Edge Davao 5 Issue 193

EDGEDAVAO P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

www.edgedavao.net

Serving a seamless society

Indulge

Environment

Page A1 A4

Page164 Page

Page 15

Sports

GS on high alert after 2 cop slays P

OLICE UNITS in General Santos City went into high alert following a spate of daring gun attacks that resulted in the killing of two police officers and a suspected hired gunman.

Authorities in General San-

Suspected gunman also killed in shootout with police

tos City led by Region 12 police director Chief Supt. Alex Paul Monteagudo however said Wednesday that the city’s secu-

Patay na pud!

rity situation has remained under control despite the gun-related violence in the area.

FGS, 11

Page 16

Follow Us On

DOJ dismisses suit vs Phoenix

SECURITY BRIEFING. Acting Davao City administrator Zuleika Lopez (right), presides over the final security briefing with the different department heads for the Pasko Fiesta 2012 at the Public Safety and Security Command Center in Juna Subdivision yesterday. LEAN DAVAL JR.

T

he Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed all charges for smuggling and other alleged violations of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) filed by the Bureau of Customs against respondents Dennis A. Uy, President and CEO of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. and customs broker Jorlan Cabanes for lack of merit.

This was learned from a press statement issued by Phoenix, the only Davao City-based oil company yesterday.

In a resolution dated November 16,

No unlawful importations found

2012, the DOJ found no unlawful importations under Section 3601 of the TCCP based on the records submitted by the respondents vis-a-vis the allegations of the BOC. The DOJ stated that the shipments subject of the case regularly passed through the customs house according to the standard procedure where the required documents and custom entries were filed and ac-

FDOJ, 11

FDAVAO’S, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS Militants expecting harsher treatment

P

ROGRESSIvE party-lists under the Makabayan coalition said Tuesday the attacks against them could get worse in the run-up to the May 2013 midterm elections than in previous polls, but that they are prepared to deal with it.

In a press conference, Carlos Isagani Zarate, second nominee of Bayan Muna, said they expect to be the focus of attack by government forces in the coming election campaign period.

Makabayan has nine member-party-lists, namely Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Katribu, Ka-

bataan, ACT Teachers, Gabriela Women’s Party, PISTON, Migrante and AKAP BATA. Zarate said their members are bracing themselves for possible attacks and will not tolerate red-tagging and other forms of human rights violations.

“While we don’t deny that programs of the progressive partylists are similar to that of the underground movement, probably because we have the same analysis of the Philippine society, our member-party-lists want to be represented in Congress,” he said.

Solons back human rights super body

A

group of congressmen yesterday said that while the human rights situation in the Philippines is not as bad as it is being projected in the international community, President Aquino’s decision to create a super body that is tasked to take the lead in promoting human rights and investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings ,should erase all doubts on the government’s resolve to end all forms of human rights abuses.

House Assistant Majority Leader and Davao City Congressman Karlo A. Nograles said that Aquino’s Administrative Order 35 which created an inter-agency committee that would investigate the old and new cas-

In Paquibato

es of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other grave human rights violations should provide more teeth on the government’s campaign against human rights abuses.

“The creation of this human rights super body is a welcome move. There is a really a need to have an organization that is really focused in addressing all of these allegations of f extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other grave human rights violations. While it is not as bad at is perceived by people living outside the Philippines, there are indeed documented cases of human rights abuses in some parts of the county,”

FSOLONS, 11

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Villar asks board members to focus on solving problems

By Antonio M. Ajero

F

ORMER congresswoman Cynthia A. villar asked members of provincial boards in the country to strengthen their role both in national policy-making and in looking for solutions to pressing problems of their respective jurisdictions. villar made the pitch in a speech keynoting a cluster seminar and 10th Mindanao Island Congress of the Provincial Board Members League

of the Philippines in Davao City starting Tuesday night.

“You are in touch with your constituents, so you know their concerns, complaints and challenges – all of which you can communicate to the national government,” villar said, adding that “these inputs will serve as guidelines in formulating plans and implementing programs and projects to bring about reforms.”

She said implement-

BIG ROLE. Senatoriable and former Muntinlupa representative Cynthia Villar stresses that provincial board members in Mindanao have a big role in solving poverty and other problems of their communities during the Provincial Board Members League

ing reforms and making a difference is tough, but it can definitely be done, as nothing is impossible with hard work and perseverance.

“When Ondoy, Peping and Sendong hit our country, I had two important realizations: One, that our uncaring attitude towards nature – like the unmindful dumping of garbage into water ways and cutting down trees – has made many areas vulnerable to flooding;

and two, that when natural disasters strike, it does not distinguish rich from poor and it certainly does not distinguish political colors,” she said.

“We employed engineering solutions, like dredging the river as well as environmental solutions like tree planting to prevent soil erosion. Sa aming pagsisikap na malinis ang Las Peñas-Zapote River, dalawa ang malaking suliranin na aming hi-

FVILLAR, 11

of the Philippines (PBLP) Mindanao Island Conference at the Apo View Hotel Tuesday night. LEAN DAVAL JR.

2013 elections

Army seeking ways City has 5 possible nuisance candidates to calm evacuees But Comelec not yet telling

T

HE military is mulling medium and long term solutions to calm down members of the lumad tribe who evacuated from their highland homes in the Paquibato district of Davao City to avoid harassment by the New People’s Army (NPA).

Major Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, commanding officer of the 10th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, said one medium term solution is to rid the area of rebels who number less than 50.by flushing them out by military action.

Obligado said the 69th Infantry Battalion is relocating its headquarters to Paquibato from its current base in Barangay Dalisay, Panabo City, Davao del Norte.

“We have to first secure the affected areas so that the IPs can return

home and resume their way of life,” he said, adding that the military leadership is considering integrating some of the IPs to the Citizens’ Armed Force Geographical Unit, but the plan is still being reviewed thoroughly.

Obligado said arming the IPs for self-defense maybe helpful, but it can also promote the culture of violence, besides inviting rebel attack to secure the firearms for themselves.

For long term solution, he said the military is coordinating with the local government of Davao City, the Commission on Human Rights and other line-government agencies to help realize social mobilization and availability of economic opportunities for the IPs in Paquibato by empowering them to solve their own problems.

F

IvE local candidates in Davao City will be subjected to a hearing by the Commission on Elections to determine whether or not they are nuisance candidates, an election officer said Tuesday.

Lawyer John Paul Cubero, election offi-

cer of the city’s second district, did not identify those included in his report containing the names of possible nuisance candidates.

The city has six mayoralty candidates for next year’s elections, including

incumbent vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He is running against Rodrigo Sulamin, Rolly Solis, Magdaleno Marcellanes Jr., Teodoro Mantilla and Rodrigo Buezon.

For the city council, the first district has

18 candidates, second district has 16 and the third district, 17. In the congressional race, three are running in the first, four in the second, and one in the third district.

“I already submitted my report in the middle

F2013, 11

No guidelines on yet premature campaigning

By Anthony S. Allada

T

HE Commission on Elections has nothing to do with national and local candidates who are obviously already on the campaign trail although the election period will not start until February next year.

“Actually we really don’t have the power to sanction any political aspirant who is campaigning this early. We don’t have guidelines on it,” said lawyer Aimee Ampolo-

quio, election supervisor of the city’s first district.

That’s why, she said, national candidates even now are producing their own paid television advertisements because there is no way that they can be charged for premature campaigning.

She said she has observed that not only national but also local candidates have started to make their selves visible to the public through big

tarpaulins, posters and stickers.

Candidates are taking advantage of the Christmas and New Year celebration to greet Dabawenyos as a way to project themselves.

One poster of city council aspirant, Jackson Reyes, who is supposedly to be running under the PDP-Laban Party, has his picture in posters along that of vice President Jejomar Binay, the party

president and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, who has jumped to President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP).

Tarpaulins of former vice mayor and now congressional aspirant Luis Bonguyan are all over the city, especially in barangay halls whose barangay captains are affiliated with Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod of vice mayor and mayoral aspirant Rodrigo Duterte.

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

3

Officials assure support base for Produkto DavNor A

S he invited tourists and visitors to drop by the Produkto DavNor Pasalubong Center, Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario directed the Capitol executives and employees to set the example of patronizing the local products displayed at the facility to help the local entrepreneurs.

The governor required the department heads of the various Capitol offices to make their purchase of tokens intended for honored speakers and guests during special programs and events in the province from the facility.

He also charged them to buy from the center items set aside for the gift-giving activities of the province, especially for the street children, provincial jail inmates, the elderly at the Home for the Aged and the likes.

He even encouraged them to include presents intended for loved ones and friends, particularly this coming Yuletide season.

Del Rosario said his directive is part of the mechanism to establish institutional support to ensure the province-run facility will work to its best advantage.

“We are determined to start it here at the Capitol. Let us patronize our local products,” he asked the provincial personnel, shortly before the official launch of the establishment.

DTI-11 Regional Director Marizon Loreto lauded the governor for issuing such directive, which she said is helpful in making sure the center will thrive and make progress.

She revealed that through a partnership with the Department of Tourism, the establishment will also be made part of the so-called itinerary of tourists, guests and visitors.

“So that they will not only promote tourism sites, but also the products that are unique and inherent to the province,” she said.

PASALUBONG CENTER. Buyers swarm the newly-launched Produkto DavNor Pasalubong Center, which will hopefully become part of the itinerary of tourists visiting Davao del Norte. [Noel Baguio/DavNor PIO]

Loreto heralded the project will motivate more small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) to produce quality products,

thereby generating more jobs and increased revenues, that would redound to a more vibrant provincial economy.

She assured her agency is always available to provide capacity enhancement to the local SMEs for them to spot business op-

portunities, develop more quality products and to make sure they are capable to face potential buyers.

HE Department of Education (DepEd) has elevated a public high school in Tupi town in South Cotabato to the prestigious Hall of Fame of the national search for Brigada Eskwela best implementers.

Simplicio Ballesta Jr., principal of the Tupi National High School (TNHS), said Wednesday their school received the Hall of Fame award after it topped anew the exceptional school category in this year’s nationwide search.

He said awarding rites were held earlier this month at the Unilab Bayanihan Center in Pasig City.

“We made it to the Hall of Fame after we topped the national level search for three consecutive years -- 2010, 2011 and 2012,” Ballesta said.

He credited their success in the DepEd’s annual adopt-a-school program to the concerted efforts of volunteers coming from various sectors within their community.

OME 50 residents of a remote village in the hinterland town of Magpet in North Cotabato evacuated to safer areas after New People’s Army guerillas clashed with troopers of the 57th Infantry Battalion and Special Forces of the Army yesterday morning.

Sr. Insp. Sunny Leoncito, chief of the Magpet PNP, said the fighting started around 9 a.m. at Purok-6, Sitio Tanay in Barangay Doles, Magpet.

The firefight continued until 1 p.m., the police officer said.

The evacuees, mostly children and housewives,

are temporarily housed at the barangay hall of Doles.

A week before the fighting, soldiers from the 57IB arrived at nearby Barangay Pangao-an, also in Magpet, where they set up their temporary tents near the school, residents said.

The presence of the Army, a tribal leader said, could have triggered attacks from the NPA. Magpet Mayor Efren Piñol said his office has already sent a team from the social welfare unit to distribute relief items and assess the plight of the evacuees in the area.

[Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews]

Police say GenSan safe despite recent killings T P

OLICE authorities in General Santos City assured Wednesday that the city’s security situation has remained under control despite the spate of gun-related violence in the area in the last several days that killed two police officers and a suspected hired gunman.

Chief Supt. Alex Paul Monteagudo, Region 12 police director, said all police units in the city and the neighboring areas are on high alert and intensive follow-up operations are currently ongoing against those behind the daring murder of two local policemen just hours from each

other on Tuesday.

He said investigators were specifically pursuing several leads into the daring killing of Police Officer 1 (PO1) Franklin Akiatan and Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Raul Capati, who were separately gunned down by gunmen riding in tandem at around 10:30

a.m. and past 5 p.m., respectively.

A police report said PO1 Akiatan, who was aboard a motorcycle, had just emerged from a Jollibee outlet in Barangay Calumpang here when he was shot by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen.

SoCot school gets Brigada Eskwela Hall of Fame award

clash displaces DSWD freezes funds for 15,197 Army-NPA 50 villagers in NorthCot members of 4Ps in Bukidnon S A

MONG the 71,973 registered household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Bukidnon is a vegetable farmer who owns 12 hectares of land and an Elf cargo vehicle in Talakag town, three owners of four wheeled vehicles, and five Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Libona.

How did they land in the list of beneficiaries of the national government’s flagship program that “provides cash grants to extremely poor households” with the aim to re-

duce poverty?

The 4Ps, a conditional cash transfer, required that children will attend school and their family regularly visits health centers.

Jerome Humawan, grievance officer at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provincial office, said that they have stopped releasing funds, pending investigation, to 15,197 beneficiaries in the province due to the problem of inclusion error and non-compliance.

He said 9,118 of the

households whose benefits are now on hold were due to “inclusion error complaints.”

Humawan said many of those subjected to the inclusion error complaints were those who lied or did not give accurate information during the household assessment conducted for the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) in 2009.

But Humawan said that the survey list of target families were subjected to validation at the local government unit in 2009

before DSWD came up with the final list. Any one in the community can file a complaint for inclusion error, he added.

A total of 6,078 household beneficiaries also did not get their money due to non-compliance of the program’s conditions.

Among the requirements is that parents must ensure that their children attend school at least 85 percent of the time, and receive vaccinations and health care. “Pregnant women must receive preand post-natal care and

FDSWD, 11

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Special Report

EDGEDAVAO

PHL environmental protection campaign advances further 2

012 emerged as a banner year for the Philippines’ environmental protection efforts.

This year, the country gained international recognition for being among the world’s strong environmental performers.

“This only shows our environmental policies and programs are correct,” said Environment Sec. Ramon Paje.

From 50th spot in 2010, he said the Philippines rose to 42nd place among 132 countries ranked in the 2012 Environmental Performance Index of Yale University, Columbia University, European Commission and World Economic Forum.

EPI ranks countries on performance indicators tracked across policy categories covering environmental public health and ecosystem vitality.

Such indicators provide a gauge on how close countries are to respective established environmental policy goals. “We gained perfect scores in five indicators,” Paje said.

Three of such indicators are forestry-related.

Those are protecting forest cover, reforestation and raising sequestration of carbon emissions by increasingly growing forests nationwide. The two other indicators are agricultural subsidies for lowland and upland farmers and reducing outdoor air pollution.

Government earlier commenced implementing several initiatives related to such indicators. In 2011, Malacanang released Executive Order 23 to help increase Philippine forest cover as well as to enhance ecological balance and biodiversity nationwide. EO 23 bans logging in natural forests across the country.

Natural forests are areas mainly consisting of

self-sustaining native species and where ecological dynamics hardly change unless human intervention occurs there, experts noted.

Government deemed the logging ban necessary as studies show Philippine forest cover in 2004 already shrank to a mere 24 percent of the country’s 30 million hectares total land area from 70 percent in the early 1900s.

Authorities likewise reported the Philippines registered, during the 20002005 period alone, an annual forest cover loss rate of 2.1 percent. They noted such rate was Southeast Asia’s second fastest and the seventh most rapid in the world then.

Illegal logging, land conversion and ‘kaingin’ or slash-and-burn practices are among causes of deforestation nationwide, they continued. Paje said Malacanang is bent on imposing the logging ban. He gave assurances DENR would continue efforts to curb illegal logging.

Such efforts include sacking DENR personnel who are either involved in such illicit activity or remiss in stopping this.

In mid-2012, DENR announced sacking 31 of its officials for failing to curb illegal logging in respective areas of jurisdiction.

Government’s anti-illegal logging bid continues gaining ground, Paje noted.

Around 197 municipalities in 51 provinces were illegal logging hotspots before EO 23’s issuance, he said.

“The number of such hotspots dropped to 28 municipalities in 11 provinces after government began implementing EO 23, however,” he reported in late November 2012. DENR also noted nationwide timber extraction occurred at

a rate of about 300 million board feet per year before EO 23’s enforcement.

Paje said government already confiscated some 19.2 million BF of illegally sourced forest products as of September this year.

DENR donates confiscated wood to Department of Education so these can be made into school furniture.

A total 546 cases have been filed against parties implicated in illegal logging, DENR continued. The agency reported securing conviction of 72 parties found involved in the illicit activity.

Paje said DENR is partnering with Department of Justice to help improve case build-up against parties accused of engaging in illegal logging. “We want to bring before justice financiers of such activity,” he said.

The military is already spearheading government’s anti-illegal logging campaign in CARAGA region where DENR said illicit tree-cutting remains

serious.”Illegal logging groups there are armed so we need the military,” Paje noted.

To help boost reforestation nationwide, Malacanang issued last year Executive Order 26 which instituted the 2011-2016 National Greening Program.

NGP targets reforesting 1.5 million hectares of open, denuded and degraded land nationwide using some 1.5 billion seedlings of indigenous and exotic tree species.

By implementing NGP, government hopes to reverse the denudation trend that characterized forest land nationwide for decades. Government launched NGP in mid-2011 with an initial greening target of 100,000 hectares for that year.

Since the launch, DENR reported about 142.6 million seedlings have been planted in over 232,000 hectares of land nationwide. “The program also generated over 364,000 jobs,” DENR said.

The 2012 fourth quarter NGP accomplishment report also shows government and its private partners were already able to plant some 62.16 million seedlings in 130,942 hectares of land as of Nov. 12 this year.

Such accomplishment represents about 65 percent of the 200,000 hectares government targets greening under NGP this 2012. Government projects NGP to increasingly result in more vegetated than denuded forest land beginning 2013.

Experts continue ad-

vocating regeneration and sustainable management of forests, noting these perform several functions ranging from water resources and soil protection to natural habitat and biodiversity conservation.

Forests are also sources of food and raw materials particularly for uplanders who generally continue being impoverished. Experts likewise cited forests as being capable of absorbing carbon emissions.

They identified such emissions as among greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat there, raising global temperature that drives climate change.

DENR projects NGP to help raise nationwide carbon sequestration by some eight percent.

From 36 million tons per year, Forest Management Bureau Dir. Ricardo Calderon said estimated volume of carbon dioxide that forests can naturally sequester or remove from the atmosphere is targeted increasing to nearly 39 million tons annually.

DENR noted photosynthesis enables trees to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store carbon in roots, stems and leaves of these. Forests serve as carbon storage areas when left intact, DENR also said.

Earlier, government and its German partner decided piloting in Southern Leyte a scheme aimed at helping marginalized communities earn from sustainable forestry and agro-forestry in the uplands and from fishery activities in coastal areas.

National Convergence Initiative partners DENR as well as the agriculture and agrarian departments partnered with Dept. of Social Welfare and Development and Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH to pilot the conditional cash transfer scheme for environmental services, recognizing its potential for supporting government’s NGP and for promoting sustainable resource management and income generation among marginalized Philippine communities. eCCT is an offshoot of the regular CCT program DSWD is implementing to help reduce poverty nationwide. Through the regular CCT, which is also known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, government extends financial assistance to marginalized families provided these comply with requirements.

DENR and DSWD also signed in May this year the memorandum of agreement for the cooperation program both also decided to jointly undertake for better promoting human, ecological and economic security in marginalized areas nationwide.

The program covers implementation of sustainable disaster prevention or risk reduction livelihood projects in areas covered

by NGP. Under the agreement, sustainable and job-generating livelihood project models’ development will be pursued through DSWD’s cash- or food-for-training program.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

THE ECONOMY

5

8 CloudFone android models introduced in Davao market

By Antonio M. Ajero

U

NTIL I attended a press briefing-product launch last Tuesday at the Abreeza Mall’s Café Laguna, I didn’t realize there are now more than a dozen brands of cellular or mobile phone being sold in the Philippine market.

The newest player in the block is CloudFone, an all-smart phone brand made by PhoneCo. Mobile Technology Inc. Chico A. Pasion, PhoneCo national sales manager, told Edge Davao that at last count there were already 15 brands being sold in the market such Nokia, Sony Eriksson, LG, Samsung, Cherry Mobile, Apple, HTC, and MyPhone, to name a few.

Almost all mobile phones sold in the Philippines are assembled in China, he said.

Pasion and his team launched in Davao Tuesday eight models of CloudFone Android phones, saying the company recognizes the geowing smartphone segment of the market.

New smartphones have big, long lasting batteries “In the Philippines, there is no local brand yet (that is an-all) Android category,” Pasion said, adding that the company wants to focus on the segment as the company “wants to provide Android phones for everyone.”

Android is an “open” mobile operating system, a system where program developers are allowed to make their software products, particularly applications, available for download to anyone.

Based on market research, this operating system is the most prevalent both in the Philippine as well as international markets, according to Pasion.

At any given time, he said, the company will have eight models in the market.

But what distinguishes the company from others in the industry is that it is

offering smartphones only, as it does not have feature phones that others, including the big foreign ones, are offering.

Asked about the strength of their brand compared to competition in the smartphone market, Pasion said the batteries of its smartphones are better than the others as they last longer than those of the competition.

Battery life has become the problem of Android phone users because the phones get drained if the phones are used for browsing. However, Pasion said the company has developed a battery which has a battery life of three times than those of other smartphones.

“It is really something that we feel (our smartphone) is better for the Android (phone users),” he said as he believed that

other companies will follow the trend of offering smartphones that have longer lives.

The smartphones, whose prices range from P2,599 to P7,777, were already available in the mar-

ket as the company, which started as a mobile loading system, has started selling smartphones in January.

6 THE ECONOMY Stat Watch

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

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

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

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

8. Interest Rates 4/

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

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

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

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

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

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

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

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

PHL to exceed 5-6% GDP target in 2012 uct (GDP) with 6.2 percent, followed by Malaysia (5.2%), viet Nam (4.7%), Thailand (3.0%) and Singapore (0.3%). On the other hand, China registered a 7.7-percent GDP growth in the said period.

This registered growth in the third quarter of 2012, which was way above the market median forecast of 5.4 percent, brought the Philippines’ yearto-date economic performance at 6.5 percent.

“As you can see, our efforts at good governance are beginning to bear fruit. But we know that our task is far from over,” the Cabinet official said.

He added that the government will face the fourth quarter not only with utmost optimism but also with careful vigilance, especially noting the challenges

ahead such as the unresolved problems of the Euro area and the looming fiscal cliff in the US. “This, combined with our strong macroeconomic fundamentals and good economic prospects, has resulted in the appreciation of our currency threatening to erode our competitiveness. Rest assured that we are monitoring this development very closely,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

Household spending contributed more than half of GDP in the third quarter in terms of the demand side. This was supported by slower movement of prices, as headline inflation averaged 3.5 percent from July to September 2012.

Household expenditure was also backed by the continuous improvement in consumers’ confidence. This was reflected in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’

Consumer Expectations Survey in July, where respondents cited greater availability of jobs and more employment as one of the factors for their positive outlook.

“The steady inflow of remittances from overseas Filipinos, which grew by 4.2 percent in peso terms, also contributed to the higher household spending,” he said.

On the other hand, the exports sector continued its rebound this year, increasing by 6.7 percent in the third quarter from a decline of 14.8 percent in the same period last year.

“Although the sector’s growth was still subdued, the surge in the overseas sales of metal components (466%), telecommunications (473.8%), and office equipment (106%) may be a sign of renewed vitality of the regional production networks, of which we are a part,” said Balisacan.

Shipbuilding of Japan.

Two units of Ship-to-Shore Quay Cranes and three units of Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes reached the said port in Panabo City, which is operated by San

vicente Terminal and Brokerage Services, Inc. (SvT), a member of Anflo Group of Companies.

The ship-to-shore cranes will enable gearless container vessels to load and unload

shipment, allowing for more container space on the deck and lowering fuel and chartering cost for the vessel operators that result to a more efficient port operation.

The rubber tyred gantry cranes are used in the stacking of containers in the container yard.

The unloading of the equipment took a week while the installation and commissioning will take up to the end of January 2013. Also expected to arrive soon are reach stackers, empty container handlers and yard tractors.

“We are very happy that we are hitting our planned milestones in DICT. The construction of the berth and the container yard is going smooth as well as we are looking at the eventual project completion in the first quarter of 2013,” said Alexander N. valoria, President of Anflo Group of Companies.

The management of DICT is also upbeat about the advantage that this container terminal can contribute to Panabo City since the influx of traffic containers is seen to generate investments and in turn, job opportunities.

Q3 growth of 7.1% highest in ASEAN

T

HE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that the Philippine economy will likely exceed its target growth rate of 5.0 to 6.0 percent this year, after third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.1 percent compared with the same period last year.

“We posted the fastest economic growth within the ASEAN region. We are well on our way to surpassing our growth target of 5 to 6 percent this year and this economic expansion continues to be broad-based, as almost all sectors posted higher yearon-year growth rates,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

Indonesia came in second in terms of third-quarter growth in gross domestic prod-

Brand new port equipment arrive at Davao Int’l Container Terminal

B

RAND new and modern port equipment were successfully delivered recently at the Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) from Mitsui Engineering and

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL. A worker uses a forklift to offload sacks of cement into a 10-wheeler truck at Sta. Ana Wharf in R. Magsaysay Ave., Davao City yesterday. The city’s cement requirement is steadily increasing due to

the rapid construction of hotels, condominiums and commercial buildings.

LEAN DAVAL JR.

as of august 2010

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

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

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

Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Iloilo Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga Cebu-Davao-Cebu Iloilo-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Manila Davao-Cebu-Singapore Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila

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

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

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

18:55 15:00 Mani2Mani 16:05 16:35 16:55 18:00 18:40 20:00 20:30 20:30 21:20 22:20

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

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

ICT HUB 7

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Windows 8 sales hit 40 million: Microsoft M

ICROSOFT said Tuesday it sold 40 million licenses for its Windows 8 operating system in the first month after a launch which got a mixed reception.

One of the new heads of the Windows unit, Tami Reller, made the announcement to an analysts’ meeting and Microsoft provided the information on its Windows blog.

“Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades,” the blog post said. “We built Windows 8 to work great on existing Windows 7 PCs. And we also set out to make upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 super easy.”

Microsoft released the new operating system worldwide on October 26 as a way to help the dominant PC software maker get a bigger share of the market for mobile devices such as tablets.

But some say the new system may be hard to

adapt to both PC and tablet format and that businesses may be slow to adopt Windows 8.

It’s not clear how many people are using Windows 8, because the licenses may be sold to PC makers and not yet in use.

Earlier this month, Microsoft said the head of its Windows unit was leaving.

Windows president Steven Sinofsky will depart Microsoft and, effective immediately, his duties will be divided between a pair of executives who will answer directly to chief executive Steven Ballmer.

Julie Larson-Green was promoted to lead Windows software and hardware engineering.

Reller will run the business side of Windows in addition to her duties as chief financial officer.

Microsoft has not disclosed sales data for its new Surface tablet computer, which uses Windows 8, and was launched at the same

Microsoft displays its new tablet computer and Windows 8 software to the media in Shanghai on October 23, 2012.

time as the operating system.

The Redmond, Washington giant said it was also boosting the number of apps in its Windows Store as part of its

mobile strategy.

“There were more apps in the Windows Store at launch than any other app store at their launch and since then, the number of apps in

the Windows Store has doubled,” the blog said.

“A number of apps in the Windows Store have crossed the $25,000 revenue mark and the developer keeps 80 per-

cent of the revenue they make off downloads for the life of their app. A lot of great new apps have been added to the Windows Store since launch.”

EARCH giant Google is forcing Play Store users to reveal their identities and wants to link app reviews to social media accounts.

The move is a bid to improve the quality and trustworthiness of app reviews on the Google Play app site and therefore improve user experience.

Unlike Apple’s App Store, Google doesn’t personally check and authenticate every app that is released for sale or download to Android users, though it does have something called Google Bouncer, a program on its servers

that can check any app for potential malware or virus threats.

Without the strict quality control of its chief smartphone competitor, trusted reviews have taken on even greater importance as a means for customers to select the right app.

By adding Google+ integration to Play Store, reviews left on the site will be permanently linked back to a social media account and therefore to the writer’s ‘true’ identity. It is hoped this move will also reduce the incidence of trolling.

Bitter struggle over Internet control to dominate summit S A N unprecedented debate over how the global Internet is governed is set to dominate a meeting of officials in Dubai next week, with many countries pushing to give a United Nations body broad regulatory powers even as the United States and others contend such a move could mean the end of the open Internet.

The 12-day conference of the International Telecommunications Union, a 147-year-old organization that’s now an arm of the United Nations, largely pits revenue-seeking developing countries and authoritarian regimes that want more control over Internet content against U.S. policymakers and private Net

companies that prefer the status quo.

Many of the proposals have drawn fury from free-speech and human-rights advocates and have prompted resolutions from the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament, calling for the current decentralized system of governance to remain in place.

While specifics of some of the most contentious proposals remain secret, leaked drafts show that Russia is seeking rules giving individual countries broad permission to shape the content and structure of the Internet within their borders, while a group of Arab countries is advocating universal identification of Internet users. Some

developing countries and telecom providers, meanwhile, want to make content providers pay for Internet transmission.

Fundamentally, most of the 193 countries in the ITU seem eager to enshrine the idea that the U.N. agency, rather than today’s hodgepodge of private companies and nonprofit groups, should govern the Internet. They say that a new regime is needed to deal with the surge in cybercrime and more recent military attacks.

The ITU meeting, which aims to update a longstanding treaty on how telecom companies interact across borders, will also tackle other topics such as extending wireless

People use computers at an Internet cafe in Changzhi, north China’s Shanxi province June 20, 2007. [REUTERS]

coverage into rural areas.

If a majority of the ITU countries approve U.N. dominion over the Internet along with onerous rules, a backlash could lead to battles in Western countries over whether to ratify the treaty, with tech companies rallying ordinary Internet users against it and some telecom carriers supporting it.

In fact, dozens of countries including China, Russia and some Arab states, already restrict Internet access within their own borders. Those governments would have greater leverage over Internet content and service providers if the changes were backed up by international agreement.

Amid the escalating rhetoric, search king Google last week asked users to “pledge your support for the free and open Internet” on social media, raising the specter of a grassroots outpouring of the sort that blocked American copyright legislation and a global anti-piracy treaty earlier this year.

Google’s vint Cerf, the ordinarily diplomatic co-author of the basic protocol for Internet data, denounced the proposed new rules as hopeless efforts by some governments and state-controlled telecom authorities to assert their power.

Google removes anonymity to keep app reviewers honest

Facebook nixes rumors on copyright ownership

F

ACEBOOK is telling its users to ignore rumors spreading on the social network that they need to post a statement to protect their copyrights of their comments and other materials.

“There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users’ information or the content they post to the site,” Facebook said in a “fact check” notice on its website Monday.

“This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms.

They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been.”

The notice came after

the copyright notice went viral -- suggesting that a posted statement was needed to protect copyrights on Facebook. The hoax had been around in the past but resurfaced after Facebook announced changes to its privacy policies last week.

Users began repeating these posts, which stated, “In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc... This will place them under protection of copyright laws.”

Warnings about the socalled “chain letter hoax” were issued as far back as June from the security firm Sophos and others.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Sacrificing speed for power

R

EDITORIAL

P

The EU and unexploded bombs

29 million. This is the amount of money the European Union has set aside to fund a campaign to locate and dispose of unexploded bombs and land mines in 21 areas of Mindanao. Obviously, the bombs were dropped by US warplanes on Japanese targets during World War II and the landmines possibly left by whoever planted them there during decades of strife between government forces and the communist insurgents or separatist groups.

Ironically, the campaign is being waged by the Geneva-based Fondation Suisse de Deminage (FSD) in collaboration with the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

No doubt the drive is necessary to keep people safe from live

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net

OLIVIA D. VELASCO General Manager

RICHARD C. EBONA Advertising Specialist

JOCELyN S. PANES Director of Sales

JANE E. CARO Marketing Assistant

bombs and land mines.

Bombs remain deadly and are a real threat to life and limb no matter how long they have been lying around or buried where they fell.

Towards the end of the last world war, Mindanao had become a war theater with its share of bombs falling without exploding.

It is not farfetched that there are people who would even go to the extent of hiding unexploded bombs in the hope of making money by selling them to scrap iron dealers. Others are interested in the explosive that they can extract from the bombs for sale to dynamite fishers.

Mindanaoans ought to be grateful to the Geneva-based foundation which is going out of its way to fund such a humanitarian effort.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

ALBERTO DALILAN Managing

NEILWIN L. BRAVO Sports and Motoring ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

RAMON M. MAXEy Consultant

kENNETH IRVING k. ONG Creative Solutions

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate

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

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

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

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance AGuSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

CAGAyAN DE ORO MARkETING OFFICE

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

MANILA MARkETING OFFICE

ANGELICA R. GARCIA | Marketing Manager Blk. 1, Lot 10, La Mar Townhomes, Apitong St., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 942-1503

EPORTS from the training camp of Juan Manuel Marquez say the Mexican is bulking up and now more into weights to add power to his lethal punches.

If accurate, this can only mean he is either giving up chasing Manny Pacquiao atop the ring when they collide for the fourth time in 12 days from now or his camp sees the only way to victory is for Marquez to reduce the judges into irrelevance by going all in – score a knockout.

I have always been told that lifting weights will make one stronger but there is also a downside to it if you are into the sports of boxing. Prolonged weight lifting will make a boxer’s muscles stiff and lose their dexterity, some trainers are saying. In short, it will have some memory effect to the muscles.

When Manny moved up in weight to challenge David Diaz, he was introduced to a more rigid training regimen that, instead of muscling up, took advantage of his already superior skill levels – improving on his speed even more through intense plyometric exercise. The results were not only impressive. They were spectacular against a lumbering Diaz, devastating against a washed up Oscar de la Hoya, lethal against Ricky Hatton and merciless versus Miguel Angel Cotto.

In his last three fights, however, Pacquiao is said to have eased on the plyometric component of his training. As a result, he was remarkably slower against Shane Mosley, Marquez (in their third fight) and in a recent controversial loss to Timothy Bradley.

I can only empathize with the camp of Juan Manuel Marquez. The Mexican and his team knew that it is futile to match steps with Pacquiao. They also saw how Pacquiao ate the best punches of Marquez but never went down. They long ago realized that Pacquiao, because of his trademark style and coupled with Marquez’s skill set, is very hittable. Trouble is no one has even knocked Pacquiao down since losing his flyweight title to Medgoen Singsurat in 1999.

So packing more power to his punches is likely the reason why Marquez is beefing up his muscles.

Team Pacquiao already has a battle plan in their minds. And they see no other way around but regain some, if not all, of his lost speed.

Although he has not scored a knockout victory in his last fight, it is disastrous to dismiss outright Pacquiao’s power as a vanishing weapon.

Boxers tend to be economical as they add years to their boxing life.

But the power will still be there.

When one becomes reckless against Pacquiao’s power, he will commit a devastating mistake.

Just ask Ricky Hatton. [Edwin G. Espejo writes for MindaNews and www. asiancorrespondent.com.]

EDGEDAVAO

A

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Infidelity in the silverscreen of real life

RT imitates life imitates art.

This may very well be the case with the spate of movies and telenovelas with infidelity as the core theme. Illicit love affairs make interesting material for the silverscreen.

Blown up into the glossy drama of gorgeous celebrities, confusion and heartache become glamorous. The married man becomes fair game to another woman. The pitiful socioeconomic circumstances of a woman are reason enough to get involved with a wealthy married man. Or the more romantic ideal wherein they really are in love with each other but commitments constrain their so-called happiness.

Portrayed tormenting and conflicting emotions find resonance and validation with the audience. Different reasons and situations but all variations of the same theme. Coming away from the movies or a telenovela episode, we may think that such is life. But should it really be like that?

An informal survey of family, friends, and acquaintances will inevitably reveal an infidelity of some sort.

There is the accomplished professional who sleeps with other women as a form of stress relief but is a very doting husband and father. There is the married businessman who flirts with the dealer’s accounting clerk and exchanges even more flirtatious text messages to ensure timely release of funds. There is the college student who gets three different girls pregnant but is actually in a steady rela-

tionship with yet another girl. There is the woman who simply loves a married man and accepts whatever time he can spare for her. But there is also the kept woman who publicly flaunts her relationship with a very much married wealthy scion. It can go from the seemingly harmless movie date with another girl while your girlfriend is at work to the sleeping around because you are in a long distance relationship anyway. Different reasons and situations but all variations of the same theme. We can be jaded and shrug all these off as “such is life”. We can be utterly sophisticated and think nothing of such infidelities or just deem them charming quirks or privileges. But then again, should life really be like that?

The confusions and convolutions brought about by infidelities are better left played out on the screen. In real life, things do not play out as glamorously with background orchestra music to match. You do not just walk suavely into the sunset with your realizations as credits roll and lights in the theater go up. In real life, things are messier and more unsavory. There is the very real and palpa-

ble hurt when you discover that your husband or boyfriend sleeps around.

It does not help that the reason given is that it is just sex and you are the one he truly loves. The constant and endless waiting for him to finally come to you can warp your thinking and sense of self. When you actually brag in public that you are the mistress of a local business tycoon, you not only hurt the wife and family but you also demean yourself by finding identity in the brokenness of a marriage and a covenant. No matter how much the love and passion, there is simply no justification for an illicit affair, not even high alcohol consumption. In the crossfire of lusts, wanton desires, or even mindless love, an unwanted baby is usually a sorry consequence. A concatenation of hurt hearts and lives stems from one infidelity and it certainly does not end after two hours.

A friend of mine is in a stable relationship with a guy who seems to love her very much. However, now she thinks she is in a boring place. Then she talks about this married teacher who is pursuing her. Ah, the thrill and the drama. Shouldn’t life have that?

I flippantly and initially answer, “Yes, as long as you don’t fall in love and get caught,” and we both laugh. But when we get down to the nitty-gritty of the issue and settle in for a heartto-heart talk, we both agree that it can never be right, no matter how exciting it may get, no matter how movie-like it may play out.

For Afghan women, gender equality still wishful thinking

E

vEN after the end of the brutal rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Afghan women today are still yearning for gender equality, something that probably would remain wishful thinking for many years to come.

“Is this our right to beg from dawn to dusk to feed my children? Is this the right of women in Afghanistan to suffer at the hands of men?” asked Shah Begam, a 39-year-old woman beggar, just a day after the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of violence against Women.

Panhandling alongside a dirty road in Kabul, Begam wondered aloud whether the Afghan government is capable of doing something for women like her who are forced to beg in order to survive.

She said begging itself is an insult for women in a country where the constitution guarantees women’s rights.

“My husband married another girl for the second time and threw me out of the house,” said Begum, who wears a burka. She added that since the government does not have a social welfare program for poor or abandoned women like her, they have no choice but to beg in the streets.

In the male-dominated and conservative Afghanistan, the International Day for the Elimination of violence against Women was marked Sunday.

SPECIAl FEATURE

By ABdul HAleem In her remarks on the occasion, Afghan Minister for Women Affairs Husan Bano Ghazanfar confirmed that 3,500 cases of violence against women were registered in Afghanistan in the first six months of Afghan year which began from March 21, 2012.

Ghazanfar has called on the country’s religious scholars to play their a role in eliminating violence against Afghan women, which has been on the rise.

Women in Afghanistan are facing a variety of discrimination and violence ranging from child marriage, forced marriage, rape, polygamy and even “baad,” a tribal custom of giving forcibly the hand of a widow or girl to a man from an opposing tribe to settle a dispute and end enmity.

Afghanistan, according to women rights activists, is a challenging country for women to live.

Discrimination against women, particularly in the countryside, is still rampant.

A girl can be forced to marry a boy chosen by her parents.

Cases of public execution of women,

flogging of women by Taliban militants and powerful tribal leaders have been reported in parts of Afghanistan over the past year.

Najiba, 22, was publicly executed by Taliban militants in Ghorband district of Parwan province a couple of months ago while Sabira was publicly lashed in Jaghori district of Ghazni province by local mullahs months ago after she eloped with her boyfriend.

Although women’s rights have seen considerable improvement in Afghanistan over the past 11 years, they still need more years and a long way to achieve equity with men as the rate of literacy among women remains much lower than men.

In some tribal villages, tradition still requires that women, especially young girls, stay at home and be barred from attending school which was what the Taliban ordered during their rule.

“It is an open secret that I have no right in society, every day I am mistreated. I can say that women are a neglected segment here.

During the day, I work in other person’s house to earn money or beg in the streets and at night I cook for my husband and he often maltreats me. He also prevents my daughters from going to school,” another woman beggar said.

[PNA/Xinhua]

9

Tourism is for the common people too, you know

F

OR the nth time, I watched a documentary on the life and death of Mahatma Gandhi of India. During a Congress Party assembly, he scolded the party’s elite, who had the penchant for making speeches about themselves, hoping that some liberal English newspapers would grant them few lines. The big speeches they make, Gandhi said, meant nothing to the masses of India. “Their politics is confined to bread and salt.”

Among the many elementary aims of the Tourism Act of 2009, most seminal state policy is to make tourism as an engine of socio-economic growth. In many areas in Mindanao, tourism remains as an elitist industry. To the hoi polloi, tourism stakeholders are confined to people who have the means and time to travel from one place to another and investors who can afford multi-million ventures. It is not cheap to put up a resort and certainly not easy to sustain it, for example. Most ordinary people, particularly those in communities with significant tourism industry, do not consider themselves as stakeholders too.

Some of them may be hired, mostly intermittently, considering the high seasonality of typical beach destinations. Local government units, cognizant of this phenomenological fact, designed their tourism master plans to include culture-of-tourism development. Glan in Sarangani Province, for example, will soon include tourism appreciation in academic curricula through DepEd’s Alternative Learning System, teaching children the fundamentals of tourism and on how best they can be part of it.

Lack of understanding and limited appreciation of the industry explain largely why common people do not consider themselves as essential components of this seemingly elitist industry. Uprooting indigenous villagers from remote communities for a 3-day cultural exhibit in Metro Manila malls is not even a sound practice.

They are not live exhibit materials treated like lesser children of the gods. They have crops to tend, animals to feed and a living to make. They only remind me of Indians securely bound in chains and brought before the royal court in London as proof from the New World civilization. That is why I do not like the idea behind this artificial cultural village in Cagayan de Oro City that features the seven tribes of Bukidnon.

When I was there, many of them look sad!

But the moment you pull out your camera, they have these huge smiles that easily come out.

When people begin to learn about the whole industry, its being multi-sectoral, they get a clearer understanding that they too are essential components of the tourism product. Many may not be aware but, at one time, some may have provided services in the course of a tourist’s journey.

Bohol has an excellent pasalubong industry. Your Bohol experience is not complete without kalamay. Enterprising individuals, trained by experts and aided by the government, produce the famed food icon.

The T’Bolis in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato make excellent beads and bronze bells and statues. Davao City went further by establishing its own Pasalubong Center, which should always be part of tour packages being sold. Misamis Occidental has its own multi-OTOP awarded cooperative specializing in suman. It is located at a strategic junction of a national highway going to Zamboanga del Norte. Some of their members are exporting the same to the United States.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS

I

Not allow

f Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago will have her way, Chinese nationals with electronic passports bearing the map of the disputed West Philippine Sea (also South China Sea) will not be allowed to enter the country.

In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Santiago asked heads of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Justice to meet and discuss the entry into the country of Chinese nationals bearing the new e-passports showing the West Philippine Sea as part of China’s territory.

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

China decries attempts to ‘read too much into’ passport map row

More cell phones

M

ore people have access to mobile phones than safe toilets, the World Bank said, as it announced that the Philippines is among the 12 global sites for an event aimed at using information technology to solve the problem of inadequate sanitation.

“With the number of mobile subscriptions exceeding five billion, more people today have access to a mobile phone than to a clean toilet,” the World Bank said in a statement Wednesday.

S

Participate

en. Ralph Recto will not inhibit if ever he is asked to be part of the bicameral conference committee on the proposed bill seeking to increase the excise tax on tobacco and alcohol products.

“I will always do my job as the Senate requests me to do,” said Recto, who had to quit as Senate ways and means committee chairman after health groups accused him of siding with tobacco manufacturers.

T

Dubious

he billions of pesos amassed through the alleged dubious investment scheme of the Aman Futures Group Philippines Inc. could have been used for terrorist activities.

This was the suspicion shared by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a letter it sent to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) last July requesting for an investigation on the investment firm.

T

A page from a Chinese passport displays a Chinese map which includes an area in the South China Sea inside a line of dashes representing maritime territory claimed by

C

HINA said on Wednesday that people should not read too much into the placement of a new map in its passports that depicts claims to disputed maritime territory, after the United States said it would raise concerns with Beijing over the issue.

The Philippines and vietnam have condemned the new microchip-equipped passports, saying the map they in-

S

China, in Kunming, Yunnan province, November 23, 2012. [REUTERS]

corporate violates their national sovereignty by marking disputed waters as Chinese territory.

India, which also claims two Himalayan regions shown as Chinese territory on the map, is responding by issuing visas stamped with its own version of the borders.

“The aim of China’s new electronic passports is to strengthen its technological abilities and make it convenient for Chinese citizens to enter or leave

the country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.

“The issue of the maps in China’s new passports should not be read too much into. China is willing to remain in touch with relevant countries and promote the healthy development of the exchange of people between China and the outside world.”

State Department spokeswoman victoria Nuland said the Unit-

ed States had concerns about China’s map causing “tension and anxiety” between countries in the South China Sea. The United States, which has urged China and its Southeast Asian neighbours to agree on a code of conduct as a first step toward reducing tensions over the South China Sea, will continue to accept the new Chinese passports because they meet the standards of a legal travel document.

pine economy in 2011, official government data show.

“Among the tourism-characteristic industries, shopping had the biggest share to TDGvA (total direct gross value added) at 22.9 percent...” the National Statistical Coordination Board said in its website. value generated from

shopping grew by 16.8 percent to a total of P130.5 billion last year.

In terms of percentage share to the total tourism value, shopping was followed by accommodation at 11.2 percent (P63.9 billion), and entertainment and recreation at 6.8 percent (55.2 billion).

Other contributors

to income from tourism include travel agencies and reservation services (P34.4 billion), food and beverage (P29.3 billion), transport (P18.4 billion) and miscellaneous services (P5 billion). value bulked into “other products” was also reported at P234.5 billion.

Tourism spending has also increased last year both for inbound visitors and domestic tourists.

Inbound tourism expenditure, which to spending by foreign visitors and Philippine passport holders permanently residing abroad rose by 13.9 percent to P124.5 billion in 2011.

Spending by domestic tourists, which includes expenditure within the country either as as domestic trip or part of an international trip, grew by 27.1 percent to P 995.7 billion last year.

The tourism industry employed 3.8 million Filipinos in 2011, up 3.5 percent from 3.7 million the year previous, data showed.

Shopping tops Philippines’ tourism industry earnings

HOPPING is indeed more fun in the Philippines, both for tourists who go on buying sprees during trips and locals who make a living as merchants.

Shopping was the top earner among tourism industries which contributed a total of P571.3 billion or 5.9 percent of the Philip-

In demand

he Department of Labor and Employment has encouraged youths to take up a course in carpentry, saying carpenters are now “hot” and in-demand.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the agency’s labor market signaling study tagged carpentry as one of the in-demand jobs or viable careers in the next five to 10 years. “Carpenters play an important role in construction. (They do) most of the wood works and (build) structures according to the design of architects and layout of engineers,” Baldoz said.

A child looks at a Christmas decor for sale inside a store in Manila November 19, 2012. The Philippines, a mainly Roman Catholic country in Southeast Asia, celebrates one of the lon-

gest Christmas holidays in the world, playing Christmas carols in shopping malls in September and putting up lantern and fireworks early in December. [REUTERS]

WORLD TODAY

T

Top job

he leader of Nepal’s Maoists proposed a new unity government Tuesday, offering political rivals the pick of the top cabinet posts in a bid to end a deadlock crippling the restive Himalayan nation.

Maoist party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told AFP he would let his rivals in the two largest opposition parties choose their ministries if they agreed to unite behind a Maoist premier in a cross-party administration.

T

Banned

ajikistan has blocked access to Facebook in response to a slew of comments spreading “mud and slander” about veteran President Imomali Rakhmon and officials in the Central Asian republic.

The ban on the popular social networking site is the latest crackdown on dissent in Tajikistan a year before an election that could extend Rakhmon’s two-decade rule.

P

Missile

akistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Wednesday that can hit targets up to 1,300 km (807 miles) away, the military said.

Pakistan’s Hatf-v is a medium-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching targets in India. “The test consolidates and strengthens Pakistan’s deterrence capability and national security,” the military said in a release.

A

Killed

t least 34 people were killed in explosions which struck the eastern Damascus district of Jaramana on Wednesday, state television said, quoting a source at the Interior Ministry.

It said 10 bags containing the remains of unidentified victims had also been collected.

Eighty-three people were seriously wounded, it said.

T

Arrested

HOUSANDS of workers protested for a third day Wednesday after Bangladesh’s worst garment factory fire as police arrested three managers over claims they stopped employees from leaving the burning plant.

At least 5,000 workers left their factories and joined the protests, pelting plants with stones and streaming through the main streets of Ashulia industrial area, just outside Dhaka and home to 500 manufacturing outlets, police said.

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

GS...

Solons...

FFROM 1 Monteagudo said all police units in the city and the neighboring areas are on high alert and intensive follow-up operations are currently ongoing against those behind the daring murder of two local policemen just hours from each other on Tuesday He told Mindanews that investigators were specifically pursuing several leads into the daring killing of Police Officer 1 (PO1) Franklin Akiatan and Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Raul Capati, who were separately gunned down by gunmen riding in tandem at around 10:30 a.m. and past 5 p.m.

A police report said PO1 Akiatan, who was aboard a motorcycle, had just emerged from a Jollibee outlet in Barangay Calumpang here when he was shot by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen.

Akiatan, who had accompanied a godson to the food chain’s outlet, failed to reach the Mindanao Medical Center alive due to several gunshot wounds on his head and body.

Akiatan’s killing was reportedly caught by the closed-circuit

DOJ...

FFROM 2 television or CCTv camera of the food chain’s outlet.

At around 5:15 p.m., SPO1 Capati was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding suspects near the junction of the Mabuhay Road and the national highway here.

Capati died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds while his civilian companion, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, was wounded.

Citing reports from the city police office, Monteagudo confirmed that one of SPO1 Capati’s gunmen was killed following a shootout with pursuing lawmen near the Sinawal Bridge in Barangay Labangal.

He said the other suspect, who was seriously wounded, was arrested near a housing subdivision in the area at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The police official said they were verifying the identities of the two suspects, whom he believed could eventually lead to the resolution of the case.

“We’re presently digging deeper into the two murders cases and checking whether they’re related or not,” he said.

“We already have some leads but it’s too early to make a conclusion right now,” he said, stressing the incident was “very unusual.”

He admitted that they were alarmed with twin killings, “but if we say they might lead to bigger problems, security-wise, I don’t think so.”

The twin murders happened a day after a retired employee lost around P500,000 in cash in a daring robbery incident staged by motorcycle-riding men along the Pioneer Avenue here on Monday.

Last Saturday evening, a police officer identified as PO1 Mark Anthony Santillan was wounded after he was shot by two motorcycle-riding gunmen after going past a police blockade in Barangay Fatima.

A suspect identified as Rodel Silaya was wounded in an ensuing shootout with responding policemen and was eventually arrested. [Allen v.

Estabillo/MindaNews]

board. Complainant BOC failed to refute the charges by clear and convincing proof.

Furthermore, the resolution mentioned complainant BOC’s attempt to file additional evidence (despite having the case already submitted for resolution) through their “Motion to Reopen Preliminary Investigation.”

However, these purported documents were not attached to the said motion which to DOJ’s consideration only “bolsters our finding that complainant has no addi-

tional documents to discredit those submitted by respondents.”

The charges for smuggling was filed by BOC through RATS under the term of then Com. Angelito Alvarez on May 2011 but received only by the respondents on July 06, 2011. Ironically, despite the pending case filed by BOC-RATS, Phoenix was awarded as top importer

by BOC Port of Davao in 2011 and 2012 and Top 7 importer nationwide in 2011 by BOC through now Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.

our fellowmen. This includes cost efficient and environmentally sound waste management systems. Many local government units are burdened with high garbage disposal costs. In Las Piñas, the villar Foundation has helped the city government lower this cost through our waste management activities.

“I also invite you to visit us in Las Piñas to see for yourselves our environment and livelihood programs and maybe we

can work together and duplicate them in your provinces. We already have more than 50 pilot projects all over the country and our resource persons and trainors continue to conduct seminars and training in various cities and provinces.

Makakaasa kayo na ako ay kasama ninyo sa paghanap ng mga paraaan na mas mapangalagaan ang kalikasan habang nakapagbibigay ng livelihood sa mga tao, lalo na sa mga mahihirap.”

Monteagudo refused to speculate on the possible motive of the killings and whether a bigger group was behind them.

FFROM 1

cepted.

In the said resolution, DOJ declared that the respondents could not be held criminally liable for violation of 3602 of the TCCP as the BOC failed to show that the subject importations were fraudulently made.

The documents submitted by the respondents mostly emanated from the complainant BOC which clearly showed that the payment of duties, taxes and fees covering the importations in question and its subsequent release were regular and above

Villar..

FFROM 2

narap, ang water hyacinth na ni-weave naming na tsinelas, bag, basket, furnitures at bayong, at ang waste coconut husks na ni-weave naming coconet for rip rapping na ipinalit sa mga semento dahil ito ay 80/% cheaper than cement.

“Government leaders, from local to national, as well as the private sector have the responsibility to make the best use of the limited resources available to make our communities more livable for

Nograles said.

Among the cases that should be investigated by the super body, Nograles said, are accounts about members of the media being manhandled or even killed for being critical against some powerful politicians.

Western Samar Congressman Mel Senen Sarmiento also lauded the President’s decision to create the human rights super body as he noted that while “the alleged culture of impunity in the Philippines is more imagined than real,” this should put to rest all claims that

2013...

the president is tolerating human rights abuses.

“I think that the Commission on Human Rights chaired by former Congresswoman Etta Rosales has been doing well in carrying out its role as the country’s human rights watchdog but nonetheless, this super body should provide the government with more muscle in addressing all these allegations human rights abuses and alleged enforced disappearances,” Sarmiento said.

“This should also end all baseless claims that the president is not serious

in pursuing all these allegations of human rights abuses, “Sarmiento added.

Iloilo Congressman Jerry Trenas on the other hand said that the President’s action speaks loudly on his administration’s commitment in upholding human rights.

Trenas also noted that while it may be true that there are still some cases of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings, it is absolutely unfair to put any blame on the president as these isolated cases of human rights violations are already beyond his control.

69 of the Omnibus Election Code, which states that a nuisance candidate is a person who has filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) to put the election process in mockery or disreput or to cause confusion among the voters by a similarity of the names of the registered candidates or by other circumstances or acts which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run for the office for which the COC has been filed.

Lawyer Aimee Ampoloquio, election officer of the first district, said an initial investigation on nuisance candidates is also based on their demeanor – how they act, their appearance, among other characteristics.

But Ampoloquio said identifying nuisance candidates is not an easy task because “we cannot judge the person only by his or her physical appearance.”

[Lorie Ann A. Cascaro / MindaNews]

were delisted in Bukidnon – the members were government employees and teachers, they are self employed, and high income earning barangay officials.

Possessing at least one of the qualities cited in the criteria of DSWD’s Grievance Redress System is a ground for delisting.

The list includes permanent private or public employment with a salary of P10,000 and up; appointed or elected official from barangay and up; entrepreneurial activities (regardless of seasonability) with monthly

earning of P7,000 and up; and those who are college graduates and up.

The list also include those who own a computer, two motorcycles, or three- to four-wheeled vehicles and modern electronic gadgets. Furthermore, ownership of another housing unit or land more than a hectare is also a ground for delisting. Households with head who have second degree relatives abroad and are supporting the household through remittances and cash assistance are also qualified for delisting. [Walter I. Balane / MindaNews]

FFROM 2

of October, but so far the law department has not replied. It is not an automatic declaration of nuisance,” he said, adding that his report was a preliminary evaluation and the Comelec will still send notices to concerned candidates and conduct hearings as part of due process.

The law department will decide by December, considering that the Comelec central office will finalize the ballots for printing by January.

Cubero cited Section

DSWD..

FFROM 2

be attended during childbirth by a skilled health professional.

Parents must attend responsible parenthood seminars, mother’s classes, and parent effectiveness seminars,” according to the 4Ps website.

The DSWD has so far delisted only 1,057 4Ps members in Bukidnon since 2011 – 650 in the first batch and 407 this year. Additional 375 members, mostly from valencia City, were due for final stage of the delisting process in December 2012.

Humawan cited the top three reasons why household beneficiaries

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.

12 ClASSIFIEDS ADS There’s a better way to get attention.

Advertise

with

EDGEDAVAO ClASSIFIEDS RATES FOR BOx ADS BLACK AND WHITE SIZE Full Page Half Page 1/4 Page 1/8 Page 1/16 Page per col. cm.

RATES FOR LINE ADS

Classified Page 10,000.00 5,000.00 2,500.00 1,250.00 650.00 55.00

P150.00 per column inch; P55.00 first three lines; P10.00 on succeeding lines

FULL COLOR ADS + 35% color surcharge

3 + 2 bonus

NOTICE OF LOSS Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No(s). 14305 under LOYOLA PLAN Contact No(s) 7429491 issued to CARLOS D. CLERIGO was lost.

Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

11/29, 12/6, 13

ERRATUM Edge Davao notes the error in printing of Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund Notice of Extra-Judicial Sale of NESTOR P. SONGCAYAUON married to ROSALINDA D. SONGCAYAUON on October 25, November 01, and November 08, 2012. In the paragraph, “In the event of the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on January 17, 2012 without prior notice”, it should be January 17, 2013 instead of January 17, 2012.

Our apologies.

Editors

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Realty

EDGEDAVAO

Health and Wellness

FOR SALE:

1) 1-hectare commercial lot at P10,000/sq m, along National Highway, facing east, beside NCCC Panacan, davao City. 2) 17,940sq m commercial lot at P2,500/sq m, along matina diversion Road. 3) 3,831 sq m lot along matina diversion Road. 4) 41,408 sq m commercial/ industrial lot at P800/sq m along the National Highway, Bunawan. 5) 7,056 sq m at P1,200/sq m commercial/residential lot along Indangan Road, Buhangin district. 6) 27,411 sq m commercial/ industrial lot along the National Highway in Bincungan, Tagum City. 7) 116.15 to 245.92 sq meters , at P5.5m to P12.3m commercial/ office condo units in Bajada, davao City. 8) 699 to 1,117 sq m at P4,100/sq m commercial lots at Josefina Town Center, along the National Highway, dumoy, Toril. 9) Ready-for-Occupancy Residential Properties: 4BR/3T&B in a 240 sq m lot with 177.31sqm floor area (2-storey) at P4.8m in an exclusive beachfront community in dumoy, Toril.; 3BR 2-storey in a 71.25 sq m 2-storey in a 143sq m lot in an exclusive flower village in maa, davao City; 180 sq m lots with 71.25sqm to 126.42 sq m floor areas, priced at P3.751m to P5.773m in an exclusive mountain resort community along matina, diversion Road. 10) 1BR/2BR residential condo units located in Bolton, maa, Obrero, davao City. 11) FOR ASSume (RuSH): 1BR res’l condo unit in Palmetto, maa. P600K negotiable. Note: Items 1-9 can be paid in cash, in-house or bank financing. If interested, please call Jay (PRC ReB lic. 8237) at 0922-851-5337 (Sun), 0908-883-8832 (Smart) or send email to propertiesindavao@yahoo.com.

LOT FOR SALE 180 sq. meter, Farland Subd., Dumoy, Toril, P 350,000 only Contact: 0927-706-2510

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

Best for kids ages 1 to 12 years old High in CGF, Taurine, l-lysine Contains Fortified with dHA Available at all drugstore near you

multivitamins for Teens & young adults ages 13 to22 years old Available at all drugstore near you

Take 2mg ener-plus Capsule one hour before your intimate encounter • Improve Blood Circulation • Provide Extra Strength & Sexual Stamina • Increase Libido & Sexdrive

Available at all drugstore near you

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

PRIME PROPERTY FOR SALE

Specialty Store

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

ERRATUM Edge Davao notes the error in printing of Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund Notice of Extra-Judicial Sale of CRISMARIE N. PAGKALIWAGAN married to Samuel P. Pagkaliwagan on October 25, November 01, and November 08, 2012. In the paragraph, “In the event of the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on January 17, 2012 without prior notice”, it should be January 17, 2013 instead of January 17, 2012.

Our apologies.

Editors

EDGEDavao Gensan Partners

Tel No. (083)- 553-2211 ERRATUM

Edge Davao notes the error in printing of Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund Notice of Extra-Judicial Sale of LOEY C. MUTOC on October 25, November 01, and November 08, 2012. In the paragraph, “In the event of the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on January 17, 2012 without prior notice”, it should be January 17, 2013 instead of January 17, 2012.

Our apologies.

Editors

We offer Pasta, Pizza and all Filipino foods and international cuisine

South Osmeña, General Santos City Cell No. 09999923588 Tel. No. (083) 552-3297

ClASSIFIEDS ADS 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAvAO CITY

HOME DEvELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND, (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee -versus-

EJF-REM CASE NO. 13, 737-12

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAvAO CITY

HOME DEvELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND, (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee -versus-

EJF-REM CASE NO. 13, 736-12

EUGENIO v. BAYLOSIS married to Carmen O. Baylosis Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the mortgagee Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund against EUGENIO v. BAYLOSIS married to Carmen O. Baylosis with postal address at LOT 05 B05 Sto. Niño Hillside Subd. Km.o4 JP Laurel Ave. , Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of September 7, 2012 amounting to ( Php 30,945.79) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff Iv of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 354959 “ A parcel of land (Lot 5, Blk. 5 xxx) situated in Barrio of Bajada, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao.xxx Containing an area of NINETY SEvEN (97) SQUARE METERS, more or less”

GINA G. APATAN married to Rey G. Apatan Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the mortgagee Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund against GINA G. APATAN married to Rey G. Apatan with postal address at Lot 5 Blk. 7 Elenita Garden villas, Catalunan Grande, Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of September 14, 2012 amounts to ( Php 596,412.32) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff Iv of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 428657 “ A parcel of land xxx (Lot 5, Blk. 7,xxx) , situated in Barangay Catalunan Grande, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao.xxx Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY (150) SQUARE METERS, more or less”

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 07, 2013 without further notice.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 07, 2013 without further notice.

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

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

Davao City, Philippines, OCTOBER 31, 2012

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) REYNALDO O. GIRADO Sheriff Iv

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court vI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 11/22,29,12/6)

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

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

Davao City, Philippines, October 31, 2012

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) ROBERT M. MEDIALDEA Sheriff Iv

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court vI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 11/29, 12/06,13)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAvAO CITY

HOME DEvELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND, (HDMF) or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee -versus-

EJF-REM CASE NO. 13, 758-12

SULAIMAN I. PINGAY, married to Norma L. Pingay Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for foreclosure and sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the mortgagee Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund against SULAIMAN I. PINGAY married to Norma L. Pingay with postal address at LOT 46, Blk. 20 SAMANTHA HOMES –Catalunan Pequeño, Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of October 24, 2012 amounting to ( Php 345,399.83) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff Iv of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 10, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 435476 “ A parcel of land of the subdivision project (Lot 46, Blk. 20 of the subdivision plan Psd-11-078815 being a portion of lot 1144-0, Psd-31674), situated in Barangay Catalunan Pequeño, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao.xxx Containing an area of EIGHTY (80) SQUARE METERS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 07, 2013 without further notice.

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

Davao City, Philippines, November 5, 2012

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) SERGIO LEONARDO J. TUPAS Sheriff Iv

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court vI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 11/15,22,29)

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Defense did it for Azkals—Vietnam coach

F

OR the vietnamese national football team, there was a sense of deja vu after falling to the Philippines anew, 1-0, in the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup. The result echoes the 2-0 victory the Azkals earned in the same tournament two years ago, a win that catapulted the sport to new heights in the Philippines.

Just like the joy for the Filipinos, the pain is all too familiar for the vietnamese.

“Our team today played the worst match since I became head coach,” vietnam coach Thanh Hung told reporters after the match.

“Before the game the whole team had good

preparation in the aspect of mentality but when the match started so many players frooze and made wrong passes. And the goal it came from a wrong pass from one player.”

But the coach was quick to praise the Philippine defense, which turned back attack after attack from the vietnamese side.

“They had a mass defense and it was difficult to break it down. We could not create any good chances or do anything that could turn the game,” Hung said. vietnam’s Le Tan Tai did have a clear shot at goal at the 88th minute, but Azkals keeper Eduard Sacapaño got a finger on the ball, which hit the crossbar

Playing remarkable defense, the Azkals repeated over Vietnam and now needs at least a draw against Myanmar on Friday to return to the AFF Suzuki Cup semis. (Photos by affsuzukicup.com)

before being cleared.

Now, vietnam faces elimination in the group stages after being held to a 1-all draw in its first match against Myanmar. Its last assignment, host Thailand, figures to be a tough one, putting the 2008 champions in jeopardy of missing the semifinals after making the final four in 2010.

Hung took all the blame for the painful defeat.

“The players followed the tactics. As head coach I take responsibility for losing the game.”

ROUNDUP

Vietnam waited two years to seek vengeance B

ANGKOK – The vietnam men’s football team waited two years for this opportunity.

Unfortunately, payback time for the vietnamese will have to wait a little more longer.

The Red Warriors failed to slay the ghost of the past as they fell anew to the Philippine Azkals, 1-0, in their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup meeting Tuesday at the Rajamangala Stadium.

The vietnamese came into the game looking to avenge their shocking 2-0 loss to the same team in the 2010 edition of Southeast Asia’s premier tournament in what came down as the sports’ biggest upset of the year.

And as the top-ranked team (138) in the region today, the vietnamese understandably came in as

the favorites against the Filipinos.

But they later found out the Azkals’ backline too impenetrable that the Red Warriors failed to get into the groove.

“We couldn’t create opportunities that we wanted,” vietnam coach Phan Thanh Hung said through an interpreter after the game.

The vietnamese’s best chance came shortly after the Azkals’ Chieffy Caligdong scored the opening goal in the 85th minute, when Le Tan Tai – the same player who scored in vietnam’s 1-1 draw against Myanmar during the opener Saturday found himself open on the left side of the box.

But his shot hit the top post and was cleared by Filipino-Spanish defender Juani Guirado, allowing

the Azkals to preserve the win.

The loss obviously left a bitter taste on the mouth for the vietnam coach, who stood motionless after the game and left wondering what hit his fancied team.

“It was the worst game I’ve seen them play since I first handled the team,” said Phan Thanh, who took over the team after Portuguese Henriqe Castillo was replaced following vietnam’s upset loss to the Philippines two years ago.

The vietnamese are currently in third place in Group A with only a point to show. They now need to win their last outing against host Thailand on Friday and hope the Azkals lose to Myanmar for them to advance in the semifinals.

Chieffy Caligdong scored the lone goal for the Azkals 1-0 win over Vietnam.

DSA Forum today at new home

A

RNIS and basketball will be the main dish today when the regular Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum opens its first edition at Dexter’s Pizza@ Stadium along McArthur Highway in Matina.

Arnis Philippines Davao head Mario Palazuelo and 5th Trip Ko Phoenix Fuels U-16 Cup league commission-

er Cadel Mosqueda are guests along with Otek Durante, manager of Ale “The Young Gun” Cali who defended his Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) flyweight title recently.

Palazuelo tackles the arnis team’s preparation for the upcoming Batang Pinoy national championship slated Dec. 5 to 8 in Iloilo City while Mosqueda briefs DSA members on

the semi-finals of the cagefest for 16 years old and under players.

Durante, for his part, discusses Cali’s recent fight and his upcoming events.

Dexter’s Pizza Stadium, owned by couple Jimmy and Bai Lim, is the newest home of the 18-year-old sportswriting organization after holding its weekly forum at The Tower Inn for over a decade.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

FOOD

GettinG by the weekend has been one tough and tedious search for someone who has a lot of things on their mind. On top of that, Davao is one big city that is full of surprises.

One cannot simply say he or she is Davao savvy.

Subjectively speaking, i have been here for years but i always am surprised to discover new places in town.

A culinary haven is how i see Davao. Bias you might say, but Davao is one gastronomical hotspot. Wide choices of restaurants, cafés and hidden eateries would make you hungry for more --- literally.

This Saturday is no exception. Me, Freah and ivan opted to spend our weekend together and work.

Yes, we planned to exhaust our working minds and let

Crispy Deep Fried Kangkong at EY’s Tuna.

Sizzling Tendon at EY’s Tuna.

Coffee Cat Trio

saturday slip like any other day. Coming in from a long holiday, we wanted to get all our laptops together and slave ourselves. However, we ended up doing another.

Always up for a food adventure, we ended up “eating the day away”. Visited two restaurants and two coffee shops, our growling tummies were in for a treat.

First stop was Giligan’s Restaurant at the Sky Garden of the SM Lanang Premiere, JP Laurel Avenue Davao City. ivan, the quasi-tour guide that he

is, suggested the place and off we went with him. We ordered a group meal that consists of Rice, iced teas, Beef Kare-Kare, Grilled Milkfish Belly, Pork BBQ and Chicken inasal. not to mention a plateful of Chicken Lollipops that made ivan feel like a kid inside a toy shop.

The interiors made you feel like you are embarking on a cruise as anchors and sailor items line their windows and walls. The service crew were all attentive and friendly thus making you feel at ease even before your orders were served.

The food was fantastic and appetizingly satisfying. A self-confessed Kare-Kare lover, i was all over their Kare-Kare while Freah feasted on their Chicken Lollipops. ivan, on the other hand, dibbled and nibbled on everything on the table. All in all, lunch was fantabulous!

Second stop was Café Demitasse at F. torres Street, Davao City. As soon as we stepped in, JB, their uber-friendly service crew, greeted and accommodated us to a tee. A regular customer, Freah ordered their infamous Super nachos, Snickers Cake and White Mocha hot drink, ivan loves Cappuccino and so he had one while i had their Buttermilk Pancakes and Caramel Macchiato. nate, who came in late, opted for their Bacon, eggs and Pancakes and a Hazelnut hot drink. talking nonchalantly while trying to work, we wooed the afternoon away.

Café Demitasse is one of the best chill out places in the metro. it is relaxingly enticing and palate filled experience whenever one visits the place. not to mention their fast internet connection that made our stay worthwhile. Moreover, their service crews are by far the best and the friendliest we have ever met. to say the least, we do frequent the place thus, we feel naturally connected with the café itself. next time you seek for an afternoon delight, visit Café Demitasse

Chicken Lollipop at Giligan’s

Pork BBQ at Giligan’s.

Super Nachos at Cafe Demitasse

and look for JB. For dinner, we went to e.Y’s tuna at #49 Lacson St Barrio Obrero, Davao City.

Quaintly hidden behind the hustles and bustles of the city, it boasts of the freshest and economically priced sea foods that are cooked right at your nose.

The ‘barkada meal’ that we had was gastronomically satisfying. Their imbao soup was like no other as it was really big and nothing we have ever encountered.

The Grilled tuna Belly was so good we finished it in minutes. Their Crispy Kangkong, on the other hand, was really refreshing that Freah cannot help but munch on them. i personally love their Sizzling tendon that was flavorfully delectable without the ‘umay’ taste. to sum it all up, the experience was a certified explosion in the palate. to cap the night off, we had our last fill of coffee and teas from Coffee Cat at the Sutherland teleservices Compound, Quirino Avenue, Davao City. Known for their yogurts, Coffee Cat is more than their coffee and cakes. it is a café that speaks of home and friendly atmosphere. That is why whenever we opt for a quiet and relaxing place, we always end up here.

For our orders, ivan had her second cup of Cappuccino while Freah had their

Belgian Pancakes at Cafe Demitasse.

My Caramel Macchiato at Cafe Demitasse.

Jonathan’s Cupcake Chocolate Surprise.

Purely Peppermint flavored tea while i had their Lemon and Ginger flavored tea. it was a relaxing way to end the perfect Saturday.

Saturday may have ended but our camaraderie strengthened with every bite we had that day.

Friends and a weekend simply makes life in Davao all worth every calorie intake.

Hello to the people of Flowerstop, Red Corner

and F e R Scapes especially to tita Rose Also, to my jovial workmates over at Just Simply Outsourcing (www.justsimplyoutsourcing.com)!!

Do you want to be a part of Davao’s Thursday habit? Send me your recipes, questions, suggestions and comments and be featured. if you are interested, then email me at iamtheroyalchef@gmail.com. Happy Cooking!

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

Monteritz bazaar for the Fab and Curious

These days, bazaaristas flock to Christmas tiangges left and right, to search for the perfect gift for family, friends and godchildren.

After all, Christmas is about giving and more often than not, we find those personalized and unique finds in these fairs. Monteritz Classic estates promises this and more as it holds its first ever bazaar, dubbed as “The Fab and Curious 2012 – The Monteritz Lifestyle Bazaar”, from December 5 – 9, 2012 at the Monteritz Basketball Court. The event shall showcase selected manufacturers, retailers, service p rov i d ers and young entrepreneurs in a fiveday selling spree set amidst the village’s breathtaking landscape during the Christmas season. With highquality, trendy and innovative products in store, this unique fair hopes to attract the bazaar-curious and those in search for one-of-akind and truly fabulous finds.

Aside from giftshopping, visitors will surely enjoy the exciting events and competitions lined up during the 5-day bazaar. Be entertained with the sounds of the season with a Christmas Carol competition at 4 pm on Dec. 6.

Feel the groove as young dancers battle it out in the hip-hop dance contest at 5:30 pm on December 7. If you want to meet heroes, villains, monsters, aliens and even hollywood lookalikes, don’t miss the Cosplay event happening on December 8 at 3 pm.

For canine lovers, watch the dog agility contest in the National Dog show Competition on December 8-9.

As a special treat, shoppers may watch the free screening of the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight at the Monteritz sports and Leisure Axis Ballroom on December 9 at 8 am. With so much to look forward to, bazaaristas are sure to have a blast as they shop, dine and be entertained in a fabulous way!

In the spirit of Christm a s , the Fab & Curious 2012 Monteritz Lifestyle Bazaar promotes charity and wellbeing as it supports Children’s hour, a fund-raising initiative catering to worthwhile projects to improve education and health and to protect the welfare of disadvantaged children. The bazaar is still open for participation.

Interested exhibitors and contest participants may contact the organizers at (082)298-0010 or email them

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

TRAVeL

All eyes on the SM Mall of Asia Arena BRinGinG worldclass facilities to the Philippines, SM Group wows the public with the new state of the art SM Mall of Asia (MOA)Arena.

Located on an 18,214 square meter site at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, the new 64,085 square meter five-storey landmark by the bay is a multi-purpose venue that can accommodate a seating capacity of 15,000 with a full-house capacity of 20,000.

“The Sy family, especially SM Prime Holdings, inc. President Hans t. Sy, was very much involved in the details of the MOA Arena’s construction,” says edgar tejerero, Senior Vice President of West Avenue Theaters Corporation, the managing arm of SM Cinema. The SM MOA Arena had the Arquitectonica international Corporation as its Design Architect and Monolith Construction and Development Corporation as its General Contractor.

Designed for concerts and basketball games, it can also be configured for boxing, theater, fashion, and ice-skating shows.

“The distinctive eyeshaped façade symbolizes the MOA Arena’s promise of delivering top-notch entertainment to its audience,” says Arquitectonica’s David Zaballero, the MOA Arena’s Project Director. “it seeks to channel the message that every single event to be held in its premises will surely be a ‘feast for the eye’.” “in fact,” he adds, “people would certainly not only want to see but to be seen in this modern state of the art venue.”

The Arena’s big eye design resting on a slanted podium plinth allows it to hold the large volume of the interior court within a dramatic vaulted space, while providing a distinctive identity to the building. An eye-shaped multimedia screen projects images of ongoing or future events.

The eye theme is repeated on the landscaping with eye configured plant boxes and ramps for the handicapped contained within protective walls that form an eye.

The Arena’s interiors

are simple and minimalist. Arranged on two tiers, it has a ring of corporate suites separating the tower seats from the balcony levels. Performances converge on the event bowl, that volume of space that includes the event floor and the spectator’s seats around it. The Mosh Pit is the event floor used as a spectators’ area usually without seats provided, as in a musical concert. it is the first events venue in the Philippines to use Robbins inc.’s upgraded and newly improved portable floor design and the first to have Spalding Goal, the nBA Basketball goal standard, in the country.

Robbins, inc. has over 55 years experience in supplying high performance maple and synthetic sports flooring systems, and is the maker of the All–Star Plus portable floor system,

the system of choice by 16 nBA arenas. to comply with international standards, the Arena has four dug-outs, a mess hall for an event’s technical team, an exclusive room for press conferences, and even a special Meet and Greet area.

The MOA Arena’s Corporate Suites are another first, not only in the country, but also in all of Southeast Asia. There are a total of 41 corporate suites, exclusive and fully furnished room designed with its own lounge, mini bar, restroom and private gallery with cinema seats. ten of these suites can be rented on a per event basis, while the rest are leased for a period of one to five years.

The state of the art venue also has a live beaming capability to any SM Cinema nationwide, technologically enhanced internal

crowd and traffic control, and Wi-Fi accessibility. it also has ViP amenities like smoking lounges, as well as restaurants in the concourses.

Moving around the Arena is easy with 10 elevators, 34 escalators, and special access lanes for PWDs. For customer convenience, it has 2,000 parking spaces at the south side of the mall with an additional 1,400 slots at the neighboring Mall of Asia Arena Annex (MAAX) Building. Valet parking services are also available.

Much of the Arena’s planning is focused on safety requirements – with all necessary fire and safety requirements mandated by international building codes reviewed and put in place. Mobotix, the same company that equips the Vatican Apostolic Library with professional grade, high -resolution security devices, provides CCtV cameras in the Arena.

The Arena is the latest attraction in the Mall of Asia Complex, which includes one of the world’s largest malls, the SMX Convention Center, the e-Com Office Complexes, San Miguel By the Bay, the SM Corporate Offices, 1 esplanade, and the Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the truth, and the Life.

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

eNTeRTAINMeNT

Angus T. Jones’ Two and a Half Men rant: ‘Everyone was completely blindsided’

WhAT happens when you bite the hand that feeds you in a very public and damning way? The powerful hands gather to decide what to do with you. (sorry, the hand metaphor got weird, fast.)

A day after Two and a half Men’s Angus T. Jones called the show “filth” and begged people to stop watching, CBs and the powers-that-be on the show are scrambling, multiple sources tell e!

News, including holing up in what one insider describes as “high-level meetings.”

There has been no official comment from CBs, Two and a half Men mastermind Chuck Lorre or Warner Bros., which produces the show. Likewise, Jones’ reps have been silent. however, sources behind the scenes say Jones’ impromptu rant threw everyone for a loop “No one saw this coming. everyone was completely blindsided and had no idea he wanted off the show. It’s crazy,” one Men insider tells us. “he gets along with everyone and has always been professional. This is definitely something new and the cast and crew are worried about him. It seems really out of character. he is a good guy. he really is.”

Because Jones’ char-

acter has been featured less on the show this year (Jake is in the Army), his actions have not yet affected shooting— despite a TMZ report claiming he was due on set today for rehearsals, Jones is not scheduled to return to the set until after the holiday break. But produers are hoping to figure out a way to move past the incident.

“We are hoping it will be worked out because we don’t know, can the show go on without the half? even though he’s not around much, the title would be off,” the well-connected says. “everyone already went through the drama and lack of job security with Charlie [sheen] so we are hoping this is settled fast.”

Athough the crew is concerned about Jones, a second set insider says that this is nothing com-

pared to what happened with Mr. Tiger Blood, “It’s odd behavior for sure, but with Charlie they were scared for his life.

They were scared something was going to happen. This isn’t the case with Angus.”

(For the record, sheen didn’t have any comment on the Jones situation.)

A third source, meawhile, says that Warners will ultimately make the call about Jones’ future on Two and half Men based on what happens in those hastily called meethings and insists nothing has been decided yet.

Jones’ contract on the long-running comedy is up after this season, and as producers have proven with sheen, the show can go on without one of its original stars.

We’re guessing they’re glad John Cryer is a team player.

Charlie Sheen breaks silence on Angus T. Jones’ Two and a Half Men rant, calls show “cursed” ChARLIe sheen has finally lent his expert opinion to the latest Two and a half Men scandal, this one wrought by sheen’s former halfpint costar, Angus T. Jones.

“With Angus’s haleBopp-like meltdown, it is radically clear to me that the show is cursed,” sheen, who knows from meltdowns after being fired in a blaze of glory from the hit sitcom in early 2011, tells e! News.

Jones, 19, shocked Men fans and non-fans

alike when he showed up in a religious testimonial video calling his show “filth” and urging folks not to watch it.

“People say it’s just entertainment,” Jones says in the video made by Forerunner Chronicles, a seventh-day Adventist ministry.

“Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch.” speaking of decisions, production has been car-

rying on as usual this week on Two and a half Men— but Jones wasn’t scheduled to be there anyway.

Warner Bros. and CBs, which probably thought they had rid themselves of the threat of a bigmouthed star along with the last promo photos of sheen, have not officially commented on Jones’ behavior.

Moreover, there are no Chuck Lorre-helmed shows on the CBs schedule until Thursday, but we’ll be watching for vanitycard commentary starting with The Big Bang Theory.

INdulge! A3

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

FOOD eNTeRTAINMeNT

i

remember a time when i was much younger and beyond the time when there were malls in Durianburg.

A time when the China Royale restaurant along R. Magsaysay street reigned and when street food consists of little grill places on the street corners.

My favorite street food at that time would be barbecued native chicken (A Filipino style barbecue by the way is basically a grill, so barbecued chicken really means grilled chicken). every bite of barbecue native chicken is just a little more flavorful and has a better texture compared to ordinary barbecue chicken. too bad it was a delicious dish that was a bit difficult to find.

Fast forward to today and toryano’s Chicken House has made my appetite for barbecue native chicken an easier craving to satisfy. Located along Legaspi street and just across the Apo View Hotel, the restaurant first opened its doors on August 8, 2008 by owner Victoriano Yee and has since revolutionized the way we eat barbecue native chicken.

The menu of toryano’s is a mix of Dabawenyo specialties such as Kinilaw (ceviche of fish), Seafood Sinigang (sour soup), Pancit (stir-fried noodles) and new items such as Crispyfried tilapia ( which is one of my favorite new dishes).

But the main reason

Succulent, tender, sweet and earthy grilled native chicken on a stick. Toryano’s gift to Durianburg.

Toryano’s budget meals , and check out the ‘unli-rice’ seal.

why people eat at toryano is definitely still the barbecued native chicken. each bite of toryano’s barbecue native chicken is tender, juicy, and meaty, much better than some other native chickens in the market that are dry and less meaty.

Of course the sweet tangy taste of the chicken also helps give it my seal of ap-

An order of kinilaw is the best way to start a meal.

proval.

But if you are looking for more meaty fare, toryano’s also has regular meatier chicken on the grill which they serve with unlimited portions of rice.

But for those who are looking for free-range, earthy, organically grown chicken, nothing comes close to toryano’s.

toryano’s is along Legaspi street, and is also located at Davao Autoville Center along F. torres street, Km 5 Buhangin road, national Highway Bangkal, and at Mankilam, tagum City. toryano’s is also opening a store at the Sky Garden of SM Lanang Premier and is also now open for franchising.

No fuss dining for great eats.

Seafood sinigang.

You know a place has good eats when their parking lot is always full. The fried tilapia was crispy and delicious without the muddy taste.

Buko salad served on the coconut shell.

SPORTS15

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 193 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012

The impossible dream

I

T’S been five years since the Davao People’s Park obliterated from Davao’s landscape the old Palaruang Lungsod ng Dabaw or more popularly known as the PTA Sports Complex.

In 2007 the People’s Park opened its gates and with that, the storied existence of the old PTA grounds formally peeled its final leaf.

From that moment, only a promise that there will be a new sports complex to replace this old one remained. Since then, it

has become just that—a promise.

In five years, our neighbours Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte bullishly pursued their own sports facilities. These provinces saw the opportunity and wasted no time building their playgrounds. If you have a Google Earth map and you need a locator for sports and recreation facilities this part of the country, you will not find the locator icon pinned within the Davao City map.

The locator could land elsewhere in Dipolog, General Santos, Koronadal, Cagayan de Oro, and now, Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte.

These areas are not in the league of Davao City in the investment, tourism and property platforms.

But they all boast of modern sports facilities that could hold major events as well as provide

the inroads to a healthy citizenry.

So where is the sports complex?

Gone? Forgotten? Or never at all considered.

Not in the priority list.

I was in Digos last year with former PSC Commissioner Chito Loyzaga and we were impressed at the ongoing state-of-the-art complex project located in Matti right in front of the Provincial Capitol. This facility includes a fully air-conditioned 5,000-seat Coliseum that hosted several PBA games and will be hosting the PBA All-Stars next year. Once finished, this P505-M facility should be the best there is in Mindanao.

I was in Tagum last Monday and Governor Rodolfo del Rosario ushered us to the P243-M sports complex project inside a 12-hectare property also in front of the Government

Center. What can I say? It’s world-class. The professional lighting system allows for night games with video-capable brightness.

I can foresee an Azkals match here in the future.

In nearby Panabo City, there is also the 7,000-seat Panabo Gymnasium that is also a frequent PBA host.

Combined, the two provinces could form a co-hosting consortium that is capable of bringing in even the Southeast Asian Games.

In 2010, I attended the meeting for the revival of the BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games and I remember covering the Games when it was last held in Makassar, Indonesia in 2007. I remember so well in that meeting how the country representatives of the BIMP economies express their wish to have the Games hosted

by Davao City. We can only

shake our heads then. No way. The only thing we can do in Davao is a fun run. If you are from Davao and you are in that meeting, you can only imagine how the representatives from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia were surprised to be told of the reason why Davao City cannot host it.

And so the Games will swing to General Santos City this year.

How many more years shall we wait for Davao City to build its own sports complex? From where I sit and relying on my non-Harvard economic mind, I believe that such a facility will be a wise investment.

It’s long overdue. We can build parks and run local basketball tournaments but if that is how we think, in a sporting sense that is too microscopic.

This is Davao City— home of champion ath-

letes, sports legends, and sports-loving Davawenyos. It is also home to unmentionable non-achieving sports leaders—past and present. It’s ironic that every year, a private foundation gives out awards to outstanding athletes. If you go by their accomplishments, will you please tell me how the hell they did it without a decent sports facility here?

For whatever it’s worth, their accomplishments despite the infrastructure handicap should not be made an excuse to not building a sports complex.

Please don’t be mad if I say this. Yes, our King can fly. But where will our kids play? Life, in essence, is a huge playground. If life is here, show me where our kids play?

Without a sports facility, we’re like China without the temples.

Sixers edge Mavs, Pacers nip Lakers P

HILADELPHIA (AP) -- The 76ers won again with Elton Brand having another strong game and earning a hefty paycheck from the organization.

Brand just couldn’t celebrate because his effort was wasted with Dallas.

Evan Turner scored 22 points and Thaddeus Young had 20 to lead Philadelphia to a 100-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Brand scored a season-high 17 points for the Mavericks in his first game against the Sixers since they used their one-time amnesty provision over the summer in the new labor deal to let him go.

The move meant the $18.1 million Brand was owed in the final season of his $80 million, five-year contract did not count against the salary cap for Philadelphia, though it still owed him about $16 million.

The two-time All-Star forward didn’t stay unemployed for long, and the Mavericks won the bidding at $2.1 million to land him off waivers.

With Andrew Bynum out with a bone bruise, Brand was the most expensive player the Sixers were paying to play in this game. He saw some familiar play in the fourth quarter when the Sixers started running, forced some turnovers, and worked their way inside for easy buckets. ‘’I was a part of it last year. We used to do it time and time again,’’ Brand said. ‘’It was just hustle plays and being in the right spot at the right time.’’

Jrue Holiday had 18 points and seven as-

sists for the Sixers, who snapped a six-game losing streak to Dallas. Philadelphia shot 6 of 14 on 3-pointers and won its second straight game.

Chris Kaman scored 20 points and Shawn Marion also had 17 for the Mavericks. vince Carter added 15 and was clutch in the fourth quarter in trying to bring Dallas back from a 10-point hole.

The 76ers finally created some space in a backand-forth game when they snapped a tie with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth.

Hill’s clutch shot pushes Pacers past Lakers 7977 In Los Angeles, George Hill’s high-arching shot over Dwight Howard went in with 0.1 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers withstood Kobe Bryant’s 40-point performance and the Lakers’ last-minute rally for a 79-77 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Hill scored 19 points and hit that enormous clutch shot for the Pacers, who won their third straight road game over the Lakers after losing 11 consecutive regular-season games since Staples Center opened in 1999.

The Pacers’ sturdy defense stifled the Lakers’ up-tempo offense for most of the night, turning the game into an ugly grind before the thrilling finish.

Bryant hit a tying 3-pointer with 24.5 seconds left and produced the 114th 40-point game of his career despite playing with an apparent case of the flu for the Lakers, who dropped to 2-3 under new coach Mike D’Antoni.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard dunks against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tiger not interested in Europe

T Dallas Mavericks’ Vince Carter (25) dunks against Philadelphia 76ers’ Dorell Wright (4) in the first half of an NBA

basketball game in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

HOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Tiger Woods is more driven to catch Jack Nicklaus than to try to emulate Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy.

Woods made it clear Tuesday that he had no interest in taking up membership on the European Tour. He had floated the possibility last month in Turkey that he would look into dual membership with Europe counting the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup toward the minimum requirement of 13 events. ‘’I’ll make it real simple - I’m not going to play the European Tour next year,’’ Woods said.

Woods is starting next season at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Throw in the four majors and four World Golf Championships, and he would need only three more events to become a European Tour member. ‘’It’s a bit much for me still,’’ Woods said, adding that his focus is squarely on the record 18 majors won by Nicklaus.

Donald last year became the first player to win the money title on the PGA Tour and European Tour in the same season. McIlroy matched that feat this year, even though three of his five wins were regular PGA Tour events.

16 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 193 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Chieffy: It ain’t over yet M

IS-

SION not yet accomplished.

Take that from the match hero himself, Chieffy Caligdong.

A sensational goal for the veteran Caligdong gave the Philippine national men’s football team its first victory in the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, at the expense of familiar foe vietnam.

But while admitting that the team was happy about the victory, Caligdong said that it was no time for jubilation just yet as there was still some unfinished business for the team.

“Masaya ako na naka-contribute ako sa team, lalo sa last 20 minutes,” Caligdong said in an interview with AFF local television carrier AKTv shortly after the match. “Siyempre, hindi pa nag-ce-celebrate dahil may last game pa.”

The Azkals will play Myanmar on Friday for its last assignment in the group stages.

A win in that match will give them a trouble-free ticket to the crossover semifinals.

Chieffy Caligdong scored the lone goal for the Azkals 1-0 win over Vietnam.

The Philippines’ first three points in the tournament courtesy of Caligdong, who slotted in a goal at the 85th minute off a nice looping pass from Angel Guirado to break the ice in the match. The Azkals then held off vietnam’s last-ditch attacks to preserve the victory.

The game-winning goal

by Caligdong, who came on as a substitute at the 75th minute, was not his first attempt in the match. He muffed an earlier shot from another Guirado pass shortly after entering the game.

“Siguro nagkamali ako sa first touch ko dun sa unang attempt,” he said.

In his second attempt, Caligdong made sure he didn’t waste it.

“Masaya ako na nagawa ko yung kailangan kong gawin.”