Balay Dangupan, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s pet project in Davao City during his term as City Mayor, could be in for bigger things starting with its expansion.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte promised to extend the said facility to make it spacious for the children during his visit on December 23, 2022, together with common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
“Gusto kong malaman kung masikip na ba dito o maluwag pa? Kasi mga anak ko kayo pagawaan ko kayo ng bahay na maganda. Hindi naman ako mayor at hindi na ako president, retired na ako ibig sabihin tapos na ako sa aking trabaho sa mun-
dong ito, ngayon kulang man nandito si, hindi nyo lang alam, noon ang palagi kong kasama parang assistant ko si Senator Bong Go. Ngayon ang assistant naging senador siya, so Bong narinig mo naman masikip na,” he said.
He also said he will ask support from his sons, Congressman Pulong and Mayor Baste, to help him extend the said facility, which now houses 50 children.
“May problema tayo
ngayon medyo kulang na ng space, si Bong na pwersahin ko ngayon pati yung mga kaibigan ko na naiwan sa Congress na bigyan kayo ng malaking bahay. Parang dormitory rin. Yung anak ko eldest ko Congressman siya pati isa kong anak si Mayor Baste, hingi ako ng pera para magpagawa tayo ng bahay,” he said.
It can be recalled that FBIGGER, P10
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Port of Davao signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) on December 13 at the Davao Customshouse.
The partnership, aligned with the directives of Commissioner Yogi File-
mon Ruiz, aims to enhance customs administration through holistic organizational development.
It will also improve the skills and knowledge of Customs Davao’s personnel through customized training, programs, and technical assistance, which will help the Office to be more efficient
and responsive to the demands of the stakeholders and the economy.
Plans for restructuring, rightsizing, and intervention in learning and development programs are already at work in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s National Government Rightsizing Program
(NGRP).
District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria and Deputy Collector for Administration Mohammad Ben-Usman represented the Port, while President and CEO Engelbert Caronan, Jr. and Mindanao’s Managing Director Mark Lemuel L. Garcia represented the DAP.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is suffering from a breakdown in communication between its units due to the neutralization of its ranking leaders as it struggles to “gasp for breath”, the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday.
In a statement, Col. Medel Agular said the death of CPP’s chair Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands has also left the underground movement, which observes its 54th founding anniversary Dec. 26, with “no sense of purpose and direction”.
“There is a breakdown in the communication lines between the CPP Central Committee and its subordinate organs and armed group (NPA). This is primarily due to the neutralization of many of the CPP top leaders: Julius Giron; Menandro Villanueva; Jorge Madlos; etc, the silence and long absence of their supposed Chairman now, Benito Tiamzon, and the loss of their mass bases and mass organizations,” Aguilar said.
The CPP is left with only 23 guerrilla fronts, only five of which are able to implement party programs and the 18 are “weak and gasping for breath”, Aguilar said.
“This gives the military the opportunity to focus its superior capability against the five while the civil government needs only to implement programs that will address the source of peo-
ples’ discontent to render the UGM’s AOM (agitate, organize and mobilize) activities inutile,” he said.
Sison, who died last Dec. 16, established the CPP in 1968.
“To keep the organization afloat, the CPP through a digital person known as ‘Marco Valbuena’ can only come up with press releases and statements to convey the party’s directive and message to its lower organs and armed group, including its threat of tactical offensives,” Aguilar said.
Following Sison’s death, the CPP said it would not seek a ceasefire with state forces this holiday season.
The CPP’s call to its remaining New People’s Army (NPA) fighters to carry out “tactical offensives” against government troops, Aguilar said, was aimed at preventing the organization’s “total disintegration”.
“The CPP is now more likely to strengthen its hold to what remains of its fighters and followers, hence the directive to conduct tactical offensives, in order to avoid disintegration and collapse,” he added.
Even after more than 50 years, the CPP has failed to achieve its goals despite peaking with an estimated 28,000 members in the mid-80s, Aguilar said.
“Indeed, 54 years is more than enough. The country’s suffering must end now,” he said adding “54 years after it was founded, the underground movement never achieved
Some parts of Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Norte experienced heavy rains on Saturday night and greeted Christmas Day on Sunday with floods.
Strong winds also forced the Philippine Coast Guard stations in Surigao del Norte and Siargao Island to temporarily suspend sea travels.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) dispatched personnel to Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte as families were rescued in the villages of Mahanub, Villaflor, Ipil, Cambo-ayon and Poniente with the help of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO).
“Rescue operation is still ongoing and we are still determining the number of families affected by floods in these barangays,” BFP-Gigaquit said in a statement.
The Surigao City DRRMO conducted an emergency evacuation operation at around 2 a.m. Sunday in flooded areas of Sitio Dolong and Sitio Baybay Magallanes in Barangay Washington and
transferred a senior citizen, two women and two children to a temporary shelter.
The CDRRMO also rescued a woman, a teenager and two dogs in Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Taft.
In Agusan del Norte, BFP-Jabonga said it is still determining the number of affected families as of press time.
As of the 11 a.m. bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, moderate to heavy rains with at times intense rains will be experienced over Eastern Visayas, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat islands, while moderate to heavy rains are expected over Southern Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and the rest of Caraga and the Visayas.
Flooding and rain-induced landslides are likely to happen in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards and in areas with significant volume of rainfall. PNA
By MAYA M. PADILLOAn official of the Davao City Tourism Operations Office (DCTOO) disclosed that the city’s tourism industry needs to push for foreigners as well as locals to visit the “King City of the South.”
Jennifer Romero, officer-in-charge of DCTOO, said this after Davao City was included among 18 of Asia’s “underrated” places reported by CNN Philippines.
“The CNN press release, for some it’s a positive review but on the
other side yeah underrated because Davao City is tagged as part of Mindanao and that is also a challenge for us moving forward that we really need to push for Davao City and Davao Region for our tourism industry so that the time will come that all
foreign visitors and even locals can come in, tourist arrivals will increase and by the time we will no longer be underrated not only Davao City but Davao Region as well,” she said.
The CNN report cited Davao City’s Roxas Night Market, its indigenous roots, and the Kadayawan Festival, which showcases local textiles, woodwork, song, and dance from 11 tribes.
Davao City will be hosting the Meetings In-
centives Conferences Exhibitions Convention (MICECon) in March next year highlighting “bleisure”, which is a growing business-leisure tourism trend as the industry bounces back from the pandemic.
Carrying the theme: MICEConverge, Blaze New Trails, the activity will feature Davao’s 11 tribes, Philippine Eagle, fashion and crafts, travel and destination, and local cuisine and delicacies.
The province of Misamis Occidental recorded six casualties on Monday as flooding incidents continued to affect different parts of Northern Mindanao region, displacing more than 40,000 people.
The 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) and Oroquieta City Disaster Risk Reduc-
tion Management Office (DRRMO) conducted the latest retrieval operation in Purok 3, Barangay Mialen after the victims’ house was buried in a landslide.
The fatalities were identified as Elenita Calamian, 43, and her father, Mario Sambiog, 70.
The landslide was caused by continuous
rains since Dec. 24, which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) refers to as “shear line” event.
Data from the Office of the Civil Defense-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), and the Regional DRRM Council (RDRRMC-10) recorded four other deaths,
two injured, and three missing in Misamis Occidental.
The provincial government, through the Provincial DRRMO (PDRRMO) has continued with its response operations to flooded towns where public infrastructure were damaged and houses were submerged
Individual
taxpayers will be charged lower tax rates starting next year, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said.
Individuals earning purely compensation income, including non-business/non-profession related income and sole proprietors, “can look forward to a higher takehome pay in 2023,” according to the BIR.
The taxman said the lower income tax rate is pursuant to Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which took effect on Jan-
uary 1, 2018. Starting January 1, 2023, those with annual taxable income below P250,000.00 are still exempt from paying personal income tax, while the rest of taxpayers, except those with taxable income of more than P8 million, will have lower tax rates ranging from 15% to 30% by 2023.
To maintain progressivity, the BIR imposed a 35% tax rate on top in-
dividual taxpayers with annual taxable incomes exceeding P8 million, up from 32% previously.
Compared to the income tax rates imposed during the initial implementation of the TRAIN Law in 2018, the new annual income tax rates for individuals significantly decreased by 5% for those with taxable income of more than P250,000.00 up to P2,000,000.00, while a 2% decrease in tax rate was noted for those with taxable income of more than P2,000,000.00 up to
P8,000,000.00.
“With the said reduction in the annual income tax rates, individuals earning purely compensation income will have lower withholding tax deductions from their monthly salary, thereby increasing their takehome pay,” said BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr.
Employers must use the revised withholding tax table to calculate withholding taxes on their employees’ compensation income beginning January 1, 2023.
Sugar producers said the government’s inability to enforce the suggested retail price (SRP) was the reason sugar prices were still high.
“Hindi supply ang problema ng taas ng asukal. Ang problema dito po is the implementation of the SRP. Enforcement of government is what is lacking.
Walang enforcement eh,” said United Sugar Produc-
ers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) president Manuel Lamata.
UNIFED disapproved of the importation of sugar while milling was at its peak.
The UNIFED also said it had a stock of 6,000 metric tons of sugar, which led to a decrease in mill gate prices to P60 per kilo in the past three weeks.
President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr., who also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), had directed the agency to speed up the importation of thousands of metric tons of sugar to stabilize the price of the commodity.
The DA said it would be helpful if the locally produced sugar could be sold in the market to stabilize the prices.
It added that the effects of the importation of sugar would not be immediately felt.
“Yan ang pinakamadali at pinakamabilis na solusyon for the rising prices of sugar. Kasi if we are waiting for the importation it will take time. Siguro ang pag-usapan lang natin dito is how to bring those sugar na sinasabi nila sa public
The Philippine government on Sunday unveiled plans to secure nearly $40-billion worth of assistance and loans from development partners and bilateral lenders next year, with the running debt stock at a fresh record high as of end-October.
According to the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), the government is set to secure $19.1-billion worth of official development assistance (ODA) in 2023, following the $85.5-million worth of grants and technical assistance implemented this year.
The administration also eyes $9.2-billion worth of loans from multilateral development partners, and $9.8 billion in loans from bilateral lenders in the coming year.
Latest data available from the Bureau of the
Treasury (BTr) shows that the outstanding debt stock stood at P13.64 trillion as of end-October, up by 0.92% or P123.92 billion from the end-September level of P13.517 trillion.
In the same statement, the OPS said collections of the main revenue agencies — the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) — reached P3.2 trillion based on the yearend report of the Department of Finance (DOF).
This is higher than the initial revenue target of P3.3-trillion for the entire year, but lower than the P3.515-trillion projection made by inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno in November expressed optimism that the government wouldsurpass its
Housing loan borrowers and buyers of retail housing units can avail of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) housing loan and restructuring program and installment sale program.
In a statement, the GSIS said the two new programs aim to assist the national government’s housing efforts and provide “ginhawang bahay, ginhawang buhay to every Filipino.”
“Kung may hinuhulugan kang bahay sa GSIS at nabibigatan ka sa amortization, pwede nating i-restructure ang payment mo na may kasamang condonation ng penalties and surcharges at huhulugan hanggang sampung taon para mas lumiit ang amortization. Kung gusto mong bayaran ng buo, tatanggalin natin lahat ng unpaid penalties and surcharges at bibigyan ka namin ng 50% discount sa interest. Pwede mo ring i-settle lang muna ang arrears mo, para ma-update
ang account mo kahit pa mahigit sa anim na buwan nang walang hulog kung ikaw ay may remaining term pa,” said GSIS president and general manager Wick Veloso.
(If the amortization you are paying for a house with GSIS is burdening you, we can restructure your payment plus condonation of penalties and surcharges which can be paid up to 10 years to further lessen the amortization. If you want to pay in full, we will remove all the unpaid penalties and surcharges and we will give you a discount of 50% on interest. You may also settle for the meantime your arrears to update your account despite not having contributions for over six months if you still have a remaining term.)
“Ang installment sale naman ay available sa GSIS members na gustong bumili ng bahay sa ilalim ng programang Lease with Option to Buy o kaya sa public bidding. Ang in-
GSIS, P10
Revenuecollections from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs have hit P3.2 trillion this year, Malacañang announced.
Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil said that based on figures from the Department of Finance, BIR and BOC revenue collections have already exceeded by 2.2 percent the full-year 2022 target set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee.
The Bureau of Treasury, which publishes the revenue performance of government agencies, earlier said that as of end-October, total collections from the BIR, BOC and other agencies had reached P2.946 trillion.
This was not enough to cover government expenditures during the Jan-Oct period which reached P4.058 trillion, leading to a deficit of nearly P1.112 trillion.
To finance the shortfall, the government has been borrowing heavily from both domestic and foreign lenders. As of end-October, the Philippines’ sovereign debt had already ballooned to a record P13.64 trillion.
The Palace said that next year, the Philippines is eyeing to secure some $19.1 billion worth of of-
ficial development assistance. It is also eyeing to secure some $9.2 billion in loans from several development partners and $9.8 billion worth of loans from bilateral lenders.
Malacañang meanwhile claimed the higher revenue collections as among the accomplishments of the DOF under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The finance department also facilitated the implementation of grants and technical assistance amounting to an estimated $85.5 million,” the statement read, without elaborating.
New taxes are also being pushed to cover the budget gap.
The DOF also aims to
push Packages 3 and 4 under the comprehensive tax reform program, pass the excise tax on single-use plastics, and the value added tax on digital service providers, among others.
Private sector fund mobilization through public-private partnership programs will also be pursued, noted Garafil.
“Tax administration reforms will be implemented to enhance tax efforts, maximize the government’s revenue potential, simplify taxpayer compliance and automate the BIR and [Bureau of Customs] processes,” said the Palace.
The Marcos administration is looking to spend P5.268 trillion in 2023.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced the resumption of its flight between Manila and Xiamen, China next month.
In an advisory, PAL said its Manila-Xiamen will resume beginning on January 13, 2023.
This would mark the flag carrier’s reopening of its scheduled service to mainland China almost
three years after the service was paused due to COVID-related border restrictions.
Starting with one flight per week, operating every Friday, the PAL route to Xiamen will build up frequencies over time, in line with the easing of restrictions and applicable government authorizations, it said.
“The reopening of our
Manila-Xiamen service is a happy development as we welcome the new year, and a good start for the restoration of our flights to and from the Chinese mainland. Philippine Airlines is continuously working towards flying back to more cities in China, with our goal of operating the largest network of flights between the Philippines and multiple
cities in mainland China,” said PAL vice president for Sales Bud Britanico.
“Moving forward, we are excited to serve more customers and strengthen the warm and friendly relations that unite the Chinese and Filipino people,” said Britanico.
From January 13, PAL will offer one flight per week between Manila and
The reunion concert of the Eraserheads dubbed “Huling El Bimbo” is peppered with elements associated with our college life at the University of the Philippines (UP).
Eraserheads performed before a huge crowd of 75,000 people on December 22, 2022 at the SMDC Festival Grounds in Parañaque City.
UP has played a special role in Eraserheads since the Diliman campus was where they started to perform in the 1990s, composed of Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, and Marcus Adoro
Buddy and Raymund were my roommates for two years (1989 to 1991) .at the Molave dorm during my last college years.
Our room, with high ceiling and huge windows, was at the end of the second floor of the Molave boys’ wing with the original room number replaced with “AS 101.”
I usually go out every time our room was used as their “practice area” since I could not study due to the “noise” they were creating.
It was beyond my comprehension that the “noise” that I tried to avoid made them known as one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed bands in OPM history earning them the accolade “The Beatles of the Philippines.”
“It’s been a long time. We’ve been to different places, seen different faces, and we’re coming back to you,” said Ely , the band’s lead vocalist.
Their last concert was staged in 2008, but it was cut short after Ely had to be rushed to the hospital for chest pains.
The stage is dominated by big LED screens with beautiful graphics for each song, some with UP elements. UP Pep Squad even performed during the break.
Their logo of a large inverted letter “E” is right in the center, hanging above the band, which glowed different colors.
Set one songs include Superproxy; Back2Me; Waiting For The Bus; Fine Time; Kama Supra; Overdrive; Slo Mo; Torpedo; Huwag Mo Nang Itanong; Paru-Parong Ningning; Walang Nagbago; Poorman’s Grave; Yoko and Fill Her.
Set two songs include Pop Machine; Sembreak; Sabado; Ligaya; Lightyears; Saturn Return; Maling Akala; Tama Ka; With A Smile; Insomya; Christmas Party; Spoliarium and Magasin.
The last set songs include Pare Ko; Minsan; Alapaap and Ang Huling El Bimbo.
The concert made my birthday week more memorable, as there are other UP-related activities that occurred.
On December 19, 2022, UP’s attempt to be the back to back champion for Season 85 of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball ended when it succumbed to Ateneo during Game 3 (75-68) of the finals.
Despite the loss, we celebrated with a bonfire at the Amphitheatre to give honor to our
boys. The cheer “UP Fight!” resonated in every game as men and women who solidly believed in the team, stood by their side in their journey.
On December 21, 2022, the UP Diliman campus reverted to its traditional face-to-face Lantern Parade which was suspended for two years due to the pandemic. It started in 1922, inspired by the folk practice of carrying lanterns of various shapes and sizes to light the way to the early morning December masses or misa de gallo during the Spanish period.
The parade traverses the UP Academic oval under the acacia trees and passes by the Sunken Garden ( where the band used to play during UP Fairs) that are silent witnesses to the travails of the Diliman denizens, like the Eraserheads.
The Diliman campus was my solace as a student at the UP School of Economics from 1987 to 1991 and later at the UP College of Law from 1992 to 1998.
The dorm is considered as another classroom where we learned the value of give-andtake, cooperation and mutual respect in dealing with a variety of personalities and characters.
Ely’s room was also on the second floor, a few steps away from our room. Marcus was a regular ‘visitor’ to our room who was staying at the Narra dorm, and slept an extra cushion pulled out underneath Raimund’s bed.
Instead of going home to Las Piñas for my birthday in 1990, I celebrated it with Buddy over
ice cream while watching an old film in the dorm’s TV room.
The lyrics of “Pare Ko” aptly reflect how friendships were galvanized inside the campus: “O pare ko meron ka bang maipapayo. Kung wala ay okey lang . Kailangan lang ay ang iyong pakikiramay. Andito ka ay ayos na”.
Ironically, I only had one photo with them during college though I was the photo editor of Philippine Collegian which was used in a segment with clips of old photos, videos and recordings.
For many, the nostalgia of campus life is more than enough to see the show, to look back at the time of our adolescence and discovering one’s identity.
The concert is a reminder
that we should not only reminisce the innocence and enthusiasm of our youth but we also have to look at the joys in our lives.
It was a nostalgic journey driven by songs that have become part of our adolescent lives when we were pursuing both academic excellence and progressive thinking.
College life taught us how to persevere, be patient and be grateful for small blessings.
(Peyups is the monicker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)
Aside from San Pedro Hospital, a Roman Catholic medical facility, and Brokenshire Inte-grated Health Ministries, Incorporated (BIHMI), a sanatorium run by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the only other sectarian sickbay in Davao City is the Ad-ventist Hospital—Davao, supervised by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The hospital started on June 1, 1966, as a 15-bed Davao Sanitarium and Hospital Clinic inside a leased building along Tionko Avenue, which also hosted the Davao Mission. The primary mission of the facility was to become the face of the sect’s medical ministry. It was launched with the aim of constructing a bigger facility on a two-hectare lot at Bangkal that the group acquired from the late Sen. Alejandro D. Almendras on
May 23, 1966.
Due to a lack of personnel and fiscal constraints, the operation of the clinic was suspend-ed for fifteen years (196883). It was later reopened as an extension of the Iligan-based Min-danao Sanitarium and Hospital (MSH) but only briefly (1984-86).
In 1987, the idea of an Adventist hospital was revived by opening a new clinic in Davao City known as the Davao Sanitarium and Hospital Urgent Health Care Center. Like the ini-tial medical initiative, the new project had to hurdle trials but survived until March 1992 when its operation was again suspended.
Pushing the plan to build the dreamt hospital became more focused as the sect leaders pulled all the financial stops to gather sustainable money for
its construction. For four years (1992-96), enlisting the support of church members became crucial. To amass funds, the prime movers sought the support of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division through solicitations, donations, and love offerings, both domestic and abroad.
Several personalities within the congregation were also enlisted to guide the project towards completion. From raising funds to buy equipment to identify the persons who would direct the hospital operations, the leaders of the South Philippine Union Conference (SPUC) and the Davao Mission launched a collective effort to finalize the details of the project until it is done.
In the first quarter of 1997, the center of attention turned with compliance of documents required for the hospital in-
spection, and its inauguration. A roster of personnel to supervise the facility was prepared and scrutinized. Finally, on June 6, 1997, a team from the health department in Manila conducted an ocular inspection of the Adventist Hospital-Davao. Four days later, the 34-bed facility obtained its license to operate as a secondary healthcare facility.
To steer the hospital on track eighteen physicians comprised the medical staff. The initial services being offered were major and minor surgeries, a special care nursery, an intensive care unit, emergency services, and ancillary amenities like a laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, outpatient clinics, well baby clinic and immunization, and a clinic for infertility and women’s diseases.
Moreover, the hospital ini-
tially had a staff for healthcare and auxiliary services composed of twelve registered nurses, two midwives, four nursing aides, two pharmacists, a pharmacy aide, three laboratory personnel, two licensed radiology technicians, a licensed nutritionist, a dietician, and two staff. In its first year of operation, a total of 5,783 patients were treated.
On January 1, 1998, the hospital got its Medicare accreditation. Improvements in terms of quality and service excellence, including human resources and upgrades in facilities and equipment, were slowly introduced. Through an endowment from the DMMA College of Southern Philippines, another edifice was built, which expanded the spaces for patients, clin-ics, laboratories, offices, an ophthalmology clinic, a cafeteria, and a dietary section.
It doesn’t happen everyday so when we do, the feeling is just so good.
I’m talking about dinner among media colleagues. It’s that rare time of the year when we get together. And yes, it’s been a while after the crazy pandemic ride.
This bunch of feisty Davao media practitioners, lifestyle writers and vloggers sure knows how to slow down the maddening speeds media work demands.
And despite December being a hectic month for most of us, we managed to
squeeze some time out of our busy schedule and enjoyed a lovely holiday dinner with Acacia Hotel Davao (AHD) peeps.
As a tradition, we were welcomed by the hotel’s extra special sweet treats and decadent baked goods that definitely tickled our taste buds. And the rest of the Christmas dinner dishes gazed us in awe.
It was a fun gathering for everyone. We participated in the games and unleashed
the child in us.
We were exulting while trying to scoop blindfolded all the envelopes containing the freebies from AHD in the “sandok” game.
I wasn’t able to get the grand prize in the “sandok” game but I definitely enjoyed as I almost got all the consolation prizes.
Our flexibility was also tested in the limbo rock game. We stood in line and one at a time danced, shimmied and made our way under the rope without touching it. Some of us fell, touched the ground, touched the rope and we’re out of the game while others
We
ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO
The great Sinulog party is back.
Careless’ first ever music festival dubbed ‘Wavy Baby’ makes a comeback this 2023 with the best line up everyone will rave on.
The 2-day music festival will take over the grounds of North Reclamation, Mandaue City Cebu on January 13-14 2023 with 20 recognized international and local artists.
Coming all the way from America is Pink Sweat$, Thai rapper Bambam, Korean artist Sunmi, indie-rock Korean band The Rose, Australian duo
Bag Raiders, Canadian R&B duo Manila Grey and electronic music artist Yultron. Joining them are all artists signed under Careless namely, James Reid, Massiah, Jolianne, Lesha, August Wahh, Issa, SOS, Destiny Rogers, and A-TEAM.
Other Filipino acts include Ben&Ben, December Avenue, Urbandub, Franco, Denise Julia, and more. The festival will also feature local Cebuano acts such as CookieS, The Sundown, Mandaue Nights, Three Legged Men, and Wonggoys.
“We are really excited to do Wavy Baby in Sinulog because it is the biggest and most historical festival in the Philippines. We want to build a festival that brings the best of the Philippines and the world together to meet and celebrate life and culture, which is what Sinulog is all about,” Careless’ CEO, Jeffrey Oh said.
Tickets are up for grabs with 10% off— the best deal you can get at smtickets.com. VIP tickets are at ₱7,659 and General Admission tickets are at ₱3,834 if you checkout via Maya.
Kevin Gomez, who once sang at Sunday masses with his college buddies at the Ateneo de Davao University’s Subdominant 7 chapel choir, is in town from Manila to hold a mini concert of classical songs.
“This repertoire is a mix of art songs and arias from different composers, genres and time periods,” he says.
Since finishing Communication Arts in 2012, Kevin went on to pursue his lifelong passion: music. And one of the best schools there was, was the University of the Philippines’ College of Music.
This is where he took up Conducting as a major, studied under the tutelage of the likes of Professors Mark Anthony Carpio, Janet Sabas-Aracama, Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng, and Raul Navarro; and where he subsequently graduated cum laude.
In
Balsamo’s “Sabangan sa Ginoog,” a Visayan musical.
Just last Dec. 9 and 11, he shared the stage as a chorus member at the CCP’s grand production of Puccini’s “Turandot.”
Today, he teaches chorus, music theory, voice, and piano at online classes
and at the De La Salle College of St. Benilde.
But melancholy and the Yuletide spirit have likely prevailed upon the young tenor to share his gift to others.
“I’m excited to finally be able to do a recital in Davao,” he says, although
he’s had at least two classical recitals in Manila, including “Sing on,” a solo voice recital last June.
”Bringing all my experiences to an audience made up of family and friends from my home has always been a dream of mine,” he adds.
Kevin will be assisted by fellow artists Daphne Cabaguio Jocson and Jose Mari de la Peña. Their repertoire includes works from N. Abelardo, G. Faure, G.F. Handel, E.
Lalo, W.A. Mozart, G. Rossini, F. Schubert, and R. Schumann.
The mini concert will be held 7:00 PM on January 6, 2023 at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium of the Ateneo de Davao University. Tickets are priced at P1,500.00.
Kevin is set to enrol at the Master in Music Studies program, major in Opera Performance, at the Griffith University’s Queensland Conservatorium in Australia.
in 2015, he established the said center in Cabantian, Davao City to provide shelter care and serves as a temporary substitute home for survivors/victims of physical and sexual abuses.
“In 2015 naghanap ako ng pera at pinagawaan ko kayo ng magandang bahay. Nakikita ko ngayon maraming nag enroll dito at maraming istudyante. Maligaya ako na nag-aral kayo. Mag-aral kayong mabuti at kung malaki na kayo, meron na kayong trabaho at maghanap
kayo ng hanapbuhay na matino tapos balang araw mag-asawa na kayo, para magkaroon ng matinong pamilya para sa ating bayan. Kailangan kasi natin ang pamilya,” he said.
The kids offered song for the former president and his companions. He also promised to bring the children to a mall to shop and go to a movie as treats for Christmas.
Meanwhile, Go provided them with tablets, cellphones, basketballs, volleyballs, and toys.
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stallment ay maaaring bayaran hanggang 25 years. Kung condominium, ang term ay hanggang 20 years at kung bakanteng lote, 15 years to pay,” added Veloso.
(The installment sale, meanwhile, is available for GSIS members who want to buy a house under the Lease with Option to Buy program or through public bidding. The installment may be paid for up to 25 years. If you buy a condominium, the payment term is up to 20 years. If it’s a vacant lot, it’s 15 years to pay.)
Qualified to avail of the installment sale program are active members
who have paid at least three years of paid premiums; are not on leave of absence without pay at the time of application; have updated premium and loan payments; have no pending administrative or criminal case; and have no active housing loan account with the pension fund, the GSIS said.
In addition, the pension fund said buyers under installment sale must not be under agencies tagged as suspended; have net take-home pay not lower than the amount required under the General Appropriations Act after all monthly obligations
in flood water.
Governor Henry Oaminal has activated supporting units in charge of relief operations for the families sheltered in evacuation centers, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Today’s rainfall (Dec. 26) has slowed but the water flowing (downstream to lowlands) from the hinterlands is still strong,” he said in a media briefing.
Oaminal said the PDRRMO and allied units
anything significant to get closer to its goal, violent overthrow of the government, seizure of political power, and overhaul of the political system.”
“As the UGM struggled to establish a guerrilla front in every congressio-
have been deducted; and not be older than 65 years old at the time of maturity of the obligation.
Last year, the pension fund opened the Lease with Option to Buy program.
Under the program, informal occupants of GSIS
are on the field for immediate response.
The RDRRMC-10 recorded 7,540 individuals, or 1,769 families evacuated in Misamis Occidental as of Monday.
Of the 11 LGUs affected, the town of Jimenez has the highest number of evacuees with 5,741 individuals or 1,327 families.
7,089 families.
In an interview, Gingoog City Mayor Erick Cañosa said their City DRRMO recorded damage worth more than PHP100 million.
“Initial estimated damages in fisheries are around PHP15 to PHP18 million; we had damaged crops amounting to PHP25 to PHP30 million,” he said.
Cañosa also said infrastructure damage amounted to PHP50 to PHP75 million.
DSWD-10, in partnership with OCD-10, has initially distributed 6,600 food packs to affected families in Gingoog City.
The RDRRMC-10 also reported evacuees from LGUs in the provinces of Camiguin, Bukidnon, and Iligan City. (PNA)
Meanwhile, in Misamis Oriental province, Gingoog City has the most number of evacuees among eight local government units (LGUs) affected by the flood, with 34,156 individuals, or markets na kailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” DA Deputy Spokesperson Rex Estoperez said.
nal district of the country, its leaders and members can only watch with frustration and helplessness as the government’s security operations and development programs decapitates them,” Aguilar said. (PNA)
housing units are given priority to lease the property to provide them the chance to legalize their stay, and ultimately buy the property.
Unoccupied GSIS properties for lease are also open to non-members under the program.
Meanwhile, the prices of white sugar per kilo at Mega Q-Mart stood at P110, while washed sugar was at P92, and P90 for golden brown sugar.
“Mataas pa rin po ang
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collection goal this year. But the DBCC, earlier this month, announced an even higher revenue projection given the better-than-expected performance in the first 10 months.
The OPS said the administration will focus on rightsizing the DOF
kuha eh, mahirap po magbenta ng palugi. Hindi po kikita,” sugar vendor Arnold Endozo said.
The prices of white sugar per kilo at the Kamuning market, on the other hand, stood at P95 to P100, P86 to P90 for the washed sugar, and P84 to P85 for brown sugar.
bureaucracy, working toward streamlining its organization and processes to maximize efficiency and the use of public funds.
It also eyes the passage of key measures, such as the proposed excise tax on single-use plastics, value-added tax on digital service providers, ease of paying taxes, and the mining fiscal regime.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said in July that taxes on digital transactions, a measure long backed by Diokno, could generate P11.7 billion in 2023.
“Tax administration reforms will be implemented to enhance tax efforts, maximize the government’s revenue potential, simplify taxpayer compliance and automate the BIR and BOC processes,” the OPS said.
Xiamen.
The flag carrier said it will deploy Airbus A330300 aircraft on the Xiamen route.
During the pandemic, PAL said operated a series of authorized regular charter flights to Nanjing (from July 2020 to September 2022), Hangzhou (August 2022 to September 2022), Tianjin (from July 2022 to August 2022) and Wuhan (from August 2022 to present), while scheduled services on the airline’s regular routes were suspended.
Before the start of the COVID-19 closures, the airline had previously served 5 cities in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou (Jinjiang).
Barangay Ginebra took the opener of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after beating Bay Area, 96-81, in front of 18,252 fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Christmas night.
The Gin Kings turned things around late in the second quarter, going on a 15-0 run to turn a 26-34 deficit midway through the period into a 41-34 lead, and they never looked back from there.
Justin Brownlee led
Ginebra with 28 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block.
LA Tenorio added a conference-high 22 points, one rebound, three assists, and three steals, while Christian Standhardinger, who helped spark the team’s
game-turning second-quarter rally, finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Andrew Nicholson led Bay Area with 27 points, 12 rebounds, one block, and two steals.
Game 2, the last PBA game for 2022, is on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Brownlee leads Best Import race
Brownlee’s perfor-
The Philippine Basketball Association was recently named the Sports Tourism Tournament of the Year at the 5th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards in Quest Hotel Clark for their efforts in staging basketball tournaments during the pandemic.
The 2020 PBA Philippine Cup was organized by the PBA wherein games were held through a bubble set-up at Clark, now more popularly known as the “PBA Bubble.”
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial (2nd from right) and Team Governor for Converge FiberXers
Atty. Chito Salud (extreme right) accepted the award from PSTA Founder and Chairman Charles Lim (2nd from left) and Department of Tourism Regional Director of Region III, Caroline Uy (extreme left).
Others recognized at the 5th Philippine Tourism Awards were the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for National Sports Association of 2021, Quest Hotel as Sports Tourism Hotel of the Year for providing their accommodation and high-class hospitality to players and support crews in the Bubble, Cebu Pacific Air as
Sports Tourism Airline of the Year for rewarding all Filipino Olympians and Paralympians with free travel, and Clark Development Corporation as Sports Tourism Destination of the Year.
The annual PSTA was supported by the Department of Tourism, Smart Communications, Tourism Promotion Board Philippines and Sports Tourismo Alliance, Inc. It recognizes tourism stakeholders, sports associations, private event organizers and local governments successfully for promoting sports tourism in their locality.
mance in Game 1 was at par with his averages until the semifinals which put him way ahead of the pack in the Best Import race.
The six-foot-five wingman, the Gin Kings’ resident import for the Governors’ Cup, has 52.7 statistical points (SPs), leading Magnolia’s Nick Rakocevic (45.5) by a little more than seven points.
Devon Scott is in third with 44.8 SPs.
Meanwhile, NorthPort’s
Robert Bolick leads all locals in the Best Player of the Conference race with 33.9 SPs with Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson in second with 32.1.
However, with the Gin Kings making the semifinals interestingly enough by beating the Batang Pier in the quarterfinals, Thompson got some sort of an advantage with the votes from the media and players coming up.
San Miguel’s CJ Pe-
rez is third with 31.3 SPs, Ginebra’s Jamie Malonzo is fourth with 30.9, and NLEX’s Don Trollano is fifth with 29.1.
The BPC and the Best Import awards will be handed out on Jan. 6 before Game 4 of the Dragons-Gin Kings series.
All the Bay Area players, including imports Nicholson and Myles Powell, are ineligible for an individual award because they came in as a guest team. (PNA)
Brgy. Ginebra not only fought with intensity but also ferociously.
Like a hungry pack of lions that has not been fed for days,
the Gin Kings “devoured” their opponents like they were fresh meat straight from the slaughterhouse with a 96-81 shellacking on Christmas Day.
And naturally, the dominantly pro-Ginebra crowd cheered their voices hoarse with gusto as their court heroes drew first blood in the best of seven Commissioner’s Cup Finals Series.
Again, this was just the perfect time for an old reliable hand - a veteran of the war - to show what he still got. The 5 foot 10 LA Tenorio poured in 22 markers from all angles that gave Coach Goorjian something to worry about.
The BAD mentor actually focused his attention on Justin Brownlee who is likewise unstoppable, top scoring for the Gin Kings and a double double of 28 pts and 15 rebounds.
Ginebra trailed at one time 26-34 but a 19-6 blast gave the Gins the drivers’ seat, enjoying the first half lead,45-41.
Andrew Nicholson as usual was burying threes but he was limited to just 27 and the fast paced running game employed by Tim Cone seemed to have tired him.
From all indications, Cone already had all bases covered as Nicholson’s teammates could not produce the points they ably did in their previous matches in the preliminaries.
The Gin Kings challenged every shot from the Dragons arsenal.
Besides, the Gins’ physical defense must have intimidated the visitors who had previously walloped with ease the other
PBA ball clubs with their own brand of basketball.
JB and company matched every shot their opponents made and ably increased their lead to 8 at the conclusion of the third, 72-64,
Cone said playing on Christmas Days is a little overwhelming. “It is somewhat overwhelming to see people come to watch us play on a special time like this,” the amiable Ginebra mentor said in so many words during the post-game interview.
But hey, Goorjian will not take this loss sitting down.
He will go back to the drawing board and find out what went wrong with his boys.
If the Dragons don’t level back in Game 2 on Wednesday, I don’t know how they can crawl out of the hole with a 0-2 deficit.
Facing Ginebra whose championship energy seems boundless, Goorijan must make sure Brownlee is handcuffed as tight as possible.
But who among his boys can ably guard a shifty and intelligent playmaker like JB?
Yes, the Dragons have excellent snipers but they evidently lack bangers and dependable sentries.
This series should be over in six.
THE SCORES: GINEBRA - Brownlee 28, Tenorio 22, Standhardinger 16, Thompson 15, Japeth Aguilar 6, Pringle 5, Malonzo 3, Gray 2, Mariano, R. Aguilar, Pessumal 0.
BAY AREA DRAGONS = Nicholson 27, Yang 12, Zhu 12, Lam 11, Ju 6, Song 5, Blankley 4, Reid 0.