Edge Davao 10 Issue 6 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

A café for dogs to hang out A

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA DOG-THEMED CAFÉ, the first of its kind in Davao, opened on Saturday, April 9. Pawsome Dog Café, unlike

other animal-themed café, is the first dog-themed café to let customers bring their dogs with them inside the café. “I am a certified dog lover

that’s why I came up with this idea. At first, the idea was only to have our own dogs here but we saw a lot of comments on

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PILE-UP. Vehicles owned by beach-goers waiting for their turn to board a Roll-on/Roll-off vessel to the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) form a queue stretching out to two kilometers long in Sasa, Davao City on Saturday. Beach lovers flocked to IGaCoS for summer break outing and Holy Week celebration. Lean Daval Jr.

BAIL OUT NEA to lend P1.7B to distressed power coops

INSIDE

EdgeDavao and Zion Accuprint, Inc. ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

ATIONAL Electrification Administration chair Edgardo Masongsong bared on Thursday that NEA is forking out a total of P1.7Billion this year to bail out electric cooperatives that suffered financial setbacks. In addition, the state-run

agency has as off February 20, extended calamity loans worth P217.451 million to seven ECs affected by typhoon Nina namely Marinduque Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MARELCO) P14 million), First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO)

(P42.647 million), Camarines Sur I Electric Cooperative (CASURECO I) P11.805 million), CASURECO II P24.239 million), CASURECO III (PhP20.582 million), CASURECO IV P62.294 million), and Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ORMECO) P41.885 million).

Over 1,000 delegates from 121 electric cooperatives with gather on April 26 to 28 at the Big 8 Corporate Hotel, Tagum City for the first National Summit of Electric Consumers. The event will highlight the

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

WHATEVER IT TAKES. A boy scours the shore for seashells at Barangay Pichon in Samal Island, Davao del Norte. KB

LTFRB: Bus drivers may only drive for six hours

HE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is urging public utility bus drivers to drive for only six hours to prevent fatigue, which results in road accidents. In its memorandum, the LTFRB stated that an alternate driver must be on standby to take over in case the driving period exceeds six hours. Bus conductors cannot be alternate drivers so they could provide continuous assistance to passengers. “Driver fatigue is a serious problem resulting in many road mishaps,” the LTFRB stated.

The policy will be implemented effective Sunday, April 9. Noncompliance with the directive will be subject to penalties amounting to PHP5,000 for first offense, PHP10,000 and suspension of 30 days for second offense, and suspension of 60 days for third offense. If the violation results in a vehicular accident causing damage to property or death and injuries to people, the LTFRB will consider it as an aggravating circumstance in the determination of penalty to be imposed as a consequence of the accident. (PNA)

TFD launches ‘No to terror’ drive By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

S part of its intensified campaign against terrorism, Task Force Davao has launched on Friday, April 7, its “No To Terror” advocacy campaign at the Southern Mindanao Transport Terminal, Inc (SMTTI). The “No To Terror” advocacy campaign sought to urge the public to get involved in monitoring the security of the

city. The campaign was led by TFD Commander Col. Bernard Irwin Neri by means of distributing anti-terror stickers and posters to the public and posting them on more or less, 400 express vans of SMTTI. “There is a need for everybody to be involved in the fight against terrorism because our

security forces would not be enough. We would need help from the public,” Col. Neri said. Furthermore, Neri also stressed that it is every person’s responsibility to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities that one can observe to any officers of the law. According to Col. Neri, there is no direct threat against the City at present,

only that security measures have always been tight in order to prevent disastrous incidents such as the Roxas night market bombing that happened last September of 2016. Also present in the event were Councilors Conrado Baluran and Nilo Abellera, Jr and Davao City Overland and Transport Terminal (DCOTT) Manager Aiza Yusoph.

dealing with the Abu Sayyaf, state forces will conduct law enforcement operations, but at the same time ensure that civilians are protected at all times. More often than not, the communities bear the brunt of armed conflict, and we in the regional government, with the help of local government units, assure the provision of assistance to internally-displaced persons in conflict-affected areas.” On Friday, President Durterte renewed his marching order to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf bandits during his visit at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu. “Dito [terrorism] walang atrasan ‘to, pati sa droga. Masisira ang bayan natin dito. (There is no backing down

from terrorism and illegal drugs, otherwise our country would be ruined.) Wala tayong makukuha sa kanila [Abu Sayyaf] na ano,” he was quoted as saying in a statement provided by the PCO Davao. “They would not honor kahit anong klaseng usapan (any sort of negotiation). Gusto lang nila patay, patay, patay, patay. Yun lang ang alam nila. Eh ‘di ubusin natin sila eh (All they want is to kill. That is all they know. We might as well finish them off),” the President added. Hataman said there is a need for the local government units in ARMM to beef up measures to fight against the terror group. “We call on the local government units to take on a

more proactive role against the continued threat of terrorism in our region. The only way to sustain the government’s response against terrorism is for our local government units to lead the fight against terrorism, making sure that there is no place for extremism and terror in our communities,” he said. “We also call on our religious leaders to emphasize that terrorism has nothing to do with our faith, whether we are Muslims, Christians, or Lumad. We are called upon to take care of one another, to embrace and preserve life, and to respect the rights of each other.” The military has been intensifying its operations in the

Sotto on Sueno’s sacking: presidential prerogative ARMM gov backs renewed all-out war vs. Abu Sayyaf

ENATE Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Thursday claimed that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte had brought up plans to fire Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno as early as two weeks ago. During a Kapihan press conference, Sotto said that he heard of the plan to fire Sueno from Pres. Duterte himself during a trip to Myanmar and Thailand last month but kept silent. It was not until Monday when Sueno was officially removed from his post for corruption allegations. Sotto was part of the Philippine delegation that joined the President’s foreign trip. “I knew that the DILG Secretary was going because

I overheard it from the President himself during our foreign trip but I did not tell anyone,” Sotto said. The senator said that there was information that has reached the President that he did not know but was certain he had lost trust in his Interior Secretary. He explained that even if a cabinet official was fired based on allegations alone, it was Pres. Duterte’s prerogative as the appointing power. “(The President) must believe in the saying “when there’s smoke, there’s fire. As far as the issue of firing is concerned, the mere fact that he has lost trust in this person, it’s his prerogative every time,” Sotto said. (PNA)

UTONOMOUS Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman on Saturday emphasized the need to ensure the safety of civilians as he welcomed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to finish off the Abu Sayyaf Group. “We welcome President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s most recent pronouncement regarding the government’s engagement with the Abu Sayyaf, recognizing the futility of dealing with the said local terror group and choosing instead to take action against their crimes. It was never the ARMM regional government’s policy to deal with criminals and terrorists,” Hataman said. “However, the regional government hopes that in

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EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 3 AFP, PNP backs TF Lanao

EASTER BECKONS. Marco Polo Davao general manager Dottie WurglerCronin ties a hand-painted egg to the Paskris Tree during a ceremony to open the hotel’s Easter season at its lobby on Friday afternoon when 2,000

hand-designed eggs were hanged by the hotel’s associates and their families. A cash donation will be given to the Missionaries Of Charity which was represented by each egg. Lean Daval Jr.

HE military and police have thrown their all-out tactical and manpower support for the newly-formed Task Force Lanao in Lanao del Sur province to effectively address terrorism. The multi-sectoral Task Force Lanao was organized by Lanao del Sur’s provincial and local executives to free the province from jihadists, including the Maute Group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., said in a radio interview that the task force will be a huge help in enforcing law and order in the province and in addressing misguided Islamic militants in Lanao del Sur. Lanao del Sur, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , has 39 towns, one of which -- Butig municipality -- was repeatedly attacked and occupied by the jihadists last year and early this year. Galvez lauded the local officials for creating the task force. “It will play a big role in keeping peace in Lanao del Sur,” he said. “The Westmincom will support its law en-

forcement activities, particularly in the security-challenged areas in the province.” Lanao del Sur provincial information officer, Salma Jayne Tamano, said Governor Bedjoria Soraya Alonto-Adiong and her son Vice Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. led the launch of the task force in Marawi City. Composing the task force are representatives of the provincial government, police and military, and Muslim religious leaders who play major roles in prevent radicalism among the millennials in Lanao who are preyed upon by ISIS-inspired recruiters. An active part of the TFL is the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in ARMM to address the illegal drug trade in the province that continues to proliferate despite the government’s massive drive against hard drug trafficking. Galvez vowed to prevent the spread of Islamic militants in the province and nearby areas. “We will help Task Force Lanao carry out its peacekeeping missions the best (way) we can,” Galvez said. ARMM police regional director, Chief Supt. Reuben Sindac, also pledged the necessary manpower and logistical support to TFL. (PNA)

Mobile libraries eyed for Davao barangays DND chief: ASEAN needs By JECIA ANNE OPIANA OBILE libraries will be purchased in order to extend learning services to communities in Davao City. City Librarian Pedrita M. Badar said her office has proposed a P 6Million worth of mobile library to be able

to cater to 182 barangays all over Davao, particularly those in far-flung areas where educational services are hardly provided. “We are happy to say that we will be purchasing another mobile library by the end of this year. Kini tungod gusto ni

Mayor nga ma extend sa community ang services sa atong library,” said City Librarian Badar during the Ispeak Conference on Thursday. The mobile library has reached Datu Salumay in Marahan, Calinan District, and areas in Paquibato proper.

Currently, the Davao City library has notably received the Outstanding Philippine Library Award in 2012 in terms of its services. It has five satellites in Calinan, Tugbok, Toril, Tibungco and Sasa and reading centers located at Baguio

EALTH Secretary Dr. Paulyn Ubial disclosed Friday that her department will upgrade mental health facilities across the country using a P1 billion fund.

During a media briefing held at the Department of Health media relations unit in Manila on the occasion of World Health Day, which this year focuses on depression, Ubial said the plan to up-

grade mental health facilities includes the transfer of the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City to another location outside Metro Manila. She however declined to give details of the

plan as it is being prepared by the National Economic and Development Authority. She said a mental health facility in Cagayan Valley is being refurbished and is nearing

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DOH to upgrade mental health facilities H Fast response for disaster, threats pushed in Asean gab

ITH the global community shrinking fast, there is an urgent need for an international response should disasters and other security threats befall any nation. This was the rationale behind the just concluded ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting held here early this week. “As a result, various security threats, such as terrorism, illegal drugs, human trafficking, cybercrimes, and disasters now go beyond borders and often need a quick response on an international scale,” National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed to the Philippine News Agency in a message. These threats are further exacerbated by rapid advancements in communication and transportation, he added.

With these threats around, the DND chief said it is important that the Philippines craft closer defense ties with its neighbors for better coordination. Lorenzana said ASEAN defense officials also aim to create a mechanism to prevent miscalculations in areas of common maritime concerns, and develop strategies to counter unwelcome superpower advances and their rivalries in the region. The ASEAN groups 10 Southeast Asian states that promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic integration. Since its formation on Aug. 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the organization’s membership has expanded

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sea patrol mechanisms

EPARTMENT of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has indicated the need for the ASEAN to create a mechanism that will prevent miscalculation while patrolling at sea, especially areas of common maritime concerns. He made the statement during the just concluded ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Cebu. In the same vein, Lorenzana said the meeting will ensure closer defense ties and coordination with neighboring states. “Establish a mechanism to

prevent miscalculations in areas of common maritime concerns, and develop strategies to counter unwelcome superpower advances and their rivalries in the region,” the DND chief pointed out. The mechanism Lorenzana was referring to is similar to the Conduct of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) that was developed during the 2014 Western Pacific Naval Symposium as a means to facilitate communication when naval ships or naval aircraft encounter each other in an unplanned manner. (PNA)

MOTOR FRISK. Task Force Davao personnel thoroughly inspect a motorcycle of an Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) bound rider at the entrance of Sasa Ferry Wharf in Km. 11, Sasa, Davao City on Saturday. Lean Daval Jr.

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ASEAN gearings up for T ‘Southeast Asian century’ F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in Cebu City on Thursday night that the 10 member-economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are on the right track in harmonizing their policies to lay the groundwork for a strong regional economy. He said the world is poised to enter what he called the “Southeast Asian century.” “With the framework for cooperation provided by the ASEAN and the vision of an economic community in the near future, we have been able to tap the synergy of regionalism to each country’s benefit,” Dominguez said in his dinner toast to the successes achieved by the founding members and present movers of ASEAN, as it

celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. ASEAN is marking the milestone this year with the Philippines, one of its founding members, as chair. “The future bodes well for this region as we harness our talents and our good will to advance the region’s interests,” said Dominguez. “This century, they say, is Asia’s century. From where we stand, it will be more specifically a Southeast Asian century: the time we will see this region flourish to its full potential,” Dominguez said. He delivered the toast at the gala dinner he hosted for the ASEAN finance ministers, central bank governors, finance and central bank deputies and delegates and repre-

sentatives of ASEAN’s multilateral partner-institutions at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort. “When the founding fathers of the ASEAN came together fifty years ago, I bet they did not imagine the extent of regional integration we have achieved today,” he said. He proposed his toast “first to our forebears who dared imagine a regional community when there was nary a hint of it and, and second, to all of us who work hard today to make that regional community real.” Dominguez recalled that “Five decades ago, Southeast Asia was a backwater region composed of newly independent nations. “ “The region was divided along Cold War lines,” he said. “We had very little trade

GSIS earmarks P31-M loans for members to meet emergencies

between us, and much less investments across our borders. The old lines of colonial jurisdiction made us strangers to each other and each nation traded more with their former colonial masters.” He said that, “Today is a much different time. Southeast Asia is an important node of growth for the global economy. Within the framework of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), we have increased intra-regional trade. “ “We are well in the process of harmonizing our policies to further lay the groundwork for a regional economic community. We are, quite literally, building the infrastructure that will bring our economies closer together,” Dominguez said. (PNA)

HE Government Service Insurance System set aside a total of P30.9 million in emergency loan for its active members and old-age pensioners in Valencia, Negros Oriental; Buadiposo-Buntong, Lanao del Sur; and Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte. The deadline for application is April 13 for Buadiposo-Buntong and Manukan, and April 14 for Valencia. A total of 1,040 active members who are working or residing in the calamity-declared areas and 277 old-age pensioners are expected to benefit from the program. Qualified are active members who are not on leave of absence without pay, have no arrears in paying premium contributions, and have no unpaid loans for more than six mVonths. First-time borrowers may apply for a P20,000 emergency loan. Those with existing emergency loan may borrow Ph40,000, from which their outstanding balance will be deducted. Active members may apply through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks located in all GSIS branch and extension of-

fices; provincial capitols; city halls; selected municipal offices; large government agencies such as the Department of Education; Robinsons Malls; and selected SM City branches in North EDSA, Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and SM Aura in Taguig City. Old-age pensioners residing in the three areas may avail of the Php20,000 emergency loan by personally applying at any GSIS branch office. Pensioners who have become active members anew after reentering government service may apply for the loan only once. The loan is payable in 36 equal monthly installments at six percent yearly interest rate. It is covered by a loan redemption insurance, which deems the loan fully paid in case of the borrowers’ demise, provided that loan repayment is up to date. Loan proceeds are electronically credited to the borrower’s GSIS eCard or unified multipurpose identification (UMID) card. For more information, visit the GSIS website, www.gsis. gov.ph; call the GSIS Contact Center at 847-4747; or email gsiscares@gsis.gov.ph. (PNA)

RP’s fluctuating foreign exchange reserves not a problem: economist

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. Vendors take advantage of the long queue of vehicles Km. 10, Sasa, Davao City on Saturday to peddle their products to beachgoers waiting for their turn to board a Roll-on/Roll-off vessel to the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS). Lean Daval Jr.

Firms urged to create culture of innovation T HE country needs to create an environment or culture of innovation in order to boost industry competitiveness and sustain economic growth. A discussion paper released by think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies cited result of three case studies of three garment

companies indicating that firms could achieve innovation even without formal research and development (R&D). It noted that even less capable firms in terms of resources or technological competence that could not engage in formal R&D activities are exposed to an environment where undertaking innovative/upgrading

activities are crucial to spur enterprise and industry growth. These include the presence of opportunities for technology transfer or sharing; networking with larger enterprises; availability and dissemination of information on international trends in products, processes, technology; exposure to trade missions; and availability of

trainings for skills acquisition. The paper said these stimulate firms to engage in innovation activities even without the presence of an R&D unit/ department. To carry out upgrading/ innovation activities, it said it is necessary to hire the appropriate personnel that will un-

idea of issuing panda bonds and hopefully we can issue them probably sometime in September or October this year,” he told PNA in an interview. Panda bond is a renminbi-denominated debt instrument issued by a non-Chinese issuer in China. Dominguez said they planned to issue “a couple of

hundred million” worth of Panda bond “just to get into the market.” He said a volume like the USD2 billion that the country raised through the issuance of dollar-denominated 25-year bond last January was not in the near future for the Panda bond. “We really don’t need it so much now to augment the

budget but to get into the market. For the Philippines to get known in the market so that in the future if we do have to issue large amount we can be very confident that we are already in the market. They will already know us and be comfortable with our credit rating, etc,” he said. Dominguez is also open

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RP eyes Panda bonds issuance by September

HE Philippines is expanding its funding options and plans to issue Panda bond in the second half of 2017. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government was in talks with a Chinese financial firm for the exercise, which will be a first for the country. “(We are) exploring the

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N economist of global financial services firm Nomura said fluctuation in the Philippines foreign exchange reserves is not worrisome to date since the decline was caused by narrowing capital account and some capital outflows. Nomura Executive Director and Senior Economist for Southeast Asia Euben Paracuelles told PNA that a slight drop in the country’s foreign exchange reserves “is not really surprising” because it was due to a decline in the country’s current account surplus, which in turn is affected by higher importation to meet rising requirements of the economy. “I think if it goes lower on a sustainable basis then it becomes a concern. But at the moment the buffers are still large,” he said. On Friday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) totalled to USD80.87 billion as of March 2017, lower than month-ago’s USD81.43 billion and year-ago’s USD82.98 billion. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., in a statement, traced the drop in the country’s foreign exchange reserves to outflows as a result of the central bank’s foreign exchange operations and payments by the national government of its dollar-denominated liabilities. He said the decline in the GIR was countered by the national government’s net foreign currency deposits with

the BSP and the revaluation adjustments of the central bank’s gold holdings as a result of the increase of this commodity’s price in the international market. He also stressed that the foreign exchange reserves remain ample since it is enough to cover 8.9 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. Paracuelles said the current level of GIR is far adequate since the international standard is about three to four months’ worth of imports. “Again, this is a significant buffer,” he said. The economist also pointed out that that GIR is expected to remain high since foreign investments continue to pour in the country. “That should also help the current account narrowing,” he said. In end-2016, the country ended with a USD601 million current account surplus, which is about 0.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This is lower than yearago’s USD7.3 billion primarily due to higher importation to address rising requirements of the domestic economy. Paracuelles forecasts a current account surplus that is equivalent of 0.6 percent of GDP for the Philippines this 2017, but said that a deficit is possible for some quarters. He said a full-year current account deficit is possible for the country in the next years but stressed that it is only because of the government’s higher infrastructure needs

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ECONOMY 5

EDGEDAVAO

CHEERS! Seda Abreeza Hotel department heads and associates lead by general manager Ken Capulong (5th from left) propose a toss to the guests and clients during Friday evening’s Client Appreciation Night dubbed Jazz Fete. Lean Daval Jr.

‘Nose-to-tail’ cooking in the Philippines urged T

DA eyes P213-B budget to boost farm produce

Menu to include isaw, dinuguan, betamax N OSE-TO-TAIL cooking which refers to using an entire animal to avoid food wastage, is an emerging food trend worldwide but has been done in the Philippines and other countries for the longest time. During the second day of culinary event Madrid Fusion Manila, several chefs demonstrated cooking several nose-to-tail dishes and urged visiting guests to try to do the same. Some of the featured dishes were street-side skewers of chicken intestines (isaw), congealed pork blood (betamax), pig’s head skewer, and

the blood pudding stew (dinuguan). The meals were prepared by eight renowned chefs namely Niño Laus, JP Anglo, Jay Angeles, Patrick Go, Francis Lim, Sunshine Puey, Mizel Zagairre, and Kalel Chan. This cooking trend comes in line with the theme for this year’s Madrid Fusion Manila which is “Towards a Sustainable Gastronomic Planet”. After trying nose-to-tail dishes, Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, emphasized the importance of preventing food wastage especially at a time where there is a growing economic

constraint. “It is economically and ecologically sustainable and it also highlights the creativity and skills of our local chefs,” Teo said. Aside from being sustainable, Teo stressed that the cooking method also reflected Filipino culture noting that cooking and eating offal (organs) should be revisited. “We see no reason not to promote ‘nose-to-tail’ eating to Filipinos considering the current economic crisis worldwide. It is time that we educate Filipinos on responsible food consumption,” she added.

A recent report of UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization showed that around one-third of the food produced worldwide are wasted. This became a catalyst for several chefs to apply in their cooking. MFM is the only Asian edition of Madrid Fusion, and is touted as the single most important international gastronomy congress in the 21st century. It is a joint partnership between the DOT, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) PHL, and Madrid Fusion Organizers Foro de Debate and Arum. (PNA)

generation of stock exchange connectivity.” “The over-all idea is to be able to use the savings generated by ASEAN within ASEAN,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said in a briefing Friday night. The central bank chief said the region’s savings rate was 33 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), higher than that of the other regions. He, however, lamented that most of these savings do not benefit ASEAN as these were invested in other regions. Thus, the implementation of measures such as development of greater capital market connectivity, particularly in terms of equities, to ensure that the funds are used for the development of the ASEAN.

Tetangco said the regional bloc already have the ASEAN trading link, which allows investors from six ASEAN countries to connect their respective bourses. ASEAN Trading Link started operations in 2012 with the participation of the stock markets of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The two stock exchanges of Vietnam as well as those of the Philippines and Indonesia are yet to be included. “It is something that we would like to expand to include additional members from the region,” Tetangco said. “The trust is to improve connectivity across the region so there’ll be greater access by investors in the markets of the other ASEAN countries,” he added.

The statement said ASEAN leaders would continue to bid for a “highly integrated and cohesive economy; that is competitive, innovative, and dynamic.” The group vowed to “promote economic growth, financial integration, strengthen financial stability, implement appropriate monetary, fiscal and macroprudential policies in their jurisdictions, and intensify financial cooperation to further advance region’s resilience.” ”We recognized that domestic demand will remain a key driver of our regional growth while structural reforms, public spending, and fiscal stimulus will support investment in ASEAN,” it said. The statement said offi-

ASEAN economic officials push for enhanced capital markets

ENTRAL Bank and finance officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) further pushed for the utilization of savings in the region in a bid to enhance capital markets. In a statement issued after the conclusion of the 3rd ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (AFMGM) held in Cebu City, finance and central bank officials vowed to pursue the “creation of an interconnected, inclusive and resilient regional capital market through targeted capacity building, close collaboration with industry to develop market relevant initiatives, promoting good corporate governance practices, addressing tax issues of the ASEAN Collective Investment Schemes and advancing a new

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HE Department of Agriculture is proposing a P213-billion budget for 2018 to finance programs that will boost farm production. This is 370 percent higher than the P45.29 billion approved for the DA this year. DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told reporters Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte, during his speech in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, said he would give his department a similar budget to that of the Department of Education, Department of Public Works

and Highways and the Department of Health. “It’s huge. In fact, the DepEd is P600 billion, we are not asking for that. What we are asking is P213 billion for 2018,” he said. Piñol said the President also personally told him to continue his department’s farm mechanization program. Apart from farm mechanization, the agriculture chief earlier said other priorities of the DA were rice and corn program and easy credit lending. (PNA)

New Zealand OFWs covered by minimum wage increase

ILIPINOS working in New Zealand will receive an increase in their monthly pay after the country’s Workplace Relations and Safety Ministry announced the hike in the minimum wage of workers. In a report to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, Labor Attaché Rodolfo Sabulao of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Canberra, Australia said the wage increase which takes effect this month was announced by NZ’s Minister Michael Woodhouse. Sabulao said a difference of NZD 0.50 raised the hourly minimum wage from NZD 15.25 to NZD 15.75, or Php 17.51 per hour. Sabulao also reported the hike in the starting-out and training minimum wage rates from NZD 12.20 to NZD 12.60 per hour, which is still 80 percent of the minimum wage. Under the NZ’s minimum wage, starting-out applies to workers who are 16- and 17year old employees who have not done six months of continuous employment service

with their current employer. Also included are 18 and 19-year old employees who have been paid with one or more social security benefits for six months or more, and who have not completed six months’ continuous employment with an employer since they started being paid a benefit. The training minimum wage, on the other hand, applies to employees aged 20 years or over whose employment agreement states that they have to do at least 60 credits a year of an industry training program to become qualified in the area they are working in. Meanwhile, the new minimum wage, according to the announcement, applies to all hours worked regardless of the workers’ status in New Zealand. It was also provided that an employee who works for only two hours is still entitled to wage increase for every hour worked, unless the worker and employer have agreed to a higher rate in the

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

Group eyes SoCot as model for global campaign vs mercury-free mining

DavOr eyeing another good governance seal T

HE Provincial Government is on high gear as its bids to get hold again of the coveted mother of all awards for local governance – the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, during the SGLG pre-assessment conference on April 6 at the Provincial Capitol, has ordered all key departments and agencies to work together in intensifying efforts to boost performance in practically all aspects of governance. “Our participation to this year’s SGLG is not simply a means of compliance but a way to show our integrity and good governance in serving the people,” he said. Governor Dayanghirang hopes to sustain the Provincial

Government’s status as a consistent SGLG awardee. “The former administration has raised the bar for excellence in governance that’s why we need to double our efforts to perform even better,” he said, citing the province being a Gawad Pamanang Lahi Champion in 2012. “For 2017, the DILG raises its overall assessment criteria from “3 + 1” into “4+1”. Peace and Order has been added to the core areas namely, Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness and Social Protection,” explained DILG Provincial Director Yvette T. Sunga, saying that these are the non-negotiable core areas. Moreover, a new essential area, Tourism, Culture and the Arts, is being introduced in addition to Business Friendliness and Competitiveness and Environmental Management.

“The LGU can choose from any of these three essential areas to comply in addition to the four non-negotiable areas,” she added. Sunga stressed that one of the major significance of the SGLG is to promote transparency in terms of utilization of public funds through the Full Disclosure Policy which is being posted online, thus, upholding the public’s trust to the government. “The SGLG symbolizes integrity and good performance through continuing governance reform and sustained local development. It is a progressive assessment system adopted by the DILG to give distinction to remarkable local government performance across several areas.” The SGLG aligns its parameters with that of the national government’s thrust in realiz-

ing target outcomes relative to local governance. “Most notably accounted for is the Philippine Development Plan to help bring about the current administration’s vision of inclusive growth, high-trust society and a globally competitive economy following the principles of Malasakit, Pagbabago at Patuloy na Pag-unlad.” There will be 81 province, 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities that will be subjected to the SGLG assessment. Sunga said that a series of assessment will be conducted by regional and national assessment teams in the next few months. The results will be announced in October 2017. Aside from cash prizes, LGU passers will get an access to the Performance Challenge Fund --an incentive program for LGUs conferred with good

ROUND 1,500 scouts from all over Mindanao is expected to converge in Mawab town, Compostela Valley province for the Boys Scouts of the Philippines-Eastern Mindanao Region – Regional Summer Advancement Camp on April 8-11.

BSP President, Atty Wendel Avisado is expected to grace the opening ceremonies. According to Council Scout Executive of BSP ComVal Marjun Dawal, the scouts will learn new skills and earn new badges from the eight activities of the advancement

camp, which will be held inside the 10th Infantry Division Headquarters in Camp General Manuel T Yan Sr, Barangay Tuburan, Mawab. The identified activities are marksmanship, basic first aid, emergency preparedness, survival-emergency cooking,

tree planting, Filipino heritage showcase, hiking and caving, and challenge valley. The camp is hosted by the municipality of Mawab and the provincial government of Compostela Valley, together with the 10th ID Philippine Army. (PIA11/Michael Uy)

N international non-government organization (NGO) has chosen South Cotabato province’s mercury-free mining initiative as model for its global campaign against the use of mercury in artisanal and smallscale mining operations. Nencita Acain, mines and geosciences division chief of the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO), said Friday the London and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Dialogos has signified to replicate the province’s experiences in its efforts to eliminate the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining activities in T’boli town. The group, which sent a team to the province late last month to study the initiative, specifically wants to adopt it for its current projects in Uganda and several other “third world” countries, she said. “They were impressed by the results of the continuing campaign here in the province,” she said in a statement. Acain said the visiting environmentalists also lauded the province’s implementation of its innovative Minahang Bayanihan program. The program, which received a Galing Pook award in 2015, helped address various issues and concerns confronting the province’s small-scale mining sector as well as pro-

Crime in Cotabato City down in first quarter

P Mawab to host BSP Mindanao-wide advancement camp A Sarangani hastens SAAD implementation

HE local government unit of Sarangani (LGU Sarangani) is hastening its implementation of the diversified upland rice farming development project, a food sustainability intervention that the Department of Agriculture funded with P100 million under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program. According to Provincial Agriculturist Jonathan Duhaylungsod, procurement of planting materials and its package farming supplies for the province’s seven pilot barangays is underway. The barangays are Pag-asa in Alabel, Tamban in Malun-

gon, New Aklan in Glan, Kablacan in Maasim, Tamadang in Kiamba, Upo in Maitum and Kihan in Malapatan. For Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon, SAAD is “a holistic approach wherein we really picked areas where there are existing upland rice and white corn kung saan doon ibubuhos ang mga interventions.” “The point is,” the governor said, “we get food and development sa upland areas.” Most of the infrastructure projects in Sarangani have been devoted to the opening of farm-to-market roads to also spur development in upland

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BARANGAYAN PROGRAM. General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera leads the Barangayan Program in Barangay Bawing Thursday, April 6, together with key City Hall department heads. The Barangayan Program is a mandate

mote proper mining practices. Implemented by the PEMO, the program mainly aims to promote sustainable small-scale mining, especially in the gold rush villages of Kematu and Desawo in T’boli. “They noted that the province’s small-scale mining activities are well-regulated and the initiative on the banning of mercury in artisanal mining has continued to gain ground these past years,” Acain said. The provincial government linked up with non-government environment group Ban Toxics in 2014 in a bid to strengthen the campaign against the use of mercury in mining activities in the province. The local government signed a memorandum of understanding with Ban Toxics for the joint implementation of technical and health trainings as well as massive information and education campaigns regarding the long-term risks and hazards of mercury use in mining operations in the area. Through the initiative, the provincial government was able to develop a “Local Action Plan on Mercury Reduction, Elimination and Storage.” It also helped mainstream the use of the Benguet method, a gold extraction and processing practice that uses borax as a substitute for mercury, among small-scale miners in T’boli. (PNA)

OLICE authorities in Cotabato City reported a huge reduction in the number of crimes committed during the first quarter of 2017. Senior Supt. Victor Valencia, Cotabato City police director, said all the four police stations in the city covering 37 villages have only registered 105 crime incidents from January to March. The number was about

60 percent lower compared to the same period last year, where 303 crimes were reported. Valencia, in his report to Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, said police precinct No. 1 recorded only 55 crimes during the first three months of 2017, 129 in Precinct 2, 9 in Precinct 3, and 12 in Precinct 4. Police Precinct 1 had 153

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of Mayor Rivera to bring government services directly to the people on a regular basis. (Gensan CPIO/Russel Delvo)

7 COMPETITIVE EDGE MEPI hits DAR’s deceptive tactics, insensitivity to plight of ARBs EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

First Annual U.S.-PH Patient Day highlights positive impact of U.S. medical technology

HE U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, in collaboration with U.S. healthcare partners, held the first annual U.S.-Philippines Patient Day on April 5, 2017. The event showcased the impact that U.S. medical equipment innovations and technologies are making on patients in the Philippines. To create more opportunities for the U.S. and Philippine medical industries, four of the biggest U.S. names in medical equipment technology participated in this program –3M Healthcare, Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare, and Medtronic. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim launched the program with an inspiring message about

the special relationship between the United States and the Philippines. He remarked that “U.S. medical innovation in the Philippines is adding another important dimension to our U.S.-Philippine relationship, while at the same time helping save and enrich lives throughout this amazing archipelago.” Dr. Herminigildo Valle, Undersecretary of the Philippines Department of Health (DOH), joined the event and gave remarks about DOH programs and priorities. Dr. Valle also encouraged the U.S. and Philippine private sectors to make the latest medical equipment technologies available more broadly, so that all Filipinos have access to these life-saving treatments. (PR)

DA eyes P213-B budget for 2018

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing a P213-billion budget for 2018 to finance programs to boost farm production. This is 370 percent higher than the P45.29 billion approved for the DA this year. DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told reporters Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte, during his speech in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, said he would give his department a similar budget to that of the Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways

(DPWH) and the Department of Health. “It’s huge. In fact, the DepEd is P600 billion, we are not asking for that. What we are asking is P213 billion for 2018,” he said. Piñol said the President also personally told him to continue his department’s farm mechanization program. Apart from farm mechanization, the agriculture chief earlier said other priorities of the DA were rice and corn program and easy credit lending. (PNA)

HE management of the Davao-based Marsman Estate Plantation, Inc. (MEPI) has decried the deceptive tactics employed by two ranking government officials to agitate and confuse agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) regarding the fate of their agribusiness venture agreements (AVA) with the company. In a letter addressed to the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), which is chaired by President Duterte, MEPI also assailed the insensitivity of Undersecretaries David Erro and Marcos Risonar of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to the plight of ARBs and other workers in MEPI’s banana plantation. MEPI president Antero Sison, Jr. said he found it both appalling and disturbing that the two DAR officials would resort to “deliberate and organized misinformation” when they held a consultative meeting in Tagum City last March 23 with members of the Davao Marsman Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Devel-

opment Cooperative (DAMARDEVCO). Sison said the actions of the DAR representatives were “totally unfair, misleading and devoid of due process as we have not been given the opportunity to correct these obviously erroneous and biased statements made by them.” “Surely, the behavior of the DAR representative(s) is not aligned with the spirit in which President Duterte would like the pending issues to be resolved, which is that of fairness and transparency instead of misinformation and confusion,” Sison said in his letter that was also addressed to DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano. Sison said that on MEPI’s part, it is “ready and committed to clarify and present factual and legal grounds” to back up its position. He also said that “MEPI reserves its right to take the appropriate legal measures to protect its interest, including bringing this matter up to the Office of the Ombudsman.” The consultative meeting in Tagum was held to discuss

whether the AVA between MEPI and DAMARDEVCO should be continued and determine the options open to ARBs in case they elect to get out of the existing lease contract. MEPI was not invited to the meeting. Sison said in his letter dated March 24 that in the meeting, Erro, who also acts as the PARC Council Secertary, and Risonar, the DAR undersecretary for field operations, misled the ARBs by telling them the following erroneous statements: • The revocation of the AVA between MEPI and DAMARBDEVCO is already final and executory. Sison said this statement is “not factual and is misleading” because the PARC, in a March 7 letter to MEPI, informed the company that the Council agreed to defer action on the issue and that President Duterte had instructed the DAR to hold consultations with the parties involved “to discuss the intention to continue, modify or rescind the subject lease AVA with MEPI.” • MEPI no longer has legal

ground to appeal the decision for the AVA cancellation. Sison said that this is again misleading because such claim “is not supported by legal grounds as MEPI’s motion for reconsideration has not been decided with finality.” • With the cancellation of the lease AVA with MEPI, the two other ARB cooperatives – SIFABCO and STARBENCO – may now take over the MEPI farm. Sison said that such a patently false statement “is alarming as it amounts to fomenting anarchy and instigating possible violence” and shows “conduct unbecoming of government officials.” He said that granting for the sake of argument that the lease AVA is cancelled, an interim period would still have to be observed by the parties involved to determine the arrangement that will govern their relationship. • The land originally donated by MEPI to DAMARBDEVCO was made to DAR and not to the ARBs and, therefore the ARB, need not worry about payment of just

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has announced it will release this month some P299.2 million in cash incentives for 2,992 centenarians identified last year, each of whom will receive P100,000. “Our centenarians will finally receive their cash incentives this month. I know that they have been waiting for this since last year,” Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said in a news release issued Friday. Taguiwalo said her department has already downloaded the funds to the field offices,

which are now validating the needed documents for the fund’s release to the beneficiaries. She also apologized for the delay, explaining that they had to follow the legal and budgetary processes that slowed the release of the cash incentives. “We hope that they will finally be able to make good use of their well-deserved award,” she added. Of the 2,992 centenarians in 2016, 201 are from the National Capital Region; 216 from the Ilocos region; 25 from the Cordillera region; 103 from Cagayan Valley; 342

from Central Luzon; 136 from Calabarzon; 115 from Mimaropa; 135 from the Bicol region; 360 from Western Visayas; 239 from Central Visayas; 55 from Eastern Visayas; 17 from Zamboanga peninsula; 176 from Northern Mindanao; 52 from the Davao region; 314 from Soccsksargen; 84 from CARAGA; 18 from Negros Island Region; and 230 from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). There are also 174 recorded centenarians living overseas. As stated in Section 2 of Republic Act 10868 or the “Centenarians Act of 2016”,

all Filipinos who reach the age of 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, shall be honored with a Letter of Felicitation from the President of the Philippines, congratulating the celebrant for his or her longevity, and a centenarian gift of P100,000. Aside from that, the centenarians will receive a plaque of recognition and cash incentive from their respective city or municipal governments in appropriate ceremonies. The amount of the additional incentive shall be determined by the local government. (PNA)

previous 1 GB data), followed by Plan 599 with 5GB data (up from 4GB), and Plan 799 with 8GB data (up from 7GB). Smart also offers Plan 999 with monthly 10GB data; Plan 1499 with 18GB data; Plan 1999 with 24GB data; Plan 2499 with 30GB data; and Plan 2999 with 36GB data – each with built-in call minutes to all networks, unlimited texts to all networks, and free access to Facebook Messenger, Viber and Whatsapp every month.

cash out conveniently added to your postpaid bill. You can also further boost your Smart Postpaid Plan by registering to Flexibundles, a variety of call, text and data offers that you can mix and match every month, giving you total freedom and control of your mobile lifestyle. As a Smart Postpaid subscriber, you can also rely on the My Smart Account, a handy app that lets you check your balance, subscribe to promos, and redeem awesome perks so you can manage and make the most of your mobile experience.

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DSWD to release P299.2-M for 2,992 centenarians

Smart boosts Postpaid Plans with bigger data, all-net calls, and unli all-net texts DTI prepares DavNor LGUs for the 2017 Cities

MART’S postpaid plans just got a major boost with the mobile leader’s biggest data offers yet and a much simpler and easier way to build your very own postpaid plan starting at only P399 per month. The revamped Smart Postpaid Plans start with baseline subscriptions that come with superfast Smart LTE Postpaid SIM and bigger data volume. Even better, each plan comes with built-in features, such as unlimited texts to all networks;all minutes to all networks; and free access to Facebook Messenger, Viber and Whatsapp every month. You also have the option to add a handset to your postpaid plan, or subscribe to more services for a truly convenient build-your-own-plan experience perfect for your mobile lifestyle. Bigger and smarter lifestyle

“We understand that we all have diverse mobile lifestyles, which is why we boosted our new postpaid offers with more data and made it a lot easier for subscribers to build and customize the perfect plan for their needs,” said Patrick Tang, Head of Smart Postpaid. “Moreover, signing up for a new Smart Postpaid Plan also comes with exclusive lifestyle perks, such as free seats to our Smart GigaMovies lineup of blockbuster films and access to Smart’s most expansive digital content library, made possible by our world-leading partnerships with Fox+, iflix and ABS-CBN’s iWantTV, among others.” Get a plan for as low as P399, or data as much as 36GB Smart’s new offers start at Plan 399, which now comes with 3GB data (up from the

Build your very own Smart Postpaid Plan The new Smart Postpaid Plan gives you ultimate flexibility without getting locked in a device or a limited set of services. You just choose from a the baseline offers, and it’s up to you to use an existing smartphone or pick a new device from Smart’s portfolio of handsets, with its monthly handset

Enjoy the fastest LTE speeds With a Smart Postpaid Plan, you can also experience the country’s fastest LTE speeds, according to the latest reportof OpenSignal, which used real-world app tests. Through its aggressive

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and Municipalities Competitiveness Index

“T

HE Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) is a vital management tool not only for the investors but also for the LGUs in assessing their level of competitiveness,” Provincial Director Romeo Castañaga said as he happily announces the commencement of the 2017 CMCI Survey spearheaded by the National Competitiveness Council through the Region 11 Competitiveness Committee and in coordination with the DTI-Davao del Norte Provincial Office. The commencement which was highlighted during the CMCI Caravan conducted at the Golden Palace Hotel, Tagum City, resulted into a series of CMCI Orientation as requested by the local government units of Tagum, Panabo, Carmen and the Island Garden City of

Samal. “The overflowing requests from the LGUs through their respective Local Economic and Investment Promotion Officers (LEIPOs) have shown the desire of the LGUs to participate in the survey and improve their current competitiveness ranking. In fact, aside from Tagum City, two more LGUs have created their own technical working group to ensure provision of accurate and complete data for the CMCI,” Castañaga said. During the CMCI orientations, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist Gelyn S. Llana emphasized the importance of the competitiveness index as a management tool for planning, legislation, and investment promotion of the local government, including the im-

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8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

EDITORIAL

Edge Davao at 9, Zion at 10

DGE Davao and its mother firm Zion Accuprint has reached new milestones. Thanks to its resiliency and faith in innovation. Zion Accuprint was born a decade ago and it started a printing business with the mindset of eventually entering the newspaper platform. Nobody thought it would be easy. Afterall, the newspaper business in Davao has not entirely been a very profitable business, relying chiefly on local advertising and a drizzle of national ads. Still, Edge Davao went through with its determined bid to gain a chunk of the newspaper readership and advertising market with a unique format anchored mainly on business. The innovative concept went on with a weekly frequency until it was time to compete with the other kids in the neighborhood. Edge Davao was converted into a daily newspaper catering to the mainstream market. With its concept of relevance, objectivity, accuracy, and responsibility (ROAR), Edge Davao was able to bridge the gaps between mainstream print media and the fast-paced digital media with a dynamic format that eventually earned for the paper back-to-back best edited community newspaper award in the entire country as well as awards in business, environment and agriculture.

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village. Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 224-1413 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

JIMMY K. LAKING Associate Editor PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ KENNETH IRVING K. ONG JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO JECIA ANNE OPIANA MEGHANN STA. INES Reporters NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle CHA MONFORTE LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents Cartoons Photography Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. Columnists: D. TACIO G.•DELIGERO • JOHN CARLO TRIA • VIDAGOTIANSE-TAN MIA S. VALVERDE•• NICASIO FRED C. LUMBA • ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA BORBONHENRYLITO • MARY ANN “ADI”• GREGORIO C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

the national association of newspapers

OLIVIA D. VELASCO D.D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONA OLIVIA D. VELASCO JOCELYN S. PANES SOLANI SOLANI MARATAS General Manager Finance Advertising Specialist General Manager Director of Sales Finance RICHARD C. EBONA Marketing Supervisor

Edge Davao’s chief asset is its people. It had some of the finest and experienced journalists in its fold. The most senior—Ramon Maxey— passed away but not after leaving behind a legacy of excellence among Edge Davao writers. There were also some who had left to join government—former associate editor Greg Garay Deligero is now director at the Presidential Communications Office in Malacanang and former editorial consultant Charles Raymond Maxey now a Commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Contributing photographer Lawrence Garcia is also director at the PCO. Resident columnist Henrilito Tacio also amassed national awards in the field of agricultural and environmental journalism. Meantime, Zion Accuprint has built its own printing plant and equipped itself with state-of-the-art printing equipment to keep abreast with the demands of the market. At 10 years old, it has earned a reputation of excellent service to its clientele. But the challenge does not end by counting the years. There are more trails yet to be blazed and hurdles to leap over. As the market—both in community journalism and in print business—evolves, Edge Davao and Zion Accuprint are ready to face them all—fierce and fearless.

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE

LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND D. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Specialist General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Mobile: (Smart) 0948-823-3685 Tel: (088) 852-4894

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

ANGELICA R. GARCIA | Marketing Manager 97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

The robust and Inclusive Thai and Malaysian economies: Lessons for the Philippines

HE last twenty years has seen Thailand and Malaysia emerge as leaders among ASEAN economies, their per capita incomes and poverty rates significantly reduced, and their capability to export finished products expand, enabling their economies to knock on the door of Singapore. Malaysia has developed an industrial capability to produce and export motor vehicles and is perhaps ASEANS largest market for cars and related products. Thailand makes about 3 out of four pickup trucks that ride along Asia’s roads, with companies like Ford, Toyota and others assembling these important commercial vehicles in the country. On top of that, Thailand is an effective and efficient producer of agricultural commodities, and is a surplus exporter of rice.

ECENTLY, I have written an article on the subject of truth. I discussed what truth is and how people see truth. However, one reader reacted and wrote me: “You have to define what truth you are talking about. For example, are you talking of scientific truth, religious truth, or pragmatic truth?” I don’t know how to answer his question. I have never known that there are several kinds of truth. What I know about truth is the exact opposite of lie. If you are not telling the truth, then you are lying. Actually, it was the first time I received such kind of reaction. I am not hoping that one of these days, if I write something on love, someone would ask me what kind of love I am talking about: man’s love to his fellow being (parents to their children, friends, relatives, and heroes), love of God, and sexual love (between couples and lovers). This brings us to the topic on simplification. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated,” Confucius stated. “As you simplify your life,” Henry David Thoreau explained, “the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” So why make such a big fuss on making simple things complicat-

The success story of these two countries is helped in great part by the fact that its own domestic consumption has fed its growth. Note that as their industrial capacity grew, income inequality also went down. Based on the national poverty levels, the poverty rate of Malaysia is currently at .6%, with Thailand at 10.5%, compared to the Philippines at 21.6%. More noteworthy is that the Philippines improved by only 3 percentage points since 2000, while Thailand went from 42.3%, a more than 30% improvement from the turn of this century. (ADB, Key indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2016 Table 2.1.) If Malaysia and Thailand can push their poverty levels down, why haven’t we? Perhaps the answer lies in two things: a poor policy mix that

MY TWO CENTS’ John Tria is unable to draw the right investments, and a poor local economy that is unable to buy products produced by industry. Much of the manufacturing drawn by the country in the 1990s were mainly dollar earning export oriented industries that

only capitalized on what were then the relatively lower labor costs in the country spiced up by tax incentives. These filled the industrial estates and special economic zones in the CALABARZON region of southern Luzon and some parts of Central Luzon. This attracted a multitude of Korean and Taiwanese investors making components to make products meant for the world market, such as garments, sweaters, business suits electronics products and household items. Yet, as the years wore on, China opened up with far lower labor costs, and our power rates remained at Asia’s highest, adding significant cost. We lost some manufacturing investments and failed to gain more that we needed to boost employment. China got the lion’s share of these investments, and the rest is eco-

nomic history. But unlike Malaysia and Thailand, our poverty rates remained pretty much the same as our population increased. The Thais and Malaysians were the first market of the vehicles being assembled, providing a buffer against the headwinds provided by currency fluctuations and other eternal factors, keeping the manufacturing investments more robust and sustainable. The strong local economy, low food and energy prices and rising local affluence was able to sustain manufacturing. Both Thailand and Malaysia were more inclusive economies, with lower costs of power despite the higher labor costs, thereby able to take in more investments and sustain them. For reactions: facebook.com/ johntriapage

get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” Well, look at those technical papers and reports. Do people read them? Most of them are in university or public libraries gathering dust. Indeed, what a waste of valuable information. “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak,” master painter and pioneering educator Hans Hofmann reminds. To which the great novelist Ernest Hemingway adds, “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” If these famous people can do things in simple manner, why can’t we? “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Italian painter Leonardo Da Vinci once said. “Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” That’s what Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said. Now, going back to words. Simpler words are easier to understand. Write to express not to impress, my editor thundered. “In the beginning was the word,” John 1:1 stated. It came to pass that the heart, the brain and the tongue agreed that they would not make any more simple words. “Those simple words only weigh me down and make me

soft,” the heart said. “Today, everyone must use complex words.” The brain added, “Great ideas, formulas, speculation – these are the things that produce results. Simple words are only a waste of time.” The tongue agreed: “I specialize in technical terms, foreign words, and great speeches. I can’t be bothered any longer with simple words.” So the heart began to send only complex and harsh words to the tongue. The brain produced only learned words and the tongue made great speeches. No more simple words came from the lips. After that decision, the world became empty, cold, and hopeless. But there were some people who remembered the simple words. They started to search for them in past history. At first, they were afraid of being laughed at. But interestingly, the simple words, with their built-in joy, began to pass from mouth to mouth, from head to head, from heart to heart, and in no time they won wide circulation. And the world became a friendlier place to live again. Do you want to know what those simple words are? Among them are: Thanks! Welcome! Please! Keep up the good work! May I help you? Don’t quit! I’m sorry! Take care! That’s excellent! I miss you! I love you! God bless you!

Simple is beautiful

ed? “One reason why people have difficulty in getting across their idea is because they use more words than needed,” says a sage. “I know. I have done so too many times to count. I keep babbling on and on about something for far too long and fill the air with too many words.” In some instances, that can be a good and enjoyable thing. But more often than not, talking about things which most people will have a hard time understanding what you are talking about is just a way to feed your own ego and keep the spotlight on yourself for as long as possible. “A lot of the time I think it can be useful to simplify and try to use fewer words,” the sage finally admits. Keep it short and simple. That was also the advice of Rev. Harold R. Watson, the former director of the Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) and recipient of the 1985 Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding. He is a believer of E.F. Schumacker, the man behind the bestselling, ‘Small is Beautiful.’ “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent,” Schumacker said. “It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.” Coming from the United States,

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

Watson introduced modern technologies in 19-hectare farm in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. But small-scale farmers don’t know how to use those tractors, drip irrigations, and artificial insemination, among others. Watson changed his strategy. He talked with the farmers and learned what they already knew. And from there, he developed what can be done to help them. “It takes technical people to make things complicated but a wise man to make complicated things simple and workable,” he said. Hearing Watson talk, I was reminded of the words of American industrialist Lee Iacocca: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

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2017 NEA-Electric Cooperative Consultative Conference, Lumens Awards Ceremonies, as well as the formal launching of National Center of Electric Cooperative Consumers (NCECCO). In a press conference on at the Ponce Suites Gallery Hotel, Davao City, NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong announced electricity consumers from the provinces should expect better power services as they will discuss new initiatives toward the strengthening of partnerships among NEA, the ECs, and consumers, including measures to improve ECs’ operational efficiency and activate local consumer groups. According to Masongsong, NEA has been conducting a series of consultative meetings, strategic development planning, and commitment signing with concern to ECs to map out possible management strategies to address issues on settlement of power accounts, collection efficiency, liquidity and profitability, peace and order, among others. Meanwhile, Masongsong bared that ninety-seven electric cooperatives (ECs), or 80% out of the 121 ECs in the country are now categorized A or higher, as the National Electrification Administration (NEA) released last week the results of the 2016 EC Overall

Assessment Performance. “The NEA, together with the 121 ECs nationwide, is one with the thrust of President Rodrigo Duterte in intensifying rural development as a vital component of economic growth. To achieve this, we endeavour to institute more capacity-building programs for the ECs and activate local consumer groups that will help us sustain electrification in the grassroots level,” said the NEA chief. NEA also updated that power restoration for households affected by typhoons Lawin and Nina was already completed while 76,805 households affected by the Surigao quake were fully energized by February 15, 2017. Masongsong said NEA is now finalizing the EC Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan (ECCDRRMP) following the directive of Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi to come up with disaster protocols designed to mitigate the impact of damages to electric infrastructures of the ECs and accelerate power restoration in calamity-hit areas. The NEA chief said calamities are just one of the major setbacks that affect the fulfillment of the vision of the agency, aside from issues of peace and order, and political interventions.

Facebook, suggesting that they want to bring their dogs to the café so ayun, we worked it out,” said Francie Calderon, one of the brains behind Pawsome Dog Café. Pawsome Dog Café has two separate areas. The first one is the Café area where one could dine with their dog and the other one is the Dog House area where a customer can enjoy the company of the café’s in house dogs for a period of one hour and thirty minutes. More or less, 30 in-house dogs of various breeds like Siberian Husky, Labrador, Chihuahua and other kinds owned by Ms. Cherry and Ms. Francie will be in the café, for the customers to bond with. Ms. Cherry Maning, also an owner of the café, reminded pet-owners of the rules of the café and the dog house. “Dog owners are allowed to bring one dog (per owner) in the café provided that they show their pet’s health card

with updated rabies and vaccination shots before entering the premises. Dogs should also wear dog diapers to ensure cleanliness of the place,” said Ms. Cherry. With P 190.00 or P 220.00, a customer can enjoy a drink and entitled to one and a half hour of playtime with the inhouse dogs after signing the waiver form. However, pregnant women, children below 1 year old and those with respiratory diseases will not be allowed in the area. Children below 12 years old should also be accompanied by a supervising adult. Pawsome Dog Café is located at Door 5 Autoville Bldg Torres Street Davao City, beside Davao Convention Center. The café area will be operating from 10:00 o’clock in the morning until 10 in the evening while the dog house area will be open from 12:00 noon until 8:00 o’clock in the evening.

local governance to finance local development initiatives. Moreover, the LGUs will also get access to other program

windows and capacity development assistance as part of the incentive package. (Karen Lou Deloso/PIO DavOr)

crimes reported during the same period last year while Precinct 2 had 129. Valencia attributed the sharp decrease in crime volume to intensified police operation, regular foot patrol in crime-prone areas and the aggressive campaign of Mayor Sayadi.

Sayadi, who vowed to cleanse the city of illegal drug personalities, regularly conducts patrol at night to ensure her constituents can sleep soundly. Helping the police in the peace and order campaign in the city is the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion. (PNA)

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ANY WHICH WAY IT TAKES. A rider maneuvers his bicycle with one hand while his other hand holds on a pack of school supplies on a busy Quezon Blvd. in Davao City on Saturday. Lean Daval Jr.

Tourism, spirituality in Holy Week T

HE Kapihan sa Kapitolyo in Davao del Norte province on Friday merged the seemingly far-off topics: tourism , and spiritual and moral recovery in observance of the Holy Week next week. Brought to the panel of guests were Davao del Norte Provincial Tourism Officer Noel Daquioag and Spiritual and Moral Recovery Program (SMRP) provincial coordinator, Rev. Dr Edwin Santos. At the finale of the hourone discussion, both guests found a point of unity in thoughts, that all should reflect while taking a time off

from work during the Holy Week . Rev. Dr. Santos discussed the major initiatives of the provincial government in line with its thrust on spiritual and moral recovery, bearing the same acronym “AGR”. The “Aksyon Gabay tungo sa Repormasyon” (AGR) is designed for drug dependents who have voluntarily surrendered while the “Ako Godly at Responsible” (AGR) is created for the youth to stay away from drugs and from pre-marital sex. The SMRP is complementing efforts of the Provincial Government to provide

island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi following the order of the President to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf within a six-month period. The deadline will lapse on June 30. About 40 Abu Sayyaf mem-

bers have been neutralized since the campaign started. Although a number of kidnapped victims have been rescued in recent weeks, the bandits are still holding about 28 hostages. (PNA)

to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its

members, alongside the protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member countries to resolve differences peacefully. (PNA)

and spending. “If that materializes (higher infrastructure spending), obviously, that puts more pressure on the current account,” he said. “To me, it’s not a source of worry because it’s not driven by a debt build-up by consumers or the households, which is

often the case for many other countries. It’s more driven by investment spending, which is basically expanding the productive capacity of the economy. And eventually that would lead to more exports, more production. So that should correct the current account also,” he added. (PNA)

dertake specific tasks in order to execute the product specifications required by the clients. Machinery/technology acquisition was also found to be indispensable, as it not only allows the firms to produce the required product but it

also makes production cost efficient. The paper added business strategy or decision of the owner/manager of the firm also plays an important role on the decision to innovate. (PNA)

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the necessary intervention for drug dependents. It takes responsibility to extend psycho-social, moral and spiritual remedies. “The problem with drug addiction is connection; connection with family, with the community and connection with God,” he said. Rev. D r. Santos admitted that some of the 15,000 socalled “voluntary surrenderees for reformation” (VSRs) had relapsed but he said new forms of psycho-social interventions were being discussed and designed to again bring them back to reform. The SMRP is even in-

tegrating the concept of giving and showing love as espoused by Gary Chapman in his book, “The Five Love Languages”. On the other hand, Daquioag said that the 2016 tourist arrivals in Davao del Norte reached 1.2 million, posting a 10 percent increase over the figure registered in 2015. He was optimistic that tourism in Davao del Norte will post high performance now that the provincial government is keen on completing the Davao del Norte Tourism Master Plan. (PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan)

District and Buda. The first mobile library, which is now placed in Calinan, was acquired from the National Library in 1981, donated by the Japanese Gov-

ernment. The second mobile library was purchased thru supplemental budget of the City Council in 2012 and currently serving 25 barangays in the city.

completion while another facility in Davao that was razed by fire sometime between 2009 and 2010 will be rebuilt. Another 12 mental health units in DOH hospitals nationwide will also be improved. ”Many of the upgrades will be completed within the year,” she said. The health chief said they will also ensure that hospitals of local government units have psychiatric clinics that could give mental patients emergency treatment. Meanwhile, citing data that the country has only one psychiatrist for every 250,000 people, far from the ideal ratio of one is to 50,000, Ubial said they plan to train general practitioners, rural doctors, and municipal and city health officers to be mental health providers. “We’re also training psychologists to give mental health first aid,” she said. She noted that as much as possible, she does not want

mental health patients to be institutionalized. Instead, they should be cared for at the community level or at home, she added. Recently released data from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that depression is a leading contributor to disability worldwide, and that the number of people living with depression between 2005 and 2015 grew 18 percent to more than 300 million people globally. The WHO further disclosed that less than half of people living with depression are receiving treatment due to fear and discrimination arising from stigma, and lack of available services. According to statistics from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015, some 3.29 million Filipinos or 3.3 percent of the population were suffering from depressive disorders while 3.07 million or 3.1 percent were suffering from anxiety disorders. (PNA)

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

STYLE

EDGEDAVAO Make your Easter egg hunting even more exciting with this big egg filled with colorful tiny eggs and adorable chicks from Toy Kingdom.

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MANY CHERISHED EASTER TRADITIONS highlight the Christian celebration of Christ’s resurrection, as well as the coming of spring.

Take home this lovely bunny with delightful eggs in a pail from Toy Kingdom.

Get your favorite Disney Frozen characters inside these Zaini milk chocolate eggs. Now available at SM Snack Exchange.

Easter eggs and chicks symbolize new life. Eggs have been a symbol of spring since ancient times, and are also symbols of the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged when He rose again. The chick hatching out of the egg symbolizes new life or rebirth. In ancient times, the rabbit was a symbol of abundant new life. It is said that the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with European settlers in Pennsylvania who brought with them their tradition of an egg laying hare called “Osterhase.” Later on, the tradition spread across America and started to include chocolates, candies, gifts and decorated baskets many in egg, chick, and bunny shapes. Today, many families around the world celebrate Easter with Sunday Mass and lots of sweet treats for kids, including fun egg hunts. At SM, Toy Kingdom and Snack Exchange has eggs-traordinary and amazing toys and treats, gifts, and surprises for kids of all ages. Hop on to Snack Exchange for delightful Kinder Joy and Zaini

milk chocolate eggs that come with a sweet surprise toy inside, Dutche Easter baskets filled with chocolates and pastel colored eggs, as well as scroll lollipops, hard egg candies and candy fruit surprise eggs. There’s also so much more fun and egg-citement at Toy Kingdom where girls can play the part with pretty pastelcolored bunny ears headbands, or find a new friend with the store’s collection of cute plush bunnies. It’s the best place to collect colorful eggs during your Easter egg hunting and make sure to have your delightful pails overflowing with eggs and surprises. Make your Easter eggs-traordinary and egg-citing this year with these toys and treats at SM Snack Exchange and Toy Kingdom Express outlets at The SM Store. These are also available at Toy Kingdom Stores in most SM Supermalls. For more updates, check out www.thesmtore.com and Snack Exchange Facebook account: i crave: snack exchange. Also visit and follow ToyKingdomPH and toykingdom. ph for more treats and surprises.

It’s double the Easter fun as these Kinder Joy chocolate eggs come with surprise toys inside. Available at SM Snack Exchange.

Pretty and colorful bunny ears headbands from Toy Kingdom.

Say it sweet this Easter with pastel colored scroll and bunny ear shaped lollipops from SM Snack Exchange.

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

EVENT

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Tuburan holds enrolment drive on bikes By BY MAYA FLAMINDA J. VANDENBROECK STAFF AND PARENTS of the Tuburan Institute got on theirbikes last Sunday and biked 25 kilometers from Skyline to Tacunan to distribute enrolment flyers in five subdivisions in the hope of meeting more parents searching for “a balanced education of the head, heart, and hands in a nature environment” for their children. To save on costs, our group pooled money to share breakfast, buko juice, milk, and lunch along the way. Our strategy: leave enrollment flyers in houses where kids’ clothes, shoes, toys are visible in the backyards. Or we simply asked residents, “Naa ba moy bata?” (Do you have kids?) We also stopped adults with kids in tow. Or stopped adults and asked them if they have kids.

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Nothing quite uneventful happened - just an angry guard in one subdivision whose order we disobeyed to distribute leaflets. This and the heat and leg cramps we all took in stride - for the love of Tuburan! P.S. Big, big, big thanks to these printing presses whose doors we knocked on to ask for free printing of our enrolment posters, enrolment leaflets, and newsletters: Zion Printing Press, Midtown Printing Press, APM Davao, and Tesoro’s Printing Press. May there be more businesses like you who give back to society. Your support has contributed greatly to our school’s mission to equalize the opportunity of families from all social backgrounds to access a truly holistic education! For more information about Tuburan Institute, Inc. the non-stock, non-profit Steiner/Waldorf community nature school in Davao City visit www.tuburaninstitute.org. Interested parents may contact our Administrator at (082)2842377 (landline) or 09298106523 (sun) to join the next public school orientation this April 2017.

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

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to the issuance of Green bond, a debt instrument targeted to fund renewable energy (RE) projects. Issuance of Green bond is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) move to develop the regional

bloc’s capital market. The Finance chief said there is a possibility for the country to also issue its own Green bond. “It’s just a matter of scale,” he said citing that this depends on the size that is interesting to investors.

Dominguez said the country has lots of potential when it comes to renewable energy. “So I think we will try to develop that market and ASEAN is certainly pushing that as a priority financing tool,” he added. (PNA)

cials of the economic bloc were “encouraged” by the continued expansion of the region’s economy despite the protectionist policies and geopolitical developments in other areas. ”We urged international financial institutions to be vigilant as guardians of the open

multilateral system,” it said. ”The normalization of policy rates may also increase volatilities in our economies. Despite this, we remain committed to promoting closer trade and investment ties between our economies. We recognized the need to ensure that the

benefits of growth are shared equitably among our people,” it added. The AFMGM was held during the five-day 12th ASEAN finance and central bank governors meetings and related meetings that started here Monday. (PNA)

employment agreement. The government of New Zealand conducts annual reviews and adjustment of its minimum wage rates as part of its commitment to boost

its economy by supporting growth of jobs in the country. Data from POLO-Australia, whose jurisdiction includes NZ, showed there are 44,385 Filipinos in New

Zealand and majority of them are permanent migrants or those who have become permanent residents or have acquired New Zealand citizenship. (PNA)

portance of the data provided on the investor’s decision on where to locate his/her business. Also, the 2017 survey

indicators were discussed in details to ensure common understanding and accuracy of data that will be used.

To date, the office is preparing for its 4th leg of orientation which will be provided to LGU Asuncion on April 11.

LTE network rollout and constant improvements, Smart is also gearing up to deliver even faster, more reliable and higher quality mobile services all over the country, making sure you can stay in touch with your loved ones all the time,

regularly update your favorite social media accounts on the fly, and keep up with your mobile activities – from accessing your work files, streaming the latest hit songs, catching up with the day’s viral videos, to playing top mobile games any-

time and anywhere. Enjoy a much bigger mobile lifestyle now by getting a new Smart Postpaid Plan! Head to the nearest Smart Store or visit www.smart.com. ph/DataPlan for more information. (PR)

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NEWS 11

EDGEDAVAO

Pres. Duterte awards Mayor Rellon as RP’s best army reservist officer

AYOR Allan L. Rellon was adjudged as the 2017 Best Army Reservist Officer of the Philippines awarded no less than President Rodrigo Duterte in a fitting ceremony held at the Philippine Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Mayor Rellon, who is the battalion commander of the 2201st Ready Reserve Infantry (Lawin) Brigade of the Philippine Army with a rank of lieutenant colonel, was recognized for his exemplary leadership in spearheading collaborative efforts with other local government units and non-government organizations in Tagum City and

Davao del Norte in pursuing development projects that benefited communities under his jurisdiction. As the battalion commander, Mayor Rellon’s area of jurisdiction includes Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. The bestowment of this prestigious award was done during the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Philippine Army last April 4, 2017. Joining President Duterte in awarding Mayor Rellon were Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, commanding general of the Philippine Army. Mayor Rellon has been

active in the Army Reserve Command under the Regional Community Defense Group XI since 1990 and had led efforts in expanding the strength of the reserve command especially in Davao del Norte. His passion in this field started since he was still in the academe where he served as coordinator and instructor of Universty of Mindanao in 1990. Six years ago, Mayor Rellon was also named as Hall of Fame Awardee of the Philippine Army for winning the following awards: AFP Reservist Officer for 2009, AFP Reservist Officer (Company Grade) for 2010 and 2011. (Louie Lapat/CIO Tagum)

areas and complement the limited resources in the lowland. The intention of SAAD, according to Solon, “is to uplift the lives of the poor especially in the upland areas.” Duhaylungsod said technicians want to catch the onset of planting season this April “so the farmers could have two croppings this year.” With the P25-million fund that DA downloaded for the first tranche, Sarangani has initially chosen seven of its poorest barangays based on the province’s Community-Based Monitoring System and Social Welfare Indicators. This would cover a total of 436 hectares of upland rice and 190 hectares of white corn. Sarangani SAAD program coordinator Engr. Agnes Du explained only the first P50 million will be implemented by Sarangani, while the remaining P50 million will be implemented by DA as an expansion program. The moment LGU Sarangani could liquidate the first tranche, DA would then download the other P25 million wherein, Du said, 12 other ba-

rangays have been identified to avail of the program. SAAD is focusing on 10 priority provinces as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s thrust to increase food production and alleviate poverty in these poorest provinces in the country where each would benefit from the P100 million worth of livelihood programs. Other provinces included Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Apayao, Western Samar, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur. Du said, aside from lessening poverty incidence, SAAD program would as well address the “food requirement of every Sarangan thru increased production and livelihood assistance.” According to Duhaylungsod, Sarangani’s rice sufficiency is only at 39.5% but this has been complemented with the surplus production of white corn where its consumption is high among the towns of Malungon, Alabel, Malapatan and Glan. A variety of root crops, he said, has also been a help in supplementing the

shortage of rice. From the total 1,200 hectares of upland rice in Sarangani, SAAD program would cover 831 hectares. Its white corn component would cover a total of 500 hectares. Aside from the planting materials and farm tools and equipment, the farmers would also be provided with five kilos of rice as the provincial government’s food-for-work counterpart during land preparation. Governor Solon has enjoined all the component programs under his flagship Sulong Sarangani Program for a holistic approach in the social preparation of the communities and in the provision of supplemental livelihood projects. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist will distribute vegetable seeds for backyard gardening and vegetable production to increase their income. While the Office of the Veterinarian, will be distributing goats and ducks to the communities. (Beverly C. Paoyon SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

compensation to MEPI when the AVA is revoked. Sison said “this is completely wrong as the records will clearly show that the land was donated to DAMARBDEVCO and eventually subdivided to the individual ARBs to whom respective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) were issued.” • The ARBs will no longer have to pay for the land when the lease AVA with MEPI is revoked because they have House Bill 555, which bars the foreclosure of their land even with the nonpayment of amortizations to Land Bank, to rely on. Sison said this is another misleading statement. “How can House Bill 555 be used as a basis when it is not yet a law and there is no assurance that it will become a law?” Sison asked. Moreover, Sison said “the CARP law also clearly states that the Land Bank may fore-

close the land in case of failure to pay three annual amortizations.” “With the DAR’s statement, the ARBs were given the wrong impression that they are not obligated to pay for the land at all,” Sison said. Sison said he was also alarmed over the “uncaring” attitude of the DAR officials on the welfare of the ARBs and other MEPI workers who would end up jobless when the AVA is revoked. Sison said DAMARBDEVCO members informed him that the DAR officials told them that their plight was no longer DAR’s concern. “Asked what will happen to the more than 1,800 employees of MEPI who will become jobless and to their 8,000 dependents if the lease AVA is cancelled and MEPI shuts down, the DAR representative(s) said that this is not their concern and that

the employees can go to the Department of Labor and Employment to address that issue,” Sison said in his letter. “This unfortunately shows utter disregard and uncaring attitude for the economic consequences of the Lease AVA cancellation,” he added. Sison pointed out that on top of causing “economic and reputational damage” to MEPI, the deliberately erroneous statements made by the DAR officials has also caused “confusion among the ARBs who may not anymore be able to make rational and intelligent decisions that will determine their economic future.” “In the interest of fairness and transparency, we strongly urge the PARC to cause the DAR representative(s) to clarify as soon as possible the concerns expressed by the DAMARBDEVCO officers and members,” Sison said in his letter. (30)

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12 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

Aeon Towers boosts Davao’s ascent as investment haven

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

njb@edgedavao.net

HE near completion of Aeon Towers, soon to be Mindanao’s tallest building ever, is a clear testament of the economic growth and investments potentials of Davao City. Economic observers say the changing skyline of Davao City, marked by the mushrooming of high-rise condominium projects like the 33-level signature project of local developer FTC Group of Companies, in indicative of the booming economy of the city and a product of the high investor trust and confidence. Emerging as Davao’s new iconic building, Aeon Towers is set to be op-

erational by end of this year. The project officially topped off last February 28 and is now nearly 75 percent complete. The P3.1 B mixed use project is strategically located at the Central Business District (CBD) along JP Laurel Avenue in Bajada where major shopping centers and business establishments are located. Aeon Towers has a total land area of 4,574 square meters and boasts of 473 units—144 of which will be operated by a global hospitality investments firm. Another 144 units will be devoted for a luxury hotel-apartment. The building is

equipped with 300 slots of parking bays and will also feature restaurants, offices and shops. The commercial spaces will be located from the ground floor to the fifth floor while the seventh floor to tenth floor will be allocated for the hotel component. (NJB)

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

is in need of Lay-out Artist Qualifications: • Male / Female • Knowledgeable in Adobe Photoshop and Indesign application • Willing to work under pressure

Accounting Clerks (2) Qualifications: • BS Accountancy Graduate • Female • Can work with minimum supervision • Experience of at least one year

Account Executive Qualifications: • BS Marketing Graduate • Male/Female • With pleasing personality Send your application letter and resume to: Ella P. Tingzon HR/Admin Supervisor Edge Davao Review Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City Or email at edgedavao@gmail.com or ella_tingzon@yahoo.com

RANDY F. FLORES Notice is hereby given that effective March 14, 2017, Randy F. Flores, whose picture and name appear above, is no longer connected with Damosa Land as Assistant Manager for Purchasing. Any transactions made by him on and after said date for and in behalf of Damosa Land shall not anymore be honored by the company. Damosa Land Inc.

EDGEDAVAO

14 HEALTH

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

Slowmotion suicide By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

HE number of people who smoke may have gone down but the percentage of those who died as a result of smoking has increased by 5% since 1990, according to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet.

Entitled Global Burden of Diseases, it was compiled by hundreds of scientists from all over the world. The report said that 25 years ago, one in three men and one in 12 women smoked every day. In 2015, the figure went up: one in four men and one in 20 women. “But the number of deaths attributed to tobacco — which topped 6.4 million in 2015 — went up by 4.7 percent over the same period due to the expanding world population,” the report pointed out. In the Philippines, more than one million people have already quit smoking, according to the Department of Health (DOH). Thanks to some tobacco control strategies that have been initiated by the government. From 17 million smokers in 2009, it went down to 15.9 million in 2015. “This figure represents a relative reduction of close to 20 percent of smokers… the biggest decline we have seen in the Philippine history, and we can do more to stop the suffering caused by this epidemic,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said. In his novel, Goldfinger, Ian Fleming wrote: “Smoking I find the most ridiculous of all the varieties of human behavior and practically the only one that is entirely against nature. Can you imagine a cow or any animal taking a mouthful of smoldering straw then breathing in the smoke and blowing it through its nostrils?” When Christopher Columbus returned to Spain after discovering America in 1492, one of the things he brought back was tobacco. Five hundred years later, smoking has become a

worldwide, and hundreds of millions of people are now using tobacco in various forms. History records showed that tobacco was introduced in the Philippines in the late 16th century during the era of Spanish colonization when the Augustinians brought cigar tobacco seeds to the colony for cultivation. In 1686, William Dampier visited Mindanao and observed that smoking was a widespread custom. Cigarettes, one of the most popular forms of tobacco, are poison, anti-smoking groups declared. Their main component, as one health advocate eloquently puts it, are “tobacco which kills and nicotine which is addictive.” Oscar Wilder, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, wrote: “A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can we want?” The World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency based in Geneva, considered tobacco as “the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturers.” As early as 1604, James I of England had pointed it out already. “A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.” Smoking is one of the world’s leading killers. The UN health agency estimates that about three million people die every year from tobacco-related causes. In industrialized countries, smoking is responsible for 30% of all cancers: lung, oral cavity,

larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, and kidney. Cancers are not the only diseases a smoker will get. Here are more: Emphysema. Emphysema is one of a group of lung diseases referred to as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that can interfere with normal breathing. Other diseases that come under COPD include asthma and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is a widespread disease of the lungs and people having this illness are particularly vulnerable to pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung infections. Smokers are also likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems such as heart failure. “Slow drowning” is how some doctors describe those who die from emphysema. Heart attack. A person’s chance of getting a heart attack increases by threefold if he smokes. Medical science says smoking promotes the hardening of the arteries and reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. “Cells in the heart muscle that do not receive enough

oxygen-carrying blood begin to die,” says Dr. Rafael D. Castillo, a cardiologist who works at the Manila Doctor’s Hospital. “The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart.” Rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis may be the oldest known ailment on earth. Mummies uncovered in Egypt had it, prehistoric man had it, dinosaurs had it. There are several forms of arthritis and the most common is rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body’s immune systems attacks the joints leaving sufferers in severe pain and with reduced mobility. Initial analysis of data from a research done by the Stanford University showed that smoking is a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis among men. Impotence. Until the early 1970s, experts thought that most erection problems pointed to underlying problems in the psyche. Today, the medical community recognizes that almost half of all impotent men have a physical

or structural problem that’s at least partly responsible. Take smoking, for instance. Smoking has also been observed to cause slower penile erection among men because excessive nicotine in the bloodstream “causes constriction of the penile artery, the blood vessel necessary in male erection,” to quote the words of Dr. Priscilla Tablan, a chest physician at the Lung Center of the Philippines. She also said smoking might seriously hamper a man’s potency or ability to sire children. Snoring. “Thou dost snore distinctly,” wrote William Shakespeare in The Tempest. “There’s meaning in thy snores.” Men are more likely to snore than women. In the Philippines, for instance, snoring affects approximately 50 percent of men and only 20 percent of women. Snuff snoring by snuffing cigarettes. “Smokers tend to be snorers,” says Dr. Earl V. Dunn, a researcher at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Medical Center Sleep Laboratory. “So, stop smoking.”

The Policy Recommendations for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence said that it is not possible to reduce tobacco-related deaths over the next 30-50 years unless adult smokers are encouraged to quit. When it comes to smoking, it is usually those who quit that emerge winners. Dr. Willie T. Ong, author of several health books and active consultant in cardiology at the Manila Doctors Hospital and Makati Medical Center, said a person who quits smoking will immediately get his rewards instantly. Citing a study done by the American Lung Association, Dr. Ong said the health benefits of quitting will “begin just 20 minutes after your last cigarette. Your blood pressure and heart rate will decrease, and the oxygen content of your body will increase.” After the first day of quitting, a previous smoker’s risk of suffering a heart attack will be reduced. On the second day, his nerve endings will start to heal and his ability to smell and taste will improve. Between 2 weeks and 3 months after quitting, his blood circulation will improve. His cough will be lessened and walking will become easier. Soon, his lung function will improve dramatically. “By the time you reach 15 years of never touching a cigarette, your risk of dying will be the same as a non-smoker,” Dr. Ong pointed out. “This just goes to show that the ill effects of smoking are serious and deadly. Quit early and quit now. Quit while you are still young to obtain the full health benefits from quitting.” (Photos taken from the net)

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

SPORTS15

EDGEDAVAO

Big guns in 12th Pomelo Tee T

HE 12th Pomelo Tee hosted by Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club is expected to draw the topnotch amateur golfers in Davao City and neighboring cities when it tees off on April 27 to 30 at the scenic rolling course in the hills of Cabantian. The annual tournament will be played under the 36-hole stroke play format for team

and individual categories. Each team is composed of a club member and guest. Entry fee is P4,500 per player with a mulligan of P500 while the giveaway is a Mizuno gift certificate worth P4,000. Winners will receive specially-designed trophies while six exciting hole-in-one prizes are likewise at stake. A brand new Mitsubi-

shi Montero Sport, one RPVGC golf share, Royal Caribbean Cruise, P500,000 cash, a brand new motorcycle and one Daikin airconditioner unit. Proceeds of the tournament will be used to fund the different charitable project of the Pomelo Tee Foudation Inc. Two of the beneficiaries are the Pablo Lorenzo National High School in Mandug and the Teofilo

POMELO TEE. Last year’s record field of 400, which included some foreign cast, could be broken this year.

Fernandez NHS in Indangan. The four-day event is presented by RPVGCC and Pomelo Tee Foundation Inc. The platinum sponsors are the Hexat Mining and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines while the gold sponsors are Hijo Resources Corp., Monark-CAT, Power Up/ Petron, Romsan and Steniel Mindanao Packaging.

PHL bows to Thailand, 0-3, in Davis Cup semis

HE Philippines failed to advance to the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 2 finals after losing Saturday’s doubles match and giving Thailand a 3-0 lead in their best-of-five tie at the National Tennis Development Center in Nonthanburi, north of Bangkok. First-time partners Patrick John Tierro and Jeson Patrombon tried but failed to overcome the formidable Ratiwatana twins Sanchai and Somchat, who eventually won 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 after one hour and 21 minutes of action at the National Tennis Development Center outdoor court in Muang Thong Thani. Sonchat is ranked No. 87 while Sonchai is No. 92 in the doubles.

Tierro, who has a perfect record in the doubles (4-0) since he debuted in the Davis Cup in 2004, and Patrombon were recalled to the team after US-based Filipinos Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales begged off due to injuries. ”It’s going to be tough. They are one of the best doubles pair in Asia,” said the 31-year-old Tierro when asked to comment on the Ratiwatana twins on Friday night. ”We just have to do our best. This is our first teamup,” said Tierro, referring to Patrombon, ranked No. 1144 in singles and No. 1109 in doubles. Patrombon, who was born and raised in Lanao del Norte’s Iligan City, nev-

er played doubles since he joined the Davis Cup team in 2011. He has played in eight ties, winning all his five singles matches. The Thai siblings, who accounted for five aces, tallied 88 points. They got 94 percent (17/18) in second serve, winning 14/17 (82 percent). The Filipinos had a total of 56 points. While they got 92 percent in second serve, they only converted 10/23 (43 percent). They also committed two double faults. Thailand took a 2-0 lead on Friday after sweeping the opening day singles matches. World’s No. 725 Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul delivered the first point

with his 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Alberto “AJ” Lim Jr., while Jirat Navasirisomboon defeated Patrombon, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-1 in their match which was delayed by late afternoon showers that lasted for twoand-a-half hours. The reverse singles are scheduled on Sunday, with Patrombon playing against world No. 725 Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul, while Alberto “AJ” Lim Jr. will be up against Jirat Navasirisombon, ranked No. 989. The Philippines will remain in Group 2 next year while Thailand will face Pakistan in the finals in September with the winner being promoted to Group 1 and the loser staying in Group 2. (PNA)

Minda coaches, athletes off to US training

LOSING STAND. Jeson Patrombon (left) and Patrick John Tierro (right) of the Philippines.

Villanueva-Tete fight moved to April 22 I NITIALLY set April 8, the WBO Bantamweight eliminator between current WBO no. 1contender and Asia Pacific Bantamweight champion Arthur Villanueva of the Philippines and former IBF Superfly world champion Zolani Tete has been moved to April 22.

“Schedules change all the time. As fighters, we have to adjust,” said Villanueva when asked if the change poses a concern to his training. He added that the new date isn’t too far ahead, and that his team has been informed about possible changes around two weeks

back, “so this doesn’t totally affect my conditioning and sparring,” disclosed Villanueva. Zolani Tete (24-1-0, 20 KO) from South Africa has won his last eight fights, including ones against former world champions Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. and Paul

Butler. Villanueva, on the other hand, has 31 fights in record, losing only once to McJoe Arroyo for IBF superfly world title last July 2015. The fight takes place at the Manchester Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom.

HE U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is sending two coaches and 10 student athletes from Sarangani and Maguindanao on a trip to the United States to participate in a Sports Visitor Exchange Program for baseball and softball from April 9 to 20. While in the United States, the group will travel to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland to attend sports clinics led by local baseball and softball coaches. Participants will attend sessions on leadership and conflict resolution skills with local non-governmental organizations

and George Mason University. The group will also have the opportunity to watch a major league baseball game and visit the National Aquarium and National Zoo. The Sports Visitor Exchange Program offers participants an opportunity to experience American society, culture, and values firsthand. Other topics addressed include nutrition, physical strength and conditioning, gender equity in sport, sport and disability, and team building. The athletes will use what they learn on their trip to develop action plans on improving their local communities. (PNA)

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 10 ISSUE 6 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, APRIL 9 - 10, 2017

EASY FIGHT? BROADENING BASE. Manny Pacquiao could add Australia to his growing boxing ‘empire.’

Pacquiao sets stage to say‘hi’ to Down Under

ANNY Pacquiao has such little opinion of Jeff Horn that the Filipino WBO champion wants to use the July 2 bout at Suncorp Stadium as a chance to ‘say hi to the Australian fans and media’ before heading onto bigger and better fights later in the year. After a spluttering start in April, when a proposed bout was scuttled by fantasy money in the Middle East, the welterweight title fight is now on the verge of official confirmation as both parties wait to sign the final contracts. Duco Events, who co-promote Horn with Top Rank supremo Bob Arum, issued a statement on

Thursday playing down ‘speculation’ over the

fight, saying there was ‘no event to be announced’ until pens hit paper. But that hasn’t stopped Arum or Pacquiao’s camp freely letting the cat out of the bag, while Fairfax Media understands Suncorp Stadium has been provisionally booked despite venue management refusing to confirm or deny any arrangements. Online boxing bible Boxrec has already listed the bout as Pacquiao’s next assignment, while his advisor Michael Koncz has confirmed the WBO title will be on the line, not that they are ex-

pecting to have to hand it over to Horn, who has been installed as a $6 underdog. With the clash against Englishman Amir Khan off the table, Koncz said they would now step into the Horn deal, which has been backed by the Queensland Government in anticipation of a near sold-out stadium and mass eyeballs from international audiences. Pacquiao and Konz have both been openly lukewarm about the prospect of fighting Horn (16-0-1), a 29-year-old former schoolteacher from Brisbane that fought in the London Olympics before turning professional. He has a feel-good story but limited international profile, while Koncz and Pacquiao also clearly feel he has limited skills in the ring as they plan what amounts to little more than a flying stopover in the Sunshine State. “We signed it, so yeah, we’re excited about it. But again, my preference was to fight Amir Khan,” Koncz told Fox Sports. “That didn’t work out. We had

this on the table so we decided to take it. “Manny will train and do the best he can and hopefully we get the fight over with very quickly, we get out of there, we say hi to the Australian fans and media and come home.” Pacquiao (59-6-2), now 38, has won titles across eight divisions and at the tail end of a career that in his prime, had him rated behind only Floyd Mayweather as the best fighter on the planet. He now spends his time between boxing and his duty as a senator in his home country, where he remains nothing short of a national hero. Should he beat Horn, he would aim for a fight with Khan in his next window or October of November. But the clear upside in the fight rests with Horn, who could shock with the world with victory or put his name on the map with a bold performance. His profile has already had a massive boost purely from being in the conversation. Pacquiao stands to make around $10 million from the fight, while eyes now will fall on the cost of tickets as promoters try to ensure every seat in the 52,500-capacity venue gets sold.