Edge Davao 6 Issue 239

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

One of the most colorful stories of the Martial Law era involve three Davao human rights lawyers, Laurente “Larry” Ilagan (right), Antonio “Tony” Arellano (middle, front), and Marcos “Boy” Risonar, Jr. (left).

THE 30TH EDSA REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

EDSA AND THE 3 DAVAO LAWYERS

By ATTY. RUBEN ABARQUEZ

I

N our long history as a Filipino nation, we had lived with several oppressors – foreigners, such as the Spaniards from 1521 to the 1890s, the Americans from 1898 to 1946 and the Japanese from 1940 to 1945. The only homegrown one was the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos from 1972 to 1986.

The period from September 11, 1972 to February 25, 1986, stretching almost 14 years, was the “best of times and the worst of times”, to

quote Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities. For Marcos and his cohorts, it was the best of times. For the victims of their abuses – those killed, tortured, and incarcerated, it was the worst of times.

Today, February 25, 2016, we are observing, nay, celebrating, the 30th year of the dismantling of Marcos regime. The memory of martial law and the abuses of the Marcos regime seem to have faded away over the years, even among the older generation. The younger ones

seem to have no knowledge and understanding of them beyond their lessons in their Araling Panlipunan in high school.

Let me take you to a leisurely walk down memory lane and relate to you one of the most significant and memorable slices of life in the martial law years which happened right here in Davao City. This is the story of three human rights lawyers, Laurente “Larry” Ilagan, Antonio “Tony” Arellano, and Marcos “Boy” Risonar, Jr.

Upon learning of Larry’s arrest, Atty. Arellano proceeded to the ofThe Arrest In the morning of May fice of Atty. Silvestre Bello III where a 10, 1985, Larry Ilagan was arrested, without a court issued warrant of arrest, by military troopers at the cafe near his office at C.M. Recto St., Davao City while he was taking his usual after-trial-cup of coffee. The troopers who were aboard two military jeeps and a car immediately took Atty. Ilagan to Camp Catitipan, the regional headquarters of the PC/INP Region XI Command.

Things millenials can learn from

EDSA P7

Remembering People Power A2

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

YOUNG VICTIM. An elderly woman watches her sleeping one-year-old grandson who was among those injured in the fire that hit two dormitory buildings and several shanties inside the compound of UCCP Haran early morning yesterday.

Lean Daval Jr.

Charges readied Rody orders probe of Haran fire vs. eagle ‘hunter’

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) is set to file charges against the perpetrator who shot a Philippine Eagle in Tambobong, Baguio District in Davao City on Sunday.

PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador said in an interview with CNN Philippines that the foundation will press charges against the suspect identified as Rolando Solis who admitted before the Baguio district police that he shot

the eagle named “Matatag” last Sunday.

According to Republic Act No. 6174, the killing, hunting, wounding or taking away of the same and/or destroying, disturbing, or taking away of the nests or eggs of such a bird (Philippine Eagle) is punishable by six months to six years of imprisonment or by a fine of not less than six hundred pesos (P600.00), nor more than One thousand pesos (P1,000.00),

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a thorough probe into the fire that razed down the temporary homes sheltering displaced Indigenous People (IP) inside the UCCP- Haran compound in Father Selga Street.

In a statement, Duterte

has issued an order to Davao City Police Office (DCPO) to pursue an investigation whether the fire that hurt five IPs, four of them children, was a case of arson.

Duterte also called on the Dabawenyos to be calm as he assured that the city government is on top of the situation.

The mayor said the peace-loving people of Davao sympathize with the plight of the lumad and join their call for respect for their right to self-determination, right over their ancestral land, cultural integrity, meaningful economic growth, and justice.

Around 2am, the Evac-

uation Camp of lumad and dormitory in UCCP Haran were reportedly gutted down by unidentified men.

Five persons sustained wound and two of it are children which were rushed to d hospital due to burn.

Initial investigation cited that the incident was premeditated and intentional.

GRARIAN reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are appealing to the National People’s Army (NPA) to stop harassing big plantations in Mindanao if they really want to help farmers. “If the NPA are truly for the people, why deprive the masses of their livelihood?”

The ARBs also appealed to the Aquino administration to stop the rebels from attacking plantations because they might shut down their operations, laying off hundreds of thousands of farm workers.

Last year, the NPAs attacked Mindanao plantations almost on a monthly basis beginning in January until November. The NPAs burned heavy equipment, container vans and cargo trucks loaded with bananas in various parts of Mindanao, such as

T’boli and Surallah in South Cotabato; Barobo and Lianga in Surigao del Sur; Quezon, Bukidnon; Maco, Compostela Valley; and Maasim, Sarangani Province.

The attacks stopped, probably because of the annual ceasefire agreement during December, but the NPAs have stepped up their violent activities against the plantations starting late January up to last week. The number of attacks in less than a one-month period, covering January 22 to February 19, 2016, already equaled the number of attacks for the whole of 2015.

The NPAs, in less than a month this year, burned four Martignani spray trucks, a warehouse inside a packinghouse compound and other heavy equipment from eight different plantations in

Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte and south Cotabato.

The turbulent situation in Mindanao could stop further expansion of the plantations, at the very least, but it could worsen when multinationals start packing up and leaving for other countries eyeing to grab the lucrative fruits export market in Asia and the Middle East from Mindanao exporters.

workers, the banana industry employs 332,000 workers.

Together with their families, a potential of two million people will lose their livelihood.

The government will also lose the taxes collected through property taxes, business permits, VAT and income taxes, among others, derived from investments of the multinationals.

ARBs appeal to NPA, government to stop harassing big plantations in Mindanao Pasay’s poor sees hope A FCHARGES, 10

in Duterte-Cayetano

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AGGED by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as one of the cities in Manila with a 100-percent drug affectation rate, Pasay was the latest area to be visited by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senate Majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who are running under a strong anti-crime and anti-illegal drugs platform.

The tandem listened to the stories and concerns of city’s residents on Wednesday as part of their “Ronda-Serye” listening tour held at Brgy. 188, Pasay City.

“Nakakalungkot at nakakabahala ang mga kwento nila.

Sobra na ang hirap at gulo sa buhay nila. Si aling Cynthia, 59 yrs old, naikwento niya na ang anak niya at asawa nito ay mga drug addicts mula bata. Hindi nakapagtapos, may 7 anak, natanggal sa trabaho dahil sa bisyo. Minsan, part-time drug courier pa para makalibre ng shabu. Ang mga anak napabayaan. Walang makain. Walang pambayad sa renta ng bahay,” Cayetano said.

Several other women shared how the drug problem in their area has destroyed their families. But while they continue to suffer, they said they find hope in the tandem’s

FPASAY, 10

CASUALTIES The attacks have not yet resulted in any physical casualty to plantation workers but a much greater injury awaits, not only the farm laborers but also the economy in general, Eduardo Maningo, a spokesman for the ARBs said.

Banana plantations alone account for 83,000 hectares in Mindanao and at an average of four direct and indirect

VICTORIOUS THREAT The NPA then employed text blasting after the series of incidents in Bukidnon and circulated the following message: “Mainitong pagbati gikan sa mga pulang manggugubat.

Nabati na sa mga mapahimuslanon nga mga dagkong kumpanya dri sa Bukidnon ang silot nga gipahamtang sa hukbo nga maoy tinuod nga

FARBS, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

More perks for PWDs pushed

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SCORCHED SCRIPTURE. A burned Bible lies on the pavement beside the dormitory buildings inside the compound of UCCP Haran that were hit by fire early morning yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Election ban not affecting projects: Alquiza, Ongkingco T

HE multi-million projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Davao City are not affected by the usual ban on government projects during the elections.

This was the joint assurance of DPWH Regional Director Mariano R. Alquiza and First Engineering District head Fernando S. Ongkingco Jr. when asked about the implication of the election ban on

projects especially infrastructures.

Regional Director Alquiza said that his office had seen to it that all projects for 2016 had been awarded to various qualified contractors prior to the election ban.

Per timeline, 2016 awarded projects will commence this month, Alquiza said.

Ongkingco reported that all regular infra projects in his district mostly in the pobla-

cion area as programmed for 2015 are already completed, except for two flood control projects. These are the La Verna Maindrain project and the Florentino Torres St.-Jacinto Extension Maindrain.

Three other calendar year 2015 projects that are ongoing in other parts of the city are flood control, Lipadas River (Kaliraya Bago Section), flood control, Davao River Basin (Midland Ma-a) and Sasa

Bridge.

Alquiza said that the regular infra projects budget of the First Engineering District under Ongkingco in 2016 is P502.4 million covering a total of 14 projects. On the other hand, the 2016 regular infra budget for the second engineering district under District Engineer Gene Lozano is P710 million for 17 projects. (with a report from Dean Ortiz, DPWH 11 PIO)

BREEZA MALLS and the Monfort Bat Sanctuary will offer a drawing workshop for free to children 10 years old and above at the mall in the afternoon of Saturday, February 27.

This was announced by Nomi Monfort of the Bat

Foundation who said that the workshop will be conducted by Alex Alagon, paint artist, writer and broadcaster helping Ms Monfort in her foundation’s numerous projects.

Alagon who is president of the Union of Durian Artists also donated the paint-

ings displayed in the current Arts for Bats Painting Exhibit extended until February 29 in the same venue, the Ayala Abreeza Corporate Activity Center (expansion wing). Alagon will conduct the workshop from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Parties interested to

avail themselves of the free workshop are advised to register now at the Arts for Bats exhibit area.

Monfort advised participants to bring their own drawing materials, pencil, pen, eraser, and sketch pad.

This is “first come, first served” event, she said.

Abreeza, Bat Sanctuary set drawing workshop A NPA IED cache, weapons captured in DavNor ops

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ROOPERS from the 10th Infantry Division have captured a New People’s Army (NPA) improvised explosive device (IED) cache and several weapons and other war materiel during operations in Kapalong town, Davao Del Norte last Sunday.

In a statement Wednesday, Capt. Rhyan Batchar, 10th Infantry Division public affairs office chief, said the operation took place in Sitio Muling, Barangay Gupitan.

Troopers from the 60th Infantry Battalion and their militiamen counterparts from the 72nd Infantry Battalion were checking on the suspected NPA IED factory in the said location when encountered an undetermined number of rebels around 5 a.m., triggering a 20-minute firefight, which

ended with the retreat of the insurgents.

No was hurt among the government troops Batchar said the rebels were from Guerrilla Front 34 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.

Seized were two .30 caliber Garand rifles, an improvised grenade launcher, 11 cartridges of improvised 60mm grenade, seven cartridges of 40mm grenade, five improvised anti-personnel landmine, four cartridges of anti-personnel landmine, three cartridges of anti-tank landmine, 18 sticks of dynamite superdyne; 280-meter detonating cord, 11 boxes of 6.35 steel ball, 65 pieces of toggle switch, 200 pieces of Zener diode,

FNPA, 10

WASN’T US. Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) deputy commander BGen. Ronnie Evangelista (right) reacts to PASAKA’s allegation that personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were behind the fire that gutted two dormitory buildings and several shanties inside the

LOILO City Congressman Jerry Trenas today said there is a need to expand and upgrade government support for Persons with Disability (PWDs) to ensure that they are not only given the opportunity to live full, fruitful and normal lives but are also given the means to do so.

Under his House Bill 6470, Trenas proposed that on top of the privileges accorded to PWDs under the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, Filipino PWDs should be also provided with monthly stipend of P500 and mandatory Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth )coverage.

This privilege, Trenas said, is already being provided to senior citizens by virtue of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act and therefore it is but appropriate to extend the same special treatment to PWDs. “Just like our senior citizens, our PWDs also have their special needs as they try very hard to live just like most of us. Like our treasured seniors, our PWDs have certain limitations which prevent them from securing employment. Most of them like our senior citizens are also spending a lot of medications and other hospital expenses,” Trenas said.

Trenas noted that House Bill 6470 would expand and

upgrade the existing Magna Carta for PWDs “to ensure the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons while also acknowledging that PWDs must attain a more meaningful, productive and satisfying life.”

“PWDs should be afforded with greater protection and benefits by law. Our own Constitution provides that the State shall prioritize the needs of the PWDs,” Trenas said.

On top of the P500 monthly stipend and mandatory PhilHealth coverage, Trenas is proposing these additional privileges for PWDs to augment existing PWD entitlements as provided by Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons: 1. PWDs should be given at least 20% discount on all establishments “relative to the utilization of all services in hotels and similar lodging establishments; restaurants and recreation centers.”

2. A minimum 20% discount on admission fees charged by the theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure, and amusement.

3. At least 20% discount for the purchase of medicines in all drug stores.

4. At least 20% discount

FMORE, 10

2 ex-Marine officials, 4 others found guilty of gun smuggling

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WO former officials of the Philippine Marines and four others are facing an imprisonment of from two to six years for their involvement in gun smuggling in 2000.

This after the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday found the six accused guilty in the attempted smuggling of firearms from the government.

Among those found guilty were former Philippine Marines Commandant Percival Subala and former Philippine Marines Assistant Chief of

Staff Cesar Dela Pena.

The case stemmed from the recovery of five MP5 sub-machineguns which were included in the 96 assorted short firearms and rifles from the Taiwanese-led gunrunning syndicate on Oct. 5, 2000 in Subic, Zambales.

It appeared in the investigation that the serial numbers of the five MP5 sub-machineguns were included in the 72 units of firearms already delivered to the Philippine Marines in June 2000.

(PNA)

UCCP Haran compound early morning yesterday. Evangelista and lawyer Ben Joseph Tesiorna of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 were among the guests of yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at Task Force Davao headquarters. Lean Daval Jr.

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

BREAK TIME. A Talaandig farmer and his carabao take a rest in Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon on Sunday morning.

MindaNews photo by H. Marcos C. Mordeno

NEDA: Strong domestic demand seen to boost imports growth

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TRONG domestic demand and the growing investor confidence in the country will support Philippine imports growth in the near term despite the decline in December 2015, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported today that the total payments for imported goods in the country declined by 25.8 percent in December 2015, the steepest monthly year-on-year decline recorded since April 2009 when it fell by 37.1 percent.

This halted the six consecutive months of positive growth in

imported merchandise.

“Despite this decline in December, strong domestic demand will prop up imports growth in the near term, as we expect continued expansion in inward shipments of power-generating machines, office and electronic data processing machines, and telecommunications equipment. Investor confidence in the country is still growing and is seen to increase investments. This will in turn boost demand for imports of capital goods as well as raw materials and intermediate goods,” said NEDA Deputy Director-General and Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Margarita R. Songco.

In December 2015, the value of imported capital goods, a leading indicator of strong economic activity, remained resilient as it increased 20.9 percent to US$1.5 billion in December 2015. This accounted for 37.8 percent of total merchandise imports for the period.

But the downturn in imports of raw materials & intermediate goods (-53.2%) and consumer goods (-20.3%) pulled down total imports.

Import payments for raw materials and intermediate goods declined in December 2015 with lower imports of materials & accessories for the manu-

F NEDA, 10

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Malaysia a huge potential export market for Mindanao M

BIMP-EAGA positions itself as ASEAN’s agri business hub

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

M

crc@edgedavao.net

INDANAO’S cacao and coffee beans have a huge export potential in the manufacturing-based Malaysian market.

“We manufacture a lot ranging food products from imported raw material like cacao and coffee from different countries, including the Philippines,” Malaysian trade commissioner Nyaee Ayup said in this week’s edition of Wednesdays at Habi at Kape sa Abreeza.

Ayup said Malaysia and the Philippines may have a lot of fruits in common, but the Philippines has the capacity to produce commodities that will serve as raw material for the processing of chocolates as well as coffee and cacao powders.

She said being the major source of cacao and coffee

for export, Mindanao might already be making its way in the Malaysia market for years now. However, she said there is no existing agreement between local producers and Malaysian importers at present.

“We are open to sealing a Memorandum of Understanding or contract with any local producer or business chamber here,” she said.

Ayup said the Malaysia market is not particular on whether or not an agricultural commodity like cacao is Halal-certified as long as it passes the requirement of the manufacturers.

Ayup also said instead of competing with each other, Malaysia and the Philippines could complement each other and strengthen their two-way trade by maximizing each

HIGHLIGHTS. Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Art Boncato (left) and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) director for Investment Promotions and Public Affairs Romeo Montenegro listen to the presentation on the highlights and directives of the 19th Ministerial

country’s strength in different sectors and industries like ICT and agriculture.

“We want to complement with what you have here. We could form partnerships,” she said.

She said representatives from each country should conduct benchmarking to identify which specific sectors can complement each other.

Ayup said for instance, both countries have strong ICT sectors but the ICT sector of Malaysia, which has mastered e-commerce, security, and e-payment, can trade knowledge with the Philippines ICT sector which is strong in voice and non-voice business process management (BPM).

She said Malaysia can also export construction materials for the booming real estate sector of the Philippines as

well as petrochemicals and chemicals that are listed as the top commodities exported here last year.

Ayup said total trade value between the two nations has reached a total of US$5.3 billion.

She said exported products to Malaysia by the Philippines dropped by 8.6 percent last year because of the oil price volatility in the world market.

The Philippines exported to Malaysia products like electronics, semiconductors, chemicals, and metals totaling US$ 3.3 billion in 2015, lower than the US$5 billion in the previous year.

Malaysia, on the other hand, exports palm oil, petrochemicals, machinery, and equipment to the Philippines last year.

Meeting and the 24th Senior Officials Meeting during the first day of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-The Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) 2016 Strategic Planning Meeting at The Marco Polo, Davao yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

ORE than 250 government officials and key business leaders from the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) are meeting in Davao City to finalize strategies and collaboration mechanisms “necessary to optimize the agribusiness potentials of the sub-region in line with its bid to become the ASEAN’s food basket hub.”

Officials from different member nations are attending the three-day sub-region’s Strategic Planning Meeting (SPM) which started at The Marco Polo Davao yesterday with the goal of reviewing and assessing on-going programs identified in the BIMP-EAGA implementation blueprint.

“We are seizing this rare opportunity when all representatives from the BIMP-EAGA clusters and working groups are gathered together to push for collaboration efforts, enhance agriculture production capacities and facilitate cross-border trade within the sub-region,” Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Undersecretary Janet Lopoz said in a statement yesterday.

Lopoz said through its food basket strategy, the BIMP-EAGA “aims to continuously optimize its natural resources to secure long-term food security and alleviate poverty within the sub-region.”

She said among the priorities identified under the strategy are food security, export development, and sustainable livelihood.

Lopoz, who also sits as the head of the Philippine EAGA National Secretariat, said the Philippines has already developed the project concept geared towards positioning the BIMP-EAGA as ASEAN and Asia’s agricultural hub.

Dubbed the “Establishment of a Food, Agribusiness and Logistics Corridor,” the project will focus on developing regional agribusiness corridors, along with necessary

elements of the value chain including food processing complex or food terminals, multi-modal transport interchange network, and market gateways.

“This project suggests that our vision for the BIMP-EAGA to be ASEAN’s food basket is not just the work of one cluster,” Lopoz said. “The enabling conditions to launch our agribusiness potentials can only be achieved with the strengthened collaboration among the concerned clusters such as transport, infrastructure, and the trade and investment facilitation cluster.”

At present, there are three existing economic corridors in the BIMP-EAGA, namely the West Borneo Economic Corridor (WBEC), the East Borneo Economic Corridor (EBEC), and the Greater Sulu Sulawesi Corridor (GSSC), each already having its priority commodities.

“We are confident that with the sustained cooperation of all the clusters, we can achieve this greater vision of being the food basket of the ASEAN Economic community, and bring back all the gains to our local producers in the sub-region,” Lopoz said.

The project is also in response to the rapidly growing economies of the ASEAN member-countries, and other Asian neighbors including China, India, and the Middle East. This economic trend is seen to trigger the increasing demand for food products from the Asian region, which the sub-region is positioned to fulfill.

A growing market of halal products in the Middle East and some parts of Asia is also expected to open up new opportunities for the Halal industries in BIMP-EAGA, including Mindanao.

A 27-business delegation from Lahad Datu in Tawau, Sabah will also be joining the SPM to explore possible business ventures with key EAGA counterparts, particularly in the cement industry, palm oil

FBIMP, 10

P1M worth of‘ukay-ukay’ Bulk water project to start construction by December smuggling foiled in CDO

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HE Davao City Water District (DCWD) said Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (AAII) is targeting to start the construction of Mindanao’s first P10-billion bulk water project in the city by December this year.

“We’re still on schedule,” DCWD spokesperson Bernardo Delima said during the weekly edition of Wednesdays at Habi at Kape sa Abreeza yesterday.

This despite the fact that the project was not taken up in last Tuesday’s regular session of the City Council.

The Council needs to pass a resolution endorsing the bulk water project in order for DCWD and AAII to move

on to the next step, which is securing necessary permits.

“We’re hoping the Council will take it in next week’s session,” Delima said. “Once passed, the AAII has seven months for processing all necessary permits before it can start the construction on the target month.”

Delima said the City Council’s endorsement is necessary for Apo Agua to secure permits from the National Water Regulatory Board (NWRB) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), among others.

The project is projected to be finished by 2019 and deliver 300 million liters or

109 million cubic meters per second (cms) of treated potable water from the Tamugan River per year to DCWD, which will benefit the more than 1 million people of the city.

This will be higher than the 101 million cms delivered by the Dumoy water system which uses ground water instead to supply potable water to more than 202,000 clients of DCWD. “Currently, there is an existing gap between the water supply and the demand. This is the main reason why there are clients that are not supplied with water 24/7,” Delima said.

He said this under-

served segment formed 13 percent of DCWD’s total clients in 2015.

The bulk water facility that will be built in Tamugan can provide the water requirements of the whole city for the next 30 years.

APO-Agua has a 70-30 ownership structure, with Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) owning 70 percent of the company and the remaining 30 percent owned

by J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation (JVACC).

JVACC will be the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the entire project.

CHENEEN R. CAPON

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HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted P1 million worth of “ukay-ukay” or used clothing recently from South Korea at the subport of MCT, Port of Cagayan de Oro. Enforcement Group (EG) Deputy Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno recommended the seizure of the 1×40 container van for violation of Republic Act No 4653 prohibiting the commercial importation of used clothing and rags.

“Since the issuance of R.A. 4653, the Customs bureau has been strictly monitoring the importation of textile articles. Aside from its expressed objective to safeguard the health of the end-users against hygiene-related dis-

eases due to the possible health hazards it may bring, we are trying to stop the long practice of some businessmen who make profits from selling these used clothes donated by wealthy countries,” Nepomuceno said in a statement.

The shipment contains 258 bundles of ukay-ukay which were not declared by its importer, who was not identified.

On February 10, 2016, the EG Deputy Commissioner alerted the said shipment pursuant to the received derogatory information and immediately coordinated with other Customs authorities for the examination of the suspicious shipment. (PNA)

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

BIGGER PICTURE 7

Things millennials can learn from EDSA People Power T

HE Philippines will commemorate EDSA People Power’s 30th anniversary on Thursday.

For those of you who, like me, wasn’t born yet when the People Power Revolution happened, and for those who were too young at that time, have you ever wondered about its significance?

What lessons can we get from the event that spells a holiday for most Filipinos every Fe b r u a r y 25?

Filipinos can unite.

If you’ve often seen rallies, commotions in the news, note that EDSA People Power is different.

“The Filipino people came together. They fought for greater things than ourselves,” Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV told the Philippines News Agency (PNA).

The young senator, who’s a nephew of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., explained that people got used to fighting for their families, for instance. “(In EDSA People Power), we’ve seen that we can set aside our individual interests,” he said.

“If we will help each other, if we will unite, we can conquer everything,” Aqui-

no emphasized.

As a senator, Aquino said he’s still looking for that kind of unity. Currently, he said he’s fighting against poverty, lack of education and lack of opportunities.

Rich and poor can come together.

People from all walks of life were present at the EDSA People Power.

Journalist Estrella Gallardo was 43 years old at the time of People Power.

She cited that people came together to fight for change and freedom from Martial Law. Thus, powerful people and the ordinary ones united for the same goal -- democracy.

Unity goes a long way.

Ferdinand Marcos and his regime were described as very powerful. But one day, he was defeated, simply because people had the courage to unite and stand for what is right.

“We can do it. Even if the enemies have guns, we have defeated them,” Aquino uttered.

“We Filipinos, are good.

We can do that for our

motherland,” he added. The young senator cited that these days, people’s mindset is that we cannot do it.

Such unity in EDSA People Power actually reminded me of a song from the movie, High School Musical.

“We’re all in this together, and it shows when we stand hand in hand make our dreams come true,” the lyrics of the song “We’re All In This Together” goes.

Fighting for something doesn’t require violence.

Perhaps EDSA People Power was the most peaceful “fight” the world has witnessed.

It was said that even though soldiers were there, not a single shot was fired.

People who were part of the revolution showed us that defeating cruelty doesn’t need violence. Fighting a dictator doesn’t require one to shed blood.

Stop hating EDSA. Whether we admit it or not, many motorists and commuters hate passing by EDSA because of the traffic.

“These days, we look at EDSA as annoying, too much traffic,” Aquino lamented,

and added that it’s good to remember a time when people came together there.

Three decades on, let us not forget that something good has happened in that road. People were in EDSA when they were fighting for democracy. From there, the Filipinos got the freedom from Marcos regime.

Senator Aquino told PNA he will be at the celebration on Thursday. He said there are also invitations for him to give talk and he might attend to these.

He’s inviting the youth to experience and not hesitate going to EDSA during the celebration.

We’re lucky.

We’re lucky because we have not experienced Martial Law, and we were born in a peaceful environment.

The credit goes to everyone who were brave enough and were able to muster up the courage to fight.

They say everything happens for a reason. I may never understand why Martial Law had happened. But what’s more important is that, we learned lessons and the world has also learned from us. (PNA)

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EDITORIAL

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Forgotten

HE City Council turned into a battlefield on Tuesday, with councilors Mabel Sunga-Acosta and Diosdado Mahipus Sr. lashing out at each other over the way the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) was amended. To recall, Acosta had been blamed by Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte for the rather public protestations that were made by environment groups to the removal of the additional 10 percent allotted for green spaces in housing subdivisions in the city. Why did she not signify her objections earlier, the vice mayor had asked. As it was, the amendment reached third and final reading with no opposition, and by the rules of the Council no changes could be made to it anymore. The only thing left was to approve or disapprove it, and the Council gave it its assent.

Acosta, after an initial period of silence, explained that she was not a member of the committee handling the amendment and as such was left out of the loop as far as the discussions were concerned. By the time it was ready for approval, she said, it was too late. She and the environment groups were all caught by surprise.

It was her explanation of how the opposition got so public that ap-

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parently got the other councilors’ goat. As Paolo himself has said, it has placed the entire City Council in a bad light.

But exactly who placed the city’s legislative body in such a situation? The public never actually needed Acosta to stand up to decide for themselves that the councilors had done the city a disservice by removing the 10 percent green space. In an era of global climate change, any government initiative that removes vegetation instead of adding to it will certainly earn the ire of the people.

The 10-percent additional requirement was a landmark piece of legislation, and it added to the city’s well-deserved reputation as a green city, one that is making sure that future generations will still have clean air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. Removing it was against everything the city and its people stand for.

The shouting match in the session hall last Tuesday only brings home the point that our councilors have kind of lost touch with the people’s desires. As Acosta pointed out, the august body is a “sanggunian” — a body that consults the people. Somewhere along the way this has been forgotten.

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EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE POINTS

9

The union

D

ISAGREEING with American President Barrack Obama’s views on same-sex marriage, Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao said: “God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married.”

When his comment came out at the National Conservative Examiner, it was blown out of proportion. “What I’m critical off [sic] are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same sex marriage is against the law of God,” he was quoted as saying.

Marriage is one of the first institutions that God has given us. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24 recorded.

How will a man and a woman stay together throughout their lives? In Covenant Marriage, Fred Lowery gives us this pledge for both: “I will always love you.

After God, you will always be my first priority. I am forever committed to this relationship are will always work on this marriage. I will always forgive you and work through conflicts. I will always be faithful to you. I will always be truthful with you. I will always be there for you.”

In Serving Love, couple Gary and Barbara Roseberg agreed that no matter what happens, they will love each other.

The two wrote: “If things are better for us, I will love you. If things get worse, I will love you. If we get rich beyond our wildest imagination, I will love you. If we grow poorer and don’t own much, I will love you. If you get sick, I will love you.

If you remain healthy, I will love you. In

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

fact, no matter THINK ON THESE! what happens, I will always love you.”

Husband, how will express your love to your beloved? Stuart Scott, author of The Ex- Henrylito D. Tacio emplary Hus- henrytacio@gmail.com band, shares this list: “Prefer her over yourself. Show interest in her interests. Encourage her with words of appreciation. Brighten her day with an unexpected card, note, flowers, or gift.

Listen with interest to her concerns while showing compassion. Help her when she looks as if she needs it (don’t wait to be asked!). Do chivalrous things to let her know how special she is to you. Give her nonsexual affection. Seek to please and satisfy her during sexual intimacy. Pray with her and lead her spiritually.”

On the other side of the coin, here’s what a wife can do to her husband, according to Martha Peace, the woman behind The Excellent Wife: “Pray for him daily. Speak word of kindness. Give him unexpected gift. Thank him for something good he has done. Praise him for one of his good character qualities. Be humble enough to confess your own failures. Reaffirm your commitment to him.

Initiate a special time of lovemaking with him. Spend time with him doing something he likes to do. Obey God and let your husband see Christ in you.”

Yes, successful marriage is always a triangle: husband, wife, and God. Allow me to share this story related by Robert J. Morgan in his book, From This Verse (365 Inspiring Stories About the Power of God’s Word: Renouncing her lavish lifestyle, beautiful Mary Bosanquet opened an orphanage for London’s street children; and for years she had little time to think of marriage. I had no other thought but devoting myself to God in a single life; only I sometimes thought, were I to be married to Mr. Fletcher, would he not be a help to my soul.

Mary was referring to John Fletcher, well-known Christian leader and close friend of John Wesley. And so it happened.

On November 12, 1781, to the delight of their friends, the two got married. Mary was over forty years old at the time; John was ten years her senior.

Returning from the wedding, the groom read Ephesians 5:25, telling their assembled friends. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. My God, what a task! Help me friends, by your prayers to fulfill it. As Christ loved the church! He laid aside His glory for her! O my God, none is able to fulfill this without Thine almighty aid.”

He read the next words: “Wives, submit to your own husbands.” Mary piped in, “… as unto the Lord,” and Fletcher responded. “Well, my dear, only in the Lord.

And if ever I wish you do anything otherwise, resist me with all your might.”

Sometime later, this entry appears in Mary’s journal: I have such a husband as is in everything suited me. He bears all

my faults and failings, in a manner which continually reminds me of that word, “Love your wives as Christ loved the Church.” He is in every sense the man my highest reason chooses to obey.

In a letter John wrote to one of his friends, he penned: I was afraid at first to say much of the matter, for new-married people do not, at first, know each other; but having now lived fourteen months in my new state, I can tell you, Providence has reserved a prize for me, and that my wife is far better to me than the church to Christ.

No matter how you love each other, conflict almost always bound to happen.

Best-selling author Charles Swindoll said that when he got married, he has committed himself to the marriage for life “and to work to solve all problems that arise.”

In Night Light, Dr. James and Shirley Dobson give some valuable tips: “Change what can be altered. Explain what can be understood. Teach what can be learned.

Revise what can be improved. Negotiate what is open to compromise. Accept the rest.”

“Marriage is not for a moment; it is for a lifetime,” reminded Gina Cerminara. “It requires long and serious preparation.

It is not be leaped into, but entered with solemn steps of deliberation. For one of the most intimate and difficult of human relationships is that of marriage. Infinitely rewarding at its best, unspeakably oppressive at its worst, marriage offers the uttermost extremes of human happiness and human bondage – with all the lesser degrees of felicity and restraint in between.”

Their raw MY TWO CENTS’ materials are mainly semi processed components and textiles sources abroad, to be put together by the Filipino worker John Tria and reexportecisouth@gmail.com ed. The multiplier effect is limited since the backward and forward integration of these factories remain outside the country. The components put together by Filipinos are first developed by foreign workers, to be finally assembled by another foreign worker.

While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is hardly the cornerstone of an industry that will benefit the millions needing stable jobs around the country.

The net effect, on the other hand,

is that it created slums in and around these industrial zones, as workers from far and wide had to resettle themselves and their families near these areas. The daytime population of Metro Manila and the greater region around it bloated, while the rest of the country had to make do with less. Our poverty levels changed little in spite of these efforts, and unemployment figures remain largely the same over the last 40 years.

Given this backdrop it goes without saying that key industries that can generate jobs need to be developed out of commodities that we produce very well. The agriculture president is not the president who cares for the farmers by providing dole out subsidies to protect what little production they can muster, but the one who can harness the commodity and make it earn more per kilo, for more people to partake of the benefit of increased downstream production. Not everybody will have the opportunity nor the werewithal,

much less the skill to farm, and others, like our graduates of our engineering schools and science courses, would rather apply their talents to making them into other products.

Harnessing all of this starts with identifying the crops or raw materials we produce very well, in quality and sufficient volume to support the needs of a downstream industry that can be locally built that will employ thousands more. Lets look at Coconuts and Sugar, and later perhaps coffee and chocolate.

This is the coherent commodity-based strategy that takes investment. What we need is a president with the credible leadership to drive this investment to achieve the desired results. While history is complete with many failures, it holds valuable lessons worth studying.

If these elections are thought of to be a critical one, then perhaps its time we venture into thinking of how to revive certain industries. This time, we do it right.

Commodity strategy and the agriculture president (Part 2)

VEN with new laws in place, the bigger challenge hinges on our credibility to deliver, in actually providing the funds and driving the bureaucracy to deliver on the expected promises. It takes real leadership to build industries. Building or rebuilding an entire industry takes time. Mahathir Mohamad took decades to develop the national car industry of Malaysia. Lee Kuan Yew required his whole life to build Singapore’s financial services industry. It is therefore no mean feat to rebuild the sugar and coconut industries. Brave political will is required.

Instead of reviving these homegrown industries in the post-EDSA era , Philippine policymakers anchored their efforts on luring light manufacturing and assembly that made labor pools out of our workers to put together components. Drive around CALABARZON and you see hundreds of factories churning out parts and products that add little value to the raw materials we produce.

10 NEWS Charges... FROM 2 or by both such imprisonment and fine at the discretion of the The report said Matatag was brought to the PEF Center last Monday by 24-year-old Tiborcio Solis Aparicio, resident of Barangay Tambobong, Baguio district and brother of the suspect.

Salvador said the Matatag, which was released back in the wild just over a year ago, is “now recovering from his shattered right wing”.

“The eagle is said to be in the dispersal stage where it is independent of parental care and wanders until it reaches sexual maturity,” the report

added.

Philippine Eagle Matatag was shot just six months after Philippine Eagle Pamana died from gunshot wounds in San Isidro, Davao Oriental last August 2015.

However, San Isidro mayor Justina B. Yu denied the allegation and said that Pamana died of weakness instead. She told EDGE Davao Pamana has not yet fully recovered when it was release in Mt. Hamiguitan last year.

The Philippine Eagle is already a critically-endangered species, with only an estimated 400 pairs left in the wild.

bold and swift solutions to fight crime and illegal drugs.

Duterte and Cayetano vowed to wage a 24/7 war against crime and illegal drugs by mobilizing the “best and brightest” of the military and police. Part of this is improving law enforcers’ salaries and imposing harsh punishment for “rotten cops” and abusive soldiers.

In the first presidential debate held at Cagayan De Oro, Duterte set a 3- to 6-month time period as a “restriction” for him to ensure that people will immediately feel the effects of his campaign against crime and drugs. “This is an imposed restriction from me,

hindi ako nagpapabilib sa inyo,” Duterte said.

“Bank of the poor” The duo also said they will establish a “bank of the poor” to provide people with access to capital and alternative livelihood to prevent them from engaging in criminal acts for a living. “Ang pinapautang dapat ng gobyerno ay mahihirap, hindi lang mayayaman,” Cayetano said.

“Magagawa lang ang mga ito kung may lider na may matapang na solusyon, mabilis na aksyon, at tapang at tibay ng loob para tapusin ang gulo at hirap ng tao. Ito ang dala namin ni Mayor Duterte sa eleksyong ito,” Cayetano concluded.

on medical and dental services including diagnostic and laboratory fees such but not limited to x-rays, computerized tomography scans and blood test in all government facilities subject to guidelines to be issued by the Department of Health, in coordination with PhilHealth.

5. At least 20% discount on medical and dental services including diagnostic and laboratory fees, and professional fees of attending doctors in all private hospitals and medical facilities in accordance with the rules and regulations to be issued by the DOH , in coordination with PhilHealth.

500 pieces of series lights, a soldering gun, an automatic voltage regulator, a mini lathe machine with accessories, a drilling machine, a bar cutter, a grinding machine, a sewing machine and a single phase motor.

10th Infantry Division commander Major Rafael Valencia lauded the soldiers of

60th and 72nd Infantry Battalions for their feat against the NPAs and the subsequent discovery of the IED cache.

“Our soldiers did not only save lives of our own men but they also spared civilian lives from the NPAs’ wanton use of IED without regard for the safety of the people in the community,” he said. (PNA)

refinery, fertilizer products, automobile sector, pharmaceutical, renewable energy, halal, building materials, sundry goods, and other commodity items such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, and flour.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary

Prudencio Reyes, who is the Philippine Senior Official to the BIMP-EAGA, said the participation of the Sabah business delegation “manifests the strong interest of the EAGA private sector to participate in the initiatives of the sub-region.”

CHENEEN R. CAPON

hood.

Beneficiaries are not bound to repay the government for the assistance provided.

The KABUHAYAN Starter Kit program was funded under the Bottom-Up Budgeting worth Php1.4 million and Tacurong-LGU’s counterpart worth Php700 thousand.

The applications for this first batch of beneficiaries were received in 2015.

Applications for the next batch are ongoing and will be approved subject to several requirements set under the DILEEP program. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12 with report from LGU Tacurong City Information)

Pasay... FROM 2

More... FROM 4

NPA... FROM 4

BIMP... FROM 6

P2.1M... FROM 11

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

DENIAL. 1001st Brigade commander Colonel Macairog Alberto denies reports that activist Juland Suazo is currently under their custody. Alberto graced yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at Task Force Davao headquarters. Lean Daval Jr.

ARBs... FROM 2

sandiganan sa mga naalaot nga masa. Dili pa kini igo tungod padayon ang pagkaguba sa kinaiyahan, mga katungod giyatakan sa militarisasyon ug ang nagharing hut-ong mao pa gihapon ang nabolahan.

Karong tuiga makab-ot na nato ang kadaugan. Daghan pa nga mga opensiba ang ipahigayon hangtod ang mga kapitalista mo yukbo. Kung kamo nga mga trabahanti mawad-an ug trabaho sa mubo nga panahon, giawhag namo kamo nga mag sakripisyo alang sa tinuod nga pakigbisog. Kinahanglan ipahunong ug ipasiraang mga dagkong kumpanya nga nag tamastamas kanato sa dugay na nga panahon.Mobarog kita alang sa kaangayan, hustisya ug tinuod nga reporma. Mabuhi ang BHB! Mabuhi ang PKP!” (“Warm greetings from the freedom fighters. The opportunistic big corporations here in Bukidnon have already felt the presence of the army of the masses. This is not yet enough because the destruction of the environment still continues. We will achieve victory this year. We will continue our attacks until we topple down these capitalists. If you workers will lose your jobs for a short period, we call on you to sacrifice for true unity. We need to shut down these big corporations who have been oppressing us for the longest time. Let us stand for conformity, justice and true reform.

Long live BHB! Long live PKP!”)

AERIAL SPRAY PLANES Last week, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) in Mindanao warned large banana plantations to stop the use of aerial spray planes or rebels will be forced to shoot down their aircrafts.

Ka Malaya, a spokesperson of the NDF cited the damage that the fungicides cause to workers, residents, and the environment. Big banana plantations use low-flying airplanes to spray fungicides at the banana leaves to prevent the sigatoka disease from in-

fecting banana fruits.

Ka Malaya said that the banana plantations had been warned in December last year, “but they continued to use this, not considering the damage it causes to the surrounding people, plants and animals,” she said.

However, all these allegations have been refuted by farm workers and other residents around the plantations, claiming their environment have remained still conducive for farming and raising animals. They said they’ve been living healthy lives for more than three decades, even with the plantations employing aerial spray.

Also, plantation owners said that even if there are illnesses and damages, they are willing to rectify the situation by helping them with their medical needs. However, nobody has really proven that they got sick because of aerial spray, they said.

Ka Malaya called on “pilots of the aerial-spray aircrafts to stop and look for other jobs.

Even if they are not the targets of the shooting, they are at risk to be hit by the bullets,” she said.

An armed conflict is far from what the ARBs want, said Maningo. “The government should step in and do something about it. If the government doesn’t do anything, then we will all be losers,” he said.

The country’s employment problem is seen to worsen if the government is not able to solve the Mindanao crisis. Thousands of the country’s Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have been laid off in the Middle East as the region suffers a crisis due to the declining oil prices.

With the potential plantation workers losing their jobs and the OFWs with jobs returning from overseas, the country faces a terrible problem. “Maybe this is what the NDF wants. Asa na lang mi puniton?” (Where will we end up?), a farm worker said.

NEDA... FROM 5

facture of electrical equipment (-74.1%) sourced mainly from Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.

This partly mirrors the decline in global electronic and semiconductors sales in December 2015 due to softening global demand.

Nonetheless, NEDA sees household consumption remaining strong with upbeat consumer confidence, low inflation, low interest rates, better employment opportunities, and still positive outlook on remittances inflow, which bodes well for imports of consumer goods.

Songco said that although domestic demand is expected to drive imports growth in the near term, sluggish global growth remains to be the downside risk. A downturn in the country’s major trading partners such as Japan and China might drag down imports, particularly intermedi-

ate goods used for electronics exports.

“The Philippines’ sound macroeconomic fundamentals should continue to attract attention from investors, both domestic and foreign. The government must pave the way to sustain this renewed interest through institutionalizing reforms from the past five years,” she added.

Among the steps to ensure that reforms are sustained are the passage and implementation of the Philippine Competition Act (RA 10667), the Amendments to the Cabotage Law (RA 10668), and the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act (RA 10708) and Customs Modernization Tariff Act, Songco said.

Songco is OIC of NEDA while Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Emmanuel F. Esguerra is on official business abroad.

Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance by the CWC for its efficient delivery of social services for its children.

The Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance was received by Vice Mayor Geterito

Gementiza, City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Officer Nora Lupiba and City Director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Eliza Mendoza.

Richi Gulle/CIO Tagum

Tagum... FROM 11

Sports

Warriors... FROM 15 ways to win games. We’re staying in the moment.”

Kerr insists his team never talks about Chicago’s record, or the little milestones along the way like 50 wins.

But it’s clear this team is doing everything possible to ensure it will be mentioned in the same conversations with MJ’s Bulls.

Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who attended Monday’s game and stopped by the Warriors’ locker room afterward to offer congratulations, was hesitant to compare two re-

markable squads.

“It’s a different style of game,” said Mutombo, who played against the Bulls when Jordan was in his prime. “It’s a different era.”

Yet, the big man knows he’s witnessing something special.

“I’m just so proud of them,” Mutombo said.

“They’re wonderful to watch, very wonderful. I think they’ve made our league more (exciting) for the next generation. That’s what all the young people want to do — just look like Golden State.”

11 COMMUNITY SENSE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

set for ruby CWC Board members visit Panabo year celebration child labor-free barangay P FIRST SITE VISIT. Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) Board members together with Department of Labor and Employment National and Region 11 officials, Barangay Kibuaya officials, and municipality of Hagonoy officials during their site visit last February 19. (KMGL/DOLE-XI)

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), an active partner of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) in combating and eliminating the different forms of child-labor in the country, recently conducted a site visit at Barangay Kibuaya, one of the child labor-free barangays in Davao Region.

Barangay Kibuaya was among the barangays selected by DOLE in July 2012 for its Child-labor-Free Barangay campaign, which aims to free identified barangays from all forms of child-labor through supporting programs from public and private partners.

In a short program, barangay captain Virginia C. Tobiano, together with other municipal officials, reported that the number of school dropouts in the barangay has significantly decreased.

“Taos puso ko pong pinasasalamatan ang Department

of Labor and Employment pati ang mga partner agencies kasi binigyan nila ng chance ang mga bata (I am whole heartedly thanking the Department of Labor and Employment and partner agencies for giving the children a chance),” Tobiano said.

Before the government and non-government organizations intercession, children in the barangay were engaged in hazardous work that involved working at sugarcane fields and vegetable farming.

“With the help of this project and the effort of our barangay captain, nagkaroon ng pag-asa ang mga kabataan dito sa barangay Kibuaya, pag-asa na makamit ang pangarap ng edukasyon. Malaki ang pasasalamat ko dahil kung hindi sa inyo mananatili akong isang child-laborer (the children here in barangay Kibuaya was given a chance to reach their dream of education. I am greatly thankful

because if not because of you I will still be a child-laborer),” said Helen R. Redoble, a former child laborer during her speech in front of the CWC board.

The board together with Tobiano visited the Bagsakan sa Barangay trading facility and the Food Processing Facility of the barangay’s Kibuaya ABK2 Initiative Parent Association (Kaicopa) funded by DOLE. According to Tobiano, their store’s income other than helping the children’s parents by providing livelihood also provides scholarship and other educational assistance to former child laborers.

The CWC board headed

by CWC executive director Patricia B. Luna, deputy executive director Marijoy D. Segui, DOLE-Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) director Ahmma Charisma L. Satumba, and DOLE Davao del Sur provincial head Henry O.

Montilla led the team for the visit at barangay Kibuaya on February 19. This is the very first child-labor free barangay site visit of the CWC Board in the country.

Other officials present were Commissioner Leah Armamento – Commission on Human Rights, Dr. Reinelda Raffinan – Department of Interior and Local Government, Director Erlinda Capones – National Economic and Development Authority, Ulysses Lustria, Jr. – Department of Agriculture, Adora Rodriguez from the Philippine Information Agency, DOLE XI Child-labor Prevention and Elimination Program focal person Melanie Jadulang and DOLE Young Workers Development Division of BHWSC Chief Maribeth E. Casin.

Other than Barangay Kibuaya another child-labor free barangay in the region is Barangay Pasig in Kiblawan which is also in Davao del Sur.

Tagum City receives child-friendly seal T

HE Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) has once again conferred the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance on the City of Tagum during the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on February 16 at The Apo View Hotel in Davao City.

The conferment was made after a Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA) was conducted by an interagency monitoring team from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd), and DSWD to measure the performance of the local government of Tagum in the implementation of its programs which brought positive results for the well-being of the children based on verifiable and quantifiable criteria and indicators.

The City of Tagum was assessed based on 12 assessment criteria: 1) Percentage reduction in the deaths

CHILD-FRIENDLY. Vice Mayor Geterito T. Gementiza (center) receives the award for the City Government of Tagum after being conferred the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Joining the vice mayor in receiving the award are CSWD Officer Nora Lupiba (leftmost) and City DILG Director Eliza Mendoza (fourth from left). Awarding the said recognition were DSWD Undersecretary Mateo G. Montaño and DSWD Regional Director Mercedita P. Jabagat. Kareen Jane Gomez/CIO Tagum among children below five years old or under-five mortality rate; 2) Percentage reduction in the number of children under-six with below normal weights; 3) Percentage increase in the number of 3-4 year-old children attending center-based day care services; 4) Completion rate for elementary

schooling; 5) Absence of child labor or percentage reduction in child labor cases; 6) Percentage reduction in the number of children victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation (all forms, including physical violence, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons); 7) Safety measures for chil-

dren in the community and schools; 8) Extent of mainstreaming of children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation in the core development agenda of LGUs; 9) An ordinance establishing Barangay Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC) Desks; 10) 2013 PhilHealth Accreditation in its main health facility or rural health unit for Maternal Care Services and Primary Care; 11) A Local School Board (LSB) Plan that is aligned with the School Improvement Plan (SIP); and 12) Completed at least 70 percent of its LSB Plan.

Of the 29 local government units in the Davao Region that were awarded with the seal by the CWC, eight were from the Province of Davao del Norte, which included LGU-Tagum.

The City of Tagum was also recognized as one of the most Child-Friendly Cities in the Philippines in 2014 when it was awarded the

FTAGUM, 10

ANABO City will turn 15 on March 31, 2016.

Tourism and Investment Promotion Officer Cher Bastida disclosed that for the ruby year celebration of Panabo’s charter day as a component city, a month-long celebration has been prepared by the city government and its non-government organization partners starting March 1.

Bastida said among the new events for this year’s celebration are the Panabo City Got Talent which will be staged per district, Tanghalan ng Kampeon sa Palengke and Pahilipay sa Barangay, night of disco and laughter with standup comedians.

She also said among the highlights of the celebration is the Search for Binibining

Panabo 2016 on March 30 and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) game on March 19, which will be played by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Phoenix Fuel Masters.

Bastida also bared that the budget for the month-long celebration is around P3 million.

“There was a small increase from last year’s more than P2 million because there are new activities lined up,” she said.

She encouraged the public to like their Facebook page ‘15th Araw ng Panabo.’

“All activities and updates for the Araw will be posted in our official facebook page,” Bastida added. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)

P2.1M in livelihood kits given to Tacurong folk

A

TOTAL of 235 marginalized residents here recently received livelihood assistance packages courtesy of the city government and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Turned over in a ceremony at the Tacurong City Cultural and Sports Complex on February 19 were P2.1 million worth of Kabuhayan Starter Kits, according to a report for the City Information Office.

Present during the event were City Vice Mayor Joseph George Lechonsito, City Councilors Rodrigo Jamorabon, Psyche Sucaldito, and Wilson Ferrer, CLGOO Alberto Sero and DOLE-Sultan Kudarat Field Office Head Arlene Bisnon who represented DOLE XII Regional Director Ofelia Domingo in the turn over the livelihood kits.

Implemented under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), the livelihood package worth as much

as P10,000 is given to each beneficiary to help them begin a small business such as rice trading, salon, meat processing, welding, dressmaking, hairdressing and others.

Beneficiaries consisted of 35 returning OFWs, 30 persons with disability, 22 househelps, graduates of the skills training program of the City Social Welfare and Development Office, and qualified walk-in applicants.

Kabuhayan Starter Kit program is a grant assistance for capacity-building on livelihood for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized workers.

It aims to enable the unemployed poor, seasonal, and low-waged workers to start an individual livelihood, or collective enterprise undertakings.

The Php10,000 start-up capital is used solely for the purchase of raw materials, equipment, tools and jigs, and other support services necessary in setting-up the liveli-

FP2.1M, 10

LIVELIHOOD. A Pantawid Pamilya mother receives a starter kit following the training on Aromatic Coco Vinegar Production. Some 120 Pantawid Pamilya families in the barangays of Zaragoza, Central, Holy Cross, and San Ignacio in Manay, Davao Oriental participated in the training conducted through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Part of the capability building project is the provision of starter kit worth P88,400.

The training aims to develop additional income opportunities and sustain the socio-economic development of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in Manay. SLP is a community-based capacity building initiative that seeks to improve program participants’ socio-economic status. (DSWD)

12 CLASSIFIEDS

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THE 30TH EDSA REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

EDSA AND THE 3 DAVAO LAWYERS from pg1

group of lawyers, nuns, priests, and media friends were already gathered. Gripped by anxiety and fear, they surmised that Larry’s arrest was the start of the crackdown on human rights lawyers in Davao City. At that time, almost all the national security cases handled by human rights lawyers ended up either in dismissals or acquittals. One celebrated case which ended in dismissal was the Karl Gaspar case where the defense panel included Atty. Ilagan, Atty. Arellano and Atty. Marcos D. Risonar, Jr. Later that same day, Atty. Jesus Dureza, then the IBP Davao City-Davao del Sur Chapter President led a delegation of 18 others that included Luz Ilagan, Atty. Ilagan’s wife, and Atty.

Antonio B. Arellano proceeded to Camp Catitipan to negotiate for Atty. Ilagan’s immediate release. At the camp, they learned that Atty. Ilagan was arrested by virtue of a mere Mission Order issued by Gen. Dionisio Tan-Gatue pursuant to an alleged Preventive Detention Action (PDA).

While negotiating for Atty. Ilagan’s release, the delegation was shocked to learn that Atty. Arellano was also being arrested on the strength of another Mission Order.

Three days later, on May 13, 1985, Atty.

Marcos Risonar went to Camp Catitipan to verify reports that a warrant of arrest and a PDA had been issued against him. He was arrested on the spot by the military authorities also on the strength of a mere Mission Order signed by then Gen. Luis Echevarria.

Since no criminal charges were filed against the three lawyers, they were arrested without judicially issued warrants of arrest and were therefore patently illegally detained.

On May 14, 1985, three lawyer organizations – the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), and Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity, and Nationalism, Inc. (MABINI) filed the petition for habeas corpus with the Supreme Court.

The case is now enshrined in the Philippine jurisprudence as Ilagan, et al. vs. Ponce Enrile, et al., docketed as G.R. No. 70748, October 21, 1985. The legal luminaries who represented them include Roberto Concepcion, JBL Reyes, Joker Arroyo, HaydeeYorac, Francisco Chavez, and Lorenzo Tañada. The Supreme Court issued the writ, required the respondents to respond and set the hearing on May 23, 1985.

Detained at Camp Catitipan, the three lawyers were told to expect their transfer to Manila on May 21, 1985 in time for the hearing on May 23. But to their shock and dismay, especially to Tony’s family particularly his wife Lilli and their two children, Tom-tom, then 9 years old and En-en, then 2 years old, who were allowed to sleep in the camp per Tony’s request, they were roused from sleep at 10:30 PM and were told that the three lawyers would be transferred to the Davao City Metrodiscom Detention Center.

At the Detention Center, Tony’s family was denied entry. The three lawyers were hauled off to overcrowded cells with the 124 other military detainees and common criminals.

In the morning of May 21, 1985, their wives, Luz, Lilli, and Bing attempted to visit them but were prohibited from doing so. At around 10:00 AM, the three lawyers were fetched by Col. Laudemer Kahulugan, the then Metrodiscom

Commander who ordered the three lawyers handcuffed in full view of their wives, children, relatives, friends, and clients who came to see them off. The C-130 PAF plane took them to Manila where they were met at the Villamor Air Base by a team of military men who brought them to Camp Bagong Diwa at Bicutan, Taguig, Rizal where they were detained to await the hearing at the Supreme Court on May 23, 1985.

Supreme Court Hearing On May 23, 1985, they appeared before the Supreme Court which heard the parties argue on the validity of the arrest and detention of the three lawyers. Encouraged by the presence of their families and friends and represented by venerable members of the legal profession such as former Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion, and former Supreme Court Justice JBL Reyes, they were confident that justice would prevail.

At the hearing, the three lawyers narrated to the Court the circumstances of their arrest and detention. The counsel for the respondents, the Office of the Solicitor General, presented evidence of subversive activities in Davao citing the general strike in May 1985 as communist-inspired but due to lack of evidence linking the three to the alleged subversive activities, the Supreme Court that same day resolved to order the temporary release of the three lawyers on the recognizance of the principal counsel, namely retired Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion and retired Associate Justice JBL Reyes.

Justices Concepcion and Reyes, together with the FLAG lawyers went to Bicutan to fetch the three lawyers but were told by the Camp Commander that President Marcos directed them not to release the three lawyers in blatant defiance to the order of the Supreme Court.

On May 28, 1985, respondents filed an Urgent Manifestation/Motion stating that an Information for Rebellion was filed on May 27, 1985 against the three detained attorneys before the Regional Trial Court Branch X of Davao City and that a Warrant of Arrest had been issued and served against them praying that the petition for habeas corpus be dismissed for having been rendered moot and academic.

On May 30, 1985, petitioners filed an Opposition to respondents’ Urgent Manifestation contending that since the detained attorneys were not given the benefit of preliminary investigation, they were denied their constitutional right to due process, consequently, the Information for Rebellion is void.

On October 21, 1985, the Supreme Court issued a resolution dismissing the petition for habeas corpus for the reason that it has become moot and academic and that the petitioners are now detained by virtue of a Warrant of Arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court of Davao City in relation to the criminal case for Rebellion filed against them before the said court. It was penned by justice Melencio-Herrera and concurred by Chief Justice Makasiar, Associate Justices Plana, Escolin, Relova, Gutierrez, Jr., de la Fuente, Cuevas, Alampay, and Aquino. Justices Teehankee and Concepcion, Jr. dissented.

On the PDA Lawyers view the Preventive Suspension Order (PDA) as a tool of the Marcos dictatorship used in the guise of national security. The man-

ner the PDA was used against the three lawyers show the dictatorship’s penchant for disregarding its own rules. Pursuant to the Rules and Regulations Implementing P.D. 1877, the PDAs should be enforced within 24 hours in the Metro Manila area and 48 hours outside Metro Manila upon receipt by the unit concerned.

The PDA was issued against the three lawyers on January 25, 1985 but they were arrested only on May 10 and 13, 1985. Justice Aquino said that the four-month gap can give room for doubt as to its authenticity and whether in fact, the detained attorneys posed ‘any appreciable danger to national security and public order”.

In Tony’s case, he had been a practicing lawyer with a law office in Davao City, a professor of law at the Ateneo de Davao University College of Law and had lived a very public life. He frequented Camp Catitipan and the Metrodiscom Detention Center to visit his clients. As IBP Director, he had been attending conferences and dialogues with ranking military authorities in Davao City and Region XI going in and out of Camp Catitipan from January 25 to May 10, 1985. It’s absurd that the military authorities did not lift a finger to arrest “a subversive and a danger to national security” who had been freely going in and out of Camp Catitipan.

Effects of Detention What effect did the detention have on the three lawyers and their families? It is best expressed by Lilli Arellano in the following words she expressed in one of the talks she gave in Davao City: “We, the families especially us, the wives, are now enduring the blow that has best us. By force of circumstances, we suddenly faced the role of single parenthood. We are deprived of our principal source of financial support as our husbands could no longer practice their profession. Worse, our children are deprived of their father’s presence, love, care, and attention. There is the feeling of shock, fear, and anger among us. No one had expected that there will be arrests. Much less did we expect that our husbands would be the target of these arrests. But, unfortunately, they were singled out among the rest.

Nonetheless, on our end, we have been accustomed already to a changed lifestyle since our husbands got involved in handling human rights cases which means less income and more risks. Still we have our fears and apprehensions as to our husband’s safety. However, these fears have been a hindrance in our intense will to rally behind our husbands’ ideals, beliefs, and principles in life. We believe in their convictions, in their beliefs, for we know that what they are doing is not at all illegal. But most of all, we know that if we do not act, if we do not assert our rights as individuals, and as a people, then, our dreams, our aspirations, to be free, as a people will never be realized.”

Tony’s youngest child then, En-en was only 2 years and 8 months old. He was told that every time she heard the sound of an airplane she would look up expecting her father to be flying

home. Tony’s son, Tom-tom, who was then in Grade 3 wrote him a letter saying, “Daddy, miss na miss nakita, pro Masaya rin ako dahil alam kong tumutulong ka sa mahihirap.”

Larry’s son Tito, only 14 years old then, has this to say: “I hope that my father would soon be released and be free again. I have grown accustomed to saying prayers every night. I pray to God for his and all other detainee’s freedom. My assurance of Dad’s health are his letters saying that he’s okay. But he says he is feeling the pangs of loneliness. So do i. I yearn to to be with my beloved Dad once again and I trust I will.”

Self-Release from Detention After they were brought back to Davao City, the three lawyers filed a motion for the conduct of preliminary investigation on the charge of rebellion. The motion was granted by the Court which ordered then City Prosecutor Emmanuel Galicia to conduct the preliminary investigation. Assistant City Prosecutor Rodrigo Duterte was designated as the investigating prosecutor.

After the conduct of the preliminary investigation, Assistant City Prosecutor Duterte issued a Resolution dismissing the case of rebellion. His recommended resolution was approved by City Prosecutor Galicia and was duly promulgated.

With the dismissal resolution on hand, the three lawyers filed before the court a Motion to Dismiss the rebellion case. The motion was scheduled in the morning of February 17, 1986.

On the date of the hearing, to their dismay, they were confronted by an uninhabited court. They were informed that both the judge and the prosecutor went on indefinite leave of absence with the hearing of the case postponed indefinitely!

They were later informed that City Prosecutor Galicia was summoned to the Ministry of Justice with directive to endorse the records of the case to the Minister of Justice for appropriate action.

Frustrated with the turn of events particularly the continued blatant disregard by the Marcos regime of the rule of law, the three lawyers finally entertained the possibility of taking their quest for freedom in their own hands.

They also factored in the continued deterioration of the political situation in the country after the opposition opted to conduct massive civil disobedience.If the political situation turns viol;ent, Atty. Ilagan was most concerned about the lawyers’ personal safety inside the camp.

Thus the decision to self-release. To escape from detention.

The three lawyers finally took the plunge in the evening of February 20, 1986. They finally successfully escaped from their detention at Camp Catitipan Fortunately, for them, the EDSA people uprising started on February 21, 1986, the day after their escape from detention. They were officially released from detention on February 26, 1986 as the first batch of political detainees ordered released by then President Corazon Aquino. Thereafter, the case against them for rebellion was finally dismissed by the Court for lack of evidence. █

S2

THE 30TH EDSA REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

US fingerprints in

By ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA

T

HE road to the 1986 EDSA Revolt, the popular uprising against the Marcos dictatorship, started in earnest in August 1985 when American officials led by Frederick Brown, a staff of Sen. Richard Lugar who headed the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, arrived in Manila “to evaluate the deteriorating situation” in Manila.

Brown reported that one of the promising developments he encountered in the Philippines was the emergence of RM, the Reform the Army Movement.

Two months later, Sen. Paul Laxalt was in Manila as US President Ronald Reagan’s private emissary.

In talks with the dictator, he warned President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the ominously “growing Communist insurgency’, with middle-class hostility as primary factor.

The announcement of Marcos on Nov. 3, 1985, to hold snap elections early in February of the following year also resulted in more US visits to the country.

On Nov. 12, 1985, Rev. Jerry Falwell arrived in Manila, as unofficial envoy of the American president, to talk with the Malacañang resident.

He was a top-level contingent.

A couple of months later, US Rep. Lee Hamilton, informed of the questionable credibility of the Feb. 7, 1986 snap elections that was now starting to fuel national outrage, called the Marcos-initiated electoral exercise as “rigged.”

Compromise sought To defuse tension, Philip Habib, Reagan’s emissary, made a vain attempt to forge a compromise between Corazon C. Aquino, the publicly perceived winner in the presidential polls, and the beleaguered Marcos. Nothing came out of the talks because Aquino refused.

As confusion over the true winner of the 1986 presidential elections rose, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Se-

curity Agency, with USA’s largest telecom and technical intelligence in the Far East stationed in Manila, went on overdrive by monitoring all of Gen. Fabian C. Ver’s electronic transmissions.

It was Defense secretary Juan Ponce-Enrile’s American friends who actually first tipped him off of the Ver plan to field units in Metro Manila to conduct the arrests of Enrile, PC-INP chief Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, and Trade Minister Roberto V. Ongpin.

On the morning of Feb. 24, 1986 (Washington time), The White House transmitted a statement, relayed to Malacañang by Stephen Bosworth, the US ambassador to the Philippines, saying the desire of Marcos to extend “the life of the present regime by violence are futile.”

The following morning, Sen. Laxalt, after consulting with the US President, called the t, telling him bluntly: “You should cut and cut cleanly. I think the time has come.”

After Marcos and his family were whisked away to Clark Air Base

and then flown to Hawaii, US Secretary of State George Shultz praised the decision of the president to leave the Palace, saying: “Reason and compassion have prevailed in ways that best serve the Filipino nation and people.”

Five conditions The survival (or fall) of President Ferdinand E. Marcos in the days leading to the iconic People Power revolt, at least according to former Trade Minister Roberto V. Ongpin, depended on five conditions, three of them ‘non-negotiable’, which the American emissaries laid out.

Ongpin, in one of his interviews, labeled Malacañang, as a ‘snake pit’.

First, President Reagan, the same man who praised the dictator as a defender of democracy, wanted Marcos loyalist Gen. Ver out of any military post and in his stead Lt. Gen. Ramos would be appointed.

Second, the American government demanded that former first Lady Imelda R. Marcos kicked out of the loop, and her offices,, the Min-

istry of Human Settlements (MHS) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), abolished.

Third, the Americans wanted a new Cabinet installed which, if realized, would have included the late business billionaire Enrique Zobel, as agriculture secretary.

Fourth, Marcos, who personally vetted the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) candidates for the snap elections, was asked to appoint former Sen. Arturo Tolentino as his running mate, and if they won, write a new Constitution to be submitted to a plebiscite; and Fifth, a commission to investigate human rights abuses would be created with former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez as chairman.

Actually, Reagan, because of his close personal relationship with Marcos, did not want the Philippine leader removed but two powerful agencies in the US government, the Defense establishment and the CIA were not agreeable.

Ongpin, who was always loyal to

Marcos, was Ver, the pres mastermind d’etat.

Military per The wea Forces foun corruption loss of mora of the milita for non-milit ports of hum among the fa fection of the Marcos estab In fact, his minions, sentative str law was decl ways to chan officers who clout as prov tended privil and prolonge that were tra While th committing majority of t

THE 30TH EDSA REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

S3

Remembering People Power

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

I

EDSA revolt

maliciously accused by sident’s alleged pimp, as of an impending coup

rspective akening of the Armed ndation involving the of some officers, the ale, the transformation ary into a political base tary agenda, and the reman rights abuses, were actors that led to the dee Armed Froces from the blishment. the President, through s, abolished the repreructures when martial lared, allowing distorted nge the loyalty of some o were given political vincial commanders, exleges on how to get rich, ged tenures in positions aditionally rotated. he AFP was accused of human rights abuses, the soldiers were loyal

to their call. This gesture of respect for people was irrefutably displayed during the People Power revolt when the tank commander, instead of pulverizing the Enrile-Ramos headquarter, yielded to the peaceful overtures of nuns, priests, and the general public.

At a time when there was economic hyperinflation, public anguish over issues on jobs and prices of basic commodities, insurgency, rising discontent against the government, conjugal dictatorship, monopoly and cartel, and, above all, rising poverty in the countryside, the military sentiment against the national leadership was also shifting.

Reynaldo V. Silvestre, a former Army major when the popular revolt exploded, wrote: “Marcos had always based his power on military might. There is no other alternative for anyone who desires power on a national scale because the military has a monopoly of the greatest single concentration of brute force in any society. Marcos the sophisticate, who plundered his

people even as he tried to mesmerize them with his tales of a New Society, carefully developed an obedient military machine.”

Cardinal’s role Jaime Cardinal Sin was a Catholic leader whose charisma was admired. His role in the People Power revolt, when he called the Church-run Radio Veritas to defend the troops led by Enrile and Ramos on Feb. 22, 1986 night, shifted the advantage to the renegades.

“If any of you could be around at Camp Aguinaldo to show your solidarity and your support in this very crucial period when our two good friends have shown their idealism, I would be very happy,” the cardinal said. “Please come.”

At the time, the Enrile’s group was holed up at the defense ministry building in Camp Aguinaldo with the support of the elite RAM. Ramos was ensconced at the PC headquarters in Camp Crame, when the call was made. The two coup leaders later agreed to make Camp

Crame the command center.

Though the cardinal never appeared personally at EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue), the response to his call was overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands of people, led by priests and nuns, gathered at the highway, blocked government troops, and offered prayers and flowers.

Unexpectedly, Sin’s intervention resulted in retaliation.

Helicopter-borne troops raided the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, and arrested two Jesuit priests, Jose Blanco and Benigno Mayo. The military also entered the premises of Radio Veritas and destroyed its facilities.

Promptly, the cardinal, who was also the archbishop of Manila, issued a pastoral letter condemning the arrests and summoned a prayer vigil at the steps of Manila Cathedral where some 5,000 people converged.

It was by far the biggest demonstration against the martial law regime. █

T has been 30 years since the EDSA People Power uprising, but many Filipinos appear to have lost their interest in commemorating the victory of the people against the Marcos dictatorship.

But for two political prisoners in Davao City during the martial law regime, remembering People Power is still important.

For Karl M. Gaspar, who was imprisoned from 1983 to 1985, People Power should be remembered because the event led to changes, especially the restoration of democracy in the country.

“If we do not remember this, year after a year and a year, we will lose sight of what led to People Power, namely the atrocities, violence, and the abuses of the totalitarian regime of Marcos,” he said.

Macario D. Tiu, who was also imprisoned during martial law, said the purpose of commemorating People Power is to say “never again to abuse and never again to violence,” which happened during the Marcos regime.

Tiu said after People Power, Filipinos were given democratic space where they could criticize government without threat of imprisonment and physical abuse.

The two, however, said the commemoration should not be over-dramatized.

Gaspar said since

EDSA, from the time of the late President Corazon Cory Aquino to Fidel Ramos to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and even the time of Beningno KARL GASPAR Aquino III, there is still a lot of inequality in the country.

“There is still a lot of poverty, there is still a lot of corruption. So, if we look at the situation of the Philippines today on the distribution of the country’s wealth , we still have a very few elite and the majority are poor,” he said.

He said the people may acknowledge the good things that happened in EDSA but they should not forget that this event did not really lead to the betterment of the majority of the Filipino people.

“We should not cele-

MACARIO D. TIU brate it as if this was such a very significant historical event, that has led to the emancipation of the Filipino people who are landless, the Moro people and the other oppressed groups,” he said.

Gaspar said the young people during the martial law are still hoping that there will be a process better than EDSA so that real change can be materialized.

For Tiu, the government of the elite until now has not been able to uplift the condition of the poor.

“This means there is still a continuing revolution,” he said. █

S4

THE 30TH EDSA REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

EDSA memories and dreams

By JOHN CARLO TRIA How it happened I was a Boy scout in February 1986. We were going around EDSA and the Channel 4 area in Quezon City. The post Christmas dry weather was still cool as Manila temperatures often stay low until the end of February, at least at that time it was. So we brought light jackets to ward off the drafty climate. Worried relatives in the United States warned us about impending attack on the crowd by Marcos military forces and asked us to stay indoors and store enough food for what they thought was a long conflict that would leave thousands dead. Some of us listened to them as we all knew that the news black out imposed by the Marcos regime meant that family abroad would know many facts before we did. Little did we know the world was watching as foreign correspondents flooded the nations capital to report on the event that was to define the generation of Filipinos that witnessed it. Prior to 1986 and the immediate years preceding it people barely knew where the Philippines was, much less imagined what life was like under Marcos.

The atmosphere in and around these barricades was far from dangerous for the most part. It was festive, with ambulant street food vendors

making up about 10 percent of the crowd, people seated on the highways on their sacks and mats. Groups of people singing with their guitars, some praying, all calling on the strength of collective action that eventually led to the removal of a longstanding dictatorship. To those who didn’t know it was not just EDSA. There were barricades all around camps Crame and Aguinaldo and there were barricades in Mendiola and Nagtahan bridges of people longing to see Marcos go, as there were also thousands of Marcos ‘loyalists” camped out in JP Laurel avenue near Malacanang, and on the grounds of the Palace itself.

30 years hence February 25, 2016 marks he first full circle after EDSA of 1986. If a generation is defined as 30 years, then a full one has passed. As the widow of the man whose death sparked the revolt took power, today the son sits as President, and living out his last days in office. Have the parents and the son tried their best to fix the Philippines? Unfortunately, the facts and numbers that matter do not work in his favor. Poverty levels remain the same as they were in 1986, and generally the same since the 1960s. The Philippine economy has fallen victim to highs and lows of the

world economy. Being poor as they were in the last three decades, the resulting milieu has morphed into a culture of hopelessness that is the breeding ground of the patronage loved by traditional Filipino politicians and saviour types, promising to bring them a heaven they can only imagine, without the track record nor the smarts to actually deliver. National budgets have been skewed in favor of the capital and the Office of the president while a third of the country remains unable to eat the required 2,000 daily calories for proper nutrition.

The list of woes remains lengthy as they are persistent, and as the Philippine State remains weak to fix these perennial issues, it seems even more hobbled to face the new challenges of narcopolitics, external threats posed by aggressive northern neighbor, endemic corruption, and the integration of the economy into a greater Southeast Asian market, and spectre of war in the middle east that can send hundreds of thousands of Pinoy workers home without a certain future.

Its immediate neighbors, on the other hand, are transitioning from third world to first in the same 50 year epoch that Marcos and the post-EDSA generation ruled the country. During a visit

to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian colleague really asked me point blank “What happened to you, you’re all articulate and smart?” Her colleague gave her a look as I sensed he was a bit embarrassed by her frankness. It goes without saying that to her question, I had no answer, but I got the point.

People around Southeast Asia seem to look at us with a deep admiration, yet with a sense of loss as they slowly pass us by on the unpredictable highway of development.

In the last 50 years that combined Marcos and EDSA revolt’s aftermath, only the middle and upper income brackets of society have been able to improve the quality of their lives, given their access to knowledge, information and technology, the upward mobility affording opportunity. Like Binay’s Makati, they were affluent or comfortable even before he took the City’s reins. The greater majority live their lives in Metropolitan Manila’s hot, concrete traffic, or the muddy, impassable gullies in Mindanao the government would call roads. There remains a great divide between the upwardly mobile and the rural lost, both in income and imagination.

They both find ways to amuse themselves in Aldub and Jadine, or on instagram and Facebook.

Some have succeeded in turning the Philippine flag into a floor mop. Those who call themselves enlightened and progressive fail to connect their consciousness to the hungry stomachs or drug-infused veins of their audience. Some would call this situation simply pathetic.

Seeing the future: The “millenilal” factor and the bongbong phenomenon In the worst of denouments for the post EDSA saga, Ferdinand” “Bongbon Marcos, Jr bids to return to power via the Vice Presidency. Latest pre-election surveys list him as a frontrunner.

The EDSA forces are worried, and their “millenial” children who seem to admire him, they call ungrateful and forgetful, since Bongbong is unremorseful. But why worry, and why be afraid? Heck. Why only now? The past 20 years have seen the progressive return of the old Marcos forces, with some of the originals taking power back, and some via their progeny. Enrile, Ramos, Cayetano, Escudero, Zubiri, Estrada, Cojuangco. Names all associated with Ferdinand Marcos in their official capacities. Even Marcos’ last running mate Ar-

turo Tolentino served a term in the 90’s Senate. Did it take Bongbong’s name to jolt them all?

One of the hotly debated topics is the seeming “apathy” of the millenials to the historically established abuses of the Marcos regime. Yet beyond names and families, it may be useful to look at it as a system: More than a century of Manila-based central government, we gave the Philippine presidency the power and the werewithal to fix this country, yet it has been unable to solve its most fundamental problems, much less face the formidable new challenges on the immediate horizon. We gave it to Marcos and transferred it to EDSA-fueled dispensation. Both, however, failed to change this. The millenials probably see it that way, hence their indifference. They see right through all of these with their technology tools and multitasking skills to study, review, connect, pose and challenge.

What will shape the future is a new political imagination that sees beyond the Marcos-EDSA dichotomy, held in the hearts of the millennial and post-millenial generation. The future, therefore, is anyone’s guess. It might as well be ours. █

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

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14 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Matina Enclaves sets topoff on Feb. 27

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

T

njb@edgedavao.net

HE first of Matina Enclaves’ projected multiple-condo sector known as The Residences is all set for its much-awaited topping off ceremony on February 27.

Project head Gerald Kent Garces said the topping off ceremony will cap the structural construction of Building 1 of the Matina Enclaves’ con-

dominium sector. The event will also coincide with the groundbreaking ceremony of Building 2 of this initial venture of Davao-born developer Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco).

“This is a testament of our commitment to our clients of providing not just value for their money but also keeping our promise of on-time

schedule in terms of the construction phase,” Garces said.

Building 1 has a scheduled turnover by the end of the year while Building 2 which begins its construction phase after being launched last year is set for turnover by the end of 2017.

Garces earlier reported the construction activities as of Feb 19 which comprises

on-going building B construction and construction activities of Building 1(B) including preparation of the slab works on the roof-deck area; installation of interior walls on the second floor; preparation of mechanical works on the 2nd floor; and preparation of plumbing layout.

Garces also said that a new addition to the Matina

Enclaves project is now being finalized with the soon-to-belaunched Arcadia project situated across the gated community. It will house stateof-the-art sports and recreational facilities that promote a healthy lifestyle.

“It is going to complement the community we are building here at Matina Enclaves. With these facilities

within reach, this complex will surely be a haven for those looking for a perfect home and investment,” Garces said.

The Matina Enclaves showroom, meantime, is ready for viewing anytime at the Genesis 88 Building along EcoWest Drive. Site visits may also be arranged with Esdevco office.

It’s TIME to CHANGE THE GAME. Your ads come to life with vivid, clear, crisp colors.

Get the value for your money and don’t settle for an awful copy on a badly printed space.

Advertise wisely.

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

PAL INTERCLUB TEAM CAPTAINS. A total of 94 teams participating in the 30th PAL Seniors Interclub show their eagerness to start competition at the Mimosa Golf & Country Club in Clark, Pampanga, during the 2nd team captains meeting last February 23, 2016. Joining the team captains are Genaro Velasquez, chairman - PAL Interclub Executive

Committee; Eric Gozo, general manager - Mimosa Golf & Country Club; Henry Arabelo - tournament director; Shirley Ho Vicario, PAL Corporate Communications Head; Pinky Custodio, manager - PAL Activations and other PAL Interclub working committee staff.

Ceres booters hold Selangor to a draw C

ERES-LA Salle held Selangor to a 2-2 draw for a solid start to its Asian Football Confederation Cup campaign on Tuesday night before a huge home crowd at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

The reigning United Football League champions squandered an early lead,

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Jazz nip Rockets in OT G ORDON Hayward scored 28 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets, 117-114, in overtime on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time) in a game with significant playoff implications.

The victory moved the Jazz into the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a halfgame ahead of the Rockets.

The first tiebreaker for a twoway tie is head-to-head winning percentage. The Rockets fell to 2-1 against the Jazz this season.

James Harden scored 42 points for Houston, and Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it at 106 and force overtime.

It was Harden’s eighth 40-point game, tying him with Stephen Curry.

but found a late equalizer to salvage the stalemate against the Malaysian powerhouse squad and one point in Group E. Spanish striker Adrian Gallardo struck the tying goal two minutes before stoppage time off a lovely cross from Stephan Shcrock, who scored Ceres’ first goal early in the first half.

The Busmen drew first blood when Schrock found the back of the net with a quality strike 17 minutes into the match that sent the crowd of over 8,000 people in a frenzy.

But goalkeeper Michael Casas committed a costly error, bungling a clearance 17 minutes later, allowing Mauro Olivi to capitalize

and score an equalizer.

Selangor went ahead in the 59th minute when Mohd Hafiz converted a free kick, before Gallardo rescued Ceres by heading home Schrock’s feed in the 88th.

Ceres continues its campaign on March 8 when it faces Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi in Dhaka.

The Warriors (50-5) squandered a 23-point lead in the third quarter, actually falling behind Atlanta early in the fourth. But they bounced back, as they always seem to do, tightening up on defense and riding their dynamic guard duo to another triumph.

Thompson scored 12 of his 27 points in the final period, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. Curry chipped in with nine points, including a trey in front of the Atlanta bench that had him wiggling his shoulders.

“We’re staying in the moment,” Curry said. “It’s a special group, and we understand the potential we have, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Fifty wins is great, but we’ve got to keep plugging away and staying hungry, because no one wants to talk about that in June.”

Indeed, a second straight championship is the only way to make this a truly successful season, but the

pursuit of Chicago’s record — accomplished during the height of Michael Jordan’s six-titles-in-eight-years dynasty — has provided quite an intriguing side plot to the regular season.

On their last long road trip of the season, the Warriors have bounced back impressively from their worst loss of the season, a 137-105 drubbing at Portland last Friday (Saturday, Manila time). They knocked off the Clippers in Los Angeles the following night, then made the cross-country trek to Atlanta to face the struggling Hawks, who had the best record in the East a year ago but have slipped this season.

“We just seem to respond every time we get a loss,” coach Steve Kerr said.

“Our guys are very competitive, so when we lose, they get angry and seem to rattle off a bunch of wins in a row.

That’s a pretty good sign. We don’t have to motivate them much. They motivate them-

MVP. Golden State top gun Steph Curry dishes off an assist.

Warriors living the 50-0 moment

TEPHEN Curry pumped a fist, wagged a finger and even gave a little shimmy with his shoulders.

Chalk up No. 50 for the Golden State Warriors.

On a night when Curry scored 36 points — in other words, just another day at the office — the Warriors became the fastest team in NBA history to 50 wins in a season with a 102-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

They surpassed the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who needed one more game to reach the milestone. Of course, that’s the team Golden State is chasing for one of the league’s most iconic marks.

Seventy-two wins.

“It’s really cool,” Klay Thompson, the other half of the “Splash Brothers,” said after Monday’s (Tuesday, Manila time) game. “Just being in the conversation with that Bulls team, it’s humbling and it’s surreal.”

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selves.”

Golden State has three more games on its road trip.

Next up is Miami on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time), followed by Orlando the following night and Oklahoma City on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

If the Warriors get through that stretch unscathed, Chicago’s record of 72-10 will be very much

in reach. Seventeen of their last 24 games are at Oracle Arena, where Golden State is 24-0 this season. There are still two games left at San Antonio (47-9), which is also having a remarkable season and trails by just 3 1/2 games in the Western standings, and two other tough road contests at Dallas and Memphis.

The other away games

Rodney Hood made a 3-pointer over Dwight Howard with 51.9 seconds left in OT to give the Jazz a 115-112 lead. Harden followed with a layup, but Derrick Favors’ putback pushed the margin to 117-114 with 11.8 seconds to go.

Favors finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Howard had 13 points and 16 rebounds.

The Rockets rallied in the third quarter behind a spectacular effort from Harden, but Trey Burke hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Jazz retook the lead.

Utah jumped out to a 34-23 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 15-2 run. The highlight of the half came on Hood’s crossover, step-back 3-pointer over Howard to beat the buzzer.

during that closing stretch are at Utah and in Los Angeles against the woeful Lakers.

Of course, the Warriors didn’t get to this point by looking too far down the road.

They’re having too much fun on the journey.

“We’re not complacent,” Curry said. “We’re trying to get better and find different

FWARRIORS, 10

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 239 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

TEAM TO BEAT Strongest Davis Cup team formed for Kuwait tie

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XPECTATIONS are high for the Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team which begins its 2016 campaign against Kuwait in their Asia-Oceania Group II tie next

week.

The Filipino netters take on the Kuwaitis at home in the first round of the tie set from March 4-6 at the Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig City.

Treat Huey, ranked No. 35 in the world in men’s doubles, leads the Filipino players who have been nominated to play against the visitors, along with Ruben Gonzales,

former world juniors No. 9 Jeson Patrombon, and 2009 Australian Open juniors champion Francis Casey Alcantara.

Karl Santamaria, current head FRANCIS CASEY ALCANTARA

TREAT HUEY

RUBEN GONZALES and JESON PATROMBON

coach of the National University tennis team, has been appointed as new non-playing captain of the Filipino Davis Cuppers.

No less than team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier expressed confidence the team has what it takes to put up a strong showing this year in the hope of returning to Group I play.

“I think we have assembled the strongest team in recent years. It’s a great combination of experience and youth,” Lhuillier said.

“All of them have been campaigning actively and have been producing great results in recent international competitions the past months. All players can both play singles and doubles which will make it hard for our opponent to prepare for us. I strongly believe we will emerge victorious in this upcoming match versus Kuwait.”

Huey is fresh from a quarterfinal finish in the Australian Open mixed doubles competition, while Gonzales has been campaigning in the United States and Europe.

Patrombon, meanwhile, is a regular fixture in the ITF Futures tournaments in Asia since last year and will be playing along with Alcantara, who made a great run to finish second in the ITF Challenger tournament in Manila.