Davao City First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte voted “No” to the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 calling for a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) that would propose amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
The House of Representatives approved the measure on third and final reading on Monday.
Rep. Duterte clarified that he is not opposing RBH No. 6, however, he believes it’s not timely as
there are more significant things in the country needed to be prioritized.
we are not in opposition against the said measure per se, but we suppose that it is not timely, our country is facing more pressing social and economic issues, like inflation and poverty among others, that we need to prioritize. Billions to be allocated for a Constitutional Convention could be allocated instead to other programs intended to improve the living conditions of thousands of Filipino families,” Rep. Pulong said in a statement.
“This is to express our irresolution with the immediate approval of RBH No. 6. To reiterate, FUNTIMELY, P10
Security measures are tightened at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) as the 86th Araw ng Dabaw activities have started to heat up over the weekend, and as part of preparations for the upcoming Holy Week.
DCOTT manager Aisa Usop, during the Madayaw Davao program aired Monday, March 6, via the 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR), said DCOTT has coordinated with the security cluster. Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and Task Force Davao (TFD) personnel
are manning the terminal to ensure the safety and security of passengers.
“Ang kapulisan ginapatuyok-tuyok sa sulod ug sa gawas. Ang TFD naga-augment sila pag ingon ani nga sitwasyon (The police are doing the rounds inside the terminal. The TFD also augment its personnel during peak season),” Usop said, adding that influx of passengers is inevitable whenever there are huge events in Davao City.
She, however, said that they expect more passengers during the
Holy Week than during the Araw ng Dabaw festivities. The DCOTT manager said since the city’s founding anniversary celebration is monthlong, some local tourists from nearby cities and provinces only come for activities they are interested in.
“Nagpatawag nako og meeting sa mga bus operation managers para sa Araw ng Dabaw nga dapat always ready gyud sila kung adunay pagdagsa sa mga pasahero (I called a meeting for bus operation managers for Araw ng Dabaw that they should always be ready for the influx of passengers),” Usop said.
Governor Dorothy Gonzaga highlighted the positive gains of being an insurgency-free province during the opening of the Bulawan Festival here Monday.
Gonzaga underscored the importance of the declaration of the province, as well as the entire Davao Region, as free from the active presence of communist rebels, in attaining peace and promoting development, especially in the far-flung areas.
“We thank the police and military forces for making Davao de Oro safe and free from the presence of the rebel group. We commit to providing you with our allout support or whatever ways we can help you in return,’ the governor said.
Davao de Oro was declared insurgency-free in June last year.
Four months later, the Davao Region was also declared insur-
gency-free following the peace and order initiatives that dismantled the remnants of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the area.
In a separate interview, Col. Felix Ronnie Babac, the newly-installed commander of the Army’s 1001st Infantry Brigade, said that sustaining the peace in the province has been very challenging.
“There’s a saying that it is more difficult to sustain peace than fight a war. We have to ensure that they should always have the basic services given by the government for them so as not to be deceived by the NPA anymore,” Babac said.
As part of the Bulawan Festival, the provincial government is also set to bring the “Serbisyo Caravan” to the geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) that were once havens of the NPA rebels. (PNA)
Hygiene and sanitation remains the reliable defense against hand-foot-mouth disease, said a representative of the Department of Health (DOH) XI during the full council meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) XI this morning during which the regional log of HFMD cases was presented.
DOH XI Senior Health Program Officer Jinky M. Espino showed a DOH presentation giving details of reported HFMD cases by province, in Davao Re-
gion. Based on data gathered from January 01 to Feb. 18, 2023 alone, HFMD cases in Davao Region totaled 1,754 with Davao de Oro having the most number of cases at a total of 509. Davao del Norte followed with 424 HFMD cases; Davao City, 344; Davao Occidental, 229; Davao Oriental, 186; and Davao del Sur, 62. She highly encouraged frequent hand-washing and cleanliness of the surrounding at home and in FHYGIENE, P10
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo said on Monday that the city will be studying the proposal of Australia-based company Corinthian Energy Resources, which offered its technology that will address waste problems in Davao City.
Ocampo, chair of the committee on environment, said the company has already submitted its proposal and documents to the City Council with copies to the city legal office.
He said their proposal is a waste-to-energy (WTE) sans incineration but through waste gasification.
“We need to study the offer of the Australian firm. Kuhaon ang mga basura nga dili mapuslan, ilang tadtaron, galingon, ug isulod sa drum that would spin the basura on high speed level. Sa sobra kakusog sa tuyok, mu-disintegrate ang basura and then will create a synthetic gas. This synthetic gas ila na pud i-filter and then ang pure ani na magamit na didto ni isulod karon sa engine sa turbine that would create electricity. Ilahang i-recycle ang mga basura nga ma-compost ilang himoong fertilizer, ang mga bildo will be crushed and can be added as extender sa asphalt,” Ocampo said in an interview.
The technology aims to pro-
duce 50 megawatts of electricity from waste.
However, Ocampo cited a downside of the proposal and that is how to sustain the wastes that will be collected as producing 50 MW of energy would mean more waste will be needed.
“Especially dili tanang basura puwede dalahon didto. Kay ang uban i-recycle man because we have a law. Ang mahitabo ana is mag import sila ug basura from neighboring provinces. Mao na ang isa sa ginatan-aw namo nga possible na musulod dinhi sa Davao. And we asked kung naa ba sila’y prototype o working nga plant. It is in the United Kingdom which is the first in the world and if musugot ang city, Davao City will be second in the world,” Ocampo said.
The proposal will be under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) program.
“Meaning ang city wala’y igawas nga kuwarta,” he said.
Ocampo said the city council is eyeing to review the proposal during the committee hearing after the Araw ng Davao celebration.
He also said the City Council is now determining what project would be possible for the city considering that the WTE is still up FCITY, P10
By MAYA M. PADILLOCouncilor Pilar Braga, chairperson of the Datu Bago Awardees Organization, recognized the late Antonio M. Ajero, former editor-in-chief of Edge Davao, as one of the most influential editors and publishers in Mindanao in her privilege speech at the City Council on Tuesday.
Ajero is among this year’s Datu Bago awardees.
Braga said as an eminent publisher, EIC, radio, and television broadcaster, Ajero was considered the “Dean of Davao Media”.
“Who has built a long and impressive career that spanned six decades. He is recognized as one of the most influential editors in Mindanao who shaped public policy and public opinion,” she
said.
Ajero was president of the Davao Press Club, chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas-Davao, and Trustee for Mindanao of the Philippine Press Institute.
Braga also enumerated Ajero’s other affiliations/positions that include the founder of the University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network (UMBN), station
manager of DXMC and DXUM for more than a decade, EIC of all the major community newspapers in Davao City, and one of the pioneering investigative reporters on the radio.
She also mentioned that Ajero also ventured into television broadcasting as host of the popular weekly public affairs television program in the 80s and the 90s, “Brainstorm.”
Braga added that Ajero’s contribution went beyond the media industry as he was also a socio-civic leader in the Rotary Club of East Davao, Ambassador Club of Davao International, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), Young Men’s
TheMinistry of Health in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOHBARMM) on Monday turned over 11 ambulances to various health facilities across the region.
During the turnover ceremony, MOH-BARMM minister, Dr. Rizaldy Piang, said all the ambulances and other supplemental projects form part of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) initiative to pour in some
PHP157 million worth of projects to protect the health of residents.
Also turned over during the event was a PHP7.5- million mobile clinic.
Last week, six ambulances were turned over to Basilan, an island province in the region.
Funded from the 2021 Transitional Development Impact Fund (TDIF) of the BTA, the projects include land ambulances, mobile clinics, incentives for barangay
health workers, medicines, and barangay health stations, among others.
“This the sign that our government is responsive to the needs of our community,” Piang said, after he and BARMM Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the distribution of the ambulances.
Each of the modern ambulances costs PHP2.5 million. (PNA)
The Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees officially approved the postponement of the agency’s contribution hike this year, citing the continuing recovery of both workers and business owners from the pandemic, its top officials announced Monday.
Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, said they unanimously approved the recommendation of the PagIBIG Fund Management to defer
the hike in the monthly contributions of its members in 2023 -affirming pronouncements made by the agency earlier this year -and move the implementation by one year to January 2024.
The deferment also applies to the share of their employers.
“This is in line with the call of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to alleviate the financial burden of our fellow Filipinos due to the prevailing socio-economic challenges brought about by the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” Acuzar said.
In 2019, agency officials approved the increase of its members’ monthly contributions after obtaining the concurrence of stakeholders to implement a planned contribution increase in 2021.
Department of Energy (DOE)
Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella on Monday said energy projects in the pipeline will help the country in addressing high power costs.
During the Laging Handa public briefing, Fuentebella said almost 57 percent of the country’s power relies on imported oil and coal, which makes the electricity prices vulnerable to volatile prices in the global market.
“In the long term, we will
have a transition to develop our own energy sources. These are the indigenous and renewable sources,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
Fuentebella said the Marcos administration focuses on the development of renewable energy sources such as biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro, ocean and wind.
Renewable energy currently shares around 23 percent of the country’s energy mix.
Areport by Fitch Ratings has said corporates’ sufficient financial buffers and economic recovery are seen to offset the expected impact of elevated inflation and higher interest rates to the asset quality of the Philippine banking sector.
“We will increase that to 35 percent by 2030 and by 50 percent by 2040,” he said.
He added the administration is pushing for policy reforms that will make the Philippines more attractive to investors in the renewable energy sector.
During the first six months in office of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., his administration resolved that 100 percent ownership in renewable energy projects is allowed in the country.
In a commentary dated March 5, 2023, Fitch Ratings forecasts domestic banks’ non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to remain steady at 3.5 percent this year “as risks are largely offset by the adequate financial buffers of large corporate borrowers and a supportive economy”, with the latter seen to expand by 5.5 percent this year.
“Ample loan loss coverage of 167-180 percent also limits impairment risks at the rated privately owned banks,” it said.
The commentary said while retail lending rose during the pandemic, corporates continue to have the bigger share at around 75 percent.
“Corporate earnings remain resilient relative to debt service,” it said.
Fitch Ratings estimates that only around 4 percent of the liabilities are held by companies that are listed with the local bourse and “have interest coverage ratio (ICR) of less than 1x even after factoring in higher financing costs.”
“The majority of these are in the construction and hospitality sectors, whose credit risks are well-managed by banks; the latter is likely to benefit from an expected travel recovery,” it said.
Fitch Ratings said there is a large-borrower concentration in the country, “which raises risks of lumpy impairments.”
“Nevertheless, we expect the supportive economic conditions, robust earnings buffers, and the diversified business and entrenched market positions of conglomerates to support their debt servicing capacity in the near term,” it added. (PNA)
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion has urged big agriculture companies to join the Kapatid Angat Lahat for Agriculture Program (KALAP), which aims to provide small farmers access to mentoring, funding and markets, to help boost their livelihood.
In his opening remarks during the KALAP signing ceremony in Malacañan Palace Monday, Concepcion said farmers are challenged to grow their livelihood due to lack of access to mentors, money and market, and this can be addressed if big businesses will partner with small farmers.
Concepcion, who is also the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) jobs group lead, signed a memorandum of agreement with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual for the KALAP.
In the previous administration, DTI and Go Negosyo partnered for the Kapatid Mentor Me Program which also provides access to mentors, money and market for micro, small and medium
entrepreneurs (MSMEs).
“We must elevate our farmers to become agri-prenerus. The vision of KALAP is like a circle of prosperity, where the big companies, the big agri companies and the government embrace the small farmers, provide them with resources and fair share. That is important. As big brothers, we have to be conscious of giving our farmers their fair share,” Concepcion said.
Aside from urging big agriculture firms to be mentors and buyers of small farmers’ harvests, Concepcion also encouraged banks to lend money to farmers provided they are guided by the ‘big brothers’ under KALAP.
Under this public-private partnership initiative, Concepcion likewise asked the government to provide the enabling environment for the “circle of prosperity to grow bigger”.
He said KALAP also aims that through the development of small farmers, Filipino consumers will have access to quality, low-price and locally grown food.
Headline inflation in February this year eased to 8.6 percent from 8.7 percent the previous month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday.
In a virtual press conference, PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said prices of goods and services remained elevated despite the slowdown in inflation.
The PSA attributed the easing of inflation last month to the slowdown of transport group prices to 9 percent from 11.1 percent in January 2023.
Mapa said that out of the 13 commodity groups, only transport recorded a slower inflation in the previous month.
Despite the easing of inflation
rate for transport, the group is one of the top three contributors to the increase in prices of goods and services in February.
The group is only behind food and non-alcoholic beverages with February inflation of 10.8 percent and sharing 47.5 percent to the total inflation last month.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with inflation of 8.6 percent and contributing 21.4 percent to the national inflation in February.
In a separate statement, Na-
tional Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan recommended the urgent creation of a high-level inter-agency committee that will advise the Chief Executive and the Cabinet on measures to keep food prices stable and ensure food security.
“We must rethink our strategies to combat rising food prices. The country’s current high inflation is largely driven by domestic, supply-side constraints. Agricultural imports were ill-timed and food supplies have been inadequate. The solution is to get to the root of the problem, including fixing the bottlenecks along all segFINFLATION, P10
Cebu Pacific, strengthens its position as the Philippines’ leading carrier with a 57% domestic market share for 2022, up 5 percentage points compared to 52% back in 2019, based on data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
CEB flew close to 13.5M domestic passengers in 2022, up 312% from the previous year, indicating strong recovery in both capacity and passenger traffic.
Combined with its international operations, CEB flew over 14.8 million passengers for full year 2022, 335% higher year-on-year,
for a seat load of 75%, which rose 14.7 percentage points year-onyear. Higher travel demand both domestically and internationally, coupled with the easing of various travel regulations, drove the steep recovery for CEB in 2022.
In the fourth quarter, CEB flew 4.4 million passengers, 6% higher quarter-on-quarter, for a seat load of 78%, up 3.6 percentage points quarter on quarter, as the holiday peak season encouraged a further uptrend in travel demand for both domestic and international destinations. Key destinations such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,
also eased their travel restrictions during the quarter, enabling the airline to accelerate recovery of its international network. Hong Kong, one of CEB’s largest markets, also lifted its mandatory quarantine requirements in December.
With these, CEB flew over 587,000 passengers to short-haul international destinations in the 4th quarter, an increase of 97% compared to the third quarter. Long-haul destinations, namely, Dubai and Sydney, likewise contributed to the growth, posting a 14% increase in passenger volume quarter-on-quarter
CEB flew over 108,300 flights and over 19.7 million seats during the year and ended 2022 at 92% of pre-pandemic capacity.
In 2023, CEB is firmly in place for full recovery and expects to restore 100% of its pre-COVID network and capacity in March, aided by its unbeatable seat sales, widest domestic network, and reinstatement of all its international destinations.
For starters, CEB has strengthened its Clark hub by operating a combined 13 domestic and international destinations from Clark International Air-
port, making it the largest airline servicing northern and central Luzon. CEB will lease five (5) aircraft in 2023 to address capacity and growing passenger demand. These are on top of the 10 new Airbus NEO aircraft that will be delivered in 2023 to expand the airline’s entire fleet.
“Three of the aircraft will be used to re-start the Clark base. The two other aircraft will be used to support overall growth ambitions as CEB recovers fully from the pandemic,” said Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer.
Big agriculture companies
In explaining his “No” vote to the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 calling for a Constitutional Convention (ConCon) that would propose amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution:
Consultant
“This is to express our irresolution with the immediate approval of RBH No. 6. To reiterate, we are not in opposition against the said measure per se, but we suppose that it is not timely, our country is facing more pressing social and economic issues, like inflation and poverty among others, that we need to prioritize. Billions to be allocated for a Constitutional Convention could be allocated instead to other programs intended to improve the living conditions of thousands of Filipino families.”
Davao City First Congressional District Representative PAOLO DUTERTE
“Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” is one of the lines by actress Mae Paner in Director Joel Lamangan‘s “Oras De Peligro” film on the Edsa People Power.
It is a familiar slogan in the student movement associated with Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento, Jr who was the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian in 1975-1976.
“Oras De Peligro” touches on the situation of an ordinary family who must deal with the grief of their slain patriarch while a bloodless revolution is going on. The timeline begins four days before the flight from power of the ruling family.
Lamangan, who was jailed and tortured during the martial law era, said in an interview that “there are many kinds of truth. The truth dictated by those who serve the favored few, and the truth that voices out the interest of the majority. I am siding with the latter truth.”
He added that actual footages of what exactly transpired in 1986 in EDSA are shown and juxtaposed with the other scenes “so viewers will believe it. We are not making up things”.
It is written by playwright and martial law survivor Bon-
ifacio Ilagan and screenwriter Eric Ramos with Cherry Pie Picache, Allen Dizon, and Therese Malvar as lead stars.
The slogan “Kung hindi tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” was lifted from Sarmiento’s 1976 editorial which became one of the most famous front page of the Philippine Collegian.
The Philippine Collegian is the official weekly student publication of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and commonly known as Kulê.
During Martial Law, Kule defied the media blackout by going underground. Student newspapers served as voice of defiance and became part of the “mosquito press.”
For speaking out against the Marcos regime, Sarmiento was arrested In January 1976 and imprisoned for seven months and seven days.
Due to deteriorating health, he died because of heart attack at the age of 27 a little over a year after being released from prison.
I was 15 years old and about to finish high school when I accompanied my relatives to par-
ticipate in EDSA.
Perhaps some of the cases decided by the Supreme Court guided me in understanding the nature of Martial Law.
“The greatest threat to freedom is the shortness of human memory.” thus said former Supreme Court Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee in the case of Olaguer vs Military Commission (G.R. No. L-54558 May 22, 1987) as he gave recognition to “the unforgettable and noble sacrifices of the countless brave and patriotic men and women who fell as martyrs and victims during the long dark years of the deposed regime.”
Teehankee stressed that “draconian decrees were issued whereby many were locked up indefinitely. While the people for the most part suffered in silence and waited, others never gave up the struggle for truth, freedom, justice and democracy, a common commitment which is what makes a people a nation instead of a gathering of self-seeking individuals.”
In Marcos vs Manglapus, (G.R. No. 88211 Sept. 15, 1989), former Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan stressed that “millions of our people braved military
In the annals of Catholic learning institutes in Davao region during the 20th century, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy (IMHA) ranks as the oldest school in the postwar era. It dates to March 3, 1927, when Mati was under the parochial leadership of Fr. Maurice Michaud, as parish priest, and Fr. Conrad Lafortune, as his assistant. Both belonged to the Foreign Mission Society of Quebec, known more as the PME Fathers, or Société des Missions-Étrangères du Québec.
The school, in response to the challenge to spread Catholic education in town, was origi-nally managed by four members of the Canadian congregation for women, the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (MIC).
Initially, the school, officially recognized as IHMA on
June 19, 1947, was found in a two-story residential building along Zamora Street, which belonged to the family of Pacencia Lim vda. de Serrano.
The structure was remodeled to house the classrooms and hosted the offices, dormitory for interns, and sleeping quarters of the Sisters.
In its first school year, it only had fifteen pupils. The trials the school management had to face were reflected in its April 19, 1950, graduation, the first for the school, with only two pupils receiving their certificates of completion. Despite the challenges, it still gained consid-erable growth under the leadership of Mother Bernadette du Lourdes (Rachel de Mars, MIC), the local superior of the congregation at the time.
That same year, a significant development took place.
tanks and firepower, kept vigil, prayed, and in countless manner and ways contributed time, effort and money to put an end to an evidently untenable claim to power of a dictator.
The Supreme Court further stressed in Brocka vs Enrile (G.R. No. 69863-65, Dec. 10, 1990) that “this should not be a license to run roughshod over a citizen’s basic constitutional rights, such as due process, or manipulate the law to suit dictatorial tendencies.”
At least 9,000 victims of human rights violations were monitored by the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) from 1969 to 1986.
There were some scenes that showed UP students in EDSA.
Back in the 1970s, many members of the UP community participated in protests against the reign of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Known as First Quarter Storm (FQS), there were demonstrations, protests and marches against the Marcos administration, mostly organized by students, which took place from January 26 to March 17, 1970.
Violent dispersals of ensuing FQS protests were among the watershed events where large numbers of Filipino students of the 1970s were radicalized against the Marcos administration.
The campus molded us to fight for the causes we believe in; trained us for the skills we need to communicate ideas and rally others to effect changes in society.
It was on my third year in college that I became part of the UP student movement as the photographer for the Philippine Collegian and later as a member of the Sandigan Para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan (SAMASA).
“The movie is also for denialists, revisionists, and distortionists of history, and those who might need a tap on their brain area where memory resides” says veteran journalist Ma. Ceres Doyo.
(Peyups is the moniker 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.)
The family of Maria vda. de Lopez swapped her lot at Quezon Street, in Mati City, for the school’s original site. With the deal sealed, construction of the administration and high school buildings commenced that same year. The following year, the school moved to its new and permanent home.
The first high school graduation took place on March 27, 1954, with five students. Five years later, it started offering tertiary education but low enrollment forced the institution to phase out the undergraduate courses a decade later.
To address the growing need for more structures to house the school population and its academic musts, a two-story Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) edifice was built in 1968. Seven years thereafter, another two-story elementary build-
ing was erected. In 1980, the health-and-nutrition building was built, the first floor hosting a canteen and the faculty on the second.
In honor of the MIC’s foundress, Sr. Delia Tetreault, a five-story edifice was started in 1983; it was completed in 1997 in time for the golden jubilee of the school; it housed the au-dio-visual room and Student Development Center.
Five years later, the school gym was com-pleted to coincide with the holy Mass launching the MIC centennial celebration.
The school celebrated its diamond year in 2007 with the theme “IHMA at 60: thanking the Past, Transforming the Present, Creating the Future, Keeping the Dream Alive.’
When it reached its sixty-fifth year in 2012, the institution, under Sr. Regina R. Villarte,
MIC, as directress, erected a façade, a three-story frontage. That same year, the school applied for accreditation with the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU).
With more positive developments on hand, the administration, in 2015, planned the con-struction of a four-story structure, a replacement of the 63-year-old semi-concrete high school building, to house the new senior high school program. The ground-breaking rites were held on June 8, 2015, and the turnover was later conveyed to the school’s Board of Trustees led by Sr. Leticia Dotollo, MIC, the provincial superior and chair, who cited that the project as ‘our way of giving back to the Almighty God as this is an act of mission in realizing our dream for the children.’
UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, has been tapped by Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines, a pioneer in electric mass mobility as a service in the country, to launch Alamat Digitized Membership (DMs)
Under the partnership, UBX will serve as the primary tech partner for GET’s rollout of Alamat DMs, which the public can acquire to subscribe to the electric bus service and at the same time help deploy more electric mass transport vehicles in the Philippines.
“This partnership is proof that the fintech and blockchain innovation have the power to bring positive impact in several industries while simultaneously supporting sustainable
initiatives through technology. We can confidently guarantee that UBX is equipped to enable several companies and individuals to be transparent in their sustainability and ESG efforts,” UBX President and CEO John Januszczak said.
The Alamat DMs are blockchain-enabled digital characters that allow the owner to support the manufacture of the COMET electric minibuses that we are starting to see on our thoroughfares and earn rewards from the rollout of these vehicles.
Alamat DMs will be launched in the second quarter of 2023.
Aside from supporting the rollout of the COMET Electric buses, Alamat owners can immerse themselves in a gaming
experience using the ALAMAT characters, allowing them to earn rewards by playing as well as generating gamified returns from the operations of the COMET electric vehicles. Alamat owners also enjoy several perks and benefits, including discounts for buying early as well as redeemable points in the GETPASS mobile app which will allow them to ride the COMET electric minibuses.
“Beyond simply buying, owning and earning a digital asset, Alamat owners contribute to the country’s shared goal of providing safer, convenient, and more environmentally friendly alternatives to current modes of public transport. With this partnership, we also hope to give commuters a better ride and drivers better
working conditions,” said GET President Freddie Tinga.
More than just encouraging the public to participate in the deployment of electric vehicles in the country, Tinga said that this initiative also aspires to encourage more Filipinos to use public transportation to reduce the carbon footprint of the country brought about polluting public and private vehicles.
The COMET is currently being used by many corporations for their fleet shuttle needs. The COMET is also now ideally positioned to be the most environmentally sustainable alternative to jeepneys, the most common form of public transportation nationwide. With over 300,000 in number across the Philippines and 80,000 in Metro
Manila alone, jeepneys are the top contributor to pollution and traffic congestion. On the other hand, one COMET vehicle can reduce the annual carbon dioxide emission by 40,000 kilograms and can cater to as many as 150,000 commuters a year.
“Part of our mission of financial inclusivity is to improve the quality of life of Filipinos across the archipelago. Collaborating with GET Philippines is one step to achieving this goal because beyond providing the opportunity to be a member, we are empowering them to directly contribute to and get rewarded from the transformation of public transportation and sustainability at the same time,” Januszczak said.
Insular Life (InLife) expands its footprint and customer accessibility as it partners with Citicorp Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage Philippines, Inc. (CFSI).
With the partnership, InLife intends to offer its wealth protection products and services to CFSI’s clientele. The two firms welcome the new opportunities, as they continue to empower customers to protect their wealth.
“Our partnership with CFSI amplifies our mission of providing high-value insurance products and services to more Filipinos. As the pandemic eases, we want our fellow Filipinos to face the future with confidence, to start dreaming again, because they can be sure that InLife will be there to support every stage of their life’s journey,” said InLife President and CEO Raoul E. Littaua.
He added that our shared trauma with the Covid pandemic has
heightened people’s realization of life and health protection. Through InLife’s client-centered solutions and its unique Amorsolo Circle Program for high-net-worth clients, CFSI’s customers may confidently face the future and be more assured.
“As wealth managers, we are custodians of our clients’ financial dreams and have the responsibility of helping them sustainably grow their wealth and protect it. Through this partnership, CFSI may now offer best-in-class insurance solutions from InLife to our most discerning and financially savvy high-net-worth clients. With InLife onboard, we are excited to embrace the numerous opportunities in store for us,” said CFSI President and CEO Ramon Melchor E. Tejero.
With InLife as its new partner, CFSI clients can expect differentiated offerings that provide peace of mind, well into the future.
A bulletin from the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Science Marine Science Institute (UPD-CS MSI) said three days after the sinking, the oil had already reached the shores of the coastal towns of Naujan, Pola, and Pinamalayan. In just a matter of days, the oil may reach the southern tip of Mindoro “hastened by the effects of prevailing wind.”
The MSI feared several hectares of coral reef may be in danger from the oil spill.
“Among the coastal sites that may be at risk are several marine protected areas, including but not limited to the reefs in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, amounting to some 1,100 hectares of coral reefs,” the bulletin said.
Significant seagrass beds are present in several areas, including the coastal barangays of Pola, Mansalay, Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro. Caluya Island in Northwestern Antique, which has a high possibility of being affected based on the oil spill trajectory model, also has significant areas of coral reefs (2,900 hectares), mangroves (350 hectares), and seagrass meadows (850 hectares).
Coral reefs can come in contact with oil in three in three major ways, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For one, oil floating on the water’s
surface can be deposited directly on corals in an intertidal zone when the water level drops at low tide. For another, rough seas can mix lighter oil products into the water column (like shaking up a bottle of salad dressing), where they can drift down to coral reefs.
Lastly, a heavy oil weathers or gets mixed with sand or sediment, it can become dense enough to sink below the ocean surface and smother corals below.
Oil, a complex mixture of many chemicals, can kill corals, depending on species and exposure, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) states. “The time of year when a spill happens is critical since coral reproduction and early life stages are particularly sensitive to oil,” the UN agency adds.
Once soil comes into contact with corals, it can kill them or impede their reproduction, growth, behavior, and development. “The entire reef ecosystem can suffer from an oil spill, affecting the many species of fish, crabs, and other marine invertebrates that live in and around coral reefs,” NOAA explains.
Oil spills are not the only incidents that threaten the country’s coral reefs. Most of these threats are caused by human activities. As ma-
rine scientist Don McAllister, who once studied the cost of coral reef destruction in the country, deplores: “Nowhere else in the world are coral reefs abused as much as the reefs in the Philippines.”
Sedimentation – the process of soils settling to the bottom of the sea –is said to be the most important single cause of reef degradation. Sediments that wash over reefs have a number of negative effects on corals, marine scientists claim.
“The initial plume blocks out sunlight, reducing photosynthesis and therefore the quantity of energy available to the coral polyps,” explains Peter Weber, of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute. “If the sediment settles on the reef, the polyps have to work together in waves to attempt to uncover themselves, and they produce extra quantities of mucus to try to wash off the particles. As a result, corals are weakened.”
Deforestation is the most common source of sediments. “When trees are cut down and the underbrush burned, the mountainsides become bare and the soil are defenseless against strong wind and rain,” says the Coral Research Project of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). “During rains, runoff carries eroded soil down to the rivers that deposit it in the sea.”
Coastal development, which helps drive this deforestation, is itself a major cause of reef decline. This includes activities such as filling to provide sites for industry, housing, recreation, airports and farmlands; extraction of lagoon sand for use in construction; and dredging to create, deepen or improve harbors and create ports and marinas. Such activities increase turbidity, alter water circulation and even cause the destruction of entire reef systems.
Destructive fishing methods, particularly dynamite fishing and cyanide fishing – also contribute to the rapid disappearance of the country’s coral reefs. The kayakas and the muroami have also created the same havoc. Aside from these human activities, natural causes of de-
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struction among coral reefs also occur. These include extremely low tide, high temperature of surface water, predation, and the mechanical action of currents and waves. Extremely low tides usually expose corals to sunlight and to freshwater runoff, both of which are said to be lethal over several hours of exposure.
Climate change is increasing the ocean’s temperature. The result: coral bleaching. Explains John Ryan of the Washingtonbased Worldwatch Institute: “When subjected to extreme stress, they jettison the colorful algae they live in symbiosis with, exposing the white skeleton of dead coral beneath a single layer of clear living tissue. If the stress persists, the coral dies.”
Coral reefs are the marine equivalent of rainforests and considered one of the planet’s essential life-support systems. These “biological wonders,” as American environmental author Don Hinrichsen called them, are among the largest and oldest living communities of plants and animals on earth, having evolved between 200 and 450 million years ago.
Coral reefs are constructed by millions of flower-like animals with tube-like bodies and finger-like tentacles called polyps. The form of polyp, which is about the size of a fingernail (one centimeter to three centimeters), depends on the shape and form of the coral. A coral may be a single large polyp. Near the sea’s surface where waves have a strong effect, corals are massive. As they occur in deeper water, they become branched or take on flowery forms.
Hinrichsen claimed it takes centuries to create a reef. The coral’s skeletons amass to form the foundation of a reef. The stony structures grow slowly, normally at a rate of 0.25 centimeters to 0.5 centimeters a year.
The stony corals are actually the bedrock of the reef. “Stony coral colonies are composed of hundreds of thousands of individual living polyps,” the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) says. “Polyps are capable of drawing dissolved calcium from seawater, and solidifying it into a hard mineral (calcium carbonate) structure that serves as their skeletal support.”
INFLATION...
The country’s coral reef area is estimated at 26,000 square kilometers, which is
the second largest in Southeast Asia. Approximately 500 species of scleractinian or “stony” corals are known to exist in the area, 12 species of which are considered endemic.
Visayas (21.7%), Northern Luzon (7.6%), Central and Southern Mindanao (3.2%), and the Turtle Islands (1.7%).
Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish. They are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove, and mudflat communities. Coral reefs are so valued because they serve as a center of activity for marine life.
Studies show that some corals can live for up to 5,000 years, making them the longest living animals on Earth. Around one billion people globally depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihood, according to the United Nations. As fishing grounds, coral reefs are thought to be 10 to 100 times as productive per unit area as the open sea.
Let that sink in for a second. The disappearance of coral reefs would be catastrophic; resulting in hundreds of millions of people around the world losing their main source of food and income.
Some 98% of the country’s coral reefs are classified as threatened, with 70% at high or very high risk, reports climatehotmap.org. The disappearance of coral reefs is one of the reasons why fish production from the open seas is plunging.
Some consumers are already feeling the impact. Jeannyline T. Arriaga, from Bansalan, Davao del Sur, is a doting mother. She usually wakes up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for her two children, who are going to school. Generally, she cooks rice and fish.
Lately, however, she observes that the fish she usually buys at the public market has become scarcer. In fact, there are days when she could not find any that she buys another kind of fish. Her two children complain because they don’t like the new kind of fish she serves to them.
Jeannyline also notices that if the fish she likes is available, they are becoming smaller. “They are not only getting scarcer but they are becoming expensive, too,” she points out.
She may not be aware of it but it is not the only fish she likes that is becoming rarer and pricey but the same is true with other varieties of fish.
FROM 3for approval at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
The selection of Con-Con delegates in the Barangay and SK Elections this October 30, 2023, will take place at the same time as the Senate and the House vote for the proposal.
The delegation will be composed of appointed and elected representatives from all Con-Con legislative districts.
RICH... FROM 12
A former athlete himself, Keon was grateful for the opportunity in shaping the celebrated athletic career of Diay, De Vega’s nickname, lamenting she could have attained greater heights had she focused on the women’s 400-meter race instead of the glamorous 100 and 200-meter sprint events.
“The first competition that Gintong Alay had was the UAAP vs. Gintong Alay which was in May 1980. Lydia de Vega ran the 400 meters, not the 100, not the 200. She broke the Asian Games record, the SEA Games record, and the Philippine record of 54.6 seconds at the age of 16,” he recalled.
“Now you all know that physical athletes mature at 22 to 26. Now if Lydia had continued to train in the 400 meters, she would have easily scored 50 seconds for the 400 and which would put her in an Olympic final… she would have been in my eyes an Olympic champion,” Keon said.
But he pointed out that “this does not detract from her being the Asian
M. Padillo
Games gold medalist twice, it does not detract from that,” referring to the comely sprinter’s back-to-back gold medals in the century dash in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and the 1986 Seoul Asiad.
“Having said that, she (De Vega) is still the pinaka-best athlete that this country ever had and I was fortunate enough to be a part in training her. I am happy with her legacy and she really deserves this award,” Keon said.
For her part, Diaz, who was discovered at a young age in Zamboanga City carrying huge pails of water from the neighborhood water pump to help meet her poor family’s needs, underscored the hard work, dedication and sacrifice needed to hone her athletic skills to an elite level.
“Nagbunga ang lahat ng sacrifices, juggling ko sa studies, an athlete, at sa military (All my sacrifices bore fruit, juggling to my studies, as an athlete and in the military), and as a wife of my husband Julius Naranjo,” said the weightlifting standout, who was cited as PSA Athlete of the Year for the fourth time for her golden treble at the world weightlifting championships in Bogota, Colombia last December.
‘It shows that if you really want something, you work hard for it and in-
ments of the agricultural value chain,” Balisacan said.
He also underscored the importance of continuing the targeted social protection programs to help the poorest families and vulnerable sectors of the country.
PSA reported that inflation in the bottom 30 percent income household stood at 9.7 percent last month, the same rate in January 2023.
“These short-term assistance programs will be complemented by productivity- and efficiency-enhancing measures in the medium term, as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,” Balisacan added.
HYGIENE...
schools as most of those found contracted with this disease were children of nine years of age and below.
Noting that DOH XI had already sent samples for further testing to the central office, Espino said no HFMD strain from Davao Region is of fatal in nature, but she still emphasized the need to be cautious and be mindful of hygiene and sanitation.
spired by those who believe in you and support you, can achieve great things in life,” said Diaz, who is set to graduate this year from College of St. Benilde with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in Business Management.
“Nagbubunga na rin po yung pagsisikap ng seven years at ga-graduate na rin ako (After seven years of hard work, I will finally graduate),” said the athlete, who became an athletic scholar of the school after winning a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, beaming.
Now no longer a spring chicken at 32, Diaz said her aspiration of appearing in a fifth straight Olympics and bringing more honor for the country was far from over.
There are three major types of coral reefs, according to the late marine scientist Angel C. Alcala. These are the fringing type (those found on the edges of islands and which constitutes 30 percent of the country’s coral reefs); the barrier type (best exemplified by the Dajanon Reef of Central Visayas); and the atoll (of which the Tubbataha and Cagayan Reefs in the Sulu Sea are ideal examples).
The Philippines holds one of the most extensive coral reefs in the world with a sprawling area of 27,000 square kilometers strategically located in Palawan (37.8%), Sulu (27.8%),
FROM 2 COUNCILOR...
A survey by the Social Weather Stations commissioned by Oceana in 2017 found that 82% of Filipinos believe fish sold in the markets are more expensive now compared to 10 years ago. Meanwhile, 54% of respondents said the size of fish has become smaller and 55% said they found fewer varieties of fish in local markets compared to a decade ago.
In 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported the country had a total fish production of 2,596,565.83 metric tons with 37.5% coming from commercial marine fishing, 31% from municipal marine fishing, 27.8% from aquaculture, and 3.6% from municipal inland fishing,
“With the decline in the production of ‘galunggong’ (round scad) from our seas, importation of marine fish from Vietnam, Taiwan and China during the months and ‘closed season’ to augment local supply was done by the Department of Agriculture,” said Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero, an academician with the National Academy of Science and Technology.
PAG-IBIG... FROM 4
Christian Association (YMCA), and the Davao Inventors Association.
“Throughout his life, he had stood for integrity, truth, fairness, and freedom of the press and had dedicated his life to mentoring young journalists, who are continuing his legacy today,” Braga said.
Braga also recognized other Datu Bago awardees namely Brenda Sofronia Zafra Barba, an art educator; and Elenita Cruz Dumlao, a Dabawenya artist.
Braga passed a resolution congratulating the 2023 Datu Bago awardees.
The Datu Bago Awards is the highest awards given by the city government of Davao to honor outstanding Dabawenyos for their contribution to the growth and development of Davao City.
It was founded by the late city mayor Elias Lopez in 1969. Since then there has been 180 awardees who excelled in various fields such as in education, business, humanitarian service, arts and many more.
“This year’s three awardees will increase the total number of awardees to 183, hence, the Datu Bago awards has become an institution, a tradition given during the celebration of Araw ng Davao every year,” Braga said.
However, recognizing the effects of the pandemic on both its members and the business community, Pag-IBIG Fund has deferred for the third consecutive year the increase of its contributions rates which remain unchanged since 1986.
Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Marilene Acosta said the agency’s robust fiscal standing and strong collections driven by members opting to save more under the agency’s Regular and MP2 Savings programs, shall allow it to address the growing loan demand of members even without a contribution rate increase this year.
“Our strong financial position shall allow us to again postpone the increase in our contribution rates for a year. We are happy to report that even without any increase in our rates, we were able to post record-highs in 2022 with our membership savings collections reaching nearly PHP80 billion, loan payment collections amounting to PHP127.42 billion, short-term loan releases at 57.69 billion and home loan takeout amounting to PHP117.85 billion,” Acosta said.
Afirst in Philippine football history, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team has qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and Coca-Cola Philippines celebrated the momentous occasion along with football fans and riveted Filipinos alike.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour officially started on February 25, 2023 in Japan. From there, it is traveling to a series of Asian countries, with Manila being the third destination to welcome the trophy in a public event organized by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
Glorietta Activity Center was the place to be last March 1, 2023. With exciting Coca-Cola refreshments, booths, and prizes, everyone felt the World Cup fever alive. Visitors had the opportunity to win exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise and witness the legendary FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ trophy.
The event marks a historic milestone as the Philippine women’s football team qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in Australia and New Zealand. The program featured PFF President Mariano Araneta; PFF General Secretary Edwin Gastanes; New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell; Australian
Ambassador to the Philippines HE Hae Kyong Yu; representatives of the National Women’s Team; and FIFA sponsors.
“Coca-Cola believes that giving the spotlight and rallying support for our female athletes will inspire the Filipino youth and sports fans alike to work hard and pursue their dreams. We are glad that the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour is here in the Philippines to be a platform where we can champion women breaking barriers and exhibit our Filipino pride with the national team’s historic World Cup bid,” says Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines.
“We are honored that the Philippines is among the selected stops for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Trophy Tour. This is a great milestone for Philippine Football, as the Women’s National Football Team is the first Filipino team to qualify for the World Cup,” shares Mariano Araneta, President of the Philippine Football Federation.
“The Philippine Football Federation would also like to express our gratitude to Coca-Cola for supporting this event and our athletes as we continue to develop and grow The Beautiful Game in the country.”
“I am honoured to celebrate the official stop of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour here in the Philippines. This Trophy Tour is Going Beyond anything that has been done before, inspiring women and girls by shining a spotlight on the skills, stories and creativity of the women’s game that will be showcased in Australia and New Zealand,” said Sarah Gandoin, FIFA’s Trophy Tour project lead. “This is the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour and that is because we are looking forward to the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup. With Philippines top female footballers gearing up to take on the best in the world, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans to come along and enjoy an unforgettable experience.”
Fun and exciting month-long activities await Filipina athletes and professionals this March, as the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) joins the nation in celebrating National Women’s Month.
First on the list is the PSC Women’s Fun Games scheduled on Wednesday, March 8, in conjunction with International Women’s Day. This will feature
the agency’s women employees and staff.
Next is the Women in Uniform-Obstacle Course training and competition slated March 16-30 at the Bridgetowne Obstacle Park in Pasig City. In cooperation with the Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation (POSF) and Philippine Commission on Women, the 15-day event is open to all female government workers and
professionals, including teachers, soldiers, nurses, and members of the police force.
“We are ecstatic about our upcoming activities. This is a perfect celebration highlighting women’s abilities and strength, and inspiring our women athletes and professionals,” said PSC Women in Sports oversight commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo. Media Relations Training for
National Athletes is also set on March 22 and 23 at the Orchid Garden Suites in Manila. The workshop aims to help prepare Filipina athletes to confidently articulate their responses to interview questions by the media.
To cap off the celebration, the search for the new Philippine billiards idol is on in the forthcoming PSC Women in Sports 9-ball Cup, which will be spear-
headed by World champion and SEA Games perennial gold medalist Rubilen Amit on March 25 and 26 at the 2nd Floor of the MSAS Building in Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila.
“It is our way to encourage more Filipinas to be in sports. We shall do every possible way to get them empowered and heard,” said Commissioner Coo.
As track greats Lydia de Vega and Elma Muros Posadas along with Tokyo Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo have shown, there is so much outstanding local athletic talents just waiting to be discovered who can excel on the world stage, according to former Project Gintong Alay head Michael Keon.
“There is so much talent in this country that falls through the cracks in the system and it is really ‘sayang’,” noted Keon, who paid homage to the late De Vega as the former Asian sprint queen was installed in the Hall of Fame during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night held Monday at the packed Diamond Hotel grand ballroom. Now the Mayor of Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province, Keon revealed he had talked with Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairperson Richard “Dickie” Bachmann last week on how the
sports agency could accomplish this goal.
“We talked about what is important to Philippine sports now. I advised him (Bachmann) that the PSC should concentrate together with the National Sports Associations because there is so much talent in this country,” said the country’s former sports czar of his dialogue with the PSC honcho in Laoag.
“I believe chairman Bachmann is receptive to our advice and will initiate this with the help of the NSAs,” said Keon in the grand affair presented by the