Edge Davao 4 Issue 52

highlights

VOL. 4 NO. 52

FEBRUARY 27 - March 4, 2012

THIS ISSUE: P15 20 PAGES

e-mail: editorial@edgedavao.net / marketing@edgedavao.net

www.edgedavao.net

agritrends p6

The Business PAPER Investment oppotunity suburbia p14

Upgrading

indulge! p16

Mediterrranean flavors

figures of the week

STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE

Philippine Stock Index As of February 24, 2012

US DOLLAR = philippine peso As of February 24, 2012

A & A Securities, Inc.

JIFFYCAR Bldg., Ecowest Drive (Beside SM City Davao), Davao City

Tel. Nos.: 299-0199, 297-7233, 303-0555, 297-8090, 0917-7000911, 0922-8831358 Important: The information contained herein is based on sources which we believe are reliable but is not guaranteed by edgedavao and A & A Securities, Inc. This report is provided for information purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the security mentioned herein.

The Original British Streetwear Brand Since 1989 Authentic British Streetwear is multi-cultured, witty, sleek and expressive, independent and always fresh. Boxfresh apparel and footwear caters to the sophisticated urban street culture. ! !

Heralding the heroes of the street from musicians, performers and artists, we believe that “The sidewalk is the new catwalk�.!

www.boxfresh.com!

Available at:!

2

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

On the cover

City’ enterprises increase incomes n Earnings of public markets, Ecoland terminal, abbatoirs up

T

By Jade C. Zaldivar

he City Economic Enterprise (CEE) office reported that its revenue collection for the year 2011 was 18.38 percent higher than its collection in 2010.

CEE head Jose Elmero Guintadcan said the total 2011 revenue of P104,399, 475.58 this was the city’s highest collection ever, and was higher by P16,215,276.02 than the 2010 collection of P88,184,199.56.

The city-owned enterprises are the public markets, Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) in Ecoland, Sta. Ana port, public cemeteries, Davao City Recreation Center (DCRC) (formerly Almendras Gym), Magsaysay Park, and slaughterhouses.

Data acquired from the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) showed that the CEE collected P93,576,445.43 in 2009 and P81,573,308.20 in 2008, both of which did not include collection from Magsaysay Park.

The CEE chief said that with the units’ impressive collection of P104,399,475.58 for 2011, the city had earned a respectable surplus of P10,380,960.28 against the office’s target of P94 million for the same year.

Guintadcan said the huge surplus was neither caused by an increase in fees nor a dramatic increase of vendors.

“Our rental fee rates are very lowl, and according to law.

What we did was to just really focus on collecting on time and collecting diligently,” the CEE chief said in an interview.

Guintadcan, who was appointed to the position in November 2008, added with pride that the improvement is attributed to the local government’s strengthened ‘dedication in doing what is expected’ in providing social services.

“Our main thrust is, first, to support the drive of the administration to increase the revenue collection from the city’s economic enterprises in order to support and assist economic activities of the city. Second, we aim to improve the basic services of the economic entities, the public markets, improve our services, especially to the vendors and the consuming public,” Guintadcan said, adding that ‘it was a matter of focus’ in keeping the personnel in line, following the 2005 Revenue Code which states that once a renter delays payment of rental one month, a notice of violaton should be immediately issued.

“Once napabayaan mo na kasi ang mga vendors, you make them feel na there’s no monitoring, no authority, you are giving them leeway to become undisciplined. If there are delinquent vendors talagang pinapaalis namin (we eject them) and the other vendors pay their dues religiously, or else…” Guintadcan said.

He also stressed that it is not the City Economic Enterprise office that does the collection but the City Treasurer’s Office.

Another thing, the CEE head from time to time reminds the vendors to keep their areas clean, even as he also keeps tab on the needed repairs and improvements in running the city’s enterprises.

Guintadcan said the CEE is presently targeting a collection of at least P110 million from the city enterprise units for this year.

Broken down, the 2011 collection of P104,399,475.58 is as follows: (1) P63,507,483 was collected from public markets located in Agdao, Bankerohan, Toril, Mintal, Calinan, Tibungco, Bunawan, and Lasang. Among the eight public markets in the city, the Bankerohan Public Market had the biggest remittance amounting to P23,399,339; Adgao with P19,917,146.37; Toril with P11,737,323.91; Calinan with P4,058,404.42; Mintal with P2,981,393.04; Tibungco with P736,268.84; Bunawan with P597,677.26; and Lasang with P79,929.99; (2) P21,573,445 from the DCOTT; (3) P10,132,276 from slaughterhouses; (4) P7,359,840.93 from the Sta. Ana Port; P681,695 (5) from Magsaysay Park; (6) P623, 800 from the city’s ten public cemeteries; and (7) P520,933 from the DCRC. Public markets Guintadcan, however, was not without criticism, admitting the city’s public markets need much improvement, especially the Bankerohan Market.

“For me, the model public market is the Agdao Public Market. There is proper sectioning, the food vendors are separate from the meat vendors, fishes, vegetables, hanggang sa dry goods na ukay-ukay. It has it’s own road network and proper parking area. Bankerohan, although bigger, needs improvement,” he said, pointing to a canal between the fish and meat sections in the Bankerohan Public Market that needs to be repaired for which the city has

MARKETS DCOTT STA. ANA PORT CEMETERIES DCRC MAGSAYSAY PARK SHOUSES

alloted P1.5 million.

The CEE boss could not help but compare the vendors in the two biggest public markets of the city.

“Unlike the vendors in Agdao, ang vendors sa Bankerohan, they take over space so long na walang nakatingin sa kanila (as long there’s no authority keeping an eye on them). A few months ago halos di na madaanan along Datu Bago Road, but last December we asked the assistance of the Traffic Management Center people at malaki yung tulong (and they were a big help). Every now and then we remind the TMC to keep an eye on the Bankerohan Market,” he said.

Sta. Ana Port The Enterprise office head also said the vendors at Sta. Ana Port will be subjected to an increase in rental fees and has sought the approval of the Philippine Ports Authority to approve the proposed increase in the rental rates on real estate leased spaces in Sta. Ana Port.

The new rates for 2012 for paved areas will now be P72.00 as opposed to the previous rate of P22.63 which had not increased since 1998. For unpaved areas, the new rate will be P61.00 as opposed to the former rate of P20.83.

Guintadcan said such proposed rates are based on port and tourism usage ‘considering that Sta. Ana Port is a focal point of tourism activity of our neighboring city waterfronts and resorts.

This, Guintadcan said, had been announced to vendors since October last year.

Pubic cemeteries Meanwhile, much change and improvement has been undergoing at the city’s public cemeteries, specifically the Wireless Public Cemetery.

The CEE in 2011 started rehabilitation of the Wireless Cemetery on Madapo Hills.

ADB improves complaints procedures

T

he Asian Development Bank (ADB) has introduced changes in its Accountability Mechanism so that people adversely affected by its projects can seek more effective remedy to their complaints.

The ADB Board of Directors approved the improvements following an extensive review of the mechanism aimed at fine-tuning the existing system to make it more accessible and efficient.

The nearly two-year long review included public consultations with a full range of stakeholders, including several regional and in-country consultations, as well as multiple rounds of web-based consultations.

“An efficient, accessible accountability mechanism is fundamental to equitable and sustainable development. These changes will make it more participatory, credible and effective,” said Eduard Westreicher, chairman of the ADB Accountability Mechanism Review Working

Group. “It will also help strengthen ADB’s overall development effectiveness and the quality of its projects.”

ADB’s Accountability Mechanism, adopted in 2003, incorporates an innovative two-phase system for addressing concerns by people adversely affected by ADB-financed projects: the problem-solving function to resolve concerns through informal, flexible and consensus-based actions; and the compliance review function to investigate alleged violations of ADB’s operational policies and procedures that cause, or may cause, harm to people in project areas.

The Accountability Mechanism complements other problem resolution and compliance systems at ADB. The review noted that the current system in place since 2003 has been effective with numerous strengths, including striking an appropriate balance between independence and ef-

fectiveness. At the same time, the review recommended refinements to further improve the awareness, accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness of the mechanism.

Among the newly approved measures is direct access to compliance reviews for people adversely affected by projects, as well as the creation of a complaint receiving officer position to serve as a single entry point for the receipt of all complaints.

Steps to enhance the independence of the compliance review panel and a clearer and longer cut-off date for filing complaints have also been introduced.

Other improvements to the Accountability Mechanism include stepped-up tracking and monitoring of complaints, increased outreach activities with stakeholders, and a partnership approach to reduce impediments to project site visits. [PNA]

Guintadcan said the first phase of the rehabilitation is 70 percent complete and is set to finish next month.

“At least P5 million has been released so far out of the P23.2 million budget for the first phase. The first phase includes the construction of three-level ossuaries with a total of 1,920 units; an administration building; a concrete fence and three steel gates; clearing and road network; and exhumation of bones,” Guintadcan said, adding that public cemetery supervisor Gerardo Antonio Castillo reported that the exhumation of bones is 60 percent done, with 3,492 total exhumed sets of bones.

“Just to clarify, the families of the departed were informed and most were present during the exhumation of bones. Next month we will be informing them collectively on the new rental fee rates for our ossuaries,” he said.

Guintadcan said the office has proposed to amend the revenue code to increase the rental rates in the public-owned cemeteries and contracta of lease of up to six years.

The rental rate for an ossuary, the depository area for bones, is proposed to cost P250 annually.

Meanwhile, eight out of the nine other public cemeteries will also be refurbished after the initial project at Wireless Cemetery is completed—namely, Bunawan, Panacan, Ma-a, Toril, Tibungco, Mintal, Calinan, and Tugbok - excluding Paquibato.

Magsaysay Park This year the Magsaysay Park will also undergo refurbishment, Guintadcan said, as the private sector is lending a hand in beautifying the once lively hangout of Dabawenyos. The Chinatown Development Council is “very interested to assist the city in the rehabilitation of the wooden seats within the park.

They will be providing new if not repair the chairs inside.

That alone is very costly. Other than that we also want to improve the lighting inside the Park which is very dim.”

Around the 90’s, the Magsaysay Park used to have lively night activities with barbeque stands, carnival rides, and performers. Food and alcololic beverages were sold.

However, Guintadcan said, as the atmosphere occasionally triggered fights and assaults between intoxicated customers, the City banned vendors from inside Magsaysay Park.

Davao City Overland Transport Terminal There are ongoing improvements at the DCOTT which has an alloted budget of P6 million from the Supplemental Budget No. 1 the previous year.

Among improvements are the construction of a passenger lounge with separate facilites for males and females, and improved terminal services such as adding roofing to roofless portions.

“We are making changes knowing the terminal caters to a lot of people. We want to improve it to serve the passengers better,” Guintadcan said.

Davao City Recreation Center Guintadcan also noted that one strategy the City Economic Enterprise can do to ensure increase in revenue from the City’s Recreation Center is to accept more sports events, especially boxing.

The officer said ticket rates for boxing promotions are simply much higher than for other sports events.

The DCRC earned the lowest income of the city’s enterprise units as the non-paying users outnumber those who paid.

As a resolution, Guintadcan has proposed to increase rental use of the DCRC this year.

Gold remains Davao Region’s top export

G

old is now on the fifth spot as a major export commodity in Davao region as it gained three percent growth from negative 8.7 in 2008.

Data from the Mines and Geo-science Bureau 11 also showed that Region 11 produced 836,450 kilos of gold in 2011 with an equivalent value of P1.8 billion. This production was reported by large-scale mining companies such as Apex Mining Co. and JB Management.

MGB XI regional director Edilberto L. Arreza expects more than this volume from small-scale mining companies as the Bangko Sentral said only 20 percent of the mineral production came from large scale mining. Bulk of the production come from the small mining companies.

Compostela Valley Board Member Augusto Blanco Jr. admitted so much economic benefits have caused the province from an active mining sector.

“Most of the mineral-rich municipalities in the province were categorized fourth or fifth

class towns. However, with the active mining activities that encouraged trading in this communities, they are now elevated to first class municipalities.”, said Blanco.

MGB data showed that Compostela Valley Province generated more than P40 million from excise tax last year and more than P2 million from extraction fee in the same period.

It was also last year that mineral-rich provinces like Compostela Valley enjoyed not just in the increase of volume on gold extraction but also on the equivalent value which is caused by the significant increase on the value of gold in the world market.

The National Economic Development Authority 11 also reported 36,000 Filipinos have been employed in the said industry since 2009. NEDA 11 assistant regional director Bonifacio Uy said this number comes from both those employed in large scale and small scale mining companies.[PIA 11/Frances Mae Gevera-

Macapagat]

It figures P95B

TOTAL proceeds of the Bureau of the Treasury’s two days sale of Retail Treasury Bills to individual investors. During the previous offering of RTBs in October last year, the government sold about P110 billion.

30,000

Number of new classrooms to be built by the Department of Education starting January 2013 to solve the perennial classrooms shortage.

The classrooms will be constructed through the Public-Private Partnership for Social Infrasture Project (PSIP). $2.477 billion TOTAL worth of fresh investment attracted by the Philippine electronics industry in 2011, the highest ever, and the new projects are expected to generate an estimated $5 billion in additional export revenues annually once they go into full commercial operation.

P1 billion

Loan extended by the Land Bank of the Philippines to the Clark International Airport Corp.

(CIAC) last week for the Phase II expansion of the passenger terminal and other support infrastructure of the Clark International Airport (CIA).

The loan will enable CIA to render expanded operations of two airlines by March and some 1.7 passengers.

P45 billion

TOTAL income targeted this year by the state – owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). If realized, the amount is 22-percent higher than the gaming firm’s record – breaking performance of P36.65 billion in 2011.

P4.18 billion

POSTED net income of SM Development Corp.

(SMDC), a listed residential condominium development arm of businessman Henry Sy. SMDC said pre – sales of condominium units last year grew 14 percent to 11,726 units.

$500 million

AMOUNT the Philippines has pledged to contribute to the International Monetary Fund’s latest lending facility aimed at addressing crises such volatility in the Eurozone. The entry of the Philippines into the expanded New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) program of the IMF as a creditor country is currently being processed by the IMF.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

3

4

The economy

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

as of august 2010

Cebu Pacific Daily Zest Air Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Philippine Airlines Daily Philippine Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun Philippine Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Silk Air Mon/Wed/Sat Cebu Pacific Thu Cebu Pacific Tue/Wed//Sat

5J961 / 5J962 Z2390 / Z2390 5J593 / 5J348 PR809 / PR810 PR819 / PR820 5J394 / 5J393 5J599 / 5J594 5J347 / 5J596 5J963 / 5J964 PR811 / PR812 5J595 / 5J966 MI588 / MI588 5J965 / 5J968 5J965 / 5J968

STAT WATCH INDICATIOR

LATEST

1. Gross National Income Growth Rate (At Constant 2000 Prices) 2. Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate (At Constant 2000 Prices)

3.5% 4th Qtr 2011 3.7% 4th Qtr 2011 USD 3,342 Million Nov 2011 USD 4,985 Million Nov 2011 USD -1,643 Million Nov 2011 USD -114 Million Dec 2011 P4,442,355 Million Nov 2011

3. Exports 1/ 4. Imports 1/ 5. Trade Balance 6. Balance of Payments 2/ 7. Broad Money Liabilities 8. Interest Rates 4/ 9. National Government Revenues 10. National government outstanding debt

4.71% Oct 2011 P128,745 Million Nov 2011 P 4,898 Billion Oct 2011

11. Peso per US $ 5/

P 43.65 Dec 2011

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

3,999.7 Sept 2011

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

128.1 Jan 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.9 Jan 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Dec 2011

16. Visitor Arrivals

284,040 Sept 2011

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

19.1% Oct 2011

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

6.4% Oct 2011

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - January 2011)

Month Average December November October September August July June May April March

2011 43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52

2010 45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

2009 47.637 46.421

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 6:00 Cebu-Davao-Iloilo 6:10 Manila-Davao-Manila 7:50 Manila-Davao-Manila 7:50 Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga 8:00 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 9:10 Iloilo-Davao-Cebu 9:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 11:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 12:00 Cebu-Davao-Manila 18:55 Davao-Cebu-Singapore 12:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 13:35 Manila-Davao-Manila

6:15 6:25 6:30 7:00 8:50 8:10 8:30 9:40 10:10 12:20 12:30 13:35 13:25 14:05

Silk Air Thu/Sun Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri Philippine Airlines August Zest Air Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Philippines Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Tue/Sat/Sun Cebu Pacific Daily Airphil Express Daily Philippine Airlines Daily except Sunday Philippine Airlines Sunday

MI566 / MI566 5J507 / 5J598 15:55 Z2524 / Z2525 5J967 / 5J600 PR813 / PR814 5J215 / 5J216 5971 / 5J970 5J973 / 5J974 5J969 / 5J972 2P987 / 2P988 PR821 / PR822 PR821 / PR822

18:55 Davao-Singapore 15:00 Cebu-Davao-Cebu Mani2Mani 16:50 16:05 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 16:35 Manila-Davao-Cebu 16:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 18:00 Cagayan de Oro-Davao-Cagayan de Oro 18:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 20:00 Manila-Davao-Manila 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 22:20 Manila-Davao-Manila

15:20 15:30 16:45 17:05 17:45 18:20 19:10 20:30 21:00 21:00 21:50 22:50

MinDA and BOI partnership aimed at boosting Mindanao investments S

eeking to generate more investments for the island, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is set to forge a partnership agreement with the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) that would enhance mechanisms on investment promotion in Mindanao.

The MinDA Board approved during its regular meeting recently a draft memorandum of agreement between MinDA and BOI, underscoring greater collaboration for increasing capacities of MinDA in investment facilitation and generation.

The Regional Board of Investments - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI - ARMM) has also ex-

S

pressed interest to forge cooperation with MinDA. Altogether, the three agencies will undertake collaborative efforts to promote and facilitate investments in Mindanao, both domestic and foreign.

The partnership is already eyeing the Middle East as one of the major target markets of the now booming Halal production industry in the ARMM. Earlier, through a series of discussions on efforts aimed at boosting investments in Mindanao, the BOI agreed to assist MinDA in the implementation of its program called “Investment Facilitation in Mindanao.”

An attached agency of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), BOI is the lead government

agency responsible for the promotion of investments in the country. It also assists both local and foreign investors to venture and prosper in desirable areas of economic activities.

BOI has firmed up its support through the MOA to assist MinDA and RBOI-ARMM in linking with target investors, both domestic and foreign, as well as for investment efforts that cover the regions of Mindanao and Palawan which are the country’s focus areas to the Brunei DarussalamIndonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

“With this strengthened partnership between MinDA and RBOIARMM, we are positive

that we can expand the investment opportunities in Mindanao to BIMP-EAGA and beyond,” said BOI Director, Raul Angeles.

Angeles also reported that with the specific arrangements they have with RBOI-ARMM, the latter can directly approve and provide for the investment incentives, instead of the central BOI. Meanwhile, MinDA will focus on coordinating with relevant agencies and linking with the private sector in Mindanao and Palawan to facilitate the marketing of investment opportunities in the said areas. It will also take the lead in preparing the implementation plan and results monitoring framework of the investment program.

“This is a significant move in achieving our vision of a Mindanao that is financially self-reliant and able to effectively use its own funds to direct a selfdetermined development path,” said MinDA chair Luwalhati R. Antonino.

There are 37 BOI registered investments in Mindanao as of September 2011, mostly driven by local investors in the power industry, mineral development, and real estate development.

“We will work towards having a policy environment that is conducive to private sector investments and partnerships, and this current partnership with BOI will truly speed up the process of getting there,” Antonino added. [MinDA]

NEDA sees hike in 2012 exports despite electronics’ 2011 slump

ocioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr. says the merchandise exports performance in December last year continued to be affected by external factors that pulled down global demand and eventually local industrial production.

Paderanga made this statement after the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that the value of goods exports dropped by 20.7 percent to US$3.3 billion in December 2011 compared to the previous year, with full-year earnings for 2011 contracting by 6.9 percent.

“The performance of the country’s exports in December 2011 reflects the still subdued industrial production and sluggish global demand.

In addition, the disruption of production nodes in Thailand further exacerbated manufacturing activities, particularly in the electronics and automotives sectors,” said Paderanga.

Paderanga, who is

also Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), notes that the full-year merchandise export growth was below the five-percent assumption for 2011 that was adopted by the NEDA Board’s Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) for budget purposes.

“This is also below the 10-percent merchandise export growth target set in the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) for 2011-2013,” the Cabinet official added.

Paderanga said that electronic exports continued its decline in December 2011, with a total value of only US$1.5 billion compared to US$2.3 billion in December 2010.

“The decline in the country’s electronic exports in December 2011 reflected developments in the global semiconductor market. The United States (US) Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported that worldwide chip sales contracted by 5.3 percent in the said

month, primarily due to weak demand in the US, Europe and Japan. In addition, the supply chain disruption caused by the massive flooding in Thailand continued to drag down the global electronics sector, particularly the automotive segment,” said Paderanga.

Paderanga said that despite the country’s higher earnings from export of office equipment (51.5%) and telecommunication (140.7%) in December 2011, other electronics subsectors weighed down export revenues. The subsectors with lower sales include semiconductors (-30.7%), electronic data processing (-38.5%), communication/radar (-62.5%), automotive electronics (-79.0%), consumer electronics (-48.8%), medical/industrial instrumentation (-27.2%), and control and instrumentation (-6.0%).

Aside from electronics, the NSO reported that exports of mineral and petroleum products likewise decreased by 25.3 percent and 44.6 percent, respec-

tively, in December 2011 compared to the previous year. On the other hand, total agro-based exports increased by 6.9 percent.

“For 2012, the performance of merchandise exports is expected to improve. The DBCC assumes that merchandise exports will grow by 10 percent. In terms of levels, the PEDP 2011-2013 is keeping its target of US$62.3 billion export revenues for 2012. However, significant downside risks to projections, associated with the weak global demand resulting from slower growth in advanced economies and other major markets such as PR China and ASEAN, remain,” said Paderanga.

He added that electronics exports, which accounts for more than half of total receipts and are mainly produced under contract manufacturing, possibly will continue to experience weak growth in 2012.

“Industry reports noted that contract manufacturing business, which is composed of electronic manufacturing services

and original development manufacturing, is anticipated to decline slightly worldwide in 2012. It was also reported that total contract manufacturing revenue will decline by approximately one percent (or US$3 billion) from US$360 billion in 2011,” said Paderanga.

The NEDA official called for more extensive government and private sector commitment to the implementation of the strategies in the PEDP, adding that diversification strategies should be more aggressively adopted to minimize the country’s vulnerability to adverse shocks, both external and domestic.

“Medium-term reforms should continually be implemented to improve trade logistics, business and policy environment, labor productivity, the link between exporters and micro, small and medium enterprises, research and development, and technology in order to move up the value chain and enhance the competitiveness of the export sector,” he said.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

5

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

6

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

Agritrends

Coops to lead provincial dev’t of oil palm industry T

he Federation of ARB’s Banana Based Cooperatives of Davao (Fedco) will be at the front line of the provincial development of the oil palm industry, particularly in the Davao region, said Assistant Manager Ernesto Dilodilo during the Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Davao last Wednesday.

Initially, the project will be the establishment of 5,000 hectares for oil palm in Davao del Norte in a partnership of Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario’s Davao del Norte government, Fedco and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

“The government is making an inventory of available lands. After identifying them, Fedco will come in and organize the landowners,” Anacleto M. Pedrosa, Jr., Ph.D., chief operating officer of Banapalma Corporation.

“We’re helping push development plans for the oil palm industry,” Pedrosa said. Also present at the forum with Pedrosa, who has been involved in the banana industry for 25 years, was Shauming Lo who had spent 25 years in palm oil industry in Malaysia, who will provide the technical support for the project.

Asked why Fedco members who are involved in the banana industry would invest in the project, Dilodilo told reporters that the federation is

By Lorie Ann A. Cascaro exploring for more investment opportunities and “not putting everything in one basket.”

Pointing out the difficulty of acquiring large tracts of land for oil palm because of the agrarian reform law, Pedrosa recognizes the important role of Fedco in initiating the palm oil industry in the province.

He said there is a need to organize small landowners into a cooperative, and although they do not have financial records, Fedco will help as it already has a good financial record. Fedco has 13 cooperatives with a total of 13,000 hectares of banana plantations.

“Eventually,” he continued, “new coops will be developed and they will identify Fedco as co-maker. This will become a Davao del Norte provincial development model for other provinces to follow,” Pedrosa said.

Some 8,000 hectares of idle lands in Davao del Norte, mostly ancestral domain, had already been identified earlier as available for the palm oil project.

Land Bank Davao is tapped to finance the project as it has funded oil palm projects even before as far as Agusan del Norte, Compostela Valley province and some areas in Davao del Norte, said Charlotte I. Conde, head, Land Bank Davao Lending Center.

Noting that Land Bank

has a special loan package for palm oil projects, Conde said the project will cost P180,000 per hectare, but with 20% equity for farmers, the bank’s share is 80% or P144,000 per hectare.

Although income from palm oil depends on the status of the land, it is still promising as the world market price is at P8,000 per ton of crude palm oil (CPO). Pedrosa said a hectare can contain 130 plants which will yield every year about 2530 tons of fresh fruit branches, 22% of which contains palm oil.

Thus, there will be an estimated gross income of P240,000 a year for every hectare of oil palm.

He also mentioned that harvesting of palm oil is done 24 months after planting and will continue every 10 days.

Adding that the life span of palm oil trees is 25 to 30 years, Pedrosa said the industry will give us energy security for biodiesel in the future, adding that there are seven to eight million hectares of oil palm in the Philippines while only three to four million hectares are in Mindanao. But, this number comprises only a small percentage of supply needed by the world market, majority of which is in Europe, China and the Middle East.

“Biodiesel has a huge market na hindi natin masasaturate (that we cannot saturate),” he said.

BOI prefers agri-fishery in the proposed 2012 IPP

A

griculture, agribusiness and fishery are the preferred area of investment in the proposed 2012 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), said BOI Governor Pelagio Tan Ricalde during the Public Hearing on the Proposed 2012 IPP last February 16 at El Bajada Hotel, Davao City.

“This area of investment will cover not only commercial production and commercial processing of agricultural and fishery products, but also agriculture- and fishery-related activities as well such as irrigation, post harvest and cold storage among others.”

Ricalde noted that this prioritization is in line with the Administration’s increased budget for agriculture by more than 50 percent this year as it remains committed to the goal of the country being self-sufficient in rice production by 2013.

The government’s basic strategy, he said, is to sustain the increase in productivity and improve the country’s competitiveness, to enhance economic incentives and enabling mechanisms for the farmers. He added

will have greater job generation, enhancement of the delivery of basic social services, provide added boost to international competitiveness of the country and confront the challenges of global climate change.

Further, Ricalde mentioned the Administration’s optimism on the country’s economy, saying that the Board of Investments posted more than P368 billion investment approval in 2011, a 22% growth from P302 billion in 2010.

“Such feat sustains the robust outlook in the country’s economy notwithstanding the continuing slowdown in economic growth of the advanced economies led by the US and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe,” Ricalde said, adding that 2011 posted significant investment figures that could stimulate more business activities in the local economy.

From P526.4 billion in 2010, the combined approved investments of the BOI and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) soared 25 percent to P657.2 billion last year. [Lorie A.

that it has been working on irrigation, community seed-banking, constructing more farm-tomarket roads.

The proposed 2012 IPP included projects under the government’s Public-PrivatePartnership (PPP) Program to encourage private sector investments in the infrastructure development. This is because BOI expects “the Administration to go full blast in pursuing programs and projects that will promote inclusive growth through implementation of appropriate policies in the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan (PDP).”

Infrastructure development, he pointed out, will go beyond improving infrastructure facilities. Thus, the BOI continues “to encourage investments in projects that will prevent or mitigate adverse impact of calamities and disasters with the installation of flood control systems, early warning systems for typhoons, earthquake occurrences, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions and the construction of dikes.”

The proposed 2012 IPP, he said, is focused on sectors that

Cascaro]

Tamayong, Sibulan and Marilog in the third district of the city.

She said Rocky Mountain is targeting the indigenous peoples (IPs) as the direct beneficiaries of the forthcoming project.

Provido said the DA and Rocky Mountain will work as partners in the business endeavor and the MOA is expected to be realized within the year.

The new development is part of the efforts of government to revive the industry where majority of coffee production are

found in mountain areas, she said.

DA Davao has identified the following areas in Davao City suited for Arabica coffee.

These are Sirib, Tamayong, Megkawayan, Salapawan, Inayangan, Marilog, Buda, Baganihan and Salaysay.

Provido said DA Davao is supporting three existing coffee nurseries in the city specifically in Manambulan Station, Marahan Station and Malagos.

Data showed that coffee

Oil Palm Plantation

Davao being eyed as area for Papyrus paper plant T he chairman of the Australian papermaker Papyrus recently visited Davao City to check on the opportunity of doing business here making use of the banana tree trunks as source for paper.

Investor John R. Doughty’s visit in Davao City was highlighted by the introduction of the Papyrus Technology using the waste banana tree trunk from plantations replacing fiber from wood.

Doughty bared in last week’s Kapihan sa Dabaw the economic impact if a major paper manufacturer sets up a fully integrated kraft paper plant in the Davao region where banana plantations abound.

Data show that the Davao region which covers

the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and the City of Davao, has an annual banana production of 3.5 million metric tons or forty percent of the country’s total production.

Doughty explained that the technology would then put into good use the banana tree trunks which are often left to rot or converted into organic fertilizer.

He also explained the environmental benefit of using these banana trunks.

Study shows that each ton of banana plantation waste can result to greenhouse gas emissions of up to 1.3 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

The technology answers the concern of most banana plantation owners

Mae Gevera-Macapagat]

xperts for Pacific agriculture on Thursday stressed the need for crop adequate research in the region, saying the previous attempts to intensify production of crops in the Pacific have not included adequate research and development.

The experts made the comments on Thursday at a five-day workshop organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community ( SPC) in the Sigatoka Research Station in western Fiji.

Dr Mike Furlong of University of the Queensland (UQ) held that some important areas in this regard had been overlooked, and therefore a focus of the new proj-

ect will be building regional and national research and development capacity for SPC and national partners and establishing a framework for a longer-term program to begin problem-solving research focused on vegetable production.

The important areas that have been overlooked include identification of welladapted varieties, development of locally relevant sustainable production technologies and serious threats to health and the environment, he added.

Inoke Ratukalou, acting director of SPC’s Land Resources Division, also emphasized the need to continue research and development to improve crop production and diversification.

According to him, the SPC has been a partner in several of the integrated pest

management (IPM) projects that constitute the platform on which the new project is based with an introduction and exchange of crop genetic resources and information through its Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT).

Ratukalou acknowledged the support of regional participants and encouraged them to continue their support through the new project, saying “your gathering itself marks another effort that SPC is taking in the region, particularly in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Island and Tonga, to manage and especially adapt to the impacts of pests and diseases.”

The workshop aims to help Pacific Island countries and territories strengthen their production of valuable crops by better managing pests and diseases. It ends on Friday. [PNA/Xinhua]

Experts stress need for crop adequate research in Pacific E

DA, foreign company to develop coffee plantation in Davao City

T

he Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Davao region and a foreign company are eyeing to develop a huge coffee plantation in five barangays in Davao City.

Melanie Provido, regional high value coordinator of DA Davao, said Rocky Mountain, consisting of foreign investors, will enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DA here for the development of coffee, mainly Arabica plantation in the areas of Carmen, Salaysay,

of getting rid of banana trunks as problematic waste products.

Further, the technology turns the trunk’s outer layer into fiber for particle and panel board and the inner core into a high quality veneer suitable for the furniture industry.

“With the substantial source of materials, a well trained labor force, excellent infrastructure like shipping, Davao could be the center for the establishment of a paper industry,” said Doughty.

He believes that with the support and interest of local banana plantations and the local government unit, Papyrus Australia would be convinced to put up a plant here to absorb banana trunks for paper. [PIA 11/Frances

production in the city slightly dipped to 3,625.31 metric tons in 2010 from 4,080.95 metric tons in 2009.

In the regional level, Davao Region contributes 25 percent of the total national coffee production with an average yield of 340 kg per hectare, DA Davao data showed. It has also identified Compostela Valley province to constitute 50 percent of the total regional production followed by Davao del Sur at 21 percent. [PNA]

BizQUIPS

“There is a presumption under our laws—it applies to Chief Justice (Renato) Corona—a presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.”

--- Pres. Benigno C. Aquino III on Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

(Pagcor) chair Cristino Naguiat, Jr., his longtime friend and classmate, who faces bribery raps along with former Pagcor chair Ephraim Genuino.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

governance

DAR agrarian related cases resolved online T

he Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) seeks to provide faster resolution of agrarian-related cases once the online legal case monitoring system becomes operational.

DAR Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Anthony Parungao said all agrarian-related cases, whether filed at the DAR Adjudication Board or at any DAR office nationwide, would be entered into the web-based system for easy monitoring and tracking on the development of the cases.

“Through this latest step, all concerned parties could inquire on the status of their cases at the DAR central office or at any of its regional and provin-

cial offices nationwide,” Parungao said.

The system would simplify the process and hasten the resolution of these cases.

“Management is optimistic that this online system will help the department in achieving its targets, particularly in the speedy resolution of cases affecting land acquisition and distribution,” he said.

Some 2,380 cases throughout the Eastern Visayas region are targeted for resolution within the year, DAR regional director Eliasem Castillo said.

Last year, a total of 2,092 cases involving 1,715 agrarian beneficiaries were resolved. [PNA]

WATERSHED PLANS AND DESIGNS. The multipartite Davao City Watershed Management Council (DWMC) headed by Mayor Sara Z. Duterte approved Thursday the draft plans and designs of the delineation survey, multipartite monitoring, and information education and communication (IEC) for the protection and management of the city eight watershed areas pursuant to the city’s Watershed Code. The monthly

ICRC concerned by indiscriminate use of weapons in attack on prison

F

ollowing the Sunday night attack on the Kidapawan City Jail, the International Committee of the Red Cross is seriously concerned by the indiscriminate killing of bystanders and a Red Cross volunteer responding to humanitarian needs.

Arriving in the area after it was declared safe and clear, a Philippine Red Cross (PRC) emergency response team observed a small number of people injured and property damaged by bullets that were indiscriminately fired in all directions.

“An improvised explosive device left in the area then exploded, killing the

volunteer ambulance driver of this team, Benny “Daddy” Balmediano, as they were carrying out life-saving response to those injured in the earlier attack on the jail,” said Jean-Daniel Tauxe, ICRC head of delegation in the Philippines.

“We deplore such events leading to injury and death of those who are carrying out humanitarian duties trying to assist the wounded. We would like to stress that civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected at all times,” he added.

The ICRC reminds all those concerned that the indiscriminate use of weapons negates basic notions of

humanity. The ICRC and the PRC call on all those concerned to respect those responding to emergencies, including Red Cross workers.

“It is tragic for a humanitarian worker, who is also a father and who is there only to alleviate suffering and save life, to be a victim of violence,” said PRC chairman Richard Gordon.

The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization that strives to assist and protect victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It works with the PRC, its strategic local partner in the Philippines, to enhance capacity to respond to disasters and other emergencies.

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

7

meeting, presided by City Administrator Zuleika Lopez, co-chair of the DWMC, was attended by the council’s champions or top spokespersons –Councilors Arnolfo Ricardo B. Cabling and Marissa S. Abella. City Agriculturist Leonardo Avilla III and City Environment Offices Joseph Dominique Felizarta. [Edge Davao photos]

MGB intensifies geohazards information dissemination

T

he Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) will expand its information dissemination activities to better warn people nationwide about water-induced geohazards in their areas, believing this can help lessen loss of life, limb and property during disasters.

“We’ll launch in March this year a website dedicated to information on geohazards nationwide to help facilitate the search for data on the matter,” said MGB supervising science research specialist Dr. Karlo Queaño.

He said MGB will also mobilize a quick response team that’ll monitor updates on weather disturbances around the country so the agency can immediately issue advisories on possible flooding and/or landslide in areas concerned.

“Our aim is to dish out the information as the weather updates come,” he said.

Government is stepping up its disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) measures as experts warned climate change will bring forth sea level rise and more violent weather disturbances, resulting in flooding and other calamities.

“We’re already amidst

climate change so more of these can be expected,” said River Basin Control Office (RBCO) Executive Director Vicente Tuddao Jr. He noted rainfall during storm “Sendong” was such that the flow rate in Cagayan de Oro River surged to an estimated 7,200 cubic meters per hour.

RBCO’s estimated flow rate in Mandulug River Basin also rose to some 4,300 cubic meters per hour when “Sendong” struck there in December 2011, he added.

“Normal flow rate in both locations is only about 10 percent of what RBCO estimated there,” he said.

Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City are among the areas that reeled from flooding and other hardships due to the onslaught of “Sendong.”

Earlier, MGB commenced preparing maps identifying geohazards nationwide so local government units can use these in preparing their respective DRRM plans.

The agency divided the country into quadrangular sections and prepared the corresponding geohazard map for each of these.

MGB reported already completing 730 of such

quadrangle maps drawn to scale 1:50,000 meters.

“People will see such maps in the forthcoming website -- we’ll show these documents in high resolution,” Queaño said.

He said people can click on any barangay or village shown on any uploaded geohazard map to access more information on that area’s susceptibility to floods and landslides.

“By this March’s end, we aim to finish uploading data on geohazards in all villages nationwide,” he noted.

The Philippines has 42,025 villages nationwide, including those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), MGB said.

MGB will soon announce the address of its geohazards website.

“That website will be linked to MGB’s own website,” Queaño said.

He also said MGB will continue gathering information on water-induced geohazards nationwide so the agency can present in the forthcoming website the most up-to-date data possible.

“We’ll continuously update data there as soon as we have new information,” he said. [PNA]

Gov’t carries out short, long-term plans to address unemployment The government has been carrying out both short and long-term strategies to address the unemployment in the country particularly matching workers with skills needed in the job market, a Palace official said.

In a press conference in Malacanang on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the longterm strategy is the implementation of the K+12 program or Kindergarten plus 12 years.

The Department of Education’s K+12 program aims to make basic education sufficient enough so that anyone who graduates can be gainfully employed and have a productive life.

On the other hand, the short-term plans include providing skills training to peo-

ple by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Lacierda said.

“That’s why we have TESDA, after you graduate from high school, you can go and avail of the scholarship provided by TESDA,” he said.

The Presidential Spokesman said President Benigno S. Aquino III always emphasizes the problem on job mismatches in the country and once it is solved more people can join the labor force.

“That’s the reason why we need to address that mismatch between skills and jobs. That’s being addressed now,” Lacierda said.

The labor department has been implementing several initiatives this year such as the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) to

employ 1.2 million jobseekers in 2012.

PESOs play an important role in the pursuit of the President’s 22-point labor and employment agenda the overarching goal of investing on the country’s top resource and human resource to make the country competitive.

It also responds to the goals of President Aquino’s social contract with the Filipino people and the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016, as embodied in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016.

The plan envisions inclusive growth that massively creates local jobs, sustains real economy enterprises, produces decent work outcomes, and empowers the people to defeat poverty.

(PNA)

8

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

Earning almost effortlessly

“

The total amount of investments is equal to the total amount of savings” a simple macroeconomic theory says. This assumes that all savings go to proper and formal economic channels and that they are not kept hidden in proverbial piggy banks. Unfortunately, not all undisposed incomes remain in economic circulation simply because many Filipinos prefer to have their unspent money within easy reach until the time they need easy cash.

For ordinary Filipinos, savings are the means to respond to unexpected (yet anticipated simply because they are inevitable) emergencies and forthcoming financial obligations. Savings are not usually used to create opportunities for greater and additional incomes. Or if there are, they are unreasonably postponed until the amount of savings has reached a comfortable level where emergencies could easily be addressed when they actually occur. To put it simply, Filipinos are more concerned with the rainy days rather than the simple yet potential opportunities to multiply their incomes.

For lack of better appreciation and knowledge where to put their savings into,average Filipinos keep their extra money in the bank – simply for safekeeping. Even successful business personsdeposit their earnings in the bank – again, for safekeeping, until such time that they need some cash either for business expansion or for ordinary personal or household spending.

If you cannot yet afford to set up your business with the savings that you have, putting your savings in the right place and at right time provides opportunities for you and your family to realize additional income without unnecessarily compromising your ability to meet emergencies and financial obligations later on.

People should change their mindset a bit such that their extra, undisposed money could be called “investments” rather than mere “savings”.

No matter how big or small they could be, these monies

should generate additional incomes. Even in banks, there is a menu of options where to park one’s savings – in addition to the usual savings account. Among these are: Checking accounts – they are usually meant for transactions, not real savings. Given this, there is a notion that they don’t pay much interest.

However, some commercial banks - especially the universal banks - combine the conveniences of checking account with the return of a money market account. Hence, you have convenience, access and earnings rolled into one.

High-yield bank accounts – they are rare to find in suburban places but if you can find them, their main feature is that they offer flexibility and liquidity where you could easily manage your deposits and withdrawals anywhere and anytime.

Money market deposit accounts – they are offered by banks. They require a minimum balance and permit a limited number of transactions per month. However, the interest you earn is far higher than the pittance in savings accounts.

Money market funds – these are normally offered by brokerages and mutual fund entities or families. The returns on money market funds are typically higher than the return on money market accounts.

Certificates of depositand time deposits – these are debt instruments with a specific maturity, which can be anywhere from three months to 60 months. Depending on how long it is to maturity, CDs or time deposits may pay more than money markets.

Government bills or notes -Treasuries are considered the safest investments in the world.

Of course, there are more high yielding investments where you could put your money into such as real estate investments or mutual funds.

The choice where to park your money depends on your personal need for cash at any given time, the amount of risk you could take, and you personal lifestyle. It’s your personal choice.

BizQUIPS

D

Of crime and the City

avao City has been in the headlines of late, even making it to national television news.

And all because of a few high-profile killings and shootings.

Vice Mayor Rody Duterte minced no words about how he feels about such goings on which tend to give a blackeye to the city’s reputation as a peaceful place that’s off-limits to criminals—or else.

Mayor Sara herself sees crimes taking place in her beloved city as a threat to its new tagline “Where Life Is!” With the ever popular annual Araw ng Dabaw celebration just around the corner, thousands of visitors from within the country as well as from foreign lands are expected to once more join Dabawenyos in the observance of “Araw”. And we are jolted by unsavory happenings in our midst! What gives?

It does not take much to disrupt celebrations, especially where large crowds gather to witness an event for everyone’s delectation an enjoyment.

This is not a perfect world. It behooves everyone of us to expect

The Business Paper

Printed weekly by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc.

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

t o

o

n Zone”.

the unexpected, but hoping for the best just the same.

Despite the inevitable anxiety over what could happen next, the indomitable Dabawenyo spirit will see us through, good times or bad.

Our leaders, to whom we look for guidance and inspiration in times of stress and strife, are not going to let us down. Our police and other security units, especially Task Force Davao, are on their toes and ready to cope with any emergency that may arise.

It may be well for criminal elements to remember that whatever evil they are concocting in their twisted minds, Crime Does Not Pay In Davao City!

For many years now, Davao City has been a very dangerous place for criminals. When they commit a crime not even the bleeding hearts of human rights can help them.

Murderers, rapists, drug pushers/ users, robbers, members of criminal syndicates do not belong in this city.

They would be better off dead, that way they can no longer do to harm to peace-loving humanity.

EDITORIAL

Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000 Davao City, Philippines E-mail: editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net Tel: (082) 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601

“They were not here.

Maybe, they are busy on some other matters.

Any officials from the bureau should attend the committee hearing next time.” -- Councilor

Victorio U. Advincula Jr., after no representative from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau came their invitation to hear the proposal declaring Davao City as a “Mining-Free

editorial

General Manager | Olivia D. Velasco Director of Sales | Jocelyn S. Panes Advertising Specialist | Richard C. Ebona Imelda P. Lee Finance | Rogelia E. Mamaed Circulation | Cheree P. Pajarillaga

Editor In Chief | Antonio M. Ajero Associate Editor | Gregorio G. Deligero Editorial Consultant | Ramon M. Maxey Section Heads | Lifestyle | Kenneth Irving K. Ong

Sports | Moses P. Billacura Staff Writers | Maria Teresa Ungson Cartoonist | Arlene D. Pasaje Columnists | Alex C. Roldan • Aurelio A. Peña • Nicasio Angelo J. Agustin • Nikki Gotianse-Tan • Edcer Escudero • Zhaun Ortega • Jet Villamor Photos | Joseph Lawrence P. Garcia Pre Press | Raymund R. Lumapas

Cagayan de Oro Marketing Office:

Manila Marketing Office:

Marketing Manager | Liezl A. Deloso

Marketing Manager | Angelica R. Garcia

Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez - Yacapin Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Tel. No.: (88) 852-4894

Blk. 1, Lot 10, La Mar Townhomes, Apitong St., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel. No.: (02) 942-1503

HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS decisions.

vantage POINTS

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER Tommy, my second child, had a “love trip”. They were visiting the “Love The Children Foundation” in Toril. We brought him to school an hour early because the trip would take them at least 40 minutes. We had to stop by a convenience store. He said he needed chips and cookies for the ride. He went by himself. My eleven-year-old, so independent…he came out bringing one plastic bag full of goodies.

I went about my day. I wasn’t able to ask him about his day. But as we were about to sleep, he suddenly told me this story: It was of a teenage boy from Manila who went to Davao with his mom, the boy related that his mom left him at a station telling him that she would be back….he stayed there for days waiting for his mother who never came…..

I cannot fathom why a

I

F WE KEEP on changing the logo designs of Davao’s most popular festivals or events every time this city has a new mayor, Davao will never be able to “brand” itself into the consciousness of its city residents as well as that of all the visitors, tourists, investors and transients coming to this southern city.

Take the case of the “Kadayawan” festival logo design. Past city mayors of Davao with all their different festival committees and private consultants have been changing the festival logo every four or five years.

Finally, when one particular logo design began to be accepted and embedded into the minds of people here, here comes a new committee with “new ideas” that they presumed to be “more creative” as part of the new Davao branding.

Without telling us why,

L

OOKS like the Corona impeachment trial is slowly turning into a nauseous thrice-a-week television serial.

Apart from the boring repetition of account numbers, it has become – and perhaps will continue to be –a comedy of errors, courtesy of the bungling House prosecutors.

Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile could no longer hold his patience, and is obviously fed up with the repeated miscues made by the prosecutors.

“Do you want me to lecture some more?” fumed an exasperated JPE at lead prosecutor Neil Tupas Jr. Senator Enrile has told the prosecutors to their faces that they are fishing for evidence, and that they cannot, simply pick-up evidence in the air and proceed to win their case.

If the prosecutors continue to commit more legal blunders and show obvious unpreparedness, the Senate would be forced to abort the impeachment proceedings

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

Tommy

mother would leave her own child…

During my former employment, I had to travel all over Mindanao for days at a time. I used to do that every month for four years. I would be away for “days”, just days.

I would terribly miss my little boys. I would give them a call every day. There was a time I had to go on a 3-week training in Manila. I almost died from crying because I wanted desperately to see my kids! If money were no issue then, I would have gone home every single weekend just to be with them.

I think about this mother who left her son…forever!

I know of some mothers leaving their families for an opportunity abroad. I even wrote about this in one of my recent articles. We cannot judge them for their intentions, but if we can choose the lesser of two evils, then that I would choose that over having a child motherless for a lifetime.

When I gave birth to my daughter last year at 37 years old, I had my share of worries and insecurities. I asked myself, “Would I be able to raise this child well?”

Changing logos is a big mistake

this group simply pulled down that classic Kadayawan logo (the one with the dancing leaves) and replaced it with a dead, impersonal logo that doesn’t seem to care about the sensibilities of people, including visitors and tourists who have been used to seeing that classic, leafy Kadayawan logo.

The new Kadayawan logo is just a simple bold Arial font with the figure of a flying eagle, same as the Davao logo, as if someone simply typed it on a computer, with hardly any effort

to come up with something better, more distinctive.

“Why did they change your Kadayawan logo? It was so easy to recognize it as a Davao festival, as easy as the Sinulog of Cebu. It had become so popular and we’ve gotten so used to it,” said Ulli Eckhardt, a German tourist who had been visiting Davao to witness the festival almost every year.

That’s just the whole point of a brand logo. It takes many, many years, before you can successfully “brand” a logo into the

Crocodiles in coat and tie

altogether.

With their incompetence in performing their assigned task, the prosecuting congressmen are validating criticism that they are acting like members of a student council. ooOoo The other week, two huge crocodiles, a male (17 ft. long) and a female (10 ft. long) – were caught by farm folks in Palawan. They were subsequently turned over to the DENR and then brought to the crocodile farm.

That was a wrong move. They should have brought the reptiles to the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City were there are crocodiles in coat and tie.

I’m sure they will feel

safe and comfortable in the company of their twolegged cousins. ooOoo Autistic people are special persons in the sense that they possess “special” talents.

Some are very good at figures (numbers, stupid), some excel in sports or games, or playing musical instruments.

I know of one who has achieved marked excellence in practice shooting, and is a genius at computer games. ooOoo Democracy operates effectively on the fundamental principle of majority rule. The opinion or decision of the majority

“Would I be able to provide for her needs as well as the comforts in life?” Those anxieties ruled my thoughts. But when I remember a friend of mine who has been trying for years to conceive or going to Taipeh or Singapore for an IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) and failing, I thank God for giving me that gift. The gift of a child. I think of the lessfortunate who are not beset with that problem. In fact, their problem is having too many children . Too many for their financial capacity. The ironies of life.

How sad Tommy must have felt listening to the story of that young teenage boy. He lay down in bed and stared off into space. That night, he asked me to sleep beside him, pulled my arm to wrap him in an embrace. No other words said. Somehow, I knew the thoughts running through his mind as he slept…

minds of consumers. Look at the brand logos of Marlboro, Coca-cola, Tide, Colgate, etc. It took 60 to 70 years, almost a century, for them to become household names. There had been attempts to change some of them, but most failed to sustain themselves.

When you approve and adopt a logo for your brand name, you have to keep using that logo as long as possible. If you keep changing logos because you’re tired of an old logo, you’re missing the point of making a branding logo. It’s a very big mistake.

This new Davao “branding” project is already standing on very shaky grounds.

What happens now when there’s a new city government with new people running the show ?

(Comments? Email tradingpost_davao@yahoo. com) always prevails over that of the minority.

I don’t think justice chief Leila Delima subscribes to this principle. In last week’s impeachment trial where there was a witness of the prosecution, she heavily relied on the dissenting opinions of Associate Justice Serrano opposing the TRO allowing PGMA to travel outside the country.

Perhaps, Delima should be told that a dissenting opinion is a minority opinion and a LOST or defeated opinion it is not valid and belongs in the wastebasket.

Obviously, Delima is blinded by her bias against Gloria Arroyo and prefers to be wrong than right.

Delima doesn’t give justice to her powerful position. It’s tragic.

Embracing a dissenting opinion is like praising and recognizing the loser and disregarding the winners in a contest. It’s an intellectual contortion.

9

A viable food-pot venture

C

ANDID SHOTS – The leadership must strengthen our democratic institutions – the executive, legislative and judiciary. It should likewise include the fourth estate, police and military structure. The pork barrel system must go and corruption should be totally eliminated. Our free press ought to be really independent to become the watchdog of society and we must ensure the integrity of our electoral processes.

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH – If the city of Toronto’s renowned busiest commercial areas Spadina and Dundas turned into a food-pot operation, it would only have been running true to form. The reason is plain and simple because plenty of restaurants and other food joints owned and operated

by Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese business entrepreneurs dotting the busy thoroughfares are famous for their culinary expertise.

Our Filipino friends who have already acquired citizenship status told us that a stretch of Spadina and Dundas business districts where Chinatown is also located had become a culinary phenomenon. For the first half of our ride through the areas’ commercial sprawl, we noticed rows of restaurants famed for their Asian cuisine.

One can explore the famous and traditional Asian gastronomy – specifically Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese.

The drive around Spadina and Dundas took almost an hour. We made a brief stop to try a sumptuous meal at a popular restaurant and entered a narrow path leading to the dining hall where one can see wooden structures painted with colorful Chinese symbols. The place was teeming with customers – Asian, Americans, Europeans, and of course the locals.

Served to us were varieties of familiar food. Right then and there one could smell the aroma of black pepper, fish and soy sauce, and herbs -the foundation of fine Asian cooking.

On our way back home I reflected on the experience, imagining there were such an endless varieties of food.

On another sunny day we visited a Korean restaurant and then in another occasion we dropped by a Vietnamese food joint also to indulge in their traditional fare where the prices are very affordable compared to other fine restaurants in the city.

The remarkable success of the Asian-inspired restaurant business may well hold a clue for being imitated by small businesses in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada which are said to be also thriving well. Until a few years ago that description certainly fit the bustling commercial districts’ distinction as a food haven.

Not surprisingly, immigrants, notably Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese entrepreneurs are pumping money into the restaurant business and low-cost consumer-based products.

Other small entrepreneurs are also investing heavily, though, they usually engage in other business lines that are unattractive to the locals but possibly profitable. However, the good thing is that many of them want a piece of Toronto’s restaurant business.

Well, the success of the restaurant business can be attributed largely in part to people known for their insatiable appetite and craving dishes such as Asian fusion.

Many food lovers who at the same time are also thriftsmarts can appreciate medium-sized restaurants where the food is good and, most important, the prices are reasonable. By such a trend, can the real success of the restaurant business be measured?

Nevertheless, restaurant owners and operators eventually benefit from the food business boom, which makes their trade more profitable.

In the long run the food business venture is likely to see a sustainable growth. Sustainability has been at the core of the Asian-inspired restaurant business, not only in Canada but throughout the world.

BizQUIPS “We see strong headwinds and uncertainties ahead. Developing countries like the Philippines should prepare.”

-- World Bank country director Motoo Konishi on the 4.2 percent growth forecast the WB gave the country for 2012.

THE THEBUSINESS BUSINESSPAPER PAPER EDGEDAVAO

10 VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 10 VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

Generals groove to the 16th Kalilangan bash

W

ith the theme “Convergence in Divergence: Enriching Heritage, Bridging Cultures,” GenSan’s annual festival proved livelier and more fun with events celebrating the cultural diversity of the city as represented by tri-people – the Indigenous Peoples (IPs), Muslims and the Christians.

Beginning their 17-days celebration last February 10, the people of GenSan attended simultaneous events of song, dance and theatrical presentations, sports tournaments, visual art exhibits, agricultural exposures, free seminars, cook fest, animal shows, gadgets demo, fun run and parties.

It was a mix of the rustic and modern as the local government held ethnic sports gab, a local version of Cosplay, short for Costume Playing, usually held by Anime fans, Farmer’s Night celebration, Battle of the Bands competition.

Residents of General Santos City recently held the Lambigitan celebration or the Cultural Night, one of the many highlights of the 16th Kalilangan Festival and the 73rd Foundation Anniversary.

The ethnic sports competition “Laro Ng Lahi” , held February 24 to 26, gathered much audience as youngsters enjoyed playing traditional games such as: Kadang Marathon, Sack Race, Patintero, Palosebo, Tug of War, Sungka, Skipping Rope, Tabanug (kiteflying) and the board game Dama.

The Pinoy Cosplay, also held on February 24, was a new breed of excitement for the Generals. Instead of wearing costumes of their favorite Anime characters, the participants donned outfits in celebration of Pinoy heroes.

Throughout the festival days, annual highlights of Kalilangan sa Barangay, the Agri

Trade Fair, the Farmers Night, sports competitions, and various musical instrument contests were held.

New activities also gave new colors to the celebration such as the Traditional Houses Exhibit which ran from February 21 to 27, and the 1st GenSan Bike Festival held February 25 to 26.

On February 27, the festivity will come to its Finale through the anticipated Kadsagayan or Street Dancing wherein groups will compete over big prizes.

Kalilangan is derived from the rootword “Kalilang” which means celebration or commemoration in the Maguindanaon dialect.

Traditionally, Kalilangan means ‘festival’ or ‘jubilee’. It is the social gathering traditional leaders, elders, allies and subordinates and their exchange of amenities.

A Kalilang encompass a

variety of ethnic rites, rituals and traditions such as marriage, religious ceremonies, anniversaries, funerals, and enthronement of royal dignitaries, thanksgiving and other social forms of social, political

and economic activities.

The festivity projects a positive and dynamic meaning for the locals as it symbolizes their history, the present, and their hopes for the future through artistic and social in-

teraction.

At present the Generals view the Kalilangan festival as an economic activity but it also holds the deeper sentiments of companionship, family, tradition, and history.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

competitive edge

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

11

Scubasureros in Talikud Island DCCCII launches Earth Hour Davao T

he Davao Reef Divers Club (DRDC), the longest-running of such associations in the south, held its first club dive of the year last February 19, 2011, at Talikud Island, Samal.

According to tradition, the activity was geared towards marine environment protection, and the club’s efforts were backed by businessman and avid diver, Ray de la Paz, and barangay captain Fidencio Matro of Bgy. Sta. Cruz, Island Garden City of Samal.

DRDC president, Oliver “Blogie” Robillo, spearheaded the underwater clean-up activity that focused on a portion of the strait between Samal and Talikud islands. Such scuba diving events are commonly called “scubasurero”. Twenty-eight club members collected more than 100kg of trash, consisting mostly of plastics, cellophane bags, discarded clothing and glass bottles.

After the clean-up dive, the divers were hosted to a luncheon at the Leticia by the Sea resort on

Talikud Island by Mr. & Mrs. de la Paz. It was also a chance for the club to interact with the barangay officials. Bgy. Capt. Matro recognized the value of the divers’ contribution, but also acknowledged that the local communities on the island should be more conscious of proper waste disposal.

Talikud Island is home to some of the more popular scuba diving destinations of the island city: Angel’s Cove, Coral Gardens, Dayang Beach, Dizon Wall, to name a few. To be found in these waters are fascinating creatures such as nudibranchs, vibrantly-colored reef fish, and an abundant variety of coral species.

The event was sponsored in part by the resort, Casa Leticia Boutique Business Hotel, and by Carabao Dive Center.

DRDC holds club dives for its members once a month, but scubasurero activities happen more often, as the need for them is becoming more and more ur-

gent. In cooperation with the Carabao Dive Center, the club plans to conduct clean-up dives to collect crown-of-thorns sea stars (COTs), which have recently reached alarming numbers.

This voracious starfish can decimate entire coral colonies in a matter of hours. Robillo reports that at least two dive sites around Talikud Island are now in danger of losing substantial coral cover due to COTs infestation. At the Coral Gardens dive site, several five-square-meter areas were observed to have more than seven starfish in each patch of reef.

Apart from the regular dives, the dive club also holds general membership meetings every second Tuesday of the month. All divers (of any certification level) based in Davao are welcome to join the club. This year, the club plans to conduct skills development seminars, outreach programs, as well as the annual “AquaShots” amateur underwater photography contest.

D

avao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) last week launched their campaign for the annual celebration of Earth Hour Davao.

For this year, DCCCII president Ma. Lourdes Monteverde said major changes will be introduced with the expected higher participation than in 2011.

DCCCII environment committee chair Dr. Roberto Puentespina Jr. said the Earth Hour Davao campaign for this year aims to release 10,000 biodegradable lanterns on March 31, the date set for the world wide event.

The Earth House is a global event organized by the World Wildlife Foundation asking households and businesses to turn off non-essential lights for an hour.

Locally, Puntespina said, this will be celebrated with music and dance performances; a recall of the local natural history; vending Asian food treats; and the release of ‘Wishing Lanterns.’

“We hope to send off 10,000 of these biodegradable lanterns to the sky in contrast to the more traditionally used rubber balloons during events,”

By Jade C. Zaldivar

Puentespina said during the 2nd General Membership Meeting of the DCCCII held at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites in Sta. Ana last Friday.

To be able to reach this number, the DCCCII are inviting the local residents to support the event so “we may all help to raise environmental awareness for our fragile Davao biodiversity.”

“We encourage you to book and purchase the lanterns from the Chamber to distribute to your employees. Hopefully, this will become the family event for the weekend,” Puentespina told representatives of companies who attended the gab.

Lantern release sites on March 31 will be at Magsaysay Park, Times Beach, Toril, Sta. Cruz, Digos, Malalag, Malita, Mati, Lupon, Pantukan, Compostella Valley, Tagum, Panabo, and the beach resorts in Samal Island.

“So wherever you plan to be, when then Earth House strikes, we can all simultaneously release the lanterns, with our wishes for a proactive business community, in light of present climate change realities,” Puentespina said.

In Friday’s meeting, Mon-

teverde also gave insight to what’s in store for DCCCII’s plans this year.

Following the Earth Hour Davao celebration in March, the DCCCII will hold a Recyclable Collection Event in April.

Then from June 23 to July 1, the organization will launch here the “Sineng Pambansa:International Film Expo” to be participated in by a total of 10 countries active in film development and production.

Highlights of the expo will include (1) a celebrity marathon, (2) world premier of reknown Filipino movie director Brillante Mendoza; (3) a film competition; (4) a 2-day film symposium; (5) a film market which will showcase local, national national, and international works, inclusing suppliers of technology and software for folm; and (6) an Ambassador’s forum where film ministries from the ASEAN will discuss the challenges of the rapidly expanding film industry in the region.

The event will be held in partnership with the local government of Davao City and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

BPI posts P12.8 B income t

he Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) posted an unaudited net income of P12.8 billion for full year

The Scubasureros Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH Judicial Region Branch 11 Davao City IN RE: IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRY OF HIS GENDER FROM “FEMALE” TO “MALE” IN HIS CERTIFICATE OF LIVE SPEC. PROC.NO. 11,650-2011 CHYREL QUINDAO ALEGRIA rep. by ABRAHAM R. ALEGRIA, JR. Petitioner -versusTHE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF DAVAO CITY x-----------------------------------------------------------------x ORDER

BY THIS VERIFIED petition and for the reasons stated therein, the above-named petitioner, assisted by counsel, seeks for an Order of this Court directing the Local Civil Registrar of Davao City to correct petitioner’s gender as appearing on his Certificate of Live Birth from “female to “male” and to correct the spelling of petitioner’s name due to the blurred entry “CHYREL QUINDAO ALEGRIA”.

Finding the petition to be to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby set for hearing before this Court, sitting at the Hall of Justice,Candelaria St., Ecoland, Matina, Davao City on MARCH 8, 2012 , Thursday at 2:00 in the afternoon, at which place, date and time any interested person may appear and show cause if any, why the samw should not be granted.

Let this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper published in the City of Davao and of general circulation in the said city and the provinces of Davao as determined by raffled in accordance with law.

Furnish each with a copy of the petition and of this Order the Local Civil registrar of Davao City and the City Legal Office of Davao City as counsel for the City of Davao.

SO ORDERED.

`Given this 26th day of January 2012, Davao City, Philippines.

(SGD) VIRGINIA –HOFILEÑA A. EUROPA Presiding Judge Copy furnished: 1. Atty. Dennis R. Ampon, Calinan, Davao City 2. The Local Civil Registrar, Davao City 3. The City legal Office, Davao City (Edge 2/13,20/27)

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH Judicial Region Branch 33 Davao City IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF SUYANNE CITA UY SORIANO SPL.PROC. NO. 11,740-2012 GERARDO UGAY SORIANO Petitioner x---------------------------------------------------x ORDER This is a verified petition for adoption of minor Suyanne Cita Uy Soriano ,filed by Gerardo Ugay Soriano, praying that after due notice, and hearing judgment be entered adjudging, that the minor child, Suyanne Cita Uy Soriano be freed from all legal obligations of obedience and maintenance with respect to her natural parent and that she be declared to all legal intents and purposes, the child of the herein petitioner.

Finding the verified petition to be sufficient in form and substance, set hearing of this petition on August 2, 2012 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.

Pursuant to Section 11, Article IV of the Domestic Adoption Act of 1998, petitioners are hereby directed to submit themselves to Ms Lorelie Basillote, a social worker of this Court, for the preparation of the required case to conduct a case study on minor Suyanne Cita Uy Soriano her biological parents and petitioner, and to submit a report (home and child study reports) and recommendation thereon within (30) days from receipt of this Order.

Pursuant to Sec. 12 (6) of A.M. No. 02-6-02-SC, Ms. Lorelie Basillote, is also directed to conduct counseling sessions with the biological parents (if known) on the matter of adoption of the adoptee and to submit her report before the date of hearing.

Petitioner is hereby directed to cause the publication of this Order at his expense, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, which has been selected after a raffle, in the City and the four (4) provinces of Davao.

Likewise, petitioner is further directed to furnish the Office of the Solicitor General a copy of this petition and to submit proof of compliance thereto.

Any person interested or who seeks to oppose the instant petition may appear to state why the petition should not be granted.

SO ORDERED.

(Edge 2/27,3/5,12)

Davao City, Philippines, January 31, 2012 (Sgd) LOPE L.CALIO Judge

2011, a 13.4% increase over the P11.3 billion reported in 2010. This result translated to a Return on Equity of 15.2% and a Return on Assets of 1.6%.

Total revenues grew by 7% as net interest income improved by 10% due to the expansion of P48 billion in average asset base. Amid a low interest rate environment, net interest margin was not only preserved but ended higher by 13 basis points. Non interest income was better by 3% due to higher service charges, trust fees, income from the insurance companies and credit card income.

Operating expenses increased by 12% with almost half of the increase brought about by salary related increases. Manpower cost though remained at 48% of total expenses. Also increasing were premises costs, regulatory costs, and other variable costs. Impairment losses were lower at P2.15 billion in view of the continuous decline in non-performing assets.

With the focus on the safety of the Bank’s assets and the maintenance of yields at the expense of assets growth, total resources of P843 billion was slightly lower than previous year. The Bank continued its thrust of growing low cost deposits to fund its loan growth. Though total deposits contracted by about 5% to P681 billion, total intermediated funds reached P1.35 trillion, or a 12% increase as assets under management went up by 38%.

The Bank’s net loan portfolio reached P453 billion, increasing by 20% from the previous year, with the growth coming from all market segments: middle market by 24%, top tier corporations by 21%, SMEs by 20%, and consumer by 12%. Loan to deposit ratio was 68% from last year’s 54%.

Asset quality continued to improve as the net 30-day NPL ratio went down further to 1.9% from prior year’s 2.1%, with a reserve cover of 116%.

BPI remains as the bank with the largest market capitalization at P196 billion as of end 2011. Its capital level continues to be strong with a Basel II Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 14.9% and Tier 1 CAR at 13.4%.

BPI President and CEO Aurelio R. Montinola III commented, “2011 was both challenging and exciting. Despite Eurozone troubles, below 2010 Philippine GDP growth, and low interest rates, BPI performed creditably. We grew loans 20%, Assets under Management almost 40%, and significantly increased our loan to deposit ratio. We exceeded our 5 million customer goal, improved our ROA to 1.6%, and maintained ROE above 15% during our 160th anniversary year. We look forward to 2012 as a better year for the country and for BPI as we intend to continue our loan growth path and differentiate ourselves through superior Relationship Managers and ever growing, easy to use Online Banking.”

BizQUIPS “What if there is a change of Justice and there suddenly comes a decision that it suddenly becomes unconstitutional?”

-- Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo R. Tañada III, on the review of the 13-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the United States and the Philippines.

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

competitive edge

12 VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

Hapee’s retains P1.5 B earnings

H

apee mogul Cecilio Kwok Pedro of Hapee revealed Friday that the Philippine-made toothpaste closed revenue in 2011 with PHP 1.5 billion.

But Pedro, CEO and president of Lamoiyan Corportation, said the PHP 1.5 billion revenue is ‘basically flat’ as compared to their revenue in 2010.

“The industry is basically flat. The economy is slow. Last year was shaky,” Pedro said in an interview at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites in Sta. Ana where he was the guest speaker in the 2nd General Membership Meeting of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Insutry, Inc. (DCCCII).

Pedro attributed the steady revenue to the sluggish world economy and his “competitor’s aggressive marketing.”

“People didn’t want to spend because the oil was going up. So many things were happening in the world, currencies going down and that affected the country. I also attribute this to the aggressive campaign of the multinational competition,” he said.

However, Pedro expressed confidence and optimism for the 2012 revenue.

“Hopefully the economy will grow this year. I don’t know what will happen this year but we are confident that once the economy starts to lift we will grow again. Hopefully it will be better,” Pedro said.

“If you buy Close-Up then you are supporting Indonesia.

If you buy Colgate then you are supporting Thailand,” Pedro humored regarding where his competing US-made toothpaste brands are mass being produced in the neighboring Asean countries.

Pedro spoke about corporate social responsibility during the DCCCII’s meeting and gave much inspiring words found useful by the guests of entrepreneurs and company representatives.

The toothpaste mogul’s

Pedro lecture centered on the keywords of ‘Pinoy World Class’, expounding his philosophy as an entrepreneur which is “anchored on belief on the strength of the human will and faith in God.” Pedro reiterated that the key to creating a good product and making profit is to focus on quality and efficiency. He however, stressed that people come to earth with nothing and leave with nothing, and that money is best spent in worthwhile means which is in service of people. “”It’s hard work. If you sleep hard, nothing will happen to you. Business is a 24-hour commitment. We work hard not just for ourselves but for everyone. No man is an island but everyone is tasked to take care of the island,” Pedro said.

He said as a matter of fact that the country cannot compete with rising Asian countries such as China thus he called for Filipinos to become hardworking entrepreneurs.

“The President is campaigning against corruption in government which basically makes services, everything slow down, and he cannot do it alone. Stop bribing public officials. That starts with us (entrepreneurs). There will be obstacles. There will be struggles but we need to work together,” he said.

Born of Filipino-Chinese descent, Mr. Pedro received numerous awards and cita-

tions, including one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men award for business entrepreneurship.

He began his life in the business industry as the owner of Aluminum Containers Inc. which was the major supplier of aluminum collapsible toothpaste tubes of multinational consumer goods giants such as Colgate, Palmolive, and the Philippine Refining Company - now under Unilever Philippines.

With much determination and hard work, he initiated a major shift in the toothpaste segment by founding the Lamoiyan Corporation and introducing national brands of toothpastes now known as Hapee.

Being part of the community, Pedro is being admired for his work in helping people with disabilities, particularly the hearing impaired, in bringing free education to hundreds of deafmute Filipinos.

“There are about 500,000 hearing impaired Filipinos but only 50,000 gets education.

My commitment is to give education to those 450,000 who cannot. We train the students to become teachers so they can teach others. Some we have even sent abroad to teach other deaf-mute children,” Pedro said.

DCCCII president Ma. Lourdes Monteverde expressed appreciation to the guest speaker.

“Although we have read and heard so much about him, it is still very inspiring to hear these successes ultimately from its source, from an entrepreneur who remains to be humble amidst the success and recognition gained in grabbing opportunities both for business and helping others,” Monteverde said.

The DCCCII has been inviting business magnates into the city including Chowking magnate Robert Kwan and Tessie Sy-Coson, the only Filipina who made it to the Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in the World.

Culinary couple tours readers thru food-travel guide book

K

nown Filipino artist and chef Claude Tayag with wife Mary Ann introduced their newest book “Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines” to Dabawenyos last February 16 after going around the country and trying out different the cuisines of each region.

Following the success of Bale Dutung, the home and restaurant built by the couple to showcase Claude’s culinary expertise, especially in sumptuous Pampango dishes, Claude suddenly felt the urge to travel around the Philippines and write about the cuisines unique to every region.

Claude shared,“ Eating is such serious business. There are certain dishes served in joints like no other, and although available in other places, you need to have it in

that particular place.”

Mary Ann, a former flight attendant, decided to continue to fly with her husband through food tours which they both enjoy tremendously.

In the couple’s culinary travel book, readers are not just given food reviews on the different dishes they tried out in their travel. More than that, the couple injected a historical component that best links how these food have become a distinct cuisine in a particular region.

Historian and UP Professor Emeritus-History Dr. Serafin D. Quiason, Jr described the authors to “have skillfully synthesized their intense and arduous field trips, in-depth interviews, and highly informative facts into a smoothlywritten narration delineating the variety of major ethnics’ specialties.”

avao City will welcome the first cruise ship to dock here on March 30, 2012 carrying 371 visiting French nationals. This was announced by travel agency owner Wanda Teo during last Wednesday’s Club 888 forum at The Marco Polo Davao. NDS Voyages’s “Princess Danae” will be coming from Papua New Guinea.

“In past years, cruise ships arriving in the country would dock only at Manila and Cebu. It took me some time to convince this group to try and take a look at Davao,” said Teo. The French nation-

als arriving on the 30th of March will be toured to selected tourist destinations of the city, courtesy of the Department of Tourism which has allotted a budget to show them around.

Visitors will be taken to Davao’s newest and largest park, the People’s Park and will have a personal encounter with the eagles at the Philippine Eagle sanctuary after which they will end up at SUL Orchids given that French people love orchids.

Other areas they will visit are Davao’s shopping havens like Aldevinco Shopping Center where they can

C

Allegro’s recipe was first concocted by a Dutch consultant who brought here the machinery in 2006 to help out budding entrepreneur Allan Pang give the ice cream business a try.

However, the first Allegro product had too much of an “Italian” taste that the owner believed would not capture the interest of middle class Dabawenyos, their target market at the time.

Further market research and study by an in-house certified food technologist resulted to a perfect mix of Italian and Filipino taste.

Selling the product, which is slightly cheaper than multinational ice cream products turned out to be the earliest challenge that Allegro faced.

This was addressed by adding items to its product line to capture various markets. It offers the cheaper Milkbar at

Macapagat]

First foreign cruise ship to dock at Davao City D

Keeping up with the ‘Davao Brand’ ompeting against the so-called “big three” in the ice cream industry: Selecta, Nestle, and Magnolia is not in the agenda of a newbie Davao-based ice cream product known to Dabawenyos as Allegro.

“When we started, we never wanted to compete with the Big Three. Rather, we compete against our own,” said Allegro spokesperson Leo Montelibano.

The book is divided into several categories regionwise. They selected unique dishes that they tried out in Amiana, Central Plains, Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, Bicol Region, Central and Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, and Mindanao .

The authors were in awe learning and tasting Davao ’s Sugba/Gata Pantat commonly known as catfish. This dish is twice-cooked from having it grilled and later simmered with coconut cream. Claude described in the book the detailed process from catching the live catfish from what he called “an aquarium” to the joy one would feel as it is served on the dining table.

“Linamnam” is now on its second printing after it was first printed in November 2011. [PIA 11/Frances Mae Gevera-

P6 each compared to the costlier Ice Cream Sandwich (P21 each). Through the years, its Creamy Cone has turned out to be the bestseller by capturing both the student and the working class market. The business also offers ice cream in gallons.

Despite massive marketing and product development, the business still finds it challenging to penetrate the market outside Davao . This led the Allegro owner to avail of the Davao Branding Program under the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. which aims to upgrade the level of appreciation for excellence and quality of locally manufactured products by introducing a local branding system for products that are of exceptional quality.

Davao branding was conceptualized to help Davaomade products find a niche in both local and international markets. DCCCII officers believe that Davao Branding will create a strong identity and market presence for the quality of locally manufactured products in the local as well as international market; which in turn will encourage local processors to aspire for better quality and class.

The Davao Branding Program focuses its assistance on the micro, small and medium enterprise belonging in the sector of fresh and processed foods, floriculture, horticultures, livestock and poultry. [PIA 11/Frances Mae Gevera-Macapagat]

buy authentic native products and thence to the city’s newest mall--Abreeza.

“This could be the start of more cruise ships including Davao in their itinerary that will bring in revenue,” Teo added.

The Princess Danae passengers will be given an entire day to tour the sights and sounds of city.

Teo urged Dabawenyos to use this opportunity to show the visitors Davao’s traditional brand of hospitality to the visitors as this could be the start for more future cruise ships to drop anchor at the Davao port. [PIA

11/Frances Mae Gevera-Macapagat]

DaLight announces hike in February’s generation charge

D

avao Light and Power Company gas announced an increase in its generation charge starting February, 2012.

The electric utility explained that the reason for the higher charges as imposed by the state-run National Power Corporation of the Philippines (NPC) is due to the shift of the Time of Use (TOU) rates from wet to the more expensive dry-season rates. The dryseason rate runs from JanJun and the wet-season rate starts from Jul-Dec every year. But the dry-season rate is reflected in the customers’ bill from Feb-Jul

and the other is Aug to Jan. The generation charge increased from P 3.5433/ kWh in January to P 3.7709/kWh in February reflecting an increase of P 0.2276/kWh on the said charge. However, the transmission charge for residential customers will drop by P 0.0665/kWh due to lower ancillary charges compared to last month.

For a residential customer whose consumption is 175 kWh, the increase will be about P 29.41.

The generation and transmission are passthrough charges for Davao Light and merely recovers its costs.

BizQUIPS “That is a possibility because the Chief Executive is showing less and less consideration for the beliefs of others contrary to his own.”

--Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, warning President Aquino of another “People Power” revolution should he continue to earn the ire of various churches.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

ict hub

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

13

unfriend: women Touch-screen steering wheel keeps eyes on road Click, more likely than men n Using their thumbs, a driver can turn on the radio or navigate through a map

W

D

istance driving can be mind-numbingly boring, but looking away from the road to text or change songs is a life-or-death gamble. Plus, buttons embedded in the wheel only control a fraction of a car’s functionality. Now German researchers have a wheel prototype that puts everything within reach — no glancing needed.

“If you have gestures on the steering wheel, you spend more time looking at the street,” said Albrecht Schmidt, a computer science professor specializing in human-computer interaction at the University of Stuttgart in Germany who worked on the prototype.

The team, which includes University of Duisburg-Essen researchers Tanja Döring, Dagmar Kern, Max Pfeiffer, and Volker Gruhn, as well as Johannes Schöning of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, came up with the idea for a multi-touch steering wheel interface while thinking about driving and mobile technology.

PHOTOS: Summer›s Best Convertibles Their prototype is made from 11-millimeter-thick clear acrylic ringed in infrared LEDs.

TOUCH-SCREEN. The touch-screen steering wheel prototype in a simulator. Gesturing with the thumbs lets

An infrared camera attached to the bottom picks up the reflections made when the surface is touched. A driver can control a radio or navigate a map with simple movements along the surface. Those gestures can be made with the thumbs while still gripping the wheel and

drivers control settings while staying focused on the road.

looking at the road.

“We use a standard tracking framework, very much like Microsoft Surface and those interactive tables,” Schmidt said.

To identify intuitive gestures, the researchers conducted a study asking participants what movements they›d make for

each of 20 commands. Döring said that gestures originated from different mobile devices.

Participants pinched two fingers together to zoom in on a map and made a triangle for «play.»

When they couldn›t come up with an abstract gesture, they traced the first letter of the word.

omen are more likely than men to delete friends from their online social networks like Facebook and tend to choose more restrictive privacy settings, according to a study published on Friday.

The study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project also found that men were nearly twice as likely as women to have posted content online that they later regret.

Sixty-three percent of social network users have deleted people from their friend lists, according to the study, up from 56 percent in 2009.

Sixty-seven percent of women who maintain a social networking profile said they have deleted friends compared with 58 percent of men.

When it comes to privacy, 58 percent of social network users set their profile to private so that only friends can see it.

Nineteen percent allow friends of friends to view their profile and 20 percent keep their profile public.

Women are significantly more likely than men -- by a 67 percent to 48 percent margin -to set their profile to private, the study said.

As for the ease of using

privacy controls, those surveyed were evenly divided.

Forty-eight percent said they have some difficulty with privacy controls while 49 percent said they did not experience any difficulty.

The study found that men are nearly twice as likely as women to have posted updates, comments, photos or videos that they later regret.

Eleven percent of social network users say they have posted content they regret with 15 percent of men saying they have done so and just eight percent of women.

Ninety-three percent of social network users surveyed said they have a profile on Facebook, up from 73 percent in 2009.

The popularity of rival Myspace continues to wane, the study found. Twenty-three percent of social network users said they have a Myspace profile, down from 48 percent in 2009.

While just six percent of social network users said they had a presence on Twitter in 2009, 11 percent are now using the short-messaging service.

The survey of 2,277 adults was conducted in April and May of last year and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

Silicon Valley: The rise of the adolescent CEOs Apple tactics in China

J

osh Buckley, chief executive of an online gaming start-up, is looking forward to next month’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, particularly for the parties and the accompanying schmoozing with industry A-

listers.

There’s one problem: Buckley, who will turn 20 this week on February 22, may be turned away from many of the parties because he is not old enough to drink. His fake ID was recently confiscated, and

the two new ones he ordered from a company in China have not yet arrived.

Such are the dilemmas facing the ever-younger entrepreneurs thatSilicon Valley investors are backing these days. While little data on the

phenomenon exists, venture capitalists say they are funding more chief executives under age 21 than ever before.

“At a certain point, they can’t get much younger or we’re going to be invested in preschool,” quipped Marc Andreessen, whose venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is one of several that backs Buckley’s company, MinoMonsters.

Andreessen and other venture capitalists say the entrepreneurs they fund at 18 or 19 typically have been prepping for years -- learning computer code, taking on ambitious freelance projects and educating themselves on the Internet.

Some are self-consciously molding themselves in the image ofFacebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 27, who created computer games as a child and was taking a graduate-level computer course by his early teens.

Internet businesses that target consumers make a sweet spot for the baby-faced, because online companies often require relatively little capital. A semiconductor start-up might require $10 million to $20 million in the early stages, noted Joe Kraus of Google Ventures, and that would be tough even for the most talented youngster.

“If I’m going to write that big a check, I’m going to invest in people who’ve done it before,” he said. “But if you look at it as, ‘Hey, I’m going to raise $500,000,’ there’s a lot of ways to raise that.”

Kraus helped back Airy Labs, an educational socialgaming company run by 20-year-old Andrew Hsu that raised $1.5 million. Hsu is now learning the same hard lessons as many of his elders: the company recently laid off staff and is looking to rent out some of its office space in Palo Alto, California. Hsu said the company is taking a different direction and focusing on a line of new products in math, language arts and science.

Kraus said his biggest hiccups with young entrepreneurs are the business references they don’t understand because they are too young to be aware of them.

iPad deal unusual, say

P

roview Electronics, the firm trying to stop Apple Inc from using the iPad name in China, has a plausible claim over the unusual methods Apple used to conceal its identity when attempting to acquire Proview’s trademarks, according to several legal experts.

But Apple also has some strong defenses against a lawsuit Proview filed last week in California - including the argument that Proview cannot sue Apple, but can only sue the corporation that actually bought the trademarks, the experts said.

Apple announced its iPad tablet computer in January 2010 and the device has become phenomenally popular. During the last 14 weeks of 2011 Apple sold 15.43 million iPads. China represents a potentially huge market for the device.

Proview has sued Apple in China, requesting that sales of Apple’s iPads be suspended across the country because of the trademark dispute. Authorities in several Chinese cities, such as Shijiazhuang and Huizhou, have already banned the sale of iPads, citing the legal dispute.

Proview extended the battle to American shores last week by accusing Apple of fraud in a lawsuit filed in a California state court. According to the complaint, Apple’s lawyers formed an opaque special purpose entity to buy the iPad trademark.

They also sent an email with the allegedly false promise that the entity would not be competing with Proview, the suit said.

Representatives for Apple did not respond to a request for comment, but the company has said that it bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark.

PROVIEW P.R. BOOST? Apple’s lawyers called the special purpose entity IP Application Development Limited, and told Proview it wanted the iPad trademark because it was an abbrevia-

tion of the company name, according to the lawsuit.

Large companies often use special purpose entities to conceal their identities in trademark negotiations, for fear that the price will skyrocket if they are revealed.

But naming the special purpose entity after the product is unusual, said Martin Schwimmer, a trademark attorney based in New York.

“I have never encountered this level of ruse,” Schwimmer said.

While Proview’s fraud claim is plausible, Apple has some key defenses, Schwimmer and other experts said.

Proview’s licensing deal with Apple said that the agreement itself supersedes all prior representations and warranties, according to a copy of the agreement.

Since Proview did not ask for noncompete protections in the contract, then it may not matter what Apple’s lawyers said in an email, Schwimmer said.

Apple could also argue that it should not have to defend the lawsuit at all, said Anna Han, a technology licensing professor at Santa Clara University School of Law in Silicon Valley. That is because Proview sold the trademarks to the special entity - not to Apple, she said.

A Proview spokeswoman could not comment on the litigation.

Proview’s parent, Hong Kong-listed Proview International Holdings Ltd, was the first Taiwanese technology company to list in Hong Kong, and by the end of the 1990s numbered itself among the top five computer monitor makers.

In 1999 it partnered with U.S. chip maker National Semiconductor to launch the I-PAD, a stripped-down desktop computer whose main selling points were its Internet connectivity and ease of use. But Proview had been badly hammered by the financial crisis, and trading of its stock was suspended in Hong Kong in 2010.

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

14 VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

suburbia

Samal village energized

A

remote village in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS), Davao del Norte was recently energized through the city’s electrification project benefiting some 54 families.

“Maakatan-aw na gyud mi’g salida sa TV ani kay naa na man jud mi kuryente (We can now watch TV programs finally, because we have electricity,” enthused Renato Broce, a purok official of Sitio San Juan in Barangay Tagbitan-ag, IGaCoS. City Mayor Aniano P. Antalan led the ceremonial switchon of electricity in the village last February 8.

The city government invested more than P1 million from the

General Fund for the installation of an electrical transmission line in the remote barangay situated near Putting Bato, one of the tourist destinations of the city.

“Sa unang pag-anhi nako panahon sa election, misaad ko na dili ko mubalik hangtud dili masugaan ang inyong lugar.

Karon ania ako para mopasiga sa inyong suga (In my first visit during the election, I vowed not to return here until you have your electricity. Now I’m here to switch it on),” Antalan told the villagers.

He talked of his desire to provide electricity in all remote barangays of the city to provide a better life for Samaleños con-

sidering that the island city is a potential tourist destination.

Henry Lañohan Sr., a purok official in Sitio San Juan, said: “Daku among pasalamat kang Mayor Antalan nga natuman na gyud ang among gidamgo nga pasuga ug sa iyang suporta nga kami masugaan na gyud (We are grateful to Mayor Antalan for helping and supporting us realize our dream to have light).”

City Engineer Darwin S. Arig said the city government intends to electrify other areas this year such as the sitios in Barangay Cogon, Babak District, Purok 4 of Brgy. Tagbitan-ag, and some Sitios in Kaputian District. [CIO-IGA-

COS/Melrose T. Arig]

UPGRADING. DANECO Linemen connect the upgraded (new) power lines along the National Highway, Tagum on Pioneer Ave. - National Highway junction on Sunday, February 19, 2012. The ongoing project is being implemented by DANECO in preparation for a bigger load requirement due to

the inevitable influx of investments and coming in of more malls, hotels and other buildings in booming city Tagum City. This operation is the cause of scheduled brownouts in the city Saturdays and Sundays for the months of February and March this year.

From CSC with love WB lauds NorthCot MRDP Seal of Excellence award rural women beneficiaries for Nabunturan, Comval

T

he enterprising rural women of Libungan, North Cotabato have imhe Civil Service Commis- newsletter format of CSC Com- sioner Rogelio C. Limare will do sion (CSC) Compostela Val- postela Valley Field Office. the honor of awarding the Seal of pressed high ranking World Bank officials. ley Field Office will stage its Ortiz revealed that Nabun- Excellence to Nabunturan.

World Bank (WB) sector 3rd Trilogy of events on Thursday turan was one of only three govCSC Compostela Valley will to highlight the awarding of a seal ernment agencies throughout also be handing over Pasidun- director for East Asia Sustainof excellence to the municipality the country that got “Excellent” gog Awards to “outstandingly” able Development Department of Nabunturan. ratings in the Report Card Survey performing Human Resource John Roome and new WB CSC provincial director conducted last year “to determine Management Practitioners of country director Motoo KoniRichard Ortiz said the CSC Com- government agencies’ compli- government agencies based in shi visited Libungan which has been successful in sustaining Val’s Trilogy set on Thursday at ance with the Anti-Red Tape the province. the Social Hall of the Provincial Act (ARTA) and to ascertain the Ortiz is looking forward its livelihood projects under the Capitol will combine three im- effectiveness of their respective to sustaining the Pasidun- Department of Agriculture’s portant activities, among which Citizen’s Charter.” gog Awards which, he said, “re- Mindanao Rural Development will be the handing over of the “In fact, the municipal gov- main as the only institutionalized program (DA-MRDP).

MRDP is a long term povCitizen’s Satisfaction Center Seal ernment is the only local govern- awards system for HRMPs” in the erty-alleviation initiative impleof Excellence Award to Nabun- ment unit in the Philippines that Davao region. turan. rated ‘Excellent’ in the 2011 RCS The CSC ComVal Journal mented under DA with funding The trilogy will also feature as the other two are national gov- features the lives of lowly gov- source from the WB, the nationthe 4th CSC ComVal Pasidun- ernment agenceis based in the ernment employees Ortiz refers al government and equity share gog Award and will release the Visayas,” Ortiz said referring to to as “unsung heroes” who have of the enrolled LGU. Roome said the success of sixth issue of CSC Comval Jour- Nabunturan. shown dedication to government nal, the official publication in CSC Assistant Commis- service. [PIA 11/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan] the municipal government and the community could be the basis for societal change.

“What you have done here is similar to that of some women groups in India where s greening takes center tion that will run from March 3 tivity. the growth of their livestock Specific varieties will in- project had become the basis of stage in this year’s cel- to March 8. ebration of Bulawan FesServing as the action offi- clude Mahogany, Palcatam the change of living condition in tival, some 500,000 trees will cer of this year’s Bulawan Festi- Narra, Acacia, and Mangium. their community. We are hopesimultaneously be planted all val celebration, Blanco said the All varieties fruit trees and high ful, it would be the same among over the province of Compos- activity will also be soliciting value trees, particularly rub- the communities here,” Roome tela Valley. participation from the small- ber, cacao and coffee will form said.

Compostela Valley Board scale and large-scale mining part of the grove of trees to be Roome added that the Member Augusto Blanco Jr. groups, schools and from the planted. bank is grateful to note that it explained that this year’s Bu- ranks of government employMeawhile, a fun-run continues to be part of helping lawan Festival focuses on envi- ees of national line agencies dubbed Bulawan Fun Run poor communities in this part of ronment concerns in the light based in the province.

2012 Kalinga sa Kabata- the country. of calamities, particularly landIdentified planting sites for an which serves as the opening Libungan town has been slide incidents happening in the NGA employees are barangays salvo of the Bulawan Festival province.

Magsaysay, Linda, Libasan and 2012 is targeted to bring in With the theme “ComVal Sasa—all in the municipality of 7,000 participants from various Shines at 14, Going Green,” this Nabunturan where most NGA sectors of the community. year’s Bulawan Festival tasks offices are located.

Blanco appealed for inthe municipal governments to In the same forum, Pro- terested participants to join as identify areas where residents vincial Agriculturist Dr. Rolando proceeds of which will go to the can take part in the simultane- Simene said seedlings of forest Kalinga sa Kabataan school projous tree-planting activity that trees and fruit trees will be used ects for classroom building conwill take place on March 6 as as planting materials during the struction , school chairs and tahe Philippine Drug Enpart of the week-long celebra- simultaneous tree planting ac- bles. [PIA 11/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan] forcement Agency (PDEA) in Davao del Sur has beefed-up its community awareness and information drive You want to EXPORT your products? against illegal drugs, though noting a manageable level of Is your company READY for export? drug situation in the province.

PDEA provincial officer Bryan Ponferrada said that they have doubled their efforts in A strong business plan will proof your export-readiness! providing information and raising the awareness level of people in the communities, particuWe have more than 30 years’ experience in business analy- larly on Republic Act No. 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. sis and provide excellent and successful business plans at Ponferrada told the Philipvery affordable rates. pine Information Agency that though the drug situation is manageable in Davao del Sur, PDEA is intensifying its camContact Raf Vlummens at 092 0675 2754 or trv. paign against illegal drugs in aiming for a drug-free province. davao@gmail.com He said they have been conducting for a, meetings and lectures in communities such as in barangays and in secondary trv business consultancy and college schools.

He added that most of SME Center - Chamber building PDEA’s undertakings are in collaboration with the Philippine JP Laurel Ave., Davao City Army and police enforcers in the province.

T

‘Greening’ in Bulawan Festival

A

an MRPD beneficiary since the first phase in 1999 when they proposed livestock dispersal, agroforestry, integrated farming and poultry projects among the five poorest barangays.

Now on the second phase, MRDP and the LGU continue to reach more communities completing to cover all 20 barangays of the town providing agribased livelihood opportunities to people’s organizations (PO) through the program’s Community Fund for Agriculture Development (CFAD) component.

During the first phase, the LGU introduced an innovative cost-recovery program where the PO beneficiaries were asked to pay the initial investment to establish a trust fund to assist new POs and expand the existing ones.

The program has brought more benefits, including the formation of a PO consortium at the baragnay level and Consortium Federation at the municipal level which ventured to further ventures to both on-farm and off-farm investments.

The WB eight-man team visited the Sinawingan MRDPCFAD PO’s Consortium which to date has a total assets and stocks worth P1,038,000 from their initial investment of about P500,000 from the original nine PO. Moreover, the 12 heads of cattle released to them in March

2010 as part of their MRDP2 project is now 22 heads expected to be dispersed to more beneficiaries.

MRDP director Lealyn A. Ramos said the POs in Libungan are among the more empowered groups around Mindanao, particularly in terms of sustaining their livelihood activities.

“We have been highlighting the achievement of the LGU in Libungan since they provide a human face on how the program sustains itself,” Ramos said.

“Other LGUs have also visited the town to study its strategy in sustaining livelihood projects,” she added.

These included officials and PO members from as far as Compostela Valley province, a number of towns in nearby South and North Cotabato provinces and the ARMM. The WB team is circuiting various WB-funded projects in Mindanao as part of the first official travel of the new country director Konishi.

The team includes sustainable development leader in the Philippines Mark Woodward, MRDP Task team leader Felizardo K Virtucio, social development unit officers Matthew Stephens and Roberto Tordecilla, external affairs officer David Llorito and infrastructure unit officer Nora Moreno. [Sherwin B.

Manual/DA-MRDP]

Info drive vs illegal drugs intensified in Davao Sur T Ponferrada said the information campaign has brought about increased the number of apprehensions of drug users in Davao del Sur. Based on monitoring, intelligence reports and information from the communities, he said about four drug users aged 25 to 32 years old are apprehended a month.

From the apprehensions conducted, he disclosed that the most abused drug is shabu.

The PDEA provincial official assured that no illegal drug laboratory nor drug syndicate is

BizQUIPS

operating in the province, saying that most of the illegal drugs are coming from Cotabato City and Marawi.

He also assured that all intelligence reports and information from the communities go through verifications before undertaking the apprehension operations.

However, he rued the fact that the budget cut has somehow affected their operations, saying that extensive surveillance of illegal drugs reports are no longer done. [PIA 11/Carina

L. Cayon]

“It is clear from a cursory reading Article 61 of Republic Act No. 6938 or the Cooperative Code of the Philippines that as a cooperative, the petitioner’s sugar is exempt from the payment of VAT.”

– the Court of Appeals, ordering the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to refund over P19 million in advance value added tax (VAT) erroneously collected from a sugar producers’ cooperative in its decision promulgated February 17, 2012.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

E-mail: edgedavao_editorial@yahoo.com.ph

UP AND ABOUT

Venue Party Boat opens ticketing kiosk at SM Davao The Venue Partyboat, Davao’s first and only party cruise ship recently opened its newest ticketing kiosk at the ground floor south gallery of SM City Davao. The kiosk serves as a showcase and ticketing counter for a unique party experience on the Venue Partyboat.

Dabawenyos can now more easily book their tickets and enjoy the Venue Partyboat’s events and parties every Saturday.

Guests can also avail of charter bookings for private parties, functions, and even weddings.

“We want to make experiencing the Venue Partyboat more accessible for the mall going Dabawenyos,” says Venue Partyboat’s Gene Bangayan “the party boat cruise concept is unique and we want everyone to experience it for themselves.”

Tickets for the weekly cruise starts at Php350 net. Visit the Venue Partyboat kiosk at SM City Davao ground floor south gallery.

ALL ABOARD! The Venue Partyboat’s Gene Bangayan cuts the ribbon together with SM Supermalls’ Assistant Vice President for Operations in Mindanao (second from the left) Debby Go and SM City Davao’s Assistant Mall Manager Nick Santos.

A ‘Side by Side’ piano duet concert

A collaboration between two talented artists, Side by Side: A Piano Duet features two of Davao City’s finest pianists, Mary Anne Espina and Daphne C. Jocson, performing side by side, one piano, four-hands.

The evening’s repertoire includes duet pieces composed

by Mozart, Faure and the famous Hungarian Dances of Brahms. Expect also arrangements from the Baroque period and by Fritz Kreisler, with well-loved Filipino songs arranged by Agot Espino reserved for the finale.

“Why did I choose to do ESPINA a piano duet, music written for two pianists playing on a single piano?” Espina beams, ”For one thing, it is practical. We only need one piano for rehearsing and performing. More important, it is fun, especially if you do it with a friend. And my co-pianists always give me more insights into the music, showing me more ways to explore and, yes, enjoy it.”

This cultural contribution to Davao is on March 2, at 6 P.M. JOCSON

Giving thanks the Havaianas way

15

P17

YOUTH TRENDS

Margarita mania

T

here are a lot of reasons to throw house parties these days.

First, since there is an increase in crimes within the city, it is probably a lot safer to throw parties at your home and have your friends sleepover as well. Second, the weather is very unpredictable, so staying indoors is a huge advantage. Third, we just celebrated Margarita Day last week (February 22) which should make for the perfect excuse to throw a margarita party in your home. How do you do that? Simply prepare some of your favorite finger food, turn up the music, and serve that gorgeously citrusy cocktail for all your friends to enjoy. Here are some of the best margarita recipes: The Classic Margarita: The Classic Margarita is unlike the Margaritas we commonly enjoy in this country. Instead of resembling a slush, this one is served in a Margarita glass, in a slush. It is a simply combination of Tequila and some citrus flavours and is quite refreshing; perfect for the approach of the Season of Sun. Here is how you make the classic Margarita: In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice cubes, combine 1.5 ounces of good quality Tequila, .5 ounces of Triple Sec (a triple-distilled Orange spirit), and 4 ounces of fresh lime juice or limeade. Shake the ingredients until cooled and combined and serve in a Margarita glass lined on the

ounces of good quality Tequila, 2 ounces of Lime Juice, and 1 ounce of Blue Curacao Syrup.

Also add ½ cup crushed ice or more, depending on how strong you want the drink to be. Blend the cocktail in the highest setting of the blender, and pour it over margarita glasses with sugar on the rim The Chocolate Margarita is a curious drink. It has some Tequila, a lot of chocolate, but also a kick of citrus to break the monotony. If you want to serve this unique cocktail during your next house party.

To make it combine 1.5 ounces of Tequila, 1 ounce of Godiva Chocolate Liquor or any other Chocolate Liquor brand, 1 ounce milk, 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup, 2 ounces orange juice and some ice cubes. Strain over a Margarita glass with one ice cubes.

You may also line the rim of the Margarita glass with some cocoa powder.

For comments, suggestions, and more confessions from his partyphile log on to http:// party.i.ph or follow the columnist on twitter.com/zhaun. You may also listen to Confessions of a Partyphile n the radio every Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 PM.

3

1

2

rim with salt.

The Frozen Blue Margarita: This cocktail is probably the most commonly served type of Margarita in this country.

With the basic ingredients of

a regular Margarita and some Blue Curacao, this cocktail has tickled many palettes throughout the years making it even more popular than the original Margarita.

In a blender combine 3

Charlie Green: No ordinary celebrity Who would have expected that an international celebrity who’s hogged the news would actually arrive at exactly 5 p.m.? Not even new and aspiring stars of the country’s largest networks can be made to arrive on time for a press conference.

But Charlie Green is no ordinary celebrity, and he’s no aspiring star.

Instead of the celebrity being late, it was the press that arrived late for the press conference. Yes, Charlie Green arrived at exactly 5:00 p.m. at the Abreeza Mall.

The young singing sensation from Britain’s Got Talent is in town to launch his latest international album Rainbow on Viva Records.

Charlie, who is British-Filipino recorded the CD in Italy and the USA.

Produced by Christian de Walden of Hollywood, Rainbow is set for release in Europe, South America, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and the Philippines.

The CD spotlights a versatile Charlie singing songs in Tagalog, Nonoy Zuniga’s Kumusta Ka; in Japanese Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto; Spanish, Somos Novios (It’s Impossible) a duet with the 16-year old Danna Paola, the famous Mexican star of music and telenovelas.

And oh, Charlie Green also got young girls who were still in their school uniforms swooning and gushing over him. They also sang along during the whole program.

That’s what you call a rising star.

CM

FOOD

16

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

The Business PAPER

You can now buy your favorite Business Paper from any of these establishments still at Php 15.

Davao

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

A cheesy chocolate treat:

Dissecting Harold’s Cheese Bar

Food is an expression of passion and creativity that manifests in the way something tastes or is experienced. INdulge was given a special tasting of Machiavelli Chocolatier’s best-selling chocolate bar that combines European know-how, Filipino creativity, and Davao’s home-grown artisan cheese.

Harold, whom the chocolate is named after, is the one who introduced Malagos Farmhouse’s blue pepato cheese to chocolatier Raul Matias.

Maskarra is a representation of the origin of the chocolate’s namesake, publicist Harold Geronimo, whose origins are from Bacolod, Negros Occidental.

Tulip Drive, Ecoland, Davao City

Machiavelli Chocolatier is Raul Matias’ own chocolate brand, which he started in New York City after training in the art of chocolate making in Paris

The Cheese in Harold’s Cheese Bar is an artisan blue pepato cheese sourced from Olive Puentespina’s Malagos Farmhouse here in Davao City.

The deep royal blue color of the box is Harold’s the favorite color.

Flavors of the Mediterranean at the Marco Polo Davao

F. Torres St., Davao City Tel No. 227-3773 - (72) Fax: 295-3485

HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS decisions.

Koronadal

HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS decisions.

Discover the culinary heritage of the Mediterranean as Café Marco offers selected regional tastes infused into local ocean fresh bounty, poultry, beef, and lamb.

Take a journey from Gibraltar to Ventimiglia with savory spices and flavourful specials such as Beauf Bourguignon,

Coc Au Vin Rouge, Cordero Asado with Romesco Sauce, Rolitos, Ratatouille, Coquille St. Jacques, and many more.

Special limited offer available for lunch and dinner from March 1 to 31, 2012.

For reservations and inquiries, please call (082) 221 0888 local 7222. PR

HEALTH THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

Pearly whites

FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

S

mile!

It brightens the day! It gives out a positive energy that sets the mood of the day right. A smile is always a welcome sight.

However, it would be really nice if we had good pearly white teeth.

A good and clean smile also reflects the type of health a person is in. Good oral hygiene is of utmost importance especially since we all talk and converse with people. A good smile starts with a good set of teeth and clean healthy lips to go with it. And don’t forget the quality of our teeth…and it’s pearly white color!

It’s like showing off a sensuous part of your face….the lips!

Now, without us knowing it, we eat food and take drinks that can actually discolor or stain our teeth. Let me share with you some information on how to avoid staining those pearly whites so that you can flash that confident smile always anytime anyday!

Tea and Your Teeth - Although tea has a reputation as a healthy beverage, it may not be the best choice when it comes to keeping your teeth white. Dentists say tea -- especially the basic black variety -- can cause more stains than coffee.

However, recent studies have found that even herbal teas and white teas have the potential to erode enamel and cause tooth staining.

Sauces May Stain Teeth They may be delicious, but deeply-colored sauces -- like soy sauce, tomato sauce,

and curry sauce -- are also believed to have significant tooth-staining potential. Consider lighter cream sauces for less damaging options and rinse or brush soon after eating to reduce the potential for teeth stains.

Sports Drinks and Staining - Acidic foods and drinks can also lead to tooth discoloration.

Recent research finds that highly acidic drinks -like sports or energy drinks -can erode t o o t h enamel, setting the stage for staining.

When exercising, limit the intake of these drinks.

Water may be a better choice -- at least for your teeth.

Wine and White Teeth If a food or drink can stain a tablecloth, it has the potential to stain your teeth.

Red wine, an acidic drink with intensely pigmented molecules called tannins and chromogens, is notorious for tooth discoloration.

White wine is even more acidic and can lead to stains, too.

Tooth Stains and Berries - Intensely pigmented

molecules stick to dental enamel. That’s why blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pomegranates, and other vibrantly colored fruits can stain teeth. Juices and pies made from those fruits can also cause stains. Fruits with less pigmentation -like white grapes and white cranberries -- are less likely to stain teeth.

But these acidic substances can still harm enamel, so be sure to brush and floss.

S o d a , Cola and Other Carbonated Drinks The acid and chromogens in these drinks can lead to serious staining of your teeth. Even light- colored sodas contain enough acid that they can encourage staining by other foods and drinks.

The acidity in some carbonated drinks is so intense that it actually compares to the acidity in battery acid.

Many of these beverages contain flavored additives that add to their erosive effects.

Candy, Sweets, and White Teeth - If your favorite sweet -- like hard candy, chewing gum, or popsicles --

Try using a straw to sip your favorite drinks -- like sodas, juices, and iced tea. This should keep teethstaining drinks away from your front teeth and reduce your risk of unsightly stains.

makes your tongue change colors, it may contain teethstaining coloring agents.

Fortunately, unless you eat those goodies often they probably won’t do much to stain your teeth.

Minimize Staining: Cut Back - You may not want to cut all teeth-staining food and drinks out of your diet.

Many of those foods and beverages -- like blueberries, blackberries, and tomato sauce -- are rich in antioxidants. You want these beneficial nutrients in your diet. So keep eating them -but in moderation -- or substitute other antioxidant sources such as cauliflower, apples, grapefruit, and melon. You can also opt to use fresh tomatoes instead of tomato sauce in your recipe/ dish.

Use a Straw to Fight Stains - Try using a straw to sip your favorite drinks -- like sodas, juices, and iced tea. This should keep teethstaining drinks away from your front teeth and reduce your risk of unsightly stains.

Swallow Swiftly - Don’t let stain-causing foods and drinks linger in your mouth for long. Instead, swallow them quickly to help protect your teeth from stains. To avoid choking, it’s still important to chew your food well before swallowing and be sure not to gulp.

Rinse -- then Brush -After Eating - Swish your mouth with water right after eating a stain-causing food or drink. For about 30 minutes after you consume something acidic, the enamel on your teeth is especially at risk of abrasion from tooth brushing. So rinse, then brush well after every meal. If you can’t get to your toothbrush, chew a piece of sugarless gum as soon as you’ve eaten.

17

EVENTS

18

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

You can now buy your favorite Business Paper from any of these establishments still at Php 15.

Koronadal

Gen. Santos Drive, Koronadal City Telefax No.: (083) 520-0816 Mobile No.: 0922-843-9427 email: manggorio09@yahoo.com

General Santos

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO

Giving thanks the Havaianas way T here are a myriad of ways for someone to say thank you. And just recently, Havaianas threw a wonderful luncheon with friends and bloggers to celebrate another successful and funfilled year. Although a relatively recent phenomenon in Davao City, the world’s favorite flip-flops brand is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary this 2012.

Born in 1962 from the breezy culture of Hawaii and the serene design of Japan.

With the same clean lines as the Japanese Zori, but with a secret 100% rubber formula, Havaianas is the original child of eastern Zen and western joy.

Today, you can see the marks of its original parentage in the iconic rice pattern sole of every Havaianas pair and the exuberant colors and culture of Hawaii that

influence each style. And this year, the world’s best rubber flip-flops brand once again ushers in new colors, styles and designs with the all-new Havaianas 2012 Collection!

“We hope you had your fill of the wonderful Havaianas styles last year because today we unveil the Havaianas 2012 Collection. This year’s collection boasts of new and innovative styles for the cool and fashionable Havaianaticos,” says Marga Nograles, Creative Director of Martish Marketing Company, exclusive sub-distributors of Havaianas in Southern & Eastern Mindanao.

Bright and playful, the Havaianas Statement collection expresses the Havaianas brand essence in words. This year’s 2012 design comes with a renewed graphic lan-

guage marked by lively colors and prints with words belonging to the fun, democratic and Brazilian universe of Havaianas. Available in four exciting designs: white, pop rose, lemon green and black.

Green warriors will love the Havaianas Eco collection that is as fun as any other Havaianas pair but with a truly groundbreaking style that rises above fashion and comfort. This pair recycles rubber left over from your favorite Havaianas flip-flops during regular production and is, therefore, still made with a 100% secret rubber formula.

Available in Pop Rose and White/Green, Havaianas Eco comes with a translucent jelly strap featuring a colored Havaianas logo and soles that are artfully adorned with fun illustrations depicting the recycling and production process of how each pair of Havaianas Eco is made.

Marga Nograles and Mike Dakudao.

Havaianas STATEMENT

Havaianas ECO

ENjoying a light moment at the Havaianas photo wall.

The

Business

Tagum HAVEN BODY WORKS SPA & SALON Door 5 Kaykay Baloons Bldg., Laurel North Cor. Bayabas St. General Santos City Tel # (083) 301- 1991

PAPER

You can now buy your weekly paper fill of in-depth business news and features from any of these establishments still at Php 15.

Tel No. (083)- 553-2211

Jose Abad Santos St., Corner Arellano St., Tagum City 8100 Philippines Tel. No.: (084) 216-3003 Cell No,: 0939-243-8539

HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS decisions.

HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS decisions.

Marilyn Roque and Maya Padillo.

Otoi Mercado, Marga Nograles and your columnist.

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

games FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012 VOL. 4 NO. 52

DOT 11 confirms int’l teams in toughest adventure race

T

he Department of Tourism (DOT) Davao recently confirmed that international teams will be joining the country’s toughest adventure race dubbed “The Second International Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge” on April 28 and 29 here.

DOT Regional Director Art Boncato said the event is the major highlight of the annual “Pista Para sa Kinaiyahan” (Feast for the Environment) celebration of Sta. Cruz municipality in Davao del Sur. The race will start on the beach lines of Sta. Cruz and the racers will navigate through the town’s trails and raging rivers, scale the boulder face of Mt. Apo, and culminate at the skyline of the country’s highest mountain.

“We’re expecting 35 teams--local, national and in-

ternational. We have already five confirmed teams from Singapore and still awaiting two more from Indonesia and Malaysia,” Boncato said.

The 24-hour extreme sports challenge will entail four disciplines – mountain biking, trekking, white water tubing and road running.

Race director Albert Gabriel said each team will be composed of two racers and only one logistic crew.

Entry fee is P5,000 per team.

The champion will receive P150,000 while the second and third placers will pocket P100,000 and P75,000, respectively.

“This is the fifth time for local competitors and second as an international contest.

Various teams from all over the country and even from as far as Canada participated in this annual race to the high-

est peak of the Philippines,” Gabriel said.

Boncato said the event aims to develop responsible ethics among outdoor enthusiasts, create awareness among outdoor people and importance of conserving Mother Nature, cultivate the value of sportsmanship and spirit of camaraderie and develop a lasting peace and order situation in Mindanao through sports.

It is supported by the regional offices here of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), San Miguel Corp., AboitizPower Corp.-Hedcor Sibulan Inc., Columbia Sportswear Co., Primer Group of Companies, Recreational Outdoor Exchange and Zest Air.

19

Player of the week

LA Tenorio

L

A Tenorio is bent on playing while his injured elbow continues to hold up. If his game results in a win for Alaska, so much the better.

That is why Tenorio’s jubilation was extra double after being named the AccelPBA Press Corps Player of the Week for boosting the Aces to a much-needed victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Tenorio highlighted a 23-point, four-assist performance with seven points inside the last 18 seconds that tided Alaska over Barangay Ginebra, 76-74, at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena last Saturday.

The heady playmaker completed a rare four-point play to give the Aces a 7372 lead before booming in the game-winning triple with only two seconds left.

In all, Tenorio wound

up shooting 9-for-18 from the field and added two rebounds, a steal, a block and only one turnover in 33 minutes of action, enabling him to beat out teammate Cyrus Baguio for the scribes’ citation.

Not bad for someone who is suffering from tendinitis in his right elbow.

“Ang sabi ng doctor, kailangang i-surgery,” related Tenorio. “Pero that would mean tatlong buwan akong di makakalaro. Ang sabi ko, saka na lang.”

For now, wrapping the elbow in ice during and after the game and taking some pain-killers would have to do. But not for long.

“Darating ang punto na buto sa buto na ang magkikiskisan,” he stated. “Pero hanggang kaya kong ilaro, ilalaro ko.”

It was the second

straight win in three starts for the Aces, further stoking their drive to atone for a 0-5 start and a ninth place finish in the season-opening Philippine Cup. With Baguio off to his best start in years (22.3 ppg), import Adam Parada and Sonny Thoss providing steady inside presence and Tenorio and Bonbon Custodio leading the backup crew Alaska seems well on its way.

[NC]

[PNA]

Pacquiao feels pressure to fight Mayweather B

esides the urgings of boxing fans around the world eager for Manny Pacquiao to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pacman said on Thursday he was feeling pressure closer to home to settle the argument over who is the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.

“My oldest kid (Emmanuel Jr.) is 11 years old and he said, ‘Daddy, I want you to retire, but before you retire I have one request.

You fight Mayweather, you beat him and then you retire,’” the WBO welterweight champion told a news conference.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAVAO CITY NATIONAL HOME MORTGAGE FINANCE CORPORATION (NHMFC) Mortgagee, -versusCHRISTOPHER JAMES B. MONDEJAR Mortgagor/s.

EJF-REM CASE NO. 13,181-12

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation against the mortgagor CHRISTOPHER JAMES B. MONDEJAR with postal address at Crystal Meadows Blk.8 Lot 2 Sasa, Davao City, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of December 15, 2011 amounted to Php 641,792.20 Philippine Currency, plus other legal expenses incident to foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of Regional Trial Court, Davao City; the undersigned will sell at public auction on May 15, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland ,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-218258 “ A parcel of land (Lot 2, Blk. 8 xxx) situated in the Barangay of Sasa, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao xxx. Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX (186) SQUARE METERS, more or less xxx.”

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

That in the event the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on April 19, 2012 without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the titles herein described real property/ies and the encumbrances thereon , if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, February 8, 2012.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF: (SGD.) ROBERT M. MEDIALDEA Sheriff IV

Noted by:

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff Copy furnished: The Mortgagor- CHRISTOPHER JAMES B. MONDEJAR The Mortgagee -NHMFC PUBLISHER – EDGE DAVAO POSTING – 3 conspicuous places ( Edge-Feb. 20, 27,March5)

“I want that fight to happen,” admitted Pacquiao.

The much-discussed mega fight will have to wait until at least November, as Pacquiao first has a date in the ring with undefeated junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas, and Mayweather is fighting Miguel Cotto there on May 5.

Pacquiao, who has won titles in eight different weight divisions, said satisfying his son’s wish was still possible but that time was running out.

“I have maybe two, three more fights,” the 33-year-old Pacquiao said about his boxing future.

“Hopefully he will fight before I retire. I’m hoping for a November fight.”

Pacquiao said Mayweather made a telephone call to him in the Philip-

pines last month to discuss possible terms.

“I told him, ‘let’s make the fight happen. I’m happy with 50-50 and whatever your request for the blood testing,” Pacquiao said, referring to Mayweather’s demands for blood-testing before their bout, which previously was a deal breaker.

“He said, ‘I’ll give you this amount, but no pay per view for you.’”

FINAL OFFER Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said he met with Mayweather’s camp three times after the phone call to try to finalize a deal.

“The final offer that Manny gave was $50 million guaranteed and a split of revenue 45 to 55 percent,” said Koncz. “Manny said, ‘let’s make it a prize fight, so the winner gets an extra 10 percent.”

First things first, and

Pacquiao coming up for Pacquiao (543-2) is 28-year-old Bradley (28-0), whose aggressive style is made to order for the Filipino.

“Tim Bradley loves to fight toe-to-toe, he keeps coming inside,” Pacquiao said at a news conference promoting the bout. “Tim Bradley is undefeated. He’s strong, he can punch. I think we can give a good fight.”

Mayweather Bradley showed his gratitude for getting the bigmoney bout by interrupting his remarks to shake Pacquiao’s hand.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” said Bradley. “I waited for this moment, this breakout moment. I’m up for the challenge. I’m not just here for a paycheck. I’m here to win this fight. That night is going to be a war.”

Lin embraces his first ever all-star weekend

J

eremy Lin said Friday he is trying to embrace the moment and have fun with all the attention he is getting during his first NBA all-star weekend.

Lin, who went from sleeping on his brother’s couch to reviving the New York Knicks franchise in just a couple of weeks, competed in the NBA rising stars challenge game on Friday.

Lin shot one-of-four and finished with two points in just under nine minutes of playing time as his Team Shaq lost 146-133 to Team Chuck on Friday.

“Just to be here and to see the company and all the players that are here is just, its been unbelievable,” Lin said. “Im just trying to take it all in and embrace it and enjoy it every step of the way.”

Lin said once Friday’s contest is finished he hopes to use the rest of the break to get some rest and prepare for the remainder of the season.

“I am just trying to relax, recover and let some

pains go away,” he said.

Kyrie Irving scored 34 points, added nine assists and was eight-of-eight from three-point range to lead Team Chuck to victory.

Greg Monroe had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Team Shaq.

But even with all the star power in Friday’s game, Lin was getting the lion’s share of attention on Friday.

“I’m definitely surprised that people are talking about Lin-sanity or whatever,” Lin said.

“I think hopefully as the season progresses, it will go from that to the New York Knicks and hopefully the Knicks can win basketball games. Hopefully we can make a good push after the all-star break and people will start talking about the Knicks and not necessarily me.”

Lin helped the Knicks to a seven-game win streak but is coming off a modest performance in a 102-88 loss to Miami on Thursday. Miami’s smothering defence held Lin to just one-of-11 shooting.

Lin

20

VOL. 4 NO. 52 FebRuary 27 - March 4, 2012

THE BUSINESS PAPER EDGEDAVAO