Edge Davao 9 Issue 179 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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IN MEMORIAM. A young boy, together with his family, offers candles and flowers for a departed loved one during the commemoration of All Saints’ Day at the Wireless Public Cemetery in Mahapo Hills, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

CITY TO PLAY ROLE IN PH-CHINA PACT D

AVAO City is now being eyed as one of the areas for agricultural development in the Philippines as the country is expected to have a more energized agricultural trade relations with China. Chinese businessmen are upbeat about the spirit of goodwill between the Philippines and China emanating from the meeting of President Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping in Beijing in October. Chinese importers and exporters of fresh fruits from the Philipines recently met with Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte in Shanghai to discuss the role of the city in the promotions of agricultural cooperation. Agriculture was one of the

highlights during Duterte’s meeting with President Xi. “Davao City will definitely play a major role in the agricultural cooperation between China and the Philippines,” said Vice Mayor Duterte, citing the city’s production of high-value crops like banana, pineapple and coconuts, among others. “If we will be able to satisfy international standards and meet the production requirements, it will definitely be beneficial to our farmers and our city,” he said. The vice mayor’s meeting was hosted by the preparatory committee of the 2016 China-Philippines Agricultural Forum happening in Shanghai in December. Vice Mayor Duterte also earlier met with Shanghai Vice

Mayor Chen Yin at the Shanghai City Hall. Businessman Nelson Chua, chair of the Golden Mindanao Global Holding Company, noted that Davao is the best place for agricultural development because of its fertile soil, climate, and rich natural resources. “Davao City has also diversified quality crops like bananas and pineapples,” he said. Noel de Luna, the country’s agricultural counselor in Beijing, said the meeting was a great opportunity not only for Davao but also for Mindanao to be able to export more agricultural products to China. “The Philippines is expected to send more agricultural products to China, and at the

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Miss Philippines-Earth gives up title over cyber-bullying By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

F ordinary, low-profile people can be victimized by so-called cyber bullies, how much more for the famed ones such as politicians and celebrities? The issue of cyber-bullying has once again gained prominence, following the online bashing Miss Philippines-Earth Imelda Schweighart had received on

social media, forcing her to relinquish her crown yesterday. Oct 31. As a result of this development, this year has been dubbed as “the most controversial season for the Miss Earth pageant.” Carousel Productions Inc.’s Executive Vice President Lorraine Shuck revealed that Schweighart’s

F MISS, 10 Photo by Lean Daval Jr.

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

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SECURING THE CITY. Task Force Davao personnel patrol the Roman Catholic Cemetery as part of stricter security measure being implemented to ensure the safety of the public during the commemoration of All Saints’ Day in Mahapo Hills, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

No need for re-routing during Undas - CTTMO By RIA VALDEZ

ONTRARY to expectations, the traffic situation in the city has remained not only manageable but orderly, as people trooped to cemeteries to commemorate this year’s Undas “We haven’t had re-routings yet,” said Leopoldo Capricho, team leader of the City Transport and Traffic Management’s (CTTMO) Motorcycle Unit. Capricho in fact noted that traffic in the city has been relatively light over the past few days since the CTTMO began its operations for the Undas. He explained that re-routing would only be done in

case roads get congested and vehicles had no way of moving forward, thus resulting in gridlocks. However, Capricho said the city’s roads weren’t as busy as many had anticipated, and therefore eliminating the need to implement their planned traffic re-routing schemes. Capricho recalled that during year’s Undas, the CTTMO started diverting traffic at 1 PM - from Oct. 31 until Nov. 1. According to the CTTMO team leader, traffic build up on Oct. 31 started at 4 PM, but it wasn’t heavy enough to justify a re-routing.

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DepEd backs APEC strategy for accessible education

HE Philippines has taken another vital step in tearing down the wall of job mismatch, which continues to impede the Filipinos’ access to employment opportunities that suit their competencies and the labor market’s demands. On October 5 and 6, the Philippine delegation to the 6th APEC Education Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Lima, Peru united with 19 other countries in the call “to have a strong and cohesive education community characterized by inclusive and quality education.” Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, along with

the education ministers and senior officials of participating economies, adopted a joint declaration that recognizes the importance of inclusive and quality education and training in enabling APEC citizens to develop their full potential and participate in the ever changing globalized economy. In her presentation, Briones stated that “the Philippines expresses its support for the vision and framework embodied in the APEC Education Strategy, including the objective to lift and align competencies to the needs of individuals, societies, and industries through modernization of education systems.”

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Enough buses, flights in Undas By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

FFICIALS of airline companies and bus terminals have assured the public there are enough flights, buses, and barges to accommodate passengers as they return home after commemorating Undas. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Transportation Development Officer Virgilio Jebone said there “more than enough” buses at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT). In fact, Jebone noted that more passengers this year have opted to travel by van than by bus, as can be gleaned by the number of unoccupied

bus seats at the DCOTT. However, he was not able to provide data as to the number of passengers who have boarded and disembarked buses at the terminal. Jebone also assured the public that the LTFRB has deployed sufficient personnel to secure the area. “There are around 24 security personnel inside the bus terminal,” he added. Enough flights Meanwhile, the management of the Davao International Airport also had to augment their staff at the terminals, in anticipation of the spike in passenger volume this week

due to the holidays. According to Rex Obcena of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the airport can accommodate at least 100 to 150 flights daily. This is the reason, he explained, why airport authorities had to put in place measures to efficiently address the concerns related to the influx of passengers in Davao this week. Obcena stressed the management made sure “everything was in place” so that the passengers’ arrival and departure would be enjoyable and hassle-free. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines also added ground staff

and personnel at the airport’s check-in counters. Philippine Airlines Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna pointed out the move aimed to facilitate check in and boarding procedures at the terminal. Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, encouraged passengers to check-in online to avoid long queues at check-in counters. “Those with no internet access may approach roaming airport agents who are there to assist passengers during check-in,” said Aran Piatos of Cebu Pacific Davao. As of Tuesday, airport officials noted that transactions at the check in counters went

sustained minor scratches as they fell. Barangay responders also brought a paralyzed woman to the hospital last October 31 due to unspecified reasons, he added. Aside from those minor incidents, Gascal said the situation at the cemetery was solemn and peaceful, as no riots, altercations or lost children

were reported. “The park just got busy now,” he noted, as more people arrived Nov 1. The BDRMC began carrying out their 24-hour operations in the morning of Oct. 31. Gascal said there were more people who came to the cemetery last year despite the heavy rains.

“This year, only a few people went here even when the rain cleared out,” he said. Gascal said that BDRMC operations for this year’s Undas ran more smoothly because of the effective collaboration between the Davao City Police Office, City Transport and Traffic Management Office and management of the Davao Memorial Park. RIA VALDEZ

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Davao Memorial remains injury-free T

HE Davao Memorial Park has remained injury-free as the city commemorated Undas. This, according to Warlito Gascal, a member of the Barangay Disaster Risk Management Center who is assigned inside the park. Gascal said the only reported injury on Nov. 1 involved two children who

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NEWS 3

Marañon backs making NFA a rice-corn regulatory agency Calls Secretary Piñol’s idea ‘innovative’

By ANTONIO M. AJERO

Ferdinand Y. Marañon

DOE: Bayanihan to restore facilities ruined by‘Lawin’

ITH the magnitude of the devastation, the Department of Energy (DOE) through its attached agencies has called on power industry participants to help in the restoration of damaged energy facilities in the aftermath of supertyphoon Lawin. “Bayanihan is what is necessary in this time of need. We are calling several unaffected industry participants like Meralco and the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (The Official) Group to help in the restoration efforts of the affected distribution utilities such as CAGELCO and ISELCO,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said. “We are exhausting all available resources and help we can avail to speed up the re-energization in Northern Luzon, especially in badly hit areas like Cagayan Valley, Kalinga and Apayao”, Cusi added. For the distribution side, the National Electrification Administration (NEA)and several electric cooperatives (ECs) have responded to the DOE’s call to activate Task Force Kapatid (TFK). As reported by NEA, the TFK has three teams with more than 60 personnel from NEA, 19 ECs in Regions III and IV and 7 Private

Investor-Owned Utilities namely Zambales Electric I and II Electric Cooperative (Zameco1 Main Office & Zameco II), Peninsula Electric Cooperative (Penelco Inc.), Pampanga I, II and III Electric Cooperative (Pelco 1, Pelco II and PELCO III, APALIT), Tarlac I and II Electric Cooperative (Tarelco I & Tarelco II- Tarlac II Electric Cooperative, Inc.), Nueva Ecija I Electric Cooperative (NEECO 1) and Neeco II Area-1 and NEECO II - Area 2, Pampanga Rural Electric Service Cooperative Inc., (PRESCO), Quezon I Electric Cooperative (Quezelco I - New page I), First Laguna Electric Cooperative (Fleco Inc), Batangas I Electric Cooperative (Batelec 1) Batangas II Electric Cooperative (Batelec 2), Pangasinan I Electric Cooperative (@PANELCO I), Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (NUVELCO Head Office), Quirino Electric Cooperative (QUIRELCO), Manila Electric Co., Davao Light and Power Co., Inc., Visayan Electric Co., Tarlac Electric, Inc., Cabanatuan Electric Corporation, Dagupan Electric Corporation (DECORP) and Subic Electric Power Company. In fast-tracking the rehabilitation of typhoon-hit areas, Cusi

F DOE, 10

HE self sufficiency program of the Department of Agriculture for both rice and corn can be achieved if farmers are assured of good and stable prices, as well as given easy access to post-harvest facilities for drying and storage. This is the view of Davao business leader Ferdinand Y. Marañon, president of Philippine Export Federation XIDavao, who had been in the rice and corn business for decades. “DA’s biggest challenge, therefore, is how to provide these two vital forms of assistance to farmers,” said Marañon who is president and CEO of Sagrex Food Products Inc., which is processing

and exporting microwavable saba and cardaba bananas, and six other companies in various agri-business ventures. The Davao businessman said he supports the proposal of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to convert the National Food Authority (NFA) into a regulatory body like the Sugar Industry Authority (SRA) calling Piñol’s proposal “innovative.” The problem of good stable prices and post harvest facilities has been addressed through the establishment of SRA, he said, adding that since the creation of SRA, sugarcane farmers had been enjoying reasonably good prices over the past years.

Quedans On the other hand, Marañon said, sugarcane farmers don’t have a problem in post-harvest facilities because under the SRA system, they just deliver their canes to the nearest sugar mill, which in turn issues them quedans giving them (farmers) two options – to sell their produce immediately, or hold on to it and wait for better prices. “The sugar quedan can also be used as collateral for short term loan with the banks,” said Marañon who is currently the chairman of USPD Multipurpose Cooperative in Davao del Sur engaged in sugarcane production and financing, tractor and trucking services, marketing and trad-

ing sugar and molasses. Once a rice and corn regulatory agency is formed, farmers will begin enjoying good and stable prices of the cereals, he said. On the other hand, farmers will have easy access to post-harvest and storage facilities to be provided by the existing rice and corn millers and traders. This can be done if the warehouses of millers and traders can be licensed by DA or the proposed rice and corn regulatory agency as bonded warehouses authorized to issue warehouse receipt or quedan -- rice quedan for rice farmers who bring their freshly harvested palay and corn quedan for farmers who

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FROM THE HIGHLANDS. Flowers from the hinterland of Davao City flood the city’s public markets in time for the celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Lean Daval Jr.

EU envoys support Flower sales drop in Undas 2016 PRRD’s 10-pt agenda T F By JERMAINE DELA CRUZ and RIA VALDEZ

OURTEEN ambassadors representing the member-countries of the European Union (EU) have expressed their continued support for the Duterte administration’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda and bared plans to invest more in the Philippines, particularly in infrastructure, energy and civil security, among other fields of interest. In a recent meeting with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the ambassadors from the EU countries also emphasized their cooperation with the Philippines in implementing the peace agreement in Mindanao. Led by Ambassador Franz Jessen, the head of the EU delegation to the Philippines, the 14 ambassadors who met with Dominguez were from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, the Netherlands, Romania, Denmark,

Hungary, and Sweden. They expressed their interest in “working closely” with the Philippines in implementing its 10-point socioeconomic agenda on inclusive growth. The ambassadors were one in saying that they are looking forward to further strengthening the EU’s bilateral relations with the Philippines, especially in the field of trade and economic cooperation. Swedish ambassador to Manila Harald Fries, in particular, said businessmen from Sweden are increasingly optimistic over business prospects in the Philippines and have expressed interest in visiting Manila to explore possible investments in infrastructure, energy, business process outsourcing, military, civil security, among others fields. Ambassador Fries said a “record number of Swedish business leaders” would be coming

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HE commemoration of All Souls Day is highly anticipated by flower vendors in Davao City, as this occasion gives them an opportunity to turn in a good profit. However, with the growing number of flower sellers in the city, the vendors themselves admit their sales have gone down compared to last year. Ines Bayod, a flower shop owner at the Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City, disclosed that flower growers are now marketing their products aside and have set up their own shops. “Tulo (3) ra jud mi original na pwesto diri, unya kaning uban mga planters gikan sa Tibungco, Communal, Cabantian (We are originally three shops situated here, while these planters come from Tibungco, Communal, Cabantian),” said

Bayod. Bayod, who has been in the floral business for the past thirty years, added that vendors like her have been adjusting their prices so that they can still remain competitive. However, the competition has driven the prices of their flowers to record lows, resulting in a very thin profit margin. Meanwhle, Dodong, a flower planter from Toril who sells his family’s own harvest, admitted that sales have gone down due to the increasing number of vendors in the public market. “Kung sa una maka-baligya mi’g daghan, karon tama-tama na lang jud (Before, we sold a lot of flowers, but now, it’s just enough,” he added. Price increase According to Bayod, the

price of a Malaysian Mums arrangement has increased from P180 to P250, while the price of Anthorium jumped from P100 to P150. “Tungod man gud ni sa El Niño (This is due to El Niño), explained Bayod. According to Dodong, rose arrangements have always been expensive. However, flower vendors have lowered their prices from P600 to only P250. “Presyong pang-masa na ni sya,” said Dodong. Meanwhile, flower vendors outside the Davao Memorial Park said they have increased their prices by 10-20 pesos for this year. In an interview with Edge Davao, vendor James Bryan Cassiple said they had to raise their prices, as their suppliers for Kapatagan also hiked their

prices. “There is an increase of P100 pesos per dozen,” said Cassiple who had been selling flowers for 20 years. He recalled that last year, a pot of three anthuriums sell for 50 pesos, but for this year, the flowers sell at P70 pesos. Other best-sellers during Undas include roses and Malaysian mums in pots which now sell at P60 from last year’s P50 pesos. On the other hand, a stem of Malaysian mums now costs P30 pesos from last year’s P25. He also shared that the anthurium is now the most sought after flower for the occasion. “This year’s sales are lesser than last year’s,” said Cassiple who attributed the slump in sales to the recent heavy rains.

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Mati celebrates Sambuokan Festival 2016 T

HE City of Mati successfully concluded the week-long celebration of its Sambuokan Festival which ran from Oct. 24 to 30.

But the fun still continues in this city of pristine beaches and breathtaking landscapes, as more local and foreign tourists continue to arrive in busloads to see for themselves what the place has to offer. The Sambuokan is a celebration of “Oneness,” not only among Matinians residing in the city and surrounding environs, but also those scattered all around the globe. The festival highlights the area’s rich culture and history, various indigenous tribes, and export-quality local products. In particular, the annual event showcased a dazzling street dancing competition, a two-day drag racing competition, and a concert headlined by 90s alternative band Siakol, which rocked the stage of Baywalk Park. Aside from these funfilled activities, people trooped to the Dahican Beach to enjoy its powdery white sand, and witness the annual national skimboarding and other exciting outdoor games such as beach volleyball and frisbee.

Virtually all hotels in the city were fully occupied during the one-week celebrations, which was a testament to Mati’s drawing power as prime tourist destination. Visitors from other countries such as Germany were spotted mounting their tents along the shores, and bonding with local surfers. “We are the new Matinians from Germany. Wish to live here forever” said German surfer Nicholas Peirano. The Sambuokan Festival culminated with a clean-up drive at the Dahican beach headed by the Local Government Unit of Mati, and participated by members of the PNP, Philippine Navy, and volunteers from different non-government organizations. For those who haven’t visited Mati, it’s time to pack up your traveling bags and spend a couple of days in this amazing coastal community. No doubt, you won’t get disappointed. (Text and Photos by Albert Egot, Jr.)

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Growing own produce raises nutritional status of PH: FNRI

ASED on findings by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - Food Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), households growing their own produce such as vegetables, tubers and roots and fruits add to the quality of life and nutritional status of the country. In the Regional Dissemination Forum: 2015, Updating of the Nutritional Status of Filipino children and other population groups on 27 October in Cagayan de Oro City conducted by DOST-FNRI and National Nutrition Council (NNC) region 10, FNRI shared that even though majority of the households in the country have “acceptable” food consumption level, what is important is the quality of food they intake. Cristina G. Malabad, of FNRI-DOST explained that 59% of households in Northern Mindanao, consume dark, green leafy vegetables from their own produce. Meanwhile 34.7% have their own Vitamin A rich fruits and 27.9% for other vegetables. Food security is a factor to malnutrition. However, being able to eat three times a day is not solely based on availability or accessibility of food but its sustainability. Malabad said that they are urging families and households to plant vegetables in their own yard. On the other hand, there are emerging problems with Non-communicable Disease risk factors in the country including increasing trends of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia, persistence of overweight and obesity among adults, continuing declines in smoking, except in 20-29 age group, increasing trends in binge drinking among females and persistence of high proportions of inactive female adults. In terms of malnutirition in children, one identified problem according to FNRI

is the prevalence of stunting among children under five years old (0-59 months). In region 10, prevalence of this is 36.5%. This matters because stunting or slowed growth is largely irreversible outcome of inadequate nutrition and repeated bouts of infection during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. Further, stunting or other measures of lost growth potential is associated with reduced grade attainment. It has long term effects such as diminished cognitive and physical development, reduced productive capacity and poor health. When it comes to genes, FNRI says it’s not really the genes that contribute to stunting but the inadequate nutrition of the child in his or her first 1000 days. Mildred Guirindola of FNRI-DOST said that 59.5% of mothers Northern Mindanao is exclusively breastfeeding their children from 0-5 months higher than the average of the country which is 48.8%. However, this has declined from 2011 with 64.1% to 2015 with 59.5%. Guirindola also stressed that when the child reaches six months, he or she must be introduced with complementary feeding. This must be composed of the seven food groups such as grains, roots and tubers, dairy products, vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables, other fruits and vegetables, eggs, flesh meat and legumes and nuts. However, in region 10, only 89.9% of children 6-23 months are meeting the minimum meal frequency compared to the average of the country at 91.7%. Among the recommendations of FNRI include enhance governance between national and local government, increased resources specifically for nutrition and improved nutrition information systems at local levels. (JMOR/PIA10)

TIRED TO THE BONE. An exhausted delivery van worker takes a well deserved rest, as he uses the company’s merchandise as his bed and pillow inside a vehicle near Sta. Ana Port in Davao city. Lean Daval Jr.

Bello wants release of th 13 month pay on time By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

adlopez0920@gmail.com

ABOR secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said on Monday that it is a must for employers to release the 13th month pay of their workers not later than December 24. “All employers are required to pay their rank-andfile employees the 13th month pay, regardless of the nature of their employment, and irrespective of the methods by which their wages are paid, provided they worked for at least one month in a year,” Bello said, emphasizing that the country’s labor laws and their implementing rules and regu-

lations mandate the payment of 13th month pay. He added that the 13th month pay “is a labor standard provision of the law that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) does not compromise as to its payment. “And employers are duty-bound under the law to report their compliance with this worker benefit,” Bello pointed out. Every covered employer is required to make a report of compliance on the payment of 13th month pay to the nearest DOLE regional office not later

than 15 January of each year, the Labor Code says. “Good labor-management relations, increased workers’ and enterprises’ productivity and competiveness result to workers being paid what is due them,” Bello added. The law defines 13th month pay “to mean onetwelfth (1/12) of the basic salary of an employee within a calendar year. The basic salary includes all remunerations or earnings paid by an employer to an employee for services rendered, but may not include cost-of-living allow-

ances (COLA), profit-sharing payments, cash equivalents of unused vacation and sick leave credits, overtime pay, premium pay, night shift differential pay, holiday pay, and all allowances and monetary benefits which are not considered, or integrated as part of the regular or basic salary of the employee.” Bello said employers who fail to pay the 13th month benefit are liable to money claim cases by aggrieved employees. Such cases can be filed with any DOLE regional offices, he said.

with Japan more closely. And we want to be integrated with South Korea.” “Just like in Europe, they have the EU (European Union). In America, they have the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)—Canada, US and Mexico. And in South America they have the Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur),” he said. “You know they’re trying to ground a common market,” he said. “So, we’re just following the trend around the world. We are making more friends; we are not turning our back on anybody in the economic field.” A member of President Duterte’s official party in his just-concluded three-day official visit to Japan, Dominguez said: “We firmly believe that trade is the best way to achieve one of the first goals of Mr. Duterte in his presidency and that is the reduction of poverty. It’s been stuck at 26 percent for a long time you know we always say that globalization is a good thing but to create well but it’s not very good to spread well.” He noted that the Philippine

economy has been growing very well “but the average guy doesn’t feel it,” hence the objective of the 10-point socioeconomic agenda to not just sustain high growth but also to transform it into a truly inclusive one. “Our President has said that he has really three goals,” he said. “The first goal is to reduce poverty. We think that globalization is a good tool for increasing wealth; but it is not a good tool for spreading wealth. And the last Administration has not spent enough money to create new jobs.” “So, we are going to do two things, we’re going to spend a major portion of our budget on infrastructure investment outside of the Metro Manila area where the poverty is. And we will create good jobs there, and connect them to the rest of the economy,” he said. Dominguez said the second goal of the President is of course “to bring about a society that is more law-abiding, follow the law, we want to be like Japan. Everybody here follows the law volun-

PHL‘not turning its back on anybody,’ just making more friends: Dominguez

ENERGIZING ARMM. President Duterte and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi on Saturday (October 29) led the ceremonial switch lighting and turning over of electrification funds for almost ten thousand households in Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao, Basilan and Sulu under the DOE’s Nationwide Intensification Household Electrification (NIHE) at the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao Compound in Cotabato. A check amounting to P13.833 Million symbolized the release to the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MAGELCO) for 3,689 households in the municipalities of Ampatuan, Buldon, Matanog, Barira, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Piang, North Upi, Parang, South Upi, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, Sultan Sa Barongis, Rajah Buayan, Talayan, Guindulungan and Talitay to be electrified.

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said here that the Philippines is “not turning its back on anybody” and just wants to “make more friends” in the ecoomic field as the Duterte administration rebalances the country’s foreign policy via the swift regional integration with its Southeast Asian neighbors as well as with China, South Korea and Japan. Dominguez said in media interviews that the Philippines’ move towards speedy integration with its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors along with Asia’s three economic giants is integral to the new government’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda, the foremost goal of which is to drastically reduce poverty while sustaining—and boosting— growth. “We are just expanding and looking more to regional development,” he said. “We want to be more integrated with ASEAN. We want to be more integrated with North Asia. We want to be integrated with the big market in China. We want to be integrated

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BOC Port of Davao posts 110% surplus T

HE Bureau of Customs Port of Davao has posted a surplus for three consecutive months from July to September 2016. BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon in his commendation to Davao Port District Collector Jamail Marohomsalic cited that overall BOC Port of Davao accomplished a collection surplus of P75.4 million or 107.7 percent collection beyond target in July 2016, P88.5 million or 109.5 percent in August 2016, and P53.8 million or 105.4 percent in September 2016. Coll. Marohomsalic thanked Faeldon as he re-

ceived the certificate of commendation last Thursday. He said he was humbled by his able superior’s citation even as he vowed to accomplish more beyond targets in the last quarter to effect a higher, commendable surplus. He said the customs stakeholders and the business sector are bullish of region’s trading and economic strides and prospects this year and the next years ahead under the Duterte administration, with President Duterte hailing himself from the region and Davao City specifically. Cha Monforte, Correspondent

DOLE labor summits set inVisayas, Mindanao

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to hold labor summits in Visayas and Mindanao this month in a bid to get a consensus among various labor groups on pressing issues including contractualization. In issuing the order for the holding of the summits, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello said: “We want the labor groups to provide recommendations and inputs on addressing issues concerning labor rights and standards, migration, women’s sector, informal sector, industrial policy and economic roadmap, wages, prices, and tax reforms.” The DOLE said the Mind-

anao leg will be held in Davao City on Nov. 11, while the Visayas summit will be on Nov. 18 in Cebu City. “We want to get as many relevant inputs as possible. Through these summits, I am confident that labor can craft a unified proposal on contractualization,” Bello added. A labor summit was already conducted by DOLE for Luzon last month in Quezon City. It is expected that after the conduct of the summits in Mindanao and Visayas, representatives from both the employers and labor will meet to finalize a policy that will address the pressing issue of contractualization. ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

NFA buys palay ruined by Lawin T

HE National Food Authority has started buying storm-damaged palay in Regions 1, 2 and 3 that were severely affected by Typhoons Karen and Lawin. NFA Officer In Charge Tomas Escarez has authorized its field offices in Regions 1, 2 and 3 to procure storm damaged palay (SDP) from individual and farmers’ groups affected by the recent typhoons that hit these areas. Concerned NFA field offices are allowed to procure SDP for a period of one month. He added that the food agency continues to procure palay especially in surplus provinces at government support price of P17 per kilogram plus a maximum of P0.70 per kilogram incentives under its regular procurement program. The base price for the procurement of SDP is P11 per kilogram, however it will vary depending on the quality specifications such as moisture content, purity, discoloured and damaged grains. SDP with

more than 80% damaged and discoloured kernels shall no longer be bought. Escarez said that funds to be used in the procurement of SDP shall come from the Calamity Fund or the President’s Social Fund. But, he assured affected farmers that the NFA has the needed funds to buy their SDP using the food agency’s regular cereal procurement fund (CPF) meantime that the calamity funds for this purpose are not yet remitted by the national government. He also directed concerned NFA field officials to mobilize their procurement teams, prepare the necessary logistical requirements and coordinate with their local government units (LGUs) and farmers organizations in identifying priority areas for the procurement of SDP. Meanwhile, NFA has released a total of 25,075 bags of rice as of 24 October 2016 to relief agencies and LGUs for distribution to affected families in typhoon hit areas. (NFA)

ECONOMY 7

FOR THE DEPARTED. An elderly vendor arranges flowers in front of his makeshift store outside the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Mahapo Hills, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Piñol wants NFA to buy typhoon-damaged crops By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

adlopez0920@gmail.com

GRICULTURE Secretary Manny Piñol on Tuesday said he wrote a memorandum seeking the help of President Duterte to provide immediate relief to farmers in Luzon whose crops were damaged by the onslaught of super typhoon Lawin that hit the area from Oct. 18 to 20. Piñol also asked the President to help well corn farmers in Mindanao who have been severely affected by the recent heavy rains. The agriculture secretary, who is currently in Salinas City, California to participate in a Trade and Agriculture Fair, said he received “distressing news that rice and corn farmers in Northern Luzon and Central Mindanao could not sell their products damaged by the recent typhoons and end-

less rains.” The secretary added that such situation “has shackled our farmers in endless poverty as they lose money most of which they borrow from middlemen and traders who charge exorbitant interest fees.” The news, he said, prompted him to issue a memorandum asking President Duterte to order the National Food Authority (NFA) to buy the rice and corn produce of farmers which were drenched by floodwaters and are classified as “spotted.” “The private traders will not buy spotted rice although when processed, it still possesses good quality except for discoloration,” the memorandum emphasized. Piñol said the NFA could

buy the spotted rice, mill them and distribute them in the form of food assistance to the victims of calamities across the country. The memorandum also asked President Duterte to direct the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to immediately make available an additional P1-B in Quick Reaction Fund for the Department of Agriculture (DA). “The P1-B would be used in replenishing the P350-M which is now being readied for disbursement to assist the rice and corn farmers and fishermen affected by the recent typhoons. Our poor farmers and fisher folks are pinning their hopes on your compassion-

ate heart, Mr. President, to lift them up and out of this tragic situation,” Piñol said. He added that he emailed the said memorandum to President Duterte “knowing how this leader cares for his people, I am expecting positive results.” Around 31,751 families or 158,736 individuals were directly affected by super typhoon Lawin in regions I, II, II, CALABARZON, V and CAR that left 14 people dead and 4 others injured, records from the the NDRRMC said. Total damage was placed at P3,737,721,352.16, the NDRRMC data added. Damage to infrastructure reached up to P2,721,799,188.00 and P1,015,922,164.16 in agriculture.

T is a “fallacy” to believe that the proposed expansion of the value-added tax (VAT) base and adjustments to the excise tax on petroleum products under the proposed comprehensive tax reform program are anti-poor because being consumption taxes, these will impact the most on affluent Filipinos who make use of more goods and services, rather than the poor, low-income and even the middle-class households, the Department of Finance (DOF) said. DOF Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the Duterte administration’s proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, which contains these VAT and fuel excise tariff proposals, would even shield poor and low-income consumers from the effects of these tax adjustment proposals because the new government is committed to providing highly targeted direct transfer programs and indirect subsidies to them.

“Rather than being anti-poor, the tax reform plan will actually correct the injustice of only a few enjoying the benefits of growth. Our primary goal here is to give everyone a better chance of building a more stable future by equalizing opportunities for all through the adoption of a simpler, fairer and more efficient tax system,” Chua said. Chua pointed out too that the imposition of an excise tax is always hinged on a twopronged objective, which, in the case of petroleum products, is to raise revenues and the other equally important goal of addressing pollution and the other negative environmental effects of using fossil fuels. “Given this, everybody should be responsible, both rich and poor. Equity considerations, therefore, should not figure in imposing the tax on petroleum products. What should be considered is how the tax will be adjusted to im-

prove equity,” Chua said. For instance, he noted that although diesel is widely used by both the rich and the poor, not doing anything to adjust its excise tax and indexing it later to inflation benefits the rich far more than the poor because the top 10 percent of households in the country consume almost 60 percent of oil products and the top one percent consume 20 percent. “Not adjusting the tax would mean continuing to subsidize the rich who can well afford to pay for fuel,” Chua said. “The use of highly targeted transfers that benefit the poor and other vulnerable sectors is the better and more effective option in addressing equity concerns.” He also corrected the false assumption that the proposed adjustment on the diesel excise tax would be P10 per liter, as the DOF proposal is only P6, which represents the accumulated inflation since this tax

was last adjusted 20 years ago. “The paramount goal of the DOF tax reform plan is poverty reduction as it aims to help the government raise enough funds for accelerated spending on priority projects under President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda, which aims to transform the Philippines into an upper middle-income country by 2022,” Chua said. These priority investments are in the areas of infrastructure, human capital and social protection for the most vulnerable sectors so as to make growth truly inclusive and let the Duterte administration achieve its goal of drastically reducing poverty, he added. An additional P1 trillion is needed per year, said Chua, to fund these priority projects, which, when sustained, would put flesh into the Duterte government’s vision of transforming the Philippines into

Consumption taxes to affect rich the most - DOF I

F CONSUMPTION, 13

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

EDITORIAL

So what if US won’t sell us arms?

MEMBER of the United States Congress reportedly blocked the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines because of his opinion that there exists state-sponsored killings in the country. A Reuters report said the planned sale of rifles was halted following opposition from Senator Ben Cardin over concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines. It is unfortunate that a lawmaker like Cardin believed in second hand information in making his motion. Be that as it may, Cardin’s motion and the decision by the American Congress could be a blessing in disguise as we have one less problem in the shopping list. That means one less shopping store in the list considering that it is yet a planned sale and not an awarded one. Already, there are new shopping areas to go to like China and Russia where the Philippines is starting to build good relations. In the light of this development, Senator Panfilo Lacson believes that the Philippines “does not stand to lose anything” if the US State Department would halt the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

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“Since it’s a planned sale of assault rifles by the US to the Philippines, we do not stand to lose anything except one less gun store to choose from,” Lacson, former chief of the PNP, said in a statement. Then Lacson is right when he said that there are tens of other countries that manufacture better and probably cheaper assault rifles than the US. For one who is in the know when it comes to guns, Lacson is speaking matter-of-factly. With that, Lacson said that we are better off with the Department of National Defense (PNP) reviving its self-reliance program instead—produce our own weapons and other military hardware. If that is the better way to proceed, then Lacson can push that forward in the Senate. In the meantime, the arrogance and high-handed mentality of the US is surfacing in one instance after another. The knee-jerk reaction by the US to the recent decisions and actions by the Philippine government coupled by the rhetoric of President Rodrigo Duterte are indications that our perceived strongest ally is bent on making us feel sorry for going against them. Considering America’s stature, it can only go down horribly with these really cheap shots.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

VANTAGE POINTS

Will we be seeing more OFWs coming home for good?

ITH President Duterte’s recent statement in Tokyo saying that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) will be coming home, quite a few gained realizations and a number raised important questions. Given during his audience with Filipinos, this expectedly drew cheers from the crowd, composed mainly of Filipino workers residing in Japan. The economic realization BPOs vs. OFWs One important note on this is the fact that OFW income accounts for about 2025 billion dollars or our GDP per year on average for the last two decades, making up something from between 8-10% of total Gross Domestic product. Little wonder why economic managers will not recommend decreasing OFW deployment, as it is one of our most

OST people think of tropical forests as those found in the uplands and mountains only. What they don’t know that they also exist in the lowlands and near seashores. And they are called mangroves. Mangroves grow well in tropical countries, including the Philippines. “Mangroves are an important part of the coastal and marine ecosystem that includes the seagrasses and the coral reefs,” reports the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Actually, mangroves are communities of trees in the tidal flats in coastal waters, extending inland along rivers where the water is tidal, saline, or brackish. “There are 25 to 30 species of true mangrove trees and an equal number of associated species,” says Dr. Miguel Fortes, a professor of Marine Science Institute at the College of Science of University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau, says its agency has identified 42 species of mangroves in the country. None of them are facing extinction yet. But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is considering of putting 11 out of 70 mangrove species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Mangroves are very important to marine life, says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former head of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. They serve as sanctuaries and feeding grounds for fish that nibble on detritus (fallen and decaying leaves) trapped in the vegetation, and on the bark and leaves of living trees.

important MY TWO CENTS’ exports. China and India actually have more remittances from their f o r e i g n workers than we do. T h e s e OFW figures John Tria h a v e , h o w e v e r , ecisouth@gmail.com been recently eclipsed by the talent hungry Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector that already employs some 1 million, and lately contributing slightly higher than what OFWs remit. Compared the 1.6 million OFWs, figures may show that the per

capita income from the BPO sector may be higher than our foreign workers. A BPO manager or trainor, for instance, earns more than the average salary of a nurse in the middle east. Call center agents earn more than domestic helpers. Despite the Presidents strong words against the United States, BPOs are expected to increase, as economic downturns in the west force companies to outsource even more critical operations to more affordable locations. Likewise, companies from our main competitor for BPO contracts like India are setting up operations in the Philippines. Even more is the increasing army of home based knowledge or BPO workers working directly with foreign employers. This is a sector for whom government policy or the presidents cusswords don’t matter at all.

High living costs in the Philippines still encourage the OFW phenomenon Nonetheless, the attraction of working abroad brings with it the great expectation of not spending for anything, as work packages often come with living allowances that local employment does not provide. The high cost of living in places like Metro manila and Central Luzon are catching up with some foreign countries. Expensive private education and housing, the high cost of food and electricity force most OFWs to seek better pastures. Abroad, high quality free public education is an incentive. These are ween as more important than staying home for a job near the family. If we want to see more OFWs coming home, then the right policies to lower the cost of living must be put in place.

“(ManTHINK ON THESE! groves) are important feeding sites for many commercially important fish species (mullet, tilapia, eel, and especially milkHenrylito D. Tacio fish), shrimps, prawns, mol- henrytacio@gmail.com lusks, crabs, and sea cucumbers,” a World Bank report on environment adds. “Fry that gather in mangrove areas are very important for aquaculture.” Unknowingly, mangroves also help protect people and even properties from destruction brought about by typhoons. Moises Neil V. Seriño, assistant professor of the Department of Economics at the Visayas State University, found this out after he and co-researchers conducted a study on the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. “Our study shows that mangrove vegetation reduced the number of deaths and damaged houses during the Yolanda incident,” Seriño said. “This property and lifesaving effects of mangrove is robust. Mangroves can protect us (our lives, livelihood and properties) from damaging effects of typhoons.” Now, the question is: can those mangroves destroyed by typhoons be restored again? This was the question asked by Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer, a professor at the University of the Philippines Visayas in her paper that was featured in the book, “Environment and Natural

Resources: Trade-Offs and Management Options.” The book was published by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), which was founded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) with co-founding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Canadian International Development Agency. In an e-mail interview, Dr. Ferrer answered affirmatively. “Yes, as evidenced by mangrove areas that naturally regenerate sometime after the Yolanda. Mangrove experts say wait for 6 months to see life (new leaves) returns in the mangrove area. The best response after calamities is to allow Mother Nature heal itself. “Sometimes, it is the encroachment of humans to plant or clean after calamity that destroys mangrove areas,” she further said. “Not only we can allow mangroves just before Yolanda to return but also the mangrove areas years before or before their massive destruction in the 1970s to 1980s by focusing on abandoned, underutilized, and undeveloped fishpond lease areas.” Large tracks of mangrove forests were lost and degraded when the government encouraged development of aquaculture to increase food production. Around half of the 279,000 hectares disappeared between 1951 and 1988 due to conversion into milkfish or shrimp ponds. Dr. Ferrer urged the environment department together with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and local government units (LGUs) to identify abandoned and undeveloped fishpond lease agreement (FLA) areas and return them to original mangrove

state by planting or enhancement planting when there are naturally grown mangrove trees. Dr. Ferrer suggested that they have to “plant the appropriate mangrove areas or what is originally in the area.” According to her, FLA areas used to be mangrove areas but were released for fishpond development. “The law says that when these areas are abandoned, undeveloped and underutilized they must be returned to original mangrove state,” she pointed out. In addition, active FLA lessees have the responsibility to plant mangroves in the boundaries of their FLA areas to protect their fishponds. Dr. Ferrer recommends only the right species of mangroves that used to grow in the area are to be planted. “Not all areas can be planted with mangroves,” she said. “And mangroves cannot be just planted anywhere.” Mangroves take 15 years to mature. “Mangroves need to be taken care during the first five years from planting,” Dr. Ferrer said. “The main reasons why mangrove survival rate in many planting sites is low is because they plant wrong species or plant in wrong areas like sea front and not taking care of them.” It takes 5 years to protect and manage the planted mangroves to ensure survival and growth to maturity. “The optimal area for mangroves is the middle intertidal,” she said, adding that most of these areas were converted to fishponds under FLA. “That is why identification of abandoned and undeveloped FLA areas that are suitable for reversion to mangrove areas can help return our mangrove areas,” she said.

Mangroves restoration

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same time, China could help the Filipino agriculture sector through its technology,” said de Luna. Liang Shumin, a professor at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, said the Philippine’s agricultural sector can explore the possibility of sending China crops like durian, avacado, papaya, and mushroom. Poultry, horticulture, and forest products are also in demand, according to Liang. Another fruit importer, Ma Xiagu, noted that what is needed now is for the development of agricultural policies by the Chinese and Philippine

governments to “further our cooperation.” “The results of these meetings are very encouraging,” Ma said. “We certainly see an opportunity to enhance and expand our trade relations.” Another businessman said the Philippine government must “fight back and reclaim the China market.” The forum in December is intended to improve the strategic layout of agriculture, opening up agricultural imports and exports, and to optimize the importation and exportation of important agricultural products between China and the Philippines. CIO

mother came to their office to tender her daughter’s resignation as Ms. Earth Philippines. According to the Schweighart’s mom, her daughter could no longer take the bashing she had been receiving from the online community after the conclusion of Ms. Earth pageant. “They voluntary resigned. She (Mrs. Schweighart) talked to me that she can’t handle it anymore and she convinced her daughter to just resign,” Shuck said in a televised phone patch interview with CNN. Schweighart’s resignation was filed a day after the leak of a video wherein the Pinay beauty allegedly made unpleasant remarks against recently crowned Miss Earth Katherine Espin from Ecuador. The Filipina beauty queen was first criticized online after asking Ms. Earth candidate Kimberly Budinsky of Austria during a Facebook Live video where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler originally came from. Budinsky seemed slighted by Schweighart’s question, after which the latter remarked “our President is doing Hitler stuff.” Schweighart has been bashed online since then. Schweighart also courted controversy when she claimed to possess the same qualities as scientist Albert Einstein. She also posted a cryptic Facebook status update wherein she criticized “two female judges” during one of Ms. Earth’s preliminary judging sessions. Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry, who was reportedly one of the two “female judges” Schweighart, was alluding to, called out the resigned Miss Philippines-Earth 2016 and told her that her controversial statements has put the Ms. Earth competition in a bad light. Shortly after the announcement of the Top 16,

Schweighart also shared on her Facebook account a video of her fitting the yellow gown which was eventually worn by Ms. Earth. Katherine Espin. “It was my gown. He made it for me. He wrote on the sketch that it was ‘for Imelda Schweighart’ and it was patterned after Artemis,” Schweighart said. She, however, explained that it was not her intention to insult the Ecuadorian beauty by flaunting the gown. Miss Philippines Air Kiara Giel Gregorio will fulfill all of Schweighart’s remaining obligations. Gregorio, a pre-law student, represented the Filipino community in London. Schweighart is the first Miss Philippines Earth titlist to give up her crown. In 2015, a bill was filed at the House of Representatives defining and penalizing “cyber-bullying,” as the act of posting rude, offensive or insulting messages against a person on the Internet. Under House Bill 5718, or the proposed “Anti Cyber-Bullying Act of 2015,” cyber-bullies shall face a penalty of fines ranging from P50,000 to P100,000, or imprisonment between six months and six years, or both, at the discretion of the court. According to a report released by the SocialBakers. com, an analytics and statistics monitoring web page activity, as of February 2012, the Philippines ranked eighth in terms of most number of Facebook users in the world, with approximately 27,720,300 users. In January 2015, “Digital In the Philippines revealed that there are about 44.2 million active Internet users out of the country’s total population of 100.8 million (with urbanization at 49%),. Of these 44.2 million Internet users, 90% have active social media accounts.

smoothly and there was no congestion at the terminal.

(PRO 11) Spokesperson Andrea dela Cerna reminded the public not to bring banned items, such as firearms and bladed weapons inside cemeteries. Dela Cerna also stressed that drinking liquor, gambling, and the playing of loud music are prohibited in cemeteries.

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Enough... FROM 2

Cooperate In the meantime, authorities appealed for the public’s full cooperation to keep the celebration of Undas peaceful and orderly. Police Regional Office 11

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

COLORFUL WALK. Visitors walk through the colorful tombs after visiting departed relatives during the celebration of All Saints’ Day in Mahapo Hills, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

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Capricho noted the heavy rains that day may have discouraged people from leaving their homes and visiting the cemeteries. He said the alternate route for northbound vehicles is via Quimpo Boulevard to avoid the Bankerohan area, while southbound vehicles can pass through MacArthur Road. “We have better operations this year,” Capricho said,

as he attributed this year’s improved traffic management to the deployment of more CTTMO, DCPO, and Task Force Davao personnel. He added there were more volunteers from the barangay who helped authorities in managing the smoother flow of traffic. Capricho also lauded the city’s motorists for obeying traffic rules and regulations.

The APEC Education Strategy points member economies toward the common vision of ensuring inclusive and quality education to support sustainable economic growth, social well-being and employability of all citizens. The two-day conference allowed the representatives of every delegation to report on the current education status in their respective countries and on how each economy endeavors to achieve a priority action with respect to the APEC Education Strategy objectives of enhancing competencies, accelerating innovation, and increasing employability. “Education and training must meet eye-to-eye in preparing a globally competent citizenry. First, we must equip our learners with 21stcentury skills – through quality, accessible, relevant and liberating basic education – for them to be able to adapt to future changes in the labor market needs,” the Philippine Education chief pointed out. Through the 6th AEMM joint declaration, member economies have agreed to support education and train-

ing cooperation through educational research and policy analyses in the next four years. The education leaders also vowed to work together to strengthen partnerships between governments, educational and technical-vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and the private sector to better facilitate transition from education to work; lift participation in lifelong learning; and encourage the development of global competencies and entrepreneurship skills. After four days of exchanging insights and experiences through the ministerial meeting and related events, the 20 countries adopted two additional declarations, which center on the importance of increasing “equitable access to high-quality education [that] will allow our populations to develop skills and competencies, from early childhood and throughout their lifetime,” and of encouraging members “to collaborate on improving education in the Asia-Pacific region under the principles established in APEC Education Strategy.” (DepEd)

tarily so, we will move to that.” “And lastly, the President wants peace. He wants peace within our country…and he wants peace with our neighbors.” Said Dominguez: “So we think the Japanese companies will take a look at this program of ours, our 10-point economic program, and find many opportunities for business there. So, we are looking for investments, and we are looking for markets as well in Japan.” Dominguez and Socioeco-

nomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia have said that the Philippines’ economic integration with its fellow-members in the ASEAN, along with China, Japan and South Korea, opens the country to a lucrative market of 1.8 billion people across the region. They said that while the Duterte administration will maintain its good relations with Western economies, it will now push for “stronger integration” with its neighbors in the region.

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Marañon... FROM 3 deposit their freshly harvested corn.

Advantages The veteran agri-business trader enumerated the advantages of going

into the Quedan system for rice and corn. They are: 1. Farmers can deposit their harvest if prices are low. 2. Farmers can borrow from government banks short term loans against their quedan. 3. Legitimate businessmen will earn money from drying and storage fees from farmers. 4. Farmers will not be taken advantage of by unscrupulous traders. (These are traders who take advantage buying farmers harvest at very low prices during peak of harvest season). 5. The working capital of rice and corn traders and millers will be lessened as they will not need much more cash buying rice and corn, since most of their stocks will be farmers’ inventory. On the other hand, he said the regulatory rice and corn body will unburden government of spending billions of pesos in subsidizing the prices of rice and corn and building post-harvest facilities all over the country. Marañon said he will be willing to sit down with Agriculture Secretary Piñol to discuss details of his ideas on the creation of an SRA-like regulatory agency in lieu of the controversial NFA. “Mr. Piñol is familiar with the operation of the SRA since the secretary was once a sugarcane farmer and head of the North Cotabato Sugar Industry, Inc. (NOCOSII) based in Matalam, North Cotabato,” Marañon said.

said “The Task Force Kapatid participants are willingly helping their fellow cooperatives even at their own expense, which is a sign of bayanihan in the power industry.” As of October 28, the status of restoration efforts in Northern Luzon stands at 58 percent. The La Union Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LUELCO) has completed restoration in their franchise area. Still affected distribution utilities are Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (INEC), Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISECO), Cagayan I and II Electric Cooperative (Uno Cagelco & Cagelco II), Isabela I and II Electric Cooperative (Iselco 1 Victoria Alicia & ISELCO II, Government Center, Alibagu, Ilagan,

Isabela), Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (NUVELCO), Quirino Electric Cooperative (QUIRELCO), Beneco - Benguet Electric Cooperative, Inc., Mountain Province Electric Cooperative (MOPRECO), Ifugao Electric Cooperative (Ifelco Ifugao), Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative (KAELCO) and Abra Electric Cooperative (ABRECO). Cusi said “efforts are concentrated in bringing back electricity to 526,087 households.” Meanwhile, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has reported that restoration of transmission facilities has been completed in the provinces of La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Benguet and Mountain Province. (DOE)

New agency’s functions Marañon, who is a recipient of the PLDT 2015 Bossing Award, the 2011 Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the 2009 GoNegosyo Most Inspiring Davaeno Entreprenuer Award, suggested that the new agency have the following functions: 1. Issue a government- guaranteed Quedan for rice and/ or corn that a farmer will be issued if he deposits his stocks in a (regulatory agency-licensed) bonded warehouse operator. 2. Collect fees for the Quedans issued to warehouse operators. 3. Guarantees a government price support to farmers. i.e; Quedan holders. 4. Issue import license for private importation of rice and corn based on government’s estimated shortage for the year to be classified as reserve or buffer stocks or domestic market.. To minimize cost of the government, Marañon said the rice and corn regulatory agency can be private sector-led. He said the regulatory body may also give incentives to existing private business doing drying, processing and storage of rice and corn to modernize and expand their existing facilities.

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The unforgettable characters of a Christmas Carol PLANNING TO VISIT MANILA WITH YOUR FAMILY THIS DECEMBER? This holiday season, experience the joy and the true meaning of Christmas as 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live join forces again presenting the long-running acclaimed show A Christmas Carol: The Musical from the award winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Alan Menken.

The beloved Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is brought to life through song and dance in this musical extravaganza. Perfect for the family, the musical proved to be a hit when it was first staged on Broadway in December of 1994 and since then, has been staged as a limited engagement every December for eleven years. It was also adapted as a television special in 2004. This Yuletide season, you can enjoy this wonderful celebration of the true meaning of Christmas with your family with the best of Philippine theater. A Christmas Carol: The Musical is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter miser who hates Christmas. He even calls Christmas a “humbug!” A Christmas Carol is the story of his journey of discovery to what Christmas is truly about. Playing the titular role is theater veteran Miguel Faustmann. He began his theater career with Repertory Philippines in 1974 and has transitioned to film, television, commercials, and even directing and set design. He has recently been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Aliw Awards in 2015. In an effort to show him the true meaning of Christmas, ghosts visit Scrooge. His business partner, Jacob Marley– who possesses exactly the same characteristics as our protagonist– visits him. He will be portrayed by Ariel Reonal, who just ended his criticallyacclaimed turn in 9 Works Theatrical’s staging of Tick, Tick…BOOM! Ariel Reonal spent the last two years in the West End Revival of Miss Saigon and can be seen in its cinema release. Followed by Marley, Scrooge is then visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Norby David, Franz Imperial, and Ela Lisondra play the three ghosts, respectively.

Norby David is known as part of the band Overtone and as the co-vocalist of Rivermaya (2011-2016). He made his theater debut in the 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live hit, American Idiot. Franz Imperial was a principal vocalist for Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios in Singapore, and DreamWorks Movie Animation Park. In theater, he has been in such plays and musicals as Little Shop of Horrors, Pinocchio, and most recently in Shrek The Musical. Ela Lisondra is the 2013 World Champion in the World Salsa Festival and 2012 Champion of Best Dance Crew in the jazz/contemporary division. She has performed internationally in Paris, Belgium, Macau, Hong Kong, and London. Her musical theater credits include the West End revival of Miss Saigon and 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live’s American

Idiot, where she garnered a Gawad Buhay citation for Best Female Featured Performer for her role as the Extraordinary Girl. The world of A Christmas Carol: The Musical is not just filled with ghosts and a miserly old man who hates Christmas. Also in the story are Bob Cratchit and his wife, Mrs. Cratchit. Bob Cratchit is a hardworking family man who is often abused by his employer, Scrooge. Playing him is Raul Montesa, whose theater credits include La Cage aux Folles, Miss Saigon (Germany, Manila, Hong Kong, and Singapore), Into the Woods, Man of La Mancha, The Secret Garden, and many more. Anna Santamaria, who left her corporate career to pursue a life in theater, plays Mrs. Cratchit. Her credits

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MX3 in the Land o TO BE COMPETETIVE, it is imperative to be out of the box and into the horizon. MX3 has been unrelentless in its quest for globalization. MX3 recently concluded a meaningful and exciting trip in Japan. The four day leg event covered the concert of top caliber artist Arnel Pineda and a number of shoots and interviews with MX3 users who were based in Japan.

Japan is a beautiful mix of old and new. Tokyo is a big buzzling city with bright lights, tall skycrapers and people coming and going from different destinations. In between the concrete jungle lies wonderfully created gardens and temples, reminiscent of the older Japanese culture. In other cities like Kyoto and Osaka, the charms that draws one in are the

ancient temples, tea ceremony masters, traditional ryokan inns and centuriesold craftsmanship. Here kimono-clad geisha vanishing around corners can be seen alongside the river-

side cherry trees bursting into perfect blooms. Zen gardens with raked sand and haiku-inspiring rock formations are also aplenty. The travel kicked off with an electrifying and

world class performance of Arnel Pineda, the frontman of the band the Journey at the Sun City Concert Hall in Saitama, Koshigaya Perfecture. A second dinner concert was held the

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ext day at the Shibuya Tobu Hoel. The support of Filipinos and he Japanese crowd was heartwarming. During the activities, amples of MX3 Products were iven along with the games to enertain the crowd. Our fellow kaabayans expressed interest with MX3 which are made from all atural products. Some even immediately tried it during the diner concert. Asia is a big market for natural roducts such that most Eastern methods of healing are geared towards products that are harnessed rom nature which are guaraneed to be safe and effective. This parallel to how MX3 Capsule,

MX3 Plus, MX3 Tea and Coffee are being manufactured. Studies from Canada have shown the presence of active xanthones in MX3 Products. Alpha, Beta and Gamma Mangostin which are different forms of xanthones were proven to be contained in the MX3. These anti oxidants are very helpful in the maintenance of health along with diet and exercise. Traveling in different places does not only allow the introduction of MX3 in various markets but it also allows them to experience the product first hand. The

greatest addition to this is the sharing of the Gospel which is also an important purpose

of MX3. The share the blessing of good health of our mind, body and spirit.

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

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Serving a seamless society

EDGE DAVAO GENSAN PARTNERS

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include Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella, Noli Me Tangere, They’re Playing Our Song, RENT, and many others. Scrooge has a nephew, his only living relative, who is filled with good cheer and Christmas spirit. Playing Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, is Nel Gomez, whose has received a Gawad Buhay citation for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for American Idiot. His other theater credits include Romeo and Juliet, Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, and many more. As Scrooge visits his past, he sees a younger version of himself. Portraying the younger Scrooge is Al Gatmaitan, who is a much sought after theatre, film, and television actor. He began his training at the UP College of Music and furthered his studies in Italy for three years and joined Spazio Teatro and Teatro Calabria. He has the distinction of winning second place at the first Filipino European Pop Song Festival in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Jun Ofrasio and Dawn Eduave will take on the role of Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig. The Fezziwigs love throwing Christmas parties and Mr. Fezziwig was Scrooge’s first boss and taught him everything he knows. Jun Ofrasio began his work in theater with Tanghalang Pilipino in the early 90s and had since then been in such productions as El Filibusterismo, Noli Me Tangere, Illustrado, Baby, Camelot, and was part of the cast of Miss Saigon in

London, Ireland, and Portugal. Dawn Eduave’s theater credits include The Wedding Singer, Cinderella, Evita, and Camelot. The youngest member of the Cratchit family, Tiny Tim, may be crippled and sick but he is the epitome of what Christmas is all about. Playing him is Dewayde Dizon, who started joining competitions and contests since he was in pre-school. After a fourth place finish at the Grand Finals of Sta. Lucia Little Stars contest, he began modeling for commercials and appeared in shows like Rated K. Alternating with Dewayde Dizon is Rocco Buser, who will be making his theater debut as Tiny Tim. Rounding up the cast are Mitzie Lao (Dani Girl, Sinta, King and I) as Emily, Gian Gloria (American Idiot, Marco Polo: An Untold Love Story) as Sally, Tory Cortez (Hansel and Gretel), Andre Ruelo (Hansel and Gretel) and DM Garcia alternating as Jonathan and Scrooge at 12, Ella Gonzales (Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio) and Rayne Cortez (Hansel and Gretel) as Grace Smythe, Cerise Ramirez and Ornela Buser as Fan, Joe Ng and Mari Yapjoco (The King and I, Noli Me Tangere The Opera, Hansel and Gretel) as Fred’s son, Kyle Francisco as Martha Cratchit, GM Hernandez (Disney’s Aladdin, Cinderella) as Mr. Smythe, JP Basco (La Cage aux Folles, Ang Nawalang Kapatid, Maxie The Musical) as Young Marley, Will Angeles (Kanser, Rock of Ages, Aladdin) as Beadle,

Kendrick Ibasco (American Idiot, Romeo and Juliet, Pinocchio) as Mr. Hawkins, Josh Ramirez (Falsettos, Disney’s Mulan, The Wizard of Oz) as John William Scrooge, Jonjon Martin (The Wedding Singer, Fiddler on the Roof, Disney’s Cinderella, Aladdin, Mulan) as Harry, Mara Javier (La Cage aux Folles, Run For Your Wife) as Mrs. Mops, Mariella Laurel (Shrek The Musical) as Scrooge’s mother, Shalee Vicencio (American Idiot, Dirty Old Musical, Seussical, Disney’s Camp Rock) and Ina

Comedian Alex Calleja one of top 20 funniest persons in the world ANOTHER FILIPINO TALENT IS MAKING WAVES OVERSEAS as Filipino comedian Alex Calleja secured a spot in the top 20 of 2016 Laugh Factory Funniest Person in the World. With his natural wit and humor, Alex was able to capture viewers’ hearts around the world as he enters the next round of the competition and joins 19 other comedians from different countries in fulfilling their dreams of winning the title. To watch and vote for Alex, just log on to www.votealexcalleja.com. Voting ends on December 6, 2016. Viewers may also share his video by using the hashtag #PusongPinoy. Hailing from Bicol, Alex is a former professor and an IT programmer, but later on pursued a career in stand-up comedy in 2007. With a career spanning almost a decade, his wit has conquered television as he now serves as writer for ABS-CBN comedy shows “Goin’ Bulilit,” “It’s Showtime,” and CineMo gag program “Funny Ka, Pare Ko.” He also has already performed in several countries in Europe and Asia, proving his impressive talent in his chosen craft. The 2016 Laugh Factory Funniest Person in the World is organized by the Laugh Factory, Inc., a renowned comedy club in Hollywood and Long Beach, California, which has showcased comedians such as David Letterman, Eddie Murphy, Kathy Griffin, among others. It was also hailed as the number one comedy club in US by USA Today.

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Salonga (Beauty and The Beast, Ye Xien). A Christmas Carol is directed by Robbie Guevara, together with Onyl Torres as assistant director, Daniel Bartolome as musical director, PJ Rebullida & Yek Barlongay as choreographers, Mio Infante as scenographer, Martin Esteva as lighting designer, Myrene Santos as hair and makeup designer, Dong Calingacion as technical director, Philleep Masaquel as technical supervisor, Jaime Godinez & Rards Corpus as Sound Design-

ers, Chuck Ledesma as sound effects designer, GA Fallarme as video & projection designer, Ian Cartalaba as costume supervisor & design assistant. Heading the production team are executive producers Santi Santamaria (9 Works Theatrical) and Joe Caliro (Globe Live), Denise Seva (Globe Live Director for Events and Production), with 9 Works Theatrical’s Anna Santamaria as company manager, Toff de Venecia as PR director, Jonjon Martin and Issa Tuason as PR managers, GM Hernandez as marketing manager, Arma Bonilla as stage manager, JC Inocian as photographer, and Gian Nicdao as graphic designer. A Christmas Carol will be shown on December 3 to 4, 9 to 11 & 16 to 18, 21 & 22, 2016 at 8:00pm, and December 25, 2016 at 7:00pm, at Globe Iconic Store, Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. To stay updated on the ticket availability, just contact +63 2 586 7105, 0917 554 5560, Ticketworld at +63 2 891 9999, or email info@9workstheatrical.com. A Christmas Carol is brought to you by 9 Works Theatrical & Globe Live, presented by MasterCard & HUAWEI, co-presented by FOX, Star World & Bonifacio High Street, with Makeup Forever as the official makeup partner, Uniquely Pinoy and MVNDO. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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service interruption Davao Oriental gets DILG 2016 Water in Cabantian Nov. 5-7, 2016 Seal of Good Local Governance T

OR its excellent performance in local governance, Davao Oriental has made it to the list of Local Government Units that passed the Department of Interior and Local Government’s 2016 Seal of Good Local Governance. Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, who officially received the award during the SGLG National Conferment Ceremony in Manila recently, said he is proud of his province for being a consistent recipient of the distinction. He said this can be another window of opportunity for the province as funding institutions and investors will always look for a local government unit with a good track record. DILG Secretary Ismael D. Sueno, in his letter to Governor Dayanghirang, said that the Provincial Government has passed all minimum parameters of the SGLG core components as follows: Financial Administration, Social Protection, and Disaster Preparedness. Moreover, the Provincial Government has met the measures for all other essential areas as Business Friendliness and Competitiveness, Peace and Order and Environmental Management. Through this award, the Provincial Government is entitled to access the Performance Challenge Fund – an incentive

program for LGUs conferred with good local governance. The province is also entitled in the facilitation of loan approval through the issuance of Good Financial Housekeeping Certification and avail other program windows. Governor Dayanghirang largely credited the past administration under the leadership of former Governor now first district representative Congresswoman Corazon N. Malanyaon for laying the foundations of outstanding governance. “Having witnessed how the key policies, priority projects and programs of the former administration has impacted on the province, rest assured that these will be adopted and continued by this administration,” he says. DILG Provincial Director Yvette T. Sunga congratulated the officialdom of the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental. She credited both the former and the current administrations for their consistent hard work that led the province to receive the distinction. “Although the assessment was based on the former administration’s performance, but still a portion of it is already with the new administration, particularly in the advocacy on peace and order. “During the validation, the assessing team really scrutinized

NOW SHOWING

Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang (right) and DILG Provincial Director Yvette T. Sunga (left) during the SGLG National Conferment Ceremony in Manila. the Governor’s commitment and support to the current national administration’s thrust in the reduction and elimination of illegal drugs,” she said, during the recent flag raising ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol. For the past years, the Province of Davao Oriental has been considered a local government unit worthy of emulation and recognition as it has been a consistent awardee in excellent local governance. First, Davao Oriental received the Seal of Good Governance Bronze in 2011 followed by Silver in 2012 which led the province to be awarded the 2012 Gawad Pamana Ng Lahi as Regional Winner, considered the mother of all awards and the highest award that can be conferred a local government unit by the DILG. Last year, Davao Oriental received the 2015 SGLG and now received the 2016 SGLG. Now on its second year, the SGLG has maintained the primary requirements and used assessment tools based on upgraded

criteria. For this year, out of 12 LGUs, including the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental, 11 have passed the Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping and out of the twelve LGUs, seven have passed the SGLG, namely: Lupon, City of Mati, Manay, Caraga, Baganga, and Cateel. “Of all the provinces in region eleven, Davao Oriental has the most number of passers,” Sunga said. She extended her heartfelt gratitude to the Provincial Government workers for the assistance and the good performance. “This is not the end. Let us sustain or surpass the achievement that you have been receiving. We believe as your partner agency, Davao Oriental has more to offer. Let us prove to the people of Davao Oriental that you are really worthy of the said award. Let us prove to them that indeed we are public servants. We are here to serve the community. We are here to perform what we took oath with when we entered government service,” she added. By PIO

HE Davao City Water District has announced that the 24-hour rotational water supply in Cabantian will be temporarily suspended on November 5-7, 2016 to give way to the rehabilitation of Cabantian Production Well No.1 due to low water yield. As such, some areas affected by the rotational water supply will experience low water pressure to no water. Areas that will have no water from 9:00 AM of Nov. 5 until 11:00 PM of Nov. 7 are the following: Deca Homes, Chula Vista Subd., Emily Homes, Holy Trinity Village, Countryville Executive Homes, Dela Peña Street, Bacahoa Village, Remedios Heights, Emilia Homes, Cecilia Heights, Priscilla Estates, Country Homes Subd. Greenland Subd. and Victors Executive Homes and in Communal areas: Portion of Ciudad Esperanza, Victors Subd., Puroks 1, 2, 3, lower Purok 4, 5 and 6, Green Valley, Ilumina Estates, Communal Barangay Hall, Communal Elementary School, Blue Diamond Village, Aspen Heights and Catitipan Homeowners Assn. The DCWD will deliver water from Nov. 5 to 7 in these areas to augment the supply of residents. On the other hand, areas in Cabantian that are under Schedule 1 (24-hour rotational water supply areas) that will have no water from 6:00 PM of Nov. 5 until 6:00 PM of Nov. 6, and will experience intermittent water supply from 6:00 PM of Nov. 6 until 6:00

PM of Nov. 7 are: Cabantian Road (from Deca Homes to Cabantian Reservoir), Mountain View Village, Northcrest Subd., Suraya Homes, Cabantian Elementary School, Purok 32, Kasilak Village, Forestal Road, Arendain Village, RDL Staff House, Green Orchard Village I, II and III, Leonora Garden Heights, D’Achievers Village, Canaan Village, Purok 39, Dacudao Village I and II, Ananda Marga, Hidalgo Subd., Celerina Heights and Amakan Village; Communal areas: D’Leonor Inland Resort, upper Purok 4 and Iglesia Retreat House. The 24-hour rotational water supply schedule will resume after the rehabilitation work on Nov. 7, 2016. Any changes in the 24-hour rotational water supply schedule will be announced following the improvement in water yield. On behalf of DCWD management, general manager Engr. Edwin V. Regalado has apologized to affected customers and gave the assurance that the water utility is continuously working to improve water delivery supply in the affected areas. They are also advised to call DCWD Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297-DCWD (3293), 09277988966, 0925-5113293 and 0908-4410653 for the schedule of water delivery. For queries and further updates, the general public may also visit DCWD website (www.davao-water. gov.ph) or official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ davaowater). (DCWD PR)

SSS supports lawmakers in carrying out pension reforms November 2 – 8, 2016

THE ACCOUNTANT Anna Kendrick, Ben Affleck Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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

TROLLS Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

12:10 | 2:05| 4:00 | 5:55 | 7:50 | 9:45 LFS

A MONSTER CALLS Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

12:45 | 3:00 | 5:15 | 7:30 | 9:45 LFS

DOCTOR STRANGE Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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

HE Social Security System (SSS) has thrown its support behind lawmakers in addressing the need for meaningful pension reforms to ensure the longterm sustainability of the pension fund. Newly-appointed Social Security Commission Chairman Amado D. Valdez, former dean of the University of the East College of Law, said SSS management is supportive of a sustainable pension increase anchored on viable funding support mechanisms being discussed in the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Senate in consultation with the SSS actuarial experts. “We understand the need for higher SSS pensions. However, merely mandating to grant an across-the-board pension increase without any mention of how exactly the system will sustain it over the

long term may not suffice,” Valdez said. Lawmakers are studying a total of 13 different bills currently filed in the HoR and another six bills in the Senate. The bills offered no source of funding to sustain the additional benefits which amount to billions of pesos every month. “SSS is a defined-benefit system so the current fund is obligated to its present members who are entitled to six types of benefits based on qualifying conditions. Widening the base for contribution collection is a short-term solution but the fund will eventually dry up by 2025 because right now, the return of every peso contribution is P16 on the average,” Valdez said. Implementing the P2,000 pension increase, for instance, would require an additional P56 billion on the first year

alone to fund the 12 monthly pensions and 13th month pensions of more than two million SSS pensioners. SSS pension release grew at an average rate of eight percent annually for the last five years. Based on results of actuarial studies presented during legislative meetings, SSS recommended the corresponding increase in contribution rate, government subsidy, or a combination of both as options for funding the pension increase. Unlike the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) which applies its 21 percent contribution rate on the entire income of public sector employees every month, SSS implements a much lower 11 percent contribution rate that covers a maximum monthly income of only P16,000. Valdez believes that law-

makers are also aware of repercussions of steep benefit increases without the corresponding source of revenues, which in the past had reduced SSS fund life to as short as 16 years based on the 1999 actuarial valuation. “From 1980 to 2002, SSS pension increases of up to 20 percent were implemented a total of 19 times, sometimes even twice within the same year, while the contribution rate remained pegged at 8.4 percent for the same 23-year period which shortened the life of the fund,” Valdez said, who cautioned against repeating the mistakes from the past. Valdez said “We will still continue to look for ways to further enhance the system’s efficiency and prudently manage SSS spending so we can reserve more funds for higher benefits.”

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When fish are gasping for breath By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

AKE SEBU, a town in the province of South Cotabato, is often dubbed the “Summer Capital of Southern Philippines” as its climate is pleasantly cool (due to an elevation of 1,000 meters high from sea level).

But what most people don’t know is that there are actually three lakes. Lake Sebu (from which the name of the town got its name) is the larg-

est as it occupies 354 hectares. The other two are named Seloton (48 hectares) and Lahit (24 hectares). With these three large bodies of water, it is not surprising that the municipality has “a vibrant ecotourism economy based on the aquaculture of tilapia grown in floating cages,” to quote the words of Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former director of the Philippine Council for Aquaculture and Marine Re-

search and Development. But it’s not rosy, though. tilapia production in Lake Sebu is beset with perennial problem of fish kills, according to Dr. Guerrero, who is now an Academician with the National Academy of Science and Technology. In January and August of 2012, P3.8 million and P0.65 million of losses, respectively, were reported due to fish kills

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in Lake Sebu. In 2013, a loss of 20 metric tons of fish was also incurred. In February 2014, a loss of 68 tons with a value of P5.2 million was reported. “The fish kills in Lake Sebu are caused by overturns in the lake, known locally as ‘kamahong,’ which take place naturally in Taal Lake in Batangas,” reported Dr. Guerrero. “During a lake overturn, which usually occurs in the cooler months of the year, strong cool winds cause the upper water portion of the lake to become heavier in mass than the water at the lake’s bottom.” The sinking of the upper water column, he further explained, pushes up the bottom column that is poor in oxygen and in toxic compounds like hydrogen sulfide, and this kills the fish in floating cages. Since fish kill happens all the time all over the country, a timely study was conducted to assess the effects of excessive aquaculture structures and stocking density on water quality and aquaculture production. The study – done by Zenaida M. Sumalde, Karen Lou A. Francisco and Mildren Peñales – was financially supported by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA). Established in 1993, EEPSEA was founded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) with co-funding from the Swedish International Development Center (SIDA) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The researchers conducted the study in Bolinao, Pangasinan, one of the major aquaculture producing municipalities in the country. “Occurrences of fish kills had been common in Bolinao but were undocumented since most of the occurrences are site specific – that is, by specific pens or cages – not throughout the whole aquaculture area,” the three authors reported. Fish kills happen all yearround in specific fish pens in Bolinao and two other aquaculture towns, Dagupan and Anda. The rates of fish kills peak during the months of April, May and June. But these don’t alarm officials as they are isolated occurrences. But it changed when a major fish kills occurred on February 1-3 in 2002. It was

considered as the worst fish kill event that happened in the country. “It started in the evening of February 1, during a neap tide when tidal currents are slow, causing less oxygen-rich water flowing in from offshore areas,” the authors wrote. “A few days before the event, operators had been reported to have been using aerators to introduce oxygen into the fish pens or cages. This practice is typical in fishponds where water does not flow in naturally, but not in coastal waters where water currents provide oxygen. The use of aerators is also an indication that there was high oxygen demand in the area.” It was observed that two days before the fish kills happened, the milkfish (bangus) “were crowding the surface, evidently gasping for air due to low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water.” A water-quality testing conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) a few days before and during the fish kills in Bolinao pointed out that the DO level was only 1.5 parts per million (ppm) – way below the recommended level of 5 ppm for fish growth. Unlike the previous isolated events, this fish kill affected not only Bolinao but also other villages near it. Fish kills occurred in Luciente 1, Luciente 2, Luna, Salud, Lucero and Tara. The damage was so large (estimated value was P600 million) that the Senate Committee on Local Government urged to conduct an inquiry to aid the creation of appropriate legislation. On February 5, the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines issued a statement that the fish kills indicated two causes: a bloom of dinoflagellates (plankton cells) associated with eutrophied water and low DO levels in the municipal waters of Bolinao. Dinoflagellates are known to asphyxiate fish and a high density of them was found in the water column and in the gills of the fish. This was the first time such a bloom occurred in the country. The question remains: what really caused the massive fish kills?

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EDGEDAVAO The three authors surmised in their study: “The ultimate cause has to be associated with aquaculture practices, although no definitive proof can be established. The decrease in DO was not a sudden event, but is associated with the large increase in the number of fish pens and fish cages and resulting unconsumed feeds and fish wastes.” In a report published by “Philippine Daily Inquirer,” the BFAR regional chief was quoted as saying: “Around 30% of the feeds given are not consumed by the fish culture and are eventually thrown out into the water and seabed.” The three authors again wrote this conclusion: “The build-up of organic matter eventually leads to eutrophication, which caused a phytoplankton bloom. The bloom led to an increased rate of dieoff resulting in more organic matter on the sea bottom. Decomposition of the additional organic matter then depleted the dissolved oxygen in the water and caused further stress to the confined fish.” But there’s more to fish kills than just economic loss. There are also health issues to it. “In the wake of the 2002 fish kills, 75 people were hospitalized due to allergic reactions after dried milkfish and other people who were affected complained of headache, dizziness, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, abdominal pain, nape pain, itchiness, chest pain and skin redness,” the authors wrote. Based on the outcome of the study, the authors suggested several policy implications and better regulation of coastal aquaculture operation. These include strict enforcement of the Municipal Fishery Ordinance, penalties for violation that are high enough to make violation of the ordinance costly, and incentives for compliance to the ordinance considered (like reduction in taxes and technical assistance). “Authorities need to better communicate the risks associated with overstocking to aquaculture operators and to provide evidence that there are negative consequences to them as well as their community if they put too many fish in their enclosures,” the authors pointed out. (Photos taken from the net)

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to Manila in the next few weeks headed by Sweden’s Minister of Enterprise and Innovation. The other envoys who met with Dominguez were Ambassadors Asif Ahmad of the United Kingdom; Jan Top Christensen, Denmark; Massimo Roscigno, Italy; Nicolaos Kaimenakis, Greece; Theirry Mathou, France; Jaroslav Olša, Jr., Czech Republic; Dr. Josef Muellner, Austria; Marion Derckx, Netherlands; Ronald Van Remoortele, Belgium; and Dr. Gordon Kricke, the ambassador-designate of the Federal Republic of Germany to Manila. Chargé d’Affaires Mihail Bujor Sion of Romania, David Ambrus of Hungary and Carmela Barcia, the deputy chief of mission of the Spanish Embassy in Manila, also attended the meeting with Dominguez. In response, Dominguez thanked the ambassadors for their support to the Duterte administration’s 10-point reform agenda as well as their continuing assistance to the Philippines and commitment to invest more in the country. “If there are any business groups coming in I will be very happy to meet with them,” he said. Dominguez acknowledged that fund assistance to the Philippines to establish drug rehabilitation facilities here forms

part of the EU’s broader program to help the country deal with its war against illegal drugs. “Building facilities is probably only 25 percent of the solution to the drug addiction issues, and we certainly need a lot of training, a lot of help in that area,” Dominguez said. Besides the EU member-states, other countries have also expressed their interest in investing in the Philippines and broadening areas of economic cooperation under the Duterte presidency. Earlier, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Tanhaei informed the finance chief that Iran is keen on fostering better economic relations with the Philippines and, for starters, plans to import more bananas and explore areas of investment and cooperation in infrastructure and energy. In a courtesy call on Dominguez, Tanhaei said Tehran also wants to strengthen connections between his country’s Central Bank and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to pave the way for Iranian investors to start doing business in the Philippines. The ambassador also informed Dominguez that a Deputy Minister of Iran’s Finance Ministry would be visiting the country this November to discuss with Philippine officials a framework of coop-

eration between Manila and Tehran. Tanhaei said he is going to invite the head of Iran’s Central Bank to visit the Philippines to discuss issues on banking cooperation with the BSP. Dominguez, in response, said: “We do want to improve our relationship with Iran and we would be very happy to meet your Central Bank Governor.” Dominguez likewise assured Tanhaei that he would “be happy to assist him” and “will certainly welcome all of Iran’s officials” to Manila to help reinvigorate bilateral relations between the two countries. In a recent statement, the World Bank said “the Philippines remains one of fastest growing economies in East Asia and the Pacific despite the weak global economy.” “The country’s gross domestic product is forecast to grow 6.4 percent this year and 6.2 percent in the next two years,” the World Bank statement said. “The Philippine economy may surpass the forecasts if authorities can further ramp up spending on public infrastructure as planned,” said the World Bank in its Philippine Economic Update titled ‘Outperforming the Region and Managing the Transition.’ (DOF)

a high-income country in one generation by 2040. “The poor will benefit from better roads, both urban and farm-to-market roads, public schools, health centers, and improved social services. The accelerated spending on infrastructure, human capital and social protection will equalize opportunities and give better chance to the future generations of Filipinos,” Chua said. As for the expansion of the VAT base, Chua assured the public that there would be no increase at all in the tax rate and that all seniors and persons with disabilities would continue to enjoy their VAT exemptions on essentials such as raw food, education and health services, including medicine. The VAT threshold would also be raised for micro and small scale enterprises from the current limit of P1.9 million to the proposed P3 million, so that purchase from small businesses like sari-sari stores where the poor buy

their needs will remain exempted from VAT payments. “Again, it is a fallacy to believe that the revenues from expanding the VAT base would be mostly coming from the poor, In fact, the principle of VAT lies on how much one consumes— meaning the more VATable items one consumes, of course, he/she would have to pay more tax,” Chua said. For instance, better-off families who use air-conditioners would have to pay more taxes than their low-income counterparts who normally use electric fans to cool themselves at home, Chua said. The same is true, he added, for people with two or more cars, or those who dine out, which are amenities that the poor cannot afford. “Even then, we should not forget that the income tax relief included in the proposed tax reform plan would be beneficial most especially to the lowand middle-income taxpayers with modest living conditions,”

Chua said. Earlier, President Duterte’s economic managers formally guaranteed highly targeted, direct and indirect transfer plus other social protection initiatives to shield the poor and low-income households from the impact of the proposed adjustments in excise fuel taxes under the initial comprehensive tax reform program that the government submitted last September to the Congress for its approval. In a joint statement, Secretaries Carlos Dominguez III of the Department of Finance (DOF), Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and Ernesto Pernia, the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said these “highly targeted transfer programs” would help cushion the impact of the proposed indexing to inflation of the excise taxes on oil products on “the poorest 50 percent of the population.”

great performances and versions of himself, they were all-time great and borderline superhuman. In relation to their absolute primes, Vargas holds the advantage. At 27, he continues to improve and is in the midst of finding out his true potential. He’s also fresh off the breakthrough performance of his career in his ninth-round TKO of Ali. Advantage: Vargas

door in his corner in recent years. Current trainer Dewey Cooper, who made his debut with Vargas in March, is the fighter’s fourth different trainer over his last six bouts and five overall in his career. Advantage: Pacquiao

means the same class of fighter as Marquez, who is rightfully destined for the Hall of Fame. But he has a similar style and has worked hard to develop a legitimate right hand. He also has one other thing going for him: size. Vargas is nearly five inches taller than Pacquiao and holds a four-inch reach advantage. Landing one big shot to hurt Pacquiao and alter the course of the fight is, in many ways, Vargas’ only chance to win. But he’s facing an opponent with the kind of fighting style that just might open the door for that one chance if Pacquiao darts in and the taller and longer Vargas can time his answer perfectly. Advantage: Vargas

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SPORTS... FROM 15

ROUND 11: CORNERS This one is not even close. Roach is not only already a Hall of Famer and one of the most respected trainers in history, he plays as much of a fatherly role as he does friend to Pacquiao. Vargas, meanwhile, has had a revolving

ROUND 12: WILDCARD If there’s one strategy that would make the most sense for Vargas to employ against Pacquiao, it’s the blueprint laid down by Marquez. The Mexican veteran relied on a combination of perfect timing, good footwork and the toughness to dig deep and be willing to punch with Pacquiao in order to land big shots and offset his speed disadvantage. Vargas is by no

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14 MOTORING

VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

CONNECTED DRIVING Renault-Nissan, Microsoft forge partnership

HE Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft have signed a global, multiyear agreement to partner on next-generation technologies to advance connected driving experiences worldwide. The companies will work together to develop next-generation connected services for cars powered by Microsoft Azure, one of the company’s intelligent cloud offerings. These new services will improve customer experience via advanced navigation, predictive maintenance and vehicle centric services, remote monitoring of car features, external mobile experiences and over-the-air updates. “A car is becoming increasingly connected, intelligent and personal,” said Ogi Redzic, Renault-Nissan Alliance senior vice-president, Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services. “Partnering with Microsoft allows us to accelerate the development of the associated key technologies needed to enable scenarios our customers want and build all-new ones they haven’t even imagined. We aim to become the provider of connected mobility for everyone with one single global platform.” The Renault-Nissan Al-

liance is pioneering autonomous driving and connectivity features on mainstream, mass-market vehicles at affordable prices. The Alliance aims to develop connectivity technologies and features to support the launch of more than 10 vehicles with autonomous driving technology by 2020 with services to maximize better use of newly found in-car free time. Renault-Nissan will continuously develop and launch new connected services and applications that make it easier for people to stay connected to work, entertainment and social networks, and offer vehicle centric services that will simplify and enhance engagement with the car through usage-based information, remote access, remote diagnostics and preventive maintenance Microsoft Azure provides a proven, secure global cloud platform with unlimited scale that allows Renault-Nissan to deliver services worldwide to its broad customer base. Renault-Nissan selected Azure in part because of its enterprise-grade security and Microsoft’s rigorous commitment to compliance. In addition, Azure supports multiple operating systems,

programming languages and tools, providing flexibility and choice to build a common platform for Renault-Nissan to deploy services to both Alliance brands. “While the connected car experience is in its infancy, we believe there’s so much potential to dramatically change the industry. We are partnering to accelerate Renault-Nissan’s mobile and cloud strategies and unlock new experiences for their customers,” said JeanPhilippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft. “Renault-Nissan is an exceptional partner thanks to its global presence and range of brands, which enable it to bring entirely new mobile and digital experiences to so many people. This collaboration will bring a new standard to connected cars.” Focus on next-generation technologies The partnership will accelerate development of bestin-class infotainment and location-based services that will: Allow customers to personalize and protect their settings: Customers will be able to customize their settings knowing that data is safe and

that they have the option to transfer the settings from one car to another, or lock them and disable transfer. By adding a driver-centric experience in the car, the drive becomes personal and allows for things like adaptive route suggestions and advanced navigation. Productivity: With Microsoft, Renault-Nissan will expand the realm of productivity into the car – transforming the daily commute into a productive experience by seamlessly integrating the digital experiences present at work and life into the car. Give access to over-the-air updates: Customers will be able to download over-the-air updates to, for example, have the latest autonomous drive

gen Cebu’s Branch Manager Ren Dumaraos, Robinsons Land Corporation’s Mall Operations Manager Marion Concordia Saguisag, and Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership’s Director Marte Perez, who all expressed the timeliness and urgency of the campaign during their special messages at the opening. The CSI venue was opened to the mall-going public immediately after the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. The CSI campaign highlights the Junior Driving Course,

which features a miniature simulated roadway within a community, complete with road signages, stoplights, and miniature cars for the kids to use. Samples of child seats were also on display at the Child Seat Corner. Volkswagen Cebu also added a few attractions for the parents such as special offers and display of the Touran multi-purpose vehicle and Tiguan compact SUV. The CSI activation in Visayas is timely due to increased road activities, partic-

ularly in its highly urbanized areas, bringing up the number of traffic-related accidents. Since its launch during the Manila International Auto Show in April 2015, the CSI campaign in Luzon and Visayas had a total of 7,048 children and 5,360 parents who participated in 33 venues. This child road safety advocacy increases awareness and imparts valuable lessons towards preparing the kids— along with their parents—to become responsible adult road users.

Volkswagen PH launches Child Safety Initiative

FTER successful runs in Metro Manila and key cities in Luzon since its April 2015 launch, Volkswagen Philippines’ award-winning Child Safety Initiative (CSI) campaign has crossed over to the Visayas region, and launched on October 15 at Robinsons Galleria Cebu. Volkswagen Cebu facilitated the event, which kicked off when the mall opened at 11:00 a.m. The formal opening ceremonies were attended by Volkswa-

software and collision-avoidance applications. Help customers stay in touch: Customers will be able to easily check in and communicate their estimated time of arrival, or alert friends to a change of plans. They will also be able to use automatic payment from the car for highway tolls or parking, with a simple touch from the comfort of their seat. Monitor the car from a distance: Car owners will be able to monitor their car from anywhere, through their mobile phone or laptop. They could transfer control to a friend or relative who needs their car – without transferring physical keys. They will use a mobile application that helps them

find the car, can trigger remote charging and preconditioning and lock and unlock the car. Protect the vehicle: Tracking software locates a stolen car and disables it at the next practical opportunity. “Geofencing” technology creates invisible fences around the car that will enable notifications when the car enters or exits a predefined area or route. Improve the vehicle experience: By adding connectivity, customers will be able to have access to advance vehicle diagnostic services, allowing the car manufacturer to deliver unique features. Collecting real usage data will also support vehicle engineering to improve manufacturing quality.

Google Maps integrates Uber, Grab

OOGLE Maps is introducing a nifty update that makes it a lot easier to book an Uber or Grab right away. Whether using an iOS or Android device, Google Maps now has a dedicated tab with information for ride services Uber and Grab in addition to car, public transportation, or walking options. So when you are leaving for work or meeting a friend, you can easily compare options to find the fastest way there, without having to open multiple apps. In addition, if you are using Google as your default search engine, you

can also pull up the same menu of ride sharing options whether you are using the Google Search app or just your mobile browser. Simply asking for directions to a place, and you will see a tab for ride services complete with fare estimates and pick up times if a car is available near you. If you have voice command installed, you can simply say: “Grab taxi/ car/bike to Manila airport” or “Uber to Manila airport.” You can then select the preferred service and it will automatically direct to the ride sharing platform of your choice.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

SPORTS15

EDGEDAVAO

How well does Vargas match with Pacuiao

By BRIAN CAMPBELL ESPN.COM

S far as the history of brief retirements in boxing is concerned, Manny Pacquiao barely gave himself enough time to fall out of shape.

Pacquiao (58-6-2), the Filipino legend who was recently elected to the senate in his native country, found enough time in his schedule to train for his return just a handful of months removed from his April retirement. At 37, Pacquiao will challenge current 147-pound titlist Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday in a pay-per-view main event at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Vargas, 27, enters the bout fresh off a ninth-round TKO over previously unbeaten Sadam Ali to capture the vacant title in March. Pacquiao rebounded from a 2015 loss to Floyd Mayweather when he impressively outpointed Timothy Bradley Jr. in April to close out their trilogy. Here’s a look at how the two fighters match up in 12 different categories:

ROUND 1: POWER When it comes to Pacquiao, the same adage has always been true: His speed is his power. Despite the fact that he hasn’t recorded a knockout this decade, it’s the shots you don’t see coming that still remain the most dangerous. Even at 37, no one in boxing is better at landing punches from awkward angles than Pacquiao, which gives him the edge. The pair of knockdowns he recorded against Bradley in April confirms this, as did the six he added against Chris Algieri in 2014. Vargas, meanwhile, has turned his overhand right into a one-punch weapon seemingly out of nowhere, using it to stop Ali in March and badly hurt Bradley late in Round 12 in 2015. But he had never been known as a big puncher before this, with his stoppage of Ali having snapped a streak of 11 fights that went the distance, including the loss to Bradley. Advantage: Pacquiao

ROUND 2: EXPERIENCE Vargas has held world titles in two divisions and has steadily increased his level of competition in recent years after a successful amateur career. But it’s almost unfair to compare any active fighter to Pacquiao when it comes to experience. PacMan is the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight weight classes and has a résumé littered with current and future Hall of Famers. He has fought (and mostly defeated) every style

PACQUIAO-DELA HOYA. Manny Pacquiao, right, demolished Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 stopping VARGAS-DE MARCO. The unanimous decision victory over Antonio DeMarco in 2014 was Jessie him in the eighth round. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Vargas’ last fight as a junior welterweight. Chris Hyde/Getty Images

BEST CORNER. Manny Pacquiao has the best corner in the world led by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach. imaginable while regularly seeking out difficult challenges along the way. It’s unlikely we will ever see a fighter rise as dramatically in weight as Pacquiao did over a three-year span beginning in 2008, when he captured world titles from 130 to 154 pounds. Advantage: Pacquiao

ROUND 3: SPEED It’s almost absurd how Pacquaio has been able to retain (not to mention rely) on his explosive hand and foot speed at 37. He remains one of boxing’s truly elite fighters and proved in his convincing victory over Bradley in April just how futile it was to suggest father time had caught up with him in his high-profile loss to Floyd Mayweather one year earlier. It’s no secret he has slowed down and certainly isn’t the same ball of unrelenting fire he was when he first arrived in the division. But his quickness is still top notch for the division, and he has avoided ever looking his age. If recent performances against a common opponent in Bradley are any indication, Pacquaio should hold a significant speed advantage against the flat-footed Vargas, who will need to rely on timing. Advantage: Pacquiao

ROUND 4: DURABILITY There’s a case to be made for Vargas in this category, considering he has never been stopped and has been dropped just once, when a body punch from Wale Omotoso briefly caused him to touch his knee to the canvas three years ago. His case only increases when you consider the fact that Pacquiao

has been stopped three times, including being knocked cold by Marquez in one of the most vicious one-punch stoppages in boxing history. But Vargas’ case becomes inconclusive when you look at the number of dangerous punchers he has faced compared to Pacquiao, who has never lacked for toughness or a great chin. Advantage: Pacquiao ROUND 5: TENACITY There was a time in Pacquiao’s career, before his legendary skill set completely matured under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, when tenacity alone camouflaged his raw technique and predictable style. Simply keeping him off of you was half the battle. It remains essentially his calling card and the foundation for his success as even an aging Pacquiao still relies on multipunch combinations and explosive bursts in and out of his opponents’ punching range. He holds a considerable edge in this regard on Vargas, who typically doesn’t throw enough punches or attack the body as frequently as critics believe he should. This has led to him sweating out a handful of close decisions. Advantage: Pacquiao

ROUND 6: STAMINA When was the last time you saw Pacquiao fading late in a fight or coasting his way to the finish line? Outside of a relatively tame performance late against Mayweather, in which he was either nursing a right-shoulder injury or simply unwilling to excessively gamble in the face of Floyd’s frustrating mastery, no one out-

works Pacquiao. He can still give you 12 hard rounds, even with nagging calf pain which has threatened to tame him at times in the second half of his career. Vargas has 10 years of youth on his side in this fight and has looked good late in his last two fights. But he has just as equal a track record of looking pedestrian in the final rounds, only to receive the benefit of the doubt from some generous judging more than once. Advantage: Pacquiao ROUND 7: VERSATILITY While there’s a good argument to be made that Pacquiao is a more cautious and less explosive fighter in recent years as a result of his knockout loss to Marquez, the experience has helped his steady evolution into a more complete boxer. Pacquiao can box from the outside and rely on his speed just as well as he exchanges flurries on the inside. He can also hurt opponents with both hands and routinely lands punches from unforeseen angles. Vargas, meanwhile, has struggled with the label of being a basic, predictable fighter who uses his jab to set up his right hand. He doesn’t throw enough combinations and typically marches forward in a straight line. Mayweather may have been able to brilliantly confuse Pacquiao and make him appear one-dimensional, but he remains a world of problems for just about everyone else. Advantage: Pacquiao ROUND 8: DEFENSE Although he has evolved into more of a counterpuncher in recent fights, Vargas remains very much a traditional boxer who stands behind his guard and looks to trade punches. With that has typically come a respectable level of defense. And it’s not that Pacquiao is a reckless fighter by any means, especially at this stage of his career. But his aggressive style of darting forward does leaves him more vulnerable to big shots than

the average fighter. Give Vargas the slight edge. Advantage: Vargas

ROUND 9: TECHNIQUE Roach has done well over the years to help Pacquiao blend technique with his naturally raw and unorthodox style. But he’s still a whirling dervish at heart and not the exact technical fighter as Vargas, who has a good jab and is an accurate puncher. The best example of Vargas’ craft is the development of his dangerous overhand right, which he disguises nicely by dipping down and bending at the waist before firing straight down the middle. It’s the one punch

that gives him a chance against Pacquiao, and it relies upon perfect technique to surprise, which Bradley and Ali can equally attest to. Advantage: Vargas

ROUND 10: CURRENT FORM Pacquiao may still be an elite fighter at 37 and one who is likely to reappear on most pound-for-pound lists should he defeat Vargas following a brief retirement. But he’s still a good deal removed from being the same guy he was in career-defining victories against the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. Those weren’t just

F SPORTS, 13

Bulls rout Nets 118-108

IMMY Butler scored 22 points, Dwyane Wade had 12 in the first road game of his career not played for Miami, and the Chicago Bulls improved to 3-0 by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-88 on Monday night. The Bulls had seven players in double figures, with Wade becoming the last of them when he left Bojan Bogdanovic behind with a crossover and was fouled on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter. Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Taj Gibson added 14 points and 11 boards for the Bulls. After home victories against Eastern Conference playoff teams Boston and Indiana to open the season, the Bulls easily handled their road opener, leading by as many as 33 points. Bogdanovic scored 15 points and Jeremy Lin had 14 for the Nets, who fell to 1-3.

Butler made all five shots as the Bulls built an 18-point lead after one quarter that grew to 25 in the second. Chicago led 93-66 after three quarters, leaving the crowd with little to cheer in the fourth beyond Wade’s smooth moves. The Nets’ first three games had all been decided by single digits - they had actually outscored opponents 328-326 despite starting 1-2 - but they were never in this one after the opening minutes. Butler and Gibson were a combined 9 for 9 in the first quarter as the Bulls got a number of easy baskets while playing at the quicker pace they are using since adding Wade and Rajon Rondo to their backcourt. The Nets, who entered averaging an NBA-high 37.3 3-point attempts per game, were 5 for 31 (16 percent) behind the arc.

ROAD WIN. Dwyane Wade had 12 in the first road game with the Bulls.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 179 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

NO PRESSURE Manny set to become first Senator/world champion S

ENATOR Manny Pacquiao admitted he was pressured to win convincingly, especially by knockout, against Jessie Vargas, this coming Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. But he insisted that he would focus on training and would not be affected by the pressure. “There’s a pressure for me, but I don’t want to think about that, I don’t want to get distracted by that. For me, the pressure encourages me, is a motivation to focus hard, focus on training, work hard,” he said when interviewed by The National. Pacquiao promised t o

FIGHTING SENATOR. Manny Pacquiao is in the threshold of another history if he wins the world title held by Jessie Vargas.

make his fans happy come fight night. He did not underestimate Vargas even if the Filipino boxing icon is the heavy favorite to win. He just punished his body in training to condition himself and to prove that he is still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. “I will do my best. I will not predict the fight, but I’ll do my best to make the Filipino people and the fans happy, and to win the fight. Of course, I don’t want to underestimate him. I respect him because he’s a champion. I have to make sure that I’m 100 per cent conditioned, that that’s still there and that I’m 100 percent ready for the fight.” When asked whom he would like to face next if he successfully hurdle Vargas. Will it be Terence Crawford, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, or even Gennady Golovkin? “I cannot say that right now, because my focus is on the upcoming fight with Vargas on November 5,” Pacquiao answered. “Sure, it is ex-

citing. I’m excited to show that even as a senator I can still excel in boxing, that I can still main-

tain my name at the top.” Pacquiao said he felt good in a great training camp. He did

not let his practices affect his Senate duties. It is very important for him to win this fight to

THE COMPLETE CARD

give honor to the Philippines as a boxer and senator at the same time. (Philboxing.com)

Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas Lineup of TV fights for the Top Rank card on Nov. 5 (Top Rank PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas: • Welterweights: Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) vs. Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs), 12 rounds, for Vargas’ welterweight world title • Featherweights: Oscar Valdez (20-0, 18 KOs) vs. Hiroshige Osawa (30-3-4, 19 KOs), 12 rounds, for Valdez’s world title • Junior featherweights: Nonito Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs), 12 rounds, for Donaire’s world title • Flyweights: Zou Shiming (8-1, 2 KOs) vs. Prasitsak Papoem (39-1-2, 24 KOs), 12 rounds, for a vacant world title