Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte slammed the New People’s Army (NPA) anew and compared communist group to the “devil.”
In her speech during the celebration of the first anniversary of Insurgency-Free Davao City at Rizal Park, Davao City on Wednesday, the vice president condemned what she calls as “monstrosity of its terrorist acts over the past 53 years.”
“New People’s Army. These
are three words that, as much as possible, I once avoided mentioning. Why because I did not want to dignify its presence or acknowledge the monstrosity of its terrorist acts over the past 53 years. I thought that mentioning “New People’s Army” added more air into their swollen state
Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib welcomed on Wednesday the Senate inquiry into the power crisis affecting the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) and some parts of the province being served by the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO).
“have suffered enough, and it’s about time they receive the reliable and uninterrupted power supply they deserve.”
of madness and encouraged them to unleash more destruction and death and string another cycle of violence for the people to suffer from. But I realized that we needed to speak of the devil,” the vice president said.
Duterte, who was recently appointed co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC), also described the NPA as a dying movement.
“The NPA’s so-called protract-
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) has already issued advisories in the barangays to prepare for the onslaught of tropical depression “Betty,” which is expected to bring localized thunderstorms and big waves as it is projected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility within this week.
CDRRMO Head Alfredo Baloran, in a media interview on Wednesday, said that the city already made preparations.
“Naay forecast nga by end of
this week either Friday or Saturday musulod siya sa Philippine Area of Responsibility (There is a forecast that by the end of the week, either Friday or Saturday, it will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility),” Baloran said. He added that while there is a forecast that the said tropical depression will not make landfall in the Philippines, they are still on high alert because the weather disturbance with the international name “Mawar” and will be known as “Betty” in the Philippines, is expected to become a
supertyphoon that will affect almost all of the country.
“Gina-inform na nato, naa nata’y advisories nga gihimo sa atong barangay, especially sa coastline areas. Naa man gud ni siya sa high seas may tendency nag dunay dagko nga balod ana nga panahona. Nagahatag ta’g advisories in advance para sa atong kaigsoonan dinha sa mga coastline areas, not only coastlines but also in the floodprone areas kay we will expect nga may dala gyud na siya nga
In a statement, Jubahib said it is high time that the matter be brought to the Senate to investigate the alleged gross negligence and incompetence of the electric cooperative in providing stable power supply in the province.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, earlier sought an inquiry over NORDECO’s alleged failure to address power outages in Samal Island. The public hearing was slated Wednesday, May 24.
Jubahib noted that NORDECO is confronted with various issues, particularly its outdated submarine cables affecting the power of supply of IGACOS, which has been placed last May 16 under a state of calamity due to the power crisis.
Jubahib criticized the electric cooperative for its “continued silence and blatant refusal to acknowledge their own inutility to resolve the persistent power woes” faced by the people of IGACOS and others in the province.
“It is a blatant disregard for the well-being of the community they are supposed to serve. Their refusal to acknowledge their own ineptitude is not only an insult to the people of IGACOS but also a testament to their incompetence,” he said.
He added that its “silence speaks volumes about their lack of accountability and commitment to finding a solution.”
The governor said the people
In a statement, the local government of IGACOS said the declaration of a state of calamity over the entire island was meant to mitigate the adverse “impacts of the power crisis and ensure the welfare of our residents” as well as enable “our government and relevant agencies to employ necessary measures swiftly.”
The local government also called on Congress to revoke the franchise of NORDECO in Samal Island, which will pave the way for a new power utility to provide electric services to the people of the island.
Jubahib earlier said he is supporting the proposed measures in Congress that seek to expand the franchise of the Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) to IGACOS. These measures are House Bill (HB) 5077 filed by Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez, HB 6740 of Rep. Margarita Ignacia B. Nograles of PBA Partylist, and HB 7047 of Rep. Sandro L. Gonzales of MARINO Partylist.
These bills were filed after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed HB 10554, which sought to amend Republic Act 11515, extending for another 25 years the franchise granted to DLPC.
HB 10554 would have placed Tagum City, IGACOS and the municipalities of Asuncion, Kapalong, New Corella, San Isidro and Talaingod under the franchise area of DLPC.
These areas are being serviced by NORDECO, which has an existing franchise for the mainland until 2028 and IGACOS until 2033. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
Toprotect the environment
and their ancestral lands, 20 members of the indigenous peoples (IP) were trained to become forest guards in Davao Oriental province, an official from the BaiAni Foundation/Kennemer Eco Solutions said Wednesday.
Maje Egento, senior technical officer of the BaiAni Foundation/ Kennemer Eco Solutions, said the first batch consisting of 20 IPs from Tarragona town and Mati CIty underwent training on May 15 and 16.
“There are 11 certificates of ancestral domain titles (CADTs) in Davao Oriental, and we are targeting to assign 10 forest guards in each CADT,” Egento said in a phone interview Wednesday.
The training focused on educating the forest guards with their roles, responsibilities, and basic environmental laws.
Egento said the program aims to equip them with the necessary knowledge before they officially assume their duties.
“By increasing the number of forest guards on the ground, the initiative ensures better protection against illegal activities that contribute to deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss,” she said.
She said the program gener-
By MAYA M. PADILLOates employment opportunities for IPs, enabling them to earn a livelihood while safeguarding their ancestral lands.
Almart Martije, 31, a member of the Mandaya tribe from Mati City, thanked the organizer for giving him the chance to join the training.
Based on the data provided by BaiAni Foundation/Kennemer Eco Solutions, the deforestation and forest degradation of forest lands and wetlands in Davao Oriental continue to “persist unabated.”
From 2000 to 2021, Davao Oriental lost 51.5 hectares of tree cover, equivalent to an 11 percent decrease since 2000, and 33.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Global Forest Watch.
Davao Oriental provincial tribal council chairperson Eleuterio Manaytay said the training will not only allow IPs to utilize their traditional knowledge and understanding of the ecosystem, but also provides a platform to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of tribal communities.
“Collaborating with government agencies, conservation organizations, and local communities, the forest guards work towards the long-term sustainability of the forests,” he added. (PNA)
The Regional Development Council (RDC) is accelerating its efforts to fasten the shift into digitalization of local government units (LGUs) in the Davao Region to ensure ease of doing business.
Art Milan, co-chair of RDC 11, said on Tuesday that digitalization among LGUs in the Davao Region is a must and no longer an option.
“Kasi LGUs who will not digitalize their operations maiiwan yan because, investments will only come. The ease-of-doing business, yung iba they are not taking seriously but hindi pupun-
ta dun pagkamahirap because other.. you know we are competing with other regions in our country as well as regions outside our country already. Globalization has shrunk markets. Pupunta yung investments where they can really ease-of-doing-business. Easing doing business is really digitalization. Yung no-contact policy that can just apply online
and we can address pa the traffic situation kasi people need not go to and travel just to apply,” Milan said in a press conference during the launch of the Davao Regional Development Plan (DRDP) 20232028 at the Mapua Malayan Colleges in Davao City on Tuesday.
Milan stressed there are a lot of advantages of going into digitalization aside from ease-of-doing business, it can also help decongest the traffic and help people save expenses.
Adopting digital transforma-
An official of the regional office of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA 11) confirmed on Tuesday that the procurement of the Right-Of-Way (ROW) and the conduct of geotechnical survey for the Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project have been suspended since January this year.
“It was reported by the Department of Public Works and
Highways-Unified Project Management Office (DPWH-UPMO) that the procurement of ROW and the conduct of geotechnical survey have been suspended since January this year. There are entry issues that need to be addressed by the implementing agencies,” said Maria Lourdes D. Lim, regional director of NEDA 11, on Tuesday.
Lim said some have already been negotiated in the Davao
City side while at the Samal side negotiation is ongoing with a few property owners. “Timeline, we are flexible but hopefully this will be achieved within our medium-term plan period,” she said.
Last week, Ramon Edison C. Batacan, legal counsel of the Rodriguez family, told Edge Davao that the civil works of the SIDC bridge project were halted due to FSIDC, P10
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday concluded that the unauthorized transactions involving several GCash accounts were caused by phishing attacks and not security vulnerabilities with the mobile wallet provider.
In a statement, Privacy Commissioner John Henry Naga said “unknown threat actors” took advantage of GCash users through online gambling websites such as “Philwin” and “tapwin1.com.”
“Upon our thorough investigation, we have determined that the unauthorized transactions in GCash accounts were a result of a meticulous phishing scheme,” Naga said.
The investigation was initiated by the NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division (CID) on May 9 to find out whether there
were compromised personal data and other potential data privacy-related violations.
The NPC held a clarificatory meeting with G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI) where the former raised its concerns, and the latter provided additional information and proof for the conduct of an independent assessment.
GXI submitted its compliance with the orders issued by the NPC last Friday (May 19).
“We have ordered GXI to intensify its education and awareness campaign to its clients to
prevent similar incidents in the future,” Naga said.
He assured that the NPC is committed to promoting a safe and secure digital environment and urged the public to remain vigilant against phishing attacks that would compromise personal information.
“We will employ the full extent of our powers under the law to penalize those who violate the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” he said.
On May 9, GCash announced a temporary “downtime” of their service after several users experienced unauthorized deductions in their accounts.
Government agencies, including the NPC and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, have since initiated their own investigation into the incidents. (PNA)
The Department of Tourism will be adding more “Tourist Rest Areas” in different destinations to provide comfort and convenience to visitors and guests.
Tourist Rest Areas, one of the flagship programs of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, will each have a coffee shop, pasalubong center, tourism information area, comfort rooms and charging stations.
“It has a unified design that aims to present Filipino elements in the design to provide the most
basic necessity for any tourism activity or travel, with decent restrooms. We ensure na laging may toilet paper,” Frasco said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum on Wednesday.
“We also wish to provide our small and medium enterprises, our local vendors, our pasalubong makers the opportunities to sell their goods,” she added.
DOT has earlier managed to break ground for 10 tourist rest areas in Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte, Baguio City, Cebu, Palawan, Bohol,
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has deferred its plan to set suggested retail prices (SRPs) for red and white onions in the market.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez told reporters that Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban asked that the implementation be put on hold as he wanted a further study of the cost structure.
“Mukhang he’s not convinced with the cost structure na pinresent doon to set the SRP,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez said on Wednesday.
(It seems he’s not convinced with the cost structure as regards the SRP.)
Estoperez last week said the agency was considering setting SRPs for onions to be implemented on Monday, May 22.
and P200 per kilo in Metro Manila markets.
Estoperez said the DA, while the SRP plan is still on hold, will continue to monitor and inspect the cold storage facilities.
“Last January the SRP did not work out, eh ayaw na nating mangyari ulit ‘yun,” he said.
In December of last year, the DA pegged the SRP of red onions per kilo in the wet markets in the National Capital Region (NCR) at P250.
The DA, in January, deferred the extension of the P250 SRP due to the forecast lower price range of onions following the harvest season.
Samal Island in Davao Del Norte and in Bukidnon.
This year, they intend to add more since some local government units and two “huge corporations” have expressed interest to partner with the DOT to build the project.
“Mayroon tayo criteria for the maintenance that we are giving to the LGUS and if they are able to comply with these criteria, with at least 90% compliance, by the end of the year then we give them financial incentives,” Frasco noted.
The Department of Agriculture also planned to impose a “cold storage price” or wholesale price of P115 per kilo for red onions and P100 per kilo for white onions in a bid to lower its price to P140 per kilo for red onions and P150 per kilo for white onions.
Data from the DA’s price monitoring as of May 24 showed local white onions cost P150 to P200 per kilo while local red onions are priced between P100
“Ayaw lang nating mangyari nung nakaraang January… na itong SRP natin tapos we’ll encourage the farmers to lower the farm-gate prices, mukhang hindi nangyari at hindi rin naman nila nagawa yun,” Estoperez said.
(We don’t want a repeat of what happened in January... that this is our SRP and then we’ll encourage the farmers to lower the farm gate prices. It appears that didn’t happen and they didn’t do so.)
“Wala na namang sumunod doon sa SRP natin. Lessons learned tayo doon including yung ating pag-set ng SRP na yun,” he added.
The Philippines and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to bolster economic ties by developing a blueprint to boost trade and investment.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the British Embassy, in a joint statement on Wednesday, said they will develop a refreshed Joint Action Plan on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation for 2023 to 2024.
They said the blueprint aims to grow economic relations between the two countries by maximizing trade and investment opportunities, drive investment opportunities in priority sectors like infrastructure and renewable energy, and promote ease of doing business and digitalization.
“This will provide specific data of the strategic partnership and associated actions to deliver on the above mentioned,” they said.
The statement said the action plan will have a regular review to ensure the delivery and relevance of the joint work.
On trade, the two parties said they will promote the Developing Countries Trading Scheme
(DCTS), which will provide preferential tariff on goods entering the UK and that are coming from beneficiary countries.
On investments, UK said it will mobilize the GBP8-billion British Investment Partnerships (BIP) in the country, especially in projects related to sustainable infrastructure and transition to clean energy.
“The DCTS and BIP are solid frameworks that will ensure our economic relations will remain sill strong as ever. The Philippines will continue to work with the UK government to realize concrete opportunities and foster more synergies in areas of mutual interest—in trade, investment, renewable energy, to name a few,” DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.
British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils also underscored the need to continue the momentum of the strong bilateral trade between the UK and the Philippines.
“The bilateral trade between the UK and the Philippines is the highest it has ever been, and it continues to grow alongside British investment and economic cooperation,” she said.
ThePhilippines and China are set to open discussion son how to further enhance agricultural cooperation between the two countries.
“In terms of agricultural cooperation, there are high-level officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) who will visit the Philippines to talk about how to jump start the agriculture cooperation between the two countries,” said Ana Abejuela, Agriculture counselor to the Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing, in a May 10 interview with the Serbisyo Filipino-China Media Group (SF-CMG).
Abejuela said the officials are expected to arrive next month.
“During the meeting with these high level officials from MARA, we will talk about projects that could be done from this year up to 2025. That is the coverage of the current action plan with MARA,” she said.
Earlier this year, the Philippines and China signed a joint action plan for 2023-2025 on agricultural and fisheries co-
operation between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
A business delegation from China will also arrive and look at possible investments in the agriculture sector, she said.
Abejuela said a forum on agricultural cooperation between China and the Philippines will also be conducted during the visit of MARA officials.
“The cooperation on agriculture between China and Philippines is good. The future is also good. There is a good future to look on,” she said.
The World Bank has committed to assist the Philippines in its goals to attain sustainable growth and continued pandemic recovery, an executive from the international financial institution said.
The Presidential Communications Office said Anna Bjerde, World Bank’s managing director for operations, made the state-
ment during her meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr’s Cabinet members on Tuesday.
Bjerde said the Philippine economy has been “growing rapidly” since last year, citing the drop in COVID-19 infections and the reopening of the economy.
“The post-pandemic recovery is underway in the Philippines, with strong domestic demand weather-
ing global headwinds,” Malacañang said in a press release.
“The World Bank is committed to supporting the Philippines achieve long-term inclusive and sustainable growth, attain upper middle-income country status, and eventually become a predominantly middle-class society by 2040,” Bjerde was quoted as saying.
In slamming the New People’s Army (NPA) and comparing the communist group to the “devil”:
“New People’s Army. These are three words that, as much as possible, I once avoided mentioning. Why because I did not want to dignify its presence or acknowledge the monstrosity of its terrorist acts over the past 53 years. I thought that mentioning “New People’s Army” added more air into their swollen state of madness and encouraged them to unleash more destruction and death and string another cycle of violence for the people
to suffer from. But I realized that we needed to Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Tel: (088) 852-4894
speak of the devil.” RICHARD C. EBONA Advertising Specialist SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance
Providing solutions to a seamless global village.
NEILWIN L. BRAVO Editor in Chief Columnists: ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA • HENRYLITO D. TACIO • JOHN CARLO TRIA • MUJAHID NAVARRA • FRED C. LUMBA DENNIS R. GORECHO • VIDA MIA S. VALVERDE • HAROLD CAVITE • CHITO MALABANAN
ANA MARIE G. SILPAO Layout
ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN MEGHANN STA. INES FERINA SANTOS Lifestyle edgedavao@gmail.com MANILA MARKETING OFFICE RICHARD C. EBONA Product Development officer Address: No. 18 Purok 4B, Madelo Street, Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Mobile number: +63 947 265 2969(smart); +63 916 955 8559(globe)
LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. Desk Editor ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. Correspondent OLIVIA D. VELASCO President SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance
JASPER V. BACSAL General Manager / VP Operations CRISTINE AMOR D. BRAVO Sales and Marketing Incharge JULIANNE M. TABUCAN Marketing Ast. - LGU
PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE the national association of newspapers
GREGORIO GARAY DELIGERO Editorial Consultant
MAYA M. PADILLO Senior Reporter MOSES BILLACURA Sports Editor
It is native to the Philippines and it’s called “Manila hemp”. That’s actually a misnomer as it is not grown in Manila but in some distant places like Davao. Although it looks like a banana, it’s not a banana.
We are talking here of abaca, known in the science world as Musa textiles. As it is endemic to the country, most indigenous peoples are familiar with this premier natural fiber.
Salinta Monon, the late Tagabawa-Bagobo textile weaver from barangay Upper Bitaug of Bansalan, Davao del Sur comes to mind. She had fully demonstrated the creative and expressive aspects of the Bagobo abaca ikat-weaving called inabal.
In 1998, she was named Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCAA) for continuing what she loved doing “at a time when such craft was threatened with extinction.”
When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit the country, Nestor A. Latiban started making handicraft products using fibers of abaca. Among those that this member of Boston-Mandaya Tribal Council Association (BMTCA) has fashioned include hand bags, backpacks, slippers, tum-
bler holders and accessories.
A criminology student, Latiban has been a self-supporting student since his early years. The income from the abaca products, he admitted, helped him financially thrive, particularly during the time of pandemic.
Now, I have learned that Japanese firms are looking for abaca supply here in Davao City. This was reported by our roving reporter, Maya Padillo, recently.
Source of her information was Christian Cambaya, the unit head of Investor Assistance and Servicing of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center.
During a press briefing held at Abreeza Mall, he said that some Japanese companies are looking for abaca as it is “being used in Japan as a material to make fiberglass for high-end motorcycles.”
Although abaca is indigenous to the Philippines, it is now grown in Borneo, Indonesia and Central America, particularly Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Globally, however, the Philippines is the number one supplier of abaca. “An important edge that the Philippine abaca fiber has over those produced by countries like Costa Rica and Ecuador is that it has several different
grades,” Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) reports.
The Philippines has nine grades/classifications of abaca fiber compared to only five of Ecuador, making Philippine abaca more versatile in applications. It also possesses the full spectrum of the quality of abaca that specialty paper manufacturers need.
Almost all abaca produced in the country is exported mainly to Europe, Japan, and the United States. Exports are increasingly in the form of pulp rather than raw fiber, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“The very durable nature of abaca is not the only quality of this natural fiber that makes it in demand in the market,” said a report. “Its biodegradable nature makes manufacturers, especially those in Europe, to use abaca over synthetic fibers.
“Coffee cups and tea bags are among the products that make use of abaca. These food containers highlight abaca fiber’s sanitary nature,” the report added.
“Many European institutions had already adopted a policy of turning away from non-biodegradables like plastics.”
In the annals of Davao history, there were only a few times when the President of the re-public slated a three-day visit in one province. Even at this time when air travel is made faster by the introduction of commercial planes, presidential trips to the city (except those made by President Rodrigo Duterte under his watch), remain far and between.
President Ramon Magsaysay, though, was different. Despite his schedule being tightly crammed, he made sure he met as many people and listened to as many issues, making use of time efficiently and acting on problems without delay. In September 1954, he made just that.
In spite of a slight fever the previous day, Magsaysay, elected 11 months earlier, flew to Davao on September 19-21 accompanied by some Cabinet members and news-
men aboard three Air Force planes. He arrived late by over an hour because they had to avoid a typhoon. At the Sasa airport, he was welcomed by Davao governor Alejandro Almendras, congress-man Ismael Veloso, and Davao City mayor Carmelo Porras, calling the reception honors ‘un-precedented.’
After taking breakfast at the residence of Paciano Bangoy, then Malacanang technical as-sistant, Magsaysay spoke at the parent-teacher association’s meeting and warned the public of corrupt people which he branded as “traitors to the country and the Administration.”
In the same vein, he called on the public to support the removal of dishonest officials and to testify against them. Reverberating an old trick corrupt public servants employed, he cau-tioned his audience of individuals who were
Under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations economic community, authors G.F. Lapiña and E.T. Andal wrote about the competitiveness of abaca in their collaborative paper:
“Abaca production in the Philippines was competitive under export trade and import substitution scenarios. Exporting abaca is an excellent opportunity for the country to earn foreign exchange since the Philippines can compete globally.”
Abaca is one of the country’s 35 fiber crops. The fiber is superior over all other fibers of its class because of its great strength and its resistance to the action of water. Considered the strongest of natural fibers, it is three times stronger than cotton.
In the past, abaca was the cordage of choice for ropes used in oil dredging or exploration, navies and merchant shipping.
Abaca has been grown in the Philippines for centuries, even before the Spaniards came.
“When Ferdinand Magellan and his companions arrived in Cebu in 1521,” wrote PhilFIDA of abaca’s history, “they noticed that the natives were wearing clothes made from the fiber of the abaca plant, noting further that the weaving of the fiber
was already widespread in the island.”
However, it was not until 1685 that abaca was known in the Western world. Then, in 1820, John White, an American naval officer, brought a few abaca fibers for testing to the United States. It proved to have superior tensile strength over any other known cordage, especially under sea water.
“The Japanese also took keen interest in abaca for naval use,” wrote Ernee Lawagan in an article which appeared in the defunct Mod. “They improved the method of production introduced by the Americans and put the abaca industry in the Philippines to a higher level of efficiency.”
It was in the 1920s when the Philippines monopolized the world production of abaca fibers. “During those times, wars were won by countries with superior navies and considering that cordage was vital to naval operation, the Philippine monopoly in abaca production alarmed the Americans,” Lawagan reported.
After World War II, Furukawa Yoshizo, one of the prewar abaca plantation owners in Davao, started field-testing and successfully cultivating abaca in Ecuador. Costa Rica followed suit.
using his name to secure favors from the gov-ernment.
From there, the president attended the joint seminars of the leagues of municipal councils and barrio councils of Davao as a guest speaker before he motored to Digos City where he inaugurated a hydroelectric plant. Without hesitancy, he criticized the plant operator for the excessive charges it was asking from customers. He also made brief but unscheduled speeches in Sta. Cruz town.
A Cabinet meeting was slated in Digos City by the President but this was canceled after only four secretaries, namely, finance secretary Jaime Hernandez, public works secretary Florencio Moreno, press secretary J. V. Cruz, and budget commissioner Dominador Aytona, showed up.
Later, in Daliao, Toril district, Magsaysay led the cornerstone
laying of ramie degumming, spinning, and textile mill to be operated by the National Development Company as a way of addressing the country’s P180-million annual importation of textiles. During his speech, he lambasted his predecessor for spending dollars on useless projects without even setting up industries that would make use of local resources.
In the evening, he addressed a public rally at Quezon Park, in Davao City, where he told the people that the national government has so far given a total of P40 million in aid to Da-vao under his watch, adding that he is devoting his administration’s efforts to further uplift the condition of the people in rural areas by building up the barrios as the foundation for a strong nation.
In particular, he discussed the issue of the serious squatting
problem in Davao Province and pledged to resolve it fairly based on human sympathy. He added that those who malevo-lently settled on lands they knew were owned by other people would be expelled immediate-ly.
For those occupying private lands with the mistaken belief that these were public proper-ty and had been cultivating the lands for crops and plants, they would be given an oppor-tunity to own their lots through government expropriation.
He also lambasted dishonest Bureau of Lands employees who certified private lands as public lands in exchange for money, saying: “Persons sincerely trying to make an honest liv-ing should be helped, not punished.”
Later, he attended a reception and ball in his honor held at the Boy Scouts auditorium.
Excites fans by letting them vote for favorite candidates on BingoPlus website
BingoPlus again reiterated its mission to support initiatives and undertakings that showcase Pinoy culture, Pinoy leisure activities and the Pinoy spirit by throwing its support behind the 59th Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant set to take place May 28, 2023 at the New Frontier Theater.
The first live-streaming bingo in the Philippines is the presenter of the beauty-and-brains tilt and has added excitement to the contest by getting fans and
pageant enthusiasts involved in the voting process. BingoPlus created a voting page on its official website so the public can cast their votes for their favorite candidates, with the candidate who gets the most votes automatically advancing to the Top 12 of Binibining Pilipinas 2023 and receiving a P100,000 cash prize from BingoPlus.
Forty lovely ladies from all over the country will vie for the four prestigious titles of Binibining Pilipinas International, Binibining Pilipinas Grand and Binibining Pilipinas Globe at the pageant.
All that beauty contest fans have to do is register and log in on the BingoPlus website (www.bingoplus. com) and cast their votes. When they do, they get the
chance to win BingoPlus credits and tickets to witness the Binibining Pilipinas coronation night live. The more votes cast, the more chances of winning in the lucky draw. Voting started April 29 and will run through May 26. Lucky draw winners will be announced every Friday up to May 28.
The Binibining Pilipinas candidates recently visited and toured the newly built and biggest studio of BingoPlus in Quezon City where many of the grand, star-studded BingoPlus Nights are held. The lovely ladies gave a glimpse of what audiences can expect on finals night by putting on a mini show, introducing themselves per province, greeting audiences via livestream and inviting them to cast their votes for their candidates on the BingoPlus website.
Since its launch in January 2022, BingoPlus has been passionately supporting brands
and undertakings that share its vision of providing quality entertainment to Filipinos. BingoPlus was the presenter of Ms. Philippines Earth 2022, and has also been actively supporting Pinoy festivals like the Sinulog in Cebu, Dinagyang and Pintados de Pasi in Iloilo and MassKara in Bacolod. BingoPlus is also an avid supporter of musical events and concerts as well as sports leagues, teams and special events.
“BingoPlus will continue to support activities that showcase our Filipino tradition and culture. As a promoter of leisure and quality entertainment, we will be part of many more initiatives that express our Pinoy love of merriment and recreation,” said Jasper Vicencio, AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. President, the company that introduced the BingoPlus brand.
For more information about BingoPlus, visit www.bingoplus. com.
Thecountry is fast losing its forest resources. Most of these remaining forests can be found in the remote upland areas, forest reserves and watersheds, and those identified as parts of ancestral domain.
Although there are now existing laws that protect these remaining forests, they are still being denuded. They are not spared from illegal loggers, unscrupulous businessmen, and corrupt government officials.
Fortunately, indigenous peoples (IPs) – those distinct social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live – are trying to protect what the government has recognized as rightfully belonging to them.
In Davao Oriental, there are some concerned institutions trying to help IPs in the province in protecting their lands. One of these is the BaiAni Foundation and Kennemer Eco Solu-
tion, which have expressed strong support for the Provincial Tribal Council-Mandaya and Kagan Cultural group of the province in their role as stewards of their ancestral lands.
“The indigenous communities in the area, recognized as stewards of the land, are responsible for maintaining ecological balance and restoring denuded areas,” said a press release obtained by Edge Davao. “However, they have not yet achieved full self-determination due to complex reasons.”
The groups came to the conclusion that “empowering these communities for effective forest landscape governance systems is essential to increase control, surveil-
lance, and enforcement over ancestral domain areas.”
Deforestation and forest degradation in the forest lands and wetlands in Davao Oriental continues to persist unabatedly, the press release said.
Citing data from the Global Forest Watch, it said the province lost 51.5 hectares of forest cover from 2000 to 2021. Theforest loss is equivalent to an 11% decrease in tree cover since 2000. It also meant contributing 33.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
“Forest clearing for agricultural expansion and timber poaching is prominent amongst the upland communities,” the press release pointed out. “Human settlements and indiscriminate harvesting of resources are also active in the province due to the growing population.”
To safeguard the forests, particularly those part in ancestral domain, for being denuded further, the BaiAni Foundation and Kennemer Eco Solu-
tion believed the ancestral lands can be protected through the establishment and operationalization of a viable forest guarding system, with full support from various local entities.
To initiate this effort, a two-day training and workshop for aspiring forest protectors was conducted on May 15-16. The program focused on educating and familiarizing 20 pre-selected forest guards from the recipients of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) from Mati City and the municipality of Tarragona. They were oriented about their roles and responsibilities and learned basic environmental laws.
According to the press release, the program aimed to equip the participants with the necessary knowledge before they officially assume their duties.
The program consisted of several phases, starting with the identification and selection of IPs who would undergo the training. Expert trainers FHELPING, P10
Davao City Water District advises the public of a water service interruption on May 27, 2023 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Gulfview Executive Homes and Versari Village in Bago Aplaya.
Water supply has to be temporarily shut off in the affected areas to give way to the installation of valves and tapping of a newly laid pipeline to DCWD’s existing pipeline along Tablas Street in Gulfview Executive Homes. This project is among DCWD’s strategies to improve water supply of the affected areas and to reduce non-revenue water or water loss.
The DCWD management asks for the understanding and cooperation of would-be-affected customers and advises them to store enough water prior to the schedule. Water supply may be restored
ed war is ending. The guerrilla warfare tactic is no longer working for them to be able to breathe life into a dying movement. The stench of its doom and imminent demise is repulsive, but something that we anticipate with most profound excitement,” she said.
In her message, she also recalled the city government of Davao’s efforts when she was Davao City’s mayor in eradicating the rebel group’s presence in the Paquibato District through Peace 911.
Launched in 2019, Peace 911, a civilian-led program, empowers the people of Paquibato through projects and programs that offered them the opportunity to become productive, provided them with livelihood, made them discover new skills, capacitated women, and built their confidence as individuals and as a community.
“Our story in Paquibato District is one for the books. It is a shining example of a successful anti-terrorism campaign made possible by the collaboration of various sectors through the program Peace 911 by the local government of Davao,” Duterte said.
Peace 911 ushered in the development of the Paquibato District while addressing the fundamental issue of poverty.
“Lest we forget, this terrorist group leeches on the people’s condition of poverty, feeding on their
mga isolated rain showers from moderate and heavy rainfall ( We are informing everyone. We have issued advisories to our barangays, especially those in the coastal areas. The tropical depression is on the high seas so there is a tendency that there will be big waves. We also give advisories in advance for those who are in the coastline areas, not only coastlines but also in the flood-prone areas because we will expect that this will bring thunderstorms, it will bring isolated rain showers from moderate to heavy rainfall),” Baloran said.
He said that they advised the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils
earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.
DCWD conducts flushing after service works are completed. However, once water is restored, customers are advised to open all faucets and allow water to run for at least two minutes. While doing this, do not drink tap water immediately. Water may be boiled as an additional safety precaution.
For the latest water service updates or any DCWD-related concerns, the general public may contact DCWD’s 24-hour call center telephone hotlines at 235-3293 and 244-6767, text support at 0927798-8966, 0925-511-3293, or 0908441-0653, and chat support in the DCWD’s website (www.davao- water.gov.ph) or Facebook page (www. facebook.com/officialDCWD). (Kurt
Ryan M. Dominguez)tion is among the critical transformations that RDC 11 will pursue to achieve the goal of the DRDP.
Maria Lourdes D. Lim, vice chairperson of RDC 11 and regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority 11 (NEDA 11), it is expected that by 2028 all LGUs in the region have adopted the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) that would make them more efficient and transparent in transacting with the public.
She reiterated that enhancement in government regulatory practices and regionwide implementation of the ease-of-doing business shall be pursued.
“All national government agencies are also adopting digitalization reforms. In fact, for the RDC we have already conducted paperless meetings and set up our databases for more efficient monitoring. This is also replicated not only in government but also in private establishments. By adopting a digital platform, we want to connect our production also the consumers to make our economic activities more efficient,” Lim said.
Maria Belen Q. Ambi, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry II (DTI 11) said digitalization is also the strategy of RDC to put for good governance in the LGUs as well as national agencies and other instrumentalities.
“So it’s not the private sector but really for the government sector. For the LGUs there is no way for them to go but digital transformation because most of our transactions right now are done digitally,” she said.
Ambi mentioned that DTI is currently doing digital transformation as
SIDC... FROM 3
the lack of the required Detailed Engineering Design (DED).
part of the pillars of competitiveness of cities and municipalities, which is innovation and one of the components of innovation is digitalization.
“I am positive that by 2028 most of the LGUs if not all will be digitalized,” she said.
Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon, chair of RDC 11, said that digitalization is among her priorities when she assumed office. Her office has already entered into a contract with a service provider and she is hoping that in 16 months her province will be digitalized.
“Kailangan ang efficiency and we will be reducing yung mga corruption. Kung maayos naman ang sistema ng ating recording talagang mabilis ang mga resulta na makuha natin. We will be at par with national agencies that are already digitalized,” she said.
The DRDP 2023-2028 is the second medium-term goal geared towards a long-term vision. It also serves as a guidepost for all Davao Region stakeholders in pursuing the region’s sustained recovery from the disruptions by the pandemic, and a vehicle for accelerated transformation to a more progressive, broadbased, and strong Davao Region.
Milan said digitalization is among the things that should support RDC’s development plans for Davao Region to soar high and that will give a better life for Dabawenyos.
“Practicing good governance will improve bureaucratic efficiency and the outcome of our Davao Regional Development Plan in 2028 Davao Region shall have more efficient government service delivery as well as efficient and responsive bureaucratic practices,” Lim said.
misery as they advance their violent causes. Nakabalo kita nga ang masa, ang mga katawhan, sila ang sandigan ug ginasaligan sa mga teroristang NPA. Ug kung moingon ang masa nga tama na, undangon na nato kini, gikapoy na kami — human na ang away. Sa Davao City, human na ang away,” she said.
The vice president expressed admiration and gratitude to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for successfully ending the insurgency in Davao City.
In March last year, the army declared Davao City as “insurgency-free” after years of fighting the communist insurgents.
“Today, we commemorate and celebrate our people’s commitment to the noble principles of freedom and social justice that liberate us from the threats of extremism. Now, we are presented with limitless possibilities for Paquibato and the entire city, taking advantage of the gains of peace to fortify our city and secure the life of the Dabawenyos,” Duterte said.
She ended her message hoping that one day soon, Filipinos will wake up to the news that the entire Philippines is already NPA terrorist-free.
“Let us make this happen,” she said.
(BDRRMCs) to alert the community about the impending hazards if ever this tropical depression will enter the country’s area.
“Continuous ang atong preposition sa atoang resources and ready to be deployed just in case kung naa na’y flooded areas sa ilahang area of responsibility (There is a continuous preposition of the resources and it can be readily deployed in case there is flooding in their area of responsibility),” he said.
He added that the BDRRMCs and the security clusters with search and rescue capacity are likewise advised to be always on call should their teams be needed at the onset of flooding or other emergencies. CIO
in the field of forest guarding and law enforcement conducted a series of training sessions focused on forest conservation, resource management, and law enforcement.
During the sessions, the participants learned how to identify illegal forest activities, enforced forest laws, and conducted surveillance patrols. In addition, a workshop was conducted on spot mapping, forest land use plans, and forest patrol planning to enhance their abilities.
“I am really honored to be part of this forest guarding training,” said Almart Martije, a 31-year-old member of the Mandaya tribe from barangay Don Salvador Lopez in Mati City, adding that it emphasized the deep-rooted connection between the IPs and the land. Most importantly, the training highlighted the role of IPs as stewards of the forests for generations.
But it’s not only the IPs who will benefit from the program. “By increasing the number of forest guards on the ground, the initiative ensures better protection against illegal activities that contribute to deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss,” said Maje Egento, the senior technical officer of BaiAni and Kennemer.
In addition, the program would generate employment opportunities for IPs, thus enabling them to earn a livelihood while safeguarding their ancestral lands. “The program promotes environmental awareness and encourages local community participation in conservation efforts,” Egento pointed out.
Eleuterio Manaytay, the chairman of the Provincial Tribal Council, said the training didn’t only allow IPs to utilize their traditional knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the ecosystem but also provides a platform to advocate for their rights and well-being of indigenous communities.
“Collaborating with government agencies, conservation organizations, and local communities,” Manaytay added, “the forest guards work towards the long-term sustainability of the forests.”
The collaboration of the IPs and the support organizations is worth emulating. “The program in Davao Oriental exemplifies how empowering local communities can effectively
He said the suspension is not due to the issue of ROW but the lack of the required DED plan.
“Work cannot commence without the detailed engineering plan. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) cannot proceed without the DED, even without the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), but making the ROW as a scapegoat for the alleged suspension,” Batacan said.
The P23 billion bridge project with a length of 3.98 kilometers and
protect the environment and promote sustainable development,” the press release said.
“By providing training and equipment, IPs are empowered to safeguard their ancestral lands and the valuable natural resources they hold,” it went on. “The program sets a remarkable example of other communities, inspiring them to follow suit in their efforts to protect the environment and advance sustainable development.”
The Philippines is among the countries that are losing their forest cover fast, ranking fourth in the world’s top 10 most threatened forest hotspots, according to Marjorie Pamintuan in an article published in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
In 1934, forests comprised more than half (54%) of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares. In 2010, the forest cover had gone down to 23% or about 6.8 million hectares, said a report compiled by the Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO).
Based on the 2010 satellite images released by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), open forests accounted for 68% (4.595 million hectares) of the country’s total forest cover, 28% are closed forests while the rest are mangroves.
Caraga Region has the highest total forest cover in Mindanao, with 683,112 hectares. Davao Region is closely trailed with 428,716 hectares. The rest of the regions: Northern Mindanao (377,858 hectares), ARMM (301,894 hectares), and Zamboanga Peninsula (176,918 hectares).
“The country’s forests are habitat for more than 6,000 plant species and numerous bird and animal species,” Pamintuan wrote. “Forests also
four lanes and will serve at least 25,000 vehicles daily is targeted to be completed by the year 2027.
On October 27, 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony for the SIDC project that would link Davao City and Samal Island.
The bridge project is designed to be a four-lane cable-stayed extradosed iconic bridge with a total length of 3.98 kilometers including approaches with a vertical navigational clearance up to 47 meters supported by two pylons with a height of 73 meters. By Maya M. Padillo
serve as home to some 12 million indigenous peoples.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Forest Resources Assessment defines forests as tree plantations, and bamboo, palm and fern formations, logging roads and open spaces adjacent to logging sites of corporate forest concessions. In 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) adopted the definition through Memorandum No. 005.
“A forest is more than just trees,” said the late national scientist Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali. “It is a community throbbing with life – an ecosystem of plants, animals and their surroundings; an all-embracing web of life woven into soil, water, and air. These elements interact with each other. They all are essential parts of a whole system.”
Umali said that tampering any one of these elements disrupts the balance of the ecosystem. “In nature,” the Ramon Magsaysay laureate pointed out, “there are no rewards and punishment; there are only consequences.”
Deforestation should end. “Halting deforestation is more than planting trees,” said Pamintuan, a graduate of communication research from University of the Philippines-Diliman. “For as long as commercial logging continues, conflicting economic and environmental policies remain, widespread poverty and landlessness, and corruption in government persist, laws and projects that are meant to stop deforestation are bound to fail.
“Worse, we will continue to lose our forests,” she added. “The future of our nation and the next generation is at stake.”
— The Boston Celtics’ season didn’t end in Game Four of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Miami Heat, and now there is a flicker of hope.
Whether Boston’s 116-99 victory was the start of a miraculous revival or simply a momentary reprieve from what NBA history suggests is still inevitable remains to be determined.
At the very least, the Celtics’ win made their chances of becoming the first NBA team in 151 tries to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series move from insurmountable to iffy heading into Game Five at TD Garden on Thursday.
That’s good for a team that had spent most of this series looking noth-
ing like the one that earned the conference’s second seed.
“We’ve just got to go win another one. That’s all that matters,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “We take it one game at a time. We understand the odds are stacked against us, but we’re a team that believes in us no matter what, and we’ve just got to keep going, and all that matters is the next game.”
So much of what made the Celtics one of the league’s top scoring and defensive teams during the regular season was eviscerated in three straight
losses to Miami to open the series. The Heat befuddled Boston in those games. It took away top scoring threats Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while outshooting a Celtics team that usually has demolished opponents at the 3-point line.
Boston showed acumen on both ends in Game Four, rallying during a game-changing 18-0 run in the third quarter. Led by Tatum’s 33 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, the Celtics outscored the Heat by 30 points from beyond the arc and turned Miami’s 16 turnovers into 27 points.
It also gave the Celtics a blueprint going forward.
“We’ve still got a long uphill battle to go,” Tatum said.
While the win gave the Celtics a little life, the Heat can blame them-
Hey folks! LJ played all but a few seconds of the first half to pour in 40 pts, 31 in the first two quarters, said to be a career high in the playoffs.
Unlike the Celtics who prevented a sweep by the Heat, his heroics were canceled out by Denver’s center Nikola Jokic’ triple double of 30 pts., 14 rebounds, 13 assists and wow, three blocks.
Did you not wonder why James did not take an open three while trailing 111-113 in the dying seconds instead of going inside where his lay up was blocked by the Nuggets power
selves for not finishing. The game was close for three quarters and Miami still just needs to win one of the final three games to make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since its run in 2020 in the Florida bubble. Denver is waiting to play the winner after sweeping the Lakers.
Boston won three times on the Heat’s home floor last year in the East finals. With a win on Thursday, Miami would accomplish the same feat on Boston’s floor this year.
The Celtics are 4-5 at home this postseason.
Heat star Jimmy Butler said he isn’t worried about Boston’s first win giving it momentum heading home.
“No. If anything, it will build momentum for us knowing that we have
to play with a lot more energy,” Butler said. “We’ve got to play like our backs are against the wall. But I think all year long, we’ve been better when we’ve had to do things the hard way.”
The Heat are preparing for Game Five with two key players on the mend.
Gabe Vincent, who has been a sparkplug through the series and had 17 points in Game Four, left the game in the fourth quarter after turning his left ankle.
Kyle Lowry also took an awkward fall, leaving the condition of Miami’s point guards up in the air.
“Whenever you ask these guys, they are like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ So we’ll see,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Game Four.
forward Aaron Gordon?
Perhaps LJ was thinking he could fish for a foul and take the game-tying two gift shots. Or plus one if his shot went in and the refs blow a foul whistle.
Unfortunately, unless the foul is seen visibly by the refs as conclusively as day, they won’t call it especially if the defender goes after the ball.
Refs do not decide the results of a ballgame.
I think this is what happens even if bodies banged because in basketball you can’t prevent the momentum of bodies touching each other.
I guess I saw the look in the face of a man who already waved the white flag and merely took the motion of going for the basket.
Could it have been a case of an exercise in futility?
Assuming the Lakers took Game 4 for a 1-3 count, going back to Denver and playing before a hostile crowd who are dying to see their home team play in its first NBA finals, would you entertain a Laker win?
After the time out by coach Darvin Ham, I knew LJ would be instructed to take the last shot.
But I did not see any more fire in
the eyes of James when he had the spheroid. He was atop the key and could have tossed the ball from there for a fifty-fifty chance that it will swish in.
Well, despite five personals, Jokic faced him, but James got past the big guy yet encountered the heavily built Gordon near the basket who swatted the ball away.
The Denver crew predictably knew who was going to take the last shot and they were prepared to prevent it from happening.
Unlike the Lakers whose agony is over, the Celtics are still alive but
barely kicking at 1-3.
The Heat grabbed two road wins in Boston and what will prevent Eric Spoelstra and his boys from doing it anew to complete their annihilation of the famed Celtics?
Going back to the Lakers, King James had this to say: “I’ve got a lot to think about,” was the memorable sentence the four time-MVP gave sportswriters during the post game presscon.
Hmm, thought provoking, isn’t that? (Email feedback to fredlumba@ yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
Sometimes we need to rise up above the earth- above the atmosphere to see and understand the world we are living and realize how small we are.
We were supposed to take our hot air balloon in Cappadocia the day before but due to the strong winds pervading in that particular early morning ,our trip was cancelled so off we go to Pamukkale, a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside.
Flying with the hot air balloon is a must when you tour Turkey, that’s why I made it on the top of the list of our tour . Of course, the Jeep Safari, a dangerously thrilling experience one must take while in Cappadoccea is of another level but that would be another story.
“We should be in the area/take off ground at 5am so that we’ll be above the ground before 5:30am as the sun breaks down on the horizon” says Sellah our tour guide. There were sixteen of us bunched in one big basket beneath that Hot air balloon, one chilly springtime morning in Pamukkale. The prevailing air above is moderate and much more friendly compared to Capadoccea . While our pilot is making his pre flight announcements, I guess nobody was able to concentrate and listen enough as everybody was filled with excitement and nervousness? Yes, maybe. Who would not be. Just consider flying in an open air without the benefit of a seat belt nor a harness and would just be standing on a basket 3000 feet above ground.
I kept myself busy tinkling with my Nikon DSLR and Mobile phone to drive away the fear of heights while the pilot started to increase the fuel for our balloon as it rises above the ground. You can only hear the sound of bursting of fire from the burner as silence pervade in the air as we start to elevate. It was only when the pilot started to talk in broken English that we started to laugh, not because of his funny diction but as a release of our fears and excitement.
And so, we have initially overcome our fears, or maybe in the process of forgetting our fear of heights as everyone started taking pictures of the magnificent view of colorful balloons and doing individual selfies. You need to distract yourself about the negatives and focus on the positives ; the cool spring breeze of early morning, the colorful hue created by the breaking of dawn , and the colorful set of balloons waltzing above
the horizon. The panoramic view of Pamukkale and her cotton white cliffs and terraces will surely take your breath away. It is such a beauty to behold.
People when seeking inspiration often look up to the sky. The sky inspires us to dream, find peace, strength and optimism. When we gazed down from way up there, its where realization sets in.
I realized how small am I compared to the vastness of God’s creation. I realized no matter how high we want to go upward it has to stop climbing somewhere when it reached the limit.
Everything on this earth has its own limit. We as humans have our own individual limits.
It’s 45 minutes past 5am ,and the sun began to smile as we reached the prescribed maximum height limit set by the authorities. Mission Accomplished.
We have witnessed one of the most breathtaking sun rise above the sky. It’s only a fleeting moment so I just glued my eyes to the breath taking view, in awe as I give my thanks to the most awesome God for this opportunity. I didn’t spoil the moment by taking pictures, instead I look at the sight and recorded in my memories that few seconds of glory. Of witnessing that awesome sight. It’s a poetry in motion.
Time to move back to the ground. We’ve been flying for an almost an hour yet, we are oblivious about our location and lost track of time. That fleeting moment of seeing the sun as it rises and being surrounded by colorful balloons is enough to give me that thousand thrill.
As we descended back to the ground and see the sizes of earthly objects increasing, I heave a sigh of relief. We are almost there. One box on my bucket list is marked as check.
Indeed, what a view to a thrill.
