Edge Davao 5 Issue 41 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

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Serving a seamless society

Indulge Page A1

Workers cry

P10-COLA raise mere propaganda By Lorie A. Cascaro

Science/Environment Page 4

Sports Page 14

OME 3,000 workers, including members of 18 unions, and progressive organizations from Davao City, Davao del Norte and Com-

with increase.

postela Valley marched the streets yesterday from Freedom Park, Roxas Avenue to Rizal Park, San Pedro Street

ment in the country. Vicente Barrios, union president of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Suyapa Farm-Packing Plant 90, Sumifru Philippines, said the P10 increase in the

FP10-COLA, 13

Soldiers recruited thru jobs fair JOBSEEKERS. Thousands of jobseekers flock on Tuesday’s Labor Day Jobs and Livelihood Fair at Gaisano Mall of Davao, Davao City. [LEAN DAVAL, JR.]

By Jade C. Zaldivar

n Workers say they’re not happy to expose the real condition of employ-

or the first time ever, the Philippine Army (PA) has joined the throng of hiring companies to absorb recruits through the Labor Day Jobs Fair at SM City and Gaisano Mall, now on its second and fi-

n Monthly gross pay and allow- munication and Information Company

ances for a candidate-soldier is P13,326.00

nal day. Thru the jobs fair 1Lt Marianne Vinluan, commander of the 5th Com-

(CIC), yesterday said they hope to recruit their target of 100 new recruits. She said they see the jobs fair as the “best venue” for recruiting candidate soldiers for the PA, the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philip-

FSOLDIERS, 13

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Librado’s legal office

Labor cases in top three

By Lorie A. Cascaro

ROVIDING legal assistance to all Dabawenyos, Councilor Leah Librado’s office handled 39 labor cases in 2011. Labor cases ranked third, following violence against women and children (VAWC) and criminal cases being handle by her office. Librado said it is because of massive contractualization that most workers in Davao City have not enjoyed sufficient benefits and security of tenure. Of the39 cases, illegal dismissal ranked the highest number, followed by monetary claims, including wages, separation pay, non-remittance to Social Security System (SSS) despite regular deductions; SSS claims; illegal deductions; and, breach of contract among others. Most issues involved in the cases, according to Librado’s legal officer, Jasmin Rojas, included no labor union, lack of occupational health safety, and poor working condition. One of the longest running cases her office

handled was the illegal constructive dismissal of a driver against Leton Trade, a food and drug distributor in Bangkal, Davao City. The driver had already won the case at the labor arbiter level in 2004, but because the company had appealed the decision, the case reached the Supreme Court and was finally decided only last April in favor of the driver. Another case of illegal dismissal assisted by Librado’s office won against a gas station that took only two months to be decided. “Significant ang fight sa mga workers kay basically gipaglaban nila ang ilang katungod taliwala sa kalisdanan sa pagfile sa kaso ug tungod maapektuhan ang ilang pagpanarbaho,” Librado said. Catering to various cases in the city, Librado’s office adheres to the international standard regarding the protection of labor rights. Supporting House Bill 5110 or Regular Employment Bill authored by the Anakpawis partylist, Librado authored the proposed workers desk ordinance of Davao City.

Mt. Apo race helps shatter Mindanao’s negative image

YAN Scott Blair of the Champion System Adventure, who joined the 2nd International Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge, a 24-hour multidisciplinary race to the peak which kicked off last April 28 at Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, said the race helped shatter the negative image of Mindanao to the world. “Mindanao is a place

that has many misconceptions. Hope this race can help in shattering the negative perceptions because it’s an amazing place,” he said. Alexis Almendras, vice mayor of Sta. Cruz, acknowledged Blair’s statement during the opening of the race aimed at erasing misconceptions about Mindanao, admitting that even his friends from Ma-

FMT. APO, 13

LABOR DAY RALLY. Thousands of workers and supporters from other sectors led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno participated in the march protest in Davao during the observation of Labor Day to criticize the alleged anti-labor policies

of the government and to push for the P125 across the board, nationwide wage increase.

AITC chides CHED

‘Be serious in monitoring colleges’

By Jade C. Zaldivar

ECOGNIZING an “all-time low” in the nursing demand, the Academe Industry Tripartite Council (AITC) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 11 told the Commission on Higher Education Division (CHED) 11 to “be serious in monitoring courses offered by colleges.” Formed October last year, the AITC was created in recognition of the mismatch in the workforce produced by the academe and the demand of the labor sector. “We have talked, although not through formal writing, to CHED. They need to do something about the mismatch, especially in the allowed number of nursing students,” said AITC vice president Neil Ryan Pancho, also president of the College Faculty Union

of Ateneo de Davao University (CFU-AdDU). “They need to be serious in their regulation of colleges. Lax lang kayo sila. They did not police the sudden increase in nursing colleges. It should have been that regulations were set, the demand monitored, so that it was the tertiary schools who’d be responding,” said Pancho, professor of political science, in interview at the Philippine Information Agency 11. “Sa ngayon ang baba na ng demand for nursing, it’s at its full drop, talagang pinakababa. Para hindi na maulit ang nangyari we need to set regulations for the supply to meet the demand in the workforce,” he added. Pancho said when the demand for nurses abroad increased a decade ago, all universities began to offer the nursing course. “Para ngang fast food

MEDAL. BGen. Ariel Bernardo, 10th Infantry Division commander, left, pins the ‘Wounded Personnel Medal’ to the wounded soldiers on Tuesday at Camp Panacan Station Hospital, Davao City. [LEAN DAVAL, JR.]

chain sa dami ng nagsilabasan. There was something wrong in approving these schools when hindi naman mataas ang passing rate. They (CHED) should have followed their own rules na kung mababa ang passing rate, eh di talagang wala na, hindi na dapat mag-ooperate,” he said. The continued output of nurses from the academe resulted to high competition and low acceptance rate by hospitals. This also led to the increase in unemployment rate among graduates. “For now we are still having discussions. The AITC meets every month for the sole reason of addressing the mismatch in the academe and labor,” Pancho said. The AITC has DOLE 11 regional director Joffrey Suyao as president, officers from the academe, with labor unions, management, and other

DOLE officials as members. High IT demand The AITC vice president said the current in demand courses are in information technology. “Seven years ago we saw the nursing demand slowly drop but soon after that we saw the rise of IT courses. Sa ngayon ito na ang in demand abroad. Companies are looking for animators, software programmers, everything that has to do with information technology,” Pancho said, adding that the rise in IT demand “has not yet shown signs of dropping.” He said the “allweather courses” are engineering and accountancy. “These two courses remain to have a demand abroad and locally throughout the years. Especially abroad, mataas ang demand for engineers,” he said.

stituency,” Acosta said. Dayap said she was surprised to know that the local government of Tagum did not only fabricate chairs and desks for students but also bookshelves, teacher’s tables and computer tables. She also lauded the Tagum Mayor for having also donated school chairs to a school in the city late last year. Acosta and Dayap were joined by 25 volunteers coming from the latter’s legislative staff, Kaya Natin and the Mindanaoan Youth Development Council.

Uy extended his gratitude to the group for their effort to volunteer that Acosta described as “sweat equity.” “Their efforts will go a long way in helping school children, especially those who have dilapidated chairs in far-flung schools,” Uy said. Now on its 8th month of operation, the Care for School Chairs Program makes use of confiscated logs and fabricates them into school chairs, desks and tables which are then distributed for free to different schools in the Davao region.

‘Kaya Natin’ joins Uy’s Care for School Chairs

AVAO-based advocates of Kaya Natin Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership (Kaya Natin) has volunteered to join Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy’s Care for School Chairs Program. Second District Councilor April Marie Dayap and former Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta of Davao City helped in the construction and painting of school chairs on Monday. “We believe in the project of Mayor Uy. In fact, bilib kami sa kanya kasi he is helping his con-

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

Life in the Davao Gulf

Pawikans return to Dahican By Lorie A. Cascaro

FTER 25 long years, the pawikans (marine turtles) are back at Dahican Beach in Mati City, Davao Oriental. Villagers reported some 700 eggs released in various nesting places along the shore by pawikans of different species, including the more popular Olive Ridley and Hawksbill. Dahican is a famous surfing and skim boarding spot in the Davao region, thanks to its relatively big waves coming in from the Pacific Ocean. The word dahican is derived from the Visayan word, meaning to come in from the sea, like the act of beaching a boat (banca). In the case of the pawikan, their act of coming in to nest on the beach from the sea is referred to as dahik sa pawikan or sea turtles coming in to nest. Citing the city’s pride as a place where dugongs have been sighted, Mayor Michelle Rabat said the pawikans who had been hatched on Dahican Beach years ago have returned to the very same place to lay their eggs, sort of a cycle. “After 25 years or more, bumalik ang mga turtles. Iba-ibang klaseng specie pa. So I guess, they feel like humans. Nakakaramdam din naman ang mga animals, mammals

and whatever na yung proteksyon nangyayari for them,” she said. Along the powdery white sand of Dahican Beach are clutches of pawikan nests protected with the use of improvised fences. Winston Plaza, a local surfer, said that during the recent skim boarding competition, they saw a pawikan crawl her way up the shore and laid eggs to the utter amazement of watching villagers. “It’s only very recently that we experienced sunud-sunod na yung laying of eggs ng mga ibaibang klaseng turtles dito sa Dahican Beach. And they’re not disturbed. Even the people, beachgoers, whether taga Manila o taga Davao City, nirerespeto nila, binibigyan nila ng lugar,” Rabat said. The mayor is glad to realize that the local people are already aware of the need to protecting the pawikans, acknowledging the role of media and online social networking. Noting that the local government continues to strongly implement the protection of pawikans, Rabat said, “We just want to make sure na nakikila rin ang beach namin aside from its beautiful waves for skim boarding and surfing but also because of the turtles, the pawikans.” Ecotourism

FPAWIKANS, 13

WAITING. A job applicant closes her eyes as she sits on the floor while waiting for her turn to be entertained at the jobs fair in the Gaisano Mall of Davao. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Employers say

Let market forces dictate wage hike E MPLOYERS are appealing to the government to allow market forces to fully determine wage rates. “It should be (determined) on an enterprise level because the proposed P125 is like a ‘one size fits all’. This means if there is a law, all companies are mandated to pay whatever their size. It is wrong,” said Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president

Edgardo Lacson. Lacson pointed out that there are only two basis for the wage adjustment: the country’s inflation rate and the capacity of the employers to pay. He said the wage adjustment this year should be P8 only based on the consumer price index (CPI). CPI is an inflationary indicator that measures the change in the cost of a fixed basket of products and services.

Lacson said implementing the proposed P125 daily wage increase being pushed by the House committee on labor would be “economic suicide.” “It will cost us P300 billion a year without any increase in productivity. It will mean 300,000 jobs lost if we implement (this),” he noted. Lacson stressed that high minimum wage discourages employers from

hiring more workers, particularly new college graduates without skills. Malacanang has already rejected calls for a P125 across-the-board legislated wage increase. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz earlier said the proposed pay hike would “weigh down heavily on the economy through higher prices, loss of jobs and slower overall economic growth.” [PNA]

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

The world’s noblest flier facing extinction By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

Eagle painting

ISITORS, both foreigners and locals, who come to Davao City for the first time, are almost always attracted to the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Calinan. Some 30 kilometers northwest and about an hour’s ride from downtown Davao, the center is the transient home of the Philippine eagle. Here, a dozen male and female eagles are being induced to breed in captivity. Pag-asa, the first tropical eagle conceived through artificial insemination, just celebrated his 17th birthday last January 15. The bird was given the name Pag-asa, which is the Tagalog word for hope. “Pagasa connotes hope for the continued survival of the Philippine eagle, hope that if people get together for the cause of the eagle, it shall not be doomed to die,” said Dennis Salvador, the executive director of Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF). PEF manages the eagle center. A private, nonstock organization, it is dedicated to saving the endangered bird. “By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat,” said Salvador. The Philippines is among the world’s seventeen “megadiversity” countries, which together account for some 60-70 of total global biodiversity. The World Conservation Union has identified the country as one of the most endangered of the world’s biodiversity “hotspots” -- threat-

ened areas with very high levels of biodiversity. The Philippine eagle is one of the most endangered species in the country. According to Salvador, the reason for this was due to massive deforestation. “Deforestation is terrible,” he pointed out. “ThePhilippine eagle has become a critically endangered species because the loss of the forest had made it lose its natural habitat.” Forest covered 57 percent (or 17.1 million hectares) of the total land area of the country in 1934. By 1990, this has been substantially reduced to 6.1 million hectares. Today, only about 800,000 hectares of the remaining area is classified as primary forest. At the eagle center, visitors can see more than a dozen eagles, some of which were rescued after they were trapped or shot. PEF aims someday to release birds back into its natural habitat. “If time will come that we have enough stocks, where shall we release them” Salvador asked. “And how will the eagles sighted in the wild survive if factors which threaten their lives continue to haunt them?” The principal causes of deforestation in the Philippines are logging (both legal and illegal), shifting cultivation (locally known as kaingin farming), and forest fires, as well as conversion to agricultural lands and human settlements. About 20 million people currently live in upland areas, where most of the forests are located.

General Charles Lindberg, a well-known aviator, spearheaded a drive to save the bird which he described as “the world’s noblest flier” from 1969 to 1972. Within this time frame, several helpful laws were passed. During the time of the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos, he declared the bird – which is bigger than the American Bald eagle – as the national bird. This brought the bird to the top of the priority list ofPhilippine wildlife conservation efforts. If the national bird dies, so will all the country’s efforts at conserving its natural resources and treasures, Ramos said at that time. The eagle center has been doing its best to educate the Filipino people as to the importance of the bird and its habitat. Its facility was actually opened to the public in 1988 to raise awareness among those who visit the center. Majority of its visitors are children on school-sponsored field trips. “Many of these children came from all over Mindanao,” Salvador said. “We use the opportunity in telling them the importance of wildlife conservation. Our mode of dissemination ranges from providing lectures, slide and film presentations, to guide tours.” Foreigners and adults also visit the center. “Knowing what they are doing and how the birds are faring is one of the highlights of my visit to Davao,” said Melvin O. Uy Matiao, an information technology specialist from Dumaguete.

Entering the eagle center The Philippine eagle was formerly known as monkey-eating eagle (its generic name, Pithecophaga, comes from the Greek words pithekos or monkey and phagein meaning eater). It was later renamed the Philippine eagle by Presidential Decree No. 1732 in 1978 after it was learned that monkeys comprise an insignificant portion of its diet, which consists mainly of flying lemurs, civet cats, bats, rodents, and snakes. The eagle stands a meter high, weighs anything from four to seven kilograms and has a grip three times the strength of the strongest man on earth. With a wing span of nearly seven feet and a top speed at 80 kilometers per hour, it can carry unsuspecting monkey and carry it off without breaking flight. Unlike most animals and humans, Philippine ea-

gles are monogamous and bond for life. Once aneagle reaches sexual maturity – at around five years for females and seven years for males – it is bound for life with its mate. They can be seen soaring in pairs in the skies. The female eagle lays once every two years. The breeding season ranges as early as July to as late as February. During the breeding season, the eagles do aerial courtship and mate in the nest or near it. Female eagle lays only one egg. Both parents alternately incubate the egg for about 60 days, although the female spends more time incubating while the male hunts. Upon hatching, the eaglet remains in the nest for about five and half months. Once it fledges, theeagle parents will continue to look after its

young for as long as 17 to 18 months teaching the youngeagle how to fly, hunt, and to survive on its own. The young eagle matures in about six years. The Philippine eagle is truly a Filipino pride. This is the reason why they have to be protected and saved from disappearance in our land. If only Philippine eagle could speak, these would be his pleading: “I have watched forests disappear, rivers dry up, floods ravage the soil, droughts spawn uncontrolled fires, hundreds of my forest friends vanish forever and men leave the land because it was no longer productive. I am witness to the earth becoming arid. I know all life will eventually suffer and die if this onslaught continues. I am a story teller, and I want you to listen before it’s too late.” Please, listen!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

THE ECONOMY

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

P 43.65 Dec 2011

11. Peso per US $ 5/ 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

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

in business without involving probable losses to its depositors or creditors. Moreover, the bank also wrote the BSP to surrender the bank operations to the central bank and to declare a bank holiday effective 27 April 2012. The Monetary Board invoked Section 30 of Republic Act No 7653 (The New Central Bank Act) on account of the bank’s insufficient realizable assets to meet its liabilities and its inability to continue in business without involving

probable losses to its depositors or creditors. The central bank also maintained that the overall Philippine banking system remains sound and stable with ample liquidity and high level of capitalization. The closure of the Export and Industry Bank is not expected to adversely affect the Philippine banking system considering its relatively small size. Its total assets is equivalent to only about 0.3% of the total assets of the banking system.

Export Bank depositors forum slated on May 4 By Carlo P. Mallo

O ensure the smooth flow of processing of claims by the depositors of Export and Industry Bank, the Philippine Deposit Insurance, Corporation is holding a depositors forum here in Davao City this Friday, May 4, 3:00 p.m. at the Almendras Gym. The forum will cater to the depositors of Export and Industry Bank who have accounts at the Davao Jacinto

branch. Other key cities in the country, where there are branches of Export and Industry Bank have their own forum as well. Last week, the Monetary Board placed Export and Industry Bank under receivership pursuant to Section 30 of Republic Act No. 7653 (The New Central Bank Act) on account of its inability to meet its obligations as they become due, insufficient realizable assets to meet its liabilities and its inability to continue

Power denies CA stops seizure of Aboitiz over-charging plaints Export Bank assets T

HE Court of Appeals (CA) has granted the petition filed by the Export and Industry Bank, Inc. (EIB) stopping the seizure of their properties by making permanent the writ of preliminary injunction (WPI) it issued against the two orders of the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) holding EIB liable for unauthorized sale of P32,180,000 DMCI shares of several private corporations. In a ruling written by Associate Justice Mario Lopez dated April 26, 2012, the CA’s Special Division of Five under the CA former 14th Division, with a vote of 3-2, nullified the orders dated July 29, 2011 and Aug. 26, 2011 of the Makati City RTC Branch 66 ordering to acquire the said amount of shares of stock from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) at the cost of EIB Securities, Inc. (E-Securities) and Export and Industry Bank, Inc. and to deliver the same to the plaintiffs. Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Amy Lazaro-Javier and Vicente Veloso. Those who dissented were Associate Justices Magdangal De Leon and Socorro Inting. The CA lambasted the RTC ruling issued by Makati City Judge Joselito Villarosa by saying that it has no authority to declare the invalidity of the orders/resolutions of a Higher Court. “The disquisition of the RTC, which is a declaration against the validity of a high court’s order, is a blatant disregard of the principle of hierarchy of courts,” the CA ruling said. The case was filed by Pacific Rehouse Corporation; Pacific Concorde Corporation; Mizpah Holdings, Inc.; Forum Holdings Corporation; and East Asia Oil Company, Inc. for unauthorized sale of said DMCI shares

made by E-Securities. These companies became the private respondents to the case. “Private respondents’ frustration at not being able to have the judgment in their favor satisfied is understandable. But given the circumstances of this case, the seizure of petitioner’s properties cannot be done without violating its constitutionality enshrined right to due process. Neither can equity heal the unintended injustice to petitioner resulting from an erroneous piercing of corporate fiction, merely to compensate losses arising from the contractual obligation of a subsidiary corporation whose limited liability is recognized by law and by the parties. This is not a fitting denouncement for the business community,” the CA said. In its ruling, the CA said, “From the antecedents, it is manifest that the RTC, desiring to cause the execution of its final and executory resolution dated October 18, 2005, arrogated unto itself the authority to rule against the validity of this court’s WPI to justify the issuance of a notice of levy against petitioner’s property.” The CA clarified that despite the lack of ratification, its WPI is valid until it is revoked. “Therefore, pending the process of evocation/ratification, the WPI stands and has full force and effect,” the CA said. The CA said that “the proper procedure is for the private respondents (RTC, et al.) to directly assail the validity of the WPI with this division or the Supreme Court.” “Thus, the supervening orders of the RTC in contravention of the WPI are void,” the CA said. (PNA)

OP officials of the Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) of the Aboitiz Power have denied allegations they are charging high the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) for the power it intends to draw from its barges located in Maco, Compostela Valley. Theodore Bisnar, account officer of TMI, said contrary to reports, the firm will only charges Cotelco P9 per kilowatt hour, not P16.11 per kilowatt hour as earlier reported. Besides, Bisnar said the firm is only allowed at least a 10-percent return on rate base. He explained that what they submitted to Cotelco was just a proposal as to how the payment must be made once the co-op starts drawing at least eight megawatts from the 200-MW power barges. “We submitted the proposal to be evaluated by the management. We tried to compute. Our proposal is for one month, but the payment can be done every week. So we requested Cotelco to submit to us their projected consumption of the power,” said Bisnar. Earlier, Cotelco officials said the TMI demanded that they secure a P14-million bond from the bank and an advance payment of some P4.5 million. By May, the Cotelco

will get a load dispatch of 28 MW from the Mindanao grid of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), an increase of 12.6 MW from the 15.4 MW last April. The total power requirement for North Cotabato ranges from 32 to 36 MW, according to Cotelco general manager Godofredo Homez. Wilfredo Rodolfo, TMI corporate communications and community relations officer for Mindanao, said the rate impact would not be too high. “If Cotelco has 93 percent of power from the National Power Corporation, then only seven percent from the TMI, then, the rate impact is too small. But if it buys so much power from the TMI, well, that’s the time that the rate impact would be high,” said Rodolfo. According to Homez, with an additional power from TMI, power consumers in North Cotabato will only expect a pesoincrease per kilowatt hour in their electric bill. This, however, does not guarantee that the province will no longer experience brownouts. “With at least 350MW power deficiency in Mindanao this May, even if we buy power from TMI but we receive less load dispatch from the Mindanao grid, still, there would be rotating blackouts,” said Homez.

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

EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUB

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

Apple and the innovation dilemma By John C Abell

UST how long can Apple run the table in the post-Jobs era? It was simply a matter of time before those whispers turned into a question asked out loud. George Colony, the CEO of Forrester, a research and advisory firm that has followed the company as closely as anyone, is taking a particularly dim view of Apple’s future. In a blog post that was guaranteed to spark a conversation, Colony says Apple’s days as a market leader are numbered; its “momentum will carry it for 24-48 months” and then, absent a “charismatic leader” in the Jobs mold, it will devolve from “being a great company to being a good company.” Colony doesn’t get too specific about what this means, but we know. It’s not just about market cap, or stock price or any other shareholder metric. Colony is talking about that combination of imagination and execution pixie dust that has made Apple the most significant high-tech company of the moment, and one of the most important ever. It’s a pretty big statement, especially since Apple is on fire: $6 billion earned on $40 billion in revenues in the most recent quarter, the iPhone selling as briskly in the rest of the world now as it did in the United States for years, 65 million iPads sold in two years, more cash than it knows what to do with, and at least one analyst speculating that it’ll be a $1,000 stock before long.

An Apple Store in Sydney It’s also not the toughest bet to make, since

glow hot for only so long, with rare exceptions – es-

high-tech companies, in particular, almost always

pecially after the charismatic founder leaves or is

‘Apple’s design chief Sir Jonathan Ive – the man Steve Jobs once called his “spiritual partner” and the genius behind Apple’s iconic aesthetic and design language – is still working at Apple. More importantly, as Jobs bragged to his biographer, Jony Ive has just as much operational power at Apple as Tim Cook himself. Cook is only nominally Ive’s boss: In reality, thanks to Steve, they’re equals.’

kicked out. We’ve seen it at Sony, Polaroid, Disney and even Apple, Colony argues, when Jobs was kicked out in 1985. But it’s a sucker’s bet. Here’s the easy counter: There is virtually no chance Apple doesn’t have tricks up its sleeve that were developed in the Jobs era. And it’s those tricks, of course, that got them this far. They have something everyone can see: a management team in CEO Tim Cook and designer Jony Ive, handpicked by Jobs more than a decade ago. Indeed, Cult of Mac editor Leander Kahney says Ive is all the proof you need to know that Colony has it wrong: Apple’s design chief Sir Jonathan Ive – the man Steve Jobs once called

his “spiritual partner” and the genius behind Apple’s iconic aesthetic and design language – is still working at Apple. More importantly, as Jobs bragged to his biographer, Jony Ive has just as much operational power at Apple as Tim Cook himself. Cook is only nominally Ive’s boss: In reality, thanks to Steve, they’re equals. Apple’s demise will come not from a lack of inventiveness, but – if it comes as swiftly as Colony postulates at all – because someone else comes up with a gamechanging something that nobody else, Apple very much included, saw coming. That’s the way giants are toppled: Personal desktop computers kill the mainframe, laptops marginalize desktops, tablets steal the PC’s thunder. The real danger for Apple is that no company has a monopoly on the gift of thinking different. What’s more likely is that missteps for which Apple has been forgiven will be seen as failures rather than as forgivable works in progress by a mad genius. What would the tech press have made of the Apple TV hobby in the hands of anyone but Jobs? Without Jobs, how much leash would they have given Apple during the tortuous cloud timeline that began with .mac and sucked through three incarnations, until last year’s iCloud?

In fairness, this can be argued either way. This is the sort of bet that people easily take sides on, but for which there is insufficient empirical data to really know the outcome. Like two bigcity mayors betting on their NFL teams in the Super Bowl, there is a rooting interest and a delightful salon game component. And, yes, Apple will – someday – be a shadow of its former self. IBM is the classic high-tech survivor, but the number of times it has reinvented itself is head-spinning. Palm, which owned the personal assistant market until it was slow to see the futility of unconnected PIMs, is at the other end of that spectrum. Colony’s mistake (if I may be so bold) is not in the fear factor, but in the time frame. I’d be shocked if Apple doesn’t have a five-year plan and sufficient institutional knowledge to plough that field – the absence of the serendipitous Mr. Jobs notwithstanding. The real danger begins in the following five years, as founders we haven’t heard of, working right now, come out with something different. Something Jobsian. What will Cook and Ive, who might have grown weary of Apple or each other by then, do in response? But that’s years off. Until then, the over/under seems a pretty safe bet to me.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Is the world safer a year after bin Laden’ s death? ANALYSIS BY MATTHEW RUSLING

EDITORIAL

“A

Another media murder

NOTHER mediaman has fallen. We mourn his passing. We condemn this premeditated murder. Bombo Rommel Jojo Palma of Bombo Radyo Koronadal was shot to death this morning while doing his reporter’s beat at the Koronadal provincial hospital. “Unless the murderers are made to pay for their dastardly crimes, this impunity and direct assault to press freedom will continue.” The above is a terse statement issued by lawyer Jesus G. Dureza, Mindanao trustee of the Philippine Press Institute, on the latest case of a murder of yet another radio worker, this time Rommel Jojo Palma of Bombo Radyo Koronadal. We, in Edge Davao, a PPI member, are one with former Press secretary Dureza in his statement. We commiserate with the bereaved family of Bombo Rommel, and join the media community in this country in condemning in the strongest possible terms the criminal act that ended the life of another radio personality and family breadwinner. Indeed, the death of Bombo Rommel will re-

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sult in untold miseries to yet another family, that of his loved ones. We urge law enforcers and other instrumentalities of government charged with the duty of meting justice on the culprits to put their acts together in solving the case and not allow the murder to become another part of statistics like the previous media killings. We likewise urge the authorities to find out the special reason or reasons why the list of media killings in General Santos City, South Cotabato and adjacent places is growing faster than in other areas. Could it be that the killings are being done by only one or two groups of perpetrators, like guns-forhire specializing in murdering media persons? Finally, we hope that lawmen in Gensan and other parts of the country will at last be sensitive to the shameful fact that the Philippines is one of the world’s most dangerous places if not the most dangerous place for media practitioners and perform better in solving media murders. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO CARLO P. MALLO Associate Features and Lifestyle KENNETH IRVING K. ONG KARLOS C. MANLUPIG • JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR., Creative Solutions Photography LORIE ANN A. CASCARO • JADE C. ZALDIVAR • MOSES C. BILLACURA Staff Writers

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year after the death of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, al Qaida’s core leadership has scattered and its back is broken, but some of the movement’s offshoots remain deadly, U.S. experts said. This week marks the first anniversary of the U.S. raid on al-Qaeda’s Pakistan compound, in which bin Laden was killed in a firefight with U.S. Navy Seals. Even then, al Qaida was on the ropes after years of being hunted by the United States and its allies around the world. Several of the group’s leaders had been killed and planners were being eyed too closely to mount any serious operations, let alone one as massive as the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. A year later, the group remains in disarray, and has not found a leader to match the larger-than-life bin Laden’s charisma and vision. All told, that is the least of its problems. “We have been saying for years that operationally they are basically irrelevant,” said Scott Stewart, analyst at global intelligence company Stratfor. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, White House top Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan said the United States has “degraded the organization significantly over the past decade and over the past several years in particular as we’ve taken off the battlefield the founding leader”. “We’re determined to destroy that organization,” he said. “But that’s going to continue to require us to maintain this pressure on al-Qaeda, whether it be in Pakistan, Afghanistan as well as in Yemen.” AL QAIDA FRANCHISES REMAIN DEADLY But while al Qaida proper was rendered ineffective even before the death of its founder, some of the extremist group’s franchises remain dangerous. Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in Yemen, controls large swaths of the embattled country, and al-Shabaab, al Qaida’s affiliate group in Somalia, remains a threat there, experts said. Stewart noted AQAP has shown the ability to strike outside of Yemen’s borders, pointing to the 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt in which a terror operative tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear over Detroit. The U.S. federal authorities said Nigerian Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab was assisted by AQAP leaders. Stewart said the United States is likely to keep up the pressure on al Qaida in the long run, as it could regenerate if given enough slack. That is because the ideology is still there, and the United States is unable to combat radical jihadist dogma. “The U.S. just doesn’t have any legitimacy in the theological battlefield,” he said. “That’s something Muslims will have to do.” THE THREAT OF LONE WOLVES As al Qaida’s core declines, the threat to the United States, in particular, has in recent years taken the form of homegrown radicalism. These are al Qaida-inspired groups or lone wolves who organize through social media, are influenced by jihadist dogma, and may or may not have contact with professional terrorists. Richard Fadden, the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, last week told a Canadian Senate committee that it is difficult to identify lone wolf terror operatives, as they operate in isolation and often have no ties to known extremists. “These individuals seem to be a mix of terrorists and people who simply have very big personal problems,” he said. Jessica Zuckerman, a research associate for homeland security at the Heritage Foundation, noted that since 9/11 there have been 50 thwarted terror plots against the United States. Of those, 42 were homegrown. Among those groups, some work together but a large chunk operate independently of other any group or affiliation, with the level of connection to global terror networks lessening in recent years, she said. Much debate centers around whether lone wolves present a greater threat because they are difficult to track and can strike without warning. However, they often lack bomb making or other weapons skills to mount large -- or even small -- terror attacks, she said. That is why terror experts say the most likely future scenario would be a small arms attack similar to the 2009 Fort Hood attacks, in which Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, allegedly went on a shooting spree that left 13 dead. [PNA/Xinhua]

EDGEDAVAO

N 1989, more than 20,000 workers and public sector employees marched through the narrow streets of Davao City demanding for a Php25 legislated wage increase. The marchers were a merry mix of leftists, moderates and rightists. But the loudest color was that of the leftist Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), then the dominant labor center in Mindanao. KMU earlier spearheaded an island-wide general strike which paralyzed transport and commerce in most of Mindanao’s key cities in solidarity with workers throughout the country who have been demanding for a wage increase for all workers nationwide. The newly restored Philippine Congress thereafter passed a law granting a P25 across the board pay hike. It was however the last of its kind since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship. In the same year, the Herrera Law (Republic Act 6715) was also enacted which amended the Labor Code of the Philippines. Among its major provisions is the “rationalization” of wage increases, leaving the determination of the minimum pay scale to the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board created under Republic Act 6727. It also granted the labor secretary broad powers to assume jurisdiction over labor disputes in the name of national security and public interest, a carryover of the draconian Marcos era- Presidential Decree No. 442 (old Labor Code). Moreover, the Herrera Law, while prohibiting labor only contracting, provided legal covers how employers can resort to labor contracting. Today, most manufacturing and services companies have almost exclusively

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

Trade unionism in the Philippines is gone (almost) contact employees and workers. More than two decades of RA 6715, too, the number of organized workers nationwide dropped from a high of 2.97 million unionized workers before the law was passed, it was down to mere 555,000 in 2004 which further dropped to 319,408 in 2010. The 2010 number of organized workers was a pathetic 10.6 per cent of the total 3,020,168 wage earners in the country at that time and less than one (1) percent of the country’s 2009 labor force of 39.39 million (www.bulatlat.com). In addition, the real value of wages has ‘stagnated’ if not contracted. According to the Ecumenical Institute Education and Research, wage index dropped from Php128.5 in 1989 to Php112.9 in 2009. In other words, workers lost Php15.60 in real value of their daily wage in 20 years of the Herrera Law. Research and think-thank group IBON today said the “current NCR minimum wage of Php426 is grossly insufficient to provide for even a small family. “The largest part of this wage breaks down into just approximately: Php204 per day for food; Php2,096 per month for rent; Php1,150 per month for fuel, light and water; Php28 per day (or Php843 per month) for transportation. These account for some 80% of total spending with the balance going to personal care, clothing and footwear, education, medical care and others. “This indicates the poor quality of life that minimum wage earners in Metro Manila can afford. IBON added that this contrasts with, for example, the amount spent by the richest 10% of families in NCR who average Php18,041 per month just on food.” Against this backdrop, trade union centers in the country today have largely become nominal ‘spokesentity’ rather than the formidable labor voice they once were immediately after the ouster of the Marcos dictatorship.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno, which challenged government trade union centers backed and later seized dominance in the post EDSA labor movement, has seen its clout greatly reduced and is now back to where it was during the dark years of martial law. Its main organizational and ideological rival, the AFL-CIO backed Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, did not escape the decapitating effects of the Herrera Law, ironically authored by one of its leading stalwarts, former Sen. Ernesto Herrera. In the late 80’s, when KMU has more than 600,000 unionized members and tens of thousands more under its effective influence, it became bold enough to challenge the government to allow workers to organize along trades. The proposal, while never translated in a proposed law, was flatly rejected by employers and its rival, mindful of the growing influence of the militant labor group in the labor movement. Today, however, KMU, TUCP and the unions affiliated with the World Free Trade Unions can only regret why they did not organize along trades, for together with the rapid and steadily decline of the number of organized workers, strikes have also dramatically dropped if not disappeared altogether. Newly registered unions dipped from 627 to just 279 in 2008. From 197 strikes in 1989, these hit almost rock bottom to just 4 in 2009. With close to 8 percent of the country’s 39,200,000 (2011 figure) work force out of jobs and competing for whatever available job there is in the market, trade unionism will have to take the backseat in favor of day to day survival as if the existing laws and conditions are not deterrent enough for trade unionism to again spring back to life. But as its history will suggest, trade unionism, at least the more militant and progressive side of it, rises and falls along with the crisis political economy of the Philippines.

COMMENT

edged the past GRP-MILF (old) agreements that by Key Point 3 will be the reference point “in the continuity of negotiations”. Does this mean that the Parties have now fully joined hands to push the peace cart to a final agreement soon to be signed and implemented? “Hinay-hinay”, a Bisaya saying cautions. In English, “Go slow” or “Don’t rush”. The document is of points agreed on principles. Translating the principles to concrete agreement can spawn differences. Bringing up “other key points” can open contentious differences. The pre-signing and post-signing statements of the chief negotiators and other key Government and MILF officials may reveal differences outright, between the lines or behind the lines. What do they really want to happen under the document? [“Comment” is Mr. Patricio P. Diaz’ column for MindaViews, the opinion section of MindaNews. The Titus Brandsma Media Awards recently honored Mr. Diaz with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his “commitment to education and public information to Mindanawons as Journalist, Educator and Peace Advocate.” You can reach him at patpdiazgsc@ yahoo.com.]

On ‘GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles’

N Key Point 8, the new political entity must have strong Shari’ah courts with “their jurisdiction over cases” expanded; it “shall also have competence over the Shari’ah justice system”. This is provided in Article XI of MDA 2011 and its annex. In Key Point 9, the new political entity will have “(third party) monitoring and evaluation mechanisms”. This is in reference to Consensus 3 of Governance in MOA-AD and a revision of Section 4e of Article V of MDA 2011. In Key Point 10, “all citizens residing in the new political entity” are guaranteed their “basic rights”. Twelve such rights are enumerated for them to enjoy in “addition to basic rights already enjoyed”. Ten of 12 rights enumerated are provided in Section 2 of Article X of MDA 2011. The two in Key Point 10 not included in Section 2 are “(c) Right to privacy” and “(d) Right to freedom of speech”. For the Moment Here is an important note: The document reveals that in reframing the MOA-AD and in revising MDA 2011, MILF might have changed radically the format and language but not the basic contents. Leonen said the GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles

Monkey Business

BY PATRICIO P. DIAZ / MINDANEWS

(Conclusion)

contains “common points” of the revised MILF Draft Agreement 2011 and the GPH “3 for 1 Formula”; yet, the key points are in MOA-AD and in the original MDA 2011. In fact, the basic rights as worded in MDA 2011 are unchanged or slightly revised in Key Point 10. There are consensus points in MOA-AD and provisions in MDA 2011 basic to MILF’s asymmetrical state-sub-state proposal for political settlement that are not in the GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles. Has MILF agreed not to include these anymore in the negotiation? The document states: “This preliminary list does not contain all points so far agreed upon and does not preclude future agreements on other key points.” With the exception of two, all the key points of the document are the demands of MILF. As noted above, when Leonen acknowledged the June 3, 2010 Declaration of Continuity, it appeared that he acknowl-

Restless in Panatag

OTH the Philippines and China have upped the stakes in the disputed Spratly Islands through a heated exchange of statements and stonewalling amid a standoff that started early this month when Philippine Navy men tried to arrest Chinese fishermen who were seen poaching at Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal. Being the most powerful country on this side of the globe, the actions by China can only be interpreted as that of a bully wanting to grab territory that is already outside of her exclusive economic zone based on the limits set by international law. Knowing the Philippines cannot match her military strength, China has resorted to plain aggression by sending more vessels to Panatag. The Philippines on the other hand has only deployed a token force to face off with the de facto invaders. Temperatures between Beijing and Manila shot up with the holding of another round of PH-US military exercises dubbed Balikatan 28 amid the standoff in Panatag. Aside from the US troops, military personnel from Southeast Asian countries reportedly took part in the war games that kicked off west of Palawan, the Philippine province nearest to the Spratlys. Beijing took the war games as an act of provocation but did not show any hint of being intimidated by US presence. A Chinese Communist Party-owned tabloid even went to the extent of urging the Chinese government to prepare for a limited sea warfare [against the Philippines]. As the Balikatan entered its second week, the Chinese Embassy in Manila announced that Beijing had rejected the idea of bringing the territorial conflict to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas. China has spurned suggestions of submitting to international arbitration knowing that her claim rests on untenable grounds. The distance alone of China’s nearest point to the Spratlys is enough to refute her assertion of sovereignty. But for both parties the immediate question at the moment is how the US would respond in the event of a small war for control of the territory. For the Philippines, this means weighing the possible implications of drawing the US on Chinese behavior. The prevailing notion within official circles and media commentators is that the US would instinctively come to our rescue in the event of a shooting war with China. They presume too much by relying on the supposed historical ties between the Philippines and the US, forgetting that the latter always acts based on national interest and not on sentimental grounds. The plight of World War II veterans who have waited an eternity for Washington’s promise of benefits betrays double-talk on the part of the Americans. China may not launch a full-scale war against the Philippines. But it won’t hesitate to wage a limited shooting war in Panatag to test our will and send a message to other claimants. China won’t mind international condemnation because she knows the world, including the US, is more interested in her huge market than the territorial rights of a small country. Why would the US, for instance, risk doing something that will reduce Chinese consumption of Coke, McDonald’s and Levi’s? In fact, the US may even be secretly happy over the tension at Panatag, as she can exploit it to her advantage. With the Philippine public increasingly growing anxious over Chinese aggression, US military intervention will be viewed as a necessary evil in the face of threats from a powerful neighbor. As the cards are stacked against our favor, it seems that the best option for now is to submit the issue to international arbitration despite China’s refusal to go to the ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) or the International Court of Justice, instead of risking heightened tension in Panatag by drawing the US into it. Insisting on a peaceful resolution of the conflict amid Chinese bullying will enable us to stand on high moral ground before the international community. [MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno writes mainly on the environment, human rights and politics. He can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com]

EDGEDAVAO 10 SUBURBIA Sarangani News Care for School Chairs Program inspires Kaya Natin champions VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

WO Davao Citybased good governance advocates of the Kaya Natin Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership lauded Mayor Rey T. Uy’s Care for School Chairs Program, describing it as “noble and passionate.” Second District Councilor April Marie Dayap and former Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta of Davao City joined the growing number of volunteers who took part in Mayor Uy’s brainchild project dubbed as Care for School Chairs Program, strengthening the latter’s call for the society to make a difference in the learning of school children in Davao Region. “We believe in the project of Mayor Uy. In

fact, bilib kami sa kanya kasi he is helping out of his constituency,” stressed Acosta in an interview during their volunteer work last April 30, 2012. Acosta and Dayap was joined by 25 volunteers coming from the latter’s legislative staff, Kaya Natin and the Mindanaoan Youth Development Council. Dayap said she was surprised to know that the local government of Tagum did not only fabricate chairs and desks for students but also bookshelves, teacher’s tables and computer tables. She noted that requests from schools in Davao City for school chairs delivery was also granted by LGU Tagum

late last year. Mayor Uy, on the other hand, extended his gratitude to the group for their effort to volunteer whom Acosta described as “sweat equity.” But the local chief executive said all their effort will go a long way in helping school children, especially those who have dilapidated chairs in far-flung schools. Kaya Natin is a nonpartisan movement composed of Filipinos from different sectors of society that aim to espouse genuine change and ethical leadership in the Philippines. Their members include DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, former Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio and former Isabela Governor Grace Padaca,

barangay governance. The theme “Sa Katalagman Makalikay, Kung Mangandam ang Barangay” underscores disaster preparedness and mitigation as still the best policy and is the rallying call for the messages conveyed by guest speakers including Sen. Chiz Escudero. Escudero is the Chairman on Committees on environment and natural resources, justice and human rights. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Director Francisco Jose, in his message also reminds them to help protect and ensure environmental protection especially with

their role as barangay officials. “Kita nga pinili sa mga barangay, kinahanglan nga atong ihatag ang atong moral obligation and moral commitment,” he said. A fellowship night on April 30 will be attended by provincial officials led by Gov. Arturo Uy, Vicegov. Ramil Gentugaya, Congressmen Rommel Amatong and Maricar Apsay, LMP President Mayor Rey Navarro, and other dignitaries. The general assembly is jointly coordinated by the Provincial Liga ng Barangay, Provincial government of Comval and the DILG. (FE MAESTRE/IDS COM-

Comval’s Liga ng mga Barangay highlights disaster preparedness

OMPOSTELA Valley -It is a 1,810-strong barangay officials who trooped to the Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial Congress from April 29-May 1 at the Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City. The President of the Liga ng mga Barangay is led by Hon. Felisa A. Navarro of Laak. The Barangay captains, councillors, their secretaries and treasurers from the 11 municipalities underwent series of lectures and forum with topics on RA 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, on Cooperatives and updates on Legal issues affecting

who was toured by Mayor Uy in the fabrication section during her visit in the city last March 2012. Now on its 8th month of operation, the Care for School Chairs Program makes use of confiscated logs and fabricates it into school chairs, desks and tables which are distributed for free to different schools in Davao Region. Since August 2011 to April 28, 2012, the program has now delivered 38, 440 pieces of chairs consisting of righthanded and left-handed armchairs, desks, kiddie chairs with tables to the different schools in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao del Sur and in the City of Davao. [LOUIE LAPAT OF CIO TAGUM]

KAYA NATIN CHAMPIONS. Second District Councilor April Marie Dayap (wearing white) and former councilor Mabel Sunga Acosta (wearing black) of Davao City joins the growing number of volunteers for Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy’s Care for School Chairs Program which fabricates hot logs into school chairs. Both women leaders who are members of the Kaya Natin Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership were joined by 23 volunteers coming from Davao City last April 30, 2011 in the Fabrication Section of the Tagum City Motorpool. [PHOTO BY LEO TIMOGAN OF CIO TAGUM]

VAL)

Sarangani Bay Zumba Beach Party May 19

UMASA, Sarangani - The first SarBay Fest Zumba Beach Party is set on May 19, Saturday at 4 p.m. at Gumasa in Glan. It will be conducted by licensed Zumba fitness instructors Vicky Javier and John Ri Romero both of the Beefit Gym and Aerobics from Davao City. “Come and join the inaugural staging of the world’s phenomenal fitness program in the biggest beach party here in Mindanao,” said Javier, also a member of the Zumba Instructors Network (ZIN).

It is a two-hour nonstop fitness program that is mainly sponsored by the provincial government of Sarangani under Gov. Migs Dominguez and supported also by the office of Congressman Emmanuel Pacquiao. Expected to join are 100 fitness buffs coming from Davao City, General Santos City and Sarangani Province. “Aside that it is a good exercise, you will really enjoy dancing to the Zumba music and dance steps,” said Romero, also a hip-hop and modern dance instructor. Registration fee is

only P200 with free giveaways, certificate and raffle. For inquiry, kindly contact 09474155462 or 09427340043. The first SarBay Fest Zumba Beach Party is one of the big events of Sarangani Bay Festival on May 18 and 19. SarBay Fest, the biggest beach festival in Mindanao, kicks off with the 15-kilometer swimacross-the-bay dubbed as “Sarangani Bay Invasion 2012” on May 18, peaking with its best moments the next day with a massive party at the beach from sunset until sunrise.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

COMMUNITY SENSE

Camella provides social services in Bago Gallera B

AGO Gallera was a beehive of activity last April 27 as the barangay conducted its ‘Operation Tuli’ project as part of their 19th Araw ng Bago Gallera celebration, an undertaking supported by Camella Davao with a feeding program in partnership with the Villar Foundation. About 90 children were served by the ‘Operation Tuli’ project where 30 midwives, nurses and barangay volunteers, as well as Head of Brgy.

Council for Women Josefina A. Lu, were assisted by staff of Camella Davao and the Villar Foundation. The feeding activity is a program of Cong. Cynthia A. Villar’s ‘Caravan Kalusugan’ in Davao City, implemented by the Villar Foundation where the congresswoman sits as managing director. The foundation provides assistance to communities recommended by Camella Davao. Camella has been a consistent supporter of

Barangay Bago Gallera, giving aid to its events and activities as its host community. The help is putting into action the real estate company’s corporate social responsibility in communities where their developments are located. Its Italian-inspired development, Toscana, is located in the barangay. The operation tuli was led by Kagawad Walter P. Paler under the leadership of Brgy. Captain Leo T. Candones.

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Villa Josefina Resort Village, Dumoy Toril, Davao City

Minimum of 240 sq.m.

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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 41 • MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Clinton faces personal test A in China diplomatic firestorm

WORLD TODAY

.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hoped to highlight stability during her trip to China this week, but instead flies into a diplomatic hurricane sparked by the dramatic escape of a blind Chinese human rights activist now believed to be under U.S. protection. Clinton is due to depart Washington late on Monday for Beijing, where she will be joined by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other U.S. officials for high-level meetings with

their Chinese counterparts on Thursday and Friday. But all eyes will be on how Clinton handles the delicate case of Chen Guangcheng, who rights advocates say is sheltering at the U.S. embassy in Beijing after a daring flight from house arrest in his native Shandong province. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Clinton declined to comment on the Chen case but pledged to press China’s leaders on human rights issues. “A constructive rela-

Postponed

Bangkok court on Monday postponed giving its verdict in the closely-watched trial of a Thai web editor accused over remarks about the monarchy posted by other people on her website. Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who faces up to 20 years in prison, denies allegations that she did not remove 10 online posts perceived as critical of the monarchy quickly enough in 2008.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels April 18, 2012. tionship includes talking lyst at the Center for Stra- mat, Assistant Secretary very frankly about those tegic and International of State Kurt Campbell, areas where we do not Studies, said the Chen case was sent to Beijing over agree, including human could quickly overwhelm the weekend in what anarights,” Clinton said. “That the broader discussions if lysts said was an attempt to broker a deal over Chen is the spirit that is guiding it is not resolved soon. me as I take off for Beijing “It seems hard to me that could allow all sides tonight.” to fathom how they’re go- to save face. President Barack Managing the fallout ing to focus on the many will mark a personal test important geostrategic is- Obama, maintaining the for Clinton, who has said sues we’ve got - Syria, Iran, strict U.S. official silence she will step down at the North Korea - plus the se- on the Chen case, declined end of the year after win- rious economic issues that to answer a question ning high public approval they were going to focus about it on Monday but ratings as America’s top on with this media circus said China would be strongoing on.” ger if it took steps to prodiplomat. A senior U.S. diplo- tect human rights. Chris Johnson, an ana-

PHL appeals for US help in building armed forces

HE Philippines, lamenting the poor state of its armed forces, has appealed for US and international help in building a “minimum credible defense” amid an escalating territorial dispute with China. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin made the pitch in unprecedented joint talks in Washington with their US counterparts Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta.

Del Rosario lamented how the international news media has accurately described the poor state of the Philippine armed forces. “It sounds terribly painful for the Philippines, but more painful is the fact that this is true, and we only have ourselves to blame for it,” del Rosario said candidly as Clinton and Panetta listened across a table. “For the Philippines to be minimally relied upon as a US regional partner... it therefore behooves us to resort to all possible means

to build at the very least a most minimal credible defense posture,” del Rosario said. “On our own, we will do the best we can,” the top Philippine diplomat said. “Developing a minimum credible defense posture may however be hastened mainly through an enhancement of the activities we do together with our singular treaty and through a positive consideration of increased assistance that we seek at this time as well,” he said.

Bemoaned

SAMA bin Laden bemoaned “disaster after disaster” inflicted by the US onslaught on AlQaeda before he was killed and even mulled changing his terror group’s name, a top US official said Monday. On the eve of the anniversary of bin Laden’s death, President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism aide John Brennan argued that a US drone campaign had left Al-Qaeda seriously weakened, and unable to replace wiped-out leaders.

Affair

ICHAEL Jackson and Whitney Houston had an “ultra-secret affair”, it has been claimed. According to Michael’s former bodyguard Matt Fiddes, the pair enjoyed a passionate romance before she married Bobby Brown in 1992. They kept their relationship secret but Matt insists Michael never came to terms with it ending.

Bombardment

From left: Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta arrive for a press conference at the US State Department in Washington, DC.

Praised

N chief Ban Kimoon praised Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday for backing down over a boycott of parliament which had threatened to stall the fragile reform process. After his first ever talks with the Nobel laureate, Ban hailed Suu Kyi as a “real leader” who had shown “flexibility” in climbing down over a refusal to take a parliamentary oath therein ending a political impasse.

dawn bombardment by Syrian government forces killed 10 civilians on Tuesday, a rights watchdog said, hours after UN chief Ban Ki-moon issued a new call for all sides to respect a troubled ceasefire. Condemning bombings that killed more than 20 people on Monday, most of them security force personnel, Ban said it was vital that government and oppostion alike cooperate fully with the UN mission charged with overseeing a tenuous ceasefire that went into force on April 12.

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cost of living allowance (COLA) is but another propaganda of the government. “Wala man mi nalipay ana kay wala man nakaigo sa panginahanglan sa tawo nga may unom ka miyembro iyang pamilya. Dili gyud makabuhi ang minimum wage,” he added. Effective today, P10 will be added to the P5 original COLA of minimum wage earners, resulting in a new minimum wage of P301. Joel Maglunsod, representative of Anakpawis partylist, said Monday that the living wage of a worker with six family members in Southern Mindanao is P800 plus. “Mubo kaayo ni (P301), ug tungod kay ang nagadawat ra og minimum wage mao ang mga regular employees, mas ubos pa gyud ang minimum nga suhulan sa mga contractual ug casual,” he said. Anakpawis is pushing for a P125 wage increase across the board, which will be in its fourth hearing in the committee on labor and employment in the House of Representatives (HOR) come May 7, and by then, the committee will decide to table it for the plenary. Maglunsod hopes that this will be approved by the HOR, given the worsening conditions of workers all over the country. However, he said there is a big possibility that it will not be approved, saying, “Daghan ni obstacles given the situation sa HOR. Kasagaran sa ila mga dagko

pud nga kapitalista ug ang uban pud nila mga bata-bata pud sa mga kapitalista.” He said that nationwide, 4.3 million are unemployed and 7.2 million are underemployed, while informal sectors are 12 million, adding that more than 50% of the total labor force are either unemployed or underemployed. Contractualization Aside from the poor quality of employment, Maglunsod said, most workers are victims of contractualization, also called casual employment. He said a big chain of malls owned by Henry Sy with 30,000 workers nationwide, only has 1,600 regular employees. Another big company owned by Lucio Tan dismissed several workers to replace them with contractual or casual workers. “Wala girespeto ang katungod sa trabahante sa ilang security of tenure,” he said. Arnulfo Borre, vice chairperson of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa FilPort (Namafil) of the Filipinas Port Services Inc., (FilPort), supports the fight of 93 “extra” workers who were automatically dismissed all at the same time. He said that out of the 93, only 39 are left fighting for their case as the others had already been persuaded by the company to waive their demand and return to work, only to be given their separation pay after working for a week. The dismissed workers, he added, had worked for the company

Pawikans...

FFROM 1 from three to 15 years, but their status remained “extra”, not even regular. “Gihinay nilag kumbinse nga modawat og bayad. Tungod pud sa kalisud, modawat na lang pud among mga trabahante. Ang kaso tua na sa Cagayan Court of Appeal,” he said. Labor union “Workers should know that membership in a union is a labor right,” said Emma Ricaforte of the Nonoy Librado Development Foundation (NLDF), which supports workers in their advocacies, especially on P125 across the board wage increase in private companies, and P6,000 for government employees. Through paralegal trainings provided by the NLDF, she added, workers will become aware of their rights, especially in the case of union-busting. Workers of Sumifru Philippines will stage a strike in June until the company addresses their proposals in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), said Vicente Barrios, union president of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Suyapa Farm-Packing Plant 90. “Ingon nila paabuton lang daw nila ang decision sa Court of Appeals, dawaton na daw nila among CBA. Karon napildi naman sila sa Court of Appeals, in favor man sa trabahante ang desisyon, dili lang gihapon nila dawaton among CBA proposal, so siguro mga bulan sa June mobuto ang among strike,” he said.

nothing would be made of concrete. “I had a guest once and I said ‘Sorry ha, our roads are not cemented.’ And he said, ‘You know what? I’m sick and tired of seeing cement. I came here for this…’ Batsi-batsi pa diba? Kaya sabi ko hayahay kay I think from the point of view for a foreigner, tama yun,” she told reporters. Rabat said Mati City is pushing for eco-tourism as a lot of people want to see nature in its raw form, adding that in the recent Holy Week, many tourists visited Dahican Beach. “I was asking the locals, sabi ko nga sa ba-

Last October 2011, members of the union launched a strike when the company refused to recognize their union as the sole and exclusive bargaining representative of the workers, despite the decision of the Bureau of Labor Relations favoring the union. Some of their proposals include 15 days sick leave, 15 days vacation leave, five days union leave, and all benefits mandated by the Labor Code of the Philippines. Power rates Joining the workers’ mobilization, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Mindanao (BAYAN-SMR) urged the government to stop the rising cost of electricity and repeal the Republic Act 9136 or Electric Power Industry Reform Act that have worsened the workers’ condition. “The government is quick when it comes to approving the increase in electricity rates, but very slow when it comes to giving P125 across-the-board wage increase for the workers who have been calling for it as a form of economic relief from soaring prices and rates, hunger, and poverty,” Sheena Duazo, BAYAN-SMR spokesperson said. Other progressive groups like Gabriela joined the mobilization, saying, “Workers comprise of men and women. Both are struggling for just wages. But women struggle more because they experience discrimination in society.”

pines (AFP). “We don’t really see it as something unusual (for the Philippine Army) to join the jobs fair. We just want to have a wider prospect in reaching recruits,” the 5th CIC commander said in an interview at the Philippine Information Agency 11. “Those who are interested kasi can talk to us sa booth and we will welcome your questions. We have booths at both jobs fair venues of SM City and Gaisano Mall. If you qualify and get to be selected, you will earn the honorable privilege of serving our nation and your services will be equitably compensated. We hope for the best in this jobs fair,” she said. Vinluan said the monthly gross pay and allowances for a candidate-soldier is P13,326.00; a private will receive P19,062.00; an officer-candidate earns P29,007.00 whole a second lieutenant earns P32,668.00. She added that once recruited, it will be the Philippine Army which will process the recruits’ insurance and benefits from the Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pagibig, and such. “There are three entry points: the officer preparatory course, officer candidate course, and candidate soldier course,” she said. The preparatory course officer undergoes a six-month special course of continuing education in leadership

and ground warfare tactics prior to active duty field deployment. Qualifications are: (1) at least five feet for both male/female; (2) physically and mentally fit; (3) not more than 31 years old on date of callto-active duty; and (4) with no pending case in court. Requirements are: (1) a college diploma; (2) transcript of records; (3) National Statisctics Office-issued Birth Certificate, and (4) a curriculum vitae. The officer candidate course is a one year rigorous training in soldiery and leadership. Upon completion, the officer will be commissioned by the Philippine President as Second Lieutenant in the Regular Force. Qualifications are the same as that of the officer preparatory course, but with the addition of being single without child, and must be 21 to 24 years old on start of training. Requirement must also include a 2x2 picture. The candidate soldier course offers to be part of the backbone force of major Army units nationwide. In finishing this course, the soldier becomes “a warrior defending the country,” said Vinluan. Qualifications include finishing at least 72 units in college, must be 18 to 26 years old, and if high school graduate only he or she must possess a certified skill needed in the military service.

world’s attenmtion, then maybe the activities would degrade it. As we start focusing on it as a destination for tourists, they will be more aware of the need to take care of it,” he said. The champion team in the 80-kilometer race was Team Bebang 1 (time 15:38:332) with members Cresenciano Sabal, Geral Sabal and Jhanalodin Lucnan. In second place was Team Carmen, Davao del Norte (15:59:182) with Jonathan Pido, Ronald Dagaang, and Edwin Bueno while in third place was Team Apo_Ville (17:12:582) with Marcial Catanggui, Romeo Mascardo Jr, and Hilario

Ladra. Third and fourth pkacers were Team DOTA of Davao City and Champion System Adventure of Hong Kong, respectively. Thirteen international teams that joined the event came from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Sweden, Norway and the USA while Philippine teams came from Luzon (7), Cebu (2) and 26 from Mindanao. Spearheaded by DOT 11 and the local government of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, the activity was also supported by the Mountaineering Federation of Southern Mindanao and corporate partners.

Mt. Apo...

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Rabat would like to make Dahican Beach world class. ““No biases. I’ve been to other beaches. In fact, comparable ang amin. They’re saying that Malaysia’s beaches are really beautiful. I think Dahican Beach is even more. It just needs a little improvement as far as accommodation is concerned. Its pristine water is really clear. Virgin. So, where can you see that now because mostly lahat ng beaches developed na?” she said. She also would like to encourage future resort owners in Dahican to make their structures complementary with the environment such that

rangay captain, so much activity in skim boarding and everything, please lang, let the locals earn form it. Yung mga tindatinda dyan, yung mga ice water dyan. Sila dapat, hindi yung mga malalaki…We’re happy to know that they all earned from the activity ibig sabihin ganoon kadami ang tao,” she said. Mati is taking everything slowly in the right pacing in terms of tourism. “Baka mamaya sa sobrang bilis ng development makalimutan natin yung protection ng environment. That’s why we want to do it slow but sure,” she added.

nila had have mis-impressions of the island. “It’s true, Mindanao before was a place nobody would like to come, so we are trying to give a very good picture of Mindanao. And, we are here because the region is the ‘sleeping giant’ of the Philippines.” Art Boncato, regional director of the Department of Tourism 11, said the activity would hopefully bring to international attention the protection of the 54,000-hectare national park which has the most number of flora and fauna per unit area. “Kasi, if we don’t give focus to it, if we don’t do anything to get the

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EDGEDAVAO

FIL-CHI. Filipino-Chinese Alexandra Toh starts her trek to the summit of Mt. Apo in the recent 2nd Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge. Toh represented The Chain Reaction Project Team of Singapore. (Boy Lim)

Changes in order for Boulder Face race

IERS McDonald Touzel travelled with his Specialized carbon fiber bike from Beijing, China to ride it for the bike stages of the 2nd Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge. His teammate Ryan Scott Blair brought his own bike from Hongkong. Same goes with most of the visiting participants of this year’s race. In competitions like this, you don’t take chances. Piers, a veteran in mountain biking races all over the world, knows that. Ryan too. Familiarity with your own equipment matters a lot in gruelling races like this. So let alone all the trouble of travelling with their bikes and the cost, they took their own bikes to the competition hoping the familiarity edge will play a factor—albeit little. Any help you can get from being prepared prior to the race is an advantage in itself. Any Sun Tzu practitioner knows that you win half the war by preparing. But when the race was staged, the advantage Piers hoped to cash in on withered. The bike stage was only an inconsequential 22 kilometers. It lasted only for an hour

for the fastest team on the bike stages—Dexter Nonato and Tope Eyao of Team Merrell. The rest negotiated the distance in at least two hours. It was not even very technical. Some like Lito Esparar of Mindanao Travel Channel rode with a bike without suspensions. What’s the point, Lito says, the distance is short and the trail not technical. The short distance of the bike stage did not give the bikers an advantage. Eventual winners Gerald and Cresenciano Sabal, both known for their running skills, checked in with the middle pack at 18th after the bike stage. They attacked during the trails on foot going up and down Mt. Apo. By the time they reached the final two disciplines—tubing and running—there was no way for them to lose. The title was in the bag by the time they arrived CP17 10 minutes past 8 o’clock in the evening. That gave the Sabal brothers a precious 7 hours to recover and be fullycharged for the 2-kilometer tubing and 12-kilometer running. Before the race, a few experts have already said

the race had to be reviewed as it gave undue advantage to runners. Mt. Everest conqueror Erwin “Pastor” Emata and outdoor events organizer Dax Ang said the race is a “runner’s game.” Ryan Scott Blair agrees with them. Longer bike stages or a reformat of the disciplines in order to set new challenges each year should make the Boulder Face Challenge more exciting and can draw more participants. Organizers cannot afford to lose the momentum this event has gained. Aside from the bike stages, the competition should consider the advances of technology and apply this in the race. The use of GPS and the shortening of checkpoint stops are but some of the innovations we can suggest. An open mind and an ever-exploring vision are the keys to the success of future editions of this growing event.

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Beautiful MOMS

SOUL Juggling family with business, she makes it a point that she personally drives her children to school and eats dinner with them, spends alone time with hubby on regular lunch dates, and maintains a strong

SIX years ago, when I started to learn more about the colourful yet complex word of graphic design, I stumbled on a self-branded folder among the office archives saved in my computer’s memory. As familiar as the name was to me, it was only last week when I found out that MIMI FILES, apparently, is a trademark that describes the organized filing system of mompreneur Mimi Vergara-Tupas. To the local community, Mimi is the fashion retail queen who brought us hip clothing brands, namely SOUL and Pickled & Peppered. To me, she serves as a memory of my mom’s Lamaze childbirth class where she, then carrying baby number 1, once joined in with hubby Jun Tupas back in the late 90’s. My encounter with the contents of MIMI FILES at work revealed, to me at least, a common ground in our occupational background. I didn’t chance on working with her in the hotel. She had moved on to accomplish her personal goals by the time my career in public relations began. Her name would only come flashing back when I started to acquaint myself with the wonders of social media. More than just a pretty face on the local dailies, she has become more visible on Facebook and Twitter, socializing with avid supporters of her clothing brands. She has created her own niche in the local fashion scene, not only with customers but also among talented photographers and budding artists. She is a breath of fresh air in social events happening up and about town. More than anything, she is a happy mother of 3 kids and wife to an equally supportive

husband. If I may say so, this woman is who I once dreamed to be. DREAM is the operative word since my fate at single motherhood has sealed the black hole that could have taken me back in time, to follow her life sequence of settling down with marriage first before motherhood. She is living my dream multi-facet career of a full time mom who owns her boutique, travels around the world with family to personally hand pick items for her clothing line, and remains true to her creative self and her craftsmanship. Chatting with her in social events would add more wishful thinking to my list. Porcelain skin, crisp outfit that is always up to date, and a well-maintained physique… I hope I’ll grow old gracefully like her. Did I mention there’s not even a tell-tale sign in her face saying I am in my mid-30’s? Mimi’s dedication to family is probably known only to those who follow her on cyberspace. Click on her Instagram account and blog site, and you’d see pictures of love and devotion. Her winsome smile is all over the collection of snapshots that she so lovingly shared as inspiration to fellow mothers. She has shaped her life in her unique

way of balancing family / motherhood and her fulfillment as a woman. Her 9-5 job back in the 90’s didn’t quite fit in to her vision of how she wanted to live her life. She was missing out on her kids’ milestones and monumental episodes at home. She felt she wasn’t living her purpose as a mother and decided to leave the corporate world. Her husband gave her a freehand and full support in finding use for her talent and unique eye for fashion and arts. This soul searching lead to the birth and success of her fashion retail empire, amply branded as SOUL. SOUL is Mimi. Mimi is SOUL. There is no way of denying her presence in everything you see in the shop. Not only does she function an proprietor, fashion merchandiser, and accountant, she also gives her brand a personal touch by doing the layouts for all its catalogues and signages, styling and directing their photo shoots, and going online to market and promote the brand over Twitter, Multiply, Tumblr, and Facebook.

involvement in her family’s i n d i v i du a l interests. Everything related to business happens in between those hours. Her daughters have taken on her love for styling and their father’s passion for photography. Their bonding time extends to their home studio, stepping behind the lens with the kids as apprentices to photographer-daddy and creative stylist-mommy. Mimi breathes creativity at work and at home. Aside from jotting down reflections and itinerary on her personalized journal and planner, scrapbooking is also her creative outlet where puts together pieces of past, present, and other significant memorabilia. She is generous enough to share her artistry and give opportunities to budding photographers and to the new blood of writers otherwise known as bloggers. To them, she is more than a subject and inspiration, but a supportive friend as well. Having observed all these,

whether on cyberspace or through personal encounters, I must say she embodies the qualities of a fulfilled woman. Mother, wife, friend, cyber/global marketer, and entrepreneur… Is there any other role Mimi can squeeze in to her persona? Now, sharing with me her insights on girl power and motherhood, she becomes my own life coach. “Motherhood is a state of being young and old; being learned and innocent; of feeling exhausted, but totally energized. It is tough, yet gentle; happy and tearful. It is one amazing state when, despite the presence of wrinkles and stretch marks and of having less free time, money, and sanity, you’d feel you’ve accomplished your purpose and lived your life to the fullest.” “An empowered woman knows her purpose, and finds meaning in ALL that she does. She knows who she is and embraces her accomplishments, acknowledges her failures, and is wise enough to learn from each experience. She knows what she wants and how to get it, without stepping on someone else along the way. She has a warm connection to the people who matter in her life, and finds happiness in being able to empower others in the little things she does. She has a subtle and understated influence that radiates in all aspects of her life, a force that doesn’t aim to pull people down but contagiously seeks to inspire others.”

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WOMEN

WEAVING FOR PEACE. This file photo shows malong weaver Aiza Joy Udan, a member of the Balungis Women’s Association, weaving a malong in princess design she learned from a skills training in Cotabato City.

Weaving for peace and fashion By Beverly C. Paoyon

Wives and relatives of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels accepted a P2-million trading center Thursday (April 26) to serve as weaving and display area of their handloom woven products.

The facility was constructed from the counterpart funds of 70% from the United States Agency for International Development’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (USAID-GEM) and 30% jointly funded by the provincial and local government of Sarangani and Malapatan. According to USAID-GEM, this facility “has helped streamline production and sales of the products, which are being considered for promotion to fashion designers in Cebu and Manila by the Department of Trade and Industry.” Senator Loren Legarda attended the turn-over of Balungis Trading Center and handlooms to the Balungis Moro Women’s Association. She expressed full support to the livelihood project being the author of Republic Act 9242 or the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law which advocates for the local textile industry. RA 9242 primarily prescribes “the use of the Philippine tropical fabrics for uniforms of public officials and employees and for other purposes.” “Pinong-pino. Maganda. Maganda ang handmade work ninyo,” Legarda said, referring to the women’s products. The senator bought all their displayed handloom woven shawls. Among the products of the Balungis Women’s Association that trademarked Malapatan’s best are shawls and handloom cloth traditionally called as “malong”. Abdulnasser Suib, municipal councilor of Malapatan, described these as “artistically crafted with highly imagi-

native designs and styles, and carefully knitted in different shades and color.” Suib added the trading facility would be the one-stop-shop to display these products along with the town’s other local products like “tinagtag”, a Moro delicacy made of rice. “Dapat talaga bigyan ng kabuhayan ang ating mga kababaihan pati na ang kalalakihan thru handlooms and backtrack looms, yung traditional way of weaving ng magagamit na fabrics for Philippine fabrics na gawa sa ating kamay, galing sa ating mga harvests whether it is banana or pina or cotton or abaca,” Legarda said. Legarda pointed out the collaboration of putting up a trading facility for these Moro women who organized themselves into an association is a

and we the United States and USAID is proud to be part of this (endeavor).” “The United States government thru USAID is hoping to carry out this development project because we appreciate the fact that the people in this area have chosen to improve their communities and improve the lives of their families. So we are happy for the opportunity to help you do that and make things better in Mindanao,” Aeschliman said. Aeschliman added that their “commitment to Mindanao is future in long standing and far reaching. We appreciate the partnerships … and we hope that the successful completion of this project will inspire others to make the people of Mindanao to

Abdulnasser Suib, municipal councilor of Malapatan, described these as “artistically crafted with highly imaginative designs and styles, and carefully knitted in different shades and color.” laudable initiative that “despite the hard times we are able to get things better forward” and hoped this to be replicated in many other areas in Sarangani. “Ito siguro ay maaring gawing ehemplo hindi lamang sa Sarangani kundi sa ibat-ibang lugar sa Mindanao at sa buong bansa. Dahil sa hirap ng panahon at buhay ay kailangan talaga magkaroon ng self employment. We will have self employment opportunities such as what you’re doing here,” Legarda told the women’s group. “Ang pagbabalik sa habi ay napakahalaga. Hindi lang trabaho ay binibigay n’yan pati na rin ang pagpapahalaga ng ating kultura.” USAID-Philippines deputy mission director Reed Aeschliman said “the government of the Philippines is taking extensive efforts to respond to the needs of the people of Mindanao

also work for the economic goal and peaceful development of this beautiful island.” USAID is helping to accelerate economic growth in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao where it constructed more than 1,400 infra projects and targets to build additional 150 projects until the end of 2012. The USAID said “these facilities support economic development and demonstrate the continuing commitment of both the Philippine and U.S. government in fostering peace and development in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.” “An important part of the USAIDGEM’s Target Commodity Expansion Project is its Former Combatant Reintegration assistance activity that helps create economic opportunities and promote peace in MNLF communities,” it added.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Bobby Brown: “I wasn’t the one that got Whitney on drugs”

BOBBY Brown says he “didn’t get high” before he met Whitney Houston. Which—as Today’s Matt Lauer pointed out during an interview with Brown, his fiancée and three of his children airing Wednesday and Thursday—would surprise those who have assumed for years that Brown got the diva hooked on drugs. “It makes me feel terrible,” Brown says of being blamed for the habit that ultimately led to Houston’s death on Feb. 11 at only 48 years old. “But I know differently.” So, just how skewed, according to Brown, were those assumptions regarding his and Houston’s 14-year marriage? “I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us instead of time lookin’ through the bubble”—which, for a time, included the reality show Being Bobby Brown—”they would know how we

felt about each other. They would know how happy we were together.” “And the reality show gave us a wake-up, because we saw each other in—we looked at the bubble and saw ourselves,” Brown, 43, says. “We was able to see what other people were saying about us, you know? We was able to see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love that we felt for each other.” Brown tells Lauer that he smoked weed and drank beer before meeting Houston, but he “wasn’t the one who got Whitney on drugs at all.” He doesn’t include marijuana and alcohol in his description of the “narcotics” that the couple used during their marriage. The Bravo show lasted one season in 2005. The couple separated the following year and Houston filed for divorce in October 2006. Brown says that he was “hurt” when he found out that cocaine use

contributed to his ex-wife’s death. “Me being off of narcotics for the last seven years...I felt that she was...I didn’t know she was struggling with it still,” the New Edition singer says. “But at the same time...listen, it’s a hard fight. It’s a hard fight to, you know, maintain sobriety that way.” He speaks the truth: Though he maintained his innocence after his arrest, Brown pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge last week and was ordered to complete a threemonth alcohol program. Whatever their struggles, the father of 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown says that he has always loved Houston. “I can honestly say that I love that woman with...everything that I am,” Brown says. “And I believe she loved me the same way. We wouldn’t have been able to make the most beautiful girl in the world without love. And that’s the truth.”

Who is the new Gossip Girl hottie? Gossip Girl is getting a new hottie.

And he’s way more than just a good-looking face—it’s Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta! I can exclusively reveal that… Saporta, 32, will make his acting debut in the CW series’ upcoming season finale on May 14. “Acting is something that has been of interest to him for a while,” a source reports. “So when he was offered the role, he jumped at it.” But to keep things pretty much spoiler-free, the source stayed mum on story details. “I can tell you that he’s playing a character that is not a musician,” the informer said. This isn’t Saporta’s first Gossip Girl collaboration. Cobra’s hit song “Good Girls Go Bad” from their third album Hot Mess features vocals by GG’s Leighton Meester. She also appears in the video for the tune. Saporta joins fellow hottie Adam Levine in recently turning to TV to show off his acting chops. The Voice coach confirmed earlier this month that he will appear on the second season of American Horror Story.

BOBBY Brown and Whitney Houston in better times.

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Acne thyme

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HEALTH

THE next new acne treatment may be found in the produce section of your food store. Largely due to its antiinflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, the herb thyme -- which is found with other herbs in the produce section of most food stores -- may well earn itself a place in the skin care section of your local drug store. Researchers from Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K. steeped thyme, marigold, and myrrh in alcohol to make what’s called a tincture, and then tested them on the bacteria that cause acne. They all had greater antibacterial effect after five minutes com-

pared to lab specimens exposed to plain alcohol, but thyme was the most potent. In fact, the thyme tincture was more powerful than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in many acne prod-

ucts. “If thyme tincture is proven to be as clinically effective as our findings suggest, it may be a natural alternative to current treatments,” researcher Margarita Gomez-Escalada, PhD, says in a news release. “The problem with treatments containing benzoyl perox-

In fact, the thyme tincture was more powerful than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in many acne products. ide is the side effects they are associated with,” namely a burning sensation and skin irritation. “Herbal preparations are less harsh on the skin due to their anti-inflammatory properties, while our results suggest they can be just as, if not more, effective than chemical treatments,” she says. But some U.S. dermatologists are quick to caution that while intriguing, this research is still preliminary, and thyme-tinged acne treatments are not yet ready for prime time. Alan Shalita, MD, is the distinguished teaching professor and chairman of the department of dermatology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York. So what does he think about the thyme tincture? “It’s intriguing.” But if you have acne, your first stop should be the skin care aisle in your drug store, not the produce section of your food store. “Choose a cleanser with salicylic acid followed by a mild benzoyl peroxide leave-on product,” he says. “If that doesn’t work, see a dermatologist for prescription medications.” Joshua Zeichner, MD, says that time will tell if thyme holds promise as an acne treatment. “More

research needs to be done to evaluate thyme, but it is an exciting prospect and would be a welcome addition.” Zeichner is an assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. Don’t try thyme at home. “How it works in the lab setting is very different than how it works on your skin,” he says. Amy Forman Taub, MD, agrees. She is the medical director of Advanced Dermatology and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Medical School, both in Chicago. “We always need more treatments for acne because there are so many people who suffer with it.” Is thyme the solution for these people? Taub isn’t sure. “We are far away from developing a preparation that contains thyme, but this is interesting,” she says. Michele Green, MD, is less cautious. She is ready to call on a compounding pharmacist to develop a thyme-based acne treatment right now. “Benzoyl peroxide is drying and irritating, and an herbal treatment could be fabulous,” she says. Green is a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL.5 ISSUE 41 • MAY 2, 2012

Peña traded to Petron

TRADED. Dorian Peña of Barako Bull will be back to his old franchise after he was traded to Petron in exchange for Carlo Sharma and Celino Cruz.

ARAKO Bull has agreed on a trade that would send veteran Dorian Peña to the Petron Blaze Boosters in exchange for Carlo Sharma and Celino Cruz. “There was an agreement made by two teams, but it’s pending for the approval of the commissioner,” said Baculi. PBA commissioner Chito Salud confirmed that trade documents have already reached his office, although he has yet to make any action regarding the transaction. “I haven’t evaluated it yet, but I hope I can make a decision within the day,” said Salud, who has the right to veto or revise deals he deems imbalanced.. The trade would send Peña back to San Miguel’s flagship franchise. He was a member of the Beermen

from 2001 to 2011 before being traded last season to the Air 21 Express, which has since been rechristened Barako Bull. Sharma and Cruz, meanwhile, will be wearing familiar uniforms, having been part of the Red Bull squad in its mid2000s heyday. The Boosters are looking to bounce back after a disappointing Commissioner’s Cup campaign for the second straight season. Earlier, they completed a trade for star rookie Marcio Lassiter in exchange for Sharma’s brother, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Lordy Tugade, and Rey Guevarra in a deal that also brought them Cruz, all part of their buildup to defend the Governors’ Cup. Trade approved The PBA on Tuesday announced it approval of

a three-player trade that would send Dorian Peña back to San Miguel’s flagship franchise. In the deal, Barako Bull sent the burly center to Petron in exchange for Carlo Sharma and Celino Cruz. In the same statement, the PBA also announced the veto of a proposed deal that would send Powerade starting center Doug Kramer for Barako Bull backup power forward Jondan Salvador. The deal was “returned to the parties for possible revision to make it more balanced.” The move comes as a surprise after Powerade earlier announced that it would no longer pursue any trades after dealing star rookie Marcio Lassiter along with Cruz to Petron in exchange for Rabeh AlHussaini, Lordy Tugade, and Rey Guevarra.

More physical Game 5 looms M

ARC Pingris proudly brandished his newly-stitched up chin moments after the end of BMEG practice. “Pinatatlo ko na, para sigurado,” he said, referring to the number of stitches required to close the cut, a souvenir courtesy of a forearm from Talk ‘N Text import Donnell Harvey. Despite the Llamados’ 100-85 loss the previous evening, Pingris was in a good mood as he showcased his newest battle scar. “Nabawasan ng two points yung kagwapuhan ko. Naks, yabang!” he said with a smile. He has drawn comparisons to Slam Dunk protagonist Hanamichi Sakuragi for his play on the court, but off it, Pingris displays a goofiness that makes the anime analogy perfect. Earlier inside the gym, he playfully wrestled a B-MEG ballboy

to the floor, and put him in a faux armbar. “Prinaktis ko na yung MMA ko kanina, para kay Ali Peek at saka sa import nila,” he joked. Even off the court, Pingris remains a ball of energy — he never stops moving or talking. He sat among B-MEG fans during his post-practice snack — a bilao of pancit that only half the players ate — and told everyone to take a plate and help themselves to the food. “Ang daming pagkain o, kuha kayo!” he said. After addressing the fans, he turned to B-MEG team manager Alvin Patrimonio, who was also having a snack, to ask for advice. Unlike other players who would welcome a two-day break from action in a grueling finals series, the extra day of rest was driving Pingris crazy. “5:30 na ako nakatulog kanina, may araw na. Tapos

Heat beat NY 104-94

IAMI (AP) Drops of blood stained the carpet leading up to the back entrance of the New York Knicks’ locker room. The glass portion of a nearby fire-extinguisher case was quickly replaced. And Amare Stoudemire needed doctors and paramedics to treat a cut on his left hand. Game 2 probably wasn’t all the Knicks lost in Miami on Monday night. Stoudemire left the building with his arm in a sling and what appeared to be a bulky wrap over his left hand, long after the Heat took control of the teams’ Eastern Conference first-round series with a 104-94 win over the Knicks, going up 2-0. It resumes Thursday in New York, and although the Knicks were saying nothing

for certain, it seems most unlikely that Stoudemire would be able to play. ‘’I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start,’’ Stoudemire wrote on Twitter after the Knicks left the arena. Knicks center Tyson Chandler said he did not expect Stoudemire to play Game 3. An update from the Knicks said, ‘’Extent of injury is unknown at this time.’’ Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, Chris Bosh added 21 and LeBron James finished with 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Heat, but their night was completely overshadowed by whatever went on with Stoudemire in the hallway that’s just a few steps from the edge of the court.

nagising ako ng 9, idlip ng konti tapos nagising ako ng 10,” Pingris said. “Sumasakit ang ulo ko na nasa bahay lang, sana may laro na bukas.” Patrimonio rattled off a list of suggestions for how Pingris could spend his extra day. “Relax ka na lang, kundisyon

ka naman eh,” said the PBA legend. “O kaya mag-laps ka sa pool.” Pingris pondered the suggestions, before decidedly turning more serious when talking about Game Five against Talk ‘N Text. He spoke about how the Tropang

Texters came out with more energy and physicality in the previous game. “Mas physical talaga sila, at hindi kami naging handa dun,” he said, adding that referees let a lot of contact go. “Ginagawa lang naman nila yung trabaho nila eh, so gaga-

win din namin yung trabaho namin.” When asked if he expects a more physical game in the next outing, he said: “Ako, mas magiging physical ako. Hindi ko na hahayaang gawin ulit sa amin yung ginawa nila.”

KLAHOMA CITY (AP) Dirk Nowitzki was hoping for the same kind of friendly bounce that allowed Kevin Durant to put the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead in their first-round playoff series. When Nowitzki didn’t get it, the Dallas Mavericks could only settle for another frustratingly close loss and an uphill climb to survive in their first postseason since winning the

NBA title. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, Durant added 26 in an off-shooting performance and Oklahoma City clawed out a 102-99 victory over Dallas on Monday night to take a 2-0 series lead. The Mavs led in the final minute of both games in Oklahoma City but couldn’t even manage a split as the Thunder gutted out two wins by a total of four points.

‘’That’s what the playoffs are about,’’ Westbrook said. ‘’Toughness.’’ Durant hit two free throws with 50.4 seconds left to give Oklahoma City a 98-97 lead, and James Harden hit four more foul shots to close it out for the Thunder. Jason Terry missed two 3-point attempts from the left wing in the final 5 seconds that could have tied it and set up overtime. ‘’We come away from

these two games disappointed but not dismayed. You tip your hat to the fact that they have made some big time plays,’’ Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. ‘’Now, we’ve got to go home and do the same.’’ Game 3 is Thursday night in Dallas. ‘’We’re just a couple bounces away from being up 2-0,’’ said Nowitzki, who led Dallas with 31 points but missed both his shots in the final 75 seconds.

Thunder send Mavs to 0-2 hole O

ANOTHER LOSS. Ian Araneta (second from left) and his Air Force-Phoenix teammates suffered another loss to Stallion Giligan’s last Saturday in the UFL. Air Force hopes to beef up its team in the next tournament after failing to land a reinforcement in the last hiring window.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 41 â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 2, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

RAPIDS. Gerald Sabal of Team Bebang 1 rides the rapids at Sibulan River during the tubing stage of the 2nd Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge. Sabal and his brother Cresenciano won the gruelling race. (Boy Lim)

Summerfest sports camps open May 7 T

HE Davao Summerfest sports camps, the first stage of the month-long summer sports and arts festival, will open on May 7 at various venues. Camps in football and basketball will be staged from May 7 to 18 and will be catering to close to 4,000 children in Davao City. The football camp will be held from May 7-11 (Batch 1) and May 14-18 (Batch 2) at the Davao Crocodile Park football fields. The camp will be supervised by Christian Ea and a team of coaches from the Davao Football Association (DFA) and Crocodile Park Football Academy. For basketball, the camp will be staged in various venues covering the three districts of

Davao City. City Sports Development Division OIC Pocholo Elegino said the basketball camps will be handled by coaches under the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas under city director Atty. Oying Melodias. Davao Summerfest sports project head Neil Bravo said interested participants may inquire with the City Sports Development Office or with their respective barangays. Slots for the training camps will be allocated for each barangay. The Davao Summerfest is organized by the Duaw Davao Festival Foundation as the official festival manager of the city government of Davao. The Summerfest formally opened last Friday at the Davao Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park.

LACING UP. Maia Zhang Tingjun of The Chain Reaction Project of Singapore laces her shoe as she prepares to take the second stage of the 2nd Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge race. Tingjun and her teammates joined the race to campaign against human trafficking. [BOY LIM]