Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 173 | Friday, November 4, 2022

Rodrigo Duterte II, grandson and name sake of former President Rodrigo Duterte and son of Davao City First District Representative Paolo Z. Duterte, says he is thankful to his “lolo” for giving value to the people of both cities by spearheading the Samal Island - Davao City Con nector (SIDC) Project.

APPRECIATION

Rigo applauds FPRRD, PBBM over SIDC Connector Project

By MAYA M. PADILLO

This time, it’s the grandson appreciat ing the legacy of his grandfather.

For initiating the development of a bridge that will connect Davao City and Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS), former President Rodrigo Duterte found himself what could be his biggest fan.

Rodrigo Duterte II, grandson and namesake of former President Rodrigo Duterte and son of Davao City First District Repre sentative Paolo Z. Duterte, applauded his “lolo” for

“giving value to the people of both cities.”

According to Rigo, the bridge, which recently broke ground, will provide comfort to the people and improve the economy of

Samal.

During Duterte’s ad ministration, negotiations with China for a loan to realize the construction of the Samal Island- Davao City Bridge which has long been a dream for many residents of the two areas commenced. On January 14, 2021, a commercial contract was signed be tween China and the Phil ippines, wherein China would finance $400 million for the bridge.

Rigo also expressed

his gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for supporting the project and leading its groundbreaking ceremony.

Rigo has been very vis ible nowadays attending various events represent ing his father in community engagements and extend ing assistance to the flood and fire victims as well as to the beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Dis placed Workers (TUPAD)

No more citation tickets for face mask violators

With President Ferdi nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issuing Executive Order (EO) No. 7 which allows voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor and outdoor spaces, Davao City authorities will no longer issue citation tickets to individuals not wearing

face masks.

In February this year, the city government of Davao de ployed deputized personnel in the city streets and offices of the city government to enforce the ordinance of the mandatory wearing of face masks, including the issu ance of citation tickets with a

penalty of P500 to violators.

“Very clear ang guidance during our Covid-19 Task Force meeting na walay is suance of citation tickets ang atoang mga deputized enforcers ani nga mandatory wearing of face masks,” said Angel Sumagaysay, head of Public Safety and Security

Command Center (PSSCC) over Davao City Disaster Ra dio (DCDR) on Wednesday.

Sumagaysay is also cer tain that the city government of Davao will adopt the EO of Marcos through an executive order.

“Kung mao man na ang

At least three typhoons expected this month

An official of the Phil ippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astro nomical Services Admin istration-Davao (Paga sa-Davao) disclosed that after Typhoon Queenie, two to three more ty phoons are expected to make landfall in the Phil ippine Area of Responsi bility (PAR) this month.

Lolita Vinalay, weath er specialist of Paga sa-Davao, said the next typhoon to form and enter PAR this month is named Typhoon Rosal.

“Ang sunod na bagyo nga ma-porma ug musulod sa PAR karong November is Bagyong Rosal ug base sa forecast karong bulana ga-expect ta ug duha to tulo ka bagyo. Bantayanan ang panahon kay ang hangin Amihan na. During northeast monsoon sea son ato gyud na observe nga pababa na ang cloud iness bisan ang distribu tion sa rainfall tungod kay pabor sa hangin Amihan labi ang ang eastern por tion sa Philippines,” Vina lay said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Thursday.

Typhoon Queenie wqs reported as a Low Pres sure Area (LPA) at 3 a.m. on Thursday.

Vinalay explained that the rain experienced on Thursday was due to the LPA.

Retired Police Col. Al fredo Baloran, head for the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Man agement Office (CDRR MO), explained that the weather disturbance that Dabawenyos experienced was the result of the LPA due to Tropical Depres

sion Queenie.

“Si TD Queenie na downgrade ug nahimong LPA balik. May mga areas karon na nakasinati na ku sog na ulan ug hangin sa Marilgo area. So far sa pag kakaron, base sa monitor ing sa atong mga kasapaan naa pata sa safe level pero continues man ang pagulan didto sa kabukiran particularly in Marilog District and portions of Paquibato area, naay pag ulan didto dapat asahan nato nga kaning atong lev el sa tubig karon is naay changes pila ka oras gikan karon,” Baloran said.

He also said there are three barangays in Mari log District that have sus pended classes because of the strong wind and rain.

However, there was no declaration of the suspen sion of classes in Davao City.

Baloran also reminded residents residing next to the creek or river to al ways be on alert if the rain persists.

On the other hand, Mayor Michelle Rabat de clared the suspension of classes in the elementary and secondary levels of public schools in the City of Mati effective Novem ber 3, 2022, as a precau tionary measure in view of the LPA affecting the Davao Region.

Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Gonzaga issued a Memorandum Order de claring the suspension of classes at all levels both public and private schools in Davao de Oro due to the impending threat of flood ing and landslide in the province of Davao de Oro.

By Maya M. Padillo

Commuters protect themselves with umbrellas as Davao City experiences moderate rains brought about by a low pressure area on Thursday morning. Edge Davao

“This

“Politics is not a bad profes sion. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.” - RONALD REAGAN.

As we went to press, Ben jamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, de posed as prime minister al most two years ago, led his Likud party to secure 32 seats in elections held Tuesday, and along with 33 coalition part ners, has a clear 65-seat ma jority necessary to lead him back as head of the Israel gov ernment.

Media organizations cov ering Israel’s fifth parliamen tary polls in less than 4 years, all agree that Netanyahu, the longest serving PM in Israel’s political history, is poised to reclaim his seat after 90 per cent of the votes have been counted.

More than the political foes of Netanyahu, Iran is the most “alarmed” with this new development because of the tough stance the 73 year-old

FRED C. LUMBA SPECKS OF LIFE

KUWENTONG PEYUPS

NETANYAHU BACK AS ISRAEL’S PM?

Israeli leader has consistently displayed since first becoming prime minister in 1996.

It was during Netanya hu’s watch when Gen. Qasem Soleimani, chief strategist of the Quds Force, a division of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, that is mainly responsi ble for clandestine extraterri torial military operations, was assassinated in 2020.

Political observers opined that Israeli citizens voted Bibi back because of the weak and middle-of-the-road re sponses the Bennet-Lapid government rendered to do mestic issues such as the Pal estinian’s continued terrorist actions that have resulted to deaths to several IDF soldiers and injuries to scores of Is raeli citizens.

Interim PM Lapid and for mer PM Naftali Bennet whom the former replaced after their fragile coalition was broken, and outgoing Defense chief Benny Gantz, have refused to join Net anyahu and will con tinue to serve in the opposi tion.

It appears these guys, who are power hungry and sali vating to take over the reins of government, just want the Netanyahu coalition to fail re gardless of the consequences.

Amusing but this situation looks very similar to the po litical conditions in the Philip pines.

Bibi, also a former De fense Minister before coming to power, is facing corruption charges in court but this ap peared not to have been a crit ical issue during the campaign as the ensuing election results showed.

Having previous diplo matic dialogues with past US presidents - from Clinton to Trump - whose support were either half or whole-hearted or anti-Israel, Netanyahu’s vast experience in interna tional diplomacy will have an impactful bearing on Israel’s contemporary foreign policy as he returns to reclaim his throne.

Lapid had earlier boldly declared during his speech at the UN General Assembly in

September his favorable posi tion to a two-state formula to solve the centuries-old Isra el-Palestinian conflict.

This considerably did not sit well with the majority of Is rael’s citizens who had always desired that its leaders strong ly maintain an “Israel for Israe lis only” policy.

More than ever, the past two years, including the pan demic period, will have posi tively armed Netanyahu and his coalition government on what steps to take in the light of the wishy-washy position ex-PMs Bennet and Lapid have taken amidst the critical con cerns that have dumb-found ed Israeli citizens.

A new militant Palestinian organization - The Lion’s Den - is now intriguingly capturing the admiration and support of young Palestinians who are tired of the flip-flopping lead ership of the Palestinian Au thority.

More than ever, let us watch how Netanyahu will lead the Knesset in respond ing to the Russia-Ukraine war

that has dragged on for nine months now.

There is also the threat of Iran’s stubborn production of nuclear capability - in vio lation of the 2015 JCPOA - to arm ICBMs with nuclear war heads capable of reaching ene my targets as far as the United States.

Bibi does not relish the “sad and unfortunate” cold reception he received from US Pres. Joe Biden when it was imminent he was on the way out.

The other issues that need to be clarified are Israel’s dip lomatic relations with Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Ukraine and the European Union which is reeling from the energy cri sis the Russian invasion of Ukraine has invariably creat ed.

I wonder if you’re thinking what I am thinking.

A tough leader like Bibi is what our country needs, don’t you think so? (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.)

GOD BLESS THE PHILIP PINES!

Since the commemorative launching of the Davao-Manila airline traffic in 1935, several plane accidents have already been reported, some of them resulting in the death of occu pants.

The earliest recorded avi ation crash happened in the morning of December 9, 1941, a day after Davao City was bombed by Japanese planes. A Consolidated PBY-4 Catalina of the U.S. Navy was hit by enemy fire and crashed in the Davao Gulf. All seven crew members were killed.

The first postwar com mercial airline accident took place on October 1, 1946, when a Douglas C-47 Skytrain operated by the Philippine Airlines (PAL) took off from Davao airport but was forced to belly-land on a swamp in Cotabato after the pilot lost his orientation. All five occupants

survived and no casualty was recorded.

Two years later, a Douglas DC-3 operated by Commercial Airways and carrying 13 pas sengers, took off from the new ly inaugurated Mati airport. It did not reach its destination because it crashed shortly af ter takeoff. No one survived the accident that took place on February 23, 1948.

Attributed to a navigational error, A Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft operated by Philippine Airlines crashed on March 2, 1963, at Mount Boca, in Davao Oriental. Initially, the crew re ceived weather information that would delay the plane’s arrival. After it failed to reach its destination half an hour later, a search was conducted. The aircraft crashed at an al titude of 3,000 feet and all 27 passengers were killed. On May 9, 1968, a Fairchild F27

operated by Air Manila Inter national made an untimely descent a decade away from the Davao City airport. No ca sualty was reported but the aircraft was written off.

On April 24, 1996, a Das sault Falcon 20F, operated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi nas, took off with six passen gers from Davao international airport with a cargo of eight crates of gold. While taking off at around 75 feet, the plane stalled and was forced to land. It ditched in a nearby planta tion just 10 kilometers from the tarmac. The fuselage was divided into three and all the crews survived unscathed.

On April 19, 2000, a Boe ing 737-200, operated by Air Philippines, was nearing the Davao City airport, just ten ki lometers away, when it made a controlled flight into terrain. The aircraft tried flying visual

ly but it descended below the standard glide path as it shot for the runway, and crashed into a coconut plantation on a hillside in Barangay San Isidro, Samal Island. The place caught fire and all 131, including sev en crew members, did not sur vive.

A Lockheed C-130 Her cules, a military asset of the Philippine Air Force, took off from the Davao airport on Au gust 25, 2008, bound for Iloi lo City where members of the Presidential Security Group were waiting to be fetched. The crew was cleared to climb to 18,000 feet when it suddenly descended uncon trollably and crashed to the sea four minutes after take off. All 11 occupants perished in the accident.

But the crash that remains unsolved to this day was the ‘mysterious’ crash of a Doug

las C-47B-1-D on October 31, 1984. The cargo plane, oper ated by Village Airways, was bound for Manila from Davao City with four passengers when it went out of control and crashed into the sea min utes after it took off. Both the plane and the crew remained missing.

The aircraft’s engine was first owned by the USA Air Force; it was delivered on July 31, 1944, and assigned to the Thirteenth Air Force. It was later sold to Filipino-owned Far East Air Transport on De cember 21, 1946, but the new owner ceased operations a month later. PAL assumed the plane that year and put it in service until 1967. That year the ownership changed hands again; it was sold to Far East Aviation Services, and in 1973, it was transferred to Village Airways.

ECONOMY

PH lifts quarantine requirement for unvaxxed inbound travelers

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed a resolution lifting the quar antine requirement for travelers en tering the Philippines who are either un vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be independent ly validated.

In a tweet, Foreign Af fairs Undersecretary Brigi do Dulay confirmed that the President has signed the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Dis eases (IATF-EID) Resolu tion No. 2 allowing inbound travelers sans quarantine.

Under the resolution, inbound travelers will still have to present a negative result of a laboratory-based rapid antigen test.

“Filipinos and foreign nationals 15 years or old er shall present a remotely

supervised or a labora tory-based rapid antigen negative test result admin istered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laborato ry, clinic, pharmacy, or oth er similar establishments taken within 24 hours prior to the date and time of de parture from the country of origin/first port of em barkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; pro vided, that, he/she has not left the airport prem ises or has not been ad

mitted into another coun try during such lay-over,” the resolution read.

Inbound travelers who fail to present a negative pre-departure test result will be required to undergo a laboratory-based rapid antigen test upon arrival at the airport.

Accompanied minors below 15 years old who are unvaccinated must follow quarantine protocols of their parents or an accom panying adult or guardian traveling with them.

Unaccompanied minors below 15 years old who are unvaccinated must also fol low protocols.

Inbound travelers who test positive for Covid-19 through rapid antigen tests must be subjected to pre vailing quarantine and iso lation protocols of the De

partment of Health.

Meanwhile, pre-depar ture testing for fully vac cinated inbound travelers will no longer be required.

A fully vaccinated per son must have received the primary series Covid-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin or port of embar kation.

They must also present a World Health Organiza tion International Certif icate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis; VaxCertPH; national or state manual/ digital vaccination certifi cate of the country/foreign government; and other proof of vaccination.

Currently, masks are no longer required in indoor and outdoor settings in the Philippines.

Customs surpasses Oct. collection goal

The Bureau of Cus toms (BOC) said on Wednesday it sur passed its October collec tion target by nearly 19%.

In a statement, the BOC said that based on its pre liminary report, its total revenue last month stood at P75.5 billion.

The Customs saw a surplus of P11.8 billion or

18.6% from its target col lection of P63.7 billion for October.

Year-on-year, the agen cy’s collection performance grew by 35% or P19.5 bil lion, from P56 billion in revenue posted in October 2021.

For the January to Oc tober period, the BOC col lected P714.3 billion, sur

passing the P602.8-billion target for the period by P111.5 billion or 18.5%.

Compared to the same period last year, the Cus toms’ collections grew by 37% or P188.9 billion from P525.4 billion booked in January to October 2021.

“The BOC continues to implement measures against revenue leakages,

corruption, and smuggling while easing process bot tlenecks,” it said.

“Amid the nation’s eco nomic recovery, [Commis sioner Yogi Filemon] Ruiz is prioritizing the bureau’s modernization programs and process innovations to sustain outstanding per formance and improve ser vices to stakeholders.”

Paeng damage, losses to agri climb to P2.74B

Damage and losses due to Severe Tropi cal Storm Paeng (in ternational name: Nalgae) have climbed to over P2 billion as of Wednesday af ternoon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported.

Data released by the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management (DRRM) Operations Cen ter reported damage of P2.74 billion as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, up from P1.33 billion as of Monday afternoon.

The latest bulletin cov ered 82,830 hectares of agricultural areas in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas, Zam boanga Peninsula, Central Mindanao, and Soccsksar gen.

This translated into a production loss volume of 111,831 metric tons of commodities such as rice, corn, and high value crops, impacting some 74,944 farmers and fishers.

Most of the damage was seen in rice, with a volume

loss of 95,694 metric tons equivalent to P1.71 billion.

This was followed by high value crops worth P555.4 million, fisheries worth P201.64 million, corn worth P135.4 mil lion, livestock and poultry worth P9.49 million, cassa va with P4,220.

Damage to agricultural infrastructures was pegged at P133 million, covering different laboratories and crop protection centers, irrigation systems, water impounding projects, and diversion dams.

Damage to machin eries and equipment was estimated at P235,000, in cluding hand tractors and vermi beds.

The DA said assistance is available for distribu tion to affected farmers and fishers, including rice, corn, and assorted vegeta ble seeds, and drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry.

It said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Re sources (BFAR) also has fingerlings and assistance to be provided to fisherfolk affected.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs a resolution lifting the quarantine requirement for travelers entering the Philippines who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be inde pendently validated. Edge Davao

Price increase looms for Noche Buena items: DTI

Thecost of some Noche Buena items will increase ahead of the Christmas celebration, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Bangko

Sentral ng Pili

pinas Governor Felipe Medalla on Thursday said the monetary board plans to increase the coun try’s key policy rate by 75 basis points to match the recent announcement made by the US Federal Reserve.

The move will keep the interest rate differential between the 2 countries at the level before the recent Fed hike adjustment on Nov. 2 to support the Phil ippine peso.

The US Federal Re serve on late Wednesday announced another 75bps rate hike to cool down inflation. This is the 4th increase of this magnitude this year.

“As expected, the Fed in creased its policy rate this morning (Manila Time) by 75 bps. This supports the BSP’s stance to hike its poli cy rate by the same amount in its next policy meeting on Nov. 17,” BSP Gov. Felipe Medalla said in a statement.

“The BSP deems it necessary to maintain the interest rate differential prevailing before the most recent Fed rate hike, in line with its price stability

mandate and the need to temper any impact on the country’s exchange rate of the most recent Fed rate hike,” he added.

Medalla clarified that although he made the state ment, it is not an off-cycle hike since it would only be effective on Nov. 17.

So far, the monetary board has raised the coun try’s overnight borrowing rate to 4.25 percent to reign in inflation. Medalla said the recent hikes also help in stabilizing the peso.

Inflation is expected to settle between 7.1 to 7.9 percent in October, way be yond the government’s 2 to 4 percent target range.

Analysts have said that the Philippine peso could take a hit if the BSP does nothing to reduce the in terest rate differential be tween the 2 countries.

“By matching the Fed’s rate hike, the BSP reiter ates its strong commitment to its mandate of main taining price stability by aggressively dealing with inflationary pressures stemming from local and global factors,” Medalla said.

The DTI said they are currently studying wheth er to release a price guide.

However, some man ufacturers have released advisories in which the price of ham increased to P40.

“Kinakausap pa naman yung mga manufacturers para din naman number 1, kung pwede itemper yung increase kung possible pa po yun. Yung submitted sa amin walang lumampas ng P50. Meron pa ngang may decrease,” Ann Claire Cab

ochon, officer-in-charge of DTI Consumer Protection Group, said.

Prices of ham in Quiapo increased due to rising prices of ingredi ents and raw materials.

“Tumaas kasi ang asu kal, yung mga ginagamit sa paggawa ng ham tapos yung mga plastic, ganun,” an Excelente Ham store supervisor said.

The prices of Chi nese ham increased to P1,640 from P1,540 last year, while scrap ham in

creased to P1,560 from P1,520 last year.

Meanwhile, the pric es of American ham in Trabaho market also in creased to P220 from P200 per kilo.

“Dito po kasi pwede tingi, doon po kasi sa iba isang pack po talaga,” said retailer Almira Loreca.

The prices of cream increased to P8 to P15, while salad and elbow macaroni also increased to P4 to P27.

The prevailing price of white sugar in Metro Manila stood at P106 in grocery and supermarket, while P100 in markets.

The UNIFED appealed

to increase the suggested retail price of white sugar to P85 to P90 from P70 per kilo after the recent typhoons affected their crops.

GMA Integrated News has sought comment from the Sugar Regulatory Ad ministration (SRA).

The DTI said there are grocery and supermar kets which sell P70 per kilo of sugar.

“Yung inventory nung naikutan natin ay wala na po. In other branches of the same supermarket alam natin meron naman po depende lang kung saan sila nakalocate,” Cab ochan said.

San Miguel’s Bank of Commerce gets universal banking authority

Listed San Miguel Corp. (SMC) affiliate Bank of Commerce said Wednesday it has been con ferred the authority to oper ate as a universal bank in the Philippines.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the Bank of Commerce said it received the formal cer tificate as a universal bank

from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The bank said it will boost its lending portfolio to support local businesses, particularly small and me dium enterprises, to help propel activities driving the country’s economic growth, following the change of its status from commercial bank to universal bank.

The lender said its plan to boost lending for small and medium businesses is in line with the recent approv al of its board of directors on the reallocation of the re maining P940 million from its initial public offering pro ceeds for lending activities.

“As a universal bank, Bank of Commerce will strengthen its presence in

the domestic market and deepen its relationship with clients through a broader range of financial solutions by being able to generate and warehouse interest-bearing assets such as marketable securities, and offer more investment banking prod ucts and services,” said Bank of Commerce president and CEO Michelangelo Aguilar.

A delivery man on a motorcycle carrying 11-kilogram cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) traverses along Dacudao Loop in Lanang, Davao City.

prices has increased

November

months

rollbacks.

Edge Davao

BSP says to ‘match’ US Fed’s interest rate hike in Nov. 17

Palicte prevails in Jordan boxing tourney

TwoFilipino boxers on Wednesday opened the Philippine campaign in the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Elite Championships in Amman, Jordan with contrasting results as Mario Fernandez dropped a close bout while James Palicte won convincingly in his own match.

The 29-year-old veter an Fernandez lost a close 3-2 decision to the host country’s Yousef Iashash in their featherweight match (57 kg) on Day2 of the competition.

The airman from Bukidnon fought a spirit ed fight, connecting with some snappy combina tions but had his hands

full as the wily Jordanian employed some unorth odox tactics to earn the nod of the judges from Morocco, Italy and Kyr gyzstan. Those from Bul garia and India saw the fight in favor of Fernan dez.

Palicte, a 28-year-old boxer from Bago City, bucked a rather listless

first round to take the next two rounds as he picked up the pace against Iraqi Jaafar Abdulreal Sudani, clinching the bout, 4-1 in the light welterweight class (63.5 kg).

ABAP coaches Don Abnett, Roel Velasco and Gerson Nietes were at ringside for both fights.

There are 13 Filipino

boxers in the champion ships (7 men, 6 women) including Tokyo Olym pians Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Irish Magno.

Women’s coaches are Reynaldo Galido and Mitchel Martinez. ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo is team manager. (PNA)

TNT team manager Jojo Las timosa, one of PBA’s 40 greatest, was a disciplined cager during his active playing years whether in the amateurs or in the pros.

(I say this with authority be cause I covered his outstanding playing days in the PABL and PBA.)

Such that the recent delin quent actuations of Fil-Am hot shot Mikey Williams have pierced his patience, thus mincing no words in revealing the negative attitude a player of William’s cal iber has been displaying recently.

The Californian-born 31 year old shooting guard is reportedly one of the highest paid in the TNT line-up but his demeanor as a pro

fessional remains something to be desired.

In behalf of management, Las timosa has suspended Williams without pay and until this writing, the latter has not called to apolo gize nor physically approached TNT management to explain his absences from team practices.

His relationship with team mates, Lastimosa disclosed, is not harmonious as it should ideally be and does not speak much of Wil liam’s character.

On one occasion, Lastimosa said, Williams did not come to practice despite being fetched by a company driver from where he was staying.

True or not, there are naugh ty rumors surfacing that the high scoring guard has been receiving feelers from some agents that have close connection with Japan B. League ball clubs.

The perception among basket ball observers - even PBA fans alike - could be that Williams might have received irresistible offers and that he is inclined to accept.

This may be the reason that (I hope it is not true) some are spec ulating for the recent “delinquent” scenario.

Williams might be inducing TNT to suspend him indefinitely so he could make a “reasonable” exit to jump over to the other

league that has been continuous ly poaching PBA waters for some time now.

Quite naturally, as Williams is already 31 and very well been thinking that he has only 5 more good years left, the fellow is forced to seek the best remuneration and compensation for whatever re mains of his playing years.

Is it true that Williams re ceives P1.2M from TNT (monthly salary, perks, bonuses, etc.)?

We can’t blame people for seeking greener pastures but in William’s case, he has to respect the contract he signed with TNT before jumping over to another league.

TNT is on the losing side here even if disciplinary actions (fines and suspensions without pay) are meted on Williams because the guy might be just too willing and ready to sever his contractual ties with management.

In sum, I think PBA compen sation rates must be promptly recalibrated to make them com petitively at par with foreign counterparts and thus prevent (underpaid) PBA stars and tal ented Pinoy cagers from getting pirated overseas.

The bottom line is all about money. (Email feedback to fred lumba@yahoo.com.)

BLESS

RIGHT HOOK. James Palicte of the Philippines (right) connects with a crisp right hook to his Iraqi opponent Jaafar Abdulreal Sudani in the 2nd round of their light welterweight match in the Asian Elite Championships in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday (Nov. 2, 2022). Palicte’s team

mate Mario Fernandez, however, lost a close 3-2 decision to the host country’s Yousef Iashash in their featherweight match. (Photo courtesy of ASBC)

A PRIMA DONNA?

Davao City to offer psychosocial services, more aid to BARMM

The city government will deliver psychosocial ser vices to the residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to help them deal with the trauma from the recent onslaught of Severe

Tropical Storm Paeng.

In a radio interview Wednesday, City Social Welfare and Development (CSWDO) chief Marlisa Gallo underscored the interven tion’s importance in helping the thousands of BARMM

APPRECIATION... FROM 2

Program in Davao City. Last month, Rigo joined residents of Barangay 74A, Matina Crossing in cele brating the Araw ng Baran gay, and in August this year, he also turned over patient

transport vehicles to four village leaders at the Peo ple’s Park.

The vehicles were giv en to barangay leaders Leilani Bacalso of Langub, Alimodin Usman of 23-C,

families cope with stress and protect their mental health.

On Oct. 29, floods brought by the storm hit BARMM, displacing 115,437 families (or 572,185 individ uals) from 126 barangays and have taken dozens of

lives, particularly in Maguin danao province.

Apart from the assistance, Gallo said the local govern ment is accepting donations for Paeng victims in BARMM.

Basic needs such as food and drinking water are the top priority in aid distribu tion, she said, as well as hy giene kits, toiletries, sleeping materials, and medicines.

“Those who wish to do nate are encouraged to give the aforementioned essential items which can be dropped off at the CSWDO main build ing,” Gallo said.

Relief donations can also be dropped at the Task Force Davao Headquarters in Sta. Ana Wharf and at Rizal Park, she added.

Over the weekend, the

city government sent out two teams to deliver the first batch of aid and relief goods to Maguindanao and Cotaba to City.

A team of 44 people was deployed to Cotabato City while a team of 90, which will also be assisting in the ongoing search and rescue operations, was sent to Ma guindanao. (PNA)

Isidro Dujali of Bago Apla ya, and Eduardo Millonda ga of 22-C to improve their emergency response to their constituents.

guidelines gikan sa kauluhan i’m pretty sure nga i-adopt pud na sa atoang local gov ernment. Ang final say dinhi ang adoption sa atoang local government through execu tive order. Mao na atong tu manon. Pirmi ta naka-align. But then again nagapanawa gan gihapon ang health sec tor and highly encouraged gihapon nga mag mask ang atoang mga kaigsoonan,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force

stressed that wearing of face masks is still mandatory in public transportation and medical health facilities as it also encourages those in the vulnerable sector to protect themselves.

Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has approved the adoption of the provisions and guidelines of EO 7 in the city, which provides that voluntary wearing of face masks is exempted in healthcare facilities, includ ing, but not limited to clin

ics, hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes, and dialysis clinics; medical transport vehicles (ambulance, para medic rescue vehicles); and public transportation (land, air, and sea).

The said order also pro vides that mask-wearing is encouraged for the elderly, individuals with comorbid ities, immunocompromised individuals, pregnant wom en, unvaccinated individu als, and symptomatic indi viduals.

Apo ni Lola Durian Candies-powered HCDC Table Tennis Invitational

My late father Boy was an avid tennis fan and so he played the sport. Naturally, he would pick his eldest son, that’s me, to go with him and wish that someday, I would come to love the sport like him.

I was into little league baseball at that time because my elementary school classmates were into it and he tried to convince me that tennis is a better sport for me. I have come to appreciate the sport and even followed the exploits of John McEn roe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander in the newspaper.

But when my grand old man Marcial sent me to Baguio City for the Summer Educational Program

Youth Camp in 1986, there I found a new sport similar to tennis, but a bit more convenient for me. That’s table tennis.

I was terrible at it because I brought with me the lawn tennis habit.

Fortunately, during my first two years of high school in far away Zam boanga City, I had the chance to train and play the sport under coach Abner Agriam and played together with one outstanding player, Ruden Madrazo. Coach Abner was one exciting player and he taught us how the ball spins play a crucial role in the games.

We were 13 years old then and at that time we were representing the High School Department of the Zamboanga A.E. Colleges (ZAEC) which conducts a yearly Intramural. My uncle Noli Boy used to drive me to the playing venues those years and would stick around to watch us play against players four or more years older than us. We were beat ing them, LoL. Uncle Nol could not believe it! “Mga magulang man nimo ninyo to sila,” he told us.

What happened was that after our classes, we trained under coach Abner for several hours and so I al ways come home late.

When I moved to Panabo Pro vincial High School, my father Boy, realizing that I could no longer be convinced to go back to lawn tennis, just did not bother to tell me to come with him to the Rotary Club Tennis Courts, although, sometimes, I could take some days to go with him.

I continued to play the sport in university for the next four and a half years, first representing the Human ities Division at Ateneo for two years and the AB Department of Holy Cross for the next two. HCDC sports direc tor Abe Verdeprado saw my keen interest in the sport, then asked me if I could coach the college varsity team and so we did that for the next two years. It was fun with the play ers playing in the DACS Meet and at one time we competed in Cagayan de Oro City for the Mindanao Invitation al. Sports director Abe, table tennis trainor Mr. Flores (kalimot kos first name da!) and I also worked togeth er in hosting the table tennis tourna ment at Holy Cross during the PRI SAA Meets and in one tournament, Michael Dalumpines of the University of Mindanao was one of the players. Michael, the best player that time, would eventually become a national

player and national coach in Manila.

When coach Butch Ramirez came back to Davao after his first stint as commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, he brought me to coach the high school table tennis team in Matina. So, we started build ing a program for young high school players who would like to take up the sport. I had a short stint with Ateneo de Davao High School because coach Butch was eventually reappointed in the PSC, so the rest is history.

The reason I mentioned my stint with the sport is to let you know my friends that once you get hooked on a sport that you love, you would find ways to continue playing it and teach other young players to give the sport a try.

The sport may look very simple but believe me, this is no ordinary sport if you follow the strict regimen for athletes.

So when my dear journalism professor Mr.Edfer told me about the HCDC Table Tennis Invitational on November 5, I was both happy and sad.

Happy that Holy Cross of Davao College is hosting the tournament with the help of Apo ni Lola Durian Candies and sad that I could not be around to submit an entry and play the sport.

Friendee Nunez, whom I know during the early days of the Metro Davao Table Tennis Association (Me datta), is the one running the tourna ment proper but I would like to take my hats off to Holy Cross president Brother Noelvic Deloria and his team for promoting one sport that Filipi nos can really excel.

I hope that Holy Cross will con tinue to promote this sport and regu larly host a tournament. And maybe, create a table tennis training center with Friendee, who I know is one hard-working and honest sport lead er, heading it.

I know that there is a big number of table tennis players in Davao who are just waiting for a training center to be set up. This is just one thing I’d like to see someday at Holy Cross. You like the idea my dear sir Edfer and Friendee?

I may one day show up and play with my dear sir Edfer, from dusk till dawn, LoL.

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Comments are welcome and can be emailed to mpb_sports@yahoo. com.

Holy Cross of Davao College Sports Coordinator Melchor Anzures getting the tournaent area ready for table tennis.