Edge Davao 7 Issue 242 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

UP IN THE AIR. A boy leaps into the air while attempting to catch pigeons at Quezon Park in Davao City yesterday. Pigeons are a regular sight around City Hall especially during mid-day. Lean Daval Jr.

POWER RATE HIKE

DLPC to impose 10-centavo increase per kilowatt hour By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Poewer Company (DLPC) on Monday said it is imposing a 10-centavo increase per kilowatt hour (kWh) on electricity rate starting next month. DLPC assistant vice president for communications and branding Ross Luga, speaking in the regular Kapehansa Dabaw forum yesterday at the Annex of SM City Davao, said the distribution utility(DU) company has to implement a rate increase

next month because it has to source out more expensive power supply from other generation utilities (GUs). The rate increase will start to reflect on the March bill. Luga said DLPC has to optimize on the power generating utilities with power supply agreements, which is more expensive compared of the P2.90 per kilowatt (kW) of National Power Corporation (NPC). The scheduled preventive

maintenance of the two units of the200MW Steag State Power Inc. coal-fired power plant, he said, has caused the NPC to decrease its power supply transmitted through the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to DLPC. The first 100 MW unit of Steag is scheduled to have its maintenance shutdown from Febraury 19 to March 2, while the shutdown on the second 100 MW units is from February 21 to 16.

Luga explained that Davao Light franchise is facing a tight power situation. He made a presentation yesterday showing how DLPC has contracted NPC to supply 280 megawatt (MW). But, with the 200 MW off the Mindanao grid, NPC can only transmit an average of 191 MW. “There’s a shortage of 89 MW and we need to cover that by sourcing-out power supply to other Gus,” Luga

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INSIDE EDGE THE WORLD’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK: YELLOWSTONE Indulge A4

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

EQUALIZER. Aeon Aexza Bustillo, a Grade 3 student of Sta. Ana Elementary School (SAES), demonstrates how to use a number equalizer balance during the turnover of the Science Exploration Center to SAES by the Davao Light and Power Co. and Aboitiz Foundation on Friday. Lean Daval Jr.

SP to approve P600M more for city solid waste project By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Council is set to approve on final reading today the additional P600 million allocation for the city’s Solid Waste Management Project. The additional budget as contained in the ordinance granting legislative authority for Supplemental Budget (SB) No.1 of the City Government of Davao for Calendar Year 2015 is expected to be passed during the regular session. The SB1 is intended to

augment the Upgrading of Solid Waste Management and Collection System of the City which will be implemented by the City Environment Resources Office (CENRO) and to be sourced from loans from Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). CENRO plans to acquire 22 garbage compactors with a total cost of P364.135 million. The office also wants to procure 13, 566 mobile garbage bins with a total cost of P235.860 million.

City Council committee on finance, ways and means and appropriation chair Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang told Edge Davao in an interview that the release of loan should be based on the guidelines of Commission and Audit, Department of Budget and Management and Republic Act 9184 or “Government Procurement Reform Act.” “Kung unsay paliton, ibase gyud sa balaod (Whatever procurement made, it should be

based on the existing laws),” he said. Dayanghirang said they also require CENRO to submit the manual of securing the garbage bins to assure that it will not be lost, adding that it will be submitted after the approval of the ordinance. “The idea of this is to make sure that the bins will not be lost. But, it is the obligation of the CENRO and the barangay officials to take care of the bins

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Drug cases filed in courts increased in 2014 –PDEA T HE number of drug cases filed in the courts in 2014 increased significantly, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported. In its consolidated report, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr.said a total of 17,074 drug cases were filed in different courts nationwide in 2014 compared to 10,502 in 2013, or an increase of 62.57 percent Cacdac said that from 2002-2014, 106,092 drug cases were already filed in court of which 19,585 or 18.46 percent were settled. Out of the resolved cases, 5,265 or 27

percent resulted in conviction, 9,051 or 46 percent resulted in acquittal and 5,269 or 27 percent resulted in dismissal. The remaining anti-drug cases filed during the period were either unresolved and pending before the court, or provisionally dismissed and placed in the archives. “I refused to get discouraged by the low conviction rate arising from these drug cases. It all boils down to the preparation and filing of airtight drug cases complemented by the prioritization of court duties by PDEA operatives, chemists and witnesses,

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Sid’s P14.4-M electrification projects get NEA approval Army clearing operations

Isidro T. Ungab

HE National Electrification Administration (NEA) has approved Davao City Rep, Isidro T. Ungab’s electrification projects for the city’s third district amounting to P14.4 million. With the NEA approval, the projects are set for implementation in at least seven barangays situated in Calinan, Tugbok and Marilog districts. “These electrifi-

cation projects are significant because a good number of barangays and sitios which have no power supply,” Rep. Ungab said. He earlier presented the projects during deliberations of the country’s annual budget in October last year. “These projects are now ready for implementation in the third district,” said Ungab, chair of the

House committee on appropriations. Bulk of the P14.4 million electrification projects will be in Salaysay, Marilog District worth P4.4 million. Some of the electrification projects approved by NEA will be implemented in Megkawayan, Calinan (P2.8 million), Angalan, Tugbok District (P1.9 million) and Cawayan, Calinan District (P1.3 million).

against BIFF continues

HE Army’s 6th Infantry Division through its 7th Infantry Battalion is continuing its clearing operations with Army bomb experts conducting post-conflict assessment in regained villages, an Army regional spokesperson Monday said. Capt. Joanne Petinglay, 6th ID spokesperson, said the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have fled toward the Liguasan marshland, particularly in the villages of Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao after the Army

launched artillery operation. “More than 100 BIFF lawless elements have been driven out of at least seven interior villages of Pikit and Pagalungan,” Petinglay said. Army bomb experts have been conducting clearing operations in the village of Kabasalan, Pikit where the BIFF occupied and stayed for about a week. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which clashed with rival BIFF since Feb. 13, recovered eight improvised bombs left by fleeing lawless

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

POST-VALENTINE CONCERT ON FEB. 28

First SMX’s dinner show features Jose Mari Chan

A LITTLE HELP. A woman and her child purchase candles from a physically challenged hawker inside the San Pedro Cathedral compound. The few coins they pay with will certainly go a long way for the vendor. Lean Daval Jr.

Bello: Klata proposal on IPMR not possible By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

HE proposal of the Klata tribe to endorse its own representative as the indigenous people’s mandatory representative in the wake of the dispute surrounding the selection of Kagan’s Halila Sudagar is not possible because of the existing agreement on the term sharing of IPMR. Councilor Karlo Bello, chair of the City Council committee on civil, political and human rights, said the wish of the officers and members of the Davao City Federation of Bagobo Klata/Guiangan tribal councils, Inc. to allow lawyer Dennis Ampon to represent them “as an alternative to the present circumstances” is not

possible based on the rules stipulated in City Ordinance No. 0448-10 series of 2010 or “An Ordinance Providing Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples.“ Bello said that during the approval of the ordinance, they agreed that the sequence of the tribe to select IPMR should be in alphabetical order. He said that the concern of Klata will be possible if the technical working group (TWG) who crafted the rules and regulation of the selection process of IPMR. The third district councilor said he will pass a resolution to reconvene the TWG as part of the amendment process of the

IVE cops assigned in Cagayan De Oro City are facing dismissal from service after they were tested positive of drugs, a police officer said Monday. Cagayan De Oro City Police Office operations chief Senior Supt. Lemuel Gonda withheld the names of the policemen who were ordered under camp restriction at the regional police command here. Gonda said that the cops were found positive of drugs after the local police command conducted a “surprise random drug test” among policemen assigned in various police stations here. Gonda did not disclose when the “random drug test” was conducted. “The random drug test is part of the program of the police command to get

rid of men in uniform under the influence of drugs,” he said. Two weeks ago, regional Police Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr. disclosed that 17 policemen assigned in various police command in Northern Mindanao who are suspected to be dependents on illegal drugs. Cruz advised the roque cops to leave the police service before they would be caught and face summary dismissal and criminal charges. The regional police director vowed that the PNP regional command will go after roque cops who are involved in drugs and illegal activities. Two weeks ago, a cop in Bukidnon who was disarmed after he was found positive of drugs lobbed a grenade at the

5 cops tested positive of drugs face dismissal F

F5 COPS, 14

ordinance. For his part, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 acting regional legal officer lawyer Ronnie Bulotano said that the proposal of Klata will only materialize if the other five tribes in the city will agree. Bulotano said in his understanding, the Klata do not want to waste the opportunity to serve the IP community in the city. The proposal, however, needs to be discussed. He agreed with that since the six tribes already have an original agreement that they assign to choose an IPMR in alphabetical order. The City Council approved

the item last Tuesday in first reading and was referred to the committee of Bello. Meanwhile, Bello said that he will present in today’s session the resolution to Mambo-o in a holdover capacity. He added that the reinstatement of Mambo-o is due to the urgency of the IP community to be represented since it is more than a month of vacancy. Bello said this is so since the United Royal House of Kagan had filed a petition before the NCIP to hold the assumption of Sudagar from sitting as IP councilor. “We do not know how

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HE first ever dinner show at the now iconic SMX Convention Center at the SM Lanang Premier will headline Jose Mari Chan, one of the country’s most enduring singers-composers, on February 28. Jose Mari will treat modern-day and nostalgic Dabawenyos with a repertoire of love songs during the concert in Mindanao’s biggest in-door activity center today. Entitled “A Love to Last A Lifetime,” the dinner show will also feature world-renown singing groups under the tutelage of Bong Aviola as side performers. They are The Himig Singers of Davao City, Davao City Children’s Choir and the sensational Musikademy’s M6 Teens. The post-Valentine event is endorsed by no less than Archdiocese of Davao

under Archbishop Romulo Valles. The musical extravaganza is aimed at raising funds for various charity programs of the Christian Ambassadors Reaching for Excellence (CARE) Foundation, Inc. and the Davao City Mt. Apo Lions Club.

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DCWD assures no water interruption

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Water District (DCWD) gave assurance it will not implement water interruption especially in the central business district of the city despite the impending power outages. DCWD spokesperson Atty. Bernardo De Lima, speaking in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex, said they rceived a communication from Davao Light Power Company (DLPC) announcing of the implementation of power interruption near the Dumoy Water Supply System. De Lima said the Dumoy area will be spared from the two-hour rotating power

interruption resulting from the tight power situation in the franchise area of DLPC. The operation of DCWD’s water supply system is highly dependent to the power supply of DLPC. “DLPC assured DCWD, one of the city’s key service provider, that it won’t experience schedule blackouts,” De Lima said. DLPC assistant vice president for branding and communication Ross Luga said on the same media forum that key service providers like hospitals and DCWD will be prioritized in the power supply chain during the schedule power interruption

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PLAYFUL. While their mothers who offer manicure and pedicure services are busy tending their customers, these children fight boredom by playing with each other. Lean Daval Jr.

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Phoenix, CAB renew supply agreements

EADING independent oil company Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and leading carrier Cebu Pacific recently renewed their Jet A-1 fuel supply and fuel handling services agreement for multiple locations. The contract signing was led by Phoenix President and CEO Dennis Uy and Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei on February 3, 2015 at the Cebu Pacific Airline Operations building in Pasay City, Manila. The signing covered contracts for Jet-A1 fuel supply in Subic; fuel storage, handling, and into-plane services in Mindanao, Aklan and Cebu for five years; and fuel barging services for five years through wholly-owned subsidiary Chelsea Shipping Corporation. These are in addition to the 10-year renewable supply contract for Cebu signed last year by Phoenix Petro-

leum and Cebu Pacific. In 2014, both companies celebrated a decade of strong and indispensable partnership. Phoenix Petroleum is the dominant supplier of Jet A-1 fuel to Cebu Pacific nationwide, providing Jet A-1 fuel storage, handling, barging, bridging and into-plane services to the airline company. Phoenix Petroleum is the number one independent and fastest growing oil company today with an expanding network of operations nationwide. It is engaged in the business of trading refined petroleum products and lubricants, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, shipping/logistics and allied services. Cebu Pacific is the largest domestic airline operator in the country, flying to 24 international and 33 domestic destinations. It is the sixth largest low-cost carrier in the Asia-Pacific region.

RENEWING TIES. Phoenix Petroleum president and CEO Dennis Uy (second from left) and Cebu PacificPresident and CEO Lance Gokongwei (third from left) seal multiple long-term supply and service agreements between the

two companies last February 3 in Pasay City, Manila. With them are Phoenix Petroleum VP and Chelsea Shipping Corp. COO Jose Manuel Quimson (left) and Cebu Pacific VP for Fuel and Cargo Joseph Macagga (right).

DOE offers service contracts to 17 hydro, 4 geo projects

HE Department of Energy (DOE) is offering service contracts, through the Open and Competitive Selection Process (OCSP), to 17 potential hydro-power project sites with a capacity of 708.4-Megawatts (MW) and four geothermal prospect sites with 134-MW of estimated power. In a release on its website, the DOE showed the description of 17 hydro and four geothermal power potential sites for its second round of OCSP, which was estimated through local and foreign group studies. Some of the studies were conducted separately by the DOE, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), National Power Corporation (Napocor), Shawinigan Engineering, NEWJEC Inc., New Internafil Development and Consultancy

Inc, while some studies were also conducted through collaborations. Most of the assessments for hydro-power potential was conducted by JICA, while the geothermal projects was initially estimated with the help of DOE. For hydro-power, the site with the biggest potential capacity is the future Agus 3 project in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur -- with an estimated power of 225-Megawatts. The second largest hydro-power service contract is along the river of Binongan and Tineg in Abra. It has a proposed capacity of 175-MW and will be called the Binongan-Tineg project. Talakag, Bukidnon has the third spot, for the largest estimate capacity, for its 160-MW potential. The project will be

called Cagayan 1N. The other 14 service contracts being offered have a range of potential capacities from 1.8-MW to 21.6-MW. Per island, Luzon is offering six areas for hydro-power with an estimated capacity of 217.4 MW, Visayas offers eight areas with a capacity of 88.5 MW and Mindanao is offering three areas with 402.5 MW of capacity. Meanwhile, the four geothermal sites have a range of 10-40 MW in projected capacity. The two offered geothermal sites are in Luzon, namely in Tuba, Benguet with a power potential of 10-20 MW and another in a huge part of Compostella Valley with 20-40 MW. For the geothermal prospect sites in Visayas, a 26-34 MW project will be located in

Anahawan, Hinundayan and San Juan Southern Leyte. For Mindanao, a 10-40 MW project in Balut Island, Davao del Sur is offered by the DOE. The DOE will formally launch the 2nd round of OCSP on Monday, to invite interested firms to submit their proposals on the potential projects. For both hydro-power and geothermal service contracts, an investment of not less than Php 2.5 million per MW is required by the DOE. It set the deadline for the submission of proposals on May 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. From May 4 to August 4, 2015, the DOE will evaluate each proposal from the companies. It will eventually award the service contract to the winning bidders on September 4, 2015. (PNA)

ECRETARY of Finance Cesar V. Purisima and Secretary of Budget and Management Florencio B. Abad have issued Joint Circular (JC) No. 2015-1 setting the guidelines in the adoption of modified Statement of Receipts and Expenditures (SRE) format to be used in local government budgeting. “LGU financial reports must be consistent, comparable, and reliable across oversight agencies. We are working closely with DBM to achieve greater transparency and accountability in the local finance sector. This is to improve planning, budgeting, and promote administrative efficiency in local finance,” Purisima said. The SRE, which is installed in the local treasury offices in all provinces, cities and municipalities and maintained by the DOF’s Bureau of Local Govern-

SELLING LIKE HOTCAKES. A vendor makes good income selling various sized bibingka (rice cakes), a popular Filipino snack food, right along the sidewalk of a busy downtown street. Lean Daval Jr.

DOF, DBM improve LGU reporting standards ment Finance (BLGF), is the official financial monitoring and reporting system of the DOF for local governments. “By streamlining the reporting format, we’ve successfully developed an updated classification system to facilitate the uniform treatment of accounts. The fact that we’ve harmonized LGU financial reports also helps local treasurers, budget officers, and accountants work with greater efficiency and accuracy,” Purisima said. Since 2008, the DBM had been using the SRE to determine the LGU Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, which details the LGU expenditure program covering the actual obligations for the past year, the actual and estimated expenditures for the current year, and the proposed budget program for the coming year.

Davao Oriental launches oil palm industry project

s part of the advocacy of Davao Oriental provincial government to uplift the living condition of its constituents affected by Typhoon Pablo through the Building Back Better Program, the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRI) and the of Cateel local government successfully launched the first Davao Oriental Oil Palm Industry Development Project last Tuesday. According to Rotchie Ravelo, Provincial Agrculturist Office head, the said project is an opportunity fo farmers to develop another crop besides coconut considering that millions of coconut trees were destroyed as Typhoon Pablo hit the province in 2012. Based on tedious industry studies conducted by experts, oil palm is one of the most practical crops to replace coconut as it suits well to the

province’s the climate, soil and topography. Ravelo said that the province is targeting about 1, 500 hectares of fertile land to be planted tooil palm this year. Farmers who are qualified and interested to be part of the project are given 128 ready-toplant seedlings good for one hectare. The Provincial Government sees this industry as a very feasible one that will give assurance of additional income for the farmers and boost provincial economy. The launching program is in time also to the ceremonial turn-over of the first batch of Oil Palm seedlings to the first 100 farmers’ member of an association at Barangay Malibago here. The pilot batch of seedlings was funded by the Pro-

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5 PROPERTY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Matina Enclaves jumpstarts to busy sales season

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

T’S just the early start of the year but things are already looking rosy for Matina Enclaves. Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco), a homegrown developer with rich legacy in hospitality and security services business, is reaping the rewards of an aggressive and fast-moving development of its initial real estate venture.

Let us count the ways. Begin with forty inventory units at The Courtyard already sold out with four units currently under construction. All lots at The Plains also sold out. And at the coveted condominium buildings, 95 percent of Building 1 is sold and 25 percent of the inventory in Building 2 is now covered with Letter of Intents from interested buyers. If that is not phenomenal, what else could be exciting? “Esdevco through its aggressive development phasing has gained so much public trust and confidence. As a new developer we need to show the public that we are serious with this engagement that is why we placed so much development for the past year,” says Gerald Garces, the man with the unenviable job of developing and selling The Matina Enclaves. “With the positive response from the public as evidenced by our sales makes us even more motivated. We still have much to show this year, and this is what makes Matina Enclaves a very exciting project,” Garces said. If at all, Garces is saying there are more exciting things ahead for the project that has been the talk of the town since its launch, his statement only echoes the commitment of its owner and project brains Glenn Escandor, Esdevco president. “This is our first venture into real estate and just as we have been successful in our other businesses, we wanted to bring that trademark to this project,” said Escandor. Escandor’s upbeat attitude towards the project has rubbed off on Esdevco’s entire

team from the development to the marketing side. “We need to push strongly because the competition is very stiff. We are a Davao based company and we wanted to showcase that competitive spirit in this project. We complement our words with well-calculated actions. At the end of the day, it’s a project Dabawenyos will be very proud of,” Escandor said. Garces said The Courtyard has generated good comments from the buyers because of the design, functionality. He admitted there have been several inquiries and interested buyers which have yet to be served because all units have been sold. The Plains was also a big hit and because of the project’s good location which has been its main selling point, a good number of investors have purchased multiple lots which sold for an affordable rate of 18,500 per square meter. The Enclaves Residences, the condominium component of the

project, is also selling briskly with the first building already 95 percent sold since it was launched August 2014. Despite the stiff competition with the mushrooming condominium projects in Davao City, Garces said The Residences is receiving good feedback due to design functionality, superior turnover finished and competitive pricing and payment term. Construction of The Residences’ first building commenced six months ahead of schedule. Excavation works are now ongoing with structural works set to begin next month. Esdevco likewise began promoting Building 2 and now has around 25 percent of the inventory covered with Letter of Intents from interested buyers. For good measure, The Matina Enclaves now boasts of completed road development, perimeter fencing, main gate with guard house, and a two-storey clubhouse aptly named CAME which has a meeting

room that can be rented, billiard tables, gym, playroom for kids and a function hall that can accommodate big functions such as weddings, debuts, reunions, conventions, and other celebrations. The whole facility can accommodate approximately 200 persons. The CAME’s swimming pool is scheduled to start construction

by the middle of the year while the installation of electric posts by Davao Light and Power Company as well as water supply from Davao Water District is expected by April. “With that pace of development, who would not be cashing in on a worthy investment?,” said Garces.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Ciudades business hub finished by 1st quarter By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

HE construction and development of the First Mindanao Industrial Park (FMIP), a 20-hectare (has.) premier business and industrial hub of Ciudades in Buhangin District, is expected to be completed by the first quarter of this year. “We are already fast-tracking the development and concreting of internal road networks for FMIP,” Ciudades project head Ricardo Nicanor N. Jacinto said. “Internal roads are substantially completed”. Lapanday Properties Philippines Inc., developer of Ciudades-- a 250 has. Master planned township development project in Buhangin District-- allocated P350 million for the development of the FMIP. Jacinto said the initial phase of the development for FMIP was completed last December. “The first phase of 3.5 has. is developed...we are now developing the rest of the area,” Jacinto said. The first phase has a total land area of 3.5 hectares (has.) has developed lots for enterprises, concrete road networks and drainage system. The business hub will have a centralized sewerage facility and a centralized water system and continuous power supply from Davao Light and Power Company. Jacinto said that the first phase is now ready for locators

who can be from the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “There will be a total of 84 lots which have an area of at least 1,000 square meters (sqm) to 4,000 sqm,”he said, adding that interested locators can visit two model units at the location. The model units feature a business at the ground floor while the second floor can be utilized for residential purposes. “Although, having said that, if you need larger areas you can also buy several lots at a time,” Jacinto said. La Panday has already submitted right now its application to Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to become an accredited economic zone, according to him. Jacinto said the company is now negotiating with potential locators on the industrial park. “We are looking for locators that are light industries, non-pollutants, service establishments, warehouse operators, and IT-based companies,” he said. Aside from business and industrial component of Ciudades, the township will also have subdivisions, two education institutions, recreational area, and a commercial complex. The development of the access road to Indangan and the bridge going to Waan via Ciudades avenue is ongoing.

16th Cebu Franchise Expo set March 6-8

HE 16th Cebu Franchise Expo is slated from March 6 to 8 at the SM City Cebu Trade Hall in Cebu City. The three-day event organized by Filipino International Franchise Association (F)FA) will benefit Visayas and Mindanao investors and companies. The Expo will be held during mall hours and offers free entrance to all interested parties. For more than a decade, the Philippines has been witnessing the continuing growth of the franchising industry, which has proven its effectiveness favorably increasing the numbers of franchised outlets all over the country.

Along with this boost, franchising created more job opportunities for people and produced additional profits for the owners of franchised outlets and the franchisor. The event features at 80 booths established franchisors offering more than 200 franchise opportunities in the field of food and restauants, beauty, convenient stores, cafes, pizza, pet care, printing, laboratories, water stations, gasoline station and support industries to franchising and business in general. The Expo is organized by the RK Franchise Consultancy, Inc; Myfacen’Mynails Salon; The Realmed Pharmacy; Penong’s Barbeque Seafoods &

Grill; Beanleaf; Flawless; PTT Petroleum; AMA Education System; Julies Bakeshop; Promate Generators; San Jose Bakeshop; 2go Express; and New Datche. The official hotel partners of the expo are Hotel Pier Cuatro and Crown Regency Hotels & Resorts. Media partners are Sunstar Cebu, The Freeman, Cebu Daily News, Businessworld, and Malaya Business Insight. All visitors get a free copy of FranchisingPH Magazine, the leading industry publication in the country. Rudolf Kotik, founder of RK Franchise Consultancy Inc. will conduct a seminar “All About Franchising” on March 7 start-

ing at 1:30 p.m. at the SM City Cebu Meeting Rooms beside the Tradehall at the fourth floor. He will cover topics such as: What is Franchising, History of Franchising, Defining Franchising, Franchising 101, What Does a Franchise Provide, Benefits of Buying a Franchise, How to Select a Franchise, Advantages and Demands of Franchising, Mistakes by Franchise Buyers, Buying a Franchise, Franchising Your Business, Development of a business into a Franchise, Legal Franchise Requirements, Franchise Operations Manual, Franchise Disclosure Information and The Future of Franchising.

needed reforms in the shipping industry. Senate President Franklin Drilon said the measure was part of efforts to sustain the country’s economic growth and prepare for the ASEAN economic integration slated to start this year. ”Improving our shipping industry and logistical capacity will position the country in the global market and improve the flow of goods and services

in the country which will help businesses and ordinary Filipinos alike,” Drilon said. “This is our first step in our effort to further unlock the shipping industry, let it grow and thrive, and make it as efficient as possible as we anticipate more trade, more economic activity, and real inclusive growth for the Filipino people,” Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino III, sponsor of the bill, said. The senator said that the

measures would answer the call of President Benigno Aquino III and various stakeholders to enhance the country’s maritime transport industry. Under the proposed bill, the Filipino producers and entrepreneurs will have the chance to lower their production costs by allowing importers and exporters to co-load in foreign ships going in or out of the Philippine jurisdiction. (PNA)

Senate passes bill allowing ships to dock in multiple ports

HE Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill allowing foreign vessels to dock in multiple ports in the country, provided their cargoes are duly cleared by Bureau of Customs for import or export. The Senate Bill No. 2486 will amend Section 1009 of the Presidential Decree No. 1464, otherwise known as the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978, which aims to introduce much

ASEAN integration boon to PHL

ORE Philippine businesses can look beyond their borders for growth by implementing cross-border mergers and acquisitions as the region moves to welcome the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015. “ASEAN integration is going to benefit the Philippines and among them through mergers and acquisitions,” said Bede Lovell Gomez, Vice President of First Metro Investment Corp., in an interview. He said more developed countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand need to tap new consumers and markets for them to become competitive. Gomez said companies of these countries can end up acquiring stakes in the local firms, as the Philippines with 100 million population is deemed one of the key markets in the ASEAN region. “There are banks in the region interested to acquire stakes in the banking industry in the Philippines. And the Philippines is also going outwards acquiring or setting up companies outside the country. So the cross-border trade will increase,” he noted.

With the start of the ASEAN integration, Gomez said the Philippines will be part of the 600 million population market. “The trade of goods is liberalized, meaning the (trade) flow between these countries is open... So we are not only selling to the local market, we can now freely sell and introduce our products to the ASEAN markets,” he added. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan considered the regional integration a “boon” to the Philippines. “Anything that expands the market for us is a positive development...The ASEAN is a much bigger market. Boosting ourselves to be part of the bigger market is a way for much more opportunities and employment generation,” he stressed. To take advantage of the benefits of the integration, Balisacan underscored the need for the Philippines to address basic constraints. “Infrastructure is one, our regulatory practices we must address them and meet the standards required there in the bigger markets in the region and international (markets),” he said. (PNA)

7 BIGGER PICTURE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

DAVAO CITY: Before and after (Second of Two Parts)

Davao is today’s one of world’s By Henrylito D. Tacio

safest cities

City Hall (Photo by Henrylito D. Tacio)

“

DON’T be surprised if you meet someone in this city who tells you that it’s safe to walk around here because ‘Davao is much safer than New York.’ Unlike in the past when cops were easily terrorized by urban guerrillas or criminals with impunity, now it’s the other way around.” -- Aurelio A. Peña in a news report

Out of the 349 cities ranked by the website Numbeo.com, Davao City was the only metropolis in the Philippines that made it to the top 10. In fact, it was considered the fourth safest place. If the city has a high safety index, the website said, it is considered “very safe.” The safety index of walking alone during daylight in Davao City is 93.75 percent while it was 76.69 percent at night. Davao City, with a land area of 224,000 hectares (approximately 7.8 times the size of Cebu and three times that of the entire Metro Manila), has a very low crime rate. “A great land mass cannot be considered as a hindrance to secure the city’s perimeter and give the 1.8 million Dabawenyos their security,” said a document obtained by this columnist. “The stability of peace and order in the city is manifested in the downward trend of the average monthly crime rate in every 100,000 persons.” There’s an interesting story on how Davao City became one of the world’s safest cities. In 1986, People Power Revolution installed Corazon C. Aquino as the new president. Rodrigo R. Duterte -- the son of the last governor of then undivided Davao Province who obtained a law degree from San Beda College in 1972, the same year that he passed the bar exam -- was appointed officer-in-charge vice mayor. In 1988, Duterte ran for mayor and won, serving until 1998. During his term, he did the seemingly impossible task of restoring peace and order that was divided by religion and ideological belief. He also

The clean city proper (Photo by Henrylito D. Tacio) set a precedent by designating deputy mayors that represented the Lumad (the indigenous people’s group) and Moro in the city government (this was later copied in other parts of the country). By the time his first term ended, Duterte had regained much of the city’s positive image as an ideal investment haven and tourism destination. During the 67th Araw ng Dabaw celebration, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commented: “The Philippines is just catching up with Davao City which seems to be always leading the way for the rest of the country.” For such accolade, Duterte had this to say: “I hold it as an article of faith in government that there can never be development and progress in any city or province in the country, unless there is stability, unless there is peace and order.” Because Duterte was term-limited to run again for mayor in 1998, he instead ran for the House of Representa-

tives and won as Congressman of the 1st District of Davao City. He staged a comeback in 2001 and was again elected for his fourth term. He was reelected in subsequent elections. In 2010, he was elected vice mayor with his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, as mayor. During the last election, he ran again and won. “Today, as I take my oath of office as City Mayor for the seventh time, I ask you to join me in sustaining not only this government of the people, by the people and for the people, but also in creating a government for the least, the last and the lost,” he said in his seventh inaugural on June 28, 2013. Against all forms of criminality “There will be no let-up in our fight against all forms of criminality,” he further said. “As a matter of policy, we will intensify our efforts in this campaign. I have said it before, I will say it again: Criminals have no place in our city except in our jails, detention cells and God forbid,

in our funeral parlors should these criminals decide to fight it out with the authorities.” To some, Duterte is a model crime fighter; to others, he is a mass murderer. “He is unorthodox as he is popular,” wrote Davao journalist Daisy C. Gonzales. “He gained fame (or notoriety) as a no-nonsense mayor in his fight against criminality. A good source of sound bite, he is his own effective propaganda machine. He is both loved and loathed.” The weekly American news magazine, Time, nicknamed him “The Punisher.” He has also been criticized by human rights groups and by Amnesty International for tolerating extrajudicial killings of corrupt officials and criminals. However, he denied any hand in the killings and blamed gang wars for the deaths, which included those of known drug trade players and other crime suspects. As he himself said in 2009: “If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination. Now a tourist destination Thanks to Duterte, today’s Davao is the trade and commerce center of Mindanao. It is just one hour and thirty minutes by plane from Manila (45 minutes if from Cebu City). Davao is also the gateway to East Asian countries, particularly Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. In 2006, Davao hosted the tourism forum of the members

of the Association of South- of the safest cities in the Phileast Asian Nations. “Davao is ippines. The crime rate is low. slow compared to Hong Kong, Taxi drivers are well monitored Bangkok, Manila, and Cebu,” by the local government. I nowrote Ernie Abella, editor of ticed when I was in Davao and Madayaw, a magazine that was hired a taxi from Davao Internareleased in conjunction with tional Airport, one of the man the event. “But you can get from handed me a paper to write sea to mountain by the time on regarding the behaviour of you finish the juice of a fresh the taxi driver and the fare he coconut.” asked. Of course on that piece There are several reasons of paper, information where why Davao is now one of the to send is included. It is really tourist destinations in the coun- amazing. The taxi drivers could try. It is the home of the Philip- not charge as what they want.” pine Eagle Center, the jumping With such accolades, isn’t off of Mount Apo, the place of it great for this city to the the controversial durian, and exot- retirement place? Let’s listen to ic waling-waling. In a website Bob Martin, an American who called toptens.com, people give has lived permanently in Mindsome reasons on why the city is anao. He used to reside in Gensuch a good place to visit: eral Santos City but he opted to “With its unique emergen- transfer in Davao City. “I have cy response system, you can lived in Davao City for almost call 911 in whatever situation five years now,” he wrote in his you are in. The city is known for website, liveinthephilippines. its tight security and strict im- com. “All I can say is that I love it plementation of the law,” wrote here! I believe that Davao City is one visitor. “It is also known to the best place to live in the Philbe the ‘fruit basket of the Phil- ippines. I have talked to other ippines;’ from the exotic durian ex-pats living here, and they all and mangosteen to one of the feel the same way too.” most exported product of the Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, Philippines, banana, you will please take a bow! find all of them here.” Another one commented: “Davao City is one of the most livable cities in Asia. It has a very low percentage of crime. It is not only typhoon-free but so far has not been visited by a huge typhoon or any great disaster. But one this is sure: Davao City has very delicious and very cold clean water.” Here’s an observation of one visitor who voted for Davao City as one of the best cities in the country: “(It is because it is) one Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte (from Wikipedia)

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

EDSA 3?

ustice Secretary Leila de Lima’s threats notwithstanding, there is essentially nothing wrong with calling for President Benigno Aquino to resign. One of the most basic rights of the people in a democratic country is freedom of expression, and expressing a desire for the President to step down is simply an exercise of that freedom. Even the group that massed in EDSA last Sunday had this freedom, and they should be allowed to do so without de Lima’s veiled threat that they could face charges of sedition, rebellion, or coup d’etat because of certain actions already implemented by the group, from organizing fora and conferences of supporters and sympathizers. Besides, no one can fault the group for trying to – but ultimately failing – to create some sort of critical mass at EDSA; after all, the 29th anniversary of the first People Power uprising is just a few days away, and they were obviously banking on the sentimental significance of February 25 to attract people to their cause. Having said that however, the people behind the so-called movement calling for Aquino and other top government officials to resign must take the Filipino people for fools if they think they can muster enough warm bodies to create another People Power revolution. For one, the

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apparent leaders of the group are politicians and the powers that be who alone stand to gain from a vacancy in the government’s top positions. For another, the people have had enough of popular uprisings that never seem to result in any meaningful change that would actually benefit the people. Two EDSAs are more than enough; one kicked out a dictator, the other a corrupt leader. Mounting a third one would reveal us to the world as an incompetent people unable to elect the proper leaders in office. Mr. Aquino is certainly unpopular these days, and even his attempts to salvage his reputation seem to backfire on him, but ousting him will not improve the situation of the country. Indeed, removing him from power – whether voluntarily on his part or by force – will only send the country down a more treacherous road from which there may be no return. For what are the alternatives? We shudder at the thought of traditional politicians – we don’t shorten those two words to “trapo” for no reason – gaining control of the country and driving it to the ground. The best thing to do now is work together, and if this administration is completely unpalatable, then the people can express that in the election that is coming up next year. Let the democratic process do its work first. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. KENNETH IRVING K. ONG 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 ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents 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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TALENT is God-given, be humble,” John Wooden says. “Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful.” Fame, someone once said, is Madonna, while success is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The 1979 Nobel Peace Prize recipient herself commented, “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” Helen Keller, an American author and educator who was blind and deaf, pointed out: “I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” This brings us to the subject of humility, a quality or characteristic ascribed to a person who is considered to be humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. The concept of humility in various religions is often much more precise and extensive. Humility is not to be confused with humiliation, which is the act of making someone else feel ashamed, and is something completely different. “He who is humble is confident and wise,” Lisa Edmonson, chief executive officer and founder of Ultimate Life, reminds us. “He who brags is insecure and lacking.” I am sure you have encountered people who have egos bigger than their heads. They should take heed the words of American politician Diana Black, “Big egos are big shields for lots of empty space.” American essayist and lecturer Ralph

HE following matters came out during the congressional hearing; PNoy and Purisima talked about the SAF operation, and Purisima ordered Napenas not to tell Espina and Roxas about it. This means the commander-in-chief does not trust Secretary of local government Roxas and police chief Espina who are both his appointees. The honorable thing for Roxas is to tell PNoy, “Sir, since you did not tell me about this you doesn’t trust me. I resign.” 2. Something is wrong when the President and commander-in-chief consult with Purisima who was suspended by a Constitutional body, and not with the officer in charge Espina about a very dangerous operation. It is as if he is disregarding/belittling/taking for granted a serious order of the Ombudsman. Other government officials may think, if PNoy can get away with it, so can I. I will keep dealing with public officers who are suspended/reprimanded by a Constitutional body like the Ombudsman of the courts. This dangerous attitude will add more nails, stones, rust, and dirt to our government system which is in very bad shape and need major repairs. ] 3. Greed ($5 million) made officials (suspended or not) to overthrow centuries-old civilian and military practices of cooperation, protocol and civility. The main police job is to keep peace and order in towns and cities (traffic control, handling petty crimes, like theft, homicide, criminal investigation, rallies, etc). They are not

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

“I who have nothing” Waldo Emerson THINK ON THESE! contends, “Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, and it is to be humble.” Albert Einstein, a Germanborn American physicist who developed the Henrylito D. Tacio special and henrytacio@gmail.com general theories of relativity, admits, “My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.” Among Christians, the virtue of humility is defined as: “a quality by which a person considering his own defects has a humble opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.” Saint Thomas Aquinas offers this definition: “The virtue of humility consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one’s superior.” Humility removes pride and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace according to the words of Apostle James (4:6): “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal explains: “Two kinds of persons know Him: those who have a humble heart, and who love lowliness, whatever kind of intellect they may have, high or low; and those who have sufficient understanding to see the truth, whatever opposition they may have to it.”

French classical author Francois de la Rochefoucauld observed, “Plenty of people want to be pious, but no one yearns to be humble.” British scholar and novelist C.S. Lewis answered, “The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.” At one point in time, American boxer Muhammad Ali was “the greatest.” He admitted himself: “When you are as great as I am it is hard to be humble.” As they say, history repeats itself. But we can learn from the past, or from the experiences of those before us. How right was William Ellery Channing, foremost Unitarian preacher, when he wrote: “The more a person analyzes his inner self, the more insignificant he seems to himself. This is the first lesson of wisdom. Let us be humble, and we will become wise. Let us know our weakness, and it will give us power.” In Taoism, humility is considered an important virtue. According to the Tao Te Ching, “(A wise person) acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it: -- he does not wish to display his superiority.” Leaders – be it in government or private institutions – should also observe humility. As American speaker and author Jim Rohn suggests it: “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” Leading English art critic John Ruskin believes, “The first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them, but through them. And they see something divine

in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.” Confucius said, “Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues.” The story of Peter Miller, pastor of a little Baptist church is Ephrata, Philadelphia, was told by Walter D. Cavert in his book, Ours Is The Faith. It happened during the American Revolution. According to the story, Miller was wellliked by the people – except for one person who scorned all religion and opposed the church on every issue. No friend of the American Colonial cause, this man had been arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Writes Cavert: “The minister walked 60 miles to plead with George Washington for the man’s pardon. Regretfully, the general shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but I cannot grant your request to spare your friend.’ Quietly, Miller replied, ‘My friend? He is my worst enemy.’ Amazed, Washington exclaimed: ‘What! You have walked all this distance to save an enemy? Then what can I do other than pardon him!’” “The true way to be humble is not to stoop till you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that shall show you what the real smallness of your greatest greatness is,” Phillips Brooks declared. However, there is always the other side of humility. This old Jewish joke proves. In the village synagogue, during the High Holydays, the rabbi prostrates himself on the floor, saying, “God, before You I am nothing.” Immediately, the richest man in town prostrates himself on the floor, saying, “God, before You I am nothing.” Right after that the town beggar prostrates himself on the floor, saying, “God, before You I am nothing,” the rich man whispers to the rabbi, “Look who thinks he is nothing.”

mote control from Creech Airbase Nevada) in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yeman, etc. to hit terrorist. There are 2 basic military drones, A. Surveillance. It’s a small as a mini-refrigerator loaded with many, long, range, and cameras, sensitive gadgets that can detect body heat and sounds 1 mile away while it silently lazily files low on suspected areas. Such drones crashed in Cotabato and Jolo before. Think of the Christmas remote controlled car/helicopter toy. The principle is the same. B. The killer drone the size of an ordinary refrigerator can carry guided missles to hit the target or itself be the guided missle. Two years ago, the press reported the killing of an Abu Sayaf leader deep in the mountains of Jolo by a suspected drone dive bomber. The incident, plus news about US military drones in Philippines waters and rebels areas, caused a deep silent serious ripple effect in our international relations. The bottom line: the Philippine Constitution says “xx it adopts the generally accept principles of international laws as part of the law of the land xx renounces war as an instrument of national policy. Xx “we cannot be used as a staging area for the fight of another nation. 5. The Philippine Peace Panel members testified and implied that the BBi must be passed despite the SAF massacre. In 1938, Hitler threatened to declare war in Europe unless Sudetenland, a big part of the Czech Nation be given to it. British Prime Minister Chamberlain and

Hitler met in Munich. Chamberlain convinced the Czechs to give what Hitler wants. To buy peace, the Czech with heavy hearts and humility agreed. Hitler and Chamberlain then signed a peace treaty. Chamberlain returned to England and showing the treaty said “this is the peace of our time”. The world applauded his diplomatic coup. Less than a year, in 1939 Hitlers forces invaded Poland and World War Two began. Chamberlain resigned and Churchill became the prime Minister during Britain’s deepest CRISIS. He said in his acceptance speech. “I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat, and tears xxx if the British Empire were to last for a thousand years, men would say this was their finest hourxx’. The Philippine Panel position seemed to be peace at any price. This is bad and wrong. The book of Ecclesiastes talk about a time for everything; a time for birth, time for death xx, “time for mourning and time for dancing xx time for war and time for peace”, We are still in the time of mourning. In a funeral wake of “haya” and during the cuarenta dias (40 days) of mourning, it is bad to talk about politics especially when the purposes seemed to be to brush aside the wounds/pains of the grieving families and of the 100 million Pilipinos just to push through the BBL. How impertinent! Hoe callous! How irrelevant! How naïve! How cruel! The panelists forget that they took an oath to support and defend the constitution, not to twist or go around it. There can be no peace without justice.

He who hesitates is lost

EDGEWISE BY JESUS QUITAIN (PART THREE) trained to kill except as a last resort. The military (navy, air Force army) have special units who train everyday for years to do sensitive jobs (Navy Seals, army rangers, marine teams) and have special weapons equipment not used by others (night goggles, laser scopes etc.) The Marwan mission should have been given to one of the military’s special units. The police had to get policemen from all the regions to form the SAF. The military has permanent special teams which can be called anytime all the time. Two very highly skilled US Navy Seal teams (8-men per team) in 2 helicopters dropped at night on Bin Laden’s secured compound. The compound was hundreds of kilometers from the American base and the whole region were enemy territory. One of the helicopters crashed while landing in the compound yet the seals got to their target and escaped without loss. If the target is a terrorist in L.A, New York anywhere in America, the police will not take him out. The CIA/NSA/FBI will come in and choose a special unit which does nothing but train for this kind of special jobs. 4. Why was a drone not used? For years in America had been using drones (flying by re-

10 ICT HUB EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Startup Superfish points fingers over ad software security flaws

LITTLE-KNOWN Silicon Valley startup was caught in a firestorm of criticism last week for making software that exposed Lenovo laptop users to hackers bent on stealing personal information. But Superfish Inc. has also won praise for producing visual search technology that many see as the next big thing in online shopping. Is Superfish an Internet pioneer or a computer-user’s privacy nightmare? Either way, don’t expect a mea culpa. Faced with a withering publicity barrage that could jeopardize any startup’s future, Superfish CEO Adi Pinhas blamed another company for the security flaw and complained about what he called “false and misleading statements made by some media commentators and bloggers.” Researchers revealed Thursday that some laptops sold by China’s Lenovo, the world’s biggest PC maker, had a security flaw that could let hackers impersonate shopping, banking and other websites and steal users’ credit card numbers and other personal data. Lenovo has since apologized for pre-loading the computers with Superfish’s visual search software, which captures images that users view online, such as a sofa or pair of shoes, and then shows them ads for similar products. By itself, the image recognition algorithm might not be a security risk. But the problem arose because Superfish used software from another company that can eavesdrop when Internet users visit secure or encrypted websites. That software replaced the encryption code on websites with its own easily-hacked code, according to several researchers. The Department

SECURITY HOLE. Security researchers revealed last Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, that some computers sold by China’s Lenovo, the world’s biggest PC maker, had a major security hole that would let any garden-variety

hacker impersonate shopping, banking, and other websites and steal users’ credit card numbers and other personal data. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

of Homeland Security issued an alert Friday saying Lenovo customers should remove Superfish software because of the hacking dangers Superfish on Friday insisted its own code is safe and said the security flaw was “introduced unintentionally by a third party.” In an email to The Associated Press, Pinhas identified that party as Komodia, a tech startup based in Israel that makes software for other

clined comment Friday. Launched in Israel by Pinhas and fellow entrepreneur Michael Chertok, Superfish is among a handful of companies pioneering the use of “visual recognition” technology, which industry experts say could revolutionize online shopping by letting people search online with pictures as easily as they now search with words. Superfish’s visual recognition algorithms can analyze a picture and

companies, including tools for companies that show online ads and for programs parents can use to monitor their children’s Web surfing. Some experts say the problem may extend beyond Lenovo. The Komodia tool could imperil any company or program using the same code. “It’s not just Superfish, other companies may be vulnerable,” said Robert Graham, CEO of Errata Security. Komodia CEO Barak Weichselbaum de-

Doctors say fitness trackers, health apps can boost care T

HAT phone app keeping track of your exercise and meals might keep you out of the hospital one day. Why give your doctors permission to incorporate data from fitness trackers and health apps into electronic patient records? Well, they might spot signs of an ailment sooner and suggest behavioral changes or medication before you land in the emergency room. They also might be able to monitor how you’re healing from surgery or whether you’re following a treatment regimen. “Right now we only see our patients for about a 15-minute visit in the office, and it’s a very constricted view,” said Dr. Lauren Koniaris, a specialist in pulmonary critical care at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. “This really globalizes the view of their health status, so that we’re really in contact with them on a much more daily if not hour-to-hour basis. It’s almost like a virtual house call.” At Hackensack, a handful of patients at risk for heart failure are asked to use a fitness tracker to count steps walked and flights climbed. They are also asked to record what they eat — by photographing the product’s bar code, for instance — using a phone app that has a database containing nutrition

information on thousands of food items. Using Apple’s new HealthKit technology, data from the various trackers and apps gets automatically transferred to the Epic MyChart app on the iPhone. From there, the information goes to the hospital’s records system, which also comes from Epic. Hackensack wants to expand to more patients and start tracking blood pressure and sleep quality, too. But the hospital first needs to ensure that teams are in place to review the glut of data coming in. More broadly, there are consumer privacy and security issues to address, along with questions about whether these trackers and apps really improve patient care. The University of California, San Francisco is studying which gadgets are reliable and whether that reliability extends to patients with extreme conditions. Then they have to figure out what information is really meaningful — not just noise. Many doctors and hospitals see potential. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, uses Fitbit trackers to monitor hip-replacement patients for a month after surgery. Health workers get data on daily steps and can tell when patients have trouble walking — a hundred or more miles away. The Ochsner Health System in New Orleans

is turning to wireless scales and blood-pressure devices to help reduce readmissions for chronic diseases such as heart failure. Noticing a small weight gain, for instance, might reveal fluid buildup resulting from the heart failing to pump normally. Not only can doctors intervene sooner, they can use the data to show how exercise can help lower blood pressure. “If we’re going to succeed in improving health, we have to get patients more engaged in their care,” said Dr. Richard Milani, a cardiologist at Ochsner. Heart-attack patients have long been asked to weigh themselves, while those with diabetes have had to check glucose levels. Smartphone technology makes all that easier and gets measurements to doctors more regularly and reliably. There’s no forgetting to record a number or transposing digits. With Apple’s HealthKit tools, disparate gadgets and records systems can work together more easily. Think of HealthKit as a common language, eliminating the need for translators. Beyond sleep and exercise data coming from fitness trackers, doctors can eventually incorporate devices that measure glucose, blood pressure, respiratory rates and blood-oxygen levels. The devices communicate with the iPhone wirelessly

search through a database for similar images, even if they’re not labeled with descriptive text. “I’ve been impressed. They’re probably one of the best technologies that’s out there,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, a Forrester Research analyst. “It can be a powerful tool for a lot of things, but definitely for shopping and e-commerce.” Consumers will see more of this in the future, said Yory Wurmser at the

TRACKING HEALTH. Cardiologist Dr. Sarah Timmapuri looks at data on a smart phone synchronized to a new Fitbit Surge worn by patient Gary Wilhelm, 51, during an examination in Hackensack, N.J. Wilhelm, who works or through the headphone or charging port. Google, Samsung and Microsoft have similar ambitions that will expand monitoring to users of Android and Windows phones, though they aren’t as far along. For now, developers must write separate code for each Android or Windows app to integrate. Gary Wilhelm, 51, who works at Hackensack on payroll and finance technology, joined the hospital’s app test after he suffered a heart attack in October. He appeared animated during a check-up this month as he showed Dr. Sarah Timmapuri, his cardiologist, various

eMarketer research firm. Amazon. com Inc. built a similar shopping feature into its Fire smartphone last year. Google Inc., Facebook Inc., Pinterest and other tech giants are investing heavily in visual search. Now based in Palo Alto, California, Pinhas has called Superfish a “deep technology company.” But Superfish critics call its products “ad-ware” or worse. Several Internet message boards are filled with complaints that an earlier Superfish program, WindowShopper, bombarded users with annoying ads and diverted them to websites they didn’t want to visit. Pinhas didn’t respond to an emailed question about WindowShopper. Superfish, which was founded in 2006, said last year that it had 85 employees and about $45 million in annual revenue. As a privately held startup, the company doesn’t disclose major customers or contracts. But with the Lenovo debacle, Superfish’s brand is taking a hit. However the flaw was introduced, critics say Superfish and Lenovo should have caught the problem sooner. “They probably saw this as a way to generate revenue, but the security implications are pretty severe,” said analyst Ken Westin of the cybersecurity firm Tripwire. Lenovo released a software tool Friday to help customers remove the Superfish code from their laptops. It can be found at http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/product_security/ superfish_uninstall . But some experts say users may want to wipe their hard drives and start over, re-installing the Windows operating system however. That’s not an easy task for casual users, said Westin, “but it’s the best way to be completely sure.” BRANDON BAILEY, AP Technology Writer

at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey on payroll and finance technology, joined Hackensack’s app test after he suffered a heart attack in October. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

charts on flights climbed and cholesterol intake. There were a few bad days that Wilhelm blamed on the Super Bowl. Timmapuri instructed Wilhelm to monitor his pulse on his new Fitbit Surge. If it gets to about 155 beats per minute, he’s to end his workout. “Even if I did not do a single thing with the information, just the patient knowing that I’m reviewing it will already have a positive effect,” Timmapuri said. Mayo patient Randy Smothers, 62, of Chisago City, Minnesota, agrees. He said he was in pain after getting his right hip replaced and would have stayed

on his couch without the knowledge that someone was checking on him. “This pedometer they gave me made me walk every day and move on and get going,” he said. Apps and trackers could ultimately reduce patient visits, though there’s a risk patients would practice self-care. “It may be an aid or a tool to help me deliver better care, but it is just a tool,” said Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “It shouldn’t substitute for a face-to-face visit.” ANICK JESDANUN, AP Technology Writer

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PHOTO EXHIBIT. A lumad of the Banwaon tribe from San Luis, Agusan del Sur looks at a photo exhibit featuring alleged human rights violations in the Caraga Region displayed at the Libertad sports complex in Butuan City on Thursday last week. The exhibit, part of the week-long protest staged in the city, was mounted by the Kahugpungan sa Lumadnong Organisasyon (KASALO), Karapatan-Caraga and other human rights groups. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarinas

Pagadian City

Zambo Sur town receives Gawad Kalusugan Award

HE Department of Health (DOH) has awarded the town of Dumingag the Gawad Kalusugan Award for effectively implementing the smoking ban in offices and public places. Dumingag Municipal Administrator Richard Butch Cabilan said Saturday they received a plaque and a check worth P500,000 during the DOH Red Orchid Awards 2014 ceremony held Friday at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Cabilan said that Dumingag Mayor Nacianceno Pacalioga and five of his department heads attended the awarding ceremony. Cabilan said the town of Dumingag received

the award after achieving 100 percent smokefree municipality. He said Dumingag municipality has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame 2014 Awardees since it was the third time the town received the Gawad Kalusugan Award. He said the P500,000 prize will be used to purchased equipment for the hospital of Dumingag town in compliance to the DOH guidelines. Dumingag, which comprises of 44 barangays, is a second class municipality of this province. The town has a population of 46,500 as of the 2010 census. (PNA)

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s)7280 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 295942-4 issued to CARMENCITA F. BUENAFE was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void. 2/17,24/3/3

Cotabato City

DSWD-12 extends aid to displaced families T

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 started on Saturday its relief operations to families displaced by armed conflict in Maguindanao and North Cotabato. “We are not only extending assistance to North Cotabato internally displaced persons but even those from Pagalungan and Montawal municipalities,” Norhata Benito, head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Section of DSWD 12, told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida Koronadal.

Zamboanga City

At least 3,000 families in the boundaries of Pikit and Pagalungan, were displaced by a clan war involving Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) fighters. The internally displaced persons (IPD) are now staying in government facilities converted into evacuation centers by the local government. Benito assured that DSWD has enough supply of food packs ready for distribution to the affected families.

“The local government of Pikit has already extended initial assistance, ours are just support because we do not know how long the IDPs stay in evacuation centers,” Benito said. While food packs are enough, Benito admitted they lack manpower to help in repacking goods for the affected families. “We welcome volunteers to help us repack the goods for delivery to the affected families,” she said. At least 20,000 civilians from two towns in Maguindanao and North Cotabato

have been displaced when rival MILF and BIFF clashed in the village of Kalbugan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao. On Friday night, the military’s 7th Infantry Battalion has launched offensives against the BIFF and pursuit operations are still on going as of posting. Artillery fire had been directed toward the village of Kabasalan, Pikit, North Cotabato where the BIFF had been staying since Monday after it occupied the village and four other adjoining communities in the marshland. (PNA)

Zambo City marks less damage in fire incidents

HE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the estimated cost of property damaged by fire in this city went down by P197,000 although there was an increase by one fire incident in January this year compared with the same period last year.

Superintendent Dominador Zabala, Jr., Zamboanga City Central District Fire Station chief, said the estimated property damages in January this year went down to P691,000 from P888,000 in January 2013. Zabala said there were

nine fire incidents recorded in January this year, which was higher by one incident than the eight recorded in the same period last year. There are seven fire stations and seven fire sub-stations under Zabala’s office covering this city’s 98 barangays.

Zabala, meanwhile, said they had lined up activities for the observance of the fire prevention month in March. He advised the residents to be fire safety conscious everyday to prevent destruction of properties as well as loss of lives. (PNA)

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DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICE

GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICE

Director of Sales

Marketing Specialist

JOCELYN S. PANES

Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., Quirino Ave., Davao City Tel: (082) 224-1413 Telefax: (082) 221-3601

EDMUND P. RENDON

General Santos City

Mobile: (Sun) 0925-357-3460 (Smart) 0907-202-3844

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

ANGELICA R. GARCIA Marketing Manager 97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

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TRAVEL

A stay to remember at the

Hotel Panorama WHENEVER I travel outside of Durianburg I make sure the area where my hotel is located at compliments the activities I plan to do and when in Hong Kong, I always try to book a hotel around the area of Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui for the convenience of having a nearby MRT station exit, as well as having all the shopping establishments just a short walk away. My last visit to Hong Kong was a romp that was decided on just a few weekend before the actual journey. Mainly on a whim since I wanted to celebrate my birthday out of the country and the most sensible and easiest place to go to (as well as has flights that allow me to connect to the domestic tickets I bought so much earlier). Since it was a treat for myself, I decided to splurge a bit and look for a hotel with a view. With just a few taps on

my trusty Agoda app on my smartphone and I am finally booked at the 324room Hotel Panorama by Rhombus, just a couple of blocks from Nathan Road and the A21 bus station.

My room with a million-dollar view of Victoria Harbour.

Inside AVA.

This view greeted me as the elevator doors opened.

Coffee time at the Executive Lounge. Upon arrival, I was impressed by the hotel’s lobby which was brightly lit and cozy. Checking in was quick and easy and I found out that I was also

My favourite spot. Hotel Panorama’s Sky Garden.

given a room upgrade thanks to the people at Agoda. I was quickly ushered to my Executive Club Harbour View room on the 31st floor. My love for Hong Kong grew some more as I was greeted by a perfectly framed view of the harbour just as I was getting off the elevator. My room at the Hotel Panorama was neatly laid out and had floor-to-ceiling views of Victoria Harbour. I may have visited Hong Kong a countless number of times but this has been the best view I have of Victoria Harbour, not just from my hotel room but from the bathroom and corner bathtub as well. The name of the hotel truly delivered on the promise of providing panoramic views of Asia’s City of Light. The kingsized bed in the room was soft yet firm enough to

give back support. I loved the hard and soft pillow choices as well which helped get me some of the best sleep I ever had while on the road. Breakfast at the Hotel Panorama is always with a view at AVA, the hotel’s all day dining concept that turns into a bar at night. The breakfast spread is varied and is always a nice way to start the day exploring the many nooks and crannies of Hong Kong. The thing that I love most with the Club rooms of the Hotel Panorama though is not the Executive Floor access that serve hors d’oeuvres, coffee, tea and cocktails; nor the blazingly fast WiFi connection; nor exclusive panoramic bullet lifts that go from ground floor to the executive floors in a snap (although they really

do come close especially when I had to work in the afternoon before heading out again in the evening) but what I love most is the breathtaking view that can only come from the hotel’s Sky Garden located at the top floor. The Hotel Panorama really delivered its promise and more, making my Hong Kong a little bit more exhilarating thanks to the milion-dollar view. Hotel Panorama by Rhombus is located at No.8A Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. For more details you can check http://www.agoda.com/ hotel-panorama-by-rhombus/hotel/hong-kong-hk. html for room deals and discounts. Share your travel stories and foodie finds in, about, and beyond Durianburg @ kennethkingong on Twitter or Instagram.

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EVENT

ENTERTAINMENT

Sarah, D nomina

Ceremonies before the start of the Lion Dance.

Marco Polo Davao welcomes the

YEAR OF THE SHEEP

Text and Photos by Kenneth Irving Ong Lion Dance at the Marco Polo Davao’s lobby. What does my fortune say?

A fan dance by the students of Collegio de San Ignacio.

THE Marco Polo Davao ushered in the Year of the Wooden Sheep with its usual pomp and pageantry last February 18, the eve of Chinese new Year.

Guests and onlookers gathered at the hotel’s driveway to witness the ceremonial dotting of the lion’s eye together with a traditional lion and dragon dance. This was followed by another performance at the lobby of the hotel which traces its roots back to the first Marco Polo Hotel in Hong Kong. “We always look forward to celebrate Chinese New Year,” says Patty Basa-Tan, Marco Polo Davao’s Public Relations Officer. Dinner immediately followed at the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant, Lotus Court where guests dined on a buffet spread that included Roast Peking Duck, Roast Pig, premium seafood dishes as well as traditional Chinese New Year treats such as Glutinous Rice Cakes. There was also a Chinese cultural show presented by select students and faculty members of Collegio de San Ignacio which included a fan dance as well as various Chinese songs much to the delight of dining guests. Patty, also took the opportunity to announce Marco Polo Davao’s Taste of Xiamen event to be held also at the Lotus Court from February 25 to March 3 which will fea-

SARAH GERONIMO, Daniel Padilla, Gloc-9, and James Reid prove their star power as they reigned supreme at the Myx Music Awards 2015 nomination night with five nominations in various categories. The roster of nominees for the Myx Music Awards also includes newcomers in the music industry like “The Voice Kids” Darren Espanto, Lyca Gairanod, teen queen Kathryn Bernardo, actress turned singer Maja Salvador, and the rising Kapamilya love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre. Big names in OPM were also featured in the nominees list including popstar royalty Sarah Geronimo, Awit-award winning rapper Gloc-9, and rock chick Yeng Constantino among others. On its tenth year, the Myx Music Awards is set to a festive, bohemian theme with 17 awards up for grabs, 15 of which are exclusive to local artists while two awards are dedicated for international artists. Meanwhile, Andre Alvarez the channel head of Myx kept mum about who will receive the Myx Magna Award when teased by the Myx VJs. Instead of dishing out clues, Alvarez stressed the importance of voting by spreading the word to friends and family rather than creating multiple social media accounts to generate publicity for the music artists. Music fans and the youth can vote through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and via myxph.com until March 22. Instructions for voting are given in myxph.com. Winners will be determined from a 60-40 voting with 60 percent coming

from ing T hap Sam H the nom

Fav Ded Jos Dito Tre Ikaw rec Tak Vel Chr Tay tor:

Fav Dito Ma Tan No din Sim dilla This

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Fav Juli Kyla Sar Ton Yen

Fav Abr Dan Glo Jam Jay

Thousan ‘Love Is I Fortune cookie and Ang Pao. ture Marco Polo Xiamen’s Chef Arno Huang. “Chef Huang has an extensive background in Chinese cuisine and for seven days, the Lorus Court will be serving some of Chef Huang’s favourite dishes.” says Patty.”Some of his creations include Braised Imperial Bird’s Nest with Crab Meat, Prawn Skew-

ers with Homemade Sauce, Xiamen-Style Soup Noodles, Braised FujianStyle Rice, and Sweetend Red Bean Soup with Rice Dumplings, among many others.”

For more information on the Lotus Court’s Taste of Xiamen one may call the Marco Polo Davao at (82) 221-0888 local 7232 or 7233.

THRONGS of people came to the much awaited Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and watched their favorite artists perform hit songs and most requested love songs during Jeepney TV’s successful Valentine show titled, “Love is in the Air” held in the 19th Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark Field, Pampanga. “Love is in the Air” was headlined by singer-songwriter Aiza Seguerra who was enthusiastic to serenade the crowd.

Je ty b b M

m C JM a th s “R

V T 1

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Daniel, Gloc-9, James are most ated artists in MYX Music Awards 2015 Abante – Loonie feat. Kat Agarrado (Director: Jasper Salimbangon) Businessman – Gloc-9 feat. Vinci Montaner (Director: J. Pacena II) Dedma – Abra & Julie Anne San Jose (Director: Joy Aquino) Parachute – Jay R (Director: Cristhian Escolano) Puyat – Rjay Ty feat. Ron Henley (Director: Ken Yamaguchi)

m fan votes and the remaing 40 percent from artist poll. The Myx Music Awards will ppen at SM Aura Premier’s msung Hall on March 25. Here is the complete list of e Myx Music Awards 2015 minees:

vorite Music Video dma – Abra & Julie Anne San se (Director: Joy Aquino) o Na Lang – Kyla (Director: eb Monteras II) w – Yeng Constantino (Dictor: Cristhian Escolano) kipsilim – Gloc-9 feat. Regine lasquez-Alcasid (Director: ristopher Santos) yo – Sarah Geronimo (Direc: Avid Liongoren)

vorite Song o Na Lang – Kyla ahal Ko O Mahal Ako – KZ ndingan Erase – James Reid & Nane Lustre mpleng Tulad Mo – Daniel Pala s Love Is Like – Toni Gonzaga

vorite Artist niel Padilla oc-9 ie Anne San Jose rah Geronimo ng Constantino

Favorite New Artist Darren Espanto Kathryn Bernardo Lyca Gairanod Maja Salvador Nadine Lustre Favorite Collaboration +63 – Sponge Cola feat. Yeng Constantino Dedma – Abra & Julie Anne San Jose Digmaan – Quest feat. Julianne Qrush On You – Jay R, Elmo Magalona & Q-york Takipsilim – Gloc-9 feat. Regine Velasquez-Alcasid

Favorite Group Chicosci Kamikazee Silent Sanctuary Slapshock Sponge cola

vorite Female Artist ie Anne San Jose a rah Geronimo ni Gonzaga ng Constantino

Favorite Mellow Video Bahala Na – James Reid & Nadine Lustre (Director: Miggy Tanchanco) Dito Na Lang – Kyla (Director: Treb Monteras II) Ikaw – Yeng Constantino (Director: Cristhian Escolano) Right Where You Belong – Julie Anne San Jose (Director: Louie Ignacio) Simpleng Tulad Mo – Daniel Padilla (Director: PUP students)

vorite Male Artist ra niel padilla oc-9 mes Reid yR

Favorite Rock Video Happier This Way – Save Me Hollywood (Director: Mihk Vergara) Ikot – The Oktaves (Director: Ely Buendia)

dilla

Favorite Guest Appearance In A Music Video Dingdong Dantes & Marian Rivera (Tayo Lang Dalawa – Rivermaya) Ellen Adarna (Ikot – the Oktaves) James Reid (Mr. Antipatiko – Nadine Lustre) Janella Salvador (Chinito Problems – Enchong Dee) Kathryn Bernardo (Simpleng Tulad Mo – Daniel Padilla) Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ Enchong Dee Kylie Padilla Maja Salvador

Toni Gonzaga Xian Lim

Favorite International Video Dark Horse – Katy Perry feat. Juicy J Don’t Stop – 5 Seconds of Summer Drunk In Love – Beyonce feat. Jay-z Shake It Off – Taylor Swift Steal My Girl – One Direction Favorite Kpop Video Come Back Home – 2NE1 Eyes, Nose, Lips – Taeyang Mr. Mr. – Girls Generation Overdose – EXO Still You – Donghae & Eunhyuk

Favorite Remake How Could An Angel Break My Heart – Charice feat. Alyssa Quijano Islands In The Stream – Kean & Eunice Maybe This Time – Sarah Geronimo Pangarap Na Bituin – Lyca Gairanod Somebody To Love – Darren Espanto Kislap – Kamikazee (Director: Kamikazee) Out of Control – Pupil (Director: Erin Pascual) Unshakable – Slapshock (Director: Paolo Abella) Favorite Urban Video

Favorite Media Soundtrack Do the Moves – Sarah Geronimo, Apl.De.Ap and Enrique Gil Dyosa – Yumi Lacsamana No Erase – James Reid & Nadine Lustre Til I Met You– Angeline Quinto Unlimited and Free – Daniel Pa-

nds flock to Jeepney TV’s In The Air’ valentine’s show

“I’m very happy because Jeepney TV events are not ypical. I love that the channel brought back classic shows back on TV like Ryan Ryan Musikahan,” Aiza said. Aside from Aiza, the Cinema One Originals “That Thing Called Tadhana” lead actor JM de Guzman and singer actor Carlo Aquino also sang heir renditions of popular songs such as “All of Me” and Rude.” The crowd also enjoyed the Valentine concert as Jeepney TV host DJ ChaCha of MOR 101.9 engaged the crowd

with games and gave away prizes. A kiss cam also thrilled spectators during the concert at Clark Field. Jeepney TV partnered with the 19th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festiva (PIHABF) to showcase the Valentine’s Day show at the annual festival. Jeepney TV is available on SkyCable channel 9 and other leading cable systems nationwide. For more updates and programming schedules, please like and visit Jeepney TV’s Facebook page at www. facebook.com/JeepneyTV

February 18-24, 2015

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson R16

11:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan R18

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

THAT THING CALLED TADHANA /*JUPITER ASCENDING

R-16

PG13/ *PG13

Angelica Panganiban, JM De Guzman/ *Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum 11:30 | 1:20 | 3:10 LFS / * 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

DRAGON BLADE Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody R13

12:20 | 2:45 | 5:10 | 7:35 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

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TRAVEL

The world’s first national park:

YELLOWSTONE Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio

Waiting for the Old Faithful to “erupt.”

MORE often than not, it is first on nearly every visitor’s list of Most Remarkable Places. I am referring to Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.

“Nowhere else on earth is there as large and varied a collection of hydrothermal features -- erupting geysers, bubbling mud caldrons, hissing fumaroles, gurgling mineral springs,” wrote John Gottberg, author of Hidden Montana. Believe it or not, the park is estimated to contain 10,000 thermal features, including more than 200 active geysers. It is home to five dozen species of mammals, including eight hoofed animals (bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain goat, bison, elk, moose, mule deer, and whitetailed deer) and two bear (black and grizzly). I have not seen the real Grand Canyon yet but the park has also its own version of the Grand Canyon with its spectacular waterfalls. Another amazing: the 136-square-mile Yellowstone Lake, touted to be the largest lake in North America. More importantly, it has rugged mountains reaching above 10,000 feet in all directions. The park is so huge that it is bigger than the state of Delaware. It’s no wonder why the park is located in three states: Wyoming

(contains 96% of the park), Montana (3%), and Idaho (1%). “The heart of Yellowstone was once a giant volcanic caldera, 28 miles wide, 47 miles long and thousands of feet deep,” Gottberg wrote. “Some geologists think the explosion that created this crater 600,000 years ago may have been 2000 times greater than that of Mount St. Helens in 1980.” There are several entrances to the park but we passed through the North Entrance Road. Here, you pass beneath the 30-foot stone Roosevelt Arch, dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt and inscribed “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.” Among those that we went to during our visit are the following sites:

Mammoth Hot Springs: Truly one of the park’s highlights, they are a spectacular series of steaming travertine terraces in a steady state of metamorphosis. Since I have a hard time describing the place, allow me to quote the words of Gottberg: “Super-heated ground water rises to the surface

Elk can be found inside the park.

Buffalo roam around the park’s many praries.

as carbonic acid, dissolving great quantities of natural limestone. As it seeps through cracks in the earth, it deposits the limestone, which solidifies again as travertine (calcium carbonate). “This white mineral provides a habitat for colorful algae (called cyanobacteria), whose varying pastel hues reflect the temperature of the water they inhabit: White bacteria live in the hottest water, followed in descending order, by yellow, orange, brown and, in the coolest, green.” Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: There are two waterfalls you can marvel at. Lower Falls, at 308 feet, is the park’s highest waterfall. The Upper Falls is only 109 feet. Again, here’s a description from Gottberg: “The vivid hues of the canyon walls -- yellow, red, orange, brown and even blue -- are proof

t of ancient hydrothermal action on rhyolite, a fine-grained volcanic rock heavy in silica, and its mineral oxides. Though the cliffs still exude steam and seem forbidding, they make a fine home for ospreys, which scan for fish from their huge summer nests built on rock porches high above the Yellowstone River.” Yellowstone Lake: Measuring 20 miles from the north to south, 14 miles from east to west, and with 110 mile of shoreline, this is the highest (at 7,733 feet) lake in Western Hemisphere outside of South America’s High Andes. Old Faithful Geyser: This is Yellowstone’s best-known sight and the world’s most famous geyser. You have never been to Yellowstone if you have not seen this! What is amazing is that it has demonstrated consistent behavior since its 1870 discovery. It erupts 19 to 21 times per day at intervals averaging about 76 minutes, varying by 45 to 100 minutes on either side. “Eruptions, lasting from 90 seconds to five minutes, eject between 4,000 and 8,000 gallons of boiling water to heights of up to 180 feet,” notes Gottberg.

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EDGEDAVAO

Mindanao beats India in most trees planted

FTER Four months of waiting the good news is out of the box -- Mindanao finally grabbed the Guinness world title with most trees planted in one hour. This was announced on Monday by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region XI. In a press release, DENR disclosed that Mindanao region was able to plant a total of 2,294,629 million trees on 29 locations all over Mindanao during the massive tree planting event dubbed as “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW” last September 26, 2014. Mindanao beat India’s 1,945,535 trees planted in one hour. DENR in collaboration with Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) had gathered about 40,000 individuals and organizations to join the TreeVolution last year targeting to plant 4.6 million trees in

one hour simultaneously at multiple locations. DENR XI regional executive director Joselin Marcus Fragada said the whole concept of the TreeVolution campaign with a bid to break Guinness world record is to create awareness among the people in Mindanao. “It is an added value to the government’s National Greening Program (NGP),” he earlier said. The campaign even earned support from local government units, people’s organizations, schools, and farmers across Mindanao. The final target would cover 9,000 hectares (NGP sites) with 1,000 hectares each in Regions 9, 10, and 12; Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with 2,000 hectares; and Region XI with 4,200. NGP is one of the priority programs of the government that aims to plant 1.5 billion trees covering the area of 1.5 million hectares for 6 years from 2011 to

2016. The program is geared to attain food security, poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation and sustainable development. Davao City Councilor Leonardo Avila, who actively participated in the TreeVolution, lauded the new record for Mindanao. He said he saw the enthusiasm mostly of the participating students during the event. “The impact of the TreeVolution will be felt by the next generation,” Avila said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM held on Monday. Avila is currently the chairperson of the City Council Committee on Environment. Fragada expressed his sincerest thanks to DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje for his full support during the conduct of the event and to all those who participated in the said massive tree planting activity.

Commodities used during the tree planting event were Cacao, Coffee, Rubber, timber and Mahogany seedlings. Rubber, Coffee and Cacao are among the high-valued crops identified in the National Greening Program Commodity Roadmap which will help address the government’s goal to attain food security. Participants mobilized by MinDA and DENR during the TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW event were: Mindanao-wide cooperatives; River Basin Organizations; Local Chief Executive Confederation; Business Chambers; Junior Chamber of Commerce; Academe; Media; Peace and Development Communities; Religious Sectors; Youth Sectors; Women Sectors; People’s Organizations; National Government Agencies; Local Government Units; Mining and Industrial Companies and; Wood Processing Plants among others. (PNA)

13 Court orders arrest of meter tamperer

HE Davao City Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered the arrest of Romeo Elisan, Jr. of Center Village, Barangay Talomo. The court decided on the matter after Elisan failed to appear during the pre-trial hearing last February 5. Elisan faces the charge of electricity theft after being caught red-handed tampering an electric meter violating R.A. 7832 or “Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/ Materials Pilferage Act of 1994.”. In a statement, the serious campaign of Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) against meter tamperers led to the apprehension of Elisan last October 2, 2014 at corner Quirino and Camus Streets. This was through an entrapment operation led by the members of the Davao City San Pedro Police Station. Romeo or commonly known as “Romy” was the person identified by customers found with tampered meters as the electrician who offered services to fix their meters. These meters were found by Davao Light to have been tampered. This made these customers liable for hundreds of thousands worth of stolen electricity, including penalties and surcharges, with prospect of criminal cases filed against them. Based on investigation, Elisan’s modus operandi was to offer his services for a fee to

customers of the electric utility telling them that he can help resolve problems of high electricity bills, which turns out to be tampering with electric meters. “The event of catching Elisan Jr. red-handed was a breakthrough for Davao Light. Romeo Elisan Jr. was long sought after being pointed out by his victims. Now that we have finally apprehended and filed a case against him, we would not let a single chance for him to escape from the crime charged against him.” said Rossano Luga, AVP for Reputation Enhancement. Davao Light encourages the public to immediately report to them should customers encounter same modus from unscrupulous electricians. “Our personnel can easily discover a tampered meter. Thus, if found with such, it is the customer who will be facing necessary penalties, such as paying the worth of stolen electricity, and worse imprisonment if criminally charged.” added Luga. A warrant was already issued for the arrest of Elisan Jr. who is still at large but is now being sought by authorities. Electric pilferage or theft of electricity is punishable by Prision Mayor or imprisonment of 6 years and 1 day to 12 years under R. A. 7832. Electricity pilferage also poses a threat to public safety as it can lead to electrocution and fire incidents.

NEWS

Power... FFROM 1 said. Aside from NPC, DLPC is contracting power to HedcorSibulan at average of 33 MW, HedcorTalamo at an average of 3.2 MW and Therma Marine Inc., (TMI) at an average of 30 MW with combined total of 257.2 MW. This is to address the 330 MW average demand of DLPC’ franchise area composed of Davao City, Panabo City and some municipalities in Davao del Norte. Luga said DLPC has to operate the standby Bajada Diesel Power Plant to generate 30 MW and implement the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) with 17 participants that has a total load of 10 MW. “To date, DLPC has a total of 297.2 MW and we have a shortage of 32.8MW,” Luga said. “This is the reason why

we need to implement a two hour rotating blackout from February 21 to March 16. DLPC has not implemented power interruption despite the implementation of the approved schedule of rotating brownouts, according to Luga. Luga said two hour rotating brownouts should have been implemented from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, which is considered to be peak hours. “As you can see, DLPC has not implemented any two hour power interruption because there’s a recorded increase in the supply of power from NPC in the past days,” DLPC assistant vice president for engineering Mark Valencia said. DLPC has a total of 333,680 customers in its franchise area as of January 2015, Luga reported.

that started last February 21 to March 2. De Lima said Dumoy supplies the biggest number of DCWD customers. “It has two lines that supply the area of Talomo, Bangkal, Matina to Bangkerohan and Sasa, while the second line supplies water to households near the Diversion Road and Buhangin area,” he said. This means that about 132,000 of the 195,000 customers of DCWD will be spared from water interruption even during daily power interruption. Luga said that affected household of the possible water interruption because of power interruption will be coming from Cabantian and Panacan. “These two areas have its own respective pumping system that is connected

with Dumoy,” he said. However, the two-hour rotating power interruption has really no significant effect to water supply, he said. “If the power supply is less than two hour, it’s probable effect will be low water supply to no water supply,” he added. De Lima said that that almost two hours of power interruption will only affect the volume of water distributed to households. He said that pumps located in Panacan and Cabantian can sourced its treated water in its respective water reservoirs during blackouts. But if is more than two hours, it has already some effect. “Our pumps will not be able to extract water from the ground and distribution will be affected by then,” he said.

long the case will take,” he said, adding that while the process is ongoing they will bring back Mambo-o in the council since the NCIP express no objection on the proposal. Bulotano, on the other hand, said that there are now problem if the other five tribes will agree on the reinstatement of Mambo-o.

Earlier, the tribal chieftains of the different IP tribes of the city made a resolution asking the Council for the reinstatement of Mambo-o on a holdover capacity. “On our part, we just want to have representation from the IP because the principle of the IPMR is represent the sector,” Bulotano said

Food by Chippens will be available in 10 buffet stations and a separate food station for VIPs and sponsors starting at 5:30 p.m. Booths will also be installed by the show’s more than 20 major sponsors to promote their products and services

at the lobby area. The show is inspired by Jose Mari’s blockbuster show in General Santos City sometime last year wherein the number of spectators exceeded the number expected by the show organizers.

police station in the municipal town of Cabanglasan killing the police station commander and the deputy police station commander. The suspect, PO1 Gorospe Alsola Cairo, 34, of Lantapan, Bukidnon, surrendered a day

after the incident. He is now detained at the Malabalay City Police Station and has been charged with double murder, violation of the illegal drugs act and has been ordered summarily dismissed from service. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

Army... FFROM 2 elements. Citing information from its members, Commander Kamid, a sub commander of MILF based in Pikit, said the BIFF left an undetermined number of improvised bombs fashioned from 60 and 81 mm mortars. Kamid said the MILF detonated the IEDs by setting them on fire in an open field. Kamid also advised civilians not return to their communities as of yet as clearing operations by the Philippine Army was still on going in the villages of Kabasalan, Bulol, Buliok and Barongis in Pikit and Kalbugan in Pagalungan, Maguindanao. Tahira Kalantongan, Pikit municipal disaster risk reduction and management council officer, said at least 25 houses were torched. Without saying who burned the houses, Kalantongan said the local government of Pikit has started distributing housing materials for civilians who lost their homes due to fire. At least 20,000 civilians, mostly Moro residents, have fled from a dozen communities situated in the borders of Maguindanao and North Cotabato. A “rido” or family feud in-

volving leaders of the MILF and BIFF triggered evacuation. Involved in the “rido” were only members of the MILF and BIFF and not the entire organizations, its leaders have repeatedly said. BIFF’s Kagi Karialan is at odds with Commander Jack Abas of the MILF. The clash which began on February 13 left MILF sub-Commander Datukong Ampauan alias Commander Falcon and four of his men dead. Abas said the clashes also killed 13 BIFF fighters but Abu Misry Mama, the spokesman of the BIFF, denied his group suffered heavy casualties. When the MILF, through the ceasefire committee, sought help from the Army, the 7th IB launched artillery fire, forcing the bandits to fled toward the marshland. Unconfirmed reports said about 30 BIFF were killed. The MILF in Barangay Bulol told reporters the BIFF suffered heavy casualties based on information they gathered on the ground. Capt. Petinglay said the Army could not confirm nor deny the report on casualty figure. (PNA)

to guarantee the prosecution of arrested drug personalities,” said Cacdac. The PDEA chief said internal support mechanisms have been institutionalized to strengthen PDEA’s aggressive campaign against illegal drugs. Capability enhancement trainings, such as anti-drug investigation courses, are regularly provided to enable agents to prepare air-tight cases in coordination with PDEA lawyers. Moot courts are used to prepare PDEA agents and chemists who will stand as prosecution witnesses. Also, case monitors have been permanently assigned to all PDEA regional offices to regularly monitor status of drug cases. One of the frequent reasons for dismissal of drug cases and acquittal of arrested drug personalities was drug enforcers’ failure to comply with Section 21 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, due to unreasonable and impractical provisions

provided in the law, specifically the requirement on witnesses, inventory of evidence seized and issuance of drug examination results. Section 21 is the Custody and Disposition of Confiscated, Seized, and/or Surrendered Dangerous Drugs, Plant Sources of Dangerous Drugs, Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals, Instruments/ Paraphernalia and/or Laboratory Equipment). ”In response to the challenge, PDEA pushed for the amendment of Section 21, paving the way to the enactment of Republic Act No. 10640. “The new law is a welcome development that strengthens the law enforcement pillar of the criminal justice system. RA 10640 would speed up the process in the inventory of confiscated illegal drugs and help prevent the dismissal of drug cases due to technicalities in the custody and disposition of drug evidence,” Cacdac said. “Apart from the accused,

vincial Government under the Pagkain at Kita Program, specifically for the Oil Palm Project worth P 5 million. The distribution of seedlings will immediately start as well as the briefing,trainings, and assistance that the farmers may need for the improvement of the industry. The said launching was attended by farmers from Barangay Malibago, Aliwagwag, Maglahus, Aragon, Abejod, San Antonio,Taytayan, and Mainit of this Municipality. Moreover, Dr. Pablito Pamplona, a retired professor and an expert in oil palm farming industry said that his engagement into oil palm farming have been a decision he have never doubted after his retirement. Starting with 5 hectares of oil palm plantation, Dr. Pam-

plona is now managing his 150 hectares of oil palm in North Cotabato. He said that the Industry helped him to support and sustain his children’s education after his retirement. He said that the Typhoon Pablo Incident might be a blessing in disguise because as he had encouraged, “Oil Palm Industry is a very good and fast income-generator industry compared to coconut.” Gracing the said occasion also were Junelito Vicente from Philippine Coconut Authority, Provincial Aquatic and Fisheries (PAFC) Chair Mark Pineda, and Cateel Vice-Mayor Isidro Castro who extended his congratulations and gratitude to the Governor for the said project, In his message Dashiel Indelible, the Technical Consultant on Agriculture Special

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since it is a government property,” Dayanhghirang said. He added that Councilor Bonifacio Militar also asked the City Accounting Office to submit to the records of the loans from LBP. “In principle, the loan should stay first in the bank and the release will be based on the procurement rules and regulation,” Dayanghirang said. CENRO, in the committee report, said that the project is very important in order to procure all the equipment needed for the upgrade in the garbage collection in the city. “The number of population and establishments are directly proportional to the volume generation of solid waste, hence, the generated volume of the city will also expect to increase rapidly,” CENRO head Engr. Elsa P. Madrazo said. Based on the presentation of Madrazo during the last session, the project aims to

the amended law reduced the required number of inventory witnesses of drug evidence from three to only two, that is, an elected public official, and a representative from the National Prosecution Service, or an elected official and member of the media,” Cacdac explained, adding that it lessens the trouble of looking for witnesses especially during wee hours of the night or in farflung areas. The law likewise allows for the conduct of physical inventory of confiscated illegal drugs at the site of recovery, the nearest police station or office of the apprehending unit as long as the integrity and evidentiary value of the seized items are properly preserved. It also gives forensic chemists ample time to complete the examination of drug evidence. “Above all, seeing arrested drug personalities punished with the full force of the law is PDEA’s true measure of victory,” the PDEA chief concluded. (PNA)

effectively deliver services on garbage Collection to the community. CENRO, according to Madrazo, needed 100 trips per day to collect 684 tons of total garbage volume of the city. She presented the breakdown of daily trips and volume collected by the office. The CENRO needs 66 trips to collect the 480 tons of residual waste and 27 trips for the 184 tons bio waste from the more than 150 collection points in the city per day. Madrazo added that there are five trips to collect the 30 tons of market bio wastes and one trip each to collect the five tones of trimming waste and five tons of special collection garbage from establishments. She also said that her office wants the city to maintain the prestige as Environmentally Sustainable City in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular Service Case No.99-XI-01337 ELIGIO M. GARTE, JR. Petitioner

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ-DUAL Regular Service on the route: BUNAWAN VIA SASA and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on February 21, 2015. In the petition filed on February 10, 2015, petitioner request authority to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized. NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on MARCH 09, 2015 at 09:20 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once Concerns of the province said in a one (1) daily newspaper of that this is an initiative for de- general circulation in Mindanao

velopment of the Provincial Government under the leadership of Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon. Conveying the message of the Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, Indelible said that this Oil Palm Industry Development Project will teach the people on active participation and convergence for the economic development of the province. He added that this industry will serve as the backbone of livelihood and economic development of the province. The Provincial Agriculture Office is very happy to see Cateeleños embracing this new crop by noteworthy interest in planting oil palm. (By Analyn S. Padullon and Van Jorain O. Rufin)

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence. WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 10th day of February 2015 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transportation Development Officer

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

‘I will fight for the Filipino’

ILIPINO fight fans were jubilant when the news broke out that WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather finally signed the contract to fight WBO champion Manny Pacquiao. In an interview, Pacquiao said that he is dedicating his fight against Mayweather to the Filipino people. “Yung laban na ito, ang title nito para sa akin dito sa Pilipinas ay ‘Lalaban ako para sa Pilipino,’” Pacquiao said. The fighter also bared that he will be coming out with a previously unreleased album in time for the megafight. In his past few times, Pacquiao twice used Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ as his walk in music but now he might be going back to his old habit of playing his own song in the background as he walks to the ring for the biggest fight of his life. “Yung isang album ko na

hindi narelease noon, ‘Lalaban Ako Para sa Pilipino’, ito ‘yung magiging theme song for this fight,” Pacquiao added. The eight-division world champion also added that he already knows how to train for Mayweather as the American’s style is somewhat similar to Chris Algieri’s. “Alam na alam ko na yung gagawin ko sa training para sa style na,” said Pacquiao. “I think hindi ako mahihirapan especially ‘yung preparation ko nung last fight ay similar dun sa gagawin ko for this fight.” “Ang mensahe ko po sa buong sambayanang Pilipino ay maraming maraming salamat sa ating mahal na Panginoon at isa tayo sa ginawa niyang instrument na makilala ang Pilipinas at makilala tayong lahat na Pilipino at siyempre sa suporta rin ng mga kababayan natin, sa pagdarasal nila.”

Sports science seminar slated February 27-28

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

ORE than 300 athletes, coaches and sports leaders from different parts of Mindanao are expected to attend the sports science seminar on February 27 to 28 at SM City Annex. “We have invited participants from General Santos City and different parts of Davao Region,” Davao City Sports Council Inc. (DCSCI) treasurer Rommel Tan said during the Fast Fridays at Barrio Fiesta last week. Tan said they have invited experts like Josephine Reyes and Rene John Funtalan as speakers in the two-day seminar. Reyes is a faculty in the University of Santo Tomas and a graduate of Human Kinetics in the University of the Philippines while Funtalan is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. The DCSCI has also invited fitness and gym instructors, sports enthusiasts, runners and dancers to join the two-day event that will end on Sunday. Each participant will earn certification from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). Tan also said they also expect walk-in participants invited by the Davao Association of

Catholic Schools (DACS), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Education (DepEd). “The first day of the workshop will focus on the ways in handling and prevention of injury, while strength and coordination will be discussed on the second day,” Tan said. DCSCI general secretary Denise Bunayog said the seminar will be used to educate stakeholders in the sports sector to be more informed and prepared. Bunayog said participants will be able to know how to manage injuries that occurs in different athletes based on their sports affiliations. Tan, meanwhile, said the workshop will the first of the three series for this year. “The second and third series of the workshop will be on April and during the Kadayawan Festival, respectively,” Tan said. The topic of the second workshop will be assessed during the first workshop, according to him. “We will ask participants what they need and what they want to know on sports science,” Tan said.

OREDOM and monotony is every writer’s woes. Having spent more than half of my lifetime as a sportswriter, I look at those little breaks in between and some travels on the side to get that engine some rest and keep it chugging. The wear and tear, I swear, slows me down too. The PAL Interclub, the most storied team golf event in the country organized by the Philippine Airlines, provides the needed respite while at work year in and year out. It also becomes the avenue for the reunion of sports scribes in the country especially those covering the golf beat. The PAL Interclub has given me such breaks-in-between every year. Thanks to the country’s flag carrier, we get to travel to the PAL Interclub cities and get to play golf—that along with working the coverage. The Interclub has given me fond memories from the time of Rollie Estabillo and his reliables Eugene Labadan and Jun Canton, to Jonathan Gesmundo and his back-up Lito, to Pinky

CEREMONIAL TEE-OFF. Philippine Airlines (PAL) president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista (second from left) join hands with (from left) Cebu Country Club president Ramonito Garcia, Club Filipino De Cebu, Inc. president Edgar Alino, Cebu Mayor Michael Rama,

Cebu Country Club vice president Edward Go and PAL vice president for operations Nicky Gozub during the ceremonial tee-off Monday for the PAL Interclub regular men’s tournament which fires off February 25 to 28.

Barons looking forward to next year C ANLUBANG wrested dominance back in the Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub on Sunday using sustained firepower in unseating Luisita as the returning Tommy Manotoc led the way in two difficult courses here. The Sugar Barons posted a 17-point victory over the Lusitans as Manotoc got solid back-up efforts from Cangolf’s trusted mainstays to win for the eighth time in the event serving as the country’s unofficial team golf championship. Canlubang, needless to say, is looking forward to next year as it tries to again put the

pieces in place for a successful title defense that would hopefully spark a string of titles for another dynasty. Depending on a couple of things, Canlubang could be fielding its most prolific line up next year at a venue to be announced. Abe Avena, the reigning national seniors champion, missed this year’s tournament because of a rib injury and has a full year to recover, while Manotoc will be trying to use a conventional-sized putter for the first time next year. Dave Hernandez, Rolly Viray, Tony Olives, Luigi Yulo

and Mari Hechanova will all still be there, and if Manotoc and Avena become available, then the Sugar Barons will be a formidable force to crack. Manotoc’s stint is in question because the belly or long putter will be banned starting next year, and he is afraid that he won’t be as effective using the conventional putter he last used in 1990. Meanwhile, Men’s Regular action starts tomorrow with Orchard seeking to repeat over a talented field that includes a Cebu Country Club side that always plays its best on home soil.

Missing the PAL Interclub

Dimagiba, Eya LET’S GET IT ON Prospero, Tini Rosales and Cielo Villaluna, and to the current president Jimmy Bautista. It’s also in this event that I get to meet in person and become good Neil Bravo friends with those I hold high respect in sportswriting like Al Mendoza (who became my kumpadre), Lito Tacujan, Ding Marcelo, and my boss at Malaya Jimmy Cantor. I got to play and down some bottles too with Jake Ayson, Rey Bancod, Jun Engracia, Musong Castillo, Jong Arcano, Doods Catacutan, Adrian Flores (and his late father too, Roger), Noli Cortez and Abac Cordero. It’s also in the Interclub that I renew ties with my kumpadre from Cebu Nimrod Quinonez who is now the

manager of Alta Vista Golf although still active in sports through his blog and television talk show Full Point. Of course, the PAL Interclub will not be complete without the voice of Charlie Erojo of PAL Davao, the resident crooner-rock star rolled into one. I will miss this year’s Interclub after having played in Davao, CDO, Cebu, and last year in Bacolod (in succession). For sure, the Davao boys Jon Develos, Lito delos Reyes and Tom Inigo plus our top bet and lone rose Imee Garcia will be having the time of their lives this time in Cebu for the PAL Media golf tournament. This two-day event is a much-awaited event among Interclub media and is silently the biggest sideshow of the tournament. That means the streak of memorable action photos courtesy of Boy Lim of my magical putts that otherwise saved a bad day at the course will come to a halt. Those images captured in bursts of photographic creativity will forever be in my archive of Interclub memoires. It is in this PAL Media golf tournaments

Orchard ruled the event last year at the Marapara and Binitin layouts in Bacolod and will be playing this year minus John Kier Abdon, who turned pro. Hotel H20, Travelife, Boeing International Corp., Business Mirror and GE Aviation are sponsoring the PAL Interclub Seniors and Regular Men’s events. Other backers include Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), People Asia Magazine, Whealth Inc., Aerospace, Uniglobe Travelware Co. Inc., Tanduay Distillers and Intercontinental Manila.

that many stories are shared among the members of the coverage team. Stories that linger even when the years pass by and some of us also leave this golfing event permanently like Tony Siddayao, Roger Flores, Peter Alegre and Iking Gonzales. Count in that list too our very own Batman Lintuan, my photog with the Mindanao Daily Mirror Gene Boyd Lumawag, and my editor-consultant at Edge Davao Ram Maxey. The stories will be there in the imaginary pages of PAL Interclub’s coverage team. Names and faces that have made this event extra special. As we jokingly put it as word of the year in the Cebu edition in 2012, the PAL Interclub is always a “winner!” This year, I leave it to Jonathan, Eya and Charlie to pick the word of the year. Cheers, until then. Postscripts: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

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DAVRAA 2015 UNDERWAY Davao City athletes start gold medal hunt in Mati By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY

HIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Catherine Pulido can still vividly recall the scene: The girls from Compostela Valley celebrating on the field and her teammates reduced to watching the celebration with tears in their eyes. That was moments after Compostela Valley pulled off a stunning comeback to win the elementary girls softball gold in the 2014 Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) Meet in Tagum City. That was moments after Pulido and Davao City

absorbed a shocking defeat and let a golden opportunity to win the championship slipped away with a monumental final inning disaster. Leading 2-0 going into the bottom half of the seventh and last inning, and even two outs away from the gold, the Davao City girls gave up three runs to lose the game and settle for the silver medal instead. “Yes, I cried that time,” Pulido told Edge Davao in the vernacular. She was a pitcher of that losing team last year, but was not the one who gave up the runs

that shattered their dreams. “The girls from Compostela Valley were yelling and celebrating on the field,” Davao coach and trainer Isidro Gaitano said. “We were just standing there and watching them celebrate.” “Sakit uy (Of course, it was painful),” said Pulido, a Grade 6 pupil. For this year’s DAVRAA Meet in Mati City, Gaitano said he is hoping Pulido and the team composed mostly of pupils from the Baguio Central Elementary School will have another shot at the gold.

AIMING HIGH. Two members of the Davao City elementary girls softball team participate in throwing drills in preparation for the 2015 Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet slated February 24 to 28 in Mati City, Davao Oriental. Lean Daval Jr. The girls and the rest of the 500-strong Davao City athletes, with most of whom holding their training at the Davao City National High School, arrived in Mati City Sunday on board 11 buses. The delegation is staying

at the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology for the duration of the DAVRAA Meet which fires off from February 24 to 28. The Davao City bets are competing against nine other divisions in 17 events.

Also seeing action are athletes from Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Panabo City, Digos City, Island Garden City of Samal, Tagum City and host Mati City.