Edge Davao 5 Issue 81

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

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Serving a seamless society

Sara stops drive vs ‘payong-payong’

By Jade C. Zaldivar

D

Indulge Page A1

avao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday ordered a temporary stoppage to the confiscation of payongpayong and habal-habal mortocycle units.

The confiscation made by the Davao City Police office (DCPo), along with the city’s traffic enforcers, brought to a total of more

n Orders 30 days moratorium to traffic enforcers n Wants payong-payong, habal-habal, to convert to tricycles

than 300 motorcycle units withheld last week.

The moratorium which lasts for 30 days

FSARA, 13

Property Page 7 Sports Page 15

LUNHAW AWARDS. Dolly Remojo, division chief of the Environmental and Waste Management Board of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (left); Mary Ann Fuertes, executive director of the Interface Development Interventions, Inc (middle); and Jimmie-loe dela Vega, executive director of the Davao Association of Colleges

and Schools, launched on Monday the 2012 Lunhaw Awards. The award is aimed to recognize groups and individuals who are exerting efforts in protecting the environment. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

3 bandits killed in clash with soldiers Follow Us On

T

hree bandits were killed in a gunfight with the military last June 23 in Davao del Sur leading to the confiscation of three high-powered firearms.

The 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine army reported that information from

civilians led the Peace and Development Teams (PDTs) of 73rd Infantry Battalion and 1002nd Infantry Brigade to Sitio Data D’lag, Brgy Kulaman, Jose abad Santos, Davao Del Sur where they encountered the three and “other several bandits.”

Three were reported dead, identified by their aliases Marvin, Bobong, and Berting, while several others eluded arrest. recovered from the scene are high-pow-

F3 BANDITS, 13

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THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

Public health workers protest at DOH 11

By Lorie A. Cascaro

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NEW FILIPINO. Chito Gavino, vice chairman of the Davao Press Foundation, explains the group’s “New Filipino Advocacy”. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Cemeteries over Dumoy aquifer

Compartment-type cemetery only – Sara

By Jade C. Zaldivar

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ITh the impending entry of three memorial parks to be established over Dumoy aquifer and its vicinity, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said she would not allow said cemeteries to dig on the ground in burying the deceased.

Instead, she is amenable to compartment-type cemeteries.

“Wala nay mag-lubong ug mag-kalot. Tanan sa taas lang (No digging. everything should be above the ground),” Duterte-Carpio said during a media briefing. however, this proposal still needs to be discussed as to whether it will be successful in protecting the aquifer, she said.

“Kung musulti and

DCWD (Davao City Water District) nga walay problema then mas maayo (If the DCWD says there’s no problem with this, then good)” she added.

The city mayor also stressed that the proposals for memorial parks in Dumoy still need to undergo the scrutiny of the City Council and comply with the regulations set by the DCWD. “There are regulations as to the distance of the location to the areas identified by the DCWD as an aquifer area,” she said.

Three memorial parks are being proposed to be established over the Davao City’s biggest source of drinking water –the Dumoy aquifer and its vicinity. one of three proposed cemeteries is the

Fair Fields Memorial Park (FFMP), which applied for a six-hectare property owned by Francis Ledesma, a top hotel executive, in Barangay Baliok.

The proposal is currently being discussed at the City Council.

The other two proposed cemeteries are the eternal Gardens Memorial Park owned by a cooperative on a 1.6-hectare land in Barangay Lubogan and the Forest Lake Memorial Park in sitio Ulas in Barangay Talomo.

The proposal of FFMP is being opposed by various groups led by the barangay council of Dumoy under Dr. Jess Mar Culaste, and the United residents and homeowners association of Dacoville, Inc. (Urhadi) led by Conrado vidanes.

according to ricardo Jimenez Jr., secretary of Urhadi, all three proposed commercial cemeteries are on top of the water resource area encompassing Baliok, Dumoy, Bago, Puan and Ulas where 39 of 54 production wells of the Davao City Water District are located.

“There is no such thing as Baliok water, Lubogan water, Ulas water, or Bago water; everything is Dumoy water, which is reputed to be the best in the world, second only to The Netherlands,” said Jimenez , an active officer of the Davao historical Society.

The FFMP proposal now sits with the committee on environment and natural resources led by Councilor Marissa Salvador-abella.

Natural Resources Office (CeNro) and the Davao City Water District.

Jimmie-Loe Dela vega, DaCS executive director, said yesterday at Kapehan sa Dabaw, SM City Davao, the contest will complement to the citywide campaign for proper solid waste management. also guesting, Dolly remojo, chief of CeNro’s the environmental and waste management division, said the CeNro will help in monitoring the compliance of households with the city ordinance on solid waste

management.

Mary ann v. Fuertes, IDIS executive director, said each winner will receive P5,000 and a trophy and his or her story will be promoted as “green initiatives worth replicating in the city.”

Criteria for judging include environmental benefits, economic green practices, use of renewable energy, replicability, durability, continuity and innovation.

Winners will be selected from three categories namely individual household (small), communitybased/association (me-

dium), and institutions/ malls/hotels (large). open to Dabawenyos currently living in Davao City, Lunhaw will be an annual awarding every December, in commemoration with the Davao City organic Day on the third day of December.

Fuertes said Lunhaw also aims to promote sustainable lifestyle among Dabawenyos and help in mitigating the impacts of climate change. vega said the awards will also help in raising public’s awareness towards a vision of a Green Davao. [LORIe A. CASCARO]

15 winners eyed for Lunhaw Awards 2012

T

he Lunhaw awards 2012, the first-ofits-kind recognition of individuals, groups or communities that use innovative and sustainable ways of living to protect and nurture the environment, will give a maximum of 15 winners from Davao City.

Named after a Cebuano term for color green, Lunhaw is a joint project of the Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS), the Davao association of Colleges and Schools (DaCS), City agriculturist’s Office (CAO), the City environment and

EDGEDAVAO

earING black armbands, some 180 workers of the Department of health (Doh) 11 kicked off a week-long protest in front of their office at lunch break yesterday demanding for the immediate release of their hazard pay benefit.

Participating in a simultaneous nationwide protest, the protesters were members of the Unyon ng mga Kawani ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan Sentral (UKKKS) and the National Department of health employees association (NaDea), the sole and exclusive negotiating agent of the Doh workers. representing majority of the 33,295 public health workers, the NaDea sent a letter to health Secretary enrique T. ona to represent them in appealing to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Based on the Doh Memorandum 2012-0002, the benefits of public health workers stipulated in republic act 7305 or the Magna Carta for Public health Workers will be reduced in response to the General appropriations act of 2012.

This would limit the release of benefits subject to the approval of the DBM. Jonathan a. Placido, president of NaDea Doh Davao region Chapter, said yesterday that the 220 total health workers in the region were able to receive their hazard pay from January to april 2012, unlike those from other regions who have not received any since January this year.

“We are joining the simultaneous protest in support to our fellow health workers in other regions,” he said, adding that health workers are entitled to the benefit as

n

demand for the release of hazard pay

they are exposed to diseases with their line of work. he said the DBM is claiming that the hazard pay of health workers is already incorporated in the new salary grade (SG) based on the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) III. Citing the SG 1 with only about P9,700, he said, the amount is so small considering that it is already inclusive of the hazard pay, which is 25% of the basic pay for those with SG 19 and below.

For public health workers with SG 20 and above, their hazard pay is equivalent to five percent of their basic pay. he said withholding their hazard pay benefits is part of the government’s move to privatize public hospitals in the guise of corporatization, thus minimizing its subsidy for social services while allotting 40% of national budget for foreign debts.

NaDea national president Fernando e. Depano, in a press release, said “The regional directors and hospital chiefs have supported our call and we are hoping Secretary ona will do the same and make a stand with us.”

The NaDea will hang streamers at DOH offices today (June 26) bearing a slogan, “ona sa lahat, hazard pay ibigay na! Now na!” other activities for the week include signing of the appeal letter to Sec. ona by members of the NaDea chapters and subchapters on June 27; ceremonial release of black balloons and lighting of candles with black ribbons on June 28; and, by June 29, mass and general assembly of members.

South Cotabato rubber production gets boost

T

he World Bankfunded Mindanao rural Development Program (MrDP) has extended P10 million for a rubber production project in T’boli, South Cotabato, officials said.

Benefiting around 90 farmers, the project aims to plant 55,000 rubber trees intercropped with coffee in Sitio Basag, Barangay Salacafe, the gateway to Mt. Melibingoy and Lake Maughan, two of South Cotabato’s tourist spots. reynaldo Legaste, provincial agriculture officer,

said the rubber production project is a combination of food security intervention and communitybased livelihood activities under the MrDP’s Community Fund for agriculture Development component.

The agriculture department is implementing the MrDP, which provided the assistance to farmers belonging to the South Cotabato rubber Based Farming Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SCrBF MPC).

“They have been identified as poor small farm-

FSOUTH, 13

EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

3

Dengue cases rising in Davao Region – DOH

By Lorie a. Cascaro

n

Davao City cases up by 108%

Department of health (Doh) 11 regional director abdullah B. Dumama yesterday bared that the number of dengue cases increased in the region with a total of 3,083 cases between January and June this year.

Speaking at the Kapehan sa Dabaw, SM City Davao, he said that there were only 1,363 total dengue cases recorded during the same period last year.

In the same period, the number of deaths due to dengue also increased from 14 deaths last year to 27 this year.

Cornering 82% of the region’s total cases, the number of cases from Davao City increased by 108% from 1,175 cases in 2011 to 2,447 this year based on the regional situation report as of June 15.

Davao City had 19 deaths this year with an increase of 90% from 10 deaths in 2011 of the same period.

Dumama cited dengue hotspots in the region namely Talomo North and South, Buhangin, Bunawan and agdao in Davao City and Maragusan in Compostela valley.

He defined hotspots as areas where there is more than one cluster of cases. a cluster has two to three reported cases of dengue. he added that the department is conducting investigations in the areas with reported cases while they are creating barangay task forces, distributing impregnated mosquito nets,

he Bureau of Fisheries and aquatic resources (BFar) expects the Philippine tuna catch to bounce back by 70,000 metric tons to 80,000 metric tons as Filipino fishers are now given access to high Seas Pocket 1.

In a recent interview with the media, BFar na-

tional director atty. asis Perez revealed that the regional Fisheries Management organization for Asia and the Pacifica had given its approval in March this year for the Philippines to fish the high Seas Pocket 1 which has been off limit from fishing for three years.

The high Seas Pocket

and conducting information and education campaign.

The use of Mosquito ovicidal/Larvicidal (oL) Trap, produced by the Industrial Technology Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, in the communities is also endorsed by Doh 11.

Dumama said that a set of oL trap costs about P20, while individual residual spraying costs about P3,000 per household, adding that thousands of houses, mostly from hotspots, were already provided with residual spraying. appealing to the public to immediately admit patients with signs and symptoms related to dengue to the nearest hospital or medical clinic as he pointed out that late consultation is common among dengue patients.

BFAR expects tuna catch increase by December

DAN HILL CONCERT. Dr. Ana Liza Lanuza, president of the Davao Medical Society, invites the residents of Davao to watch the concert of famous artist Dan Hill at the Philippine Women’s College auditorium on July 7. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

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1 covers the high seas bounded by the exclusive economic Zones or eeZs of the Federated States of Micronesia, republic of Palau, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, Perez said.

Increase in tuna catch can be noted in December this year as soon as the

FBFAR, 13

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SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Government plans to tap MMFF for waste management advocacy T

he government targets airing during this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) a movie plug advocating solid waste management (SWM) to help boost public action on waste diversion through reusing and recycling trash, lessening volume of garbage which authorities link to flooding, particularly amid climate change. authorities concerned are bullish about such exposure for SWM, noting MMFF is among the country’s top star-studded Christmas events that people look forward to every year. ”The five-minute plug will document best SWM practices that local government units (LGUs)

and people can look into and adapt,” said emelita aguinaldo, chief of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) which is supporting the project.

She cited the need to further push the SWM bid, reporting that waste diversion compliance of LGUs nationwide is still far from desirable. ”Compliance of Metro Manila’s 17 LGUs is better at some 34 percent,” she said.

NSWMC targets achieving a 50 percent waste diversion rate by 2016, she noted.

The government is promoting waste diversion to help reduce the volume of garbage for disposal, saying nearly half of waste generated can be

reused and recycled.

Latest available data show Metro Manila generates daily some 8,000 tons of garbage, accounting for nearly 27 percent of the estimated 30,000 tons of waste produced nationwide everyday. authorities continue cautioning against dumping garbage particularly in water bodies. aside from polluting water, they warned that garbage reduces the water-carrying capacity of the water bodies and blocks drainage so risk increases for overflows and flooding during inclement weather. experts expect climate change to drive increasingly violent weather disturbances as well as to bring forth

hotter summers and wetter rainy seasons in the country.

Last week, the environmental Management Bureau (eMB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development authority (MMDa) signed the memorandum of agreement for the movie plug project’s implementation. ”eMB will provide some P500,000 to fund the project,” aguinaldo said.

She noted that MMDa will attend to arrangements for the plug’s airing during the Metro Manila Film Festival.

MMDa head Francis Tolentino is overall chairman of the MMFF executive Committee which oversees the festival’s

Apples top dirty dozen list of most pesticide-laden foods

activities.

The 2011 MMFF raked in revenues exceeding P630 million, MMDa reported earlier. aguinaldo isn’t discounting the possibility that the plug will be aired on television as well.

For 2020 and 2050, the Philippine atmospheric, Geophysical and astronomical Services administration (PaGaSa) earlier projected an increase in the number of days with maximum temperature exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. “heavy daily rainfall will continue to become more frequent, extreme rainfall is projected to increase in Luzon and visayas only but the number of dry days is expected to increase in

all parts of the country in 2020 and 2050,” PaGaSa noted.

PaGaSa’s projections use the medium-range greenhouse gas emission scenario.

Such scenario indicates a future world “of very rapid economic growth, with global population peaking in mid-century and declining thereafter and there is rapid introduction of new and more efficient technologies with energy generation balanced across all sources,” PaGaSa said. experts earlier identified greenhouse gas emissions as trapping heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming that drives climate change. [PNA]

Ratu’s pregnancy lasted about 16 months

Endangered Sumatran rhinoceros born in captivity

a

For the second year in a row, apples were found to carry the most pesticides in an annual environmental report.

I

F you want to reduce your intake of pesticides, choose organic apples, celery and sweet bell peppers, as a US environmental group has singled out these produce as being the biggest carriers of insecticides.

For the second year in a row, apples topped the environmental Working Group’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ list which identified the most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables in the US.

Last year, apples knocked celery off the top spot, which this year ranks as the second biggest offender.

In the 8th edition of the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, researchers added kale and collard greens, which were also found to carry a highly toxic organophosphate insecticide, a toxin for the nervous system.

To come up with the rankings, the group ana-

lyzed residue testing data from the US Department of agriculture and Food and Drug administration.

Nectarines, blueberries, plums and cantaloupe were from both domestic and imported sources.

Meanwhile, a report from the european Food Safety authority published last year identified grapes, bell peppers, aubergines, peas and wheat as carrying the most pesticides across

europe. here are the top pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables from the Dirty Dozen list that you may want to buy from the organic section of your supermarket in chronological order: apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, nectarinesimported, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries-domestic and potatoes.

Sumatran rhinoceros - one of the world’s most endangered species - has given birth at a sanctuary in Indonesia.

Conservationists at the Sumatran rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park said the mother, ratu, and her male calf were both “very well”.

It is only the fourth recorded case of a Sumatran rhino being born in captivity in a century.

There are thought to be fewer than 200 alive in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Their numbers have dropped by 50% over the past 20 years, largely due to poaching and loss of habitat.

‘Big present’ a spokesman for Indonesia’s forest ministry, Masyhud, told the aFP news agency that ratu’s labour had gone “smoothly and naturally”.

“It’s really a big present for the Sumatran rhino breeding efforts as we know that this is a very rare species which have some dif-

ficulties in their reproduction,” he added.

“This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino at a sanctuary in Indonesia.”

It was ratu’s third pregnancy. The previous two ended in miscarriages.

The father of the baby rhino, andalas, was born at Cincinnati Zoo in the US in 2001 - the first Sumatran rhino to be delivered in captivity in 112 years. he was brought to Indonesia in 2009 to mate with ratu, who was born in the wild but wandered out of a forest and was taken in by the Sumatran rhino Sanctuary. on Friday, the US-based International rhino Foundation said that a veterinary team would harvest ratu’s placental cells, which could be used to generate stem cells.

Stem cells had the potential to be useful for many purposes in the near future, including curing diseases and helping promote reproduction, it said.

EDGEDAVAO

3.5% 4th Qtr 2011

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

3.7% 4th Qtr 2011

By Aurelio A. Pena

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/

4.71% Oct 2011 P128,745 Million Nov 2011 P 4,898 Billion Oct 2011 P 43.65 Dec 2011

By Gico Dayanghirang

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

5. Trade Balance 6. Balance of Payments 2/ 7. Broad Money Liabilities 8. Interest Rates 4/ 9. National Government Revenues 10. National government outstanding debt 11. Peso per US $ 5/

as one of the cluster’s upgrading program under the second stage of the Davao Industry Cluster Capacity enhancement Program or DICCeP 2.

“We need to see how Guimaras do it. how do they do it? how do they produce mangos with highest export quality? Guimaras is a good model for us to follow,” Cuda said during a recent cluster meeting with consultants of Japan International Cooperation agency (JICa) at the regional office of Department of Trade and Industry, a joint partner of JICa along with other government agencies.

Cuda said the mango industry cluster team wants to see and study the farming systems and the agriculture practices of mango growers there that made Guima-

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hY CaN’T Davao grow high quality mangoes for export that are as good or even better than Guimaras?

This was one question that the mango industry cluster team hopes to answer as soon as they put into action a plan to go to Guimaras Island in Panay province, on a benchmarking trip sometime this year.

Guimaras is the only place in the Philippines that had been certified for high quality mango exports to the United States by the US Food and Drugs administration (USFDa). vizmindo Cuda, vice-chairman of the mango industry cluster and a Davao mango grower, has included a benchmarking trip to Guimaras

4. Imports 1/

5

Davao mango growers want to know how Guimaras does it

Stat Watch

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

THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

ras “so famous for its high quality classifiers, which is an important mango” step forward in boosting the quality Growth From INDUSTRY/INDUSTRY Guimaras, the Davao of Davao mango. mango cluster team plans to go to Q1 2011 “If you Q1 have a training Rateprogram 2012 GROUP processing to train and accredit mango classifiCebu and visit mango (%) plantsAGRICULTURE, like Profood International, ers, that would be a very important HUNTING, 312,137 -3.1 one of the country’s biggest fruit step,” Inooka 302,528 said.

FORESTRY AND FISHING processors, to see how they classify as part of their upgrading and process mango into different program under the DICCeP 2, the 735,231cluster778,767 5.9 the types INDUSTRY of products like puree, con- mango will be reviewing centrates and dried mango, all in outcome of their mango growing high demand in the global markets. 1,199,684 synchronization SERVICES 1,338,685project 11.6 the clus“We need good classifiers for ex- ter group started during DICCeP 1, port-quality fresh mango as well as citing that mango farmers found it GROSS DOMESTIC processed mango. We can increase “very difficult” to follow, since most PRODUCT 2,419,980 7.7manour volume.

We can improve our 2,247,052 farmers want to time it when quality. We can do it in Davao” Cuda goes can be sold at higher prices. told the cluster members and JICa “We’re doing this gradually 768,862 832,580 consultants duringIncome the meeting. to change the mindsets of mango Net Primary JICa senior consultant Tetsuo farmers---it takes time for them 7.8 said.

Inooka urged NATIONAL the clusterINCOME group to 3,015,914 to adopt to3,252,560 a new idea” Cuda GROSS push for accreditation of mango (Philpress News)

Imperatives of inclusive and sustainable growth UCT BY INDUSTRY IN MILLIONS OF PESOS At Current Prices: The figures above give no reason to celebrate. The agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing sector which is rural based and is the preoccupation of most Filipinos has declined. This means that most Filipinos are poorer despite overall economic growth. This also means more reason for the long-running insurgency in the countryside to continue.

In contrast, the industry sector which is mostly urban based, except for mining and quarrying, have all posted positive growth.

Ironically, mining and quarrying are located in the countryside and have suffered a double digit decline.

At Current Prices The same goes for the service sector below. Most enterprises under this sector are also urban

M

Month

2011

2010

2009

aLaCaNaNG recently announced a 6.4 percent growth in the economy in the first quarter of 2012 and has expressed confidence in its sustainability. It is the second highest economic growth rate in all of asia and the highest among aSeaN countries. But for economic growth to be really meaningful it must accrue not just to a few but to a broad sector of society. It must also come from continuing economic activity and not just from a one-shot event such as election spending. as the saying goes, the devil is in the detail. a closer look at this otherwise impressive growth rate is therefore warranted before Filipinos can begin to expect and celebrate that good times are indeed forthcoming.

GROSS NATIONAL INCOME AND GROSS DOMESTIC PROD-

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

INDUSTRY/INDUSTRY GROUP

47.032

AGRICULTURE, HUNTING, FORESTRY AND FISHING

312,137

302,528

-3.1

INDUSTRY

735,231

778,767

5.9

February

43.70

46.31

January

44.17

46.03

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011)

46.851 48.139

48.161 48.146 47.905 47.524 48.217

48.458 47.585 47.207

Q1 2011

Q1 2012

Growth Rate (%)

SERVICES

1,199,684 1,338,685 11.6

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

2,247,052 768,862

Net Primary Income GROSS NATIONAL INCOME

2,419,980

7.7

832,580

3,015,914 3,252,560

7.8

Growth Q1 2011 Q1 2012 Rate (%)

INDUSTRY/INDUSTRY GROUP SERVICE SECTOR

1,199,684 1,338,685

11.6

a. Transportation, Storage and Communication

150,923

167,370

10.9

b. Trade and Repair of Motor Vehicles, Motorcycles, Personal and Household Goods

354,976

390,114

9.9

c. Financial Intermediation

158,102

177,424

12.2

d. Real Estate, Renting & Business Activity

255,798

285,946

11.8

75,759

81,930

8.1

204,125

235,901

15.6

e. Public Administration & Defense; Compulsory Social Security f. Other Services based and have all posted positive growth.

At Current Prices The asian Development Bank has recently criticized the industrial priorities of the country. Instead of encouraging the creation of industries that utilize domestic human and natural resources, government provides more incentives to industries with minimal domestic integration such as microchip assemblers and call centers. Being mere assembly type and service industries they merely employ labor and nothing more from the country. Their equipment and raw materials are largely imported.

The country needs to build industries that produce products from native agricultural, mineral, forest and aquatic resources. This creates employment for people

who produce them, particularly, in the rural areas which are in dire need for more employment opportunities.

Moreover, government must accelerate implementation of agrarian reformto facilitate rural employment and productivity.

This in turn creates more demand for domestic industrial products. a strong domestic demand for locally manufactured products creates critical economy of scale that enables local industries to compete more effectively in the export market.

Now completing the first half of his presidential term, President Benigno C. aquino, Jr. still has to make a policy statement clearly defining his own priorities for industrialization and rural mobilization. It is more of the same failed policies at present.

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

INDUSTRY/INDUSTRY GROUP

SERVICE SECTOR

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

Q1 2011

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

Growth Q1 2012 Rate (%)

1,199,684 1,338,685

11.6

a. Transportation, Storage and Communication

150,923

167,370

10.9

b. Trade and Repair of Motor Vehicles, Motorcycles, Personal and Household Goods

354,976

390,114

9.9

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

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THE ECONOMY

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

PHL now out of financial task force ‘black list’

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he recent upgrade of the Philippines to gray list of the Financial action Task Force (FaTF) will benefit not only the country but the overseas Filipino workers (oFWs) and the economy as well.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor amando Tetangco Jr., who also chairs the antiMoney Laundering Council (aMLC), explained that “avoiding the FaTF black list is positive news for the Philippines particularly for our overseas workers and our economy, as financial transactions of countries in the FaTF black list are subjected to additional reporting requirements and more stringent inspections that delay remittances and raise service fees.”

“In some cases, financial institutions stop transactions with countries in the FaTF black list,” he pointed out.

Tetangco reported the upgrade in the country’s standing in the FaTF list to President Benigno aquino III in a letter last Friday night.

Improvement of the country’s classification

on FaTF list was made after the enactment of republic act 10167 or the strengthening of the antiMoney Laundering Law; and republic act. No. 10168, which criminalizes terrorism financing as a stand-alone offense.

Both of which were earlier certified by the President as urgent measures.

In 2000, FaTF blacklisted the country on account of insufficient efforts against money laundering and lack of law that will penalize terrorist financing thus, the creation of aMLa. In February 2005, the country was removed from the blacklist but was placed on the gray list in November 2008 due to loopholes in anti-money laundering efforts. however, FaTF downgraded the country to the dark gray list last February and warned of possible blacklisting unless the government puts in stronger measures to curb money laundering and fight terrorist financing.

Tetangco said FaTF’s assessment, made during its Plenary Meeting in

rome, is a proof that the country is committed in implementing measures against money laundering and terrorist activities.

Countries in gray list are those that are assessed to have been “making sufficient progress in the global campaign against money launderers and terrorists”.

While those in the dark gray list are countries that are “not making sufficient progress against money laundering and terrorist financing.”

FaTF is an international organization that sets the standards and monitors implementation of measures for fighting money laundering, terrorist financing and other threats to the integrity of the global financial system.

The central bank chief, on the other hand, cited that amid the upgrade to the gray list, the country remains to have “strategic deficiencies”.

The organization thus “advised the Philippines to enact the pending legislative amendments to our anti-money laundering law that, among

not solely based on the number of subscribers, but also on revenues generated from their active and continued usage of your services.

Clearly, Globe Postpaid bests competition in both customer base and revenues. Not only this, we also have a core of loyal subscribers who are happy with our first to market, best-in-class product offers that competition tries to copy yet fails to do so, putting Globe as the true and only leading brand in postpaid.

This is a fact supported by official data, allowing us to reflect this claim consistently in our advertising materials both in print and Tv,” said Martha Sazon, head of Globe Postpaid. aside from its suite of personalized plans, Globe Postpaid is touted as the expert in handsets and devices, with its strong partnership with leading device manufacturers.

To date, Globe has the widest range of smartphone devices for its postpaid subscribers such as the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S III, as well as the Globeexclusive BlackBerry

Curve 9220, BlackBerry Curve 9320, and Nokia Lumia 800. Its Globe Guarantee of no billshock ever, 24/7 access to expanded customer service channels, and 7-day handset replacement assure its subscribers of a superior customer experience.

Backing up its postpaid business is a stronger and more reliable Globe network nationwide. earlier, Globe announced that it will be rolling out 10,000 kilometers of additional fiber optic lines in the implementation of Long Term evolution (LTe) technology that will bring high-speed data to mobile phones and other data terminals. The company is also working on creating best-of-breed responsive IT systems throughout the country. This is a far-reaching transformation that will result in vast improvements in Globe customer experience – quick and reliable call connections, instantaneous text messaging, blazing fast internet browsing, and proactively intelligent spoton customer support.

Globe is undisputed postpaid leader

G

LoBe Telecom further cemented its leadership in the postpaid segment after dominating the market with recordhigh gains in cellular subscriber and revenue share in the first quarter of the year, making it the undisputed number 1 postpaid brand in the country.

Based on disclosure reports submitted by Globe and its competitors with the Securities and exchange Commission (SeC) for the three months ended March 31, 2012, Globe postpaid subscriber share is at 43%, with a 34% growth in subscriber base from previous year’s levels mainly driven by the robust take-up of the telco’s fully-customizable plans that continue to attract new and old subscribers. Furthermore, postpaid service revenues are at P5.3B with revenue share of 57%, way higher than the combined revenues of its two main competitors.

“Market leadership is defined by how big and effective you are as a competitive player, where leadership is

others, extend the coverage of reporting entities, provide a broader definition of money laundering and increase the number of predicate crimes to include bribery, malversa-

tion of public funds, human trafficking, tax evasion and environmental crimes.”

“The Philippines will continue to contribute and support the global

efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing in keeping with its commitment to good governance and upholding peace and order,” he added.

UDGeT and Management Secretary Florencio abad has lauded the recent decision of Financial action Task Force (FaTF) to upgrade the country’s classification level, saying this “is very good news for the administration” and that “the events preceding this upgrade are especially notable.”

“Besides vindicating President aquino’s dedicated platform of good governance and transparent fiscal practices, the upgrade reaffirms the Philippines’ readiness to cut down its risk profile and engage the international community in sustainable and fruitful trade,” he said.

With this, abad said the administration will continue to pursue and enforce economic strategies that effectively combat money laundering

and terrorist activity to encourage the influx of investments and longterm and inclusive economic stability.

“In the end, our goal is to catalyze economic progress so it will manifest in real and immediate benefits to all Filipinos,” he added.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor amando Tetangco reported the improvement in the country’s standing in the FaTF to President Benigno aquino III in a letter last Friday night. he explained that the upgrade was made

by FaTF’s Plenary Meeting in rome after noting the recent enactment of republic act 10167 or the strengthening of the anti-Money Laundering Law and republic act. No. 10168, which criminalizes terrorism financing as a stand-alone offense. Both of which

were earlier certified by the President as urgent measures.

“In some cases, financial institutions stop transactions with countries in the FaTF black list,” he pointed out.

FaTF has blacklisted the Philippines in 2000 after citing insufficient efforts against money laundering and lack of law that will penalize terrorist financing.

In February 2005, the country was removed from the blacklist but was placed on the gray list in November 2008 due to loopholes in anti-money laundering efforts. however, FaTF downgraded the country to the dark gray list last February and warned of possible blacklisting unless the government puts in stronger measures to curb money laundering and fight terrorist financing.

DBM lauds upgrade in FATF classification B

EDGEDAVAO

PROPERTY

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

7

Anflocor continues changing the cityscape

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NFLoCor, through its real estate and property development arm Damosa Land, Inc., hypes up its real estate ventures as it invests P200 million for its newest exclusive address – the Damosa Fairlane.

This was revealed by ricardo r. Floirendo, Senior vice President of aNFLoCor, saying “there is definitely no stone unturned in seeking for opportunities to provide the best real estate and property development projects to satisfy the demands of the market”.

Indeed, the past five years alone were marked with the rapid expansion of this homegrown business of Davao in the real estate industry in both local and national scene. aNFLoCor developed various projects that are either fully-owned or formed via partnership with some of the leaders in the industry. among these projects is its partnership with ayala Land, Inc. in creating Davao City’s single largest investment in 2008 – the abreeza Complex – which consists of the abreeza Mall, the soon to rise Kukun hotel Davao, abreeza residences, and abreeza Place.

This boundless opportunity expanded further as the partnership established another 3.7-hectare mixeduse urban development in Cagayan de oro. Centrio, scheduled to open by the fourth quarter of this year, will have a mall, a boutique hotel, and an office building that will cater to the business process outsourcing industry. aNFLoCor also embarked on the creation of Playa azalea - the premiere resort community development in the Island Garden City of Samal – in a joint venture with Landco Pacific Corporation.

The company is not without its fully-owned property developments like the franchise operation of Microtel hotels and resorts Davao. acclaimed as asia Pacific hotel of the Year by the Wyndham hotel Group Global Conference in 2012, Microtel hotels and resorts Davao redefined business class accommodation at a friendly price.

“With long years of experience and an unmatched record of successful projects in real estate and property development, there is no stopping aNFLoCor

in further exploring more opportunities in this industry,” remarked Floirendo, enumerating the recent inauguration of Topaz Tower – the third building in its expanding Information Technology (IT) Park – and the ongoing construction of its second Microtel hotels and resorts franchise in General Santos City, as manifestation of aNFLoCor’s strong presence in the property development industry. aNFLoCor has definitely gone far from its early beginnings in automotive dealership. The Davao Motor Sales or prominently known by its acronym DaMoSa started it all with an exclusive dealership of Ford vehicles outside Metro Manila in 1948. With the exclusive contract ending in 1985, DaMoSa pursued car dealership and automotive business for a while and shifted its business thrust to property development in 1995. The shift in the operation entailed a reinvention of its name. Thus, the name Damosa Land, Inc. was formed to give birth to the real estate and property development company of aNFLoCor. at the onset, aNFLoCor took no unnecessary risks and gave its best shot on its

Far from its original phase as Davao Motor Sales (inset), the DAMOSA District is now a bustling commercial hub where business meets leisure.

first foray into real estate development – The regency at Salcedo – its initial partnership project with ayala Land, Inc.a aNFLoCor’s entry to real estate industry became more remarkable as it developed what was once a sleepy district into a bustling commercial hub where business meets leisure. Far from its original phase, the DaMoSa District is now a booming urban zone where corporate offices and restaurants, stores and boutiques, clinics and wellness centers, banks and an IT Park thrive.

“The company has been unceasing in keeping up with the ever dynamic in-

Complementing the Abreeza Mall are soon-to-rise Kukun Hotel Davao as well as Abreeza Residences and Abreeza Place residential condominium buildings in the 9-hectare Abreeza Complex in Davao City.

dustry of real estate while maintaining the level of quality and sustaining the kind of reputation that it has established over the years with its renowned projects,” stated Floirendo.

Floirendo added that aNFLoCor will continue its expansion as the corporation develops its first exclusive urban residential community in Davao City.

Nestled in the midst of the fast-growing DaMoSa District where the latest commercial and mixed-use urban developments are taking place, the approximately

7-hectare Damosa Fairlane will offer optimal convenience to today’s fast-rising families.

Today, the existing and upcoming developments prove that over the years, aNFLoCor has grown to be among the most competent firms in the industry of real estate and property development. as the need for high quality property developments continues to diversify, aNFLoCor is always on the beat of knowing the demands of the market to give them the best that they deserve.

Playa Azalea is the ultimate seaside residential haven that follows an asian tropical-inspired neighborhood setting which offers a relaxing sight of lush inland greeneries and a panoramic view of Samal’s blue waters with Davao City’s urban zone and Apo mountain range in the backdrop.

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Tough challenges as Egypt’s new president AnAlysis

By Marva yehia

a

EDITORIALS

Technicality

a

N absurdity is about to happen in Davao City. If Dabawenyos are not vigilant, they’ll wake up one day realizing that three memorial parks –euphemism for graveyards, are on top of their biggest source of potable water in the Dumoy aquifer.

The businessmen who are proposing these commercial cemeteries and their supporters in the city council and in other city government offices seem to get their encouragement from a grave mistake in the Davao Water Code, that of its failure to identify the Dumoy aquifer as a water resource area that ought to protected by the city government and the people.

The code – ordinance No. 117-01 Series of 2001 o the Water resource Management ad Protection Code of Davao City – defines water resource area as”location of principal source aquifer of Davao City containing huge volume of water available for appropriation.” article 6 of the water code only declares the following as water resource areas and therefore to be protected from close to 20 prohibited acts and activities: Calinan to Dacudao,Dacudao to Malagos, and Sirawan.

Nowhere in the ordinance is Dumoy aquifer mentioned. This infirmity is one of the arguments that have reportedly goaded Councilor Bernardo al-ag to push for the approval of the applica-

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tion of Fair Fields Memorial Park in a six-hectare land owned by businessman Francis Ledesma in Baliok, adjacent barangay of Dumoy and a few meters away from one of the 39 production wells of the Davao City Water District.

The two other projects for memorial park –one in Lubogan and another in Puan- are also lodged in the City Council Committee on health headed by al-ag.

Well, despite the water code’s mistake, a Dabawenyo doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that Dumoy is a water resource area. and what do you know, the section of the water code pinpointing the city’s water resource areas also contains a provision that allows the City Council to declare additional water resource areas. This is an opportunity to revisit the code and introduce the needed amendment.

We know that this is not only the technicality obtaining in the situation. The code’s implementing rules and regulations (Irr) have yet to be approved, aside from the need to settle certain other issues that the code has in relations to certain national laws.

It would therefore be very unfair and a great disservice to the public if our city lawmakers will take advantage of these challenges to favor businessmen rather than iron out the kinks in the code for the good of all.

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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S Mohamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in egypt’s presidential election and became the first civilian president in the egyptian history, he was faced with daunting tasks to carry out reforms and restore the country’s stability.

Morsi, chairman of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, got 51.73 percent of votes in the run-off, defeating his rival ahmed Shafiq, who got 48.27 percent, the higher Presidential election Commission declared on Sunday.

It was the first time that egyptians held their breaths for so long to see a president for the nation elected by their own free choices and felt the importance and value of their votes. ahmed Ban, researcher with the Nile Center for Political and Strategic Studies, described Morsi’s triumph as “a victory for the egyptian revolution and a serious tangible push for the arab Spring turmoil,” given the fact that egypt is a pivotal state and a locomotive for changes in the Islamic world.

Moreover, he believed the victory of the Brotherhood’s candidate would change the face of the Islamic world. however, hany raslan, an analyst with the al-ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, considered the Islamist’s victory as a mere victory for the Brotherhood, since “the egyptian revolution’s values and demands couldn’t be fulfilled by the Muslim Brotherhood because of its failures in the recently-dissolved parliament.

Morsi has vowed to build a modern, democratic and civil state. “Morsi could restore stability to the country that has suffered security tensions since last year’s turmoil,” said Ban. Morsi has to prove to the egyptians that he is a president for all, said Ban. “The Muslim Brotherhood’s announcement of ending the membership of Morsi is a positive step.”

Ban expected Morsi to seek to build a cabinet encompassing all national forces and parties.

But there are fears that the new government might be dominated by the Brotherhood.

The coming period will witness a tug of war in the writing of a constitution and parliamentary re-elections, which are the biggest challenges for Morsi, said raslan. he added the president-elect alone could not accomplish the many changes for the country because many important institutions have not yet been completed.

Morsi has pledged to achieve national reconciliation, which is a good step, but substantive practices, not promises are needed to realize reconciliation, added raslan. he expected the new president to form a short-run coalition government, which will be dissolved after the next parliamentary elections.

Fakhry Tahtawy, a professor of political science at Cairo University,said the lawsuit demanding the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood will be an embarrassing challenge facing Morsi. It was filed against the Muslim Brotherhood’s legality and has been adjourned to September. how he is going to handle it is still a big question, he said.

“I think the secret bargains and flexibility with the armed forces will give Morsi more space to move in,” Tahtawy said.

The Tahrir Square is also a challenge for the new president, the professor said.

If Tahrir’s protestors defy the Supreme Council of the armed Forces (SCaF), who took power to govern egypt from departing president Mubarak early last year, will the new president accept their protests while he badly needs to form good ties with the armed forces to mitigate accumulated tensions? he asked.

Morsi will take his presidential oath in the next step. as the lower house of parliament was annulled on June 14 based on charges that the parliament election law as unconstitutional, the SCaF’s supplementary constitution declaration stipulated that the new president should be sworn in before the general assembly of the Supreme Constitutional Court. however, the Muslim Brotherhood has been rejecting the total dissolution of the parliament and the supplementary constitution declaration, which limits the president’s powers. For its part, the army has insisted on the two decisions.

The political transition is far from being over in egypt. The new president can only handle the tough tasks with the cooperation of other parties and the ruling military council. [PNA/Xinhua]

EDGEDAVAO

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

economists and financial managers are more unenthusiastic still, predicting that the series of oil price roll back is only a temporary consequence of the price fluctuation in the world market. Furthermore, it is also widely believed that the government will have no choice but to move every able body it can – meaning the country’s working population to the most competitive and productive ways possible while the prices of oil continues to drop radically in the days ahead.

Still, it might get harder to muddle through in the future, since there are indications that the most important thing to watch is the unprecedented oil price increases dictated by the oil-producing countries. all of which means that we always have to be prepared and remain alert at all times, because even boosted by lower prices at this point, prices of fuel products are expected to increase on or before the last quarter of the year. right now, the series of price roll back has taken center stage just like when prices likewise skyrocketed to undetermined level.

While the country’s oil companies notably the so-called the “Big Three”- Petron, Shell and Chevron reported with assurance that more price roll backs are expected in the days ahead, government on the other hand should not take the assertion as a permanent commitment. as always expected that when it comes to oil prices hike trend, the government suffers from what can be called a reliability and credibility problem of its own.

Many economists and business analysts see that the series of oil price roll back will slow down or stop anytime soon. Government therefore should not let its guards down because when the series of price roll back are over, we will be back again to a vicious cycle of oil price hike. So what kind of assurance the powerful oil cartel is bragging about? We always have to bear in mind there is no such thing as a never-ending oil price

name, winning the first three with o’Neal, from 2000 to 2002. after parting ways with o’Neal, who moved to the heat before retiring, Bryant led the Lakers to two championships, in 2009 and 2010. he got the finals MvP on both encounters. he has one regular season MvP award. The 2010 title avenged the Lakers’ loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 finals. Still effective as a player, Bryant still dreams of grabbing a sixth title.

Monkey Business

soon as the 2012-2013 opens.

But the fans are not to blame.

James himself has made it know upon leaving Cleveland that he intends to win multiple titles with the heat.

Dwyane Wade, the finals MvP in 2006 when heat bagged its first title, has agreed to slide to a supporting role behind the team’s James-led march to fame.

So the question that now confronts James is whether he can win a second championship. and if he gets to win a second title, people will ask if he can win a third.

James’ problem is that others before him had set a high bar for excellence in the NBa. Kareem abdul-Jabbar, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los angeles Lakers from 1969-1989, had six championships and a record six regular season MvP awards.

Jordan also had six championships, all with the Bulls. he won his first three titles in three successive seasons, 1990-91, 1991-92 and 199293. he “retired” in 1993, but returned to the league for the 1994-95 season where they lost in the playoffs to the orlando Magic, then led by Shaquille o’Neal. The Bulls reasserted their supremacy in the next three seasons, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98.

Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ shooting guard, already has five titles to his

a

F T e r t h r e e t r i e s , LeBron James won his first championship title in the NBa and the second for the Miami heat. his first finals were with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the second with his current team. he was simply overpowering in game five of the series against the oklahoma City Thunder, registering a triple double and exercising court leadership that ignited the heat’s offensive prowess.

The victory has put to rest doubts on James’ credentials as a star player.

Moreover, he now joins the elite list of players who have won the Most valuable Player plum for the regular season and the finals in the same year.

Michael Jordan, then playing for the Chicago Bulls, won the distinction in two successive seasons, in 1996-97 and 1997-98. on the other hand, however, Miami’s victory has given rise to more expectations for James. The championship ring that he now wears will remind him not only of the thrill of victory. having won his first title, fans now expect him to bag more honors.

The pressure to satisfy these expectations will begin to weigh on him as

Is it that difficult to say ‘Thank

Temporary breather

ereNNIaLLY DePeNDeNT oN oIL – The present dispensation is currently keeping a close check on issues related to oil imports because the country has for months been resigned to the fact that prices of gasoline, diesel fuel and other refined petroleum products rose at accelerating pace. and the Philippines would remain always unprotected from price variability because of its heavy reliance on imported oil products. Nonetheless, at this stage the aquino leadership, captains of trade and industry, and in particular the transport sector are pleased and with good reasons.

The country has so far weathered the oil price crisis as a result of a series of oil price roll back during the past weeks. The price of gasoline right now is down to P50 per liter from the previous P59 some three weeks ago while crude oil down to P39 per liter from the previous P49. Some private economists and government financial analysts think the series of oil price roll back might seem especially soothing to top government executives because of the softer and lower oil prices in the world market. of course, even if the positive impact of the low prices of oil products on commercial and industrial activities may lead to improving the economic growth of the country, it may however not last for long. other noted

‘Still, it might get harder to muddle through in the future, since there are indications that the most important thing to watch is the unprecedented oil price increases dictated by the oil-producing countries.’

roll back and government should treat the current pricing trend as a temporary breather to map new strategies anytime prices of oil products would continue again moving upward. If that happens anytime soon, there’s nothing we can do about it because we are perennially dependent on oil imports – perpetually.

Rising expectations for LJ

‘Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers from 1969-1989, had six championships and a record six regular season MVP awards.’

Larry Bird, a power forward who played for the Celtics his entire professional career, had three championships in five finals appearances and three MvP awards.

James has a lot of homework to do. (MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@ gmail.com)

9

speciAl FeAture

By Sakini Mohd Said

I

T is something easy to say out. even a small child can say it nicely.

It does not take much effort to say ‘thank you’, though in reality some people do take things for granted these days.

Is that so difficult to say the phrase?

To some it is not an arduous task to say ‘thank you’, as the phrase only contains two words. however the reluctance to express thank you reflects the ‘lackadaisical’ attitude among us.

This phrase expressing gratitude is significant as it reflects the personality of the person who says it (or those who refrain from doing so).

The poser is that should we make saying ‘thank you’ be part of everyday life?

DIFFICULT Seeing the difficulty among some people in saying ‘thank you’ is rather ‘pathetic’.

For those who were born within the realms of the eastern culture, saying ‘thank you’ is not something foreign, as this reflects one’s noble values. however, globalization has changed some people, who have become individualistic and materialistic to the extent that they have forgotten the importance of saying ‘thank you’.

The phrase has only one meaning and is universal, even though it sounds different in various languages. In Mandarin it is ‘xie xie’ while arabs say ‘syukran jazilan’.

In english it is ‘thank you’, and the French say the phrase as ‘merci’.

Whatever the phrase sounds, it has only one purpose, which is to express gratitude for acts done. Simple, but the meaning brings cheer to the recipient.

In Islam, thank you is in the same line as ‘syukur’, which is an expression of happiness and content in appreciating allah’s grants. eveN oN The roaD It is no secret that some Malaysian motorists exhibit ‘disrespect’ to others while driving on the road.

There are several contributing factors to such attitude, such as traffic congestion and urgency in trying to reach a certain destination, but the roads are meant to be shared by all. raising the hand as a mark of saying ‘thank you’ for other motorists who show patience and give way is a mark for others. Such acts will also prevent other motorists from hurling some ‘not so nice’ words to those who disregard traffic rules.

WhY SaY ThaNK YoU? how many among us say thank you to the bus and taxi drivers, toll gate collectors and security guards?

Do we bother to say ‘thank you’ to the workers who collect the dirty table ware in the cafeteria, and do we bother to do the same for the cleaners in the office?.

There are those who may think that there is no need to say ‘thank you’ to these workers and cleaners, as it is these workers’ job.

Whatever it is, there is nothing wrong in expressing your gratitude to others who extend their hand in carrying out required tasks.

The person who is willing to say ‘thank you’ has the noble values within him or her.

ThaNK YoU, TeaCher The culture to thank teachers for their efforts has been in existence since a child enters school at the age of seven until he leaves at the age of 17.

For 12 years in the primary and secondary school, the thank you phrase rings in a student’s mind until the day he enters university.

In the ivory tower, there is no such phrases being given to the lecturer as he finished the lecture. The culture from the school has automatically disappeared.

The ‘thank you’ will only come if a student passes his university examination. at times, some children forget appreciating the sacrifices made by members of their family. They feel that the gifts of materials are sufficient replacement for affection, appreciation and respect for their parents.

Parents value more the words ‘thank you’ from their children, more than any of the monetary gifts. however, individuals can be nurtured since childhood to say ‘thank you’ as this is a form of inculcating the noble values in them.

MoTIvaTIoN There is nothing wrong for a leader to say ‘thank you’ to his subordinates for accomplishing the respective tasks assigned to them. even though the person ranks superior in an organization, the phrase means appreciation and respect, as this earns reciprocating respect from the workers under the person.

In the words of University Malaya Medical Centre’s (UMMC) Psychiatric Consultant Dr Muhammad Muhsin ahmad Zahari, the phrase ‘thank you’ will elicit a response that brings more out of the ‘recipient’.

“In any organization, the culture of appreciating contributions in terms of effort is a significant motivating factor to make the employees perform better,” he noted. [PNA/Bernama]

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SUBURBIA

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

DCWD inaugurates new facility

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IreCTorS and employees of Davao City Water District attended the blessing of the newly completed building at the DCWD Matina last June 15. rev. Zenon B. ampong of the St. Paul Parish blessed the new facility which will serve as warehouse, pipe storage and motorpool of the water utility.

New DCWD facility in Matina office blessed. Rev. Zenon B. Ampong blesses the new building in the DCWD Matina office which will serve as warehouse, pipe storage and motorpool of the water utility. vice-Chair eliseo r. Braganza in his message during the program said that the DCWD management foresees a great improvement on the working conditions of its employees since the Property Division of the Finance and Property Department and the General Services Department (GSD) in Bajada will be transferred to

DILG offers P47 M reward for top performing LGUs

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he Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has allotted P47 million for the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) in region XI. The said fund serves as incentive for good governancecompliant local government units (LGUs).

For this year’s PCF release, priorities are the LGUs belonging to the 1st3rd income class municipalities and cities.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. robredo said, “In this region, I am so pleased to announce that all local government units passed the Seal of Good housekeeping (SGh). Because without the SGh, there will never be PCF.” “Meaning, to be able to qualify and avail of the PCF funds, LCes must comply with the government’s full disclosure policy on the use of public funds, exemplary governance and delivery of basic services,” robredo explained.

The SGh for LGUs is in line with the Department’s commitment to aggressively scale up interventions to elevate the practice of good, accountable, participatory and transparent governance; commitment to public interest; and development. regional Director Francisco C. Jose said that SGh-compliant and PCF recipient LGUs may use the fund to jumpstart local development initiatives that are aligned with the national government’s program for the attainment of the Millennium

Development Goals such as on tourism and economic development, disaster risk reduction and management and solid waste management.

The PCF may also be used to finance projects such as school buildings, rural health units, water and sanitation system, local roads and bridges, slaughterhouses, flood control, reforestation, postharvest facilities, cold storage facilities and other programs and projects that would enhance local government services.

More importantly, the PCF is not intended as competition among LGUs but to reward them for helping the government attain the MDG of reducing poverty and improving the opportunities for poor households to rise above their current conditions.

Congress earlier allotted some P500 million for the DILG’s PCF funds for the various SGh-compliant LGUs nationwide, giving out P1 to P7 million each to qualified recipients. robredo said DILG also intends to set aside funds for those LGUs who will be awarded with the Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP).

“Through the SDP program, we will not only provide incentives to LGUs that fared well on disaster preparedness, we will also be able to assess performance gaps, provide policy or program intervention based on the identified gaps, and monitor performance progress,” robredo explained.

the new building. This will help decongest the Bajada office which currently houses most of the DCWD employees. he added that the DCWD management is also anticipating the construction of the Matina office. also present during the event were other Board of Directors members Ma. Luisa L. Jacinto, abdul M. Da-

taya and Charlemagne B. aldevera, acting general manager edwin v. regalado, oIC - assistant general manager for administration Mildred G. aviles, oIC – assistant general manager for operation exequiel B. homez and other officers. regalado explained that the completion of the building was made possible by

the joint efforts of the DCWD family with the hands-on help of the engineering and Construction Department, the operations and Maintenance Department and GSD. he also addressed that the concerned departments that will use the new building that it is already ready for occupancy.

The new facility, which

is among the many projects that DCWD has in line for its Infrastructure Development, will also be able to improve operations especially that a bigger warehouse can accommodate more materials needed for maintenance, repairs, installation of new connections, among others. (JOvANA

provincial government purchased for P7.3 million, specifically as site for the campus. Last February, Dr. Josette Biyo, executive director of the PShS System, and some DoST officials visited the site for evaluation and decided, the area is perfect location. on the site will rise academic buildings, research and laboratory facilities, dormitory as well as other amenities that will be in keeping with the learning requirements of the PShS students who are considered gifted in science and mathematics.

“With the support we are getting from local government officials, we can build a world-class campus here,” Dr. Biyo said.

“We will bringing to Soccsksargen the best education that the PShS system

can give – a world class education.”

Besides the purchase of the lot, Gov. arthur Y Pingoy Jr., with the support of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, allocated P5 million to fund the initial construction of the campus’s facilities.

During the ceremonies, YaCaP Partylist Carol Jayne Lopez turned over to Gov. Pingoy the Special allotment release order (Saro) for P5 million as her contribution to help fast track the project.

She also announced that she will allocate additional P1 million as a counterpart to Gov. Pingoy’s P1 million budget for the rehabilitation of the street going into the campus. agham party-list rep. angelo Palmones, who confessed he envies South

Cotabato for the establishment of the PShS here, also promised to give P2 million, “which should be delivered before the end of 2012.” he said they have been pushing in Congress the creation of a PShS campus in North Cotabato.

In 2010, North Cotabato 2nd District representative Nancy Catamco filed house Bill 02812 proposing for the establishment of a PShS in North Cotabato, which is now pending at the Committee on Science and Technology.

“I envy South Cotabato,” rep. Palmones said.

“We are still deliberating the budget for the proposal. Yet here you are building the PShS campus.

“Since only one PShS campus is allowed per region, rest assured that we will support your efforts,” he said.

provincial government’s depository bank, will serve as collecting agent for local tax payments.

Pingoy said PvB will handle the necessary systems upgrading and the training of personnel from the provincial government’s assessment and treasury offices. “once implemented, the new system will rationalize our real property tax assessment and collection processes,” the governor said in the local government’s weekly radio program. eduardo Siason, South Cotabato provincial assessor, said they expect the new system to be in place by next month.

he said his office has directed the province’s municipal and city assessors to transmit by July 31 all data with regards to real property tax administration for integration into the system.

Siason said rPT or realty taxes in the province are presently collected by the provincial, municipal and city treasury offices in the area based on assessments made by the Provincial assessor’s office.

The tax, a briefer noted, applies to all forms of real property such as land, building, improvements and machinery. exemption is given to real properties owned by

government, charitable institutions, churches, cooperatives, and those that are used in the supply of water and electric power.

Collections from the real property taxes are shared with smaller local government units that compose the province or the city.

In the case of a province, 40 percent goes to the municipality; 25 percent goes to the village where the property is located; and the province retains 35 percent.

Collections of city governments are divided with the village getting one-third and the city retaining two-thirds. [PNA]

T. DUhAyLUNGSOD)

Science HS to rise in Koronadal

T

he Department of Science Technology is investing about P200 million to build the Soccsksargen campus of the Philippine Science high School (PShS) system here.

DoST Secretary Mario Montejo led on Thursday the groundbreaking rites of the PShS-Soccsksargen regional Campus -- the 12th campus of the PShS system and third in Mindanao -- at Barangay Paraiso, adjacent to the state-ofthe-art Philippine National halal Laboratory and Science Center.

“We’ll make this new campus really unique, not only in curriculum but also in physical structure and design of the buildings and architecture, one that really stands out,” the secretary said.

The campus is situated in a 4.5 hectare lot that the

SouthCot partners with PVB for realty tax system upgrade

I

N a bid to improve local tax collections, the provincial government of South Cotabato has linked up with government-owned and controlled Philippine veteran’s Bank (PvB) for the upgrading of its real property tax (rPT) assessment and collection systems.

South Cotabato Gov. arthur Pingoy said the local government forged a memorandum of agreement with PvB for the installation of computerized system for rPT assessment and collection within the province’s 10 towns and lone city. as part of the system, he said, PvB, which is the

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It was also an opportunity for event goers to make free calls using Globe TipIDD cards.

Globe hails OFWs, their families on Migrant Workers’ Day

a

S part of its commitment to support the migrant workers sector, Globe Telecom joined forces with the Department of Labor and employment (DoLe), Philippine overseas employment administration (Poea) and the overseas Workers’ Welfare administration (oWWa) for the eighth year in a row to celebrate the annual Migrant Workers’ Day. The event convened over 25,000 oFWs and their families to commemorate the signing of republic act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and overseas Filipino act of 1995, an act to institute the policies of overseas employment and establish a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant Workers’ and their families.

With the theme “oFW, sa Sipag at Galing, Bilib Kami sa Inyo”, this year’s Migrant Workers’ Day featured the different programs and services of the three government agencies for oFWs and their families through the various booths, livelihood and job fairs, and symposiums. as a major sponsor of the event, Globe showcased its portfolio of international services with a booth at the expo area. visitors learned more about the company’s pioneering offers for the migrant workers and their de-

pendents, such as the Globe oFW Family Pack, which comes with an oFW SIM that is ready to use abroad with a pre-activated roaming service and a Family SIM which allows family members to send texts at P1.00 per text. another innovative offer is the Globe ITXTaLL30, which is the newest all-network text promo that allows subscribers to send 100 text messages to any local or international network covered over 50 destinations worldwide in one single offer. exclusively available to Globe Prepaid subscribers, Globe ITXTaLL30 enables subscribers to send a combination of 100 local texts to Globe, TM, Smart, Sun, Talk N Text, or red Mobile or international texts to 54 destinations worldwide. The SMS promo offers the lowest and most affordable text messaging rate in the market at only P30 valid for 1 day, or P0.30 per text.

To register, subscribers can text ITXTaLL30 and send to 8888, or dial *143#, choose all-Time Fave Promos and then select International Call and Text Promos. at the event, Globe also offered free calls via a Libreng Tawag station inside its booth that allowed oFW families in the Philippines to call their loved ones abroad using Globe TipIDD Card, the most affordable prepaid IDD

card which comes in P25, P100, and P200 denominations. For as low as P2.50 per minute, subscribers in the country can make international calls to the US, Canada, and hong Kong using the Globe TipIDD card, which is sold at any Globe Store, tiangge, or through Globe authorized dealers nationwide.

“Globe has always been active in lending support to the initiatives of DoLe and its attached agencies Poea and oWWa, especially those that directly benefit oFWs and their families. For our part, we are proud that we have the most innovative and affordable line-up of texting and calling services that bridge the gap between Filipinos across the globe and their loved ones in the Philippines, keeping their bonds alive despite being miles away,” said KD Dizon, head of Globe Prepaid.

The event was also highlighted by the launch of the 2012 Model oFW Family of the Year awards (MoFYa), the annual search for deserving and most exemplary oFW families in the country, as well as the signing of the Memorandum of agreement with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to further strengthen the campaign against illegal recruitment.

Globe, together with OWWA Administrator Carmelita Over a hundred attendees trooped to the Globe booth to Dimzon (leftmost), also gave out an iPad 2 as a raffle learn more about the different services they can use to conprize during the event. nect with each other to bridge the gap.

COMMUNITY SENSE 11

12 NATION/WORLD NATION BRIEFS

v

Speed up

ICe President Jejomar C. Binay has directed the Philippine embassies in Saudi arabia and United arab emirates, as well as the overseas Workers Welfare administration (oWWa), to process immediately the documents of overseas Filipino Workers (oFW) staying at governmentrun shelters so they can return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time.

Binay recently met with oFWs housed at oWWa-maintained shelters in Jeddah and Dubai during his visit last week.

Fourteen Filipino workers in Jeddah and 69 in Dubai asked the vice President to help them return to the Philippines.

S

Not to release

eNaTor Francis “Chiz” escudero on Monday said that the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has decided not to release in public the names of nominees for the Chief Justice post unless the nomination has been accepted. escudero, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Justice, is an exofficio member of the JBC. as of Monday, there are now 65 nominees for the position of Chief Justice, however, only 13 nominees have accepted and 11 others have declined.

T

Beneficial

he recent upgrade of the Philippines to gray list of the Financial action Task Force (FaTF) will benefit not only the country but the overseas Filipino workers (oFWs) and the economy as well.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor amando Tetangco Jr., who also chairs the antiMoney Laundering Council (aMLC), explained that “avoiding the FaTF black list is positive news for the Philippines particularly for our overseas workers and our economy, as financial transactions of countries in the FaTF black list are subjected to additional reporting requirements and more stringent inspections that delay remittances and raise service fees.”

T

Missing

he Jordanian journalists and his crew are missing but not kidnapped by abu Sayyaf bandits in southern Philippines, the military insists. “our intelligence is that they are only missing but we have information on where they are and they are very mobile at the moment,” said Naval Forces in Western Mindanao Deputy Commander Colonel Jose Johriel Cenabre.

r

Withdraw

eP. raymond Palatino of the party-list group Kabataan has withdrawn his controversial bill, which seeks to ban religious activities and symbols in government offices.

Palatino said he was offering his “sincere apologies” for any offense the measure has caused.

“We are sad that we hurt the religious sentiments of many, when our desire was to uphold and promote religious sensitivity and harmony,” he said.

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Over Syrian attack

Turkey turns to NATO

T

UrKeY has accused Syria of shooting down one of its military reconnaissance jets in international airspace without warning and summoned a NaTo meeting for Tuesday to agree a response to Syrian President Bashar al-assad.

Turkey’s cabinet was due to meet on Monday to discuss Friday’s incident, which lent a more threatening international dimension to the 16-month-old uprising against assad. Britain called the attack over the eastern Mediterranean outrageous and said it stood ready to back strong action in the United Nations.

Turkish newspapers welcomed Prime Minister Tayyip erdogan’s decision to invoke an article in the NaTo alliance’s founding treaty providing for urgent consultations if a member considered its security interests threatened.

“Turkey has moved into action” both Milliyet and vatan newspapers declared in headlines under the NaTo flag.

Sabah newspaper columnist Mehmet Barlas said some were calling Friday’s attack a Syrian declaration of war. “We already know there is an ‘undeclared war’ being carried out between Turkey and Syria,” he said, citing the presence of the Syrian opposition and Syrian refugees sheltering on Turkish soil.

Fierce fighting continued inside Syria, which has a 900 km (550 mile) border with Turkey, with rebel fighters killing dozens of soldiers in the last few days as they fought against army attacks on towns and villages in central, north and eastern Syria in the last several days, according to opposition sources.

Syrian tanks and artillery shelled the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, killing at least 20 people in the second day of heavy bombardment in the country’s main oil-producing region, opposition activists said. “regime forces have dismantled their roadblocks from inside of Deir al-Zor after incurring heavy

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) receives questions from TRT news coordinator Ahmet Boken as he appears on state broadcaster TRT in Ankara June 24, 2012. [ReUTeRS]

losses from rebels. They have withdrawn from residential areas and are now shelling the city from the outskirts. The victims are mostly civilians,” a source at a hospital in Deir al-Zor told reuters.

The official state news agency said “terrorists” abducted a state-appointed head of clerics in Deir al-Zor and blew up an oil pipeline passing through the province.

The Syrian Network for human rights, an opposition activists’ organisation that monitors the crackdown on the 16-month revolt against assad’s rule, said loyalist forces on Sunday killed another 70 people, mostly civilians and soldiers who had tried to defect, elsewhere in the country in shelling, military raids and summary executions in the provinces of homs, hama, Idlib, Deraa and suburbs of Damascus.

The intensification of the fighting has raised fears in Turkey of a flood of refugees and a slide into ethnic and religious warfare that could envelop the region. ankara, like the West, is torn between a wish to remove assad and the fear that any armed intervention could unleash uncontrollable forces.

WaShINGToN CoNDeMNS aTTaCK U.S. Secretary of State hillary Clinton called the attack “brazen and unacceptable” and said Washington would cooperate closely with ankara to promote a transition in Syria. Span-

ish government sources said european Union foreign ministers would also discuss the incident at a Luxembourg meeting on Monday.

While Turkish newspapers have railed against assad, erdogan, not always known for his emotional restraint, has eschewed bellicose rhetoric.

The prime minister, who turned against former ally assad bitterly after he refused his advice to bow to demands for democratic reform, seemed to back away from any suggestion of an armed response.

If he sought some kind of retaliation from the NaTo meeting set for Tuesday, he could have invoked another article on mutual defence. That he did not suggests the reaction will remain at least for now on the diplomatic stage.

The foreign ministry said Turkey knew where the wreckage of the rF-4 Phantom jet lay, 1,300 metres (4,265 feet) under water, but had not yet found it.

Minister ahmet Davutoglu said the search continued for the two crew. he said the jet had been clearly marked as Turkish and dismissed Syria’s assertion it had not identified the aircraft, flying low and very fast, before opening fire. rUSSIaN veTo Some analysts said the aircraft could have been testing Syria’s russiansupplied radar and air defences, which would be an obstacle to any possible Western armed action.

PHL ‘avoids money-laundering blacklist’

T

he Philippines said it had avoided an international blacklist on money laundering and terrorist financing after passing two new laws this month.

The Financial action Task Force, an intergovernmental body, has upgraded the Philippines to its “grey list” of countries making sufficient progress in their action plans, President Benigno aquino’s spokeswoman abigail valte said.

“These reforms (prevented) the Philippines from being classified and downgraded to the ‘black list’, which would have resulted in stricter inspections of financial transactions in the country,” she said in a statement.

The Philippines was previously in the FaTF’s “dark grey list” of jurisdictions deemed not to be making sufficient progress.

The FaTF levied a blacklist threat earlier this year, calling for greater state powers to make it

A general view of Manila’s financial district on June 3. The Philippines said Saturday it had avoided an international blacklist on money laundering and terrorist financing after passing two new laws this month. easier to scrutinise bank accounts, as well as casinos, foreign exchange traders and other nonbank entities.

Two bills were passed on June 6 expanding powers to investigate bank accounts, but parliament failed to agree on a third bill to allow greater inspection of non-bank en-

tities.

The FaTF was not immediately reachable for verification Saturday and its website still listed the Philippines as among the countries not making sufficient progress.

The Philippines’ antiMoney Laundering Council said the FaTF had urged Manila to include

bribery, public funds misuse, human trafficking, tax evasion and environmental crimes as grounds for a financial investigation.

The FaTF is made up of 187 member countries with the aim of making the international financial system off-limits to criminals.

WORLD TODAy

e

Ties

GYPT’S Presidentelect Mohammed Morsy said in an interview with Iran’s Fars news agency on Monday that he was looking to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic “balance” in the region.

Fars quoted him as saying he was interested in better relations with Tehran. “This will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my programme”.

a

Extradition

Malaysian court on Monday approved the extradition of an Iranian to Thailand on suspicion of being involved in an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats in the country.

Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, arrested at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on February 15, is among three Iranians being held over incidents in Bangkok that saw Tehran accused of a terror campaign against Israel -- which it denied.

P

Barred

araGUaY’S new president was barred from participating in a summit of South american leaders next week, deepening the country’s isolation over the ouster of former president Fernando Lugo. argentina’s foreign ministry said the move was adopted by the other members and associate states of Mercosur, a South american trading bloc that is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday in the argentine city of Mendoza.

r

Travel

USSIaN President vladimir Putin will travel this week to Israel and Jordan for talks set to be framed by the worsening crisis in Syria that risks sending shockwaves across the entire Middle east.

The centrepieces of the trip are a visit to the Israeli city of Netanya where Putin will unveil a World War II memorial and talks with Israeli leaders, followed by a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud abbas and talks with Jordan’s King abdullah II on Tuesday.

a

Wildfire

fast-growing wildfire in Colorado forced 11,000 people from their homes at least briefly on Sunday and threatened popular summer camping grounds beneath Pikes Peak, whose vistas helped inspire the patriotic tune “america the Beautiful.”

Live summit video from the 14,115-foot (4,302-metre) peak showed plumes of dark smoke billowing in the air, and a cog railway that ferries tourists up the side of the famous mountain was shut down because of the wildfires.

EDGEDAVAO

13

Solons calls restraint, wants UN, US, allies to intervene a

group of congressmen yesterday said the international community should not be complacent about the latest incident of Filipino fishermen at the receiv-

Sara...

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

ing end or victims of the Panatag shoal or Scarborough conflict but at the same time called for restraint while Philippine authorities make a deeper probe into what really happened.

FFROM 1

is effective starting yesterday.

The city mayor said the halt in operations precedes the crafting of a local law which would legalize the illegal motorcycle units by demanding from the owners the conversion of the units into tricycles.

The law would also demand owners of these motorcycle units to secure registration under the City Legal office which oversees the functions of tricycle franchises in the city.

Payong-payong is the local term for motorcycle units with side cars attached to accommodate passengers. It has three wheels.

Habal-habal pertains to motorcycle units with no side cars but its driver provides transportation services to passengers, usually operating at night.

Tricycles or motorized tricycles in the Philippines are motorcycle units remodeled as mini cabs and encloses its driver and passengers.

“We (the city government) are asking for a moratorium from the DCPo to give us time to create a law which would legalize these unregistered motorcycle units. So, for now, they

BFAR...

(DCPo and traffic enforcers) will stop their operations,” Duterte-Carpio said during a media briefing at the City hall.

“This is also to give these habal-habals and payong-payongs time to convert into tricycles which is enclosed and a lot more safe,” she added.

The DCPo operates confiscation of illegal motorcycle units through its Traffic Group in coordination with the city’s Traffic Management Center (TMC).

Sustainable solution The city mayor said ordering the conversion of payong-payong and habal-habal into tricycles is the sustainable solution to the perennial reports that the vehicles traverse on main thoroughfares, putting the lives of passengers as well as the drivers into danger.

“I do not think confiscation is the solution to the problem. It would only mean we have to confiscate everyday with the number of illegal motorcycle units out there,” Duterte-Carpio said.

“If we (city government) cannot find a solution after this moratorium, then they (DCPo) can do whatever they want,” she added.

FFROM 3

Filipino tuna fishing fleet can venture again at the traditional tuna high-sea fishing grounding starting September this year.

The Philippines in December last year sent a team in Palau to negotiate with officials of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission for the re-opening of high Seas Pocket 1 which reportedly was closed “to address the overfishing of various types of tuna like bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack, and South Pacific albacore.”

Perez said the closure not only dragged down tuna production by 30 percent but also created “a social problem” among Filipino fishers who are competing for fish catch at the Philippine territorial waters.

Perez bared that the Philippines has proven before the international fishing body that the Philippines is a spawning ground of highly migratory fish such as tuna, as larvae have been recovered at Philippine seas.

“If the Philippines won’t be allowed to fish the high seas, we are to fish the spawners,” he said but quickly explained that such would be detrimental to the overall tuna stock management.

Perez, however, said that the permission to fish the high seas is given to the Philippines under strict regulation that it has to follow.

But he said the Philippines had assured the international fishing regulatory body of the country’s adherence to its commitment. [PIA-11/JeANevIve DURON-AbANGAN]

according to house assistant Majority Leader and Davao City rep. Karlo alexei Nograles, the incident betrays the Chinese government’s ill-intents by abusing the Philippine government’s good-faith in its efforts to resolve the conflict through diplomatic or peaceful negotiations. he said while it is premature for the Philippine government to make a conclusion on what really happened to the fishermen whose boats were allegedly rammed by a Chinese vessel, the United Nations should take a look at this incident with utmost urgency.

“If this incident was deliberate and was sanctioned by the Chinese government, this is a clear act of aggression against another sovereign nation. This is an act of war,” said Nograles.

Nograles said that although the first order of business for the Philippine government is to conduct a deeper probe on the circumstances behind the incident, this should be brought to the attention of the UN. he said that China’s

use of force and violence in its campaign to grab lands in the West Philippine Sea might escalate and it is the UN’s responsibility to stop this from taking place.

“The global community, through the United Nations, should promote justice and parity among nations by actively persuading China, or any other nation for that matter, to forget the ancient dictum that whoever is strong rules the world,” Nograles said.

Iloilo rep. Jerry Trenas on the other hand said allied nations like the United States and its NaTo (North atlantic Treaty organization) allies should take a look at this incident with serious concern as he noted that the Spratlys dispute is a potential global hotspot. he recommended that since the Philippines lacks the capability to stop similar types of aggression in the future, it should assert the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and request the US to assist by deploying forces at the Panatag Shoal and areas in the Spratlys that are within Philippine territory.

FFROM 1

FFROM 2

ered firearms and equipments consist of one M16, two M14 rifles and one Motorola hand-held radio.

“Their cadavers and the recovered firearms have been transported by the Philippine air Force helicopter, 8:00 a.m. last June 24 for proper disposition,” said Lt. Col. adolfo espuelas Jr., commander of 73rd IB, through a statement. espuelas stated that it was the villagers who reported the presence of fully armed bandits who were disturbing their livelihood.

“The villagers now are more vigilant in maintaining peace and security in their community,” he said, adding that this is a manifestation of support for the sustainability of the Peace and Development outreach Program of the government. [JADe C. ZALDI-

ers who owns at least one hectare of under-developed land and not earning enough to meet the basic needs of their family,” Legaste said. on the other hand, the project also targets to increase forest cover and rehabilitate a silted river system in the province.

South Cotabato Gov. arthur Pingoy Jr. said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has approved P2 million as a counterpart fund of the province to the rubber project.

Pingoy said they are hoping that through the planting of rubber trees in the uplands of Tboli, the project will decrease the incidence of siltation in the

3 bandits... South...

vAR]

“This is a very complicated situation. It is understandable that China is a world economic and even military power. It is a very lucrative market for many nations, including the United States and the european powers, and even the Philippines. and China is taking advantage of this situation,” Trenas said.

Trenas said the Chinese government consistently called on the international community to make a hands-off policy and not interfere in the ongoing Scarborough conflict apparently to ensure that it will be able to complete its mission to occupy the area which is even within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Western Samar rep.

Mel Senen Sarmiento, said the Philippines should investigate the incident further but noted that “it is for the best interest of all nations especially the US and its NaTo allies to stop further Chinese aggression before it runs amok in the entire South east asian region.”

Sarmiento said that China’s aggressive stance on its territo-

rial disputes may have something to do with its desperation to find its own source of gas, oil and minerals needed to fuel its rapid economic and industrial expansion.

“If push comes to a shove, the Philippines might be left with no choice but to fight back.

This dreadful scenario would certainly have devastating effects on the global economy including that if the US and those belonging to NaTo,” Sarmiento said as he urged the Department of National Defense to draw-up relevant contingency plans to prepare the country even under worst situations.

“We don’t want the Philippine side to escalate the tension. But if China continues to ignore reason and common sense and deny the Philippines its rights under international covenants, we have to defend our territorial integrity at all cost,” Sarmiento said.

“China is showing that it really does not care losing a partner in asia. It wants the world under its feet. Cutting diplomatic relations is not an impossible option,” he added.

allah river.

Siltation in the river has been blamed to the flooding in some areas in South Cotabato and nearby towns of Sultan Kudarat province.

Cesar Tandog, one of the beneficiaries of the rubber production project in T’boli, lauded the Da and the provincial government for the livelihood opportunity, saying that rubber has huge commercial potentials. vinancio Tinggal, a farmer beneficiary from Lake Sebu town for the first batch of the project, appeared bullish upon learning that that in the next three years, he and the other beneficiaries will begin harvesting the rub-

ber trees.

Tinggal is now tending at least 2000 rubber trees in his four-hectare farm in Barangay Lamkade in Lake Sebu.

Three years ago, MrDP initiated the rubber production project in Lake Sebu, which covered at least 167 hectares of land and involved 70 farmers in three barangays of Lamdalag, Klobe, and Lamkadi.

Local officials in Lake Sebu expressed confidence that the MrDP project will help ensure income because the demand for natural rubber, according to a Food and agriculture report, is increasing at a rate of three to four percent per year. [MINDANewS]

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EDGEDAVAO

The many uses of rice hull

By Jims Vincent T. Capuno

T

he Philippines is one of the world’s rice producers. one of the milling by-products of the grain is rice hull, which constitutes about 20 to 22 percent by weight of the grain. It is the coating for the seeds (palay) of the rice plant. To protect the seed during the growing season, the hull is made of hard materials.

The hull is mostly indigestible to humans. as a matter of fact, it is considered a waste dumped into open fields and waterways or burned in dumping grounds. however, rice hull should not be treated as useless. There are several uses of rice hull. For one, it is a good source of energy. a ton of rice hull is equivalent to 318 liters of fuel. Yes, you read it right. With a heating value of 13,900 kilojoules per kilogram, rice hull can sum up to this volume given ideal conditions. rice can also be used as burner fuel for drying activities and domestic stoves in raw form or briquettes. In Nueva ecija, where rice hull is abundant, residents find it a good source of cooking fuel.

In Davao del Sur and other parts of Mindanao, some farmers use rice hulls as bedding or litter for poultry operations. others utilize it as feeding material for ruminant animals and poultry.

Some studies have shown that rice hull is a good energy source for hot water heaters and boilers to generate steam. Some rice mills originally dispose off the hulls in this way. In San Jose City, Nueva ecija, Wideon Zacal has developed a rice hull-fueled steam engine for this purpose.

In chemistry, rice hull can be used to produce mesoporous molecular sieves, which are applied as catalysts for various chemical reactions, as a support for drug delivery system and as absorbent in waster water treatment. as absorbent, rice hulls can suck up liquid and provide an anti-skid surface, and an abrasive to keep surfaces from wear and tear due to friction.

In some parts of the world, rice hulls are used

Rice hulls

as pillow stuffing. The pillows are loosely stuffed and considered therapeutic as they retain the shape of the head. In China, where these pillows have become popular, one pillow costs approximately US$6 and is considered a luxury item. The high price is testament to its being trendy, as one ton of rice hulls, even in the US, costs approximately US$5. rice hulls are organic material and as such they can be composted. however, their high lignin content can make this a slow process. In some instances, earthworms are used to accelerate the process.

Using vermicomposting techniques, the hulls can be converted to fertilizer in about four months.

In some industries, rice hulls are also useful. In brewing beer, for instance, they are used to increase the lautering ability of a mash. In the United States, rice hulls are used as a “press aid” to improve extraction efficiency of apple pressing. rice hull is also used in the steel industry because of its remarkably high refractory capability and good insulation qualities. Likewise, rice hulls are a low-cost material from which silicon carbide “whiskers” can be manufactured. These whiskers are then used to reinforce ceramic cutting tools, increasing their strength tenfold. as building material, rice hulls top. They are a class a insulating material because they are difficult to burn and less likely to allow moisture to propagate mold or fungi. It was found out that rice hull when burned produced amounts of silica. For these reasons it provides excellent thermal insulation.

Meanwhile, the ash produced after the husks have been burned is high in silica. a number of possible uses are being investigated for this, among them: aggregates and fillers for concrete and board production; absorbents for oils and chemicals; soil ameliorants; as a source of silicon; and as an insulation material for homes and refrigerants.

Some Filipino researchers have discovered rice hull ash (rha) as a suitable cement binder in the

manufacture of hollow blocks. adding 10 to 20 percent ground gray or white ash to ordinary Portland cement does not affect the strength of the construction materials compared to 100 percent cement. This is because, researchers say, rice hull contains more than 87 percent silica. adding 30 percent rha by weight or 50 percent rha by volume to ordinary cement in the manufacture of roof tiles makes the materials light, porous, and hard but brittle. another product that is becoming increasingly popular is the carbonized rice hull (Crh). To produce Crh, raw rice hull is burned without air so that it will not turn into ash. Crh is sterile and is free from disease organisms. at the Philippine rice research Institute in Nueva ecija, there’s a showcase of a pigpen where Crh, about one foot deep, serves as flooring instead of the usual cement floor. The pigpen does not have to be washed with water everyday. In fact, it does not get washed for the entire growing period of four months. The manure and urine of the pigs get buried in the carbonized rice hull. The usual foul smell is practically eliminated. and when the pigs attain market size and are sold, the litter is collected and used as organic fertilizer for vegetables, rice and other crops.

Crh is also very useful in rice farming. Twenty bags of Crh combined with organic fertilizer or compost may be applied in one hectare. It could be plowed in during land preparation. This will make the land not only more porous for better plant growth; it will also enable the soil to retain the moisture much longer. Thus, when there is a prolonged dry spell, the rice plants will be able to survive the rainless period longer.

“Intensifying rice hull use will have a great impact on the economy,” commented one researcher. “Tapping more of this ‘waste’ and less of fossil-based fuels will significantly reduce energy costs. In the rice processing industry, this usually represents 50 to 60 percent of the total drying cost.”

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Circus meets theater TRAVEL

By Carlo P. Mallo

There is no show like that of a Cirque du Soleil performance. It’s something that just has to be on everyone’s bucket list. And yes, I can’t wait for their second show in the country – the Saltimbanco, which will have its run on August 9 to 19, 2012 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

After missing last year’s Cirque du Soleil performance and having to visit the spectacular Mall of Asia Arena, then a trip in August is something I have penciled in my organizer.

But what’s the fuss with a Cirque du Soleil show?

Simply put, it’s been dubbed to be the greatest show on earth. It’s the joy of watching acrobats and more perform a theatrical play. It’s like watching fantasy become reality – a dream happening before your own very eyes.

Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil’s longest-running touring show and has performed since 1992 to widespread acclaim to sell-out audiences in europe, North and South America, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand for more than 11.5 million enthusiastic fans.

Classic Cirque du Soleil at its best, Saltimbanco is a thrilling and kaleidoscopic celebration of awe-inspiring artistry and agility.

With a cast of 50 high-caliber artists hailing from 20 different countries, Saltimbanco features breathtaking acrobatics and unbelievable athleticism during solo spotlights and epic ensembles. From the seemingly impossible balancing, jumping, and spinning during the Chinese Poles or the russian Swing to the gravity-defying Bungees and Trapeze, the crowd pleasing Juggling and Acrobatic Bicycle, to the celebrated and very unique Clowns.

Technical expertise and extravagant design are woven together by uplift-

ing spectacular costumes, amazing lighting, humor and enchanting music and magic. Full of colour, amusement and amazement, Saltimbanco is a fun show for the whole family.

Saltimbanco- from the Italian “saltare in banco,”

which literally means “to jump on a bench”- explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likeness, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. A signature show, it is inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual, the show’s eclectic cast of char-

acters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.

Advance tickets for Saltimbanco are available online exclusively to Cirque Club members beginning November 30, 2011. Cirque Club membership is free and benefits include access to advance tickets, special offers and exclusive behind the scenes information. To join, go to “www.cirqueclub.com.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Pursuing one’s passion

By Jims Vincent T. Capuno Photos courtesy of AJ Omandac

The artist’s name is AJ Omandac. And he intends to produce works that explore the immediate issues that the present generation is facing. By following such direction, he believes that his work will speak of honesty and relevance.

he paints done in either watercolor on paper or acrylic on wood or canvas. “Faithful to figuration,” he says, “I employ colors that border on monochromatic, mostly in gray tones, with the usual splashes of pinks and blues.” The primary reason for doing so: “to evoke nostalgia and isolation” which are central to his current creations. “exploring the idea of recollection and memory,” he explains, “the strategy is in the reproduction and constant repetition of images culled from family photographs and its subsequent alteration on digital applications. It vaguely debases the general idea that history, personal or otherwise, is a linear narrative but in fact a cyclical one and prone to repetition.”

Whether it is the nature of recollection and interpretation or the veracity of history, his works are most often from the perspective of the isolated individual.

“This is a conscious reflection on a contemporary paradox wherein one is subjected to seclusion despite the increasing interconnectedness of the world and its population explosion,” he points out.

Christine Dompor, the tourism officer of Compostela Valley, has these words about the artist: “he is one contemporary artist who is not afraid to explore colors and dimensions. he is liberal in his approach to all art forms.”

Only in his twenties, AJ is one of the country’s most promising visual artists and fashion graphic designers. But when asked how many paintings he has done already, he replies, “I have no idea, many small pieces and a few larger ones later on.”

For the information of the uninformed, he has done several creative art projects. he did the illustrations spreads of the Mega Beauty Awards for Mega (May 2010 issue) and illustrations for Myth’s eco friendly limited shirt line (holiday Collection). he also did the Bratpack Graphic remix, touted to be “one of a kind painted jansport bags for Bratpack artists.” The art direction for Menaya’s debut music video, Safer, was also his creation.

AJ has, indeed, gone a long, long way since his first good watercolor painting entitled “Pakikipaglaro sa Kabayo,” which he did when he was still in college. “It

was obviously autobiographical,” he admits. “(It was) a very tiny piece of painting, which I gave to a friend as a gift; it was he who gave me my first watercolor set.

Back then, I couldn’t afford any art materials because I was living on a meager college allowance.”

Memory, sexual politics, pop culture – these are the subjects that intrigue him the most. “I paint about my childhood memories, traumas and experiences, about my family, my siblings and the people around us while growing up,” he says.

But he works with caution.

“It’s hard because your judgment or perceptions on things, events or people are put out there,” he says. “Once you show the painting to anyone, there is danger in misrepresentation or disappointment from these specific subjects.”

AJ never run out of ideas as he grew up in Compostela Valley, which named recently as recipient of Artist of the Year citation from the provincial government.

“The recognition is very dear to me because I grew up in this area,” he says.

The son of Alan and elisa Omandac (they are now based in Tagum City) finished his high school at Ateneo de Davao. After graduation, he was sent to Manila to pursue a degree on economics.

But AJ had another inclination. he dreamed of becoming a visual artist. “I’ve always been inclined to painting and drawing since my early years,” he recalls. “When I entered Dela Salle University in 2002, the first thing that came to

my mind was to quit at the first semester to pursue fine arts at the University of the Philippines.” however, his parents rejected the idea. Still wanting to pursue his dream, he taught himself with the help of his colleagues working for the school’s Malate Literary Folio. “I was surrounded by aspiring writers, poets, illustrators, painters and photographers,” he says. “All of us had the same frustrations and motivations. That was enough encouragement for me to pursue the arts.”

AJ has plenty of fine artists to look up to. “Locally I admire Jason Moss and Brian Vallesteros, both artist-illustrators. I like them because I learned a lot from their works. I also have a liking for the works of artists like Geraldine Javier, Patty eustaquio and Yasmin Sison. Of course, I am involved still with Klimt and Munsch. And many, many more!”

It was while still attending col-

lege that he became “pretty serious” about his career as an artist.

“As an outsider in the art world, it was hard for me to get noticed or even book a show in a proper gallery,” he recalls. “So I opted to hold it in an alternative gallery called Store for all Seasons. It was very amateur but it was a start.”

Since then, he has done several group exhibitions. This year, he was part of the rebuke, a group exhibit at the Outerspace Gallery and here is Where hope Comes to Die at Gallery Big, both in Makati City.

In 2009, he joined the group exhibits of the following: Tutok Soena at Manila Contemporary

Gallery, When I Grow Up at the Powerplant Mall in rockwell Center, and Vision at the 2080 Studio.

Fortunately, Filipinos these days are starting to appreciate painting again. “I think there has been a resurgence of painting in the art world,” observes the layout artist of the Chef Laudico-Bistro Filipino Book. “This considering that new media and interactive art is in context at these times.” his advice to those who want to pursue his ambition in life, he philosophizes: “Just do what you want to do (while still young); or (you might end up 40) and regret not pursuing your passion.”

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

One Direction sues ‘One Direction’

TALk about a confusing battle of the boy bands.

Shortly after virtually unknown American boy band One Direction sued the British (and more famous) One Direction claiming the latter allegedly stole their band name, the British boy-banders are fighting back, countersuing the American singers for essentially the same exact thing.

In the U.k. One Direction’s lawsuit, obtained by E! News, the quintet says they have “continuously and consistently been utilizing the ONE DIRECTION Mark since ODUk made its public debut on the popular British television program ‘The X Factor’ in the fall of 2010.”

So what’s up with the

American One Direction claims then (they also happen to be a group of five guys)?

The U.S. version, who served up a lawsuit in the spring, claimed they’ve have been calling themselves One Direction since they formed the band back in 2009, a year before the scream-inducing British hotties ever met.

In their lawsuit, they asked the U.k.’s One Direction to change their band name, claiming they had already filed a trademark application for the name, according to the Daily Mail.

And that was just the beginning.

The U.S. One Direction also sued Sony Music and Simon Cowell’s record label to the tune of $1 mil-

lion in damages Monday.

Meanwhile, the U.k.

One Direction is claiming the whole thing is rubbish, saying in their suit they have enjoyed “unprecedented success and fame in the United States,” and “became the first U.k. musical act to have a debut album enter the U.S. Billboard chart at No.1.”

And they’re expecting the American singing group to pay for the stirring up the drama. “[U.S. One Direction] is guilty of fraud, oppression or malice, and by reason thereof, [U.k. One Direction] are, in addition to their actual damages, entitled to recover punitive damages,” the document went on.

The U.S. One Direction has not yet returned requests for comment.

Ruffa lashes out on Twitter

Rappler.com tells the complete story WhEN social media went abuzz with the controversial quitting of TV host and former beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez from a talk show, it was a reminder of two things about the entertainment world: It’s not the first time she quit and that the Gutierrez clan has a considerable following on social media.

In March 2010, Gutierrez left the ABS-CBN hit talk show “The Buzz” in a huff (literally and figuratively) after then co-host kris Aquino made some comments on Gutierrez’ pending move to TV5.

The news made waves on social media but not as much as when she did the same last Saturday, June 23. Twitterverse was abuzz with controversy after Ruffa took to her Twitter account (@iloveruffag) to criticize “Paparazzi,” the very same show she left “The Buzz” for.

Not long after, her feisty mom, Annabelle Rama, chimed in, so did Ruffas brother, Raymond Gutierrez. The social media world went crazy.

It’s not that hard to catch the family’s drama unfold on the popular micro-blogging site. Combined, the 3

alone have close to 2 million followers on Twitter.

The issue? A birthday tribute gone wrong.

RUFFA GUTIERREZ @iloveruffag Hindi ako natutuwa sa birthday presentation ng Paparazzi para sa akin.

Wala kayong kwenta at wala kayong respeto. her mom, Annabelle Rama, took to Twitter to air her disdain for the show’s birthday “tribute.”

Annabelle Rama @annabellerama2 Dapat tanggalin na yang mga bobong writers ng Paparazzi! Walang mga utak, mga abnormal, mga maniac!

A few minutes after the said segment aired, Gutierrez announced her resignation from the show via Twitter.

RUFFA GUTIERREZ @iloveruffag From this day on, I will no longer be part of Paparazzi. I will never tolerate DISRESPECT in any (cont) tl.gd/hvpmos The reason behind Gutierrez and Rama’s reaction remained unclear to many on social media. Rama gladly have her side of the story through a Twitter shoutout to TV5’s top executives.

Annabelle Rama

@annabellerama2 (1/7) Calling the attention of MVP, Atty Rey Espinosa & Bobby Barrero: Annabelle Rama @annabellerama2 (4/7) These are the questions: “Sino kila Aga, JL, Robin ang pinaka malaki ang tit*?” | “Sino kila Zoren, Aga, Robin ang magaling sa kama?”

Rama also pointed out that her two granddaughters, aged 7 and 8, were watching the show because they wanted to see their mom’s birthday tribute.

According to Interaksyon, TV5’s online news portal, the network will probe theSaturday episode.

For most celebrity (or non-celebrity) folk, Rama and Gutierrez’s Twitter tirades can be a little too much to handle. But if you’re part of the Gutierrez clan, it comes with the territory.

Not too long ago, the first celebrity manager and clan matriarch figured in a heated exchange with another feisty showbiz character, Amalia Fuentes.

The Gutierrez family, most members of which are in showbiz, is known to be fiercely supportive of each other in real life and on Twitter.

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

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

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HELPING YOU MAKE INFORMED BUSINESS DEcISIONS.

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

Battling the Big C

Kylie Minogue gave me strength IT’S no surprise that celebrities regularly inspire their fans when they come forward with stories of overcoming personal hardships.

What may be surprising is that so, too, are their fellow celebrities.

Take E! News anchor and Fashion Police’s goto style arbiter Giuliana Rancic, who revealed on this week’s sartorial show that none other than music superstar (and Fashion Police guest star) kylie Minogue served as her inspiration when deciding to go public with her battle with breast cancer.

Minogue opened up about what led her to come forward with her battle back in 2005, when appearing on tonight’s

episode of Fashion Police.

“I was 36 years old, so it was kind of crazy, but obviously you want

a silver lining from that gloom and doom, from that thunder cloud,” she told Joan Rivers. “I’ve had lots of letters and people coming up to me in the street, basically saying, ‘You’ve saved my life.’

What can you say about that?”

“I know you’ve had that as well,” Minogue added, turning to Giuliana— who promptly credited the Australian singer with forging the trail for her own decision-making process.

“I was diagnosed the same age as you, 36, last year,” Rancic said. “When you get diagnosed, you don’t know what to do… you Google. I went online and I read your story, and it gave me the strength to go public as well.

“Your story helped me and I thought, huh, my story could help someone else.”

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

15

FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX

emotional alonso hails best ever win

Ferrari’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso celebrates winning at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia during the European Formula One Grand Prix.

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oCaL hero Fernando alonso sparked more Spanish celebrations Sunday when he became the first man to win two Formula one races this year by driving his Ferrari to victory in the european Grand Prix.

Less than 24 hours after his national soccer team had secured their place in the semi-finals at euro 2012, the two-time drivers’ champion gave a sun-basking crowd in valencia every reason to enjoy another party. alonso, who picked up a Spanish flag to wave on his victorious slowing down lap, came home first ahead of Kimi raikkonen of Lotus and third-placed seven-time champion Michael Schumacher of Mercedes.

Mark Webber, who started 19th, came home fourth for red Bull ahead of Nico hulkenberg and Nico rosberg who was sixth for Mercedes.

“I cannot put into words the special feeling of winning your home Grand Prix,” said alonso, whose namesake Xabi Brittany Lang watches her tee shot on the third hole in the third round of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic at Grey Silo Golf Course, on June 23, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Lang earned her first LPGA Tour victory on Sunday, winning the event by making birdie on the parfive 18th hole three consecutive times in a playoff.

alonso scored both goals to see Spain past France at the euro quarter-finals.

The Spaniard, who drove a superb race from 11th on the grid, added: “It is unique and special.

“The stands were full of colour and Spanish flags and, after the footballers won at euro 2012, I am feeling very proud to be Spanish at the moment.

This is possibly the best victory I have ever had.” alonso’s win lifted him to the top of the drivers’ championship standings with 111 points ahead of Webber on 91 with hamilton now third on 88, having come into the race as the leader.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali was ecstatic and said: “It was an unbelievable race and, for me, it is important that we kept the pace. “our main competitors lost some important points and I am very happy for Fernando, it was an incredible performance.” raikkonen added: “You’re always frustrated when you don’t win.”

“I made a good start

but I was blocked by (Pastor) Maldonado so I was a bit behind, but made a good recovery from that position had some hard fighting and overtaking.

“We didn’t have speed today to challenge for the win. In the end second place is oK but not what we wanted.” on a sweltering afternoon at the street circuit created in the Mediterranean docks of this eastern Spanish city, the race was punctuated by incident, with Lewis hamilton of McLaren crashing out after a final lap collision with Pastor Maldonado of Williams. a frustrated hamilton threw his steering wheel from his car and stormed back to the pits on foot and with his helmet on despite the sweltering heat.

Despite being clearly upset the Briton bit his tongue and said, “a tough day in the office but you have to deal with it.

“We’re looking forward to going to Silverstone but we were a long way off today.”

LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat speaks at a post game press conference after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 21, 2012 in Miami, Florida. [GeTTy IMAGeS]

MVP LeBron silences critics with 1st NBA title

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eBroN James capped off one of the most astonishing playoff runs in NBa history, silencing critics who questioned his grit and fortitude as he raised the Larry o’Brien Trophy for the first time in his nineyear career. “oh man, this right here is the happiest day of my life,” said 2012 NBa finals MvP James on Thursday. “It is a dream come true.”

James, who won his third league MvP award this season, lost twice previously in the NBa finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 and the heat in 2011 but wasn’t going to be denied this time around.

James finished with a triple double, 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Miami heat hammered the oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 to claim their second NBa title in franchise history and first in six years.

James was criticized and called a sore loser after the heat lost in six games in last year’s final to the Dallas Mavericks.

During the Dallas series he mocked Mavericks’ star player Dirk Nowitzki for playing through a virus and used his final news conference to take verbal shots at those who questioned whether he could ever achieved this title.

But James says he did some soul searching in the

off season and so is now better equipped mentally to handle the pressure of being one of the most scrutinized athletes in american sports.

“I played with a lot of hate,” James said of last year. “That’s not the way I play basketball. Now I play with a lot of love, a lot of passion and that’s what I got back to this year.”

Combining Dwyane Wade with free agents James and Chris Bosh two years ago cast Miami as the NBa’s resident villain, especially when James decided to spurn his hometown of Cleveland on a live eSPN special,”The Decision”, that reeked of hubris and narcissism.

16 SPORTS Owen urges England coaching revamp after major Euro agony

VOL.5 ISSUE 81 • JUNE 26, 2012

F

orMer england striker Michael owen led calls for an overhaul of the country’s coaching on Monday after another major tournament campaign ended in disappointment. england bowed out of euro 2012 in Kiev on Sunday with their sixth penalty shoot-out defeat in seven attempts after a one-sided quarter-final against Italy finished 0-0 following extratime.

But unlike previous disappointments, there was universal recognition on Monday that england had got exactly what they deserved from the encounter and that the technically superior Italians were worthy victors.

The match statistics later

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon watches as Ashley Young’s penalty kick hirs the crossbar during Sunday night’s penalty shootout in England’s Euro 2012 quarter final against England.

underscored Italy’s superiority in all departments, with the azzurri enjoying 64 percent possession to england’s

34 percent, with 35 goal attempts to england’s nine. england’s failure to maintain possession was also re-

flected in the telling passing statistics, with Italy completing 815 passes to england’s paltry 320.

EDGEDAVAO