TheCommission on Higher Education 11 (CHED 11) announced that medi cal schools and schools offering med ical allied programs in Davao City commit ted to continue requiring real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests to students upon enrol ment.
The requirement will also cover the start of hos pital rotation, according to Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Davao City Covid-19 Task Force.
“Kay sila man to ang high risk sa infection and exposed sila sa mga hos pitals,” Schlosser said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday.
Schlosser said this is the commitment of CHED 11 in the efforts of prevent ing infection in the incom ing full blast face-to-face classes on November 2, 2022.
CHED and the De
partment of Education 11 (DepEd 11) are now gear ing for the full F2F classes together with the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force.
Schlosser said during their meeting last Septem ber 30, 2022, CHED and DepEd 11 committed also to intensify school-based vaccinatees coupled with information education campaign (IEC) to the vac
The bamboo industry now becomes a pri ority sector in Davao del Norte with the issu ance of an executive order by Provincial Governor Edwin I. Jubahib on creat ing a team for investment planning of such commod ity.
Executive Order No. 39 Series of 2022 is founded on Executive Order No. 879 series of 2010 creat ing the Philippine Bamboo
Industry Development Council (PBIDC), seeking to promote the bamboo industry development project and to prioritize the use of Bamboo in fur niture, fixtures, and other construction require ments of government.
In his executive order, Gov. Jubahib expressed the support of the provincial government to for green products and the market ing for traditional bamboo
products.
He cited Bamboo as “cost-effective and attrac tive complement and or alternative to plastic, met al and wood materials, “which has great potential of generating more jobs and self-employment op portunities in Davao del Norte.”
He thereby mandated to create the Provincial Core Planning Team for the formulation of Pro
vincial Commodity Invest ment Plan for Bambo in Davao del Norte.
Chaired by Provincial Administrator Josie Jean Rabanoz, the Team is coled by Sangguniang Pan lalawigan Board Member Nicandro Suaybaguio Jr of the 1st District of Davao del Norte.
The Team is mandated to spearhead the overall management of activi
The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tues day night formally denied that China has in cluded the Philippines in its blacklist for tourism.
“The report of ‘tourist blacklist’ is misinforma tion. China has not placed the Philippines on its blacklist for tourism,” it said.
Hours earlier, the embassy issued a sep arate statement saying “tourism is an important component of practical cooperation between Chi na and the Philippines” and that it expects “more Chinese tourists to come to this country after the pandemic.”
The clarification came after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri cited information from a meet ing with Chinese Ambas sador Huang Xilian that the Philippines had been blacklisted due to the Philippine Offshore Gam ing Operators (POGOs) operating in the country.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Zubiri said “it was lost in translation and what the good Am bassador meant was we could be possible black listed as he mentioned they do that to countries who promote gambling for their countrymen.”
He said the Senate re spected the statement as one of careful diplomacy as the Chinese Embassy did not want to raise “any diplomatic alarm bells.”
“Don’t shoot the mes
senger,” Zubiri appealed.
The Chinese govern ment established in 2020 a blacklist system for tourist sites in response to emerging gambling overseas destinations at tracting Chinese tourists.
In several instances, lawmakers had called to ban POGO operations in the country after report ed crimes associated with it, among them murder, kidnapping, scamming, and prostitution, mostly involving Chinese nation als.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairperson of the House of Representatives Com mittee on Dangerous Drugs, earlier said at least 300,000 Chinese tourists have entered the country since 2016 and most of them ended up as POGO workers.
In its previous state ment, the Chinese Em bassy emphasized that Beijing firmly opposes POGO operations.
“Crimes induced by and associated with POGO not only harm Chi na’s interests and Chi na-Philippines relations but also hurt the interests of the Philippines,” it said.
“It is therefore widely believed that social costs of POGO far outweigh its economic benefits to the Philippines in the long run and POGO should be tackled from the root so as to address the social ills in a sweeping man ner.” (PNA)
Davao de Oro Gover nor Dorothy Mon tejo-Gonzaga and Vice Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy led on Monday the commitment signing of the Davao de Oro Exec utive Legislative Agenda (ELA) 2023-2025.
Governor Gonzaga de scribed the ELA as a vehi cle steered by the officials towards a better province in 2025.
“It’s the boat. It’s the ship. It’s the very vehicle na sakyan natong tanan kung asa to dadon ni Gov ug ni Vice Gov ug sa mga SP. Bawal ang moambak, malomos ta. Bawal ang manglansang ug magsi pa-sipa sa atong barko, labi na nga limitado baya ang atong resources. Wa tay ipaayo.” (It’s the boat. It’s the ship. It’s the very vehicle that we will ride as steered by the Gover nor, Vice Governor, and SP Members.
The chief executive asked for cooperation and prayers as the provincial government implements the projects as stated in
the ELA
“So we need your ut most cooperation. We need your prayers nga magkahiusa gyud ta nga mapadayon natong smooth sailing ang pag dagan sa atong barko hangtod moabot ta did tos dungguanan nato sa 2025.”
On his part, Vice Gov ernor Uy expressed the full support of the Sang guniang Panlalawigan (SP) in the current ad ministration.
“Kami sa SP, in behalf of all the board members, kay sila man gyud ang bida ani. Kami muhatag og 100 percent support sa atong bagong gober nador sa iyang direksyon, vision sa atong probinsya, (ug) sa mga lakang pa na mas mapalambo pa gyud nato ang atong probinsya sa Davao de Oro,” he said. (We in the SP, in behalf of all the board members, since they are main char acters on this. We will give our 100 percent sup port to our new governor
Al Ryan Alejandre has called on the city government and local agencies to review and reorganize the cross-border travel policies in Davao City.
This came in the after math of an incident where an Australian investor, who arrived in Davao City to discuss business and investment with a Davaobased entrepreneur, was not allowed to enter the city despite presenting a negative RT-PCR result 48 hours before his arrival in Davao City.
“With that, he was immediately deported as advised by the Bureau of Quarantine because he was unvaccinated. The reason that was given for his exclusion was because of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 168 series of 2022, issued on May 26, 2022. The said Resolution pro
vides that unvaccinated foreign nationals shall be denied admission into the country and shall be sub jected to the appropriate exclusion proceedings. A perusal of the IATF Res olution would show that this protocol was placed towards foreign nation als entering the Philip pines, to minimize the cross-border transmis sion of the virus,” Alejan dre said in his privilege speech in the session of the City Council on Tues day.
Alejandre, chair of the Committee on Tour ism, said accordingly, the Davao International Air port (DIA) had been ex cluding unvaccinated for eigners due to the same concern.
“The Bureau of Quar antine (BOQ), however, explained to my friend that an unvaccinated foreigner may enter the country or the city, pro vided that a local gov ernment unit or LGU will issue an acceptance of FDAD, P10
The Davao City Invest ment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) will embark on a second round of discussion with an In dian business delegation for possible investment in Davao City.
DCIPC head April Ma rie Dayap said during their meeting in February this year, the group has ex pressed interest to invest in
Davao City in agribusiness and medical sectors.
“Naay indian business delegation nagpahayag ug interest. Sila to among un ang na meet this year. Nag virtual meeting mi last year then we met February this year. There are about more than 10 businessmen nga nikuyog ato nga face-toface na meeting. Kato na time ang nag express ug
desire naa sa agribusiness sector or naa pud sa medi cal sector like pharmaceu ticals, processing sa tambal ingon ana na mga sector. In fact, naa tay second round with them this coming No vember with the indian business delegation,” Day ap said.
Apart from the Indian delegation, Dayap also said that the Sri Lankan busi
ness sector also expressed their desire to come in No vember and meet her as well.
Dayap added that a lot of Japanese, Korean, and Chi nese businessmen are ag gressive when it comes to in vestment in Davao City and most them are in agribusi ness with focus on Davao’s coffee and cacao industries.
By Maya M. PadilloThe pandemic has increased interest to have insurance coverage, according to an official of Manulife Philip pines who said the “new normal” encouraged more Filipinos to buy insurance products online.
In a briefing on Tues day, Manulife Philippines chief marketing officer Melissa Henson said sales through their digital chan nel grew by almost 200 percent since the pandem ic started, bulk of which are for life insurance and medical or health-related insurance.
Citing the results of the nationwide online survey that the company conducted in partnership with InSites Consulting in May 2022, Henson said the respondents’ positive experiences with online transactions have encour aged them to purchase insurance and investment products through digital means.
The survey was par ticipated by 500 Filipinos
who were not necessarily Manulife policy holders.
Primary consideration is convenience at 45 per cent, and was followed by security, 22 percent, and protection, 17 percent, she said.
Results of the survey titled “The Modern Filipi no Family: Exploring fam ily dynamics and digitali zation in the new normal”, showed that in the past 12 months, around 25 per cent of the respondents who belong to Generation X and around 33 percent of the Millennials pur chased insurance prod ucts online.
Also, 41 percent of those who belong to Gen eration Z intend to buy insurance products in the next 12 months, Henson said.
She said results of their latest online study are in line with results of their past surveys where in respondents indicated the need to have insur ance coverage to protect
the Chinese market, which is the country’s second top source of travel ers pre-pandemic, could slow down the country’s tourism recovery, the Tour ism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said Tuesday.
The statement came following a report that China has included the Philippines in its blacklist of tourist sites amid the Philippine Offshore Gam ing Operators’ (POGO) continuing operations in the country.
“China was our second
largest market prior to the pandemic and if that will be a market we will lose coming out of the pandemic, we may have a longer path to recovering our previous tourism fig ures,” TCP President Jojo Clemente III said in a text message.
Clemente believes it is time for the govern ment to “reassess” the presence of POGOs in the Philippines, stating that tourism could “more than make up” for the possible revenue loss.
“We will definitely touch bases with the DOT (Department of Tourism) on how this situation can be resolved as soon as possible to head off any adverse effects on the tourism industry,” he add ed.
Prior to the pandem
ic, tourism contribution to the country’s economy reached over 12 percent. Foreign and domestic tourism expenditure in 2019 hit around around PHP548.76 billion and PHP2.4 trillion, respec tively, which sustained 5.71 tourism jobs.
Based on the Depart ment of Tourism (DOT) data, at least 1,743,309 Chinese nationals visited the country in the same year.
Following a meeting
Global growth is ex pected to slow fur ther next year, the IMF said Tuesday, down grading its forecasts as countries grapple with the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, spi raling cost-of-living and economic downturns.
The world economy has been dealt multiple
blows, with the war in Ukraine driving up food and energy prices fol lowing the coronavirus outbreak, while soaring costs and rising interest rates threaten to rever berate around the globe.
“This year’s shocks will re-open economic wounds that were only partially healed post-pan
demic,” said International Monetary Fund economic counsellor Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas in a blog post accompanying the fund’s latest World Economic Outlook.
More than a third of the global economy is headed for contraction this year or next, and the three biggest economies
– the United States, Eu ropean Union and China – will continue to stall, he warned.
“The worst is yet to come and, for many peo ple 2023 will feel like a recession,” said Gourin chas.
In its report, the IMF trimmed its 2023 global
Automotive vehicles sales in September 2022 jumped by 64.2 percent to 35,282 units from 21,493 units in the same month last year, the Chamber of Automo tive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) re ported Tuesday.
Sales of passenger cars and commercial ve hicles both increased by double digits at 21.2 per cent and 83.1 percent, re spectively.
Year-on-year passen ger car sales went up to 7,976 units from 6,580 units, while commercial vehicle sales increased to 27,306 units from 14,913 units.
Month-on-month, in dustry sales also rose by 16.9 percent from sales in August at 30,185 units.
CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said the industry has started to see an increase in de mand for new vehicles
last month.
“The automotive in dustry foresees a contin ued growth in the latter part of the year, benefit ting from the improving economy based on the recent growth forecast of 6.5 percent this year – attributed to strong do mestic demand and con tinued easing of pandem ic restrictions,” Gutierrez said.
Meanwhile, CAMPI and TMA sales for Jan uary to September this year improved by 29.5 percent to 248,154 units from 191,605 units in the same period last year.
Year-to-date, growth was supported by strong sales in commercial vehi cles, rising by 44 percent to 188,096 units from 60,982 units.
On the other hand, passenger car sales in the first three quarters of the year fell 1.5 percent to 60,058 units from 60,982 vehicles sold in 2021.
Thegovernment is expected to an nounce its “specific” plans and pro grams to address the soaring prices of fuel, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
This developed af ter President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., during the 11th Cabinet meeting held at Mala cañan Palace on Tuesday, looked into the persistent calls for the suspension of excise tax on petroleum products.
In a Palace press brief ing, Press Secretary offi cer-in-charge Cheloy Ga rafil said Marcos and his Cabinet are eyeing several
“options” to mitigate the impact of fuel price hikes on the public transport sector.
“Nagku-consider sila ng mga option and in time, mag-a-announce sila ng mga (They are considering options, and in time, they will announce) specific plans and programs to ad dress that issue,” she said.
Garafil, however, did not give other details about the government’s
plans.
Several transport groups on Sunday reiter ated its plea for the gov ernment to suspend the collection of excise tax on petroleum products for three to four months.
The Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines president Ricardo Rebaño said the suspension is a “win-win solution,” noting that it is a better solution than im posing another round of fare hike that will merely burden the commuters.
Following the signing
of Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Ac celeration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law), the govern ment is currently impos ing an excise tax rate of PHP10 per liter for gaso line and PHP6 per liter for diesel.
Last week, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tar riela filed a bill aimed at cushioning the impact of high gasoline and diesel prices by applying pro gressive excise taxation on fuel.
Under Tarriela’s House Bill 3628, the excise tax
Industry sources expect the suggested retail price of sugar to hit P85 per kilo as imports under Sugar Order No. 2 start to arrive.
Sugar production by lo cal millers have also start ed.
The remaining import ed sugar is expected to ar rive before November 15.
“Landed cost po ang ating tinitignan. At the same time alam din po na
tin na ang ating mga millers po ay nagumpisa na. Meron na rin po tayong local sug ar,” DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said.
(We are looking at land ed cost. At the same time we also know that our mill ers have started processing their sugar. We also have local sugar.)
“So, we have to look into the supply both yung in angkat at yung local and to
come up with the price na hindi rin po malulugi yung ating local and at the same time yung ating consumers po kaya na nila magiging af fordable po ang asukal,” she added.
(So we have to look into the supply, both the import ed and the local, and come up with a price so that our local producers will not lose money and consumers will be able to afford it.)
Industry sources said the P85 per kilo price was possible because local sug ar production was current ly at P65, which is higher than the previous year due to high cost of farming.
“Most likely within the week, we will be able to have the exact price that is equitable not only doon sa ating mga importers na tu mutulong din po pababain
Davao
on
and
“It cannot be denied that other countries had already eased up their restrictions towards us Filipinos. Hence, it is really high time that we have to review our cross-border travel policies. It should never be a hindrance for us to rebuild our tourism industry since it is relevant to the growth of our economy.”
With information technol ogy sweeping across our daily activities, everything seems to be just a click away.
A good example is modern banking.
In the past, we had to phys ically go to the bank to do such transactions as deposits and withdrawals. Although it is still being practiced, most peo ple make their banking trans actions off-counter through automated teller machines (ATMs).
Personally, this may be good for the younger gener ations but to senior citizens and the non-techie persons, it seems to be more of a chal lenge than convenience.
Let me share a story from a social media post.
A thirtysomething man spent an hour in the bank with his father as he had to trans fer some money. He couldn’t resist asking his father why he is still doing such a thing. “Why don’t you activate your internet banking,” the son told his father, who replied why he
needed to do that.
“Well,” the son said, “then you won’t have to spend an hour here for things like trans fer. You can even do your shop ping online. Everything will be easy.”
The son, who’s already married, was so excited about initiating his father into the world of online banking. “If I do that, I won’t have to step out of the house?” the father asked.
The son answered affir matively. He even told him that even groceries can be de livered at the door and how Shopee or Lazada deliver ev erything. The father faced his son and said these words:
“Since I entered this bank today, I have met four of my friends. I have chatted a while with the staff who know me very well by now. You know, I am alone now and this is the bank that I need. I like to get ready and come to the bank. I have enough time and it is the physical touch that I crave.
“Two years ago, I got sick.
The store owner from whom I buy canned goods came to see me and sat by my bedside and cried. When your mother fell down a few days back while on her morning walk, our local grocer saw her and immedi ately got in his car to rush her home as he knows where I live.
“Would I have that ‘human touch’ if everything became online? Why would I want ev erything delivered to me and force me to interact with just my computer? I like to know the person that I’m dealing with and not just the ‘seller.’ It creates bonds of relation ships.”
The post generated mas sive reactions – mostly posi tive.
These are among the many posts:
“So true and I think more people should be thinking like this instead of letting machines do the thinking for them. I am for going into the bank, stores, etc. so I can actually see that humans still exist.”
“When it was time for my
father to say farewell, his bank helped my mother so much. The staff adored my parents and helped my mother and family out so much. My moth er was grieving for her mate and loving husband after 70 years of happy marriage so the help was so appreciated and greatly required.”
“The younger generations think nothing of living their lives through the internet. My sentiment is the same about life, living the old way – inter acting with humans.”
“Every word is so true and I feel the same way.”
“Absolutely beautiful deri vation of ill effects of internet banking and online procure ment. Internet has totally tak en away our physical activities and human touch.”
A retired professor react ed: “Absolutely positively true. As we get older, we need to stay in touch with all friends, family, and all humans per sonally – face to face. Sitting at home by yourself can be oh so lonely.”
“So true,” another retiree agreed. “That’s why I think those who do everything on line are missing many plea sures. I’m a people person and love talking with my old and new friends face to face.”
There was also some neg ative feedback. “Quite true but this overpopulation, rush life, long queue, and parking being a nightmare, it’s heaven sent that one can do most of these boring chores online,” one commented.
Another commented: “I do a little online shopping and I’m pleased we have it and can pay bills online. But nothing beats going out to do things, busi ness or pleasure.”
Online banking is good but like all technological inven tions, there are some down sides too.
A few things like you can’t do online business if the serv er is down or when there is no internet.
Lastly, watch out for phish ing and identity thieves!
If grumpiness has some thing to do with old age, 74-year-old Jesuit priest Fr. Raimundo Peruga’s mood swings were expected. With so much to do and attend TO his missionary obligations, his health was also affected by troublesome rheuma tism.
In a letter to Fr. Salva dor Giralt, SJ, dated March 21, 1914, Fr, Peruga, known for his candor, wrote of an incident that month while in search of a craft to deliv er him to Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. For two weeks he scoured the streets of Davao inquiring if there was an available launch bound for the south. He inquired near by for every possible source but ‘all of them entertained me day after day with rea sons, excuses, and lies.’
It was only in the after noon of March 5 that a Chi
nese told him of a scheduled trip: ‘Tomorrow my launch leaves for the south, and you can embark on it.’ ‘What time?’ the padre asked. The Chinese said: ‘I can’t tell the time right now: come tomor row at seven and I’ll tell you.’ They agreed to meet the fol lowing day.
‘According to the ap pointment,’ Fr. Peruga wrote, ‘I went to the house of the Chinese the next day, and he told me that his boat, an chored in Santa Ana about three kilometers from [San Pedro Church], would leave for the south between nine and ten that morning. I im mediately paid the ticket, and at eight o’clock I took a carriage, which cost me one peso, which brought me to the aforementioned port of Santa Ana.’
To remind the Chinese where he was going, he re
peated his destinations as Astorga and Santa Cruz. But, to his surprise, the launch owner told him of a change in terminus, saying: ‘Well, you can return to your convent. The plan has been changed. We no longer go south, but north.’ The padre insisted he had already purchased a ticket, but the Chinese insist ed: ‘No matter. You can’t em bark for the south, because we’re going north.’
Apparently disgusted by the turn of events, which he blamed on ‘the informality and habit of lying of certain people,’ Fr. Peruga had to pray in order not to get exas perated; he was left with no choice but to endure. Still in sistent, he reminded the Chi nese trader of what they had originally agreed upon. The trader retorted: ‘Father, be patient: my work and com mitments are so many that I
hardly know what I tell my self, nor what I do to myself.’
But in a flash, the Chi naman’s tenor abruptly changed, who told the priest: ‘Go to the convent, and rest: I promise you that today you can embark on my launch with the course you want: I will send for you with my carriage at a convenient time.’
Finally, after a series of displeasures, the carriage promised by the Chinese arrived at the convent at around 3:00 PM. Over an hour later, the boat left port but not towards Santa Cruz but for Coronon, a halfway point. The priest was forced to pass the night there be cause the evening had fall en. He did not say where he slept but surely with a family he knew from previous min istries.
The following morning,
Fr. Peruga, with his compan ions in attendance, said Mass and started instructing peo ple in nearby areas. He bap tized two infants and shortly after noon left Astorga on a horse loaned by someone who knew him. He proceed ed to the house of Don Luis Serroche, a Spanish planta tion owner, who hosted the priest’s previous visits in the area.
It was only three days lat er that a small boat owned by Serroche, described as a generous man, was deployed to bring Fr. Peruga to Santa Cruz which, at the time, was the center of Catholicism in the south. In the priest’s own words, the place was the main part of the Davao Mis sion ‘due to its spacious ex tension, and also due to the variety of tribes, languages, and nations it could be called the Patriarchate of Oceania.’
ON THESE!
They say that acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place.
Well, the kids of Chil dren’s Village Philippines –Davao will surely be happy with the presents from Dusit Davao.
The international hotel brand along with Emilia Sit jar Jewellery, and the Davao Fashion and Design Council (DFDC) forged a partnership to help the SOS Children’s Village in Davao City through creativity and philanthropy.
To make this happen, the Dusit properties in Davao are set to hold a charity gala in partnership with Emilia Sitjar Jewellery dubbed the Dusit x Emilia Sitjar Jewel lery Charity Gala slated on November 11 and 12, 2022, and will showcase the fabu lous creations of DFDC.
The partnership was beefed up with a signing of the Memorandum of Agree
ment (MOA) held at dusitD2 on October 5, 2022, which was witnessed by Dusit Davao GM Christoph Kuch, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing (DOSM) Leilani Merilo, Emilia Sitjar Jewel lery’s Managing Director Emil Sitjar, SOS Village Philip pines-Davao’s representative Daimler Demeterio, Davao Fashion and Design Council President Dodjie Batu, and the director of the show, Jack ie Aquino.
“We will do something that is not just an event but there is a component of charity. SOS is a very good beneficiary. We like the con cept of the family of SOS, the component of the family that we can be part of that family, and on a bigger scale we are looking at having a house na may mother. Then the fash ion show component we look for a partner which is Emilias and it evolved na. It’s going to be local artistry and designs, but we need to put a flair of Manila. We would like to bring that kind of platform that is why we bring Jackie Aquino through DFDC,” said Merilo said.
In his message, Kuch said Dusit Davao is happy to give Davao something grand but
purposeful post-pandemic.
“Our partners are the best in their industries, with Emilia Sitjar Jewellery and DFDC taking the fashion scene in Mindanao a notch higher through this event. Of course, all this will be for the benefit of SOS Children’s Vil lage in Davao,” he said.
Considered the grandest charity gala of the year in Davao City, it aims to merge the Dusit Davao’s 3rd-an niversary celebration with a commitment to help the community by paving the way to creating better lives for children.
The two-day event will be highlighted with a series of activities wherein the first day will have the opening
ceremonies, and the com mencement of the Dusit Charity Gala Masterclass and the Emilia Sitjar Jewellery Private Show at the Presi dential Suite, which is by in vitation and appointment.
Sitjar said they will be showcasing their collection dubbed “Springtime of Grat itude” of pearls, diamonds, and color gems.
“We have to be grateful that we were able to come out from the pandemic, we need to bloom and that is what the collection is all about, it is something that will make you happy includ ing the designs and colors,” he said.
There will be master class lectures for students who want to hone their fash ion designing skills from four esteemed speakers: Emil Sitjar for Jewellery as Invest ment, Emi Englis of DFDC for The Evolution of Mindanao Fashion, Patty Betita for El evating Your Persona, and Renee Salud for Building a Fashion Empire. The event is also open to hobbyists, freelancers, and interested individuals.
The Dusit Charity Gala on the second day will be held at the Dusit Thani
Grand Ballroom and will be highlighted with a 4-course Thai special dinner, a gala booklet, and a raffle ticket for the grand prizes of the char ity event.
The show promises to have a non-stop spectacle, with eight collections from the DFDC. The designs of Batu, Aztec Barba, Emi En glis, Edgar Buyan, Benjie Panizales, Windel Mira, Bamba Limon, and Egay Ayag will carry the theme “Elements.”
“It will be a grand spec tacle. Our common theme is “elements” because when we dabble on the designs
lumalabas na the colors and designs parang nature. Hindi kailangan fire or water pag sinabing elements, it could be foliage too. Since this is a gala, expect couture pieces,” Batu said.
Aquino on the other hand expressed admiration for the creations of the Davao designers.
“Mindanao has so much to offer and I cannot wait to put all these creations into a memorable show. Kudos to Dusit Davao and its partners. I am sure SOS Children’s Vil lage will gain all the help it deserves,” he said.
Demeterio thanked Dusit Davao and its partners for choosing SOS as their beneficiary.
“Having all these part ners, and for Dusit to con sider us as their beneficiary, will be a very big help for the programs and plans we en vision for the kids. We look forward to contributing to the occasion as much as we can,” he said.
Established in 1981, SOS Children’s Village Philippines – Davao works with local authorities to assist fami lies and enable them to take good care of their children and gives nutritional, educa tional and health support as well.
AirAsia Philippines and vivo are coming together once again to drum up the return of face-to-face cel ebration of local festivals, starting with Zamboanga
City’s Hermosa Festival. The world’s best low-cost airline and vivo also aim to spur demand for domestic and inbound international travel through aggregated online
content and special promos and deals.
The travel and tech gi ants hero the importance of organic online content in the rebound of tourism demand.
In attaining this goal, the in dustry leaders partnered with Miss Earth Philippines 2020 Roxie Smith to share with her audience an immersive experience at Hermosa Fes tival’s Celebracion de Colores which features the Regatta de Zamboanga, or race of the Vintas; and the Mascota Fash ion show and competition, which rallied local designers to compete with their best in terpretation of the traditional Zamboangueño ensemble, Mascota.
The airline is also set to join the much-anticipated float parade of the MassKara festival, highlighting cultural landmarks and milestones of Bacolod in its float.
AirAsia Philippines Head of Communications and Public Affairs Steve Dai lisan shares: “In our respec tive industries, AirAsia and vivo promote the same mis sion: democratizing services and technology. By launching quality yet affordable flights, AirAsia was able to empow er more people to travel. vivo, on the other hand, has enabled more tech-savvy individuals to be more pro ductive with powerful tech
nology sans the need to in vest in heftily priced devices. Through this value of attain ability, more people get to enjoy leisure travel and con tent creation, which are both integral to the recovery of not just tourism but all other attached sectors.”
The partnership is set to be sustained with a freebie promo for all AirAsia guests who flew with the world’s best low-cost airline from August 13 to October 30. The first 200 AirAsia passengers who will purchase a vivo Y35 are entitled to claim a freebie set consisting of a fitness tracker or TWS Blue tooth earphones. The mid range champion is a perfect travel partner as it boasts a 5000mAh Battery with 44W fast-charging capability, 8+8GB Extended RAM com plemented by 256 internal ROM, a triple AI Camera with 50MP Main Camera, and a 16MP HD Selfie Camera. To claim the freebie, the pur chasing passenger needs to present their AirAsia board ing pass. The freebie promo will run from November 1 to November 30 in select vivo concept stores and kiosks
nationwide.
AirAsia guests are also in for a sweet treat this month with the October 10.10 Boooking fest, featur ing a one-way base fare of as low as Php 70. Guest-fa vorites Caticlan, Davao and Puerto Princesa are among those that bear the slashedoff price tag. More informa tion on the sale can be found on the official AirAsia Face book page.
AirAsia and vivo, prior to flying Smith to Zamboan ga City, also partnered with up-and-coming Sparkle GMA Artist Center talent Dustin Yu to feature some key trav el destinations in Davao City. This includes the Malagos Garden Resort, home of the country’s very own ex port-quality chocolate; and the Philippine Eagle Center, a conservation center for the critically endangered Philip pine Eagle.
The airline invites its guests to download the airasia Super App for more exciting deals and promos this holiday season and visit airasia’s travel safe page for updated travel requirements for all destinations.
The Sustainable Davao Movement (SDM), in part nership with Mapua Ma layan Colleges Mindanao (MMCM), Mindanao Times, and Mindanao Development Authority, will conduct this year’s Sustainable Davao Re search Symposium with the theme Enhancing Sustain ability and Climate Action for Davao Region through SDG-Oriented Studies.
This symposium aims to enhance the replication of sustainable living practices and to promote the United Nation’s Sustainable De velopment Goals for adop tion and localization in the Davao Region and the rest of South-Central Mindanao.
Promoting SDGs
This year’s sympo sium will be held at one of the SDM’s official partners, Mapua Malayan Colleges of Mindanao. The organizers also decided to include oth er provinces and cities with in Davao Region to widen the scope and audience of development, anchoring the sustainable development goals.
Renewable Energy, Zero Waste, Healthy Water sheds, Sustainable Agricul tural Practices, and Disaster Resilient and Green Com munities are the key themes of the symposium. These themes connect to various sustainable development goals, namely No Pover ty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger
(SDG 2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean En ergy (SDG 7), Industry, Inno vation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Life on Land (SDG 15).
Other SDG-related re search that is not mentioned, such as Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16) is also welcome to the sym
posium.
“SDG-driven research is vital in Davao Region’s pro gressive advancement. This premise motivates Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao to produce evidence-based recommendations from the relevant studies made by our students and faculty. We are glad to share and contribute such recom mendations through this symposium with the intent of supporting our leaders in governance in making well-informed decisions,” Dr. Gernelyn Logrosa, Head of Office for Research, Devel opment, and Innovation of MMCM, said.
Call for Papers
The submission of
abstract for the research symposium is open to all junior and senior high school students, college and post-graduate students, faculty, and researchers in private or state universities, non-government organiza tions, or private companies within Davao Region. The symposium is limited to completed research outputs incorporating comprehen sive results and recommen dations. The organizers discourage ongoing studies and thesis proposals for this activity. However, published studies are welcome to join.
“We call for research ers, students, or profession als to submit their studies to us, these will be showcased
and hopefully adopted by regional or local govern ment policies, plans, and programs,” EnP. Lemuel Lloyd Manalo, IDIS Program Coordinator, said.
The deadline for sub mission of the abstracts will be on or before October 28, 2022. Selected studies will be announced on October 31, and the presentation of the paper will be on Novem ber 11 of the same year. The panel will include represen tatives from the Office of Min danao Development Author ity and other Davao Region legislators who might adopt or champion research-based policy recommendations for the sustainability of the re gion.
cinees and their parents as well.
“Part of the schoolbased vaccination they will couple it with IEC dili lang sa mga vaccinees na stu dents but they are hoping they can cascade the same information to the parents labi na ang 5 to 11 years old because admittedly the DepEd na mubo ang ilah ang output sa 5 to 11 years old,” she said.
The agency also creat ed a group chat with CHED 11 and DepEd 11 as well
as schools with a cluster of Covid-19 cases for contin ued communication and updating.
“Hopefully, tanan schools we will be able to invite in our group chat aron naa mi open commu nication and they can lay away their concerns, diffi culties and best practices nila sa ilahang eskwelah an. Eventually ma-achieve nato ang atong goal to have a 100 percent na maba kunahan among sa atong students,” Schlosser said.
ties and set the general direction in formulating the Provincial Commod ity Investment Plan for Bamboo; ensure that the PCIP for Bamboo is prepared through partic ipatory approach and in
harmony with national and regional plans; and coordinate with other concerned agencies to facilitate technical assis tance to stakeholders in the province. (PIA XI/ Jean Duron-Abangan)
FROM 3
in her direction, vision for our province, (and) to the initiatives towards a more improved province of Davao de Oro.)
Uy also emphasized that the ELA marks the beginning of more co operation and collabo rations between the ex ecutive and legislative bodies.
“Hopefully, kini ang sinugdanan sa maayong panag-uban, of course more collaborations, more consultations, and pagtinabangay para sa success sa atong mga gim buhaton dinhi sa atong probinsya.” (Hopefully, this is the start of good relationship, of course more collaboration, more consultations, and help ing each other for the suc cess of our works here in
GDP forecast to 2.7 per cent, 0.2 points down from July expectations.
Its world growth fore cast for this year remains unchanged at 3.2 percent.
The global growth profile is its “weakest” since 2001, apart from during the global finan cial crisis and the worst of the pandemic, the IMF said.
This reflects slow downs for the biggest economies, including a US GDP contraction in the first half of 2022 and con tinued lockdowns in Chi na as it faces a property market crisis.
A key factor behind the slowdown is a shift in policy as central banks try to bring down soar ing inflation, with higher interest rates starting to take the heat out of do mestic demand.
Growing price pres sures are the most imme diate threat to prosperity, said Gourinchas in the re port, adding that central banks are now “laser-fo cused on restoring price stability”.
Global inflation is expected to peak at 9.5
our province.)
InthenewELA,theof ficialsenvisionedDavao de Oro to be the leading agri-investmentandecoagritourismdestination in Mindanao by 2040, withGod-loving,cultural lyinclusive,andempow eredstewardsofresourc es living in safe, clean, andresilientecosystems enjoying a progressive andcompetitiveeconomy sustainedwithgoodgov ernance.
The ELA is divided fiveparts,whichareSo cialServices,Economic Development and Pov ertyReduction,Physical andInfrastructureDevel opment,Environmental Management,andLocal Administration and Fi nancial Management. (PIA XI, Michael Uy)
this foreigner. However, everyone I asked is still at a loss as to how to obtain this LGU acceptance,” he said.
Alejandre quoted act ing City Health Officer, Dr. Ashley G. Lopez, that the CHO acquires jurisdiction over such cases only when the foreigner has entered Davao City and has been endorsed by BOQ for quarantine purposes and also emphasized that the first responsibility should have been from the airline because they should have known the travel policies in Davao City.
This concerns Alejan dre because the city has started programs encour aging investors to come back and invest in the city to recover the economy from the impact of the pandemic. He said the fact remained that this poten tial investor (Australian) to the city was excluded, the same with many for eigners similarly situated with him.
To address the issue, Alejandre urged the City Council to invite any rep resentatives from the BOQ-Davao, Bureau of Immigration-Davao, De partment of Tourism 11 (DOT 11), DIA, CHO, and the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the
next session of the City Council.
“So that we can be guided as to how these concerns can be appro priately addressed or how the LGU can also help, specially since we already have direct internation al flights coming into the city ug para i-ask sila unsa angay himuon ug i-review ang guidelines para dili na ni mahitabo. National IATF man gud ni,” Alejan dre said.
He said if the city al lows unvaccinated Filipi nos to enter the country provided that they pres ent a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours or a negative antigen test result taken within 24 hours before the date of and time of departure from the country of ori gin, the same should also be extended to foreign tourists and investors en tering the city.
“It cannot be denied that other countries had already eased up their re strictions towards us Fil ipinos. Hence, it is really high time that we have to review our cross-border travel policies. It should never be a hindrance for us to rebuild our tourism industry since it is rele vant to the growth of our economy,” he said.
gave the Costa Ricans the lead in the 68th minute after sending a wide-open long shot from the left wing that went past McDaniel.
shall gradually decrease as fuel prices increase.
The bill proposes that if the price per liter for un leaded premium gasoline is PHP50 or less, the ex cise tax shall be at PHP10. It shall gradually decrease by PHP1 for every PHP5 increase in per liter prices, until the excise tax reaches only PHP4 when the price per liter is PHP75 or higher.
For diesel, the excise tax is pegged at PHP6 if the price per liter is PHP50 or less.
On the other hand, Sen ator Sherwin Gatchalian reiterated the call to insti tutionalize fuel subsidy to ensure that affected sec tors will survive every time there is a fuel hike.
“Kung meron na sana tayong batas para sa ayuda ng mga tsuper at operator ng public utility vehicles, hindi na sila mahihirapan pang pasanin ang bigat ng epekto ng pagtaas ng presyo ng langis lalo na’t patuloy din ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangu nahing bilihin (If we have a law to support drivers and operators of public utility vehicles, they will
Cowart had a chance to force the draw late into the match but Solera saved what would be the Filipi nas’ last gasp. (PNA)
be able to cope up with the oil price hikes as well as those of their basic needs),” Gatchalian said in a state ment.
He urged the Land Transportation Franchis ing and Regulatory Board and other concerned agen cies to assure an efficient and timely fuel subsidy program for affected sec tors should price hikes con tinue.
Gatchalian earlier filed Senate Bill No. 384 to insti tutionalize the fuel subsidy program Pantawid Pasa da(Transport Assistance).
The bill provides that the subsidy shall be grant edtoqualifiedbeneficiaries when the average price of Dubai crude for three con secutive months is equal to or greater than USD80 per barrel such as the case now.
Dubai crude was last traded at USD95.80 per barrel.
On Tuesday, diesel prices rose by as much PHP6.85 per liter; and gas oline and kerosene prices by PHP1.20 and PHP3.50 per liter, respectively. (With a report from Leonel Aba sola/PNA)
FROM 4
them from the impact of untoward situations, such as the pandemic.
Henson said people now have “greater desire to be financially ready” and “to be physically and financially fit.”
percent this year before dropping to 4.1 percent by 2024.
Misjudging the per sistence of inflation could prove detrimental to future macroeconomic stability, he warned, “by gravely undermining the hard-won credibility of central banks.”
Asked about the Fed eral Reserve’s rate hikes, Gourinchas told a press briefing on Tuesday that the IMF is not calling for an acceleration, but this “doesn’t mean that they should pause on the path... that we’ve seen” either.
This is because banks were starting from a point where rates were historically low as coun tries emerged from the pandemic, he said.
Current challenges do not mean a large down turn is inevitable, but the fund also warned many low-income countries are either in, or close to debt distress.
Progress toward debt restructurings for the hardest-hit is needed to avoid a wave of sovereign debt crisis.
“And I think that’s what we saw among the parents that we surveyed this year, that they really have leveraged a lot on the new digital tools to improve their planning so that they can prepare for the unexpected,” she told the Philippine News Agency.
And taking note of the impact of the pandemic on people’s financial ca
“Time may soon be running out,” said Gourinchas.
While the G20 has agreed on a “common framework” for debt re structuring for the poor est countries, only three have qualified and “more progress is needed,” he told reporters.
The IMF has also cut forecasts for the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China.
US economic growth for this year is now pegged at 1.6 percent, 0.7 points below the fund’s July forecast, due to an “unexpected real GDP contraction in the second quarter,” the IMF said.
“Declining real dis posable income contin ues to eat into consumer demand, and higher in terest rates are taking an
pacity, with some workers losing their jobs, Henson said they will continue to provide protection prod ucts and investment op portunities “to help them achieve financial security and make their every day better.”
She said while com panies also experienced hardships as a result of drop in sales during the pandemic, the economy is recovering in line with the continued rise in econom ic activities.
“So we are anticipating that resurgence (in sales) again across-the-board,” she added, without giving specifics. (PNA)
important toll on spend ing,” the report added.
The Federal Reserve has been raising inter est rates aggressively to tamp down surging in flation, which is slowing economic activity. And the central bank has said more increases are likely to come.
A slowdown in the Euro area is expected to deepen next year, with the German and Italian economies slightly con tracting, the IMF projects.
China’s economy is expected to grow at only 3.2 percent this year -- its lowest rate in decades, apart from the initial coronavirus outbreak.
The fund cautioned that a worsening of Chi na’s property sector slump could spill over to the domestic banking sector and weigh heavily on growth.
ang presyo but also doon sa ating mga consumers,” Evangelista said.
(Most likely within the week, we will be able to have the exact price that is equitable not only to our importers, who are also helping to lower the price, but also to our consumers.)
Meanwhile, the price of white sugar at the Muñoz Market in Quezon City was at P110 per kilo.
“Halos ano na lang po, kalahati, 1/4 ang binibili nila. Sobrang taas nga po (They buy half a kilo, 1/4 kilo. The prices are very high),” said sugar retailer Shiela Marie Samarita.
Based on price mon itoring, the supermarket price of sugar reached al most P102 to P134 per kilo. The commodity was at P100 to P106 in wet mar kets.
“Meron pong mga su permarket na nagbebenta pa rin ng P70 at yung sa
FROM 4
with Chinese Ambassa dor Huang Xilian, Senate President Miguel Zubiri revealed that the “Phil ippines now is part of a blacklist of tourist sites be cause they (China) do not know if the tourist will be joining POGO operations and they do not know if the Chinese nationals who go to the Philippines will be safe from illegal activi ties being done by the tri ad, by the syndicates oper ating POGO.”
The DOT and the De partment of Foreign Af
palengke po alam nating nahirapan ang ating retail ers kasi wala silang access doon sa mas mura,” Evan gelista said.
(There are supermar kets that still sell at P70. And those in the market, we know that our retailers have a hard time because they don’t have access to cheaper sugar.)
However, household consumers, bakeries and other dessert shop own ers hoped that the price of sugar would decrease fur ther ahead of the Holiday season.
“Sana pagdating ng ka-Paskuhan bumaba ang presyo ng asukal para mab igyan din sila na gumaan sa bulsa nila pagbumili sila,” a dessert shop owner said.
(I hope that when the holiday season comes, the price of sugar will drop so that the consumers will also be able to buy afford able products.)
fairs have yet to issue a statement when asked whether they received official communication from the Chinese govern ment.
As of this writing, the Chinese Embassy in Ma nila has also yet to con firm if the Philippines is included in any blacklist, only saying that “tourism is an important compo nent of practical cooper ation” and that it expects “more Chinese tourists to come to this country after the pandemic.” (PNA)
ThePhilippine women’s football team suffered a 1-2 defeat against Costa Rica at the tail end of their two-leg friendly series at the Estadio Ricardo Sap rissa in San Jose, Costa Rica early Wednes day (Manila time).
The Costa Ricans came alive moments after Tahnai Annis misfired a spot kick that could have
been the Filipinas’ dagger as the latter failed to com plete yet another major result against a team far
above them in the FIFA rankings after their 1-1 draw in their first meeting on Saturday (Manila time).
Carleigh Frilles put the Filipinas ahead after beat ing Daniela Solera in the one-on-one just before the halftime whistle even as Bella Flanigan found her open for the through ball.
Annis got a chance to
give the Filipinas a more comfortable lead to start the second half after a handball violation was called inside the box, but despite forcing Solera to go the wrong way, Annis had her spot kick going way off left to the shock of everyone at the stadium and even those watching the live streams.
It turned out to be the confidence booster Cos ta Rica needed as they turned on the jets midway into the final 45 minutes.
Costa Rica’s aggres sion was rewarded in the 61st minute when Raquel Rodriguez sent a power ful penalty shot to the left side of the goal that Olivia McDaniel could not tap
away to tie the match.
The penalty was called after Jessica Cowart, who was outstanding in the first half with her at tempts that gave Solera an early challenge, was caught with a handball in fraction of her inside the penalty area.
Gloriana VillalobosWill Congress approve and grant the increased 2023 budget request by the Philippine Sports Commission?
Last Monday, newly-seated PSC chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala presented a P5.216B to the Finance Committee during a congressional hearing.
My personal take is that Eala’s budget request is just and reason able.
Sports development has been taken lightly by previous con gresses until it came to light that the youth’s sports mindedness takes them away from getting into delinquent juvenile activities like drug addiction and boring idle ness.
Considered huge if one com pares it to the P1.309B the sports agency utilized in 2021, this cor ner believes the amount is fair and adequate if the increased budget ary request is measured against the myriad commitments and mandated tasks the PSC needed to accomplish.
One has to take into account the fact that the Philippines needs to sustain the gains it has achieved in the 2020 Tokyo Olym pics, world and Asian champion ships in gymnastics, weightlifting, boxing, golf, athletics (pole vault) where the country cannot afford to sit back and relax.
If my memory serves me right, RA 6847, the law that created the
PSC, mandates the PCSO, PAGCOR and the Philippine Racing Com mission to grant from their earn ings and revenues a 5% allocation that will go to the National Sports Development Fund.
As the years have come and gone, we have noticed that the above contribution from the three revenue-generating bodies is a shoe string allocation that is not enough to fulfill the ever-growing task of na tional sports development.
Of course, the primordial as signment of PSC is grassroots de velopment which is the spawning ground of potential elite athletes who will follow the footsteps of Hidilyn Diaz, Carlos Yulo, Ej Obie na and the achievers before them
(Lydia de Vega, Paeng Nepomuce no, Bong Coo, Anthony Villanueva, Mansueto Velasco et al).
Private sponsorships to fi nance the training and prepara tion of potential Olympic med alists and participation in world championships can be sourced but grassroots sports remains the government’s burden, if I may say.
Perhaps, the new generation of young legislators in Congress will look kindly on the current state of Philippine sports and se riously consider youth and sports development as vital as the econ omy of the nation.
Eala must also remember that to produce A-1 athletes, qualified and experienced coaches must be
enlisted as a parallel development strategy.
EJ Obiena could not have been successful in pole vault if he had trained locally. PATAFA, through PSC funding, scouted for a foreign coach who taught and developed him into what he is today.
If the requested budget is granted and utilized judiciously, the PSC, in harmony and produc tive cooperation with the Philip pine Olympic Committee and the National Sports Association, can produce a continuing roster of potential Olympic winners and world champions, year in, year out. (Email feedback to fredlum ba@yahoo.com.)
Pasquil and Arnold Guerrero shared the spot light in the 2022 JCI Fore Humanity Fun Golf tournament held October 7 at the Apo Golf and Country Club.
The five-handicapper Pasquil fired a gross oner over par 73 in the long Apo lay out dreaded for its treacherous rough and daunting trees to win the overall gross ti tle.
Guerrero, brandishing a 19 handicap, carded an impressive net 65 to snare the overall net trophy.
Joining them in the winner’s circle in Class A are Ariel Roca who finished with a 76 for the gross title edging runner-up Randy Arevalo who had 78. EJ Santos and Mark Oropeza also turned up big rounds to take the Class A net title and runner-up with net scores of 68 and 70, respectively.
In Class B, Pat Barcelona (81) won gross title, Larry Baluso (83) – gross runner-up, Dennis Madrazo (69) – net champion, Dondon Caminade (70) – net runner-up.
Verne dela Cruz of SVC Business Ven tures Corporation shone in Class C divi sion, submitting a gross score 90 good enough for the class title while Gerry Josol settled for the runner-up with 91. Kokoi Arrieta bagged the net title with 70 beat ing Ken Clavano who finished runner-up with 71.
The Ladies division winners are Charine Kato (90) – gross champion, Mari sa Tionko (79) – net champion; Senior Di vision – Ben Venus (92) – gross champion, Romeo Yan (75)- net champion.
