Edge Davao 5 Issue 42 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

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Serving a seamless society

Indulge Page A3

P11.2B educational fund

GSIS educ loans for Dabawenyos By Greg G. Deligero

ORE than 6,000 members in Davao City of the Government Service Insurance System may start today trooping to the local

Science/Environment Page 4 Sports Page 15

n SSS members’ turn to get loans for educational loan made available by

next week n P4,000 per semester for GSIS members branch of the GSIS in Matina to apply

the Aquino government to help system members cope with enrolment expenses in college as early as next week. The Dabawenyos are part of the some 1.4 million GSIS members in the

FGSIS, 13

Checkpoints vs terrorists: Rody PONKAN. A GROUP OF YOUNG GIRLS WALK FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER IN DAVAO CITY CARRYING BOXES TO PEDDLE PONKANS. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

By Jade C. Zaldivar

ICE Mayor Rodrigo Duterte reminded the public to cooperate fully when stopped at checkpoints set up by the city’s anti-terrorism unit Task Force Davao (TFD) along with other military units.

na lang kung naabala mo n But reminds military to ‘be aning“Pasensya mga checkpoint but this is our way

courteous.’

Duterte in an interview said he apologizes for the inconvenience, but that people should have to comply.

of keeping the peace of the city, that once you’re inside the city you may also feel that you are safe,” he said in a meeting with police station commanders and the heads of the TFD, Davao City Police Of-

FCHECKPOINT, 13

EDGEDAVAO THE BIG NEWS Jobs fair hires Brokenshire faculty union hopes 547 on the spot for positive output of first CBA O T VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

UT of 8,453 applicants at the jobs fair on Labor Day (Monday) at two different venues, 547 were hired on the spot, said Joffrey M. Suyao, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 11. The total number hired will be known in a month’s he added. “What we do is that we require them to submit those names to us so that within the month after the conduct of the jobs fair we can do the verification. We’ll actually call them and ask them to submit a report and if they say that they have actually hired the applicants, then we call those applicants for confirmation if they’re actually hired,” he told Edge Davao last Tuesday.

DOLE 11 did not expect all employers to hire on the spot as different companies have different qualifications for certain positions that they need, Suyao said. “Kung meron silang hiring requirements, then we respect that. But, of course, we encourage them na sa araw ng paggawa ay maraming manggagawa ang naemploy,” he added. The top five domestic jobs for the hired on the spot were call center agents, office clerks, sales personnel, receptionists and accounting staff. For overseas, the top five jobs were domestic helpers, welders and carpenters, electricians, office staff and engineers.[LORIA A. CAS-

To attract visitors and more revenues, Davao City is looking into sports tourism. “From what we are spending for the summer festival, we will be raking in revenue from sports tourism,” Neilwin Bravo, one of the organizers of Davao Summerfest, said. Bravo, who is in-charge

of the sports component of the annual summer festival of Davao City said the second staging of the summer summerfest will be a more comprehensive vehicle for sports tourism. First held in 2011, the Davao Summerfest is a festival with numerous activities which delve on sports, arts and culture.

By Jade C. Zaldivar

can say it’ll be a coffee table book,” the NNC regional head said. “We have high hopes for this project. We know its contents will be something to be proud of. It’s one way for Dabawenyos to appreciate our own culturen specifically in the culinary arts,” she said. Vegetable over instant food Unsgson, along with representatives from national agencies, promotes healthy nutrition consumption through the RRDC wherein the winning dishes will be forwarded to the NNC national office. “The NNC will be compiling fruit and vegetable recipes and these will be compiled into a book which will be distributed to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya or the Conditional Cash Transfer program administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development as a way for the NNC to contribute to improve nutrition in the poorest families,” she said. The recipe book will also be distributed to local nutrition workers as an information and education material for helping families improve

By Lorie A. Cascaro

HE Brokenshire College Faculty and Staff Union – Association of Democratic Labor Organizations (BCFAUSO-ADLO) hopes that in their meeting today with the school administration, there will be positive results in their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation on ground rules. A young labor union of faculty and staff of the Brokenshire College, Davao City, the BCFAUSO-ADLO had its first election of officers last October 19, with Rodne Baslot as its first president. Baslot bared Wednesday that today’s meeting is not actually their first CBA negotiation. The first negotiation was held last April 16, but

no agreement was achieved. “Dili daw authorized ang administration nga moatubang sa amoa. Wala namo nakab-ot ang ground rules. So karong May 3, magpadayon kami pero sa the same nga hisgutanan, katong ground rules,” he said. The workers were told that it is the board of trustees (BOT) and not the administration, which is the authorized body to attend CBA negotiations. Noting that based on experience, it is the school administration that negotiates with the union, Baslot said the union was not sure as of yesterday who will be the members of the administration’s panel. “Ang ground rules, mao ni siya ang guidelines sa pagpadagan sa negotiation, example sa economic issues, kung moingon kag

economic naa nay hisgutanan sa kwarta, sweldo. Ang non-economic, kanang relationship, kintahay ang union naay kabahin sa pagdecide ug pag organize sa mga committees,” he said. It took years before the faculty and staff of Brokenshire College decided to organize themselves into a union, as most of them were afraid to be kicked out of their jobs had they attempted to organize. However, it is their economic needs that prompted them to unite and establish their union in order to demand for salary increase. “Dugay naman gud walay increase ang sweldo, 2006 pa ang last namo nga increase. So kana pa lang mismo nga sumbanan, layo na kaayo. Naga increase pa kanunay ang oil, ang presyo sa mga pagkaon, ug kining

mga naa sa ubos, mga rank and file, nagasakripisyo na mi sa sweldo pero ang uban sa taas naay honorarium,” he said. More than 10 years in service, Baslot said founding the BCFAUSO-ADLO is historic as it had been a long and difficult process. “Gusto nako i-emphasize sa katong ginaingon sa administrasyon nga ang unyon daw ang makapasirado sa usa ka institution, pero walay datus sa gobyerno ana,” he said. He pointed out that there is a need for constant struggle and analysis on the characteristic of the society as the struggle for genuine land reform and national industrialization is not as instant as “instant noodles”, and all workers must continue to learn and expand their organizations to achieve these goals.

Office (CAO), the IAC is primarily tasked to formulate the implementing rules and regulations of the Ordinance Establishing a Septage and Sewerage Management Program of Davao City passed in 2010, CAO officer in charge Leonardo Avila III said. “The CHO has started

data gathering. They’re currently listing communities along the coast of Davao Gulf while the City Veterinarian Office is gathering data on who have piggeries or are raising hogs along the Talomo and Matina Pangi rivers,” Avila said in an interview. “As we have said, pol-

lution and the presence of E.coli (Escherichia coli) is not solely caused by indiscriminate throwing of waste by communities along the coastline, it is also caused by the absence of septage tanks. Piggeries and factories could be directly dumping their waste into the

Davao looks into ‘sports tourism’ Sara concerned by water pollution CARO]

FDAVAO, 13

ity Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered the creation of an inter-agency collaboration (IAC) tasked to form rules on water disposal as a solution to the pollution of the city’s waters. Composed mainly of the City Health Office and the City Agriculture

Dabawenyo cookbook eyed

ATIONAL Nutrition Council (NNC) Davao Region is currently planning to come out with an allDavao dishes cookbook. As an off-shoot of the nationwide Regional Recipe Development Contest (RRDC) in line with the Nutrition Month Celebration, NNC regional coordinator Ma. Teresa Ungson said last April 27 that they would be collecting recipes on ‘Davao taste.’ “We want Davao to have its own cookbook because there has never been a cookbook which contains dishes that are uniquely Davao. We want this to be the first and, hopefully, masundan ito,” Ungson said in an interview at Palos Verdes where the RRDC was held. Ungson said the cookbook aims to showcase dishes ‘boasting of Davao ingredients.’ “The dishes will range from authentic Davao dishes to local dishes which have fusion with foreign cuisine or dishes with a modern twist to them,” she said. She added that the cookbook will be of high quality material. “Kailangan maganda siya. You

their meals and food intake. Ungson said ‘the reality is that, although the country has a high poverty rate, a lot of poor families rely on instant food because they find it cheaper.’ “That’s the situation of poor families in urbanized cities wherein mahirap o mahal ang gulay. But if there are means for people to grow their own fruits and vegetables in their own backyard, it’s actually much cheaper,” Ungson said. “If you grow your own vegetables, much better if you could raise fruits, wala ka nang gastos. Your expenses will be greatly cut from the transport o ano pa. If you know recipes for vegetables, then makatipid ka na, masustansya pa ang inihain mo sa iyong pamilya,” she added. Ungson wants families, financially challenged or not, to consume at least five types of vegetables and fruits everyday to keep healthy. “In the long run if you get sick from consuming instant or junk food then mas malaki pa ang gastos mo. Eat vegetables and fruits and stay healthy,” she said.

SERBISYO CARAVAN. Department of Budget and Management Regional Director Achilles Gerald Bravo said on Wednesday that the Serbisyo Caravan program of the

FSARA, 13

agency was designed to deliver basic government services to the various communities in Region 11. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

You can now buy your favorite Business Paper from any of these establishments still at Php 15.

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HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS DECISIONS.

A day at the jobs fair

By Lorie A. Cascaro

TRAIGHT from the Island Garden City of Samal, Jayson D. Maligon, 23, joined the queue at the jobs fair immediately after Gaisano Mall of Davao opened at 10 in the morning of May 1. Hopeful to be hired by one of the five companies he enlisted with, he was 10 persons away from the desk of manpower agencies only by 3:30 PM. He was applying as loans processor at Enterprise Solutions and Manpower Services when this author approached him. “Ikadaghan na pud ko nag apply og work, bale naga walk in ko,” he told Edge Davao. A fresh graduate of an accounting course in a local college, he was hired by the school right away. Taking advantage of the holiday break, he tried his luck at the jobs fair, “Try try lang, kumbaga, wala man sab trabaho karon, nagkasabot mi sa akong barkada nga mag

JOBS FAIR. Thousands of job applicants streamed at the jobs fair sponsored by the Department of Labor and Emapply lang mi.” Like many Filipinos, Maligon also dreamas of working abroad, but still needs at least two years of work experience in the country. “Wala pa ko kadecide sa abroad kung unsang trabaho. Sa accounting man gud ko, ambot kung

ployment hoping to land a job that will provide a source of income for their families. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

naa pud ba accounting didto. Gusto ko sa Macau,” he said. Last resort If working abroad is some people’s ultimate goal, for Guindolin A. Castro, 19, also an applicant at the jobs fair, it is her last resort. “Diri lang ko, wala koy

planong mogawas. Sa local lang. If ever kung lisud na gyud kaayo diri, moabroad na ko. Pero simple life lang gud,” she said with a smile. Also queuing at manpower agencies, her target job among the five she enlisted in was as a call center agent.

FA DAY, 13

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Seagrasses: Still an unknown resource By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

“J

UST like the grasses that we normally see outside our homes, they are flowering plants. But the only difference is that they complete their life history submerged in seawater, forming extensive meadows on sandy to muddy sediments in shallow coastal waters.” This was how Dr. Miguel D. Fortes describes seagrasses, one of the country’s forgotten – if not – resources. “Seagrasses are the least studied among the habitats in our coastal zones,” he said. “As such, we know less than we need to in order to use them in solving coastal environmental as well as societal problems.” The Philippines has 18 species along its coasts, making the country with the second highest (after Western Australia›s more than 30 species) in terms of the number of seagrasses in the world. The area covered by seagrasses in the country is 27,282 square kilometers. “Despite their high bio-

Dr Miguel Fortes

diversity and abundance, seagrass habitats are still poorly understood in our country,” said Fortes, the country’s foremost expert on seagrasses. “Hence, it appears only marginally useful when, in fact, the ecosystem plays significant economic and ecological roles.” Because of this neglect, the seagrasses – commonly known as isay or lusay – are not given much attention. Seagrasses are among the most productive of coastal ecosystems, rivalling coral reefs and mangroves in environmental and economic importance. “As meadows, seagrasses are an important link between land and ocean and support a high primary production,” said Fortes, who is with the University of the Philippines (UP) Marine Science Institute. “Seagrass leaves and stems add considerable three-dimensional structure to the sea bed, providing habitat, feeding and breeding grounds as well as nurseries for a di-

verse array of fauna.” Among the diversified species found in the seagrass beds are fishes, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, crabs, scallops, mussels and snails. Shrimps spend the early stages of their lives in seagrass areas. Large animals like sea cow (dugong) and green sea turtles graze extensively in seagrass beds. Seahorses, a tourist attraction and of medicinal value, reside in seagrass beds. A total of 1,384 individuals and 55 species from 25 fish families have been identified from five seagrass sites in the country alone. “All have economic value mostly as food and aquarium specimens,” Fortes reported. “Five times as many fish live in seagrass beds as above sea floors of mud, shells, and sand.” Seagrass meadows also act as sediment traps and as breakwaters offering natural shoreline protection. Without the seagrass roots anchoring the bottom sediments, they become loose, erode, and smother populations. Scallops, clams, crabs, and many fish species suffer from the loss of protective seagrass habitat and from the sedimentation and erosion of the bottom. Some seagrasses, like seaweeds, can be eaten, too. For instance, the seeds of Enhalus acoroides, one of the more common seagrass species found locally, are eaten raw. The young leaves of the other species may be eaten as salad when mixed with tomato and other vegetables. Recently, a Filipino chemist has discovered that the seeds of E. acoroides could be made into flour, a viable substitute for the ordinary flour for baking. “But while a great potential for the use of seagrasses

Seagrass exists, we should be careful in promoting it without first knowing their vulnerability in the face of environmental change and extremely high food and income demands,” said Fortes. Seagrasses are widely distributed nationwide – from Bolinao Bay (Pangasinan) in the north, Palawan and the Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor area to the center, and Zamboanga and Davao in the South. Based on the degree and nature of alteration and general community response to habitat conditions, the seagrasses are classified into pristine, disturbed, altered, and emergent. Pristine means “with high or low diversity of species, far removed from human habitations, disturbed only by the normal intensity of natural elements.” Considered disturbed are “high or low diversity beds occupying bays and coves, adjacent to human habitation.” Altered are “low species diversity areas,

permanently and completely changed or converted to other coastal uses,” while emergent means “community diversity is low, controlled in part by extreme physicochemical conditions.” The majority of seagrass beds have been disturbed and altered. So far, only those in Palawan, or other remote areas as in the Kalayaan islands (Spratlys), could be considered pristine. “The capacity of seagrass systems to provide goods and services that satisfy and sustain human needs is highest when seagrass beds are intact and undisturbed,” commented Ingrid Gevers, a marine biologist who once worked with a European project in Western Samar. But such is not the case anymore. In some parts of the country, seagrasses are fast disappearing. Marine experts traced the rapid disappearance of seagrasses to various destructive dis-

turbances caused by both natural and man-induced influences. Among the natural threats are cyclones, typhoons, tidal waves, and volcanic activity. Man-made causes include agricultural cultivation and mining, which led to heavy siltation in estuarine areas, which, in turn, resulted in lower productivity and even burial of seagrasses, according to a environmental quality report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Human activities such as industrialization, development of recreational areas along the coast, dredge and fill operations have also led to the decline of seagrass beds. Pollution has also taken its toll. Sewage and domestic wastes from municipalities are carried by rivers and flushed into the coastal areas. Simultaneously, wastes from coastal communities are directly dumped into the sea. Like most plants, seagrasses need sunshine to grow. Dirty or muddy water shades the seagrasses, thus limiting their growth. “Murky waters are bad to sea grasses because these cannot undergo the process of photosynthesis without sunlight,” explained Dr. Laura David, one of the country’s female oceanographers. “When water gets clearer, the grasses may recover, but they could also die.” Fortes, however, believed seagrasses are resilient. Compared with two other marine habitats – mangroves and coral reefs – seagrasses can even thrive on harsh conditions that may bring out by sea level rise caused by global warming. In fact, seagrasses are hardly affected by climate change as they easily develop and reproduce underwater. Some marine life would still exist – thanks to seagrasses. “Species that thrive in mangroves, they can thrive in seagrasses. Mangroves and corals may be gone, but in seagrasses, they can still live,” Fortes was quoted as saying in a recent forum on biodiversity. Dr. Fortes is the man behind Seagrasses: A Resource unknown in the ASEAN Region (1988) and Seagrasses of East Asia: Environmental and Management Perspectives (1995). He is the first Filipino to receive the prestigious International Biwako Prize for Ecology.

EDGEDAVAO

Stat Watch

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

3.5% 4th Qtr 2011

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

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

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

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

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

P 43.65 Dec 2011

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

3,999.7 Sept 2011

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

128.1 Jan 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.9 Jan 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Dec 2011 284,040 Sept 2011

16. Visitor Arrivals

19.1% Oct 2011

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

6.4% Oct 2011

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

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

2011

2010

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

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

2009 47.637 46.421

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

THE ECONOMY 5

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

Gov’t to study wage hike proposal P RESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III has ordered the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) to step up its consultations, dialogues and studies into the possibility of granting the Filipinos’ fervent wish for added remuneration. The President bared his instructions to the RTWPB in his speech on the occasion of the 110th Labor Day Celebration on Tuesday in Malacañang. The President had earlier

expressed apprehension at supporting the proposed P125 across the board wage increase, saying it was counterproductive and would raise prices on basic commodities and other services. “Kaya nga po kailangan ng masusing usapan at pag-aaral sa pagtataas ng sahod, na dinadaan natin sa mga Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards. Inaapura ko na nga po ang kanilang mga konsultasyon sa mga unyon upang

makapagbigay na tayo ng bagong wage order sa lalong madaling panahon,” the President said. The Chief Executive also said that he wanted further studies into the issue of subcontracting, which he said was prone to abuse from employers. He said that House Bill No. 4853, which addresses subcontracting, may do more harm than good as it may cause 10.3-million Filipinos to

lose their jobs should the law be passed. The President likewise said he has instructed the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council to look into this. “Ang kailangan dito ay masusing paghimay sa kabuuang sitwasyon, kaya nga inatasan natin ang Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC) na bumuo ng consensus upang mapalawak ang konsultasyon sa usaping ito,” the President said.

By Gico Dayanghirang

these are the country’s traditional export markets anyway. I leave it to our expert diplomats to determine how the Philippines can best deal with this conflict with China. Taking the conflict to the UN seems to have placed China in awkward position. The USA’s implicit show of support for the Philippines through the recently concluded Balikatan

joint military exercise seems to have also moderated Chinese arrogance. Anyway, as far as the Philippines is concerned, surrender is not an option. The Philippines may yet benefit from a recent decision by the USA to draw down its forces in Europe and redeploy them in Asia with regional headquarters in Australia.

The reason for this redeployment is twofold. Over the years after WWII, the USA’s regional allies in Europe have since become economic and military powerhouses and are now more capable of defending themselves. Besides, the collapse of the former USSR has removed the one single serious threat to European security and stability. China on the other hand is beginning to assert itself in Asia. The USA clearly needs to increase its presence in Asia to confront China. By virtue of geography, the Philippines is an ideal outpost for American presence. The country is an archipelago detached from mainland Asia and is difficult to invade without naval might. China is just starting to build a credible navy. It may be a long way off before this navy can present itself as a credible challenge to the USA Pacific Fleet. The Philippines is also near enough to mainland Asia and to China to be an ideal listening post and a base for force projection. Nonetheless, our present and future relationship with the USA should be based on mutual interests and respect. The Philippines has been treated badly by the USA with one-sided economic and defense agreements in the past. But with a common potential problem like China’s aggression, a mutually beneficial arrangement may easily be reached with the USA. [ENRICO ‘GICO’ G. DAYANGHIRANG, an economist, once served as member of the House of Representatives representing Davao Oriental.-Editor]

Economic Analysis

Scarborough Shoal conflict PHL, China and Balikatan

CONOMISTS have earlier predicted that China will surpass the USA as the biggest economy in the planet within a decade. The timeframe has recently been shortened to five years. With respect to the Philippines, China is now the third largest importer of products from the country next only to Japan and the USA. Moreover, China is also the third largest supplier of products imported by the Philippines. On both counts, export and imports, China is now the third largest trading partner of the Philippines. A quarrel with China over Scarborough Shoal is therefore not at all good for business. But the quarrel with China is about a more fundamental issue involving sovereignty. Certainly the Philippines cannot simply surrender a piece of its real estate to preserve economic ties. Besides, this piece of real estate is known to have huge quantities of oil deposits which can more than make up for any lost trade with China. But a severance of economic ties with China now is certain to have a significant negative impact. It’s a price that the Philippines may have to pay to preserve its sovereignty. But the Philippines is not without options. A rebalancing of the country’s export mix in favor of Japan, Europe and the USA should mitigate the economic consequences of a quarrel with China. Besides,

Exported value in 2007

Importers

World

Exported value in 2008

Exported value in 2009

Exported value in 2010

Exported value in 2011

50,465,711 49,077,540 38,435,802 51,497,515 48,042,193

Japan

7,304,148

7,707,063

6,208,401

7,841,291

8,866,494

United States of America

8,601,400

8,216,440

6,797,107

7,569,999

7,106,663

China

5,749,864

5,469,186

2,933,923

5,724,467

6,102,252

Singapore

3,138,694

2,606,660

2,477,272

7,318,943

4,277,729

Hong Kong, China

5,803,523

4,987,489

3,213,309

4,335,689

3,698,893

Republic of Korea

1,783,733

2,522,516

1,828,197

2,243,107

2,196,405

Chinese Taipei

1,973,464

1,862,197

1,324,557

1,751,961

2,002,902

Thailand

1,403,029

1,509,028

1,236,090

1,782,640

1,903,967

Netherlands

4,149,522

3,708,374

3,743,524

2,429,527

1,744,779

Germany

2,149,347

2,440,139

2,505,597

2,657,262

1,729,465

Imported value in 2008

Imported value in 2009

Imported value in 2010

Imported value in 2011

*Millions of US dollars Imported value in 2007

Exporters

World

57,995,661 60,419,667 45,877,737 58,467,804 63,709,402

Japan

7,219,107

7,121,851

5,764,923

7,301,840

7,016,762

United States of America

8,115,338

7,738,121

5,488,211

6,323,530

6,952,227

China

4,232,895

4,561,087

4,060,394

4,954,295

6,504,583

Singapore

6,411,300

6,217,855

3,931,100

5,442,611

5,143,942

Republic of Korea

3,403,906

3,128,522

3,160,860

4,040,349

4,645,532

Chinese Taipei

4,190,707

4,037,995

3,184,323

3,871,320

4,391,227

Thailand

2,402,511

2,997,620

2,595,675

4,103,251

3,641,303

Saudi Arabia

3,592,317

5,154,362

1,558,493

2,452,187

3,266,464

Malaysia

2,370,063

2,583,222

1,787,109

2,646,264

2,771,168

Indonesia

1,357,154

1,602,258

1,915,055

2,469,353

2,543,807

United Arab Emirates

1,297,899

1,377,890

807,579

1,413,527

1,759,938

Hong Kong, China

2,325,761

2,101,577

1,547,584

1,566,119

1,609,074

115,547

144,278

263,267

466,511

1,548,505

1,291,941

1,148,424

1,007,952

1,182,004

1,504,958

Russian Federation Germany

*Millions of US dollars

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

DBM: P125-wage hike too high

Co-ops play crucial B role in meeting MDG C

OOPERATIVES are helping the government meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by way of alleviating poverty, sending children to school and empowering women. Benjamin Togonon Sr, networking officer of MASS SPEC (Mindanao Alliance for Self-Help Societies-Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center) explained that the capitalization that cooperatives enables its members put up their businesses, which in effect generates employment. “The P20 billion worth of combined assets of the 97 MASS-SPEC member cooperatives have been able to generate employment and financial assistance to small farmers, fisherfolks and even vendors,” he said during the Kapihan sa Dabaw held at SM City Davao. Guesting in the same forum, Mass-SPEC vice chairperson and chaiperson of Tagum Cooperative Norma Pereyras said Tagum Cooperative rolled out as of March this year P1.17 billion loans to its 71,800 members, among whom are tricycle drivers, teachers, ordinary workers, vendors, farmers, and micro-small entrepreneurs. Citing a particular

Tagum Cooperative chair Norma Pereyras (center) and general manager Juris Perez(right). [KARLOS MANLUPIG] case, Tagum Cooperative has also put up a branch erative allows members general manager Juriz at Tagum City Public to loan 90 percent of Perez said Tagum Coop- Market to cater to ven- their share capital as one erative is helping tricycle dors and micro entrepre- of its loan products. To encourage pupils drivers save as well as neurs. In a separate media and high school stuget financial assistance through its Pabilisang forum, Tagum Public dents to save for their Savings para sa Drivers Market Branch manager future, Tagum CooperaRia Diosa Callao said tive has opened their AfAdvocacy (PASADA). Tagum Cooperative micro entrepreneurs at latoun Program in Tagum puts up a kiosk just like Tagum Public market City public elementary a drive-through facility at especially the vendors schools, through which its main branch in Tagum were glad that Tagum Co- pupils can deposit savCity through which tri- operative put up a branch ings of as low as P5. Aside from educatcycle drivers can easily near them. Tagum Cooperative ing children about their deposit as low as P20 to encourages savings par- rights and responsibiliP100 savings a day. “Bahala na ginagmay allel with loans. It re- ties, Aflatoun teaches basta kanunay. (No mat- quires P500 initial share them to manager their fiter how small but al- capital (of the P8,000 nancial resources. Aside ways). That way they can minimum share capital) from the Philippines, save and later, avail loan as part of the total P1,800 82 more countries are implementing Aflatoun, products of T agum Co- membership fee. In extending financial reaching out to more operative,” she said. Tagum Cooperative assistance, Tagum Coop- than 1 million children.

APEC taking concrete steps for free trade area

HE Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum “is taking concrete steps toward the realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) by making an important and meaningful contribution as an incubator for leadership and ideas,” Ambassador Muhamad Noor, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat based in Singapore, said. Noor delivered the remarks to members of the business community, public sector and academia in Singapore at a conference organized by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). Participants gathered to discuss ways to address emerging challenges in the region. He remarked that the

APEC region is expected to outperform global growth over the next two years. “According to the recent IMF World Economic Outlook released last week, the global economy is forecast to grow by 3.5 percent in 2012 and 4.1 percent in 2013 while real GDP in the APEC region is projected to grow by 4.3 percent in 2012 and 4.7 percent in 2013 –- higher than the forecast for world growth. “Economic growth in APEC is forecast to grow faster in 2012 compared to the previous year, partly reflecting the recovery process from natural disasters that struck the region in 2011,” Noor said. APEC is defining, shaping, and addressing “next generation” trade

EDGEDAVAO

and investment issues –such as SME (small and medium enterprises) participation, supply chain improvements and innovation -– that an FTAAP should contain. “APEC economies emphasize the strategic importance of regional economic integration and cooperation as a way to achieve sustainable growth and equitable development in the AsiaPacific,” explained Noor. “These roots lie in APEC’s original agenda to support the multilateral trading system.” Despite the absence of a formal agreement, APEC economies are more likely to export and import with members than nonmembers, a study conducted by the APEC Policy Support Unit found.

“Already, the impact of APEC membership on trade among members is comparable to a free trade agreement, even though APEC members are not bound by formal rules or trade treaties,” Noor said. In addition to lowering tariffs, significant progress has been made in reducing non-tariff barriers and increasing trade facilitation in the region. “Member economies have taken concerted action and progressed in a wide array of economic, trade, investment and social areas. Despite these achievements, APEC’s continued efforts on regional economic integration remain especially important under the current difficult economic situation,” he concluded.

UDGET Secretary Butch Abad on Tuesday said there will be no across-theboard salary increase as the government is still studying the P125 wage hike demand of labor groups. Abad made the announcement during the Labor Day celebration at the historic Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola) before a throng of labor groups. “Naatasan po kami ng Pangulo na makipagusap sa inyo tungkol sa mga interes, problema at rekomendasyon na gusto ninyong ipahayag sa ating gobyerno. Pagaaralan ng Pangulo ang mga ito para gawan ng kaukulang aksyon,” Abad told labor groups.

Labor coalition Nagkaisa! has submitted a letter to the President asking him to end contractualization and to grant a 90-peso wage increase in the National Capital Region and other pending increases in all regions. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz earlier said petitions for salary increase in the NCR will be tackled on May 26 or a year after the last round of increases was implemented. She however asked the NCR Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board to fasttrack its public consultation on the wage increase petition so it can “act fast towards making a decision” after May 26.

Cosmetic company sees potential in PHL market

Q Skin Solutions Inc., a United Statesbased leading medical grade cosmetics company, expects its Philippine business to boost its overall revenues on the back of strong demand. “I think we can have great success here just like in other countries. The Philippines will be a great part of our company income and I think it can show good profit,” company founder Dr. Ahmed Al Qahtani said in an interview during his recent visit to Manila. Al Qahtani projected robust demand in the Philippines for the company’s high-quality skin care products. This, as the Philippines now ranks the seventh most populous country in Asia. He said Filipinos’ high

quality of living and adequate infrastructure created for the business are also expected to spur product demand. “When we saw the market here, I am very impressed that the data we got online did not object to what’s the reality. The Philippines is really a fastest market in Asia,” he noted. After the Philippines, Al Qahtani bared that the company will launch their products this year in other Asean countries, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. AQ Skin Solutions already has presence in California, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

PHL still a counterfeit hotspot

HE Philippines remains on the United States Watch List of intellectual property rights (IPR) violators despite the U.S. recognition of the significant decline in the incidence of unauthorized camcording of motion pictures in theaters that followed the enactment of the Anti-Camcording Act of 2010. This was contained in the annual “Special 301 Report” on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) released Tuesday by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Office. In its report, the USTR cited the passage of the AntiCamcording Act of 2010 that led to the closure of the two notorious markets of pirated optical media in the Philippines, which it previously identified.

The USTR also cited the two procedural rules promulgated by the Supreme Court in 2011 to help facilitate IPR cases in the country. But these are not enough to convince the USTR to delist the Philippines from its list of IPR violators. “The United States is hopeful that effective implementation of these rules will help streamline the judicial process for IPR cases,” the report said. The report also said that the U.S. encourages the Philippines to strengthen the criminal enforcement of IPR by improving the quality of criminal investigations and prosecutions. “The Philippines should also clarify its procedures for obtaining provisional measures, including by improving predictability with respect to search and seizure orders,” the Special 301 Report added.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

GAME CHANGERS

Bringing out the smile in people Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno

O his patients, he is one of the best dentists in the city. To his fans, he is an extraordinary entertainer.

One wonders: Can someone be a dentist and a celebrity at the same time? Yes, if you happen to be Dr. Rovic Ire Cuasito, the host of Kapamilya Mas Winner Ka, an ABS-CBN Mindanao wide game show every Saturday. Although he loves working as a dentist, Rovic never dreamed of becoming one. “When I was still in high school, I really wanted to become an architect,” he says. But he also wanted to study at Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), where his dream course was not offered. So, he opted to take his second choice – dentistry. “Actually, it was my mother who influenced me to consider dentistry as another option,” Rovic says. “She has an uncle and a friend who were dentists. Both were successful in their chosen careers.” It was a decision he never regretted. After attending his pre-dental course at ADDU, he went straight to Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), where he graduated in 2000 at the age of 23. “Right after I graduated, I worked as a contractual underboard government dentist at Toril for six months,” he says. “Then, I took a leave for three months to take the board exam. Then I went back for another six months. After my contract expired, I

became an associate dentist at Diaz Children’s Dental Clinic for a year then decided to open my own clinic.” Despite difficulties, he was able to raise the money needed to start his own practice. But it took him two years. “My persistence paid off,” he admits. Today, he has two clinics. Cool Smiles Dental Clinic opened in Toril in 2002. Three years later, he inaugurated his second branch at Tionko Arcade in Bajada Street . Both clinics are in Davao City . The good thing is that his wife fully supports him in all his endeavors. Ethel Viloria-Cuasito understands him well because she is also a dentist. He met her when both were dental students. “Her being mysterious,” he replies when asked what trait endeared him to her. “Among my dental classmates, she was the only one who was very silent. She won’t talk to me unlike my other classmates. I guess the challenge of knowing her lead me to a trap of falling in love with her.” His wife is a faculty member of DMSF and one of the clinical instructors of its College of Dentistry. “We often exchange notes,” Rovic says. “We discuss and study cases together. As such, it is easy for us to solve any dental problem that may arise. “We believe in the saying

that two heads are better than one,” he continues. “We even work and treatment segregation, which I think is advantageous in our practice because we focus on our own field of specialty.” Indeed, having a dentist as a wife is a big plus factor. “Our patients can have a choice; whether they want a male or female dentist. We are working at the same clinic most of the time and we are always together as a couple.” Among the two dentists, he is the celebrity. That’s one of the reasons why their patients trust them. “Our patients know we won’t fool them because I’m a television personality and I won’t put my reputation at risk.” Rovic was not yet a dentist when he embarked a career on television. He started young, he says. “Ever since I was a little boy, I loved watching TV shows and even dreamed of performing on TV,” he points out. He started his career as a performer – dancing basically – when he was a college student at ADDU. “I was your typical friendlytype guy. I had the opportunity of meeting students from other colleges who also loved dancing. At one time, we decided to form an all male dance group called Rhythmic Illusions.”

That was the beginning. “We dance on almost all of the university events. Then, we started to venture outside of the university. When ABS CBN was looking for a dance group to be part of Ang TV kids Davao , we auditioned and luckily was chosen,” Rovic recalls. It was only a matter of time that the door of TV hosting opened. “During the taping of Ang TV Kids, we often offered to be part of the staff. When the producer decided to look for new breed of male host to replace the spot that Alex Santos and Boyet Castillo vacated, I was immediately considered.” That was on December 5, 1996. After several months of hosting, the dentist who was born in Dumaguete became a regular host of Sabado Jam, a variety show. “All these happened while I was still studying dentistry,” he says. Indeed, the eldest son of Fermin and Rosie Cuasito has gone a long, long way. Despite being a celebrity, he still considers dentistry as his main profession. “Normally, I work from Mondays to Saturdays in our clinic in Bajada. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I work as a school dentist. At our Toril Branch, I work there by appointment and only during Saturday morning,” he says, “I make sure that my secretary gives my patients the proper schedule. One advantage of working in your own clinic is you can

plan your time.” This brings us to the subject of time management. He explains, “I really watch my schedule. I have to know ahead of time my hosting invitations, TV tapings, clinic visitations and my time with my family. You compromise: know when to say yes or no and whether I’m available or not. It’s here where the advantage of having a dentist wife because she can cover some of my dental schedules if needed. TV taping schedules are normally set months before. In case if my schedules really get tangled, my patients readily understand the situation because in the first place they know they have celebrity dentist.” Speaking like a true dentist, Rovic claims that many Filipinos have dental problems because they lack knowledge on dental health. “If only they can understand the importance of prevention,” he laments. He simplifies on how a

person can prevent tooth cavity. “For our tooth to be invaded by caries, we need contributing factors like saliva and food. When these two mix, caries happen and before long a cavity is created which would lead to tooth decay – if left untreated.” In the meantime, Dr. Rovic Ire Cuasito loves every moment of his career right now. “I love being a dentist as much as I love being a performer and a TV personality.” His final word: Smile. “Smile is a positive expression of yourself,” he explains. “As a dentist, I am blessed with a skill that can make people smile better. As a performer and TV personality, I am blessed with a talent to inspire and make people smile. But to smile is actually dependent on one’s self. My life’s experiences were not always easy, but in times of difficulties I always chose to be positive. I usually look at it with a smile.”

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Communicating with PWDs SPECIAL FEATURE BY MODESTO ANTONIO G. IBARRA

EDITORIAL

Important document

ESIDENTIAL subdivisions and similar projects are banned in areas classified as high risk under the updated comprehensive development plan of Davao City for 2011-2021. If finally implemented, the prohibition will be a proactive move that will benefit Dabawenyos and other buyers of home lots in subdivisions that may be situated in sites which are prone to landslides, earthquakes, floods and similar disasters. According to Robert Alabado III, head of the City Planning and Development Office, data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) were used to classify or reclassify the areas. Alabado said government structures situated in landslide-prone areas will be transferred, especially schools and police stations which, ironically, are usually transformed into evacuation centers in times of natural calamities and even man-made disasters like fire incidents. In a way, this is an admission that there are indeed government structures in sites where disasters can happen anytime. Alabado said residential areas already

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classified as danger zones or highly susceptible to flooding and landslide under the new zoning ordinance may be allowed to stay for as long corrective measures are done such as elevating their structures by adding another level or two. A similar lenient policy will be adopted for commercial establishments, on condition that they will no longer expand, especially those industries engaged in harmful chemicals. The Calinan riverside and other areas along the Davao River are classified as high risks for flooding. Informal settlers along the rivers, he said, are not included in the zoning plan, however, the government already has a plan where to relocate them. That the comprehensive development plan is a very important document is beyond question. The strongest argument for this is the property boom being experienced by the city right now. There is an absolute need to regulate the development activities. The horrifying alternative is chaos and anarchy that will make us all suffer as a result. 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

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

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

RICHARD C. EBONA IMELDA P. LEE Advertising Specialists

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE

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

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

ROPER communication promotes better relationships among people. For persons with disabilities (PWDs), it spurs their social rehabilitation and development, more so their self-acceptance and that of the people around them. It lessens, if not totally eradicates, attitudinal biases and discriminating practices toward them. Communicating disability matters and descriptions of persons with disabilities involves the way we call and refer to them, using appropriate words and the way we use them as subjects or as part of the message in any communication. The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) spearheads the campaign to let everybody know the proper way to communicate with persons with disability. NCDA Executive Director Mateo Lee said, “We are seeking some euphemistic approach from the society on the words they use when referring to or talking to us people with disability.” NCDA said these words, commonly used, “cut like a knife straight to a PWD’s heart.” They are generally referred to, in speech and in print, as “disabled” but they prefer to be called “persons with disability.” Moreover, the terms “differently abled” and ”physically or mentally challenged” should be avoided, and “person with a disability since birth” or just plain “person with disability” should be used. Lee, himself with vision impaired, said the “deaf” would just like to be referred to as merely persons who are deaf and not speech impaired, while for those blind (only for those who cannot see), they prefer to be called partially sighted, visually impaired, vision impaired or with low vision. It is also insulting for a PWD to be called “deaf and dumb or deaf mute;” he or she should rather be called person with hearing impaired or hard hearing. The NCDA also said that for the “mentally retarded,” they should be referred to as persons with disability or with learning disability; for those called “cripple or crippled,” they should be mentioned as “persons having physical disability.” The terms “dwarf,” “mongoloid” and “vegetable” are not pleasant to the ear, so they want to hear the words “person of short stature,” “person with down syndrome,” and “person in a coma or comatose,” respectively. The NCDA also suggests the term “mental illness” instead of saying “lunatic,” “insane,” “mad” or “crazy” for person with such impairment. Organizations of and for persons with disabilities around the world have recommended the foregoing words to use as basic guidelines whenever communicators refer to PWDs in the production of any communication products, be it in oral, written or in electronic form. These helpful recommendations give more emphasis on “being a person” of the persons with disabilities rather than on their handicap, thus developing a friendlier society for them. [PNA]

EDGEDAVAO

L A M B O YA N T American boxing star but prisonbound Floyd Mayweather Jr. used to taunt arch rival M a n n y Pacquiao for feasting on his leftovers. Pacquiao, after all, fought three boxers who all suffered defeats from Mayweather before bowing to the Filipino boxing icon. While Pacquiao and Mayweather both emerged victorious against them, the two scored contrasting victories against the same opponents. Pacquiao’s win over Ricky Hatton, Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley were more emphatic and decisive than Mayweather’s victories over them. Pacquiao quickly sent Hatton to dreamland in two rounds while it took Mayweather 10 rounds to inflict the first defeat in the Briton’s colorful but already over career. Pacquiao, in addition, sent Hatton to retirement after knocking him out. Pacquiao also made de la Hoya quit, something that cannot be said of Mayweather who eked out a disputed split decision victory against the former Golden Boy of boxing. Not a few, in fact, said de la Hoya deserved the win. Like

T’S A PITY that after all these years, many Pinoys still don’t trust the stock market. This mistrust can be blamed on the many ways local traders, investors and brokers can manipulate the market for their own gain. Call it whatever you want--- scam, fraud, etc--- it’s still a manipulation of the stock price by calling clients to invest or buy a specific stock to drive its price higher, artificially. When a company decides to raise capital by selling its stocks in the stock market, it usually gets the help of an investment bank which packages the stock for its initial public offering (IPO) and markets them thru several brokers who, in turn, offer them to their clients. Not all IPOs are successful enough to generate the capital needed by a company. Those that succeed, can see their stock prices leaping from its offer price of say, P10 a share, to as much as P40 a share in less than a month. Those that don’t succeed, however, can see their stock prices from its offer price of P10, surge for a while to P15 a share, then drop back to its original offer price and sinking even much lower to its book value of P1 a share. I’ve seen this happen to some mining companies whose prices zoomed during the IPO and then lost steam and fell, like a failure of a rocket launch, from an IPO price of P1 a share, all the way to P9 a share, dropped back to P4 a share and gradually sank to less than P1 a share and drifting for many, many months. This

Monkey Business

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

Floyd eats his words Hatton, de la Hoya also quit boxing after his humiliating loss to Pacquiao. Against Shane Mosley, Pacquiao and Mayweather were forced to go the distance. The difference however is that Mosley, after going down in Round 3, rode on his bicycle throughout the fight leaving the Filipino very frustrated in victory. Mayweather, on the other hand, almost went down in Round 2 against Mosley. While he eventually toyed with Mosley, Mayweather was not able to intimidate his opponent into retreating. The tables, however, have now changed. It is now Mayweather picking up the pieces left behind by Pacquiao by going after Miguel Cotto after the latter had already tasted two devastating stoppage defeats – against Antonio Margarito and Pacquiao. Although Cotto is much younger than Mayweather, one wonders if those two debacles did not render him a damaged good. Cotto is the second Pacquiao victim that is picked up by Mayweather. The other one was Juan Manuel Marquez, who Mayweather tricked into agreeing to a catch weight limit only for the latter to come in two pounds over the agreed weight. Mayweather indeed taught Marquez a neat boxing lesson but style was the more contributing factor as the smaller Mexican was forced to be

the aggressor rather than the counterpuncher that he really is. Pacquiao will no longer be picking up fights against somebody who was or is defeated by Mayweather. Mayweather has not fought a new face in the welterweight division in the last five years. Besides, Father Time is not on his side with prison awaiting him after his Cotto fight. Mayweather may again fight late this year and he may choose from among the following – Antonio Margarito, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander or Amir Khan – when he gets out of jail. Of the four, Margarito and Bradley loom as the next Pacquiao leftover for Mayweather. Pacquiao, on the other hand will always have the luxury of giving Mayweather his comeuppance. After all, he fought three of the boxers that should have mattered most in the American’s undefeated record. Where Pacquiao bravely fought the bigger Cotto, Margarito and Mosley, Mayweather avoided them when he should have taken those fights five or seven years ago – the way he is avoiding the Filipino pound for pound king today. On May 5 (May 6, Sunday in the Philippines), Mayweather will be having for dinner his own words as he goes up against Cotto. [Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asiancorrespondent.com]

Why Pinoys still mistrust the stock market could happen despite its “good” company fundamentals like high global demand for the mineral, like nickel or copper. A chummy relationship between brokers and investment bankers and owners of the company doing the IPO, can reach a point where a stock price can be controlled and manipulated by brokers if the owners complain they aren’t gaining enough from their listing in the Philippine Stock Exchange, or worse if they’re losing money from the listing. Owners themselves can buy their own company shares and drive the price up, with brokers urging small investors and traders to join the bandwagon and buy the stock to make a killing. But brokers who know how the market works are well aware that this price “bubble” can’t go up forever and will collapse anytime. When they see the huge paper profits rolling in for their favorite clients, they’ll know when to “unload” all their shares of the company to capture those rising profits before they disappear when the stock price collapse. If you’ve seen the first version of that movie “Wall Street”, the broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) manipulated the stock price of the fictional firm Blue Star Airlines to force investment banker Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) to “dump” or sell all his shares in the company he tried to control and break up. Sheen did this to drive the price down from $24 to only $18 so that a British investor Sir Laurence Wildman could buy out the airline. This isn’t new to the stock market, it has been going on in the entire history of the world’s stock markets. It’s happen-

ing all the time in the stock exchanges of New York, London, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc., etc. If you’re an old veteran of the stock market, it’s fairly easy to detect this just by looking at the tape with live, streaming stock prices or a stock chart. A good trader, in fact, can also play this little “game” and actually make a lot of profit from the stock manipulators themselves. It’s a pity that Pinoys who are ignorant how the market really works easily develop an unwavering mistrust of the stock market. That’s understandable of course, because the risks are just too great for any new, beginning investor to take with their hard-earned savings or retirement fund. As a sensible advice, it’s very important for those who plan to build their wealth from the stock market to read a lot of books on stock investing, stock trading, stock charts or blogs that offer useful advice like www.pinoystocktrader2012. wordpress.com just to be aware, at least, that one’s savings and investments can be wiped out in minutes. In the same breath, one can also make a million pesos in about two years from a start-up capital of P200T or less, using a strict trading plan. Of course, making a million or more in the stock market won’t happen if one has a deep-rooted mistrust of the market or of stocks in general. And this mistrust is the direct result of one’s sheer ignorance of the stock market and how it really works. (Comments ? Email me at : tradingpost_davao@yahoo.com)

Restless in Panatag 2

ODERNIZING the A r m e d Forces of the Philippines has always been on the wish list of every right thinking general or defense official. With tensions rising between China and the Philippines amid a standoff in the Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal, the country has renewed the call for US help in upgrading its military and in building a “minimum credible defense.” An Agence France Presse report on Tuesday said Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin made the pitch in talks in Washington with their US counterparts Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta. The appeal followed insinuations made by Philippine officials that the US was obliged to help the country in case a shooting war erupted in the disputed Spratly Islands by virtue of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). China has hinted it would not hesitate resorting to force to assert her claims to the reportedly oil-rich cluster of isles and shoals in the West Philippine Sea. The twin appeals were an admission that the Philippines was ill-prepared to ward off Chinese military aggression. As the US has shown a wait-andsee attitude on the standoff at Panatag Shoal, the Philippines should take it as a sign that the former is still weighing her options. So far no American official has issued a categorical statement on how the US would react in relation to the territorial dispute. The US seems to be just watching closely how events will unfold. In fact, in their 2+2 meeting in Washington, Clinton, the US secretary of state, was her old rhetorical self, calling the meeting “a testament to our shared commitment to write a new chapter” in their partnership. More importantly, according to the same AFP report, she stressed that the US does not take sides on competing sovereignty claims over the shoal, although it has a national interest in maintaining peace and freedom of navigation. It was a nuanced statement, one that sought to mollify and warn China at the same time. On the part of the Philippines, Clinton’s statement should be interpreted as a message that the US would not automatically come to our side in case of a shooting war in Panatag. What Clinton meant is the US would not care who owns the islands as long as its vessels can pass through the sea lanes unmolested and it can explore and exploit the resources there – maybe through arrangements with China that will leave out the Philippines. That would make invoking the MDT wishful thinking. As some analysts have pointed out, the US will always act based on what she thinks is best for its national interest. The usual mistake that Philippine officials make is to equate our own interests with those of the Americans. That has not been the case. That will never be the case in global politics regardless of what country we deal with. The 2+2 meeting in Washington should serve as a wakeup call that when push comes to shove in Panatag we will have to rely on ourselves. If the Americans decide to fight on our side – which is doubtful at the moment based on Clinto’s non-committal remarks – it will be for their own sake and not for ours. [H. Marcos C. Mordeno writes mainly on the environment, human rights and politics. He can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com]

10 SUBURBIA

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Comval revives kite flying tradition K

ITE flying is not alien to the people of this province or Davao region. This old age Filipino tradition was merely hibernating. And when the provincial government through the provincial tourism office, the office of the congressman of the first district, and the municipal government of Compostela picked the event as one of the major activities of the Summer Mania sports clinic of First District Rep. Maricar Zamora-Apsay. Town residents, families, and children embraced it wholeheartedly as this advocates family-based and group team activities. Rep. Apsay described the event, as well as the Compostela-New Bataan biking competition and the six-day Zumba dance exercise introduced by the provincial tourism office, “a much welcome activity” that would infuse more excitement to her regular annual summer sports program in the first district. The additional events, lumped as Summer High 2012 by the provincial and municipal tourism offices on April 23-28 in the interior highland town, complement the provincial summer beach sports festival along the MabiniPantukan coastlines in May. Like the beach sports

festival, Summer High 2012 aims to promote Compostela Valley as a sports and adventure destination in Davao region. The beach sports festival won the national champion award in the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines-Department of Tourism 2010 search for tourism best practice in the sports and wellness category. Jesse Bolo, the mayor of the province’s most bustling town, welcomed the kite flying competition as “an opportunity to revive the core Filipino family value of togetherness”. “The event reminds me of my childhood and how today’s children are hooked on to computers that they have forgotten the value of physical activities that build both body and mind,” Mayor Bolo said at the event at the CNHS Oval on the date of the competition. He had brought his grandson to join the kite flying activity. Cong. Apsay and Mayor Bolo shared the expenses in the holding of the new events. Mr. Eledios Bejasa, Sr. won the biggest flying kite competition and flew away with the P3,000 prize. The P2,000 prize for the smallest flying kite went to Alxis Capitan. Rocille JUmalon topped the

more than 40 kites for the best in flat type that carried a prize of P2,000 while the best gurion kite prize of P1,000 went to Jhyanna Dominique Yee. The most colourful kite with a cash prize of P500 went to the entry of Aires Tia. Re presentatives from the Kite Association of the Philippines headed by its president for Mindanao Binko Reyes conducted the kite clinic where he introduced basic Filipino kite making craft that uses native materials. The association is an affiliate of the ASEAN Kite Council which is planning to hold a first major kite event in Davao City in the future. In the biking competition on April 28, bikers from Tagum City and Bislig City grabbed the major prizes of P5,000 for first, P4,000 for second, and P3,000 for third in the professional category of the team bike racing competition from Compostela to Bamboo Resort in Andap, New Bataan. The amateur special prize of P1,000 went to homegrown racers JUmalon brothers. The prize of P3,000 in the fastest racer category went to Jr. LUbanan-Tour D’Jack Team while the most colourful team prize of P3,000 went to Team B Prof. Tour D’Jack Team. (jpa/pgo-tourism/ids)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

COMMUNITY SENSE

NCCC Cares, Living Stones partner

LOCATION Officials of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), NCCC Cares and Living Stones Orphanage are all smiles following the signing of the memorandum of agreement on NCCC Cares educational grant for the disadvantaged children at the Living Stones Orphanage. [From left, seated] DSWD Administrative Chief Mila T. Segovia, DSWD Assistant Director

In the Barangay

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

Priscilla N. Razon, Lafayette Lim of NCCC Cares, Ptr. Dante Montenegro of Living Stones Orphanage, DSWD Director Ester A. Versoza, [standing] DSWD Technical Assistance Chief Raquel E. Nunez, NCCC Cares’ Aileen Gajo and Christine Joy Zapanta, and DSWD Planning Head Nestor E. Estampa. (DSWD/LESLIE LAO-FRANCISCO/CCD)

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P2,500

3,831

P1,500

41,408

P800

7,056

P1,200

27,411

P1,000

LOCATION

Davao City Councilor April Dayap with Barangay Captain Elenzo Layese of Paciano Bangoy during the DAYAP KO: Kalusugan Okay activity.

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

Villa Josefina Resort Village, Dumoy Toril, Davao City

Minimum of 240 sq.m.

P5,985

St. Joseph Homes, Sirawan, Toril,Davao City

Minimum of 150 sq.m.

P3,600

The residents of Purok 11, Barangay Tibungco line up to receive reading glasses and generic medicines given by the office of Councilor Dayap during one of the DAYAP Kalusugan Okay activity.

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

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Councilor Dayap was welcomed by a group of children who were very excited to meet her in person when she arrived for the DAYAP KO: Kalusugan Okay held at Barangay Paciano Bangoy

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

NATION BRIEFS Heat stroke

HE Department of Health has warned the public, especially senior citizens, against possible heat stroke with summer’s searing heat. Asst. Secretary Eric Tayag, also DOH spokesperson, said the people should drink at least 13 glasses of water to avoid dehydration, even when they are not thirsty.

No increase

UDGET Secretary Butch Abad on Tuesday said there will be no across the board salary increase as the government is still studying the P125 wage hike demand of labor groups. “Naatasan po kami ng Pangulo na makipagusap sa inyo tungkol sa mga interes, problema at rekomendasyon na gusto ninyong ipahayag sa ating gobyerno. Pagaaralan ng Pangulo ang mga ito para gawan ng kaukulang aksyon,” Abad told labor groups.

Stronger

ESCRIBING their 60-year-old alliance as “stronger than ever” and “an essential element undergirding regional peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific,” the Philippines and the United States concluded yesterday their first socalled “2+2” Ministerial Meeting since the Manila Declaration was signed in November last year. At the close of the meeting, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on the Philippine team and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on the U.S. team issued a joint statement that “charted the course forward” for the alliance.

Declined

OVERNMENT debt payments declined in the first quarter of the year from the same period in 2011 mainly because of lower principal expenses, which offset the increase in interest payments, latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (Btr) showed. The government serviced P261.241 billion in debts from January to March, lower by 21 percent from the P332.065 billion in debts serviced in the same period last year.

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

Suu Kyi joins parliament M

YANMAR pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as a member of parliament Wednesday, opening a new chapter in the Nobel laureate’s near quartercentury struggle against oppression. The 66-year-old stood to read the parliamentary oath in unison with 33 other members of her National League for Democracy party who were elected to the lower house in April, an AFP reporter said. The signing of the oath marks a dramatic transformation in the fortunes of the 66-yearold who was held under house arrest for much of the past 20 years but is now central to the nation’s tentative transition to democracy. The oath, taken in front of lower house speaker Shwe Mann, states members will “safeguard and abide by

OATH. Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other elected members of parliament, reads her parliamentary oath at the lower house of parliament during a session in Naypyidaw, on May 2. Suu Kyi was

sworn in as a member of parliament, opening a new chapter in the Nobel laureate’s near quarter-century struggle against oppression.

the Constitution of the Union” and “hold always in esteem (the) non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty.”

Suu Kyi had initially refused to swear the oath, objecting specifically to the “safeguard” element of the army-created constitution. But on Monday she

retreated from that position having failed to secure a compromise on the wording from President Thein Sein who heads the nation’s nominally civilian government.

plotted the September 11 attacks in 2001. “Yet here, in the predawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,” said Obama, seeking to use political capital earned by bringing troops home to validate his request for a second White House term. Obama earlier dropped from the night skies into Kabul in secrecy and signed a deal with President Hamid Karzai, cementing 10 years of US aid for Afghanistan after NATO combat troops leave in 2014. “Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war, yet for a decade we’ve stood together,” Obama said at the signing

ceremony at Karzai’s presidential palace. “We look forward to a future of peace. We’re agreeing to be long-term partners,” said the president, who later headed home aboard Air Force One after just six hours on the ground. About two hours after his departure, Afghan police said a suicide car bomb detonated in an area of Kabul close to several foreign military bases, prompting the US embassy to warn staff to take cover and go into lockdown. The explosion was a reminder of the extremist threat that stalks Afghanistan still, with the Taliban

resurgent a decade after they were driven from power for refusing to hand over bin Laden following the 9/11 attacks. Karzai said the US pact “is not only not threatening any third country, including the neighbouring countries, but we are hoping that this leads to stability, prosperity and development in the region”. Neighbouring Pakistan has a key role to play in Afghanistan’s future, but its relationship with both Kabul and Washington remains mired in mistrust a year after bin Laden was found and killed by US commandos on its soil. The US-Afghan pact, agreed last month, sees the possibility of American forces staying behind to train Afghan forces and pursue the remnants of AlQaeda for 10 years after 2014. It does not commit Washington to specific troop or funding levels for Afghanistan, though is meant to signal to US foes that despite ending the longest war in US history, Washington intends to ensure Afghanistan does not revert to a haven for terror groups like Al-Qaeda. But after a war that has cost the lives of nearly 3,000 US and allied troops, maimed tens of thousands more, saw thousands of Afghans killed and cost hundreds of billions of dollars, Afghanistan’s future is deeply uncertain.

WORLD TODAY Explosion

car bomb exploded outside a compound housing Westerners in Kabul on Wednesday hours after U.S. President Barack Obama signed a security pact during a short visit to a city that remains vulnerable to a resilient insurgency. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the eastern outskirts of the capital that killed at least six people, a Gurkha guard and five passersby, and wounded 17. A young girl was among those killed.

High alert

AKISTAN was in a state of high alert Wednesday over fears terrorists could mark the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s killing by American Navy SEALs with revenge attacks. The anniversary of the single most humiliating event in recent Pakistani history caps a devastating year for the country.

Obama in Afghanistan: U ‘Time of war’ is ending

RESIDENT Barack Obama said on Wednesday a “time of war” was ending in a moment of US renewal, after slipping into Afghanistan on the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. In a highly political election-year address from outside Kabul, Obama posed as a commander-in-chief who ended two long wars and crushed Al-Qaeda, and tried to conjure up a new dawn for a nation exhausted by conflict and recession. “This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end,” Obama said, recalling a decadelong “dark cloud of war”, as America fell into an Afghan morass after bin Laden

Friendster

ELIEVE or not, Friendster is still alive but is no longer the social networking site that most Filipinos remember. Once popular, the company has re-engineered itself to become a social gaming portal. However, there is an underlying business model that the company expects would put it back to prominence.

EDGEDAVAO

ENDING. US President Barack Obama delivers an address to the American people on US policy and the war in Afghanistan during his visit to Bagram Air Base in Af-

ghanistan. Obama told Americans the goal of defeating the Al-Qaeda network was within reach, more than a decade after the September 11 attacks.

Not connected

.S. Secret Service personnel implicated in a prostitution scandal in Colombia paid 10 of the 12 women they were involved with and none of the women were found to be connected to terrorism or drug cartels, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Late on Tuesday, Secret Service officials submitted 24 pages of written answers to congressional committees investigating last month’s scandal which occurred ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Cartagena, the newspaper reported.

Bemoaned

SAMA bin Laden bemoaned “disaster after disaster” inflicted by the US onslaught on Al-Qaeda 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.

EDGEDAVAO

GSIS... FFROM 1

country who may avail themselves of loan assistance of P4,000 each, to be financed by a P11.2billion educational assistance fund program (EAFP) set up by the government. The same loan will be made available to the 200,000 Social Security System members starting next week. These members may avail themselves of loans for four-year degree programs and technical or vocational courses. Deity Manampan, GSIS Davao manager, said yesterday told Edge Davao details about the guidelines are expected to be emailed by the main office today. The guidelines are expected to spell out who among the GSIS members are qualified to make the loan. Loan GSIS will extend a P4,000 loan per semester at 6 percent interest payable over five years for all beneficiaries. Under the SSS education assistance package, a member could loan up to P120,000 to sup-

A day...

port a four-year degree course or P15,000 per semester with 6 percent interest rate payable in five years. Repayment period will start one year after graduation. For technical or vocational course, an SSS member could borrow up to P30,000 or P7,500 per semester with 6 percent interest rate and payable in three years. Only SSS members with a monthly salary of P10,000 or less can avail of the educational assistance initiative. However, all active GSIS members will be covered by the EAFP, regardless of monthly salary level. Source Of the P11.2 billion, P5 billion will be provided by the DBM, an amount certified by the Bureau of Treasury as part of the excess dividend collections remitted by governmentowned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs). The GSIS and SSS, on the other hand, will provide P6.2 billion in counterpart funding. Under the EAFP, P4.2 billion will go to

FFROM 3 “Try try na lang. Gusto unta nako call center agent, pero hinay man tag English,” she said. It was the third time she had applied for a job. Her last job was in Kidapawan City as an internet café attendant for a year. That was after two years working in a video editing studio somewhere on Magallañes, Davao City. An undergraduate in architectural design technology course at a computer school here, Castro wanted to pursue her schooling by applying for a scholarship, which, according to her, was a program of the city government. While waiting for hee exam results in May, she will enroll in a computer science course if she is accepted. The second child among eight siblings, Castro is content with the minimum wage for herself, but it will not be enough for a big family, saying: ”Kung naay pamilya luoy gyud.” Better pay In Saudi Arabia, the better salaries range from P11,500 to $2,000, according to the job openings of GBMLT Manpower Services, including skilled workers, nurses, flower

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

arrangers, gift wrappers, domestic helpers, and beauticians The company is already five years in Davao City with main office in Manila, and has already sent sone 600 overseas Filipino workers from the city in the last three years. SPO4 Stanley Fernandez, chief clerk of the Police Community Relations Branch, Davao City Police Office, said the Philippine National Police (PNP) has better pay than private companies. He said for a police officer 1 (PO1), the salary is almost P20,000, including allowances, and is paid from the first day of his or her training. Noting that there will be a new salary increase in June, he added that training is no longer militaristic, but has emphasis on professionalism. The PNP participated in the jobs fair to inform the public to prepare for the next batch of trainees in either October or November as the first batch will be taking their oath on July 2. All natural born Filipino citizens, both men and women, with good character, and graduates of a baccalaureate degree are qualified to join the PNP, Fernandez said.

Davao first to receive patrol boats

MONG the regions in Mindanao, the Davao Region is the first to receive their share of patrol boats given by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to municipal governments units. BFAR Regional Director Fatma Idris gladly notes that Region 11 is one of the five regions nationwide, and the only one in Mindanao given such facility to strengthen community-

based coastal resources management. Region XI gets six of such patrol boats which cost P1.2 million each. These are given to the municipalities of Tarragona and Lupon in Davao Oriental; Maco and Pantukan, Compostela Valley; Tagum City, Davao del Norte; and in Digos City, Davao del Sur. Each patrol boat not only has a boat cradle through which it can be tugged inland and be

Checkpoint...

FFROM 1 fice, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. “Sunod lang gud kung unsa ang ginapangayo kay total kung wala kay ginatago dapat wala kay ikahadlok sa naga-conduct ug check up,” he added. The vice mayor said he has always reminded the military to ‘be courteous.’ “Ingnan lagi nako sila nga pag-smile mo. Be courteous sa mga tao para di sila mahadlok sa inyoha,” he said. Duterte gave the statement following queries on the city’s public safety after neighboring provinces have experienced rebel attacks.

Sara...

“There is continued monitoring. Kabalo na na sila (military and police) unsa ilang responsibilidad,” he said. The former longtime city mayor also said that ‘one thing the city can be proud of is its peace and order.’ “Peace and order, actually mao na ang atong ikapahambog sa laing syudad. Naa gyud tay peace and order,” he said. “The reason why investment come in and why tourists come back to visit the city again is because bilib sila sa atong peace and order. And we have to maintain that peace,” Duterte added.

FFROM 2 rivers which eventually lead to the gulf kaya nagiging marumi,” he added. Being the author of the Septage and Sewerage Management Ordinance, Avila admitted that ‘there is a lack of rules to be followed when it comes to waste disposal.’ Asked whether the pollution of the city’s coastal waters has been going on for a long time, Avila replied that the ‘situation is a reality to all highly urbanized cities.’ “This is the reason the septage ordinance was created,” Avila said. “The truth is E. coli is present in the surrounding waters of highly urbanized cities. That is a reality for all cities that are urbanized. Now, when the implementing rules and regulations are created these become a law to be followed,” he added. Relocation of Dumalag fish cages The creation of the IAC is an upshoot of the Mayor Duterte-Carpio’s order in March to halt operations of the

Punta Dumalag fish cages by August this year. The IAC was also formed to relocate the 43 fish cultivators who have at least 200 fish pens along the coast of Punta Dumalag. “The inter-agency collaboration team has already convened and we will reconvene again soon. A study will be conducted in May through the DENR-EMB (Department of Environment and Natural Re s o u r c e s - E nv i r o n mental Management Board) to find an alternative address for the fish cages in Punta Dumalag for re-location, hopefully after August,” Avila said. “The study will also help in identify where along the city’s coastline is fit for fish cultivation. So, in addition to finding a relocation site we could also have other areas protected and recommended as a mariculture area, but for a limited number of fish cages to avoid selfpollution,” he added.

kept in a safe-house. It is also equipped with global positioning system (GPS), telescope, compass , life jackets, enabling Bantay-Dagat volunteers to go after illegal marine resource

Davao...

poachers. “Talagang mahuhuli sila ng mga Bantay-Daga. (They can surely be caught by the BantayDagat.),” Idris said also hinting the high speed capacity of the units.

FFROM 2 The 2012 Summerfest opened last April 27 at the Peoples Park. According to Bravo the sporting events will try to meet different aims which include; identifying talented athletes, capability building for coaches and sports officials, propagating sports business and sports investments and promoting Davao as a sports destination. The events include training camps, summer games and tournaments, sports conferences (SWEAT or Sports Wellness, Exercise, Acclimatization and Training) and a sports expo for sports-related businessman and investors. Bravo said that despite the lack of modern sports facilities like stadiums and sports complex, there are other sports disciplines which don’t need expensive facilities, among these extreme sports like mountain-biking and wakeboarding are among the games to be held during the festival. He also said that the modern sports facilities of

neighboring cities such as Panabo and Digos would also benefit the City. Events held in those cities would eventually trickle down to Davao City being the gateway of the region. Orly Escarilla of the Davao Summerfest said that the summer marketing campaign of the Department of Tourism 11 dubbed One Summer Fun, which covers all summer festivals in the region, could benefit Davao City as nearly all visitors and participants in those activities would pass through Davao City. He said based on 2010 based City Tourism figures, there were about 60,000 visitors to Davao in May of that year (based on hotel occupancy) and in 2011 of the same month, there were about 64,000 visitors recorded. Escarilla said that part of the increase would be attributed to those attending the summer fest activities. He hopes that the 2012 Summer Fest would bring in more visitors to the City. [PIA/RG ALA-

The CAO head said the city had met with fish cultivation investors for the second time during the last week of April. “They were agreeable to the conditions set by the city. [We admit] that the closure of the fish cages in Punta Dumalag will affect the investors, but we will do our best to find a relocation site for the fish cages,” he said. Fish cultivation in Dumalag started in 2003 and grew to a P300 million industry by 2011 with 43 investors’ 200 fish cages occupying two hectares out of the 200-hectare coastal area of Dumalag 1, 2, and 3, in Barangay Matina Aplaya. Stopping the operations will affect more than 30,000 people--investors, caretakers, feed providers, fish buyers, and their families alike. In the process of declaring Punta Dumalag as a Mariculture Park, studies from 2010 to 2011 were made by the Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources and the De-

partment of Science and Technology (DOST) Davao region, through samplings of the water in fish cages and the milkfish produced thereat. Results showed that the water in fish cages has a “high content of coliform and other pathogens, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) from animal and human waste.” While most coliform bacteria do not cause illness, however, their presence in a water system poses the danger that disease-causing strains of bacteria, viruses and protozoa are also present. E. coli can cause flulike symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. It can also cause intestinal illness and, in very rare cases, a serious kidney condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome. High level exposure or contact to E.coli and other fecal coliform bacteria can also produce skin irritation or rashes; and eye, ear or throat irritation. [JADE C. ZALDIVAR]

MA]

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Maria Kirilenko of Russia waves to supporters after her victory over Elena Baltacha of England during the Estoril Open tennis tournament match in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, on Wednesday. Kirilenko won 7-6, and 6-1.

Pacman no letup in sparring

AGUIO CITY — Manny Pacquiao sparred six hard rounds with Ruslan Provodnikov and Ruslan Nugaev on Tuesday as the Filipino pound-for-pound king’s preparations for the June 9 showdown with Timothy Bradley reached another plateau. Pacquiao and Provodnikov went at it as though they were real-life enemies with punches

thrown with the baddest of intentions. Provodnikov had the crowd in disbelief when he threw wild rights and lefts that found their target, making their fourround workout a delight to see. Pacquiao did not disappoint his fans and followers as he dug in solid rights and lefts that caught Provodnikov’s attention.

So far, Pacquiao has logged a total of 14 rounds and he is set to spar again on Thursday and on Saturday, just before he leaves for the US to resume his training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles next week. Trainer Freddie Roach was all smiles but made it clear that they’re “not even close to halfway” in their preparation.

Singapore’s Alexandra Toh of The Chain Reaction Project team wiggles her way through the rapids at Sibulan River during the 2nd Mt. Apo International Boulder Face Challenge which finished in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. (BOY LIM)

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Greens from sea FOOD

The Philippines, with a total coastline of 36,289 kilometers, has marine resources that provide food to millions of Filipinos. One of these is seaweeds, those marine plants that grow abundantly in shallow reef flats and in lagoons with a water depth of less than two meters at high tide. Globally there are over 9,000 species of seaweed divided into three major types: green, brown and red. Red is the most species-rich group (6,000) followed by brown (2,000) and finally green (1,200). The Philippines is home to various kinds of seaweeds of which 390 species have been identified as having economic value as food, animal feeds, fertilizers, diet supplement, medicines, and raw materials for industrial products. Seaweed draws an extraordinary wealth of mineral elements from the sea that can account for up to 36% of its dry mass, according to Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, di-

rector of the Institute for Traditional Medicine at Portland, Oregon. What’s in a seaweed? Nutrition experts classified seaweed as one of the richest plant sources of calcium. Its calcium content is typically about 4-7% of dry matter. At 7% calcium, one gram of dried seaweed provides 70 milligrams of calcium, compared to a daily dietary requirement of about 1,000 milligrams. Still, this is higher than a serving of most nonmilk based foods. Protein content in seaweed varies somewhat. It is low in brown algae at 5-11% of dry matter, but comparable in quantitative terms to legumes at 30-40% of dry matter in some species of red algae. Green algae also have significant protein content, that is, up to 20% of dry matter. Spirulina, a micro-alga, is well known for its very high content: 70% of dry matter. Seaweed contains several vitamins. Red and brown algae are rich in carotenes and

are used, in fact, as a source of natural mixed carotenes for dietary supplements. The content ranges from 20-170 parts per million. The vitamin C in red and brown algae is also notable, with contents

ranging from 500-3000 parts per million. Other vitamins are also present, including B12, which is not found in most land plants. Dr. Dharmananda claims seaweed has very little fat, ranging from 1-5% of dry matter, “although seaweed lipids have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids than land plants.” Green algae, whose fatty acid make-up is the closest to higher plants, have a much higher oleic and alpha-linoleic acid content. Seaweed has a high fiber content, making up 32% to 50% of dry matter. The soluble fiber fraction accounts for 51-56% of total fibers in green and red algae and for 67-87% in brown algae. Soluble fibers are generally associated with having cholesterol-lowering and hypoglycemic effects. Wikipedia reports that as food, seaweeds are consumed by coastal people, particularly in east Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam), and those living in Indonesia, Belize, Peru, Chile, Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales, the Philippines, and Scotland. In Asia, seaweed is a popular ingredient of some recipes. China’s zicai, Korea’s gim and Japan’s nori are actually sheets of dried Porphyra species used in soups or to wrap sushi. Chondrus crispus (commonly known as Irish moss or carrageenan moss) is a red alga used in producing various food additives. Affectionately called dulce in northern Belize, seaweeds are mixed with milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a common bev-

erage. There are about 60 varieties of seaweeds in the Philippines that are considered edible. These are gulamang dagat, gamet, pocpoclo, culot, lato, guso, barls-barls, bulaklak bato, and balbalolang. Some of these varieties can be processed into jams, jellies, candies, pickles, baby’s food, and gulaman bars. In Tiwi, Albay, residents discovered a new pansit or noodles made from seaweed, which has health benefits. Seaweed noodles can be cooked into pansit canton, pansit luglug, or spaghetti. Unknown to many, seaweeds possess some medicinal values. They are used to treat or prevent goiter, glandular troubles, stomach disorders, intestinal and bladder difficulties, unusually profuse menstrual flow, high-blood pressure, and high plasma-cholesterol level. The Gracilaria species are used locally as pain relievers and ointments. It has been asserted that seaweeds may have curative properties for tuberculosis, arthritis, colds and influenza (or flu), worm infestations and even tumors. Currently, a number of research studies have been conducted to investigate these claims and other effects of seaweed on human health. Some studies have found that seaweed can promote weight loss. For this reason, seaweed extract is used in some diet pills. Commercially, seaweeds are valued for their colloids or gluey substance, particularly agar, carrageenan, and

alginate. Both agar and carrageenan are extracted from red seaweeds, while alginate is extracted from brown seaweeds. Agar is used in making jellied desserts, as stabilizer in pie fillings, piping gels, icings, cookies, cream shells, and as thickening and gelling agent in poultry, fish and meat canning. In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, agar serves as a laxative, suspending agent for barium sulfate in radiology, ingredient for slow-release capsules and in suppositories and surgical lubricants, and as a disintegrating agent in tablets. It is also used as impression materials to make accurate casts in prosthetic dentistry, criminology and tool manufacturing. Carrageenan, on the other hand, is used in making ointments, as emulsifying agent in water-insoluble drugs and herbicides, and as texturing agent in toothpaste and powder. It is also used in salad dressings and sauces, dietetic foods, and as a preservative in meat and fish products, dairy items and baked goods. Alginates enjoy many of the same uses as carrageenan, but are also used in production of industrial products such as paper coatings, adhesives, dyes, gels, explosives and in processes such as paper sizing, textile printing, hydro-mulching and drilling. In the biomedicine and pharmaceutical industries, alginates are used in wound dressings, and production of dental moulds and have a host of other applications.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

UP AND ABOUT

Are you mad about travel?

Looking for a refreshing travel jumpstart? The Travel Club’s Mad About Travel is back, with this year’s theme: Fitness and Relaxation. Expect it in four key cities in the country, on March, April, July and October of 2012. If stress is at its height and the mind and body is in utter exhaustion, a relaxing getaway might just be the best cure. To offer a variety of ideas, The Travel Club brings back the Mad About Travel. This year’s event centers on Fitness and Relaxation. It is set in several areas nationwide: TriNoma on March 1618, Abreeza Davao on May 18-20, Ayala Center Cebu on July 20-22, and Glorietta on October 12-14. Discover one of Philippines’s most picturesque destinations, learn about travel agency benefits, find new air flight offerings and get great deals on discounted premium luggage and bags. The event will include exciting games and a raffle of airline flights, hotel accommodations, gift certificates from event partners and special discounts on premium products. Mad About Travel was created by The Travel Club back in July 2008 with the intention of providing the most satisfying customer experience not only through its product offerings but also through self-initiated events aimed at ensuring an affordable, convenient and comfortable travel. The Travel Club is known for its wide selection of premium and international brands of luggage, bags and travel accessories namely Tumi, T-Tech by Tumi, Victorinox, Delsey, Ace, Mendoza, Zero Halliburton and World Traveller, Columbia, The North Face, Sea to Summit, Nalgene, Eagle Creek, etc. It has come a long way from its first store at SM Megamall in 1992 to 38 more at present. Geared as one of the biggest travel event of the year, The Travel Club brings its Mad About Travel exhibit to the “City in Bloom” Davao, considered as the southern gateway to Philippine Tourism.

With the strong support of Abreeza Mall, this leg aims to bring all the perks and fun of a one stop travel and shopping fair to Davaoenos. Celebrating its 20th year on December 2012, The Travel Club partnered with Allied Bank to release the first-ever The Travel Club Platinum Mastercard. Special privileges include discounts on Primer products; earning of Mabuhay Miles mileage points, Rebates, 0% Installment Payment Option, Balance Transfer, Free

Purchase Protection Insurance and Free Travel Insurance just to name a few. Application forms for The Travel Club Platinum Mastercard will be made available at the Mad About Travel events. For more information on The Travel Club, link us up at facebook.com/thetravelclubphilippines or follow us on twitter @TheTravelClubPh. The Travel Club is the first-ever concept store of retail giant, the Primer Group of Companies.

Win an iPhone 4S and an ASUS Netbook at the SM 3 Day Sale! ON May 4, 5 and 6, all roads lead to SM City Davao as summer’s sizzling hot sale event happens at the hippest hub!

Avail of up to 70% discount on great selections mall-wide and get a chance to win an iPhone 4S from the SM Department Store and an Asus Netbook at the Mallwide raffle! Plus, catch your favorite teen star Neil Coleta on May 4, sing with the jazzy Zia on May 5 and tag along Karylle’s Roadtrip on May 6 at The Annex Atrium! SM Advantage, Prestige and BDO Rewards card holders may also avail of additional discounts when using their cards at SM Department Store, ACE Hardware, Surplus and Levi’s during the much anticipated SMAC Sale 2 Hour Special happening 10AM-12NN on Friday. SM City Davao 3 Day Sale runs May 4-6 with extended mall hours until 12 MN on May 4&5 (Friday-Saturday), and until 10 PM on May 6 (Sunday). For inquiries, call 297-6998 local 126. Like SM City Davao on Facebook or visit www. smcitydavao.blogspot.com for event and promo updates.

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Is Rihanna joining Fast and the Furious 6? FINGERS crossed it’s true that Rihanna is in negotiations to play a villain in Fast and the Furious 6. Because if she does take the role, it’ll probably mean she’s gonna have some kickass fight scenes with one of the toughest chicks out there... Mixed martial arts champ Gina Carano is close to signing on to join

Bitch, stole my snake IT’S a battle of the Medusa wannabe’s!

emma Stone, 23, and Jennifer Lopez, 42, were both spotted in this serpent-inspired nude, black and rose color-blocked Lanvin Spring 2012 dress with crystal snake wrap. The Amazing SpiderMan actress was snapped back in January when she attended a W Magazine pre-Golden Globes 2012 party at the Chateau Marmont in hollywood. The stretch silk design was paired with wavy locks, black satin pumps and copper eye makeup that gave her a shimmering glow that we’re sure even that embellished reptile was envious of. Meanwhile, our saucy gal-pal J.Lo attended a press conference at Boulevard3 Club in La-La Land just yesterday, where she worked the same longsleeved look but chose to keep her hair up and off of her slithering friend. For accessories, the American Idol judge went for Giuseppe Zanotti ankle-

strap pumps and left her makeup to a minimum. The real question is, which one of these sexy

stars should that snake take a fashion bite out of?! We mean a love bite, of course.

Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Walker in the sixth installment of the blockbuster action franchise. “It looks really positive and I’m so excited,” Carano, 30, confirmed to me me earlier today while promoting the DVD and Blu-ray release of her feature film debut, director Steven Soderbergh’s action thriller Haywire.

While Carano said she doesn’t know if the Rihanna “rumor is true,” she’s as hopeful as we are. “I would love to see me and Rihanna go at it,” she said. “That would be hot.” It sure would be. Just as her fight scenes with Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender were in Haywire. Funny enough, Carano says she still hasn’t seen Fassbender’s now legendary full frontal work in Shame. “I’ve never been asked about something as much as I have than about Michael’s penis,” she laughed. “I feel bad for him. What an awful thing to have to deal with.” Believe us, Gina, it’s so not awful.

A4 INdulge!

Adobo:

EDGEDAVAO

FOOD

The Philippines ’ national dish

Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno

LIKe its neighboring Asian countries, the Philippines is a region of mouth-watering delights. Consider the following: lechon (roasted whole pig or chicken), sinigang (chicken, pork or beef soup usually prepared with tamarind and other ingredients), dinuguan (pork blood stew) and adobo. Among these delectable meals, adobo best fits the title, “The National Dish” along with mango, milkfish (bangus), and carabao as other iconic symbols of the country.

One Filipino food writer wrote: “Aside from the fact that adobo is wellloved by Filipinos, the dish also makes use of many of our local ingredients giving adobo the distinct Filipino flavor. We can give credit to the pure cane vinegar for the adobo’s rich sour taste and to the locally-produced soy sauce for its savory and salty feel. Sitaw or kangkong can also be added for healthier alternative. For spicier versions of adobo, adding siling labuyo and recado enhances the over-all zest of the meal.” Indeed, there’s no other Filipino dish that can compete with adobo in terms of versatility and variety. Mixing vinegar, soy sauce and spices with either chicken, pork, fish, kangkong, or sitaw would yield to different varieties of the famous Filipino dish. There are many ways to cook adobo. To name a few: adobo sa gata, adobong matamis, adobong tuyo, adobong masabaw, adobo sulipan, adobo sa pinya, and adobo sa kalamansi. Adobo can also fill the pandesal, siopao, and puto, be made into adobo flakes, be poured evenly into pizzas, and be mixed with spaghetti. And if those are not enough, local food companies have recently come up with adobo sauce and adobo spread. “There are as many recipes for adobo as there are Philippine islands,” noted New York Times food columnist Sam Sifton. “If you could devote your life to traveling through (the more than 7,000 islands) asking questions about food, you would discover a different recipe for adobo on each one.” In his column, Sifton wrote: “There is great fun to be had in asking Filipinos how to make adobo, particularly when they are in groups. Filipino cooking is an evolutionary masterpiece, a cuisine that includes Chinese, Spanish, American and indigenous island influences, all rolled into one. But where for one Filipino the most important aspect of the dish is Spanish, for another it is Chinese, or both, or neither.” Adobo is the result of the eclectic influences, both regional and historical, that come together in many Filipino dishes. “Philippine cooking probably reflects history more than a national cuisine,” says Cecilia Florencio, a nutrition professor at the University of the Philippines . Or to quote one local saying: Philip-

pine food was prepared by Malay settlers, spiced by the Chinese, stewed by the Spanish and hamburgerized by the Americans. Adobo is all but the last. From the northernmost stretch of islands of Batanes to the vinta-dependent islets of Tawi-Tawi, adobo is a staple cuisine along with other regional favorites like the papaitan for the Ilocanos, pinikpikan for the Ifugaos, the Bicol express for the Bicolanos, and the kinilaw for Visayans. No wonder, the first thing most Filipinos who have been abroad request when they come home is adobo. Adobo is prepared in regions of Latin America and Spain , but the cooking process is indigenous to the Philippines . According to historical records, when the Spanish invaded the Philippines in the late 16th century through Mexico City , they found an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar. They referred to this method as “adobo.” Over time, dishes prepared in this manner came to be known by this name as well. Sifton even mention the history in his column. he pointed out: “The journalist and food historian Raymond Sokolov has made the point that the ingredients for adobo were present in the Philippines before (Ferdinand) Magellan — only the name, which comes from a Spanish word for sauce, came later. ‘Lexical imperialism,’ he called this process.” But the main thing about adobo is that it is cook differently. Sifton wrote: “husbands argue with wives about adobo. Friends shoot each other dirty looks about the necessity of including coconut milk or soy sauce in the recipe. There are disputations over the kind of vinegar to use, over the use of sugar, over the inclusion of garlic and how much of it. Some use chicken exclusively in the dish, others pork, some a combination of the two.” For those who have not tried adobo yet, the words of Yan Susanto, an occasional online writer, is an eye-opener:

“The flavor of this exquisite cuisine will certainly be liked by anyone who has tasted it the first time; they will even be asking for more after the first bite. The spicy flavor of the tenderized chicken and/or pork is so irresistible and the aroma will soothe your sense of smell and tease your taste buds.” Now are you ready to cook your own adobo? here’s one classic recipe whose estimated cooking time is about 50 minutes. What you need are the following: one-half kilo of pork cut in cubes and one-half kilo of chicken and cut into pieces, one head minced garlic, one-half diced yellow onion, onehalf cup soy sauce, one cup vinegar, two cups of water, one teaspoon paprika, five bay leaves, four tablespoons of cooking oil or olive oil, two tablespoons cornstarch, and salt and pepper to taste. To cook adobo, follow these instructions: In a big sauce pan or wok, heat two tablespoons of oil then sauté the minced garlic and onions. Add the pork and chicken to the pan. Add two cups of water, one-fourth cup of soy sauce, vinegar, paprika and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or when meat is tender. Remove the pork and chicken from the sauce pan and on another pan, heat cooking oil and brown the pork and chicken for a few minutes. Mix the browned pork and chicken back to the sauce and add cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken. Add salt and/or pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for an additional five minutes. Serve hot with the adobo gravy. “Adobo is usually served with rice, the staple food of the Filipinos,” wrote Susanto. “But most of the foreigners who visit the Philippines prefer to eat it just as it is because of its taste. In fact, most of the visitors in the country look for such a great cuisine while enjoying their Philippine vacation. The good thing is, hotels in the Philippines often serve adobo during breakfast as an appetizer.” Adobo, anyone?

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

A homemade take on Alavar sauce! by: Bai Fauziah Fatima Sinsuat Ambolodto, MBA FOODIeS craving for a taste of Zamboanga’s infamous Alavar sauce can say that it is quite difficult condiment to come by in Davao City with relatives and friends flying in from Zamboanga being the only source of fatty seafood goodness. In fact, I have searched high and low for the prized sauce but still to no avail. Thus, I have decided to make my own recipe for those times I need a delicious seafood treat. Drawing my inspiration from the sauce, I came up with a recipe that is easy to make, affordable and could be used in any dish -- I have tried it with crabs, clams, fish and even tofu. Give it a try and surely you’d love it. happy cooking! Ingredients 10 pcs prawns, cleaned, snipped, skin on and deveined 1 medium sized ginger root, chopped and smashed 1 medium sized onion, chopped 5 pcs garlic, minced 1 pc red bell pepper, chargrilled, skinned, deseeded and minced 1 cup evaporated milk 1/8 tsp atsuete powder 1/2 cup cheese, grated cayenne pepper, adjust according to taste salt and pepper to taste oil butter Procedure 1. In a sauce pan, heat oil and butter. Saute ginger until fragrant but not wilted. Mix in minced garlic and chopped onion. Stir constantly. Season mixture with salt and pepper. 2. Add the prawns. Stirring constantly until they turn orange. Simmer. It is imporant to not overcook the prawns, even with its skin on, as it would turn hard and gooeylike. 3. Pour in evaporated milk. Simmer for a good minute or two. Once bubbles form at the corners, mix in red bell pepper, atsuete powder and grated cheese. Stir. Cover and simmer until the cheese dissolves. 4. Remove the prawns from the pan and set aside. Let mixture simmer until it thickens and reduces. 5. Strain sauce as to remove chunks of ginger and other ingredients. In a separate plate, place prawns and drizzle with sauce and garnish with chopped chives. Serve hot over rice or as a pulutan. The sauce is also good with crabs, fish, clams, vegetables for the health buffs and even tofu provided that the tofu is hard and not the smooth silky one.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

SPORTS

76ers tie Bulls 1-1

HICAGO (AP) The fans gave Derrick Rose a standing ovation before the game. There wasn’t much for them to cheer about in the end. Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, Lou Williams added 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Chicago 109-92 on Tuesday night to even their first-round series in the Bulls’ first game since Rose’s seasonending knee injury. The superstar point guard received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd as he limped onto the court to present the game ball, then watched from a suite as the 76ers simply blitzed the Bulls in the third quarter. They outscored Chicago 36-14 in the period, turning an eight-point deficit into an 83-69 lead,

Richard Hamilton of the Chicago Bulls tries to get off a a shot against Spencer Hawes of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on Wednesday in Chicago, Illinois. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 109-92.

and pulled even with the league’s top-seeded team. Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia. ‘’This game we caught fire and it was pretty hard to put it out,’’ Holiday said. All the Bulls could do was shake their heads and vow to do better. ‘’Disappointed,’’ Chicago’s Joakim Noah said. ‘’Disappointing effort overall. We didn’t play well defensively. We didn’t play well offensively.’’ Holiday was 11 of 15 from the field, and the Sixers shot 59 percent overall. Williams came up big, going 8 of 13 after hitting just 1 of 6 shots in the opener, and Chicago product Evan Turner chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Noah led the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds. John Lucas

III scored 15 points, but Carlos Boozer scored just nine and Luol Deng finished with eight. More alarming, the Bulls simply couldn’t stop the Sixers, particularly in the third quarter. Turner scored 11 points in the period, and Philadelphia wiped out a 55-47 deficit. ‘’That third quarter we played tonight was as good a quarter as I ever seen our team play as long as I’ve been with them,’’ Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. ‘’We were active.’’ For the Bulls, that was about as bad as it gets. They were unable to make any stops, and they couldn’t find a rhythm on offense, either. ‘’We kind of let our offense affect our defense,’’ Richard Hamilton said.

Lakers lead Nuggets 2-0 Stoudemire to miss Game 3

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his basket and foul with Devin Ebanks on way to a 104-100 win over the Denver Nuggets during Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on Wednesday in Los Angeles, California.

OS ANGELES (AP) The Denver Nuggets ran the court and drove the lane with all the intensity they lacked in their playoff opener. They double-teamed Andrew Bynum, harassed Pau Gasol and scored relentlessly in the paint. Nope, still not enough to beat Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Not even enough to get a lead.

Bryant scored 38 points, Bynum followed up his triple-double with a career playoff-high 27 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers weathered Denver’s late rally for a 104-100 victory Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 series lead. Gasol had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the third-seeded Lakers, who still haven’t trailed in two games despite several dicey mo-

ments in Game 2. They survived a much-improved effort by the Nuggets and Ty Lawson, who scored 25 points and led the fourthquarter charge. Bryant was too sharp in his 83rd career 30-point playoff game, more than anybody except Michael Jordan. After last season’s second-round ouster in their failed quest for a threepeat, Bryant and his teammates are healthier

and happier - and they’ve been too much for Denver. ‘’I think we’re just playing much better,’’ Bryant said. ‘’It’s tough to play against us, because there’s legitimately three guys you have to double-team.’’ Game 3 is Friday in Denver. The Lakers didn’t get out of Staples Center without a little drama. Los Angeles’ 19-point lead in the third quarter dwindled

EW YORK — New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, who smashed his left hand into a window protecting a fire extinguisher after a loss, will miss the next game after minor surgery to repair a small muscle. The NBA club said on Tuesday that Stoudemire will not play when the Miami Heat visit New York on Thursday. The Heat defeated New York 10494 on Monday at Miami, prompting Stoudemire to punch the glass in frustration. Stoudemire suffered a large cut on the side of his hand and had surgery to repair a small muscle, ensuring he will not play when the Heat try to take a 3-0 lead in the best-ofseven first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. The star forward is listed as doubtful for game

to four with 3 minutes to play, but Ramon Sessions scored four key points in the final 1:14 before Bryant’s icing free throws with 9.4 seconds left. ‘’I think losing last season, and the way we lost, we’re approaching this postseason much more focused,’’ Gasol said. ‘’We’re not overlooking any team, any game. We’re doing whatever it takes to be successful. ... Over-

four on Sunday but the Knicks said they will reevaluate Stoudemire’s status before then. “We all have done things out of anger that we regret. That makes us human,” Stoudemire said in a Twitter posting early Tuesday. “Bad timing on my part. Sorry guys. This to(o) shall pass.” Stoudemire averaged 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game this season. The Knicks went 14-5 without Stoudemire, including 9-4 late in the season with Carmelo Anthony moved to power forward while a bulging back disc sidelined Stoudemire. But Iman Shumpert played a key role for the Knicks during that spurt and Shumpert has already been lost for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a knee injury in New York’s game one loss last Saturday.

all, I think we played well again. We just allowed them to play their game a little more than in the first game.’’ Lawson shook his awful series opener with 17 second-half points, but the sixth-seeded Nuggets lost their ninth straight road playoff game despite playing much closer to their preferred speedy tempo after the Lakers muzzled them in Game 1.

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Gains in sports tourism seen in Summerfest T

HE Davao Summerfest is expected to give Davao City a headway in sports tourism. This was the pronouncement of Davao Summerfest organizers as the city’s summer festival of arts, culture and sports formally reel off this month. Davao Summerfest spokesperson Orly Escarilla and project director Neil Bravo bared during the weekly Club 888 forum at the Eagles Bar of Marco Polo Hotel that this year’s summerfest is bigger and more comprehensive than last year’s edition. “The concept is a comprehensive activity that promotes sports and arts, capability-building, pro-

motion of sports tourism, competition and business,” Bravo said. “We are expecting this activity to boost tourism and business. We believe that the money we pour in for this activity will bring more revenues for the city,” Escarilla added. This week, the Ritmo Dabawenyo arts workshop started on Tuesday and will run until May 5 at the People’s Park. The Davao Summerfest sports camps, the first stage of the monthlong 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.

CAMPS. Kids take part in the Montana Basketball Camp run by private organization Montana Basketball Team at the Montana Gym. Similar basketball camps will start as part of the Davao Summerfest on May 7 at various venues in Davao City. (Boy Lim) 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. 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 People’s Park.

INGAYEN, Pangasinan (PNA) - Some 6,000 athletes from 11 regions of the country are now in Pangasinan to participate in the Palarong Pambansa which is set to open May 6 and ends on May 12. This was disclosed by Atty. Verna Nava-Perez, task force Palaro commander, saying that all the other athletes from six more regions are expected to arrive today until Saturday. Overall, some 10,000 athletes in both the elementary and high school divisions are coming for the week-long national games being hosted by the province of Pangasinan, only for the second time since 1995. Though the games will begin on Sunday, this year’s Palarong Pambansa will officially open on Monday in ceremonies slated at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) here with President Benigno Aquino III as guest of honor and speaker. Already in Pangasinan are the athletes from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and

Regions 3, 4, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. It was the athletes from Region 4B (Mindoro, Masbate Romblon and Palawan area) who arrived first since early last week. Nava said still to arrive are athletes from host Region 1, and those from Regions 2, 11, 12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Nava said it is now all systems go for the 2012 Palarong Pambansa as she announced that all the playing venues as well as the billeting areas in Lingayen, Dagupan and San Carlos cities, Binmaley, Calasiao and Bugallon are now ready, except for just but a few finishing touches. All the athletes who have arrived so far have in fact participated in the celebration of the Pangasinan Pistay Dayat (sea festival) last May 1 and the Dagupan Bangus Festival last April 30. Many of them are now practicing at the NRSCC ovals and grounds, beach front in Lingayen and in other playing venues.

6,000 athletes in Palaro L

(PNA)