Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 196 | Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022

A female police officer stands guard near the monument of Andres Bonifacio, the father of Philippine revolution and founder of Katipunan, during the commemoration of his 159th birth anniversary in Davao City on Wednesday. Lean Daval Jr.

HIGH MARKS

VP Sara gets 86% trust rating, 80% performance rating

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Vice President Sara Duterte received majority trust and approval scores of 86 percent and 80 percent, respec tively, in the latest Tugon ng Masa National Survey by OCTA Research released on No vember 30, 2022.

Based on the survey, the Vice President received 86 percent trust rating against only 4 percent distrust. Ten

percent are undecided.

The survey also showed that across major areas, Duterte’s trust ratings

range from 81 percent to 98 percent and her highest trust rating is in Mindanao at 98 percent), and her low est trust rating is in Luzon at 81 percent.

In terms of socioeco nomic classes, Duterte’s trust ratings range from 85 percent to 92 percent. She received her highest trust rating from adult Fil

ipinos belonging to Class E (92%) and her lowest trust rating from adult Filipinos belonging to Class ABC (85%).

The Tugon ng Masa (TNM) National Survey is an independent and non-commissioned poll conducted regularly by OCTA Research.

Vice Mayor Melchor Quitain Jr. stressed the importance of nationalism among the young generation and for them to develop a positive attitude towards patrio tism.

This is in line with the country‘s commemora tion of the 159th birth an niversary of Andres Boni facio on Wednesday.

“Let us commemorate and remember the day for it was through the sacri fices of many pioneering Filipinos including Andres Bonifacio who paved the way to Philippine inde pendence. Love of country or nationalism is what we need to cultivate in us and the younger generation,” Quitain told Edge Davao.

Quitain, together with Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Col. Al berto Lupaz and Task Force Davao commander

Col. Darren Comia, led the commemoration of the 159th birth anniversary of Bonifacio by offering wreath at the hero’s mon ument along Magallanes Street in Davao City.

Meanwhile, a day be fore Bonifacio’s birthday commemoration, the mem bers of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Min danao (BAYAN SMR) and Kilusang Mayo Uno-South ern Mindanao (KMU SMR) offered flowers and mes sages at his monument.

In its Facebook Page, the group posted that BAYAN SMR and KMU SMR expressed their commit ment in pushing the fight for healthy wages, regular and decent work, lowering the prices of basic goods and services, and protect ing the human and demo cratic rights of the workers and the poor. By Maya M. Padillo

Davao banana farmers encouraged to improve cardava variety quality

Banana farmers in Davao City are urged to improve the qual ity of cardava bananas so that they can pass export standards.

Dario Divino, agricul tural technologist and focal person on industrial crops of the City Agriculturist Of fice (CAO), said most of ex port quality cardava in the region came from the plan tations in Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur.

“Mao gi-engganyo nato ang mga farmers nga i-im

prove ang quality sa ilah ang cardava. Ang cardava diri sa Davao City wala kay makita nga quality pare ho sa plantation nga style. Naay farmers nga muta num lang ug pila lang ka punuan, Ang naay planta tion sa cardava naa sa Man dug ug Callawa ug sila na mismo naa sila’y sakyanan ug truck ug sila na mag deliver sa mga saging sa Davao del Norte ug Davao del Sur,” Divino said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday.

He also said CAO is also conducting training to farmers on banana chips making.

Divino said it’s easy to plant cardava but it needs care. A versatile fruit, easy to grow, high starch quality, can live in marginal areas, can be planted organical ly, and tolerant to diseases like sigatoka.

He said the proper way to cultivate it is to make the spacing 4 meters by 4 me ters wherein a farmer can plant 625 trees per hectare

and a farmer can also plant 500 trees under the cano py. After 15 months a farm er can have its first harvest and then six months there after.

“I-sure lang sa farmer, naa man tay mga trainings kung unsaon pagdumala sa cardava nga saging, be sure lang nga naa isa ka inahan nga nagdala ug bunga, naay dumaga, naay nagsunod sa dumaga, kanang pinaghag dan ug dili nato pasagdan ang saging. Kinahanglan kontrolon nato ang mga

saha para mudagko ang mga bunga,” he said.

He said that cardava is in demand now because it has lots of options for its byproduct.

“Ang cardava usa ka versatile na tanum. Gi-con sider ni na ika upat na most important staple food su nod sa humay, mais ug tri go. Dako ni nga programa for food security sa syu dad ang cardava kay pang intercrop gyud na siya ug mabuhi ni siya didto sa marginal area ug dili kaayo

kinahanglan ug pareha anang pag export na saging. Kani na tanum naa siya na pulo hangtod kinse na sipe pero kung gusto nimo nga bus-okon siya, minus one or minus 2 ka ka sipe para dagko siya. Its called early dehanding. Versatile kaayo ni nga saging kay puwede kaunon na hinog lang para source of potassium, pu wede maruyaon, toronon, ug himoong banana chips,” he said.

He also mentioned

Vice Mayor Melchor Quitain Jr., together with Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Col. Alberto Lupaz and Task Force Davao commander Col. Darren Comia, leads the wreath-laying during the commemoration of the 159th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio at the hero’s monument along Magallanes Street in Davao City on Wednesday. Lean Daval Jr.

VM Quitain stresses importance of nationalism among young people

In commemoration of hero Andres Bonifacio Day in the Philippines: VICE PRESIDENT SARA DUTERTE

OLIVIA D. VELASCO President

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

JASPER V. BACSAL General Manager / VP Operations

PHILIPPINE

INSTITUTE the

Consultant

M. PADILLO Senior Reporter

“May his extraordinary love of our country continue to inspire us to be constantly united in overcoming the difficulties we face as a nation and realize our shared aspirations of a better life for all. And may the fire he started in the name of freedom rekindle a deep sense of patriotism among us as we usher in a future strongly forged by our unyielding solidarity and our own acts of selflessness, courage, and bravery for our country and our fellow Filipinos. Patuloy nating mahalin ang Pilipinas.”

For the life of me, I have never imagined that the price of red onions would soar to P300 per kilo.

I nearly fainted while gro cery shopping at the KCC in GenSan. There it was, the price tag - “P330/kilo” - staring me (and many others) in the face.

I know we can’t go back to cheaper days when on ions (sibuyas bumbay) can be bought at P.50 centavos per kilo. Yes folks, FIFTY CENTA VOS.

How do I know this?

Well, when I was just a kid going through my elementary years (in the fifties), my mom regularly brought me along to the public market where she introduced me to her many

suki and favorite stall sellers..

You can guess what hap pened next.

From then on, I have been trained and tasked to do mar ket shopping which gave my mom some rest from her household chores.

Anyway, that is why I am proud to say that as far as pric es of commodities are con cerned, I am in the know.

Now, I’m just reminiscing.

What (the hell) happened?

Onions are a regular mix in our food menus and reci pes. They make our food extra tasty, delicious and salivating.

I know because I also cook. I make sure I always have on ions (and garlic) in my basket of spices.

When a situation like this arises time and time again, one begins to suspect some kind of collusion between greedy profiteers and smart people in government, don’t you?

Have the cartels taken over the reins of government that when they wish to score a huge profit, they can do it with impunity (and with im munity?) at any time of the year and season?

I was still a forgiving per son when onions got to P80/ kl three months ago. DA offi cials, as a usual lame defense, gave press releases assuring the people that prices will soon stabilize when farmers begin harvesting their crops.

We have so much tracts of agricultural lands - arable and fertile - but there is rea son to believe that the un profitable conditions prevail ing are forcing landowners to sell their lands to real estate developers.

I am digressing, I know, but if the government wants to provide food security to our citizens there must be enough arable fields to plant and harvest crops staple to

our people.

The farmers must also be inspired, motivated and en couraged to maintain their arable lands with the assis tance and full guidance from the government, the DA es pecially.

So, why does importing onions continue unabated?

Because of the shortage? Why was there a shortage? Who created it?

Was the shortage manip ulated to favor the cartels who will then release from their warehouses the tons of onions they have bought at a cheap price and will now sell at more than double the orig inal purchase price.

This is despicable and atrociously condemnable!

This is happening in real time, folks. If you are not at a loss, how come the cartels are allowed to exist and transact business at the expense of the people, particularly the

poor and the hungry, needy grassroots.

Roll out the KADIWA na tionwide, Mr. President.

Dissolve the cartels. Get rid of smugglers and cor rupt officials in government where corruption can be smelled a mile away.

My fear is that our coun trymen may not be able to endure the continuing soar ing prices of prime commod ities.

And then they see crook ed government officials liv ing luxurious lifestyles, rid ing flashy cars and in abusive decadent demeanor.

People’s income should be increasing more than food prices increase.

But this is not happening.

If Vilma Santos cried be cause of sad movies, on my part, onions make me cry. (Email feedback to fredlum ba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

Historians attach several significances to this episode for its daring and due to the fact that it paved the way for the existence of the brutal Bataan Death March that, un til that time, was kept from American knowledge. And for the first time, the plight of American and Filipino POWs in the frightening Camp No. 1 at Cabanatuan City was also exposed to the world.

The escapees were part of a batch of POWs transferred from Cabanatuan and depos ited at the colony, which argu ably provided better comforts and medical services than the previous confinement. To

feed the inmates, the Japa nese captors had to dispatch the prisoners daily to a place known as Mactan, an agricul tural patch in the penal farm that was devoted to planting rice and the cultivation of co conut, banana, and coffee for the consumption of the colo ny’s occupants.

It was the bonds of cama raderie and trust between the American POWs and the Fili pino convicts that eventually led to the hatching of a plan to breach the fortress-like secu rity of the colony. On April 4, 1943, Sunday, ten U.S. POWs and two Filipinos executed the escape plan. Against the odds and facing the prospect of crossing swamps that host ed crocodiles, the group, de spite a few risky hitches, pur sued the idea after they had slipped away from the sight of Japanese sentries.

Tentatively lost in the maze of freshwater jungles

after the guides failed to find the right route, the group, due to determination and the fear of being captured by the tracking team, eventual ly made it to freedom with help from rural residents and paramilitaries. They were clothed, fed, and debriefed upon reaching a guerrilla camp not too distant from the penal farm’s premises.

After recuperating from the ordeal, the POWs were escorted up to Misamis Ori ental by Lt. Jose Tuvilla; the colony’s superintendent; and a Filipina nurse. They met up with Lt. Col. Wendell Fertig, commander of the 10th Mil itary District in Mindanao, a guerrilla unit.

Of the eight Americans cited in Lukacs’ account, seven of them were spirit ed out of Mindanao for Aus tralia, the headquarters of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, by submarine. Except for 2nd

Lt. Leo Boelens who died in Japanese hands in January 1944, and Capt. William Ed win Dyess, who perished in a California plane crash in De cember 1943, and the other escapees survived the war. Benigno de la Cruz and Vic torio Jumarong, the Filipinos who helped in the escape as chaperons, also survived. It is not known if they were granted pardons by the gov ernment.

The information the mil itary escapees shared with the higher-ups during the Australian interview afforded the Allied forces a clear per spective on how best to deal with the enemy campaign in the Philippines and afforded the liberators a glimpse of the Japanese military mind.

In the online article (‘Ex posing Atrocity: The Davao Dozen and the Bataan Death March‘) of ‘The National WWII Museum’ (New Orle

ans, US) dated January 31, 2022, written by Dr. Jason Dawsey, a historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, the number of Americans in volved in the dramatic escape rose to 12, hence the label ‘Davao Dozen.’

The expanded POW list now included Lt. Comdr. Melvyn McCoy, Maj. Stephen Mellnik, Capt. Austin Shofner, Capt. Dyess, 1st Lt. Michiel Dobervich, 1st Lt. Jack Haw kins, 2nd Lt. Boelens, 2nd Lt. Samuel Grashuio, Sgt. Paul Marshall, and Sgt. Robert Spielman.

The feat of the ‘Davao Dozen,’ initially blocked from being disclosed to the media and the public, was never rep licated anywhere throughout the war. The POW revelations enraged the American public and incited the U.S. military to seek retribution against enemy atrocities.

“The weak can never for give. Forgiveness is the attri bute of the strong.” - MOHAN DAS GANDHI.

John D. Lukacs, in his book ‘Escape from Davao’ (2010), ten American prisoners of war (POWs) and two Filipi no convicts from the Davao Penal Colony recorded ‘the most daring prison break of the Pacific War’ on April 4, 1943.

German firms urged to invest in PH infra

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual has urged German investors to look into business opportunities in the Philippines, especially in areas of infrastructure, elec tric vehicles, manufacturing and services.

In a business forum of German-Philippine Cham ber of Commerce and In dustry (GPCCI) in Makati City Tuesday, Pascual said they may tap the 300 billion euros Global Gateway Fund of the European Union (EU) to participate in the ongo ing infrastructure develop ments in the country.

“The new Philippine administration has revived

the private-public partner ship (PPP) arrangements for infrastructure proj ects in the fields of water storage and management, renewables, waste man agement, logistics and transportation, and disas ter mitigation,” he said.

Being a global leader in e-vehicles (EV), Pascual encouraged German firms to partner in this sector and

support industries in EV manufacturing, including mineral processing.

“The German govern ment and the German private sector can tap the Philippines’ significant green metal reserves of nickel and copper. Doing so would ensure the supply of these critical resources in support of your country’s full-electrification objec tives for your automobile industry by 2030. In ex change, the Philippines will benefit from Germany’s sig nificant experience and ex pertise in nickel and copper downstream processing,” he added.

Pascual said there are still vast opportunities in the Philippines for German firms in manufacturing and services sectors, especial ly information technology and business process man agement (ITBPM).

He said the government has pushed for policies that will attract more foreign enterprises to invest in the countries, such as the Cor porate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterpris es (CREATE) law and the amendments to the For eign Investment Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Public Service Act. (PNA)

145K learners benefit from Accenture’s S2S program

Business process man agement (BPM) firm

Accenture Philippines reported Tuesday that some 145,000 learners have ben efitted from its Skills to Succeed (S2S) Academy, a skills-building program to enhance Filipinos’ employ ability.

In a press conference, Accenture Philippines, Technical Education and Skills Development Authori ty (Tesda) and their partner non-governmental organi zations (NGOs) reaffirmed their commitment to con tinue the S2S Academy that was launched in 2018.

“Accenture has lever aged digital development and digital innovation in order to provide impact at scale, and help bridge the gap for the employment and skills gap for the vulnerable

and marginalized sector of our society,” Accenture Phil ippines country managing director Lito Tayag said.

Tayag said the free on line learning course has helped Filipino youth in starting their careers and also addressed the skills gap in the industry.

“Talent upskilling has always been a focus for Ac centure Philippines. We be lieve in the importance of equipping the Filipino talent with the right skills through technology-enablement programs like the S2S Acad emy,” he added.

Accenture Philippines Corporate Citizenship Pro gram manager Emerson Enriquez said the majority of the learners are those be tween ages 18 to 24 years old who are looking for their first job.

CAAP to open two airports in December

The Civil Aviation Au thority of the Philip pines (CAAP) is set to open 2 airports in Baguio and Borongan cities this December.

Starting Dec. 16, Phil ippine Airlines (PAL) will mount direct flights be tween Cebu and Baguio City, operating 4 times weekly with convenient morning departures.

PAL recently conducted a test flight at the Baguio Loakan Airport using a De Havilland Dash 8-400 New Generation aircraft with a seating capacity of 84 pas

sengers.

“Before parang sinasabi natin delikado. Of course iyong haze talaga ay isang challenge iyon. That’s why tiniming natin sa histor ical data, hindi siya nag kaka-haze, so iyon po be tween 10 and 11 a.m. clear ang weather sa mountains,” PAL President and COO Capt. Stanley Ng said.

(We used to say it was dangerous, with the haze posing a challenge. But ac cording to historical data, the weather is clear and haze-free in the mountains between 10 and 11 a.m.)

PAL earlier said open ing the Baguio route is a homage to the flag carri er’s beginnings. It first flew to Baguio from Manila as a newly incorporated airline on March 15, 1941.

The Loakan Airport was used as a heliport during the 1990 killer earthquake for search and rescue op erations and transporting goods.

Airline companies gave up commercial operations in the airport in the 2000s due to costly air fare, safe ty reasons and lack of de mand.

“However, with the ad vancement of technology sa modern aircraft, meron na po tayo GPS ‘di ba? So maiga-guide natin ang ero plano. Alam natin at certain point anong altitude dapat tayo, so safe tayo. In terms of length of the runway, enough naman siya sa tur boprop [aircraft],” Ng add ed.

(We have GPS now, so we safely guide airplanes, and we know which al titudes are safe for them to fly. The runway is long enough for a turboprop air craft.)

Meanwhile, the Boron gan City Airport plans to welcome its maiden flight on Dec. 19.

PAL will operate Ce bu-Borongan return flights twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

“It was a risk that we took on behalf of the city government even though there was no clear light at the end of the tunnel. How ever, we are optimistic that if Philippine Airlines and CAAP will see our deter mination, they would fold,” Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Agda said.

At present, travelers heading to the capital of Eastern Samar province would have to land at Ta cloban Airport. They would then have to travel 5 to 6 hours by land to reach Bo rongan City. The other op tion is to travel by bus and ferry from Manila, which takes around 2 days.

Since it was completed in March 2013, the Boron gan City Airport has been rarely used for commercial operations. It was com pletely shut down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A mall goer looks at the evening gowns on display at a shop inside a mall along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao City on Wednesday. Lean Daval Jr.

BSP expects November inflation at 7.4%-8.2%

Dec. harvest to help stabilize soaring red onion prices: DA

Upcoming harvest of red onions in De cember shall help the supply situation in the country amid the soaring market prices, according to the Department of Agricul ture (DA).

In the Laging Handa press briefing, DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evange lista said several farmers confirmed harvest dates next month.

“Iyong iba po ang sabi (others said), second week of December. May iba po nagsabi na (Others said) last week of December. So ngayon po ay tinitingnan natin kung gaano kalaki ang kanilang volume na iha-har vest dahil ito po ay makakat ulong sa pagdagdag ng ating supply (As of now we are looking into the volume that shall be harvested because it will help suffice our sup ply),” she said.

The DA is set to deter mine the onion supply in ventory this week, consid ering the soaring prices in several markets, hitting as much as PHP300 per kilo gram.

“Inaasahan naman po

natin na malapit na rin po ang harvest ng ating mga magsasaka, and that will definitely help pagdating po sa ating supply situa tion para po sa sufficiency based po sa demand ng ating mga consumers (We are expecting the nearing harvest of our farmers, and that will definitely help when it comes to sufficient supply situation based on the consumers’ demand),”

Evangelista added.

Kadiwa ng Pasko Evangelista, mean while, said consumers may avail of lower prices of red onions in the DA’s Kadiwa market.

“May PHP280. Mayroon pa nga po kaming nakitang Php300. Kaya ngayon po, kami ay nakikipag-ugnayan sa Bureau of Plant Indus try (BPI) para makita natin ang supply situation para malaman natin kung anong kadahilanan ng pag-spike ng presyo (There’s PHP280. We’ve even seen PHP300. That’s why we are now co ordinating with the BPI to see the supply situation and identify the reason of the price spike),” she said.

Higher prices of electricity, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), and some agri cultural items, with the latter due to the impact of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, are seen to push the domestic inflation rate to a range of between 7.4 percent and 8.2 percent for November 2022.

In a statement Tuesday night, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said these factors are seen to be countered by the decline in petroleum prices along with the prices of pork and the appreciation of the Phil ippine peso against the US dollar.

“More importantly, inflation is projected to

gradually decelerate in the succeeding months as the cost-push shocks to infla tion due to weather distur bances and transport fare adjustments dissipate,” it said.

The statement also noted that the “timely im plementation of non-mon etary measures will also help temper price pres

sures in the months ahead.”

“The BSP continues to monitor closely emerging price developments to en able timely intervention that could help prevent the further broadening of price pressures, in accordance with the BSP’s price stabili ty mandate,” it added.

The rate of price in creases accelerated further to 7.7 percent in October, the highest since Decem ber 2008, due to upticks in the food and non-alcohol ic beverage index, among others.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla told journalists Tuesday night that signs are pointing to a possible

deceleration of the domes tic inflation rate, with the peak to be either in Decem ber 2022 or January 2023.

He said supply shocks, such as the prices of elec tricity and adjustment in the public utility fare, drive the current rate of price in creases.

He said wage hikes are also possible, noting that although this is normally done once a year, authori ties may approve a second hike by citing supervening events.

“These are the things that we’ve been watching all along, that the supply shock will bring about re sponses,” he said.

Bird flu, higher feed prices blamed for egg price hike

Why are egg prices rising before the holiday season?

Gregorio San Diego, Philippine Egg Board As sociation chairman, said a confluence of factors led to the recent rise in egg pric es: bird flu, low production and an increase in feed prices.

“Kakaunti na ang pro duction at medyo tumaas ang demand dahil maram ing produkto ang ginagam itan ng itlog tulad ng leche

flan, cake kaya tumaas ang presyo,” he said.

San Diego said many poultry traders shifted to eggs after demand de creased due to the corona virus pandemic.

“Nung nalugi ang mga nasa broilers noong isang taon, lumipat sila sa layer. Recently yung mga may puhunan pa na nalugi sa baboy dahil sa [African swine fever], lumipat din sa layer. Sabi nila dito na tayo kasi walang kala

ban na imported,” he ex plained.

“Ang problema naman hindi ni-regulate ng De partment of Agriculture. Dumami nang dumami yung pumasok sa nego syo ng itlog kaya noong last quarter ng last year, nag-umpisa nang malugi yung mga farmers at ang mga karamihan sa tumigil ay yung mga small at medi um na producers. Yung iba naman na malaki tinamaan ng bird flu.”

He said higher importa tion of meat products and even vegetables has also forced poultry and pork producers to shift to egg production “because we can’t compete with import ers.”

Higher cost of produc tion is also to blame for the higher egg prices. San Diego said at present, an egg producer must spend P4.41 on feed to produce a single egg, without count ing labor costs.

A vendor arranges fresh eggs at a store at Agdao Public Market in Davao City. The Philippine Egg Board Association said bird flu, low production and an increase in feed prices were the factors that led to the recent rise in egg prices. Lean Daval Jr.

EVENT

SM CARES

LEADS KICK-OFF OF NATIONAL BIKE WEEKEND

SM Cares together with the local government of Pasay City kicked off the National Bike Weekend and the Foundation Week of the City last November 26 at SM By the Bay in the Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

Hundreds of cyclists joined “Padyak Pasay: Mov ing Together Towards One Eco City,” a fun bike ride around the Mall of Asia Com plex as part of the festivities. The bike ride celebrated Pasay as an eco-city, as the local government endeav ors to make environmental awareness a driving force to achieve greater growth and development for the city. Pasay City Mayor Hon. Emi Calixto-Rubiano opened the bike ride, together with City Councilors and representa tives of SM Prime Holdings, Inc., SM Supermalls, the De partment of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and bike organizations such as Bee Seekleta For Every Juan.

428 cyclists across Pa say City residents and part ner organizations joined the bike ride which started and ended at SM by the BAY.

SM Cares is the Corpo

rate Social Responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, with programs that support com munities, promote social in clusion, and care for the en vironment. Aside from the creation of bike-friendly SM Malls, its advocacies include Programs for the Environ ment, Persons with Disabil ities, Women & Breastfeed ing Mothers, Children & Youth, and Senior Citizens.

Meanwhile, SM Cares also held a Bike Safety Clinic especially designed for Kids. Thirty children from Pasay together with their parents were educated about the meaning of various road Signages, hand signals, and were also instructed on how to properly wear safe ty equipment. The children received their personal hel mets, elbow and knee pads from SM Cares to encourage them to have a lifelong af finity for biking. This event was supported by DOTr, Decathlon Philippines, MX3,

Beesekleta for Every Juan and Tropang Women Bik ers.

“We have been advo cating road safety for our cyclists by partnering with the Department of Trans portation and bicycle orga nizations to provide safety manuals and training. From adult cyclists and delivery riders, we are teaching our children to become respon sible cyclists, too” Dizon-Ro dulfo said.

SM PadyaKabuhayan bicycle carts were granted to 4Ps beneficiaries, includ ing technical business train ing and bike safety tips for vendors.

The event also saw the launch of SM PadyaK abuhayan, a program that promotes sustainable live lihood through sustainable mobility. The program pro vides a means of earning for families in need, many of them beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. It also expands the benefits of bikes, from being more than an environmentally-friend ly form of transportation to a sustainable source of income. Beneficiaries of the program received bicycle food carts, comprehensive training on handling a busi ness and road safety tips for bicycle vendors. The program was undertaken

in partnership with Pasay City’s Social Welfare De partment, Kalye Negosyo, and DTI.

“SM Cares believes in working together with a multi-stakeholder approach for our programs. We have always been about support ing communities, and we believe that social inclusion is vital in creating lasting change. Through this, we hope to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals ‘SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities,’ which underscores the im portance of making cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustain able,” said Dizon-Rodulfo.

National Bike Day, which is celebrated every fourth Sunday of November, is celebrated in line with Proclamation No. 1052–which was signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2020–with the aim to promote the environmental benefits of using bicycles.

EDGEDAVAO COMPETITIVE EDGE

Globe Business helps MSMEs achieve success one gift at a time

For the country’s micro, small and medi um-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the Christmas season presents oppor tunities as Filipinos cel ebrate the holidays this year with greater free dom to go out, get togeth er, and of course, shop!

It is also that time of the year when entrepreneurs face the most challenges: from tracking and fulfilling orders to managing logis tics and keeping invento ry. This is why since 2017, Globe Business has been hosting its annual Christ mas tradition Gift Local to advocate its support for lo cal businesses.

Gift Local aims to help MSMEs achieve success one gift at a time through giving them the opportu nity to reach a wider mar ket and showcase curated products from small busi nesses.

“We host Gift Local ev ery year to serve not just as a platform for MSMEs to reach more customers during Christmas, but also as a means to make them experience the lasting im pact of digital innovations in growing their business es,” said Angie Po, Product Marketing Head of MSME Group, Globe Business.

Now in its 3rd year,

Gift Local Live Selling will feature partner MSMEs and their local products on December 2, 7:30 p.m. via the Globe Business Facebook page.

Among participating merchants are Kapelipi no, Daniel Baker, OLLO CAL PH, Lumi Candles, Big Al’s, Bayongciaga, Artis anat Handmade, Kurimu, Magkawas Beauty and Wellness OPC, Witty Will

Save The World, Michee Mich, Terralane Ph, Cubo Essentials, and Habi Life style.

Participating Gift Local merchants get a chance to use ChatGenie, which helps scale up their enter prises online during this busy season.

ChatGenie is an In-App Commerce Platform that allows MSMEs that cur rently get orders manu

ally via chat on Facebook, Instagram, Viber, and GLife on GCash to have an organized online store in these top apps. This dig ital solution allows mer chants to sell, collect pay ment, arrange shipping and even track delivery in one dashboard.

With this offer, MSMEs can enjoy the benefits of a Starter plan for FREE with no purchase commitment

until the end of the year, including a messenger store function even after the live selling event.

“This time of the year accounts for the highest sales for businesses, and we want to make sure our MSMEs are able to make the most out of this sea son. And this is why we continue to rally shoppers to support local business es through Gift Local. For

every gift that you buy from Gift Local, you bring countless smiles to others by helping grow a small business, by giving liveli hood to local communi ties, and by putting food on the table for countless others. One small act cre ates a huge impact, so share joy this Christmas one gift at a time with Globe Business Gift Local,” Po said.

SM, BDO treat families of OFWs through Pamaskong Handog 2022

SM Supermalls and BDO are once again bringing a one-of-a-kind, fun Christmas celebra tion to overseas Filipinos and their families with Pamaskong Handog events happening in SM City Santa Rosa on De cember 3, SM City Iloilo on December 10, and SM CDO Downtown Pre miere on December 17 at 2PM.

Massive prizes, en tertainment, and bond ing moments await the OFWs and their benefi ciaries at the Pamaskong Handog 2022 with the theme Kita-Kits Muli sa SM”. Never miss out on

the special performance of BDO Remit endorser Piolo Pascual and come dians MC & Lassy who will be hosting all three events. For added fun and humor, comedians Ate Gay and Regina will be performing in SM City Sta. Rosa and SM City Il oilo, while Divine Tetay and Tonton Soriano will be at the SM CDO Down town Premiere.

Aside from celebrity shows, SM affiliates will give away exclusive deals and discounts for Ka bayan Savings account holders. Discounts are available every day at SM throughout December.

Avail Miniso’s Php300 discount on Mondays; Php500 off at the SM Stores on Tuesdays; 10% off at Surplus Shop on Wednesdays; and on Thursdays, SM Super market, SM Hypermar ket, and SM Savemore will be giving cheese balls for free! There is also a Php500 off discount from the Baby Company which started last November 15 and will run until Decem ber 31.

As a special holiday gift, BDO is offering a spe cial promo for overseas Filipinos and their ben eficiaries. They can get up to PHP20,000 waived

fees on Home Loan and PHP30,000 waived fees for Auto Loan. Also, par ticipants in the events get a chance to win PHP1M worth of insurance cov erage from BDO Life, cash prizes, and freebies from BDO Cash, as well as spe cial gifts from BDO Net work Bank.

BDO and partner sponsors, Western Union and WorldRemit, will also have bingo, games, and a raffle for the par ticipants. Plus, BDO will provide financial tips on savings and investment to help overseas Filipinos plan their futures as part of this year’s Pamaskong

Handog.

To join the Pamaskong Handog event, BDO Ka bayan Savings account holders plus one (1) com panion each just need to present their ATM card or passbook.

Overseas Filipinos may join the fun by watching the live stream ing of the Pamaskong Handog events on the BDO Kabayan Facebook page with a special view ing inside BDO Remit and BDO Unibank offices in Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, France, and the United Arab Emirates.

There’s going to be a ton of fun as balikbayans

and their families get to celebrate the holidays again at SM. Since 2012, Pamaskong Handog pro vided entertainment and gifts for overseas Filipino and their beneficiaries. And although the celebra tion has gone virtual due to the pandemic, BDO and SM didn’t stop spread ing happiness during the most wonderful time of the year,

For more details on Pamaskong Handog events or #Sparkling SMallidays activities, vis it www.smsupermalls. com/, www.bdo.com.ph, or BDO Kabayan Face book page.

SAFE HOLIDAY SHOPPING. More than 200 tenants and Customer Relations Services personnel of SM Lanang Premier attended the fire safety seminar conduct ed by the Southern Philippines Medical Center Fire Station of the Bureau of Fire Protection at SM Cinema 6 on November 29, 2022. The seminar is part of the mall’s initiative to enhance the capacity of the mall-wide workforce to respond to any emergencies during the Christmas season in order to keep a secure and safety envi ronment for all mall-goers.

EDGE

Messi, Lewandowski’s World Cup dreams in the balance

DOHA, Qatar -- Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski head into Wednesday’s showdown between Argentina and Poland with the futures of what could be their fi nal World Cup adventures hanging in the balance.

Either one of two of the biggest stars of European club football could fail to qualify for the knockout stages in Qatar and end their careers without tast ing glory at the most presti gious tournament of all.

Messi has already net ted twice in his last attempt to emulate Diego Maradona and win the World Cup for Argentina and is trying to drag the Albiceleste out of

Group C after they were stunned by Saudi Arabia in their opening match.

Argentina beat Mexico 2-0 to salvage their cam paign and sit second, level on three points with the Saudis and one behind leaders Poland and only a win will guarantee that 35-year-old Messi’s Qatar campaign continues into December.

An Argentine exit would

devastate fans back home and a worldwide army of Messi fans desperate to see him lift the World Cup.

It would also be a fitting climax to the career of one of football’s greatest ever players, but coach Lionel Scaloni sees such histrion ics as unnecessary.

“It’s hard to make peo ple understand that the sun will rise tomorrow, win or lose,” he said after his side beat Mexico to get their challenge back on track.

“What matters is how you do things.”

Lewandowski was brought to tears by fulfilling his “childhood dream” of scoring his first ever World Cup goal in what was his fifth match at the finals, a 2-0 win over the Saudis.

The Barcelona forward knows he might not get an other chance on this stage should the Poles exit the tournament on Wednesday.

wanted to be able to say that I’ve played and scored at World Cups,” said the 34-year-old.

Lewandowski is a safer bet to make the last 16 as Poland will be through with a win or a draw, and even if they lose they are only sure to be knocked out if the Saudis beat Mexico.

Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz insisted it wasn’t simply a contest be tween the forwards despite the inevitable focus on the two big stars.

“It’s not only a match between Lewandowski and Messi, it’s not tennis,” he said.

- USA send Iran out -

On Tuesday, the United States reached the knock out phase by beating Iran 1-0 in a battle of geopolit ical foes, earning a second round meeting with the Netherlands.

Doha eliminated the Ira nians.

The meeting of the bit ter ideological rivals had been marked by a bad-tem pered buildup, with Iran’s Football Federation de manding on Sunday that FIFA punish US Soccer for posting a modified version of their country’s flag on so cial media.

The defeat ended a fraught campaign for Iran, whose every move in Qa tar has been scrutinised for signs the players are showing support for mass anti-government protests that have shaken the Islam ic republic.

“The dream is over,” coach Carlos Queiroz said. “Unfortunately football al ways punishes the team that doesn’t score.”

ed by a Marcus Rashford brace and another strike from Manchester City star Phil Foden.

Rashford said his dou ble, which included a stun ning free-kick to open the scoring in the 50th minute at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadi um, was “what I play foot ball for”.

“I have massive ambi tion for this team and think we can play even better than we showed today,” added Rashford.

England will face Sene gal on Sunday after Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly snatched a 2-1 win over Ecuador to finish second behind the Dutch in Group A and knock out the South Americans.

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Meanwhile, Duterte is sued a message in the com memoration of the 159th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio on Wednesday.

Duterte, who is also Ed ucation Secretary, is hoping that the courage and hero ism of Bonifacio as well as his love for the country will continue to inspire Filipinos in overcoming challenges.

“May his extraordinary love of our country contin ue to inspire us to be con stantly united in overcom

ing the difficulties we face as a nation and realize our shared aspirations of a bet ter life for all. And may the fire he started in the name of freedom rekindle a deep sense of patriotism among us as we usher in a future strongly forged by our un yielding solidarity and our own acts of selflessness, courage, and bravery for our country and our fellow Filipinos. Patuloy nating mahalin ang Pilipinas,” she said .

“I’m aware it might be my last World Cup and I

DAVAO...

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an agri-based company Sagrex, which is export ing frozen turon in the US that has a shelf life of 1824 months. With this, the turon, a popular local deli cacy commonly being ped dled on the streets is now being exported and can be tasted in other countries.

Christian Pulisic’s win ner in the 38th minute of an absorbing contest in

“Nag- export na ni sila ug toron sa US. Hinog na cardava gibalot ug wrap per sa lumpia, gibutangan ug langka, tapos gi vacuum pack tapos i-blast freeze tapos pagdala sa US ana, i-defroze, isalang sa micro wave,” he said. By Maya M. Padillo

The Americans finished two points behind England in Group B after Gareth Southgate’s team cruised past Wales 3-0 in a one-sid ed ‘Battle of Britain’ decid

JUSTINE...

Koulibaly said he would give late Senegalese icon Papa Bouba Diop’s fami ly his man-of-the-match award after firing the Lions of Teranga into the last 16 for the second time in their history.

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to proudly represent our country in the upcoming February 2023 sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, which will be hosted by the Philippines, and the FIBA World Cup 2023.″

The bill states that upon the taking of the Oath of Al

legiance to the Philippines before an officer duly au thorized to administer such oath, registration with the Bureau of Immigration, and issuance of his Certificate of Naturalization, Brownlee shall enter upon the full en joyment of Philippine citi zenship. (PNA)

Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates scoring the 1-0 goal during the FIFA World Cup 2022 group C soccer match between Argentina and Mexico at Lusail Sta dium in Lusail, Qatar, 26 November 2022. Mohamed Messara, EPA-EFE

Brownlee naturalization passes final reading in Congress JUSTINE TIME

With 274 affirmative votes, no neg ative vote, and one abstention, the chamber passed House Bill 6224 to allow Brownlee as a naturalized player of Gilas Pilipinas to the FIBA Basketball World Cup next year by granting him Philippine citizenship.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, author of the measure, said this is the House’s “humble contribu tion to assist the national basket ball team’s quest for glory in the FIBA World Cup.”

“Anything is possible if you put your heart or ‘puso’ into it. Speaking of puso, we commend Justin for his desire in joining Gi las Pilipinas in this path, to repre sent the Philippines, which is his home in this corner of the world,” Romualdez said.

Brownlee signed a basketball and gave it to Romualdez as a to ken of gratitude during his cour tesy visit at the House on Tuesday afternoon.

1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Mikee Romero, another author of the bill, highlighted Brownlee’s achievements and credentials be fore the plenary.

“Throughout Mr. Brownlee’s very decorated and illustrious ca reer in the PBA, he was able to at tain five PBA championships and two Best Import awards with the career averages of 28.9 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, 5.6 assists per game, 1.9 steals per game, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is also the first PBA import to record 400+ three pointers made and ranks first among PBA imports for 3 points made with 404 as of July 24, 2022. Lastly, he ranks as fifth in the all-time PBA imports scoring leaders with 4,539 points as of April 2022,” Romero said.

He described Brownlee as a “truly dependable ally” who would help Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team in their “quest

FJUSTINE, P7

Olympian Nesthy Petecio in yesterday’s Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the SM City Davao.