Edge Davao 7 Issue 195

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

SURVIVING SEX TRADE

2 COVER STORY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

How sex trade survivors help, inspire each other

C

ANDY’S words choked in her throat. She pursed her lips as she tried to keep her emotion from taking her over. Her attempts to stop and conceal her tears were futile.

Afraid I might have offended her, I apologized.

She went on, saying she was ok.

“Looking back, it is always painful and difficult, ” said the 37-year-old Candy in an interview one balmy afternoon in the front yard of Talikala, a nongovernment organization helping prostituted women in Davao City. “I could not even imagine how I was able to survive it all. I am sad, but I am also happy that here I am, telling everyone, every girl and woman forced into prostitution, that it is never too late.”

A mid-sized girl with a long, flowy blond hair walked by, momentarily interrupting the interview.

Her name was Louise. She was only 14.

“Look at her,” Candy said as Louise disappeared into the main door leading to a sala where seven other young girls were huddling.

“She is very young and she’s been through so much injustice in her life already.

You think she deserves to become a prostitute? She does not. No one deserves to be in a situation where

you have to endure abuse just to eat. We all deserve to be happy. Louise deserves to be happy. She deserves a better life.”

Candy is among the few former prostituted women and human rights activists in Davao City who dedicated their lives in the advocacy to end prostitution.

Her story is proof that there is still hope for girls and women in prostitution.

Last year, Candy was offered a job by the local government of Davao. It was a job that anti-prostitution advocates demanded from the local officials since 2006. A sex worker for eight years, she now works for the city’s social services department. Her job is to convince prostituted women, especially young girls, to leave the brothels and abandon the streets.

“My experience as a survivor is an example that there are better options out here,” she said.

The “better options” include going back to school and business and employment opportunities offered by the government and non-government organizations.

Her active involvement in the NGO-led campaign to end prostitution inspired the likes of Louise to break the chain and try the “better options.”

Youngest prostitute Louise is one the youngest former prostitutes in Davao, one of the most progressive cities in the Philippines.

“I became a prostitute when I was only 10,” Louise said.

Girls like her, who are called ‘shine girls’, offer oral sex to mostly cab or truck drivers for as little as $2.

It was a friend who introduced her to prostitution.

“It felt like were only playing. And while playing, I get paid,” she said.

The money she collected from her clients she spent on food.

Last year, she was trafficked to another Mindanao city and was forced to work as a bar girl for six months. A leader of a gunfor-hire group who worked for a local politician “maintained” her. The man, she said, would beat her out of jealousy. And when the man was already threatening to kill her, she escaped.

Through the help of an elder companion, Louise successfully made her way to freedom — with about $160 in her pocket.

“That’s a life I won’t recommend to other children,” she said.

A human trafficking human trafficking report says the Philippines is a “source and, to a much lesser extent,

a destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.” And these incidents continue to happen despite the passage in 2003 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which prescribes penalties up to life in prison.

Survivors Before she got the job, Candy worked as a volunteer for Lawig Bubai, a group composed of former prostituted women. It was there where encountered Sharmaine and the many other prostituted women who wanted a step out of prostitution. Lawig Bubai’s chair,Ana Luisa Calix, is one of the prominent survivors of the sex trade in Mindanao.

Sharmaine, a mother of four, became a survivor in 2010. Her restart was funded by a $40 capital for homemade donuts she sold one the streets of Davao.

The money was loaned to her by Talikala.

“It was a now-or-never moment for me,” said Sharmaine, saying “It was an opportunity that I have been wanting for so long.”

The financial support became her way-out. But like many other prostituted women, Sharmaine had her hesitations.

“It took me awhile to

finally decide to stop and accept the opportunity because I was not so sure about it. I had a child to feed, and a family back home,” she said.

This uncertainty was also the reason why Carla Soledad held back. Her family in Davao Oriental – among those who survived from the destruction of Typhoon Bohpa — thought that working in Davao was a way out of poverty. Her recruiter, also a resident of her village, said she will work as a food runner in a restaurant in the city.

A prostitute for two years now, the 23-year-old highschool graduate Soledad said walking away is not easy.

Recalling her first night at the girly bar, she said: “I could just have simply walked out, but I was scared I would never find any job at all. Who would want to employ a high school drop out?”

But Soledad believes that “in time, I know I will be able to find the courage to finally leave.”

As for Sharmaine, is now back in her province in Surigao, together with her children. Her startup business she turned into a small bakery. On the side, Sharmaine developed a small portion in backyard into a vegetable garden.

“It’s another source of livelihood. It’s difficult, yes, but this is much more better and dignifying that my previous job,” she said.

In December last year, Jay Ann also decided to stop, a decision apparently inspired by the stories of other survivors like Candy.

“I know them and it’s good to know that it can be done,” said the native of Davao Oriental.

Together with 10 other prostituted women, Jay Ann trained on trinket-making.

She earns about $0.60 a piece or $180 a month. This inspired her to stop.

“What I earn now is certainly not that much,” she said, “but it is much better.

And I feel much better now.”

Back home, Jay Ann’s family remains unaware of her “work”. Her parents believe she is still in college.

Another group of survivors embarked on basic cooking and bookkeeping.

Of the 8 women, three put up a small eatery. Three prostituted women, who are currently in a Davao jail, have also joined other inmates in making bags. The products are being distributed by Talikala.

“When they go out, we could say that they will no longer be going back to prostitution,” said Candy.

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3 THE BIG NEWS

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

REACHING OUT. The management and staff of Edge Davao and Zion Accuprint Publishing, Inc. serenade the children of Missionaries of Charity with Christmas songs during the annual Christmas outreach program at the institution in Juna Subd., Davao City on Friday. Lean Daval Jr.

BBL a stepping stone to federalism: Rufus

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should be passed first in the House of Representatives before the move to change the system of government to a federal form is discussed, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said.

During the public consultation and hearing on House Bill No. 4994 or the BBL in Davao City last Thursday at CAP Auditorium, Rodriguez, who is also the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL, said the success of the Bangsamoro region will be the stepping stone towards a fed-

eral system of government.

He said if the people see that giving more powers and fiscal autonomy to the Bangsamoro is beneficial, other provinces in Mindanao may want the same.

“So clearly we would see here the opening of the doors of this unitary government into a possible federal system,” he said.

Rodriguez said the people will then have to wait for the BBL to become a law before a shift to a federal system can be discussed.

He said under the BBL, the new Bangsamoro region

will have around 64 exclusive powers, including social security and pensions, quarantine, land registration, and human rights.

“The big thing here is that Imperial Manila will only have nine powers left,” Rodriguez said.

These powers are defense and external security, foreign policy, coinage and monetary policies, postal services, naturalization, citizenship, immigration, customs and tariff, and intellectual property.

Rodriguez said part of the autonomy of the Bangsamoro is the collection of excise tax.

He said the Bangsamoro will have 75 percent of the metallic resources and 100 percent for non-metallic resources.

It will also have P1 billion for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to be used for the development of its people.

“This will correct the injustices. This will be an affirmative action,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the budget of Bangsamoro region will be P35 billion.

It will also receive a P7 billion special development fund for the first year then P10 billion a year.

LTFRB 11: Davao City not included in fare rollback

T

HE Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) -11 did not give any assurance if Davao City will be included in the provisional fare rollback for the public utility jeepney (PUJ) after its implementation in Metro Manila.

In an interview with DXAB 1296 Radyo Patrol last Friday morning, LTFRB-11 spokesperson Edgar Violan said the reason why the city and even the whole region is not included in the fare rollback is that there was no provisional increase in 2011.

Violan said that when they talked to the transport groups, they told them that despite the series of oil price increase the minimum fare remains at P8 for the first four kilometers.

“Nag ingon pud silla na karon lang sila makabawi-ba-

FLTFRB 11, 10

Rody: BIFF yarn not confirmed D

FIRST STEP. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez says the success of the Bangsamoro region will be the stepping stone towards a federal system of government for the Philippines in an interview with Edge Davao reporter Cheneen Capon during a dinner hosted by Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio F. Lagdameo for the Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law of the House of Representative at Seda Abreeza Hotel on Thursday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

wi ang ilang mga drivers na mo taas ilang mga kita kay tungod nagbaba ang presyo sa fuel and other oil products (The drivers said that this will be their time earn even a little profit because of the series oil price rollback),” Violan said in the radio interview.

Violan recalled that in 2011, the transport groups in the city filed a petition to LTFRB to increase the minimum fare to P10. He said aside from the additional P2 increase, that they also filed a petition for a P0.50 centavos provisional increase pending to their earlier petition.

He said that the LTFRB in the region was not able to approve their petition while in Manila the drivers already got the additional P0.50 centavos increase in 2011.

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte dropped speculations confirming the earlier statement of military naming the Bangasamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) perpetrated the bus bombing in Maramag, Bukidnon last week.

“I would like to see the official report. Ngayon lang sinabi sa akin na may initial findings na (they just told me that they already have initial findings),” Duterte told reporters in an interview late Thursday.

“Until such time, I will not

speculate on it,” Dutterte added.

However, Duterte appealed to BIFF that as of the moment he wants to talk peace to them if ever they want it.

“I am not ready to go to war with anybody. I am not a member of the Armed Forces why should I challenge anyone to trouble?” he said.

He said that he is always ready to talk to them anytime they want.

“I do not want to talk about war, my city is not a bat-

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4

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

200-hectare port project mulled

D JOINT CLASS REUNION. Members of High School Class ’65 and Class ’66 of the University of Mindanao led by former Vice Mayor Louie Bonguyan, retired city warden Juan Afable Jr., restaurateur Josie Hao and businessman Peter Carriedo pose for posterity during

their joint reunion at the Davao Famous Restaurant last Wednesday, December 10. Some 70 alumni attended the reunion. Now in their 60s, the alumni vowed to stage a bigger event next year, when Class ‘65 celebrates its golden anniversary. (Photo by Rosita Raymundo-Ng)

One Mindanao branding pushed for cacao products

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

UBLIC and private stakeholders of the cacao industry plan to have one common Mindanao cacao branding.

Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (Cidami) executive director Valente Turtur said that the concept will be similar to that of the Ghana or Madagascar cacao industry.

“Branding cacao produced here (Mindanao) will add premium. Having a Mindanao Cacao is like an assurance that we produce quality cacao beans,” Turtur said in a recent interview during the three-day Cacao Inter-Agency and Stakeholders Convergence at the Waterfront Insular Hotel.

However, he said that

both stakeholders should come up with a blueprint of a Mindanao-wide Development Roadmap as part of a standard operating system (SOP). “...this is the very reason why we converged. The crafting of the roadmap will be the offshoot of this event,” he added.

In the three-day convergence, stakeholders were tasked to brainstorm on the second day. The roadmap will be an offshoot of the event that ended last Friday.

“After the event, they will go back to their respective areas to identify opportunities and constraints ,” he said.

He also said that there’s a plan to include in the roadmap the identification of suit-

Country improves in competitiveness T

HE Philippines has improved in six out of 11 global competitiveness reports of several international institutions for the year 2014.

In its year-end briefing Thursday, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) Philippines said the country had enhanced its competitiveness in different global indices, even achieving a double-digit improvement in its global ranking.

NCC Co-Chair Guillermo M. Luz said the Philippines improved in the following global reports for 2014 compared to the country’s standings in 2013 indices: *International Finance Corporation Ease of Doing Business Report, up by 13 notches to rank 95 in 2014 from rank 108 in 2013; *World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report, up by 7 notches to rank 52 in 2014 from rank 59 in 2013;

*Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, up by 9 notches to rank 85 in 2014 from rank 94 in 2013; and *Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index, up by 8 notches to rank 89 this year from rank 97 in 2013; On the other hand, the country’s global position in WEF’s Travel and Tourism Report and Global Enabling Trade Index were noted an improvement of 12 and 8 notches, respectively.

Meanwhile, for other global reports for this year, the global rankings of the Philippines slid in the following: *IMD World Competitiveness Report, down by 4 notches to rank 42 this year; *World Intellectual Property Organization Global Innovation Index, down by 10 notches to rank 100 this year; *World Bank Logistics Performance Index, down by 5 notches to rank 57 this year;

FCOUNTRY, 10

able land areas in Mindanao for planting and growing cacao and its possible local and foreign market as well as access to inputs and other cacao planting materials.

“We are also looking on how to find connection between the weakest and strongest linkage, “ he said, referring to farmers who’s always at the end of the supply chain.

The private sector, together with the government, is planning to finish the roadmap by next year.

Turtur said that there will be also a development roadmap for each region that has potential for cacao growing.

The roadmap will be also a mechanism for the creation of a Mindanao-wide Cacao Council next year, he said.

“We are looking at Mindanao as the food basket, we have the most suitable area in terms of fertility as well as the most skilled farmers. We have that and that’s the opportunity right now,” he said.

Mindanao contributes 90 percent of the country’s 4,800 metric tons total production.

However, the country’s contribution to the global market is only less than one percent.

With the prevailing global shortage for cacao beans, he said that Mindanao has a huge potential to increase its cacao production and become a major cacao producer six years from now if both stakeholders will exert effort for the development of the cacao industry.

AVAO City could be the new home of the country’s next largest port facility as a local company plans to develop a 200-hectare reclamation project from Magsaysay Park to the mouth of Davao river in Bucana.

“It’s a reclamation project that will be 150 meters away from the shoreline,” Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) officer-in-charge Ivan C. Cortez told Edge Davao in an interview last Friday.

Mega Harbour is planning to start the construction by 2016 after a year of processing all government requirements next year, he added.

Earlier, the city’s Public-Private Partnership Board has granted on Thursday the original proponent status to Mega Harbour Development Corp. for the development of the soon-to-be Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-accredited project would cost an estimated of P38-billion.

The reclamation project will be a mix-use development that will cover tourism,

commercial, industrial areas, port operation and tenement housing. Those affected original residents, identified by the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), will occupy the tenement housing.

“It will be three times the capacity of a rehabilitated and expanded Sasa Port,” Cortez said, adding that the city will have a chance to position itself as a transshipment hub in the region and of Mindanao.

He said that there’s a need for another port to support the increasing demand for transshipment as a looming effect of the free trade agreement that will be further used in the 2015 Asean Integration.

“If you look at the whole stretch of that area including the private ports, it is still not enough,” he said.

At present, the region has the P2.65 billion Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) of the San Vicente Terminal and Brokerage Services Inc. in Panabo City, and the P5.72 billion Hijo International Port Services, Inc. (HIPSI) in

F200-HECTARE, 10

Bus firm barraged with text messages to pay up or else...

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HE Rural Transit in Mindanao Inc. received a flurry of text messages from unknown persons to pay P50 thousand a month or one of their buses would be bombed, police and military officials said.

An RTMI bus bearing body number 2640 was bombed late Tuesday afternoon in Barangay Dologon, Maramag town in Bukidnon killing 10 people and wounding 42 others.

Maj. Christian Uy, public information officer of the 4th Infantry Division said the bus company told members of

the Regional Peace and Order Council in a closed-door briefing Wednesday in Cagayan de Oro City that they have indeed received extortion threats.

The RTMI management, however, did not inform the police or the military of the extortion threats, Uy said.

“The first text message was received through the RTMI hotline in Davao before their first bus was bombed on Nov. 6,” he said.

Last Nov. 6, an RTMI bus traveling from Tacurong City to Cagayan de Oro was bombed in the same town of Maramag, Bukidnon, wounding four pas-

FBUS, 10

FIESTA MARKET. Department of Tourism assistant secretary Art Boncato (2nd from right), Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre (3rd from right), Davao Regional Tourism Council head Mary Ann Montemayor (4th from left), Abreeza Mall deputy general manager Antonio Luigi Escano (leftmost) together with other tourism officials of the region lead the ceremonial opening of Fiesta Market at the third floor of Abreeza Mall on Friday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

NEA optimistic for DANECO, Inc.

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HE coming 2016 is certainly is new year full of optimism and challenges for Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc., said a jubilant National Electrification Administration Project Supervisor Godofredo Guya in his speech during DANECO, Inc.' s Christmas party Thursday night at Arriesgado College Auditorium in Tagum City.

Over 500 officials and employees of DANECO, Inc. attended the Christmas party when no less than NEA Administrator Edita S. Bueno called up PS Guya and over microphone announced the granting of Christmas incentive bonus for the employees who toiled and sacrificed for the good of the electric cooperative.

PS Guya and Daneco, Inc. board of directors led in the night's great toast for the successful year of Daneco, Inc. Altogether DANECO, Inc. officials, regular and contractual employees merrily cheered and collectively shout-

ed "kaya" (yes! we can!) when Guya asked them "to work as a team" in redeeming for next year the erstwhile prestige of DANECO of being included in the roster of performing electric cooperatives (ECs) in the country, especially as a Category A+ EC that it had long enjoyed before the problem of division posed by claiming rival group set in in mid 2011.

PS Guya said that in the next year DANECO, Inc. backed up by NEA would to concentrate on strengthening structure, personnel, financial and institutional areas as well as addressing the system loss, collection, connection and disconnection issues of the electric cooperative "after experiencing a lot of problems" in the recent years.

He expressed that DANECO, Inc. can easily fully recover through the teamwork and collective labor of its officials and employees.

He also said that the management has not been remiss in giving incentives

to the working force, even as he informed them that DANECO, Inc. would continue to be strong and resilient, more bouyed up by the continuing cease and desist order of the NEA and of the courts that favored DANECO, Inc., or DANECO-NEA as labelled during the then running divisive feud and conflict with the now largely squashed DANECO-CDA group.

In an interview, Guya further said that the DANECO, Inc.'s management been working hard to deliver reliable and adequate power for next year, saying that they have long better known that high morale, excellence of service coupled with reliable, adequate power, more investments and businesses would be attracted to locate in Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte, being good investment areas in the country, which would further result to more jobs and livelihood of the people in the two provinces. Cha Monforte, Correspondent

INCREASE. The prices of sea produce continue to increase this holiday season in Davao City’s public markets despite the drop of oil prices by more than 25-percent. Lean Daval Jr.

Philippines gets another credit rating upgrade

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OODY’S raised the Philippines’ credit rating by one notch on Thursday, in a further sign of the country’s economic transformation.

The Southeast Asian nation, once considered the region’s economic laggard, was upgraded to “Baa2” from its previous level of “Baa3”-- the lowest of Moody’s investment-grade ranks.

The country has a “stable” outlook, a statement from the credit rating agency said.

The move comes after Moody’s, Fitch and Standard and Poor’s all raised the Philippines to investment-grade levels in 2013, indicating a lower risk to investors.

“The key drivers of the decision are ongoing debt reduction, aided by improvements in fiscal management (and) continued favourable prospects for strong economic growth,” Moody’s said.

The Philippines is also enjoying only “limited vulnerability to the common risks currently affecting emerging markets”, the agency added.

Moody’s praised the government’s fiscal management, saying this has lowered the Philippines’ debt burden while keeping the fiscal deficit low.

“The resilience of private investment portends the sustainability of higher overall growth relative to peers over the next two years,” Moody’s added.

It cited the economic re-

covery of the United States, the Philippines’ main economic partner, as well as lower commodity prices as other signs of a strong outlook.

The Philippines has also shown itself more capable of standing up to “global pressures” affecting other emerging markets, such as the fall in oil prices and the slowing of China’s growth, the agency said.

But it cautioned that the government’s targets of 6.5 to 7.5 percent economic growth for this year might be too hard to achieve.

President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the upgrade was hard-won at a time when rating agencies are taking a conservative approach to handing out upgrades.

“With these upgrades comes increased fiscal flexibility, and the Filipino people can be assured that our administration will continue channelling these gains towards the benefit of the broader spectrum of society,” Lacierda said.

The Philippines has recently shed its image as one of the weakest economies in Southeast Asia, posting 7.2 percent growth last year.

But natural disasters -- including a spate of killer typhoons -- have slowed growth to 5.8 percent in the first nine months of 2014 and a quarter of the population still live below the poverty line, government figures show.

6

THE ECONOMY MGB wants to lift order vs mining firm

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MINING firm in Surigao del Norte has obtained a recommendation from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-Caraga regional office in Surigao City for the lifting of the cease and desist order against the company.

In a document obtained by MindaNews on Wednesday afternoon, Daniel S. Belderol, officer-in-charge of MGB-Caraga, said they had issued a memorandum recommending for the lifting of the cease and desist order against the mill plant of Greenstone Resources Corporation.

The firm operates for gold and silver in Tubod and Mainit towns in Surigao del Norte.

Belderol issued the memorandum on Dec. 1 and submitted it to MGB Director Leo Jasareno for final action.

“It was validated that the construction of a new High Density Polyethylene tailings storage facility designed at the Tailings Storage Facility No.5 was ongoing and only 85 % complete,” it said.

“In consideration of the 100% completion of the thickener and cement mixing facility that will produce thickened tailings with great residual strength and also the completion of the modification of the Tailings Storage facility Nos. 3 and 4 that can immediately accommodate the new thickened cement tailings once the mill operates and even for a period of more than four months, this office recommends for the lifting of the CDO,” the memorandum further said.

On April 24, 2013, a tension crack was discovered on the slope of one of the tailings dam in Barangay Siana, Mainit which serves as catchment of wastes from the mill’s process-

ing plant.

The crack measured 250 meters long and had two meters of land displacement, according to MGB-Caraga.

“Upon the discovery of the tension crack, the company then did rapid response to mitigate the possible environmental risks,” said Adol Patino, of the Mine Management Division of MGB-Caraga.

Patino said that company also voluntarily stopped its operations and filled the crack with earth, made a 900-meter containment bund wall and diverted a path of Magpayang River which was 240 meters long and 200 meters wide.

He said such measures were enough to mitigate the effects of a possible spill, which, he stressed, did not occur.

Despite the massive effort, Jasareno issued a cease and desist order against the said mining firm on June 6, 2013.

Greenstone Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of Australian-based miner Red5 Limited has been producing 1,250 ounces of gold per week at Siana Mines since the start of commercial production on April 26, 2012.

Siana Mines was actually an abandoned mine site previously operated by Surigao Consolidated Mining Company Inc. (Suricon) and was first opened in the 1930s.

Closed down during World War II, it was reopened in 1946, producing 4,800 kilograms of gold and 8,000 kg of silver. It was closed down again owing to mine flooding and underground fire.

The abandoned mine site was not rehabilitated until Red5 Ltd. secured a mining permit in 2002. It was granted

FMGB, 10

Power shortage looms in Mindanao next year

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INDANAO will experience a new round of power shortage starting Dec. 26 as the National Power Corporation-Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPCPSALM) will reduce its power supply to electric cooperatives in the island, Sergio Dagooc, president of the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO) on Thursday said.

The decrease “would result to a 27-percent reduction in the equivalent demand and its corresponding contracted energy of the Mindanao customers on the average,” according to the Nov. 5 letter from Beatriz Irina Denise C. Alazas, manager of Electric Trading Department of NPC-PSALM. Alazas said NPC-PSALM may change the contract demand annually due to a change in the projected available capacity of their power plants and at any time during the duration of the contract due to the privatization of any of their assets pursuant to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or Epira.

She said the decrease in power generation is due to the privatization of the Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant in Kidapawan City, scheduled privatization of Power Barge 104 in the first quarter of 2015, and

scheduled shutdown of NPC MINGEN power plants due to planned maintenance, uprating and rehabilitation projects.

Dagooc said Amreco has filed a resolution before the Department of Energy requesting the latter to intervene as well as maintain the status quo of the present contract demand between the NPC-PSALM and the electric cooperatives.

Dagooc, who manages two electric cooperatives in Caraga, Siargao Electric Cooperative Inc. (Siarelco) and Dinagat Electric Cooperative Inc. (Dielco), said they are still trying to find ways to obtain a status quo for the present contract demand.

Amreco is composed of 33 electric cooperatives, six of which are considered Small Power Utility Group located in island provinces like Dinagat and Basilan.

The six cooperatives have their own generators while the 27 others rely on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines which sources mainly from NPC-PSALM and independent power producers.

Siarelco, which has a total power demand of four megawatts, will have its supply reduced by 1.08 MW. But Dielco and the other members of the Small Power Utility Group will not be affect-

FPOWER, 10

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

BOTTLED MUSIC. A caroler in Malaybalay City produces melodies of Christmas songs with bottles and spoons. The note varies depending on the amount of water in each bottle. MindaNews photo by H. Marcos C. Mordeno

Ruby destroys agri, infra worth P3.3B T

HE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday announced that the damage caused by typhoon “Ruby” to agriculture and infrastructures was placed at P3,349,359,620 while affected people reached almost three million.

Damage to infrastructure was estimated at P1,435,804,523 while ag-

riculture devastation was pegged at P1,913,555,097 in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6 and 8, the NDRRMC said..

NDRRMC also said that 19 fatalities were confirmed and validated by the Department of Health (DOH) in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 6, 7 and 8, adding that 916 persons were reported injured in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

NDRRMC said that 694,277 families or

2,915,593 persons were affected by “Ruby” in Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B (Mimaropa), 5 (Bicol Region), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), Caraga and National Capital Region (NCR). Of these, 186,694 families or 868,624 people were staying inside and outside the 3,003 evacuation centers .

A total of 47,803 houses were damaged in Regions

4-B, 5, 7, 8 and Caraga, of which 8,699 were totally damaged.

The total cost of government assistance for the affected families in Regions 5, 6, 7 and Caraga has reached P94,967,320.11, it said.

NDRRMC also reported that Naga City in Camarines Sur; Juban, Gubat and Magallanes in Sorsogon have been declared under state of calamity. (PNA)

HILIPPINE monetary officials on Thursday slashed their inflation projection for 2014 to 2016 based on their assessment of a more manageable inflation environment in the next few years.

In a briefing after the rate-setting meet of the central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said their average inflation forecast for this year is now at 4.2 percent from 4.4 percent in last October’s rate setting meeting.

For 2015, the forecast was cut to three percent from 3.7 percent while the 2016 projection is now at 2.6 percent from 2.8 percent previously.

These are lower than the three to five percent target for this year and the two to four percent target for 201516.

Guinigundo explained that supply-side pressures are easing mainly because the Manila port congestion, which was the reason for the uptick in domestic inflation rate until the third quarter of the year, has somewhat been addressed.

He said rice imports, which have been increased to ensure that domestic supply would be augmented, also addressed concerns on rice supply in the country.

Continued drop in the price of oil in the international market, which has been posting record-lows, is another factor for the cut in the central bank’s inflation forecast.

Guinigundo, however, said that risks remain and these include the petition for utility rate hikes and the looming power crisis.

He said risks from higher utility prices have been considered in the inflation

projection for the three-year period but the issue is the timing of these hikes.

The issue on the possible power shortage, particularly in the summer of 2015, is another concern but the central bank official said combined effort of the government and the public sector serves as a counter-balance.

This is partly because of the interruptible load program (ILP) of the Department of Energy (DOE), which was approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and being participated in by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and its large customers like malls.

Under the program, big customers of distribution utilities (DUs) like Meralco that own high-capacity generator sets will be allowed to use their own generator sets instead of relying on Meralco when supplies go down.

In turn, these big DU cos-

tumers will be paid by the DU based on the fuel they used to run the generators and on the depreciation of the equipment.

Similarly, Guinigundo said the Php 1 minimum fare rollback in jeepney fare in Metro Manila effective Friday is not included in the central bank’s baseline inflation forecast. ”We can expect that while there will be some marginal impact (because of the fare rollback) on December (2014) inflation for the entire year of 2014 will not show any perceptible effect from that adjustment,” he added.

As of end-November this year, average inflation in the country stood at 4.3 percent.

Last November alone, inflation rate posted a big drop to 3.7 percent from monthago’s 4.3 percent due to slower inflation rate on several indices led by food and non-alcoholic beverages. (PNA)

BSP cuts inflation forecast for ’14-‘16 P

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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

How are weather forecasted?

Text and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“

CLIMATE is what you expect, weather is what you get.” – American novelist and humorist Mark Twain *** It’s Christmas season. And yes, it is also the time of the year when typhoons come one after another. And two of the worst typhoons to hit the country happened in December. On December 16, 2011, the catastrophic flash flooding triggered by Typhoon Sendong (international name: Washi) resulted in at least 1,268 fatalities.

On December 3, 2012, Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) made landfall in Davao region. The tropical storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands homeless and more than 600 fatalities.

This year, Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) created a stir among Filipinos. First, it was called a typhoon and then it became a super typhoon and then back to typhoon again. It made headlines all over the world.

Some people went panic. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued every now and then some weather bulletins.

So, one wonders: How do these meteorologists (as these experts who conduct scientific study of atmospheric conditions to forecast weathers are called) come up with those weather predictions?

“Oftentimes, people make the mistake of interchanging climate and weather, but they are actually two different things,” Niño A. Relos, PAGASA’s senior weather specialist, told participants of the threeday seminar workshop for media practitioners in Southern Mindanao held in Davao City two yeas ago. “Climate is the statistical average of observed weather in a particular area of interest over a relatively long period of time.”

Climate, however, is not static. “Climate is ever changing like weather but its rate of change is small and generally imperceptible in periods comparable to man’s lifetime,” Relos noted.

In the Philippines, there are four times of climate. Type 1 pertains to areas with two pronounced seasons: dry from December to May and wet from June to November. Maximum rain period is from June to September. Manila, Cavite, Batangas, the western section

of Palawan, and Negros Oriental fall under this type.

Those with type 2 are areas with no dry season with a very pronounced maximum rainfall period from November to January. Examples include Northern and Eastern Samar, Agusan del Sur, and Davao Oriental.

Seasons in areas with Type 3 are not very pronounced. It is relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year just like in Isabela, Rizal, Laguna, Aklan, Cebu, Bukidnon, and North Cotabato.

In Type 4, rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. Places with this type are Camarines Sur, Leyte, Bohol, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

While the climate in a particular place has been firmly established, the weather is a lot more unpredictable because it has something to do with the day-to-day changes in atmospheric conditions. This is one of the reasons why the weather bureau was established.

“One of our main tasks is to study data submitted to our office and make appropriate weather forecasts and warnings especially with regard to approaching typhoons,” Relos pointed out.

Weather forecasting is easier said than done. Actually, the weather bureau follows five steps of weather forecasting. These are, according Rene Paciente, chief of PAGASA’s weather forecasting and warming system: Step 1: Observation. The weather bureau, with 68 monitoring stations throughout the country, observes – through instruments and through ocular means – all the weather elements on a daily basis. “This gives us a picture of what’s happening up there,” Paciente informs.

Step 2: Transmission and collection of weather data.

Data on weather observations are condensed into coded figures and symbols for easy transmissions to the head office. These are transmitted through radiophones, global telecommunication system, fax machines, telephones, cellular phones and electronic mails.

“We exchange raw data with other countries as well,” Paciente says. “As a member of World Meteorological Organization, we have an internation-

al agreement to do that. These data come in the form of coded message.”

Step 3: Data plotting and weather map analysis. Among those that are observed and plotted are: wind direction and speed, surface pressure, surface temperature, amount and type of clouds, visibility, present and past weather, pressure tendency, and rainfall.

When the coded data of these arrives, they are decoded and plotted on maps in symbols or numbers. Observations made over land and seas are plotted into surface maps, while wind observations are plotted into upper air maps. The weather bureau uses an automatic plotting machine for this purpose.

Step 4: Analysis of weather maps. The plotted maps are given to forecasters or analysts, who make the analysis or prognosis based on what’s on the maps. The current weather maps are compared with the weather maps of previous days to establish the movement of weather systems and forecast their development and movement. Then the analysts make their prognosis.

Step 5: Formulation of the forecast. The tools used in forecasting include weather maps, satellite imageries, radar observation, numerical weather, and prediction models. The prognosis is put down into writing and this is now the forecast. Every day, the weather bureau makes public weather forecasts, forecasts for aviation, as well as marine forecasts for coastal areas.

The Philippines, given the location and the topography of the country, experiences five weather-causing phenomena: thunderstorms, cold front, monsoons, intertropical convergence zone, and tropical cyclones.

Thunderstorms, called local storms, occur when towering cumulus clouds reach a height where the temperature is well below the freezing point. Among the associated hazards are heavy rain (which may cause flashflood) and lightning (which may cause death, burns or fire).

Cold front is formed when cold air moves over areas of warm air. Since cold air is heavier than warm air, the warm air is pushed aloft by the cold air giving rise to widespread cloudiness. The cold front affects the eastern part of the country from November to

late April or early May. There are two types of monsoon: Southwest and Northeast. In the former, the Asiatic continent becomes warmer than the surrounding seas and a low pressure cell develops over the continent.

This causes a flow of moist southwest wind over the Philippine area. At times, when this southwest flow becomes thick in depth, it persists for a long period causing continuous rains which may last for weeks during the months of June to September. The Southwest monsoon is responsible for the great portion of rainfall during the country’s wet season.

One of the worst Southwest monsoons that hit the country happened last year when an eight-day period of thunderstorm and torrential rain deluged the National Capital Region, the provinces of the Quezon, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.

In Northeast monsoon, the Asiatic continent is snowbound and the high pressure cell over China sends northeasterly winds over the Philippines giving the country cold temperatures, and causing much rainfall over the eastern coasts. This happens from November to February.

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is an area where the northern hemisphere trades meet the southern hemisphere trades.

According to the weather bureau, ITCZ is characterized by towering clouds of cumulonimbus clouds accompanied with showers of widespread thunderstorms.

“The axis of convergence,

which is usually oriented in an east to west direction, does not remain stationery at the equator but migrates north or south of the equator,” PAGASA explains. In the Philippines, it oscillates during the months of May to October.

Tropical cyclones are low pressure systems characterized by relatively low atmospheric pressure at the center with very strong winds blowing counterclock wise (in the northern hemisphere) towards and around the center.

In the Filipino dialect, tropical cyclones are called “bagyo,” a word which came after a 1911 storm in the city of Baguio, which had a record rainfall of 46 inches within a 24-hour period.

“Each year, about 20 tropical cyclones enter our country,” says Paciente. Fortunately, only 6 to 9 of these typhoons make landfall. And the weather bureau releases tropical cyclone warnings in the form of Public Storm Warning Signals (PSWS).

PSWS 1 means a tropical cyclone will affect the locality. Winds of not more than 60 kilometers per hour (kph) may be expected in at least 36 hours. In PSWS 2, a moderate cyclone will affect the locality and winds of 61 to 100 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours.

In PSWS 3, a strong tropical cyclone with winds of 101 to 185 kph may be expected in at least 18 hours. PSWS 4 is a very intense typhoon with winds of more than 185 kph may be expected in at least 12 hours.

The movement of a fullfledged typhoon is closely monitored by weathermen

through radar and satellite images. The eye of the typhoon is used as reference point on the location of the typhoon.

“If the typhoon is within the range of the radar, the radar is more accurate because you see the eye of the typhoon more clearly,” informs Relos, who conducted the typhoon tracking exercise for the participants.

“With a satellite, which covers half of the globe and gives a full disc picture, the eye is sometimes covered by clouds. It is hard to tell where a typhoon is if you can’t see the eye.”

Paciente belies that there is such thing as “perfect storm.”

However, he talks of having a chance for the wind systems of two typhoons to swirl at a common pivot point, or for their winds to move in concert, as in a dance and merge into one. Weather experts call it as the Fujiwhara effect, named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, the Japanese meteorologist who initially described the effect.

Among the dangers associated with typhoons are heavy rainfalls and floods, strong winds, storm surge, landslides and mudflows. “Landslides can bury people alive and destroy properties,” the weather bureau reminds. “Mudflows, on the other hand, are hazardous to people and properties, too.”

But there is one good thing about tropical cyclones. According to Edna J. Juanillo, the chief of PAGASA’s climatology and agrometeorology division, rainfall brought about by tropical cyclones increases the groundwater and water levels of dams. “About 50% of the rainfall of the country comes from tropical cyclones,” she says.

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EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

EDITORIAL

T

Yearenders: Dreams and reality

O FILIPINOS, and non-Filipinos who have imbibed the former’s customs and traditions, December is a time to celebrate Christmas and New Year. However, to a group of people called media practitioners, and their millions of readers, listeners and viewers, it is that particular time when the biggest events of the year about to end are listed and reviewed. The events are storified and called yearenders.

Actually, yearenders are not just about events that happened during the year in review. They also include those that did not happen for one reason or another. Yearenders, therefore, are about achievements and failures, about dreams and plans that were realized and those that did not materialize.

In Davao City and its neighboring places in the Davao Region, the yearenders would consist inevitably of the myriad achievements that happened from January to December. And they are so numerous, we are afraid, the limited space in this page cannot accommodate them.

In the economic front, the more important list would be those of the big ticket projects, multi billion peso ventures addressing the power crisis, those that would solve unemployment and underemployment, alleviate poverty in general, malnutrition, law and order, including the

EDGEDAVAO

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worsening traffic congestion in Davao City and neighboring urban centers. The mushrooming of malls, hotels, and high-rise condominiums, the establishment of more business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, inauguration of new power facilities, the building of new labor-intensive manufacturing plants, the cultivation of new exportable agricultural crops and the acquisition of state-of –the-art medical equipment and other growing strides, albeit still not enough, would be in the realm of achievements and realization. The rest which have yet to see the light of day are beautiful dreams, works in progress, if not unrealized plans.

These would include the building of a new and bigger airport, modernized seaports, light rail system, bridge between the cities of Samal and Davao, massive reclamation of the city’s blighted coastal areas and an elevated bypass road.

Fortunately for Dabawenyos, due to their leaders’ foresight and visionary mindset, many of the above dreams have already been put on the drawing board, so to speak, and will be reality in no time at all. The yearenders of Edge Davao will discuss them in the remaining days of December and in early January, our way of fulfilling a covenant to help readers make informed decisions.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. CHENEEN R. CAPON BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO Reporters MEGHANN STA. INES AQUILES Z. ZONIO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle Photography CHA MONFORTE JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA Correspondents ARLENE D. PASAJE Contributing Photographer Cartoons MUNDA • HENRYLITO TACIO • MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO AURELIO A. PEÑA • MARY Columnists: CARLOS MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. ANN “ADI”• C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • VIDA MIA VALVERDE • Economic Analysts:• ENRICO BORBON MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN EMILY “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER PEREZENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA EconomicM. Analyst:

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VANTAGE POINTS

9

Autonomy would have paved way to federal

AD Mindanaon leaders, especially the long-time power-holders and alternating incumbents, taken the state policy of autonomy seriously—or at least since 1991 when the Local Government Code (R.A. 7160) was adopted—everyone today would have got familiarized, more or less, with the federal system of government.

Federalism as a concept is merely a more advanced version of autonomy or self-governance. Moreover, the parliamentary form—which the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) calls a ministerial form of government—is similar to what the Local Government Code prescribes for barangay governance.

Although both concepts (federal, parliamentary) continue to sound new, exotic, or strange to a lot of people today, in fact we’ve had them on the books for quite a while.

But thanks to non-performing and defaulting officials, the processes that characterize these concepts remain obscure or unknown to their constituents; thus, very few people can relate to the move towards

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

LITTLE boy returned from Sunday school with a new perspective on the Christmas story. He had learned all about the wise men from the East who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.

He was so excited he just had to tell his friends. This is how he told it: “I learned in Sunday school today all about the very first Christmas. You see, there wasn’t a Santa way back then, so these three skinny guys on camels had to deliver all the toys! And Rudolph the reindeer with his nose so bright wasn’t there yet, so they had to have this big spotlight in the sky to find their way around.”

What is the essence of Christmas? If I have to ask you this question, what would be your answer? What is the real meaning of Christmas to you personally? Is it the gifts you will receive from your friends and the company you are working for? Is it the thirteenth month pay? Is it the various parties you will be attending soon? Or is it the fun of going around and do shopping?

A military expert was asked to deliver a speech in St. Louis, Missouri. It was during World War II, and he had a difficult time getting a seat on the plane. However, he secured it and departed from his hometown in Boston. En route, he was bumped off in Washington, D.C. by an army general who had top priority. Disgruntled and frustrated, the lecturer sat and cooled his heels while his plane left for Missouri.

His disappointment was nothing, however, compared to the general’s disgust when he arrived in St. Louis only to

THE WORM’S EYEVIEW

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA a federal-parliamentary system to replace the present unitary-presidential form. ***** The “Mindanao Leaders’ Summit” in Davao City last December 1st hardly made waves because of this lack of familiarity with the federal-parliamentary form of government, which is a pity because the present system is already so hopelessly corrupt.

Meanwhile, the fact that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) more or less exemplifies the federal arrangement, is not catching on outside Moroland.

The problem is, although it’s been on the table for decades already, so few can expound on the proposal with authority.

Among them is Cagayan de Oro’s Atty.

Reuben R. Canoy, who is arguably the most articulate and consistent advocate of federalism.

Canoy is a credible advocate of federalism, no less for his disinterest in polit-

ical dominance or power aggrandizement than for the fact that the motives of the federal movement’s vociferous leaders are suspect; they stand to benefit most from the shift, just like the talking heads on the MILF side of the peace talks. ***** Quite a few of these ringleaders are still very much in power, with no signs of flagging interest in hanging on to power politics, especially the dynastic variety; think for instance of the dynastic brand of politics exemplified by Davao’s Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Bukidnon’s Governor Jose Zubiri.

A shift to the federal system now will certainly prolong their dominion and more firmly secure their dynasty’s never-ending reign.

In fact, it didn’t go over very well that the so-called Summit on Federalism two weeks ago turned out to be a show of force staged by the “Duterte for President Movement.” Not a nice thing to do if you’re hosting the occasion, por delicadeza.

Furthermore, it didn’t help that the program concluded with a rambling

monologue by the hometown favorite, which Digong liberally spiced with expletives of the vulgar variety. Not nice coming from the lips of a would-be statesman who might be called upon to embark on diplomatic missions and speak before dignified bodies like the United Nations or the Asia-Pacific Forum.

Thus it was no surprise that as the thin crowd attending the “Summit of Leaders” dispersed, one participant remarked how it was “more of the same traditional politics after all… since obviously the people will continue to be stranded high and dry, just spectators, under a federal system dominated by the same figures.”

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

The essence of Christmas discover that the speaker THINK ON THESE! had to cancel out. The general’s dismay was complete when he realized that the speaker was the man whose plane seat he had preempt- Henrylito D. Tacio ed in Washing- henrytacio@gmail.com ton!

The story points up an interesting question for the approaching Christmas season: Are our presents to one another crowding out His presence in our midst?

What has top priority to us this Christmas?

Most of us know that Christ was not born on December 25. But it doesn’t matter. What is real is that the Almighty came into this world, He became a Man, and He died for our sins so that we will be with Him in heaven.

That is what the Holy Scriptures is all about. “The whole Bible is built around the story of Christ and His promise of life everlasting to men. It was written only that we might believe and understand, know and love, and follow Him,” wrote Henrietta C. Mears in her book, What the Bible is All About.

A doctor walked out of the delivery room and approached an anxious father.

He told him, “I am sorry to inform you but your baby lived only two hours after his

birth, though we did everything we could to save his life.”

As the sympathetic doctor was about to leave, the quick-thinking father said, “I read only recently that human eyes are needed in corneal operations. Could my baby’s eyes be used to enable someone to see again?”

The next day, the Red Cross carried an eye to two different hospitals. In one, a corneal graft restored the sight of a working man with a large family. In the other, sight was given to a mother.

More than two thousand years ago, a baby came into our sin-blinded world to give spiritual sight to all who will receive it without money and without price. “The people who walked in darkness, saw a great light” (Isaiah 9:1).

“We may not be able to do any great thing; but if each of us will do something, however small it may be, a good deal will be accomplished for God,” D. L. Moody once pointed out.

If we compared Jesus to some of us, He may not come to anything. But He had done more wonderful things that all of us combined. An unknown author penned something about Christ in these simple words: “He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

“He never wrote a book. He never held

an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn’t go to college. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of these things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him.

His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.

“He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.”

Several centuries have come and gone, and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race, the leader of mankind’s progress. Ian McCrae declares: “Many who saw a Man hanging on a cross more than 2,000 years ago thought: ‘The Christian religion is dissolved.’ But it was not so. It is true now as it was then. The end is the beginning.”

As we wait for the coming of Christ’s natal day, let this prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi be a reminder: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is sadness, joy.

Where there is darkness, light.

“O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; not so much to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.”

10

NEWS

How sex... FFROM 2 Not too late to hope With the help of Talikala and the support of the local government of Davao, Louise has enlisted herself in an alternative learning school.

“There should be more opportunities like this,” she said, adding that “I am so excited to go back to school.”

Candy said organizing prostituted women is a challenge. Her tasks include educating the women and girls about their rights. She also gives them tips how to avoid sexually-transmitted infections and abuse from partners and clients.

“They need all the support from everybody,” she said.

Teaching prostituted women this is a bit challenging, Candy said. But as a former former sex worker is an advantage for her as an organizer.

“They do not see me as someone out there to sell something. They do not see me as a stranger. They see me as one of them,” she said.

Carina Sajonia, program officer of Talikala, said the government should provide more opportunities for women like Candy, Sharmaine, Jay Ann, Carla, and girls like Louise.

“If there are more jobs, there are more better options for women in prostitution,” said Sajonia. “If more women are taken away from prostitution, it means more women are protected, more children are saved from abuses, more families are given the chance to live decent lives.”

Laws In 2003, the Philippines passed the Anti-Trafficking in

Persons Law that provides for the establishments of mechanisms that will ensure protection of the rights of vulnerable sectors, especially women and children.

Last year, the law was revised to state that the government must provide help to victims of trafficking, including those who were trafficked for prostitution.

The assistance includes provision of rehabilitative and protective programs, temporary housing, food facilities, and psychological support and counseling to the victims.

“We are glad that at the local level, the government is very responsive of our demands to provide women in prostitution with opportunities,” said Jeanette Laurel-Ampog, the executive director of Talikala.

“But we need to see more, and the government must employ more women survivors to encourage other women,” she said, adding that the private sector must also be open to employing the prostitution survivors.

There are no exact figures for the number of prostitutes in Davao but Talikala, an NGO which offers support to women and children caught up in the sex trade, estimated there were around 4,000 freelance sex workers in the city.

Nationwide, there are thought to be more than 800,000 prostitutes, with as many as half underage, out of a population of 100 million people.

The head of Davao City’s social services office, Maria

sengers.

Uy said after the Nov. 6 bombing the RTMI management received another text message warning them that “a bigger bomb will be exploded in one of their buses if their demands are not met.”

This was confirmed by a well-placed source working in the PNP Task Force RTMI 2640, a special investigation team tasked to solve the Dec. 9 bus bombing.

“The text message was received this time by the RTMI hotline in Cagayan de Oro,” the PNP official said.

Uy said that like the threatening text message before the Nov. 6 bombing, the RTMI management ignored it and did not inform the authorities.

He said the last text mes-

sage came about 30 minutes before improvised explosive device made of an 81-mm mortar went off inside bus number 2640 after it picked up passengers and students in front of the Central Mindanao University, about a kilometres away from the blast site. “The text message told the bus company of the big explosion,” Uy said.

Police filed multiple murder and frustrated murder charges against a certain Macmod Manibpil alias “Mang” before the Bukidnon Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Malaybalay City Thursday.

Police said Manibpil is a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The BIFF has denied involvement in the bombing. (Froilan Gallardo/ MindaNews)

The Fund for Peace Fragile States Index, down by 7 notches to rank 52 this year.

While the country’s 2014 WEF Global Gender Gap Report went down by 4 notches, the Philippines is still among the world’s top 10, ranked at 9 this year out of 142 countries on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria.

(PNA)

ed by a decrease in supply as they have their own generators.

Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. (Surneco), which services Surigao City and 11 towns of Surigao del Norte, currently faces a power deficit of 4.5 MW, according to general manager Narciso I Caliao Jr. Surneco has a total power

Bus... FFROM 4

EDGEDAVAO Luisa Bermudo, said it is impossible to provide jobs for all prostituted women.

“What we do is instead provide other forms of assistance as we reach out to women in prostitution,” Bermudo said.

She said the city government, for instance, sends children of prostituted women to school.

“The best that we can do is to send at least one of their children to school and provide prostituted women with livelihood opportunities,” she said.

These interventions are planned out and implemented in coordination with Talikala.

Forgetting and moving on Candy is optimistic that local government units will provide opportunities for women like her.

“Prostitution is not a job,” she said. “I am happy that I was given the chance to work in the government and to prove to the world that a woman like me still has a chance for a better future.”

And she would be happier, she added, if more women like her are given the same opportunity that she has.

Louise, on the other hand, said she is encouraged by the likes of Candy.

“I will do better in school and strive to do better in this life,” she said.

There is just one thing that she wants to do now.

“I want to forget that part of my life — that sad, unfortunate part of my life. I still can forget that, I know,” Louise said.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

LTFRB 11... FFROM 3 Violan said that they do not received yet the copy of the decision order of the board from their national office which supposed to be their basis.

“Tan-awon namo ang desisyon kung unsa ang condition didto, kung applicable na ba to sa Metro Manila, NCR (National Capital Region), Region 1,2,3 and 4, apil baa ng Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (We should see the decision on the conditions stipulated in the order. If it is already applicable

to Metro Manila, NCR, Regions 1,2,3 and 4 and if other ooarts of Luzon Visayas and Mindanao are included to the rollback),” Violan said.

Online news portal abs-cbnnews.com reported that LTFRB chairperson Thompson Lantion said on Wednesday that jeepney operators nationwide agreed to a second rollback in as many months because diesel went down to under P35 per liter. Minimum fares were initially cut to P8.00

from P8.50 in October, also because of declining fuel prices.

“There will be no need for a new fare matrix because this is only a provisional rollback.

Jeepney groups will simply post a copy of the LTFRB’s (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) order with a temporary fare guide. We will review the rates in three months’ time,” Lantion said following marathon public hearings for jeepney, bus and taxi fares. [ABF]

tleground for any war games here,” he said.

Duterte also asked the military and the police to remain on heighten alert to prevent the same incident in Bukidnon to happen in the city.

“They have to remain vigilant,” Duterte said.

He said that they could not also discount the possibility any reports that the city would be a possible target of terrorism since the city is in Mindanao.

A report from tempo.com. ph stated BIFF denied any link to last week bus bomb explosion that killed 11 people and wounded scores of other passengers in the province of Bukidnon.

“Hindi gawain ng BIFF ang mag-bomba ng bus na may mga sibilyan (it is not the work of BIFF to plant bomb in a bus where there are many civilians),” BIFF spokesperson Abu Misry Mama said in the report.

Misry added that BIFF condemns the recent attack that killed and injured innocent civilians in the area.

In their report, Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) information officer Major Ezra Balagtey said the bus bombing happened at around 5:45 p.m. in front of the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon.

The bus, owned by Rural Transit Mindanao Incorporated (RTMI) bearing plate number KVP 178, was traveling from Wao, Lanao del Sur to Cagayan de Oro City via Bukidnon when the bomb blast occurred, Balagtey said.

Wounded passengers were immediately brought to CMU’s infirmary and to hospitals in Valencia City, the report added.

Composite teams from the Philippine National Po-

lice (PNP) and the Philippine Army were dispatched to secure the blast site and for the conduct of investigation.

Police said they are now focusing on the manhunt operations against the suspects who boarded the bus at the public terminal in Maramag.

Footages from the CCTV camera suggested that the improvised explosive device (IED) might have been planted at the rear portion of the bus while it was parked at the terminal.

Among those killed during the bombing were Kim Valiente, 17, of Malaybalay City; Anita Santillan, 54, of Dologon, Maramag; Catherine Villahermosa; Johnrey Valdesco; John Bernard Cuhanap; Jonathan Balida; Marielle Achacoso, 17, of Kalasungay, Malaybalay City; Niezel Dee Gonzaga, 22, of Hagkol, Valencia City; and Michael Buctos. [ABF]

Rody... FFROM 3

200-hectare... FFROM 4 Tagum City.

Cortez said that it takes one to two days for ships to turn around for loading and unloading cargos coming from different parts of the world in Davao Sasa Port.

“That is not feasible for the business operation of the shippers,” he explained.

In an earlier report, Department of Trade and Industry- Davao City director Edwin Banquerigo said that at present Sasa Port “is no longer capable of efficiently handling larger boats due to shallow berthing, lack of modern cargo movement facilities, and congestion on land for the cargo trucks.”

Banquerigo said in the report that most of the ships docking at the Sasa port now

are just feeder vessels with an average capacity of 300-500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) “These feeder boats collect shipping containers from various ports and then transport them to container terminals and are then loaded to bigger vessels,” he said in the report.

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) tagged the rehabilitation of the port as Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project that has an estimated cost is P18.99 billion. It will be implemented through a PPP scheme.

NEDA is planning to start the bidding for the development of the port next year.

[CRC]

an environmental compliance certificate in April 2009 despite a prior scheduled Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan expected late May of the same year, according to Alyansa Tigil Mina.

The Siana Gold Project is made up of both an open pit and an underground mine.

The project, as originally designed, will deliver a minimum 849,000 ounces of gold pro-

duction a year at a cash cost of under $400 per ounce over a 10-year life.

Greenstone Resources Corporation used Suricon’s old tailings dam that suffered a crack.

Bebot Gonzales, liaison officer of Greenstone Resources told MindaNews that Jasareno will decide on the lifting of the cease and desist order.

Dulmar Raagas, president

of the Chamber of Mines in Caraga on Thursday said that their group has issued a resolution in support to the lifting of the cease and desist order against Greenstone Resources.

He said there is no reason to prevent the mining firm from resuming operations since the stability and integrity of the tailings facility has been fully restored. (Roel N. Catoto/ MindaNews)

supply of 21.4 MW against a power demand peaking at 25.9 MW. Caliao said the impending reduction in supply will worsen their woes. With the current power deficit, nine municipalities in Surigao del Norte serviced by Surneco have been experiencing two-hour daily

power curtailment since the last week of November.

Surigao City and the municipalities of San Francisco and Malimono, however, have been spared from the blackouts so far. But the 27-percent reduction after Christmas will surely affect the city and all municipalities, Caliao pointed out.

“A reduction will be 3.6 MW from the current supply of 13.4 MW from NPC-PSALM,” he said.

Aside from its 13.4-MW supply from NPC-PSALM, Surneco also gets 8 MW from Therma Marine Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation. (Roel N. Catoto/ MindaNews)

Country... FFROM 4 MGB... FFROM 6

Power... FFROM 6

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAVAO CITY

HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND Or Pag-ibig Fund, Mortgagee

EJF-REM CASE NO. 14,962-14

-versus-

HENRY R. NAJERA married to Ma. Alicia B. Najera, Mortgagor/s.

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE

Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by the above- mentioned morgagee against HENRY R. NAJERA married to Ma. Alicia B. Najera with postal address at LOT 2 , Block 9, Phase 2 Villa De Mercedes, Toril, Davao City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness in the total amount of ( Php 722,520.56 ) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest, penalty charges as of July 14, 2014, plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 16, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 146-2010004412 “A parcel of land xxx (Lot 2, Blk. 9, xxx) situated in Barangay of Cogon, Sirawan, Toril, City of Davao Island of Mindanao. xxx Containing an area of TWO HUNDRED (200) SQUARE METERS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on February 12, 2015. without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the condition of the unit property/ies and encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, December 2, 2014

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) REYNALDO O. GIRADO Sheriff IV

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (edge 12/15,22,29)

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

11 HEALTH

Eat fish, stay healthy!

Text and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

D

ESPITE all the talk about some fish containing high levels of toxins (mercury, for instance), medical researchers still love fish, touted to be the last wild meal in the human diet. The biggest reason: It combats a top health threat, according to a recent issue of Reader’s Digest.

“If you eat a modest amount of fish, you dramatically decrease your risk of dying from a heart attack,” Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a researcher of the Harvard School of Public Health, was quoted as saying by the magazine. Findings from 30 large studies conducted around the world show that people who consume just one or two servings of fish per week lower their risk of a fatal heart attack by an average of 36 percent, according to Dr. Mozaffarian.

That’s good news since the Department of Health ranks heart disease as the number-one killer in the Philippines. “The death toll from cardiovascular diseases in the country is about one every seven minutes,” says Dr. Philip S. Chua, one of the country’s top cardiologists. Cardiovascular diseases don’t affect the heart itself but also the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart.

If you have already had a heart attack, shifting to a highfish diet can cut your chances of future deadly attacks by one third. You see, fish contains oil that is nature’s richest source of omega-3 fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of polyunsaturated fat that the body derives from food. Omega-3s (and omega-6s) are known as essential fatty acids because they are important for good health. The body cannot make these fatty acids on its own so omega-3s must be obtained from food.

An article which appeared in Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition said omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil prevent heart disease by exerting an anti-arrhythmic effect on the heart, by inhabiting the developing of narrowing

arteries, by reducing the levels of undesirable lipoproteins in the blood, and by reducing blood clots within intact blood vessels.

“If you heart high blood pressure is caused by hardening of the arteries, heart disease, or high cholesterol, fish oil may be just what the doctor ordered,” wrote the editors of Super Life, Super Health. “The higher your cholesterol levels and the worse your heart disease, the better fish oil works to lower your blood pressure.”

The American Heart Association suggests that people should eat at least two servings of oily fish each week to help keep their hearts healthy.

Best sources of omega-3s are bass (striped), herring, mackerel, oysters, sablefish, salmon, trout (freshwater), and tuna.

But hearts are not the only human part that benefit from fish. Older folks considered fish as “brain food” and now scientists have evidence to back the claim. A 2007 study of nearly 12,000 pregnant women found that children born to mothers who ate more than 340 grams of seafood per week during pregnancy scored six points higher on tests of verbal IQ than kids born to mothers who had other foods on the menu.

What about adults? A study done in Sweden found that young men who ate fish more than once a week scored nearly 11 percent higher on IQ tests than males who rarely ate seafood. And in later years, fish eaters appear to be less likely to develop dementia.

But you ain’t heard anything yet. A study published in Biological Psychiatry has shown that omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent depression. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who studies the health benefits of fish at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, discovered omega-3 fatty acids can raise the levels of serotonin and dopamine, two brain chemicals that are thought to play a role in depression.

Fish oil appears to have anti-inflammatory properties, and has been researched as a treatment for many conditions including inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. It also has some pre-

ventive effect for Parkinson’s disease.

So when is fish not so good for your health? Almost all fish is contaminated with trace amounts of mercury.

While most healthy adults have no problem eliminating the mercury from their bodies, children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid some types of fish and shellfish to reduce their risk of mercury exposure.

Fish that contain the low level of mercury are anchovies, catfish, clam, crab, haddock, hake, herring, salmon, sardines, shrimp, trout (freshwater), tuna, and whitefish.

The following have higher content of mercury: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. “Avoid eating them, as possible,” experts warn.

If you are concerned about mercury, or if you just don’t want to eat fish, you need to get omega-3 fatty acids from other sources. There are many plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as canola oil, flax

seeds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. The type of omega-3 fatty acids found in plants, called alpha linolenic acid (ALA), is not exactly the same as the fats found in fish, but experts say your body has the capability to transform ALA to both EPA and DHA. Our very own ttilapia has very low levels of mercury because it is a fast-growing and short-lived fish that mostly eats a vegetarian diet. However, a study done in the United States has shown that eating tilapia is not good for those with heart problems.

“Cardiologists are telling their patients to go home and eat fish, and if the patients are poor, they’re eating tilapia.

And that could translate into a dangerous situation,” said the researchers from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“For individuals who are eating fish as a method to control inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, it is clear from these numbers that tilapia is not a good choice,” said an article which appeared in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. “All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia.”

The American study found farm-raised tilapia has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acid and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. “In a fish-farming situation, the fish that you get depends on what they are fed,” explained Dr. Floyd Chilton, a professor of physiology and pharmacology and the director of the Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids.

“Now if these fish are fed, as in the wild, Omega 3 fatty acids and algae, then they’re going to have long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids, which are go-

ing to be incredibly beneficial.

However, if these fish are fed short-chain Omega 6 products that comes from corn products which is happening so often now then what one sees is the long-chain detrimental Omega 6 fatty acids. So really the fish really are what they eat and we really are what we eat as well,” said Dr. Chilton, who headed the study.

That may be true of the tilapia raised in the United States, pointed out Dr. Rafael Guerrero III, former executive director of the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Aquaculture and Marine Research and Development “It is true that farmed tilapia has lower omega-3 fatty acids than marine fish that feed on natural food (algae) in the ocean compared to tilapia fed in

ponds and cages using feeds containing corn,” he explained.

“But this applies more in the US. In the Philippines, we feed our tilapia with rice bran and soybean meal that contain less omega-6 fatty acids.”

On the controversy which tilapia has created a stir among health buffs, Dr. Guerrero said, “There is still a controversy or disagreement among nutritionists with regard to the right balance of omega-6 and omega-3 which we both need in our diet. More studies are needed.”

However, he believes that eating tilapia raised in the Philippines “is healthier than eating bacon and red meat because of its other attributes other than fatty acids such as proteins, minerals, and vitamins, among others.”

12

CLASSIFIED

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

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

Billiard Supplies

Phone Nos.

Cell Nos.

INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

One epic clash I

t was an evening of wigs, leotards, swords and masks as RDL’s John Anthony Modequillo celebrated his birthday and keeping in form from last year’s celebration, this year’s party at Siko-

mo Bar was crazier than ever.

It is no secret that Anthony’s birthday bashes always gather great friends, lots of drinking, and guests that are never shy to come in full regalia, myself included of course. After experimenting with a military theme last year, the theme this year was even more fun with the theme of Heroes and Villains.

Sporting a bright blue Captian America costume, Anthony was ready to captain the guests who started arriving early to beat Durianburg’s early liquor ban. Seen during the party were a couple

URBANISSIMO A4

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

DC Shoes opens at SM City Davao and SM City General Santos I CONSIDER skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. ‘Action sport’ would be the least offensive categorization. -Tony Hawk To most people, skateboarding is merely a sport. To true blooded skaters however, skateboarding is a way to strut their stuff, from skateboarding decks, skateboarding wheels and practically every customizable part of a skateboard. To those who really understand what skateboarding is, they consider it a lifestyle.

The beginnings of skateboarding can be traced from 1940s to early 1950s when surfers in California wanted something to surf and to express them outside water. In the early 1960s it grew into a mainstream subculture and became an outlet of expressions of the new generations.

No brand understands skateboarding as much as the American brand DC. Checkout skateboarding shoes and other accessories at the new DC stores located at the ground floor of SM City Davao and SM City General Santos.

John Paul Seniel wins at the 2014 Davao Globe Media Excellence Awards FOR THREE YEARS in a row, iSYU & iSTORYA host and filmmaker John Paul Seniel reaped recognition for his journalistic efforts on bringing social issues to the attention of the public from one of the leading telecommunications companies in the country.

The award was conferred to Seniel by Globe Telecom in the recently concluded 2014 Davao Globe Media Excellence Awards held at the SMX Convention Center of Davao City on November 27.

Seniel won the “Explanatory/Investigative Story of the Year for Broadcast Award” for his entry titled Tubig Tinubdan that aired March of this year. Tubig Tinubdan tells the story of the lumads of Sitio Salalayan in Barangay Sinuda, Kitaotao, Bukidnon and their problem on the absence of potable drinking water as well as the lack of a sanitized water system facility.

While urban residents enjoy the amenities of clean water from their faucet and dispensers, residents of Sitio Salalayan need to climb mountains and pass through valleys and hills every single day, in the morning and in the afternoon, to fetch potable water for drinking and cooking.

Sitio Salalayan, as Seniel observed, is in dire need of immediate government intervention and it is crucial that they be given access to food, water, and even livelihood.

Seniel’s entry was evaluated based on the following criteria: 50% content, 25% style, and 25% social impact. He received a cash prize amounting to Php 20,000.00 plus a trophy. Seniel said he will be using his cash prize in support of his personal advocacy.

The Globe Davao Media Excellence Awards, which is already on its third year, recognizes the works of reputable journalists and online reporters for their ability to share stories that change the society for the better.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

Davao tourism: United for Christmas

By Kenneth Irving Ong DAVAO REGIONS’S tourism players got together last December 4 for the Department of Tourism Region XI’s (DOTXI) annual Davao Tourism Industry Stakeholders Yearend Gathering and Christmas Party held at the SMX Convention Center.

It was a night of exciting tourism updates from the different tourism officers in the region as they outlined new tourism products as well as legislative developments across the region the highlight of which was the official sponsorship signing of the Primer Group of Companies as one of sponsors of the 2015 International Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge. DOT assistant secretary Arturo Boncato was present to witness the ceremony.

Davao City’s Davao City Tourism Code was also discussed by its proponent, Davao City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre of the Committee on Tourism with its amendments covering changes such as the mandatory DOT accreditation of primary tourism establishments prior business licensing as well as mandatory submission of tourism statistics and creation of a tourist police force to support the DOT-PNP TOP-COP (Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection). Davao City Tourism Operations Officer Lisette Marques has set the dates for further consultation on the creation of the Implementing Rules and Regulations while the DOT assured everyone that accreditation is only meant to enhance competitiveness.

The officers of the newly-founded MICE Organizers Ventures Davao

(MOVE Davao) led by INVEX proprietor Christian Porras and would-be recruits of the Let’s Meet in Davao program also took the opportunity to hold their oath-taking ceremony.

To lighten up the mood, a Christmas dance competition was held that was joined by the Hotels and Resorts Sales and Marketing Associ-

ation (HRSMA), Davao Association of Tour Operators (DATO), Tourism Educators Association of Davao City (TEADC) and NAITAS-Davao.

Laughter and cheers filled the air as raffle prizes from the region’s hotels, resorts, as well as airlines were given away to lucky party-goers which was the perfect way to cap the evening.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Big names in the film industry featured in Cinema One’s must-watch special documentary niversary, is its latest offering to all loyal viewers who keep Cinema One on top as the number one cable channel in the Philippines. Cinema One consistently holds a strong viewership, allowing it to beat local and even foreign cable channels since 2011.

Cinema One’s 20th anniversary special documentary “Sine, Laging

THE BIGGEST names in the country’s film industry speak up about the evolution of Philippine films and how it has transformed today’s industry in Cinema One’s special documentary, “Sine, Laging Kasama” premiering on Sunday.

Leaders in the entertainment industry ABSCBN President and CEO Charo Santos-Concio and Cinema One Channel Head Ronald Arguelles, critically acclaimed actor Joel Torre, and awardwinning directors Brillante Mendoza, Erik Matti, Wenn Deramas, and Chris Martinez share their thoughts on the impact and development of Philippine films throughout the years.

“Sine, Laging Kasama,” one of Cinema One’s milestone projects as it celebrates its 20th an-

Kasama” will premiere on Sunday (December 14), 10:00PM to be followed by the Cinema One 20th Anniversary Special at 11:30PM. Replays of “Sine, Laging Kasama” will be on December 20 (Saturday), 11:00PM and December 27 (Saturday), 12PM. For more information, visit Cinema One’s official Facebook page (www.facebook. com/Cinema1channel).

Gary V, and other hit artists headline ‘Ryan Ryan Musikahan’ Christmas Special As a holiday treat to fans of ABS-CBN’s iconic musical program, Jeepney TV airs the grand Christmas special of “Ryan Ryan Musikahan” this Sunday.

Aptly titled “Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Home for Christmas,” the show is the perfect concert to catch on TV this weekend --- packed with timeless Christmas carols and songs that capture the spirit of the season, presented by Maestro Ryan Cayabyab.

“Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Home for Christmas” features heartwarming per-

formances from four of the country’s most celebrated musical figures, Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano, “The Voice of the Philippines” coach Bamboo, singer-songwriter Aiza Seguerra, and First Lady of Philippine Musical Theatre Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.

Musical director Gerard Salonga also participates in the Christmas concert together with the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY).

The Advertiser’s Chorale also performs a fun-filled number.

Taped before a live audi-

ence at the Rockwell Tent under the direction of the legendary Johnny Manahan, the special revives the unique brand of musical entertainment of the original “Ryan Ryan Musikahan” that earned numerous

awards and tons of accolades during the late 80’s and early 90’s.

“Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Home for Christmas” will premiere on Jeepney TV this Sunday (December 14), 8PM with replays on December 20, 9-11PM and January 1, 9-11PM. For your dose of memorable episodes of ‘Ryan Ryan Musikahan’, catch the show on Jeepney TV, Channel 9 on Skycable and carried by leading cable systems nationwide, every Saturday from 11:00 PM to 12:00 MN.

‘Dream dad’ charms primetime viewers, hits all-time high national TV rating

PRIMETIME TV’s charming drama series “Dream Dad” achieves a new milestone as the Kapamilya teleserye starring the newest Kapamilya “couple” Zanjoe Marudo and child star Jana Agoncillo reaches its highest national TV rating since it premiered in November.

According to data from Kantar Media last Thursday (December 4), the primetime TV series scored its alltime high national TV ratings of 32.2%, or double of its rival program on GMA “More Than Words” (16%).

“It’s heartwarming and rewarding to feel the strong support of view-

ers for our show. I am very happy for the whole cast and crew, and especially for Jana because she is one of the reasons why viewers are hooked to ‘Dream Dad’,” said Zanjoe who plays the role of Baste, the

bachelor who Baby (portrayed by Jana) calls “Mr. President.”

“We are lucky that Jana is the one chosen to portray Baby because she is really perfect for the role,” said Zanjoe. “She really amazes

me. We are always playing on the set, but every time we do our scenes together, she is very prepared and has always memorized her lines. She is very natural when it comes to acting.”

According to Zanjoe, TV viewers will get to see more of Baste and Baby’s feel-good moments in the continuation of “Dream Dad.” “Baste and Baby’s story is just beginning to unfold.

Viewers should watch how they will face challenges in their lives together, and how they will help each other fulfill their dreams,” he said.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Ian Mckellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage PG 13

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 3D Ian Mckellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage PG 13

12:30 | 3:30 | 6:30 | 09:30 LFS

THE PYRAMID Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O'Hare R 13

12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 | 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

R-16 EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton PG13

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

EVENT URBANISSIMO A1 of sexy catwomen, a few batmen, a sprinkling of horror thanks to designer Dodjie Batu’s gorgon inspired headdress.

There were also a couple of scene stealers such as friends who came in as characters from X-men complete with hair and full body make-up (there was even a Professor X, complete with his own wheelchair) as well as a perfectly voluptuous Darna.

With so many costumed guests going in and out of the relatively

small bar, I had to check if it was actually a birthday party or if I got time warped back to Halloween. But whatever the time or theme, everybody had a blast many thanks to the ever dapper Mr. Modequillo.

A happy birthday again to you my friend, I look forward to more of your crazy epic birthday parties.

Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter @ kennethirvingong for more travel stories, foodie finds and happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAVAO CITY

HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND Or PAG-IBIG FUND, Mortgagee -versus-

EJF-REM CASE NO. 14,959-14

ARNULFO S. LUMANLAN,married to VIRGINIA S. LUMANLAN, Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND OR PAG-IBIG FUND against ARNULFO S. LUMANLAN, married to VIRGINIA S. LUMANLAN with postal address at LOT 319-B, BLK.00 55 ROLLS ROYCE ST., DAVAO EXECUTIVE HOMES, MATINA, DAVAO CITY to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness in the total amount of ( P 731,495.84 ) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest and penalty charges, as of April 28, 2014 plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 16 , 2015 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property mentioned and described below together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 235211 “A parcel of land (LOT 379-B-2-C-1-D-1-0, PSD -11-020047, XXX) situated in the Barrio of Matina , City of Davao, Island of Mindanao…xxx Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY (150) SQUARE METERS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on FEBRUARY 13, 2015, without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the titles herein described real property/ies and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, DECEMBER 02, 2014

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROV’L SHERIFF:

Noted by:

(SGD.) ROBERT M. MEDIALDEA Sheriff IV

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (12/8,15,22)

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EDGEDAVAO REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT-SHERIFF DAVAO CITY

HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND Or PAG-IBIG FUND, Mortgagee -versus-

EJF-REM CASE NO. 14,934-14

Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND OR PAG-IBIG FUND against CHARLITA A. BALUIS, married to IRENEO D. BALUIS with postal address at LOT 16, BLK. 59 NHA ROSALINA VILLAGE III, DUMOY, TORIL, DAVAO CITY to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness in the total amount of ( P 514,101.84 ) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest and penalty charges, as of July 24, 2014 plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 09 , 2015 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property mentioned and described below together with all the improvements thereon, to wit:

Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 235211 “A parcel of land xxx (LOT 16 , Blk. 59, xxx Pcs- 112402001850,xxx) situated in the City of Davao, Island of Mindanao…xxx Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) SQUARE METERS, more or less” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on FEBRUARY 06, 2015, without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the titles herein described real property/ies and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, NOVEMBER 18, 2014

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROV’L SHERIFF: (SGD.) ROBERT M. MEDIALDEA Sheriff IV

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR. Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff (12/8,15,22)

IN THE MATTER OF CANCELLATION

SP. PROC. CASE NO. 13,310-14

CHARLITA A. BALUIS, married to IRENEO D. BALUIS,

Noted by:

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 11TH Judicial Region Branch 16 Davao City

AND SUBSTITUTION OF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATES OF MARIA ARNELOU CAMILE OLBES CHUA AND MARIA ANGELICA ARABELLA OLBES CHUA, REP. BY HER SISTER, MARIA ARNELOU CAMILE OLBES CHUA MARIA ARNELOU CAMILE O. CHUA Petitioner, Versus

LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF DAVAO CITY & LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF LAAK, COMPOSTELA VALLEY, ORDER

Petitioner in their verified petition prays of this Honorable Court that:

1. The first Birth Certificates of the petitioners registered in the Local Civil Registry of Davao which are defective be cancelled; AND 2. The Birth Certificates of the petitioners registered in Laak, Compostela Valley be SUBSTITUTED as true and correct Birth Certificates of the petitioners.

Finding the said petition to be sufficient in form and in substance. It is hereby ordered that the said petition be set for hearing on February 09, 2015 at 8:30 in the morning on which date, time and place, all persons who are interested may appear and show cause if anu, why said petition should not be granted.

Let a copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation at least once a week for three(3) consecutive issued at the expense of the petitioner.

The Local Civil Registrar, Davao city, and the Assistant City prosecutor are cited to appear on said date of hearing, in order to show cause, if any, said petition should not be granted.

SO ORDERED.

Davao City, Philippine, October 27,2014.

SGD. EMMANUEL C. CARPIO Presiding Judge 12/8/15/22

SPORTS DAVAO 14 EDGE Sports

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

HE STILL HAS MAGIC T

Reyes wins Manny Pacquiao International 10-Ball Billiards title

HERE is reason to believe the magic is still there.

Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes showed why he is called the magician – a pool legend who pulls from his bagful of tricks – overcoming challenges from emerging crop of cue artists to capture the US$50,000 2nd Manny Pacquiao International 10-Ball tournament in a thrilling finals match against an opponent young enough to be his son.

With seeded and top favorites falling in the early rounds, Reyes restored order but not after escaping a breathtaking 11-10 triumph over Demosthenes Pulpul in the championship match.

Reyes started the final day of the individual event

with a 9-7 close victory over former doubles champion John Morra of Canada in the Round of 16.

He again held the breath of the crowd with an equally suspenseful win over 22-year old Oliver Medenilla of Camarines Sur who is now based in Dubai as assistant coach of the UAE team, 9-8 to book a seat in the semifinals.

With just 20 minutes rest, Reyes faced Benjie Guevarra in the semifinals and found himself in a 0-4 hole before rallying and wining in a close 9-6 score.

Guevarra earlier claimed the scalp of Kiamco in the Round of 16 before beating Corteza in the quarterfinal to set a semifinal showdown with Reyes.

With Lee Van Corteza,

Alex Pagulayan and Warren Kiamco losing in the Round of 16, only Reyes remained among the crowd favorites heading into the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal victim Medenilla said he succumbed to pressure in the 17th and final rack against the living billiard legend Reyes with the score tied, 8-8.

“My first time to meet him,” Medenilla said.

Reyes on the other hand said the tournament has produced many future Filipino world billiard champions.

The quarterfinals became an all-Filipino affair after Rodney Morris also lost to Michael Feliciano. Feliciano however succumbed to Pulpul in the quarterfinal.

“Magagaling na rin (They are good),” Reyes said.

Reyes won US$13,000 as champion.

The tournament which was hosted and sponsored

by Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani attracted 120 players with several former world pool champions in attendance.

Also among the notables who lost in the elimination and the knockout games were world rated Mika Immonen of Finland and defending champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany.

Another former world 9-Ball champion who was eliminated was Francisco Bustamante who lost to Reyes in the Round of 32.

Meanwhile, the doubles tourney with a total prize of US$100,000 will start today (December 13). Edwin Espejo

ILIPINO Raymond Tabugon (14-3-1, 6 KO’s) scored the most important win of his boxing career by dethroning South African Luzuko Siyo (13-3, 10 KO’s) to capture on points the IBO Intercontinental Jr. Flyweight (108 lbs) championship Friday night in East London, South Africa.

“It was Tabugon’s first fight outside of the Philippines and he did great. Ray was motivated and in excellent shape. His win is a reward for his hard work,”

shared Tabugon’s manager Jim Claude Manangquil of Sanman Promotions in Gensan.

The 23-year-old Cagayan de Oro native - who is also the reigning WBC Asian Flyweight (112 lbs) champ - was assisted in South Africa by coach Jose Valendez of Sanman Gym. The card in East London was a production of South African promoter Andile Sdinile of Sijuta Promotions.

Meantime in Los Angeles, California, a world title shot will be on the line at the Sa-

lon Las Palmas in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday, December 13, when Mexico City’s Armando “Cobra” Santos (14-3-1, 8 KOs) faces Filipino star John Riel “Cuadro Alas”Casimero (20-2, 12 KOs) in a 12-round IBF Flyweight Title Eliminator that will air on FOX Deportes and Televisa.

In the co-main event, unbeaten Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (20-0-1, 14 KOs) battles Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico’s Genaro “Duro” Camargo (39-15, 32 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout.

Also in action will be

lightweight contender Roberto “Tito” Manzanarez (28-1, 24 KOs) and unbeaten prospect Adan “Speedy” Mares (12-0-1, 3 KOs).

Santos vs. Casimero, a 12-round IBF flyweight title elimination bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored

by Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

CT and the FOX Deportes broadcast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and the Televisa broadcast airs at 10:30 p.m. CT on Canal 5.

Tabugon wins IBO title in South Africa F

Loreto-Joyi world title bout scrapped T

BY MANNY PINOL

HE International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Junior Flyweight championship between defending champion Rey Loreto of Davao City and Nkosinathi Joyi of South Africa set tomorrow, Dec. 13, in East London, South Africa has been scrapped.

South African promoter Siphatho Handi of Mamali Sports Promotions informed IBO President Ed Levine by email that four fighters in the main bouts in the card have withdrawn from the fight because of injuries.

The cancelled championship should have been the second meeting between Loreto and Joyi.

On Feb. 1, this year, Loreto, a former journeyman, who was picked to fight the twotime world champion Joyi, knocked out the South African in their championship bout in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Loreto is the first world boxing champion from Davao City.

In his letter to the IBO, Handi said: “It is with regret to advise you that the above IBO World Championship bout is postponed to February 28, 2015.

“The reason for the postponement is the pulling out of opponents of four other championship bouts resulting in the sponsors threatening to pull out as well unless the whole tournament is postponed and re-organised afresh, thereby guarateeing them value for their money.

“The opponents have pulled out in the following bouts: “1. Mzonke Fana vs Jack Asis (Australia) for WBA Super

Feather weight Championship Eliminator: Asis pulled out after disagreement between his camp and the promoter.

“2. Noni Tenge vs Julie Tshabalala for WBA Interim Female Welter weight title: Tshabalala pulled out citing wrist injury during training two days ago “3. Mfusi Maxayi vs Toto Helebe for WBF Intercontinental Bantam weight title: Mfusi Maxayi pulled out, just disappeared from the camp.

“4. Takalani Ndlovu vs Aphiwe Mboyiya for WBA Pan African Feather weight title: Mboyiya pulled out, citing ankle injury suffered during road work training.

“The above situation left my sponsors with no option but to request postponement as their money will not guarantee them returns on their investments. After a lengthy discussion between the promoter and the sponsors we resolved to postpone the whole tournament to February 28, 2015 in East London, South Africa.”

Also scrapped is the fight between North Cotabato’s Rommel “Little Assassin” Asenjo and South African Sibusisu Twani.

Brico Santig, the Baguio City-based manager of Loreto, expressed disappointment over the scrapping of the fight saying that the 23-year-old champion prepared long and hard for the fight.

He also asked the South African promoter to refund Loreto’s training expenses, a request which has been forwarded to the South African promoter.

Handi has not responded to the request.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

15

Former Pacquiao sparmate picks Mayweather "I think Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather will see you make a mistake and he'll capitalize on it."

O

VER the last several weeks, many ringside experts have voiced their respective opinions concerning who eventually would reign supreme in a massive pairing between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Although the Pacman seems to be the sentimental fan favorite leading into the proposed 2015 matchup, most prizefighters and trainers are overwhelmingly favoring the pound for pound king in this highly anticipated super fight.

This weekend’s main event A-side, Britain’s Amir Khan, explains why he thinks Floyd would indeed hand Manny Pacquiao his sixth professional loss.

“Manny’s still a great offensive fighter,” claims the former Junior Welterweight Champion. “ “But when it comes to someone who’s going to hit you as you come in, or someone who’s attacking you, you’re going to get caught.

So maybe he needs to work more on the defensive side.”

“That’s why I think Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather will see you make a mistake and he’ll capitalize on it.”

Many fight fans and boxing pundits believe that Pacquiao’s athleticism and reflexes have somewhat eroded with age.

While the Filipino icon is still a force to be reckoned with, just days away from turning 36, the Bolton, Lancashire native believes that his former stable mate has shown a slight deterioration in h i s abilities.

“Manny’s a great guy, but he’s just not the same fighter he was a couple of years ago.”

Khan will compete this weekend in Vegas against former two-division world champion Devon Alexander in the big Showtime main event of the evening. The 28 year old fighter is hoping to land a big fight with either Pacquiao or Mayweather next year with a resounding victory on Saturday night.

“Boxing is all about timing,” states Amir Khan.

"Manny's still a great offensive fighter, but when it comes to someone who's going to hit you as you come in, or someone who's attacking you, you're going to get caught. So maybe he needs to work more on the defensive side."

“Manny and Floyd are getting older.

Someone has to take their place. Mayweather would be a very technical fight, like a game of chess. But I think Manny would be harder.”

So although Khan believes Mayweather would defeat Pacquiao in a head to head match-up, the candid young fighter thinks that Floyd would be an easier assignment for him stylistically than Manny?

Styles make fights... hopefully fight fans will get the opportunity to see one if not all of these pairings materialize in 2015.

D

Talk is over: Floyd vs Pac considered done

RAMA and sincerity don’t mix. Going into a negotiating table with “doubt” and reservation is more a sign of insincerity than pessimism because a truly sincere person knows no insurmountable obstacle regardless of “impossibilities.”

Notwithstanding the coldness, hustles and elbowing in the talks, the Mega Bout is considered a done deal as far as the people is concerned. Otherwise, beyond boycotting Pac and Floyd’s future shows prior to and outside of Pac vs. Floyd, the people and media will have to resort to universal “protest” and total “news blackout.”

Clear as crystal. Whoever would do anything contrary to what leads to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao should be castoff.

They are plagues to the sport.

Those who have other “plans” to concoct must be planning to beat their butt, or court disaster. The false apostles that bring up names of other boxers for Pac and Floyd even before they fight each other ought to be disowned by their own. Such crookedness.

What plan B or plan C are you talking about? Or what alternative plans do you propose if all the pieces are falling into place already and it’s just the decisiveness of one or two stiff-necked persons that is the lacking ingredient to get the Super Fight going?

You don’t change the plan in such a situation. You stand by sanity (not “map”) and break stubbornness.

This is boxing “People

Power.”

Will there ever be peace or justice where guile and greed reign supreme? Can anything be possibly and humanly above Truth and soundness of mind? How do you confront a lion that roars and walketh about seeking whom he may devour? And how could it not be that any plan of Mayweather, Pacquiao and their respective cohorts other than the plan to make the Mega Bout happen is a plan to crush their little kingdoms?

If indeed Floyd remains to be foolhardy clucking away from Pacman, despite the “lessons” he should have heeded, wait till he acts to cherry-pick again so that fury and revolt would be solely on him.

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 195 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 - 15, 2014