Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 178 | Thursday, November 10, 2022

WORRIED TRADERS

Inflation remains a big concern for Davao City’s businessmen

A light plane is parked at the Mati Community Airport in Mati City. The Local Goverment Unit of Mati City and the tourism stakeholders held a meeting led by Mati City Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat on Monday to prepare for the eventual opening of air routes in the city by leading airline companies. Edge Davao

WORRIED TRADERS

Inflation remains a big concern for Davao City’s businessmen

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Alongwith the relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions here in Davao City is the hope of the business sec tor to slowly recover from the losses due to the pandemic.

An official of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc, (DCCCII) said infla tion remains a big chal lenge for the said sector

in Davao City.

“Based on my discus sions (business sector), I think inflation is a big concern of the business sector in Davao City be

cause the cost is high, they are forced to raise prices, and when they raise prices, fewer peo ple can afford,” said John Carlo Tria, past presi dent and current vice president for Trade and Commerce for DCCCII, during Wednesdays Habi at Kape media forum.

Tria said it is very important to manage in

flation and its domino effects.

“For example when certain input costs sa restaurant go up, ipasa man na sa consumer, no choice but to raise pric es. Kung mumahal ang imong presyo and your customers cannot afford to buy the same that might mean a lower vol

City gov’t of Davao launches official Pasko Fiesta activities

The Davao City Tour ism Office on Tues day launched on its official Facebook Page the 14 activities for the Pasko Fiesta 2022.

The month-long cele bration is jam-packed with Christmas activities show casing colorful lighting, joyous performances, and

arrays of decorations in dif ferent areas of the city.

The Dan-ag Dabaw and Pag-abli sa Pasko or the Pasko Fiesta Opening and Official Lighting of the Christmas Tree will be conducted on December 1, 6 pm at Rizal Park. On the same day, the Pasko Fiesta 3D Wall Mapping, a

3D Light Show will also be showcased.

For joyous performanc es, Pasko Pahalipay ni Santa will be conducted in Magsaysay Park, People’s Park, Toril Park, Mintal Park, Calinan Park, and Davao City Botanical Park from December 1 until De cember 25. The dates for

each park vary and could be accessed by browsing the schedules posted by City Tourism Operations Office on its official Face book Page.

Panaygon sa Dabaw, the Christmas Carols by Vari ous Choir Groups in Davao will start on December 2

Samal trains 45 lifeguards to boost tourist security

Toboost the capaci ty of local resorts in ensuring the safety of tourists, the Samal Is land Beach Resorts Asso ciation (SIBRA) organized a 10-day training for 45 lifeguards here.

In collaboration with the City Investment and Tourism Office and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the training that started Tuesday at the Ka putian Beach Park seeks to equip participants with skills in water search and rescue as well as life guarding skills.

In an interview, SIBRA president Ruby Uy under scored the role of licensed lifeguards in Samal’s stra tegic tourism direction while ensuring the safety of tourists visiting local sites.

Uy said the island has 138 registered beach re sorts, and each should be manned by certified life guards.

“We require that they should have their own lifeguard. There might be another schedule to make sure they can also send their representative for training,” she said.

Ensign Vasit Venturil lo, IGACOS Coast Guard station commander, said the trainees will endure the two phases of train ing: water search and res cue training (five days) and the lifeguard training (five days).

“This is at par with the international standard considering that there are parameters that we are using especially in the skill set,” Venturillo said.

Venturillo added that the Coast Guard assigned seven trainers and de ployed 21 personnel well as their floating assets throughout the training period.

Capt. Gary Dale Gimo tea, the deputy command er of PCG District South eastern Mindanao, said resorts should be staffed with lifeguards who have skills in water search and rescue 24/7.

“There is a need to man the resort with trained people to eventu ally conduct rescue in any untoward incidents,” he said.

Meanwhile, SIBRA vice presdent Aracelli Ayuste, FSAMAL, P10

Vice President Sara Duterte listens to Bro. Eddie Villanueva, founder and leader of Jesus Is Lord, during the latter’s courtesy visit at the Office of the Vice President on Tuesday. FB page of Inday Sara Duterte

Heightened security continues in city’s border control points

Cenro intensifies solid waste management info campaign

The Davao City Envi ronment and Natu ral Resources Office (Cenro) has intensified information dissemination among stall vendors at the Toril Public Market start ing Monday, November 7 before its personnel will start apprehending erring vendors who fail to segre gate their waste and don’t have Cenro certificates on Thursday, November 10.

Orly Bajo Limpangog of Cenro, during the Go Clean, Go Green sa DCDR program of 87.5 FM Davao City Di saster Radio (DCDR) aired Tuesday, November 8, said about 15 Cenro personnel made rounds of the Toril Public Market building 2 stall vendors and informed them of it last Monday.

“Part sa implementa tion sa solid waste man agement sa Davao gisug dan nato ang information dissemination hangtud sa Wednesday. Sa Thursday, apprehension na ta (It’s part of the solid waste man agement of the Davao City government, we started this yesterday and we will

continue until Wednesday. We will start apprehending on Thursday),” he said.

Limpangog said operat ing without a Cenro certif icate will be fined P5,000 and vendors caught with out properly segregating, labeling, and covering their garbage will also be penal ized P5,000.

He said paying P10,000 for non-compliance with the city ordinance on solid waste management im plementation would be a waste when they could just comply and save their money.

Limpangog said there are over 600 stall vendors at the Toril Public Market, from the fish to meat, fruits, vegetable sections, dry goods, and eatery sections, and they will ensure every body is informed about the strict implementation and the apprehension that will be taking place.

He said the Toril Public Market supervisor com plained about stall owners not heeding their remind ers.

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Task Force Davao continues to tighten security checks in the border con trol points of Davao City, particular ly in the areas where suspected terrorists might enter following the recent bombing of a unit of the Yellow Bus Line in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.

TF Davao Command er Col. Darren Comia said while there is “no direct threat” to Davao City, secu rity forces in the city are on high alert after the explo

sion incident, which killed one person and injured 11.

“Padayon natong gipa hugot ang atong mahigpit na security check sa ating border control points labi

na sa possible areas kung saan possibleng dumaan sa loob ng Davao City yung mga kahinahinalang mga terrorista,” he said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR).

Comia also said that ad ditional security personnel was tasked to board buses for inspection and check them at the checkpoints before entering Davao City.

TF Davao along with the Davao City Police Of fice is also conducting

checkpoint operations with heightened visibility pa trols, motorcycle patrols, and foot patrols, especially in crowded areas of Davao City.

In anticipation of the possible terrorist entry into the city, Comia also in formed Dabawenyos that advance drills will be con ducted to establish safety and security protocols.

Comia said that they are also coordinating with the

FHEIGHTENED, P10

Covid TF sees prime-age individuals killed by Covid-19

Apart from infants and senior citizens, the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force said even prime-age individuals or young adults aged 20 to 29 years old are also dying from Covid-19.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Covid-19 TF, reported that from the period of October 30, 2022 to November 5, 2022,

the city has recorded six deaths composed of senior citizens, 50 to 59 years old, 30 to 39 years old, and 20 to 29 years old.

“Recently, naay mga ka batan-onan at young age na tan-aw nato dapat naa sila sa ilang prime na nakita nga namatay. Again ang 20 to 29 years old ug 30 to 39 years old ginatan-aw nato ni nga naa sa ilahang prime

health kay young adults man ni sila. Supposedly, mas dako ilang surivival rate compared to our se nior citizens but lately naay mga kabatan-onan ang na matay. So, dili pasabot nga batana-on ta ug taas ang immune system kaya ra kaayo ang Covid,” Schlosser said over Davao City Disas ter Radio (DCDR).

Schlosser said two out

of six deaths are unvacci nated and four are vacci nated but none of them got a booster dose.

“Ang booster dose dili lang siya sa Covid 19 vac cines even other vaccine preventable diseases, naga need gyud ta ug booster dose because after three to six months mag wane ang efficacy sa vaccine, dili

Task Force Davao tightens security measures at the border control points of Davao City following the recent bombing of a unit of the Yellow Bus Line in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat. Edge Davao

Gov’t vows to sustain gains in labor market

The National Economic and Develop ment Authority (NEDA) welcomed the improvements in the country’s la bor market, as the unemployment rate set tled at 5 percent in September, the lowest since the onset of the pandemic.

“The recent survey results show the gains of the full reopening of our economy. The govern ment will leverage on this momentum by strength ening policy interven tions and investing in in novation and technology systems geared toward generating higher quali ty employment that pro vides adequate income

for Filipino workers and their families,” Socioeco nomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement Tuesday.

The Philippine Sta tistics Authority (PSA) reported that the unem ployment rate in Septem ber 2022 fell from 5.3 percent in August.

PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa also noted

that the September 2022 unemployment rate is the lowest since the number of jobless Filipinos peak ed at 17.6 percent in April 2020, the height of the pandemic.

Amid the challenges brought by a faster infla tion rate, Balisacan said the government is prior itizing interventions that would ensure food securi ty, as well as targeted sub sidies, such as fuel and crops, “to help protect the purchasing power of Filipinos and reduce the incidence of invisible un deremployment among low-income households.”

The NEDA chief like

wise emphasized the need to continue emer gency employment pro grams and other forms of aid to immediately assist those who were badly af fected by calamities.

“As we are expect ing La Niña and near to above-normal rainfall conditions in the coming months, we need to boost our disaster resilience and climate adaptation measures,” he said.

Balisacan added that the timely passage of the 2023 national budget would allow the admin istration to be on track in implementing its pro

Filipino entrepreneurs inspired to venture into water business

Crystal Clear Inc. exhib ited its brand to in spire people to begin their entrepreneurial jour ney during the recent 2022 Franchise Asia Philippines Expo.

The three-day event allowed Crystal Clear to

encourage and showcase its quality brand to poten tial entrepreneurs through briefings and free con sultations on owning and running a successful water business and current ad vancements in the water industry.

“Water is an essential need, so the potential in the water business is prom ising. In addition to our primary goal of providing clean water to every Filipi no, at Crystal Clear, we also want to foster a new gener ation of entrepreneurs by

utilizing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MS MEs). By assisting individ uals in entering the fran chising industry, we hope to empower Filipinos and contribute to the econo my,” Crystal Clear Inc. Chief

D&L executive eyes 2022 income to exceed record

Food ingredients and plastics manufactur er D&L Industries has registered a 17-per cent year-on-year growth in net income as of end-September 2022 to PHP2.5 billion, making its top executive optimistic of surpassing its pre-pan demic 2018 feat.

In a virtual briefing on Tuesday, D&L Indus tries president and chief executive officer (CEO) Alvin Lao said net income in the first three quarters this year is almost near the PHP2.6 billion net re corded in 2021.

“Fourth quarter looks strong so there’s a chance, at least for us, that we will, for the year, exceed our record, which was in 2018,” he said.

The company record ed PHP3.2 billion net in come in 2018.

Lao traced the “rela tively good” performance in the first nine months this year to continued re opening of the economy.

He said people re main cautious but are now more open to go out despite the threat of so many variants of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Lao said the compa ny’s fourth quarter per formance “can only be good”, noting that it was “quite miserable” same period last year because of the movement restric tions.

For 2023, he said the economy has bright pros pects due in part to the government’s statement that lockdowns will not be imposed on a wide scale.

Lao said that while some people still get in fected by the virus, the impact is not as worri some as before since ma jority of the population has been vaccinated.

He said economic prospects both in the domestic and the glob al economy seem bright,

Porters unload items from container vans at a private container yard in Brgy. Ilang, Davao City on Wednesday. Bulk of packages from abroad are starting to arrive in Davao City in time for the Holiday season. Edge Davao

New tax measures expected to generate P47B annually

TheHouse

PEZA bags P3.88-B investment pledges from Taiwan mission

The Philippine Eco nomic Zone Author ity (PEZA) said it has secured investment pledges from its recent investment mission in Taiwan amounting to USD65 million or around PHP3.88 billion.

In a statement Tues day, PEZA said these in vestment commitments came from seven Taiwan ese firms, including the USD40-million expansion project of YFC-BonEagle International Inc. and the investment plan of Neotek and Accton Tech nology Corp. amounting to USD6 million to USD8 million.

Other investment pledges from Taiwan also include the expansion projects of artificial intel ligence-based solutions and LCD monitors Chi mei, solar energy project of Budget Energy Corp., AcBel Polytech, Inc., and Yeng Hsing Philippine branch.

“We aim to attract more investments in

high-technology indus tries as Taiwan’s econ omy is driven by a com petitive manufacturing sector in the fields of electronics, machinery, petrochemicals, ener gy, and information and communications technol ogy (ICT) products,” PEZA officer-in-charge Tereso Panga said.

Aside from these in vestment pledges, PEZA said there were serious interests from Asia Op tical Co. Inc. to develop a five-hectare agro-in dustrial park with an initial cost of PHP1 bil lion, and personal pro tective equipment maker Medtecs International Corp. Ltd. looking for a 100-hectare land.

Car battery manufac turer Cyberpower, green energy firm Haoyung International, as well as hydroponics companies Huang Lin Machinery Co., Ltd. and Giyu Industrial Co., Ltd., are also looking into investing in the coun

During the plenary session, the chamber ap proved House Bill 4102, which seeks to impose an excise tax of PHP100 per kilo of disposable plas tic bag; House Bill 4122, which seeks to impose a 12-percent value-added

Representatives

tax (VAT) on foreign digital service providers (DSPs); and House Bill 4339 or the proposed Package 4 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program.

House Ways and Means committee chair Joey Sal ceda, principal author and

sponsor of the measures, said the VAT for nonresi dent DSPs is expected to yield some PHP19 billion, the single-use plastic bags tax would yield PHP9.3 billion, and PHP20 billion from Package 4, the bulk of which will come from removing the tax exemp tion in pickup trucks, and increasing the tax rates on foreign currency deposit units to 20 percent.

He noted that this is around 2 percent of the

collection targets of the Bu reau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and 0.2 percent of the country’s gross domes tic product (GDP), adding that Finance Secretary Ben jamin Diokno only needs to look for 0.1 percent of GDP more in tax collection im provement.

He said the medi um-term fiscal framework takes into account 0.3 per cent of GDP in tax collection efficient improvement ev

JFC says to discontinue Dunkin’ biz in Beijing

Jollibee Foods Corp on Wednesday said its sub sidiary will discontinue the Dunkin’ business in Beijing, China due to the termination of the master franchise deal.

Jollibee Worldwide Pte Ltd, Jasmine Asset Hold ings Ltd and Dunkin’ Do nuts Franchising LCC an nounced the termination

of the Master Franchise Agreement for Dunkin’ which covers select terri tories in China. Hong Kong and Macau, JFC told the stock exchange.

The said franchise deal was signed in Jan. 5, 2015. JFC said. Dunkin’ plans to continue expanding its foot print in China through fran chising, the company said.

Operations of Beijing Golden Cup, which oper ates 7 Dunkin in Beijing, have also been terminated, it added.

JFC said it would focus on building its business in China through the expan sion of other brands.

So far it has 418 Yong he King stores, 55 Hong Zhuang Yuan and 13 Tim

Ho Wan stores in China. It also has 21 Jollibee stores in Hong Kong and 3 in Macau.

“It looks forward to building a significant business in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau,” the homegrown restaurant operator said.

JFC has a network of 6,351 stores globally as of Sept. 30, 2022.

of

on Tuesday approved on second read ing three priority tax measures that would generate at least PHP47 billion in new revenues annually.

John Carlo Tria, past president and current vice president for Trade and Commerce of Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) discusses during this week’s Wednesdays media forum at Habi at Kape at Abreeza mall the creative digital industry and opportunities in Davao City and promotes the Innovation Summit 2022 set on November 10 to 11 at Acacia Hotel. Edge Davao

The risk of a similar tragic Itaewon crowd crush happen ing in the Philippines is not farfetched due to the religious mass gatherings like the Black Nazarene and Penafrancia pro cessions.

At least 150 people died of cardiac arrest on October 29, 2022 as Halloween revelers crushed their way into a small alley leading to the main party area in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea.

The tragedy occurred during Seoul’s first Halloween festivi ties in three years.

Some 100,000 people were estimated to have passed through the neighborhood ex cited about partying again after two years of strict Covid restric tions in the country.

It was about 10:20 p.m. (South Korea time) when the situation turned desperate as a number of people in an al ley going to the main street fell over, causing a massive crush. Crowds pressing from both ends of the narrow alley caused more difficulty for people to get out.

Twenty-six foreign nationals are among the dead, from coun tries including China, Japan,

RISKS OF CROWD CRUSH OR STAMPEDE IN PHILIPPINE RELIGIOUS FESTIVITIES

Iran, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uz bekistan, Vietnam, and Norway.

Days before the deadly crowd crush incident, I walked every night around the neigh borhood of Itaewon to explore the so-called party hub of Seoul. I stayed at the G Guest house in Itaewon for almost a week.

The area is studded with vintage shops, restaurants, pubs inspired by Western countries, and nightclubs along its steeply sloping and twisted alleyways on either side of the main road.

It is beyond my imagination that the crowd crush tragedy will occur days after my flight back to the Philippines.

Filipino Catholics are known for having sincere, enormous, and extreme expressions of pi ety considering that the country is the third-largest Catholic pop ulation in the world.

The fervent devotion and faith shown by devotees be came a prime manifestation of the fusion of Catholic and secu lar beliefs and practices of Fili pinos.

Every January 9, the Traslación is a reenactment of the transfer of the Black Naz arene’s replica image from In

tramuros to Quiapo Church in 1787.

Large crowds donned in maroon and yellow shirts wave white towels in the air as they forcefully gathered towards the carriage as it crawled through the generally narrow roads of Quiapo, Manila.

Many devotees join the pro cession as part of their panata (vow) which is usually car ried out as a plea to God or as thanksgiving for healing, bless ing or granting of/granted wish.

They believe that walking barefoot, wiping the image with the towels, holding and pulling the rope of the andas, and even climbing the carriage, will get them closer to achieving their prayers.

Walking barefooted is a symbolic gesture that emulates Christ’s suffering as he was car rying his cross to Golgotha.

Pedestrian devotees use physical force to aggressively touch the image mounted on the carriage.

The 2012 Traslación is cur rently the longest in the image’s recorded history as it ended 22 hours after leaving the Grand stand.

Traslacion is also the term

used the transfer of the Image of “Ina” from the Basilica to Naga Cathedral as part of the festiv ity every September in honor of Our Lady of Penafrancia, pa troness of the Bicol region.

The mass gatherings attract severe health and safety risks due to pedestrian abnormal behavior, such as crowd crush, panic stampedes and turbu lence.

Injuries and even death seem to be common occur rences brought upon by several factors including heat, fatigue, or being trampled upon by the crowd.

A crowd crush, as what hap pened in Itaewon, is created by the press of human bodies on a central point or points. Crowd crush occurs when a group of people is packed so close to gether that no one can move and they keep pushing, causing the crowd to fall in a “domino effect” making it hard to get up.

On the other hand, stam pedes are usually created when a crowd starts fleeing from dan ger or a perceived danger.

The most common injury and death is “compressive asphyxia”, which occurs when people are pushed against one

another so tightly that their air ways become constricted.

Cause of death is generally attributed to suffocation as the lungs do not find enough space to expand, making it difficult to breathe. It takes 30 seconds before one loses consciousness, and about six minutes for one to suffer compressive or restric tive asphyxia.

Experts urge those caught in a crush to stay on their feet, adopting a boxer’s stance to maintain balance and keeping hands up by one’s chest to pro tect breathing space.

One must not resist the force of the crowd, but instead try to move diagonally to the edge of the crowd when there is a lull in movement.

If one falls down, experts ad vise to curl into a ball to try to protect oneself.

Proper risk management planning for these festivities is imperative to minimize the inci dence of injuries and deaths.

(Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bu lilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 09088665786.)

Old timers in Davao City still harbor a fading memory of a couple of places named ‘Clifford.’ Then, there was a movie house along Bonifacio Street, and there was a small plaza with the same name. Among ‘singer citizens’ (slang for seniors who love to croon ‘standard music’ during family get-togethers), only a handful can remember after whom these places were named.

Adding insult to the loss of memory was the move in the City Council way back in the 1960s when historical plac es and streets were retitled after minor figures whose contributions to Davao were as obscure as the significance of their names to our colonial past. Some of them did not even have pretty associations with the cunning colonizers.

Col. Thomas Edgar Clif ford Jr., nicknamed Jock, was

a legend among his peers in football at West Point; he got his nickname from a popular children’s character, ‘Jocko the Monkey.’ Born in Covington, Virginia in 1911, he graduated from The Greenbrier Military School in 1931, and thereafter appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point that year.

After completing mili tary school in 1936, he mar ried his high school darling and had a daughter by her. When the global war erupted following the Pearl Harbor bombing on Dec. 7, 1941, Clif ford joined the 24th Infantry Division and reinforced the defenses on the north coast of Oahu before he was deployed to the South Pacific. His con tingent was later sent to New Guinea in 1944. Installed as commander of the 1st Battal ion, 21st Infantry Regiment,

he earned a Silver Star for the capture of the Japanese air drome at Hollandia.

Col. Clifford’s unit was one of the assault divisions in the Philippine invasion. After a brief vacation with his fami ly, he caught up with his unit by wangling passage on a fast navy transport bound for Leyte, but his ship torpedoed in mid-voyage. Rescued, he was thereafter given the lead ership of a new unit, the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regi ment, in Leyte.

His Leyte campaign was marked with difficulties, es pecially the daily Japanese as saults and the need to engage in hand-to-hand combats. Depleted of food and running low in am-munition, his unit only got the much-needed re supply from airdrops, some of which landed in enemy hands; nevertheless, they persisted.

As fresh troops were sent to man the muddy foxholes, the campaign was put into high gear. Nearly 1,000 Japanese soldiers died in the en-gage ments. For the feat, he was awarded the presidential unit citation.

In the Mindanao campaign, Col. Clifford was assigned as head of the 19th Infantry Regiment, leading the final drive to free the city, negotiating some 192 kilometers before reaching Davao. But he did not live to see the liberation com pleted. On June 24, 1945, a day before Lt. General R. L. Eichel berger, 8th Army commander, declared the end of organized enemy re-sistance on Mindan ao, he was mortally hit by Jap anese mortar fire.

Col. Aubrey S. Neuman, another U.S. infantry officer, wrote an epithet about him: ‘No finer soldier ever wore the

uniform of our army. No brav er commander ever led his unit in battle. He was not only a skillful and gifted soldier, but the kind of military man we would all like to be.’

In recognition of his ef forts to retake Davao from the Japanese juggernaut, the city resi-dents honored him with a park, the ‘Clifford Square,’ a small plaza that is part of Free dom Park. Not too far removed from the park was a movie house that was also named in his memory: Clifford Theatre at Calle Bonifacio.

Save for Bolton Bridge (named after Davao district governor Edward Robert Bolton), Washington Street (in honor of the U.S. Capitol), and MacArthur Highway (af ter Gen. Doug-las MacArthur), nearly all reminders of Ameri can legacy in Davao are either gone or forgot-ten.

LIFESTYLE

GIFT IDEAS FROM KULTURA

Gifting will never go out of style regardless of the occasion and it’s, even more, all the rage now that Christmas is already in the air.

If you are thinking of shopping for gifts for your loved ones this month or for Christmas, there is a repertoire of unique gift items that you can find at Kultura.

Make Christmas Come Early at Home

There is always that excitement that one ex

periences at the idea of Christmas. Level up the Christmas vibes at home by shopping for Christmas decorations that are proud ly made by Filipinos at Kul tura’s Christmas Market. An array of selections rang ing from lanterns and Santa Claus dolls to figurines you can use for a nativity scene display are up for grabs. These items are perfect gifts for moms or dads who

love to make a Christmas village montage at home.

Wristwatch for the Time Conscious

There is always that one friend who is a big fan of watches. Make the gift unique yet unpredictable by buying them a wrist watch made of bamboo. For certain, this will be a breath of fresh air from the

usual commercial watches.

Tumblers and Mugs for Go-Getters

Make sure your loved ones are hydrated or en ergized at work by gifting them with Bamboo tum blers or mugs from Kultura. Nothing will beat the bam boo aesthetics

Fedora Hats for the Fashionista

Unleash the Fashionista in you by gifting friends or loved ones with fedora hats that they can use for their vacation OOTDs.

Lamps to Lighten Up the Mood

Make homebodies feel more at home by gifting them these cute lamps

from Kultura to lighten up the mood.

For more gift ideas, vis it Kultura stores in Davao City located at the Upper Ground Level of SM Lanang Premier and inside The SM Store, first floor, near the Payment Center at SM City Davao.

LANDBANK AgriSenso underscores gov’t support for ARBs, ARBOs

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) gathered small farmers and fishers, agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), and their organizations to dis cuss the National Govern ment’s development plan towards building sustain able and resilient agrarian reform communities.

Department of Agrar ian Reform (DAR) Bureau of Agrarian Reform Ben eficiaries Development (BARBD) Director Dr. Ron ald M. Gareza, CESO IV and LANDBANK Program Management Department I Head, Assistant Vice Presi

dent Edgardo S. Luzano led the discussions during the fourth run of the LAND BANK AgriSenso Virtual Forum on 24 October 2022.

They were joined by ag riculture partners and loan availers, namely Mauanan Baluncanag Gaddangao Farmers Irrigators Cred it Cooperative Treasurer Sharon B. Eugenio, South ern Isabela ARB Charibel Francesca, and Batangas Egg Producers Multi-Pur pose Cooperative Director Cecille A. Virtucio, who shared how LANDBANK and DAR have assisted to enhance their productivity

and income.

Director Gareza dis cussed the various inter ventions that DAR has been carrying out to help ad dress the challenges facing ARBs in land tenure and disputes. He also under scored the importance of support services, including capacity development and credit and marketing assis tance, to support and ease the burden of ARBs.

Meanwhile, AVP Luzano, together with Program Offi cers Glecy Angeles and Cris so Pernito, presented the features of the various credit programs being offered by

LANDBANK for ARBs and their organizations.

Accessible financing for ARBs, ARBOs LANDBANK and DAR have been working closely to extend affordable financ ing and support services for ARBs and their organi zations.

Under the Accessi ble Funds for Delivery to Agrarian Reform Beneficia ries (AFFORD-ARBs) Pro gram, LANDBANK provides direct credit assistance to individual ARBs who are not yet members of Agrar ian Reform Beneficiary Or ganizations (ARBOs). The

loans can be used for the production of rice, corn and high-value crops, and acquisition of small farm implements, such as hand tractors and power tillers.

The Bank has released a total of P506.1 million to 2,200 borrowers under the AFFORD-ARBs Program as of 30 September 2022.

LANDBANK, in part nership with DAR, also im plements the Credit Assis tance Program for Program Beneficiaries Development (CAP-PBD), designed for ARBOs that are not yet qualified to borrow under the regular lending win

dow of the Bank.

The Program provides credit assistance and sup port services to ARBs through their respective organizations for crop pro duction, agri-enterprise or livelihood and other agri-related projects.

LANDBANK and DAR also offer the Expanded Assistance to Restore and Install Sustainable Enter prises for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and Small Farm Holders (E-ARISEARBs), designed to assist ARBOs which and whose members were adversely affected by natural calami ties or disasters, pests and diseases, and other viral in fections or outbreaks.

As of September 2022, LANDBANK’s combined releases under CAP-PBD and E-ARISE-ARBs have reached P736.4 million, benefitting 219 ARBOs with more than 11,000 ARBs and small farm hold er-members nationwide.

Qualified ARBOs can also avail of credit assis tance under the Enhanced Partnership Against Hun ger and Poverty (EPAHP) Lending Program of LAND BANK, which can be used to purchase orders or con tract receivables from gov ernment agencies for the provision of needed food items.

The Program supports the government’s efforts to address hunger, poverty, food security and nutrition, through community par ticipation in government contracts.

LANDBANK’s total loan releases under the EPAHP Lending Program have reached P9.6 million to sev en agri suppliers as of Sep tember 2022.

GSIS invests in ACEN’s Energy Transition Mechanism

State pension fund Government Service In surance System (GSIS) has invested in ACEN’s Energy Transition Mech anism (ETM) initiative for the South Luzon Ther mal Energy Corporation (SLTEC) amounting to Php2.2 billion. This is in line with the call of the government to support infrastructure programs and initiatives to pro mote clean energy.

This partnership was sealed after GSIS and Ayala-led ACEN signed a memorandum of agree ment today, 7 November, at the ACEN headquar ters in Makati City.

The GSIS subscribed to the ACEN backed 8.98% redeemable pre ferred shares of SLTEC. The proceeds will allow ACEN to transition the current state of SLTEC to a fully renewable energy

supplier.

“We will fully sup port investments that prioritize optimal envi ronmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors or outcomes consistent with our corporate social responsibility,” GSIS Pres ident and General Man ager Wick Veloso said.

GSIS’s investment will, in effect, provide bridge financing to sup port ACEN’s transition

to reach Net Zero green house gas emissions by 2050, transition its generation portfolio to 100% renewable energy by 2025, and divest away from coal plants by 2040.

“As the listed ener gy platform of the Ayala Group, we aspire to be the largest listed plat form in Southeast Asia, with a goal reaching 20GW of renewables ca pacity by 2030. We thank

GSIS for providing us the funding that would help us achieve our commit ment to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emis sions by 2050,” ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia, for his part said.

“Our priority is to find ways to grow and sus tain our funds to ensure that we are able to pro vide our over 2.5 million members and pensioners their benefits when they

fall due. In particular, this investment will yield high dividends that will help us further strength en our actuarial life, and provide opportunities to further diversify our funds. Furthermore, the partnership with ACEN will help improve our programs and services that will ultimately re dound to greater mem bers’ experience,” Veloso said

(clockwise from upper left) Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development (BARBD) Director Dr. Ronald M. Gareza, CESO IV and LANDBANK Program Management Department I Head, Assistant Vice President Edgardo S. Luzano lead the fourth run of the LAND BANK AgriSenso Virtual Forum on 24 October 2022. Joining them are Mauanan Baluncanag Gaddangao Farmers Irrigators Credit Cooperative Treasurer

Sharon B. Eugenio, Southern Isabela ARB Charibel Francesca, and Batangas Egg Producers Multi-Purpose Cooperative Director Cecille A. Virtucio.

WORRIED... FROM 2 SAMAL... FROM 2 GO... FROM 11

ume now of sales,” he said.

Tria said lowering in flation is going to be the biggest challenge because when prices go up the challenge is how to keep the customers buying at the same volume.

“Early in 2022, a lot of the economists said tran sitional lang yan after a few months kay nag- re venge spending ang mga tao nisaka ang demand,

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at the City Hall. Koro sa Pasko, a Choral Singing Competition is set on De cember 7.

The Pasko sa mga Lumad ug Badjao—funfilled days for the indige nous peoples of Paquibato, Marilog, and Baguio Dis trict will be on December 12 to December 17.

The Pasko Kumbira sa City Hall, a Christmas Fun for City Hall employees, will be conducted on De cember 16. On the same day, the Pasko Song Writing Contest will be conduct ed at the Amphitheater of Magsaysay Park. Siyam ka Kaadlawon or the ear ly morning mass will also start on the 16th.

The elimination round for the Sayaw Pasko Fies

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mawala but mag- wane. Ni kunhod ang epekto sa ba kuna mao na kinahanglan ta ug booster doses aron magpabilin nga strong ang efficacy sa usa ka bakuna sa atong kalawasan,” she added.

Schlosser said from Jan uary 1, 2022 to November 5, 2022 there were already 380 deaths recorded in Davao City and the major ity of those who died were 60 to 69 years old, 70 to 79 years old and some were

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thus his optimism for the continued positive out look for the company.

For the third quarter alone, D&L registered PHP910 million net in come, its highest quarter ly income to date, and up 18 percent compared to the same period last year.

Lao attributed this to the continued reopening of the economy and the expansion of exports.

“The robust earnings also demonstrate D&L’s ability to weather various macroeconomic condi tions given its diversified businesses, the essential nature of the products it manufactures, and its ability to adjust its selling prices regularly,” he said.

Lao said operations of their Batangas plant starting next year is ex pected to further boost their capacity and their net income.

“This will be instru mental in enabling our next leg of growth by helping to expand our global footprint and fur ther advance our R and D (research and develop

when the demand goes up, the price goes up and ang supply is the same plus you have a high price of logistics. You also have issues like climate-relat ed challenges that lower harvest, so the volume of harvest is lower. So, that also caused the rise in food prices. As I said earlier major expense of the Filipino family is food related,” he added.

agreed, saying lifeguards must be employed even if there were no previous cases of drowning.

“We will not wait to conduct the training after an incident happened. We need to have this training right now for life-saving purposes, and we are ready to respond to any eventualities,” she said.

One of the trainees, 35-year-old Jemarlyn

HEIGHTENED...

ta, a Pasko Fiesta Dance Competition, will also be held on December 17. Ban da Dasig, a marching band competition will be con ducted at San Pedro Square on December 18.

The Pasko at Musika ng University of the Philip pines Symphony Orchestra will be witnessed at the USEP Sports and Cultural Center and will be held on December 20.

The Sayaw sa Pasko Fiesta Final round will be showcased at Rizal Park on December 23, and the Misa Dabawenyo will be held on December 25 at the San Pe dro Cathedral.

Dabawenyos are highly encouraged to participate in the Pasko Fiesta activi ties. CIO

intelligence community outside Davao City. He also asked the Dabawen yos to be vigilant and cooperate to ensure the city’s safety.

“Rest assured that your joint security forces will en sure the safety and security ng Davao City. Ang suporta po ng buong Dabawenyos ay malaking tulong para ma maintain ang peace, se curity and order natatama sa natin. Patuloy po naming gagawin ang mandato and ang tulong po ninyo once again ay napaka impor tante,” he said.

Meanwhile, Comia also reported that bus compa nies are already warned to pick up passengers only in designated areas.

“Hinihiling namin, ine-encourage po naming na huwag na po kayong

Oyong, said the training was very important to her since she operates a re sort in Barangay Balet in Babak District.

“Not only it is required, I also would want to help save lives,” she said.

Oyong, one of the two women in the training, said she wanted to prove to everyone that she can be a certified lifeguard. (PNA)

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magpick-up along the way, katunayan nito base sa pag-iimbestiga ng 6th in fantry division, yung may mga nagpick up along the way sa Tacurong at biglang bumaba daling-dali doon sa area before ng pagsab og tiningnan na anggulo na sila ang nagpasabog nito,” he said.

He said TF Davao is closely coordinating with the YBL to immediately re port to them threats from terrorists.

On November 6, 2022, an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in side the said bus killing a passenger identified as Gilbert Garbosa resident of Carmen Cotabato. Elev en were also injured due to the explosion, of which eight were residents of the Province of Cotabato.

ketball, sepak takraw, and volleyball courts; indoor tennis and badminton court; and an administrative build ing.

“Matagal nang kailan gan ng ating mga atleta ang suporta. Kaya naman ip agpatuloy lang sana natin ang mga ganitong inisyati bo dahil napakarami talaga sa ating mga kabataan ang magaling sa larangan ng palakasan. Ngunit iilan lang ang nagiging professional athletes dahil hindi po natu tustusan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan, kulang ang training at walang ac cess sa maayos na facilities,” he cited.

“Karamihan sa kanila, naipapatuloy lang ang kanil ang pangarap kapag nabibi gyan ng pagkakataon sa tulong ng pribadong sektor. Kaya tama lang na maglaan ang gobyerno ng resources para dito upang mabigyan ng pantay na oportunidad ang mga atleta kahit saan man silang sulok ng bansa,” he added.

In line with his priori ty to support the country’s sports sector, Go under scored the importance of in vesting in grassroots sports development. He then noted that giving equal access and opportunities to aspiring athletes will not only hone their skills and talents, but will also significantly instill discipline and help them avoid illegal drugs and other

vices. The lawmaker filed Sen ate Bill No. 423, otherwise known as the Philippine Na tional Games (PNG) Act of 2022, which seeks to ensure a more inclusive system of honing promising and po tential Filipino athletes in various fields of sport, giving them an equal opportunity of becoming future contend ers in international sporting competitions.

Not to be confused with Palarong Pambansa, the PNG is a national multisport tournament that aims to widen the base talent identification and efficiently constitute the national pool to be trained for internation al sports competition.

“This will not only help the country become one of the sports powerhouses in Asia but also encourage our young people to stay away from illegal drugs and crimi nality by getting into sports,” he reiterated.

Furthermore, Go also successfully authored and co-sponsored Republic Act No. 11470, establishing the National Academy of Sports at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac.

The NAS offers a second ary education program with an integrated special curric ulum on sports which was developed in close coordi nation with the Department of Education and Philippine Sports Commission.

80 to 89 years old.

She added that they also saw a significant num ber of zero to 9 years old, 10 to 19 years old, and 20 to 29 years old who died due to Covid-19.

Schlosser is calling all parents and guardians to let their children be vac cinated for an added lay er of protection against Covid-19 specially since in-person classes have now returned to 100 percent.

By Maya M. Padillo

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ment) and manufacturing capabilities,” he said.

The company has spent around PHP8.3 bil lion for the Batangas plant as of end-September this year while estimated cap ital expenditure for this is around PHP10.2 billion.

The company’s ex ports revenues, which ac counted for 33 percent of the total in the first nine months this year, rose by 60 percent year-on-year.

Among the products, it exports are coconut and palm oils. (PNA)

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ery year.

“Ingon sa market super visor, gahi og ulo ang ubang mga vendors. Ginabadlong na, gi-orient na, wala’y compliance. Ato na gyud tinud-on ni, ang mag-vio late kay dako ang penalty, maski pa duna’y naglabay lang basura ug diha sa il ang premises (The mar ket supervisor said some vendors were headstrong. Their attention has been called, they were oriented, and still, there’s no compli ance. We will enforce it, vi olators will pay huge fines, even if somebody just irre sponsibly throws garbage within their premises),” Limpangog added.

Each stall owner, ac cording to him, must pre pare three garbage contain ers with covers and labels. A Cenro certificate will also have to be presented upon inspection.

From Toril, Cenro will also conduct a solid waste management information drive and implementation in other public markets in the city.

He lauded the solid waste management efforts of Barangay Lizada in Toril.

Barangay Lizada chair person Remegio Licera said they have been enforcing the ordinance regulating the sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastics in Davao City (City Ordinance No. 0500-21) and held ori entation to deputized ba rangay enforcers.

In their barangay, the collection of plastic bot tles by purok is held every Tuesday and Thursday while they collect plastic bottles from establish ments every Friday. Gar bage collection is set on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Licera said they have oriented their residents to bring their garbage to pick-up points of Cenro but they also use their mini dump truck to collect gar bage from the interior of their barangay that can’t be reached by Cenro dump trucks.

Barangay Lizada’s col lected plastic bottles are being bought by a private company and the income from the sale is used to fund their information campaign paraphernalia.

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“With this, the House wraps up with all the pri ority tax measures of the Duterte-era Comprehen sive Tax Reform Program, and is ready to move on to tax collection reforms, as prioritized by the Marcos administration,” Salceda said.

He clarified that the VAT on digital services in the country will not be

imposed on Filipino busi nesses.

“The emphasis is on for eign or nonresident digital service providers. All major Asean economies impose VAT on these entities. Tayo na lang ang hindi (We’re the only ones who haven’t done it),” Salceda said.

Meanwhile, he said the plastic bags tax is in line with the country’s efforts to fight ocean pollution, espe

cially “as we are now recog nized ignominiously as the world’s biggest ocean plas tic polluter.”

For Package 4, he said the lifting of the exemption on pickup trucks merely corrects an “unfair priv ilege” on a vehicle that is mostly for the rich, occu pies very large space on the road, and is “by all accounts less fuel-efficient” than most other vehicles.

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grams next year, espe cially the job-generating infrastructure projects.

He added that the new economic blueprint would help the country create high-quality jobs for Filipinos in the near and medium term.

“With the Philippine Development Plan 20232028 nearing its comple tion, we aim to strategize

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Operating Officer Rose Estampador said in a news release on Tuesday.

Currently, Crystal Clear has 72 local fran chisees across the coun try, established through a support system that consists of training, tech nical and maintenance programs, store marketing campaigns, manuals and hands-on consultants.

Along with winning the Best Booth award at the biggest franchise exhibi tion in Asia, Crystal Clear also achieved its primary goal of enticing more indi viduals to enter the water industry and join its cam paign to become the lead

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try. “PEZA shall attract and target strategic and high-tech industries from Taiwan that will provide for ecozone product so phistication, export di versification, labor-in tensive and high-skilled jobs, knowledge transfer, enhanced local supply

for a more efficient labor market by improving the quality of education, pro viding opportunities for life-long learning, skills development, and options to obtain micro-creden tials, enhancing job fa cilitation programs, and strengthening linkages among industry, business, and training institutions,” Balisacan said. (PNA)

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ing brand in the water re filling store sector.

“I did much research and asked some business veterans until I concluded to enter the water indus try. I chose Crystal Clear because I have heard ex cellent things about the company—its well-known brand, supportive and hands-on team, and high market potential,” franchi see Hazel Rebates said.

Organized by the Phil ippine Franchise Associa tion (PFA), the event was participated by over 500 local and foreign franchis ers at the SMX Convention Center from Oct. 14 to 16. (PR)

chain, and creation of in dustry clusters,” Panga added.

The investment mis sion in Taiwan was held last week of October.

As of July 2022, PEZA registered a total of 108 Taiwanese firms with in vestments amounting to PHP32.87 billion. (PNA)

Go inspects sports complex construction in Maguindanao

After personally providing assistance to a thousand of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng victims in Datu Abdul lah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Robinhood Pa dilla personally inspected the ongoing con struction of the town’s sports complex on Saturday, November 5.

Go lauded the local gov ernment of Datu Abdullah Sangki for the initiative to support athletes in their lo cality and further expressed his confidence that the es tablishment of the sports fa cilities will bring grassroots sports development closer to promising athletes in the countryside.

“Bilang inyong Chair ng Senate Committee on Sports, nakakatuwa talag ang makitang malapit na matapos ang sports com plex dito sa bayan ng Datu Abdullah Sangki. Tiwala ako na napakarami sa ating mga kapatid na Pilipino ang makikinabang sa proyek tong ito,” said Go.

FRED C. LUMBA SPORTS KEN

In spite of the unsavory and unfavorable developments af fecting the nation - natural ca lamities, political intrigues and corruption, fears of the pan demic, killings and murder, etc.Pinoys have a legitimate reason to celebrate and enjoy contem porary times.

Even for just a fleeting mo ment, Fil-Am super GM Wesley So warmed our hearts with his triumph in the inaugural 2022 Chess.com Global Championship in Toronto, Canada, an on-line world-wide competition that included the world’s best pawn pushers - former world champi ons et al.

Without losing a game in the 8-game final match up, with his solid positional play and excel

lent understanding of elite chess strategies, the Bacoor, Cavite born So soundly thrashed 18-year old Indian GM Nihal Sarin, 4.5pts to 1.5 pts., with two rounds to spare.

In the semifinals, So convinc ingly walloped Nakamura the newly-minted Fischer Random World king, 5-3.

Although the one-on-one duel finished early dawn (Manila time), monitoring and watching our countryman Wesley con quering his Indian opponent was enough compensation for staying that late.

Not only was Wesley’s victory huge in terms of prize money (he received $200,000 and a hand some trophy) and prestige. Sarin took home $100,000.

It was huge because organiz

The senators were joined by Maguindanao del Sur Governor Bai Mariam Sangki Mangudadatu, Sultan Kudarat Governor Datu Pax Ali Sangki Mangudadatu, and Datu Abdullah Sangki Mayor Datu Suharto Al wali Sangki Mangudadatu.

As Vice Chair of the Sen ate Committee on Finance,

Go pushed for the funding of the said facility in the 2021 General Appropriations Act. The sports and recreation al complex is expected to be the biggest one in South Central Mindanao.

The sports complex will include a grand stadium; track and field; covered bas

WESLEY SO MAKES PINOYS PROUD

ers of the tournament creatively made sure the cream of the crop - the best of the best - were all in vited to take part in a qualifying knockout step ladder procedure.

From a round of 62, it was whittled down to 32, 16, 8, 4 and then the finals.

Save for Norway’s (resigned world titleholder) Magnus Carlsen, ex world titlists Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Ves selin Topalov, and title contend ers Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniath tchi, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Maxime Vachier La Grave, etc. were among the par ticipants.

Again, Wesley’s conquest came after his so-so performanc es in the 2022 US championship in St. Louis, Missouri and the

much recent Fischer Random World Chess tilt in Reykjavik, Ice land where he was respectively the defending champion.

The question may now be asked: Is Wesley So now capable and ready to make it to the World Championship?

If you nudge me, I’d say “Yes.”

For the record, Wesley has defeated and inflicted a loss on everyone in the horizon.

Name them: Carlsen, Anand, Kasparov, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Caruana, Nakamura, Liren, Nepo, MVL, etc., etc.

Who has the three-time US champ not beaten yet?

While others bring along a second GM to help them analyze games, study opponent’s open ings and formulate specific strat

egies versus specific foes, Wesley goes to highly competitive tour naments alone - with only adop tive mother and guardian Lotis Key in tow.

He has won almost every prestigious tournament there is.

Among them, Tata Steel, Wijk Ann Zee, Grand Chess Tour.

Just the Candidates stand on the way.

Amazing how Wesley has de veloped an exceptional spartan attitude in this mind game where geniuses like Capablanca, Mor phy, Bobby Fischer, Kasparov and their ilk thrive and succeed.

CONGRATS WES! YOU MAKE EVERY PINOY PROUD! (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo. com,) GOD BLESS THE PHILIP PINES!

Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Robinhood Padilla personally inspected the ongoing construction of the town’s sports complex on Saturday, November 5.

BONI GOLF

Huge field seen in Bonifacio Golf tournament A

BY CHITO MALABANAN

With the event falling on a hol iday and before the busy month of the holidays season, the slots are expected to be coveted.

Here’s what your need to know.

“It will be an Individual Stroke play format with the latest WHS Handicap ( November 16,2022 ) as reference “ says tournament director Randy Arevalo with a Double Barrel start on Hole No 1 and Hole No.10 from 5:30 am and the last flight at 12:30pm.

Golfers are classified into six groups — Class A,B,C,D, Ladies and Seniors ( 58 and above ) to accomodatemaximum number of golf participants.

“The golfers will need to con quer the long and narrow fair ways of Apo and its trade mark fast greens that will surely test their skills to the limit.” he added.

There will be four winners in each class, Gross Champion & Runner Up, Net Champion and

Runner Up aside from the Over all Gross Champion and Overall Net Champion.

Registration fee is pegged at 3,000 which includes the Green Fee, a Drif fit Tshirt give away, dinner buffet and a raffle ticket .An additional 500 pesos will be collected for the mulligan, one each for (front and back) . The proceeds of this worthy cause will be used for the scholarship program of the Apo Learning Village and the establishment of a Day Care Center in Datu Salumay.

Trumph Motorbike and TO TAL are the major sponsors for the Hole in One prizes.

Dinner and raffle of prizes will follow at the Apo Golf Club house after the tournament.

For any inquiries and possi ble sponsorship you may contact Teacher Dodie thru 0922 875 2569 or thru his email apolearn ingvillage@gmail.com.

Apo Golf ad Country Club course is pretty but tricky.