Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 161 | Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022

WORDS

WORDS OF WISDOM

‘Lolo Digong’ counsels Rigo on life, politics

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Former President Rodrigo Duterte had a heart-to-heart talk with his grandson and namesake Rodrigo Duterte II at his residence in Davao City.

Photos of the two in an intimate moment circulat ed online and drew reac tions from netizens.

In the photos circu lating online, the former president and Rigo can be seen sat side by side and appear to be talking seri ously. Also in the photos was Rigo’s father, Davao City 1st Dist. Representa tive Paolo Z. Duterte.

In a statement, the three generation of Duter tes discussed life and poli tics as the clan’d patriarch

urged his grandson to keep his options open be fore making any decision on whether to join politics or be a private citizen.

Rigo has been very vis ible nowadays attending various events represent ing his father in commu nity engagements and ex tending assistance to the flood and fire victims in Davao City.

Last month, Rigo joined residents of Baran gay 74-A, Matina Crossing in celebrating the Araw ng

Barangay, and in August this year, he also turned over patient transport ve hicles to four village lead ers at the People’s Park.

The vehicles were giv en to barangay leaders Leilani Bacalso of Langub, Alimodin Usman of 23-C, Isidro Dujali of Bago Apla ya, and Eduardo Millonda ga of 22-C to improve their emergency response to their constituents.

In his speeches, he al ways introduced himself in jest as the healthiest son of Rep. Duterte.

“Usa ko mahuman ani akong pakighinabi kanin yo, tuguti diay ko nga magpaila ila: Ako si Rodri

go “Rigo” Duterte II, ang pinakahimsog nga anak ni Pulong. Di na ta maghis got ug guwapo ihatag na nako na sa mga maayong laki diri sa inyong baran gay labi na sa atong Mayor Baste,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rigo’s father is urging him to involve himself more in serving the Dabawenyos who have been giving so much trust and confidence to the Duterte brand of public service for decades now.

In February this year, the photo of the former president taken during the wedding of Rigo has also gone viral.

Marcos declares Oct. 31 as special non-working holiday

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Mar cos Jr. has declared Oct. 31, 2022 as a special non-working holiday in the country, Malacañang announced on Tuesday.

“The President has al ready signed the procla mation, declaring October 31 as a special non-work ing holiday,” Office of the Press Secretary offi

cer-in-charge Cheloy Ga rafil said in a Palace press briefing.

Garafil said the proc lamation was issued to allow Filipinos to spend more time with their fam ilies, as well as to promote local tourism.

A copy of the procla mation has yet to be made public.

The signing of the

presidential proclamation came ahead of the coun try’s annual commemora tion of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively. Nov. 1, which falls on a Tuesday this year, is a special non-working day, according to Proclama tion 1236 inked by former president Rodrigo Duterte in October 2021.

However, Nov. 2 is de clared a special working day to help the country recover from the adverse economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Under Proclamation 32 signed by Marcos in August this year, Nov. 1 and 2, 2023 are special non-working days.

MARCOS, P10

Davao Region LGU officials wants insurgency free status sustained

Several local govern ment executives in Davao Region has ex pressed their suggestions to sustain the recent sta tus of the region as insur gency free.

Governor Edwin Ju bahib of Davao del Norte wants the current de ployment of the armed forces and the Philippine National Police to be sus tained.

“Kelangan icontinue yun up to five years to 10 years kasi in history pag madeclared tapos maba wasan magkaroon sila ng chance na bumalik in sus taining this region to be insurgency free kelangan yung forces natin paig tingin para hindi na mak agalaw CPPA-NPA,” said the Governor.

The Governor also said the local government units must continue to provide sustainable live lihood programs to the remote areas particularly the Geographically Iso lated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAS) barangays.

“We must continue to address the needs of our constituents in the far-flung areas like roads, water, schoold buildings, health facilities and those needed by the people,” Gov. Jubahib said.

Mayor Michelle Rabat of Mati City echoed Gov ernor Jubahib’s call for sustained deployment of the armed forces.

“We still need the Phil ippine Army around as peacekeepers to assure our tourists, to assure our investors coming to our area,” Mayor Rabat said.

The Mayor said the peaceful situation in the

province brought by the declining insurgency has brought progress to Mati City.

“As I can say we al ready have developed leaps and bounds as we are being discovered as a destination so we have actually prepared our selves the inevitable na dyan na rin tayo papunta especially now that Mati was declared as part of the Metro Davao Develop ment Authority and hindi siguro na maintain or na achieve kung hindi natin na attain ang peace sa ating region,” Mayor Ra bat said.

“I think the most po tent weapon against in surgency and that is the essence of the whole of nation approach. All lo cal government units, all instrumentalities of the government work handin-hand to deliver basic social services to the peo ple,” Mayor Jason Joyce of Jose Abad Santos town in Davao Occidental said.

Mayor Joyce said they were able to address the problem by using the whole-of-nation approach, he said most of the baran gays in Davao Occidental are GIDAS areas.

On October 12, the Regional Peace and Or der Council XI (RPOC-XI) signed a resolution which declared Davao Region as cleared of insurgents as of September 19, 2022.

The Region is the third among the regions in the country which were de clared as insurgency free. Region I and Region IX were declared as insur gency free earlier. (PIA/ RG Alama)

Davao City ranks 9th place among the richest cities in the Philippines in 2021, based on the recent report of the Commission on Audit (COA). Edge Davao

Davao City ranks 9th in PH richest cities, Davao de Oro 4th richest province

Statistics becomes basis of decision-making nowadays

Statistical data has rel atively become the basis of decision-mak ing not only in national government s but also in local government offices but even at the household levels.

Chief Statistician Pepi to Amoyen of the Philip pine Statistics Authority (PSA) Davao del Norte said in explaining statis tics to people’s day to day living.

“Statistics is informa tion in number unknow ingly used by individual daily,” he said in one of the editions of Kapihan sa DavNor that tackled the theme, ““Localizing Statis tics: Its Relevance to the Local Economy”.

He cited the transpor tation fare among other household expenditures, and even the buying of pan de sal daily would comprise a statistics of household expenses that would serve as a basis of decision-making on bud geting.

On a larger picture, statistics augurs well on government deci

sion-making in terms of extending socio-economic services and consequent ly allocating funding for those services.

“For the general pub lic, statistics is informa tion and awareness on the current situation and for policy-makers, it is formu lation of evidence—based programs and policies,” he explained.

Giving a context on the relevance of statistics, Amoyen emphasized the importance of observing statistics month in Octo ber every year.

The National Statistics Month is aimed at promot ing , enhancing and instill ing awareness and appre ciation of the importance and value of statistics to various sectors; and to elicit cooperation and sup port of the general public in upgrading the quality and standards of statistics in the country, he said.

Amoyen said this year’s 33rd National Statistics Month banners the theme, “Booster the country’s recovery with Informed

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Davao

City ranked 9th place among the richest cities in the Philippines in 2021 based on the recent report of the Commission on Audit (COA).

According to COA, the city has recorded assets of P26.555 billion.

Quezon City was named the richest city in the country with P451.007 billion assets followed by Makati with P238.561 bil

lion, Manila with P65.252 billion, Pasig with P51.176 billion, Taguig City in fifth with P36.116 billion as sets, Cebu City with P33.3 billion, and Mandaue City with P33 billion.

Meanwhile, Davao de

Oro was named the 4th richest province in the country with total assets of P23.211 billion. Cebu City is named the wealthiest province with P215.27 bil lion in total assets followed by Rizal with P30.637 billion, Batangas with P29.705 billion, Bukid non with P19.455 billion, Negros Occidental with P18.025 billion, Ilocos Sur with P17.907 billion, Iloilo

with P17.399 billion, Isa bela with P16.419 billion and Palawan with P16.109 billion.

The 215-page report reportedly covered the fi nancial statements of 1,676 local government units (LGUs) including 81 prov inces, 146 cities, 1,488 mu nicipalities, 22,680 baran gays, and the government of the Bangsamoro Auton

Review, reorganization of IATF guidelines proposed

Davao City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre pro posed a resolution urging the city’s Covid-19 Task Force to review and reorganize the existing cross-border travel policies to consider and accept for eign investors and tourism stakeholders in Davao City, including those unvaccinat ed as long as they can pres ent a negative real-time reverse transcription poly

merase chain reaction (RTPCR) test result.

Alejandre proposed the resolution titled “A Resolu tion Urging the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force to Re view and Reorganize the Existing IATF Guidelines” during the 20th City Coun cil session on Tuesday.

This developed after an incident where an Austra lian 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 he arrived in Davao City.

Based on the In ter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 168 series of 2022, issued on May 26, 2022, it provides that unvaccinated foreign nationals shall be denied

admission into the country and shall be subjected to the appropriate exclusion proceedings. However, an unvaccinated foreigner may enter the city provided that our local government will issue an acceptance of this foreigner.

In his proposed res olution, Alejandre stated that this restriction does not apply to unvaccinated

Army Capt. Mary Jephte Manebo touches the bronze marker where the name of her classmate in the Officer Candidate Course – 1LT John Carl Morales – is engraved at the sidelights of the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the liberation of Marawi on Monday (17 October 2022). Morales was among the 165 soldiers

who died during the five-month siege in 2017. The marker was erected inside the headquarters of the Ar my’s 103rd Infantry Brigade in Marawi City. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

Agri dept. vows nutritious, affordable food for Pinoys

The Department of Agriculture (DA) promised not just adequate supply, but also nutritious and affordable food for Filipinos, as the country joined the celebration of World Food Day.

In a statement, the DA said it renews its commit ment to ensuring every Filipino will have access to “safe and nutritious food.”

“This year’s theme: “Leave NO ONE behind. Better production, bet ter nutrition, a better en vironment, and a better life” promote worldwide awareness and action for

those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all, leaving no one behind.

Through this campaign, we renew our commit ment to take part in ac tions,” the DA statement read.

The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) earlier reiterated President Fer

dinand Marcos Jr.’s goal to provide safe, nutritious and affordable food for all Filipinos.

“Sa sama-samang pagsuporta sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingis da, at sa pag-aalaga sa ka likasang pinanggagalingan ng ating pagkain, tiyak na mapagtatagumpayan na tin ito! (In our united sup port to our farmers and fishers, and by taking care of our natural resources which are the sources of our food, we shall be suc cessful!),” the OPS said in a tweet.

Marcos, concurrent DA secretary, was not able to join the DA’s celebration of World Food Day due to a “conflict in schedule.”

The President attend ed the Philippine Tourism Industry Convergence Reception (PTICR) at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban led the event alongside other agricul ture officials, Food and Ag riculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),

DTI-SoCot destroys P100,000 worth of uncertified products

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in South Cota bato destroyed Monday some PHP100,000 worth of uncertified products that it has seized last year.

Elbert Capecio, DTISouth Cotabato senior trade and industry devel opment specialist, said among the destroyed products are monobloc chairs, home appliances such as television sets,

electric stoves, electric fans, steel bars, kitchen utensils and Christmas lights with no Internation al Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers.

“These are only small items, but this will serve as a warning to the viola tors,” Capecio said in an interview.

He said the substan dard products were con fiscated during the series of product surveillance

and enforcement oper ations of DTI in 10 com mercial establishments in 2021.

“Eight of the violators were fined while penalties of the other two are still being processed by DTI central office,” he said.

He reminded local traders that selling prod ucts without the required safety marks is a violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines and the Stan

dard Law.

Capecio appealed to the consumers to refrain from patronizing substan dard products, even if sold at lower prices, because they are unsafe.

“If the selling of sub standard products will continue, we will ask for the assistance of the local government units who have the power to shut down the establishments,” he said. (PNA)

PEZA optimistic to hit 6-7% investment pledges growth

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) officer-in-charge and deputy director general Tereso Panga is optimistic that the investment promo tion agency (IPA) will hit its 6 to 7 percent growth in investment approvals this year.

“We remain bullish that we will be able to achieve our 6 to 7 percent invest ments target for the year taking into consideration the firm growth forecasts for 2022 of our winner eco zone sectors,” Panga said in a statement.

He cited that the semi conductor and electronics industry is eyeing a 10-per cent growth and the in formation technology and business process manage ment (IT-BPM) sector is targeting up to 15 percent growth this year.

These two sectors are among the top investors in the economic zones.

“These bright out looks are aligned with the calibrated year-end GDP (gross domestic product) growth for the Philippines at 6.5 percent to 7.5 per

cent, which makes the country among the fastest growing economies in the region,” Panga added.

The PEZA reported that for January to September 2022 period, investment pledges in the IPA reached PHP39.63 billion from 148 projects.

About 60 percent of the investment commitments from January to Septem ber this year came from 20 big-ticket projects worth PHP24.76 billion, which would add 9,649 jobs and USD654.34 million in ex ports once they are opera tional.

“These investments will be into manufacturing of various products including SMS/EMS (semiconductor manufacturing services/ electronics manufacturing services), accommodation, real estate activities, office administrative, business support activities among others,” PEZA added.

Some of the big-ticket projects that the IPA ap proved this year include Cebu Mitsumi, Inc., Robin sons Land Corp., and TDK

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce believes that pushing for digital connectivity and getting the micro, small and medium enterprises online in the disadvantaged areas of the country will help not only the entrepreneurs but also the economy. Edge Davao

Cash remittances up 4.3% to $2.72 billion in August

Int’l card network exec eyes virtual credit cards in PH

An executive of Union Pay International (UnionPay) South east Asia said issuance of the virtual cards among credit card providers is a boost amid digitalization push for financial transac tions in the Philippines.

During the virtual 42nd anniversary celebration of the Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP) on Monday, UPI Southeast Asia assistant general man ager David Chong said the utilization of mobile pay ments increases along with smart phone usage pene tration in the country.

Chong said credit card issuers thus “can consider issuing virtual cards that allow online purchase and also the contactless pay ment as well as the QR (quick response) code pay ment.”

“These will significantly reduce the issuance cost of issuing credit cards, not to mention the much faster

speed of deployment,” he said.

He added the number of credit cards issued in the country remains low com pared to the total popula tion, a similar picture with Indonesia but a contrast with Singapore.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) aims to increase digital financial transactions to at least half of the total retail payment transactions by end-2023.

During the same event, BSP Deputy Governor Chu chi Fonacier said credit card financial has recov ered after getting a hit at the onset of the pandem ic, citing the double-digit growth in credit card bill ings and receivables as of the first half of this year.

Fonacier said credit card billings rose by 41.4 percent year-on-year in June this year, higher than the 29.5 percent during the same period in 2021.

Cash

remittances coursed through banks grew 4.3 percent to $2.72 bil lion in August, according to the data released Monday by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

August’s total is higher than the $2.61 billion re corded in the same month last year, the BSP said.

From January to Au gust, cash remittances reached $20.99 billion, up 3 percent compared to

$20.38 billion in the same period last year, data showed.

“The expansion in cash remittances in Au gust 2022 was due to the growth in receipts from land-based and sea-based

workers,” the BSP said.

United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Qatar are the biggest contributor to cash re mittances in terms of country source in the first 8 months of the year, according to the central bank.

Personal remittances, meanwhile, rose 4.4 per cent in August to $3.02 billion from $2.89 billion in the same period last

year, the BSP said.

For the first 8 months, personal remittances reached $23.3 billion, 3 percent higher than the $22.67 billion in the same comparable period.

Remittances in the fourth quarter are ex pected to temporari ly strengthen the peso against the US dollar. The peso closed at P58.935 to a dollar on Friday. Its re cord low is P59 to $1.

Bakers mull cutting sweets as white sugar now at 5K a sack

Bakers are eyeing the use of alternative as well as cutting sweeteners in pandesal as the prices of sugar contin ue to spike, a stakeholder group said on Tuesday.

A sack of sugar now retails for almost P5,000 from P2,500, Asosasyon ng Panaderong Pilipino President Chito Chavez

told Teleradyo.

Cutting sugar content and reverting to the origi nal recipe could help bak ers cope with the rising costs, Chavez said. In the 1960s and the 1970s, pan desal is known for its low sugar content, he added.

“Ito po ang itinutulak natin ngayon sa pandesal. Pan = tinapay, de sal = asin.

Bawasan po natin ang asu kal sa ating mga pandesal ito po ay makakatulong sa ating kalusugan,” Chavez said.

“Meron pa po kami alternatibo isang uri ng halaman para sa mga dia betiko yung stevia sweet ener,” he added.

Using a local plant called stevia, which can be

found in Bulacan, can also help mitigate the impact of elevated sugar prices, he added.

Stevia sweeteners are widely used nowadays but Chavez said they’re seek ing for more affordable costs.

The group is set to meet with stevia farmers

Jollibee Foods Corporation is among the seven companies in the Philippines included in the prestigious list of the World’s Best Employers. The company ranked 106th in the world and second-highest-ranking Southeast Asian corporation on the list. Edge Davao

“Ang akoang recommendation is to really review it kay again ang ubang countries ilaha nang gigaan ang ilahang mga guidelines going to their country. Si Philippines medyo istrikto pa kaayo. So if we really need to have to accept foreigners and tourism investors we need to review these guidelines. I-review ug naa lang seguro i-tweak na provisions didto to consider unvaccinated kung naa silay RT-PCR tests, whatsoever. Davao City has started programs encouraging investors to come back and invest in the City of Davao so that our economy can recover from the global health crisis.”

EDITORIAL

Digong Academy of Politics

Entering politics is not easy. Unless you are coming from a family of politicians, the world of politics could be a maze for the clueless no matter one’s popularity or financial status.

It is this undeniable fact that gave rise to what is called political dy nasties. It is actually not a natural occurrence given the complexities of politics. Many have tried and have been gobbled up by their ambitions just because they don’t know what they are getting into.

A case in point is legendary boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao. He has the ingredients of making it in politics. He has the 2 Ps--popularity and peso--that would make him succeed. However, he doesn’t have the third P and this is the most important. Pedigree.

Without a political pedigree, Manny’s millions and his legion of fans mis erably didn’t have the weight to translate into votes. The result was disastrous.

When a young man named Rodrigo Duterte II made the rounds on media with his recent appearances in community events representing his father Rep. Paolo Duterte, heads started to turn. The grandson and name

EDGE

sake of the former President had the looks and charisma that could make him a promising political material.

Rigo, his nickname, making appearances to help his father meet his busy schedule could just be accidental but it turned out to be trivial. People are curious. Is he planning to follow the footsteps of his Lolo Digong, aunt VP Sara, dad Rep. Pulong and uncle Mayor Baste?

This could be the pathway Rigo is treading.

The whispers turned into loud chatters and before you knew it, social media became abuzz when photos of Rigo and the former President in a private talk circulated online. This could be the patriarch of the Duterte political bloodline schooling its youngest student.

And where else can Rigo get his political education but with the most elite and experienced of them all--the Digong Academy of Politics.

Whatever Rigo’s plans are, he definitely has the advantage of a polit ical pedigree.

MOSES BILLACURA Sports Editor

On the need to review and reorganize the existing Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) regulation or the cross-border travel policies:

Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA

• BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBON • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR.,

NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN

NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA

CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG

JONALLIER M. PEREZ

ANA

EBONA

officer

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR.

Editor

ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. Correspondent

OLIVIA D. VELASCO President

D. MARATAS Finance

JASPER V. BACSAL General Manager / VP Operations

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of

PHILIPPINE PRESS

GREGORIO GARAY DELIGERO Editorial Consultant

MAYA M. PADILLO Senior Reporter

COUNCILOR AL RYAN ALEJANDRE

Busan, South Korea - Bu san became a byword to many because of the 2016 South Korean film “Train to Busan”.

It is an action horror film that mostly takes place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie apoc alypse suddenly breaks out in the country and threatens the safety of the passengers. While the train is shooting towards Busan, the passen gers have to fight for their lives against the zombies.

With zombie film in my mind, I arrived in Busan last week to attend the Asian Pat ent Attorneys Association (APAA) conference.

The conference coincided with the last few days of the Busan International Film Fes tival (BIFF) held from Octo ber 5 to 14, 2022. There was also the BTS Yet to Come con cert last October 15.

The BIFF is an annual event in Haeundae-gu, Busan which is considered as one of the most significant film festi vals in Asia.

The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first inter national film festival in Korea.

The main focus of the BIFF

DENNIS R. GORECHO KUWENTONG PEYUPS

BUSAN AS A MECCA FOR MOVIE BUFFS

is to introduce new films and first-time directors, especial ly those from Asian countries through its efforts to develop and promote young talents.

The festival contributed to making the city of Busan a mecca for movie buffs and the hub of the visual culture industry.

This year’s festival had 242 films from 71 countries that were screened under the Official Selection, while 101 films had World and Interna tional Premieres. There were also 161 films presented at the Community BIFF and BIFF Everywhere.

Filipino filmmakers Bril lante Mendoza’s “Feast” and Lav Diaz’s “When The Waves Are Gone” joined the Icons section of this year’s festival which showcases the latest films of iconic contemporary filmmakers.

Three Filipino co-pro duction films also took part in the Window on Asian Cin ema, a section that puts a spotlight on the latest films of well-established and emerg ing directors in the industry.

These are “Autobiogra phy” by Makbul Mubarak, co-produced by Filipino pro ducer Armi Cacanindin of

ACC Cinematografica; “Ar nold is a Model Student” by Sorayos Prapapan, also co-produced by Cacanindin; and “Plan 75” by Chie Haya kawa co-produced by Alem berg Ang of Daluyong Studios and Wilfredo Manalang of Fusee. The films were co-pro duced by outfits from other countries.

Cinemalaya 2022 award-winning films “The Baseball Player” by Carlo Obispo, “Blue Room” by Maan Asuncion-Dagñalan, and “12 Weeks” by Sunshine Matutina are also part of the Asian Contents & Film Mar ket (ACFM) market screen ings.

In 2008, “Andong” by Rommel Tolentino received the Sonje Award which is given to the best Korean and Asian short films in the Wide Angle section.

In 2008, “100” by Chris Martinez received the KNN Award (Audience Award) which was awarded by the KNN Foundation to a film from the New Currents sec tion selected by audiences.

In 2011, the film “Nino” by Loy Arcenas received the New Currents award given to the two best feature films

selected from the first or second works of new Asian directors introduced in the New Currents section.

In 2021, “Gensan Punch” by Brillante Mendoza re ceived the Kim Jiseok Award.

In 2016, “The Crescent Rising” by Sheron Dayoc re ceived the Mecenat Award which is granted to the best documentary from Korea and Asia in Wide Angle competi tive section.

The Philippines’ “The Atom Araullo Specials: Young Arms (Munting Bisig)” of GMA Network won Best Asian Documentary at the 4th Asia Contents Awards (ACA) which was announced during the BIFF. The ACA rec ognized outstanding TV, OTT, and online content from Asia.

I saw the films Andong, 100 and Nino at the Cinema laya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

“Andong” is about a sixyear-old boy who is obsessed about acquiring twenty pe sos. The film shows the dy namics of a family with a hand-to-mouth existence.

“100” chronicles the last three months of a cancer stricken woman who has a list of things to do before she

dies. Her list of tasks, mostly closures and practical un dertakings, expands to the worldly and the spiritual as people close to her share her last days. The film examines the betrayal of the body, cel ebrates the senses, and con templates the end of life and how to live it.

“Nino” evolved around the tender and co-dependent re lationship of an aging opera star and her ailing gentleman brother, the bitterness that runs along the love between mother and child, and the dysfunction and affection within a family.

Cinemalaya aims to en courage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipi no filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino expe rience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.

It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

(Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bun dang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sa palovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 0908-8665786.)

V. FIGUEROA

ORTHOGRAPHY IN HISTORY

The lexicon defines orthog raphy as ‘the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage’ and ‘the representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols.’ It is close ly associated with etymology, which is ‘the history of a word or phrase shown by tracing its development and relationships.’

Till now, no artifact tells us how the indigenous peoples of Davao put into writing their co dices if indeed there was. Unlike the bamboo and stone scripts found in Luzon, the closest rep resentation of the orthography in the native dialects are the sur viving archaeological objects.

The Spanish missionaries were the first to highlight the value of orthography. In jotting down spoken words with ‘k’ sounds, they adopted ‘q,’ ‘qu,’ and ‘c’ as representations or

equivalents despite the pres ence of ‘k,’ a Latin legacy, in its alphabet. For instance, Ka bakan, as recorded in some Spanish accounts dating to the Spanish conquest of Davao, was spelled with a ‘c.’ For terms de prived of correspondents, the chroniclers explained them in eloquent, long phrases.

(The K, the twelfth letter, was briefly removed from the Spanish alphabet in the 19th century, between 1815 and 1869. For some reason, it was adopted again but chiefly for foreign loanwords. The Diccio nario de la Lengua Castellana, in its 1869 edition, already reen tered the letter.)

Davao dialects, in contrast to some native tongues in Luzon, do not have ‘f’ and ‘v’ sounds, which are also found in Spanish.

To compensate for the linguistic absence, the Spaniards, and lat

er the Americans, adopted for ease the letter ‘p’ as the equiva lent and the letter ‘j’ for ‘h.’ An other distinct Spanish feature is the ‘ll’ (double l), pronounced in local orthography as ‘ly’ or ‘li’.

Moreover, Spanish has to deal also with the ‘ng’ sound as an orthographic challenge. This is unlike the ‘ñ,’ a modern Latin alphabet accented by a virgulil la (tilde) on top of the letter and unaffected whether the case is lower or upper. Even in writing the ‘gi’ sound, the missionaries applied ‘gui’ as a new practice. Gianga, thus, is written in Span ish accounts as ‘Guianga.’

Conversely, the natives, though early on influenced by the colonial system, also had to adopt their own orthogra phy for convenience. Instead of adopting foreign accents, the indigenous dialects were proud of their diacritical marks, name

ly the acute, the grave, and the circumflex. In Pilipino, these are known as pahilis, paiwa, and pa kupya, respectively.

Frank Seifart, a linguist at the Humboldt University of Berlin, explains the status of orthogra phy in recording speech events or documenting language use and the limited appreciation it got from the philologists, say ing:

‘…orthography development is usually not given much at tention by linguists. The idea persists that a good orthog raphy is simply one that rep resents all phonological con trasts. However, orthography development is in fact a high ly complex issue, which in volves not only phonological, prosodic, grammatical, and semantic aspects of the lan guage to be written, but also a wide variety of non-linguistic

issues, among them pedagogi cal and psycholinguistic aspects of reading and writing and the sociolinguistic situation.’

It was the Spaniards who introduced the Latin script fol lowing the conversion of the majority of the population to Catholicism. As a result, the na tives, taught in colonial learning institutions, started to write the Spanish alphabet, the abecedar io. From early Spanish rediscov ery to the first decades of Amer ican rule, Spanish orthography was used.

On the other hand, the Mus lims in the self-governing sul tanates of Mindanao during Spanish rule moved their writ ing system from abugida script to Arabic alphabet. For the Fil ipino-Chinese who embraced Catholicism, they shifted from Chinese calligraphy to Spanish abecedario.

EVENT

BIG 8 HOTEL in the ‘CITY OF CHOICE’

When going to Digos City in Davao del Sur or passing through it, one thing that immediately comes to mind is the classic “bibingka” (rice cake) from a popular restaurantpasalubong shop.

When you step into this Davao del Sur capital known as the City of Choice, people greet you with “Maanyag!” which means beauti ful.

These days, people have a new reason to go to visit.

It’s not just for the “bibing ka” but for a staycation. Another “maanyag” reason to be there.

Recently, Big 8 Hotel Corpo rate Digos held a smashing grand opening with owner Billy Quibod of BMQ Group of Hotels, the op erator of Big 8 Corporate Hotel,

Situated at Quezon Ave., Ba rangay Zone 1 in Digos City, the 12-story hotel houses 112-room, a 150-capacity grand ballroom, a coffee shop, a restaurant serving Oriental cuisine, an indoor pool, poolside bar, a fitness center, and a relaxation lounge at the roof deck.

The opening of Big 8 Corporate

Hotel Digos is envisioned to fur ther boost the tourism industry not only in the city but the prov ince of Davao del Sur as well.

“Congratulations! Na open na gyud ni ang isa ka nindot nga ho tel ug dako ni ug tabang sa Digos City specially sa province of Davao del Sur kay naa na sad ta’y hotel.

Gina encourage namo ang LGUs na if ever naay mga meetings and seminars diri na mag adto. Atong I patronize ang sariling atin,” Cagas said in her message.

It is common knowledge that hotels aim to provide meeting and conference services and facilities, fitness center, business center, food, and entertainment for work and recreational purposes, how ever, Quibod emphasized that Big

8 Corporate Hotel Digos wants to contribute to the economy of the city by providing job opportunity.

“Ang tumong namo dili aron maka ginansya ang among gyud tumong aron makahatag ug em ployment. Maka serve ug lamian na mga putahe na ma enjoy sa mga tao at least maka share ta ug maayo na food diri sa Digos, ug makatabang ta sa syudad nga maka attract ug investors and po tential businessmen diri sa syu dad,” he said in his message.

Aside from the well-loved “bibingka,” Digos City is also known for its sweet-juicy ‘cara bao variety mango,’ sold locally and exported abroad. It is also considered as The Gate City Of The South.

Davao del Sur Governor Yvonne Cagas and Makilala Mayor Arman do Quibod taking part in the cele bration.

DavNor seniors get cash for Covid vaccines

To increase vaccination uptake, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Juba hib led the distribution of P2,000 cash incentives to about 500 senior citizens who got vaccinated for Covid-19.

“Nalipay kaayo ko nga kamo nitubag sa atong panawagan nga magpa-vac cine (I am happy that you responded to our call for you to get immunized),” he said, during the handing out of the monetary reward on Monday, October 17, 2022.

Jubahib implemented the vaccine incentive reward program, as an effective way to encourage seniors to get vaccinated, since they are at highest risk of deaths due to Covid-19.

The governor stressed that vaccination prevents severe illness, hospitaliza tions and death.

Studies show that peo ple 65 and older who re ceived both doses of vac

cines reduced the risk of COVID-19-related hospi talization by 94%.

Jubahib also dispelled misinformation and coun tered vaccine hesitancy among his constituents, as he called on his people to get vaccinated.

“Ayaw mo’g too sa mga istorya nga bisag unsa na lang… kay ang tinuod kung dili ka magpa-vaccine highrisk kayo ka. Dako kaayo ang posibilidad nga kung maigo ka sa Covid-19 de likado jud ang imong lawas, basig dili ka kakaya sa virus madisgrasya na hinuon ka (Do not believe fake news stories since the truth is un vaccinated individuals are high-risk. There is a great possibility that you cannot survive since unvaxxed peo ple are more likely to die of Covid-19),” the governor said.

He acknowledged the Department of Social Wel fare and Development

(DSWD) for providing the funds for the incentives pro gram.

Ms. Neidel Feah Ferido, the Provincial Coordinator of the National Immuni zation Program, revealed that after the governor an nounced the incentives last August, vaccine rates among the elderlies increased by as much as 1.3% completing their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines and 31.8% receiving their first booster dose.

Since the start of the vaccination drive last year, a total of 49,829 seniors in the province already com pleted their second dose, while 13,039 got their first booster dose of the vaccine.

She added that with the guaranteed cash reward, from August 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022 alone, some 561 seniors received their second doze, at the same time as 4,144 elderlies had their first booster shot.

Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Rose Rapista helps facilitate the docu ments of senior citizens claiming cash incentives for Covid-19 vaccination. Nobags

A DSWD personnel hands out cash incentives to senior citizens who got vaccinated for Covid-19. Nobags

Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib dispels misinformation and counters vaccine hesitancy during the distribution of vaccine incentives to senior citizens. Nobags

Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib hands out cash incentives to senior citizens who got vaccinated for Covid-19. Nobags

MARCOS... FROM 2 REVIEW... FROM 3

Marcos declared Nov. 2, 2023 as an additional special non-working day to “strengthen family ties by providing more time

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omous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

On the other hand, the city government of Davao was also recently award ed 2nd in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

STATISTICS...

Decisions, Better Policies signifying the importance of evidence-based poli cy and decision-making” to implement responsive plans and programs to ac celerate economic recov ery and growth.

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and Senator Cynthia Villar.

Both Panganiban and Villar joined the distribu tion of milk bottles to ben eficiary learners as well as meat-in-a-box food packs for select mothers in Que zon City, as part of the cel ebration.

During the Meat Safety Consciousness Week cel ebration, Domingo said it is crucial for the national government to move to ensure the safety of food in the country.

“The national govern ment, which by design is the highest representa tion for our people, has a special obligation to be alert to consumer needs and to advance consumer interests… Keeping food safe is a complex process that starts on the farm and ends with the consumer,” he said in his speech.

Among the strategies he highlighted were the

for the traditional All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day activities, as well as pro mote domestic tourism.” (PNA)

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Philippines Corp.

under the LGU category by the Regional Development Council 11 (RDC 11) and the National Economic and Development Authority 11 (NEDA 11) during the 2022 Davao Region SDG Fiesta.

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The National Statistics Month in October of every year is pursuant to Presi dential Proclamation No. 647 signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on Sept 20, 1990. (PIA Jeanevive Magan Duron Abangan)

However, investment pledges in January to Sep tember 2022 period de clined by 15.2 percent from PHP46.74 billion worth of investment approvals in the same period in 2021, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

In 2021, PEZA’s in vestment commitments amounted to PHP69.3 bil lion.

This means that for the agency to hit its 6 to 7-percent target this year, it has to register projects amounting to around PHP34 billion in the fourth quarter.

The PEZA said it is committed to contribute to the administration’s socioeconomic agenda by “taking advantage of the new and amended laws to boost competitiveness in the market and facilitate the growth of investments in the country”.

ed to boost exports by USD877.81 million and will generate 13,904 new jobs.

“Among the approved new and expansion proj ects, 21 will be for export, 19 for IT, seven for facil ities, and three for tour ism,” PEZA said.

Eight ecozones were added from July to Sep tember this year, four of which are manufacturing ecozones in Cavite, Batan gas, Bulacan, and Pam panga; two IT parks in Iloilo and Davao; and two agro-industrial zones in Iloilo.

Meanwhile, export rev enues in PEZA zones from January to August 2022 increased by 6 percent to USD43.17 billion, while jobs created in econom ic zones also went up by 6.52 percent to 1,798,152 direct jobs.

Filipinos since they may present a negative RT-PCR 48 hours before the date of and time of departure from the country of origin, or a negative antigen is taken twenty-four hours before the date of and time of de parture from the country of origin.

Alejandre said consid ering the IATF guidelines were issued in May 2022, there is a need now to re view and reorganize the existing regulation or the cross-border travel poli cies to address the issue of where to obtain a local government unit (LGU) acceptance and how the LGU can also help, special ly that the city already has direct international flights coming into Davao City.

The copies of the said resolution will be fur nished to the City Health Office (CHO), Bureau of Quarantine-Davao (BOQ-Davao), Bureau of Immigration-Davao, Civ il Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Davao (CAAP-Davao), Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, City Legal Office, City Ad ministrator’s Office, City Tourism’s Office, Depart ment of Tourism 11 (DOT 11), City Mayor’s Office, City Vice Mayor’s Office, and all other offices/ de partments concerned for information and guidance.

Just following IATF guidelines

“updating of food safe ty action plan” for better risk-based inspections; improvement of food and nutrition security policies including “early detection of threats”; and “stronger political will” at the local level when it comes to up holding food safety.

Domingo noted that with less attention to food safety policies and strate gies, worse risks to human health are posed, consider ing that “harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chem ical substances” may cause hundreds of diseases.

“I’m expressing my own best wishes to the NMIS (National Meat In spection Service). I speak for a new administration that values the role of the NMIS in our ongoing en deavor to achieve maxi mum food security for all Filipino consumers,” he said. (PNA)

“Guided by the new DTI strategic priorities, PEZA is eyeing to attract high-tech industries and emerging technologies in the fields of industri al manufacturing trans port, technology media and telecommunications, health and life sciences in cluding mineral process ing of green metals,” Panga said.

Meanwhile, PEZA ap proved 58 projects worth PHP17.14 billion during the first three months of the Marcos administra tion.

These investment pledges are expect

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to negotiate a deal for cheap er bulk purchases, he said. Inflation accelerated to 6.9 percent in September,

“We in PEZA assure the new administration under the President Bongbong Marcos Jr. and guided by the Department of Trade and Industry’s industri alization strategy that we can attract more invest ments for this last quarter of the year given the pos itive growth rate forecast of the ecozone semicon ductor-electronics and IT sectors, the aggressive investment promotions by the President, and upcom ing missions to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Now is the best time to invest as incentives had been boosted along with top-level political support to ecozones,” Panga said. (PNA)

“Ang akoang recom mendation is to really review it kay again ang ubang countries ilaha nang gigaan ang ilahang mga guidelines going to their country. Si Philip pines medyo istrikto pa kaayo. So if we really need to have to accept foreign ers and tourism investors we need to review these guidelines. I-review ug naa lang seguro i-tweak na provisions didto to consid er unvaccinated kung naa silay RT-PCR tests, what soever,” he said in a voice message.

He stressed that there is already a relaxation of the travel restriction brought about by the dwindling number of Covid-19 cases report ed in Davao City. He also mentioned that the sud den halt of tourism-relat ed activities created a se rious loss of earnings and increased unemployment in the city.

Representatives from the CHO, Bureau of Quarantine-Davao (BOQDavao), Bureau of Immi gration, Department of Tourism 11 (DOT 11), Civ il Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Davao (CAAPDavao), and Davao Inter national Airport (DIA) were also present during the session on Tuesday.

“It’s not easy to accept kung papasukin natin o hindi because we are just following national policies but then again binibigyan naman natin ng leeway, we understand na nandito na sila, sige, kung i-a-accept yan ng LGU. Remember kung ito, huwag naman, pumasok at pinayagan ng BOQ, nagkaroon ng pos itive sa gathering na yun and it is nag contact trac ing ang city health, ano ba yung nasa news? Ang per son na nagdala nito doon isang international indi vidual,” said Dr. Noreen Espero, Medical Officer IV of BOQ-Davao, said during the session.

way above the 2 to 4 per cent government target, largely due to the rising food costs.

Alejandre emphasized that this relaxation (re striction) is an opportu nity for the city’s tourism industry to bounce back and to slowly recover.

“Davao City has started programs encouraging in vestors to come back and invest in the City of Davao so that our economy can recover from the global health crisis,” he said.

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Credit card receivables also increased by 23.7 per cent year-on-year during the same period, a reversal from the 2.2 percent con traction a year ago.

“With demand for dig ital financial products in creasing, there is still a lot of scope for growth in the credit card industry,” she said.

Fonacier said the cred it card industry has sup ported the central bank’s program to extend tem porary relief measures to consumers during the pandemic through keeping finance charges in line with the BSP’s ceiling, as well as allowed the restricting of credit card receivables.

As of end-July 2022, she said 56.3 percent of restructured consumers loans, amounting to around PHP6 billion, were credit card receivables.

“Moving forward, the

It can be recalled that Alejandre has urged the City Council in the session last Tuesday to invite any representatives from the BOQ-Davao, Bureau of Im migration-Davao, Depart ment of Tourism 11 (DOT 11), DIA, CHO, and the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the next session of the City Council to shed light on the issue.

By Maya M. Padillo

BSP will remain steadfast in our commitment of pro viding an enabling regula tory environment to ensure the continued safety and soundness of the financial system and protection of financial consumers,” she added.

Meanwhile, CCAP chairman Rolando Ebreo dubbed Republic Act (RA) no. 11934, or the SIM card Registration Act, as a “major step in removing the imped iments towards digitaliza tion, of pinpointing where the problem really lies.”

“With the SIM registra tion law, we are set, as a nation, to combat that mal ice and to once again add a layer of protection for our Filipino consumers. It will help mitigate, if not pre vent, scam messages that contain links used to lure the victims into giving out their information,” he said.

(PNA)

CHITO MALABANAN JABONG!

MAROONS ON THE GREENS

The fairways and the greens of South Pacific Golf and Coun try Club turned maroon over the weekend and you know why.

It’s the 7th University of the Philippines-Los Banos Alumni Association Loyalty Golf tourna ment.

Patrick Cruz and Mendrado Canuza IV took the overall hon ors of the 18-hole tournament held on October 15,2022.

Cruz bagged the overall gross title with his 3 over par 75

while Canuza sizzled with a net 69 spiked by three birdies in the System 36 format golf tourna ment.

The golfers took advantage of the perfect weather, well man icured fairways and receptive greens of of the South Pacific Golf and Country club to come up with an enjoyable round of golf.

Milou Tan Babol, daughter of the late Dr Manny Tan and Inday Dacudao of the famed La nang Golf took the Lowest Gross

title for the distaff side with her 82. Albers Rutchie took the net crown for the ladies with a score of one under par 71.

For Class A Division, Gross Title went to Randy Arevalo with his 77 and Albert Cainghug took the Net Title with a net 70 aided by two birdies.

Addy Briones got the Class B Gross top plum with his 80 while Sandy Mendoza took the Class B net title with his 2 under 70.

For Class C division , Ever

Hernandez scored 90 and took the Gross Champ title over Man fred Lawas by single stroke. In the Net Division Bal Sarabia took the Overall Net title by count back over runner up Erwin Pa nimdim. They both scored one under par 71.

Third District representative Hon Isidro Ungab, an alumnus of UPLB, was the guest of honor during the awards night and as sisted the organizers in handing out the trophies and major raffle

prizes.

It was an evening filled with fun, food, drinks and laughter as golfers enjoyed the unrestrict ed fellowship which every golf er have missed for the last two years.

The proceeds of this tourna ment will go to the beneficiary of the UPLB alumni association Davao chapter, Solar Lights dis tribution project in the remote barangays of the Paquibato and Marilog districts.

DREAMS

Paolo Duterte, Soleil Cafe, gearing up for international sports competition

HolyCross of Davao dominated the October fest’s 1st Rigo Duterte Futsal Tournament, held over the weekend, at the Ayala Azuela Cove.

The Office of First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte, in partnership with Soleil Cafe & Driving Range, is gearing up for an international sports event.

The First Congressional District Of fice launched its first Junior Golf Program with the Soleil Cafe & Driving Range from September 2 to October 2 for children who are golf enthusiasts.

“We have gathered at least 10 par ticipants during the launching of the golf program. These participants are children of the country club employees,” Coach Francis Lucero said.

The participants’ names are as fol lows: Rory Bisera, 7; JC Feil, 12; Julliene Mabale, 12; Rose Wacan, 12; Aj Wacan, 13; Adrian Bisera, 14; Kenly Wacan, 15; Margaux Mabale, 16; Niño Villacensio, 16; and Aldrein Gialon, 16.

Lucero said the participants undergo training and will have a chance to com pete in a local golf tournament as part of their training.

Some of the golf training taught to the participants are overall flexibility, leg strength and balance, wedge shots, im proving their distance off the tee, accura cy at hitting fairways, and their attitude towards the sport.

Lucero said the coach under the program conducts the assessment and selects who among the participants will compete in the US Kids and Junior World Competitions, respectively.

“Why golf? Golf is a sport that allows

players of all abilities to play competitive ly because of its handicap system, and we have the chance to compete internation ally,” Lucero said.

Rep. Duterte partnered with the Soleil Cafe & Driving Ranger to kick off the effort in putting up the Junior Golf Program that will create equal opportu nities for children who wish to partici pate in this sport.

Congratulations to the winners during the Culmination of the Fun Golf Tournament for the Junior Golf Program of the First Congressional District Office and Soleil Cafe & Driving Ranger on Oc tober 2:

8 years old and below (9 Holes)

Champion: Rory Isaiah Bisera (57)

1st Runner-Up: Soleil Ianne Molde (60)

Girls Division (18 Holes)

Champion: Mary Rose Wacan (97)

1st Runner-Up: Julienne Mabale (111)

9 to 12 years old

Champion: CJ Wacan (108)

1st Runner-Up: Santi Rabat (119)

13 to 15 years old

Champion: Kenly Wacan (91)

1st Runner-Up: AJ Wacan (101)

Champion Flight Champion: Nino Villasencio (73)

1st Runner-Up: Aldren Gialon (77)

APO GOLF SUMMER JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM HONOR ROLL. Winners of the recent Junior Golf tournament organized by the Office of First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte, in partnership with Soleil Cafe & Driving Ranger.