Edge Davao 5 Issue 38 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 30 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

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Serving a seamless society

Focus on Media Excellence Page S1

Nun, envi guard branded ‘NPAs’ By Lorie Ann A. Cascaro

Benedictine nun, Sr. Stella Matutina, was alluded to as a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) during a barangay assembly called by

Science/ Environment Page 4

the 28th IB in Lantawan, Lupon, Davao Oriental last March 2 for the purpose of forming a Barangay Defense System (BDS) in the area. In a press release, 1st Lt. Hermie Montelibano also reportedly said that Fr. Fausto “Pops” Tentorio was killed be-

cause he was an NPA, and there is a nun named Stella who is an NPA and only pretending to be a nun. Last April 15, the people of San Isidro, Davao Oriental were warned by a certain 1st Lt. Francisco Lingat not to join the advance Earth Day forum on mining

FNUN, 13

Sports Page 14

ANCESTRAL DOMAIN. Indigenous people and farmers coming from the different parts of Davao rallied at the office of NCIP and the Davao City Council to condemn the alleged gross disrespect to the ancestral domain of the various tribes in the city. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Search starts for top entrepreneur

By Jade C. Zaldivar

HE prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Awards 2012 Philippines was officially launched yesterday.

Members of the Davao business community and media attended the launching held at Damosa I.T. Park, particularly at the SGV & Co., the local partner of the awards organizers. The EOY program was established

1986 in the United States by professional services firm Ernst & Young. Introduced here in 2003, it was Jollibee Foods Corporation president and CEO Tony Tan Caktiong who was the first to win the award and went on to attend the awarding

FSEARCH, 13

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

March records highest number of HIV cases By Jade C. Zaldivar

HE Department of Health (DOH) this week announced that there were 313 reported HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) cases in the country in the month of March. Through a newsletter posted in the website of the National Epidemiology Center, the DOH called the 313 count as “the highest number of cases ever reported in a month” since the registry began in 1984. In March alone, three were reported to have died from AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a lentivirus that causes AIDS, a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. The DOH said infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of body liquid such as through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Aware of the DOH announcement, City Social Services and Development Officer (CSSDO) social welfare officer Teresita Pioncio yesterday said with the passage of the proposed Reproductive Health (RH) Bill information dissemination and government intervention to prevent

n Social workers call engage in early sex the bill unwanted consequences of unprotected sex will be prevented. “The reason why people are reckless when it comes to sex is because of lack of information. There is a misconception that passing the RH Bill is equal to agreeing to abortion, these are highly different matters,” she said in an interview at the City Hall. “Although I am speaking my own opinion, I think it’s important that the RH Bill is passed to give teeth, especially to the local government in creating intervention programs to prevent the STD (sexually transmitted disease) count from rising,” Pioncio added. A drop-in center for children in need of special protection, specifically for girls, the Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights Inc. also supports the RH Bill’s passage. “The thought is not just on protected sex but even preventing sex. I have read the The Bill’s provisions and it cites the importance of being responsible,” said Tambayan Center social worker Alma Acera in an interview. “For women and children who have been abused, and teenagers who

would be an eye-opener for them,” she added. Meanwhile, the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc., which is composed of 97 member non-government organizations, said they are ‘alarmed by the lack of awareness and information of the public regarding HIV.’ “If only there is a national policy on Reproductive Health (RH) which can help educate and inform the public about HIV /AIDS this could have been prevented,” PNGOC executive director Dr. Eden Divinagracia said in a statement. RH education can lead to responsible behavior which means higher levels of abstinence, being faithful to his/her partner and being more careful and use proper protection such as condoms, she added. These good effects are even greater when parents can talk honestly with their children about sexual and reproductive matters.” added Dr. Divinagracia. Statistics Of the DOH’s national count of 313 HIV positive cases, 17 were confirmed as AIDS positive, composed of 16 males and 1 female with a median age of 31 years. The three casualties

of these people ano sila compressor fishing, so yan yung cyanide ginagamit so nasisira ang corals. Ngayon change of heart as I was telling you earlier LA na parang St. Paul, galit na galit dati kay Jesus diba? When he was reformed, he became very passionate about it. And I guess most of them are like this now,” she said. Since they began protecting the area, people discovered it as a tourism interest, while the reef rangers were trained as tourist guides at the same time. For P300, a couple of tourists will have one ranger/guide, complete snorkeling set, flippers and life vests. “You are visiting there because you want to experience what they experience day to day,” Mayor Rabat told the Davao City reporters who visited the village and experienced snorkeling to witness how the corals and fishes have changed from devastation after three years of conservation. Jobaa Dumagonot, a reef ranger and member of the Barangay Fisheries Association Management

Council (BFARMC), said he is passionate in implementing the policy to protect the marine area as this will benefit not only him, but also his family. “Gistriktuhan gyud namo ang pagpatuman para mobalik ang kinaiyahan. Labi na sa amoa, pamilyado na ko, ug para sa mga anak,” he said. Reef rangers watch over the coast even at night. Under a barangay ordinance, one who is caught fishing there will be fined P1,000 for the first and second offenses. But, with a third offense, his boat will be confiscated and a case filed against him. He said some fishermen vowed never to fish there again if their boats would not be confiscated. “Usahay makasabot mi kay panginabuhi lang man ilaha,” he added. Mati City is basically coastal so the livelihood of most people is fishing, Rabat said, adding that out of 26 barangays, 16 are coastal areas. “So, may awareness na rin ang katawhan diyan. Sinasabi mo sampu lang yumayaman sa compres-

for RH Bill

FMARCH, 13

Fisher folks practice marine conservation in Mati City By Lorie A. Cascaro

DMITTING that they were doing dynamite and cyanide fishing in the 80’s and 90’s, the fisher folks of Barangay Tamisan in the city of Mati, Davao Oriental, began caring for the marine environment three years ago. A marine protected area declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the village is one of the recipients of the Integrated Coastal Resources Management amounting to P441,000 in terms of goods and cash. They were trained by DENR 11 to become reef rangers on a 43-hectare coast at Brgy. Tamisan. Fishing in the area has been prohibited since 2008 to restore the coral reefs and increase the volume of fish and other marine life forms. Mayor Michelle Rabat said the people themselves initiated the project, motivated to improve the area for their own benefit. “Before, because sa kahirapan ng buhay, some

FFISHER, 13

MOCK BOARD EXAMS. Councilor Leah Librado intently listens to the grievances of the graduates of the Mindanao Medical Foundation College after the school refused to release their credentials and special order to take the nursing board exam for not passing the school-

implemented post-graduation assessment exam. The students said that they have already marched for their graduation rights, complied all the mandatory requirements as stipulated by CHED and have paid all of their financial obligations. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

MinTC says

‘Visit Samal’ effective strategy

HE Visit Samal program is gradually emerging as an effective marketing tool for the island’s tourism industry, thanks to local government units (LGU) and Department of Tourism (DOT) 11, Jonallier M. Perez, executive director of the Mindanao Tourism (MinTC) said yesterday. “Sans any data so far, more people are getting aware of the various destinations on the island. The existing brand “From Islands to Highlands” is a very potent marketing image indeed. Considering that concomitant with the beach-based activities is the Mt. Apo Challenge,” he added. Visit Samal 2012 opened last April 21 with not an ordinary motorcade on one ordinary sunny day that led to Penaplata Central Elementary School in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) for the opening salvo. A joint initiative of LGU and DOT, it was conceived as a marketing strategy designed to lure more

local and foreign tourists to visit the island. The Philippine Military Academy Sinag Lahi (2015) class performed a silent military drill and comical rendition of modern dances while in their military uniform in front of thousands of local people and guests. DOT 11 regional Director Art Boncato and IGaCoS Mayor Aniano Antalan also witnessed the opening and expressed similar sentiments over the government’s support and people’s warm reception. The Motorcade A motorcade by various individual and cluster floats showcasing the island’s resorts, destinations and tourist activities around the city’s nerve centers opened the event. However, Perez said they would have wanted to have had it emanate from Davao City. “From a marketing point of view, the recent motorcade had a very limited audience as they were only the local populace, who do not need much advertising

since they fairly know the event itself and a few visitors were invited to the island,” he said. The MinTC said it hopes “that soon, more resorts will be actively participating in the program and we are looking forward to more intensified campaign next year.” Also, they aim to utilize multi-media tools in promoting the event through the web, since majority of potential tourists get information from the net. “Davao is one big area where the island’s potential market is coming from. Doing your own motorcade in your own island is like advertising your family business to your own family members,” he said. Noting market penetration, posters and other visuals, should be displayed in major cities and provinces where target audience are residing, adding that the MinTC’s position is to strategically and maximally utilize visuals given a limited budget for any promotion.

Participating baranagays are mainly those within the poblacion area: 21-C, 22-C, 31D, 76-A. Also participating are Barangays Mintal and Tugbok Proper. Also involved in the event is Anakk-Sta.Cruz, a non-profit organization promoting the rights of disadvantaged youth, who in February signed an agreement with Fundacion Real Madrid and Fundacion Mapfre of Spain to put up a social sports school in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur for underprivileged players aged 14 years old and below. Edmundo Altizo, barangay captain of 21-C (Piapi Boulevard), admitted that their barangay has one of the highest counts of CICLs in the city. He said almost 50 teenagers from their barangay have been arrested at least once by the police for such crimes asa of street-gang involvement, inhaling solvents, and the like. “Maraming kabataan sa amin na nai-involve sa mga gangs kaya ipinasasalamat naming itong intervention ito to involve yung mga kabataan

sa sports. Malaking tulong ito para sa kanila,” Altizo said at the same forum. Sangguniang Kabataan chair Norie Fe Manlod is likewise aware of the positive effects the sports festival will have on the participants. “Through our participation in the Summer Hope Festival the youth gets to enjoy their being young people, but more so by becoming good citizens and being an example to other youth. I believe we are also helping shape our society into a better one,” she said. The Summer Hope Festival is co-organized with the Davao Football Association and the sponsorship of American NGO High Five Hope, which since 2008 has been sponsoring youth sports events in Manila. “We’re very thankful that this time the High Five Hope chose to support our activities,” she said. The Tambayan Center primarily serves the welfare and rights of adolescent street girls within age range of 9 to 17 years old.[Jade C. Zaldivar]

[LORIE A. CASCARO]

NGO taps brgys. in sportsfest

IMED at addressing the problem of children in conflict with the law (CICL) and teenage sex, non-government organization (NGO) Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights Inc. is calling for the participation of six barangays of the city in a summer sports festival. Advocacy officer Alma Acera of Tambayan Center yesterday said they specifically requested the participation of barangays in the city with a record of male and female minors in need of special protection. “The youth from several barangays will participate in sports and gatherings which we are positive will enhance their social awareness,” Acera said during the I-Speak Forum at the city hall building. “Those participating may not necessarily be children in need of special protection, but kids from these barangays are invited,” she added. The sportsfest dubbed Summer Hope Festival, set May 2 to 19 at the Tionko football field, this city.

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL XI Congratulates

EDGEDAVAO for the launching of Daily Newspaper!

GO EDGEDAVAO!!!

Message CONGRATULATIONS TO EDGE DAVAO!!! It is indeed good news that we can read and enjoy Edge Davao on a daily basis. Edge Davao has been a forerunner in fusion packaging of print news. The right blend of business, community and social news was always and continues to be delivered by Edge Davao. This makes Edge Davao an interesting and unique paper in the country. I would also like to congratulate Edge Davao for being awarded as the Best in Business and Economic Reporting – Weekly Category for CY 2011 by the Philippine Press Institute. As Edge Davao goes daily and continues to grow, more businesses will prosper, more news will reach the people and more lives will be touched by the paper. Davao is truly deserving of a creatively conceptualized paper for business, news and leisure! More Power to Edge Davao! Cheers!

MARIA TERESA L. UNGSON, RND, MPS Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator National Nutrition Council XI

Nutri pinoy henyo series

HE Nutri Pinoy Henyo Series is a project of the National Nutrition Council XI that encourages and promotes bright and creative ideas on food preparation, presentation and table setting. The Nutri Pinoy Henyo Series includes Recipe Development Contest for Low Cost Vegetable Dish and Davao-International Fusion Cuisine and Table Setting. Other future components

of the Nutri Pinoy Henyo Series is the conceptualization, development and production of Davao Fusion Cuisine Coffee Table Book and other Recipe Books that would provide nutrition and cooking tips and the nutritive value of the featured recipes. There is also a plan to organize a cook and/or bakefest using coconut sap sugar and to produce a recipe book using the product.

2012 NUTRITION MONTH THEME

“Pagkain ng Gulay ugaliin, Araw-araw itong ihain.”

NUTRI PINOY HENYO SERIES RECIPE DEVELOPMENT CONTEST April 27, 2012

Cafe El Gato, Ranchos Palos Verdes, Riverfront Corp. City Maa Diversion Rd., Davao City

OPENING PROGRAM 8:00 – 8:30 Registration 8:30 – 9:00 Opening Ceremonies Invocation…… AVP Philippine National Anthem…. AVP Acknowledgement of Participants Welcome Remarks…. Maria Teresa L. Ungson Reg’l Nutrition Program Coordinator National Nutrition Council XI PART I. LOW COST VEGETABLE DISH 9:00 – 9:15 Introduction of Contestants and Judges 9:15 – 9:30 Mechanics of the Vegetable Recipe Development Contest Ms. Helena Calatrava Regional Nutritionist, DSWD Contest Judge 9:30 – 10:00 Vegetable Dish Preparation and Cooking 10:00 – 11:00 Interview, Assessment and Rating of Judges PART II. NUTRI-MEDIA PRESS CONFERENCE Conducted simultaneously with Low Cost Vegetable Dish Contest PART III. DAVAO INTERNATIONAL FUSION CUISINE 1:00 – 1:15 Introduction of Participants, Contestants and Judges 1:15 – 1:30 Inspirational Message….NPC Maria Teresa L. Ungson 1:30 – 1:45 Mechanics of the Davao International Fusion Cuisine Mr. Noel Tanza Events Organizer, Golden Touch Contest Judge 1:45 – 3:15 Davao International Fusion Cuisine and Table Set-up - Cooking preparation, food plating and table setting 3:15 – 4:15 Concept Presentation, Interview, Assessment and Rating of Judges 4:15 – 4:30 Judge’s Validation and Consolidation of Rating Sheets PART IV. RECIPE DEVELOPMENT CONTEST AWARDING CEREMONY Retsebeth Laquihon Emcee

Participating schools for Recipe Development Contest

University of Mindanao

Holy Cross of Davao College

St. Albans College of Technology

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Why so much ado about biodiversity? By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

“

IF any part of the web suffers breaks down, the future of life on the planet will be at risk.” Those words were spoken by Klaus Töpfer when he was still the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program. His observation led the UN General Assembly to proclaim 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. “Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on,” the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity said in a statement. Biodiversity – coined from biological diversity – is most often thought of as the variety of organisms on earth. Yet it also includes two other factors: ecological diversity (the variety of ecosystems and ecological communities) and genetic diversity (the range of genetic differences found within and between species). “All three aspects are crucial for the success and development of life on earth,” explains People and the Planet, a group raising environmental

concerns based in London. “Since environmental conditions at every level are constantly changing, only diversity can ensure that some individuals and species will be able to adapt to the changes.” Scientists claim the biodiversity around the world today is the result of more than three billion years of evolution. Unfortunately, the world is losing them at unprecedented rate. “Of all the global problems that confront us, (biodiversity loss) is the one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that will have the most serious consequences,” declared Dr. Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Gardens in the United States. Species declines and extinctions have always been a natural part of that process, but there is something disturbingly different about the current extinction patterns. “Like the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, humanity now finds itself in the midst of a mass extinction: a global evolutionary convulsion with few parallels in the entire history of life,” wrote John Tuxill and Chris Bright, authors of Losing Strand in the Web of Life. “But un-

like the dinosaurs, we are not simply the contemporaries of a mass extinction – we are the reason of it.” Rodrigo Fuentes, executive director of the Asean Center for Biodiversity, said deforestation, large-scale mining, massive wildlife hunting and other “irresponsible

biodiversity and climate change and highlighting their importance to humans,” Dr. Berthold Seibert, Project Manager of the ACB-GIZ Biodiversity and Climate Change Project, said. In recognition of media’s key role in generating greater awareness of biodiversity, ACB and GIZ will partner with the PPI for the special award, which will be part of the 2012-2013 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards. Hosted by PPI and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation, the awards is an annual event that aims to recognize community papers excelling in the field of civic journalism. There are six existing categories: Best in Business and Economic Reporting, Best in Science and Environmental Reporting, Best in Photojournalism, Best Editorial Page, Best Edited Paper and Best in Culture and Arts Reporting. For the past two years, ACB has been supporting the awards by serving as judge in Science and Environmental

Reporting category. For 2012-2013, ACB and GIZ, through the Biodiversity and Climate Change Project, will launch a special awards category: Best in Biodiversity and Climate Change Reporting. “By opening this special category, ACB, GIZ and PPI will recognize the efforts of community journalists who have taken the initiative to educate more people about biodiversity and climate change,” Rodrigo U. Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said. “By partnering with PPI on the awards, ACB and GIZ seek to “form a cadre of journalists who will become active partners in promoting the link between biodiversity and climate change through their reportage. Communicating biodiversity and climate change is a daunting task. While successes have been achieved on some fronts, a lot of communication gaps still need to be filled. This award is a step toward bridging those gaps,” Fuentes explained.

Search for best in biodiversity, climate change reporting on

HE hot issue of biodiversity and climate change will receive a much-needed public awareness boost when the AEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the Deutsche Gesselschaft fur Internationale Zusammernarbeit (German Agency for International Cooperation) or GIZ, and the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) launched the special award on “Best in Biodiversity and Climate Change Reporting” at the 16th National Press Forum on April 24 at Traders Hotel Manila. The launch of the special award will be announced at the press forum by Rolando Inciong, head of ACB’s Communication and Public Affairs. “The relationship between biodiversity and climate change cannot be translated into a gut issue that the man on the street will understand without the help of the media, especially the newspapers. GIZ and ACB recognize media’s significant role as a partner in demystifying biodiversity and promoting the link between

human activities have increased extinction levels dramatically over the past decades at 100 to 1,000 times the normal rate.” Why so much ado about biodiversity loss? “The loss of species touches everyone, for no matter where or how we live, biodiversity is the basis for our existence,” pointed out Tuxill and Bright. In other words, without biodiversity man ceases to exist. Dr. Raven cites three reasons why biodiversity should be conserved and protected; these are ethical and aesthetic, economic, and services. To explain the first reason, he quotes the words of Paul Ehrlich and Ed Wilson, authors of Extinction: The Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species: “Because Homo sapiens (human beings) is the dominant species on Earth, we and many others think that people have an absolute moral responsibility to protect what are our only known living companions in the universe.” The Holy Bible itself states so. God told Adam and Eve, the first human beings: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). In terms of economic value, Dr. Raven says the world’s population use organisms for food, medicines, chemicals, fiber, clothing, structural materials, and energy, among many others. “Biodiversity provides a wealth of genes essential for main-

taining the vigor of our crop and livestock,” Tuxill and Bright reminded. For instance, Asian cattle have been crossed with dairy breeds of Europe to boost their milk and meat output. On the other hand, a high-yielding variety of rice developed at the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute is a cross between a Chinese dwarf strain and a tall, traditional plant from Indonesia. Some 100 kinds of plants – including rice, wheat, corn, potato, and cassava – provide the great majority of the world’s food. “There might be tens of thousands of other plants that have edible parts and might be used more extensively for food, and perhaps brought into cultivation, if we knew them better,” Raven notes. That was what God told Adam and Eve, too: “I give you every seedbearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the bests of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food” (Genesis 1:29-30). More than 60 percent of the world’s people depend directly on plants for medicine. The Chinese, for instance, use more than 5,000 of the estimated 30,000 species of plants found in the country for medicinal purposes. In the United States, some 25 percent of drugs

prescribed include chemical compounds derived from wild organisms. Two of the most important anti-cancer drugs in the world come from the rosy periwinkle, found in Asia’s tropical rainforests. Taxol, the only drug that shows promise against breast cancer and ovarian cancer, was initially found in the western yew. The puffer fish provides toxin used in nervous system research. Biodiversity provides pollination services, mostly in the form of insects, without which the world could not be fed. Frogs, fish, and birds provide natural pest control; mussels and other aquatic organisms cleanse the water supplies; plants and microorganisms create the soils. By saving the world’s biodiversity, man also saves the natural ecosystems in which they thrive and dwell. Ecosystems, functioning properly, are responsible for the Earth’s ability to capture energy from the sun and transform into chemical bonds to provide the energy necessary for the life processes of all species, including human beings. “Clearly, much of the quality of ecosystem services will be lost if the present episode of extinction is allowed to run unbridled for much longer,” Dr. Raven contends. “Protection of biodiversity should be one of the top priorities of any meaningful strategy to safeguard the world’s biological heritage,” suggests John C. Ryan, author

FWHY, 13

EDGEDAVAO

Stat Watch

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

3.5% 4th Qtr 2011

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

3.7% 4th Qtr 2011 USD 3,342 Million Nov 2011 USD 4,985 Million Nov 2011 USD -1,643 Million Nov 2011 USD -114 Million Dec 2011 P4,442,355 Million Nov 2011

3. Exports 1/ 4. Imports 1/ 5. Trade Balance 6. Balance of Payments 2/ 7. Broad Money Liabilities 8. Interest Rates 4/

4.71% Oct 2011 P128,745 Million Nov 2011 P 4,898 Billion Oct 2011

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

P 43.65 Dec 2011

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

3,999.7 Sept 2011

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

128.1 Jan 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.9 Jan 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Dec 2011

16. Visitor Arrivals

284,040 Sept 2011

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

19.1% Oct 2011

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

6.4% Oct 2011

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011) Month

2011

2010

2009

Average December November October September August July June May April March

43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52

45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74

47.637 46.421

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

New minimum wage effective on Labor Day B

Y May 1, minimum wage earners in Davao Region will get a P10 increase in their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). The additional P10 in the worker’s COLA will increase the minimum wage of the region from the P260- P291 to P270-P301. This is the second tranche of the P15 COLA increase set under Wage Order No. RB XI17 issued last December 2011. The first tranche of P5 was implemented in January 1 of this year.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-XI) issued the Wage Order No. RB XI-17, which sets the pay of non-agricultural workers and those employed in the retail and service establishment with more than 10 workers to P301 per day. This consists of a basic minimum wage pay of P286 and aggregate COLA of P15.00. Meanwhile, those in the agricultural sector will get P276 and those working in retail and service establishments with less than ten workers

will receive P275. According to Department of Labor and Employment – XI regional director Joffrey Suyao, the RTWPB initiated a hearing to determine the necessity of a wage increase in the region last September 2011. The findings prompted the board to issue such COLA adjustment. Suyao said numerous hearings and deliberations were conducted and tripartite board members were armed with current data of regional

economic indicators to ascertain the levels of adjustment. He said the wage order will help minimum wage earners get reprieve from dealing with increasing prices of basic commodities. Aside from the new minimum wage hikes, DOLE-XI will be conducting massive job fairs in two large malls in Davao City; the SM City Mall and the Gaisano Mall of Davao. These two-day job fairs will be held from May 1-2 as part of the May 1 Labor Day celebrations.

PSE continues to rally

Mr. Steve Peregrino, Marketing Director, Western Union, Pacific & Indochina

HE local bourse’s rally continues for the fourth day in a row Thursday as investors remain bullish amid the negative performances of some sectoral indices due to developments overseas. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose by 9.95 points or 0.1912 percent to 5,214.75 points from the previous day’s record-high of 5.204.84 points. Also, the broader all shares index is up by 6.11 points or 0.176 percent to 3,478.35 points from day-ago’s 3,472.24 points.

Both the financials and mining and oil indices are up but the industrial, holding firms, property, and services indices are on the red after the morning trade. The financials is up by 8.82 points or 0.6826 percent to 1,300.97 points and the mining and oil by 419.84 points or by 1,5522 percent to 27,467.37 points. On the other hand, the industrial index continues to slide and posted a decline of 17.24 points or 0.2196 percent to 7,834.48 points from day-ago’s 7,851.72 points.

It is on the same boat as the property index, which further dropped to 1,943.64 points, lower by 1.83 points or 0.0941 percent from day-ago’s 1,945.47 points. The holding firms, which registered a positive performance at the end of Wednesday’s trading, was down by 0.47 points or 0.0106 percent to 4,452.18 points over the previous day’s 4,452.65 points. Also, the services index is down to 1.716.13 points from the previous day’s 1,716.42 points after contracting by

0.29 points or 0.0169 percent. Losers surpass gainers at 98 to 70 while 30 were unchanged. Value turn-over reached P3.89 billion after 3.87 billion shares changed hands. Meanwhile, the local unit started on a slightly stronger note to a dollar at P42.63 from Wednesday’s P42.65 start. Its highest trade in the morning session stood at P42.61 while weakest is at P42.65 resulting on an average of P42.62, better than the previous day’s P42.65 in the first half of the day.

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

Street foods: Are they safe to eat?

EDGEDAVAO

By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

TREET foods are everywhere – so common that they blend into the urban scene and are not really noticed. They are available around factories, offices, schools and universities, transit points and markets. With more people joining the labor force and working away from home, street foods are the most access source of nutrition. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), some 2.5 billion people around the world eating street foods every day. “Many people lack proper housing and cooking facilities,” explains economic journalist Ian Steele as to why the street food industry is proliferating, particularly in Asia. “With increasing costs and the difficulty of procuring fuel, the only immediate alternative is to turn to street foods. As more women work outside the home, there is less time for cooking.” Thus, street foods provide a convenient source of nourishment. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, almost 25 percent of household expenditure is spent on street foods. In Bangkok, Thailand, 90 percent of the people eat most of their meals outside their homes. In the Philippines, street food is more than just a convenient food source; in fact, it is an integral part of the landscape and culture. Filipinos are known to enjoy the average three

Food stall

meals a day plus merienda (snacks). Those living in industrialized countries like the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom, may prefer dining and eating pizzas when hunger pangs strike. Filipinos, on the other hand, race to the streets to satisfy their hunger for their favorite street foods for a few pesos. “Among the lower income groups in several developing countries, 50 to 70 percent of household earnings are spent on street foods,” Steele reports. But some rich people are also doing so: “Studies have shown that even the rich visit street food vendors, sometimes for a special and popular type of meal prepared by a particular vendor.” The term “street foods” describes a wide range of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold and sometimes prepared in public places, notably streets. Like fast foods, the final preparation of street foods occurs when the customer orders the meal which can be consumed where it is purchased or taken away. Street foods and fast foods are low in cost compared with restaurant meals and offer an attractive alternative to homecooked food. In spite of these similarities, street food and fast food enterprises differ in variety, environment, marketing techniques and ownership. “The image most people have of street foods is that

of a mobile vendor pushing a cart,” says Irene Tinker, director of the US-based Equity Policy Center, which made an extensive study on street foods in developing countries. “In fact, few vendors are truly mobile. Even those with carts usually roll to their site early in the morning and stay all day. Such vendors feel they have the right to sell at the space, and will fight someone intruding. If they retire, they may even ‘sell’ the use rights! Other vendors park their carts outside schools at midday and near markets in the evenings.” As for women who carry baskets of food, they move from one place to another, balancing the baskets on their heads. On the other hand, men may shoulder balance a bamboo pole with food on one side, stools on the other for the customers to use as they eat. “Even such vendors tend to stop at a few set locations each day, or walk a definite route. After all, customers like to buy from a vendor they know and trust,” Tinker points out. There are many types of foods sold in the street. In the Philippines, certain favorites are: kwek-kwek (made of quail eggs covered in orange dough and deep fried), isaw (chicken intestine put on a stick and grilled), fish balls (minced fish rolled into balls), balut (pre-hatched duck egg), betamax (a cubed, curdled blood of a chicken), adidas (the marinated grilled

Not so expensive

chicken’s feet), atay (marinated and barbequed liver of chicken), and helmet (the grilled head of a chicken). Other fillers of hungry stomachs are: maruya (a combination of bananas and flour, deep fried until golden brown), kikiam (made of ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets then deep-fried until golden), calamares (deep-fried battered squid rings), mais (corn on a cob, but it could also be salted boiled corn), and green mango with bagoong (unripe mango on a stick with a salty, fermented sauce or paste made from small shrimps or fish). For drinks, the following are common: buko juice (coconut juice that can be drunk directly from the buko itself), iskrambol (a simple shake with artificial flavors), and sago and gulaman (a refreshingly cold drink made out of tapioca and jelly). Wherever they are in the world, Filipinos who have tried these street foods clamor for them. One Filipino now living abroad revealed: “I miss the Philippines and I love

street foods. I miss those moments when my sisters and I would go to the stalls in the street and ate those street foods together.” Now the inevitable question: Are street foods safe to eat? “Food safety is a major concern of customers,” Tinker says. But in Senegal, 200 people died following food intoxication after eating street foods. At one time, cholera outbreak happened in India and was attributed to sugarcane juice peddled by the sidewalks. In Metro Manila, there was once a surge in gastrointestinal diseases, which were caused mainly by eating dirty sidewalk foods. “With the increasing pace of globalization and tourism, the safety of street food has become one of the major concerns of public health, and a focus for governments and scientists to raise public awareness,” the World Health Organization urges. “(Street) food per se is not dangerous, improper food handling is.” That was what Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said when asked if total ban of street food in the city is possible. Davao City was one of the four identified areas in the country where food sold on the street is not safe to eat. According to a study by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Center for International Migration and Development, food samples taken from various streets in the city did not pass quality standards. The lady mayor clarified that even before the DOST conducted its study, the government has been constantly monitoring the safety of street food. “We have distributed carts that are ideal for street food cooking and display, vendors use hair nets, go thorough food handling seminar and get ID from City Health Office,” she said. Aside from Davao, the other areas identified by the study were Cagayan de Oro, Laguna and University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City. The Food and Nutrition

Research Institute, a line agency of DOST, warned the public that street food stalls do not pass the same process as certified food establishments. Although the institute is not discouraging street food vendors from selling their products, it suggested that vendors undergo training in food handling to ensure safety. “The risk of serious food poisoning outbreaks linked to street foods remains a threat in many parts of the world,” FAO said. “A lack of knowledge among street food vendors about the causes of food-borne disease is a major risk factor.” Eating street foods may be cheap, but there are also dangers that can cause health problems. There was this case of a woman in her forties who suffered vomiting, scarred skin and muscle pains after eating calamares. A series of laboratory tests conducted by the Bureau of Food and Drugs found out that there was a huge amount of formalin, a form of formaldehyde (a preservative) in the imported frozen squids. The contaminated calamares caused the adverse effects in the woman’s body that circulated through her blood. Whether street food is safe to eat or not, it is most likely here to stay. After all, the million multi-million dollar industry employs millions of people in Asia. In Bogor, Indonesia, for instance, annual sales of street foods amount to US$67 million. If one computes the average daily sales of the 100, 000 stalls in Malaysia, annual street food sales amount to US$2.2 billion. “The significance of the street food industry has often been ignored because it is considered part of the informal sector,” a position paper said. “Previously, the informal sector was thought to symbolize a lack of economic development that would and should disappear with modernization. Until more permanent jobs could be provided by the modern sector, the former was expected to absorb unskilled workers who migrated to the city from rural areas.”

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

Grow your own vegetables!

Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno

IKE a bad dream, the economic crunch can’t be shooed away and it’s the housewife who agonizes the most when money gets scarce and food supplies run low. It’s she who grapples with the daily marketing list and skips the food items she can’t buy. All it takes to solve the problem is to take stock of whatever resources are available within the immediate environment, resources which can be properly utilized to produce such essential food items as vegetables – and bid the foul-mouthed market vendor goodbye. A vacant lot in the backyard should come in handy. With a hoe, shovel, a discarded kitchen knife and a few pesos to hire a handyman in the neighborhood to do the cleaning and preparing the lot for planting, the problem is half solved. “A small, well-maintained garden may often produce twice the quantity of vegetables that a large, unplanned, and poorlykept garden yields,” points out Roy C. Alimoane, the director of the Davaobased Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc. The MBRLC shares some suggestions and cultural tips to help you make your garden more productive and sustainable: Soil and site selection: Sites for vegetable growing should be carefully selected. The site should not be an steep slope, as this could cause erosion. If possible, the soil should be sandy-loam, well-drained, and rich in organic matter. Most vegetables do not like acid soils; however, acidity could be corrected through the use of fertil-

Raised beds

izer. The garden should not be shaded by trees, as vegetables grow poorly out of direct sunlight. Water supply: A permanent water supply is necessary. If the supply source is a stream, then dig a well a few meters away to prevent any possible eelworm infection from the stream. Wind protection: Wind can cause considerable mechanical damage to vegetables. The breakage of leaves and branches allows disease spores to enter exposed tissues. If there’s no protection from winds, the topsoil may dry out and the plants suffer severely. Erect protective fences or plant tall boundary crops like malunggay and kalamansi. Layout of beds: Beds should be laid out on the country or, in heavy soils, on a slight gradient to help drainage. Raised beds are recommended to prevent water logging. In dry areas or during the dry season, sunken beds should be formed to retain water. Mulch and shade: Mulching is very important in both nursery and vegetable plots, as in dry weather. Shade can be used for young seedlings and is particularly useful in hot regions. The shade should allow some light through and should be gradually removed as the plants grow. Seed dressing: The seeds are dressed with the correct chemical prior to planting to protect them from soil-borne diseases. There are a number of commercial seed protectors on the market – just ask at agri-supply stores. Watering: Seedbeds are thoroughly watered

Gardening 4 the day before sowing, as heavy watering after sowing is liable to wash the seeds away. Sowing: Seed vegetable crops directly in the field or plant in a seedbed or seedbox, and transplant to the garden. Seeds should not be sown too deeply – not more than one to two centimeters for large seeds. The smaller the seed, the shallower it should be planted.

Thinning: The seedlings are thinned as soon as possible in order to obtain sturdy and healthy plants. Fertilization: This is needed, particularly in the summer garden, to boost yields or to keep production heavy, especially if your soil is not in top shape or you’re just beginning to garden organically. Most plants will benefit from manure.

Gardening 1

Rotation: Vegetable crops should be grown in rotation. The main reason for this is to prevent the build-up of pests and diseases in your garden. Rotation is when you plant string beans in the area that was previously planted to cucumber. Weeding: At their early stages of growth, vegetable crops are poor competitors of weeds for soil nutrients. Therefore,

early checking of weeds before these become established in the garden is necessary. Cultivation: This keeps the soil around the plants free from weeds and in loose and easily crumbled condition. However, extra care is taken not to cultivate deeply to touch the roots of the grown vegetables. A hoe is the best tool in cultivating garden plants.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

EDITORIAL

Joining the big league

DGE DAVAO is now a daily. By taking the plunge, we, the management and staff, realize how big a challenge we have taken up. We have also voluntarily assumed much more responsibility to the public that we are sworn to serve. Of course, the more daunting side of our new existence is the financial aspect, as always. Indeed, we have to be more competent and capable in all aspects of putting out a daily in order to preclude all chances of failure. Fortunately, we are not totally unprepared for this daunting challenge. Instead, our team has a track record of being be-

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EDGEDAVAO

Let there be light

N my previous column, I emphasized the need for PNoy’s administration to provide clarity as to how it intends to harmonize and manage power generation, distribution, privatization and NAPOCOR debt in such a way that the energy needs of Mindanao are met – without its people needing to subsidize the process of making electricity provision efficient and reliable. In my previous column, I also underscored the dissent created by PNoy’s Mindanao Power Summit speech, where he made it an issue of being between THEM and US. I am done ranting, and decided to write today’s column as a direct response to the challenge created by that Friday the 13th speech. If Imperial Manila is implying that we are on our own in this crisis, here is my four cents worth on how Mindanaoans can be empowered (pun definitely intended!) by clear policy to take care of themselves. Power barges have been identified as a critical albeit short-term component for effectively bridging power demand and supply. Barges use diesel to generate energy. Would it be too simplistic to suggest that by removing the VAT imposed on diesel used for power barges and readjusting the rates so that consumers are the direct beneficiary of VAT removal, this will result to a win-win situation for both providers and consumers? The duration of VAT suspension may be computed based on the capacity of each barge, the volume of diesel used for operations, and the anticipated operationalization of additional, long-term power generation infrastructure, among other critical factors. Since the crisis is a direct result of supply not meeting demand, there is a serious need to review policies that detract from the establishment of power generatingrelated infrastructure. PNoy does not need emergency powers. But, the deficit is an emergency and therefore, policies must encourage the implementation of solutions (i.e. sources of energy that consistently deliver the goods such as – the viable – coal). If policies are detrimental to potential providers, there is no better time to seriously rethink the rationale for them than now. For instance, incentives may be put in place for providers, provided that these incentives should translate to direct benefits to consumers. Congruent to policy review and revision, the autonomy of LGUs also needs to be reinforced. Vic Lao hit the nail on the head when he said that the Mindanao power crisis can best be solved by Mindanaoans; and who better to take the lead than Mindanao’s local leadership? Incentives for generators can be provided by LGUs, who in turn provide a safe location for power generation and distribution. It is worth noting, however, that these LGU-led incentives should never be constrained by national policies. My last cent: there is so much hoopla about sustainable energy sources, particularly solar, which environmentalists harp about despite its high cost. If solar power is so palatable and massive replication is being advocated, then government must find a way to make the technology accessible to ordinary Filipinos. China produces the cheapest solar panels – Pnoy does not want Chinese panels here as he advocates in the same breath for solar panels on the roof of every Filipino home. His reason? Scarborough. Come on, every other product in the Philippine market today is made in China! Was PNoy even thinking when he made that statement? If this administration wants to prove that it has the capacity to think critically, it must also demonstrate the ability for forward thinking. What PNoy needs to do is not just to implement policies that simply stymie the crisis in the present time. He should also be able to put in place a long-term strategy that is able to project the increasing power demands of the entire country and make provisions that such demands will be met. They say it is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark. But I demand more from the government. We deserve better than one little candle.

EDGEDAVAO

T’S NOT common for anyone to get an invitation from a sister in America to come and live in that socalled “land of milk and honey”. Making it even more tempting is their plan to buy a big two-story beach-side house in Charleston, North Carolina, a five-hour drive from their home in Springfield, Virginia, suggesting that if ever I make it there, sis Mina and brod-in-law Erwin want me to stay in one of the four rooms and “fix up the place for us so we can all be together when we retire”. A picture of the big house was attached to their email to me a few months back before I renewed my passport, just in case. I don’t know why they’ve started thinking of “retirement” and buying a second house, so I figured they must be in their late fifties, nearing sixty and dreaming of the days when they would do nothing else but go fishing in one of those beautiful lakes around Virginia. “It’s an old house,” she said in her email. “Pero kung nandito ka na, ayusin mo na lang at eventually pag nag retire na kami ni Erwin, five years from now, makakasama ka na namin doon permanently. Hopefully pati na si Nena (my other sister)” Of course, for someone who’s homeless as I am, this invitation is like God’s Manna dropping from Heaven, if only it’s not something that ends up in Davao as “estoryaheeee!” because frankly, I still cannot believe this unless Mina and Erwin send me a one-

HOMAS Carlyle’s fulm i n a tions against the spiritual damage wrought by factories are almost two centuries old, but the sentiment is current wherever industrialization is rampant. “The huge demon of Mechanism,” he wrote, “smokes and thunders, panting at his great task, oversetting whole multitudes of workmen … so that the wisest no longer knows his whereabout.” In China, today, government leaders and dissidents alike worry that, as one commentator put it, “frenzied competition for a better life [has] lobotomized the people of inherent values like common decency, compassion and feelings of fellowship”. A century ago, Max Weber described the process as “disenchantment”. The German sociologist thought the transition from a culture of faith and farming to the narrow-minded and bureaucratic “iron cage” of modern civilization required the destruction of a spiritual worldview. He saw a modern society made up of “specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart”. Weber was certainly on to something: industrialization does break down old religious ways. In pre-industrial societies, the transcendental and the everyday were closely woven together. Social rituals couldn’t be separated from ethical expectations. Such unity is impossible in a world of material plenty, big cities, and high technology. Vast increases in wealth, consumption and education create opportunities for personal expression and eliminate the economic rationale for many socio-religious restrictions. Urbanization brings people physically

Monkey Business

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

America isn’t worth dying for way plane ticket from Manila to Los AngelesWashington and personally meet me at the Ronald Regan Airport in Washington, just to make sure I accept their once-in-a-lifetime offer. What makes it seem so real is the fact that Mina is a bonafide US citizen, has four cars, a big six-room house in Springfield and works in America’s biggest jewelry company in Virginia the last 16 years. Mina is my younger sister while Nena, who’s now in California, comes after me in our family of four, all orphans after our parents died of old age, one after the other. One nice thing about Mama’s long dream of coming to America to join my sisters in her earlier years, it was eventually fulfilled after she died even if the US Embassy denied her a visa because she was too old to travel. Well, years later, Mama finally didn’t need a passport nor US visa entering America, because she was packed inside a nice-looking jar and hand-carried by Mina who always loved Mama since the day she was born. Today, that jar is the centerpiece of her living room decoration, perched above their fireplace in Virginia. Mina’s dream of this one final family reunion in our old age at that beach house in Charleston, North Carolina, is also one dream I had but dismissed outright considering I don’t have any chance of immigrating to America at this age, even if they go thru that “petition process” which can take as long as 25 years before the US Embassy will even consider giving you a US Immigrant Visa.

Mina stressed this fact to me, feeling her own frustrations at the US government for making it so difficult for foreigners to immigrate there. That’s why those who plan to live and work in America, are looking for easy ways--- doing it illegally by getting a Visitor’s Visa, or a Tourist Visa, then getting odd jobs to survive and doing a TNT-- or “tago ng tago”. Or if you’re in Mexico, just crossing the border illegally, making sure you’re not chased and arrested by US Marshalls. At this point, deep inside me, I see no point in pursuing this dream of Mina for reuniting our family in the US, unless she makes it easy for us to go there. But in her latest emails to me, she also wants me to “struggle and fight my way to the land of milk and honey” like what she did many years ago after her first family broke up, joining me and Nena in a string of broken families and broken dreams. But Mina has been luckier than the rest of us after she met someone, a Filipino in Virginia, who committed his whole life to her “till death do us part” and working at stable, well-paying jobs in the US, a country that had been so good to them all these years. With my roots so deep in the ground here in Davao, I still can’t stand the thought of fighting my way there, even if the thought of fishing in a beautiful Virginia lake is so goddamn tempting. America, to me, isn’t worth dying for… (Comments? Email: tradingpost_ davao@yahoo.com)

Prosperity need not kill religion closer, but often as anonymous neighbors rather than in communities with shared values. Omnipresent media, telecommunications and transport erode the borders between the ‘us’ of family or village and the ‘them’ of the outside world. The old religious and spiritual ways cannot survive this transition. But Carlyle, Weber and many modern social observers make bolder claims: common religious belief and shared moral values are gone forever; modern society has no room for old-fashioned certainties; there is no exit from what the philosopher Charles Taylor calls “A Secular Age”. Are they right? In a rich economy, the grim fight for survival is eased and there is more time for emotional and religious exploration. Modern scientific knowledge invites speculation and wonder. As Weber noted, spiritual discipline is required for the “worldly asceticism” which makes modern economies so productive. Prosperity and urbanization might engender greater spirituality. Karl Marx condemned religion and shared morality as “illusory happiness of the people”. His case is weakened by the failure of his alternative. Marxists in opposition were often idealistic, but in power their rule was both inefficient and cruel. Their promise of an economic justice which would make life satisfying now sounds like a bad joke. While Marxism has been an outstanding failure, its more successful modern counterparts have failed to convert everyone to secularism. Democracy is desired, but is hardly inspirational, and there’s no need to travel to China to hear complaints about excessive materialism, selfishness and shallowness. In less restrictive nations, praise for freedom is often matched with complaints about the tyranny of the media, the government and

society in general. Relatively few people seem to make prosperity serve spiritual ends. Industrialization and secularization have come together, mostly, as inseparable elements of the turn from the transcendental to the worldly. The modern package of high consumption and individual freedom appears irresistible, even if the loss of old ways is sometimes regretted. But the facts do not support the case for permanent radical secularity. While religion is down in many parts of the world, it is hardly out. In many countries, industrialization and prosperity seem to nourish Islam. Even Christianity, the religion first threatened by industrialization and urbanization, is not doing badly outside of increasingly atheistic Europe. In China, the lamentations over the loss of a moral compass should be set against the rapid growth of indigenous and imported spiritual teachings. The new middle class there seems to be particularly enthusiastic. More fundamentally, questions of religion and morality are questions of human nature. How strong and how universal is the desire to find something that is higher and more certain than anything offered by the physical world? The answers are not changed by the onset of industrialization. Religious practices organized around old economic patterns, social relations and folk beliefs will wither away, but that decline could be followed by the growth of spiritual organizations and the development of moral standards which fit with urbanized, industrialized, societies. In the words of a Chinese investment banker, “The desire to make sense of life doesn’t go away just because I’m rich”. He has been spending more time at a Buddhist temple.

Massage therapy, what’s health got to do with it? SPECIAL FEATURE BY IONA MAGSOMBOL

ROM local “hilot” to a class spa, massage therapy has come a long way to the world of wellness as big dollar earner for the Philippines. In the past, “hilot” or “masahe” was more of a healing job usually performed usually by an “albularyo” or a native healer in the provinces or remote places. But after the formation of the Spa Association of the Philippines in 2004, “hilot” became a must-requirement for health establishments in hotels, malls, day-spas and tourist destinations. In fact, “hilot” has become a necessary component of the Department of Tourism’s medical tourism program which is one of the most sought-after services by foreign tourists/travellers/visitors in the country. “Hilot” is very similar to a typical massage, but instead of using scented or calming oils, they usually use herbs such as leaves, nuts, bark or in some instances, fruits for medication. On rare cases, leeches, snails and snake venom are used to ease pain, toxicity and blood cleansing. An “albularyo” or “manghihilot” or masseur is known to be good in restoring broken and dislocated bones, and straightening “pilay” or sprain and smoothening muscles. A “manghihilot” also charges much cheaper than massage clinics because they have no permanent place of their own and are oftentimes willing to do home service, subject to price haggling between the client and the masseur. Massage therapy used to be an is considered the oldest method of healing that applies various techniques like fixed or movable pressure, holding, vibration, rocking, friction, kneading and compression using primarily the hands and other areas of the body such as the forearms, elbows or feet to the muscular structure and soft tissues of the body, according to the Department of Health (DOH). It also uses calming, rejuvenating and revifying scented oils like lavender, chamomile, jasmine, sampaguita, citrus and many others that sooth and relax the nerves, joints and muscles when applied to a weary, tired or pained physique needing rehabilitation, healing and rejuvenation. It is an simply an art of healing using ones’ part of the body such as the hands, arms and feet for purposes of restoring wellness or comfort to someone weary, tired or injured. And as part of a brief history, massage therapy is known as one of the oldest healing arts by the Chinese, Persians, Egyptians and Hindus passed from generation to generation. It “is a system of assessment, evaluation and manual application techniques used in a scientific manner taking into account the muscle locations, stress points and other anatomical considerations of the human body, the DOH said. Massage is a decent occupation but somewhere in the 80’s it became associated with something less than moral because of nightclubs, clinics pretending to offer health improvement and other private establishments dangling “extra services” or sex to attract unwitting or even willing clients. But in the last few years, saunas and other health providing services like spas have become popular and gained ascendancy in impression as they became a part of the growing yuppie culture and family bonding affair. The usual rate among legitimate massage clinics would be around P140 to P700++, depending on how long the service will last. So how does a legitimate massage clinic differ from a “non-legitimate” one? Signs are simple. From the look of the establishment, the rooms of clean legitimate massage clinics will only have curtains as dividers, the masseur’s attire would not be sexy and revealing and, of course, without inviting seducing non-verbal gestures. It has a wholesome atmosphere, a wellness trained staff, a clear-identifying logo with no sensual images, it has a nice smell and located in a well-lighted decent place. The clientele would be men and women who are properly dressed and would not be ashamed to be seen in that location, probably inside a mall or in line with fashion boutiques, perfumery, shoe stores and fast food stalls. So want a massage? Go to a legitimate one, relax and de-stress for good health and long life! [PNA]

10 SUBURBIA

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

DavNor programs inspire Albay village V

ILLAGE chiefs and youth leaders from the province of Albay in Luzon were stirred up by the best practices of Davao del Norte, which they hoped to replicate in their respective communities. Some 88 barangay captains and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons from the municipalities of Malilipot, Malinao and Tiwi, all in Albay province, visited Davao del Norte, as part of their educational visit on April 25, 2012. They were briefed on the profile, marine life conservation, livelihood program and best practices of the host province by the Provincial Planning and Development Office, Provincial Agriculturist Office and the Office of the Assistant Provincial Administrator, respectively.

Ofelia Begata, chair of the Association of Barangay Captains of the municipality of Malinao hailed the very rousing welcome that they got from the provincial executives of Davao del Norte. However, she was more grateful of the experience of having learned many programs and projects of the province, which they could replicate in their home towns. “Marami po kaming nakita sa Davao del Norte na pwede po naming magaya sa aming lugar,” she said. She cited, among others, the Ugmad Komunidad program of the province, which is a convergence of tourism, sports and livelihood programs. Rachel Marianne Barrios, Sangguniang Kabataan Chair of the municipality of Malilipot de-

scribed her first visit to the province as fantastic and very worthwhile. She revealed her observation that aside from enriching its natural resources, the province, under the leadership of Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario, has now vigorously embarked on developing its most important resource – the people. “Na-inspire talaga ako sa human development program ng Davao del Norte,” she said, alluding to the P.E.O.P.L.E. strategy of Gov. del Rosario. She also shared that her trip to the region has debunked her perception that Mindanao is a ‘war zone’. “Napakamali ng perception ko about your region. I am pleased to learn that Davao City and Davao del Norte are very wonderful, peaceful places,” she concluded.

cannot wait for a similar situation to happen in the city, especially in Garinan which has (370) three hundred seventy family households. Those who volunteered to be relocated for now are prioritized as the city’s (RASTAF) Resettlement and Anti-Squatting Task Force continues to address the resistance of some affected residents, said RASTAF chief Michael John Ang. Series of consultations were made by the government with affected residents, before going on a full-swing last April 10. He stressed that those who volunteered to be relocated are awarded with titled lots in Iga Uy Village which is approximately 3 kilometers from the Sitio Garinan. The said relocation site was acquired by the local government years ago. Aside from the titled lots (60 square meters), the city government is also providing free material packages to all the

households of 20pcs. hollow blocks, 14pcs. galvanized iron sheets, 10pcs wood “amakan”, nails and free carpentry services to indigents household. Mayor Uy has been very serious with his relocation programs since assumption of office as evidenced by eight (8) relocation sites acquired by the Local Government of Tagum namely: RTU Village, Sto. Rosario Village, MB Suaybaguio, Sr. Village Phase I and Phase II which are all located in Barangay Apokon, Iga Uy Village in Madaum, Wakan Village in San Isidro and Laureta Homes in Barangay San Miguel. Notable of the relocation in recent years was when Mayor Uy ordered that residents living in the riverbanks of Hijo River traversing in the four barangays of the city. This government’s initiative earned Tagum City its first-ever finalist slate in the prestigious Galing Pook Awards for 2011.

EDGEDAVAO

Sarangani News

Teacher Jenneth Ruta leads learners and volunteers in performing “QUEST Clap” Wednesday, April 25, at Lun

Padidu Central Elementary School during the “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” summer reading class.

SBB big brother Michael Diego patiently teaches learners and incoming Grade 2 pupils Enrico Robles and Darwin James Yama on their reading lessons Wednesday, April 25, at Lun Padidu Central Elementary School during

the “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” summer reading program of the provincial government that is already been replicated by the provinces of Palawan and Compostela Valley.

SBB volunteer Archie Gutang conducts one-on-one reading lessons to incoming Grade 2 pupils Wednesday, April 25, at Lun Padidu Central Elementary School during the “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” summer reading class. Volunteers were assisting teachers in conducting one-on-one reading lessons to learners

identified as the most «frustrated readers” to make sure that no children will be left behind after the 15day reading program of the provincial government as implemented by Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST) and Alcantara Foundation.

Tagum relocates residents living in geo-hazard area

HE local government of Tagum City has started the massive voluntary relocation of family households in three Puroks in Sitio Garinan, Barangay Madaum, Tagum City which has been assessed and characterized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI-Mines and Geosciences Bureau as a ‘Geo-Hazard Area.’ Based on MGB’s assessment, the puroks situated close to the shoreline of Garinan falls within a landform classified as Madaum-Hijo River Flood Plains. Certification from the bureau reveals that the other geo-hazards identified in the area are ground shaking, high susceptibility to flooding and liquefaction. This developed as Mayor Rey T. Uy ordered the relocation of the affected families last December 26, 2011 after typhoon Sendong devastated the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, saying that the local government

PEACEFUL RELOCATION. Resistance from the residents in Sitio Garinan in Barangay Madaum in Tagum City was addressed through proper forum and consultation which paved the way to the peaceful relocation of residents who are living in an area tagged by Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI-Mines and

[LOUIE LAPAT OF CIO TAGUM]

Geosciences Bureau as a geo-hazard zone. This photo taken during the jump-started massive voluntary relocation of family households in three Puroks in Sitio Garinan, Barangay Madaum, Tagum City on April 25, 2012. Photo by Leo Timogan of CIO Tagum

A learner takes her snacks during a recess of “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” summer reading class Wednesday, April 25, at Lun Padidu Central Elementary School. The food was prepared by parents and provided by the Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan.

COMMUNITY SENSE Villar keynotes women leaders’ summit in Compostela Valley

EDGEDAVAO

YNTHIA Villar, Managing Director of the Villar Foundation, is the keynote speaker and special guest of honor of the Women Leaders’ Summit in Compostela Valley. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Women Weathering Climate Change: Governance and Accountability, Everyone’s Responsibility”. The focus is on climate change and its adverse effects to the environment. It will also tackle disaster preparedness and risk management. The former Las Piñas Representative cited that she may not be an expert in the topic of climate change, but she has contributed a lot and continues to implement programs to ease the adverse effects of climate change in Las Piñas. Topmost of which is the Las PiñasZapote River System Rehabilitation Program and the green social enterprises that were created out of the environmental project. Villar said, “In the last ten years, I have devoted my time, energy, and resources to this river clean up program which has paid off as Las Piñas has been spared many of the problems that the recent calamities have brought to our country.” Thus when super typhoons Ondoy, Peping and Sendong devastated

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

Villar numerous parts of the country, Las Piñas was generally spared. “ Kami sa Las Piñas ay nagpapasalamt dahil hindi kami

n Highligts green so-

cial enterprises as an effective and sustainable solution to environment-related problems and issues. nakaranas ng malaking pinsala. At ito ay dahil sa aming paglilinis ng ilog at kapaligiran. (We in Las Piñas are thankful that we did not experience much damage. And this is because of our continued efforts in cleaning up our river and environment),” Villar said. Compostela Valley pays tribute to women as a valuable partner in community-building through the annual women leaders’ summit in every locality every year. In this regard, Villar told the women leaders of

Monkayo, that the green social enterprises of the Villar Foundation are a big help to women not only in Las Piñas but in other parts of the country where she and her staff members conduct skills and livelihood training. Villar Foundation’s green social enterprises include Water Hyacinth Weaving, Handloom Blanket Weaving, Kitchen & Garden Wastes Composting, and Coco Nets. According to Villar, “Ang mga water hyacinths na dating nagpapabaha sa aming ilog ay nagagawa naming tsinelas, basket, bags, bayong, furniture at iba pa. Ang waste coconut husks naming sa palengke ay nagagawa naming coco net rip rapping, instead of cement (Water hyacinths that use to clog our rivers and cause flooding are now being used as materials in making baskets, bags, slippers, furniture etc. It is the same with coconut husks, these are now used to make coco net rip rap instead of cement).” Coconet is 80% cheaper than cement. Villar also invited the women of Compostela Valley to visit Las Piñas to see and learn for themselves how the green social enterprises are being done. She also vowed to continue partnering with women in the areas of environment protection and the promotion of livelihood and skills.

LOCATION Matina, Davao City Matina(Diversion) Davao City Bunawan, Davao City Indangan, Davao City Bincungan, Tagum City

some of Davao City Water District’s pumping stations in the south. Davao Light apologizes for the inconvenience of these scheduled power interruptions but it will exert all efforts to restore electric service as scheduled or earlier. However, there may be instances where restoration may extend beyond the schedule due to unavoidable circumstances.

The electric utility’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) allows Davao Light to remotely control switches in the substations and along the distribution lines making it efficient in implementing maintenance works or restoration of power supply at its barest minimum during service interruptions.

17,940

P2,500

3,831

P1,500

41,408

P800

7,056

P1,200

27,411

P1,000

LOCATION

AREA (sq.m.) PRICE/sq.m.

Villa Josefina Resort Village, Dumoy Toril, Davao City

Minimum of 240 sq.m.

P5,985

St. Joseph Homes, Sirawan, Toril,Davao City

Minimum of 150 sq.m.

P3,600

DaLight sets 10-min power interruptions on April 29, 30 back to its normal set-up will be on April 30, Monday, after NGCP’s maintenance works will be completed. Affected by these power interruptions are the power consumers in the entire Dumoy and Toril areas. Particularly affected are those from URC near Brgy. Hall in Bago Aplaya going to Baracatan Toril including customers in Bago Aplaya, Dumoy Proper, Mergrande, Rosalina Village, Bago Gallera, Dacoville, Aquasur, Eden, Marapangi and Kilate. Customers in Toril Proper, Toril Fishport, Lubogan, Bangkas, Alambre, Binugao and Baracatan will also be experiencing the said power outages. Also affected are

AREA (sq.m.) PRICE/sq.m.

Davao Light Advisory

AVAO Light and Power Company announces 10-minute power interruptions, from 5:00 AM to 5:10 AM, on April 29 and 30, affecting the customers situated in the southern part of its franchise. Ross Luga, Corporate Communications Officer, said that the service interruptions are necessary to facilitate the scheduled line maintenance of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) along its DavaoDigos 69kV Transmission Line. To keep the power interruptions within the least possible time, loads from Digos Line will be transferred to Davao Line which will take place on April 29, Sunday. Normalization or return of loads

LOCATION Lot Area Flr. Area Blk. 4, Lot 10 Villa Josefina Resort Village 240 sq.m. 177.31 sq.m Dumoy, Toril, Davao City

For Inquiries: Please Call : PRYCE CORPORATION c/o SONNY MOLE Contact No. : 0922-‐879-‐0036 / (082) 224-‐2686 Email ADD : sonitomole1223@yahoo.com

PRICE P4.8 M

NATION/WORLD

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

WORLD TODAY

NATION BRIEFS

Warned

“

Hacked

CHINESE hackers” strike again. This time, the Department of Budget and Management website was defaced, the latest in a string of cyberattacks in supposed retaliation by citizens of China over the standoff in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal. A screenshot obtained by Yahoo! Southeast Asia showed a Chinese flag. Text on the website warned “Don’t Trouble Chinese, Don’t Play With Fire” and mentioned the “Silic Group Hacker Army”.

Killed

OMMUNIST guerrillas killed 11 soldiers and a civilian on Wednesday in one of their most audacious attacks in recent years, the military said. A three-vehicle Philippine army convoy was ambushed by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels near the mountain town of Tinoc on the main island of Luzon, said Major-General Rommel Gomez, army commander of the northern Philippines.

Launched

RESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III launched the K + 12 Basic Education Program of the Department of Education (DepEd), which would add two years to the country’sbasic education and increase capabilities among students who would opt to work after graduating from high school. Aquino said that instead of compressing students’ learning in a 10-year basic education, the new program would enable students to further appreciate what they have learned with an additional two years of education.

Ready

HE country’s land reform agency Wednesday said it was ready to carve up the vast farm of President Benigno Aquino’s clan, which lost a Supreme Court battle for $100 million in compensation. The Philippines’ highest tribunal on Tuesday reaffirmed an earlier ruling to sell 4,300 hectares (10,600 acres) -- most of the nearly 5,000-hectare Hacienda Luisita -- to its workers for much less than the clan’s asking price.

Cleared

NE of the most powerful men in Japanese politics was found not guilty of a major funding scandal, paving the way for a possible showdown with the ruling party leadership. Ichiro Ozawa, 69, once dubbed the “Shadow Shogun”, was on Thursday cleared by the Tokyo District Court of allegations he conspired with aides to hide 400 million yen ($4.9 million) he lent to his political funding body in 2004 for a land deal.

HINA warned the Philippines on Wednesday not to “internationalise” the two countries’ simmering territorial dispute in the South China Sea, as US and Philippine forces staged war games in the area. China has been locked in a maritime dispute with the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a body of water considered a potential Asian flashpoint due to the overlapping claims of several nations.

SUMMER. A boy cools off with water from a hose on a hot day in Manila April 24, 2012.

PHL world’s best country in business English: Study W

ELL, people will now have to think twice before mocking Pinoys’ use of the English language. The Philippines was named the world’s best country in business English proficiency, even beating the United States, according to a recent study by GlobalEnglish Corporation. GlobalEnglish has released early this month the results of its annual Business English Index (BEI), the only index that measures business English proficiency in the workplace. For 2012, results showed that from 76 rep-

resented countries worldwide, only the Philippines attained a score above 7.0, “a BEI level within range of a high proficiency that indicates an ability to take an active role in business discussions and perform relatively complex tasks.” “This is particularly interesting because the Philippines, a country with one-tenth of the population of India, recently overtook India as a hub for call centers. Over 400,000 Filipinos are now employed in call centers, roughly 50,000 more than in India,” the study said. The Philippines, which scored 7.11 and the lone

country in the intermediate level, were joined by Norway (6.54), Estonia (6.45), Serbia (6.38) and Slovenia (6.19) in the top five. GlobalEnglish noted that a country’s business English capability is an indicator of its economic growth and business success. “It is not surprising that both the Philippines and Norway—the only two countries in the top five in both 2011 and 2012—are improving their economies, based on the latest GDP data from the World Bank,” it added. Meanwhile, struggling economic powers (Japan,

Italy and Mexico) and fastgrowth emerging markets (Brazil, Columbia and Chile) scored below a 4.0 in business English proficiency, placing them at a disadvantage when competing in a global marketplace, the study said. It also pointed out that shifts in global talent have put even English-speaking countries at risk. “Surprisingly the BEI score for global workers in the U.S. declined from 6.9 to 5.09 since the original 2011 BEI benchmark, which is attributed to a majority of test takers being foreign-born engineers and scientists,” the report said.

Egypt makes Israel ties a target T O mark the day Egypt regained control of the Sinai peninsula from Israel, a group of protesters pledged they would this week cover a memorial to Israelis killed in the war with an Egyptian flag bearing the words: “Sinai - the invaders’ graveyard.” The gesture will be one of the most public expressions of anger against Israel since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, marking the emergence of a long-repressed hostility among many ordinary Egyptians. But while some of the new breed of politicians who emerged after the revolution are only too happy to exploit such defiance, there are still powerful reasons why mainstream leaders are not ready to burn their boats with Israel. Calls for such a public act of protest would have been unthinkable under Mubarak, for whom the 1979 peace treaty with Israel was a cornerstone of regional policy.

OPPOSITION. A supporter of Egyptian Salafi presidential candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail, waves the Syrian opposition flag as they gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo April 6, 2012. Under him, public antipathy towards Israel - a nation with which Egypt has fought four wars - was kept in check, often brutally. It changed when the anti-Mubarak uprising erupted on January 25 last

year. Egyptians now openly voice frustrations and are demanding Egypt’s new political class listen. “After the January 25 revolution, the regime fell and with it everything linked to treaties and pro-

tocols,” said Saeed al-Qasas, head of the Revolutionaries of Sinai, which vowed to cover on Wednesday the Dayan Rock memorial, a large stone erected in the desert with names of fallen air force personnel.

Shutdown

NE of China’s most popular microblogging services has shut several accounts for spreading “malicious” rumours, as Beijing tightens control over the Internet after the ouster of a top leader. The move followed a broad crackdown on the Internet after rising political star Bo Xilai’s downfall in March, sparking a series of online rumours, including one suggesting his supporters had staged a coup.

Deep concern

HE European Union voiced deep concern Thursday over the situation of Ukraine’s jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is on a hunger strike and reportedly suffered physical violence. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Ukrainian authorities to allow the EU ambassador to visit Tymoshenko in prison along with independent medical specialists “as a sign of their political will to clarify the situation.”

Not listening

AKISTAN has spelt out in no uncertain terms that U.S. drone aircraft strikes against militants inside its territory must stop, but Washington is not listening, the country’s foreign minister said. “On drones, the language is clear: a clear cessation of drone strikes,”Hina Rabbani Khar said. “I maintain the position that we’d told them categorically before. But they did not listen. I hope their listening will improve,” she added.

Ruled out

HE United States ruled out an immediate end to its main sanctions on Myanmar, saying it wanted to preserve leverage to push the regime on ending ethnic violence and other key issues. The European Union and Canada this week suspended most sanctions and Japan waived Myanmar’s debt as rewards after a dramatic year of reforms in which President Thein Sein freed political prisoners and reached out to opponents.

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organized by Benedictines for Peace at the Diocese of Mati. A known environmental activist, Sr. Matutina, who is also the secretary general of Panalipdan Mindanao, has been active in the struggles of local communities in Davao Oriental against large-scale mining and commercial logging. To date, she and two other environment advocates, Ma. Fe Matibo and Wenceslao Mapa, were detained for eight hours in a barangay hall in Cateel by the 67th IB in 2009 after conducting an environmental education session for the community folks. Panalipdan said the vilification of Sr. Matutina by the 28th Infantry Battalion shows that environment defenders continue to be attacked by State security forces such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). “This latest threat against Sr. Stella reflects the Aquino government’s support for multinational large-scale mining at the expense of local communities and natural resources. Davao

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Oriental has fourteen approved Mineral Production and Sharing Agreements (MPSAs), the largest number in Region 11,” the group said. Meanwhile, reported killings of environmental activists include Matigsalug-Manobo leader Jimmy Liguyon, officer of KASILO in Bukidnon, the latest victim who was shot dead by paramilitary men on March 5. Ricky Manrique, a small-scale mining leader in Pantukan who opposed the entry of Russell Mining and Minerals, Inc. (RMMI) was killed last April 2011. In March 2011, Rudy Segovia, who was picketing the gates of Toronto Ventures Resources Development, Inc. (TVRDI) in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, was shot by Special Civilian Auxillary Army (SCAA) tasked with guarding the company. The group said military operations have targeted mining communities, and unless President Aquino reverses his policy and interest in large-scale mining, more blood and more natural disasters will stain the Mindanao landscape.

ceremony held the year after at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Other past awardees were Socorro Cancio-Ramos, founder and general manager of National Book Store (2004); Lance Gokongwei, president and CEO of Cebu Air, Inc. (2005); and Senen Bacani, chairman and president of La Frutera, Inc. (2006). Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, Jr., president and CEO of Alaska Milk Corporation (2007); Ambassador Jesus Tambunting, chairman and president of Planters Development Bank (2009); and Tennyson Chen, president of Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. (2010). The most recent winner was Erramon Aboitiz of AboitizPower Corporation for 2011. The program this year will present four awards: Master Entrepreneur, Small Business Entrepreneur, Woman Entrepreneur, and Social Entrepreneur. From among the finalists will be selected the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2012, who will

ymptomatic at the time of reporting, the DOH said. Thirty-seven or 12 % of the 313 reported cases were Overseas Filipino Workers with a median age of 35 years. All acquired the infection through sexual contact (17 heterosexual, 13 homosexual, and 7 bisexual). The 313 cases forms part of the 799 cases recorded for the 1st quarter of this year wherein a total of 30 were reported as AIDS cases. A majority of 97% were acquired through sexual contact.

From 1984 to 2012, there were 1,005 AIDS cases reported. Of the reported AIDS cases, 348 or 35% had already died at the time of reporting. Sexual contact was the most common mode of HIV transmission, accounting for 94% of all reported AIDS cases. More than half of sexual transmission was through heterosexual contact or 477 cases, followed by homosexual contact with 335 cases, and bisexual contact with 128 cases.

Philippines is listed as one of the world’s five “hottest of the hot spots,” a hot spot being an area whose high biodiversity is gravely threatened. “A few decades ago, the wildlife of the Philippines was notable for its abundance; now, it is notable for its variety; if present trend of destruction continues, Philippine wildlife will be notable for its absence.” Observed Dr. Lee Talbot, who used to head the Southeast Asia Project on Wildlife Conservation for Nature and Natural Resources. Meanwhile, mass extinction continues. “The planet would be biologically depleted for millions of years, with con-

sequences extending not only beyond the lives of our children’s children, but beyond the likely lifespan of the entire human species,” says Dr. James Kirchner, an American professor of earth and planetary science at University of California. But there is still a glimmer of hope. As Tuxill and Bright put it: “Humans, after all, are not dinosaurs. We can change. Even in the midst of the mass extinction, we still largely control our destiny, but only if we act now. The fate of untold numbers of species depends on it. And so does the fate of our children, in ways we can barely begin to conceive.”

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due to AIDS were two males and one female, with a young median age of 33 years. The 313 HIV count in March is 82% higher than the 172 count for 2010 within the same month. Reported mode of transmission were: sexual contact, needle sharing among injecting drug users, and mother to child transmission. Males having sex with other males (83%) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most of the cases were still as-

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of Life Support: Conserving Biological Diversity. The Philippines, with more than seven thousand islands, is considered by respected scientists as one of the countries with the highest degree of biodiversity in the world, second only to Brazil. Its estimated two million species include 8,000 flowering plants (including the endangered waling-waling), 395 birds (Philippine eagle is one of them), 180 mammals (tarsier and tamaraw are examples), and 293 reptiles and amphibians (Philippine crocodile, hawksbill turtle, and reticulated python, to name a few). Unfortunately, the

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

represent the country in the 2013 World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards to be held in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2013. The search is open to all Filipino entrepreneurs. To be eligible, a nominee has to be a Filipino business owner or founder who is primarily responsible for the growth of his or her company. The nominee must still be active in business, which must have been in operation for at least two years. A completed nomination form, audited financial statements and other documents are required for a nomination to be considered for further judging. Nomination ends on 31 May 2012. For nomination forms and other information, please contact the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines secretariat at (02) 891-0307 local 7766 or e-mail at eoy.info@ph.ey. com. During the launching yesterday SGV & Co. Davao partner in charge Alvin Pinpin gave a brief overview of the global program and its nomination and selection process.

Ireneo Dalayon of Federation of ARB/Banana Based Cooperative of Davao (FEDCO) and Ferdinand Y. Marañon of Sagrex Corporation were also present to share their experiences as finalists. Representatives from the Development Bank of the Philippines and Philippine Business for Social Progress were present at the event. Moreover, a representative of Bonifacio Fernandez of BF Industries, Inc., an EOY finalist, was also in attendance. The Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Philippines is co-presented by the SGV Foundation, De La Salle University, the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, the Philippine Stock Exchange, and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Major sponsor is SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are Business World and the ABS-CBN News Channel.

sor fishing but the rest, a hundred of our fisher folk ang naghihirap because namatay ang source. So, nagkaroon ng clamor. Nagkaroon ng demand. I guess sila pressure na rin ng community that they have to change. So, government’s side is happy that DENR has a program like this so nabigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon sa livelihood. This way they can earn,” she said. Monitoring Situated in the water a few meters from the shore, a building of Smart with cameras above and under the water was installed for monitoring, including the volume of fishes. Nazario Taupan, vice president of BFARMC and president of Bantay Dagat, said the Smart project helps them monitor the volume of fishes and signals them for any phenomenal occurrences, such as climate change. “We’re lucky na dun nila nilagay ang kanilang monitoring for the volume of fish,” Rabat said. Noting that Mati has a lot of diving sites, she said some expert divers said they would like to dive with a fish as well, not only for the corals.

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Bigger and bolder 100 men try to conquer 2nd Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge By Neil Bravo

BIGGER CHALLENGE. Biboi Ngojo of the Mindanao Travel Channel coverage team walks through the trails during an ocular inspection for this year’s Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge. The competition will also include the treacherous water tubing.

stronger field, tougher obstacles and the unpredictable weather conditions. These are the ingredients that will make the 2nd Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge a more daunting competition for the 100 men out to make the hard life their fast way to fame, and yes, a little fortune. The second edition of the 24-hour extreme adventure challenge that brings the entire field from the beach lines of Sta. Cruz town to the peak of Mt. Apo and back will take place early Saturday after elaborate ceremonies welcoming the participants in Davao City today. Department of Tourism regional director Art Boncato said this year’s event promises to be bigger and more challenging. “There are a host of factors that will be affecting this year’s race— terrain, weather—are among them,” Boncato said. 50 teams will be answering the gunstart in Sta. Cruz. The foreign cast will be led by five teams from TCRP of Singapore, Viet Adventure of Vietnam, and Team Australia. The Manila teams are Team Nomads-Conquer, and three squads from the Philippine Military Academy.

Other participating teams to the Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge will come from Manila, Cabanatuan, Cebu, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Butuan, Gen. Santos City, Digos City and host Sta. Cruz. Team Casidsid and Climb Machine will represent Cebu; Tri Ne Mo for Cabanatuan; Bibwak,Malaybalay and Grupong Panahik for Bukidnon; Team Shiloh and Philmoto-Viventis for Sta. Cruz; Team Sibayan and Team Carmen for Davao del Norte; Dole of Gen. Santos; Kagrupo, HADAMS, and Care Group for Digos; and Davao’s Yokeimun, A2A, AMOSS, Junjie Evangelista, Basecamp, Team Merell, Apo Ville and Mindanao Travel Channel. From the sponsors, the teams are R.O.X., San Miguel Beer and Franklin Baker. The entire race will be covered by Mindanao Travel Channel. About the Race Mount Apo has always been a favorite for Filipino adventurers, but adventure travelers from around the world are only just starting to pay attention to the Philippines’ tallest mountain. The International Mount Apo Boulder Face Challenge ought to be right up their alley: a 24-hour extreme

adventure race starting from the beach lines of the town of Santa Cruz and ending at the summit of Mt. Apo 9,600 feet above sea level. The race is a team effort: each team should be comprised of two racers and one logistics crew member, all fighting their way through about eighty kilometers of punishing terrain with twenty marshal points in between. The race goes through four different stages, requiring different types of mastery: mountain biking, trekking, water tubing and road running. For four consecutive years, the Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge has made the Davao Region the Philippines’ leading destination for ecoadventure tourism. This year marks its fifth as a local competition, and its second as an international race. Contestants vie for a top prize of PHP 150,000 (about $3,500); PHP 100,000 pesos (about $2,300) goes to the second placers while the third placers get PHP 75,000 (about $1,750). The International Mount Apo Boulder Face Challenge takes place from April 28 to 29, 2012, beginning at Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, kicking off the town’s Pista sa Kinaiyahan celebration.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27-28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ARTS & CULTURE

Temple Run: Angkor style

FIND a person who has a smartphone or tablet and chances are you have a person who has already played the popular game “Temple Run”. The game is deceptively simple and addictive with the protagonist running a seemingly endless gauntlet of temple walls and pathways while avoiding obstacles along the way.

I did my own real life temple run at the famous Angkor ruins; specifically Bayon Temple inside the Angkor Thom complex, and the famous Ta Prohm which was used for the filming of Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider. First up was Bayon Temple that is located inside the Angkor Thom complex. Angkor Thom used to be the capital city of the Khmer Empire and was stablished by Jayavarman VII in the late twelfth century. Upon arrival, I was greeted

by a bridge flanked by Nagas held in place by Hindu Gods and Demons. The impressive South Gate loomed ahead, striking all visitors to the once vibrant city with awe and amazement. Upon arrival at the Bayon, one easily notices the many towers with four faces that jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak, easily the most distinctive features of the temple. Another striking feature of the Bayon is the set of impressive bas-reliefs that depict mythological, historical, and scenes of everyday life. After a breathtaking romp

One of the many guardian statues of the Bayon Temple.

Running along the many corridors of the Bayon.

around Bayon, up next was Ta Prohm of the Mother’s Temple. Used as a location in the film “Tomb Raider”, Ta Prohm used to be a Buddhist monastery during its heydays that is now overgrown with jungle trees. Walking through the many hallways and courtyards, I felt a surrealness to my surroundings, a magical sense of awe and wonder as to how such huge jungle trees were able to grow on top of structures entirely made of stone. On second thought, the trees not just grew but literally broke the stones they grew on show-

Everyday Khmer life protrayed in stone relief.

Face to face with one of the towers of Bayon Temple.

The overgrown gate of Ta Prohm.

One of the many Buddhist shrines you can encounter within the temple complexes.

ing that nature, through time, conquers the follies of man. And with that, I bring my run to an end. It was actually not a run but more a leisurely stroll, taking in the sights and pondering into the past. Literally a high score for me. To start your own temple run, book yourself a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Siem Reap and log your own high score. Many thanks also to Cambodia Airports who facilitated my Siem Reap run. Follow me on twitter @kennethkingong to catch me on my future adventures, food trips and everything under the sun.

Tomb Raider fanatics will recognize this tree.

These jungle trees are not small.

A2 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27-28, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ENTERTAINMENT

INdulge! A3

Karylle’s Roadtrip makes a pit stop at SM Davao 3 - day sale Kitchen Musical star singer-actress Karylle made a big leap as she independently produced her full-length album. “Roadtrip” features 11 tracks which were written by Karylle herself.

Roadtrip is said to reflect Karylle’s numerous musical inclinations and influences. The album contains songs that vary in style and sound, and, is perhaps the singer’s most daring album yet. The album’s debut single, the upbeat “OMG,” is a song the Filipino audience would not have expected from Karylle. Nevertheless, the song has had its share of positive feedbacks. Meanwhile, the actress’ Asian success from the much-loved Singapore-produced series The Kitchen Musical, is not yet slowing down as Karylle is scheduled to attend the 52nd Monte-Carlo

TV Festival where she was nominated as Best Actress alongside celebrated actresses like Juliette Lewis, Neve Campbell, Julianna Margulies, Gretchen Mol, Lena Headey, among others. The awards ceremony is set on June 10-14 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Tag along in this world-class performer’s Roadtrip as Karylle makes a pit stop at SM City Davao on May 6, 5PM at the SM Davao The Annex. SM City Davao 3 Day Sale runs May 4-6 with extended mall hours until 12 MN on May 4&5 (Friday, Saturday), and until 10 PM on May 6(Sunday). Avail of up to 70% discount on great selections and get a chance to win 1 of the 3 Asus Netbooks! For inquiries, call 297.6998 local 126. Like SM City Davao on Facebook or visit www.smcitydavao.blogspot.com for event and promo updates.

HOT NOT or

2 HOT 2 HANDLE

LADY GAGA looked better than ever upon arriving in South Korea to kick off her highly-anticipated “Born This Way Ball” concert tour. The fashion-forward songstress – who tends to find herself on my weekly worst-dressed list (What Were They Thinking?!) – turned heads in a creamcolored Atelier Versace gown, which featured a deep plunge and gold detailing. Accessories, including a pearl-adorned mask and sheer white gloves, completed Gaga’s stunning ensemble. We think she is hot, what can you say?

A4 INdulge! UP AND ABOUT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 27-28, 2012

Team Manila now at SM Davao The Annex

SUNGLASS-WEARING Jose Rizal was a major hit among the youth. It has become a statement that it is cool to be patriotic. Team Manila has indeed made being nationalistic very fashionable.

Team Manila opens at SM Davao The Annex. Founded in 2001 by college friends Jowee Alviar and Mon Punzalan, the brand has strived to inspire and elevate the Filipino through art and creativity. Believing that graphic design is an agent of change, the brand inspires excellence, innovation, passion, nationalism, teamwork and optimism among the Filipino youth. Known for designs with a uniquely Filipino influence, Team Manila also extended their line of work to Graphic Designed Lifestyle, a lifestyle store selling t-shirts, bags and accessories with designs inspired by Filipino culture. Wear your colour and be proud to be Pinoy. Visit Team Manila at the ground Floor of SM Davao The Annex.

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

WTA GRAND PRIX. (Left) Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic returns the ball to Germany’s Mona Barthel during their match at the WTA Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, south-

western Germany. (Right) France’s Alize Cornet holds her taped shoulder during a break in her 2nd round match against Russia’s Maria Sharapova.

Pacquiao advances sparring with Russian welterweight prospect

AGUIO CITY (PNA)– After logging 58 rounds of punching the mitts and almost four hours (210 minutes) of road work, World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao declared himself ready to move into the more gruelling and tedious aspect of his high altitude training here. Pacquiao, who is putting his 147-pound plum on the block against undefeated American junior welterweight kingpin Timothy Bradley on June 9, asked chief trainer Freddie Roach to advance the sparring in his preparation two days ahead of schedule to which the Hall of Fame guru obliged. For the first time since his last fight November last year, the eight-division belt-owner will again savor the taste of how it is to trade blows with an

opponent on Wednesday when he mixes it up with Russian junior welterweight prospect Ruslan Provodnikov. Roach scheduled only four rounds of sparring in order not to preserve the gains the camp had attained in almost two weeks here and a fortnight each in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and General Santos City. “Manny personally asked me to advance the start of sparring session Thursday and I consented,” Roach said after their training session Tuesday. “That only means one thing, Manny is fit and ready to move into the next level of preparations.” “Only four rounds. I don’t want him rush things up, especially at this stage of readiness program. However, if he asked to, say two rounds more, why not,” Roach

said. “As I have been saying, Manny knows Manny. Only he knows what to do and what not to do as far as his physical status is concerned. That’s what differs him from the other fighters,” Roach said. “I approved of advancing the sparring because I know he’s already ready to stand the rigor of that part of training,” the 52-year-old Hall of Famer assured. The start of the sparring session was originally scheduled Saturday, the day Pacquiao would have completed his first two weeks of altitude training in this country’s summer capital. “Okey na ako, ready na for sparring,” Pacquiao said. “Maganda ang simula ng camp at so far, naaccomplish na ang dapat ma-accomplish, so there’s no need to wait for another two days.” (PNA)

High hopes for Butuan football after defeating Cagayan 3-0

UTUAN CITY– With enthusiasm and a tight offense, the Butuan-Agusan del Norte Football Association (BANFA) successfully outplayed Cagayan de OroMisamis Oriental Football Association (CMOFA), scoring 3-0 last Saturday. The match was part of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Under 23 National Suzuki Cup Qualifying Round held at the Caraga State University (CSU), Cabadbaran Campus Football field in Cabadbaran City. “The victory of BANFA demonstrated the vast potential our football players have. Although this team was organized only recently for the PFF Suzuki Cup, they have already shown superiority

in terms of skills,” said Butuan City Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun, who is also president of BANFA. Fortun added that as they continue to play together and in the process gel as a team, “I am confident they will rise to be a deserving frontrunner in this qualifying round.” “With each game they have shown a huge improvement with their cohesiveness and have built up their confidence. They have what it takes to win, we just have to optimize their potentials,” he said. Erwin Protacio, PFF competitions coordinator for Mindanao, noted that BANFA has faster strikers although they need to work on their defense. “If they can work it out and

strengthen their defense as well as offense, BANFA has a chance to represent Northern Mindanao in the Mindanao finals,” he said. After several failed attempts early in the game, BANFA striker Jocel Atoel scored the first goal at 8:13 in the match. On the 23rd minute of the second half, BANFA again scored with an amazing shot from Charles Gamotan, followed by Clinton Detoya’s third goal on the 28th minute, sealing the victory for BANFA. The BANFA team expressed hopes that they would be able to pull it off in the next couple of games and rise on top of the Northern Mindanao division. [ERWIN MASCARIÑAS / MINDANEWS]

Atty. Iroy takes over

am happy for my friend Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr. who now sits as Executive Director of the Philippine Sports Commission. For one who frequents the PSC building, I know where to find Atty. Iroy. This time, I lost my way. Reason? He has an office of his own. I forgot that he is already the Executive Director of the country’s government sports agency. I use to find him in someone else’s office as the right hand or the right thumb. Today, Roy (as I call him) runs the administrative operations of the PSC—a gargantuan task indeed for a boy who groomed himself for the future kicking pigskins at the old dilapidated PTA Sports Complex. Roy facilitated for the endorsement made by PSC Chairman Richie Garcia of the Davao Summerfest 2012 and he pulled a fast one indeed. I emailed him the request letter of Duaw Davao chair Gene Bangayan in the morn-

ing and by the afternoon, he had the endorsement signed. Roy believes on acting pronto when it comes to requests by LGUs who are into sports initiatives. “You have to give them back for their initiatives. Not make life hard for them,” he says as he browsed through piles of communications and documents needed for signing. Roy said he will be reserving slots for provincial media to cover national events at the expense of the PSC. He believes that the information should cascade to the provinces. “We will designate the provincial writers to do pool stories for the regional media outlets,” adds Roy. Good move. I hope the pool writer assigned shares the story though. There are instances with some sports associations whose designated pool writer converts a pooled coverage into an exclusive one. “No, we don’t like that to happen,” Roy clarifies.

Chairman Garcia bestows trust on the capabilities of our good friend. In fact, Roy will be on top of the BIMP-EAGA Games in Sarangani this year. Roy, who will take over from the assignment of former PSC Commissioner Chito Loyzaga, will be meeting with all stakeholders of the BIMP-EAGA Games soon. To begin with, he says, he wants to make it clear that everyone who has a role to play in the event will be performing to the task and not make business out of it. Roy will be reviewing the past minutes of the BIMP-EAGA matters made under Commissioner Loyzaga. Good move Roy, begin with weeding out some unholy alliances.

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 38 • APRIL 27 - 28, 2012

Davao Summerfest opens today

Davao bet wins gold in swimming

EBU CITY (PNA) – Davao Region snatched one gold in swimming on a day Central Visayas and CALABARZON (Region 4-A) continue to dominate the swimming events, hauling eleven golds between themselves in the 2012 PRISAA National Games. Not given much of a chance in the pool competitions, Davao’s Novis Madera grabbed a gold in men’s 100-m freestyle. That gold hiked the total harvest of the Davao contingent to 6 after Monday’s double gold medal haul in the discus throw events of athletics. Central Visayas’ Loren Dale Echavez continues to make waves as she won two more gold medals in

EDGEDAVAO

the women’s 800 freestyle and 100 freestyle Tuesday for a total of four gold medals after ruling the women’s 200- and 50-meter freestyle on Monday. Her teammates Seth Melendez won the men’s 200-m backstroke; Abegail Sakib in the women’s 200-m backstroke and led her team in the women’s 200-m freestyle relay. Region 4-A’s (Southern Tagalog) Wilson Rabino added another personal gold medal ruling the men’s 100-m freestyle Tuesday after winning the men’s 200-m freestyle and 50-m freestyle Monday. Teammate Jerome Magallanes also won the men’s 200-m breaststroke after domi-

nating the men’s 100m breaststroke and the 400-m individual medley Monday. Jacklyn Orig won the women’s 100-m butterfly Tuesday in addition to her winning the women’s 200-m butterfly and 400-m individual medley Monday. Arlyn Arcadio added another gold medal in women’s 200-m backstroke while Kimberly Briones in women’s 50-m backstroke. Western Visayas added two more gold medals with Mario Hezron Calaour winning the men’s 1,500-m freestyle; and Ronel Duran added another gold medal in men’s 100-m butterfly after his golden performance in the 200-m butterfly Monday. (PNA)

HE much-awaited Davao Summerfest formally opens today with a festive program at the People’s Park. No less than Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will formally open the city’s summer festival of arts, culture and sports that will run through the entire month of May. Teams taking part in the Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge will be in attendance today to add an international flavour to the ceremonies. Some eight teams from Singapore, Australia and Indonesia are taking part in the second edition of the climbathon that begins on Saturday in nearby Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. Also parading in the opening are participants in the Davao Summer Games, one of the major highlights of this year’s Summerfest. Duaw Davao Festival Foundation is on top of the organizing team of this year’s event. Bangayan bared that the Summerfest will fea-

ture summer-wide sports camps in various sports and arts disciplines, a sports conference, the first ever Davao Sports Expo, and the Davao Summer Games. The sports conference, dubbed as SWEAT or Sports Wellness, Exercise, Acclimatization and Training, will be held on May 14-16 at the Davao City Recreation Center while the Davao Sports Expo will be staged on May 16-20 at the SM City Davao Annex activity area. PSC Chairman Ricardo

Garcia, who has endorsed the Davao Summerfest, has been invited to grace the opening of the Sports Expo on May 16. The Expo will feature the latest trends in sports equipment, apparel, training and sports services. The Davao Summer Games will feature football, 3-on-3 basketball, mountainbiking and wakeboarding as core events. Private-organized accredited events include tennis, cycling, Frisbee, airsoft, and karatedo competitions.