Edge Davao 5 Issue 54 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19 , 2012

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Serving a seamless society

Indulge Page A1

Doc advices Sara to diet By Jade C. Zaldivar

Science/Environment Page 4

Sports Page 15

OW low can she go? A strict low sugar and low carb diet is what the doctor ordered for City Mayor Sara Duterte. The medical advisory was revealed by Duterte on Tuesday after she received doc-

tor’s advice to take a “diabetic diet” following her medical check-up in Manila. “Gi-advisan ko nga i-lower akong intake sa sugar ug carbohydrates,” she said in an interview at the Barangay 76-A covered court in Sandawa where she headed a

Kasalan ng Barangay ceremony that saw 45 couples getting wed. The city mayor last month said she’d be taking a one-month leave (set to end on May 27) due to health reasons. Duterte-Carpio said she has been experiencing headaches since December last year.

FDOC, 13

26 clark tour operators visit Davao FRESH PINEAPPLES. Holding out a peeled pineapple, a fruit vendor offers affordable fresh fruits to consumers in Bankerohan Public Market. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

By Lorie A. Cascaro

n Results say ‘nothing serious’

WENTY six Clark-based tour and hotel operators, together with Ronaldo Tiotuico, regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) III, were in the city for a three-day familiarization trip last

n Clark, Davao to ink tourism pact May 15-17. Noting that Clark-Davao tourism has a potential, since adventure tourism and entertainment in Davao are very attractive to Kapampangans, Tiotuico said “This is the

right time for us to do domestic tourism.” On the first day of the Davao familiarization tour, the guests had ocular visits to the small hotels, aside from the ones where they were billeted. Tiotuico bared that he was surprised to see that small hotels here already look like

F26 CLARK, 13

THE BIG NEWS Mindanao LGUs receive awards By Jade C. Zaldivar

IX local government units (LGUs) and one institution in Mindanao received awards from President Benigno Aquino III on Monday as part of the ‘Parangal sa mga Bosing ng Kanayunan’ program of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP). MRDP, under the Department of Agriculture, is a five-year poverty alleviation (2007-2014) program through a loan portfolio from the World Bank. In utilizing the funds granted to them, six LGUs and one people’s organization (PO) emerged to have performed their best. “Ikinatutuwa po natin ang mga mabuting pagbabagong nangyayari dito sa Mindanao. Sana’y pagbutihin pa ng ating mga mamumuno na palaguin ang kaninilang mga local na pamahalaan,” Aquino said at Grand Regal Hotel, this city, where the awarding took place as part of the Mindanao PO Congress. Recipients of the awards as best performing LGU were Salay, Misamis Oriental; Mati, Davao Oriental; Nasipit, Agusan del Sur; Zamboanga Sibugay; Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat; and Libungan, North Cotabato. PO Doyos Eastern Coast Fishermen Consumer’s Cooperative (DECFISCOCO) of Barangay Doyos, Carrascal, Surigao del Sur received recognition as Best Performing PO in Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD) Implementation. DECFISCOCO was noted to have ‘firmly observed cost-recovery schemes to make their project sustainable.’ From the P200,000 loan of the MRDP, the DECFISCOCO now enjoys the utility of 11 pump boats. Fish-

erfolk have also increased their catch from barely 5 kilograms to at least 50 kilograms per day. The LGU of Salay was recognized as the best performing in Rural Infrastructure for implementing farmto-market projects, and for having mobilized their Barangay Road and Operation Maintenance teams. Mati was given an award under the category of CFAD Implementation for having increased their farmers’ income through its cattle and goat production projects which uses organic fertilizers, among others. Nasipit received recognition under the Agroforestry category for having organized the Jamiguitan Farmers Cooperative to implement their CommunityBased Agroforestry Project to protect and conserve the Jamiguitan watershed, among others. Zamboanga Sibugay was recognized best performing LGU in Fish Sanctuary Management as their P1 million fish sanctuary of the President Roxas Farmers’ Association and Kapamilya Association now covers 132 hectares of fishing ground; and for having implemented two potable water system projects in the barangays of President Roxas and New Antique which lessened instances of water-borne diseases. Kalamansig was recognized under Mangrove Rehabilitation category for managing and protecting a 42-hectare mangrove rehabilitation project. A special citation was given to the LGU of Libugan for having unified livelihood projects, now with more than P663,000 worth of assets, noted for being ‘community-driven and caters to its farmer-members.’

we thank the defense for giving a definite date so that we can prepare thoroughly for our cross-examinations,” Tanada, one of the prosecution spokesmen, said. The Deputy Speaker likewise reiterated their assurance that they would extend Corona the utmost respect his office deserves and will make sure that he does not get embarrassed. “Of course, if he refuses to answer certain questions, Corona would be put in an embarrassing situation and that would not be the fault of the prosecution anymore,” Tañada said. He added that the prosecution panel is not at all intimidated by Corona’s stature. “The prosecution team

EDGEDAVAO

SECURITY PATROL. Ignoring the scorching heat of the sun, a bike-riding security guard performs a routine patrol at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport which is considered as one of the most important facilities in the city. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Tribe affirms advantages of responsible mining R

ESPONSIBLE mining has found consistent support from indigenous communities, whose tribesmen and chieftains are one in confirming that socioeconomic projects have been successfully run by miners in their respective areas. Lumad families In Claver, Surigao del Norte report that Adnama Mining Resources, Inc. (AMRI) has provided such educational programs, including health and sanitation and tree-planting projects, to some 3,000 villagers and more than 100 Mamanwa families in Urbiztondo and Taganito towns. The company has already repaired seven classrooms at a public school in Urbiztondo. While some sectors claim that large-scale mining

is a bane to local communities, village-based lumads residing within mining projects’ host communities say otherwise. “We will not allow other IPs or pretending to be IPs to cause trouble in our ancestral land, the very same land where we were born and shall live happily because AMRI has already shown to be practicing responsible mining,” Gina Patac, secretary-treasurer of the Asosasyon sa Madazaw na Panagkaisa nan mga Tribung Mamanwa sa Taganito ug Urbiztondo, was quoted to have declared recently. Patac further said that, “We already can eat, have enough money to buy our basic necessities.” Carmelito Galing, a fellow leader of Patac in Claver, was also quoted by media

and the prosecutor who will handle the cross-examination will be motivated by the fact to bring out the truth, so I do not think that we will be intimidated. I think we will be in for a very interesting cross-examination of the chief justice,” Tañada said. He likewise said that they are looking at two possible strategies that Corona may employ as his defense -– outright denial of the dollar accounts or accepting the money is his, followed by a lengthy explanation on how he got them. Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, for his part, said that prosecution lawyers are already preparing on which questions, which aspects and which issues to ask the chief justice.

HE high attrition rate of call center agents due to night-shift related illnesses has prompted a lawmaker to seek the highest level of protection for business process outsourcing (BPO) workers. Rep. Teddy Casiño (Party-list, Bayan Muna) said BPO workers often work in night shifts to adjust to the time of their Western-based clients. Casiño filed House Bill 6073 which seeks to promote occupational health and safety in the BPO industry through the formulation of Occupational Health and Safety standards for BPO work. Casiño said the erratic

House prosecution panel gears up for CJ’s testimony

EMBERS of the House prosecution panel said on Thursday they are in the thick of preparation for the scheduled testimony of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona before the Senate impeachment court next week. In a press briefing held at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III said that prosecution lawyers are in continuous meeting to prepare a list of possible questions for their cross-examination of the chief magistrate on Tuesday. “Although we have prepared as early as May 7 to avoid any surprise in the eventuality that the defense panel suddenly put Corona or his wife in the witness stand,

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

as saying that “AMRI gave us more than just a ray of hope for better times for the people of Urbiztondo and the Surigao del Norte.” In Southern Mindanao, Koronadal City tribal council head Ben Dalimbang cited the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project for having accorded them “the opportunity to achieve real and sustainable progress and we intend to invoke our right to this opportunity.” Dalimbang added that, “We deserve more than doleouts from government agencies, missionaries or nongovernment organizations.” Some 100 chairs for the Tantangan National High School in Tantangan, South Cotabato were turned-over by Sagittarius Mines, Inc. which runs the Tampakan Project.

The company is also reported to have caused the recent planting of 300 acacia and mangyum seedlings around the school. Local government officials are likewise asserting more in favor of responsible mining. Citing the economic benefits of corporate-led development in rural areas, Mayor Vincente Pimentel of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, challenged anti-mining activists to respect democratic processes. “I challenge them, let the people here decide by means of a referendum and let›s see if they really have what it takes,» he said last week, adding that he offered the referendum «to really hear what the people in my town have to say about mining.” [AL DACUMOS]

schedule together with repetitive work and artificial daytime environment that employees are subjected to cause undue psychological and physical stress on call center works. “Underneath the short-term economic advantages of the BPO industry is a ticking timebomb of illnesses which in the end the country will have to pay for through its social health services and ailing workforce,» Casiño said. The bill provides that such standards shall adhere to the prevailing standards of health and safety for BPO work and other similar employment and that the mini-

mum provisions in the standards meet the International Labor›s recommendations. The measure also creates Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) workplace representatives to monitor the work environment in BPO firms The Casiño proposal institutes guidelines for compliance with international OHS standards as well as makes employers criminally liable for acts endangering the welfare of BPO workers. The bill provides mechanism for compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses and considers night-shift work as hazardous.

Solon calls for protection for night-shift workers

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VOL.5 ISSUE 54 â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 18 - 19, 2012

WARNING

PROLIFERATION OF ADULTERATED FERTILIZER USED FOR AGRICULTURE 1.

The distribution and sale of adulterated fertilizer to unsuspecting farm workers has become rampant in recent years. The manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of adulterated fertilizer is punishable under Presidential Decree No. 1144, with imprisonment of up to more than twenty years. A modus operandi of criminal elements is to connive with drivers of trucking companies which transport sacks of genuine fertilizer from the supplier, replacing the contents thereof with adulterated fertilizer. ABIGAIL FARM SUPPLY, INC. with a store at Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, was recently victimized with the discovery of sacks of adulterated AMIGO PLANTERS fertilizer thereat. LA FILIPINA UY GONGCO CORPORATION, owner of AMIGO PLANTERS fertilizer products, has recently instituted criminal complaints against those involved in the adulteration of fertilizer. LA FILIPINA UY GONGCO CORPORATION and ABIGAIL FARM SUPPLY, INC., an authorized distributor of the former, will not tolerate the distribution and sale of adulterated fertilizer as these result in crop failures and renders the land unproductive, to the detriment of farm workers. LA FILIPINA UY GONGCO CORPORATION and ABIGAIL FARM SUPPLY, INC. are coordinating closely to put a stop to the distribution and sale of adulterated fertilizer. With the new security measures it has adopted, ABIGAIL FARM SUPPLY, INC. assures its customers that it only sells and distributes genuine AMIGO PLANTERS fertilizer products.

LA FILIPINA UY GONGCO CORPORATION TCG Compound, Across Old Airport Road Sasa, Davao City, Tel no. 082-234-8778

ABIGAIL FARM SUPPLY, INC

Kalawag III, Isulan Sultan Kudarat, Tel no. 083-2383020

SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Is PHL ready for climate change?

By Jims Vincent T. Capuno The Philippines is one of the most beautiful topical countries in the world. It is touted to be the Pearl of the Orient Seas. But the other side of its beauty and charm is that the country is susceptible to natural disasters and calamities. Normally, the country experiences tropical cyclones of up to 20 a year, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Tropical cyclones are classified into tropical depression, with winds up to 38 miles per hour, tropical storm with winds from 39 to 73 miles per hour and typhoons with winds of at least 74 miles per hour. In recent years, stronger typhoons have become more frequent. In October 1995, “Rosing” claimed at least 700 lives and destroy P2.5 billion worth of crops and public infrastructure, as well as hundreds of million of pesos worth of private property. E nv i ro n m e n t a l i s t s blamed climate change brought about by global warming as the primary culprit of the stronger typhoons that hit the Philippines in recent years. “This kind of disasters is on the rise – turbocharged by climate

change,” deplored Senator Loren Legarda. Experts believe that as climate changes around the world, sea temperature is also expected to rise which, in turn, could increase the number of tropical cyclones and storms. “Weather patterns could become unpredictable, as would extreme weather events, hurricanes could become much stronger and more frequent,” wrote Lulu Bucay in a brochure published by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The change in global temperature has also been incriminated for the severe droughts that hit the Philippines every now and then. The 1992-1993 droughts, for instance, caused long forest fires in Mindanao and other parts of the country. “Witness the effect of drought, not only is agricultural production decreased but because waters in the reservoirs are inadequate, energy for industry is also limited, hence industrial production also suffers,” Senator Legarda reiterated. “Not to mention the discomfort of households due to limited water and electricity.” “Climate change is a global challenge that

threatens every nation, no matter how large or small, wealthy or poor,” said US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “The threat is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing.” It was Dr. James E. Hansen, of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who first raised the problem of global warming. In 1988, he told an American Senate hearing that “the greenhouse effect is changing our climate now.” In a Reader’s Digest article, author Robert James Bidinotto, explains greenhouse effect in these words: “When sunlight warms the earth, certain gases in the lower atmosphere, acting like the glass in a greenhouse, trap some of the heart as it radiates back into space. These greenhouse gases, primarily water vapor and including carbon dioxide, methane and man-made c h l o ro f l u o ro c a r b o n s , warm our planet, making life possible.” “The global warming is very simple,” said Dr. Robert Watson, chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the 2007 co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. “We are increasing

emissions of greenhouse gases and thus their concentrations in the atmosphere are going up. As these concentrations increase, the temperature of the earth rises.” “While human activities during the past century have damaged a long list of nature systems, most of these problems are local or regional in scope and can be revered in years to decades if sufficient effort is exerted,” Christopher Flavin wrote in his book, Slowing Global Warming: A Worldwide Strategy. “Changes to the earth’s atmosphere on the other hand are global and irreversible not only in our lifetimes but in our children’s and grandchildren’s as well.” The IPCC projections indicate that, if emissions continue to rise at their current pace and are allowed to double from their pre-industrial level, the world will face an average temperature rise of around 3 degrees Centigrade this century. “Climate change means much more than higher global temperatures,” pointed out Heherson T. Alvarez, who convened the Asia-Pacific Leaders Conference on Climate Change in Manila when he was still with the Senate. “Global warming could result

in a wide range of catastrophic consequences.” Dr. Rodel D. Lasco, a member of the IPCC, is very much aware of the devastation that climate change will likely bring among Filipinos. For one, the country “has a long coastline where millions of people live including in urban centers such as Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao .” As the world atmosphere warms under a greenhouse effect, scientists predict, the seas will rise – threatening to change the contours of coastlines. Some 70 percent of the country’s 1,500 municipalities are along the coast and face flooding with sea level rise. A study conducted by the Philippine Country Study to Address Climate Change found that the Manila Bay is already subjected to several hazards, including flooding and storms. “Shoreline changes due to reclamation for housing, ports, coastal roads, buildings and other urbanized development are high, adding to an increased threat of inundation,” the study said. Sulu is the province with the highest land area that is highly vulnerable to the sea-level rise. In this southern Philippines

province, 90 percent of the land area of Pata municipality, and 34 percent of the land area of Marunggas municipality are vulnerable to the rise, according to Greenpeace, an international environment watch group. Aside from Sulu, the other provinces vulnerable to sea level rise are Palawan, Zamboanga del Sur, Northern Samar, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Cebu, Davao del Norte, Bohol, Camarines Sur, Quezon, Tawi-Tawi, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Camarines Norte, Capiz, Catanduanes, Samar, Zamboanga del Norte, and Maguindanao. Sea level rise would also endanger the drinking water quality and agricultural productivity, PAGASA says. This is due to possible salt intrusion in coastal soils and fresh water aquifers. Already, one of every five residents quaffs water from dubious sources in 24 provinces, the Philippine Human Development Report points out. People are not the only that will likely be most affected. “Important ecosystems such as mangrove forests could also be lost,” warned Dr. Lasco, who is the country’s coordinator for the World Agroforestry Center .

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VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

THE ECONOMY

Gov’t gives P13-M aid for fisher folk, LGUs T

New sin tax system to generate P60-B

RESIDENT Benigno C. Aquino III led the awarding of citations and handing over of P13 million worth of rural assistance for the best performing local government units and one people’s organization (PO) in implementing the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) projects. Aquino bestowed the awards and assistance during the “Parangal sa mga Bosing ng Kanayunan” awarding ceremony at MRDP’s People’s Organization (POs) Congress held on Monday at the Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City. The President was assisted by Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture that spearheads the implementation of MRDP in 26 provinces covering 225 municipalities and 1,920 barangays in Mindanao. In his message after the awarding rites, Aquino thanked DA and all other key stakeholders of MRDP including the POs for being partners of the government in fast-tracking progress in Mindanao. “Kasama ang People’s Organizations, tuloy-tuloy

na po tayo sa paghahatid ng liwanag ng pag-asa at masaganang bukas sa bawat sulok ng Pilipinas (Together with people’s organizations, we continue to shed light and hope towards a prosperous future for the Philippines),” he told about 1,200 participants of MRDP POs Congress. The President handed over the Best Performing PO award to Doyos Eastern Coast Fishermen Consumers Cooperative (DECFISCOCO) of the municipality of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, Region 8, for successfully implementing MRDP Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD) project. DECFISCOCO Chair Tito T. Garcia received on the coop’s behalf, P1 million worth of post-harvest facilities. DA said that from the P200,000 grant from DAMRDP, the cooperative comprising of fisher folk members has learned to maximize meager financial resource through efficient and transparent procurement system. The coop now owns 11 pump boats as fishing vessels which have increased their catch from barely five

kilograms a day to at least 50 kilos daily. Among the recognized LGU was the municipality of Salay in Misamis Oriental of Region 10, for its good construction and management of all the farm-to-market road projects under MRDP Rural Infrastructure project. Salay LGU represented by Mayor Romeo L. Gue, Sr. also received P5 million-worth of rural infrastructure assistance. The LGU of Mati City, Davao Oriental in Region 11 was conferred of the Best Performing LGU award for its outstanding implementation of MRDP Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD). The LGU was able to cause an increase of its farmers’ income through the cattle and goat production projects. Aside from the award, Mati City LGU received through Mayor Michelle Marie Denise N. Rabat, P2.5 million worth of rural infrastructure projects. Another LGU awardee was the municipality of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte of Region XIII for implementing MRDP’s Natural Resources

Management (NRM)-Agro Forestry Management project that provided alternative income to its beneficiaries. The project has brought about the organization of the Jamiguitan Farmers’ Cooperative to implement the Community-Based Agroforestry Project to protect and conserve the Jamiguitan watershed. For these achievements, the Nasipit LGU was given the award and the P1.5 million worth of Natural Resources Management Sub-project which were accepted by Mayor Roscoe Democrito B. Plaza. The President also handed over the Best LGU award to Mayor Rolando P. Garcia of the municipality of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat of Region 12 for implementing the MRDP NRM-Mangrove Rehabilitation and Management project. Garcia accepted the P1.5 million worth of NRM subproject. In Region 9, the Best Performing LGU was accorded to the municipality of Roseller T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay, for implementing the MRDPNRM Fish Sanctuary Management.

HE recently approved House Bill 5727, which aims to reform the current excise tax system for alcohol and tobacco products is expected to generate at least P60.7 billion in revenues. This is according to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad who said in a news release that if the bill is passed into law, it will improve revenue and tax efficiencies in government. Abad said that the bulk of the revenue will go to critical health services which include health care coverage for all indigents and informal sectors under the National Health Insurance Program, as well as the rehabilitation and development of regional health units and district, provincial, and regional hospitals.

Quips

The Budget chief also said that revenues from an updated excise tax system will also benefit both tobacco-growing and non-tobacco-growing provinces. Under the current tax regime, estimated Local Government Unit shares for tobacco-growing provinces amount to just P3.8 billion, with only 16 provinces identified as beneficiaries. In contrast, the P60 billion in projected revenues under House Bill 5727 will expand the list of beneficiary provinces to at least 81 provinces. The non-tobaccogrowing provinces that previously did not have LGU shares under the existing tax scheme will also benefit greatly from the bill, once passed into law.

‘THEY’VE FINALLY realized what we and the rest of the country have long known: the prosecution has prepared substantial evidence and if the Chief Justice has any chance of acquittal, he must show up.’

--Rep. Romero Quimbo, prosecution spokesman.

THE ECONOMY

New wet market to rise in Panabo

HE ceremonial groundbreaking of the P18-million new Panabo City wet market building project was set last May 13, led by the city mayor and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Provincial Director Alex Roldan. With a 1,588.4-squaremeter land area at Block 15 of central market, it is expected to carry 40 spacious stalls, enough to accommodate the growing numbers of market vendors who want to engage on the business like selling fish, pork, and other wet products. The said space was destroyed by fire last May 2007. “Daghang nalipay nga mabalik ang isdaan ug karnehan diri sa Central Market tungod kay mabuhi pagbalik ang negosyo dinhi. Sa mga maapektuhan sa maong proyekto, hatagan tamo ug kahigayonan nga makanegosyo dinhi kay kining atong itukod karon wala pay nanagiya ani bisan isa. Apan sa dili gusto mag negosyo dinhi sa wet market, pangitaan tamo ug relokasyon,” (Many were happy that the fish and meat stalls returned to the central market, because it will enliven businesses here; to those affected by the project, I will give you the chance to do business here since the market we are constructing will be owned by no one, and to those who no longer

want to do business here in the wet market I will find a relocation for you),” stressed by Panabo Mayor Jose L. Silvosa, Sr. in his message. This project is funded under the local government support fund of DILG through the “Seal of Good House Keeping” awarded to Panabo City worth P25 million. According to DILG XI Regional Director Dr. Francisco C. Jose, represented by Roldan, the DILG officials are always directed to support the development undertakings in as much as the trust of the present government is geared towards capacitating local government units to become transparent, accountable, and performing “In fact, DILG programs are currently emphasizing on the seal of good housekeeping which means the local government units, if qualified, can now avail of the bigger amount to fund their developing projects,” he said. As of now, the city government is preparing for legal documents, relocation and necessary system to facilitate both vendors and construction. Also present during the groundbreaking were city councilors, department heads, vendors and some local government employees.

(June Geraldo/CIO Panabo)

Remittances increased by 5% in March 2012

EMITTANCES from overseas Filipinos (OFs) coursed through banks rose in March 2012 by 5 percent year-on-year to reach US$1.7 billion, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. announced today. The continued increase in remittance flows in March brought the first quarter level to US$4.8 billion, higher by 5.4 percent than the US$4.6 billion realized in the same period a year ago. Remittances from landbased (US$3.7 billion) and sea-based (US$1.1 billion) workers during the quarter registered increases of 2.7 percent and 15.3 percent, respectively. Robust cash transfers in the first quarter of 2012 were supported by the sustained demand for Filipino manpower in various foreign labor markets. Latest preliminary data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) indicated that 68,711 job orders

for service, production, and professional, technical and related workers were processed for the period 1 January – 30 April 2012 in response to the manpower requirements in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Increased inflows of overseas Filipinos’ remittances were made possible by the continued expansion of banks’ presence across the globe through tie-ups established by local financial institutions with foreign and local money transfer operators, mobile phone service operators and pawnshops. Recently, two local banks have forged tie-ups with a local courier and a money remittance company to serve more OFs and beneficiaries worldwide. To date, the significant portion of remittances continued to come from the U.S.A, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the U.K., Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy and Hong Kong.

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

DOT XI cancels mission to Beijing T

HE planned June sales mission to Beijing spearheaded by the Department of Tourism Region XI (DOT-XI) has been cancelled as tensions between the two countries over disputed areas in the West Philippines Sea spills over to tourism. Eden Larano, Chief Tourism Operations Officer of DOT-XI said that they had been advised by the tourism attaché in Beijing that the schedule of the sales mission is “too close for comfort.” The Davao Cultural Festival in the Chinese capital was supposed to be held from June 11 to June 30.

Although there has been no official memo yet from their Chinese tourism counterparts, Chinese travel agencies and tour operators had been advised to suspend promotions to the Philippines. Larano, however, clarified that there is no travel ban issued by the government of China barring its citizens to visit the country. The travel cancellations started in May 10 amidst concerns on the safety of Chinese citizens amidst protest actions against China, an offshoot of the standoff between the two countries at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a reef 124 nautical

miles west of Zambales, which is being claimed by China. According to figures from the Department of Tourism, about 1,500 to 2,000 Chinese tourists have cancelled their flight to the country since May 10. Among those affected included bookings in Boracay, Bohol, and Cebu. Larano said that they had hoped to equal or surpass the success of the previous sales mission to Beijing held in June last year. The 2011 Davao Cultural Festival held in Marco Polo Beijing resulted in Davao being featured in Chinese

broadcast media particularly the Chinese national television network CCTV, attracted interest among Chinese tour operators and travel agencies plus a chartered flight of Chinese executives on a company incentive visit. China is the fourth largest market for Philippine tourism next to South Korea, the United States, and Japan. In Davao Region, China ranks third in the East Asian market next to Japan and South Korea. According to Larano an average Chinese tourist stays in the country for 3.5 days and spends about P4,000 per day.

Tamban prices from P26.02P29.17 or 10.8%. “We allowed increases on the prices of some brands of canned sardines earlier in the first quarter of this year when they reported the high cost of fish due to the fishing ban in Mindanao. But now that the ban has been lifted, we expect a better supply of Tamban and a corresponding drop in the price per kilogram,” DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Welfare and Business Regulation Group

(CWBRG) Zenaida C. Maglaya explained. The DTI closely works with the Department of Agriculture (DA) in checking the country’s fish supply, which is the major cost component of canned sardines and comprising 40-60% of the cost. “We have kept the line of communication open with the sardines industry. Any recorded movement in the price of Tamban can be easily reported to us for easy reference,” Domingo said.

The DTI, according to the Republic Act 7581 or Price Act, shall ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities such as processed goods that include canned sardines, at reasonable prices without denying legitimate business a fair return on investment. The Price Act also indicates that the DTI shall provide protection to consumers against profiteering during widespread illegal manipulation situations.

ner of the government in addressing the welfare and needs of the Mindanao people, and in fasttracking development in Mindanao. MRDP is a povertyalleviation initiative of DA with funding coming from the World Bank, and with equity shares from the national government and the 225 covered local governments in Mindanao. The President hailed the program’s impact, citing the almost 17 percent increase in the rural folk’s annual income which is equivalent to more than P11,000 per year, since MRDP started providing assistance to farmers and fisherfolks in 2004. Aside from this, he enumerated several projects of MRDP such as farm-to-market roads, bridges, solar dryer, as well as rural and agrifishery infrastructures,

saying “Na talaga naman pong nagpapaaliwalas at naghahatid ng oportunidad sa mga Mindanaoan.” With the tangible impact of the program in improving the lives of the community, Aquino said people have high confidence over MRDP projects. “Tunay pong kapag ang pondo ay matuwid na ginugugol, at nakakasabay sa pag-asenso ang Pilipino, ganado silang makilahok sa ating pong mga proyekto (Truly if the funds are spent correctly, and the Filipinos are catching up progressively, they will be eager to participate in our projects),” he said. He also assured to strengthen more his reform agenda. “Pagdating po sa kaunlaran, walang sinuman ang dapat maiwan—‘yan po ang bisyon natin (When it comes to

progress, no one should be left behind and that is our vision),” the President emphasized, saying that this could be attained through good governance and unity of the government and the people. He further stressed that his administration would continue to give focus on the “land of promise.” Before the President rendered his speech, he handed over citations and awards to seven POs and local government units during the “Parangal sa mga Bosing ng Kanayunan” awarding ceremony. The awarding ceremony was the highlight of the PO’s Congress, aiming to give recognition to outstanding and best performing POs and local government units in the implementation of the DA-MRDP projects in their respective areas.

DTI wants SRP for canned sardines at P12.80

“T

he Department is now studying a suggested retail price (SRP) of P12.80 for canned sardines considering that the ban on Tamban fishing has been lifted two months ago,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said. As of 03 April 2012, the SRP for canned sardines in tomato sauce with a 155gram weight is P13.00P13.50 due to an increase in

Aquino lauds rural development programs

RESIDENT Benigno C. Aquino III lauded today the achievements of the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) in alleviating the living conditions of the rural and coastal folks in Mindanao. “Sa tulong ng MRDP, itinataguyod natin ang pagkakaroon ng sapat na pagkain sa hapag ng bawat pamilya, ang pagkakaloob ng disenteng trabaho, at marangal na pamumuhay (With the help of the MRDP, we can uphold the need of each Filipino family for adequate food, decent shelter and livelihood),” the President stated as he addressed more than 1,200 participants in today’s MRDP’s People’s Organizations (POs) Congress at Grand Regal Hotel, this city. He said that the DAMRDP has been a part-

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

DA’s Mindanao program promotes inclusive growth, good governance O

NE in his vision of promoting inclusive growth and good governance. This is how President Benign S. Aquino III described the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) as he addressed recently the gathering of farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and rural women in Davao City. “Pagdating po sa kaunlaran, walang sinuman ang dapat maiwan—‘yan po ang bisyon natin. Ito ay hindi tinutupad ng isang tao o isang institusyon lamang; nagbubukal ito sa mabuting pamamahala at sa pakikiisa ng pamahalaan at taumbayan (Our vision is to promote inclusive growth. It cannot be implemented by one man or one institution alone but it is a fruit of good governance and the concerted efforts of the government and the people),” Aquino said. “Sa tulong ng MRDP, itinataguyod natin ang pagkakaroon ng sapat na pagkain sa hapag ng bawat pamilya, ang pagkakaloob ng disenteng trabaho, at marangal na pamumuhay (With the help of MRDP, we continue to provide enough food in every table, provide decent job and a dignified living,” he added. MRDP is a long-term poverty-alleviation initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) jointly funded by the World Bank, national government, and local government units covering Mindanao’s 26 provinces and 225 municipalities. It

ALL FOR MINDANAO. President Benigno S. Aquino III gestures (beside him is Agriculture secretary Proceso J. Alcala) as he answered questions from the local media during the DA-MRDP People’s Organizations congress in held recently in Davao City. Both leaders say the administration gives attention to the development of the agricultural potentials in Mindanao. seeks to further improve rural incomes and achieve food security through agri-fishery infrastructure, livelihood enterprise, and biodiversity conservation projects. In line with this year’s celebration of the Farmers’ and fisherfolk’s Month, the program convened recently some 1,500 members of the various people’s organizations who benefited agri-fishery livelihood projects under the Community Fund for Agricultural Development component. “The MRDP has shown it has succeeded in mobilizing communities for agricultural development in Mindanao. It has successfully established through its various

projects farm-to-market roads, bridges, water systems and solar dryers as well as other agri-fishery infrastructure in the rural areas,” the President said, adding that MRDP has contributed much in the country’s campaign to attain “freedom from hunger.” Tr a n s p a r e n c y, good governance Aquino also cited the program’s trailblazing initiative of using the ‘geotagging technology’ to prevent duplication and bogus implementation of infrastructure projects. “Gamit ang “geo-tagging, nababantayan at nasusuri ang pagsasakatuparan ng ating pong mga proyekto. Matutukoy dito ang mga overlapping road projects, at

kung may hokus-pokus na nangyayari. (With the aid geotagging, we can now closely watch and monitor the implementation of projects. With this technology we identify overlapping of projects and avoid hocus-pocus activities),” the President stressed. He also cited the strong and broad-based support of various stakeholders of the MRDP alluded to the program’s transparent and clear-cut policies and procedures particularly in its procurement and financial management. “Mataas po ang kompiyansa ng ating mga kababayan sa ating programa dahil kitang-kita ang pag-unlad ng mga sakop na komunidad. Tunay

pong kapag ang pondo ay matuwid na ginugugol, at nakakasabay sa pagasenso ang Pilipino, ganado silang makilahok sa ating pong mga proyekto (there is high confidence in the program because of the evident improvement of the communities. Once funds are spent to where they are intended, people are encouraged to support the project),” he added. Program Accomplishments In its recent report to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, the program has earmarked a total of P1.3 billion for various livelihoods benefiting about 124,000 households all over Mindanao. There are already

3,712 agri-based livelihoods funded. Some 1,605 were completed, 574 are still on-going and 584 are ready for implementation and the rest are under preparatory stage. While the infrastructure component has allotted P4.89 billion for agricultural infrastructure that included 386 farmto-market roads with a total length of 1,433.01 kilometers amounting PhP 3,585.80 million; 29 bridges with total length of 929 linear meters costing PhP 293.63 million; 31 communal irrigation subprojects with a total service area of 7,092 hectares costing PhP 667.14 million; 51 potable water supply (PWS) costing PhP 308.08 million; and 17 solar dryers with warehouses costing PhP 30.62 million. The program has also assisted a total of 1,929 barangays in packaging their barangay development plans (BDP), one of the bases for project prioritization and approval. Under its natural resources management component, 90 projects have been laid on the ground including mangrove rehabilitation, agorforestry projects, fish santuray and riverbank stabilization projects. Of the total number, 24 subprojects were completed costing PhP 39.825 million; 36 on-going amounting to PhP 78.872 million, and 30 amounting to PhP 49.232 million are ready for implementation. [SHERWIN B. MANUAL/DA/ MRDP]

Growing ampalaya for food and health Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno

“D

IABETES is going to be the biggest epidemic in human history,” predicts Dr. Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia. In the last two decades, the number of people around the world suffering from diabetes has skyrocketed from 30 million to more than 230 million. “The number is estimated to get past 350 million in less than 20 years if we don’t take steps now. The situation is no different here in the Philippines where some 500 Filipinos are being diagnosed with diabetes every day,” warned Dr. Francisco Pasaporte, president of the Philippine Association of

Diabetes Educators. The country is home to about four million diabetics, with more than three million not knowing they have the disease. “Many people still do not know that they have diabetes,” said Dr. Tommy Ty Wiling, president of Diabetes Philippines. The Department of Health listed diabetes as the ninth leading cause of death among Filipinos today. Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating and often deadly disease that affects how the body turns food into energy. Normally, the food we eat is converted into glucose and used or stored by the body with little problems. Circulating insulin hormone stimulates the uptake of

sugar by the body’s cells. But with diabetes something goes awry. The pancreas, which is the organ responsible for producing insulin, becomes irresponsible. Some diabetics are usually totally dependent on insulin injections for survival. In fact, there are those that require daily administration of insulin. “Insulin treatment can help manage diabetes,” writes Ellie Rose in an article which appeared in Reader’s Digest. “But in some places, annual care for one person can cost 75 percent of the average income.” Enter a sour-tasting, warty fruit called bitter melon (scien-

FGROWING, 13

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VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Our gains in Scarborough

EDITORIAL

Awesome power

MBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio Morales testified on the alleged 82 dollar deposits worth more than $12 million of Chief Justice Renato Corona in his ongoing impeachment trial. The shocking figures bared by the Ombudsman when she was presented by Corona’s lawyers as a hostile witness came from a report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), one of the government agencies whose assistance she had sought to pursue an investigation of the chief magistrate. Despite opinion to the contrary, Ombudsman Morales maintains that she is authorized under the law creating her office to look into the assets, liabilities and net worth of all employees, including the chief justice. Such an authority, albeit seemingly innocuous, is stated in every government employee’s SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth). “I hereby authorize the Ombudsman or his duly authorized representative to obtain and secure from all appropriate government agencies, including the Bureau of Internal Revenue, such documents that may show my assets, liabilities, net worth, business interests and financial connections.” Don’t look now, but the authorization also includes looking into documents pertaining to the government employee or official’s “spouse, unmarried children below 18 years of age living with me in my household covering past years to include the year I first assumed of-

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fice in government.” Of course, Chief Justice Corona does not agree that the Ombudsman is empowered to investigate him just because there are complaints against him before her office. Senator-Judge Miriam Santiago agrees with Corona, in effect pointing out that bank accounts of public officials can not just be opened on a mere request by the Ombudsman even without a court order. The Ombudsman is not about to budge from her position. It is plain to her that the law empowers her to pry open bank accounts and other financial records of a civil servant because of the above-said waiver-like authorization printed in all SALN forms. Now, some senators are questioning this newly-discovered awesome power of the Ombudsman because it can be abused. For instance, the power can be used selectively to run after enemies of the Ombudsman or of a vengeful or oppressive sitting President. The fear is not exactly unfounded. Men and women of power in this country are not exactly known for playing fairly in their dealings with people, especially political enemies. We agree that it is now time for our lawmakers to revisit the Ombudsman Act of 1989, but only in so far as avoiding its being abused, not in preventing the Ombudsman from investigating shady financial transactions of suspected corrupt officials. 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

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HINA has warned the Philippine to respect the former’s territorial sovereignty. This statement came after the Philippine decided to bring the long-standing territorial conflict before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), and had invited China to resolve the conflict in peaceful and diplomatic ways.China refused to agree that there is a conflict and insisted that international arbitration or mediation is no longer necessary for something that is clearly incontestable. Both parties have presented their claims. China presented maps, the oldest was circa 1279, indicating that the Scarborough Shoal had been drawn as part of China. In its 1992 Law of the Territorial Seas and the Contiguous Zone, China reaffirmed it claim and further asserted it shortly after the departure of the US Naval Force from Subic, Zambales in the 90s. For its part, the Philippines cited that the area under dispute has been included in its exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS) and, in the 80s, built a lighthouse and raised the Philippine flag. It was said that Chinese and Filipino fisherfolks used to co-existaround the area (also known as Panatag Shoal, meaning “peaceful” in Filipino) until Philippine officials arrested Chinese fisherfolks for alleged use of illegal fishing methods and catching endangered and protected species such as parrot fish, baby sharks and corals. Since then, Chinese fisherfolks have increased their number and, to some extent, limited the access of Filipino fisherfolks of their previously lucrative source of livelihood. Filipinos complained of intimidation against the Chinese and, in return, the Chinese accused the Filipinos of trespassing. The Scarborough Shoal is a group of rocks and isletsplus reefs of about 150 square kilometer – just as large as Quezon City! It is about 120 nautical miles west of Zambales, and that is why it is often referred to as Bajo de Masinloc (Masinloc is a town in Zambales). It takes 12 to 18 hours for fisherfolks from Zambales to travel by their boats to reach the area. From a documentary, it was said that ordinary fisherfolks spend a whole day in their boats as they travel to the shoal but the catch they come back with is far better than many of them have ever seen elsewhere. Fishing season is only for a few months of the year but an ordinary Filipino fisherfolk can make money in those few months enough for them to care for their families until the next fishing season starts. It’s not only this economic gain that the Philippine government is after on the Scarborough Shoal. It wants to set the record straight – the Shoal rightfully belongs to the Philippine territory per our exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf. The only hitch there is, is the fact that in 2009 the area was excluded or was not included in what is referred to by UNCLOS as our “baseline”, something that is required by UNCLOS to archipelagic countries such as the Philippines. But if “now” is the right time for us to correct past mistakes then we should go for the “fight”. The nearest landmass of China is about 470 nautical miles from Scarborough, and our inspiration is that the UN has just approved the Philippine claim over Benham Rice, another disputed area but within our exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by. Tensions and passions in both countries have already been inflamed; but we should face this with lots of diplomacy and civility. There’s so much at stake. There were rumors of website hacking and embassy protests and rallies. China was reported to have banned the travel of Chinese to the Philippines – a big blow to our tourism industry where Chinese ranked 4th in our tourist arrivals. Some Filipino banana exporters to China havereportedly been complaining about China’s holding millions of dollar worth of bananas in Chinese ports as they could not allegedly pass new and stricter quality control measures. There are sensitivities; and there are implications of either moving now or later and either moving one way or the other way. Whatever we gain in this exercise – be it economic, territorial sovereignty or simply the Filipino pride, it will definitely test once again the political will and diplomatic skills of our leaders.

EDGEDAVAO

certainly believed Manny Pacquiao when he said he is not anti-gay. His wife Jinkee has a man-errgirl Friday and he admits to having gay relatives. He tolerates them, to say the least. Filipinos have begun to embrace gays and LGBT definitely has already seeped into the language and consciousness of a considerable portion of the Filipino society. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. A few months back, the student council of the country’s premier state university, University of the Philippines (UP), elected its first transgender chair in breaking the barrier of sexual preference. But in a country where more than 80 percent are Catholics, many are still struggling to accept that LGBTs have as much rights as ‘straight’ people to enter into marital union. Even among the country’s Muslim community, which comprises 5 per cent of the population, being gay is ‘haram’ or prohibited. Manny Pacquiao, the evangelist, sportsman and congressman became a vocal opponent of same sex union. Pacquiao the congressman, for all who have not followed his political views, has always been on the conserva-

O NEED to wonder why government tourism officials can’t get an accurate reading of “hotel occupancies” in Davao which gives them a good idea whether or not tourism is actually growing in this booming southern city. I think it would be a big mistake for tourism offices here to depend too much on the figures pertaining to rate of occupancy in local hotels to find out if there’s a growing volume of visitors, travelers and tourists in Davao. These are the numbers submitted by city and regional tourism offices to the National Statistics Board to measure the trend of visitors coming here. The problem is, there are still so many hotels, inns, lodging and pension houses in Davao which deliberately refuse to be “accredited” by the city tourism office. As such, they’re not submitting official reports on their hotel occupancy. Many hotels here don’t really care about government “accreditation” to operate their business as long as they keep booking and filling up all their rooms with both local and foreign guests to a point that they’re always “fully-booked” even during dull, ho-hum days. Since they’re not accredited, they’re not required to submit regular reports on their room occupancy to tourism offices. This was admitted to me when I invited some of them to join our Davao Road Map series by getting ad spaces on

Monkey Business

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

Life in a fishbowl (Part 3)

tive side of issues affecting the American society. Even in his own country where he earned, and spent for, the right to express his political views, Pacquiao is always an ally for conservatives. He was just being true to form on his views on gay marriage. Pacquiao, in fact, is a strong ally of the Catholic Church against the Reproductive Health bill calling it a proposed law that encourages abortion. In 2008, he said he was supporting US Sen. McCain John McCain, a Republican who ran and lost to President Barrack Obama. Of course, McCain is the author of the Muhammad Ali Act which protects professional boxers from exploitative managers and promoters. Writer Granville Ampong, in whose article Pacquiao now finds himself of viral attacks from the LGBT community, is a Filipino Republican activist in theUS. Ampong has officially apologized to Pacquiao for the storm his story created. Ampong was correct, Pacquiao never cited a phrase in the Bible in expressing his views on gay marriage which became a hot copy in the USwhen Obama gave his support to it. Ampong owned up the quoted Bible passage Leviticus 20:13 in supporting Pacquiao’s views on gay marriage. Republicans naturally would love to have someone lend his powerful voice to oppose such moral issue. Ultra conservatism among Republicans in theUSis again on the rise after they were given a thrashing by Obama in 2008. In

November, Republicans are hoping to unseat Obama who still enjoys popular support among Americans. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank is however a Democrat who served under the late Sen. Robert Kennedy at the Attorney General’s office as a young Harvard Law School graduate. Pacquiao has grown into a man of his own such that as an elected Philippine congressman, he is now obliged to field questions on everything remotely related to politics whether in his country or in the land of milk and honey where he earns his living. America is a democratic and free country. Anyone is entitled to his own political views. The Filipino boxing champion however now carries an added weight on his shoulders. He is now a member of Philippine Congress and protocol dictates that he refrains from commenting on such thorny issues involving elected officials of another country in their own territory. I would have no problem with Rep. Manny Pacquiao expressing such a conservative view in the Philippine media in the Philippines although I certainly do not share the same. Like I had repeatedly said, Rep. Pacquiao, who never hides his presidential ambition, now lives in a fishbowl. Anything he says will be magnified just as objects swimming in the water are much larger than they actual are.

the map. “We’re not accredited by tourism, but that’s okay with us, We’re always fully booked here, we’re even turning away guests,” Lydia, a small hotel owner told me. It’s no longer surprising to me to find so many foreign guests checking into small, cheap hotels in Davao that are not recognized and accredited by government tourism offices. I have the impression, rightly or wrongly, there seems to be more foreign visitors preferring to stay in sleazy, cheap hotels than in plush, five-star hotels like The Marco Polo Davao, Apo View, or Waterfront Insular. In fact, I know of one wealthy Swiss who came here to buy a couple of expensive condo units at Ayala’s Aeon Tower, but spent three days and nights in a dusty, cockroach-infested small hotel along Claveria street and really enjoying it. Besides, buying the condo units, my Swiss friend is even thinking of a business investment in Davao simply because he loves the kind of people living here. “You people are so friendly and look so happy even if you’re so poor! We’re the opposite--most of us are so rich but we don’t look as happy as you Filipinos!” he told me during dinner at a Chinese restaurant here a few months ago. Just for a bit of courtesy, we didn’t bother to ask one hotel owner why many small hotels chose not to be accredited by tourism authorities. Of course, I’m always cynical, but I think it’s not so much that they hate the regular paperwork needed to keep them in the good graces of government tourism. Maybe, just maybe, many of them don’t want to show the actual occupancy num-

bers to the government that would make them official figures for the Bureau of Internal Revenue auditors to compute how much in taxes they owe the government. That is saying in a rather sticky way, “tax evasion” by small hotel owners who have decided against accreditation to avoid paying the correct taxes for the time being at least, until the cash flow from hotel bookings help them eventually to stand on their own. This is true, especially for new small hotel owners who can’t afford advertising to launch their new hotel businesses. Many foreign tourists who come to enjoy Davao’s tourist spots and exciting destinations don’t want to spend P4,000 a day for a hotel room which limits the number of days they want to spend time in this city. Budget tourists and backpackers can enjoy seven to eight days in Davao if they get a P500 a day room in a small hotel here. The rest of their travel budget will go, of course, to tasting our exotic food delicacies and buying ethnic souvenirs. Most of them, even the very rich, aren’t so keen about such luxury “amenities” as swimming pools, palatial lobbies, bedrooms fit for kings, etc --- all they want is a clean, decent, but cheap room with friendly people all around. They come here not to show off how rich they are and throw money around in a poor country like the Philippines. They came here because “it’s more fun in the Philippines!” […with least “FUNding!”, excuse the pun – the editors] (Comments? Email me : tradingpost_davao@yahoo.com)

Why small hotels shun accreditation

Can we retain privacy in the era of Big Data? OPINION

BY DON TAPSCOTT

RIVACY is nothing if not the freedom to be let alone, to experiment and to make mistakes, to forget and to start anew, to act according to conscience, and to be free from the oppressive scrutiny and opinions of others. It may seem an odd notion today, but in its infancy the Internet was a favorite refuge for many seeking privacy. A famous New Yorkercartoon published almost 20 years ago featured two dogs sitting in front of a computer, with one saying to the other: “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Today such anonymity is essentially non-existent. Practical obscurity – the basis for privacy norms throughout history – is fast disappearing. Our society is collectively creating, storing and communicating information at nearly exponential rates of growth. Most of this data is personally identifiable, and third parties control much of it. This personal data will be archived online forever and be instantly searchable, and few appreciate how many ways this data might be used to harm us. Yes, likely someday there will be norms, laws and practices governing the responsible use of all this data. But practically, these do not exist today. There is little guarantee that personal information you share from social-media sites is locked down or will not be used in ways that harm you. Much of it can be searched and retrieved by anyone on the Internet, including employers, law enforcement officials, public-sector agencies, infomediaries, lawyers, the press and anyone else who may be interested in the data. When this data is assembled into profiles, matched with other information and used to make (automated) judgments about (and decisions affecting) individuals – such as in hiring them or admitting entry, calculating benefits or terms of an offer, or corroborating a claim – then the effects of privacy loss include discrimination, especially if the data is inaccurate. Young people are being denied that dream job simply because they didn’t understand they needed to be careful about what they posted on Facebook. Ninety percent of all employers access young people’s social-media pages when they are considering an application. Seventy percenthave rejected people based on what they found. Some employers demand that job applicants provide socialmedia IDs and passwords as a precondition to hiring. College applicants are being rejected because of their Facebook Newsfeed. Facebook postings have been deemed admissible by courts during litigation. And in some cases privacy settings won’t help – information you have restricted to close friends can be discoverable. Privacy is important to our concept of the self and our relationships with others. Even though the human condition requires connection, we also need to feel confident that we can be alone and unwatched when we want to be. Says privacy advocate Ann Cavoukian: “We are social animals who seek contact with each other, and we benefit from sharing information appropriately. But we also seek moments of solitude, intimacy, quiet, reserve and private reflection. These interests have co-existed for centuries and must continue to do so, for the human condition requires both.” The tension between these needs is a subject of much discussion among psychologists and psychiatrists, described well in Masud R. Khan’s collections of essay entitled The Privacy of the Self. The book discusses our need for living in a community with others but at the same time our want and need to preserve our unique individual selves.

COMMUNITY SENSE

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

NoCot guv receives key to Southfield City

Cotabato Mission to World Medical Relief a Success “A

very successful mission.” This was the gist of the visit of Cotabato Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. Talino-Mendoza at the World Medical Relief headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. “Cotabato province is in the process of upgrading our 8 provincial hospitals and expanding bed capacity to cater and serve the people in this inter-health zone areas,” said Gov. Mendoza during her

visit. “But one of the biggest challenges in this process is the lack of medical equipment and apparatus. We have to look for partners and donors who can help us and the world medical relief has answered our prayers.” added Governor Mendoza. Mr. George V. Samson, President and CEO of the World Medical Relief welcomed and toured them in the headquarters.

In a conference, the officials of the world medical relief has made a commitment to support the noble program of the Governor of Cotabato to improve health services of the province since this is the main reason why the world medical relief was established in 1954. “5 40 footer container van are being prepared by the world medical relief to be shipped to Cotabato province before the end of this year

and a medical mission is also being organized this year to provide free medical services to the people of Cotabato” said Mr. Samson. The Cotabato mission include Cotabato Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. TalinoMendoza, Cong. Raymond Mendoza of partylist TUCP, Dr. Jo Ann M. Pinto and Joey E. Recimilla visited the headquarters of the World Medical Relief last May 5, 2012 based in Detroit, Michigan.

ing palay, was estimated at about P100,000.” Francisco said, they are initially considering giving P1,000 to P5,000 fund aid to affected families. The twister, according to the village official, tore off roofs of houses and uprooted trees. No lives were lost in the incident. Besides Matapol, Barangay Simsiman was also struck by the very strong winds around 3:00 p.m. Monday afternoon, following a heavy downpour. Reports that reached PIA 12, say that at least 19 houses in Barangay Simsiman sustained damages. Norala’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) assured assistance to the affected families once the affected villages have submitted their

reports. Meanwhile, Tupi LGU have also promised assistance to the families affected by flashfloods and landslide that occurred in remote Sitio Tucay-el, Barangay Cebuano also on Monday afternoon. Emil Sumagaysay, disaster coordinator of Tupi MDRRMO, reported that 56 families were affected. One house was totally damaged while 24 other sustained partial damage, several farm animals were also reported lost from the flashflood and landslide in the area. Sumagaysay said, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Mines and Geoscience Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 12, have

already sent personnel to conduct ocular inspection help assess the damage and help the affected villagers. Tupi LGU is also considering declaration of state of calamity for this part of the municipality as well relocation of families in the area to prevent further damages or loss of lives. Assistance is also being prepared by the South Cotabato Provincial DRRMO and the Department of Social Welfare and Development-12 for the affected villages in two municipalities. DSWD 12 Disaster operations focal person Bonifacio Selma said, the department is prepared to extend help to affected families if augmentation to municipal and provincial LGU aid is necessary. (DE-

Norala, Tupi mull ‘state of calamity’

OCAL government officials in Norala and Tupi towns are considering the declaration of state of calamity in their respective towns to be able to immediately extend assistance to families affected byba twister that struck the villages Monday. Chairman Ruben Francisco of Barangay Matapol, Norala said he met with the village council yesterday to decide moves to help the families affected and discuss appropriate measures for recovery. “Six of our seven puroks (sub-villages) were affected by the very strong winds,” Francisco said, affecting at least 43 houses and a chapel. “Based on our initial estimates, damage was valued at P218,000,” he said. “ Damage to crops, includ-

DOGUILES/PIA 12)

ayor Brenda L. Lawrence city of Southfield, Michigan in a simple ceremony welcomed and gave the key to the city to North Cotabato Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. TalinoMendoza during her official visit last May 7, 2012. In a conference, Mayor Brenda Lawrence briefed the governor on the various socio-economic programs and activities and the present industries of the city. She also shared the best practices in governance that include the operation of the best Library in Michigan, the Southfield Public Library.

The Governor’s delegation together with the officials of the World Medical Relief was given a tour to the public library. The Governor has been delighted be to given the opportunity to visit the said library since upgrading and transformation of the provincial library is also one of her priority projects to keep pace with the ongoing technological advancement in the information sector and to fulfill the mission to improve the quality of service that would cater the needs of students and professionals.

Tupi town strengthens disaster preparedness

HE local government of Tupi, South Cotabato is strengthening its disaster preparedness by working on the relocation of informal settlers living in risky areas in the municipality to prevent loss of lives during calamities. According to a report from the local government information center, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC) chaired by Mayor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr. is currently preparing the 2.6-hectare relocation site in Barangay Poblacion that could accommodate at least 288 houses. The MDRRMC, it said, will begin the relocation in June this year with the transfer of some 40 families living along the riverbanks in Tucalabong, Crossing Rubber. “We need to relocate those settlers occupying near the riverbanks to avoid any untoward incidents at the onslaught of the rainy season,” the local government information

Quips

center quoted the mayor as saying. Tamayo appealed to municipal employees as well as other residents of the town to give their voluntary service, especially during weekends, in helping the Municipal Engineering Office build houses in the relocation site through a “bayanihan” system. “Let us help build homes for our homeless town mates; by sharing your time and free labor mean a lot to the less fortunate,” the mayor said. Meanwhile, the municipal government revealed that the housing facility will be offered for free to the beneficiaries. However, it emphasized that recipients cannot own the house and lot as part of the local government’s safety measure to avoid the selling of the said property for monetary reason. “Violating the same would lose their rights over the local government’s housing facility” it said.

‘ALTHOUGH THERE is talk of $10 million, the scope of questioning from the judges would be the entirety of the impeachment. He can’t escape that.’ --Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Chief Justice Renato Corona’s decision to appear before the Impeachment Court.

EDGEDAVAO

Water service interruption slated on May 19-20 R ESIDENTS of Emily Homes in Cabantian will experience temporary water service interruption from 8:00 PM of May 19 until 2:00 AM of May 20. Said water cut is needed to allow the Operations and Maintenance Department crew to tap the newly installed bypass pipeline at the entrance of Emily Homes in Cabantian as part of DCWD’s District Metered Area project. Said project aids in reducing non-rev-

SUBURBIA

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enue water. Davao City Water District acting general manager Edwin V. Regalado apologizes for the inconvenience the water service interruptions may cause and likewise appeals for the understanding and cooperation of the affected customers. Would-be affected customers are advised to store enough water prior to the scheduled water service interruptions as water supply may be

restored earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise. The general public may call the DCWD trunk line at 221-9400 and press “1” on their phone dial to listen to the latest daily water updates, or contact its call center through the 24-hour hotline 221-9412 or 09277988966 for updates, complaints, queries and other matters pertaining to DCWD services. (SYLVIA

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

Medical outreach MAY L. VOSOTROS)

AREA (sq.m.) PRICE/sq.m. 17,940

P2,500

3,831

P1,500

41,408

P800

7,056

P1,200

27,411

P1,000

LOCATION

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

Villa Josefina Resort Village, Dumoy Toril, Davao City

Minimum of 240 sq.m.

P5,985

St. Joseph Homes, Sirawan, Toril,Davao City

Minimum of 150 sq.m.

P3,600

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

HE Kingking Copper-Gold Project (KCGP), conducted medical outreach programs to different barangays in the municipality of Pantukan starting Saturday, April 21. Seen in the photos are volunteer health professionals and beneficiaries of KCGP medical outreach program. The program provides free medical consultation and dental services to the community people. Barangays Magnaga and Bongbong were the first two barangays which benefited the said activity. The program’s objective is to deliver free health services to financially-

constrained community people of Pantukan. KCGP also provides free medicines to those who were diagnosed with ailments. Recipient barangays’ officials were very thankful of KCGP’s drive to improve health of the community. KCGP, led by St. Augustine Gold and Copper Ltd. is currently studying the feasibility of mining the Kingking copper and gold deposit in Pantukan. In connection with this, they have conducted extensive environmental research, community consultations, exploratory drillings and other related studies within the area.

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

PRICE P4.8 M

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 18 - 19, 2012

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Doc...

26 Clark...

FFROM 1 Following her executive check-up, she said the doctor found problems on her hearing and eyesight. However, she said nothing serious was found. “Dili man daw seryoso. Nag-hatag na ug kung unsa ang dapat buhaton ang doctor and I will be following that so that dili mu-grabe iyang present state,” she said. The city mayor added that ‘there’s no reason for Dabawenyos to worry.’ Duterte-Carpio was first seen in public Monday during President Benigno Aquino III’s visit in the city for the People’s Organization’s Congress – Mindanao Rural Development Program which is under the Department of Agriculture, held at the Grand Regal Hotel. Brushing aside her health concerns, Duterte admitted she is highly concerned on the declaration of Chinese ports to implement stricter measures before importing bananas from the

FFROM 1 country – allaying fears of huge losses to the region’s banana growers. Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) last week said that as of as of May 9, a total of P1.44 billion has been lost because of the ‘banana ban’, according to PBGEA president Stephen Antig. “The President said he had directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to take action. I have also talked to DA secretary Proceso Alcala and he said a team from the country will be sent to China,” the city mayor said. Duterte-Carpio also echoed the President’s statement of April 14 to banana growers to “widen their market” and prevent huge losses due to a less diversified market. She also adviced banana producers to comply with the latest and much stricter measures on banana exports set by Chinese port authorities.

Growing...

two to three stars hotels, adding the ones in Clark only have 10 to 15 rooms. “The association of small hotels is very humble. We really feel that there is a potential,” he said. On the second day, they went to the Philippine Eagle Conservation Center in Mintal, and Eden Nature Park in Toril District. Also last Wednesday, nine small hotels in the city formally forged business with Pampanga tour operators in a business-to-business meeting arranged by the city government. Then, they went to a beach resort in Island Garden City of Samal before their flight back to Clark yesterday. To sustain the DavaoClark connectivity launched last March 28 with a sister airport agreement, the two regions will soon sign a tourism pact to increase local tourist traffic. A joint undertaking, they will create tour packages in the city for Kapampangan tourists with the help of Davao City and regional tourism offices, and business sectors, Tiotuico said. The established connectivity between Davao and Clark airports expands the city’s tourism market,

FFROM 7 tific name: Momordica charantia). “Commonly known as ampalaya in the Philippines, researchers refer to it as a vegetable, fruit, or herb,” wrote Frank Murray in his book, Ampalaya: Nature’s Remedy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. “It is indigenous to Asia, but is cultivated around the world, where it goes by almost 90 different names.” Ampalaya can be considered as nature’s answer to diabetes. Almost 100 studies have demonstrated the blood sugar lowering effect of this bitter fruit. Dr. A. Raman and Dr. C. Lau, who reviewed over 150 preclinical and clinical studies on ampalaya’s antidiabetes properties and phytochemistry, concluded that, “Oral administration of fruit juice or seed powder (of bitter melon) causes a reduction in fasting blood glucose and improves glucose tolerance.” In the Philippines, Dr. William Torres, former director of Bureau of Food and Drugs, came up with this conclusion after reviewing several studies done on ampalaya: “Ampalaya fruits, leaves, seeds and other parts, when used as dry powders, extracts, decoctions, fresh or cooled, have clearly demonstrated hypoglycemic activity.”

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Researchers have identified the key compounds present in ampalaya, notably polypeptide-P, a plant insulin found only in the ampalaya. Similar to animal insulin, polypeptide-P lowers elevated blood sugar levels. Dr. Torres maintains that ampalaya, when taken regularly, helps to increase glucose tolerance and “potentiate insulin.” Reader’s Digest’s Rose reports that ampalaya contains high levels of charantin, which increases insulin sensitivity and compounds that activate AMPK, a protein that regulates glucose uptake. “It also has a form of lectin (a sugarbinding protein) that lowers blood glucose and suppresses appetite,” Rose writes. Even ampalaya leaves have some blood sugar lowering effect among diabetics, according to Dr. Eduardo G. Gonzales, of the College of Medicine at De La Salle University. “This effect is noticeable regardless of how the leaves are prepared — boiled then eaten, or in the form of extract, tea, capsule or tablet.” Although it has been found that a serving has a similar effect to a daily dose of the anti-diabetes drug glibenclamide, Dr. Gonzales warneddiabetics not to be “overly enthusiastic in replac-

ing their proprietary medicines with ampalaya teas, capsules or tablets.” As he wrote in his column published in a national daily: “None of the studies so far conducted on ampalaya and diabetes can be labeled conclusive. All were done using a very limited number of human subjects, and most are not controlled.” Dr. Willie T. Ong, author of How to Live Longer, has this caution: “Diabetes experts strongly advise their patients to continue their regular medications and just use ampalaya as a supplement. In serious cases of diabetes, you really need your maintenance medicines.” In terms of nutritional contents, the fruits and leaves of the ampalaya are reportedly rich in minerals and vitamins, notably iron, calcium, phosphorus and Vitamin B. Filipinos prepared ampalaya into various dishes: it can be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. A very popular dish from the Ilocos region is the pinakbet, which consists mainly of ampalaya, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.

EXHANGE STUDENT. UP Mindanao BS Food Technology student Kriza Faye A. Calumba, seen with UP Mindanao Chancellor Gilda Rivero, was selected to be an international exchange student to the National University of Singapore (NUS) under the TF-LEaRN Program (Temasek Foundation Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking Program). Two other UP Mindanao students, Nicole Kathryn Go and Gian Paulo Paglinawan (both taking BA Communication Arts), have also been recommended by the UP System as international exchange students to Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, under the AUN-ACTS Student Exchange Program (ASEAN Universities Network-ASEAN Credit Transfer System). city tourism officer Jason Magnaye said. He said one can only imagine the potential tourism market of the connectivity, adding that there are 25 million potential visitors from North and Central Luzon and 20 million from Mindanao. “This is the first connectivity of Mindanao to Central Luzon,” he added. Tiotuico also cited that Clark has four strategic regions, namely, Central Luzon, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative regions.

Eden Josephine Larano-David, DOT 11 chief tourism operations officer, said Davao is offering them its “islands to highlands” tour packages that are iconic to the Kapampangans, especially students and young professionals. David also mentioned that the recently concluded familiarization trip was primarily a product of the private sectors, while the government acted only as facilitator. In fact, the Small Hotels Association in Davao City provided the guests’ accom-

modation; some tour operators provided plane fares and tour packages. She added that tour packages that will be created will help sustain the flights of Air Asia Philippines between the two destinations. Magnaye said Davao tour operators will also conduct a familiarization trip to Clark by the first week of June, before the rainy season. He added that this will still be subject to discussions among the business sector and tourism offices in Clark.

NATION/WORLD

NATION BRIEFS Concrete rules

Senate committee on Thursday ordered the government to come up with concrete rules on diplomatic immunity following a dismissed rape case against a member of a Panamanian embassy During the Senate committee hearing, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said the department only abided provisions of the Vienna Convention when it issued a certification of immunity to the accused Erick Bairnals Shcks, a member of the administrative and technical staff of the Panamanian embassy.

Admonished

ENATOR-judges admonished impeachment complainant and civil society group leader Harvey Keh for trying to influence the impeachment court. The defense team presented Keh as one of the hostile witnesses after filing a complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona before the Ombudsman seeking investigation on Corona›s alleged unexplained wealth.

Best

INOY-favorite Jollibee was named among the best fastfood chains in the world by international online travel magazine Travel+Leisure. “Fast food gets a Filipino twist at this quick-serve chain, which is so beloved that its mascots star in their own children’s television show,” the online magazine said as it described Jollibee.

For sale

HE three major owners of broadcast company GMA Network will sell their stakes to a buyer that will offer P100 billion for 100 percent of the company. “I will sell for P100 billion, and this includes the 23 percent held by the public. At P100 billion, I will sign with my eyes closed,” GMA chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon said.

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China blind activist G to get his passport

WORLD TODAY

LIND activist Chen Guangcheng said Thursday China had agreed to issue him a passport within 15 days, allowing him to go to the United States, after a bitter row between Beijing and Washington. It was the first indication of when Chen would be allowed to leave the country since he left the US embassy more than two weeks ago after seeking refuge there following his dramatic escape from house arrest. Speaking to AFP by telephone from the hospital where he is being treated, Chen also said authorities had promised to investigate murder charges brought against his nephew that he has said are motivated by revenge for his escape. “Officials visited yesterday, we filled out passport application forms for my myself, my wife and children,” said the 40-year-old legal campaigner, who triggered a diplomatic crisis when he fled to the US embassy last month. “They said the passports should be issued within 15 days,” he added.

DISSIDENT. This file photo, from the US Embassy Beijing Press office, taken on May 2, shows Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng (C), being accompanied by US ambassador to China Gary Locke (2nd R), in Beijing. Chen said

on Thursday China had agreed to issue him a passport within 15 days, allowing him to go to the US, after a bitter row between Beijing and Washington. [AFP]

The couple have a nineyear-old son and a six-yearold daughter. Chen, one of China’s best-known dissidents, has won plaudits for exposing rights abuses including forced sterilisations and late-term abortions under China’s “one-child” family planning policy. Wednesday’s meeting with government officials was his first since May 7, when they told Chen they

were processing papers for him to leave to the United States, where he has been offered fellowships to study law. Chen’s activism earned him a four-year prison sentence that ended in 2010 when he was placed under extra-judicial house arrest in his home village of Dongshigu in the eastern province of Shandong, where he languished until his escape.

His dramatic flight came just days before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Beijing for pre-arranged talks, and made headlines around the world, causing major embarrassment for the Chinese government. As Clinton arrived in China, Chen left the US embassy and was taken by diplomats to a Beijing hospital after Chinese authorities guaranteed his safety.

pion boxer whom the brand has supported since 2008. “Following [U.S. President Barack] Obama’s recent announcement of support for marriage equality, Pacquiao quoted Bible excerpts to state that homosexuals should be put to death: If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their

own heads,” the petition read. Pacquiao was initially quoted as saying marriage “should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of Old.” But in a report on Abscbnnews.com, Pacquiao said he is against same-sex marriage but not against gays. He also denied citing

Leviticus 20:13, which says: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” He said he had not even read the book of Leviticus yet. F i l i p i n o -A m e r i c a n writer Granville Ampong, whose article was the source of reports that Pacquiao cited Leviticus, said he had been misquoted by “biased writers.” “As we see, nowhere in my supposition and integration of my interview with Pacquiao did I mention that Pacquiao recited this Leviticus 20:13 nor did I imply that Pacquiao had quoted such,” he said onExaminer.com. But it has gone out of control. The petition has gained steam. “Nike is a multi-billion dollar industry and [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender] people contribute billions to this company. It is completely unacceptable that such a highprofile company should be sponsoring a boxer who is encouraging violence towards LGBT people. Tell Nike to drop its sponsorship,” the petition read.

Nike urged: Drop Manny Pacquiao as endorser H

UNDREDS of netizens have supported a petition asking sportswear company Nike to drop boxer and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao as an endorser, following his opposition against gay marriage. The petition, initiated by Gay Marriage USA via Change.org, asks Nike to “say ‘no’ to hate speech” by withdrawing its sponsorship of Pacquiao, a cham-

Caretaker

REECE on Thursday named a caretaker cabinet of technocrats tasked with organising the cash-strapped country’s second elections just six weeks after an inconclusive vote sent jitters across the eurozone. The temporary team, led by 67-year-old , the head of Greece’s top administrative court, is made up of mainly prominent university professors, a retired general and a respected diplomat.

Senatorial

RESIDENT Benigno Aquino III night revealed four sure senatorial bets of the ruling Liberal Party in the coming 2013midterm elections. “Well, we have four candidates already that have been decided,” Aquino said during the general assembly of the Joint Alumni Clubs Wharton Alumni, University of Pennsylvania in Makati City.

EDGEDAVAO

NO TO SAME SEX MARRIAGE. Congressman and boxer Manny Pacquiao, and the evening’s guest host, speaks during an interview at the North American premiere

of the Filipino film “The Road” at the Arclight Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles May 9, 2012. [REUTERS]

On track

APAN’S economy grew by a faster-than-expected 1.0 percent in the latest quarter, figures showed on Thursday, as rising domestic demand and a boost in exports kept it on the recovery path. Economy Minister Motohisa Furukawa said the world’s third-biggest economy, hit hard by last year’s quake-tsunami and a surging yen, was likely to see further expansion in April-June, but warned growth could be hampered by turmoil in Europe.

Ready

.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is “fully available”, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms. Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.

Arrested

HILEAN police arrested 70 protesting students late Wednesday as thousands took to the streets of the capital seeking an overhaul of what they call one of the world’s priciest and most unfair education systems. The students, joined by some parents and professors, thronged the Plaza Italia square, following up on more than 40 demonstrations last year against the system which is a legacy of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.

Astronauts

Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and an American on Thursday successfully docked with the International Space Station(ISS), two days after their launch from Earth, officials said. The Soyuz TMA-04M capsule with Russians Gennady Padalka andSergei Revin and American Joseph Acaba on board automatically docked with the ISS at 0436 GMT, Russian mission control said.

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EDGEDAVAO

ARTS & CULTURE

The ties that bind T

HE Davao Museum of History and Ethnography recently launched Davao Kuo: The Abaca, the Japanese and the Making of Davao. The exhibit, held in cooperation with the Consular Office of japan and sponsored by the Embassy of Japan in Manila, looks into Davao society’s ties and Japanese heritage from the development of the abaca plantations during the 1900’s and the decades that followed. Who would have known

that Davao was created into a chartered city in 1936 as a response to the growing socio-economic progress and partly by the Japanese investors who established wide commercial interests in timber, copra, fishing, and trading. We also had to thank the Japanese migrants who shared

cultivation and agriculture technologies that revolutionized Davao’s agriculture. Japanese Consul Kazuhiko Anzai, said that he is delighted to cooperate with the Davao Museum in holding the historical exhibit and he hopes that the exhibit will further strengthen the mutual understanding between Japanese and Dabawenyos through the pictures and artifacts from the period. I am glad that the historic ties that were are still there, and stay strong, much like the abaca fibers that brought the original Japanese people to Davao. The Davao Museum of

History and Ethnography is located at Insular Village, Phase 1, Lanang, Davao City. Those with inquiries or who are interested for tour reservations may contact the Davao Museum of History and Ethnography at (082) 233-1734.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Justin Bieber talks beer, defends Kim Kardashian

JUSTIN Bieber’s sound isn’t the only thing that’s changing as he grows up. The 18-year-old, who recently released the slower jam “Boyfriend,” is transforming more every day from the little guy fans met on YouTube in 2007 into ... a very rich man, albeit still with perfect hair. As Bieber reveals in a new interview with GQ, he’s even (shock of all shocks!) tried alcohol before, although of course he’s under the legal drinking age of both the U.S., where it’s 21, and his native country of Canada, where it’s 19. But, as Bieber insists, he doesn’t get wasted. “For me, it’s just like, I like to be in control of myself,” he tells the magazine. “I mean, I’ve had a beer, like, before … but I never get out of control.” (GQ writer Drew Magary tried to entice Bieber to meet him at an adult ven-

ue such as a bar or a strip club for the interview, but his handlers nixed those ideas and opted for a recording studio instead.) The Biebs has also learned to be disciplined when talking with the media. He rarely says much about his famous girlfriend Selena Gomez, 19, who’s been spotted with him on the red carpet, vacationing in exotic locales, visiting his hometown in Ontario, Canada, and dining out at their favorite restaurant, IHOP. Unfortunately, Bieber remains mum on her in the interview. He did, however, talk about another brunette beauty — Kim Kardashian, who he became friends with after posing alongside her for an Elle photo shoot in 2010. “People say she doesn’t do anything; she actually does do stuff,” Bieber says in defense of

the much-maligned reality star. “She works hard.” Bieber’s had his own share of haters, and he seems to know it. “I mean, I keep my guard up a lot, because you know, you can’t trust anyone in this business,”he notes. “That’s what’s sad.

J. Lo shows off bathing suit body

ON “American Idol,” Jennifer Lopez isn’t shy about showing off her famous figure, wearing an array of form-fitting fashions at the judges’ table each night, but in a new photo spread she takes things a step further by revealing her bathing suit bod! In a series of photos appearing in the June issue of Vogue, the 42-year-old reality TV judge — and mother of 4-year-old twins, Max and Emme — models a variety of swimsuits as captured by famed photographer Mario Testino. In one picture, Lopez, laying on her back in a black bandage Hervé Léger by Max Azria bathing suit, poses poolside. In another, Lopez — who is gearing

up for a tour with Enrique Iglesias this summer — has her hands on her hips while wearing a chest-exposing V halter one-piece by Matthew Zink. Lopez has always been a fashion standout (remember that famous Versace scarf dress at the 2000 Grammys?), but since her estranged husband Marc Anthony filed for divorce last month, she seems to be turning up the sexy. Notably, hours after Anthony made the legal move to end their marriage, Lopez reported to work at “Idol” wearing a skintight leather and mesh bondage dress. Earlier this week, while walking the red carpet with her much younger new beau Casper Smart at the “What

To Expect When You’re Expecting” premiere, she wore a champagne-colored dress with a dangerously plunging neckline and sheer skirt. Earlier today it was announced that Lopez topped Forbes magazine’s Celebrity 100 list. The magazine estimates that “Jenny from the Block” made $52 million in earnings over the last 12 months. Much of her success can be credited to her gig on “Idol,” which “gave her a platform to promote her music and turn her image around,” according to the magazine. Surprisingly, her split from Anthony has actually helped her bottom line as well. Suddenly single, Lopez “lapped up the media attention and scored lucrative endorsement deals.”

You can’t trust anybody. I learned the hard way.” While statements like that make Bieber sound like a true showbiz veteran, his career has been relatively short. His new album Believe, which comes out June 19, is his

third full-length collection of songs, after 2010’s My World 2.0 and November’s holiday album Under the Mistletoe. However, no one is more approving of the Bieber archives than Bieber himself. “I’ve never made a bad song,”

the teen declares. He’s so serious about his work, that a producer even says Bieber doesn’t get his feelings hurt while recording tracks, he “hurts feelings”! When it comes time to reward himself for all that hard work, Bieber is serious about that, too. He recently added a luxury set of wheels to his collection of pricey possessions that already includes the $100,00 electric Fisker Karma he received as a birthday gift from manager Scooter Braun in March. The latest addition is a customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, which sell for at least $36,290 — before the crooner customized it with three TVs, a computer dock, and a recording studio on the passenger side. What expensive toy do you think he’ll buy with the cash from his new album?

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EDGEDAVAO

Summer: EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

It’s more fun in Pearl Farm! By Katherine Kaye Santos

SUMMER became more fun in Pearl Farm Beach Resort as the much anticipated Summer Sunset Chill raised the roof last Friday, May 5, 2012 at the Malipano Island. An array of gastronomically-appetizing food, overflowing booze – drinkall-you-can style, and party-rocking crowd, foreign and locals alike, in their swimsuits and beach attires completed this year’s biggest summer party event. As the sun began to set, a feisty fire dancing and exciting drumbeating set the mood and sizzled the party even more with a fashion show of the crowd’s favorite swimwear brands. The party seemed to never end when Flight 99 band from Davao City began singing pop music and party songs. It played backto-back with live DJ hitting upbeat music mix. All these blended well as if to conspire with the highlight of this ultimate summer event – the foam party! The party crowd went gaga as they basked in the foam, soaked and wet, all in a frantic party mood. The pouring rain surely didn’t dampen the night; instead it added much excitement to the throng of people in all ages who danced and sang nonstop. A stun of fun prizes for the games and beer drinking contest also stimulated the competitive spirit of the partygoers. A lady who flew all the way from Zamboanga to hop in the bash finished her Antonov ladies’ mixed drink first. Another certified beer-drinker from Davao and other 4 male guests proved their abilities to gulp their beer in no time to bring home valuable prizes. Goodies were no ordinary items as Roxy, Quiksilver, DC Shoes, and Beach Hut gave away treats as among the event’s major sponsors. Around a hundred lucky winners also brought home souvenir items from BDO and Pearl

Farm Beach Resort by the end of the night. As much as it started out fiery, the momentum never went low when Sunset Chill ended with a fiery fireworks display that showcased different colors in a great va-

riety of sparkling shapes, which all lit up that summer evening sky. All the guests were so energetic they cheered their way home still in high spirits after the party; but for those who were billeted at

Pearl Farm Beach Resort, the party and fun of this year’s Summer Sunset Chill carried on from sundown to sunrise again. Summer – it’s definitely more fun in Pearl Farm Malipano!

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A4 INdulge! EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

Mayhem on the dancefloor

FOR some people, May 5 is just another day. For others, it marks a very special Holiday: Cinco De Mayo. For Davaoeno partyphiles, it meant another reason to party.

And that was just what we did as we attempted to celebrate a foreign holiday in a familiar way in Confessions of a Partyphile’s Mayhem: The Patron Tequila Cinco de Mayo Party. So what went down during this hot union of sexy people and seductive Tequila? Here’s the dish. Marco Polo Davao, the usual venue for the Confessions of a Partyphile party series, was pimped to look like a Mexican Cantina to celebrate Cinco de Mayo; a Mexican Holiday that was said to turn bad spirits away. I don’t know about turning bad ones away, but it definitely attracted the good kind of spirit; the spirit we enjoy drinking; the spirit we call: Patron Tequila. We all know how good Patron Tequila is, and there is no denying its mass appeal, but to make things even more special, Patron Tequila gave away premium gift items, free bottles of Patron, and was the main ingredient for the free bottomless margaritas that were served the whole night. And because

Marco Polo Davao loves the Partyphile crowd, they even threw in a buffet spread of Fajitas, Tacos, Quesadillas, and other Mexican gustatory faves. To make the party even more exciting, the controversial DJ Gary spewed out some of the most popular Latin/Salsa inspired Dance Music mish-mashed with the hottest of Commercial House. Of course, no Confessions of a Partyphile party would be complete without drinking games. For Mayhem, there were two main games. The first one was pretty simple. The master mixologists made Patron Tequila bombs (four for each of the

three female contestants) which the contestant had to consume. The first one who consumed all four shots won a bottle of gorgeous Patron X.O. This game was won by no other than former VicePresidential daughter Kat de Castro who gamely joined the contest as she enthusiastically dove in to her first Confessions of a Partyphile experience. The second game, Black Out or Get Out, is slowly turning into stuff of legends. Remember, the last time we

played this game, one of the contestants landed straight in the ICU of some hospital. He passed out at the 21st shot. This time however, we threw in extra prizes if the contestant beat the 21 shot record. I cant go into the details of the game but I’d like to say congratulations to Ron (surname withheld by request, because he’s cool that way) for winning Black Out or Get Out and setting a new record of 26 shots. I know, it’s crazy. All in all, Mayhem was definitely an exciting event. Between the Cinco de Mayo vibe and the overflow of Patron; how can it not be? If you missed it, you will just have to keep on guessing. The good news is there’s another Confessions of a Partyphile event happening this June 2 at the poolside of Marco Polo Davao. Be there if you want to end your summer with a bang.

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SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

Tough course out to test riders in Downhill Race A course named aptly as “Devil’s Trail” will test the mettle of the 150 riders out to crowd the hunt for the cash bonanza that await winners in Saturday’s Downhill race of the Davao Summer Games National Mountainbike Challenge. The Devil’s Trail measures 2.6 kilometers of highly technical and aggressive course laid out in Barangay Langub in Maa. “It’s a very technical course. It will surely measure one’s skills in downhill racing,” said Wesley Bangayan, head of the Downhill Race committee of the organizing BONE Mountainbike Club of Davao. Riders will be negotiating a trail that progressively increases in degree of technicality as they go down the course. “The last 500 meters

GAME2. Kevin Durant scored 22 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Davao to host Taekwon-do 8th national championships

[GETTY IMAGES]

Meralco still sans an import T

By Lorie A. Cascaro

wo days before the opening of the seasonending PBA Governors Cup, the Meralco Bolts are still shopping around for an import. They had silently brought in Devin Green, but the former Los Angeles Laker guard didn’t stay long after failing to fit the height ceiling. “He brought with him

Badminton

a doctor’s certification that he’s is 6-foot-5. However, when we measured him informally using the PBA measuring standard, his official height turned out to be 6-6,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio. “Sabi ng mga tao namin di lulusot kahit kayurin ang mga kalyo,” Gregorio added in jest. Green went to the PBA

office for the unofficial measurement when the PBA people, including Gregorio, were in Laoag for the PBA All-Star Week. “Tinago talaga namin. Sayang, hindi naman lumusot sa height limit,” said Gregorio. The Bolts negotiated with Green after their original choice Tim Pickett got injured. Apparently, Pickett is

still being considered. He’s among the imports that suited up with Meralco last season. The rest of the PBA teams are now practicing with their respective imports. Green, 31, played for the Lakers in the 2005-06 campaign before drifting in the European league. He starred for Hampton University in college ball.

es, the Filipino shuttlers are hard-pressed to show their wares in the tournament sponsored by Victor/PCOME, Bingo Bonanza, Sun Cellular and the Philippine Sports Commission. “They should be able to show they are worthy to be in the national team,” said Mainaky, the top-caliber coach who is also conducting a search for new members of the national pool. He said the 20-plus Philippine squad was too small to make a difference in the powerhouse Southeast Asian region. Second seed Andrei Babad was first to wilt under pressure as he suffered a shocking defeat at the hands

of Alex Borromeo of Escoses Training Team. Babad, a long-time member of the national team since his junior days, dropped a 2123, 21-8, 21-9 decision to Borromeo, who advanced against Lawrence Palomer of Babolat Academy. The other national players, however, breezed through the next round of the weeklong tournament, organized and conducted by the Philippine Badminton Association, headed by president and Vice President Jejomar Binay, chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and secretary general Rep. Albee Benitez. The event is also held in honor of former PBA president and now honorary chairman and former First

Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos. Christopher Flores trounced Mark Gregorio, 216, 21-7, for a clash with Robert Aloyan, who ripped Dave Dueves, 21-11, 21-11; Marvin Cudiamat routed Christian Bandialan, 21-11, 21-12, to move up against Jose Lorenzo Yason, who whipped Jay Antonio, 21-11, 21-12. Peter Gabriel Magnaye needed three sets to repulse Antonio Pacupia Jr., 21-19, 15-21, 21-14, for a showdown with Mark Magboo, a 21-10, 16-21, 21-16 winner over Sylvester Cosico; while Joper Escueta made short-work of Anthony Chen, 21-12, 21-8, for a duel with Gen Vincent Fabro, who scored a walkover win Benjude Cajefe. [PNA]

Vivas routs rival but Babad falls

OP seed Paul Vivas clobbered Rusty Rodriguez, 21-10, 21-10, to lead the national players into the third round of the men’s Open singles Wednesday in the Philippine National OpenMing Ramos Youth Camp Badminton Championships at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. Vivas, a veteran of the national team, took just 17 minutes to dispose of his opponent and set up an encounter with fellow Philippine team mainstay Kevin Alfred Dalisay, who advanced with a 21-6, 21-12 rout over Kingsley Go of Escoses Training Camp. With new Indonesian head coach Rexy Mainaky monitoring their performanc-

will determine the winner,” Bangayan said. The Downhill event of the two-day bikefest, organized by the Duaw Davao Festival Foundation in partnership with BONE Mountainbike Club, will have categories in Open/Professional, Elite, Executive, Novice and Juniors. On Sunday, the cross country race will be staged on a 35-kilometer course passing through tough obstacles. “You could get winded out here because it’s a long and tough course,” said Stanley Suarez, head of the cross country race committee. The Mountainbike event is one of the highlights of the ongoing Davao Summer Games, the competition phase of the Davao Summerfest. (NEIL BRAVO)

HE International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF) Taekwon-do Philippines will hold its 8th national championship for the first time in Davao City on May 20 at the NCCC Mall activity center, Matina. Some 100 players are expected to join the competition with delegates from Metro Manila, the cities of Antipolo, Davao, Cebu and Tagum, and one from Vietnam. Bu Sabum Nim Reynaldo “Ryan” Cordero Jr., head instructor of ITF Taekwon-do Davao, said the championships will have kids, teens, and adults divisions for colored and black belts. Patterns competition will be held in the morning while sparring and championships will be in the afternoon. Two teams will join from Davao City under instructors Cordero of the Bagani ITF and Bu Sabum Nim Roberto “Bobby” Sapar of the Kampilan ITF. A first degree black belt, Cordero bagged the champion award during the 6th national championships in Manila. Cordero said Davao teams are positive in winning the upcoming championships as they had prepared enough for the competition. They trained for two and a half months, starting March until last week, including cardiovascular, conditioning, hardening, flexibility and

mental conditioning, said Richard Paul Sapar, red belt of Bagani ITF. Presence of mind is important to win and avoid injuries during the competition, said Cordero, adding that one also needs listen to the coach while playing. All participants will attend a seminar on May 19 with ITF Asian consultant Mariusz Steckiewicz, a sixth degree black belt from Poland. The ITF is founded by General Choi Hong Hi on March 22, 1966 in Korea. Ten years ago, the ITF Philippines in Manila received its international certificate. Sabum Nim Jose Antonio “Jun” Sta. Ana, president of the national governing body, established its Davao chapter on February 8, 2010. Cordero said the martial arts community in Davao has gradually accepted ITF taekwon-do, as its membership expands and it produced three first degree black belts with Cordero (soon to be raised to second degree), Bobby Sapar and Alphard Salatandre of the Maniklad ITF from Tagum City. The Bagani ITF has three branches with Davao Christian Learning Center, Royeca Studio and Dover Lanes. Cordero acknowledged the significant contributions of fellow taekwon-do martial artists Lyra Cordero, Margyle Denis Leparto, Richard Paul Sapar and Junno Hiramis to the club’s impending success and expansion.

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 54 • MAY 18 - 19, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

WELL-STOCKED ARSENAL Makes boosters upbeat

Petron Blaze

LL the pieces have fallen into place, making everybody at Petron Blaze excited for their coming campaign in the PBA Governors Cup that kicks off May 20. Unlike the last three conferences, the Boosters are now well-stocked due to a key acquisition, a good import and the return of some old reliable players, all combining to make them positive their title-retention campaign in the season-ending tourney will go smoothly. “Parang ang dali sa mata ng coach hawakan ang team ngayon,” related coach Ato Agustin, who has conducted practices a week before coming here for the 2012 PBA AllStars Weekend. “Kung minsan nga, parang hindi na kailangan ang coach dahil iyung mga players ko mismo parang kayang kaya na nila mga plays,” added the man before heading back to Manila. There is the seeming reprise of last season, when Petron wound up last after the eliminations in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup and then bounced back big-time by beating heavily favored

Talk N Text in seven games to cop the Governors Cup title. This year, the Boosters wound up ninth in the Commissioner’s Cup. It is on his team having a full complement of players this time that makes Agustin more than upbeat. “Last year and even before that kulang-kulang kami ng tao because of injuries. Ngayon buo ang team,” he stated. The trades that bagged Marcio Lassiter from Powerade and former center Dorian Pena from Barako Bull and the return from injuries of Jay Washington, Dondon Hontiveros and Chris Lutz have further bolstered a Petron crew that already has the likes of Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Joseph Yeo, Denok Miranda and Nonoy Baclao. Lassiter, Lutz and Hontiveros should be of big help in the wings and so should Washington and that tickles Agustin the most. “Before parehong kuwatro (power forward) ang laro nila, but now si JayWash ang nasa tres (small forward) at si Arwind ang kuwatro sa opensa at palit-puwesto sila sa depensa,” related Agustin.