is the 25th property of the Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, which is the hospitality arm of Robinsons Land Corporation and its first casino venture under the Grand Summit hotel brand.
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ENVIRONMENT
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WHAT FILIPINOS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
J
ust like a thief of the night, earthquakes happen anytime, anywhere. And the Philippines is now ripe for another “Big One,” a hypothetical earthquake of a 7.2-magnitude or greater. But most Filipinos don’t seem to mind it at all – until it happens.
One of the largest earthquakes that hit the country happened in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija in 1645, which spans 100 kilometers long. Official records showed that it generated a 7.9-magnitude earthquake and destroyed the Manila Cathedral as described by its historical marker. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) says any active faults that have not generated any historical surface-rupturing events have higher potential to generate “The Big One.” The large quake can significantly affect the region and surrounding areas where it happens. Because of the country’s geographical location, earthquakes happen every now and then. “Long before Filipinos settled in this country, earthquake faults were already in place,” writes Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of the Philippines. “These faults shaped our mountains, gave birth to volcanoes, and nurtured life with warmth from Mother Earth. They are the reason for our land’s existence, and we just can’t make them disappear.”
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) says three tectonic plates encircle the country: the Philippine Plate in the East; the Eurasian Plate in the West; and the Indo-Australian Plate in the South. “The existence of several fault lines across the country is a manifestation of the movements of these tectonic plates,” DOST states. Geologists define fault lines as slipups or cracks in a volume of rock due to rock-mass movement. A large fault within the earth’s crust is the result of the movement of tectonic plates. A rapid movement of a fault line may produce powerful energy that can trigger a very strong earthquake, scientists say. The country has five active fault lines: the Western Philippine Fault, the Eastern Philippine Fault; the South of Mindanao Fault; the Central Philippine Fault; and the West or Marikina Valley Fault. Each year, about 6,000 earthquakes are detected throughout the world. That’s according to Grolier Encyclopedia. Of the total, 5,500 are either too small or too far from populated areas to be felt
By HENRYLITO D. TACIO Wikipedia directly. Another 450 are felt but cause no damage, and 35 cause only minor damage. The remaining 15, however, exact a great toll in death and suffering, besides heavily damaging houses, buildings, and other structures. In the Philippines, at least 5 earthquakes per day occur, Phivolcs reports. “Most are small and harmless,” Dr. Lagmay claims. “It’s the really big and shattering shakes that we need to learn to live with. Though they happen decades apart, the result is always catastrophic.” For almost four decades now, the country has been affected by 10 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7.0. As such, the possibility of these destructive earthquakes occurring again “is very strong.” Most people fear earthquakes because they don’t only destroy buildings and other facilities but also kill people. But
“people can’t be shaken to death by an earthquake,” says Dr. Lagmay. What kills people are these seven hazards: ground rupture, ground shaking, land subsidence, liquefaction, tsunamis, landslides, and fire. “The quake takes its toll when buildings and infrastructure topple down, when mountains tumble, and when the ground and water bodies heave,” Dr. Lagmay reminds. On ground rupture, Dr. Lagmay says: “Any structure that sits directly on top of a fault can be seriously damaged when the fault moves. For this reason, no buildings are allowed within the 5-meter buffer zone from an active fault.” Apart from ground rupture, intense ground shaking may happen away from the fault and cause buildings to topple if not built to withstand the sudden movement of the ground during an earthquake. “This haz-
ard phenomenon is the most destructive of all the earthquake hazards,” Dr. Lagmay says. Intense ground shaking, according to Dr. Lagmay, can cause land subsidence, making the ground elevation lower than it used to be. “In flood plains and in coastal areas, the ground can liquefy if water in between sand and gravel mixes, turning land into slurry,” the visiting scientist at the Geophysics Department of Stanford University says. “If not firmly rooted in the ground, buildings on top of the liquefied material may tilt or collapse.” Tsunami, a Japanese term which means “harbor wave,” happens when large ocean waves are produced when faults shift vertically. “The seismic event displaces the mass of ocean water and creates a train of waves that travel as fast as a jumbo jet toward coastal areas,” Dr. Lagmay says.
When the earth shakes, unstable mountains can fall apart and generate landslides. “Some landslides are small, scarring only the beauty of mountains. But the really big ones can travel from 2 up to 120 kilometers down slope ravaging everything in its path,” Dr. Lagmay says. There are some reports that Metro Manila is apt for another big earthquake. Emmanuel De Guzman, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction advisor for Asia-Pacific, admitted that he was unsure when the catastrophic disaster would strike but it is most likely to happen in the thickly-populated metropolis. “The big earthquake is certainly coming. The question is when? No one can tell. It can happen today, tomorrow, or next year. But certainly, there will be an earthquake,” De Guzman, who previously
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City identified as MUH are Acacia Hotel Davao, Crown Regency Residences, Grand Men Seng Hotel, Home Crest Hotel, Hotel Uno, The Apo View Hotel, The Lanang Suites, Microtel by Wyndham, My Hotel, Park Inn by Radisson Davao, Pinnacle Hotel and Suites, Red Planet Hotel, Seda Abreeza Hotel, Sunny Point Hotel, Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao, Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases, Green Windows Dormitel, Blue Lotus Hotel, Star Hotel, Sotogrande Hotel Davao, World Palace Hotel, D’Leonor Hotel, Malagos Garden Resort, Lispher Inn, The Manor, and Casa Letecia Business Inn. “At present, the DOT 11 One Stop Shop (OSS) staff and other personnel are religiously conducting orientation with ROF on the health and safety protocol and quarantine guidelines upon arrival at the airport. In addition, the DOT XI OSS closely coordinates and communicates with OSS Davao Command and its member agencies, including the BOQ, City Government of Davao, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Office for Transportation
Security, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Police, and other security groups on concerns relating to ROF and MUH,” the statement said. The DOT has ordered that failure to do so will result in the suspension of DOT accreditation and revocation of the permit as a MUH as well as being penalized based on the recommendation of the DOT’s Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation. Meanwhile, Tan also stated that DOT 11 supports the reopening of tourism during this pandemic by giving paramount importance to the safety of the guests, the tourism workforce, and the general public. “Hence, DOT 11 continues to remind everyone that compliance to the prescribed health guidelines and safety protocol is a shared responsibility. It is imperative that all stakeholders and allied sectors need to work together to ensure the swift recovery of the tourism industry,” it said.
of omicron),” the Governor said. At the present LGUs cannot have their own lockdowns as they would wait for an appropriate alert level system which would enable such lockdown. He suggested for a 15 day stop on movement among people going to the province
to at least stop the transmission of the virus. Governor Dayanghirang said minus the power to enact a lockdown the Provincial Government is continuously monitoring and updating local contact tracers to be ready for the entry of omicron. (PIA-XI/ RG Alama)
ty. That’s the long and short of being the person in authority,” he said. Duterte urged the barangay chiefs to mobilize civilians to monitor the unvaccinated people. The Metro Manila Council, composed of the 17 local chief executives in the National Capital Region (NCR), has agreed to enact reso-
lutions that will enhance restrictions, regulating the movement of unvaccinated individuals during the imposition of high-risk classification status of the region. The restrictions will only be “temporary” and will be lifted once the Covid-19 alert level in NCR is lowered from Level 3 to Alert Level 2 or below. (PNA)
medium-term inflation and
mid-point of the target until next year. Diokno said among the factors that would be considered in the withdrawal of the policy interventions are “striking a delicate balance between providing adequate stimulus to the economy and preventing the build-up of inflationary pressures and risks to financial stability.” “Given the nascent economic recovery, the priority for the BSP is to ensure the sustainability of the recovery and prevent long-term scarring effects,” he said. He cited the importance of fiscal policy during the economy’s recovery phase, especially once the central bank starts unwinding its policy measures. “This is to ensure that the recovery in domestic demand will not lead to excessive inflation or risks to financial stability, which could undermine the BSP’s primary price and financial stability mandates,” he said, adding that the BSP would continue to coordinate with the national government to address the pandemic’s impact on the domestic economy. (PNA)
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growth outlooks, as well as the risks around these outlooks. “Consistent with the BSP’s data-dependent approach to policymaking, the BSP will continue to monitor the evolution of various domestic factors, as well as emerging global developments and potential spillovers. When these developments warrant a scale-down of policy support as economic recovery gains traction, the BSP will ensure a smooth transition in winding down its time and state-bound measures,” he added. For one, inflation sustained its latest decline, which started in September 2021 when it decelerated to 4.8 percent from the previous month’s 4.9 percent. The rate of price increases last December slowed further to 3.6 percent from the previous month’s 4.2 percent, bringing the year-todate average to 4.5 percent. Although average inflation last year was above the government’s 2 percent to 4 percent target band, monetary authorities said this is expected to decline near the
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worked with the Office of Civil Defense of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, was quoted as saying by Philippine Daily Inquirer. A study done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said Metro Manila is not ready to deal with a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in terms of existing resources and given old building structures around and within the metropolis. The 2002-2004 “Study for Earthquake Impact Reduction for Metropolitan Manila” said that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake triggered by West Valley Fault can kill around 34,000 people, injure some 114,000 persons, partly damage an estimated 340,000 residential structures and cause the collapse of about 170,000 houses. “Fire will break out and burn approximately 1,710 hectares and a total of 18,000 additional people will be killed by this secondary disaster,” the stud said, adding that infrastructure and lifelines will suffer heavy damage as well. But it’s not only Metro Manila that will experience the “Big One.” In fact, every region or province in the country is vulnerable to its own “Big One,” reminds Phivolcs. This includes Davao Region. The region is not spared from the destruction of a huge earthquake that may be triggered by the Surigao-Mati fault, which stretches from Surigao City to Mati Distance – a distance of 320 kilometers. “A big earthquake as strong as, if not even stronger than, the so-called ‘Big One’ that Metro Manilans are preparing for is a possibility in Davao City in the immediate future,” wrote Antonio M. Ajero, editor-in-chief of EDGE Davao, who attended a press briefing that was convened by the Philippine Information Agency. Historical records showed a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Compostela Valley in 1893. On April 15, 1924, another earthquake with 8.3-magnitude happened somewhere in Siga-
boy, now known as Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental. According to the Phivolcs official, an earthquake with an intensity of 7.2 that happened in Compostela Valley will immediately be felt in Davao City “within less than a minute” and the magnitude will be about 7. Recently, Phivolcs came up with 10 intensity scales of earthquakes. The intensity scale, which is a measure of how an earthquake is felt in a certain locality or area, is “based on relative effect to people, structure, and objects in the surroundings.” I. Scarcely perceptible: It is perceptible to people under favorable circumstances. Delicately-balanced objects are disturbed slightly. Still water in containers oscillates slightly. II. Slight felt: It is felt by few individuals at rest indoors. Hanging objects swing slightly. Still water in containers oscillates slightly. III. Weak: It is felt by people indoors especially in the upper floors of buildings. Vibration feels like the passing of a light truck. Dizziness and nausea are experienced by some people. Hanging objects swing moderately. Still water in containers oscillates moderately. IV. Moderately strong: It is felt generally by people indoors and some people outdoors. Light sleepers are awakened. Vibration feels like the passing of a heavy truck. Hanging objects swing considerably. Dinner plates, glasses, windows and doors rattle. Floors and walls of wood-framed buildings creak. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. V. Strong: Generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many sleeping people awakened. Some are frightened; some run outdoors. Strong shaking and rocking are felt throughout the building. Hanging objects swing violently. Dining utensils clatter and clink; some are broken. Small, light and unstable objects may fall or overturn. Liquids spill from filled open containers. Standing vehicles rock noticeably. Shaking of leaves
and twigs of trees is noticeable. VI. Very strong: Many people are frightened, many run outdoors. Some people lose their balance. Motorists feel like driving with flat tires. Heavy objects and furniture move or may be shifted. Small church bells may ring. Wall plaster may crack. Very old or poorly built houses and man-made structures are slightly damaged, though well-built structures are not affected. Limited rockfalls and rolling boulders occur in hilly to mountainous areas and escarpments. Trees are noticeably shaken. VII. Destructive: Most people are frightened and run outdoors. People find it difficult to stand on the upper floors. Heavy objects and furniture overturn or topple. Big church bells may ring. Old or poorly built structures suffer considerable damage. Some well-built structures are slightly damaged. Some cracks may appear on dikes, fish ponds, road surfaces or concrete hollow block walls. Limited liquefaction, lateral spreading and landslides are observed. Trees are shaken strongly. VIII. Very destructive: People are panicky. People find it difficult to stand even outdoors. Many well-built buildings are considerably damaged. Concrete dikes and foundations of bridges are destroyed by ground settling or toppling. Railway tracks are bent or broken. Tombstones may be displaced, twisted or overturned. Utility posts, towers, and monuments may tilt or topple. Water and sewer pipes may be bent, twisted or broken. Liquefaction and lateral spreading cause man-made structures to sink, tilt or topple. Numerous landslides and rockfalls occur in mountainous and hilly areas. Boulders are thrown out from their positions particularly near the epicenter. Fissures and fault rupture may be observed. Trees are violently shaken. Water splashes or slops over dikes or banks of rivers. IX. Devastating: People
are forcibly thrown to the ground. Many people cry and shake with fear. Most buildings are totally damaged. Bridges and elevated concrete structures are toppled or destroyed. Numerous utility posts, towers and monuments are tilted, toppled or broken. Water and sewer pipes are bent, twisted or broken. Landslides and liquefaction with lateral spreading and sandboils are widespread. The ground is distorted into undulations. Trees are shaken very violently with some toppled or broken. Boulders are commonly thrown out. River water splashes violently or slops over dikes and banks. X. Completely devastating: Practically all manmade structures are destroyed. Massive landslides and liquefaction, large scale subsidence and uplifting of landforms, and many ground fissures are observed. Changes in river courses and destructive seiches in lakes occur. Many trees are toppled, broken or uprooted. “The only way to avoid disasters caused by earthquakes is to prepare for them,” wrote Maria Elena Paterno, in her book Earthquake! DOST urges Filipinos to practice disaster imagination or foreseeing what might happen before it happens. “This is not pure imagination but a large chunk of it is guided by science, engineering, and experience,” DOST explains. “Predicting what could possibly occur will definitely help the people address future problems that they might encounter during the actual disaster.” Disaster imagination is not only true for earthquakes but also for other large-scale natural disasters. “The amount of preparation needed must be at par or beyond with the degree of severity of the disaster,” DOST points out. “One cannot fall short on preparation especially if survival is at stake.”
ees, contract of service and job orders. “Based on our data, dako gyud niini ang mga contracts of service and job-order employees with a few plantilla employees. Plantilla employees will be subjected to
administrative complaints which have the penalty whether suspension or dismissal,” Ortonio said. He cited health concerns and religious belief as reasons for not having vaccinated. (PIA XI Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)
key players who share with
us the same mission of promoting growth opportunities, while raising the level of competitiveness of our country through infrastructure development,” he added. DBP is the fifth largest bank in the country in terms
of assets and provides credit support to four strategic sectors of the economy – infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; the environment; and social services and community development. (PR)
rived from the availment of the reduced corporate income tax rate will be effectively passed on to the electricity end-users in the form of lower power rates,” DOE added. While attracting more industry players in the local RE
sector, the DOE hopes that this move will help the country to accelerate its transition to clean and sustainable energy sources. The agency is processing the publishing of the DC in two major newspapers of general circulation. (PNA)
ATE until 2023 would al-
In addition, Salceda said private schools that did not shed employment should translate the reduced tax rate into lower tuition fees for students whose families are also struggling. “The law settles uncertainty in the tax regime for private schools. It ends the confusion, and hopefully allows private schools to move forward and provide better services to students and better terms to their hired teachers,” he added.
The next three loans, amounting to PHP540 billion each, have three-month terms, three-month payment leeway, and have no interest. These loans were granted in October 2020, January 2021, and July 2021. Republic Act 7653, otherwise known as the New Central Bank Act, allows the BSP to extend provisional advances to the national government equivalent to 20
percent of its average revenues in recent years. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier attributed the lower loan to improved economic outlook. In a letter addressed to Diokno, Dominguez said this amount is a signal to the market about the “strong monetary and fiscal coordination in ensuring that the Philippines remains resilient in this crisis.” (PNA)
oration and track and learned about the venue’s Games-time operation plan and event service preparations. The National Speed Skating Oval is the only newly-built ice sports venue in the Beijing competition zone and will stage speed skating competi-
tions during the Winter Olympics. Xi lauded the National Speed Skating Oval as a good example of low-carbon operation and multi-purpose utilization which has followed the “green, inclusive, open and clean” approach. (PNA)
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DUTERTE... FROM5 low these schools to save an equivalent of 3.43 percent of compensation expenses, which could help them rehire at least 12,996 teachers at the start of the next school year,” he said. “This reform thus gives direct financial assistance to private schools teachers, whom unfortunately we were not able to extend direct financial assistance to during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Salceda added.
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SPORTS 11
DeMarcus Cousins averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 16.9 minutes in 17 games after signing with the Bucks on Nov. 30. PHOTO: AP
Jazz stretch road streak to 10 with victory at Nuggets Mavericks retire German legend Nowitzki’s jersey
T
he Dallas Mavericks retired their German legend Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey in a ceremony on Wednesday night. The Mavericks beat the Western Conference leaders Golden State Warriors 99-82 in an NBA game in Dallas, with a postgame ceremony held to honor Nowitzki, the team’s former power forward. The 2011 NBA champion’s No. 41 jersey was raised to the rafters of the American Airlines Center. Nowitzki, 43, played 21 seasons with the Mavericks from 1998 to 2019. Several players from the 2011 championship team, including the Dallas’ head coach Jason Kidd, attended his ex-teammate’s ceremony. The crowd at American Airlines Center chanted “MVP! MVP!” when Nowitzki took the stage to give a speech. “This pillar always gave me a warm welcome when I got here, and this pillar always wanted me to succeed and always pushed me and gave me the strength to work hard and motivated me. But what I appreciate most was this pillar support-
ed me during the tough, tough playoff times and playoff losses. You know what, that pillar is you. Thank you,” Nowitzki said to thank the Mavericks fans for their support for at least two decades. Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star, won the 2011 NBA title. He was one of the notable international players in the league, ending his career with 31,560 points in 1,522 games, ranking sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He was also named the 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and was the 2011 finals’ MVP as well. Nowitzki became the fourth Mavericks player to have his jersey retired as Dallas previously did it for Brad Davis, Rolando Blackman, and Derek Harper. He was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021. Separately, Nowitzki played for his native Germany to win a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, now called the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He also led the German national team to a silver medal in the EuroBasket 2005.
M
ILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks waived DeMarcus Cousins on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), a little over a month after signing the veteran center. Milwaukee had until Friday to decide whether to guarantee his contract for the rest of the season or waive him. The 31-year-old Cousins averaged 9.1 points, 5.8
rebounds and 16.9 minutes in 17 games after signing with the Bucks on Nov. 30. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes Wednesday night in a 117111 home loss to the To-
ronto Raptors. Last season, the fourtime All-Star played a combined 41 games with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers averaging 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 17.4 minutes. Cousins earned second-team all-NBA honors in 2015 and 2016 before being slowed by injuries, including a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, a torn quadriceps
muscle and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Milwaukee could still use some frontcourt depth due to the absence of center Brook Lopez, who underwent back surgery last month and hasn’t played since the Bucks’ season opener. The Bucks (25-15) have lost two straight and begin a three-game road swing Friday night at Brooklyn.
in the recent Philippine Cup where he averaged 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 19 games.
Pinto was drafted in the second round by GlobalPort in 2014 and also played for the Kia
franchise and Blackwater, who traded him in 2019 to Meralco for draft picks.
Ginebra signs Davao cager Pinto
J
ohn Pinto has taken his act to Barangay Ginebra, signing a three-year deal after declining a contract renewal with Meralco. The 31-year-old Pinto became an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2021. Pinto ends his two-year stint with the Bolts where he emerged as one of the key guards of the squad since joining the team in 2019. The signing shores up the backcourt of Barangay Ginebra, especially with Stanley Pringle out of the conference due to a knee injury. Pinto played two games for the Bolts in the 2021 Governors’ Cup, averaging 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The former Arellano guard had one of his best conferences of his career
Ginebra gets a backup guard in John Pinto with Stanley Pringle out due to an injury. PHOTO: PBA IMAGES
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BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China on Jan. 4, 2022. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday said the Beijing Winter Olympics will still happen as scheduled from Feb. 4-20 in the Chinese capital.
GREEN LIGHT
Beijing Winter Olympics pushing through: IOC
D
espite an ongoing spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in many nations mainly due to the Covid-19 omicron variant, the Winter Olympics scheduled this year in Beijing will push through. In an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on Wednesday, President Thomas Bach announced that the Beijing Winter Olympics will still happen as scheduled from Feb. 4-20 in the Chinese capital. With Covid-19 scientifically proven to be more prevalent in cold weather, stricter health and safety protocols will be implemented during the Winter Olympics. One major aspect of the protocols is converging everyone involved in the games inside a bubble. Game-related staff, volunteers, cleaners, cooks, and coach drivers have begun entering the bubble since Tuesday. Meanwhile, some 3,000 athletes from all around the world will also enter the bubble in the coming days. Fully vaccinated athletes, officials, and journalists will be given quick entry to the bubble, while the non-vaccinated ones will first undergo a three-week quarantine before they can enter assuming they remain safe from Covid-19. The Philippines will be represented in the Winter Olympics by alpine skier Asa Miller.
Miller will be participating in the men’s slalom and the giant slalom events. According to the Philippine Olympic Committee on Thursday, seven people will join him in Beijing, his coach, his trainer, chef de mission, Athletes Village administration officer, Covid-19 protocol officer, and a representative from the Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation. Preparation On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Games’ venues, urging organizers to continue to work hard in the final stages of their preparations to ensure the complete success of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Xi said a successful Beijing 2022 is China’s solemn commitment to the international community and after years of preparations, everything is ready. “We are fully confident and capable of presenting to the world a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Winter Olympics,” Xi said as quoted by Xinhua. At the National Speed Skating Oval, known locally as the “Ice Ribbon”, Xi inspected the interior dec-
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