The frequency of scheduled and emer gency water interruptions of the Davao City Water District (DCWD) surged this year.
Jovana Cresta Duhay lungsod, spokesperson of DCWD, reported that for the 10-month period this year they have recorded 240 scheduled interrup tions and 1,001 emergency water service interrup tions.
“But there is a good reason behind that. Karong
tuiga grabe ang pag imple ment nato sa atoang mga complimentary projects,” Duhaylungsod said during the AFP PNP Press Corps media briefing on Wednes day at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Duhaylungsod said among the reasons for scheduled interruptions
is DCWD’s preparatory works for the bulk water supply project especially in its distribution manage ment.
“We anticipate with the additional supply musaka ang pressure so we have to make sure that our pipe lines are ready and atoang timpla sa operation is sakto and our monitoring is in place,” she said.
She also said that one of the compliment projects is the District Metered Area
(DMA) project, which is among DCWD’s strategies to reduce non-revenue wa ter or water loss.
“Isa sa compliment project ana is the District Metered Area (DMA) kung as a atoang i-section ang distribution network into manageable allocations para mas dali makita ang rise and fall sa pressure. This is relatively new tech nology,” she said.
One of the things need FMORE, P10
Vice President Sara Duterte took pride on the “historic firsts” that her office has so far achieved under her tenure, including extending basic services in other regions through their satellite of fices.
Duterte lauded these accomplishments during the celebration of the Office of the Vice President’s 87th anniversary Tuesday.
“Happy anniversary to the hardworking and dedicated team behind the OVP’s success. We are here to make things happen. Let us toast to the many firsts we have accomplished and many more public service innovations to come,” Dute rte said in a speech.
The vice president, who served as Davao City mayor before assuming her na tional post, said that basic
services for Filipinos are very much needed in other regions.
“We set out to reach more Filipinos living in cit ies outside Metro Manila by extending our services to other regions, provinces, and cities across the coun try. Hence, we opened sat ellite offices across seven key cities to bring our ser vices closer to the people. A first in the history of the Of
fice of the Vice President,” she said.
These satellite offic es, together with the OVP Central Office, have been distributing medical and burial assistance to quali fied beneficiaries.
Besides medical and burial assistance, the OVP has also launched a nation wide “libreng sakay” (free rides) program, PagbaBA
The Bangsamoro Au tonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is in the thick of preparing a recovery plan following the devastation wrought by the recent Se vere Tropical Storm Paeng.
BARMM Chief Minis ter Ahod “Murad” Ebra him said Wednesday the Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Manage ment Council (BDRRMC) is set to launch the “Early Recovery Plan” to sustain the interventions for the storm victims and de struction to infrastructure and agriculture in the re gion.
“We need to make an assessment and see what the Bangsamoro govern ment can do and adopt measures to avoid heavy casualties,” Ebrahim, who also chairs the BDRRMC, said in a statement.
Recently, the BDRRMC conducted a series of meetings o strategize and establish an immediate plan to help the victims of Paeng recover fast.
Ebrahim directed all regional agencies to help analyze the effects of the natural calamity (Paeng), one of the most devastat ing and unprecedented catastrophes the autono mous region had ever ex perienced.
The BARMM chief min ister also pushed for the construction of more tem porary evacuation shelters
for the affected families in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, and other affected areas in the region.
“We are looking at tem porary evacuation centers because it is the opening of classes. At some point they (children) must be transferred, otherwise, classes would be affected, and we don’t like that to happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, BARMM Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said the plan is moving towards life-sus taining activities for the communities before going to the full rehabilitation and recovery of the com munities.
He said BARMM quickly assisted residents whose houses were slight ly damaged, so they can re turn to their homes while the regional government works on the restoration of roads, bridges, and elec tricity.
Sinarimbo said over 400 houses were severely and partially damaged at ground zero in Barangay Kusiong, Datu Odin Sin suat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Across the region, data from BDRRMC showed that 1,074 houses were damaged by the typhoon.
The formal launching of BARMM’s early recov ery plan for Paeng victims is expected later this week.
Nothing is final yet for the holding of Meetings, Incen tives, Conferences and Ex hibitions (MICE) in Davao City.
Ken Kapulong, cochair of the Davao MICE Con Execom and hotel manager of Seda Abree za, told Edge Davao they are currently on a MICE Con cluster meeting and is also preparing for the signing of the Memoran dum of Agreement (MOA) between Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, chief operating officer of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, expected ear ly next month.
“So we can move for ward. The MOA is the cru cial part, without it noth ing is official,” Kapulong said.
Meanwhile, newly in stalled City Tourism Op erations Officer-in-Charge Jennifer Romero said MICE plays a significant role in reinvigorating the tourism sector because it
creates revenue return.
She said MICE is among prime tourism ac tivities to be pushed next year and position Davao City as a prime destina tion for MICE.
“We have several line up of events nga ma-ex pose ang Davao. For next year nga atong gina-ex pect aside from Araw ng Dabaw which will be on March 1, Davao City will be hosting MICECon. Dako kaayo ni siya nga event nga atong pwede maipa kita as starter para atong i-showcase that Davao City will be the strong MICE destination sa Pili pinas “ Romero said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Tuesday.
Romero said it is the plan of CTOO to partner and collaborate with the stakeholders in formulat ing action plans to revital ize the city’s tourism sec tor in the coming years.
Romero said the city’s tourism sector had been somber due to the impact of Covid-19 and that this
The city government of Davao has is sued an advisory requiring owners to register their bicycles and light mobil ity vehicles.
This conforms to Ordi nance No 0782-21, Series of 2012 or an Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 0334-12, series of 2012, otherwise known as the “Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of Davao City” in conformity with the Amended Bicycle and
Light Mobility Vehicle Ordi nance of Davao City”
For documentary re quirements, bicycle owners must bring accomplished registration form, official receipt of bicycle/ light mobility vehicle purchase or Affidavit of Ownership, barangay clearance, com
pliance to minimum safety requirements.
All requirements must be submitted to the ba rangay where the rider re sides.
After issued with an Order of Payment, rider/ owner must pay P25 to any near City Treasurer’s Office (CTO).
Meanwhile, riders/ owners are also advised to wear helmet and re flectors or other warning and ensure that their bicy
cles have bell or horn, and working brakes.
The backpack; basket or carrier; or trailer at tached to the bike must not exceed 80cm in width.
Cyclists are also ad vised that when riding at night, a bicycle shall be equipped with additional protective equipment such as blinkers and lights.
Last year, then council or Mabel Sunga Acosta has proposed “The Amended FCITY, P10
The personnel of the 10th Infantry “Agi la” Division donated a total of Php697,000.00 from their Subsistence Allowance for the Relief Operations conducted on November 13 to 14, 2022 for Typhoon Paeng victims in Maguindanao del Norte.
The fund was used to buy 1,000 hygiene kits including toothpastes, toothbrushes, slippers, mosquito nets, bath
soaps, detergent bars, packs of coffee, and pales. Likewise, the 10th Civ il-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Mag dalena Custodio together with the 6th CMO Bat talion of the 6th Infantry Division, and the Local Government Unit of Datu Blah Sinsuat distributed the relief packs to the res idents of Barangay Pura and Barangay Matuber
both in Datu Blah Sinsuat on November 14.
On the other hand, a total of 720 families bene fited from the relief oper ations conducted by 10ID and the Kiwanis Interna tional Philippines South District Division 6A, 6B, 7, and 8 led by Mr. Jimmy Go to the affected residents of Barangay Delican and Barangay Kusiong both in Datu Odin Sinsuat on No vember 13. The relief packs
include five (5) kgs of rice, canned goods, noodles, and pre-loved clothing.
MGen Nolasco A Mem pin, 10ID Commander, lauded the combined ef forts of 10ID and 6ID per sonnel. He emphasized the importance of helping each other during trying times such as disasters and calamities.
“Our service to our fel low countrymen does not
Moneysent home by overseas Fili pino workers (OFWs) rose by 3.8 percent year-on-year in September 2022 to USD2.84 billion, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) citing robust growth both from land-based and seabased workers.
In the first three quar ters of this year, total cash remittances grew by 3.1 percent to USD23.83 bil lion compared to the same
period in 2021, data re leased by the central bank on Tuesday showed.
Inflows from landbased workers jumped by
4.2 percent to USD2.25 bil lion in the ninth month this year while those from seabased workers grew by 2.5 percent to USD59 million.
The BSP said bulk of the remittances in the first three quarters of this year came from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singa pore, and Qatar.
Meanwhile, Rizal Com mercial Banking Corpora tion (RCBC) chief econo mist Michael Ricafort said
growth of remittances last September is slower than year-ago’s 5.2 percent.
He attributed this part ly to elevated inflation rate and interest rates in the US “that somewhat slowed down/weighed on the re covery in the global econo my and also partly weighed on both OFW employment and incomes.”
“Nevertheless, the con tinued growth in OFW
Aparty-list lawmaker on Tuesday said at least PHP26 billion in revenue is lost each year by the government to the illicit trade of tobacco products, which deprives the coun try of much-needed funds to support various govern ment programs.
During the hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, PBA Party-list Rep. Margarita
Ignacia Nograles said the government is losing bil lions in revenues because of the uncollected excise taxes from these smuggled tobacco products.
“The government rev enues are lost from smug gled, unregistered, and unregulated cigarettes which are being sold via container vans shipments. This resulted in an estimat ed PHP26 billion in finan
cial losses annually. If this continues, it will affect our local tobacco industry and roughly 2.2 million kaba bayans will be affected,” Nograles said.
Nograles, together with Presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “San dro” Marcos, pushed for the passage of bill imposing tougher penalties against tobacco smuggling by amending some provisions
of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
The bill seeks to include raw and finished tobacco as agricultural commodities whose illegal importation constitutes economic sab otage, which is punishable with life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled agricultur al product and the aggre
The upcoming Philip pine Development Plan (PDP) 2023 to 2028 will detail “actionable strategies” to develop the domestic market, Socio economic Planning Secre tary Arsenio Balisacan said Tuesday.
Balisacan made this remark after meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang to discuss updates on the country’s development blueprint, according to a press release from the Pal ace.
“He [Marcos] empha sized that the plan should address the concerns of the development — concerns of the development of the local markets,” said Balisa can, who heads the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Marcos earlier made a commitment to developing the domestic market during his meeting with global leaders at the recently-con cluded Association of South east Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Balisacan said he briefed the President about “major elements” of the PDP 20232028 while the latter pro vided comments and sug gestions.
The PDP 2023-2028 is expected to be unveiled next month.
Balisacan said it will be the first time to present a development blueprint “be fore the start of the first full year” of the President.
“Ang nangyari noon (What happened before) is that all the ships are al ready in the middle of the sea. They are casting their own nets. Ngayon nandiyan (Now, it’s there). So there is now greater opportunity for coordination ng agencies,” he said.
He likewise expressed assurance that a framework for regular monitoring and evaluation of the implemen tation of the plan is also in place.
“So every year, we will
The Securities and Ex change Commission (SEC) has received another recognition from the United Nations Con ference on Trade and De velopment (UNCTAD) for promoting sustainability and sustainable develop ment goals (SDG) report ing in the Philippines.
The SEC received the ISAR Honours 2022 in the national category during a ceremony held at the Pal ais des Nations in Geneva on November 2, besting 45 other organizations from other countries.
It shared the stage with World Bank and In ternational Finance Cor poration, UN Global Com pact, and World Economic Forum, which received the same award in the inter national category.
The Commission pre viously received the ISAR Honours 2019 for promot ing sustainability and SDG reporting by requiring publicly-listed companies (PLCs) to submit sustain ability reports annually.
The ISAR Honours recognizes policy, institu tional and capacity-build ing initiatives, publicly available at the national
or international level, that encourage and assist en terprises to publish data on their contribution to SDG implementation, and that assist governments in collecting such data for SDG monitoring needs.
The award is named after the International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR), through which the UNC TAD supports public and private sector efforts to enhance the quality and comparability of compa nies’ reporting on their contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its use fulness for monitoring the implementation of the SDGs.
“I would like to thank the organizers of ISAR Honours and accept this year’s award wholeheart edly with the hope that other jurisdictions will be inspired to immediately adopt or to continue to carry out fully their sus tainable practices,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino said during the ceremony.
“The SEC Philippines has since been active in
SEC, P10
The Davao Region reported P549.85 million in approved foreign invest ments in the third quarter of 2022, according to a report released Tuesday by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The agency said Davao’s approved invest ment commitments im proved by 3.17 percent as compared with the in vestments worth P532.94 million recorded in the previous quarter.
The agency said that Davao is the only region in Mindanao with approved foreign investment com mitments for the third quarter.
A pledge of P985.70 million for Northern Mindanao in the second quarter was the highest investment so far report ed on the island for this year while Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao record ed P291.45 million in the same quarter, based on the information released by the agency.
As of third quarter
of 2022, total approved foreign investments in Mindanao amounted to P2.406 billion, lower as compared to the P3.671 billion reported in the same period of 2021.
According to the PSA, approved foreign invest ments in the country in the third quarter were reported at P13.05 bil lion or lower by 22.4% as compared to P16.82 bil lion in the same quarter of 2021.
The foreign invest ment pledges were most ly reported from the gov ernment’s investment promotion agencies such
as Board of Investments (BOI), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Phil ippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
Among the regions in the Philippines, CAL ABARZON reported the highest approved foreign investments at P6.60 billion comprising 50.6 percent of the total in vestments, followed by Central Luzon with P3.02 billion and National Capi tal Region with P2.24 bil lion.
The agency said Ja
Home Development Mutual Fund or PagIBIG Fund on Tues day said its members saved another record-high in the last 10 months of 2022.
In a statement, PagIBIG said members saved P66.66 billion from Janu ary to October, up 27% in the same period last year and even surpassed the full-year 2021 savings of
P63.67 billion.
The agency said the total members’ savings during the period is its highest in history.
“Pag-IBIG Fund has again set another re cord-high, this time in its members’ savings collec tions. It speaks well of the trust that our members and stakeholders have in our capability to manage
their savings excellently and prudently. With more funds, Pag-IBIG remains in a strong position to finance its programs, particularly its home loans, while keep ing interest rates on its loans low,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DH SUD) and the 11-member
Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.
“All these are part of our efforts in support of Presi dent Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for providing a better life for all Filipinos,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG said its Modified Pag-IBIG 2 or MP2 Savings posted record-breaking P33.72 billion or 51% of the agen
On her office’s “many firsts” during the 87th anniversary of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday, Nov. 15, noting key programs she initiated when she took the helm: Vice President SARA DUTERTE
“We
On May 2, 1945, a day before the U.S. troops and Filipino guer rillas liberated Davao from the en emy, one of the grisliest massacres to occur during the tail-end of the war took place at Lapuy, a sitio of Mandug, Davao City.
Twenty-two men and twelve women, forcibly rounded up by the Japanese soldiers in an air-raid shelter, became victims of seven hand grenades exploded by Japa nese soldiers. Only one survived to tell the ordeal and execute an affi davit before the War Crimes Office in Da-vao City.
Miguel Estimada, then 20 years old, testified that when the American planes started their ae rial bombing runs over the city in September 1944, the Japanese ap peared sociable. At times, he would drop by their camp near his Bacaca residence and exchange fruits for
ciga-rettes.
But this all changed that day in May when ten Japanese officers and a group of low-ranked soldiers visited his home and gathered ev erybody in the neighborhood on the pretext of protecting them from the American bombings. They were brought to an air-raid shelter at Lapuy, about half a kilometer from Estimada’s residence at around 5:30 in the afternoon.
Estimada, in a testimony filed with the War Crimes Investigating Detachment, recognized six of the Japanese soldiers as Navy Capt. Katsuji Shimamura, and Privates Morisada Masao, Oide, Hiroshi, Mosukawa, and Mori. He identified Mosukawa as the guy who forcibly brought out 17-year-old Encarna cion Lines from the bunker; lat er, a 21-year-old girl named Pilar followed. Both girls were violated
(This series is from the presenta tion of Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto on“In tegral Ecology Ministry in Mindanao Context” at the 17th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference in Cagayan de Oro City on November 7 to 10, 2022)
“What Is Happening to Our Beautiful Land?” (CBCP, 1988). “What is happening to Our Com mon Home?” (Pope Francis, 2015). What is happening to our Beloved Mindanao?
To answer these questions, it is imperative to listen to the prophetic voices of Earth sciences. The Filipi no Catholic bishops rightly argues: “those who study ecology … are in a good position to tell us what is hap pening since they study the web of dynamic relationships…” Along this line, Pope Francis invites us to draw “on the results of the best scientif ic research available today, letting them touch us deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.”
Let us allow our nostalgic re membering and creative imagining of the past to help us re-construct the remote history. We were told that “The first Christian mission aries saw trees extending from the shores to the mountaintops, and likened the country to a paradise. … Forests made up 27.5 million hect ares or 92% of the country’s total land area in the 16th century, when Spanish colonizers arrived.”
The Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) has done a helpful study on the alarming de cline of the Philippine forest cover when the US colonizers occupied the country. Accordingly, “Estimates place forest in the Philippines in 1900 at 21 million hectares or 70% of the total land area,” 18 million hectares or 60% in 1920s, 15 mil lion or 50% in 1950s, and 10.2 mil lion hectares or 34% in 1970s.
During the Martial Law years (1972-1981) of Ferdinand E. Mar cos, Sr., Timber License Agreements (TLAs) were rewarded to his rel atives and cronies who “did not adopt selective logging, … cleared forests, did not replant, and even
outside the shelter by the soldiers who took turns in raping them, apparently with the permission of Capt. Shimamura. In both events, Morisawa was the first to ravish the women. The victims, disgraced and completely naked, were next brought back to the dugout.
With the heat overpower ing the people inside the bunker, the appeal for water or food was relayed but all the Japanese had none of this. Instead, they told the stressed civilians they would be killed. Brandishing rifles with fixed bayonets, the soldiers surround ed the entrance to the dugout and warned anybody would be killed if they attempted to leave the bunker.
‘Around 10:00 o’clock in the night,’ Estimada said, ‘Mosukawa came down the stairs to the en trance of the air raid shelter while Shimamura and Masao walked
away. Mosukawa took out a hand grenade from his side pocket, tapped it against his helmet and threw it into the air raid shelter. In quick succession, he threw about six or seven hand grenades into the shelter. Suddenly, the hand gre nades exploded among us… Shrap nels hit my two hands…. When the people inside… stopped shouting, screaming, crying and moaning, the Japanese soldiers placed pieces of wood and iron roofing to block the entrance of the air raid shelter.’
The following morning, Capt. Shimamura and Masao removed the wooden slabs and galvanized roofs from the dugout’s entrance and peeked inside. When Masao saw that one of the victims, Catali no Butay, was still breathing, he drew his saber and chopped off his head. The Navy officer, mean while, upon seeing Estimada alive,
took his pistol and shot him on the left leg, and struck him twice in the upper right leg with a saber; he sur vived to expose the ordeal.
Left out for dead, Estimada stayed in the dungeon for three days and three nights without food, recalling: ‘About one o’clock of the third night, I creeped out of the air raid shelter on my hands and knees and crossed the river which was nearby. After crossing the river, I met Dr. Zamora and a group of peo ple.’ He remained with the doctor for seventeen days to re-cover.
After recuperation, Estimada stated in his November 29, 1945, affidavit that he was brought to the Daliao stockade where he met some of the perpetrators. The detention center was at the time home to 800 interned Japanese officers and enlisted men awaiting trial for their war crimes.
went beyond their concession ar eas.” Because the authoritarian gov ernment has legally empowered the loggers to exploit the forest, it “fur ther shrank to 6.4 million hectares just after the 1986 People Power Revolution. Since then the country’s forest cover hovered at just under 7 million hectares on average,”or about 24% of the total land area.
According to the DENR, “forests should cover 54% of our land” in order to maintain an ecologically sustainable and healthy country. Thus, when the MSPC-1 took place in 1971, the Philippines had already failed to meet the required forest cover.
As of now, there is no available published data yet on the total land cover of Mindanao Island. Never theless, some authors say that only 21% of Mindanao is covered by forest. This makes Mindanao highly vulnerable to ecological calamities in the face of climate emergency.
Unsustainable Land Use and Destructive Agricultural Practices
When trees are gone, other ecological problems occur. “Once the big commercial loggers have chopped down the commercial ly viable trees, they abandon the area. But they leave logging roads that … serve as ‘the arteries of for est destruction.’ … Poor shifting agriculturalists ‘will only penetrate into areas that loggers have opened up because of the roads.’” Thus, it appears that the unsustainable log ging had systematically prepared the scene for large-scale monocul ture agribusiness.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) affirms that only about 40% of land in Mindanao is classified as alienable and disposable while the remaining 60% is “Forestland, which is either strictly protected ar eas or government regulated forest management areas.” In the case of Bukidnon, which is duly recognized as a “watershed province” of Min danao, perhaps maintaining just 60% forest cover of its total land area would not be enough. Sadly, the recent survey reveals that around 59% of its total area is upland and
that only 35% of that remained for ested. In other words, “almost two thirds of the Bukidnon uplands are denuded.” Furthermore, about 92 percent (or 380,332.75 hectares) of its Alienable and Disposable Land has already been utilized for agri cultural production.
In January 2010, Congress passed a law creating a Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), which points to agribusiness as a major area for economic develop ment. For this reason, about onethird of Mindanao’s land area has been devoted to agriculture. There is an ongoing land conversion in Mindanao due to the expansion of pineapple, banana, coffee, coconut, corn, mango, rice, and sugar cane plantations.
The extensive monocropping patterns of agribusiness firms de pendent on high levels of chemical applications cause depletion of soil nutrients. Their cultivation patters erode the soil to the effect that the badly damaged soil would not be able to sustain any other crops for many years. Their colonizing presence did not alleviate the poor. They have even displaced count less indigenous communities who were forced to move to the margins “where the last patches of the pri mary forest remained.”
It can be recalled that the Min ing Act of 1936 was the first ma jor mining law in the country. The passage of Republic Act 7942, oth erwise known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, on March 3, 1995, paved the way for the mining liberalization policy in the Philip pines. Republic Act 7076, signed on June 27, 1991, provides for the creation of “Minahang Bayan” to be governed by the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board.
It has been reported that, in the Philippines, “95 percent of min ing companies practice open-pit mining” which causes “massive de struction of forest ecosystems.” In Mindanao, Caraga hosts the largest number of operating mines of any region. As a favorite destination of
this extractive industry, Caraga is hosting at present “15 large-scale mining companies from China, Ja pan, Hong Kong, and Australia, with eight more in the pipeline. All in all, at least 62 mining companies main tain offices in the region.” As Caraga Watch pointed out, “close to 5% of the entire land area in Caraga Re gion, or about 85,132.85 hectares, are being mined for nickel, chromite and gold.”
Alarmingly, “49% of mining projects in the Philippines are in conflict with registered ancestral domains.” In Mindanao, the “fifteen biggest mining operations cover up to 131,775 hectares of land, which are situated on or near Lumad com munities.” This largely explains why mining activities in Mindanao are closely associated with peace prob lems and Lumad persecution. This unrest has been used to justify the heavy militarization in Mindanao.
The Philippines is gifted with 59 natural lakes and 421 principal river basins, of which 18 are major river basins. Eight of these major river basins are found in Mindanao. “Mindanao” is a Maguindanawon word which means “land of lakes.”
Indeed, six of these eight major river basins have their sources from Bukidnon, namely: (1) the Pulangi River, which originates from Kala bugao mountains (Impasug-ong) and traverses 18 Bukidnon munic ipalities as it flows to the Cotabato provinces where it becomes the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the country’s second largest river; (2) the Tago loan River, which has its source in Malaybalay and flows toward Ma cajalar Bay in Tagoloan of Misamis Oriental province; (3) the Cagayan River, which originates from Talak ag and drains toward Macajalar Bay of Cagayan de Oro City; (4) the Mari dugao River, which has its source in Talakag and flows towards the edg es between the boundary of Bukid non and Lanao del Sur provinces; (5) the Salug-Davao River, which emerges from San Fernando and drains towards Davao province; and (6) the Agusan-Cugman River,
which originates from Kitanglad mountain ranges (west of Lanta pan) and flows towards Macajalar Bay of Cagayan de Oro City. Sadly, many of these rivers are heavily polluted.
A study conducted by the De partment of Environment and Nat ural Resources (DENR) showed that out of the 421 Principal Rivers in the country, 180 are already heavi ly polluted, and 50 are biologically dead. The extensive monocropping patterns of agribusiness firms that desperately depend on high levels of chemical applications depletes the soil nutrients. Their unsustain able practices are chiefly responsible for massive soil erosion that causes siltation of many rivers and other soil-related ecological disasters.
One major freshwater type of pollutant is toxic synthetic agro-chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Their pollution is so pervasive to the ef fect that they contaminated both the surface water and groundwa ter. The mismanagement of wastes from livestock agriculture is pol luting our creeks and rivers. The survey conducted by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) affirms that 35% of our rivers and surface water areas that are poten tial sources of drinking need to be chemically treated completely first before they become potable.
Considering the interdepen dence and network of river catch ments, Bukidnon forest cover is ecologically responsible for protect ing its low-lying neighboring prov inces from possible water crisis, floods, and droughts. Thus, in the face of today’s abnormal situation brought about by climate emergen cy, the residents of the low-lying provinces in Mindanao (especially the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Davao, Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, and Lanao del Sur) are ecological stakeholders of the Bukidnon wa tersheds as they would either ben efit from their healthy ecosystem services or be tragically affected by their hazardous ecological state.
(To be continued)
And what makes the cel ebration more special? It is that fleeting feeling that one is like a princess.
Fiohna Gajunera Bu lacito’s debut party was whipped fairy-tale-ish, re sembling Disney’s new Prin cess Elena of Avalor.
Bulacito donned the gown of her dreams de signed by popular Pampan ga-based designer Rowell Panlilio who is a cousin of Mak Tumang. It was Tu mang who designed the gown of former presiden tial daughter Dabawenya Veronica “Kitty” Duterte on her debut in April this year.
Panlilio dressed Bulaci to with a double balloon cut off shoulder red gown in crinolace base material over three dimensional applique embellishments over Swarovski crystal beadworks.
She looked every inch a princess as she revealed herself during her debu tante walk at the Los Arbo les Tagaytay Events Place in the City of Tagaytay.
Panlilio’s creations has not only mesmerized debutantes but beauty queens and celebrities as well. His clientele includes Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo, Ms. Universe Philippines 2021 winners, Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Sunshine Cruz, and K Brosas.
The intimate yet fun par ty was hosted by television personality Sam Y.G.
What made the celebra tion extra special? It gath ered the 50 relatives of the debutante from Davao City and dressed to the nines for a very special occasion.
A debut celebration is a fairy tale-like experience that every girl dreams.
By HENRYLITO D. TACIO
Illustrations from templehealth.org and my.clevelandclinic.org
There are two main forms of COPD: emphyse ma (which involves damage to the lungs over time) and chronic bronchitis (which involves a long-term cough with mucus).
Thirty-year-old Jude A. (not his real name) used to be the center of attraction. He’s not only handsome but funny as well. In fact, he could be a movie star – if he wanted to be. In almost all parties, he was around and he never failed to attract the attention of everyone, including ladies. The only thing some friends didn’t like him was his habit of smoking.
Then, something went wrong. Lately, he frequently experienced a deep, chronic wet cough. When complet ing routine activities, such as climbing a flight of stairs, he comes short of breath. He also felt like choking with the smoke inside the disco houses he used to frequent.
“Your breathing is not normal,” the doctor told him when he went for a check-up one Friday morning. “After a thorough check-up and with your history of constant smoking, you have a chronic obstructive pulmonary dis ease.”
Jude was totally shocked and surprised. Shocked because he thought he wouldn’t have the disease. Surprised because he imag ined only adults would suf fer from COPD. Of course, he was totally wrong!
Every year, on the third
Wednesday of November, organizers in more than 50 countries, including the Philippines, have carried out activities that would raise awareness and conduct education events on COPD. This year’s theme is: “Your Lungs for Life.”
Between five to six per cent of Filipinos aged 30 and above suffer from moderate to severe COPD – and many of them remain undiag nosed. The reason is that the disease is relatively unheard of although it is common.
“Awareness about COPD (in the Philippines) is relatively low,” points out Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, Philippine Daily In quirer health columnist.
The Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of the Phil ippine Heart Center (PHC) lists smoking as the num ber one cause of COPD. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) agrees. “Tobacco smoke, both through usage and second-hand smoke, is the main culprit,” the United Na tions health agency points out.
Based on clinical re search, cigarette smoking accounts for 80 to 90 per cent of the risk for develop ing COPD. About 15 percent of all heavy long-time smok ers develop the chronic dis ease.
In the Philippines, two of the famous men who died of COPD were television reporter Augurio Bautista Camu Jr. (better known as
Jun Bautista in the media) and ace comedian Roldolfo Vera Quizon (Dolphy to most of his fans).
Even those constantly exposed to second-hand smoke over a 20-year peri od are also prone to the dis ease. “We’ve had couples, where it is the husband who smokes but the wife is the one who gets COPD,” said a doctor who is with the PHC pulmonary department.
COPD can also result from cigar and pipe smok ing. In Singapore, for in stance, 80 percent of people
who suffer from COPD are heavy smokers. According to health experts, it is not the nicotine from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes that causes damage to the lungs, but in stead, it’s the additives and the smoke.
Cigarette additives are numerous. “The additives and smoke can decrease lung function, directly dam aging the lungs, decreasing important enzymes, and constricting lung vessels (bronchioles, alveoli, and capillaries),” explains the American Lung Association.
Other risk factors in clude occupational hazards, air pollution, heredity, a history of childhood re spiratory infections, and second-hand smoke. “Sec ond-hand smoke is more dangerous than smoking the cigarette itself,” says Dr. En carnita Limpin, of the Phil ippine College of Physicians, adding that a large number of Filipinos acquired the dis ease through second-hand smoke.
There is also such a thing as third-hand smoke, which is even more lethal. As explained to GMA News Online by Dr. Imelda Mateo, chair of PCCP Tobacco and Air Pollution Council, it is the smoke from a lighted cigarette that combines with the nitric acid of the ambient
air and settles on surfaces. “It stays there, it’s more per manent and more damaging than first- and second-hand smoke,” she was quoted as saying.
In 2004, some 64 mil lion people worldwide were diagnosed with COPD, ac cording to the UN health agency. In 2005, more than three million died of COPD, representing five percent of all the deaths in the world. By 2030, COPD will be the third leading cause of death around the world.
For every 1,000 Filipi nos, 500 are males. Half of these men smoke, and with in this group, around 16 suf fer from COPD, reports Dr. Daniel Tan, a board member of the COPD Foundation of the Philippines.
“Sixteen out of every thousand may seem a small number, but computed from the country’s population, this means a staggering 1.28 million Filipino males are suffering from COPD,” wrote Dr. Tan in a Philippine Star feature. “In 20 years, COPD is projected to be one of the top diseases in developing countries like the Philip pines.”
Shortness of breath, fre quent morning cough – of ten called “smoker’s cough” – and increased sputum production are the initial
symptoms. In more ad vanced stages, the disease can make a person depen dent on oxygen to breathe, thus hampering his ability to perform normal daily ac tivities.
“COPD affects men more often than women and is more often fatal in men, al though there has been a re cent increase in the rate of deaths in women,” says The Merck Manual of Medical In formation.
Oftentimes, COPD is misdiagnosed as asthma since its initial symptoms include difficulty in breath ing. But unlike asthma, which usually afflicts a per son at a younger age, COPD develops typically among adults. Shortness of breath (dyspnea) upon exertion is also more common in COPD patients than those with asthma.
COPD symptoms also tend to worsen with age while asthma symptoms are typically more episodic and stable over time. COPD can also lead to cardiac compli cations, while asthma does not. There is also a more direct link between smok ing and COPD rather than smoking and asthma.
According to the Mayo Clinic, COPD can cause many complications, includ
If you smoke heavily and for a long time, don’t just expect to suffer from lung cancer. You are also most like ly to experience chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), another lung disease.
FROM 2
to be done is to install ap purtenances (valves, as sembly) in the water lines.
Duhaylungsod said DCWD’s implementation is massive in all of its pipe lines.
“This is distribu tion-wide na tanan i-man age nato siya so everytime naay mahuman na DMA kailangan pud nato i-tap sa system so kailangan ta mag interrupt ug atoang giapas ang paghuman ani na proyekto in time for the operation of the bulk water supply project kay useless ang kadaghanon sa tubig kung muadto lang siya sa water losses,” she said.
She said in the sched
FROM
uled interruptions the agency also implemented installations of butterfly valves, pressure regulating valves, among others.
For the 1,001 emer gency interruptions these are due to leak detection efforts of DCWD.
“Apil gihapon ni sa atong pagpaningkamot na pat abot sa tubig dili lang siya mu-derecho sa ban gag and the extensive leak detection has allowed us to detect minor and major pipeline leaks na dili pud puwede pasagdan. Mao tong grabe ang mga activi ties nato ug maobserbahan sa mga tao nga ubay ubay ang water interruptions,” she said.
FROM 3
Bicycle and Light Mobility Vehicle Ordinance of Davao City,” which was passed on third and final reading on July 27, 2021.
The measure lan guished on file while it waited for the signature of then Mayor Sara Duterte before its implementation.
FROM 3
will be a great time for the city to strengthen initia tives.
“Kay kinahanglan gyud nato mubangon to help our
Go campaign for learners, Kalusugan food trucks and disaster relief and re sponse.
The OVP, meanwhile, noted that it is also import ant to intensify inter-agen cy collaboration for effi cient disaster relief and recovery.
“The OVP recognizes the importance of collab orations and involvement in disaster risk manage ment. We work closely to gether with local govern ment units and partner
FROM 4
provide a report to the Pres ident and how the plan is being implemented and the performance and the vari ous metrics or targets that have been indicated in the plan,” he added.
Poverty reduction
Meanwhile, Balisacan also expressed confidence that the Marcos administra tion will succeed in bringing down the poverty rate to 9 percent by 2028, which is also among the goals of the PDP 2023-2028.
He said the 9 percent goal by 2028 is achievable through the government’s three-pronged approach, which involves bringing growth to a higher level, enhancing the quality of growth through the creation
agencies to engage those living in vulnerable areas, through hazard mapping, search and rescue oper ations, and community rehabilitation,” Duterte added.
Duterte noted that her office is still set to launch programs next year that will focus on women and members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual plus (LGBTQIA+) commu nity, as well as the Peace 911. (PNA)
of quality jobs, and improv ing the social protection sys tem.
“But associated with that would be the generation of not just more jobs but high er quality jobs. And those two, growth and jobs and paying attention to social protection to address shocks like typhoons and crises… to enable us to achieve faster reduction of poverty from where it is today to single digit, at nine percent actual ly,” Balisacan said.
Marcos earlier wel comed the country’s gross domestic product display ing a rebound growth rate of 5.7 percent in 2021 and a 7.8 percent average growth rate for the first half of 2022. (PNA)
FROM 4
remittances may be at tributed the need to pay for higher prices/inflation locally for OFWs and their dependents/families, as well as to finance more of their local spending with the further reopening of the economy,” he said in a report.
Ricafort said while the peso amount of the remit tances has increased be cause of the depreciation of the local currency com pared to the greenback, this is countered by the continued rise of domestic
stakeholders para atong itaas ang turismo sa dak bayan mao gyud na ang atoang priority,” Romero said. By Maya M. Padillo
inflation rate which rose to its almost 14-year high of 7.7 percent last October.
“Thus, there may still be a need to send more OFW remittances due to high er prices/inflation, which erodes/offsets whatever foreign exchange gains due to the stronger US dollar vs. major global currencies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ricafort expects the peso to get additional boost from the seasonal increase of remit tances during the Christ mas season. (PNA)
FROM 9
ing: respiratory infections, heart problems (including heart attack), lung cancer, high blood pressure in lung arteries, and depression. “About 30 percent of people with more severe airway obstruction die in one year; 95 percent die in 10 years,” the Merck manual informs.
“The most devastating consequence of COPD is the incapacitation of the patient during the most produc tive years of his life,” Dr. Tan said. “It destroys his ability to earn a living and disrupts the lives of his family mem bers for as long as 20 years before death occurs.”
There is no known cure
for COPD yet. However, it is controllable. Therefore, its diagnosis is important, so that the correct interven tions can be made. These will not treat the disease, but will slow down its prog ress.
“Although COPD is con sidered a very preventable disease, effective treatments for relief of breathlessness do exist in the form of bron chodilators like beta-ago nist, anticholinergic, and xanthine drugs,” Dr. Tan said. “Early diagnosis is con sidered critical in the pro longation and the improve ment in the quality of life of these patients.”
FROM 4
gate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided.
The panel, chaired by Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, approved the measure.
FROM 4
pan committed P4.50 bil lion, which accounted for P34.5 percent of the to tal approved investment pledges, while South Korea and Singapore pledged P2.02 billion and P1.64 billion, respectively.
only limit to security. It is also our honor and pride as soldiers, to help in any way we could anytime, anywhere,” Mempin add ed.
Meanwhile, Normia Vilo, a beneficiary from Brgy Pura, expressed her gratitude to the Army. “Nagpapasalamat po ako na kahit galing pa po sa
The agency said the biggest chunk of these investments are in man ufacturing comprising 55.2% of the total ap proved foreign pledges. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
malayo ang mga sunda lo ay binigyan pa rin po nila kami ng tulong dito sa barangay namin,” she said.
The LGUs of both ba rangays also conveyed their appreciation of the army’s effort and were looking forward to the day when they could return to their normal lives.
cy’s total savings collected by the agency during the period.
Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Marilene Acosta said the MP2 Savings continues to display remarkable growth, as it posted a 57% increase from the P21.43 billion collected during the same period last year.
“The dramatic growth of our MP2 Savings started in 2016, when collections first breached the P1-bil lion level. We are happy to note that this year is even more remarkable as the P33.72 billion collective ly saved by our members during the first 10 months of the year has already well surpassed the entire year’s record-high collection of P25.95 billion in 2021,” she said.
“We thank our mem bers for their continued trust in Pag-IBIG Fund. And, with only a few weeks remaining before the year ends, we assure our mem bers that we are doing all that we can to provide them the best return rates on ev ery hard- earned peso they have saved with us. That is our way of providing them Tapat na Serbisyo, Mula sa Puso,” added Acosta.
In sponsoring the bill, Nograles said tobacco farming remains a primary source of livelihood for so many Filipino farmers de spite the increase in excise taxes for the sale of tobacco products.
“The tobacco industry is a common source of in come for many Filipinos. This contributes to around 516,000 labor force in 2019 and around 2.2 mil lion Filipinos generated earnings from the industry. The significant impact was it accounts for 6 percent of tax revenue in 2020, and 58 percent of so-called sin tax receipts are being used to finance the national health budget – including the uni versal health care resulting in 8 million more low-in come families receiving health care under this pro
enforcing its sustainabili ty guidelines with the UN SDGs at its core, partner ing with key stakeholders and conducting several ca pacity building programs that build on sustainabil ity as a way of life and as a way forward for a more sustainable future. We have been loud and em phatic in saying our battle cry that: Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility.”
The UNCTAD par ticularly recognized the workshops, trainings, seminars and partner ships organized by the Commission to increase awareness, advance knowledge, and build capacity in sustainabili ty and SDG reporting in the Philippine corporate sector, following the issu ance of the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Publicly Listed Companies through Memorandum Circular No. 4, Series of 2019.
Prior to the first man datory submission of sus tainability reports, the SEC conducted a series of workshops to capacitate PLCs in the proper prepa ration of their annual sus tainability reports.
The capacity-building exercises and fora were
gram,” Nograles said. Despite tobacco pro duction remaining very high, she said local tobacco farmers and legitimate to bacco product manufactur ers are not only suffering economically because of the high excise tax imposed by the government but also because of the massive amount of tobacco prod ucts that are smuggled into the country by unscrupu lous importers and traders.
Nograles and Mar cos said in some areas in the Philippines, namely Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental, it is estimated that six out of 10 cigarettes sold in the market come from illegal sources.
“Almost daily, there are new reports of seized ille gal cigarettes by the Bureau of Customs in Mindanao and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Even in the to bacco-producing region of Ilocos, nearly 10 percent of the cigarettes sold are illic it,” they said. (PNA)
tailored to address both sector-specific and gener al public concerns.
Following the pioneer submissions in 2020, the SEC continued the conduct of periodic workshops and trainings on sustainability reporting and practices to keep PLCs up to date of, and provide them with a broad perspective of, the developments in the sus tainable business land scape.
At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEC conducted the work shops and trainings virtu ally. Forum and panel type of discussions were also held with the participation of esteemed resource per sons from different orga nizations. In these events, participants are given a wide latitude to interact with the resource persons.
The regular conduct of webinars, trainings, and workshops informs PLCs of the trends and policy development on sustain ability reporting, equips them with the tools to plan for, adjust, and document their short-, medium-, and long-term goals ac cordingly, and capacitates them to write comprehen sive and credible sustain ability reports.
Thenaturalization process of PBA im port Justin Brownlee has taken the first stride after the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday approved on first reading House Bill 825 or the granting of Philippine citizenship
It is the initial step in Brownlee’s bid to play for Gilas Pilipinas in interna tional competitions. Brownlee, looking dapper in a barong ta
galog, appeared before members of the Commit tee on Justice at the start of the proceedings of his naturalization. The hearing took
about 30 minutes before Cavite Fourth District Rep. Pidi Barzaga moved for the approval of the House Bill 825 authored by Deputy Speaker and 1-Pacman partylist Rep. Mikee Romero.
During the hearing, several government agen cies such as the Depart ment of Justice, Depart ment of Foreign Affairs, National Bureau of In
vestigation, and Bureau of Immigration had no objections to Brownlee’s naturalization.
House Bill 825 will now be submitted to the Committee on Rules for consideration on second reading. If approved on second reading, the bill will be discussed in the House for approval.
The Bill will then transmitted to the Sen
ate, where it undergoes the same process in the House. The bill will be a law once signed by the President.
After the hearing, Brownlee said “maram ing salamat po” to Com mittee chairperson Rep. Juliet Marie de Leon Fer rer.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is looking to add the resident Ba
rangay Ginebra import to Gilas Pilipinas for the February window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers and beyond.
Brownlee has signi fied his intention to be naturalized, declaring his love for the Philip pines and his desire to represent the country in international compe titions.
While Justine Brownlee glee fully presents himself to Congress for his naturalization proceed ings, I reckon most basketball fans have their own ideas just who should ideally compose the Phil ippine national team that will see action in the 2023 hosting of the FIBA World Cup.
Even as the euphoria of Gilas’ twin kills in the fifth window of the FIBA Asia qualifiers has not died down, Chot Reyes and his coaching staff are not fully satis fied with the present composition.
As I echoed in my last column, I find a need to infuse changesperhaps two or three players have to be replaced to make Gilas truly competitive come the FIBA prop
er in August next season.
JunMar Fajardo, Carl Tamayo and Brownlee are the three guys I believe who can add more mus cle and produce points as outside snipers.
So here goes.
For centers, Kai Sotto and Japhet Aguilar;
Power forwards would be Fajardo, Poy Erram and Jamie Malonzo;
Small forwards - Carl Tamayo, Bobby Ray Parks; Shooting guards - Brownlee, RR Pogoy; and
Point guards - Scottie Thomp son, Dwight Ramos, CJ Perez.
Readers, you are welcome to disagree or agree.
JB, as the naturalized player, will replace Ange Kouame who becomes the reserve. The Ginebra import can also play the point.
Actually, all the five guards can play either 1 or 2 when necessary. All five are excellent ball carriers so that makes for a fluid five-man rotation at number 1 and 2.
You can make a sample of the first five in JB, Thompson, Aguilar, Fajardo and Parks. A competitive frontline huh?
Second unit would be Sotto, Erram, Pogoy, Ramos and Tamayo.
Coming off the bench would be Perez and Malonzo.
Is this not a combination of the young and the old? Hahaha.
Why is Sotto not a starter? The
7-3 aspiring NBAer cannot afford to be saddled with early fouls as what usually happens when he is matched up against fellow big centers in highly competitive matches.
Besides, Japhet, with sever al championships he has helped Ginebra San Miguel win in the PBA, is now a much more experi enced pro and displays matured leadership qualities in the middle.
Erram is already a tested de fender and can complement Sot to’s huge task in the painted area. (When necessary Fajardo and Er ram can also play number 5.)
Malonzo has proven to be a tough hombre who can bang bod ies against any opponent.
The opposition will be watch ing out for Parks and Pogoy’s sniping streak while Perez will be like a locomotive let loose on the tracks.
Of course, Scottie and Dwight possess court savvy. They are both reliable in orchestrating de signed plays, issuing assists and stealing spheroids.
Let’s see if my choices are also Reyes’ and his coaching staff picks.
Gilas will battle Lebanon (which recently defeated New Zealand) and Jordan anew ac cording to the FIBA sixth window February calendar. (Email feed back to fredlumba@yahoo.com.)
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced today appoint ments to FIDE Commissions including three Filipinos, GM Eugene Torre, IA James Infiesto and IA Casto Abundo. FIDE Com missions are the working groups within the world governing body of chess.
Torre, Asia’s first Grand master, was elected Deputy Chairman of the FIDE Ath letes Commission which represents the players’ views to FIDE. The opinion of the Athletes Commission has strong bearing on deci sions of all other FIDE Com missions such as for the Laws of Chess, tournament rules, ratings and titles.
Torre was recently induct ed into the World Chess Hall of Fame.
James Infiesto of Davao City, International Arbiter since 2013, was appoint ed Councillor of the FIDE Commission for Disabled.
Infiesto continues to be a Board Member of the Na tional Council of Disabil ity Affairs (NCDA) from 2017 to present. He is also Consultant for Sports En tertainment of the Philip pine Amusement & Gaming Corporation (PAG COR) from 2018 to pres ent. He was Head Coach of the Philippine Para Chess Team which won five Gold Medals in the Asian Para Games in Indonesia 2018.
Infiesto was Deputy Chief Arbiter of the Asian Youth Para Games 2013 in Kua la Lumpur, Malaysia and Chief Arbiter of the ASEAN Para Games 2014 in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar. Casto Abundo was re-appoint ed member of the FIDE Qualification Commission which is in charge of FIDE
ratings and titles. Abundo is Executive Director of the Asian Chess Federation, a position he has held since 2006. He has been the Phil ippine Delegate to FIDE since 1982 during the time of former FIDE President Florencio Campomanes. In FIDE, Abundo was former chairman of the FIDE Con stitutional Commission. In his chess career, Abun do has been Chief Arbiter of a vast number of World Chess Championships and World Team Champion ships aside from numerous Asian championships.
Abundo is currently a member of the FIDE His torical Committee which is preparing for the 100th An niversary of FIDE in 1924.
National Chess Feder ation of the Philippines Chairman and President Prospero A. Pichay, Jr. con gratulated the appointees and exhorted them to raise the level of chess world wide. “This appointment is a recognition of your achievement and a credit to Philippine chess,” Pichay said.
The Philippines has a number of FIDE dignitaries. Earlier in August, Congress man Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino was conferred the organization’s highest honor as FIDE Honorary Member by the FIDE Gen eral Assembly in Chennai, India.