Edge Davao 5 Issue 183 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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Australian held at Davao airport For bringing 3 boys tied with rope

oR bringing along three boys who were tied together with a rappelling rope, an Australian national was held and questioned by anti-trafficking personnel at the Davao International Airport (DIA) on Tuesday morning.

Sports

The children were tied to ensure that they would not stray from each other

The children were from Bingcungan, Tagum City, where their mother works at church of which the Australian, sur-

named Cholin, is a member, according to Mayor Sara Duterte who chairs the Davao City Inter-Agency Council Against

Trafficking. The parents had been issued authority and other documents allowing the three children to travel with an escort from the DIA after social services and air-

FAUSTRALIAN, 11

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Follow Us On TRIBAL LEADERS. Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio (2nd from right) and Councilor Myrna Dalodo Ortiz (3rd from right) listen to Councilor Berino Mambo-o (rightmost) while lumad leaders sign an agreement

50 foreigners to join 500 iCon participants T he number of foreign businessmen and government leaders participating in the three-day Davao Investment Conference will reach 50. This was revealed by Sebastian Angliongto, chairman of the organizing Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII). The Davao iCon set at the SMX Convention Center of SM Lanang Premier, November 15-17, kicks off today with a golf tournament, but the convention opens tomorrow. Latest to signify intention to join the event are Indonesian traders and dignitaries led by no less than North Sulawesi Gov. harry Sarundayang and

N. Sulawesi governor, Bitung mayor to lead Indonesian delegation

Bitung Mayor hanny Sondahk. Dr. Ma. Lourdes G. Monteverde, DCCCII president reported to Angliongto she met Gov. Sarundayang in Manado, a progressive city in North Sulawesi where Sarundayang was a long time mayor. Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and Sarundayang have been friends from way back when both were

F50, 11

between the ethnic tribes of Davao City during “Panagtigum sa mga Nagkadaiyang Lideres sa Tribo sa Dakbayan sa Dabaw” at the Almendras gym yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

2 THE BIG NEWS

New City Agri OIC bares priorities

he new officer-in-charge of the Davao City Agriculturist office (CAo) has bared his priorities a week after being sworn in to the office replacing erstwhile oIC CAo head Leo Avila who is currently running for a seat in the Davao City Sannguniang Panglungsod. “Just take out the letters C-A in CACAo.” Says new CAo oIC Val Turtur relating his new position in the city government visa-vis his former job in the cacao sector as the executive director of the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAMI). Turtur assumed office as CAo oIC last November 5. Apart from the cacao industry, Turtur also served as the vice-president of the Vegetable Industry Council in Southern Mindanao (VicsMin) and the chairperson of the City Agricultural and Fishery

Council. Among his priorities is the relocation of the new CAo office to its new office in Ponciano Street, the old office is going to give way to a new four-storey building which would house the City health office and the City Social Services and Development office. Aside from office relocation, Turtur said they are focusing on ensuring food security particularly on rice and corn production. he said that the City will be turning over four tractors from the Department of Agriculture to farmers which could be used in corn production. Also the new oIC will be focusing on cacao production in the city as they have identified 5,000 hectares of land in Davao which can be planted to cacao. Previously the City Government has looked into 2,000 hectares for cacao plantations.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

MODERN DANCE. Patients suffering from diabetes perform a modern dance to the delight of guests and participants during the celebration of World Diabetes Day at the Southern Philippines Medical Center yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Anti-illegal logging drive Peace advocates go high-tech intensified with no let-up P T By Anthony S. Allada he CAMPAIGN against illegal logging in the Caraga and Davao regions continues without let-up. Lucio Ceniza, intelligence officer of the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force or Task Force Pagbabago, said their intensified operations have yielded millions worth of illegally-cut logs and lumber since the implementation of executive order 23 declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests. Ceniza said the task force is made up of representatives from the Department of environment and Natural Resources

as chair, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police as members. “We urge the people to help us in this campaign by reporting illegal logging in their area,” Ceniza said, adding that their operations had already the life of Police Inspector Christopher Mazo, chief of the Lianga municipal police station in Surigao del Sur, and the wounding of four DeNR personnel on August 21, 2010. Mazo was the husband of office of Civil Defense 11 regional director Liza Mazo. Ceniza, a former

broadcast journalist, has received death threats from big-time illegal loggers after he closed several warehoAuses contaning “hot” lumber and confiscated millions worth of illegally-cut Lauan flitches and lumber and other tree species. Caraga region, comprising Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat province, and Davao region (Davao oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao del Sur) have been described by the task force as “the center of gravity” of illegal logging operations in the country.

Gardens concept in Makati and is estimated to cost around P2-million. The light show is six minutes long and will be replayed every hour. The modern light show will feature a symphony of traditional music and lighted parols. During the Pasko fiesta, the four-hectare park will be converted as the Christmas Park and a key area where Dabawenyos will gather and feel the yuletide experience. The Christmas light

eACe advocates in General Santos City and neighboring provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani will undergo specialized information and communication technology (ICT) training under the city government’s enhanced computer literacy program (CLP). Percival Pasuelo, executive assistant for ICT of the city mayor’s office, said they have linked up with the Socsargen Peace Network to train peace advocates in the area on audio-visual production and presentation using various multimedia tools. The training, scheduled on Nov. 17, will feature modules on multimedia software like ProShow, Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere and Audition, he said. “The training will address their specific needs in showcasing and promoting peace in the

southern Philippines,” he said in a statement. Pasuelo said the upcoming training is in line with the celebration of the 2012 Mindanao Week of Peace, which is slated on Nov. 29 to Dec. 5. In response to the peace initiative, he said the city government +offered its support through integration of ICT into the program. Pasuelo said the oneday training will not end on Nov. 17 but rather open more possibilities for the tri-people of the city to converge in learning new technologies without jeopardizing their cultures and traditions. “The digital video workshop is the passkey to open lasting partnership with peace advocates in Mindanao,” he said. Last June, he noted that the city’s Madaris program benefitted from

the free training on basic computer operation and common Microsoft applications provided by the SheeP-CLP. SheeP stands for Social Transformation, human empowerment, economic Diversification, environment Security and Regeneration and Participatory Governance and Transparency, which are the city’s main development thrusts. Pasuelo said the enhanced modules of the SheeP-CLP presently cater to most residents to develop their skills and provide opportunities for employment. The free training programs are the brainchild of City Mayor Darlene Magnolia Antonino–Custodio, who had adopted SheeP-CLP as among the local government’s top priorities. [Allen V. estabillo/ MindaNews]

last Monday to shed light on the reported move to disconnect electric services should consumers pay bills to either of the management--- CDA or NeA. In an interview, presiding officer Vice Mayor Alan Rellon said DANeCo-CDA management committed not to resort to such move, and that it vowed to honor DANeCo-NeA receipts that consumers will present as proof of payment.

DANeCo-NeA which was being represented by legal counsel Atty. Jeorge Rapista, gave no assurance to recognize DANeCo-CDA receipts but he committed to refer appeals of the City Council to DANeCo-NeA management. Tagum City Council appealed that both DANeCo-NeA and DANeCo CDA management would acknowledge receipts issued by either of them as proof of pay-

ment that power consumers would show to avoid disconnection. “We hope that they will adopt what was previously agreed upon,” he said in an interview. Rellon revealed that last Monday’s appearance of DANeCo-CDA and DANeCo-NeA during the regular City Council session, was its second invitation for both factions to shed light on matters regarding collection of elec-

Grand X’mas lights Tagum City Council seeks to protect show in Pasko Fiesta consumers from power disconnection

grand Christmas light show will be one of the main highlight of the Pasko Fiesta annual Davao City Christmas festivity. Lisette Marquez executive-director of Duaw Dabaw, one of the organizers of the Pasko Fiesta said that the light show will be put up at the great lawn of the People’s Park. She said the light show will start on December 21 until January 1, 2013. The light show was inspired from the Ayala

FGRAND, 11

he Tagum City Council has is taking has made strides to protect power consumers from electric disconnection amidst the on-going feud between Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the National electrification Administration (NeA) factions of the Davao del Norte electric Cooperative (DANeCo. The City Council invited the two factions during its regular session

FTAGUM, 11

3 Seized logs don’t rot in Tagum; they turn into school chairs SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 183 •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012 DENR 12 completes 51% of greening targets

he Department of environment and Natural Resources (DeNR) in Region 12 or the Soccskargen Region has already completed around 51 percent of its reforestation targets this year under the continuing National Greening Program (NGP) of thenational government. Mila Locsin, DeNR-12 information officer, said Wednesday such accomplishment was based on the agency’s completed reforestation initiatives as of oct. 31 in various areas in the region that were covered by the program. Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. DeNR-12 initially targeted last year some 9,000 hectares of forestlands in the region as priority areas for the NGP, which is an ambitious nationwide reforestation project that aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares from 2011 to 2016 for poverty reduction, food security, livelihood development, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. For this year, it added

an additional target area of 3,500 hectares, bringing its NGP coverage area in the region to 12,500 hectares. Locsin said DeNR-12’s overall accomplishment in the last 10 months was affected by the recent adjustments on its targets. She said the agency absorbed some NGP targets in the region that were earlier assigned to the Department of Agriculture (DA) after the latter failed to pursue them. “I think DA might have failed to include them in its work and financial plan for this year,” Locsin said in a press conference. Aside from DA, which was assigned to plant fruit-bearing seedlings, she said they also absorbed some targets previously assigned to non-government group Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation. Locsin said the agency remains positive of meeting a significant part of its remaining targets for this year in coordination with its other partner agencies and non-government groups. Sixteen government agencies in the region had joined hands in the implementation of the NGP program as volunteer planters, long-term plantation stewards, or donors.

hILe other cities and provinces are leaving confiscated logs to rot, the city government of Tagum has been turning these materials into something useful: school chairs. Under the Care for School Chairs Program, which started in August 2011, the city government has been fabricating many school chairs out of the premium species of confiscated lumbers such as lauan and yakal. In an interview, Mayor Rey Uy said it is his passion to prioritize the education program of the city government, and making good chairs is his own way of doing it. “We always preach quality education, we paint on the roof or paint on the walls. We have capable teachers. But the problem is the school facilities. If their chairs are swinging, nails are protruding or there is nothing to write on,” Uy pointed out. The mayor said President Aquino III’s executive order No. 23 imposing a total log ban in the entire country has helped

chief Jimmy Liguyon on March 5. Alde Salusad, a former New People’s Army rebel who heads Nipar, admitted to killing Liguyon in an interview over dxDB-Malaybalay a few weeks after the incident. Salusad said he killed Liguyon for being an alleged rebel supporter. But relatives said he was killed for his opposition to mining activities in Dao and for his refusal to endorse the ancestral domain claim of Salusad’s group. The self-confessed killer is the son of Benjamin Salusad, also a former NPA rebel who is now a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit. The groups cited that a warrant of arrest was issued against Salusad and 14 others for murder but it was never served. Supt. Rustom Duran, then provincial police director, repeatedly told provincial legislators and reporters about the police teams’ difficulty in pursuing Salusad. The evacuees however said the suspect was freely going around Dao. The group also lamented that the Commission on human Rights has refused to release the

report of its own investigation. Anilaw Inlantong erwin Marte, focal person of the Bukidnon human Rights multi-sectoral coordinating council where ChR is a member, told MindaNews Monday they have eyed a multi-sectoral fact finding mission on their own. The killing led to two evacuations, on March 14 and August 29. The first group of evacuees encamped in front of the Capitol to press for Alde Salusad’s arrest but went home on August 7 after authorities failed to catch the suspect. The second group of evacuees arrived on August 29 and also put up tents in front of the Capitol where they have remained to date. Kasilo, an organization of Matigsalugs in San Fernando is hosting the three-day mission, which includes medical and relief services. The Community-Based health Services - Northern Mindanao, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region, and the Asia Indigenous People’s Pact are also joining the mission. [Walter I. Balane/MindaNews]

Groups plan prosecution of HR abuses after fact-finding mission in San Fernando

hARGeS of human rights violations may be filed based on the results of a fact-finding mission scheduled on Nov. 17-19 in San Fernando, Bukidnon, a group said. The mission, organized by Kalumbay Regional Lumad organization and Karapatan Northern Mindanao Region aims to “call on the Philippine government to stop the escalating killings of indigenous peoples and human rights defenders working on land rights in Mindanao,” according to Sr. Ma. Famita N. Somogod, MSM, event coordinator. “The output could be used in filing of charges on human rights violations, for policy advocacy, and for report to local and international bodies like the Asian Inter-Governmental human Rights Commission and the United Nations, and to various foreign consulates in the Philippines,” the group said in a statement seeking media coverage. The group said residents of Barangay Dao, San Fernando were still harassed by a paramilitary band called New Indigenous People’s Army for Reforms (Nipar), which is accused of killing village

SCHOOL CHAIRS. A worker makes a school chair at the Tagum City Motorpool. The city government has made school chairs

as it led to an intensified campaign against illegal logging resulting in the confiscation of illegal logs. he recalled one instance when he saw on TV sometime in March 2011 that there were confiscated logs in Laac town, Compostela Valley coming from Loreto town, Agusan del Sur. he said he immediately called up Gov. Arturo Uy, his elder brother, and asked the latter to give him the logs so these can be made into chairs. The Department of environment and Natural Resources (DeNR) issued an order to turn over the logs to the city government. Fabricating since 2005 Roderick Ragot, head of the fabrication section of the Motorpool Division, said they have been fabri-

from seized illegal lumber instead of leaving them to rot. [MindaNews/Ruby Thursday More]

cating school chairs since 2005 but those were made of steel frame and wooden planks. Ragot said the city government allocates funds for the fabrication of school chairs and distributes them to public schools within the city. “In every school where we deliver the chairs, we take out all their old and damaged chairs and bring them here in the fabrication area and recycle the still usable parts, especially the durable wood,” he explained. he said the city government has invested in the facilities for mass production of not just school chairs but also office furniture like rostrums, desks, tables and cabinets. The fabrication area is within the motorpool

compound in Barangay Tipas. hundreds of seized logs were still piled up beside the fabrication area and waiting to be sliced into smaller pieces. Last month, the city government of Davao turned over 39,144 board feet of lauan lumber .The hot lumber, stored in 18 container vans and with an estimated value of P4.3 million, was seized by operatives of the DeNR - National Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force and National Bureau of Investigation on July 16. Donations and volunteer work Ragot said it’s not just their regular workers who are involved in making the chairs. he said fraternities, business groups, clubs and ordi-

said. Aperocho said completed projects accomplished at the SCPh were the construction of the public toilet at the ground floor, installation of 5-horse power submersible pump, upgrading of the operating room and other facilities, installation of power and energy structures,construction of private consultation clinics at the pay-wing building and the renovation of the intensive care unit. Also completed was the upgrading of the clinical laboratory, which is now capable of conducting water analysis and tests for schistosomiasis, malaria, leprosy and filariasis. At the IPho, the official said they completed the renovation of the provincial health officer’s office and the operation center office.

Aperocho said the other projects that were so far finished were the comfort room facilities at the zip line area in Seven Falls, Lake Sebu as well as the repair and renovation of provincial capitol offices. Aperocho said 18 infrastructure projects worth P137.3 million are presently undergoing construction and are due for completion early next year. he said the ongoing projects comprise the construction offarm-to-market roads; rehabilitation and concreting of provincial roads; construction of barangay halls, gyms, school buildings and footbridges; and, the completion of the provincial capitol’s Finance building and the provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Managementoffice. [PNA]

FSEIZED, 11

South Cotabato completes P72-M infrastructure projects

he provincial government of South Cotabato has completed around P72 million worth priority infrastructure projects during the first three quarters of the year. engr. Marnilo Aperocho, acting head of the Provincial engineers office (Peo), said such accomplishment comprised 55 projects that were earlier targeted for completion from January to September this year. he said among the major projects that they completed were the renovation and expansion of the South Cotabato Provincial hospital (SCPh) and Integrated Provincial health office (IPho) complex. “We prioritized the early completion of the health-related projects being part of the banner programs of the provincial government,” he

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Biomass may hinder climate fight A

report by campaign groups has warned that burning biomass (such as wood) in power stations may hinder attempts to tackle climate change. Biomass is expected to contribute about third of the UK’s mandatory eU target for renewable energy by 2020. It’s described by the Committee on Climate Change as an economic means of low-carbon power. But the report warns it will take too long for trees to re-absorb the carbon emitted by burning wood. It also expresses concerns over the scale of the plans. The government has opened a consultation asking how much carbon can be saved by burning biomass (plant material) and whether the policy will harm forests. Biomass burning is not a zero-pollution option. It creates greenhouse gases to cut and transport the wood, and when the wood is burned. But supporters say that so long as the burned vegetation is replaced by new plants to absorb Co2 that should confer a significant advantage over using fossil fuels. The numbers are debat-

ed. Power firms say the Co2 savings are worthwhile, but the Institute for european environment Policy (IeeP) says there’s no reason to believe the required emissions reductions will be achieved with current biomass policy. As biomass burning expands the topic is increasingly controversial. Drax power station - the UK’s biggest source of electricity - is converting three of its six giant boilers to burning biomass. They will gobble up nearly seven million tonnes of plant material a year. Drax will have to import 90% of its biomass. The firm says its major source will be unwanted offcuts from the timber industry, mainly in the Americas. Roger harrabin visited Drax power station that will start to burn increasing amounts of wood and other biomass in the coming years From 2013, the government mandates that biomass burning for power will need to emit no more than 70g Co2/kJ after a lifecycle analysis including emissions from transport and cutting. Drax says it averages between 20 and 75g, de-

‘War & The Environment’:

pending on the biomass used. The figures compare with 280g for the average UK coal power station (environment Agency); 122 for North Sea gas; and 193g for Russian piped gas (Friends of the earth). But campaign groups are highly sceptical. They say the methodology is flawed. harry huyton from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) told BBC News: “Drax’s demand for biomass will be

huge - more than the entire output of forests in the UK. The power firms say they are using offcuts, but there are some whole trees going into the system and as demand expands we simply don’t believe that forests and wildlife will be protected. “We have seen the policy on biofuels for road transport go horribly wrong. We don’t think biomass burning is as foolish as biofuels policy - but we have major misgivings

New book examines how natural resources can spark conflict, but also create peace

flagship book that documents and analyzes the devastating impact of war on the environment in 23 conflict-affected countries and territories across the globe was recently released by the United Nations environment Programme (UNeP), the environmental Law Institute (eLI), the University of Tokyo, and McGill University following 5 years of unprecedented field research. Assessing and Restoring Natural Resources in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding highlights how postconflict reconstruction efforts based on the sustainable use of natural resources and the

environment can foster lasting economic and social growth in war-torn nations. In fact, re-establishing access to land and water are often the two most important priorities at the rural level. This set of case studies, edited by David Jensen, a member of UNeP’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch and Steve Lonergan, professor emeritus at the University of Victoria, is the result of an extensive collaboration between 35 specialists from the United Nations, government ministries, non-governmental organizations, academia and the military. The research spanned the globe, including case stud-

ies from Iraq, Sierra Leone, haiti and Afghanistan relating to a wide range of topics such as the assessment of direct and indirect environmental impacts of war, the restoration of key natural resources, the impacts of road infrastructure on land rights, the remediation of polluted sites, and the risks of depleted uranium contamination. Today, on the International Day for Preventing the exploitation of the environment in War and Armed Conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reemphasized the need for “a greater international focus on the role of natural resource management in conflict prevention, peacekeeping

and peacebuilding.” he also highlighted that “the resource curse must no longer be allowed to undermine the security of fragile and conflict-affected states and the foundations of sustainable development.” “Addressing the environmental dimensions of conflicts and disasters is one of UNeP’s seven priority areas,” said Jensen. “As natural resources become increasingly scarce, and the impacts of climate change intensify, fragile states will need additional support. The lessons contained in this book will be essential in helping to chart our future direction and to improve our capacity for rapid response.”

about biomass policy too. Do we really want to be shipping wood to burn from America? “of course growing plants absorb Co2 - but when they’re burned it releases Co2 immediately and you have to wait for decades or hundreds of years for that to be taken up. With climate change we don’t have the time to waste.” The power firms say it’s important to look at the detail of their proposals.

Drax claims that because shipping is so efficient, it creates less Co2 bringing a boat-load of wood from America - even the West Coast - than it does ferrying the equivalent wood by lorry from forests in Scotland. The wood from the West Coast of America is diseased and useless for timber, they say. It could, of course, be burned in the US to make power - but shale gas is so cheap that it’s not worthwhile.

Green Innovators Receive Young Environmental Leader Award

hRee students from Costa Rica, Kenya and Vietnam have received a major international youth award from the United Nations environment Programme (UNeP) and Bayer in recognition of their environmental efforts. The young environmental innovators received the 2012 Young environmental Leader Award for creating own sustainable development projects; a scientific process to convert waste shrimp shells into ingredients for medicines, a community project recycling plastic bags into clothing and homeward, and an environmental guide for housewives and families. The award ceremony was held November 10, the final day of the 2012 Young environmental envoy Programme in Leverkusen, Germany. Adriana Maria Villalobos Delgado, a 20-year-old chemistry student at the Universidad Nacional in heredia, Costa Rica, reuses “waste” shrimp shells which would otherwise pollute the marine environment, by extracting active ingredients for the production of medicines. The project aims to find more sustainable models for the

shrimp industry - one of Costa Rica’s most important economic sectors. Mwanyuma hope Mugambi, 23, studies environmental sciences in Mombasa, Kenya. She and her team of volunteers have created a project to help tackle the environmental, health and biodiversity hazards caused by discarded polythene bags. Local women are trained to sew purses, bags, table mats from plastic bags that are collected from around the community. The projects expand the skills of the local women, many of whom come from marginalized communities, and support their income through the sale of the products. 20-year-old Dang huyn Mai Anh, a business administration student from ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has developed a novel approach towards reducing energy consumption and resource use in private households. Based on extensive research, she successfully designed, produced and distributed a “Green handbook for housewives”. The guide also includes information on economic savings that households can make from using resources more efficiently.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 183 •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

THE ECONOMY

Foreign investments in PHL hit by global fears A

dim outlook for the global economy seemed to have slowed foreign investors in pouring money into the Philippines, the central bank said Monday. Foreign direct investments (FDI) dropped by 82.89 percent to $13 million in August from $76 million a year ago, latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed. “This reflected investors’ relatively cautious stance due to weak global economic prospects and financial strains in the advanced economies,” BSP said in its website. The statement comes amid fears of a looming “fiscal cliff” in the United States, even as woes in europe are seen to be worsening. The U.S., however, remained the main source of gross placements of equity capital in August, along with Macau and Japan. These were invested in real estate, transporta-

tion and storage and manufacturing sectors. “Net inflows in August month consisted mainly of equity capital, which reached US$42 million, up by 35.5 percent from the level posted in August 2011,” the central bank said. Contributing to the drop in FDI was capital outflow of $45 million as branches of foreign banks remitted profits to their head offices, offsetting net inflows of $16 million in reinvested earnings. Year-to-date figures, however, show a 61.2-percent hike in FDI from January to August, to $1 billion from $644 million in the same period last year. “The surge in FDI emanated largely from net infusion of equity capital amounting to $1.1 billion,” the central bank said. Gross equity capital placements during the

HEADWINDS. A slum area is backdropped with the Manila skyline in 2007. The World Bank raised its 2012 growth forecast for the Philippines Thursday following a

stronger-than-expected start to the year but warned of headwinds from the crisis in Europe and a Chinese slowdown. [AFP]

first eight months reached $1.3 billion, up from $400 million a year ago. “Inflows were chan-

and mining and quarrying sectors,” BSP said. U.S. is also the top investor based on year-

neled mainly to the manufacturing, real estate, wholesale and retail, financial and insurance,

to-date date, followed by Australia, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Japan and Bermuda.

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 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Cacao yields in Davao region high but… L

oCAL cacao farmers have been enjoying good harvests since october, but they have been bugged by a lack of post-harvest facilities, particularly for solar drying and fermentation, in the Davao region, an official said Monday. Acting City Agriculture office (CAo) chief Val Turtur, who replaced Leo Avila III last october 30, said his office learned about the problem only last Saturday in a regular media forum at SM City Davao. Avila quit his port to run for First District city councilor in the 2013 elections. Tutur said the highest yield of cacao in the region was at least 2,000 metric tons (mt) or 60 to 70 percent of the country’s annual production of 7,000 mt. But he noted that there are only seven post-harvest facilities here with solar driers that can accommodate only two metric tons of wet cacao beans per week or five to seven days each. one of these facilities is owned by Puentespina Farms. The six other facilities are public-owned, and three of these are in Calinan, and one each in Talandang, Tugbok District, Catalunan Pequeño and Marilog District. Turtur, however, said that the P40-million facility in Talandang is underutilized based on his observation during his visit four months ago. only maximized by about

BEGGING. A harmonica-playing, visually impaired person is accompanied by a relative to play for loose change from people inside an establishment on E. Quirino Ave. yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

10 percent, the Talandang facilities provide solar drier, fermentation facility and bud wood nursery for cacao, he added. he said he will visit the Department of Agriculture (DA) day to request for utilization of the facility in Talandang, which was a project of the department for the cacao farmers’ cooperative in 2010. he said the cooperative has leased out the facility to the Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines, a Manila-based private entity.

No capacity The local government has no capacity to establish additional solar driers and fermentation facilities for cacao although it is one of the city’s top five priorities among high value crops, after rice and corn, Turtur said. Noting that his tenure is co-terminus with Mayor Sara Duterte’s, he said additional facilities for the cacao industry would not be possible before her term ends. But, he added, the CAo is working on strengthening

farmers’ cooperatives and organizations to avail of funds from the DA to request for these additional post-harvest facilities. The city is also eyeing to increase cacao production next year by adding about 5,500 hectares of potential land to at least 1,000 ha of existing lands planted to the crop in the entire region. But not all target areas may be covered before a new mayor assumes his or her post, according to Turtur. [Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews]

velopment is one of the fastest growing industries here, noting that there are apparently several building constructions in the city centers. In a report as of September provided by engineer Jaime Adalin, acting city building official, there were at least 15 ongoing high-rise building projects, one of which was a 15-storey building with a cost of P839 million. owned by Felcris hotels and Resorts Corporation, this building in Quimpo Boulevard, which will allot 12 floors for business process outsourcing (BPo) offices and three floors as mall areas, will be completed by September 2013. The tallest building is a P489-million condominium project with 26 floors owned by Accendo Commercial Cor-

poration near Abreeza Mall, which will be done by July 2015. Pasawa mentioned a P3-billion steel plant project in Bunawan Proper awaiting the approval of the city council as proposed by the New Carcar Manufacturing Inc., a subsidiary of Steel Asia, one of the biggest rolling bar producers in the country. Sebastian Angliongto, DCCCII chairman, also said at the forum that housing, both highend and socialized, is among the real estate projects here that help promote the city as a main hub in terms of high quality of construction services. he said that next to property development, another investment opportunity here is the ICT sector through BPo, noting that the city has to take

advantage of its good colleges and universities for job generation. The second Davao Investment Conference will promote the city, if not the whole of Mindanao, as an investment destination, the DCCCII said in a statement. The chamber said the event will become a platform for more private-public partnership projects. The conference will highlight investment opportunities in the areas of agri-business, ICT, real estate and property development, tourism and connectivity, power and mining. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will also present its economic profile at the conference, the DCCCII said. [Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews]

DTI-Davao, biz group eye property development, ICT as top investments

RoPeRTY development and information and communication technology are top investment opportunities in this city, the Department of Trade and Industry-Davao City Field office (DTI-DCFo) and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) said Monday. DTI-DCFo and DCCCII said leaders from these sectors will present business opportunities at the second Davao Investment Conference on November 16-17 at the SMX Convention Center. Teolulo Pasawa, DTI-DCFo chief, said Monday his office is working with the city investment promotion center in terms of promoting business in the city, during a regular media forum at SM City Davao. he cited that property de-

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

AGRITRENDS

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 183 •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

DOST-PCAARRD to increase profitability of goat production T

he Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) has launched a guide book to increase the profitability of goat farmers around the country. Dr. edwin C. Villar, director of PCAARRD’s Livestock Research Division, said the profitability analysis series is a regular publication of PCAARRD, where technical and financial data needed to put up an agricultural enterprise can be found. PCAARRD is one of the attached agencies of the Dept. of Science and Technology. The revised edition, titled “Profitability analysis: 25-doe level slaughter goat production,” was launched in the 2012 Agrilink at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. It presents analytical tools that can be used in

project planning and in predicting how the business would operate under a set of assumptions to ensure technical and economic feasibility of project implementation, Villar said. The revised edition includes projected income statement and cash flow of a 25-doe level slaughter goat farm for five years, market and value adding activities. It also contains a package of technology, which incorporates standard production and management systems plus marketing tips. According to Villar, through the years, PCAARRD has been publishing packages of information in collaboration with the private sector, researchers, and other government agencies from different regions of the country. The launch was made possible in collaboration with Alaminos Goat Farm

and the Bureau of Animal Industry. Some copies of the

book were distributed for free to the representatives of The Federation of

Military supports agricultural facility in Davao Oriental town

he military has affirmed its support to an agricultural facility in Barangay San Alfonso, Baganga, Davao oriental. Lt. Colonel Krishna Murti Mortela, commanding officer of the 67th Infantry Battalion, said

making the Cateel Agricultural Production Center (CAPC) operational manifests the commitment of the soldiers to peace as they strengthen partnership with the farmers. “The soldiers of the 67th IB will be the solid

partners of the farmers,” he said. The CAPC is equipped with activity hall, worm bin house, farm equipment and vegetable nursery. Corazon Losentes, officer-in-charge of the Municipal Agriculture office,

said the CAPC serves as a techno demo farm, learning site, research and development extension area and a point of convergence where various agricultural projects on crops, livestock, fisheries and recommended technologies will be showcased.

Convention hall here. Presiding during the meeting that eventually organized NABIDCo, were executive Director Stephen Antig of the Pilipino Banana Growers and exporters Association or PBGeA representing the big industry players, President Romeo Garcia of the Mindanao Banana Farmers and exporters Association representing the small farmers and President and Ceo Ferdinand Maranon of SAGReX Inc, a banana chips exporter, who represented the cardaba growers and banana processors. “This is good for all of us in the industry, now we can meet together as one and find common solutions to our industry problems, “ says Ruben See, president

and Ceo of See Manufacturing, Inc, a company that processed cardaba banana chips for export. The interim delegates coming from different sectors of the banana industry all over Mindanao all approved unanimously a motion to organize the “National Banana Industry Development Council” , a national organization representing the interests of Cavendish growers and exporters, cardaba growers and exporters, and other local banana varieties. “This time, we have a voice---- a national council that represents all our interests and concerns. It’s easier this time for the national government to deal with the industry as one voice to help in its growth and development”

Maranon told delegates during the organization meeting. Marizon Loreto, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry told the delegates that this was precisely the concept behind the industry clusters that were organized four years ago by DTI and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the “convergence of all sectors in an industry--- the small and big stakeholders from the private sector, the academe, the local government units, national agencies, supporting industries in the value chain--- all working together to achieve a common goal to boost exports and reduce poverty in the country”. [Philpress News & Features]

Big and small banana growers set up national industry council

ACeD by a common danger of a spreading plant disease and the China ban of fresh bananas early this year, big banana growers and exporters have finally joined hands with small banana farmers in one organization called the National Banana Industry Development Council or NABIDCo. “They’ve finally united, the small and big players in the banana industry since they’re all faced by the same common problems--the fusarium plant disease and the China crisis,” says Rene Dalayon , chief executive officer of the Federation of Banana Cooperatives or FeDCo who attended the organization meeting after the Mindanao Banana Congress last week at the SM Lanang

Goat and Sheep Producers Association of the Philippines, Goat and Sheep

Producers Association of Tarlac, Naga City Goat Farm, and AGF. [PNA]

Farmers in Region 12 urged to diversify crops

he productivity of farmers in Region 12 is seen to improve with the promotion of diversified farming systems by the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office. Amalia Jayag-Datukan, DA Region 12 director, said the campaign mainly focuses on crop integration by palay or rice farmers. Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Datukan said they recently introduced the Palayamanan Model Farm Project among farmers to showcase the diversified farming systems. The project, which was a revival of the agency’s Bahay Kubo concept, is part of the major initiatives of the agency’s Agri-Pinoy Rice Program. “Aside from rice production, the model farm is mixed with fruit-bearing trees, vegetables and inland fish production, livestock and poultry raising as well as biomass recycling,” Datukan said in a statement. The official said DA12 launched last week

a Palayamanan model farm in San Gregorio, Barangay Blingkong in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat as part of the program. She said the model farm, which is owned by farmer-cooperator Meldirico Prio, features rice production as the main commodity and is supported by the production of various vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants and okra. Completing Prio’s model farm are production areas for goats, ducks, chickens and tilapia. Last month, DA-12 opened the first Palayamanan model farm owned by farmer-cooperator Ruperto Gonzales in Barangay Dansuli in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. Datukan said the Palayamanan program was launched by the agency to encourage farmers to engage in diversified farming in their respective areas. “This program also contributes to the attainment of the Food Staples Self-sufficiency Program of DA,” she said. The official said that DA 12, through its Agri-Pinoy Rice Program, presently provides a grant of P100,000 to farmer-cooperators of the initiative.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

EDGEDAVAO Fighting threats in the age of austerity

VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

( 1st of two parts )

COMMENTARY

By Reihan Salam

EDITORIAL

Who’s crazy now?

he furor over the spate of disqualifications of some party-list groups has gone from the exercise of discretion to the absurd. The latest of which is Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. taking the dare for a psychological test from a critic. Now, Brillantes is willing to take that test provided the man who asked for the psychological examination of the Comelec chief also takes the same. he is referring to Rep. Pastor Alcover of the ANAD Party-List which was among those disqualified by the Comelec. Not so fast though. Before Brillantes could take the test, ten more party-list groups were disqualified on Wednesday barring them from being voted for in the 2013 mid-term elections. This should make Alcover and the disqualified party-list groups think the situation has become insane. The latest disqualifications came on the heels of the status quo ante (SQA) order granted by the Supreme Court to eight disqualified party-list groups.

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The SQA order means the eight party-list groups will be restored to their respective status prior to the disqualifications unless lifted by the court before January 2013. The disqualifications are part of the purging process undertaken by the Comelec to weed out Party-List groups masquerading as legitimate PL organizations under RA 7941 or the Party-List System Act. Now back to Brillantes. Should he dignify the challenge hurled by Rep.Alcover? If Brillantes thinks he is doing his job right, there is no need for a test which is as absurd as it can get, having no legal basis to stand on in so far as measuring the qualifications of public officers or in questioning an act made in the exercise of administrative discretion. Whatever, if Rep. Alcover questions the decision of the Comelec, there’s the court as the proper forum instead. Nakakaloka, noh? ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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oW that President obama has been reelected, he faces a number of basic questions about the future of America’s national security strategy. The most immediate of these concerns how the president will address the deep cuts to defense expenditures that will be triggered under last year’s Budget Control Act if congressional Republicans and Democrats can’t reach an agreement on a deficit deal. Answering this question requires a broader sense of the threats we face and what we ought to do about them. When compared to the height of the Cold War, when the Soviet empire had nuclear weapons trained on virtually every inch of U.S. soil, it is fair to say that the world is a much less dangerous place for Americans, and we shouldn’t forget it. But when compared to the relative peace and security, Islamic terrorism notwithstanding, we’ve enjoyed in the two decades since the Soviet collapse, there is good reason to believe that the threat level is increasing. This is happening at the same time that sluggish economic growth and rising social expenditures are squeezing America’s ability to pay for an enormous military establishment. Since the 9/11 terror attacks, America’s national security conversation has focused primarily on the threat of mass-casualty terrorism. hundreds of billions of dollars have been devoted by the public and private sectors to harden domestic targets, with no small success. A fundamental problem, however, is that a free society will always be vulnerable to conventional terrorist attacks, which can be executed by disaffected individuals as well as by highly-trained violent extremists. And while we can harden one set of targets, like airplanes and airports, there will always be softer targets for terrorists to exploit. Moreover, conventional terrorist attacks, as horrifying as they may be, are much less of a threat to public safety in the United States than, say, traffic accidents. John Mueller, a provocative political scientist at ohio State University, has observed that far fewer Americans died in 2001 from transnational terrorism than from peanut allergies, yet the U.S. government has yet to declare war on peanuts. As awful as it sounds, the best approach to conventional terrorism might be for Americans to allow the intelligence services to do the difficult, painstaking work of containing it while accepting that it will be part of our future in a violent world. What is unacceptable, however, is nuclear terrorism, which could result in tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of deaths. one of the ironies of the emerging foreign policy consensus is that while President obama and his erstwhile presidential rival, Mitt Romney, were both committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, both candidates also accepted the idea that U.S. combat troops should leave Afghanistan by 2014. Given the amount of blood and treasure the United States has committed to a seemingly hopeless war in Afghanistan, this consensus is easy to understand. Yet as Stephen Biddle–a political scientist and historian at George Washington University best known for his incisive analyses of Afghanistan and Iraq–has argued, the fall of the U.S.-backed Kabul government to Taliban forces would greatly empower Islamist elements in neighboring Pakistan, where a bona fide civil war is now raging. This matters because Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state in which key figures in the intelligence bureaucracy are known to sympathize with anti-American terrorists. The U.S. presence in Afghanistan can be understood as a hedge against a chaotic collapse of Pakistan that could, in a worstcase scenario, lead to nuclear-armed terrorism. That doesn’t change the fact that the U.S. combat troops will almost certainly leave Afghanistan as planned. But we should not kid ourselves about the risks that this will entail.

EDGEDAVAO

“

Sin Tax Bill: A Comedy

Too late to fight sin tax bill,” declared Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in a news report of the same title (Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 13, 2012). Santiago was responding to the threat of the PhilTobacco Growers Association that its members would campaign against six senators running for reelection who support the bill. Santiago was also warning that the Philippines would break its commitment in 2005 to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – a treaty negotiated under the World Trade organization -- if the Congress fails to pass the bill. The Senate ratified FCTC in 2005, now an international law obliging the Philippines to uphold FCTC’s objective in raising taxes on tobacco products, that is: “Reduce the prevalence of smoking to eventually decrease government spending on healthcare costs from tobacco-related diseases”. Sin taxes are on tobacco and alcohol products. The pending bill is intended to raise P40 billion to P45 billion additional revenue in 2013. The PDI called Santiago’s declaration

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

MIND DA NEWS By PaTRicio P. Diaz a warning. In reality, isn’t it a comedy dramatized to generate more money for the government and the tobacco and alcohol industries? Look at it. even before the FCTC, taxes on tobacco products had been repeatedly raised for the same reasons -and so were the taxes on alcohol products. Were smoking and drinking and diseases related to tobacco and alcohol reduced? To kill the sin tax bills, opposition from the tobacco and alcohol industries had always warned their industries would die, thousands of workers would lose employment and government would lose its sources of revenue. It’s like the turtle in the legend pleading to the monkey not to throw it into the pond. At whatever cost, tobacco and alcohol users would never stop smoking or drinking – not even reduce the number of packs of cigarettes and cases of beer or bottles of intoxicating drinks consumed daily. That

has been and will ever be the fact. The sin taxes are passed on to the “sinners”. The tobacco and alcohol industries don’t lose their profits. Don’t be moved by turtle’s or crocodile’s tears. In fact, they increase their profits. The higher their gross income, the more revenues the government collects. If cigarettes and intoxicating drinks are bad for the health of Filipinos, raising sin taxes is not the remedy even if done often. The only remedy is for the Congress to outlaw the tobacco and alcohol industries – prohibiting, not subsidizing, the planting of tobacco and stopping all traffic of tobacco and alcohol products. A tobacco-free and alcohol-free society will not worry about diseases related to tobacco and alcohol; government will not spend any centavo on these diseases. To Congress, stop the comedy! In all honesty and seriousness, what really is the intention in raising sin taxes? Is it to protect the health of Filipinos or to generate more revenues with the cooperation of tobacco and alcohol industries at the expense of tobacco and alcohol “sinners”?

A formal scandal for the BBC

he British love form. Not for nothing the phrases “good form” and “bad form” were, until recently, compliments, or severe criticism, of behavior. Four and a half centuries of internal peace in england have allowed the country’s traditional roles and offices to remain intact for outward show, their “forms” undisturbed. The monarch, the Lords and Ladies of the upper chamber of Parliament, the Church of england, the hundreds of orders given for public service each year all are more or less devoid of substance, there for the gorgeousness of their mere existence. All these forms — and yet more that will go unmentioned still attract formal obeisance, remain envied and, where possible, are sought after. This past weekend another piece of British form encountered a media storm, and may not recover its original … form. The director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation, George entwistle, in the post for less than two months, resigned late on Saturday night. In his short stint in office two separate scandals emerged with, at their roots, allegations of pedophilia. Those scandals transfixed the Corporation and destroyed entwistle’s career. In the first case, a Newsnight investigation into the pedophilia of a BBC star presenter for decades, the late Sir(!) Jimmy Savile he was a member of the order of the British empire as well as a knight of the realm was halted at the last minute. There are now two inquiries into whether top executives interfered to prevent the airing of the BBC’s dirty laundry. Last week a new scandal emerged with a terrible symmetry: Newsnight did another investigation into separate allegations of pedophilia at a Welsh children’s home. It said the pedophile was a “very senior Conservative politician of the Thatcher era” and more or less pointed the way to the Web, where the said politician was identified as Sir George McAlpine, the party treasurer for much of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as leader of the Conservative Party. But the identification was wrong.

OPINION By John lloyD McAlpine is not a pedophile. Newsnight, within a couple of weeks, had thus failed to expose a real pedophile and instead exposed a false one. entwistle, when called to explain himself, first to a select committee of Members of Parliament and then on “Today,” the widely heard morning radio news show, cut a poor figure. he sounded plaintive, revealing an apparent lack of grip on the crisis. Spending Saturday discovering the mood of the members of the BBC Trust, the Corporation’s supervisory body, he found it was sour. A little before 10 in the evening, outside the BBC headquarters off London’s oxford Street, he took the fall: “In the light of the fact that the director-general is also the editor-in-chief and ultimately responsible for all content … I have decided that the honorable thing to do is to step down from the post of director-general.” entwistle was the victim of two displays of bad form one public, the other bureaucratic. Publicly, he was revealed as a poor speaker, defensive under attack, unable to carry the fight to his interlocutors. In a culture that has prized, alongside form, rhetoric and public performance in its leaders, he did not impress. his bureaucratic form is much the more important, for it too is empty. The director-general of the BBC is also the editor-in-chief of all its vast output of journalism from tens of national TV and radio channels, scores of local radio stations, the global World Service radio and TV channels and the hugely popular website. No one can do the job of running the Corporation and know a hundredth of what is being broadcast in his name. Whereas the editor of a newspaper can be expected to know the main stories his paper is carrying and understand which are potentially trouble, entwistle had not even read, nor been told about, the grow-

ing realization that the McAlpine identification was wrong. he pleaded with his interlocutors to understand – he had been preparing and giving a speech and so missed the newspaper that carried it; he was terribly busy being director-general. But he was the editor-in-chief: he had to know. “editor-in-chief” was, in fact, just a form. That it had remained as an empty title was the lead weight that drowned him. It’s a pity, since he is by common testimony a decent and intelligent man who had been a talented and forceful manager. It’s much more of a pity for the BBC, tormented by the tabloid press, halfway through a program of staff cuts, lashed by its own journalists for whom going big on the story with large expressions of horror, not always within the boundaries of neutrality, is a sign of journalistic integrity. It made one bad mistake, on McAlpine. Ironically, the original decision not to run the program on Savile was probably correct in journalistic procedure: The witness/victims might have been wrong (they weren’t), like the one who wrongly identified McAlpine was. Newsnight, determined to show its investigative muscle was not slack, rushed the McAlpine report, failing to check the allegations or run them by their main subject, hiding behind the fact that they had not actually named him. McAlpine should get damages, because it was bad. But the BBC is not and will not be destroyed because, as a whole, it’s too good. What must come of this is that the editor-in-chief of one of the largest journalistic institutions in the world should, well, chiefly edit. he or she should do news and current affairs, and nothing but. The buck stops there. For that to happen, we British must learn more properly to distinguish between form and substance and choose the latter. Not doing so lands us, sooner or later, into the sort of mess that, with our customary weakness for the dramatic, we make into a Shakespearean tragedy.

Petraeus: A loss of real military standards ANAlYSIS By ThomaS e. RickS

he sudden departure of General David Petraeus from the CIA probably tells us more about the state of our nation than it does about Petraeus. President Barack obama should not have accepted his resignation. We now seem to care more about the sex lives of our leaders than the real lives of our soldiers. We had years of failed generalship in Iraq, for example, yet left those commanders in place. Petraeus’s departure again demonstrates we are strict about intimate behavior, but extraordinarily lax about professional incompetence. “A private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war,” Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling wrote in the Armed Forces Journal in 2007. Americans severely judge some forms of private behavior between consenting adults, if one party is a public official. Yet we often resist weighing the professional competence of such officials even when they clearly are not doing a good job. This is not, as some say, because we are a puritanical nation. Rather, our standards have changed in recent decades and not for the better. Consider, we don’t know precisely the relationship between General Dwight D. eisenhower and his driver, Kay Summersby, during World War II. But it is evident that it was romantic in some ways, and, by her later account, quite intimate. If Ike were judged by today’s standard, he would have been sent home in disgrace from europe, and the war likely would have been worse without his calm, determined and unifying presence. he was not fired. But dozens of other Army officers, including 16 division commanders in combat, were relieved of command during the war for professional reasons. Matthew Ridgway was another great American general, serving in World War II and Korea. over a few months in 1951, in one of the best but lesser-known episodes of American generalship, Ridgway turned around our fortunes in the Korean War. Like Ike, Ridgway was fond of female companionship. he almost seemed to get a new wife for every war. In his personal papers on file at the U.S. Army archives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, interspersed with discussions of how to improve combat leadership in the Korean War, there are some terse notes from his first wife’s lawyer. This change may have occurred in part because we as a nation no longer have much military experience and no longer prize military effectiveness, nor even are capable of judging it. In past wars, soldiers eager to survive would forgive their leaders a multitude of lapses if they believed those leaders knew their business. We also may have changed because so few of us have “skin in the game,” to use a phrase one often hears from the parents of soldiers. Certainly, if I had a loved one in a combat zone, I would care much more about the military skills of the people in charge than I would about their sexual lives. Another reason we may also hesitate to judge professional competence is that it is difficult in small, messy, unpopular wars to know just what victory looks like. Yet ironically, in Iraq, Petraeus was one of the few clear successes we had among our top leaders first in commanding the 101st Airborne Division Mosul in 200304, and then as the overseer of “the surge” that began extricating the United States from Iraq in 2007.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS

Apology

ow, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III feels sorry. The senate majority leader finally issued a public apology not for reportedly committing plagiarism but for having the issue upset the Kennedy family. “If it upsets the Kennedy Family, then I am sorry,” Sotto said. Sotto admitted copying a moving quote he received in a text message from a Christian leader without knowing it used to be part of the late US Senator Robert Kennedy’s speech.

VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Luxury cruise ship now WORLD TODAy includes PH in travel route F Recognized

RANCe became the first european power to recognize Syria’s new opposition coalition as the sole representative of its people and said on Tuesday it would look into arming rebels against President Bashar al-Assad once they form a government. Twenty months into their bloody uprising against Assad, fragmented Syrian opposition groups struck a deal in Qatar on Sunday to form a broad coalition and their leader immediately appealed for european backing.

Re-greening

ho says you can’t plant in the middle of the ever-busy eDSA? Not taking no for an answer, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has recently launched a “re-greening” project along the traffic-heavy thoroughfare, with plants placed vertically. “We want to revitalize Metro Manila’s ecosystem against rapid urbanization and this planting of ornamental plants is a big help,” MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said in a statement.

One time

hat can a Philippine Standard Time (PST)

solve? Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago thinks following a synchronized time in all government agencies may finally eradicate Filipino’s image of tardiness. “Filipinos are notorious for their tardiness such that being late has become synonymous to Filipino time,” Santiago said.

Duped

company managed by a former janitor and driver, and founded just early this year, has duped at least 15,000 people in Mindanao and the Visayas (central and south Philippines) of 12 billion pesos (US$291 million) in a pyramid scam, an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday. The NBI identified the company as Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc. “Some of the victims committed suicide and others have become violent and sick when they learned their hardearned money was gone,” said Virgilio Mendez, NBI deputy director for regional operations services, who was investigating the scam.

The cruise ship. The Royal Caribbean International’s Legend of the Seas made its inaugural call on the ports of Manila and Boracay last Oct. 26 and 27 as part of the vessel’s eight-night Southeast Asia trip. [Photo from Royal Carribean]

foreign cruise ship’s itinerary is seen to be more fun, as it now includes the Philippines as one of its destinations in an Asian route, the Department of Tourism on Wednesday said. The Royal Caribbean International’s Legend of the Seas made its inaugural call on the ports of Manila and Boracay last oct. 26 and 27 as part of the vessel’s eight-night Southeast Asia trip. Aside from the Philippines, the Florida-based

Norwegian and American line’s cruise ship also has stops in Xiamen, China; Manila and Boracay, Philippines; and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The government “extended its warmest reception to almost 2000 passengers from different countries on-board the vessel,” the DoT statement said. Passengers were taken on a tour around popular tourist spots in Manila, such as Intramuros and the Rizal Park during their first day. They next

day was meanwhile spent in the world-famous Boracay Island. The Legend of the Seas’ inaugural port call came sooner than he expected, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said, as he recalled that Royal Carribean hinted at an Asia route including the Philippines only 10 months ago. he nonetheless welcomed the development as a vote of confidence for Philippine tourism. This, as he highlighted the country’s ramped-

Estrada intervenes in Jinggoy-JV rift

Equity

lag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is in negotiations to acquire as much as a 50-per cent equity in the national airline of the Cayman Islands in what could be the long-awaited solution to the downgraded aviation safety status that has hounded local carriers since 2008. PAL president Ramon Ang yesterday confirmed that both parties were in the process of working out a deal that could see both airlines coming to a mutually beneficial arrangement.

up transportation infrastructure program which includes building and repair of major sea and jetty ports and harbors. Such developments are seen to “make cruise tourism a viable tour option,” Jimenez said. “The arrival of the Legend of the Seas would hopefully mark the start of the arrival of more foreign cruise liners to the Philippines, bringing along with them more tourists which would give the country’s tourism industry a boost,” he added.

Former President Joseph Estrada is flanked by his son Senator Jinggoy Estrada and running mate Manila Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno, as they file certificates of candidacy at the Commis-

oRMeR President Joseph “erap” estrada has already intervened to mend the bond between his feuding sons. Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” estrada confirmed their father tried to get him reconcile with his half-brother San Juan City Rep. Jo-

sion on Elections office in Arroceros Street Oct. 2. The former president is running for mayor of Manila, with Moreno running again as vice-mayor. [Mike Alquinto, NPPA Images]

seph Victor “JV” ejercito over dinner on Sunday night. “We have gag order,” an evasive estrada said in an interview. The senator explained the former president ordered them not publicize nor talk about their “private spat” with media

practitioners. The younger estrada failed to confirm whether he has already accepted ejercito’s public apology for issuing statements about their alleged rivalry. “Sort of,” estrada said when asked if he and his brother have made up. Senate President Juan

Ponce enrile doubted the issue will affect the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial campaign for 2013 midterm polls. enrile is a high-ranking official in Former President estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), which is in coalition with Vice President Jejomar Binay’s UNA. “Those are personal things. I do not want to deal with personal things. That has nothing to do with the life and interest of this country,” enrile said. “We (UNA) are united. Period. I do not know about the others. UNA is united,” he added. The senate president said there is nothing new about rift between estrada and ejercito, saying differences among family members are always normal. “My son, (Cagayan Rep. Jack enrile) and I differ sometimes, and so does brother and sister, brother and brother, sister and sister,” enrile said.

Anti-graft

ne of China’s most senior financial officials is likely to lead the fight against corruption, a top priority in the world’s second-biggest economy, following his appointment to a key council at the end of the Communist Party’s 18th congress on Wednesday. Known as “the chief firefighter”, Wang Qishan, 64, is currently the vice-premier in charge of economic affairs, under Premier Wen Jiabao.

Strike

olice and protesters clashed in Spain on Wednesday as millions of workers went on strike across europe to protest spending cuts they say have made the economic crisis worse. hundreds of flights were cancelled, car factories and ports were at a standstill and trains barely ran in Spain and Portugal where unions held their first ever coordinated general strike.

Rejected

L Qaeda’s leader has rejected the notion of nation states and any United Nations role in arbitrating solutions to conflict - long the pillars of international order - in a document outlining how Muslims should run their affairs. The statement by Ayman al-Zawahri, entitled “Supporting Islam” and posted by the jihadi militants’ publishing arm on an Islamist website, also calls for the re-establishment of the medieval Islamic Caliphate to unite Muslims.

Backed

resident Barack obama backed the top US commander in Afghanistan on Tuesday after the four-star general was dragged into the sex scandal that brought down CIA director David Petraeus. General John Allen was placed under investigation after FBI agents probing email threats sent by Petraeus’ mistress stumbled upon a vast trove of messages Allen sent to another married woman at the heart of the scandal.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 183 •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

AUSTRALIAN...

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port police contacted the mother who confirmed having authorized her children’s travel. Maria Luisa Bermudo, head of the City Social Service and Development office (CSSDo), in a text message to the mayor, said Cholin was held for two hours at the airport by the Regional Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking-Integrated Action Network-Davao International Airport (RIACTIoN-DIA) which has contacted the children’s mother for more information. To make certain it was not a case of trafficking, the airport policewoman on duty, Po3 Rose Cabailo, called up their counterpart Aviation Security Group to meet the children at the airport in Manila to ensure that the mother would personally receive them, Bermudo added.

TAGUM...

FFROM 1

Both the mother and her husband, whose names were not revealed, are employees of Cholin, Bermudo said, adding it was the second time that the Australian escorted the children to Manila. Cholin tied the children together upon the suggestion of their mother to ensure that they would not stray from each other. The airport police and social worker there informed Cholin that tying the children together like that was a violation of their rights, the mayor said, and the children were temporarily placed in the airport’s child minding center to play while Cholin was being interrogated and the airport social worker was contacting the mother. The children were eventually allowed to leave for Manila Cholin.

RIACTIoN-DIA has a help desk at the airport to intercept and rescue trafficked victims based on Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-trafficking in Persons Law. Tess Pioncio, CSSDo focal person on trafficking, said the help desk has social workers from the CSSDo and Department of Social Welfare and Development, and representatives from the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, Aviation Security Group, and Civil Aviation Authority, among others. She said the Children’s Welfare Code of Davao City prohibits children below 15 years old from traveling alone or with persons other than their parents or guardians. otherwise, she added, they are required to secure a permit to travel. [Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews]

thorized to collect payments. In a separate interview, Atty. Rapista cited the Court of Appeals Resolution promulgated on August 29, 2012, explaining the basis of the Writ of Preliminary Injunction (WPI) issued against DANeCo-CDA. Rapista particularly pointed out a portion of paragraph three on page 13 of the CA Resolution, that says “We believe that if private respondents would hand the reins of DANeCo to NeA, at least temporarily, while this case is pending, DANeCo’s woes would lessen.” he also revealed that CDA issued an order on September 28, 2012 suspending the CDA Certification of Registration certification issued to DANeCo, pending results of investigation of the Court of Appeals, and that CDA further ordered all people acting on behalf of the CDA Registration to “cease and desist” from performing their functions. “So what authority do they have to collect?,” Atty. Rapista raised the question during the interview. on electric line disconnection, Atty. Rapista said DANeCo-NeA issued no order for

such, yet, but he assured that the NeA management will observe due process. “They will be given notice; they will be called to the office,” he said referring to power consumers. Asked to comment on the appeal of the City Council, Atty. Rapista said “we have to observe the rule of law.” on the other hand, DANeCo-CDA legal counsel Atty. Glen Carnecer blamed the conflict over collection of electric bill payments to DANeCo-NeA’s refusal to recognize the CDA Certification of Registration. he also questioned DANeCo-NeA’s act of taking over the full operation of DANeCo pending final decision of the court, and pending issuance of “writ of execution” that would determine the rightful management to take charge of DANeCo. he also accused DANeCo-NeA of “threatening” power consumers because it furnishes the office of the ombudsman and the Commission on Audit (CoA) a copy of its oct. 22 letter. “Why do they have to copy furnish the government agencies when it is a private entity man.” he asked referring to DANeCo. [PIA 11/ JMDA]

FFROM 2

tric bill payment. Rellon recalled that both factions committed during the City Council Committee on the Whole hearing in August, 2012 not to resort to electric line disconnection, and that both would acknowledge receipts issued from either of them as proof of payment. “Both also had a common understanding that consumers have the right where to pay,” he said recalling details of the Committee on Whole hearing that the City Council held in August. however, the DANeCo-NeA letter dated october 22, 2012 caught the attention of the City Council as it advised power consumers to “pay only to Apokon Substation (managed by DANeCo-NeA) to avoid disconnection of electric service.” The letter also said that DANeCo-NeA will no longer honor “all power bill payments made at DANeCo Tipaz office (in Tagum City) and other DANeCo-CDA collection center/ agents.”Rellon said that DANeCo-NeA through legal counsel Atty. Rapista stood on its position not to recognize payments to DANeCo CDA, while claiming that it is the legal entity au-

still mayors of sister cities. Angliongto said the Indonesian contingent will fly to Davao by way of Singapore because the Davao-Manado flight has not resumed. he told edge Davao as iCon organizer, the DCCCII hopes to promote the city as the business gateway to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), fully realizing the strong potentials of the region as an investment destination and ideal location for business. The eagerly awaited agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has investors and traders very bullish about the future,

NEW...

he said. The DCCCII earlier said The Davao Icon aims to project a positive impression for Mindanao towards foreign investors and businessmen. “Davao, dubbed as one of the most livable and peaceful cities in the Philippines and considered as the premier hub and center of trade in Mindanao, takes the lead in inviting investors to take a look at the prevailing opportunities that other regions in Mindanao can offer,” it said in a statement, adding that chances for the untapped regions to present and share their investment potentials are set at the confer-

ence. The organizers said the ARMM willshall turn the spotlight on the probable investment areas and the positive developments that their region has attained. Furthermore, they will be presenting the economic Prospects on Mindanao 2020: An ARMM outlook. At the end of the conference, the event is expected to impress upon the delegates a positive outlook towards Mindanao and will hopefully pave the way for more businessmen and companies to invest, and more local and foreign tourists to visit Davao and the whole of Mindanao.

90,000 metric tons annually with cacao from the Davao Region getting much attention from world buyers because of its high-quality beans. Aside from planting areas, the CAo is hoping to help the backlog in post-harvest processing particularly with the

lack of solar dryers and fermentation structures. he said the office will looking to tap the Government-funded Talandang post-harvest facility in Calinan district so that farmers can bring their cacao harvests for drying and fermentation. [PIA 11/RG Alama]

for the several competitions to be held in the yuletide event which will commence on December 7. Among the contests is the city-wide Christmas light decorative contest dubbed as Kahayag sa Pasko (Light of Christmas),

Christmas Star and tree design contest titledParol ug Paskong Kahoy Design Competition, a Christmas Parade known as Lamdag Parada and Tugsayaw which is a Christmas-themed live music and dance presentation contest. [PIA/RG Alama]

they have even donated the chairs to schools in Batangas, Metro Manila and Tarlac. As of october 16, at least 78,000 chairs have been delivered to different schools in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon. But what he could not forget, he said, were the chairs that were given to a school in a marshy village in Pagalungan, Maguindanao. “What makes it notable was that it was a military officer who requested me that he needed chairs for a school near the Liguasan marsh. I could not remember his name but imagine a military man who really

cares for education. A military man at that, an officer of the Special Forces,” Uy recalled. he added that when he saw the pictures he really felt pity for the children because they had no chairs. “I was told that the flood destroyed their chairs. So they were sitting on the floor, I really pity them.” Asked how the other schools may avail of the free chairs, Uy replied: “Maski text lang nila ko. That’s why I’m always saying that for as long as there are logs, we are very much willing to give chairs. [Keith Bacongco/ Mindanews]

FFROM 2

Turtur said that with the growing demand will be identifying more areas for Cacao usually in the city’s second and third districts. Currently there are 1,000 hectares in Davao City planted to cacao. World demand for cocoa is growing at

GRAND... FFROM 2

show is among the main highlights of the Pasko Fiesta which is partnership of the city government along with the private sector. Marquez said that the private sector has chip in P3.5 million for the festival. The amount does not yet include the cash prizes

SEIZED... FFROM 3

nary citizens are volunteering their services. “They just come here, we provide the tools and they can work especially on weekends because our regular workers are also not around,” he said. Uy said each chair would cost around P450 and need an average of 10 board feet. “So far, the PAGCoR has donated funds worth P2.7 million while my friends donated the paint. I’m not ashamed to ask from my friends,” the mayor said. Chairs are for free Uy said they are giving the school chairs to different schools even outside the city for free. he added

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VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Realty

EDGEDAVAO

Health and Wellness

FOR SALE:

1) 1-hectare commercial lot at P10,000/sq m, along national highway, facing east, beside nccc Panacan, Davao city. 2) 17,940sq m commercial lot at P2,500/sq m, along matina Diversion Road. 3) 3,831 sq m lot along matina Diversion Road. 4) 41,408 sq m commercial/industrial lot at P800/ sq m along the national highway, Bunawan. 5) 7,056 sq m at P1,200/sq m commercial/residential lot along indangan Road, Buhangin District. 6) 27,411 sq m commercial/industrial lot along the national highway in Bincungan, Tagum city. 7) 116.15 to 245.92 sq meters , at P5.5m to P12.3m commercial/office condo units in Bajada, Davao city. 8) 699 to 1,117 sq m at P4,100/sq m commercial lots at Josefina Town center, along the national highway, Dumoy, Toril. 9) Ready-for-Occupancy Residential Properties: 4BR/3T&B in a 240 sq m lot with 177.31sqm floor area (2-storey) at P4.8m in an exclusive beachfront community in Dumoy, Toril.; 3BR 2-storey in a 71.25 sq m 2-storey in a 143sq m lot in an exclusive flower village in Maa, Davao city; 180 sq m lots with 71.25sqm to 126.42 sq m floor areas, priced at P3.751M to P5.773M in an exclusive mountain resort community along matina, Diversion Road. 10) 1BR/2BR residential condo units located in Bolton, maa, obrero, Davao city. 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.

APARTMENT FOR SALE 3 Door Apartment, lot 320 sq. m. located at Bo. obrero near Victoria Plaza 10 m, Direct Buyers only contact: 0932-532-7304

PROPERTY FOR SALE IDEAL FOR INDUSTRIAL / MANUFACTURING PLANT, 3 hectares, Santa Cruz along the National Highway, Direct Buyers only Contact: 0927-706-2510

PRIME PROPERTY FOR SALE ROBINSONS HIGH LANDS, 173 sq. meters, 1.5 M, Direct Buyers only Contact: 0926-305-1555 0942-966-2444

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Deadline for submission of materials is 12:00 NN. Deadline for Friday and Saturday issues is 5:00 PM. Deadline for Sunday and monday issues is Saturday 12:00 NN. For more information, please call our advertising office 221-3601; 301-6235 and ask for Jane or chay.

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EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 183 •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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 fouryear college course. For reporters, experience is not needed although preferable. The editor should have at least one-year experience in editing. Interested parties may 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.

RePUBLIC oF The PhILIPPINeS ReGIoNAL TRIAL CoURT 11Th JUDICIAL ReGIoN oFFICe oF The CLeRK oF CoURT-SheRIFF DAVAo CITY

hoMe DeVeLoPMeNT MUTUAL FUND, (hDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee -versus-

eJF-ReM CASe No. 13, 736-12

GINA G. APATAN married to Rey G. Apatan Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NoTICe oF eXTRA-JUDICIAL SALe Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the mortgagee home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund against GINA G. APATAN married to Rey G. Apatan with postal address at Lot 5 Blk. 7 elenita Garden Villas, Catalunan Grande, Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of September 14, 2012 amounts to ( Php 596,412.32) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TeN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 10, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of hall of Justice, ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGeR’S CheCK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 428657 “ A parcel of land xxx (Lot 5, Blk. 7,xxx) , situated in Barangay Catalunan Grande, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao.xxx Containing an area of oNe hUNDReD FIFTY (150) SQUARe MeTeRS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date. In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 07, 2013 without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the titles herein described real property/ies and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be. Davao City, Philippines, october 31, 2012

FoR The eX-oFFICIo SheRIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) RoBeRT M. MeDIALDeA Sheriff IV

(SGD) ATTY. eDIPoLo P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & ex-officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 11/15,22,29)

RePUBLIC oF The PhILIPPINeS ReGIoNAL TRIAL CoURT 11Th JUDICIAL ReGIoN oFFICe oF The CLeRK oF CoURT-SheRIFF DAVAo CITY

hoMe DeVeLoPMeNT MUTUAL FUND, (hDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee -versus-

eJF-ReM CASe No. 13, 758-12

SULAIMAN I. PINGAY, married to Norma L. Pingay Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NoTICe oF eXTRA-JUDICIAL SALe Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the mortgagee home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund against SULAIMAN I. PINGAY married to Norma L. Pingay with postal address at LoT 46, Blk. 20 SAMANThA hoMeS –Catalunan Pequeño, Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of october 24, 2012 amounting to ( Php 345,399.83) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TeN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of hall of Justice, ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGeR’S CheCK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 435476 “ A parcel of land of the subdivision project (Lot 46, Blk. 20 of the subdivision plan Psd-11-078815 being a portion of lot 1144-0, Psd-31674), situated in Barangay Catalunan Pequeño, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao.xxx Containing an area of eIGhTY (80) SQUARe MeTeRS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date. In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 07, 2013 without further notice.

FoR The eX-oFFICIo SheRIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) SeRGIo LeoNARDo J. TUPAS Sheriff IV

(SGD) ATTY. eDIPoLo P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & ex-officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 11/15,22,29)

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 183 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Pacquiao recovers form in LA training A

FTeR two weeks of routine buildup regimen that concentrated on body-conditioning, Manny Pacquiao looked to have almost recovered what he needed to regain during his five-week training camp in Los Angeles, California. With his fourth fight against Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez only four weeks away and the body pains have slowly but surely subsided, it’s now time for the eight-division world champion and his team to shift to retracing the best years in his career when he was beating the likes of Juan Diaz, oscar De La hoya, Ricky hatton and Miguel Cotto black and blue with his quickness and razor-sharp punches. “Almost complete na ang recovery portion ng training at kailangan nang

harapin kung anong strategy ang gagamitin to offset what Marquez does best, which is counter-punching,” Pacquiao, who battles Marquez anew on Dec. 8 (Dec. 9 in Manila), said Monday after another whole day on the road that saw him run alongside NBA hall of Famer Reggie Miller at the Griffith Park and doing the mitts in the gym. “I really feel good na after two weeks here in LA. I feel I can do everything now going into the next two weeks when I expect to bring my body back to where I was three or four years ago,” Pacquiao added. “And this is how to pack more power to my fist and add more speed to my feet, which we believe will be crucial in this fight.” Chief trainer Freddie Roach had the same idea when he told this writer be-

fore pitching the LA camp that the last two weeks at the Wild Card sweat shop will sort of make or break what his pupil must do atop the ring comes Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “Two weeks here at LA will be devoted to continuing what Manny started in General Santos (where Pacquiao began his preparations). The next two weeks will be focused on correcting the mistakes in Manny’s failure to do what we intended to do the last here times,” Roach said upon Pacquiao’s arrival at the Vine Street gym at the heart of hollywood. Although Pacquiao and his team intend to bring him back to the days when he was still 24 or 25 years old, turning the clock back to when he was in his 28th summer looks enough for him to score more con-

vincingly than the split and majority decisions he fashioned out over “el Dinamita” in the second and third fights of their trilogy. It was at this age when, four years ago, he destroyed and sent legendary De La hoya to retirement in a bloody 8th round technical knockout victory in the same MGM Grand Arena where he fought his first fight as a welterweight from lightweight. It was also on Dec. 8, 2008 when Pacquiao gave the 1992 Barcelona olympic Games gold medalist a lot to think about, beating and battering De La hoya around the ring for 24 minutes non-stop in a display of tremendous firepower and speed and forcing his rival not to answer the bell signaling the start of the ninth frame. Pacquiao’s domination

OH TO BE yOUNG. Among the youngest kids who took part in the recent 36th Milo National Marathon Davao Qualifying Race show it all from their facial expression. (Lean Daval, Jr.)

was so shocking, coming in the hands of a relatively shorter and smaller fighter who only nine months before that showdown had been fighting as a 130-pounder. De La hoya, who was then 35, was so dominated he landed in a hospital after the fight. he won just one round in one of the three ringside scorecards and none in the other two judges. “Yun ang target naming maibalik para sa laban na ito,” Pacquiao said. “Ang lakas at ang bilis ko noon, no? Kaya nating ibalik ang araw na yun at ito ang gagawin namin this coming weeks until we move to Las Vegas for the final week of preparations.” even when he was 29 the following year, Pacquiao remained devastating, knocking out hatton in only

two rounds and Miguel Cotto in 12 before demolishing, too, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, both via unanimous decision triumphs. Pacquiao, at 33, could really not be as fast as he used to, but Marquez, at 39, could also not be an effective counter-puncher as when he faced the “Pacman” the last three times that it is doubted whether he can survive the Filipino’s blinding speed and power-punching he has been displaying in the camp. Both Pacquiao and Marquez are very vocal in their plans to knock each other out to erase the doubts that have remained existing the past nine years since they fought first in 2004. The Mexican, in fact, has been travelling around the world, announcing he won all those three fights. (PNA)

ICe Mayor’s office staged a late rally to fend off the hard-fighting 10th Infantry Division-eastMinCom, 113 – 97, in the ongoing Mayor Sara Duterte and Vice Mayor Rody Duterte – 10th AFP-PNP Basketball Tournament on Tuesday night at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym. The troika of Bong Go, Art Atablanco and Rodel Bantilan anchored VMo’s 12-2 surge midway of the final canto to keep at bay the pesky Army squad en route to their four game winning streak. The ace gunner Go, the executive assistant

to Vice Mayor Duterte who once more sizzled with 38 points, made an errant four-point play to cap VMo’s pivotal run that gave them, 99 – 88, lead with 4:45 left in the game. Bantilan scored 15 points and Atablanco had 12 points, 10 of them came in the pay off period, for the three-peat seeking SP-based cagers who were up by just a point, 87 – 86, before the rally. The Army was battling hard behind playing official Joseph Decena and eduardo Mahilum, leading most of the opening canto before VMo took charge in the second period to take a 53 – 43 lead at the half.

VMO rallies to salvage win V

1,000 jins in SMART tourney

he country’s young and upcoming jins will display their wares Nov 17-18 when they vie for honors in the 2012 SMART National AgeGroup Taekwondo Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. “This event gives our aspiring fighters, some as young as four years old, the chance to test what they have learned so far,” says organizing Committee chair Sung Chon hong. Sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine olympic Committee, SMART Communications, MVP Sports Foundation, PLDT, Meralco, TV5 and Milo, the tournament starts the sport’s lovers at a young age and contributes to the government’s grassroots pro-

gram. Around 1,000 athletes are expected to compete in two divisions – juniors (men and ladies aged 14 to 16 years old) and gradeschool (boys and girls 13 years old and below). Parents interested to see their children learn the sport at a young age will definitely enjoy watching this tournament, which starts at 9 a.m. The age-group competition also prepares young jins for important future and international tournaments. only recently, Filipino bets produced an explosive showing in the Korean open international championships by winning five gold, seven silver and 14 bronze medals mostly in kyorugi (sparring).

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FOOD

The front of the restaurant.

Drunken Chicken Amams in red wine

Tita Sye and staff

Just before you step inside Albertino’s, you will get a sense that an understated elegance waits you. The place is enchantingly captivating; walls adorned with paintings from the family, embellishments from their trips and a wall of chopped wood squares transforms the place into one cozy chill out place. Albertino’s is more than a restobar, it is family. You would feel a deeper sense of bond when you visit the place; a warm embrace awaits you as their friendly staff opens the door. tita sye and tito Jojo treat you more than they treat customers; they make you feel a part of their family. With their warm welcome, you would feel at ease and at home whenever you step inside Albertino’s. Not to mention the fact that husband and wife duo are terrific singers. If you are in luck, you would hear them belting a song or two as you eat the night away. Named after their youngest, the resto bar boasts of gastronomic adventure and a music filled night. singing would have to be an understatement as it has a center stage and a sound system that could be heard all throughout the streets and entrance of the Ecoland subdivision. You would feel like a star as you sing your heart out to your favorite song. Like the place, the food

was fantastic. Their menu prides of recipes from the family and more so, vamped to suit today’s taste buds. In addition, their dishes are actually named after their children and grandchildren – indeed, a family affair. The night started with their tasty Crostini with spinach Dip that was refreshingly tasty to the palate. A perfect starter that turned into nibbles as we stayed and sang the night away. Their Garlic Chicken was awesomely tasty and its sauce was just the right flavor for the chicken. You can really taste the garlic in every bite. Paired with their invigorating Iced tea, nothing could definitely go wrong. They also serve Drunken Chicken which could either be their Apaps in Beer or Amams in Red Wine. We had the Amams and I must say, the sauce made the chicken succulently good. Have it while it’s hot and you would be surprised on how fast you and your friends could finish the loot in just seconds. My friends munched on their Pork BBQ de eyeh,

Pork BBQ de Eyeh

Pizzetas

Pasta al Fresca Garlic Chicken

Fish Kinilaw and sashimi like no other. The boys were satisfied and could no longer talk because of the goodness of such. My personal favorite, their Pasta al Fresca (meatless), was by far the healthiest pasta I have ever had. I love tomatoes and olives that’s why I was on my way to heaven with this one.

Elle and I shared a plate and yes, we finished it and wiped it cleaned. tita sye served us their Layered salad la Familia which was full to a brink. It boasts of flavors and colors that took our breaths away. It was one dish that simply spelled out class and yummy at the same time. More so, their Pizzetas may look

small but believe me it was bursting with flavors. A perfect way to cap the night! With music, family and good food, you could not ask for more. Albertino’s is one perfect dining and chill out experience that we would all be coming back to. see you and may be one day, we could sing together and share the stage! Happy birthday to my

tito Daddy Cho, tito Thoy, tita Babulaya and our bunso Datu Hassan Missing you and see you soon. Love lots! Do you want to be a part of Davao’s Thursday habit? send me your recipes, questions, suggestions and comments and be featured. If you are interested, then email me at iamtheroyalchef@gmail.com. Happy Cooking

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Microtel joins Travelxchange

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Staying true to its being the leading travel and tourism fair in the region, the 6th travelXchange opened with the launch ceremony of the first two international flights from iloilo City by Cebu Pacific to Hong Kong and Singapore in Plazuela de iloilo last week.

the travel fair brings to iloilo and Western Visayas worldclass hotels and resorts, adventure and water-sports vacations, theme parks, holiday cruise programs, top regional holiday destinations, exciting airlines with low fares and travel accessories and other related products. Participating travel and tourism establishments will showcase their products and packages from 4 pm to 9 pm every weekend from Friday to Sunday for travel enthusiasts. this weekend, the travelXchange will feature Microtel inns & Suites. Microtel offers elegant, comfortably furnished rooms and suites that cater to the busy executive, leisure tourist, or event organizer. their appealing accommodations matches with an array of vital support features, delivers a high level of competent service that has made the Microtel brand renown all over the world. Best of all, their lodgings come at an affordable price. Microtel can be found in Baguio, tarlac, Cavite, Batangas, Boracay, Davao, Cabanatuan, Palawan, Mall of asia and general Santos. in the travelXchange, Microtel will have discounted offers in all their hotels and suites that guests can avail. a raffle where the lucky patron may win free tickets to Singapore, Hongkong and different destinations around the country with holiday gift vouchers from participating hotels will also be given to shoppers and diners at Plazuela de iloilo from november 1 to December 31, 2012. the 6th travelXchange is presented by Plazuela de iloilo, Cebu Pacific, Department of tourism Vi and Sun Cellular with the special participation of Resorts World Manila, Hong Kong tourism Board and Singapore tourism Board. Special product updates and seminars to be presented by the various participants will also take place every weekend. Local travel agents and tour organizers will be provided insights to various holiday destinations and attractions. travelXchange is a project of Selrahco Management, a tourism and marketing consultancy company which also organizes the annual Sports tourism Forum and travel & Beyond expos. For more information please email selrahcopr@gmail. com or call toots Jimenez Jr at 09433956999 or Jade Durango 09228218111

Abreeza holds Whirlwind PreChristmas Sale Nov 12 to 18

it’S a Pre-Christmas Whirlwind Sale from novmber 12 to 18 at abreeza Mall. avail of big, big discounts and tweet about your holiday shopping with #abreezashopping and follow @abreezatweets. Kick off the holidays with the one and only Martin nievera as he serenades shoppers and lights up abreeza’s grand christmas tree on november 16. teenybopers can also catch Maja Salvador and gerald anderson of the upcoming movie “24/7 in Love” on november 17 at 5pm. all this plus more surprises are in store only at abreeza Mall’s Whirlwind Sale.

Interactive eating at Pepper Lunch The restaurant was bright and had a cheerful atmosphere.

My Curry Steak Rice.

EvERY time one goes to a restaurant to eat, one does not expect raw steak, unless that place is Pepper Lunch. Rewind back to a couple of weeks ago when me and my high school batch mates decided on an impromptu get-together many thanks to Wena A. finding out that Ian L. was in town. stir in Emerson and wife Jo who were also in town from Iligan and we have a small reunion in our hands. We decided to head to Gaisano Mall’s The Peak for dinner and we finally decided to have dinner at Pepper Lunch (since Zabadani was quite full that evening). The restaurant had a bright and cheery atmosphere with a colorful menu board to guide hungry first-timers like us on what to eat. so we lined up and gave our orders (The set-up was fast and efficient much like a fast food where one orders at the counter before sitting down). I ordered a Curry Beef steak with an egg and extra side of miso soup while Wena ordered a Karubi Cut steak. Ian went with a an order of Beef teriyaki with Egg. Having already ate dinner earlier, Emerson and Jo decided to have dessert instead. Our orders came out fast and furious on a hot plate as what Pepper Lunch is known for and me (the diner) was responsible with how well I wanted my thinly sliced steak to be cooked similar to tong Yang’s shabushabu. I decided to cook my steak a little of the

Wena and Ian ordering at the counter.

medium side with lots of Pepper Lunch’s sauce to make sure everything was flavored well. I loved the taste and how the beef cooked properly thanks to the searing hot iron plate, although I was left wanting more delicious fatty beef. I could not help but be jealous intead of Wena’s plate of delicious, fatty, Karubi Cut steak. Oh well, maybe I should go for that the next time I drop by. And as the evening ended with full bellies (again) we can’t wait for the next impromptu reunion that could be just around the corner. Follow me on twitter or Instagram @kennethkingong for more foodie finds, and happenings in and around Durianburg.

Wena’s Karubi Cut Steak

The entire gang (so far).

Emerson and Jo.

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enteRtainMent

Breaking Dawn Part 2:

The early reviews sound promising for Twilight fans aFteR the Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere last night, it’s now only a matter of days before the final installment of the twilight saga hits the big screen for all to enjoy, which means one thing— the reviews are in.

Critics have already gotten a sneak peek at what twi-hards have been waiting over a year to see, and it seems as though devoted fans will be left feeling satisfied, even with the surprise twist at the end. But before you prepare your goodbyes to Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Jacob Black (taylor Lautner) and edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), take a look at what some reviewers had to say about the highly anticipated flick. • ”Although the new film builds to a massive confrontation on a wintry field between more than two dozen vampires, backed up by their hirsute werewolf allies, and the more numerous and gifted Volturi, this remains the rare popular series without any great set pieces or even memorable scenes; from the beginning, it all has just sort of chugged along in a stylistically mundane way that has not infrequently slipped over into dullness,” the Hollywood Reporter’s todd McCarthy said, but also mentioned, “the final installment of the immortal Bella/edward romance will give its breathlessly awaiting international audience just what it wants.” • Baz Bamigboye from the Daily Mail wrote, “i can’t deny that i didn’t care very much for the four other movies. For the most part they were poorly made and badly acted. also, all that girl falls in love with a soppy vampire then a second suitor turns up who turns into a werewolf got on my nerves. But somehow the final film has stuff to say about love, friendship and loyalty that works.” • ”With Bella reborn as a bloodthirsty, butt-kicking vampire mama, this sec-

ond of two Bill Condon-directed installments clears a low bar to stand easily as the franchise’s most eventful and exciting entry. admittedly, much of the credit should go to a jaw-dropping extended climax that will give fans something to chew on besides the delicate matter of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s offscreen romance -- not that a movie this commercially invincible requires too many talking points,” Variety’s Justin Chang said, and also added, that, “it’ll be interesting to monitor reactions beyond author Stephenie Meyer’s distaff fanbase, this being perhaps the first twilight picture that some men in

the audience might find themselves actually enjoying.” • ”At any rate, having seen the movie twice at this point, i can assure you it’s going to be a hit with fellow fans,” amanda Bell from the examiner wrote. “as many fans have been warned, the big showdown with the Volturi is a touch different than what we read in the book. the biggest question about that is, ‘is it so different that i won’t like it and/or recognize it?’ the answer is no. Mark my words on this: the theaters will be in a cheering and gasping uproar during these scenes. to say anything else would be a spoiler to the experience of it.”

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eVentS enteRtainMent

Ayala Business Club Davao celebrates Ayala Week

By Kenneth Irving Ong

tHE Ayala Business Club of Davao (ABCD) launched a week-long celebration and showcase of Ayala Corporation’s products and services last November 12 at the ground floor area of the Abreeza Mall. Composed of institutions under the Ayala Group of Companies, the business organization also aims to undertake projects to improve the quality of life in the communities where they operate. This year, ABCD is partnered with the Ayala Foundation for Children’s Hour, and is also supporting tEN (The Entire Nation) Moves, a campaign to raise fund to build classrooms all over the country to augment the shortage in public schools nationwide. Member companies under the Ayala Business Club of Davao include Accendo Commercial Corp., Ayala Land’s Alveo and Avida, Bank of the Philippine Islands, BPI Family Bank, BPI Philam Life Assurance Corp., BPI Ms Insurance, Globe telecom

and Makati Development Corporation. Aside from the product displays, the companies will offer special packages and exciting promotions during the week-long exhibit at the Abreeza Mall. Daily events include online interactive demos, financial literary discussions, property and investment opportunities and will culminate with a game show on the last day, Nov 18.

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Dagger 3 drops Lakers L

oS ANGeLeS (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs’ final offensive play was smartly drawn and precisely executed, ending in a clutch jumper by Danny Green. The Lakers’ final play? Well, 7-foot Pau Gasol ended up shooting a 3-pointer. While coach Mike D’Antoni is on his way to Los Angeles with new schemes and strategies, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are headed out of town with an outstanding start to the season. Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left, Tony Parker scored 19 points and the Spurs beat Los Angeles 84-82 Tuesday night in the Lakers’ first loss since firing Mike Brown. Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who improved the Western Conference’s best record to 7-1 thanks to Green’s third 3-pointer of the night. The Spurs executed perfectly when facing a one-point deficit, with Duncan helping Kawhi Leonard get the ball to Green.

‘’(Popovich) drew up a play and said, ‘If you’re open, catch it and shoot it,’’’ Green said. ‘’When he draws plays for the young guys like myself, it’s very rare and very surprising. You don’t expect it. It’s only my third year here, so for him to draw up a play for me, there was a lot of pressure on me. But you take the shot with the confidence he gives you.’’ The Lakers are hoping to have that feeling when D’Antoni arrives, likely for practice Thursday. Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff ran the team for the third straight game, but the final play went poorly when they couldn’t get the ball to Kobe Bryant, who had 28 points and eight rebounds. After Gasol unsurprisingly missed just the 117th 3-point attempt of his 12-year NBA career, Tiago Splitter’s hustle prevented the Lakers from controlling the rebound before the buzzer sounded on Los Angeles’ first game since hiring D’Antoni late Sunday night.

RLANDo, Fla. (AP) -- In their first four games, the New York Knicks surprised many by consistently performing above preseason expectations and jumping

out to an unbeaten start. Another night and another victory later, the Knicks’ breakout beginning doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. Carmelo Anthony

Knicks streak to 5 win Dirk itching to return o Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is guarded by San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili in this bit of action in their NBA game won by the Spurs 84-82.

scored 25 points, J. R. Smith and Raymond Felton each added 21, and the New York Knicks held off the orlando Magic 99-89 Tuesday night to improve to 5-0.

New York center Tyson Chandler slam the ball in to power the Knicks to their fifth straight win.

The victory extended New York’s NBA-best start. The Knicks have won their first five games for the first time since opening the 1993-94 season 7-0 on their way to the NBA finals. The Knicks remain the league’s only unbeaten team. ‘’Defense, we buckled down,’’ Anthony said. ‘’We kind of slowed them down, kept them off the glass rebounding. once we had a chance to rebound the basketball, get out and make some shots, we didn’t turn back from there.’’ J.J. Redick scored 18 points and Arron Afflalo added 13 for the Magic, who were stunted by 20 turnovers that led to 24 New York points. orlando dropped its fifth consecutive game and continues to struggle without starters Jameer Nelson and hedo Turkoglu. ‘’You have to want to win more, simple as that,’’ Afflalo said. ‘’There’s not one man on this team that’s going to do it, (we) pretty much have to want it more.’’ New York coach Mike Woodson has made no secret of the fact that for the Knicks to continue their recent output long-term, keeping his older team well-rested will be a necessity.

oMe athletes, through no fault of their body’s own and often because something lands the wrong way or some opponent falls onto the wrong thing, have to undergo surgery early in their careers. In their teens, even, during their amateur hour. Some, by way of the typical wear and tear that a pro athlete’s career demands, usually end up having to undergo at the very least an exploratory procedure, or one focused on the cleanup of debris or smaller parts that need to mend. Some, like Dirk Nowitzki, are incredibly lucky. he gave up his amateur turn all the way back in May of 1998, and save for a sprained knee in 2003 that didn’t require an operation, Dirk has been fortunate to stay away from the surgeon’s knife for his entire career. For 43,595 combined regular and postseason minutes Dirk has continually worked as a go-to workhorse for a Dallas Mavericks team that has consistently been part of the championship picture for most of that just-about dynastic run. And, because these things tend to take a toll, Dirk had to undergo arthroscopic

knee surgery earlier this autumn. And, because he’s a competitor and usually three times better than anyone he plays basketball with, Nowitzki sort of expected his knee to heal in three times the typical rate. Things haven’t quite turned out that way, though. From the Dallas Morning News, quoting Dirk’s interview on Fox Sports Southwest during Monday night’s Dallas loss to Minnesota: “Gotta admit, I’m already getting tired of rehab,” Nowitzki said on Fox Sports Southwest’s telecast, during the second quarter of tonight’s game against Minnesota. “It’s been three weeks. obviously, that’s a lot of time for me watching. “At this point, gotta stay patient and do what the doctors and trainers tell me. Just keep rehabbing and see how long it is. “When I originally heard three-to-six weeks, in my mind I’m thinking ‘in two weeks I’m back.’ But unfortunately, this is not how it happens. My first knee surgery of my career and unfortunately this stuff takes longer than we expected.

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Ateneo girls score 6-peat By Neil Bravo

hALK up that number 6 on the record book, this Ateneo team is as good as their predecessors. Not given much chance to repeat for the sixth time because of a retooled line-up with several fresh faces, the Ateneo de Davao University Under-12 girls team proved it has not diminished in skills and hunger for championship as

it romped away with the rare 6-peat in the recent Alaska Cup. The Ateneo girls beat fellow Davao squad Sakya FC 3-0 in the finals to keep the championship they first won in 2007. “This is the sweetest so far. We are not as strong as we used to, maraming baguhan sa team pero talagang gusto nilang manalo, ayaw nil-

ang mawala ang record,” said coach Reynalyn Ravanes. Ranada narrated to eDGe Davao the exploits of the Ateneo girls which began with a 5-0 dumping of Brent-Subic, followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Alabang FC, then closed out their eliminations assignment with a 7-0 drubbing of Raya FC. In the semifinals, Ateneo demolished Baguio

FC 7-0. Patricia Francisco won Most Valuable Player honors for Ateneo which was composed of Denise Diamante, Yunika Angala, Ysabel Aquino, Lianne Co, Julianna Taojo, Chiyo Marasigan, Kyana Dimaandal, Melanie Pamisa, Leara Yara and Cai Reyes. The Alaska Cup is the biggest conclave of age group football clubs in the country.

IT’S MORE FUN TO RUN. Young runners had the time of their lives launching off from the starting gate in the recent 36th Milo National Marathon Davao Qualifying Race. (Lean Daval, Jr.)