Edge Davao 7 Issue 253 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

CELEBRATION IS ON. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte formally opens the 78th Araw ng Dabaw celebration at Rizal Park on Tuesday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

NO SIBLING RIVALRY Pulong willing to yield to Sara for mayoral post

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte is willing to give up his mayoral ambition should sister Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio decides to run for the post in the 2016 elections. “Kana, magstorya pud mi (We will discuss it),” Duterte said. The vice mayor, however, said he didn’t hear any word from his sister regarding his plan to seek the city’s top post should his father, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, eventually joins the presidential race next year..

“Permi man mi nagstorya ni Inday (Sara). Sa karon wala pa namo na na-storyahan. Wala pa pud siyani-comment regarding sa akong gisulti(We always talk .Sara has no comment yet with regards to my declaration),” Duterte said. The vice mayor said he had a talk with his sister, but they haven’t discuss about politics every time they met. Paolo said he will also respect the decision of his father if Sara will be chosen as mayoralty candidate of the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, the local political party of the

mayor where they belong. He said if his father will not run as president next, he will remain a politician regardless of any position. “Gikan man ta silong, pwede gani mo balik kapitan(I came from a lower rank position, I can also run as barangay captain again),” he said. Paolo said he has not spoken to his father for more than two years as they are both busy with their own lives. On the comment of Mayor Duterte that it’s “too early talking about politics,” the young Duterte said: “Every

day is politics, every move of a politician is politics. So, if I want to talk about politics now, it is my prerogative.” Earlier, Mayor Duterte said he has not yet made a decision whom to support between his son and daughter. The mayor had also said that the “Duterte vs Duterte” match in 2016 is also impossible since the two are siblings. The father added that he is not also aware if his two children had already made an agreement regarding their plans for the 2016 election.

INSIDE EDGE

IN GOOD COMPANY Indulge A1

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

COMFORT. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte visits the two policemen who were wounded in an ambush by the New People’s Army (NPA) in New Calinan, Baganihan, Marilog district last Sunday. Duterte extended financial assistance during his visit at Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) on Monday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

Alcala says DA to use drone in assessing disaster areas By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking to use advance technology in the Davao Region by using drone in assessing areas damaged by calamities. Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala, in a recent press conference, said they plan to acquire the drone within the year. DA 11 IT section chief Pamela G. Sosa said their office

will allot around P250,000 for the drone. “It will just be a basic drone because the regional office has limited budget,” Sosa said. Alcala said DA 11 has lobbied for the purchase of a drone that will be used to get aerial shots of localities hit by disaster and flood like Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and the municipalities of Car-

men and Asuncion in Davao del Norte. The drone is up for bidding for the second time after the first one had failed. “There were only two bidders during the bidding last February and the requirement is there should be at least three bidders,” Sosa said. DA 11 is targeting to complete the bidding and procurement stage this month.

Sosa said DA 11 director Remelyn Recoter decided that a drone is necessary for damage-assessment after the Typhoon Pablo hit the region almost three years ago. “I believe this DA 11 will have the first drone among regional offices of DA 11 in the country,” Sosa said, adding that even the central office probably doesn’t have its own drone.

The drone, she said, will be used to monitor and assess areas planted with major crops like rice, banana, coconut, and corn. When asked whether the agency prepared any mitigation measures on how to avoid any incident involving members of New People’s Army, Sosa said that most of the critical areas planted with major crops in the region do not have

the presence of NPA rebels. “There’s nothing to worry,” she said. In December of 2012, Typhoon Pablo struck the provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley leaving traces of a disaster to vast hectares of agricultural areas. Only assumed data from local government units (LGUs) were used as basis as to determine the damage that time.

NBI to slap administrative raps vs police officer P30 taxi flag-down rate

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

HE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now studying the possibility of filing administrative charges against a former station commander of Toril for this alleged involvement in the murder of a fugitive last year. An NBI agent, speaking on conditions of anonymity, said they are still awaiting the result of the ballistic examination to determine if the slug recovered from body of the victim—Rolando Locaberte--matches with the service firearm of the police officer Angel Su-

magaysay. Sumagaysay led the team during an alleged police operation of the Toril Police Station as it was serving the warrant of arrest against Locaberte in April last year. Locaberte is the number seven most wanted person in station 8. Five months after the case was hand over to the NBI, authorities are yet to probe if the killing of Locaberte was a result of a legitimate operation or not. Sumagaysay had earlier claimed that the killing of Locaberte was a result of a

legitimate operation. However, witnesses said that Locaberte do not have a gun during the incident. The agent also said that they are convincing another eye witness who can testify that the gun was just placed after the killing happened. “We are on the process of convincing another witness to speak. Allegedly this witness saw that the police just placed the gun beside Locaberte’s body,” the agent said. The agent also said that base on their initial investigation Locaberte do not

have a gun during the police operation. If proven true, the agent said the NBI may file an administrative case against Sumagaysay. Locaberte was killed last April 10 at Silka st., Saypon Toril. His family sought the help of the authorities after the killing of Manuel Corral VII, who which dragged the names of several police officers of Toril PNP. Witnesses named Police Officer (PO) 2 Ric John Borja and PO3 Rico Adlawan as the people responsible for the killing of Locaberte.

in Davao starts March 16

HE regional office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has moved the implementation of reduced flag-down rate for taxis to March 16. Edgar Violan, spokesperson of LTFRB XI, said they have to conduct massive information dissemination first so all the taxi operators in Region XI will know that the flag-down rate would be reduced by P10. The implementation of the fare adjustment from P40 to P30 as flag-down rate for regular taxis was supposed to start on March 9. “We still need ample time to do information dissemina-

tion on the new order,” Violan said, as they would require taxis to place a notice on the reduced flag-down rate. Davao Region, he said, has 4,006 taxi units. Starting on March 16, the LTFRB XI will apprehend taxis that would violate the fare adjustment. For the first offense, violators will pay a fine of P5,000. A P10,000 fine and suspension of the unit for 30 days will be the penalty for the second offense. For the third offense, the taxi operator will be penalized with a fine of P15,000 plus cancellation of franchise. The new fare adjustment

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

BOI, MILF to release reports on Mamasapano probes

WILLING TO GIVE WAY. Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte reiterates his intention to run as mayor if ever Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte seeks the presidency during a press briefing at his office yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

VM Duterte wants NCIP to resolve Sudagar issue By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

HE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 must issue a clear resolution on the status of the assumption of Halila Sudgar of Kagan tribe as the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) to the City Council. This was the declaration of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte yesterday,, saying that a delay in the resolution of the issue will affect the delivery of service to IP community in the city. “Klaruhon lang nila kay kung ako sa karon si Sudagar man ang nidaog, palingkuron nalang na para makapadayo

na nang pagserbisyo anang IPs nato (They must clarify the issue, because for me Sudagar was already selected by his tribe, he must assume the post to continue the services to the IPs),” Duterte said. The IP communities, he said, are already complaining because there is no one they can ask for help. But, while the issuance of certificate of affirmation by the IPMR is still pending, Duterte said there are councilors in their respective districts where people can air their concerns and sentiments. “Ang NCIP dapatmaoy mo – action ana ng problema. Ang

Dry spell destroys 300 has. of corn, rice farms in GenSan

TOTAL of 300 hectares of corn and palay or rice farmlands here have been devastated due to the onslaught of a continuing dry spell in the area. Merlinda Donasco, City Agriculture Office (CAO) head, said Tuesday a total of 12 barangays in the city have so far reported significant crop damages as a result of the unusually-intense dry weather since January. She said the climatic condition had damaged 281 hectares of corn farmlands and 20 hectares of palay areas in the city. The affected corn areas are in barangays Bawing, Conel, Mabuhay, Tinagacan, San Jose, Batomelong, Sinawal, Upper Labay, Katangawan

and Ligaya, she said. She said Barangay Sinawal reported the most damage to corn crops at a total of 80 hectares based on an assessment of the barangay council. For palay, Donasco said the affected farm areas were in barangays Ligaya, Buayan and Baluan. She said they have yet to complete their assessment on the impact of the dry spell to other crops, especially vegetables, corn and coconut. Prior to the start of the dry spell, the official said they had sent advisories to local farmers to refrain from planting crops that are not resistant to drought like palay and corn. She said they instructed them to instead plant root

ilahang resolution pud walay klaro. Kami dirisa City Council dili pud mi mo-act og resolution na walayklaro kay siympre kami mademandaana (The NCIP should make an action to this problem. Their resolution is very uncertain and we in the City Council cannot act on the resolution because we might be sued),” he said. The NCIP has yet to decide whether the appointment of Sudagar as IPMR will be rejected or not, according to the vice mayor. Duterte said the complaints of the datus of Kagan against Sudagarcan cause more delay in the delivery of

services to the IPs. “Karon pa sila nagreklamon ana human na ang selection (Why is it that they aired their complaints against Sudagar just now when the selection process is already done),” Duterte said. He said to him, Sudagar a must be given a chance since her selection went through the proper procedure sanctioned by NCIP. Last week, Councilor Karlo S. Bello said that the NCIP assured the City council that they will resolve the matter during the next session. But, during the regular

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HE The Board of Inquiry of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Special Investigative Commission (SIC) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are set to submit within this week their reports on their respective investigations into the January 25 Mamasapano tragedy that caused the death of 67 persons – 44 from the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP-SAF), 18 from the MILF, and five civilians. The BOI last week said it was going to submit its findings Monday but BOI chief Benjamin Magalong, concurrent head of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) asked for three more days to complete their findings. MILF chair Al Haj Mu-

rad Ebrahim said they would submit this week the special probe team’s findings to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) as is the protocol in its peace process with the government (GPH). No interviews Magalong in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel said some key players in the operation, including former PNP Chief Alan Purisima and an MILF commander, declined to be interviewed. Purisima gave only a sworn affidavit and a list of his text messages with President Aquino. Magalong said they also tried to interview President Aquino through Local Governments Secretary Mar Roxas but received no answer. ABS-CBN News quoted Magalong as saying that they

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Philhealth announces benefit for MERS-CoV

N response to the imminent danger in public health posed by recent confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in the country and worldwide, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) bared its package for the viral respiratory illness. A circular issued by Philhealth states that the benefit covers confirmed cases with confirmatory tests done in the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and may be availed in accredited facilities with capacity to manage the disease. Johanna Blason, Philhealth XI public relations officer, said the availment of the benefit for Davao Region may be done at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) with benefit package amounting

to Php 50,000 for non-health workers and Php 100,000 for health workers. Health workers refer to those employees in health care institutions here or abroad who had close contact with a MERS-CoV patient and may have acquired the illness while performing one’s duty. Blason stated that all availments are subject to the corporation’s No Balance Billing Policy (NBB) and that all claims will undergo medical and post audit evaluation as part of Philhealth’s monitoring and assessment of the health care provider’s performance. She added that the benefit package covers all admissions starting January of this year. The MERS-CoV is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, with no known vaccine to date. (PHIC-XI/Kleah Dublin)

TIGHT WATCH. A police operative from Sasa Police Station inspects a rider’s bag at a check-point along Km. 9 Sasa, Davao City on Monday evening as part of

FDRY, 14 the security measures for the 78thArawngDabaw celebration. Lean Daval Jr.

4 SUBURBIA 1st Liga ng mga Barangay Congress successful EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

TOTAL of 272 participants from 21 different Barangays in Tagum City which includes Barangay Captains and Barangay Functionaries have attended the Liga ng mga Barangay Congress last February 26-28, 2015 at Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte. Bigwigs also attended the con-

WELCOME MESSAGE. ABC President and the Barangay Captain of Barangay Poblacion Prospero E. Estabillo Jr., delivers his welcome message and he stressed the need for the stronger cooperation on Barangay governance, which he hoped to be fostered through the holding of the said congress. The gathering is anchored on the theme “Liga ng mga Barangay Tagum: Making Difference on Barangay Governance” held last February 26-28, 2015 at Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte. Photo by Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

gress led by Mayor Allan L. Rellon, Provincial Director Alex C. Roldan, City DILG Director, Eliza P. Mendoza, Vice Governor Victorio Suaybaguio Jr., Board Members Hon. Shirley Belen Aala, Hon. Vicente Eliot, Atty. Raymund Joey Millan, Vice Mayor Geterito Gementiza and Councilor Eva Lorraine Estabillo. During the forum, speakers from DILG Legal Officer Atty. Erwin Enad lectured on the Latest Supreme Court Decision and important matters

that relates on elections. Director Gary V. Martel from DBM Region XI also gave light on issues and concerns of barangay budget management for Salary Grade and Barangay Officials and Functionaries Benefits. Dir. Wilhelm M. Suyco, CESO IV, DILG Regional Director and Judge Arlene Palabrica were also invited as speakers. ABC President Estabillo assures that they will work on improving the services rendered by barangay functionaries they benefited from the

then municipality of Samal and of course your incumbent mayor, who was then the mayor of the municipality of Kaputian,” Mayor Antalan said. He said that the people of IGACOS should take pride of this big event because it is unlikely for mayors holding their positions to agree on merging the municipalities and creating one local government unit. “I believe that it is only IGACOS in the entire Philippines that integrated three municipalities to create one

city,” he added. He said that while others are splitting a local government unit to create another government unit, we here in IGACOS are uniting as one city. “And we also laud Governor Rodolfo del Rosario, who was then a congressman, for initiating in the Congress the creation of IGACOS, together with the support of the Floirendos,” he said. According to the history of IGACOS, Del Rosario authored Republic Act

8471, the law creating the city, which was signed on January 30 by then President Fidel Ramos and was approved by the people through plebiscite on March 7, 1998. The culmination day of the 17th Araw ng IGACOS started with a parade, highlighted by the Float Competition of the barangays. Edging out its other three contenders, Barangay Penaplata won in the float competition and received a cash prize of P 30,000. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)

a 60-hectare forest, a Safari Tour and a River Cruise along the Madaum River and was attended by at least 57 participants and members of the Tagumenyo Bisa’g Asa (TBA). The activity was conceptualized as a means of recognizing and appreciating their contribution to the economy of the city and was conducted to further strengthen the camaraderie of the Tagumenyo balikbayans. The group also held an election of officers who were

outrightly inducted by Vice Mayor Geterito T. Gementiza who challenged the newly elected officers to work on and uphold the causes of the TBA for the benefit of the Tagumenyos. Notably, this is the organization’s first set of elected officers since its inception in 2014. Elected as president is Ms. Joan Bungabong who currently resides in Kuwait. Also in attendance at the event were Hon. Ester L. Angoy, Hon. Macario A. Bermudez II, Hon. Allan D.

Zulueta, Ms. Edna J. Quilario, Mr. Rodolfo B. Gayem, Ms. Ma. Teresa S. Gerona and TBA’s Co-Chair, Ms. Norma R. Pereyras. Prior to the day’s tour and the holding of election of officers, the TBA also conducted on March 4, 2015, a tree planting at Barangay Magdum as well as the Pag Abi-Abi, an event specially held to show appreciation to the balikbayan members of the organization, at the Big 8 Hotel. (Richi D. Gulle of CIOTagum)

Tagumenyo expats end balikbayan program

HE activities organized for the expatriated Tagumenyos and the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) by the City Government of Tagum and the Tagum City Tourism Council dubbed as Tagumenyo Bisa’g Asa concluded with the holding of a set of activities on March 6, 2015 at the Banana Beach Resort, Madaum, Tagum City. The activities were comprised of a 30-minute, 705-meter Orchard Tour through portions of

Jr-Busaon Hon. Rosalie A. Edig-Canocotan, Hon. Arthur S. Ansale-Cuambogan, Hon. Rudy M. Corpuz-La Filipina, Hon. Edwin P. Balllesteros – Liboganon, Hon. Leo C. UyMadaum Hon. Ma. Teresa R. Reambonanza- Magdum, Hon. Renante S. Robles - Magugpo North,Hon. Prospero E. Estabillo, Jr- Magugpo Poblacion, Hon. Allan Pereyras- magugpo west, Hon. Rex Jasper R. Aala- Mankilam Hon. Dionesio l. Suico- New Balamban, Hon. Wellie B. Arcayna- Nueva Fuerza, Hon. Silverio P. Quibradero – Pagsabangan, Hon. Harrison V. Colladospandapan, Hon. Norlyn F. OringSan Agustin, Hon. Rodito B. Pielago- San Isidro,Hon. Vilma T. Rivera - San Miguel, and Brgy Funtionaries of Magugpo East. Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

VILLAGE LEADERS. Barangay Captains of Tagum City pose during the 1st Liga ng mga Barangay Congress, Tagum City Chapter with Alex Roldan the Provincial Director of DILG XI, and City DILG Ms. Eliza P. Mendoza at Island Garden City of Samal. Photo by Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

Pioneering IGACOS mayors honored M

AYOR Aniano Antalan honoured his former colleagues as municipal mayors of the then three municipalities in the island during the culmination program of the 17th founding anniversary of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) on March 7 at the Penaplata Freedom Park. “Let us remember during this celebration the mayors, who started in making this one beautiful city – Mayor David Uy of the then municipality of Babak, Mayor Galileo Obenza of the

trainings and seminars conducted by the speakers during the Liga ng mga Barangay in relation to local governance. “We want to increase the competitiveness of the Barangay level and access to boost productivity and to spur economic growth in Barangay level,” Estabillo said. In attendance during the Liga ng mga Brangay congress were Hon. Kim Samuel l. Angoy – Apokon, Hon. Osias Y. Maug Jr- Bincungan, Hon. Bienvenido Lagmay,

Investors asked: Back growth opportunities

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in a meeting with Northern Mindanao business leaders discussed updates on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the country’s European Strategy. Close to 170 stakeholders attended the “Updates on the Philippine International Trade Strategy: Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) Dialogue with Business Leaders” held at the Limketkai Luxe Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City on 5 March 2015. DTI Assistant Secretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo met with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and local industries in Region 10 to discuss mechanisms for assistance and development. “Opportunities abound for growth and investment in fields such as agriculture, food processing, service-related industries and trade infrastructure services. Moving forward, we need to entice more investors to come in and work closely with them so our local industries can provide the demand of our target markets abroad,” Rodolfo added. Rodolfo said that the Philippines has already created

open market access for industries and SMEs through tariff free trading across the borders of ASEAN and for more than 6,000 products for export to Europe. He added that Northern Mindanao is at the cusp of a breakthrough in reaping the benefits of international trade. “Access to technology and more sophisticated equipment will aid SMEs in increasing their competitiveness and marketability,” DTI-10 Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Linda O. Boniao said. She further explained, “The ultimate goal of DTI is to increase the production capacity of SMEs because supplying the volume required by the domestic market alone has been a challenge.” The DTI has been working in partnership with other international organizations to identify specific interventions to assist the local SMEs in building capacity for production, packaging and promotion, among others. Northern Mindanao, composed of nine cities and five provinces, is the largest regional economy in the island of Mindanao. In Bukidnon, the DTI, through its Shared

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5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

HRC to penetrate Japanese market By CHENEEN R. CAPON

MALL SALE. SM City Davao mall manager Lynette A. Lopez promotes the ongoing mall-wide sale and the other scheduled activities in time for this year’s Araw ng Dabaw celebration. Lopez graced yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

Manufacturing slows down in January 2015

HE manufacturing sector grew at a slow pace in January 2015 following the decline of demand after the holiday season, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Registering its slowest growth since April 2014, the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) grew by 3.3 percent year-on-year in January 2015 from 4.4 percent in the same month in 2014. Also, the steepest decline since May 2013 was recorded by the Value of Production Index (VaPI) that decreased by 1.8 percent in January 2015 from 3.3 percent in the same month last year. The figures are based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI). “The overall production indices of the manufacturing sector is dragged down by lower food production due to post-holiday tempering of consumer demand and due to firms keeping their production at manageable levels during the start of the year,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. “The sudden drop in food manufactures dragged the positive output of the majority of the manufacturing subsectors including printing, leather products, basic metals, beverages, and textiles which were listed as the highest performers in January 2015,” Balisacan added. Among intermediate goods, printing posted the highest, three-digit growth (206.4% in terms of both volume and value) with the increase in the demand

for school materials owing to the implementation of the K-12 program, Likewise, non-metallic products registered the rise in private construction. Among capital goods, basic metals posted the highest growth (50.8% in terms of volume, 45.7% in terms of value) with increased production of non-ferrous materials and the newly inaugurated steel mill in Davao City. Transport equipment likewise posted its highest growth rate (29.3% in terms of volume) since December 2013 as output from car assemblers, parts makers, aircraft parts makers and shipbuilders increased significantly. Year-on-year growth of the Value of Net Sales Index (VaNSI) posted positive for January 2015, despite the lower prices reported this month relative to the previous year. On the other hand, the average capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector decreased to 83.2 percent in January due to typical downturn in production at the beginning of the year, but is expected to rise with private construction activities this year. Among surveyed manufacturing firms, 23.1 percent of the establishments operated at full capacity (90%-100%). About 59.7 percent operated at 70 percent -89 percent capacity, while 17.2 percent of establishments operated below 70 percent capacity. Despite the low output growth, Balisacan said that indicators point to higher growth of the sector in 2015. The manufacturing sec-

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Hijo Resources Corporation (HRC) is planning to penetrate the Japanese market by the third quarter of this year following its success in exporting organic coco sugar to Australia and New York since 2014. “There is an increasing demand for organic coco sugar in the global market as people becomes more health conscious,” HRC food technologist Corteza C. Moreno said on the sidelines of the opening of the five day Start Min.Up exhibition at the Gaisano Mall of Davao last Monday. Moreno said HRC has already prepared the documents needed for the shipment of

coco sugar to Japan this year. “The Japanese market is requiring the company to have an initial shipment of one container of coco sugar equivalent to 10,000 kilos,” she said. The HRCsorganic coco sugar, under the brand name’s Coco Brio for New York and Jimali coco sugar for Australia, are already distributed in super markets and grocery stores, according to Moreno. HRC started exporting coco sugar to Australia in January 2014, while the New York market was penetrated last August 2014. “The biggest shipment we had for the two countries was done last month,” Moreno said.

HRC exported 5,000 kilos of organic coco sugar to Australia, and 10,000 kilos to New York just last February. Even though there’s a growing demand in the world market, Moreno assured that HRC can still supply to its existing markets, even in the locality. She added that the 25 hectares of the 95 hectares planted with coconut are devoted for coco sugar, while the rest are for production of desiccated coconut that is one of the main products of HRC. The area is located at the 760 hectare-property of Tuason family located at Barangay

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6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

MinDA, partner agencies want to intercrop 100M cacao trees By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and its partner agencies are targeting to intercrop 100 million good quality cacao trees by 2016 in 200,000 hectares of coconut planted areas in Mindanao. The agencies involved for this project are the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine Coconut Agency,

and stakeholders in the cacao industry. The local implementing partners of MinDA will be local government units (LGUs), individual farmers, cooperatives or farmer associations. Based on the proposed participatory cacao intercropping project (PCIP), the planting of cacao trees will “contribute to the development of the cacao industry in Mindanao through increased production capacity meeting international

Tagum given 8 scales

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Davao del Norte donated recently eight weighing scales to the City Government of Tagum, which will posted in different areas in the city’s public market. Romeo Castañaga, provincial director of DTI, said that the weighing scales as Timbangan ng Bayan in Tagum City will serve as inspection tools for consumers to check if the mass of the product that they bought is equivalent to the amount they paid. “These scales will persuade the people to be more vigilant and to exercise their rights as consumers,” Castañaga said. He said that the consumers may complain to the City Market Administrator on weekdays or Safety Management Officer on duty during weekends or holidays if they found that there is inconsistency in the seller’s weighing scale. Castañaga added that the local government unit can con-

fiscate the seller’s scale if despite warnings, it will still be defective. “The LGU can also penalize the vendor depending on their local policies,” he said. He added that the consumers can also file their complaints at the Consumer Welfare and Trade Regulation Division of DTI – Davao del Norte located at Capitol Compound, Mankilam, Tagum City with telephone number (084) 216-3505 or (084) 216-2309. During the turn-over, the city government of Tagum and DTI based in this province also inked an agreement for the Timbangan ng Bayan. In the Memorandum of Agreement, the DTI entrusted the responsibility to maintain and secure the scales to the city government. Castañaga said that 32 Timbangan ng Bayan will be distributed in the 11 local government units of this province for this year. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

PNP gets P2.83-B fund for facilities, equipment

HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P2.83 billion to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the improvement of the police force’s infrastructure, facilities, and equipment. Charged against the P22.47-billion Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2014, this release would cover the implementation of the PNP’s Operational Transformation Plan (OTP). The OTP’s requirements would need Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) amounting to P142.6 million as well as Capital Outlay (CO) expenses worth P2.69 billion. Budget and Management Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “We recognize that inclusive development would require a safe and secure environment where all Filipinos can benefit from the country’s economic growth. That’s why one of the priority projects funded by the 2014 Supplemental Budget was a program that

would improve the capability of our country’s law-enforcement agency.” The fund would cover appropriations for mobility, firearms, communication, investigation, ISO equipment, and infrastructure facilities of the PNP. Of the P2.8 billion, almost half will be for the procurement of 218,790 firearms worth P1.04 billion. This is followed closely by the purchase of 945 motor vehicles, which would amount to P944.5 million. Abad said, “Despite the challenges facing the PNP, the National Government fully supports the police force in fulfilling their mandate to prevent crime and maintain peace and order. In doing so, we place value not only on the PNP as an organization but also on the service and sacrifice of our valiant and fearless policemen.” Lodged under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the PNP received a total appropriation of P70 billion in the 2015 National Budget. (DBM)

standards for high quality fermented cacao beans.” The PCIP “aims to sustain cacao-coconut farm intercropping to ensure long-term reliability of supply of cacao and cope with the increasing demand in the domestic and international markets.” The three-year cacao intercropping project will be implemented from 2015 to 2017 under a “participatory and incentive-based systems approach to encourage coco-

nut farmers to intercrop cacao in their respective coconut farms.” “Under this scheme, participating farmers are tapped to source their own grafted/ good quality planting materials and transplant them on the field following the PCA recommended good agricultural practices,” the proposal said. Participating partners under the PCIP will receive incentives for the setting up of nursery while farmers will receive

a separate incentive once the cacao seedlings are planted. DENR will be providing nursery development while DOST will provide technology support. The DTI, for its part, will give marketing and promotion assistance to participants of the program, according to the proposal. The PCIP also aims to increase the income of coconut famers from P20,000 to P140,000 per year per hect-

are. Intercropping cacao with coconut will have an estimated revenue of P120,000 per year per hectare on the peak period which is on the fourth and fifth year from the time of planting. Among the members of the cacao industry involved in the technology and financing support, market linkage and community development are Kenemer Food International and Philippine CocoaCorporation (PhilCocoa).

MOST AWARDED. Receiving the awards were (from left) Tefel Pesigan-Valentino, head of marketing and business development, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls; Kim Sta. Maria, head of corporate communications and advertising, Megaworld; Harold C. Geronimo, head of public relations and communications, Megaworld; Lourdes Guti-

errez-Alfonso, chief operating officer, Megaworld; Kevin L. Tan, first vice-president and head of commercial division, Megaworld; Jericho P. Go, senior vice-president, Megaworld; Francis Canuto, president, Megaworld Foundation; and DaniloMadlansakay, executive director, Megaworld Foundation.

N celebration of its 25th year, leading property developer Megaworld, bagged 12 coveted awards at the prestigious 13th Philippine Quill Awards held Monday night at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, making it the most awarded real estate company during the awards night. Garnering its first Quill victories, Megaworld has earned its way to become a frontrunner and trailblazer in

business communications in the Philippine real estate industry. The company won four excellence awards for the various campaigns of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls: Race to Success: Welcoming the Year of the Horse at Lucky Chinatown (Marketing Communications); Eastwood City Pet Blessing 2013: Promoting Responsible Pet Ownership (Special Events); St. John Paul

II Canonization-Celebrating our Most Beloved Pope (Special Events); and Adventures Around the World in Easter Wonderland World Explorers (Special Events); and eight (8) merit awards for the Megaworld: 25 Years of Building Visions (Multi-Audience Communication); Megaworld’s Silver Tie Gala: Building Visions for 25 Years (Special Events); Megaworld 25 Years “Chronicles of Vision” Coffee

Table Book (Publication & Corporate Writing); Megaworld 25 Years: Building Visions AVP (Audio/Visual); The Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Magazine-Your Guide to the Good Life (Publications); Eastwood City’s New Year Countdown to 2014-Welcoming the New Year with Hope (Special Events); and Megaworld Foundation’s “Breaking Ground and Thriving” Coffee Table Book (Publications).

HE Social Security System (SSS) has achieved additional ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification of compliance for the registration and coverage processes of four of its branches, marking another milestone of its achievement in 2014, a top official said. SSS Officer in Charge for Management Services and Planning Division Eleonora Y. Cinco said SSS offices, composed of Bacolod, Butuan, La Union and Pasig-Shaw

branches were awarded the internationally recognized certificate on September 5, 2014. To date, the SSS has five ISO-certified branches, of which the first was the SSS Diliman Branch that has successfully maintained its certification since 2011. “This achievement is an official recognition of our commitment to provide worldclass service. Compliance to international standards is also one way to ensure the confi-

dence in the services that we deliver to our members,” Cinco said. The ISO 9001:2008 certification requires a thorough audit of the company’s internal quality management system processes to ensure quality improvement and consistent delivery of services that meet customers’ needs and requirements. Anglo Japanese American Registrars, Inc., the third party auditor commissioned by the SSS, assessed the reg-

istration and coverage proceses of the four offices in June 2014, covering the following: receiving of membership and data amendment application, issuance of SSS number, correction of member data, processing and archiving. In 2014, Customer Satisfaction Surveys of SSS Diliman, Bacolod, La Union, Butuan, and Pasig-Shaw branches yielded “very high” to “excellent” net satisfaction ratings of 92, 94, 100, 89, and 90 percent, respectively.

Megaworld winningest company in 13th Philippine Quill Awards I

More SSS offices earn ISO certification T

7 CULTURE&ARTS

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

Exotic foods

Pinoy style F

ROM duck embryo to chicken feet, Pinoys’ adventurous palate takes you to a different course Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio “Food is more than simple nutrition for Filipinos; they love to eat, whether it’s a sit-down meal with family or friends or a quick snack. Sharing food is one of the great social pleasures for all classes, and not having food for your guests is considered a source of ‘hiya,’ so mountains of it are served at parties and fiestas.” That is what Lindsay Bennett wrote in globetrotter island guide, “Philippines.” Bennett considered Filipino food as “a melting pot” as it has “many differing cultural antecedents, with dishes and methods from Malaysia and Indonesia mixing with later Spanish, Chinese and American touches.” Recently, Cable News Network (CNN) came up with a list of 50 Filipino foods that define the Philippines. “Filipino food may not be as famous as that of its Thai and Vietnamese neighbors. But with more than 7,000 islands and a colorful history, this archipelago has some delicious dishes of its own,” wrote authors Maida Pineda and Candice Lopez-Quimpo. The Philippines is renowned for its “adobo,” “sinigang,” “kare-kare,” “bulalo,” “sisig,” and “halo-halo.” But some of the foods that made it to the list are what others called as exotic foods. Ingredients may be distasteful to some but are delicious to the people who eat them. In Pampanga, for instance, people cook mole crickets into a delicious appetizer called “kamaro.” The two CNN authors wrote: “If catching these bugs is tough, so is cooking them. Legs and wings must be removed, and then the body is boiled in vinegar and garlic. It’s then sautéed in oil, onion and chopped tomatoes until chocolate brown. These bite-size appetizers are crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.” Ever heard of “betute tugak”? The two authors shared this information: “The French may have turned frogs’ legs into a delicacy, but Filipinos take it to the next level. They get a frog, stuff it with minced pork and deep-fry it.” “Kapampangans are actually proud that their ‘betute’ is very unique to them,” wrote Alexander Villafania in an article which appeared in the website of Food and Beverage. “This can be attributed to the fact that the frogs they use as main ingredient for this delicacy are rice field frogs, which eat small insects. These are actually larger than the normal frogs that are sold for food in most wet markets. However, smaller sized frogs are still good enough to make ‘betute.’” To Westerners, “dinuguan at puto” may not look appetizing. But this black dish of pork and pig innards stewed in fresh pig blood seasoned with garlic,

onion and oregano and eaten with a white “puto” (rice cake) or steamed rice, is a comforting dish for many Filipinos. “Balut” has been the “shocking” topic of some television shows because of its taboo nature in some Western cultures. In two episodes of Survivor: Palau and two episodes of Survivor: China, separate challenges featured attempts to eat the boiled 17-day-old duck embryo. Similarly, Fear Factor frequently uses “balut” as a means of disgusting contestants. “Balut” is best eaten with rock salt or spicy vinegar; oftentimes, it is consumed with beer. Named after the Filipino term which means “wrapped,” balut (a fertilized egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell) has been touted as aphrodisiac as it boosts libido. Studies have shown balut contains 12.6 grams of protein, 181 calories and good sources of Vitamin B1 and B2, minerals, niacin, beta carotene and other supplements. Balut is common on street drinking sessions and just chatting with friends late nights. Generally, balut is being sold mostly when the street lights are on by vendors in basket covered with thick foams and cloths to keep them warm. You probably read “Dogeaters,” a novel written by Jessica Hagedorn and published in 1990. The title is a common derogatory term referring to Filipino natives who supposedly eat dogs instead of pork or chicken. Dog-eating is common in many homes in the Philippines. Here’s one experience from a foreigner: “In Batangas, I once ate a Philippine stew dish, caldereta, which is made of chevon (goat meat). It was delicious. However, one time I ate it, I was told this one was made from a dog. That was after I ate it. It tasted okay, like chevon really. I totally didn’t believing it was a dog; but I 4 was convinced when driving through a back-street and saw a dead animal strung up by the neck, having the hide pulled off it, from head to tail. I thought of it as goat but the head was still with its hide and it was definitely a dog.” If dog is not your taste, then you may try “ginataang daga.” It is not prepared from rats living in homes or in the cities. These are rats “harvested” from rice fields in the provinces. “I actually had an experience catching these rats and I find in more enjoying than actually eating it,” one blogger wrote. “The best time to catch them is during rainy season because the rat holes are filled with water. Once they get out of their holes, we strike them with a bat or a stick. Cooking it is just like cooking a “ginataang manok.”

1 Balut 2 Chicken entrails 3 Crocodile steak 4 Tamilok (from the net)

However, it takes a longer time to cook it as you need to remove the skin, cut the heads and boil them several times to remove the smell. The taste is similar to chicken.” Then, there’s the “tamilok,” which has become one of the tourism identities of places like Agusan del Norte, Bohol and most especially Palawan. If you’re still at loss what a “tamilok” is, it’s actually a wood worm which tastes like your familiar oyster. Although it looks like a worm, bigger than a twelveinch ruler, it is actually a mollusk found inside rotting mangroves. In her blog, Faith Salazar wrote: “Finding these wood worms among throngs of mangrove trees is not an easy feat. First, those scouting for ‘tamilok’ need to locate a dead mangrove. When they find one, they need to be careful when trudging muddy parts of the mangrove – it can get very sticky and slippery so their steps have to be calculated. Plus, they have to evade sharp shells and tree branches. When they get to the prized rotting mangrove, they hack it open. They are lucky if they find a ‘tamilok’ inside.” Jodelen O. Ortiz, who has eaten “tamilok” when he visited Palawan, reports “They are served raw after their insides are removed and cleaned. You may choose between vinegar or calamansi juice for perfect dips. If I were you, however, I will ask for native coconut vinegar (the one from ‘tuba’) as ‘tamilok’ tastes better than the commercial vinegars.” Those who have eaten “tamilok” said that it tastes better than oyster (“talaba”) and any other pulutan while some even answer that it could taste like cheese when served fresh. But one this is sure: drinking becomes more engaging with tamilok as “pulutan.” If you happen to visit Davao City, try to go to Riverwalk Restaurant near the Crocodile Park and at Café el Gato at Palos Verdes. It serves any of the following crocodile dishes: braised crocodile paws, crunchy croc wings, crispy crocodile pata,

braised crocodile shank, drunken lechon crocodile, crocodile gumbo, crocodile sausages, fresh crocodile pasta, and crocodile ice cream, among many others. “Personally, all these dishes are really good,” says Chef Dino Dizon, who develops such dishes. “It really depends on the person’s mood; whether something spicy for that day or something crunchy and meaty. For me, the fresh crocodile pasta always hits the spot. It goes well with any preferred pasta sauce. It is the creaminess of the pasta from the crocodile egg that pleases my palette. Finishing it off with a nice creamy crocodile ice cream completes it.” To those who want to lose weight, crocodile meat might be the answer to your food cravings. “Compared to most other meats, crocodile meat is low in fat, low in calories and high in protein,” Dizon says. “In particular, it is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. In addition, crocodile meats are sources of niacin and vitamin B12.” Meanwhile, there are many types of foods sold in the street and here are certain favorites found in almost every place in the Philippines: “kwek-kwek” (made of quail eggs covered in orange dough and deep fried), “isaw” (chicken intestine put on a stick and grilled), fish balls (minced fish rolled into balls), betamax (a cubed, curdled blood of a chicken), adidas (the marinated grilled chicken’s feet), “atay” (marinated and barbequed liver of chicken), and helmet (the grilled head of a chicken). Let’s cap this food trip with a drink – the civet coffee, which actually comes from the droppings of the nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet. These carnivorous mammals do eat the red coffee cherries that contain the beans. The consumed coffee cherries pass through the civet whole after fermenting in the stomach and that’s what gives the coffee its exquisite taste and aroma. The Philippines indeed serves up some of the world’s interesting and adventurous traditional cuisine – mouthwatering for some, stomach-churning for others.

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

EDITORIAL What the President can’t, the NPA can

T appears now that the New People’s Army’s saying they are sorry for the “accidental blast” of an IED (improvised explosive device) that hurt two cops and a civilian in Marilog last Sunday afternoon was a more honorable act than the President excusing himself from any responsibility in the Mamasapano incident and laying the blame on the chief of the Special Action Force (SAF). Amidst the clamor for him to apologize and take full responsibility of the Mamasapano incident, President Aquino on Monday refused to accept sole responsibility for the botched mission and blamed SAF chief Getulio Napenas for disobeying his order to coordinate the operation properly with the Armed Forces. The President clearly washed his hands here. He stuck to his word that Napenas could have aborted the mission after deviating from the operational plan but failed to do so, leading to the loss of lives. He also blamed Napenas for sending him wrong information about the progress of the mission. As the nation expected Aquino to take full responsibility the way former US President Ronald Reagan did in the Gulf War, he took a sudden swerve. He insisted Napenas fooled him. In stark contrast, the NPA apologized to the two police officers and civilian who were hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Marilog last weekend. Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, who called a command conference on Sunday night following the incident, relayed the statement. A group of NPA rebels ambushed a Mobile Patrol Unit No. 65 of the Marilog Police Station at around 1:25 p.m. on March 8 that seriously injured Senior Po-

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lice Officer (SPO) 1 Roger T. Sevillano, Police Officer (PO) 1 Marlon Coprada, and civilian Joel Ahao. Mayor Duterte had earlier asked the NPA for an explanation after he himself explained that the cops were there to assist in a traffic incident along the Bukidnon-Davao Road in Sitio New Calinan, Barangay Baganihan. The mayor announced on Monday that the NPA’s Commander Bob apologized and admitted that explosion was an accident. He apologized and said his troops committed a mistake. They were sleeping and when the police vehicle passed on the rough road, they were surprised and accidentally pressed the detonator, resulting in the explosion. Mayor Duterte said it was an isolated case, noting that it was the first time such an incident happened since an agreement was arrived at to spare the police from any attack or acts of aggression. For the NPA accept its fault is an act of humility, a virtue that seemed like a missing part of the President’s character specifically in the Mamasapano case. Judging from the narration of facts in the Senate hearing, the President obviously was aware and informed of the operations from the day it was hatched to the very day it was executed. It was well established also that suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima had a hand in the operations when he should not. But because he is the one closest to the President, the latter called on him from time to time. It is easy for the President to disown responsibility of the unfortunate incident but to be convincing is a different thing altogether. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

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

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EDGEDAVAO

“

ADOPT the pace of nature: her secret is patience,” declared Ralph Waldo Emerson. Josiah Gilbert Holland explained, “There is no royal road to anything, one thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” The Holy Bible, the book of all seasons, teaches us patience. Take the case of Abraham. At age 75, he was given God’s promise of a son. Ten years later, he was still waiting. Fifteen years passed, then 20, and still no son. Finally, when Abraham was 100, a quarter-century after God had made the promise, baby Isaac was born. “Surely Abraham had times of doubt during those 25 years,” commented Dr. Charles Stanley, an inspirational author. “Yet he continued to trust God and kept watching for the fulfillment of His promise.” Examples from the Bible abound. As a young man, Jacob met the girl of his dreams, but he worked many years before making her his bride. Joseph had a God-given vision of blessing at age 17 but languished 13 years in slavery and prison before receiving the reward. David was anointed King of Israel as a teenager but spent the next 14 years or so running for his life before taking the throne. Those stories, related to me when I was still a little boy, came into my mind. But then the words of Paul Sweeney also haunted me. “How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” he wondered. “The two most powerful warriors are

T different forms and scales, the intertwining issues of economic inequality, political control and peace and security have always been a recurring feature in the past 78 years of Davao City’s history. The pretext of the city’s inception was in fact the apprehension of national authorities in Manila over the increasing economic and political influence at that time of Japanese nationals who operated vast tract of agricultural plantations and dominated every facet of the economy, from copra and timber to fishing and export trade. Historical accounts indicate that the dominance of the Japanese was the paramount consideration why the Commonwealth government of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon signed into law the bill creating Davao City on October 16, 1936 and formally chartered the city on March 1, 1937. To thwart the eventual political control of the Japanese, then Congressman Romualdo Quimpo filed the bill creating the City of Davao from the town of Davao and Guianga District on March 16, 1936. Thus, every 16th day of March is commemorated as “Araw ng Dabaw.” It is worthy to note that Davao City was never a component of Davao del Sur, a misconception that many national government agencies continue to maintain particularly in coming up with socio-economic statistics (like the poverty threshold level which lumped up the city with the municipalities of Davao del Sur) that are used as basis in policy formulation and development planning. While the city was located within Davao

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

Patience: Taming your passion patience and THINK ON THESE! time,” reminded Egyptian novelist Leo Tolstoy. “Patience,” said a Turkish proverb, “is the key to paradise.” And Mahatma Gandhi reiterated, “To lose patience is to lose Henrylito D. Tacio the battle.” henrytacio@gmail.com Men of science themselves value patience. Thomas A. Edison said, “Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” And Albert Einstein once admitted, “I think and think for months and years, ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.” “He that can have patience can have what he will,” American statesman Benjamin Franklin said. A young man presented himself to the local expert on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist. The expert brushed him off because he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn. The young man pleaded for a chance. Finally, the expert consented and told the youth, “Be here tomorrow.” The next morning, the expert put a jade stone in the boy’s hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work: cutting, weighing, and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.

The following morning, the expert again placed the jade stone in the youth’s hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day, the expert repeated the exercise and the instructions. On the sixth day, the youth held the jade stone, but could no longer stand the silence. “Sir,” he asked, “when am I going to learn something?” The expert answered, “You’ll learn.” Several more days went by and the youth’s frustration mounted. One morning, as the expert approached and beckoned for him to hold out his hand, he was about to blurt out that he could go on no longer. But as the expert placed the stone in the youth’s hand, the young man exclaimed without looking at his hand, “This is not the same jade stone!” “You have begun to learn,” the expert told him. “Patience can’t be acquired overnight,” said Eknath Easwaran. “It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.” The description of Epictetus was even more picturesque: “No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.” “The key to everything is patience,” reminded Arnold H. Glasgow. “You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” But on second thought, “We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by every person who is over ea-

ger and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.” Those words come from the pen of William Channing. But do people still wait today? Even in the past as it is today, there is no such thing as sudden results. Listen to the words of Jacob Riis: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at a hundredth and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it -- but all that had gone before.” “Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves,” Rainer Maria Rilke advises. “Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps, then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” Wait and be patient. “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials,” George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon pointed out. “Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.” As Dr. Stanley puts it: “This is clearly how most of us act, even if we don’t express it. Perhaps that’s why Scripture includes so many examples of godly patience and reward. Over and over, we see the Father making promises to His children, only to have them wait years, sometimes decades, for the promise to be fulfilled. But the result of that patience is always blessing.”

Province prior to the latter’s s u b d iv i s i o n into three provinces in 1967, the chartered city remained independent from any provincial government since its creation. But not from the national government. Commonwealth Act 51, the law which created Davao City, did not grant the local inhabitants to choose their own leaders. It instead empowered the president to appoint local officials from the mayor down to council members. Under the increasing dominance of the Japanese nationals, it was understandable that authorities in Manila wanted to remain in direct control. What is not easy to comprehend, though, is the fact that it took until the late 1955 in allowing the people of Davao City to choose their own leaders, a decade after the Japanese nationals (many plantation workers and supervisors turned out to be regular combatants and high ranking officials of the Imperial Army) perished in the war or expelled back to their country. From its official creation up to 1955, Davao City was ruled by mayors and other leaders di-

rectly appointed by the president. Of the 21 people who became mayor of the city, only six were directly elected by Davao City residents. The rest were appointed for a single term, serving only as short as less than a year to as long as four years depending on the preference of the president who has the prerogative to change city’s leadership at any given time. The first elected mayor was Carmelo L. Porras who was elected in later part of 1955 and assumed the post in January 1956. He was twice reelected until 1967 and was followed by Elias B. Lopez who served in 1968 up to 1971 and got reelected 1981 to 1986. In between the two terms of Lopez was the administration of Luis T. Santos who served for two succeeding terms from 1972 up to 1981. During the post-EDSA period, Rodrigo R. Duterte was elected as mayor, taking the helm of the city’s leadership from 1988 to the present, his 7th term. Constraint by law to run and get elected as mayor, he fielded in 1998 the candidacy of his erstwhile protégée Benjamin C. De Guzman, the fifth elected mayor of the city. After serving another consecutive three terms, Duterte also gave way in the 2010 polls to his daughter Zara Z. Duterte, the sixth and first woman elected to the city’s highest post. Along with Zara, who has yet to express concurrence to his father’s wish for her to reclaim the mayoralty post on the scheduled 2016 elections, De Guzman was the only elected mayor who failed to serve another term. As the longest serving mayor in Davao City, Duterte is instrumental in shaping the substantial part of the city’s history.

From the early part of his tenure, the centerpiece of Duterte’s administration has been directed to address issues emanating from the nuances of economic inequality, political control and peace and security. Aside from putting in place stability by restoring and maintaining law and order, one of his first actions as mayor was the reorganization of the city into 11 administrative districts (even before the enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991) to make the city’s programs and services more inclusive and responsive to the needs of a very diverse mix of local constituents. Duterte strengthened the establishment of City Hall satellite offices and appointed for every tribe and district a deputy mayor who is deemed to be in a better position to tackle problems and concern in the communities. Sustained over the years, the whole gamut of initiatives in cultivating cultural harmony, spreading economic development, promoting political empowerment and maintaining peace and safety proved to be the crucial factors that made Davao City what it is today: one of the world’s most livable cities with 1.4 people endowed with economic opportunities brought by continuing growth and prosperity. At 78, the city is still relatively young as compared to centuries-old settlements. But it is not wanting of interesting experiences and groundbreaking practices that are worthy to share with our neighboring localities, other parts of the country and even the rest of the world. Happy “Araw ng Dabaw” everyone!

Tracing back

10 ICT HUB EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

PLDT maintains lead in postpaid market S

MART Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Sun Cellular (Sun), the wireless units of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), continue to dominate the mobile postpaid segment with a 16 percent increase of subscriber base to over 2.8 million, or more than 387,000 net additional subscribers for 2014. This represents 55% of the total Philippine mobile postpaid market. The postpaid segment also ended 2014 with P21.7Bn in revenues—a 14-percent or P2.6-B increase from the previous year. Postpaid revenues now account for 21% of total cellular revenues for the PLDT wireless business. “The gains posted by Smart and Sun in 2014 are attributed to PLDT’s integrated wireless network with unparalleled capacity, reach and resiliency, and premium-packed device and content offers,” said Charles A. Lim, Executive Vice President and Wireless Consumer Division Head of Smart and Sun. In 2014, Smart unveiled a strong lineup of smartphone offerings for all types of postpaid users, including flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the Sony Xperia Z1 and Z2, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Smart also introduced best-value postpaid plans that came with power-packed entry-level handsets, data allowance, and access to unlimited music streaming via Spinnr. On top of this, postpaid subscribers were also given access to 35 million songs on-the-go through Smart’s exclusive partnership with global music streaming service Deezer. To further bolster its postpaid growth, Smart recently introduced a revitalized post-

paid lineup with better handset choices, bigger data volume allowances, and even FREE music streaming via Deezer for two years. Starting at P999 a month, users can choose from a range of premium handsets that include the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua, the Samsung Galaxy A5, and the Sony Xperia Z3. These new postpaid plans come with bigger volume data allocations for their mobile Internet needs and music streaming on the go with FREE Deezer Premium+ for every subscription. To empower more Filipinos with the latest technology, Sun offered its postpaid subscribers wearable devices through affordable and value-packed packages. Through the Sun Plan 499 or Plan 649, Sun Postpaid subscribers are able to get their hands

on wearable devices, which also come with a smartphone, plus unlimited Sun calls and texts, texts to other networks, mobile surfing and unlimited music streaming via Spinnr. Another strong entry Plan is the Plan 450 where subscribers can take home a Sun Bundle composed of a handset and a tablet. This bundle is useful for subscribers who prefer to have a bigger screen while surfing, reading books, or emailing, ensuring that the tablet will make the Internet experience more enjoyable. Sun Postpaid also offered useful, relevant add-ons such as the Value MIX which allowed subscribers to beef up their plans by creating their own bundles for just an additional P99 a month. Meanwhile, the Trinet add-on allows Sun subscribers to call and

text Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers, also for as low as P99. In support of its expanded folio of device and services, Sun Cellular also increased retail presence during the year with the launch of the Sun Shop on Wheels – a new retail channel designed to provide the same in-store services as the regular Sun Shops. Rolled out at key cities of Metro Manila and selected provincial areas, the Sun Shop on Wheels is designed to meet daily customer transactions in areas where there is limited access to Sun retail outlets. To complement the device and plan offers introduced in 2014, Smart and Sun unveiled digital content services which changed the way Filipino mobile users live and communicate. These digital content offers include access to unlimited music streaming via the Smart-developed music app, Spinnr; digital downloads of Summit Publishing titles via e-bookstore, Buqo; video streaming via Viewstream and Blink; online gaming e-Pins via GameX, among others. Smart subscribers also enjoyed millions of apps on Google Play Store and Apple iTunes, which can now be charged to their monthly postpaid bills. Lim said that the companies will continue to build on the gains attained during the previous year. “The year 2014 presented us with opportunities to shape the mobile lifestyles of Filipinos. By introducing our subscribers to an ‘always-on’ mobile data experience, and by giving them more ways to access information and content, we are able to build habit and spur usage among our subscribers, and to translate this to sustained revenue streams for the postpaid businesses of Smart and Sun.”

America. Our goal is to be the No.1 car classified platform in all our markets. There are over 300 million active internet users that we are aiming to tap into in these markets. We want to make sure that we bring them the best experience of car shopping on their laptops and mobile phones.” The new round of investment goes to show the support and confidence investors have in Carmudi’s business model. Koen Thijssen, co-CEO of APACIG stated, “We invest in companies where we see high potential for growth and expansion. We are sure that Carmudi will be able to conquer its markets very soon.» As the internet penetration is likely to reach 44 per cent by 2018 in in Asia Pacific region alone (excluding China and India), Carmudi’s strategic timing could not have been better. Having the first-mover advantage is certainly helping Carmudi become a household name as it continues to reap the rewards from a growing middle class and influx of foreign spending in emerging markets. In fact, it is already reaching over a million users per month through its website and mobile app. With its new features, Carmudi is making the selling and buying process much simpler

for experts and novices alike who are new to the Internet. About Carmudi Carmudi was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana,Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia,Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Zambia. The vehicle marketplace offers buyers, sellers and car dealers the ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online. About APACIG The Asia Pacific Internet Group (www.apacig.com) is a joint venture of Rocket Internet and Ooredoo. The group’s network consists of 13 e-commerce and online marketplace companies, operating across 15 countries. Since it was founded in 2014, APACIG has become the leading online platform in Asia, building top internet companies in the region. About Holtzbrinck Ventures HV Holtzbrinck Ventures has been investing in internet companies for over ten years, primarily during their startup phase. In this time, Holtzbrinck Ventures has financed over 120 companies and has

established itself as one of the few venture capital firms that has also founded market leading internet companies. Today Holtzbrinck Ventures is one of Europe’s most successful early-stage investors in the internet sector, with investments in some of the internet’s biggest companies including Zalando, Wooga, Groupon, Westwing, Experteer, Dreamlines, Lazada, Flixbus, Quandoo, Lendico, Outfittery, Delivery Hero or Brands4Friends. About TengelmannGroup Tengelmann Group (www. tengelmann.de) is an international operating retail company whose business interests are spread across a number of different industries. Subsidiaries include OBI, KiK, Kaiser’s Tengelmann, Tengelmann e-stores ,TREI Real Estate as well as Tengelmann Ventures, one of Germanys leading Venture Capital Company which invested in over 40 fast growing start-ups worldwide. The family-owned business was established in 1867 in Mülheiman der Ruhr and is currently managed in fifth generation. Tengelmann Group is operating over 4,000 stores in 15 different countries and employing more than 80,000 people. The group’s annual turnover is totalling EUR 11bn.

Stefan Haubold - Global CoFounder and Managing Director

Carmudi secures $25 million for Asia and Latin America C

ARMUDI, a leading car classified site backed by Rocket Internet, has raised $25 million to strengthen its operations in Asia and Latin America. Investors include Asia Pacific Internet Group (APACIG), a joint venture of Rocket Internet and Ooredoo, Holtzbrinck Ventures, a leading consumer internet investor, Tengelmann Ventures, a division of international multi-sector retailer Tengelmann Group, and a private investor. Launched in October 2013, Carmudi has rapidly scaled up to 20 countries, seven of which are in Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) and one in Latin America (Mexico). The platform is known to provide the most innovative and fastest way to buy and sell cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online. The announcement of this funding comes at a time when the company is experiencing a remarkable growth of over 50 per cent in all its markets and has authentic listings of over 300,000 vehicles for its users globally. Carmudi Co-Founder and Global Managing Director Stefan Haubold said: “This funding will be crucial in boosting our operations in Asia and Latin

Apple’s watch: Game changer or not?

O one can argue that Apple has changed the way people live their lives. The company’s iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad have shaken up music, phone and computer markets worldwide. Is the Apple Watch going to be able to do the same? The stakes are big for Apple CEO Tim Cook: the watch is the first brand-new Apple product to be launched without legendary co-founder Steve Jobs. But the market is awash in smartwatches that have gained little traction. Here are three reasons the Apple Watch will finally move the needle in the smartwatch industry — and three reasons it might not. WHY IT WILL CHANGE THE GAME MORE FEATURES THAN RIVALS: Along with email, texts and phone calls, Apple says its watch will present news, health readings and other notifications in creative ways that can be read at a glance. It will have a heart rate monitor and accelerometer, and an internal motor that can signal the wearer with a subtle “tap” on the wrist. And Siri and Apple Pay will be built in. Apple is working with outside companies to create more apps; Cook has talked about using the watch as an electronic “key” for hotel doors or even cars. A POWERFUL BRAND: The world’s biggest tech company has a reputation for quality and a direct conduit to customers — it operates more than 400 retail stores around the world. And it has deep pockets to spend on advertising — it is showcasing the watch this month with a sleek, 12-page insert in Vogue and other fashion magazines. APPLE’S TRACK RECORD: This wouldn’t be the first Apple product that revolutionized a market where rivals had struggled to break through. Other companies made digital music players before the iPod, smartphones before the iPhone and even tablets before the iPad. Most of those products failed to catch on until Apple made devices so appealing they set new standards and created new demand, said Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder.

OR NOT WHAT’S THE NEED?: Most smartwatches — including Apple’s — only work with a smartphone nearby, so you can’t swap one expensive gadget for the other. “What we’ve seen is that it’s not obvious why people would want a smartwatch,” says Gownder. A recent Forrester survey found some respondents didn’t see a reason to buy one because they already owned a less-expensive fitness band or a full-featured smartphone (although it also found Apple fans ready to buy the new watch). CONSUMERS NOT EXCITED: You can already buy smartwatches made by giant tech companies like Samsung, Sony or LG, or from a tech startup like Pebble, that track your heart rate, show you email and deliver other online services to your wrist. None of them have really caught on. Only about 5 million smartwatches were sold worldwide last year, according to market researchers at Strategy Analytics. By comparison, Apple sold 74.6 million iPhones in just the last quarter. PRICE AND OBSOLESCENCE: Many of today’s smartwatches sell for $200 or less. Apple plans to sell three models, starting at $349, but Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster predicts the average buyer will pay $550 for a watch and extra, interchangeable bands. Apple’s high-fashion “Edition” model, made with 18-karat gold, is expected to cost thousands. While affluent consumers might pay that for a watch they can wear for years, or even hand down to their children, it’s a lot of money for something that could become outdated if Apple releases a new model every year or so — as it does with smartphones. Cook will make his case for the Apple Watch at a press event Monday, where he’s expected to show off more features and apps. Expectations are high. But even the iPhone didn’t become a mainstream blockbuster in its first year, notes Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin. Of the Apple Watch, he says, “people need to understand more about what this product is, and what it does, and I think that will evolve over time.”

11 THE TRAVEL TELLER

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CARAGA’S SAN SALVADOR DEL MUNDO CHURCH: Davao Oriental’s beacon of Catholic faith

By OLAN FERNANDEZ EMBOSCADO

HERE are many reasons that make Davao Oriental one of the most interesting provinces to visit in Mindanao. Aside from its famous beaches, majestic waterfalls, verdant mountains and pristine natural wonder, another addition to these fascinating reasons to why discover this province is the San Salvador Del Mundo Church, one of the oldest known stone churches in Mindanao. San Salvador Del Mundo Church is located in the town of Caraga in the eastern coast of Davao Oriental. The town is considered as one of the oldest towns in the province and had once served as mission station of Spanish Missionaries in propagating Christianity in this side of Mindanao. San Salvador Del Mundo Church is the great remnant of that past glory. I have visited the whole 11 municipalities of the province and have marveled some of its churches but visiting Caraga’s old church was my first. But even back then, I already learned the great significance of Caraga’s San Salvador Del Mundo Church as cradle of Christianity in this eastern part of the Philippines. And so getting there meant getting close to a piece of history in our province. Too far from what I thought, San Salvador Del

Mundo Church is a simple old structure built on the promontory that overlooks a spectacular view of the great Pacific Ocean. The façade of church along its sides is mainly made of rubble – irregular pieces of rocks – but the upper portion is built with hardwood. The aged door in the opening bears insignias that symbolize of the Holy Name of Jesus. According to research, San Salvador Del Mundo Church was built in 1884 by the Jesuit Missionaries (Society of Jesus) and played a significant role in spreading Christianity in the eastern side of Mindanao. Withstanding the tests of time, the church has undergone series of renovations but has generally retained its original structure. I was stunned to see two centuries-old giant seashells still used as stoup (basin for holy water) for churchgoers. I also noticed an old marble baptismal font kept on the side of the main door. I learned this was used during the Spanish time. Some of interesting pieces that can be found inside the church are remnants of 19th century Spanish regime – which now considered antiquities of importance. The most stunning feature I dearly admired inside San Salvador Del Mundo Church is the church’s altar. The influence of Spanish

colonial altar is still there, something that all modern churches in Davao Oriental do not have. It is similar to those baroque churches in Visayas and Luzon. Last year, in time for the Caraga’s Parochial Fiesta, the San Salvador Del Mundo Church was declared a National Historic Site, a distinction given by no less than the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The declaration was made 128 years after it was built in 1884 – something that every Carageños should be proud of, including me who hails from the same province. Today, San Salvador Del Mundo Church has withstood the tests of time and even survived the strongest typhoon to have hit Mindanao. With God’s divine grace, it remains to be a great remnant of a glorious past and a beacon of Catholic faith in this side of the country. HOW TO GET THERE: Caraga, Davao Oriental is approximately 5 hours land travel from Davao City and 3 hours away from Mati City, the capital of the province. There are buses and passenger vans that regularly travel to the town plying the Davao-Tagum-Mati road. San Salvador Del Mundo Church on the other hand is located in the heart of the town’s Poblacion. Everybody knows the place.

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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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WOMEN

IN GOOD COMPANY

The ladies and their tea sets at the M&S tea party.

TWO weekends ago, I had the pleasure of meeting this delightful bunch of ladies, who, only recently, began a solid friendship with one another in just one afternoon. From a spectator’s point of view, they seemed to have been exchanging pleasantries for years already. They giggled and chatted like old friends --- scenes and sounds that brought sunshine in that gloomy afternoon.

GOOD A4

Angel Go and Marydict Rosales.

Photography: Paul Borromeo Styling: Meg Sta. Ines & Otoy Mercado Shot on location at the Food Hall of Marks & Spencer, SM Lanang Premier

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EVENT

ENTERTAINMENT

Luis Ala

Mindanaoan Night beside the infinity pool.

FEBTASTIC Sharon PEARL FARM

Luis expressed his gratitude to his famil Center for mounting his birthday charity.

THE Megastar has come home.

FEBRUARY may be the shortest month of the year. But at Pearl Farm Beach Resort, it was a fantastic, eventful February that’s sure to last. The month marked the return of the resort’s noteworthy Themed Nights that started back on 2007 with then and now Spanish, General Manager Mikel Villaverde. Mindanaoan Night kicked off on February 06, with authentic Filipino cuisines and a cultural presentation from USeP’s Pangkat Silayan Theatre Collective. With Reggae Night last February 28, guests reveled in a Rastafarianinspired dinner that offered a la Caribbean food and entertainment by Capu Band. Mindanao Night and Reggae Night betide every Friday and Saturday respectively. Upcoming themed nights include Romantic Night every Monday, Spanish

A Tausug Dance by Pangkat Silayan Theatre Collective.

Night every Wednesday, and Magic Night every Thursday. Love is truly warmer by the beach. A poolside zumba class by Metro Lifestyle Gym welcomed guests to an invigorating Valentine’s Day morning. Dinner was extra romantic with special tables at boardwalk for couples to feast at while being serenaded by Polish violinist Robert Stormowski. The resort was enveloped with the spirit of Chinese New Year on February 19. Dragon dancers greeted guests, most of whom are Chinese, upon their arrival. The night turned into a celebration with Chinese dishes, and performances of Chinese culture from Colegio de Couple selfie at the Boardwalk heart booth.

Guests enjoying morning zumba. San Ignacio and of magic from United Mahikeros of Mindanao. For February, Pearl Farm Beach Resort welcomed respectable guests from Philippines Presidential Communications Group, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Ms. Minda Calaguian-Cruz, Gusi Peace Prize Interna-

tional’s Honorable Barry and Evelyn Gusi, Philippine Red Cross, Nestle Philippines, Staffhouse International, TADECO Livelihood Training Center, Center of Culinary Arts Manila; and well-known bloggers and writers Olan Emboscado, Melo Villareal, Richard Co, Dianne Viray, Klara

Añonuevo, and Angelique Diccion. Starting on March 08, guests and caffeine lovers can now unwind and chow at Café Marina located inside Pearl Farm Marina, Lizada Village, Lanang. The café offers hot, iced and blended joes made from Italian coffee beans. A variety of treats are sold as perfect pairs for the drinks. As the summer season starts to unfold, the resort is all readied up to embrace the summer heat and summer love! Bucketlist Pearl Farm Beach Resort this summer 2015. For inquiry and reservation, e-mail pearlfarmresortreservations@anflocor.com. Visit www. pearlfarmresort.com for resort details.

Sharon Cuneta was formally announced as one of the jury members of “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” ABSCBN’s newest variety show and the Megastar’s latest TV project. For the first time in her career, the Megastar will sit in a jury to critique the live performances of eight celebrity performers who will impersonate popular local and international music icons in the said program. The announcement was made following a contract signing that was attended by Sharon, ABS-CBN president and CEO Charo Santos-Concio, COO Carlo Katigabk, free TV head Cory Vidanes, chief financial officer Aldrin Cerrado, TV production head Laurenti Dyogi, and business unit head Lui Andrada.

F the as sio yea

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andy celebrates birthday with orphans GMA Artist Center’s Luis Alandy celebrated his birthday with the orphans of Manila Boystown last February 28 at the Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City. Luis turned 34 and instead of a party, he chose to spend his birthday in the company of at least 50 orphans. The kids, whose age ranged from seven to 15 years old, were treated to an afternoon of singing, dancing, and fun games

as the birthday boy himself together with event host Tess Bomb facilitated the activity. Also present were Luis’ family— his parents and siblings—who all went to the event in full force to show their support to his birthday charity. Meanwhile, Luis Alandy will be part of GMA’s upcoming primetime series The Rich Man’s Daughter which topbills Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera.

Artist Center talent Luis Alandy was welcomed with a warm applause and high-fives when he entered the venue hall of the Manila Boystown Complex for his birthday charity celebration.

ly, friends, and to Artist

Luis blows the candle on his cake after the kids sang the Luis also helped out in serving the A group of kids performed a special dance Luis is shown here with his very birthday song. food to the kids. number while Luis watched them in awe. supportive family.

n returns to ABS-CBN

Filipinos have witnessed e Megastar’s versatility an artist both on televion and in film. In her 34 ars in the industry, she

has been known to be a multi-platinum recording artist, award-winning actress, host, concert performer, and endorser.

Apart from her credibility and experience as an entertainer, she has also endeared herself to audiences because of her fun

personality and authenticity, which will surely add to the unique entertainment experience in “Your Face Sounds Familiar.” For the past few days, Sharon has expressed her excitement over her latest TV project on social media, thrilling speculation among her fans. “I love you all from the bottom of my heart for your unwavering love and support,” she told Sharonians on her Facebook page. Sharon will be joined in the jury by champion singer Jed Madela and Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano. “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” which begins on March 14 and 15, will give total transformation to its celebrity performers, who will impersonate popular music icons and provide viewers with a concert-like entertainment experience.

Sabado-badoo set to fulfill your Saturday throwbacks PEOPLE are becoming a fan of looking back and reminiscing beautiful memories that once became a big part of their life.

Set to fulfill your Saturday throwbacks, GMA Network offers another entertaining program via Sabado-badoo beginning March 14. This will be hosted by the newest Kapuso laughteam, Sef Cadayona and Betong Sumaya.

Sabado-badoo features videos and scenes and presents them in a fresh and comedic manner. They may be presented based on their categories, as a countdown, a mash-up of different scenes, and many more. It can surely make the viewers reminisce the past and make the young generation connect with the older ones. “Tiyak na marami ang mageenjoy dahil muling makikita ang mga eksena na malamang

ay nakalimutan na at hindi pa napapanood ng bagong henerasyon. Expect the funniest and wackiest team-up,” shares Betong. “It’s going to be funny. We’ll do our best to keep the viewers glued to their television watching the show. There’s going to be lots of colors, lots of love, and lots of high-fives,” added Sef. Directed by Tata Betita, Sabado-badoo will air every Saturday before Pepito Manaloto on GMA.

March 6-10, 2015

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE / * BIRDMAN R16 / *R13

Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson / * Michael Keaton, Naomi Watts 12:20 | 2:55 LFS / * 5:30 | 7:45 | 10:00 LFS

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL YOU / * KIDNAPPING MR. HENEIKEN Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla / * Jim Sturgess, Sam Worthington, Anthony Hopkins

PG / * R13

11:50 | 2:00 | 4:10 LFS / * 6:20 | 8:10 | 10:00 LFS

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco R16

R-16

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

CHAPPIE Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman R13

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

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 Katrina Briones.

WOMEN

GOOD A1

Kay Gempesaw and Carol Co.

Kay Gempesaw, Carol Co, Erika Mata, Katrina “Inah” Sison-Briones and Togonon sisters, Angel Go and Marydict “Happy” Rosales, may have something in common known to them—they are all career-oriented family women, but Marks & Spencer showed then an even more interesting reason to bond — the love for teas and special appreciation of the finest tea wares. Just in time for Women’s month, Marks & Spencer (SM Lanang Premier) gathered together the crème dela crème of all tea-cup collectors to showcase a fresh take on fashion and intimate gatherings. Kay, Carol, Erika, Inah, Angel and Happy brought a few pieces of their porcelain treasure to the event. As tea time offers brief solace from our daily undertakings, it also became heartwarming to see insights and humor a-brewing over sips and nibbles while these moms poured out details of their life as mother, wife and career woman. It was in this charming occasion that their personalities shone through and each found a connection with one another, despite individual preferences. The collectors also shared their fondest stories about their tea set collection and how they developed the love for the fineries, their own favorites in their growing collection and their most-desired piece to own, and the tea socials they have hosted. Katrina brought her favorite piece to the party—the Royal Albert Señorita’s, one of her most precious to date. She fell in love with the big flower patterns, particularly roses painted on the inside and outside of the cups, “A design that’s quite hard

to find,” she said. It’s the same case with Angel, she loves floral designs, “Especially the unique ones, it calls to me,” she said, “My Royal Albert teacups that comes with the dining plate, a smaller plate and a butter plate is most precious to me,” she admits. Marydict’s favorite of her collection is the Hello Kitty. It took her a long time to complete the set going through different channels of acquisition, a process that made the feline collection very dear to her. Kay’s favorite is also her most treasured— the Limoges Haviland because, “Other than the fact that it was passed on to me by my mom, it’s not very easy to find and the porcelain is very fine,” she shared, and added, “When I look for tea sets, I find that I am drawn to dainty and intricate patterns. I buy mostly individual pieces, not sets.

The Herend Queen Victoria is a dream piece, but I don’t know when I will be able to have one since it’s very expensive.” “The daintier the design, the more it’s appealing to me,” confessed Erika. Her current favorite is her Royal Albert Old Country Rose Set, which pictures “royalty” in it and reminds her of queens and princesses. Carol finds designs that make her feel “girly” most appealing, “Those with butterflies, in pastel colors and unique shapes,” she said smiling. The exquisite collections of these women were exhibited at the M&S Food Hall, the same venue where they had their “private tea party.” For the exclusive tea gathering, the stylish ladies wore the latest collections from the M&S Womenswear—the M&S Collection, Per Una, Classic and Autograph.

Erika Mata.

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EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 13

Akbayan, envi advocates renew Paje for Ph accession to Nagoya Protocol call to repeal 1995 Mining Act E A

KBAYAN Rep. Barry Gutierrez joined a group of environmental advocates on Tuesday to renew the call for the immediate repeal of the 1995 Mining Act and enact an alternative minerals management law. The environmental advocates wore chains dragged by a ‘golden grim ripper’ while marching towards the House of Representatives to demonstrate the deadly and destructive impact of the 1995 Mining Act as the law marks its 20th year. “After almost two decades, mining industry in the country was simply stuck in a backwater of national development, wreaking more havoc and irreparable damages to our environment and the health and lives of

the affected communities and the people,” Gutierrez said. “While originally intended to usher in sustainable development and fueling the economy, the mining law has failed to protect our forests and watersheds and inadvertently led to environmental degradation. Even more to this cost is the displacement of Indigenous People (IP) communities from their ancestral domains the environmental and health risks wrought by mining and mining-related activities,” he added. The campaign spearheaded by the group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) gained the support of environmental advocates from various civil society organizations (CSOs) and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seeking

to repeal the mining law and enact House Bill 984. ATM stated that the academe and economists can attest that the industry has very little impact to our economy with 0.7-1% and 0.7% contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) employment, respectively. “Clearly, even with the mining law, the contribution of mining to national development remains a ‘drop in the bucket’ despite promises of its significant contribution in fueling our economic development,” the Akbayan lawmaker said. Sustainable alternative “As one of the principal authors of House Bill 984, or the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB), Gutierrez said that the proposed

measure minerals management is a sustainable alternative which provides for proper social and environmental safeguards, ensuring the protection of the rights and welfare of the affected communities and the environment while making certain that there is equitable sharing of benefits in the development of the country’s minerals and wealth,” Gutierrez explained. “Together with the other champions of the bill, I strongly urge my colleagues in Congress to make the AMMB a reality and ensuring that the use and development of our natural resources are effectively geared to advancing our national development and improving the lives of our people,” the lawmaker concluded

NVIRONMENT Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje is pushing for the ratification of an international treaty that would allow the country to reap the benefits of its own genetic resources. The treaty, called Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, outlines measures on how countries can access genetic resources and share the benefits of the resources within the country of origin. At the hearing of the Senate committee on foreign relations, Paje told senators that the Philippine accession to the Nagoya Protocol is a must in order to protect the nation’s rich biodiversity from the threat of biopiracy. “Acceding to the protocol would translate to directly benefitting not only the country, but local communities who use and care for our biological resources,” Paje said. Dubbed as one of the most important multilateral environmental treaties recently adopted, the Nagoya Protocol entered into force on October 12, 2014 or four years after its adoption. However, the Philippines has yet to ratify and accede to the treaty. Paje said the protocol

could be the country’s shield against biopiracy, or the commercial exploitation or monopolization of biological or genetic material like medicinal plant extracts, usually without compensating the indigenous peoples or countries from which the material or relevant knowledge is obtained. He said the government needs to address the issue of biopiracy, where other parties unlawfully use biological and genetic resources “that have been with us for a long time but we are either not aware of or informed about it.” “The Nagoya Protocol would require countries using the Philippines’ biological and genetic resources to comply with our own national measures on access and benefit-sharing,” Paje explained. He added: “Without our accession, we cannot avail of its international tracking and monitoring mechanisms by which we can track the use of our resources.” Paje cited a number of resources found in the country but were “taken” by researchers, such as medicinal plants from Coron in Palawan, soil samples from Panay Island, and mollusk species from Balicasag Island in Bohol. (DENR)

14 NEWS P30... FROM 2

was based on an order by the LTFRB head office on March 6 for a P10 rollback in the flagdown rate for taxis nationwide. LTFRB chair Winston Ginez said in a statement that this is only a provisional decrease which means taxis are not required to recalibrate their meters. Taxi drivers just

have to deduct P10 from the total fare. But Transmission-Piston chair Charito Juranes said there should be no reduction of the flag-down rate for taxis due to the fluctuating prices of gasoline and diesel. (MindaNews)

session yesterday, Bello was not seen in the morning proceedings. Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte had earlier said he will call the members of Kagan tribe in the city to find out if they really want Sudagar to sit as IPMR. He said that if the whole tribe in the assembly will say they want Sudagar to sit as IPMR, he will accept it. The elder Duterte said he also noticed in the selection that all the Baragwas or council

of elders in the 37 Kagan communities were all members of HugpongsaTawongLungsod, his political party. He said he does not want it to appear that the party will monopolize the positions in government. The mayor said he does not want Sudagar to be the IPMR because she already had the chance to be in the City Council when she was the SangguniangKabataan Federation President of the city.

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are aware the three-day extension will be subject to “a lot of speculations, a lot of insinuations.” But he assured the public that the extension is necessary to ensure the quality of their investigation and their report. “Ang kredibilidad po ng buong PNP ang nakataya at hindi po natin isasakripisyo ito” (The credibility of the entire PNP is at stake here and we will not sacrifice that), he said. Magalong also stressed that their probe is merely “fact-finding” and “not prosecutorial.” Oplan Exodus was launched early morning of January 25 by operatives of the PNP-SAF purportedly to serve the warrants of arrest on Zulkifli bin hir, a Malaysian national alleged to be behind several bombing attacks, and Filipino Abdul Basit Usman. The operation, however, was not coordinated with the provincial and regional police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the ceasefire mechanisms of the government-MILF peace process. 90% finished Ustadz Said Zendab, chair of the MILF Central Committee’s Committee on Finance and concurrent head of the MILF’s Special Investigative Commission told MindaNews over the weekend that they were “90%” finished with the probe and would be ready to submit it this week. In a press conference in Camp Darapanan on January 28, three days after the Mamasapano tragedy, Murad said they were “looking within two weeks to come up with the findings.” He told MindaNews over the weekend that the investigation was delayed because “some of the resource per-

sons were no longer in the area so we had to find them.” He said some of the witnesses had evacuated to other areas. “We are targeting next week to release the executive summary,” he said, adding the report would be handed over to the IMT “because this is an issue of ceasefire violation so the authority is IMT. We will submit to IMT and then IMT can release to both panels.” The IMT also made its own investigation but has yet to complete it. “From the other group” Murad said among the initial findings is that the man who shot the injured SAF (Special Action Force) commando in the video that went viral was not a member of the MILF ‘s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Force (BIAF). “Initially ang finding namin is this happened after our men had withdrawn from the area,” Murad said. He explained that their men left the area at around 2 p.m. when they were told to disengage due to the ceasefire. The video, he said, was taken “very late afternoon so wala na doon yung mga tauhan namin (our men were no longer there) . The firearm of the slain SAF commando was among the 16 firearms the MILF turned over to the government through the CCCH and the IMT. Murad acknowledged the firearm was taken by an MILF member but maintained that another person shot the SAF personnel. He said they have identified the person who killed the SAF policeman. “They’re from the other group,” he said. He declined to name the “other group.” (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

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ARTIST’S WORK. Members of local media check out the paintings of local artist Jonathan Goyenechea whom they met by chance along Quimpo Blvd. in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

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crops and those that are considered drought-resistant. “(But) we can’t really stop our farmers from planting although they know that they’re taking huge risks with the weather condition,” she said in an interview over TV Patrol Socksargen. Donasco urged local farmers to heed their advice due to a looming drought as a result of a mild El Niño Phenomenon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) confirmed on Monday that the country is already experiencing a mild case of El Niño. It said a short dry spell may persist in some parts of the country and may prolong the usual dry season. El Niño is a phenomenon caused by the abnormal warming of the central and eastern Pacific waters, generally manifests in a dry spell, or below normal rainfall, usually following wet conditions.

PAGASA officials had identified this city and other parts of Region 12 as among the most vulnerable areas in terms of the adverse impact of the El Niño. “Our farmers should take our advice seriously so they can avoid huge crop losses,” Donasco said. In terms of the affected farmers, she said they are currently studying possible interventions to mitigate the effects of the dry spell as well as some assistance. Donasco earlier said among the counter-measures that the city could undertake is cloud-seeding to induce rains in the area. Cloud seeding is the process of manually spreading either dry ice or salt into the upper part of the clouds to help stimulate the precipitation process and form rain. She said the city government has a standing allotment of P1 million for the conduct of cloud-seeding operations if needed later on. (MindaNews)

Service Facility (SSF) Project, partnered with the Hineleban Foundation, Inc. (HFI) to acquire post-harvest and processing equipment for their famous coffee produce. Even transnational corporations such as Del Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) has set their sights on increasing their production. Eugene Gerong, DMPI’s Senior Manager for Pineapple Growing, said since Del Monte Philippines acquired Del Monte US last year DMPI is now expanding operations to increase output and remain competitive. A major element in preparing Region 10 for increased international trade is ensuring the efficiency of the region’s logistics network. The DTI also conducted an ocular inspection of the Mindanao International Container Terminal Ser-

vices Inc. (MICT) in Cagayan de Oro. Even with its current capacity of 270,000 20-foot container vans, the MICT has plans to expand both its berth length and container yard to help ease port congestion in Metro Manila. “Other major ports outside of Metro Manila will be the gateway of our local SMEs and industries to their foreign markets, while at the national level, the continuing initiatives to ease port congestion will improve country productivity and allow us to deftly adapt to dynamic global market needs,” Rodolfo said, adding that “advancing logistics is one of the key factors to maximize the benefits of international trade. A predictable and secure logistics network will help us realize the gains from regional economic integration.” (DTI)

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tor, however, needs to enhance its absorptive capacity, and constraints faced by the sector must be addressed for the sector to be able to meet growing demand, the Cabinet official said. He underscored the need to fast-track infrastructure development to address logistical bottlenecks. “Constraints remain on airport, cargo, road network and mass transport. Despite the positive effects of implemented decongestion efforts on ports, more needs to be done to accommodate stronger demand,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

He added that power also needs to be managed well to meet higher demand from the manufacturing sector, particularly those involved in manufacturing of textiles, plastics, non-metallic mineral products and some electronic products. “Short-run measures are now being carefully weighed in the legislative branch. The completion of committed power projects will ease concern in the medium term. Long-run energy security measures should, as well, be in place, such as encouraging more investments in a mix of energy sources, among others,” Balisacan said.

Madaum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte. The farm gate price of coco sugar starts at P250 per kilo while local market price at groceries and supermarkets ranged from P300 to P400 per kilo. Moreno also said that HRC is planning to intensify its

presence in the local market by distributing other coco-based products like coconut water and coco syrup and calamansi syrup. The multi-billion coco sugar industry is one of the agribased products of Mindanao that has a huge potential in the export market.

entertainment they want,” Pacquiao said. The Fighter of the Decade added “If the reports were true, then, it’s a welcome development. That’s what my camp wants - for him to become aggressive inside the ring.” A delighted Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez, Pacquiao’s assistant trainer, said “If that is true, then, the fight is over.” Fernandez believed that the fight would not last the full distance if Mayweather decides to engage Pacquiao in a slugfest. But knowing Floyd, Fernandez said, he’s a “play it safe” kind of fighter. “I doubt if in Floyd’s case his trainer can teach an old dog new tricks. I believe that once he

is hurt he would revert to his old fighting style,” Fernandez said. According to Fernandez, Mayweather is scared of losing. “All his life as a boxer, Mayweather has not tasted defeat. Losing can be both humiliating and humbling depending on the fighter’s performance atop the ring. On our part, we view it as a normal part of a fighter’s life. For us, defeat has been a good learning experience,” Fernandez said. Pacquiao, Fernandez added, had experienced setbacks in his colorful and remarkable career. “Those losses made him not just as a great fighter but, above all, as a much better person,” Fernandez said.

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LET THEM ALL PLAY SP wants all Davao City booters to play in Palaro VOL. 7 ISSUE 253 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

ARENTS and coaches of the Davao City football teams desiring to field intact line-ups to the coming Palarong Pambansa have found an ally in the Sangguniang Panglungsod of Davao. Acting on snowballing calls for the rejection of a Department of Education policy on the selection of athletes to the Palaro, the SP on Tuesday passed a resolution supporting such move and endorsing the matter to Deped 11 and Local School Board (LSB) for their consideration. The Deped 11 had issued a memorandum dated February 27, 2015 to all school division superintendents and Regional Palaro Task Force stating its guidelines which call for a 7030 selection of players to compose a team. This policy means that for all team events, 70 percent of players will come from the winning team and that the remaining 30 percent will come from the losing team. “We strongly disagree on the 70-30,” Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte said in a packed press conference in his office while discussion on the matter was going on inside the session hall. Duterte said he and majority of the councilors opposed

this policy since a team cannot perform well if players from other divisions will be added to it. “So, we are passing a resolution strongly disagreeing to this policy,” he said. The SP was acting on the complaints of the parents and coaches of the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) teams which won the gold medals for Davao City in both the elementary and secondary boys football, and the girls futsal in the recent Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet in Mati City. The triumphant ADDU booters, together with their coaches and parents, were recognized by the local lawmakers in yesterday’s regular session. It was also during the session that the parents presented their position paper opposing the Deped 11 policy on the team selection, saying this does not guarantee of fielding a strong team in the Palaro slated May 3 to 9 in Davao del Norte. Based on the Deped 11 guideline, the tournament manager, winning coach, losing coaches, team managers of the sports event and Palaro Task Force in charge of the sports event will compose the

Manny not bothered by Floyd’s KO in training BY AQUILES Z. ZONIO

EIGNING World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight king Manny Pacquiao is neither impressed nor bothered by reports that undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. had knocked out one of his sparring mates with a vicious body shot. “I hope the reports were true. He should be aggressive during our fight so we can make the fans happy. We all knew how he fights. In fact his previous fights lulled me to sleep,” Pacquiao said laughing. Pacquiao claimed he respects Mayweather and his

his one happened last year. It’s happening again this year. No exact mention here but let this hit where it should. I have said it before too and I will say it again. No one should milk the city coffers for an event that has private sponsors. That is a clear case of double sponsorship. I am talking here of the events for the forthcoming Araw ng Davao sports as sanctioned by the gods of the Davao City Sports Development Division. Sorry if I call them gods but that is how they seem like. Lurking

achievements atop the ring. “But his previous fights bored me. I hope, this time he would be man enough to take some risks. He should prove to the world that he’s a real and fearless fighter, not a runner,” Pacquiao said. The eight-division boxing champion said the May 2 encounter with Mayweather would become exciting and memorable only if the latter decides to engage him toe-to-toe. “This fight should live up to its billing. We owe this to the fans. They should get the kind of

FMANNY, 14

like untouchable and infallible powers. The main point here is that the city government is spending for the sportsfest as part of the annual celebration of the Araw ng Davao, now on its 78th milestone. Needless to say, sports associations, well not all of them are blessed with the support of the gods, submitted their proposals to hold sporting competitions handled by their organizations. It’s clear here. The organizers should be the NSAs. That’s the guidelines from

TRIUMPHANT KIDS. Members of the Ateneo de Davao University football and futsal teams who won gold in the recent Davao Region Athletics Association (DAVRAA) in Mati City pose for a souvenir shot with their parents

and members of the City Council headed by Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte during their courtesy call at the local lawmaking body yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

selection committee. “The selection guideline is, with due respect, discriminatory, arbitrary, punitive and whimsical which is susceptible of being abused by the members of the selection committee,” the parents said in the position paper read for them by Vincent Marie N. Rendon. The visit of the parents,

coaches and the players, and discussion on the controversy ate up most of the morning session yesterday, with journalists having their own field day scurrying after the visitors for interview. The issue was first brought up Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang last week when he took the floor during the privilege hour to air the complaints of

the parents. Dayanghirang initially received reports that the winning teams have been dropped from the roster of Palaro participants after one of the coaches failed to attend the deliberations that took place immediately after the DAVRAA Meet. The DAVRAA Meet is the basis for the selection of

Davao Region representatives to the Palarong Pambansa, the country’s biggest sporting competition for elementary and secondary athletes. Aside from Davao City, other divisions participating in the annual DAVRAA are Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Tagum City, Panabo City, Mati City and Digos City.

Education’s (DepEd) Schools Sports Events and Activities Unit Head. Monday’s technical conference drew 23 tournament managers from different national sports associations. “There is something unique in every host. But with DavNor, it is the playing facilities, the billeting [both very good preparation] and the warmth of the people of Davao del Norte and the all-out support of the Governor [Rodolfo del Rosario] with his drive to make this the best Palaro ever,” Abalon added. Representatives from

DepEd (10 from the main office and five regional heads), national sports associations (23 tournament managers) and the country’s 17 regions (34 representatives) attended Monday’s technical conference along with Davao del Norte organizers led by del Rosario. “We are hopeful that the conference would ensure a smooth system, particularly in meeting technical requirements—especially those of the tournament managers on whom the fair and refined conduct of the sporting events are dependent upon,” Del Rosario

said. Jason Razal, a member of the combined inspection team from the DepEd and the Philippine Sports Commission, noted Davao del Norte’s preparedness—especially in the sensitive aspect of billeting the close to 10,000 athletes and officials in the seven-day games. “Only minimal improvements need to be done as most playing facilities are in place. Most only need ‘finishing touches’ and facilities will be definitely ready for the Palaro,” Razal said. “The tournament managers say the playing venues are excellent.”

siders. And then there’s also this one event organized by an alien sounding foundation in cooperation with a private school with a foreign entity as major sponsor. This is not the first time. This event has been going on for a long time but it’s surprising to see it change its name for purposes of government support. Let’s wait to see the tarps what it’s really named. Last year, there’s a karatedo tournament that was a real big sham. It was officiated by members of a family, participated by members of

a family, and won by members of a family. Good thing, that group is no longer part of this year’s events. If at all, that’s one less evil. Still, the whole point here is for the sports office to be very prudent of the budget in their hands. Likewise, there should also be a need for the office to evaluate the sport receiving support whether or not the capital invested on these sports events have produced significant results for the city not only in terms of winning medals in competitions but

DavNor passes Palaro test

AVAO del Norte organizers passed a technical inspection conducted on Monday with flying colors that even if the Palarong Pambansa were to be staged tomorrow, the province would be more than ready. The Palaro is scheduled May 3 to 9 yet but everything—from playing venues to billeting areas and local transportation and medical and security concerns—got the thumbs up sign from inspectors. “Davao del Norte is 98 percent ready,” said Cesar Abalon, the Department of

Double sponsorship LET’S GET IT ON

Neil Bravo

the gods. Non-NSAs, sorry. But wait. There are some non-NSAs in this bunch of organizing sports associations. Some with hearts very close to the gods, some in-

also in the bigger spectre of things like promoting health and fitness and keeping children away from menacing drugs and petty crimes. In the final reckoning, sports with significant measurable impact should be given priority—whether or not belonging to an NSA (which I find here to be loosely defined), an insider, or close to the gods. NOTES: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” at 105.9 Balita FM every Saturdays 8 am to 10 am. You may email this writer at bravoneil@rocketmail.com.

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