Local cooperatives will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Davao City Water District (DCWD) to replant trees and rehabilitate the city’s water sources.
The regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT 11) is hoping for the resumption of international and do mestic flights from Davao City for air routes suspended during the pandemic.
“We really hope that the other routes as well will open soon. We just had a meeting with CAAP at isa yan sa mga pinag-uusapan. Together with our DOT as well specially the Secretary is in talks with the airlines
not just international but domestic as well na mag resume na. Hopefully soon mag resume na sila,” said Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan of DOT during PEP Talks media forum on Tuesday.
In 2020, 21 domestic flights and four interna tional flights from Davao City we’re suspended due to pandemic. These include Cathay Dragon’s Davao-Hong Kong-Davao and XiamenAir’s DavaoQuanzhou-Davao; Garuda Indonesia’s Davao-Mana do-Davao, Qatar Airways’ Davao-Qatar-Davao, and SilkAir’s Davao-Singa pore-Davao.
“Sana yung Japan kasi
but I know certain groups are also working on that. Also the Doha. For domes tic maganda run ang factor for Bacolod, Dumanguete, and Tacloban. Sana soon ma resume na rin yan,” Tan said.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pa cific recently announced the resumption of its inter national operations in its Davao hub, starting with direct flights to Singapore.
FBRING, P10The Bureau of Cus toms (BOC) – Port of Davao passed its 1st Surveillance Audit of its ISO 9001:2015 Qual ity Management System Certification on Septem ber 19, 2022, conducted by the External Auditors from TüvSüd.
The surveillance audit is conducted to review the implementation of
the Quality Management System (QMS) and the processes certified by the auditors and to monitor continuous compliance by the Office. The onsite audit is part of the maintenance of the ISO 9001:2015 QMS Certifica tion of the Port of Davao.
After the two-day au dit, the External Auditors from TüvSüd recom
mended the maintenance of its ISO 9001:2015 QMS Certificate.
During the same schedule, its Sub-port of Dadiangas underwent its External Audit at General Santos City. This is in line with BOC Davao District Collector, Atty. Erastus Sandino B. Austria’s com mitment to assure that all customs processes of the
said Collection District are standardized regard less of the change of pol icies and administration.
The BOC Port of Davao will continue to promote transparency, improve its services, systems, and processes for the ben efit of its stakeholders through the guidance of Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz.
Luzminda Eblamo, City Cooperative Develop ment Office (CCDO) offi cer-in-charge, said Mon day the MOA signing on Oct. 29 coincides with the observance of the National Cooperative Month.
“The essence is to make sure that we have inclu sive growth. This means that not only should the cooperative grow, but all their members at the
same time,” Eblamo said.
By MAYA M. PADILLO BRING THE FLIGHTS BACKUnder the MOA, coop eratives under the CCDO pledge to become “adopt ers” under of DCWD’s “Adopt-a-Site” program, and make an annual dona tion of at least PHP6,000 for every hectare of land that will be rehabilitated to help conserve the city’s watershed areas.
Meanwhile, Eblamo said several cooperatives consisting of micro, small and medium-sized en terprises (MSMEs) have signed up for the Coopera tive Trade Fair and Exhibit, which will showcase their
Senator Ronald “Bato”
dela Rosa is eliminat ing peace talks as a solution to the local insur gency caused by the Com munist Party of the Philip pines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Dela Rosa said that the only solution is for the CPPNPA leaders and members to surrender to the govern ment.
“Kung ayaw nila, eh di tuloy ang giyera. Wala man tayong magawa. Kung gus to mo ba (If they don’t want it, then the war continues. Do you want) solution,
meaning to say negotia tion? Peace talk? ‘Wag kang maniwala diyan (Don’t be lieve in that),” the lawmak er said in an interview vid eo posted on his Facebook page.
He said it is better to have peace talks with oth er groups rather than the CPP-NPA, which he said is “insincere”
“They have been using peace talks to their advan tage,” Dela Rosa said.
He said communists use social injustices, pov erty, lack of education, and
Workers of Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. conduct pipe installation works for the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project in Calinan, Davao City. Apo Agua has given its commitment to deliver the treated water from the Davao City Water District’s (DCWD’s) Bulk Water Supply Project to DCWD’s first optic point (reservoir) in Tugbok District by first quarter of 2023. Edge DavaoThe North Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRMO) will implement a land slide warning system to strengthen the readiness of landslide-prone com munities.
Engr. Arnulfo A. Vil laruz, the PDRRMO chief for operation and warn ing, said Monday the DY NASLOPE Project aims to establish communi ty-based early warn ing systems (EWS) that would assist the local government units (LGUs) with quick responses and decision-making to miti gate the impacts of land slides.
DYNASLOPE (Devel opment of Early Warning System for Landslides) was developed by the De partment of Science and Technology-Philippine In stitute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phi volcs) national office.
It features a newly-de veloped deep-seated ear ly warning device (sen sor), visible steel bars mounted on-site, and a
well-organized proce dure set for responding to landslide incidents.
“This electronic sen sor will be mounted in landslide-prone areas which will send real-time data to Phivolcs nation al office if any significant changes will be detected”, he said.
He said Phivolcs per sonnel from the national office will assess the in formation and later send a warning to the LGUs on possible landslides.
Along with its pro cess, DYNASLOPE also designed protocols for coordination with all concerned agencies and sector tasks to respond to calamities, particularly the on-site validation.
“Steel bars will be mounted in the area as a visible indicator for the responders to assess if there are any significant changes as to the gaps and distance between each other,” Villaruz said.
As much as they want ed to mount all land slide-prone areas in the
By MAYA M. PADILLOquarter of 2023.
Apo Agua Infrastruc tura, Inc. on Tuesday com mitted to deliver the treat ed water from the Davao City Water District’s (DCWD’s) Bulk Water Supply Project to DCWD’s first optic point (reser voir) in Tugbok District by first quarter of 2023.
May Che Capili, exter
nal relations officer of the Apo Agua Infrastractura, Inc., revealed that after the Tugbok reservoir, a progressive ramp up will be done to the seven op tic points of DCWD from Calinan going to Taland ang, Mandug , Indangan, Cabantian, Panacan, and Dumoy in the second
Capili admitted that the bulk water supply project has gone through difficulties causing the de lay in implementation in cluding the Covid-19 pan demic and problems with its former contractor J.V. Angeles Construction Cor poration (JVACC), which formerly had full responsi bility for the construction works of the project.
This time Apo Agua is taking the lead of the construction of the proj ect which will provide 300
million liters of safe water daily to the Dabawenyos.
“Naay naagian na ka lisdanan ang atong bulk water supply project isa na didito ang setback nato ang Covid-19 pandemic and kalisdanan sa atoang former contractor ug sa niaging bulan naninguha ta nga makuha ang mga critical na mga dokumen to, materyales ug equip ment aron magsugod ta and sign up the new con tractor and ma-ramp up ang construction in the
For a while, the mu nicipality of Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur has been positioned as an ecotourism destination because of it’s natural re sources and the outdoors. Now, it wants to widen its economic viability by introducing industrial tourism to boost not only tourism but investment in the area.
“We would like to in troduce industrial tour ism considering that we are the only municipality
nga daghan kaayo ug in dustrial plants,” said Ju lius Paner, tourism officer of Sta. Cruz during PEP Talks media forum at SM Lanang Premier on Tues day.
The municipality is host to several industrial plants that include Co ca-Cola Philippines Bev erages Inc., Aboitiz Power (hydro power and coal plant), San Miguel Brew ery (SMB), Franklin Baker Company of the Philip pines (FBCOP), and San
Miguel Foods Inc-BMEG Sta. Cruz Feed Mill.
Paner said there are already three industries that confirmed to open their doors to visitors and tourists for educational purposes.
Aside from that, Pan er said the municipali ty is also strengthening its ecotourism program for various tourism and sports activities such as mountain biking, trail running, camping, moun taineering, water tubing
and many more.
The municipality will showcase all of it’s re sources and tourism pro grams in the upcoming weeklong celebration of the 138th Araw ng Sta. Cruz, which will com menced on September 30, 2022 until October 5, 2022.
“This time we will have a unique celebration. Among the highlights is the Sta. Cruz Tourism and Agri-trade Exhibit, which
STA. CRUZ, P10
Julius Paner, Municipal Tourism officer of Sta Cruz, Davao del Sur, discusses the upcoming events in relation to the 138th Araw ng Sta. Cruz during PEP Talks media forum at SM Lanang Premier in Davao City on Tuesday. Edge DavaoApo
Agua’s earlier promise to deliver the first drop of water in December this year is not happening. Instead, it will be sometime in the first quarter of next year.
The City Government of Davao, through the City Cooperative Development Office (CCDO), has lined up various activities for the celebration of the National Cooperative Month in October.
nology.
“Kung meron tayong SIM card registration, once that text is sent out it can be immediately at tributable to a source,” Campos said.
vice used to send the text blast was “smuggled.”
“Ayon po sa NTC yan pong mga text blast equipment na ginamit diyan ay smuggled,” Cam pos said.
The passage of the SIM card registration bill is key to apprehending those behind the alleged hijacking of the emer gency text alert system, a lawmaker said.
Illegal text blasts, similar to the ones sent during the 2022 elec tions, can be curbed with SIM card registration, according to Makati Con gressman Luis Campos, who is sponsoring the budget of the Depart ment of Information and Communications Tech
The National Tele communications Com mission would be able to recognize the used de vice once they are turned on, but the devices have since been turned off, Campos said.
He also said the de
The House already approved on 3rd and fi nal reading House Bill 14 which mandates the registration of SIM Cards last September 19. The Senate received it from the House the next day.
Globe Telecom on Tuesday said it signed a third sale and leaseback deal with Phil-Tower Consortium Inc worth P20 billion which brought its total sold portfolio to 7,059 towers with proceeds of
about P91 billion.
The third portfolio is composed of 1,350 towers with an estimated value of P20 billion, the telco said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.
Globe said the towers, mostly located in Visayas
and Mindanao will be leased back to Globe for an initial of 15 years. It said pre-tax transaction gain from the deal is at P5.2 billion.
Globe earlier sold 2 other portfolio composed of 5,709 towers for P71
billion.
Upon completion of the overall transaction for all the tower assets for sale, Globe’s deal will be come the country’s largest ever tower sale and lease back deal, it said.
There were no neg ative votes or ab stentions when 250 House of Representatives lawmakers voted to ap prove House Bill 4125 or the proposed Ease of Pay ing Taxes Act on third and final reading.
According to the con gressional fact sheet pre pared by the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill would institutionalize simplified tax returns and processes for smaller tax payers for ease of compli ance to tax rules and reg ulations.
It also introduces a medium taxpayer classifi cation and a correspond ing Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) special unit for better service and tax administration.
It also enhances the portability of tax transac tions by removing restric tions on venue in the filing of returns and payment of taxes.
It removes the distinc tion between sales invoic es and official receipts and makes the former the document to be used by taxpayers to substantiate value-added tax (VAT) transactions whether for sale of goods or services.
It mandates the Com missioner of Internal Revenue to ensure the creation of registration facilities for non-resident taxpayers.
It removes the re quired annual taxpayer registration fee payment worth Five Hundred Pesos and legislates a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and desig nates a Taxpayers’ Advo cate Office.
When the bill was sponsored for plenary de liberations, House Ways and Means Committee Chair, Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda said that the tax administration efficiency resulting from
Laborers load goods from container vans to a forklift at a private container yard in Ilang, Tibungco, Davao City. Edge Davao
Elevated domestic in flation, weakening of the peso, and ex pected additional hikes in the Federal Reserve funds rate are factors expected to push the Bangko Sen tral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key rates higher to 5 per cent by end-2022.
Fitch Solutions, in a report dated Sept. 23 and released to journal ists on Monday, adjusted its forecast for the BSP’s key rates for this year af ter noting that monetary authorities also need to anchor inflation expecta tions.
“The Philippine peso has also come under sig nificant pressure as a re sult of tightening credit conditions globally. With the US Fed (Federal Re serve) likely to hike by a further 75 bps before end-2022, this will likely prompt the BSP to hike in tandem to safeguard ex ternal stability,” it said.
To date, the BSP’s key rates have been increased by a total of 225 basis points to 4.25 percent as of Sept. 22, with mone tary officials saying that continued recovery of the domestic economy will help cushion the impact of the BSP rate hikes.
The rate of domestic price increases deceler ated from a five-month climb to 6.3 percent last August after hitting 6.4 percent in the previous month, the highest since
October 2018.
The average inflation to date stood at 4.9 per cent, way above the cen tral bank’s 2 to 4 percent target band until 2024.
Monthly inflation rate breached the govern ment’s target band last April when it accelerated to 4.9 percent due large ly to upticks in global oil prices.
Fitch Solutions fore casts domestic inflation rate to average at 5.6 per cent this year.
It expects the im pact of the ongoing Rus sia-Ukraine conflict to continue impacting food prices, which is also seen to be affected by adverse weather conditions in several food-exporting countries.
It added that while oil prices have declined, “they still remain elevat ed relative to 2021 levels.”
Fitch Solutions said its Oil and Gas team proj ects Brent crude oil price to average at USD105 per barrel this year and by USD100 per barrel next year, higher than its USD70.95 per barrel fore cast in 2021.
Amidst this back ground, it said the recov ery of the domestic econ omy, which it forecasts to grow by 6.6 percent this year, up from 6.1 percent previously, is expected to provide the leeway for the rate hikes.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) slashed its 2022 growth fore cast for the Philippines from 6.7 per cent to 6.5 percent after noting the impact of global economic slowdown.
In a briefing on Mon day after the debt lender’s annual Article IV Con sultation, Mission chief Cheng Hoon Lim said the 2023 growth forecast is at 5 percent, which is the same as the figure last July under the World Econom ic Outlook (WEO) update.
“The Philippines is not isolated from the rest of the world. Its leading trading partners are the US and China and if these countries slow down, (the) Philippines will also slow down. And that’s
the main reason why we revised our growth pro jections to 6.5 percent for this year and 5 percent next year,” she said.
Lim said the IMF has revised down its global growth projection for the world economy by 2 per centage points since Oc tober last year from 4.9 percent to 3.2 percent for 2022.
She said the revision in the Philippines’ growth forecast is not as drastic as that of the outlook for the global economy “be
cause domestic demand has been very strong.”
Lim said IMF’s growth outlook for the domestic economy “is subject to sig nificant downside risks, where policy tradeoffs between output and infla tion would become more acute.”
Among the downside risks to growth are the rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infec tions, larger-than-expect ed changes in monetary policy around the world, deepening global slow down, elevated inflation rate, and natural disas ters.
These are, however, expected to be countered by the impact of the ongo ing conflict between Rus
sia and Ukraine, and bids to address the elevated inflation rate elsewhere.
“Looking ahead, sus taining the economic re covery will require a focus on policies to address in flationary risks, increase fiscal and financial resil ience to adverse shocks, and successful implemen tation of reforms to mit igate pandemic scarring and raise productivity growth,” she added.
Lim said depreciation of the Philippine peso is in line with those of other currencies as the Federal Reserve continues to hike its key rates to tame the US’ four-decade high in flation rate.
She added no one
Market volatility is likely to continue until the end of the year due to challenging global macro conditions, Manulife Investment Man agement Head of Macro Strategy Sue Trinh said on Tuesday.
Stagflation fears, the aggressive tightening of the US Federal Reserve, and the
bear market sentiments are among the concerns that resulted in difficult trading conditions, Trinh said.
“For the first time in over a decade, the market is grappling with a very chal lenging global macro con text of stagflation which is historically very difficult for risk assets and not to men tion the aggressive tighten
ing and financial condition which is being amplified by central banks,” she said.
“We do continue to anticipate choppy trading conditions with the mar ket caught in a tug of war between bear sentiments, ongoing concern on the Federal Reserve tightening, as well as the longer term economic ramifications
and downward earnings revision... I wouldn’t be sur prised to see very large vol atility in very wide ranges,” she added.
In terms of foreign ex change, the dollar remain on the upside against Asian currencies due to the growth in interest rate dif ferential and tighter global
Eden Nature Park marketing manager Jeline Galagar promotes the activities for the 25th anniversary of Eden Nature Park during PEP Talks at SM Lanang Premier in Davao City on Tuesday. Edge DavaoOn the resumption of international and domestic flights from Davao City for air routes suspended during the pandemic:
We really hope that the other routes as well will open soon. We just had a meeting with CAAP at isa yan sa mga pinaguusapan. Together with our DOT as well specially the Secretary is in talks with the airlines not just international but domestic as well na mag resume na. Hopefully soon mag resume na sila.
TANYA RABAT-TAN Department of Tourism (DOT 11) Regional Director
September 13 and 14, 2022 will be remembered for the groundbreaking Phil ippine Coffee Expo (PCE) in Davao. After a long absence and online activities, the thousands attending were obviously thrilled to at least see the face behind the screen so to speak, and reinvigorate relationships and marvel at new opportunities. Well at tended by thousands, mainly young people, the event was all over social media, allow ing an even bigger audience to view what was going on.
The event was hosted by the various coffee indus try stakeholders such as the the Philippine Coffee Guild and the Davao Region Cof fee Council It was also sup ported by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Trade and In
dustry, in collaboration with thePhilCAFE Project which is funded by USDA and imple mented by ACDI/VOCA.
Why is this event import ant? There are four reasons.
For one, it is a rare event that brings together the different stakeholders at every step of the value chain, from the farmers growing the beans to the processors and the equip ment suppliers for processing and eventually, those serving it to customers through the coffee shops, both the estab lished ones and start up and pop up barista owned outfits which are popular nowadays.
Walking through the exhibits and looking at the confer ence program, this clearly is the case. Moreover, a good number of the attendees and exhibit visitors were young people, and with them the food and restaurant vloggers.
This indicates strong interest from a new set of farmers and entrepreneurs.
Another reason is that the potential for the local coffee industry to grow is enormous as there is a huge local supply gap to fill, and Mindanao is poised to benefit most from this opportunity. Based on the Coffee Industry roadmap, the country produces 36,171 metric tons of coffee per year in 2015. Of this figure, Mind anao produces almost 2/3 of our total coffee production. Cavite and Batangas may be the traditionally known sources of local coffee cul ture, but it is clear that Min danao is its future. I believe we as a country import at least double that figure annu ally. Imagine the opportunity to supply local demand alone. Moreover, as our Mindanao coffees gain renown, demand
for it here and abroad will also increase.
These two factors alone will translate to a larger mar ket for our producers, and opportunity for both growers processors, and coffee shops.
The third is that grow ing coffee, a perennial crop, is good for our watersheds because they are trees, stabi lizing slopes, conserving soil and holding water. Having more trees will protect our water sources for us to use.
The fourth is that coffee, especially lower elevation Robusta which makes up ¾ of our total coffee production, can be intercropped with our biggest crop subsector, co conuts to add farm income, apart from the fact that it is a low cost addition to the farm, since crop maintenance will consist only of fertilizing as no cost for soil preparation is
involved. Fertilizing the cof fee trees will also fertilize the coconut crop, with both ben efiting from the added nutri ents to cause higher yields.
In all, the event is made special since unlike other similar conferences, it broke important ground by visibly exemplifying the value chain, which is made possible by the fact that it is led by the coffee industry itself. This integra tion of the various industry subsectors and elements will spur the development of the industry, and create new opportunity for thousands in Mindanao, from growers to coffee shop owners. This makes the industry inclusive to a wide set of stakeholders, spreading the opportunity. With this, the future of the farm to cup value chain is se cure. Bravo.
“The most dangerous leadership myth is that lead ers are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. Myth asserts that people sim ply either have certain charis matic qualities or not. That’s nonsense. In fact, the oppo site is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” - WARREN G. BENNIS
*******
By announcing a “partial mobilization” (read: military draft) of Russian citizens and reservists from age 18 to 60, Vladimir Putin, in effect, is in creasing Russia’s manpower capability to launch a bigger war against Ukraine.
Putin unilaterally de clared a “special military op erations” when Russia invad ed Ukraine on Feb. 24, wth the presumption that such would be over in a short pe riod, probably in two or three weeks time.
To the surprise of every political leader and military
observer around the globe, including those who thought the conflict would not affect their lives, the “SMO” has stretched to its eighth month and the invaders have regret tably found themselves being pushed back by the patriotic Ukrainian army.
Or this matter, thousands of irate Russians in major cities are protesting Putin’s executive order and many are exiting the country to flee to neighboring countries by whatever means.
State police in many parts of Russia are trying to quell a restive citizenry and already an indefinite number of pro testers - mostly young adults - have been forcibly taken to jail.
Leaders of the European Union and the NATO mem ber-countries look at the Pu tin action as a clear warning to a step-ladder escalation of the conflict until the Russian autocrat achieves his goal and saves his face.
There are not many exten
sive news reports emanat ing from within Moscow to determine what the internal situation really looks like ex cept from videos aired in the social media by news organi zations allowed to operate in Russia.
By the way - figure this out - did you know that FOUR TEEN Russian oligarchs (bil lionaires) have died myste riously in a somewhat James Bond-ish manner?
Political experts and an alysts are in the dark. They are subtly connecting these mysterious and unsolved vio lent deaths (family members also died with a few of the victims) with the Putin lead ership.
Expect Putin to employ more firepower to show his detractors (the EU, NATO and the US) he is not bluffing.
As a knee jerk reaction, of ficials in Germany, UK, France and other EU countries have announced military plans to prepare for war. I am amused. Aren’t you?
I don’t know if Putin is a chess grandmaster who plays an exceptionally good game of chess.
At the rate he is making moves, it appears that the Russian autocrat is outplay ing them all collectively.
The Russian SMO are only at the threshold of the mid dle game and Putin’s “ene mies” are already frantic and a-frenzy searching for the right and the best “engine” move to make a counterplay.
The Russian ruler is mad because of the sanctions im posed against his country by the West.
Russians are economically choking and suffering.
There is restiveness and this could explode into a sit uation that might bring down Putin from his autocratic perch.
Putin hates this possibili ty.
His behavior seems to in dicate that if he goes down, he will bring his enemies down with him, regardless of
the consequences.
In the book “Leadership Under Fire,” the authors made a differentiation be tween “good and extraordi nary leaders.’
The authors wrote: “Ex traordinary leaders make a major difference, when compared with merely good leaders. They create even less turnover, motivate em ployees to perform at a much higher level and greatly en hance customer satisfaction.”
According to them, they found “conclusive evidence that leaders with poor lead ership skills generate poor results.”
There you are.
As the Russian-Ukraine battle rages to its eighth month, how would you rate Vladimir Putin’s leadership skills?
In contrast, how would you also rate Ukraine Pres. Vlodymir Zelensky? (Email your feedback to fredlum ba@yahoo.com.? GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
After a hiatus of more than two years due to pan demic, the Davao Eaglemasters Cup is back. This time with a bang. The first big time golf tournament in Davao in two years.
“We are glad to be back after two years of hiberna tion, actually this is the 14th year of the Davao Eaglemas ters but due to the pandem ic, this years edition is our 12th tournament and we are thankful for your contin ued support ” says Business Executive/ Sportsman Leo Magno, president of Davao Eaglemasters Inc.
A total of 780 golfers from 141 teams participated in the four-day tournament held at hilly and undulating
fairways of Rancho Palos Verdes and the relatively flat South Pacific Golf and Coun try club.
The organizers split the four day tourney to accom modate the record number of participants coming from as far as Australia, the USA, from North Luzon, Metro Manila, Cebu and the Visayas, and from major cities of Min danao. Local players/teams played during the first two days of the tourney ( Sept 22 & Sept 23 )while teams from Metro Manila and out of towners played on the final two days ( Sept 24 & 25).
Team SMNI topped the premier Championship Divi sion. The team composed of Alexander Bisera, Lee Bisera, Lloyd Labrador, Noel Tagaan and Jhondie Quibol garnered an aggregate score of 281 points for their two days output using the Five to play four to count format. Team Arcadia collected 261 points to place second followed closely by Team Nippon Tech
BY CHITO MALABANANBuilders 254 points who sal vaged 3rd place honors.
Team PARAISO from Koronadal ,South Cotaba to composed of Jeffrey Lumbo ,Ryan Gotan, Robert Dizon,Antonio Aguilar and Gerald Duremdes got the top honors for the Flight A Division team competition with their 256 points out put. Local team Salami Golf placed second with their combined output of 244 points followed by Team An gry Berdies with 217 points
to take the 3rd place honors.
Team Recovery 5.30-1 led by Businessman/sports man Ludwig Ledesma took the top plum for Flight B Di vision with their total output of 234 points. Team Green Jacket 3 took the Runner up honors with their 202 points output. Third placer Team Brittannika-1 fell short with their 214 points total in their final day rally.
Flight C Division top
plum goes to Team FORE PLAY 3 for their 181 points output followed by Baguio City’s Team Balintugan Const 163 points for second place. Team DURACRETE took the 3rd place honors with their 162 points output.
The battle for the podi um finish for Seniors Division was decided only on the fi nal day of competition. Local Team TGIS Seniors beat Team Bay Area Golfers A from the USA by mere 2 points. Team TGIS Seniors composed of Bobong Cabang, Monchit Mackay, Oca Rebosura, Ali mar Etrone and Fabian Javier topped the Seniors division with an aggregate score of 338 Molave points followed closely by Team Bay Area Golfers-A who fell short on their final day charge with 336 points output. Team MGC-WC Mimosa 1 from Pampanga tallied 329 points good enough for 3rd place honors.
Fun,drinks and food fol lowed at the awarding cer emony held at the Davao Eaglemasters Driving Range in Davao Crocodile Park with the winners for the tradi tional raffle prizes sharing the limelight with the tour nament winners.
With Apo Agua Infra structura, Inc. (Apo Agua) taking over and ramping up works for the construction of the P12-billion Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP), Davao residents are expected to benefit from a new and sustainable water source by the first quarter of 2023.
The DCBWSP of Davao City Water District (DCWD) is the first of its kind in the country. It is designed to fol low the water-energy nexus concept, where renewable energy will be generated through an integrated hy droelectric power plant. With this state-of-the-art landmark project, Davao
City will now have access to both surface water from the Tamugan river, and its cur rent ground well sources.
The DCBWSP encoun tered setbacks during the pandemic, compounded by other internal contribut ing factors. However, Apo Agua’s timely intervention by taking control over the construction activities was necessary to mitigate the ef fects of these.
“Despite on-going dif ficulties in the transition, the project has resumed construction across civil, mechanical, and electrical works in all areas, including road restoration along the Treated Water Pipeline. We
have spent the last month completing the takeover of the works from our previ ous contractor, gaining pos session of critical materials and equipment, and mobi lizing key construction con tractors on site,” said Apo Agua President Anna Lu.
Apo Agua has mobilized multiple seasoned contrac tors and works are expect ed to be at full capacity by October 2022. “The project is being fast-tracked by hir ing a team of experienced construction management professionals. In addition to this, various contractors with credible track records in bulk water facilities and large-scale complex projects
have been engaged in order to implement as many par allel activities as possible, ” Lu said.
Testing and commis sioning to ensure water quality will be conducted simultaneously with the construction works to fur ther expedite the project’s completion. A thorough test of every piece of equipment is required to ensure their durability and longevity in the provision of safe drink ing water throughout its expected operation of about 30 years.
Supply in District II will be significantly augmented by the DCBWSP which will deliver over two-thirds of
its production to DCWD reservoirs in the area. Delivery of water to DCWD is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023 at Tugbok, subject to their acceptance, and will pro gressively ramp up to Cabantian, Mandug, Calinan, Taland ang, Indangan, Panacan, and Dumoy, by the second quarter of 2023.
As we move in sync with the demands of a hyper-con nected world, the role of home internet connection has become more relevant than ever. That’s why the name of the game no longer just stops at speed, but how it extends to making homes greater with life essentials and unparalleled customer service that allow each fam ily member to thrive and succeed in this fast-evolving digital age.
Welcome to GFi ber-Strong City
To bring #ExtraGDay to its users, Globe At Home took them on an immersive jour ney through GFiber-Strong City, where they got to expe rience first hand the power of GFiber connectivity and what life-changing oppor tunities it can bring to their homes to be able to thrive in a hyper-connected world.
“We wanted to demon strate through this event how Globe At Home contin ues to redefine the fiber ex perience for Filipinos with
our GFiber offerings that go beyond unlimited connectiv ity and speed. Through GFi ber, we bring customers into the Globe ecosystem to uplift the lives of every Filipino family by supporting them in their pursuits anchored on the things they are passion ate about and giving them more confidence to be great because they are backed by Globe’s reliable fiber,” said Ja nis Racpan, Head of Globe At Home Brand Management.
The brand showcased the ultra-speeds its postpaid plans offer and all the kinds of things families can do with a GFiber subscription. Partic ipants were also able to expe rience GFiber’s rich lifestyle and entertainment partners, and learn about Globe At Home’s rewards and innova tive wifi promos.
Several Globe At Home ambassadors joined the event, including Kryz and Slater Young, lifestyle content creators and owners of an in telligent home; Jim Bacarro and Saab Magalona, one of
the podcast show pioneers in the country; as well as Bian ca Gonzalez, actress, TV host, and proud mother of two.
The future is now with GFiber Globe At Home has been ramping up its custom ers' migration to fiber and introducing innovative connectivity products in re sponse to the demand for faster and more reliable in ternet connection at home as millions shifted to a hy brid work or learning setup. GFiber can even power up homes with up to 1Gbps in internet speeds, which means uninterrupted and high-quality digital experi ence for every household member.
Make homes greater with WiFi-strong connec tions
Families can experience the power of connectivity right in their own homes with any of the GFiber plans available. With GFiber Unli Plan 1699, they can enjoy up to 150mbps fiber connectiv
ity that would allow them to stream high quality videos, increase their productivity and even create a seamless intelligent home experience.
Globe At Home also re cently launched the fiber-tothe-room or FTTR technol ogy–the first in Southeast Asia. This new WiFi solution allows users to enjoy the strongest, most consistent, and fastest fiber connectivity at home as fiber is extend ed to the individual rooms of the home. It works best with 1Gbps fiber connectiv ity powered by GFiber Unli Plan 7499 as it provides full home Gigabit WiFi coverage. Aside from making video calls, streaming videos in 8K HD, or playing online games without any interruptions, users can also enjoy a better intelligent home experience with FTTR technology.
In a video, Kryz and Slater Young discussed how they are able to enjoy better family experiences because of their intelligent home and how crucial it is to have an internet connection that can power up their gadgets.
“It’s important to have a well-connected home be cause all our smart home gadgets run on the internet so it’s important to have high-
speed connection, which is made possible by Globe At Home,” said Slater Young.
Make homes greater with life and entertainment essentials that matter
GFiber plans also come with complimentary sub scriptions to entertainment content that bring joy, inspi ration, and creativity. Cus tomers can enjoy 3-month exclusive access to Amazon Prime video, HBO Go, Viu, and the latest addition to this power line up, discovery+.
They can also make sure to prioritize their health by getting a free 3-month fami ly access to licensed Filipino doctors via the telehealth service KonsultaMD with their GFiber subscription.
“We believe that having access to different content platforms can definitely fuel one’s creativity.
That’s why we’re so hap py that with our GFiber plan, we’re able to access a wide array of world-class stream ing apps,” said Jim Bacarro.
Globe At Home contin ues to power up customers’ digital lifestyle as it enables them to enjoy uninterrupted gaming and elevated digital experiences–all made pos sible by GFiber’s ultra-fast connectivity.
Make homes greater with unparalleled customer care
To make sure that its customers get the best expe rience, Globe At Home offers guaranteed 24- hour instal lation and 24-hour repair visit. They also extend access to ramped up rewards and a seamless experience via the OneGlobe plan. Meanwhile, VIP customers who avail of GFiber Unli Plan 2499 and up are given exclusive access to a VIP customer service hotline and Globe VIP Home Squad–a team of profes sional tech-experts ready to assist customers with their home WiFi and digital needs.
“All of us at home enjoy the strong and seamless con nection because of GFiber, and I especially appreciate the fast and efficient custom er service, all in just a few clicks” shared Bianca Gonza lez.
Globe At Home contin ues to work hard to give its customers the full GFiber experience and to bring the far-reaching benefits of fiber connectivity to every Filipi no household to make more homes greater.
Life made greater. Apply for a Globe At Home GFiber Unli plan today via
FROM 2
CEB is the first local carri er to restart international flights from Davao since the pandemic.
On October 30, 2022, CEB will begin operating three times a week from Davao to Singapore, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Flight 5J 715 is scheduled to depart Fran cisco Bangoy International
FROM 2
Airport at 5:15PM, and is set to arrive at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4 at 9:10PM. Its return flight, 5J 716, is scheduled to leave Singapore at 9:55PM, and is estimated to arrive in Davao at 1:40AM the next day.
“We are happy for that positive development,” Tan said.
province with the device, he said the DYNASLOPE entails a million-peso al location to acquire.
Phivolcs initially in stalled the device in the upland villages of Kinarum and Bacong in the towns of Magpet, and Tulunan, respectively, which are both consid ered mountainside land
slide-prone areas.
On Sept 23, DOST-Phi volcs representatives led by Science Research Spe cialist II Christelle Juin R. Ancha, and Senior Science Research Specialist Hari anne J. Gasmen presented the DYNASLOPE project before provincial officials and PDRRMO personnel here. (PNA)
will open on Friday. This is a showcase of everything that Sta. Cruz has to offer in terms of agricultural products, pre-industrial, and tourism program to be participated by different
barangays through friendly competitions,” Paner said
There will be a grand parade on Oct. 5 within the thoroughfares that is expected to be participat ed by all sectors.
“locally-sourced products to a ready market.”
The fair, organized in coordination with the Mindanao Trade Expo sition, will be held at the Abreeza Mall from Oct. 18 to 22.
On Oct. 20, Eblamo said the CCDO will also conduct a “Cooperative Leaders Conversation” where participating agen cies will answer questions from cooperative mem bers concerning cooper ative permits, tax exemp tions, packages, licensing, and regulatory require ments. (PNA)
FROM 2
alleged government abuse to hide their real objective of overthrowing the gov ernment.
“Para ang demokrasiya natin ay palitan ng komu nismo. ‘Yun naman talaga (To transform our democ racy into communism. That’s it). The root cause of insurgency is not social in justice. It is the CPP-NPA’s goal to seize power,” Dela Rosa added.
The former national police chief said he re spects the recent ruling of the Manila Regional Trial Court to dismiss the pe tition to declare the CPPNPA as a terrorist organi zation but was dismayed by it.
Dela Rosa is eyeing the institutionalization of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) through Senate Bill 200 or
the ELCAC Act.
Former president Ro drigo Duterte signed Ex ecutive Order No. 70 on Dec. 4 2018, creating the NTF-ELCAC to “provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the imple mentation of the whole-ofnation approach to aid in the realization of collective aspirations for inclusive and sustainable peace.”
The Barangay Devel opment Program (BDP) is a hallmark program of the NTF-ELCAC, with the end goal of bringing de velopment to former con flict-prone communities.
The BDP initially iden tified 822 villages na tionwide that will receive PHP20 million each for farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water and san itation systems, health sta tions and livelihood proj ects. (PNA)
FROM 5
liquidity, among others, Trinh said.
The US Federal Reserve had also signaled further interest rate hikes in the near term and the intent to keep the US borrowing rate elevated until 2024.
coming weeks together with 24/7 manpower be cause we committed na ang timeline nato to deliver the treated water in the first optic point sa Tugbok sa DCWD in the first qurater of 2023,” Capili told media during Kapehan sa Dabaw.
Capili said Mayor Se bastian “Baste” Duterte has also ordered Apo Agua to expedite the project time line.
“We have a meeting with our management team and committee team with Mayor Baste last week and shared to him the progress of the project. Mayor Baste is supportive sa vision nato sa project and he asked us to expedite the project timeline at the same time to share to the public ang updates ani. Ang atoang goal is to achieve the target delivery sa first optic point nato sa water reservoir sa DCWD in Tug bok in the first quarter of 2023,” she said.
The project is envi sioned to be a more sus tainable source of water that would go through a treatment process to in crease the water supply in Davao City.
Meanwhile, Jovana Cresta Duhaylungsod, deputy spokesperson of DCWD, reported that as of Friday last week, DCWD has already fully recovered in its operation.
She said all of the areas that have been affected by Line 2 water service inter ruption have already recov ered but is still continuous ly monitored including the other water supply system.
“Para kung naa ta’y mahatag na intervention we will be able to provide immediately. Right now we look forrwad sa atoang operation becaue we have several na naka line up na activities specially i-ad dress tong mga areas na dili 24 hours ang ilahang water supply,” she said.
The Congressional Pol icy and Budget Research Department showed that the total available appro priations of the DICT and its attached agencies for 2023 will amount to P9.82 billion, lower by P5 billion or by 33.8 percent, com pared with P14.84 billion in 2022.
The CPBRD also
about that. I voiced them to (Nets owner) Joe (Tsai), and we moved forward from there.”
Durant said he had been encourgaged by Marks’ roster moves during the close season.
“I liked what we did, what Sean put togeth
flagged the agency for the P7 billion in unused appropriations in 2021. It said the DICT’s dis bursement rate remains low at 26.9 percent from 23.3 percent in 2020.
New DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy earlier said he plans to raise the budget utilization of the agency.
er this summer with the team,” Durant said, add ing that talks with team ownership and manage ment had put his mind at rest.
“We came to a mutual agreement that we should keep moving forward,” he said.
the passage of this mea sure shall yield an estimated P73.1 billion additional rev enues over a period of five years.
The peso has weak ened to the 58-level against the US dollar, which Fitch Solutions said is the local unit’s weakest for 18 years.
“If the BSP chooses to stand pat in subsequent
meetings as the US Fed continues to hike, real interest rate differentials could widen in favor of the US and trigger capi tal outflows, exacerbating downside volatility for the peso,” it added. (PNA)
“We also expect to re duce opportunities for cor ruption and improve tax payer experience through the modernization of tax administration procedures. We aim to boost taxpayer morale by building trust and legitimacy between the government and taxpayers, as this will ultimately trans late to more services for our people,” Salceda said.
Salceda said tedious tax administration results in lower ease of doing busi ness.
terprise surveys, tax rates and tax administration are among the major con straints firms face in their everyday operations. This is in large part because of the one-size-fits-all approach given to the currently limit ed classification of taxpay ers despite differences in capacity to comply with tax requirements. The pandem ic further magnified these tax compliance constraints. While the BIR is transition ing into digitizing its ser vices, we must ensure that procedures for taxpayers are not tedious,” Salceda said.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) on Tuesday morning declined by 249.29 points or 3.98 percent to 6,010.25 level, as of 10:50 a.m.
“In the World Bank En
Meanwhile, the peso has dipped to as low as 58.96 to $1 in the intra day trading as of 10:30 a.m.
“This record-set ting deal shows Globe’s commitment to capital efficiency and financial sustainability. Through this initiative, we ensure our balance sheet health, which allows us to prop
erly complete and fortify our market leading po sition,” Globe Chief Fi nance Officer Rosemarie Maniego-Eala said.
Globe’s rival, PLDT Inc, earlier sold over 5,900 tel co towers for P77 billion.
knows how much interest rates will really increase “but clearly, the peso will be affected by further mon etary tightening in the US.”
To date, the peso is trad ing at the 58-level against the US dollar after starting the year at 51-level.
At the end of the Article IV Consultation, held from Sept. 12 to 26, among the policy recommendations include that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will provide “clear commu nication about inflation.”
This, as it noted “BSP’s forward looking policy in tentions can help reduce uncertainty and improve policy transmission.”
Lim declined to fore cast how many more hikes the BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) will decide for the year.
She said whenever there are disorderly market conditions, there is really a need for a foreign exchange intervention (FSI).
“Now, how much and when that should take place? We leave it to the capable judgment of BSP.
The House will submit the bill to the Senate for ac tion.
They can decide on the timing and by how much they could intervene,” she added.
The BSP’s key rates have been increased by a total of 225 basis points since last May due to the rise in domestic inflation rate and to address interest rate differential with the US.
Markets forecast the BSP to continue hiking rates as the Fed remains in tightening mode.
Philippine monetary authorities, in turn, vowed to do “follow-through ac tion to anchor inflation expectations and pre vent price pressures from becoming further en trenched.”
“The domestic econ omy can accommodate a reasonable tightening of the monetary policy stance, as demand has general ly held firm owing to im proved employment out turns and ample liquidity and credit,” the BSP said in a statement issued after the MB’s rate setting meeting last Sept. 22. (PNA)
The
International Volleyball Fed eration (FIVB) has reaffirmed the appointment of Ramon “Tats” Suzara as Secretary of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commis sion during the FIVB 38th World Con gress held over the weekend in Arn hem, The Netherlands.
In the same event, the FIVB also named Suzara, president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federa tion (PNVF), as scrutineer for the 2022 World Con gress.
“The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commis sion is tasked to strength en and empower national team programs around the world,” said Suzara, who was joined in the congress
NEW YORK -- Brook lyn Nets head coach Steve Nash played down Kevin Durant’s trade request on Monday, insisting the superstar was “on the same page” as the team prepares for the new season.
Durant shocked bas ketball in June after re questing a trade, less than a year after he signed a four-year $198 million contract extension to re main in Brooklyn.
Durant is reported to have given Nets owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum, to ei ther grant his request for a trade or fire Nash and Nets manager Sean Marks.
The standoff appeared to have been resolved last month when the Nets said in a statement that Durant would remain with the club following clear the air talks.
Speaking at the Nets media day on Monday,
Nash said Durant’s trade request was part-and-par cel of life in the NBA.
“Families go through things like this,” Nash told reporters. “You go through adversity, you go through disagreements.
“This is not new to the NBA. It has happened doz ens of times; I’m sure ev ery organization has faced that. So, you know, it’s a part of the process. It’s a part of working in this business. It’s super com petitive.
“We’re all prideful. We all have expectations, and when we get dinged up like we did last year, you know, everyone’s disap pointed. We cleared the air and we spoke and we got on the same page.”
Brooklyn had hoped to challenge for an NBA Championship last sea son, building their roster around the talents of Du rant, James Harden and
Kyrie Irving.
However the Nets big three failed to deliver, and Harden was traded away to the Philadelphia 76ers in February.
The Nets were later swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Durant said Monday he had sought a move af ter becoming concerned that the team would not be capable of challenging for championships.
“As last season went on, you see what hap pened with our season, guys in and out of the line up, injuries, just a lot of uncertainty, which built some doubt in my mind about the next four years in my career,” Durant said.
“I’m getting older and I want to be in a place that’s stable and trying to build a championship cul ture. So I had some doubts
by PNVF secretary general Donaldo Caringal. “As a na tional federation represen tative, we are so proud to be chosen here.”
The program, Suzara said, covers 222 national teams. He is joined in the commission by representa tives from Canada, Kenya, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Maldives.
Suzara said the Commis sion will draft the best guide
lines on how to improve national team programs. This includes assignment of foreign coaches, friendly matches and exposures.
“They’re all aimed to en hance competition levels,” said Suzara, adding that a naturalization policy is also tops on the commission’s agenda.
“We are here together with the five other coun tries to help the FIVB create
policies that will strengthen all the national team pro grams,” he said. “It’s not only the Philippines but the en tire world.”
The congress also tackled the 2023 Volley ball Nations League (VNL) with the Philippines again guaranteed to host one leg.
The PNVF hosted a women and men leg last June at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
(PR)
CHAMPIONS. Members of the Ateneo de Davao University 48-above team during the awarding ceremonies of the recent Inter-Ateneo Alumni Football Friendlies at the Azuela Cove.
Davao’s top amateur golfer Ej Casintahan, Class A champion, and promising Enzo Magno, Class C champion show their trophies in the recent 12th Davao Eaglemasters Golf Tourna ment. Contributed photo by Roland Jumawan
reboot being undergone by the Philippine Track and Field Associa tion (PATAFA) has trickled down to the local chapters.
On Tuesday, the Davao City Track and Field Association formally elected its interim set of officers to kickstart a new era of the dormant organiza tion.
Race organizer Kenneth Sai was unanimously elected President of the association in an elections that followed a stakeholders meeting initiat ed by PATAFA Executive Vice President Dr. Guillermo “Willy” Torres, president of the Uni versity of Mindanao.
Sai is the son of the late sports editor and organizer Victorio Sai, who was also at the helm of the Davao City Sports Council for almost two decades.
“I take on the challenge of reviving the association as well
as planning new programs to develop athletics in the city,” said Sai.
Also elected as interim of ficers are Vice President Jose Alther Rivera, Secretary Gener al Jhay Acedo, Treasurer Ramil Torregosa, PIO Roel Ano and Director Emilio Lacanaria.
Torres, who was elected PATAFA EVP along with new Patafa President Terry Cap istrano last June, expressed elation over the revival of the association.
“It’s a fresh start for us,” said Torres.
Torres and Capistrano, teammates with the DeLa Sal le University track team in the 70s, were elected to PATAFA after the resignation of former chief Philip Ella Juico.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) national executive vice president and regional director Willie Torres Jr. convened coaches and other stakeholders for the reorganization of PATAFA Region XI chapter at the Royal Mandaya Hotel Tuesday, Sept. 27.