Edge Davao 5 Issue 153

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VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

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To cost billions

IGaCos bridge, railway still on T

HERE IS still a lot of hope that the much talked-about construction of a one-kilometer bridge spanning Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) and other big-ticket projects will proceed.

This was the statement of Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Assistant Secretary Wendel Avisado in a speech during the last week’s

Big ticket DIDP projects still active, says Asec Wendel Avisado

general membership meeting of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. Avisado said that other big projects worth billions of pesos have already been planned under the auspices of the Davao Integrated Development Program (DIDP)

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City police officer nabbed for rape

By Anthony S. Allada

A

SENIOR police officer was arrested and charged criminally for allegedly raping 17-year-old househelp in Toril district in Davao City.

The suspect was identified as SPO1 Adonis Imbestro, 37, assigned with the Toril police station of the Davao City Police Office.

This came after the victim reportedly managed to escape from her employer’s house only on Monday and narrated her ordeal to her friend, who was also a househelp-friend in the neighborhood.

They immediately sought the assistance of the ABS-CBN Davao, which in

turn referred the case to DCPO director Sr. Supt. Ronald dela Rosa Tuesday night.

Dela Rosa immediately acted on the complaint and ordered Toril police station commander Chief Insp. Angel Sumagaysay to surrender Imbestro to the DCPO which he followed.

He said that Imbestro has been detained at the DCPO’s Investigation Detective Management Branch while charges of gross misconduct and rape will be filed against him.

The victim said the suspect threatened her with bodily harm once she

FCITY, 11

whose master plan for the development of the Davao Region as early as 1999.

One of the big projects is the Davao Metropolitan Area Light Rail Transit.

Avisado said it is an urban LRT system that will serve the costal

built-up area of Davao City and neighboring areas in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur and Panabo City, Davao del Norte.

Initial estimates placed the cost of the project at P240 billion or US$ 4.49 billion.

Avisado, who has been DIDP’s executive director since its inception in 1997, bared that the program’s masyter plan waa adopted

FIGACOS, 11

CANDIDACY. Councilor Joanne M. Bonguyan (center), an independent candidate, files her certificate of candidacy (COC) representing Davao City’s 1st district accompanied by her husband, parents and siblings at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) office inside Magsaysay Park yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Iba naman!

Casiño files COC as senatorial bet

P

ARTyLIST Rep. Teddy Casiño yesterday filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for a Senate seat.

“Ang tanong ng marami, wala na bang iba? Kaya nga po ako nangangahas na tumakbong senador ay para may iba naman,” said Casiño.

“For so many decades, the same old political clans and vested interests have dominated the Senate. I want to break that stranglehold. I want to bring the voice of the common tao, especially the poor and marginalized who make up the majority in our country, into the halls of the Senate,” said the three-term party list congressman.

He likens the Senate to a restaurant that serves nothing but expensive steaks. “Its time we changed the menu. Lagyan naman natin ng simple, mura ngunit masustansyang pagkain katulad ng pinakbet o talbos ng kamote. yung pang-masa naman.”

Casiño vowed to run on

M02bigcas

a three-point platform of lower prices of basic utilities, more jobs and livelihoods as well as better government.

Clad in a blue running attire, Casiño and his supporters held a symbolic run in a heavy rain from the San Agustin Church to the COMELEC office in Intramuros where he was met by his family, fellow party-list representatives and hundreds of other supporters from all walks of life.

Casiño registered as the sole senatorial candidate of the independent Makabayan Party Coalition composed of several party list groups, civil society and NGO networks as well as local politicians.

“We will be relying on non-traditional machinery, he said.”

As Bayan Muna partylist congressman, he spearheaded the filing of various social reform measures and was recently awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Congressman by the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc.

Smuggling suspect running for governor

A

controversial vehicle smuggling suspect from Talakag, Bukidnon has filed his candidacy for governor of the province noon Tuesday.

Lynard Allan Bigcas, who hogged headlines after law enforcers seized at least 20 allegedly stolen luxury cars and motorbikes from his possession last year, obtained a nomination from Aksyion Demokratiko signed by party secretary-general Ernesto Ramel Jr This is the same Bigcas who figured in a recent shooting incident

with the regional director of the Housing Land User Regulatory Board (HLURB) and a lady lawyer in Davao City.

The ways and means committee of the House of Representatives conducted a probe on Bigcas’ business dealings after media reports came out that some customs officials and politicians were possibly involved in his alleged illegal activities.

Earlier reports quoted Bigcas as having said he is a candidate of the Liberal Party, but Senator Teofisto Guingona III denied his claim as “totally false!”

Breast cancer in Philippines has lowest survival rate in AP

By Vicky Berdina M. de Guzman

A

MONG the countries in Asia Pacific, breast cancer in the Philippines has the lowest survival rate.

According to Dr. Geoffrey Let, secretary of the Philippine Society of Surgeons Southern Mindanao chapterr. the Philippines has only 40% survival rate among breast cancer patients, unlike in other developed countries in Asia Pacific where survival rate is from 80% to 98%.

Pink Run 2012 chairman and member of Philippine

College of Surgeons Dr. Mario Magnaye said the Philippines has the least percentage of survival rate mainly because of the patients’ management of their illness.

He added that wrong notions about the illness are among the main factors why patients cannot survive cancer.

Many patients are actually enticed to try various ways of what they believe would treat the disease, but in the end they would still seek the doctor’s advice.

FBREAST, 11

SURVIVAL RATE. Dr. Geoffrey Lei, secretary of the Philippine Society of Surgeons, right, reveals that the Philippines’ 40% breast cancer survival rate is the lowest among Asia-Pacific countries in yesterday’s weekly Club 888

media forum at The Marco Polo Davaol. At left is Dr. Mario Magnaye of the Philippine College of Surgeons and Pink Run chair. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

HE day before World Teachers’ Day, ACT Teachers PartyList Representative Antonio L. Tinio called on Congress and the President to hike volunteer Kinder teachers’ monthly pay from a minimum of P3,000 to P6,000 per class.

Tinio proposed this pay hike during the tailend of the 2013 budget process last month, during the plenary deliberations and by letter to outgoing House Appropriations Chair Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya .

“With low compensation in the face of large class sizes, instability of employment, and lack of

benefits, majority of the ‘volunteer teachers’ are the lowest paid and most abused employees in the entire bureaucracy,” said Tinio in his proposal. “This makes DepEd the biggest employer of contractuals in the country and PNoy’s flagship education reform program tainted with such exploitation.”

“To meaningfully celebrate World Teachers› Day, PNoy should respect the rights of volunteer Kinder teachers to adequate remuneration and living wage,” Tinio added. “The President can do that by doubling the honorar-

ia of these overworked and underpaid mentors, among others.”

World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5, the day of the adoption in 1966 of ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, a landmark document heralding international standards on teachers’ rights regarding salaries, working conditions, tenure, and other aspects of employment.

The progressive solon still maintains that placing ‘volunteers’ in DepEd’s plantilla is the only just and reasonable step that government should take.

Howev-

er, a substantial increase in their pay is urgently needed to alleviate their economic hardship pending regularization, which is a long and tedious process.

Tinio closed by proving that government can easily afford the pay hike of around 24,000 ‘volunteer teachers’, which requires nearly P1.7 billion. The amount is available from the P4-billion fund for school building projects by PPP, which Tinio has long slammed as a costly yet inefficient infrastructure building scheme per the experience of other countries as well as the Philippines.

SC by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), and Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) today.

The petition to be filed by journalists, news organizations, and press freedom advocates seeks an urgent relief by way of an Immediate Restraining Order (IRO) “to annul and/or restrain the implementation of specific portions of Republic Act No. 10175 for being unconstitutional.”

It cited, for instance, that the delegation of the power to promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations [of the law] to the secretaries of

justice and interior and local government will be an “unlawful delegation of legislative powers and result in arbitrariness.”

Some reporters and photojournalists who attended the cybercrime law discussion at the Philippine Information Agency office here symbolically signed their names on a placard with a text criticizing the now controversial legislation.

Meanwhile, militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Southern Mindanao, staged a protest action against the cybercrime law with placards saying, “Junk cybercrime law of Aquino! Defend the right to press free-

dom.”

The seventh group to file the petition with the Supreme Court, Bayan said several provisions of RA 10175 are “unconstitutional”.

Among those that joined Bayan’s protest action were the Kilusang Mayo Uno, Karapatan, Courage, Anakpawis, Gabriela and national artist Bienvenido Lumbrera.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino filed the sixth petition, while the other five petitions against RA 10175 were Louis Biraogo, ALAM partylist, Disni et al, Adonis et al, and Senator Teofisto Guingona III. [Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews]

Bigger Kinder budget for volunteer teachers’ pay hike, solon demands T

J

Davao media, militants support petitions vs anti-cybercrime law

OURNALISTS and militant groups in this city expressed support Tuesday to petitions questioning the constitutionality of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, signed

by President Aquino last September 12.

RA 10175 will become effective today as the Supreme Court deferred action on the petitions against the law due to absences of some justices, and they will deliberate on it again next Tuesday.

Media practitioners here signed the online petition (http:// w w w. n u j p . o rg / n o - to ra10175) which will be jointly filed at the

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 153 •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

Cagas vs Peñas for Digos mayor

3

By Anthony S. Allada

D

AvAO del Sur governor, Douglas Cagas, abandoned reelection plans and will now instead run for mayor of Digos City where he is challenging firsttermer Mayor Joseph Peñas.

Cagas filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Comelec office there Tuesday, the second day for filing.

His son, Mark, two-term congressman of Davao del Sur, is running for governor against former Rep. Claude Bautista, who was defeated twice by the elder Cagas in the gubernatorial race.

Graduating first district provincial board member Mercedes Cagas, wife of Douglas, filed her candidacy for a congressional seat to replace her son, is facing a formidable opponent--vice Governor Arsenio Latasa who was formerly the city mayor for four terms.

The Cagases and some of their supporters held a motorcade before proceeding to the Comelec office for the filing.

Meanwhile, Peñas welcomed Cagas’ candidacy, adding it would be a good fight.

He said he is banking on his group’s slogan “Abante Digos,” The city was recently conferred the Seal of Good Housekeeping Award by the

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the brainchild of the late Sec. Jesse Robredo.

“One of the criteria of getting this award is good governance and transparency. And this is what we have been doing,” he said.

Along with the award, the city received P28-million from DILG which Peñas said would be used to repair roads and public markets.

Peñas’ slate is running under the administration Liberal Party (LP) with Bautista for governor, board member Aileen Almendras for vice governor, Latasa for first district congressman and Franklin Bautista for second district congressman.

Penas’ running mate is vice Mayor Reynaldo Hermosisima while their slate includes the five incumbent city councilors seeking reelection: lawyer Serafin Senajon, Michael Latasa, Eddie Cadilig, Milagros Llanos, and Myra Dahlia Navidad.

The other five are lawyer Bebang Brandares Pauliño, Richie Lim, Engr. Millenium Garcia, Melody Malnegro and Charlene Hermosisima.

Peñas said they will attend Holy Mass at 1 p.m.

Wednesday before formally filing their COC at the Comelec. [ASA]

Davao Oriental coconut industry goes grassroots

T

HE production of coconut-based materials in Davao Oriental has filtered down to the communities as the coconut industry becomes the focus sector of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the province.

Provincial Director Belenda Ambi of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) XI in an interview revealed giving focus on coconut-based products as this jibes with the export potential that President Benigno S. Aquino III had seen on coconuts.

Even before the national focus on cocobased industry particularly on the production of coco coir and coco juice, Davao Oriental has been the country’s leading producer of coconuts, getting ahead of the Quezon Province or sometimes falling second.

Davao Oriental is said to be the land of coconuts producing an average of billions of nuts per year from its 156,837 hectares of bearing trees while 3,597 hectares are planted to still non-bearing trees.

Coconut production paves way for investment opportunities on coco biofuel, coco oil, copra meal/

pellets, dessicated coconuts, virgin oil and food products, but in Davao Oriental the coco coir and peat production has noticeably spurred.

Extracted from coco husks, the coco coir production that brings jobs to communities tapped for coco twining to produce coco-nets for soil erosion and other industry needs.

Ambi said that there are 11 coco coir plants based in Davao Oriental and that these plants are providing the coco fiber to twining communities in San Isidro and in Camansi, in Mati City. The twines that they are producing are then bought back by the coir plants.

“We are happy to learn that members of the twining communities are earning P700 per week,” Ambi said noting an increase in family income.

DTI Davao Oriental is set to develop other twining communities in the towns of Banay banay Governor Generoso, San Isidro, Lupon and Mati and will be providing them twining machine to meet the demand for coco-nets out coco twines. [PIA 11/JEANEVIVE DuRoN AbANgAN]

QUALIFIED AND READY TO LEAD. City of Tagum Mayor Rey T. Uy endorses the candidacy of Tagum City Senior Councilor De Carlo “Oyo” Uy and Councilor Maria Lina F. Baura as the next City Mayor and City Vice Mayor of Tagum, respectively, stressing that both, along with 10 candidates for city councilors, namely, Ferdinand Bordios, Alan Zulueta, Nicandro Suaybaguio, Houbert

Bryann Uy, Eva Lorraine Estabillo, Mayoral candidate De Carlo “Oyo” Uy, Vice Mayoral Candidate Maria Lina Baura, Samuel Angoy, Tristan Royce Aala, Francisco Remitar, Reynaldo Salve and Oscar Bermudez, have more vision for the development of Tagum City. [LouIE LAPAt]

Mayor Uy endorses Tagum’s Liberal bets A

new leadership that will be able to continue the legacy of good governance and advance Tagum City to a much greater heights.

This was how Mayor Rey T. Uy described the official candidates of this city’s chapter of the Liberal Party in next year’s election led by its standard bearer Tagum City Senior Councilor De Carlo “Oyo” Uy, stressing that the team have more vision and capability to advance the collective goal of city’s development.

Speaking in a press conference held October 3, 2012 at Miko’s Brew prior to the filing of the candidates’ Certificates of Candidacy, the incumbent mayor reiterated that the

candidates of the Liberal Party are the perfect team for the job of ensuring that the development that Tagum is enjoying today will be sustained.

His son, De Carlo, is groomed to become the next City Mayor while Councilor Maria Lina F. Baura is poised to head the upcoming 6th City Council of Tagum as vice Mayor once they win in the May 2013 election.

Under his slogan “Qualified and Ready to Lead,” De Carlo or “Oyo” as he is popularly known among Tagumeños, expressed confidence that he’ll be able to continue the legacy of his father whom he described as his “inspiration to make the impossible possible for

Tagum City.”

“I have seen the good side of politics through my father and the good side of what the government should be.”

“Andam na kita to lead my beloved City of Tagum,” the younger Uy quipped.

Oyo also brushed off skepticisms about his age to lead the city, stressing that “age is just a question of mind over matter, but if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Making up the official list of the Liberal Party for City Councilors are incumbent councilors Nicandro Suaybaguio, Alan Zulueta, Francisco Remitar, Oscar Bermudez and Tristan Royce Aala.

Joining them are Sam-

uel Angoy, Ferdinand Bordios, Reynaldo Salve, Houbert Bryann Uy and Eva Lorraine Estabillo.

Determined to take the city’s leadership, Oyo bared his party’s platform of governance that included strengthening the support to education, comprehensive health and community services, social protection through strengthening peace and order, extensive infrastructure program, continuance of housing development program, support to the agricultural sector, boosting of the city’s tourism efforts and cultural aspects, toughen the city government’s environmental programs and strengthening public-private partnership. [LouIE LAPAt]

against greed and selfishness.

These heroes, according to the governor, are the key to attaining his human development agenda, known as P.E.O.P.L.E, which focuses on pursuing improved health, better education and broader livelihood opportunities for the Dabaonon people.

He added their quest for excellence in per-

forming their tasks and responsibilities as civil servants are truly inspiring and worthy of emulation.

“We are truly inspired by these ordinary persons who live and work in extraordinary ways, thus making a difference to the lives of others,” del Rosario said at the 2012 grand awarding rites.

Over 300 officials and employees were honored

for their outstanding achievements of the Capitol personnel in pursuing responsive, accessible, courteous and effective public service (RACE).

The ceremony was held in observance of the 112th anniversary of the Civil Service, with the theme, “Kawani, Ikaw ay Isang Lingkod Bayani,” highlights heroism in public service. [NoEL bAgu-

Living heroes abound in Davao del Norte

L

IvING heroes, who are vital to building a strong republic, are aplenty in the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte.

Provincial Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said the whole world must know that these men and women of valor are advancing and sustaining good governance in this part of the country, and that they are defending it

Io-DN PIo]

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Forest rangers losing battle in PHL

CONFISCATED. Forest ranger Erik Vetudes checks a confiscated log at the Ipo Dam watershed in Norzagaray town in Bulacan. Only eight rangers protect 21,000 hectares of forests that serve as the watershed for the Philippine capital and nearby areas. [AFP]

F

at h e r - o f - f i v e Alex Lesber patrols one of the Philippines’ most important forests carrying a cheap pistol and memories of a pastor being shot dead in front of him.

Lesber is one of just 2,000 poorly paid rangers trying to stop what the government admits is “rampant” illegal logging across the country, and their time roaming amid the vanishing forests is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Twenty of his colleagues have been murdered since the government imposed a nationwide logging ban in 2010, according to the environment ministry, a move that prompted already shady timber merchants to adopt more aggressive tactics.

“There is always that possibility that one of us could get hurt where we work. We arrest people, so naturally they hate us,” Lesber, 49, told AFP while patrolling Angat forest, one of the main watersheds for Manila’s dams.

The stakes are high for the Philippines, a tropical Southeast Asian nation of more than 7,000 islands that has lost more than half its forest cover over the past century.

There are only 7.6 million hectares (18.78

million acres) left to be guarded by men like Lesber.

But the Philippines’ forest rangers are under-funded, out-numbered and extremely vulnerable, according to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.

“Fighting illegal logging should be a considered a military operation, rather than a regulatory one. We want the army at the forefront, rather than our rangers,” he told reporters recently.

One of the problems for the rangers is that corrupt government officials are often involved in the timber industry, according to environment activists.

This is part of a broader scourge across the Philippines of underpaid local officials or security forces being enticed into lucrative but illegal businesses.

President Benigno Aquino has said repeatedly that corruption within government and society in general is the country’s biggest problem.

Paje said at least eight city mayors around the Philippines were under investigation for allegedly protecting illegal loggers.

From a tiny and sparse concrete building base in Norzagaray town, three hours’ drive north of Ma-

nila, Lesber and the other Angat rangers drive a beat-up pickup truck into the forests for patrols that last up to a week.

There are just eight rangers trying to protect 21,000 hectares of forests that serve as the watershed for nearly all of the tap water of the Philippine capital and nearby areas, home to 15 million people.

Aside from logging, the rangers have to contend with what they say are the even more ominous forces of slash-andburn farmers.

Lesber said the rangers regularly received death threats as well as bribe offers, although he insisted they did not take any despite each earning just 11,000 pesos ($260) a month.

Lesber said the rangers carefully picked their battles to avoid the most dangerous situations, typically avoiding slash-andburn farmers because they were desperate people known to fight to protect their livelihoods.

“Unless they cause extensive damage, we let them be. I know they will not hesitate to kill me if I apply the law to the letter,” he said.

But with these tactics, Lesber said the rangers had watched helplessly as thousands of migrants

WATERSHED. Forest rangers patrol the Ipo Dam watershed in Norzagaray town. The Philippines is a tropical Southeast Asian nation of more than 7,000 islands that has lost more than half its forest cover over the past century. [AFP] settled in the watershed, clearing swathes of valuable forest for farms, in recent years.

Arrests of illegal loggers are also rare, with the rangers instead preferring to confiscate timber left on the ground and perform monitoring duties.

Lesber, who wears a military-style jacket, jeans and rubber shoes to work, said he carried his own pistol while on patrol but that it was not enough.

“I wish the government would give us guns.

That would lessen the odds stacked against us,” Lesber said.

The most terrifying moment for Lesber came in 2003 when he and other rangers watched three gunmen suspected to be working for illegal loggers drag a preacher out of his chapel, then stabbed and shot him dead on the street.

He said the preacher had just tipped off the

rangers about illegal logging in the area.

No-one was arrested for the murder even though a group of soldiers also witnessed the killing, according to Lesber and the environment ministry.

But that is not unusual in the Philippines.

Rights groups say the country has a brutal “culture of impunity”, in which politicians, business figures and other powerful interests feel free to murder anyone standing in their way, comfortable knowing they will not get caught.

No-one has been charged in relation to 19 of the 20 rangers murdered over the past three years, according to the environment ministry’s spokeswoman, Marissa Cruz.

In the 20th murder -- of a female ranger who was shot in her office -- only the gunman was charged while the masterminds remained free, she said.

Non-government watchdog Kalikasan (Nature) has documented another 54 killings of environmental activists since 2001, with 18 murders since President Benigno Aquino came to office in 2010. Its tally does not include the rangers.

Most victims were working to expose illegal mining, according to Clemente Bautista, national coordinator for the group.

He said a mining security guard was the lone person to have been charged for any of the 54 killings, with local government officials or police involved in the mining activities typically ensuring the murders remained unsolved.

“The government is not doing anything to hold the perpetrators accountable,” Bautista said.

“But we must not let ourselves get intimidated. It’s the only way to expose what is happening.”[AFP]

THE ECONOMY 5

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 153 •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

ADB upgrades ’12 growth forecast for PHL to 5.5%

T READY-TO-EAT. A vendor along Quezon Blvd. displays different chips, beverages and other ready-to-eat food which her customers, compose

mostly of travelers, prefer to purchase. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

World demand for rubber to grow 3.7% in 10 years

By AURELIO A. PENA

W

ORLD demand for natural rubber is expected to grow by 3.7 percent in the next 10 years, creating huge, growing export domestic market opportunities for the Philippine rubber industry.

Currently, rubber plan-

tations worldwide stands at 11.3 million hectares which churns out an average output of 10.2 million metric tons, according to a recent report prepared by Department of Trade and Industry assistant regional director Sitti Amina M. Jain of Zambo-

anga region for an industry conference.

Seventy percent of all natural rubber produced worldwide, is used as raw material in the manufacture of rubber tires. The remaining 18 percent of raw rubber is used in the manufacture of

shoes and non-tire industrial products like hoses, belts, and vibration mounts, while 12 percent goes to the manufacturing of gloves, according to the report.

Jain, who also heads as rubber industry cluster

FWORLD, 11

HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has upgraded to 5.5 percent from five percent last April its growth forecast for the Philippines for 2012 given the strong expansion in the first half of the year.

It, however, maintains its five-percent growth projection for next year considering the higher importation of materials for electronics, the country’s major export earner.

“Net exports can be the growth driver (for the economy),” ADB Senior Country Economist Norio Usui said in a briefing Wednesday.

The economy grew by 6.1 percent in the first half this year, slightly higher than the five to six percent full year target. The growth was traced to improvement in government spending and exports as well as robust consumer spending.

The Manila-based lender projects rate of price increases to settle at 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent for 2012 and 2013, respectively. These levels are within the government’s three to five-percent target until 2014.

It also eyes Philippine exports to grow by seven to eight percent this year, and by six to seven percent next year. These are lower than the government’s 10 percent target for 2012 and 12 per-

cent target for 2013.

Usui, however, pointed out that although the domestic economy continues to post growth, more jobs need to be generated.

Relatively, the government is firm on its bid to implement the public-private partnership (PPP) initiative.

The ADB economist said improvement in the country’s infrastructures is one way of ensuring continued growth of the economy.

He, however, said that more than the PPP projects, the government should increase its own infrastructure spending because the projects to be funded with the help of the private sectors are primarily based on the cities and not in far-flung areas, which are badly needing social infrastructures.

Another way to ensure the solid growth of the economy is through the improvement of the country’s manufacturing sector, he said.

Usui explained that aside from the services sector, which is boosted by among other the business process outsourcing (BPO), contribution of the manufacturing sector, once it is developed, will be huge.

He said the manufacturing sector can employ more people because it accepts even those who are high school graduates.

6

THE ECONOMY

Stat Watch

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

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

3. Exports 1/ 4. Imports 1/ 5. Trade Balance 6. Balance of Payments 2/ 7. Broad Money Liabilities

USD 4,931 million May 2012 USD 4,770 million Apr 2012 USD -135 million Apr 2012 USD -209 million Mar 2012 P 4,580,674 million Apr 2012

8. Interest Rates 4/

4.1 % May 2012 P131,403 million May 2012 P 5,075 billion Apr 2012

9. National Government Revenues 10. National government outstanding debt 11. Peso per US $ 5/

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011) Month Average December November October September August July June May April March February January

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52 43.70 44.17

45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74 46.31 46.03

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

AirAsia begins daily flights to Singapore P

HILIPPINES’ AirAsia, the country’s newest low cost carrier, will begin its daily flights to Singapore on December 15. To celebrate the new route, the Filipino carrier offers an all-in, one way promo fare from only P999 from Clark International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 starting today (October 1) until 7 October 2012 via airasia.com. Guests who will avail of this promo will be able to travel from 15 December 2012 to 30 September 2013.

“It’s an exciting time to travel from Clark International Airport, as AirAsia has been launching more and more exciting destinations almost every month allowing our guests to connect and benefit from our extensive network covering 77 destinations across 18 countries in Asia and Australia.” AirAsia Inc. CEO Maan Hontiveros said.

Moreover, Hontiveros added

that Clark International Airport has a world-class runway and is one of the safest in the country.

Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President victor Jose Luciano is also set to announce the reduction of passenger terminal fee from P600 to P450 for departing passengers on international flights, making air travel from Clark airport more affordable and reliable.

“Air transport connectivity between the Philippines and the rest of the region is expected to benefit from AirAsia’s extensive network.

We are also here to provide our guests with safe, reliable flights at very affordable prices,” she said.

AirAsia will operate the new Clark – Singapore route with brand new Airbus A320 departing daily at 6:10 A.M. and arriving at 9:40 A.M. “We will begin our daily flights to Singapore in December to cater to the growing demand for both

business and leisure travel, and equally important, this new route will provide low cost, high value service to our OFWs in Singapore so they can come home and reunite with their families as often as possible,” Hontiveros added.

According to the latest data from the Philippine Embassy, there are 177,600 Filipinos in Singapore composed of 106,600 working as professionals, while the remaining 71,000 are domestic helpers.

More than 11 million tourists visited Singapore in 2011 based on the latest ASEAN Community Figures report with themed shopping centers, island resorts, sports and leisure adventure activities as its major tourist attractions.

“We continuously strive to promote air travel and tourism in the country by keeping our fares low while ensuring the best, quality service for our guests,” she said.

Aside from Singapore, AirAsia

also flies daily to Hong Kong, Macau and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

AirAsia’s all-in fare includes base fare, fuel surcharge, processing fee and aviation security fee. Never miss out on updates about upcoming bargain deals by following AirAsia via Facebook(facebook/airasiaphilippines) and Twitter (twitter.com/airasiaph).

Philippines’ AirAsia call center also accepts booking of regular fares via +632 588 9999 from Monday to Sunday at 0800hrs to 2100hrs (GMT +8). Guests from Metro Manila may also purchase seats through AirAsia Travel & Service Centers (ATSC) located in SM North EDSA in Quezon City, in Mall of Asia in Pasay City and in Gaisano Mall in Davao City.

For information on transportation services and bus schedules from Manila to Clark airport and vice versa please visit: philtranco. com.ph and victoryliner.com.

Traders bat for incentives retention T HE business community on Tuesday urged the government to reconsider plans to remove the incentives granted to some industries stressing the need to sustain growth momentum and to stay competitive with other countries.

George T. Barcelon, vice-chair of the 38th Philippine Business Conference (PBC), said this issue will form part of the recommendations that would be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III at the conclusion of the conference, which is slated on October 9 to 11 at the Manila Hotel.

“We urge the government to reconsider its plan to limit the tax industries on some industries and even augment these incentives,” Barcelon said during press conference for the 38th PBC. “Now that we are in the radar of investors, we need to maintain these incentives and to maintain our competitive advantage,” he said, noting that other competitor countries are giving a generous set of incentives to attract foreign investors.

Barcelon was referring to plans of the Department of Finance to remove the tax perks to some industries under the proposed Fiscal Incentives Harmonization bill now being filed in Congress.

According to Barcelon, incentives need not be a “blanket” thing but rather a package that is needed by a specific industry.

He said that PCCI would propose for sectoral incentives that would address the need of the specific sector’s development.

He cited these industries that really need continuing incentives as the energy sector, the IT sector and the agricultural sector.

Barcelon put more emphasis on incentives for the agriculture sector stressing more jobs in the countryside would be created with the development of this sector.

“Agriculture is concentrated in the rural areas and these are areas that we need to grow and where unemployment is high,” he noted.

According to Barcelon, the country is growing faster this time that a 6 to 7 percent GDP growth target in 2013 would be viable.

[PNA]

HUNGRY. Many Filipinos, like this group of hungry students, still choose rarely seen “kakanin” for snack

instead of western food like hamburger and pizza which are more accessible to the public. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

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

5:45 5:45 6:00 6:10 7:50 7:50 8:00 9:10 9:40 11:30 12:00 18:55 12:55 13:35

Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Iloilo Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga Cebu-Davao-Cebu Iloilo-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Manila Davao-Cebu-Singapore Manila-Davao-Manila 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 15:00 Mani2Mani 16:05 16:35 16:55 18:00 18:40 20:00 20:30 20:30 21:20 22:20

Davao-Singapore Cebu-Davao-Cebu 16:50 Cebu-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Manila Cagayan de Oro-Davao-Cagayan de Oro Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila 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

ICT HUB

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 153 •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

Facebook’s new pitch to brand advertisers: forget about clicks

F

acebook Inc, stung by doubts that advertising on the social network delivers enough bang for the buck, is preparing to unveil data to counter its critics and show that “clicks,” the current metric of choice, tell only half the story.

The world’s No. 1 social network, embarrassed just days before its initial public offering in May when General Motors declared it was pulling the plug on all paid advertising on its network, will argue that bigbrand marketers should abandon the industry’s obsession with numbers of clicks and focus on more effective advertising techniques.

Fewer than 1 percent of in-store sales tied to brand advertising campaigns on Facebook come from people who clicked on an ad, according to a new study that Facebook has conducted through a partnership with Datalogix, a data mining firm that tracks real-world retail sales.

“We ended up in this world where the click is king,” said brad Smallwood, Facebook’s head of measurement and insights, who will present some of Facebook’s findings at one of the advertising industry’s biggest conferences in New York

on Monday.

While designing online ads to garner clicks makes sense for certain types of companies - such as e-commerce firms trying to ring up immediate online sales - clicks are not relevant to brand marketers, Smallwood said.

Through its partnership with Datalogix, Facebook says it can now give brand marketers data on the actual instore sales that their ad campaigns on Facebook have generated - a more useful piece of feedback than total clicks. Datalogix tracks the relationship between ads on Facebook and real-world spending by compiling consumer purchasing information from retail stores and matching it with data about Facebook ad impressions.

THe SWeeT SPoT Facebook’s push to provide marketers with more feedback comes as the company’s revenue growth slows and the effectiveness of its ads remains a hotly debated topic. Facebook, whose stock by the end of the third quarter was down 43 percent since its IPo, has unveiled a variety of new advertising capabilities in recent months, including ads designed to be viewed on smartphones. [REutERs]

Mobile devices reshaping the news industry: study

H

ALF of American adults own a smartphone or tablet computer, and most of them use these devices to access news, a study released Monday showed.

The study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism with The Economist Group concluded that the move to mobile devices has major implications for the news industry.

It found 22 percent of US adults now own a tablet device, twice as many as a year ago, and another three percent use a tablet owned by someone else in their home.

Forty-four percent have smartphones, according to the survey, up from 35 percent in May 2011.

Some 64 percent of tablet owners and 62 percent of smartphone owners say they use the devices for news at least weekly, close to the same percentage as for email or games.

The study found Americans are doing more than just clicking headlines on their mobile devices, showing that 73 percent of those who view news on their tablet read indepth articles at least

sometimes.

“Even with the broadening population and wide range of competing activities, mobile owners are drawn to news on their tablet and smartphones,” said PEJ deputy director Amy Mitchell.

“The evidence is also mounting that mobile devices are adding to, rather than replacing, how much news people consume.”

The survey found 43 percent of tablet news users say their tablets are adding to the amount of time they spend with the news and 31 percent say they are getting news from new sources they did not use before.

The report is based on a survey of 9,513 adults conducted from June-August 2012, including 4,638 mobile device owners.

The study found new lower-priced tablets introduced late 2011 brought in a new crop of tablet owners. Now, 52 percent of tablet owners report owning an iPad, compared with 81 percent a year ago. And 48 percent said they own an Android-based device, including 21 percent who said they owned a Kindle Fire. [AFP]

A protester displays a placard during a rally against the new Anti-Cybercrime Law by the Aquino government, at the Supreme Court in Manila. Protesters

7

called the law as a threat to Filipinos’ right to freedom of expression. [JhuN DANtEs JR/NPPA ImAgEs]

Outrage over cybercrime law A

new cybercrime law in the Philippines that could see people sentenced to 12 years in jail for posting defamatory comments on Facebook or Twitter is generating outrage among netizens and rights groups.

The stated aim of the cybercrime law is to fight online pornography, hacking, identity theft and spamming in the conservative Catholic nation amid police complaints they lack the legal tools to stamp out Internet crime.

However it also includes a blanket provision that puts the country’s criminal libel law into force in cyberspace, except that the penalties for Internet defamation

are much tougher compared with old media.

It also allows authorities to collect data from personal user accounts on social media and listen in on voice/video applications, such as Skype, without a warrant.

Teenagers unwarily retweeting or re-posting libellous material on social media could bear the full force of the law, according to Noemi Dado, a prominent Manila blogger who edits a citizen media site called Blog Watch.

“Not everyone is an expert on what constitutes libel. Imagine a mother like me, or teenagers and kids who love to rant. It really hits our freedoms,” Dado told AFP. Compounding the con-

cerns, those teenagers or anyone else who posts a libellous comment faces a maximum prison term of 12 years and a fine of one million pesos ($24,000).

Meanwhile, newspaper editors and other trained professionals in traditional media face prison terms of just four years and fines of 6,000 pesos.

While harsh criminal libel legislation remains in force in other parts of Asia, Dado said the Philippine law sent the wrong signal in a country that overthrew the military-backed Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship just 26 years ago.

Dado, a lawyer’s wife known in the local online community as the

“momblogger”, is among a group of bloggers and other critics of the libel element of the cybercrime law campaigning for it to be repealed.

Brad Adams, Asia director for New yorkbased Human Rights Watch, said the law was having a chilling effect in the Philippines, which has one of the world’s highest per capita rates of Facebook and Twitter users.

“Anybody using popular social networks or who publishes online is now at risk of a long prison term should a reader -- including government officials -- bring a libel charge,” Adams said.

About a third of the Philippines’ nearly 100

OR Microsoft Corp, and Amazon.com, and the clutch of other companies that hope to carve out a big slice of a mobile computing business currently dominated by Apple Inc, the future depends on people like Scott Porad.

As chief technology officer of Cheezburger Network, a popular publisher of humor websites, Porad has to make the tough calls on which mobile devices merit the development of special software, or apps, that will make the company’s content shine.

Developing apps for the hot-selling iPhone might be a no-brainer, but that’s not the case when it comes to apps for Mi-

crosoft’s new Windows 8 software, or for the various versions of Google Inc’s Android mobile operating system, or for Research in Motion Ltd’s BlackBerry devices.

“We are a small company and we don’t have unlimited resources,” said Porad “We cannot afford to do it all, that’s for sure.”

Cheezburger, an independent publisher with 85 employees and about 16 million unique visitors a month worldwide, ultimately decided to go ahead with a Windows 8 app while passing on BlackBerry and some other platforms. But many other developers are taking a wait-and-see approach.

The caution extends not only to Windows, but also increasingly to Android as that software evolves in different ways on different vendors’ platforms. A Kindle Fire app is quite different from one built for, say, the Samsung Galaxy, even though both devices are based on Google’s Android.

Indeed, the explosion of competition in the tablet and smartphone markets may be providing consumers with plenty of choice, but it’s a decidedly mixed blessing for Internet content companies. They now have to develop as many as six different apps if they want to reach all their mobile customers, with each development project cost-

ing tens of thousands of dollars at a minimum, and far more to update the apps over their lifetime.

One solution is to rely on HTML 5, a software language that can support apps on many different platforms. It also enables developers to avoid the strict rules that Apple imposes on how iOS apps handle subscriptions and financial transactions.

But many argue strongly that HTML 5 apps are subpar -- a view that was endorsed earlier this month by none other than Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who said his decision to focus on HTML 5 for Facebook apps was the biggest mistake the company had made.

Mobile computing wars pose tough choices for publishers F

FOUTRAGE, 11

[REutERs]

8 VANTAGE POINTS

EDGEDAVAO Cybercrime Law from social standpoint

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

T

EDITORIAL

Going bananas

O

FFICIAL STATISTICS and the realities on the ground about the banana industry can make one, well, go bananas.

It is said that hundreds of million pesos have been lost as a result of the rejection by Chinese authorities of shiploads of Philippine bananas when they reached China. The turning back of shipments have been blamed either on the Philippine-China standoff in the Spratlys or the newly-found sophistication of Chinese consumers now demanding better quality of fruits reaching their shores.

Latest industry estimates place the loss of banana industry income at $100 million or P4.3 billion as a result of the sudden slump in the Chinese market.

Faced with this and other exacerbating challenges like the fusarium wilt infestation, industry sources are claiming that land areas dedicated to the cash crop are shrinking as some growers are now either switching to cacao or simply abandoning their farms while waiting for better times.

Contrast this with the government’s stats which are not as gloomy.

The Department of Agriculture’s commodity profile, for instance, indicates that volume

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of production continues to rise while land area planted to bananas is expanding. This trend is true with export Cavendish bananas as it is true with saba and other varieties whose niche is growing in export markets in the form of fresh or processed fruits.

Whatever, the incontrovertible fact is that the top growers and exporters of all kinds of bananas are still Dabawenyos, followed by their counterparts in the neighboring Mindanao areas of Region 10 and 12.

In 2011, Mindanao’s production area of 80,230 hectares produced 4,686 metric tons of Cavendish bananas, 1.82 percent higher than the previous year’s output. That same year, 186,317 hectares of saba bananas produced 2,617 metric tons, slightly lower (0.61 percent) compared to the previous year’s volume. However, 972,000 metric tons of lakatan were harvested from 57,000 hectares, registering an increase of 0.55 percent over the previous year’s volume.

It would be nice and very helpful for everybody and his uncle to know the real score –and take stock of the future of this industry that affects millions by attending the First Mindanao Banana Congress scheduled on November 7-9 at the newly opened SMX Convention Center.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEy Consultant kENNETH IRVING k. ONG Creative Solutions

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate

CARLO P. MALLO Features and Lifestyle

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. • JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA Photography

JADE C. ZALDIVAR • VICky BERDINA M. DE GuZMAN ANTHONy S. ALLADA • AQuILES Z. ZONIO Staff Writers

Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEñA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBON • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

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( Conclusion )

HE cyberspace is the fifth common domain; the other four are land, sea, air and the outer space.

During the Cold War, when then two superpowers, US and USSR, embarked on an expensive race to the moon and beyond, other global players saw it fit to demand for the crafting of an international treaty that will govern the outer space, now overseen by the United Nations. The primary aim is to preserve and protect the outer space for the common benefit of the humanity. One interesting provision stipulates that no person, entity or state may be issued a title over a piece of the moon.

Cyberspace poses common challenges as the outer space. Both are transnational in character. The difference, however, is that whatever concerns and risks cyberspace presents are largely confined here on Earth. The former is intraterrestial; the latter is extraterrestrial.

Since cyberspace does not respect national boundaries, there is a need for uniformity of cybercrime laws, particularly among developed and fast emerging countries with strong ICT infrastructure. Philippines is one of them.

The Information Age makes the need for such treaty more urgent. A proposed international cybercrime treaty must establish a global framework to regulate online activities. This framework will enable governments to coordinate, cooperate and provide legal measures. In fact, it could also be part of ongoing development of international law itself.

There is no quarrel about the stringent and repressive provisions of the new law. Even the Justice Secretary recently expressed her discomfort over the new power granted to her department to shut down websites even without prior court order. During deliberations in Congress, she manifested her opposition to that provision. Now that the bill has become a law, it is her duty to implement it. There are far better provisions on the law, however.

In fact, the most important is the mandate to formulate a national cybersecurity policy. Few realize that the country is becoming notorious in the world community as a favored shelter of foreign cybercriminals. Lest we forget, the illfamed “Love” virus was not so proudly made in the Philippines. It was designed by a young computer science student from a diploma mill.

At the time when the virus infected millions of computers worldwide, including the ones in the White House, resulting to several millions of dollars lost, people clamored for a reformed ICT education. One was for the inclusion of values education and ethics. So far, none has been made. A national cybersecurity policy that the law requires should provide us the necessary tools to keep pace with the global developments. The prospect for otherwise becomes menacing and scary, since a large bulk of global commerce is conducted online.

Most of the petitions recently filed are asking the high court to declare the new Cybercrime Law as unconstitutional, or at least some provisions thereof. Of course, the law is far from perfect. It actually reveals the great digital divide between the solons legislating technology they hardly understand, including their blemished lawmaking, and those who do not. It is a show between tech savvy and those who are not so. There still remains a sea of difference between a conservative establishment and the digital world.

Whatever remains of the law, in case of partial declaration of unconstitutionality, the implementing rules and regulations should still contain provisions on the designation of special cybercrime trial courts, illegalization of creation, acquisition or storage of computer viruses, stronger anti-hacking and anti-spamming rules, cyberattacks and cyberwarfare, capacity building mechanisms and comprehensive ICT educational review. It is even time to pass the bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The bill aiming to transform the Commission on ICT into a department is just gathering dust in someone’s table in Congress.

EDGEDAVAO

F

spouses, children and seemingly endless streams of other relatives to ensure profitable posts remain within the control of their clans. Political observers and critics therefore say that political dynasty is an obstacle of democratization. The Constitution itself recognized this when it included a provision that states, “The State shall grant equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibits political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

In many parts of the country, the concentration of political and economic power that political families represent makes it harder for newcomers to join the playing field of both business and politics. They also have an economic base – large chunks of industrial and agricultural lands and diverse businesses that fund their incursion into electoral politics. Not only do political clans acquire a strong taste for office, but their success give them a clear advantage in elections against less prestigious and lesser known rivals.

The big clans possessed a great deal of influence and their political and business power feed on each other. The foundation of political families is based in power and wealth; the more wealth, the more power. That is

precisely the reason why it is more difficult to dislodge members of such families from their posts. This time, even President Benigno Aquino III, himself part of a major political clan is deep into the game. Perhaps he has the most number of relatives trying to hop into public office.

It’s not just the Aquino-Cojuangco clan. In central Cebu, for example, the Osmena families hold over public office for nearly a century followed by the Garcia clan. The Revillas and Remullas are dominant in the province of Cavite while Ilocos Sur remains the bailiwick of the Singsons. The Dimaporos and Gibranzas still lord over in Lanao del Norte.

Every province and city across the country has their own share of the political dynasty.

It is widely known that the Duterte family is still the name to reckon with in Davao City, so with the del Rosarios, Lagdameos and Floirendos in Davao del Norte, and Uys and Zamoras in Compostela Province. Why are so many contesting family affairs? Well, I could still vividly remember a renowned political member of a big political family who insists “they are not a dynasty, but there are just too many of them seeking office.”

Another equally prominent politician blames “the lack of real two-party system.” In any case, he adds, political families “do not inflict themselves on people,” which a colleague agrees. “It is the people who make the choice.” They just have fewer choices. Now back to the question: “Are dominant clans good or bad for politics? Well folks your answer is as good or maybe as bad as mine.

shoots the net.

• a player leaps high for an overhead smash, but hits the air instead of the ball, which falls smack on his face.

• a player swings back his racket far and wide to unleash a hard forehand drive, but manages only a half-swing as the ball gets stuck in the racket’s throat.

• a player prepares to unload a potential ace after losing a point on is previous serve, vents his frustration on the ball, and bite it before tossing it up.

Tennis is fun! Absolutely. It’s a mix-

and so, we find three types of tennis players: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good – He’s a gentleman on and off the court; he exemplifies true sportsmanship; he accepts defeat graciously, and is humble in victory; he avoids petty arguments over contested points, he exudes sincere friendly demeanor, and has a ready smile for everyone; he honors agreement set before a match; he’s up-to-date with club dues; he’s a catalyst, not a critic.

The Bad – He’s an escape artist like Houdini; he quickly disappears after losing, and intentionally forgets about the ballboy’s fee; he likes playing with new balls, but won’t use his own; he enjoys getting away with brash talks, harmless misdemeanors and offensive practical jokes.

The Ugly --- He’s a poor loser; he likes giving alibi for losing, and downplays the winner; he aims to win by fair or foul means, especially foul; he’s unfamiliar with the rules of the game, but argues unreasonably; he doesn’t care about sportsmanship – his views are all that matter. This guy is anathema to any tennis club.

Swedish tennis great Bjorn Borg, winner of 11 Grand slam titles, defines tennis as “a game where you put the ball over the net in such a way that it will not come back to you.”

That, I guess, pretty much explains the essence of fun and the secret excitement in tennis.

Tennis players call each other partner in fun, not in crime.

‘It’s more fun’ in Ecoland

T’S more fun” in Ecoland.

No, not anymore or everywhere in that plush subdivision where high concrete walls shield houses and residents have the fun all to themselves away from the prying eyes of the public.

Neither is it more fun at the Ecoland and bus terminal where chaos is the order of the day, what with horns, honking, engines vrooming, passengers rushing, and vendors moving hither and thither.

So, where’s the fun? Well, it’s in that part of the subdivision where you find Eco-2 tennis club.

There on the twin courts, tennis buffs of varying shapes and sizes, professions and persuasions, tempers and ambitions, face each other in a mock confrontation, testing each’s mental alertness, athletic skills, physical stamina, tennis IQ and emotional equilibrium.

Everyday, from sunrise to sunset, except when “rain drops falling on your head”, certified lovers of the royal game send feathered yellow balls flying back and forth across the waist-high net as the sound of laughter and banter, cheers and yells, grunts and rants, praises and curses fill the air, producing echoes in the wind that pump the players’ adrenaline.

Now, here are samplings of the unique brand of fun that occur only on the tennis court: • a player gallops after a drop shot near the net, but unable to control his momentum, loses his balance and over-

‘So, where’s the fun?

Well, it’s in that part of the subdivision where you find Eco2 tennis club.’

ture of ballet, tango, rhumba, chacha, itik-itik, shatung. It’s more than you can imagine. But there’s more to tennis than a variety of wholesome fun. Tennis exposes or reveals certain character traits of a player as a social being.

9

Suddenly, Jinkee

Political dynasty, good or bad?

OR SURE, THINGS HAvEN’T CHANGED – With the political season starting to boil, it is just appropriate to talk about politics. A good six and a half months before the May 2013 midterm elections, the possibility exists – an enduring feature of major powerful and influential clans in the political landscape. The looming scenario often raises this dominant question: “Do we have too little fresh political talents to contest top to bottom posts, leaving the political families to fill the gaps?

Through the decades, the circle of political clans has widened and in election after election many of the same names appear as candidates – at least the same family names.

Political parties come and go, but the filthy rich and prominent families that make them endure. The game continues to this day, as the political scramble for juicy and lucrative posts will show. For sure, things haven’t changed a bit – politically speaking.

Congress, the traditional fortress of renowned political families refused to enact an anti-dynasty law and put this constitutional provision into effect. Several anti-dynasty bills have been drafted since the 80s, but none of them came close of being approved.

But after the 1986 People Power revolt, the government of then President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino tried to put limits on the terms of elected officials could serve. Unfortunately, the restrictions are great only on paper, not so in practice.

To this day, incumbents whose terms are about to expire evade them by fielding their

“I

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

POLITICAL ANALYSIS

H

By AquileS Z. Zonio

IS last minute decision has not only stunned many but also changed the local political landscape.

But eight-division boxing champ and Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao was bold enough to stand by his judgment.

Torn between two vice gubernatorial aspirants – one who was convicted by the Sandiganbayan and the other who is unacceptable to his partymates – Pacquiao opted to field his wife, Jinkee.

Pacquiao’s choice was greeted with both cheers and jeers.

For Eleanor Saguiguit, member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Sarangani, it was a brazen display of greed for power.

Saguigit would be filing her certificate of candidacy for vice governor under the Liberal Party (LP).

Incumbent Gov. Miguel Dominguez, now serving his last term, hailed Pacquiao’s decision as “Solomonic.”

A surprised Elizabeth Palma Gil, municipal accountant of Maitum town, Sarangani, could only say “Ha?” Divine guidance...

APacquiao claimed he came up with the final decision after asking Divine guidance.

Manny and Jinkee, together with their political allies, held a prayer meeting at the Pacquiao mansion II in Barangay City Heights starting around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.

The scene at the mansion was replete with drama and suspense.

The place was brimming with Pacquiao’s political subordinates, friends and journalists, foreign and local alike.

While the prayer meeting was going on, Pacquiao lawyers were busy preparing their COCs at the conference room.

There, reporters managed to peek into the pile of COCs which included Jinkee’s.

She refused to confirm to reporters that she’s was running, telling reporters to just wait.

The prayer meeting ended past noon and the Pacquiao convoy proceeded to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Sarangani to submit the certificates of candidacy.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Pacquiao filed his COC for congressman.

Incumbent vice governor Steve Solon, PCM gubernatorial bet for 2013, followed suit.

Then came the most thrilling part.

Cameras flashed as Jinkee, standing beside her husband, filed her COC with the Comelec.

“My husband asked me to help him run the province. Another reason is he doesn’t want to hurt two of his friends jockeying for the vice gubernatorial position,” Jinkee bared.

Unifying factor...

Dominguez, who declared he was no longer running for public office, hailed Pacquiao for choosing Jinkee.

“It was a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. By choosing an outsider and a new face, Pacman put a stop to a never-ending jockeying, intrigues, jealousy and polarization within his party,” Dominguez said.

Friday last week, when Pacquiao led the oath-taking of PCM leaders and members to the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), he announced that he had chosen Juan Domino as his vice gubernatorial bet.

The announcement made one Sangguniang Panlalawigan member so sick that he had to be rushed to a nearby hospital.

However, SP member Eugene Alzate, another vice gubernatorial hopeful, clarified he was hospitalized due to stress.

“I see her not just as a unifying but also as a stablilizing factor inside the PCM,” Dominguez said.

According to Dominguez, Jinkee is the only person who can control Pacquiao and the people around him.

Pacquiao, he said, is so kind and generous he can hardly say “no” to people asking favors from him.

“With Jinkee around, I think people who have the tendency to commit abuses would think twice. She’s a woman and I believe in her probity and honesty in serving the province,” Dominguez said.

As to experience, Dominguez believes nobody was born a governor or vice governor.

“Everything can be learned depending on one’s willingness and determination to learn. Let’s give her a chance to prove to us her ability,” Dominguez said.

He said Pacquiao called him up and sought his advice.

10 NATION/WORLD NATION BRIEFS

H

Depriving

ACKERS and not the government are the ones depriving Filipinos of Internet access, the Palace said, amid mounting protests against the Cybercrime Prevention Act which takes effect Wednesday. “[H]ackers who claim to be aligned with critics of the Cybercrime Act are the ones who have engaged in online vandalism, depriving the broader public of access to much needed government information and services online,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

No qualms

M

OvIE and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares Jr. has no problem in being “adopted.”

In fact, Poe-Llamanzarez took pride in being one of three senatorial aspirants that have been adopted as guest candidates of both administration’s Liberal Party (LP) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). “That’s story of my life. I am adopted by all,” Poe-Llamanzares said.

T

Started

HE government has started training more than 150 investigators and prosecutors in combating online offenses as prescribed in the newly signed Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

“Our new Office for Cybercrime will soon be established even as we have trained more than 150 investigators and prosecutors in cyber forensics to modernize our skills and competencies,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in her speech during the Department of Justice’s 115th anniversary celebration.

I

First case

S this the first case of online censorship using the cybercrime law?

The Philippine National Police has warned Facebook users that posting negative comments on its page may subject individuals to criminal investigations.

“Foul words against our police officers can be use (sic) as evidence now to file a case against you in a court of law,” a PNP comment said in a Facebook thread.

N

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

PHL gov’t defies church to push family planning T

WORLD TODAY

P

RESIDENT Benigno Aquino is squaring off against his country’s powerful Catholic church in a bid to give people free access to the means to limit the size of their families.

The predominately Catholic country has one of Asia’s fastest-growing populations together with significant levels of chronic poverty. While neighbours have accelerated towards prosperity, the Philippines has lagged.

Economists say high population growth is a primary factor for that, but the church disagrees. It says population growth is not a cause of poverty and that people need jobs, not contraception.

Aquino, a Catholic like 80 percent of the population, has thrown his support behind a reproductive health bill that will, if passed by the two houses of Congress, guarantee access to free birth control and promote sex education.

That’s something that Liza Cabiya-an might have benefited from, if she’d had the opportunity.

Cabiya-an, 39, has 14 children. The oldest is 22, the youngest just 11 months.

Their home is a hut in a Manila slum.

“It’s tough when you have so many children,” said Cabiya-an, a shy smile re-

PEDIATRIC WARD. Newborn babies get warmed up from a halogen lamp inside a pediatric ward in Philippines’ Jose Fabella maternity hospital in Manila. [REutERs] vealing poor teeth. “I have to count them before I go to sleep to make sure no one’s missing.”

At one time Cabiya-an had access to contraception but Manila mayor Jose Atienza, a devout Catholic, swept contraceptives from the shelves of city-run clinics in 2000.

After that, Cabiya-an’s efforts to limit the size of her family were patchy, restricted by her meagre resources.

She went on and off the pill and resorted to an illegal abortion more than once.

With income of about 7,600 pesos a month from doing laundry and her hus-

band’s pay as a labourer, Cabiya-an has only been able to send five of her children to school. The others would appear doomed to join the quarter of the country’s 95 million people stuck below the poverty line.

Contraceptives are generally available in the Philippines although they are not used as much as elsewhere.

In the Philippines, 4550 percent of women of reproductive age, or their partners, are using a contraceptive method at any given time. Indonesia’s rate is 56 percent and Thailand’s 80 percent.

Population growth mir-

rors that. The Philippines population is increasing by 1.9 percent a year, while Indonesia’s is 1.2 percent and Thailand’s is 0.9 percent.

China’s population is growing at an annual rate of 0.6 percent.

“If you increase access to contraceptives for women ... you will have births averted,” said Josefina Natividad, director of the University of the Philippines’ Population Institute.

Though available in most places, the cost of contraceptives is prohibitive for many people. But that should change if the reproductive health bill is passed. [REutERs]

B

C

sels of our agency... and entered our country’s territorial waters” shortly after 12:30 pm (0330 GMT), the coastguard said in a statement.

“Our patrol vessels are demanding they leave our country’s territorial waters by radio and oth-

er means but the Haijians have not replied,” it said, referring to the ships’ names.

They were off Kubashima, one of the islands in a chain known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China.

The Chinese ships

A Chinese marine surveillance ship cruises near the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, September 14, 2012. Chinese government ships have re-entered

the disputed waters around the islands for the second straight day, Japanese coastguards said. [AFP]

were among four vessels that had been in island waters on Tuesday, remaining for around six hours, despite demands from Japan that they leave.

Tensions have risen in recent months over the islands, which lie in rich fishing grounds and on key shipping lanes in the East China Sea. The seabed in the area is also believed to harbour mineral reserves.

Diplomats from China and Japan traded insults at the United Nations in New york last week and sometimes violent demonstrations in Chinese cities hit Japanese business interests in the country last month.

Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, in an interview published Wednesday voiced concerns over the spat, warning the shaky world economy could not afford for the two economic powers to be so distracted. [AFP]

Mobs

ANGLADESH police said Tuesday they had arrested nearly 300 people after Muslim mobs attacked temples and houses in what Buddhist leaders described as the worst violence against the community since independence.

A total of 162 people were arrested in Cox’s Bazaar, which bore the brunt of the attacks on Saturday and Sunday nights, according to Khorshed Alam, a senior police officer in the southeastern district.

T

Examined

HE wreck of a boat that sank in a collision off Hong Kong, killing 38 people, was examined Wednesday after being hauled to shore as the city sought answers to its worst maritime accident in decades.

The Lamma Iv was towed to a beach to reveal a gaping hole in its left rear from Monday evening’s collision with the Sea Smooth ferry, which caused its stern to fill with water within minutes.

Chinese gov’t ships enter disputed waters-- Japan G

HINESE government ships entered territorial waters off disputed Tokyo-controlled islands for the second straight day Wednesday, Japanese coastguards said.

Three maritime surveillance ships “ignored warnings from patrol ves-

Tracking

HE US military and intelligence agencies are compiling detailed dossiers on those believed to have attacked the US consulate in Libya ahead of possible retaliation, the New york Times reported.

Citing US officials, the Times reported late Tuesday that the top-secret Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) was collecting information on the deadly attack last month that killed a US ambassador and three other Americans.

Condition

O stage appearance, no support. This was the warning voiced by Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada to ‘common’ Senatorial candidates who are also part of the administration coalition.

Estrada claims the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) might withdraw its support from “common candidates” who will refuse to share the stage with the coalition’s senatorial bets.

EDGEDAVAO

Conceded

EORGIAN President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded a shock defeat Tuesday to a billionaire tycoon in parliamentary polls, ending nine years of dominance that antagonised Russia and brought Tbilisi closer to the West.

Although Saakashvili remains president, the defeat of his United National Movement by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition in Monday’s elections means he will lose control of parliament and the government.

T

Charged

HAI police have charged a nightclub owner with gross negligence over a fire that killed four people, including two foreigners, on the holiday island of Phuket, an official said Wednesday.

If convicted, Tiger Group owner Piya Isramalai faces up to 10 years in prison for the predawn blaze that swept through the Tiger Discotheque on August 17 on the southern island, a magnet for international tourists.

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 153 •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

Igacos...

FFROM 1

by the Regional Development Council and the different local development councils and was also endorsed by the business sector of the region.

Contrary to misconceptions, DIDP activities which are divided into 27 anchor projects worth millions of pesos are ongoing.

He said DIDP continues to get annual contributions from local government units in Region 11 and subsidies from the national government.

Breast...

He said all the Philippine leaders from President Fidel Ramos up to President Benigno Aquino III have supported the DIDP. In fact, he said the subsidy from the Aquino administration has been doubled this year, Avisado bared the big ticket projects have been presented to possible funders including foreign bodies like the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“They are convinced,

but that they require that whoever is the incumbent Philippine President should commit to the project,” the HUDCC executive said.

“The incumbent President should list the project as a priority,” Avisado said.

He urged LGU leaders and the business sector to convince President Aquino to make the DIDP big ticket projects such as the railway and IGaCoS bridge in his list of priorities, if not this year, the following year. [AmA]

“Mostly, people would love to go and eat in a fastfood chain where most served food is from animal fat,” he said.

No age bracket for cancer victims Magnaye said that the older ones used to be more prone to breast cancer, but today even those as young in the 20’s can acquire breast cancer. “In general, age is no longer an issue in acquiring breast cancer.”

Teenagers and young adults have the most common cases of benign masses, and these years are the peak years of women’s changes in hormone level. In addition to this, the most common of benign masses is the Fibro adenoma.

“It doesn’t mean that if one has a benign mass, the other mass (bukol) on her other part of the breast is also benign. It has to be checked if it is benign or not.

It may be malignant.”

Dr, Magnaye also said, “the best way to see whether the mass is benign or malignant is to undergo biopsy.”

Exercise vs development of cancer In Dr. Magnaye’s words during the weekly Club 888

at The Marco Polo Davao, “Walking is still the best exercise.”

He said having a 45-minute daily exercise can decrease 30% chance of developing cancer in general, whether one has or does not have cancer.

In the interim, Dr. Magnaye believes that Davao City is equipped to treat breast cancer patients. For instance, hospitals with radiation therapy or radiotherapy are the Davao Doctors Hospital and the Davao Regional Hospital.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In line with this, the Davao Cancer Society, operating already for four years, will continue to educate people on breast cancer and raise funds through the Pink Run in order to support programs and activities advocating breast cancer awareness among the people.

The Pink Run, which will also be participated in by breast cancer survivors, will be on October 14, 2012 with registration on the second floor of the FTC Tower, Mt. Apo St., Davao City.

which created some 277,420 jobs based on the ratio of two jobs to a hectare of rubber plantation.

According to Jain, the Philippine rubber production stands at only a little over one percent of the entire world’s production of rubber. Rubber plantations in the country are predominantly held by small farm owners with only 3 to 10 hectares of farm land. A hectare of rubber plantation can yield an average of 5 metric tons of raw rubber called “cup lumps” that are sold to traders or direct buyers and providing yearly earnings of P250,000 to the small farm owner.

“I think all these efforts to boost the Philippine rub-

ber industry is timely----we need to take advantage of the increasing global market demand for rubber,” Jain said.

Presently, 85 percent of the country’s total rubber production is exported mostly as field lumps or cup lumps. The remaining 15 percent, according to Jain, is processed as rubber crumbs and crepe for domestic consumption. “Ironically, while we are exporting the bulk of our natural rubber, a tire manufacturer—yokohama Tire Philippines Inc—imports 94 percent of its natural rubber requirements from Thailand and Indonesia,” Jain said in her report.

[Philpress News and Features]

FFROM 2

“There are even some who take supplements for a year, and in the end still seek us. However, the time has already passed and sometimes we can no longer help,” Magnaye added.

According to him, “the best treatment is prevention, and so one has to be vigilant to have the proper way of self-examination at the proper time, adding that the proper time to conduct self-examination of the breast is to do it on the 8th to 10th day from the woman’s first day of menstruation.

Breast cancer cases top in PHL Dr. Lei said that in 2010, breast cancer overtook lung cancer as the top cancer case in the Philippines.

According to Dr. Magnaye, the factors why incidents of breast cancer have increased in our country are divided into two: the internal and external. Internal factors include the woman’s female hormones while the external factors include patient’s diet, lifestyle, and stress.

In addition, he said that the consumption of animal fat can contribute to the development of cancer in general.

World...

FFROM 5

manager under the National Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (NICCEP), said that almost all (99%) of all raw rubber produced in the country comes mainly from the southern island of Mindanao, with small pockets of plantations in Luzon adding to the overall yearly rubber output.

NICCEP is a joint project of DTI and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the support of national government agencies, local government agencies, private sector and the academe.

In her report, Jain said the rubber industry in Mindanao registered a total area of 138,710 hectares in 2010

RUSTY CAGE. Colorful bicycles left unused for a long time inside a rusty cage shows that Dabawenyos have chosen to ignore the once popular cycling rink inside the Magsaysay Park. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

City...

FFROM 1

would report the incident to authorities.

She said that Imbestro abused her several times and she was not able to find way to leave her employer’s house.

Outrage...

The suspect refused to be interviewed by reporters when asked to give his side while the victim is now in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for counseling.

Under the law, a suspect charged with rape will not be allowed to post bail. He will be detained during the pendency of the rape case.

(ASA)

FFROM 7

million people use the Internet, with 96 percent them on Facebook, according to industry figures.

Five petitions claiming the law is unconstitutional have been filed with the Supreme Court.

Senator Teofisto Guingona, the lone opponent when the bill was voted on in the Senate, has filed one of the petitions to the Supreme Court.

“Without a clear definition of the crime of libel and the persons liable, virtually any person can now be charged with a crime -- even if you just re-tweet or comment on an online update or blog post,” Guingona told the court.

“The questioned provisions... throw us back to the Dark Ages.”

The five petitions all say the law infringes on freedom of expression, due process, equal protection and privacy of communication.

University of the Philippines law professor Harry Roque, who filed one of the petitions, said the Philippines was one of a shrinking number of countries where defamation remained a crime punishable by prison.

Part of the penal code that was drawn up 82 years ago, it goes against the trend in many advanced democracies such as the United States and Britain where defamation is now punished with fines rather than imprisonment, Roque said.

Amid the public backlash, some of the senators who voted for the cyber-

cime law have started to disassociate themselves from it, even claiming they did not read the provision on libel.

However presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda has defended the cybercrime law.

“The Cybercrime Act sought to attach responsibilities in cyberspace.... freedom of expression is always recognised but freedom of expression is not absolute,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Nevertheless, Lacierda said the law could still be refined.

He called for critics to submit their concerns to a government panel that will issue by the end of the year specific definitions of the law, such as who may be prosecuted.

[AFP]

al Filipino: Key to Conserving Growth through Strategic and Sustainable Real Estate Development and Practices.”

Ms Connie Bordios, CREBA chapter secretary, as of now 11 members of the board of directors of the local group have signified their intention to join the delegation.

“They’re very excited to make a side trip to Puerto Princesa’s famous under-

ground river, considered one of the seven wonders of the nature of the world.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and Congressman Rodolfo C. valencia, chairmen of the Housing and Urban Development Committees of the Senate and the House are among the topnotch speakers who will address the gathering, Expected to the biggest in CREBA’s history.

Dabawenyos to attend CREBA gab in Palawan

P

ILLARS of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association, Inc. in Davao will send a delegation to the 21th annual national convention of CREBA, October 17-20, at the Legend Hotel in Puerto Princesa.

According to engineer Jose T. Froilan Rigor, CREBA Davao City chapter president, the theme of this year’s national convention is “Glob-

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VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

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EDGEDAVAO

Younghusbands back in Azkals lineup

P

HILIPPINE football stars Phil and James younghusband are back in the national lineup for its Middle East training tour this October.

Azkals manager Dan Palami confirmed the news.

“They are included in the list of players whom the Azkals have given a call-up for our Bahrain and Kuwait preparation leg,” Palami said.

Last September, the brothers were left off the national roster for the Philippine Football Peace Cup after the Philippine Football Federation revealed that it cannot meet “certain economic and non-economic demands” from them.

The brothers have already denied the issue,

saying that they will always be available to the national team for free.

Despite the absence of the younghusband brothers, the Azkals swept all of their three matches to win the Peace Cup last September 29 behind the team’s new faces led by tournament’s Most valuable Player Denis Wolf.

The Azkals will face Bahrain on October 12 in its capital Manama and Kuwait on October 16 at Kuwait City.

The matches are part of the their preparations for the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup this November, where they look to surpass their historic semifinal finish in the same tournament two years ago.

Schumacher still motivated despite Hamilton news

M

ERCEDES confirmed on friday that Lewis Hamilton will replace Schumacher at the team in 2013, and the 43-yearold German has yet to reveal his own plans for next season, with speculation ranging from his retirement to a surprise switch to Sauber.

“My motivation is completely intact after the news last week, especially because Suzuka is one of the season’s highlights for me,” said

Schumacher, who has yet to win since returning to the sport in 2010 with Mercedes.

Some of Schumacher’s greatest moments have come during previous races at Suzuka - not least him clinching Ferrari’s first title in 21 years when he won the drivers’ world championship there in 2000.

Schumacher said that he would like to notch up another historic moment in this weekend’s Japanese GP, but accepts that

his 10-place grid after colliding with Jean-Eric vergne will make that a difficult objective.

“I enjoy the circuit - it has sections that challenge you as a driver like almost nowhere else.

“Logically, it would also be nice to achieve a sporting highlight this weekend, although my chances are of course very limited because of my grid penalty.

“But I’ve always approached these things as a challenge.”

match since recovering from a knee problem.

“We are waiting for more information but he will certainly miss the ‘Clasico’,” Barcelona coach Tito vilanova told reporters.

Barca defender Dani

Alves, who was visibly shaken by Puyol’s injury during the match, said his team mates were concerned.

“We are really saddened by the (Puyol) situation,” he said.

Barca blanks Benfica but Puyol injury mars win

L

ISBON - Barcelona’s Lionel Messi set up goals for Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas in their 2-0 Champions League Group G victory over Benfica on tuesday but the success was marred when captain Carles Puyol suffered a dislocated elbow.

Sanchez fired Barca ahead early on and Fabregas added a second 10 minutes into the second half but the damage to Puyol means he will miss the La Liga ‘Clasico’ against Real Madrid at the Nou Camp on Sunday.

The Catalans had Sergio Busquets dismissed two minutes from time but will be more concerned about Puyol, who landed awkwardly after leaping for a ball and was carried off on a stretcher in obvious pain after 78 minutes.

The Spain international was playing his first

New Zealand bans Mike Tyson

W

ELLINGTON New Zealand revoked an entry visa for former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson on Wednesday after a charity going to benefit from his visit dropped its support.

Tyson, 46, who served three years of a six-year U.S. jail sentence for rape in 1992, had been due to take part in an event in November, but needed a dispensation under New Zealand immigration laws because of his conviction.

However, a youth-related charity trust which originally backed his visit to appear at the event, billed as “Day of the Champions”, said it no longer wanted to have anything to do with Tyson’s visit due to his rape conviction.

“Given that the Trust is no longer supporting

the event, on balance, I have made the decision to cancel his visa to enter New Zealand,” Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson said in a statement.

She said the original decision to allow Tyson in had been a “finely balanced call”, with the backing of the charity a significant factor in the dispensation being granted.

Tyson’s planned visit had been attacked by women’s groups and criticized by the Prime Minister.

Tyson was undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion in the 1980s, but in 1992 he was convicted of raping teenage beauty queen Desiree Washington in Indiana and served three years in prison.

He added to his notoriety later in the decade when he bit rival Evander

holyfield on both ears in a 1997 bout, for which he was disqualified and temporarily suspended from boxing. Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003 and retired from professional boxing in 2006.

Last month, Tyson spoke to a financiers’ conference in Hong Kong about his life before and after boxing, his family and his acting career, which includes a recent one-man show on Broadway.

the New york Knicks last February. A restricted free agent, Lin signed an offer sheet with Houston, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said New york planned to re-sign him.

The Rockets amended the offer to three years and about $25 million, with about $15 million backloaded to the final year.

The Knicks backed off, and Lin returned to the team that cut him last December. ‘’It kind of reminds me of college,’’ said Lin, who started 87 games in the Ivy League. ‘’Just coming in, trying to lead, trying to work hard, trying to build a culture of playing a blue-collar brand of basketball.’’

One Rocket who can trump Lin in experience is shooting guard Kevin Martin, who sat out the final 24 games last season.

Martin half-expected to be dealt to another team over the summer, as he watched the Rockets make a flurry of moves. ‘’Every day, I heard ‘Rockets,’ and somebody leaving, somebody coming,’’ Martin said. ‘’I felt like I was just standing in line, waiting to come up to the front and (somebody saying), ‘It’s your turn to go.’ But it didn’t happen.’’

He met with general manager Daryl Morey and coach Kevin McHale and said Monday that he’s committed to helping the Rockets this season.

Lin, Rockets ready for challenge

H

OUSTON -- Jeremy Lin became a Broadway sensation, a coveted free agent and a merchandising magnet in Asia, all in less than a year.

In Houston, Lin will return to a role he used to enjoy at Harvard - team leader.

The rebuilt Rockets met with the media on Monday before heading south to begin training camp, and they’ll turn to their charismatic new point guard for leadership and direction.

The 24-year-old Lin is hardly a seasoned veteran with only 25 starts in the NBA. It just seems that way after Lin soared to international stardom during a remarkable run with

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

FOOD

Oktoberfest:

SwissDeli’sOktoberfestPlatter.

My kind of festival

My IDEa of a festival is where we can start drinking as soon as the doors open at 10 in the morning. Where beer is served in yards, not in measly bottles, and where food is served not only in big portions but in huge delicious platters. My ideal festival would be Germany’s Oktoberfest.

Being short on cash and frankly too lazy to write a letter to an airline, I decided to take up the offer of the Swiss Deli’s Romano Venuti to join him and his wife Rochelle for an Oktoberfest celebration just a short taxi drive away at Swiss Deli Lanang.

On the menu for Oktoberfest are authentic traditional German dishes that are not normally served in the restaurant and are made specifically for the celebration. For starters we had a Brozit Teller, a platter of assorted cold cuts, liver spread, cheese dip, pickles, and bread. Followed up by a massive Oktoberfest Platter.

The Oktoberfest Platter is a festival in itself, with every sausage you can

imagine, Blutwurst, Leberwurst, Muchner Weisswurt, Frankfurter, and Nuremberger Wurstchen, along with Smoked Pork Loin and the ever famous and fatty Pork Knuckle, all served with a siding of sauerkraut.

It was my first time to taste Blutwurst, a homemade sausage made of blood and tastes similar to

dinuguan sans the spice and vinegar. Romano says they make it only for Oktoberfest and the sausage has to be made using the freshest blood possible. The less adventurous foodie might want to try the Leberwurst instead which is a sausage made of liver and meat which is also an Oktoberfest specialty.

To add to the festive mood, the every so jolly and energetic Rolf Henkel and his accordion belting out European classic festival tunes much to the delight of the diners.

This year’s Swiss Deli Oktoberfest will be a two part celebration with Swiss Deli Lanang celebrating from September 28 to October 7 and at the Swiss Deli Matina from October 10 to 14.

Rolf and his accordion.

BrozitTeller,appetizerplate.

Glorious beer!

Swiss Deli’s staff and their crazy Oktoberfest hats.

Backhendl,crispyfriedchicken.Pairswellwithbeer. PROST!RochelleandRomanoVenuti

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

FOOD

Not your ordinary burger BackyardBurgers packs in the most succulent flavors that satisfies more than your cravings The chikito trio is a but the best thing that ever happened in the world of burgers. Get three different flavors of burgers in bite size pieces and share – or you can opt to eat it on your own.

Photos by Elle Ocon

IF you want a burger, then go to the fast food joint nearest you. BUT if you want a real succulent and juicy burger customized and cooked right off the grill, then Backyard Burger is the place to be.

Owned and managed by the exuberant couple Juan and Rica Villanueva, Backyard Burgers (coined BB) serves more than just a burger. It speaks of their love for food, value for money and care for the people who believes in BB. The interview turned out to be a night of paying homage to good food, merrymaking and camaraderie formed under the nipa hut. Talking to them was like talking to long time friends. They made myself, Elle and Ivan feel at ease and bought us back to the days when BB was just a dream. Indeed, a long journey but, as Juan said, it was all worth the wait.

Taking inspiration from mister Hell’s Kitchen himself, Chef Gordon Ramsey, Juan opted for a more sensory gratifying approach for the food and for the customer’s pleasure. Using our five senses, he made sure that from the moment one hears of BaCKyaRD BURGERS, he can already taste the flavors of the burger lingering inside his mouth and creating an explosion of wonderful flavors that urges him to take a bite after another and more. Hungry? I’ll make you even more hungry…

Their regular burger is

definitely more than regular as it is oh so yummy and satisfyingly good on its own. On the other hand, their cheese burger, my cousin’s favorite, is all that you can ask and more. My food buddy Freah loves their cheesy bacon so much that she can hardly talk when she’s eating it. as for me, I am sucker for their Japanese Burger that makes me anticipate the luscious beef on my every bite.

The chikito trio is a but the best thing that ever happened in the world of burgers. Get three different flavors of burgers in bite size pieces and share – or you can opt to eat it on your own. We had the steak, bacon and cheese burgers and took one bite after the other without uttering a single world. Myself, Ivan and Elle were communicating with our hands, eyebrows and eyes – oh and our happy tummy’s too. We were simply taken in another world.

Serving more than burgers, they have their version of a pika-pika platter that you can mix and match.

Their criss cut fries are just divinely awesome and just like their potato fries, they are firm to the bite. i per-

sonally love their onion rings – batter is not overpowering and you could still taste the juiciness of the onion despite it being fried. Rica loves everything dipped in their wasabimayo sauce and let me tell you, she is right. The sauce serves as the only reactant flavor that lingers in your taste buds that makes everything “in place”.

The newest addition to their menu is their S’mores.

Not your typical s’mores as it is not a sandwich but rather a mini cupcake that has crashed crackers on the outside, a rich cream cheese and chocolate center and topped with melted marshmallow makes this the perfect burger ender dessert. you’d feel like a kid all over and would be up on your chairs for seconds.

Believe me as I was eyeing Elle’s piece Let the picture’s speak of how the night was and how it ended. If you want to customize your burgers, just inform the counter and they’ll make it happen. For

parties and catering services, just given them a ring or visit them either at BB South or BB Central and they will make your wishes a reality.

Visit Backyard Burgers South at Door 4 Lim Build-

ing, Tulip Drive, Quimpo Blvd. (near SM City Davao and just beside Flowerstop) or Backyard Burger Central along Quirino Highway inside Pard’s Lot across ICOHNS Tower. See you there!

Happy Birthday to the other half of my existence, my Mama! May you continue to inspire, not only me and Daddy, but also those who are around you.

I love you Mama and I will forever be indebted by your love, care and sacrifice. Good health and more wealth to come hahahaha loveyou Do you want to be a part of Davao’s Thursday habit? Send me your recipes, questions, suggestions and comments and be featured.

If you are interested, then email me at iamtheroyalchef@gmail.com. Happy Cooking!

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ENTERTAINMENT

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Chris Brown and Rihanna caught making out at club Is Rihanna giving Chris Brown a second chance—or did she just share a fleeting romantic moment with her ex?

Just one week after the 23-year-old “Run It!” singer appeared to cozy up with Nicole Scherzinger, Brown and his ex got hot and heavy with his former girlfriend while partying with her at NYC hotspot Griffin.

Here’s what went down during the one-time couple’s late night rendezvous.

Brown, joined by pal Bow Wow, arrived at the club first and settled into his own table, E! News confirms. Rihanna arrived later, and sat at a separate table from her ex.

“She knew he was there,” a source tells us.

At one point during the night, Brown climbed over his table to join Rihanna at hers. She then proceeded to take off his shirt before they began dancing and making out, according to an eyewitness at the club.

Following their PDA dance session, Brown left

the club just before 4 a.m., with Rihanna hitting the road about five minutes later.

Reps for Brown, 23, and Rihanna, 24, did not immediately comment.

Brown is still on probation for his infamous beatdown of Rihanna in 2009.

They have remained close, however, exchanging birthday tweets in recent months and even sharing a friendly peck during last month’s MTV Video Music

Awards.

While Brown’s model girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, was noticeably absent, other celebs that were also at the club last night, not with Brown and Rihanna, included Dave Chappelle, Tyson Beckford and Chris Rock.

Now we want to hear from you. Is this a good idea for Ri-Ri? Are you happy they’re back together? Sound off in the comments.

Davenport, aka Antoine Ashley, was born in Dallas and became interested in drag while studying classical dance at Southern Methodist University. After moving to New York City, he made a name for himself performing at various gay bars and nightclubs as well as appearing in ABC’s One Life to Live and A&E’s 15 Films About Madonna.

Davenport also appeared in music videos, including David Guetta and Chris Willis’ “Getting’ Over.”

But it was his stint competing on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race for which Ashley is perhaps best remembered despite being eliminated in episode six.

“A beautiful angel has been added to Heaven.

Rest in peace my sweet friend. We will miss you, Sahara Davenport,” wrote fellow Drag Racer JuJu Boston on Twitter.

Added GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro: “In addition to being a talented performer, we also remember the great work of Antoine Ashley, known to many fans as Sahara Davenport, in support of LGBT youth organizations and GLAAD. This is a saddening loss and our thoughts are with Sahara’s friends, partner and family.”

Davenport is survived by boyfriend and Drag Race third season runnerup Manila Luzon, whose real name is Karl Westerberg. He tweeted Sunday night, “I love him so much.

Sahara Davenport, RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, dead at 27 RIP, Sahara Davenport. You’ll be missed.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant has sadly died at the age of 27, prompting an outpouring of grief from the show that made him famous.

“Shocked & heartbroken over @SaharaDavenport,” tweeted RuPaul. “Never occurred to me that we’d ever lose one of my girls. I see them as immortal.”

No word yet on the cause of death. But Logo, the network that airs the reality series, mourned the loss of a drag queen sensation.

“Logo is profoundly saddened by the passing of Antoine Ashley who fans around the world knew and loved as Sahara Davenport,” read a statement from the cable channel.

“He was an amazing artist and entertainer who’ll be deeply missed by his Logo family. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his boyfriend Karl, in their time of need.”

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UP AND ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

Alsons launches ‘An Eye for Gold’ photo challenge

ALSONS PROPERTIES celebrates its 50th anniversary with a photo contest that invites everyone to capture the best moments at any Alsons Properties project for a chance to win up to P15,000.

Dubbed as the “An Eye for Gold Photo Challenge”, the photo contest is open to all amateur and professional photographers 18 years old and above. Photographs must be taken at any Alsons Properties development. For nonresidents, please coordinate with a resident to be allowed entry into a subdivision.

There are three categories for entries: “People”, which features pictureperfect moments of everyday life or special occasions celebrated at any Alsons Properties project, “Architecture & Design”, which features interesting structures, such as clubhouses, townhouses, or remarkable houses found at any Alsons Properties project, and “Nature”, which features scenic views, landscapes, and verdant parks at any Alsons Properties project.

Each contestant is allowed a maximum of nine entries or three entries in each category. Three winners will be picked in each category, with first-placers winning P15,000 each, second-placers winning P5,000 each, and thirdplacers winning P2,500 each.

Entries will be accepted from September 15 to October 15, 6:00 PM. Winners will be notified via electronic mail on or before October 30. For more details on the photo contest mechanics, visit the company’s website at www.alsonsproperties. com.

Known for its excellent track record in delivering upscale residential communities in Davao City, Alsons Properties’ projects include Ladislawa Garden Village, Woodridge Park, Las Terrazas, Northcrest, Fernwood, Wood Lane and Eden Ridge. The company also owns pioneering commercial properties, such as Aldevinco Shopping Center and City Triangle.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 153 •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

PSC-backed AAK karatado set

By Neil Bravo

E

XPECT wire-to-wire action when the Association for the Advancement of Karatedo-Davao Branch brings the exciting 2012 Cherifer-PSC Interschool Karatedo Age Group and Seniors Championships on October 13 at the SM City Davao Annex.

AAK Davao Branch Manager and head coach Rommel

Tan said this event is part of AAK Davao’s grass roots program to find and develop new talents in the sport. The tournament will also serve as preparation for the team who will compete in the 2nd vietnhat Karatedo Championship in Hanoi, vietnam on October 20-21 and the adidas Karate Cup International on November 30-December

2 at the SM Mall of Asia Match schedules will be from from 10 am to 9pm.

Tan bared that Sensei Shin Tsukii, former national team coach, will be conducting a Kumite seminar on December 2.

This year’s championships is sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cherifer.

“We are expecting around 100 karatekas in this event which will be our basis for the selection of participants to the National Interschool Championships to be held in La Salle Greenhills next year,” Tan added.

The AAK Davao team recently competed in SM Bacoor and won 2 golds, 2 silvers and 6 bronze medals.

SPORTS15

Marquez plunges to training

W

HILE Manny Pacquiao is neck-deep in his political career, Juan Manuel Marquez is in the thick of training in the mountains of Toluca, Mexico, as the Mexican counter-puncher revs up for his December 8 faceoff with the Filipino icon in Las vegas.

Mexican sources said that Marquez logged 13 kilometers of roadwork in the Nevado de Toluca mountains under the watchful eyes of his longtime training assistant Raul de Anda.

Marquez complained of body pain after the first two weeks of training but the 39-year-old insists he will get used to it in due time as he expressed his excitement to bang bodies with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand.

Last week, Marquez

also visited the same rugged terrain and chopped wood and hit the tire with a sledgehammer ala Rocky Balboa.

A 3-1 underdog, Marquez is confident there will be no need to stage a fifth fight because he will score a convincing stoppage victory.

Marquez said training for this fight will be focused on how to stop Pacquiao so he can prevent the judges from tinkering with the score sheets.

Pacquiao countered that he will do the same thing to prove that his two wins over Marquez were genuine.

But Pacquiao won’t be reporting for training at the Wild Card until the second week of October and yesterday, he actually filed his candidacy for congressman of Sarangani.

Howard joins LA practice D

Los Angeles Lakers enter Dwight Howard poses for portraits during their NBA basketball media day at the team’s headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.

Palawan Pawnshop netfest set Oct. 5-8

T

HE region’s top junior tennis players see action in the Palawan Pawnshop Regional Age Group Tournament Leg 11which begins on Friday at the Eco 2 Tennis Court.

The event is sanctioned by the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association categorized as Group 5 event under the tutelage of Engr. Carol Angel, Philta Region XI-B head.

The categories are Boys and Girls 18, 16, 14 and 12 under divisions and the 10 under unisex.

Registration fee is set at P300 per entry with the deadline set on October 4, 2012.

Interested participants may contact Engr.

Angel at 09228491029 or via email at angelcarolreal@yahoo. com. Tournament director is Bobby Mangunay.

(NEIL bRAVo)

WIGHT Howard participated in his first practice with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, going through a lengthy workout with no apparent concerns about his surgically repaired back.

Howard worked out with the Lakers’ new starting five during much of the afternoon practice at the Lakers’ training complex, running offensive drills with Steve Nash and playing a little 1-on-1 against Pau Gasol. After finishing up the workout with drills in the Lakers’ new Princeton-inflected offense, he got a few quick pointers from Kobe Bryant.

Howard’s performance was encouraging to the Lakers, who are being careful with their new franchise center five months after surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. ‘’I didn’t surprise myself,’’ Howard said. ‘’I’ve been working hard to get on the court. I want to continue to work hard, (and) we haven’t had any setbacks, so I want to continue to do whatever I can to get on the court.’’

The six-time All-Star center hasn’t committed to any timetable for his debut with the Lakers, who acquired him in a four-team trade in August. The Lakers already have announced Howard won’t play in their first preseason game in Fresno against Golden State on Sunday night, but Howard sounds determined to suit up with his teammates at some point before the regular season opener Oct. 30 against Dallas. ‘’Hopefully I’ll be back for some preseason games,’’ Howard said. ‘’I

think we’re going to need it for chemistry and all that stuff, but like I said, I’m not going to rush. I’m going to continue to practice. We’ve had some great practices.

Today was really good, so I’m happy.’’

The Lakers’ second exhibition is in Ontario, Calif., on Oct. 10 against Portland.

Howard has been working out six days a week at the Lakers’ training complex to prepare for the season under the watch of the club’s medical staff and his own team.

The results are promising to his teammates, who were impressed by Howard’s fitness in his first team action. Howard participated in three-on-three, two-on-two and one-onone drills with the Lakers, who didn’t run any drills with serious contact or 5-on-5 scrimmages. ‘’He worked just as much as anybody else, so that was good,’’ Gasol said. ‘’I didn’t expect that to happen today. ... He’s a great player, a tremendous force, and it feels good to have him here.’’

Howard knows the Lakers have plenty of work to do if they hope to grasp the new offensive concepts being installed by veteran assistant coach Eddie Jordan. Bryant, who already sees Howard picking up the offense, is grateful to see evidence of Howard’s work ethic in his first day. ‘’It was very beneficial,’’ Bryant said. ‘’Even though he can’t really do anything that’s contact-related, he’s still able to go through all the drills offensively, and the schemes we want to do, and kind of work through the Princeton offense, so it was very productive.’’

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VOL.5 ISSUE 153 • THURSDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2012

Fight with Pacquiao possible for Floyd - trainer

F

IGHTS with Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao remain possible for American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to his trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather.

Mayweather, who has been mum about his boxing plans since his release from a Las vegas county jail last August, has generally stayed out of the spotlight.

But in an interview, Roger said he expects the undefeated boxer to return to the ring at some point. “he’ll fight a few more times. He ain’t took no beatings,” Roger said of his

nephew.

The trainer believes that Mayweather can fight Pacquiao and Bradley, and then retire. “the fight with floyd is Pacquiao. that’s the fight. he fights timothy Bradley, he fights Pacquiao,” roger said.

He claimed that if Mayweather fights Pacquiao and Bradley “he’ll make so much money. He’ll make close to $200 million.”

A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is the most anticipated fight in recent boxing history. It is also expected to be the most lucrative bout, though so far, the two camps have never been able to agree

on several issues that have blocked the fight for years.

Roger believes Mayweather may hang up his gloves for good after fighting Pacquiao and Bradley.

“He can, yeah. A (ex-

pletive) gets close to $200 million, and he can’t walk away, something’s wrong with him,” he said. “(Expletive) don’t even make that kind of money and they still walk away from the sport.”

EDGEDAVAO