Oil prices down Tuesday

Pump prices of petroleum products will be rolled back this week, following the increases implemented by oil firms last Tuesday.

In an advisory, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Seaoil Philippines Corp. said they will reduce prices per liter of gasoline by P0.70, diesel by P1.30, and kerosene by P1.80.

Cleanfuel will implement the same changes, excluding kerosene which it does not carry.

The changes will take effect at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, February 28, for all the firms except for Cleanfuel which will adjust prices at 12:01 a.m. the same day.

Other firms have yet to make similar announcements for the week.

Firms last week hiked prices per liter of gasoline by P0.90 and diesel by P1.05, while rolling back kerosene by P0.25.

Latest data available from the Department of Energy (DOE) show that yearto-date net decreases stood at P1.10 per liter for diesel and P0.50 per liter for kerosene, and a net increase of P6.00 per liter for gasoline as of February 21, 2023.

In lauding various infrastructure developments in Mindanao as he continues push for improving the quality of life of Filipinos through better public facilities

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BILLACURA Sports Editor

PADILLO Senior Reporter

Unlike land-based Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), a Filipino seafarer is required to make an allotment which shall be at least 80 percent of the seafarer’s monthly basic salary, payable once a month to his designated allottee in the Philippines.

The issue of seafarers remittances as mandatory while it is only voluntary for the land based OFWs was raised during the second “AHOY Training and Immersion Course” organized by the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) held from February 20 to 25, 2023 in Pasay.

ICMA is a free association of 29 charitable organizations working for the welfare of seafarers, fishers and their families. These organizations represent various Christian churches and communities that operate in more than 400 seafarers’ centers in more than 100 countries.

ICMA was founded in 1969 to encourage collaboration and mutual assistance among seafarers’ ministry organizations.

It is the mission of ICMA to promote unity, peace and tolerance as it is the duty of every

ATTY. DENNIS R. GORECHO PINOY MARINO RIGHTS

Icma And Familiarization Of The Culture Of Filipino Seafarers

chaplains, ship visitors, and volunteers and advocates for seafarers’ welfare to serve the stakeholders regardless of nationality, religion, culture, gender or ethnic origin.

Due to the high number of Filipino seafarers who visit port based welfare centers around the world, the training course allowed participants to gain a first-hand knowledge of Filipino seafarers’ social and cultural background and other institutions in the Filipino maritime sector so as to better serve them.

Some of the members organizations of ICMA include Stella Maris, Mission to Seafarers, Sailor Society, German Seemannsmission, among others.

Lectures were given by seasoned academicians, government representatives and maritime stakeholders along with familiarization tours in Intramuros, Quiapo, dormitories and centers.

I delivered a lecture on the protection of seafarers’ rights dealing with legal issues on disability and death benefits due to illness or accidents as well as illegal dismissal, nonpayment or underpayment of salaries and wages and illegal recruitment.

It is estimated that there is one Filipino seafarer for every four to five crew on board a vessel at any time.

The sea-based sector’s remittance comprises at least 22 percent of the total dollar OFW remittances.

Data from the website of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed the fluctuation in seafarers’ dollar remittances.

The data noted US$6,870,827,000 in 2017; US$6,139,512,000 in 2018; US$6,539,246,000 in 2019; US$6,353,522,000 in 2020; US$ 6,545,002,000 in 2021; and US$6,715,880,000 in 2022.

From the BSP records since 2017, the sea-based sector’s remittances increased in 2018 by US$731,315,000, then increased in 2019 by US$399,734,000, then decreased in 2020 by US$185,724,000, then increased in 2021 by US$191,480,000, and increased again in US$170.878,000.

In 2022, total OFW remittances amounted to US&32,539,430.00 where US$25,823,550,000 are from

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

Excluding the learning institutes organized by the government, the educational landscape during American colonial rule in Davao City and the years after the liberation was largely the playground of sectarian and private schools.

Salvador L. Pacis, who wrote ‘Davao: Its Progress and Future,’ (1951), the first booklength historical account of Davao’s educational growth, came out with interesting details about the early schools in the region during School Year 1949-50, which he sourced from notable acad-emicians connected with existing institutions.

In his table of Catholic schools, he enlisted nine schools with their year of founding and enrollments based on levels.

First is Immaculate Conception College, erstwhile known as Co-legio de San Pedro, in- augurated in 1905 as Escuela Catolica de San Pedro. During that year, it had an enrolment of 746 pupils in elementary, 250 in secondary, and 150 in collegiate, or a total of 1,146. At the time, it was the only institute offering tertiary education in the region.

The other Catholic schools mentioned are Our Lady’s Academy of Baganga, Davao Ori-ental, organized in 1935 and had 151 elementary pupils, followed by Holy Family Academy of Caraga, Davao Oriental, which also opened that year with 174 elementary enrollees. Ateneo de Davao, formed in 1947 and exclusively catering to boys, had a total enrollment of 538, divided into 254 for elementary and 184 for high school.

Saint Peter’s High School of Toril, a co-ed institution, had 252 secondary students. Holy land based workers while US$6,715,880,000 are from deployed seafarers.

In terms of deployment, the records from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) show that the total number of seafarers deployed overseas reached 376,663 in 2017; 337,502 in 2018; 507,730 in 2019; 217,233 in 2020; and 345, 517 in 2021.

Blogger Fred Uno of MarineCafe.com pointed out in an article that Filipino seafarers are being shortchanged in the conversion of their dollar remittances to pesos as he described such practice as “thievery” in the maritime industry.

Some unscrupulous manning agencies shave off at least one or two pesos from the foreign exchange rate, misleadingly calling the cut as “service charges.”

Some manning agents keep part of the remittances when converting the money to pesos by using an exchange rate that is usually one or two pesos lower than the official BSP rate.

Such tampering with the dollar-to-peso rate, he added, results to the shortchanging of Filipino seafarers since their families receive less than they should in allotments.

These practices are clearly contrary to the letter and spirit of the POEA contract, which says that facilitation by the manning agency of allotments shall be “at no expense to the seafarer, and that “allotments shall be paid to the designated allottee in Philippine currency at the rate of exchange indicated in the credit advice of the local authorized Philippine bank.”

“The seafaring worldview is presupposed by the expression “We’re in the same boat.” Whatever their nationality, religion, culture, gender or ethnic origin might be, they realize that deep within, people are basically the same. Wherever they embark from and disembark at, they are bound to meet other seafaring people like themselves,,” says Bishop Ambo David, president of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

(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.)

Early Schools In Davao City

Cross of Digos, opened to boys and girls, had 757 elementary pupils and 150 high school students. Holy Cross of Tagum, meanwhile, had 246 secondary students while Holy Cross of Calinan had 150 high school enrollees. Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy in Mati City, had 157 elementary pupils. Including Ateneo de Davao, all the schools following it were or-ganized in 1947. Except for the ICC which was exclusive for girls and Ateneo for boys, the other Catholic schools in the 1949-50 enrollment roster were opened to boys and girls.

On the other hand, there were five private schools classified as non-sectarian in the school year 1949-50, led by Davao Chinese School, entered as being founded in 1934 instead of the popularized 1924. At the time, the institution had 746 elementary pupils and 62 high school students. Though chiefly opened for the children of the Chinese community, it also admitted Filipinos who were exempt from paying tuition fees.

Four other non-sectarian or private schools were listed, namely Mindanao Colleges (now University of Mindanao), Panabo Institute, Rizal Memorial Colleges (RMC), and Samal Insti-tute.

Mindanao Colleges, founded in 1946, became a force in the educational arena in just three years. After it opened its main building with 352 elementary pupils, 2,164 high school enrollees, and 1,158 undergraduates, or 3,674 students, in 1948 it inaugurated its secretarial, technology, and vocational buildings. By 1949, its Digos branch was opened with 197 high school students and 114 college enroll- ees. A year later, its Santa Ana branch (along Francisco Bangoy Street, Davao City) was launched with 152 elementary pupils and 131 high school students.

In 1948, the Panabo Institute began in Panabo City with 125 students. That same year, RMC opened its gates; it leased four buildings, namely the Soriano and Gempesaw buildings along Anda Street (now Iñigo), the Sexon building along Magallanes Street (now Pichon Sr.), and Joseph building, along San Pedro Street. When it opened, it had 147 elementary pupils, 872 high school enrollees, and 267 tertiary students. The next year, it opened a branch in San-ta Ana.

Samal Institute opened also in 1948 with 40 elementary pupils and 150 high school stu-dents.

From mobile ordering to delivery service, customers are now rushing into drive-thru service. Everything is moving in the direction of “order and leave.”

What makes it so well-liked by customers?

Drive-thru are primarily concerned with convenience. Customers may place an order, pay for it, and receive it all without leaving their cars.

Nowadays, not only restaurants and fast-food chains have drive-thru lanes, even coffee shops.

Starbucks (shortened Bucks by yuppies) recently launched its 6th store in Davao City located at Damosa Complex, which is also its first drive-thru store in Min-