Edge Davao 7 Issue 112

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

NATIVE CRAFTS. A young boy not only makes quick cash but also showcases his culture to tourists by peddling native bracelets around Davao City two days after the Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival. Lean Daval Jr.

‘PERSONA NON GRATA’ Comedian gets ‘unwelcome’tag over ‘hipon’comment

SWAT TRAINING FOR DAVAO COPS, TFD THE BIG NEWS Page 2

INSIDE EDGE TRMH-CMO AMBUSHED IN KADAYAWAN HOOPS SPORTS page 15

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

T son).

abf@edgedavao.net

HE boiling ‘hipon’ comment turned into a permanent stamp of dishonor for comedian Ramon Bautista after the Davao City Council declared him as ‘persona non grata’ (an unwelcome per-

In yesterday’s regular session, the city council passed “a resolution declaring Ramon Bautista as persona non grata in Davao City.”

The resolution stated that there is a need to let the world know and those who employ Bautista that he is an extremely corrupt influence to the youth.

“His abusive behavior should not be

tolerated,” the resolution said.

It is stated that Bautista must understand that as a visitor of place he should be mindful of decency and propriety.

It is stipulated that the actions of the comedian defined in the Women Development Code of the Davao City as other forms of sexual harassment.

F’PERSONA NON GRATA’, 10

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

3 companies want to develop fire site D

AVAO City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) officer Ivan C. Cortez said that a total of three local and foreign firms are interested to develop the fire-razed Isla Verde.

“Either of the three firms are willing to pour billions of pesos for the development of the area,” Cortez said in the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex last Monday.

Cortez said that the Malaysian firm is interested in the mixed-used development of the 8.8 hectares April 4 fire-stricken

area while another one of the three is interested to develop the waterfront starting from the old Sta. Ana Port to Matina near Times Beach.

The investment officer said that all firm are interested to develop the area both for residential and commercial use.

He also added that the interested investors are planning to build buildings for the tenement of the residents who might be affected by the proposed rehabilitation of the coastal area.

Cortez said that affect-

FFOREIGN, 10

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014 PAHALIPAY NI RODY. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte chats with his executive assistant, Christopher “Bong” Go, and rap artist Andrew E. just before the start of “Pahalipay concert ni Mayor Rody and Vice Mayor Pulong Duterte” at Rizal Park along San Pedro Street over the weekend.

Lean Daval Jr.

SWAT given P750T for men’s training

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T

crc@edgedavao.net

HE City Government of Davao has allocated a total of P750, 000 for the anti-terrorism and anti-criminality training of the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the local police and Task Force Davao.

Davao City Police Office(DCPO) director Sr. Supt. Vicente D. Danao told reporters in an interview last Monday that cops and military per-

sonnel will start their training by the end of the month.

Danao said that trainers will come from the SWAT Unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“The training is intended to enhance the capability of our personnel in the anti-criminality and anti-terrorism campaign,” he said.

The city police director said that the city is in full-support in the advo-

cacy of lowering and preventing crimes and terrorist activities in the city.

In fact, Davao City Rodrigo R. Duterte initiated the turn-over ceremony of about 66 motorcycles, four mobile patrol vehicles, base and handheld radio and three base radio to different local agencies in the city last August 14, during the formal opening of the 2014 Kadayawan Festival.

DCPO- Traffic Group,

Police Highway Patrol Group 11, Land Transportation Office (LTO) 11 received seven units of motorcycles each while the Traffic Management Center received 45 new motorcycles, four mobile patrol vehicles, 200 units of handheld radio and three units of base radio.

“DCPO has at least 54 running mobile police units that were from the local government unit,” Danao said.

tutions), to teaching and non-teaching personnel,” Benvidez said.

Benavidez said that part of their action plan is an advocacy or research work for the impact of K-12 program.

“But, the major intervention that the TWG (Technical Working Group) composed of DOLE DepEd (Depart-

ment of Education), CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Administration) is the enactment of what we so called ‘tertiary education transition fund,’ ” he said.

He said that the tertiary education transition fund is an allocation in

2 arrested for peddling drugs DOLE to avert adverse effects of K-12 T

WO suspected illegal drug peddlers were arrested in two separate operations in Davao City and nearby Tagum City last Monday.

Elements of Bunawan Police Station identified the first suspect as Arnie M. Banatan, 24, single, miner, and resident of Purok 5, A. Apokon, Tagum City.

Initial investigation disclosed that Banatan

was put on hold during inspection by a personnel of the responding police station after he received a tip from an officer of Task Force Davao who was assigned in a fixed checkpoint at Km. 26, Licanan, Davao City.

Recovered from his possession was a sachet of suspected shabu with a street value of P 1,000.

F2 BUSTED, 10

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. abf@edgedavao.net

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will find ways to avert retrenchment of college professors once the K-12 curriculum will be fully implemented in 2016.

Lawyer Benjo Santos M. Benavidez, director of DOLE Bureau of Labor Relations, told reporters in yesterday’s press briefing

at Grand Men Seng Hotel that they conducted consultations on the affected sectors on how the government will intervene in relation to the full implementation of K-12.

“As part of the intervention of the government is the action plan.

Part of the action plan is assistance given to HEIs (Higher Education Insti-

FDOLE, 10

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

3

DOJ completes draft amendment for new Criminal Code

By PERFECTO T. RAYMUNDO JR.

T SIESTA TIME. The feet of a napping vendor peek between the religious items he is selling at San Pedro Cathedral compound in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

HE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced that the Criminal Code Committee (CCC) has completed Book 2 of the new Criminal Code on Crimes and Penalties after three years of drafting work.

The CCC was established on April 20, 2011 to study, assess and consolidate a simple, updated and modern criminal law to provide clarity in law

enforcement and to improve the administration of justice.

This was geared towards increased access to justice especially for the marginalized sectors.

“We responded to the call of the President (Benigno S. Aquino III) to undertake a codification project and for the first time in our history, we have a draft criminal code developed by jus-

wife has not filed any case against him.

“Kung desidido talaga sya dapat noon pa sya nagsampa ng kaso,” he said, adding that the video was taken years ago and his wife and two children are now based in United States.

Danao said that the main motive of the poster of the video is to remove him from service and his

position as city police director.

He said that he has no plan to conduct an investigation that will trace the true identity of the video poster.

“I knew who is the poster (sic) even before it was uploaded to Youtube because I’ve been receiving from that person a month before it was posted,” Danao added.

FDOJ, 10

Gabriela backs Danao’s wife

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

I

crc@edgedavao.net

NSTEAD of filing a formal complaint against the controversial Davao City Police Office director Vicente D. Danao, Gabriela – Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) will instead support his estranged wife in her own complaint against the high ranking police official.

“We agreed that we will just support the direc-

tor’s wife who allegedly filed earlier a case against Danao,” Gabriela-SMR spokesperson May Anne Sapar told Edge Davao in a phone interview. Sapar did not disclose the name of the wife.

Sapar said that different women groups in Davao City, along with the office of councilor Leah Librado-Yap and Integrated Gender Development

Division (IGDD) met yesterday to talk on the video containing the alleged abusive behavior of Danao towards his wife.

Sapar said that the wife of Danao allegedly filed a case against the city director this year.

She said that the director is allegedly violating the Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-violence Against Women and their Chil-

the BIR and the DOF a period of 10 days from notice within which to submit their respective comments.

In the petition for certiorari and mandamus filed by various groups of government workers, they asked the SC to stop the implementation of BIR Revenue Memorandum Order 23-2014 because it allegedly infringes upon the power of the Congress to pass a law.

The petitioners argued

that the respondents have no power to impose tax unless they are authorized by law.

They further argued that to deduct tax from their allowance is illegal, hence, the assailed BIR memorandum should be nullified.

They added that the DOF and the BIR should be mandated to increase the Php 30,000 “ceiling” as provided for in the memorandum. (PNA)

SC orders BIR, DOF to comment on state workers’petition vs perks’ tax

T

HE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Finance (DOF) to comment on the petition filed by government workers questioning the imposition of tax on their allowance and fringe benefits.

In a press conference, SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te said that the SC gave

dren (VAWC).

“I supposed the video uploaded in Youtube is just used to support the claim of the wife that she is abused by his husband,” Sapar said.

However, she said that they’re still requesting for the copy of the alleged formal complaint of the wife.

Earlier, Danao said in an interview that his

NHA starts development of SoCot resettlement project

By ALLEN ESTABILLO

T

HE National Housing Authority has released an initial P1.8 million to set off the development of the P12-million resettlement project in Sto. Nino town in South Cotabato.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who chairs the Housing and Urban

Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), personally delivered the financial grant to the municipal government of Sto. Nino in a brief stop at the South Cotabato provincial capitol in Koronadal City late Monday afternoon.

“This is part of the national government’s

commitment to address the basic needs of our poor, especially in terms of housing facilities,” he said during the turnover ceremony.

The Vice President said the NHA will work closely with the municipal government of Sto.

FNHA, 10

BOOMING INDUSTRY. Construction workers are seen working at a high-rise building construction site along Quimpo Blvd. in Davao City yesterday. Davao City is cur-

rently enjoying a construction boom which is expected to continue for at least 10 more years. Lean Daval Jr.

4 SUBURBIA EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

COTABATO CITY

Binay backs Bangsamoro, denies early campaigning

V

ICE President Jejomar Binay has expressed support to the creation of the Bangsamoro government during a two-day swing in Maguindanao province and in this city.

Heavily guarded by the police and the military and backed up by an aerial security reconnaissance, Binay denied his visits here and to various towns in Maguindanao were part of the early campaign trail for his presidential bid in 2016.

Both local opposition and administration political leaders warmly welcomed Binay during his visit on Sunday and Monday.

Binay expressed his support to the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on Monday in Sultan Kudarat town as it celebrated its 67th foundation anniversary.

Once passed by Congress and ratified by the constituents, the BBL will entrench the Bangsamoro government to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The creation of the Bangsamoro government was envisioned by the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the final peace agreement

of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed last March 27.

Binay chanted Takbir thrice in expressing support to the passage of the BBL, which the crowd exuberantly responded with “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest).

Datu Tucao Mastura, former Sultan Kudarat town mayor and the provincial stalwart of the United Nationalist Alliance, Binay’s political party, lauded the vice president’s support to the BBL. It is an “expression of giving importance to the dream of the Bangsamoro people,” Mastura said.

Also in attendance during Sultan Kudarat town’s foundation anniversary were ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, 6th Infantry Division commander Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, top ARMM police officials, and several local government officials of the province.

‘Not an early campaign trail’ In Datu Odin Sinsuat town on Sunday, Maguindanao Vice Governor Datu Lester Sinsuat, a Liberal Party stalwart, introduced Binay as “the next President of the Republic of the Philippines.”

EARLY CAMPAIGN? Vice President Jejomar Binay (center) graces the 67thfoundation anniversary of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on Monday.

Joining him on stage are (from left) Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian,

Mayor Shameem Mastura, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, and UNA provincial Chair Datu Tucao Mastura. MindaNews photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera

Binay thanked him for the “endorsement,” and later “denied that he was in the province to campaign early for his 2016 presidential bid.”

He said he was in the province “to visit projects and to attend to invitations.”

Binay led the launching of a new senior citizens’ building his office

funded for P500,000 and distributed wheelchairs to differently-abled persons during his visit in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Binay was joined by former Tarlac Governor Margarita “Ting-Ting” Cojuangco, Paranaque Rep. Gustavo Tambunting and Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian in his trips.

He and his party also visited the Mindanao State University, also in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

In Cotabato City, Binay met with local officials and leaders of the Archdiocese of Cotabato, attended mass, and had dinner with his Alpha Phi Omega fraternity brothers and sisters.

Binay and his party

also visited on Monday Datu Abdullah Sangki town, which also celebrated its foundation anniversary, on the invitation of Mayor Mariam Mangudadatu.

Noticeably, Binay’s entourage was wearing all along T-shirts printed with the word “Binay.”

(Ferdinandh Cabrera/ MindaNews)

ment sites.

“My heart swells with joy. We never expected we would be given a house for free,” said one housing beneficiary who lost his house when typhoon Pablo ravaged their town in 2012.

DSWD regional director Priscilla Razon said this milestone would not have been possible without the provincial government’s active. “They paved the way so that we could execute our interventions a lot easier,” she said.

Razon also stressed the importance of convergence and partnership in putting the massive housing program to reality.

Noting the province’s remarkable development from being a badly devastated wasteland into a progressing haven, Razon said she is in awe of how the people recovered despite the huge devastation they had faced.

To date, a total of 3,218 houses have already been completed and turned over. This includes the re-

cently turned-over housing units constructed by the Philippine Army’s 544th Engineer Construction Battalion in Barangay Ban-ao in Baganga and Barangay Alegria in Cateel.

Based on DSWD reports, 1,568 units were completed in Cateel, 1,218 in Baganga, and 432 in Boston, which accounts for about 16 percent of the total target of 19,880.

Governor Corazon Malanyaon said delays in the construction were due

to the Low Pressure Areas and typhoon Agaton earlier this year, which caused massive damage to roads and bridges that delayed the transport of equipment and materials.

The governor, however, is hopeful that 70 percent of the total target will be completed and turned over before the second anniversary of Typhoon Pablo in December.

DSWD gave assurance that the housing project would not be the last of its assistance to the

province as it will be engaging in more livelihood programs, particularly on agri-based production and micro-enterprising strategies programs.

Malanyaon lauded the DSWD for keeping its commitment to the province despite the fact that the agency had been stretching its coffers to meet the needs of the province and other areas that were recently hit by disasters. (PIO with reports from Van Jorain O. Rufin)

facilities,” he said during the turnover ceremony.

Binay said the NHA will work closely with the municipal government of Sto. Niño for the development of the resettlement project, which will benefit around 100 informal settlers in the area.

The project will be implemented within the

2.5-hectare unfinished BLISS housing village in Poblacion Sto. Niño.

Engineer Samson Espartero, Sto. Niño municipal engineer, said the resettlement site was first developed during the early 80s under the Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services (BLISS) housing project of the late President

Ferdinand Marcos.

He said the municipal government was able to construct six housing units before the project was shelved following the 1986 people power revolt.

“We will be constructing 50 duplex housing units to complete the resettlement project,” he told PNA.

Espartero said they are targeting to begin the construction of the housing units, which would accommodate two families each, within the fourth quarter of the year.

He said the initial P1.8 million grant will be utilized for the mobilization and initial site development of the project. (PNA)

More families get new houses in DavOr’s typhoon-hit towns A

total of 1,047 more housing units were turned over to typhoon Pablo-affected families in Boston, Cateel, and Baganga last week.

Implemented under the Modified Shelter Assistance Program (MSAP), the massive construction of houses is a joint effort between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which funds the construction cost, and the provincial government which subsidizes the cost for resettle-

NHA starts dev’t of SoCot resettlement project

By ALLEN ESTABILLO

T

HE National Housing Authority (NHA) has released an initial P1.8 million to set off the development of the P12-million resettlement project in Sto. Niño town in South Cotabato.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council

(HUDCC), personally delivered the financial grant to the municipal government of Sto. Niño in a brief stop at the South Cotabato provincial capitol in Koronadal City late Monday afternoon.

“This is part of the national government’s commitment to address the basic needs of our poor, especially in terms of housing

5 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

DCIPC receiving more queries on power generation projects

By DIGNA D. BANZON

T

HE Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) is receiving numerous queries on power generation investments, particularly on solar power.

DCIPC head Ivan Cortez said the queries are referred either to Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) which supplies the city’s power or to the

T

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) which is hosting a one-stop-shop on generating investments in power.

For his part, MinDA director for investments and public communications Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro said Davao City in particular and Mindanao in general must prepare to fill the gap of

the power supply requirements five or 10 years from now.

“There is a need for new investors,” he said.

At present, there are several power projects that will be available starting next year, he added.

Montenegro, however, said the power supply in the coming years will not be enough because of the

yesterday. ”We’ve reached an agreement with DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), finally. We will submit this week the revised version (of the bill),” Purisima told Senate President Franklin Drilon when the latter asked about it.

The bill hopes to provide further transparency in the incen-

tives being extended by the various government agencies to ensure that sectors that provide large benefit to the people are given a big boost.

Rationalizing tax incentives is also targeted to ensure that government is not wasting money, which should instead be used for the necessary infrastructure and social protection programs. (PNA)

DOF to submit revised fiscal incentives rationalization bill

HE Aquino administration has finally come up with a consolidated version of the fiscal incentives rationalization bill and will submit this to Congress this week.

This was the assurance given by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima during the hearing for the proposed P2.606 trillion 2015 national budget at the Senate

fast economic growth of Davao City.

He enumerated several capacities that will be commissioned soon, like the 300 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant of AboitizPower, 200 MW of the Alcantara group, and 405 MW by Filinvest.

Montenegro said there is also a plan to increase the 600 MW of San Mi-

guel Corporation to 1,000 MW, and another 540 MW project by GN Power in Kauswagan by the Ayala Group.

“This will provide Mindanao with a reliable power supply starting next year,” he said.

Montenegro said MinDA is working closely with the Department of Energy (DOE) to promote the

coming in of new capacities to address the power supply problem in Mindanao.

He said MinDA is also promoting alternative sources of energy “and hopefully by 2025 there will be shift on the mix capacities where renewable energy dominates the provider of power here.”

(PNA)

Robust Globe network boosts subscription to bulk data plans

T

Over 90% of customers now on Globe GoSURF

HE growing pervasiveness of Globe Telecom’s 3G and 4G coverage as well as the proliferation of competitively-priced smartphones led over 90 percent of the company’s mobile data customers to subscribe to bulk data plans to meet their growing requirement for inter-

net connectivity.

And as the telecommunications provider expects to equip 100 percent of network with4G HSPA+ technology by the end of third quarter, more and more mobile customers are seen subscribing to bulk data plans.

“More than ever, customers see the benefits

of staying connected wherever they area. With the prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices, people are able to make phone calls, but also perform a myriad of tasks even when they are away from their homes and offices,” Globe Chief Operating Advisor Peter Bithos said.

6

THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

S&P: PHL banking system risk trend ‘stable’ R

ISKS to the Philippines’ banking system remain but Standard & Poor’s (S&P) believes the risk trend is “stable.”

In a statement, the debt watcher said the country’s economic path is also “stable,” buoyed by the improving external profile, moderating inflation, and improved external debt position. ”We view the industry risk trend as stable. We believe banks’ well-established domestic franchise will continue to help domestic banks to sustain a strong, stable, and diversified customer deposit profile,” it said.

The credit rating agency also expects the industry’s risk appetite “to remain manageable because they mainly offer simple and traditional products.”

It said regulatory standards are “broadly in line with international standards” and even pointed out that the standards, in some instances, are “more stringent.”

On the other hand, S&P noted that inadequate legislation and legal protection for supervisory staff “weaken the regulator’s ability to implement prudent measures.” ”The government’s attempts to amend the legislation have so far been protracted,” it said.

Despite the situation, S&P classifies the government’s stance on the banking industry as “highly supportive.”

This, it noted, reflects its expectation of “timely financial support from the government to ensure the stability of the financial system, if needed.” (PNA)

Foreign tourists check out a collection of festival masks peddled along C.M. Recto Avenue in Davao City during the 29th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival’s Floral Float Parade last Sunday. Lean Daval Jr.

Davao needs an economic zone to host big industries

By LILIAN C. MELLEJOR

A

S Davao City’s economy continues to grow, the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DIPC) sees the need to catch up in responding to the needs of industry locators, particularly in establishing an economic zone complex.

“The economic growth can’t be denied,”

DCIPC chief Ivan Cortez said.

Cortez said the services sector remains the engine of growth of the city, with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)11reporting that the sector grew by over six percent.

The NEDA report also showed that the economic growth is also reflected

on the passengers accommodated at theFrancisco Bangoy International Airport or Davao International Airport, which reached 2.8 million or 25 percent with 12,687 flights in 2013.

Cortez, however, said big players in the manufacturing sector that have wanted to locate in the city have put off their

agnosed with Discoid (Cutaneous) Lupus while working in Hong Kong, decided to end her contract in 2010 and come home for good.

Undaunted by her illness, Osano never gave up and immediately sought the help of OWWA Region 12 and through the P10,000 Balik Pinay Hanapbuhay Program.

The rest is history.

Osano said after receiving her Kabuhayan Starter Kit in 2011, her life had changed for good.

Her starter kit from DOLE included a sewing machine with which she started her small business sewing curtains, throw pillows, pillow cases, mats, and rice sacks.

“I really owed everything to DOLE-NRCO and OWWA. If it wasn’t for the program for returning OFWs I wouldn’t have the kind

of life my family is experiencing right now,” Osano said. ”My business grew and we continue to do all efforts to be successful,” she said.

The former HSW’s sewing and pottery making business is now flourishing, enabling her to sustain her lifetime medication.

Osano said she now earns P15,000 to P20,000 monthly from her sewed rice sacks and P10,000 from her pots.

She also bought an Elf truck from her earnings to ensure that her business expansion in other provinces of Region 12 will succeed.

Osano appealed to fellow Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) to make their families their own inspiration to strive hard and succeed.

She also urged OFWs to avail themselves of government programs as possible. (PNA)

DOLE-12 program changes OFW’s life

C

OTABATO CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 12 and its attached agencies are recognizing outstanding Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Region 12, making it possible for them to lead better lives.

Among the beneficiaries of the program implemented by DOLE 12, National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) was Jeny Lyn Osano, who worked as household service worker (HSW) in Kuwait and Hong Kong.

Under the “Balik Pinay Balik Hanapbuhay” program, Osano, who comes from a poor family in Barangay Tinongcop, Tantangan, South Cotabato, decided to change direction through the help of DOLE 12 to give her family a comfortable life.

Osano, who was di-

plans because there is no economic zone here.

“They are really asking for an economic zone where they can locate their industries,” Cortez said in an interview with reporters.

“The city will have to work double-time in rationalizing the growth being experienced during the past years,” he said.

Cortez said while the city is trying to respond to the needs of the investors, the establishment of an economic zone complex lies heavily on the private sector.

He said the country has 90 processing zones, of which only two are run by the government.

He said the city has an economic zone com-

plex but only for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

A 40-hectare economic zone complex with a total investment of P4 million is being put up in the north side of the city but Cortez said he is not at liberty to talk about it.

The complex can accommodate about four big industries. (PNA)

EPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad yesterday said the proposed P2.606 trillion national budget for 2015 will intensify the government’s journey to achieve inclusive and sustained economic growth and to sustain irreversible good governance reforms. ”Certainly our work is not yet done,” Abad told the Senate finance committee members during the briefing of the Development Budget Coordinating Council (DBCC) on the 2015 National Expenditure Program.

Abad said sustaining the economic growth and to making it truly felt by the people is one of the two major challenges that the administration of President Benigno Aquino is aiming to address in its two remaining years.

”The second challenge is how do we sustain and intensify the reforms we have already rolled out,” Abad said.

He said remarkable growth must translate into real and tangible benefits for the people, especially the poor. ”We have to ensure that public funds go not only to our priority programs for poverty reduction and economic expansion but also on priority localities where the poor are and where we must create more opportunities,” he said.

Abad told the Senate panel that poverty incidence has been reduced to 24.9 percent in the first semester of 2013 from 28.6 percent in the same period in 2009.

Abad gave assurance that the 2015 national budget will be spent “within its means on the right priorities and with

measurable results.” ”Moreover, the increase in public clamor for reforms only tells us that we should continue empowering citizens to increase transparency and accountability and most of all wider avenues for their participation in the budget process,” he said.

Abad said under the proposed 2015 national budget, the government intends to take the performance informed budget “a notch higher” to make sure every peso of the people’s money will be spent for the benefit of everybody. ”At the end of the day, no matter how well we designed our intervention and how sharp we target our beneficiaries, this would be meaningless if these are not felt by our people in an immediate and meaningful manner,” he said. (PNA)

2015 budget to intensify journey towards inclusive growth: Abad D

7 HEALTH

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

DIABETES: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

By ARMANDO A. MORTEJO

I

S there an army of ants parading in your restroom? Chances are you or someone in your family has diabetes. Ants in the bathroom, most physicians claim, are an effective diabetes indicator.

There are about four million diabetics in the country today, three million of whom do not know they have the disease.

“Many people still do not know that they have diabetes,” says Dr. Tommy Ty Wiling, president of Diabetes Philippines.

The Department of Health lists diabetes as the ninth leading cause of death among Filipinos today. In 20 years, the Philippines is expected to be among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest number of people with diabetes.

Considered a “disease of affluence,” diabetes is taking its place as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. “Diabetes is going to be the biggest epidemic in human history,” warns Dr. Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) thinks so, too. By 2030, the world will be home to 366 million people with diabetes.

Most of those diabetics will be from developing countries. In the Philippines, some 500 Filipinos are being diagnosed with the condition every day.

“Diabetes has no cure,” says Dr. Ricardo Fernando of the Institute for Studies and Diabetes Foundation in the Philippines.

“What doctors can do is just minimize the complications or push its onset a little later because the disease is more manageable among older people.”

Like most diseases, diabetes mellitus – doctors use this term to distinguish it from diabetes insipidus, a relatively rare disease – has symptoms.

Among the most common signs are excessive urination and abnormal thirst.

“I was always thirsty,” recalls former Health Secretary Juan M. Flavier on how he discovered he had diabetes. “I had to go to the toilet frequently at night, and my urinal always had ants.”

Other symptoms include unusual hunger, rapid loss of weight or excessive weight, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, drowsiness, itchy skin and skin disorders, cramps or numbness in the limbs, and abdominal pain.

Those who are experiencing any of the above symptoms but do not believe they have diabetes are gambling with their health. Augusto D. Liton-

jua, founding president of the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, says complications that arise from diabetes include blindness, heart diseases or stroke, kidney trouble, impotence, renal failure, and gangrene that could lead to amputation.

“Blindness can occur 25 times more in diabetics than non-diabetics,” Dr. Litonjua says. “They are also twice as prone to heart attacks and strokes, 17 times more prone to kidney disease, and five times more prone to gangrene. About 50 percent of men with long duration of diabetes are impotent.”

And here’s a bad news for pregnant women: studies showed birth defects occur in 5 to 10 percent to women with diabetes, four times higher than in women without diabetes.

Health experts say the number of deaths from diabetes in the country cannot be ascertained yet since death certificates only indicate the main cause of death. This means a person who dies of heart attack will be listed as a casualty of cardiovascular disease, even though it could be a complication caused by diabetes.

In the past, diabetes was considered a formidable disease. Its diagnosis in a young child was a notice of premature death. Its discovery in a man or a woman in the prime of life meant a complete change in the way of living, and a

greatly reduced expectation of life.

But it all changed when, in 1921, Canadian surgeon Frederick Grant Banting and his collaborator, Dr. Charles Herbert Best, succeeded in extracting an effective substance from the pancreas of animals, and it was tried on dogs. The amount of sugar or glucose in the dog’s blood decreased. The substance was called insulin.

On January 11, 1922, a 14-year-old Canadian boy lay in a deep coma caused by diabetes. The boy was the first patient in the world to be given an injection of insulin. The glucose in his blood dropped. He regained consciousness and his strength returned.

Since that day, insulin has saved the lives of millions of people. But it was soon recognized that there were cases of diabetes that did not respond to insulin.

Research was intensified into the types of the disease, its mechanisms, and into insulin itself.

The first step in treating diabetes is identifying the diabetic type. There are two types: the juvenile and adult-onset. Both types are characterized by high levels of blood sugar. Both also share the same crippling or fatal long-term complications caused by excess sugar spilling over into sensitive tissues. But the similarities end there.

Elizabeth Hiser, a journalist who writes for The New York Times and suf-

fers from type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, knows it: “The pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that allows the glucose in the blood to be moved into cells where it can be used as energy. Not surprisingly, the symptoms are severe, and without regular injections to make up for the lack of insulin, the afflicted patient risks coma and death.”

Singer and actor Gary Valenciano has also this type of diabetes. His wife, Angeli, has saved the life of her husband several times already. “She has revived me a number of times, preventing me from falling into a diabetic coma,” he reveals.

On the other hand, someone with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes starts out with abnormally high levels of insulin and can go for years – even decades – without knowing he has the disease, because no immediate, life-altering symptoms occur.

“The predisposition for developing type 2 diabetes is inherited,” writes Hiser, “and there are three factors that cause the disease to surface: being overweight, inactivity, and advancing age.”

Having too much body fat (and too little muscle mass) decreases the body’s ability to use insulin, a condition called insulin resistance because cells literally become resistant to insulin’s effects.

Health experts say

that carbohydrates, after a meal, are broken down to glucose, or single sugar units, which are absorbed and cause blood sugar levels to rise. Normally, over the next two or three hours, insulin efficiently clears blood sugar back to fasting levels.

When insulin does a poor job, blood sugar stays high between meals, even when insulin levels are abnormally high. As time passes, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas become dysfunctional.

At this point, insulin injections are needed.

“If you look at the spread of the scourge around the world, type 2 diabetes occurs as a country advances technologically, when people come out of the fields to sit behind desks,” notes Dr. Irwin Brodsky, director of the Diabetes Treatment Program at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Type 2 is the strain most people have to fear.

This is the real epidemic, accounting for 85-90 percent of diabetes cases in the Philippines. “Getting diagnosed early is important because most of its serious complications are preventable,” assures Dr. Marie Yvette Rosales-Amante, who had her fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Massachusetts.

People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin injections. Those with type 2 diabetes usually don’t

need insulin injections.

But 25 percent of them take drugs to improve sugar metabolism. “Treating type 2 diabetes with drugs does reduce blood sugar, that’s true,” says Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist-cardiologist at the Manila Doctors Hospital and Makati Medical Center.

But in many cases, doctors are electing to treat type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise. They find that this lifestyle approach does more than just reduce blood sugar.

“It does a lot more,” says Dr. James Barnard, professor of physiological science at the University of California. “The same regimen that puts diabetes on hold has a favorable impact on high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity.” Those three, along with high blood sugar, are what doctors call the deadly quarter.

Before doing anything, be sure to talk with your doctor. “We have been saying that diabetes is not a disease to be toyed with,” says Dr. Litonjua.

“It should be viewed with concern because if left untreated then there may be serious consequences. The glimmer of hope here is that if you treat a diabetic really well, he will live as long as a person without diabetes, and probably with a better quality of life because he takes care of himself better than one without diabetes who lives recklessly.”

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

EDITORIAL

Who’s setting the bad example?

I

T is one thing for the city’s officials to lambaste comedian Ramon Bautista for his “hipon” remarks during a Kadayawan party over the weekend, quite another to declare him persona non grata in Davao City.

In the first place, the definition of persona non grata precludes it from ever being implemented against Bautista: it refers to a foreign person whose entering or remaining in a particular country is prohibited by that country’s government. Last we looked, Bautista is a Filipino, and apparently a respected one because he is a professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Even in an informal sense, a local government cannot ban a Filipino from stepping on its ground because the constitution guarantees freedom of travel for all citizens. The second sentence of Section 6 of the Bill of Rights

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

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

says this: “Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.” Whatever he may have done, Bautista did not commit anything that threatens these three conditions.

But more important than the technicalities, we must look into the supposed bad example that Bautista had set. To be sure he had riled some feathers and offended quite a few people. But who is really setting a bad example here? Is it Ramon Bautista, who made a mistake but owned up to it and very publicly sought forgiveness not once but twice – first onstage just a few minutes after the hipon incident, and second on Twitter? Or is it the city officials who refused to accept an obviously heartfelt apology and chose to be vindictive?

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA KENNETH IRVING K. ONG Photography Contributing Photographer Creative Solutions ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. AQUILES Z. ZONIO ARLENE D. PASAJE CHENEEN R. CAPON Correspondent Cartoons Reporters

the national association of newspapers

Columnists: CARLOS MUNDA • MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NICASIO AGUSTIN • VIDA A. MIA VALVERDE • Economic ENRICO“ADDIE” “GICO” G. Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER ANGELO C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA Analysts: • BERNADETTE B. DAYANGIRANG M.QUISIDO PEREZ • Lifestyle Columnists: BAISR., FAUZIAH SINSUAT •AMBOLODTO • MEGHANN STA. INES BORBON • MARY• JONALLIER ANN “ADI” C. • LEANDRO B. DAVAL • NIKKIFATIMA GOTIANSE-TAN NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY •ZEN NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

GENERAL OFFICE SANTOS CITY CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OLIVIA D. VELASCO OLIVIA D. VELASCO SOLANI D. MARATAS RICHARDRICHARD C. EBONAC. EBONA SOLANI D. MARATAS MARKETING OFFICE | Marketing Manager General Manager General ManagerMarketingAdvertising FinanceLEIZEL A. DELOSOLEIZEL Supervisor SpecialistFinance A. DELOSO | MarketingFLORENCE ManagerS. VILLARIN

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Marketing Specialist Cagayan de Oro City c/o PZ Villarin Marketing Cagayan de Oro City Tel: (088) 852-4894

Tel: (088) 852-4894

Salvani St., Oringo Brgy. City Heights Tel: (083) 303-2215

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

EDGEDAVAO

W

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

Political crisis bogey

ILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? – A number of President Aquino’s political allies have resumed advocacy for charter change after he said in gist that he is amenable to the idea. The President said, however, he is only content in the desire to revise the constitution if his “bosses” share the common objective that would allow him to serve a second term.

The political opposition and progressive groups view the revision’s aim not to eliminate the charter’s defects, but to prolong President Aquino’s stay in power. Those who oppose Cha-Cha insist that the key amendment in the charter would result in the extension of the terms of elected officials.

Some senior members of Congress and allies of the President also appear unconvinced about the soundness of the move at the time when the country is confronted with mounting so-

I

cio-economic and political drawbacks.

They believe the Aquino leadership may be able to do more and better than revising the constitution considering that in less than two years, the President will bow out from office.

Some critics are also inclined to believe that the move to change the charter is just a political ploy aimed at veering the public’s attention away from the pork barrel crisis.

Initiators of constitutional change in the Lower House think the amendments have a good chance of passage.

Many allies of the President would logically support any move that would

result in the extension of their terms, including Cha-Cha. Some of them actually believe that with the right combination of timing and maneuvers, they could push constitutional amendments and have them approve by their “bosses” in a referendum. This thing is a “game of chicken” and can be done before the term of President Aquino ends.

On the other hand, groups opposed to Cha-Cha will exhaust all means to block the proposed constitutional amendments. The move to give the President a second term, they warn, could be the beginning of another political crisis.

Some anti-Cha-Cha are remnants of the victims of Martial Law who fear that history will repeat itself; that the amendment of the constitution could lead President Aquino to perpetuate himself in power, just like Ferdinand Marcos. It makes the motives of the President’s men all the more suspect.

A framework for genuine democracy as P-Noy’s legacy?

T’S still so early but there’s already so much talk of what’s going to happen in 2016 and beyond. But we hear little or nothing about what to do or focus on till then in order to assure our society a smoother progression into the future.

Ideally it would be the President [who must] facilitate discussion on a vision for the future—immediate, medium term, long term—or propose his own ideas; but it may be asking too much.

Nevertheless, one can hope there are far-sighted, strategic thinkers in our society to oblige with their own thoughts.

One suggestion Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III might entertain is the idea of complementing, extending, or building on his mother’s legacy, which was the restoration of our basic freedoms and democracy. ***** Toward that end, P-Noy could see to the creation of a social-political framework in which genuine democracy can thrive and be institutionalized. By this I mean establishing the essential policies and structures that promote or guarantee full play of democratic processes and institutions.

This he can do by defining/identifying what restraining forces keep our democracy and politics immature and dysfunctional—then proceed to generate societal responses on how to remedy them.

One restraining force for instance is the unhealthy dominance of political dynasties in our political system. This has its counterpart in the control of big business as a monopoly of a few families, a fact that keeps stretching the gap between the rich and the poor ever wider.

These are worthy issues in our beleaguered society, but they don’t ever get to be discussed, let alone addressed by our putative leaders. It takes statesmanship

WORM’S EYEVIEW

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA to tackle them. Has P-Noy learned to be a statesman? ***** Ever since EDSA and President Cory’s administration, these items have remained on the pending tray of our national agenda.

P-Noy can well afford to grapple with them in the remaining time he has—unless he has effectively developed a fondness for staying on via Cha Cha, which by no means is assured.

Another issue is the natural adjunct to his Daang Matuwid, namely, establishing rule of law more effectively— without which his mantra is just wishful thinking and a corny slogan.

Then there’s the weakness of governance on all levels that remain unaddressed, with the so-called state policy of autonomy in ersatz operation—local government units continue to rely on connections at high places and partisan sycophancy for their needs.

And of course, there’s people’s empowerment. Nothing has been done to empower those who are not in power— the citizens. Power remains concentrated in the entrenched ruling class of traditional politicians. True democracy demands active participation of all sectors, operating within a system of checks and balances, with no one group or class overpowering another. ***** But thus far, democracy and its processes, as are our freedoms, are taken for granted. There’s no program to integrate their principles and practices in our people’s value system.

Citizens and political institutions need education, nurture, and guides

on how to be good citizens in thought, word and deed.

There’s also the question of nominal political parties: no platforms, no programs on which to base which one(s) to support or patronize. Parties are supposed to provide the menu for good governance to aid the electorate in making intelligent or informed decisions.

But the so-called political parties don’t even bother to prepare or provide proper platforms of government. They bastardize politics and reduce elections to nothing more than political beauty contests, cockfights, or bruising brawls.

Even the Commission on Elections fails to require proper credentials or actual implementation of “paper” platforms as requisite for accrediting the parties. ***** Even the need to orient or mobilize civil society on their proper role in creating the environment for democracy has been neglected. They are inutile politically, unable to protect their members from the evils of patronage politics and feudal-minded trapos.

These are only some of the major items on our society pending agenda.

Why leave them to P-Noy’s successors?

We need to tackle them now so that democracy and our political institutions can flourish.

(Manny is former UNESCO regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, Development Academy of the Philippines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Government Academy; member, Cory Govt’s Peace Panel; awardee, PPIUNICEF outstanding columnist. He is president/national convenor of Gising Barangay Movement Inc. Reader’s may reach him at valdehuesa@gmail.com

VANTAGE POINTS

9

A city on fire

FAST BACKWARD

BY THE ARCHIVIST

U

NLIKE typhoons, fires leave almost nothing but burned structures and ashes. This was the experience of Davao City’s central business district underwent when a huge fire nearly wiped out its commercial center on Feb. 10, 1964.

Although no death was recorded and the incident traced to faulty electrical wiring, the blaze, which started at Davao Superette along Anda Street, near the junction of Rizal Street, was one of the biggest calamities to hit the city in post-war years.

The morning flames ate up Lyric Theater, Universal Theater, and Liberty Barber Shop, and later all the stores along Anda and San Pedro streets, including the Vera Cruz Hotel. Miraculously spared were the houses of the Magallanes, Monfort and Oboza families. The fire moved westward, consuming a second block that mercifully left intact the homes of the Dizon, Sasin, Pineda, and Panganiban families, situated across the present Phil-Am building.

Embers from the burning blocks were fanned by strong winds that helped start another fire on the third block, which was to the left of the first block. Stores like Gift Mart, Three Sisters, Tung Chong Grocery, and Farmacia Pascual were reduced to ashes as the conflagration sped in the direction of the City Hall. Similarly, the flying embers from the second block crossed to the nearby chunk, gobbling up Liberty Theater. Only the Carriedo residence was spared.

From the third block, the fire jumped to another, burning the iconic Brokenshire Hospital where Grand Men Seng Hotel now stands. From the first block, the conflagration crossed Ponciano Reyes Extension, a.k.a. Crooked Road, in the direction of San Pedro Church, swallowing on its way to Gems Theater at corner San Pedro and Bolton streets, Loleng’s Refreshment Parlor, and the pre-war residence of the Lizada family.

Except for the burned trees at the government center, the iconic San Pedro Church, the Immaculate Conception College (which housed an auditorium beside), and the City Hall were past the worst. Through the years more landscape-changing conflagrations hit the city.

The urban legend gaining circulation then was that the big fire was caused by a move in the city council to change the name of San Pedro Street to something else. People were also amazed at the fact that after the nuns and students of the old ICC had tied picture frames of the Virgin Mary on the school’s fence, the fire stopped raging from the side of Bolton Street and at Mayflower Restaurant right at the back of the school and San Pedro Cathedral.

In the summer of 1965, a big fire nearly razed the entire west-end of the Santa Ana district where imposing warehouses, some of these keeping government stocks were destroyed. The National Rice and Corn Administration bodega (NARIC, forerunner of National Food Authority), sustained heavy damage, with thousands of sacks of grains ruined due to water seepage and heat. Still, this did not bar people from scavenging the stocks.

The storehouse of National Marketing Corporation (NAMARCO), on the other hand, after the blaze had subsided, showed mountains of burned commodities, from canned sardines to bottled soy sauce, literally posing threats to people who ransacked the stockroom. Only the forest patch separating the district from Rosemarie area prevented the spread of the fire.

The famous Luc Tian Restaurant, maker of the city’s most popular noodle cuisine, was partially hit by the conflagration, but was spared because of its tall firewall, which literally stopped the calamity from spreading towards the port area.

10 NEWS

‘Persona Non Grata’... FFROM 1

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

“Mr. Bautista willfully and arrogantly intended to propagate a culture of sexism and male chauvinism that promotes rude and disrespectful behavior against women,” the resolution said.

The resolution said that his insinuations that the young women in the picture are lusting for popularity because he is an endorser of ayosdito. com, an online selling market and Smart shows utter arrogance.

“Mr. Bautista posted in his Instagram account a picture of himself with

his arms draped over three young women attending the event and wrote the caption ‘Ito ang kabataan ngayon hihi #Kadayawan #PasisikatinKitaHijaFoundation @ayosdito_ph,’” the resolution stipulated.

Last August 16, Bautista was presented by the organizers of ‘Kadayawan Invasion’ as endorser of online marketing site ayosdito.com.

It is said in the statement that Bautista shouted his greetings to the crowd by saying

“Tama! Ang daming hipon dito sa Davao! Alright.”

Then, he goaded the crowd to chant ‘hipon’ by yelling “when I say Hi, you say Pon!” and initiated the chant twice before shouting alright.

On the later part of the show, Bautista apologized on stage after Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte confronted him upon hearing the statement.

In the weekly Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong yesterday, Duterte told reporters that he already forgave Bautista since he

ed residents will be also the workers in the proposed development.

However, the city government of Davao cannot just enter into agreement with any of the three firms because of a presidential proclamation.

Former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada, through a presidential proclamation, designated the 123, 201- square me-

ter lot of Isla Verde into an area for human habitation.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said that there’s a need for reclassification of the area before investors can start with their own respective ventures.

Duterte said in an interview earlier that he already asked President Aquino on the matter.

He said that he asked third district congressmen Isidro Ungab to hand the request letter to the president.

“Kay [congressman] Ungab ko na pinatrabaho because he has the ear of the President,” he said.

Duterte said that he can only talk to the President on “matters of extreme urgency” like issues on security of the city. CRC

tice stakeholders that is reflective of our societal norms,” Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima said on Tuesday.

“We shall now endorse the final product of both houses of Congress for their consideration to realize its passage as the new Criminal Code of the Philippines on or before 2016,” De Lima added.

The key features of Book 2 include: -- structured based on

central themes with common features; -- rationalized penal provisions by categorizing into three major titles, namely, Crimes against Persons, Crimes against Property and Crimes against the State; -- modernized archaic provisions by integrating and consolidating several penal laws which refer to the same criminal act; -- delisted some outdated penal provisions;

-inclusion of trans-border crimes; and -- penal provisions are generally conduct-based.

“We thank the Secretary for her support and to all the member agencies and offices of the Committee that contributed and participated in this body of collaborative work,” Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo L. Sy said.

Sy heads the CCC. (PNA)

Nino for the development of the resettlement project, which will benefit around 100 informal settlers in the area.

The project will be implemented within the 2.5-hectare unfinished Bliss housing village in Poblacion of Sto. Nino.

Engr. Samson Espartero, Sto. Nino municipal engineer, said the resettlement site was first developed during the early 80s under the Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services or Bliss housing project of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

He said the municipal government was able to construct six housing units before the project was shelved following the 1986 Edsa people power revolt.

“We will be constructing 50 duplex housing units to complete the re-

settlement project,” he told PNA. Espartero said they are targeting to begin the construction of the housing units, which would accommodate two families each, within the fourth quarter of the year.

He said the initial P1.8 million grant will be utilized for the mobilization and initial site development of the project.

The official said they are currently working on the posting or publication of the bidding for the resettlement project.

“The process could take about a month so, hopefully, we can be able to award the project contract by October,” he said.

Meanwhile, aside from the Sto. Nino Resettlement Project, two more socialized housing projects are due for implementation in the province within the next

two years.

South Cotabato (2nd District) Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez said the HUDCC and the NHA earlier approved the allocation of around P12 million each for the resettlement projects in Surallah and Banga towns.

He said his office is currently assisting the two local government units in the acquisition of the housing sites to facilitate their implementation by next year.

Hernandez said he also proposed with the NHA for the expansion of its resettlement project for the tribal or indigenous peoples (IP) in T’boli town.

He said the initiative will take off from the P10-million “model IP resettlement project” being implemented by the agency in Lake Sebu town. (PNA)

Foreign... FFROM 2

DOJ... FFROM 3

NHA...FFROM 3

apologized on stage last Saturday night.

But because of the call from some women groups, particularly Gabriela, he asked the council to file a resolution for the declaration of Bautista as an unwelcome person in the city.

He said that this group told him in a text message that the statement of Bautista is unacceptable.

Aside from Gabriela, there were also nuns who texted them expressing their sentiment on the statement of the

comedian.

Councilor Leah Librado-Yap said in a chance interview yesterday that the comparison of women to food as what Bautista is obviously a commodification of women.

“The mere fact the he made a joke sa atong mga kababaihan, ang ako man gung pangutana is number one is, why we should equate women sa isa ka butang or pagkaon na tao man ang usa ka babae,” Librado said.

Librado said that Bautista really violated

the Women Development Code of Davao City but she cannot point out as of the moment, a certain provision in the code which was violated by the comedian.

“The mere fact that the Women Development Code emphasized that the commodification of women is against the law and that is a violation,” she said.

Bautista said in his Twitter account last Monday night that he respects the decision of Davao officials and he will abide with it.

HARDHEADED. Unmindful of the risk of being hit by falling debris in a construction site, two unidentified students ignored and disregarded the warning sign. Lean Daval Jr.

DOLE... FFROM 2 order that the Republic Act No 10533 or the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013” will be really implemented.

Benavidez said that the program has two components; the first one is providing complimentary senior high school vouchers to the incoming senior high school who will enroll in private HEI. The other component he said, is the financial assistance which will be provided in the HEIs for their teaching and non-teaching staff.

“What we need to do is, for teaching and non-teaching personnel to be asked to undertake research and extension work or to teach or work as professors or an ordinary worker in senior high school. In this wise, there will be minimal number of faculty members who will be retrenched,” he said.

He said that this are the things that the government is looking and they still have two years to materialize some plans.

Based on the joint guidelines of DOLE, DepEd, TESDA and CHED on the implementation of the labor and management component of RA 10533, the proposed transition fund during interim period in 2016 -2021, is envisioned to provide assistance to HEIs to retained employees who are not transferred to teach or work and/ or work in the secondary education of the same HEI and retrenched employees during the interim period.

More than five hours after the first operation, personnel of Tugbok Police Station apprehended second suspect as Rommel O. Torres, 39, farm caretaker, a resident of Sitio Cogon, Barangay Biao Escuela, Tugbok District, in this city.

Reports from the

Operation Unit of Davao City Police Office (DCPO) bared that Torres with two other suspects at large were suspiciously roaming around 8:00 p.m. last Monday and ran when the three were approached by Barangay Peace and Order Unit (BPOU).

Confiscated from Torres was one sachet of suspected shabu.

Each personnel of the responding police stations are preparing to file charges against the two for the violation of Republic Act. 9165 or Comprehensive Drug Act of 2002. CRC

2 busted...FFROM 2

11 ENVIRONMENT

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

AIR POLLUTION:

KILLING YOU SOFTLY

By ARMANDO A. MORTEJO

O

NE Wednesday morning in October 1948, a heavy smog – produced when sunlight reacts with hydrocarbon compounds and nitrogen oxides from motor vehicle emissions – settled over Donora, Pennsylvania.

The smog continued for two days, and by Friday, a marked increase in illness started to take place in the area. “By Friday evening, the physicians’ telephone exchange was flooded with calls for medical aid, and the doctors were making calls unceasingly to care for their patients,” the US Public Health reported. “Many persons were sent to nearby hospitals, and other organizations were asked to help with the many ill persons.”

Despite this, no general alarm about the smog’s effects was sounded. That same Friday evening, thousands of people attended the annual Donora Halloween parade. In the afternoon of the following day, a high school football game was played on the gridiron of Donora High School before a large crowd.

“The first death during the smog had already occurred, however, early Saturday morning – at 2 a.m. to be precise,” the US Public Health said. “More followed in quick succession during the day and by nightfall word of these deaths was racing through the town.

By 11:30 that night 17 persons were dead. Two more were to follow on Sunday, and still another who fell ill during the smog was to die

a week later on November 8.”

“On Sunday afternoon, rain came to clear away the smog. But hundreds were still ill, and the rest of the residents were still stunned by the number of deaths that had taken place during the preceding 36 hours.”

Will that incident soon to happen in Metro Manila, too? Some years back, the metropolis was reported to have far higher levels of particulate matter (PM) in its air than New York, Tokyo, or London. “Particle concentrations in Manila’s air are more than 200 percent higher than the limits set in the United States,” said a report.

PM refers to any tiny solid particle dispersed from pesticides, asbestos, and thousands of other products. The most noticeable type of air pollution (since it is readily visible), PM often attracts and carries chemicals through the air such as dust-carrying sulfuric acid.

Aside from PM, other common forms of air pollutants are carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (which include benzene, xylene, and ethylene dibromide), sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and residues of the highly toxic tetraethyl lead, a substance added to gasoline to enhance its octane value or “burning quality.”

A study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank some years back showed that diesel-fueled vehicles were the primary source of PM in Metro

Manila. Although jeepneys, taxis, trucks, and buses represent only one-fifth of the vehicle population in the metropolis, they produced two-thirds of the SPM, the study disclosed.

“The marked increase of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere can cause nose, throat, chest, and eye problems and aggravate the conditions of people suffering from allergies, coughs, and colds,” pulmonologist Dr. Maricar Limpin, former president of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP), said in a press statement released by environment group EcoWaste Coalition.

Breathing polluted air is indeed bad for your health.

Dr. Juan M. Flavier, when he was still Health Secretary, said: “Among the jeepney drivers plying along EDSA, 33 percent have acute bronchitis.”

Even if you ride an air-conditioned vehicle, you are not spared from breathing air pollutants like lead (which comes mainly from burning leaded gasoline). “A study conducted by the College of Public Health found that there is hardly any difference in the level of lead in blood and in the frequency of respiratory diseases among jeepney drivers, drivers of air-conditioned buses, and people exposed to polluted air in traffic. So, it doesn’t mean that when we ride in air-conditioned buses, we have already escaped from pollution,” said Dr. Nelia Cortez-Maramba of the University of the Philippines Department of

Pharmacology.

“Nowadays, breathing (in Metro Manila) can be a dangerous business,” commented Framelia V. Anonas, a media service staffer of the Department of Science and Technology. “The air that breathes your life is the same one that can snuff life out of you.”

Many air pollutants – a mix of gases, droplets, and particles – are able to pass through the lungs into the bloodstream and are eventually transported to the heart and the entire body through blood vessels.

“Because the cardiovascular system is dependent on the functioning of the respiratory system, it is also indirectly affected by the deleterious effects of the pollution on the lungs,” the World Health Organization (WHO) explained.

A study published in the medical journal Lancet showed that those living near a major road have a higher risk of dying earlier than the rest of the population. It concluded that long-term exposure to traffic-released air pollution may shorten life expectancy.

Other studies also revealed that heart attacks, life-threatening heart rhythms, and thickening of the blood can also be traced to exposure to air pollution. “To make it clear: all these bodily changes spell doom for the Filipinos living in Metro Manila (and other highly-urbanized centers),” warned Dr. Willie T. Ong, a cardiologist who writes a regular column for

a national daily.

Perhaps not too many know that air pollution is tied to high blood pressure in pregnancy. Statistics show that women develop high blood pressure during about one in ten pregnancies. Having so-called gestational hypertension makes it more likely that a woman will need a cesarean section, that she will give birth early, and that her baby will be born small.

“Our results suggest air pollution does have some impact on the risk of gestational hypertension,” said epidemiologist Dr. Xiaohui Xu, who led the study at the University of Florida in Gainesville. “This could have some subsequent effects on both maternal and fetal health.”

But worse, air pollution kills. A global study listed air pollution as one of the top 10 killers in the world, according to a report by the Asian Scientist. Up to a whopping 65 percent of deaths from air pollution occur in Asia.

Air pollution kills three times more than vehicular accidents do, said a study conducted by the WHO. In the Philippines, over four percent of all deaths are attributed to air pollution, according to a report released by the World Bank.

“Air pollution is causing more deaths than HIV or malaria combined,” Kandeh Yumkella, director general of the UN Industrial Development Organization, told the participants of the 2012 conference in

Oslo trying to work out new UN development goals for 2030.

A recent WHO study found that 3.5 million people die early annually from indoor air pollution (caused by wood fires and primitive stoves) and 3.3 million from outdoor air pollution.

“We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths,” said Kurt Straif, head of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)’s monographs section, which is tasked with ranking carcinogens. “The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances.”

Every little bit counts in the fight against air pollution. A study in Europe has found that even very small cuts in pollution can benefit health. One recent study from Harvard University found that people living in cities where air pollution decreased in recent years saw their life expectancy increase an average of five months as a result of cleaner air.

Fresh air is invigorating. In his column, Dr. Richard G. Mendoza wrote: “Good quality clean air may usually be found in abundance in natural outdoor environments, especially around evergreen trees, green plants in mountains and forests, near moving waters such as lakes, oceans, rivers, waterfalls, and after rain.”

12 CLASSIFIED

(

)

Billiard Supplies

Phone Nos.

Cell Nos.

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

TRENDS

Baby’s first close up

ALTHOUGH your baby’s too small to strike a pose for the camera, pictures are special keepsakes that parents treasure for a lifetime. In fact, taking baby photos is like a military mission for most moms, who will spare no cost and go to great lengths just to capture her baby’s precious moments for all family and friends to see. In my case, being a working mom, these photos have become the best antidote which eases all melancholy over missing my little one at home.

There are parents who opt for a photo session with a portrait photographer who has good experience in capturing images of newborns and toddlers. A photographer who has the skill to work with children and babies knows how to manage any kind of situation ---- be it crying times, tantrums, or when nature calls. Some prefer to get professional pictures of their baby around newborn stage or the three week mark. One of the most enjoyable baby shoots is also during the sitting stage which is usually around 6-7 months, when babies have become to be more animated and interactive with the audience.

On another hand, how, where, when and by whom the photos are done play only a minor part in the entire experience as what’s really important is to capture that magical essence of your baby. With your camera phone alone, you’ll likely be snapping thousands of pictures of your child throughout the course of their childhood. Motherly instincts are enough to turn you into your baby’s own photographer who can calculate the

best moments to capture tear-jerkingly beautiful images.

When planning your baby’s photo debut, remember that it’s important to make it comfortable for your little one. Props can prettify and add interest to your images, especially for a baby under 3 months who can’t do a dozen poses on his own. In this stage, babies can only be safely left unattended when lying down. Babies have sweet movements which do not have to be staged at all, so there’s no need to stress over having the perfect pose in every frame. A prop with sentimental value such as a handmade blanket or a hand me down teddy bear are good enough to enhance the overall frame. However, should you have any theme

Call: 224-0733 • Tionko St., Davao City

and scene in mind, there are also stylists in town who can help you execute your preferred backdrop and set design. As for the wardrobe, it’s best to keep it streamlined as bold patterns and prints can be distracting.

Statement shirts may be impossible to read if you can’t get your baby set and posed in the right position.

One of the problems you’ll probably encounter when photographing infants is deciding what sort of shots you want to capture. Photographers recommend that you bring yourself down to eye level or zoom in with macro lens to capture the extreme detail of his best features. If the baby sees you at eye level, there is a greater chance for interaction and expression. As you follow his every move with your camera, keep yourself on high alert for those inevitable photo opportunities. You may need to goof around to elicit a reaction.

This can include playing hide and seek or making silly clucking noises. You can try to capture natural expressions, candid moments or posed expressions. After taking a full body shot, you may also want to take detail shots of his hands, eyes, feet and mouth --- all which you can put together to create a photo montage. These images, when put side by side, capture all of your baby’s dynamic personality.

Natural light is often more pleasing to a baby’s skin tones. As opposed to artificial lights or flash, pho-

tos taken using natural light are more realistic and delightful to the eye. It’s best to avoid the harsh midday light as will cast shadows on the face and your baby will be more likely to squint due to the flash of sunlight.

Don’t just create wonderful images of your baby – create memories with your baby! Let the baby inspire you. Be creative and enjoy this bonding experience with your little one. It’s one of those memories you’ll keep looking back and will forever remind you of the magic of your child’s innocent smile and touch.

Photos courtesy of Marlon Advincula. Visit Marlon Advincula Photography on Facebook or call 082 305 59 84. Set design and styling by Veejay Salongga of Decoratives by Janah & Hercs.

Photos by Marlon Advincula Set design by Veejay Salongga of Decoratives by Janah & Hercs

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

MOVIE REVIEW

Galactic groove

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy

By Jay Rosas THE NEXT TIME we see Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the unlikely hero of James Gunn’s spectacular and highly enjoyable space caper Guardians of the Galaxy, is 26 years after a brief sad prelude in his former planetary residence - a moment in his childhood in a 1988 Earth, his mom dying in a hospital bed before he got sucked into some space pod.

Quill, who now calls himself Star-lord (which turns out is not much of a household name even by notoriety), enters a massive and desolate enclave in some abandoned planet called Morag, looking for an orb which power is as mysterious as it is destructive in the wrong hands. Quill doesn’t know this of course; he only intends to sell it to The Collector of Xandar, the Comicverse’s Earth twin in Gunn’s Marvel hodgepodge of intergalactic fun.

This orb sets the narrative in motion. We learn that aside from Quill a host of other characters also want a piece of it. This includes Gamora (a green Zoe Saldana) an assassin of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), the movie’s main villain, who is desperate for galactic domination.

There is also Yondu (Michael

Rooker), Quill’s erstwhile abductor cum unwanted surrogate father, and his band of never-do-gooders who chase Quill from Morag to Knowhere, a kind of interstellar purgatory (where we meet Tevan the Collector played

by Benicio del Toro in some version of David Bowie) to Xandar. What really unravels is standard-issue plotting for any Marvel flick but interestingly there is enough sensibility to Gunn’s direction that makes it un-Marvel-ish.

He infuses the five Guardians with enough pathos and character that we invest in them, never mind if it isn’t the frantic Tony Sparks, the time-embattled Steve Rogers or the emotive, adolescent Peter Parker. After all, this isn’t some superhero movie, but a band of misfits in some far-out space opera version of Godard’s Band of Outsiders,

unable to fully understand that they have the capacity to do good. It is like a more fun version of Star Wars minus the overwhelming sense of cosmic urgency.

The visual design and characters are fascinating.

Gunn successfully does away with the dreadful emotional baggage by substituting backstory for some comical existential quirks and hilarious punchlines. Both resolute, Gamora and Drax the Destroyer (ex-WWE superstar Dave Bautista) have violent, tragic histories; the orb some trivial means to betray and enact revenge on Ronan. Gunn does some wonders by casting Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as voice characters. A genetic anomaly, Rocket is perfectly voiced by Cooper, providing hysterical laughs through his neurotic outbursts and frivolous interest in artificial bodily appendages (think the animated equivalent of the curly Cooper inAmerican Hustle combined with the manic-depressive Pat Jr. of Silver Linings Playbook).

Calling everybody except him an idiot, the raccoon comes down his high chair for some bit of humility and

comforting. And despite the three-word limit, Vin Diesel skillfully changes his tone to a surprising effect and makes the “vocabulistics”challenged Groot affectionate, intelligent and sensitive.

Even Drax’s annoying aggression rubs off when he has finally learned a thing or two about metaphors. Gunn also includes some set pieces that are exciting and lovely to look at, (Starlord and Gamora floating in Knowhere, the Xandar spacecrafts forming a shield against the Dark Aster) adding color to what can be a drab space and a respite from the elaborate mishmash of explosions.

When the Guardiansvillain stand-off is resolved in the end partly via a failed Ronan-Starlord dance-off, Quill realizing his Terran origin and with a newfound family of ragtag oddballs, in the end, the orb begins to feel commonplace compared to that other thing Quill holds on to with the most sentimental value – his Walkman. In the first scene with a grownup Quill, the camera follows his hand to reveal his Walkman, with a cassette tape labeled Awesome Mix Vol. 1 filled with 70s pop/

rock music that his mother left him. He presses the play button and the beats of Redbone’s Come and Get Your Love seduces you to do the sexy/silly dance moves as if the Morag cave is filled with loudspeakers. Beside the impromptu dancing rekindling some Andy Dwyer recklessness in Parks and Recreation, that opening scene carries with it a deserved nostalgia and a soothing kind of sentimentality - the anonymous hero alone, scouring for arcane thingamajigs, offering some momentary purpose to his listless existence.

The soundtrack provides that emotional context and uncanny texture to Quill’s character, as well as Gunn’s overall vision. Here, the cheekiness is more endearing because it’s serious enough not to be serious. Yet, Guardian’s self-aware unpretentiousness is poignant. Just like Quill’s Walkman, the film’s emotion and spirit is latched on to some moment in the past, assortments or things that remind us of a certain way of doing stuff and enjoying it. Call it escape, like Clint Eastwood’s recent film, the under-appreciated Jersey Boys, but pressing

the play button of a cassette tape and revisiting the plain goodness of a pop song or the grandeur of forgotten films, is a kind of wish fulfillment that we all engage in once in a while to give us perspective and enough sunshine to face the present.

Guardians of the Galaxy is that stroke of marvel (no pun intended) in the superheropopulated vastness of Marvel universe. It certainly is the most entertaining Marvel franchise to come out of recent memory, eclipsing this year’s Spiderman, Captain America and X-Men sequels.

In the end, they really become just the sort of commercial expectations, aiming to be better versions of their previous selves with our own superficial familiarity with them giving us a sense of auto-excitement. The Guardians will be back, probably shedding light to Thanos, and unfortunately becoming part of this lot of movie franchises. Hopefully, the charm and playfulness remains intact with Gunn at the helm.

In the meantime, we have this installment to enjoy for a little while as we channel our own Starlord groove, still hooked on that feeling.

UP AND ABOUT

Filipino comic legends featured on Hero TV this August THE country’s number one anime channel is turning its sights to the Philippines’ very own animated characters this month of August, when its special production “Comics on Cam” will be premiering on Hero TV. “Comics on Cam” will be showcasing classic Pinoy comic book charactersand putting them back into action through the channel’s motion comics. Gear up to meet original local comic legends this August 24 at 12:00pm before Hero Theatrixx.

Local color also continues to shine through as Hero TV screens Arnold Arre’s “Andong Agimat: Kanya ang Kalye.” Catch this 15-minute short film by one of the Philippines’ best animators, which even took home the top spot for the Short Film category and the Special Jury Prize in the 7th Animahenasyon, the country’s animation festival.

Also hitting local screens this month is the hit show “Yuyushiki,” a series about three lovely girls and their daily randomness and

wacky humor at their data processing club. Catch it on weekdays at 8:00pm, with replays at 2:00am, 8:00am, and 2:00pm.

Apart from all these, Na-

ruto Shipuuden: Season 6 will also continue to air on Hero. Catch it every Saturday at 12:00am, with replays at 12:00pm and 8:00pm.

Kuroko’s Basketball: Sea-

son 2 also makes its way into weekdays this month at 8:30pm, with replays at 2:30am, 8:30am, and 2:30pm.

Of course, Hero is bringing back current favorites with an awesome line-up of returning titles. This month, catch “The Eccentric Family”, “Love Live! School Idol Project”, “Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East”, “Vampire Knight”, “Shigofumi: Letter from the Departed”, “Toaru Kagaku No Railgun”, “Rahxephon”, “Arjuna”, “Digimon Savers”, “Major: Season 6”,

and “Reborn! Season 4”.

The month wouldn’t be complete either without three animated movies taking over Philippine television for Hero Theatrixx.

This month, catch “Gundan U.C.”, “Sword of the Stranger”, and “Rescue Force: The Movie”. The Hero Theatrixx block runs every Sunday at 12:00am, with replays at 12:00pm and 8:00pm.

Catch all these and more this August on Hero TV. For updates, visit Hero TV’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/myheronation).

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

LJ Reyes: ENTERTAINMENT

A protagonist of her own

“SA totoong buhay, wala naman tayong bida at kontrabida.

Laging tayo ang bida.

It’s your story,” says LJ Reyes, who believes that being a protagonist or an antagonist does not matter, as long as an actor portrays a character with credibility.

Coming a long way from being a Starstruck first princess to playing various roles on television, LJ has come to embrace showbiz and all the blessings and woes that it brings. It is the same industry that saw her transformation from the sweet, teeny bopper actress to the strong-willed and proud single mother that she is today.

On the 10th year of Cinemalaya, LJ is proud to be a part of the indie film The Janitor, which bagged the most number of awards in the said festival, where she stars opposite awardwinning actor Dennis Trillo.

The Janitor is her third stint in the indie scene following The Leaving and Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino.

In this exchange with the actress, LJ talks about her role in The Janitor and her controversial “bed scene” with Dennis, what she loves about acting for both film and TV, and the joy of being a single mom.

Q: What is The Janitor all about?

A: ‘Yung plot nu’ng movie is about being a good man, and ‘yung blind loyalty. Si Dennis dito plays a police officer na sobrang gusto niya talaga mag-serve. But then circumstances changed his fate. Medyo political na touching din on social ‘yung issues sa project niya.

Q: How did you land your role in this film?

A: Tinawagan ako ni Direk Mike for it, sabi niya “LJ can we have a meeting? Kasi I’m doing a Cinemalaya film and gusto ko sana na makatrabaho ka.” Tapos na-excite ako sabi ko, “Sige, sige, Direk.” So nag-meet kami, kinuwento niya sa akin ‘yung plot nu’ng story, ‘yung characters, tapos sabi niya, “Are you willing to do Melba?” Sabi ko, “Of course, Direk, of course!” Sabi ko, “No problem, I would be very honored to play Melba.”

buhay, wala naman tayong bida at kontrabida. Laging tayo ang bida. It’s your story, ‘yun talaga ang tumatakbo di ba? So ‘yung ibang tao, sila ‘yung support sa story mo. Kahit na kontrabida ka sa TV, di mo naman iisipin na, “kontrabida ako”—istorya ko ‘to, noh! Parang ganun. So I don’t believe na may bida kontrabida.

Q: Can you describe Melba to us?

A: Melba is the wife of Crisanto, si Dennis Trillo. Very loving siya, mapagtiis naman siya sa buhay kasi syempre ‘yung life ng isang police officer dito and sa totoong buhay hindi naman talaga ‘yung very comfortable di ba? Tapos pregnant siya with their child, siya rin ‘yung nag-aalaga sa sick mother ni Dennis, and also dealing with the alcoholic father. So medyo stressful din talaga dun sa household. But then tinitiis niya ‘yon for Dennis kasi mahal niya si Dennis. Then nu’ng marami nang nangyayari kay Dennis, na-overwhelm siya, nagkakaroon ng problema sa marriage.

Q: How did you prepare for such a role?

A: Since medyo familiar naman ako sa situation ng family, tapos sa pagiging pregnant, pinagsama-sama ko na lang and then siyempre nagtatanong ako kay Direk kung ano ‘yung gusto niyang character talaga ni Melba and then nakatulong din na magagaling talaga ‘yung co-actors ko. So, ang sarap. Parang it’s easier, relatively easier na gawin ‘yung mga eksena kasi very generous ‘yung kasama kong actors.

Q: Since this is already your third indie film, following The Leaving and Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino, how will you com-

pare it to your acting on television?

A: Actually kasi kapag movie, sa big screen, internal talaga. Kailangan maparamdam mo kasi usually ito lang talaga ‘yung nakikita sayo eh (frames her face), mukha lang talaga. So ‘yun, sa eyes lang talaga. Sa TV kasi minsan may wide, medyo technical ‘yung sinasabi ko.

Anyway, magkalapit naman nang kaunti. At saka ‘yung character kasi ni Melba, medyo subtle ‘yung movements niya. ‘Yung di siya masyado nagpapakita ng anger kasi nga nagtitiis siya.

Q: What do you enjoy doing—the movies or your TV projects?

A: I really enjoy doing both.

Iba kasi ‘yung mga role na nabibigay sa akin sa TV, iba rin ‘yung nabibigay sa akin na role sa indie. Sometimes, nalalaro ko siya pareho in a different way. So ang sarap, ang sarap-sarap ng feeling. Kung papipiliin ako, di ko alam kung ano ‘yung pipiliin ko. Pero nakakatuwa lang din kasi sa indie films, maraming kakaibang kwento na nagagawa. Kasi siyempre sa TV maraming nakakapanood, di ba? May mga bata so maraming restrictions. Sa indie films mas walang restrictions.

Q: You sometimes play the good girl, and at times the bad one. For you, in which role are you effective as an actress?

A: Gusto ko talaga nagagawa ko both. Sa totoong

COCO AND KIM GAIN NEW RECOGNITIONS IN EDUKCIRCLE AWARDS. “Ikaw Lamang” lead stars Coco Martin and Kim Chiu continue to earn more nods from award-giving organizations after they recently won in the 4th EdukCircle Awards, which promotes excellent media communication in the Asia-Pacific Region. After bagging the Celebrity and Actress of the Year award in the 2014 Yahoo! Celebrity Awards, Kim added a new feather to her cap as she was recognized as EdukCircle’s Most Influential Film Actress for her film “Bride For Rent” under Star Cinema. Grand slam actor of the year Coco also received the Best Television Drama Actor of Year award for his superhero teleserye “Juan dela Cruz.” Aside from EdukCircle, Coco was also named as the Male Showbiz Icon of the Year by the entertainment blog PhilippineEdition.com.

Q: How did you react to Dennis Trillo being your leading man? Is this the first time?

A: Yes, first time na maging leading man ko siya. Tapos niloloko tuloy ako ni Direk. Sabi niya, “Si LJ nagrerequest ng love scene!”

Hahaha. Tawa ako nang tawa kasi may isang scene kami na gagawin sa bed pero pa-tweetums. Parang nagkukulitan kami, naghaharutan. Pero sabi ko “Wow, Direk, ha! Ito na ba ‘yung love scene namin? Haha!”

Tapos tawa nang tawa si Direk, sabi niya, “Si LJ nagrerequest ng love scene!” Ako naman, “Direk hindi!” Ayun tuloy naging joke ever since.

Q: How is Dennis as a leading man?

A: Very generous siyang co-actor. As in magre-react ka na lang talaga sa kanya.

Masarap siyang katrabaho, very professional, magaling na artista. Wala ka na talagang hihinging iba pa.

Q: Apart from acting, what other activities keep you busy?

A: Meron akong spa, sa Timog, sa Luxent. I want to put up another business by early next year. And siyempre I engage into working out, exercise, healthy living.

I want to go back to school.

Naghahanap pa ako ng time kasi I still have one more year left in La Salle. I want to finish it siyempre to also inspire my kid to study. Gusto ko rin talaga, nami-miss ko na mag-school, actually. Nakaka-miss talaga siya.

Marami talaga akong gusto gawin sa buhay. You just really have to find time. Especially ‘yun nga dahil may kid.

When he grows older, kapag nasa big school na siya, mas may time na ako na gumawa ng iba pang mga bagay.

So ‘yun, everything will fall into place. You just pray for it, and you ask na mangyari ‘yon in His time.

TALK BACK AND YOU'RE DEAD James Reid, Nadine Lustre, Joseph Marco PG 13

12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

PLANES 2 Dane Cook, Julie Bowen GP

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

THE EXPENDABLES 3 / *TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES R-16

PG 13 / * PG 13

Sylvester Stallone / * Megan Fox, Johnny Knoxville 12:10 | 2:45 LFS / * 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

RUROUNI KENSHIN 2 Takeru Satoh R 13

12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

EVENT

Romancing the beauty of the vintage terno

By Kenneth Irving Ong

FILIPINO traditional wear is a often a fusion of Eastern and Western influences and are often considered works of art thanks to the intricate details and craftsmanship that is invested in these pieces and nothing is more beautiful than the classic Terno.

Wanting to showcase the beauty of this traditional Filipino dress, the Hijos de Davao Foundation held a vintage terno exhibit titled “Through the years, a Display of Vintage Ternos,” at the ground floor area of the Abreeza Mall last August 13. The exhibit features a collection of vintage and classic ternos that were collected by families of the original migrant settlers who arrived in Davao City some fifty years ago.

Some exquisitely-designed Ternos that are on display include a heavily embroidered floral gown

by Patis Tesoro worn by Carmen Tionko-Gahol; an organdy silk Terno with gold embroidery by Aureo Alonzo worn by Estela Marfori-Posadas; and a Baro’t Saya designed by Davao’s fashion Czar Alfonso “Boy” Guinoo for Perla Rañon Palma Gil. The exhibit is located at the ground floor area of the Abreeza mall and also features a panel display of the upcoming Hijos de Davao coffee table book.

The exhibit runs until the 20th of August.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

COMMUNITY SENSE 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

DCWD employees plant more trees S

ELECTED employees of Davao City Water District (DCWD) joined the second batch of the 5th Employees Tree Planting Activity on June 27, planting 150 narra seedlings along the ridge of Diolo Creek in Sitio Lipadas of Barangay Manuel Guianga.

Together with the seedlings planted by the first batch on April 23, a total of 350 narra seedlings have been planted through this year’s reforestation activity in the half-hectare area.

Aside from being an annual activity, the tree planting was done to commemorate Environment Month in June.

Led by the Environment and Watershed Protection Division (EWPD), the participants were briefed on the water utility’s watershed rehabilitation and related community-based programs. They were also oriented on the proper ways of handling and planting to give the seedlings better chanc-

TREE PLANTING. Participants of this year’s reforestation activity batch 2 end the day with a happy hooray for the environment. es of survivability.

Besides planting, DCWD also subsidizes the cost of parenting and maintenance of the planted seedlings. The

residents within the planting area help in the maintenance.

The water utility’s in-house tree planting efforts started in 2010

to actively involve the employees in the campaign for environmental protection. Now on its fifth year, DCWD employees have planted

trees in Barangays Daliaon, Tambobong, Malagos, and most recently in Manuel Guianga.

The EWPD notes high survivability of the

planted trees and thus encourages the men and women of DCWD to continue reforestation activities. (Jamae R. Garcia)

14 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

Davao edges Digos in Battle of the Executives

T

HE Davao City Executives turned back Digos City Executives, 97 – 84, in a friendly basketball match on Monday at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym. The usually-hot Christopher “Bong” Go put on a brilliant game finishing with double-double as the sweet-shooting guard pumped in 35 points on top of 10 assists to lead the way for the Davao Executives.

Go, the executive assistant of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, was on fire right from the opening tip, erupting for 17 with baskets from different variety- floaters, fall-away and pull-up jumpers, running jump shots and from behind the arc.

Davao Executives wrapped up the first period with a 16 points lead, 35 – 19, and dictated the tempo of the match en route to victory.

Glenn Escandor backed him up with 13 points and Gil Ciudadano joined the scoring bash

C

Sato, Caingles top Kadayawan Chess

ARL Zirex Sato of Panabo City and Janes Hiftield Caingles of Holy Cross of Davao College posted contrasting wins in ruling the 20 Under division of the 29th Kadayawan Age-Group Chess tournament held August 16 at the NCCC Mall of Davao.

Sato (4.0) beat Clark Kent Anabieza (4.0) of

T

with 12.

Digos Executives displayed their wares by mounting a big fightback in the second period with tough plays from Cabrera, Navarro and Manalang that cut the deficit to single digit late in the period.

But the Davao Executives regrouped superbly with Go came out firing on all cylinders in the third canto to push the lead back.

By the time the third period ended, the Davao Executives were leading by 18, 78 – 60, and were never threatened anymore the rest of the way.

Cabrera paced with 22 for the Digos Executive squad led by Mayor Joseph Peñas, Digos City Hall department heads, chief of police from various Digos police precincts and personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection Manalang and Navarro finished the game 13 and 10 points respectively.

Next friendly game is set on September 8 in Digos City. (Rico Biliran)

Jose Maria College and John Gerard Acedo (4.0) of Davao in a tiebreak to rule the boy’s category.

Caingles, on the other hand, beat all her rivals in topping the distaff side with 5.0 points. Mary Jonah Lequin (4.0) and Charmaine Rosatace (3.5) both of Cor Jesu College from Digos City placed second and third, respectively.

NBA ROUNDUP

HE New York Knicks will add Jim Cleamons to new coach Derek Fisher’s staff, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Cleamons, a longtime NBA assistant, served on former Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Drew’s staff last season.

Knicks president Phil Jackson and Cleamons have a long history of working together - first with the Chicago Bulls and then with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cleamons was on Jackson’s coaching staff for numerous NBA titles.

Cleamons and Fisher also previously worked together when Cleamons was an assistant coach and Fisher a point guard for the Lakers from 1999 to 2004.

The Lakers’ reunion in New York includes Kurt Rambis, a longtime Jackson assistant who is part of Fisher’s staff.

--The Detroit Pistons signed free agent forward Cartier Martin and center Aaron Gray.

The 6-foot-7 Martin

brings career averages of 5.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 220 games with Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Golden State and Charlotte.

The 7-foot Gray has career averages of 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 318 career games for Chicago, New Orleans, Toronto and Sacramento.

--The Toronto Raptors signed forward-guard Jordan Hamilton. The 6-foot-7 Hamilton averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 60 games, including 12 starts, last season with the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets.

--The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2014 second-round draft pick Jarnell Stokes to a multiyear contract.

The 6-foot-9 Stokes, a power forward who played his college ball at Tennessee, was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 35th overall selection and was traded to Memphis on draft day for a 2016 second-round draft pick.

ROOKIES. Jericho Cruz in actin against Frank Bonifacio in the PBA Rookie Draft workout. Boxing star Manny Pacquiao was a no-show. Nuki Sabio

PJ: I’ll pick Manny from the draft

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO njb@edgedavao.net

S

ANMIG Coffee Mixers guard Peter Jun Simon’s is like vintage wine. He got better as he logged more years in the PBA. We don’t want to say old. PJ, nicknamed “The Scoring Apostle” is only 34 years old and is good for a few more years in the PBA. Yesterday, the University of Mindanao product, shared his thoughts in an interview with 105.9 Balita FM and shared his random thoughts on the Gilas national duty, the PBA Draft and Manny

Pacquiao.

Simon is in town for the PBA offseason. He has a house in Mintal and spends time with basketball buddies to keep in shape. On Monday night, he guested in the opening of the 2014 Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Davao City Recreation Center.

Asked if he felt bypassed in the selection for the national team, PJ said it is everyone’s dream to be in the national squad but he admitted he is not bitter he was not picked in the

SMART Gilas Pilipinas.

“I’m happy that (Marc Pingris) Ping is there,” he said.

Pingris is Simon’s teammate in the SanMig Mixers squad which became the PBA’s fourth Grand Slam team.

On 8-division boxing champ Manny Pacquiao’s entering the league as a basketball rookie, Simon said he welcomes the development and if he were a PBA coach or team owner, he would draft Manny.

“Good for marketing,” said Simon.

He also picked Stanley Pringle as the best in the draft this year. “I’d pick Pringle as my top draft choice.”

Simon’s journey went through three basketball leagues beginning with the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) to the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and the PBA. He was picked no. 43 overall in the 2001 draft and became a free agent. He drifted into the MBA and PBL before he was signed by Purefoods in 2004.

ty Boy” Ancajas of MP Promotions Davao and Rochmad Santoso of Indonesia in a 10-rounder non-title fight.

Co-main event will feature Aston “Diego Corales” Palicte of MP Promotions Davao against Franvis Damur Plue also of Indonesia in a 10-rounder 115 lbs. match.

Ancajas, a native of Panabo City, previously scored a first round knockout over Thai boxer Petchwanchai Sor Viset-

kit last February 3 at the USEP Gym in Bo. Obrero.

The 22-year old Ancajas has a ring record of 20 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw with 12 knockouts while Santoso of the Kusuma Stable is toting 11 wins, 3 loses and 6 KOs. In his last fight, Santoso, 26, bowed to Japanese fighter Taro Oikawa by a 5th round KO in Aichi, Japan last December 1, 2013.

“Gutom sa panalo ulit itong si Santoso. Kaya delikado na kalaban,” said

Jimenez.

Palicte, 23, also scored a first round stoppage against Robel Villegas in his last fight last February 3 at the USEP Gym. He now has a record of 14 wins, 10 Kos and 1 loss.

Palue, on the other hand, is a 30-year old fighter with 7 wins, 3 Kos, 3 loses and 2 draws.

He is coming from a controversial split decision setback from countryman Marten Kisamlu last Feb. 21.

Tibay ng Pinoy 4 at Almendras gym T

HE MP Promotions in cooperation with Joven Sports Promotion is staging a double-main event dubbed as ‘Tibay ng Pinoy 4’ on August 23 at the 6 p.m. at the Almendras gym.

“This is our Kadayawan sa Dabaw boxing presentation,” said promoter Joven Jimenez.

Pitted in the main-headers are International Boxing Federation (IBF) International super flyweight champion Jerwin “The Pret-

EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014

15

BIGTIME HOOPS IS BACK. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (inset) prepares to toss the ceremonial tipoff as PBA star Peter Jun Simon applauds.

Mark Yee (left) of The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO goes up strong to the hoop and got challenged by Biboy Clavel of Montaña Pawnshop (45) during the opening game between TRMH-CMO and Montaña. Lean Daval Jr.

TRMH-CMO bows to Montana 73-63 in opener

AMBUSHED

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

D

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte spoke of respect moments before tipoff.

Exactly that word “respect” will have to stick in the minds of The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO squad seeking for a fourth crown in local hoopdom.

Showing little respect to the 2012 champions, Montana Pawnshop delivered one crippling spurt in the third quarter and left something in the final period for the final blow that sent TRMH-CMO down to its opening day loss 73-63 in the 2014 Kadayawan

njb@edgedavao.net

Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Davao City Recreation Center on Monday night.

The Hoteliers, appeared to give no respect too to the smaller but more pesky Pawnbrokers who hounded them no end on defense. The match was close throughout with the Hoteliers dominating the first two quarters 34-28 as Darwin Cordero, Mark Yee and Dino Daa hit their marks early.

After the break, Montana came out spewing fire as new recruit Biboy Clavel broke free from

his guards and scoring off steals and putbacks.

6-8 import Steve Acomo was also a force in the middle for Montaña as his presence intimidated the smaller frontline of TRMH-CMO. By the middle of the third, the Pawnbrokers caught up with the TRMH-CMO before taking its biggest lead in that stretch at 49-42.

Lyndon Gudez scored for TRMH-CMO to knot the count at 54-all 6:31 in the final period but just as quickly the run was doused with cold water as Clavel led a 10-5 surge, 1:44 to go. Eman Calo hit

a triple from the top of the arc to put the Hoteliers within 3, 64-61, 1:19 left in the match.

Rugged Montaña center Ronald Lamocha hit two freebies and Glenn Manlangit went to the line twice going 3-of-4 to nail the win for the Pawnbrokers who went up for good 69-61 with 24 ticks left.

Clavel fied 8 points for Montaña but it was his intangible figures the hustle plays and smarts that was the chief factor in the game. Manlagit had 19 for Montaña while Acomo scored 13 in his debut

in Davao. Lamocha added 11.

TRMH-CMO was paced by ex-pro Mark Yee with 15 but no other Hotelier scored double digit.

Import Mike Harry was a no-factor with only 2 points to show.

“Next game. We need to move on,” said coach Ronel Leuterio of TRMHCMO. Goldstar Hardware beat MP Hotel 71-63 in the second game. TRMHCMO will battle MP Hotel in their second outing while Montana seeks for a finals slot against Goldstar.

Mayor Duterte along with PBA star Peter Jun Simon led the opening ceremonies of the annual tournament organized by the Duterte Basketball League and sanctioned by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas under Regino “Boy” Cua. Montana 73—Manlangit 19, Acomo 13, Lamocha 11, Clavel 8, Blanco 8, De Guzman 3, Espiritu 2, Estrella 1, Awitin 0 TRMH-CMO 63-- Yee 15 Tangkay 8 Cordero 7 Calo 6 Hayes 6 Gudez 6 Bulac 3 Gerilla 3 Harry 2 Cruz 2 Mondragon 0 Andaya 0

16

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 112 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014