Edge Davao 9 Issue 198 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 9 ISSUE 198 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27 - 28, 2016

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES FIRE VICTIMS. A young resident peeks behind the metal gate of Tourism assistant secretary Eden Josephine David’s house which was gutted by fire early morning of Saturday. David’s nine-year old son and a house help died while the assistant secretary and a house boy were injured during the incident. Lean Daval Jr.

SON, MAID OF DOT ASEC PERISH IN FIRE David, another son, helper hospitalized for burns

N I N E -Y E A R old son and a female house help died when fire suspected to be caused by faulty wiring razed the residence along Artiaga Street, Davao City of an assistant secretary of the Department of Tourism shortly after midnight last night.

Dead in the 12:30 a.m. fire were John Brent L. David, 9, special child of DOT assistant secretary Eden Josephine L. David, and her female

“kasambahay”, Kimberly A.Luayon, 19, a native of Tandag City, Surigao del Sur. Asec David, herself, and another still unidentified young son of are now confined at the Davao Doctors Hospital for treatment of severe burns. Another male helper was likewise rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center also for third degree burns sustained during the fire. The DOT official is being treated for burns in the arms and legs af-

ter she reportedly tried unsuccessfully to rescue her ill-fated son John Brent from the blaze. Asec David was still awake reportedly texting some instructions to subordinates when the fire broke out. Investigators from the Bureau of Fire Services and the Sta. Ana Police Station are still determining what triggered the fire incident. Authorities have yet to determine estimated damages arising from the fire. (With reports by Antonio M. Ajero)

Batang Pinoy hostilities open in Tagum complex H By JIMMY K. LAKING

OSTILITIES at the 2016 edition of the 2016 Batang Pinoy National championships will begin today at the Tagum City Sports Complex with an

estimated 9,000 athletes in attendance. “This is an opportunity for our players to test their skills in actual competition,” said Baguio City-based law-

EDGEDAVAO Sports Sports community unhappy with 4 more years of Peping at POC P15

yer Jesse Lacsigen, head of a four-man karatedo man. Also expected to beat the deadline is Mayor Ruben Tindaan’s karatedo team from La

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The secret to perfect selfies revealed:

The Vivo V5 smartphone Indulge A1

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RODY WITH NORWEGIANS. President Duterte gestures as he discusses matters during a meeting with Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende and other Norwegian officials at Matina Enclaves in Davao City on Friday night. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/Presidential Photo

Cases of violence versus women alarm CSSDO

HE City Social Services and Development Office in Davao has expressed concern against the increasing cases of violence against women in Davao City. Gloria Mandin, chief of the CSSDO’s Integrated Gender Development Division revealed the office has been receiving an average of five complaints of violence against women every day. She said 80 percent of the cases involved abandonment or absence of financial support while 20 percent pertained to battery, psychological and sexual abuses. Mandin said many of the victims are not employed and are highly dependent economically on their spouses. “The complaints emanate either for overseas foreign

workers who have gone missing and could no longer be located or simply nearby but no longer give financial support. The wives filed their complaints in the office and sued their respective partners,” she said. Mandin said that from January to June this year, 980 cases were received by their office. It is higher compared to the same period in 2015, when 700 cases were reported. She said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has employed five lawyers to provide legal assistance to the victims. “The trend is actually the same nationwide, reckoning the complaints received before the police and the Department of Social Welfare

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Soccsksargen Police assures region’s security amid series of NPA attacks

OCCSKSARGEN Police assured Friday that the region’s security situation remains under control after a series of attacks staged by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the past two weeks. Regional police director, Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, said the region has remained relatively peaceful despite the attacks, the latest of which was the burning of a Yellow Bus Lines (YBL) passenger bus in the outskirts of Kiamba town in Sarangani province on Thursday. “Our investigation has

been continuing and we are already pursuing some leads into these incidents,” he told reporters. Since Nov. 14, armed men claiming to be NPA members have launched four separate attacks in this city and in the provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani. A YBL bus was burned in Tupi town in South Cotabato while two heavy equipment owned by construction firms working on government projects were also torched at their sites in Barangay Alegria in Alabel, Sarangani and in Baran-

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DOF penalizes 5 erring execs By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

adlopez0920@gmail.com

HE Department of Finance has ordered the handing out of penalties against four municipal treasurers and one agent of the Bureau of Customs in connection with the separate cases filed against them before the Office of the Ombudsman. The penalties handed down by the Ombudsman against said five erring government officials range from dismissal from service to suspension without pay. DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, acting on the

rulings of the Ombudsman, has directed the Bureau of Local Government Finance to dismiss from the service Angelita Roble, the municipal treasurer of Tudela, Cebu and to suspend for one year without pay Local Treasury Operations Officer IV Marilou Rivera, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Provincial Treasurer in Misamis Oriental. He also asked the BLGF to suspend municipal treasurer Cherryl Aguirre of Valladolid, Negros Occidental for three months without pay, and mu-

nicipal treasurer Rosita Siniclang of Emilio, Ilocos Sur for one month and one day. Dominguez likewise directed BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to suspend for two months without pay Special Agent Samuel Gamao Saed. The Ombudsman found Roble guilty of serious dishonesty for failing to account some P250,000 in financial assistance released by the Presidential Social Fund 14 in November 2002. Roble was unable to explain where and how the fund

was spent. Rivera was suspended without pay for one year after being found guilty of oppression and neglect of duty when she abused and capriciously used her authority in issuing warrants of garnishment and 152 warrants of levy against a Japan-based firm inside an economic zone in Misamis Oriental. Siniclang was suspended for one month and one day for being guilty of simple neglect of duty when she was found

years, months, and days,” said Asst. Administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo of the City Administrator’s Office. The event is spearheaded by the City Government of Davao assisted by DOLE. Domingo said that out of the 84 beneficiaries expected to come, 76 attended. Out of the 76, 46 of them were victims of the blast.

The multiple agencies who participated were Pagibig Fund, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Social Security System, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, City Agriculturist’s Office, the Davao City Social Services and Development Office, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Domingo praised the participation and commitment of these agencies to share the mandate of their office such as TESDA’s training for vocational courses, DOLE’s emergency employment, and PhilHealth’s assistance for medical requirements and benefits. “These national agencies will provide benefits to the

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Multiple agencies to assist Roxas bomb victims BY RIA VALDEZ

EVERAL government line agencies have stepped forward to inform Roxas bombing victims and their dependents what informed of their benefits and services await during an Interagency forum on Friday at the Pinnacle Hotel. “We will be orienting these people of the benefits they can avail themselves in the coming

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4 NEWS

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22 schools feted for support to dependents of slain troops

TRIBUNA. Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ignacio Ybañez (right) reads the 10-point socioeconomic development agenda of the Duterte administration as he answers questions from

DOTr poised to finish repair of airport’s facility this year By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

HE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has vowed to finish by year-end the first phase of facility repairs at the Davao International Airport. DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade told a press conference on Thursday that partial repairs of the international airport will be concentrated on air condition facilities and toilets. Tugade added that other repairs such as passenger lounges and further phases of aircon repairs will be finished by mid-2017. “It is included in the reported P108.19 billion Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project for maintenance of

five regional airports,” Tugade pointed out, adding that there will be a total of 37 units of package-type air condition to be installed. He saw the urgency for repair of DIA as Miss Universe contestants and organizers will be coming to Davao for the January event and that they are also preparing for longterm repairs. Tugade added that the economic group is already looking through adaptation of Aquino’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project. Proper implementation of existing PPP projects is also being observed to help shorten the decision process for other projects, Tugade said.

China donates P35M to DSWD for calamity-stricken areas

HE People’s Republic of China turned over on Tuesday an additional cash donation worth P35,000,000 to the Philippines through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to help fund recovery and rehabilitation efforts of the Department for calamity-affected communities. China has earlier donated P60,000,000 on November 7 to help the affected families of Typhoon Lawin which struck the northern part of Luzon last month. In a simple turnover ceremony at the DSWD Central Office in Batasan, Quezon City, DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo received the cash donation from Honorable He Xiangqi, Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of China in the Philippines. Also present during the ceremonial turnover were DSWD Undersecretary Mateo G. Montaño, Director Felino O. Castro V, and Undersecretary Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa. In her message, Sec. Taguiwalo stressed the importance of international solidarity. “As we continue to assess the damage brought by the typhoon, further assistance is needed for the recovery and rehabilitation of

the typhoon victims. Every help we can get locally and internationally is welcome as long as no conditions are attached and based on what we need,” she said. “I would like to thank the Chinese people and its government for being responsive to the Filipino people’s needs especially in times of crisis. This solidarity reflects the type of development China pursues. I am confident that both the Philippines and China share the same ideals for humanity,” Sec. Taguiwalo added. For her part, Hon. He Xiangqi said that the Philippines has also extended its help to China. “We can never forget that when China was hit by a great disaster, the Philippines offered support spiritually and materially. And by doing so, China also wishes to demonstrate that we are old neighbors, old brothers, and friends in need,” she added. From March 20, 2006 to November 7, 2016, the People’s Republic of China donated a total of P67,959,000 for calamity-affected communities in the Philippines and another $105,190 to aid in the country’s disaster relief efforts. The Philippines also received in-kind donations from China amounting to P88,660,958.45

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WENTY-TWO colleges and universities in Mindanao received the Armed Forces of the Philippines accolades and warmest thanks for providing educational support to dependents of soldiers killed in action. Awarding took place Nov. 25 in Davao City, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said Saturday. “The awardees are among the academic institutions that provide free education or tuition fee discounts to dependents of our soldiers, particularly those battle casualties or died in line of duty,” he added. The schools which include four state universities in Mindanao were recognized during the Stakeholders Recognition Ceremony at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City.

The AFP Educational Benefit System Office (EBSO), headed by Cmdr. Dwight Steven M. Dulnoan. spearheaded the activity while AFP Eastern Mindanao Command head Lt. Gen. Reynaldo B. Guerrero was present as the guest-of-honor and speaker. The AFP EBSO also awarded 14 of its scholars for their outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements in the past school year. The student awardees came from Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Butuan, and Davao. “Most of our scholars in EBSO are dependents of soldiers who were killed during military operations. Helping them through educational support is the least we can do to repay the ultimate sacrifice their fathers did to protect our country,” Dul-

mga Bayani. The protesters represented organizations from different schools such as the Ateneo de Davao University, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Assumption College of Davao, to name a few. Other organizations also present were the Konsensya Dabaw

and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). Franciscan and Redemptorist brothers were also frontliners in the protest. “This is to raise awareness of the people to demand for justice for the social injustices during the Marcos regime,” said Sheena Duazo, spokesperson of Bayan in Southern

Mindanao. She said that their organization and this protest aims to awaken the nationalism among Davaoenos especially since the current President hails from the city. She added that build up activities and social media

the FOI program had been accomplished by the Duterte administration in just a matter of weeks. “For this, we would like to congratulate all agencies that have worked to implement the Freedom of Information. The average time to implement the FOI program is one year for some developed countries. Our agencies were asked to

prepare the People’s FOI Manual in 120 days,” said Andanar, whose office, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), oversees the implementation and operationalization of the FOI program. The FOI is the government’s response to the call for full public disclosure of information. The Executive

Branch is at the forefront in responding to the public clamor for transparency in the meanwhile that the Senate and House of Representatives are working on enacting the FOI into law. The FOI mechanism for the Executive Branch is empowered via Executive Order (EO) No. 2 signed by President

reporters during a news conference for the 8th Tribuna España-Filipinas Cooperation Conference held at The Marco Polo Davao on Friday night. Lean Daval Jr.

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Davao protesters slam Marcos’ burial at LNMB BY RIA VALDEZ

LMOST 100 people from different organizations gathered in front of Freedom Park on Friday to celebrate the National Day of Unity and Rage Against the Hero’s Burial for Marcos even as they assailed the “sneaky” burial of former Philippine president at the Libingan ng

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FOI passage, a step in the right direction, says Andanar

HE Duterte administration has fulfilled yet another milestone. Presidential Communication Secretary Martin Andanar formally introduced the People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual in a ceremony held at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang Palace Friday. A mere campaign promise by past administrations,

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ANTI-DUTERTE PLACARD. A protester holds a placard written with “DUTER TUTA” during the national day of unity and rage against the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani rally at the Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue in Davao City on Friday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

Walking the talk

HE Duterte administration has again did what has separated it from its predecessors—walking the talk. On Friday, Malacanang formally introduced the People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual. This document provides for the guidelines on how to access information from the executive branch of government. The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) will oversee the implementation and operationalization of the FOI program The FOI is the government’s response to the call for full public disclosure of information. The Executive Branch is at the forefront in responding to the public clamor for transparency in the meanwhile that the Senate and House of Representatives are working on enacting the FOI into law.

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village. Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 224-1413 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net

The FOI mechanism for the Executive Branch is empowered via Executive Order (EO) No. 2 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last July 23. It is commendable, if not impressive, that this administration prepared the FOI mechanism in 120 days where it took a year in other democracies. The FOI was established to effect real change—a campaign promise of President Duterte. To compliment the FOI Manual, an electronic platform called eFOI was, concurrently, launched. The eFOI serves as an added service meant to harmonize open data to reduce frontline workloads and request turnaround time. With the FOI mechanism in place, its success now lies on the people who will eventually use it and benefit from it as an exercise of vigilance. ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

JIMMY K. LAKING Associate Editor PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

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

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GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE

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Mindanao Railway: An idea whose time has finally come

N perhaps 10 to 15 years from now, it is possible to live in Digos or Tagum and still work in Davao City by taking the train. That is, if an ambitious 1,533 kilometer railway system spanning the various provinces and cities in Mindanao will materialize. To realize this, the Philippines is sending in fact a high-level delegation comprised of four department secretaries, including Transportation czar Arthur Tugade to China in a bid to wrap up negotiations for the funding of the railway system. The railways system itself is part of a nationwide infra program comprising of railways, bridges and roads that the Duterte administration has envisioned for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Give credit to the Duterte administration for this game-changer. Think of the various economic opportunities it will trigger. In his study of Philippine railways, Dr. Augusto V. de Viana of the National Historical Commission considered it odd that the Philippines had been one of the rare countries that “had not built a strong, reliable, and modern railway system.”

He added: “Most REVERSED PUNCH (GYAKU ZUKI) c o u n tries— rich and poor— take pride in their railway system. The train provides a fast, Jimmy K.Laking i n e x p e n s ive , and comfortable system of transportation. It helps reduce road traffic and contributes to cleaner air. Developed and developing nations have also found the railways to be a great national unifying force and a solvent for class divisions.” Would you believe that the railroad almost reached Baguio itself? In 1909, the Philippine commission negotiated a railway extension with the Manila Railroad Company to link Dagupan City via Galiano and Aringay in La Union uphill to Benguet. The work started in 1911, but while progress was considered slow “due to rugged ter-

Is a 10% GDP growth achievable?

VANTAGE POINTS

rain, extremely steep grades and labor problems,” it managed to report an accomplishment rate of 80 percent in the establishment of the roadbed. It also reported the near completion of five major tunnels. But on the pretext of nationalizing the railroads in the Philippines, Governor-General Francis B. Harrison stopped work on the extension in 1914. The Americans were convinced that a railroad was the most feasible system of transportation to the Benguet highlands. But in a moment of sudden inspiration, he said the government could postpone the railroad, and instead settle first for a temporary wagon road he estimated at $75,000 only! The commissioners agreed. Yet when it was finished, it would cost the American colonial government $2,000,000. The project also cost 500 Japanese lives from among a multi-national workforce of 2,000 assembled for the purpose. It also turned out that the zigzagging course was not part of the original plan but was resorted to in a bid to make up for an error in design. Since then as if by a curse, the government had to spend annually

millions of pesos to repair this road, this year not being the exception. As a sidelight, part of more than 3,000 multinational workforce that constructed the Kennon were to spread out to other parts of the Philippines, with an estimated 100 Japanese going to Davao. It was this group that established the Japanese colony in Mintal and their descendants are still there to this day. As to the never-realized railroad, let us end with Dr. de Viana: “By the mid-1980s, the Manila-La Union line was abandoned. What are left today are the abandoned tracks, bridges, and stations which were taken over by squatters. Access and right of way were taken over by interlopers. The politicians encouraged squatting for votes. “The country’s railway service is a sorry shadow of its old self. The challenge to government or the private sector is how to restore the railway service which has always been the workhorse of all modern and developing countries of the world.” Well, Professor Viana, change is coming finally to the islands with the national railway system soon to take shape—hopefully in this lifetime.

Plug corruption, spend more where it is needed (Second of 4 parts)

ocusing on increased public spending, many have voiced their doubts on If it is indeed true that a trillion pesos worth of government money is lost yearly to corruption. That said, it would not be unreasonable therefore to suppose that plugging at least 35 percent of this corrupted trillion and channeling it to spending on vital infrastructure alone may already account for 7.1 billion dollars which is equivalent to the possible FDI figure for 2017. Nonetheless, pronouncement have already been made that the government will spend about 7 trillion pesos on infrastructure alone over the next 6 years. (http://www.philstar.com/ business/2016/08/15/1613736/ duterte-admin-spend-p7t-infra-next6-years) Truth is the Philippines at the moment has the cash due to the low Debt to GDP ratio, and enough foreign ex-

change reserves able to ward off external pressures on the currency. This means that our economy is perhaps the most stable as it can be. There may not be a better time.

MY TWO CENTS’

John Tria

ecisouth@gmail.com

Increased inter-Asian trade will further boost the economy Moreover, the news of the 7.1% GDP for the last quarter balks at pessismists who early on declared that a Duterte presidency would bring the country down the isolationist, and populist road of Venezuela. Far from it, actually, since the Phil-

ippines being Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair, is aggressively pushing economic integration that will only enhance intra-ASEAN trade, which many do not know, accounts for about a fifth of all external Philippine trade. Duterte himself is known as a champion of the Brunei-Indonesia Malaysia Philippines growth area, a subregional economic grouping under ASEAN. Any new trade taking place within these borders augurs well for the country, especially the poorer southern regions of the Visayas and Mindanao. Any new growth among them will push our national GDP figures higher. Note that 60% of GDP comes from the greater Manila area. Just check our foreign trade statistics at the website of the Philippine Statistics Authority. What it tells us is that $26.705 billion or 20.6 percent of our 130 Billion dollar total foreign trade is with the ASEAN bloc,

followed by China and Hongkong at a combined 19.9%. This is followed by Japan at 14.4%. The United States at fourth and the European Union at fifth rank at 12.7 and 10.7%, respectively. Duterte’s economic policies look to increase our trade volumes within Asia, while maintaining, or even increasing our volumes with the US and Europe. Already, a slew of European investments is poised to enter the country, contrary, again, to fears of some that the western economies will avoid us due to the Presidents pronouncements. Chinese and Japanese businesses have already been visiting the Philippines to look at opportunities at what they consider an “outperformer” among nations with the fastest consistent economic growth. Check out my FB page at facebook. com/johntriapage/ for an archive of my column

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Finding greatness in grassroots sports by Noel Baguio Davao del Norte takes center stage again as over 20,000 delegates, officials and spectators are converging today at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex in Tagum City for the grand opening of the 2016 Batang Pinoy National Championships. The stage is set for over 10,000 budding sports heroes from 290 local government units (LGUs) in the country to slug it out in the six-day finals of the grassroots program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to grace the celebration of another great sporting moment mainly hosted by the province, together with the city government of Tagum. PSC Chair William “Butch” Ramirez said the Duterte Administration is focused on grassroots sports program to develop an enormous reservoir of Filipino athletes, who value discipline, good character, sportsmanship and respect for limits, rules and the laws. “We know that sports is a movement that can change people, communities and even the world,” he said. The official urged LGUs to invest in the development of grassroots sports in their respective areas, in support of the BP program’s aim of widening the base to “select potential athletes for future national and international sports competitions, primarily the quadrennial Youth Olympic Games.” He added that genuine sports program is a beautiful legacy that local officials can leave behind, as he trumpeted potential of sports in breaking the cycle of poverty and in helping kids fulfil their dreams. Honored by the opportunity of hosting

the BP national finals, Governor Anthony del Rosario said the province left no stone unturned to ensure the success of the first national sporting event under the Duterte administration. “We are ready to host the best Batang Pinoy National Championships ever,” he said, which is also dubbed as the largest in the history of the grassroots national games. “We are ready to host the best Batang Pinoy National Championships ever,” del Rosario said. The governor revealed the commitment of the province to match their feat in hosting the highly successful 2015 Palarong Pambansa, which was dubbed by athletes, officials, and spectators as the “best-ever” national games. This year’s theme, “Palaro ng Masang Pilipino, Palaro ng Bayang Nagbabago,” invokes the enormous power of sports in changing people’s lives. The governor stressed the importance of sports in human development and in empowering the youth to effectively tackle the problems they face. He hailed the use of sport as a means to effect genuine and lasting change, particularly to the unprecedented number of drug victims who submitted themselves to authorities. “We are committed to the President’s campaign against illicit drugs and sports is among the best tools to keep youths away from drugs, as well as to help reform the victims and bring them back to the mainstream of our society,” he said. As a former athlete, del Rosario disclosed sports is among the integral components of his BEST PEOPLE development strategy

aimed at developing champions and encouraging his people to get involve in athletics and physical activities for their wellbeing. He also hailed the impact of the big-ticket games to the local economy, particularly citing its benefit to small entrepreneurs, local tourism, hotels, and transport sector, among other sectors that enjoy hefty profit during the duration of the event. The BP games is considered as an appetizer for the provinces prospect hosting the National Triathlon Competition next year and some of the events of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019. With its modern sports complex considered to be the best so far in the region, the governor affirmed the readiness of the province in hosting the SEA Games, the National Games and possibly the BIMPEAGA Games in 2018. Formerly open for 16-under in and outof-school athletes, the Batang Pinoy now admits 17-year-old players to be in phase with the government’s K to 12 education program. Out of the 26 sporting events, 24 will be staged in Tagum City to include archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball 3-on-3, boxing, chess, cycling, dancesports, judo, karatedo, lawn tennis, pencak silat, rugby football, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taek¬wondo, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrest¬ling. Wushu and gymnastics are slated to be held later at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

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10 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

TOWERING ON DAVAO’S SKYLINE. The ongoping construction of the 33-level Aeon Towers along J.P. Laurel Avenue has reached the 30th floor as seen from two areas (left and center photo). The initial real estate venture of local

PSF okays P120-M adaptation funding for Mindanao LGUs By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

adlopez0920@gmail.com

P120-MILLION allocation intended to fund two adaptation projects for Mindanao was recently approved by the members of the board of the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), the Department of Finance said on Friday. PSF, the DOF added, also approved the allocation of P60 million grant funding facility to enhance and support the capabilities of Local Government Units in developing and designing programs and projects that are science and risk-based to meet PSF requirements. The funding from the PSF will specifically support the projects of the LGUs of Lanuza, Surigao Del Sur and Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte. The two municipalities are currently working to implement their respective local climate change adaptation plans, the DOF added. The DOF said that among the key approaches that PSF require from LGUs in their programs and projects include the integration of natural resource

protection and climate-resilient livelihood; protecting watershed, river, and mangroves; providing technical assistance to vulnerable farmers and fisherfolks. Projects, under the PSF, must also provide mechanisms to reduce vector-borne diseases affecting agricultural dependent households; promoting community education on weather forecasting and climate variability to support decision making for agro-fishery practices; and building a regional center for research and extension. “We are taking concrete steps to finance our own adaptation initiatives,” said DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who also chairs the PSF Board. The measures are being undertaken even as the Philippines accounts for an insignificant share of the world’s carbon emissions but is nonetheless one of the developing countries most vulnerable to

HE Department of Finance (DOF) has released its People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual in keeping with the people’s constitutional right to information and the State’s policy of full disclosure of its transactions involving public interest, subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law. In Department Order No. 0612016, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III promulgated the 19-page FOI Manual, which states in detail what types of information can and cannot be released to the public, the processes of filing requests for information and appeals involving the grant or denial of request for access to information before the DOF Central Appeals and Review Committee and, whenever necessary, the Office of the President (OP). This manual covers requests for access to information filed with the Office of the Secretary of the DOF and all its attached agencies

and bureaus, “until such time as FOI manuals specific to each of the attached bureaus and agencies shall have been adopted and promulgated separately” by these offices. The DOF released the manual in time for the re-launching of the government’s online central database—Open Data Philippines at www.data.gov.ph—as part of the implementation of President Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) No. 2 on freedom of information. According to Malacañang, Open Data Philippines provides “the central portal where requested and proactively disclosed data and information may be accessed.” Besides the database, Malacañang will also open an eFOI platform, where the public can lodge requests for information, and get the data they need online. The eFOI facility will be launched to coincide with the implementation of the EO on FOI on

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development firm FTC Group of Companies is expected to top off on December. The state-of-the-art residential and business tower, when finished (third photo), will be Mindanao’s tallest skyscraper.

Spain’s solar power expertise good for Sarangani, says DOF Spanish, Filipinos identify 3 areas of trade cooperation

INDANAO, particularly the province of Sarangani, can avail itself of Spanish expertise in the development of its solar power technology. This was bared by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III in joint press conference held on the start of the 8th Tribuna Espana Filipinas in Davao City, Nov. 26-27. The tribuna is a meeting of Filipino and Spanish captains of industry, political leaders, authorities of the academia and key change agents of civil society “in the spirit of utmost mutual and respectful cooperation.” Members of the two sides agreed they would discuss how they can enhance bilateral relations in the areas of manufacturing, tourism and agribusiness and endeavor to achieve balance of trade.

Ramon Maria Moreno, director of Casa Asia, said his country can even help its partner in strengthening its disaster management capabilities. George T. Barcelon, president of the Philippine Chamber of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the Philippine side welcomes the huge delegation from Spain attending the event which was held for the first time in Mindanao. Barcelon, who has accompanied President Rodrigo R. Duterte in some of his visits to other countries, said that the country is telling its visitors that “we are ready for business.” “We count the support of both embassies,” he said as the country’s ambassador, Luis Antonio Calvo was with the group attending the conference of the 12-year organi-

zation. Calvo said his government has been in contact communication with the Philippine government on how to strengthen their bilateral relations. He said the Philippines is a key partner of Spain in the Association of Southeast Asian nation. He added that as partners, the two countries will “continue to enhance bilateral relations.” Dominguez said that for the country to be able to take advantage of its relationship with its partner, it must be able to strengthen its manufacturing. “Right now, sometimes our exports to China end up in Spain,” said Dominguez, pointing out that Philippine exporters must start dealing directly with their Spanish buyers.

Based on government data, he added, the annual balance of trade between the two countries stands about $600 million in favor of Spain which sells twice the value of what it buys from the Philippines. In order to be able to catch up in terms of revenues, the Philippines should look at selling more electronic and other manufactured products to Spanish buyers,” he said. On tourism, the Philippines should be able to lure more Spanish tourists, it being a former colony of the European country, said Jose P. Leviste Jr., chair of the Philippine-Spanish Business Council. “The Philippines can be the gateway of Spanish travelers to the Asean, while Spain can be the gateway of Filipino travelers to Europe and America Latina,” Leviste said. AMA

dents. According to him, DOLE provides an emergency employment program as help for victims after a man-made or natural calamity. He added that the Roxas bombing was a man-made calamity resulting to a displacement of jobs for these survivors. “We would give 10 days of employment, 30 days at most,” Cruz remarked. This short-term employment specifically entails the survivor and dependent jobs in the barangay such as repairs in the barangay hall or barangay roads. This program would also be welcome

to dependents of the survivor if the latter is not fit to work. This program is in coordination with the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) for the survivors to be assigned accordingly to their capabilities such as painting jobs for those who cold nto lift heavy objects. “They are assured of relief for their loss of income,” Cruz stressed. He added that after the short-term employment, the survivors might explore business possibilities in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Negosyo Centers.

“This is not exclusive to Roxas bombing survivors,” he remarked. He explained that the emergency employment program is open for all as long as there is displacement of jobs. He cited fishermen in Sirawan who were given jobs in their barangay since it was not the fishing season. He also cited infestation, resulting to the incapability of the farmers to plant, in some barangays close to rice fields. For the Roxas survivors, Cruz said that they are given a menu of services made possible by the different national agencies.

DOF releases FOI manual DOLE gives employment to Roxas bomb survivors T

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BY RIA VALDEZ

UT of the P14 million pesos budget of the Department of Labor and Employment for the emergency employment program, a portion would be allocated for the survivors of the September 2 bombing of Roxas night market. This was announced during the interagency forum for bombing victims last Friday at the Pinnacle Hotel. Paul Cruz, OIC in Technical Services and Support Decisions Division of DOLE Region XI, said that they would provide 10-30 days of emergency employment to the survivors or their depen-

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EVENT

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The secret to perfect selfies revealed:

The Vivo V5 smartphone FILIPINOS LOVE SELFIES. Ever since the introduction of the frontfacing camera, many of us are literally hooked on taking photos of ourselves together with our friends or experiencing the world. Recog nising our love for taking the perfect Instagrammable or Facebook coverable selfie, Vivo, the top5 global sm a r t phone manufacturer, launched their flagship Vivo 5 smartphone in and exciting and lavish event last November 23 at the Solaire Grand Ballroom. Boasting “Perfect Selfie” capabilities with its 20-megapixel Moonlight front-facing camera co-developed with Sony, fast performance, soft-light flash, the Vivo V5 ensures that selfie moments are crystal clear and nothing but perfect with every take. Aside from creating the perfect selfie, the Vivo V5’s rear camera sports a substantial 13-megapixel sensor that features phasedetect autofocus that helps users snap photos as they happen. “The V5 embodies Vivo’s relentless pursuit of innovation, with technologies and functions that our consumers look for in their device. With the V5 and its industry-leading features, we continue to push the boundaries of a premium mid-range smartphone as we highlight Vivo’s high standards in smartphone design and feature,” said Vivo Philippines Vice President Hazel Bascon.

Wrapping my hand around the Vivo V5 at the event’s experiential zone, the V5’s all-metal unibody shell back case feels substantial to the touch and evokes the touch of much pricier phones. Up front, its 5.5-inch 1280x720 HD display clad in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass is bright and responsive. This looker of a phone is not a slouch when it comes to performance as it is equipped with a MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor running at 1.5GHz and paired with 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage plus an expandable port via microSD up to 128GB. All this power is managed by Vivo’s proprietary operating system, Funtouch

OS 2.6, based on Android’s 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. Not to be forgotten as the first smartphone brand that provided Hi-Fi quality sounds, the Vivo V5 is also equipped with a 32-bit AK4376 digital to analog Hi-Fi chip which creates hifidelity sound to tide over audiophiles. “With the launch of the Vivo V5, Vivo again sets the benchmark of a premium midrange smartphone with perfect selfie features that one would normally only see in flagship offers. Filipinos will once again have a capable and compelling smartphone choice, and one that can fulfil a wide range of roles in their everyday lives,” added Bascon.

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REV CAMP X IS THE CULMINATION OF THE YAMAHA CLUB’S REGIONAL TOURING OF LUZON, VISAYAS, AND MINDANAO. This series of activities were created to bring together riders in their respective region together for a celebration of motorcycle riding. The open road is the playground in which all these enthusiasts get to express themselves and the feeling of freedom is incomparable.

The destination for the Mindanao edition is the Dahican beach in Mati, a beautiful location for a spectacular journey. The Yamaha Club groups that were part of the adventure were Mati City Riders - Fz16 Philippines Cdo - Sniper Owners Riders X; Davao Lady Riders - All Mio Club Davao - Davao Mio I; All Mio Club Panabu - All Mio Club Digos - All Mio Club Bislig; Mio Davao Touring Club - Davao Sniper Guild Inc. - All Mio Club San Frans; Monc Mio Touring Club Cdo - All Mio Club Butuan - Davao Mio Soul I. The ride started at 6:00 am and they arrived in their destination just in time for lunch at the stunning location. All attendees were given their own tents which they will use to for camping during their stay. The day was filled with different activities such as team games, henna tattooing, and raffle draws. The program featured the brand new TFX 150, The Fierce Xpression which was the theme of the event. Part of the program was the Fierce Model and Henna Master, a contest to see the best henna design and the best person who can model with it. The winners were: Daryl A. Pugado, Winston Geriodas and Gary Conrad Canoy for the Fierce Model category and George Alvarez Jr., Alvin Bajao and Joseph Dioquino for the Henna Master category. It was another fantastic story for the Yamaha club and a fitting end to 2016. Expect more when 2017 arrives as a bigger and more passionate collective of riders welcome it.

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Yamaha Club ends year with

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UP AND ABOUT

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Marks & Spencer holds Win Back and Give Back Promo THE MOST MAGICAL TIME OF THE YEAR IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER and what better way to feel joyful than partaking in activities that will infuse you with more holiday spirit—like gift shopping, for one. How about making it extra special and meaningful this year with Marks & Spencer’s Win Back and Give Back Promo in partnership with their chosen beneficiary, UNICEF Philippines?

Visit any Marks & Spencer store from November 4 to December 12, 2016 to have a chance to win a minimum of P20,000 (if the purchase amount is less than P20,000) to P100,000 with just a single receipt worth P2500 on regular-priced, sale or promo items. This includes Christmas treats and other must-haves to

make the Yuletide season more festive—from indulgent selections of Christmas hampers, to the most fashionable finds to celebrate the holidays in style. Marks & Spencer will give you back the amount you spent for your precious Christmas gifts in the form of M&S Gift vouchers and give the same amount to benefit children in UNICEF-assisted day care centers. UNICEF’s Preschool in a Box project aims to support the organization’s Early Childhood Care and Development program for underprivileged communities in the Philippines. A donation of P100,000 can fund three Day Care centers with materials good for a year! Customers can also donate in increments of P10 which will be collected and turned over to UNICEF at the end of November and December. The raffle draw will happen on December 16, 2016 at Marks & Spencer Greenbelt 5 at 4:00 PM

with the announcement of one Grand Prize winner and 10 winners of Marks & Spencer Christmas hampers. Marks & Spencer also aims to bring even more joys to the children from the UNICEF-assisted day care centers through a classroom painting activity with the UNICEF Brand Ambassador (Anne Curtis, Gary Valenciano, or Daphne Paez) and possibly, with the Grand Prize winner which will happen on December 20, 2016. With all the hustle and bustle that comes with the Christmas season, sometimes it can be difficult to focus on the things that really matter. This year, challenge yourself to give back (and win back what you spent while you’re at it) and remind yourself about the importance of blessing others. Go to any Marks & Spencer store to discover the most festive gift selections for every special person in your life!

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28th Philippine Eagle hatched in captivity THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION (PEF) is proud to announce the birth of the 28th eaglet from the PEF conservation breeding program. The eaglet has hatched, with minimal assistance, on November 4, 2016 after 56 days of incubation. It is 4 to 5inches tall and weighs 488.3g as of this writing. The new chick is the third successfully hatched offspring of the Philippine Eagle pair, MVP (male) and Go Phoenix (female), after Sinag and Chick 27. Eagles MVP and Go Phoenix are the adopted eagles of PLDT and Edisy Trading respectively. “The chick showed no signs of deformities. It is active, and in fact, has a big appetite,” PEF Animal Keeper Colin Santander,

said. “It is just three weeks old but its growth is exceptional,” Santander added. The birth of Chick 28 highlights the continuing success of what was once thought as a lost cause. “In the midst of continued mortality and persecution in the wild, this hatching success underscores the importance of conservation breeding as a way of securing this species’ gene pool,” said PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador. The Philippine Eagle Foundation continues to serve its mission in saving the great Philippine Eagle from extinction. The PEF firmly believes that, with concerted effort, the critically endangered Philippine Eagle will someday fly freely in the wild.

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A4 INdulge! ENTERTAINMENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 198 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27 - 28, 2016

Kristoffer Martin and Joyce Ching charm Davao NOW SHOWING

November 23 – 29, 2016

THE UNMARRIED WIFE Angelica Panganiban, Dingdong Dantes, Paulo Avelino Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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THE WARRIOR'S GATE Dave Bautista, Sienna Guillory Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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KRISTOFFER MARTIN AND JOYCE CHING’S RECENT KAPUSO MALL SHOW IN TAGUM CITY, DAVAO DEL NORTE reveals that even if the KrisJoy love team took a break, fans remain to be smitten by their on-screen charisma.

Kristoffer and Joyce entertained the crowd gathered in Robinson Place Tagum last Nov. 18 and in turn, Davaoeños and Tagumeños gave a warm welcome to the lead stars of GMA Afternoon Prime’s “Hahamakin ang Lahat”. Aside from their solo song performances that revved up the audience, Kristoffer and Joyce also made hearts flutter during their duet—proving that KrisJoy remains to be a favorite love team among fans. “Sobrang saya magperform sa mga Kapuso nating Davaoeños at Tagumeños,” remarks

Kristoffer. “Sobrang init ng pagtanggap nila sa amin at talagang nanunuod sila ng Hahamakin ang Lahat. Ramdam na ramdam namin ang energy ng ating mga Kapuso. We’ll surely be back soon,” he says. “Maraming salamat po sa mga Kapusong Davaoeños at Tagumeños na nagpunta sa mall show namin lalo na sa mga Chinglovers at KrisJoy Royalties na andun. Salamat sa mainit na pagtanggap at sana patuloy ninyong suportahan ang Hahamakin ang Lahat,” adds Joyce. Prior to the Kapuso Mall Show, Kristoffer and Joyce met with the members of the local press where they talked about their latest project on GMA. The two Kapuso stars return to television with Hahamakin ang Lahat, a compelling drama that showcase a more mature KrisJoy, the two stepping away from their “tween” roles. It features the struggles and conflicts of a mother and child belonging to a Filipino-Chinese family. “We are grateful for the warm reception we received from our Kapusong Davaoeños and Tagumeños. They showed us how they appreciate the love team of Kristoffer and Joyce. Indeed, these are two of the most promising young actors of this generation,” says Oliver Amoroso, Officerin-Charge of GMA’s Re-

gional TV Department. He adds that fans can further look forward to meeting their favorite Kapuso stars. “To our loyal supporters, watch out for more regional events featuring GMA programs and artists. We will continue to bring them closer to you as our way of thanking you for your

continued support,” he ends. To know more about the Network’s regional events, follow GMA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmanetwork and GMA Regional TV at www.facebook.com/ GMARegionalTV and on Twitter and Instagram via @GMARegionalTV.

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Batang... FROM 1 Trinidad, Benguet. Tindaan, the mayor of Buguias, Benguet holds the rank of 5th dan black belt from the Japan Karate Association. The Philippine Sports Commission has tapped Tagum City, Davao del Norte as host of the championships, the agency’s national competition program for children slated Nov. 27- Dec. 2. Tagum, which staged the Palarong Pambansa last year, will host an estimated 9,000 athletes aged 17 and below from various local government units nationwide in the first major grassroots meet under the Duterte administration. PSC chairman Butch Ramirez said the Batang Pinoy is in line with the commission’s commitment “to develop and promote sports through encouraging sports programs to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence for the development of a healthy citizenry. “The program encourages all local government executives to invest in the development of sports within their respective areas. It also aims to widen the base to select po-

tential athletes for future national and international sports competitions, primarily the quadrennial Youth Olympic Games,” said Ramirez. Originally a tournament for 16-under athletes, the Batang Pinoy will now accommodate 17-year-old bets to make it in sync with the government’s K to 12 education program. “Batang Pinoy will now be an open tournament for children 17 years old and below. Based on the Batang Pinoy calendar year 2016, an athlete must be born in 1999 and the years thereafter,” said PSC research Other sports featured in Batang Pinoy are athletics, swimming, archery, lawn tennis, rugby football, triathlon, boxing, weightlifting, wushu, judo, karatedo, wrestling, table tennis, soft tennis, rugby football, sepak takraw, cycling, dance sport, cycling, basketball (3-on-3), badminton, baseball and gymnastics. Gymnastics, however, will be held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex for lack of competition equipment at the Tagum Sports and Tourism Complex.

gay San Jose here. The suspects declared during the attacks that the owners of the concerned companies had failed to pay revolutionary taxes to their group. Train however said they have yet to establish whether the attacks were really carried out by the NPA. “Our intelligence units are currently gathering information as to the identity of the group and the involved armed men,” he said. The police official said they are also looking into the motive of the attacks and whether a single group was behind them. At least 13 armed men carrying high-powered firearms flagged down a YBL bus along the national highway in Kiamba, Sarangani at past 10 a.m. Thursday. The suspects ordered the passengers to disembark, then commandeered the bus to the interior portion of Sitio Nama

in Barangay Katubao, where they later torched it. Bus driver Avelino Duran Jr. said they were on their way to this city when one of the passengers asked to disembark at a portion of Barangay Katubao. Upon stopping, he said several armed men immediately boarded the bus. “They declared that they were NPA members and assured that no one would be hurt as they were only after the bus. They said our management has not paid revolutionary taxes,” he said in the vernacular. Sr. Insp. Ruben Lambago, Kiamba municipal police station chief, said the suspects immediately fled towards the mountainous portion of the area after burning the bus. He said Sarangani police and the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion are hunting down the suspects. (PNA)

Rodrigo Duterte last July 23. “The Duterte Administration deems EO No.2 as a way to resolve problems. It is not a way to lure support or a window dressing to the growing corruption problem in the country. FOI has been established because the government seeks real change,” Andanar explained. To compliment the FOI Manual, an electronic platform called eFOI was, concurrently, launched. Communication Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan conducted the presentation of FOI’s online version. The eFOI serves as an added service meant to harmonize open data to reduce frontline workloads and request turnaround time.

Again, Ablan said, the Philippines is ahead of other developed countries in rolling out an electronic platform of the FOI. The future of the FOI will depend not only on the government, but also on the people who use it. “It is the duty of citizens to maximize the right to information to check on their government,” the communication chief said. “This is a triumphant day for the nation, yet we have a long way to go, to create a system in which information is easily accessed from the government without detriments or inefficiencies,” Andanar said. “But today is the day we take the first few steps in the right direction,” he added. (PNA)

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NEWS11

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BOY IN PROTEST. A boy lights a candle as he joined the national day of unity and rage against the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani protest rally at the Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue in Davao City on Friday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

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liable for the loss of P693,960 in municipal funds stolen from her office. The stolen money was for the bonuses of municipal employees. Aguirre was suspended for three months without pay for simple misconduct when she authorized the payment of P288,271.88 to a hardware company who got the contract to supply construction materials without the required public

bidding. Saed of the BOC was suspended for his failure to file a sworn Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) for 2009 and Disclosure of Business Interests and Financial Connections. The Ombudsman suspended him without pay for only two months because this was his first offense with no mitigating or aggravating circumstances.

victims and their families to remind them that the government has not left them behind,” Domingo added. The assistance offered by these agencies range from medical, educational scholarship, employment, livelihood and training, and monetary benefit that would help them continue with their lives. Domingo mentioned that as instructed by City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, the local government’s role is to offer services that would ensure the victims’ and their families’ future. The City Government also provided monetary assistance for medical and burial fees amounting to nearly P5 million pesos. They also promised to help the victims whose medication caused by the bombing is still on-going. According to Domingo, there are no victims confined in the Southern Philippines Med-

ical Center but some are still subjected to further treatment and operation. The records of all these victims are in the possession of the city government. Regardless if the victims are present in the event or not, since some are not fit to travel, Domingo said the local government would still extend their services to them as mandated by Mayor Inday. The City Government of Davao, according to him, encouraged these people to coordinate with the respective agencies present in the forum to ensure that they could avail of all the services extended. Meanwhile, Mayor Inday thanked the participation of the multiple agencies in a video message presented in the forum “Thank you for your willingness to assist Davao City in helping the victims of the bombing,” she said in a video message. “Together, let us fight terrorism.”

noan said. Currently, there are 1,282 EBSO Scholars in Mindanao. This is 33 percent of the 3,999 total grantees nationwide, as of November this year. The EBSO has been providing educational assistance to dependents of military personnel, mostly battle casualties for over

16 years now. It is presently under the supervision of the AFP deputy chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Salvador Melchor B. Mison Jr. Educational programs in EBSO include law-mandated programs, and those by virtue of partnerships with educational, government, socio-civic and financial institutions. (PNA)

consisting of motor vehicles, housing materials, generators and various relief items. According to Sec. Taguiwalo, the donations will go a long way

in serving the people of the Philippines. She also said that serving the people is one of the main concerns of President Rodrigo Duterte.

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and Development,” she said Friday during the launching of the 18-day campaign to end the violence against women at the People’s Park. The campaign will end on December 12 in time for the commemoration of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Campaign. Mayor Sara, in a message read by Councilor Abegail Dalodo-Ortiz, stressed that the top priority of her governance is the welfare of women and the vulnerable sector. She said the coming to-

gether of many sectors espousing women’s causes indicates a stride in the effort to uplift women empowerment. “We must not condone violence committed against women, especially those that happen within our homes, schools, workplaces and barangays,” Sara said. She underscored the need to strengthen the city’s program for women and their children, anchored on their protection from violence from people they know or by strangers. (PNA)

played a big role in mobilizing the younger generation for the event. “The issue isn’t just about the burial but the injustices prevalent until today,” Duazo stressed. National Democratic Front consultant Proferio Tuna, who also graced the event, also stated that the protest is “for the people to demand the Marcoses to speak of their crimes.”

“He is a facist, a dictator, and a thief of the Filipinos’ property. He is no hero,” Tuna stressed. Tuna called on President Duterte to unite with the Filipinos who are asking for justice instead of being in solidarity with the Marcoses. “The peace talks are more important now than ever. We must stop the culture of fascism,” he pointed out.

climate change, Dominguez added. “Proof of this is the provision of finance from our own national budget to ensure that our LGUs are able to establish or enhance their capacities to adapt to the multiple effects of climate change,” the secretary further said. He said that both the Lanuza and Del Carmen LGUs are located in vulnerable areas where poverty may further worsen if no adaptation measures are undertaken. Lanuza is a 4th class municipality and is proposing a total of P47.5 million (of which P39.1 million is proposed for funding under PSF with P8.4 million as LGU counterpart) for their adaptation project. The town of Del Carmen, a 5th class municipality, is proposing a total of P95.6 million (of which P80.7 million is for funding under PSF and P14.9 million as LGU and state college counterpart). PSF is the country’s na-

tional climate fund created under Republic Act (RA) 9729 as amended by RA 10174. The fund is dedicated to finance climate change adaptation initiatives of LGUs and communities. The PSF Board is composed of six representatives from the governmental and three from sectoral representatives. Representatives from the government include the secretaries of the DOF, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Philippine Commission on Women (PCW); and the Climate Change Commission (CCC). Sectoral representatives to the board include Renato Constantino, Prof. Rex Cruz, Ph.D., and Mr. Peter Perfecto, representing the non-government, academe and private sector, respectively.

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PSF... FROM 10

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DOF releases... FROM 10 November 25. Aside from the DOF, the eFOI platform will initially be available for the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). In his FOI directive, Dominguez named Undersecretary Bayani Agabin, who heads the DOF’s Legal Services Group and Domestic Finance Group, as head of the Department’s Central Appeals and Review Committee that will review and decide on future appeals for reconsideration of denied requests. As stated in the manual, “the responsibility for all actions of the DOF carried out under [its] FOI manual “is hereby delegated to the Undersecretary for Policy Development and Management Services

Group.” Undersecretary Gil Beltran, who is also the DOF’s anti-red tape czar and chief economist, currently heads this group. “Section 7, Article III of the 1987 Constitution guarantees the right of the people to information on matters of public concern, and provides that access to official records, and to documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law,” Dominguez said in his order. Dominguez’s order likewise states that: “Based on jurisprudence, while access to official records may not be prohibited, it certainly may be regulated by a public officer pursuant to either statutory law or his inherent power to control his office and the records un-

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late CRESENCIA VDA. DE CAPUL has been the subject of an Extra Judicial Settlement of Estate With Special Power of Attorney executed among her heirs, per Doc. No. 486; Page No. 98; Book No. LXXIV; Series of 2016, of the NOTARY PUBLIC CHARMAINE P. VALENTIN 11/21,28,12/5

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der his custody, by exercising some discretion as to the manner in which persons desiring to inspect, examine, or copy the record may exercise their rights.” Under the DOF manual, official records, public records and documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development can be accessed. “There shall be a legal presumption in favor of access to information, official records and public records, and no request for access may be denied by the Department of Finance and its attached bureaus and agencies,” the manual stated. The manual lists the following circumstances where access to information may be limited or denied: A. The information requested falls under any of the exceptions provided for in the Constitution, existing law or jurisprudence, including: i. the items contained in the inventory of exceptions prepared by the DOJ and the OSG, and circularized by the OP, pursuant to Section 4 of EO No. 2 (2016); ii. Personal Information, Privileged Information and Sensitive Personal Information, except the following; (1) Information about any individual who is or was an officer or employee of a government institution that relates to the position or functions of the individual; (2) Information about an individual who is or was performing service under contract for a government institution that relates to the services performed, including the terms of the contract, and the name of the individual given in the course of the performance of those services; (3) Information relating to any discretionary benefit of a financial nature such as the granting of a license or permit given by the government to an individual, including the name of the individual and the exact nature of the benefit; and (4) Personal information pro-

cessed for journalistic, artistic, literary or research purposes. iii. information which is specifically authorized to be kept secret under guidelines established by an executive order, and in fact properly classified pursuant thereto: Provided, That 1) The information directly relates to national security or defense and its revelation may cause grave damage to the national security or internal and external defense of the State; or 2) The information requested pertains to the foreign affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, when its revelation shall unduly weaken the negotiating position of the government in an ongoing bilateral or multilateral negotiation or seriously jeopardize the diplomatic relations of the Philippines with one or more states; iv. information which consists of records of minutes and advice given and opinions expressed during decision-making or policy formulation, invoked by the Chief Executive to be privileged by reason of the impairment of the Chief Executive’s deliberative process that would result from the disclosure thereof; v. information pertaining to internal and/or external defense, law enforcement, and border control, when the disclosure thereof would: (i) unduly compromise or interfere with any legitimate military or law enforcement operation; or (ii) unduly compromise or interfere with the prevention, detection or suppression of criminal activity, the effective implementation of immigration controls and border security; or (iii) deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication; or (iv) lead to the disclosure of the identity of a confidential source, including a government, or foreign agency or authority or any private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information compiled by a law enforcement authority in the course of an investigation or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investi-

NEWS 13 gation, information furnished by a confidential source; or (v) disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law; or (vi) endanger the life or physical safety of any individual; vi. information consisting of drafts of orders, resolutions, decisions, memoranda or audit reports by the Department of Finance, its bureaus and agencies, or any of their respective offices/units in the exercise of their adjudicatory and/ or audit function; vii. information pertaining to trade secrets and commercial or financial information or intellectual property obtained from a natural or juridical person other than the requesting party, whenever the revelation thereof would seriously prejudice the interests of such natural or juridical person in trade, industrial, financial or commercial competition; viii. information classified as privileged communications in legal proceedings by law or by the Rules of Court, unless the person entitled to the privilege has waived it; ix. information of a nature that its premature disclosure would likely frustrate the effective implementation of a proposed official action: Provided, that the information shall be accessible once the anticipated danger has ceased ; B. The information requested is not kept in or under the control and custody of the DOF, or any of its attached bureaus and agencies, as the case may be, depending on where the request is filed; C. Any of the requirements, conditions, or procedure prescribed under this FOI Manual is not complied with, such as failure to state a legitimate purpose for the request, without prejudice to the re-filing of the request upon proper compliance with the requirements, conditions and procedure;

D. The information requested is already posted and available online; or E. The request substantially pertains to information previously requested by the same requesting party whose request has already been previously granted or denied by the DOF. Besides allowing access to information, the manual also states that the DOF should proactively disclose through their website, at no cost to the public and in an accessible form, “timely, true, accurate and updated key information including, but not limited to matters pertaining to its mandate, structure, powers, functions, duties and decision making processes; frontline services; and names of its key officials, their powers, functions and responsibilities, and their profiles and curriculum vitae; The DOF should also proactively disclose work programs, development plans, investment plans, projects, performance targets and accomplishments, and budgets, revenue allotments and expenditures; important rules and regulations, orders or decisions; current and important database and statistics; bidding processes and requirements; and mechanisms or procedures by which the public may participate in or otherwise influence the formulation of policy or the exercise of its powers. Dominguez named Beltran as the FOI Decision Maker of the Office of the Secretary who will be primarily responsible for evaluating requests for access to information, and in authorizing or denying them based on the Manual’s provisions. Each bureau and agency under the DOF should also designate their respective FOI decision makers, with a rank of not lower than a Director or its equivalent. The Manual provides for a 15-day deadline, from the time the request was received, for the release of the requested document or response of the DOF or its attached bureaus and agencies to the information needed.

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DISGUST Sports community unhappy with 4 more years of Peping at POC By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

njb@edgedavao.net

OSE ‘Peping’ Cojuangco formally claimed his fourth term as Philippine Olympic Committee but it looks like the sports community is not happy. Reactions of disgust poured out on social media moments after the 82-year old Cojuangco on Friday won the POC elections unopposed at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club. Many of those who made adverse comments were members of the sports media and officials of some national sports associations, local sports leaders and former athletes. Cojuangco had been at the helm of the POC since 2004 and had promised to initiate the construction of a modern sports training center for national athletes. That has remained a dream. In this year’s run up to the elections, he again made the same promise. He ran unopposed after Ricky Vargas of boxing was disqualified. However, it was also found out later that Cojuangco could also be subject to disqualification for age. Olympic rules state the age limit for national Olympic Committee presidents at 80. He is 82. Cojuangco got 26 votes from the 37 voting members present during Friday’s gen-

eral assembly, as he officially got the mandate in the absence of an opponent after boxing’s Ricky Vargas was disqualified from running by the POC election committee. All of the candidates under the Cojuangco camp won by a wide margin. Voting in the POC elections is by NSA representation. Joey Romasanta of karatedo and volleyball won the first vice president post, 2311, over Vargas ally Rep. Albie Benitez of badminton, while Jeff Tamayo of soft tennis beat Lucas Managuelod of muay thai, 26-11, for the second vice president position. Julian Camacho of wushu took the treasurer position after winning, 24-12, over Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios of basketball, 25-12. Jonne Go of canoe kayak ran unopposed as auditor and got 31 votes. Jesus Clint Aranas of archery (30 votes), Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics (30), Robert Mananquil of billiards and snooker (28), and Rep. Prospero Pichay of chess (27). Among the six voting members that were absent was Vargas, who had sought a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the POC election but the petition was denied by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court on Thursday.

Meantime, the camp of disqualified presidential candidate Ricky Vargas maintained it will continue to support Philippine sports despite its failure to win a single position in the POC elections, according to a report by SPIN.ph. The report said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio reiterated the commitment of the Manny V. Pangilinan group for sports even with the landslide victory of the rival camp headed by Cojuangco, who won his fourth term as POC president. Vargas was disqualified from running against Cojuangco for POC president, and his motion for a Temporary Restraining Order on the POC polls was denied by a Pasig court on Thursday. Rep. Albie Benitez of badminton, Lucas Managuelod of muay, and Sonny Barrios of basketball - all Vargas allies were unsuccessful in their bid for the first vice president, second vice president, and treasurer positions, respectively. “We are committed to Philippine sports,” said Panlilio in the report. “I think it’s not about personalities but the commitment of the group to support Filipino athletes. Even as head of the MVP Sports Foundation, we identified nine sports that we will be directly supporting.”

Incidentally, Vargas was absent from the POC elections as boxing was one of six national sports associations (NSA) that didn’t participate in the elections. After winning his fourth term as POC president, Cojuangco called for reconciliation after a controversial leadup to the election of the national Olympic body. Panlilio supports Cojuangco’s call for unity. “That’s the only way,” Panlilio said. “I was hoping it was done much earlier than now,” said Panlilio, obviously pertaining to a dialogue called by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez which the camp of Cojuangco snubbed. “There were initiatives to bring parties together but not all parties were there. But that’s (reconciliation is) the only way to go forward.” At the end of the day, it’s all about the athletes, Panlilio said. “Philippine sports is much bigger than any individual. We have to think about the athletes. Ano ba ang kailangan nila? That’s the bigger cause. Marami ang kailangan nila, from training, exposure, to facilities. That’s the only way we can compete globally,” Panlilio said. (with a report from SPIN.ph)

UMAGA GOLF. Comebacking player Paolo Te Escalona won Class D honors in the recent 7th University of Mindanao Golf Association (UMAGA) golf tournament at the Davao City Golf Club. Boy Lim

HE Philippine Weightlifting Association (PWA) will use a stateof-the-art scoring machine for the 2016 Batang Pinoy National Championships scheduled on Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. The modern scoring device worth USD1,000 was purchased by PWA vice president Elbert Atilano in Japan

ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. 82-year old Jose “Peping” Cojuangco will sitat the helm of the Pilippine Olympic Committee for four more years.

Siargao surfers gear up for 2020 Tokyo Olympics By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ adlopez0920@gmail.com

“T

HE only chance for us now to get the elusive Olympic medals is through surfing. Filipino surfers have long been winning gold and silver medals in various international surfing competitions.” This was the statement made by Rep. Francisco Jose “Bingo” Matugas of Surigao del Norte 1st District as he presided over the preparatory meeting of surfers in Siargao Island on Friday. He said the quest for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold has already commenced as the meeting, joined by the members of Siargao International Surfers Association (SISA), kicked off to plan out programs that will prepare the surfers in the international sporting event. “We gathered positive results from the meeting particularly in drawing our plans and programs that will hone the skills and abilities of our surfers,” he added. The meeting also finalized the planned linkage of Siargao surfers to the various surfers’ associations in the country and its participation to the formation of the Philippine Surfers Federation (PSF). PSF will be composed of surfers from the areas of Surigao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Palawan, Bicol,

B Pinoy to use modern scoring device where he attended the Asian Junior and Youth Weightlifting Championship as head of the Philippine delegation. “Other National Sports Associations have been using modern scoring equipment in their competitions. It is also proper for our association to use the stateof-the-art electronic scoring system,” said Atilano, a seasoned coach who heads the

Universidad de Zamboanga Weightlifting Training Center. Atilano was responsible for the success of Hidilyn Diaz, who became a SEA Games champion and 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist. He also helped weightlifting to be included in the calendar of the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA), a sports competition

for athletes from private college and universities nationwide. Atilano will supervise the competitions in weightlifting, one of 26 sports featured in the Batang Pinoy, a tournament for athletes below 17 years old. The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), headed by chairman William Ramirez, has allocated

PHP15 million for the grassroots tournament at the Tagum Sports and Tourism Complex, where the annual Palarong Pambansa was held last year. Commissioners Celia Kiram and Charles Maxey are the overall chairpersons of the tournament. Other sports featured in Batang Pinoy are athletics, swimming, archery, lawn tennis, rugby football, tri-

Catanduanes, Zambales, La Union, Samar, Leyte, Ilocos Sur, Sorsogon and the members of Manila Surfers Club. “In forming one organization, selection of the best surfers in the country to compete in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be easy. Selected surfers will compose the Philippine Surfing Team that will compete in the Olympics,” Matugas said. The formation of surfing team, he emphasized, will also pave the way to source out funds for the training of surfers in preparation to the said international sports event, specifically from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). Congressman Matugas also expressed optimism the country will bag its first Olympic gold through surfing, given that most of the professional surfers in the country had already competed in various international competitions. In September this year, Filipino surfers Competed with hundreds of international surfers during the 22nd Siargao International Surfing Cup held in Cloud 9, General Luna town. Sandon Whittaker of Australia emerged as the over-all winner during the cup garnering 12.83 points and followed by Filipino Philmar Alipayo with 11.20 points.

athlon, boxing, weightlifting, wushu, judo, karatedo, wrestling, table tennis, soft tennis, rugby football, sepak takraw, cycling, dance sport, cycling, basketball (3-on-3), badminton, baseball and gymnastics. Gymnastics, however, will be held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex for lack of competition equipment at the Tagum Sports and Tourism Complex. (PNA)

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