Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 183 | Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

STORY ON PAGE 2

Dabawenyo content creator Papa Vince a.k.a Auntie Lin da says his content ideas are based on past experiences and hilarious Filipino traits. He was recently awarded Ris ing Creator of the Year 2022 by the Creator and Influencer Council of the Philippines (CICP) in the recently con cluded BaiCon InFest 2022.

Edge Davao

IP DRESS CODE

Wearing of IP and Moro-inspired attire of city gov’t workers now an ordinance

By MAYA M. PADILLO

It’s now official.

City government employees must wear Indigenous Peoples (IPs) clothing every first Monday of the month.

The ordinance requir ing the IP dress code was approved on third and final reading on Tuesday by the City Council.

Authored by Council or Al Ryan Alejandre, the

proposed ordinance or “An Ordinance Requiring City Government Employees To Wear An Indigenous People and Moro Inspired Attire and/or Accessories

Every First Monday of the

Month To Celebrate Our Local Culture” sprang up following Vice President Sara Duterte’s grand en trance wearing a tradi tional Bagobo-Tagabawa ensemble during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) wherein many praised her for promoting Davao City’s culture, how

ever, there were others who have called out what she wore and called it a “co splay”.

“Na aprubahan na sa third and final reading ang katong akong proposed ordinance na requiring city government employ ees to wear an IP attire and Moro inspired attire FIP, P6

DepEd vows inclusive learning recovery as Senate OKs budget

The Department of Education (DepEd) has vowed to uphold inclusive learning recovery in the country, as the Sen ate approved its proposed budget for 2023.

The DepEd made the statement on Monday night following the Senate’s ap proval of the department and its attached agencies’ PHP667.18-billion pro posed budget.

In a statement, the DepEd said it is grateful for legislators who ensured “sufficient funding” for the education sector.

“The Department of Education (DepEd) ex presses its gratitude to the Senate of the Philippines for approving the budget of the Department and its attached agencies for the Fiscal Year 2023,” it said.

The approved budget

includes a PHP581.6-mil lion allocation for Special Education (SpEd) and PHP154.4 million for Indig enous Peoples’ Education.

“Under the leadership of Vice President and Sec retary Sara Duterte, and with the renewed trust and confidence from our law makers, the Department is committed to effectively and efficiently utilize its funds in providing accessi

ble, quality basic education for the Filipino youth that is both inclusive and empow ering,” the DepEd said.

The department added that this funding will help the education sector as it recovers from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Amidst the various challenges confronting basic education, ampli

CVO intensifies animal anti-rabies vax in Nov.

With the arrival of requested anti-ra bies vaccines, the City Veterinarians Office aims to focus its manpower this month on rabies vac cination in all districts to achieve its 100,000 heads target for 2022, an official said.

“For the month of No vember, actually full force ta karon for the rabies vac cination since niabot ang atong more or less 10,463 vials of rabies vaccines, in which kung i-times ten na nimo 100,000 kapin ka heads nga dogs and cats nga pwede nato mabakuna han (For the month of No vember, actually we are in full force for our rabies vac cination since more or less 10,643 vials of rabies vac cines have arrived, which if we multiply this to ten, more or less 100,000 dogs and cats could be catered to),” Dr. Gay Pallar, chief of the Animal Husbandry and Disease Control Division of the City Veterinarian’s Of fice (CVO) said in an inter view with the City Informa tion Office on Monday.

Pallar said there has been a delay in the delivery of the bulk of the vaccine, which is why they will fo cus more on vaccination this month and would “lie low” on other services such as castration.

“As of October, naa nata’y nabakunahan nga 75,395 ka iring ug iro, so more or less 40,824 ka dog owners or cat owners ang nanag-iya (As of October, we have vaccinated a total

of 75,395 cats and dogs, so more or less 40,824 dog and cat owners),” she add ed.

She said that anti-rabies vaccination has to be inten sified because Davao City is at high risk of rabies due to stray dogs or cats.

”Makita ninyo sa baba nga everyday nga naay daghan kaayo nagapabaku na kadtong mga napaakan, mao gani nga gina-intensify nato ang pag-prevent og ra bies diri sa atoang dogs and cats kay kung tagaan nato og services ug bakuna ang mga tao mas dako man gud siya in comparison with kining bakuna nga para sa mga hayop or dogs and cats against rabies (As you can see every day at the (CHO Animal Bite Center) a lot of people are availing of vac cines, those who had an an imal bite, this is the reason why we are intensifying our rabies prevention for our dogs and cats because vaccines for people is much more costly compared to the vaccines for dogs and cats against rabies),” Pallar said.

She added that Dabawenyos may check with their barangays for their schedule and bring their pets.

“As much as possible kadtong i-submit nila nga animals for vaccination is dapat healthy. Wala nag sakit og wala nakapaak at least 14 days prior sa pag pabakuna (As much as pos sible the animals for vacci nation should be in good

Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre’s proposed ordinance requiring city government employees to wear Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Moro-inspired clothing every first Monday of the month was approved on third and final reading by the City Council. Edge Davao

Rigo echoes call for parents to have their kids get Covid jabs

By MAYA M. PADILLO

The Quality Manage ment System (QMS)

Internal Quality Audit Team of the City Govern ment of Davao is currently reviewing and assessing the operational processes and procedures of city gov ernment offices.

From the delivery of public services, day-to-day transactions, document tracking, to target monitor ing, the city government’s 52 offices encompass a to tal of 308 processes—each of which will be inspected, assessed, and evaluated by the Internal Quality Audit Team to determine whether these are execut ed according to the ISO 9001:2015 standards.

Being the first local government unit of a high ly urbanized city to be ho listically ISO-certified, the City Government of Davao is fully committed to abide by the standards to further streamline its systems, exemplify “Ease of Doing Business,” and perform with the highest degree of excellence.

Internal Quality Audit Team Leader Genevieve Gamueta, in an interview

with the City Information Office, said the city govern ment already has a system in place that, more or less, conforms with the ISO QMS standards.

But with the certifica tion, she continued, it has improved the system such as standardization of the control on documents and records, drafting of the Operating Procedure for all processes, centralized gathering of customer feed back and analysis thereof, and implementation of the Quality Workplace Stan dards, among others.

Gamueta said the offic es are notified at least one week before the audit, by which time a group of audi tors will inspect the office’s procedures and practices through various standard ized methods.

The auditors will inter view the auditees and use standardized question naires and checklists. Doc uments are also reviewed while transactions and procedures may be demon strated. The audit can also be executed without hu man intervention through

Rodrigo ‘Rigo” Duterte II has called on parents and guardians to protect their children from getting Covid-19 by availing of the government’s vaccination drive.

He emphasized that children aged 5 to 11 years old are at a higher risk of developing Covid-19. He also allayed fears of ill side effects and emphasized

that vaccination among this age group is safe.

He said that not only that their children will be safe from getting the virus but they also protect the

community around them.

Rigo said it is important to protect children espe cially now that the holiday season is approaching and they love to go to the malls.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, earlier reported that vac cination output among the pediatric population in Davao City remains low.

Schlosser said data shows that there are un vaccinated pediatric pa tients who died because of Covid-19.

The Vaccination Cluster is also intensifying vaccina tion rollout to 5 to 11 years old. In coordination with the Department of Education 11 (DepEd) 11, it is now also conducting vaccination in public schools every Friday.

Christmas ‘Pahalipay’ is back

Davao City Police Of fice (DCPO) spokes person Police Major Catherine Dela Rey con firmed that the tradition al face-to-face Christmas “Pahalipay” gift-giving of the Duterte family will resume this year at the ancestral house of former President Rodrigo Duterte along Taal Road, Central Park Subdivision in Baran gay Bangkal, Davao City.

“For more details sa CIO na lang po mag-in quire,” Dela Rey said in a text message.

Before the Covid-19

pandemic, the Duterte family has been doing a gift-giving every Decem ber 25 since then-may or and former President Rodrigo Duterte became mayor in 1988 as part of the Dabawenyos’ Christ mas tradition and extend ed in the past years.

Last year, former may or Sara Duterte canceled the traditional gift-giving activity at the Duterte res idence in Taal, Bangkal to avoid mass gatherings of people.

In 2020, she also can celed the activity due to

the surge of Covid-19 cas es in Davao City.

Meanwhile, Dela Rey said that DCPO is now pre paring for the activities lined up next month.

“Sa December daghan katong mga naka line up na mga concerts nga ma hitabo and we already prepared our personnel na i-deploy didto. Nang hinaut ang city director sa cooperation sa mga katawhan nga naa lang gihapon,” she said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR).

She also assured that

DCPO will continue to im plement maximum securi ty in all activities in Davao City may it be public or private initiated.

“This week atong ip adayon ang maximum security sa bar examina tions. Nag exam na atong last week November 9 ug 13 ang naka line up nato is November 15 ug 20. Labi na sa ika 20 kay kasagaran daghan pamilya nga mu sugat aning ilahang mga loved ones nga nag apil sa exam. Mao ni atong gina preparahan karon,” she said.

By Maya M. Padillo

A resident of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao del Norte embraces a Philippine Army officer from the 10th Infantry Division during a relief operations led by 10ID and Kiwanis International Philippine South District to Paeng-hit communities last November 13, 2022. Photo courtesy of Phils. Army’s 10ID

City gov’t of Davao’s 52 offices to be audited before year-end

House OKs P100 excise tax on single-use plastic bags

The

Under House Bill 4102, a P100 tax would be imposed on every kilo of single-use plastic bags removed from the place of production or released from the Bureau of Cus toms.

Also known as the Sin gle Use Plastic Bags Tax Act, the bill also earmarks pro ceeds to help finance the projects under Republic Act No. 9003 or the “Eco logical Solid Waste Man agement Act of 2000”.

The tax rate will be raised by 4 percent every year effective January 1, 2026, through revenue reg ulations issued by the Sec retary of Finance.

While the bill passed with a vote of 255-3-0, op ponents of the measure said the tax should be paid by big companies instead of small retailers. although the bill addresses environ

mental concerns, the addi tional tax would be an addi tional burden to the public.

“While we want to regulate the use of plastic bags for environmental concerns such as reducing pollution, this proposed measure will just be an ad ditional burden to consum ers, sellers, and retailers,” said Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas.

Adherence to int’l pacts to help resumption of EU-PH FTA talks

It will be easier for the Philippines and the Eu ropean Union (EU) to resume negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) if the country will ensure its adherence to the 27 in ternational conventions, the Head of the Delegation of the EU to the Philippines said Monday.

In his keynote speech at the European-Philippine Business Dialogue, EU Am bassador Luc Veron said the EU remains interested for an FTA with the Philip

pines, but the EU has to as sess the prospect of resum ing the negotiations.

“We look forward to movements by the Phil ippines implementing its commitments in the GSP+ (Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus) conven tion. It is clear that it will make it easier for the EU and the Philippines further assess the prospect of a resumption of the negotia tions,” Veron said.

The two parties start ed exploratory talks for a

bilateral free trade pact in 2013.

The negotiations for the EU-Philippines FTA started in 2016. The last round of negotiation was held in Cebu City in 2017. Since then, negotiations have been on hiatus.

“The European Com mission is starting a re flection as to whether the conditions are right to resume one of the nego tiations in the Southeast Asia that was put on hold for the past few years,

and no decision has to be made whether it would be Thailand, Malaysia, or the Philippines. However, in the case of the Philippines, the compliance with these laws remain(s) a funda mental element of this re flection,” Veron said.

“EU remains interest ed in an FTA. But we feel that not all elements are in place yet,” he said.

The EU envoy said for now, the EU GSP+ will con tinue to support Philippine exports to the EU.

PH eyed to become world’s ‘blockchain capital’: group

The Philippines has the potential to become the “blockchain capi tal” of the world due to its young population, the new ly formed Blockchain Coun cil of the Philippines said on Monday.

The country has the right tools and assets to lead in this new sphere, lead convenor of the upcoming Philippine Blockchain Week Donald Lim said.

Blockchain is a digital database or decentralized ledger of transactions across users, which is used by cryp tocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

“We were the text cap ital and the BPO capital be fore, right? And we were the social media capital. Yung blockchain capital, we are very ripe,” said Lim.

Lim said the Philippine government has shown openness to this new tech nology. He also cited how quickly Filipinos can adapt to changes.

“Nakita natin how, for example, during Axie In

finity, biglang ang daming Pilipino nandoon. Kahit jeepney driver ka, gumag amit ka. We’re seeing if you just give the Filipinos a plat form, people will go there and use it,” he added.

Blockchain is commonly used in the financial world through cryptocurrencies but is gradually being used in many fields and indus tries as well. It can also be used by private corpora tions and the government, Lim said.

For example, land titles may now be registered on the blockchain for easier authenticity checks. Organi zations can also use block chain to track supply chains, Lim said.

Lim stressed block chain’s main strength is that the system is safe and secure.

“Dati you have to rely on the server of a central au thority, now you have mul tiple servers verifying ‘yes, yes, this is true’ and it will be forever be there,” he said.

Department of Tourism 11 (DOT 11) director Tanya Rabat-Tan discloses during this week’s PEP Talks at SM Lanang Premier that the controversial Jakka Beach Resort in Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental is not accredited by DOT 11. Edge Davao

House of Representatives on Mon day approved on third and final read ing an excise tax on single-use plastic bags.

Three gov’t agencies sign deal for Davao’s swine industry recovery

Moody’s Analytics forecasts 75 bps hike in BSP rates this week

Moody’s Analytics forecasts a 75 basis points jump in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) key rates this Thurs day, in line with the earlier statement by BSP Governor Felipe Medalla.

“Bangko Sentral ng Pili pinas is expected to raise the overnight borrowing rate by 75 basis points to 5 percent,” it said in its Asia Pacific eco nomic preview for the week covering Nov. 14-18.

The BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) will have its second to the last rate setting meeting for this year on Thursday.

It already hiked the cen tral bank’s key policy rates by 225 basis points since last May in a bid to help tame the soaring domestic inflation rate and help tame the peso’s weakness against the United States dollar.

The rate of price in creases further accelerated to 7.7 percent last October, the highest since December 2008, because of continued upticks in the prices of oil and non-oil commodities in the international market which is partly due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The average inflation

rate in the first 10 months this year stood at 5.4 per cent, way above the govern ment’s 2-4 percent target band.

Monetary authorities have stressed the need to hike the central bank’s key rates to help address the rising inflation rate since it has already resulted to sec ond round effects, such as increase in minimum public utility fare and wages.

They said the impact of the rate hikes are expect ed to the cushioned by the continued recovery of the domestic economy, which further expanded by 7.6 percent in the third quarter of this year.

The rising inflation rate has affected monetary poli cies around the world.

For one, the US’ Federal Reserve earlier this month delivered another 75 basis points increase in its key rates, which has affected currencies, such as the Phil ippine peso.

Following the latest Fed rate hike announcement, BSP Governor Felipe Medal la said the BSP will also in crease its key rates by the same level to ensure ade quate interest rate differen tial with the US.

Three government agencies in Davao Region have inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to speed up the recovery of the region’s hog industry from African swine fever (ASF), an official said Monday.

In a statement, Abel James Monteagudo, the re gional Department of Ag riculture (DA-11) director, said his office signed the MOA over the weekend with the Department of Agrarian Reform-11 and the Philip pine Crop Insurance Corpo ration-11 for a PHP132 mil lion worth of intervention for the sector.

Agudo said the money is

for the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program, aimed at helping 24 agrarian re form beneficiary organiza tions (ARBOs) in the region.

Each ARBO received PHP5.5 million in assistance to fund the three compo nents of the project - repop ulation and swine livelihood enterprise, the establish

ment of breeder multiplier farms, and intensive and modernized production.

“Unity is strength in re viving the swine industry. We are so thankful to DAR and PCIC for helping us in intensifying our efforts to help our farmers whose livelihoods are affected by the ASF,” Monteagudo said.

He said the ARBs play a key role in reviving the hog industry as they will serve as partners to make hog raising, processing, and marketing very productive.

Meanwhile, DAR Un dersecretary for Support Services Milagros Isabel Cristobal said to achieve

productivity among ARBs and the community, there should be a convergence of initiatives among agencies.

“We are hoping that sooner we can hear the suc cess stories of these ARBOs and how you contribute to spur the economy. We can only ask of you to pay it for ward and those communi ties who are also in need,” she said.

Under the INSPIRE project, PHP4.4 million is allocated for the bios ecure housing facility for swine, while PHP525,000 is for 75 swine heads, and PHP500,000 for feeds and biologics. (PNA)

Upgraded AANZFTA seen to usher post-pandemic recovery in PH

With the substantial conclusion of ne gotiations to en hance the ASEAN-Austra lia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) during the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last week, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is optimistic that the up graded trade deal will ush er post-pandemic recovery for the country.

“The substantial con clusion of the upgrade negotiations marks an other milestone for both ASEAN and Australia-New Zealand, as we gain an other high-quality FTA. The inclusion of a Chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) is expected to fuel inclusive growth and integration of busi

nesses into the global val ue chain,” DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual said in a statement Monday.

The negotiations to enhance the AANZFTA started in September 2020 with the aim to accelerate post-pandemic recovery for ASEAN, as well as its dialogue partners Australia and New Zealand.

The trade deal upgrade includes new chapters

and provisions on MSMEs, trade and sustainable de velopment, and education services, as well as en hanced provisions on elec tronic commerce, customs procedures and trade facili tation, trade in goods, rules of origin, trade in services, and investments.

The parties target to sign the second protocol to amend the AANZFTA next year.

Rey Arenas (left), Full Potential Solutions (FPS) vice president for operations, and Department of Labor and Employment 11 (DOLE 11) director Randolf Pensoy lead the unveiling of the company’s logo during its site inaugura tion at the Damosa Diamond Tower, Damosa IT Park in Lanang, Davao City on Tuesday. Edge Davao

EDITORIAL Wearing your culture proudly

From being maligned as when it was first donned by Vice President Sara Duterte during the inauguration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., garments from the eleven tribal aggrupation of Davao City is now part of the official dress code for local government employees.

The Indigenous People’s clothing, branded by critics as “cosplay” and inappropriate, the IP garments and accessories will be flaunted by city government employees as well as those from national government agencies in the city.

That’s how Dabawenyo culture bounce back from the ignorance of politically-driven critics. We are not being pushed away just like that. Instead, Dabawenyo culture will be elevated to sanctioned garments for civil servants at public offices. That’s a slapping vindication from the unfounded criticisms.

According to the ordinance, all city government employees must wear Indigenous Peoples (IPs) clothing every first Monday of the month.

The ordinance authored by Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre

requiring for the IP dress code got the nod of the City Council on third and final reading on Tuesday. That means, it will be implemented before the end of the year.

It took the author the courage to mount a dignified answer to the adverse reactions by turning to legislation as a means to institutionalize cultural identification and diversity.

Alejandre hatched the measure as in response to the brickbats from political foes of Vice President Sara Duterte when she turned necks after wearing a traditional Bagobo-Tagabawa ensemble during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The attire drew mixed reactions. At one side, many praised her for promoting Davao City’s culture. On the other side, there were those who called out what she wore and referred to it a “cosplay.”

The ordinance will eventually reverse these wicked references.

Sadly for those spreading negativity, this will be a bitter pill to swallow. They just cannot mangle culture with their political insecurities.

Columnists: MA.

“There

who

C. S. LEWIS *******

The official international sor ties our Chief Executive has been doing lately - speaking before the UN General Assembly and at tending ASEAN summit sessions - afford PBBM to say “hello” and touch base with his peers in the region.

More than that, he is doing some kind of soft sell pitches to various groups of people, espe cially the business sector where potentially, these might ignite some favorable interest from for eign investors and businessmen looking to expand their invest ments.

As a result, the People’s Re public of China has extended an invitation from President Xi Jin Ping - which PBBM has accepted

- to make a state visit to our Asian neighbor by January next year.

We also heard - we are not sure how reliable this is thoughthat US Pres. Biden has also asked PBBM to make a journey to the US Mainland sometime next year.

And what about the reported invite to the World Economic Fo rum in Davos, Switzerland?

Wow, if these developments do happen, we can just imagine what could take place as govern ment leaders do not just make state visits for the sake of pleasing the host by accepting the latter’s invitation.

Effectively, the Chief Executive has taken on a new diplomatic direction by using the principles employed in business network ing.

I would presume that Pres. XJP and PBBM will not skip talking about the issues in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) because the opportunity will have presented itself as the continuing diplomatic protests

on Chinese incursions have been reduced to a virtual verbal sword play.

I strongly believe that the Chi nese leader, now on his third term, will take the golden opportunity to convince PBBM to agree to bi lateral talks with the end in view of forging a pact that will mutually benefit both countries.

As the Chinese are tradition ally graceful and generous hosts, PBBM and his entourage will be drowned with the former’s own brand of hospitality.

(I am speaking from person al experience after visiting China twice in the 90s.)

Of mutual interest aside from the WPS issue are tourism, busi ness investments and partner ship, energy and oil exploration, technology, export and import quotas and other vital concerns.

The truth is that the Philip pines has long been scouting for a steady trading partner and a market for its products and raw materials to export to.

For decades, the US continues to be our country’s lone trading partner but its high tariffs and custom duties have “killed” the once blooming and beautiful business relationship.

China is a huge market which is also close by in terms of nauti cal distance.

As PBBM has declared: “We are a friend to all and enemy to none.”

It is a tragedy that previous administrations did not see fit to cultivate and develop a sustained and healthy business relations with its giant neighbor.

I reckon the economic advis ers the President listens to have already seen the great potential of the projected China state visit.

PBBM and his team have at least more than two months to prepare what they need to gather and collate which will form part of the President’s portfolio that will be presented to their Chinese counterpart.

China is also looking to

strengthen its somewhat “brittle” relations with the Philippines and hope to succeed in forging a quiet bilateral diplomatic settlement of the issues affecting the South Chi na Sea (or WPS).

Aside from these bright ex pectations, both countries are also anticipated to expand their economic reach in as much as the Russian-Ukraine conflict con tinues to drag on and indirectly inflict economic problems worldwide.

It appears that global devel opments are not getting any bet ter as recession is slowly creeping into our midst.

Filipinos have to be patient.

Economic success cannot be achieved overnight.

It will take a (damn) good salesman to sell the Philippines overseas and create an efficient marketing network applicable to our needs. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

Seoul, South Korea – The gaze of the “Statue of Peace” is a re minder that the comfort wom en’s shameful and negative mem ories should not be forgotten but instead be remembered.

During my recent visit in Seoul, I saw the first “Statue of Peace” in front of the Japanese Embassy which was installed on December 14, 2011.

The small bronze figure de picts a girl sitting in a chair, star ing straight ahead with a look of determination. She has cropped hair and wears a hanbok — a tra ditional Korean dress. She’s bare foot. Her fist is clenched. Next to her is an empty chair.

The gaze has been directed at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul as a call for vigilance in their cam paign for justice as the varied stories and individual memories of ‘comfort women’ tend to be neglected and seem to be trans formed into places of amnesia.

The statue is an unsmiling girl frozen in time as a teenager, at the age when she was forced into sexual slavery the Japanese imperial military which seems to evoke empathy for the comfort women’s pain and trauma. It has become a gathering spot for pro test groups related to the the Jap anese wartime record.

There are more than 130 identical statues that have been installed across South Korea

since 2011.

THE COMFORT WOMEN STATUES AS REMINDERS OF JAPANESE WARTIME ATROCITIES

It was 31 years ago, on Au gust 14, 1991, when South Kore an Kim Hak-sun became the first Korean to give a public testimony about her experience as a com fort woman victim. Hak-sun died on December 1997 at age 74.

About 200,000 women from Japanese- occupied countries like Korea, China, Burma, New Guinea, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, Manchukuo, Taiwan (then a Japa nese dependency), the Dutch East Indies, Portuguese Timor, and the Philippines were held in captivity and many thousands more were raped as part of one of the largest operations of sexual violence in modern history.

The girls who were abducted, trafficked or brought to the Jap anese soldiers’ camps had their own dreams and visions for the future that were shattered a dam aged in utter injustice.

Due to their tender age, it was a painful experience for them to be subjected to sexual slavery, rape and other forms of sexual vi olence during World War 2.

The victims have spent their lives in misery, having endured physical injuries, pain and dis ability, and mental and emotion al suffering. The survivors have had to live a life full of stigma and trauma.

The Women’s Tribunal that sat in Tokyo, Japan from Decem

ber 8 to 12, 2000, deliberated on the criminal liability of high-rank ing Japanese military and political officials, as well as the Japanese state’s responsibility for military rape and sexual slavery.

On July 30, 2007, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution asking the Japanese government apologize to former comfort women and include curriculum about them in Japanese schools. The resolution was passed after three former comfort women (one Dutch and two Koreans) testified.

In 2012, the South Korean government declared August 14 as the International Memorial Day for Comfort Women.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in described Japan’s wartime use of comfort women as “crimes against humanity.”

in January 2021, a judge at the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the comfort women ordering Japan to pay compensation for the first time.

However, another South Ko rean court on April 2021 upheld Japan’s state immunity to dismiss a lawsuit, contradicting the earli er ruling.

I earlier saw the comfort women statue in San Francis co, California called “Column of Strength” which is one of nine and the first sculpture placed in a major U.S. city to commemorate

the comfort women.

It depicts three teenage girls, with each being of a specific nationality—Chi nese, Korean, and Philip pine. These three girls are cast in bronze, standing in a circle atop a pedestal and holding hands in a backto-back posture. Standing next to the pedestal and gazing up at them is anoth er bronze figure of a hal moni (Korean for grand mother).

A year after Hak-sun’s revelation, Lola Rosa Hen son was the first Filipina comfort woman to come out on September 18, 1992 with her story.

The “Lola” statue ini tially installed on Decem ber 2017 along Roxas Boulevard was dismantled April 27, 2018. It was an unnamed woman wearing a traditional Filipino dress, blind folded, with hands clutched to her chest. It was declared missing on August 2019.

Another comfort woman stat ue —of a young woman with fists resting on her lap—has been re moved from the Catholic-run Mary Mother of Mercy shelter for the el derly and the homeless in San Pe dro, Laguna, only two days after its unveiling in January 2019.

The remaining Filipina com

fort woman “Lola” statue is now in Pandan, Antique.

The comfort women cam paign highlights the urgency as attempts to whitewash history and to distort narratives contin ue while the number of survivors is diminishing. .

( Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapa lo Velez Bundang Bulilan law of fices. For comments, e-mail info@ sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 0908-8665786.)

are two kinds of people: those

say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’ -

IP...

FROM 2

DEPED...

FROM 2

CELTICS...

atoang mapasegarbo ug matagaan ug business opportunity ug livelihood ang atoang mga IP through this ordinance,” Alejandre told Edge Davao.

Alejandre is hopeful that after 25 days this ordi nance would officially take effect.

CVO...

FROM 2

health. They are not sick or have not bitten anyone at least 14 days before the vaccination),’’ Pallar said, adding that pet owners can also bring their own sy ringe and disposable nee dles if they want.

She encouraged Dabawenyos to keep an eye on their pets and care for them by providing good food and adequate shel ter to prevent them from straying and scavenging for food elsewhere, such as in garbage dumps.

“Mao nay [nagahatag] og tendency for them nga magkaroon og rabies or magspread og sakit or in fection (This causes the tendency for them to have rabies and spread diseases or infection),” Pallar said, adding that stray animals can also cause accidents af fecting people.

She added that the prev alence of stray dogs could be evident from the request of even subdivisions in the city for the impounding services of the CVO.

“Grabe ang request karon sa opisina, almost every day ang mga subdivi sions naga-request sa amoa for impounding… because of the irresponsible pet owners nga ginapasagdan nila nga naglatagaw ang ilahang hayop, especially dogs. Naa ta’y impounding vehicle nga nagasuroy to impound stray animals, to impound dogs and cats, at least to control rabies from spreading here in Davao City (We receive many requests in our office for impounding of animals from the subdivisions.. be cause of irresponsible pet owners who just let their pets go astray. We have im

fied even further by the Covid-19 pandemic, learn ing recovery truly requires a whole-of-nation ap proach... Led by our spon sor and education cham pion Sen Pia S. Cayetano, our honorable senators en sured that the Department will have sufficient funding to begin our road to recov ery,” it said.

The approved budget, meanwhile, included the PHP150-million confiden tial fund, which will be used to ensure the safety and se curity of learners and per sonnel.

The DepEd has earli er insisted that the confi dential fund has a “solid legal basis,” and that its implementation is timely to make sure programs are

pounding vehicles roaming around to impound dogs and cats, at least to control rabies from spreading here in Davao City),” Pallar said.

She said that to claim their animals from the animal impounding site in Malagos, Baguio Dis trict, owners should pay a Php500 impounding fee and an additional Php50 pesos per day. If not claimed for three days, the animals are euthanized be

target-specific.

“Sexual abuse and all other forms of violence, graft, and corruption; in volvement in illegal drugs of learners and personnel; recruitment to insurgen cy, terrorism, and violent extremism; child labor; child pornography; and recruitment to criminal activities, gangsterism, and financial and other scams, are just some of the pressing issues, which by their nature of being un lawful, need the support of surveillance and intelli gence gathering to ensure that projects of DepEd are target-specific and will re sult in the broader protec tion of our personnel and learners,” the DepEd earli er said. (PNA)

cause the city has no bud get to allow them to stay for long.

The CVO’s facility for animal rehabilitation will have its full operation next year with the approval of its operational cost under the 2023 budget.

With the rehabilitation, the selected impounded animals will be rehabilitat ed and will be up for adop tion by eligible individuals. CIO

the other end.

“Stay being resilient. That’s what it is. Got to be resilient always.”

FROM 7 or accessories every first Monday of the month to celebrate our local cul ture. Nalipay kaayo ko for this ordinance kay atoang matabangan ang atoang mga IP or the 11 tribes of Davao City to promote their culture sa ilahang lugar at the same time

Boston moved atop the Eastern Conference after the Milwaukee Bucks fell to 10-3 with a 121-106 home loss to Atlanta.

De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points while Trae Young added 21 points and nine assists for Atlanta, which improved to 9-5. Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela each added 19 points and Capela had 10 rebounds for the Hawks.

Giannis Antetokoun mpo led the Bucks with 27 points and added eight re bounds and four assists.

Bam Adebayo scored 30 points to lead seven Miami scorers in double figures as the Heat edged visiting Phoenix 113-112. Adebayo, who grabbed 10 rebounds, was 9-of-18 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the free throw line.

Adebayo’s jumper with 58 seconds remaining gave Miami a 111-110 edge but Cameron Payne answered to give Phoenix a 112-111 lead.

Adebayo was fouled by Deandre Ayton and hit two free throws with 35 seconds

BROWNLEE...

to host 6th window of FIBA qualifiers

Brownlee is tipped to join the country’s pool of naturalized players, which already includes Filipi no-American guard Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz and Ange Kouame of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Having multiple options will be crucial for Gilas Pili

CITY...

FROM 3

site visits where auditors will merely observe.

After the audit, the of fice’s best practices as well as minor deviations to the standards or Opportunities for Improvement (OFI) will be highlighted in the Audit Findings Report, Gamueta explained.

Due to the intricacy of the whole auditing pro cess, as well as the great number of office pro

remaining to give the Heat their final victory margin.

Payne missed a late jumper and Devin Booker, who led Phoenix with 25 points, missed a 3-pointer in the last two seconds to end the Suns’ final hope.

Jimmy Butler added 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami.

Canadian guard Dalano Banton scored 27 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 115-111 triumph at De troit.

Paul George had 22 points and a game-high eight rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 122-106 victory at Hous ton.

Reggie Jackson and re serve Norman Powell each added 17 points for the Clippers while Jalen Green scored a game-high 25 points for the Rockets.

Mason Plumlee scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier each added 17 to spark Char lotte over host Orlando 112-105.

Ball also had a gamehigh nine assists while Franz Wagner scored a game-high 23 points in a losing cause.

FROM 7

pinas, said Barrios, especial ly with a cramped calendar next year leading into the FIBA World Cup 2023.

“Why are we doing these things? Because we want to have more options. Kesa ‘yung iisa lang ang natural ized natin,” said Barrios. “We want to have more options kaya natin tinatrabaho si Justin.”

cedures to be assessed, Gamueta said the Inter nal Quality Audit intends to train at least 20 more people to add to their pool of 36 auditors.

Gamueta added that maintaining the ISO 9001:2015 Certification is emblematic of the city gov ernment’s determination to deliver world-class pub lic service to the Dabawen yos. CIO

Celtics down Thunder to stretch win streak to seven

Marcus Smart added 22 points, Al Horford had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Tatum also contribut ed 10 rebounds as the Celt ics improved to 11-3 on the season while the Thunder fell to 6-8.

Brownlee set to appear in Congress over naturalization

Barangay Ginebra im port Justin Brownlee’s journey to donning the Philippine colors take a cru cial stage when he appears before the Lower House on Wednesday as part of the process for his naturaliza tion.

This, according to Sama hang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios who assured that the federation is pulling out all stops to ensure that Brownlee will be available for Gilas Pilipinas at the soonest possible time.

The SBP is optimistic that Brownlee will be able to suit up for the Philippines in February for the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

“Bukas, may hearing na po sa Congress, a-appear ho si Justin Brownlee doon,” Barrios said during the Phil ippine Sportswriters Associ ation (PSA) Forum.

“Samahan ninyo tayong lahat sa dasal na ma-ap prove at sana on time. Mal aking bagay po kung magig ing available po si Justin,” he said.

Brownlee, 34, has long expressed a desire to play for the Philippines. A twotime Best Import, he has led Barangay Ginebra to five PBA championships includ ing the most recent Gover nors’ Cup title.

Appearing before the House Committee of Justice is among the steps he has to take in order to be natu

ralized. Once the bill for his naturalization is passed in the Lower House, it will be elevated to the Philippine Senate.

“May proseso po ‘yan, walang shortcut-shortcut po diyan,” said Barrios, who nonetheless thanked the Philippine lawmakers for their help in the process.

“’Yung kongreso at senado, mabilis ho silang umaksyon basta kumpleto [ang documents],” he also said. “As far as effort by Con gress and the Senate, I be lieve there’s nothing more to desire from them. Kasi ano ho sila, handa silang aksyunan basta kumpleto ang dokumento.”

READ: Philippine Arena

Payton

The Celtics, down by seven at halftime and after three quarters, outscored Oklahoma City 37-26 in the fourth quarter to rally for the victory, with Derrick White coming off the bench to score 16 points.

“I thought our bench did a great job of bringing the energy and picking us up,” Celtics coach Joe Maz zulla said.

Pritchard

added 10 points and two steals in a reserve role.

“We were a little slug gish starting this game,” he said. “I think the sec ond half we just wanted to come out, pressure the ball, make them uncomfortable and that led to points on

WASHINGTON -- Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 26 to lead the Bos ton Celtics over Oklahoma City 126-122 on Monday, stretching their NBA win streak to seven games.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (R) drives to the basket as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Al exander (L) defends during the second half at TD Garden, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 14 November 2022.

CJ Gunther, EPA-EFE Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (R) drives to the basket as Oklahoma City Thunder

guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (L) defends during the second half at TD Garden, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 14 November 2022. CJ Gunther, EPA-EFE

The SBP is optimistic that Brownlee will be able to suit up for the Philippines in February for the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

IMPRESSIVE WINS

Novino, Napoles rule judo events at Women’s Martial Arts Fest

Sophia Nicole Novino and Rhian Napoles ruled their respective weight catego ries in judo at the 8th Philippine Sports Commission Women’s Martial Arts Festival held at the Philippine Judo Federation train ing gym inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Novino, a sophomore from the National Academy of Sports, topped the women’s -44kg divi sion after scoring an ippon win (1-0) over Mikeighla Louise de Vera of Baguio Judo Club while Gabrielle Lorine Dizon and Prin cess Maurine Villafranca settled for bronze medals.

Novino seemed to have ad

justed well in her transition from judo kata to sparring after the Muntinlupa Judo Club stand out convincingly defeated Villa franca and Dizon in the prelim inaries on the way to the finals.

“Hindi po ito first na nakala ban ko si Mike (De Vera). Mag aling po siyang kalaban, kaya nagpapasalamat po ako sa aking pagkapanalo,” said Novino, a Grade 8 student at the NAS, the country’s first sports academy managed by the government.

Featuring the nation’s finest women athletes in 11 sports, the WMA is being streamed live at the PSC’s YouTube channel and the PSC WMA Festival FB page.

The six-day festival for the finest Filipino women martial arts athletes is supported by Po cari Sweat and Go21.

Napoles claimed the -48kg title at the expense of Mari ana Alicia Roces after going through bronze medalist Jamila Abanador in the semifinals while Shanaia Yve Febrer and Jhenica Serrano reigned supreme in the -32kg and -40kg divisions.

Philippine Judo Federation president Ali Sulit expressed his gratitude to the PSC and PSC Commissioner Olivia ``Bong’’ Coo, the commissioner in charge of Women in Sports, for includ ing judo as a demonstration sport in the WMA Festival.

The event is part of the coun try’s initial preparations for the 6th Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in Bangkok, Thailand next year, exactly 365 days after the closing ceremony of the on going WMA Festival on Thurs day.

Other gold medalists in judo were Analyn Dino (-52kg), Sa mara Nina Vidor (-57kg), Mae gan Motilla (-63kg), Raphaela Estrada (-70kg) and Francesca Michaela Roces (+70kg).

At the Rizal Memorial Colise um, national wrestlers Jiah Pin got and Grace Loberanes didn’t disappoint in proving their worth.

Pingot handily defeated Lady May Carabuena of Mandaluy ong City for the gold medal in the freestyle -53kg senior while Loberanes beat Kimberly Jhoy Bondad in traditional wrestling 57kg.

Also winning the gold were Cathlyn Vergara (classic 52kg), Mary Jhol Cacal (58kg), Jean Mae Lobo (63kg), junior grapplers Melissa Tumasis (52kg), Nicole Pinlac (58kg), Rhea Cervant es (63kg), Amber Arcilla (57kg and Nashica Tumasis (freestyle 53kg).

Competitions in arnis are on going at press time while sambo, taekwondo and muay will begin Wednesday.

Rhian Napoles claimed the -48kg title at the expense of Mariana Alicia Roces after going through bronze medal ist Jamila Abanador in the semifinals while Shanaia Yve Febrer and Jhenica Serrano reigned supreme in the -32kg and -40kg divisions.