Edge Davao Vol. 15 Issue 197 | Friday, December 2, 2022

LANDMARK LAWS

Quitain highlights City Council’s legislative accomplishments in 5 months

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Vice Mayor Melchor Quitain Jr. high lighted landmark ordinances accom plished by the City Council in just five months.

Topping the list is the ordinance on the voluntary wearing of face mask in doors and outdoors.

In September this year, the city government of Davao has allowed the voluntary wearing of face

masks in outdoor setting, effectively adopting the Executive Order issued by President Ferdinand Mar cos Jr. Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte issued Ex ecutive Order (EO) No. 43,

Series of 2022, known as “An Order Adopting Presi dential Executive Order No. 03 Allowing The Voluntary Wearing Of Face Masks In Outdoor Settings And Re iterating The Continued Implementation Of The Minimum Public Health Standards In Davao City During The State Of Public Health Emergency Relative To The Covid-19 Pandem ic.”

“Naa man EO gipaga was ang Malacañang so gi-adopt na nato na ron ug kini na ordinance dili pa gyud ni effective kay bag-o lang nigawas sa City Coun cil ug effective ni kung ma pirmahan na sa mayor ug murag padulong nato didto but napasa na as far as the City Council is concerned,” Quitain said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR)

FLANDMARK, P10

25 Mindanawons among 183 topnotchers in Nursing Exams

Twenty-five Min danawons are among the 183 topnotchers in the recently concluded Nursing Licensure Exam inations, according to the results released Wednes day by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

The Mindanao-based schools with topnotchers

are Xavier University (XU) of Cagayan de Oro City with 8; Ateneo de Zambo anga University (ADZU), 4; Mindanao State Uni versity-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), 3; San Pedro College (SPC) of Davao City, 3; Central Min danao University (CMU) of Bukidnon, 2; and one each from Andres Bonifa

cio College (ABC) of Dipo log City, Ateneo de Davao University, Davao Doctors College (DDC), Notre Dame Marbel University (NDMU) of Koronadal City, and the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) of Zamboanga City.

The highest ranked Mindanawons, who both tied at fourth place with

a rating of 89.4%, are Ar nold James Caperida Maco to (ABC) and Yalany Angela Cabresos Soliva (XU).

Fifth placers with a rat ing of 89.2% are Angelou Joefred Noahra Congreso (MSU-IIT),

Tiffany Marie Pagara de Vera (XU), Ma. Ricci Juliene Tulang Sayon (SPC), and

City Agri Office heightens drive on organic farming

The City Government of Davao, through the City Agriculturist’s Office (CAgrO), is aiming to expand the organic pro duce market in the city through its Organic Agri culture Program.

This, after the celebra tion of the Organic Month 2022 successfully conclud ed on November 25, prov ing the city’s potential of becomng the center of or ganic farming.

From this year’s Organ ic Month, eleven organic farmers– who displayed their produce at the Rizal Organic Market on Thurs days and Fridays -record ed a total gross sale of P257,631 for the entire No vember.

As part of the celebra tion, the CAGRO distribut ed 525 fruit tree seedlings, 1,445 vegetable seedlings and 300 kilograms of ver micompost to the public. The office also held train ings and seminars for farm ers on sustainable farming.

Jeana Ablen, Senior Ag riculturist and Focal Person of CAgrO’s Organic Agricul ture Program, said the city aims to expand its organic farming market through various assistance and in centives to organic farmers and other organic practi tioners, as mandated by Ordinance No. 0384-10 or the Organic Agriculture Or dinance of Davao City 2009.

“Kung identified ka na organic farmer ka, or ganic association ka, pri oritized gyud mo sa mga government intervention

like use of composting fa cility, technical training. Ang mga incentives sa in yohang grupo gyud ihatag para mapakusgan pa ang pag-produce ninyo og mga organic outputs (If you are an identified organic farm er or organic association, you will be priority recip ient of government inter ventions such as the use of composting facility, techni cal training. The incentives for your group are given to strengthen your produc tion of organic outputs),” Ablen said.

She added that the local government is pushing for organic farming as an ide al practice in growing food as this promotes healthier products that are not reli ant on synthetic materials such as industrial fertiliz ers, pesticides and insecti cides that can potentially cause health problems.

Nutrition in the soil is also preserved with the use of natural fertilizers.

Unlike the monoculture practice promoted by in dustrial farming, Ablen said organic farming has a much more ecologically balanced approach that minimizes negative effects to the envi ronment.

“Ang organic farming naga-promote siya og crop diversification, unlike sa monoculture practice, na ga-encourage siya na mag buhi og hayop, magtanom og gulay, magtanom og prutas (Organic farming promotes crop diversifica tion, unlike in monoculture

Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and Sennan City Mayor Yamamoto Yuma sign a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) signifying their commitment to pursue the sisterhood agreement between two cities. Photo from Davao City Investment Promotion Center

Davao City, Japan’s Sennan City agree to enter sisterhood pact

Stakeholders eye banana flour processing plant in Cotabato

Stakeholders in the Province of Cotabato are now gearing for the establishment of a Banana Flour Processing Plant at the Cotabato Agro-Indus trial Park (CAIP) in Baran gay Pag-asa, M’lang, Cota bato.

The Office of the Pro vincial Agriculturist (OPAg) conducted a Banana Indus try Stakeholders Consulta tion Dialogue on Novem ber 29, 2022 at the Capitol Rooftop, Amas, Kidapawan City, which aims to find out the estimated volume of the annual banana pro duction of the provision to ensure that the supply of bananas is sufficient for the operation of the said plant.

The dialogue was at tended by stakeholders that include banana pro ducers, traders and proces sors from various towns in the province.

This undertaking is part of the efforts of the provincial government under the leadership of Governor Emmylou “Lala” T. Mendoza to implement the CAIP project and help farmers in the province in cluding the banana indus try, which is recognized as

one of the top agricultural commodities of the prov ince.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagpupulong mapag-us apan at mapagtuunan ng pansin ang mga suliranin ng industriya ng saging at upang maging matagump ay ang pagpapatupad ng Banana Flour Processing Plant sa lalawigan. Tang ing hangarin nito ay ang maprotektahan ang kapa kanan ng bawat magsasaka at matulungan na madag dagan ang kanilang kita,” Mendoza said.

In support of the gov ernor’s program of pro moting and protecting the banana industry, live stock, poultry and other commodities against any disease that may enter the province, two reso lutions are planned to be passed by the Provincial Agricultural and Fishery Council (PAFC): resolution requesting Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) to allow provin cial government or Depart ment of Agriculture (DA) to construct a quarantine fa cility along the entry points of the Province of Cotabato

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Davao City and Sennan City of Japan agreed to enter into a sisterhood agreement by signing a Memoran dum of Intention (MOI).

Davao City Mayor Se bastian Z. Duterte and Sen nan City Mayor Yamamoto Yuma signed a MOI signi fying their commitment to pursue the sisterhood agreement between the two cities on November 29, 2022 during the courtesy visit of Yamamoto to Dute

rte.

Yamamoto was in Davao City from November 28 to 30, 2022, together with a 10-man delegation from Sennan and Osaka Prefecture.

“As per the Memoran dum of Intent, the intention came from both mayors,”

Dayap said.

“In order to promote friendship and under standing, Davao City of the Republic of the Philippines and Sennan City, Japan, rec ognize the need to jointly work on the basis of equal ity and mutual benefits. Subject to authorization of the Davao City Council in so far as Davao City is con cerned, both parties shall actively carry out exchang es and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade,

tourism, health, sports, and culture,” the MOI reads.

April Marie Dayap, offi cer-in-charge of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC), said it was Sennan City that signified its intention to form a sis terhood agreement with Davao City.

Dayap told Edge Davao that in 2019, former Mayor Isato Takenaka of Sennan City wrote to the city gov ernment of Davao express

FDAVAO, P10

DavNor town tribesmen get 100 housing units from NHA

Members of the In digenous Peoples (IP) community in Sto. Tomas Davao del Norte received 100 hous ing units from the Nation al Housing Authority in Davao Region (NHA-11), the agency said in a state ment Thursday.

Engr. Ariel Puyos, act ing division manager of NHA-11, said the turn over of the PHP20 million

project on Nov. 29 at the Ata-Manobo community in Barangay San Jose, Sto. Tomas, is a manifestation of the government’s com mitment to uplift the lives of vulnerable sectors.

Called the “Balai Karoyawan No Baka lag” or a beautiful house, each housing unit costs PHP200,000.

“We thank the local government unit of Sto.

Tomas for their assistance to make the completion of this project easier and faster,” Puyos said.

Mayor Roland Dejesica thanked the NHA for the housing project in their town.

“The processing of the documents of this proj ect is not that easy. Let us thank those who worked for it,” he said.

Dejesica also reminded

the beneficiaries to take good care of the houses as it would change their lives for the better.

Meanwhile, tribal leader Datu Pepito Tu maytay of the Ata-Mano bo thanked the national government for the proj ect.

“Our tribe is so happy for these houses, it is very beautiful,” he said in ver nacular. (PNA)

Rain did not stop people to gather at the Cotabato Province grounds in Amas, Kidapawan City during the opening of Christmas lights display and fireworks salvo on Tuesday night (29 November 2022). MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA

Elevated inflation hitting workers, employers alike

The soaring inflation in the Philippines is hitting both workers and employ ers which underscored the need for social dialogues to come up with beneficial measures for all, an official of the Interna tional Labor Organization said on Thurs day.

“Inflation affects all of us, so we have to be in this together,” ILO Proj ect Manager Bryan Balco said.

“I think there is an op portunity now for work ers and employers to

engage in social dialogue on how to come up with measures in protecting jobs, ensuring decent wages for our workers while at the same time, boosting enterprise pro ductivities,” he said.

Although wage hikes were approved earlier this year, the elevated prices of goods affects the purchasing power of Fili pino workers, Balco said.

“There’s really a need to bridge the gap between wages and prices other wise purchasing power of Filipinos, particularly the working class would have to contend with the con tinuous soaring prices,” he said.

Balco said the gov ernment must also par ticipate in a tripartite

discussion, along with en terprises and workers to come up with a “win-win” situation where workers’ salaries are protected and employers’ business es are also supported for growth despite economic headwinds.

Inflation in the coun try quickened to 7.7 in October, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ex pecting inflation to settle to as much as 8.2 percent in November or more than double its 2 to 4 per cent target.

World Bank: Remittances up 5% in 2022; PH among top recipients

Remittances to lowand middle-income countries grew by nearly 5% to around $626 billion in 2022—about half the expansion seen last year—and growth is ex pected to slow further to around 2% next year, the World Bank reported on Wednesday.

Remittances are a vi tal source of household income for people in low-

and middle-income coun tries, helping to alleviate poverty and building resil ience, while boosting the birth weight of infants and school enrollment rates for older children.

Officially recorded re mittances grew in 2022 as host economies reopened and employment rose as the COVID-19 pandemic re ceded, but rising prices ad versely affected migrants’

real incomes, the World Bank said in its latest Mi gration and Development Brief.

It said the strong growth rate forecast for 2022 was noteworthy giv en that it came after a surge of 10.2% in 2021. Global remittance flows, includ ing advanced economies, are expected to reach $794 billion in 2022, the report said.

The appreciation of the Russian ruble after the start of the war in Ukraine translated into higher val ue, in US dollar terms, of outward remittances from Russia to Central Asia, while the weaker euro re duced the value of remit tances to North Africa and elsewhere, the bank said.

It said growth in remit tances was expected to ease FWORLD, P10

Bank lending, M3 growth seen as economy reopens, recovers

Aneconomist fore casts the rise of loans extended by banks to be sustained as the econo my reopens, which can also boost domestic expansion amid the projected hikes in central banks’ policy rates.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi nas (BSP) Tuesday night showed a 13.9 percent year-on-year expansion of outstanding loans by universal and commercial banks (UKBs), excluding placements in the central bank’s reverse repurchase (RRP) facility, last October, a jump from the previous month’s 13.4 percent.

In a report on Wednes day, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Mi chael Ricafort said the dou ble-digit growth in bank lending in recent months is among the bright spots for the economy which is ex pected to bolster domestic expansion.

Ricafort said borrowers are also taking advantage of the availability of funds to finance their needs, with corporates seen hedging

against external risk fac tors given the expecta tions for further increase in the BSP’s policy rates as a result of similar develop ments for the United States Federal Reserve.

“Faster loan growth (is) also due to the fact that some borrowers rushed financing activities/re quirements in view of the increase in both short-term and long-term interest rates/borrowing costs lo cally and globally amid ele vated inflation,” he said.

The BSP’s policy rates have been hiked by a total of 300 basis points since last May to help address the elevated inflation rate which rose to its almost 14-year high of 7.7 percent last October.

This also ensures that interest rate differential with the Federal Reserve, which has increased its key rates by a total of 375 basis points since last March.

Ricafort expects con tinued expansion of bank lending, which can fuel the growth of domestic liquid ity or M3, as the economy

A convenience store attendant arranges 11-kilogram cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at a convenience store in Bangkal, Davao City. Consumers would have to pay more as prices of LPG increased effective Thursday morning, ahead of the Christmas holidays. Lean Daval Jr.

Gov’t 2023 growth target still feasible amid rate upticks

Diokno confident gov’t will exceed ‘22 collection target

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday expressed optimism that the govern ment will surpass its collec tion goal this year, banking on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) revenue surplus.

“Our collection as of one month ago is P2.9 trillion, [over] 18% higher than last year and about 90% of our goal for the year,” Diokno said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

“I’m very sure we will exceed our revenue target,” he added.

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that the national govern ment’s revenues as of end-October stood at P2.9 trillion, up 18.31% from P2.5 billion raised in Janu ary to October 2021.

The cumulative collec tions are 89% of the P3.3 trillion revenue target for the entire year.

Diokno said the BOC al ready met its annual target while the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) was “slightly behind.”

From January to Octo

ber, the Customs collected P713.5 billion, up 35.81% year-on-year and 99% of the P721.5 billion full-year goal.

On the other hand, the BIR collected P1.9 trillion, 12.56% over the same pe riod last year and reaching 80% of the P2.4 trillion tar get.

Asked if the revenue surplus of the BOC will be enough to cover the short fall of the BIR, Diokno said, “Definitely.”

The BOC earlier report ed that it collected P745.50 billion as of November 11, surpassing its collection tar get of P721.52 billion for the entire year by P23.98 billion or 3.27%.

The Customs attribut ed the positive revenue performance to stringent implementation of priority programs to curb smuggling and corruption, optimize revenue collection, and dig italize and enhance customs operations anchored on the eight-point Socioeconomic Agenda of President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr.

Hikes

from quarter-ago’s upward ly revised 7.5 percent, bring ing the year-to-date average to 7.8 percent.

“I would say that the DBCC (Development Bud get Coordination Committee (DBCC) growth targets are still feasible,” Medalla told journalists Tuesday night.

DBCC’s next year growth target ranges between 6.5 to 8 percent, which is also the assumption until 2028.

Its growth assumption for 2022 ranges 6.5 to 7.5 percent.

Economists and multi laterals forecast domestic growth to be around 5 to 6.3 percent next year.

Medalla cited as drivers of his optimism the possi ble pick-up of international

tourism, which is among the major growth contributors for the Philippine economy.

“There’s also still quite a bit of pent up demand,” he said, adding that “postponed capex (capital expenditure) is still there.”

Household final con sumption expenditures (HFCE) account for around 70 percent of the economy’s annual output.

In the third quarter of this year, HFCE grew by 8 percent year-on-year.

Growth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), in the third quarter rose further to 7.6 percent

Aside from domestic consumption and tourism, Medalla said the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is among the sources of structural dollar inflows for the country.

He said the BPO sector also has “some legs”, noting the additional boost that it has been providing to do mestic growth in the past years.

Earlier, Medalla said the recovery of the domes tic economy is expected to cushion the impact of the continued hikes in the cen tral bank’s key policy rates.

Since last May, the cen tral bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) has increased the BSP’s key rates by a total of 300 basis points as it bids to help ad

dress the accelerating do mestic inflation rate.

The rate of price increas es breached the govern ment’s 2 to 4 percent tar get band last April when it climbed to 4.9 percent from 4 percent in the previous month due to the impact of higher oil prices.

Last October, it further accelerated to 7.7 percent, the highest since December 2008, due to faster annual inflation rate of the food and non-alcoholic beverages in dex.

The average inflation in the first 10 months this year stood at 5.4 percent.

Medalla expects infla tion to peak either next month or in January 2023, noting that once it decel erates, he expects it to continue to slow until it returns to within-target levels by July or August next year. (PNA)

LPG prices up for 2nd straight month in Dec.

Prices of liquefied pe troleum gas (LPG) products will be hiked anew in December, mark ing the second straight month of increases.

In an advisory, Petron Corp. said it will hike

prices of LPG products by P2.25 per kilogram, and AutoLPG by P1.26 per liter effective 12:01 a.m., Thurs day, December 1.

“These reflect the in ternational contract price of LPG for the month of

December,” the company said.

The latest increase comes after prices of LPG were hiked by P3.50 per kilogram and AutoLPG prices by P1.96 per liter in November.

Latest data available from the Department of Energy (DOE) show that retail prices of an 11-ki logram cylinder in Met ro Manila ranged from P786.95 to P971.95 in October.

in interest rates are not expect ed to greatly dampen the domestic economy’s 2023 growth, with Bang ko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Fe lipe Medalla citing pent up demand and re covery of tourism as drivers of growth.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Felipe Medalla says hikes in interest rates are not expected to greatly dampen the domestic economy’s 2023 growth as pent up demand and recovery of tourism will be the drivers of growth.

Lean Daval Jr.

FRED C.

LUMBA SPECKS OF LIFE

“Anyone who knows any thing of history knows that great social changes are im possible without feminine up heaval. Social progess can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex, the ugly ones included.” - KARL MARX. *******

Lucky are we in this coun try (and in this part of the world) that our Christian val ues dominate basically our lives and lifestyles..

Despite the chaos and the deplorable socio-economic conditions brought about by the severe lockdowns and ensuing hunger due to the p(l)andemic, Filipinos have intrinsically accepted that these problems cannot be solved by going to the streets and denouncing the govern ment as has been the kneejerk reaction of the leftist mil itant sector..

Let’s look at the China sce nario first.

Live videos from various media organizations covering developments in China show

that more and more Chinese are being emboldened to join street protests because of the sweeping zero Covid state policy, and for the first time demanding even the resigna tion of President Xi Jin Ping.

The inhumane zero Covid state policy being enforced by Xi, after getting elected for his third term, has resulted into huge citizen marches in big cities such as Beijing, Shang hai, Wuhan, Chengdu, etc.

The demonstrations also erupted into violent clash es with the police and many were forcibly clubbed and hauled into waiting police vans.

A fire caused the deaths of some 10 persons in a hous ing unit because they could not escape as their doors and exits were firmly nailed and closed with chains.

More and more Chinese, especially the youths, are cry ing for democratic reforms.

They say that the Covid lockdowns should be based on science as they see and wit ness the rest of the world are no longer wearing facemasks.

The repressive state pol icy has resulted into the al leged deaths of 300 protest ers and the imprisonment of an undetermined thousands of citizens.

Chinese residents abroad have also staged anti-Xi Jin Ping protests before China embassies in various coun tries in Europe.

In Iran, thousands of young adults all over the country, mostly women, are banding together denounc ing the death of Mahsa Amini who died while in the custody of the morality police.

Amini’s cruel death con tinues to be the symbol of a united citizen protest. The 22-year old was arrested for loosely wearing her hijab. News reports said she was tortured and was never given medical assistance.

Members of Iran’s nation al soccer team in the Qatar World Cup refused to sing their national anthem while it was being played. Now they look doomed to be penalized when they return home, in cluding their wives and ex

tended families.

Iranians appear to have woken up from a bad dream as they are gradually express ing their anger by speak ing out publicly against the Khamenei regime.

Disappointed with the strict and repressive hi jab-wearing custom, dis pleased Iranians display their disrespect by driving away Muslim clerics from their neighborhoods.

The growing restiveness in both China and Iran may result in more serious conse quences.

While the media covering the conditions in these two fronts may not be as exten sive as it would have been ideally, the global recession and economic difficulties have not spared any country for that matter.

I tell you Xi Jin Ping is a good actor, maybe even bet ter than Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Chinese top execu tive has been able to subtly hide from his people that the Covid disease and the pan

demic is already over.

Maybe, there were slight cases but its variants are no longer that deathly threaten ing.

The Chinese people have now realized that they are be ing toyed with like they were robots and therefore not hu mans.

This is the same reading that I have for Iranians.

The Khamenei regime is too totalitarian and a gross violator of human rights that it has no qualms about arrest ing, jailing and even killing fellow Iranians who are seek ing for democratic reforms.

There might be a repeat of the 1989 Tian An Mien mas sacre and I see the specter of another revolution typical of what occurred in 1979 when the Shah was ousted forcibly.

We have so much to be thankful for.

Freedoms are indeed in alienable. They come natural ly as men are born unto this world. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.)

GOD BLESS THE PHILIP PINES!

Arguably the most color ful figure to grace Davao’s po litical scene, Sen. Alejandro D. Al-mendras, Sr., the grand son of the patriarch of the Durano clan of Danao City in Cebu Prov-ince, was once linked to the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the communist movement during the much-maligned, martial-law regime.

Whoever peddled the unsubstantiated claim, the source was correctly living on a remote planet. Because the supposed report found its way into an intelligence report, it can be specu-lated that the story was partisan propaganda and looked no different to the narratives that impute innocent people unnecessarily linked to soso illicit activities. In the un verified ac-count, Almendras was tagged as the No. 1 sup porter of the underground movement in Da-vao del Sur,

where he was the assem blyman, and was in direct contact with a top NPA com mander.

Known as ‘Landring’ to friends, the assemblyman could not have even remotely crossed swords with the Mar cos regime which he helped create. In the 1964 Nacio nalista caucus to choose the presidential candidate, the Almendras vote made the difference. Instead of voting for incumbent president Di osdado Macapagal, he cast his lot with Senate president Ferdi-nand E. Marcos, Sr., who was competing for the party’s nomination.

Even more noteworthy is the fact that Almendras was a decorated World War II hero in Cebu. His superiors in the U.S. military were all praises for his conduct and bravery, attrib-utes that earned him numerous medals and com mendations during and after

ALMENDRAS’ NPA ‘CONNEXION’

the conflict.

Interviewed by the press, Almendras, always smiling and flippant, admitted to having known some people identified with the under ground movement, mostly from indigent fami-lies who visited his Matina residence in Davao City, to have sought help from him but this does not make him an NPA sup porter even if they were fighting against the govern ment, adding:

“I am a guerrilla officer during the Japanese invader? Why Japanese should I then sup-port the communists now? I have already been a senator for many terms and there is, there-fore, no rea son why I should join the communists this time.” Un der the communist system, the lawmaker clarified, “one cannot even solicit Christ mas gifts from other persons or resort to ‘dilhensya’ [i.e.,

extortion]. There is no free enterprise in a communist country.”

Almendras pointed out that not all about the rebels are depraved, citing, in par ticular, the good ideas the NPA guerrillas are fighting for, especially against cor rupt and abusive military officers. Parallel to this, he cited an incident when he, as a guerrilla officer, arrested and jailed an abusive Ameri can major for raping Filipino women during the Japanese occupation.

In the decades that we have been active in the com munity press, the only time we had met up with Almen dras was in February 1992, an election year. He sent his aide, Capt. Toto Salimban gon to fetch us at DXUM and brought us to have a casual chat with the man in his Ma tina residence.

Always warm and wel

coming with his facial mole, Almendras shared many thought-provoking things that continue to resonate with us today. Of import among his exposes was that city mayor Rodrigo Dute rte, then seeking reelec tion against Rep. Prospero Nograles, sought financial help from him. He said he asked Duterte how much money he had prepared for his campaign against a strong rival, he expressed surprise that all the mayor had was an insignificant P1,200!

As controversial as he was outgoing, Almendras, who loved the company of media per-sonalities he had much respect for, is credited for a handful of ‘firsts’ in Davao history, such as being the first senator from the region, first full-fledged Cabinet sec retary, and the young-est governor of the undivided Davao at age 32.

YOUNG PICASSO OF PH PAINTS WITH DABAWENYO STUDENTS

Remember Shaira Luna and CJ de Silva in the commercial for Promil

gifted kids?

These kids wowed view ers with their special talents and intelligence at a very young age.

Well, they are not the only kids who held the title of Promil gifted kids. There is another super talented child and named Promil Four Gifted Child, who is also the first Asian Cartoon Network Ambassador in the person of 12-year-old Worth Lodriga.

Lodriga is now being rec ognized as the “Young Picas so” of the Philippines.

To give the children and students in Davao City the opportunity to appreciate art and also to be an inspiration to them, Stockbridge Amer ican International School (SAIS) recently brought Lo driga here in Davao City to gether with his mom, Archi tect Wendy Lodriga, and his brother Wisdom, for an art exhibition at SAIS and sever al art workshops to bring out everyone’s creative side and appreciate art.

This is also the school’s

way to nurture the LIONS (Leadership, Innovation, Open-mindedness, Nobility, Stewardship) core values in its students and be inspired by the story of Lodriga, as Stockbridge lays its founda tion of molding future global business leaders.

“We remain steadfast in our mission that children can be global leaders even at a very young age. That they too can be our source of strength and inspiration and when it comes to art, we also inte grate art in different facets of our curriculum,” said Nicole Hao Bian-Ledesma, chief op erating officer of SAIS.

Lodriga also visited Jose fa Llanes Escoda Elementary School in Ma-a, Davao City as part of his Travels and Paints Charity Art Workshop -Davao leg. The said workshop lets him travel around the Philip pines to give free art materi

als and free art workshops to the less privileged children.

“People ask why I contin uously travel, teach and paint. The reason is it’s not just about the shapes, colors nor strokes, it’s about the smiles and happiness I bring to each and every kid that makes my heart melt. I was once like them. I know I can make a difference by making their dreams come true through art,” Lodriga said.

Lodriga, who loves to don his Philippine flag-inspired jacket highlight Philippine culture, Filipino pride, family, and values in his artworks.

Lodriga has been named the country’s first-ever Child Youth Ambassador of the National Youth Commission (NYC).

He was also a two-time winner of the Junior Picasso contest’s highest 7-star art ist award and was presented

as the Philippines’ youngest national ambassador in cer emonies conducted by the NYC on September 24, 2021.

“I believe this talent of mine is God-given and that is why I want to share it to oth ers as well. I believe that art is for everyone because I know there are other people who are like me so I want them to be able to hone their talents,” Lodriga said in an interview.

Worth is a consistent honor student, student lead er, varsity player, and school magazine artist from La Salle Greenhills.

During his visit here, Lo driga also made a courtesy call to Vice Mayor Melchor Quitain Jr. and City Tour ism officer Jennifer Ricardo Romero.

Note: Some of the photos grabbed from Worth Lodriga, SAIS, and Josefa Llanes Esco da Elem. School FB pages.

Biz leaders come together for Climate Action at SM Sustainability Forum

WWF-Philippines is enjoining the private sec tor to work towards con vening a Philippine Alli ance for Climate Action in the culmination of the UNITED FOR CLIMATE: Sustainability Forum held at the Conrad Manila on November 28, 2022. The forum, hosted by SM In vestments Corporation, gathered business own ers, partner suppliers, policy makers, and civil society organizations in a multi-sectoral dialogue on climate action.

“Through a Philippine Alliance for Climate Ac

tion, companies can work together to create a shared vision and synchronized action plan. We hope this can be a way for the private sector -as the engine of our economy - to accelerate ef forts for the single goal of keeping global warming to 1.5C,” WWF-Philippines Executive Director, Kather ine ‘Trin’ Custodio said.

“We hope that this forum will launch sec tor-wide discussions on innovative climate strat egies across Philippine industries. The next steps will be to agree on a way forward and a timeline,

and how all can progress towards a unified, private sector-led climate action plan that is context-spe cific, adaptive, and truly Filipino,” said Hans Sy, Jr. of the SM Group who was also one of the forum’s keynote speakers.

“Together with WWF, we invite you to carry on with the discussions from COP 27 - this time, bringing them closer to home. We urge that we look at our climate agen da through the lens of the Philippines’ agenda and the realities that Filipino businesses and local com

munities face every day,” SM Investments President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. Dy Buncio said in his opening remarks during the forum.

The forum kicked off the joint efforts to fight cli mate change through a se ries of “fireside chats” given by the business leaders, policy makers and environ ment experts from around the region. These discus sions allowed participants to share insights, best practices, and other infor mation that could form the foundation of a practical climate action plan.

The panel of experts include Noel Peters of the Asian Development Bank, Head of Wetlands Interna tional Philippines Dr. An nadel Cabanban, and the President of the Center for Conservation Innovations Dr. Neil Aldrin Mallari.

Keynote speakers Sec. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyza ga of the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR), Maria Isabel Garcia, Chairperson of WWF Philippines, pro vided the context for ambi tious action which are the global double emergency of biodiversity loss and

climate change, and the delivering the country’s climate commitments.

Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges fac ing the planet. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global emissions need to be reduced by 50 percent by 2030 to avoid significant climate-related catastrophes. The Philip pines is one of the signa tories of the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change and has committed to reduce the country’s car bon emissions by 75% by 2030.

Fintech Alliance INDX Summit 2.0 reinforces digital transformation

Fintech Alliance. PH in cooperation with Enderun Conferences re cently hosted the second edition of Inclusion and Digital Transformation (INDX) Summit last No vember 22-23, 2022 at the Enderun Tent in McKinley Hill, Taguig City.

The event was attend ed by hundreds of indus try practitioners involved in finance and technology locally and international ly, and was participated by some of the country’s highly-esteemed regula tors, government officials, economic policy-makers, thought leaders, and mem bers of the diplomatic corps.

The goal of the INDX Summit 2.0 was to discuss challenges concerning the digital divide between standards and regulations in e-commerce, health, agriculture, education, MSMEs, open banking, in surance, AI, and the new technologies among oth

ers. It also discussed how Filipino consumers and businesses can use digi tal technology and digital transformation to deal with the current environ ment, advance economic recovery, and get back on track in achieving longterm financial goals.

“This monumental event is the gathering of the Philippines’ visionar ies and trailblazers. The past two years have been golden for the fintech in dustry in the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia. It is only fitting that we reflect on our success es and welcome promis ing years to come,” said Lito Villanueva, founding chairman of the FinTech Alliance.pn and the exec utive vice president and chief innovation and in clusion officer of RCBC.

Statistical Review

According to the Phil ippine Statistics Authori ty, the value of the digital economy in the Philip

in e-commerce,

pines increased by 7.8% and reached 1.87 trillion pesos in 2021. E-com merce erupted through the

pandemic and continued to grow post-lockdown. Online selling transformed from being a side job to be

coming a primary source of income. The main driv ers of the digital economy, which contributed to 9.6%

of the nation’s GDP of the same year, includes digi tal infrastructure, e-com merce, and digital content.

Photo caption (L-R) Ms. Tina Marasigan, Hans Sy Jr. of President of SM Engineering Design and Development Corporation, Raymond Rufino CEO of Neo Group, David Aboitiz of Vice Pres ident of Commercial Strategy and Sales for Aboitiz Renewables Incorporated, Mr. Hans Sy Chairman of the Executive Committee, Ms. Trin Custodio Executive Director of World Wildlife Fund Philippines, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Edwin Africa - Executive Vice President and the Corporate General Manager and the Group Business Unit Head Century Pacific, Hindy Weber co-founder Holy Carabao holistic farms, Juan Manuel Hoyos - President of Nissan Philippines, David Lim -Chief Supply Chain and Sustainability Officer of Universal Robina Corporation and Mr. Mon Isberto

The goal of the INDX Summit 2.0 was to discuss challenges concerning the digital divide between standards and regulations

health, agriculture, education, MSMEs, open banking, insurance, AI, and the new technologies among others.

on Thursday.

Quitain also mentioned the ordinance calling on all local business establish ments to use the PalengQR PH, which serves as the national standard as it can accept payments from any e-wallet or bank.

Another ordinance is the regulation of operation of the night market and creation of the Tiangge sa Katawhan Management Team.

“Sa bag-og ordinance naa’y additional sites na ginatan-aw ron aron dili mag concentrate tanan didto sa Roxas Night Mar ket like Road 1 Toril Public Market, ug naay additonal night market depende na sa Tiangge sa Katawhan committee to give more opportunities sa mga nego syante,” Quitain said.

Quitain also mentioned the city ordinance requir ing local government em ployees to wear Indigenous People (IP) and Moro-in spired attire or accessories every first Monday of the month at work.

“Kinahanglan naay accessories or attire. Dili kailangan costume apan ethnic-inspired lang para ma promote ang atong kultura sa Davao to set us apart from other LGUs. Ang atoa naay accent para makita nga gina promote ang atoang 11 tribes,” he said.

He also include the amendment of the Cock fighting Code of Davao City.

“We are ready to open our cockfighting arenas ug gi-amyendahan nga ang collection of taxes moni tored gyud,” he said.

DAVAO ...

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ing his wish to partner with the city in several areas.

“After close coordina tion and online meetings with Sennan City Hall of ficials, now headed by its new mayor, Yamamoto Yuma, the strong interest of Sennan in education, tour ism and economic sectors were established as areas for further discussion,” Dayap said.

In its Facebook Page, DCIPC shared that during the courtesy visit, the two mayors discussed possible collaborations in the areas of education, investment and tourism, smart city and people to people coopera tion.

It also shared that both

A resolution was also passed that direct flights from Davao City to Hong kong can be restored.

“Mao na gyud na ang market na sikat diri sa Pil ipinas, ang Hongkong ug Singapore ug mao na atong gihangyo sa Cathay Pacific,” he said.

There’s also the ordi nance creating the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Center under the City So cial Welfare Development Office (CSWDO) to cater the needs of the PWDs and the ordinance the reward system for athletes and coaches who bring honor to Davao City.

“Approval sa housing developments amo na gi nataw-aw ron ang mga re quirements complied gyud ug dili makalusot nga naay deficient. Istrikto kaayo ang City Council,” he said.

Quitain clarified that ordinances mentioned just came out of the City Council and are not yet effective.

“Kini overview lang ni kay dili pa man ni effec tive kay kinahanglan pa ni muadto sa mayor’s office for signature and after that ma- implement na. By next year double time na pud. Karon celebrate sa ta ug pasko,” he said.

He also congratulated the City Council for pass ing the ordinances and for showing impressive performance in passing the ordinances in just five months.

“Ang akoang expec tations dili ingon ani ka paspas. Congratulations sa mga city councilos for stel lar performance in just five months,” he added.

25 MINDANAWONS

Aldrex Clyde Ycaza Veñales (WMSU).

At seventh place (88.8%) are Shahinaz Gon zales Adjap (ADZU), Gwyn eth Grace Calvo Porras and Rhea Marie Asparen Tarife (both of XU).

The eighth placers (88.6%) are Myles Therese Latar Arellano (XU), Kar en Mae Palomo Cumbe (NDMU), and Karl Marlu Bonachita Luza (MSU-IIT).

In ninth place (88.4%) are Rhodee Kristine Cena Doña (CMU), Vanessa Jones Cabeltes Egao (MSU-IIT), Alyssa Mae Tugbo Que (SPC), Mikole Anne Cruz Tatel (ADZU), and Casey Angelique Busa Ty (XU)

Eight Mindanawons tied at 10th place (88.2%):

CITY ... FROM 2

practice, it encourages the farming of livestock, veg etables and fruits),” Ablen said.

Other than the ben efits to the environment and people’s health, or ganic farming is also much cheaper. Since the practice uses natural materials to grow food, farmers are not affected by the rising prices of commercial fertilizers and other synthetic inputs to grow their crops.

Ablen assured farmers that the city government is always ready to support those who want to give or ganic farming a shot.

“Kadtong mga gusto mag organic farming, kung kulang mo sa kahanas, kung kinahanglan pa ninyo ang tabang, duol lang mo sa amoang opisina (Those

BANK ...

mayors also expressed their desire of having a di rect flight from Davao to Osaka in the near future.

The sisterhood agree ment between Davao City and Sennan City was ap proved by the Davao City International Relations Board last November 15, 2022 and is now being pro cessed for the City Council to pass a resolution to au thorize Duterte to sign the agreement.

“Through sisterhood agreements, we can come up with cooperations and collaborative programs in key areas like education, trade, tourism, and health that will benefit both Davao and Sennan,” Dayap said.

STAKEHOLDERS ...

and the resolution to fully support the the establish ment of Banana Flour Pro cessing Plant at the Cotaba to Agro-Industrial Park.

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further in 2023 as gross domestic product growth in high-income countries continued to slow.

“Downside risks re main substantial, including a further deterioration in the war in Ukraine, volatile oil prices and currency ex change rates, and a deep er-than-expected down

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The stakeholders are hopeful that all the pro grams of the provincial government will succeed.

By Maya M. Padillo

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sustains its recovery.

The BSP on Tuesday night also reported the 5.4 percent year-on-year growth of M3 growth for October 2022, faster than its 5.2 percent expansion in the previous month.

Ricafort said the gov ernment’s infrastructure program is also expected to boost bank lending since this will pump-prime the economy.

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LANDMARK... FROM 2 1ST OMERTA... FROM 11

Macy Lee Dagoy Abella (ADZU), Mary Angeline Bantayan Alajar (DDC), Jean Therese Orque de Guz man (ADZU), Laila Fran ces Baguio Duca (ADDU), Imelda Christine Mae Rojas Dulay (SPC), Emmanuel Lorenzo Gamayon Ebarle (XU), Lenmark Alde Mon santo (CMU), and Eve Kath lynn Lood Viudor (XU).

The PRC said in its website that 18,529 of the 24,903 examinees passed the NLE held in Manila, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Luce na, Pagadian, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tugueg arao, and Zamboanga ear lier this month. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)

themed place “ says Engr Mendrado “Poypoy” Canu za III, one of the organizers of the event.

“We will be offering a 25,000 cash price for the Hole in One in the four Par 3s with four (4) Pins in each hole or a total of 16 chances to get the Hole in One prize” he added.

“Part of the proceeds for this tournament will go to the Golden Heart Fund, a scholarship pro gram for the young stu dents of the Philippine Science High School as our way of giving back to our alma mater” says Bry an Good of the organizing committee and owner of Good Cargo Solutions for warding company.

A total of 18 prizes

are at stake for this event namely, Overall Gross Champion ,Overall Net Champion, Gross/Net Championand Gross/Net Runner Up for Class A,B,C and the LadiesDivision.

Awarding of prizes , raf fle and dinner buffet will follow at the Omerta Bistro and Lounge at the seventh Floor of Bormaheco Build ing along JP Laurel Ave. right after the tournament with a live band entertain ment .

“This tournament is not only about golf and fel lowship but we would also ensure that the golfers will enjoy the premium food , live band entertainment and the unique ambience of the place” Engr Canusa concluded.

‘BIGGER’... FROM 11

who want to do organic farming, you can always come to us if you lack the expertise and if you need help),” Ablen said.

Ablen also urged Dabawenyos to try prod ucts from the Rizal Organic Market.

The CAgrO hopes to have at least five organic farmers who will form the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Davao’s Core Team to be certified by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) in February 2023. Once accredited, the PGS Davao will then become the certifying body for all organic farmers in Davao City to ensure their prod ucts follow the national standards of organic farm ing. CIO

the idea of getting out and expanding their reach fur ther. Among the products of the league are NCAA (National Collegiate Athlet ic Association) Basketball sensation Axel Doromal, who was recently hailed as the finals MVP.

are even thinking of coming up with a ‘Battle of Champi ons’ Invitational Basketball League where they might invite champions from the UAAP, the NCAA or oth er commercial leagues to compete against their own champions.

turn in major high-income countries,” the report said.

The top five recipient countries for remittances in 2022 are expected to be India with a new bench mark of $100 billion, fol lowed by Mexico with $60 billion, China, the Philip pines, and Egypt, the report said.

“That results in great er business and loan de mand by contractors as well as for allied/relat ed industries, especially suppliers of the various infrastructure projects and for those part of the supply chain/value chain, as well as more op portunities for the prop erty/real estate sector with higher multiplier effects on the economy,”

‘When I was young, I always dreamed of be coming a professional basketball player but time and talent was not on my side and now I see a lot of players in their prime who share the same dream and we want to give them the opportunity to showcase their skills in a higher play ing field equal perhaps to the UAAP (Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines), the NCAA or the CESAFI league in Cebu. Though wala pa kami doon sa ganung level (though we’re not in that level yet), we want to achieve that in time and we look forward to a bigger season in 2023,’ he stressed.

Rubinos said that they

he said.

“Going forward, loan demand back to dou ble-digit growth levels as seen recently could lead to faster GDP (gross do mestic product) growth

On the other hand, the young executive thanked the supporters and partici pants of the LYR Cup, espe cially Aldin Celi of Basket ball Avenue who helped in the technical aspect of the event along with former PBL (Philippine Basketball League) commissioner and renowned sportscast er Manolo ‘Chino’ Trinidad who provided a lot of in puts and expertise, as well as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) which sanctioned the league.

Meanwhile, the LYR Marketing Corporation is also planning to help sup port other sports in the fu ture, which may include 3x3 Basketball, Volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee. (DSA)

and could already sup port/justify any further hikes in the local policy rate amid higher infla tion and the expected ag gressive Fed rate hikes in 2022,” he added. (PNA)

DIOKNO...

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Meanwhile, Diokno said the economic managers or the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBBC) will meet on De cember 5 to review the gov ernment’s macroeconomic targets.

“We will review the numbers and maybe we can upgrade the forecast, but we will just affirm the 6.5 to 8% [for next year,” he said.

The economy as mea sured by GDP, or the total value of goods and ser vices produced, grew by 7.6%during the July to Sep tember period, faster than the upwardly adjusted 7.5% GDP growth in the second quarter of the year.

The DBCC set a GDP growth target of 6.5% to 7.5% for 2022 and 6.5% to 8% for 2023.

1st OMERTA CUP Golf set December 3 at RPV

BY CHITO MALABANAN

It’s all systems go for the 1st OMERTA Cup golf tournament to be held at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Coun try Club on December 3,2022.

It will apply the System 36 format with Shotgun start at 6:30 am. Regis tration is pegged at 4,000 pesos which includes the green fee, mulligan ( one for each 9), raffle prizes and the surprise give aways.

The tournament is organized by the alumni group of PISAY ( Philip

pine Science High School) Southern Mindanao Cam pus named after their busi ness venture, the Omerta Bistro and Lounge which opened in December 2019 but went on a hiatus during the pandemic and went full blast only on early part of 2022.

“This is our way of

celebrating our third year in the business and to intro duce further our brand of service to the public. Mind you sir, am a fan of The Godfather movie trilogy thus the name OMERTA ( derived from the Mafia par lance meaning Code of Si lence ), but unlike the mov ie , we would like to break the silence and instead announce to the world our premium food, drinks and entertainment on a relaxed atmosphere and family

F1ST OMERTA, P10

‘Bigger’ LYR Cup Basketball League opens new season

Abigger and better

LYR Cup Basketball League is set next season after its successful staging at the Davao Del Norte Sports & Cultural Complex in Tagum City.

Jose Maria College (JMC) Kings under the tu telage of head coach Flor delito ‘Dodong’ Cagam pang won the first season.

During the DSA (Davao Sportswriters Association) Forum last November 30, at the SM City Davao Annex, Alex Rubinos, the Chief Operating Officer of LYR Marketing Corpo ration along with co-or ganizer Aldin Celi, the chairperson of Basketball Avenue hinted that they

are hoping for the entry of more teams next season especially those coming from the nearby cities and provinces in Mindanao like Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Midsayap and General Santos.

Rubinos said that the LYR Cup was started by his father years back and was revived in 2016, where he took over the handling and management of the league.

‘The LYR Cup is actually an open basketball league. We began to expand it in 2019 but with the global pandemic things got very difficult with the restric tions and the lockdowns. Teams were very limited and most of them were

commercial. So, konti lang talaga ang sumali noong una (very few teams joined at first). In our new est season however, as the restrictions and lock downs were eased out, we had a total of 16 teams in the All Mindanao Cup but aside from that we had pocket tournaments to further trim down the 30 or so teams who wanted to join, plus we now included collegiate teams,’ Rubinos bared.

He added that the league really originated in Tagum City, which is the home base of the LYR Mar keting Corporation but they are still toying with

Organizers of the LYR Cup Basketball League at the DSA Forum last Wednesday at SM City Davao.

The first ever OMERTA Cup golf tournament is organized by the alumni group of PISAY ( Philippine Science High School) Southern Mindanao Campus named after their business venture, the Omerta Bistro and Lounge which opened in December 2019 but went on a hiatus during the pandemic and went full blast only on early part of 2022.

EYES ON PARIS

Petecio eyes 2024 Paris Olympics

Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nes thy Alcayde Petecio eyes anoth er Olympic stint in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Wednesday’s (November 30) Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the SM City Davao, the 30 yearold Petecio bared that she will have to undergo training again this Decem ber in order to be in tip top shape when she competes in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Panh, Cambodia and Asian Games in Hangzhou, Chi na in which will serve as a qualifying round for a slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Simula ngayong De cember balik kami ng team sa training which will be in Baguio City. I

will have to double my ef fort in training para maka qualify ako sa Olympics,” said Petecio who recently had bronze finish in the recent 2022 Asian Boxing Championships held in Jordan.

Petecio who plays in the women’s 57kgs di vision said making it in the medal podium in the Southeast Asian Games and in the Asian Games will earn a slot in the 2024 Olympics.

“Kahit anong kulay ng medal, masaya na ako. Im portante maka pasok sa Olympics uli,” she added. (DSA)

Members of the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) with Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio during Wednesday’s (November 30) Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the SM City Davao.