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City continues to educate anti-vax religious sectors
STORY ON PAGE 2
An attendant of a kiosk at SM City Davao’s Annex activity center displays “tikoy”, a Chinese delicacy popular during Lunar New Year, which symbolizes bond and unity in the family, on Thursday. Edge Davao
2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO
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BIG TASK
Davao City’s People’s Park resumes operation as vaccination center after it was closed for a couple of days for decontamination as some of the health care workers and vaccinators in hub tested positive for Covid-19. Edge Davao
City continues to educate anti-vax religious sectors By MAYA M. PADILLO
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part from battling Covid-19, the city government of Davao is also fighting a battle of educating some religious sectors on the benefits of anti-Covid-19 vaccines as many Dabawenyos still refuse to get vaccinated because of their religion.
“Katong mga churches nga dili mu-believe ug vaccines kay naa pa gyud actually na surprise ko nga
naa gyud diay ingon ana nga church. Naa ko’y na encounter na gusto kaayo siya magpabakuna but the
church does not want him para mabakunahan. So naa gyud diay ingon ana na church,” said Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force. Schlosser is hopeful that churches would be more open-minded with regards to vaccination as it is not about disrespecting the
religion or beliefs but protecting the people and the whole community. She also said that the challenge is to explain the importance of the vaccines particularly to the IP (Indigenous Peoples) communities, Muslim brothers and sisters, and those in farflung areas.
peace, development, and stability of our country is vital given the current security situation both internal and external,” Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol, the Eastmincom commander, said in a statement Wednesday. Should she win as vice-president in the coming 2022 polls, Mayor Sara said she would ask Congress to pass a measure on
the imposition of mandatory military service for all 18-year-old citizens, both male and female. “In other countries, the youth aged 18 or above have to serve their armed forces mandatorily for two years,” Almerol said. He also pointed out that aside from modernized assets, the country needs more forces to keep up with
the demands of the defense sector, not only in times of conflict but also during natural disasters. ‘If the proposal will push through, we will have a massive human resource that can readily respond for humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations,” Almerol said. He also cited that Dute-
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Eastmincom backs mandatory military service among youth
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he Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) expressed full support for the proposal of Mayor Sara Z. Duterte to make military service among 18-year-old Filipino youth mandatory, saying their role is vital to the country’s peace and development. “We believe that the role of our youth in the
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MILF, Bangsamoro gov’t hail Senate’s amnesty nod
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he Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro government lauded Wednesday the concurrence of the Senate to grant amnesty to members of the erstwhile largest Islamic rebel group in Mindanao. Von Alhaq, MILF spokesperson, described the Senate’s adoption to grant them amnesty as a “very good development.” “Supposedly, the amnesty should have been granted even before the peace negotiations started [in 1997],” he said in a phone interview. “This development is a sign of compliance of the government to the peace agreement,” he added. On Monday, the Senate adopted three House resolutions granting amnesty to the MILF, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMPRPA-ABB). In February 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte issued proclamations that grant amnesty to the rebel groups. Alhaq said that if the general amnesty will fully take effect, MILF members charged with crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs would be cleared and can go out without fear of getting arrested. Such amnesty will allow them to run for elective positions should they decide to participate in the elections, he added. Alhaq said the top MILF leaders and members
were charged for crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs. “A revolution is a political offense. We waged a war against the government in pursuit of our political aspiration… This general amnesty will clear us of such case,” Alhaq said. The MILF originally waged a rebellion for the right to self-determination of Muslims in Mindanao, and in the course of the peace negotiation opted for autonomy. In 2014, the government and the MILF signed a final peace agreement, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), after 17 years of negotiations. Under the CAB, a Bangsamoro region shall be created, which was realized in 2019 following the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). BARMM spokesperson Naguib Sinarimbo said the regional government welcomes the Senate’s decision favoring the granting of amnesty by the President to MILF members. “Under the Constitution, the power of the President to issue an amnesty will require concurrence of the Congress, and because we have a provision under the CAB for such purpose, the national government complied to that in a form of a proclamation granting an amnesty,” said Sinarimbo, also the Minister of the Bangsamoro’s Interior
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NEWS
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Senator Christopher “Bong”Go sponsors measures that are aimed at improving and upgrading existing Department of Health hospitals.
City reopens People’s Park, Crocodile Park vax sites Sen. Bong Go sponsors measures upgrading existing DOH hospitals
S
enator Christopher “Bong” Go sponsored measures which are aimed at improving and upgrading existing Department of Health hospitals. In his sponsorship speech, the senator stressed the need to constantly improve the country’s healthcare system especially amid the threat of COVID-19 and its variants. “Sa gitna ng naglalabasang COVID-19 variants, dapat palagi nating palakasin pa ang ating healthcare system. Bago pa man ang pandemya, kulang na po ang mga kama sa mga pampublikong ospital,” said Go. Go went on to recount his experiences conducting hospital visits where he witnessed the sorry state of many hospitals throughout the country. “As I have recounted many times before, saksi po ako sa kalagayan ng ating mga kababayan sa pag-iikot ko sa mga ospital sa buong bansa. Nakakapanlumo pong makita na iyong ibang pasyente nasa corridor na ng ospital dahil walang
available na kama,” said Go. “Bukod sa problema kung papaano bibilis ang kanilang paggaling, nagiging isyu na rin po ang hawaan ng sakit pati na rin ang kalusugan at seguridad ng ating mga healthcare workers. Bigyan po natin sila ng pansin at wag natin silang pabayaan,” he added. Go explained that some of the measures are needed in light of the recent amendment or repeal of earlier laws which established or set the specific bed capacities of DOH hospitals. He added that some of the bills will also convert and upgrade sanitaria operated by the DOH as general hospitals. “Since 2005, our sanitaria have been carrying out the dual function of general patient care and leprosy care. Though the numbers of leprosy cases are decreasing, its mandate of serving the general population has been steadily increasing through the years,” Go noted. “We therefore need to
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By MAYA M. PADILLO
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r. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, announced on Wednesday that half of the 24 health care workers at the People’s Park and Crocodile Park vaccination sites have recovered after getting infected with Covid-19. Schlosser said that those who were positive were mild and asymptomatic cases. She also said that the said health care workers are properly screened before deploying them to the two sites. “I can assure the public
nga walay dapat ikahadlok sa atong mga health care workers nga gipa-duty didto. All are reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative and wala nay infections or symptoms na COVID related,” she said.
Schlosser explained that the 24 health care workers were deployed at both vaccination hubs. “Ubay ubay ang nangasakit sa health care workers because expected siya sa amoa. Half of them already recovered kay ang atoang recovery period karon is shortened to seven days na. I can also assure that fully vaccinated ang among team tanan,” she added. She also said that the Crocodile Park and the People’s Park are operational again after being decon-
he Davao City Covid-19 Task Force clarified that the city government of Davao is still implementing 14 days of symptoms monitoring even if the isolation is shortened to seven days under the new guidelines. This is in line with the concern of those individu-
als who already completed the seven days isolation but are still tagged as under quarantine when they used the Safe Davao QR (DQR). Schlosser, who is also handling the DQR system together with the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) and Ingenuity, said they are already doing
modifications to the DQR aligned to the new guidelines on isolation and quarantine. “Kung naa mo’y nadawat na DQR its probably an old guideline pero rest assured, I am also the one handling the DQR in partnership with HRMO and Ingenuity, we are working
taminated. The two parks were closed last week until early this week for decontamination after some of the health care workers and vaccinators tested positive for Covid-19. “We are back in the game na po tayo sa pag-booster and we are aiming to do it as fast as we can,” she said. She also said that all vaccination hubs in the city are open for walk-ins and for all types of doses (first, second, missed and booster).
on it na ma-align siya didto sa new, yes gina update na, currently updating it. And yes 14 days gihapon ang amoang pag pa mangno sa ilaha for symptoms monitoring but not the limitation of the movement,” she said. Schlosser said the 14 days monitoring is to make
City still implements 14-day symptoms monitoring T
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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO
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A tricycle passes by a “Bangon Siargao” (Rise Siargao) signage along Tourism Road in General Luna, Siargao Island early morning Wednesday (26 January 2022). Residents have been struggling to regain their lives after super typhoon “Odette”ravaged the island. MindaNews photo by ROEL N. CATOTO
Jobs recovery seen T as market reopens
ADB eyes blockchain tech for Asia cross-border securities transactions
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jobs, information technology/computer-software at 53,766, finance- general/ cost accounting at 43,797, and clerical administrative support at 42,490. Completing the top 10 job vacancies that were filled last year were in healthcare–nurse/medical support and assistant, marketing/business development, human resources, sales-retail/general, and banking/financial services. In terms of growth, employers in IT/computer software almost doubled the number of hiring in 2021 compared to 2020 figures. Gioca said JobStreet logged over 105 million job searches last year. “It only proves to you that the activity of job-seeking was tremendous in
2021. So you would see that many people, because of the disruptions, were really looking for jobs in 2021,” he added. He said there was an increase of job searches for blue-collar jobs such as housekeeper, driver, dispatch, and messenger among others, accounting for the highest jump in job searches on JobStreet at 55 percent. This is followed by jobs in food, beverage, and restaurant service with 54 percent increase; hotel management and tourism services, up by 46 percent; retail and general sales, up by 42 percent; architecture and interior design, up by 42 percent; personal care, beauty, and fitness services, up by 39 percent; healthcare–pharmacy, up by 37 percent; clerical/administrative support, up by 36 percent; mechanical and automotive engineering, up by 36 percent; and civil, construction, and structural engineering, up
by 36 percent. “Most of them were actually displaced because of the pandemic and (the) majority of these people would constitute working in an SME-(small and medium enterprise) type of companies. If you notice in 2021, really our SMEs were the most affected and impacted by the pandemic,” Gioca said. Earlier, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who also chairs the Task Force Group on Economic Recovery-National Employment Recovery Strategy (TGER-NERS), said the government targets to narrow down the unemployment rate close to pre-pandemic levels of 5 to 5.5 percent. In November 2021, the country’s unemployment rate went down to 6.5 percent from a peak of 17.6 percent recorded at the height of the pandemic in April 2020. Lopez added that job shedding and recovery highly depend on restrictions on mobility. (PNA)
he Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a project to make cross-border securities transactions in Asia and the Pacific more efficient and secure through the use of blockchain technology. Working with leading blockchain companies, ADB will seek to develop ways to directly connect central banks and securities depositories in the Asean+3 region within a blockchain network. The region consists of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) plus Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea. Directly connecting the institutions within a blockchain network could reduce both transaction costs and settlement risks –the possibility that securities are not exchanged within an agreed timeframe. Cross-border securities transactions in the Asean+3 region are currently processed through a global network of custodians and correspondent banks, which go through global centers in either the United States or Europe. As a result, intra-
from last year, according to a new report. Apple was followed by tech-centered Amazon and Google, with values of USD350 billion
and USD263 billion, respectively, said the latest report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Apple also took first
place in 2021 with a brand value of USD263.4 billion. According to the report, the US took the lead by far among countries,
as 199 of the entries in the Global 500 list were based in the US, trailed by 77 Chinese companies and 31 Japanese firms. Among brands in-
company owned by Manny Villar has taken over broadcast frequencies formerly held by ABS-CBN Corp., whose application to renew its broadcast franchise was rejected by a congressional committee in 2020. Online recruitment platform JobStreet has observed a 27-percent increase in job postings in 2021, signaling recovery since the pandemic struck. JobStreet Country Manager Philip Gioca said Wednesday there were 75,000 job postings per day from January to September last year from 59,000 daily job postings in 2020. Gioca said job listings in the online platform are now at 75 percent of the pre-pandemic level. “You would see (that) with that increase is a signal that jobs are increasing, (the) market is reopening,” he added. In 2021, top specializations hired by companies were in customer service with 101,627 jobs followed by education with 83,414
regional transaction settlements in Asean+3 take at least two days due to time differences as well as varying operating hours for markets within the same time zone. The project will be carried out in two phases: a designing phase, to be completed by the end of March 2022, and a prototyping phase, scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. The results will be discussed with Asean+3 government officials and members of the Cross-Border Settlement Infrastructure Forum of the Asian Bond Markets Initiative, made up of central banks and securities depositories from across the region. ADB is partnering with ConsenSys, Fujitsu, R3, and Soramitsu on the project, which will also examine systems interoperability and the viability of central bank digital currencies in the region. The project is supported by ADB’s Digital Innovation Sandbox program, a platform for partners across the public and private sectors to collaborate on digital solutions. (PR)
Apple keeps crown as world’s most valuable brand at $355B
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pple has kept its crown as the world’s most valuable brand in 2022 with USD355 billion, as its value jumped 35 percent
volved in making Covid-19 vaccines, Pfizer ranked number 352 with USD6.3 billion, and AstraZeneca was at number 407 with USD5.6 billion. (Anadolu)
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EDGEDAVAO
ECONOMY 5
A mall goer chooses from a collection of Chinese bracelets that believed to bring good luck sold at a Chinese New Year-themed kiosk at SM City Davao’s Annex on Thursday. Edge Davao
PH economy grows 5.6% in 2021, exceeds target
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he Philippine economy grew faster than anticipated at 5.6 percent in 2021 as looser COVID-19 restrictions propelled recovery, with GDP growing 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter, the state statistics bureau said Thursday.
Fourth-quarter growth was higher compared to the previous quarter, which was revised to 6.9 percent from
7.1 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. Last year’s GDP growth is above the 5
to 5.5 percent target set by the Development and Budget Coordination Committee in December. Last year’s GDP growth was a significant rebound compared to the 9.6 percent contraction in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, economic managers and the country’s coronavirus task
force agreed to loosen mobility restrictions to balance the goals of mitigating health risks and fuelling economic activities. Mobility restrictions, however, were tightened anew in mid-January 2022 as the new COVID-19 omicron variant led to a surge in cases. Metro Manila and
other neighboring provinces are under Alert Level 3 until the end of January. The shift to Alert Level 3 is likely to cause a gross value added (GVA) losses of P3 billion a week, economic managers have said. But Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said a
surge early in the year is unlikely to cause significant losses to the full-year economic prospects. The government set a 7 to 9 percent economic growth target for 2022. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua earlier said the economy could revert to its pre-pandemic level growth this year.
egaworld’s real estate investment trust MREIT on Thursday said it would acquire more office assets worth P20 billion in 2022. The additional infusions will increase its portfolio value by 34 percent to P78.5 billion from the current P58.5 billion by the end of the year, MREIT said in a disclosure to the stock exchange. Targeted properties will come from various Megaworld developments across the country, it said. “We believe that the current business conditions are conducive to the attainment of our growth plans... We are very optimistic of our very long
growth runway considering that Megaworld is building more offices and even launched new townships last year,” MREIT president and CEO Kevin Tan said. By the end of 2021, MREITs’ portfolio includes 14 buildings with a total gross leasable area (GRA) of about 280,000 sqm, it said. MREIT earlier said it aims to become the fastest-growing REITS in Southeast Asia in terms of floor space. Several other REITs companies listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2021 following the successful debut of Ayala Land’s AREIT and DoubleDragon’s DDMP.
Southeast Asia aviation hope less turbulent skies in 2022 M L eaders from various aviation-related companies are hoping the industry will see clearer skies ahead despite the emergence of the omicron variant which has caused several countries to limit plane arrivals. At the online media roundtable event for the upcoming Singapore Airshow 2022, aviation experts admit the industry has been heavily affected by the pandemic. Southeast Asia, in particular, remains lagging in terms of its response to the pandemic, which in turn has affected
several airlines, airports and plane manufacturers, they said. Anand Stanley, President of Airbus in the Asia Pacific region, said one of the biggest challenges for the industry is the border controls of various countries and he asserted, this must stop. “We’ve seen the recovery come in very very strong in North America and Europe when the restrictions were eased and opened up. Asia still has to follow that track. We still have semblances of a quarantine-based regime. Bor-
der closures- this has to be lifted so that the freedom of movement returns,” Stanley said. Kate Seaton, Board Member of the Women in Aviation International, agrees. “Border closures, I think, created a real frustration for the industry at the time we really want to keep airlines flying, planes flying. I think we just felt helpless in place of those border closures. I think the industry went into survival mode to some extent, that was my view. Nearly 90% of airlines fleet grounded,” she said.
However, despite the travel restrictions in many countries, the panelists at the media roundtable are optimistic that 2022 will be a better year for the industry in Southeast Asia. Lim Ching Kiat, Managing Director of the Air Hub Development of Changi Airport Group said Singapore is seeing more travelers coming in, including the rise of business travel. He is hopeful that tourists will come flying in next. This he said is partly due to the high vaccination rate in Singapore.
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Megaworld’s REIT says to acquire P20B worth of new assets in 2022
6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO
VOL.14 ISSUE 264 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022
On the challenge of convincing vaccination non-believer religious groups to get vaccinated:
This battle of pandemic is somehow behavioral ang kalaban. Behavior sa tao kung unsa sila ka receptive sa atoang mga lakang kasi I believe ang Davao City gibuhat naman ang tanan mga measures, strategies, gipaduol sa mga tao so ang atoa na lang gyud ginahulat is ilahang reception ba ug ilahang pag cooperate.”
Dr. Michelle Schlosser
Spokesperson, Davao City Covid-19 Task Force
EDITORIAL Back to business Healthcare workers manning vaccination sites have recovered from COVID-19 infection and the Davao City authorities have reopened the People’s Park and Crocodile Park vaccination sites.
This was the announcement of Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City COVID-19 Task Force midweek.
The healthcare workers, many of whom were positive with mild and asymptomatic cases, are now being screened and deployed back to the two vaccination sites. This means that the city is back in the vigorous business of vaccinating more city residents.
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There are still many Dabawenyos who hesitate if not refuse to be vaccinated.
To the surprise of the city authorities many religious groups advise their members not to submit themselves to vaccination. It is our hope that the city authorities will soon find creative ways to counter this vaccination hesitancy for Davao City to soon reach herd immunity and defeat the pandemic. 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
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
But of course it is not all a bed of roses in so far as the efforts of the city to inoculate residents are concerned.
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)
EDGEDAVAO
VOL.14 ISSUE 264 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022
VANTAGE POINTS
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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!
FINANCIAL GOALS, ANYONE? This year 2022, what should you do to make your finances become much better compared to last year or other previous years? Some years back, the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) shared some 18 financial resolutions you can make this year. It’s still timely today. So, let’s discuss them one by one: 1. First and foremost, you need to know what exactly you want to make this year. “Have a clear financial goal for the year by outlining your long-term and short-term financial goals, whether you want to buy life or health insurance or build your retirement fund,” BPI suggests. 2. It’s the beginning of the year and so if you have standing debts, pay them off for a clean slate. “Whether it’s credit card debt or money you owe a friend or family member, paying them off is something you should prioritize,” BPI says. 3. You will get there if in the first place you don’t know where to go. The same is true with your financial goals; you have to create a financial plan. “A financial plan involves creating strategies to help you make wise financial decisions that will get you closer to achieving your financial goals,” the bank says. 4. Do you know the differ-
ence between wants and needs? Learn to identify the difference then. “Distinguishing wants from needs will help you spend less and find contentment with what you have,” it points out. 5. Whether needs or wants, you have to be realistic – and stick to it no matter what. “This will help you spend less and reduce impulse buying,” the bank explains. “When you create a budget that’s too strict for comfort, you end up just putting it away and spending as much as you want.” 6. If you want to succeed with your financial plan, try to follow the 50/20/30 rule. “Spend no more than 50% of your income on your necessities and use no more than 30% on your leisure activities and wants. Put the rest (at least 20%) on your savings and investments,” it says. 7. Where does my money go, you may wonder. The best thing you can do is to track all your expenses. “Create a list of all your expenses including utilities, housing, transportation, food and other necessities, and make a separate list of the leisure activities you spend for each month,” the bank suggests. “This will help you determine how much you’re really spending on a daily, monthly, and
yearly basis.” 8. Reduce and eliminate expenses to save more for investments. “Sometimes, we end up spending our extra cash on unnecessary expenses such as new clothes, shoes, or gadgets,” the bank says. “Evaluate your spending habits to determine how to cut your monthly expenses and save more for your investments.” 9. There are bills to be paid? Don’t avoid paying them. Whether you like it or not you have to pay them anyway. “Set automatic monthly payments,” the bank says. “It can save you the trouble of physically going to payment centers and avoid being penalized for a late fee.” 10. If you happen to have a credit card debt with the highest interest rate, pay it first. “This will let you save money in the long run,” the bank says. “If you can’t pay in full yet, be sure to pay the minimum to keep a good credit score.” 11. Ever heard of emergency funds? If you haven’t yet, try to make one. “Set aside a separate fund that will cover you during times of emergencies and unforeseen crises,” the bank says. “This will prevent you from dipping into your retirement fund and liquidating your assets. 12. To make your emergen-
cy fund viable, add one month of expenses to the said fund. “The ideal amount in your emergency fund should cover at least six times your monthly expenses,” the bank suggests. “Whenever you have extra, take the opportunity to build one more month of additional expenses.” 13. Health is wealth, so they say. You have to focus as well on your wellness. “When you’re physically, mentally and emotionally healthy, you can better focus on your life goals, instead of being burdened by illnesses,” the bank says. “So, start practicing a fit and healthy lifestyle in 2018.” 14. You don’t know what is ahead of your life so you have to protect your future. “Don’t let yourself be financially ruined should unforeseen tragedies or disasters such as accidents, serious illnesses, job loss, or natural disasters happen,” the bank says. “Consider life or health insurance while you’re young and healthy.” 15. Plan your investment strategies to build wealth. “Do your research and look for smart investment opportunities that fit your specific short-term and long-term financial goals,” the bank suggests. “Money market fund, mutual fund and viable life insurance plans are
smart investment opportunities that can be tailored to your risk personality.” 16. Do you happen to have several accounts – then close those unnecessary ones. “Ask yourself if it’s necessary to have several credit or checking accounts as these accounts can incur annual fees that you may not even realize you’re paying for,” the bank says. 17. It’s not only from salary you make money but also by doing what you love. “Find a way to turn your passion into profit,” BPI says. “You can try to monetize a creative hobby and sell your products online. The extra money you can earn will help you reach your financial goals faster.” 18. Finally, avoid distractions. “It’s easy to get distracted from your financial plan,” the bank says. “There are activities and things you don’t need, but may strongly want. Don’t let yourself be influenced by external distractions so that you can stick to your financial plan and budget.” It’s not enough to plan your financial goals; it’s how you work on them that matters. Christopher Rice reminded: “Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we’ve got 24 hours each.”
ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD
WARTIME SAGA OF TWO CATHOLICS (2) In ‘American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964 (1978), a bi-ography of Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur by William Manches-ter, Dr. Emigdio Cruz, President Manuel L. Quezon’s physician, was able to penetrate Manila and contacted Gen. Roxas in the third quarter of 1943 of the plan to fly him to the U.S. but expressed no interest. A year later, another mission was sent to contact the gen-eral but was exposed, which supposedly resulted in the beheading of those involved. Lt. Col. Nobuhiko Jimbo was later reassigned to China where he was captured by the forces of Gen. Chiang Kai-shek, the founder of Taiwan, and became a prisoner of war in Tsinan, Shantung Province, North China. He was sentenced to death but was spared from execution
by his friend, Gen Roxas, who interceded for his freedom. When the war ended, Roxas, now the president of the republic, learned from the wife of Lt. Col. Nobuhiko Jimbo of her husband’s predicament. On hearing the news, he promptly wrote Gen. Chiang Kai-shek in Nanking, China, and asked the leader of free Lt. Col. Jimbo through an amnesty. The letter, dated August 26, 1946, runs in part: “I have long known of your deep interest in the Philippines, an interest which I deeply appreciate as stemming from your concern for the advancement of freedom and human dignity in this part of the world… The purpose of this personal letter is to place before you certain circumstances involving a Japanese army officer now in the custody of your Government,
an officer of minor importance in the general scheme of things but one who played an important role in my own experiences of the recent war. “[Lt. Col.] Nobuhiko Jimbo is being held… in a prison in Tsinan, Shantung Province, China, as a suspected war criminal. I hasten to say that I know nothing of his activities in China, nor of the evi-dence against him. I do not, of course, wish to raise any questions regarding his guilt or innocence based on his activities in any thea-tre other than in the Philippines. “I should like to submit, however, that Colonel Jimbo is respon-sible for my being alive today. He was known in the Philippines as one of the few Japanese officers with a genuine sympathy for our plight, and as one of those who did what he
could, within the limits of his official station, to alleviate the brutal savagery of his superiors and subordinates. On one occasion he risked his life by disobeying an order issued for my execution, and made a success-ful appeal at a later time for the rescinding of the execution or-der. This action was not based especially on a personal esteem for me, although he had that, too, but on a repugnance for the sense-less cruelty and murder madness which possessed his command-ers and associates. He was, of my acquaintance, the most humane of the Japanese invaders. “If there is any proper way in which you could give countenance to these representations on his behalf, I would feel a great load taken off my mind. I know that it is, in an official
sense, im-politic for me to make these statements on behalf of Colonel Jim-bo, but my conscience would not permit me to refrain from doing what I can do to bring these circumstances to the attention of ap-propriate officials of your government. “Permit me, Your Excellency, to express sentiments of friend-ship and admiration for you and your countrymen.” In 1947, Lt. Col. Jimbo was released from prison, escorted to the Philippines, and returned to his homeland. He personally thanked the President for the intercession; he revisited him in Malacañang. Roxas honored him with a Knight of Rizal award. Back home, he was given the title Sir Nobuhiko after his election as vice president of the Order of Knights of Rizal, Tokyo Chapter.
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COMPETITIVE EDGE Close to 500k household gets electrified as Davao Light Sitio Electrification Program continues
More and more households get to enjoy the benefits of electricity as the Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. (Davao Light) continues with energizing sitios within its franchise areas covering Davao City, Panabo City, and the Municipalities of Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas. Electrification is among the government’s priorities as it is geared towards economic growth. It aims to increase and accelerate access to electricity services in the country’s remote and far-flung unelectrified communities which provides opportunities of improved quality of life. Actualized through Sitio Electrification Program (SEP), Davao Light has been extending electricity services to far-flung communities within its franchise for as early as 2018. Since then, a 99.02% hit mark has been achieved out of around 3,868 target sitios to be energized. As of January 2022, 221 more sitios were newly energized, totaling 495,977 households, 14 of which are ongoing and hopefully will be completed within this year. Officials of Brgy. Fatima, Paquibato District - one of the beneficiaries, were extremely grateful for having been
included in the said program. Brgy Captain Alfredo Balansag thanked Davao Light for the service and help given to the community and its people. “We were ecstatic when it was finally implemented here in some of our Purok. We have been waiting for it for a long time. We thank Davao Light not only for the free electricity service but for educating the people in the area as well,” he added. He also noted that community riots were put to a stop as well since light was installed in the area. Brgy. Kagawad Romeldo Barwado’s only plea to its residents is to take good care of the electric poles for everybody’s benefit. “Let’s put importance on this opportunity not only for ourselves but for the future youth as well. We are elated and hopeful because we are the ones who will benefit from it. So we must preserve it for all of us,” he added. Davao Light has been committed to its promise of advancing business and communities through electrification programs such as SEP. For this particular electrification program, Davao Light strives to hit 100% completion by 2023.
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) – a key shelter agency, to provide financing to qualified housing contractors and develop-
ers in order to expedite completion of socialized housing projects, a top official said. DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel G. Herbosa said the DBP Credit Facility for SHFC Contractors and Developers will
As of January 2022, 221 more sitios were newly energized, totaling 495,977 households, 14 of which are ongoing and hopefully will be completed within this year.
DBP signs financing pact with key shelter agency provide short-term loans to SHFC-accredited contractors and developers and advance payment for housing projects approved by SHFC for community associations participating under its Community Mortgage Program (CMP). “DBP sees this partner-
– Present during the signing of the memorandum of agreement were (from left) SHFC Executive Vice President Atty. Junefe G. Payot; SHFC President Atty. Arnolfo Ricardo B. Cabling; DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel G. Herbosa; DBP Senior Vice President Paul D. Lazaro; and DBP Vice President Rustico Noli D. Cruz.
ship with SHFC as a good opportunity to better carry-out our shared goal of increasing the country’s shelter production, especially for those who belong in the low-income bracket,” Herbosa said. 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; environment; social services and community development. The bank’s support to the country’s housing agenda is an integral part of the DBP’s inclusive growth priorities and business thrusts. SHFC is an attached agency of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development that takes the lead in the government’s social housing
programs. It administers the CMP and the Abot Kaya Pabahay Fund Program which cater mainly to the formal and informal sectors in the low-income bracket. Herbosa said that DBP has an existing P115-million loan accommodation to an SHFC contractor for the construction of 223 houses for members of the Muslim-Christian Women Homeowners Association in Cagayan de Oro City who have been rendered homeless by typhoon Sendong, displaced during the Marawi siege, and are residing along riverbanks and danger zones in the city. He said that the Credit Facility for SHFC Contractors and Developers is a sub-component of the DBP flagship program on the housing sector, the Building Affordable Homes Ac-
cessible to Every Filipino (BAHAY) program, which covers the end-to-end process of housing development from land acquisition to site development and shelter construction. “DBP will continue to align its programs for the upliftment of the living conditions of underprivileged communities by providing viable financing to key players in the shelter sector to help address the country’s housing backlog,” Herbosa said. Interested borrowers who wish to avail of the DBP Credit Facility for SHFC Contractors and Developers should be duly-licensed by the PCAB or the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board and should secure endorsement from the SHFC, which shall conduct both project accreditation and technical evaluation.
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Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO
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he name Donald “Don” Rutledge may not ring a bell to most Filipinos; but to Americans, he was one of the most noted and well-respected photojournalists. He received over 300 photographic awards from secular and religious organizations. His travels over a lifetime had taken him into 143 countries (including several times to the Philippines) and all fifty of the United States. Don, as he wanted to be called, had done assignments for numerous publications during his long career. Some of the most well-known are Life, Time, Newsweek, US News and
World Report in the United States, Paris Match in France, and Stern in Germany. His photographs also appeared in publications published in Canada, England, Brazil, and Japan,
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HIS CAMERA among others. “My life has been enjoyable,” he said. “I love people and have been involved with them around the world. Friendships were formed far beyond countries, cultures, living conditions and/or styles. It helped me to realize that, beyond all these environments, people are basically the same.” I had the opportunity of meeting Don when he came to the Philippines to cover the works of Harold R. Watson, an American agriculturist who received a Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding. Fortunately, Watson was my boss and being a journalist myself, I was given the task to accompany Don in his travels during his stint in our place. During our trip together, Don shared tips about his work as a photographer. “A career in photography can be an exciting challenge whether the person chooses photojournalism, studio, wedding, portraits, advertisement, public relations, nature, or just shooting family pictures, or as a hobby,” he said. Yes, it was from Don that I learned photography. In those times we were together, I observed that he took a lot of pictures on one
particular scene or activity. On why he was doing that, he replied, “It is much like a writer or a speaker preparing an article or speech. They write lots of notes from which the message is narrowed and developed into the final presentation. I take extra pictures for that same reason.” (With digital cameras now readily available, a photographer won’t have a problem following this tip!)
“In photojournalism,” he continued, “there is constant change. A subject is smiling, frowning, talking, listening, walking, standing, sitting, working, or relaxing. Often in the background, while subjects are being photographed in the foreground, people walk in and out of the picture. Making choices as to when to click the shutter is constant and important. The challenge is both difficult and
exciting. The photojournalist becomes ‘eyes’ for viewers and places those viewers into the position where he stood while making the photograph.” To those who are just starting photography as a hobby or a career, Don offered this tip: “New photographers can find excitement in isolating wonderful elements of our world and its people in that viewfinder
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“This battle of pandemic is somehow behavioral ang kalaban. Behavior sa tao kung unsa sila ka receptive sa atoang mga lakang kasi I believe ang Davao City gibuhat naman ang tanan mga measures, strategies, gipaduol sa mga tao so ang atoa na lang gyud ginahulat is ilahang reception ba ug ilahang pag cooperate,” she said. Meanwhile, Schlosser said that the city currently has all brands of anti-Covid-19 vaccines that are safe for Dabawenyos needing first dose, second dose, missed dose, or booster shots. “We have all the brands now. Ginapa-fast track sa atong good mayor ang mga brands na preferred sa mga tao,” she said. Schlosser added that the city government is now working on administering vaccines preferred by the Dabawenyos particularly those who re-
ceived first doses of the Sputnik V and Sinopharm. “We are working on it. Gusto sa Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, as much as possible, naay choice ang tao sa vaccine. Naa lang siguro gamay nga delay because of procurement but they will receive the vaccine just in time for the second dose,” she said. Currently, vaccine brands available for rollout in Davao City are Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca. Schlosser reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated as it protects people from the severity of the disease. “Kay ang atong tumong karon kay dili nato makita ang kalaban, ang atoa na lang puwede mapigilan is ang kamatayon sa tao. With the vaccine I can assure the public, I will bet my life on it na kanang makatabang gyud siya against the severity of the disease,” she said.
rte’s proposal will instill disci-
People’s Army (NPA), violent extremist organizations, and other lawless elements. “The communist NPA and other notorious groups take advantage of the vulnerabilities and idealism of our youth, especially students and Indigenous Peoples, to lure them in joining their lawless and criminal activities,” Almerol said. Above all, he said the mandatory military service will create a generation of law-abiding and patriotic citizens that will contribute to the National Vision 2040: Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay for all Filipinos. (PNA)
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pline, develop leadership, and nurture patriotism among the young members of our society, which are necessary to be acquired by our next leaders. ‘In fact, some of our great presidents and national leaders in the past have also served in the armed forces during their youth before they took the helm of the highest seat in our government and other national positions,” Almerol said. He said the proposal will spare our youth from the indoctrination and recruitment of organizations that have links to the communist New
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and Local Government. Sinarimbo said that the amnesty is a milestone that is very significant especially to the members of the MILF as “everyone knows that majority of the MILF members who fought against the government have incidentally committed violations to the law in pursuit of their political beliefs.” “Since the national government recognized the legitimacy of their cause, we have this amnesty,” he added. Section 4 of Presidential Proclamation No. 1090 states that the amnesty “shall extinguish any criminal liability for acts committed in pursuit of political beliefs, without prejudice to the grantee’s civil liability for injuries or damages caused to private persons whose right to be indemnified is fully recognized therein. The grant of amnesty shall also effect the restoration of civil or political rights suspended or lost by virtue of criminal conviction.”
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. also welcomed the Senate’s decision favoring the granting of amnesty to the MILF, the MILF and the RPMPRPA-ABB. “It will allow them to put the past behind them, and give them and their families the opportunity to make the full transition to peaceful and productive civilian life as their social and political rights are restored along with the granting of amnesty” Galvez said in a statement. He called upon the members of the former rebel groups to take advantage of the amnesty program, and use it as an opportunity to help sustain the gains of peace. “To the members of the former rebel groups who are now working with the govern-
ple of minutes the adrenaline
workout situations. “With limited practice time, we are still viewing these first few games as not out of the woods yet,” Vogel said. “This is going to be his reconditioning phase. He’s going to do it in games and there might be some stretches where he’s out of sync and out of rhythm. We’re expecting that and we’re hoping that the overall benefits of him being out there help us win games.” Davis did that Tuesday. The Lakers got him right back into the action, with LeBron James throwing him a lob pass on the game’s first possession. “Obviously right away you see what he’s capable of,” James said. “We draw a play right to start the game, I was able to turn the corner and threw a late lob that he was still able to throw home. So very exciting to have him back.”
mentthroughthevariouspeace mechanisms,maythegrantingof amnestyfurtherinspireandemboldenusinourjourneytowards ajustandlastingpeace,”hesaid.
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took over and after that kind of went away the wind caught up to me. When I got my second wind I was fine for the rest of the game.” Davis started at center. His return was a boost for a team that has played below expectations all season and is just 24-24, eighth in the Western Conference. “He’s one of the best twoway players in the game and I see him impacting both sides of the ball,” coach Frank Vogel said before the game. “We missed his defensive versatility, length at the basket, ability to the guard on the perimeter and obviously everything he does offensively.” Vogel said the Lakers realized they didn’t have time to wait for Davis to regain his fitness during practices because they rarely had full 5-on-5
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sure that the patients will not manifest any more symptoms. “The limitation of movements will be aligned sa new guidelines pero ang pagpahimangno namo sa pag observe sa ilahang health is still 14 days because we wanted to make sure kay wala man ta nag ingon na magpa swab sila unlike before na mandatory gyud ang swabbing. But now ang atoang
mandatory is symptoms monitoring for 14 days kay wala man ta kabalo kung ang nakatanggap sa DQR is fully vaccinated or not vaccinated kay kung not vaccinated 14 days man gyud ang observation,” she explained. Safe Davao QR is Davao City’s official contact tracing system to manage the spread of Covid-19.
“Some amount of business travel is coming back because people want to establish new relationships. They can keep existing ones via... we do calls but I think nothing beats networking in person to get new partnerships. Leisure will also come because you can’t zoom a beach through a computer. So I think leisure travel will also start to come back,” he said. Both Boeing and Airbus are also hopeful for the region amid the pandemic. “We are trying to hire a lot of people. We recently announced we are looking to hire about 6,000 people globally to get us ready for the ramp up to come. And the Asia Pacific region is also part of the plan,” Stanley said. Alex Feldman, President of Boeing in Southeast Asia, said the industry has been through similar challenges. “We’ve seen crises before. We’ve had naysayers saying travel will not come back after 911, after SARS. It did and grew substantially. Boeing believes this region of the world is going to be the growth center as obviously, Airbus does too. And we are also hiring and ramping up in Southeast
Asia and across the region as we prepare for what we hope would be substantial growth in the next 20 years,” Feldman said. The aviation experts hope governments across the region can help in simplifying travel protocols, asserting that traveling via air is safe even amid the pandemic. There will be some adjustments to the new way of traveling, however, they are hopeful governments can make it easier for everyone as traveling now has sometimes become confusing because of various regulations. “The industry is resilient. We believe that if governments can get together and provide a simplified, easy and coordinated way to access borders and communicate that clearly to travelers, you will see travel increase,” Feldman said “After September 11, people got used to a new process of doing things in the aviation system and partners working between the airlines and airports and manufacturers will get there to a new normal. It takes some adjustments,” Ching Kiat of Changi added.
officially acknowledge that our sanitaria functions as general hospitals already and increase their bed capacity to serve the general population,” he added. The proposed measures seek to convert the Cotabato Sanitarium in Sultan Kudarat as a general hospital to be known as the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital;
the Sulu Sanitarium in Jolo into a General Hospital to be known as the Sulu Sanitarium and General Hospital; and the Western Visayas Sanitarium in Santa Barbara, Iloilo into a General Hospital to be known as the Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital. All measures provide for the corresponding increase in bed capacities of said hospitals.
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, the Philippine representative to the International Olympic Committee, abstained from the vote along with representatives from netball and dancesport. Ten other attendees failed to cast a vote, but Tolentino said at least four of them wanted to vote but missed the cutoff. “There were four more voters who want to vote in favor. Hindi na namin hinabol (We did not include),” Tolentino said. He clarified that he has no hard feelings on Juico upon ratifying the persona non grata tag on him. “It’s just I’m following the procedure,” Tolentino said. He said PATAFA can still send a representative to the POC GA, either the vice president or secretary-general, with Juico essentially prohibited from attending. Tolentino added that although a two-thirds vote has been met, a simple majority would have been enough since the GA is not voting for the ouster of Juico as PATAFA chief. Railroaded? Later in the day, Juico accused the POC of already screwing him up even before the GA, which was initially scheduled for Jan. 12 but was pushed to this Wednesday due to a spike in coronavirus disease 2019 cases, began. “POC claimed that a
pre-circulated resolution was signed by 36 POC members who affixed their signatures without any resolution having presented during the General Assembly for voting and neither I nor several other POC members received this resolution as the same resolution to be voted on during the General Assembly. The POC Notice dated January 3, 2022, clearly stated that ‘the matter will be reported and taken up during the Regular General Assembly scheduled on 12 January 2022,’ which was rescheduled today. Nothing was taken up. The POC did not give any opportunity for the General Assembly to verify this 36-member pre-approved resolution,” Juico said in a statement. He said: “The process was railroaded. There was no due process because there was no division of the house.” Juico added that the POC GA’s decision to call him persona non grata will not stop PATAFA from seeking the truth that could put its row with Obiena to an end. “I may now be persona non grata in the eyes of the POC, but this will not distract us in our quest for truth, accountability, transparency, and justice in our federation,” Juico said. “If this is the price I have to pay for holding my athlete accountable, so be it. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I will step out of the POC with my head held high.” (PNA)
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of their camera. That becomes the photographer’s world. Outside that finder, beyond the moment of clicking the shutter, is of course a world in enormous size and activity but the photographer’s world right then is defined in the viewfinder and he freezes it to hold history as he clicks the shutter. Don continued, “His activity should be more than just raising the camera, looking through the viewfinder and just clicking the shutter. That is a moment of personal history whether it involves special moments of his family or friends, activities of famous and unknown people, or even elements of nature scenes around him.” More than a decade after we met, I never heard of him anymore – despite the fact that I had been to the United States several times. It was only when a former colleague posted a message on my Facebook account that Don died at his home near Richmond, Virginia at the age of 82. “The chance to learn from Don Rutledge was one of the best opportunities in my life,” said photographer Stanley Leary, who first encountered Rutledge as a young newspaper photographer and eventually wrote a master’s thesis about his work. “Those impacted by his work are vast. Just as vast as his stories are those he mentored. Unless Don was on the phone, his door was open at the office. While I worked with Don, I cannot remember how many people came by or called to ask for Don’s advice. No matter how bad their work, Don treated each and every one with honor, dignity and respect.” “He believed in me as a person and as a photographer,” said Joanne Pinneo, one of Don’s protégées. Today, she has photographed stories in more than 60 countries for numerous magazines and books. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, won an Alfred Eisenstadt award and is featured in National Geographic’s “100 Best Photographs.” “Don encouraged and truly mentored me. He believed I could become a good photographer and visual storyteller.” Don was born on a farm in Depression-era Tennessee. He originally wanted to become a pastor, but he found a creative way to communicate the gospel he originally intended to preach – through the lens of his camera. And how he discovered photography was an interesting story in itself. “My uncle, my dad’s brother, was a soldier in the US military,” Don told me. “He was stationed in Germany where he purchased an inexpensive box camera. He never used it. Finally, I asked if I could take some pictures with it and he then gave it to me. I bought a roll of film and started taking pictures of farm animals. Then, I began taking scenic pictures of the farmland. It was then that my love for photography started.” Don began to shoot photo stories as a freelancer and obsessively studied the work of great photographers. Some of his self-assigned stories in the 1950s and early ‘60s required considerable physical courage, including coverage of the violence surrounding the growing civil rights movement in the South. Still a raw rookie, he heard about New York-based Black Star, then America’s top photojournalism agency. “In total ignorance, I wrote (to Black Star) and offered to
do photo stories,” Don recalled many years later. “A form letter replied that they would need to see a portfolio of my work. I felt my pictures were not yet good enough for me to send a set.” But Don sent a list of 10 story ideas. Black Star expressed a mild no-promises interest in one of them for a magazine client. Don took that response as a firm assignment, shot the story and sent in the film. Amused and intrigued, Black Star and the magazine’s editor decided to take a chance on the young upstart and asked for more photos to fill holes in the story, which was eventually published. Don’s future was set. But it was not until he shot the pictures for Black Like Me that Don became known around the world. The John Howard Griffin’s 1961 book was about the author’s harsh experiences of racism in the last days of the segregation-era South when he darkened his skin to appear black. In his racial disguise, Griffin traveled through Louisiana and Mississippi in 1959 with Don at his side. It was a dangerous assignment for the 29-year-old photographer, who never accepted the racial hatred that buffeted his Tennessee boyhood. Black Like Me, a modern classic, sold more than 10 million copies, becoming one of the most powerful and influential chronicles of the struggle for change during the civil rights era. In 1964, a film starring James Whitmore was made based on the book. “At the height of his potential as a globe-trotting photographer,” said an article published by the US National Press Photographers Association, “Rutledge left Black Star in 1966 to shoot pictures for the then-Home Mission Board. Several photographer colleagues told him he was crazy, but they didn’t understand his deepest motivations. He’d been searching for creative ways to communicate the Gospel since his youth in Tennessee. “Over the next decade and more he traveled to all 50 states, capturing the compassion of missionaries and the needs of the people they served in the pages of Home Missions magazine and three full-length books. “In 1980, he joined the then-Foreign Mission Board as a special assignment photographer, continuing his photographic ministry worldwide for another 15 years, primarily for The Commission magazine. He formally retired in 1996, but continued doing freelance assignments in the United States and overseas until he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2001.” On February 19, 2013, Don finally joined his Creator. “Don understood [that] the relationship of people to each other in the photo is the real power of the storytelling image,” Leary said. “Don understood that God gave His life for a relationship with each one of us. “Nothing was more important than to establish and grow relationships. All of Don’s work was to show the power of God’s love. You either see the celebration of God’s love or you feel the sadness of someone who isn’t letting God into their life. Don helped me to realize how I could fulfill my call to ministry with the camera. Don was a pastor who realized the camera was a pulpit and the congregation wasn’t limited by the walls of a church.”
35-0 with 22 KOs. Vargas is a former WBC super bantamweight champion. The Mexican is taller at 5-10 1/2 (179
cm) with a reach of 70 1/2 inches, than Magsayo who is 5-8 (169 cm) with a reach of 67 1⁄2 in (171 cm).
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Embattled Patafa head Philip Ella Juico.
POC ratifies ‘persona non grata’ tag on PATAFA chief Vargas picked as Magsayo’s challenger
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fter winning the World Boxing Council featherweight title, the next opponent for the new champion Mark Magsayo has been identified. The WBC announced that Mexican Rey Vargas will be the mandatory challenger as ordered before then titlist Gary Russell Jr. was set to defend against Magsayo. Magsayo is fresh from an upset victory dethroning Gary Russell Jr. of Washington, DC., as Magsayo ended Russell’s reign of six years and 10 months, which was the longest active title rule before the bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he won a majority decision. Russell disclosed that he had a right shoulder injury before the fight and after the fourth round it bothered him so much that he had to fight with one hand until the final bell, with the speculations that a rematch could happen next. “I am very happy that the WBC reiterated my position as a title challenger. I feel very happy and very happy,” said Vargas in a press conference as quoted by DAZN News. “Magsayo is a wider fighter, but he is smarter. Yes he has more strength than Gary Russell,
but Magsayo showed a lot of intelligence in this fight,” he said. The WBC explained that Magsayo could not pick an optional fight because he assumed the obligations of the previous champion Russel, who had already been ordered to face Vargas. During the same virtual conference, Magsayo said that if he will be given the chance to choose his opponent it would be Leo Santa Cruz or Luis Nery. “I want to fight Mexicans, they are great fighters, warriors. I would like to fight Leo Santa Cruz or Luis Nery,” said the newly crowned world champion. Magsayo of Tagbilaran City, Bohol said he would let his promoter, MP Promotions, decide on his fights. “It’s up to MP Promotions what’s next for me. I can fight anybody now because I’m the champion. I’d also like to unify too,” said Magsayo. “I’ll do my best to defend the title and stay as champion. Thank you for the opportunity.” The WBC No. 1 contender Rey Vargas of Mexico is 31-years-old, has an unblemished career record of
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he Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has ratified in the general assembly level its executive board’s decision last month to declare Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella “Popoy” Juico “persona non grata”.
A majority vote went in favor of slapping Juico with the said tag as the tension between PATAFA and world no. 6 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena continues
to heat up. Out of 54 members who attended the general assembly on Wednesday either virtually or physically in Tagaytay, 36 vot-
ed yes to the ratification, including three members of the POC Athlete’s Commission namely Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, multi-titled triathlete Nikko Huelgas, and champion swimmer Jessie Lacuna. As expected, Juico, who was in attendance and explained his side of the rift to the GA, voted “no” even as representatives from wushu, weightlifting, squash, and hockey also moved to reject the ratification.
“He was given a chance to speak. In-explain niya yung side niya, kaya lang bakit hindi niya in-explain sa (He explained his side, but why did he not explain it in the) ethics committee?” POC chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said in the online press conference right after the GA. Weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella publicly said two weeks ago that he wants the POC to recall the tag on Juico.
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Lakers still cautious on AD’s reconditioning phase
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EW YORK — Anthony Davis’ knee felt good. Once he gets his conditioning back, perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers can finally make a lengthy push. Davis scored eight points in 25 minutes after missing 17 games with a sprained left knee, helping the Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 106-96, on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time). Davis had not played since Dec. 17. The Lakers went 7-10 in his absence. “For the most part I felt fine, I felt great out there,” Davis said. “The first cou-
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Help arrives for LeBron James and Co. with Anthony Davis back in harness. PHOTO: AP
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CROSSROADS Allyn Bulanadi (left) and Rey Suerte (right).
The PSC remains firm that the mediation process is the best way to finally put to rest the rift between Obiena and the PATAFA, which stemmed from liquidation issues.
Davao’s Gilas boys weigh in on career options
D
avao boys Rey Suerte and Allyn Bulanadi are weighing on whether to stay with Gilas Pilipinas or join their mother teams in the PBA. Suerte, a former University of Mindanao Wildcat, and Bulanadi, an ex-Holy Child standout, are in the Gilas Pilipinas pool out of the PBA Draft but have not seen much action for the national team on account of injuries. Players agent Danny Espiritu said he will be sitting down with his two players next week to determine their next career path now that their contracts with Gilas Pilipinas are set to expire at the end of February. Espiritu said the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) still has an eye on keeping the two players, specifically for the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup qualifying window in February, prompting the meeting. “Nakikiusap na paglaruin sila Allyn at Suerte sa February window,” said Espiritu. Suerte and Bulanadi were selected by Blackwater and Alaska second and fourth overall, respectively, in the 2019 Gilas special draft. Gilas cadets on loan Under the set-up, the players will be on loan to the national team but their rights are retained by the mother team once they are released by the SBP. Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso said Bulanadi has already expressed his desire to join
the team but the Aces need to wait for the Gilas release. “Allyn does want his PBA career to begin already as soon as possible. He has expressed that to me and Alaska. Once they all get clearance, joining us will be the easy part,” said Cariaso on Wednesday. “Paalam muna sila ng maayos since he did commit to Gilas the past two years,” he added. A product of University of Visayas and University of the East, Suerte had seen action in a couple of Gilas games but was a late scratch for the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers owing to an ankle injury. Bulanadi has not played for Gilas Pilipinas due to injuries but did participate in the resumption of training last November at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. Espiritu said Bulanadi has recovered from the dislocated shoulder that kept him out of the Gilas. Gilas will face Korea, India, and New Zealand in the final week of February to get the ball rolling on the qualification stage for the 2023 Fiba World Cup, which th country will be co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia. As main host, the Philippines is guaranteed a spot in the main draw but is using the qualifiers to prepare for the tournament.