Edge Davao 5 Issue 176

EDGEDAVAO 4 soldiers slain in NPA ambush P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

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By Anthony S. Allada

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OUR soldiers who were reportedly unarmed and in civilian attire were killed when they were sprayed with bullets Sunday afternoon by suspected members of the New People’s Army in Paquibato district, Davao City.

Victims reportedly unarmed during attack

za,

Lt.

Col. Lyndon Panispokesperson of the

10th Infantry Division, identified the fatalities as Private First Class’ (Pfcs.) Ahian Vir Dolero, Marvin Lauronal and Noel Sigan, and Pvt. Marcelo Himaya, members of the 60th Infantry Battalion. Dolero,

Grabe na ni!

FSOLDIERS, 11

Page 14

SPECTACULAR. SM Lanang Premier treats its shoppers with a spectacular fountain dance to the tune of the popular Gangnam Style song during the grand launching of the mall’s dancing fountain Saturday night. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Militant women say

No to legalization of prostitution Follow Us On

T

ALIKALA, INC., a Davao City-based non-government organization working with women and children in prostitution, rejected call of the United Nations to legalize prostitution in the country in order

UN proposal to create more problems than solutions to provide sex workers access to basic rights and to control the basic spread of sexually

transmitted infection especially HIV. Jeanette Laurel-Ampog , Ta-

likala executive director, said that what put women in prostitution at risk to infections is being in prostitution.

“No amount of law or pol-

FMILITANT, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Army commander Philippines no longer top supplier of canned tuna quits over massacre T

HE COMMANDER of the Philippine Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion quit from his post after 13 of his men were allegedly found to be guilty of “tactical lapse” over the death of the wife and two sons of a B’laan tribal leader in Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur. Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division, said that Lt. Col. Alexis Bravo has resigned “to allow other third party groups to investigate the incident freely and to prove that there is no coverup in the search for truth in this incident.”

Paniza said Bravo’s resignation takes effect Monday and he will be replaced by Lt. Col. Shalimar Imperial. “(Bravo’s) action is laudable and an example of a true gentleman and courageous leader who is willing to accept the consequence of his action and of his subordinates,” Paniza said.

He said Bravo is already one year and six months as the 27th IB commander and there is still no assignment yet for him.

The resignation comes after a military inquiry found that the 13 soldiers under Bravo, led by 1st Lt.

Bishop Afable lauds military brass for initiating investigation Dante Jimenez, committed tactical lapse in the military operation on October 18 that killed the wife and two sons of tribal leader Daguil Capion.

Killed were Capion’s 27-year-old wife Juvy and their sons Pop, 13, and John, 8.

The soldiers said they were fired upon as they neared a hut of the Capion family in an isolated part of Kiblawan town, prompting them to fire back.

But they were found negligent when they engaged in a shootout with the tribal leader because they did not try to avoid civilian casualties.

Jimenez had been temporarily relieved from his post pending the results of the investigation.The 13 soldiers could face life in jail if found guilty.

Specifically, the board want the 13 soldiers tried for violation of the Articles of War 76 (misbehavior before the enemy); 96 (conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman) and 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline).

This came even as Bishop Guillermo Afable

of the Diocese of Digos commended military officials for initiating the investigation by the Board of Inquiry on 13 soldiers in connection with the death of the wife and two sons of a B’laan tribal leader in Kiblawan town, this province, last month.

“I commend the Army’s 10th ID (Infantry Division) for the reported outcome of the investigation,” Afable said.

He said “truth and restorative justice do prevail in our Armed Forces of the Philippines. You make us proud. There is hope for matuwid na daan.” [ASA]

E

CUADOR has overtaken the Philippines as the leading supplier of canned tuna in Germany.

Data from the European Commission published by a global tuna industry resource outfit (www.atuna.com) showed the Philippines shipped 15,074 metric tons (MT) of tuna to Germany last year, slightly lower than the 15,149 MT supplied by Ecuador.

Canned tuna imports account for almost all of Germany’s tuna imports, which in 2011 jumped to a three-year record high of 60,015 tons.

The Philippines used to hold 32 percent of Germany’s canned tuna imports.

Sought for comments, Mariano Fernandez, president of the city’s tuna canners’ association, said Mon-

day the local tuna industry is facing problems on raw supply.

Also, it is not only in Germany but also in the United States that the export of Philippine canned tuna is declining, he said, reiterating the problem on raw tuna materials.

“The unloading now of tuna fish here is in small volumes, unlike in the past,” Fernandez told MindaNews, attributing the lack of raw tuna materials locally to global warning.

Fernandez said that local fishing companies are having a hard time catching tuna in the Philippine and nearby international fishing waters because of the warmer water temperature.

This is the opposite in Ecuador, where the water temperature is

cooler, he added.

The report attributed the decline of the Philippine canned tuna share in the German market as likely caused by an unequal tariff treatment.

Ecuador enjoys a duty-free access on tuna products to the European Union, where Germany is a member, while the Philippines is slapped with a 24-percent tariff.

The South American country reportedly produces 500 MT tons of canned tuna daily and is one of the world’s largest producer, next to Thailand and Spain.

The Philippines used to enjoy an in-quota tariff treatment given by the European Union (EU) to “non-preferred” countries that also include Thailand and Indonesia.

Gunrunner slain, 4 others arrested

By Anthony S. Allada

A

SUSPECTED leader of a gunrunning syndicate was killed while four others were arrested following a buy-bust operation mounted by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11 in Sirawan, a barangay in Toril District, Davao City.

Sr. Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro, CIDG 11 regional chief, said that Ridwan Bantugan shot it out with the operating team resulting in his killing.

Hit on the head, Bantugan died instantly.

Ferro said that his men led by Sr. Insp. Francis Sonza conducted a buy-bust operation at 3:30 p.m.

Monday where they were supposed to buy a Baby Armalite rifle, two .45 caliber pistols and two .38 caliber revolvers for P200,000 outside Bantugan’s house in Barangay Sirawan, a kilometer away from the checkpoint of the Task Force Davao.

However, Bantugan sensed that he was being set up policemen, prompt-

Baby armalite, five other guns recovered from dead suspect ing him to start firing. A member of the operating team fired back and hit him on the head.

Recovered from Bantugan’s possession were a Baby Armalite rifle, a .45 caliber pistol and a 9mm caliber pistol.

In a followup operation, two .45 caliber pistols and two .38 caliber revolvers were recovered from the suspect’s house.

Four men believed to be companions of Bantugan in the gun-running operation were also arrested at the height of the commotion while two others managed to escape.

Ferro said that the operation came after an intensive month-long surveillance following complaints from neighbors of a series of indiscriminate firing during day and night time and that there were a reported illegal selling of firearms in the place.

BACK TO SCHOOL. Pupils troop to Vicente Hizon Sr. elementary school during the first day of classes after the semestral break and observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day over the weekend in Brgy. Pampanga, Davao City yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Nicolas Pacaña’s swan song

Royeca School of Ballet to stage ‘Romeo and Juliet’ T HE ballet season once again takes centerstage this year to offer young students the chance to showcase their craft in a fine and classical dancing.

The Royeca School of Ballet in Davao City together with the Ateneo School of Ballet unlocks another work of art in the field of ballet with the Shakespeare classic “Romeo and Juliet”. This classical based on an Italian take, belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretched back to ancient

times. It was translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet in 1562 by Arthur Brooke and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure in 1582 by William Painter.

It was in 2005 when Royeca School of Ballet by its artistic director, Ms Girlie S. Royeca, invited the dynamic duo from the Atlanta Festival Ballet, USA – choreographers and directors Gregory Aaron and Nicolas Pacana, to Davao to collaborate with her school

to stage and perform such classical ballets as The Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, the Nutcracker and the recent one, the Sleeping Beauty. All these were major ballet productions for the Royeca School of Ballet students. It saw performances in Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro and Lipa City, Batangas.

This season, the Royeca studio will primarily feature internationally acclaimed premier danseur, Nicolas Pacana, to

star in his all time favorite role of Romeo in Sergei Prokofiev’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragic love story Romeo and Juliet.

Prokofiev composed the music in 1935 or 1936 for the irov Ballet. With partners Maila Habagat and Genette Terez (both are Royeca Studio’s prima ballerinas), this ballet score has inspired many great choreographers to try their hand at Shakespeare’s story. Children as well as adults do love to hear their favorite stories told again and again.

SUBURBIA 3

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 176 •TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Age doesn’t matter in ‘Kasalan’ A

N 86 year-old Jesus Barreza left Manila years ago to manage his little farm in Sagayen, Asuncion, Davao del Norte and met the woman whom he described as the “woman of her dreams.”

Last Tuesday, Jesus tied the knot with 60 yearold Natividad Decano vda. de Luzon in a civil wedding ceremony officiated no less than City Mayor Rey T. Uy in the Trade and Cultural Center Pavilion.

Jesus and Natividad are among the 50 couples who were officially declared husbands and wives in the second batch of the Kasalan sa Tagum 2012 organized by the City Government of Tagum through the Office of the City Civil Registrar.

“Nalipay ko na finally, matawag na gyud nako sya na akong misis,” Jesus, a retired officer of the Philippine Air Force, exclaimed after the ceremony that sealed his partner-

ship with the woman she just met four months ago.

Speaking to other couples before the ceremony, Mayor Uy challenged couples to become responsible couples and parents and even promoted the city’s local reproductive health programs such as ligation and vasectomy.

A total of 4,000 individuals had already availed of the program since its conception, the local chief executive shared.

Mayor Uy exposed the realities of married life and gave advices to the couple on issues usually facing married couples.

Kasalang Bayan has been one of the pet programs of Mayor Uy which seeks to formalize the partnerships especially those live-in couples.

The said program, as authorized by the Family Code, also made a significant contribution in reducing the number of illegitimate children in the

WEDDING. Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy officiates the civil wedding ceremony of about 50 couples in the second batch of the Kasalan sa Tagum 2012 at the Trade and Cultural Center Pavilion last October 30. [Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum]

city.

The next batch of the Kasalang Bayan is scheduled on December 12, 2012 and interested cou-

ples may inquire at the Office of the Civil Registrar’s Office at the City Hall for the requirements.

Like Jesus and Nativ-

idad, couples need not to worry about fees since this is conducted for free, except for securing the certificate of no marriage

(CENOMAR) which can be acquired for a minimal cost. [Louie Lapat/CIO Tagum]

ment on Bangsamoro (FAB) in order for the IPs to study the implications of this to the indigenous communities within and outside the core areas of the proposed Bangsamoro territory,” the press statement released by the organizing groups led by the Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM) and Mindanao Peaceweavers, said.

The press statement said the delegates to the conference “will also collectively define the role of IPs in this new political landscape and specifically recommend policy actions and ways forward” and generate an IP women’s voice “wherein the women delegates will be able to articulate and recommend specific actions that pertain to greater and meaningful participation of IP women in the peace processes on matters of representation, ad-

vancement & protection of rights especially in the post-agreement scenario.”

In the government-MILF peace process, the two panels have assured that there would be at least 2 Lumads, and 2 women in the 15-member GPH-MILF Transition Commission (TransCom), the body that will draft, among others, the Bangsamoro Basic Law in preparation for the new autonomous political entity called “Bangsamoro” which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by 2016.

The TransCom will be set up when President Benigno Simeon Aquino III issues an Executive Order creating the TransCom. The recently signed Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) provides that the

avail of this operation should pass the screening to be conducted by their volunteers.

Their target is 150 patients but this depends on the assessment of their medical specialists and surgeons.

Manzano said that the deadline for the final screening is on Nov. 24, 2012 at the Lagao Gym. Interested residents of

SOCSKSARGEN may register with the City Social Welfare and Development Office and SPECTRUM, an NGO partner of Operation Smile Phils.

This surgical mission is also in coordination with the city government of General Santos and the Rotary Club of General Santos. [CPIO/PING APONESTO]

Bukidnon gov’t, NGOs form Lumads meet on GPH-MILF, GPH-NDF peace processes HR coordinating council

T

O ensure the rights of vulnerable sectors in Bukidnon are protected, representatives from government and non-government agencies have set up a human rights coordinating council.

Inlantong Erwin Marte, chair of the Bukidnon Tribal Development Council of Elders (Butridce), told MindaNews Sunday, that the council, composed of representatives from various sectors and government organizations led by the Commission on Human Rights, will help address the violations of rights of vulnerable sectors such as

Lumads (indigenous peoples) and farmers in the province.

“This should help minimize the number of violations and help educate the public on human rights,” he Marte said.

Fourteen agencies led by the CHR, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on October 24 to formalize the council, according to an e-mail from organizers.

Aside from the CHR, among those who signed the MOA were representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Phil-

ippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bukidnon is represented in the council by Datu Mayda Pandian, IP representative in the board and head of the Committee on the IPs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on human rights advocacy.

These NGO signatories include the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama), Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-KSK/FOE-Philippines), Balaod Mindanaw, Inc., Butridce, Diocese of

FGOV’T, 11

S

OME 80 Lumad (indigenous peoples) leaders around Mindanao have gathered in Midsayap, North Cotabato for a two-day conference beginning Sunday to discuss the peace processes between government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and with National Democratic Front (NDF).

Ednar Dayanghirang, GPH peace panel member representing the Lumads and Blaan Datu Antonio Kinoc, alternate panel member of the MILF, will be attending the forum.

The November 4 and 5 conference at the Peace and Development Training Center of the Southern Christian College in Midsayap, organizers say, “will provide a consultative space for the representatives of the peace panels to explain the contents of the recently signed Framework Agree-

FLUMADS, 11

Operation Smile in Gensan set November 23 to Dec.1

BRIEFING. Surigao del Sur Vice Gov. Manuel O. Alameda briefs DSWD information and planning officers on the thrusts and programs as well as tourism prospects of the province during the visit of the latter in Britania, San Agustin following the

National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) Communication Planning and Communications Audit held recently at Almont Inland Resort, Butuan City.

[DSWD/Carmela Cadigal-Duron]

A

surgical mission for children with cleft palate and cleft lip is scheduled in General Santos City this coming November 23 to December 1, 2012.

According to Roberto “Bobby” Manzano, Operation Smile Philippines President and Executive Director, the operation is free.

But those who can

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Polar bear sanctuary on iceberg A

hitherto unknown polar bear sanctuary in the Arctic has been discovered by the makers of a BBC documentary.

An estimated 20 of the bears were seen on the Peterman Iceberg in Baffin Bay, 50km off the Canadian coast.

For most of the year, polar bears live on the frozen sea water where they hunt seals.

So the finding challenges received wisdom about where polar bears spend the summer months, when the sea ice melts.

The sanctuary was discovered during the filming of BBC Two’s Operation Iceberg.

It had been assumed that polar bears had to move on to the land during the summer, in this case, Baffin Island.

But now it is clear that not all polar bears return to land. Some spend the summer months surviving on large tabular ice-

bergs off the coast.

Presenter Chris Packham commented: “What’s there for them is security, and I think they are taking advantage of that. So I think they are living on this iceberg to stay safe, and just wait for the sea ice to come back in.”

American biologist and polar bear expert Steven Amstrup said this was the first time he had heard of the bears living in large numbers on a tabular iceberg out at sea.

Dr Keith Nicholls of the British Antarctic Survey was also on the expedition. He said: “In recent years we’ve been seeing a lot more big tabular icebergs come off the Greenland ice sheet and they’re now ending up in Baffin Bay.” Polar bears are hunted by humans on both the mainlands of Greenland and Canada so the icebergs may enable the bears to remain safe from human hunting.[BBC Nature]

African conservationists seek tougher fines for wildlife crimes

A

FRICAN conservationists have called for stiffer penalties to address wildlife—related crimes which have contributed to the dwindling number of elephants in the continent as a result of rampant poaching.

The conservationists decried the entry of organized crime syndicates into the illegal wildlife trade, most notably of rhino horn and elephant ivory, which they said, has created a crisis situation in many African countries.

These syndicates, they said, have employed cutting-edge technologies and sophisticated methods to poach, then illegally traffic, wildlife parts off the continent, making wildlife protection difficult, dangerous, and expensive.

“Our wildlife authority counterparts across the continent have all increased their efforts to protect their wildlife. In some cases, however, the ability to arrest and successfully prosecute these criminals is not quite there,” Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Director William Kibet Kiprono said in a joint statement issued on Saturday.

The KWS has expressed fears that the scenes of the 1970s and the 1980s when poaching was a serious menace, and contributed to the depletion of wildlife including elephants, lions and rhinos are back, are threatening many years of

conservation efforts and animal populations that had started to balloon.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is currently involved in efforts to improve the capacities of African countries to fight poaching as well as enabling countries where illegal animal trophies are destined to improve their capacity to detect the trophies through their points of entry.

Kiprono said the situation calls for a united approach that will not only facilitate the capture of those involved in wildlife crime, but also enhance prosecution of the illegal killing and trafficking of wildlife.

More than 1,000 rhinoceros, an all-time high, have been poached in the last three years, and current poaching of elephants is documented to be the highest since the 1980s.

The illegal poaching of wildlife for commercial purposes is also decimating many more species.

“As of the end of October, 488 rhinos have been slaughtered this year in South Africa,” said Dr. Hector Magome, managing executive of the Conservation Service Division, South African National Parks.

“However, increased arrests in South Africa demonstrate that as a country we have implemented some successful measures worthy of consideration by others.”

G20 launches disaster preparedness manual T

Tabular icebergs may give the bears sanctuary from hunting.

The meeting brought together top legal minds which came together at a judicial discussion surrounding the need to enforce harsher penalties for wildlife-related crimes.

They discussed strategies to deter crimes, such as poaching.

The meeting, which was convened by African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and KWS focused on the successful prosecution of illegal wildlife trafficking, with the goal of effecting more meaningful deterrents.

The event was well attended by individuals from top law firms, as well as representatives from state law offices and the judiciary.

“Africa is experiencing an unparalleled surge in wildlife crime that seriously threatens the continued survival of key species and the associated benefits, such as tourism,” said Helen Gichohi, president of African Wildlife Foundation.

During the meeting, participants discussed current processes, identified successful strategies being used for prosecuting wildlife crimes, noted gaps that exist in the system, and developed a comprehensive response to enhance prosecution of poaching.

The participants agreed on some initial approaches for enhancing the prosecution of illegal wildlife crimes.

HREE key global economic bodies recently launched a manual in Mexico City that compiles the best practices to deal with natural disasters.

The manual, “Disaster Risk Assessment and Risk Financing,” was prepared for the Group of 20 by the Mexican government and the World Bank, with submissions from 15 other nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It introduces mechanisms for handling natural disasters by such nations as Mexico, which face a slew of risks.

“Our collaboration with Mexico has been model,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said.

“Mexico is very far ahead of the game.”

Mexico, which is holding the rotating G20 presidency, is subject to hurricanes, with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.

It also suffers from earthquakes, which often strike the central and southwest parts, including the capital Mexico City.

The manual was in response to the 2012 G20 Disaster Risk Management initiative, introduced by Mexico earlier this year.

The manual recommends countries focus on financial stability, including ensuring risks are allocated to private markets, clear rules are in place for distribution of disaster funds and that states consider ahead of time the financial implications of investing in disaster risk reduction projects.

“Mexico has done pretty well with the FONDEN (the Natural Disaster Fund), and with its flexible assignment of resources,” Mexico’s Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said.

FONDEN is administered by the Interior Ministry and is designed to swiftly deliver financial and material aid to municipalities that have been assigned disaster areas.

Since 2006, Mexico has also been selling catastrophe bonds each year. If a disaster occurs during a bond’s lifetime, the government uses the money borrowed to pay for repairs.

If no disaster occurs, the government pays the money back with interest. The latest such bond was issued on Oct. 15, and raised 315 million U.S. dollars.

Pam Nacpil, ADB senior transport consultant.

She noted details about the system will be known during the inauguration.

About 20 bicycles may be initially fielded for the system, she said.

The inauguration will be among the highlights of the ADB-hosted sustainable transport forum in Metro Manila this week.

Paris, Montreal, Washington, D.C., London, Mex-

ico City, Seville, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Tel Aviv and China’s Hangzhou are among the cities the Lonely Planet travel website listed as having their respective bike-sharing systems.

Such systems are gaining popularity worldwide for being either free or affordable, environment-friendly, space- and fuel-saving and able to help people move around on their own while keeping fit.

PHL’s first bike-sharing system debuts this week

T

HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) is set to spearhead the inauguration on Tuesday of the Philippines’ first bike-sharing system.

Such system aims to help address traffic congestion, air pollution and other concerns by making bicycles available to people for their respective short-distance travel. ”We’re looking forward to the inauguration,” said

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 176 •TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

THE ECONOMY

5

World Bank consults Mindanao on country partnership strategy T

HE World Bank Group in the Philippines led by its Country Director, Mr. Motoo Konishi, conducted a consultation with the multi-sectoral stakeholders of Mindanao on its 2013-2016 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS).

Being the first of a series of regional consultations, the activity sought the perspectives of Mindanao stakeholders on issues and directions for the Bank’s CPS which shall guide the operations of the World Bank in the Philippines in collaboration with the national government, private sector, civil society organizations and other development partners.

According to WB Country Program Coordinator, Ms. Kate Hollifield, the Philippines is one of the most biologically rich and diverse countries in the world with world-class talents, vibrant public sector and active civil society. It has stable macroeconomics with low and stable inflation, falling debt ratios, healthy current account surpluses, higher reserves, and a stable banking sector.

However, its economic growth has limited impact on poverty as it is not uniform across the country of which 75% of the poor are in rural areas while almost 40% of the rural population falls below the poverty line, versus only about 13% of the urban population.

It is on track in most of its MDGs like gender equality in basic education, reducing infant and child mortality, combating tuberculosis, malaria and other major diseases, and improved access to safe water, while at risk in terms of: maternal mortality, protecting children from malnutrition and disease, and universal primary education.

It is also one of the most natural disaster prone countries in the world. With this backdrop, the WBG program goal for 20092013 is inclusive growth or “making growth work for the poor”.

To provide context to the consultation, Director Maria Lourdes D. Lim of NEDA XI presented the Philippine Development Plan, 2011-2016, its vision and objectives with emphasis on Chapter 9 on Peace

EXPORT PROCESSING ZONE. Ferdinand Marañon, president and chief executive officer of Sagrex Corporation and concurrent president of Philippine Export-Davao (right), explains his group’s proposal to develop the foreclosed First Oriental property in Barangay Ilang into an export processing zone focused on fruits and vegetables in

the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Annex yesterday. Marañon urged the EPZ to be pursued as public-private-partnership (PPP) project. With him is Richard Torres, PhilExport consultant. LEAN DAVAL JR.

and Security; an overview of the National Spatial Strategy; the key elements of the Mindanao Strategic Development Framework (MSDF), 2010-2020 and its priorities; the important initiatives for peace and

The presentation articulated the overall goal of achieving inclusive growth or a growth that is shared by all.

It means that economic expansion must be rapid enough to matter, given the

development in Mindanao for inclusive growth and on the roles of the National Government, Local Government Units, private sector and Civil Society Organizations engaged in poverty reduction.

country’s large population, geographical differences and social complexity. It outlined the key development strategies of the PDP consistent with the President’s Social Contract with the Filipino people.

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 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Legarda urges disaster resilience of business sector, redefines CSR I

N light of Superstorm Sandy’s impact on businesses in affected areas in the United States, Senator Loren Legarda yesterday reiterated her call for a disaster-resilient business sector in the Philippines.

Legarda, United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, noted reports stating that Superstorm Sandy is one of US’ most costly disasters as estimated loss to the nation’s economy reached $50 billion.

“Businesses in areas affected by Superstorm Sandy were closed longer than expected because of electric shut down, utility losses, halted transit operations and road closures, thus resulting to huge economic losses. This scenario in a powerful nation should encourage other countries, especially developing ones including the Philippines, to take aggressive steps in ensuring the resilience to disasters not only of our households, residential communities, infrastructure and public places, but also of the business sector,” she stressed.

“It is important that private companies are able to come back to business as soon as possible every after a disaster, thus, they should be encouraged to come up with their business continuity plans that will show how prepared they are to face disasters,” said Legarda.

Legarda urged private busi-

HALF-KILO STRATEGY. A roasted pig is being sold at P190 per half kilo along J.P. Laurel Ave. yesterday. Sellers are using the “half kilo style” strategy to entice customers and make their products look more affordable. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

ness groups to promote robust and effective business continuity planning.

Business continuity plans make post-disaster recovery fast and efficient. The plan ensures that the business entity is least affected and can resume operations in the least amount of time.

Legarda further redefines corporate social responsibility,

urging the business sector to work in tandem with the government and local communities to ensure that amid threats of hazards and extreme weather events, our development goals are still within reach.

“The higher value of corporate business is not found in the monetary profit it brings neither in the wealth it creates, but in the nobility of purpose - to improve

the quality of life of the people and to build a sustainable and resilient human society. What could be more rewarding than knowing that one’s business, however big or small, has made a difference in making a village community or the country as a whole, a safer and happier place to live in? Isn’t this the essence of corporate social responsibility?”Legarda said.

to be matched since small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which need funding assistance will likewise be matched with financing institutions.

“The Investment and Industry Development Division (IIDD) of DTI’s Regional Office and the Provincial Offices here are currently gathering feedbacks from MSMEs about their needs so that we can address such accordingly and appropriately,” she said.

The said convergence is spearheaded by the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Incorporated (PhilExport) Davao Chapter and it is expected to gather in one venue the banana growers, farmers, cooperatives,

suppliers of production inputs, traders, exporters, logistics players, industry associations, agrarian reform communities, research institutions, academe, other support groups and participants from government agencies and local government units (LGUs) involved in the banana industry.

Loreto said the banana industry offers a wide range of opportunities for all the stakeholders and the Congress is among the biggest breaks to unleash these potentials.

“The banana industry isn’t just about fresh Cavendish bananas for export. The industry also includes the processed products like banana chips,

banana flour, and other derivatives,” she said adding that the entire banana value chain must be looked into if we are to fully understand the industry.

“We have to look at the processes and the people involved from the planting phase to the market delivery,” she said.

To get a glimpse of the whole industry, stakeholders are urged to participate in the two-day banana event.

For more details, interested parties may contact Chug Torres of the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC), the Congress secretariat, at (082) 224-2581 or 225-0763 or Marie Anne How at (082) 224-0511 local 15. [DTI 11/Jen Mendoza]

Mindanao Banana Congress to hold biz-matching activities T

O augur the influx of investments into the region, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is spearheading the conduct of business-matching activities during the Mindanao Banana Congress in Davao City on November 7 and 8.

The two-day conference is a gathering of at least 500 banana industry stakeholders from all over Mindanao which will be conducted at SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier here.

DTI-Davao Regional Director Marizon S. Loreto said that in the business-matching, producers of raw materials and buyers will not be the only ones

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

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 176 •TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

COMPETITIVE EDGE

7

Smart, PSF hold CVIF-DLP orientation nationwide S

MART Communications, Inc. and the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) recently conducted simultaneous orientation sessions on the highly-publicized, award-winning CVIF-Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) in key cities all over the country as part of efforts to spread to more schools the good news about this non-traditional yet effective learning method.

Developed by Ramon Magsaysay Awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and Dr. M. Victoria Carpio-Bernido, the CVIF-DLP framework of teaching encourages independent learning among students as a way to bolster academic performance.

Smart and PSF hosted half-day sessions in Makati, Baguio, Pampanga and Naga for Luzon last October 23, and in Cagayan de Oro and Davao last October 25.

Another one is scheduled for November 7 in Cebu.

A total of 162 individuals, representing about 70 institutions, participated in the orientation. Of the institutions that were rep-

resented, about 60 percent were from the public school system, and the rest, from private schools.

The number of participants exceeded the number of sign-ups based on the online registration that was made available prior to the actual event.

“This is a more efficient way of propagating the benefits of CVIF-DLP. By identifying key sites for our orientation, we were able to reach more schools in one sweep instead of conducting them in each institution,” said Stephanie Orlino, Smart Public Affairs manager.

The orientation was conducted by CVIF-DLP ambassadors from schools that are already implementing the program. The same CVIF-DLP leaders underwent training last August.

During the orientation, participants, who were mostly principals and division schools heads, were shown a series of videos on what CVIF-DLP is all about, including a video where queries about the program were answered by the Bernidos themselves. The CV-

IF-DLP ambassadors also answered questions from the participants based on their own experience in implementing the same program.

With only 80 percent student activity, four academic days, and zero homework, CVIF-DLP has proven to be effective in improving the quality of education

surance and pension funding; activities auxiliary to financial service and insurance activities; legal and accounting; activities of head offices; management consultancy services; architecture and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis; scientific research and development; advertising and market research; other professional, scientific and technical activities; veterinary activities; rental and leasing activities; employment activities; travel, tour, and reservation activities; security and investigation; building and landscaping services; office administration, support and other business activities; private dental and medical clinics; creative, arts and entertainment activities; libraries, archives, museums and cultural activities; activities of membership organizations except religious organizations; computers and personal household goods repair; and activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies) 2.0 for Commercial (crop and animal production; hunting; forestry and logging; fishing and aquaculture; mining activities; mining support services; quarrying; extraction of crude petroleum and

natural gas; manufacturing; printing and reproduction of recorded media; repair and installation of machinery equipment; electric, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; household selling of tap water to neighbors / other households; sewerage; waste collection, treatment and disposal; materials recovery; remediation activities and other waste management services; residential and non-residential building construction; civil engineering; specialized construction; car wash shops; gasoline stations; land and pipeline transportation; water transport; air transport; transportation support activities; accommodation; food and beverage services; motion picture, video and television program production; sound recording and music publishing activities; real estate except renting of apartments or dwelling units; private education; private hospitals; gambling and betting activities; sport, amusement and recreation activities; and personal service activities except barber shops and beauty parlors); and 3.0 for Bulk / Wholesale (private water collection, treatment and supply).

CVIF-DLP Ambassadors answer questions from the participants during the orientation held in Makati City. As faculty members of schools that have already been implementing the teaching method, they also shared their experiences and best practices on the program.

particularly in Science, Technology, English and Mathematics.

First implemented in

the Bernidos’ Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF) in Jagna, Bohol, the CVIF-DLP is now being

used as teaching method in many schools all over the country. [END]

HE Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) was named 2nd most “Socially Devoted Brand” in the airline industry category by Socialbakers, a leading social media analytics company. The awards event was held recently in New York, as a culmination of Engage 2012: The Socialbakers Conference.

In its blog, Socialbakers cited CEB’s 85.46% response rate on its Facebook page when it ranked the airline 2nd. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Alita-

lia complete the top three most socially devoted airline category at 1st and 3rd respectively.

The top brands were assessed by Socialbakers Analytics engine, taking into account all pages in Socialbaker’s top Facebook charts worldwide. Key factors in the awards were fan engagement, response rates on wall posts and average response times.

“This recognition fuels our drive to further engage our passengers online, especially when it comes to seat sales, inquiries, weather updates, product innova-

tions and new routes and destinations. We remain committed to bringing the latest news from CEB right to our guests’ mobile phones or computers, for their utmost convenience,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

CEB’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cebupacificair) currently has over 700,000 fans, while its Twitter account (@cebupacificair) has over 417,000 followers. Its YouTube channel (www.youtube. com/cebupacificair) also has over one million views.

CEBU’S pride GT Cosmetics Manufacturing, in line with the observance of All Soul’s Day or Halloween, will be giving out 20 tickets to the advanced screening of “Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn (The Epic Finale)’ slated for Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia’s Center Stage Cinema.

To win a ticket to the premier showing of the much-awaited Part 2 of the “Twilight” trilogy finale, a GT product user must post a photo of herself or himself posing as Bela, Edward, or Jacob on GT’s Facebook “GT & Me” fan page.

The top 20 photo entries with the most “likes” after the deadline set on

Nov. 10 will each get a ticket to the advanced screening sponsored by GT Cosmetics. The 20 lucky winners will have the best seats right in the middle of the orchestra section of the cinema.

GT gift packs will also be given out to the first 10 posted entries. This promo, however, is for Metro Manila GT customers only.

Sponsoring the Philippine premier showing of the trilogy’s final episode is part of GT Cosmetics’ corporate social responsibility as the proceeds will go to a chosen group of elderly people and a community church.

“We supported this

event not because we wanted to promote our products further in Metro Manila,” GT national sales manager Engr. Leonora B. Salvane said. “We sponsored the advanced screening because it is for the benefit of some elderly people.”

Salvane added that GT stands for “God’s Talent”.

“So, therefore, we must share to others what God has blessed us with.”

Salvane, who is a chemical engineer, formulated the company’s beauty bar soaps herself using organic and herbal extracts that help improve the skin. GT soaps come in three variants: carrot, papaya, and bleaching.

In US social media list

CEB ranks second most ‘Socially Devoted’ airline

DCWD classifies T service connections A

FTER 20 years, Davao City Water District is implementing the classification of service connections per Board Resolution 12 – 642 issued on October 25, 2012. All water connections will be classified according to residential / government, commercial / industrial and bulk seller with corresponding water rates.

Acting general manager Edwin V. Regalado clarified that said changes will not affect residential and government connections. The rest of the rates per class will be factored accordingly as such: 1.25 for Commercial C (renting of residential properties whose owners assume payment of water using one central meter); 1.50 for Commercial B (maintenance and repair of motor vehicles except car washing; postal and courier; publishing; programming; broadcasting; telecommunications; computer programming, consultancy and related activities; information services; and hairdressing and beauty treatment); 1.75 for Commercial A (wholesale and retail trade; warehousing and storage; financial services; insurance, rein-

GT Twilight Saga promo now on

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Exposing the myth of full-service bank COMMENTARY

D

EDITORIAL

Goin’ bananas

T

OMORROW the Mindanao Banana Congress and Exhibits 2012 will unfold at Davao City’s huge SMX Convention Center at the newly opened SM Lanang Premier. As the organizers say, beyond being a showcase of products from bananas, the two-day event is a recognition of “the need for convergence of resources and expertise to meet industry challenges through strong collaboration among partners and development stakeholders.”

Some disinterested observers regard the congress to be noteworthy in that it is not all about Cavendish bananas which for decades had been a top dollar-earner, giving huge income to the country and jobs to thousands of people in Mindanao. It is also about the tremendous potentials of non-Cavendish banana varieties.

The event’s schedule of activities is a refreshing array of ideas that could spell a big difference in the future of the industry.

Consider the proposal of Rene Dalayon, 2010 Ernst & Young SGV Entrepreneur of the Year national finalist , to explore new

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markets for banana cooperatives and small farmers. His suggestion to develop bananas into nutritious products for use in massive supplemental feeding in school is admittedly exciting, definitely better than the scandalously overpriced noodles for school children in the past.

Other interesting topics in the gathering is the launching of the saba banana industry investment study, the establishment of a national banana research, and discussions of integrated management and control of major banana diseases.

A proposal to establish a banana industry development council to be tackled by the proponent himself, Dr. Rolando T. Dy, executive director of Center for Food and Agribusiness of the University of Asia and the Pacific, followed by an organizational meeting is something that participants ought to be excited about.

Indeed, the congress is not only about banana, or a particular agricultural product. More importantly, it is about the future of a people, us, Mindanaoans.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO CARLO P. MALLO Associate Special Project Consultant 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

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance AGuSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

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LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Tel: (088) 852-4894

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By Hugo Dixon

URING the long upswing, second-tier and even third-tier banks felt they needed to offer every product in every part of the world. That led to inflated costs, unethical practices and now terrible returns. Last week’s bold move by UBS to hack back its fixed income division, with the loss of 10,000 jobs, exposes the myth of the so-called “full-service” firm.

The drive behind creating full-service firms was the idea that corporate and investor clients – say, Vodafone or BlackRock – wanted to get all their financial services from a single source. A further motivation was fear among commercial banks that they would be disintermediated by the capital markets. Corporate clients would finance themselves by issuing bonds to investors rather than borrowing from banks.

The full-service myth probably dates from at least the time of “Big Bang” in 1986, when London’s financial markets were deregulated. Over the past quarter of a century, the financial industry has been bulking up in investment banking either by acquiring rivals or by engaging in hiring sprees.

UBS, for example, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation, and bought S.G. Warburg and PaineWebber. It also made a disastrous push into fixed income trading, which cost its shareholders tens of billions of dollars.

Firms that had even less of a comparative advantage in investment banking, like Commerzbank, RBS and UniCredit, felt they had to be players too. One result was that pay across the industry went through the roof.

Another consequence was that there was pressure on bankers to thrust unsuitable products down clients’ throats.

Sometimes, customers just had to put up with another visit from financiers hawking the same old ideas in glossy presentation packs. But the less sophisticated among them sometimes succumbed to the salesmens’ silken speeches, spawning scandals that have sullied the industry’s image.

The basic theory was largely flawed.

Large clients find it easy to shop around – borrowing money from one bank, taking advice from another and doing a derivatives deal with a third. And when they did push extra business through a one-stop shop, it was often to the bank’s disadvantage: for example, companies would only use it for merger advice if it also offered loans at wafer-thin margins.

In normal times, the shakeout would have happened earlier. But the long upswing deferred the reckoning. The fixed income business, in particular, boomed on the back of cheap money sloshing around the world in the early part of this century.

Banks such as UBS kidded themselves that they were able to be profitable despite having little real expertise and few clients in the area.

What’s more, some of the bosses didn’t see how unhealthy the growth of their industry had become because they personally benefited. Their empires got bigger, they were paid tens of millions of dollars and they surrounded themselves with sometimes sycophantic acolytes.

The reckoning, though, can’t be postponed forever. Not only has the market for investment banking services shrunk; the regulatory noose is tightening. That latter requires banks to have fatter capital buffers, especially if they are big and complex, or if they have large trading operations. Regulators are also pushing for banks to fund themselves more with retail deposits than through the wholesale markets; requiring firms to show how they would be unwound in an orderly fashion if they went bust; and are pushing through plans to force groups to separate out their investment banking or trading operations.

EDGEDAVAO

S

An epic business battle about to unfold

TRONGER CONSUMER AND BUSINESS CONFIDENCE – A brighter outlook for the remainder of 2012 propelled the construction industry in Davao City to 12-month high. Economists and business analysts say the general mood here has improved tremendously in the past weeks predicting the construction business will be much stronger even after 2012. The city’s brighter business outlook is partly due to the fact that, after a mild economic slowdown during the previous years, circumstances not outright uncomfortable were bound to seem like relief.

Signs that the economy is perking up are feeding expectations that Davao City may soon see a resurgence of growth led by stronger consumer and business confidence. The city recently registered a spike in personal spending and investment portfolios notably in the construction segment such as the building of modern shopping malls, condominium units, highrise office edifices, IT centers and high-end hotels. Essentially, many reputable investors want a piece of the city’s construction boom and they focused more on the hotel venture.

It seems an epic business battle is about to unfold what with the building of hotels in various strategic locations in the city is fast-tracking. Maybe there are good reasons for that and we think there really are. Big investors probably like businesses that are like a castle with a large moat around it. And one of the

T

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

most enticing venture prospects in the city nowadays is the hotel business. That was certainly evident the past few months and the city eventually will be beaming with pride to see all the new hotels to start operations next year. Speculators are optimistic that there will be higher economic growth next year, which will help spur demand for hotel accommodations.

So confident these days are hotel owners who are expecting that more tourists and frequent visitors are coming to the city next year as it now becomes the primary choice for large local and national conventions, trade fairs and other important events. Existing hotels and the new ones scheduled to open next year are capable of managing big conferences and the choice will depend on the event organizers because many hotels in the city boost of huge convention halls and feature top-of-the-line facilities. New hotels in particular are integrated with shops and restaurants and other amenities aside from providing customers ample parking spaces and 24-hour security service.

Hotels basically have always been early adopters of new technology, be it gas lamps or

fax machines. But today’s wireless hot spots are the latest in a long line of innovations geared for customer comfort. Tourist and frequent travelers see high-tech convenience as a necessity, not a luxury – and even the broadband Internet access by the pool is so yesterday. Adapting with the modern trend, hotels are continuously introducing new facilities, gadgets and gizmos.

So there’s the so-called “infotainment.” If one can’t afford to see a favorite movie showing in an I-Max theater due to tight schedule, he or she can look at it on a big plasma or LCD screen in the hotel room instead.

Fed up with art or product exhibits? Then check out a sweeping 100 channels or so of cable TV. Or you can read the local and national newspapers to get updated of what’s going on in the country. One can also read international news update – yours, that is – using a PC in the hotel lobby, which prints the current editions of leading world dailies for a minimal pay. And there’s more – a long list. Modern hotels accept reservations by SMS (from phones connected to the I-Mode system). An “IT butler” gives advice on everything from crashed software to the in-room sound system. Guests must always remember that the butler is essential – you do all your ordering of new towels and other room services through voice or TV commands. Most importantly you can press a button and a softly lit path helps you find the bedroom – get a good sleep and enjoy your stay.

The beauty of Hundred Islands

HROUGH her movies, British actress Rachel Grant has captivated millions of fans around the world, especially those from the Philippines.

But on Sunday, it was the other way around as the James Bond girl, who appeared in the movie “Die Another Day” with Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007, was the one dazzled and fascinated when she went to Pangasinan’s top tourist attraction, the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP).

The Philippine-born Grant, daughter of an English baron who she said is distantly related to the Queen of England and a Filipina, Maria Isabel from San Juan, La Union, dived into the depths of the islands last Sunday, frolicking there for more than an hour, enchanted by its serene and abundant aquatic life.

“It is so great to see the so many fish of different species in the deep and the beautiful green islands,” said Grant. She also described how she was astonished by the giant clams in one of the islands.

She vowed to return although she admitted that she had been to the Hundred Islands many times as a girl as she used to be brought there by her parents.

Although born in Manila, Grant was raised in Nottingham, England where she

SPECIAl FEATURE

By LeonarDo V. Micua also studied. She comes as often as possible to the Philippines since she got involved in Gawad Kalinga in 2007.

Before her island adventure, Grant visited the Alaminos GK Eco-Village at Sitio Sto. Rosario in Barangay Lucap, a project of the Gawad Kalinga, Ramos Foundation, Alaminos 100, City of Hundred Islands Employees Cooperative (CHIEMPCO) and the administration of Mayor Hernani Braganza.

Grant and Mayor Braganza led city officials in the ceremonial laying of bricks (made of waste materials) in the center of the four-hectare village, where 18 units of decent houses are now home to poor residents.

More housing units will be constructed in the village, said Braganza, who also noted that the additional amenities shall include a day care center for children of the homeowners.

As she thanked Alaminos residents for the warm welcome accorded her, Grant wished the dwellers a happy and contented living while expressing hope that the proj-

ect will also be replicated in many other parts of the country.

“There is so much more to a bigger house, lots of money and that is having a happy and loving family and friends, things that really matter in life,” said Grant, who is also the Global Ambassador of Human Heart Nature, a line of personal care products using organic and natural ingredients.

Grant also visited the city’s Mangrove Forest Park in Barangay Bued to take part in planting mangrove seedlings.

Braganza thanked Grant for coming to the Hundred Islands which he said has been drawing more tourists every year since its management was returned to the city government in 2005.

From a mere 60,000 tourist arrivals before he took over as mayor, the Hundred Islands is now drawing almost 200,000 visitors a year.

More than 70 percent of Pangasinan’s tourists go to the Hundred Islands, according to the provincial government data.

The Hundred Islands in Alaminos which is dubbed by many as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” has been attracting more local and foreign celebrities and dignitaries including Hollywood actress Grant. [PNA]

9

The battle over Benghazi ANAlYSIS

By Jack SHafer

( Conclusion) In hogging the blame and the credit for the Benghazi defense, the CIA version slightly deflates the Republican-led congressional investigation of the attack, which has criticized the White House and the State Department for poor security planning in Benghazi. In hindsight, the dueling narratives about exactly what happened in Benghazi can now be attributed to alleged secret arrangements that the State Department made with the CIA for security in Benghazi, where the CIA was operating an “annex” near the public diplomatic mission,and the classified nature of the CIA’s work. (The CIA was chasing terrorists, as well as shoulder-fire missiles and other military gear liberated from Libyan Army arsenals.)

This security arrangement wasn’t widely known outside of Libya, the Journal reports, with “many top officials at the State Department in Washington [not] initially aware that the annex had a security force that answered to the CIA and provided backup security for the consulate.”

By subtly accusing the State Department of its left hand not knowing what its right hand was doing, the CIA account invites a State Department counter-briefing of reporters that slags the CIA for its deficiencies

By subtly accusing the State Department of its left hand not knowing what its right hand was doing, the CIA account invites a State Department counter-briefing of reporters that slags the CIA for its deficiencies. Will Secretary of State Clinton accept or decline? Another player in the Benghazi bureaucratic battle is the FBI, which is investigating the Benghazi attacks. The FBI has cause to be irate with the CIA because the agency delayed in turning over surveillance tapes for its investigation, the Journal reports. Meanwhile, the CIA is allegedly sore with the FBI for dallying before in giving it copies of FBI witness interviews.

The White House itself comes out relatively unscathed—and unmentioned— in today’s news stories. If you were the charitable sort, today’s accounts justify President Obama’s and his spokesmen’s disingenuous comments about the hows and whys of the attack as an attempt to provide cover for the CIA’s Libya secret operations. But surely somebody in the bureaucracy has a score to settle with them, too.

Every bureaucracy despises the other bureaucracies for the usual Machiavellian reasons: They are impediments and competition. When the uneasy peace between bureaucracies is upset, as with the Benghazi attacks, scores both new and old get settled on Page One with briefings, leaks, and interview. The media battle of Benghazi has only begun.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS

P

Immaturity

enalizing political butterflies flitting from one party to another through a law is one thing, but Philippine Senator Joker Arroyo warns it is the apparent lack of political maturity of many of those seeking elective posts that spells doom for a bill pending in the Senate that penalizes turncoats and provides for government subsidies to dominant political parties.

These are just some of the reasons Arroyo believes Senate Bill 3214 may not be passed at all in the remaining months of the 15th Congress that ends in June.

Moving

K

OREAN companies operating in traditional manufacturing hubs like China are “seriously thinking” of moving to the Philippines, according to the Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines (KCCP).

KCCP president Edward Eun-Gap Chang said the Philippines was strategically located in the Asean, a booming market and an especially attractive one given the recent Asean-Korea free trade agreement (FTA).

P

Decrease

hilippine raw sugar export is projected to drop by 46 percent to 295,000 metric tons (MT) for crop year 2012-2013 due to lower beginning stocks, according to a recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Due to significantly lower beginning stocks, [Manila] forecasts total raw sugar exports for crop year 2012-2013 at 295,000 MT, down from crop year 2011-2012 when ample beginning stocks and strong demand resulted in unusually strong exports of 545,000 MT,” said the report issued by the agency’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN).

M

Against

anila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo has reiterated the Catholic Church’s stand against the death penalty. There were recent public calls for the return of the punishment in the wake of the murder of University of Santo Tomas graduate Cyrish Magalang.

“We all know what happens with the death penalty, those who are punished with it are the poor and not the real perpetrators,” Pabillo said in an article posted Sunday evening on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site.

P

Permission

hilippine officials in Vietnam have sought Hanoi’s permission to allow them to visit the Filipina drug mule who was sentenced to death last week for smuggling 5.4 kilograms of illegal methamphetamine drug into the country.

Amodia Teresita Palacio, 61, was arrested at a Hanoi airport for possession of the illegal substance, known in the Philippines as shabu. “She is now in detention cell no.

1. Hopefully they will be granted visitation within this week,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Analyst says

WORLD TODAY

China military shuffle T to preserve Hu role C

HINA has reshuffled its military top brass in a move analysts said on Monday was probably aimed at ensuring President Hu Jintao remains commander in chief of the military after a 10-yearly leadership change.

At a top Communist Party meeting Sunday, Hu oversaw the promotion of Generals Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang as vice chairmen of the powerful 12-member Central Military Commission (CMC), Xinhua news agency said.

Hu, the CMC chairman, is slated to step down as head of the ruling party at a congress starting this week and will retire as national president in March as part of China’s once-adecade leadership change.

But Willy Lam, a China politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: “As long as he is the CMC chief, he will still be the power behind the throne.”

“Hu Jintao would want to serve another five years, particularly given the fact that he has to watch over his political proteges... and protect his political legacy.”

Hu took over control of the party from Jiang Zemin

Murder spree

T

This file photo shows Chinese President Hu Jintao reviewing the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops prior to the start of the National Day parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2009. China

in 2002 but, as part of China’s opaque and secretive political process, only succeeded him as CMC chairman in 2004.

Unlike most modern states, China’s 2.3 million-strong military -- the world’s biggest -- is directly run by the ruling Communist Party, not by the government, an arrangement that stems from the revolution that brought the party to power in 1949.

has reshuffled its military top brass in a move analysts said on Monday was probably aimed at ensuring Hu remains commander-in-chief of the military after a 10-yearly leadership change.

The late revolutionary leader Mao Zedong -- who said that “power comes from the barrel of the gun” -- used the People’s Liberation Army not only to advance revolution, but also to protect the party’s political power, Lam said.

The two incoming CMC vice chairmen will be tasked with pushing forward the modernisation of China’s military and overseeing an increasingly

powerful arsenal.

China’s military forces include nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles and a recently commissioned second-hand aircraft carrier purchased from Ukraine.

Xu is the first air force general to become a vice chairman of the committee, reflecting the importance China places on quickly developing its air capability.

welve months after revelations that a neo-Nazi trio was likely behind a seven-year murder spree targeting immigrants, Germany has sought to mend security flaws but the trauma still reverberates.

Feelings of shock and anger ran deep in Germany, still haunted by its Nazi past, after details began to emerge on November 4 last year of the cold-blooded killings of nine men of Turkish and Greek origin and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007.

F

E

and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti were spearheading efforts to boost much-needed trade with Asia’s fast-growing economies.

Hollande said the main aim of his first trip to Asia since taking office in May was to bring the message that “Europe is still an economic power”.

“I’m here to reassure Asian countries” but at the same time “to tell them that they also have a role to play in European and global growth”, he added.

“Asians have gained a lot from our growth. Now it’s time for them to boost our growth with their demand.”

Laos’ President Choummaly Sayasone (L) welcomes France’s President Francois Hollande prior to a meeting as part of the ninth Asia-Europe (ASEM 9) summit in Vientiane, on November 5.

For years Western outrage over Myanmar’s human rights abuses -including the longtime detention of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners -- was a major cause of friction between the two regions.

Unlike other participating nations, Myanmar was only allowed to send its foreign minister to previous Asia-Europe summits.

But after reforms including the release of political detainees and Suu Kyi’s election to parliament, the West has begun easing sanctions to reward President Thein Sein, who is now on the summit guest list.

Optimism over the sweeping changes, however, has been dampened by deadly clashes between Buddhists and stateless Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine.

Clashes

ierce clashes broke out before dawn on Monday between Syrian troops and rebels in the capital Damascus and in Syria’s second city Aleppo, a watchdog and residents said.

Fighting had erupted Sunday night in the capital’s southern districts of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and Tadamun, on the periphery of the Yarmuk Palestinian camp, and renewed at dawn on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

European leaders seek Asian support on crisis C

uropean leaders flew to impoverished Laos Monday on a mission to reassure Asia they are finally getting a grip on the eurozone debt crisis during a major summit in the tiny landlocked nation.

Top European officials including French President Francois Hollande

Marathon

HOUSANDS of frustrated marathon runners from around the world descended on New York’s Central Park to take part in improvised races after the famed event fell victim to superstorm Sandy.

Many put on the race numbers they would have worn in the marathon, a huge earner for the city, which was called off for the first time in its 42-year history.

Inquiry

hina’s ruling Communist Party has launched an inquiry into the alleged wealth of Premier Wen Jiabao’s family at his own request, a report said on Monday.

Citing sources, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) said Wen had written to the Politburo Standing Committee -the country’s highest policy-making body, of which he is a member -- formally asking for the probe.

I

Clashed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered Israeli defence chiefs in 2010 to prepare for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities but were rebuffed, a television report said.

Excerpts released on Monday of an Israeli Channel 2 documentary said the armed forces’ chief of staff at the time, Gabi Ashkenazi, and Mossad intelligence head Meir Dagan both objected to the order to raise the military’s alert level to “F-Plus”, which means a strike could be imminent.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 176 •TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

SOLDIERS...

MILITANT...

Sunday.

Paniza said that the attack came four days after a fish vendor was also liquidated by members of the sparrow unit of the communist group in the nearby Malabog village also in Paquibato District.

He said that 29-yearold Rannel Parilla was executed Wednesday afternoon by four rebels while the victim was selling fish outside their house along with his wife Edgiely.

“The Organized Crime Group-NPA once again showed their true nature as cold-blooded criminals by means of sowing fear by killing innocent civilians, more so a resident who

just wants to earn a living to fend for his family,” he said.

Paniza said the perpetrators should be penalized on this violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) Part 4, Article 4, Paragraph 4 which clearly stated that “civilian population shall be treated and protected as such and shall be distinguished from combatants, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack.”

Paniza called on human rights watchdogs to react to the dastardly attack by the NPA. (ASA)

behind this is the thinking of the population particularly men that it is their right and priviledge to buy women and children for sexual purposes said Carina T. Sajonia, advocacy officer of Talikala. Legalization of prostitution will not promote women and children’s health since it will retain the mandates of periodic health checks and certificates for women but not for male buyers. Health examinations or tests for prostituted women but not men make no public health sense because monitoring prostituted women does not protect them from HIV/AIDS or STIs. Lory Pabunag, secretary general of Lawig Bubai, another Davaobased women and children’s rights advocacy group, said the UN proposal will created more problems than solutions.

Pabunag and Sajonia appeared before Davao media practitioners attending the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the SM City Davao annex atrium yesterday.

In terms of legalizing prostitution so that women in prostitution will be able to claim benefits, form or join unions and access work-related services, Ampog said that workers in the country have labor

code that protect workers rights. Yet the reality is Filipino workers do not receive the mandated minimum wage, no or limited benefits and workers organizations are constantly harassed by the management. Workers who joined union are facing reprisals or threatened to lose their jobs. Legalizing a condition which is sensitive issue for other people guarantee a no-implementation policy.

Talikala recommends that instead of legalizing prostitution, the government should address the predation of men who buy women and children for the sex in prostitution. For so long that prostitution has been discussed as an issue of prostituted women and men who use women in prostitution have been invisible. Rather than sanctioning prostitution, the government can address the demand by penalizing the men who buy women for the sex in prostitution.

Talikala is convinced that the government will abdicate their responsibility of making decent and sustainable employment available to women and in ensuring that support services are available to all children if it will kowtow to the call of the UN to legalize prostitution in the country.

FFROM 1

icy can protect prostituted women from sexually transmitted infections than being out of prostitution,” Amog said, adding that legalization will not protect prostituted women from being abused if they insisted on using condoms.

Legalization of prostitution will only legalize the abuses and exploitation within the system of prostitution.

Legalization of prostitution will benefit the sex industry and the people behind it, will become legitimate businessmen. Instead of controlling the sex industry, legalization will mean expansion of the business and more competitive in terms of sexual service offerings. It will mean more and worst form of sexual exploitation of women and children. The government will benefit from the legalization of prostitution because it will mean huge economic revenues from the sex industry. All will benefit from legalization of prostitution except the women and children who will be stripped of their persons, their health and everything. “ It is not the women in prostitution who is responsible for the widespread of sexually transmitted infections in the community. What is the reason

LUMADS...

FFROM 3

FFROM 1

Lauronal and Sigan reportedly died on the spot.

Himaya, the fourth victim, was earlier reported missing until he was found nearby and was believed to be summarily executed.

Paniza said the victims’ remains were later brought to Villa Funeral Homes in Panabo City in Davao del Norte.

He said that the soldiers were on board three motorcycles, wearing civilian clothes and unarmed and on their way back to their detachment at Sitio Cinco, Barangay Mapula, Paquibato district when they were attacked by an undetermined number of rebels at around 5:30 p.m.

11

Edge Davao hiring editor, 3 reporters EDGE DAVAO is in need of an editor and three staffwriters/reporters for its expansion program.

The reporters will be assigned to the business, science/environment and political beats.

On the other hand, the editor will supervise the reporters and do gate-keeping tasks.

Applicant must be a graduate of a four- year college course. For reporters, experience is not needed although preferable. The editor should have at least one-year experience in editing.

Interested parties may to send their application letter to Mr. Antonio M. Ajero, Edge Davao editor thru email address ajero_antonio@yahoo.com. For inquiries, please call Mr. Ajero thru mobile phone 09052422686 or landline 221-3601.

TransCom shall be composed of “15 members all of whom are Bangsamoro,” seven of them selected by the GPH and eight, including the chair, by the MILF. Quoting Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, GPH panel member Senen Bacani told a forum here on October 11, that their seven members will “definitely” include representatives from the Lumad, women and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal told MindaNews on October 26 that their list of eight has not been finalized but “IP and woman will be included.”

The FAB cites indigenous peoples’ rights thrice.

It provides under Article I Section 5 on the Establishment of the Bangsamoro, that “freedom of choice of other indigenous peoples shall be respected.”

Artcile III, Section 6 on Powers, provides that the “customary rights and traditions of indigenous peoples shall be taken into

GOV’T...

consideration in the formation of the Bangsamoro’s justice system” and that “this may include the recognition of indigenous processes as alternative modes of dispute resolution.”

Article VI, Section 3 on Basic Rights, provides that “indigenous peoples’ rights shall be respected.”

The GPH panel has a Lumad in the panel – Teduray Ramon Piang, mayor of Upi, Maguindanao, who was a regular member while he was vice mayor but later served as consultant whenhe assumed the mayoralty post from the elected mayor who was appointed to a national post.

The MILF, on the other hand, has an alternate member in the panel, Blaan Datu Antonio Kinoc.

The TransCom will be created through an Executive Order “and supported

by Congressional resolutions.”

Aside from drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the TransCom is also tasked to work on proposals to amend the Constitution

“for purposes of accommodating and entrenching in the Constitution the agreements of the Parties whenever necessary without derogating from any prior peace agreements” and to coordinate, when necessary, development programs in the Bangsamoro communities in conjunction with the MILF’s Bangsamoro Development Agency and the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute and other agencies.

According to the FAB, the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will include the creation of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), will be certified as an urgent bill by the President and upon promulgation and ratification, “the ARMM is deemed abolished” and the BTA takes over until it is replaced in 2016 “upon the election and assumption of the members of the Bangsamoro legislative assembly and the formation of the Bangsamoro goverment.” [MindaNews]

accordance with the mandate of its institutions,” the MOA states.

The council also seeks to conduct fact-finding missions to verify reports of human rights violations such as those in Dao, San Fernando, home of slain village chief Jimmy Liguyon.

He said Liguyon’s murder on March 5 has created repercussions but no multiparty verification has been sent to look into the roots of the problem in the area.

“We wonder why there have been warrants of arrest issued (against) the suspect (Aldy“Butchoy” Salusad) and yet he has never been arrested,” he added.

Marte said the case is now with the CHR and that they are prioritizing it.

farmers, who are highly vulnerable to violations and abuses, Marte explained.

He said they have also considered looking into the impact of development projects such as the proposed Pulangi V hydroelectric power plant and the expansion of fruit plantations in the province, on the rights of the affected residents.

Under the MOA, CSOs shall act as local monitors on human rights violations and abuses, internal displacements, issues and concerns affecting the identified marginalized sectors. It shall also provide initial information to the CHR for referral to member-agencies.

The council also wants to reach out to communities in need of paralegal trainings, advocacy programs and other services and provide programs that “will enhance or strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples, farmers and internally displaced persons.”

Local government executives were not among signatories to the MOA. Marte said they avoided them to keep the initiative from being politicized.

He noted, however, that local legislative bodies, which have mandate on human rights protection, were included, hence Datu Pandian is a signatory.

[Walter I. Balane/MindaNews]

FFROM 3

Malaybalay’s Indigenous Peoples Apostolate and Social Action Center, Panaw Sumilao Multi-purpose Cooperative, and Task Force Detainees of the Philippines.

Marte, who was appointed focal person, said the coordinating council emerged from the CHR’s initiative for community dialogues in Bukidnon, the latest of which was in August this year.

He said the CHR will act as coordinator of the council while the facilitator will come from the CSOs. As an offshoot of the dialogue, five sectoral committees were formed: government agencies, civil society organizations, security, indigenous peoples, and farmers.

He clarified that the coordinating council is the community’s response to the shortcomings of the CHR which has limited personnel.

“There has to be a body that ensures the human rights violations and abuses in Bukidnon are addressed,” Marte said.

According to the MOA, the group may conduct quick response and/or fact-finding missions relating to human rights violations and abuses to address specific concerns of the identified marginalized sectors.

“However, each office or organization reserves the right to make its independent findings in

He said the military and the police allegedly failed to come out with “clear reports” on the matter.

The council, Marte said, also plans to look into the displacement of Manobos in Don Carlos town due to alleged overlapping claims by agrarian reform beneficiaries.

It also intends to work on the reopening or reinvestigation of other cases such as the killing of Sumilao farmer leader Rene Peñas.

It will also focus on collective human rights such as civil-political, economic, socio-cultural rights among IPs and

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11) FOR ASSUME (RUSH): 1BR res’l condo unit in Palmetto, Maa. P600K negotiable. Note: Items 1-9 can be paid in cash, in-house or bank financing. If interested, please call Jay (PRC REB Lic. 8237) at 0922-851-5337 (Sun), 0908-883-8832 (Smart) or send email to propertiesindavao@yahoo.com.

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Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communications

LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Approval of Sale and Transfer of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a FILCAB Ordinary Regular Service.

Multivitamins for Teens & young adults ages 13 to22 years old available at all Drugstore near you

EDGEDavao Gensan Partners

MARIAM P. NAMLA, Petitioner-Vendor

JONATHAN R. NINGASCA, Petitioner-Vendee

Case No.2012-XI-00733 (2002-XI-00295)

Tel No. (083)- 553-2211

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x NOTICE OF HEARING

Petitioners request authority for the Approval of Sale and Transfer executed by MARIAM P. NAMLA in favor of JONATHAN R. NINGASCA of a Certificate of Public Convenience with Equipment issued in this case authorizing the operation of a FILCAB Ordinary Regular service on the route: ECOLAND SUBDIVISION (SM CITY OF DAVAO) ROUTE with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate is still valid and subsisting up to January 16, 2017.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on NOVEMBER 12, 2012 at 09:30 a. m. at this office at the above address.

At least, FIVE (5) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 31st day of August 2012 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transport Development Officer

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14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Lakers crush Pistons 108-79

L

OS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have raised enough championship trophies to realize they really shouldn’t be getting excited about any win in the first week of November.

After the Los Angeles Lakers stumbled through the past five weeks without winning any games anywhere, Kobe and Pau figured it’s fine to enjoy a small victory.

Dwight Howard scored 28 points, Bryant had 15 points and eight assists, and the Lakers finally got their first victory of the season, 108-79 over the winless Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. ‘’We had to stop the bleeding, and there wasn’t a way to do it other than coming out here tonight and getting a solid win,’’ said Gasol, who scored 14 points. ‘’We’ve got a little bit of tension out of ourselves right now.’’

Metta World Peace scored 18 points for the Lakers, who went 0-8 in the preseason and started the regular season 0-3 for just the fourth time in

franchise history despite adding Howard and Steve Nash over the summer.

But the Lakers’ growing worries about coach Mike Brown’s new offense and their veteran roster’s durability vanished for a night against the struggling Pistons, who never led and never threatened. ‘’We needed this bad, just to change the mood and give us some of that feel-good feeling,’’ said Steve Blake, who tied his career high with five steals while starting in Nash’s place. ‘’Losing games was tough. I guess we did a good job of staying positive, but it feels good, that’s for sure.’’

After their worst start to a season in 34 years, the Lakers occasionally resembled the powerhouse most expected to see this season - even without Nash, who missed his second game with a small fracture in his leg. Los Angeles took a 28-point lead in the first half and stretched it to 36 points in the third quarter, with Howard dominating the paint and

Bryant slipping easily into a playmaking role in the Nash’s absence.

Howard excelled in the paint against Greg Monroe, hitting 12 of 14 shots - most of them right at the rim - and grabbing seven rebounds with just one foul. ‘’It’s a relief - more for Mike than anybody else,’’ said Bryant, who appeared to play easily on his sore foot while taking just 10 shots and grabbing seven rebounds.

Brown is aware his offense is getting roasted by fans and critics everywhere from Toluca Lake to TNT’s ‘’Inside the NBA,’’ but he’s sticking with the motion-based schemes. ‘’We weren’t perfect offensively, but I think everybody - including us - got a good taste of what it can be like,’’ Brown said. ‘’We’re just barely scratching the surface on where this thing can go. ... Obviously, we needed a win. Every win we get gives us a little more belief on both ends of the floor.’’

KLAHOMA CITY -- Before the tipoff Sunday night, Larry Drew said his newlook Atlanta Hawks were still trying to find their

identity.

They might have found it by the time the game ended.

Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds,

Lou Williams added 10 of his 19 points during Atlanta’s decisive fourth-quarter surge and the Hawks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-

Dwight Howard (12) of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against Kyle Singler (25) of the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center on Sunday in Los Angeles, California.

rallies to win Hawks top Thunder 104-95 Poulter HSBC Champions O S

Atlanta Hawks guard Louis Williams (3) knocks the ball away from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Martin, right, during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Sunday.

95.

‘’I thought the guys just came in here and rolled their sleeves up and played four solid quarters, and we’re just really happy that we came in here and got a win,’’ Drew said.

Williams hit a 3-pointer and a 24-foot jumper and converted a threepoint play off a driving scoop in the lane during a 12-4 push midway through the fourth quarter that put the Hawks in front to stay. Williams’ two free throws made it 91-84 with 4:44 to play, and Atlanta held off a final charge by Oklahoma City.

Williams ended up scoring 14 points overall during the fourth quarter as the Hawks won their road opener despite playing without starting forward Josh Smith because of a sprained right ankle. ‘’We’ve got new faces, a new team but we stuck with the offense. We believe in ourselves,’’ said DeShawn Stevenson, who moved into the starting lineup and got the call down the stretch as Drew stuck with a mix of starters and reserves. ‘’This is a great team.

This is a team that could easily go back to the Western Conference finals or the Finals, and to come out here without Josh Smith is big,’’ he added.

HENZHEN, China -Ian Poulter showed he can be a star even when playing only for himself.

One month after leading an improbable European rally in the Ryder Cup, Poulter won for the first time this year. He closed with a 7-under 65 Sunday to come from four shots behind and win the HSBC Champions for his second career World Golf Championships title.

It won’t overshadow what he did at Medinah in the Ryder Cup - five straight birdies to pick up a crucial point in fourballs and winning his singles match to complete a 4-0 week. Even so, it was important to the Englishman that the year not pass without a victory of his own. ‘’I’ve only been one season without a victory and I certainly didn’t want to go another one,’’ Poulter said after his twoshot win at Mission Hills. ‘’As well as I’ve played this year, it would have been a disappointment personally to have gone that year without winning.’’

Phil Mickelson (68), Jason Dufner (64), Scott Piercy (65) and Ernie Els (67) tied for second.

Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen shared the 54-hole lead, but each shot a 72 in the final round to tie for sixth.

Poulter won for the first time since the World Match Play Championship in Spain in 2011. His other

WGC title came in 2010 in Arizona at the Match Play Championship. Turns out he can also get it done in stroke play.

On a day when five players had at least a share of the lead at some point - and several others were close - it was the charismatic Poulter who was the steadiest. Starting the day four shots behind, he surged into the lead with four birdies on the front nine and two more after making the turn.

Mickelson and Els tried to stay close, but both wasted opportunities to pull even. Mickelson missed a 5-foot par putt on No. 12, while Els dropped a shot on the 14th when his 3-foot par putt caught the lip. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole. ‘’I know where I came up short,’’ Els said. ‘’But other than that, I played it really nice and struck it nice. Almost made him think there on 18, that putt almost went in.’’

Defending champion Martin Kaymer looked set to make a final-day comeback for the second straight year. Last year, the German birdied nine of his last 12 holes to rally from five shots down in the final round for an unlikely three-stroke victory. He started six shots behind Sunday and picked up five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine until a triple bogey on the 17th.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

The City of Dreams.

Acrobatics mix with theater and fountains.

Mention the word Macau and instantly the word “casino” comes into mind. With the many new Casino developments on the Cotai side of the special administrative region, one can say that Macau is the gambling capital of Asia. But look beyond the glitzy casinos and the huge hotels and you got a city with many shows and attractions that are fit for the entire family. enter the City of Dreams, a new mega leisure destination complete with its world-class hotels, exclusive shopping mall, and unique one-of-a-kind entertainment. And when i say unique, i mean unique thanks to the HK$2 billion (thats P11 billion for us) production “The House of Dancing Water.”

A human chandelier.

Ballet dancers perform a swan dance.

Fellow fans of the show.

The centerpiece of the City of Dreams is a production

by Franco Dragone entertainment Group at City of Dreams, personally created and directed by Mr. Franco

Even the hallways of the mall are inspired by water.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

CEB ranked 2nd most “Socially Devoted” airline in US social media list

VOL.5 ISSUE 176• TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

MOVIES

ThE Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) was named 2nd most “Socially Devoted Brand” in the airline industry category by Socialbakers, a leading social media analytics company.

The awards event was held recently in New York, as a culmination of Engage 2012: The Socialbakers Conference.

In its blog, Socialbakers cited CEB’s 85.46% response rate on its Facebook page when it ranked the airline 2nd. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Alitalia complete the top three most socially devoted airline category at 1st and 3rd respectively.

The top brands were assessed by Socialbakers Analytics engine, taking into account all pages in Socialbaker’s top Facebook charts worldwide. Key factors in the awards were fan engagement, response rates on wall posts and average response times.

“This recognition fuels our drive to further engage our passengers online, especially when it comes to seat sales, inquiries, weather updates, product innovations and new routes and destinations. We remain committed to bringing the latest news from CEB right to our guests’ mobile phones or computers, for their utmost convenience,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

CEB’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cebupacificair) currently has over 700,000 fans, while its Twitter account (@cebupacificair) has over 417,000 followers. Its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/cebupacificair) also has over one million views.

The Engage 2012: The Socialbakers Conference was a one-day event focusing on social media, and included speakers from Nestle, Facebook and Microsoft.

In its 16th year of operations, CEB had flown over 65 million passengers. It provides access to the most extensive network in the Philippines with 32 destinations and hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo, Iloilo and Davao. It flies to 19 key international destinations: Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, hanoi, ho Chi Minh, hong Kong, Incheon, Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei or Xiamen.

Between 2012 and 2021, CEB will take delivery of 19 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. It is slated to begin long-haul services in the 3rd quarter of 2013, with the arrival of 4 Airbus A330 aircraft from 2013 to 2014.

For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www. cebupacificair.com, or call the reservation hotlines (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888. The latest seat sales can also be found on CEB’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.

Wreck-It Ralph wins at the U.S. box office

WreCK-it rAlPH took the first weekend of the holiday box-office season with a $49.1 million debut, per estimates.

Denzel Washington’s Flight soared, too, with a $25 million Friday-Sunday opening that Hollywood. com analyst Paul Dergarabedian called “much stronger than expected.”

James Bond, meanwhile, continued to kill overseas, with Skyfall grossing $156 million.

The retro-minded, video-game-based Wreck-it ralph now stands as the biggest-debuting animated movie in Disney history (no, not including the Pixar films). The previous record-holder was Chicken little, per stats at Thenumbers.com.

The film, starring the voices of John C. reilly and Sarah Silverman, also debuted internationally, where it scored another $12 million, and upped its three-day, worldwide take to $61.1 million.

With a reputed budget of $165 million, however, Wreck-it ralph still has work to do. But its good buzz (it earned an A CinemaScore from openingweekend audiences), and its lack of family competition for the next few weeks should help the movie get the job done.

Flight is one of the bigger openings of the Washington’s stellar career, and probably produced one of his bigger bangs for the buck: The drama about a partying pilot reportedly was made for under $30 million.

All in all, a great start

for a movie with serious award-season ambitions.

The other major new release, rZA’s The Man With the iron Fists, grossed $8.2 million, a good start for the $15 million movie. elsewhere, Skyfall upped its 10-day, international box-office total to $287 million, its studio reported.

The latest 007 adventure opens here this coming Friday.

Cloud Atlas held up oK in its second weekend,

even as it fell four places in the standings, and failed to get much closer to matching its $100 million budget. overall, the much-debated epic is at $18.3 million overall domestically. last weekend’s no. 1 movie, Ben Affleck’s Argo, dropped to third, but had a strong hold, ticket-salewise. After four weeks, that oscar contender is at $75.9 million. tyler Perry’s Alex Cross dropped out of the top 10

after a $23.1 million domestic run, per exhibitor relations, that equaled its price tag, but failed to establish its star as an actionthriller draw.

Here’s a rundown of the weekend’s top movies, per Friday-Sunday domestic estimates as reported by the studios and Hollywood. com: 1. Wreck-it ralph, $49.1 million 2. Flight, $25 million 3. Argo, $10.2 million 4. The Man With the iron Fists, $8.2 million 5. taken 2, $6 million 6. Cloud Atlas, $5.3 million 7. Hotel transylvania, $4.5 million 8. Paranormal Activity 4, $4.3 million 9. Here Comes the Boom, $3.6 million 10. Silent Hill: revelation 3D, $3.3 million

VOL.5 ISSUE 176 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart heat up On the Road after party!

KRISTEN Stewart walked the red carpet at the AFI screening of her film On The Road solo (and stunned in a gorgeous Balenciaga number). But the after party was a different story.

That’s because the Twilight actress was joined by none other than boyfriend Robert Pattinson. For the record, Rob didn’t walk the carpet and wasn’t spotted inside the theater for the movie.

The Audi-sponsored fete was held at the Roosevelt hotel across the street from Grauman’s Chinese Theater (where the screening took place) and the couple spent the evening on the Garden Terrace.

So was the night filled with PDA for the newly reunited duo? Not quite.

moved between groups of people, chatting.

The two seemed in great spirits the whole night. Kristen was bouncing around during conversation while Rob had his arm around a male pal as he threw his head back laughing.

Early in the night, K.Stew, who traded her red carpet look for a black leather jacket and black tank top, sat by a fire with costar Amy Adams. The two were deep in conversation while Rob, who wore a black jacket and jeans, sat nearby drinking and talking with some

other people.

And when Amy left (after giving Kristen a big hug and making her way over to Rob to give him a big hug as well), the couple continued to make their rounds separately.

R.Pattz drank a Stella and smoked an electronic cigarette while Kristen

Gisele Bündchen shows off her baby bump while wearing a Bikini in Miami

TALK about one hot mama!

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen flaunted her flawless pregnant bod and belly in Miami Beach, Fla., Sunday morning.

The 32-year-old, who is expecting her second (genetically gifted) child with NFL Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, wore an animal print bandeau bikini top, sunglasses and a relaxing straw hat while sunbathing with a friend.

The supermodel clearly had an agenda for relaxing as she recommended to followers on her Facebook page: “have a bright weekend!”

This will be the second child for the couple, who are proud parents to their adorable 3-year-old son Benjamin.

Finally, a bit after midnight, Kristen was dancing and Rob made his way back to her. They spoke energetically and were playful, with Rob jokingly showing some dance moves of his own.

As for PDA, she patted his chest a few times as

they talked and rubbed his head at one point. he whispered in her ear and put his arm around her for a moment.

Just before 1 a.m, Rob looked like he tried to rally some people to leave and a few minutes later Kristen followed after him.

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

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EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

The opening scene of the House of Dancing Water

Dragone. The breathtaking water-based show draws creative inspiration from Chinese culture particularly on the ‘seven emotions’ principle derived from the classical Confucian beliefs, is destined to be the most extravagant live production ever seen in Asia.

The show, set at City of Dreams’ awe-inspiring ‘Dancing Water Theater’, begins in the coast of Coloane, a Fisherman traveling with his boat enjoys his journey. Suddenly, a mysterious energy from the water creates a terrible whirlpool, grabs the fisherman and pulls him to a place and a time of legends… He cannot realize what is happening at this very moment within a lengthy time. He observes, lost and intrigued… when a storm brings a survivor from a shipwreck, a Stranger to this magical

The stage magically appears from a massive pool.

kingdom. The young brave Stranger encounters and falls in love with a beautiful Princess who was thrown into a cage by her evil stepmother, the Dark Queen. Without hesitating, the Fisherman decides to help the Stranger to fight against to the Dark Queen and rescue the Princess.

With his help, the Stranger & the Princess defeat the Dark Queen and the Fisherman obtains an unexpected reward.

This spectacular waterbased show takes physical performance to its ultimate limits through combat, wit, creativity, incredible expertise and agility. imagine entire ships and pavilions rising up from out of nowhere, with spectacular fountains and visual effects enhancing the show. The House of Dancing Water is one extravaganza that should not be missed.

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Chinese 14-year-old headed to Masters

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UAN Tianlang of China poses with the winner’s trophy after the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship golf at Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand …

Guan Tianlang is an eighth-grader from China who barely weighs 125 pounds and doesn’t hit the golf ball far enough to reach some par 4s. The next stop for the 14-year-old prodigy will be the Masters, where he will tee it up with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson at Augusta National.

Guan completed a wireto-wire victory Sunday in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, making a 5-foot par putt on the final hole at Amata Spring Country Club for a one-shot win that earned him an invitation to the Masters. ‘’I’m really excited about it,’’ Guan said after closing with a 1-under 71. ‘’I will be training maybe a little bit harder and got some more power for that because I’m still growing right now. So it will be great fun.’’

He is believed to be the youngest male to play in a major championship.

Andy Zhang of China, who trained at a golf academy in Florida, was 14 years, 6 months when he qualified for the U.S. Open last summer at The Olympic Club.

Guan would be about a

month younger.

Woods could have seen this coming.

Just two years ago, Woods was playing in the HSBC Champions pro-am at Sheshan International in Shanghai when Guan was in a group of juniors who played with him on the par3 17th hole. Woods was amazed that day, not only at the polished swing of a 12-year-old, but the poise Guan showed at performing on such a stage - more than a thousand people in the gallery, an audience that included Woods, a 14-time major champion.

Even with a spot in the Masters on the line, Guan didn’t flinch.

Pan Cheng-tsung of Taiwan, the second-ranked amateur in Asia, made par on the 18th hole for a 65 that left him one shot behind. Guan, the youngest player at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, hits the ball only about 250 yards off the tee, and even a 3-wood for his second shot left him short of the green. Guan had made bogey twice on the 18th during the tournament. ‘’I think about it a little bit at the last hole, but I’m trying not to get it in my mind,’’ Guan said, referring to the Masters invitation. ‘’So just want to focus on my game. I got a little bit nervous on the last putt

Guan Tianlang of China watches his shot during the final round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Amata Spring Country Club, in Chonburi, Thailand Sunday.

because that’s the winning putt. But I just do my own routine and everything is good.’’

He rolled in the final stroke with a belly putter, which he began using in June because he feels more stable over the putts.

Guan’s choice of putter is sure to draw more attention to the debate over the club, which is anchored to the body. The U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club are close to announcing a decision on

whether to ban such a putting stroke.

For now, it’s another amazing feat for the eighth-grader at Zhi Xin Middle School in Guangzhou.

Guan started playing when he was 4, going to the golf course with his parents.

He goes to California for about three months during the year, staying with relatives in Los Angeles and San Diego to train. He first got attention last year at the Junior World Golf Champi-

onships in San Diego when he won his age division (1112) by 11 shots.

He was invited to play in the China Open in April, making him the youngest competitor in a European Tour-sanctioned event.

Guan missed the cut. ‘’I feel pretty comfortable with that,’’ Guan said. ‘’I didn’t do pretty well, but it’s still a great experience for me. I think it’s going to help me in the Masters.’’

Guan said he has been watching the Masters ev-

ery year since 2005, when Woods hit a chip from behind the green on the par3 16th that hung on the lip for a second before it took one last turn and dropped for birdie, carrying him to a playoff win and his fourth green jacket.

Woods is his favorite player. Along with hitting a tee shot with him on the 17th hole during the HSBC Champions pro-am in Shanghai, he met Woods again during a Nike clinic at Mission Hills a year later.

him regain top spot before 2012 is out.

“We know who the real number one is,” said Federer. It is going to be Novak. I do not think there should be any debate around about that.

“You do not get to number one by chance. The rankings are something that shows how you have played over a 365-day period. It might all change again in two months at the Australian Open but right now it is clear.”

Federer all but conceded the number one ranking this year when opting out of defending his Paris

Masters title last week on the grounds he could not do himself justice by playing successive tournaments in Basle, Paris and London.

“I obviously gave it everything I had,” said Federer. “I’ve played so much tennis the last one and a half, two years and I’m happy I got back to world number one.

“It’s obviously a time where you need to win at least a slam, if not more slams, or at least five to 10 titles, so we’re not talking about just a quick jump to number one and then you lose it again.

Petrova trounces Wozniacki Federer hails Djokovic in Champions final as ‘real’ number one

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Nadia Petrova of Russia kisses the trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark at their WTA Tournament of Champions final match in Sofia on Sunday.

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OFIA - Russia’s Nadia Petrova thrashed top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-1 on Sunday to secure her maiden Tournament of Champions trophy and a 13th career title.

It was the 30-year-old’s third tournament victory of the year after winning a Wimbledon warm-up event in Den Bosch, Netherlands and the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September.

“It’s a great way to finish the season,” Petrova said af-

ter receiving the trophy.

Winning the season-ending WTA event at the Armeets Arena in Sofia earned second seed Petrova a cheque for $270,000 and helped her rise one place in the world rankings to 12th.

Petrova, competing in the tournament for the second time after reaching the semi-finals last year, broke Wozniacki twice in the opening set to take command.

Wozniacki, watched by golfing boyfriend Rory

McIlroy, then received medical treatment on her left calf but she was powerless to stop Petrova who produced some superb tennis in the second set.

The Russian looked much fresher despite having gone through an exhausting semi-final against Italian Roberta Vinci on Saturday.

“Yesterday I felt awful, I finished so late,” said Petrova. “I didn’t think I’d have enough time to recover but I did all the right things and woke up feeling good.

ONDON - Tennis great Roger Federer is in no doubt that Novak Djokovic deserves to finish 2012 as the world’s topranked player.

Federer replaced Djokovic at the top of the standings after winning Wimbledon in July but will cede the number one position to the Serb on Monday.

And with the Swiss star unable to improve on last year’s perfect performance in winning the 2011 season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London, not even an unblemished victory in this year’s edition at the O2 Arena will see

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EDGEDAVAO

Pacquiao tries to avoid burnout in training

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ANNY Pacquiao is doing nice and easy in his buildup for Juan Manuel Marquez.

Unlike before when he would increase the number of rounds each sparring day, Pacquiao’s approach is gradual as he aims to avoid getting burned out for the December 8 fourth duel with the counter-punching Mexican.

“He did six rounds again yesterday (Saturday in Los Angeles),” reported Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz.

Pacquiao had also sparred on Tuesday and Thursday and did six each with Ray Beltran and Suhrad Shidaev, the new guy from Russia who has been working wonders in his workout with the Filipino star at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.

Trainer Freddie Roach said last week that, instead of the usual 130 to

150 rounds of sparring, they’ll have to cut it down to about 100 rounds.

Pacquiao had also worked some rounds with Filipino sparmate Rocky Marcial while he was still training in General Santos City.

Meanwhile, over at Marquez’s camp in Mexico City, InterAKTV has gathered that the 39-yearold counter-puncher is doing well in his strength training.

It is being rumored that Marquez is bulking up in an effort to become not only the bigger–but stronger–fighter come fight night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The last time they fought almost a year ago, Marquez appeared to be the bigger fighter and the acquisition of a new conditioning coach in Angel Heredia is being credited for the remarkable change.

Viloria ready for title unification vs Marquez

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ORLD Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight champion Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria is excited for his upcoming title unification bout against World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Hernan “Tyson” Marquez on November 18.

The bout will be held at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles.

Viloria told Ronnie Nathanielsz of PhilBoxing that he feels «ready to go right now» and is

«very pleased» with how his preparations are going.

“The Hawaiian Punch” has been training with Hall-of-Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach along with promising assistant Marvin Somodio. “(Marvin) is doing a really good job with Brian, and he and Brian get along so well so I’m letting Marvin handle the whole training camp,” Roach said in the same report. “He is doing a great job.”

But Roach is wary of Marquez, whom he describes as a “very good counter-puncher.”

“He has knockout power. He is one of those small guys who can knock you out,” Roach said of the Mexican.

Viloria is confident, however, especially after a string of impressive victories – including knockout wins over Giovani Segura and Omar Niño Romero.

“I should be on weight by next week,” he said.

Raikkonen wins Abu Dhabi

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BU DHABI - Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time since 2009 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, leaving his Lotus team in no doubt that he knew what he was doing.

The Finn, 2007 world champion with Ferrari, was typically blunt when his race engineer spoke to him on the radio shortly after he was gifted the lead by Lewis Hamilton’s sudden retirement.

“Leave me alone. I know what to do,” he replied drily.

Raikkonen can be a man of few words, sometimes unintelligible or inaudible to all but the most attentive of listeners, who would rather let his driving do the talking than engage in chit-chat.

“I’m not so stupid that I cannot remember what I’m doing,” he explained later. “It’s a normal thing.

“They are just trying to help...I will also ask for help if I need it...different people like different things.”

He said when he announced his comeback,

after two years in rallying and some NASCAR truck racing in the United States, that he was the same as ever and he has shown that on and off the track this season.

Sunday’s win was his seventh podium in 18 races back and his 19th career triumph. He also became the eighth different driver to win this season.

Seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, 43, has gone almost three years with nothing more than one third place to celebrate with Mercedes but Raikkonen has been on the money right from the start.

Good party He said he could win if Lotus, the former Renault team, delivered the goods and he was as good as his word at the Yas Marina circuit.

Asked on the podium by his now-retired former McLaren team mate David Coulthard to talk about his emotions and explain how amazing it was to win again, Raikkonen simply shrugged.

“Not much really,” he said, recalling how the

last time he had been in such a position he was criticized for not smiling enough.

“I’m happy but there’s nothing to jump around about. For sure we’re going to have a good party today and hopefully tomorrow when we are feeling bad after a long night.”

Raikkonen has always liked a good party and having fun is part of the makeup of a man who has entered powerboat races dressed in a gorilla suit, been photographed embracing inflatable dolphins and competed in snowmobiles under the name of the late F1 racer James Hunt.

Sunday was a night of fun, a race win that the ‘Iceman’ set up by seizing second place at the start from fourth place on the grid and then holding on to his advantage despite two safety car periods eating away at his lead.

The victory was the first for the Lotus marque since 1987 when Brazilian Ayrton Senna won for a very different team at the USA East Grand Prix in Detroit.