Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 157 | Friday, Oct. 14, 2022

SIDC STALEMATE

SIDC STALEMATE

Legal team says DPWH failed to address compelling issues raised by landowners

By MAYA M. PADILLO

The legal team of the property owners affected by the megaproject Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector (SIDC) clarified some issues affecting the project stakeholders.

Batacan Montejo Vi cencio and Valdez Law Firm, counsel for the Ro driguez-Lucas family, said in a stateent on Wednes day that “an impasse has arisen out of the Depart ment of Public Works and Highways (DPWH’s) fail

ure to address compelling issues raised by affected landowners. DPWH is thus tempted to resort to draco nian measures, including the wanton intrusion into private properties amount ing to a premature and un lawful expropriation.”

The law firm said that DPWH’s own Right-of-Way (ROW) Manual mandates Detailed Engineering De sign (DED) prior to expro priation. According to the legal team, DED is yet to be completed in 2023.

“DPWH’s impatient attempts to shortcut legal processes is putting its of ficials at risk of violating anti-graft and other laws,” it said.

The legal team also cit ed DPWH’s presence at the

Rodriguez-Lucas family properties (Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort, the Lucas beach property and Costa Marina Beach Re sort) on October 4, 2022, which for them is “tres passing and forcible entry.”

“It demonstrates either DPWH’s penchant for de ception or utter contempt for the law or both. Consis tent with a pattern of rail roading, the group entered stealthily onboard speed

BOC-Davao collaborates with DTI for enhanced trade facilitation

The Bureau of Cus toms (BOC), Port of Davao, conducted a coordination meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Region XI, on Septem ber 30, 2022 held at BOC Davao’s conference room.

The said meeting aims to establish an effective coor

dination and cooperation mechanism towards en hanced trade facilitation.

BOC Davao, District Collector Atty. Erastus Sandino B. Austria, CESO V discussed the Port’s ac complishments and ini tiatives, such as conduct ing Time Release Studies (TRS) to determine and

address bottlenecks that hamper the release of goods. Also, they dis cussed BOC’s classifica tion of imported goods (free importation, regula tion, restricted and pro hibited)

Among others, the Port also shared its ISO Certifi cation and Performance

Governance System (PGS) enrollment which stan dardized the operational and administrative pro cesses in the Bureau.

BOC Davao through the supervision of District Collector Atty. Austria un der the leadership of Com missioner Yogi Filemon L.

Marcos signs law postponing Dec. 2022 Barangay, SK polls

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed a law postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sang guniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Republic Act (RA) No. 11935, signed by Marcos on Oct. 10, postpones the Barangay and SK elec tions on Dec. 5 this year to the last Monday of Oc tober 2023.

“There shall be syn chronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which shall be held on the last Monday of October 2023 and ev ery three years thereaf ter,” the law reads.

Under RA 11935, the term of office of the Ba rangay and SK officials will commence at noon of Nov. 30 following their election.

“Until their succes sors shall have been duly elected and qualified, all incumbent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials shall remain in office, unless sooner re moved or suspended,” it added.

Barangay and SK of ficials who are ex officio members of the Sanggu niang Bayan, Sangguni ang Panlungsod, or Sang guniang Panlalawigan will continue to serve as such members in the Sanggunian concerned until the next Barangay and SK elections unless removed.

The amount neces sary for the implementa

tion of RA 11935 will be taken from the appropri ations of the Commission on Elections under the General Appropriations Act and/or supplementa ry appropriations.

“If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitution al, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall re main in force and effect,” RA 11935 reads.

All other laws, acts, presidential decrees, executive orders, issu ances, presidential proc lamations, rules and regulations which are contrary to and inconsis tent with any provision of RA 11953 are repealed, amended, or modified ac cordingly.

RA 11935 is a consol idation of House Bill No. 4673 and Senate Bill No. 1306, which was passed by the House of Repre sentatives and the Senate of the Philippines on Sept. 28, 2022.

Last month, Comelec Chairperson George Gar cia said they are consid ering moving the dates of filing the certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2022 Barangay SK elec tions pending the deci sion on proposals to post pone it.

The COC filing for the 2022 Barangay and SK elections was initially set from Oct. 6 to 13.

Comelec will comply

Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) manager Aisa Usop reminds bus drivers and passengers that the “no pick up” policy at bus stops in Davao City is still in effect. Edge Davao

‘No pick-up’ policy at bus stops remains

Regional peace body declares Davao Region insurgency-free

Davao Region is now “insurgency-free” fol lowing the series of successful peace and order initiatives that dismantled the remnants of the com munist New People’s Army (NPA) in the area.

During a meeting at the Naval Felix Apolinario Station here Wednesday, members of the Regional Peace and Order Council–Davao (RPOC-11) signed a resolution declaring the entire region as cleared of insurgents as of Sept. 19, 2022.

Davao region is the third region in the coun try declared as insurgen cy-free, following Regions 1 and 9.

The declaration came after the five-province Re gion 11 was declared to have been cleared out of NPA by their respective provincial and city peace and order councils this year.

In March this year, this city was declared insurgen cy-free, followed by Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte in June, Davao del Sur in July, Davao Occidental in

August, and Davao Oriental in September.

Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mem pin, Army’s 10th Infantry Division commander and concurrent RPOC vice chairperson, thanked the different agencies and oth er RPOC members who contributed to achieving an insurgency-free region.

“Where we are now and what we have achieved be speak well of our excellent convergence and collabo rative efforts,” he said.

Road to insurgency-free region

In a presentation during the meeting, the Army said the majority of the NPA units operating in the region were under the Southern Mindanao Re gional Committee (SMRC).

In 2019, the 1001st Infantry Brigade (IB) dis mantled Guerilla Front (GF) 54 while the 1002IB tore down GF 51.

Also in the same year, 1003IB dismantled Pulang Bagani Commands (PBC) 2 and 3, while 701IB took down GF15, 25, and PBC 6 and 8.

By MAYA M. PADILLO

The Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) reminded bus drivers and passengers that the “No Pick Up” policy at bus stops in Davao City is still in effect.

DCOTT Manager Aisa Usop issued this over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday in anticipation of the influx of passengers this coming Undas.

Usop added bus drivers who violate the said policy will be apprehended by the

City Traffic and Transport Management Office (CTT MO) team.

She advised travelers and passengers to board the buses right there at DCOTT.

In June this year, the city government of Davao issued a directive prohibit

ing buses from loading and picking up passengers in any areas outside DCOTT after a bombing incident of a bus unit in Koronadal, South Cotabato in May also this year.

The Davao City Trans portation and Traffic Man agement Office (CTTMO) in coordination with the security cluster planned on setting up checkpoints in the soon-to-be-designat ed bus stops, potentially in only three areas where pro vincial buses can pick up

or load provincial-bound passengers outside of the Ecoland bus terminal. The identified areas were in To ril, Bunawan, and Calinan.

According to Usop since she did not receive any di rective lifting or amending the said policy, DCOTT will still follow the ‘no pick up” policy.

“Atong mahinumdu man na nahitabo ang di rective during the time nga naay pagpamomba nga nahitabo sa neighboring FPOLICY, P10

Davao’s iconic Durian Hotel to be converted to mixed-use property

An official of the BMQ Group of Hotels Inc, operator of Big 8 Cor porate Hotel, disclosed that it is eyeing to transform Davao City’s iconic Durian Hotel into a mixed-use de velopment and is targeting its completion by 2025.

“Kung puwede gani be fore 2025. Karon kung ma pansin ninyo ginatanggal na ug ginabakbak na para

makita ang structural ug para mahimoan na siya ug plan,” said Geraldine Qu ibod, board of director of BMQ Group of Hotels.

According to Quibod, they will develop the Duri an Hotel into a two-build ing mixed-use develop ment. One building will be used for a hotel and the other for commercial spac es for call centers.

She said that BMQ ac quired the Durian Hotel a long time ago but sees it’s not the right time yet to de velop the said hotel.

The imposing Durian Hotel is strategically locat ed along J.P. Laurel Avenue, which is now considered the prime location in Davao City.

The 12-story hotel building houses 126 gues

trooms, and a total floor area of 10,172 square me ters partitioned as follows: basement - parking area, water boiler, and exhaust fans; ground floor - main kitchen, a restaurant, two scenic elevators, and one service elevator; second floor - employee cafeteria, stockroom, male/female quarters, employees com

A motorcycle driver takes a detour near the newly rebuilt Bato Mosque in Marawi City on Tuesday (11 October 2022) as many ruined buildings around the mosque are still off limits. The government rebuilt the mosque after it was destroyed during the five months of fighting between the military and Maute militants in 2017. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

Roaming mobile users included in SIM registration law - DICT

SIM

cards from the country’s three tele communications companies (telcos), including roaming SIM cards used overseas, will be required to register as part of the recently approved SIM card reg istration law, an official of the Department of Information and Communications Tech nology (DICT) said.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, DICT Sec retary Ivan John Uy said SIM cards connected to Globe Telecom Inc., Smart Communications Inc., and DITO Telecommunity are included and will be no tified of the necessary steps once the registra

tion process begins.

“If they are out of the country, they will receive a text message from the telcos themselves, ‘please go to this site or open the app,’” Uy said.

Most of the country’s telcos, he said, have ex isting mobile applications

they can use to sign in and verify their identity.

However, he said some are currently limited to asking for a user’s name and date of birth and will be later expanded to include other personal details as part of the SIM registration law.

“Kukunan mo ng pic ture iyong ID mo o pass port or LTO (Land Trans portation Office) license or whatever govern ment-issued ID and then i-upload doon (You’ll have to take a photo of your ID, passport, LTO license, or whatever government-is sued ID and have it up

loaded),” he said.

The telcos, he said, will verify these submit ted IDs to complete the registration.

On Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed Repub lic Act No. 11934, also known as An Act Requir ing the Registration of SIM Cards in a ceremony in Malacañan Palace.

Following its pas sage, the country’s three telcos announced their readiness to comply with the law and noted its im portance in curbing text scams and spams plagu ing mobile users. (PNA)

Budget airlines back calls to scrap One Health Pass

The International Mon etary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday projected the global economy to grow by 3.2 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2023, with a downward 0.2-percent age-point revision for 2023 from the July forecast, ac cording to the latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) report.

The global economy is experiencing “a number of turbulent challenges,” as in flation higher than seen in several decades, tightening financial conditions in most regions, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the lingering coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic all weigh heavily on the out look, the report said.

omies, amounting to more than one-third of world GDP, according to the re port.

Noting that risks to the outlook remain unusual ly large and to the down side, the latest WEO report said that monetary policy could miscalculate the right stance to reduce inflation, more energy and food price shocks might cause infla tion to persist for longer, and global tightening in financing conditions could trigger widespread emerg ing market debt distress.

The IMF warned that geopolitical fragmentation could impede trade and capital flows, further hin dering climate policy coop eration.

Low-cost

airlines AirA sia Philippines and Cebu Pacific (CEB) are backing calls to scrap the One Health Pass (OHP), saying some alternatives may be considered.

“As we head towards a strong air travel rebound, our passengers deserve a more convenient, reliable and hassle-free customer journey without sacrificing the safety net in our day-

to-day operations,” AirAsia spokesperson Steve Dai lisan told the Philippine News Agency.

Senator Nancy Binay on Monday called on the lifting of the OHP, citing this has become impractical and in convenient for many.

Passengers bound for the Philippines are re quired to register to the OHP, which Binay said has been a hassle to many re

turning Filipinos and over seas workers because this only adds to the screening procedures even if they are already quarantine-cleared and fully vaccinated with boosters.

The senator said over seas Filipino workers have been complaining that the process of verifying the OHP has led to long lines in the country’s airports.

This was also observed

by Carmina Romero of CEB. “Usually, there is a line of passengers who are unaware of the OHP, in check-in counters in our international destinations. I am sure they were sent an email about (OHP registra tion), but some passengers don’t read notifications,” she said.

Romero noted that OHP registration is also not easy

“This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global finan cial crisis and the acute phase of the Covid-19 pan demic and reflects signif icant slowdowns for the largest economies,” the re port added.

A contraction in real gross domestic product (GDP) lasting for at least two consecutive quarters (which some economists refer to as a “technical re cession”) is seen at some point during 2022-2023 in about 43 percent of econ

“The balance of risks is tilted firmly to the down side, with about a 25 per cent chance of one-yearahead global growth falling below 2.0 percent - in the 10th percentile of glob al growth outturns since 1970,” the report said.

“The risk of monetary, fiscal, or financial policy miscalibration has risen sharply at the time of high uncertainty and growing fragilities,” IMF chief econo mist Pierre-Olivier Gourin chas told a press confer

Philippine Airlines

flights between Cebu and Bangkok, Thailand

December after the routes

stopped

Davao

DTI-DdO to hold DDOiCON, eyes P500M investments

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao de Oro, in partnership with the Provincial Investment Office, is set to conduct the Davao de Oro Invest ment Conference (DDOiCON) on October 25 to 26 at the Montevista Sports Complex.

This year’s conference, which carries the theme, “Building Quality, Resilient Investments in the Digital Economy: A Post Pandemic Investment Strategy”, will feature various key invest ment areas in the coconut industry, poultry raising, and logistics sector.

From having a hybrid investment conference last year, a face-to-face confer ence will finally be con ducted this year, bringing around 250 to 300 partic ipants, including existing, potential, and would-be in vestors from the province and across the region.

DDOiCON will be com prised of a one-day plenary session covering various topics on the featured in dustries, an investment/ market matching event, and a product showcase on the first day. An industry tour, on the other hand, will be conducted on the second day of the conference.

DTI DDO provincial di

rector, lawyer Lucky Sieg fred M. Balleque expressed his enthusiasm as this year’s conference highlights different market prospects of coconut-based products in China by a commercial counselor in Beijing.

“A market matching will also be facilitated between local coconut processors or farmers and the Chinese buyers. The purpose of this is to boost and inspire our coconut farmers to produce quality coconut products in enough volume, there by, improving their lives,” the provincial trade official said.

Further, ways forward of investments are expect ed to be discussed and pre sented by industry leaders and enablers following the ill effects of the pandemic struct humanity, most es pecially the business com munity. It will feature in dustries that are resilient as well as viable strategies that

Agri dept, SRA to set sugar SRP to protect consumers

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) are holding a series of meet ings to set an “amenable” suggested retail price (SRP) for sugar, as sugar prices increased in some markets in Metro Manila.

As of Wednesday, pre vailing retail prices in Met ro Manila are at PHP100/ kilo of refined sugar; PHP90/kilo of wash sugar; and PHP86.50 for brown sugar.

In an interview on Tuesday, DA Assistant Sec retary Kristine Evangelista said a price range is “most likely” to be released, con sidering the supply from local producers.

“So, we have to look into the supply both ‘yung inangkat and ‘yung local, and come up with a price na hindi rin po malulugi ‘yung ating local, at the same time ‘yung ating con sumers, kaya na nila, ma giging affordable po ang asukal (So we have to look into the supply both im ported and local and come up with a price that will not cause loss to our local [pro ducers], at the same time, our consumers can buy it for the affordability of sug ar),” she said.

Evangelista said they

are targeting to implement this sooner especially since the sugar import supply is slowly coming in.

“Most likely ma’am, be fore November, the sooner we can implement this, then mas makakatulong tayo sa ating consumers (we can even help our con sumers more),” she said.

However, since some local markets are not able to offer PHP70/kilo of sug ar due to higher costs from traders, the SRA is also co ordinating with sugar trad ers in supermarkets.

“SRA is working on in fluencing ‘yung ating trad ers para mag-supply din po sa palengke at papasok din po siguro ‘yung Kadiwa, ‘yung Kadiwa Express para sa palengke rin po magka roon ng asukal na mura (so that they can also supply to our markets, and Kadiwa will enter, Kadiwa Express, so that there will be afford able sugar prices), through partnership with the SRA,” she said.

Red onions Evangelista, mean while, said they are coor dinating with wholesalers to ensure that retailers will have access to lower priced onions, following the re lease of DA Administrative Circular 9, series of 2022,

BAP vows close coordination with BSP against speculative activities

The banking industry is in close coordination with the Bangko Sen tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to ensure orderly functioning fixed-income and foreign exchange markets, an in dustry group said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Bankers Association of the Philip pines (BAP) said it appreci ates and supports the cen tral bank’s policies towards “liberalization and trans parent price discovery --

including the conduct of its supervisory mandate that ensures orderly markets.”

“Together, we will work against speculative activ ities that tend to distort market prices and hurt the economy,” it said.

BAP president Antonio Moncupa said that “with global headwinds adverse ly affecting inflation and foreign exchange rates across the world, the BAP joins national efforts to minimize its impact on our

people by avoiding activi ties that can only worsen the situation.”

“In order to be part of the solution, the banking industry continues to work closely with the BSP for or derly, fair, and transparent markets minus the unpro ductive activities that only hurt the public,” he said.

Among others, the ele vated inflation rate around the world has made cen tral banks tighten their key rates to help address

the situation as economies grapple to recover from the impact of the virus-induced pandemic.

For one, the Federal Reserve has increased its funds rates by 300 basis points since last March to help tame the US’ four-de cade high inflation rate.

This has resulted, among others, in the strengthening of the US dollar, which has hurt other currencies, such as the Phil

The iconic Durian Hotel along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao City. The BMQ Group of Hotels Inc., operator of Big 8 Corporate Hotel, bared that it is eyeing to transform hotel into a mixed-use development and is targeted to be completed by 2025. Edge Davao

On the Samal Island -Davao City Connector (SIDDC) proj ect which the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH’s) is undertaking.

“DPWH’s impatient attempts to shortcut legal processes is putting its officials at risk of violating anti-graft and other laws...It demonstrates either DPWH’s penchant for deception or utter contempt for the law or both. Consistent with a pattern of railroading, the group entered stealthily onboard speedboats, bypassing resort entrance proce dures. When questioned, the in truders flimsily asserted that the resorts’ foreshore lease rentals were unpaid, without first asking the landowner, who readily showed proof of full payment.”

BATACAN MONTEJO VICENCIO AND VALDEZ LAW FIRM

Legal counsel for the Rodriguez-Lucas family

GREGORIO

MOSES

The press and concerned citizens are agog over the first 100 days in office of the new president of a nation. What is so important about it?

Political observers in the US opine that the performance of the president during that period is a show window of what and how he would deliv er the rest of his term.

The concept of first 100 days was begun by US Pres ident Franklin D. Roosevelt who led the US out of the Great Depression – the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939 that began with the stock market crash of Oc tober 1929, that sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions in investments.

A huge chunk of the popu lace lost their jobs and their homes thereupon.

Upon assuming office in 1933, Roosevelt, who was an excellent communicator, tapped the radio in directly

sharing with the American public his views on the eco nomic nightmare and his vision and program to over come it. He launched the New Deal to “restore prosperity to the Americans.”

His breathtaking scope of bold and new actions, both legislative and regulatory, al tered the climate of despair and despondency that envel oped the US. To name but a few: in those 100 days he de clared a bank holiday which stopped the disastrous run on the banks, he took Amer ica off the gold standard, and he passed groundbreaking legislation for farmers and homeowners and for the un employed. He also passed amendments to the hated Volstead Act which had cre ated prohibition. Accordingly, “beer parties” were held im mediately all over the coun try in celebration.

A president’s first 100 days is by no means the de finitive judgment on his ad

ministration, but as already said his performance in this period may yet give us a hint of what would come the rest of his term. The glowing lega cy of Roosevelt has sustained the interest of the press in the “first 100 days” and so does the citizenry. It has become a tradition to look forward.

Our press being a US copy cat, has adopted the tradition.

When President Bongbong Marcos assumed office on June 30, 2022, he was in a similar predicament with President Roosevelt. The country’s econ omy has been badly battered and crippled by the pandemic and the nightmarish spike in the price of fossil fuel to the present. Millions are without livelihood and source of in comes, while the cost of ba sic commodities has spiraled sky-high beyond the reach of many.

The opportunity for great ness was there for PBBM’s picking. He unfortunately squandered the golden oppor

tunity in his first 100 days.

He has control or support of Congress, yet he has not caused the crafting of urgent legislative and regulatory measures to address the eco nomic woes.

He exerted no telling ef fort to immediately create jobs. The creation of jobs has remained like a campaign promise – they are to come with the arrival of foreign in vestors PBBM has according ly hooked in his foreign trips.

He did nothing but sim ply shrugged off the fuel price hike like it is an inevi table natural catastrophe, not minding that he could tempo rarily suspend the excise tax and the e-vat to lessen the impact of the fuel anomaly on the consumers.

PBBM is unmindful. If the fuel hike remains uncon trolled, many medium and small scale industries will close shop, the prices of essen tial commodities will further rise and more and more peo

ple would be jobless and more families will grow hungry.

So what characterizes PBBM’s first 100 days that may indicate how the ship of state would navigate the troubled waters until 2028?

More glaring is the cor ruptible but fortunately abort ed move to import 300,000 MT of sugar, an administrative blunder occurring in the very agency that he micromanages as its secretary.

More disturbing is the domestic chaos in the palace household that ended in the removal of the executive sec retary, press secretary and the chairman of the Commis sion on Audit.

More insightful is what PBBM in the very first day of his first 100 days in office de clared:

“I know this in my mind, I know it in my heart, I know it in my very soul … THE STATE OF THE NATION IS SOUND.”

Beware, the captain of our ship is blind and…

ROTC BREEDS DISCIPLINE

serve Officers Training Corps, many pros and cons have been aired publicly about the suggestion that ROTC should be re-installed as mandatory in college.

the many young cadets then who sported long Beatle-like hairdo and got collared by our ROTC superiors when we tried to make a quiet “escape.” Hehehe.

Many may have observed critically that the country’s myriad woes stem from an endemic lack of discipline among our people.

No need to elaborate.

Take a walk outside. Stand and watch from a street cor ner the great number of pe destrians violating traffic laws and ordinances.

Observe how PUJs and oth er drivers conduct themselves as they go about earning a liv ing. They think they own the streets as they park anywhere and even use any available area to urinate or throw away their trash.

This alone tells us that Pi noys lack self-discipline and the nation suffers.

On the subject of the Re

If I heard it correctly, VP Sara Duterte, in her capacity as Dep-Ed Secretary has sug gested that it be re-instituted as mandatory before some one graduates from college.

May I proudly state here that I went through a two-year ROTC course in my collegiate days at an era when wearing long hair was the trend in part due to the Beatle-mania influ ence.

ROTC officers usually bring scissors and indiscriminately cut a large portion of the scalp area of a cadet sporting a Beatle-like hair to ensure that - next time around - the fellow would be sporting a whiteside wall, short cropped hair do.

As a college freshman in the mid-sixties, I was one of

Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Israel are four of the countries I know that have made it a patriotic duty for all their young citizens to under go military training.

In case anything happens beyond human control, they can - in a jiffy - harness re serve manpower resources.

Even North Korea requires it because they need more ready and able bodied young soldiers to replace the old ones who are on the verge of retirement.

In our case, we cannot hope to build a strong nation and a strong republic if the people - the citizens - are not consciously aware that na tional discipline strengthens a people’s resolve to stay re silient amidst the worrisome

global developments.

ROTC-trained citizens can assist LGUs while waiting for assistance from the nation al agencies during extensive disasters and natural calam ities due to typhoons, earth quakes, floods, disease epi demic, etc.

Regardless of the negatives that some sectors are hurling against the re-institution of ROTC, these cannot refute the truth that Pinoys do lack a genuine sense of self-disci pline necessary to propel us forward to national progress and national unity.

If there is none yet, the leg islation of a new ROTC law is ideally required so that the loopholes and sad experi ences of the past can be ad dressed properly.

If lawmakers find ROTC appropriately implementable during the senior high school years of a student instead of in college, so be it.

Parents should laud VP

Sara for strongly re-introduc ing this important citizen mili tary training because compla cency is a bad habit that has disabled - to a certain degreesome of our traditional Chris tian values.

Young Pinoys - the milleni als - are so engulfed with their IT gadgets that they are being led to believe that they cannot live without them.

This easy and comfortable mentality starkly describes the state of affairs that make it difficult to achieve the goals of nation-building.

There is nothing easy in this material world - in this planet where only the fittest survive.

ROTC, in the final analy sis, kills inertia and creates a positive citizens movement to achieve unity and national discipline.

Let’s go for it, guys! (Email feedback to fredlumba@ya hoo.com.)

“A wise man can play the part of a clown but a clown can’t play the part of a wise man.” - MALCOLM X

MOTORING

Harley Davidson releases its custom painted touring models

Harley-Davidson an nounced the arrival of the new Apex factory custom paint option for selected Harley-Davidson® Grand American Touring mod els in the Philippines at its Open House on October 22. The Apex custom paint is inspired by Harley-David son’s long and successful competition history of rac ing, which dates back more than a century ago. Har ley-Davidson has actively participated in hill climbs, enduros and fairground flat tracks till today, where the Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team recently defended its 2021 MotoAmerica King of

the Baggers championship. Harley-Davidson au thorized dealerships across the Philippines will be host ing an Open House exclu sively for the Apex custom paint scheme on October 22, 2022, so customers can view and experience the legendary racing aesthet ic. The Apex custom paint will be offered globally for the remainder of the 2022 model ordering period as a factory-installed option for nine Harley-Davidson® Grand American Touring models, with prices start ing from ₱ 1,840,000:

• Road King® Spe cial model priced at ₱ 1,840,000

• Street Glide® Special model (Chrome and Black trim versions) priced at ₱ 1,940,000

• Road Glide® Special model (Chrome and Black trim versions) priced at ₱ 1,940,000

“The Apex paint scheme encompasses a long history of triumphs in racing for Harley-David son. We are beyond excit ed to offer this strikingly unique look on our Grand American Touring models that will surely be atten tion-grabbing on the road. Riders can embark on new adventures in the Philip pines with confidence by expressing themselves

and the thrill of the ride, with unmistakable colours from past Harley-Davidson competition motorcycles,” said Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Asia Emerging Markets & India at Harley-Davidson.

A Racing Legacy, Em blazoned on Grand Ameri can Touring Models

The Apex paint scheme features a graphic outline on the fuel tank which mimics the shape of the tank on the legendary Har ley-Davidson® XR750 flat track racing motorcycle. The lines on the front fend er connect visually to those on the side covers and sad dlebags, creating a flowing

effect. When viewed in pro file, the motorcycle appears to be in motion.

The color scheme starts with a base of Vivid Black paint. A graphic ele ment adds Gauntlet Gray panels surrounded by an accent stripe of Jet Fire Orange – the original col or applied to the XR750 competition models. This fade effect was inspired by the checkered fade seen on Harley-Davidson® Facto ry Team race bikes. Clear coat paint is applied as a fi nal layer. The Apex custom paint is applied in-house at Harley-Davidson® York Vehicle Assembly and Har ley-Davidson® Tomahawk

Operations. Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor Parts & Ac cessories will offer TourPak® luggage carriers and custom front fenders painted to match the Apex paint scheme. This will allow riders to further customize a motorcycle ordered with Apex factory custom paint.

See a local authorized Harley-Davidson® dealer for details on ordering a Harley-Davidson® mo torcycle and accessories with Apex factory custom paint. For local availabil ity of the models, please check with your nearest H-D dealer.

EDGEDAVAO COMPETITIVE EDGE

BDO Remit waives remittance fees for donations sent to Typhoon Karding victims

following foundations: BDO Foundation, Inc., ABSCBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc., GMA Ka puso Foundation, Inc., and Philippine Red Cross.

“It is unfortunate that even as Christmas nears, natural calamities are still very much a reality here in the Philippines. Instead of preparing for the holidays, some of us are grieving an picking up the pieces after the onslaught of the super typhoon,” said BDO senior vice president and head of remittance Genie T. Gloria.

With this campaign and the generosity from our Kabayans abroad, BDO Remit hopes it can help al leviate the pain somehow.”

BDO Remit has sub sidiary offices in several countries overseas that can accommodate the sending of donations through these foundations. BDO Remit

has offices in Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Daly City in the USA, Toronto, Canada, and London, UK. For the complete list of addresses, donors can visit www.bdo. com.ph, go to Remittance Services and click BDO Re mit international network.

“Hopefully, with this, we can encourage more donations from our over seas Filipinos to help those adversely affected by Kard ing,” Gloria added.

Karding ravaged parts of Luzon last September 25 up to early morning the following day, leaving a trail of destruction, including at least 10 dead and almost P2 billon in agricultural damage, in its wake. Almost 40,000 families were also adversely affected by the typhoon, the 11 th tropical cyclone to enter the Philip pine Area of Responsibility this year.

Base Bahay bamboo innovation and research optimizes bamboo for use in disaster-resilient housing

The Base Innovation Center (BIC), Base Bahay Foundation, Inc.’s (Base’s) International Hub for alter native building technology research, has been busy. Since it was inaugurated in early 2021, its constantly evolving bear witness to the weekly flurry of activ ity from experts and part ners who are hard at work, studying how bamboo can be further optimized for use in mainstream construction.

At the country’s first research and testing facility for sustainable and disas ter-resilient construction technologies, Base is leading the charge on research and innovation surrounding the use of bamboo for the af fordable housing sector, and, eventually, the construction industry at large.

Committed to their vision of “Building sustain able foundations for the fu ture”, some 1,500 homes all over the country have been built by partners for various beneficiaries using Base’s Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), which has been certified by the

Accreditation of Innovative Technologies for Housing (AITECH) by the Nation al Housing Authority, with over 300 civil engineers and architects trained in its use.

Base targets to build 10,000 cement bamboo houses by 2024 in response to the growing need for socialized homes in disaster-prone areas, particularly in Luzon and the Visayas.

“As leaders in the field of sustainable housing tech nologies, we recognize that we play a pivotal role in en suring that every Filipino has access to a home,” said Base Bahay General Manag er Dr. Pablo Jorillo, referenc ing the country’s housing backlog as he points out bamboo’s abundance. “We hope to unlock more part nerships that will help us provide homes for more Fili pino families.”

Shares Base Bahay Head of Technology Luis Felipe Lopez Munoz: “a key part of our commitment to promoting sustainable housing technologies is con stant innovation. Our vision is to be the global reference

a model house, wherein new materials and building tech niques are tested. Augment ed reality is used to adopt and scale new technology for use in construction.

Resulting data will guide the development of a local structural code for bamboo, aligned with the Philippine National Stan dard (PNS) 22157 and the proposed International Or ganization for Standardiza tion’s ISO 22156. The for mer determines the specific testing procedures for ob tained bamboo culms, while the latter is meant to institu tionalize the use of bamboo in structural design.

This year, the BIC is working with ETH Zurich and UP (University of the

Philippines) on lifecycle and thermal comfort of ce ment-bamboo frame homes. Coventry University and Foundation University are piloting the application of bamboo grading and testing new bamboo connections.

Other ongoing research projects include the UST’s (University of Sto. Thomas) and MAPUA University’s characterization of differ ent species of bamboo and testing of bamboo shear wall panels, and DLSU’s (De La Salle University) study of bamboo fiber geopolymer wall.

For more information on Base Bahay Foundation and ongoing projects, visit http://www.base-builds. com.

At the Base Innovation Center in Makati, Head of Technology Luis Felipe Lopez Munoz demonstrates the use of the spe cially developed Universal Testing Machine

BDO Unibank— through its remittance arm BDO Remit—is waiving the remittance fees for do

nations sent to victims of Super Typhoon Karding (international name: Noru) to help accelerate the flow

of financial assistance to the affected areas in the country. Overseas Filipinos

may remit their donations free of service fees from September 30 to Novem ber 30, 2022 through the

for

The Center houses a Universal Testing Machine, a Bamboo Wall Panel Reaction Frame, fabrication tables, and

SIDC...

FROM 2 BOC... FROM 2 POLICY... FROM 3

boats, bypassing resort en trance procedures. When questioned, the intruders flimsily asserted that the re sorts’ foreshore lease rent als were unpaid, without first asking the landowner, who readily showed proof of full payment. The CEN RO personnel had to admit the foreshore lease was subsisting and due process invariably preceded any lease cancellation. DPWH’s Engr. Joey Tulaylay tried to pass it off as a courtesy call. But there is nothing courte ous for heavily armed men who turned out to be Coast Guard personnel to enter a peaceful family resort, dou bling as bodyguards to Chi nese contractors,” it said.

The team also said “grave irregularities and anomalies affecting the SIDC Project, similar to the unlawful entry last Octo ber 4 mentioned above” that need to be addressed that include the landown ers were neither invited nor consulted during the ADB-sponsored workshop on 19 February 2019 in Manila where the current alignment was chosen from four alternative align ments without an Environ mental Impact Assessment (EIA), thereby precluding a sound decision based on an assessment and com parison of the alternative alignments’ environmental impacts, with inputs from affected communities; and the the EIA failed to ex amine other alternatives, including the shortest, cheapest, and most envi ronmentally sound align ment recommended by Ja pan’s Ministry of Economy and Trade Industry (METI) after a thorough study in 2016, and the adjacent site in Brgy. Caliclic, Samal Is land being donated by the Rodriguez-Lucas family.

The team stressed that there is no valid clearance issued by a duly constitut ed Protected Area Manage ment Board (PAMB) pursu ant to the ENIPAS Act as a prerequisite to an ECC de spite the fact that the entire Samal Island is a Mangrove Swamp Forest Reserve un der Proclamation No. 2152, S. 1981 and a protected area under the National

DTI-DDO...

Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS); and that CENRO certification issued to DPWH that the Samal landing site is outside a protected area is mislead ing since there is no act of Congress disestablishing Samal or modifying its boundary as a protected area, which is required by the ENIPAS Act.

The team stated that the enumerated above “war rant the cancellation of the SIDC Project’s ECC and a rigid assessment of other alternative alignments or landing sites through an honest-to goodness EIA.”

“The DPWH is bound to revisit the old shipyard, Bridgeport, as well as the Brgy. Caliclic property be ing donated by the Rodri guez-Lucas family to save Paradise Reef and help the government save hundreds of millions of pesos in pub lic funds for right-of-way,” it said.

Meanwhile, the DPWH emphasized in a statement that the final alignment of the proposed main bridge including the connecting eastern/western offshore and onshore approach bridge, the Davao inter change ramp bridge and the approach road have been exhaustively stud ied with most beneficial effects in terms of techni cal, financial, economic, environmental and social impacts.

The statement also mentioned that DPWH considered several propos als for the bridge alignment including the one suggest ed during the recent meet ing at DPWH Head Office between DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin I. Jubahib, and the Rodri guez-Lucas family - owner of Samal’s Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort and Costa Marina Beach Resort, the approved final alignment for the sea cross ing bridge is a product of comprehensive study by experts and with import ant consideration to the environment and the nec essary navigational safety management for seacraft and height restriction for air transport.

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will ensure every investor competitive in this digital economy.

“We aim to bring to gether more than a hun dred business leaders, Government officials, in vestors, entrepreneurs, experts, policymakers, ac ademe, and professionals from across the region to deliberate and showcase economic growth oppor

AGRI...

FROM 5

setting a PHP170/kilo SRP for medium-sized red on ions.

“Pumayag ho ang ating traders na ibaba ang presyo ng wholesale. So ibabagsak ho nila ng PHP150 sa mga palengke, para ang retailer naman po natin, mabenta ito ng PHP170 (Our trad ers have agreed to drop the

tunities in Davao de Oro,” Balleque added.

For this year, DDOiCON aims to generate P500 mil lion worth of investment leads, assist 60 investors, and record P200 million domestic sales. In addition, 150 coconut players are ex pected to attend and assist 250 micro, small and medi um enterprises (MSMEs).

DTIDDO/ecd/jmm

wholesale price, so they will distribute it by PHP150 to markets, so that retailers can sell it by PHP170),” she said.

Evangelista, mean while, said the DA “under stands the predicament of retailers,” especially those whose supplies were from their previous transaction.

Ruiz will continue to collab orate with other agencies that focus on trade facilita tion which can help boost

MARCOS...

the economic development in the Davao Region and ul timately improve revenue collection performance.

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Wednesday, Garcia said Comelec will comply with the law postponing the BSKE.

“As I have said before, the Comelec shall comply with the law. I have con veyed the Comelec position with regard to postpone ment of the BSKE to the leg islature and the President and I trust that such posi tion was duly noted and considered,” he said.

“With this law, the leg islative and the executive departments have seen fit to postpone the Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE) to October of 2023,” he added.

He said the poll body will be coming out with an updated calendar of activities regarding the postponed electoral exer cises “the soonest possi ble time.”

“We shall also revisit our existing and planned

DAVAO’s...

procurement contracts related to the BSKE and act accordingly with the best interest of all parties in mind,” he said.

Garcia said the post ponement will also give the Comelec “an oppor tunity to further institute education and informa tion programs for the benefit of our electorate and prospective BSKE candidates.”

He added that the one-year postponement will also allow them to resume voter registration “to ensure the larger par ticipation of the citizenry.”

Garcia said it will give the hopefuls as well as the voting public “to take this time to prepare and reflect on their rights and duties which they will ex ercise through their bal lots and eventual offices.” (with reports from Ferdi nand Patinio/PNA)

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fort rooms, locker room, food and beverage office, engineering office, medical clinic, chapel, and two func tion rooms for 60 persons; third to eleventh floors –guestrooms; twelfth floorHeroes Bar, Concorde func tion room with mezzanine, mini gym, swimming pool; and roof deck - water tank, motor for elevators, and cell site/office.

Veteran writer-colum nist Antonio V. Figueroa wrote that “in 2001, due to a series of crises, Durian Hotel, one of the impressive structures to grace Davao City’s landscape towards the end of the millennium,

IMF...

was forced to fold up after its lender, the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., fore closed the property due to unpaid debts.”

Meanwhile, Quibod said currently BMQ is investing in Digos City, Davao del Sur. It opened Big 8 Corporate Hotel Di gos on Wednesday.

The 12-story hotel, which is located in the main business and shopping dis trict in Digos City, houses 112 rooms of standard, de luxe, and executive suites.

BMQ first opened a Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. By Maya M. Padillo

provinces para ma-secure ang Davao City mao to gi pagawas ang directive na ‘no pick up policy’ ta sa bus stop. Since walay naabot sa akoa na directive na i-lift or ameyndahan to or i-go tong 3 areas, i-follow gihapon nato tong what is existing,” she said.

Meanwhile, Usop said that in preparation for the arrival of travelers and pas sengers during Undas, the DCOTT has laid the neces sary security measures to ensure the safety of pas sengers.

She said the DCOTT’s security staff will be divid ed to cover a three-shift rotation for its 24-hour operations. The terminal’s security will be augment ed by the Task Force Davao and the city police which has its own police outpost within the terminal.

She also said DCOTT has also coordinated with the Public Safety and Se curity Command Center

REGIONAL...

(PSSCC), CTTMO, Task Force Davao, Land Trans portation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“Karon gipanganda man na nato ang security measures by conducting meeting with our securi ty guards, city-paid na sila composed of plantilla, job orders, and contractuals kay 24 hours man ang op eration sa DCOTT. Gimiting nato ang ilahang team lead ers. Second naa mi coordi nation with the Task Force Davao nga naa sa main entrace to check the bagag es. Naa pud tay mga pulis dinha. Nakipag coordinate pud mi sa president South ern Mindanao Bus Opera tors Association,” she said.

Usop said DCOTT will no longer follow the 30-minute bus interval due to the influx of passengers.

“Kung mapuno mularga na para makasulod na ang next bus,” she said.

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In 2020, 100IB disman tled GF 33 and PBC 4, the 1002IB – GF 71 (Tala), and 1003IB – GF 56.

Last year, the 1003IB undid GF55, followed by the dismantling of PBC by 1002IB and the dissolution of GF South and North by the 701IB.

This year, the 1001IB dismantled GF’s 2,3, Sub-Regional Committees (SRC) 4, Regional Sentro De Grabidad (RSDG), and Sub-Regional Guerilla Units of SRC 2.

It was followed by the 1002IB’s dismantling GF Alip, followed by the 1003IB–SRGU and SRC 5, and 701IB – GF 18, SRC 1

BUDGET...

FROM 4 for many, especially foreign travelers.

and 2.

From 2016 to 2022, a total of 437 encounters transpired; 1,597 loose firearms gained, and 1,749 NPA rebels were “neutral ized” - 107 killed, 217 cap tured, and 1,425 surren dered.

Also, 9,985 members of the underground mass organization surrendered, and 401 barangays were cleared from NPA influ ence.

“We are so happy about this declaration. The devel opment would now thrive without fear of intimida tion, harassment, and sab otage from the NPA group,” Mempin said.

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ence at the 2022 Annual “Global financial conditions could deteriorate, and the dollar strengthen further, should turmoil in financial markets erupt,” Gourinchas said, noting this would add significantly to inflation pressures and financial fragilities in the rest of the world, especially emerging markets and developing economies.

Inflation could, yet again, prove more per sistent, especially if labor markets remain extremely tight, he said.

Finally, the war in Ukraine is still raging and further escalation can exac erbate the energy crisis, he added.

The IMF argued that front-loaded and aggres sive monetary tightening is “critical” to avoid inflation de-anchoring.

“The hard-won cred ibility of central banks could be undermined if they misjudge yet again the stubborn persistence of in flation. This would prove much more detrimental to future macroeconomic sta bility,” Gourinchas said, urg ing central banks to keep a

steady hand with monetary policy firmly focused on taming inflation.

He said fiscal poli cy should not work at cross-purpose with mone tary authorities’ efforts to bring down inflation.

“Doing so will only pro long inflation and could cause serious financial in stability, as recent events illustrated,” he added.

In the latest report, the IMF also highlighted that the energy and food cri ses, coupled with extreme summer temperatures, are “stark” reminders of what an uncontrolled climate transition would look like.

“There are some cost(s) of doing the climate transition on the macro economic side, these costs are very, very modest in comparison to the cost of not doing the climate tran sition,” Gourinchas said at the press conference in re sponse to a question from Xinhua.

Noting that climate transition is a “gradual” process, Gourinchas said the gains are much larger if that process is started early.

“So yes, we have to deal

“It is not easy for them to tick the boxes about spe cific details of their destina tion in the Philippines, such as which National Capital Region district, which ba rangay. A foreign national usually has a hard time an swering that,” she said.

She said without the OHP, a foreigner could in stead be made to fill out an arrival card before landing. A returning Filipino, on the

BAP... FROM 5

ippine peso, which regis tered its record-low 59.00 close to a US dollar last Oct. 3 and Oct. 10.

Earlier, BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said the cen tral bank is “taking steps to manage any disruption in our financial market.”

“We ask those who have the means not to take undue advantage of chang ing market conditions. This does not help the Philip pine peso, it does not help

with (the) energy crisis right now. Yes, a number of countries are facing them selves in a situation where they need to procure more energy to produce electric

other hand, needs to prove that he or she is fully vac cinated or boosted against Covid-19.

“Maybe we should start considering these too,” Romero said.

Dailisan, meanwhile, said AirAsia supports ini tiatives that will enable seamless travel among its guests, such as a uni fied electronic arrival card system that is customer friendly and accessible for arriving passengers. (PNA)

the Philippines,” he said. Medalla said “what we can do is to bring all trans actions into an organized and accessible formal mar ket that offers consumer protection.”

“Market conditions around the world are chal lenging. Working together allows us to sustain our functioning market while appropriately managing the developing risks,” he added. (PNA)

ity over the winter, etc. But the path that we should embark on in terms of the climate transition is some thing that we cannot ignore as well,” he said. (Xinhua)

CHITO MALABANAN JABONG!

I thought I came to the course early but my teacher Miling Bi sera was already in the practice putting area of the old Lanang golf waiting for me. Thirty minutes ahead of our tee time but Miling told me, better early than late. That’s your first lesson for today. The most important lesson in golf.

It was my first time to hit fair ways after two weeks of hitting in the range. Excited and with high expectations. A few minutes later, they arrived. Two young caddies/ golf pros and one gray haired golf er who look tanned and sun baked but rather look fit for his age.

My pro and the two caddies hit from the blue tee while me and the old guy took off from the White tee. I was given the honor to hit first. Later on I found out, its not really the honor per se but rather to avoid being intimidated and awed by the length and the power of their drives,,,hahaha.

While walking after hitting

our drives, the old man gave me some unsolicited advise after get ting permission from Miling. Sure Tay,ok lang.

Lesson number two. After tee ing up your ball, relax and calm down your nerves. Imagine the shot you are planning to hit and set a target. Don’t hit the ball un til you feel relax, comfortable and have settled down.

The guys from the blue tee hit long drives of not less than 250 yards. Tatay h it a 150 yard drive more or less but dead center. I was able to reach green on a Par 4 luckily in 6, the pros in regulation while Tatay hit his 3rd shot a few inches from the cup. A gimme for par.

I admire his 3/4 swing execut ed in a relaxed fashion. Although his body did not finish in full rota tion due to limited flexibility , I ad mired the fluidity of its execution.

It was poetry in motion.

As we finished the front 9, and

compared score, my golf pro had an even par, the two caddies in 1 over, while the old guy surprised me with a 2 under. Me? I made 6 over. Six over sixty or 66 ,,for front 9 alone.

Along the way I paid atten tion to the lessons I learned while playing along with the guy. On a par 4s,don’t make the mistake of trying to hit a shot beyond your capacity. Hit a shot with a club you are most comfortable with. You may not hit the green in reg ulation since you are not expected to hit it everytime unless you are a pro or a low handicap player thus the need to practice more on your short game to hit the third shot as near as possible to the hole. Putt, putt and perfect the putt stroke you are most comfortable with.

Par 5’s are the chances you can hit the green in regulation but the same, don’t push it so hard. As you improve and lower your handicap always remember not to

rush and push yourself ahead be yond your capability. Par 3 is your best chance for a par thus the need to practice your range/club selection for the right distance and take advantage of having the ball teed up.

Golf is management. Manage your shots, manage the course and avoid hitting high risk shots unless you have hit those shots during practice at the range. The thought of trying to emulate Lee Trevino or Greg Norman hit those shots you see in the TV is so tempting.

As we gather around the table for our breakfast the old man con tinue to amaze me with his words of wisdom. Me, looking as a wide eyed boy listening intently to ev ery words he uttered ;impressed with his humility and down to earth decorum.

We laugh and enjoyed our meals until I silently whispered to my pro,,,Miling, who is this guy?

We’ve been playing and talking for the last two hours or so but we haven’t been introduced well.

They both laugh and laugh.. Sorry sir. Tay, this is Engr Chito my student. He has been practicing with me for the last 3 weeks or so and this is his first fairway.

Sir Chito, this is Tatay Ce lestino. Celestino Tugot… WHAAAAAT?

I am shocked with disbelief. Bewildered and amazed by his mere presence. I literally walked with one of the gods of golf in the grounds of Lanang.

It was such an experience walking with the maestro.The living legend of Philippine golf at that time. The greatest Filipino golfer who played the game.

Oh how I wish I have that Smart selfon is already available during that time. It could have been a great selfie and Facebook post….wew..what a walk remem ber.

Sports is alive in Tawi-Tawi

When the Philippine Sports Com mission-Mindanao Office was still active, I noticed that cluster head Professor Eduardo “Edfer” Fernan dez or consultant Professor Henry Daut would find themselves somewhere in the island of Sulu.

And in that island, either they will be welcomed by Fa ther Romy Saniel, our strong partner in the Sports For Peace Mindanao movement initiated by William “Butch” Ramirez, or Al Dayan, a sports man, organiser and supporter of the sports development ef forts of the then PSC chairman Ramirez.

The work there was only halted by the Covid-19 pan demic and with the changing of the guards in Malacanang, I have not noticed any sports development movement by the national government through the PSC.

However, in a recent FB post shared by Prof. Edfer, he congratulated Al Dayan for making sports vibrant in Ta wi-Tawi. “Sports is life. So alive in Tawi-Tawi”, said the profes sor.

I was a bit touched by the reply of Al Dayan to chairman Ramirez’s congratulatory message. Al said “Thank you po chairman. This is a con tinuing legacy that we learned from you to reach out and be a catalyst to our community by using sports as a vehicle for us to become vibrant citizens of our country”.

Isn’t those words so lovely

to hear? Or even read.

So, Al Dayan has orga nized some sports events as part of the Teacher’s Month celebration including the MorOlympics Traditional Games.

I remember that name Al Dayan because during the ac tive years of PSC-Mindanao, he has been deeply involved.

And now that the PSC-Min danao Satellite Office has stopped operation, I am glad to know that Al Dayan has continued his sports develop ment work.

With or without the PSC around, Al Dayan and his team of volunteers can still organize events in the community.

I know that the PSC is still forming its team in Manila, it just I wonder if there will still be focus for sports develop ment in Mindanao, particular ly in far-flung areas.

I would love to see PSCbacked activities again in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Lest we forget, they are part of the Philippines, you know.

Magonlia’s Paul Lee and NLEX’s Matt Nieto dispute the ball in this bit of action during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday. PBA