Edge Davao 5 Issue 184 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

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Baktin left PH on October 18 It’s final

By Anthony S. Allada

Sports

Page 15

UGItIVe and notorious carnap ring leader ryan Cain “Baktin” Yu left the country for thailand on October 18, a day after a carnapped toyota Innova owned by the sumifro campany was recovered in tandag City, surigao

Had established contacts in Thailand for his carnapping and smuggling business.

del sur by joint operatives of the Highway Patrol Group 10 and 11 and Davao City Police Office.

a reliable document obtained by edge Davao yesterday afternoon showed that Yu left Manila for Bangkok, thai-

land at 6:13 p.m. on board Pr732 of the Philippine airlines as reflected in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) records. On sunday, Vice Mayor rodrigo Duterte confirmed on his

FBAKTIN, 11

Follow Us On LANTERNS. Personnel of City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) remount the Christmas lanterns they placed around the city last week due to the request of Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio to place two lanterns per post instead of just one in E. Quirino Ave. yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

DepEd urged to intensify watch on illegal schools

arents of students from a private school in Davao City that was ordered closed last June for operating without a permit since 1996 demanded Wednesday that government intensify its monitoring of illegal schools in the city. at the city council’s committee hearing, Chona Linda Mante, whose child finished grades one to four at the Good shepherd Learning school in toril District, asked representatives of the Department of education (Deped) region 11 if had monitored all illegal schools in the city.

Dr. alma Cifra, Deped-11 private school division supervisor, said they exerted “all means” to track down illegal schools in the city, “which is too big for the regional office to cover.” Last December, Deped-11, along with the City social service and Development Office, asked the help of the Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays) to list the schools operating in their villages without permit, Cifra said. the Good shepherd Learning school was not mentioned in the lists, she added.

FDEPED, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO Complainant urged NEDA bares ten strategic areas to prove his torture for Davao region development t t VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

By Anthony S. Allada He military urged the 19-year old farmer of Purok 3, Barangay san roque, nabunturan town in Compostela Valley, who filed a complaint before the Commission on Human rights against eight elements of the 66th Infantry Battalion to prove his claim and also file charges before the police for immediate investigation. “He should file the complaint before a proper forum so that the accused, if his claim is true, can answer his accusations”, said Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division. Paniza said that they will also investigate the incident involving eight soldiers and two members of the army’s Citizens armed Forces Geographical Unit (CaFGU). On tuesday, one Boboy ayagina said he was mauled and tortured by soldiers forcing him to admit his affiliation with the new People’s army as one of its leaders operating in the hinterlands of Compostela Valley. Paniza doubted the

veracity of ayagina’s allegations, adding “I see this as propaganda of groups who are always on the lookout for issues they can exploit to discredit the army.” He questioned the credibility of the complainant who allegedly demanded P3,000 for damages during a forum held at the barangay hall of san Isidro, nabunturan which the troops declined to pay saying “the soldiers did not violate anything and will not fall for his lies”. For his part, Col. antonino Florendo, commander of the 66th IB, said they are willing to cooperate with any unbiased investigating body to shed light on the issue but maintained in claiming that there was no violation committed by his men. “With the current thrust of winning the peace, the army has put premium in the protection of the people, respect for human rights and the observation of the International Humanitarian Law”, Florendo said.

He national economic Development authority (neDa) 11 has bared the 10 strategic areas for development of the Davao region under the Davao regional Development Plan for 2011 to 2016 during the Provincial Development Council (PDC) Consultations held Wednesday at the Provincial Government Center in Mankilam, this city.

“I have always answered that I prefer it to take effect in 2016 as it would give the voters time to validate and that the 2013 polls is too close,” Brillantes said in his official twitter account. “If its effectivity will be in 2013, many voters with no biometrics may be disenfranchised since we can no longer reopen revalidation. My view, therefore, is consistent with that of senators [alan Peter] Cayetano and [Koko] Pimentel — only that my statements were

unfortunately taken out of context,” he added. some senators have criticized Brillantes for apparently causing alarm to voters that if Congress passes the bill requiring biometric registration before the elections next year, at least eight million voters would fail to vote. On Monday, the senate approved senate Bill no. 1030 which requires all registered voters whose biometrics have not been captured to appear before election officers for biometric registration. [PNA]

ence room that the budget is P1-million more than last year’s P2.5-million. “We raised the amount to encourage more participants, especially barangays, to join the exciting competitions,” Marquez said, adding that the this yuletide festival showcasing the lighting of the Christmas tree at the People’s Park, will be on December 7. “this year’s Christmas tree manifests the city’s

thrust in strengthening its recycling program,” she said. standing at 30 feet tall, the Christmas tree is made up of recycled bottles, and boasts a unique design that reflects beams of light, creating an eye-catching display that raises the awareness and possibilities of recycling. among the events is the Kahayag sa Pasko Competition, a city-wide contest

P3.5-M for Pasko Fiesta

He Duaw Davao Festivals Foundation, Inc., the events organizer of the Pasko Fiesta celebration, is setting aside P3.5-million in cash prizes for the various competitions including the most-awaited “Lamdag Parada” event. Maria Felisa Marquez, executive director of Duaw Davao, told media attending thursday’s weekly regular “I-speak” press conference at the city hall confer-

societal and sectoral outcomes of the Davao region” have been approved by the rDC last march 2012. He said in the area of Macroeconomic Management, they are eyeing sustained high economic growth levels with an increase in the Gross regional Domestic Product (GrDP) from the 6.8% level in 2010 to 7% by 2014. this can be achieved

through increased investments in the priority industry clusters including agriculture, Fishery and Forestry (aFF) from a growth rate of 1.2% in 2010 to 2.2% in 2014, Industry and services from 5.6% in 2010 to 7.2% in 2014. It also sees an increase in family incomes and a reduction in poverty incidence from 30.6% in 2009 to 24.0% by 2014.

ARTIST. Kit Awid, a sidewalk artist, is seen illustrating a portrait of a child in Ilustre St. yesterday. He charges clients from P300 to 1,500 depending on the size of his work. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Comelec chief clarifies stand on proposed biometrics system OMMIssIOn on elections (Comelec) Chairman sixto Brillantes Jr. clarified on thursday that he would like the proposed mandatory biometrics system to take effect in the 2016 polls because revalidation of voter’s registration for next year’s elections is already closed. Brillantes said he was taken out of context when he was asked on the possible effect of the biometric registration if it will take effect in the May 2013 polls.

“the conduct of the consultations with the local government units and the national government agencies will ensure that the national government’s plans are in alignment and synchronized with the LGU’s thrusts,” PDC secretary engr. Josie Jean r. rabanoz said. neDa XI OIC assistant regional Director Miguel Herrera III said “the target

FP3.5-M, 11

Paperless transactions way to go for Customs

n an effort to rid itself being branded as the most-corrupt government agency, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is introducing its computerization program to do away with the manual processing of permits and clearances accompanying imports and exports. BOC-Davao district collector Martiniano Bangcoy confirmed that the BOC central office has already started the project, called the national single Window (nsW), which is targeted to link to the asean single Window. “We are happy that this project is gaining headway and that we are very supportive of this because this helps a lot in fighting corruption in the bureau,” Bangcoy said. the computerized Internet-based system will be paperless involving all 40 government agencies that have to do with import and export trade.

Of the 40 agencies, there are already some 30 bureaus already connected to the BOC under this system. the nsW will allow single submission and accelerated processing of applications for licenses, permits and other authorizations required prior to undertaking a trade transaction. It features electronic submission permits and clearances applications and supporting documents. It also provides an electronic dashboard where stakeholders could view their transaction status. the nsW also finds relevance because of the increasing reports involving fake permits and clearances. Bangcoy said Commissioner rozzano rufino Biazon already issued a memorandum to ensure full compliance by all customs officials to the phasing out of paper

permits and clearances. an issue raised was the prevalent practice of late submission of import permits by importers. It was pointed out that agencies that give those clearances have no automatic system of rejecting documents that are submitted late. Under local laws, imports with late permits consider the shipment null and void and are either confiscated by government or returned to their port of origin. another concern is the fact that some agencies take very long to process permits. One food regulatory agency cited reportedly takes one to two months to issue a certificate of product registration. Bangcoy said it is also high time to go paperless transaction in Davao port as a new administration building, bigger than the existing one, will be constructed early next year. [ASA]

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

SUBURBIA

TEN Moves campaign of Ayala Foundation launches in Tagum a

fundraising drive managed by ayala Foundation Inc. dubbed as ten Moves or the entire nation Moves has recently launched its campaign at the iconic new City Hall of tagum last november 13. ten Moves enlivens the Bayanihang Pampaaralan, an appeal to Filipinos’ sense of citizenship and hopes to work together as one nation in resolving our education crisis in the additional construction of thousands of classrooms. ten Moves strategizes to get 2 Million people to donate ten PesOs (P10) per day for 10 months. With that huge target, Coun. Oyo Uy and his team pledges right away P36,000.00 in cash, right

on the spot during the launching, as this was followed by the coin banks of other supporting schools and business establishments in the city. tagum City has always been supportive to Deped’s campaign by constructing a significant number of classrooms in the public schools and fabricating school furnitures under its Care for school Chairs Program. Widening its social responsibility, it can be recalled that an elementary school in Barangay alasas of taal, Batangas was constructed through ayala Foundation wherein its armchairs were donated and fabricated by the City Government of tagum as initiated by Mayor rey Uy. [CIO tagum]

Some of the students who made their commitment to help in whatever way they can.

GenSan City allots P58-M for disaster management

He General santos City government has allocated around P58 million for various disaster pre-

paredness, mitigation and response initiatives in the area for next year. ephraim Beliran, action officer of the City

Disaster risk reduction and Management Council (CDrrMC), said the appropriation comprises

FGENSAN, 11

Disciplinary committee to litigate Bukidnon’s hospital controversy

He “serious dishonesty”, charges filed against nine ranking Bukidnon officials involving around P44 million worth of medicines and medical supplies will be heard by the five-member Provincial Discipline Committee. Provincial administrator Provo antipasado, who heads the disciplinary body, said they have yet to formally convene the body to hear the charges against the chief of the Provincial economic enterprise Development and Manage-

ment Office (PeeDMO) and eight hospital administrators. He said they are still awaiting the investigation report by the eight-member special investigation team. Gov. alex Calingasan, in a series of memoranda last October 30, charged the nine officials with “serious dishonesty in the course of official duties” over the hospital controversy. He said they failed to reply on time to the showcause order issued on October 29, and cited the

results of the investigation of the four-member Fact Finding Committee created to determine prima facie case. Vice Gov. Jose Ma. r. Zubiri Jr. in press conference on november 7, which Calingasan attended, identified the accused as PeeDMO chief Marie Carmen Unabia, Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center administrator Corazon Jamero, Bukidnon Provincial Hospital (BPH) san Fernando administrative officer Daryl Minguez,

the municipal government of surallah will help them decide later on if it would be fully adopted by the provincial government and the nine other municipal governments in the province. Based on the memorandum of agreement (MOa) signed in June by the provincial government and the PVB, the province’s 10 municipalities would adopt the single property and business tax collection system developed by the bank. “the new system will automate real property and business tax collection operations, thereby enhancing the delivery of such services to each municipality’s constituents,” PVB said in a statement. It said that since the provincial government would also be using the same tax collection system, it would

mean “seamless interface between each municipality and the provincial capitol.” aside from the real property and business tax collection system, the local government also availed of PVB’s timekeeping and payroll system, wherein all employees are enrolled and issued with timekeeping identification cards that also act as their payroll automated teller machine or atM cards. the bank had installed a Veteranteller atM unit at the provincial capitol, which also benefits from its deposit pick-up and cash delivery services. south Cotabato Gov. arthur Pingoy Jr. said the new system will mainly provide an automated or computerized real property tax (rPt) assessment and collection facility for the province.

FDISCIPLINARY, 11

South Cot expects higher revenues with automated tax collection system

O V e r n Ment-owned and controlled Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) and the provincial government of south Cotabato will unveil next month a new property and business tax collection system that is seen to further perk up the revenue generation initiatives in the area. engr. robert Deanon, acting south Cotabato provincial assessor, said they will start in December the pilot testing of the new system in surallah town based on an agreement earlier signed by the local government with PVB. “We’re currently studying the system’s implementation and specifically determining whether it is workable or not,” he said in a radio interview. Deanon said the pilot testing of the system by

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Greenpeace eyes integrated response to saving PHL seas e

nVIrOnMent watchdog Greenpeace southeast asia targets helping integrate efforts on saving the Philippines’ marine environment. Greenpeace ocean campaigner Vince Cinches raised urgency for implementing an integrated approach, noting existing fragmentation in such efforts is doing little to save the country’s marine waters. ”We’ll push for integration of such efforts,” he said. He noted such bid will be among concerns for discussion during Greenpeace’s national conference on state of Philippine seas. Cinches hopes the integration will push through, noting evidence of marine destruction is increasingly becoming evident. “the country has less than 100 square kilometers of mangrove cover,” he said. He noted available data show only about five percent of Philippine coral reefs are still in good condition.

“We’re also losing our seagrass beds,” he continued. Marine conservation groups, representatives of fisherfolk communities, members of the academe and government agencies are expected to attend Greenpeace’s conference this week. ”together, they’ll raise the alarm to defend our seas and seek solutions that will address policy reforms, strict enforcement of marine and fisheries laws as well as strengthen community-based coastal resource management,” Greenpeace said. Greenpeace decided holding the conference to sound the alarm on continuing degradation of the country’s marine environment. Pollution, climate change and over-fishing resulted in declining conditions in Philippine seas and such situation is threatening the country’s marine biodiversity and food security, Greenpeace noted. ”Our seas are in crisis,” Cinches said. Greenpeace plans

presenting the conference’s outputs to Philippine decision-makers so they can be better guided in coming up with directives for protecting ma-

rine waters nationwide, he noted. earlier, Greenpeace announced plans to launch in the Philippines this year its campaign to

save the marine environment. Cinches warned the country’s marine waters are increasingly reeling from environmental deg-

radation, pollution, unsustainable fisheries and other threats. “Climate change is compounding the problem,” he added. (PNA)

“It is time for all ships to be held legally-accountable for the wastes they discharge at sea,” says WWF-Philippines Vice-chair and CeO Jose Ma. Lorenzo tan. “Oceans make up 71% of the planet. More than 95% of our oceans remain unprotected and poorly regulated. It is time to change that.” the installation of modern onboard waste treatment systems plus closer monitoring of discharge practices should be mandatory for all local and visiting vessels – as would be more severe violation penalties. Concludes tan, “Unchecked vessel discharges – whether toxic or organic – degrades not just water quality, but oceanic productivity. Given the need to feed our ballooning population, this is a far larger issue than the VFa. Beyond health and biodiversity, the impacts of this will be largely economic. no one wants to eat from a toilet. Would you?”

He Philippines will pursue, during the nov. 26-Dec. 7 18th Conference of the Parties in Qatar this year, its bid for nations’ common but differentiated responsibilities on addressing climate change. ”We’ll continue making such stand,” Climate Change Commission Vice-Chairperson Mary ann Lucille sering said Wednesday during a briefing in Metro Manila. CBDr is a principle embodied in the 1992 rio Declaration on environment and Development which provides that “in view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation, states have common but differentiated responsibilities.” sering believes CBDr is justified, noting the Philippines isn’t a major emitter of greenhouse gases but is among nations most at risk for onslaught of weather extremes and other impacts of climate change. experts already reported GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming that drives cli-

mate change. ”although our country isn’t a major emitter of GHGs, we’ll still do our share to help mitigate such gas emissions but our main focus must be adapting to climate change’s impacts,” sering noted. environment chief ramon Paje earlier aired the same concern, reporting latest available data show total Philippine GHG emission is less than those in other nations. He noted data indicate the Philippines’ carbon footprint is only about 1.3 tons per capita - lower than those monitored in Hongkong, Malaysia, singapore, Brunei, Canada, Luxembourg, Kuwait, United arab emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Usa. Carbon footprint is the total set of GHG emissions. ”It’s obvious the Philippines is among the least to blame for climate change but very vulnerable to its consequences,” Paje said. He said data show the Philippines ranks seventh among 35 countries found to be most vulnerable to climate change.

WWF calls for tighter oceanic PHL to maintain climate stand waste dumping measures t W Says oceans are not toilets

OULD you eat fish from your toilet? Probably not – but maritime vessels might soon make it so. Last 15 October the M/t Glenn Guardian, a tanker contracted to service moored Us navy ships, allegedly dumped 189,500 liters of domestic waste and 760 liters of bilge water (residual water, oil plus grease) 37 kilometers from the coast of subic Bay. this is not unique – it simply underscores the larger problem of oceanic waste dumping. “For over two centuries, military and commercial vessels have been throwing all sorts of waste overboard,” explains World Wide Fund for nature (WWF-Philippines) Conservation Programmes Vice-president Joel Palma. “Large vessels such as cruise ships can gen-

erate daily over 110,000 liters of raw sewage and 750,000 liters of gray water (less pollutive water from showers, kitchens and household operations). this excludes solid waste like plastic bags and bottles. all this can come from a single vessel. Cargo ships alone exceed 50,000 globally. Imagine just how much waste enters our oceans daily and you’ll realize how our seas are slowly turning into toilets.” republic act 6969 or the toxic substances and Hazardous and nuclear Wastes Control act of 1990 expressly prohibits the disposal of toxics, while section 27 of the Philippine Clean Water act prohibits the dumping of sewage and organic wastes into Philippine waters. “even if the M/V Glenn Guardian wasn’t dumping toxic substances, domestic waste such as feces

and organic pollutants can cause substantial eutrophication – algal blooms which obscure sunlight to limit oceanic productivity,” adds Palma. all organic wastes eventually break down into phosphates and nitrates, which fuel the growth of free-floating algae. algal blooms limit the sunlight available to bottom-dwelling creatures and eventually reduce the dissolved oxygen of water – causing fish kills. In 2002, an algal bloom practically wiped out Bolinao’s Bangus (milkfish) industry, causing PHP400 million in lost revenues. Leading environmental solutions-provider WWF-Philippines calls for tighter measures against oceanic waste dumping. Discharging untreated wastewater into a water body currently incurs penalties ranging from PHP10,000 to PHP3 million for each day of violation.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

6 THE ECONOMY Stat Watch

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

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

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

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

8. Interest Rates 4/

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) Average December November October September August July June May April March February January

EDGEDAVAO

Softdrinks ‘strongest-selling’ in groceries in the Philippines

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

9. National Government Revenues

Month

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

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

An employee arranges cartons of Coca-Cola at a store in Alexandria, Virginia October 16, 2012. Coca-Cola Co reported higher quarterly earnings on Tuesday, despite a hit from foreign exchange rates. The world’s biggest soft-drink maker, with brands like Sprite, Fanta and Minute Maid, said net income

HetHer Pinoys step inside a supermarket or knock on the neighborhood sari-sari store, they are likely to go home with a bottle of softdrinks, maybe even two. this, as results of a recent survey showed that carbonated softdrinks is the top category in terms of market value locally, with about P79.6 billion worth of products moving out of shelves during a 12-month period ending in June. the nielsen survey, which identifies the 50 “strongest selling categories in retail outlets,” further showed that demand for the category “remains stable” even as advertising spending posted an increase of 41 percent. next to softdrinks, wines and spirits are the next highest-mov-

was $2.31 billion, or 50 cents per share, in the third quarter that ended on Sept. 28, up from $2.22 billion, or 48 cents per share, a year earlier. [REUTERS]

ing products in the local market, data culled from the global market research firm’s “retail Index, advertising Information services, and Homepanel” survey. sales in the category reached P43.1 billion in the one-year period, with the report noting that it “expanded with successful new products” and spent 20 percent more in ads. after the two beverage categories, which Pinoys call “pantulak,” come food products served with snacks. the biscuits category took the third spot in the list with a market value of P31 billion amid “wider product availability and strong performing new launches seen across biscuit segments.” Dietetic products such as multivitamins are the next best-

sellers, reaching P30.9 billion in sales despite maintaining media spending from last year. the laundry products category, meanwhile, saw P30.3 billion worth of products move amid an ad spending hike of 18 percent. also on the top 10 in the list are powdered milk (P22.1 billion), instant noodles (P21.3 billion) and snack foods (P20.9 billion). another popular drink, instant coffee mixes is also a to selling category, as it “benefits from expanding reach among households and larger media spend with a slew of new launches via different brands.” toilet soap rounds out the top 10, with the report noting that the category’s “efficient

growth is influenced by the entry of new products and growth of brands with emphasis on benefits beyond cleansing.” the fastest-expanding categories, meanwhile, are instant coffee mixes, followed by breakfast cereals and biscuits, nielsen said. On the other hand, tea drinks are seeing the steepest decline along with ready-to-drink juices and powdered juice categories. In the Philippines, liquid shampoo brings is still the top media advertiser, followed by laundry products and toothpaste. Pinoy households, meanwhile, think every home should have laundry products, instant noodles and cooking oil, nielsen said.

industry, farmers/growers, exporters and other stakeholders and supporters will know what things must be considered. the value chain is dependent on the demands set by the consumers/customers. therefore, value chain is market-driven. “the high market demand is very encouraging. From the

market, work backwards,” she said. Based on records, the industry contributes 34 billion Us dollars in annual export earnings. Cruz added that in studying the various activities and stakeholders involved in the industry, the private sector must work closely with different government agencies so

that proper interventions can be implemented well. “Convergence is the call for the day,” she said. On the issue of unpredictability of Cardava banana supply, Cruz said the industry must consider the number of hectares needed to achieve the required supply of fresh Cardava banana and campaign for increase in farm areas.[PNA]

Local banana stakeholders urged to study value chain

n official of the Department of trade and Industry (DtI) has called on banana stakeholders to study the industry’s value chain in order to unleash more opportunities and achieve higher growth. trade and Industry Undersecretary for regional Operations and Development Group Merly M. Cruz said by looking closely at the value chain of the

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

THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

Banks wary of remittances passing informal channels

eMIttanCes to the Philippines not passing through the banks have notably declined in the past years but this does not hold true globally. asian Bankers association (aBa) policy advocacy committee chairman Dilshan rodrigo said the volume of money sent through informal channels is 30-40 percent higher than those passing through the banks. “the total number of recipients getting remittances is about 215 million people and say that they get at least Us$ 100 per month you’d know that the volume passing through the illegal channel is in millions of dollars,” he said. In the case of the Philippines, the Bangko sentral ng Pilipinas (BsP) said re-

mittances passing through the informal channel is around 30 percent in the past decade but it has gone down to about three to five percent to date. In 2011, total inflows from Filipinos overseas that passed through banks reached Us$ 20.1 billion, up 7.2 percent from the Us$ 18.76 billion in end-2010. the government places remittances’ contribution to total output of the economy at about nine percent and this fuels domestic consumption, thus, a major growth driver for the Philippines. at the end of last year, consumer spending went up to 6.1 percent. still feeble to boost domestic growth, with the full-year gross domestic product (GDP) at 3.7 percent, but it lessened the impact of drop in exports.

GROUNDBREAKING. Simeon P. Marfori II, Northbank Holdings president (leftmost), Tomas P. Lorenzo, Lapanday Properties Phils. president (3rd from left), and Jose Maria Marfori, chairman of Northbank Holdings (2nd from right), take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for Commercio MarQuella, the commercial market and trans-

port hub envisioned for the Ciudades township, at Brgy. Tigatto in Buhangin district last Wednesday. With them are Brgy. captain Raul Bicong of Tigatto (2nd from left), barangay captain Rey Ototan of Mandug (3rd from right) and Lalaine Regino, general manager of Lapanday Properties Philippines Inc. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

the country. Under the proposed bill, measures will be undertaken to prevent the concentration of economic power in a few persons and those who threaten to control the production, trade, or industry or attempt to unduly stifle competition, distort, manipulate or constrict the discipline of free markets will be met out with civil and criminal penalties. It aims to establish the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), an independent commission that will implement the laws and objectives of the Philippine Fair Competition act of 2011. On the other hand, the Lara aims mainly to address the efficiencies in the land management administration by rationalizing and streamlining the process thereby contributing to economic development

He state-run Power sector assets and Liabilities Management (PsaLM) Corp. is exploring ways to improve generation capacity in Mindanao to ease the lingering power interruptions in the region. emmanuel Ledesma Jr., PsaLM president and chief executive officer, said they are looking to conduct “maintenance” works to enhance the capabilities of their remaining power plants in Mindanao. “the solution to the power problem in Mindanao remains to be the addition of new power plants or generation capacities. PsaLM, however, is prohibited by law to build new power plants,” he said. nevertheless, PsaLM is authorized by law to maintain power plants transferred from the national Power Corp. (napocor) prior to their privatization, he said.

“as part of that maintenance, PsaLM can improve the generation capabilities of its remaining power plants in Mindanao,” Ledesma said. to this end, PsaLM will fund the agus 6 hydroelectric power plant uprating project and the selective dredging of Pulangui river. “the agus project has already been approved by the national economic and Development authority-Investment Coordination Committee (neDa-ICC) and is in the process of bidding. the selective dredging is still under study,” Ledesma said in an emailed message to the Philippine news agency. these projects will add at least 15 megawatts to the generation capacities of PsaLM power plants in Mindanao. agus river is a host to napocor’s hydroelectric power system that generates more than 50 percent of Mindanao’s electricity requirement.

corporation’s operating income in the first nine months this year contracted by nine percent yearon-year to P37.8 billion but this was better than the P25.1 billion at the end of the first half this year the company attributed the improvement in operating income to better sales turnout of Petron since last august and better profit level of its Food Group, which reported an eight percent rise in revenues to P69.4 billion. Operating income of the food group from Janu-

ary to september this year declined year-on-year to P3.3 billion on account of higher corn prices and lower supply of cassava in the first three months of the year. “Increased use of alternative inputs and the softening of corn prices tempered the impact of a cassava shortage and higher corn prices. Further improvements are expected due to higher demand from the peak months of the fourth quarter,” the disclosure said.

PCCI pushes for laws’ enactment to improve PHL competitiveness t t

He Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has urged both Houses of Congress for the passage of two important measures that would help improve the Philippines’ competitiveness ranking amidst the growing global market competition. PCCI president, atty. Miguel Varela, during the meeting with House leaders headed by speaker Feliciano Belmonte on Wednesday, highlighted two bills that the business sector would want to be enacted into law. these are on Competition Law and the Land registration reform act (Lara). Both bills are currently in the committee-level consultations and deliberations. Varela said that these two measures are essential for the country to sustain

economic growth considering that they particularly relate to doing business in the Philippines. He said such measures will help in equipping government agencies with the necessary policy directions to better improve their services and foster an economic environment conducive to business. “these are two complementary legislations that certainly have common impact on our competitiveness and the cost of doing business in the Philippines. We are optimistic that Congress will prioritize these measures and implement them in order for us to attract more investments, generate employment and sustain economic growth,” Varela said. He stressed that a law on competition will promote economic efficiency and fair trade practices in

and social justice in the country. “Inefficiencies arising from outdated land legislations and administrative processes contribute to higher costs in doing business. We can see this in our latest competitiveness rankings where we fared the worst in areas related to property rights administration,” Varela added. Meanwhile, the PCCI through its think tank, the Universal access to Competitiveness and trade (U-aCt), is currently doing a project with the Center for International Private enterprise (CIPe) on strengthening property market institutions and the rights of small businesses in the Philippines, and raising awareness of the importance of property rights to anti-corruption and democratic development. [PNA]

Marquez of Duaw Dabaw Foundation, center, and Adrian Daniel, Conference on Artisanal and Small Scale Mining in Mindanao keynote speaker. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

PSALM explores ways to improve generation capacity in Mindanao

SMC nets P19.2B in first nine months F

CLEAN WATER. Darell Nelson of Biosand Philippines, right, says his company’s main goal is to provide people with clean water. Photo taken at the weekly Club 888 media forum, The Marco Polo Davao last Wednesday. Also in the photo is Lisette

OOD and beverage giant san Miguel Corp. (sMC) on Wednesday reported a 29 percent year-on-year jump in its consolidated sales revenues to P509.2 billion as of september this year. In a disclosure with the Philippine stock exchange (Pse), the conglomerate said its net income rose 61 percent year-on-year to P19.2 billion “as a result of higher gains from other investments and favorable exchange rates.” On the other hand, the

8 VANTAGE POINTS

EDGEDAVAO Fighting threats in the age of austerity

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

( Conclusion )

COMMENTARY

EDITORIAL

A question of ethics

Hen Councilor Melchor V. Quitain gave a privilege speech in last tuesday afternoon’s regular session of the Davao City sangguniang Panlungsod, little did he realize that he was actually stirring a hornets’ nest. as chairman of the sP committee on ethics and good governance, the normally soft-spoken councilor dwelt on the issue of ethics that is supposed to guide the sP members’ conduct inside and outside the session hall at all times. this time around, Quitain zeroed in on the practice of certain sP members who frequently arrive late for sessions and/or leave early – sometimes not returning. It can be disconcerting to their more proper colleagues, this coming and going like a rigodon, while the session is in progress. and when the exodus results in a lack of quorum, the sP’s law-making work gets stuck in limbo and the backlog of unfinished business piles up even more. Quitain’s concern on this matter becomes every citizen’s concern, those who pay taxes which go to the salaries and other emoluments of the “honorables”. It turned out that Quitain’s verbal observation did not sit well with some of those who have been guilty of what the ethics committee chair was talking about. One of them in particular told reporters in an ambush interview after the privilege speech, that rendering public service does not take place only inside the session hall but also outside its four corners. “We also have obligations outside. as public servants we also work even on saturdays and sundays,” one councilor boasted. Oh, is that so? How about claiming overtime pay, but put it down on paper, please. the specifics—who did what, where, when, why and how?

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such heroism beyond th call of duty deserves recognition, unless such overtime work is being done in aid of reelection. that’s called self-service, not public service. Public servants, by the way, should not think and act like they are the people’s masters. But most of them place too much emphasis on their self-worth to the point of proclaiming it to the world by displaying their images in public places by means of weather-resistant tarpaulins showing their smiling faces and proclaiming to all and sundry their accomplishments in favor of the public good. some of them even go to the extreme of converting portions of sidewalk pavements into “lapidas” on which their names are etched for all pedestrians to see (and trample upon, aragay!), which reminds us of that deprecating saying, “A fool’s name is like his face, always seen in a public place.” Quitain’s colleagues should not take umbrage at what he said in his privilege speech. His observation is not lost on citizens who frequent the session hall to watch their favorite councilors in action. they, too, can attest to what goes on during sessions. too bad they are not in a position to give their own privilege speeches, otherwise those honorables would be hearing an earful. But the ususeros can always tell other people about what they have been seeing and hearing in sP sessions—so that they can vote accordingly on election Day. they have had the opportunity to size up the honorables who populate the session hall on lawmaking tuesdays to listen to the deliberations thereat where the more articulate can show off their grasp of the english language and the less endowed in that department limit their perorations under the theory “more talk, more mistakes; less talk, less mistakes (especially the small of mind).” ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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ran is, at least in contrast to Pakistan, relatively stable. a nuclear-armed Iran would be extremely bad news for the United states and its allies in the Gulf for a number of reasons, among them that it may set off a proliferation spiral in which other regional powers seek nuclear weapons of their own; that Iran might become more inclined to engage in military adventurism once it has a nuclear shield against a U.s. counterattack; and that Israel, america’s chief ally in the region, would be extremely vulnerable to an Iranian nuclear strike. It is also true, however, that even an effective U.s. campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities would create enormous new risks. Most assume that the United states could launch bunker-busting attacks from the air and be done with it, but the U.s. must also be prepared to use ground forces in the event that an attack spirals into a larger conflict. and the unfortunate truth is that after more than a decade of high-intensity conflict, the U.s. military is in rough shape. One of the more striking aspects of recent conflicts has been the fact that reenlistment rates have remained quite high, even as many outside observers had warned that the U.s. military was reaching the breaking point. the problem, however, is that while combat experience is extremely valuable, there is a point at which too much combat experience can actually diminish effectiveness. Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is important. But it is just as important that the United states use its military carefully and wisely. Leaving afghanistan only to enter into a new conflict in Iran will exact a serious toll on the men and women serving in the armed forces. It is this human dimension that we tend to neglect when we discuss national security strategy. During the presidential campaign, President Obama and Mitt romney traded barbs about battleships and bayonets, yet the central problem facing a modern military is the need to attract and retain a talented workforce. this is particularly challenging for volunteer militaries in affluent market democracies like the United states, where would-be servicemembers have attractive opportunities in the private sector. northwestern University political scientist Jonathan Caverley has highlighted this problem in the context of counterinsurgency. successful counterinsurgency campaigns are very labor-intensive, as you need a fairly high ratio of security personnel to civilians to provide security in the midst of a serious armed conflict. Yet using large number of expensive, highly-trained americans to protect, say, afghan civilians is a difficult proposition to sustain for a long period of time, particularly if taxpayers balk at the growing cost. If you want to understand why the U.s. military relies so heavily on drone strikes, look to the high costs of having boots on the ground. this human capital problem is growing more challenging, in part because the cost of providing medical care to military personnel is rising so rapidly. If the United states is going to contain the growth of military expenditures without seriously endangering national security, it must embrace a revolution in human resource management as far-reaching as the so-called revolution in military affairs that gave us “shock and awe.” recently, andrew Krepinevich Jr., one of the most respected defense intellectuals in the country, wrote an important Foreign affairs essay on “strategy in a time of austerity.” In it, he makes the case for a serious reduction in U.s. ground forces, in particular to the U.s. troops defending the Korean peninsula. Krepinevich recommends that rather than focus on providing boots on the ground, the United states concentrate on the capital-intensive pieces of military operations, such as projecting sea and air power, and on high-end human capital contributions, such as special Forces.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

Of ‘duhat’ and folk belief

IBLInGs esteban and Florencio stood beneath rows of “duhat” trees – or what northerners like them call “longboy” – in an upland farm in Paoay, Ilocos norte, their thoughts parallel on the folk belief it is good for dysentery, diarrhea and diabetes. the “duhat,” variously called in english as Java plum, Indian blackberry or plain black plum, is found throughout this southeast asian country, with probable pre-historic introduction from Malaya following waves of Indonesian settlers in ancient times. Old hands describe the plum, particularly its fruit and bark, as an astringent, carminative, stomachic, anti-diabetic and anti-diarrheal. When the fruits reach their season, wide baskets of the ripe fruits crowd public markets and pavements in the urban centers, including entrances to markets in Cubao, Caloocan City, novaliches and Quiapo, among other places, in the national Capital region. Filipinos describe it as among the most popular fruits in the country – in the league of the spanish plum or “siniguelas” of the tagalogs or “sarguelas” of the Ilocanos, the “atis” – the sugar apple or sweet sop – which has its season during the rainy season here. the ripe “longboy” – called “duat” by Pampangos, “dungboi” by Igorots, “lomboi” by Bicolanos and Visayans in Central Philippines and “hai nan pu tao” by the Chinese – can be eaten straight from the branches. Its juice can be made into wine, and can be used in the manufacture of red wine or the “tinto dulce” while its fruit, some studies claim, is a good source of calcium and a fair source of iron. a local manufacturer in Ilocos norte

SPECIAl FEATURE By honoR Blanco caBie has, like her counterpart in Malaysia who has been making vinegar from the juice of the unripe fruit, in recent years begun making vinegar from “longboy” juice, competing with the more popularly described “sukang Iluko” fermented from crushed sugar cane juice. While the brothers esteban and Florencio held their frames beneath the “longboy” trees, waiting for the green fruits to turn dark purple and then deep black, they remembered what their elders had been telling relations and friends that the bark decoction can be used as an enema. this means the injection of liquid into the rectum through the anus for cleansing, for stimulating evacuation of the bowels, or for other therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. In the Philippines, decoction of bark is given internally for dysentery, while liberal amounts of the fleshy portion of the fruit can be used for diarrhea. the fresh juice of the bark, with goat’s milk, as well as powdered seeds and root bark, can be good for diarrhea in children. Many herb doctors in their village often prescribe decoction of the bark for a rinse or mouthwash for gingivitis and mouth ulcerations. the doctors, called “erbolario” in the countryside, suggest the ripe “duhat” can be an astringent and is raised as an efficient remedy for diabetes. Decoction of leaves and bark can also be used, but the ripe fruit, apart from pulverized dried seeds, the “erbolarios” say, is rated the best. elsewhere in asia, particularly in In-

dia, seeds of the Indian blackberry are used for diabetes, its bark for diarrhea, dysentery, and spongy gums. Poultice of leaves are used for skin complaints while powdered seeds are also used for metrorrhagia. Metrorrhagia is abnormal bleeding that occurs between periods or that is not associated with menstruation – causes include hormone imbalance, abnormal growths, pregnancy complications, and infection. In south america, especially in Brazil, leaves and fruits are used to treat infectious diseases, diabetes and stomach aches. On the loamy upland farm in tapaw south of the town proper of Paoay, brothers esteban and Florencio suddenly realized how important the Java plum trees have been in their score, ignoring them for other crowns that make up the Ilocos mountains in the rugged north. they have discovered the trees are tall – forestry sources say they grow up to 15 meters high – with white branchlets and reddish young shoots, their leaves shiny and leathery, oblong-ovate to elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 6 to 12 cms long, the tip being broad and shortly pointed. the flowers are small, several, scented, pink or nearly white, in clusters, without stalks, borne in crowded fascicles on the ends of the branchlets. Botanists say the calyx is funnel-shaped, about 4 mm long, and 4-toothed. Petals cohere and fall all together as a small disk while stamens are numerous and about as long as the calyx. In the meanwhile, the brothers know they have a good frame of health benefits from the black plum planted on tapaw. [PNA]

The sex scandal as civic lesson

He saturation coverage of the Petraeus sex scandal has yet to annoy many people besides policy wonks, but it won’t be long before a full-throated essay attacking the endless column inches and hours of airtime devoted to the salacious story arrives. (Inching close to that stand but not quite occupying it today are tom McGeveran of Capital new York, Howard Kurtz, and the Week, which is upset about the “sexist” coverage of the scandal.) as was the case with the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal, the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal, the anthony Weiner twitter scandal, the eric Massa “tickle” scandal, the John edwards sex scandal, and many others, some columnist or talking head will grumble about how the Petraeus story has distracted the populace from the real issues of the day — the fiscal cliff, climate change, job creation, the deficit, Hurricane sandy recovery, sudan and somalia, immigration policy, the Middle east… tell these people to go pound sand. Political sex scandals have a way of engaging an otherwise apathetic public in substantive coverage about the workings of the criminal justice system, the misuse of political power, and american prudery. already the Petraeus scandal has schooled a naïve nation about prop-

COMMENTARY By jack ShafeR er email hygiene, the internal workings of the FBI, lax military discipline, computer privacy issues, and the loose handling of classified information. and this scandal has been in the wild for less than a week. reading about the Cain, Clinton, Weiner, and edwards scandals may have sickened you. I can remember squeamish moments while reading the starr report. But the reporting on the Clinton scandal, the Cain episode, the Weiner sleaze, and edwards’ adventures in lying and cheating right-sized the public’s estimation of political figures. Where the accused were forced to defend themselves before a court (edwards) or the House of representatives (Clinton), citizens were given direct windows on the workings of justice. In the Cain business, readers everywhere were given a course on ethical and legal conduct in the workplace that could not be equaled by any commercial refresher course. and as dopey as the Weiner incident was, it demonstrated convincingly how small-screen fantasies can expand to big-screen embarrassments better than any fear-mongering cover story in time or newsweek. Who

doesn’t recall intense (and informed!) watercooler arguments over evidentiary standards during the Clinton impeachment hearings? such scandals have the potential to make walking Wikipedia entries of us all.

‘Readers find scandals—sexual or otherwise—more appealing than “crisis” coverage about the fiscal cliff or immigration policy because as complicated as the cliff and immigration may be, the essence of these topics can be gleaned with 15 or 20 minutes of study.’

VANTAGE POINTS

The last frontier now bastion of violence? SOUTHERN COMFORT

By edwin G. eSpejo

Irst time visitors to General santos City will never fail to notice the vast tracts of idle lands upon landing at the sprawling airport in tambler. this once desolate city was known before as the place of gun slinging cowboys and home to more than a handful of ranches and grazing lands. Until the 70s, General santos was Mindanao’s livestock capital supplying more than 20 per cent of Metro Manila’s live hogs and cattle requirements. Pasture leases covering up to 1,000 hectares of lands rested into the hands of pioneers of the once lucrative cattle industry. the airport, which covers more than 600 hectares of land, was in fact once part of a pasture lease held by the alcantaras until its holders waived and ceded their right over the land. Fishing however gave way to livestock as the main economic engine of General santos City. even the feedlots that thrive in the 80s also disappeared. no thanks to the 1997 asian financial crisis that drove the cost of cattle imports from australia skyrocketing and chased feedlot operators out of business. But before that, the livestock industry in the city was also dealt its death knell as restrictions on the importation of meat were lifted when the Philippines joined the World trade Organization (WtO) in the 80s. some holders of pasture lease agreements and forestland grazing lease agreements simply gave up their rights. Others hold on to it. While some were able to obtain titles to these supposed state-owned lands. Many got embroiled in land disputes over these pasture and grazing lands. But conflicts took a turn for the worse when the Indigenous Peoples right act (IPra) was passed in 1997. Many groups claiming to be members of indigenous tribe began asserting supposed ownership of lands held by leaseholders. Many more sought financing from parties after making promises for parcels of the land that will be awarded to them. not a few of these claimants eventually turned bogus. some claims pitted claimants against each other. and a handful of these conflicts became violent. On Monday, four people were wounded in a daring assassination attempt in what police believe is related to conflicting claims over a pasture lease area right in the city. the shooting of one Hannah Paglangan, her son and two bodyguards as they got out from a restaurant is one continuing cycle of violence that has already claimed at least a dozen of lives from both sides of two warring claimants. Hannah’s husband was earlier killed by unknown gunmen for the same reason. this is not counting handful of the killings in other ancestral domain claim conflicts. the case of the Paglangans is not an isolated case. several leaseholders are also being besieged by claims by groups that have never set foot in the pasture and grazing areas they have been operating and managing since the 1960s. some holders of existing lease contracts and agreements sometimes have to resort to violent dispersal to prevent the entry of these supposed land claimants. Claimants have also become emboldened with the backing of politicians and big landowners who themselves are itching to lay their own monuments to these properties. at least two local government officials now own parcels of lands in one of these pasture lease areas that have been awarded to a group of claimants – even though they are not members of the tribe and even if it is illegal to buy rights from them. these pestering conflicts, some going on for close to a decade now, did not escape notice from the city government. early in her term, General santos City Mayor Darlene antonio called on the national Commission on Indigenous Peoples (nCIP) to cease and desist from issuing certificates of ancestral domain claims and titles of public lands in the city as conflicting claims have been ending in violent deaths.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS Backpedalled

he senate does not condone plagiarism. senate President Juan Ponce enrile made this assurance as he clarified an earlier statement wherein he called bloggers “ignorant” for trying to kick out one of his colleagues accused of plagiarism. “as far as plagiarism is concerned, I don’t think there’s anyone who can say that we are going to condone or abet any act of plagiarism in this chamber,” enrile said.

EDGEDAVAO

Greenpeace catches a ‘black market’ fish

WORLD TODAY

Manhunt

OVernMent authorities have launched a manhunt for the brains behind the pyramid scam that duped some 15,000 people in Mindanao and the Visayas of 12 billion pesos (Us$291 million). But Manuel K. amalilio, a 32-year-old founder of aman Futures Group Phils. Inc., who is reportedly of Filipino-Malaysian descent, has left the country for sabah, Malaysia. amalilio’s Malaysian name is Mohammad suffian saaid.

Favor

he sin tax bill being debated in the Philippine Congress tends to favor imported cigarettes as it appears the proposed tax increases on tobacco products do not cover foreign brands, senate President Juan Ponce enrile said yesterday. according to enrile, the problem is a question of equity. “My impression is that the bill tends to favour the entry of foreign manufactured tobacco products to the detriment of local products that use material grown in the country,” he said.

Broadside

Itt romney said President Barack Obama won by showering “gifts” on women, african american and Hispanic supporters, in his first published remarks since conceding last week’s election. the remarks came as republicans have called for greater outreach to women and minorities after their unexpectedly lopsided defeat, and drew an angry response from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a rising star in the party.

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.

Penalties

coalition of bankers in asia has called on central banks in the region to slap tougher penalties on illegal remittance agents, citing the consumer risks associated with an expanding black market for money transfers. the asian Bankers association (aBa) said remittances passing through informal channels were 30 to 40 percent more than those facilitated by banks and other legitimate remittance centers.

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

An illegal transhipment is seen taking place on board the Chinese ship ‘Heng Xing 1’ in International waters near the exclusive economic zone of Indonesia on November 14, 2012. The mainland Chinese-owned vessel, which is Hong Kong-registered and

Cambodian-flagged, was caught illegally transhipping frozen tuna from a Philippine fishing vessel and two other Indonesian vessels in the Pacific. [AFP]

IsHInG vessels registered in the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have been filmed “laundering” illegally caught tuna, environment activist group Greenpeace International said thursday. Greenpeace said it recorded the transferring of skipjack and yellowfin involving four ships just outside Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, with the tuna likely meant for the canned market.

aboard Greenpeace’s MY esperanza, which has been sailing through the Pacific looking for illegal fishing activities and is continuing to follow the Cambodian-registered ship. Obaidullah said the practice of transferring tuna from one vessel to another in international waters was a common way for companies to hide their illegal fishing in various countries’ exclusive economic zones. “they skirt in and out of the national waters into the high seas (international

two Indonesian vessels and one Philippine ship were transferring their hauls on to the Cambodian boat so that the location of their catches would remain secret, according to Greenpeace oceans campaigner Farah Obaidullah. “this is a huge trans-shipment, the hold (of the Cambodian vessel) was the size of a basketball court and it was knee-deep in tuna,” Obaidullah told aFP. Obaidullah was speaking by telephone from

waters) to launder the fish,” Obaidullah said. “no-one knows where the tuna was caught and how much was caught.” she said foreign vessels typically went into the waters of a small Pacific island country and illegally fished there. In the case documented by Greenpeace, the captain and crew of the Cambodian-registered vessel allowed them on to their boat but said they had no log books to show where the fish came from.

Syria slams France, says opposition ‘declared war’ s

YrIa’s regime unleashed tank fire and air strikes on rebels on Wednesday as it slammed France for recognising an opposition bloc formed in Qatar which it said amounted to a “declaration of war”. tanks shelled Palestinian refugee camps in opposition-held southern Damascus, while fighter jets bombed Maaret al-numan, a town near turkey that rebels captured last month, a watchdog said. rebels killed at least 18 soldiers as they overran a military post near another turkish border town that rebels have seized, said the syrian Observatory for Human rights. Damascus slammed France’s recognition of the newly united opposition and said the Qatar meeting at which the dissident factions united on sunday amounted to a

war declaration. “the Doha meeting was a declaration of war. these people (the opposition) don’t want to solve the issue peacefully through the mechanisms of the Un,” syria’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, told aFP. Muqdad said of the French move: “this is an immoral position. they

are supporting killers, terrorists and they are encouraging the destruction of syria.” Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of russia, a strong Damascus ally, criticised countries siding with the opposition and insisted Moscow was staying neutral. “We don’t support anybody in this conflict,

neither President (Bashar al-) assad nor the rebels,” Medvedev told a Finnish newspaper. French President Francois Hollande has said Paris recognises the coalition as “the sole representative of the syrian people and thus as the future provisional government of a democratic syria.”

hina’s ruling Communist Party unveiled its new top leadership team on thursday, another all-male cast of politicians whose instincts are to move cautiously on reform. Xi Jinping took the helm of the party, heading a team of seven members in the new Politburo standing Committee, the peak decision-making body which will steer the world’s second-largest economy for the next five years.

for recognising an opposition bloc formed in Qatar which it said amounted to a “declaration of war.”

Reeling

srael exchanged the fiercest fire with Hamas in years after assassinating its military mastermind and threatening a wider offensive in the Gaza strip to stem Palestinian rocket salvoes. Launched on Wednesday during a deceptive lull in almost a week of surging cross-border violence, Israel’s air assault had an intensity recalling the outset of the 2008-09 Gaza war though this time the Palestinian death toll of 13 was far lower.

No threat

resident Barack Obama assured americans that the sex scandal that brought down CIa chief David Petraeus and ensnared another top general has not compromised national security. Petraeus, the most celebrated Us general of his generation, credited with turning around the war in Iraq, resigned last week to pre-empt revelations of an affair with biographer Paula Broadwell, a married army reservist.

Syrian oppsosition fighters celebrate at the strategic Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain. Syria’s regime unleashed tank fire and air strikes on rebels on Wednesday as it slammed France

Unveiled

Eased

he singapore parliament has passed legal reforms abolishing mandatory death sentences in some drug trafficking and murder cases, giving fresh hope to dozens of inmates awaiting execution. In a statement issued late Wednesday, the attorney-General’s Chambers (aGC) said parliament had formally approved amendments enabling judges to commute death sentences to life imprisonment under certain conditions.

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television program “Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa” that Yu had flown the coop, but did not elaborate when Yu left the country. Duterte also said that thai authorities reportedly took a picture of Yu while passing through its Immigration bureau. Duterte even offered a separate bounty amounting to $20,000 for Yu’s arrest dead or alive. He initially offered a P5-million reward for Yu’s head literally. this was later raised to P6 million if the fugitive remains at large after December. “You can cut his head off, put it on ice to preserve it and present it to me before you can get the five million pesos,” Duterte said in a press conference last month. Yu alive will carry the bounty of only P2-million, Duterte said. Yu dead will be worth P4 million, while the head of Yu on ice will get P5 million. an official who re-

DepEd...

quested anonymity said that thailand has been Yu’s favorite country to travel since he established contacts there in his carnapping and smuggling business. another document shows that before he on October 18, Yu was also in thailand on august 24, 2012 and returned a week later. Yu’s group is described by authorities as the most notorious in Mindanao where 90 percent of carnapping incidents in the Davao region were perpetrated by the group. In earlier interviews, HPG 11 regional chief sr. supt. Gred Pimentel said that the group is so efficient that they can carnap a vehicle in a matter of 10 seconds. Proof to this was the CCtV footage in tagum City where a Baktin member was seen stealing a parked vehicle in only a matter of seconds. Pimentel said the group has links with other carnap

syndicates in Cebu, which he identified as the group of Jovel entote, Yu’s brother-in-law. He added that entote was arrested by authorities two months ago and is now incarcerated. another member identified as Cocoy Dalugdog was also arrested in Cagayan de Oro City in October 7, 2011 but he is out on bail after weeks of incarceration. On november 25, he and his mistress were ambushed in Maramag, Bukidnon. Pimentel said the only remaining members of the syndicate who are still free are Yu and one Mark Lester reyes based in Metro Manila. He admitted they had a hard time implicating Yu in the illegal activity since his name never surfaced in any paper trails they gathered. He said most of those charged in the past were the buyers of carnapped vehicles because their names appeared in obtained documents. [ASA]

village where they are assigned. Mante, the parent, complained that this school year, she enrolled her child twice, first at the Good shepherd because it continued to accept students without telling the parents of its status, and second, in a public school. the Deped representatives considered the parents’ request. However, they said their office has no police power to padlock the schools but can only remind them to secure a permit from the government, otherwise they will be advised to stop accepting students. Councilor Leah Librado Yap, chair of the committee on education, science and technolo-

gy, and culture and arts, initiated the hearing after receiving complaints from parents against the Good shepherd Learning school. Lawyer Leo Gillesania, Jr., president of the Davao association of Private schools and administrators (DaPrIsa), proposed during the hearing the crafting of an ordinance that will require all private schools to post their government permit number at the school gate and in school cards. Gillesania admitted having difficulty in identifying legitimate private schools applying for DaPrIsa membership, noting the outdated Deped’s list of registered schools. [Lorie ann a. Cascaro/Mindanews]

consolation prizes worth P10,000 each. the Pasko Fiesta sa People’s Park is converting the park into a Christmas Park where Dabawenyos will be treated to a spectacle of lights, a recycling-inspired Christmas tree, and the Pasko Fiesta Light show Display that will run from December 21, 2012 to January 1, 2013. a fusion of Christmas music and lights, the Pasko Fiesta Light show is a six-minute show to be played every hour, nightly or about three-four times a night where children and adults will be thrill to the symphony of traditional

Christmas music and lighted parols. “this is a first of its kind for the Pasko Fiesta sa Dabaw yuletide festival,” Marquez said. Other events are Parol ug Paskong Kahoy Design Competition, Hudyakaan sa Kapaskuhan (Food street Festival, roldalsaya performances (rondalla Groups competitions), Panaygon (Christmas carolling competition), tugsayaw (Christmas-themed competition), Lamdag Parada (Christmas-themed parade competition), rondalsaya Caravan, and new Year Midnight run. [ASA]

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But following an ocular inspection and evaluation last May 15, the Deped-11 advised the school “to refrain from enrolling students,” Cifra said. Danilo Canda, Deped-11 supervisor in Davao del sur, said “all private schools are aware” of the manual of regulations for their operations, which states that they cannot accept enrollees with or without fees until they secure a government permit. He cited that in a meeting three weeks ago, Deped-11 regional director Gloria Benigno ordered school division superintendents to require all principals to report illegal schools in the

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on the decorative display of Christmas lights that is open for establishments, barangay halls and schools. For commercial category-large, the champion takes home P200,000, second placer P150,000 and third placer P100,000 and two consolation prizes worth P50,000 each. For commercial category-small, the first prize will be P100,000, second receives P75,000 and third P50,000 and two consolation prizes amounting to P25,000 each. For barangay and school category, the first placer will receive P50,000, second P30,000 and third P20,000 and four

the total budget for the council’s operations and activities for 2013 as endorsed by the City Development Council (CDC). the CDC, which is chaired by Mayor Darlene antonino-Custodio, is the city’s highest socio-economic and development policy-making body. Beliran said the fresh allocation is on top of the council’s unutilized funds for 2011 and 2012 that is expected to reach around P100 million. With the inclusion of the unused funds in the last two years, he said the city’s standby calamity resources for next year will reach P158.54 million. “that’s our five percent calamity fund covering 2012, the remaining balance of 2011 and the approved budget for 2013,” he explained. Of the total available funding for next year, Beliran said 70 percent would be utilized for disaster mitigation and preparedness as well as for rehabilitation initiatives within the city’s 26 barangays.

He said such activities include trainings on disaster rescue operations and related mitigation, preparedness and response mechanisms; information and education campaigns; and, the purchase of equipment for local rescue teams. “It will also cover for the operations of our rescue vehicles and ambulances as well as our augmentation for the rescue truck of the city fire department,” Beliran said. the official said the remaining 30 percent of the allocation will be used as standby funds for response activities and related initiatives in case disasters would occur in the city. He said the funds may be used for relief and rescue operations during disasters as well assistance for the responders. Beliran said the local government may immediately utilize such funds upon the declaration under the state of calamity of the entire city or areas affected by disasters.

In the last two years, portions of the city’s low-lying areas were hit by severe flooding that triggered massive evacuation and the destruction of various agricultural crops and infrastructure. During the onslaught of typhoon “Ofel” late last month, around 150 families from three villages in the city were forced to evacuate due to the floods. early this year, the city government directed the clearing of residents situated in several calamity dangers zones, especially along the critical silway river here. around 200 families that were situated in communities near the silway river were forced to evacuate several times since last year due to the swelling of the river’s waters. silway river, which flows to sarangani Bay, is the main outlet of several river-tributaries from the upland areas in nearby south Cotabato province. [allen V. estabillo/Mindanews]

salvacion Dedicatoria, a member of the discipline committee, said three of the nine respondents have requested for a 15-day extension to submit a response. “But we [have] started the field investigation already. We cannot wait for them to send their reply,” antipasado said. He said they needed to move ahead in the investigation especially that the respondents were not meted with preventive suspensions. But antipasado noted that the investigation may take a while as they need to check on the documents and processes of procurement in all eight hospitals. “We have no time frame in mind. We are looking at reviewing voluminous documents,” he added. antipasado said they need to check on the documents if there were alterations or if requirements like purchase requests or orders were complied with. In his memorandum, Calingasan described as “anomalous” the unauthorized use of petty cash funds in the purchase of medicines and other supplies. Unabia denied the charges in a Mindanews interview on november 8, saying the respondents “have done no wrong.” “nangutang lang mi kay walay tambal (We just loaned because there were no medicines),” she added. Unabia said she would

get a lawyer and vowed to give the media the “facts and figures” of the story. the fact-finding committee earlier submitted its 15-point report to Calingasan, dated October 25. the members of the fact-finding committee headed, by provincial legal officer Jeoffrey sayson, have been included in the eight-member special investigation team now headed by roger Guillermo, chief of the Provincial General services Office. Guillermo was one of the four members of the fact-finding committee. sayson, who was bound to take a leave, is a member of the discipline committee as the provincial legal officer. section 84, 86, and 87 of the Local Government Code provided rules on administrative discipline, administrative investigation, and disciplinary jurisdiction. section 86 said “administrative investigation may be conducted by a person or a committee duly authorized by the local chief executive. said person or committee shall conduct hearings on the cases brought against appointive local officials and employees and submit their findings and recommendations to the local chief executive concerned within 15 days from the conclusion of the hearings. the administrative cases herein mentioned shall be decided within 90 days from the time the respondent is formally notified of the charges.”

Disciplinary... FFROM 3

BPH-Maramag administrator Janet Mercadera, BPH-Manolo Fortich administrator Judy Pancrudo, BPH – Kibawe administrative officer elvira roa, BPH – talakag administrative officer Mario Cedeño, BPH Kalilangan administrative officer Merlyn Calam, and BPH Malitbog administrative officer Juanito Kilem. Zubiri said the provincial discipline committee will pursue a deeper investigation, but vowed to afford the accused due process in the administrative proceedings. Zubiri said the investigation would cover about P16 million worth of medicines and supplies purchased using unauthorized petty cash funds, and P27.5 million worth of medicines and supplies with bidding procedures questioned by the sangguniang Panlalawigan. Members of both the discipline and the investigation committees have started their “ground work” by checking the documentation and procurement processes at the Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center on november 13, antipasado said in a telephone interview Wednesday. He said the discipline committee will convene to deliberate the matter once the special investigation team turns in its official report. not all of the nine respondents have submitted their reply within the “five day upon receipt” notice.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

Realty

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

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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) Readyfor-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.

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 2213601; 301-6235 and ask for jane or chay. PROPERTY FOR SALE

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Edge Davao hiring editor, 3 reporters eDGe DaVaO is in need of an editor and three staffwriters/reporters for its expansion program. the reporters will be assigned to the business, science/environment and political beats. On the other hand, the editor will supervise the reporters and do gate-keeping tasks. applicant must be a graduate of a four- year college course. For reporters, experience is not needed although preferable. the editor should have at least one-year experience in editing. Interested parties may 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.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

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VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

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New judges for Pacquiao-Marquez IV By Eddie G. Alinea

One of the judges who worked the previous three fights between Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao and Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez will be at ringside when the two ring greats meet for the fourth time on December 8 (December 9 in Manila) in Las Vegas. this was assured by nevada athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer who submitted on Wednesday to the five-member commission panel a list of 11 probable judges that doesn’t include, among others, Burt Clements, whose error in judgement in the 2004 first meeting denied Pacquiao the victory. In that fight, Pacquiao decked Marquez three times right in the first round but Clements scored the round 10-7 in favor of the Filipino instead of 10-6, as the two other judges saw it, allowing the Mexican to escape with a draw decision. Clements though apologized later for his mistake although the damage had been done as Marquez, for the past nine years, continued proclaiming to the whole world that he won that fight and the two others that followed. Had Clements not erred, the now eight-division champion could have won via a split decision and raise his 2-win onedraw record against Marquez to 3-0. not included, too, in the list is CJ ross, the man who voted for undefeated american timothy Bradley in Pacquiao’s split decision loss in his last fight

in June. the decision created an uproar as almost the entire boxing world thought that Pacquiao, then the defending WBO welterweight champion, won. those recommended by Kizer to be considered in thursday’s (Friday in Manila) commission meeting are adalaide Byrd, Dick Houck and ricardo Ocasio, all from nevada; Gary Merritt of Indiana, steve Weisfeld of new Jersey, Mike ross of Florida and John McKaie of new York. the Las Vegas review Journal reported that four international judges under consideration are south african stanley Christodoulou, John Keane from Great Britain, Jurgen Langos from Germany and anek Hongkongkam from thailand. the nevada athletic Commission’s meeting, which is open to the public, is set at 8 a.m. thursday (11 p.m. Manila) at the Grant sawyer Building, east Washington avenue, Las Vegas. representatives from both camps can provide input prior to the commission voting. any discussion or deliberation as well as the actual vote to approve the officials is done in front of those in attendance. Kizer will avoid using nevada judges who have worked in the previous three Pacquiao-Marquez fights. they are Dave Moretti, robert Hoyle and Glenn trowbridge, who worked the 2011 fight; and Jerry roth and Duane Ford, who worked the 2008 fight.

Manny Pacquiao and his group during their run around Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

Cold Heat Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller tries to keep pace with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in his morn-

Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers controls the ball against Shane Battier of the Miami Heat at the Staples Center in

Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Pacquiao shoots TNT segment with Miller

Os anGeLes (aP) -- In their toughest test yet of this young nBa season, the Los angeles Clippers measured themselves against the Miami Heat and liked how they stacked up. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul had double-doubles, with Paul keying a third-quarter spurt that helped carry the Clippers to a 107-100 victory on Wednesday night. they have wins over Memphis, the Lakers, san antonio and now the defending nBa champions in their first eight games. ‘’these wins are good, but we’re playing at home

ing run around Griffith Park in Los Angeles while cameras rolled. Mike Quidilla/ MP Promotions

and we expect to win,’’ Clippers coach Vinny Del negro said. Griffin had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Paul had 16 points and 10 assists to lead five players in double figures in the Clippers’ fourth straight win. Jamal Crawford added 22 points off the bench. ‘’We can even be better,’’ Griffin said. ‘’We can’t rest on a win like that.’’ Obviously Griffin has been listening to Paul, who cautions an evenkeeled approach. ‘’It’s early, very early,’’ Paul said. ‘’We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. Just keep playing the right way every night.’’

OVe over Miller time. Make way for Pacman time. On tuesday, basketball Hall of Famer reggie Miller joined eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in his regular morning run as part of a shoot for a special feature on the Filipino ring hero by tnt where the Indiana Pacers legend is one of the hosts. Miller, best remembered for scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds in a stirring Pacers comeback against the new York Knicks in Game One of the 1995 eastern Conference semifinals, used his long legs and bigger strides to keep pace with the Pacman in the run around Griffith Park in

Los angeles while cameras rolled. But as Pacquiao, who is in the third week of his La buildup for his fourth encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez, hit the dirt road of his favorite running ground by the La Observatory, Miller started fading a couple of paces behind. Miller, a boxing afficionado, was later joined by fellow legend Charles Barkley as they conducted an interview with Pacquiao inside an La playground. asked about Pacquiao later, Miller said the ring icon has got game. He was quoted by tMZ as saying: “not only is he the man in the ring...he’s also got an awesome jump shot, too.”

Rockets hold off Hornets

OUstOn (aP) -James Harden is getting used to his role as the go-to guy in Houston. Harden scored 30 points, Omer asik added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the rockets held off the new Orleans Hornets 100-96 on Wednesday night. Greivis Vasquez scored a career-high 24 for the Hornets, despite hurting his left ankle in the third quarter and briefly leaving the game. anthony Davis had only eight points on 2-for-7 shooting. Harden went 10 for 20 from the field but only 1 of 7 from 3-point range in his third 30-point game since joining the rockets in a blockbuster trade with Oklahoma City on Oct. 27. ‘’It’s taken seven games for me to just

be the man, and know what to expect and know how to handle every situation,’’ Harden said. ‘’there are going to be games where, I don’t know. there are going to be a lot of experiences that I learn from, so I’m just taking it one game at a time.’’ the rockets outscored new Orleans 3918 in the second quarter to build a big lead, but the Hornets played better defense in the second half to close the gap. Houston shot 58 percent (14 of 24) from the field and hit six 3-pointers in the second period. ‘’When you have a quarter like that, it’s hard to rebound,’’ new Orleans coach Monty Williams said. ‘’But I thought the guys on our team showed a lot of guts and character, getting back in the game.’’

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 â&#x20AC;˘ FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ARTS & CULTURE

SM Lanang Premier launches the season with a musical Christmas extravaganza.

And just that that, the air is suddenly cooler and the nights are suddenly longer. For some it means holiday eating and saying goodbye to their diets (until the new year), while for oth-

ers, the season means long vacations and reunions, for

me though its all about the

FTHE HOLIDAY, A4

A2 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

UP AND ABOUT

UPaa-davao holds math Café Marco holds Australian literacy development program for davao City’s first district food festival

AUSTRALiA, aside from being known as the “Land Down Under” and the Outback, also offers a range of culinary delights. Australian cuisine is a no slammed-together grab bag of fusion techniques of East meets West sojourns. The take is not just on ingredients, but mostly on the attitude. it’s impetuous, laid-back, bigflavored, fresh, and thoroughly natural.

This month, Marco Polo Davao features some of the wellknown Australian dishes by incorporating these to its famed dinner buffet at the Café Marco. The adventure to the outback will be from November 13 to 30, 2012. Diners will have the chance to sink their teeth and satisfy their palates with the taste of world-class food and wine offers and check out the unique additions to the buffet - Aussie style. Guests can start their culinary journey by sampling Patio Potato Salad with a sweet and creamy cooked dressing that lends some old-fashioned goodness to this side dish that goes well with any entree. Then proceed to enjoy the interesting entrees like Foide vet A’la Lyonnaise, a sautéed calf’s liver with onions, red wine and dijon mustard served with French beans and Pommel Dauphin Oise; the Braised Lamb Shank, a slow simmered dish with fresh rosemary, garlic, tomatoes, and red wine. This dish is a favorite among Australians. it is great, served with polenta or mashed potatoes to soak up the wonderful sauce that goes with it. Some can also savor the Rognon de vaue aux cognac - veal kidney flamed with cognac simmered in pommery mustards sauce with sautéed spinach and roast potatoes or go seafood and they the Judas Pocket - a seafood thermidore on phyllo sheets or try the Sauteed Spinach with Roast Potatoes. For the more adventurous ones, they can try the Ostrich Roulade - makes medallions of ostrich meat stuffed with spinach and mushroom, served with a side of dijon and raspberry kiwi sauce or the Crocodile Wellington - the Australian take on the traditional English beef Wellington. A preparation of crocodile meat, coated with pate and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Additional offers ib the spread are the well-loved Australian Four Herbed bread, Cheese and Olive Damper, and Australian Bush bread. To finish off the wonderful outback experience, guests are enticed to try the delectable desserts like the Lamington and Pavlova - the Lamington is a dessert of Australian origin consisting of squares of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and desiccated coconut, while a Pavlova is a meringue cake with a whipped cream topping, and is served with slices of fruit on top. Dine with us and experience Australia! Visit the Café Marco at Marco Polo Davao and see what Australian food adventure you can engage in. This special limited offer is available daily for dinner from November 13 to 30, 2012. For reservations and inquiries, please call (082) 221-0888 local 7222.

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association davao Incorporated (UPAAd) conducted its first Math Literacy development Program for the 1st Congressional district of davao City last October 22 to 26, 2012 at Alexian Brothers and episcopal Mission Center along McArthur highway, Matina, davao City. A total of 178 public elementary school teachers from 53 schools from the districts of davao Central, Sta. Ana, Ma-a, San Roque, Matina and Talomo were in full attendance and enthusiastic to be chosen by deped as participants. The rationale of this historic project is that Math is one subject that pervades life at any age, in any circumstance. It is as old as man’s existence. One finds mathematics in the very first recorded history of man and in subsequent development of his surroundings. It has time and again been described as a science, a tool and an art. Thus, its values goes beyond the classroom and the school. Mathematics as a subject in grade school forms the foundation of higher level mathematics in high school and college, therefore, mathematics at the grade school level must be appreciated and learned comprehensively. The role of the teachers and the classroom environment are important factors in the learning of the pupils. According to the national elementary Achievement Test (neAT) conducted by the department of education, in 2008-2009 davao City ranked poorly at #141 and in 2009-2010 we slid further to #161 out of 205 cities nationwide. digos City was ranked at #3 and Samal Island at #14 and Agusan del norte at #6. Poor quality and inadequate teaching materials, the lack of classrooms, insufficient training of teachers to teach Math and inadequate teaching strategies are certain factors that were cited as reasons for the decline of grade school pupil’s performance in mathematics. UPAA davao believes that as the “Iskolar para sa bayan”, our sense of aca-

demic excellence should be shared to empower the community to which we belong. The conduct of the training was anchored on experiential learning approaches interspersed with lecture-discussions, problem-solving exercises, fun energizers and handon workshops to heighten the learning process. These methodologies will be utilized as inputs in the preparation of their lesson plans for implementation in their own schools. The opening and closing ceremonies were well attended by the various stakeholders of the training program. dr. doris Tagle-Villareal, UPAAd president gave the welcome remarks, followed by UP Mindanao Chancellor Gilda Rivero who praised the participants for demonstrating their love for their work and giving a little sacrifice by attending and completing the seminar despite the “eid’l Adha” holiday. She underscored the importance of math and science for Filipinos and the Philippines

to achieving competitive international rankings. The guest speaker was national Academy of Science and Technology academician and former UPLB Chancellor, dr. Ruben L. Villareal, author of Math Literacy Training Program in the Philippines, who gave the history and highlights of the training program. dr. Anne Paez-Barrameda, UP diliman alumnae and Program director of The Abbas Orchard Montessori School gave an inspiring message. davao City deped education Program Supervisor Mrs. emilie P. Aranjuez reminded the public school teachers of the importance and significance of this training program for their growth and advancement. The trainers/facilitators of the program were from the UP Mindanao College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) department of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science headed by its chairman, dr. nilo B. Oponda as team leader, and training faculty composed of Li-Anne C. nalangan, Jess Claire R. San-

chez, Cielo Fe C. Blasing, Ruben A. Idoy, Jr., Kenneth d. Barroga, and Kimberly hazel B. Camino. This project was funded by Congressman Karlo Alexei B. nograles and implemented by UPAA davao headed by its president dr. doris Tagle-Villareal and directors: UP Mindanao Chancellor Gilda Rivero, Joel Sagadal, Rene estremera, John Tria, Jerick Axalan, debbie Yasay, Kaye Quinones and Abram Rei Litonjua. The other collaborators are Academicians from the national Academy of Science and Technology headed by former UP President emil Javier, former UPLB Chancellor Ruben Villareal and Cornell University professor Reynaldo Villareal. The project was partly funded by the Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation Incorporated headed by its Vice President and executive director Florendo G. Maranan, UP alumnae Gina O. Astilla, Manager and Finance Administrator and its davao representative Mr. Art Perez.

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ChriS Brown Seeking Rihanna’s gets naked GQ cover: StyLe evoLUtion ENTERTAiNMENT

Singer Bares All for “Men of the Year” December issue

JUST when we thought Rihanna couldn’t get any hotter, the`se photos popped up in GQ magazine.

Clad in only a black, cropped, unzipped leather jacket, the sultry singer shows off her body, revealing her new goddess isis tattoo under her breasts (and much more) on the cover of the mag’s “Men of the Year” December issue. And that was just the beginning. inside of its pages, there are more scantily clad photos of the “Diamonds” crooner, with Rihanna wearing only black lace panties and shoes (black pumps in one, black tennis shoes in another) in several different shots. But the six-page spread wasn’t just about showing off Rihanna’s toned assets. in an interview with the mag, the 24-yearold Bajan beauty also dished on her turnons, talked about love and quipped about the now infamous club brawl between her exboyfriend Chris Brown and rapper Drake. “i like to feel like a woman,” Rihanna said, when asked about what turns her on. “i have to be in control in every other aspect of my life, so i feel like in a relationship, like i wanted to be able to take a step back and have somebody else

take the lead.” And Rihanna, who appears to like to push the boundaries when it comes to her sexuality, said, even she has a stopping point. “Love makes you go places you probably wouldn’t ever go, had it not been for love,” she continued. “But i think everybody still has their limits.” Speaking of love, while Rihanna didn’t discuss her rekindled friendship with Brown, she did somewhat address the “Nobody’s Perfect” singer’s brawl with Drake back in June, which reportedly

kicked off after Brown sent a bottle of champagne to Drake, and Drake sent it back with a note that said “i’m f-king the love of your life,” according to GQ. “There’s no proof of that being for my love,” Rihanna said. “That’s my answer to that question.” Not surpisingly, this isn’t the first time Rihanna has gotten nearly nude for a photo shoot. Most recently, she took it all off for the cover of her upcoming album, Unapologetic, which hits stores Nov. 19.

County ambulance with a female who had been found unresponsive. Upon arrival at the scene, police discovered a small quantity of heroin and arrested Bongiovi’s friend, 21-year-old ian Grant, with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree, which is a class A demeanor. He was processed and released. Later, upon further investigation, a search warrant was issued, at which time police found

a quantity of heroin, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Bonjiovi herself was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree, criminal possession of marijuana in the fourthdegree, criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana. Bonjiovi was released on appearance tickets and will return to court at a later date. All counts are misdemeanors.

Jon Bon Jovi’s daughter arrested for heroin possession after alleged overdose in dorm room JON Bon Jovi’s 19-year-old daughter, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi, has been arrested on drug possession after a suspected heroin overdose in her dorm room at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., E! News confirms.

According to the Kirkland Police Department, at around 1:51 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to the school’s Dunham dorm to assist Central Oneida

Chris Brown has signed up with a new management agency in order to help his “style evolve”.

The controversial singer has reportedly hired Wilhelmina international to represent him in a bid to land more fashion and beauty endorsements. The agency has signed up Chris to its artist management division and will actively seek promotional deals for the rapper. “Art and style has always played a significant role in my life,” Chris explained to WWD. “it’s evolved with me throughout my career.” Wilhelmina international is responsible for landing celebrities some of the biggest advertising deals in fashion and beauty promotion. The company also represents Black Eyed Peas star Fergie, who has recently landed a lucrative contract with Wet N’ Wild cosmetics to front a make-up line. Similarly the agency is responsible for the world wide publicity for DJ duo Olivia and Miriam Nervo, who last week signed a Cover Girl contract.

Landing Chris the kind of big money fashion endorsements he is seeking may prove a challenge for Wilhelmina. Some image-conscious advertisers may be weary of signing the star up to promote their product due to his 2009 assault on his then girlfriend Rihanna. However, the agency seems confident their

partnership with the chart topper will be a success. The director of Wilhelmina Men, Taylor Hendrich, revealed why they decided to add Chris to their A-list clientele. “Chris Brown is a… multifaceted artist with a unique take on style,” Taylor revealed. “And we are excited to translate and extend his brand.”

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

ARTS & CULTURE ENTERTAiNMENT

THE HOLIDAY... FROM A1 shopping and the all around good vibes the season generates mainly because it is usually the time when I am on lock down thanks to my crazy work schedule. I was glad to have been given a break though and I took that break to attend the first ceremonial Christmas kickoff of SM Lanang Premier last november 10. dubbed “A Royal Christmas”, the event at the cathedral-esque atrium of SM Lanang Premier was a showcase of classical music and Christmas cheer thanks to the beautiful Rochelle Venuti, the davao City national hugh School Girl’s Chior, and the Manila String Machine. The event also served as the launch of SM Foundation’s Share a Bear campaign which allows shoppers to donate one cuddly stuffed bear for every purchased bear. The highlight of the evening was the lighting of the mall’s grand 40ft Christmas Tree that is decked with

chandeliers, mirrors, glass balls and thousands of metallic and crystal ornaments. The ceremony was headed by none other than davao’s very own Miss Universe, miss Margie Moran-Floirendo assisted by a cadre of fairies and elves. And what would Christmas be without Santa Claus who was also present during the event to give out toys for the less fortunate children who were also present to witness the event. A truly beautiful and magical way to kick-start the season of sharing and caring.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

Sisters Act

SPORTS15

The harrowing Jaros are making the Milo race a family affair By Neil Bravo

ne of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the others. By the time I finish my song? try that old sesame street song with these names Cynthia, Criselyn, Cellie rose, Cecile, Dymie rose and Jonalyn. Did you guess which one was not like the others? Did you guess which one just doesn’t belong? If you guessed this one is not like the others, then you’re absolutely...wrong. these names are of the running Jaro sisters. their names appear on the top list of every running results sheet in different categories that sometimes, for a sportswriter, it is hard to distinguish one from the other. Check out this record so far in the ongoing 36th Milo national Marathon qualifying race: Criselyn, 18, won the Gen. santos City qualifying last november 4. Cellie rose, 18, finished second in the 21-kilometer women’s race in the latest Milo eliminations in Davao. Both are already qualified for the national Finals on December 9 in Manila. Cecille, 16, and Dymie rose, 14, finished second in the 10-K and 5-K categories in the Davao leg last november 11. now, all eyes will be on the family’s torchbearer Cynthia who chose to skip

the Davao eliminations and decided to run in the Cagayan de Oro leg on november 25. she is expected to easily qualify for the nationals and that will give the running Jaro sisters three finalists in the longest running national race. Cynthia, 22, is the eldest in the brood and is the most decorated runner of the fast-rising siblings from a remote sitio in tugbok District, west of Davao City. the third year Physical education student of Brokenshire College is the reigning marathon queen this part of the country. she goes by the moniker “Baby Kenya” after she won a marathon in Cebu City last year by beating favoured Kenyan runners. the developing myth of the Jaro sisters is a moving plot that adds another chapter in the eternally inspirational sports success stories. the Jaros grew up to a poor family in the rugged outskirts of tugbok in sitio Papag, Barangay sarro. their father is a barrio butcher and their mother tends to the family’s ancestral farm. Wishing for a decent life for the children, six of the Jaro siblings were sent by their parents to a public school in Manuel Guianga which is located 11 kilometers away. Cynthia was first to experience running everyday over a total

HARROWING JAROS. Four of the six-sibling Jaro runners (l-r) Dymie Rose, Cecile, Cynthia and Cellie Rose celebrate after the recent 36th Milo National Marathon Davao City Qualifying Race. (NJB)

distance of 19 kilometers (using a “shorter” trail she discovered) over rough and rolling terrain. since then, that kilometrage has become the qualifying barrier the Jaro sisters had to hurdle and measure themselves with in attaining education while developing their athletic potentials. “araw araw yan na po ang nakasanayan namin. tumatakbo kami para hindi kami ma-late sa school,” said Cynthia. “Di namin inisip ang pagtak-

Life slows down for

bo na magiging atleta kami hanggang sa napansin kami sa amin na mabilis kami tumakbo.” Cynthia competed in school competitions and the rest was, as they say, history. Her sisters also followed her path and now, there is at least one Jaro in every race category. they have become so dominating it is almost a possibility that in every race here in Davao, there is a Jaro winning in the women’s race. sometimes,

they even had to compete against each other. “Walang rivalry sa amin pero pag may takbo na maglalaban laban kami, talagang pinaglalabanan naming yan,” explained Cynthia. However, something has to give sometimes and in the Milo qualifiers, the Jaros decided to go for their gameplan: the more Jaro, the better. With that in mind, they spread themselves out in the qualifying stages. Criselyn

ran in Gensan and won. Cellie rose ran the Davao leg and finished a strong second to 2010 women’s national champion Flor Donos who picked the Davao leg to qualify for the nationals. Cynthia is up next in Cagayan de Oro and by the looks of it, she will make the nationals in a breeze. With the prospects of the three Jaro sisters in the Milo national Finals, expect the competition to be Jaro-fying.

“I went into an absolute shell for a few months in new York,” Lin told Yahoo! sports. “I went through a phase when I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t want to talk to my friends. I didn’t want to give anybody close to me a chance to mess up our relationship. I saw how publicity and fame changed certain people around me, and changed

how people looked at me. and I hated it.” Fame had come so fast, so without warning, it hasn’t been until training camp and starting the season with Houston that Lin has finally breathed out, finally understood he had found a franchise that will let him grow, let him make his mistakes, let him be. “It wasn’t like I worried

they were going to cut me,” Lin said. “But it just seemed too good to be true. Like, the coach actually cared about what plays I enjoy running, or that the coach would text me on a day off to see how I was feeling. that type of stuff was too good to be true.” Lin was asked, “You had that with Mike D’antoni, didn’t you?”

Jeremy Lin

OUstOn – For the monumental lengths the Houston rockets had gone to wrest him out of new York, Jere-

Houston Rockets’ Jeremy Lin (top) is comfortable doing the distribution chores for the Houston Rockets. His

my Lin still walked into this franchise an uneasy, mistrusting soul. somehow, the $25 million free-agent commitment hadn’t eased

hustle plays (below) have also complemented his team up with James Harden.

an impending suspicion of betrayal, a gnawing uncertainty that sides would soon be chosen against him, that welcoming faces could soon turn without warning. From the front office to the coaching staff, the rockets found Lin slow to embrace them. new York had built up Lin, torn him down and spit him out far more cynical, far less earnest. In so many ways, he had come to isolate himself with the Knicks. He was wary of management and media, coaches and teammates and, ultimately, even his closest friends. Who was with him? Who was against him?

VOL.5 ISSUE 184 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16-17, 2012

EDGEDAVAO