Edge Davao 5 Issue 254 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

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Page A1 FRESH AND ENERGETIC. Park Inn by Radisson Davao, a fresh and energetic 204room mid-market hotel located in J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City, holds its soft opening yesterday. The hotel is located adjacent to the sprawling SM Lanang Premier Mall, some 15 minutes away from the Davao International Airport. Lean Daval Jr.

Finding BGC’s delicious kitchen Sports

Page 15

76th Araw opens T HE 76th Araw ng Dabaw celebration kicked off officially Monday in a simple ceremony sans Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who was on official leave of absence.

The affair was well attended by local government officials, from members of the city council, department heads, representatives of the diplomatic corps, regional

F76th ARAW OPENS, 11

GPH, MILF resume peace talks in KL Sweet victory

HE Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front resumed negotiations in Kuala Lumpur yesterday on the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that would complete their comprehensive peace pact, while negotiations for a peaceful resolution on the twoweek standoff in Lahad

Datu, Sabah between Malaysian authorities and an armed group led by an heir of the Sultanate of Sulu, continues. Malaysia has been facilitating the GPH-MILF peace process since 2001 and

FGPH, 11

WELCOME MESSAGE. Jason Magnaye, Jason Magnaye, officer-in-charge of the Davao City Tourism, Investment and Promotions (DCTIP) Office, reads the welcome message of Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, who wasn’t able attend the event, during the formal opening of the 76th Araw ng Dabaw at the Rizal Park along San Pedro Street, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Senate race

EDGEDAVAO

Team PNoy in 2-day visit to Mindanao

FTER wooing voters in the Visayas, including vote-rich Cebu, last week, Team PNoy senatorial candidates will bring their political campaign to Mindanao in the next two days. Team PNoy media advisory says the senatorial entourage of the coalition of Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party and Nationalist People’s Coalition will open Mindanao sorties Tuesday with a rally at the Alubijid covered gym in Misamis Oriental. The team will then travel from Alubijid to Cagayan de Oro City where it will be joined by President Benigno Aquino III in another campaign rally inside the Cagayan de Oro Sports Center late in the afternoon.

Wednesday, the administration’ senatorial bets will travel to Malaybalay to woo voters of Bukidnon province at the Bukidnon State University gymnasium, after which Team PNoy will return to Manila Thursday to spend the rest of the week campaigning in the Luzon area. Team PNoy team manager Sen. Franklin Drilon said though they have chosen Cagayan de Oro as the first stop of their Mindanao leg campaign, “we will also visit other cities in Mindanao.” ”It just so happened that Cagayan de Oro City was the first city of our first Mindanao campaign sortie,” he explained after a press conference of Team PNoy Monday. [PNA]

TransCom members named MILF peace panel chair Iqbal is TransCom chair

ALACANANG announced yesterday noon the appointment of 15 members of the Transition Commission of the Philippine government (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the body that would prepare the groundwork for the setting up of the new autonomous political entity called “Bangsamoro” by June 30, 2016. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced the names – eight from the MILF and seven from the GPH -- . in a press conference in Malacanang.

He said the TransCom will be chaired by Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF peace panel chair. Iqbal will now be holding three concurrent positions: as information chief and peace panel chair of the MILF and as chair of the GPH-MILF TransCom. Named members of the TransCom for the government are: Akmad A. Sakkam, Johaira C. Wahab,. Talib A. Benito, Asani S. Tammang, Pedrito A. Eisma. Froilyn T. Mendoza and Fatmawati T. Salapuddin. The MILF on the oth-

FTRANSCOM, 11

FORMAL OPENING. Mutya ng Dabaw 2012 Marianne Mae Te (center of front row) with her court together with this year’s semifinalists graced the formal opening of the 76th Araw ng Dabaw at the Rizal Park along San Pedro Street, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Comelec asks Jamby to explain online contest L

IBERAL Party senatorial candidate Jamby Madrigal was finally given notice to explain by the Commission on Elections Monday for holding an online contest with an iPad as prize—a possible election violation. Madrigal should answer the letter in three days. The letter, sent by the Comelec Law Department, reads that Madrigal could have violated the Omnibus Election Code on vote buying and vote selling. The online contest, which Madrigal said was initiated by her supporters, was reported by concerned citizens to the poll body’s

Visitors from Myanmar

Education and Information Department. Meanwhile, aside from Madrigal, the poll body also sent notices to senatorial candidates Risa Hontiveros, Edward Hagedorn, Teodoro Casino and Sonny Angara to remove their illegal campaign posters. For party-list groups, notices were also sent to Buhay, Kabataan and LPGMA with three notices each, PBA, 1JAMg, Piston, Anak Mindanao and Sanlakas with one each. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. earlier said appropriate cases will be filed if the illegally placed campaign posters are not

removed. Brillantes has also reminded candidates that even if the posters are placed in their residence or headquarters, the prescribed poster size--which must not exceed 2 x 3 feet-should be strictly followed. Under Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code, vote-buying is defined as “any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any

person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.” Vote-selling, meanwhile, is “any person, association, corporation, group or community who solicits or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of the foregoing considerations.” [PNA]

BodyTalk technician, bared in the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Annex yesterday that the medical mission will include de-stressing and pain relief “as well as deal with the long-term emotional trauma” of Typhoon Pab-

lo victims. She added that several BodyTalk practitioners spearheaded by Dorothy Friesen, a certified BodyTalk practitioner and trainer from Canada, have conduct-

canang Palace Monday, the Chief Executive said the future of democracy lies in the hands of children and the youth. “Ngayon ngang nagtagumpay na tayo at malaya sa diktador, inaasahan namin na kayong kabataan, pati na ang susunod na henerasyon, na gawin ang tama sa la-

hat ng oras,” he said. “Minsan ngang sinabi ng tatay ko, “The ball is now in your hands.” He added: “Ipinapasa niya na sa akin ang pagkakataon para mag-desisyon at gawin kung ano ang tama. Ngayon naman, turno kong sabihin sa inyo, ‘Nasa kamay na nin-

BodyTalk to conduct medical mission in ComVal Province By Che Palicte

HE first BodyTalk medical mission will be conducted on February 26-27 in the municipalities of Monkayo, New Bataan and Compostela in Compostela Valley Province. Girlie Villariba, a

FBODYTALK, 11

Young Filipinos urged to unite in protecting PHL democracy Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Executive Director Janet M. Lopoz (far right) gamely suggests to Dr. Kyaw Win Khaing (left), technical advisor to the Central Executive Committee of Rakhine Thahaya Association and Thein Tun Aye of Paungka, a non-government organization (NGO) to learn at least one local greeting before leaving Davao City during their recent visit to Mindanao. Khaing and Aye were part of a delegation from Myanmar composed of representatives from the Myanmar Parliament, private sector, and NGOs who were in Davao City for a study visit aimed to learn about MinDA’s role as subnational government office mandated to promote, coordinate, and facilitate the active and extensive participation of all sectors to effect socioeconomic development of Mindanao. Myanmar is currently undergoing significant liberalization and reform processes, exemplified by the shift towards a more accountable and market-friendly environment. The country is seeking new investments as it vies for peaceful and inclusive political and economic systems. International Alert, a London-based charity and international NGO working to prevent and end violent conflict across the globe organized the visit. MinDA

RESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III called on young Filipinos to unite in protecting the country’s democracy restored by the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986. In his speech at the Tatak EDSA Salu-Salubungang Pambata at the Kalayaan Grounds in Mala-

FYOUNG, 11

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAOVOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

DavNor to pay sports complex builder upon LGU’s acceptance

AVAO del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario is confident that the P242-million Sports and Cultural

Complex will be highly advantageous to the government in terms of quality and return on investment (ROI).

“We have not yet paid a single centavo to the contractor of the Sports Complex pending its official turn-over and my

acceptance,” del Rosario said. However, he added, it is already being used by the province as venue for the five-day Davao Re-

gion Athletics Association (DAVRAA) 2012 Games. Under a turnkey arrangement, contractor Young Builders Corporation invested in the “design and construction” of the Davao del Norte Sports and Cultural Complex, and will be paid only by the government after its official turnover and acceptance by the Governor. “I still have to make a final inspection so the DAVRAA Games will be a good opportunity to test its quality,” he said. The design and construction of the Sports Complex was subjected to open bidding and those who made a bid for the project submitted their designs on the day of the bidding, he added. But while the contractor took charge of the design and the construction of the Sports Complex, he said, a committee which includes the Provincial Engineering Office was created to look into the design and the plan. The

local government monitored the quality of the materials used and the construction itself, he added. “The contractor was almost ready to give up the project because we were always asking them to repeat what they have already constructed,” Del Rosario said. The amount of P242,777,070.71, which was expended by the contractor in advance, included the construction of the Main Grandstand, the Olympic-sized swimming pool with warm-up pool and Grand Stand, the eight-lane rubberized oval track and the outdoor playing court. Del Rosario said he expects the Sports Complex to be filled by up to 5,000 people during the DAVRAA. The province is also eyeing other sports events including the PRISAA, Palarong Pambansa and the BIMP-EAGA Games.[Lovely A. Carillo]

EVEN of 23 gangs in Malaybalay City convened last week and vowed to make peace with each other, a few days before the soft opening of Kaamulan 2013. Baptist pastor Richard Sibayan, who initiated the activity for the youth groups in the province last February 15 showed MindaNews photos of representatives of the seven gangs a symbolic scarf to a purple scarf, which Sibayan said represented Godly acts. The ceremony started with a prayer by Sibayan followed by a showcase of talent from the different groups. He also spent time sharing about his past life as a city urchin or gang member when he was 13 to 21 years old. He shared

his conversion at the age of 22 seeking Christ after a “dark life.” The pastor said the gangs vowed to stop fighting, especially during the Kaamulan Festival. They also vowed to monitor their own groups and coordinate with each other. “Some cases in the past were blamed on local gangs when these were initiated by groups coming from others towns or areas,” he said. In 2009, the celebration of the Kaamulan, an annual festivity, was marred by reports of gangsters allegedly hitting on revelers and other gangsters. The police reported 26 persons arrested in 38 crime incidents reported to the Malaybalay City Police Office at the end of the

festival. The number did not include the 11 other suspects arrested for concealing bladed weapons after police frisking operations. A number of the cases were blamed on gangster wars, Sibayan said. He told MindaNewss this became one of the reasons why he decided to focus on gangs in his Malaybalay Youth Transformation Movement Sibayan identified the seven gangs that participated in last week’s gathering as “Bloods,” “Crip”, “TBS,” “Bleed,” “Odacrem,” “Black Scorpion,” and “Yo.” These groups claim 300 active members out of a thousand estimated gang memberships in the city, he said. [Walter I. Balane/ MindaNews]

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the National Household Targeting Unit (NHTU) will start conducting the Rapid Assessment using the Household Needs Assessment Form (HNAF) beginning Wednesday, February 27 until March 29, 2013 in TS Pablo-stricken areas. “Through this, we aim to best address the needs of our Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” said Raquel E. Nunez,

DSWD Policy and Plans Division Chief. Adding, “This assessment will also validate the earlier family survey conducted using the Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC) which was administered last December 2012 up to January 2013.” The area supervisors and enumerators who were deployed during DAFAC assessment have undergone evaluation of performance as basis for re-hiring as field workers for the HNAF Assess-

ment. DSWD will also initiate LGU Orientation on the HNAF and ensure local government support during deployment of enumerators. Training for 13 Area Coordinators and 75 Area Supervisors was recently conducted in preparation for the training and orientation of 460 newly-hired enumerators at Eden Nature Park. Officials from LGUs will also attend the orientation. [DSWD/Ree Carisse C. Perez]

READY FOR THE RIDE. A young boy boards his wooden boat as heavy rains caused flooding once more in Carmen town in Davao del Norte on Friday. (AJ Bravo)

Malaybalay’s seven gangs ‘make peace’

Rapid assessment in Pablo-stricken areas

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Endangered sharks return ‘home’ O

CEANIC whitetip sharks return home to protected Bahamas waters, surprising scientists. Previously thought to be wide-ranging animals, a tagging survey has revealed that the sharks frequently revisit the same areas around the island. Conservationists have listed the sharks as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in parts of their range. Experts suggest that the island nation’s marine protected area is assisting the species. The findings are published in the online journal PLoS One. Oceanic whitetips are named for the distinctive white flashes at the end of their fins. They are opportunistic predators with powerful jaws and as such are considered one of the more dangerous sharks to humans, although the number of unprovoked attacks on people is small. “Of all the sharks that live in the open ocean they’re the ones that have really declined a lot in the last few decades,” said Dr Demian Chapman of Stony Brook University, New York, US, who led the study. “They’ve gone from being one of the most abundant large vertebrates on the planet to being considered quite endangered.” The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed the sharks as Vulnerable due to over-fishing for their meat

and leather, and accidental by-catch. “Oceanic whitetips frequently take bait meant for other species like tuna and swordfish,” said Dr Chapman, explaining that their fins are prized for shark fin soup. “Fisherman will take all of these sharks that were incidentally hooked and they will take their fins, and that is fatal to the shark.” In July 2011, the Bahamian government banned shark fishing in all 240,000 square miles of the country’s waters. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts which works to establish shark sanctuaries, including the one in the Bahamas, the animals provided $78 mil-

lion to the country’s economy in tourism annually. “Tourism is a big part of the Bahamian economy, within that diving and shark diving in particular is very valuable,” said Liz Karan, manager of Global Shark Conservation at Pew. “I think there’s interest in that particular area just because it’s one of the few places left in the world that have relatively healthy shark populations.” “So without too much effort you can go and have an experience that’s really unique.” In May of the same year, advocates assembled to support the sanctuary announcement. Dr Chapman joined forces with these dive tour operators, recreational

age farmers in Davao and nearby provinces to learn this technology which we are willing to share. Learn how to produce organic fertilizer and you can use this for livelihood,” said Mrs. Villar. A representative of the farmer beneficiaries, Carlito Gamad, accepted the fertilizer donation in behalf of his fellow farmers who come from barangays in District 3 where some of Camella’s developments are located. The organic fertilizer can be used by farmers to improve their crop yield and keep their farms free of synthetic fertilizers which can potentially harm the environment. The composting facility is only one of the Villar Foundation’s many green social enterprises and projects which include water hyacinth weaving, handloom blanket weaving, coco net, plastic pulverizing into hollow blocks and pavers, and Christmas lantern-making.

In its 20 years, the Villar Foundation has provided livelihood assistance to beneficiaries through enterprise development in over 100 cities and towns across the country. The fertilizer donation is only the first batch that will be given out to selected beneficiaries in Davao. Solariega will continue to feed its waste to the composting facility to produce more fertilizers that can be distributed to more farmers in Davao. Opened in November last year, the composting facility is the first project of the Villar Foundation in Southern Mindanao. It can produce 350 kilograms of organic fertilizers a month based on the current supply of household waste from Solariega. The Villar Foundation had put up two more composting facilities in General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro City where Camella developments, namely Camella Gen. Santos and Gran Europa, are also located.

Villar Foundation donate organic fertilizer to Davao City farmers

LMOST 500 kilograms of organic fertilizer were distributed to 30 farmers in Davao’s District 3 by the Villar Foundation in its CSR activity with masterplan developer Camella Davao. The fertilizer was produced from kitchen wastes of households in Camella’s development in Talomo, the Caribbean-themed Solariega, which has a solid waste management program. “The fertilizer is a product of the Solariega’s composting facility which is part of our Ecological Waste Management Program, a joint project of Villar foundation and Camella Davao,” said Marlon B. Escalicas, Camella Davao GM. Escalicas explained that kitchen wastes from Solariega homes are pressed, mixed with coco peat and enzyme, placed in a shredder and mixed inside a composting machine. Once dried, the finished product is filtered and packed. “I would like to encour-

fishermen, scientists, engineers and conservationists in a project aiming to understand more about oceanic whitetip sharks. “We thought it was amazing that nobody was doing research on them in the Bahamas because this is the only place in the Atlantic where you can reliably find them,” said Dr Chapman. Previously, only one oceanic whitetip had ever been successfully tagged, but the experienced team were able to follow 11 of the animals. “They’re very bold, they come right to the side of the boat... but these sharks are really smart when it comes to baited hooks,” said Dr Chapman. He described the ma-

ture adult sharks as “cagey veterans” who had likely survived encounters with hooks in the past and so were wary about the researchers. The sharks they were able to catch were fitted with satellite tags near to their dorsal fins which provided up to eight months of data covering temperature, light, depth and location. The team found that although the sharks travelled far and wide as expected, they also spent a considerable amount of time in Bahamian waters. “I was not surprised that they went long distances but I was surprised that they turned right back around and returned to the Bahamas,” Dr Chap-

man told BBC Nature. “We really think of these oceanic whitetips as ocean wanderers, we didn’t think we’d see such a strong pattern of return migration.” According to Dr Chapman, the results suggest that a ban on long-line fishing in the 1990s, reinforced by the more recent sanctuary status of the waters, combines to make the Bahamas a safe haven for the sharks. “I think one of the key questions about sanctuaries is ‘do they work?’ and this is a clear example that shows sharks benefitting from a sanctuary designation,” said Ms Karan. “As the migration patterns show, they do leave the sanctuary area for part of the year and during that time they are vulnerable to fishing pressures and the dangers of being caught,” she warned. The team are travelling to Bangkok, Thailand next month to present information on the species to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference where countries will vote on the regulation of the trade in shark fins. They are also working on a further tagging project, following the movements of males and pregnant females to get more information on the sharks’ breeding habits and a full picture of how the population is faring. [BBC Nature]

500 kilograms of organic fertilizers are unloaded for distribution to farmers who can use is to improve their crops and increase their income.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

THE ECONOMY

SSS releases P189-M business loans in ‘12 T

HE Social Security System (SSS) released a total of P189.05 million in business loans last year for growth and expansion projects of nine private enterprises that include service providers, real estate and construction

firms, and traders of various consumer goods. SSS Assistant Vice President for Lending and Asset Management Ma. Luz C. Generoso said the nine firms, which made up the first annual batch of borrowers under the SSS Business

Development Loan Facility (BDLF) launched in 2012, benefited from SSS corporate loans of P1 million up to P43 million. “The BDLF is part of SSS’ commitment to support state efforts to spur national econom-

ic growth by providing private sector employers wider access to credit. This loan privilege is extended to SSS-registered employers that are seeking funds to expand or diversify their businesses,” she said. Registered Barangay

OVERLOAD. A “payong-payong” is seen overloaded with fish vendors from Bankerohan Public Market where they purchased different varieties of fishes which they will peddle later in various subdivisions of Davao City, in E. Quirino Avenue yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Micro Business Enterprises, as well as new and existing companies that are classified as single proprietorship, partnership, cooperative or non-government organization, and with at least 60 percent Filipino ownership are eligible to borrow under the BDLF. The loan must be used for working capital, site development, acquisition, enhancement or modernization of existing facilities, building construction and repair, or for the acquisition, repair or upgrading of machinery, equipment and furnishings. BDLF loans may also be utilized to acquire land, but only up to 50 percent of the land cost. Based on BDLF availments in 2012, majority of the loans were used as working capital, followed by building construction. In a departure from its previous business loan guidelines, SSS has recently allowed companies with overdue SSS contributions and loan payments to still borrow from the BDLF, provided they submit a letter of conformity that allows SSS to deduct their over-

due amount from the loan proceeds. Companies that are under an installment-payment plan for their SSS delinquency may likewise borrow from the BDLF. Generoso stressed that this move ensures that SSS is able to collect all due contributions and loan payments from employers. “The deduction will be credited as payment for the company’s delinquency,” she said. Accredited conduits where companies can apply for BDLF loans are Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank, Planters Development Bank, Valiant Rural Bank – Iloilo, Philippine National Bank and Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc. “The companies that availed themselves of BDLF loans last year were able to create 43 additional jobs,” she noted. “This number may seem small, but it is still in line with our objective of generating employment that will have a multiplier effect on the national economy and in the lives of workers and their families as well.”

THE ECONOMY

Stat Watch

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

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

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

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

8. Interest Rates 4/

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

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

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

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

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

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

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

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

My City My SM My Cuisine stops in SM City General Santos

Y City, My SM, My Cuisine made a final stop at SM City General Santos on February 22. During the launching program, guests were given the chance to taste some of the finest delicacies in the region as well as heirloom, original and native recipes in the city and neighbouring towns and provinces. A joint project of SM Supermalls and the Philippine Star with support from Homeworld, My City My SM My Cuisine celebrates the flavors of Philippine regional cuisine through a culinary contest featuring two signature recipes from participating cities where SM malls are located. The cooking contest at the 3rd level bridgeway of SM City General Santos showcased two of the city’s signature dishes – the bihod (tuna roe) for the entrée, and dessert made of dried papaya and dried pineapple. Winners were decided and chosen by the board of judges which included SM Foodcourt Manager, Mr. Donne Marcos, Ranchero Nuevo owner, Mr. Paolo Sunglao and SM City General Santos Assistant Mall Manager, Engr. Hermon L. Hernandez. Mr. Olimpio C. Pactes’ Tuna Roe Pinakamalan, a Maguindanaon dish for entrée category and Ms. Janeth P. Paghubasan’s Dried Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Toast Bread for dessert category, were declared win-

OPENING. Geir Sikko, general manager of Park Inn by Radisson Davao, slices the cake to mark the opening of the hotel during the blessing and soft opening of Park Inn by Radisson Davao in J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

ners during the Launching Program of My City My SM My Cuisine. Winners each received P 5,000 worth of SM Gift Certificates and a gift pack from Homeworld and non-winner each received P1000 Gift Certificates and a gift pack from Homeworld. Awarding the winners were SM City General Santos Asst. Mall Manager Hermon L. Hernandez and SM City General Santos The SM Store Branch Manager, Mr. Mark Katada.

After the cook-off at the 3rd level bridgeway, the presentation of heirloom, original and native recipes of General Santos City and its neighbouring provinces happened at the mall Event Center. An audio visual presentation hosted by Ms. Cora Alvina, Board of Trustee of Metropolitan Museum, was prepared and underscored GenSan’s food culture and featured personalities who play significant roles in GenSan’s food tradition and industry. It fea-

tured Chef Kring Macion, who shared their family heirloom recipe, Chicken with Pineapple. Another successful woman with great contribution in GenSan’s rich culinary culture was also highlighted, Mrs. Sol Sunglao, owner of Ranchero who demonstrated her original recipe which is Paksiw na Buntot ng Tuna in gata. And lastly, Ms. Marina Sudao, a native T’boli woman, shared with our guests and mall goers their food which native t’boli people usually have in their table.

as rainfall trends, soil moisture data, evapo-transpiration levels, to support farming decisions.” Given this information, farmers can then apply the appropriate amounts of water as required by a particular crop within a certain growth stage, he said. DOST regional director Anthony Sales said the project is a component of “Smarter Countryside” with the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development regional consortia and the Advance Science and Technology Institute. He said the installation of soil-moisture sensors and a nationwide internet-based information system for farmers will be implemented this year upon the availability of funds. In a telephone interview,

Valente Turtur, officer in charge of the City Agriculturist’s Office said the DOST’s technology will be introduced to farmers to help increase crop productivity. He noted that agriculture in the city still lacks mechanization to increase crop productivity. But he said the city established the “Magsasaka Siyentista” (farmer-scientist) project, a farmer-to-farmer extension approach to tap and develop knowledge of local farmers for the advancement of farming practice. Turtur explained that while mechanization in agriculture helps increase the productivity, it may also have adverse social effects such as a decrease in jobs, as workers are replaced by machines. He also noted that highly mechanized farming means utilizing fossil fuels that will impact the environment.

Pedro Arnado, secretary general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Southern Mindanao, welcomed the technological advancement, but wondered if this would be given to the farmers for free. “It is important that such technology will fit the current conditions of farming in the countryside,” he said. He cited the lack of appropriate agricultural supports such as electricity, farm-tomarket roads and advanced farming tools. Above all, he continued, the main problems of farmers in the countryside are low prices of agricultural products, usury, land distribution, and the impacts of militarization and climate change that forcibly displace farmers. (Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews)

DOST to set up smart tech for crop yield improvement

MART technologies will soon be integrated to farming practices for the improvement of crop yield, Secretary Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said. In his keynote address at the launching of “Smarter Philippines” here on February 20, Montejo said the DOST is currently “evaluating/finalizing” a project involving smarter agriculture. He said these technologies include the installation of soil moisture sensors, and getting weather information from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). He said a nationwide internet-based management information system will be set up to provide farmers with “timely agro-meteorological data, such

as of august 2010

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5:45 5:45 6:00 6:10 7:50 7:50 8:00 9:10 9:40 11:30 12:00 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 Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila

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

13:35 15:20 12:05 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

18:55 18:55 15:45 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 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

E-SEASON Team PNoy says

UNA lacks originality B

DENIED. Independent senatorial candidates Sen. Chiz Escudero, front, and Grace Poe-Llamanzares vehemently deny the claims of United Nationalists Alliance that they were dropped in the senatorial line-up because they’re traitors for abandoning the party during a media briefing at Probinsiya Restaurant

in Victoria Plaza Compound, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City last Saturday. UNA dropped Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, as well as former MTRCB chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares from its roster of candidates after they failed to attend any of the party’s campaign sorties. Lean Daval Jr.

E original. This was Team PNoy spokesman’s Samar Rep. Ben Evardone advice to UNA yesterday as he decried the opposition’s lack of imagination even in coining terms such as the now trending “sinking ship.” “How can you expect them to even have a platform or program of their own kung sa maliliit na bagay kailangan pa nilang mangopya o manggaya? Nakakaawa,” he said. Evardone first used the word “sinking ship” in describing the opposition’s failure to force the three Team PNoy candidates UNA adopted as its

Nograles pays tribute to ‘faceless heroes’ of EDSA

OUSE assistant majority leader and Davao City First District congressman Karlo B. Nograles yesterday paid tribute to the thousands of heroes of the 1986 EDSA Revolution as he enjoined everyone to celebrate the opportunity given to Filipinos to chart history through a bloodless revolt 27 years ago. “We should be thankful for the heroism displayed by countless of nameless and faceless Filipinos who, in the face of adversity and threat, showed courage and love for countrymen and our nation,” Nograles said in a press statement commemorating the February 25, 1986 EDSA Revolution.

“In the sight of tanks and guns, Filipinos locked arms to battle violence with non-violence. We also celebrate the opportunity given us to rewrite our history by closing a dark chapter and opening a new one filled with hope,” Nograles also said while similarly paying similar tribute to those who were behind Davao City’s contribution to the 1986 People Power Revolution. In his People Power Revolution Anniversary message, the young House leader urged Filipinos to draw inspiration from EDSA in the country’s continuing search for progress and prosperity. “Many years after EDSA revolution, we continue

to struggle to reach our dreams for a truly peaceful and progressive Philippines even as we are still beset with accounts of violence and poverty all over the country,” Nograles said. “But by remembering the past we are inspired to carry out the task of building our nation up with greater resiliency and fortitude.” Nograles said like any Filipino who values the lessons of EDSA, he is ready to do his part in nation-building. “We must remember EDSA by each one of us doing our part to give every Filipino their proper due – proper opportunity for education, work, health and protection,” he said. The reelectionist con-

gressman stressed that on top of lawmaking, the projects he delivers to Davao City’s First District are his way of giving what is due to the people. Nograles cited his Scholarship Program under the Oplan Kaalam that provides education to poor but deserving students; his Jobs Fair Program under the Oplan Kabuhayan to help the unemployed land a job; the Livelihood Programs still under the Oplan Kabuhayan to add more opportunities for living; and the Congressional Medical Assistance Program supplemented by medical missions to build healthy communities in Davao City’s First District.

own-- reelectionists Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero and former Movie Review chair Grace Poe-to attend the opposition sorties. He described a candidate’s association with UNA as a “kiss of death.” UNA reacted by calling the administration coalition a “sinking, stinking ship of overripe balimbings.” Evardone dismissed UNA’s riposte, saying, “I won’t be surprised kung gagamitin din nila balang araw ang “kiss of death.” “What distinguishes the UNA in this election,” Evardone said, “is that it has no coherent platform

that would unite their candidates.” He called the opposition slate, now down to nine candidates, as “nothing but an unholy alliance of dyed-in-the wool traditional politicians with nothing to contribute to the national discourse but are hell-bent on pursuing their own selfish and narrow political ambitions.” UNA has a “shallow bench,” Evardone said. “When UNA failed to force our three candidates to attend their sorties, they’re telling us that they are dropping them. Sino ngayon ang nanloloko sa tao?” Evardone asked.

Casiño hails ordinary folks as real heroes of People Power uprising Urges Filipinos to show People Power in May polls

URING yesterday’s celebration of the 1986 People Power uprising, Makabayan senatorial bet Teddy Casiño acclaimed the common “tao” as the real heroes behind the downfall of the US-Marcos dictatorship, adding that Filipinos should once again show the power of the people in the May 2013 elections. “Mamamayang Pilipino ang nagpabagsak ng diktadura. Buhayin natin ang diwang ito sa darating na halalan. I call on our people to elect leaders who continue to fight for fundamental social reforms & not just stop-gap measures,” said

Casiño. “As we commemorate the historic and heroic fight against the US-Marcos dictatorship, it is important to recognize that the people’s aspirations for social justice and meaningful political and economic reforms have yet to be fully addressed. Agricultural development and food security through genuine agrarian reform, as well as sustained job generation and living wages through comprehensive development of Filipino industries remain pipe dreams. We have also yet to pass an anti-dynasty law and a freedom of information act,” explained Casiño.

RESPONSE. Davao City First District Congressman Karlo B. Nograles delivers his response during the tribute program given to him by the Hilltop Community in Barangay 19-B for delivering numerous projects. Nograles recently turned over a multi-purpose building to the community under his Oplan Kalsada Projects.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Is your handbag safe?

EDITORIAL

Spending for political ads

EOPLE closely watching this mid-term elections foresee a fever-pitch spending for political advertisements. The projection is that political spending will hit P2 billion in this elections. The chief recipient of this crazy spending are the television networks, not much radio, and definitely not the print. This is occurs despite the restrictions imposed by Comelec. Imagine this, a single thirty second advertisement on primetime costs P600 thousand. Yes, that just for a 30-seconder advertisement. Now you can imagine how much some of the aired ads on television is earning. With so much to spend, how else would you expect these candidates recoup their expenses? Or how would you think they will earn to get their money for all these? Clearly, it is not even commensurate to their earnings

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RICHARD C. EBONA Advertising Specialist

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

as Senator. How will the poor fare against those who have the financial machinery to support their electoral bid? That’s the irony of it all. How do you level the field between candidates who have the money to spend and those who have not? Reports say network giants ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. and GMA Network Inc. to post double-digit growth of 11.6 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively, this year largely due to the triennial boost in political ad spending. There is even a move by Comelec to impose a 120-minute cap on political ads for every candidate on all channels. If that happens, ad limits would be a bane to the networks and a boon to print. And that’s the real equalizer in the perspective of election economy. 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

EJ DOMINIC FERNANDEZ • CHE D. PALICTE Reporters

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

EDGEDAVAO

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE

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

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

( Conclusion )

LTHOUGH you may be the only person using your handbag, it is still easy to spread these germs to others. Every time you rummage through your bag your fingers can come into contact with the germs on used tissues which can then be spread to surfaces such as door handles and stair rails and easily passed on to others. When you blow your nose, make sure you throw your tissue away as soon as possible, then wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer. 4. Oh my…mobile phone/s have always been a source of controversy when it comes to our health, with studies suggesting a link obile phone.Mobile phones have always been a source of controversy when it comes to our health, with studies suggesting a link between mobile phone use and health conditions such as brain tumours, and the World Health Organisation admitting that they may cause cancer. However, other experts have suggested that there is no evidence of this and more research is needed.Aside from these potential serious health dangers, a study of mobile phones in Britain also found a more immediate danger associated with mobile phones, with their results showing that one in six mobile phones were contaminated with faecal matter. A condition known as “texter’s thumb” is also a potential danger for regular mobile phone users, with Virgin Mobile stating that mobile phones are the cause of a reported 3.8 million cases a year of repetitive strain injury. Handbag health hazard 5: Heavy items While the items in your handbag may all be innocent enough, an accumulation of heavy items such as books, gadgets and cosmetics can add up to a serious health hazard. With the rising number of items many of us feel the need to haul around, you could be carrying around several pounds of weight on your shoulders every day. While you may not feel the effects of this immediately, lugging around a heavy handbag can have serious implications on your body and can eventually lead to serious back problems and neck pain as well as poor posture. To look after your health, try switching to a smaller bag and filling it only with the items that you feel are really necessary each time you leave the house. Between mobile phone use and health conditions such as brain tumours, and the World Health Organization admitting that they may cause cancer. However, other experts have suggested that there is no evidence of this and more research is needed. Well, the mobile phone will have to be a regular item in our handbags but let’s make it a habit to clean and sanitize our phones too. Also, we can lessen radiation exposure from our mobile phones by operating it hands free through state-ofthe-art gadgets. One could also limit time of usage of the phone. When it starts to warm up start hanging up. And if there are no secrets in the conversation, you can always press the speaker phone command so you can converse from a distance. 5. The heavy load in the bag. While the items in your handbag may all be innocent enough, an accumulation of heavy items such as books, gadgets and cosmetics can add up to a serious health hazard. With the rising number of items many of us feel the need to haul around, you could be carrying around several pounds of weight on your shoulders every day. While you may not feel the effects of this immediately, lugging around a heavy handbag can have serious implications on your body and can eventually lead to serious back problems and neck pain as well as poor posture. To look after your health, try switching to a smaller bag and filling it only with the items that you feel are really necessary each time you leave the house. It would be best to make it a habit to wipe our bags clean at the end of the day and de-clutter what’s inside. By doing so, we are able to remove or dispose of unnecessary stuff in our bags specially those that can cause harm to us.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

UNNING COUNTER TO “POLITICS OF TRUE CHOICE” – To fully understand Philippines’ politics today, and the highly “combustible” relationship between the dominant contending parties –Liberal Party (LP) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), you need to study above all, one strategic move: backstabbing. A certain amount of confusion is always present and rumors swirl about a potential “friction” in relation to previous agreement between the two political groups. On the campaign trail, stalwarts of LP’s Team PNoy and UNA’s Tatak Binay are by now exchanging barbs – nasty and indignant. What’s the reason behind the animosity? Months before the official campaign period started, the Filipino voters are already seeing something they’ve never seen before: there is no real opposition party in the race to the Senate. Thus, while the LP completed its senatorial slate, UNA has three vacant slots. This mean the group had to look for ways to fill in the vacant positions. Instead of choosing from a long list of probable contenders, UNA leaders instead opted to adopt aspirant senators Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda and neophyte Grace Poe as “guest candidates.” The three “guest candidates” notified UNA that they are committed to attend LP’s proclamation rally, but according to reports they also assured the former that they will join the group’s campaign sorties being common candidates. But as the campaign lurches on, the three seemed to have already been intimately involved in the campaign jaunts of Team PNoy, but never attended Tatak Binay’s spree even for once. The snobbish gesture probably angered UNA leaders prompting them to ask the three to explain their failure to attend the party’s campaign forays. But just to make sure the three would give an equivocal “yes,” UNA kingpins give them an ultimatum. What to do then? In a strongly word-

HERE is something to be said about partying with your parents. I do not mean the usual family gatherings; but partying with them, with their friends and classmates. Ateneo de Davao HS’65 held their own version of a JS Prom last Valentine’s Day at the Grand Men Seng Hotel. They called it Seniors’ Prom in celebration of their still being alive and kicking well into their senior citizen years. The text invitation exhorted all 65’ers to bring their dates and relive their high school revelries of wine, women, and song. It ended with a poignant, “ Tigulangnabaya ta”, as if to prick the conscience of those who would dare excuse themselves from the event. Informal census pegged 20+% of their batch has gone on to party ahead in heaven. Thus, making more urgent the call to celebrate especially on the day of hearts. As fate would have it, my father, Pruds Valverde , and good friend Dicky’s father, Sonny Puyod are both ADDU 65’ers. On the other hand, my husband Jun Ralota and I are constant date mates of Dicky and his wife, Wowie who was also my batchmate in high school. We have weekly date nights of good food and interesting conversations that we always look forward to. So when this ADDU 65 Seniors’ Prom came up, we decided to gatecrash their party and save up on our Valentine’s date.

VANTAGE POINTS

Politics of hate ed statement, UNA finally decided to “drop” the three from the party’s senatorial slate as “guest cand i d a t e s .” The fiasco over UNA’s decision to dump the three was just the latest in a string of miscues. There is now a necessary pushpull between LP and UNA at the height of the campaign. The maneuvering by the two sides highlighted the gap that separates them. Soon after UNA bigwigs made it all but certain that the three are no longer part of the group, they are now starting to circulate unpleasant and mean statements against LP, which the latter in turn responded with the same behavior. The big factor is the three – Chiz, Loren and Grace that have given Team PNoy guarantees that that they will stick with the LP through thick and thin, come hell and high water. For UNA, it is a test whether mind-conditioning and backstabbing scheme work and, as analysts see it, whether the party is being extremely tough instead turned out to be some sort of hate politics. What UNA and Tatak Binay leaders are doing runs counter to “politics of true choice.” It is unpopular and is doomed to failure. Meanwhile without actually saying so, Team PNoy is now reasonably confident that the three aren’t about to abandon their commitment to the LP. Political analysts saw UNA’s proposal as another maneuver to boost its political stock by the inclusion of the three as common candidates, which they believe would be to their advantage – vote

wise. But for Team PNoy loyalists, the past days of verbal exchange are simply a matter of sluggish reaction to quickly changing news cycles. So during the weekend, Escudero and Poe visited again Davao City as part of their political routine – some speaking engagement and to rub elbows with the local media. In a brief press conference, Chiz categorically explained that there was no earlier agreement or an offer from UNA to consider them as “guest candidates.” He likewise insists that the proposal, if there’s any, collapsed because they did not approve of it and they are not committed to UNA after all. Grace Poe echoes s similar sentiment. It is disheartening to note, she says, UNA leaders made it appear they have reneged on their commitment to the party. “How could UNA and Tatak Binay people “drop” us from their senate slate when we have never even volunteered to be part of it? And to make the record straight there was no prior agreement that once in a while we have to join the group during their campaign sorties.” Those questions will assume a greater urgency is the days ahead as the campaign heats up. As we see it, UNA leaders, perhaps accidentally gave voters a hint who is actually engaged in mind-conditioning scheme and political double talk. But most of that seemed for political consumption since it was clear that UNA has gone into the race with lots of political trick hidden under its sleeve. The Team PNoy forces, as I’ve said are reasonably confident are turning their attention more to an intensive campaign. Their goal is to swing as many vote-rich areas in LP’s column and to fire up voters’ support. Well, each party had got to move within hours, not within days which is quite a challenge considering that that there are only less than three months between now and Election Day.

Of course, it helped that Sonny Puyod sponsored the event. ;) A prom night on Valentine’s Day is always one for the books. But having your prom with your parents on Valentine’s Day really takes the cake, especially if it is their Seniors’s Prom, and you are the only young couples present. There was a live band that played songs from the yesteryears. There was sweet tender dancing unseen in this generation’s social events. Jun and I sweet danced to the love songs of our parents and found pleasure in the classics. I danced the boogie with my father even if he struggled with pain in his legs. Jun struggled to learn the boogie and Wowie and I would laugh at his off rhythm. But it was wonderful to see him try. It was wonderful to be part of the revelry of our parents’ times. Dicky commented that never in his wildest dreams did he think we would be joining our parents’ parties because we are supposed to be attending foam parties. You know, par-

ties where you do crazy dancing while bubbles and soap foam are showered and lathered on you. You get the picture. As we were watching our fathers and their classmates doing their singing, dancing, drinking, bullying, and other antics, we speculated how they must have been a really rowdy group in high school. We told ourselves it will be our turn to amuse our children thirty something years from now. It is easy to be weighed down by generation gaps especially when it comes to music and technology. We often think the music of our generation is better and jiving to older music is uncool. We forget that story and history make for interesting and textured living. Story and history make for interesting and textured anything. Woe to the person who only gives value to the current because he outdates and excuses himself from the richness that life offers. If we chose to have our regular Valentine dinner date, we would have missed out on enjoying with the oldies, we would have missed out on sweet dancing on a ballroom floor, and we would not have saved a pretty peso. But more than that, celebrating Hearts Day with persons who fill our hearts is one meaningful way to make our existence here on earth worthwhile while preparing for the grander party in heaven.

Seniors’ Prom

History catches up with Sabah ( Conclusion )

OPINION BY ED LINGAO

INCE 1878, the Sultan of Sulu and his heirs have been receiving this yearly payment (with an occasional break because of wars, changes in government, and other similar inconveniences), first, from the British North Borneo Company, and then after 1963, from the Malaysian Federation, which assumed jurisdiction over the contract from the by then defunct British North Borneo Company. These days, the annual payments given by the Malaysian Embassy in Manila to the Sultan of Sulu reportedly amount to P74-77,000, or roughly more than $1,800. Malaysia prefers to call the annual payments “cession payments,” in which case the payments would appear to be a perpetual fee for the ceding of Sabah to Malaysia. Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, for his part, has called the payments “rental,” meaning ownership of Sabah still rests with the Sultanate of Sulu, now of course a part of the Philippines. But while ancient history may appear to be on Manila’s side, contemporary history is not. When one visits Sabah, one easily comes across thousands of Filipino migrants, mostly Tausugs from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Sabah, after all, is just a skip and a hop away from Tawi-Tawi, and many Tausugs find more in common with the people of Sabah than the people in Manila. Long before modern governments started drawing lines on maps and calling them borders, Tausugs were travelling to and from North Borneo and laying their roots there. To them, Sabah was just “that next island over there.” In the port of Sandakan, Tausugs practically have the run of the town, and you can approach most anyone and try to converse with them in Filipino. While Malaysia tries hard to control the inflow of Tausugs through the immigration center in Sandakan, most Tausugs just take a fast motorboat or kumpit from the most southern parts of Tawi-Tawi. After all, you could already see the lights of Sabah from some islands in Tawi-Tawi. In fact, when we visited Sandakan by ferry several years ago, we saw boats towing large rafts of timber from Tawi-Tawi to Sabah. Obviously, this trading activity was not going through customs. As well, there are many Kampongs in Sabah that are populated by Tausugs, many of whom are either war or economic refugees. Kampong is the Malay word for community, much like the Philippine barangay. Take note that we have been using the word Tausug to describe the migrants from Jolo and Tawi-Tawi; Tausug for many of them is not just the name of the tribe, but their political and cultural identity as well. Their association with this identity is much stronger than their association with the country they came from. Interestingly and alarmingly, we came across many who indignantly refused to be called Filipinos, and preferred to just be called “Tausug.” For them, the Philippines is a distant, even unfriendly memory. But what was most striking was this: Many of the Tausugs we encountered detested the idea of the Philippine government reclaiming Sabah. Refugees from war and poverty, many of these Tausugs see little benefit in a Sabah under the Philippine flag; in fact, for them, it is a worrying proposition, not unlike jumping from the clichéd frying pan into an even bigger fire. One Tausug we encountered outside a mall in Kota Kinabalu bristled at the idea of the Philippines staking a claim on Sabah. “Sisirain lang nila ang Sabah. Okay na nga ang Sabah ngayon, guguluhin lang nila,” he said. [They will just destroy Sabah. Sabah is doing fine right now, they will just mess it up.] It is hard to blame them for the cynicism. After all, they took great risks and fled their own troubled country in droves for a better life, only to have that same country reach out and stake a claim on what to them is already a virtual paradise where one can finally live and work in peace. That, to them, may be the ultimate irony, the ultimate tragedy. [MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Ed Lingao is the Multimedia Director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. This piece is from the PCIJ blog on February 19, with permission to reprint granted to MindaNews.]

10 NATION/WORLD

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

PHL to compensate Marcos rights victims P

HILIPPINE President Benigno Aquino signed a landmark law on Monday compensating human rights victims of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, 27 years after a bloodless “People Power” revolution ended his reign. Ten billion pesos ($244 million) will be distributed to potentially thousands of people whom Marcos’s security forces tortured, raped or detained, as well as relatives of those who were killed, during his rule. Speaking at a ceremony in Manila to mark the anniversary of the revolution that was led by his mother, Aquino said the law was part of his government’s efforts to “right the wrongs of the past”. “We may not bring back the time stolen from martial law victims, but we can assure them of the state’s recognition of their sufferings that will help bring them closer to the healing of their wounds,” Aquino said.

Loretta Ann Rosales, an anti-Marcos activist who was tortured by his security forces and now heads the country’s independent rights commission, said the law would finally allow all his victims to feel a sense of justice. “The law is essential in rectifying the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship and obliges the state to give compensation to all those who suffered gross violations of their rights,” Rosales told AFP. Marie Hilao-Enriquez, the chairwoman of Selda, a group which represents Marcos rights victims, also welcomed the symbolic intent behind the law but said the money was too little to have a meaningful impact. “There are so many victims that when you divide it to everyone it will not result to much,” Hilao-Enriquez said. Hilao-Enriquez’s group represents about 10,000 documented victims but she said there

were many more who had not been officially registered and may now come forward, such as Muslim communities in the remote south of the country. Under the law, a com-

pensation board will accept and evaluate applications for reparations over the next six months. Those victims will be from when Marcos declared martial law in 1972 to the end of

Park Geun-Hye called on the regime in Pyongyang to “abandon its nuclear ambitions without delay” and rejoin the international community. “North Korea’s recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and future of the Korean people, and there should be no mistake that the biggest victim will be none other than North Korea itself,” she said. “I will not tolerate any action that threatens the lives of our people and the security of our nation,” Park said, while promising to pursue the trust-building policy with Pyongyang that she had

promised in her campaign. “I will move forward step by step on the basis of credible deterrence,” she added. Observers say her options will be limited by the international outcry over the North’s February 12 nuclear test, which has emboldened the hawks in her ruling conservative party who oppose closer engagement. There was no immediate reaction from Pyongyang, but an editorial Monday in the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun carried a clear message for Park to avoid the “con-

frontational” policies of her predecessor Lee Myung-Bak. “Inter-Korean relations have become so tense that the Korean peninsula is threatened with armed conflict,” the newspaper warned. Monday’s two-anda-half hour inauguration ceremony, held on a chilly and cloudy morning, included a musical warmup concert that saw Korean rapper Psy perform his global hit “Gangnam Style”. Park took office a little more than 50 years after her father, a vehement anti-communist, seized power in a military coup.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signs the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 during the 27th anniversary of EDSA 1 People Power Revolution in Quezon City.

South Korea swears in first female president

ARK Geun-Hye became South Korea’s first female president Monday, vowing zero tolerance with North Korean provocation and demanding Pyongyang “abandon its nuclear ambitions” immediately. As leader of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, Park, the 61-year-old daughter of late military strongman Park ChungHee, faces challenges of slowing growth and soaring welfare costs in one of the world’s most rapidly ageing societies. Taking the oath of office less than two weeks after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test,

Park Geun-Hye at party headquarters in Seoul on December, 19, 2012. Park, the daughter of South Korea’s late military ruler, will be sworn in as the country’s first female president on Monday in a ceremony shadowed by North Korea’s recent nuclear test. [AFP]

his rule in 1986. The compensation will come from about $600 million the government has recovered from Swiss bank accounts that Marcos secretly main-

tained while he was in power. The government has accused Marcos and his relatives of plundering up to $10 billion and has so far recovered about $4

Castro picks ‘young’ new heir to take regime into future

RESIDENT Raul Castro has been re-elected to what he vowed would be his last term in office, and unveiled a 52-year-old political heir tasked with securing the future of the communism in Cuba after 2018. “This will be my last term,” Castro, 81, told lawmakers after the National Assembly re-elected him Sunday and named a new regime number two, Council of State Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Castro said he was “elected to defend, maintain and continue perfecting socialism -- not to destroy it,” adding that his economic reforms will create “a less egalitarian society, but a fairer one.” Choosing Diaz-Canel, a former military man and professor from Villa Clara who has represented the president on foreign trips in recent months, “marks a final step in configuring the country’s future leadership, through the slow and orderly transfer of the main leadership positions to new generations,” Castro said. The changes are in line with a decision adopted by the Communist Party last year to limit the terms of top office holder to 10 years. Raul Castro will reach this limit on February 24, 2018. Raul Castro became Cuba’s interim president when Fidel took ill in 2006. He formally became president in 2008. Through the Cold War and now for more than two decades after it, the United States has tried to isolate Cuba to press for democratic change. In 1962, it imposed a full trade embargo on Ha-

vana -- the only one-party Communist regime in the Americas -- to pressure the communist island to open up democratically and economically. Cuba finally appears poised to have lined up new leadership, provided it can continue to prop up its dysfunctional economy while keeping the regime afloat. Cuba is dependent on aid from oil-rich Venezuela and so far has failed to discover reserves of its own, although some experts say there are untapped stores of crude off its Gulf of Mexico coast. The fate and future of the Cuban regime also depends on the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cuba’s main economic supporter and political ally, who is recovering from cancer surgery. But there is no guarantee a successor would feed Cuba’s economy as much as Chavez. Diaz-Canel, who turns 53 in April, is an electrical engineer by training, a former education minister and the president’s de facto political heir seeking to project the Americas’ only one-party Communist regime into the future. Since March, Diaz-Canel has been one of the eight vice presidents on the Council of Ministers. He took the number two spot from Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, 82, who relinquished the post but remains one of Cuba’s vice presidents. Diaz-Canel, as political heir, cuts a starkly different profile from the revolutionary leadership, whose members are mostly in their 80s. [AFP]

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

76th Araw opens...

Lives of 4Ps beneficiaries in South Cotabato, Sarangani Province have improved – DSWD

FFROM 1

directors of line government agencies, police and the military. In a statement read by Jason Magnaye, acting chief of the City Tourism Office, the mayor said, “We open the Araw ng Dabaw celebration a week earlier to give everyone ample time to get ready,” Duterte-Carpio said, and committed her full support and solidarity for the success of the annual event. This year’s festivities will revolve on the theme, ”Kapayapaan,” and will be done in partnership with the Duaw Dabaw Foundation. One of the highlights of the festivity will be the civil-military parade dubbed “Parada Dabawenyo” on March 16 which will be

GPH...

participated in by national agencies, schools, non- government organizations, people’s organizations, barangays and the business sector. Duterte-Carpio recalled that since the Diamond year celebration of the founding anniversary in 2012, the city has been resilient in surpassing the challenges of the past. She underscored how every Dabawenyo values the peace prevailing in the city. “Peace, demonstrated not just by the absence of discord and conflict, but peace that brings unity and harmony among its people,” Duterte-Carpio said, adding that resident values not only peace and order but the peace that reigns within every family,

the peace that propels everyone as proud sons and daughters of Davao City. “Let’s be proud that, as we say in Davao City: ‘Life is here’, we can be truly proud that we are Dabawenyos,” Duterte-Carpio said. By virtue of the Commonwealth Act No. 51 also known as the Charter City of Davao, the town of Davao became a city under the sponsorship of then Assemblyman Romualdo Quimpo on October 16,1936. Davao City was officially inaugurated on March 1, 1937 with Elpidio Quirino, then secretary of the interior, representing President Manuel L. Quezon in the program. [PIA 11/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines]

last month ended their five-day talks on January 25 without completing any of the four annexes. The panels, however, issued a Joint Statement claiming the talks “successfully ended” with both parties “achieving a milestone” with the signing of the Terms of Reference for the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT), the body that will “review, assess, evaluate and monitor the implementation of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its Annexes.” The panels will identify the members of the TPMT “within one month,” the Joint Statement said. A month has passed but no member of the TPMT has been identified. Under Sec. 11 of the FAB’s Chapter 7 (Transition and Implementation), the TPMT is to be composed of “international bodies, as well as domestic groups to monitor the implementation of all agreements.” In their Joint Statement on January 25, the GPH and MILF peace panels announced the

extension of the tours of duty of the Malaysian-led IMT and the GPH-MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) for another year “in recognition of their important roles in the peace process, without prejudice to adjustments that may be needed pursuant to developments in the crafting of the Annexes to the FAB.” President Aquino visited the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on February 11 to launch the “Sajahatra Bangsmoro” (Peace Bangsamoro), a socio-economic program to benefit MILF communities. He is expected to announce soon the 15 members of the Transition Commission (TransCom) that would, among others, draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The MILF, which will chair the TransCom, had earlier submitted the names of its eight members to Malacanang while President Aquino is still choosing the seven representatives to the TransCom. [Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews]

According to Lacierda, the seven appointees of the GPH panel “underwent thorough screening and evaluation” by a TransCom Selection Body composed of Justice Sec-

retary Leila de Lima, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles, and Mehol Sadain, Secretary of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).

FFROM 1

heading since 2004, the International Monitoring Team (IMT) overseeing implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the parties, in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Four Annexes The GPH and MILF peace panels signed on October 15 last year the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) which provides for the creation of the Bangsamoro, a new autonomous political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by June 30, 2016. Part of the core territory of the future Bangsamoro is the five-province, two-city ARMM that includes Sulu. As agreed upon in the FAB, the two panels were supposed to have completed by December 31, 2012 the annexes on Power-sharing, Wealth-sharing, Normalization, and Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, to complete theit comprehensive peace pact. The panels met in November, December and

TransCom...

FFROM 2

er hand selected eight members: Iqbal, Maulana Alonto, Abdullah Camlian, Ibrahim D. Ali, Raissa H. Jajurie, Melanio U. Ulama, Hussein P. Munoz and Said M. Shiek.

BOUT half of the of the more than 15,000 beneficiaries of the national government’s conditional cash transfer initiative in South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces have posted significant improvements in their well-being and livelihood status as a result of the program’s interventions last year, an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development said. Juliet Clavel, program coordinator for Region 12 of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, said their monitoring showed that at least 7,935 family-beneficiaries of the program in four municipalities in South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces have leapt from survivor to subsistence status as of the end-2012. She said such figure was based on the results of a survey conducted by implementers of 4Ps, which is a flagship initiative implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among its beneficiaries in Lake Sebu and

BodyTalk...

T’boli towns in South Cotabato as well as Malapatan and Maasim towns in Sarangani Province. The program’s beneficiaries in the four municipalities mainly comprise poor T’boli and B’laan families who were mostly situated in upland and remote communities. “This is a major accomplishment for the program since we only had 1,793 beneficiaries in these areas that reached the subsistence level in 2011,” Clavel said. A survey report released by DSWD Region 12 showed that a total of 4,205 beneficiaries in Lake Sebu and T’boli towns improved to the “subsistence level of well-being” last year. Such number comprises about 45 percent of the 9,437 families that were covered by the program in the two municipalities. In Malapatan and Maasim towns, the report said a total of 3,730 beneficiaries or about 61 percent of the 6,083 that were enlisted with the program in the area have also reached the subsistence stage by end-

2012. Clavel said the DSWD12 uses the survey as a tool to measure the level of well-being of their beneficiaries and in the identification of their social and economic condition. She said they classify the well-being status of their beneficiaries from survival, subsistence to self-sufficiency level or stage. Clavel explained that the subsistence stage is a condition wherein program beneficiaries need minimal government support services in order to sustain their daily needs. Those under the survival stage were considered crucial since they were still considered under extreme condition of poverty and were still in need of full government support, she said. “We still have a lot of work to do with our subsistence level beneficiaries but we’re very hopeful that we can eventually help them move forward towards the self-sufficiency stage,” Clavel said. [Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews]

that BodyTalk is a health care system that is non-invasive, drug-free and can address common health problems. “It has a natural healing wisdom to promote vitality and well-being without drugs or side-effects. BodyTalk treatments result in sharper thinking, pos-

itive attitudes, more restful sleep and enhanced relationships,” she added. “We address dehydration problems and effectively support the immune system in dealing with coughs, colds, flu and other respiratory and body chemistry issues,” Villariba added.

lis, sundalo, estudyante’t maraming sibilyan—na dapat nang alisin ang nagpapahirap sa bayan. Sa loob ng apat na araw ng pagdarasal, paninindigan, at pagsasama-sama sa EDSA, tahimik at mapayapang nagwakasasan ang pakikipaglaban sa diktadurya,” he said. The President acknowledged the role of the youth in protecting our freedom and democracy. “Umaasa akong magpapakabait kayo at iingatan ninyo and ipapamana naming malayang pamumuhay. Bilang responsableng kabataan, alam kong hindi kayo mandaraya sa mga test?” he said “Tiwala akong hindi kayo mananahimik na lang kapag may nakita kayong mali. Alam kong tutulungan ninyo ang kapwa ninyong nangangailangan. Dahil kapag

pinairal ninyo ang mabuting asal, siguradong mas magandang buhay ang naghihintay sa inyo sa hinaharap,” he added. In the afternoon, Malacanang opened the gates to welcome children from seven orphanages: Associacion de Demas Filipinas Inc., Dar Amanah Children’s Village Foundation Inc., Bukas Palad Foundation of the Philippines, Casa Miani: San Jose, Sulyap ng Pag-Asa Foundation, Gawad Kalinga Baseco Compound and Families and Children for Employment and Development Foundation. The program opened with storytelling activities imparting Filipino values to the children. The children watched performances and listened to the youth leaders who pledged to do their best to contribute to the country. [PNA]

FFROM 2

ed training to non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders, community health workers and health advocates last February 25 in Davao City. Friesen will lead the scheduled medical mission to Pablo-ravaged areas in Compostela Valley. Villariba explained

Young...

FFROM 2

yo ang kakayahan na gawin ang tama, at iwasan ang mali’.” President Aquino told the young participants, composed of children from various orphanages in the country, to remember the sacrifices of the Filipinos to end what he called the oppressive Marcos regime. He said the bloodless People Power Revolution renewed the power of the people, strengthened the meaning of democracy, and restored the democratic institutions of government. The true empowerment of democracy was exhibited in EDSA when Filipinos managed to successfully oust a tyrant through a demonstration without violence and bloodshed. “Nagdesisyon ang milyun-milyong mga Pilipino—mga pari, madre, pu-

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VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Realty

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SPORTS 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

2013 Davraa opens By Neil Bravo

OVERNOR Rodolfo del Rosario and his son Congressman Anthony Del Rosario welcomed over 5,000 athletes and officials to the 2013 Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) Meet which formally opened in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Monday. With the record field from the 10 athletic delegations including typhoon-ravaged Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, this year’s Davraa is arguably the region’s biggest sports conclave ever. Not even the heavy rains and flooding of recent days that affected nearby Carmen town and some parts of Tagum City could wash away the burning excitement of the hosts, most especially Governor Del Rosario who spent almost every day in the past months ensuring the world-class venue Davao del Norte Sports and Cultural Center is finished in time for

this event. Congressman Del Rosario also praised the delegates for their determination to rise above the adversities they have experienced in life. A mass early in the afternoon kicked off the opening day rites followed by the traditional parade of delegations from the Provincial Capitol to the DNSCC by the 10 delegations--Davao City, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Digos City, Island Garden City of Samal, Mati City, Panabo City and Tagum City. Colorful field performances spiced up the opening ceremony capped by a 15-minute fireworks display that lit up the stadium at dusk. Innovations to the Davraa Meet are in order beginning with the new sports facilities and venues and the child-friendly policy in scheduling the competitions. Most of the football

DAVRAA. Conngressman Anthony Del Rosario of Davao del Norte was the keynote speaker in the opening of the Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) meet at the Davao del Norte Sports and Cultural Center. (Lean Daval)

matches and some athletics events will be played at night under the brightness of 96 flood lights that shine like day. It will also mark the first time athletics is played on rubber-

ized tracks. The DNSCC is the first completed sports facility in the Davao Region with a standard rubberized track oval and 10-lane Olympic-standard pool.

The rest of the games will be played in closed gymnasiums around Tagum City. The Davraa 2013 is considered by the host province as the take off

point for bigger sporting events like the 2013 Batang Pinoy Mindanao eliminations in August and the 2014 PRISAA National Games in February next year.

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

ARAW NG DABAW PHOENIX MARATHON

EDGEDAVAO

Registration begins R

EGISTRATION is now open for the Araw ng Dabaw Phoenix Marathon on March 10, 2013. Runners can register at Phoenix Petroleum stations in Acacia St. and Lanang, SM City Davao in Ecoland (Ground Floor fronting National Bookstore), and at SM Lanang Premier (Ground Floor Atrium). For runners outside Davao City, registration areas are at Phoenix Petroleum sales offices in Cebu, Bacolod, Cagayan De Oro, and General Santos City, and Dencio’s Kamayan in Tagum.

Categories for the marathon are 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K. Entry fees are P199 for the 3K and 5K, P399 for 10K, P599 for 21K, and P799 for the 42K category. Early Bird Promo is available for group registrations. Sign up in groups of 10 until February 28, 2013, and get 1 free registration. The run will start and end at SM Lanang Premier and the turning point for the 21K and 42K is at SM City Davao. The event dubbed as “The SM to SM Run” is for the benefit of the Phoenix Philippines Foundation’s

programs on Education, Environment, Health and Safety, and Outreach and Disaster Relief. Online registration is also available through payment of the registration fee to Banco De Oro Account Phoenix Philippines Foundation, Inc., Account Number - 244011-5688. The runner must e-mail a copy of the deposit slip and the filled up entry form toharry. dubuozet@phoenixphilippines.com. The entry form can be downloaded in the Phoenix Petroleum website www.phoenixphilippines.com. For confirmation of the re-

ceipt of payment and for the race kit, runners can coordinate with Harry Dubuozet at 0917-3015981. The Araw ng Dabaw Phoenix Marathon is presented by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Pioneer Insurance, SM City Davao, and SM Lanang Premier. It is held in partnership with the City Government of Davao and is organized by Vantage Sports. For more information, go to www.facebook. com/phoenixdavaorun or dial the Araw ng Dabaw Phoenix Marathon hotlines: 0917-307-8735 and 0921-594-9303.

TORCH BEARER. Senator Pia Cayetano runs the friendship torch around the stadium in the opening of the DAVRAA Meet in Tagum, Davao del Norte. (Lean Daval)

DAVRAA 2013

Sun shines on opening day A

FTER days of rain and flooding, the sun finally shone in Davao del Norte and on the thousands of athletes, coaches, spectators and organizers who have been preparing for the 2013 Davao Region Athletic Association (DAVRAA) for months now. “I have invited Senator Pia Cayetano to open the facility which she groundbroke before,” Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said during a press conference held Monday morning a few hours before the official opening of the DAVRAA. The organizers were worried about the outdoor events for the DAVRAA considering the continuous rains last week and the flooding in most municipalities in the province. However, the weather has improved with no adverse advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric Geo-

physical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Del Rosario said he expects more than five thousand athletes (from Davao Region’s six cities and four provinces) including their coaches and officials to converge in Mankilam where the 12-hectare Davao del Norte Sports and Cultural Facility is located. “I feel like I am up in the heavens and floating in the sky,” del Rosario said, clearly elated over the completion of the sports complex and the hosting of the DAVRAA. Department of Education (DepEd) XI Regional Director Gloria D. Benigno said this is the first world-class sports and cultural facility in the region and this increases the region’s chances of hosting other sports events including the Palarong Pambansa in 2015. (Lovely Carillo)

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

Finding BGC’s delicious kitchen EVERY city has its own little gastronomic secret, little restaurants and eateries tucked in a little corner that commands a strong fan base thanks to the beautiful food they serve. Much like Davao’s Belitos or Hong Kong’s Delicious Kitchen, Kitchen’s Best is a local secret and I was lucky enough to have Edwin and Chester bring me over to experience it myself.

Upon entering, one is greeted by the restaurant’s bright maroon walls accented by frames containing food photographs and cutouts of articles where the restaurant was featured. The ambience of the restaurant is cosy with a country touch. Known for their pastries and cakes (their Chocolate Obsession was awarded as one of the Best Cakes of 2008 by the Manila Bulletin), this restaurant also serves up an array of delicious and interesting entrees.

40-clove Chicken.

Since we had to start with entrees, we decided to start with an order of 40-Clove Chicken, a slow cooked chicken dish that is the restaurant’s most popular item, and an or-

der of Arroz a la Cubana (since I was craving), while Chess decided to order the Chicken with Chorizo. The 40-Clove Chicken did live up to expectation, with the roasted garlic giving the dish a punchy, savoury flavour. The arroz was ok but the star of the night has got to be the Chicken with Chorizo that was flavourful and seasoned well thanks to the salty chorizo bits. We would have wanted to stay for some more dessert since Kitchen’s Best is

Dining buddies Edwin and Chester.

a couple other award winning cakes, but we decided to help our waistline for the meantime, that is, before we head of for some milk tea somewhere else just for the adventure. Kitchen’s Best is located at the ground floor of McKinley Park Residences, at 3rd Avenue and 31st Street, Fort Bonifacio. So whenever you get to visit Manila and pass by the Bonifacio Global City, try to drop by the secret kitchen, of course with the many good reviews it has been garnering in the past few years, expect it not to be so secret anymore. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @kennethkingong for more foodie and travel finds in and around Durianburg.

Chicken with Chorizo.

Arroz ala Cubana.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge! UP AND ABOUT

Philippine Madrigal Singers Goin’ for the Gold slated at SM Lanang Premier

ORGANIZED by National Artist professor Andrea O. Veneracion on 1963, the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers is composed of students, faculty and alumni from the different colleges of the University of the Philippines (UP).

Demonstration of their notable musical competence, they were the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice (1997 and 2007). In 2009, the group was recognized by the UNESCO as Artists for Peace and was the recipient of the Guidoneum Award from the Concorso Polifonico Guido d’ Arezzo Foundation in 2010. In July 2012, they became the first choir to receive The Brand Laureate Premier Award (as the World’s Best Choral Ensemble) from the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation, in recognition for its “significant contribution to the world of choral music, producing new compositions and choral settings for Philippine, Asian and International songs, spreading the beauty of this genre and giving a good musical experience to the audience.” This year, the Philippine Madrigal Singers have been invited to perform during the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Convention in Dallas, Texas and during the America Cantat in Bogota, Columbia. All these coincide with the group’s celebration of its 50th year. On March 5, the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers are set to enthrall Davao with their impeccable musicality. With choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio, the group is expected to perform sacred songs like John August Pamintuan’s Pater Noster , Cantate Domino by Josu Elberdin, Doxologia by Ily Matthew Maniano and Eduardo Hontiveros’ Magnificat. The audience will also be captivated with powerful classics La Guerre (Clement Janequin), William Tell Overture (Gioacchino Rossini) an Italian Salad by Richard Genée. The second half of the concert will be an ode to Philippine culture with folk songs Cebuano Medley as arranged by Eudenice Palaruan, Pagtulog na Nene (Ilonggo) arranged by Arwin Tan, Nilo Alcala’s Kaisa-isa Niyan (Maguindanao) and Tong Tong Pakitong (Tagalog) as arranged by Anna Piquero. To close the grand concert will be popular OPM songs Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin by Aaron Paul Del Rosario and arranged by Fr. Arnold Zamora, Ryan Cayabyab’s Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka and Da Coconut Nut and Dodjie Simon’s Isang Dugo, Isang Lahi, Isang Musika as arranged by Robert Delgado. The UP Madrigal singers will also be performing with Davao’s top choral ensembles Davao Girls’ Choir, UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay, Singing Teens, USEP Harmonia Polifonica Chorale, and Ateneo de Davao University Carillion Glee Club at SM City Davao on March 4. Dare not miss this rare chance to be in audience with music royalty! Catch the UP Madrigal singers at on March 5, 6PM at the SM Lanang Premier Atrium. Admission is free. For inquiries, call 285 0943. Like SM Lanang Premier on Facebook or follow @smlanangpremier on Twitter for event and promo updates.

VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

MOVIES

A glimpse of human greatness:

Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln By Jay Rosas

IN what is probably my favorite scene in the film, when Abraham Lincoln was reading his message to be sent by telegram to Ulysses Grant, and where the 16th US president elucidates on the notion of equality quoting Euclid, he asks: “Do you think we choose to be born or are we fitted into the times were born into?” Lincoln, played magnanimously by Daniel Day-Lewis, was certainly born ahead of his times.

If you were at the US Congress, particularly during the debate over the 13th amendment, you might probably be shaking your head with the level of ignorance and prejudice that cannot be masked by any of the assemblymen’s prosaic rhetoric. Maybe the esteemed gentlemen did not know any better given the circumstances of the time, but Lincoln clearly saw the utmost relevance of the passage of the amendment, that up to this day remains one of the most historic moments in US history and one of the highest points of human civilization. Lincoln showed that our humanity goes beyond the use of our faculty and logic to what is ultimately right and just. It is this humanism, lodged in the persona of Lincoln that Steven Spielberg’s biopic achieves. In choosing to focus on the last few months of his life and his presidency, particularly the abolition of slavery and the victory of the Union in the Civil War (both giving the film’s problematique weight and complexity), Spielberg has attained a level of restraint in his direction that is refreshing and intimate but still portrays human drama in all its grandness and dynamism. In its character study and depiction of politics (that works for the attainment of the common good!), Lincoln is an ambitious reach for its largerthan-life subject matter that still manages to be informative, insightful and also surprisingly comic. Because it focused on the passage of the 13th amendment, Spielberg

Spielberg has attained a level of restraint in his direction that is refreshing and intimate but still portrays human drama in all its grandness and dynamism.

and screenwriter Tony Kushner (the best adapted screenplay of the year IMO, sorry Argo) focused on the art of political lobbying, which is necessary in order to get the number of votes that would enable its passage (this is after all a constitutional exercise that requires a mixture of persuasion and incentivizing). In between the bouts of debate and backdoor negotiations, Spielberg and Kushner dramatize Lincoln’s complex relationship with his wife Mary Todd (Sally Field in an equally challenging role), his first-born Robert (Joseph-Gordon Levitt in a small but powerful role) and his younger son Thomas “Tad”, whom he has taken with much attentiveness and benevolence, and this is perhaps the most accessible and relatable aspect particularly with audiences not readily familiar with US history. Another interesting political dynamic is provided by the presence of Thaddeus Stevens (played with such grace and empathy by Tommy Lee Jones), who is perceived in the film to be Lincoln’s arch-nemesis in the Republican ranks. But the machinations are infused with a comic lightness that is also fun to watch–the lobbyists (played by James Spader

and John Hawkes) observing the mannerisms, the conversation with the key representatives who are the potential swing votes, the in-your-face lobbying— and compassionate—Lincoln’s conversations with the Congressman whose brother was killed during the war and the internallyembattled Kentucky Congressman George Yeaman, and the comic encounters with Ohio Democratic Congressman Wells Hutchins and Pennsylvania Congressman Alexander Coffroth. There is no denying the almost “angel-ification” of Lincoln, basked in Janusz Kaminski’s muted browns and lighting that illuminates Lincoln in iconic silhouettes, not to mention his signature sitting posture. This admiration is likely the sentiment translated from Doris Kearn Goodwin’s expansive book on Lincoln called Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln to Spielberg’s adaptation, not only in its imagery. His iconic persona is exemplified by scenes such as the opening conversations with both Negro and White soldiers, his bursting into a funny story about American patriot Ethan Allen, a facet of the President and information

that may largely be improvised (the liberties in the screenplay I think justified given the admiration for Lincoln) but nonetheless gives justice to his character, and equalizing his intellectual cunning and moral firmness (shown in key scenes regarding the peace plan with Confederate states and a strategizing meeting with his hesitant Cabinet). But aside from Spielberg’s directorial vision and Kushner’s intelligent, intimate screenplay, the real star of Lincoln is Day-Lewis himself, erasing the traces of ruthlessness and tyranny of Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, and instead introverting himself into an acceptable version of Lincoln, eerily resembling him physically and his improvised gait and hunch. He renders the character with so much passion and gravitas. The outstanding element to his portrayal is his unhurried speech and raspy voice—introspective, rational and just (“We begin with equality, that’s the origin isn’t it? That’s justice.”) The solid cast perfectly complements the assured and confident ease by which he slips into his role. In one of the conversations with his wife Molly, Lincoln shares his dream where is aboard a ship looking at the horizon (interpreted by his wife as the passage of the amendment). The president was also a dreamer but he made sure his ship approached the shore—a glimpse of something that was great but humanly possible. Rating: 4.5/5

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ENTERTAINMENT

The best & worst of Oscars 2013 Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lawrence Jokes, Seth MacFarlane singing “We saw your boobs” THE 2013 Oscars are finally here, and so all the shocks and surprises you’ve been anticipating about stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Affleck, Daniel DayLewis, Anne Hathaway, and movies like Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook and more are happening tonight. Plus things you weren’t expecting, like a tie.

Plus, we find out how far host Seth MacFarlane decides to go in front of the massive world audience. (The answer: Pretty far.) But one thing is a lock tonight: This is the only awards show where Homeland isn’t going to win everything. So let’s get to all the surprising, shocktastic moments of the 2013 Oscars. Biggest Future Shock: Nobody would ever expect to see William Shatner at the Oscars, but there he was as Star Trek’s Capt. Kirk in an opening sequence that allowed Seth MacFarlane to trot out a whole bunch of innappropriate material. Using new technology for inane purposes—isn’t that what the App store is for? Biggest Boob: Though there was plenty of worry about what MacFarlane would say in his monologue, perhaps not enough worry was expended on what he would sing. Case in point: “We Saw Your Boobs,” the Oscar host’s celebration of some women’s body of work. That Totally Socks: Considering it features drinking, drugs and inappropriate behavior, we wouldn’t be surprised if MacFarlane’s retelling of Flight with sock puppets becomes his next Fox TV show. Did You Know Channing Tatum Was Nominated an Oscar? Well, he wasn’t. But we’ll give host MacFarlane one thing: He found more than one way to get the unnominated hunky Magic Mike star onstage, thereby ensuring the Oscar trophy wasn’t the only guy who looks stunning shirtless. First Big Shocker: Christoph Waltz won the supporting actor award, gave a calm, thoughtful speech and pretty much ensured we’d be losing the office pool. Did You Remember to

Say Thank You: The winners of both animated awards made sure to thank their kids, who in today’s Hollywood are way more powerful than agents. Plus, children don’t scream and cry nearly as much. Worst Loss: The Academy only nominated The Avengers for one film, but they at least allowed them to get on stage and present the award to the film that beat them. Best New Element: Instead of playing off longwinded speeches with gently swelling music, this year’s awards introduced the theme from Jaws to shut down one speech, and well, it worked. Joy of Seth? What do you think of MacFarlane—funny, foul or flat? Big Rewindable Moment: All those musical numbers from past films had us reliving winners from Oscars past, or at least wondering if Chicago had really come out this year. Nothing celebrates film acting like making movie stars perform like Broadway stars. (That said, they were all actually quite good.) Biggest Shocker: A tie!

The sound editing category awarded Oscars to Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall. Also, shocking? Both winning teams had guys with superlong blond hair. Weird. Least Shocking: Anne Hathaway won the supporting actress award, which was as unsurprising as the fate of her character in Les Miserables. Less Said: Sure, MacFarlane took some shots at big stars from Affleck to Clooney to every woman in that boob song, but what was really interesting was when he didn’t take a shot at someone, like presenter John Travolta. Worst Show Update: Lumping the nine Best Picture nominees into three groups was good math, but it made a lumpen mess for the presenters to introduce and was confusing to the audience, who didn’t know where or when to clap. Most Successful: The stars of Harry Potter and the Twilight franchise, Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart, handed out a gold statuette, which ensured that tweens would recognize at least two stars tonight.

2013 Oscar Winners: The Complete List

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained Best Animated Short Film: Paperman Best Animated Feature Film: Brave Achievement in Cinematography: Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda Achievement in Visual Effects: Life of Pi Achievement in Costume Design: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling: Les Misérables Best Live-Action Short Film: Curfew Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente Best Documentary Feature: Searching for a Sugar Man Best Foreign-Language Film: Amour (Austria) Achievement in Sound Mixing: Les Misérables Achievement in Sound Editing: Zero Dark Thirty & Skyfall Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables Achievement in Film Editing: Argo Achievement in Production Direction: Lincoln Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna Original Song: “Skyfall,” Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth; Skyfall Adapted Screenplay: Argo, Chris Terrio Original Screenplay: Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino Achievement in Directing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook Best Motion Picture: Argo

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VOL.5 ISSUE 254 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

HOME

Chic, modern & space saving modular fittings for the home at Trust Home Depot THE real estate business is on the rise in Davao. Residential enclaves from north to south of the city are sprouting like mushrooms. Surprisingly, with the vast expanse of land in the ‘biggest city in the world by land area’ still available for domestic spaces, vertically stacked housing like condominiums would arise. It was unheard of then, but times are changing. So is the outlook of the locals on Interior Design. What is asked of the architects then is no longer practiced today. The specialized services of the Interior Designers are now sought to plan the inner spaces of the home. With space becoming a premium these days, every inch of it should be utilized to the maximum. Made-to-measure furnishing is the key to maximum use of space. Modular fittings and furnishings is space efficient (reduce the amount of space used up by traditional furniture), organized and ergonomically designed to increase productivity and offer comfort to the user. “We want it to be a complete shopping experience at Trust Home Depot,” said Stephanie Ong, Marketing Manager of THD. “We want to stay ahead of the needs of our clients. When they ask for home essentials, we can offer them a wide range of products and services

they can choose from, and modular furnishing is one of them.” “At The Nest, the lifestyle section of THD, we have sleek, space saving and versatile sectional sofas that can make any living room achieve a contemporary look,” Ms. Ong said.”And, for the growing demand for the modular concept, we are happy to inform everyone that we have two companies specializing in made-to-order kitchens and wardrobes at Trust Home Depot’s Designer Arcade— Home & Design and Sopoart Unlimited Corporation.” Home & Design offers designing and installation of kitchen and wardrobe cabinetry. Its products are up-to-date and of German quality— crafted with German machinery, constructed of German standard to assure the excellence in workmanship, and use German-made mechanisms. To make it convenient for the clients, Home & Design can include the appliances and kitchen accessories needed for the specified room plan. And to complete the look, they offer customized blinds and decorative wall and ceiling panels. “In recent years, the Davao market has become aware of new technologies in cabinetry construction specifically for the kitchen and wardrobe. More people are deciding to invest on Home & Design’s modular cabinetry for its durability. Plus, they get to play with more color and styles to

create their dream space,” says Karina Seng, Home & Design’s Marketing Manager. The other company offering modular kitchen, closets, and cabinets as its main product line is Sopoart Unlimited Corporation. This Manila-based company saw the growing residential projects in Davao and decided to set up shop locally, and provide elegant, stylish and practical options to modernize the homes. Sopoart Marketing Manager William Tejo, Jr. said, “What makes our company stand out is our very competitive pricing on a variety of modern

yet traditional kitchen solutions, incorporating ergonomic designs and accessories.” “It’s only been a year since we made shopping for home essentials more convenient for everyone. At Trust Home Depot, we will stay true to this task and be instrumental in creating everyone’s dream home,” said Stephanie Ong. TRUST Home Depot is at Ecoland Drive, Quimpo Boulevard, Matina (formerly Task Force Davao) with telephone numbers 298-7878, 295-3588. Like Trust Home Depot on Facebook to receive updates.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 254 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

SPORTS 15

CANLUBANG WINS 7TH PAL INTERCLUB TITLE

Davao teams wiped out C

EBU CITY – Davao teams Apo, Davao City Golf Club, Rancho Palos Verdes finished poorly in the just-concluded Philippine Airlines Seniors Interclub in Cebu City. Apo Golf and Country Clun finished in 11th place in the Founder’s Division won by host Cebu Country Club. Surprisingly, Lanang which has been extinct after the club’s sale to SM, finished fifth in the Sportswriters Division while Davao City Golf Club was a far 19th. Canlubang picked the right time to score its best round, posting 148 points to beat Luisita for the title last Sunday. It was the Sugar Barons’ third straight championship and seventh overall in eight years. Dave Hernandez and Rolly Viray shone with 51 points each at Alta Vista as Canlubang finished with 568 points, six points ahead of Luisita. Canlubang’s third score was 46 from either team captain Luigi Yulo or Philip Brodett. For the third straight year, Luisita had to settle for second place, fading in the last nine holes after managing to tie Canlubang at the turn. Minieng Maravilla led Luisita with 51 points, but Richie Garcia, the Philippine Sports Commission chairman, struggled

with 47 points, a score matched by Bong Sison. “If there’s a will, there’s a way,”said Yulo after foiling another Luisita charge. Luisita looked good in the front nine until Garcia went out of bounds off the tee in the ninth hole to make the turn at twoover par. It was downhill from there as Garcia dropped five more strokes in the last nine holes for 47, seven points less than his first round output. ‘I thought I hit a good five-iron tee shot. After that, I could no longer hit it cleanly,” said Garcia. Pueblo de Oro, which led in the first two rounds, settled for third place with 531 points following a 130. Scoring for Pueblo were Manuel Roa (46), Miguel Chiong (43) and Carlos Rubio (41). Clifford Celdran of Pueblo edged Ramontito Garcia by a single point to win the individual title. In the Founders division, Cebu Country Club won the Founders division with 555 points after scoring 142 points at Alta Vista. Ramontito Garcia led CCC with 50 points followed by Koichi Horii with 47 and Masatsugu Ochiai with 45. Alta Vista matched CCC’s 142 to settle for second place with 550.

Scoring for Alta Vista were Akiro Hatano 50, Ramon Sebastian 47 and Agapito Suan 45. Texas won the Sportswriters class with 460 followed by SFO Crystal Springs 456 and Veterans 453. The PAL Interclub is being sponsored by the Department of Tourism, 105.1 Crossover, Solar Sports, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, 92.3 FM Radyo 5, Araneta Coliseum and AXN. Major sponsors are Airbus, Manila Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine Broadcasting Network, People Asia, Radio Mindanao Network, Business Mirror and ABSCBN The Filipino Channel (TFC). Corporate sponsors include Radisson Blu Hotel, Shangri-La Resort & Spa, Boeing, Inquirer Golf Magazine, Philippines Graphic and Manila Bulletin. The results: CHAMPIONSHIP– Canlubang 568, Luisita 562, Pueblo de Oro 531, YVR BC 444, Forest Hills 437, Victorias 429, Filcansa 426, T. Kingfisher 423, Fil-Am Fairfield 421, Cotabato 412, Bacolod 409, Brookside 406, Mabuhay Las 402, Austral Asian 393, Bay City 374, Greenhills West 361, Canphil 346, Club 1870 339, Melbourne Pinoy 307, 40 Love Darwin 285, Sandbaggers YVR 254, Viva Las Vegas 232.

courses also vary greatly, with CCC being softer and Mactan a tad harder than usual, making approaches more difficult over at the course near the international airport. “That’s why we believe that the turning point (of the tournament) could be Mactan,” Hechanova had said in an earlier interview. “Anything can happen there and no team can claim local knowledge over there.” Cebu CC will be shooting for back-to-back wins for the first time in its PAL Interclub participation and it will be bannered by basically the same team that ruled the event last year at the Apo Golf and Rancho Palos Verdes courses in Davao. Alabang will parade a youthful side that has Filipino-German Keanu Jahns in the lineup, while Del Monte, the champion two years ago in Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon, has

also remained practically intact. One heavy contributor for Cebu CC last year who won’t be around this time is Gio Gandiongco, the cool and calculating teenager who is in a golf scholarship in the United States. The PAL Interclub is being sponsored by the Department of Tourism, 105.1 Crossover, Solar Sports, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, 92.3 FM Radyo 5, Araneta Coliseum and AXN. Major sponsors are Airbus, Manila Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine Broadcasting Network, People Asia, Radio Mindanao Network, Business Mirror and ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel (TFC). Corporate sponsors include Radisson Blu Hotel, Shangri-La Resort & Spa, Boeing, Inquirer Golf Magazine, Philippines Graphic and Manila Bulletin.

PAL INTERCLUB CHAMP. Rolly Viray reacts in hole no. 18 to celebrate the victory of Canlubang in the PAL Seniors Interclub in Cebu. (PAL photo)

PAL MEN’S INTERCLUB

Battle begins in Mactan

EBU – Mactan, a military-operated layout which no team in the 66th Philippine Airlines Interclub field can claim to have familiarity with, will be the site of Day 1 action of the Men’s Regular championship starting tomorrow. Cebu Country Club (CCC), a traditional course which has been a landmark at the heart of this city, will host the second and final rounds as its club bets shoot to win the event for the second straight year. Also a par-72 like CCC, Mactan will be the site for the third day, which could prove CCC general manager Jeric Hechanova right when he said that it could be the turning point of the tournament. While CCC will have relatively sleek and well-manicured greens, Mactan will have slow greens. Fairways of both

APO. Boy Tan of Apo putts during the PAL Senior Interclub. Apo placed a distant 11th. (Boy Lim)

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