Edge Davao 9 Issue 243

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

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Serving a seamless society

ICONIC YEAR. Sales attendant Arnel Bautista holds miniature rooster-shaped decoration days before the celebration of Lunar New Year heralding the Year of the fire rooster at a Chinese lucky charms stall inside Abreeza Mall in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

AID IS COMING Piñol assures immediate support to farmers hit by calamity in Davao region

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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adlopez0920@gmail.com

GRICULTURE secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Thursday assured communities in the Davao region of “fast support” after visiting areas that were damaged by floods spawned by rains attributed to the tail-end of a cold front that continues to affect the eastern section of Mindanao.

“I am here to comfort you and the farmers. Tingnan natin ang programa sa agrikultura in a long term context. Tutulong kami. We will do it fast,” Sec. Pinol said.

Piñol also met with Governors Jayvee Tyron Uy of Compostela Valley, Nelson Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental and Antony del Rosario of Davao

del Norte to assess the over-all damage incurred by floods and landslides to agriculture in the region.

The meeting was held on Thursday afternoon at the provincial capitol of Compostela Valley in Nabunturan town.

Initial assessment released by provinces indicated that floods caused heavy damages to agricultural products that include rice, corn, high value crops, livestock and fisheries.

In Davao Oriental, the provincial agriculture reported on Tuesday that floods destroyed more than PHP1.7 million worth of crops and other agricultural products in the area.

At least 423 hectares of farmlands and 1,864 farmers

were affected by severe flooding in 27 barangays in the province.

Crops damaged include corn, rice and high-value crops.

Meanwhile, in Compostela Valley, the agriculture office on Thursday said around PHP194,421,072.18 million worth of damages were incurred in the agriculture sector in the province.

Damage to rice, high value commercial crops, corn, and fishery amounted to PHP68,269,117.18 while damage to livestock and poultry reached to PHP8,906,355.00.

A total of 3,552 farmers were directly affected by floods in Compostela Valley while 4,518.86 hectares of

farms were also destroyed.

In Davao del Norte, damage to agriculture was placed at PHP11.2 million for crops, PHP1.2 million for livestock and PHP.85 million for fisheries.

Immediate support and assistance to the affected farmers in Dava region are among the topics discussed during Piñol’s visit.

The meeting was also joined by top officials of the Department of Agriculture in Davao region (DA 11) led by OIC-regional director Ricardo Oñate.

Joedel Leliza, the risk reduction officer of the Department of Agriculture in Davao

F AID, 11

Condom dole-out to come with tips

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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OUNSELING and sex education will accompany condom distribution in schools, an official said Thursday.

Chief of the Population Division of the City Health’s Office Jeff Fuentes told the

reporters Thursday that the condoms would be distributed to the students after providing them “proper counseling.”

Fuentes said that condoms are expected to be dis-

F CONDOM, 11

EDGEDAVAO Sports ALL WIN P16 Aussie boxing fans think Horn fight presents all-win situation

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

IN THE INTERIM. President Rodrigo Duterte takes time to relax while on board a government plane to Davao City following his visit to Tacloban City and Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu on Wednesday afternoon. KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo

Forfeiture ordered vs. estate of ex-Maguindanao gov, wife

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MBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of a petition to initiate forfeiture proceedings against the estate of former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, Sr. and his wife Bai Laila Uy Ampatuan for properties acquired in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 amounting to P54,965,526.88.

After conducting a lifestyle check, Ombudsman probers found that Ampatuan’s wealth “is manifestly out of proportion to respondent’s salary as former Governor of Maguindanao and to their other lawful income and income from legitimately acquired properties.”

Based on Ampatuan’s income tax returns from 2001 to 2008, his net income was P304,721.91 in 2001, P310,773.09 in 2002,

P1,196,403.67 in 2003, P1,423,443.94 in 2004, P1,560,327.92 in 2005, P1,560,170.78 in 2006, P1,608,120.76 in 2007 and P1,631,128.06 in 2008.

Likewise, based on Ampatuan’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2000 to 2007, he had P6,221,950 in 2000, P10,829,297.17 in 2001, P26,248,726.50 in 2002, P25,748,726.50 in 2003, P26,136,622.33 in 2004, P24,538,818.16 in 2005, P25,081,238 in 2006 and P26,705,250 in 2007.

However, the Ombudsman found that Ampatuan failed to declare 15 real estate properties located in Cotobato and Davao cities, with a total declared value of P55,134,283.10.

F FORFEITURE, 11

New DOT ad highlights new twist to its‘more fun in RP’

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HE newest campaign advertisement of the Department of Tourism was launched Thursday highlighting not just a tourist destination this time, but another answer to the question why it’s “More Fun in the Philippines.”

DOT’s newest TV commercial opens with a male blonde-haired tourist visiting the prized Enchanted River in Surigao and while admiring the natural wonder before him, is approached by a Filipino woman.

“The fish are eating, so should you, anak,” the woman said offering him kakanin (rice cake) which her children were also eating.

The tourist thanks her, takes a bite and asks a man what “anak” meant to which he replies, “It means ‘my child.’”

He is later introduced as Jack Ellis, a traveler. The commercial then faded to reveal the quote: “When you’re with Filipinos, you’re with family.”

DOT Undersecretary Kat de Castro said that this ad will be launched during the Miss Universe coronation on Jan. 30, 2017.

The ad was done with the help of global advertising agency, McCann Erickson, which won the bid to develop the slogan during the previous administration under then DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. (PNA)

Davao region still on alert due to tail-end of cold front

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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HE Office of Civil Defense remains on blue alert Thursday as Davao Region still continues to experience rain due to the tail-end of a cold front.

The tail end of a cold front refers loosely to the “edge of a cold front characterized by a cold air mass that is being pushed out of the area.”

On Thursday, OCD regional director Leoncio Cirunay Jr. attended an emergency meeting in Compostella Valley with representatives from other disaster response agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard to assess the calamity.

“With the help of Department of Science and Technology and Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services, and OCD, we are continuously monitoring the weather system, and Blue Alert level status, remains,”

Cirunay told reporters in a press briefing.

He explained that their data shows high chances of having heavy rainfalls on Thursday and Friday.

Cirunay added that they have advised their personnel and other disaster response agencies to “estimate” the chance of rainfalls before allowing the evacuees to return to their homes.

“Basin mubalik na sad og ulan ani, mag pre-emptive evacuation na sad ta and sig era ta’g balik2x sa evactuation sites ani,” he said.

Cirunay also reported 13 casualties from the heavy rains, wherein 8 people died, 3 individuals injured, and 2 victims affected from landslide.

“Usually, the children are usually the victims of drowning because of the flooding,” Cirunay said.

He reminded the parents that they must keep an eye on their children.

“Hindi alam ng kids na malalim na pala yung water level na nilulusong nila,” Cirunay explained.

Meanwhile, several evacuees from Compostella Valley and Davao Oriental went back to their homes as water levels subside.

ICT Secretary and Davao Oriental Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Ryan Masagnay told Edge Davao that the water level of Aragon Dam reduced from a critically high level of 20.3 meters on Monday to a level of 17.0 meters on Thursday morning.

The 20.3 level was viewed as the tipping point of overflowing. Aragon Dam is situated in the barangay of Aragon, about 12 km west of Cateel Poblacion.

According to Masagnay, four barangays in Cateel would have been affected which are: Aragon, Alegria, San Alfonso, and Taytayan.

As of Thursday morning,

Cateel ICP noted 342 family-evacuees in four evacuation centers but the number could go high as families in one evacuation center had not been accounted for.

The flood and landslides caused by the continuous rains in the region brought by the tail end of the cold front affected ten of the 16 barangays in the town wherein 864 families evacuated.

While other families already went back to their houses, there are still 143 families remaining in the evacuation centers in Compostella Valley – particularly in New Bataan.

According to Municipal Information Officer Celso Casia, the remaining families were from Bantacan with 15 families, Cabinuangan with 66, and Kahayag with 62.

“Families were advised to stay in their respective evacuation centers because of the strong current in Mayo River in Brgy Cabinuangan,” he explained.

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the region.

This was stressed by AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo in a statement Wednesday.

“But while (AFP chief-ofstaff) Gen. (Eduardo) Año is mustering the support of the men and women of the AFP in this focused combat oper-

ations backed by intelligence and non-lethal operations and activities, he continues to harness the support of the populace,” he added.

Arevalo said the struggle against terror groups can be best won with the abiding support of the people.

The AFP public affairs

office chief added that Año’s decision to employ a twopronged approach against the ASG, one militarily and one seeking community assistance and support, is in-line with the latter’s self-imposed six month deadline to beat the bandit group into total submission. (PNA)

Civilian cooperation needed in beating terror threats

HILE the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is willing to use all-out force in obliterating the Abu Sayyaf Group and other terror threats in Mindanao, all these efforts will be in vain if the military fails to get the support of the populace and communities in

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 3

30 commercial attaches meet Davao businessmen DCCCII president Go welcomes trade service officers

BANANA GROWER Edward Puyod discusses with Philippine trade service officer Alma F. Argayoso assigned to Jakarta developments in the BIMP Eaga RoRo (roll on-roll off) project which involves both the Philippines and Indonesia. This is during the interaction of more than 20 Philippine trade attaches assigned to various parts of the world with members of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. headed by Capt. Ronald C. Go.

TRADE WITH EUROPE. Davao Chamber past president Sofronio M. Jucutan and banana grower Romy Garcia talk about the requirements in exporting processed and frozen fruits to France, Spain, Italy and other European countries with trade service officer Froilan Emil D. Pamintuan based in Paris.

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LOSE TO 30 Philippine commercial attaches assigned to promote the interests of Philippine business in various parts of the world, including a number of officials giving them support from the home office, met with officers and members of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. Wednesday night at the Marco Polo Hotel.

The Foreign Trade Service Corps, composed of senior trade representatives (STRs) and trade service officers (TSOs) , accompanied by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Cynthia Ricafort, wanted to know the products that Davao businessmen could export to countries where they are assigned. This was after they gave the domestic businessmen an idea of what products the countries of their assignment could import and export.

The local businessmen who interacted and dined with the attaches were headed by Davao City Chamber President Ronald C. Go and a number of his fellow officers.

The list of attaches who came included Ma. Roseni M.

Ms Alvero said that a group of businessmen representing big companies in Canada is scheduled to come to the Philippines early this year to explore business opportunities.

Ang said a delegation of Korean businessmen is visiting the country also this year, while Argayoso mentioned the roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) arrangement between the BIMP Eaga countries, especially the Philippines and Jakarta.

Mariano said that aside from Thailand, he also covers Myanmar , Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia, which have great potentials for business for Filipinos. He said Filipinos should establish business in the small countries because they need a lot of products that are abundant in the Philippines.

On the other hand, Pamintuan said that he also covers Italy and Spain, while Roaring said that Mexico will hopefully be the staging point for doing business in other Latin American countries which he also covers as commercial attache.

Aside from Go, other Davao Chamber officers and members present last Wednesday night were Bonifacio Tan, past president and now trustee

of the DCCCII, past president and now executive vice president Sofronio M. Jucutan, vice president for industry Wilfred Teves, vice president for agri business Tessie Pascual, treasurer Alvin Pinpin, trustee Art Milan, banana exporters Romy Garcia and Edward Puyod, and many other businessmen in metals, hog raising and other businesses.

The DTI which hosted the dinner-meeting was represented by DTI 11 Regional Director Ma. Belinda Ambi and a number of regional and provincial officials and staff.

Go said the chamber and its members look forward to hosting future business delegations from other countries arranged by the foreign trade servicer corps.

The DCCCII president also discussed briefly the upcoming flagship projects of the chamber in promoting trade and invesments in the city this year – the 4th Investment Conference (Icon) in July and the Davao Trade and Agricultural Exposition (DATE) in September . He likewise introduced to the group the chairmen of the two projects –Art Milan for Icon and Eboy Teves for DATE. ANTONIO M. AJERO

here in the city to check the investment concerns of Davao, they will serve as our indirect marketing officers for investments in the international market,” he said.

On Thursday, Ortonio presented the safety and security of the city to ensure foreign investors that it is safe to invest here in the city.

He said that it is important to stress to the foreign attaché that the city is safe for investment especially that it is one of the main concerns of the foreign investors.

“We presented the safety and security of the city because that is very important when we market our invest-

ment opportunities here in the city,” he said.

Ortonio added that ensuring that Davao City is safe will not only benefit the investment sector of the city but the tourism aspect as well.

“It is very important to reiterate to them that Davao City is very safe and open for investments,” he added.

He said that they are also trying to promote to the possible investors to invest their money on the suburban area of the city since the downtown area is somehow congested.

Ortonio said that there are still good areas for business in the suburban part of the city that can create a good econ-

omy for the investors and the community as well.

Earlier this year, Public Safety and Community Command Center Chief Benito de Leon said that they will convince the Department of Foreign Affairs to encourage the different countries to lift their travel advisory to Davao City.

He said that the authorities in the city are more prepared to combat terrorism to ensure the safety of the Davaoeṅos and tourists as well.

De Leon added that it is evident that the city is safe since various of big events happened in the city without any eventualities.

man, said in a Palace media briefing.

Concepcion clarified that he is not pushing for the removal of the government’s CCT or Pantawaid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4PS) that was formally launched in 2008 under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“My proposal is maybe over the next 10 years, 10 percent of that (CCT funds) should gradually move to government interventions,” he said.

He said the funds should be used to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) proj-

ects like shared facilities, for Science and Technology and for Department of Agriculture (DA) programs particularly equipment for small entrepreneur farmers.

“I mean not cutting the CCT overnight but doing it over the period of 10 years and shifting that funds towards the still poor small and micro entrepreneurs,” Concepcion said.

“CCT is fine, you can keep it there but eventually that has to migrate towards more government interventions assuming our budget is limited,” he added.

Concepcion said poverty

in the country will remain forever unless the government comes out with enough support to the deserving sectors particularly for agriculture.

He said agriculture sector should get more share of the government’s funds to rehabilitate idle lands particularly in the provinces where agricultural harvests are abundant.

“I think, over time, this will have to be absorbed. I think every secretary understands that more funds have to be given to those who work hard,” Concepcion, who floated the idea to the Cabinet members, said.

(PNA)

Alvero, attaches assigned to Toronto, Canada, Emmanuel Nino W. Ang (Seoul, South Korea), Alma F. Argayoso (Jakarta, Indonesia), Rosa Katrina V. Banzon (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Raymond Albert H. Batac(Washington, D.C.) Maria Emmanuelle S. Burgos ( Geneva, Switzerland), Jose Ma. S. Dinsay (Los Angeles), Eric C. Elnar (Dubai, U.A. E.), John Paul B. Inigo (Guangzhou, China), Michael Alfred V. Ignacio (New Delhi, India), Enrico A. Mariano (Bangkok, Thailand), Froilan Emil D. Pamintuan (Paris, France), Glenn G. Penaranda (Singapore), Vichael Angelo D. Roaring ( Mexico), Michelle Fatima S. Sanchez (London, UK), Benedict M. Uy (Taipei, Taiwan), Magnolia M. Uy (Geneva, Switzerland), Kenneth T, Yap (Sidney, Australia) and Mary B. Hedfors (Stockholm, Sweden).

Aside from Asec Ricafort, those from the home office, were May Nina Celynne P. Layug, Mario C. Tani and Anne Marie Kristine C. Umali.

The visitors, many of them coming to Davao City for the first time, took time to announce coming events involving businessmen from the countries of their assignment.

Attaches to market Davao as business destination

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

SOUTH KOREAN MARKET. Philippine trade service officer Emmanuel Nino W. Ang reveals to Davao Regional Director Bel Ambi some of the problems involved in the trade between Filipino exporters and South Korean importers.

One of these is the incapability of Filipinos to come up with volume of products in demand in South Korea.

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GROUP of 30 trade attachés from Asian and Middle East countries visited the city to help market Davao City as a potential business destination.

Davao City Investment and Promotion Center chief Lemuel Ortonio said that the 30 trade attachés will be the indirect marketing officers of the city in the different countries to encourage investors to invest their money in the city.

He said that the attachés are here in the city to check the investment concerns of Davao City and how they will market it in the different countries.

“The 30 trade attaché are

Concepcion wants CCT funds cut to aid small entrepreneurs

CHAMBER VICE PRESIDENT for Industry Wilfred Teves answers questions from two gentlemen during the interaction of DTI trade service officers and officers of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday night at the Marco Polo Hotel.

CHAMBER TREASURER Alvin Pinpin converses with visiting trade service officers assigned to foreign countries. On the background are Chamber President Ronaldo Go with DTI Asec Cynthia Ricafort. Photos by Antonio M. Ajero

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AYING Filipinos should be taught how to fish and not only to receive fish, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said on Thursday that billions of funds being used for cash conditional transfer (CCT) program should be cut and used to help poor but deserving small entrepreneurs.

“We gave PHP65 billion pesos (a year) to those at the bottom of the pyramid which is good but frankly, it does not teach them how to fish. We’re just giving them the fish. So we have to change that,” Concepcion, a successful business-

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

Economist: PH economy to outpace Asia’s growth

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REND growth of the Philippine economy is projected to rise to around 6.5 percent by 2020 as the economy is seen to outpace growth in Asia. ”Philippines growth story to remain in Asia,” Chidu Narayanan, Standard Chartered economist for Asia, said in a briefing Wednesday.

For 2016, the economist eyes a 6.9 percent growth for the domestic economy, near the upper end of the government’s six to seven percent growth target.

In the first three quarters of 2016, average growth stood at 6.9 percent. The government is scheduled to report the last quarter and full year 2016 economic performance on Thursday.

Domestic growth is seen to be driven by robust domestic consumption and the programmed increase in infrastructure investments.

For 2017 to 2020, Narayanan projects growth to be at 6.7 percent, 6.5 percent, 6.4 percent, and 6.2 percent, respectively, with the declining figures attributed to base effect.

He said the 6.7 percent

forecast gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2017 alone, was “still fairly optimistic” and would remain, making the country among the strongest in the region.

He, however, said risks from the deteriorating current account surplus, weakness of the peso, and impact of external developments are seen to hamper domestic growth.

The country’s current account position has been in surplus for more than a decade now, boosted by inflows of remittances and earnings of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Narayanan expects the current account to remain in surplus due mainly to rising BPO sector revenues.

BPO revenues are seen to increase by 16 percent in 2016 to around USD24 billion.

Cash inflows from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), meanwhile, posted a 5.2 percent increase in end-November 2016 to about USD24.34 billion.

The central bank’s 2016 remittance growth projection was a rise of four percent.

(PNA)

Tetangco: No need to change BSP policy stance

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ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. on Thursday maintained there is no need to change the central bank’s current policy stance as domestic growth remains robust.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday reported that growth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), in the fourth quarter of 2016 remained strong at 6.6 percent, higher than year-ago’s 6.5 percent but slowest for the year, with the third quarter print at seven percent.

It was mainly driven by manufacturing, trade, real estate, renting and business activities.

This brought the average domestic expansion last year to 6.8 percent, near the upper end of the government’s six to seven percent target.

Tetangco, in a text message to reporters, said growth print in 2016 was “in line with market expectations.”

“The details show that domestic demand continues to

be robust. The government’s thrust on infrastructure spending should provide a solid base for the economy to meet the 2017 growth target,” he said, referring to the seven to eight percent GDP target until 2022.

The government targets to further increase infrastructure expenditures to above five percent of GDP to sustain the economy’s expansion.

Tetangco also said inflation outlook “remains manageable”and this, he pointed out, is the reason why “there is no real pressing need to deviate from current stance of monetary policy.”

“That said, we continue to monitor external developments that may affect our growth dynamics and financial markets. We will adjust policy levers as and when necessary,” he added.

In 2016, inflation averaged at 1.8 percent, below the government’s two to four percent target, due mainly to low prices of oil in the international market and its impact on domestic economy. (PNA)

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fastest growing major Asian emerging economy, with China growing at 6.7 percent.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Ernesto Pernia said this is near the high-end of the government’s target of 6 to 7 percent growth rate for 2016. (PNA)

PH second fastest-growing economy in 2016 in Asia: NEDA HE Philippine economy advanced 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, on the back of higher investment and consumption, bringing the full-year growth to 6.8 percent.

Last year’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate makes the country the second

GUILTY AS CHARGED. City Legal Office officer in charge lawyer Osmundo Villanueva says Gaisano Capital in Tugbok District, which was partially damaged by fire last week, violated Davao City zoning ordinance and the

national building code and will only be allowed to operate again upon payment of appropriate government fines. Villanueva made the statement during yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

2 companies to hire hundreds of workers

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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UNDREDS of job opportunities await Davaoeṅos as two big companies will open their branches in Davao City in the coming months.

Public Employment and Services Office manager Philip Nidea said that a big clothing line and a retail store will be needing hundreds of employees as they prepare to open their respective branches in the city.

Nidea said that aside from the two companies, thousands of job opportunities in the city

and even overseas are waiting for job seekers in their office.

In 2016, the PESO office listed 102,911 local job vacancies and gave work to more than 21,000 job seekers in the city.

“We coordinated with different programs to open more job opportunities for the Davaoeṅos, last year we referred 29,007 job applicants to various companies, 21,327 of them were now regular employees of big companies,” Nidea said.

He said that the job that

were listed on their office were not only limited to those who have a college degree but also to those who were unable to continue their studies in college.

“We also have jobs listed for students and for those who were unable to finish their studies,” he added.

Nidea said that they also help those people seeking for job opportunities abroad to find a job that fits them.

Last year, the PESO office gave work to 1,374 Davaoeṅos in the different parts of the

world.

He said that they had made sure that those deployed abroad were in good hands and were fit to the job that they acquire.

“Those working abroad were in good condition, we had made sure of that before they acquire the job their employees were good and they will have a good job,” he said.

Nidea said that they are now preparing for those seeking for summer jobs that range from the age of 15 to 25 years old.

cy that is fully committed to sustaining its growth momentum,” Dominguez said.

He said the economy is well positioned to grow between 6.5 percent to 7 percent this year— as projected by most international and local financial institutions and experts—given “the government’s resolve to further strengthen its macroeconomic fundamentals and maintain solid buffers to cushion the effects of global unknowns like the coming US Federal Reserve hikes and inward-looking or protectionist policies by certain countries that could undermine international trade.”

Dominguez said the Philippine economy is founded on, among others, record dollar reserves, strong revenues from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and remittances from migrant Filipinos, high domestic consumption, declining debt, low inflation and solid credit ratings.

He said the continued strong performance of the local economy in the first six months of the Duterte presidency—7.0 percent over the July-September period and 6.6 percent in the

fourth quarter—underlines “the strong confidence of the business community in the Duterte presidency’s commitment to sound fiscal management and further reforms to sharpen the economy’s global competitiveness, attack poverty and achieve economic inclusion.”

“The fast GDP expansion has buoyed government expectations of meeting its growth targets in 2017 and, with the hoped-for timely congressional approval of the first package of the CTRP, of sustaining its ambitious inclusive-growth agenda to attract more investments, create enough jobs, reduce the poverty incidence by almost half, and transform the Philippines into an upper middle-income country by 2022,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez issued this statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday morning that the GDP grew 6.8 percent in 2016 from 2015’s 5.9 percent and 6.6 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter from 2015’s 6.5 percent.

In a report, the PSA said that the manufacturing, trade, and real estate, renting and business

activities were the main drivers of growth in 2016’s fourth quarter.

Dominguez said the strong GDP growth in 2016’s second semester is a strong incentive for the Duterte administration to go ahead on further reforms, such as improving the ease of doing business and lifting constitutional and regulatory barriers to foreign direct investments (FDIs), that would attract more private capital and spur even faster economic expansion.

He said the CTRP, the first phase of which is now under study by the House committee on ways and means, is integral to the new government’s high—and inclusive—growth strategy because “it needs to raise an extra P1.07 trillion till 2022 to close the infrastructure gap that has for long dulled the country’s competitiveness as an investment destination; spend more on education, health and skills training to improve living standards and widen access to high-paying quality jobs; and on social protection to cushion the initial impact of reforms on the poor and other vulnerable sectors.” (PR)

Inclusive growth agenda on track with 6.8% GDP

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INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expansion of 6.8 percent in 2016 points to a domestic economy in “pretty good shape” and well on its way to sustaining its growth momentum over the medium term, on the back of the Duterte administration’s bold initiatives to keep it on its upward trajectory despite global market volatility.

Dominguez said this gives all the more reason for the Department of Finance (DOF) to aggressively engage in its proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP)—and the Congress to swiftly act on it—so the Duterte government could raise enough funds for its unparalleled public spending program on infrastructure, human capital and social protection that would keep the Philippines among Asia’s fastest-growing economies in the years ahead.

“This is clear proof that no amount of counterproductive political chatter from certain quarters could undermine the upward trajectory of a domestic economy that is in pretty good shape under a Duterte presiden-

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

Passage of free tuition bill for SUCs pushed

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ENATOR Loren Legarda supports the immediate passage of a bill that seeks to institutionalize the provision of full tuition fee subsidy for students enrolled in all of the country’s 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs).

In her co-sponsorship speech on Senate Bill No. 1304, or the proposed Free Higher Education for All Act, Legarda underscored the need to pass a law that will set out mechanisms and guidelines by which the funding for free tuition, already appropriated for this year, will be utilized.

“We have already funded the free tuition fee for SUCs students through the 2017 General Appropriations Act

(GAA). However, mindful of the government’s limited resources, we must also ensure that public funds will be used equitably and serve first the poorest of the poor. This bill seeks to ensure that such funds are managed efficiently,” said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.

The Senator explained that PHP5.7 billion has been allocated for the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED’s) Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs), which cover both the Regular StuFAPs, such as its Scholarship Program, Grants in Aid Program and Student Loan Program, and other StuFAPs like the Tulong Dunong

F PASSAGE, 11

BRISK SALE. A finger food vendor takes advantage of a large gathering of people at Rizal Park in Davao City to sell his goods yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

DATA reveals plans A for big ticket events

6 Feng Shui tips before starting your business

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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HE Davao Tourism Association has unveiled a train of activities and projects in store for the year 2017, including big ticket events that will keep its hands for most of the year.

Speaking during the Turismo Café, a regular press conference focused on issues, concerns, and updates on the current state of the tourism industry in the region, DATA president Renato “Gatchi” Gatchalian said said 2017 would be a special year not only because of big ticket events and projects spearheaded by the association but because of the growing number of DATA members.

“It was a major achievement since we started with 19 members and for our 2nd general meeting this afternoon, I

will be giving another report, we are happy to say that we have now 123 members,” said Gatchalian.

To jumpstart this year’s activities, Susan Isabel Reta of Davao City Chinatown Development Council invited the Davaoeños to join the Chinese community in welcoming Chinese New Year today, January 27, 7PM at People’s Park.

“The event will not be held in Chinatown but in downtown because we want to reach out to the public,” she said.

According to Reta event will feature performances and serving of Chinese soup “miswa” to the audience for free.

Meanwhile, on February 3 to 5, 2017, the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas – Davao) will be hosting “Naitas-Davao Trav-

el and Trade Show” to be held at Abreeza Mall Activity Center davao City which will feature 40 exhibitors consist of travel agencies, hotels, airlines and resorts that will offer big discounts and promos to those interested clients.

Naitas-Davao President Gilbert Alvarez said that the organization has partnered with Department of Tourism and Department of Trade and Industry to bring event side shows such as themed photography, culinary competition, pageant and booths selling native products.

Another trade show set on February 17 to 19 will be the 8th Davao Mega Travel Sale to be held at Abreeza Mall Activity Center Davao City which also partnered with DTI for its “0% Madness Sale” on ticket

prices for selected travel agencies, hotels, properties and airlines.

Pia Lourdes Montano of Davao Travel Agencies Association said that this year’s trade show will be “special” as one of its partners, SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, celebrates its 20th anniversary. Montano said the public could expect special discounts on ticket prices especially those who have Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) accounts.

The event will also be sponsored by Cebu Pacific.

For the month of May, Gatchalian said that DATA will be hosting the “Go Davao Travel Expo, the first expo solely committed to promote Davao City, to be held in all SM Super-

clude the Mandaluyong Main Drainage Project (Phase II); Central Luzon Link Expressway, Phase I, Tarlac-Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija; Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Low Lying Areas of Pampanga Bay; Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (Binalonan-Rosario Section), Flood Risk Management Project (FRIMP) in Cagayan de Oro River and the Sen. Gil Puyat Ave.-Paseo De Roxas / Makati Ave. Vehicle Underpass Project.

According to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, all these projects will significantly boost growth and raise productivity and com-

petitiveness.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) projects the national government to raise the infrastructure budget from P552 billion to P1.470 trillion by 2022, or from 3.5 to 5.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the same period, the total infrastructure budget--both national and local--is projected to grow from P861 billion in 2017 to P1.832 trillion by 2022, or from 5.4 to 7.1 percent of GDP. “The significant increase in the infrastructure budget will be used to fund ongoing and proposed major infrastructure proj-

ects, which are vital for sustaining high and inclusive growth,” Villar said.

The 64 projects for implementation or in the pipeline are broken down as follows: 20 involving road construction and improvements; two involving bridge construction and reinforcements; four flood control projects; two dams; one road transport IT infrastructure project; 23 involving rail systems; seven airport development projects; two transport terminals; and three bus rapid transit systems.

Besides its current projects, the DPWH is also set to either oversee or implement 10 infra projects

F DATA, 11

64 major projects underway in‘golden age of infrastructure’ A

TOTAL of 64 big-ticket projects ranging from major road networks, railway systems and bus rapid transit systems to airport and seaport modernization are either for implementation or in the pipeline as part of the Duterte administration’s envisioned “golden age of infrastructure.”

Another 15 ongoing projects are being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that are either locally funded, with Official Development Assistance (ODA), or through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.

These ongoing projects in-

F 64 MAJOR, 11

PPLYING feng shui to your business is a great way to achieve balance, calm and even success. Feng shui is an ageold science that can be described simply as balancing man with nature. It’s very common for businesses to apply feng shui principles to their workspaces, habits and schedules. But did you know it’s also possible to apply feng shui before you even start a business? In fact, there are a few principles that you should think about before you consider going into business in the first place.

One of the country’s leading feng shui practitioners and experts, Master Francis Gaw, are giving tips to those who want to delve into a business.

Here are some of his helpful tips and requirements that influence who, when and where to open your business, as well as some feng shui advice on how to keep it going strong.

1.

DO determine if you’re made to be a businessman. As they say, ‘Leaders are born, not made.’ According to Francis, so are businessmen. He states, “If your birthday is right (you were born on the right day, in the right year) you might be born a businessman.” The best way to find out is by consulting a credible feng shui practitioner and telling him your exact birth date, but if you’re afraid of the answer, don’t worry. He adds that, “If you are born not to be a businessman but you want to have a business, your solution is to find a partner who is born a businessman.” Additionally, he also adheres to logic above superstition, so he adds that before feng shui, there are two more important things to consider – feasibility, and the human factor (whether or not you know the business well, whether

you have the skill to handle it, etc.).

2.

DON’T start your business during the Ghost Month. This is a commonly believed superstition, and it still stands to this day. In fact, you shouldn’t start anything during the Ghost Month – weddings, businesses, moving out, etc. This year, the Ghost Month falls on August 22 to September 19, so make sure you aren’t starting your business anywhere within that range. Also, there will always be good days and bad.

For example, good days to start a business in February 2017 include the 5th, 14th and 23rd. So consult a practitioner to know if your target launch date is a good one, or a recipe for misfortune.

3. DO set up in a place you’re comfortable in. Generally, when you’re choosing an office space, look for one that is well-ventilated, bright, and relaxing as soon as you enter. If you feel something wrong, eerie or heavy about a place, it’s probably best not to take it - or at least, to have someone cleanse the place before you set up. Arrangements of objects and décor are only second priority to finding a place that’s peaceful, comfortable and good for work.

4. DON’T adhere to all symbols and superstitions.

Contrary to popular belief, Francis says that only 30% of superstitions should really be followed. Tumbok sa kalye – not setting up at a t-junction – is a superstition to remember, as well as having crystals in your workplace or even on your person. Crystals release piezoelectricity, which science itself has found to be a positive energy that can improve your temperament throughout the day. Water is also an important symbol, although you should check with an expert on where it

F 6 FENG SHUI, 11

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

7 SUBURBIA

Quick response saves residents hit by floods, landslides in DavOr T

HE Provincial Government is on top of the situation in the emergency response in towns badly affected by rain-induced landslides and flash floods brought about by the tail-end of a cold front in the past few days.

The provincial government, which has activated its Incident Command System (ICS) last Monday, has been coordinating closely with municipalities and barangays to address urgent gaps and concerns at the height of the onslaught of flooding and landslide incidents.

Davao Oriental’s incident commander Freddie C. Bendulo said the calamity has prompted all concerned agencies to mobilize teams to appropriately respond to the needs of the people.

He added that the provincial government has been constantly monitoring the situation in villages and towns through their respective Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (MDRRMCs).

As of January 25, a total of 12,000 food packs from the provincial government have already been transported to Cateel town and handed over

to the evacuees in different barangays.

More relief goods are set to be transported to other affected towns as volunteers continue to swarm the command post to help pack relief goods.

Army Captain Ronnel Legard, Civil-Military Operations Officer of the 67th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army said that they have already transported displaced families back to their homes in Cateel town as the incident command post in the town declared it safe for them to return home.

The municipality government of Cateel has also lifted the suspension of classes at all levels on Thursday, January 26.

Heavy equipment earlier deployed also helped in the clearing operations in the affected areas where incidents of flooding and landslides were reported.

The provincial government is also closely monitoring all vital public infrastructures in the area, particularly the Cateel Irrigation System in Barangay Aragon, which, as of latest report, the water level is 18.8 meters.

Engr. John Christopher Alagallar of the Provincial En-

gineer’s Office (PEO) said the water level is already below the critical level.

“Rains have stopped but we are still continuously monitoring the water,” he said, adding that rescue teams are on standby and available in case an alarm is raised.

Teams from the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) are set to visit the province on Thursday to inspect the dam and assess the general situation in the affected areas.

During the days of heavy downpours, four deaths in the towns of Cateel, Caraga and the City of Mati were reported mainly due to drowning.

Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, who had earlier visited the affected towns in the eastern coasts of Davao Oriental, urged the residents to closely coordinate and cooperate with the authorities.

He also asked the residents to heed on advisories and take precautions amid the continuous heavy downpours.

The Governor also thanked all the partners of the provincial government in the emergency response.

He said he is pleased with

the collaboration of all stakeholders and cited the swift action of all local government units that have been addressing the needs and gaps as quickly as they can.

“We in the Provincial Government will continue to assist the local government units and will coordinate with the national agencies to address the concerns of the people,” Dayanghirang said.

He also stressed the need to address the people’s longterm needs, especially their livelihoods, as most of the victims depend on farming and fishing as their source of income.

“Anticipating the aftermath, we need to make sound plans for rehabilitation as early as now,” he said.

To date, agencies from the national government have started to layout plans to address long-term requirements of the affected residents.

Since last week, Davao Oriental, along with other provinces in Davao region were hit by natural calamities brought about by heavy rains due to the tail-end of cold front that affect the eastern portion of Mindanao. (Karen Lou Deloso/PIO Davao Oriental)

Thousands flee as incessant rain drench ComVal

I

NCESSANT rains in the past days due to bad weather brought by the tail-end of cold front caused floods and occurrences of landslides that affected most of the first district towns in the province of Compostela Valley.

As of Wednesday, January 25, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said a total of 2,276 families were already affected by floods and sheltered temporarily in various evacuation centers.

PDRRMO chief Raul Villocino said the towns most affected from the floods include Nabunturan with 182 affected families, Compostela with 530 families, Monkayo with 698 families, New Bataan with 721 families, Mon-

tevista with 103 families, Mawab with 36 families, and Maragusan with 6 families.

In the midst of the calamities, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) intensified the conduct of relief operations in various barangays with the support of disaster management councils in municipal and barangay levels.

More relief goods and food stuffs were also provided by the congressional offices representatives Maricar Zamora and Ruwel Peter Gonzaga.

Private support groups including the Philippine Red Cross-Comval Chapter also joined in the relief operations.

A number of roads and bridges in Compostela Valley were also

damaged due to incessant rains.

The Department of Public Works and Highways in Davao region (DPWH-11) reported on Thursday that the Compostela-Cateel National Highway is now passable after days of intensified clearing operations.

The assessment team from the DPWH and the provincial government are now assessing the total damage caused by floods and landslides to the infrastructure in the province.

On the other hand, the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO) of Compostela Valley said damage to agriculture is now placed at P40,550,350.10 million.

A total of 2,623 farmers were also affected by floods.

Damage to agriculture in-

cludes the sectors in rice, corn, high value commercial crops and fishery.

Villocino said they are still monitoring closely the weather and is expecting the rains to continue over the weekend.

Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy called on the people of Compostela Valley to be vigilant on any eventualities.

He also expressed gratitude to the support extended by the national agencies such as the Philippine Army, PNP, BFP, the Red Cross and other agencies.

He also thanked the DSWD through regional director Mercedita Jabagat for the food packs delivered to evacuation centers and to Assistant Secretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. of the Depart-

MOTORCYCLE RIDERS. Mayor Alexander Bryan Reganit speaks before spectators and riders Tuesday, January 24, at the Bangsi Festival 3rd National Invitational Motocross Competition featuring “Pilipinas Got Talent” finalist UA Team. Also in photo are event chair Councilor Arnold Abequibel (partly hidden) and top rider Bornok Mangosong. (Afren de Guzman/MAITUM INFORMATION OFFICE)

RIC in DavNor gets P1.2M livelihood support from DTI

T

HE Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of San Isidro town in Davao del Norte will benefit from a P1.2 million worth of cacao and meat processing livelihood project from the Department of Trade and Industry-Davao del Norte Provincial Office (DTI).

The was formally turned over to RIC-San Isidro last January 23 by DTI-DavNor Provincial Director Romeo L. Castanaga.

San Isidro Mayor Arnel Sitoy received the check for the implementation of the aforementioned project under the Bottom up Budgetting (BuB) program.

The project aims to establish a sustainable livelihood for the grassroots sector in Sam Isidro that will benefit at least 420 Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and Rural Improvement Club (RIC) members from the 13 barangays in the municipality.

Among the activities

proposed in the project include the conduct of skills trainings for meat processing and manufacturing of tablea (chocolate), the town’s flagship product.

It will also provide funds for the procurement of necessary tools and equipments to ensure the sustainability of the project.

The local government unit of San Isidro also committed to allocate P120,000.00 as its financial counterpart.

With the project’s implementation, Director Castañaga hoped to empower the women and housewives in various communities in San Isidro by providing them with a stable source of income.

The project is also seen to further boost the town’s booming cacao industry.

San Isidro is currently the second largest producer and exporter of cacao in the country. (San Isidro Information Office)

ment of Health in Davao region (DOH-11) for the medicines.

Compostela Valley is under the Red Warning level as of January 24 as per advisory from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astro-

nomical Service Administration (DOST-PAGASA).

Under Red Warning, heavy rainfalls that will result to serious flooding and higher chance of landslides are expected to occur in affected areas. (Fe F. Maestre, IDS ComVal)

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

EDITORIAL Accelerated growth

T

HE good news is that the Philippines’ GDP vate consumption and investment both expanding rapgrowth has accelerated for the last seven quar- idly.” ters. This according to the Moody’s which is an

The Duterte administration has set its development

American credit rating agency and provider of financial goals towards continued economic growth sustained analysis software and services.

through boosting infrastructure spending, creating

Moody’s forecast bared that the Philippines’ economy more jobs, easing the cost of doing business, and reduc-

likely grew by 7.05 percent in the final quarter of 2016. ing the poverty incidence rate.

The government said Moody’s forecast is higher than

President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic agenda is an-

government’s gross domestic product (GPD) forecast of chored on economic growth that is not only sustainable 6 to 7 percent in 2016.

According to Moody’s, “the main driver of output

but also inclusive.

It may be too early to celebrate but so far, the govern-

growth will continue to be domestic demand, with pri- ment has produced the results.

EDGEDAVAO

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A

VANTAGE POINTS

9

A SAF’s promise to his wife: “Dadalhin kita sa La Presa’

S I mentioned a while back, 14 of the 44 Special Action Force troopers who were slaughtered in Mamapasano in January 25, 2015 came from indigenous peoples communities in the Cordillera region.

Well, their surviving families finally get to meet President Duterte early this week in Malacanang where they got to express their collective disappointment as to how justice has continued to elude them two years since the event.

From the pictures, I think I could spot several relatives of the victims, especially the women who were clad in the signature tapis, a woven traditional wrap-around worn by women in Benguet.

If I am not mistaken, I think I also spotted the couple Garcia and Edna Tabdi from the capital town of La Trinidad, the parents of SAF officer PCI Gednat G. Tabdi who died with 43 of his men along a cornfield in Mamasapano.

The couple lodged a civil case at the Regional Trial Court of Benguet against former police chief Alan Purisima, police director Getulio Napena and three army officials for neglect of duty.

The respondents included Army M/Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan (then commander of the 8th Infantry Division), Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero in his capacity as Western Mindanao commander and Col. Gener del Rosario, then brigade commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry brigade.

The Tabdi family was asking the court to order the respondents to pay P12 Million in damages for the young police officer’s death.

The family said Purisima failed to ensure artillery support for the Mamasapano operation that could have saved the lives of the beleaguered police rangers. Napenas was accused of negligence for reporting and receiving orders from Purisima who was not in active duty at the time.

Finally, the army officers were included for not providing aid to the SAF troopers.

Last we heard, the court has dismissed motions from Purisima,et.al. to dismiss the case.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

S early as 1909, the American-owned The Mindanao Herald, published in Zamboanga, had already bestowed on Juan Auad (Awad), a traveling merchant from Mount Lebanon, Syria, who arrived in Davao in 1893, as “the father of all the Davao planters.”

Auad, who later owned the tallest pre-war building in Davao (where Development Bank of the Philippines stands) at the junction of C.M. Recto and San Pedro streets, was an itinerant expatriate looking for better pastures.

Around the country he searched for prospects of good business before ultimately deciding to permanently settle in Davao.

Recognized as the first to propagate a hemp plantation in Davao region, his journey was not lost to oblivion. In its Feb. 3, 1909 issue, The Mindanao Herald stated: “[Señor Juan Auad] had looked the Philippines over and decided on planting hemp on the fine bottom lands of the Davao River. He secured a Spanish grant of some 1,500 acres [607 hectares], twelve miles from the mouth of the river, an absolutely wild country. He figured on the character of the rich alluvial deposit and of the sub-irrigation that was to be secured from the abrupt rise of the low mountain range that sheds its water like the eaves of a roof on the rich hemp lands.”

In fact, that year he owned the largest plantation in Davao district. The farm was on its 16th year and it was only then that it was producing copiously. The plants it hosted were described as “great hemp forests where stalks

W i t h the order of REVERSED PUNCH President (GYAKU ZUKI) Duterte to re-investigate the botched police operation, there is high expectation mostly on the part of the surviving families of the slain police officers and troopers that justice will be finally attained and for the case to attain closure to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.

To provide an insight into the life of some of the slain troopers, I took the liberty in lifting from several write-ups written by the former Baguio journalist Annabelle C. Bangsoy which was posted on Facebook by her hubby Alexander. This is the same couple that managed to raise more than P2Million pesos in the afternoon of the incident which they distributed to the families of the victims.

The first write-up concerned PO2 Walner Danao: DADALHIN KITA SA LA PRESA “Naku, walang binatbat etong Zamboanga niyo sa ganda ng Baguio,”PO2 Walner Danao, one of the dead 14 Cordilleran heroes used to say to his young wife Emeliza.

Before he was ordered to go to the Mamasapano mission to serve the arrest warrant on international terrorist Marwan, he made a beautiful promise to his wife that they will do together:”Dadalhin kita sa La Presa.” He wants to show Emeliza a romantic and grandiose view of Baguio

from the top, as popularized by the TV soap opera.

He said the place is actually called Mt. Sto. Tomas and his childhood home in Irisan is not really far. Emeliza held on to that promise, that’s why she was relieved when Walner called from the operation site telling her to take care of herself and not to let their one year old baby cry. There was a long silence after that call and no information was coming from the field.

Then when Emeliza called again, another voice answered her using her husband’s phone: “Asawa ba eto o kabit? Si Bryan ‘to, kalaban. Patay na asawa mo. Patay na sila lahat, “ the cold-blooded voice answered.

Trying to stop my own tears from falling as Emeliza recounted her story to me during the wake, I just encouraged her to take a selfie with her baby in Mt. Sto. Tomas. The billowy clouds that settle on the mountain might still witness a promise fulfilled.” (‘La Presa’ of course refers to the site of a tele-novela circa 2015 that was the sitting of a love story involving a city boy and a girl in the boondocks. The place was declared off-limits to tourists by virtue of a Writ of Kalikasan order of the Supreme Court that banned development in the place.)

The second write-up concerned PO2 Noble S. Kiangan: “ATE, MAGKITA KITA SANA TAYO” Cordilleran SAF PO2 Noble Sungay Kiangan , lone bomb expert among the gallant SAF 44 called both his older sisters before the operation. An older sister who works as an OFW in Hongkong and another one in Mankayan, Benguet told relatives their SAF younger brother called them simultaneously to request for a get together before he was picked to go on a mission which is now known as the botched Mamasapano Operation Wolverine.

“Manang ada kuma pagkikitaan tayo,” Noble was quoted as saying to his older sisters who assured him an occasion will soon come when they will see each other. He was even picked and sched-

uled to train at a US Federal government military facility this year in North Carolina. It was an opportunity he was proud to share with his family, confiding to his siblings that he will reach the rank of a captain someday. The night during Operation Wolverine, Noble’s mother, a retired teacher dreamt that her brood of ten is incomplete with one child missing. But the first report from the field didn’t include Noble as among the casualties.

Then as the body bags were brought home, Noble’s mother received a mangled and incomplete version of her boy, cold and lifeless, with some of his bodyparts missing.”

The third was that of PO1 Russel Bilog: RUSSEL WOULD HAVE WALKED THE AISLE THIS APRIL Cordilleran SAF PO1 hero Russel Bilog would have walked the aisle this April if his leaders sent the needed reinforcement the SAF boys on the Mamasapano field have asked for repeatedly but none came, as the other party whom the government is courting for their version of peace shot them at close range, whacked them like animals, took their clothes off and robbed them.Russel, according to his cousin who shared his story, fell twice as he was shot in the legs but still managed to crawl with his team and with determination fought the rebels though severely injured. But the team run out of ammunition since no reinforcement came and they were over-powered.

He was shot in his shoulder, shot several times in his arms and legs then his face was shot at close range that caused his left eye to be dismembered from his face. His family, whom he helped financially being the eldest in a brood of six said if only there was reinforcement, Russel would have married his girlfriend this April (in 2015) But they were made to understand, among other reasons that it was the BBL that halted immediate military support for the SAF boys in the field. It didn’t matter that a terrorist was being coddled by the MILF.

look more like FAST BACKWARD trees than ordinary hemp.”

Auad’s hemp plantation was situated 15 miles (24.15 kilometers) from the town proper and considered as the best hemp-produc- Antonio V. Figueroa ing piece of land anywhere in the district.

The grant was for a wild country known as Lapanday (formerly Belen), which is situated 19 kilometers from the mouth of Davao River.

The fine bottom land was good for planting abaca, and he rightly observed “the character of the rich alluvial deposit and of the sub-irrigation [needed] to be secured from the abrupt rise of the low mountain range that sheds its water like the eaves of a roof on the rich hemp lands.”

The success of the Lapanday agricultural estate attracted settlers and new businesses to the place at a time when the population in Davao, during the first half decade of American regime, was only about 2,200. Sawmills sprouted, as did an ice plant, which was a luxury at the time. And just as the plantation flourished and expanded, the need to introduce a

more efficient management and to adopt new techniques in harvesting became imperatives.

Three years earlier, Dr. Najeeb Mitry Saleeby, another Syrian who migrated to the United States and became a naturalized citizen, joined the plantation as partner. He was known for his two scholarly books, Studies in Moro History, Law, and Religion and its sequel The History of Sulu. It was he who introduced new and profitable harvesting methods, like hauling the trees to one point and stripping the hemp under cover. Awad’s and Saleeby’s partnership prospered with the acquisition of Padada Plantation in 1908 after it was severely hit by a drought.

Assisting Awad later in his ventures was brother Rafael, who joined him in the Lapanday project. The details of Rafael’s involvement, though, are not known. What is confirmed is that he married a Lebanese woman with whom he sired three boys—one is Nabih—and four girls.

Outside his booming hemp investments, Auad ventured into other engagements. A Mindanao Herald article dated March 18, 1908 reported the Lebanese businessman was also into aquamarine trade and is credited for discovering an abundant supply of pearl in the gulf of Davao.

“The pearling beds,” the story added, “have been located in the narrow straits between the town [of Mati] and Samal Island and are now known to be rich in excellent shells. Around fifteen luggers have converged in the area to work out the underwater find.”

On a fine day, a ton of pearl shells gathered from the beds was valued at P1,200 per ton in the market. Though no costly pearls were found in the area, the venture provided gainful returns to the operators. Still, the lugger operators were still optimistic that many more pearling beds could be found in other parts of the gulf in order for Davao region to be able to compete with the flourishing pearling trade in Sulu.

A fifth of the luggers involved in the pearling business belonged to Auad, and a similar number of boats belonged to Messrs. Holmes and Lawine, and the Ohta Development Company which at the time was operating a fleet of fishing vessels. Tech & Boon Liat of Zamboanga operated two, while the rest were owned by Chinese merchants of Jolo.

Auad’s businesses flourished during the American years. He bought numerous real estate properties, joined socio-civic organizations, and was a towering business figure to upstarts in the region. To his credit he built the city’s first three-story structure, the tallest in pre-war times. This edifice was constructed at the corner of present-day C.M. Recto Street and San Pedro Street, at the site where the iconic Philippine National Bank (PNB) and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) buildings are found.

The Auad legacy is immortalized in the names given to a creek, a village, and a bridge.

A school in Mandug, the T. Awad Echevarria Elementary School, is named after a niece who married a local guy.

Jimmy K.Laking

Tale of two Syrians

10 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

DSWD field implementers BDO concludes P60-B rights offer undergo nutrition training B S

OME 114 City/Municipal Links (C/MLs) of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao region (DSWD-XI) joined the three-day training on Food and Nutrition Module of the Family Development Session (FDS) Manual that opened on Wednesday, January 25 at the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City.

“The food and nutrition training is DSWD’s response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive on the provision of rice subsidy to the poorest of the poor to address the recurring hunger problem during his 2016 State of the Nation Address (SONA),” said Ella Charise Antepasado, DSWD XI

Focal Person for FDS. Antepasado added that DSWD-XI will prepare the Pantawid beneficiaries to become independent and self-reliant through the integration of backyard vegetable gardening and animal-raising for their own consumption.

The primary objective of the training is to equip the participants with knowledge, attitude and thinking skills to effectively manage and facilitate the implementation of the module to beneficiaries which will be incorporated in the monthly-held FDS. The training will follow the active and participative learning approach called ADIDS or the Activity, Discussion, Input, Deepening and Synthesis.

Subsequently, the train-

ing also aims to identify the core messages of the different sessions of the Food and Nutrition Module, and be able to cascade the same message to their co–C/MLs; describe the strategies or approaches in conducting the module through demonstration; gain mastery of the different content areas in the module, particularly the objectives, activities, methodologies and key learning points through return demonstration; and prepare a re-entry plan in rolling-out training and technical assistance on the use of the module to their co-C/MLs. The FDS Manual is currently being used by Pantawid Pamilya to achieve its goal of empowering program beneficiaries to perform their paren-

tal roles and responsibilities by responding to everyday needs of their families and their children.

FDS is seen as an intervention for parents to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to improve the health, nutrition, cognitive, and psychosocial situation of their children; promote positive family values; and strengthen marital relationships to encourage involvement, participation, volunteerism, and leadership of program beneficiaries.

At present, a total of 233,694 households all over Davao Region is benefiting from the program saturating all cities and municipalities in all five provinces as well as Davao City. (PR)

DO Unibank, Inc. (“BDO” or “the Bank”) has successfully completed its P60 billion (approximately USD1.2 billion) rights offering (the “Offer”) of common shares (the “Rights Shares”) following the close of the offer period on 24 January 2017.

This represents another milestone for the Bank, with the transaction considered as the largest equity capital markets transaction by a Philippine corporate entity to-date.

The Offer saw strong participation from the Bank’s domestic and international investors and was oversubscribed. At the listing date, a total of 716,402,886 Rights Shares are expected to be issued at a price of P83.75 each. The listing of the Rights Shares on the Philippine Stock

Coalition pushes for enforcement of R.A. 9003

T FOOD SUPPORT. Director Mercedita P. Jabagat of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao region assures farmers of the food assistance during their peaceful rally in front of DSWD office on Wednesday afternoon. Affiliated with Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, each farmer will receive

three kilos rice, two cans corned beef, two cans sardines and three sachets 3-in-1 coffee. The farmers also submitted to DSWD a proposal on Cash-ForWork good for 20 days. Said farmers participated in the four-day protest Kampuhan sa mga Mag-Uuma held in separate venues in Davao City from January 24 to 27. (DSWD-Davao Photo)

DavaoLight provides brighter new year to IP community

D

AVAO Light and Power Company (DLPC) brightens the new year of a far-flung community in Sitio Malambuon in Malabog,

Paquibato District, Davao City by distributing solar powered batteries and putting up a solar charging station that benefit around 40 households in the

A BRIGHTER YEAR AHEAD. Davao Light Community Relations Manager Fermin Edillon (left, front) and Streetlights and Pole Utilities Department Manager Daniel Cabigon (right, front) hand over some LED bulbs

area.

Members of Ata tribe in Sitio Malambuon now enjoy electric light from the LED bulbs that were also distributed by

to the resident-beneficiaries of Davao Light’s Solar Electrification project last December 22, 2016 at Sitio Malambuon, Malabog, Paquibato District, Davao City.

Davao Light last December 22, 2016.

Davao Light employees volunteered to help in the wiring and installation of LED bulbs in the beneficiary households.

It took almost two months for the Davao Light Streetlights and Pole Utilities Department (SPUD) to complete the electrical wiring installation in beneficiary-households and pole erection to prepare the community for solar electrification.

Part of the project’s goal is to prepare the community for livelihood and sustainable development. With this, Davao Light has also partnered with Ateneo de Davao’s Mindanawon Initiative for Cultural Dialogue which will do the capacity training for the beneficiaries.

“It is part of our mission and commitment to help and to continuously find better ways in helping improve the

Exchange is scheduled for 31 January 2017.

The Offer strengthens BDO’s Common Equity Tier 1 Capital, and supports the Bank’s medium-term growth objectives amid the country’s favorable macroeconomic prospects. Additionally, this provides a comfortable buffer over higher capital requirements with the imposition of the Domestic Systemically Important Bank (DSIB) surcharge.

Credit Suisse, UBS and BDO Capital served as Joint Global Coordinators and together with the Joint Global Coordinators, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and HSBC acted as Joint Bookrunners. BDO Capital served as Issue Manager and Domestic Underwriter.

(PR)

HE EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watch group, renewed its call towards the genuine enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act as the nation marks the 16th anniversary of its signing today.

Also known as R.A. 9003, the country’s principal waste law was signed on January 26, 2001 – six months after the Payatas dumpsite tragedy - by then President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It stipulates the “adoption of best environmental practices in ecological solid waste management, excluding incineration.”

“As R.A. 9003 turns 16 today, we ask the government and the private sector to invest more on real waste prevention and reduction solutions such as intensive segregation at source, composting and recycling, ex-

tended producer responsibility, and clean production to cut the volume and toxicity of what our society throws away,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“We also ask Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to act on our petition to rescind the policy on waste-to-energy (WtE) disposal technologies adopted by the commission that she now heads as this will surely undermine the cleaner, socially-just and job-creating non-incineration approaches to managing discards,” she added.

Lucero was referring to the civil society’s petition demanding the repeal of Resolution 669 adopted by the National Solid Waste Management Commission on June 9, 2016, which provides for the “Guidelines Governing the Establishment and Operation of WtE Technologies for Municipal Solid Wastes.”

lives of our people,” said Rodger Velasco, DLPC EVP and COO. Sitio Malambuon has a population over 600. It is located at least 72 kilometers from the city center. The closest electricity pole is located 20 kilometers from the community. Poor road conditions going to the community, especially during rainy seasons, makes access to the area challenging.

Residents had been using kerosene lamps to light their homes. They had to trek down to the town center every week to buy kerosene.

The new solar charging

station makes life for residents easier and safer.

“Davao Light will remain a responsible partner on the road to progress and development, essential to our community’s collective hope for a better life.” Velasco added.

This is the fifth community beneficiary of Davao Light’s Solar Charging Station Project since it launched the project in 2010. The project has already provided electricity to at least 153 households located in various communities in the region including Gumitan, Sto. Tomas, Indawhong, and Upper Kibalang- Gawad Kalinga.

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

ARTS AND CULTURE

DISKETTE

JOCKEY

WE ALL KNOW THE OLD ADAGE: “ANOTHER MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE.” Well, in Reneboy Chona’s artworks, the “garbage” of our technological past wanders into our art culture’s future, and by doing so, also promotes environmentally friendly pieces.

“I acquired sacks full of floppy diskettes at our local junkshop, which cost me only one peso a piece—a real bargain as you can imagine! Upon seeing the discarded plastics, it triggered inspiration in me that I

“

run out in time, but his creative style is fuelled by his surroundings and by his own sheer inventiveness that can be reminiscent to the likes of Gustav Klimt, Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandisky, and especially, Pablo Picasso.

his creative style is fuelled by his surroundings and by his own sheer inventiveness that can be reminiscent to the likes of Gustav Klimt, Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandisky, and especially, Pablo Picasso.

wanted to create something different, because sometimes the use of just a canvas and some paint feels a bit lacking,” Reneboy shares. The artist enjoys this miniature medium as they can be taken anywhere and he can just scribble on his sketches on a whim. Albeit it’s size, through the artist’s imagination and skillful creativity, the diskette is packed full of layers of details and interesting subjects that can stand-alone or be a tremendous part of an image on canvas.

Reneboy’s discovery for the creative use of floppy diskettes came later and would of course,

Like another saying we all know: “It’s the Indian, not the arrow.” His acrylic and/or oil works may be categorized as modern/contemporary surrealism that usually carries the subjects of politics or random but lovely and child-like things. “I want to educate the masses and students through my art but it is not overly dramatic. And my works really capture me as a person; what you see is what you get, I am just a simple and fun-loving guy. I just create what it is in me at the moment, but I do research my potential subject first if I have to. I

THEKATCLOSET A4

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ENTERTAINMENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

Ishmael Bernal classic ‘Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa’ now a TV series GMA NETWORK brings to light the remake of the 1987 classic movie, Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa.

The Ishmael Bernal masterpiece makes a big comeback with a modernized version that tackles the life struggles of two women intertwined by lost love.

Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa features an ensemble of talented Kapuso actors headlined by Julie Anne San Jose as Santina, Benjamin Alves as Ephraim, Martin del Rosario as Kiko and LJ Reyes as Angeli.

With equally important roles are Ara Mina as Mariz and Ms Jean Garcia as Diony.

Joining them are Victor Neri as Cesar, Allan Paule as Hector, Geleen Eugenio as Yoleng, Janna Dominguez as Chona, Lharby Policarpio as Boggs.

Julie Anne is Santina, an orphaned girl who was forced to work hard after her aunt’s death. Later on, she will work in one of the restaurants of Diony

played by Ms. Jean Garcia. Due to her kindness, Diony will send her to school and treat her as her own daughter.

LJ, on the other hand, is Angeli. She is homeless and is longing for a mother’s love. Diony will adopt Angeli and she will eventually help her in running the business.

As Santina and Angeli’s worlds collide through Diony, the two will also vie for Ephraim’s love (Benjamin Alves).

Ephraim is Diony’s son who blamed her for the death of his sister. At first, Angeli will see Ephraim as a competition but after an incident, she will fall secretly and obsessively in love with him. Ara Mina as Mariz, is Angeli’s neglectful mother. Angeli is a product of rape that’s why Mariz hates her daughter and left her with Diony.

Meanwhile, Santina and Ephraim are child-

NOW SHOWING

stormers Kenneth Angelo Enriquez, Gilda Olvidado-Marcelino, Roda Sulit Marino; Concept Creator Gilda Olvidado-Marcelino.

The program is another original creation of the GMA Drama group under the supervision of Senior Vice President for Entertainment TV Lilybeth G. Rasonable; Vice President for Drama Redgie Acuña-Magno; Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy; Program Manager Ali

hood best friends. Their friendship will eventually blossom into a romantic relationship. Known for getting everything she wants, Angeli will stop at nothing stop from getting not only Diony’s attention but also Ephraim’s love.

But Santina is also willing to fight for herself and for the people she loves. In the end, who will get the love that she’s been hoping for? Santina or Angeli? And how are they supposed to fight for it when they’re just both pinulot

Nokom Dedicatoria and Executive Producer Jocelyn Arino.

Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa begins on January 30 after Hahamakin Ang Lahat on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Get the latest updates about Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa from the official Facebook page of GMA Drama www.facebook. com/GMADrama, Twitter account @GMADrama and the GMA Network website www.

GMANetwork.com.

lang sa lupa?

Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa is under helm of award-winning actress and director Gina Alajar together with second unit director Aya Topacio.

Behind this engrossing drama is the creative team composed of Creative Director Roy Iglesias; Creative Block Head Jake Tordesillas; Creative Consultant Aloy Adlawan; Headwriter Marlon Miguel; Writers John Kenneth de Leon, Maria Priscilla Hidalgo; Brain-

UP AND ABOUT

Marco Polo Davao welcomes the Year of the Rooster at Lotus Court January 25 – 31, 2017

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MARCO POLO DAVAO USHERS THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER with their special Chinese New Year’s Eve celebration at the hotel this January 27, 2017.

Guests can witness the traditional Dotting of the Eye to signify the start of the celebration at the hotel entrance which will be followed by the Dragon and Lion Dance of Eugene Sy and Company.

An auspicious spread at Lotus Court also awaits guests who waited to enjoy a special Chinese New Year’s Eve buffet. For Php1,300 nett per person, they can savor some of Lotus Court’s signature items - Peking Duck, Yin Yang Lapu-Lapu, Chili Crabs and savory seafood items and homemade tofu. Traditional Tikoy (in classic and Ube flavors) will be available in the buffet as well as the retail area for take-

aways.

The Chinese New Year Celebration is also widely celebrated

by Marco Polo Hotels in all its 14 properties in China, Hong Kong

and the Philippines.

For reservations on the Chinese New Year’s Eve buffet at Lotus Court, you may call (082) 221 0888 loc. 7232

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Sheena Halili renews contract with GMA Network VERSATILE ACTRESS SHEENA HALILI, who is co-managed by GMA Artist Center, continues her journey as a Kapuso as she renewed her contract with GMA Network today, January 19.

Present in the contract-signing were GMA Senior Vice President for Entertainment TV Lilybeth G. Rasonable, GMA Artist Center Senior Talent Manager Vic Del Rosario and Katrina Aguila, Sheena’s co-manager.

Sheena said she is very happy to renew her contract with GMA 7 which has been her home network for many years.

“I’m really happy kasi everytime naman na nagre-renew ako ng contract dito, nafi-feel ko talaga na dito ako sa GMA; that I am meant for and to be with GMA. Kasi second family ko talaga ang GMA Network. This is where I grew up talaga, where I developed my talent and skills as an artist. ”

Sheena is part of the upcoming primetime series, Destined To Be Yours, starring the phenomenal love team—Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza.

“Excited ako kasi ang ganda ng start ng year ko since makakatrabaho ko sina Alden and Maine sa Destined To Be Yours. Wala akong masabi sa dalawang yun kasi napaka-professional nila. Nung first taping day nga namin, basang-basa na kami sa ulan, maputik pa and al, pero

wala akong narinig sa lahat ng kasama ko,” she added.

EDGE DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

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ARTS AND CULTURE

EDGEDAVAO

THEKATCLOSET A1 do not even aspire that badly to become rich and famous; I just want to exhibit alongside my Davao artists and I am good,” Reneboy humbly states.

Reneboy Chona has grown surrounded by artists, his cousin was from the Ford Academy and his uncle was an advertising artist, so when he was younger, even though he never had proper artistic training, Reneboy picked up a few art tips here and there while he was helping them do their own work—may

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

it be silk screening, drawing, or crafting their own canvases.

Plus, he did sketches a lot when he was working as a glass-etching artist; Reneboy was trained there by a lot of Fordian artists, like Mark Gonzaga, Charles Punzalan, Owen Bajenting and Jeffrey Pantoja. “I think artists has a higher level of philosophical awareness and spirituality because we are trained—may it be unconsciously or indirectly, to be more sensitive to our environment. It is like having sixth sense to be able to translate our own experiences or the experi-

ences of other people from immaterial to the material. That is why I love listening to other people’s stories, especially to OFWs, since I would know how hard it is since I too was once in their shoes,” Reneboy divinely shares.

Truly, as an artist and friend, Reneboy is one of the kindest and most reliable people you can do art collaborations with.

His versatility in vision and talent can go through any medium and style/genre that is only limited by his clients’ imagination.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

AID... FROM 1

region (DA 11) presented to Piñol the agency’s assessment on the impact of the floods to the agriculture sector in the area.

Sec. Pinol listened to the reports of PDRRMCs especially on the damage to agriculture during the meeting.

He also assured everyone

of the support of his department under the new administration of Pres. Rodrigo Duterete.

“I am here to comfort you and the farmers. Tingnan natin ang programa sa agrikultura in a long term context. Tutulong kami. We will do it fast,” Sec. Pinol said.

tributed in school clinics, guidance center, or health centers.

He added that teachers would be trained on how to impart lessons on sex education.

“In that way, the students are alerted that these are the ways of preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection,” Fuentes explained, adding that they would individually approach the teacher, and that’s the time they will be counseled.

Fuentes mentioned that the distribution program would also have peer counseling and a discussion on sex education with parents and that students receiving the condoms will also be offered to counsel.

If a student undergoing counseling is evaluated by the counselor to be engaging in “risky” sexual behavior, then a voluntary HIV/AIDS test will be offered to them for free, Fuentes pointed out.

Other details of the plan are still being ironed out between the health and education departments.

According to Department of Health’s statistics, Davao City has 1,793 cases of HIV/ AIDS recorded from 1984 to 2016 and the recorded deaths during the period already reached 98.

Of the total number of persons with HIV/AIDS in the city, 90 are females and 1,703 are males, the data added.

On the age bracket, three cases were recorded in persons aged 15; 719 cases in ages 15 to 24; 893 in ages 24 to 34; 200 cases in ages 35 to 49; and 32 cases in ages 50 up.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jordana Ramiterre, head of the Reproductive Health and Wellness Center of the CHO, said the Department of Health, in tandem with the Department of Education, will teach the ABC framework: “Abstinence, Being faithful, and Condom use.”

“Our advocacy for youth is abstinence and delaying sexual debut; and if they cannot do that, be faithful, so have only one partner,” Ramiterre told Edge Davao in a separate interview.

She added that “C is for condom use,” which is the last resort in terms of protecting yourself from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

President Rodrigo Duterte listed accessibility to healthcare as a focus in his State of the Nation Address last July and that DOH’s three-point agenda would cover health insurance coverage, service delivery, and protection from infectious diseases.

should or should not be placed in your office.

5. DO push for sustainability. It’s the only real secret, according to Francis. It’s the foolproof habit – keeping yourself in the market, staying in the know, consistently pushing through both profit and loss – and it’s the only one that’s proven to work 100% of the time. As Francis says, “Sustain your business, and one day you will harvest your crop.”

6. DON’T think luck is all that matters. It’s easy to pretend that with feng shui and good luck, your business will boom whether or not you’re

working for it. But even the experts themselves debunk that theory. Francis adds, “Even if you are lucky, if you are not hardworking, what will happen to you? But if you are unlucky, even if you’re just at home, bad luck will come to you.”

In the end, our destiny still depends on hard work, faith and prayer, plus a little bit of luck. As Francis says, we find signs through feng shui. Dates, experiences, and occurrences can point the way, but what matters is that we find them so they can lead us to where we want and need to be. (PR)

NEWS11

Condom... FROM 1

6 Feng Shui... FROM 6

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given that ZION ACCUPRINT PUBLISHING, INC. JOB ORDER with series number of 3500 - 3549 issued to Mary Jane E. Caro, got lost.

Any transaction entered into by any person using this missing document shall be null and void.

01/27,02/03,10

MORE JOBS AHEAD. Public Employment Services Office Philip Nidea discusses the updates on the agency’s forthcoming programs during yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

Forfeiture... FROM 2 Likewise, the former governor failed to declare 25 vehicles, 10 of which were paid in cash by the Ampatuans.

The total value of the 25 vehicles is P27,567,000.

The Ampatuans also failed to declare ownership of 23 firearms valued at P3,838,000.

The criminal charges for perjury, falsification of public documents, violation of Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6713, or the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”, and violation of Section 7 of RA No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”, the same were dismissed on account of Ampatuan’s death on July 17, 2015.

In a joint resolution approved on Dec. 23, 2016, Morales said “under Section 2 of Republic Act 1379, whenever any public officer or employee has acquired during his incumbency an amount of property which is manifestly out of proportion to his salary as such public officer and to his other lawful income and the income from legitimately acquired property, said property shall be presumed prima facie to have been unlawfully acquired.”

As part of defense, the Ampatuans “challenged the

Ombudsman findings and reiterated that the properties he allegedly owns were either registered in the name of another person or lacked evidence to support the claimed ownership thereof.”

The respondents also defended themselves saying that Ampatuan’s father “was an affluent man” from whom “he inherited several properties.”

Ampatuan also claimed the firearms “were given by friends, relatives and political allies through the years without monetary consideration.”

Ombudsman Morales dismissed their defenses and ruled that “there is clear and convincing evidence that Ampatuan accumulated wealth manifestly disproportionate to his lawful and legitimate income for 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and he and his family failed to lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income due to their extravagant and ostentatious display of wealth.”

Morales added “Ampatuan’s death does not operate to extinguish his liabilities under R.A. No. 1379 and the government is not precluded from recovering his unexplained wealth. Notably, a petition for forfeiture may still be filed against his estate.” (PNA)

and the Iskolar ng Bayan program, under the 2017 GAA. Moreover, an additional PHP8 billion has been appropriated for the CHED’s Higher Education Support Fund while

another PHP300 million has been approved to serve as Cash Grants to Medical Students enrolled in the country’s SUCs offering the Doctor of Medicine Program. (PNA)

Passage... FROM 6

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) CONTRACT NUMBER

CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT

Herbert J. Calope

10320615-6

21122679

Lilian W. Fabian

130001288

1004247

PH 1 2 3

4 5

6

Herbert J. Calope Juanita C. Rubia

Errol J. V. Denosta Jr. Monito H. Santos

194341-8

193153-2

1043380-3

10354334-9

21143080

21024984 88979

21105573

were lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

1/27,2/3,10

DATA... FROM 6

malls nationwide.

“The DATA members will be going out of Davao to promote Davao,” he said.

According the DATA President, the expo will feature what Davao could offer the country and the world such as fashion, food, and lifestyle.

For the month of August, DATA will be spearheading the “1st Kadayawan Ball” which will be DATA’s own version of “Indak-indak sa Kadalanan” ball but will also feature fashion, food and dances.

Gatchalian also announced that DATA will be “ending the year with a big bang” as it will host “CulDelSur”, a culinary and service festival to be held on September.

The DATA President also gave a gist of the projects that the association will be heading

for this year such as the proposed Davao Cultural Village Center, “the biggest and most ambitious project” of DATA which will showcase the 11 tribes of Davao region on a daily basis and will serve as a drop-off point to the villages for tourists to go to.

For the Sports Tourism, Gatchalian said that a Futsal Competition will be held in Davao City which will gather 6,000 delegates.

Meanwhile, the DATA President also said that for film tourism, they are promoting Davao City as a location to shoot movie scenes as he said that Film Academy of the Philippines – Mindanao is also located in Davao City.

“Direk Brillante Mendoza will be having a project here in Davao City,” he bared.

in Metro Manila and Mindanao.

These are the: Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project; UP-Miriam-Ateneo Viaduct along C-5/ Katipunan; Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project (Guadalupe Bridge and Lambingan Bridge; Widening/Improvement of Gen. Luis St.-Kaybiga-Polo-Novaliches; Cavite-Laguna Expressway; NLEXSLEX Connector Road; Metro Manila Interchange Construction Project VI; Davao City By-Pass Construction Project (South Section (Road) and Center Section (Tunnel); Panguil Bay Bridge, and Phase 1 of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), on the other hand, has awarded 6 PPP projects and is either bidding out or about to bid out 10 PPP projects, according to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade: The awarded PPP projects are the Integrated Transport System (ITS) Project: South Terminal; Integrated Transport System (ITS) Project: Southwest Terminal; LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension and Operations and Maintenance; Contactless Automatic Fare Collection System; Mactan Cebu International Airport Project; and MRT Line 7.

PPP projects that are either undergoing or about to undergo bidding are the Development, Operations and Maintenance of Bacolod-Silay, Davao, Iloilo, Laguindingan and New Bohol (Panglao) Airports; LRT Line 2 Operations and Maintenance; Road Transport Information Technology Infrastructure (Phase II); LRT Line 6; Philippine National Railways

- South Line (previously, the NorthSouth Railway Project - South Line); and NAIA Development.

The DOTr, through a combination of ODA and PPP, is implementing and developing a total of 23 rail projects which will greatly expand the country’s rail system from the current 77 kilometers to over 1,750 Km. The 10 ongoing rail projects include the following: PNR North (Manila-Malolos), PNR South Commuter PPP Project (Manila-Los Banos), PNR South Long Haul PPP Project (Los Banos-Legaspi,Matnog,Batangas Port), Line 1 Cavite Extension PPP Project (Baclaran-Niog), Automated Fare Collection System PPP Project (Beep Card), Line 2 O&M PPP Project, Line 2 East Extension (Santolan-Masinag), Line 2 West Extension (Recto-Pier 4), Line 6 PPP Project (Niog-Dasmarinas), Line 7 PPP Project (San Jose Del Monte-North EDSA).

Another 13 rail projects are being developed by DOTr. These include the following: Mindanao Railway (Circumferential), Cebu Railway (5 lines), Panay Railway, Line 4 (Taytay-Manila) PPP Project, Line 5 (Pasay-Makati-Taguig) PPP Project, Line 8 (Quezon City-Manila) PPP Project, PNR North Phase 2 (Malolos-Clark), Mega Manila Subway Project, Subic-Clark Railway.

Aside from extensive rail development, the DOTr is also implementing at least three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, establishing 77 km of segregated busways and improving pedestrian and bikeway facilities. (PR)

64 major... FROM 6

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

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Tel No. 082.221.3601/224.1413 Email: edgedavao@gmail.com marketing@edgedavao.net

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is in need of Marketing Assistant Qualifications: • Graduate of business or any other related courses • Female • With pleasing personality • Fast learner • Can work with minimum supervision

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Account Executive Qualifications: • BS Marketing Graduate • Male/Female • With pleasing personality Send your application letter and resume to: Ella P. Tingzon HR/Admin Supervisor Edge Davao Review Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City Or email at edgedavao@gmail.com or ella_tingzon@yahoo.com

NEWS 13 RP second top Asia performer with 6.8% growth rate in 2016

EDGEDAVAO

T

HE Philippine economy expanded 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 on the back of higher

investment and consumption, bringing the full-year growth to 6.8 percent, its strongest in three years.

Last year’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate makes the Philippines the second fastest growing major Asian emerging economy, with China growing at 6.7 percent.

This is near the high-end of the government’s target of 6 to 7 percent growth rate for 2016.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Ernesto Pernia said the October to December quarter growth was lower than the 7 percent in the third quarter, but higher than the 6.3-percent growth recorded during the same period the previous year.

“Let me note that the last quarter growth of an election year is usually slower than the first half due to the transition of government, and as investors adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude,” he said in a press briefing.

Pernia said domestic demand, in terms of investment and consumption, continued to fuel growth for the fourth quarter of 2016.

The government reported that the services sector remained the major driver of economic growth during the period, contributing 4.1 percent; while the industry sector shared 2.6 percent.

Services surged by 7.4 percent and industry by 7.6 percent in the fourth quarter.

(PNA)

EDGEDAVAO

14 ENVIRONMENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

The water crisis in our midst

Tilapia ponds

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

T

WO years ago, a diarrhea outbreak happened in the outskirt communities of barangay Upper Labay in General Santos City. Although no one died, at least 34 people were hospitalized for several days.

The outbreak was due to a contaminated drinking water.

According to a MindaNews report, the residents “draw their drinking water from rubber pipes attached to a spring water resource at an upland portion of the barangay.”

Apparently, the area’s drinking water was contaminated due to some openings in portions of the rubber pipes.

After drinking the “foul-tasting” water, according to some victims, they felt diarrhea-like symptoms.

The diarrhea outbreak in Upper Labay is not unique; it is happening in other parts of the country – particularly in far-flung areas where potable water systems are not existing.

Generally, these people – who are mostly poor – rely on deep wells which can be contaminated anytime.

So much so that a study done by the United Nations Development Program, Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Water Crisis, concluded: the “crisis in water and sanitation is – above all – a crisis of the poor.”

“People living in the slums… face shortages of clean water,” the UNDP study claimed. “(But) their neighbors in high income suburbs… keep their lawns green and swimming pools topped up. (The poor) pay five to ten times more for water per unit than those in high-income areas of their own cities.”

Nobel Peace laureate Kofi

Water crisis

Although climate change and water are related, water has no substitutes. We can transition away from coal and oil to solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.

But there is no transitioning away from water to something else.

– Sandra Postel in an e-mail interview with the author

Annan, when he was still the secretary-general of the United Nations, commented: “The lack of access of water – for drinking, hygiene and food security – inflicts enormous hardships…”

In the Philippines, a World Bank study found 58% of the sampled groundwater tested positive for coliform bacteria.

Surveys done by some local government units have indicated that one half or more of their public water systems do not meet drinking water quality standards.

Water shortage If those are not enough, the Philippines is facing a water shortage in the coming years.

In 2007, the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) sounded the alarm in its annual report. The causes: rapid urbanization, only 33% of river systems still suitable as a supply source and up to 58% of groundwater already contaminated.

“Water quality is poorest in urban areas,” the ADB pointed out in its report. It added: “The rapid urbanization of the Philippines, with more than 2 million persons being added to the urban population annually, is having a major impact on water

resources.”

The Washington, D.C.based World Resources Institute (WRI), in its report a few years back, has identified the Philippines as among the countries which will experience water stress. It is defined as “the ratio between total water withdrawals and available renewable surface water at a sub-catchment level.”

The right to water is a basic human right. “A person can survive only three to five days without water, in some cases people have survived for an average of one week,” says thewaterpage.com. “Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. The presence of water in the body could mean the difference between life and death.”

Among Filipinos, about 310 to 507 million cubic meters of water are being consumed each day. “A household of five needs at least 120 liters per days to meet basic needs – for drinking, food preparation, cooking and cleaning up, washing and personal hygiene, laundry, house cleaning,” noted David Satterthwaite and Gordon McGranahan in their collaborative report published in the State of

the World.

Science has shown that life, as we know it, cannot exist without water. As Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Hungarian biochemist and Nobel Prize winner for medicine, said: “Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”

Water covers 75% of the earth’s surface and the amount that exists is already fixed: some 1,400 million cubic kilometers. Most of this, that is, 97.4%, is salt water; another 2% is locked away in ice caps and glaciers. This leaves only 0.6%, or 8.4 million cubic kilometers, of which some 8 million cubic kilometers are stored underground.

Put it another way, if all the earth’s water were to fit in a gallon jug (4 liters), the available fresh water would be just over one tablespoon.

“Although water is a renewable resource, it is also a finite one,” writes Sandra Postel, author of Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity. “Nature makes only so much available in a given region each year -- and supplies can drop considerably below average in times of drought.”

Food production As stated earlier, water is needed not only for health reasons and survival but also for food production. In fact, most of the available freshwater is used to grow food. “The link between water and food is strong,” admits Lester Brown, president of Washington, D.C.based Earth Policy Institute.

“We drink, in one form or another, nearly 4 liters of water per day. But the food we consume each day requires at least 2,000 liters to produce, 500 times as much.”

Take the case of rice, the staple food of Filipinos. It takes about 3,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of rice, reports the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

In his book, Food Revolution, author John Robbins said that 23 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of lettuce, 23 gallons for one pound of tomatoes, 24 gallons for one pound of potatoes, 25

gallons for one pound of wheat, 33 gallons for one pound of carrots, and 49 gallons for one pound of apples.

Meat production also consumes a lot of water. “Agriculture uses about 70% of the world’s available freshwater, and one third of that is used to grow the grain fed to livestock,” reports the Worldwatch Institute.

Time’s Michael S. Serrill is damned right when he wrote: “Agriculture is where future water shortages will be most acute.”

Pollution and trees In 2004, then Environment Secretary Elisea Gozum told The Sunday Times Magazine that the country’s freshwater is being threatened by pollution and deforestation. The 2007 ADB study said the main sources of pollution, particularly in urban areas, are “untreated discharges of industrial and municipal wastes.”

The study added: “The majority of solid waste disposal and landfill sites are poorly operated and maintained, permitting leachate to pollute some water resources.”

According to Gozum, the lack of watersheds due to deforestation has also affected the water retention capacity of our ecosystem. This is the reason why forests, for one, are very important.

“The importance of water is inseparable to the Lumad and ancestral domain discussions,” said Dante Sinhayan, a tribal leader in the uplands of Bukidnon. “Every day, every minute, we use water and with it, we discuss forest, although not often. By discussing how water emerges, then the forest gets discussed.”

The question is: Do trees really produce water?

“You ask an interesting question,” Dr. Patrick B. Durst, regional forestry officer of the UN Food and Agriculture (FAO), replied in an exclusive interview. “As with so many things related to forests and trees, the answer is not simple – certainly not as simple as many people would like to present it.

“In the narrow sense, trees

are not a source of water,” he emphasized. “In fact, as living organisms, trees are substantial consumers of water, particularly when healthy. This is why, for example, people sometimes plant fast-growing trees to help drain swamps; the trees consume water and draw down the water level.”

Here’s an interesting information: “Water table sometimes rise when trees are cleared from an area. Famous watershed studies at the Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory in North Carolina since 1934, show very clearly that there was scope for increased yield by reducing forest vegetation.”

So, what role do trees play in “producing” water? Clearly, trees must be good for something when it comes to watershed management, or else foresters and water management specialists wouldn’t make so much fuss about trees. Here’s an explanation from Dr. Durst: “The answer is that trees (and more importantly healthy forests) are very important. The main benefit they provide is helping to intercept precipitation and facilitate its infiltration into the soil and ground water storage areas.”

Conclusion During her inaugural speech, then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pledged that she would “supply water to all barangay” before her term ends in 2010.

“It’s good a President seeks water,” wrote veteran journalist Juan Mercado. “But citizens must respond by lifestyles that reduces demands on a scarce common resource.”

“World demand for water doubles every 21 years, but the volume available is the same as it was in the Roman times,” observes Sir Crispin Tickell, former British ambassador to the United Nations and one of the organizers of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

“Something has got to give.”

Since 1950, global water use has more than tripled.

“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water,” reminded American statesman Benjamin Franklin.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS 15

Is this why Lebron is mad?

Cavs turn down Melo-Love trade

T

H E Clevel a n d Cavaliers turned down the New York Knicks’ trade offer of Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Haynes.

Stein and Haynes report that the Knicks tried to gauge the Cavaliers’ interest in a swap, but the Cavs shot them down.

The move comes after weeks of speculation about Anthony’s fu-

NO TRADE. Carmelo Anthony would have loved playing alongsdie Lebron James.

Bolt loses gold due to Ancajas arrives teammate’s doping case in Macau for title

U

SAIN Bolt lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals on Wednesday as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Jamaica of their 4x100m relay title at the 2008 Beijing Games after Nesta Carter was caught doping.

The IOC said that Carter tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant, in re-analysis of samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“The Jamaican team is disqualified,” the IOC said in a statement. “The corresponding medals, medalist pins and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned.”

The loss of the relay gold deprives Bolt of one of his ‘triple triples’ -- he won gold in the 100m, 200 and the 4x100m at Beijing and then went on to repeat the feat in London in 2012 and again in Rio last year. (PNA/Xinhua)

Jerusalem loses title bid

F

ILIPINO world title challenger Melvin ‘Gringo’ Jerusalem failed in his quest to become a world champion after Thai champ Wanheng Menayothin frustrated him with solid defense and timely counters to successfully defend his title for the sixth time in Phitsanulok, Thailand Wednesday afternoon where the fight was beamed live on the Internet by Bangkok’s TV Channel 7.

The judges scores were 115113, 114-113 and 114-113 in favor of Menayothin.

Jerusalem was deducted a point in the 8th round for low

blows that may have cost him to at least to secure a draw. Referee Celestino Ruiz warned Jerusalem for a couple of low blows earlier in the 8th round but after the Filipino threw another one, Ruiz halted the action, allowed Wanheng to rest, and deducted a point from Jerusalem. After the 8th round Menayothin was leading with scores of 77-74, 77-74 and 78-74 but Jerusalem rallied in the championship rounds to make the scores a lot closer. In the final round, Jerusalem gave it all and threw a lot of haymakers that mostly missed the target as Menayothin deftly evaded Jerusalem’s bombs.

is still too much for anyone outside of boxing’s elite.

Faux added: - “Granted, Horn is taking on Pacquiao in his waning years as a fighter – not the destroyer that iced Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, and Miguel Cotto – but the ‘fighting school teacher’ has plain and simply never faced anyone on Pacquiao’s level. Not even close.”

According to reports circulating in Australia, Horn’s team has done their part to allow the promising fighter to mature as a boxer, giving him increasingly harder tests along the way, but the 28-year-old needs more seasoning tom be able to stand a chance against

the eight-division world champion.

The fight will have a record firsts.

First, it will be the biggest fight of Horn’s life. Second, it will be one of the biggest boxing matches to ever take place on Australian soil.

Faux concluded in his article: - “If this were a movie, a battered-and-bruised Horn would come from behind to flatline the multi-weight champion.

But this isn’t a movie. This is real life.

The boxing expert believes Horn will be lucky to steal two rounds from ‘Pac-Man’.

ALL WIN... FROM 16

ture with the 20-26 Knicks. The team has lost 13 of its last 17 games, and Anthony’s relationship with team president Phil Jackson has reportedly corroded.

Anthony still has two years and over $52 million remaining on his deal. He also has a no-trade clause, meaning he can turn down any potential trade, a hold-up if the Knicks were looking to move him.

On Wednesday, Anthony was asked about the idea of playing with LeBron James after James ranted about the need to improve the Cavs’ roster, specifically with another playmaker.

“You ask me a question do I think h e would want me to play with

defense

him?” Anthony said. “Yes. I do think he would want me to play with him.

I don’t think he wouldn’t. But I don’t know if that comment is about me. I don’t think I’m the only playmaker in the NBA.” According to ESPN, the Cavs are not interested in parting with Love due to the role he played in helping them win a championship last season. Love is having a strong 2016-17, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game on 37% threepoint shooting. Love is also five years younger than Anthony and on a contract through 2019-20.

With less than a month remaining until the NBA’s trade deadline, it doesn’t sound like this will be the last we hear of either of these teams.

TITLE DEFENSE. Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines (in file photo) will make his first defense of the IBF 115lb title in Macau on January 29.

I

BF 115-lb world champion Jerwin Ancajas (25-1-1, 16 KOs) is now in Macau for his first defense on January 29 against Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (32-4) of Mexico.

Jerwin won the championship by scoring a dominating unanimous decision over McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico last September 3, 2016.

Jerwin’s training includes more than 50 rounds of sparring with former WBA interim world 115-lb champion Drian Francisco. He sparred about 30 more rounds with other sparring partners.

Manager-trainer Joven Jimenez says that Jerwin is in tip-top shape and he is confident Jerwin would do well against Rodriguez to successfully defend his crown.

C

PSC wants Tabal for SEAG

EBUANA marathoner Mary Joy Tabal’s reinstatement with the national team got a major boost after the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) threw its support behind the beleguered runner, who has been out of the national team since finishing the Rio Olympics last year.

Tabal, the four-time Milo marathon champion and the unofficial record holder for both the 42K and 21K distances in the country, is hoping to see action in the Southeast Asian Games this year.

However, she was not included in the list of athletes the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association submitted to the PSC. “How can Patafa (Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association), not accept Joy, she’s the best Filipina marathon runner

that we have. She won a silver medal in 2015 and finished the Olympics without any support from Patafa. How can he (Philip Juico) not put her back in the national team?” said PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez.

Juico, the Patafa president, only heeded the clamor to include Tabal in the national team last year when the Cebuana hit the qualifying mark for the Rio Olympics in Canada.

She trained on her own with coach John Philip Duenas in Cebu before the qualifiers and also had a two-month training stint in Japan courtesy of a private sponsor.

In earlier interviews, Tabal said Patafa is requiring her to transfer to Manila before she could be reinstated, something she is not comfortable with because she considers Cebu her comfort zone and was able to

excel nationally and internationally while training in Cebu.

When Patafa submitted its initial list of candidates for the SEA Games two weeks ago, Tabal was not included in the list, leading the then newly-crowned Milo marathon champion to worry.

Tabal said she was hoping the issue would be resolved soon so she could just concentrate on her training for the SEA Games, which is set in August.

Fernandez also agrees that the issue has to be settled.

“I will be talking to Juico regarding Joy’s situation. One of the programs of the Philippine Sports Institute is sports psychology, how can Joy be psychologically balanced going into competition if she’s still in a limbo on her status in the national team?” said Fernandez.

For this year’s SEA Games,

Joy hopes to train in Kenya or in Japan for two months as part of her intensive preparation in her bid to improve on her silver medal finish in Singapore in 2015.

Tabal set her personal best and Philippine record in the marathon at 2:43:31 in the ScotiaBank Ottawa Marathon in Canada in May 2016.

She also set her 21K and Philippine record in the Adachi Goshikizakura Half-Marathon in Tokyo in January, 2016 at 1:18:44.

“We told Joy not to worry because we will approach Patafa and ask them what is going on and what is the main reason why she is not on the list. We will try our best to bring her back to the national team,” said Fernandez, who has vowed to champion athlete’s rights in his stint at the PSC. (PNA)

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 9 ISSUE 243 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 - 28, 2017

ALL WIN

Aussie boxing fans think Horn fight presents all-win situation

NOTHING TO LOSE. Manny Pacquiao stands to boost his stature in the Horn fight.

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

P

njb@edgedavao.net

ERTH, Australia – Australian boxing fans are saying all parties are bound to win in the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn fight, and so it must happen.

BIG J, his real name under wraps, is a guru level contributor at Australia-based sports portal The Roar. He believes that the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn fight presents an all-win situation.

In his post at The Roar, the sporting netizen from Darwin in Northern Territory said: “This really is a winwin-win, Horn gets to fight one of the best fighters in the world and surpass Mundine and Green for opponents status, Brisbane gets to host one of the biggest fights in Australia boxing history, and Pacman notches up another win before hopefully taking on Mayweather again (thats is if

Mayweather has the guts????)

Everybody wins here there will not be a loser.”

He could not have said it accurately.

Anthony Mundine is an Australian two-time WBA super-middleweight title who held the title from 2003 to 2004 and 2007 to 2008. He was also IBO middleweight title from 2009 to 2010, and the WBA interim super-welterweight title from 2011 to 2012.

Mundine is well known for his heated rivalries with fellow Australians Danny Green and Daniel Geale.

Before his move to boxing, Mundine was the highest paid player in the NRL. He considers himself to be Australia’s best all-round athlete.

Green is Daniel Thomas “Danny” Green, another Auss-

ie boxer who held the WBA l i g h t - h e av y weight title from 2007 to 2008, the IBO cruiserweight title twice, from 2009 t o 2013, and the WBC interim super middleweight title from 2003 to 2005.

The Pacquiao-Horn fight looms as Australia’s biggest boxing bonanza ever. The fight, however, has not yet been signed by Pacquiao as of Wednesday.

There are speculations around boxing circles that

Pacquiao will just be using the Horn fight to boost the demand for another megafight with Floyd Mayweather to close out his career.

He is expected to breeze through the Brisbane-based former Olympian and PE teacher.

Justin Faux, boxing expert and The Roar contributor said the fight, which is expected

to take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on April, represents the opportunity of a lifetime for Horn – to fight a true icon of boxing in his own backyard.

Faux wrote: - “So, can ‘The Hornet’ sting ‘Pac-Man’? I doubt it.

Horn is basically just another warm body for the former eight-division world champ

to beat up on. The ‘fighting school teacher’ is exciting, but flawed – the perfect type of opponent for Pacquiao to exploit over 12 rounds.”

Pacquiao scored a cruisy win over Vargas and captured the WBO welterweight title in the process. The Filipino legend showed that his speed, power, and technical prowess

F ALL WIN, 15