VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016 FACE OF GOVERNANCE. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio appears to be in high spirits during a meeting with City Information Officer Jefry Tupas (right) and Chief of Staff Raul Nadela Jr. Duterte was pushing for the inclusion of Davao City in the areas to be covered by the proposed emergency powers for the President to ease the traffic congestion in the city. Lean Daval Jr.
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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society
SC ASKED TO CHANGE AERIAL SPRAY RULING City files motion for reconsideration EDGEDAVAO Sports By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA
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HE Davao City government on Tuesday, Oct. 18, filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court’s on its en banc decision to overturn the City Council’s anti-aerial spraying ordinance, 15 days after the City Legal Office received the High Court’s decision. A recent report submitted by lawyer Enrique J. A. Bonocan of the City Legal Office pointed out that Article 9 of the Watershed Code of Davao City states that aerial spraying is only prohibited “in those [areas] identified by the ordi-
nance as environmentally critical areas.” Furthermore, Article 9 of the same ordinance or the section on “Prohibited Acts” declares: “To ensure the health and sustainability of the Watershed Areas, the following shall be prohibited acts in the Environmentally Critical Areas.” These identified environmentally critical areas, according to the ordinance, include agro-forestry/agricultural, non-tillage areas. The ordinance likewise stated that buffer zones must
be observed within 30 or 40 meters away from the declared environmentally-critical areas. “Buffer zones of 30 meters or 40 meters, as the case may be, are still required under the Watershed Code pursuant to Article 10 thereof. Violation of any of the acts prohibited therein is penalized with, inter alia, imprisonment, under Article 19 of the same,” Bonocan’s report reads. Meanwhile, Bonocan raised the possibility of a Supreme Court decision that would declare the City Council’s ordinance on aerial spray-
ing as “ultra vires” or beyond one’s legal power or authority. He explained that since the High Tribunal ruled the City Council had no authority to ban aerial spraying in the area because the power to do so solely belongs to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA), which is under the Office of the President, President Duterte can issue an Executive Order banning the agriculture practice. The anti-aerial spraying ordinance was crafted and
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Messi scores hat trick P15
No ordinary binary surrealism A1
2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
VIOLENT DISPERSAL. Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go shows a video clip of the violent dispersal of protesters at the US Embassy in Manila following a meeting with the Filipino Community at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Beijing, China on Wednesday evening. Also in the photo is Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. TOTO LOZANO/Presidential Photo
CTTMO hot versus errant motorists By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA
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TOTAL of 3,334 motorist have been flagged down by the City Traffic and Transport Management Office (CTTMO) for violating RA 4136 from June to October of this year. CTTMO Chief Rhodelio Poliquit said that a majority of the violations committed under RA 4136 are motorists who were caught driving without a license. Poliquit said that through the deployment of CTTMO personnel in strategic areas across the city, the agency can immediately apprehend errant motorists. On the other hand, he said the CTTMO has apprehended
3,099 motorists for violating the city’s speed limit ordinance. CTTMO has also impounded 481 tricycles and 1,230 “payong-payong” during the same period. “Most of the apprehended are in the central district or the downtown area. We concentrated in the central district because most of the time they are the cause of traffic congestion there,” Poliquit said. He added the CTTMO has also towed 111 illegally parked vehicles. Poliquit reminded motorist to always follow traffic rules and to renew their expired driver’s licenses.
‘Kilusang Pagbabago’ to be launched in city By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS
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ABINET Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. will be leading the launching of “Kilusang Pagbabago” and the oath-taking of its members in Davao City on Oct. 23. Kilusang Pagbabago is a grassroots-based movement that aims to act as the Duterte’s Administration’s vanguard in ensuring the efficient delivery of government programs particularly to the country’s marginalized sectors. The group has also part-
nered with the national government in the latter’s intensified campaign against the illegal drug trade, criminality and corruption in government. It has also committed to support the government’s efforts to address the poverty situation in the country, strengthen the peace process, and support the shift to a Federal form of government. According to Kilusang Pagbabago-Davao Chapter
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DOST: City resilient to climate change By RIA VALDEZ
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N official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has given Davao City high marks in terms of its resiliency against the threat of climate change. “I would give Davao a grade of 95 for its resiliency against climate change,” said DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Crisitna Guevara during the Davao City Multi-Stakeholders Conference on Sustainability Science held yesterday at the SMX Convention Center. In particular, Guevara commended the city for having Science-based policies and adaptive measures that are de-
signed to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. She noted that Davao City and Mindanao was formerly known as “typhoon free” before climate change made its presence felt through super tropical storms Sendong and Pablo. But due to the studies conducted by the Davao’s scientific and academic communities, whose results were used for developing Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) programs, the city was able to put in place the appropriate climate mitigation measures. In particular, the DOST was impressed with the placement
of production wells in the city, noting that only one production well (Lubogan Well) out of the 58 in the city is located in a flood prone barangay. She pointed out that if these storms happened 10 years ago, where only basic monitoring tools were used, Davao might not have been able to bounce back. “We are happy research and technology are already here,” said Guevara, as she lauded the researchers for for their hard work and foresight. In the meantime, Usec. Antonio Sales, in the same event, explained that “Policies based on the results of HELP
Davao’s studies would be evidence-based.” Sales said that one of these policies is to institutionalize Urban Water System (UWS) management as an integral and crucial part of all government agencies’ DRRM plans. Another policy, he said, is the close coordination and integration DRRM activities among all government agencies in line with the UWS. “After this conference, we will finalize our report to be passed to the city council,” said Sales. “This will definitely be implemented by the end of the year,” he added.
Based on an isotope study conducted by the DOST in 2000, the city’s production wells will become deeper in the next 50 years, which means longer pipes will have to be used to access the water beneath the ground’s surface. Sales noted that the DOST study’s finding have now become a reality, as the city’s water resources are now showing signs of depletion. He therefore commended
the people behind Davao City’s water resource management program for putting in place measures that are designed to address such challenges. Sales attributed this development to the active participation of both the private and public sectors - from the city level down to the barangay. He also lauded the Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) Davao Network for disseminating the
Interest Rate of Risk Management (IRRM) guidelines form of UNESCO. The IRRM guidelines are customized based on the current on-the-ground situation in Davao City and in the region, as the information are coursed through local chief executives and other local officials. Dr. Ruth Gamboa, one of project leaders of the study, pointed out that topographi-
Davao City’s water supply still adequate D
AVAO City will have suffcient water supply despite the rise in the area’s population This was the assurance given by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary for Regional Operations Anthony Sales during the Davao City Multi-Stakeholders Conference on Sustainability Science held yesterday at the SMX Convention Center.
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VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
NEWS 3
EDGEDAVAO
Aguilar is new DPWH Davao City DEO head
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Engineer Wilfredo G. Aguilar (right) formally took over the reins of the District from former OIC DE Gregorio C. Yee.
CVO urges Dabawenyos: Be responsible pet owners By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS
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HE City Government of Davao has called on Davaoeños to be responsible pet owners as the City Veterinarians Office (CVO) intensifies its animal impounding operations. According to Dr. Noel Martin, CVO representative, they have so far impounded 4,164 dogs from January to October this year in an effort to prevent the spread of rabies that infects humans mainly through dog bites.
In particular, Martin said the CVO has stepped up its dog impounding operations based on the directive of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. The CVO, he said, is equipped with an impounding vehicle with two catchers whose job is to capture stray dogs that may pose health risks to residents. Martin reported their office usually catch around 30 to 50 stray dogs on weekdays, as personnel are now re-dou-
bling their efforts to clear the city’s streets of canines, particularly those which may be rabid. He explained the owners of impounded dogs are given three days to claim their pets. If they fail to do so, Martin said the animals will be subjected to euthanasia or mercy killing to prevent the spread of rabies and ensure the health and safety of the people. Davao City Ordinance No.
1457, which states the city’s regulations on stray animals, requires pet owners to pay P250 for the first day of impoundment, and an additional P50 per day until the animals are claimed. Martin noted that out of the 4,164 dogs impounded, only 35 to 40 percent were claimed by their owners and are usually of the high-breed kind. He said the impounding
This call was made by DOST Undersecretary Antonio Sales during the Davao City Multi-Stakeholders Conference on Sustainable Science held yesterday at the SMX Convention Center. Sales, who is among the proponents of the DOST’s
Small Enterprise Technology Upbringing Program (SETUP), explained that green technology means using water or other natural resources as an alternative energy source in order to lower an area’s ecological footprint. SET UP aims to provide
financial assistance to MSMEs to help them acquire technologies that will make their ventures not only economically viable, but also environmentally sustainable. “We want to push these technologies under SET UP
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DOST program pushes for‘Green Tech’ By RIA VALDEZ
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HE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has encouraged micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to use green technology to ensure the sustainable protection and management of the country’s natural resources.
Davao athletes prepare for Batang Pinoy elims
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AVAO City’s junior athletes are gearing up to participate in the elimination round of the Batang Pinoy-Region 11 slated from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in Tagum City. City Sports Development Office (CSD) Chief Mikey Aportadera said the city’s athletes have already started their training, as Davao expects to send a stronger delegation to the major athletic event. “We are looking forward to the performances of our delegation this time,” Aportadera said during Thursday’s i-Speak press briefing, He hopes the city’s athletes will be able to perform better with the early start of the training. Aportadera said the Davao
delegation will carry out a more focused strategy to enable the athletes to dominate the week-long competition. “We must try to do better,” Aportadera said, adding the local government will do its best to obtain the services of Davao’s best athletes who can contribute to the city’s expected medal haul. According to the sports official, the Almendras Gym Davao City Recreation Center and Ateneo de Davao University are also being eyed as possible venues for the elimination rounds. “The good thing is that all the stakeholders are working now in unity,” he said. Aportadera said his office
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HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Davao City District Engineering Office (DCDEO) now has a new chief in the person of OIC District Engineer Wilfredo G. Aguilar. In a simple turnover ceremony held yesterday at the DCDEO lobby, Aguilar formally took over the reins of the District from former OIC DE Gregorio C. Yee. The event was attended by new DPWH XI OIC Regional Director Allan S. Borromeo, Section Chiefs and employees. Aguilar started his career with the agency in 1978 as a working student employed as a laborer at the former DPH in Nueva Ecija. Molded by pure industry, self-discipline and hard work, he inched his way through college as a Civil Engineering student at the Araullo University until his graduation in 1979. Since then, Aguilar slowly rose to the ranks until he became a full-fledged Assistant District Engineer (ADE) at DPWH South Cotabato DEO in 2010. He also served as ADE and OIC-DE for the Sultan Kudarat DEO in separate terms.
Prior to his latest assignment, Aguilar was ADE to Engr. Gene P. Lozano of the DPWH DCIIDEO based in Tugbok since 2013. During his stint, he has already grown akin to the city, its people and its needs, as he now calls himself a proud adopted son of Davao. In his speech, Aguilar emphasized the need for cooperation among all employees in order for the Office to achieve its goals. During the program, he also highlighted his three fundamental requirements to everyone including contractors: Quality; Workmanship and Speed. These he said, will spell the success of the District into becoming a leader in project implementation not only in Region 11 but among other regions as well. For his part, RD Borromeo posed a challenge to the new leadership to further improve its performance as the city is now the center of both local and international attention. As of this writing, DPWH XI ranks second overall among the eighteen (18) DPWH Regional Offices in the country. DPWH XI RPAIO
300 traffic personnel to be deployed for Undas
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ROUND 300 personnel from the Davao City Traffic and Transportation Management Office (CTTMO) will be deployed during the observation of All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day. The CTTMO also came up with a traffic rerouting scheme for November 1 and November 2. The scheme covers Buhangin Cemetery, Chinese Cemetery, the Davao Memorial Park, and Wireless Cemetery. Rhodelio Poliquit, the chief of CTTMO, said all traffic
personnel will be deployed to manage and ensure the smooth flow of traffic on major city thoroughfares leading to the different cemeteries during Undas. Congestion of roads is expected from October 31 to November 2 with thousands of people going to the cemeteries. Repairs and constructions of drainage and roads have exacerbated the traffic woes in Davao City. The Davao City District Office of the Department
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RABIES-FREE CITY. Dr. Noel Martin of City Veterinarian’s Office says the agency has already vaccinated 104,731 dogs in Davao City as part of its rabies prevention and control program which aims to totally eradicate and make the city rabies-free. Lean Daval Jr.
EDGEDAVAO
4 SUBURBIA
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
New DPWH 12 ARD assumes post T
HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office 12 welcomed Engr. Basir M. Ibrahim as the agency’s new OIC-assistant regional director pursuant to DENR Special Order No. 116 series of 2016 issued last October 13, 2016. This is in response to the Special Order No. 110 s.,
of 2016 of Acting Secretary Mark A. Villar designating ARD Allan S. Borromeo as OIC-Regional Director of Region 11 based in Davao City. Engr. Ibrahim is the former district engineer of Cotabato City and was the chief of the DPWH XII-Maintenance Division for almost five years. Throughout his term of office as maintenance division
chief, DPWH 12 achieved noteworthy accomplishments. In 2014, the Maintenance Division ranked fourth in the nationwide maintenance assessments and seventh in CY 2015 wherein Cotabato II DEO in Midsayap, North Cotabato bagged first place in the nationwide ranking among 182 district engineer-
ing offices nationwide. During the turn-over ceremony, Engr. Ibrahim asked the same support and cooperation he receuved when he was the district engineer and division chief. Meanwhile, Engr. Alimondaya M. Tanggol is now the concurrent OIC-chief of the Maintenance Division. DPWHInfoXII
“We do not intend to really kill these drug personalities but when the lives of our police officers are in danger, this is the result,” Galgo said in Filipino. “We were trained to subdue drug personalities but if they pose great dangers on our police officers, they have to do the hardest part of the operation,” he added. “It is with heavy heart on our part that the operation will end up like this,” he added, referring to those who died during the operation. Galgo said since July 1, the number of drug personalities arrested in 949 legitimate police operations have reached
1,097. Those who voluntarily and peacefully surrendered were at 32,860 across the region. Central Mindanao region, also known as SOCCSKSARGEN region, is composed of the provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Koronadal, Tacurong and Gen. Santos City. Of the 32,860 surrenderers, 30,592 were drug dependents and 2,268 were pushers. During the same period, the police seized 2,560 sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride, also locally called “shabu”.
Police also confiscated 863 marijuana plants which were among the prohibited substances listed as illegal under the law. Simultaneous with the implementation of “Oplan Double Barrel,” the police in Region 12 visited 268,553 households where the police officers explained and educated residents on the dangers of prohibited drugs. Galgo said the Internal Affairs Unit (IAS) of PRO-12 and the Commission on Human Rights have not received any complaint regarding police abuses in anti-drug operations that led to the death of the drug suspects. (PNA)
PNP sympathizes with families of drug personalities
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OLICE officials in Central Mindanao said the number of neutralized persons in the war on drugs continue to rise as the police intensifies its drive against the illegal drug trade. Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr., who spoke on behalf of the Police Regional Office No. 12, said that as of Oct. 29, 63 drug personalities were killed after resisting arrest during drug buy bust operations under Oplan Double Barrel. “We sympathize with the family of the victims,” Galgo said, adding that police officers involved in the operations carry out their duties with a heavy heart.
Religious sector sought to help drug dependents
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COMVAL ICON. Trade and Industry Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group Zenaida C. Maglaya (2nd from right) drops by the mini-exhibit during the opening of the first-ever Compostela Valley Investment Conference in Nabunturan, Comval on Oct. 20. Among the industries that were featured during the conference were aquaculture, banana, cacao, coconut and coffee. Joining Usec. Maglaya are (from left to right) DTI 11 Assistant Regional Director Edwin O. Banquerigo, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau Assistant Director Agnes Perpetua Legaspi and DTI-Comval Provincial Director Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque. (DTI11/JMM)
5 minors bolt out CICL facility in NorthCot
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IVE minors belonging to the Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) facility escaped from a reformatory situated near the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) provincial jail in Barangay Amas here on Wednesday night, a jail official said. Jail Supt. Peter Bonggat Jr., North Cotabato provincial jail warden, declined to identify the escapees but
noted that they came from the towns of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao, and also from Matalam and M’lang of North Cotabato. He said the fugitives, all facing charges ranging from rape, carnapping, and illegal possession of firearms, bolted the facility around 7: 45 p.m. Wednesday. Bonggat clarified that the CICL runaways are not under their jurisdiction,
considering that the facility is being supervised by the North Cotabato provincial government and not by the BJMP. “We don’t have any hand to that facility since provincial guards are responsible for securing the area despite its being adjacent to our women inmates cells,” Bonggat said. Police and BJMP prob-
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DMITTING its job does not end in bringing illegal drug personalities behind bars, police authorities welcomed the active involvement of the religious leaders in Region 12 in helping reform drug addicts. “We are reaching out to all sectors, including Catholic leaders, Muslim religious leaders and other faiths,” Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr, speaking for the police organization in Central Mindanao. Galgo said after the Diocese of Marbel came forward and offered the police the necessary helping hand in reforming illegal drug personalities, Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, PRO-12 regional director, directed the region’s chaplain to have an audience with Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, DCC, bishop of Kidapawan to seek the Catholic Church’s help in reforming drug dependents. Galgo cited the act of Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez who directed all the priests and members of the religious sector in the Diocese of Marbel to help illegal drug personalities, as this will be the benchmark used by the Archdiocese of Cotabato and Diocese of Kidapawan. Galgo said PNP-12 is also reaching out to Cotabato archbishop, His Eminence Orland Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, DD, to partner with the
police in helping illegal drug personalities. The Archdiocese of Cotabato covers the provinces of Maguindanao, parts of Sultan Kudarat and part of North Cotabato, while the Kidapawan Diocese includes the other part of North Cotabato and part of Sultan Kudarat as its shepherd areas. “We are reaching not only the Catholic Church but Muslim religious leaders too to help reform Muslim drug personalities,” Galgo said, describing the religious sector’s involvement in the campaign to address the drug menace in Region 12. As of Oct. 19, Region 12 reported 32,860 drug personalities who voluntarily yielded to cops and signed documents with the police that they will not use or sell prohibited drugs. Of this number, 30,592 were drug users and 2,268 were drug pushers. About 14,000 of the drug pesonalities were from the Diocese of Marbel. Bishop Gutierrez assigned about 40 priests and the religious, including lay ministers, to take on the mission of seeking out the “lost sheep” of the Church who have turned to illegal substances. Across the region, 64 drug personalities have been killed for resisting arrest. “People addicted to
drugs are people with problems. They should be helped. They should not be killed,” Bishop Gutierrez told the newly ordained priests, Fathers Dennis Gamo, Ludy Baldonado, and Carlo dela Cruz. The prelate told the priests the Marbel diocesan shepherds was remiss in its mission of helping people with problems, including the youth who resorted to drug use due to their lack of faith in God. Bishop Gutierrez said the Church failed to closely accompany drug users and it was only during the rise in summary executions that they realized the extent of the drug problem. He said his diocese is now closely working with the PNP and other government agencies for pastoral accompaniment of illegal drug users with a prayer they will become responsive, responsible, disciplined, and productive citizens. The Diocese of Marbel is eyeing medical and psychological interventions, livelihood skills training for drug dependents, Gutierrez said. Galgo said he was hoping other leaders of the Catholic Church would see the importance of the partnership to help drug personalities so they become good and productive citizens. (PNA)
5 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
Budget surplus doubles Tax reform to benefit call in August, DOF reports
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HE Department of Finance (DOF) on Thursday said the government has outstripped its expenditures for the month of August due primarily to prudent spending and strong tax payments. The DOF presented a report submitted by the Bureau of Treasury to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III stating the government has doubled its budget surplus in August to P32.6 billion from P15 billon in the same month last year. The surplus is the first under the administration of President Duterte which, the DOF pointed out, has dragged down the eight-month fiscal gap to P138.4 billion. The surplus will also give the government ample fiscal room to support its development initiatives and growth in the remaining months of the year. “The end-August budget deficit is also well within the P388.87 billion ceiling for the year, but significantly higher compared to P3.4 billion gap incurred in the same period in 2015,” the DOF said in a statement to the media on Thursday, adding that during the month, the government revenues reached P209.6 billion, up by 19 percent from P176.7 billion in the previous year.
Two more government agencies added to the increase of revenues last August – to include the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC). The DOF said the BIR was able to contribute P157.5 billion to the state coffers while the BOC was able to generate P33.1 billion in revenues. “Both the BIR and BOC, accounting for a combined 90 percent of government revenues, raised their tax take during the month by double-digits, or 14 percent and 23 percent, respectively,” the DOF added. Increase in non-tax revenues generated by other government agencies also reached P12 billion from P6.9 billion. The Treasury’s income also doubled in August, from last year’s P2.7 billion to P5.8 billion, the DOF said. “Cumulatively, total government revenues amounted to P1.481 trillion at end-August 2016, a 3 percent improvement from P1.441 trillion a year ago. The slower growth pace was a result of the one-time transfer of Coconut Levy assets worth P60.1 billion in May last year. Netting-out the non-recurring Coconut Levy assets, the treasury data revealed that government revenues im-
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center agents, other workers By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ
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adlopez0920@gmail.com
HE Department of Finance (DOF) said the proposed tax reform plan that was submitted to Congress for approval will primarily benefit call center agents and other workers in the country who receive a monthly income of at least P21,000 and with no depen-
dents. In a statement to the media on Wednesday, the DOF pointed out that call center agents and other workers who earn the said amount will be able to save P28,000 per year once the proposed tax reform is approved. “Call center agents will
be able to save this amount because under the DOF tax reform plan, they would have to shell out only a very small fraction of the personal income tax (PIT) they are now paying under the current system,” finance undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in the statement.
Chua added that under the existing tax rates, call center agents earning P21,000 a month still have to pay P34,209 in PIT, even if they file for a personal exemption of P50,000 and even with their 13th month pay and other benefits exempted from taxes.
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UNDERGROUND CABLING SYSTEM. A technical team leader inspects the terminal box, as work for the underground cabling system project, where the electrical and communications wires will be buried between City Hall and the Sangguniang Panlungsod building, resumed yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.
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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
Revenue outstrips Davao to host Energy expenses in August T
HE Duterte administration’s revenue collection has outstripped expenditures last August owing to prudent spending and strong tax payments, the Department of Finance (DOF) announced today. Based on the Bureau of the Treasury report submitted to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the national government doubled its budget surplus in August this year to P32.6 billion from P15 billon in the same month last year. The surplus in August, the first under the Duterte administration, dragged down the eight-month fiscal gap to P138.4 billion, leaving the government ample fiscal room to support growth for the remainder of the year. The end-August budget deficit is also well within the P388.87 billion ceiling for the year, but significantly higher compared to P3.4 billion gap incurred in the same period in 2015. During the month, government revenues reached P209.6 billion, up by 19 percent from P176.7 billion in the previous year. Of that amount, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) contributed P157.5 billion to the state coffers, while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) generated P33.1 billion in revenues. Both the BIR and BOC, accounting for a combined 90 percent of government revenues, raised their tax take during the month by double-digits, or 14 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Likewise, non-tax reve-
nues from other government agencies posted a hefty jump of 75 percent to P12 billion from P6.9 billion, while the Treasury’s income doubled from last year’s P2.7 billion to P5.8 billion. Cumulatively, total government revenues amounted to P1.481 trillion at end-August 2016, a 3 percent improvement from P1.441 trillion a year ago. The slower growth pace was a result of the one-time transfer of Coconut Levy assets worth P60.1 billion in May last year. Netting-out the non-recurring Coconut Levy assets, the treasury data revealed that government revenues improved by 7 percent year-onyear in the first eight month of 2016. In August, the government posted a 9 percent growth in expenditure to P177 billion from P161.6 billion in the same month last year. The government’s level of spending is a closely watched driver of economic growth as it contributes about a tenth to gross domestic product (GDP). Interest payments, which took up 13.2 percent of total spending, amounted to P23.4 billion in August, up 42 percent from last year’s P16.5 billion. Netting out interest payments, the government was also able to revert to a primary surplus of P56 billion in August, following last month’s fall to a primary deficit. Likewise, the figure was higher by 78 percent year-on-year. In January to August 2016, the government total spending stood at P1.619 trillion, up by 12 percent compared to
Smart Mindanao 2016 By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ
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adlopez0920@gmail.com
ARIOUS groups, business representatives and other stakeholders on energy are set to converge in Davao City on Tuesday next week, Oct. 25 at the Park Inn by Radisson. The event will be hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines with the aim of seeing stronger commitments from energy stakeholders to promote the agenda for an inclusive, competitive and sustainable energy future in the country. The chamber, in a statement said the one-day conference and exhibition will cover the three pillars of the country energy sector – to include energy efficiency, renewable energy and cleaner production. “The Energy Smart Mindanao convenes stakeholders in the Philippine Energy Sector that are advocating for a stronger commitment for an agenda for promoting and building an inclusive, competitive and sustainable energy future,” the chamber’s statement said. The chamber added that while much has been achieved, more challenges still need to
be overcome to secure the country’s energy future. The group said that many regions in the country continue to experience power outages due to low reserves and low capacity of many power plants. “Apart from this, the El Niño phenomenon hitting the country is contributing to the long hours of power outages in recent months. This presents an added challenge to the energy sector,” the group added. The situation, the chamber believed, will leave a lot of room for energy investments which is the area where the private sector can make a contribution. The group also quoted the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) that said: “the Philippines must continuously invest in improving the country’s energy capacity to attain energy security that will allow the country to sustain its rapid growth and make it more inclusive.” The chamber added that without adequate energy, targets for the countries inclusive economic growth cannot be achieved.
“It is estimated that about 20 percent of households or more than 5 million households in the Philippines still do not have electricity. And for those that have access to electricity, they are paying premium prices for electricity which then pulls down the global competitiveness of the Philippines,” the chamber pointed out, adding the agenda towards providing affordable energy for all remains a priority. The foundations for policy reforms in the energy sector have been laid through the Energy Industry Reform Act, the Renewable Energy Act and the Biofuels Act, the group said. The said laws, the group added, have already contributed to enhance the business climate for energy investments. A bolder implementation is still required to move energy development forward faster, the group said. These energy laws need further augmentation to fast track the drive towards a sustainable energy future. The low hanging fruit in this regard is the promotion of ener-
gy efficiency and conservation, the chamber added. The group also recognized the need to push for a national policy to reduce energy consumption while the country is building its capacity to generate cleaner energy, particularly, natural gas and renewable energy. “The goal is to transition from coal to natural gas and renewable energy over the medium-long term. This is crucial if the Philippines can catch up with bridging the gap between energy supply and demand,” they said. The move is also essential in achieving the country’s commitment to reduce 70% of its carbon emissions by 2030 under its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) as committed during the UNFCCC 21st Conference of Parties in Paris in November 2015. The target, the group said, can be achieved if the country and its government will have a strong commitment and clear strategy with regard to utilizing more clean energy in the country’s fuel mix.
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Civil and church-based orgs promote organic agriculture
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HE Mindanao partners of the international Catholic development agency Dreikonigsaktion (DKA) Austria are gathered in Davao City for a week-long celebration of World Food Day by calling on the government to heighten the mainstreaming of organic agriculture as a mitigation strategy to counter the effects of climate change on food security. “With the Philippines experiencing more storms because of climate change, the government must adopt climate-smart agricultural practices in order to ensure the continued access of Filipinos to affordable and healthy food.”, said DKA Mindanao Coordination Office Team Leader Ms. Ruth Manansala. From October 17, 2016 to October 20, 2016, a series of knowledge sharing sessions will be conducted by the network among its partners at the Marie Rivier Retreat House in Catalunan Grande. On the afternoon of October 21, 2016, a public forum on sustainable agriculture and an organic fair by the farmer partners of Agro-Eco Philippines will be held at the
Nikkei Jinkai International School along Mamay Road, in Lanang. IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes said that priority and selective support should be given to the production of a regional and organic food supply. “Organic farming has been shown to be climate-resilient and efficient in addressing the food security needs of the population. Davao City’s implementation of its Organic Agriculture Ordinance is on the right track but there is still a need for more government support to make organic products accessible to the local consumer.”, she said. “One way is through opening more Organic Trading Posts in strategic parts of the city to make it easier for small organic farmers to market their products.”, Fuertes said. Currently, the City Agriculturist’s Office operates a lone Organic Trading Post beside Davao Cinematheque along Palma Gil Street. It also organizes the popular weekly Friday afternoon Organic Market at the Rizal Park. Manansala, said that Fri-
F CIVIL, 13
SUPPORT TO AGRICULTURE. Mary Moratin, officer in charge of City Agriculture Office’s fisheries division bares the programs of the agency under Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio such as the distribution of
234 motorized Bangka to fishermen of the city’s 24 barangays and the establishment of marine protected areas. Moratin made the disclosure during yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.
Continue entrepreneurial revolution - DTI D
EPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez challenged some of the country’s top franchisers to continue the entrepreneurial revolution in the Philippines during the opening of the 15th Business and Franchise Expo at the World Trade Center on Oct. 14. To sustain the entrepreneurial revolution, Sec. Lopez asked the Association of the Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) to inject continuous innovation to develop new franchise models that further
empower micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), adding that showing concern for small industry players is the real measure of success. “An entrepreneurial nation is what will give us a good chance towards economic prosperity,” said Sec. Lopez, emphasizing that Filipinos are now more proud to be called entrepreneurs, a deviation from the negative connotation of being unemployed. As a way to empower MSMEs, the government, through the DTI, continues to imple-
ment programs to nurture the entrepreneurial mindset among Filipinos, as well as urges big industry players to adopt a business model integrating MSMEs in the value chain. He mentioned Project Kapatid, which is a partnership with private organizations like Go Negosyo, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and AFFI that enable big companies to help small entrepreneurs. The Go Negosyo Act, authored by Sen. Paolo Benigno
“Bam” Aquino III, paved the way towards the establishment of Negosyo Centers nationwide. Just recently, new centers were opened in Davao, Zamboanga and Iloilo, forming part the 339 centers and counting. The trade chief also reported on DTI’s ongoing partnerships with the private sector to mainstream the Go Lokal! brand in major malls, featuring best products from both the One Town, One Product (OTOP) program and the
F CONTINUE, 10
9
7 FEATURE
EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
days in China Part 1
By ANTONIO M. AJERO
I
’VE been to a lot of very interesting places in my lifetime, many of them capital cities of countries I went to as part of my job or simply as perks rewarded in appreciation of the kind of service I have rendered as community journalist for almost half a century now.
Yes, early in my 70 summers I was in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, Busan and Seoul, South Korea, and Hong Kong for a total of two months. This was in the late 60’s when I had just started my career in provincial media work. In the 70’s , I was in Jakarta, Indonesia and Singapore after a conference in Bali with southeast Asian newspaper editors. In 1980, I was in 10 states and 25 cities of the United States, either covering events or just observing the bigtime operations of newsmagazines like Time and Newsweek and news wires agencies such as the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). The brief scholarship of four months, courtesy of the USIS and the State Department, also brought me to the United Nations in New York; the US Capitol (Congress), White House and the Pentagon
Photo courtesy of Edwin Espejo
in Washington, D.C. where I had also an opportunity to visit the Smithsonian museums, the Library of Congress and the World Bank, and staying near the George Washington University; joined the news teams of the AP and UPI in San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, observed the day-to-day activities of Louisville Courier-Journal in Kentucky, and a radio station and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a regional newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When I was in the White House, I missed meeting President Jimmy Carter because he was in retreat in Camp David at the time. Another guy I missed when I was in Louisville, birthplace of boxing champ Muhammad Ali, was Col. Harland Sanders, creator of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was then bed-ridden and expired sometime December that year. In the 90’s, I was in Kuala Lumpur and many other plac-
Photo from the net es in Malaysia visiting tourist destinations like Melaka, Georgetown, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi Island at a time when Dr. Mohamad Mahathir was building world-class theme parks with golf courses, hotels and beach resorts, like crazy. One of those who joined the long familiarization tour was Wanda T. Teo, the lady tour and travel operator who would be Tourism secretary of the Rodrigo R. Duterte administration. I was back to Malaysia to attend an Asian editors’ conference in the State of Melaka with Amalia Cabusao of the Mindanao Times and a couple of Manila editors. In 1998, we were in France –in Paris for three nights enroute to the assembly plant of plane-maker Airbus in Toulouse City where we stayed for four days. It was a Philippine Airlines event and the other Dabawenyo with me was Ben Diansay of the Mindanao Gazette. In the early 2000’s, I was again in Singapore when we interviewed Goh Chok Tong, the prime minister who succeeded Lee Kuan Yew. Being
state guests, the prime minister entertained us in The Istana (“palace” in Malay). Yes, The Istana is the “Malacanang Palace” of Singapore. It is the official residence of Singapore’s President and the working place of the Prime Minister. In that same decade, we were back in Malaysia and Hong Kong on the rare invitation of PAL and AirAsia to join local tour operators and travel agents in familiarization tours (farm-tours). It was in the 2000’s when I had the opportunity to go to Macau thrice, twice to accompany businessman Arthur M. Garcia and friends and another time with Arthur’s family to witness the bout of Manny Pacquiao against American pugilist Brandon Rios. In 2004, I joined some 80 motoring journalists from all over the world to witness the launch by Goodyear of two new tires in Prince Bira circuit in Pattaya, Thailand. There were two of us from Davao on that trip, the other being Ms Ma. Razelle Rodriguez, executive producer of ABS-CBN TV
Davao. Very warm welcome in Beijing My latest foreign sally, from July 24 to August 1, this year, was just as interesting as my trips in the past. This one was in answer to twin invitations, one from the People’s Daily and the other from the government of the People’s Republic of China. Serafin “Jun” C. Ledesma Jr. of the Mindanao Journal and I literally got a very warm welcome when we arrived in Beijing at 10:40 a.m. of July 24. The temperature in the capital of the People’s Republic of China was 37 degrees. With Ninez Cacho Olivares of The Tribune, Pinky Colmenares of Manila Bulletin and Dante Ang II of Manila Times, we took off from NAIA I at 6:30 a.m. Air China, the flag carrier of China with a fleet of more than 300 aircraft flying to some 120 destinations, landed in the Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) on the dot. (Accordingly, the airport’s IATA code, PEK, is based on the city’s old Romanized name, Peking.) We deplaned in PEK’s Terminal 3, the world’s biggest airport terminal, second only to Dubai. PEK covers 1,480 hectares of land. (Terminal 3 is a cavernous structure built shortly before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, so huge that the teeming humanity arriving and departing that Monday midmorning seemed so sparse compared to the still unoccupied facilities of the building. Nobody would think that close to 90 million passengers are serviced by that airport annually. Updated statistical data indicate that as of June 2016, Beijing airport’s traffic was a total of 89,938,628 passengers, second only to the 101.4 million of Hartfield airport in Jackson, Atlanta, USA. Bei-
jing is followed by Dubai’s 78 million passengers, then by O’hare airport in Chicago with 76.9 million, and Haneda in Tokyo with 75.3 million). Jun and I were sweating while being taken by the ascending escalator to the fourth level of the huge building. Once up in the air-conditioned portion, we stepped onto a moving walkway ( also “walkalator” or “travellator”) and negotiated what seemed to be a distance of more than a kilometer, before riding a series of 3 descending escalators until we reached a juncture where we took a 10-to-15-minute ride on board a cute passenger train, at the end of which we were subjected to a quick and smooth immigration formality by unsmiling young officers. Then we went into another cavernous structure, this time the baggage claim area, where we retrieved our checked-in luggage from Counter No. 47. The customs amenities were as snappy and uneventful. We were met by a welcoming tandem of men who ushered us to our ride. The 32-kilometer trip from the airport to our hotel (Intercontinental Beijing) in the downtown area gave me, the only first-timer in the group, an opportunity to see telltale signs of the massive greening that the government had done to the vast open spaces of this fourth largest nation in the world in area. The People’s Republic of China has an area of 9.5 million sq kms. (In ranking, it is next only to Russia which has 17 million sq. kms, Canada with 9.9 million sq kms, and USA with 9.8 million sq. kms, in that order). When I looked up, Beijing’s skies were still hazy, an evidence that China has to do a lot more to check the country’s smog. (Next: One Belt, One Road)
8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
EDITORIAL Inclusion of Davao traffic in emergency powers
I
F you ask Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio if the city should be included in the coverage of the proposed traffic emergency powers of the President, the answer is a most definite “yes. Mayor Duterte-Carpio has expressed her proposal for Davao City to be included in the coverage along with Metro Manila and Cebu. President Duterte has sought emergency powers to deal with the traffic crisis for at most two years. Traffic in Metro Manila is estimated to be costing the country about P3 billion ($64 million) a day – equivalent to about 0.8% of gross domestic product, previous reports said. Davao City may not have the same problem as Metro Manila
EDGEDAVAO
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ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ KENNETH IRVING K. ONG JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS MEGHANN STA. INES RIA VALDEZ NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN Reporters FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle CHA MONFORTE LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents Cartoons Photography Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. Columnists: • HENRYLITO D. TACIO • EDCER C.B. ESCUDERO • ATTY. EMILY ZEN CHUA • GREGORIO G. DELIGERO JOHN CARLO TRIA • BORBONCARLOS • MARYMUNDA ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO•AGUSTIN • EMILY VIDA S. VALVERDE C. LUMBA • HENRY J. SCHUMACHER • VANESSA KATE MADRAZO• JONALLIER Economic Analysts: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG ZENMIA CHUA • CARLOS• FRED MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG M. PEREZ
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but traffic is starting to become disturbing in the city. The equally rapid speed of modernization has transformed Davao City from a once laid back city to an emerging business and investments haven and all the innuendoes of a bustling metropolis came with it, including traffic congestion. The city government is working on various proposals to remedy the traffic problem in the city including management of the volume of car ownership, congestion management, elevated tollways, mass transport system, walkways, bikeways, and multi-level parking facilities. There is no question, Davao City is starting to feel the stress of its traffic problems and t be covered by the provision on emergency powers seemed like the quick fix to it.
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) 0948-823-3685 Tel: (088) 852-4894
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ANGELICA R. GARCIA | Marketing Manager 97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509
EDGEDAVAO
B
Banana: Area, yield and production (2015) and export (2014) Area (’000 a)
443,000
Cavendish 86,000 Saba
Lakatan
9
Going bananas and more
ANANA is the only crop in many decades that reached $1.14 billion in exports in 2014 and $963 million (M) in 2013. In 2015, it dipped to about $900M, contrary to the government statistics of $440M. More of this faulty export statistics later. Banana comprises 8.2 percent of gross agriculture product in 2015, ranking 5th after rice, fishery, livestock and poultry. Among crops, it ranks second to rice and ahead of coconut, corn and sugarcane despite its smaller area (443,000 ha) compared to palay 4.6 M ha, coconut 3.5M ha, corn 2.6 M ha, and slightly ahead of sugarcane 421,000 ha.
All Bananas
VANTAGE POINTS
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
46,000
182,000
Production Yield (‘000 ton) (ton/ha)
Export, 2014 ($M)
4,567
1,137
9,084
20.5
970
21.0
2.627
54.3 14.4
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
1,177 40 nil
According to industry players, bananas (Cavendish, saba/cardava, lakatan, others) benefit directly and indirectly over 500,000 people, about half in Cavendish which stands on a solid value chain. Some P150B has been invested with annual wages of P4.5B. Two recent events highlight the media visibility and vitality of the industry. First is the lifting of the ban by China on Cavendish export. Second is the holding of the banana congress in Davao in early October. The lifting of the banana ban by China as
“O
THER than a nagging problem in our war against illegal drugs, we have another war to fight – it’s called Zika.” That was the opening line of the Monday’s editorial which entitled, “Another war to fight.” “Yes, the dreaded Zika virus has reached the country,” the editorial further stated. One teacher who read the piece observed: “Oh, my God. Zika is now in our country?” “This mosquito-borne virus, however, may have been here all the while as an unnamed disease until lately when threat of the virus become globally widespread,” the editorial pointed out. The editorial also observed: “Like the problem on drugs, this is no ordinary war. We cannot wait until the spread of the virus grows to epidemic proportions.” While the war on drugs cannot be won, as some pundits believe, the war on Zika virus can be curtailed if something is done soon. Just like malaria and dengue, Zika virus is primarily transmitted to humans through bites of an infected mosquito. The two known species responsible for Zika transmission are the “Aedes aegypti,” known as the Asian tiger mosquito, and the “Aedes albopictus.” Both also transmits dengue. But unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes, the “Aedes” mosquitoes are mostly active during the day (peak biting activity occurs in
headlined by BUSINESS the media is highly inaccurate. China has been applying non-tariffs barriers on Philippine banana since the Scarborough affair. China had selected Rolando T. Dy applications, be it violation of phyto-sanitary measures, or just plain harassment. But imports continue to grow. President Duterte proposed that a Banana Industry Development Act be passed instead of an Executive Order to give strong impetus in the budget. This future act is not new. The Sugar Alliance pushed for the passage of the Sugar Industry Development Act (2015), which is a model. Faulty Statistics. Philippine banana trade statistics lack reliability, especially in 2015. A look at the volume of exports of three major markets for 2013, 2014 and 2015 showed major discrepancies. The Philippines’ official data for 2015 appears to reflect only one semester data! Understandably, there is bound to be some differences (say, 10 percent) due to time period reckoning, but the actual differences appear excessive. Some government officials attribute the massive drop in exports to El Nino: China -34 percent, Japan -62 percent, and Korea-70
percent! It was a horrendous fall compared to the imports of partner countries: China -11 percent, Japan -6 percent, and Korea -4 percent. Banana Trade Stats (‘000 tons)
* A professional guestimate would be about 1 M tons. Source: UN Trademap; PSA The Future. The Banana Industry Council can look to the Sugar Industry Development Act (RA 10659 of 2015) as a model for the Banana Industry Act. Of the P2B annual appropriations under the Sugar Act, the components are: (a) block farming 15 percent, (b) farm mechanization 15 percent, (c) research and development, extension service and capacity building 15 percent, (d) scholarship grants five percent, and (e) infrastructure (farm-to-mill roads, irrigation, others) 50 percent. The mill district development councils will play a key role in extension services.
Given the global threat of Panama disease, a sustained focus on research and development to develop disease-resistant varieties is “mission-critical.” Other significant diseases which are causing economic losses for the growers include sigatoka, bunchy top, and moko (bacterial wilt). Continuous benchmarking is vital as more countries are planting bananas, e.g., Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. These countries have lower cost of land and labor. Ecuador, Guatemala and other Latin American countries have now firmly established their presence in Asia. Whenever they have excess which the US and Europe market cannot take, they would ship these to Asia. Markets are China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. With intensifying competition, the Philippines must not be complacent. Rather, it should strive to be more productive, quality-compliant and cost-competitive.
the early mornTHINK ON THESE! ings and late afternoons). They can survive in both indoor and outdoor environments. The Geneva-based World Health Organization says the Henrylito D. Tacio incubation period of Zika vi- henrytacio@gmail.com rus is typically between 2 and 7 days. More often than not, majority of people with the virus do not display any symptoms. Generally, however, the disease is characterized by low grade fever (less than 38.5°C) frequently accompanied by a maculopapular rash. Other common symptoms include muscle pain, joint pain with possible swelling (notably of the small joints of the hands and feet), headache, pain behind the eyes and conjunctivitis. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed recently that Zika virus can spread through sex, usually after a person traveled to an area where Zika has broken out, got the virus, and gave the virus to a sex partner who did not travel. “Infected women and men can both pass
the virus to sex partners,” the WebMd.com points out. The virus is not known to be fatal and usually causes relatively mild symptoms. “The disease has similar clinical signs to dengue, and may be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common,” the WHO explained in its website. Having Zika virus is not really fatal. “Infection with the Zika virus is rarely severe enough to warrant hospitalization, and it is rarer still for an individual to die as a result,” notes “Medical News Today.” The Zika virus was first identified in monkeys in 1947 in Uganda. The first human case, however, was first detected in 1954. Outbreaks were later reported in the Pacific in 2007 and in 2013. In the past, there have been reports of patients developing Guillain-Barre syndrome following a Zika virus infection. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. Recent reports, however, claim Zika virus causes microcephaly although until now scientists are still vague how thevirus halts brain development. According to “Medical News Today,” microcephaly is a neurological condition “where an infant’s head circumference is significantly smaller than the average size for infants of the same age.” Complications of microcephaly include:
dwarfism or short statues, facial distortion, mental retardation, hyperactivity and seizures. On February 1, 2016, the United Nations health agency declared that Zika virus outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Five months later, the CDC issued a travel warning for people traveling to area and certain countries where Zika virus transmission was ongoing. Right now, there is still no vaccine against Zika virus. “Time,” the US weekly magazine, gives this report: “There are no approved drugs or vaccines for Zika, mainly because scientists long assumed the virus was so benign that it wasn’t worth the resources to investigate treatment.” But some American scientists are already looking for a vaccine. “Vaccine development is under way at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Scientists are tweaking a vaccine that was initially developed for the West Nile virus,” Alexandra Sifferlin, author of the “Time” feature, reported. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, was quoted as saying: “The need for a drug is less compelling than the need for a vaccine. Since Zika is an infection that in most people is usually gone within a few days, it may be tough to have a major impact with a drug as opposed to prevention, with a vaccine.”
2013
2014
2015
401
774
687
Gap
(101)
(200)
358
Philippine exports to Japan
1,080
5,347*
China imports from Philippines Philippine exports to China
Japan imports from Philippines Gap
Korea imports from Philippines Philippine exports to Korea Gap
502 909
974 875
(171)
Not meaningful
410
454
306
(104)
344
(110)
All the fuzz about zika
329 825 380 445 329 139 190
The proposed banana law should include the following key elements: a. Establishment of a private-sector driven Banana Industry Development Council b. Creation of a banana research center c. Development of roadmaps by variety: Cavendish, lakatan and saba d. Development of niche markets for Señorita bananas. Push for other varieties such as lakatan, latundan, and other plantains. e. Address tariff and non-tariffs issues with Japan, China and ASEAN f. Certification of legitimate exporters g. Improved banana trade export statistics.
10 NEWS SC... FROM 1
EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
approved under the term of Duterte when he was still the mayor of Davao City. The then mayor strongly advocated for the ban of aerial spraying in the city. Bonocan said the city government will now lobby with the Office of the President for it to issue the Executive Order that will once again enforce the city’s ban on the practice of aerial spraying particularly by large-scale agricultural com-
panies. To recall, the Supreme Court, En Banc, declared on August 16, 2016 the Davao City Government’s anti-aerial spraying ordinance as invalid and unconstitutional. When asked by the media in Davao to give his comment on the SC’s decision, President Duterte said that there was no need for the city government of Davao to file a motion for reconsideration.
Head Rocky Balili, he has been helping Duterte supporters to conduct orientations on the group’s proposed activities in barangays, towns and cities. Balili said they are expecting around 3,000 participants coming from various government agencies and other stakeholders in the community to
take part in the movement. He, however, clarified that the organization has not received any kind of financial support from the national government.. “We are just voluntarily helping the Duterte administration in achieving its goals,” Balili stressed.
Davao... FROM 2
in the next coming years,” he said. “We’re now in the process of conceptualizing on how to level-up our inventions,” Sales added. In fact, the DOST official disclosed that SET-UP has already established a partnership with Davao-based Porky Best, a local manufacturer of snack foods. As an initial step, he said the DOST installed a helophyte filter to the company’s manufacturing equipment. The filter, he explained, is made up of different organic materials including iron shavings, lime, and plants in which water can pass through from the production area’s septic tank. According to Sales, the filter gets rid of the contaminants after which clean water
is released. “The water is almost potable,” he said, adding the filtered water can be disposed even in rivers without the risk of pollution. Sales urged MSMEs to participate in DOST’s SET-UP Program, as this will enable them to establish and develop sustainable business ventures. In the meantime, the DOST also showcased other eco-friendly technologies such as low cost, modulartype of rainwater collection and ceramic treatment system which utilize using local materials. These ceramic water treatment systems can already be ordered from the DOST, while the rainwater collection units would still be available by next year.
Tax... FROM 5
proved by 7 percent year-onyear in the first eight-month of 2016, the DOF further stated. The government was also able to post 9 percent growth in expenditure amounting to P177 billion in August this year compared to P161.6 billion expenditures in the same month last year, adding the government’s level of spending is a closely watched driver of economic growth as it contributes about a tenth to gross domestic product (GDP). Interest payments also increased to 13.2% of total spending that amounted to P23.4 billion last August, or an increase of 42 percent from last year’s P16.5 billion. “Netting out interest payments, the government was also able to revert to a primary surplus of P56 billion in August, following last month’s fall to a primary deficit. Likewise, the figure was higher by 78 percent year-on-year,” the DOF added. From January to August this year, the DOF said the government total spending stood at P1.619 trillion. The figure is up by 12 percent compared to P1.444 tril-
lion spending last year, but in netting out interest payments, the government ended the first eight-month period with a P78.8 billion primary surplus, a figure lower than P222.2-billion primary surfeit in the same period in 2015. Earlier, Dominguez said the Duterte administration would be responsible with its finances, as it reverses the underspending in the previous administration. “The new government has committed to raise public investments in infrastructure, human capital and social protection for vulnerable sectors, as part of President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda to sustain high growth and make its benefits trickle down to all Filipinos,” the DOF said. The government is also pursuing a comprehensive tax reform program to help raise needed funds for public investments. Last September, the DOF had submitted to the House of Representatives the first package of its proposed Tax Reform Roadmap for Acceleration and Inclusion Act. ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ
Kilusang... FROM 2
DOST... FROM 3
Budget... FROM 5
CITIZENS FOR PROGRESS. Kilusang Pagbabago’s Rocky Balili announces during this week’s edition of I-Speak media forum at City Hall the upcoming launching of Kilusang Pagbabago Region 11 and the scheduled activities set
cally, Davao is still tropical because of the “one liter of rainfall” it receives in a year. In view of this, the Davao City Water District (DCWD) has already identified aquifer recharged areas in the city. “We have enough recharge to replace extraction,” she said. In the meantime, DCWD Water Quality Division Nanager Hydie R. Maspiñas revealed that the water facility conducted a P22 million study to find out how much water the city has underground. Based on the results of
the study, Maspiñas said that Davao’s aquifers are multi-layered. After the DCWD team drilled 300 meters from the ground’s surface, she said water spurted out as high as eight meters. Meanwhile, Maspiñas disclosed that the Tamugan Bulk Water Supply Project, which will be completed in 2019, will have eight aquifers located in Gumalang, Panorama, and Mandug. “This project would let our wells in Dumoy rest,” she said. RIA VALDEZ
Under the proposed tax reform, Chua said call center agents and other workers would will only pay P1,567 in PIT even if their 13th month pay and other benefits are factored-in when computing their net taxable income. “This is because under the new DOF-proposed system, those earning P250,000 but not over P400,000 will only have to pay 20 percent of the amount in excess of P250,000 as personal income tax in the first year of implementation,” Chua, who is the DOF’s concurrent chief economist, added. The tax plan also includes a proposal to adjust the fuel excise tax, which has not been done since 1997, and expand the value-added tax (VAT) base to plug massive leakages. Taking into account the additional VAT that they would pay annually for goods and services, which is about P3,096, and the effect of a fuel excise tax adjustments on their expenses, which the DOF estimates at P1,522, their net savings would amount to P28,024, the DOF statement added. “Assuming that he or she commutes to work, the savings would also include an indirect subsidy of P1,500 because the impact on transport fares would only be minimal as a result of the cash cards that would be given to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles to offset the increase in fuel excise. Factoring in the additional P1,500 indirect assistance brings the net savings to P29,524 a year,” the statement further stated. In the same statement, the Bureau of Internal Reve-
nue (BIR) also said a total of 447,181 individual taxpayers earning more than 250,000 but not over P400,000 would pay a lower PIT under the DOF-proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, which was submitted to both chambers of the Congress last Sept. 26. The highest tax that workers would pay under this bracket is P30,000 a year, which is already the level for an individual earning at least P30,000 a month. For those in the government service, DOF said that the P250,000 to P400,000 bracket includes employees with the ranks of Teacher II, Teacher III, Cashier II, Geologist II, Attorney I, and Information System Res III that belong to Salary Grades 12 to 17. Individuals belonging to the lowest bracket or those earning not over P250,000 a year—would be exempted from paying taxes. “Some 3 million taxpayers paying the personal income tax under the current system would join the country’s 1.7 million minimum wage earners who are already exempted from paying the PIT, if the DOF-proposed tax reform plan pushes through,” the DOF said. To sum up, a total of 4.7 million taxpayers will no longer pay personal income taxes under the tax plan proposed by DOF. “Among these beneficiaries who will pay zero income tax under the DOF plan are utility workers, messengers, clerks, drivers, carpenters, laboratory technicians, computer operators, engineering assis-
on Oct. 23 at Rizal Memorial College Gym in Davao City which is expected to draw 3,000 supporters of President Duterte. Lean Daval Jr.
Continue... FROM 6 MSME sector. Meanwhile, in the same meeting, former Valenzuela City mayor and now Senator Sherwin Gatchalian underscored that innovation is key in the successful product differentiation amidst today’s tough market competition. “Innovation is the backbone of entrepreneurship,” said Sen. Gatchalian, adding the revival of entrepreneurship has become more vibrant today with the national government’s full support. Sec. Lopez said that such an innovation can be replicated in government processes.
For instance,, DTI adopted Valenzuela City’s business streamlining efforts as role model in its similar objective to fast track business processing and licensing system, following the instructions of President Duterte. Sen. Gatchalian noted that automation is the solution to bureaucratic red tape, which is a major concern among entrepreneurs today. He expressed hope that automation in Valenzuela City be emulated by other local government units, which are the “first entities that entrepreneurs have contact with.”
tants, electricians, legal assistants, and entry-level teachers in the government service. They belong to Salary Grades 11 and below,” the DOF added. Meanwhile, the highest tax that will be paid by those employees with net taxable income of P400,000 but not over P800,000 is P130,000 under proposed new tax pan. The amount is lower compared to the P221,000 that the bracket of employees pay for their PIT, the DOF noted. This bracket, which includes employees with the ranks of Economic III, IT Officer, Board Secretary III, Attorney III, Assistant Division Chief, Court Attorney II, Division Chief and Director I, consist of 357,875 taxpayers representing 4 percent of the total tax base for individuals, including government workers under Salary Grades 18 to 25. The DOF added that those individuals with net taxable income of P800,000 but not exceeding P2 million, which covers 114,856 individuals or 3 percent of the tax base, the maximum PIT that they will pay will only be P490,000 in the first year of implementation, compared to P605,000 that they are paying under the current system. Salary Grades 26 to 32 in the government service are covered under this bracket, which includes those with the ranks of Director II, Director III, Bureau Director, the Assistant Secretaries, Undersecretaries and Secretaries of the Cabinet, and the Vice President, the DOF said. “Some 28,000 individuals
earning P2 million to P5 million, representing 1 percent of the tax base would be taxed P490,000 plus 32 percent of their annual gross income in excess of P2 million,” the DOF emphasized, adding that the maximum PIT under this bracket is P1,450,000 compared to the current system where one has to cough up P1,565,000 for earning P5 million a year. The President of the Philippines which is under Salary Grade 33 is already included in this bracket, the DOF said. The last bracket of ultra-rich taxpayers comprising less than 6,000 individuals earning over P5 million would have to pay a tax of P1.45 million plus 35 percent of the amount in excess of P5 million. “Reducing the PIT rate would be done over a twoyear period benefiting most taxpayers except the ultra-rich,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in the same statement. The secretary added the rule behind the Duterte administration’s income tax reform plan is for the rich to pay more and for the poor and low-income Filipinos to pay less or none at all. “Without reforming our tax system so that it becomes fairer, simpler and more efficient, government cannot undertake the volume of spending required in achieving our goals” of reducing poverty from 26 percent to 17 percent in six years and elevating the Philippines to the status of a high-income country in one generation,” Dominguez emphasized.
INdulge! Living well and healthy VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
PEOPLE
EDGEDAVAO
Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio WHAT DO QUENTIN REVOIRE AND DANIEL SPILLER HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON? Aside from being famous sports personalities, the two came to Davao City recently without much fanfare. Only very few people learned to know that both were around.
Among the two, however, Spiller is the most well-known. He was a professional footballer since the age of 17. His previous clubs were Gillingham, Millwall, Dagenham and Redbridge, Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town. Predominantly a midfielder, Spiller has also played as a striker, and right-back, although his preferred position is in central midfield. Spiller quit playing when he injured his Achilles tendon. Before the injury happened, he already signed a contract with Luton Town and when the long-term prognosis of his injury was “showing little signs of improvement,” his contract was terminated. On the other Revoire – the most handsome among the two – used to play rugby for FC Grenoble. But still being young, he was looking for some opportunity to use his skills and knowledge in Business Administration and Management (he finished his Bachelor’s degree from the Queen Margaret University). Revoire came across an opportunity that completely changed his life at the age of 21. He took it without much ado and now he is travelling the world financially free. He has been with the company four more than four years now. Both Spiller and Revoire find their niche under the sun with Herbalife. And that was the reason why the two came to Davao City recently – to show to people that you can be physically fit by eating the right kinds of food and with constant exercise. “We are increasing awareness on health and fitness because there are plenty of issues nowadays,” says Revoire in an exclusive interview. “Our job is basically promoting the brand and representing Herbalife Nutrition in the best as we can.” Revoire started as a customer and “so I have seen the benefits of the products from
Small changes to your daily life and diet can add up to big results in the long term. Whether you are already fit or just starting out on your fitness journey, you can live a healthier and more active lifestyle Daniel Spiller
Revoire Quentin
day one,” he says. “They help me in my nutrients target and even protein needs.” With him as an example of being physically fit and healthy, he doesn’t need further explanation. “Everyone is looking these days to be sexier; if you go to Australia, Europe, United States, or Asia, everyone wants to become sexy. I worked hard to obtain the best results and we are showing others that you get fantastic result.” Just like Revoire, Spiller also started as a customer. “I was injured and wanted to keep myself fit,” he reveals. “I have tried every product in the market place during my football career. When I tried Herbalife, I know that it is the best product.” So, he joined the company first for the income he would get from it. But later on, when he understood the philosophy behind Herbalife International, his mindset changed. “I want to help change the nutrition habits of the world and to help get in shape.” By looking at the two former sports personalities, you
can tell that health goes well with good eating and exercise. “At Herbalife, our healthy active lifestyle philosophy is about inspiring you to take the leap to become you best self,” explains Boyet Apalit, wellness coach of Herbalife Nutrition. “We want to make people feel good and help them build a strong sense of self. We want to create a positive community that supports and empowers everyone – no matter what their fitness level or goals are.” When people hear the words “healthy active lifestyle,” they usually imagine having to dedicate hours to extreme workouts. “While that certain counts,” Apalit points out, “a healthy active lifestyle is simply one that contributes positively to your physical and mental well-being. “It is not hard as it sounds,” he assures. “Small changes to your daily life and diet can add up to big results in the long term. Whether you are already fit or just starting out on your fitness journey, you can live a healthier and more active lifestyle.”
A2 INdulge!
EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 -
PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS
ARTS AND CULTURE theKATcloset A4
a lot because he was an auto mechan young boy, Kent would be fascinated ther’s drawings and designs. Ironical he took up Bachelor of Science and Engineering and didn’t realize unti year of college that the course didn’ Typically, young students that are co their first courses in college tend to and enroll in the Fine Arts departm ing that an art course would be eas ish, only to find out—ironically—it i in the park. “I was being introduced analytic methods, technicalities, an related to the art as a practice. As a k some drawings but I was never really at it. I must say that I developed my skills during my years in University a ally I have learned to appreciate the te basic lessons that have taught me to u more about human behavior, pheno cal changes, and life itself,” the artist Kent, although young and know still lot to learn, has an impeccable that is apparent in the quality of ar is able to produce. “For me, emotio doesn’t affect my art practice since artistically trained in a scholarly and manner. Before painting, I always m ies based on the articles I’ve gathere technical aspects of the art process an sitions. I always plan everything beca practice, I can’t afford to fail. After e has been precisely set up on my ca is where my emotional attachment because I also believe that the audie not be receptive to the artwork if the
22, 2016
nic and as a d by his fally though, Computer il his third ’t suit him. onfused in o drop out ment, thinksier to finisn’t a walk d to several nd theories id, I did do y that good y sketching and eventuedious and understand omenologiexplained. wingly has work ethic rtworks he onal factors e I’ve been d technical make studed and the nd compoause in this everything anvas, that t develops; ence would ere isn’t any
EDGEDAVAO
INdulge! A3
EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society
poignant application to it—and that is the hardest part,” he said. Majority of the artist’s works are surrealism but has a simplistic weight that is nearly minimalistic—which is quite interesting. With the detailed use of human gestures and expressions, Kent’s subjects effectively signifies the concept of binary opposition— the push and pull factor, the irony that his subjects go through in the storytelling of his canvas. It usually tells the story of Davao’s culture and its people’s heritage struggling for survival within society’s modern world. “For example, most people view Kadayawan as a great festival because it portrays the gathering of different people and the giving of thanks for a bountiful harvest not knowing that it is not celebrated the way it used to be, hence, today’s society has warped even the identity of its people,” the artist passionately says. Done in a tasteful and effective way, surrealism can depict more than the fantastic and “weird” world of artistic interpretation— it can be a method for the artist to let the audience read in between the lines and see a certain world for what it really is.
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EDGEDAVAO
No ordinary binary surrealism IN THE ART OF STORYTELLING, there is always this one very essential factor that I always teach my students in scriptwriting and advertising to never forget—and that is the use of “irony”; and it pretty much applies to painting as well. For any visual communication or story to be compelling, there must be conflict—a problem or opposing factor that has to be resolved and/or overcome. Because really, without irony, what would be life’s purpose and what would be the drive of any communication medium? Mr. Kent Medenilla, the 23-year old Fine Arts major from Toril, is one of the young rising stars in Davao City’s local art scene; and from my impression, his application of surrealism to the concept of binary opposition displays the political ironies of the day-to-day lives of Filipinos and most especially Davao’s indigenous people subtly but no less effectively. Kent’s father used to draw
theKATcloset A2
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016 CDD-122:
CBPM Form D 1-1
Form
KALAHI-CIDSS NATIONAL COMMUNITY DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Office of the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee Barangay: NGAN Municipality: COMPOSTELA Province: COMPOSTELA VALLEY
INVITATION TO BID FOR GOODS CONTRACT
(For Advertisement, Posting and Personal Delivery) Date: October 10, 2016 The community of Barangay Ngan, Compostela Compostela Valley, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites suppliers/distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the following project that received assistance from the DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS National Community Driven Development Project (KC-NCDDP). Name of Goods/Service Location Brief Description Cost Estimate Contract Duration Delivery Period
: : : : : :
Supply of Construction Materials Ngan,Compostela Compostela Valley Supply of Construction Materials __________________________________________________ 15 Days __________________________________________________
Interested bidders are requested to submit their offered price for the supply of the items listed below: Items No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91
Description/Specs of Items
Qty
Unit
Portland cement 40 kg 16mmØ x 6.0m RSB 12mmØ x 6.0m RSB 10mmØ x 6.0m RSB Ga # 16 GI tie wire Hacksaw blade # 120 Nylon String CW Nails #4 CW Nails # 2-1/2 CW Nails #1 1/2 Concrete Nails # 4" Concrete Nails #3 Mosquito Screen Ordinary plywood 4'x8'x5mm 5mm thck x 4' x 8' Marine Plywood 12mm dia. X 12" x 8' Fiber Board Cement Tekswood Roofing Nails Roof Sealant (Vulca Seal brand) Door Knob 4" X 4" Loose Pin Hinges 1/8" WELDED Screen 21 watts Pin light assembly 1 - gang Wall Switch (F.M.) 3 - gang Wall Switch (F.M.) 3 - gang Convenience Outlet (F.M.) Panel Board: Main 1 - 2P - 40 AT Brs: 2 - 2P - 15 AT, 1 - 2P - 20 AT & 1 - 2P - Spare 8mm^2 THW Copper Wire 3.5mm^2 THHN Copper Wire 2.0mm^2 THHN Copper Wire 20mm dia RSC Pipe w/ Coupling 20mm dia RSC elbow w/ Coupling 20mm dia RSC L.B. 20mm dia PVC Pipe w/ Hub (thck Wall, Orange) 20mm dia PVC Flexible Pipe 4" x4" Octagonal PVC Junction Box(Orange) 2" x 4" Utility Box (Metal, Deep Type) 1/4" dia Circular Loom 100cc Solvent Cement Screw Insulator (big) 20mm RSC Entrance Cap 20mm dia PVC Pipe Elbow w/ Hub Electrical Tape (big) 20mm dia Lock nut w/ screws 20mm dia PVC Clamp QDE Glossy White Semi - Gloss Latex White Flat Wall Enamel White Flat latex White Paint Thinner Concrete Neutralizer Body Filler Patching Compound Latex Tinting Color Oil Tinting Color Waste Cotton Paint Brush 4" Paint Roller 7" with Pan Lettering Brush 1" Lettering Brush 1/2" Sandpaper #100 Sandpaper # 120 8" X 8" Ceramic Floor Tiles (Unglazed) 8"x 8" Ceramic Tiles (Glazed) Plastic Tile trim Tile Groute ( 2kgs) 3" dia (S 900) PVC Pipe 3" dia PVC Elbow Solvent Cement 200cc 110mm dia x 3m (S - 900) PVC Pipe water closet w/ lavatory &accessories angle valve/flexible hose) 6" X 6" Stainless Floor Drain 4" dia. PVC WYE 4" dia. PVC Clean-Out w/ Plug 4" dia. PVC P-TRAP 4" dia. PVC Elbow 4" dia. PVC TEE 4"x2" Reducer PVC TEE 20mm dia. UPVC Tee 20mm dia. UPVC Plain Elbow 20mm dia. UPVC Threaded Elbow 20mm dia UPVC Male Adaptor 63mm dia (S - 900) PVC Sanitary Pipe 20mm dia Gate Valve (Heavy Duty) 20mm dia. Faucet (Heavy Duty) 20mm dia x 3m UPVC Pipe Informative Signages Warning Signs Bollard Caution Tape (Yellow) Safety Boots Hard Hat Safety Gloves ***Nothings Follow*** TOTAL Amount in Words:
2,044 500.00 80.00 1972.00 260.00 72.00 8.00 268.00 156.00 78.00 80.00 24.00 28.00 264.00 108.00 100.00
bags pcs pcs pcs kls pcs rolls kgs kgs kgs kgs kgs mtrs pcs pcs pcs
6000.00 8.00 32.00 64.00 16.00 60.00 16.00 12.00 16.00
pcs quarts sets pairs meters pcs pairs pairs pairs
4.00
units
32.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 12.00 4.00 20.00
mtrs rolls rolls lenghts pcs pcs pcs
232.00 28.00
mtrs pcs
44.00 20.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 8.00 4.00 32.00 292.00 80.00 88.00 60.00 60.00 32.00 16.00 4.00 100.00 80.00 40.00 16.00 8.00 16.00 4.00 4.00 40.00 120.00 680.00
pcs mtrs cans pcs pcs pcs rolls pcs pcs gals. gals. gals. gals. gals. gals. gals. kls pints pints kls pcs sets sets sets pcs pcs pcs
2240.00 48.00 12.00 48.00 96.00 12.00 16.00 16.00
pcs lenghts bags lenghts pcs cans lenghts sets
16.00 40.00 16.00 16.00 40.00 16.00 12.00 16.00 20.00 20.00 8.00 16.00 4.00 16.00 16.00
sets pcs sets sets pcs pcs pcs pcs pcs pcs pcs lenghts pcs pcs lenghts
16.00 62.00 8.00 40.00 60.00 120.00
units units rolls pairs pcs pairs
Unit Cost
Total
P
A pre-bid conference will be held at the Barangay Hall on October 27, 2016 at exactly 1:00 pm The Bid shall include the following documents: Form of Bid (using prescribed form) Price Schedule Bid security in the form of cash, cashier’s check, manager’s check, bank draft, or bank guarantee equivalent to two percent (2%) of the bid price or a Bid Securing declaration; DTI Business Name Registration or SEC registration certificate Authority of the signatory; After Sales Service/Parts Technical Specifications of the goods being offered (brochures/manual to be attached) Delivery Schedule Certification that each document submitted is an original or a true copy of the original Warranty/ List of Service Centers (if applicable) Other document required in the instruction to bidders (if any)
All bids must be received on November 3, 2016 @ exactly 10:00 AM and will be immediately opened in public in the presence of bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the following address:
KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP Barangay Community Project Management Committee Barangay Ngan, Municipality of Compostela Province of COMPOSTELA VALLEY The community reserves the right to reject any bid or waive any defect or formality. The lowest calculated and responsive bid shall be used as the criterion in the award. The community will not reimburse any expenses related to the preparation of bids.
Date of Publication/Posting: October 21, 2016
3,099 motorists who violated the city’s speed limit ordinance. Rhodelio Poliquit, chief of the CTTMO, noted that most the 3,334 violators were found to driving without license. Still during the same pe-
riod, Poliquit’s office rounded up 481 tricycles, 1,230 ‘payong-payongs’ and 111 illegally-parked vehicles. The apprehensions were done in Davao’s central district area. Poliquit said traffic violations have been causing road congestions. CIO
HE Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said the shift from the current unitary system to a federal form of government will greatly contribute to the correction of the past wrongdoings committed against the Bangsamoro, Cordillera, and several indigenous communities in the country. This was stressed in OPAPP Secretary Jesus G. Dureza’s speech, delivered Wednesday by senior consultant Jose Lorena, at the the Global Autonomy, Governance, and Federalism Forum 2016. The speech underscored the role of a federal republic as “just and lasting redress for the powerless, dispossessed, and disenfranchised brought by forceful submission of foreign powers and majority culture.” The said forum was initiated by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) and the Konrad Adenauer Stieftung (KAS) Philippines, two pioneer organizations that have always shown full support for the peace process. “Federalism destroys the seeds of injustices that cultivated hostilities and violence by directly addressing people’s needs at a grassroots level,” said Lorena, who also
served as undersecretary of the OPAPP in the last administration. The latter also emphasized that having a centralized government would push different regional groups to compete with each other for dominance, leaving certain sectors marginalized. He cited the struggles of the Bangsamoro and Cordillera people for self-determination which were deeply rooted in forceful submission to a dominant group imposing to them the majority’s cultural, economic and political policies. “Federalism liberates us from these woes we currently experience and the tyranny of a particular class, group, or sector,” Lorena continued. “In the long-term, federalism can institutionalize permanent peace and sustainable development in our country.” For his part, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al-Jah Murad Ebrahim said the creation of the Bangsamoro government under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) seeks to correct the historical injustices against the Bangsamoro.
Aside from correcting previous wrongdoings, Murad also shared OPAPP’s current vision that the proposed Bangsamoro entity could be a pilot case study in the current efforts leading to nationwide shift towards a federal system of government. “If one reads carefully through the pages of the CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro), then, one cannot but reach the conclusion that powers between Central and the Bangsamoro Governments are meaningfully shared and delegated properly -- a future which is very prominent, it already established federal governments,” Murad said. The creation of the Bangsamoro government is in step with the proposed constitutional reforms towards federalism. These formed part of the Bangsamoro roadmap under the six-point peace and development agenda of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. “The implementation of the CAB, particularly its political track which means the passage of the restored Bangsamoro Basic Law, must precede the shift from unitary to federal form of government,” Murad stressed. (PNA)
is now focused on complying with Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s directive to have “a unified representation of athletes.” To achieve this goal, the CSDO recently conducted consultative meetings to hear the issues and concerns of local
sports officials. Since 2011, the Philippine Youth Games–Batang Pinoy has served as national grassroots-based sports program for the nation’s youth which primarily aims to instill the values of discipline and sportsmanship.
The program seeks to provide a comprehensive sports development program for children 17 years old and below, and serve as a pool for drafting athletes who can represent the nation in international sports competitions. TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS
of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has earlier said these projects are expected to be finished on November 1. The early preparation is to make sure that the obser-
vation of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day is peaceful and orderly. Lawyer Zuleika Lopez, Davao City Administrator, has earlier said the local govern-
ment will also deploy Central 911 emergency response units in populated areas. Poliquit, meanwhile, asked the public to always follow traffic rules. CIO
fees will help offset the budget of the Office of the City Veterianarian, which is only allotted P200,000 per year by the city government. Martin shared that among the challenges they face are dog owners who chase their vehicle and ask for the imme-
diate release of their pets. He said the captured dogs are taken to the City Pound in Maa, which is about four kilometers from the poblacion area. When queried if individuals or groups have visited their office and offered to
adopt the unclaimed dogs, Martin said that so far there has been no such request. “We don’t have an adoption ordinance yet, and we discourage adoption because the captured stray dogs are already mature and untamable,” Martin explained.
Davao athletes... FROM 3
Bidding documents may be obtained from the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (C/BSPMC) Office starting October 21, 2016
(SGD.) JOSEPH T. ESPERADA Chairperson, C/BSPMC
A
TOTAL of 3,334 motorists were apprehended by the City Traffic and Transport Management Office (CTTMO) for violating RA 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Rules since June to October this year. The office also stopped
T
We will only accept an offered price that is fixed and is not subject to any adjustment. Bid shall be valid for a period of Fourteen (14) days from the date of submission.
• • • • • • • • •
6000 traffic violators arrested in Davao OPAPP: Shift to federal form to correct historical wrongs
Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last [state number of years, minimum 2] with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.
• • •
NEWS 11
EDGEDAVAO
300 traffic... FROM 3 CVO... FROM 3
EDGEDAVAO
12 HEALTH
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
Do processed meats cause cancer? Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO
T
namely: preservation and/or self-life extension, tenderization, meat cookery, manipulation and control of composition, portion control, and improvement of consumer convenience. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines processed meat as “meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation.” Most processed meat contains pork or beef, but
HOSE who love to eat meat, will you please raise your right hands! These days, more and more Filipinos are eating meats (beef, pork, chicken and fish). But it is not only in the Philippines that meats are getting popular but in other developing countries, too.
“Meat consumption in developing has been continuously increasing from a modest average annual per capita consumption of 10 kilograms in the 1960s to 26 kilograms in 2000 and will reach 37 kilograms around the year 2030,” according to the projects of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). There are several reasons why meat consumption is increasing in developing countries. “The rising demand for meat in developing countries is mainly a consequence of the fast progression of urbanization and the tendency among city dwellers to spend more food than the lower income earning rural population,” FAO claims. Man’s propensity for meat consumption has biological roots. In ancient times, meat was clearly preferred, consequently time and physical efforts were invested to obtain it, basically through hunting. “Quantitatively and qual-
“Meat consumption in developing has been continuously increasing from a modest average annual per capita consumption of 10 kilograms in the 1960s to 26 kilograms in 2000 and will reach 37 kilograms around the year 2030” -- UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
itatively, meat and other animal foods are better sources of protein than plant foods (except soy bean products),” FAO explains. “In meat, the essential amino acids – the organic acids that are integral components of proteins and which cannot be synthesized in the human organism – are
made available in well balanced proportions and concentrations.” It is a common knowledge that plant food has no vitamin B12. As such animal food is indispensable for children to establish B12 deposits. Animal food, in particular meat, is rich in iron which is of utmost importance to prevent anemia, especially in children and pregnant women. The demand for meat has paved way to processing meats. “It fully utilizes meat resources, including nearly all edible livestock parts of human food consumption,” FAO
says. Meat processing is defined as “any mechanical, chemical or enzymatic treatment of meat which alters the form from which it originally occurs.” It has six functions,
also can include red meats, poultry and organs or blood. Red meat is defined as unprocessed mammalian muscle meat – aside from pork and beef – such as veal, lamb, mutton, chevon, including mince
or frozen meat. Some of the most common processed meats are bacon, ham, hotdogs, sausages, salami, corned beef, beef jerky, canned meat and meat-based sauces. And here’s a bad news! The United Nations health agency reports that processed meat does cause cancer – and even those red meats contain carcinogenic agents, too! The WHO classifies agents into one of five groups: Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans), Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans), Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans), Group 3 (not classifiable) and Group 4 (probably not carcinogenic). “Suspected carcinogenic chemicals can form during meat processing,” reports the BBC news. “These include N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.” Cooking the meat at high temperatures, especially on a barbecue, can also produce these dangerous chemicals. Each 50 grams of processed meat each day – that’s fewer than two slices of bacon – increased the risk of cancer by 18%. But WHO admits that
F HEALTH, 13
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
Revenue... FROM 6 P1.444 trillion a year ago. Netting out interest payments, the government ended the first eight-month period with a P78.8 billion primary surplus, lower than P222.2-billion primary surfeit in the same period last year. Dominguez earlier said the Duterte administration would be responsible with its finances as it reverses the underspending in the previous administration. The new government has committed to raise public investments in infrastructure, human capital and social protection for vulnerable sectors, as part of President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agen-
da to sustain high growth and make its benefits trickle down to all Filipinos. But to help raise needed funds for public investments, the government is pursuing a comprehensive tax reform program to discourage evasion and avoidance, broaden the tax system’s narrow base and make the current system simpler and more equitable. The DOF last month submitted to the House of Representatives the first package of its proposed Tax Reform Roadmap for Acceleration and Inclusion Act in keeping with the Duterte administration’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda.
EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ALFONSO DE LA PEÑA and DELFINA SALUDO DE LA PEÑA who died on April 14, 2005 and July 19, 2016 in Davao City has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE executed among their heirs, per Doc. No.497; PageNo.100; Book No. XIV; Series of 2016, of the NOTARY PUBLIC JANIS LOUIS H. ESPARCIA. 10/21,28,11/4
NEWS13
EDGEDAVAO
5 minors... FROM 4 ers are conducting investigation and ocular inspection at the CICL building to
determine how the minors were able escape amid tight security protocols. (PNA)
day’s event at Nikkei Jin Kai aims to introduce the value of organic produce to a wider segment of the consumers. “We need to start them young. By talking to students ,teachers and parents about the value of nutrition and organic produce, we hope to help them make better choices on what to eat and where to buy affordable organic food.
Hopefully, we will be able to do this on a regular basis with other schools.”, she said. Every October, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture (FAO) celebrates World Food Day worldwide. This year, FAO has highlighted the link between climate change and food security with the theme: Climate is changing. Food and Agriculture must too.
the cancer risk is “not yet fully understood.” On the other hand, each 100 grams of red meat – which is classified under Group 2A – per day increased the risk by 17%, although the WHO also admits that there is limited evidence. The WHO classifies processed meat under Group 1 since it has found sufficient evidence that consumption of processed meat by humans causes colorectal cancer. A 2016 report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund also found that processed meat consumption increased the risk of stomach cancer. Now, should you stop
eating processed meats and red meat? Well, the WHO cannot set safe levels as there is “insufficient evidence.” However, the World Cancer Research Fund suggests eating “as little as possible” processed meat and as much as 500 grams of cooked red meat). That’s not per day but per week! Perhaps, you can start eating plant foods, too, that are rich in protein. Frankie Philippines, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, was quoted as saying by BBC: “The general message is it’s OK to eat red meat but perhaps to look at ways of increasing the amount of plant-based foods – in particular, pulses.”
Civil... FROM 6
HEALTH... FROM 12
Team PH gears up for 9th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ
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LL is set for the 9th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games 2016 to be held at the East Kalimantan, Indonesia, from Dec 8 to 12, 2016. According to Gerardo B. Reynaldo, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) head of Area Management Office-South Central Mindanao, the Philippine team will be comprised of Davao City athletes with additional players coming from the Visayas. Reynaldo explained that more athletes from the Visayan region could participate, but will be unable to do so because of documentation issues such as their failure to process their visas. The MinDA official admitted the Philippine team has been lagging behind other BIMP-EAGE countries in terms of performance. “The Philippines is always one of the least performing. We are third from the last,” he noted. Over the years, Sabah has been the consistent top performing region, having dominated the games for the last
five seasons. However, Reynaldo believes the Philippine athletes are doing their best to train for the event’s ten sporting games which include basketball, swimming, athletics, beach volleyball, karate, archery, soccer, futsal, sepak takraw, and pencak silat. Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), in an earlier press statement, said that aside from the regular events during the games, there will also be a golf tournament for VIPs. In the meantime, Reynaldo pointed out the BIMP-EAGA does not only focus on creating opportunities between its member-countries, but also plans to conduct other initiatives to promote inclusive growth such as educational, social and sports activities. Organized by Philippine Sports Commission, the BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games is a biennial sporting event among the four member-countries of the economic aggrupation. The sporting event was launched on April 26, 1996 in General Santos City.
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VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
SBMA bags top slot in J Asia CEO 2016 Awards T
HE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) added another feather to its cap as the Executive Leadership Team of the Year in the recently concluded Asia CEO 2016 Awards night. On hand to receive the top award of the evening was former SBMA chairman and current administrator Roberto Garcia during whose term as chairman, the agency’s exceptional performance and financial breakthroughs were achieved. In his brief acceptance remarks, Garcia said that when he assumed the chairmanship in 2011, “the SBMA’s management team and staff were demoralized for having received only one salary increase for 18 years, and the agency was suffering from tremendous losses”. “It was a challenge to
A
them to turn around (the agency) and rally to the theme that we had, which was “Good governance makes good business”. This, Garcia said, spurred the team “to produce historic records for SBMA in terms of revenues, profits, investments, and the number of jobs generated”. “This award is really a testimonial to them,” Garcia added, referring to the SBMA’s present management team, which has been in place since 2007. After thanking the Asia CEO for the honor bestowed upon the SBMA, Garcia said, “This is an inspiration and a message to my fellow workers in government that we can excel and we have excelled…that government agencies like the GSIS can deliver world-class service that can compete with
the best in the Philippines”. From among 16 awards given that evening, the GSIS received the Service Excellence Company of the Year award and was the only other government entity aside from SBMA among the roster of winners. The Asia CEO Awards, which aims to promote the Philippines on the world stage, is the largest business awards event of its kind in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region, representing the most outstanding grouping of local and international business people and organizations in both the private and public sectors. The SBMA was chosen from among six finalists by a board of judges, which received the highest number of submissions in the history of Asia CEO Awards.
For the Executive Leadership Team of the Year award, the judges based their choices on five basic criteria, which were leadership and good governance, financial contribution, pioneering achievements, social commitment, and international recognition. Last year, the Subic Bay Freeport, which is managed by SBMA, was recognized in the Global Free Zones of the Year 2015 Awards as overall winner in Asia, and overall winner in the sub-region of South and Southeast Asia, and commendations in the form of bespoke awards for infrastructure developments and reinvestment. With Subic acknowledged today as the best performing free port zone in the country, the reins of the SBMA were turned over to SBMA Chairman Martin B. Diño last Oct. 3.
excellence across all sectors of the travel and tourism industry in Asia Pacific, as chosen by thousands of travel professionals and high-end tourism consumers. Airlines are judged on customer satisfaction and service quality, overall business performance, product innovation, staff relations and development, corporate social responsibility and contribution to local community, commitment to sustainable policies and fulfillment of long-term corporate vision. AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “It’s an honour to be named Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fourth time. This is further affirmation that we are, without a doubt, the best budget carrier in the region. “I’m also super proud that we’ve won our first ever Asia’s Leading Inflight Service award. AirAsia made history last year by becom-
ing the first low-cost carrier to be named Asia’s Leading Cabin Crew, and we have built on that achievement. Our success shows it wasn’t a flash in the pan, and that our service isn’t only bestin-class but the best of both low-cost and full-service as well. “I’ve always said we have great inflight service, with our amazing cabin crew and great products like Premium Flex for business travellers, roKKi inflight wifi and our Asean-inspired Santan menu. “And we’ve only just started. We have many more innovative ideas that we’re working on right now to make our inflight service even better and I can’t wait to share them with our guests, so keep watching this space.” For a video of AirAsia at the award ceremony, please go to: http://bit.ly/aawta2016
AirAsia has also been nominated in six categories in the global World Travel Awards that will be held in the Maldives in December. The categories are World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline, World’s Leading Inflight Service, World’s Leading Cabin Crew, World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Website, World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline App and World’s Most Efficient LowCost Airline. AirAsia is Asia’s leading low-cost carrier, with an extensive network of more than 120 destinations in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa. It is also the only airline to fly direct to all 10 Asean countries, including some 60 unique routes in the region. AirAsia was also named World’s Best Low-Cost Airline for the eighth year in a row at the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards in July.
Airasia top LCC of Asia and Australasia
IRASIA has bagged top honours at the World Travel Awards (Asia and Australasia) here on Saturday, winning the prestigious Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline title for the fourth time. Asia’s largest low-cost carrier by passengers carried and jet fleet was crowned the region’s top budget airline, ahead of Jetstar Airways, West Air, GoAir, JetKonnect, Air India Express, Nok Air and FireFly. AirAsia also won Asia’s Leading Inflight Service for the first time, beating a field of full-service carriers such as Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Southern Airlines, Air India and Hong Kong Airlines. The World Travel Awards (Asia and Australasia) serves to acknowledge, reward and celebrate
‘No More Ransom’Goes Global UST three months after the successful launch of the No More Ransom project, law enforcement agencies from a further 13 countries have signed up to fight ransomware together with the private sector. The new members are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. More law enforcement agencies and private sector organisations are expected to join the programme in the coming months. Their collaboration will result in more free decryption tools becoming available, helping even more victims to decrypt their devices and unlock their information, and damaging the cybercriminals where it hurts the most: their wallets. No More Ransom was launched on July 25, 2016, by the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab, introducing a new level of cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector to fight ransomware together. The aim of the online portal www. nomoreransom.org is to provide a helpful resource for victims of ransomware. Users can find information on what ransomware is, how it works and, most importantly, how to protect themselves. During the first two months, more than 2 500 people have successfully managed to decrypt their data without having to pay the criminals, using the main decryption tools on the platform (CoinVault, WildFire and Shade). This has deprived cybercriminals of an estimated $1+
million in ransoms. The more law enforcement agencies and private sector partners work together, the more decryption tools can be created and made available. Currently, five decryption tools are listed on the website. Since the launch of the portal in July, the WildfireDecryptor has been added and two decryption tools updated: RannohDecryptor (updated with a decryptor for the ransomware MarsJoke aka Polyglot) and RakhniDecryptor (updated with Chimera). “The fight against ran-
somware succeeds best when law enforcement agencies and the private sector join forces. Researchers can offer broader malware analysis and services like internet scanning, helping to find connections between different items of data. This enables the police to locate and seize the servers used to manage the attack. In some cases, the researchers’ insight can also help to track down and arrest the criminals responsible. The seized servers can contain decryption keys, and, when shared with private sector companies this can be turned into decryption tools that help victims to unlock their data without paying the ransom, says Jornt van der Wiel, Security Researcher at the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab. “Basically, information-sharing is the key to effective collaboration between the police and security researchers. The easier and faster it happens – the more effective the partnership becomes. Getting more law enforcement agencies from different countries on board will therefore improve operational information-sharing, so that in the end ransomware will be fought more effectively,” adds van der Wiel. “Europol is fully committed to supporting the enlargement of the No More Ransom project within the EU and internationally to respond to ransomware in an effective and concerted manner,” says Steven Wilson, head of the European Cybercrime Centre. “Despite the increasing challenges, the initiative has demonstrated that a coordinated approach by EU law enforcement that includes all relevant partners can result in significant successes in fighting this type of crime, focusing on the important areas of prevention and awareness. I am confident that the online portal will continue to improve in the months to come. All police forces are warmly encouraged to join the fight.” In order to broaden the audience and improve results even further, the portal is currently being adapted to support different language versions. As a second step, the project will welcome new companies from the private sector as well, after a very high level of interest and countless requests received.
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
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DABAWENYO CAGER. Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, who hails from Davao del Sur, goes for a floater in Game 6 of the CHAMPS AGAIN. Ginebra San Miguel’s Sol Mercado, Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa celebrate Ginebra’s first PBA Governors Cup Finals. PBA Images championship in eight years after beating Meralco 91-88 in Game 6 of the PBA Governors Cup Finals. PBA Images
Messi scores hat trick L
IONEL Messi scored a hat trick to inflict a humbling defeat on his former mentor Pep Guardiola on Wednesday, leading Barcelona to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League. Messi sped through City’s defense and around former Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo before giving the hosts a 17th-minute lead in a Group C match that both teams finished with 10 men. It only got worse for Bravo, who was sent off in the 53rd minute for using his hands to block a shot outside the area after his poor pass gifted the ball to Luis Suarez. Messi struck again in the 61st and 69th to take his total to 89 goals in Europe’s top club competition. The Argentina forward is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 98. Barcelona was reduced to 10 men after substitute Jeremy Mathieu was shown a second yellow card in the 73rd, but Neymar still rounded off the win from a pass by Messi. The Brazil striker scored moments after he had missed a penalty that Messi had earned. “We know Barcelona. When they arrive (in the area) their strikers punish you,” Guardiola said. “It’s October. We have lost a match. It’s not a quarterfinal or semifinal. Now we have to analyze what happened and rest ... We are in the process (of growth).” Guardiola lost for the second time upon returning to Camp Nou where he established himself as one of the world’s top managers by leading Barcelona to 14 titles from 200812. The former Barcelona player coached Bayern Munich when the German side lost 3-0 here in the Champions
HAT TRICK. Argentina’s Lionel Messi scores in the 17th, 61st and 69th minutes. AP
League semifinals two years ago, when Messi scored twice. After winning its first 10 matches under Guardiola, City has now gone winless in four games in all competitions. Barcelona extended its unbeaten run at home in European competition to 18 matches. A third win in as many games increased the five-time European champion’s control of the group. Barcelona has nine points, while second-place City stays on four. Borussia Moenchengladbach is third with three points after beating Celtic 2-0 in Glasgow. Barcelona and City will meet again in Manchester on Nov. 1. Messi scored a hat trick in consecutive games in the Champions League for the first time — after three goals in a record-setting 7-0 win over Celtic. He missed the 2-1 victory over Moenchengladbach while being sidelined for three weeks with injury. Messi returned from that right groin strain on Saturday, scoring as a substitute to help beat Deporitvo La Coruna 4-0. “We have seen Messi’s capacity to finish off goals. It’s like he is playing in the school yard. He never gets nervous,” said Luis Enrique. “It doesn’t matter how many days he has been inactive, how many games he has missed ... (he is) total football. Those of us who train with him are continually amazed by what he does. Not just for the goals he scores, but how he helps the team.” As expected from teams that have both been stylized by Guardiola, City tried to be Barcelona’s mirror image from the start. In a controversial move, Guardiola left striker Sergio Aguero on the bench in a bid to strengthen midfield and dispute Barcelona’s ball control more, before eventually sending him on in the 79th.
Arum eyes Thurman, Garcia for Pacquiao T
OP Rank’s CEO Bob Arum is willing explore every option for the next ring appearance of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs). Pacquiao returns to the ring on November 5, when he challenges World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs). The fight takes place at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Top Rank will handle the pay-per-view distribution of the event.
Pacquiao retired back in April after winning a twelve round decision over Timothy Bradley in their trilogy bout. To decision to stay away from the ring was short-lived. Beyond his scheduled fight next month, Pacquiao wants to fight at least two more times in 2017. For years, Arum had an ongoing feud with powerful boxing manager Al Haymon. After they settled their federal lawsuit earlier this year, all of their past animosity was tossed out the window. Arum and Haymon have had numer-
ous discussions about doing future business. Haymon has a lot of welterweights under contract and that presents a lot of possible opponents for Pacquiao. Two opponents on Arum’s radar, are welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman - who are slated to face each other next March. “We look at Haymon as a guy who manages a lot of good fighters and if any of them would fit as opponents for our guys, we’d be interested in talking,” Arum said to Yahoo Sports. “There is no animosity
between us. The door is open. The fact that we’re doing the pay-per-view ourselves takes the network equation out of it and makes it that much simpler to make a deal.” “A guy like Garcia would be an interesting opponent. Keith Thurman, he would be a possibility. As long as the guys don’t price themselves out, we’d be interested. Haymon and I worked hard to try to get [Adrien] Broner for this [Nov. 5] fight. We’re open to putting Manny in the fights the public wants to see and we’re not closing any doors.”
Cleveland Indians head to World Series A
MOST unlikely pitching performance helped put a most unexpected team into the World Series. Cleveland rookie Ryan Merritt came out of nowhere and coolly delivered a lead to the Andrew Miller-led bullpen, and the Indians won their first pennant since 1997 by blanking Toronto, 3-0, on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) in Game Five of the AL Championship Series. Cleveland, which has never hosted a World Series opener, will play Game One at Progressive Field on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Terry Francona’s team will try to augment what’s already been a scintillating year in Cleveland after LeBron James and the Cavaliers earned the city’s first major pro sports championship since 1964, winning the NBA championship. The Indians’ title drought dates to 1948. “We always said if we could do it with this group it would be so special because this is as close to a family feel as you can get in a professional setting. So for that part of it, it is beyond feeling good,” Francona said. Miller, acquired from the New York Yankees in a midseason trade, was selected the ALCS MVP as the Indians took their sixth pennant. “I feel like I’ve said the word
TO THE WORLD SERIES. Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana celebrates after making the final out and the Indians gather on the field after claiming their first pennant since 1997. AP ‘special’ a million times in the last 20 or 30 minutes. But it’s the truth. It’s a blast to be a part of,” Miller said. With just 11 major league innings under his belt — and only one start, on Sept. 30 — Merritt took the mound and looked just like a seasoned vet. The 24-yearold lefty retired the first 10 batters and allowed a mere two hits before being pulled after 4 1/3 innings. “I know they were counting on me,” Merritt said. “Before the game, they came and told me they had my back, everybody had my back, good or bad. So that takes some pressure off, and I just went out there and pitched and trusted my team.” Merritt got taps on his heart
and hat from teammates when he left the mound. Then it was up to Cleveland’s tireless relievers to hold a three-run lead against the wild-card Blue Jays. Miller again did most of the heavy lifting, going 2-2/3 innings before Cody Allen worked the ninth for a save. Winning pitcher Bryan Shaw tossed an inning before Miller came in. Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp homered for the Indians. With starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer dealing with injuries, the Indians kept defying the odds. Cleveland overtook defending World Series champion Kansas City and topped a $196 million Detroit team to win the AL
Central, then put an abrupt end to Big Papi’s career, sweeping David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series. The Indians stayed on a roll in the ALCS, shutting down the Blue Jays. Cleveland won despite hitting .168 in the series, with slick-fielding shortstop Francisco Lindor leading the way in going 7 for 19. Toronto lost in the ALCS for the second straight year. “I’m sure there will be some disappointments and grumbling and complaining about how you fell short again, but that’s not coming from me,” manager John Gibbons said. “Because I know what these guys did, and I think it’s a pretty good accomplishment. The key is we want to take that next step one of these days. Hopefully, it’s next year.” Merritt struck out three batters in the first two innings — all looking — and didn’t allow a baserunner until Josh Donaldson’s one-out single in the fourth. After Russell Martin’s bloop single with one out in the fifth, Francona leaned again on a bullpen that soaked up 8 1/3 innings in a Game 3 win Monday. Shaw pitched an inning, and Miller came on with one out in the sixth and a runner on. Donaldson bounced into a double play on Miller’s first pitch, and the tall lefty made it through the seventh and eighth with little trouble before giving way to Allen.
16 EDGEDAVAO Sports
VOL. 9 ISSUE 171 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 - 22, 2016
BEAUTY IS A BEAST Disastrous round for De Castro in HK Open
By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO
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njb@edgedavao.net
OOKS indeed can be deceiving. The picturesque Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club course is just as pretty as it looks, but there’s a beast inside golfers should be wary. Unfortunatey, it was Denden De Castro who was demonized by the inner beast—call it greens—yesterday. The Dabawenyo’s bid in the 2016 Hong Kong Open Amater and Mid-Amateur Golf Championship finally took off the tees on Thursday but it was a round he’d
rather forget. After three days of stormy weather in the former Crown colony, the 41year old standout was out on a sunny day in the fairways of the scenic course. But the picturesque rolling course likened to Pebble Beach was a beast in disguise. De Castro had trouble reading the greens and sputtered with three putts on four holes. “Namisread niya ang greens. Very tricky,” said Andeng Flores of Sta. Lucia Golf Tour, who headed the
BEAUTY. The Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club course as photographed yesterday by Denden De Castro proved to be a beast in disguise as he succumbed to tricky greens. Photo by D. De Castro
Philippine delegation to the annual tournament. With the first two rounds cancelled due to unplayable stormy conditions, yesterday’s round could be the only one completed. Fear of another storm today gripped the clubhouse and organizers brazed for the worse. “Looks like they will consider today’s scores as the final scores and if there are ties, playoffs will be held today while the weather is fine,” Flores told Edge Davao in an online interview.
This scenario emerged after Filipino Mickey Tan finished the day on top of the mid-amateur division with a two over par 72. The 28-year old cousin of Sta. Lucia Golf Tour chairman Vince Santos stands to win the mid-am title if no one scores better in the remaining flights, and if play will be cancelled today. Another Pinoy Ray Sangil posted a 7 over par 77 for 13th place. De Castro is tied for 27th. Tom Kim fired a one over par 71 to place 7th in the Open division.
De Castro, whose stint in the tournament came by way of a championship win in the recent St. Lucia Golf Tour at Eastridge, was in high spirits at the start of his round. He played four holes on Wednesday before the round was called off. Realizing that scenario, De Castro said he will stick with his strategy but will play it cautious. The Hong Kong Open Amateur and Mid Amateur Championships 2016 is a stroke play tournament over four rounds (now reduced to two). Competitors
will now play two rounds on Thursday and Friday. The 40 lowest scores over these 54 holes and any tying for the 40th place will qualify for the final 18 holes on the final round on Friday. Tournament format calls for any player scoring more than 86 or more than 11 shots over the leading score, whichever is the higher, will be eliminated from the championships. De Castro’s stint is sponsored by Sta. Lucia Amateur Golf program and the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).