Davao City First District Representa tive Paolo “Pulong” Duterte wants parents with recurrent offenses of failing to give financial support to their child or children be punished with impris onment of two to four years, depending on the discretion of the courts.
In a statement, Duter te proposed that parents should also be made to pay a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000 for deliberately and repeatedly neglecting their obligation of providing child support.
Duterte filed House Bill (HB) No. 4807 together with three other lawmak ers, Benguet Representa tive Eric Yap and ACT-CIS Partylist Representatives Edvic Yap and Jeffrey So riano. He also proposed first-time offenders may be granted probation under the measure.
Based on HB 4807 the amount of child support shall not be lower than P6,000 a month or equiva lent to P200 a day.
“The combined month ly net incomes of both parents shall be used in determining the amount of child support, which shall be divided proportionately between the two based on their respective net reve nues,” it said.
Duterte also noted that
most negligent parents withholding child support are men.
“These “deadbeat” fa thers should be made to own up to their responsi bilities by imposing strin gent penalties on them,” he said.
He also pointed out that withholding child support is classified as “economic abuse” and considered a crime under Republic Act (RA) 9262 or the “Anti-Vi olence Against Women and Children Act.
On top of penalties, Duterte said the bill states that irresponsible parents who fail to pay child sup port will be compelled to do so by, among others, imposing liens on their real and personal proper ty for amounts equivalent to overdue child support claims, withholding their tax refunds, reporting their negligence to consumer credit bureaus, and seizing or attaching their compen sation, settlements and
Vice President and Education Secretary
Sara Duterte wants a “National Culture of Peace” in the curriculum of the De partment of Education by 2024 or 2025 for learners from Kinder to Grade 12.
Duterte announced this Friday at the Kusog Mindanaw conference at the Waterfront Insular Hotel.
“I just wanted to share with you that we are cur rently talking about a Na tional Peace Culture, Na
tional Culture of Peace in the curriculum of the De partment of Education,” Duterte said, adding they are “currently developing that and of course we wel come your input when we are ready to present it to our stakeholders, to our partners, to everyone.”
She said they are not yet ready to present it be cause they are “still inter nally discussing everything but sinabi ko sa kanila doon sa mga kasamahan ko, my colleagues in the Depart
ment of Education, ‘you know what, I am the expert here in talking about peace because I am not peace ful but Paquibato is now peaceful.’”
She envisions the “Na tional Peace Culture” to be a “program about peace that is embedded in the curriculum from Kinder garten to Grade 12.”
The Education Sec retary said she has been telling Congress to allow them first to formulate the program “so that hindi
masira yung vision, yung gusto natin mangyari sa basic education learners” (so our vision for basic ed ucation learners will not be destroyed).
“Before you teach about being a reserved officer, you teach them first about peace and that ,,, .trabaho yan ng basic education to make them peacebuilders first before you put them in military training to serve the country,” she said. (Car olyn O. Arguillas / MindaN ews)
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro hailed the East ern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) for its vic tories against commu nist groups during his visit to its headquarters here on Saturday.
Bacarro said East mincom is a major con tributor in the mission to attain peace and or der.
One of the greatest achievements of East
mincom is the declara tion of the Davao Region as insurgency-free on October 12.
“One thing is defi nite: that the Eastern Mindanao Command has contributed a lot in the attainment of the mis sion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Hindi natin matatanggi ‘yan (We cannot deny that). This is manifested by the reduction of different power factors of the ene my,” Bacarro said during
The traditional Noche Buena feast could fetch higher than it used to.
Prices of noche bue na goods are expected to increase by 10 percent, according to an official of the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI 11).
Jennifer Glimada, Trade and Industry Development specialist of DTI-Davao, said an increase is expect ed, however, DTI is work ing out that the increase should be only up to 10 percent from the previous price guide on noche buena products.
“Mao na ang ginapa ningkamutan ni DTI,” she said over Davao City Disas ter Radio (DCDR) on Mon day.
Glimada said based on their monitoring, there are noche buena products that increased in price but only at 5 percent to 6.5 percent from their previous price guide that include fruit cocktails, cheese, sandwich spread, queso de bola, pas
ta, macaroni, and tomato sauce.
She said no movement of prices yet for the ham.
“Base sa among mon itoring naa nata’y mga noche buena products nga nag- increase but only at 5 percent to 6.5 percent gikan sa iyahang previ ous price guide. Pero ang atoang ham wala nag in crease ug na-maintain gi hapon. Naa’y mga brands na mao lang gihapon sa last year na presyo ang ilahang baligya karon,” she said.
Glimada explained that the manufacturers set the price adjustment and given to the distrib utors. She said the task of the DTI is to monitor that the suggested retail price (SRP) would not exceed 10 percent.
“Sa atoang pag monitor karon so far reasonable pa gamay kay naa pa sa 5 per cent to 6.5 percent. Contin ues lang pud ang amoang monitoring nga dili pud magsobra sobra nga more than 10 percent,” she said.
By Maya M. PadilloThe courtesy visits extended by the foreign officials to Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte are expected to trans late to business investments in Davao City.
Last week, foreign am bassadors paid a visit to the mayor in time for the holding of the Innovation Summit 2022 at the Acacia Hotel Davao.
Among the ambassa dors who paid courtesy visits to Mayor Baste last week include Argentinian Ambassador to the Phil ippines Ricardo Luis Bo
calandro, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Philippines Gerard Ho Wei Hong, and Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Davao City Achmad Djatmiko.
Harvey Lanticse, head of the City Information Of fice (CIO), said there were initial discussions about how the city government
of Davao can improve in ternational relations with these countries to further the development of Davao City.
“Sa karon more on initial talks pa ni but we are hoping na kaning mga courtesy visits forward magbunga gyud ug mga investments, areas of part nership makatabang dili lang sa Davao City apan para pud sa tibuok MInd anao. Daghan kaayo ta ug bisita ug mapasalamaton ta sa atong mga sister cit
ies ug foregin countries na gapadayon sa pagtan-aw sa Davao City isip poten tial partner nila dinhi sa nasud,” Lanticse said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday.
It can be recalled that last month, various foreign officials also paid courte sy visits to Mayor Baste including Chinese Consul General Li Lin, who dis cussed with him prospects in investment and cooper ation; Australian Embassy
FINVESTMENTS, P10
The mayor in Cotaba to City condemned the series of shoot ings in the city, the latest of which was the ambush of an Army colonel’s vehicle on Sinsuat Avenue on Sat urday night that left one soldier dead.
“We strongly condemn the most recent shooting incident and all the other shooting incidents that
have transpired in this city,” Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao said in a statement Sunday.
Lt. Col. Manago Ma calintangui,49; and his driver, Cpl. Ramil Lagu ioman were on board a Mitsubishi Montero (ZAA 8652) vehicle when they were attacked at about 7:20 p.m. by two gunmen riding tandem on a motor
bike.
Laguioman, 34, died instantly from gunshot wounds while the Army official was unhurt in the ambush.
Police found eight empty shells from a .45-caliber pistol at the crime scene.
Brig. Gen. John Guy guyon, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Au
tonomous Region head, said investigators are now trying to identify the sus pects and the motive of the attack.
The Army official is assigned at the extension office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Recon ciliation, and Unity.
He is involved in the government peace pro
Regular government employees—esti mated to number over 1.7 million— are set to receive their year-end bo nus starting this week, according to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
CSC Commissioner Ai leen Lizada said the guid ance provides that regu
lar or plantilla position workers are entitled to a months’ worth of salary,
along with a possible cash gift should it be decided upon.
“Depende na rin ‘yan sa executive kung meron pa silang gustong ibigay, but this is really their prerogative in consulta tion with the DBM [De partment of Budget and
Management],” she said in Dano Tingcungco’s report on GMA’s “24 Oras Week end” on Sunday.
(It would depend on the executive if they would want to give an ad ditional, but this is really their prerogative in con sultation with the DBM.)
Canadian Prime Min ister Justin Trudeau vowed to assist Fil ipino micro, small and medium enterprises (MS MEs) in improving their businesses, Malacañang said on Monday.
In his bilateral talk with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Sunday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Trudeau said he wants strong partnership with the Philippines to make it easier for Canadian infrastructure builders
to secure projects in the country.
“There’s a number of things that we can do to make it easier for Canadi an investors to be build ing in the Philippines. We should make sure we’re accelerating our work so that we can be much more active partners on that,” Trudeau was quot ed as saying in a state ment issued by the Office of the Press Secretary on Monday.
“And there’s also a lot that we can do on small
and medium size busi nesses, particularly wom en-owned and run, which is an area of tremendous growth and strength in the Philippine economy to see women succeed,” Trudeau added.
Trudeau said Canada has a number of programs and that its government would be happy to work with the Philippines for the benefit of the econo my.
For his part, Marcos welcomed Trudeau’s of fer, stressing one of the
thrusts of his administra tion is to assist the MS MEs in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They are 99.8 percent of our businesses, our MS MEs. They are 62, 63 per cent of our employment. [They] are employed in MSMEs. And it took a big hit in the pandemic,” Mar cos said.
“And so that’s what we’ve been trying to do -is to try to support them, and it has a very large multiplier effect,” he add ed.
Globe Telecom said on Monday its net income reached P26.5 billion, higher by 48 percent compared to P18 billion in the same period in 2021, driven largely by corporate data and mobile services.
Core net income is at P16 billion, Globe told the stock exchange.
Revenues for the first 9 months of the year reached a record P118 billion, high er by 3 percent year-onyear driven with non-telco services supplementing corporate data and mobile services, the Ayala-led telco said.
Mobile business posted strong revenue growth at P80.6 billion for the period from P78.4 billion com pared to the first 9 months of 2021, it said.
Globe said the revenue rise was driven by prepaid and digital adoption. To tal mobile customer base
expanded by 5 percent to 87.9 million, it added.
Meanwhile, mobile data revenue grew 8 per cent to P62.5 billion in the January to September peri od from P57.9 billion in the same comparable period.
Postpaid fiber subscrib ers rose 64 percent while revenues rose 108 percent. However, home broadband business slid in Q3 which brought its first 9 months’ revenues to P20.5 billion from P22.4 billion the pre vious year, Globe said.
Corporate data posted a record P12.5 billion, up by 21 percent, the telco said. Meanwhile, non-telco revenues hit P2.8 billion with contributions from ECPay, Yondu, and Asticom, it added.
“We are pleased with the Globe Group’s perfor mance amidst the challeng ing economic climate and rapid changes in our indus
Maya Bank on Mon day said users can now send and re ceive money with just their username for safer online transactions.
In a statement, Maya said this makes online money transfers person alized, convenient and as easy as tagging family and friends on social media since there’s no need to input 11-digit mobile num bers.
Usernames also help subscribers keep their per sonal data private includ ing account name and mo bile number.
Maya said the feature is now available for upgraded Maya app users.
“We’re excited to be the country’s first dig ital bank to launch this feature as we continue to help Filipinos master their money and enable meaningful personaliza tion,” said Pepe Torres, Chief Marketing Officer for Maya Philippines.
“It’s a game-changer for safety and making our experience with sending money more fun – especial
ly when you attach a GIF to it!,” Torres said.
With its partnership with Giphy, Maya users can also attach GIFs to their transactions, the digital bank said.
To set up the Maya user name, just tap the “Profile” icon, click “Get Started” on the Create a @username tab, key in the preferred us ername and hit create. An OTP will be sent to confirm the changes.
To send money, just key in the recipient’s us ername, input the amount and tap “continue.”
Maya said a username is unique to each Maya ac count holder. Registration of username is on a firstcome, first-served basis, it said.
With this feature, ac count holders now have a choice to send either their personal username or mo bile number when request ing for payments.
E-wallet GCash earlier unveiled a username ano nymity feature, where sev eral letters of an account holder’s name are hidden to boost security.
He made this remark during his meeting with the Filipino community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia af ter his participation in the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and Re lated Summits.
In his speech, he de scribed the meeting with
overseas Filipino workers as a “breath of fresh air” after the four-day biannual meetings.
He praised them for their dedication and hard work, citing their signifi cant contribution towards the growth of the Philippine economy.
“OFW ngayon ang bu
mubuhay pa sa ekonomiya. Napakahalaga ng inyong ginagawa, napakahalaga ng inyong ginagawang trabaho (Overseas Filipino workers are keeping the economy afloat. The job you’re doing is very important),” he said.
Marcos likewise cited the importance of investing in human capital develop ment, adding that it will re turn tenfold.
“Malakas ang loob ko magsabi na magre-recover tayo dahil yang mga Pilipi no, lahat ‘yan ay maaasah
an natin na kapag binigyan natin ng magandang pag kakataon, ng tulong. Hin di tayo mapapahiya (I am confident we will recover because Filipinos are re liable especially if we give them good opportunities, and support. We won’t get embarrassed),” he said.
He described Filipinos as “the best people in the world” for their qualities that foreign employers greatly admire.
“The FilCom in Cambo
Financial application GCash — operated by G-Xchange Inc. — on Monday dismissed any plans of an initial public offering (IPO) anytime soon, citing the lack of a market amid the “tech winter.”
In a briefing to discuss Globe Telecom Inc.’s latest financial earnings, GCash chief financial officer Tek Olano said the current market conditions are not
conducive for the compa ny to go public.
“I guess today you can consider the period as ba sically your tech winter, so the market’s not there for any listing, so it’s not actually the best time for an IPO,” he told reporters.
“What we’re doing now is we’re really us ing the time to continue to focus on growing the business, making sure we create value for the cus
tomers, making sure we build the digital ecosys tem that’s needed so that when the time comes, we’ll be ready and we’ll be a very different company by then,” he added.
Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu last year said the company will go public “in time” as he cit ed public clamor, but not ed that there is no time line set for this so far.
The GCash applica
tion has some 69 million registered users across the country with a gross transaction value hitting over P3 trillion in the first half of the year, which it expects to reach P6 tril lion by the end of the year.
The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mynt (Globe Fintech In novations Inc.), and is the country’s first duacorn.
Globe ended the third
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and The Filipino workforce plays a crucial role in helping boost post-pandemic economic recovery in the Philippines, Pres ident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Sunday.Travelers from Cagayan de Oro to Davao City stop for hot beef soup in this diner in Bangcud, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. Bus drivers frequent the food stop for some freebies offered to them. Photo by WALTER I. BALANE
Volcano eruptions, earth quakes, and typhoons (causing floods and landslides) – these are the natural hazards that hit the Philippines every now and then as our country is located in the Ring of Fire, a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earth quakes banal.
What most Filipinos don’t know is that our beloved coun try is also visited by tsunamis. Since 1749, a total of 21 tidal waves – classified as tsunami – have killed 4,868 people, ac cording to the website, world data.info. “Compared to other countries, tsunamis occur more often than average but still moderate,” it said.
In my research, I found that the worst tsunami that occurred in our country hap pened on August 17, 1976. This was when an 8.1 magnitude earthquake along the Cotabato Trench in Moro Gulf produced up to 9-meter tsunamis which devastated the southwest coast of Mindanao.
The said tsunami, the Phil ippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhiVolcs) re ported in its website, “left more than 3,000 people dead, with at least 1,000 people missing.”
The tsunami, which hap pened a few minutes past mid night and as such most people were already asleep, hit the cit ies of Pagadian, Cotabato, Zam boanga and the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat.
Another tragic tsunami took place on November 15, 1994 when the Mindoro earthquake generated tsunamis that left 49 casualties.
PhiVolcs said there are two types of tsunami generation: local tsunami and far field or distant tsunami. “The coastal ar eas in the Philippines especially those facing the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea can be affected by tsunamis that may be generat ed by local earthquakes,” said the line agency of the Depart ment of Science and Technology (DOST).
Unfortunately, Davao Gulf is facing the Pacific Ocean. “Local tsunamis are confined to coasts within a hundred kilometers of the source, usually earthquakes and a landslide or a pyroclastics flow,” PhiVolcs said. “It can read the shoreline within 2 to 5 min utes.”
Distant tsunamis, on the other hand, can travel from one to 24 hours before reaching the coast of the nearby countries. “These tsunamis mainly come from the countries bordering the Pacific Ocean like Chile, Alaska (United States) and Ja pan,” PhiVolcs said.
The responsible agencies that closely monitor Pacif ic-wide tsunami events and send tsunami warnings to the countries around the Pacific Ocean are the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the North west Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center.
The term “tsunami” came from the Japanese term which means “harbor wave.” Some people use tidal waves to refer
to tsunamis but oceanogra phers discouraged using the term “because tides have little to do with these giant waves,” said the Ocean Service of the US National Oceanic and At mospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to NOAA, the speed of tsunami waves de pends on ocean depth rath er than the distance from the source of the wave. “Tsunami may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters.”
What triggered me to write this piece was the news release, written by my friend, Allan Mauro V. Marfal, from DOST, which urges local government units (LGUs) not to take tsuna mis for granted.
By 2030, the United Nations said half of the world’s popula tion will live in coastal commu nities. In our country, 66 out of 81 provinces (including those in Davao Region) are exposed to tsunamis.
“There is an urgent need to ensure that disaster prepared ness systems are in place so that every Filipino will be safe and resilient from tsunami,” Marfal wrote.
The PhiVolcs has been pro viding services to various tsu nami-prone areas. It includes monitoring and cascading rel evant information and warn ings down to the barangays and local communities in var ious platforms and possible ways, and risk assessment just to ensure that all LGUs are equipped to create an ap propriate and coordinated response action plan for the residents.
“Tsunami hazards can result in disaster losses. However, we can reduce disaster risks,” said Joan C. Salcedo, a PhiVolcs su pervising science research spe cialist. “Information, tools, sys tems, and plans are available for communities to be safe. So, let’s help us to build a tsunami-ready Philippines.”
Hope everyone is listening!
Japanese control of the pre-Commonwealth Davao was an indisputable fact. From con trolling the central business district to paying the largest taxes, they provided the back bone that kept the local econ omy very robust. They owned the biggest plantation estates in the district, had power over the booming transport industry, and were the biggest agricultur al employers in the region. The official records at the time sup ported this assertion.
The data from the office of the provincial treasurer of Davao dated Jan. 3, 1935, had forty-five (45) Japanese firms, including those that were bought from the Americans. The list was prepared a month before the Commonwealth Con stitution was approved on Feb. 8, 1935, the forty-fifth birthday of Claro M. Recto, who presided
the 1934 constitutional conven tion and presented the official Charter to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The roster contains the fol lowing: Ohta Development Co., Talomo, Davao City; Furukawa Plantation Co., Daliao, Davao City; Marasuki Konoha & Co., Sirawan, Davao City; Takagi Farming Co., Bunawan, Davao City; Catalunan Agriculture Co., Catalunan Grande, Davao City; Davao Commercial Co., Bolton Street, Davao City; North Talo mo Plant Co., Catalunan Grande, Davao City; Akamine Bros. Plan tation Co., Bunawan, Davao City; Sirawan Plantation Co., Sirawan, Davao City; Bunawan Plantation Co., Bunawan, Davao City;
Twain River Plantation Co., Guianga, Davao City; Mindan ao Reclamation Co., Tungkalan, Guianga, Davao City; Riverside Plantation Co., Malagos, Guian
ga, Davao City; Talomo River Plantation Co., Biao, Guianga, Davao City; Biao Plantation Co., Biao, Guianga, Davao City; Dalia Plantation Co., Tagluno, Guianga, Davao City; Takunan Plantation Co., Biao, Guianga, Davao City; Bayabas Plantation Co., Bayabas, Guianga, Davao City; Mulig Grains & Trading Co., Bancas, Guianga, Davao City; Tagurano Plantation Co., Baya bas, Guianga, Davao City; South Mindanao Develop ment Co., Tugbok, Davao City; Bato Plantation Co., Bato, Gui anga, Davao City; Tagluno River Plantation, Co., Tagluno, Gui anga, Davao City; Piso Coconut & Cattle Ranch, Lupon, Davao Oriental; Southern Cross Plan tation Co., Pantukan, Davao de Oro; Davao Trading & Farm Co., Sigaboy, Davao Oriental; Tagum Plantation Co., Tagum City; Nan yo Plantation Co., Lasang, Davao
City; Tuganay Plantation Co., Tuganay, Carmen, Davao del Norte; Matsuoka Development Co., Tagum City; Panavo Plantation Co., Lasang, Davao City; Hijo Plantation Co., Hijo, Tagum City; Southern Davao Development Co., Lasang, Davao City; Pan gi Plantation Co., Pangi, Davao City; Dumlan Plantation Co., Dumlan, Tagum City; Lahi River Plantation Co., Magnaga, Pan tukan, Davao de Oro; Pindasan Plantation Co., Pindasan, Mabi ni, Davao de Oro; Mintal Plan tation Co., Mintal-Ula, Guianga, Davao City; Mindanao Agri. Com. Co., Ilam, Guianga, Davao City; Manambulan Development Co., Manambulan, Guianga, Davao City; Gui Hing Plantation Co., Hagonoy, Davao del Sur; Ita kara Plantation Co., Hagonoy, Davao del Sur; Lasang Planta
tion Co., Lasang, Davao City; and Guianga Plantation Co., Biao, Guianga, Davao City. Those that were acquired from the Ameri cans were Piso Coconut & Cattle Ranch, Southern Cross Planta tion Co., Davao Trading & Farm Co., Lahi River Plantation Co., and Gui Hing Plantation Co.
The control of the Davao economy, however, was shak en when the Japanese land holdings became an explosive issue in the 1934 Constitu tional Convention. Davao del egate Pantaleon Pelayo Sr., in a privileged speech delivered on Sept. 22, 1934, accused the Japanese and their bene factors of corruption behind the leases. When the Charter was ultimately approved, the agrarian issue would become a jarring challenge confront ing the Commonwealth gov ernment.
HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!
A number of estab lishments, hotels, and malls have lit up their Christmas trees for the cheeriest season of the year.
Damosa Land Inc., (DLI) is taking it farther. Not only did it light up a Christmas tree, it lit up the whole Damosa Complex in Lanang.
Considered by many as one of Davao City’s busiest districts, expect Lanang to be busier with the Damosa Complex
glittering with lights installed in trees, orna ments, and walls around the complex.
The lighting ceremo ny was led by DLI Pres ident Ricardo “Cary” Lagdameo, Anflo Group Vice Chairman Ricky Floirendo, and Vice May or Melchor Quitain Jr., together with Council ors Bernie Al-ag, Al Ryan Alejandre, and Bonz Mil itar; and Norman Clem ente, executive director of Floirendo Foundation.
Since Christmas is also about faith and helping those in need, DLI also held a gift-giv ing activity during the lighting ceremony.
The stars of the gift-giving activity were
Becoming a great retail bank is a journey and not a destination.
UnionBank stood-out on the global stage as the lone Filipino bank gold sponsor bannering the “Tech Up Pilipinas” advoca cy that is the cornerstone of its digital strategy.
UnionBank has been part of the annual festi val since 2018, working the room with the biggest banks in the region. This year, more than 60,000 par ticipants, more than 850 speakers, and more than 500 exhibitors attended
the event, a testament to its status as the “world’s most impactful fintech event.”
The UnionBank delega tion, headed by Chairman Erramon I. Aboitiz and President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista, showcased key business units that are the pillars of its digital journey through a two-story exhibit booth at the priority spon sors area of the expo.
Trailblazing technolo gies developed by Union Bank for blockchain, data analytics and Artificial In telligence, were featured on the booth’s Patent Wall,
while the Bank’s digital journey was prominently displayed at the booth’s central area. Noteworthy was the video showing UnionBank’s game-chang ing acquisition of Citi’s ‘crown jewel’. The multi ple screens on the booth highlighted how Union Bank’s technological in novations touched clients while top-level UnionBank ers were on hand to tell the deeper stories behind these.
Aside from engaging with clients, entrepreneurs, investors, government, fi nancial services, and tech nology leaders, UnionBank executives led discussion panels and speaking ses sions in the various stages of the 2022 SFF. Corporate clients were also hosted to listen in to globally and locally relevant presenta tions affecting the financial industry at the festival.
Dignitaries from the Philippine government who visited the UnionBank booth include Bangko Sen tral ng Pilipinas (BSP) offi cials Deputy Governor Ma merto Tangonan, Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier, Deputy Governor Berna dette Romulo-Puyat, and Director Mhel Plabasan; Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Com missioner Kelvin Lester K.
Lee; and Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Maria Francesca Montes-Del Ro sario.
Union Bank of the Phil ippines (UnionBank) has always been among the first to embrace client-cen tric technological innova tions, as a result it has con sistently been recognized as of one of Asia’s digital trailblazers, ranking among the country’s top universal banks in terms of profit ability and efficiency. It has garnered a record-breaking number of awards and rec ognition, such as the Most Recommended Retail Bank in Asia Pacific by BankQual ity.com; 5-time Digital Bank of the Year by The Asset Tri ple A; Asia Pacific’s Digital Trailblazer by IDC Asia Pa cific, and the Top 1 of Most Helpful Banks in the Philip pines during COVID-19 by BankQuality.com.
With what can almost be anticipated as an annual en deavor, UnionBank’s partici pation in the Singapore Fin Tech Festival is a testament to its promise to power the future of banking by “Tech ing Up Pilipinas” to best serve the growing needs of Filipinos everywhere, ful filling its vision of building a Bank of enduring greatness while pioneering innova tions for a better world.
Pick up those boards and get ready to flex your dope tricks because there’s a new cool spot in the Met ro for skaters to shred.
GOMO, the country’s first fully digital telco, served up an adrena line-packed event with insane kickflips, rad music and graffiti art on Novem ber 12 to mark the grand opening of the much-an ticipated GOMO Skate Park at Circuit Makati in part nership with Ayala Land and Make It Makati
The launch of the GOMO Skate Park, which is
now open for every kind of skater there is—from the groms to the rippers and thrashers—and for any one who is up to give the thrilling sport a try, is part of GOMO’s unstoppable second anniversary cele brations as it continues to give the GOMO fam access to next-level experiences.
“With GOMO Skate Park, we want our sub scribers to have a safe space they can call their own, where they can nur ture their creativity and love for the sport. Through out our second year since
launch, and in succeeding years to come, we aim to equip the GOMO Fam with the freedom and flexibili ty that will allow them to experience the world no holds barred–all made pos sible by ‘Mo Creds,” said GOMO Marketing Director Don Laudencia.
Starting November 12, subscribers can experi ence the latest skating at traction in the capital and brush up on their grinds and slides by simply con verting 8GB of their data through ‘Mo Creds to get a 1-Day Access pass to the
GOMO Skate Park.
In the run up to the grand opening, GOMO has been giving subscribers a weekly glimpse of the skate park through live art ses sions led by TikTok broski and virtual artist Raco Ruiz, who gave the location an impressive makeover.
Made for every GOMO subscriber who loves fun and adventure, the exciting launch of the GOMO Skate Park was filled with live music from featured artists
Skateboarding stars Cindy Lou Cerna, CL Paje, Renz Gelig and Mak Felicia no also pulled off sick flips and shove-it tricks in front of the audience gathered to celebrate another chapter of GOMO’s game-changing unli data that never expires.
Launched in October 2020, GOMO has revo
lutionized connectivity, offering Filipinos an in novative lifestyle app that allows them to swap their High Speed No Expiry data through ‘Mo Creds for ex clusive vouchers for richer and more meaningful expe riences.
Switch to GOMO today and download its unstop pable app to level up your lifestyle! For more information, visit www.gomo.ph. #ThatsMo LikeIt
other assets held by finan cial institutions and retire ment funds.
“Parents with past-due child support payments will also be barred from obtaining passports. Their driver’s licenses, profes sional and occupational licenses, and recreational and sporting permits will be withheld, suspended, or restricted as stated under the bill,” it said.
He said unemployed parents required to pay child support will be made to participate in appropri ate work activities or avail of relevant government programs to fulfill their ob ligation.
Duterte said the pro posed law aims to ensure that their kids have suffi cient support for their sub sistence and other essen tial needs.
Meanwhile, Duterte also sought the establish ment of a National Child Support Program (NCSP) under the bill to assist in enforcing child support claims, which includes lo cating absent parents and expediting the collection of financial aid from them.
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The NCSP adheres to the implementation of the Expanded Solo Parents Act (RA 11861) and will help in reducing the clogged court dockets of cases related to child support claims.
To be administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the NCSP is tasked with setting up a Child Sup port Register or database of child support claims and cases.
“The DSWD is mandat ed to seek assistance from other agencies to protect the NCSP from fraud and abuse, “including standards and procedures concerning nepotism, conflicts of in terest among individuals responsible for the admin istration and supervision of the program, kickbacks, and the use of political pa tronage,” it said.
“Solo parents are al ready responsible for tak ing care of their kids in dependently. They should not be burdened with the problem of compelling their irresponsible and negligent ex-partners to pay child support,” Dute rte said.
Economic Counsellor Si mon Reid discussed with the mayor the conduct of an online investment road show and the establish ment of a possible sister city relationship between Davao and a couple of Aus tralian cities; and Finnish Ambassador Juha Markus
dia are the ties that bind our deep and growing relation ship with the Kingdom of Cambodia. Kayo ang dahi lan kung bakit madali ako lumapit kay Prime Minister Hun Sen at sa hari ngCam bodia [Norodom Sihamoni] (You are the reason why I can easily approach Prime Minsiter Hun Sen and the king of Cambodia),” he said.
”Tumitingkad ang repu tasyon ng Pilipinas dahil sa maganda niyong ginagawa (The reputation of the Phil ippines is being famous be cause of the good work you do),” he added.
Meanwhile, Marcos as sured all OFWs of the gov ernment’s commitment to providing enough local jobs for Filipinos so they would no longer seek employment
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Pyykkö, who highlighted to the mayor that digital economy and tourism are industries where Finland and Davao could cooperate on, adding that these are viewed as untapped busi ness opportunities where Finnish expertise can be of help.
abroad unless they want to.
“Ang ating pangarap ay hindi na kailangang uma lis ang Pilipino dahil hindi makahanap ng trabaho sa Pilipinas. Kung may aa lis man, hindi ito sapilitan (My dream is that Filipinos no longer need to leave to work abroad because they can’t find jobs in the Philip pines. If they want to leave, it won’t be have to be oblig atory),” he said.
Marcos participated in the ASEAN Summits and Related Summits from Nov. 10 to 13 to promote and protect the Philippine in terests in ASEAN and seek further cooperation in key priorities.
He will be flying back to Manila on Sunday night. (PNA)
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grams in the Bangsamoro region.
The shooting came a day after a woman was shot dead along Don Rufi no Alonzo Avenue, and the Nov. 4 attempt on the life of a Maguindanao town elec tion officer while in the city.
“I have already given a clear and strong direc
try. We believe that our de cision to pivot and expand our growth opportunities through non-telco services has paved the way for us to remain relevant and com petitive,” Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said.
“Looking ahead, we are confident that our digital transformation will enhance shareholder value and un lock Globe’s sustainable
FROM 5 quarter of the year with net earnings of P6.81 billion, up by 39% from P4.91 billion the same quarter last year. This brought the year-todate earnings up 48% to P26.46 billion, as consol
tive to the city police to get to the bottom of these cases and intensify secu rity measures,” Matabalao said.
The mayor has also sought the help of Ar my-led Task Force Kut awato and all force mul tipliers in addressing the problem. (PNA)
growth trajectory,” he added.
For the first 9 months, its capital expenditure is at P74.4 billion, 14 percent higher than last year, Globe said.
Globe said it deployed close to 1.4 million FTTH lines as of the end of Sep tember and built 1,064 new cell sites as well as in stalled 1,887 new 5G sites nationwide.
idated service revenues jumped by 3% to P118 billion.
Shares in Globe were trading down P48.00 or 2.09% at P2,252.00 apiece as of 11:55 a.m. on Monday.
Curiosity is the fuel for discov ery, inquiry, and learning.” Anon ymous
Here I am again facing my laptop pondering on what to write this week so I ask the wife for some suggestions. She took a deep breath and gave me that quizzical look. Okey, Okey I said. I got the point. Am not forcing you as I sip my coffee and started to pounce on my key board .
“ Dad, am just wondering and expressing my observation”, she started. Why are you golfers prefer to hit those shots into the woods, into the water when the easier path should have been the wide fairways ?” All the cof fee spurted out of my mouth as I tried to stop from laughing.
That is the dream. That is the goal of every golfer. To hit that ball
With hundreds of OFWs waving miniature Philippine flags and intensely cheering Gi las, Scottie Thompson and com pany transformed their con frontation with their Saudi foes into a homecourt battle to win, 76-63 in the fifth window of the FIBA Asia qualifiers yesterday at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Gilas thus made a sweep of its two-game fifth win dow schedule, defeating Jordan three days earlier in Amman.
The live TV remote broadcast was at such an unho ly hour because it was already snoring time, but the heroics that Kai Sotto et al displayed
long ,pure and straight but golf is hard. No human being have yet perfected the art of swinging, of hitting those dimpled balls. As an old saying goes ,” If the ball goes to the left, it’s a hook, if it fades to right, it’s a slice and if it goes straight ,it’s a miracle “.
The year was 1995 when it all started. While driving on the way to my in laws in Toril,Davao City, I noticed the unusual number of vehicles parked at the highway along the Bago area. I learned lat er after asking some bystanders that it’s the final day of the Philip pine Open being held at the Apo Golf and Country Club. .
Out of curiosity, I parked my car and join the gallery and watched the biggest golf spectacle in town. I watched the golf pros hit those easy unforced shots in
a graceful way thereby made me conclude, this sport is so easy. So I watched Frankie Minoza, Carlos Espinosa ( the eventual winner) and the other golf stars as they walked the fairways and followed them literally just like the Pied Piper. I was enthralled by the mystique of the sport that I hardly noticed the searing heat as we finished on the 18th hole. And that’s how my love hate relation ship for this sport started.
So after few inquiries from friends, I went straight to the driving range in Lanang golf to test this golf thing, bringing along an old golf set . A friend lend me a set he said was just lying around unused in their garage. Was I proud walking and carry those clubs from parking area into the range? You bet. So I proceed to hit
some shots imitating those peo ple around me without consult ing a pro.
What’s noticeable after hitting those balls was, I can’t carry some distance. I swear I hit them re spectable enough, not so solid but almost squarely in some shots but my 9 iron won’t carry more than 50 yards. One thing I noticed also was the grips seem so small, the shafts were shorter and the color of the grip is green. My suspicion increased further when I noticed the giggle and subtle laughing of the Tee girls. Eventually one of them got the enough courage to tell me. “Sir you are using a lady golf set”. Hahaha…
As proud as I am when I ar rived, I left the driving range in a huff avoiding eye contact and took the long route away from
the crowd. Golf is hard. Especially when you use the wrong equip ment.
It was a great learning ex perience though. Golf demands concentration, perfection and full attention. You need to have the right equipment, proper swing lessons, create that character of humility and patience and above all give due respect of the sport.
Golf shorts : from my friend Jun Galindo
My boss, who’s on vacation, called up. He said, “Is everything OK at the office?” I said, “Every thing is under control. It’s been a very busy day; haven’t stopped to take a break yet.” “Can you do me a favor,” he asked. I said, “Yes Sir, of course, what is it?” He blurted out “Pick up the pace a little. I’m in the foursome behind you.”
was worth all the trouble.
Though the Saudis gave ev erything they had under a new bench strategist in coach Johann Roijakkers, the Gilas squad was much more prepared - men tally and physically - about a “surprise” welcome their hosts might have prepared for them.
The win was Gilas’ second straight over Saudi Arabia al though it was not as impres sive as the blow-out victory in Manila (84-46) three months ago when NBAer Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson suited up for the Ph team.
Again, the all around play making of PBA MVP Scottie Thompson, and the zigzagging
dribble drives of CJ Perez baf fled the Saudi defense.
RR Pogoy contributed 13 markers, sniping from the three point area that sparked rah-rahs from the predominantly Pinoy crowd to give Gilas a 16-point margin, 50-34.
Because of pride, the Saudis did not just easily give up but even their torrid triple shooting in the fourth quarter failed to douse cold water on the great ly-inspired Gilas boys.
With his towering figure in the middle, Kai Sotto got in side passes from Dwight Ramos (13 pts and 4 rebounds) and Thompson (9 pts, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals) for easy
dunks and lay-ups.
Perez poured in 10 pts and 4 rebounds.
The 7-3 NBL player scored 11 pts., 9 rebounds and 5 blocks, swatting away enemy shots like they were ping pong balls.
Every man coach Chot Reyes fielded played like their life was at stake.
“We are happy with the re sult…we really focused on de fense,” Reyes said. “ We were able to stop their players.”
The fact that Gilas was able to limit the Saudis below 70 points, Reyes added, spoke well of Gilas’ ability to defend.
Ramos scored four points in the dying seconds to kill all Sau
di hopes of reversing the tide.
Bobby Ray Parks and Japeth Aguilar stood well in defense and offense to combine with Ange Kouame and Poy Erram.
The celebration should be enjoyed for the moment but the greater responsibility of Gilas and the coaching staff remains to be their expected respectable performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup which the country is hosting next year.
Far from having an ideal team, believe me coach Chot will still make two or three play er changes next year. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo. com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIP PINES!
The Philippines completed a sweep of its two games in the fifth window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qual ifiers after clipping Saudi Arabia, 76-63, on Monday (Manila time) at King Abdullah Sports City.
Dwight Ramos scored the last four points to put the finishing touches to a hardearned win against a pesky Saudi Arabian side in Jeddah.
The win was a far cry from the 84-46 blowout led by Jor dan Clarkson at the Mall of Asia Arena in the last window. Still, the win meant Gilas com pleting a sweep of the Saudis in the qualifiers.
Coming off a morale-boost ing win over Jordan three days earlier, Gilas hiked its record to 5-3 ahead and built plenty of confidence heading to its home games against Lebanon and Jordan in February next year.
Ramos finished with 13 points, four assists, and three assists, with his late three to end the first half giving the Pi noys a big jolt to stage a killer third quarter.
Roger Pogoy found his rhythm in that canto, drilling three treys to catapult the Phil ippines to its biggest lead at 16, 50-34.
Saudi Arabia, though, proved to be tougher to crack than the side that got buried by an avalanche of baskets by Clarkson and Co. just months ago as Mathna Almarwani kept the hosts in the game, 69-61, with 2:02 to play.
But Scottie Thompson, Kai Sotto, and Ramos made sure that there won’t be any melt downs as they took the Pinoys home with their cool shooting from the charity stripe.
Pogoy wound up with 13 points and four boards, Sotto
had 11 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, two dimes, and one steal, and Thompson almost posted a double-double of nine points, nine boards, three as sists, and two steals.
CJ Perez also gave the Phil ippines a lift, scoring six of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, alongside his four rebounds to make up for committing five of the team’s 15 turnovers.
This certainly wasn’t the blowout that many fans ex pected, with the influence of Dutch coach Johan Roijakkers evident on the attack of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi stayed in step with the Filipinos for the ma jority of the game thanks to its 10 fastbreak points and 13 sec ond chance points.
Almarwani had the big gest impact for the home team with his 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from distance, to go with eight rebounds, as Khalid Abdel Gabar adding 16 points from three three-pointers, as well as five boards, five assists, and two steals.
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 76 - Ramos 13, Pogoy 13, Sotto 11, Perez 10, Thompson 9, Parks 8, Agu ilar 6, Kouame 5, Malonzo 1, Oftana 0, Erram 0, Quiambao 0.
SAUDI ARABIA 63 - Ma. Al marwani 19, Abdel Gabar 16, Mo. Almarwani 8, Kadi 6, Al johar 5, Ashoor 4, Shubayli 2, Mohammed 2, Belal 1, Saleh 0, Almuwallad 0, Albargawi 0.
Quarters: 16-16, 31-25, 5545, 76-63.