Edge Davao 8 Issue 216

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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FUMING. Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte fumes after his name was dragged in the drug, carnapping, and smuggling activities in the city. The vice mayor said during a press briefing yesterday that a politician from Manila is behind the black propaganda which is targeted against his father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is running for President. Lean Daval Jr.

DEATH FOR RAIDERS Duterte vows to kill ‘Great Raid’planners EDGEDAVAO Sports D

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

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte told detractors allegedly planning to plant drugs in the city that he will kill them if they pursue their plan.

In a press briefing at Harana Restaurant late night Monday, Duterte said he had received intelligence reports that law enforcers from the National Capital Region (NCR) will “fabricate” a shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) laboratory in the city in order to discredit him and derail his presidential bid.

“If I see you carrying shabu anywhere, whether you are from the military, police, or PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) to set us up, I’ll kill you. I will not wait to be President, ” he said.

Former North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol had earlier said an operation dubbed “The Great Raid” is being hatched involving special anti-drug units of the government that will be fielded to Davao City to swoop down on a “drug laboratory” here.

Piñol said the raid is intended to destroy Duterte’s

image as an anti-drug crusader and suggest that Duterte is involved in the drug trade himself.

In his verified Facebook page, Piñol said the raid is being planned by political operators to destroy and derail Duterte’s presidential bid.

Last Monday, Duterte told the law enforcers that they are gambling “not only with money but their lives.”

“Kung mag-fabricate kayo (If you fabricate) as a propaganda for a presidential candidate, I advise you not do it.

Do not do it. I will break your

heart. I will break somebody else’s heart,” he added.

Duterte said if he becomes President, he will not give such law enforcers “a chance to survive.”

He also said he is not the only one who runs the anti-illegal drug campaign in the city. He said Task Force Davao, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), and other law enforcement agencies conduct their own operations.

“Do not discredit me because it will reflect on the military and eventually on the

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Warriors rout Spurs in battle of top two teams P15

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

PLAYFUL RODY. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte gets playful with a baby boy at People’s Park in Davao City on Monday afternoon before turning over vehicles and motorcycles needed by the barangays in the delivery of services.

Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

1 killed, 2 nabbed Paolo dares detractors to prove in drug buy-bust his involvement in drugs, crime O A NE person was killed while two others were arrested in a drug buybust operation around 5:20 p.m. on Monday at Purok 8, Barangay 76-A, Bucana, Davao City.

Arvee Jay “Abing” Jemenico, 21, a resident of the barangay, died reportedly in a shootout with police authorities after he resisted arrest. He was in the list of top 10 most wanted persons of the San Pedro Police Station.

His cohort, Erlex Prada “Leklek” Duronio, immediately escaped at the time of the incident.

San Pedro Police Station said Jemenico drew his .38 caliber revolver from his sling bag after realizing that he was dealing with a policeman who

posed as a buyer.

The policeman fired back killing the suspect on the spot.

Crime scene investigators recovered from Jemenico’s possession four plastic sachets containing suspected shabu worth P29,000, a .38 caliber revolver with one fired cartridge case and four live ammunition and two 9 mm cartridge, P4,000 worth of boodle money, and P700 cash and silver necklace with crucifix pendant.

His body was brought to Angel Funeral Homes.

On the same day, two suspects were arrested in the same community for allegedly smoking shabu.

They were identified as Algie “Ulan-Ulan” Ballena, 20,

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DLPC eyeing other power sources as dry spell worsens

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HE Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) will tap other power sources in Mindanao in anticipation of higher demand visa-vis declining supply from hydropower facilities caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

The dry spell has reduced water inflow to Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur and Pulangui River in Bukidnon and with it the generating capacity of the hydropower complexes there.

The hydropower plants supply the Mindanao grid with over half of its power needs.

Speaking in Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw, Rossano Luga, DLPC assistant vice president for Reputation and

Enhancement Department Administration, said they are negotiating with Southern Philippines Power Corporation and San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, which might run in April and July, respectively.

“We are rationing whatever available power there is,” he said.

He said that this month DLPC has been marred with power woes after receiving only 105 megawatts of its contracted capacity of 151 MW. He added they are in talks with the National Power Corp. to increase its allocation for DLPC. Luga said unit 2 of Ther-

FDLPC, 10

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

FUMING Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte yesterday dared the detractors of his father, presidential aspirant and Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, to prove their allegations that he is involved in illegal drugs and criminal activities in the city.

“If you can prove that I am involved in any illegal drug related, ga-smuggle ko diha og drugs, di nako ninyo kinahanglan dakpon, ako mismo mosulod sa prisohan. Ako mismo mo atobang sa akong amahan na patya na ko, kay tinuod, naa sila’y ebidensya (you do not need to arrest me because I will voluntarily enter prison. I will face my father and tell him to kill me because it is true, they have evidence),” a visibly angry Paolo said in yesterday’s Pulong-Pulong ni

Pulong at Sangguniang Panlungsod Councilor’s Lounge.

His comment came after he was told by reporters that his name had been dragged in an alleged big anti-illegal drugs campaign called “The Great Raid” which purportedly aims to derail Duterte’s candidacy.

Paolo said the issues are not new to him because in every local election the detractors of his father always drag his name in drugs, carnapping, and smuggling.

“Mao gyud mo mga elitista og panahon na ninyo na mapildi namo, bisag unsa na la’y mogawas sa inyong mga baba (That is the problem with you elitists, when you get defeated you say anything),” he said.

He said the detractors of

his father are now dragging his name in their black propaganda to discredit Duterte’s presidential bid.

Paolo said another presidential candidate is behind the circulation of black propaganda. He did not name the candidate, however.

“Kana inyohang pamulitika, tinalawan na. Mga trapo mo (You’re cowards. You’re traditional politicians),” he said.

Paolo said he does not want to fight back using dirty tricks because he is a civilized and educated individual.

“Dili ko gusto makigsalom sa inyong mga patutsada kay ni-eskwela ko. Ambot kung asa mo nang-eskwela (I do not want to get involved because I am educated. I do not know where you studied),” he said.

Paolo, however, admitted that the allegations affect him because he has children.

“Basig kalimot mo na naa koy lima ka anak... Warningan tika, naa pud kay mga anak moabot ang panahon ang Ginoo ra gyud ang nahibalo nimo, tan-awa ra (Maybe you forget that I have five children.... I am warning you, you also have children and time will come only God will only know your fate),” he said.

“Kung gusto mo mag-raid dri sa Davao pag-raid mo, pangitaa ninyo kay inyoha ng trabaho (If you want to launch a raid in Davao, go ahead. Find all the illegal drug laboratories here because it’s your job),” he said.

“Ayaw namo’g pamasangil na apil ko (Do not drag my name),” he added.

He said he could not go to the Comelec debate with his fate still unknown because of the disqualification cases filed against him.

He said he went to the debate at the De La Salle University last week because it was sponsored not by the Comelec but by online news site Rappler.

“I was there as presidential contender, itong sa Comelec iba ito kasi (in this case with the Comelec), in so far as I am concerned, I am not a candidate,” he said.

Duterte said he cannot

consider himself a candidate even if he is already in the Comelec list presidential candidates because his cases have not yet been decided by the Comelec en banc.

“Can you ask a question for me to the Comelec? What is the real status of Duterte, is he a candidate or not?” he said.

He said he will wait for the decision of the Comelec before he attends the debates initiated by the polling body.

“Kung i-disqualify nila ako tapos nagpunta ako doon eh para akong buang (If I show

up and then get disqualified I will look like a fool),” he said.

Duterte said if he is declared an official candidate, he will not hesitate to attend the debates. “Bakit ako matakot sa kanila? (Why I should be scared?),” he said.

Last week, Duterte made it to the list of presidential candidates despite pending disqualification cases.

Comelec chair Andres Bautista, however, said the list was not yet final.

Duterte’s lead counsel lawyer Vitaliano Aguirre had

Rody to Comelec: Resolve my DQ cases before I join debates

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AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte asked the Commission on Election (Comelec) to resolve his disqualification case first before he confirms his participation in the Mindanao leg of the presidential debate scheduled on February 21.

“Bakit nila ako pinapasali diyan sa debate and forum (Why they want me to join their debate and forum)?

How sure are they that I am really a candidate for president?” Duterte said in a press briefing late Monday night.

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EDGEDAVAO

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4 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

From SAF last year to rats this year

Crop failure reported in Tukanalipao cornfields

T Q&A. Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang takes part in the interpolation for the amendment of Section 13, Article 11 of Ordinance No. 0546, Series of 2013, known as the Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2013-2022, during yesterday’s regular session at Sangguniang Panlungsod. Lean Daval Jr.

HE makeshift wooden footbridge still stands between the riverbanks but is no longer used by residents here as the central part is about to give way. A new steel and lumber bridge about a hundred meters away has been opened for safer and faster transport of goods and people.

Small tractors and carabao-drawn carts can now pass through the bridge to work the cornfields in Sitio Amilil and harvest the crops as 17-year old farmer Zaharimim Amilil did on Tuesday afternoon.

Rats, however, had beaten the farmers to the fields.

“Failure,” Zaharimim told MindaNews while trying to collect what could be saved from their crops.

A hectare would yield them 90 sacks on normal harvest or about P40,000 gross.

Now, he estimates only 20

sacks.

Tukanalipao Kagawad Abulkadir Adam echoed Zaharimim’s woes early Monday morning, while waiting for visitors to arrive for the first anniversary rites of the tragedy that left 66 persons dead – 44 from the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (SAF-PNP), 17 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and five civilians.

The 37-year old farmer and father of eight, plants corn on a two-hectare farm. But the corn he planted last month is “patay na” (already dead), no thanks to the dumpaw (rats) and the drought brought about by the El Nino phenomenon. Maguindanao is among the provinces currently suffering from drought.

The Department of Agriculturure in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Dads okay amendment Completion of Tripartite Review of CLUP despite protest of GPH-MNLF agreement urged

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Council went on a roller coaster discussion on the approval of the amendment of some of the provision of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).

This after the Greening Davao Advocates composed of Save Shrine Hills Advocates and Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) went to yesterday’s City Council session to express their objection to the amendment during the third and final reading of the item.

The amendment calls for the removal of the 10-percent green space allocation in subdivision in the city. Subdivision developers would just be required to leave open spaces, setback areas, and sidewalk

strips, areas where trees and ornamental plants would be planted and water ponds would be developed and then turned over to the homeowners.

In an interview with EDGE Davao at the sidelines of the session, Save Davao Shrine Hills Advocates spokesperson Norma Javellana said their group asked for a deferment of the item because they were not invited during the public hearing held last year.

“Not even IDIS, not even me in Save Davao Shrine Hills Advocates, not any one of these groups were invited. The sector that attended the hearing are the subdivision developers,” she said.

She said they learned only in the newspapers that the

3 suspects in slay try on Gingoog mayor cleared

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TRIAL court in Northern Mindanao has acquitted three suspects in the ambush slay-try of former Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie Guingona for lack of evidence.

Acquitted were Modesto Bernas and Reynaldo Gundaya, both members of a farmers’ association, and Joel Yagao, a member of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR).

The three were acquitted of two murders and one frustrated murder in connection with the ambush slay-try of former Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie Guingona on April 20, 2013 in Gingoog City’s outskirt village of Capitulangan.

Guingona, the mother of

Senator Teofisto Guingona, III and wife of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr., sustained injuries when her vehicle overturned but survived the ambush. Two of her security escorts were killed.

Judge Heravio Undaloc of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 43, in Northern Mindanao, ordered the release of the three suspects Wednesday last week, the RMP-NMR said in a statement Monday.

Although acquitted in connection with the Guingona ambush-slay tries, the military has filed new cases against Bernas on the day of the acquittal, Sister Fatima Somogod, of the RMP-NMR, said.

Yagao is still facing charges

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item would be approved on third and final reading.

In their statement, the groups highlighted the fact that the Council committee on rules, privileges, laws and ordinances adopted the entirety of the land developers’ proposed amendment “without even bothering to study its implications on the city’s urban plan.”

IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes said the committee, headed by councilor Bernard Al-ag, went against the ordinance by approving the amendment without any consultation from the Local Zoning Review Committee (LZRC).

With the opposition expressed by the groups in the plenary yesterday, Al-ag, who is also the proponent of the item, decided to defer the mat-

ter during the morning session.

Al-ag said this was to allow the conduct of another consultative meeting with the groups.

Councilors Danilo Dayanghirang, Bonifacio Militar, and Diosdado Mahipus, however, opposed the deferment, saying it was a violation of the house rules that says there should be no objections during the third and final reading.

Al-ag, however, explained that the item should be deferred because there was a need to consult the environment groups.

The members of the City Council then agreed with Al-ag and deferred the item.

Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte, however, pointed out that

FDADS, 10

T

HE Philippine government has batted for the completion of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP) it has been conducting with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the past eight years of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement to “do justice to the long struggle of the Bangsamoro.”

In her opening statement at the start of the two-day Ministerial Meeting on the Tripartite Review Process among the OIC, the Philippine government (GPH) and the MNLF from January 25-26 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said “it is high time for the TRP – with the government and the Bangsamoro fronts in full and active

FCROP, 10

partnership – to conclude the review and proceed to the implementation of the results of the review.”

The OIC, which brokered the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Philippine government and the MNLF, has called for the conduct of a high-level tripartite meeting to review the implementation of the peace deal and make its assessment of the progress made as well as obstacles facing its full implementation with a particular focus on Phase II in 2006.

At least four tripartite meetings and two ad-hoc high level group meetings were conducted since the review process started in 2006.

Since then, the process has resulted to several agreements, including the 42 consensus points, which were intended to

FCOMPLETION, 10

SWEARING IN. Presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte presides the oath-taking rites of seven new barangay kagawads who will replace those who resigned and those who died. The ceremony was held at the People’s Park on Monday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 5

Ritual held for spirits of slain SAF members R

ELATIVES of 14 slain members of the Special Action Force (SAF) from the Cordillera held a ritual under a multicolored umbrella tent in the midst of a cornfield here Monday morning, the first anniversary of the Mamasapano Tragedy, to call on their spirits to “come home.”

“We came here as part of the ritual called ‘arayab’ where we call on the spirits of our dead sons to come home,” Engr. Andy Ngao-i, chair of the Council of Elders for Indigenous Peoples’ Education in the Cordillera, later explained to MindaNews.

A 32-member delegation composed of relatives, Council of Elders and members of support groups left Manila at dawn Monday, on a C-130 cargo aircraft of the Philippine Air Force, landed in Awang, Maguindanao and from there proceeded to the cornfield here in a convoy escorted by military

and police.

The group arrived at the new bridge of Tukanalipao at around 9:25 a.m. with ritual leader Vicente Gomowang and reached the ritual site by the langka (jackfruit) tree some three minutes later.

They performed the ritual by themselves for about ten minutes, as the crowd of soldiers and policemen, representatives from the International Monitoring Team, and the ceasefire committees of the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Mamasapano Mayor Benzar Ampatuan and the media watched from a distance of about a hundred meters.

Ngao-i said the ritual here is only a part of the entire ritual that would culminate in Baguio on Tuesday. He explained that they had to leave the area quickly as it is the belief among Igorots that the souls called upon would be joining them

on their way back to the Cordillera.

Ngao-i said the Council of Elders for Indigenous Peoples’ Education in the Cordillera initiated the move to come here for the ritual that he said should have been done shortly after January 25, 2015, when the 14 sons of the Cordillera, along with 30 other SAF commandos, 17 members of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces and five civilians were killed.

He said transport problems prevented them from coming much earlier. An attempt to come here in December was also called off because air fare had become prohibitive, he said.

Towards the end of the ritual, the crowd watching from a distance saw Gomowang, garbed in the traditional Igorot attire, moving away from the group and raising the slaughtered black chicken as

he moved in a circle. At around this time, a flock of white birds (egrets) flew towards the umbrella tent, far outnumbering the few black birds (uwak or crow) passing the area.

Ngao-i explained Gumuwang was calling on the spirits

of the Cordillera sons to tell them to come home because “hindi ninyo lupa ito (this is not your place). You belong to the Cordilleras.”

A member of the Council of Elders later told MindaNews that the entire ritual would be

completed in Baguio on Tuesday, where they would be able to slaughter a pig, something they could not do here in deference to the Muslims.

Nago-i said government offered to fly them in and back

FRITUAL, 10

RITUAL. An indigenous leader from Cordillera leaves the site of the Mamasapano encounter after a ritual together with the family members of the PNP Special Action Force personnel who perished in the January 25, 2015 tragedy.

Seventeen MILF fighters and five civilians also died in the clash. MindaNews photo by Toto Lozano

EDGEDAVAO

6 ECONOMY

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

Davao City LGU eyeing centralized data center P

Imports grow by 10.1%: Phl tops 10 peers in Asia

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE city government of Davao is eyeing to centralize its data center to improve the city’s cyber security.

Lawyer Samuel Matunog, president of the Information Technology and Communication (ICT)- Davao, said upgrading the IT infrastructure of the city will be the City Information and Technology Center which tapped the ICT-Davao for technical assistance.

“At present, the city has no central data center. Some of the city government offices

still have their own respective data centers installed in their respective offices,”Matunog said during yesterday’s Davao Business Forum at Dermpath at SM City Davao.

The CICT and ICT-Davao initiated the review of IT policies and crafting of the manual on security and privacy of the city government.

Among the recommendation of the organization is the establishment of a disaster recovery center which will become the city’s alternative data center.

“Ideally, the multi-million alternative data center will be located 25 kilometers away from the current data centers of the city which are located in the office of CITC and other city government offices,” Matunog said.

The center will be probably be located in Tagum City in Davao del Norte or in Digos City in Davao del Sur, he said, way from possible disasters and has another power source.

However, he said the lack of reliable power source will inhibit the city from installation

of an alternative data center.

The alternative data center will be important in heightening cyber security mechanisms and continuity of city government’s operation, according to Matunog.

Though the city’s current data center is enough for the current period, he said there will be a need for a better one in the future as the city’s economy grow by leaps and bounds.

The establishment of the data center will cost the city, but it can resort to using the

completed this year.

“We are on-track in strengthening our office and mall portfolio as we continue to experience robust demand for spaces, both office and retail, in our townships. Both our offices and retail spaces enjoy a very high occupancy rate of around 99 percent across our developments,” said Jericho Go, senior vice president at Megaworld.

At least 10 office towers

in Uptown Bonifacio, McKinley West, The Mactan Newtown and Iloilo Business Park will be completed by yearend.

Currently, the company has over 150 companies in its portfolio of office tenants, mostly from the information technology and business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector.

Around 11 malls and commercial centers, on the

other hand, will be completed in McKinley Hill, Uptown Bonifacio, McKinley West, The Mactan Newtown, Iloilo Business Park, ArcoVia City, Southwoods City and Makati by year-end.

“Our malls and commercial centers primarily cater to our growing residents and BPO workers in our townships. Megaworld offers a ‘ready market’ to our retail partners,” Go added. (PNA)

FDAVAO, 10

Megaworld sees rental income reaching P11B

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ROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. expects its recurring income surging more than 20 percent this year on back of higher income from rental businesses which can hit P11 billion.

In a statement, Megaworld said more office towers, malls and commercial centers with a total gross floor area of about 650,000 square meters are projected to be

HILIPPINE merchandise imports grew by 10.1 percent in November 2015 topping ten of its Asian peers, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported today that total payments for imported goods climbed to US$6.1 billion in November 2015, from US$5.5 billion that was recorded in the same period last year. The growth was due to higher purchases of capital goods, consumer goods, and raw materials and intermediate goods.

The value of imported capital goods, a leading indicator of strong economic activity, grew by 40.8 percent in November 2015. Likewise, import payments for raw materials and intermediate goods, which account for 41.4 percent of the country’s total imports, rose by 14.0 percent to US$2.5 billion. Import payments for consumer goods also grew by 8.0 percent to US$1.0 billion due to higher purchases of durable goods and home appliances.

“Despite an expected slow recovery in the global economy, continued growth in the country’s merchandise imports signifies the increasing investment demand in the Philippines,” said Economic

Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

The Philippines ranked first among its Asian peers in terms of imports growth in November 2015. Except Vietnam who had a 6.6-percent imports growth, all other nine selected Asian economies (People’s Republic of China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, and Indonesia) declined in the period.

Meanwhile, imports of mineral products and lubricants declined (-40.1%), weighed down mainly by lower imports of petroleum crude from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Vietnam.

“External events such as the decline in commodity prices, especially crude oil, will be beneficial for the economy as it leads to lower production costs,” the Cabinet official said.

“We also expect the trend of low oil prices to continue as demand softens with slower economic growth. Oversupply could happen as oil-exporting economies continue to produce to drive down prices and maintain market share,” added Balisacan.

He thus urged the government to continue being vigilant against possible external shocks, considering uncertainties stemming from the impact

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

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THE ECONOMY 7

Matunog: ICT sector remains bullish

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T

crc@edgedavao.net

HE information and communication technology (ICT) industry of Davao remains bullish on its growth prospects this year with the entry of two initial multinational business process management (BPM)

firms, an expert said.

“They’ve been trying to start their operation here since last year,” ICT-Davao president lawyer Samuel Matunog said during the regular Davao Business Forum at Dermpath at SM City Davao yesterday.

Matunog said one of the new two locators will be USbased Hewlett Packard (HP) which has been conducting recruitment activities recently. Last year, he said, HP had a recruitment event in SMX Convention Center in Lanang but

only a few job seekers attended the event.

“HP is looking for math graduates and double major graduates who can be part of their talents,” Matunog said, adding that the availability of the required talent became a

GETTING READY. An employee of an establishment along E. Quirino Avenue attaches a battery to a generator set in preparation for the daily rotational blackouts being implemented by the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC). Lean Daval Jr.

challenge to the expansion of the firm here.

While the city continues to be a prime destination for expansion of BPM firms in Mindanao, he said the availability of the talent pool continued to be a persisting problem of the industry.

In fact, Matunog said there have been numerous inquiries from different BPM firms who are planning to locate here but the shortage in the number of professionals like accountants and engineers hindered them from coming in.

“We cannot satisfy the current demand from interested BPM firms,” Matunog said, adding that firms have been requiring talents with technical knowledge for backdoor operation.

The Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), he added, has been a growing segment of the industry in Davao City for five years.

Apart from skilled talents with technical knowledge, he said the availability of talent which can speak other languages like Spanish, German and Japanese is also on demand.

However, there are not enough talents here.

The gap between the requirement of firms and the available talent hindered companies from coming in, he said.

One of the efforts of the industry and the academe to address the lack of supply of industry-ready talents is the revision of the existing curriculum.

Matunog said the private-led organization has been extending technical assistance to universities and colleges offering ICT-related courses like computer science, information technology, and information management.

“We have already fished with the curriculum of the University of Mindanao, Holy Cross of Davao and University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP),” he added. More than 40 higher education institutions in Davao Region offer ICT-related courses.

The quality of curriculums of schools in Davao will be assessed by IT industry assessors which are trained by the Philippines Information and Computing Accreditation Board (PICAB), according to Matunog.

The assessors have completed two levels of training for accreditation.

Matunog said the outcome of the efforts might not be instant but will benefit the growth of the industry in the long run.

The ICT industry of Davao employs a total of 35,000 and is targeted to grow by another 5,000 before the end of year.

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

T

What’s the point?

HE presidential campaign in the Philippines is always a time for great fanfare, with each candidate trying to outdo each other in impressing their names on the minds of the people in the hope that name recall will carry them to victory. This is done in various ways, from TV advertisements to vehicles blaring out campaign jingles to newspaper ads to posters to flyers ad infinitum. There is actually no platform that will not be used: we have seen in the past that even relief goods are stamped with the names of candidates, earning for them the ire of netizens but also curiously putting them on top of the surveys. And of course the old song-and-dance is an effective means to catch the attention of the people, with candidates dragging celebrities to their sorties to entertain the people and bury the issues in the background. In the Philippine presidential campaign, the name of the game is form versus substance.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) tries to counter this by scheduling debates in which the candidates can engage each other. The first such debate will be held on February 21 in Cagayan de Oro City, and the poll body has already identified the following as the topics: agricultural development, poverty reduction/asset creation and redistribution, Charter change, and peace and order. The second debate is scheduled on March 20 in Cebu, with the following as topics: disaster preparedness/ climate change adaptation, healthcare, education, and fighting corruption. The third debate on April 24 in Pangasinan will tackle traffic and

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public transportation, electoral and political reforms, foreign policy, tax reform, and national defense. All topics are very important, and these are the things that the people need to hear their candidates talk about.

But based on the election campaigns in previous years, it is a long shot for the current crop of candidates to even show up for any of these debates. There has been no presidential debate of note in the past decades, with the candidates shying away from such activities for reasons that we can guess. Mostly it is probably because they think it is a waste of time to debate each other, and we agree — but for different reasons. In the candidates’ eyes, debates are useless because the people do not want to watch such shows. In their minds, the people only want a show, and that’s what they invest their time and effort on. We believe, however, that while debates are essential, there is not enough difference between the candidates to sustain the interest of the people. Think of it: each and every person who wants to serve government claims to believe in four things: that they are maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao, and makakalikasan (proGod, pro-country, pro-people, and pro-environment). And because they are essentially the same, any debate will only descend to the level of mudslinging.

We want the debates to materialize, but the Comelec must program them in such a way that the candidates deal only with the issues. Otherwise what would be the point?

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

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO CHENEEN R. CAPON MEGHANN STA. INES Reporters NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. CHA MONFORTE ARLENE D. PASAJE Photography Correspondents Cartoons Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. Columnists: • HENRYLITO D. TACIO • EDCER C.B. ESCUDERO • ATTY. EMILY ZEN CHUA • GREGORIO G. DELIGERO JOHN CARLO TRIA • BORBONCARLOS • MARYMUNDA ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO•AGUSTIN • EMILY VIDA S. VALVERDE C. LUMBA • HENRY J. SCHUMACHER • VANESSA KATE MADRAZO• JONALLIER Economic Analysts: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG ZENMIA CHUA • CARLOS• FRED MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG M. PEREZ

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VANTAGE POINTS

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Mamasapano, history and Pong Biazon

T seems like the template of the Aquino administration’s daang matuwid is that after every botched operation, it holds off on apologies to appear strong and manage media. Meanwhile, those severely affected gain hardly any closure, as their plight becomes fodder for public attention by various camps, pricked and scratched at every turn. While media makes money off their human condition, their humanity feels even worse, becoming instant public spectacles they never asked to be.

A similar incident took place early in the tuwid na daan administration. The Luneta hostage crisis that should have been treated as a police operation in the City of Manila suddenly became Malacanang’s problem – thereby exposing, to the delight of the hypercritical and the Sinophiles among us, the basic flaws in the central government’s handling of sensitive situations when exposed to the light of intense scrutiny. It also brings to the same light the propensity of many in Manila’s political circles to throw themselves carelessly in the limelight without bothering to know their purpose in the maelstrom.

F

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OR playing the leading man of Jennylyn Mercado in Walang Forever, Jericho Rosales won the Best Actor award in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). And to think he was not the original choice to portray the character. It was JM de Guzman, but he was dropped from the project.

“I really don’t mind kung second choice or third choice ako,” Rosales said in an interview with ABS-CBN. “As long as the project is fit para sa akin (for me) and I know that I can do a good job in playing a role.”

In another MMFF entry, award-winning actor Cesar Montano also replaced Robin Padilla in the starring role opposite former adult film star Maria Ozawa in Nilalang. According to some reports, Padilla pulled out of the film “in order to take care of his wife Mariel Rodriguez, who was going through a delicate pregnancy, following a miscarriage few months earlier.”

In Hollywood, the film capital of the world, there are some actors who refused to take roles which became famous after the second took them. Warren Beatty, for instance, balked at three movies that became star vehicles for Robert Redford: The Way We Were, The Sting, and The Great Gatsby.

Sigourney Weaver had first option on three steamy potboilers: Fatal Attraction (which went to Glenn Close, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance), Body Heat (the film that launched Kathleen Turner), and 9-1/2 Weeks (turning Kim Basinger into a star in her own right).

Cooks getting MY TWO CENTS’ burned S e n s i t ive operations require a clear unity of command, a strong willed leader ready to face the consequences of deJohn Tria cisions made. ecisouth@gmail.com In both cases it seems that every character, having no clear purpose, enters the kitchen with a ready backstory to cover their behinds. This creates a weakness that compromises any will, forcing an execution that is haphazard and often doomed.

These two cases are simply too many cooks dipping their hand in the boiling soup – they all get burned. In the fallout of the bungle, they burn even more with that attitude that passes the buck, denies responsibility, and prevents closure. For after the soup pot boils over, the embers continue to cook those who do not have the capability to extricate themselves from the fire – the

loved ones of the fallen.

Leader needs an open hand and a clenched fist As the 2016 elections are upon us, we are all called to select the leader of this country steered into another array of sensitive soups – the advanced West Philippine Sea

situation, the need to put flesh into inclusive growth by increasing and sustaining our GDP growth to create a clear dent into poverty to feed the third of our populace left jobless and hungry, the reality of growing narcopolitics capturing the reins of a centralized government. All of these require deft hands, and a strong will – a clenched fist and an open hand. Chinese martial artists have known these for centuries, way before western philosophers and some political writers began referring to the image, consisting of a fist covered by an open hand. It portrays a readiness to strike, yet mature restraint that maintains peace and stability.

Sadly, all the Manila politicians seeking the presidency like to pretend that they have a deft hand to look smart. None of them, however, can demonstrate with today’s credibility any ability to use it. Binay gets booed after a series of gaffes, Grace Poe will die trying to prove to the world that foundlings can run for president, and Mar Roxas, well, will be remembered for trying to explain to us one complicated story after another about his exact role in the given situation. Their hands, like their feet, remain in their mouth.

Fo r t u THINK ON THESE! nately for Jack Nicholson, he managed to stay as one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors despite turning down the leading roles in The Henrylito D. Tacio Untouchables, The China Syn- henrytacio@gmail.com drome, Apocalypse Now, Coming Home, The Sting, and The Godfather. Asked why he rejected the Michael Corleone role in the latter, he replied: “I thought you had to be Jewish to play him.”

Shirley Temple was originally tapped to play the little girl with red shoes in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Unfortunately, she couldn’t be released from her mother studio for contractual reasons. And so the role went to Judy Garland, who made the song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” phenomenal.

Marlon Brando said no to play the lead role in The Man With the Golden Arm (1955). It went to singer Frank Sinatra who revived his flagging career. The Graduate (1967) made a star out of Dustin Hoffman when Robert Redford refused to play the role.

Film director Paul Thomas Anderson originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio, after seeing him in The Basketball Diaries, to play

the role of Eddie in Boogie Nights. DiCaprio enjoyed the screenplay, but had to turn it down because he signed on to star in Titanic. DiCaprio recommended Mark Wahlberg for the role. Joaquin Phoenix was also offered the role of Eddie, but turned it down due to concerns about playing a porn star.

It was not Tom Cruise who was the original choice to play the role of Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Tony Scott’s Top Gun (1986). It was first offered to Matthew Modine but turned it down because he felt the film’s pro-military stance went against his politics.

James Woods was offered a part in Oliver Stone’s Platoon (1986), which was shot in the Philippines. He turned the role down saying he “couldn’t face going into another jungle with (Stone).” He appeared in Stone’s previous film, Salvador, which earned him an Oscar nomination.

The role played by Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer was first offered to Kate Jackson but was forced to turn it down. At the time, Jackson was appearing in the TV series Charlie’s Angels and producer Aaron Spelling told her that they were unable to rearrange the shooting schedule to give her time off to do the film.

Agents reportedly sent the script of Rain Man (1988) to Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. The producers envisioned Murray to play the leading part with Hoffman in the role eventually portrayed by Tom Cruise.

Mickey Rourke was also offered a role but he turned it down.

From the book, Hollywood Trivia, by Au-

brey Malone, here are more famous roles and the original choices: Elvis Presley was tempted to play the Kris Kristofferson role in the remake of A Star is Born (1976) to revive his dying movie career but ultimately decided that the idea of playing a drug-addicted rock star was just that bit too near the truth.

Sharon Stone said no to the chance of playing opposite Clint Eastwood in In The Line of Fire (1993) because she thought that old Clint was getting past his prime.

The movie proved to be huge hit for him and made a star of Rene Russo.

Michael Caine rejected Women in Love (1970) because he didn’t like the idea of wrestling naked with Alan Bates. Bastes wasn’t offended and Oliver Reed (a somewhat less inhibited person) stepped in to do the honors.

Richard Dreyfuss refused the lead role in All That Jazz (1979) because he didn’t have enough confidence in Bob Fosse as a director. The role won star status Roy Scheider -- and an Oscar nomination as well.

Sylvester Stallone pulled out of Beverly Hills Cop (1984) because he felt that there weren’t enough action scenes in it! Eddie Murphy took the role and the rest was history.

Let’s end this trivia with Robert De Niro.

He considered playing Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) but turned it down finally, feeling that his concentration would have been diverted by all the actors who had done the part before.

1989 and Biazon Flashback to December 1989. I recall very clearly the most formidable coup de ‘etat in the first Aquino administration. Rebel forces led by Gringo Honasan had Air Force strike wings at their disposal, shutting down NAIA, bombarding government positions with T-28 Trojans, turning the pre-Christmas breeze in Manila into winds to fan rebel flames. The tide turned only when the few F-5s flew to strafe rebel positions, backed up by “persuasion flights” from the US Air Force. On the ground, Marine commandant and NCR Defense Command Chief Rodolfo Biazon clearly took the lead in planning the necessary maneuvers against the rebel soldiers, seizing the decisive advantage and dealing the blows that forced the rebels into hiding and surrender, or both.

Not the original choice

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whole Armed Forces of the Philippines, the police, and eventually on the whole PNP (Philippine National Police),” he said.

He also said the plan to fabricate a shabu laboratory in the city will destroy the careers of the members of the DCPO and Task Force Davao.

“Maybe on my part as pol-

itician, I can accept defeat, but do not destroy the careers of the police officers and the military assigned here,” he said.

“What will you gain? To destroy me, that is you will do, set up a laboratory? Just be sure it is true because if it is fake I will really kill you. This would be your last mission here in Davao,” he said.

filed a motion for reconsideration (MR) with the Comelec en banc after the First Division junked his motion asking Commissioner Ma. Rowe-

na Amelia Guanzon to inhibit from the disqualification cases filed against him before the poll body. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

and Jasper Jon Abi-Abi, 18, single, both construction workers.

Police recovered from their possession a partially opened plastic sachet containing suspected shabu residue, two disposable lighters with improvised foil needle, and one improvised aluminum funnel with traces of shabu, and one glass tooter.

The suspects are detained at the San Pedro Police Station and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165,

or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Davao City Police Office spokesperson Milgrace Driz said their assets will continue to monitor the area as some residents continue to make their homes as drug dens.

“If there’s one using illegal drug, then it is considered as drug infected area,” she said.

(Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)

be amendatory provisions for the Republic Act 9054, before they were integrated into the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The 5th tripartite review process was initially scheduled on September 16, 2013, but was suspended by the OIC following the three-week Zamboanga Siege, when rogue members of the MNLF attacked the southern port city.

The ongoing meeting is set to tackle the two remaining issues related to the co-management of minerals and natural resources and the full convergence of the FPA with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) under the broad framework of the BBL. The MILF signed the CAB with the Philippine government in March 27, 2014 after 17 years of negotiations to the wide acclaim of the international communities, who have been extending financial and other assistance to Mindanao peace programs.

In 2014, the OIC set up the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) to unify the two fronts for the specific integration of the FPA with the BBL. MNLF factions are represented in the BCF through a so-called Jeddah formula.

“A review is time-bound.

A never-ending review means that agreements will never be implemented. It will mean endlessly looking backwards instead of moving forward,” Deles said in her opening statement.

“I am confident that the parties – the OIC, the Government, and the MNLF – are ready to take all necessary action: to surmount narrow, rigid interests and enter a new era of collaboration for lasting peace and progress,” she added.

Furthermore, through the MNLF-MILF convergence of the FPA and the CAB through the BBL, the MNLF would be given equitable representation in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) as well as encourage them to field candidates for the elections in the Bangsamoro region.

A Tripartite Implementation Monitoring Committee (TIMC) will also be formed to supervise the implementation of all TRP agreements and initiatives.

Deles thanked OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin Amin Madani for personally taking steps to push the TRP and the two fronts’ unification by making an unprecedented trip to the Philippines last year.

(PNA)

to Manila on a C-130 aircraft and prepared security arrangements for them.

From Tukanalipao, some members of the Council of Elders met with officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by Sammy Al Mansour, chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces at the Almaseer Hotel near the airport in Awang, Maguindan-

ao.

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At the end of the meeting, reporters were allowed in for a photo opportunity but the Council of Elders and the MILF said announcements will be made later.

They had lunch together before the Council of Elders left for the airport for their flight back to Manila. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

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ma South Inc. was currently on a seven-day corrective maintenance shutdown, from Jan. 23 to 29.

Since its inauguration last Jan. 8, TSI has been supplying the franchise area of DLPC, covering Davao City, Brgy.

Bincungan in Tagum City, and Carmen, Sto. Tomas and Braulio Dujali towns in Davao del Norte, with 68 MW, said Zandro Chan Ramos, systems operations manager of DLPC. But when it goes on commercial operation on Feb. 2, it will only supply DLPC franchise area with 50 MW, its contracted capacity with the 2nd unit of TSI. Other sources such as Alsons’ Western Mindanao Power Corporation supplies DLPC with 18 MW, Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) with 30 MW, and Hedcor-Sibulan with with 48 MW. Luga said DLPC is experiencing a deficit of 90 MW translating to three hours of rotating brownouts.

DLPC’s demand on Mon-

day is expected to peak at 340 MW. “Our total demand is higher than the supply,” he said.

He added the Bajada Power Plant has been running since last year to fill in the supply gap.

This fuel-fed power plant has an installed capacity of 64 MW but delivers only 28 MW. During power lack, he said, some companies would implement an interruptible load program, which means deloading from the grid and running their own generator sets.

For every 1 MW of power saved, Luga said, at least 4,167 of consumers can be saved from brownouts.

DLPC has a total of 350,000 consumers.

Zandro Chan Ramos, DLPC systems operations manager said consumers can expect an increase in the cost of power since they are getting sources from expensive fuel power plants. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)

the item was already in the third reading.

“Karon pa sila motingog na third and final reading na.

Dili na ta magpasikatay pa ani (Why are they speaking now that it is already in the third and final reading? Let’s not use this for our own purposes),” he said.

When Paolo asked Al-ag to explain why the groups were not invited during the committee hearing, Al-ag said only the concerned government agencies were invited during the hearing.

The vice mayor then asked Al-ag to discuss it in the plenary. The item was then passed yesterday afternoon.

In a telephone interview, Javellana said the councilors went to nominal voting and majority voted yes except for councilor Maria Belen S. Acosta, who had earlier voted no during the approval of the proposal on the second reading.

“What a slap to people’s participation in governance,” Javellana said.

Javellana said she was surprised at the approval because she and the other group mem-

bers thought the deferment of the item moved by Al-ag during the morning session was already final.

“I am sure our group will come up with a follow-up action,” she said.

In its statement, IDIS said land developers are against the additional 10 percent open space requirement because it is burdensome and expensive for them. They argued that the provision can be implemented in the sidewalk strips or back areas of home lots instead of setting aside a separate area to fulfill the requirement.

The environmental advocates, however, insist that the additional 10 percent open space can be utilized as green space which can be used to address climate change.

Fuertes said said that their understanding of the rules and procedures with regards to amending the Land Use Plan is that the city has to first convene the Local Zoning Review Committee which is composed of multi-sectoral and NGO representatives to review and study proposals to amend zoning ordinances.

iGovPhil Project - Integrated Goverment Philippine Project (igov.phil.) as host only for government websites.

At present, the data center of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and Davao City’s Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) have the most modern IT infrastructure here but do not still pass international standard.

“Only PLDT has the ISO 2700 in the Philippines,” Matunog said.

He added that it is important to protect the cyber information of as more operations of the government become dependent to ICT. Aside from this, Matunog said hacking of government websites and systems became easy and automated, placing

individual’s personal information in jeopardy.

“What you see in the internet is only 2 percent of the cyber resources, 98 percent remained unseen,” he said, adding that hacking is a universal problem.

The Information and Communication Technology Office (ICTO) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have also been conducting awareness campaign on cyber security on stakeholders.

Aside from awareness campaign, he said the national government eyes the establishment of a Cyber Security Investigation and Coordination Council and Office of Cyber Crime under the Department of Justice that will coordinate to the council.

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THREAT. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte tells detractors he will kill them if they pursue their plan to fabricate a shabu laboratory in the city to derail his presidential bid. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

3 suspects... FROM 4 of other murder cases, this time from the municipality of Claveria while Bernas, who is still in jail, faces charges in con-

nection with the military encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Alagatan, Gingoog City in July 2015. (PNA)

(ARMM) early this month reported that rats have destroyed close to P6 million worth of rice and corn crops in Maguindanao, in the towns of Mamasapano, Datu Unsay, Sultan Mastura, Datu Odin Sinsuat and Northern Kabuntalan.

Crop failure has been hounding the farmers of Tukanalipao since January 25 last year when their cornfields became a blood-drenched battlefield.

Here, all but one of the 36 members of the 55th SAC (Special Action Company) of the SAF breathed their last as the troops, supposedly tasked to reinforce the 84th Seaborne, the main team tasked to arrest high-value targets Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino Abdul Basit Usman, engaged in a dawn to dusk clash with elements of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), private armed groups and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

The Amilils suffered a P40,000 loss as they were not able to harvest the crops on time following the mass evacuation triggered by the firefight.

Abdulkadir managed to salvage only 35 sacks from what would have been 160 to 180 sacks from his two hectares, he said.

He claimed the next cropping season was destroyed by the floods. And the next, he managed to harvest only 65 sacks from the two-hectare lot because rat infestation had started by then.

With the corn planted in December already considered “patay na,” Abdulkadir relies on selling bananas. But the price of bananas in the village is only two pesos per kilo. He harvests about 30 bunches of about 15 kilos each every month, for a total earning of only 900 pesos.

The new bridge, Abdulkadir said, has really helped improve their quality of life as well as reduced harvest and shipment cost.

Before the new bridge, he said, it cost them 85 pesos to transport each sack across the river and into the highway – 30 pesos as harvester’s fee, 30 for the carabao-drawn cart, 10 pesos labor cost to transfer across the river via the footbridge, and 15 pesos from the footbridge to the highway.

In addition, they have to pay an additional 300 pesos at 100 pesos a day for the person who would guard the harvest near the wooden footbridge.

It usually took three days to finish the transport across the footbridge, he said.

With the new bridge, this has been reduced to only 50 pesos – 30 pesos as harvester’s fee and 20 pesos transport to the highway – and it takes only a few minutes, not days, to complete the process from farm to marke.

That’s a huge savings, Abdulkadir says.

For now, however, there is no corn to harvest and transport across the new bridge.

(Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

of monetary tightening in the US, economic slowdown and structural transformation of China, and the continued geopolitical tensions in various regions.

“The strong macroeconomic fundamentals of the Philippines such as robust growth, low inflation, healthy

external buffers, and improving fiscal situation, provide safeguards against a period of global volatility. The government needs to quickly address underspending and make better use of its still adequate fiscal space to avert the negative impacts of the global downturn,” said Balisacan.

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EDGEDAVAO STYLE

Young style

By Kenneth King Ong THE ATRIUM of SM Lanang Premier was a venue for stylish learning last January 25 as top fashion blogger and stylist Laureen Uy shared her style forecast for 2016.

Laureen, the person behind the popular blog breakmystyle.com, mixed and matched ontrend fashion ensembles available at the different stores at SM Lanang Premier and showcased them in a quick runway show where she explained the looks and trends of the season.

“For 2016, bermuda shorts are in as well as lace which is a carry-over from 2015.” said Laureen. “We will also see the resurgence of 70’s fashion, so you might want to try to raid

your mother’s closet for some vintage pieces.”

For men, Laureen recommends oversized shirts and joggers as the “in” thing for 2016. “The look is relaxed and easy to achieve” added Laureen. Another easy look for 2016 is “clean and crisp” with dapper t o p s paired with crisp pants and white shoes.

For t h e more fashionable men, Laureen picked “denim on deni m ” a n d “utilit a r ian” as the style for 2016. “The denim on denim look is actually a carry-over from 2015 but is still strong for 2016,” said Laureen. The utilitarian look, on the other hand, plays on different neutral tones and classic silhouettes as inspired by the Balmain Men’s Spring Summer 2016 collection.

For women, the young stylist sees Sporty chic, Bohemian nudes, as well as neutral shades to be the in thing for 2016.

“The 70’s look will be hot this year with the return of big round sunnies, modern cardigans and loose bottoms,” she said.

When asked on how to be a more stylish person, Laureen recommended that one know his or her body type. “You have to know how to embrace your assets.” said the young stylist. “Know your assets and flaunt it. Also know your flaws and learn to work around it.”

for

2016 “We will also see the resurgence of 70’s fashion, so you might want to try to raid your mother’s closet for some vintage pieces.”

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UP AND ABOUT

Kapuso Milyonaryo 8 grand prize winners welcome a lucky 2016 SEVERAL KAPUSO VIEWERS are now opening 2016 on a positive note as GMA, together with the sponsors of Kapuso Milyonaryo 8, gave away millions worth of prizes to fourteen lucky winners in its recently concluded Grand Draw last December 20, 2015.

From the highly successful Network promo’s 8th season emerged ten winners of P1 million in cash, one winner of a brand new house and lot from Bria Homes, and two winners of brand new cars through the Proof-of-Purchase promo.

Furthermore, one lucky player of Kapuso Milyonaryo’s mobile app received P300,000 in cash tax-free.

The Kapuso Milyonaryo 8 Proof-of-Purchase Grand Draw changed the lives of ten hopeful contestants from all over the Philippines as Manilyn Sobrado of Bukidnon, Ramites Victorio of Pangasinan, Romel Arlos of Iloilo, Madelyn Alforgue of Cebu, Rommel Agnote of Sorsogon, Marla Yingcong of Negros Occidental, Jennilyn Dagsa and Helvy Rose Datan of Cagayan de Oro, and Ma. Teresita Amaro and Wilfredo Patdu of Manila, each received P1 million in cash.

For Alvin Cruz, a former

ABOVE: Alvin Cruz, a former construction worker, will soon move into their new home after winning a house and lot from Bria Homes in the Kapuso Milyonaryo Grand Draw. LEFT: Kapuso Milyonaryo Mobile App winner Imee Lorica is enthusiastic about her lucky win. construction worker from Cavite, it was a dream come true when he was announced as the winner of a brand new house and lot.

“Minsan naisip ko habang gumagawa ako ng bahay ng iba, sana magkaroon rin ako ng sarili kong bahay at lupa…

Masayang masaya ako noong nalaman kong nanalo ako.”

As he welcomes a lucky 2016, Alvin is looking forward to a fresh start when he and his family move into their new home.

With numerous prizes being given away, two more

Kapuso viewers, Mary Ann Duldulao of Quezon City and Eugenia Dizon of Malabon, also got to see their dreams come true as they each won a brand new car from the promo’s biggest installment to date.

The luck spread well into the new year as Imee Lorica was named the winner of the Kapuso Milyonaryo Mobile App Grand Draw last January 7. She won P300,000 in cash tax-free from playing the promo’s endless runner game app featuring the lovable character, Tobz.

With the prize money, Imee, a mother of three, intends to throw a birthday party for her two-year-old son, while making plans to expand her internet shop and repair their house.

To date, Kapuso Milyonaryo has produced eighty-seven millionaires and has given away eleven cars and seven new houses since its launch in 2012.

For updates on the next season of Kapuso Milyonaryo, visit the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ GMAKapusoMilyonaryo.

Going crazy over Madonna in Manila LESS THAN A MONTH FROM NOW, Madonna’s RebelHeart Tour in Manila will take the Philippine music scene by storm as the SM Mall of Asia Arena is expected to house a 2-day concert experience that will go down in music history.

Madonna fans all over the country are beyond excited and feeling ecstatic as the Queen of Pop is expected to bring her mighty all in terms of singing prowess and overall stage performance. Got your tickets to the show already? Don’t fret if you are still on the lookout for those precious tickets. Globe Telecom, the exclusive presenter of the tour’s Manila leg, is bringing back the second installment of its RebelHeart Tour Raffle Promo which will give you the chance to win free passes to the concert.

After the success of the first

RebelHeart Tour Raffle Promo, which brought 2 lucky Globe customers to Los Angeles, California for an all-expense paid trip to catch Madonna on stage, Globe recently announced the second round of the raffle which gives any Globe Prepaid, TM, Postpaid, Platinum, and Tattoo customers a chance to win

tickets to Madonna’s concert in Manila.

To earn raffle entries, simply register to GoSURF30 and up, apply for a Tattoo Home Broadband Plan 999 and up, or download a Madonna ringback tone from January 1 to 31, 2016. To register to the raffle, text MADONNA REG <Name>/<Add

ress>/<Email>/<Age>/<Gend er> to 2662. Platinum and Tattoo Home Broadband customers are automatically registered to the raffle. Draw date is on February 5, 2016. Twenty four (24) lucky winners will get the chance to see the Queen of Pop perform live in Manila.

“In a few weeks, the Rebel-

Heart Tour lands on Philippine shores and Globe is here to give lucky Globe and Tattoo customers a once in a lifetime concert experience with the second installment of our RebelHeart Tour Raffle Promo. Music is an integral part of the Filipino digital lifestyle and we wish to make the experience wonderful each time,” shares Globe Telecom Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Marketing Issa Cabreira.

For more details on how you can earn raffle entries, visit www.globe.com.ph/BeOneWithMadonnaRaffle.

Tickets for Madonna’s RebelHeart Tour on February 24 and 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena are on sale now in all SM Ticket Outlets, smtickets.com or call 470-2222. Exclusive ticket deals also await Globe customers. Visit www.globe.com.ph/ BeOnewithMadonna to learn more.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Barbie Forteza and Andre Paras topbill GMA’s ‘That’s My Amboy’

AFTER THE SUCCESS of the Barbie Forteza and Andre Paras tandem in the recently concluded toprating Afternoon Prime series The Half Sisters, they are back as they relive their onscreen love team as Maria Rosario “Maru” Carreon and Bryan Ford in That’s My Amboy. This is GMA Network’s newest primetime offering beginning January 25 on GMA Telebabad.

That’s My Amboy is a light, romantic-comedy series that will surely pull the heartstrings of the viewers and will make them feel good and ‘kilig’ every night.

It is about Maru (Barbie), a simple yet determined girl who seeks to do her best in life, inspired by her mother’s love for her. It is also about Bryan (Andre), a young actor; TV and film’s hottest leading man, who seeks to be truly appreciated by his girl and his family. And it is about how their unusual work relationship blossomed to become a beautiful friendship and to a one great love story.

In the series, Bryan was the reason why Maru’s stepfather got into an accident. To pay for the damages, Bryan’s manager hired Maru to be Bryan’s personal assistant. But the two always get on each other’s nerves. They finally became friends when something happened to Bryan and Maru was there for him. This brought them closer and eventually they fell for each other. Can their love surpass the pressures, intrigues and challenges of show business?

That’s My Amboy is under the helm of director Bb. Joyce Bernal with guest director Dominic Zapata. Included in the cast are Tonton Gutierrez as Albert Romero, former matinee idol and a ladies’ man; John

Primetime RJ Nuevas; Creative Consultant Aloy Adlawan; Head Writer Denoy Punio; Writers Rhoda Marino, Renei Dimla and Anna Macapugay; and Brainstormers Rodney Junio and Gilbeys Sardea.

That’s My Amboy, created by the GMA Drama group, is

Arcilla as Joselito ‘Lito’ Tapang, the stepfather of Maru, a stunt director and a responsible and loving husband and father; Donita Rose as Cecille Carreon Tapang, a former actress and Maru’s kind and understanding mother; Kiko Estrada as Patrick Almeda, a rising star who will be Bryan’s rival in showbiz; Jazz Ocampo as Trina Dominguez, a young actress and Bryan’s secret girlfriend; Matet de Leon as Yaya Yolly, Bryan’s caring yaya and number one supporter; Meryll Soriano as Divine, Bryan’s strict yet fair and loyal manager; Maritoni Fernandez as Alice Ford, Bryan’s mother who looks down on his chosen field; Jerald

supervised by the SVP for Entertainment Lilybeth G. Rasonable; VP for Drama Redgie A. Magno; AVP for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy; Program Manager Ali Dedicatoria; and Executive Producer Lani Feliciano.

That’s My Amboy airs Mondays to Fridays after Little Nanay on GMA Telebabad.

Napoles as Tope, Bryan’s driver and number two supporter; Pam Prinster as Miley, Bryan’s loveteam; Jan Manual as Simon, Bryan’s former personal assistant; Philip Lazaro as PR, Miley’s manager; Pauline Mendoza as Maria Carmela ‘Maricar’ Tapang, Maru’s sister and a big fan of Patrick Almeda; Kryshee Grengia as Maria Theresa ‘Mayte’ Tapang, Maru’s youngest sister and a super fan of Bryan Ford; Rob Walcher as Donald Ford, Bryan’s American father and a successful lawyer.

The creative team is composed of Creative Director Roy Iglesias; Creative Head for

Cinema One Originals extends deadline CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS is extending its call for entries until February 26, 2016 and is now offering a staggering P3 million budget each to deserving finalists.

The P3 million stake is the highest budget to be ever given in the Philippines by any film festival organization to encourage filmmakers to submit their best stories.

Seven finalists of the feature film category will receive P3 million to produce their film plus revenue share, while three finalists of the full-length

documentary category will get P1.5 million to produce their film in time for the festival.

To submit an entry, interested filmmakers need to download and fill out the entry form for the full length documentary film category or feature film category, which is available in Cinema One Originals’ official Facebook page.

Join the growing community of movers and shakers in the film industry by becoming part of Cinema One Originals 2016. Cinema One Originals, which is now on its 12th year, has produced a number of internationally and locally acclaimed films.

Cinema One Originals is produced by Cinema One, the country’s number one cable channel.

For more information, visit Cinema One Originals (facebook.com/ CinemaOneOriginals).

January 27 – February 2, 2016

FATHERS & DAUGHTERS Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried R13

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

EVERYTHING ABOUT HER Vilma Santos, Angel Locsin, Xian Lim PG

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

13 HOURS James Badge Dale, John Krasinski R13

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

THE BOY Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell R13

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

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

Great BDO Travel Sale and Jason Dy at SM Lanang Premier GRAB THE BEST travel deals and enjoy awesome entertainment this Great 3-Day Sale at SM Lanang Premier.

From January 29 to 31, save big on airfare and vacation packages at the Great BDO Travel Sale happening at the mall Atrium. Featuring a selection of airlines and travel agencies offering savings and special discounts for both international and domestic donations, the Great BDO Travel sale lets BDO Rewards, Debit and Credit Cardholders choose from an extensive line-up of travel options. Participating merchants at SM Lanang Premier include Cathay

Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air Asia, Asiana, BDO Investments, and PLDT. On Saturday, January 30, 8pm, watch The Voice of the Philippines Season 2 winner Jason Dy as he performs live at The Fountain Court and sings tracks from his self-titled debut album. Shoppers who buy a copy of Jason Dyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s album on the same day can get a chance to meet and greet with the singer right after the show.

Other events scheduled at The Fountain Court are performances from Dj Ritchie Rich on January 29, 7pm-10pm and Anne Mendoza

Band on January 30, 7pm-8pm and a Pet Socials activity called Paw-mazing Race on January 31, 3pm.

Enjoy up to 70 percent off on fabulous finds mall-wide during the Great 3-Day Sale. Plus, be one of the 3 lucky shoppers to win two Air Asia roundtrip tickets from Manila to any Asian destination or one of the 6 winners of an overnight stay for two at Park Inn by Radisson Davao in the grand raffle.

For inquiries, contact 285-0943 loc. 135-138. Check out SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive promos and event updates.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

11 HEALTH

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

Waging war

against old scourge

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

T

HREE years ago, Marianne received an email from her mother. She was petitioned to the United States. The 32-year-old single teacher from Davao City was ecstatic to hear the news. After all, she had been dreaming of going to the land of milk and honey.

Unfortunately, her visa application is still pending up to now. She wondered why. It all started when, after having a medical check-up, she was found to have tuberculosis (TB).

All over the world, the Philippines has the ninth-highest burden of TB. “As another result of this high infection rate, visa applications are delayed for more than 15% of Filipinos applying to immigrate to the United States,” says the US Embassy in Manila. “(TB) is the number one medical-related refusal for immigrant visa applicants.”

Although it is a disease of the past, TB is still taking its toll. In the Philippines, it is the number six leading cause of death among Filipinos, according to Dr. Willie T. Ong, who writes a regular column for Philippine Star.

At least 60% of those who die of TB occur among the productive age group of 15-64 years old, reports the Department of Health. Some P8 billion is lost annually from sickness and deaths due to TB. Davao City has a very strong program versus TB. But still, the city leads the region in terms of the number of TB cases. A news report said that from 1,568 cases in 2008 it went up to 1,617 in 2009.

“This is a significant percentage of the 5,289 cases in the Davao region that have been identified as new smear positive patients,” the report noted.

“This is followed by Davao del Norte with 1,193 new cases and Davao del Sur with 1,047 new cases.”

Currently, an estimated 200,000 to 600,000 Filipinos have active TB. “This is alarming since each person with active TB can spread the disease to 10 other Filipinos each year,” deplores Dr. Ong, who is an internist-cardiologist and author of several health books.

Multiply the number of Filipinos with active TB by 10, and you get the idea. “Just imagine how much TB is being spread yearly,” Dr. Ong points out. “Hence, if someone in the household has been diagnosed with TB, all the other members of the household should get tested for TB, too.”

An estimated 80 percent of Filipinos have latent TB, according to Dr. Ong. “In this con-

dition, we already have the TB infection in our bodies, but the TB is still in the inactive state,” he explains. “Hence, we feel no symptoms and we are not contagious to other people.”

In industrialized countries like the United States, they treat those with latent TB with medicines. “But we can’t help it because we are born in the Philippines,” Dr. Ong says.

“We just need to observe a healthy lifestyle, or else the TB infection might get reactivated.”

TB may belong to the past, but it is back with vengeance.

“Tuberculosis rose slowly, silently, seeping into the homes of millions, like an ageless miasma,” writes Dr. Frank Ryan, author of Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told.

“Once arrived, TB stayed – a stealthy predator.”

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the microorganism that causes TB, divides every 16 to 20 hours, an extremely slow rate compared with other bacteria, which usually divide in less than an hour.

“MTB is a wily foe,” deplored Dr. Ann Ginsberg, acting medical chief officer of Aeras, a non-profit product development organization dedicated to the development of effective tuberculosis vaccine.

MTB is transmitted almost entirely by the aerial route.

“When infected individual coughs, sneezes, or spits, infectious particles are released into the air,” writes Dr. Maya Santos in her column which appeared in Vital Signs, a monthly health publication.

“Anyone who inhales these particles is at risk of contracting TB. Transmission is enhanced in overcrowded and poorly ventilated places.”

This is the reason why TB is more prevalent among those living in squatter communities and correctional institutions. Based on a recent study of seven detention facilities in the Philippines, the prevalence of this disease inside jails and prisons is up to five times higher than among the general population.

With most infectious diseases, a person becomes sick right after the microorganisms enters the body. But such is not the case of TB. “Except for very young children, few people become sick immediately after

How TB is transmitted (from the net)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the microorganism that causes TB (from the net) MTB enter their body (called primary infection),” explained The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Many MTB that enter the lungs are immediately killed by the body’s defenses.

“Those that survived are captured inside white blood cells called macrophages,” the manual said. “The captured bacteria can remain alive inside these cells in a dormant state for many years, walled off inside tiny scars (latent infection).”

In 90-95% of cases, MTB never cause any further problem, but in about 5-10% of infected people they start to multiply (active disease). “It is in this active phase that an infected person actually becomes sick and can spread the disease,” the manual said.

More than half the time, activation of dormant MTB happens within the first 2 years, but it may not occur for a very long time. “Doctors do not always know why the dormant bacteria become active, but if often occurs when the person’s immune system becomes impaired -- for example, from very advanced age, the use of corticosteroids, or AIDS,” the manual said.

Like many infectious diseases, TB spreads more quickly and is much more dangerous in people who have a weakened immune system.

“For such people (including the very young, the very old,

and those who are also infected with human immunodeficiency virus), TB can be life threatening.”

Unknowingly, the MTB can live only in human beings. “It cannot be carried by animals, insects, soil, or other non-living objects,” the Merck manual said. “A person can be infected with TB only from another person who has active disease.

Touching someone who has the disease does not spread it, because the bacteria are transmitted only through the air.”

The MTB usually attack the lungs, but it can also attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. A person with TB may demonstrate some or all of the following: persistent cough for at least two weeks; significant weight loss, with or without loss of appetite; fever and night sweats (persistent low grade fever of more than a month); chest pains (breathlessness) or back pains; and, hemoptysis (blood-tinged sputum).

“Symptoms depend on the organ affected,” says Dr. Ong. “TB of the spine causes severe back pain, while TB of the kidneys can cause bloody urine.

Hence, TB should be checked and treated as early as possible.”

Unlike in the past, TB can be cured now. “The usual treatment course for TB is between six and nine months of continuous medicines,” informs Dr. Ong. “Once active TB is treated with the appropriate drugs, the person is no longer contagious after three weeks. That is why those who are being treated for TB are advised to rest during the first month.”

Because TB bacteria are

very slow-growing, the antibiotics must be taken for the whole duration of the treatment. “Treatment must be continued long after the person feels completely well, otherwise, the disease tends to relapse because it was not fully eliminated,” warns Dr. Dominic Garcia, an infectious disease specialist.

Government health officials also admitted that many of those who are suffering from TB refuse to consult a doctor because of the stigma attached to the disease. “The problem is that most Filipinos ignore their symptoms, continue to roam around, and spread the infection,” says an official of the health department. “Oftentimes, they consult only when there is blood coming out when they cough.”

According to government health officials, TB is not really very expensive to cure, so there is no reason why those suffering from the symptoms should not get treatment.

Those with active TB can avail themselves for free medication for six months if they enroll in the government’s TB-DOTS program.

DOTS, which stands for directly observed treatment, short-course, is the strategy recommended by the World Health Organization. It has five main components: (1) government commitment (including political will at all levels, and establishment of a centralized and prioritized system of TB monitoring, recording and training); (2) case detection by sputum smear microscopy; (3) standardized treatment regimen directly of six to nine months observed by a health-

care worker or community health worker for at least the first two months; (4) a drug supply; and (5) a standardized recording and reporting system that allows assessment of treatment results.

Since time immemorial, TB has been a public health threat. As early as 460 BC, Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician, identified TB as a widespread and highly fatal disease. At that time, no one knew what caused TB and how to treat it. TB spread uncontrollably killing most of its victims.

TB is sometimes regarded as a romantic 19th century disease. After all, its famous victims include fiction writer Edward Bellamy, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, novelist Franz Kafka, composer Frederic Chopin, inventor Alexander Graham Bell, entertainer W.C. Fields, and nurse Florence Nightingale.

World leaders were not spared from TB: Charles IX of France, Edward VI of England, American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Jackson, Louis XII of France, Napoleon II of France, Pedro I of Brazil, and our very own Manuel L. Quezon.

Today, TB is considered as a disease of poverty. In her column, Dr. Santos emphasizes, “Unless there a successful program for poverty eradication, the battle against poverty-fuelled diseases like tuberculosis will continue to be a losing one.”

“The poor are not another race of creatures bound on other journeys,” Charles Dickens wrote. “They are fellow passengers to the grave.”

12 CLASSIFIEDS

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS13

MILF hopes Mamasapano hearing won’t take toll on BBL

M

ORO Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Hadj Murad Ebrahim remains optimistic there is still time for Congress to pass the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), hoping however that it will not be affected by the planned re-opening of the Mamasapano case.

It has been reported that Senator Grace Poe said the two committees that investigated the Mamasapano incident would reconvene after Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile demanded the reopening of the Mamasapano probe to cull new information and evidence from the deadly operation of the Special Action Force (SAF) that resulted in the death of 44 SAF troopers, 17 MILF members, some civilians and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

In a press conference after the Mindanao Peace Summit here Sunday, Murad said the fate of BBL is now dependent on Congress and it is no longer in the hands of the MILF. Murad said Mamasapano is a closed case. He said there has been investigation on the incident conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), International Moni-

toring Team (IMT) and the MILF, which already completed its probe.

“I hope hindi ito (re-investigation) maging dahilan para itong BBL ay maapektuhan (it will not be a reason in order this BBL will not be affected),” Murad said. He is also hoping that the original provisions, especially the substantive ones, would be restored in this period of amendment.

The MILF had been seeking the restoration of the 28 provisions of the BBL that were removed by the House of Representatives and the Senate that reportedly included the one that would give the prospective Bangsamoro autonomous region P75 billion in initial budget.

Murad is also hopeful that Congress will realize and will give importance to BBL not only to the entire Bangsamoro but also to the entire Filipino people.

Remaining optimistic that Congress will pass BBL despite the short remaining days to tackle BBL, Murad however feared this will be derailed by some “spoilers”.

Congress has only six remaining sessions.

“Some spoilers are trying to delay na hindi ma-ipasa… spoliers na gusting i-delay

ang proseso (that it will not be passed…spoilers who want to delay the process).

We are appealing on behalf of the MILF bigyang halaga… meron pang panahon ipasa ang BBL ang original na BBL (give importance…there is still time to pass the BBL...the original BBL),” Murad said.

He underscored that if there is political will the legislators can pass the original BBL with remaining sessions.

“Meron pa ring oras (There is still time). It is only a matter of political will,” he pointed out.

If it does not pass, Murad assured that the MILF will continue its struggle to have peace and implement some provisions of the Comprehensive Bangsamoro Agreement (CAB) and the Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro (FAB).

He said the government has also the obligation to implement the CAB and FAB. Murad stressed though that BBL is important for other process of the peace agreements to move forward such as the decommissioning of the MILF and others in the normalization process.

“But we will continue to search for peace,” Murad assured. (PNA)

14

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

DOMINANCE Warriors rout Spurs in battle of top two teams

S

TEPHEN Curry and the dominant Warriors aren’t just beating teams anymore, they’re throwing staggering knockout punches against the NBA’s best - make that second-best.

In a span of eight days, Golden State has 30-point wins over Cleveland, Chicago and San Antonio.

Curry scored 37 points and hit six 3-pointers in three scintillating quarters Monday night, and the reigning champions showed they still rule the West by routing the Spurs 120-90. ‘’No moment’s too big, obviously,’’ Curry said. ‘’We know this is just another regular-season game, but there was some hype around it. Every time we have an opportunity to prove who we are and take another step in the journey, we’re ready for it. It wasn’t always that way. This core has been together for a while and understands how to mentally prepare for nights like this.’’

The NBA MVP had 15 points in the opening quarter, 18 in the third and shot 12 for 20 in Golden State’s 39th straight home win at

raucous Oracle Arena, where a star-studded sellout crowd saw a lopsided showdown in what was billed as a potential Western Conference finals preview.

The Warriors (41-4) snapped a 13-game winning streak by the Spurs (38-7), off to the best start in franchise history but without Tim Duncan this time. The teams had the highest combined winning percentage in NBA history for opponents meeting at least 40 games into the season.

Curry galloped down the court and pounded his chest after his second straight 3-pointer and 10th consecutive point put Golden State up 76-56 with 7:55 to go in the third. It was his 1,400th career 3 and he became the 26th player in NBA history to reach that mark.

Chants of ‘’M-V-P!’’ came from every corner of the arena as Curry did it all for his highest-scoring total in 17 games against San Antonio - knocking down 3s from the baseline and hitting from 30 feet well beyond the arc. Coming off his second triple-double of the season when he banked in a

Phoenix makes assurance

P

HOENIX Petroleum has assured it will leave no stone unturned in forming a competitive team in the PBA following their acquisition of Barako Bull franchise.

Raymond Zorilla, Phoenix vice-president for external affairs, said the first order of business is to retain the coaches led by Koy Banal as well as the players for the Mindanao-based petroleum company’s debut in the pro league in the Commissioner’s Cup slated to open on February 10.

“The management has decided that with the acquisition of the franchise, we will remain status quo including the players and the coaches,” the lawyer said in an interview with reporters after he watched Phoenix Petroleum’s debut game in the PBA D-League.

“No trades muna and only key positions in management will obviously be replaced,” Zorillla said.

On Monday, Zorilla was joined by Banal and UAAP board member Anton Montinola of Far Eastern University, which has a tie-up with Phoenix Petroleum in the PBA D-League.

Zorilla, however, said eventually the squad will not hesitate to make trades that will be for the good of the team after assuming control of a ballclub that, in its final years, had faced accusations of being a ‘farm team’ owing to a series of controversial and questionable trades.

“Usually, one primordial consideration is what is best for the team. In any league, it’s always what’s best for the team, kung ano ang maganda para sa team, sa liga, at para sa kumpanya.

“We will assess all offers — trade and player movements — as long as we base it on our conditions na it’s for the good of the team, for the good of the league, and for the good of the company,” said Zorilla.

Zorilla said the team will begin practicing on Tuesday, and meetings will eventually be held for aspects related to the squad including the moniker the balllcub will carry.

“They will be practicing tomorrow (Tuesday) and they will play a tune-up on Wednesday. We intend to talk to them by that time,” he said.

Zorilla said the company is happy that, after several years, it has finally made it to the PBA. “It’s a dream come true.

We have been knocking on the door for more than five years, if I’m not mistaken. Opportunity doesn’t knock twice so we will make the most out of it. We are happy in the PBA,” said Zorilla.

Zorilla said he likes the potential of the team which Phoenix inherited from Barako Bull.

“The core team, if I’m not mistaken, were fighting for a spot in the semifinals. They lost by a point in the quarterfinals.

That’s why we are keeping the team intact. We hope to have the right import. Then, we will take it from there,” he said.

half-court shot Friday against Indiana, the dynamic point guard had three steals early in the game to set the defensive tone. And the Warriors didn’t relent after building a 62-47 halftime lead.

All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard scored 16 points for the sloppy Spurs, with Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala guarding him early. The Spurs lacked the presence of Duncan, out because of soreness in his right knee. ‘’They outplayed us in every single aspect of the game,’’ Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. ‘’Aggression was one.’’

Even coach Steve Kerr was in disbelief watching his current team thoroughly dismantle his old one on both ends not to mention his mentor and good friend, Gregg Popovich.

Kerr coached his second game back following a long leave of absence dating to Oct. 1 because of complications following two back operations.

Popovich understood the hype for one of the most anticipated regular-season matchups in recent memory. ‘’Why not? It’s the two teams with the best record,

SPORTS15 Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a shot against the San Antonio Spurs in the third quarter at ORACLE Arena on Monday in Oakland, California.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

playing it up would seem to be logical to me,’’ he said. ‘’We feel different going against a team that’s the best team in the league. I get butterflies in my gut and excited about the game, and all that sort of thing.

I don’t feel like that every night.’’

Yet the Spurs are still right behind in the standings despite Golden State’s NBA-record 24-0 start, so the Warriors wanted nothing more than to send a message that they plan to win another championship.

First, the Warriors are pursuing the Chicago Bulls’ NBA record of 44 straight regular-season home wins from March 30, 1995 to April 4, 1996. They improved to 21-0 this season. ‘’It was like men and boys out there tonight,’’ Popovich said.

Roach returns to PHL L

EGENDARY Freddie Roach is set to arrive in the country by the middle of February for the official start of Manny Pacquiao’s training camp for his world title fight against defending champion Timothy Bradley.

Roach will be coming over either February 13 or 14 and proceed immediately to General Santos City, where the Filipino boxing superstar will have the first part of his scheduled eight-week training.

Originally, the entire camp was supposed to be held at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, but owing to Pacquiao’s numerous commitments as Sarangani congressman and senatorial

R

candidate in the coming May national polls, the Pacman’s camp deemed it better to hold the first half of his training in the country.

“General Santos is more ideal, because there’s more distraction if we’ll hold it in Manila,” said Pacquiao close adviser Michael Konz.

Roach no longer sees any problem with it, having been used doing the same thing in the past.

“Distraction has been his whole life. Distraction doesn’t bother him all too much,” said the 55-year-old many-time Trainer of the Year at the end of the whirlwind press tour in New York City promoting the third Pacquaio-Bradley fight.

“He knows when he’s

Freddie Roach is set to arrive in mid-February for the first half of Manny Pacquiao’s training for the Tim Bradley fight, which will be held in General Santos City. getting ready for a fight, once he comes into the gym, it’s all 100 percent boxing.”

At the same time, Roach said he’ll try to enjoy this training camp like no other as the April 9 fight for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title bout is be-

ing billed as Pacquiao’s farewell match.

“I look forward to that training camp of coming over to the Philippines for the first three weeks, and the last four weeks will be in my gym in LA,” he said. “We’ll be ready for this fight.”

Federer reaches Australian Open semis

OGER Federer continued his perfect record in Australian Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych on Tuesday.

The Swiss great made it 12 wins in as many last-eight matches in Melbourne, beating Berdych 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer, with four of his 17 grand slam crowns having been won in Australia, was dominant after taking a tight first set.

His forehand did most of the damage with 20 of his 48 winners as he moved into the semis to face either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori.

Federer has now remarkably reached the semi-finals in Melbourne in 12 of the past 13 years.

Berdych, a semi-finalist in Melbourne the past two years, was left to rue missed chances, particularly during the first set.

The Czech 2010 Wimbledon runner-up was punished as he slumped to a fifth straight

loss against Federer.

Berdych failed to consolidate an early break and he had to fight off a set point in the 10th game, leading to a first-set tie-break.

There was little Berdych could do as Federer served well and hit a backhand downthe-line winner as he took a 4-1 lead in the tie-break on his way to clinching the set.

Federer made the ideal start to the second set, breaking in the opening game with a backhand pass.

Unlike Berdych, he built on that advantage and pulled away, losing just five points on serve in the second set.

Berdych was the first to break serve in the third, but again he failed to capitalise – allowing Federer back into the set before having heavy strapping removed from his left foot.

Federer accepted the invitation, breaking in the ninth game when Berdych sent a crosscourt forehand into the net before he made no mistake serving it out.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 216 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016

Serena crushes Sharapova A

LTHOUGH she is perhaps the greatest server of all time, Serena Williams’ superior return told the story this time.

An ultra-competitive opening set eventually gave way to a landslide as the world No. 1 rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Maria Sharapova to advance to the Australian Open semifinals.

In one of the most lopsided rivalries in sports, Maria Sharapova still can’t come up with an answer to the remarkably dominant Serena Williams.

For the 18th straight time, Williams upended her Russian opponent in piling on a win streak that dates back more than a decade -- 4,088 days to be exact.

“Doesn’t matter who I’m playing, I just try to go out there and play the best I can,” Williams said. “It’s not necessarily anyone in particular.”

In a titanic first set, No. 5 Sharapova broke Williams in the opening game and then held. The Russian stood firm on the baseline by taking balls early and keeping her opponent on her heels.

But after falling into a 2-0 hole, Williams reeled off six of the next eight games to take the early advantage. At 4-4, Williams fended off two break points in a grueling game. In

the next game, Williams finally put away an open-court volley, her fourth set point, to secure the set.

“Yeah, I just started slow,” Williams said. “I missed three or four easy shots. I felt like, ‘All right, I didn’t make those shots, but if I had made those shots, I probably would have won that game.’ I just clung on to that and knew I could play better.”

The second set was vintage Williams. The world No. 1, who has won 12 straight matches Down Under, was up 5-0 before Sharapova finally won a game to avoid the bagel. In the Sharapova-Williams rivalry, only twice has Williams won a 6-0 set.

Sharapova, who came into the match with a tour-high 52 aces in this tournament, could muster only three in this encounter. She was broken four times.

“I think if you’re serving maybe 180 against somebody else compared to Serena, that’s an ace,” Sharapova said. “Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths. She’s very explosive. She stays quite close to the baseline. She cuts the ball early. She doesn’t give you many angles. That’s the reason I can’t get so many free points against her.”

Williams will next play Ag-

nieszka Radwanska, who beat Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-1, 6-3 in 1 hour, 21 minutes early in the day.

Radwanska committed only 10 errors while frustrating her opponent throughout the encounter to become the first Polish player to reach the final four Down Under.

“Very, very pleased,” Radwanska said in her on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be tough. She is a very tough player. I knew everything was going to come back to me. Just tried to be focused.”

Radwanska broke Suarez-Navarro three times in a 28-minute opening frame.

The second was more competitive, with the No. 10 Spaniard stepping into the court often and maintaining pressure on her opponent. But at 4-3, Radwanska broke Suarez-Navarro, then held on in the next game to prevail.

As hot as she has been, Radwanska is fortunate to still be alive in Melbourne. In the previous round, she pulled off a dramatic 6-7 (6), 1-6, 7-5 win over Anna-Lena Friedsam in a match in which the German blew a third-set lead and suffered from severe cramps.

“Just happy I had a day off between matches,” Radwanska said. “You go on court, and you feel good that you could win. The second week of Grand

Slams, i t doesn’t matter who you are playing.”

Radwanska, the No. 4 seed from K r a k o w, Poland, opened this season with a win at the Shenzhen Open for her 18th career title. In her past 25 matches, she has sported a healthy 22-3 record.

It wasn’t that long ago that she was all but forgotten. After a largely disappointing 2015, Radwanska ended the past season with the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals. That she qualified at all was amazing, considering that after the US Open, Radwanska was three spots out of the final spot.

Serena Williams celebrates victory in the 2015 Australian Open final against Maria Sharapova (AFP Photo/William West)