Edge Davao 5 Issue 197

EDGEDAVAO 32 feared dead in Davao towns P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

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Pablo’s aftermath

Luoy intawon!

By Greg G. Deligero

Page 15

Sports

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p to 32 people were feared dead in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in the wake of Ty-

20 soldiers missing phoon pablo, the strongest storm to hit Mindanao in two decades.

pablo made landfall in the region at dawn yesterday, bringing driving rain

and packing gusts of up to 210 kilometers (130 miles) an hour that toppled trees and brought down power

FPABLO, 11

Page 14

TOPPLED. Strong winds brought by typhoon Pablo’s tail end uproot a 50-year old tree that made some parts of E. Quirino Ave. to lose power yesterday. LEAN DAVAL JR.

Bangsamoro

Bigger than ARMM, smaller than BJE

By Antonio M. Ajero

Follow Us On

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HE BANGSAMORO land defined in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) is bigger

than the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but a lot smaller than the Bangsamoro Juridical

Entity (BJE) stipulated in the scratched Memorandum on Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

This was one of the matters discussed by Undersecretary Jose Luis Martin “Chito”

FBANGSAMORO, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Malacanang defends Framework Agreement

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ALACANANG is bullish the Framework Agreement signed by the philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will pass constitutional scrutiny.

Deputy presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a press briefing Tuesday, said when the Framework Agreement was about to be signed by the former chair of the government peace panel, now Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen, “the Framework Agreement was crafted with the Supreme Court decision on the MOA-AD (memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain) in mind.”

Lawyer Elly pamatong, a nuisance candidate in 2004 presidential polls, has a petition before the Supreme Court question-

ing the constitutionality of the government’s Bangsamoro Framework Agreement with the MILF. pamatong, however, admitted in his pleadings even before the GpH and the MILF could come up with the annexes of the Framework Agreement and make it final.

He said the government peace panel allegedly committed grave abuse of discretion, saying the Constitution only provides for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the creation of a “Bangsamoro” is nowhere cited. pamatong claimed that the government peace panel, as a result, “has usurped the power of Congress to enact, amend or repeal laws vested on it by the Constitution.”

PASKO FIESTA. A huge Pasko Fiesta 2012 billboard can be seen erected in front of the Davao City Hall to remind Dabawenyos about the activities for the Yuletide season along San Pedro Street yesterday. But after a reported disagreement between Mayor

EDGEDAVAO

Sara Dutere Carpio and Davao City Treasurer’s Office head Rodrigo Riola, the budget for Pasko Fiesta 2012 and bonuses of the local government employees are now in peril. LEAN DAVAL JR.

Sereno fails to attend SC en banc session A

Karapatan joining soldiers on Human Rights Week

By Anthony S. Allada

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OR the first time, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was not able to attend Tuesday the en banc session of the Supreme Court.

Under Special Order No. 1384 dated Dec. 4, 2012 and signed by Sereno herself, titled “Adjudication of Cases”, she designated Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio as Acting Chief Justice for the reason that she

is sick.

“In view of the sick leave of absence of the undersigned, Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio is hereby designated as Acting Chief Justice, with authority to exercise the powers and prerogatives of and pertaining to the position of Chief Justice on matters that cannot wait for the Justice, effective today, Decr 4, 2012, until the undersigned reports

back to work,” Sereno’s Order read.

Carpio is the most senior associate justice of the highest court of the land.

However, the justices of the SC were surprised how Sereno suddenly got sick after it was reported she was lobbying Monday when she personally went in the chambers of Justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Arturo D. Brion and Martin S. Vil-

larama Jr. Sereno allegedly even lobbied with other justices over the telephone to support her and not to revoke the reopening of the Regional Court Administration Office Region 7.

The justices of the SC last weekend denied Sereno’s order that a resolution be issued ratifying her act for the revival and reopening

FSERENO, 11

MILITARY official here said that the Karapatan human rights group in Southern Mindanao, which has been its number one critic, has reportedly signified to join the culminating activity of the International Human Rights Week on December 10, Monday.

Lt. Col. Jerry Besana, spokesperson of Task Force Davao, said that they already sent an invitation to the group and that they received a positive response that it

cific’Alliance of YMCAs, the group dynamics is handled by resource persons and expert-presenters Paul Andresen, president & CEO of Anaheim Family YMCA, California, USA, (2nd left) and volunteer consultant Ron Coulombe, former president & CEO of Edmonton YMCA, Canada (2nd right).

FKARAPATAN, 11

BOI asked to suspend granting of tax holiday

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YMCA RESOURCE MOBILIZATION WORKSHOP. Incoming YMCA Davao president Nonoy Villa-Abrille (right), past president Joe Custodio (left) and general-secretary Sylvia Piedad participate in a 3-day seminar-workshop in Pines City that gathered key leaders and staff of selected local associations. Hosted by YMCA Baguio on November 23-25 and organized by the National Movement under the auspices of the Asia-Pa-

would join the event.

Besana said that on that day, there will be a march from Ateneo de Davao Universitycampus to Rizal park where a peace Rally would be held.

“Our very purpose here is to celebrate Human Rights Week and this is the opportune time when we act as one to protect human rights,” he said.

He said Karapatan members may bring with them placards and

HE special committee on food security and the committee on agriculture of the House of Representatives will be filing a joint resolution asking the Board of Investments to suspend the granting of a seven-year tax holiday and duty-free importation of raw materials to a Thai firm.

During the joint hearing Tuesday by both House panels, they agreed to file a joint resolution after representatives from the hog industry aired their concerns on the alleged “preferential” treatment given to the Charoen pokphand Firm of Thailand, which is operating in the country under Charoen pokphand Food philippines Corporation, by the BOI. Reports said Charoen pokphand purchased

large tracts of lands in various areas in Central Luzon as base of operations of its billion pesos projects. It has a total investment of p7.14 billion in Central Luzon, a part of which is close to p3 billion project widely criticized by local hog and poultry raisers.

Because of its huge investments in the country, Charoen pokphand was granted a seven-year income tax holiday and duty-free importation of raw materials by the BOI. BUTIL party-list Rep. Agapito Guanlao, however, said the alleged preferential treatment given to Charoen pokphand “is like butchering the local hog and poultry industries.”

“The BOI seems blind over the fact that 80 percent of the hogs in the country are produced

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Boy dies in Valencia as Pablo moves West A

six-year-old boy died in neighboring Valencia City this morning when he was hit by a fallen coconut tree when Typhoon pablo battered the province, reports said.

A MindaNews source working at the Lavina General Hospital in Valencia said the boy, who is still unknown as of press time, did not make it to the hospital alive.

The eye of Typhoon pablo passed by Malaybalay and neighboring areas around noon yesterday.

Malaybalay Mayor Ignacio Zubiri said residents were forcibly evacuated in Sitio panamucan, Barangay San Jose here due to the rain-induced landslides. Last October, residents in the area also evacuated because of landslides.

According to the philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (pAGASA) Severe Weather Bulletin No. 8 issued 11 a.m. today, seven Mindanao provinces remain under Signal No. 3 as pablo continues its westward path. These are

Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, and Camiguin.

Surigao del Norte (including Siargao Island), Surigao del Sur, Dinagat, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte (including Samal Island), Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Maguindanao were degraded into Signal No. 2, while Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Sarangani and South Cotabato are now under Signal No. 1.

In Lanao del Sur, Col. Satar Buriongan, provincial risk reduction management council officer, said that a bridge was washed out and there were two reported cases of landslides in the municipality of Kapai.

Buriongan said continuous strong rains since last night forced them to dispatch a team for an emergency evacuation of hundreds of families in Kapai this morning.

“The road is not passable at the moment, but

we advised the residents to evacuate now and look for higher grounds for their safety,” Buriongan said in a phone interview.

In Bubong town also in Lanao del Sur, water rose knee-deep as trees were uprooted with the strong wind. At least 25 families were recommended for emergency evacuation.

Disaster officials worried continuous rains until noon will submerge the nearby towns of Ditsaan-Ramain, Buadiposo-Buntong, Molondo, Taraka, poona-Bayabao and Lumba-Bayabao.

In Cagayan de Oro City, half of the city had blackout this morning. The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) reported that as of 11 a.m., 24,389 people have sought shelter in 43 evacuation centers.

The provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council of Misamis Oriental also reported that 1,750 families, or 7,446 individuals, from 25 municipalities went to evacuation centers.

In Kidapawan City, 60 families living around Mt. Apo were forced to evacu-

Reduction” or ApIR to highlight its campaign against the use of firecrackers and fireworks during the Christmas and New Year revelries.

“We should take care of ourselves and make sure that all our fingers are still intact and complete by the start of the New Year,” she said, explaining the campaign’s message.

Convocar said they are presently implementing the campaign throughout the region in

coordination with local government health offices and rural health units.

Region 12, which is also known as the Soccsksargen Region, covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

The DOH central office launched the ApIR campaign in December last year to help promote a safe holiday celebra-

tion.

The campaign reiterates the DOH’s Oplan Iwas paputok that was started in 1994 to monitor the use of firecrackers, particularly from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4, to minimize the morbidity and mortality from fireworks and firecrackers as well as injuries.

Jane Ventura, DOH-12 information officer, said they are presently posting tarpaulins that depict the plight of fireworks

Team, said that after they received the advisory from the philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (pAG-ASA) of Typhoon pablo affecting the province, they immediately held emergency meetings to prepare for the disaster.

Alqueza said that torrential rains usually cause heavy flooding and landslides in areas near their water sources.

To make sure their filtration plants are working and to avoid heavy turbidity during flooding, the MKWD dispatched teams to conduct patrolling in the

watersheds.

Alqueza said the teams brought with them the necessary equipment and facilities for monitoring the watersheds, reservoirs, dams, and their filtration plants located in different areas.

MKWD general manager Stella Gonzales said the Oplan pablo, led by Alqueza, will also strengthen community-based approach to reduce the damage to be brought by typhoon pablo.

The MKWD has identified six watershed areas, which include Amapolon, Lawan, padet, pamanganan, Basingon and Saka-

tian, all located at Mount Apo. Also, the teams were tasked to conduct inspection of possible encroachment and entry of unauthorized persons and check on the presence of renewed agricultural activities in the watershed areas.

Early September this year, MKWD watershed personnel team leader Rey Anthony Debelos has strongly recommended the planting of bamboos and giant ferns and cogon grass in the river banks and near stiff slopes to prevent erosion and landslides. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)

AFTERMATH. Barbecue stalls clutter the Baywalk area in Mati City, Davao Oriental onTuesday morning, as Typhoon Pab-

ate after a series of landslides in Barangay Balabag noon today.

Barangay chairman Ephraim Umpan said the families – who brought with them some of their clothes, kitchen wares, and other belongings – are housed temporarily at the barangay hall.

At least six landslides were spotted at Sitio Mawig, Barangay Balabag, one of the routes leading to the peak of Mount Apo,

DOH 12 wants zero firecracker casualty

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HE Department of Health (DOH) in Region 12 is targeting to achieve “zero-casualty” in terms of firecracker-related injuries during the Christmas season through its enhanced campaign against the use of firecrackers and fireworks in the area.

Dr. Marilyn Convocar, DOH Region 12 director, said Monday they have started the posting and distribution of campaign materials on the agency’s “Aksyon: paputok Injury

FDOH, 11

Kidapawan water district dispatches teams to monitor Mt. Apo watersheds

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HE Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD) has sent three teams to monitor the watersheds in Mount Apo and their facilities, including dams and filtration plants, to ensure safe drinking water while Typhoon pablo is ravaging Mindanao.

The watersheds are sources of water for more than 25,000 households in Kidapawan City and nearby towns of Makilala, Magpet and Matalam in North Cotabato.

Engr. Sandy Alqueza, MKWD assistant general manager who also heads the Crisis Management

3

lo makes landfall in Banganga town at 4:45 a.m. Baganga is at least 126 kilometers from Mati City. [Andrew Bastes]

the country’s highest mountain.

No one was reported hurt during the landslides, Umpan said.

The heavy rains started around 4:25 a.m. today and continued until noon.

Umpan expressed fears that if the rains would continue until tomorrow, many residents, especially in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas in his village, would be affected.

He already sought help from rescue volunteers in the city for immediate evacuation of these residents.

Teams from the Kidapawan City Emergency Response Unit (KidCeru) and from the philippine Red Cross were dispatched to facilitate the evacuation. [Walter I. Balane, Ferdinandh Cabrera, Cong B. Corrales and Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews]

Army captures 6 NPA camps in North Cotabato

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OVERNMENT forces pursuing communist guerillas in the hinterlands of North Cotabato have captured six major camps of the New people’s Army.

Colonel prudencio Asto, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said on Tuesday that joint elements of the 57th, 7th, and 6th Scout Ranger Company of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, have been engaging about 200 NpA guerillas at the foot of the country’s highest peak – Mt. Apo. Lieutenant Colonel Noel dela Cruz, 57th Infantry Battalion commander, said the discovery of abandoned NpA camps was made possible with the help of civilians who have been complaining of continuing extortion activities of the NpAs. He said civilians were either threatened or coerced to support the underground movement.

“These are clear violations on Human Rights (HR), International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Rule of Law (ROL) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Human

Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL),” Dela Cruz said.

“Nobody should be forced to obey or to give food and money through fear and intimidation,” he said, adding that the NpAs now are on the run following the capture of its major camps in Magpet hinterlands.

Last month, according to dela Cruz,the the Army discovered several NpA camps in Makilala and Arakan, both in North Cotabato.

“The NpAs are rapidly losing popular support from the people. We’ve been hitting them hard with the support and cooperation of people who have stood up against NpA atrocities,” Dela Cruz said.

“We encourage those in the mountains to go back to the folds of the law. The government is sincere in its efforts of ending this conflict. I advise them to avail of the Social Integration program (SIp) of the government and lead normal lives with their families and loved ones,” the 57th IB chief said.[pNA]

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Warm ocean driving Antarctic ice loss

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OST of the ice being lost from Antarctica is going as a result of warm water eating the fringes of the continent, scientists say. The researchers used a satellite laser to measure the thinning occurring on ice shelves - the floating tongues of ice that jut out from the land.

The team’s analysis found the shelves’ shrinkage could not be attributed simply to warmer air.

Rather, it is warm water getting under the floating ice to melt it from below.

This is leading to a weakening of the shelves, permitting more and more ice to drain from the continent’s interior through tributary glaciers. previous studies have already indicated that warmer waters are being driven towards the continent by stronger westerly winds in the Southern Ocean.

The researchers say the new understanding has major implications for their ability to reliably project future sea-level rises as a result of Antarctic ice loss.

“What we realise now is that we’re looking at a

very sensitive system,” Dr Hamish pritchard, from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), told BBC News. “previously, you would have thought that we needed a lot of warming in the atmosphere to get a substantial loss of ice from Antarctica because it’s such a cold place. But what we show is that that’s not necessary; you don’t need radical change.

“All you need are quite subtle changes - such as a change in the winds - and that can produce effects at the edges of Antarctica that then lead to a loss of a lot of ice.”

The research is published in the journal Nature but has also been presented here at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) meeting in Vienna, Austria. pritchard’s team used the laser altimeter on Nasa’s Icesat spacec ra f t t o

map the changing thickness in 54 ice shelves around Antarctica.

The survey incorporated some 4.5 million data points between 2003 and 2008.

The researchers draw on modelling work and information from a range of other studies to explain the thinning observed by Icesat.

Twenty of the shelves were assessed to be being melted from below by warm ocean currents. Most of the 20 are in West Antarctica, and show thinning up to seven metres per year.

In every single case, the glaciers o n

land that feed into these shelves have recorded accelerated movement over the same period.

This will have drained many billions more tonnes of ice into the ocean, contributing to sea level rise.

The explanation, simply put, is that the shelves no longer have the strength to impede glacier flow in the way they once did.

“When ice shelves completely collapse - and we’ve seen that before the grounded glaciers behind them will speed up; we know that,” explained co-author Helen Amanda Fricker of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, US. “But what this study is showing, which is very new, is that you don’t need to lose the shelf en-

tirely for this to happen; just a reduction in the thickness of the ice shelf is enough to allow more of the grounded ice behind it to flow off the continent.”

One key tell-tale that warm water is at the root of the thinning is shape of the sea-floor.

Some of the greatest melting has been seen where deep troughs cut across the continental shelf, allowing the water easier access to the shelves’ undersides.

The picture is not uniform all around Antarctica. Indeed, on the peninsula - the long stretch of land pointing towards South America - the shelves show a different set of thinning symptoms, which very probably can be tied to a warming atmosphere.

But again, the originator is probably the same changing wind patterns.

“Strong westerlies g o up over t h e

chain of the peninsula mountains and these winds descend, they warm up, melting the surface of the shelves on the eastern side. So, although we have two different melting mechanisms, the ultimate cause is the same - it’s the wind,” said Dr pritchard.

Colleague and co-author prof David Vaughan said the research provided new understanding to help scientists gauge the likely impact of future ice loss on ocean height.

“This is one study within a programme called ice2sea, which is a European Union-funded programme that’s aimed at improving our projections of sea-level rise.

“The idea is that we go and study some of the processes that are causing ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to change, and that allows us to improve the models for projection of future sea level rise.”

The ice2sea project will be releasing its projections into the 21st and 22nd centuries later this year. [BBC]

rise from polar ASEAN countries eye enhancing Sea-level ice melt finally quantified mangrove rehabilitation efforts M

S

OUTHEAST Asian nations target integrating, refocusing and updating research and development (R&D) direction for collectively boosting efforts to save this region’s mangrove areas from further destruction and decline.

Such planned direction includes establishing a common ASEAN database and mangrove information center as well as undertaking cooperation projects on mangrove R&D. Marcial Amaro Jr., director of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), raised urgency for such collective action, noting studies show aquaculture and other economic activities, population pressure and natural disasters amidst climate change are reducing Southeast Asia’s mangrove areas.

“Mangroves constitute an important segment of our environment -more technology is needed to enjoy benefits from these,” he said Tuesday at the First ASEAN Congress on Mangrove R&D that ERDB and the philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spearheaded in Metro Manila.

Experts noted mangroves are a group of salt-tolerant plants that occupy the inter-tidal zone of sheltered coasts around estuaries and lagoons. Aside from serving as nesting and foraging ground for various species, they said mangrove areas are sources of wood and non-wood products.

They likewise noted that mangroves help absorb climate change-driving carbon emissions and buffer coastal communities against sea surges.

Data show Southeast Asia

hosts about a third of global mangrove area totaling some 14 million to 15 million hectares at present.

Such mangroves are the most diverse in terms of flora and fauna composition with 18 plant species being endemic to the region.

“The region has the highest rate of mangrove loss,” Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center Scientist Emerita and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Chief Mangrove Scientific Advisor Dr. Jurgenne primavera reported during the congress.

She noted the shrimp production frenzy from the 1980s to the mid2000s accounted for much of such loss. The congress’ overall coordinator Dr. Honorato palis from ERDB pointed out R&D funding constraints likewise affect efforts for saving Southeast Asia’s mangroves.

He noted available data show funding allocation in Thailand and the philippines for respective R&D activities in general, including those for mangroves, are way below UNESCO’s recommendation of at least one percent of gross national product.

The countries’ allocation are only about 0.26 percent and 0.12 percent, respectively, he reported.

“Developed countries’ allocation is higher at about two percent,” he said.

ZSL’s community-based rehabilitation project in the philippines’ panay and Guimaras islands yielded significant lessons for enhancing efforts to regenerate mangroves, she reported.

Among such lessons are shifting mangrove planting activities from seafront sites to abandoned ponds when possible.

ELTING of polar ice sheets has added 11mm to global sea levels over the past two decades, according to the most definitive assessment so far.

More than 20 polar research teams have combined forces to produce estimates of the state of the ice in Greenland and Antarctica in a paper in Science.

Until now different measurement means have produced a wide range of estimates with large uncertainties.

But sea-level rise is now among the most pressing questions of our time. polar ice has a tremendous capacity to cause massive rises - with huge potential impacts on coastal cities and communities around the world.

But the remoteness and sheer size of the ice sheets mean accurate measurements are a serious challenge even for satellites

which have to distinguish snow from ice, and the rise of the land from the shrinking of the ice.

The new estimate shows that polar melting contributed about one-fifth of the overall global sea level rise since 1992; other factors include warming that causes the seawater to expand.

The study does not seek to forecast future change.

Supported by US and European space agencies Nasa and Esa, the research brought together data from satellites measuring the surface altitude, the flow of the glaciers and the gravitational effect of the ice mass to produce the first joint assessment of how the ice sheets are changing.

The results show that the largest ice sheet - that of East Antarctica - has gained mass over the study period of 19922011 as increased snowfall added to its volume.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

THE ECONOMY

5

PH defends tuna fishing ban exemption T

HE philippines fisheries bureau director yesterday defended the lifting of the ban on fish aggregating device (FAD) fishing in pocket 1 High Seas in the Western pacific region for Filipino tuna fishing vessels telling delegates to the ongoing 9th Western and Central pacific Fisheries Commission (WCpFC) meeting that the exemption may have helped eased pressure on the country’s tuna spawning and nursery grounds.

The Fish and Aquaculture Department of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization defines FAD as a “structure or device made from any material and used to lure fish.”

It added that generally, “buoys and floats close to the surface comprise the major part of the aggregating system.” In the philippines, FAD is referred to as the payao.

The Sulu Sea and the Sulawesi Sea are said to be the spawning ground of yellowfin tuna and skipjacks.

Both tuna species are highly migratory.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Asis perez,

however, also said the philippines is willing to sit down with everybody to discuss issues related to the opening of pocket 1 to Filipino tuna fishing vessels. pocket 1 is an area of more than 560,000 square miles of international waters north of papua New Guinea and east of Indonesia.

Asis said the philippines is still consolidating data catches both inside philippine waters and the initial landings of tuna catch from the reopened high seas pocket exclusively for Filipino tuna fishing vessels.

But the philippine fisheries director said there are marked differences in the sizes of skipjacks and other tuna-like species caught between two fishing grounds.

He said initial tuna catch from the high seas, after it was reopened recently, are far significantly longer and larger that those caught inside philippine waters.

Several participating member countries are calling for the total closure of at least four high seas pockets that lie across the migratory path of tuna and other tuna-like species.

CLOSED. Several establishments choose not to open due to the strong winds and heavy rain brought by typhoon Pablo’s tail end along Ponciano Reyes Street yesterday. LEAN DAVAL JR.

Asis also told the WCpFC meeting that the sample size of the recent catch landing from the said area is still very small for the philippines to determine its impact to the tuna stock.

He also refuted suggestion that more than 400 Filipino fishing vessels are now deployed in the area reopened to the philippines.

He said of the 36 fleets allowed to fish in the area, only 11 have so far reached the area with some still working on to comply with the stringent requirements of the WCpFC. Asis said the Filipino fishing vessels now in the area could not be more than 50.

He also reported that, so far, only 678

metric tons of tuna catch have been landed in the fishing port of General Santos City, some 920 kilometers south of Manila, after these vessels reached the area on October 1.

The WCpFC is still discussing a draft conservation management measure submitted to the plenary session.

Among these is a

four-month closure on FAD fishing and purse seine operations both in exclusive economic zones and the high seas.

WCpFC is now currently imposing a threemonth ban on FAD fishing among its member countries and have closed four pockets of high seas in the Western pacific ocean. [Edwin Espejo / MindaNews contributor]

6 THE ECONOMY 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

EDGEDAVAO

Typhoon storm signals to affect Region 12’s business promotion

Stat Watch

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

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

E

FFORTS to promote the agribusiness potential of Region 12 or Soccsksargen Region would suffer a blow now that the area has been included in storm warning signals, a business executive said on Tuesday.

“Unlike before, we could now no longer boast that our region is typhoon-free to attract investors in agribusiness,” said Ricardo Juliano, vice president for Mindanao of the philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Juliano said that corporate farmers would have to factor in their decision the reality that the region is no longer typhoon-free.

Rice farming would likely be affected although there are agribusiness ventures that could withstand onslaught of typhoons like oil palm and pineapple, he said.

Juliano also said that plane flights in Cotabato City have been suspended Tuesday because of the bad weather but planes were still flying out from General Santos City.

Typhoon “pablo” (international name Bopha”) made landfall over Baganga, Davao Oriental at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday, with the philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (pAGASA) hoisting public storm signals in 24 of Mindanao’s 26 provinces.

For Region 12, public storm signal number 3 was declared in North Cotabato, number two for Sultan Kudarat and number 1 for South Cotabato and Saran-

GIRLS AND STRONG WINDS. Dabawenyas brave the strong winds and heavy rain spawned by typhoon Pablo along City Hall Drive yesterday. After being considered as perennially typhoon-free, Davao City must prepare for

typhoons to come after Pablo was felt and left minimal damages in the city.

LEAN DAVAL JR.

gani, pAGASA said in its Severe Weather Bulletin Number Seven issued 5 a.m. today.

In Kidapawan City, the regional seat of government, the weather was characterized by weak continuous rainfall since 5:30 a.m., with wind velocity remaining normal as of 10:55 a.m.

“This is the first time that a public storm signal has been hoisted in our area,” North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza said in a radio interview.

She said that classes were suspended in all school levels in North Cotabato because of

pablo and that the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (MDRRMC) have been closely monitoring the situation.

Soldiers and policemen have been deployed to riverbanks to watch the water level, Mendoza said, adding they expect the volume of water to rise in the province since it is the outlet of waters from Bukidnon and Agusan provinces.

In South Cotabato, Gov. Arthur Y. pingoy said that disaster risk officials are also on alert for possible flashfloods and landslides.

He said that classes have not been suspended although he is closely coordinating with the Department of Education.

Hilario de pedro III, South Cotabato provincial administrator, said the Department of the Interior and Local Government has been issuing warning messages that they relayed to the MDRRMCs. “We are on standby for any incident report and are ready for quick response actions,” said de pedro, also the provincial disaster risk reduction officer. [Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews]

chael Tan. Tan, for his part, said “we have the same passion for consumers and the same desire to succeed. Now, delving into a yogurt market, we are re-energized and true to our mission of delivering great quality products available to Filipinos.”

The newly formed company, ABI pascual Foods, will market GpL’s major dairy product, the Creamy Delight, a yogurt which they believe will revolutionize Filipinos yogurt experience.

Grupo Leche pascual has been producing milk and milk products for the last 40 years and it has a network of 600 distributors in Latin America.

Lucio Tan-owned ABI, for its part, is the most modern large scale fully integrated brewery

in Southeast Asia. It has international tie-up with world renowned brewing company to develop the premium sector of the market and the licensee manufacturer of international brand beers such as Carlsberg, Budweiser Colt 45 and Labatt.

“Our heritage is making products that are healthy and satisfy the needs of our consumers worldwide,” pascual said, adding that “we take great pride and invest heavily in the highest quality standards that we implement on a daily basis.”

Tan said the product will be sold at a price 40 to 50 percent lower than the price of the same product being sold at the market now (which ranges from p30 to p105).

“This is something unique we

intend to bring the product down to the general trade,” Tan added.

Creamy Delight will be initially marketed in the philippines and with import volume of one million boxes a year, Tan and pascual said they intend to make Manila as the business center as they expand their market in the Southeast Asian region in the near future.

They also added that once the product has created its own local market niche, they would consider producing the product locally.

“In two or three year’s time, we might consider setting up a factory in Cabuyao,” Tan said, as he explained that they will fill the gap on consumers’ consumption of yogurt in the country. [pNA]

Spanish firm bullish at PHL’s economy

A

N owner of a Spanish dairy company has expressed his confidence on the philippine economy, as he ventured on forging an agreement with one of the country’s beverage giant to market his product locally.

“This is a good place to start.

The philippine market presents so many exciting new opportunities for us,” enthused Tomas pascual, president of Grupo Leche pascual (GpL), during the launching of the Asia Brewery Inc. (ABI) pascual Foods, at the ballroom of New World Hotel Monday night.

“We are ready to invest. (We are lucky) to find a partner who knows the market very well,” pascual said, as he commended ABI chief operating officer Mi-

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/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 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 12:55 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 09:05 13:25 14:05

Silk Air Mon/Sat Silk Air Wed/Sun Silk Air Thurs 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

MI588 / MI588 MI566 / MI566 MI551 / MI551 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 18:55 15:45 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 Davao-Singapore 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

13:35 15:20 12:05 15:30 16:45 17:05 17:45 18:20 19:10 20:30 21:00 21:00 21:50 22:50

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Facebook ordered to remove pedophile monitoring page I

Internet freedom not to be curbed: UN telecoms head

A Facebook page set up to monitor paedophiles has been removed after a judge in Northern Ireland ruled Friday that it risked infringing the human rights of a convicted sex offender. [AFP]

A

Facebook page set up to monitor paedophiles has been removed after a judge in Northern Ireland ruled that it risked infringing the human rights of a convicted sex offender.

The man, who cannot be identified, started legal proceedings against the social networking site after discovering his photograph and threatening comments had been posted on the page.

High Court judge Bernard McCloskey ruled some content on the page amounted to prima facie

harassment of the man, known only as XY. The man had previously been given a six-year jail sentence for a string of child sex offences committed more than 20 years ago.

Judge McCloskey said: “Society has dealt with the plaintiff in accordance with the rule of law.

“He has been punished by incarceration and he is subject to substantial daily restrictions on his lifestyle.”

The judge in his ruling gave Facebook 72 hours to take the original page

Vatican unveils Pope’s Twitter handle: @pontifex

T

HE secret’s out. pope Benedict’s new handle on Twitter will be @pontifex, beating out other contenders that had been considered to showcase the thoughts of one of the world’s most visible leaders.

Benedict already has 1.2 billion “followers” in the standard sense of the word but next week he will have another type when he enters what for any 85year old is the brave new world of Twitter.

The Vatican said on Monday that the pope will start tweeting on December 12.

“The handle is a good one. It means ‘pope’ and it also means ‘bridge builder’,” said Greg Burke, senior media advisor to the Vatican.

Among the other handles that Vatican officials had reportedly considered was @BenedictusppXVI, but they opted for something that was linked to the office of the papacy.

But don’t expect tweets about how the

pope is feeling or which soccer team he is praying to win a derby.

The papal tweets will be spiritual, Burke told a news conference, and the pope will tweet when and how often he wants.

And, even though Benedict is not the kind of person who walks around with a Blackberry or ipad, Burke said “all the pope’s tweets are the pope’s words. Nobody is going to be putting words into his mouth.”

The first papal tweets will be answers to questions sent to #askpontifex.

The tweets will be going out in Spanish, English, Italian, portuguese, German, polish, Arabic and French. Other languages will be added in the future. primarily the tweets will come from the contents of his weekly general audience, Sunday blessings and homilies on major Church holidays. They will also include reaction to major world events, such as natural disasters.

down.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said: “We are considering our next steps in light of the court judgment and we have nothing further to add at this stage.”

The page, called ‘Keeping our kids safe from predators’, was no longer visible at 20:00GMT but a new page entitled ‘Keeping our kids safe from predators 2’ had appeared, gaining over 2,400 likes in just a few hours.

It is not clear whether the creator of the new page is the same as the user that set up the origi-

ICT HUB 7

nal one.

However, the new page’s administrator wrote in a posting at 15:30GMT: “Thats (sic) the first page gone :( sad day.”

More than 5,000 people had liked the original page before its removal.

Some of the latest posts were written after the judge made his ruling.

Facebook is understood to have removed the man’s photo and comments made about him but his legal team insisted that the page should be shut down. [AFp]

NTERNET freedom will not be curbed or controlled, the head of the UN telecommunications body, Hamadoun Toure, said as a meeting to review the 24-year-old telecom regulations kicked off Monday.

Such claims are “completely (unfounded),” Toure, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union, told AFp. “I find it a very cheap way of attacking” the conference, he said, as the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) set off in Dubai to review regulations reached in 1988.

Earlier, Toure told participants at the conference that the Internet freedom of expression will not be touched during the discussions at the meeting.

“Nothing can stop the freedom of expression in the world today, and nothing in this conference will be about it,” he said.

“I have not mentioned anything about controlling the Internet.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who addressed the forum’s opening by video underscored the importance of the meeting as a venue to enhance access to information and communication technology (ICT) across the globe.

“The overall objective is to ensure universal access to the benefits of information and communication technology, including the two thirds of the world’s

population currently not online,” he said.

“We must continue to work together and find a consensus on how to most effectively keep cyberspace open, accessible, affordable and secure,” he said.

Google has been vocal in warning of serious repercussions on the Internet if proposals made by member states are approved at the WCIT-12 meeting, including permitting censorship over legitimate content.

“Some proposals could permit governments to censor legitimate speech -- or even cut off Internet access,” said Bill Echikson, Google’s head of Free Expression in Europe, Middle East and Africa in a statement on Friday.

The Internet giant is also arguing that the ITU, which is the UN agency for information communication technologies, is not the right body to address Internet issues.

“Although the ITU has helped the world manage radio spectrum and telephone networks, it is the wrong place to make decisions about the future of the Internet,” Echikson said.

“Only governments have a vote at the ITU,” he pointed out.

But Toure, whose Geneva-based organisation has 193 member states and over 700 private-sector entities and academic institutions, said that “consensus” is the way to make decisions at the agency.

Twitter in legal spat over data clampdown

T

WITTER Inc’s steadily tightening grip over the 140-character messages on its network has set off a spirited debate in Silicon Valley over whether a social media company should or should not lay claim over its user-generated content.

That debate has now landed in court.

A San Francisco judge on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order compelling Twitter to continue providing access to its “Firehose” - the full daily stream of some 400 million tweets - to peopleBrowsr Inc, a data analytics firm that sifts through Twitter and resells that information to clients ranging from technology blogs to the U.S. Department of Defense.

As part of a broader revenue-generating strategy, Twitter in recent months has begun clamp-

A Twitter page shows an entry from European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels March 11, 2011. [REUTERS]

ing down on how its data stream may be accessed, to the dismay of many third-party developers who have built businesses and products off of Twitter’s Firehose. peopleBrowsr, which began contracting Fire-

hose access in July 2010, has continued to buy Twitter data on a monthto-month basis until this July, when Twitter invoked a clause in the agreement that allowed for terminating the contract without cause.

The court’s decision to extend the two San Francisco-based companies’ contract has not settled the legal spat; a judge will hear peopleBrowsr’s arguments for a preliminary injunction against Twitter on January 8.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

A battleground for weapons of the future ( Conclusion )

COMMENTARY

R

EDITORIAL

T

Christmas and eating

HE ENDLESS parties have begun. This is common during the current Christmas season and all Christmases before and in the future. In this particular Christmas, when there is an appearance of abundance due to a a perceived economic boom, real or imagine, there will be surfeit of everything, especially wine and spirits and yes, food. Contemporary experience tells us that ingested in excess food can become poison.

It is because of this, that we are taking liberty to reprint a very useful article on the dangers of too much eating from www.worldwidehealth.com.

“The fact is Christmas is filled with food.

Throughout time food has brought families and friends together, food is a tradition. Food is glorious! Especially Holiday recipes they seem to hold many memories and foster a feeling of togetherness. The problem is we eat too much food during this Christmas season and then enter the New Year feeling bloated and disappointed which leads to making dramatic new years goals that are unattainable. To avoid this repetitious rollercoaster there are a few Do’s and Don’ts that can help you enjoy what you eat and still remain comfortable without loosening your belt.

“The Do’s Eat! Just maintain balance, for instance if you have a function to attend in the evening and you know there will be lots of foods that you will enjoy eat smaller meals and snacks during the day.

Always keep a glass of water close by. It has been scientifically proven that water fills you up. As you are eating this holiday season develop the habit to always drink water with your food this will fill you up and fuel your body with needed goodness.

Help with preparing and organizing the functions. This will keep you busy burning calories with little time to over eat.

Keep an eye on the how much you have eaten. It can be very easy to loose track of how many slices of cake you have consumed. Keeping a little note

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book handy is a great way to jot down what you have eaten and makes it easy to prevent over eating. This also puts you in control of what you are eating and that is empowering.

Exercise. If you have over indulged get out and work your body shifting the extra weight before it becomes to overwhelming to shift. Exercising an hour or so before eating will increase your chance of listening to what your body needs without over eating.

Listen to your body. If you feel full stop eating. If you chew gum or clean your teeth after feeling full you will be less likely to continue eating.

Socialize. Focus on chatting rather than eating.

“The Don’ts Avoid taking full servings. There probably will be numerous deserts available and you will probably want a taste of several. By taking several small portions or sharing a portion with someone else will avoid over indulging.

Don’t eat right before bed. It’s best to avoid eating right before bed as your body will burn very few calories while sleeping.

Don’t stay around the food. Take your portion of food and move away from the food, preferably to a place where you can’t stare at the food, thinking whether or not you should have more.

Don’t weigh yourself after you have eaten, it will only depress you and give you a false weight.

Wait till the morning or after a bowel movement to weigh yourself.

Don’t snack all day long. Remember the importance of balanced nutritious meals.

Avoid eating mostly one food group. When you are plating up a dinner at a buffet make sure you have a little of each food group.

Don’t just eat because you are offered food. Feel free to decline food, if you are worried about offending the host take some food home to eat at your connivance. [http://www.worldwidehealth. com] 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

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By DaviD axe

USSIA, China and Japan are also designing stealth warplanes.

Other radical new weapon systems that emerged from the Yom Kippur War include special “reactive” vehicle armor that explodes outward, destroying incoming projectiles. That armor, along with other Israeli-designed vehicle protection, is now standard on the most popular Americanand Russian-made ground vehicles.

The first combat-grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones, were also rapidly designed by Israeli munitions manufacturers in order to avoid exposing reconnaissance pilots to enemy defenses, as happened in ’73.

The 10-foot-long Mastiff drone was unpopular — until thoroughly proven in tests. “Air force and army intelligence adopted it with much enthusiasm,” Eshel recalls. The Americans bought upgraded versions that are still in use today.

In the late ’70s, Abraham Karem, one of Israel’s leading drone inventors, immigrated to California, hoping to tap the much larger U.S. weapons market.

Using his home as a workshop, he produced the first prototype of what would become today’s General Atomics predator and Reaper drones, perhaps the major weapons in America’s global counter-terrorism campaign.

Inside the Dome Some analysts expect Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defense to have an equally profound impact on weapons development. Each Rafael-built Iron Dome system consists of a radar and three reloadable packs of 20 missiles, plus a command trailer. The radar, a sophisticated model designed by Elta, detects incoming rockets and other low-altitude projectiles and cues a maneuverable missile to intercept.

Iron Dome was developed by Israel, with some U.S. funding, after the 2006 Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon. “Israel was defenseless against massive Hezbollah rocket fire,” Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, wrote in the newsletter, Israel Hayom. “A year later, Hamas rocket-fire on southern Israeli communities intensified and the need arose to develop a system to defend against short-range missiles.”

Eight Iron Dome systems have now been funded. Two were deployed in 2011. An Israeli official told Eshel that Hamas fired approximately 1,500 rockets during the recent fighting, of which 146 misfired or fell inside Gaza and 875 exploded in unoccupied areas. Iron Dome intercepted 421. Just 58 rockets penetrated the defenses and fell in populated areas.

Six Israelis died and hundreds were injured, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

U.S. analysts have been watching and listening. Since the beginning of the Iraq War the pentagon has looked for ways to defend against intensive rocket strikes. As a stopgap, the military modified fast-firing naval guns for ground use. In the United States, however, purpose-designed defenses like Iron Dome have failed to get past the prototype stage. “people have been pointing to Iron Dome,” said David Wright, a missile-defense expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, “and saying it seems to show that kind of stuff can work.”

But many are concerned about the high cost.

Cornell’s Lewis estimates Hamas’ rockets cost at most $50,000 apiece.

Each Iron Dome missile costs up to $90,000, according to a March report from the Congressional Research Service. “We assumed the missile approach to be too expensive,” said Lewis of Cornell University. “It’s astonishing that the Israelis are doing this with missiles.”

EDGEDAVAO

E

contentious political changes – just when candidates are nervously awaiting either the most momentous or trivial segment of their political careers. They are fully aware that the voters want members of Congress and local officials who are courageous, credible, sincere, upright, and with powerful working ethic. Unfortunately, noted political experts and keen observers noticed there’s a mixed-up list of candidates of the contending parties who are seeking Senate seats composed mainly of neophytes, reelectionists, “favorite pets, has-been and have-nots.”

With the unconvincing composition, the electorate should have to change their ways in voting if they want to elect rightful and desirable officials. The emphasis should now be the people themselves. Installing into office straightforward and trustworthy political leaders determines many things. There is no way we can become a strong and respected nation if we elect old and familiar faces but undesirable, heedless and devious Congress and local bets. This must be one of the voters’ priorities. We cannot solve the country’s socio-economic problems until we have elected the right people to remarkably mold well-meaning and pro-masses legislative measures and would keep intense watch over the socio-economic programs of the government.

The people’s main challenge during the May 2013 midterm elections actually is how to choose rightful leaders who would help get back the country’s economic dynamism derailed because of the previous economic debacle.

Furthermore, the people need leaders who could help mitigate the causes of social unrest we are seeing right now such as massive unemployment, food shortage, lack of shelter and proper education, medical care and violence.

We are not going to elect incompetent and inept people to vital positions, which will only weaken the institutions they want to represent. In such a situation, it would be appropriate to have officials who would assert the prerogatives of the government in relation to the social and economic aspects and to make sure that there is effective political intervention on behalf of the underclass. public dissatisfaction has risen with the perception that many of the candidates from the national down to the local levels who are seeking reelection have been unable to tackle, in particular, their sworn task. On a final thought, it would be so degrading to see these people strutting again in the halls of power like political demigods.

It is very critical at this time with the midterm polls scheduled for next year because the burden is absolutely entrusted to the electorate on how they would build what political analysts and legal luminaries call - social and economic trust. What to do? We ought to choose officials who can engender that kind of political conviction.

SPECIAl FEATURE

ing to join his school in the coming few days.

Abdul Kareem Osman, 64, arrived at the camp two days ago after he fled his home in Damascus amid the fierce battles that engulfed his city over the past days.

“There is no safe place in Syria.

There is no electricity, no other public services and no work to live on,” Osman told Xinhua, adding “Our food ran out and we had no chance to stay alive.”

Qasimi, the female refugee, said that she left the Syrian city of Abu Kamal near the Iraqi border four days ago and came to Camp Domez after she failed to cross to Iraqi border through the al- Qaim border point which was closed.

“My son is in the Syrian government army and I haven’t seen him for more than a year because of the violence,” she said, while avoiding the camera which possibly would identify her and result in danger for her beloved son. [pNA/Xinhua]

Syrian refugees battling winter freeze

Syrian woman Hakima al- Qasimi in her fifties was seen setting up a tiny bonfire Sunday in the winter coldness at the refugee camp of Domez, in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan autonomous region.

Qasimi was hardly the only one battling the freeze among the thousands of Syrian people at Camp Domez, some 20 km south of the city of Dohuk, capital of the Dohuk province.

The number of Syrian refugees, many of them Kurdish people seeking to flee their country’s ongoing violence, has increased to more than 40,000 at the camps of the Kurdistan region, according to statistics released by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The number of families resorted to Domez has reached to 5,593, Niyazi Nuri, the head of the camp, told Xinhua.

“The camp is still receiving hundreds of refugees every day and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is providing all the humanitarian needs of the camp in cooperation with

By Jamal HaSHim, ZHang ning the international organizations,” Nuri said.

Subhi Ahmed, an UNHCR official at the camp, told Xinhua that his agency is providing the camp with winter clothes and is preparing new shelters for the new families that are joining the camp every day.

“We will set up 1,000 tents in the coming days and the KRG is providing the logistic support by supplying the camp with pipes of potable water,” Ahmed said.

“The education directorate of Dohuk province opened a school at the camp and has received more than 1,646 male and female students after employing some 50 Syrian teachers,” Abdullah Mohammed Saeed, headmaster of the school, told Xinhua.

The students are studying in Kurdish language, Saeed said, adding that some 500 more students are prepar-

9

Fighting the filibuster

Less political point-scoring

NGENDERING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TRUST – The beatings of electoral drums are getting nearer and louder – barely five months from now to be precise. On the part of candidates who are seeking reelection notably lawmakers, lofty campaign promises must be kept aside because there is no shortage of crucial issues to be examined. Aspiring candidates both in the national and local levels should always remember in the event some would successfully make it to the legislative chambers, they have one duty that precedes all others: to keep the country stable, progressive and prosperous.

That would mean bearing in mind to have more practical policy-making and less political point-scoring.

Successful candidates will need to directly involve themselves in the affairs of government especially in socio-economic management. If their aim was to demonstrate to the electorate the kind of public service the Filipinos would like to see, then they should not prematurely announce ambitious and make-believe initiatives, mostly schemes that reflect the desires of their constituencies. And for the next five months candidates of the contending parties will be flexing their political muscles, but their every moves and actions will be closely watched and monitored by the wary electorate. probably at this stage, candidates specifically those vying national positions have already in mind what they envision for the masses. However, early signs suggest that the cautious voters may instead seek drastic and

A

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

( 1st of two parts ) ANAlYSIS By ari melBer

p

RESIDENT Barack Obama recently said Congress should “seize the moment” and summon a majority to push immigration reform. There is only one problem – Congress already did that.

Majorities in the House and Senate backed the DREAM Act, a bill creating a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children, during Obama’s first term.

The bill died, however, when a minority of Republicans filibustered it. So even if a new immigration majority materializes next year, Republicans can just filibuster again. Unless Erika Andiola gets her way.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is due to hear arguments Dec. 10 in Andiola’s case – an ambitious and erudite lawsuit from Common Cause – which argues that a small band of senators have turned the filibuster into an unconstitutional assault on our democratic government.

Andiola is not a U.S. citizen, so you might wonder how she ended up in the middle of this debate. She moved with her parents from Mexico to Arizona at age 11. She was a quick learner, mastering English, graduating in the top five of her class and earning an academic scholarship to Arizona State University.

Andiola was stripped of the scholarship, however, after Arizona passed a law barring undocumented students from receiving educational benefits.

Now she is one of the lead plaintiffs in Common Cause v. Biden, the legal element of an escalating campaign to combat filibuster abuse in the Senate.

Andiola’s lawyers have a novel argument: She can sue the Senate because the filibuster thwarted legislation that would have protected her education.

Back on Capitol Hill, Democrats are also considering reforming the filibuster in January, once the new Senate is sworn in. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says the Senate can alter its rules with a bare majority on the first day of the session. (It would require a supermajority during the rest of the year.)

Other senators – mostly Republicans, but also some Democrats – say that no matter what day it is, the rules should be changed only with a supermajority. If Reid presses on, there will be a lot more debate about that arcane parliamentary question. The answer could determine the fate of Obama’s legislative agenda. And it’s a central issue in the filibuster lawsuit.

In the briefs for the case, Common Cause documents a radical shift familiar to C-SpAN junkies across the nation: The filibuster went from a rare procedure in the Senate to standard operating procedure. The Senate used to average about two filibusters per year, notes the brief, but that number skyrocketed to 137 for Obama’s first year in office.

Even if you are not a parliamentary junkie and expert on cloture, you have probably still heard the media echo of this trend. Any time a reporter says you “need 60 votes” to pass a bill in the Senate, he is referring to Republican filibuster threats which require 60 votes to overcome.

Over the past 20 years, and particularly the last four, something radical happened in our democracy. The filibuster has gradually transformed the legislative branch of government from a majoritarian democracy into a body frozen by a “minoritarian” veto.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS Truce

I

n the spirit of the holidays, Armed Forces chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa will recommend a holiday truce with the New people’s Army (NpA) that will last almost 20 days, similar to last year’s.

“We will recommend to have a suspension of offensive military operation (SOMO)…so that all can enjoy the Christmas season, so that soldiers and even (the rebels) in the mountains will at least be able to enjoy Christmas,” Dellosa said.

S

Confident

M

alacañang is confident the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not suffer the fate of the Memorandum on Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2008.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Framework Agreement was crafted by government and MILF negotiators “with the Supreme Court decision on the MOA-AD in mind.”

Declined

he number of Filipinos who are optimistic that their quality of life will improve in the next 12 months declined in the third quarter, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The survey found that 34 percent (optimists) expect that their quality of life will improve in the next 12 months, while 7 percent (pessimists) expects it to become worse.

p

EDGEDAVAO

Soaring stock market earns WORLD TODAY thumbs-up for Philippines C First child

A worker counts one thousand pesos bills inside a money changer in Manila November 28, 2012. The Philippine peso hovered around its strongest level in more than 4-1/2 years on Wednesday after stronger growth data, while most other emerging Asian currencies slid on worries about the looming U.S. fiscal crisis and doubt on the Greece debt deal.

[REUTERS]

N

T

HE economy notched another vote of confidence as the philippines landed in an international news website’s list of 40 best-performing stock markets this year.

CNN Money ranked the philippines as the 9th bourse with the strongest performance so far in 2012, noting a 26-percent gain as of Nov. 14.

The list, which is also tagged as the “best investments in the world,” includes stock markets which posted “healthy gains” despite “a volatile year and a slowing glob-

al economy,” CNN Money said.

The recent thumbs-up for the philippine economy comes as local stocks soared to new all-time highs 32 times so far this year.

The latest record was hit Thursday when the pSEi rose by 0.12 percent or 6.73 points, closing at 5,640.45.

“A number of stock markets around the world have delivered solid performances this year, but if you look at the standouts, there’s a common thread: they’re all small emerging markets,” CNN Money

said.

The best-performing markets are those are insulated from external events and have enjoyed stable local and political environments, it added, quoting a fund analyst.

Venezuela sat on top of the list of 40 markets, having posted a year-to-date gain of 219 percent so far this year.

It was followed by Egypt (55 percent), Turkey (43 percent), pakistan (33 percent) and Nigeria (31 percent).

At the bottom of the list, meanwhile, are Taiwan and the United

States,which both posted 6-percent gains; and Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg at 4 percent.

“While most of the top-performing markets are still small when it comes to liquidity and volume, they’re starting to gain positive attention from investors, fund managers and rating agencies,” CNN Money said further.

In the case of the philippines, the three major credit rating agencies--Standard & poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch--now placed it only a notch below investment grade.

[Yahoo]

orth Korea said it would carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 as its youthful leader Kim Jongun flexes his muscles a year after his father’s death, in a move that South Korea and the United States swiftly condemned as a provocation.

North Korea’s state news agency announced the decision to launch another space satellite on Saturday, just a day after Kim met a senior delegation from China’s Communist party in the North Korean capital of pyongyang.

I

V

IETNAM is setting up patrols to protect its fisheries in the South China Sea after a state company accused Chinese boats of sabotage and India declared itself ready to deploy naval vessels to safeguard its interests in the disputed waters.

Vietnam’s civilian-led

patrols, backed by marine police and a border force, will be deployed from January 25 to stop foreign vessels that violate fishing laws within Vietnam’s waters, Vietnam’s government and state media said.

The patrols illustrate mounting tension in the South China Sea where

claims by an increasingly powerful China have set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the mineral-rich waters.

A decree forming the Vietnamese patrols was signed on November 29,

Naval warships form a line during an exercise in the waters of Bay of Bengal in Chennai January 24, 2010. [REUTERS]

the day Chinese media announced new rules authorising police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize foreign ships in the South China Sea. “It’s going to lead to friction,” Carl Thayer, a Southeast Asia security expert at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said of China’s new rules that take effect from January 1 on boarding ships which “illegally enter” waters it claims.

“If it begins to assert these rights and isn’t challenged over time it becomes customary, it becomes practice.”

Vietnam’s announcement on the patrols, published in Tuesday’s Dan Viet newspaper, comes a day after its state oil and gas company, petrovietnam, accused Chinese boats of sabotaging an exploration operation by cutting a seismic cable being towed behind a Vietnamese boat.

Drone

ran captured a U.S. intelligence-gathering drone that entered its airspace over the Gulf, its armed forces said on Tuesday, the latest in a recent succession of alleged U.S. violations of Iranian territory.

The incident highlighted tensions in the Gulf as both the Islamic Republic and the United States seek to demonstrate their military capability over the waterway amid a standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Vietnam steps up sea patrols G as tensions with China climb

Cancelled

hilippine Airlines and Air philippines Express have announced that they canceled several Tuesday flights due to Typhoon pablo. pAL said in a Monday night news release that they canceled two domestic flights to Davao from Manila.

The airline also said that it is upgrading the aircraft of two subsequent flights to Davao to accommodate passengers of the canceled flights.

atherine, the wife of Britian’s prince William, spent the night in hospital where she is being treated for acute morning sickness following the announcement that the couple are expecting their first child.

The family revealed the news earlier Monday, ending fevered speculation about a baby destined to become Britain’s monarch whether it is a boy or a girl.

Rocket launch

Purged

ome 280,000 illegitimate registrants have been removed from the voters’ list in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Commission on Elections (Comelec) records show.

According to the Election and Barangays Affairs Department, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has detected 250,773 multiple registrants while the biometrics system has spotted 29,394 underage registrants. Biometrics refers to the picture, fingerprint and electronic signature recorded by a computer during the voters’ registration period.

T

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Party mates

ermany’s Angela Merkel will rally the rank-and-file of her conservative party at its annual congress Tuesday, eyeing a third term as chancellor of Europe’s top economy in elections next year.

Buoyed from her position as the country’s most popular politician, Merkel, 58, takes the podium at her ruling Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) two-day conference in the northern city of Hanover.

p

Warned

resident Barack Obama dramatically told Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad not to turn chemical weapons on his own people, following US warnings his forces were mixing deadly sarin gas.

Obama publicly told the increasingly isolated Assad not to unleash the “worst weapons of the 20th century” in the 21st, capping a day of alarming American warnings on the Syrian regime’s intentions.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Bangsamoro...

FFROM 1

C. Gascon, of the Office of political Affairs of the Office of the president, during a three-hour special dialog Monday with members of the Regional peace and Order Council in Southern Mindanao (RpOC 11) headed by Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario.

Also in attendance were Gov. Corazon N. Malanyaon (Davao Oriental), Gov. Arthur T. Uy (Compostela Valley), Mayor Michelle N. Rabat (Mati City), regional directors and commanders of the philippine Army units and philippine National police in the region.

Gascon, who was the youngest member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission and served in Congress as partylist representative, interacted with RpOC members, particularly on the views and comments of six local government units (LGUs)—Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Sur and panabo City -- on the FAB document.

Gascon said he had read the seven-and-ahalf page document and found it “encouraging” and “very positive.”

The views and comments from Davao City occupied more than half of the 7.5 pages.

Using the power point presentation of prof. Maria Coronel

Pablo...

Ferrer, senior member of the philippine peace panel, Dept. of political Science, Up entitled “The political Settlement with Bangsamoro,” Gascon told members of the RpOC and ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the philippines and the philippine National police that the Bangsamoro land contemplated in the FAB is “not the final peace agreement” and “definitely not the controversial MOA AD.” He said, however, that it is a roadmap to the achievement of final peace in Mindanao.

He said the situation today is that both sides of the Mindanao conflict are no longer “face to face” negotiating, but rather “side by side working on the agreement.”

He said both sides “see the need to closely work together.”

He said the panels are now hammering out agreements as followup documents to the FAB. The panels are negotiating on power sharing, wealth sharing and normalization.

Discussion on power sharing, he said, is focused on the reserved, concurrent and exclusive lists of powers and competencies, intergovernmental relations and territorial scope and jurisdiction. This part is “95 percent completed,”

said Gascon, who did not elaborate.

On the other hand, talks on wealth sharing between the panels involve taxation, block grants and subsidies, revenue share from natural resources and other sharing modalities, he said.

Also being negotiated is the normalization portion of the final agreement. Gascon said this involves security, which deals on the decommissioning of combatants, disposition of weapons and policing the ranks of the forces on both sides, socio-economic matters and, finally, justice and reconciliation.

He said the Bangsamoro is intended to have a parliamentary form of government, rather than the executive-legislative form like what the country has now. It will be headed by a “chief minister” (not a “prime minister”).

The Bangsamoro will elect members of its assembly, who will in turn elect the chief minister.

The Bangsamoro will be given due respect for its religious and cultural identity.

The Bangsamoro and the national government will have an asymmetric relationship instead of a co-equal relationship, where the national government is higher than the Bangsamoro.

masyado ang tubig,” he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He feared there may be more who were swept away by flood.

Uy said New Bataan was one of the worst-hit areas in the province. Citing initial reports, Uy said the Army truck was about to make a turn when it got swept away. “Nang lumiko sila biglang bumuhos ang baha,” he said. When asked if there could be more casualties, he said it was possible.

Reports reaching the regional office of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 11 said that 20 soldiers were reported missing or feared dead in barangay Andap, New Bataan, Compostela Valley.

OCD 11 regional director Lisa Mazo said they are still verifying reports that the soldiers’ outpost was buried by a landslide.

But National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) head Benito Ramos said the only confirmed death involving a soldier was the one who drowned while helping evacuate residents affected by floods in Compostela Valley.

Ramos said the reported missing soldiers belonged to Charlie Company of the 66th Infantry Batallion, 10th Infantry Division of the philippine Army.

“We are trying to establish contact with them as the area is totally isolated. Roads are not passable and no communication available,” he said.

The typhoon disrupted communication with damaged cell sites while roads were made impassable by fallen trees and landslides.

FFROM 1

lines.

In Davao Oriental, planning and development officer Freddie Bendulo said six people were killed, including an elderly woman in Manay town who was crushed to death when a tree fell on her house, adding that they are still identifying the other five and find out how they had died.

Bendulo said four fishermen were also reported missing off the province’s east coast.

In Compostela Valley, Governor Arthur Uy said at least six residents were feared dead after an Army truck evacuating them to safer ground was swept away by floodwaters.

Uy cited initial reports reaching him indicating that the incident occurred in Barangay Andap in New Bataan town. “As of 4 p.m. hindi mapasukan ang New Bataan dahil mataas

11 Senators sees smooth sailing of FOI bill T HE Senate leadership gave assurances Tuesday the proposed Freedom of Information bill faces no hindrances for its passage in the upper house of Congress.

Senate president Juan ponce Enrile assured the Senate will approve the FOI bill which, if passed into law, would give even ordinary Filipinos, specially media members, access to information in the government offices.

Senate minority leader Alan peter Cayetano and Sen. Loren Legarda delivered co-sponsorship Tuesdsay in support of the measure.

“Best Christmas gift we can give to Filipinos is the passage of the FOI – a measure institutionalizing transparency and accountability in this country,” Cayetano said.

Legarda expressed support for Senate Bill 3208, An Act Fortifying

Sereno...

the people’s Right of Ownership over Information Held by the people’s Government. She stressed that honesty, transparency and accountability must always be upheld to gain back the people’s confidence and faith in the bureaucracy.

“While the present administration is undertaking efforts to elevate the citizens’ trust and confidence in the government, we must give the people something that they can hold on to,” said Legarda in her co-sponsorship.

Legarda explained that the various controversies in the past decade have left Filipino citizens doubting the capability of the government to do its mandate of serving the best interest of the people.

“Under this proposed measure, we aim to feed our people with infor-

mation about us, the leaders they elected in office, and the businesses our offices deal with.

All government agencies will be mandated to disclose information on public interest transactions, documents or records,” she pointed out.

The Senator said the compulsory disclosure shall be done by posting the aforementioned documents on government websites for easy access, aside from providing these documents upon a person’s request.

Furthermore, vital information must be translated into major Filipino languages and made easier to comprehend.

Senate committee on public information and mass media chairman Sen. Gregorio Honasan said if nobody would interpellate, the Senate would proceed to vote on second reading. [pNA]

to the SC en banc questioning the resolution issued by Sereno without authority from the en banc.

During Tuesday’s en banc session presided

by Carpio, the issue as to the RCAO was still pursued.

The SC en banc has decided to put on hold the assumption of Econg as RCAO head.

It has designated Associate Justice presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. to talk to Econg not to perform her duties and assume her post. [pNA]

press themselves. We will allow them to do so,” he said.

In this year’s celebration, it was also the first time that Task Force Davao,

10th Infantry Division and Amnesty International (AI) are joining hands to lead the 25th commemoration of Human Rights Weein the country.

government regulations regarding the selling and distribution of fireworks and firecrackers, she said.

Ventura said the BFp was specifically tasked to conduct fire safety orientations to fireworks and firecracker vendors and establish display areas for them.

She said the pNp will be responsible for the monitoring and enforcement aspect, specifically the confiscation of illegal or banned items.

Based on the govern-

ment’s regulations, the selling and distribution of firecrackers and fireworks containing gunpowder measuring to more than a third of a teaspoon are strictly prohibited.

Among the firecrackers that had failed such standard but have remained available in the markets are pla-pla, bin laden, big triangulo, super lolo, goodbye philippines, goodbye world and piccolo. [Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews]

FFROM 2

of RCAO in Region 7 in Cebu City.

They also denied that they allowed Sereno to appoint Judge Geraldine Faith A. Econg to be the Officer-in-Charge of RCAO Region 7.

Associate Justice De Castro wrote a letter

Karapatan...

FFROM 2

streamers but are prohibited from bringing firearms and other deadly weapons which is not allowed by law.

“They are free to ex-

DOH...

FFROM 3

and firecracker victims in strategic public places.

She said they tapped the Department of Education to help enhance the campaign by educating schoolchildren and students regarding the perils of using fireworks and firecrackers.

The agency has also linked up with the Department of Trade and Industry, philippine National police (pNp) and the Bureau of Fire protection (BFp) to ensure proper implementation of

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VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Realty

EDGEDAVAO

Health and Wellness

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EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

COMPETITIVE EDGE 13

DCWD grants discount to senior citizens

T

HE Davao City Water District is granting special discount and privilege to senior citizens on their water bills as provided in the expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or also known as Republic Act 9994. The utility has been implementing this since 2010 which is also in line with its service pledge

and customer satisfaction program.

To avail of the said privilege or discount, the senior citizen or the authorized representative may apply at any DCWD offices in Bajada, Matina, Victoria plaza and Toril by submitting the following requirements: proof of identity (OSCA ID), proof of account registration

(DCWD Water Bill), proof of residency (barangay certification) and authorization of representative.

For individual service connection applications, five percent discount will be given provided that these conditions are met: the connection account is in the name of the senior citizen residing therein for a period of one year;

discount is applicable only on the month/s when water consumption does not exceed 30 cubic meters; privilege has a validity of one year and is subject to re-application/ renewal otherwise it may be reverted to its original scheme if not re-applied/ renewed. Said privilege may be discontinued in case of death of the ac-

count holder or any violation of DCWD policies and shall not be excused from imposition of penalty.

Senior Citizen Institutions can also avail of the privilege and shall be granted of the 50% discount under the following conditions: the discount privilege is given on a monthly basis and is valid for one year and

Hedcor grants training for OSY

H

SUSPENDED. A security guard of Magallanes Elementary School along Magallanes St. shows the “No Class Today” sign posted at the school’s main gate due to typhoon

“Pablo” that made Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio suspends classes yesterday. LEAN DAVAL JR.

subject to re-application or renewal; discount may be reverted to its original scheme if not re-applied or renewed; it will be discontinued in case the institution’s license/ accreditation is terminated by the DSWD or expired and any violation of DCWD policies and shall not be excused from imposition of penalty.

EDCOR has given out a chance for five out-of-schoolyouth (OSY) to complete a Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) course under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The course calls for 268 hours of practical training where upon completion, the scholars will be qualified for TESDA’s assessment toward a level 2 National Certification (NC) in SMAW. The National Certification will help the youth land higher-paying jobs wherever they are minded to apply.

The beneficiaries are members of the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe, the indigenous group that hosts

the Sibulan and Tudaya hydropower plants in Sta Cruz, Davao del Sur. This is the second batch of scholars to receive the same scholarship from the renewable energy company. The first scholars from last year’s program are already applying their skill at work.

“Hedcor is indeed our partner in shaping the future of our youths,” said tribal leader Datu Rogelio Manapol.

Hedcor is the front runner in run-of-river hydropower in the philippines with 19 hydro plants in Benguet, Davao and Ilocos Sur generating a total capacity of 155 megawatts.

[Hedcor]

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Azkals’ confidence soar, But will the Lions roar?

By Neil Bravo

Phil Younghusband (left) says the Azkals are more confident with two wins over Singapore this year.

Inset, Shahril Ishak of the Singapore Lions will be the main man for the Lions whose fans will try to make an exclusive Lion’s den of their home stadium.

W

ITH two wins this year against the Singapore side, the philippine Azkals are oozing with confidence in the buildup to the much-awaited semifinals home game on Saturday.

Azkals star striker phil Younghusband believes that those wins against Singapore will give them an edge in the semifinals of the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup. The Azkals beat Singapore twice this year in friendly matches – a 2-0 triumph last September 7 at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore and repeated with a 1-0 victory last November 15 in Cebu.

“We’ve had good results against them and that gives us confidence,” Younghusband said in a recent television interview. “We know how Singapore (plays).” playing their first home game in the country could give the Azkals the much-needed psychological boost.

But just how important it is to play in your own turf and before your legion of fans, the Singaporeans know better.

Over at Singapore, the Lions fans are getting ready for the big clash with the Azkals by ensuring there will be no ‘visitors’ in the stands of JBS on December 12 for the Singapore home game.

In their official Facebook page, Lions fans asked organizers to make the tickets exclusively sold to Singapore fans on the first day of sales.

Ahmad Loqman Ishak posted on the Exclusive Singapore Lins XII Facebook page: “(We) must fill Jalan Besar Stadium with Singaporean... if not, the pinoys here will fill in JBS and support their own team for sure.. Go Singapore Go!!!”

Ishak has a point.

Even in Singapore, the Azkals have legion of fans.

Another Lions fan Roland Lim said: “Will be interesting how FAS plan to arrange the ticket sale as

sg got tons of pinoy supporters! Suggest should allocate at least 1000 tickets min (minimum)?”

Realizing that, other fans suggested to sell the tickets, which fetch to 10 Singapore dollars for gallery and 16 Singapore dollars for the best seats, to Singapore fans.

Suggested Lions fan Lyz Ja’afar: “Can I suggest to open the ticket sales solely for Singaporeans on the first day, then the remaining tickets unsold to be open for all including foreigners on e next day so tt we, e Singaporeans will b given e utmost opportunity to fill up e stadium to support our Lions team. Also, I strongly feel tt tickets should not b set available thru e AXS if we want to c the cheers, the roars & the wave by our true Singaporeans! Rest assured, we Singaporeans will b thr to support them if tickets are being prioritised for us e Singaporeans. Show ic upon purchase! please.. please.. please...!!!”

Veteran Azkals standout Chieffy Caligdong will again be relied upon by coach Michael Weiss off the bench.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNEDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ARTS & CULTURE

The reel deal on Aidx Paredes

IT’S been seven years since I graduated from the UP Film Institute and I have been feeling a bit idle for not having gotten any hands on experience in film production right after college. While I still revisit my love affair with photography through various outlets and projects, I have yet to finish my full length script and experience the “reel” deal.

Despite my time off from film production, I continue to get inspiration from young

and independent film makers who show a lot of promise in the art of storytelling.

A few more years before he steps out of college, Aidx Paredes, photographer / graphic artist, is now making his debut as a filmmaker. He has made a huge transition with his newly completed short film, “Somnolence.”

The 14-minute silent film, written and directed

by Aidx, tells of a girl and a boy who fall in love and are faced with the challenges of their own dreams and desires. Love does not encompass all in between bizarre realities that surround the couple. Just when love is supposed to find them, it opens doors to their own self defiance which leads to further complications.

Aidx draws inspiration from sad movies and sentimental songs. The styling, the treatment, and the rest of the elements of are vividly inspired by the hipster culture Tumblr has created.

He even gives him film a touch of nostalgia with digitalized film burns and vintage color application.

JM Santillan, the director of photography, is also the first “litratista” of the year of the prestigious school award, the Foto Modelo Ateneo. He recently won an award in an Asian photography contest. Aidx finds harmony with JM’s treatment, having worked with him for almost a year through collaborations and magazine shoots. Together, they have come up with a mutual idea of how they want the film to look, branding it with their own style and vision.

The cast, LA Subido and Michael Lu, are two of

Aidx’s favorite muses whom he has worked with the ad campaigns for Pickled and Peppered. Aidx also had a hand in styling his artists with help from Davao-born clothing brands, SOUL Lifestyle and Pickled and

Peppered.

The musical score was done by two independent artists from Manila, namely Idris Vicuña from the Bee Eyes band and Francis Regalado from the group Love in Athens. These artists are quite known in Manila’s underground music scene.

“Somnolence” will be shown on December 8 at the Cinema 5 of Gaisano Mall. Movie starts at 8pm.

Discover what a young blood like Aidx Paredes can do, and let’s support the next generation of Filipino filmmakers.

A2 INdulge!

UP AnD ABoUT

Miguel Antonio brings jazzy Christmas to SM Lanang Premier, Dec 22 MigUEL AnTonio, an 11-year-old boy blessed with a voice of an angel, is set to bring the love and warmth of Christmas to SM Lanang Premier on December 22.

Young boy Antonio who recently launched his first EP (What is Christmas to You) first performed on stage at his school’s idol contest in 2010 where he won first prize. Since then, Miguel took part in various competitions and performed at various charity shows. The young lad also performed in Disney Channel’s Upin and ipin Beatbox promotional trailer. in 2011, Miguel sang at “David Foster and Friends Concert in Singapore” accompanied by Mr David Foster on the piano.

Rearranged with a lighthearted jazz feel, Miguel’s rendition of “give Love on Christmas Day” brings a whiff of freshness, retaining the nostalgia to this festive classic.

Experience a jazzy Christmas! Catch Miguel Antonio live at SM Lanang Premier on December 22, 5PM at the mall atrium. Admission is free.

For inquiries, call 285.0943. Like SM Lanang Premier on Facebook or follow @smalanangpremier on Twitter for event and promo updates.

Rurouni Kenshin premiers Dec 5 at all SM Cinemas

EnjoY a day of fun and excitement as SM Lanang Premier holds a Rurouni Kenshin Fan’s Day in celebration of the Ruroni Kenshin live action movie premier on December 5, 2012 at the SM Cinema Lobby of Lanang Premier.

Cosplay as your favorite Samurai X characters or join our open Cosplay competition where you have a chance to win Rurouni Kenshin movie tickets and iMAX loot bags.

Rorouni Kenshin stars Takeru Sato stars as the titular political assassin turned non-lethal protector, Takei Emi as Kamiya Kaoru, Aoki Munetaka as Sagara Sanosuke, Taketo Tanaka as Myoujin Yahiko, Aoi Yuu as Takani Megumi, Eguchi Yosuke as Saitou Hajime, Kikkawa Kouji as Udou jine, and Kagawa Teruyuki asTakeda Kanryuu.

The film will be screened exclusively at all SM Lanag Premier and SM City Davao and will run from December 5 to 9.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Is all body fat created equal?

In prehistoric times, the bodies of our ancestors adapted perfectly to periods of intermittent starvation, becoming highly efficient at storing extra energy (calories) they came across and consumed. Unfortunately, in these bountiful 21st century times of plenty, this energy-storing efficiency that served the caveman so well now contributes to our problems with weight gain and obesity.

What does our body do with the extra energy we consume?

We first store our extra food energy away in fat cells beneath our skin, dispersed evenly throughout the entire body. This initial energy “sink”—if it happens during a period when the person is consuming normal amounts of food—is healthy.

But if a person keeps consuming more and more calories, those fatstorage cells will continue to grow, and will become overstuffed and “sick.” The bloated condition of these cells will then trigger inflammation and cause fat to be deposited within and around our main internal organs. This means

that if a person continues to indulge in serious gluttony, this consumption of excess calories will cause substantial amounts of fat to accumulate in our liver, around our abdominal organs, within muscle, and around the heart—and it’s this type of fat that is particularly dangerous to our

ing different responses to weight gain. Some people have a greater capacity to store energy in a healthy way during that first energy “sink” that are mentioned above. In others, excess calories start to be deposited much earlier as fat, in and around the vital organs.

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that visceral fat in and around your belly is bad for you. The good news is that, once we start to exercise, our body seems to preferentially burn this unhealthy fat first. health!

This fat that is deposited around the vital organs is called visceral fat and it’s more metabolically active than regular subcutaneous (under the skin) fat, so that it produces more inflammation, more metabolic problems, and more diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Importance of Waist Size There are many different body types, reflect-

It also turns out that this pattern of fat deposition varies by gender and race: Men’s bodies have a significantly greater tendency to store visceral fat than do women’s bodies, and people of South-Asian descent are also much more likely to make this kind of fat.

A Simple But Crucial Diagnostic Test Has your doctor ever measured your waist circumference? This is usually done with a simple

tape measure. It turns out that waist circumference is more indicative of visceral fat than is either your weight or your body mass index (BMI)—which means that waist circumference is a better predictor of the onset of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So watch your belly!

If you are a man, try to keep your waist circumference less than 40 inches— women should aim for below 35 inches.

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that visceral fat in and around your belly is bad for you. The good news is that, once we start to exercise, our body seems to preferentially burn this unhealthy fat first.

Therefore, even with modest weight loss, you will begin to see belly fat start to melt away! And the beneficial metabolic effects of this kind of weight loss cannot be underestimated: By trimming your belly, you can markedly reduce your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So the important thing to remember here is, please do not be frustrated if your initial efforts don’t produce your ideal weight loss—since not all body fat is created equal, as long as your belly is shrinking, then you are making progress! (Yahoo! Health)

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

EnTERTAinMEnT

Kate Middleton pregnant!

Royal, Prince William expecting first baby!

Kate Middleton is pregnant! no, seriously, for real this time.

While speculation of Prince William’s royal heir kicked into high gear last week, St. james’s Palace this morning confirmed the worst-kept secret in England, and announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first baby.

“Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby,” the palace said in a statement this morning. no doubt intending to keep this highly public news as private as possible, there was no word on whether Kate and Wills are expecting a boy or girl, or a possible due date for the little royal.

The palace did announce that Kate was “in the very early stages” of her pregnancy, however, and today was admitted to King Edward Vii Hospi-

tal in London due to suffering hyperemesis gravidarum—in other words, acute morning sickness.

She’s expected to remain in the hospital for just a few days and will rest at home after. in fact, it’s believed that the royal mama-to-be has not yet hit the 12-week mark, but was forced to announce the pregnancy owing to her hospitaliza-

tion.

“The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news,” the palace said.

As is the world at large and those in favor of the continuation of the monarchy, we’re guessing.

Congrats!

Mike Tyson ‘not mad’ at Brad Pitt for sleeping with ex-wife Robin Givens no need for earmuffs or a tetanus shot, Brad Pitt.

Mike Tyson isn’t mad at Angelina jolie’s fiancé for allegedly sleeping with his ex-wife Robin givens back in 1988. Saturday, the retired boxer recounted walking in on the World War Z star and givens in bed together during an interview with “in Depth with graham Bensinger” on Yahoo!

Sports. “i was getting a divorce. i was going to my lawyer’s office to divorce her that day but i wanted to sneak in a quickie,” Tyson said. “This particular day, someone beat me to the punch…i guess Brad got there earlier than i did. i was mad as hell. You should’ve saw his face when he saw me.”

This isn’t the first time Tyson’s spoken out about this purported betrayal: Earlier this year he re-

counted the events to Conan o’Brien on his eponymous talk show, and he also told global grind about the incident in harsher terms.

So while he certainly hasn’t forgotten, he

seems to have forgiven. “i hope Brad doesn’t think i’m mad at him,” Tyson said. “i’m not mad at this guy, no way.” glad to see Mikey T has finally acquired some anger management skills!

INdulge! A3

A4 INdulge!

EVEnT EnTERTAinMEnT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Megastar

wows Davao

Text and Photos

by Lean Daval, Jr.

M

S SHAROn CUnETA, the country’s one and only megastar, awed Dabawenyos when Abreeza Mall once again treated them to a once-in-a-lifetime experience through its “A Thanksgiving Musical” last Sunday.

Maan Chua

Rhyzza

Abreeza’s activity center was bursting with swooning humanity including Sharon’s adoring fans which began pouring into the mall from all directions as early as 11 o’clock in the morning just to get seats near the stage so they could see her up close, even though the show did not start until 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

The Megastar’s enduring charisma was very evident as soon as she stepped on the stage and performed her best known hits which made her star-struck Dabawenyo fans giggled with excitement. Her sweet voice has not changed; it’s still like listening to her original songs from the albums that her avid fans collected through the years.

Chokoleit

Performances from Dabawenyos Maan Chua and Chokoleit, Talentadong Pinoy’s Rhyzza and Zion Show spiced up the event. Chua, a Tunog Mindanaw 2011 grand champion, sang her winning piece Ilaw ng Kapayapaan ,while the comical Chokoleit sang and made the audience guffaw at his unique antics.

The country’s beloved Megastar may not be seen regularly performing or doing concerts like she used to when younger, but it was clear that to her fans and followers, this was the same Sharon Cuneta that captured their hearts for over three decades ago.

Allow us to share some of the pictures we took at the memorable show last Sunday.

SPORTS15

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 197 •WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

Team Pacquiao off to Vegas M

ANNY pacquiao’s fourth showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez tols its final countdown when the camp of the Filipino ring icon leaves for Las Vegas. pacquiao sparred on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) for one last time at the Wild Card gym at around mid-noon, and after freshening up, embarks immediately for the four-hour travel to the entertainment capital of the world.

His entourage that includes trainer Freddie Roach, assistants Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, is expected to arrive in Vegas by night time, just in time for the formal arrival ceremony by the two fighters on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) at the lobby of the MGM Grand.

A long convoy of vehicles will accompany the 33-year-old pacquiao on his way to ‘Sin City,’ including the customized bus provided by Top Rank that bears the huge image of the ‘pacman.’

Marquez and his group are also going to Vegas on Monday after arriving in LA on Saturday aboard a private plane from Tolucca, Mexico, where his training camp was based.

The final press confer-

ence for the 12-round fight is set on Wednesday while the formal weigh-in is set Friday noon. pacquiao is heading to his fourth fight with Marquez from a camp that was bereft of distractions so unlike the last time he had prepared for the Mexican. It was before his fight against Marquez exactly a year ago when rumors first came out that pacquiao’s relationship with wife Jinkee was on the rocks.

The highly-disputed majority decision pacquiao later fashioned out against Marquez added fuel to the fire as reports of the rocky marriage were picked up by major US newspaper dailies despite the boxing superstar’s vehement denials.

Now that he’s facing Marquez once more, pacquiao is certain no such distraction will ever affect him again.

“Walang aalalahanin, 100 percent (ang) condition and focus, no distraction,” he said without mentioning in particular past troubles that bothered him in past training camps.

Since renewing his faith in God, pacquiao has completely turned his back on his old vices of gambling, drinking, and at times, womanizing.

Manny Pacquiao, pictured in a light mood with trainer Freddie Roach, has declared that his condition and focus is at “100 percent” as he wraps up training camp for his fight against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. AP

Barkley joins Manny in training

N

EW YORK — Manny pacquiao did some training with a heavyweight for his next bout: Charles Barkley.

Barkley and fellow NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller visited the boxing megastar in camp before his fourth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, the subject of a 30-minute special

that will air Thursday on TNT (Friday, Manila time) after the network’s NBA doubleheader.

“Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny pacquiao” features clips in which Barkley and Miller spend time with pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California

— Barkley even having to steady himself while holding the heavy bag as pacquiao hits it. Miller also joins pacquiao on his morning run through Griffith park in Los Angeles.

Barkley, who once famously brawled with Shaquille O’Neal in a game, says that “as a boxing fan, it was one of the coolest

things I’ve ever done.”

He and Miller, both TNT analysts, are also shown shooting baskets with pacquiao, a basketball fan who last year delayed his ring entrance so he could watch the end of a Boston Celtics playoff game. pacquiao fights Marquez on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

space of a month and has been without injured star point guard Steve Nash, expected to be the triggerman first for Mike Brown’s newlook princeton offense and now for the spread pickand-roll system he ran under Mike D’Antoni for years in phoenix, for all but 50 minutes this season. Still, explanations aside, this is hardly the way most figured the Lakers would look one-fifth of the way through the 2012-13 season.

As the losses mount — the Lakers would have to go 65-0 to fulfill Metta World peace’s preseason wish, which seems unlikely — patience is wearing thin, not only within the Lakers’ fan base (which, as we’ve seen, can be pretty intense) but also within the ultra-competitive mind of L.A.’s top dog. From Joe McDonnell of FoxSports.com: Kobe Bryant had seen enough.

Another humiliating loss to another bad team Sunday night had the Lakers co-captain ready to take on the whole team if his teammates don’t start getting their games — and attitudes — together.

“I’ll kick everybody’s ass in this locker room if it doesn’t happen,” Bryant said after a 113-103 loss to the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. Yes, the 6-10 Orlando Magic. “It’s the atti-

tude you have to have. Metta is the same way. Dwight has it in him as well. Even though he smiles a lot, he cares a lot about this. Come hell or high water, this has to get done.”

This seems to be the general consensus around the Lakers — all hands on deck, we’re surrounded, wins need to be strung together like popcorn for a Christmas tree and whatever must transpire for those wins to start coming needs to happen, like, yesterday.

Lakers fans surely appreciate hearing those words from Bryant, but would probably much rather hear them from charity-averse center Howard (9 for 21 from the freethrow line against Orlando, including 7 for 14 during L.A.’s fourth-quarter collapse, a career-worst 46.5 percent on the season) or, even better, from out-ofsorts big man pau Gasol (11 points on 4-for-11 shooting against the Magic, sadly stuffed at the rim by earthbound-and-down Orlando counterpart Glen Davis, playing the least productive basketball of his NBA life) than from a version of Kobe who’s playing perhaps the most efficient ball of his career while serving as the Lakers’ primary scorer and facilitator in Nash’s absence.

I’ll kick everybody’s ass if we don’t fix things T

Kobe Bryant has seen enough of the Lakers’ misfortunes.

HE Los Angeles Lakers’ Jekyll and Hyde act continued apace over the weekend, with a Friday night blitzing (17 3-pointers, 54 percent shooting, a 28-and-20 performance by Dwight Howard and 122 points) of the Denver Nuggets giving way to a Sunday night stumble against an Orlando Magic team that entered Staples Center at 5-10, losers of three straight and five of its last seven. But in the two teams’ first meeting following the four-team, 12-player offseason blockbuster that sent Howard from central Florida to Hollywood, the Magic hung with a Laker side that’s experienced its share of turmoil this season, too, and pulled away with a 35-19 burst over the game’s final seven minutes.

The loss drops the Lakers to 8-9, a below-.500 mark that seems stunning given both the collection of talent on hand and the statistical note that L.A.’s got a top-five offense and a top-10 defense in terms of points scored and allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stat tool. The win-loss-win-loss trading, the alternating progress and regression on display every night, has been somewhat understandable — after all, the team has had three different head coaches in the

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VOL.5 ISSUE 197 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

AAK Davao stamps class anew T

HE AAK Davao continued to reap the dividends of its intensive program after it romped off anew with a medal harvest in the recent 2012 Adidas International Karate Cup at the SM Mall of Asia.

AAK Davao hauled off 7 gold medals on top of 8 silvers and 8 bronzes in a stint described by head coach Rommel Tan as “more than what we expected.”

The gold medalista are.

Rick David Aquino (Davao Central HS) in the 6-7 yrs old boys intermediate kata, Alexa Gabrielle Barnes (Davao Central HS) in the 6-7 girls intermediate kata and 6-7 girls kumite, Darlene Mara Mara (Tecarro) in the 12-13 girls kumite, Kassandra Danielle Barnes (Davao Christian HS) girls Cadets intermediate kata, Arthur Lao III (Ateneo de Davao University) in the juniors open kata and pvael Jervis Bacayo (University of the Immaculate Conception) in the juniors above 68-kg kumite.

Bagging silver medals were Onna Ysabelle Barnes in the kata and kumite, Vivian Cortes (UIC) in the girls kata, Denzel Mara Mara (Tecarro) in the girls kata, Angelica Noro (UIC) in girls kumite, Mary Ann pilarte (UIC) in girls kata, pavel jervis Bacayo (UIC) in boys kata and Arthur Lao III

(Ateneo) in kumite.

The bronze medalists are Carmela Marie Estarija in girls kata and kumite (Stella Maaris Academy), Danya paquil in girls kata and kumite (UIC), Denzel Mara Mara (Tecarro) in girls kumite, Angelica Noro in girls kata, Mary Ann pilarte (UIC) in girls kumite, and Kassandara Barnes (Davao City High School) in girls kumite.

More than 400 entries joined the championships which attracted entries from powerhouse Japan and Indonesia.

The team also attended the kumite seminar conducted by Shin Tsukii Sensei at the Jose Rizal University gymnasium.

“We had a great time and we learned a lot from the seminar given by Sensei Shin Tsukii who is the former philippine Team coach and is now based in Japan, he is regarded as one of the best instructors in Japan today,” said Tan. The event was graced by newly re-elected pOC president peping Cojuangco and pOC Sec-Gen Steve Hontiveros along with Manuel pocholo Veguillas, Chairman of AAK and president of the Ice Skating Union of the philippines and Hans Sy of SM. The team also paid a visit pSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr.

AAK UIC Karatedo Team celebrate after receiving their medals.

AAK Davao Karatekas pay courtesy call to PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr.