Edge Davao 5 Issue 66

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

www.edgedavao.net

Serving a seamless society

Indulge Page A1

Groups reject Angara bill

People warned vs water monopoly

By Lorie A. Cascaro

MOTORING Page 7

I

RREGULARITIES of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in providing technical and financial assistance to water districts have caused the delay of infrastructure development of

the Davao City Water District (DCWD), lawyer Eliseo R. Braganza, Jr., vice chair of the DCWD Board of Directors (BOD), said Monday.

Admitting being a witness to LWUA’s irregularities, Braganza said privatizing the water district is not the way to address the issue of inefficiency

but by providing funds.

He bared that the LWUA failed to provide the necessary technical and financial support, adding that there was one fund that was not actually released to DCWD. Four years ago, the LWUA released loans

FPEOPLE, 13

Sports Page 15

AGAINST WATER PRIVATIZATION. Rudy Aranjuez, chairman of the Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Davao City Water District, (right) said on Monday that they are opposing the privatization of the water facilities in the city because this would cause an unbridled water rate increases and an uncertainty on the condition of the workers in the facility. [KARLOS

City gov’t still owes P2.3 billion MANLUPIG]

By Jade C. Zaldivar

Follow Us On

A

N outstanding balance of more than P2.3 billion remains of the city’s debt to Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP),

n P309 M payment scheduled for MayDec 2012 n P145 M in Jan-Apr 2012; P461 M paid in 2011 said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday.

The mayor released to media updated data on the city’s debt to LBP which showed

that as of April 2012, the city has an outstanding balance of P2,323,171,937.74.

According to the data, the city is scheduled to pay P309,981,025.43 from May to December this year.

From January to April this year, the city

FCITY, 13

EDGEDAVAO 2 THE BIG NEWS Sara wants Davao primed to be ‘new names’ world’s largest IT park VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

In local governance

By Jade C. Zaldivar

D

AVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday said she considers it a good idea to have “new names” elected into public office in Davao City.

During the media briefing at the city hall, she said she’d want to see a city council which is a mixture of new and old names.

The mayor gave her answer to this reporter’s query on whether she would want Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (Hugpong), the aggrupation of supporters of Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, to support new names in the city council.

“Kung ako pabut-on, it’s a good idea. Maayo kung naay mga bag-ong leaders,” she said.

“Ang consideration [para ang tao mahimong kandidato is ang iyang] track record and winnability,” she added.

Duterte-Carpio also admitted that the task would have some difficulties as it involves politics.

“Pero lahi ang idea, lahi ang politics. Kabalo na man mo ana. Lahi ang idea lahi ang realidad,” she said.

Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said the mayor would decide as to who should be supported by Hugpong, which has filed an application with the Commission on Elections to officially become a partylist.

In previous statements, the elder Duterte told Edge

DOH 11 says

Davao that he too does not know what position daughter Sara Duterte would be running for, whether for mayor, vice mayor, or 1st district representative.

Mum on candidacy Sara remains non-commitant as to what position she would want to run for.

“Mudagan ko pero kung unsa nga posisiyon dili sa nako isulti,” she said, adding, “ Mahibaw-an ra na sa adlaw nga mag-file ug certificate of candidacy.”

Duterte-Carpio them blurted out: “Wait, I’m lying. Kadali lang ha. Namakak diay ko noh. Na-realize nako na namakak ko. Mudagan ko sa posisyon nga gusto nako.

Ang problema kay dili nako masulti ang posisyon because as I said walay plano walay discussion nothing,” she said.

She was referring to Hugpong.

She did say she considers all elective positions being the same.

“Pareha ra na sila. It’s a job as any other as an elective officer. All positions contribute to society. Ang lisod lang kay naga-agi ug election,” she said.

Duterte Carpio said she is also not closing her mind on practicing her profession as a lawyer.

“I was thinking nga kung dili ko mudagan I will still work as a lawyer. Ginaconsider nako na musulod [sa government] in an appointive position as a lawyer,” she said.

By Lorie A. Cascaro

U

NLIKE in Cebu and Manila, where information technology (IT) parks are concentrated in one area, Davao City will be projected as the world’s largest IT park as it will be the hub itself, Bert Barriga, president of ICT Davao said last Monday.

Guesting at the Kapehan sa Dabaw, SM City Davao, he said IT areas can be spread out in the city such that a business process outsourcing (BPO) locator can put up its business in Toril District or Buhangin where there are

good infrastructures.

Aside from the viability of infrastructure and reliability of broadband connection, he added that the city has a viable pool of talents, considering the number of college graduates every year.

“Telecommunication companies will come in place, but the most important thing for locators is the security of the city. This is because despite being the safest city in the country, potential investors are wary as it is still part of Mindanao,” he said.

ICT Davao is promoting four IT areas in the city-

--Damosa IT Park, Matina IT Park, SM City Davao and Abreeza Mall.

Some BPOs, two of which are the biggest in the world, have shown interest to put up call centers at SM Davao at its 11,000-square meter floor, and the Abreeza, Barriga said.

On June 15, one locator will have engagements with universities in the city, after which another set of BPO locators will visit to look at potential investments.

Should locators decide to put up call centers here, they will initially need more than 2,000 call center agents on

top of the need for 3,000 to 4,000 agents in two months for the existing BPOs. The city today has 16-18 call centers, including smalland medium-sized ones, employing some 14,000 agents.

Noting that ICT Davao is positive about reaching its target of 30,000 IT jobs by 2015 with new twists happening in the industry, he said, “The challenge now is to build on the availability of areas in the city.”

Additional services provided by BPOs in the city include health, agriculture, creative services, finance and accounting.

HAPPY ZOMBIES. Grade 1 pupils of Sta. Ana Elementary School appear like happy zombies as they raise their arms forward while walking in an orderly manner towards their classroom. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Kidney disease is one of region’s top 10 deadliest

K

IDNEY disease continues to be among the deadliest among Filipinos victims, said a member of the Department of Health (DOH) 11’s Renal Disease Control Program (Redcop) last June 1.

Redcop spokesperson Dr. Maria Theresa Lorenzo Bad-ang said the disease remains in the top ten diseases causing mortality.

“Although napabiliang siya sa top ten, it’s ranking is not really so definite since kidney disease leads to other health complications such as hypertension, diabetes, or affect other organs,” Badang said said during the media forum at the Philippine

Information Agency 11.

“There is at least an increase of 10 percent of people diagnosed with kidney disease every year in the Philippines,” she added.

In 2010, Region 11 comprised 5.9 % of the 9,716 new cases in the country.

Other high-placing regions when it comes to kidney disease are the National Captial Region (12.5%), Northern Luzon (11.7 %), and Western Visayas (5.6 %).

Statistics for 2011 are yet to be released by the DOH, Bad-ang said.

June being the National Kidney Month Celebration, Bad-ang emphasized that early prevention is early

Quips

‘IN THE CASE of the Chief Justice’s SALN, the undeclared assets as so huge, 50 times more than what we declared in cash—2.4 million in US dollar deposits, 80 million in peso deposits –that they cannot be brushed aside as innocent excuses.’

--Sen. Ralph Recto (Guilty verdict on CJ Corona)

cure.

“Live a healthy lifestyle because kidney disease is attributed to the lifestyle of a person. Kung mahilig ka sa masyadong maalat, masayadong matamis, hindi naman kaya ng katawan, kaya it’s better na to take just enough nga kung anong nararapat para sa ating katawan,” she said.

“Remember na ang symptons ng kidney disease at most times only show up pag-seryoso na ang condition that’s why it’s advisable to have regular check-up and of course to keep a healthy lifestyle,” she added.

Transplant vs. dialysis The Redcop spokesperson said it is much more advisable for patients of End Stage Renal Disease (ERDS) to undergo kidney transplant.

Bad-ang said in the Philippines a kidney transplant could cost from P500,000 to P1 million while maintaining a dialysis, the process of

cleansing the blood by passing it through a special machine, could cost P30,000 to P40,000 per month.

“Although dito sa Davao ang swerte natin dahil a session of dialysis would only cost P1,800, or P800 to P1,000 if you are a Philhealth member. In other parts of the country, especially in Luzon, it is P3,500 per session,” Badang said.

“But we really recommend that if you find a kidney donor, and you can afford a transplant please do undergo the latter since it’s a lot more beneficial. With a transplant you are guaranteed to live a healthy, normal lifestyle,” she said.

Rose Zozobrado, 32, married, a kidney patient, said she’s still waiting for a kidney donor.

Unfortunately, none in her family could become a donor.

Her dialysis treatment started September last year.

“I cannot go to work

since I need to go through dialysis twice a week. I cannot eat oily or fatty foods and I cannot stay long under the sun since the condition of my kidneys does not allow me to drink a lot of water. But I remain happy,” she said.

“I am thankful that my husband is very supportive. I do not allow myself to get stressed about this sickness because I know it would only worsen my condition. I remain hoping that I will survive this sickness,” she added.

Meanwhile, kidney transplant survivor Vanessa Javier gave advice that people should drink plenty of water.

“Drink at least one liter a day. For me it really was a lesson. Since I was too lazy to drink water, not wanting to wake up in the middle of the night, it then led to kidney failure,” she said.

Javier was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was 31 years old.

She’s now 39 and is in healthy condition.

“When we knew about it was already in grave condition. I had to undergo dialysis after that but luckily after four months our family was ready to finance my operation. My younger sister donated to me one of her kidneys,” she said.

Javier added that it was beneficial that she had a big family who were qualified to become donors.

“After I had a transplant I felt so much better.

I felt healthier than in my twenties. Three years after my transplant, I gave birth to my daughter who’s now eight years old. She’s really a Godgiven gift to me and my husband. I never had a problem while I was bearing her,” she said.

Last year, a total of 140 successful transplants were conducted in the city at the Davao Regional Hospital, Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), and Davao Doctors Hospital, Bad-ang said.[JADE C. ZALDIVAR]

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

3

Downtown schools are more crowded Compared to far areas

By Lorie A. Cascaro

S

CHOOLS in Davao City’s central district, particularly Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Elementary School and Magallanes Elementary School, have more students than other schools, a school principal told Edge Davao last Friday.

Kapitan Tomas Monteverde’s principal, Milagros O. Supera, said it’s classrooms are crowded because parents prefer their children to attend schools near their places of work.

“We can’t say no to parents who are not residents of the district, but I always advise them that it is much better if their kids enroll in schools near where they live,” she said.

She pointed out that schools in other districts have fewer students than those in the central district, thus have extra chairs, classrooms and books.

Having been the principal of Kapitan Tomas for almost two years, Supera said every year, the number of Grade 1 students increase by about two percent.

Kapitan Tomas has a total of 5,315 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6, adding that one percent of the total or about 53 students are residents of other districts.

Ace Morandante, a resident of Lanang, enrolled his son in Grade 1 at the Kapitan Tomas be-

Canon says

cause it is near his workplace and he can easily check on him anytime.

Aware of a crowded classroom scenario, he said the quality of education should not be overlooked amid the situation.

Although admitting that a crowded classroom affects the quality of education of a child, Supera said there’s nothing to worry about Kapitan Tomas Monteverde because it has enough classrooms, teachers and books and there will be one teacher per 48 students in a class for all grade levels.

Last year, the ratio was one teacher per 52 students, which, according to her, was still manageable without sacrificing teaching efficiencies.

The school has 112 teachers, including one under the local school board.

The availability of half day sessions is another factor behind the increasing number of students at the Magallanes Elementary School.

Supera, a former principal of Magallanes Elem. School, said, “Parents should think of the convenience of their children inside the classroom, and not their own convenience.”

She pointed out that transferring the student from one school to another is not a solution to academic problems of a child. Instead, parents should follow through the child’s learning prog-

FDOWNTOWN, 13

‘Buy red, not gray’

A

multi-billion peso company, Canon Marketing (Philippines), finds Davao City a tough market due to the presence of a “gray market”.

Bong F. Serevo, Jr., vice president, director or imaging communications production, said gray importation of parallel products makes it difficult for the company to market their products.

He cited that prices of products from the gray market are cheaper by 20-30% than those that are sold by the company in the Philippines.

Noting that some of these gray products are not supposed to be sold in Asia, he said Canon products have specific features for a specific market.

“The advantage of

buying Canon products from us is the threeyear warranty that other countries don’t offer,” he said.

The company treats loyal customers differently such that those who bought from gray markets will pay three times higher for repair services.

“That’s how we treat our loyal customers who abide by the laws, pay the right taxes,” he said.

Only loyal customers are accepted to the Canon Photo Eskwela, a tutorial on photography using Canon cameras, provided by the company regularly.

“This will give justice to consumers who have no ability to buy abroad.

Buyers should be careful to know the right source of the right products,” he

FBUY, 13

SECURITY CHECK. Philippine National Police Region-11 Director Jaime Morente (left) and Davao City Police Office Chief Ronald Dela Rosa (right)

inspect various schools in the city to check the security situation during the first day of classes. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

RDC 11 to bring region‘s dev’t plan to provinces

T

HE Regional Development Council 11 firmed up its for 2011-2016 of conducting its sub-regional plan roadshow starting this month of June. The first leg of the roadshow will be in Davao del Norte.

The other provinces and Davao City will follow in July to October this year.

According to NEDA 11 regional director Maria

Lourdes Lim, the roadshow shall also feature the initiative on PublicPrivate Partnership, the manuals of which has just been published, to encourage local government units (LGUs) in the region to submit proposals for possible funding under the scheme. The plans and priorities of the LGUs shall also be highlighted during the Roadshow for

the harmonization and synchronization of development effortswithin the region.

The roadshow is a collaborative effort between the RDC 11 and Davao region’s LGUs and is viewed as a means of strengthening partnership among national, regional and local planners and implementers and the private sector. It shall be done in

a setting of an expanded Provincial/City Development Council meeting which shall include the participation of, among others, municipal mayors, heads of local departments, non-governmental organizations, business, academe, media, and other private groups. Lao has enjoined the support of all concerned in the conduct of the roadshow.

community, others are not as convinced.

Businessman V.E Alcantara says “mining, especially in our country, has generated thousands of jobs. Mining starts from prospecting, to actual extraction of minerals, to marketing.

It involves the work and labor of semi-skilled to skilled manpower, to the blue collar marketing people. As the metals change hands, so does the opportunity to earn money.”

He added to say that mining and mined matters have generated “tremendous revenue for the government. In its totality it has greatly improved

the quality of life of the people.”

Indeed, miners noted for their track records in responsible governance have observed high standards in promoting development. For example, not yet in its commercial phase, Sagittarius Mines, Inc. in South Cotabato has spent P121 million for community development programs for last

year alone. According to its 2011 Sustainability Report, the investment was aimed at “providing real and long-term benefits for local communities.”

Indigenous people living within mining areas’ host communities now enjoy the amenities that mining has brought them. Big mining com-

Mining is part of life, say local traders

O

RDINARY people who have nothing directly to benefit from large-scale mining ventures say the minerals extraction industry is a necessary part of modern life.

Strong protests from the Catholic Church and other organizations have doused cold water on an industry struggling to be acknowledged as an important economic driver. Investments in the mining industry reportedly fell 35 percent last year, partly because of the sustained opposition and high-level dilly-dallying over policy issues.

But while some claim that mining is bad for the

Quips

‘..THE RESPONDENT has consistently misinterpret all the laws as releasing him from his constitutional duty to disclose his entire assets in his SALN… Ang batas para kay Juan ay batas din para kay Renato.’

--Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III (Guilty verdict on CJ Corona)

FMINING, 13

4

SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Japan eyeing 15% nuclear in energy mix: minister J

Japanese Environment Minister Goshi Hosono is pictured in 2011. Japan may look to generating 15 percent of its electricity needs from nuclear power as the country seeks to rebalance its energy supply after the Fukushima disaster.

Carbon market increases 11%

T

HE total value of the carbon market increased 11 percent to US$ 176 billion in 2011, which indicates the rising interest and challenge to the global carbon market.

“Despite the major economic countries facing difficulties on carbon market, we see the increasing interest and support for new-marketbased mechanisms to mitigate climate change in the long run,” the World Bank Unit Manager Carbon Finance, Joelle Chassard, said in a press release on Sunday.

According to World Bank reports, the volume of carbon market transactions in 2011 also reached the highest amount of 10.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

The report issued by multilateral financial institutions at the Carbon Expo in Cologne in May 2012 illustrates how despite declining prices, the global carbon market increased in 2011.

The biggest carbon market is US$ 148 billion of EU Allowances (carbon credits used in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme issued by the European Union member states).

There is also an increase in the volume of

compensation under the Kyoto Protocol (an increase of 43 percent to 1.8 billion tons of CO2e, worth 23 billion U.S. dollars) which is driven by liquidity increasing in the Certified Emissions Reductions (CER) and Emission Reduction Unit (ERU) market.

Compensation and mitigation of emissions under the Kyoto Protocol can be performed in any developing countries that have ratified the protocol and the treaty or national legislation to validation carbon projects in accordance with the approved mechanism UNFCCC United Nations.

The report also said some domestic carbon market initiative and the new regional increasingly gaining a place in both the developed and developing countries in 2011.

Among other things, it can be indicated by the emergence of new regulations related rules adopted by several countries like Australia which passed the Clean Energy Act. In addition, both Mexico and South Korea also have spawned a comprehensive climate legislation that underlies the marketbased mechanism of carbon in the future. [PNA/ANTARA]

APAN may look to generating 15 percent of its electricity needs fromnuclear power, a minister said Friday, as the country seeks to rebalance its energy supply after the Fukushima disaster.

A government panel studying future energy policy has presented several options, from one that sees a nuclear free future by 2030 to one that seeks to increase dependence on the technology to 35 percent by that date.

“Fifteen percent can be one base,” environment minister Goshi Hosono told reporters, noting that government limits on the operation of nuclear power stations to a maximum 40 years would be in line with this

figure.

Hosono and other ministers will discuss the government’s new energy policy next month.

Prior to tsunamisparked meltdowns at Fukushima, resourcepoor but energy-hungry Japan relied on nuclear for about a third of its electricity needs, a figure policymakers intended to boost to 50 percent.

But since the accident, increasing public distrust has meant reactors shuttered for routine safety checks have not been allowed to restart, such that the country’s entire stable is now offline.

Imported fossil fuels have been used to plug the gap, much to the detriment of Japan’s balance of trade, amid calls for a re-think of energy policy.

er plants in Europe cut production because of restricted availability of cooling water, driving up power prices.

A similar event in 2007-2008 in the United States caused several power plants to reduce production, or shut down for several days because of a lack of water for cooling and environmental restrictions on warm water discharges back into rivers, the study said.

In the past few months, large parts of the United States have suffered record heat, with March being the warmest on record for the contiguous 48 states, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The study projects the most significant U.S.

impacts at power plants inland along major rivers in the Southeast.

“Considering the increase in future electricity demand, there is a strong need for improved climate adaptation strategies in the thermoelectric power sector to assure future energy security,” the authors say in the study.

They also point to U.S and European laws enshrining strict environmental standards for the volume of water withdrawn by plants and the temperature of the water discharged.

Adaptation strategies include placing new plants near the sea or building more gas-fired power plants, which are more efficient and use less water. [REUTERS]

Nuclear, coal power face climate change risk: study W ARMER water and reduced river flows will cause more power disruptions for nuclear and coal-fired power plants in the United States and Europe in future, scientists say, and lead to a rethink on how best to cool power stations in a hotter world.

In a study published on Monday, a team of European and U.S. scientists focused on projections of rising temperatures and lower river levels in summer and how these impacts would affect power plants dependent on river water for cooling.

The authors predict that coal and nuclear power generating capacity between 2031 and 2060 will decrease by between 4 and 16 percent in the United States and a 6 to 19 percent decline in Europe due to lack of cooling water.

The likelihood of extreme drops in power generation, either complete or almost-total shutdowns, was projected to almost triple.

“This study suggests that our reliance on thermal cooling is something that we’re going to have to revisit,” co-author Dennis Lettenmaier, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, said in a statement.

Thermoelectric power plants supply more than 90 percent of electricity in the United

States and account for 40 percent of the nation’s freshwater usage, says the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

In Europe, such plants supply three-quarters of the electricity and account for about half of the freshwater use.

Coal, nuclear and gas plants turn large amounts of water into steam to spin a turbine.

They also rely on water at consistent temperatures to cool the turbines and any spike in river water temperatures can affect a plant’s operation.

Disruptions to power supplies were already occurring, the authors noted.

During warm, dry summers in 2003, 2006 and 2009 several pow-

The sun shines through power lines leading towards the EnBW nuclear power plant in Philippsburg, southwest Germany. [ REUTERS]

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

P 43.65 Dec 2011

11. Peso per US $ 5/ 12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

3,999.7 Sept 2011

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

128.1 Jan 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.9 Jan 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Dec 2011

16. Visitor Arrivals

284,040 Sept 2011

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

19.1% Oct 2011

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

6.4% Oct 2011

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

2011

2010

2009

Average December November October September August July June May April March

43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52

45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74

47.637 46.421

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

47.032 46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

5

Government deficit down in Q1 T

HE government is on track to meeting its revenue and deficit targets for the year, as more resources are collected to support a growing economy and contain the budget deficit, official data show.

Data from the Department of Finance show that revenues accounted for 14.9 percent of economic output in the first three months of 2012, an increase from last year’s 14.4 percent, which also happened to be the target for this year.

Tax collections, meanwhile, accounted for 12.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter, jumping from 11.8 percent year-on-year. Fullyear target is 13.2 percent.

More revenues helped contain the budget deficit as of March, accounting only to 0.8 percent of GDP as against last year’s 1.2 percent. The government has a 2.6 percent goal for the year.

Last year, the national gov-

ernment posted a budget deficit of P197.754 billion, equivalent to 2 percent of GDP. Revenues surged to P1.359 trillion or 14 percent of GDP, while tax collections of P1.202 trillion accounted for 12.34 percent.

Comparison of deficit, revenue and tax collections against GDP growth provides a clearer view of how much the government is collecting to support a growing economy and lessen its necessity to borrow. The rationale is as the economy expands, more revenues are collected by the government.

For the first quarter of 2012, the economy expanded by 7.7 percent in nominal terms, while collections from revenue agencies were up 11.4 percent.

In constant 2000 prices, the Philippine economy posted a stellar 6.4 percent growth in the January to March period— the strongest in almost two years and among South East Asian nations —driven mainly by domes-

tic demand and higher exports.

“Our sustained focus on improving tax administration efficiency continues to bear fruit. We believe that as we move toward the latter part of the year, we will continue to see better results on the part of revenue agencies as reforms are continued to be undertaken,” Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said over the weekend.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which accounts for about 70 percent of tax revenues, improved collections to 9.5 percent of GDP from 8.9 percent in the first quarter comparable periods. It aims to hit 9.8 percent revenue effort by the end of this year, an increase from 9.5 percent recorded last year.

The Bureau of Customs, meanwhile, notched a 2.9 percent revenue-to-GDP ratio, inching up from 2.8 percent during the same period. It has a full-year target of 3.4 percent, higher than its last year’s performance of 2.8

percent.

“Double-digit collection growths posted by BIR and Customs are way faster than how the economy expanded in the first quarter, leading to better revenue efforts for both bureaus,” Purisima said.

As of March, BIR collections rose 14.8 percent to P229.044 billion as against P199.549 billion hauled last year. Customs, for its part, nudged an 11 percent uptick during the same period, raising a total of P69.529 billion, up from P62.618 billion.

Deficit, as a result, is wellcontained at P33.909 billion, well below the P82.808-billion first quarter cap.

“During the first quarter, the economy expanded by more than expected despite a narrower deficit. We are committed to continuously pursue a faster, sustainable and inclusive growth while being mindful of our fiscal consolidation process,” Purisima said. (PNA)

Filipino community, embassy are PHL endorsers in London

T

HE Filipino community and the consular office in the United Kingdom have been active partners of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s efforts to push the Philippines as an alternative investment site to foreign investors by working hand-in-hand with each other to promote the Filipino culture to the world, an embassy official said.

An estimated one million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the professional (nurses, accountants and engineers), highly skilled (electricians) and service (waiters and domestic helpers) sectors reside in the United Kingdom.

In an interview, Enrique Manalo, Philippine Ambassador to the UK, said this “very vibrant and active community” has been a key ingredient in the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.

“They (OFWs) are working together with the embassy to see how we can promote Philippine culture here in the UK because ultimately the strength of our bilateral relationship is the fact that many UK citizens live and work in the Philippines while a number of Filipinos also work and reside in the UK,” Manalo said.

He added that part of their plans to promote Philippine culture is to expose our friends in the UK to our time honored festivals and significant events in Philippine history such as our Independence Day on June 12.

“It is in this interaction between the embassy and the Filipino communities that we are together ultimately to promote the Philippines and the Filipino culture,” Manalo said.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Davao City Water District employees plant trees inside Mt. Tipolog-Tamugan watershed. Arvin S. Medina and Jerika Evan F. Rasuman of the Production Department are among the first batch of volunteers of the 3rd DCWD employees tree planting who planted 300 Malobago seedlings held May 18. Another batch will be planting at the same site on June 8. These activities are part of the water utility’s efforts to restore and protect the major watersheds in Davao City to help ensure water resource sustainability for the future generations.

as of august 2010

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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 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Ungab defends sin tax reform bill PHL econ grows fastest in ASEAN T T HIS week is crucial for House Bill 5727, the measure which seeks to reform the excise tax imposed on tobacco and alcohol products, or the so-called “sin tax”.

The bill is being defended on the Hose plenary hall by Rep. Isidro T. Ungab of Davao City and Cavite’s Rep. Emilio Abaya, co-sponsors of the measure, which seeks to reform the sin tax system in order to increase revenue of the government by P60 billion a year.

The expected annual revenue however has been reduced to only P33 billion after Ungab and Abaya acceded to some changes introduced by fellow lawmakers when the bill was still being deliberated upon in the House Committee on Ways and Means, headed

by Ungab.

In an interpellation of Ungab ast week, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City said a 700-percent hike in the excise tax for tobacco products will result in lower revenues

n Bares safety nets ment, P4.03 billion will

for farmers

and lower production of local manufacturers. If these will happen, he said there will be lesser need or demand for raw materials for tobacco.

“This bill will like them (tobacco farmers) to shift to palay, corn or tomato.

They will lose a lot of money if they will shift to these crops because tobacco is 400 percent more profitable than palay, corn and tobacco. That is the percentage,” he said.

He cited that in 2011, the price of tobacco was P66.89 per kilo. On the other hand, the price of palay last year was P15.24 per kilo, corn P12 per kilo, and tomato P13.57 per kilo.

However, Ungab said HB 5727 provides safety nets for farmers. He cited the bill provides it will give back 15% of the proceeds to the tobacco farmers. Assuming that the measure would raise P26.8 billion revenue for the govern-

go back to the farmers as safety net according to him.

“The manner of distribution or the procedure we have to approve or the implementing rules will provide that. However, let me emphasize that the farmers here will be taken into consideration. Aside from the 15%, we also again cite the benefits they will receive,” he said.

Ungab said the 2012 General Appropriations Act provides for an allocation to tobacco farmers of P4.731 billion as their share in the excise tax pursuant to Republic Act 7171 (Virginia Tobacco) while their allocation pursuant to RA 8240 (Burley and Native Tobacco) is P1.117 billion.

“These amounts are intended for farmers and among the plans that this 15% will be allocated to are: Programs that will provide inputs, training and other support for tobacco farmers who shifted to production of agricultural products other than

It figures

P3.5 million EXPENSE of the Philippine Senate on the 44-day impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, way below the P5-million budget that the Senate had earlier set aside for the trial of the country’s top judge.

130

60,000

NUMBER of public school classrooms that the Department of Education lacks nationwide.

NUMBER of police officers belonging to the Davao City Police Office who have been deputized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to assist in the fight against dru8g abuse in the city.

Ungab

tobacco; Programs that will provide financial support for tobacco farmers who will be displaced or who will voluntarily cease to produce tobacco; and Cooperative programs to assist tobacco farmers in planting alternative crops or implementing other livelihood projects,” said Ungab.

He explained that the first and foremost objective of the bill concerns the health of Filipinos. “We all know that the Philippines is one of the top smokers in the world. The figures will show that 30 percent of the Philippine population are smokers and even started to smoke at the age of 10 years old. We want to have a healthy nation, we want to have a healthy Philippines. That is precisely the reason for passing this measure, the sanctuary objective, which is to curb the habit of smoking,” he said.

Ungab also said that prices of cigarettes are very low in the Philippines, in fact they are among the lowest in the world. “For example, a leading brand costing here about P30 to P35 per pack is priced P300 in Hong Kong and P364 in Singapore when converted to peso.”

He cited for 2011, the Philippines was able to collect excise taxes from cigarettes in the amount of P25 billion but figures from the DOH indicate the expenditures for smokingrelated expenses is P177 billion. “We are practically spending a lot for smoking-related expenditures, whereas ung bumabalik sa atin maliit masyado.”

Over the years, Ungab noted that the excise tax as a percentage of GDP has been falling year after year.

“For the past 10 years, for the past 15 years, it has been going down and that’s very clear. In other words, the present system of taxation is not effective in addressing or curbing the habit of smoking, which we all know is bad to the health of our people.

We all know that this can kill our young Filipinos.

We all know that batangbata pa sinusunog na ang kanilang mga baga.”

$1 billion MONEY the Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is planning to invest on the expansion of its two natural gas-fired facilities in Batangas through the 500-megawatt San Gabriel power project.

HE unexpected 6.4 percent increase in the Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of the year was the highest growth rate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to President Benigno Aquino III. Aquino’s announcement was substantiated by the reports from National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) which showed that the country’s first quarter GDP growth rate was higher than Indonesia’s 6.3 percent; Vietnam’s 4 percent; Singapore’s 1.6 percent; and Thailand’s 0.3 percent.

It was also higher than those of non-ASEAN countries such as Hong Kong (0.4 percent), South Korea (2.8 percent) and Japan (2.8 percent).

During his recent visit here, Aquino also happily informed the Ilonggos that the increase was the second highest growth rate in all of Asia and the highest in a non-election year since 2006.

“As you know, inclusive economic growth is one of the foremost priorities of our administration — this means that no one and no sector is left behind,” assured Aquino.

According to Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the growth was attributed to the government’s strong infrastructure spending and its conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Coloma said Malacañang remained optimistic that it could sustain the growth or even supersede the target in the following quarters.

The country’s development plan aims to sustain a GDP growth of 7-8 percent every year until 2016 when Aquino’s six-

Quips

year term ends.

“Sana ma-maintain natin at kung maaari pa sana mas mataas pa,” Coloma said in an interview over the weekend.

Coloma said the country’s growing economy will enormously benefit all sectors in the society including the poorest of the poor.

“With the growing economy, we can create more jobs -– the number is the economic priority of our government. If we can create more jobs, we create opportunities... we reduce poverty...and [consequently] give our people better quality of life,” Coloma said.

In significantly reducing the poverty incidence nationwide, Coloma cited the importance of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps), a conditional cash transfer program.

“We are purposive about this because we have a National Household Targeting System to make sure that we are able to reach the poorest of the poor,” he said.

So far, Coloma said Department of Social Welfare and Development, the agency that is in the forefront of the campaign, already covered 3 million out of 4.6 million extremely poor households.

4Ps grants P6,000 yearly cash to the poor provided they comply with the conditions set by the program.

These conditions include mandatory participation in family development sessions, prenatal care for pregnant women, de-worming and enrollment of children in public schools, among others.

Since its implementation in 2008, 4Ps is able to help the poor help themselves by keeping their children in school and keep them healthy.

‘AS A LAWYER and an officer of the court, it pains and saddens me to say that clearly the Chief Justice displayed a disturbing pattern of dishonesty, willful concealment, and evasion and a blatant and wanton disregard of the provisions of the Constitution on the SALN.’

--Sen. Francis Pangilinan (Guilty verdict on CJ Corona)

44

NUMBER of people accused of smuggling and related offenses filed by the Bureau of Customs under the watch of President Noynoy Aquino. The accused include Bureau of Customs personnel in cahoots with suspects. However, no one has been jailed so far.

P3.59 billion SHORTFALL in collection target of the Bureau of Customs for the month of May, the 14th-straight month the BOC has been unable to reach its monthly collection target.

EDGEDAVAO

MOTORING

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

Small cars are getting big attention

O

NE of those on top of my wish list for the year is a compact car.

I have grown tired and often weary even with a mid-sized vehicle for years.

Add to that the woes of the times—squeezing your way in heavy traffic finding parking space—are just too much of a stress to add to the

already stressful workplace.

Like most of you, I wish to have a small compact car that’s easy to steer clear of the logjam and wiggle out of the cramped highways.

And you know what? Today’s small cars usually get the big attention.

Car reviews say that as the steady stream of fuel price hikes continues to hit both local and global consumers, car buyers are starting to take a second look at leaner and meaner machines that are both easy on the pocket and

Car Review of the Week:

easy on the tank.

Not surprisingly, car hunters are on the watch for the latest compact brands in the market, among them new hatchback models that respond to the demand for smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Question: Does small really mean thrifty when it comes to fuel consumption?

According to Enrico Bonggo of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), “hatchbacks have started to pick up, especially as fuel price hikes began peaking last June and July. Vehicles

such as SUVs are becoming a lot more and more of a luxury nowadays. We can say that it’s really the time of small, fuelefficient cars.”

HARI recently launched the first two in its I series – the i30 with a 1.6-liter power plant and the i10 with a 1.10 fuel engine. The i30 and i10 models — following the earlier Hyundai Getz minicar — target young professionals and small families with four to five members.

Mr. Bonggo says Hyundai’s compact cars also boast

diesel engines that are fuelefficient but “do not compromise power.”

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) likewise unveiled the new Honda Jazz to stay active in the compact cars market. “The Honda Jazz has revolutionized the concept behind small cars,” according to HCPI president and general manager Hiroshi Shimizu.

Positioned as a Fun Utility Vehicle or FUV, the Japanese carmaker’s second-generation Honda Jazz has already sold 2.5 million units in around 115 countries worldwide. Mr. Shimizu attributed the new Jazz’s success to “fuel

Suzuki Kizashi T

HE Suzuki Kizashi is one of the best compact sedans on the market. But as it is, many shoppers might not even think to put it on their list of prospective models. That’s because Suzuki—and Suzuki dealerships—simply haven’t made much of a name for themselves in the U.S. market. If you can see past that lack of brand cachet, the Kizashi shines as a premium, sport-flavored alternative to the likes of the Volkswagen Jetta or Chevrolet Cruze.

Even a couple of years after its debut, the Kizashi remains one of the betterlooking sedans. It’s more than a foot shorter than most mid-size sedans, but on the upper edge of what would be considered a compact, and the Kizashi strikes some great proportions, combining a rather traditional sedan profile with a dressed-up look and sportier stance. Inside, the Kizashi is feels a class above most other value-conscious four-cylinder compact or mid-size models, with a little bit of sports-car swoopiness in the two-tier instrument panel design, a large, hooded gauge cluster, and just a tiny touch of chrome to punctuate the look but not overwhelm. The sporty, upscale look and feel is enhanced by well-bolstered sport seats and quality coarse cloth or ventilatedleather upholstery.

A gutsy 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine moves the Kizashi plenty quick, and provides spirited performance either with

the available continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) or standard six-speed manual. With the CVT, the Kizashi comes either with front-wheel drive or the new i-AWD system, which is configured for enhanced cornering and managed via the stability control system; but of the combinations, our favorite remains the front-wheel-drive Sport model with the manual gearbox. Overall, though the Kizashi feels athletic, and excellent suspension tuning, body control, and grip give it a nimble, tossable feel.

Brakes employ Akebono performance calipers, and they feel strong but a little touchy.

Gas mileage for this powertrain is one weakness; EPA ratings aren’t that impressive, though ranging from 20 to 23 mpg in the city and 29 to 31 mpg on the highway.

Those who think of some compact models as a little too small but don’t want the sacrifice in maneuverability that comes with a mid-size car will appreciate the Kizashi’s ‘just-right’ size.

Suzuki hasn’t accomplished any magic with interior space here, though; the Kizashi is more of a compact sedan than a mid-size one on the outside, and the same rings true inside. But nice, supportive bucket seats provide a great driving position and plenty of support for taller folks. The Kizashi doesn’t have a lot of space In the back seat, but you’ll definitely be able to accommodate a couple of adults back there for a drive out for

7

economy, utility, and (its) funto-drive performance.”

And then there is Scandinavian Motors Corp., local distributor of Volvo cars, which also heeded the trend towards small and diesel-powered vehicles.

Volvo has come up with its own small car in Volvo C30.

The rest of the small pack are Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet’s Spark, Kia Picanto, Mazda 3, and Toyota Yaris.

So, which one rates high on my list?

Ford Fiesta and the Hyundai Eon (if it’s already in the market) should sit right there on top. The Jazz 2012 too.

He looks muscular, with chrome accents on the front fascia, side skirts and chrome accents on the bottom 4 side door. Alloy wheels 18 “adds to this impression of masculine midsize sedan. Inside the cabin, sporty shades obtained from the new design stitching on the steering wheel and leather seats, gearshift lever and parking brake cover.

2012 Suzuki Kizashi Sport with 4WD System smart system can be transformed into 2WD (4x2) if you want it. You can just select it via a button on

the dashboard. Under conditions of all-wheel-drive (i-AWD), the torque will be divided up to 50:50 front / rear, depending on needs.

lunch.

The Kizashi really shines in the details. Throughout the interior, materials feel a bit different than most other models in this class, with nicely grained plastics plus soft-touch and padded surfaces in most of the places you’d brush against. Ride quality is on the firm side,

but you’ll never feel rattled; it also damps out road noise surprisingly well considering that it favors sportiness over outright comfort.

Federal crash-test scores still haven’t been given to the Kizashi, but the IIHS rates it ‘good’ in all but its roof-strength test (‘acceptable’ there). Eight airbags are standard, including rear side bags, which still aren’t common in this class.

The 2012 Suzuki Kizashi continues to put its best

foot forward in terms of features for the money. Even when optioned with that, a loaded Kizashi SLS Sport still totals well under $30k.

Suzuki typically offers few if any options on its U.S. vehicles, instead including a strong list of standard features, and the Kizashi takes that to a new level with all Kizashi’s including keyless entry and dual-zone climate control. GTS Sport and SLS Sport step up to a lowered suspension that rides 10

mm lower (but not really any harsher) than the base setup; a bolder, lightweight wheel design; a trunk spoiler; body sill extensions; a more aggressive front fascia; and a bolder, ‘aero’ look.

Sport models also get snug, leather-trimmed sport seats with contrast stitching, plus a number of other extras. A navigation system is available as a relatively low-cost option and includes a rear camera system, real-time traffic, and iPod controls.

ONDA Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) has announced that it is voluntarily recalling thousands of CR-V units to replace the wiring to the headlight switch that could heat up because it is too short.

A total of 20,587 units of Honda CR-V covering the model years from 2002 to 2004, all assem-

bled and sold in the Philippines, are affected.

HCPI said that because it is too short, the electric wire connected to the headlight switch wire is stretched during operation. With the resulting tension, the terminal wire joint moves and contacts with a metal part and may generate enough heat to melt the

wire connecting coupler.

This, it said, eventually leads to headlight switch malfunction, causing the low beam to become nonoperational.

Xavier Eyadan, HCPI marketing head, said the company is replacing the part for free starting April 4. Replacement should take only about 40 minutes, he said.

Honda recalls 2002-2004 CR-Vs

Kizashi Sport armed with 2.4-liter engine, 4-cylinder inline, DOHC, coded J24B, which releases power 178 hp at 6000 rpm with torque of 230 Nm at 4000 rpm. This machine was first used by the Suzuki Grand Vitara in 2008.With the help of a CVT transmission, with gas consumption of 12.04 km / liter. While emissions of CO-2 Kizashi Sport claimed 191 g /km.

H

8

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Fear of the unknown

A

EDITORIAL

Inspired enforcers

“D

O YOUR job. I would rather see a dead criminal than a dead policeman. Do not hesitate to shoot them down if they try to escape. I will back you up.”

The statement comes from Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, whose style of leadership in the fight against crime and criminals, especially of the heinous type, has raised quizzical eyebrows in certain quarters.

The occasion was the seminar held to launch the deputation of 130 police officers of Davao City into the local unit of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration (PDEA).

To be sure, the deputation raises the expectation of the citizenry on the ability of lawmen to check the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city. It simply means more warm bodies, brains and resources focused on the problem.

The heightened campaign is welltimed in that it comes during the opening of classes, a period when drug push-

EDGEDAVAO

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ers ply their nefarious trade in school campuses, especially among students from the more affluent families.

The campaign’s chances of success are enhanced with the all-out support of the vice mayor whose desideratum is to preside over a city that is drug and crime-free, even going to the extent of warning criminals to stay out of Davao—OR ELSE! The emphasis on the drug menace is well-placed simply because a big chunk of criminal acts are drug-related.

Duterte’s unequivocal support of law enforcers has been a source of inspiration in their ranks which has in turn translated into heightened alert on their part in the continuing fight against all sorts of criminality. Peaceloving Dabawenyos appreciate the fact that the city’s leadership is concerned about their collective security and doing what needs to be done to achieve that goal.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

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

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

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RE GENETI C A L LYA LT E R E D STAPLES SAFE TO EAT? – Are we now ready to adopt the cultivation of genetically-modified (GM) crops, which has already been expanded with more farmers in many countries espousing new varieties of disease-resistance crops, according to reports from biotechnology experts? These experts cited that rapid expansion of farmlands devoted to GM crops confirms the acceptance of such crops in many regions of the world.

Biotechnology, the science of manipulating genetic traits and substances, is the origin of it all and looks set to revolutionize medicine, agriculture and even the environment. But is it really wise to improve on nature? No wonder some governments are wary of foreign corporations seeking to patent any genetic materials they find. The Philippines, for one, has voided five years ago all deals giving multinationals the right to isolate and patent genetic material from the country’s flora and fauna.

Right after that, no bio-prospecting can be done without a government permit and the consent of affected communities, particularly the tribal people in whose lands abound specimens for research. The government wanted to prevent bio-piracy. There are similar concerns in neighboring countries notably Indonesia because despite tight and strict regulations, poor enforcement may allow firms to illegally export genetic materials.

However, foreign agro-biotech experts noted that in 2011 alone, a record 16.7 million farmers grew biotech crops – notably over 90 percent or 15 million, were small resource poor farmers in developing countries. Researchers likewise stressed that biotech crops are now planted in more than 148 million hectares of farms all over the world. Many of which are maintained by smallholder farmers and subsistence food producers.

Other nations have set aggressive goals to biotech, especially in agriculture, giving top priority because biotech is being embraced as a means to feed an exploding populous world.

Altered crops for large-scale field tests include potato, tomato, rice, corn, wheat, peanut, sweet pepper and many more. Biotech engineers and researchers from well-developed countries aim to have several bio-engineered crops on the commercial market over the next year or so.

Potatoes free of blemishes, vegetables that can stand up better to shipping, diseaseresistance rice and corn varieties and fish that grows 11 times faster than normal. These are some of the wonders food engineers are creating in their laboratories. But not all consumers are eager to dig into this cornucopia. They query: are genetically-engineered food staple really safe to eat? Are they being foisted on unsuspecting customers without proper warning?

While some well-developed countries have approved genetically-altered farm products for consumption, consumer groups on the other hand, say they are not sure about the ecological impact of these products, therefore people don’t need genetically-combined food and consumers should have a right to know and the right to choose to buy them or not. As might be expected, efforts are directed at increasing nutrition, like adding more protein or vitamins, and the pursuit can lead to unexpected twists.

Nonetheless, biotech also carries seeds of conflict. Many question the wisdom and the need to alter nature. For ordinary consumer, biotech makes its impact felt most directly in food – that’s where the strongest opposition is coming from. Meanwhile other food experts acknowledge that a series of studies show that genetically-engineered staples pose a number of problems and there are some causes for concern. For example, some years ago scientists in America ran into allergy problems when they tried to create a new protein by splicing a gene from a Brazil nut into a soybean plant.

But bio-food producers and the people who regulate them maintain that these are minor bump on the road to producing perfect food. What is really behind the resistance to biologically-altered food products is the fear of the unknown. The know-how holds both promise and peril: the potential of dramatically improved quality of life and the danger of tampering with Mother Nature. Biotechnology could change life and humanity as we know it – and the revolution is already happening in Asia. Are we going to follow the trend?

Many staples such as milk, baby food, wheat-based products, flour and food that contain soybeans have already been altered or contain altered ingredients. All this contributes to a growing sense of wariness among Filipino consumers. Genetically-modified food is something definitely different from natural processes we’re used to and may seem hard to swallow now, and government must be keenly sensible of public anxieties.

EDGEDAVAO

N

ORMALCY is returning to the Philippine media a week after Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona became the first to be ousted from office via the impeachment process.

With many aching to move on and consider Corona another footnote in Philippine politics, attention is again focused and centered on Rep. Manny Pacquiao who will defend his welterweight title around noontime Sunday in the Philippines.

Pacquiao took a backseat as Filipinos occupied themselves with the climactic ending of Corona’s dishonorable exit.

They were also caught in the flush of Fil-Am Jessica Sanchez’ incredible run in American Idol. Both media events became global Twitter ‘trendings,’ two contrasting journeys that eclipsed Pacquiao’s traditional dominance in the Philippine press in the weeks leading to his fight.

With both media events now in the

I

T’S NOT easy to see just how successful the industry clustering project called Davao Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (DICCEP) was, unless you’re from the outside looking in.

That’s how high ranking officials of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) sized it up, along with top Japanese consultants two years ago when DICCEP passed their stringent review with flying colors.

This was significant because this Davao pilot project can’t be replicated nationwide unless the whole experiment here worked 100%. Well, it did worked beyond all expectations and impressed top government officials from the Regional Development Council (RDC) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), that top officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), JICA’s partner of the successful DICCEP couldn’t wait to replicate the “Davao experience” nationwide.

It’s a pity that the Philippines had been left behind by most developed countries which had been adopting the “industry clustering approach” all these years, as the most effective way of getting people together from various industries to solve common problems affecting all of them. If you›re looking for a «secret formula» that has boosted the economies of big developing countries all these years--- this is it.

Monkey Business

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

Corona’s out, Manny’s in (again) distant memories of Filipino boxing fans and with perennial nemesis Floyd Mayweather Jr momentarily silenced in prison and unavailable for soundbytes and quotable quotes, Pacquiao once again become the center attention. Never mind Pacquiao’s new found religiosity and biblical proselytizing.

Those aside and until Pacquiao again fights later in the year and Mayweather serves his sentence, boxing promises to be bland again after the Filipino boxing champion takes care of American challenger Timothy Bradley.

Pacquiao has been carrying the interest of boxing fans over the last four years ever since he crashed into America’s mainstream sports consciousness when he took Oscar de la Hoya, peppered him from all angles, forced him into submission and subsequently sent him into retirement.

That fateful night in December 2008, he served the American media notice he was taking over the de la Hoya’s mantle as boxing’s biggest draw and most popular attraction. Except that Mayweather cannot stomach somebody else other than him being proclaimed as America’s best boxer.

Pacquiao’s last four fights however did not end up the way his fans were used at enjoying, especially the last two fights that were either frustrating (against Shane Mosely) or even too dividing to comfort (against Juan Manuel Marquez in their third fight). Boxing fans were always looking for a savage stoppage wins that even with the grizzly sight of Antonio Margarito’s face was not enough to satisfy their lusts for blood.

With plenty of things changing and happening around Pacquiao’s professional camp and inside his personal life, many are looking forward to a new Filipino boxing icon yet a return to his old dominant and devastating ways.

This may tear Pacquiao in different ways as his religious beliefs and official day job are the anti-thesis of his chosen professional career.

Whatever, Pacquiao will again be out there over the weekend to entertain us.

After all, boxing is a sport and sports are all about entertainment. That’s why there are people who are paid, handsomely like Pacquiao, to make us forget all the troubles around us.

Welcome back Pacman.

Replicating Davao’s success nationwide But for the DTI and JICA, it’s not too late yet. This country, which had been dragged down by too much politics, mistrust and disunity for many years, can still be pulled together to solve most of our problems that kept our industries from growing as fast as it should be--low production, low quality, high costs of inputs and materials, low prices, lack of financing, new markets, etc, etc…

Amidst smiles and handshakes, both DTI and JICA have just launched the National Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project or NICCEP, a nationwide replication of Davao’s successful DICCEP to all the regions in Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

The Davao industry clusters on the other hand, are now being upgraded to DICCEP 2, which is a continuation of what the clusters did two years ago.

Eight (8) industry clusters here in Davao included: coconut industry, banana industry, mango industry, tourism industry, ICT industry, mining industry, wood industry and seaweed industry.

“What we like to see is the replication of Davao’s success to all the other regions in the Philippines,” says Tetsuo Inooka, consultant and team leader for JICA who set up the DICCEP with DTI. “We’re now introducing the industry cluster approach to the other regions in this country”.

To show how the industry clusters worked successfully in Davao, team leaders from this region were invited to present their projects to other regions during Pre-NICCEP Workshops held in their cities and provinces. Rene Dalayon, team leader of the banana industry clus-

ter made a presentation to Northern Luzon regions in Angeles City, Pampanga; Kit Holganza of the ICT industry cluster made her presentation to the Visayan regions in Cebu City; Araceli Ayuste of the tourism industry cluster made her presentation to the Southern Luzon regions.

For all the provinces in Mindanao (except Davao), DTI regional director Marizon Loreto made her presentation of the successful Davao industry approach to all the stakeholders in the southern island, that included everyone involved, including of course, the Autonomus Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Just last week, stakeholders and govt agencies from ARMM along with other regions in the island, sat together for the first JICA workshop at the Oases Hotel here, listening to the first lecture on the basic concept of industry clustering from Mr. Inooka himself.

Chosen as Mindanao industries for clustering by this big group were Rubber, Poultry, Tuna, Palm Oil and Coconut.

From the vantage point of this writer who sat down with officials and stakeholders at the ARMM table, the prevailing mood was excitement and eagerness of everyone to replicate the Davao success in their own regions.

“I want this clustering approach to succeed also in our place in north Upi. It can help create more jobs and help our town’s economy, “ says Mayor Ramon Piang Sr who represented local government unit (LGU) in the Rubber Industry Cluster he’s joining as an active member.

(Comments? Email: tradingpost_ davao@yahoo.com)

9

China not into making enemies?

SPECIAL FEATURE

C

BY GLORIA JANE BAYLON

HINA does “not believe in making enemies, alliances or targeting third parties,” even as it noted that what it calls Huangyan Island is not even in the latest official map of the Philippines.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying also said that China would continue bilateral consultations with the Philippines on their conflicting territorial claims over the sandbars of Scarborough.

This was her assertion on Friday in a piece she wrote for “The Straits Times” of Singapore, where defense official and key leaders, opinion makers and scholars of the Asia-Pacific are having a dialogue on security.

Madame Fu, a former ambassador to the Philippines, further said that in reference to the disputed shoal, “the 21st century should not be a time to proclaim new territory.”

China’s claims of the whole of the South China Sea is based on what it calls historical sovereignty, buttressed by ancient maps and documents.

In mid-May, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said that a US expert had shown him a 1900’s-vintage map of the Philippines that included the Spanish-named Bajo de Masinloc, or Scarborough shoal, as part of Philippine territory ceded to the US by Spain under the Treaty of Paris of 1898.

A 2006 Philippine map prepared by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) puts Scarborough Shoal outside the Philippines’ western boundaries and this year authorities started publicly Filipinizing the name to “Panatag,” to mean “steady” or “calm.” ”Huangyan Island has always belonged to China. It is not even included in the Philippine territory on the latest official map published by the Philippines. The 21st century should not be a time to proclaim new territory,” she wrote. ”If such new acts of territorial encroachment were condoned, the result would be chaotic. However, China still expects to solve disputes with the Philippines through consultation and is making endeavours to this end,” she wrote further.

In the same article, she thumbed down ideas of linking territorial issues with freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, stressing that ”no interest would be served” by such proposition. ”Territorial issues could only be solved by relevant countries through active pursuit of dialogue and continuous enhancement of mutual trust,” she noted. She ruled out any meddling by third-party, out-ofthe-neighborhood non-littoral States and pointed out that rival claims in the sea lane are an Asian problem that Asians themselves can deal with competently.

Pointing out that the security of South China Sea is a key transport route for China. Madame Fu said it follows that “safeguarding the freedom and security of the sea lanes is a priority and common responsibility for China and other littoral states.”

Other claimants are Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, all member-States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Following up on her theme of Asia for the Asians, the Vice Minister said “China sees ASEAN countries as its strategic partners, bound together not just by geography but also by cultural affinity and a common aspiration for Asian renewal.” ”We must join hands in working towards security for all through cooperation. We owe it to our children,” she rallied.

Cooperative security is being borne out in China-ASEAN relations, she said, “based on the understanding that security should be inclusive and mutual” and that “big countries should not bully small countries, nor should small countries provoke.”

She asked that ASEAN remain in the driver’s seat, even as China itself pushes on with its international obligations, including its signing up the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. For its part, the Philippines said it is seeking support from ASEAN on its claim as part of the political track of its resolution of the Scarborough dispute. [PNA]

10

COMMUNITY SENSE

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Dental Mission

Recently, a dental mission was conducted at the St. Jude Elementary School in Brgy.

Buhangin, Davao City. The dental mission was done by Dr. Magdalena Dicang, Dr. Jojo Salvaleon and Dr. Salve Estipona, and through the support of Davao City 2nd District Representative Mylene Garcia-Albano.

SELDA MANAGER Eugenia Torrecampo shows the one of the faucets of the newly installed Potable Water System (PWS) in their barangay, a joint project of the local government of Hagonoy and the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Devel-

opment Program (DA-MRDP). As selda manager she ensures proper use of the water facility. (Inset) The water tank of the level-2 PWS with a maximum capacity of 38.70 cubic meters. (PHOTO BY SHERWIN B. MANUAL)

‘Selda’ managers keep water flowing

By Sherwin B. Manual/DAMRDP

A

S water is a valuable but scarce resource in many areas in Mindanao, selda managers here in Brgy.

Malabang, Hagonoy, Davao del Sur keep clean water flowing.

Eugenia Torrecampo, 75, sees to it that her selda or cluster of eight members observe the policies they have agreed in the proper use of the newly installed potable water system (PWS).

“We have to ensure that everyone observes the policy to protect this water facility since this is the project that solved our long clamor for clean and safe water,” Torrecampo said in her dialect.

In the recent past, there were only at least six deep wells serving the community of at least 217 households or close to 1000 residents. Although, incidences of water-borne disease were few, the lack of adequate water supply has negative impact on the community life.

“People have to make a line on very long queue of pails and water containers as early as 4:00 in the morning to gather their daily ration of water for bathing and other household use,” said Vicente Cavan, Jr. , chairman of Malabang Water System Association (MAWASA )of Hagonoy Inc. Often, the long queue

resulted to altercations especially among children who usually are tasked to fetch water three times per day.

One of the 21 barangays of Hagonoy town, Brgy Malabang, located 10 kilometers from town proper and 24 kilometers from Digos City the provincial capital, is listed among the most depressed areas of the town. If not farmers, most of the residents were construction workers who have to be early at work.

It was only very recently when a sugar plantation was established in the barangay after the bridge, farm-to-market road and electrification were installed. This provided livelihood opportunities to the residents.

“Water facility is the third priority of the barangay’s five-year development plan. We were fortunate enough that years ago our first two projects, bridge and electrification were responded to by other national agencies and the local government,” said Cavan.

“With high hopes we sent proposal to the local government to assist us in the project, as if ladyluck was on our side, our proposal was forwarded and eventually approved by the Department of

Agriculture(DA) – Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

The partnership of MRDP and the LGU put up P1.4 million to complete the project. The PWS is categorized as level-2 water system.

It has an elevated reinforced concrete tank that has a dimension of 3x3x.4.3 meters. Water is drawn from a 180-meter deep well and diverted to a concrete tank by means of a 3 horsepower submersible pump powered by a 25-Watt transformer through a 100-mm PVC discharge pipe. Water is distributed to the 28 tap stands and faucets.

Each tap stands is shared by 6 to 8 members as one cluster or selda.

“Now, there is adequate, accessible clean water we can use. Just one twist of the faucet and water is there,” Torrecampo said.

To sustain the operation of the project, the MAWASA was formed as the governing body of the water facility.

“We charge every household member a monthly pay of P75.00.

The amount collected is used to pay for electricity consumption of the pump, maintenance of the system pipes, faucets and other maintenance works and materials,” Cavan explained.

Selda Leaders Since the MAWASA board members cannot at all times oversee the use of the 28 faucets, selda leaders were chosen to ensure proper use of the faucet.

The selda leader is selected among the members of the clustered users. He or she ensures that the water facility is properly used and that water wastage is avoided.

“As selda leader, I also act as the treasure for the group but we don’t receive any honorarium.

I collect payments from my selda members and pays the amount to the MAWASA board,” Torrecampo said, adding: “We also help educate the barangay folk about the policies agreed and other important information related to the use of the water facility.”

One ‘water mechanic’ or water tender with monthly honorarium of P500.00 controls the main valve. He closes the facility at 10:00 PM and opens it at 4:00 in the morning. Along with the other members of the board, the water tender, regularly checks and monitors on the whole system .

“The water facility near my house is such a great help especially for an old woman like me,” Torrecampo said.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

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

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

17,940

P2,500

3,831

P1,500

41,408

P800

7,056

P1,200

27,411

P1,000

COMMUNITY SENSE 11

Davao Light: Go green this school year I T’S back-to-school time again! And as the new school year begins, there’s a lot to think about, organize and so much to buy for your kids.

With all of these on your mind, you might lose track of saving energy. Hence, Davao Light and Power Company, put together some tips that will help you and your family stay green throughout the school year.

Save on transportation Probably the biggest help you can make for the environment is to get your kids out of the car and either walk, ride a bicycle or take a public transport to

school. If public transport or cycling aren›t practical, you can send your child to school through the school›s carpool.

Low-waste lunches Avoid using plastic wrappers, bottles and packets in your child’s lunch boxes.

Cutting lunchtime waste teaches your kids good green habits. You may also reuse leftovers from the night before as a tasty lunch that makes a change from sandwiches.

Stationery recycling New stationery is a back to school tradition, but it can mean a lot of waste. Try to buy recycled - pens, rulers, folders and more. And

don›t forget to choose recycled paper. Or you may also reuse the items you have from the last school year.

Switch off after homework By secondary school, many kids are doing homework on a computer. Make sure they switch the computer and the monitor off standby when they’ve finished.

It is important that parents make energy saving a priority in the family not only during the school year but also for the entire year.

This is a good way to start teaching our kids the little ways in helping save our environment.

LOCATION

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

Villa Josefina Resort Village, Dumoy Toril, Davao City

Minimum of 240 sq.m.

P5,985

St. Joseph Homes, Sirawan, Toril,Davao City

Minimum of 150 sq.m.

P3,600

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

PRICE P4.8 M

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

DONATION OF SCHOOL SITE. School Principal Melinda Roma (3rd from left) formally accepts a donation from Atty. Leoncio Villa-Abrille and his siblings, co-owners of Bucana Estate, of a school site housing the Cesareo Villa-Abrille Elementary School in Barangay 76-A, Davao City. Witnessing the turnover (from right) are Nanette Macapundag, president of the Federation of Bucana

Homeowners Association; Jima Gelmon, Ph.D., DepEd Supervisor, Davao Central District; Sotero Bracero, PTA President; and Weslie Capute, President, Bucana Rotary Community Corps. Not shown is Federation Secretary Fely Pedrosa, who facilitated the legal documentation.

(PHOTO BY ORLY ONDUS)

12

NATION/WORLD

NATION BRIEFS

P

Hope

RESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma said that Malacañang hopes to accelerate the judicial process now that Chief Justice Renato Corona has been impeached.

“If we recall our history, we resorted to people power in the past because elections do not bring about change.

But in 2010, we’re able to bring about change to an election. Then, after that, we’re able to establish and prove that we can also hold our public officials accountable through the impeachment process,” said Coloma.

T

Highest

HE unexpected 6.4 percent increase in the Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of the year was the highest growth rate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to President Benigno Aquino III. Aquino’s announcement was substantiated by the reports from National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) which showed that the country’s first quarter GDP growth rate was higher than Indonesia’s 6.3 percent; Vietnam’s 4 percent; Singapore’s 1.6 percent; and Thailand’s 0.3 percent.

A

Cyclone

second potential cyclone to enter the Philippine territory has been spotted in Mindanao, the weather bureau said on Monday. This, after typhoon ‘Ambo’ has started to move away from the country even as it has intensified into a typhoon.

Ben Oriz, weather forecaster, said the active low pressure area (ALPA) was spotted at 870 kilometers east of Southern Mindanao (6.0°N, 134.0°E). He said the ALPA might turn into a fullfledged cyclone within two to three days, to be named “Butsoy.”

D

Smooth

ESPITE a lack of classrooms and teachers in public schools nationwide, the opening of classes on Monday was relatively smooth compared to previous years, Department of Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.

Luistro cited the department’s long preparations that resulted in a smooth and organized school opening this year. “Hindi natin matatapos ang lahat ng problema pero we look for ways so we could respond to it,” he said.

T

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

China rounds up activists on Tiananmen anniversary A

WORLD TODAY

C

HINESE authorities have rounded up hundreds of activists in the capital Beijing, rights campaigners said on Monday, as they marked the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The detentions came as Washington urged Beijing to free all those still jailed over the demonstrations on June 4, 1989, when hundreds, if not thousands, of peaceful protesters were shot and killed by soldiers.

The anniversary of the brutal army action in the heart of Beijing is always hugely sensitive, but particularly so this year ahead of a once-a-decade handover of power marred by fierce in-fighting in the ruling Communist Party.

“They brought in a lot of buses and were rounding up petitioners at the Beijing South rail station on Saturday night,” Zhou Jinxia, a petitioner from northeast China’s Liaoning province told AFP. “There were between 600 to 1,000 petitioners from all over China. We were processed, we had to register and then they started sending people back to their home towns.”

Police made it clear

CRACKDOWN. Police question then detain a man (2nd L) in Tiananmen Square on the 23rd anniversary of China’s crackdown on democracy protests, in Beijing on June 4, 2012. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are be-

lieved to have died when the government sent in tanks and soldiers to clear Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4, 1989, bringing a violent end to six weeks of pro-democracy protests.

that the round up of petitioners -- people who gather at central government offices in Beijing to seek redress for rights violations in their localities -- was to prevent them from protesting on June 4, she said.

China still considers the June 4 demonstrations a “counter-revolutionary rebellion” and has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing or consider compensation for those killed, more than two de-

cades later.

The government attempts to block any public discussion or remembrance of the events by hiding away key dissidents in the run-up to June 4 each year, taking them into custody or placing them under house arrest.

Any mention of the 1989 protests is banned in Chinese state media, and the subject is largely taboo in China. Searches on China’s popular social media sites for June 4, the

number 23 and the word “candle” were blocked on Monday.

Despite the heightened security, numerous public events have been held around the nation to commemorate the “Tiananmen massacre” and demand democratic reforms.

More than 80 rights campaigners met in a Beijing square on Saturday, carrying banners and shouting slogans calling for a reassessment of the 1989 protests.

kuchi was being held on suspicion of murder after being arrested late Sunday in the city of Sagamihara, west of Tokyo, with local media reporting that officers swooped after a tip off.

Kikuchi, 40, was one of only two remaining members of the Aum Supreme

Truth doomsday cult still at large, and was wanted for being part of the team responsible for producing the sarin nerve gas used in the subway attack.

“It is true that I was involved in producing sarin gas, but I did not know what we were making at that time,” she was quot-

ed as telling police.

Kikuchi’s arrest leaves only Katsuya Takahashi, 54, still on the wanted list.

In the 17 years since the deadly attack, which injured thousands and caused havoc throughout Tokyo, Kikuchi had lived under an assumed identity, telling neighbours she worked as an accountant for a nursing care company, reports said.

Kikuchi was quoted by Jiji news agency as telling police: “I have lived as Chizuko Sakurai, but I’m relieved that I don’t have to run away anymore.”

The agency said she also told police she no longer believes in the teachings of Aum guru Shoko Asahara, adding: “I will tell you everything. I am sorry for running away for a long time.”

Police said she had been living with a 41-year-old man, who was not an Aum member and who stayed with her even after she revealed her true identity.

Japan arrests fugitive for Tokyo subway attack

P

OLICE in Japan were on Monday quizzing a woman over the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo’s subway that killed 13 people, leaving only one cultist still wanted for one of the nation’s worst ever mass-murders.

Police said Naoko Ki-

Killed

T least 23 Pakistani wedding guests, including six children, were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine near the capital Islamabad, according to police.

Sixty people were injured when the driver lost control of the vehicle late Sunday at a sharp bend near Narr village, around 25 kilometres (17 miles) east of Islamabad.

On track

HE government is on track to meeting its revenue and deficit targets for the year, as more resources are collected to support a growing economy and contain the budget deficit, official data show.

Data from the Department of Finance show that revenues accounted for 14.9 percent of economic output in the first three months of 2012, an increase from last year’s 14.4 percent, which also happened to be the target for this year.

EDGEDAVAO

SUSPECT. Naoko Kikuchi, an alleged former member of Japan’s Aum Supreme Truth, is driven from the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police in Sagamihara city, suburban Tokyo, on June 3. Kikuchi was being held on suspicion of murder after being arrested late Sunday.

A

Crash

plane carrying 153 people plunged into a residential area of Nigeria’s largest city, with all those aboard presumed dead, an inferno igniting at the scene and buildings badly damaged.

A number of people on the ground were also believed killed, an emergency official said, as around 10 burnt bodies had been removed from a building damaged in the crash.

O

Captured

NE of the top leaders of Los Rastrojos, a powerful drug cartel operating near the border between Venezuela and Colombia, has been captured by Venezuelan authorities, the government said.

Diego Perez Enao, also known as Diego Rastrojo, was seized Sunday in the town of Rojas de Barinas following a weeks-long intelligence operation, Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said.

U

Strike

S missiles killed 15 militants in Pakistan’s Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold of North Waziristan on Monday, the third drone strike in three days and the deadliest this year, officials said.

The attack looked set to inflame tensions with Islamabad ahead of a visit by a US assistant defence secretary, Peter Lavoy, on a mission to persuade Pakistan to end a six-month blockade on NATO supplies crossing into Afghanistan.

P

Denied

RESIDENT Bashar al-Assad dismissed allegations that his government had a hand in the Houla massacre and accused foreignbacked forces of plotting to destroy Syria.

At least 39 people were reported killed across the country as troops clashed with rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rightsreported.

EDGEDAVAO

People...

City...

FFROM 1

worth P12 million to allegedly pay some foreign consultants of the DCWD, but Braganza said, there was no technical assistance provided hence DCWD refused to pay for the loan.

Noting that the amount has reached P42 million due to compounded interest, he said, “We told LWUA: Sue us, so we can answer you in court. But, they did not file any case against us.”

Today, the DCWD has an existing balance of P30 million borrowed from banks, but no pending obligations to LWUA. “LWUA could not provide us money, and it was only recently that we were given authority to get local funding as long as we are capable of paying for our debts.”

“But, it was already too late for infrastructure development,” he lamented, “We have good credit credibility,” Braganza said, adding that in fact, a lot of banks are willing to finance DCWD’s proposed surface water development.

He also mentioned the need for the local administration to control the thrust of development in the city.

“Our thrust always jives with the city government’s, and we see to it that any proposal for changes, including water rates, is tempered by the local administration,” he said.

Braganza is one with the DCWD labor union’s opposition against the privatization of

13

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

DCWD, saying that he want to protect the water rate in the city as it is the lowest in the country today.

An average consumption of 30 cubic meters of water costs only P389 in Davao City, while it is more than P800 in Manila, or a difference of about P500, he added.

Meanwhile, an environment group and the water district employees union jointly oppose the privatization of water resources and utilities nationwide.

It was triggered by the proposed creation of a Water and Sanitation Regulatory Authority (WSRA) in Senator Edgardo Angara’s Senate Bill No. 2997, and the Water Supply and Sanitation Companies (WSSC) in House Bill NO. 5497 of Representatives Romeo Quinto and Karlo Nograles.

Guesting yesterday at the Kapehan sa Dabaw, SM City Davao, Rudy Aranjuez, chairman of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa DCWD (NAMADACWAD), said the eventual privatization of all water districts in the country will turn water into a profitdriven commodity rather than a basic social service.

Also a guest, Danny Dayanghirang, member of the steering committee of Mindanawons against Privatization of Water and Energy Resources (MPOWER), said water is a natural resource given by God that has become a business.

“What happened to the principles of public service?”

he asked, adding that like fuel and energy, water is one of the most profiteering businesses as there is no need for advertising because it is people’s basic need.

He cited some efforts of MPOWER in its campaign against privatization of water districts, including asking the city council and other local government units to pass resolutions opposing privatization.

Labor unions of other water districts are also being encouraged by the NAMADACWAD to join the campaign as almagamation of water districts will result in retrenchment of workers.

“We are more pessimistic of the fact that about 20,000 water district workers nationwide will be retrenched from work once the amalgamation is implemented. More so that we cannot expect these national and multinational companies to generate regular and stable jobs as they are the primary promoters of contractualization in the world,” Aranjuez said.

It is alleged that privatepublic partnership in the water sector has been opposed in other countries because it had resulted in private corporate control of water which resulted to high water rates.

It is feared that private operators will be asking return of investment to the detriment of people’s right to access water.

FFROM 1

extracted from its funds P145,806,740.01 for debt servicing.

In 2011, the city paid a total of 461,252,589.87, which means the city paid on average P153.7 million per trimester to the LBP. The mayor said last May 28 that she wants the city to become debt-free.

“Gusto unta nako nga walay utang ang city. Ang Zambales wala na daw utang,” she said.

The list of loans from LBP contains 19 projects of the city. three of which were fully paid, namely, the controversial Artica Astrodome built during the time of then mayor Benjamin de Guzman, while the other two projects are labeled “Infra equipment” and “Crematorium project.”

Taking up most part of the P2.3 billion outstanding balance is the Traffic Signalization 3 project at P524,608,691.26.

The project involved installation of CCTV cameras and procurement of

Mining...

FFROM 3

panies have built roads, schools, health facilities, jobs, and their share of the revenue from mining firms, according to Alcantara who is also an entrepreneur.

For his part, Nelson Quiwa, a mining exploration geologist and mining engineer in one of the biggest gold mines in Region XI, says “mining as an industry has shaped man’s life in so many ways. Metals since the Bronze Age have been man’s favored material

Buy...

state-of-the-art monitoring system now housed at the Davao City Public Safety and Command Center which began operating in 2010.

Second biggest share is a listed item categorized as Various Infra Projects with an outstanding balance of P523,373,401.43.

Breakdown Listed by type of loan (TL), the following projects have the following outstanding balances as of April of this year: TL1 Road Rehab/Concreting has an outstanding balance of P58,469,295.06; TL2 Urban Drainage with P155,164,161.28; TL3 Urban Shelter project with P34,233,262.90; TL4A Traffic Signalization 1 with P30,541,898.59; while TL4-B Solid Waste Management System has P15,000,000.00.

TL5 Infra. Equipment, paid of its last balance for Jan-Mar 2012 debt servicing, has zero outstanding balance.

TL6 PTA Green Park has remaining balance of P33,361,210.43; TL7 Sanitary Landfill with P149,643,474.22; TL8A Road Rehab/Concreting with P15,935,403.11; while TL8-B Traffic signalization 2 is left with P68,883,187.11.

TL9 Mobile Garbage Bins with P27,001,818.60; while Loan against IRA Receivable showed an outstanding balance of P81,499,751.00; TL10 Traffic Signalization 3 with P524,608,691.26.

TL11 Environmental Management Project has P207,566,232.03; TL12 Shelter Program with P31,264,543.35; TL13 Crematorium Project has zero balance; TL14 Road Maintenance Project has P366,625,607.37; while TL15 Various Infra. Projects has P523,373,401.43.

These total to P2,323,171,937.74 outstanding loan balance of the city government.

with which to make tools, implements, jewelry. It had been a part of his life and an important one.

Metals have evolved too in quality and abundance and in its various uses.”

He added that when one rides a bike, “there’s iron and aluminum in it.

Even when one brushes one’s teeth, limestone and fluorite are contained in toothpaste. There is gold and about 34 other metals involved when one types on the computer.

And in building one’s

dream house, one uses, in varying degrees, cement, gypsum, and iron.”

Quiwa also said that what’s taken for granted is when one cooks a meal, during which there’s iron, aluminum, nickel and steel in the pots and pans to cook with. The engines of our transportation are all made out of mined metals, he said, and “even in the cosmetics used by our women, all these contain traces of mica, talc, iron oxide, zinc and titanium dioxide.” [AL DACUMOS]

Reputation index with strong reputation on performance and good corporate citizenship.

Its products have been distinguished in the Philippines as number one camera and video brand and number on inkjet printer.

Further, with Canon GreenNation environmental campaign and annual Canon Photomarathon event, the company was recognized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines by giving an Award of Merit. [LORIE A. CASCARO]

ance, acknowledging the parents’ full cooperation during the Brigada Eskwela clean-up operation.

The Grade 1 teachers are also prepared to implement the enhanced K to 12 basic education program after undergoing a series of trainings and meetings.

She noted that instructional materials, books and lesson guides had already been dis-

tributed.

With a monthly budget of about P156,000 for maintenance and other operating expenses, the school has 16 sections for Grade 1 and 2, and 15 sections for Grade 3 to 6.

She said multigrade teaching is not being practiced in the school as it is only applicable to classes with fewer students in mostly far-flung areas.

FFROM 3

said.

He added that Canon educates its clientele by telling them: ‘Buy red, not gray”.

A 45.7 US billion dollar global company, Canon is among the top 25 companies according to the Brand Corporate

Downtown...

FFROM 3

ress.

Supera cited that there are more students at the Magallanes Elem.

School (MES) than at the Bolton Elementary School, which is adjacent to the MES, because of the former’s half day sessions.

100% ready Last Friday, Supera said Kapitan Tomas is 100% prepared for school year 2012-2013, including its physical appear-

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EDGEDAVAO

‘I’m ready -- Pacquiao

By Eddie G. Alinea

L

OS ANGELES, California (PNA) -– Bring him on!

These were the words uttered by Manny Pacquiao after his four-round skirmish against Russian welterweight prospect Ruslan Provodnikov last Saturday at the Wild Card Gym here.

“Bring him (Bradley)

on,” Pacquiao told this writer when asked about the status of his training two days before he and his Team Pacquiao motor to Las Vegas where he will defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt on June 9 at the MGM Grand Arena against undefeated Timothy Bradley.

“I’m ready. Anytime this week or next week, puede

nang gawin ang laban,” Pacquiao, echoing chief trainer Freddie Roach’s statement two days ago. “We have had a very good training camp here and I thank my coaching staff and my team, from Freddie (chief trainer Freddie Roach) to the utility men from doing a great job.”

“To tell you honestly, I haven’t felt this good in the past several camps we had

before,” he added. “Napakaganda ng pakiramdam ko at sa tingin ko kaya kong labanan kahit sino.”

“I would also like to thank my wife Jinkee, for bringing all our children (Jimwell, Michael, Princess and Queenie) here in L.A., not only to watch my training, but likewise, to watch the fight itself,” he said.

“First time na makikita

personally ng mga anak ko ang paglaban ko at ito’y magsisilbing additional motivation para sa akin na hindi lamang manalo kundi manalo ng kumbinsido,” he stressed.

“Also thanks to those who, in one way or the other, extended their support and offered their prayers para sa kaligtasan ko laban sa anumang masamang mangyayari sa ensayo at sa laban mismo,” Pacquiao said.

“I would like to reiterate my assurance to them that I will give Tim Bradley a good fight and the fans an exciting performance they had never

seen in several of my previous fights,” he remarked.

“Alam naman ninyo na hindi ako nagbibigay ng prediksyon sa mga laban ko.

Ang maipangangako ko lang ay ang mabigyan ang mga fans the enjoyment they deserve,” he added.

Against Provodnikov, who has been his regular sparring partner since the start of the camp in Baguio City, Pacquiao showed the stuff he is expected to dish out against Bradley and his capability to receive what his world junior-welterweight champion’s challenger could give. (PNA)

ILIPINO-German midfielder Stephan Schrock of the Philippine national men’s football team will miss their upcoming friendly against Indonesia on Tuesday due to family matters.

The 25-year-old member of the Azkals had to go back to Germany to attend to an “urgent family emergency,” according to a statement by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) released Sunday night.

“Though playing for our country is a great honor for Stephan, family always comes first and PFF is exhausting all efforts to make sure that he gets back to his loved ones as quickly and as safely as possible,” the statement said.

The Azkals’ upcoming

friendly against Indonesia at the Rizal Football Stadium will also be dedicated to Schrock, according to the statement.

Schrock has been an integral part of the national side.

He first saw action in the World Cup qualifiers in June 2011, and is best remembered for scoring the lone Philippine goal in its loss against powerhouse Kuwait, who ended the country’s hopes in the event.

In their friendly against Malaysia last Friday, Schrock almost nailed a goal in the first half, which could have changed the atmosphere of the match that ended in a scoreless draw.

Last March, Shrock signed a three-year deal with Bundesliga first division squad TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Schrock to miss Indonesia match F

READY. Manny Pacquiao trains with the mitts during a recent media workout with trainer Freddie Roach.

Davao AAK karatekas to compete in Manila T

HE Association for the Advancement of Karatedo (AAK) Davao is now preparing to see action in two separate events set in July in Manila after successfully winning the overall championship title held in this city last week.

AAK Davao head instructor Rommel Tan said they will be joining the SM Super Karate Kids for ages 11 years and below on July 8 at the SM Mega Mall and will also compete in the SM Super Karate Kids for 12 years and above on July 22 at the SM City Bicutan.

“My students are ready for that after performing well here last week. But we will still continue to train hard,” Tan said.

AAK Davao won a total of 11 gold medals, 10 silvers and 14 bronzes to emerge as the overall champion in the AAK Davao Karate Cup held at the SM City Davao last March 27.

La Salle Greenhills finished second overall with a 9-8-9 gold-silver-bronze medal haul, followed by Ateneo de Manila (2 gold medals), Shorei Kon (1 gold-4 silver-19 bronze), Shuto Kai

(1-3-7), De La Salle Zobel (1-1-1), Mega Mall (1-1-0), St. Paul College (1-0-1), Jose Rizal University (0-1-0).

Tristan Matthew Sy and Carmela Estarija were both chosen as the most outstanding players from the AAK Davao.

Sy captured the gold medal in the boys’ 6 to 7 years old kumite by beating Shuto Kai’s Kastar Blake Dupa in the finals. He also pocketed the bronze medal in the boys’ 6-7 kata event ruled the Fil-Japanese Naoki Alforte of La Salle, who recently saw action from the Japan Adidas Cup. (PNA)

upcoming mega fight with Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley on June 10, 2012 in Las Vegas Nevada, USA. As a manifestation of their support, the trio shall be sponsoring fourteen (14) Free live via satellite showing venues in all the localities of Davao del Norte Province. All these venues shall be installed with cinema – style wide

screens for the viewing pleasure of their constituents. The free shows shall be held at Brgy. Magugpo South Gym, Tagum City; Sagayen National HS Gym, Asuncion; Sto.Niño Elementary School Gym, Talaingod; Brgy. Limbaan Gym, New Corella; Brgy.

Florida Gym, Kapalong; and Brgy.San Miguel Gym in the Municipality of San Isidro.

Winning members of the AAK Team Davao during the recent AAK Davao Karate Cup at SM City Davao with coach Rommel Tan.

Floirendo, Lagdameo sponsor free Pacquiao viewing in Norte

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ANABO CITY, DAVAO DEL NORTE – ANFLOCOR Group of Companies Big Boss TonyboyFloirendo with 2nd District Rep. Anton F. Lagdameo, Jr. & Provincial Ligangmga Barangay President Vincent R. Floirendo are one in expressing their solid support for Filipino Boxing Pride Manny Pacquiao. This comes in the heels of Pacquiao’s

Davao del Norte Barangay Una Boxing Team members pose inside the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila as they prepare for their bouts in the on-going Philippine National Games held from May 26-June 3, 2012. (from left

to right) Resty Apas, Marvin Masong, Trainor/Coach Jonas Jerusalem and Coach Rico Laput, Joey Canoy, Quirino Mellejor, Wilander Hersalia, Jolan Bonghanoy (front) and Jay-ar Inson (back). (GR TECSON)

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EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

Meet the locals.

Lost in Hijo’s green jungle Trekking through the jungle has never been this exciting or fun.

ASK any adventure seeker where they want to have their next adventure and oftentimestheywould name a far away place in Africa or some place in the middle of South America. Funny though that such an adventure is actually a mere one hour drive away in Tagum City at the Hijo Estate Resort.

I actually got to experience a literal jungle gym workout at the resort’s lush secondary resort’s tropical forest complete with its own resident wild monkey troupes and wild boars (who are not shy in showing their faces whom only their mothers can love.)

Of course trekking through the dense jungle is interesting in itself, thanks to the resort’s own jungle canopy walk. Suspended 20

to 30 feet in the air, explorers can walk through the dense underbrush while getting a spectacular view of the the jungle and the jungle floor.

After walking through the jungle, we were given a river cruise which highlights Hijo Estate Resort’s wonderful mangrove forest which had trees that have been there for over 60 years. Hijo Resources Corporation’s Rosanna Flores says that some of the mangrove trees are actually over 100 years, which makes

A lone fisherman at one of the mangrove forest’s bends.

Goofing around at the canopy walk.

preserving the mangrove forest very important since it is where fish spawn and small fish take refuge.

I admit that I am not a traveller who likes to “rough it up” too much, but these features of the Hijo Estate Resort offer a nice balance for travelers who like to commune with nature, or at least to get in touch a bit with their inner “Jungle Joe” at least just for a day or two.

The suspended walkways are 20 to 30 feet off the ground.

Mindanao’s Time’s Marilyn Roque as she boards our river cruise boat.

The lush ang beautiful mangrove forest frames one of two of Hijo’s two rivers perfectly.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

STYLE ENTERTAINMENT

Chic summer dressing from Dorothy Perkins

THIS season, Dorothy Perkins bares reasons to not only be laid back and casual but to be more stylish and sophisticated as well by presenting casual summer wear alongside peplum dresses, animal print shirts, crinkle tees, peg trousers, ponti jackets. All these and a lot more in subtle prints and exciting color blocks.

Create clean and classy silhouettes by pairing a slim-fitting narrow cut pencil skirt in either cream or black with an animal print shirt for that casual, playful image. Complement the ensemble with a black spot cardigan, a green bow ultra-feminine clutch. A block high wedge in stone color and a purple round glasses offer both a colorful contrast and an edgier vibe.

A peplum dress flatters the figure. Add a waist cincher such as a suedette jeans belt in leopard print.

Then slip into black suedette platform shoes and accessorize with side bar clutch in coral for that ultimate feminine look.

Dorothy Perkins has ca-

sual but classy choices too.

For instance, the versatile jeggings in raspberry may do the job of those skin-fit jeans giving off a more relaxed, carefree allure. Pair it with a gold crinkle tee and a supple tux jacket (either in dark navy or in stone) and an orange pointed court shoes will clearly complement the color mood. Finish the number with a canvas shopper bag with black-and-white zebra stripes.

Bandeau tops are beautiful when worn off the beach. Rock a navy foil striped piece with an uber cool wine paperbag peg leg pants (with a tan two-tassel skinny belt) and a versatile ponti jacket in navy/stone stripes. Fashion pieces such

as a green pointed court shoes, an ochre scarf (with muted dandelion prints) and a blonde round glasses put the essential chic finish.

Palm tree prints in bikini tops certainly scream summer. Supplement the smartness by taking a walk to your wild side with a comfy snake pleat waist peg trousers and lightweight leopard T-bar sandals. Reclaim your inner rebel with a black zebra print cardigan, a green snake skinny belt and an oversized panther scarf.

Robinsons Specialty Stores, Inc. (RSSI) is the exclusive franchisee of Dorothy Perkins in the Philippines. Get the latest Spring-Summer Collection 2012 at Dorothy Perkins Abreeza Mall, Davao.

June is Men’s Month at SM Dept Store RAISE your hats, gentlemen—June is Men’s Month in SM Accessories. Whatever the lifestyle you lead, look dashing in the top leather picks brought to you by the only fashion accessories authority.

What’s more, SM Accessories continues to prove that being a man of substance need not to be pricey. Carry all your essentials with an exclusive MSENSE messenger bag for only Php 100.00 when you purchase Php1,000.00 worth of items from the Men’s Accessories Department—a special treat for all the charming chaps out there. Promo period is from June 1 to June 30, 2012.

What are you waiting for? Head on to SM Department Store and visit the only

fashion accessories authority to get first dibs on must-have accessories for the modern man.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Drew Barrymore ties the knot!

JUST a day after Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman tied the knot in an uber-secret ceremony, we’re finding out more details about what went into the makings of the pregnant thesp’s big day—including the gorgeous gown she donned for the occasion.

So, what did Barrymore wear as she walked down the aisle?

While we don’t have pics of the wedding dress just yet, we do know the

37-year-old actress wore a custom long, white Chanel dress pleated in muslin and organza, created for her by Karl Lagerfeld.

The dress, which was accentuated at the waist by a black satin belt, also had flowers embroidered in organza, muslin, tulle and feathers along the skirt of the dress.

Barrymore was also wearing Chanel fine jewelry.

Sources tell E! News that guests enjoyed a preceremony cocktail party on the lawn of Drew’s

Montecito, Calif., estate before being ushered into the marquee tent for the emotional service, which lasted 45 minutes.

The groom’s family rabbi, flown in from New York, did the honors. Children

What did they wear?

Prince William, Kate, and Prince Harry grace the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration TALK about a royal good time.

Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry accompanied Queen Elizabeth II for another Diamond Jubilee celebratory event, floating down the Thames River through London Sunday in a grand pageant fit for, well, a queen.

As they made their way through the water on the Spirit of Chartwell royal barge, which was sprinkled with 10,000 roses, carnations, sweet peas and red charm peonies, according to People, the royal family waved to the nearly million fans that lined the river route.

But, they weren’t the only royals in tow.

On a couple of the 1,000(!) other boats that accompanied the Chartwell, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princess Anne and her husband Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and some of the Queen’s cousins were also on hand—as were Kate’s parents, her sister Pippa and brother James.

And the family made

sure to dress for the occasion.

While Prince William sported his RAF Flight Lieutenant No. 1 Dress uniform and Prince Harry wore his No. 1 Ceremonial Dress of the Blues and Royals, Kate looked stun-

ning in a red Alexander McQueen dress and jacket paired with a matching fascinator.

The 86-year-old Queen also made a fashion statement, wearing a silver and white dress and matching hat.

of the couple’s friends served as flower girls and ring bearers.

After the ceremony, Will and Drew took wedding pictures in the garden.

For the reception, Drew chose an ‘80s tribute band

since she loves the era and thinks it’s the most fun. We’re sure the guests agreed.

The bride and groom left the house at 2 a.m. in a classic Mercedes that was decorated with streamers

and roses tied to the back.

No word yet on their honeymoon plans, but the newlyweds spent their wedding night at the nearby San Ysidro Ranch.

Congratulations you two love birds! (E! Online)

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EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 66 • JUNE 05, 2012

15 with a bang Canon celebrates wonderful years in the Philippines

By Kenneth Irving Ong ,

THE country’s digital imaging leader in the Philippine recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a series of mall events all over the country. The Mindanao leg was held at last May 25 at the Atrium of SM City Davao.

From a subsidiary with less than a quarter of a billion year-end revenue in 1996, Canon Marketing (Philippines) is now a multibillion peso company. This is thanks to Canon Marketing (Philippines)’s steady and consistent double-digit growth from 1997 until 2010 thanks to innovations and technologies in digital imaging.

Today, in response to a widespread culture of wireless connectivity, Canon has unveiled its series of cutting edge WiFi-enabled digital cameras and camcorders.

Canon’s new and handy Digital IXUS 510 HS and the IXUS 240 HS cameras allows users to transfer images and videos directly from the camera to any portable Android or iOS run device.

Meanwhile, the PowerShot range of cameras introduces seven new models

The Canon marketing team and Canon Ambassador Per Andre Hoffmann

Compact and stylish IXUS cameras on display.

Bong Serevo, Canon Philippines’ Vice President and Meeting the new PIXMA printer range.

Imaging Communications Products Division Head, and Per Andre Hoffman Hoffmann elers will tell you how much

into its line-up: the travel friendly PowerShot SX260 HS and the Powershot SX240 HS ideal for taking long-range zoom shots of distant subjects; and the entry-level PowerShot A series featuring 16.1 megapixel imaging power in a super slim, compact body form.

Photographers and trav-

The Canon Team with Eliezer Mangubat and Katherine Canonigo of Silicon Valley.

Antonni Cuesta Asst. Manager, Professional Imaging Business Dept. (Imaging Communications Products Division) introduces Canon’s new Cinema EOS.

With Lovie Lavarias of MDR Microware Sales and Ralph Manese of Metropreneur Corp.

they love their Canon cameras which have recently won awards from the latest run of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).

Of course Canon is not just about cameras.

Printing beautiful images, are where Canon’s PIXMA new inkjet printers excel. From the all-in-one printers to the all-in-one printers with fax, Canon’s printers print beautiful, cost efficient images. Some models like the PIXMA MX 897, MX517 and MX437 models include WiFi connectivity, allowing users to print their photos and documents directly from their smartphones and tablets wirelessly.

The most exciting part of the launch was when Canon unveiled the new Canon Cinema EOS, Canon’s digital cinema quality cameras that opens new doors leaving no moments behind.

Shooting with a Cinema EOS, you can realize HD imaging with exceptional picture sharpness and virtually no imaging artifacts.

Production can be simpler and more intimate, thanks to exceptional image quality with little available light, even when shooting at settings as high as ISO 20,000.

This is sure to be every digital cinematographer’s dream machine.

Visit your Canon dealer to discover more about Canon’s new products.

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73 wins and counting, Tiger ties Jack with win at Memorial

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UBLIN, Ohio -- Tiger Woods was at his best Sunday at the Memorial. He hit nearly every shot just the way he wanted, worked the gallery into a frenzy with one last charge over the final hour and left everyone buzzing - especially Jack Nicklaus - with a shot they will talk about for years.

Better yet was the timing of his 73rd win.

Woods tied Nicklaus for career PGA Tour victories at the tournament that Jack built. And the 14-time major champion suddenly looks equipped to resume his chase of another Nicklaus mark that is more significant - 18 major championships.

The U.S. Open starts in 11 days.

With a chip-in that even Woods called one of the toughest shots he ever made, he birdied three of his last four holes to close with a 5-under 67 and turn a twoshot deficit into a two-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini and fast-closing Andres Romero.

Coming off a two-putt birdie on the 15th, Woods hit 8-iron over the green at the par-3 16th and into an impossible lie. It was buried in deep rough, the pin 50 feet away along a ridge. Woods hit a full flop shot, hopeful to give himself a reasonable putt for par. Far more likely was the ball going short and down a slope away from the pin, or coming out too strong and rolling into the water.

Boston levels Sharapova demolish foe with Miami W B

OSTON -- Rajon Rondo delivered the trash talk at halftime and the big plays in overtime.

And after one final defensive stand, the Boston Celtics were two wins away from an improbable chance to play for another championship.

Rondo had 15 points and 15 assists, and scored the final three points of the

Tiger Woods celebrates after chipping in for birdie on the par 3 16th hole during the final round of the Memorial Tournament. Inset, with Jack Nicklaus whose record 73 Majors was tied by Woods with this recent win.

Celtics’ 93-91 overtime victory over the Heat on Sunday night that evened the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.

Getting a huge break when LeBron James fouled out for the first time since moving to Miami, the Celtics recovered after blowing an 18-point lead in regulation and moved two games away from a third trip to the NBA finals in five years.

Maria Sharapova fixes her hair during her match against Shuai Peng in the French Open.

ORLD No. 2 Maria Sharapova continued her dominant start to the French Open by hammering 28th seed Shuai Peng in the third round of the French Open on Sunday.

Sharapova won 6-1, 6-2 and has now dropped just five games in her first three matches of the tournament.

In the fourth round, she faces Czech player Klara Zakopalova, ranked 50th in the world, who pulled off a surprise straight-sets win over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 22nd seed.

Zakopalova won 6-3, 7-5 to eject 22nd seed Pavlyuchenkova and give herself the chance to even up her head-to-head record with Sharapova, which currently stands at 2-1 in the Russian’s favor.

Elsewhere, British No. 1

Andy Murray put his injury worries behind him to record a straight-sets win over Santiago Giraldo.

The 50th-ranked Colombian capitulated 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while Murray showed no sign of the back spasms that incapacitated him for part of his second-round win over Jarkko Nieminen.

The episode prompted former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade to brand him a “drama queen.”

Murray faces either German veteran Tommy Haas or French 17th seed Richard Gasquet in the last 16.

Sixth seed David Ferrer of Spain crushed Russian No. 1 Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in a match where the Russian felt so bad about his standard of play that he scrawled “sorri” onto the surface of the court midway through the match.

was trudging to the sideline after dropping his first set against 109th-ranked David Goffin of Belgium, a 21-year-old kid thrilled merely to be sharing Court Suzanne Lenglen with his idol. Goffin, it must be noted, was a ‘’lucky loser’’ - a player beaten in qualifying who got to make his Grand Slam debut only because

someone else withdrew.

By that point, one significant upset already was complete Sunday: The No. 1-seeded woman, Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, was headed home after losing to No. 15 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-2, 7-6 (4), busting a racket on the way out the door.

Djokovic, Federer win but Azarenka falls A young fan holds up a sign which reads “Who needs LeBron we have Rajon!” during the Boston Celtics - Miami Heat match in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

P

ARIS -- There was a moment, a little past 4 p.m. on a dank and dreary Sunday at the French Open, when the gray sky above appeared to be falling on some of the best of the best.

A listless Novak Djokovic, looking very little like someone ranked No. 1 and bidding to be-

come the first man in 43 years to win four consecutive Grand Slam titles, was trying to work his way out of a two-set deficit against 22nd-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Even more astonishingly, a flummoxed Roger Federer, owner of a record 16 major championships,

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EDGEDAVAO

DIFFERENT STROKES. Boy Tan of Pomelo Verdes A and Joe Tesado of Eagle Master 2 in action during the recent Dynasty Cup 2012 at the Rancho Palos Verdes golf and country club. (BOY LIM)

Pacquiao vows best performance L

OS ANGELES, California-– The last time World Boxing Organization welterweight belt-owner Manny Pacquiao won via a stoppage was in 2009 when he technically knocked out Miguel Cotto in the 12th or last round.

The next four outings against Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel

Marquez ended via decisions. Against Marquez in the last of their trilogy, it was an embarrassing majority verdict.

Last Friday, Pacquiao vowed to fashion what could be his best performance in three years when he fights American Timothy Bradley a week from now in Las Vegas.

Stressing he knows boxing fans are some-

what disappointed with the results of his last four fights dating back to 2010 when he failed to stop all his opponents, Pacquiao said this time, it will be different.

“As I have been saying, I always fight for the fans. I fight to make them happy,” the 33-year-old boxing hero in his country, said. “I know boxing fans, and that include our

kababayans all over the world, were not so happy with how I fought lately.”

“But now, I promise them that I will be giving them a fight they want to see,” he assured this writer following a brief threehour workout Friday at the Wild Card Gym here with assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez taking over chief trainer Freddie Roach.