Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 159 | Sunday-Monday, Oct. 16-17, 2022

Covid-19 Task Force urges foreigners to follow rules NO EXEMPTION

Finland Ambassador to the Philippines Juha Markus Pyykkö says Finland could offer its expertise in education, renewable energy and waste-to-energy to Davao City and Mindanao. Amb. Pyykkö also cited digital economy and tourism are industries where Finland and Davao City could have cooperation. Edge Davao

NO EXEMPTION

Covid-19 Task Force urges foreigners to follow rules

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Germany expands dev’t programs in Mindanao

The German gov ernment will con tinue supporting peace-building efforts in Mindanao through liveli hood initiatives and vari ous projects on youth and women empowerment.

livelihood, especially in agriculture.

“In our view, the peace process can only be suc cessful if all stakeholders are actively involved in it from early on,” Reiffenstu el said.

The

Davao City Covid-19 Task Force is urging foreign nationals or inter national traveling individuals to fol low the rules of the country particularly on Covid-19 protocols.

Dr. Michelle Schloss

of the Covid-19 Task Force, said that the Bureau of Quaran tine (BOQ) has protocols for the foreign nationals or

international traveling indi viduals to follow.

This is in relation to the call of Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre on the city gov ernment and local agencies

to review and reorganize the cross-border travel policies in Davao City after an Aus tralian investor, who arrived in Davao City to discuss busi ness and investment with a Davao-based entrepreneur, was not allowed to enter the city despite presenting a negative RT-PCR result 48 hours before his arrival in Davao City.

“I would have to agree with the good councilor (Alejandre) na mag-ipon ipon for a better protocol. But when that incident nga iyahang gi-cite (Australian investor) that is the duty of the BOQ. Whatever ang protocol ng BOQ which is a national protocol mu-follow lang ang Davao City unless cleared na sa ilaha. Kung

Eastmincom, 10th ID feted for curbing NPA threat in Davao

In an Embassy report dated October 13, German Ambassador to the Phil ippines Anke Reiffenstuel said they “are convinced that a successful and in clusive peace process will increase prosperity and social cohesion not only in the Philippines, but also in this highly inter-connect ed region.”

“We are aiming at ex panding our partnerships with the Philippines, knowing that the Indo-Pa cific region is of growing relevance in the politi cal as well as economic sphere,” she added.

Germany is currently providing more than PHP2 billion worth of develop ment programs in coordi nation with the Philippine government and 70 orga nizations on the ground.

One of the Ger man-funded projects is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusam menarbeit’s (GIZ) Youth for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence in Mindanao (YOUCAP) which seeks to keep the youth away from armed terrorist groups.

YOUCAP actively works with Sangguniang Kabataan officials in four local governments in Re gions 10 (Northern Mind anao) and 13 (Caraga) to develop local youth devel opment plans and covers about 100,000 young Fil ipinos -- 21,500 of them classified as vulnerable.

The GIZ also imple ments a project line called DeveloPPP aided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hailed all officers and enlisted personnel of the Eastern Mindanao Com mand and the 10th Infantry Division for their efforts and hard work that result ed in the declaration of the whole Davao Region as in surgency-free.

“The joint resolution

signed by the Regional Peace and Order Council composed of local chief ex ecutives from various local government units (LGUs) of Region 11 signifies the success of the whole-of-na tion approach in ending the insurgency in the area,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a statement Friday.

He also added that the dismantling of all the guer rilla fronts, the neutraliza tion and dissolution of the six “Pulang Bagani” com mands, other NPA units and “barangay milisya”, the clearing of guerrilla bases including the mass bases, the surrender of thousands of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s

Army-National Democrat ic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) members.

This includes recovery and redirection of the mass organizations that ended the once strongest com munist insurgency in the whole country. “The victory belongs to all Davaoeños,” Aguilar said.

The projects include building institutions in the Bangsamoro Auton omous Region in Muslim Mindanao, reintegrating former combatants into society, and empowering key stakeholders such as women, the youth, and in digenous people.

Also included are fi nancial support for proj ects in key sectors such as land rights, disaster risk reduction, health, human rights, climate change, and

One of the major sectors assisted by De veloPPP projects is agri culture in Mindanao, par ticularly coffee farming, while GIZ helps in training and capacity-building for farmers’ groups.

“We help the farm ers produce a better crop through education,” GIZ country director Imman uel Gebhardt said. “Har vesting better crops leads to a secure and continuous

Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, together with some members of the City Council, city officials ang government employees, graces the 26th founding anniversary celebration of Barangay Lampianao in Calinan on October 14. CIO

Majority of Covid-related deaths in Davao City unvaxxed, not boosted

ARBO receives livelihood aid from DAR

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has turned over farm implements, as well as a package of training in terventions, to members of the Doroluman Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ Or ganization (DARBO) from the upland Barangay of Doroluman as livelihood support to make their farm lands become more pro ductive through the use of organic farming.

According to a news re lease from DAR, the farm implements include a 3-in1 hammer mill, shredder, weighing scale and 16 packs of assorted vegetable seeds, with a total amount of PHP450,000, as well as a package of training inter ventions.

The farmer-members of the DARBO were also trained on the natural farm ing system which includes producing fermented fruit juices and organic fertilizers.

The support services were provided under the Climate Resilient Farm Pro ductivity Support Program - Sustainable Livelihood Support, which aims to ad dress food security amidst climate change by providing livelihood support in the form of farm machines and equipment, farm inputs, and

capacity development inter ventions.

The project is in com pliance with the directive of DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to improve the livelihood of the farmers.

DARBO president Sunny Ocate, expressed his grati tude to the DAR for the live lihood assistance given to them, being the first recipi ent organization in the town of Arakan. He also expressed the organization’s commit ment to sustain and manage the project as an enterprise.

“This project would serve as an inspiration to support the advocacy of the municipality to adopt organic agriculture in the area,” he said.

“The skills training is a big help to us, just in time when the cost of farm in puts keeps on increasing. Some of the members have already adopted what we have learned, like the prepa ration of organic inputs, where we can save a lot of money because most of the ingredients are readily avail able and accessible,” Ocate said.

During the turnover ceremony, Doroluman ba rangay chairman Bonie Jay Abanilla vowed to support DARBO by providing addi

By MAYA M. PADILLO

TheCovid-19 related deaths in Davao City remains in double digits with many of the fatalities still unvacci nated according to Dr. Michelle Schloss er, spokesperson of Davao City Covid-19 Task Force.

From October 2-8, 2022, Davao City logged 10 Covid-related deaths, six of which were unvaccinated cases.

“The data is showing us na double digit gihapon ang atong number of deaths per week and a lot of our deaths are unvaccinated and a lot

of our deaths are not boost ed,” Schlosser said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Friday.

Schlosser also said this would also means that the vaccination works and pro tects the people from the severity of the disease and from death due to Covid-19.

“This is a strong re minder for everyone that we really need to be vacci nated kay the only way we can prevent death and the only way we can prevent the severity of the disease is through the vaccine,” she said.

Schlosser urged the Dabawenyos to avail of the vaccines especially booster doses.

The city has opened the weekend vaccination at the People’s Park, which will run until December this year and this is in partner

ship with the Vaccination Cluster and Philippine Red Cross-Davao.

“Padayon nato ang weekend vaccination so that wala nay rason mga tao dili sila makapabakuna because naa sila’y trabaho. Having your vaccine is not just to protect yourself but also your loved ones,” she said

Meanwhile, Schlosser reported that the city has recorded a total of 117 Covid-19 active cases on October 14, 2022, which

‘Friends’ express interest to Mindanao Railway project: PCCI-Mindanao

Arturo

Milan, head of the Philippine Cham ber of Commerce and Industry-Mindanao (PCC CI-Mindanao) said all those who expressed interest to fund for the completion of the Mindanao Railway Proj ect (MRP) are “friends.”

This is in response to the offer made by United States (US) Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Loss Carlson, who was re ported expressing support to various transport infra structure projects in the country, with emphasis on providing assistance for the

completion of the MRP.

In a Facebook post, the Department of Transpor tation (DOTr) said Carlson offered to provide technical assistance for implement ing and developing the MRP in a meeting with DOTr Sec retary Jaime Bautista.

It also posted that the assistance, which will be coursed through the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the US Agency for Internation al Development (USAID), will encompass the early stage project preparation and development of a Pub

lic-Private Partnership (PPP) structure, to facilitate increased private sector in vestment and participation.

“The Mindanao Railway Project is vital to the devel opment of Mindanao. As such, it doesn’t matter who the funder of the Railway Project is, as those who ex pressed interest to fund the project are all our friends.

We will always appreciate any expression of support but its up to the present administration to choose the best offer for the best interest of the Philippines and Mindanao,” Milan told

Edge Davao.

According to Milan, what’s important for the Mindanaoans is to see this long time dream of having a mass transport system come to reality.

The project’s construc tion, which will be financed through an official develop ment assistance package from the Chinese govern ment, was first targeted to start in January 2019 with operations by 2021.

According to reports, in it’s revised indicative timeline as of Sept. 2021,

Personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways remove debris and mud from a drainage canal in downtown Davao City on Friday (14 October 2022). Clogged drainage canals reportedly caused the recurring massive street flooding in the city. Mindanews Photo

GREGORIO

“I love to walk. Walking is a spiritual journey and a reflec tion of living. Each of us must determine which path to take and how far to walk; we must find our own way, what is right for one may not be for another. There is no single right way to deal with late-stage cancer, to live life or approach death, or to walk an old mission trail.” –Edie Littlefield Sundby in his book, The Mission Walker.

***

I love walking. When I worked for a non-government organization in my hometown for more than three decades, I literally walked. I walked from home to the bus termi nal, which is about a kilometer away. When I arrived at the office where I worked, I had to walk for almost two kilome ters – from the national high way to the center.

My reason for walking: it was my form of exercise since I sit most of the day at the office. Another reason: I didn’t have any vehicle or motorbike. Al though I can afford to buy one, I don’t know how to drive. To me, it’s a blessing rather than a curse.

When I visited New York

for the first time in 2000, I had to walk all the way from my hotel to the office of the Unit ed Nations Population Fund, where I co-wrote a paper on water and population. Once the day was over, I had to walk back again to my hotel. I did that routine for almost a week.

Well, I am not the only one who likes walking. A name sake, Henry David Thoreau, was one of the world’s most famous walkers. The author of Walden and an advocate for spending time alone in nature, he penned: “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”

Another well-known au thor, Virginia Woolf, also be lieved in walking. The famed feminist and literary goddess of England, she would recite her drafts aloud during her daily walks as part of her writ ing process. In her diary, she wrote: “To walk alone in Lon don is the greatest rest.”

In like manner, Steve Jobs walked to solve problems, ac cording to the website, pink ribbonrunner.com. “He would often be seen out walking around Palo Alta of Silicon Valley,” the website states. “He

did this for exercise, but also to clear his head.” Mark Zucker burg is also noted for his walk ing meetings.

Some Hollywood stars walk as a form of exercise and keep them fit. Madonna, on her rest days, really doesn’t rest; instead, she does lower intensity walks to exercise. The trainer of Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts has her doing walking workouts to stay fit. Brooke Shields also gets plenty of exercise walking around New York, where she lives.

Unknown to many, Ameri can president Harry S Truman took to walking briskly until the ripe old age of 88. Astro naut John Glenn credited his celebrated return to orbit at age 77 to his two-mile daily power walk.

When writing his works, Friedrich Nietzsche would walk alone for up to eight hours a day. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking” was his maxim. The Wanderer and His Shadow was written almost entirely on foot.

Now, you may be won dering why I am highlighting walking? It is because I just

read a post on social media which urges people to walk because it lowers cortisol, our main body’s stress hormone. It works with certain parts of our brain to control our mood, motivation, and fear.

“Not the power walking stuff, that’s more like running,” the post said. “Slow down. Relax. Look around your sur roundings. This is not about calories; it’s about cortisol.”

In these days of informa tion technology, people are no longer doing activities that move their bodies. We sit, we talk, we eat, and we sleep. “Walk because sitting sucks for health,” the post stressed. “You ever watched a pool of stagnant water develop a disgusting layer of slime and sludge in it? Flowing water is clean, water that sits gets dirty. Well, you are mostly water, so make sure you are moving.”

Walk, don’t run. That’s the title of a Hollywood movie. Most health experts go for walking rather than running. Christine Gorman, writing for an American weekly maga zine, states: “Walking may be the perfect exercise. It’s one of the safest things you can do with your body. It’s much eas

ier on the knees than running and doesn’t trigger untoward side effects.”

“Walk for your mood, In creased blood to the brain means less foggy brain, more clarity, more light and less dullness,” the post pointed out.

“Walk for your joints and muscles,” it added. “Guess what beats massage, hot wa ter, cold water, stretching and foam rolling into for soreness? Yep, walking. That’s how you keep joints supple and mus cles moving.”

It is better if you walk in natural settings as research shows doing so has even more benefits. “Walking in the city and walking in the woods both lower stress hormones, but walking in the woods does it more. The Japanese call it shrinrin-yoku or ‘forest bath ing,’” the post concluded.

So, next time you visit your doctor, don’t be surprised if he hands you a prescription to walk. After all, to quote the words of Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Preven tion, walking is “the closest thing we have to a wonder drug.”

ISLAND OF LAS PALMAS

The first arbitral case con cerning an opposed Philippine land took place long before the Permanent Court of Arbi tration (PCA) decided on July 12, 2016, in favor of the Phil ippines in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea case. It transpired during the American colonial occu pation and was tried when the global body was still known as the League of Nations.

In 1898, Spain ceded the country to the United States under the Treaty of Paris, and included Las Palmas, an is land 197 kilometers south of Samal. Known as Miangas to Indonesians, the Netherlands (Dutch) also claimed sover eignty over it. To resolve the ownership, the claimants sub mitted the dispute to the PCA by signing a pact on January 23, 1925. The case was decid ed on April 4, 1928, with Max Huber, a Swiss lawyer, as the

sole arbitrator. This is ‘one of the most influential prece dents dealing with island ter ritorial conflicts.’

Central to the case was the question of whether the island was part of the U.S. territo ry under the Paris treaty or under the Netherlands when Indonesia was still a Dutch colony.

The Philippine view was premised on (i) the geograph ic contiguity of the island to the Philippines; (ii) the dis covery by Spain; and (iii) its inclusion in the 1989 Treaty of Paris. Netherlands, on the other hand, invoked its claim of the landmass by the con tinuous and peaceful display of sovereignty based on pacts signed as early as 1677 with the ruling princes of adjacent regions.

The ‘point of strategy’ ad opted by the U.S. in the claim was explained in a November

7, 1924, article (‘U.S. and Hol land Dispute Island’) in The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), stating:

‘There is believed to be considerable hazard in chang ing the boundary and placing Las Palmas outside the Philip pines, thus creating the possi bility of its becoming a foreign fortified point or not, of course under the Dutch but when, as the game progresses in the Far East, the Dutch may no longer be the power with which to reckon.’

The arbitral court said the U.S. stance of contiguity and discovery was not proved and if Spain had a title to show, it is still under contest. The Neth erlands, meanwhile, held that its possession and exercise of sovereignty of the atoll is an extension of the accords the East India Company, a Dutch company, signed with the in digenous ruler to even out the

Dutch rule over the territory.

The court stated that Spain could not lawfully give the island to the U.S. under the 1989 treaty because it did not possess an actual title, adding that for a sovereign to uphold its initial title thru discovery, ‘the discoverer had to actually exercise authority even by as simple an act as planting a flag on the beach,’ an act that Spain did not bother to execute.

The arbitrator also point ed out that if there were dis cordant claims between the Dutch and the Spaniards, there would have been conflict, add ing that an actual title, even if existent, cannot supplant the sovereignty exercised by the Dutch over the island ‘from 1677 or even prior to 1648,’ a territorial claim that was not challenged.

In précis, ‘a title that is in choate cannot prevail over a definite title found on the

continuous and peaceful dis play of sovereignty… [which] is as good as title. However, discovery alone, without a subsequent act, cannot suf fice to prove sovereignty over the island. The territorial sov ereignty of… Netherlands, was not contested by anyone from 1700 to 1906 so the ti tle of discovery was, at best, an inchoate title and does not prevail over the Netherlands claims of sovereignty.’

Three precedents were created in resolving the island territorial dispute: (i) a title based on contiguity has no standing in international law; (ii) a title by discovery is only an incipient title; and (iii) the claim by the sovereign that exercises authority is great er than a title based on mere discovery. Huber also distin guished between the creation of rights and the existence of rights.

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He added that the AFP is thanking all the stake holders, especially the local chief executives and civil so ciety organizations whose hard work and compassion for the people of the Davao Region led to this milestone in the quest for just and lasting peace in the whole

GERMANY...

country.

“With your continued support, we are confident that we can sustain this achievement and replicate it in other regions and fi nally give all Filipinos their much-deserved peace and prosperity,” Aguilar said. (PNA)

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supply of coffee for com panies and more revenue for the coffee farmers in Mindanao which helps them get out of poverty.”

Some 1,565 coffee farmers in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat have been trained under the initia tive.

From producing only 235 kilograms of coffee per hectare in 2018, they saw a 133.62-percent in crease in harvest in 2020 at 549 kilograms per hect are, the German Embassy said.

In addition, the Ger man Foreign Federal For eign Office is working with Relief International on a new project called Wom en Engaged in Respon sive Solutions to Conflicts and Violence in Mindanao (We-RESOLVE).

The project, which started September 15, aims to increase the par ticipation of Bangsam

oro women in eight mu nicipalities involving 40 villages while providing them with livelihood op portunities.

The project conducts workshops to equip lo cal government units, women-led civil society organizations, commu nity members, and oth er stakeholders with the skills to develop better gender and development plans.

“During my trips to Mindanao, I have al ways been impressed by the well-structured ap proach and concept of the projects our partner organizations are imple menting,” Reiffenstuel said. “Overall, sustain ability can be achieved through close coordi nation with Philippine authorities, between German implementing partners as well as inter national donors.” (PNA)

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given that the Stock Cer tificate No. 11028 with TEN (10) shares is sued on March 5, 2012 to KRISLYN KATE D. DUBLIN, by Davao Doctors Hospital was lost.

That the above-mentioned certificate of stocks has not been sold, pledged, mort gaged, or in anyway encumbered and free from any lien or encumbrance.

That earnest efforts to locate the said Stock Certificate No. 11028 but the same could no longer be found and should now be considered lost and beyond recovery for all intents and purposes.

That an affidavit of loss was duly notarized per Doc. No. 115; Page No. 24; Book No. IV; Series of 2022 by Notary Public Atty. MAR LONE NIÑO M. VILLAVIRAY.

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT AND PARTITION WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS

Pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Re vised Rules of Court of the Philippines, NOTICE is hereby given that the late GUALBERTO S. GAMAO containing an area of FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN (477) SQUARE METERS more or less identified as Lot 4; Block 12 locat ed at Brgy. Sto. Niño, Panabo City, has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDI CIAL SETTLEMENT AND PARTITION WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS executed among his heirs. Per Doc. 468; Page No. 94; Book No. I; Series of 2010 of the Notary Public Atty. RICHARD C. MI GUEL.

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unsa man ang masabutan we in Davao City will fol low it,” said Schlosser over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Friday.

Schlosser said the neg ative RT-PCR test is not enough because based on the protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) those traveling in dividuals, foreign or local (international travels) in cluding OFWs must be ful ly vaccinated, on top of it, they should have negative RT-PCR result.

“For international trav el it has been a long time requirement nga naa sila’y fully vaccination status and RT-PCR test. I believe the BOQ is just trying to pro tect the community in any transmission where the foreign traveling individual na mu-enter sa isa ka ko munidad,” Schlosser said.

She also said the she understand to the call of Alejandre as this aims to further invite foreigners for the economy of Davao City but she reminded foreign ers and to those individuals coming to the country to follow the ruling (Philip pines) because it’s also a sign of discipline and ac countability.

“I understand the good councilor he just want to in vite foreign investors here. For the foreign nationals or international traveling individuals to follow the rules kung asa mo adto kasi the same man inyo gibuhat sa amo when kami mga Fil ipinos we go to your coun

try. We abide the ruling of your country, kung kamo muadto diri you have also to abide the ruling of our country. You are very much welcome, of course, we wanted the foreigners to be here because we wanted to open our economy but we also have to show them that they have to follow the ruling of the country that they want to enter. It’s a simple rule for them to fol low the same way we are with them when we go to their country,” she said.

Alejandro, chair of the Committee on Tourism, expressed this concern in a privilege speech during the session of the 20th City Council last Tuesday be cause the city has started programs encouraging in vestors to come back and invest in the city to recover the economy from the im pact of the pandemic.

To address the issue, Alejandre urged the City Council to invite any rep resentatives from the BOQDavao, Bureau of Immigra tion-Davao, Department of Tourism 11 (DOT 11), DIA, CHO, and the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the next session of the City Council.

Schlosser said the task force is willing to go if they are summoned by the City Council.

“But the best agency to explain is the BOQ because once wala pa nakagawas sa airport the jurisdiction and the implementation will be done by BOQ,” she said.

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put the city at 22 percent positivity rate.

“Medyo taas gyud siya compared to the usual nato daily Covid-19 positivity rate na 10 percent lang

‘FRIENDS’...

kay nag jump off ta. A lot of our cases are still mild and asymptomatic pero dili gi hapon nato ikalimod nga naa tay critical and severe type of Covid,” she said.

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construction work was ex pected to begin in April this year. The government ex pected to start partial oper ations in October 2022 and full operations in October 2023.

In August this year, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, expressed he wanted to make sure that the MRP is being done the right way.

Duterte, together with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap filed House Resolution (HR) No.286, which calls for a congressional investigation on the proposed MRP, spe cifically on the way the De partment of Transportation (DOTr) carried out its rightof-way acquisitions and ex

NORCOT...

propriation of private prop erties to be affected by the rail line.

Among the densely populated areas in Davao City to be traversed by the MRP include Barangay Catalunan Grande.

The Phase 1 of the MRP the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment (MRP TDD) is a 105-km line that is expect ed to reduce travel time from Davao del Norte to Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to just 1.3 hours. It will have eight stations: Tagum, Carmen, Panabo, Mudiang, Davao Terminal, Toril, Sta. Cruz, and Digos.

A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum City. By Maya M. Padillo

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tional financial capital for the operation of their cho sen enterprise.

Charish Paña, the Pro vincial Agrarian Reform Pro gram Officer II, said the proj ect would help improve the living condition of the farm ers, especially the agrarian reform beneficiaries.

She said the post-har vest facilities would make the organization more oper ational since they could now

start a milling business to generate more income.

“The Department does not only provide the land but also support services to make your lands productive and to improve the quality of your lives. May this proj ect serve as an inspiration for you to strive and develop more improvements and become entrepreneurs to earn more income in the fu ture,” she said.

DavNor seeks to regain most biz-friendly title

Davao

del Norte hopes to reclaim its Most Business-Friendly title, after it landed as among the finalists of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and In dustry (PCCI) Most Business-Friendly Lo cal Government Unit Award.

Governor Edwin Juba hib expressed optimism that the province will regain the award, as he pushed for key policies and initiatives to foster an environment conducive for business, amid the pan demic

“We pray that we can reclaim the Most Busi ness-Friendly Province title, as we are also sure to pass the highly-coveted

Seal of Good Local Gover nance (SGLG) this year,” he said during the revived convocation program of the Provincial Capitol. It can be recalled that in 2019 Davao del Norte bested other provinces in the country when it won the Most Business Friend ly Local Government Unit Award (Provincial Level) from PCCI.

The award recognized

the efforts of the province for exemplifying com mendable initiatives to wards good governance reforms that promote trade and investments and significantly contribute to local economic develop ment.

Some of the efforts pur sued by the province to at tain broad-based growth include, among others, the implementation of a Qual ity Management System; compliance with the gov ernment’s Ease of Doing Business Act; strengthen ing the e-Governance Pro gram to future-proof the province; widened access of MSMEs to financing;

expanding infrastructure network by completing 315 projects worth 683.86 million in 2021; attaining an “Insurgency-Free and Ready For further Develop ment” province; providing technical assistance and trainings to boost MSME development; and gener ating fresh investments amounting to over P1.5 bil lion from about 8,000 new business registrants.

The province is also confident to pass the SGLG, following the national level of validation for the most prestigious award given to LGUs that exhibited exem plary and innovative local governance practices.

Travel international for less with Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific encourages everyJuan to fly inter national as it launches a special seat sale to sup port those who are raring to travel again to their fa vorite foreign destinations.

From October 17 until October 31, CEB will offer flights to top internation al destinations for as low as PHP 999 one-way base fare. Travel period is from October 17, 2022 until March 31, 2023 – allow ing everyJuan to either fly

immediately or plan trips ahead.

“We are excited to wel come more travelers on board our international flights. We continue to see an increased interest in leisure travel abroad, es pecially during the holiday season. We want them to fly once more through our guaranteed low fares, ” said Carmina Romero, CEB Cor porate Communications Director.

The airline has in

creased its flights to some destinations effective end-of-October. This in cludes top destinations such as Brunei; Bali and Jakarta in Indonesia; Bang kok in Thailand; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; and Singapore.

CEB will also resume its Davao to Singapore flights on October 30; as well as its flights from Manila to Kota Kinabalu on October 31.

CEB currently flies di

rect to 19 international destinations which also includes Fukuoka, Narita, Nagoya, and Osaka in Ja pan; Seoul in South Korea; Sydney in Australia; and Dubai.

CEB continues to im plement a multi-layered approach to safety while it operates with a 100% ful ly vaccinated crew, 95% of whom have been boosted –all to ensure everyJuan flies safely and conveniently on Cebu Pacific.

DA promises to help retailers comply with red onion SRP

The Department of Ag riculture (DA) has re assured market retail ers that they would be able to buy cheaper red onions so they could comply with the PHP170 per kg. sug gested retail price set by the government.

In an interview, DA As sistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said the de partment wanted to ensure both retailers and consum ers would have access to affordable red onions with the same quality but for a cheaper price.

“’Yung ating mga retail ers, ‘wag ho silang mag-ala la kasi ‘yung PHP170 na suggested retail price, tu tulungan po natin sila na makapag-comply, kaya tayo ho mismo naghahanap ng suppliers para sa kanila (To our retailers, they should not worry because we will help them comply with our PHP170 suggested retail price. That is why we are the ones looking for their suppliers),” Evangelista said.

“’Yung (The) quality po, rest assured na it will be the same quality. Ito po’y nang

galing din naman sa iisang magsasaka natin, mga ta ga-Nueva Ecija (This also comes from the same farm ers in Nueva Ecija) so ‘yung (the) quality po will be the same.”

She said with the high prices of red onions, retail ers are currently opting for smaller-sized ones, which they said are easier to sell.

“Ngayon may mga re tailer tayo na gusto nila maliit kasi madali raw ibenta. Kasi may mga con sumers naman na gusto nila maliliit. Pero if may roon tayong retailer na ang hihingiin nila ay malalaki dahil ang kanilang biniben tahan ay mga restaurant usually, mayroon din po tayong mga ganyan (Now we have retailers who want smaller-sized [onions], be cause it is disposed of more easily, but if we have a retail er who prefers bigger-sized onion to sell to restaurants usually, we also have that),” Evangelista said.

These cheaper alterna tives are available in DA’s Kadiwa stores, coopera tives, and some traders, she said.

Governor Edwin Jubahib and Vice Governor De Carlo Uy of Davao del Norte attend a gathering in this undated photo. Gov. Jubahib expressed optimism that the province will reclaim its Most Business-Friendly title after it landed as among the finalists of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit Award. Edge Davao

Davao City places second in SDG tilt

Globe, MIDC complete first part of P26.2-B tower deal

Globe Telecom and MIESCOR Infra structure Develop ment Corp. (MIDC) com pleted the first tranche of their P26.2-billion tower sale deal.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Ex change on Friday, Globe said it sold to MIDC 701 towers for P8.4 billion.

These towers ac quired by MIDC—a joint venture of Meralco unit MIESCOR and Stone peak—form part of the 2,180 telecommunica tions towers and related passive telecom infra structure it plans to ac quire from Globe.

Globe said the tower assets acquired by MIDC were composed of 73% ground-based towers and 27% rooftop towers.

In a separate state ment, MIDC said it an nounced its plan to ac quire 2,180 towers and related passive telecom infrastructure from Globe under a sale and lease back agreement.

Under the master lease agreement, Globe will be the anchor tenant of the telco towers for an initial period of 15 years.

MIDC said it com pleted the first closing activities with the hando ver-takeover of 701 tow ers, keeping the staggered schedule of tower trans fers on track for comple tion in the third quarter

of 2023.

“This achievement marks a significant mile stone for MIDC as it posi tions itself to be a major player in the common tower space. MIDC will work tirelessly with the government and its pri vate sector partners [to pursue] more opportuni ties that will promote the expansion of the country’s digital infrastructure and help hasten the growth of our digital economy,” said MIDC chairman Ray Espi nosa.

Globe said that it has completed the sale of 1,501 out of 7,059 towers to date.

The company has pre viously said that 75% of the proceeds will be used to finance capital expen ditures, support ongoing network expansion, and maintain industry-lead ing network consistency and reliability scores.

The remaining 25% will be used for its debt servicing requirements for 2023.

This is in line with the common tower policy of the Department of Infor mation and Communica tions Technology, which governs the sharing of towers by telecommuni cations firms.

The policy seeks to free telecommunications firms from costly capital expenditures on building communication towers.

City got the 2nd Place Award in Sustainable Development Goals-Lo cal Government Unit Category for its women empowerment program.

Davao

The award was given by the Regional Development Council XI and the Nation al Economic Development Authority XI during a virtu al culmination of the 2022 Davao Region SDG Fiesta last August 30, 2022.

The city was cited “for exhibiting exemplary im plementation and adopting best practices for the reali zation of the Filipino’s col lective aspirations towards Sustainable Development Goals, and serving as an example on demonstrat ing the country’s steadfast commitment to this end”.

Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD) head Lorna Man

din on Friday said the city’s entry for this award is the Mag-Negosyo ‘Ta Day Pro gram, which falls under SDG Goal No. 5- Achieve gender quality and em power all women and girls.

“We submitted the Magnegosyo Ta’ Day pro gram. It is a project geared towards improving the lives of women,’ Mandin said.

Mandin said docu ments that show the sta tus of the MTD’s program since its establishment in 2009 were submitted to NEDA XI and RDC XI.

The program in itself has been implemented through the City Coopera

tive and Development Of fice, the City Veterinarian’s Office, the City Agricultur ist Office (CAgrO) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSW DO).

“Naka-sentro sa babae kay daghan wala’y traba ho, daghan wala na renew and duna pud pangina hanglan nga ma-provide ang panginabuhian (It is centered on women be cause there are many who have no job, who were not renewed and those who need livelihood),” Mandin said.

Since its establishment in 2009, a total of 5,231 women have benefitted from the program, with 4,213 beneficiaries for fi nancial assistance to live lihood for women; 950 beneficiaries for Cash Loan and rice retailing for Wom

en; and 68 beneficiaries for Livestock Livelihood for Women.

Mandin said that IGDD remains a referral office so that women may be eligi ble for the program.

“Focus pa gihapon ang kanang process improve ment how else can we im prove the project to reach more women, kadto pang mga deprived kadto pang mga vulnerable poor wom en. (We are now focusing on the process of improv ing, on how else can we im prove the project to reach more women, those who are deprived and those who are really vulnerable poor women),” Mandin said.

Consultative meetings are conducted to obtain recommendations that ad just to the needs of women in Davao City. CIO

DBM, World Bank to work together for procurement reforms in gov’t

The Department of Budget and Manage ment and the World Bank are discussing po tential collaboration to implement reforms in the Philippine government’s procurement law, Finance Secretary Amenah Pangan daman said on Friday.

In a statement, Pangan daman said she met with the officials of World Bank in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 13.

Pangandaman said the “timing is ripe” to review

and amend the government procurement process since the Government Procure ment Reform Act or the RA 9184 was passed in 2003.

“We are seriously ad vocating this to promote efficiency and sustainabil ity in our public procure ment process, as well as to professionalize further our procurement practitioners. This is, in fact, one of the top agenda I mentioned during my confirmation as DBM Secretary. We will endeavor to make this happen,” she

added.

The World Bank has committed to provide tech nical assistance to the DBM, the agency said.

“We are encouraged by the Madamme Secretary’s vision, energy and drive for continuing reforms in the area of procurement and budget management. The World Bank will be pleased to technically support them,” World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malay sia, Philippines and Thai land Ndiame Diop said.

According to a World Bank study, the govern ment could save 26 to 29 percent of its procure ment cost if reforms are implemented.

Aside from government procurement, World Bank officials and the DBM also discussed other areas of cooperation including the government’s rightsizing program, cash-based bud geting system, green pro curement and the Budget Treasury Management Sys tem, the agency added.

Oil storage tanks tower over a harbour in Brgy. Sasa, Davao City. The Department of Energy (DOE) said another round of oil price hike is expected on Tuesday. Edge Davao

Japanese technology offers alternative solution to solid waste disposal problem

DAVAO CITY—No, it’s not the multibillion waste-to-energy (WTE) facility the Davao City gov ernment is contemplating to setup. It’s not a new land fill either. But it is another Japanese low temperature pyrolysis technology that turns tons of organic and inorganic waste materials into reusable ceramic ash and liquid with little ener gy and without harming the environment.

This technology was brought to Davao City about two years ago by Engr. George Q. Astilla, a retired Dabawenyo over seas Filipino worker who founded the EarthCUBE Philippines Corporation with his Japanese spouse.

“We brought the smallest model of the equipment in Davao City sometime in 2019 but the onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic hin dered us from introducing the technology to interest ed parties in the country,” Astilla said during the con versation with the writer at the company’s demonstra tion facility in Km. 9, Sasa, Davao City. His company is in partnership with Ayame Service Co. Ltd., the man ufacturer of the Pyrolysis Equipment.

Astilla, 63, said the idea of setting up an environ ment-friendly corporation was hatched while working

and Characterization Study (WACS), Davao City throws out 600-900 tons of gar bage a day and each per son contributes about 500 grams daily. Fortunately, half of this volume is biode gradable or waste that can be turned into other useful products such as fertilizer. About 18 percent is consid ered recyclable while only two percent is classified as special waste. Nearly 80% of the wastes come from households while the rest are from commercial es tablishments according to the study.

An earlier waste man agement study in 2009 in volving 72 barangays and 78 micro, small, medium enterprises in Davao City showed that food manu facturing was the top gar bage-generating industry in the locality. It stated that “plastic, papers, food and kitchen waste, and metals were the top five waste (materials) generated; and, less than five tons of organ ic and inorganic materials generated weekly.”

The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City-ENRO) Envi ronmental Waste Division, concedes that the city has difficulty in implement ing Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (ESWMA) and Davao City

as mechanical technician at the US Embassy in Ja pan for several years. “My wife and I were planning to bring something of value to the Philippines once we retire and saw the pyrolysis technology as our best con tribution to the country’s worsening garbage prob lem and climate change adaptation program of the government,” he stated in Cebuano.

Garbage Problem

Indeed, modern living produces many challenges and problems too. One of them is garbage. According to the 2020 Waste Analysis

Ordinance 0361-10, or the Mandatory Segregation of the Solid Waste. Another difficulty of the environ ment office is the disposal of household and hospi tal special wastes, such as discarded face masks, face shields, gloves, person al protective equipment (PPE), medical supplies and materials classified un der R.A. 6969 or the “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Con trol Act of 1990”. A special facility may be needed to address this problem,” Engr. Lakandiwa Soliman Orcullo of the City-ENRO

Environment Waste Divi sion, said.

Landfill Full Capacity City-ENRO head Engr. Marivic Reyes in a radio in terview in September dis closed that the existing san itary landfill in Barangay New Carmen could only last until 2023. She said the seven-hectare facility which was established in 2010 from the erstwhile “smoky mountain” along the Davao Diversion Road had almost reached its maximum limit. It had an expected useful life of 10 years but “the efforts of our team to rehabilitate

and compact it enabled us to extend its lifespan until 2023,” Reyes said.

Lately, Mayor Sebas tian Z. Duterte during his radio program aired over Davao City Disaster Radio announced the city was not bent on opening another landfill and instead want ed to pursue with the WTE Project. “I expressed to (en vironment Secretary Ma. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Gon zaga) that we cannot open another landfill because it’s regressive and we have other options. If we have an opportunity to improve or modernize, why not?” May or Duterte said in Cebuano.

The Pyrolyis Equip ment

Pyrolysis technology is not new. Simply put, it is a process of heating of an

organic material, such as biomass, in the absence of oxygen. Biomass pyroly sis is usually conducted at or above 500°C, providing enough heat to deconstruct the strong bio-polymers mentioned above. The word was coined from Greek-derived elements pyro “fire”, “fever” and lysis “separating” (Wikipedia).

According to the com pany’s handout, the Low Temperature Pyrolysis Equipment is different from an incinerator which is a feature of the WTE platform because it uses thermal decomposition process with minimal ox ygen or air, making things easy in steamed condition without putting out flames. Waste materials are turned gently into wood vinegar

and ceramic ash that can be used as insecticide, fertiliz er and construction materi als. Roughly, a 1-ton waste materials can be converted into 3 kilos of ash after 2472 hours process.

Almost all organic mat ters can be processed with out segregation. Household and hospital special wastes, petroleum products (plas tics, polystyrene foam, plastic bags) can also be processed safety. In short, all waste materials except metals, glass, stone, gyp sum board, concrete, bat teries, volatile and explo sives can be processed by the pyrolysis equipment.

Multisectoral Approach Against Climate Crisis

The pyrolysis technol ogy may be a viable alter native solution to the real waste disposal problem of Davao City and above all, the global climate crisis that we are facing. Presi dent Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his opening speech during a conference of the environment and business sectors in Manila lately underlined his administra tion’s support to a multi sectoral and multidimen sional approach against climate crisis of the world today.

Certainly, the solution to the waste management problem must start from us. Government has very crucial role to play though. It’s about time for the gov ernment to strictly im plement and monitor the compliance of the ESWMA and other related environ ment laws. Government officials can also learn from best practices of some LGU leaders who have commit ted themselves to the pro tection and preservation of the environment. “If we cannot even monitor the implementation of the of non-environmentally ac ceptable products and packaging (NEAPP) list of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, how much more monitor ing toxins emitted by the incinerator facility,” said environment lawyer Mark Peñaver and head of Inter facing Development Inter ventions for Sustainability (IDIS).

Plant site at Km. 9, Sasa, Davao City

Engr. Astilla with Bagani Fidel A. Evasco, executive regional director of DENR-XI during plant site visit

Cerdeña, Diaz meet in PSC courtesy call

Philippines’

Olympic gold medalists, bowling legend Arianne Cerdeña-Valdez and weightlifting superstar Hidilyn Di az-Naranjo met for the very first time on Fri day, when they paid a courtesy visit to Philip pine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Jose Emmanuel Eala and PSC Commissioner Bong Coo at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

Cerdeña-Valdez, 60, won the country’s “first” Olympic gold medal in 1988 at the Sum mer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. However, since bowling was being played as a demo sport at that time, it was not counted towards our offi cial medal count.

33 years later, four-time weightlifting Olympian Di az-Naranjo lifted the coun try’s hope and golden dream into reality after finally win

ning the ‘official’ gold medal for Team Philippines in the 2020+1 Tokyo Olympics. “I’m so overwhelmed to meet our Olympic champion, our gold medalist [Hidilyn Diaz] for the very first time. I’ve only been seeing her in pictures and reading her in newspapers, Youtube and I’m so overwhelmed. Thank you so much.” expressed Philippine Sports Hall of Famer Cerdeña-Valdez in an

exclusive interview with the PSC-PCO team.

“Syempre ako sobrang saya kasi nakikita ko lang sya sa news as Olympic gold medalist in bowling. Masaya po akong makita ka Ma’am [Arianne] and to know your story.” shared Diaz-Naranjo, who was accompanied by her husband Julius Naranjo during the courtesy visit.

The two Filipina sports legends expressed their will ingness to work with Com missioner Coo in reaching out to many Filipinas to be empowered and be part of the growing number of women in sports in the country.

At present, Cerdeña-Val dez is a Registered Nurse at the Dignity Health - Califor nia Hospital Medical Center in the U.S. but not closing her doors to be back in sports

someday, “I am a frontliner so right now yun ang focus ko muna. But when I retire, hopefully, I will be in sports. I plan to live here.” said the bowling legend who is based in Los Angeles, California.

Meanwhile, Diaz-Naran jo is busy training for the 2024 Paris Olympics, finaliz ing her thesis requirements in college with a degree in Business Management, and helping the development of the sport nationwide. She admitted that she got inspi ration from Cerdeña-Valdez.

“Magreretire na ako soon so nalaman ko yung pinag daanan mo after retirement and it gives me inspiration. From being an Olympic gold medalist then ngayon front liner. Malaking bagay yun sa amin na pwede pa lang magshift to other career path ang

isang atleta kasi sobrang fo cus kami, akala namin wala na. So, it gives us inspiration. Thank you for being a front liner at pagbigay ng pride sa Pilipinas.” Diaz-Naranjo said.

“Gusto ko sanang i-con gratulate ka for everything - - your winnings and your love and support for this country. It’s very rare that that happens. You’re selfless, you think of the sports hindi lang para sa sarili mo but you think of the Filipinos to be good and excel like you and I do thank you for that and admire you.” Cerdeña-Valdez responded.

The two Olympic cham pions also left inspiring messages and advice to the young athletes, especially to the youth which might serve as a guiding path to success and be champions like them.

“It’s more of the passion for sports. Hindi porke’t gus to mo ng gold, makukuha mo agad. It’s hardwork, patience and dedication to the sport. Just don’t give up, love the sport and it will come, enjoy. There are sacrifices that has to be made for sports. It’s not an easy win, not an easy feat to excel but you know, Pil ipino tayo, kaya natin yan.” Cerdeña-Valdez expressed.

“Lahat kasi ng mga bata ngayon nasa telepono na, nasa Facebook, gusto nila in stantly makukuha nila. Gusto ko lang sabihin na sa sports, you really have to earn it and really work hard para ma-achieve yung dream mo. So, be disciplined and focus on what you want to do in life and dream high. Kayang kaya mo yan.” concluded Di az-Naranjo.

UAAP MERRY GO ROUND

Bilog talaga ang bola.

I’m very much amused - thrilled is the better term - that the UAAP ti tle favorites are getting wake up calls.

Didn’t imagine that after UP dealt DLSU a stinging loss (72-69) in their first round encounter, the de fending Fighting Maroons would be skewered by the Bulldogs (80-75) last Wednesday who are not in my championship radar.

Yup. a merry go round indeed.

The Green Archers shot down the Blue Eagles (83-78 on Oct.9) but then were surprisingly ambushed by the resurgent UE Red Warriors (81-

74 on Oct. 12).

So, the standings look like this: Ateneo, 3-1 win-loss card; NU, 3-1; UP 3-1 and DLSU 2-2; Adamson 2-2; UE 2-2; UST 1-3; and FEU 0-4.

Sorry folks, I had not even giv en the Bulldogs a second look. Now with a 3-1 slate, the Sampaloc boys look even worthy of respect as the dark horse in the tournament.

I thought FEU, which gave Ate neo, DLSU and UP a big scare before eventually suffering successive de feats including a loss to UE, was good enough to figure in the Final Four.

My crystal ball conked out with

this reconfiguration.

UP’s armor as the reigning and defending titleholder has been pierced while building up - at the same time - the confidence of the Bulldogs which last won the championship trophy during the collegiate days of Troy Rosario and Glen Khobuntin seven years or so ago.

The Diliman squad needs to go back to the drawing board. Wheth er they win or lose to their Kati punan-based rivals in their eventu al first round confrontation, coach Monteverde might discover where

their weaknesses lie before the end of the two-round eliminations.

The same is true for both AD MU’s Tab Baldwin and DLSU’s Derek Pumaren.

One thing is sure, though.

No team will now enjoy the chance to make a clean sweep as the Blue Eagles did in the past editions.

Even if the Fighting Maroons are the current titists, its unexpected de feat to NU dampened the former’s hope to retain its number one rank ing.

To an outsider like me, Ateneo has retained the yardstick for all

team yearning and looking to figure in the Final Four.

Meaning, UP, NU, ADU, UE, UST and FEU must inflict at least one painful loss on Baldwin’s platoon to merit respect and credibility as a Fi nal Four contender.

At this writing, only the Green Archers have done it - and with great impression.

Of course, nothing is certain and nothing is improbable.

Bilog talaga ang bola. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo. com.)

PHILIP PINES!

PSC Commissioner Bong Coo and Chairman Noli Eala with Olympic gold medalists Hidilyn Diaz and Ariane Cerdena.

Preventing financial disasters to athletes

I just could not believe it that after 25 years, former World Box ing Association bantamweight and World Boxing Council feather weight champion Luisito Espinosa is still fighting.

Yes, fighting for the unpaid bal ance of $120,349 owed to him by promoters in a title fight in Koro nadal, South Cotabato. In today’s conversion, this amount of money would be P7,101,794.49. Luisito is a millionaire! Unfortunately, he is not.

Now, he has sought the help of President Bongbong Marcos.

Can the president of our be loved Republic help him get that money?

I hope so.

When we were young sports writers in the 1990s, we heard stories of promoters or organizers to be nowhere to be found during the awarding ceremonies, to the dismay of tournament winners. Or should they be awarded their prize money, they would later real ize that it lacked a few hundreds or even thousands.

These unfortunate incidents can only be prevented with the help of the Games and Amusements Board, in the case of professional sports, and the Sports Develop ment Office or Sports Commission, in the case of amateur sports.

What will they do exactly?

That is to make sure that the prize money or awards are secured for the winners.

How would they do that?

The condition is that the event would never take place, unless the prize money is available, all of it, not a partial amount, but all of it.

These government bureau crats can help with the paperwork because they all know how the pro cess works. Once the funding is val

idated and made available, payrolls are prepared, the person in charge is identified, the prize winners are properly identified, then the prize money is released to the winners, not to any other person, but direct ly to the winners, and that should be done at the end of the event.

A simple process like this can prevent theft!

Not giving the whole prize money to Luisito is a classic thiev ery in broad daylight! Kawat gyud na!

For those involved in the failure to deliver the prize money to Luisi to, you know it is your fault. I hope that you are still alive and well, and not on your deathbeds, thinking of how to redeem yourselves for your failure to help Luisito Espinosa, who brought honor to this coun try by emerging as a world boxing champion in two weight divisions!

You see, boxers are wired to just train to fight. They were never trained how to secure their prize money, although that has changed after the unfortunate 1997 Luisito event, as fighters these days would never climb the ring, unless a se cured cheque under their name is given first, one way of outsmarting scheming promoters.

Let this be a lesson not to be forgotten.

I guess, this is a call for our leg islators to craft some laws to totally prevent this financial disaster for athletes. I don’t know, probably a plunder case to sports promoters because the prize money involved especially in professional sports run into millions of pesos.

If you happen to be reading this column by an ordinary mortal, I hope this simple suggestion would keep you awake at night.

We have to save our athletes from financial disasters brought to

them by sports promoters.

As for Luisito, I hope one or two kind-hearted multi-millionaires in this lovely country would come to his assistance.

Alam niyo mga Bossing, you don’t have to wait for Luisito to be sick of cancer and dying before mil lions of pesos start flowing to his family as a donation.

Right, Toto Rey Lachica, sports editor of Tempo, president of the Philippine Sportswriters Associa tion, and proud son of Koronadal? Suggestion lang man To.

* * *

Comments are welcome by sending an email to mpb_sports@ yahoo.com.

One of the winning teams in the 1st Rigo Duterte Cup Football Festival held Saturday at the Azuela Cove. Handout photo