Edge Davao 5 Issue 56

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22 , 2012

www.edgedavao.net

Serving a seamless society

Indulge Page A1

Corrupt councilors

‘They’re not my friends’—Sara

By Jade C. Zaldivar

Science/Environment Page 4

Sports Page 16

D

AVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday admitted she has knowledge of alleged corruption involving city councilors, adding, they are “not my

friends.”

In her first media briefing after several weeks in hiatus last month, Duterte-Carpio

said she knows who are involved in corrupt practices, adding that she even reported what she knew to the Office of the Ombudsman.

“I wouldn’t even call them my friends,” she told the press in her city hall office.

FTHEY’RE, 13

BLEESING OF CENTER. Alex V. Buenaventura, president of One Network Bank, says because of ONB, small people in rural areas can now access to modernized banking during One Network Bank Center Blessing and Annual Stockholders Meeting in Sasa, Davao City on Monday. [LEAN DAVAL, JR.]

ONB has 91 branches in Mindanao, Iloilo

By Lorie A. Cascaro

Follow Us On

n Support for 2013 elections could be withdrawn

C

OMMITTED to deliver modernized banking operations in rural areas, the One Network Bank (ONB) has 86 branches in Mindanao, and five in Iloilo, ONB president Alex V. Buenaventura said yesterday during the

n Some children also perform low grades in school, become computer game addicts opening ceremony of the ONB seven-storey corporate center building in Sasa, Davao City.

“Small people in rural areas now have access to modernized banking,” he said, adding

that half of ONB branches in Mindanao are in areas where there are no rural banks.

The Consunji-led ONB is among the first rural banks in the Philippines to offer automated teller machines (ATM) and point-of-sale terminals in the countryside.

ONB has 370,000 card holders for 120

FONB, 13

2

THE BIG NEWS

Pre-election season

Sara says she’ll not resign before election

By Jade C. Zaldivar

n Says she’s split be-

ARA Duterte-Carpio yesterday dismissed rumors that she’ll be resigning from her post as Davao City Mayor.

She said this in response to speculation that she will be resigning to give way to her father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

“I will not resign. That will be a disservice sa mga tao nga niboto sa akoa,” she said during a press briefing inside her office.

“Kinsa man tong gusto mu-mayor muhulat sila.

Kung kinsa man ang mudaog,” she added.

Asked whether her three-week vacation from office had made her reach a decision on whether to run for public office in the 2013 elections, Duterte-Carpio replied she’s still “split” on the issue.

“Seriously, natunga ko kung mudagan ba o dili. Ang akoa lang is ang gasto (Seriously, I am split whether to run or not. My concern is the expense involved,” she said.

The younger Duterte said she spent P1.3 million her own personal money to finance her candidacy in the 2010 local election.

“Dili gyud na mubaba ug P1 million. Katong sa akoa ang nagasto was P1.3 million. Gikan to sa akong father-in-law, sa akong mama…dili pa apil ang gasto ni mayor ug gasto namo as a group,” she said.

Sara admits that if she

decides to run for a position, she’d need more funds for the city’s first district where there is “a strong opponent” referring to the Duterte’s political rival the Nograleses.

“Mas gastos talaga pag nan-diyan tayo sa first district. Siyempre, I’m sure naa gyuy mudaggan pagkamayor (sa ila) so mu-gasto gihapon ta dinha,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio also said she has no problem as to what position she’ll be running for.

“Mag-mayor man, vice mayor, or congress dili kana ang problema. These are jobs I think I can do with my capabilities,” she said.

Hugpong line-up The Duterte’s aggrupation of supporters, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (Hugpong), has not yet convened, Duterte-Carpio said.

“Sa amoa, sa Hugpong, wala pay line-up. Wala pa mi discussion kung kinsa ni nga position, kay kinsa na nga position. Hilom lang,” she said.

“Nothing is final until we see the certificate of candidacy. Tanan man libre, tanan libre mudagan,” she added.

The city mayor added that Hugpong, which has filed its application to become a political party, will be forming an executive committee to decide on their line-up.

S

tween running, or not

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Suicide, or rape with murder?

Family sees foul play in Gamale’s death

By Lorie A. Cascaro

T

HE mysterious death last May 11 in Singapore of Apple Gamale, a 23-year old caregiver from Ilangay, Lupon, Davao Oriental, may have been the result of foul play, according to her elder brother, Rey Gamale who, together with Migrante International – Davao City chapter, attended a press conference yesterday at the office of Center for Overseas Workers, Davao City.

“There is a big possibility that our sister was raped or abused before she died,” Gamale said,adding that when they washed Apple’s body, they discovered bruises in the area near her eye and genital, although there was no sign of any bone fracture or major damage to the skull.

“If, indeed, she committed suicide by jumping off the building, she could have fractured some of her bones. But, does one have to be hurt in the genital area after jumping off a building?” he said in the dialect.

One major question that her family raised was how Apple was able to jump from

WAS SHE RAPED. Rey Gamale, Apple’s brother, shows a photo of the buildings where she worked and died in Singapore, saying that there is a big possibility that Apple was raped. her employer’s room on the Li-Ching (wife) or her hus- when she went there to sixth floor to the fourth band, Dr. Paul Ling Kah work? Being a strong womfloor of another an adjacent Hing, fetched Apple from an, there’s a big possibility building #22 Newton Road, her agency on May 9. that she fought back against This is so because Apple her aattacker.”

Singapore.

Lani Oñada, case officer was reported missing on Autopsy of Migrante –Davao, said, May 10, and was found dead Gamale mentioned that a based on data they gathered on May 11. Whether or not certain Ed Sison of the Philsince Apple’s body arrived she actually arrived at her ippine Embassy in Singapore in the city, they believe she employers’ house remains a told them that Apple’s death mystery. did not commit suicide. was due to suicide even Apple was directly before the hospital had reOñada said they have yet to know which of her hired by the couple through leased her death certificate. employers, either Dr. Chew a certain Lorena Mejos who He said Sison could have formerly worked for the told them to wait for the hoscouple; and facilitated by pital’s report rather than to the Green World Placement hastily conclude it was a case by the pension fund.”

Services in Quezon City, a lo- of suicide.

Manampan said that in cal partner of JDM ManageAlong with Migrante, GaRegion 11, only two schools are male family is pushing for associated with GSIS’ scholar- ment Services. ship grant.

Mejos, Apple’s niece, the Philippine government “These are the Ateneo de also an overseas Filipino to initiate its own investigaDavao University and the University of Mindanao, both in worker (OFW), who facili- tion on Apple’s death.

Davao City,” he said. tated the return of her body They want her body be Manampan said a scholar to the country, said she was autopsied, as part of their of the program “will be entitled able to chat through Face- own investigation.

F9 GSIS, 13 book with another OFW The local government of working near the area of Lupon, Davao Oriental signiApple’s death. fied its willingness to finance Mejos told Gamale’s the expenses if the Departfamily that Apple’s body ment of Justice (DOJ) would was found in a building request it. next to where she worked, Oñada said it would take and that jumping from one time to reach out to the DOJ building to another with a whoch is based in in Manila. wall in between is not pos“What is preferable is to sible. ask for a recommendation Almost in tears, Gamale from the Department of Fortold reporters, “Our sister eign Affairs (DFA) instead,” was still single. She wouldn’t she added. The family wanbe homesick so soon after mts that autopsy to be done arrival in Singapore. Why before her burial scheduled would she commit suicide on May 24.

9 GSIS college grants available to R11 members

N

INE college scholarship grants are being offered to children of government employees within the Davao region.

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for Region 11 general manager Diety Manampan yesterday said this is out of 200 slots offered by GSIS nationwide.

“The GSIS will accept

n 20,000 apply for

educational sistance

as-

scholarship nominees from members with Salary Grade 24 (P20,823,00) or below, with the nominee of parents with the lowest salary grades will be given priority in the scholarship

grant,” Manampan said during Kapihan sa SM press conference at SM City Mall yesterday.

Although government employees with low income are given priority, the selection is made narrower as “the nominee or the child of the GSIS member should be already enrolled as an incoming freshman accepted in schools identified

Quips

‘ENVIRONMENTAL degradation can be placed in a higher category than any of the usual suspects such the New People’s Army, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf.’

NEW CENTER. Fredesvinda Consunji, center, cuts the ribbon to signal the opening of the new One Network Bank Center in Sasa, Davao City on Monday. Assisting her are Victor A. Consunji, chairman of ONB board, left, and Alex V. Buenaventura, president of ONB. [LEAN DAVAL, JR.]

--Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss III, retired Air Force commander, on the biggest threats to the country.

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

GPH peace panel to hold dialogues

A

FTER more than 70 public consultations in the past few months, the government peace panel will conduct more dialogues with stakeholders in Mindanao before the resumption of exploratory talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) set in Kuala Lumpur late this month.

Marvic Leonen, chair of the government peace panel, said on Monday a survey is also being conducted to feel the pulse of different sectors in southern Philippines on their views and opinions about the peace process.

The government peace panel had just held public consultation in Zamboanga City over the weekend.

Leonen assured the people that that the government is exercising “due diligence” in its negotiation with the MILF as issues are expected to become more difficult in the forthcoming negotiations.

The panel chair said that the government is carefully examining substantive issues, particularly legal aspects such as the creation of a new political autonomous entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the power-sharing

and wealth-sharing that are contained in the Decision Points on Principles signed by both parties during the 27th formal exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur last month.

The consultation in Zamboanga City was attended by civil society, business groups, security sector and the media.

During the dialogue, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles explained the GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles which contains 10 common stand points mutually identified by both parties to serve as a framework for the final peace agreement.

Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat attended the consultation.

Leonen reiterated that the peace negotiation with the MILF is conducted within the framework of the Constitution.

He said the creation of a new political autonomous entity is allowed as stated in Article 10, Sections 15 to 22 of the Constitution.

Section 15 states that “there shall be created autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao…(in) areas sharing common and distinctive

FGPH, 13

UN says the Philippines’ shabu abuse rate highest in East Asia

A

lawmaker has called for a congressional probe into the report of the United Nations World Drug Report placing Filipinos as the leading shabu users in East Asia.

“This is a serious matter that we must face head on. Even if the rating may not be that accurate, this matter must be looked into,” said Rep. Winston Castelo (2nd District, Quezon City), author of House Resolution 2331.

Castelo said the 2011 United Nations World Drug Report says that the Philippines is seen in the world map as having the highest rate of shabu abuse in East Asia with 2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 using the illegal drug.

Castelo also cited a report by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) from January to October 2011 that police authorities seized 250 kilograms of shabu worth $68 million equivalent to P2.92 billion, confiscated 818 kilograms of marijuana, 17,222 grams of cocaine, 960 tablets of Ecstacy worth $17.4 million, $2 million and $26,790, respectively.

The UN World Drug Report also stated that out of 9,850 drug operations,

8,491 suspects were arrested and 9,995 cases were filed in court, thus accounting for almost 30 percent of pending court cases in the National Capital Region alone as drugrelated and therefore poses a major challenge in prosecution.

Castelo said the primary organizers and financiers of shabu trafficking are still Chinese organized crime groups and the West African Drug Syndicate (WADS) operating Northern Luzon and other Southeast Asian countries.

“It is high time for a multi-sectoral probe cum dialogue to run a so-called SWOT Analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats Analaysis) to better understand the seriousness of this drug trafficking problem and thereby prescribe new policy guidelines especially focused against organized international drug or crime syndicates operating in the country,” Castelo said.

“The growing sophistication in the operations of drug syndicates also dictates that the State counter their operations with even more vigorous and equally sophisticated means, backed up by appropriate policies and statutes,” Castelo said.

3

SAKAY NA! Participants in the exciting Downhill race of the Davao Summer Games National Mountain Bike Challenge take the ride up to the starting gate at Devil’s Trail in Maa. The two-day bikefest attracted 300 downhill and cross country bikers from all over the country.

PHL’s maritime capability to get boost with arrival of newest frigate from US

T

HE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday said the country’s “maritime domain awareness” will be greatly boosted with the turnover of the frigate USS Dallas (BRP Ramon Alcaraz) to the Philippine Navy this week.

To be present in the turnover ceremony at Charleston, South Carolina on May 22 (U.S. time) are AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa and Philippine Fleet commander Rear Admiral Jose Luis Alano.

“This will provide us with more maritime assets to patrol our borders.

This will allow us to go after poachers, pirates, drug smugglers and other elements who may violate our sovereignty in going about their unlawful business,” AFP spokesperson Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr.

said.

Burgos also said that a third Hamilton-class cutter is also in the works as Filipino and U.S. officials are in the midst of talks regarding the ship’s possible transfer to the PN. “The crewmen who will be manning our ship are now at the U.S. undergoing training on how to efficiently operate our newest frigate,” he added.

The AFP spokesperson explained that the new ships for the PN, aircraft and helicopters for the Philippine Air Force and modern weaponry and communication equipment for the Philippine Army are part of the country’s gradual shift to territorial defense.

This is in line with the AFP’s efforts to build a credible defense force whose sole task is to protect the country from internal and external attack,

he said.

“BRP Ramon Alcaraz” was named after after the World War II hero who commanded one of the country’s three motor torpedo boats.

Incidentally, his command was named “Abra” (Q-112), a British-built naval craft measuring 55 feet long and armed with two torpedo tubes and four .50 caliber machines guns.

Together with his “Abra” crewmen, Alcaraz shot down three of the nine attacking Japanese Zero fighters in the middle of Manila Bay sometime in April of 1942.

When Corregidor fell on May 6, 1942, Alcaraz became a prisoner-ofwar in Japanese-controlled camp in Malolos, Bulacan, where he gained much renown and respect for doing the best he could for his fellow

captives.

Alcaraz survived Japanese captivity and resumed his career at the PN and eventually became its ranking officer, reaching the rank of commodore in 1966.

The BRP Ramon Alcaraz has a displacement of 3,250 tons, a length of 378 feet, a beam of 43 feet, and draft of 15 feet.

Its propulsion system consists of two diesel engines and two gas turbines, giving it a top speed of 29 knots.

BRP Ramon Alcaraz has a range of 14,000 miles and capability of patrolling for 45 days.

It has a complement of 167 personnel and is armed with a 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon and various closed-in weapon systems.

The ship is also fitted with modern sensor equipment. (PNA)

and the officials of local government units will be invited during the inquiry to shed light on the matter.

“There has been numerous news aired and printed on cases of rape and lascivious behavior, with young people as victims to have been influenced by smut publications because newspapers and magazines are easily accessible to anyone anywhere in the country,” Palmones said.

Palmones said the government should start paying attention to the proliferation of smut publications and eradicate it permanently.

Palmones said mass media particularly print, has been accepted to play a crucial role in the thinking and in the attitude of society, particularly the young people.

“The State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation building. It is the

obligation of the State to promote and protect the physical, moral, spiritual and social well being of the youth,” Palmones said.

Palmones said it is the duty of the State to safeguard the morality of society, especially the youth, against obscene and indecent materials.

Lawmaker seeks probe on proliferation of smut tabloids A

party-list lawmaker has called for a congressional inquiry on the proliferation of smut tabloids and publications in Metro Manila.

Rep. Angelo Palmones (Party-list, AGHAM) filed House Resolution 2358 urging the House Committee on Public Information to conduct and investigation on the publication of smut tabloids which are being sold in newsstands.

Palmones urged the house body to invite media organizations, publishers, and the representatives of the academe.

Likewise, Palmones said the police authorities

Quips

‘THE HIGH prices of livestock and other fresh produce is largely blamed on lack of logistics like roads and transport –that it has become cheaper to import than to haul fresh produce from Mindanao to Metro manila.’

--Sen. Ralph Recto

4

SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Where have all our sea cucumbers gone?

By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

W

ITH more and more people now inhabiting the world, the law of supply and demand needs not to be explained anymore. This is particularly true in the case of sea cucumbers, which are found in shallow waters inhabiting wide seagrass beds, soft bottom areas, and coral reefs.

There is a huge demand for these homely undersea animals around the world known scientifically as Holothuroidea. Across Asia, sea cucumbers have long been a staple in peoples’ diets, mainly in soups, stews, and stir-fries. They are fast gaining recognition among European chefs.

As demand continues to escalate, the supply dwindles -- to the extent that their population is now in jeopardy.

Sea cucumber stocks are under intense fishing pressure throughout the world, according to a recent report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Most high value commercial species have been depleted.

In Asia and the Pacific, the most sought-after species are largely depleted. The region generates some 20,000 to 40,000 tons per year, which are exported to China and other Asian markets. Most of them come from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

“The fast pace of development of sea cucumber fisheries to supply growing international demand is placing most fisheries and many sea cucumber species at risk,” pointed out the FAO report, Sea Cucumbers: A Global Review of Fisheries and Trade.

After Indonesia, the Philippines is the world’s second largest exporter of dried sea cucumbers. The price rate of dried commodity in the United States is from US$180 to US$250 per kilogram.

Sea cucumber is not popular among Filipino

consumers. It is usually an ingredient in preparing mixed seafood and hoto-taydishes popular in regular Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, the ingredient is unknown to many Sea cucumbers are utilized almost exclusively as an export commodity. This huge export make the population of sea cucumbers in the country to decline significantly. “Yes, we used to have a lot of sea cucumbers in our coastal areas,” admits Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former executive director of the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

“They have been depleted because of over-harvesting.”

But the good news is: There are now on-going projects for the artificial breeding and culture of sea cucumbers being conducted by the Marine Science Institute (MSI) of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Bolinao, Pangasinan. In Mindanao, the UP is also conducting pond culture of sea cucumber in Davao City, in cooperation with a private entity, the Alson Aquaculture.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has recently established the country’s first-ever commercial hatchery for sea cucumber to enhance massive raising of the commodity nationwide. The hatchery produces 60,000 “juvenile” sea cucumbers every month, which can be distributed to farmers who are interested in culturing them in fish ponds, or for sea ranching (stocking them in a designated space in the sea for gathering later) “Sea cucumber is a good material for sea ranching because, based on its behavior, it can travel just one to two meters a day and about one kilometer a year,” the BFAR said in a statement.

The mortality rate

of cultured juveniles is high. But once they weigh 20 grams and placed in the seafloor or in ponds, the survival rate is almost 100 percent, according to Dr. Westly Rosario, executive director of the BFAR’s National Fisheries Research Development Institute.

In a recent report, Northern Luzon correspondent Yolanda Fuertes wrote: “Aside from the initial cost of the juvenile sea cucumbers (P5 each), they are not fed commercial food, depending only on organic matter in the culture pond for nourishment (salinity should be at least 20 parts per thousand) or the sea tidal flats which are their natural habitats.”

Dr. Guerrero said that sea farming of sea cucumbers “can be a profitable and environmentallyfriendly livelihood industry for coastal communities.” The PCAMRD, a line agency of the Department of Science and Technology, is supporting such kind of projects.

A study conducted at BFAR showed that it takes six months for the sea cucumber to reach 250 grams, the desired weight in the export market. One hectare of fishpond can accommodate 10,000 sea cucumbers. This means that after six months, a

farmer can harvest at least 2.5 tons.

But before they can be exported, they have to be dried first – shrunk to about 10 percent of their live weight. So, the marketable harvest would only be 250 kilograms. At P4,000 per kilogram, the farmer earns a whooping P1 million from his one-hectare pond in six months.

But sea cucumbers are not the only commodity that can be raised in the pond. Dr. Rosario was quoted as saying by Fuertes: “(Sea cucumbers) can be cultured together with vannamei or Pacific white shrimps. They can also be alternated with white shrimps (in a process) similar to crop rotation. After the harvest of the shrimps, sea cucumbers can be cultured and they will at the organic matter and impurities in the pond.”

Or as Dr. Guerrero puts it: “Sea cucumbers can be used for cleaning up the sea bottom in areas where fish cages are found because of their detritusfeeding habit.

The BFAR identified the following areas as most feasible for raising sea cucumber: Pangasinan, particularly Bolinao and the Hundred Islands; Zambales, Palawan and Sulu archipelago which are rocky and sandy. It added that over 60 coastal municipalities in 14 regions of the country depend on sea cucumber fishery for livelihood.

The Philippines is home to 100 species of balatan (as sea cucumbers are called), of which 31 are commercially important.

However, BFAR is only breeding the Holothuria scabra species (sandfish) because it is the easiest to culture, very meaty and commands a high price abroad.

“There is a big export market for sea cucumbers particularly for Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan,” Dr. Guerrero claims.

Mostly, sea cucumber is used as a delicacy. An ideal tonic food, it is higher in protein (at 55%) than most any other food except egg whites (at 99%). It is lower in fat than most other foods.

Sea cucumber is highly prized as an ingredient in haute cuisine.

Whole bêche-de-mer – as it is known among French – can be stuffed with a filling of pork, cornstarch and chopped fried fish. The Chinese poach the sea cukes, smother them in a thick sauce of garlic, ginger, onion and soy sauce and call them hai sum.

Aside from their use in cooking, there’s also an emerging market for the use of sea cucumbers in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

According to analysis by principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the sea cucumber nourishes the blood and vital essence, tonifies kidney (treats disorders of the kidney system, including reproductive organs), and moistens dryness (especially of the intestines). It has a salty quality and warming nature.

Common medicinal uses of sea cucumber in China include treating: weakness, impotence, debility of the aged, constipation due to intestinal dryness, and frequent urination.

Some species of sea cucumbers are believed

to be endowed with aphrodisiac powers. The reason for this belief is the peculiar reaction of the creature on being kneaded or disturbed slightly with fingers. It swells and stiffens and a jet of water is released from one end.

This behavior is similar to the erection and subsequent ejaculation of the male sexual organ.

Sea cucumbers, although they can be pickled, are not cucumbers at all. Rather they are a form of echinoderm along with starfish and sea urchins.

A remarkable feature of these marine animals is the catch collagen that forms their body wall.

This can be loosened and tightened at will and if the animal wants to squeeze through a small gap it can essentially liquefy its body and pour into the space. To keep itself safe in these crevices and cracks the sea cucumbers hooks up all its collagen fibers to make its body firm again.

In particular, these creatures have the remarkable ability to live for months, often up to half a year, without feeding. It is very common for these creatures to be introduced into a system that can’t support them. Once it is hungry and not feed, it slowly shrink as it digests its own body mass to survive.

According to marine science, most sea cucumbers reproduce by releasing sperm and ova into the ocean water. Depending on conditions, one organism can produce thousands of gametes.

Quips

‘WHILE strengthening the Amla (Anti Money Laundering Act) as anti-graft mechanism is well and good, there is still the responsibility on our part o install safeguards or protocols within it to protect ou citizens from possible abuse.’

--Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano

5 Aboitiz to power off-grid communities

EDGEDAVAO

Stat Watch

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

3.5% 4th Qtr 2011

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

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

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

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

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

P 43.65 Dec 2011

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

3,999.7 Sept 2011

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

128.1 Jan 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.9 Jan 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Dec 2011

16. Visitor Arrivals

284,040 Sept 2011

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

19.1% Oct 2011

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

6.4% Oct 2011

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

A

BOITIZ Power Corp. through wholly-owned subsidiary AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI) and the Aboitiz Foundation signed a partnership agreement with the Hapinoy Community Store Program, represented by its managing company MicroVentures Inc. (MVI), to energize households in off-grid communities.

In a statement, Aboitiz Power said the company expect to meet its goal by utilizing and installing innovative Solar Lamp Lease-to-Own Models in Laguna, where AboitizPower’s geothermal plant facilities are located.

Under a memorandum of agreement (MOA), Aboitiz Power and the Aboitiz Foundation will provide the seed fund for the implementation of the rural electrification pilot program for six months upon signing of the agreement. The research project will be used to develop a sustainable business model that can be scalable to other

underserved areas.

Hapinoy, as the recipient of the seed fund, will act as the project leader and coordinator between Aboitiz Power, the Foundation and their partner in the implementation, which is the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Aboitiz Foundation president Jon Ramon Aboitiz said the partnership’s objective was to conduct research, develop and pilot a sustainable model for bringing energy solutions to marginalized areas with limited or no access to formal grid power.

“This agreement reflects the Aboitiz Group’s continuing commitment to empower communities that we serve,” Aboitiz said.

Aboitiz signed the MOA together with APRI senior vice president for Corporate Services Juan Felipe Alfonso, MVI president Mark Ruiz, and Micro Ventures Foundation, Inc. president Bam Aquino IV. “This project will help us

2011

2010

2009

Average December November October September August July June May April March

43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52

45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74

47.637 46.421

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

PAID UNDER PROTEST. Before paying, a consumer displays his electric bill, which is marked “PAID UNDER PROTEST” to show

his support for the protest versus the high electric rates in the city. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services.

Aboitiz Foundation addresses social and economic development needs of less privileged communities and members of society in areas where Aboitiz companies operate.

The Foundation acts primarily through chosen programs in education, enterprise development, primary health and child care, and the environment, in order to improve the quality of life of its beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Hapinoy Store Program partners with sari-sari stores (sari-sari is the Filipino word meaning various kinds), small neighborhood stores that sell daily needs, mostly basic commodities.

Hapinoy is managed by MicroVentures who aspires to be the leading partners of micro entrepreneurs in the Philippines. In so doing, MVI leverages micro financing as a powerful tool to empower socially and economically challenged families.

Loyola Plans inks deal with 5 corporate accounts

L

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

develop an innovative and sustainable model in bringing solar energy solutions that we wish to replicate across the Hapinoy Store network,” said Ruiz.

MVI’s Hapinoy Store will be equipped with a solar charging panel, by which all the solar lamps can be charged and rented out on a daily basis to neighboring households.

“We are extremely excited about Hapinoy’s partnership with Aboitiz Power and Aboitiz Foundation that will bring essential light to poor communities in the countryside,” said Aquino.

Solar electrification for remote communities is part of the sustainability advocacy of the Aboitiz Group that seeks to promote and advocate the use of renewable energy. The solar technology will light up rural areas, and improve their general well-being, and in consequence achieve a balance of people, profit and planet.

Aboitiz Power is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s

OYOLA Plans Consolidated Inc., one of the biggest insurance companies in the country, will sign a memorandum of agreement with five new corporate accounts Saturday as it strengthens its sales force.

To lead the activity of the 43year old company will be Elias D. Micael III, its senior vice president for sales and marketing.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement with new clients, which will be held at Safari Grill along Torres St., will allow the company to strengthen its position in the insurance industry.

Micael will also lead the 80-strong sales force who will attend the launching of the company’s new microinsurance products intended to protect designed for the mass market who will get more values to their investments as these are designed to provide a guaranteed benefit to the clients.

Other parts of the daylong activity will be the launching of the national awards, holding of product trainings and a fellowship.

This year, the company, which has “Gives” as its tagline, is guided by its battlecry of “evolving through innovations.”

Among these innovations is its partnering with more payment centers for payment options to its ever-growing cliente.

The list of these payment centers include outlets of M. Lhuillier’s ML Kwarta Padala, SM Payment

Centers and Hypermart, Banco de Oro, Metro Bank, Megalink automated teller machines, Union Bank, East West Bank, United Coconut Planters Bank, Security Bank, Philippine National Bank.

Payments can also be autodebited from the clients’ credit card and automated teller machine cards depending on the arrangement with Loyola’s head office and regional offices.

The Puyat-led company, awarded with super brand status since 2010, has been looking for more sales agents as it continues to grow its markets with new product.

Founded in 1968 by the late senator Gil J. Puyat, the company has continued to innovate and offer new products to its clients, proving its leadership in the industry.

Last year, the company launched its Loyola Life Plan Memorial Service Benefit, a product that was the first to be approved y the Insurance Commission.

This product “was designed and conceptualized to be the first type of plan which has no maximum age limit for planholders who come from all walks of life,” the company briefer said. Aside from having no age limit, this product “has a non-forfeiture value which assures the planholder that the memorial service package shall always be there when they need it and where they need it.”

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

DA to fight for PHL bananas

New quarantine protocol to be presented to Chinese counterpart

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HE government is set to send to China a team of experts from the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) led

by Director Clarito Barron to present the Philippines’ plant quarantine protocols, as well as coordinate and validate with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing that Philippine bananas are of export quality and free from insects.

“We want to make sure that Philippine bananas exported to China are free from insects,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, after meeting with banana growers in Davao, at the sidelines of a People’s Organizations Congress, sponsored by the DA’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

President Benigno S. Aquino III keynoted the event on March 14, 2012, attended by 1,500

farmers, fisherfolk, rural women, and indigenous peoples, who are recipients of DA-MRDP livelihood projects.

“We will also invite Chinese quarantine officials to visit the Philippines, particularly banana farms in Davao, and see for themselves their respective processing and packing operations,” the DA chief said.

For his part, Dir. Barron said they will go to China anytime this week to convince their Chinese agriculture and quarantine officials that Philippine bananas pass through rigid procedures which conform to international standards.

“We will meet with them to reiterate that bananas imported from our country underwent proper procedures from production to processing, including washing, sorting, and packaging,” Bar-

ron said.

Secretary Alcala urged banana growers and exporters to “police their ranks” by strictly observing international standard protocols to ensure that their products are world-class and free from insects, diseases, and other contaminants.

Early in March 2012, Chinese agriculture officials withheld a total of 150 40-foot container vans of bananas on two separate occasions, as they reportedly found the bananas were infested with Aonidiella compere or scale insect, said Dir. Barron.

“The species found, however, are more common in coconuts and not in bananas,” the DA-BPI chief said.

Chinese quarantine officials are currently conducting a 100% inspection of Philippine bananas, exports follow-

ing the discovery of scale insects. The stringent measures were later extended to pineapples and papayas.

With this development, banana growers claim they have incurred losses of about $236,000 or almost P1 billion.

The DA chief also instructed Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service Director Leandro Gazmin to explore other export markets like the Middle East and Singapore, and expand Japanese market.

After Japan, China is the second-largest market for banana which contributes about 24 percent to the country’s total agricultural exports. As the fifth-largest export today, the local banana industry earns about $720 million a year and directly employs some 240,000 workers. (Oda Rodriguez, DA Information Service).

the Philippines’ development priorities, including jobs, health and education.

“Jobs, health, education, and governance remain as top concerns of Philippine development efforts, and we see them in USAID’s proposed strategy. We are grateful that the USAID advanced the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, which calls on developing nations to exercise leadership over their development priorities for more harmonized, transparent and effective actions,” Tungpalan said.

The proposed new USAID strategy also supports President Obama’s new policy on global development which calls for a new approach on how the U.S. will implement development assistance, the U.S. embassy in Manila noted.

In support of this vision, the Agency launched USAID Forward, an ambi-

tious reform effort that changes the way USAID does business through new partnerships, and puts an emphasis on innovation and a relentless focus on results.

“It is good to note that Secretary Hillary Clinton, at the Busan Fourth High Level Forum on

Aid Effectiveness, talked about how country-led development will lead to sustainable growth. We are interested in knowing more about how the USAID proposed strategy will be implemented and we will work with USAID in carrying it out,” said Tungpalan. (PNA)

USAID to align with country’s development plan

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ANILA and Washington reviewed last week the achievements of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Philippines over the past three years and discussed the aid agency’s proposed Country Development Cooperation Strategy for 2012-2016.

The review was done during the high-level bilateral consultations led

by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Deputy DirectorGeneral Rolando G. Tungpalan and USAID/Philippines Mission Director Gloria D. Steele.

“We are aligning this new strategy with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) for 2011 to 2016, which fleshes out President Aquino’s Social Contract with the Filipino people,” Steele said.

Tungpalan thanked USAID/Philippines for aligning its proposed Country Development Cooperation Strategy with

It figures

P7.54 trillion

TOTAL resources of Philippine banks in February, up 6.8 percent from P7.06 trillion in the same month last year, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The rise in the banking sector’s resources –which include deposits, retained earnings and capital –may trigger an increase in lending, something the economy needs this year to accelerate growth following last year’s slowdown.

PDIC, BSP new program to strengthen rural banks

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HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) have approved an enhanced version of the Strengthening Program for Rural Banks (SPRB) to encourage faster consolidation in the banking industry especially of small subscale banks. Labeled as the Strengthening Program for Rural Banks Plus (SPRB Plus), the program expands the original SPRB to include strong and well-managed thrift banks and commercial banks as among eligible Strategic Third Party Investor (STPI) or so-called “white knights” entitled to incentives when investing in problematic countryside based banks. This program is envisioned to further strengthen the rural banking system, boost confidence, and improve the delivery of financial services to rural communities.

The SPRB Plus is the second enhancement of the SPRB. Previously, SPRB Module II or the Strengthening Program for Cooperative Banks (SPCB) was launched in November 2011 to strengthen cooperative banks.

SPRB Plus offers a variety of financial and regulatory relief and incentives to improve the prospects for success of new banking partnerships. Fi-

nancial assistance may be granted by PDIC to augment capital shortfalls and attract new investors.

BSP has also put on the table an expanded package of regulatory relief and branching incentives for commercial, thrift and rural bank that step forward as white knights.

In the original SPRB, only strong rural banks were allowed to act as white knights of other rural banks and with a more limited incentive package.

The SPRB Plus expects eligible STPIs not only to sustain and strengthen the financial condition of resulting banks but also to improve their quality of corporate governance and management. Both BSP and PDIC have received strong expressions of interest from a number of players in the industry to take part in the SPRB Plus indicating the strong buy-in of the banking sector to strengthen the system.

As of March 2012, PDIC has received 17 applications for the current SPRB involving 31 rural banks. Four of these applications have been approved by the PDIC Board and two are in process.

For the SPCB, 24 out of 40 cooperative banks have expressed interest since its launching in November 2011. PDIC is now evaluating three SPCB applications involving 14 cooperative banks.

TOURISM FUN. Tourists frolic the morning after Saturday’s sunset-to-sunrise party in Gumasa, one of the Philippines’ best beaches. Some 50,000 people enjoyed the two-day Sarangani Bay Festival, which spurred local resorts and hotels, and backyard industries.

$12million ALLEGED total dollar accounts of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona in five banks, according to records of the Anti-Money Laundering Law Council (AMLC) presented by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales when she testified before the Senate Impeachment Court last Monday, May 14.

EDGEDAVAO

P300 million

MINIMUM capital requirement set Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for banks to engage in investment management activities as well as trust and other fiduciary businesses.

16

NUMBER of proposals received by the Department of Energy (DOE) from local and international companies for 12 of 15 oil and gas blocks it offered under the Fourth Philippine Energy Contracting Round (PECRA4).

$2 million

GEORGE SOROS is pledging $2 million to two outside groups supporting progressive causes and helping President Obama’s re-election campaign nd other Democrats running in November, according to a Soros aide.

P932.8million

NET WORTH of Rep. Imelda R. Marcos, former first lady, making her the second richest member of the House of Representatives, the richest being Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, whose net worth is now P1.35 billion as he declared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

PHL will be rice self-sufficient soon

BFAR: ‘Payaos are only L for municipal waters’

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HERE will be no payao or fish aggregating device (FAD) to be installed at Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, but only within municipal waters.

Director Asis G. Perez of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DABFAR) clarifies that payaos will be installed primarily within the 15-kilometer municipal water boundaries of coastal municipalities in the West Philippine Seas and not at Panatag Shoal, which is 119 nautical miles or 220 kilometers away from the coastal town of Paluig, in Zambales.

He said payaos are intended to be installed near the shore or within the 15km municipal waters. Hence, they are called ‘near-shore payaos.’

He said 45 units of nearshore payao will be installed in the municipal waters off Zambales, of which four were installed last month in Subic. The remaining 41 units will be deployed within the month or after the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat’ season in 10 coastal municipalities (San Antonio, San Narciso, San Felipe, Cabanggan, Sta. Cruz, Masinloc, Iba, Candelaria, Palauig and Botolan).

On May 14, 2012, Director Perez will meet with the mayors and fisherfolk-leaders of said coastal municipalities, and lead in the deployment of five payaos in the coastal waters off Masinloc.

The DA-BFAR is also currently undertaking surveys in the coastal waters off Pangasinan to Ilocos region to identify appropriate areas where payaos are best suitable.

In all, the DA-BFAR plans to install more than 200 units in other coastal municipalities throughout the country, right after the ‘habagat’ season.

The payao is a fish ag-

7

gregating device that would provide marginal fishermen a specific area to catch fish.

In payao areas, only handline fishing is allowed. That way, the fishermen would spare smaller fishes near the water surface that serve as food for the bigger fishes occupying the bottom areas and thus make the payao more sustainable.

Director Perez said in payaos, marginal fishermen could catch as big as a 40-kilo tuna and other high value pelagic species, as reported in Tawi-Tawi, Mindoro and Claveria where the DA-BFAR has deployed nearshore payaos early this year.

OCAL farmers agree with the Department of Agriculture (DA) that the Philippines would be able to attain rice self sufficiency by 2013 and even export its production surplus in the near future.

However, since importation of the commodity by private traders would remain to be allowed owing to the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in which the Philippines is a member, the farmers are calling on the government to initiate reforms in the importation system so that the control on the country’s supply of the staple grain is taken away from the cartels.

These reforms would make rice importations by private traders favorable to the farmers, local consumers and the government, said farmer leader Silvestre “Ka Silver” Bonto.

Bonto is president of the National Confederation of Irrigators’ Association and head of the Angat Ahon Magsasaka, a non-government organization with thousands of the country’s farmer’s groups as members.

Philippines had three forms of rice importation and the first is the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) which is subdivided into the Omnibus Origin and Country Specific Quota (CSQ) of the WTO. This scheme requires importers to pay a tariff

equivalent to 40 percent of the total volume of rice to be imported. Both farmer’s organizations and private importers are allowed to participate in this scheme.

The second scheme is the Private Sector Financed (PSF) wherein the volume to be imported in a particular transaction is determined by the National Food Authority (NFA).

In this scheme which is also open to FOs and private traders, the importers do not have to pay taxes for their imports but required to bid for a service fee equivalent to the volume to be imported.

However, since the FOs do not have the capacity to finance the payment of service fees, performance bond and all other financial requirements, they are used as “dummies” in the bidding process by the private importers, particularly the Binondo rice cartel, Bonto said.

In the bidding for the MAV and PSF importation of the 380,000 metric tons of rice conducted by the NFA last March, he said almost all of the volume went to the cartel even as it appeared that 250,000 metric tons of it was won by 101 FOs and only 130,000 metric tons by the cartel.

“It is because 95 of the winning FOs are cartelfinanced bidders and only six are bona-fide FOs,” he explained. [PNA]

Farmers asks review in rising excise tax TRADE PARTNER. Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (left) and Kuwaiti Ambassador Waleed Amad Al-Kandari discuss increased trade of agricultural products, particularly bananas and basmati rice, during the latter’s recent visit at the Department of Agriculture Central Office in Quezon City.

Ambassador Al-Kandari said Kuwait will continue to buy fresh Philippine bananas, and in fact a Kuwaiti company which invested in a Davao banana

T

farm plans to expand its hectarage to satisfy increasing demand. Secretary Alcala also offered Basmati rice, which the Philippines will soon produce for both domestic and export markets. The DA is eyeing some 6,000 hectares in Compostela Valley, in Mindanao, to develop as a possible production area for Basmati rice and other high value crops.

NFA earns record-high P1.14 b from PSF bidding

HE National Food Authority yesterday reported that last Monday’s bidding for 190,000 metric tons of imported rice under Private Sector Financed (PSF) Importation was a huge success with a record-high P1.14 billion income for the NFA coming from the winning bidders’ service fee.

A total of 109 bidders participated in the open portion of the PSF importation through the NFA’s Tax Expenditure Subsidy, which is a program whereby private importers are able to import rice using the NFA’s tax subsidy.

Of the total participants,

only 19 bidders with the highest bids will each be given the permit to import a maximum of 10,000 metric tons of rice.

The average service fee for this year’s PSF (open category) was at P6.28 per kilo or P614 per bag, which is a record high despite the lower volume this year of PSF importation pegged at 380,000 metric tons.

Another bidding for the remaining P190,000 metric tons is set next Monday (March 26) for farmers’ cooperatives, which is expected to have hundreds of participants considering that the maximum allocation per coopera-

tive is only 2,000 metric tons.

Last year, the NFA earned 1.53 B for a much larger volume of 660,000 metric tons with the average bid pegged at P2.31, or Php115.50 per 50 kg. bag. While last year’s PSF bidding earned significantly more, this year’s PSF bidding could earn for the NFA about P2.1 billion although the volume to be imported is only about one-half of last year’s.

In terms of participants, the 2012 PSF bidding had 109 participants in the open category while the 2011 PSF bidding had only 66 participants.

“The open and transparent bidding process showed

that government will earn more as compared to the cartelized and monopolistic practice of allocating through a first-come, first served method, where service fees are low and fixed, and the participants are virtually pre-selected,” said Administrator Angelito Banayo.

This year’s bidding was witnessed by representatives from the Commission on Audit and observed by a specially designated team from the Department of Agriculture headed by consultant Gregorio Tan, a former NFA administrator under the Arroyo administration.

A

farmers group appealed to the government to consider the plight of tobacco growers in reforming the excise tax structure for cigarettes and to avoid the temptation of raising too much taxes that may have a crippling effect on them.

“Kami po ay nanawagan sa pamahalaan na maghinay hinay lamang po sa pagtataas ng buwis.

Hindi po natin ninanais na mapigil ang pag asenso ng industriya ng tabako.

(We appeal to the government to go slow with the tax increases. We do not want to stop the growth of the tobacco industry),” Saturnino Distor, president of the Federation of Free Farmers-Pangasinan Chapter, said.

To justify their appeal the group has come up with a statement dated May 18, 2012 claiming there is no need for tax increase since the tobacco farming industry has had a steady growth at an average of 17.5 percent per year.

The FFF said more than

eight firms led by biggest tobacco buyer Universal Leaf Philippines Inc. (ULPI), PMFTC and Trans Manila Inc. compete to buy their (farmers’) crop annually resulting in buying rates way above the floor price set for tobacco.

The FFF stressed that the annual floor price is determined by a tripartite body made up of representatives from the government, the buyers, and the farmers.

“Wala pong katotohanan na ang presyo ng tabako ay namamanipula ng iisang kompanyang taga gawa ng sigarilyo. Ang floor price po ay itinatakda ng tripartite body kasama ang pamahalaan, mga buyers at mga farmer leaders sa iba’t-ibang probinsiya na nagtatanim ng tabako.

(It is not true that prices of tobacco are being manipulated by one cigarette company. The floor price is set by a tripartite body composed of the government, the buyers and us farmers from the different provinces that plant tobacco).”

Distor said. [PNA]

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Perennial problems

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EDITORIAL

P

Smut in print and broadcast

ARTY-LIST Rep. Angelo Palmones of Agham (Science) wants tabloids and other publications with obscene articles, photographs and other images banned from circulation.

Palmones, himself a prominent member of the media as broadcaster, has asked the House of Representatives to investigate the proliferation of these smut publications in Metro Manila.

The laudable advocacy of Palmones is not actually new. In fact, a law had been passed against lewd literature, but the law, like many other Philippine laws, is more observed in the breach, a reason for the resurgence such indecent materials which are peddled on sidewalks stalls and available even to minors.

This problem is not the monopoly of the permissive society in the nation’s capital. Davao City has its share of publications containing lewd materials. One of them is a daily tabloid in the Visayan dialect. The publication also promotes the culture of gambling by openly suggesting possible winning number combinations in the illegal numbers game

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net

OLIVIA D. VELASCO General Manager

ALBERTO DALILAN Managing

NEILWIN L. BRAVO Sports and Motoring ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

called Last Two. Some announcers are as guilty as their counterparts in the print media.

Yes, Palmones should also include in his advocacy smut in broadcasting, his home industry. There are radio stations in Davao City, for instance, which broadcast radio dramas that leave little to the listener’s imagination scenes that depict sex.

These erring publications and broadcast stations are of course motivated by profit. By airing vivid sex “scenes” in soap operas, the networks expect to notch higher listenership rating, while publications want to have more copies sold. These translate to more advertising money.

While we cannot speak for Metro Manila and other cities which have this problem, perhaps we can call on our own do-gooders to mount some kind of a crusade, if we may call it that, to cleanse our newsstands and airwaves of smut materials with the welfare of our youth in mind (that is, if adults have become too jaded to care about their own welfare).

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

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

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

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

RICHARD C. EBONA IMELDA P. LEE Advertising Specialists

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE

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

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

HE ULTIMATE SOLUTION? – As the SY 2012-2013 draws near, the debate over the implementation of the highly controversial K to 12 education enhancement program of the Department of Education (DepEd) continues.

Government insists that students who complete 12 years of basic education will be better equipped technically or vocationally, and become competent enough with acquired skills upon graduation.

However, while top Department of Education officials argue that the K to 12 program is a key to competitiveness and employment, critics say that lengthening the years in school will not necessarily improve quality of education. It is like saying that K to 12 planners were either ill-prepared or ill-advised.

The K to 12 education scheme, according to groups who see nothing good in it, is a burden rather than a solution to the crisis in education. The K to 12 guidelines are good only on paper. The oppositors say that the problems actually besetting the country’s education system are very basic,like lack of classrooms, lack of books and other facilities, and of course, lack of teachers. I agree.

The biggest problem is money because we just rely on the annual appropriation to meet the acute shortage. Admittedly, the annual government appropriation for education is not enough to meet the country’s educational requirements. Additional budget for education is what the country needs and not additional years of basic education.

Government should make education accessible and relevant to the times, take extra effort to lower our current high dropout rates and invest heavily in traning and re-training of our public school teachers.

No amount of adding years to basic education will work if the above-stated perennial problems.

With over 40 million Filipinos living on less than P50 a day, many families can afford to send their children to school. Children who are in school could hardly comprehend their lessons because of hunger. The truth is that many of them go to school without eating breakfast.

Child malnutrition is in fact a leading cause of the high student dropout rate especially in the poor areas of the country.

The dropout rates must be addressed and the government knows the factors behind but has so far failed to address them with success. Another serious problem is lack of good training for teachers.

Teachers’ salaries should be increased immediately if we are to keep members of this noble profession from leaving the country to look for greener pasture abroad or from going hungry. With such low pay and lack of proper training many qualified people are not attracted to teach in public schools – to the detriment of the students.

Most importantly, in investing for their training, our educators can continue learning and become more efficient teachers.

Quips

‘WHEN I see people smiling, when I see that there’s optimism, that there’s a light in their eyes where they used to be just sufferance, that I think is the best achievement and that will propel us to achieving even greater heights.’

--President Noynoy Aquino

EDGEDAVAO

I

T is one acrophobic’s worst nightmare but also a child’s ultimate fantasy fulfillment.

How many of us once dreamed we are the caped action heroes who crushed the evil and outlaws and once saved a damsel from falling from the Empire State building, or wherever, like Superman? Or if you are more current, recent Marvel comic book superheroes Iron Man, Thor and Captain America in the ultimate world box-office record-breaking superaction movie The Avengers (still running in theaters worldwide)? Going more locale, Captain Barbell and Darna, Mars Ravelo classic super heroine?

To defy gravity and be able to hold yourself up in the sky with nothing to separate you from hundreds of feet above the air and the rocky mountain and cliffs below is every child’s dream. To be able to conquer heights and your fears of flying. It could dizzying. Enthralling.

But in the real world, it could also turn your stomach inside out and even induce selfinflicted death.

Those who have inordinate fear for the heights (acrophobia) will find the pteromerhanophobics (people who fear flying) luckier.

With fate hanging on both hands, the thin line between heavenly ecstasy and morbid and agonizing death will be staring at your face with one serious miscue or miscalculation.

But for some, they make a living and actually have some fun out of it on the side.

Frenchman Armand Dard has been taking off cliffs and mountain edges as a certified paragliding pilot and instructor for the last 17 years.

He was invited by brothers Coco and Ian Tan to take a look at the otherwise barren cattle ranch of the latters’ family-owned San Andres Fishing Industries (SAFI) Inc. in Seguel, Maasim. Armand gave it a try. He immediately fell in love with the place, said to be the only one of its kind in Mindanao and perhaps the best location for mountain launch para-

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gliding in the country today.

Fear of heights Over the last few years, you see, I have developed this fear of standing at the edges of tall buildings. So when my time to try how it feels when you lift and hold yourself aloft in the air strapped in a harness with a handful of barely a millimeter of superstrong strands holding you and you friendly paragliding pilot from crushing to death, you have to conquer all those fears.

We had to drive all the way up on a 4×4 SUV to negotiate the steep and rocky edges of a cliff where, atop, a small clearing has been hastily built a few days before for a friendly competition among 10 paragaliders that included several Canadian friends of the Tan brothers and a Taiwanese the day earlier.

The pre-flight instructions were very brief. Just the basics.

We will be riding in tandem, says Armand, and you will have to follow my instructions.

When I say roll over to your left, just lean towards your left and cross you right legs over your left. When I say right, do it the other way.

When I say straight forward, just sit and relax on a built-in seat in your harness.

We have to run against the wind to have a quick and good lift and continue kicking your feet in running motion in case of aborted flight to avoid injuries when ‘crashlanding.’ We will land on the same head wind and take two steps backward upon touching ground before turning to your left towards the chute to avoid being dragged backwards.

The instructions from the Frenchman were in halting English, understandably. Before I knew it, I was all ‘harnessed’, strapped from my back to Armand’s front and waiting for the right gale of wind for liftoff.

It was a short dash. Three or five arms length and we were up in the air. What happened next was the longest seven minutes of my hidden acrophobic side. I felt the adrenalin rush. At first, I cannot seem to focus on objects below me including the vehicles parked at the edge of the landing which still has a visible landing accuracy target. Those vehicles looked like miniatures of matchboxes!

We made two turns each to our right and left before Armand decided the wind, at 2:30

Monkey Business

suspect and his father have pending warrants of arrest even before Liguyon’s murder, to which Butsoy categorically admitted in an interview with dxDB. Police have offered no satisfactory explanation why they have not been arrested.

Maybe Butsoy’s admission can explain why the police and civil authorities appear inutile against him and his group. He is confident the arm of the law cannot touch him for reasons the people of Dao may have known but are afraid to say. These reasons may be found in the local social and economic context that led to Liguyon’s death.

Outsiders have coveted Dao for its gold deposits. Small-scale mining activities by locals have resumed after these were stopped in the early 1990s. But Sanmatrida, big mining firms – and they said some politicians too – are all aiming to take control of this industry.

Further complicating the situation is the presence of armed groups of all shades – NPA, bandits, state-backed paramilitaries, and of course, the military. With so much at stake, it has become a necessity for capitalists – or their dummies – to enlist the support of any of these groups.

There were locals however who wanted to put a stop to the mining activities in Dao. Among them was Liguyon. His stand put

in the afternoon, is not good enough for a long flight. By long flights, paragliders said it is 15 minutes or more. The Taiwanese friend of Coco said he was up in the air for two hours earlier in the day for their aftertournament fun fly. We landed smoothly.

Armand says accident do happen. It can come from misjudging the headwind and direction, a sudden downward draft or a faulty landing. Coco still had his left foot in a cast courtesy of a recent faulty landing.

So too was his Canadian friend who had to be rushed to the hospital after he could no longer endure the paid on his ankle, probably sprained or, worse, twisted.

Future world attraction Coco said a team from the world association of paragliders will be coming over next month to evaluate the site for possible inclusion in world paragliding tour competitions next year. If accredited, it will be the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Armand said the site in Seguel is by far the best throughout the country that even the ones Carmona in Cavite and Montalban in Rizal rating far behind.

What makes Seguel more attractive is the majestic view of Sarangani Bay and the day long wind that one paraglider can only dream of. The French instructor however says the best time to fly is between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Paragliding in this part of Mindanao is barely out of the woods. But as of Sunday, Coco said there are already 10 enthusiasts and plenty more waiting to do some solo flights.

The gear however can cost a fortune for some ordinary fixed-income earners.

But it’s a one-time emptying of the pockets.

A brand new complete paragaliding gear can cost as much as Php150,000 (USD3,500).

A second hand, like Ian’s gear, can be had for Php60,000 (USD1,400). Fees for fun flyers could range from Php1,500 to Php3,000 (USD35-70).

For bookings and instructions in getting to the place, contact Chris Romano 09426204950.

him at odds with Sanmatrida which, aside from having applied for a mining permit, has included Dao in its ancestral domain claim.

Moreover, Liguyon’s involvement in progressive groups made him a target of Nipar’s rightist politics. Butsoy in particular saw this as an opportunity to eliminate a stumbling block to his group’s objective of controlling gold mining in Dao. In publicly owning up to the crime, Butsoy cited as reason the victim’s participation in protest rallies, although Liguyon’s family members and supporters maintained it was his anti-mining stance that caused him his life.

Yet, no matter what the reasons are, authorities should have exerted serious efforts in going after Butsoy and his accomplices.

After all, he has pending warrants and has admitted to the crime.

But why have provincial and town officials not pushed for his arrest? Are they, as Neil Young lamented in one of his songs, “helpless, helpless, helpless?” And against whom? [H. Marcos C. Mordeno writes mainly on the environment, human rights and politics. He can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com]

9

PHL colors: Symbol of culture, unity

Conquering heights (and fear of it)

Not all that glitters

S of May 18, residents of Barangay Dao in San Fernando town, Bukidnon are still encamping the capitol grounds in this city. Their number seems to have grown, as I saw more tents when I passed by the capitol from the bus terminal. And there is no telling when and if they can return to their homes.

It has been two months since the evacuees, most of them Manobos, arrived at the capitol for fear of becoming the next victims of a paramilitary group called New Indigenous People’s Army Reform (Nipar) led by a fellow Lumad named Aldy “Butsoy” Salusad.

A former New People’s Army rebel who surrendered in 2010, Salusad is the primary suspect in the killing on March 5 of Dao village chief Jimmy Liguyon, a tribal leader who had opposed the mining application of the San Fernando Manobo Tribal Datus Association (Sanmatrida).

Salusad’s father, Benjamin “Nonong” Salusad, is a member of Sanmatrida. Like his son, the elder Salusad was a rebel who surrendered last year. He is now a government militiaman under the 403rd Infantry Brigade.

Provincial officials have asked the evacuees to return to Dao. But the latter said they will only go back home once Butsoy is placed behind bars. Court records showed that the

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

OPINION

BY HONOR BLANCO CABIE

F

OR 16 days starting May 28 each year, displaying the country’s tricolors has become part of a revered tradition and culture of this multi-ethnic, multi-lingual country of nearly 98 million people from Batanes to Tawi Tawi.

Sometime in the latter part of the 1960s, a young correspondent, covering a news event in Sulu, saw this as the country’s national anthem was played in front of the capitol.

When the anthem was played by the military band, coinciding with the brisk hoisting of the Philippine flag, the correspondent immediately realized the indivisibility of this one nation as every Muslim and Christian in the audience stood at attention.

But a question remains: How many of the population are familiar with the specifics regarding the flag, despite the annual public display for 16 days, called National Flag days?

The national flag, displayed with the blue field on top in times of peace, and with the red field on top in times of war, is a horizontal bicolor with equal bands of blue and red, and with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist side.

In the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays.

At every corner of the triangle is a fivepointed golden yellow star.

The flag is horizontally divided into two basic colors -- royal blue and scarlet red -with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist side.

At the center of the triangle is a goldenyellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, and at each corner of the triangle is a five-pointed golden-yellow star.

The flag’s length is twice its width, which translates into an aspect ratio of 1:2. The sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag.

Each star is oriented such that it points towards the tip of the vertex at which it is located.

The flag’s colors are specified by Republic Act 8491 in terms of their cable number in the system developed by the Color Association of the United States.

The Philippine flag, designed in 1897 by Emilio Aguinaldo while he was in exile in Hong Kong, is unique.

It can indicate a state of war when the red field is displayed on top, or on the observer’s left when the flag is displayed vertically, with the white equilateral triangle at the top end.

According to official sources, the white triangle stands for equality and fraternity; the blue field for peace, truth, and justice; and the red field for patriotism and valor.

The eight primary rays of the sun represent the eight provinces which declared a state of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated in the 1896 Revolution of independence from Spain, and placed under martial law by the colonial government.

The eight provinces were Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, and Batangas.

The three stars represent the three major geographical divisions of this Southeast Asian archipelago: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Some have noted that the symbolism given in the 1898 Proclamation of Philippine Independence differs from the current official explanation.

One school of thought says the white triangle signifies the emblem of the Katipunan.

This is the secret society that opposed Spanish rule which was ushered in by Fernando Magallanes in 1521 until the Spanish armada was beaten by the troops of US Admiral George Dewey in 1898.

Another school of thought says the flag’s colors celebrate the flag of the United States as a manifestation of Philippine gratitude for American protection against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution.

EDGEDAVAO 10 COMMUNITY SENSE Australians donate equipment 15.3-km road completed to Tagum City’s slaughterhouse A VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

In Maguindanao

A

S a way of showing their support to the Community Skills Training Program of the Local Government of Tagum, three (3) Australians who are working with separate meat companies in the land down under personally went here last May 18, 2012 to turn-over the KNIFE-SETTER and a CUT- RESISTANT GLOVES (worth almost 1 thousand Australian Dollars) made of aluminum for the city’s slaughterhouse located in Tipaz, Barangay Magugpo East. The turn-over happened during their courtesy call with the Chief Executive at Tagum City’s Motorpool.

City Mayor Rey T. Uy extended his gratitude to the visiting Australians for giving the said equipment, noting that this will be a big help for the butchers of the city.

Miss Allison Silburn, the Labour Manager of Northern International, disclosed in an interview that this one way of extending their full support to the local government’s pursuit in equipping its butchers with the nec-

essary skills enough for them to be competitive to work in Australia. Other Australians who joined Miss Silburn are Dean Tilson of Teys Bro Austalia and Mike Smith of Yangwha Global.

Aside from donating equipments, they are also in town to scout potential butchers to work for their respective companies.

The city government under the leadership of Mayor Uy has been very serious in its skills training program for butchers— the thing which gained admiration from the visiting Australians. Graduates of the said program were then hired by Australian meat companies.

“We had already deployed Tagum City workers in Australia and they have been excellent in their job, they are very nice people, they work hard and they are very loyal,” stressed Miss Silburn.

Ended, Ms. Silburn said she is looking forward that more workers from Tagum will be able to work in their company in Australia. [LOUIE LAPAT/EDWIN OF CIO TAGUM]

City of Tagum Mayor Rey T. Uy (4th from left) and City Veterinarian’s Head Dr. Jesus Edullantes (2nd from left) wear the CUTY-RESISTANT GLOVES made of aluminum as they pose with (3) visiting Australians who donated these gloves along with a knife-setter (worth almost 1 thousand Australian Dollars) which will be installed in the Tagum City Slaughterhouse. The turn-over happened during their courtesy call with the Chief Executive at Tagum City’s Motorpool last May 18, 2012. [PHOTO BY LOUIE LAPAT OF CIO TAGUM.]

Mr. Mike Smith of Yangwha Global based in Australia demonstrates the proper usage of the KNIFE-SETTER as Mayor Rey T. Uy looks on. The said equipment along with a cutresistant gloves (worth almost 1 thousand Australian Dollars) made

of aluminum was donated by Australian Meat Companies to Tagum City Slaughterhouse last May 18, 2012. The turn-over happened during their courtesy call with the Chief Executive at Tagum City’s Motorpool. [PHOTO BY LOUIE LAPAT OF CIO

administration of Gov. Hilario de Pedro III and in 2007 under the leadership of Mayor Fernando Miguel.

Mayor Peter Miguel, son of the former mayor, also expressed confidence that with the support and coordination with the provincial government of South Cotabato, the 2015 Palarong Pambansa here would prove even better than the previous ones given the chance to prepare this early.

Miguel was in Lingayen, Pangasinan during 2012 Palarong Pambansa to show his personal support and to give financial assistance to the athletes and coaches coming from the City of Koronadal and to personally hand in his

letter of intent.

While in Pangasinan, the city mayor also handed a total of P800,000 allowances to the city’s 59 athletes as well as their coaches.

City schools division sports supervisor Napoleon Cumicho confirmed receipt of said amount upon the arrival of Mayor Peter B. Miguel at Lingayen, Pangasinan on May 8.

Each athlete and coach received P10,000 aid from the city government.

Besides turning over the financial assistance to the city’s athletes, Mayor Miguel said, he also wanted to show his personal support.

From Pangasinan, the mayor proceeded to Metro

Koronadal bids to host 2015 ‘Palaro’

K

ORONADAL City Mayor Peter B. Miguel has joined South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. in the bid to host the national games for the third time.

During the city government’s regular radio programs, “Koronadal Boom…Boom…Boom” and “Kanami Koronadal,” Mayor Miguel confirmed that during his visit to the 2012 Palarong Pambansa in Lingayen, Pangasinan, he submitted a letter of intent to host the 2015 Palarong Pambansa to the Department of Education.

He said, the city needs an ambitious activity like this as a way of promoting the City of Koronadal itself and the province of South

Cotabato as a whole.

The event, he reasoned , would be very timely to inform people from all walks of life to know that the city, the capital of the province of South Cotabato, is one of the happiest and most peaceful places in Mindanao.

Especially now that it has become the seat of Region XII, the city is positively fast progressing as well as expected, the local chief executive added.

Miguel believes that the city has the capacity to host such a big event owing to the success of two Palaro held here South Cotabato, specifically, Koronadal City, hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 1996 during the

TAGUM]

15.3-kilometer provincial road section here, which traverses the towns of Buluan, Pandag, Paglat, and SK Pendatun, and connects with the national highway in Buluan Poblacion, has been completed and turned over to local authorities.

This makes it possible for residents of these remote communities, which lie along the fringes of the Liguasan Marsh, to now travel safely and efficiently to the main highway running from Makilala in North Cotabato to Tacurong City in Central Mindanao.

The upgraded road, consisting of all-weather gravel sections and concrete sections, is expected to significantly improve residents’ access to markets, business centers, schools, hospitals and government services.

Travel time from SK Pendatun, the most remote of the four municipalities, has been reduced from one hour to approximately 20 minutes.

The completed infrastructure project was turned over on May 16 to the Maguindanao provincial government by Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett of the U.S. embassy in Manila, together with Reed Aeschliman of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

At the ceremony, Bassett praised the government leaders for their commitment to the project, and for helping to foster peace and development in this conflict-affected area of Mindanao.

Philippine government officials present included Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, Chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Regional Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Representative Simeon Datumanong (Maguindanao 2nd District) and Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu.

The US governmentfunded project was implemented by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, in partnership

Manila to follow-up the scholarship grants from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) intended for Koronadal City.

Gov. Pingoy, who authored the house bill that sought for the declaration of arnis as the national sport while he was still a congressman, has been vocal about his desire to host for the third time the national games.

with the provincial government.

The latter provided a counterpart contribution of about 26 percent of the total project cost, with support from the Maguindanao 2nd Congressional District Office.

The ceremonial turnover took place alongside the Maguindanao Infrastructure Development Forum being held in Buluan, which focused on intensive efforts by the provincial government to implement vital infrastructure projects in the province.

The visiting officials later traveled to Tumbao, in the municipality of Mangudadatu, where the U.S. government turned over a boat landing on Lake Buluan completed in partnership with the municipality. The landing facility will help ensure regular water transport services for the residents.

To date, the US government, in partnership with the local governments, has built more than 1,450 infrastructure projects in Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas through USAID’s GEM Program which is implemented under the oversight of MinDA. These include larger-scale Regional Impact Projects, like the Buluan provincial road, designed to benefit people in multiple barangays or municipalities.

Bassett also met with a select group of young leaders who are alumni of U.S. governmentsponsored exchange programs. Participants included those who studied in the United States under State Department scholarships, and alumni of USAID’s Congressional Internship Program for Young Mindanao Leaders, which gave youths from Mindanao the opportunity to intern in the National Congress of the Philippines.

The group had a lively discussion about youth issues and youth programs in Maguindanao and the ARMM, and the alumni participants shared with Ms. Bassett their suggestions on how the U.S. can better support programs for young Mindanaoans. (PNA)

During the CRAA meet here in March, he said, the upgrading and improvements implemented at South Cotabato Sport Complex are intended towards this purpose.

The governor said, hosting the Palaro here would propel local economy and boost the province’s advocacy to be known as a major tourist destination in this part of the country.

EDGEDAVAO

UP College Admission Test application now accepted A

PPLICATIONS for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) are now being accepted. All incoming 4th-year high school students are invited to apply. This was announced

by University Registrar Prof. Karen Cayamanda.

Application forms are available at the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP-Mindanao) Office of the University Registrar, Mintal, Davao City.

Application forms can also be downloaded from the U.P. website at “www.

HERITAGE

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

upcat.up.edu.ph”.

The deadline for application is June 22, 2012.

Each UPCAT application should have the following requirements: (a) correctly and completely accomplished UPCAT Forms 1 and 2; (b) four pieces of 2” x 2” identical ID pictures taken within the last 6 months; (c) non-refundable application fee of P450; and (d) self-addressed stamped envelope.

Applicants from families with an annual gross income of P100,000 or less, or who are among the top ten prospective

graduates of public high schools for School Year 2012-2013, are exempted from filing the application fee.

Applicants should send their applications by mail to the following address: Office of Admissions, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101. For more information, interested parties can contact the Office of the University Registrar of UP Mindanao at telephone number (082) 293-0201.

Online application is also possible at “www.upcatonline.up.edu.ph”.

sure the scientific ability, quantitative ability, abstract reasoning, and the verbal aptitude of the applicant.

The scholarship is open to all graduating elementary pupils from any Department of Education (DepEd) recognized elementary school.

The applicant must meet the following criteria: • Belongs to the upper 10 percent of the graduating class as certified by the School Principal, or have special aptitude in Science and Math as supported by the report card and letter of recommendation, with at least a grade of 85 in all

subjects; • A Filipino citizen with no pending application as immigrant to any foreign country; • Not more than 15 years of age by June 30, 2012; • Be in good health and fit to undergo a rigorous academic program; • Be of good moral character; and • Not taken the PSHS National Competitive Examination (NCE) previously.

Application forms are available and may be filed at the PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus or DOST Regional and Provincial Offices.

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

PhilSci NCE application is now open

A

RE you an incoming Grade six pupil? Do you want to become a scholar of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS)? Or do you have kids who are incoming grade six this school year? If your answer to the questions is “Yes,” then please read on.

The annual search for PSHS scholars for the school year 2013-2014 is now open for application.

The 2013 PSHS system National Competitive Examination (NCE) is slated on September 29, 2012.

The one-time screening is composed of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which is designed to mea-

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Minimum of 240 sq.m.

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Minimum of 150 sq.m.

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

For Inquiries: Especially for Moms. In celebration of Mother’s Day last May 13, Eden Nature Park and Resort, gave all mom flowers during the resort’s Mother’s Day Lunch Buffet.

Moms were also serenaded with love songs while dining at Vista Restaurant. The resort raffled off vegetable baskets and gift certificates to lucky moms.

11

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12

NATION/WORLD

NATION BRIEFS

T

Incorporated

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the decision of the wage board granting a P30 cost of living allowance (COLA) instead of a direct wage hike won’t stoke inflation in the country In a text message to reporters, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the wage increase was already incorporated in the central bank’s latest inflation forecast for the year.

Pawikan meat

B

USINESS is brisk, judging from the throng of people and cars parked outside this makeshift eatery in Pasil, a shoreline barangay.

The customers, some in long sleeves and tie, do not mind the heat and the dishevelled slum area. They are here for one reason: To eat their favorite stewed dish of sea turtle or pawikan, an endangered species whose hunting, sale and killing have been banned by law since 2001.

A

Warrant

Malabon City judge issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of three men who allegedly shot dead Philippine international shooting team member Michael Lontoc eight months ago.

Judge Zaldy Docena of the Malabon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 170, directed “any officer of the law” to arrest Marvin “Aben” Tresvalles and Renante “Renan” Egioma, both residents of Sitio 6 inBarangay Catmon; and Jimmy “Toto” Pianiar, a resident of Barangay Tonsuya.

All three have been charged with murder for the Sept. 25, 2011 attack on Lontoc.

T

Benefits

HE Department of National Defense (DND) enumerated on Monday the direct benefits that the Philippines would get if the Senate would ratify the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with Australia.

During the public hearing conducted by the Senate committee on foreign relations, Defense undersecretary for legal and legislative affairs Pio Lorenzo Batino said Australia can help in terms of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including transfer of military capabilities under SOVFA.

D

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

ASEAN, US talk security amid China stand-off S

WORLD TODAY

T

HE US and Southeast Asian nations embarked on three days of talks Sunday that would include security cooperation, shortly after aPentagon report raised concerns about China’s military build-up.

The Philippines, hosts of the discussions and an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member, is engaged in a month-long maritime stand-off with China over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. “Eminent persons” and senior officials from the United States and ASEAN would meet from May 20 to 22 in Manila, US embassy and Philippine foreign department statements said.

Deepening security cooperation, climate change and trade and investment will all be on the table over the three days of talks.

They will also “review key elements of the US-ASEAN

THE VENUE. A general view shows the Makati financial district of Manila in 2011. The US and Southeast Asian nations embarked on three days of talks Sunday that would include security cooperation, partnership”, the embassy said.

The meeting will also prepare for US-ASEAN leaders’ talks in November.

The poorly armed Phil-

ippines has been stressing its defense ties with close ally Washington to help bolster its position against China.

A Pentagon report on Friday said China was

carrying out aggressive cyber espionage as part of a steady build-up of its military power. Beijing expressed its “firm opposition” to the findings of the annual assessment.

ished presenting the four on Wednesday but asked for a two-day break to prepare Corona’s rebuttal.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile granted the defense’s request but stated that there will be no more postponements to be allowed as they have to finish the trial this month.

In an interview after the proceedings, lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas said their team was able to prove that the pur-

ported report on Corona’s bank transaction records were unverified.

Morales earlier presented a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council which allegedly showed that Corona owns 82 dollar accounts with $10-million transactional balance and $12-million fresh deposits.

“Wala namang ebidensyang kaniya yung mga dollar account eh.

Sila na nagsabi na hindi nila vinerify yung report,” Cuevas said.

When asked if the chief justice will testify on the dollar account issue, Cuevas said it remains a legal battle since they still have a pending petition before the Supreme Court to hinder the disclosure of the dollar accounts.

Nevertheless, the lead defense counsel maintained that the chief justice will face all the charges against him.

“Maipagtatagumpay naming maipaliwanag iyan lahat,” he said.

Chief Justice Corona: The last witness

C

HIEF Justice Renato Corona, the defense team’s final and much-awaited witness, will finally testify today, May 22, his lawyers told the impeachment court.

As earlier promised, Corona will take the witness stand following the testimonies of hostile witnesses Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, and complainants Risa Hontiveros, Harvey Keh and Emmanuel Santos on the alleged dollar accounts.

The defense has fin-

Urged

EPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila M. De Lima on Monday urged the public not to prejudge Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato C. Corona. Corona is facing charges of graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust before the Senate Impeachment Court.

De Lima said that many things have already been said and accusations have been hurled against the chief magistrate. However, he still remains as a respondent, adding that until such time that the senator-judges have rendered their verdict, the respondent cannot be considered as “guilty”.

Release

RI Lanka’s president has ordered the release of his jailed electoral foe, ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka, bowing to US-led pressure three years after the end of the island’s long ethnic war.

The 61-year-old former four-star general could leave prison on Monday following legal formalities, an official said Sunday, after President Mahinda Rajapakse marked the third anniversary of the Tamil Tigers’ crushing defeat.

M

E

Devastated

UROPEANS are avoiding vacations to Greece this summer fearing instability sparked by the debt crisis, industry sources say, inflicting a hard blow to the country’s already devastated economy.

“From the aftermath of the elections on May 6, we have experienced a 50 percent drop in bookings,” said George Drakopoulos, director general of the association of Greek tourism enterprises (SETE).

F

Gang rape

RENCH prosecutors on Monday opened a preliminary investigation into accusations that disgraced ex-IMF chief Dominique StraussKahn took part in a gang rape in the United States.

Prosecutors in Lille, where Strauss-Kahn and three others have been charged in a pimping case, said the probe centered on an incident “that could be described as gang rape” that took place in Washington, DC.

P

FARM WORKERS. Handout photo from UN’s World Food Programme shows North Korean co-operative workers preparing rice fields near Sariwon, North Hwanghae province.

Funeral

ARY Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who died in an apparent suicide earlier this week, was recalled Saturday as an “angel” who was ultimately overwhelmed by a lengthy fight with depression.

Those remembrances came as members of the Kennedy clan, including Robert F. Kennedy’s widow Ethel and late President John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline, gathered for her funeral here at St. Patrick’s, a small Catholic church in this wealthy Westchester County hamlet about 50 miles (81 km) north of New York City.

Banned

AKISTAN banned access to Twitter on Sunday because of “blasphemous” material, a Pakistani official said, but normal service was resumed after 12 hours. The government did not specify which users or messages had prompted the ban on the microblogging site or why it was allowed to operate again so quickly.

Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by many Muslims, who make up the overwhelming majority in Pakistan.

EDGEDAVAO

Palace confirms PNoy’s meeting with INC leader

P

RESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III met with Iglesia ni Cristo’s Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo to “touch base” with the group which has supported the former since his days as senator.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda confirmed the meeting in a news conference Monday, only hours after the two met at the INC Central office in Quezon City.

Lacierda addressed doubts from some groups the meeting was primarily focused on the alleged lobbying of the INC for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona’s acquittal by the Senate Impeachment Court.

The presidential spokesman said the meeting was scheduled even before the Holy Week but their respective schedules did not permit a meeting until Monday.

Lacierda said: “Today, we confirm that the President met with Ka Eduardo of the Iglesia ni Cristo this morning. Their meeting has been previously scheduled, in fact before holy week

Quips

pa… there was already a planned meeting with Ka Eduardo, unfortunately the schedule of the President and the schedule of Ka Eduardo could not jibe then.

“It was only today that they were able to find a common schedule.”

Lacierda added: “The purpose of the President’s meeting was to touch base with Ka Eduardo and the Iglesia ni Cristo.

‘THE VERDICT in this trial rests primarily on determining whether these dollar accounts exist.’

--Sen. Francis Pangilinan

They’re...

FFROM 1

“Politically, isa ra mi ka grupo. Personal decision na nila to corrupt themselves.

Morally, I do not support them,” Sara told Edge Davao through text message earlier.

Duterte-Carpio said she personally knew of “these incidents” when she was still the vice mayor from 2008 to 2010.

“Naa gyud koy nahibawan. Lahat ng alam ko sinabi ko sa Ombudsman. But my testimony did not hold weight because it had to be consolidated with other testimonies,” she said.

The mayor said she knew there were investigations made on alleged corrupt councilors but she has no knowledge as to what became of the investigations.

Asked whether these councilors would receive backing in the 2013 elections from Duterte’s group Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (Hugpong), the mayor

GPH...

said the decision will not be hers alone.

“Since we’ve already filed a application to officially make Hugpong a political party, we’re just waiting for its approval. After that, when a Hugpong executive committee is formed, then it will be the committee which will decide whether or not to give them (councilors) support,” she said.

She added that Hugpong’s executive committee will be talking to those councilors personally.

“Storyahon gyud sila, face-to-face. They will personally talk about it. And after that, kung ano man ang mapag-usapan, will be basis for a decision whether they’ll be part of the line-up or not,” she said.

Sources of corruption Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last May 15 said he has been “keeping track” of the Council’s resolutions on

requests for land reclassification as these have become “sources of corruption.”

Duterte said the City Council “should not be spared” from his scolding regarding corrupt practices in local governance.

“Kahibalo ko, naa puy corruption sa City Council.

Even before, and kanang mga reclassification, source na sa corruption. I am keeping track of the papers,” the vice mayor said during his TV show Ato ni Bai. Duterte said city councilors who deal in corrupt practices should “shape up” or risk exposure.

“People who deal in these resolutions will eventually tell me. I know which councilor ang naga-binuang.

You better shape up or I will talk again. Giingnan na tamo even before. Stop it now or you will receive a word from me or better yet panganlan tika publicly,” he said.

The panel conducts consultations in order to directly listen to the views of the public.”

On the same note, Leonen said that the GPH panel “takes to heart the concerns” of the people and consider them on the negotiating table.

He said the panel has already conducted more than 70 consultations.

During the forum, Fr. Bert Alejo of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University asked “what constitutes valid and sufficient consultations” in view of the peace process, taking into account the lessons of the 2008 MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain) that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court due to lack of public consultations.

It may be recalled that the aborted signing of the MOA-AD had triggered renewed fighting between gov-

ernment forces and the MILF in some parts of Central Mindanao four years ago.

Leonen agreed that “sufficient consultations” should be clearly defined, adding that consultations are not only one set and not always a formal one.

He said “it may be a bit too legalistic” to qualify valid consultations while falling short of “looking behind its spirit.”

Leonen also said that “consultation means listening earnestly, trying to understand the points raised by various sectors, and reflecting it as best as we can in order for persons making the political decision (from the different branches of government) to be properly informed.”

The GPH panel is set to conduct more consultations with key stakeholders before their next round of formal meeting with the MILF panel by the end of this month. (PNA)

FFROM 3

historical and cultural heritage, economic and social structures, and other relevant characteristics within the framework of this Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines.”

Further, he said “the basis of autonomy is democracy.”

“In the national politics, there will always be a minority whose views and concerns cannot be always accommodated because they could never become a majority.

Thus, the only way to guarantee a level of democracy is allow them to govern in one region, but still remain in the entire Republic of the Philippines,” Leonen said.

In her message, Deles underscored that the government fully recognizes the concerns of the people, saying “that’s why we are here.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

ONB...

FFROM 1 ATMs that dispend P1.7 billion a month, most of which are located in progressive communities unserved or underserved by commercial banks.

Victor A. Consunji, ONB chairman said ONB has 1,200 employees in Mindanao with 560,000 depositors and 90,000 borrowers.

The ONB corporate building, with a total area of about 9,670 square meters will serve as the nerve center in delivering to the countryside modern banking operations, he said.

Buenaventura said the building has two floors intended for the expansion of its head office upon its expansion in Luzon, which will be after expanding in Visayas five years from now.

ONB will tap business outsourcing companies as tenants of the two floors, each with 1,200 square meters

9FFROM GSIS...

2

to the actual cost of tuition and miscellaneous fees not exceeding P20,000 and a monthly stipend of P2,000.”

“The scholar may also opt to take a four- or five-year course, but must meet the scholastic requirements set by the school for student retention under the program,” he said.

The distribution of the

area, in the meantime.

Lawyer Demetrio E. Casipong, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) regional director, said the new building, the growing number of branches and the bank’s increasing profitability are living manifestations that ONB is well managed by competent and dedicated management with excellent corporate governance.

“OMB is supported by stockholders, effective marketing strategy, using the appropriate tools and modern technology, and surely, with deep love and concern for stakeholders, consistent with the BSP’s mission of uplifting the lives of every Filipino,” he continued.

Stock swap The widest rural banking network in Mindanao, ONB signed a partnership agreement with Banko San Enrique

200 scholarships nationwide among the regions will be proportionate to the number of GSIS members in each region, he added.

Education assistance Meanwhile, Manampan said GSIS Davao region has so far received 20,000 applications for its P4,000 education assistance fund program (EAFP).

“So far, we have processed 5,000 applications, with still another 15,000 applications still

(RBSEI), a rural bank in Iloilo last April 21 in the form of a stock swap whereby every one share of stock of RBSEI will be exchanged with 2.43 shares of ONB’s stock.

They plan to merge RBSEI with ONB upon the approval

by BSP within a year.

RBSEI has six branches in Iloilo, namely Iloilo City, Guimaras, Passi, San Enrique and Gingle, plus one Business Development Office in Iloilo City.

As merger incentive, five branches will be applied for subject to BSP’s approval, making a potential network of 11 branches over a period of two years.

As of March, ONB had a net worth of P2,565,400,286.69 in capital and P16,011,487,391.26 in assets.

RBSEI has a net worth of P9,843,800 in capital and P119,485,633.91 in assets.

to be processed,” Manampan said.

“Release of the funds has not yet started. We are expecting na all GSIS members will be applying for the EAFP. Medyo matagal lang sa encoding. We do them manually pa kasi, we type-in the information on the applicant,” he added.

The EAFP is part of the national government’s response to the incoming enrollment period for school year 2012-2013.

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SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

COME FLY WITH ME. Davao’s Dave Unlay is shown here in a sequence of shots taken

by John Tomesa of BONE Mountain Bike Club Davao during the Downhill Race of the Davao Summer Games National Mountain Bike Challenge at the Devil’s Trail in Maa. Unlay won the Masters title. Lower photo shows Onying Parenas negotiating a drop while open elite champion JR Barba (below) goes down the single trail.

South Cot rider wins XC race

By Neil Bravo

UN Rey Navara of South Cotabato rode troublefree and coasted to an easy victory in the Cross Country race of the Davao Summer Games National Open Mountain Bike Challenge on Sunday.

The 19-year old Navara, a native of Tupi, broke away from the main pack right entering the rough trails midway through the race then attacked relentlessly to cross the finish all by himself in one hour 11.25 seconds.

“Masaya ako na nanalo dito, mahirap kasi maraming malakas. Pinagsikapan

ko lang talaga,” said the red-thin Navara shortly after the race. He won P15,000 for his feat.

Navara left a good distance between him and second placer Vicente Vicmar who checked in one minute later while Jayrald Daraydo came in third in the premier Open Elite class of the race organized by the BONE Mountain Bike Club Davao and supported by the Duaw Davao Festival Foundation, chief organizer of the Davao Summerfest 2012.

Vicmar took home P10,000 while Daraydo settled for P5,000.

The cross country race,

INHUANGDAO, China – Josie Gabuco played deaf to the lusty and thunderous cheers of the hometown crowd for her opponent Xu Shiqi to finally upend her Finals foe in the AIBA Women’s World Championships at the Olympic Sports Center here.

It took some doing, all 4 rounds, before Gabuco could pull off a squeaker, 10-9 at the end of the bout.

The first three rounds went to Xu, 1-2, 3-5 and 7-8.

“It was like fighting thousands of opponents”, acknowledged in the vernacular by the 25 year-old single mother of a 5-yearold boy. “The crowd definitely got to me at first, so I was very cautious and tried to come up with an antidote to my shifty opponent.”

Xu was also wily, tying up the Puerto Princesa boxer several times and then dropping to the canvass as if she was wrestled down.

The lady Hungarian referee, however, was wise to the antic and issued a warning against the Chinese boxer

in the 3rd round.

Gabuco then started cutting off the exit points of her opponent, allowing her to deliver some damaging straights to the head and uppercuts to the side of her opponent’s body.

The fourth round found the Chinese constantly backtracking but getting cornered and hit, thus convincing 4 of the 5 judges to give the nod to Gabuco. The fifth saw the round even.

Team manager Karina Picson was in tears when the decision was announced.

“No one deserves it more. Josie worked long and hard despite personal tribulations, including the sudden loss of her mother last year after a brief struggle with cancer. She was unlucky in the Asian Championships in Mongolia last March but rebounded with a vengeance here”, said the AIBA international technical official and Asian Women’s Commission member.

ABAP president Ricky Vargas was likewise euphoric:

J

Pinay boxer wins gold

Q

covering a distance of 33 kilometers in an out and back course from Maa’s Team Davao Shooting Range, is one of the events of the Davao Summer Games, the competition phase of the Davao Summerfest.

In the Juniors division, Roel Quitoy bested rivals Nhoe Baldomero and Leo Jade Lopez to pocket the title in the under-19 category while Danny Tapao beat Romilito Villarubia and Jojo Genonsalo for the Veterans division title. In the Masters 1 category, veteran Glen Yap took the top prize followed by another veteran Ruel Casaljay and Joel Rojo while Alberto Al-

BLAST. Jong Tan watches his chip shot from the fringe during the 7th Pomelo Tee golf tournament at the Rancho Palos Verdes golf and country club. (BOY LIM)

feche won the Masters 2 crown over Ronelo Ablanda and Ernesto Sagarino.

The winners in the Fun Ride (non-competitive) are Arnold Simple for Fun Ride A, Reneboy Tigtig for Fun Ride B, Ariel Jamisola for Fun Ride C, and Nick Canque for Fun Ride D. Earlier last Saturday, national team riders JR Barba and Joey Barba ruled the Downhill competition of the two-day Davao bikefest backed up by Davao Light and Power Company, International Pharmaceuticals Inc., SM City Davao, AMA Computer College Davao, H2Zero Mineral Water and Nature Spring Water.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

Heaven found in Davao

WHO would have known that one can find heaven in a 760-hectare banana plantation?

And that heaven is called the Hijo Estate Resorts. Hijo Estate Resorts is a mixeduse tourist development that caters to leisure, cultural, and adventure travelers alike, thanks to its diverse offerings all of which I was able to explore last week.

What used to be known as Hijo Plantation, Hijo Estate Resorts includes a historic and still-functioning banana plantation within its property, and is the only one in Davao that offers banana plantation tours that show the public how bananas are propagated, raised, harvested, and packed for export to markets all over the world.

But enough about bananas!

Arriving at the Hijo Estate Resorts, one is greeted with cold scented towels at the Lanikai Heritage House.

What used to be the original plantation home is now transformed into a charming bed and breakfast with its ground floor serving as a dining room and art gallery featuring artworks by Davao’s Kublai Milan.

Hijo Resources Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer Rosanna T. Forés said that she grew up within the plantation and every chance she can return to experience the resort’s many charms she will take it.

“There are many activities the resort can offer and are

truly unique experiences that can be found no where else,” she said while personally touring our group.

A short drive away is Banana Beach, a 4-km long beach with facilities like an infinity pool, garden huts, and a beachside restaurant that serves local cuisine. The more adventurous might want to go on a jungle safari and explore the estate’s secondary growth forest with its own canopy walk, jungle trails, and matching wildlife residents. Those wanting to enjoy some peace and quiet can try their luck catching talakitok, bangus, and the occasional wild barracuda at the resort’s fishinag spot.

I love the river cruise going back to Lanikai, that was both relaxing and an adventure. It was also nice to see a clean river with a thick growth of hundredyear-old mangrove trees flanking both sides of its banks. I only wish I could go back and explore the 4.5-km stretch of it in a kayak. But I guess that gives me more reasons to come back to Hijo and to find my piece of Heaven.

The scene at the front lawn of the Lanikai Heritage House.

Hijo Resources Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer Rosanna T. Forés giving a personal guided tour.

The idylic fishing spot.

Just some of the locals in the jungle.

EDGED

A2 INdulge!

Zion observes

EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

Z Diretor of sales Jocelyn Panes, Editor-in-chief Antonio M. Ajero and general manager Olivia D. Velasco give the Loyalty Award to Zaldy Boy Nemenzo.

CHEERS! The Zion-Edge celebration gathered media practioners from other outfits. In picture (L-R) Leandro Daval Sr., Ramon Maxey, Jade Zadivar, Neil Bravo, Charles Maxey and Elmer Kintanar.

ION Accuprint Publishing Inc., a relatively new player in the printing-publishing industry, turned five years old this month.

It had a sapphire anniversary bash in a joint celebration with Edge Davao, its sister company, which was launched formally as a daily, in cocktails held at the Lotus Court and Jade 2 of Marco Polo Davao, Thursday night. The party was attended by some 150 guests composed of Davao region’s top business leaders, professionals, government leaders, media practitioners and top players of the printing business, who are member of the PIADI (Printing Industry Association of Davao Inc.) Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

Ms Cheeree “Buga” Pajarillaga, administrative assistant, and Zaldy Boy

Jocelyn Panes, Imelda Lee and Lani Maratas

Aurelio Peña and Antonio M. Ajero

Elena Botoy and Gilbert Daro of RG Magazines

Marvin M. Cruz of AdDU

The admin and marketing staff with GM Velasco

Engr. Bert Barriga of ICT Davao

Nicolai Miagan, Uean Bacsal and Miggy Pajarillaga

n Employees Zaldy

and Buga get loyalty awards

Nemenzo, press operator, were bestowed awards for their loyalty as pioneering workers of Zion from the time it only had five personnel, including the owners. The duo received Sapphire certificates and wristwatches.

Zion which has a computer-to-plate press, a state-of-the-art equipment, is capable of printing books, labels, posters, stickers, brochures, leaplets, magazines, newspapers and calendars.

As part of the fun, gift

certificates were raffled off to those who attended the twin events. The winners included former Vice Mayor Louie Bonguyan, Joe Custodio of JB Custodio and Sons, Joel Nacito of Equibrium Intertrade, Catherine Bella of Insular Waterfront, Juan “Jonjon” Ramirez of Cortess Printing Press and Val Dionisio of Motormall Davao.

The gift certificates were for Marco Polo Davao (overnight stay with breakfast for two), Pearlfarm (overnight stay with breakfast for two) and Microtel Hotel (overnight stay with breakfast for two).

DAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

Sapphire year

INdulge! A3

Cheree Pajarillaga receives the Loyalty Award from Mr Ajero and Ms Velasco.

Light moment with Mr. Ajero Dr. Lourdes C. Camintoy of PWC

Editorial Team (from left) Karlos Manlupig, Lorie Cascaro, Greg Deligero, Jade Zaldivar, and Carlo Mallo.

Editorial Consultant Ram Maxey

The Zion and Edge Davao production staff

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

Helpful tips were scattered throughout the venue

Mad About Travel at the Abreeza Mall

IN celebration of The Travel Club’s 20th Anniversary, they have brought back Mad About Travel; a series of events that focuses on travelling for leisure, fitness, and relaxation. Mad About Travel happened at Abreeza Mall from May 18 to 20 which was preceded by the TriNoma leg during the 16 to the 18th and will be followed by the Ayala Center Cebu (July 20 to 22) and Glorietta (October 12 to 14) legs.

Mad About Travel is a one-stop-shop of sorts; an exhibit as well as a retail display of all the best travel products and services in the country. This gave the Travel Club’s patrons more access to discounted products which included lines from Travelon, Delsey, Hedgren, Slendertone, Backjoy, FitFlop, JanSport, Victorinox, Hedgren, The North Face, and Healthy Back Bag to

The expansive exhibit area at the Abreea Mall.

The Travel Club Platinum Mastercard

name a few. Some of the other companies present during the exhibit were Bellarocca, El Nido, Travelife Magazine, Filman Travel, Planet Infinity, Philippine Airlines, Pearl Farm, and Waterfront Insular Hotel who all gave away exciting prizes through raffles during the three-day affair.

Aside from the three day exhibit, Mad About Travel also hosted several talks about the best travel destinations, flight and accommodation news and trends, travel agency tips, and travel in general.

To provide more infor-

mation for their patrons, helpful travel tips were also scattered throughout the exhibit area.

The Travel Club Platinum Mastercard, a product of the partnership between Allied Bank and The Primer Group, was also launched during the exhibit in celebration of The Travel Club’s 20th Anniversary. The card guarantees the holder discounts to Primer products, Mabuhay miles mileage points, a 0% instalment payment option, rebates, free purchase protection insurance, and free travel insurance.

The iconic oversized JanSport bag made an appearance at the event, much to the delight of backpack enthusiasts A display of some of the best selling pieces of lugage at discounted prices

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS

15

Hunger Games L VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

Spurs clinch West Finals

Tim Duncan and Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs celebrate late in the fourth quarter while taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on Monday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (right) Lebron James and Dwyane Wade in a tight embrace after levelling the series with Indiana while Blake Griffin (below) drops in frustration after the Clippers were sent to the exits by the San Antonio Spurs.

Kobe blames Pau L

OS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers trudged off the Staples Center floor late Saturday, a single loss now separating them from season’s end, another fourth-quarter collapse once again causing their undoing. They didn’t show much poise in the locker room, either, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum pointing blame at others for allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to steal their second victory in three games.

Bryant missed eight of his 10 shots in the final quarter, but shrugged off his struggles by saying his teammates’ lack of aggressiveness “forced” him to take tough shots. He also left no question which teammate deserved the most blame for the 103-100 loss in Game 4.

Pau Gasol.

Bryant faulted Gasol for not playing aggressive enough. It was also Gasol’s turnover that led to Kevin Durant making the winning 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds

left.

“Pau’s got to be more assertive,” Bryant said. “He’s the guy they’re leaving [open]. When he’s catching the ball, he’s looking to pass.

He’s got to be aggressive.

He’s got to shoot the ball or drive the ball to the basket.

He will be next game.”

Bryant has periodically targeted Gasol with his public criticism, hoping to motivate him to lift his performance. But with the Lakers now down 3-1 in the series and facing Game 5 on Monday in Oklahoma City, Bryant’s patience has been exhausted. Gasol’s inconsistency has been a problem for the Lakers throughout the season, and he never seemed to recover after the team tried to trade him in December to the Houston Rockets in a deal with the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul. NBA commissioner David Stern blocked the trade, and Gasol has admitted his tenuous status with the franchise has both-

ered him.

Gasol totaled just 10 points and five rebounds in Game 4. Most recently, Bryant criticized both Gasol and Andrew Bynum after a listless performance in a Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Gasol responded with 23 points and 17 rebounds in the Lakers’ clinching Game 7 victory.

After a dominant first half by Andrew Bynum on Saturday, the Thunder began fronting the Lakers’ center with Kendrick Perkins. Bryant thought Gasol didn’t attack enough when Serge Ibaka left him to help Perkins.

“He’s looking to swing the ball too much,” Bryant said. “He’s got to take his shot.”

That was the case on the game’s most critical possession. After a steal by Steve Blake, Gasol tried to pass to Metta World Peace only to have Durant knock the ball away with 33.9 seconds left.

Durant followed with the 3-pointer.

OS ANGELES -- The San Antonio Spurs mowed down another opponent, using their guile under pressure to close out another perfect playoff series.

Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parker added 17 and the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 on Sunday night to win their second-round matchup 4-0 and advance to the Western Conference finals. ‘’They played great, they made it tough on us,’’ Parker said. ‘’The last 2 minutes we got the stops we needed. Everybody did something.’’

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and their playoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak in franchise history. ‘’Until we go all the way, I can’t compare this team,’’ said Parker, who has won three NBA titles with the Spurs. ‘’We’re just trying to stay focused.’’

Danny Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Thiago Splitter had 11 each. ‘’We needed a game like that. It arrived at the perfect time,’’ Parker said. ‘’We battled. We executed our plays, made big baskets.’’

San Antonio could find out as soon as Monday night who it will play next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, with Game 5 on Monday. ‘’We haven’t done anything yet. We’ve won two rounds,’’ Duncan said. ‘’We haven’t done anything so you can’t qualify or classify our team as anything other than that we’ve gotten this far.’’

The Spurs trailed much of the fourth until tying the game twice in the final 3:32 before their 30-something trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili took over most of the scoring. ‘’Their experience showed with their execution,’’ Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. ‘’Tim looks great and the rest of the guys are feeding off that.’’

Miami levels series I

NDIANAPOLIS -- The coveted NBA championship, the one LeBron James needs to validate everything, was vanishing.

With 18,000 towel-waving fans roaring like the engines at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indiana Pacers had knocked the Miami

Heat to the floor and to the edge of elimination.

James didn’t panic. He simply picked up his teammates and carried them to a win.

And this time, Dwyane Wade helped.

James scored 40 points with 18 rebounds and nine

assists, and Wade added 30 points - 22 in the second half - as Miami rallied to even their semifinal series against Indiana with a 101-93 win on Sunday over the Pacers, who had the defending Eastern Conference champions down couldn’t keep them there.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 56 • MAY 22, 2012

EDGEDAVAO