Edge Davao 8 Issue 76 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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EDGEDAVAO EXPECT MORE RAIDS Serving a seamless society

ADZIHAR ALBANI, PDEA 11 Director

This is just the beginning: PDEA 11

HOMEWARD BOUND. A young Muslim girl heads home with her mother while her father attends afternoon prayers at a mosque in Barangay 23-C Mini Forest, Quezon Boulevard yesterday. Muslim communities in Davao City joined the whole Islamic world in celebrating Eid al-Fitr or the festival of breaking of the fast today. Lean Daval Jr.

Rody to withdraw support for LP if DeLima runs P2 Durian candy factory could be closed down P2

By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY and ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

OPLAN Kaagapay, the highly successful anti-drug operation conducted in several areas in Davao City Wednesday, marked the start of a massive and intensified campaign against illegal drugs this year. “This is just the beginning,” newly-installed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 director Adzhar A. Albani said in yesterday’s regular I-Speak media forum at the City Hall conference room. Albani said more operations will be conducted in the coming days

even as he warned those involved in the illegal drugs trade to either stop their nefarious activity or leave the city. “You leave, or the full force of the law will be applied,” he said. COPlan Kaagapay was a joint operation launched by PDEA 11, Davao City Police Office (DCPO), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11, Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 through its Regional Public Safety Battalion, and the Maritime Police. The raid resulted in the killing of seven suspected drug pushers and

Duterte lauds successful raid By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

AYOR Rodrigo Duterte lauded the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and other security forces involved in “COPlan Kaagapay” which netted P3.2

million in drugs and resulted in the deaths of seven alleged drug pushers. In his speech before of different security force units at the DCPO grounds yesterday, Duterte congratulated the police as well as the Philippine

Drug enforcement Agency (PDEA) for their successful operation. Duterte said he was grateful for the latest achievement of the units, especially for their effort in keeping the drug problem in the city at its low-

est point. The raid also resulted in the arrest of 39 alleged drug pushers, of which 12 were female. Duterte said he does not want women put in prison

FDUTERTE, 10

the apprehension of 39 other individuals, including a minor. Law enforcers rounded up all the suspects in a span of over five hours. The operation started at around 3 a.m. on July 15 and ended past 8 a.m. The arrests were made through the implementation of a total of 36 search warrants by the city’s nine police stations. The raids were also part of a week-long nationwide CIDG operation dubbed “One Time Big Time” which started last Monday and to end Saturday.

The operation in Davao City led to the recovery of a total of 353 grams of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) with an estimated street value of P3.2 million and 73 grams of marijuana with estimated street value of P73,000. Also recovered from the suspects were 13 firearms, including a high-powered sub-machine gun, 10 assorted bullets, and three motorcycles.

Beermen nears sweep of Alaska Sports P16

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

BREAKING THE FAST. Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte (right) distributes food packs to Muslim residents of Barangay 23-C Mini Forest, Quezon Boulevard who are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr or the festival of breaking of the fast yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Duterte orders CIDG to stop online gold ‘pyramid’scheme

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11 to stop the operation of an online gold selling company in the city. In an interview on Wednesday afternoon, Duterte said he wants to restrain the operations of the company since it has no permit to operate here. The mayor was apparently referring to the operations of Emgoldex and Global InterGold which are allegedly networking companies. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had earlier warned the public against dealing with Emgoldex because it is not registered with the SEC. It issued the warning after

finding “bogus SEC public advisories” concerning Emgoldex bearing the SEC logo. Emgoldex allegedly changed its name to Global InterGold a few months ago. Duterte said aside from the absence of a permit, the company is not allowed to deal in gold in its operation in order to attract investors. “You are not supposed to be dealing with gold in the first place. In the second place you do not have a permit,” he said. Duterte said it is not possible for the company to procure gold because it needs a permit from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) first. “It is a pyramiding thing, I can sense it,” he said. “We will nip it in the bud,” he added.

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POPE FRANCIS SURPASSES 22 MILLION TWITTER FOLLOWERS

WHAT THE?

POPE Francis surpassed 22 million Twitter followers Wednesday on his multiple accounts, joining the ranks of tech-savvy entertainers and world leaders who command tens of millions of eyeballs on social media. According to the site Il Sismografo, the pope pulled in 29,000 new followers each day during his recent eight-day trip to South America, versus his already impressive average of 20,000. Of the nine accounts in languages such as French and German, his Spanish language account is the most popular -- with just over nine million followers -- while the English account comes in second with around 6.5 million followers. A Vatican office writes the tweets -- usually quotes from his speeches and homilies -with the pope’s approval. Despite the uptick in followers, the pope still has a long way to go to catch up with other world leaders like US President Barack Obama, who has over 60 million followers. Francis is also well behind American entertainer Katy Perry, who has the world’s most Twitter followers, with about 72.5 million.

Rody to withdraw support for LP if de Lima runs By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to withdraw his support for the ruling Liberal Party (LP) if Justice Secretary Leila de Lima runs for senator under its ticket. This after de Lima said in a television interview that she is almost sure of making a bid for a Senate seat in the 2016

election. Reports have also come out that she might be included on the lineup of the LP. But de Lima, who has been critical of Duterte especially on allegations the mayor is involved with the shadowy Davao Death Squad (DDS), told ANC host Karen Davila that she might change her mind if the LP also takes in Duterte.

Last Wednesday, Duterte said he might support a different party if de Lima pursues her senatorial bid under the LP. Local political party Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod which Duterte heads had allied with the LP in the 2010 and 2013 election. “Basta kung saan siya, nasa kabila ako. Kung kay Mar (Roxas) siya, edi goodbye Mar.

Pasensya na lang. Kung ganun na dun siya sa ticket ng Liberal e di bye (Wherever she is, I’ll be on the opposite side. If she is with Mar Roxas, then goodbye Mar. If she runs with the Liberal Party then it’s time to say goodbye),” Duterte said. Duterte is believed to be eying the presidency although he has insisted that he is not interested in the position.

er that her company should possess an FDA permit but she still failed to comply with the rule. Legaspi said every food manufacturer and drug store is mandated to get a permit from the FDA because it concerns public health safety. An FDA permit, however, is not a requirement in getting a business permit from the city, she added. Legaspi said aside from

having no FDA permit, JJCM also failed to comply with good manufacturing practices. Legaspi said during the inspection last Monday conducted by the FDA and Special Intelligence Investigation Group (SIITG) Durian Candy, it was found that the company had no direct source of water inside its factory. Legaspi said lack of water source might have contaminat-

Durian candy maker could be closed down By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

JCM Food Products, manufacturer of Wendy’s Delicious Durian Candy, is in danger of being closed down by the city government due to several violations it has committed. Speaking in yesterday’s I-Speak Media Forum at Davao City Hall, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Davao supervisor Deborah S. Legaspi said the owner, Janet E. Aquino, has already committed a viola-

tion by not having a license to operate from the FDA. “Kasi wala siyang license, closure of the establishment ang ipapataw sa kanya at meron ding corresponding fines na up to P100,000 base po sa FDA law (Because the company has no license, we will impose closure and corresponding fines of up to P100,000 based on the FDA law)”she said. She said the Business Bureau had explained to the own-

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

FDA finds “staphylococcus”bacteria behind candy poisoning in Caraga

HE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disclosed Thursday that staphylococcus bacteria was behind the food poisoning incidence in CARAGA region that victimized about 2,000 school children. “It was seen in the laboratory tests that “staphyloccocus bacteria” was present and matched in the symptoms manifested by patients such as vomiting, stomach ache,” said Dr. Ma. Lourdes Santiago, acting deputy director general of FDA in a press briefing held at the DOH media relations unit. Dr. Santiago said that staphyloccus is a type of bacteria that is link to food poisoning because it is found in the human skin hair, especially if there is an open wound like pimples.

“So it is really very important to really practice hand hygiene. That is the possible reason,” Santiago said. She said that the bacteria contaminated the candies during their mishandling in the production process. The bacterial contamination, she said, possibly took place in the activities involved in the production of the candies during and after the preparation and even in supply chains. She further said that investigation was still on-going for other samples of candies. “We had sought the assistance of police on this matter,” she added. She further said that part of the investigation focused on tracing further the source and place where the candies were

FFDA, 10

Anti-mining tribal leader nabbed in South Cotabato

OLICE operatives arrested one of the most wanted persons in South Cotabato while attending a town fiesta in nearby Sarangani Province on Wednesday afternoon. Senior Superintendent Jose Arnaldo Briones Jr., South Cotabato police director, said Thursday joint police intelligence and Special Action Force personnel nabbed elusive suspect Daguil Capion, who has taken up arms against foreigners’ attempt to mine his tribe’s ancestral lands, around 2 p.m. in the poblacion of Malungon town in Sarangani. Capion is facing a string of murder and attempted murder cases and listed as the number one most wanted person in Tampakan, South Cotabato, He was arrested based on a warrant of arrest issued by Koronadal City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 25 Judge

Lorenzo Balo. “He (Capion) was spotted in one of the foundation anniversary festivities of Malungon and was immediately arrested,” Briones said. He said the suspect was immediately transferred to the Tampakan municipal police station after undergoing routine documentation. The official said Capion, who is a B’laan tribal leader, has pending cases for multiple murder, multiple attempted murder and grave coercion before the RTC Branch 25. He was charged for the killing in March 2011 of three workers of a construction company working on the US$ 5.9-billion copper and gold mining project of foreign-backed firm Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in the hinterlands of Tampakan. Capion and his men were also tagged in the June 20,

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‘TRUMPED UP.’ Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate shows his picture in an affidavit of complaint filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) before the City Prosecution Office for alleged kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Indigenous People (IP) leaders had told CIDG that Zarate and other mass leaders had brought Lumads to

Davao City for propaganda. Zarate, however, said the Lumads came on their own to escape the presence of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the remote areas in Bukidnon, Davao del Norte and Compotela Valley. He also hit the government for the ‘trumped up’ case filed against him and other mass leaders. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

Saguisag files ethics case against 2 solons For ‘terrorism’vs gov’t, MILF peace panels By JON JOAQUIN jon@edgedavao.net

UMAN rights lawyer and former Senator Rene Saguisag yesterday filed a formal complaint before the House of Representatives Ethics Committee against two congressmen who had filed treason and inciting to sedition cases against the government’s peace negotiators. Saguisag formally filed a complaint with Belmonte and

the House of Representatives Ethics Committee to initiate a formal investigation against Buhay Party-list Rep. LitoAtienza and ABAKADA Party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz. The two had filed cases of treason and inciting to sedition against Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary TeresitaQuintos Deles and Government of the Philippines (GPH) Chief Peace

Negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and other members of the peace panel on May 28. Saguisag, however, said the cases were a form of “prosecutorial terrorism” against proponents of the Bangsamoro peace process. Atienza and de la Cruz had asked the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office to charge Deles, Coronel, and other members

Muslim communities in Davao City joined the whole Islamic world in celebrating Eid al-Fitr or the festival of breaking of the fast today. Lean Daval Jr.

FSAGUISAG, 10

Women, kids shocked by NPA raid on Gingoog village

CELEBRATION. Muslim women bring along their young children as they wait for Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte who is scheduled to visit and distribute food packs to various Muslim communities in the city yesterday.

of the peace panel for their role in the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Included in the complaint-affidavit by the two solons were all the members of the negotiating panel of the MILF, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), and Supreme

HE attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) on soldiers of the 58th Infantry Battalion here Saturday afternoon has left several women and children traumatized. “My four-year old daughter kept on saying ‘God help us, please God help us’ while crying,” Gem, who asked that her full identify be withheld, recalled. “As the gunfight ensued, we thought we were going to die as we crawled on the bamboo floor. I held on tight to my two children and just prayed for our lives with our neighbors who were with us,” she said. She added she was still experiencing fear and had difficulty getting sleep at night. “I can’t sleep properly; whenever the dogs bark we get out of bed in fear.” “My daughter was in a state of shock after the incident; she can’t talk and would just cry. We just tried to keep on talking to her and thank God she now

responds better,” Gem said, although she noted her daughter has been behaving differently after the incident. “The frightening part was that the NPAs were hiding beneath the bamboo floor [of the house] where we were. If the soldier in the CVO (Civilian Volunteer Organization) outpost fired back I’m sure we all would have been dead. The soldier just shouted to let the civilians get out of the house in exchange for his surrender to save us,” another woman said. Residents pointed out that 15 people, including five children and two pregnant women, were in the balcony of the house in front of the CVO outpost, either playing cards or just watching the game when the incident happened. “We were all trapped and we did not have time to run away from the house as we all just dropped on the floor when the firefight started. We then

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EDGEDAVAO

4 SUBURBIA

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

Davao Sur town acquires 11 farm machineries from DA-11

HIS town, which was recently awarded as one of the country’s Outstanding Rice Achievers, acquired five Mobile All-In Shredder Machines and six Vermi Tea Brewers from the Department of Agriculture-Region 11. Municipal Agriculturist Helen Carampatana received Wednesday afternoon the farm machineries which were manufactured by the Davao Techno Craft, from the DA personnel. Carampatana said the machines will also be distributed to identified cooperatives and Rural Improvement Club (RIC) women’s group.

She said the shredder machine will be pulverizing biodegradable materials like rice stalks and hulls to become organic fertilizers while the brewer will be fermenting 60 liters of water added with one kilo of vermicast for 72 hours to be sprayed to rice farms and other agricultural areas also as fertilizer. Carampatana said that the distribution of farm machineries is only part of various distributed farm equipment here in this municipality since it also acquired two farm tractors, a number of threshers, and an Organic Trading Post, among others. (PNA)

RDRRMC lifts‘food poisoning outbreak’status in Caraga NEW ARMY CHIEF. President Benigno S. Aquino III hands over the command symbol to 57th Philippine Army (PA) Commanding General, Army Major General Eduardo Año from former outgoing commanding General Lt. Gen Hernando IriberriAFP Chief of Staff, during the PA Change of Command Ceremony at the PA Gym in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Wednesday (July

15, 2015). Año is the commander of the Army’s 7th Commander of the 10th Infantry “Agila” Division, a Cum Laude Graduate and a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Matikas” Class of 1983. (Photo by Lauro Montellano Jr./Malacañang Photo Bureau/PNA)

2015T’NALAKFESTIVAL

Polomolok is 2015 ‘Cleanest & Greenest’ LGU in SouthCot T

HE municipality of Polomolok once again reigned supreme when it was chosen as the province’s Cleanest and Greenest Municipality for 2015, trouncing last year’s defending champion municipality of Surallah. Polomolok came back from last year’s second place finish due to strong points it garnered as recipient of the Best Public Market, Best Public Plaza and Parks, Best Municipal Nursery, Best Central Material Recovery Facility, Best Community Garden, Best Backyard Garden and Best Public Toilet Special Awards. It also added to its numerous special awards the Best Barangay Special Award represented by Brgy. Pagalungan, by winning third place. Surallah, meanwhile, slide down to second place over-all but won the Best Roadside Beautification and Best Barangay Special Award repre-

sented by Brgy. Veterans. Tupi, on the other hand, landed into third place, improving its fourth place finish last year and also won second place in the Best Barangay Special Award represented by Brgy. Lunen. Tampakan, T’boli and the City of Koronadal in the Cluster I LGUs ranked fourth, fifth and sixth places, respectively, in which Polomolok, Surallah and Tupi also belong. For Cluster II LGUs, the municipality of Norala was adjudged the Most Improved Municipality besting the municipalities of Lake Sebu, Sto. Nino, Tantangan and Banga which are also included in the said cluster. Cash incentives received by Cluster I winners in the contest are as follows: First Place – P800,000.00; Second Place – P500,000.00; Third Place – P300,000.00; Fourth – Sixth Places – P50,000.00 each.

Special Award winners in the Best Public Market, Best Public Plaza and Parks, Best Central Material Recovery Facility, Best Community Garden and Best Public Toilet received P10,000.00 each; the Best Backyard Garden won by Edwin Gonzaga received P5,000.00; and, Best Municipal Nursery and Best Roadside Beautification received P30,000.00 each. For the Best Barangay award, the First Place received P30,000,00, Second Place P20,000.00 and Third Place P10,000.00. Dole Philippnes sponsored the cash incentives for the Best Municipal Nursery and Best Roadside Beautification Special Awards while South Cotabato Foundation, Inc. sponsored the Best Public Toilet cash incentive. Cluster II LGUs were earlier given P40,000.00 assistance by the province after undergoing Coaching and

Mentoring sessions by the Provincial Environment Management Office regarding the formulation of their respective environment programs. Norala the Most Improved municipality among Cluster II LGUs received P20,000.00 cash incentive. The contest was divided into unannounced initial and final evaluations with 30% and 70% rating, respectively. Evaluators were Elbe Balucanag and Alfredo Superales of PEMO, Jose Perez of the Provincial Planning and Development Office, Engr. Erisaldy Quienes of the Integrated Provincial Health Office, Fruto Sumagaysay Jr. of the Provincial Information Office, Julius Mella of the Arts, Culture, Tourism, Museum and Sports Promotions Unit, Sheree Ann Reyes of the South Cotabato Foundation Inc. and Teresita Savarez of Dole Phils. (Fruto C. Sumagaysay Jr., PIOSouth Cotabato)

OMPANIES owned by the family of former Senate President Manuel Villar are reportedly planning to expand their ventures in the coming months in parts of South Cotabato province. South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Thursday the former senator is currently visiting several areas in the province to explore possible business and investment opportunities. South Cotabato is presently celebrating its 49th foundation anniversary and 16th T’nalak Festival. The governor said Villar,

who turned his attention on his family’s businesses after stints in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and failed presidential bid in 2010, personally toured local shopping malls in Koronadal City on Wednesday. “The (Villar family) is very positive with South Cotabato as an investment destination and currently looking at a major project in Koronadal City,” she said in a radio interview. But Fuentes, who had an earlier meeting with the former senator, declined to give further details on the planned business venture.

Villar is chairman of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., which is one of the country’s biggest property developers. Vista Land is the holding company of Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences. His family also owns StarMalls Inc. and the Finds chain of convenience stores. Two years ago, Villar’s Camella Homes started the development of a 12.4-hectare property in Barangay Carpenter Hill in Koronadal City. The company has signified

to invest around PHP500 million for the prime residential development project, which is its first in South Cotabato. Meantime, Fuentes said the former senator will be joined in Koronadal City on Saturday by his son, Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar. She said the younger Villar will grace the province’s foundation anniversary day on July 18 and culmination of the T’nalak Festival. Fuentes said Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero have also confirmed to attend Saturday’s festivities. (PNA)

Villar firms eye investments in South Cotabato C

HE Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) here in Caraga region in another emergency meeting, lifted its declaration of the region under the status of “food poisoning outbreak” after no new cases of candy poisoning were reported and hospital admissions from the region stayed at 66. This was disclosed by PSupt. Martin M. Gamba, in an interview, Wednesday morning. He said that an emergency meeting was called for by the RDRRMC, Tuesday morning, with the Department of Health, Office of the Civil Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Army (PA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other members of the council to assess the incident, discuss the situational updates and the courses of actions taken and needs to be done. Among the actions of the council was the lifting of the “food poisoning outbreak” status per recom-

mendation from the regional DOH, Gamba said. According to Supt. Gamba, no new case was received by the police based on their monitoring from their lower units, and he believed that must be the actual development on the ground. They are still waiting, however, for further update regarding the incident from the DOH or the council. The PNP regional spokesperson also said that cases of “Reckless Imprudence Resulting in Multiple Serious Physical Injuries in Relation to R.A. 7610,” “Violation of Republic Act 10611,” otherwise known as “Food Security Act of 2013” and “Violation of R.A. 7394 (Consumer Act of the Philippines) were filed in court against the five arrested suspects in Cagwait, Surigao del Sur identified as Junnil Martinez Teriote, 30; John Oben Dequilla, 36; Joel Alferez Paja, 29; Richard Lawag Rivera, 28; and Martinez Sawit Bocaycay, 19; all residents of MacArthur, Calinan, Davao City; Henryto Bitco Amoguis, 21; from Valencia, Bukidnon and Genelyn Dorgas Pasa, 26; from Bocana, Davao City. (PNA)

Suspect in South Cotabato mine site killings nabbed in Sarangani

OLICE operatives arrested one of top most wanted persons in South Cotabato while attending a town fiesta in nearby Sarangani Province on Wednesday afternoon. Sr. Supt. Jose Arnaldo Briones Jr., South Cotabato police director, said Thursday joint police intelligence and special action force personnel nabbed elusive suspect Daguil Capion at around 2 p.m. in Poblacion of Malungon town in Sarangani. Capion is facing a string of murder and attempted murder cases and listed as the number one most wanted person in Tampakan, South Cotabato, He was arrested based on a warrant of arrest issued by Koronadal City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 25 Judge Lorenzo Balo. “He (Capion) was spotted in one of the foundation anniversary festivities of Malungon and was immediately arrested,” he said. Briones said the suspect was immediately transferred to the Tampakan municipal police station after undergoing routine documentation. The official said Capion,

who is a B’laan tribal leader, has pending cases for multiple murder, multiple attempted murder and grave coercion before the RTC Branch 25. He specifically charged for the killing in March 2011 of three workers of a construction company working on the USD5.9 billion copper and gold mining project of foreign-backed firm Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in the hinterlands of Tampakan. Capion and his men were also tagged in the June 20, 2012 ambush in Barangay Kimlawis of Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur that led to the killing of a retired police officer hired by SMI as security consultant and three other police escorts. In October 2012, he eluded arrest in an operation staged by the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion (IB) at his house in Barangay Kimlawis but his wife Juvy and two sons were killed after allegedly being caught in the crossfire. Capion, who repeatedly admitted responsibility over the killings in various media interviews, said he had taken up arms to stop the supposed encroachment of SMI into their ancestral lands. (PNA)

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

Davao eyed for Islamic micro-financing By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

HE National Commission on Muslim Filipino (NCMF) is positioning Davao City to become a pilot area for Islamic micro-financing as it urged Muslim businessmen to open a window for Islamic micro-financing to help micro and small businesses. NCMF Sec. Yasmin Busran-Lao said this is the commission’s alternative mechanism in helping small businesses in increasing their capitalization now that the Islamic banking system is not yet institutionalized in the country. Lao said access to financing is just among the challenges being confronted by micro and small businesses, which are tied by the strict requirements of commercial banks. The NCMF, she said, is in discussion with the Malaysian consulate here for a consultation on the possible framework of Islamic micro-financing which could be offered by the private sector.

Islamic nation Malaysia has already acquired the expertise of banking and micro-financing since it is already institutionalized and practiced for a long time, according to Lao. NCMF is targeting to pilot the Isl;amic microfinance in Davao City because of its huge potential. “Muslim companies here can start micro-financing by opening a window for this service that will be free from interest,” Lao said. A company could either offer the service without interest since it is part of their Shariah-law or as part of their charity, she added. According to their law, Lao said each Muslim is required to put percentage of her income for charitable works known as zakat. “Companies could require their employees to donate a portion of their income to help those small businesses and want –tobe entrepreneurs to start their own small businesses,” she said,

The Islamic micro-financing window of a company could cater not only Muslim entrepreneurs but also those who are

non-Muslim. Possible client could loan P5,000 to P10,000 to start a business or add it to their capitalization.

Lao said it is necessary to explore other financing schemes and systems with the Asean integration because of the possible

entry of Muslim investors, professionals and tourists who would require a Shariah-compliant way of financing and banking.

HALAL FEST. A mall-goer checks salted duck egg being sold by an exhibitor during the second day of the 1st Mindanao Halal Festival at the activity center of Abreeza Mall yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

Davao IT event set Aug. 15-16 By CHENEEN R. CAPON

crc@edgedavao.net

OME 100 to 150 IT students, developers and programmers will join the first AngelHack Davao leg on August 15 to 16. AngelHack ambassador Angel Abella said that the event will be a venue for local ICT start-ups and IT students to showcase their ideas and talents in producing their products that are not limited to computer applications and

softwares. AngelHack provides bridge between international IT community and the Silicon Valley, the AngelHack said in its website. Winner of the AngelHack Davao leg will have the chance to fly all the way to Silicon Valley in San Francisco California and expose their ideas to global technology companies, maybe for financing.

“We are organizing this kind of event because we want to bring out the kind of talents we have here in Davao,” Abella said. She said stakeholders in the ICT industry, even those that are already employed, that they could start a business using their IT skills to produce innovations needed by the local and international community.

“Some of our talents in the ICT sector don’t see the viability of becoming a start-up because that is what they are trained for when they were still in schools,” Abella said. She added that there’s a need to remind teachers and instructors that they should equipped students to become future owner of start-ups not just an employee of a BPO company.

TRADITIONAL FARE. A Muslim vendor sells grilled tulingan or bakas, a traditional Islamic dish, for P200 apiece in Barangay 23-C Mini Forest, Quezon Boulevard where majority of residents are Muslim. Lean Daval Jr.

JCI Davao project to help small businesses By PRINCE SIMON CANDA and VANESSA KATE F. MADRAZO

HE Junior Chamber International (JCI) Davao created the Davao Business Developer, a project that will provide business, information technology (IT) and multimedia solutions for micro and small businesses in the city. The project also aims to develop micro businesses, events and organizations, convince investors and established companies to invest in these businesses and develop a sustainable organization that will help them.

Project manager Sanju Chugani, while acknowledging the fact that Davao is a promising area for investment and business as evidenced by a growing number of enterprises and industries spread across its urban landscape, the city has weak and outdated marketing strategies. Chugani, a professional multimedia designer and web developer, said that after making a research, he found out that many companies fell behind in adopting to the more

innovative schemes in attracting consumers and investors. Most local companies, he said, don’t have a marketing staff or sustainable ideas to expand their horizon, which prove they heavily lack in the public relations department. Aside from this, he said some of these firms even outsource their business solutions outside the country instead of utilizing local skills. Chugani cited the Davao Doctors Hospital, which is outsourcing in New Zealand in de-

veloping their website. “IT solutions are not well known and small businesses are not open to adopting to these services,” Chugani said in last Wednesday’s Club 888 media forum at the Marco Polo Davao. The company saw the potentiality of the local businesses- small and micro to thrive in the market and promote local products. This project will also bring more investors to invest in the city and create more

HE government expects the Philippine economy to grow stronger in the second half of 2015 after posting a slower growth in the first half, bolstering hope on the attainment of even the low end of 7 to 8-percent growth target this year. ”The second half will hopefully pick up. The third quarter especially is a low base,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Arsenio Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of the signing

Wednesday of a joint memorandum circular on evaluation policy framework with the Department of Budget and Management. Balisacan admitted that while achieving even the low end of growth target is a “big challenge”, “(but) we are not giving up, we have to work much harder especially in the government spending.” The NEDA chief cited positive drivers that could offset the impact of lower exports in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first se-

mester of the year. “We expect the private consumption will grow because inflation is low, remittances are low, oil prices are low and consumer confidence is still high,” he said, noting they also bank on investments and government spending in boosting the country’s economic growth. Balisacan said the country posted a slowdown in export performance in April and May 2015 amid fragile global economic conditions. “We have some challenges

because of exports. Globally, exports have been less robust than what we expected… Uncertainties are quite a drag in export growth,” he said, referring to the China stock market crash and the European problem on Greece’s debt crisis. Balisacan said the slowdown in global trade could be a drag on second-quarter GDP. The country’s GDP slowed down to 5.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015 from last year’s 5.6 percent due to weak government spending and lower exports. (PNA)

FJCI, 10

Robust economic growth seen in 2nd half T

“They need to tell their students not just to go after work, but build their own business,” Abella said. The city’s start-up community still needs to be further strengthen to influence young professionals and new graduates to venture into business, according to her. Also, talents here have huge potential because of their innovations that are al-

ready recognized abroad. However, support from the government is vital in the success of start-up. Abella said the pending bill in the Senate seeking tax exemption of start-up would help in promoting more IT professionals and graduates to venture into business and use their skills in developing products that would help the community in alleviating poverty.

N a meeting on July 15, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by President Benigno S. Aquino III, approved the new Civil Registry System Information Technology Project and changes in the NAIA Expressway Phase II and the Daang HariSLEX (South Luzon Expressway) Link Road Project. “The approval of the Civil Registry System Information Technology Project will extend and enhance the Philippine Statistics Authority’s civil registry document services, which is a highly critical need for Filipino citizens. Meanwhile, the adoption of changes in the NAIA Expressway Project, Phase II and the Daanghari-SLEX Link Road project are responsive in essentially reconciling the increasing need of motorists and the service capacity of these roads over the course of time,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. First, the NEDA Board approved the new Civil Registry System (CRS) Information

Technology Project of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The project involves the computerization of the civil registry operations of the PSA and is designed to collect, store, maintain, and manage civil registry documents and the specimen signatures of all city and municipal registrars using imaging technology. It will also include production of vital statistics and will make the civil registry services available nationwide through the CRS outlets and other authorized partners. Moreover, the project has an estimated total project cost of PhP1.59 billion, that will be implemented through public-private partnership. It has a concession period of 12 years including 2 years of development. With regards to the NAIA Expressway Project, Phase II, the NEDA Board approved to change the alignment from Domestic Road to Electrical Road. The transfer of the project

NEDA approves new civil registry project I

FNEDA, 10

Q2 2015 spending much better -- Abad

OVERNMENT spending, which is among the reasons for the slowdown of domestic growth in the first quarter of 2015, is seen to positively contribute to the economy’s expansion in the second quarter. “(It is) much better than the first quarter,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad told reporters Thursday. Growth in the first three months of the year remained strong at 5.2 percent but it is lower than quarter-ago’s 6.6 percent due mainly to lower government spending and net exports. Economic managers, thus, vowed to boost spending especially on necesary infrastructure projects to ensure that expansion of the economy will be for long term. Bureau of the Treasury

(BTr) data show that government expenditures in endApril this year grew by five percent to Php 660.6 billion compared to year-ago’s Php 626.1 billion. Abad disclosed that infrastructure disbursement of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) alone reached about P25 billion last June alone. “This has not happened before,” he added. Earlier, Abad said infrastructure spending for April to June this year would be higher since implementation of infrastructure projects set this year has started. He also cited that there are about P303 billion worth of projects under the 2014 budget that will only be implemented this year, thus, further boosting fiscal spending. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

STYLE

The mane event at

ROCKY’S

THERE is much to be said about the modern male, for starters the fashion sense of the urban man has evolved from basic to dapper, his tastes more cultured and polished. This air of male sophistication extends even to hair care, as it has become an integral part of modern men’s grooming. Aside from getting an up-to-date hair cut, any man’s crowning glory should get properly pampered to rid it of toxins as well as chemical build up due daily shampooing and conditioning. Heat, as well as perspiration and air pollution also contribute to hair stress which can lead to hair breakage. Normally, men would be forced to go to a fancy salon to get their hair treatments. Lucky for me, Rocky’s Barbershop, the first barbershop to open in the mall in Davao City recently rolled out their Hair Spa, hair therapy line. Now, aside from getting a sharp and snazzy

hair cut, one can now get choose from Hydrating, Purifying, and Stimulating Therapies to rejuvenate, protect and preserve their own head of hair. Since I use quite a number of hair products on my head, I decided to try Rocky’s Hydrating hair treatment which addresses dry scalp while restoring the natural beauty and health of hair. The experience while getting my hair treated was relaxing, with the stimulating serum giving a cool sensation on my scalp. For guys with dandruff problems, Gaga, the barber who was in-charge of my treatment, recom-

Aside from getting a snazzy hair cut, one can now get to choose from Hydrating, Purifying, and Stimulating Therapies to rejuvenate, protect and preserve one’s own head of hair.

At Rocky’s Barbershop Abreeza.

Getting my hair cut at Rocky’s.

Trying the Hydrating Hair Spa treatment.

mends Rocky’s Purifying treatment. The serum used for the treatment uses Piroctone Olamine, which has an anti-dandruff action that kills fungal infection that causes dandruff. It is also perfume free and is gentle to the hair and scalp. For guys who are afraid of falling hair, a Stimulating hair treatment which helps strengthen hair and addresses hair fall problems is a perfect remedy. After 30 minutes (time passes quickly thanks to Rocky’s free wifi), my hair was rinsed revealing totally soft and manageable hair. My scalp also felt refreshed and clean and re-

laxed thanks to the cooling sensation of the Hair Spa serum. I am afraid that this level of grooming and pampering will be habit forming, but knowing that my mane will be cared for by Rocky’s and their almost 20 years of hair experience, I know my locks are in good hands. The new Hair Spa treatments are available in all branches of Rocky’s Barbershop in Davao and General Santos cities. Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter at @kennethkingong for more foodie finds, travel stories, and happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

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EVENT

Opening the University Fair last July 9 were (LR): JCI Davao president Louel Zambrano (5th from the left), Malaysian Consul General Abdullah Zawawi Tahir, Counc. Mabel Sunga-Acosta, SM City Davao mall manager Lynette Lopez, DOLE XI regional director Atty. Joffrey Suyao and SM assistant vice president for operations-Mindanao Debby Go.

MinDA, TESDA and JCI at the SM City Davao Univ Fair

LAST July 9 to 11, forums on topics related to education and career planning were conducted at SM City Davao’s University Fair at the mall’s Event Center. On the first day, Mindanao Development Authority’s director of investment promotions and public affairs Romeo M. Montenegro gave a talk on ASEAN integration where he discussed how it can affect the local economy. He said that the forthcoming integration poses a wide range of opportunities for all ASEAN member countries including its workforce. Private and government agencies presented their scholarship programs on the second day. SM Foundation, Inc. which has been running the college scholarship program since 1993 has produced over 1,900 graduates and currently supports 1,500 scholars in 82 partner colleges and universities, nationwide. The Davao City Water District who started their scholarship program in the same year has also supported underprivileged but deserving students with its academic and non-academic programs. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) offers “Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP)” for qualified beneficiaries/dependents of OFWs. It is available to those beneficiaries who in-

tend to enroll in any four to five-year baccalaureate course, in any university across the country and any Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-accredited institution or in privately-owned tertiary or vocational institutions. The Davao Light and Power Company meanwhile, offers purposive scholarships to engineering students who are in their sophomore year. The recipients of the program will also get the chance to work in DLPC or their affiliate companies. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) also presented their online courses which interested parties may avail for free. After completing the online course modules, participants may opt to take face-to-face assessment for National Certification at any TESDA accredited assessment center or venue. On the last day, the Junior Chamber International Davao conducted a career forum aimed at giving future college students a glimpse of their possible professions. Among their speakers were Cong. Karlo Nograles and Counc. Bernie Al-ag. The University Fair was started in 2013. This

The National University Pep Squad at the fair opening.

Honorable Consul Tomoko Dodo at SM City Davao University Fair. The Japanese Consular Office facilitates a number of scholarships programs which give Filipino youth opportunities to study in Japan.

Nicole Bian with staff from JIB School.

Students at the University Fair year’s fair was participated in by Ateneo de Zamboanga and Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro (Xavier University), International Academy for Film and Television (Bigfoot) from Cebu, Dumaguete’s Silli-

man University, Manila’s National University, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, Mapua College of Technology, University of Santo Tomas and SoFA Design Institute. Davao-based schools

Mr Romeo Montenegro of Mindanao Development Authority. also joined the event Entrepreneurship, Joji Ilato showcase their pro- gan Career Center Foungrams—Ateneo de Davao dation, MOST Institute of University, Davao Doc- Davao, Philippine Womtor’s College, Fashion In- en’s College, University of stitute of Design and Arts, Mindanao and University Institute of International of the Philippines in MinCulinary and Hospitality danao.

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EDGEDAVAO

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ENTERTAINMENT

Denim Citizens, Never the Strangers and Vince Lahorra at SM Lanang Premier

APART from the 70 percent off on incredible selections mallwide and a chance to win a brand new Suzuki Grand Vitara in the raffle, loads of fashion and musical entertainment await shoppers at SM Lanang Premier this Great 3-Day Sale weekend, July 17 to 19.

Kicking off the festive sale events at the metro’s premier shopping and lifestyle destination on July 17 are live performances at the Atrium of DJ Tien Batu at 10am12pm and DJ Wacky Masbad at 5pm-7pm. On July 18, 6pm, the #DenimCitizens trunk show and meet and greet with SM Youth Ambassadors LA Aguinaldo and Richard Juan will happen at the Atrium. It will feature clothes from the Denim Collection of SM Youth, the Boys Teens’ Wear department of The SM Store composed of four primary brands: Tee Culture, Markus, Tank, Character Tees and Reef Break. Admission to the show is free. While they may be new to the Davao scene,

tain Court grounds for Playlist Live. Composed of songwriter Ace Libre, vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist JP del Mundo, bassist Gab Palanca and drummer Nash Ignacio, Never the Strangers will play songs from their new album release, “Screenburn,” under Universal Records. On Sunday, July 19, at 5pm, one of the coun-

try’s finest saxophonists – Vince Lahorra – will serenade mallgoers with his own brand of jazz music at the Atrium. Catch awesome events at SM Lanang Premier this July 17-19! For inquiries, contact 285-0943. You can also check out SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for sale alerts, promos and event updates.

both LA Aguinaldo and Richard Juan have gained a following in the social media and TV circuits in Metro Manila and beyond. A model and traveler, Aguinaldo has amassed over 37,000 followers on Instagram since he started sharing photos of his trips to different countries. Meanwhile, Aguinaldo is a Hong Kong-Chinese TV personality and model based in the Philippines. Right after the #DenimCitizens mini fashion show on Saturday night, at 7pm, Pinoy pop rock band Never the Strangers – known mainly for the toothpaste jingle “Moving Closer” – will perform at The Foun-

‘Oh My G’ stars draw thousands of fans to thanksgiving show THOUSANDS of fans flocked to the grand fans day of ABS-CBN’s top-rating daytime drama series “Oh My G” last July 12 at SM City San Pablo, Laguna.

To personally thank their supporters, “Oh My G” lead stars Janella Salvador, Marlo Mortel, and Manolo Pedrosa bonded with their fans through nonstop surprises and must-see production numbers. Among those who joined Marlo, Manolo, and Janella in “Oh My G’s” thanksgiving mall show are their co-stars Maris Racal, Kazel Kinouchi, Kate Alejandrino, Axel Torres, Tom Doromal, Paolo Gumabao, Kokoy de Santos, Veronica Reyes, Teetin Villan-

July 15 – 21, 2015

ANT-MAN

ueva, Brigs Aricheta, and Ganiel Krishnan. Meanwhile, in its last two weeks, “Oh My G” will surely keep TV viewers glued to their TVs now that Sophie (Janella) has discovered her sister Anne (Yen Santos) is suffering from an incurable illness. How will Sophie fight her sister’s battle now

that Anne is still in a coma? Will Anne still be able to wake up and recover from her illness? Don’t miss the final episode of “Oh My G” on July 24 (Friday), before “It’s Showtime” on ABSCBN Prime-Tanghali. For more information about “Oh My G” log on to www.abs-cbn.com, or follow @abcbndotcom

on Twitter. For more updates, log on to www. abs-cbn.com or follow @ abscbndotcom on Twitter. Meanwhile, viewers may also catch up on full episodes and past episodes of “Oh My G” through ABS-CBNmobile. For more information, please go to www. abscbnmobile.com.

Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly PG

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

MAGIC MIKE XXL Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Banks, Amber Heard R16

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

THE BREAKUP PLAYLIST/ * TERMINATOR GENISYS Sarah Geronimo, Piolo Pascual/ *J.K. Simmons, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney PG / * PG

R-16

12:15 | 2:30 LFS / * 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

MINIONS Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock PG

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

A4 INdulge! ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

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Geoff Eigenmann likes his food ‘saucy’ THIS SUNDAY, Idol sa Kusina goes with the battle cry “Sarsa pa lang, ulam na” as Chef Boy Logro and Bettinna Carlos team up in the kitchen to serve “saucy” classic Pinoy favorites! Kapuso leading man Geoff Eigenmann joins in on the fun food trip that will surely get everyone started on extra rice servings!

With the rainy season kicking in, warm up the night with some light yet tasty Spanish-Style Fish Sarciado. Start heating the frying pans and cook along as Chef Boy, Bettina, and Geoff prepare a special version of Chicken Afritada. Enjoy the classic flavors of an all original Pinoy Pork Menudo and discover how to cook an irresistible pot of Beef Mechado! Wrapping up this saucy feast is the special Buco Pandan courtesy of

the dessert department. Looks like everyone’s going to get extra servings of rice to go with

this Sunday’s episode of Idol sa Kusina, beginning at 7:15PM on GMA News TV.

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

7 ENVIRONMENT

Bringing back Bicol’s Bankulis Sustainable tuna management might just bring back the big fish

ATE afternoon and we’re holed up in a hut along the coast of Tiwi in Albay, trading fish tales and waiting for fishermen to return. Sitting around us are their wives, mending nets and eyeing the swelling crowd of kids cajoling in the surf. This time of year, highly-prized bankulis or yellowfin tuna pass through Albay by the thousands. The first of the outrigger bancas arrive, unloading a decent haul of pundahan or skipjack – small, striped tuna which have proven surprisingly resilient to commercial fishing. Bancas two and three return empty-handed while a fourth disgorges a tub of galunggong or scad. Few yellowfin tuna are landed. “The Lagonoy Gulf is the Bicol region’s richest tuna site – but it is heavily overfished,” explains BFAR National Stock Assessment Project Head Virginia Olaño.

“Two decades ago, fishers regularly caught large yellowfin. In 1998, a fisherman landed a 196 kilogramme giant, long as a car and fat as a drum. Now yields are waning and yellowfin average just 18 to 35 kilogrammes – meaning juveniles have replaced adults.” Though yellowfin tuna are economically-valuable, they’re far more than just seafood. Top predators in the marine food chain, they maintain the balance between oceanic predators and prey. “Today the Lagonoy Gulf’s most common fish are anchovies,” warns Olaño. “There aren’t enough predators to eat them – because we’ve eaten most of their predators.” Gulf-wide Meeting of Tuna Fishers To stop overfishing and help manage existing tuna stocks in Bicol, the World Wide Fund for Nature

(WWF), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), plus the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) convened the first meeting of the Gulf of Lagonoy Tuna Fishers Federation (GLTFF), comprised of the coastal municipalities ringing the Lagonoy Gulf – 3070-square kilometres of sea separating the Bicol mainland from the stormswept island of Catanduanes. Over 500 people attended Bicol’s first large-scale gathering of fishers, held at the Lagman Auditorium of Bicol University’s Tabaco Campus last June. “We’ve waited three years to formalize this federation, which covers 2000 tuna fishers in the Lagonoy Gulf,” says BFAR Assistant Regional Director Marjurie Grutas. “GLTFF aims to synergize fisheries management while optimizing cooperation, knowledge-sharing and

Bankulis or yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) are the most highly-prized fish in Bicol’s Lagonoy Gulf. A fisher shows off a 39-kilogramme fish. A decade ago, golden-finned bankulis were much larger. (Gregg Yan / WWF)

Fisherman hauling a 30-kilogramme yellowfin tuna in Albay. The giant fish are processed and exported to a host of international destinations. (Gregg Yan / WWF)

A fisherman returns from a successful trip in Tiwi. Circular tuna handline reels ensure that fishers catch just one fish at a time - an alternative to bag-nets which cordon off entire fish schools and long-lines with up to 3000 dangling hooks. (Gregg Yan / WWF) enforcement. We aim to eliminate illegal fishing, minimize the capture of juvenile tuna and drive commercial fishers away from municipal waters – the three leading causes of overfishing.” Since 2011, WWF has been working to enhance yellowfin tuna management practices for 5000 fishers in 112 tuna fishing villages around the Lagonoy Gulf and the coast of Occidental Mindoro. WWF’s Public Private Partnership Programme Towards Sustainable Tuna (PPTST) has since organized tuna fishing associations in all 15 municipalities in the Lagonoy Gulf, plus six LGUs in the Mindoro Strait. It spearheaded the registration and licensing of tuna fishers, vessels and

gear to minimize bycatch and illegal fishing, deployed 1000 plastic tuna tags to make the fishery traceable, and completed a series of training sessions on proper tuna handling to ensure that exported tuna continually meet international quality standards. PPTST harnesses market power and consumer demand to promote sustainably-caught tuna and support low-impact fishing methods like artisanal fishing with hand-line reels – better alternatives to commercial tuna long-lines, which stretch up to 80 kilometres and are rigged with up to 3000 baited hooks. Funded by Coop, Bell Seafood, Seafresh and the German Investment and Development Corporation, PPTST involves

European seafood companies plus their local suppliers, BFAR, local government units in the Bicol Region and Mindoro, the WWF Coral Triangle Programme, WWF-Germany plus WWF-Philippines. Today about 52% of the country’s fish exports come from tuna, which buoys the lives and livelihoods of millions of Filipinos. WWF’s Global Oceans Campaign, Sustain Our Seas, builds on decades of work to rekindle the health and productivity of the Earth’s oceans. “By working to conserve their shared resource, Lagonoy Gulf’s fishers might someday herald the return of the big fish,” says WWF’s Joann Binondo. Now that fish tale should be worth the wait.

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

EDITORIAL Practicing hygiene in the food industry

HE food poisoning cases that victimized about 2,000 people has a simple solution afterall--proper personal hygiene. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came out with their findings that staphylococcus bacteria was behind the food poisoning incidence in Caraga region. The laboratory tests showed that “staphyloccocus bacteria” was present and matched in the symptoms manifested by patients such as vomiting, stomach ache, according to Dr. Ma. Lourdes Santiago, acting deputy director general of FDA. Dr. Santiago said that staphyloccus is a type of bacteria that is link to food poisoning because it is found in the human skin hair, especially if there is an open wound like pimples. The solution? Practice hand hygiene. Contamination could have been caused by transfer of bacteria through hand contact. The FDA tests revealed that bacteria may have contaminated the candies during their mis-

EDGEDAVAO

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handling in the production process. It could have taken place during the production of the candies, or during and after the preparation, and even in supply chains. Contamination can happen also if those engaged in the production go to comfort room and had caught bacteria, which may transfer to the food they were repacking. DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin emphasized that food preparation should be accompanied with corresponding hygienic activity. People engaged in food production or food processing has to understand that hygiene is very important because it is in their hands lies the safety of those who will consume their product. Wearing of gloves, hairnet and other hygienic equipment and tools in the factory is imperative. Food business owners should police their ranks and ensure that everyone who comes in contact with food should be free from bacteria. It’s a simple solution but it’s also the most neglected.

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE

LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND D. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Specialist General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Mobile: (Smart) 0930-669-3018 Tel: (088) 852-4894

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EDGEDAVAO

HILE reading a local daily recently, I came across a news report that eating shellfish and so-called “alamang” harvested from Balite Bay in Mati City was still not safe. The reason: they are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) “that is beyond the regulatory limit.” Other than those mentioned above, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe to eat provided they are fresh and washed thoroughly before being cooked. In layman’s term, PSP is red tide. Despite several studies being done, no one still knows when and where red tide started. But some people believe that the first occurrence was recorded in the Holy Bible. In Exodus 7:2021, these words were written: “Moses raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water.” Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Resources Development (PCAMRD), said red tide is a natural phenomenon brought about by the bloom or predominance of a floating microscopic organism known as dinoflagellates. These “single-celled organisms can swim at the maximum rate of one meter per hour, by means of two whip-like flagella.” The University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) said the name red tide was coined due to the sea water discoloration which ranges from amber, red, brown, yellow orange to purple caused by the highly-dense population of dinoflagellates. To make it short, its present name was given. In science, it is called harmful algal blooms (HABs). Experts say red tides occur in warm seas and in calm coastal waters, usually between the end of warm months and the onset of the rainy season. They may last from a few

CLIMATE scientist and a doctor in math education came to my home for dinner. They are two of the newest citizens of Davao City, having come from prestigious institutions in Manila. Dressed simply and ruggedly, they radiated energy and intelligence that belied disappointments felt within. It was their first payday at another prestigious institution here in Davao, of which I am also part. Shockwaves coursed through their being at having received over 50% less than what they used to make, less taxes and deductions. I tried consoling them by saying that the cost of living in Davao is much cheaper than in Manila. I invited them to my own cabin in the woods located in the city to give them a Davao welcome. In the course of the dinner, we got to joking about the relatively small pay and our coming to terms with it. We recognize that our job is something we truly enjoy, that we give our whole bodies and souls for it. Yet, just looking

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VANTAGE POINTS

Understanding red tide hours to sev- THINK ON THESE! eral months, depending on the prevailing conditions in the area. Of the 2,000 dinoflagellates known, only 20 species produce toxins or Henrylito D. Tacio poisonous sub- henrytacio@gmail.com stances that kill humans. The red tide organism that caused deaths in the country has been identified as Pyrodinium bahanse var. compressum. In medical parlance, red tide poisoning is referred to as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The P. bahamense, according to Dr. Guerrero, is capable of horizontal and vertical movements in the water. Being attracted to sunlight, it rises up to the surface during daytime and settles at the bottom in the dark hours. The organism multiplies rapidly through asexual means (without sex cells) during its productive stage which results in bloom. For its resting or dormant stage, the organism reproduces sexually and form cysts which “hibernate” in the sediment until activated by favorable conditions in the next outbreak. Marine scientist Howard Seliger said that red tide is triggered by the increased nutrients in coastal currents. In his book,Biology, Epidemiology and Management of Pyrodinium Red Tide, he said that in the past there was not enough food in the currents to allow them to be carried over long distances. But now, Seliger believes that more nutrients may be entering coastal waters “due to increased discharges of industrial and human wastes into waterways and decreased

natural filtering due to deforestation.” This finding has been bolstered by Dr. Teresita M. Espino of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. “When there is so much waste, it becomes conducive to the growth of microorganisms that deplete the oxygen. The oxygen is eaten by the shellfishes which may cause the red tide incidence,” she explained. The red tide organism that beset the Philippine waters, Seliger said, thrives only in coastal waters and lagoons under conditions of high salinity. It does not survive in freshwater bodies, he added. “Humans die when they consume shellfish, particularly mussels, that are contaminated with red tide organisms,” Dr. Guerrero pointed out. Mussel is the common name given for any marine or freshwater bivalve mollusk closely related to oysters and scallops. “Being filter-feeders, the mussels take in the red tide organisms from the water which are accumulated in their internal organs,” Dr. Guerrero explained. Other shellfishes that filter-feed on the dinoflagellates include oysters and clams. Fish and other seafoods such as squids, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, and seaweeds are generally safe to eat even when caught from red tide infested waters provided they are washed thoroughly and the internal organs are removed. Dr. Guerrero warned that people still get poisoned even if the mussels are cooked because the toxin is not destroyed by heat. The poison in the red tide organism is known as saxitoxin, a water soluble salt that affects the nervous system. The potency of saxitoxin has been reported to increase by acidic chemicals like vinegar used in preparing common Filipino dishes like adobo and paksiw, and the hydrochloric acid present in the human stomach.

Saxitoxin is detrimental to the nervous system. “Saxitoxin blocks the sodium channels of excitable membranes of the nervous system and associated muscles resulting in death by respiratory paralysis in extreme cases,” said Dr. Eric A. Tayag, one of the country’s noted epidemiologists. Health officials said PSP victims have symptoms of tingling or burning sensation on the lips, tongue and face within 30 minutes after eating shellfishes with red tide organisms. The gastrointestinal symptoms are vomiting, abdominal pain, water diarrhea, nausea, and hypersalivation. PSP-affected persons experience sensory abnormalities, numbness, dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, and short-tongue sensation. In severe cases, they cannot walk, and they breathe, swallow, and speak with difficulty. Some die from inability to breathe spontaneously. Medical experts said that if recognized early, the shellfish poison can still be eliminated from the stomach by inducing vomiting or washing it out (lavage through a stomach tube). But once the poison has entered the circulation, only supportive treatment can help, to keep the victim alive until the poison is eliminated. Since there is still no known antidote to red tide poison, Dr. Guerrero said the best way to prevent PSP is to avoid the consumption of contaminated shellfishes during the ban imposed by the government authorities. Levels exceeding 80 micrograms of toxin per 100 grams of shellfish meat warrant a ban on the harvest, sales, and ingestion of implicated shellfishes, according to the World Health Organization. In the Philippines, a ban is issued when the toxic levels have exceeded 40 micrograms of toxin per 100 grams of shellfish meat.

at our payslips can be a dismaying experience especially since we have come from high-paying jobs in Manila. My husband runs a machineries business and he keeps teasing me about my salary, saying that it is just the price of one small China-made generator. He tells me that I am worth so much more. Nevertheless, he respects and understands my career path because it is where I find my fulfilment and happiness. My guests and I are highly-educated intelligent women who can laugh at our choices even

as we gripe about the outcomes. Educated in the best schools here and abroad, we have a strong sense of self that allows us to find our worth in who we really are and not in how much we earn. We still give our all despite the small pay because it is never just about the money. As we walk around the village to whet our appetite for dinner, we savour the rustic environment with the huge trees casting shadows in the sunset. We share stories about our work and researches, about the interesting people we have encountered, about how we ended up in our respective fields. Climate change, square roots, and virtue pepper our conversation. It is comforting to know that we all shared eureka moments we held on to and pursued despite the seeming craziness and impracticality. Marriage and babies have been postponed for immersion in realms of knowledge the majority will never appreciate. Still, we recognize that we are blessed in the people who love and sup-

port us. There is the husband who cooks for us or who allows us to carry our own names, the solicitous mother who listens to our stories, and the aunt who shelters us. In choosing to carve paths off the beaten track, the more we recognize that the people who hold our hands are extra-special. These people have also gone off the beaten track with us. We have committed to sharing not only our knowledge in science, math, and philosophy but also our whole selves. We are pursuing pure realms of knowledge that seem esoteric in a developing country with a third world mentality. This is especially an uphill struggle when popular culture primarily appreciates the fast, flashy, and lucrative. This is especially an uphill struggle when our pay leaves so much to be desired. Nevertheless, we still found wealth because we found ourselves amidst the cacophony of competing material needs and societal expectations.

Off the beaten track

10 NEWS EXPECT... FROM 1

Albani and DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace C. Driz said the operation was highly successful because of the coordination among the agencies involved and proper planning. Driz said it took them one month to pull COPlan Kaagapay off as they had to wait for the search warrants to be issued first by the courts. “This has to be planned well so that everything would

be smooth,” Driz said in the same forum. Albani said after the raid, PDEA and other law enforcers are now staging the barangay clearing operations as a continuing effort in the fight against illegal drugs. Tapping the barangay officials in the anti-drug drive, he said, is necessary as they are the ones who know the activities of the people living in their respective areas.

because many of them have children. He said he wants the women to undergo rehabilitation if they are found positive of drug use. He also said he will let social workers intervene and assess the suspects, although he is leaving the investigation of the case to the police. “Pasudlonon nako ang social workers, ipa assess tamo individually kung unsa ang buhaton kung irelease ba o prisohon (I will let social workers in

to assess the suspects individually to see if they should be released or detained),” he said. Duterte also gave incentives to the operating police units which he said should be used for their next operations. CIDG director Benjamin Magalong lauded the support of the city government and for making the operation easier. Magalong said unlike many other places in the country, Davao City gives overwhelming support to police operations.

2012 ambush in Barangay Kimlawis of Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur that led to the killing of a retired police officer hired by SMI as security consultant and three other police escorts. In October 2012, he eluded arrest in an operation staged by the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion (IB) at his house in Barangay Kimlawis but his wife Juvy and two sons were killed after allegedly being caught in the crossfire. Capion, who repeatedly admitted responsibility over the killings in various media interviews, said he had taken up arms to stop the supposed

encroachment of SMI into their ancestral lands. Meantime, Briones said Capion, who is considered a high-profile detainee, will temporarily remain under the custody of the Tampakan municipal police station pending a decision from the RTC Branch 25. He said they already sent additional personnel from the Provincial Police Public Safety Company to augment the security at the Tampakan police station. The official said they also requested troops from the 27IB to help secure the facility and its vicinity.

sustainable organizations that will aid the growth of the micro and small businesses in Davao. “The problem of the city is that lots of establishment outsource outside in the Philippines rather than investing in their own city” Chugani said, The project offers features and solutions such as business model analysis, marketing and promotions and business

re-branding, web design development, graphic design and illustration, animation and videography, and client referrals and linking. “I feel if they [small businesses] will be more open, it will really increase progression and the economy,” Chugani added. JCI Davao will officially launch the project in the first week of August.

alignment from the Domestic Road to the Parañaque River/Electrical Road is in line with DPWH’s recommendation, which will require an additional cost amounting to PhP2.07 billion. The project was confirmed by the NEDA Board on May 30, 2012. Another is the approval of the change in scope of the Daang Hari- SLEX Link Road Project, which will construct additional civil works to improve overall access to and from both roads of the project. This includes a provision for future expansion of the SLEX for a possible fifth lane for

both directions. This is supported by the Toll Regulatory Board’s October 29, 2012 letter to DPWH citing that SLEX was already under Level of Service C and would eventually reach critical level by the year 2018. The cap of the additional cost for this change is PhP223.02 million. The NEDA Board previously approved the project on July 8, 2011. Meanwhile, the NEDA Board will still discuss anew the proposed Bonifacio Global City Ortigas Road Link of the DPWH to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

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The National Bureau of Investigation, the BangkoSentral ng Pilipinas, and the Department of Trade and Industry are also investigating Emgoldex’s pyramid scheme. A cease and desist order had reportedly been imposed on Emgoldex in Massachusetts, USA, and it has reportedly been banned in Finland, Co-

lombia, Estonia, and Panama. People who try to recruit “investors” in Emgoldex claim that the company is registered in Europe, but a complaint filed by Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin showed that it is registered in the Seychelles, an island nation off Africa. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

ed the finished products. The Business Bureau closed the JJCM manufacturing plant on Monday morning after the City Health Office (CHO) found that the workers there have no health cards.

Wendy’s Delicious Durian Candy has been dragged to controversy after its products allegedly caused massive poisoning to around 1,900 school children in Surigao del Sur last week.

manufactured. She said that mycotoxins analysis earlier conducted yielded negative results. Meanwhile during the same press briefing DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin emphasized that food preparation should be accompanied with corresponding hygienic activity. “For those engaged in food production/food processing hygiene is very important because it is in their hands lies the safety of those who will consume their product,” said Garin. Garin added that for those involved in the production side, they should conform with certain good ideal prac-

Court Justice and former government chief peace negotiator MarvicLeonen. Also listed by Atienza and dela Cruz as respondent was the late Datu Antonio Kinoc, a B’laan leader and member of the MILF peace panel who passed away prior to the filing of their complaint. “The situation seems to call for action by your ethics panel or its functional equivalent, even an ad hoc one, to avoid a repetition of the mischief,” Saguisag said in a formal letter complaint transmitted to the office of Belmonte yesterday morning. “The two congressmen… have to be probed by their peers as a guide to future action and prevent a repeat of premature ejaculation, as it (was), causing needless departmental tension,” Saguisag argued. “(Atienza and dela Cruz being) at war most needlessly with Malacañang and

the Supreme Court is not in the national interest.” Saguisag serves as the legal counsel of Ferrer, peace panel members former Agriculture secretary SenenBacani, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Secretary YasminBusran-Lao, and peace panel consultant National Security Undersecretary Zenonida F. Brosas. “The superior idea should prevail and therefore the arguably misguided duo should be reminded to win over their peers, and not to pick any needless quarrel with the executive, and even a sitting Supreme Court Justice, with remarkable incomprehensible and mind-boggling charges of treason and sedition,” Saguisag said. Saguisag, who served as a senator from 1987 to 1992, said he had struggled against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos along with Atienza

and dela Cruz. “As my courageous comrades in the struggle against the late unlamented dictatorship, the duo should have learned to be tolerant of ideas they may disagree with, and even despise. This may well be the first time one is sought to be jailed peacefully inciting with ideas, posing no clear and present danger,” he said. The former senator said the only “ weapon” used by the peace officials were “words, words, words.” He also suggested to Atienza and dela Cruz that if they are really against the peace process, they should just “get their peers to vote NO on the basis of legally tenable, intellectually respectable, and psychologically satisfying arguments.” “Lawmakers are in the business of crafting laws and policies, not in jailing people,” Saguisag said.

slowly crawled towards the lower part of the house which was concrete but one of us was already injured,” said a source named Neri, referring to Leticia Bonghanoy Cabrera, 52, who was hit by a bullet in the right shoulder. The women said an NPA medic gave first aid treatment to Cabrera, but they felt sorry for the soldier who yielded to the rebels to save them from harm. Barangay chair Emelyn Bucio said around 30 other residents, mostly children, were near the basketball court and stage when the incident happened. “Some of the soldiers were playing basketball with the residents while a lot of people were watching and children were in the area when the firing started. The soldiers tried to hide inside the barangay hall to avoid the NPA’s superior firepower,” Bucio said. “One grenade landed on the stage where there were several children. That is the area where the 14-year old child was wounded,” a teary-eyed Bucio said, referring to Ellen May Hinampas Hiludo, who was wounded in the back. The grenade did not explode, but the barangay official admitted she could still remember how the residents screamed as explosions and gunfire erupted. “We have a small barangay with around 530 people. We know each other I cannot im-

age what might have happened if someone was killed,” she said. No children in school On Tuesday morning, only 10 out of 120 pupils from kindergarten to grade six went to school. “Only 10 kids came to school today. We went to the parents and asked around and they said most of the children are still traumatized and don’t want to go to school,” said Cecil Rana, grade 2 teacher at Alagatan Elementary School. “We just asked those who came to go home, and we also encouraged the parents to let the children just play and enjoy the company of other children,” she said. Gingoog City Mayor Marie Guingona expressed her concerns over the welfare of the children. “We have sent a team of trauma volunteers to help the children cope with what they had been through. Right now this is a priority and we don’t want the children and other people in the community to be traumatized and remember this incident,” Guingona said. In April 2013, former Gingoog mayor Ruthie Guingona, mother of the incumbent mayor, was wounded in an ambush staged by the NPA near Alagatan. Three of the elder Guingona’s aides were killed in the attack. A Hero All of those who hid in the

house in front of the CVO outpost said they were grateful to the soldier who surrendered to the NPA to avoid harm to the civilians. “For us he was a hero, he exchanged his life for our safety. He could have killed several NPAs from his vantage point above the CVO outpost but he did not fire back or even throw a grenade towards the house,” said Greg, who requested not to reveal his real name. Gem said the soldier shouted: “Please, there are civilians. The civilians are in the house.” “If the soldier fired back, my God, we all would have been dead. Thanks he did not fire at our location and even surrendered. “It was a very frightening experience. I just left it all to God if he would take us that day. Then I asked for forgiveness in my prayer and for my children. I held on to my faith in God.” The Clash “The incident happened at around 5:30 in the afternoon within the community after around 30 members of the NPA opened fired upon the troops unmindful of the presence of the civilians in the area. This lead to the death of one of our trooper, while the rebels dragged another soldier after he was hit in the right leg,” said Captain Jo Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the Army 4th Infantry Division. (Erwin Mascarinas with a report from H. Marcos C. Mordeno/ MindaNews)

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tice such as ensuring that those who prepares and handle the food are responsible in wearing the proper clothes. She said that wearing of sleeveless dress was not advisable especially if the one involved in the manufacturing was sweating. Contamination can happen also if those engaged in the production go to comfort room and had caught bacteria, which may transfer to the food they were repacking. Most of the children that were food poisoned by the candies ages ranges from 10 to 14 years old. Other samples of candies are still under the continuous analysis.(PNA) Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular Service Case No.2011-XI-00576 EMILIA ROSARIO E. PASTORIZA, Petitioner

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

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular Service on the route: TAGURANO and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate will expire on February 9, 2016. In the petition filed on June 22, 2015, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized. NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on JULY 29, 2015 at 09:40 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time. This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence. WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 22nd day of June 2015 at Davao City.. TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transportation Development Officer

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

11 BIGGER PICTURE PLANT VISIT. Mindanao journalists visit the Cleanergy Center in Barangay Bitin, Bay, Laguna

STEAM POWER 101. AboitizPower CSR specialist Richelle Pawig (right) explains the workings of a steam turbine to Davao City journalist Carmelito Q. Francisco

ALL STEAMED UP Harnessing nature for a sustainable future By JON JOAQUIN jon@edgedavao.net

T may be hard for Dabawenyos to believe especially since a coalfired power plant is located right in our neighborhood, but AboitizPower’s total 3,044 Megawatts of power production all over the country actually consists of 40 percent (or 1,217 MW) renewable energy. While the company constantly gets flak for its non-renewable power plants, it is actually working hard to increase its portfolio of energy sourced from geothermal and hydroelectric power, and soon it will even venture into solar energy. A few journalists (including myself) had a chance to visit a geothermal power plant last week in the so-called MakBan (Makiling-Banahaw) area in Luzon, and it was an educational and eye-opening tour. The plant is located in Barangay Bitin, Bay, Laguna, and you know you’re near

STEAMED. A network of pipes cris-cross the entire area when you begin to see a network of large pipes that look like they’re part of some huge video game. There are actually five power plants here, labeled from Alpha to Echo, and there is a small binary plant that harnesses excess heat to produce a smaller amount of power. The total output of the Makban plant is 467 Megawatts. In theory a geothermal power plant works very simply: heat from magma within the earth heats underground water and turns it into steam. This steam is brought up to the surface through pipes, and after being cleaned of impurities it is used to spin large turbines that are attached to power generators. The electricity produced is then sent to the grid, adding to the power that is used by the country (or just Luzon, as in the case of the Makban plant). Since geothermal energy

CLEAN ENERGY. The compound of one of the power plants, with the cooling tower on the left

is supposed to be renewable, the story doesn’t end there. The steam is turned back into water through a cooling plant and then reinjected to the earth, which will then be turned back to steam and brought back up to the power plant to be used to spin its turbines. This is clean energy, with not a drop of fossil fuel used to generate power. Even the cooling plant uses an air-cooling system; no coolants or anything that can damage the environment.

Challenging Like I said it is simple in theory, but the engineering requirements can be challenging — including drilling three kilometers deep into the earth to tap the steam trapped in there. At the plant we also saw samples of large drill bits and turbines and other mechanical equipment that are employed to produce power.

I said “supposed to be renewable” because the water that is reinjected is only a fraction of the steam that had been extracted. AboitizPower tries to use as much of the steam’s energy as it can (through the smaller binary power plant), but a system like this (or any other system, for that matter) is never 100-percent efficient, otherwise it would be a perpetual motion machine which, as we know, is an absurdity. Also, not enough water gets naturally reintroduced to the earth, and so the power plant’s power output is actually decreasing at a rate of 6 percent per year. This means that in about 15 years only one plant will be operational, and from then it is a matter of time before the plant is unable to produce any more power. Currently, in fact, only two or three of the plant’s five generators operate at any given time, down from full opera-

tion when it opened in 1979 (then under the National Power Corporation). Richelle Pawig, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) specialist of AboitizPower who led us through a tour of the Cleanergy Center (an educational facility within the plant — more on Cleanergy at the end of this article), said the company is addressing this by leading tree-planting activities in the area to protect the watershed. Also, all the wastewater in the plant facility is reinjected into the earth, and our group joked that we were helping provide power to Luzon by using the restroom. Cleanergy So what’s next for AboitizPower? The company announced late last year that it is partnering with US-based SunEdison, Inc. to explore the development of up to 300 MW

of “utility-scale photovoltaic power generation” projects in the Philippines over the next three years. This solar energy project will be put in place initially in Luzon and Negros. The company will also venture into waste-to-energy technology in the coming years. AboitizPower calls this initiative “Cleanergy,” a word it coined to describe an energy solution that aims to give consumers an option to reduce their carbon footprint and attain a more sustainable lifestyle. According to the company, Cleanergy communicates its vision to offer an energy solution that leaves a lighter impact on Earth’s climate and its limited resources, and to promote the usage of clean and renewable energy from sources that are sustainable and cleaner than fossil fuels. It’s doable, and it must be done before it’s too late.

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NEWS13

President Aquino nears naming his anointed one A

FTER meeting with three possible candidates for two highest positions in 2016 elections, President Benigno Aquino III

on Thursday said he is closer to naming his anointed one in the presidential race. ”I think the best that I can say at this point, in this

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minute, is a am closer to that point,” President Aquino said during a media interview after the turnover of command rites of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at the Camp Crame. The President met with Senators Grace Poe, Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas for six hours starting at 7 p.m. last Wednesday at the Bahay Pangarap in Malacanang. Poe, the No. 1 senator in the mid-term 2013 midterm elections under the administration Team PNoy ticket, said they agreed that the progress

of our country will depend on the right leadership. ”That’s why we agreed that it is important to consider the voice and guide of our people to make sure that running of our government will be not go to waste but will enhance further,” Poe said. Escudero, who supported President Aquino in the 2010 presidential election, said the meeting was ‘cordial and relaxed.’ ”We talked about a lot of things other than 2016,” Escudero said. In choosing his anointed

one in 2016, President Aquino said he has to also consult other stakeholders including the non-government organizations and civil society groups. ”All the parties and people present last night agreed that there is a big improvement of our country in the past five years and it is natural that we should continue this kind of transformation,” President Aquino said. President Aquino said the success of leadership can be measured by the ability of the leader to name his successor. ”And I am very glad that

there is such a big pool of people who will continue the struggle to really get our people to where they should be,” he said. The President said he is hoping that he will be able to announce his endorsement after his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27. President Aquino said he will continue to hold meeting with concerned groups including the hierarchy of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) whom he will meet on Thursday. (PNA)

14 AGRITRENDS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

Lapu-lapu can be raised commercially Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

HETHER in the Philippines or in other parts of the world, Chinese restaurants are not complete without a bubbling tankful of

grouper. “Many Asians believe that eating red fish kept alive just moments before cooking is not only more savory, but also the secret to a long and prosperous life,” wrote Gregg Yan in an article. Most of the grouper comes from the Philippines, as the country is considered the center of the Coral Triangle, a region between the Pacific and Indian Oceans that harbors 75 percent of all known species of plants and animals that thrive among coral reefs. There are 40 species of grouper, which Filipinos call lapu-lapu in honor of Cebu’s legendary chieftain who killed Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan. “The grouper is a seafood highly-valued for its exquisite taste and texture,” says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero, a fishery expert and former executive director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. “It is served in exclusive hotels and restaurants.” Grouper is one of them most expensive fish around. In Hong Kong, lapu-lapu fetches up to P6,000 per piece. “Most Hong Kong people now choose to eat grouper because of the firm flesh. It’s tastier,” Ng Wai Lun, a restaurant owner in Hong Kong, told a news agency. “Farmed fish is less tasty and fresh.” In the Philippines, lapu-lapu is widely cultured in its pristine waters. However, most the spawning areas are found in Palawan, the country’s last frontier. Palawan and its territorial waters host some of the most productive yet exploited fisheries on earth, according to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a global conservation group. Palawan’s waters supply 50 to 55 percent of the country’s seafood, infusing the local economy with over P4 billion each year, according to some reports. The biggest bulk reportedly comes from lapu-lapu. As lapu-lapu is in great demand abroad, it has a big potential in the export market. But there’s a hitch: the remaining wild stocks are rapidly disappearing from the waters. “Our wild stocks are fast becoming depleted because of overfishing as a result of their high price and big market abroad,” Dr. Guerrero deplores. A recent survey conducted by the

Lapu-lapu tinola

Lapu-lapu can be raised in cages

WWF showed that 20 of 161 species of grouper, a reef fish that makes up a large part of the Coral Triangle’s live fish trade, were threatened with extinction. The 20 include the squaretail coral grouper and humpback grouper, which are a popular luxury live food in Asian seafood restaurants.

“Many Asians believe that eating red fish kept alive just moments before cooking is not only more savory, but also the secret to a long and prosperous life,”

Prized lapu-lapu

Delicious lapu-lapu

The word “grouper” is derived from the Portuguese word garoupa, which means “fish.” It is the common name for numerous members of marine fish in the sea bass family. They commonly grow to 50-100 pounds (they can reach up to 750 pounds), but most market fish are about 5 to 20 pounds. Common varieties are the Red Grouper, Nassau Grouper, and Black Grouper; the Jewfish can reach up to 750 pounds. Many groupers can change color, depending on their surroundings. They are highly valued as a food fish, with firm, lean flesh that is suitable for almost any type of cooking. You may like it steamed, deep fried, grilled or prepared as sashimi. Groupers may be found along coastal areas around the world, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. For

more than a decade, groupers have been cultured in brackish water ponds and marine net cages in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. According to Dr. Guerrero, there are two common species grown in the country: the green grouper (Epinephelus coiodes) and the brown marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus). “Fry of the former are now produced all year round by a local commercial hatchery while that of the latter are still gathered from the wild,” he reports. Grouper fry and fingerlings used for stocking ponds and cages are caught from the wild by fishermen and sold to the growers. The major source of grouper fry are in the provinces of Pangasinan, Cavite, Mindoro, Quezon, Masbate, Bulacan, Cagayan, South Cotabato, and Negros Occidental. “The fry and fingerlings are collected by fisherfolk from tidal rivers, estuaries and coastal bays during the spawning season from November to June,” says Dr. Guerrero. “The fry are gathered in bamboo traps while fingerlings are caught by baited hook and line.” Those who want to raise green grouper can buy fry anytime of the year from the Finfish Hatcheries, Inc., whose hatchery site is located at barangay Lun Masla in Malapatan, Sarangani Province. “There is no minimum order from us,” says Rene B. Bocaya, the national sales manager. In raising lapu-lapu, site is the first thing that should be considered. The Bureau

of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources says the suitable sites for cage culture of grouper are lagoons, coves and bays that are free of pollution and protected from strong winds and currents. “A salinity range of 24 to 35 parts per thousand (ppt) for grow-out is desirable,” says Dr. Guerrero. “The water transparency should be higher than three meters and water depth should not be less than three meters during the lowest low tide.” If you are using fry from the wild, they should measure 2-3 centimeters in body length. “Condition them first for a month in a plastic or concrete tanks with 20 to 30 ppt brackish water and fed with minced trash fish, small shrimp or Artemia three times a day at 6 in the morning, 12 noon, and 6 in the afternoon.” Groupers are carnivorous and voracious fish. “The common method of feeding the grouper is by giving it live fish like tilapia,” says Dr. Guerrero. “This can be done by either rearing Mozambique tilapia in a pond and then harvesting this to feed to grouper stocked in another pond, or both grouper and the ‘feed fish’ are raised together in the same pond.” In experiments conducted in Bicol University’s College of Fishery in Tabaco, Albay using the grouper-tilapia polyculture system, the ratio of one grouper to 20 tilapia was found effective. This means that for every hectare, 20,000 fingerlings of tilapia and 1,000 fingerlings of grouper are stocked. The young of

tilapia fingerlings which mature in the pond become the natural feed of the grouper. Groupers can also be raised in cages. Feeding is generally by means of trash fish given at frequencies ranging from twice a day to every two to three days. Feeding to satiation is commonly applied. It takes around four to five kilograms of trash fish to produce a kilogram of grouper. “The culture period for grouper in ponds and cages takes four to six months, depending on the size of fingerlings stocked and management,” Dr. Guerrero says. “Marketable sizes for the fish range from 0.4 to 0.6 kilogram per fish.” During harvesting time, the fish are not fed for 24 hours and kept in conditioning tanks for 1-2 hours with a water temperature of 18⁰C before being transported live. “Two to three fish are placed in oxygenated double-sheet plastic bags with 3-5 centimeters of water and packed in styrofoam boxes,” Dr. Guerrero says. Although lapu-lapu fishery does not contribute much to the country’s fisheries production -- small pelagics such as anchovy, sardine, and mackerel constitute the bulk of marine fisheries -- the fishery expert believes there is still hope. “To conserve (the wild stocks), fishing pressure should be regulated and marine reserves where they are protected should be maintained,” Dr. Guerrero suggested. “Breeding them in captivity is another way.”

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS15

Matina Enclaves hoops shift to UM Gym W

AERIAL ACROBATICS. Dom Cane of Ateneo de Davao University (15) goes up against a defender from Assumption College of Davao during the two teams’ meeting in the opener of the Matinas Enclaves Basketball Tournament at the Davao City Recreation Center. Lean Daval Jr.

ITH the school rivalry getting intense, the second weekend of the Matina Enclaves Inter-School Basketball Tournament swings to the newly-refurbished University of Mindanao Gym on Saturday wit six games on tap. Ateneo de Davao University and the Holy Child College of Davao try to add another win to their succesful opening day triumph in the junior division. ADDU will test the mettle of Precious International School of Davao (PISD) in bracket A while HCCD will tangle with Philippine Women’s College (PWC) in bracket B. Ateneo routed Assumption College of Davao (ACD) 79-56 in the first game last Saturday and HCCD kept abreast with their rivals with a win over University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC), 86-76, despite a depleted line-up that saw the departure of its core of starters. PWC took a 47-117 beating from darkhorse Davao Jones Academy (DJA). The other games on Saturday are UIC taking on Davao Christian High School (junior B), PWC meeting Holy Cross of Davao College (mini B), PISD clashing with Ateneo (mini A)

and ACD trying to bounce back against Ford Academy of the Arts (junior A). The tournament, sponsored by Matina Enclaves developer Escandor Development Corporation, is sanctioned by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) 11 under regional director Regino “Boy” Cua.

FROM THE WINGS. Francis Gabriel Escandor of Ateneo gets set to unleash a trey from the baseline. Lean Daval Jr.

Spieth downplays British Open chances

ConemovingovertoGinebra? W T

IM Cone on Thursday broke his silence on his reported move from Star to sister team Barangay Ginebra, saying it is ‘possible’ while making it clear he has not been informed of any such plans. Talk has been going around for weeks that the most successful coach in history will be tasked by San Miguel Corp. management to pump life back into a Ginebra team that has not won a championship in eight seasons. That would lead to the departure of current Ginebra coach Frankie Lim after just one conference in charge

and a vacancy at Star which, although not yet official, was supposed to be filled by Jason Webb. Speaking to Spin.ph from Las Vegas where he is on a scouting trip in the NBA Summer League, Cone said he has not been in touch with management and therefore not informed of any such move. “The Ginebra rumors? I’m in the US scouting the NBA Summer League and so I have not been communicating with management,” said Cone, who led Purefoods (now Star) to a first grand slam two seasons ago. “If there are discussions of

that, I’ve not been informed,” he added. Asked if SMB management can transfer him to Ginebra without his consent since he is under contract with Star, Cone said he isn’t sure but made it clear he will follow any directive from SMC top honcho Ramon S. Ang. “I serve at the pleasure of the president, Mr. Ang, and I’ll follow whatever direction he chooses,” said Cone. “It’s possible, but nothing has been said to me.” Cone indicated he expects the situation to clear up when he returns on July 21. (Spin. ph)

ORMER two division world champion Brian Viloria who was scheduled to face Mexico’s Danny Flores in a “stay busy” fight at the Forentine Gardens in Hollywood, California on July 25 will now face the much tougher Omar “Lobito” Soto in a rematch instead. The clash with the 35 year old Soto is certain to test Viloria on whether he is ready for a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada, the talented Mexican who captured Viloria’s WBO and WBA flyweight titles via a twelve round split decision in Macau on April 6, 2013. Soto has a record of 23-11-2 with 15 knockouts but his record can be somewhat misleading.

Soto dropped a ten round split decision to Viloria on July 10, 2010 but won the Fecarbox flyweight title with a unanimous twelve round decision over Eduardo Gonzalez on July 23, 2011. Soto was out of his depth when he faced undefeated Roman Gonzalez, the current No. 2 on the Ring Magazine pound for pound list and lost by a 2nd round knockout in a WBA title fight on October 1, 2011 but came back to beat Glenn Domaire, the brother of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire to win the WBC Latino title with a twelve round unanimous decision. According to boxrec.com Soto last fought on September 7, 2013 and lost by a 9th round

knockout in a scheduled ten round bout to Toshiyuki Igarashi after losing by a 2nd round TKO to Ulises Lara in a battle for the vacant Mexican flyweight crown on March 1, 2013. Viloria who has won three fights in a row since his loss to Juan Franciso Estrada in a fight where Viloria out-boxed the Mexican in the first five rounds but then made the mistake of trying to slug it out with Estrada and dropped a close split decision told the New Standard/boxingmorror.com that he’s been “training hard at the Wild Card Gym under boxer/trainer “Speedy” Gonzalez” until his regular trainer and Freddie Roach’s assistant Marvin Somodio returns to LA.

Viloria faces Omar Soto on July 25 F

ITH a chance to match history at the home of golf, Jordan Spieth is trying to make the British Open feel like just another event. And that might be as tough as any challenge at St. Andrews. The press room was at capacity and spilled out the door when he spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time this week, creating an atmosphere normally reserved for Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy. Fans gathered around a board that listed the practice round schedule, scanning up and down until they found Spieth. “Please hold the cameras until after the shot,” caddie Michael Greller told the gallery. The sound of shutters began at the top of his swing, and Spieth could only laugh when he launched his tee shot. “It’s like this on every hole,” he said. The 21-year-old Texan does not have the aura of Woods. He does not have the accomplishments of McIlroy. He still is the main attraction at this British Open, and would be even if McIlroy — the defending champion and No.

1 in the world — were not out with an ankle injury. Folks know their history at St. Andrews. Ben Hogan in 1953 is the only other player to capture the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. Only three players since then — Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Woods — have ever come to Scotland with hopes of a Grand Slam. Spieth knows history, too, as much as he’d rather not think

about it until he has no choice. “I like to study the history of golf, and it’s extremely special what this year has brought to our team,” he said. “And to have a chance to do what only one other person in the history of golf has done ... I’m sure embracing that opportunity. “But by the time I start on Thursday, it won’t be in my head. It’ll be about how can I bring this Open Championship down to just another event, get out there and try and get myself into contention.” He set out for his final practice round on a cool morning with an overcast sky, occasional rain, and not much wind. There is plenty of talk about how ready Spieth will be for his shot at history. He played two full rounds and 10 holes leading up to the start Thursday. He played the Old Course four years ago on his way to the Walker Cup. Then again, St. Andrews has rarely been this green, this slow, because of recent rain. That takes some of the roll out of the fairway, and with it the unpredictable nature of links golf.

Romeo Travis was held to just 17 points as the supposed Best Import settled for jumpers that failed to find their marks in the endgame. Marcio Lassiter put the SMB on top for good after he knocked down a mid-range jumper that maede it 86-85 at the 5:34 mark.

The Beermen gave the defensive-minded Aces a dose of their own medicine, holding their victims scoreless in a span of more than five minutes in the middle of the payoff period and just 12 the entire quarter. The scores: SMB 96 – Reid 41, Fajardo 14, Cabagnot 13, Lassiter

8, Santos 8, Espinas 6, Lutz 2, Tubid 2, Semerad 2, Ross 0 ALASKA 89 – Travis 17, Abueva 15, Thoss 12, Banchero 8, Casio 7, Manuel 6, Dela Rosa 6, Baguio 5, Exciminiano 4, Menk 4, Hontiveros 3, Jazul 2, Dela Cruz 0 Quarterscores: 25-21, 48-52, 76-77, 96-89

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16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 76 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 17 - 18, 2015

SCENT OF A

SWEEP

Beermen a win away shy of sweeping Alaska

T’S smelling like champagne all over again and it could happen so early. Bring on the red and white balloons on Friday. Get ready for a celebration. That may sound like an announcement coming from the fan club of San Miguel Beer and Alaska would do everything to spoilt that party. Like it or not, there’s a scent of a sweep in the air. This scenario shaped in the wake of the 96-89 win by San Miguel Beer in Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum showing a sense of urgency not expected in this series. AZ Reid came through in the

clutch anew on the way to scattering a personal-best-tying 41 points to lead the Beermen, who took a 3-0 series lead to move on the verge of a second championship this season. It was a disappointing defeat for the Aces, who led entering and early in the fourth quarter only to fold in the endgame, falling into a situation where no team in a best-of-seven series has ever overcome. “Wala na ako masasabi dito. Ang mga players ko talaga ang nag-trabaho dito,” Beermen coach Leo Austria said. “They just refused to lose.” The Beermen can finish the Aces off in Game Four on Friday

also at the Big Dome. June Mar Fajardo proved to be a force down low anew, tallying 14 points, 19 boards, three assists, and one block, while Alex Cabagnot added 13 points, five boards, and three assists, and Arwind Santos chipped in eight points and eight boards as he made crucial stops in the endgame. But it was Reid who shone brightest anew as the prolific SMB import fired 11 of his output in the final frame, including five straight, the last on right-wing three-pointer that gave the Beermen a 91-85 lead with a little less than four minutes to go.

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Parks measures up with Clarkson, Russel as Mavs win over Lakers B OBBY Ray Parks scored his first field goal in the NBA Summer League on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) in the Dallas Mavericks’ 88-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Parks’ basket came at the 57.5-second mark of the first quarter when he drove to the basket for a layup, providing the highlight in what proved to be his most memorable performance yet in four Summer League games. The two-time MVP out of National University finished the first half with two points, a rebound and a steal in eight min-

utes and 26 second on the floor already his longest exposure on the floor for the Mavericks. As a bonus, he also got to share the floor with fellow FilAm Jordan Clarkson of the Lakers as well as D’Angelo Russell, the No. 1 pick overall in the last NBA Rookie Draft where Parks was left unpicked by the teams. Dallas led, 50-38, at the half. Parks also saw action in the third quarter and scored a point while going up against Clarkson to round out his appearance against the Lakers, who bungled a chance to win it when Russell turned the ball over with the game tied at 86-all. Jeremy Tyler, who led the

Mavs with 25 points and 11 rebounds, hit the game-winner for the Mavericks on a follow-up shot with 1.4 seconds to go.

THE

BOBBYJOURNEY RAY PARKS

WHO’S GOING TO STOP JUNMAR? San Miguel Beer slotman Junmar Fajardo has been imposing his will in the series. The 6-foot-10 center is on track to win a second straight Most Valuable Player (MVP) award as he is way ahead in the statistical race with 37.1 statistical point standings (sps) at the end of the semifinals of the Governors Cup.

ONE ON ONE. Bobby Ray Parks of the Mavericks guard fellow Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers. Photo from the Lakers’ Twitter account