Edge Davao 9 Issue 248

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

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UNHOLY MIX. President Rodrigo Duterte shows his list of government officials, members of judiciary and police officers involved in illegal drug trade during the 38th Philippine Association of Water Districts National Convention at SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

RODY WARNS OF OUSTER IF HE FREES JAILED REBS Says CPP demand unacceptable to military

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday reminded the Communist Party of the Philippines not to force him to release all political prisoners as soon as possible since the military “may not approve of such decision.”

He warned that the military might oust or kill him and that there be “no peace talks.”

In a speech delivered at the 38th National Convention of Philippine Association of Water Districts in Davao City, Duterte pointed out that the communists wanted the remaining 400 rebel detainees released amid peace talks.

“Para na akong nag-amnesty, which is usually given

after a successful negotiation,” Duterte mentioned.

“Huwag ninyo akong ipitin because the military might not like it; the military would oust me, kill me, you have nobody talking to you,” he explained.

Duterte added that the military would always support the troops if they think they are right, wondering what it is there to show.

“So what is there to show?

You want individual declaration of ceasefire. I’m just asking for a document which says that we are now in a ceasefire mode, signed by the government of Oslo who’s offering their good offices for us to negotiate,” he added.

Duterte also reminded the communists that he also need to consult with other branches of government every time he makes decisions.

“Now, if you ask too much, this is a country that is not authoritarian. I head the Executive Department but I consult people and the military especially in the matters. Of course, nobody stood up right on my face to say it is not good. But during our talks, on our coffee time relaxed moments, they would make suggestions. And you can get vibration of what they want,” he said.

Duterte also said in his speech that he has yet to decide if he would follow the

CPP’s move to withdraw its unilateral ceasefire.

“So, nag-withdraw kayo sa ceasefire. So, am I supposed to do the same? Gaya-gaya, puto maya. Just go ahead. I will decide in the fullness of God’s time. Mahirap iyang akala ninyo ako lang kasi nanalo ako, tapos ako na. Hindi ako diktador ah,” he said.

It can be recalled that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza mentioned that they have recommended to the President that the government continue to implement its unilateral ceasefire declaration.

Eco-zones to fast-track Mindanao development

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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HE two-day Mindanao eco-zone summit hosted by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority sought to wrap up ‘integral steps’ that will accelerate development in the island region.

“MinDa sees eco-zone development as an imperative measure that will bolster inclusive socio-economic growth in the region,” said MinDa chair, Secretary Datu Hj. Abul Khayr Alonto.

The summit is held February 2-3, 2017 at Grand Re-

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

AFTER CEASEFIRE. Members of the New People’s Army (NPA) return to their camp after a formation during the recent anniversary celebration of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in the hinterlands of Davao City. The NPA launched attacks against the Armed Forces of the Phils. (AFP) a day after the announcement that it will suspend the unilateral cease fire with the government. Lean Daval Jr.

Rody bars NBI from anti-drug operations P

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte revealed on Thursday that he has barred the National Bureau of Investigation from dipping its fingers in the anti-illegal drug operations.

“There are no policemen in the entire country [in enforcing drug laws] as of now and I want to add the NBI; the bureau is also suspended from enforcing drug laws, they are included,” Duterte said in his speech, adding that he lost his trust in NBI. Duterte recently ordered the Philippine National Police anti-drug unit to suspend its operations due to the killing of a foreign businessman Jee Ick Joo in the hands of allegedly rouge cops.

Several NBI agents have also allegedly been implicated in the kidnap-slay of the Korean national.

Duterte pointed out that the NBI must also have ‘internal cleansing’ as what the PNP is currently doing.

“May corruption din sa NBI,” he said, adding that he had only the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to trust at the moment.

Meanwhile, Duterte also pointed out in his speech that he would write an executive order that would allow the military to help in his fight against illicit drugs, which he said was a national security threat.

Duterte reiterated he had no need to declare martial law and that “it is not the right time to do it.”

He added that the wave of drugs-related killings as part of his campaign appeared to be “systematic, planned and organised” by authorities.

Guv slams gun-slaying of Army officer by NPAs Slain officer a member of PMA Sinag-Lahi 2015

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

D

adlopez0920@gmail.com

AVAO Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang on Thursday condemned the attack staged by the communist New People’s Army that killed a junior officer of the army in Manay town.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of an officer of the 67th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army who died in action and as he was waylaid

by a bullet from an NPA sniper,” Dayanghirang said in a press statement.

Second Lieutenant Miguel Victor Alejo, 26, was the junior army officer killed in the attack.

Alejo was a member of Philippine Military Academy Sinag-Lahi Class of 2015. He is from the province of Nueva Ecija and Quezon City.

“This violent incident happened amidst the ongoing peace talks and unilateral ceasefire between the Government and the CPP-NPA-NDF. Violence could have been prevented, unfortunately the CPPNPA-NDF has allowed these things to happen, which now underscores doubts in terms of its sincerity on the peace process,” Dayanghirang said.

The governor added that the attack was not just an assault on the military or the police but clearly an attack on all the people of Davao Oriental and the rule of law.

“This deliberate assault on government forces and threats to civilians may now have threatened and impacted the viability of the ceasefire as well

WO soldiers belonging to 39th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army were kidnapped on Wednesday by suspected members of communist New People’s Army in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

This was confirmed by Captain Rhyan Batchar, chief information officer of 10th Infantry (Agila) Division in a phone interview on Thursday noon.

Batchar said the soldiers were onboard a single motorcycle on the way to their headquarters when flagged down by more or less 10 heavily armed NPAs at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Purok

7, Barangay Tilapas, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

The two soldiers were supposed to report to their headquarters to undergo re-enlistment when abducted, he added.

The names of the victims are still being withheld as of press time, Batchar said.

In a separate statement issued on Thursday noon, the 10th ID condemned the abduction of the two soldiers.

“The NPAs are showing complete disregard of their own earlier pronouncement that their unilateral ceasefire is in effect until February 10 by continuously committing atrocities against soldiers and

civilians, “ the statement said.

The command also demanded for the immediate release of the two soldiers and urged the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines to order the NPAs to immediately stop committing criminal acts victimizing the people that could imperil the peace negotiations.

“This action of the NPA further confirms that it is never a people’s army but a nuisance propaganda army of the local communists,” the statement added.

Batchar also said in the interview that the local crisis committee in Columbio town led by Mayor Amir Musali is

scheduled to convene today.

The meeting will be joined by representatives from 39th IB and the Philippine National Police in the province, he added.

“Rest assured that the AFP, PNP and the Local Government Units of the Municipality of Columbio and the Province of Sultan Kudarat are closely working together to address the incident. We are now on heightened alert and have instructed our line units to be vigilant and maintain proactive measures avoiding the said incident from happening again,” the 10th ID statement concluded. ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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NPAs kidnap 2 soldiers in Sultan Kudarat T 750 new HIV cases recorded in Dec. 2016

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HE Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday that 750 new cases of HIV positive cases were reported to its HIV/ AIDS and ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) Registry of the Philippines (HARP) last December, and three of them were pregnant women.

The HARP report revealed that 721 (96 percent) of the total figure were male, while

412 belonged to the 25-34 age group and 221 to the 15-24 age bracket.

Sexual contact emerged as the top mode of transmission, with 734 cases -- 88 percent of which were males having sex with males (MSM). The remaining 16 cases were acquired through needle-sharing among injecting drug users (IDU).

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

2 cops, govt employee killed in North Cotabato shooting

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STILL AT IT. City Environment and Natural Resources Office chief Engr. Elisa Madrazo provides the updates on the waste to energy project of the city government of Davao with in partnership with JICA during yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

POLICEMAN and a civilian agent were killed while two other policemen were wounded during the conduct of a pursuit operation against two motorcycle-riding men who shot dead a government employee in Kidapawan City Wednesday night.

The government employee’s daughter was also wounded in the attack.

Sr. Supt. Emmanuel Peralta, North Cotabato police provincial director, identified the slain police personnel as PO1 Jerome Ruefa, 34, of the North Cotabato police intelligence section; and Edlenger Cabalinan, a civilian agent.

The injured cops were identified as PO2 Joselex Avina, 42; and PO1 Anglito Edep, 29; also both of the provincial police intelligence section.

Peralta said his men were

chasing the motorcycle-riding men who shot dead Marlon Muyco, an employee of M’lang town government and close aide of Mayor Russel Abonado, around 6p.m. Wednesday along Barangay La Suerte here, when the pursuit ended in Barangay Dolores of adjacent Antipas town.

Aside from Muyco, the riding in tandem also critically wounded the victim’s teenage daughter, Michelle, in the incident.

Muyco and his daughter were riding a motorbike on their way home when overtaken and fired upon by the gunmen.

The gunmen sped off towards the direction of Antipas town where the policemen gave chase and chanced upon them entering the house of Barangay Dolores Chairman Eugenio Patubo in the area. (PNA)

PDEA to lead war Dabawenyos want more vs illegal drugs

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency will take the lead in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs after the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group was temporarily disbanded.

The decision was reached following the death of a South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame in the hands of rogue policemen.

In a press conference Wednesday, Police Regional Office 11 Director C/Supt.

Manuel Gaerlan said only PDEA and authorized personnel from the military will now be allowed to conduct anti-drug operations. “(The) war on drugs will continue but PDEA will take the lead,” Gaerlan said.

Gaerlan said he was not sure if PDEA will adopt the PNP’s “Oplan Tokhang” (knock and plead) operations but said

the PNP drug watch list would be passed to PDEA. He said PDEA will continue working with the police, miliraty forces, and local government units as there are still many persons engaged in the illegal drugs trade.

Meanwhile, PDEA 11 Regional Director Adzar Albani, who was also present in the press conference, mentioned that PDEA will be more focused on going after high-value targets instead of street-level pushers.

“We would be tapping the help of the military personnels for more manpower,” he said, explaining that PDEA lacks employees to handle the campaign against illegal drugs.

Asked how the military can augment PDEA forces in the war on drugs, Albani said the military can supplement

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PNP chaplain lauds effort for cops‘to reconnect with God’

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MEMBER of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines lauded the effort of Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa for policemen to reestablish connection with God, so that they will refrain from doing bad things.

With this, PNP-Chaplain Service Deputy Director Police Senior Superintendent Rev. Father Lucio Rosaroso Jr., said the plan of the PNP chief will be a challenge and opportunity for the police to enhance the spiritual aspect of their lives for them to become more effective and humane in performing their duties.

“Isang hamon sa amin, actually may programa tayo pero ngayon paigtingin talaga itong spirituality, it’s an opportunity really na yung office namin

ay talagang napakarelevant sa misyon to enhance the spirituality. So yun ang hamon ni Chief PNP sa amin ‘Father tutukan niyo yung spirituality talaga’…” he said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.

At the same time, the Catholic priest has appealed to the public to pray for the transformation of the members of the country’s police force.

“We invite all to pray with us, to do penance for the good of our country, for discernment of what we should do and of course especially for the transformation of our men and women in uniform…” Rosaroso added.

He also launched a threeday of “Prayer and Penance” in response to the decision of the PNP to temporarily stop the government’s war on drugs or “Oplan Tokhang.” (PNA)

B2B talks with Japanese

By ANTONIO M. AJERO

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AVAO CITY-based businessmen and company executives want more business-to-business dialogs with Japanese counterparts just like the one conducted during the Davao leg of the official visit of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month.

The business leaders led

by Capt. Ronald C. Go, who is the president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), described the “B2B” encounter as “exciting and highly productive.”

“Dabawenyos need to reach out more to potential investors and business locators,” said Go, who runs a transportation business, aside from heading the helicopter division of the Anflocor Group of Companies.

“The more we engage in activities where businessmen can meet and match their business needs and offers the more there is a chance we can actually consummate a business deal,” he said.

Yelinek Ellen Jane Ferenal-Garcia, site director of Concentrix, the pioneering BPO (business process outsourcing) company here and the lone firm represented in the B2B activity, said the Japanese business delegation with Prime Minister Abe were pleasantly surprised to know that there are many Japanese colleges in Davao City.

Established by descendants of some of the 20,000 Japanese who settled in Davao City before World War II and their backers from Japanese, the

Garcia Go schools have been operating city, including some designed for almost decades. for call center operation, rhapShe said many of the Jap- sodized the Japanese prime anese businessmen, who are minister’s visit was the best into BPO operations, promised opening for business for Davao. to come back to firm up deals “I have lived in Mindanao with local companies saying nearly 10 years working with that engaging Davao call agents business and promoting Davao who are good in the Japanese as a safe profitable location in and other languages could be spite of the occasional bad pubmore cost-effective than Japa- licity, and PM Abe’s visit is the nese locals which is more ex- best opening for business that pensive.

I have seen bar none,” Yelinek Fred Yelinek, an American said. engineer who has been into He added that “our conconstruction of buildings in the F DABAWENYOS, 11

EN. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson filed on Wednesday a bill seeking to give the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine National Police more teeth.

Lacson, former PNP chief, said Senate Bill 1310 sought to make the IAS more effective and efficient in the light of efforts to cleanse the police ranks.

Lacson’s bill wants the IAS to have a strength of five per cent of the total strength of the PNP, with any personnel joining the IAS not joining any other unit of the PNP. It wants the IAS to conclude its investigation within 30 days, after which appro-

priate administrative and/or criminal charges will be filed immediately. IAS has up to 30 days to resolve an administrative case against an erring PNP member.

His bill states that decisions by the IAS will be “final and executory but may be appealed before the Interior Secretary, where the penalty involves dismissal, demotion or suspension for more than 90 days; or forfeiture of benefits equivalent to more than 90 days of pay.”

Moreover, the IAS will have regular release of funds based on the approved annual general appropriations, to increase its fiscal independence. It will

also conduct inspections and audits of PNP units and personnel.

The bill also seeks to expand the IAS’ motu propio investigation powers, covering “all acts and omissions, which tend to discredit the institution and hinder it from performing its tasks effectively and efficiently.”

It will allow IAS to make its own disciplinary rules and mechanism, including adopting provisions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ military justice system for uniformed personnel; and guidelines of the Civil Service Commission for non-uniformed personnel.

More teeth for PNP’s internal service sought S

Character building To enhance its capacity for resisting graft and corruption; the bill wants the IAS to conduct character-building and similar activities, conduct intelligence operations in aid of lifestyle checks and investigations; and strengthen investigations of PNP personnel subject to its jurisdiction.

It will also impose restrictions, file appropriate criminal cases against PNP members before courts as evidence warrants, and actively assist in prosecution of such cases. The IAS shall also conduct summary proceedings and hearings of PNP personnel facing adminis-

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5 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

PSE cited as Southeast Asia’s Best Stock Exchange in 2016

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DULL MOMENT. A street food vendor wears a stoic face beside his products as he waits for customers along Anda Street in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

NGCP nears goal to connect Visaya-Mindanao power grid

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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OWER grid operator, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has completed the first step towards unifying the nation’s three power grids.

In a press statement, NGCP explained on Thursday that an NGCP-commissioned hydrographic survey conducted from September to November 2016 showed that a viable route along the country’s western seaboard – beginning in Cebu and terminating in Dipolog– was determined as viable for the implementation of the plans of interconnecting the Visayas and Mindanao grids.

The Luzon and Visayas grids have long been connected via NGCP’s Naga – Ormoc High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line.

“NGCP is pleased to report that we already finished the hydrographic survey that will determine the route of the Visayas-Mindanao Interconnection Project (VMIP),” declared NGCP. “With this development, we now have a clearer plan on the project’s implementation. Power resource sharing between the country’s major islands will now become a reality.”

According to NGCP, its previous feasibility studies, one dating back to as early as 1984, were deferred by the government, then the grid operator.

An earlier study conducted by NGCP revealed eastern routes as unsuitable for submarine cable ground laying because of a significant quantity of live ordinance – torpedoes and high

explosive shells – from the Battle of Surigao in 1944, an underwater volcano, fault lines, and seismic hazards, such as unstable rock slabs that can cause landslips and tsunamis.

NGCP is seeking the support of the public and its stakeholders for the full and immediate implementation of the project.

“NGCP assures its stakeholders of the company’s dedication to determine the most reliable and cost-efficient path to completion. This is a large undertaking. We want this facility to be state-of-the-art, as well as sturdy enough to last generations. We are considering many factors in the design and implementation of the project, including changing weather conditions. Ensuring

the quality and reliability of power transmission services to both Visayas and Mindanao customers is of paramount importance,” the company stated.

a ransom in the form of additional excise taxes on fuel and other additional new taxes,” Quimbo said.

Quimbo added that forcing this “radical overhaul” is “imprudent, time-wasting, and fiscally unhealthy”.

DOF’s proposal, which was adopted by Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua in House Bill No. 4774, provides for the adjustment of the PIT brackets to correct socalled income creping; reduce the maximum rate to 25 percent over time from 32 percent at present, except for the highest income earners; and shift to a modified gross system to simplify the PIT system.

To compensate for the revenue losses from the reduced income taxes, some of the offsetting measures include increasing excise tax rates on all petroleum products and

automobiles; expanding the value added tax (VAT) base by limiting exemptions to raw food and other necessities; and taxing Philippine Charity Sweepstakes numbers’ game and lotto winnings, among others.

Quimbo argued that the concept of imposing excise taxes on gasoline and new taxes should undergo a more exhaustive study to ensure that the poor will not be the hit by the new taxes.

More consultations should also be conducted with the affected sectors whose tax privileges will be withdrawn such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, cooperatives, socialized housing, and the automobile industry, he noted.

“Let us not rush the imposition of these new taxes, some

of which we have already seen as failures in the Philippine setting today. The process will obviously take time. Meanwhile, the long-suffering income tax earners are caught in the crossfire,” Quimbo said.

The Marikina lawmaker explained that implementing tax reforms must be done in phases, noting that adjusting the tax brackets to inflation brings immediate relief for Filipino taxpayers while buying more time to fine-tune and polish comprehensive reforms.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that we have to do tax reform in phases so as not to delay the much-needed inflation-adjustment of individual income tax. The taxpayer today is akin to a patient dying in the ICU. The first order is to make him survive,” Quimbo said. (PNA)

Next steps With the hydrographic survey result, NGCP will now proceed with the preparation of a conceptual design, detailed cost-estimate, and update of system simulation study using the Cebu-Dipolog route, in order to complete documents needed for its ERC application by April 2017. Inland and route surveys for substations and associated overhead transmission lines will also coincide with the preparation of documents. Barring unforeseen circumstances and

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Prioritize income tax cuts now, House leader says

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LEADER at the House of Representatives called on his colleagues to pass separately the long-sought personal income tax (PIT) reform as it is being “held hostage” by the contentious comprehensive tax reform package of the Department of Finance (DOF).

In a statement on Thursday, Deputy Speaker and Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo said the lowering of the PIT should not be bundled with “massive” new taxes that further impede the immediate tax relief for salary workers, who have been bearing the brunt of tax collection.

“What is happening now is that the personal income tax reform we have been asking for is being held hostage by the DOF who has promised to ‘release’ it only if Congress gives

HE Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) was recognized as the 2016 Best Stock Exchange in Southeast Asia at the Marquee Awards of the 10th Alpha Southeast Asia Deal & Solution Awards held in Sepang, Malaysia on Jan. 25.

This is the third year that PSE received the Best Stock Exchange in Southeast Asia award from institutional investment magazine Alpha Southeast Asia in the last four years.

Aside from 2016, the PSE was conferred the same award in 2013 and 2015.

“The Best Stock Exchange in Southeast Asia award is a product of the hard work and cooperation between the PSE, its Board of Directors, management and staff, and the various stakeholders in the market.

This award will surely serve to inspire us at the PSE to always strive for excellence,” said PSE President and Chief Executive Officer Hans B. Sicat.

The Marquee Awards recognized the PSE for developing new rules for the listing of Public-Private Partnership companies and issuing and trading of Dollar Denominated Securities.

“The PSE successfully developed new rules for Public and Private Partnership (PPP), laying the groundwork for

companies to be listed at the PSE by anticipating their funding needs via the country’s stock market. This being one such masterstroke on the part of the exchange. Additionally, in its bid to provide a platform that provides dual currency listing and trading, the PSE has today a comprehensive set of rules for Dollar-Denominated Securities (DDS), catching up with other prominent exchanges around the world,” the award-giving body noted.

The PSE’s corporate governance programs were also cited.

“At the core of the PSE’s investment revival is its commitment to its corporate governance initiatives driven from the Exchange’s Corporate Governance Office including this year the effort to better align it with global best practices including the G20-OECD Principles of Corporate Governance,” Sicat said.

“The PSE has therefore spent a large part of the year continuously pushing the boundaries and is now striving to encourage world-class standards of disclosure and corporate governance among its listed companies in the Philippines. We are grateful that third party institutions like Alpha Southeast Asia recognize the initiatives of PSE,” he added. (PNA)

PH manufacturing index eases at start of 2017

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HE Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of IHS Markit, a global provider of critical information, analytics and solutions, reported on Tuesday that the country’s PMI at the start of 2017 expanded at a slower rate.

Philippine manufacturing PMI in January this year recorded an index of 52.7, lower than December 2016’s PMI at 55.7.

January marked the country’s fourth consecutive month of easing manufacturing PMI since October 2016 when it registered a score of 56.5 then further slowed down to 56.3 in November.

IHS Markit Economist Bernard Aw explained that the lower headline index compared to previous months was due to loss of growth momentum in new orders, output, and inventory levels.

Aw noted that Philippine-based factories barely increased employment last month as production growth has eased.

“Furthermore, firms continued to experience sharp cost inflation, aggravated by a weak peso and broadly higher global commodity prices,” he said.

“Although some of the additional cost burdens were passed on to clients,

as highlighted by a further increase in output prices, the gap between input cost inflation and charge inflation is widening. If this continues, manufacturers’ profitability may be at risk. Already, some companies are delaying input purchases due to higher prices,” the economist added.

Despite manufacturing score kicked off the year at a slower pace, manufacturers’ confidence remained high in January.

The IHS Markit’s report noted that nearly 88 percent of the surveyed firms expected higher output in the coming months driven by higher demand and business expansion plans of companies.

“Encouragingly, manufacturers’ sentiments for the year ahead remained high, buoyed by expectations of greater demand, expansion plans and improved marketing strategies. This suggests that the current slowdown could be temporary,” said Aw. PMI is an indicator of manufacturing sector’s health based on sub-components, such as new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery times, and stocks and purchases.

Indices above 50 signal improvement in business conditions, while readings below 50 show deterioration. (PNA)

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Visayas-Mindanao grid T link survey completed

Management framework development underway

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OWER grid operator, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), has announced the completion of a hydrographic survey that will determine the route that will link the power grids of Visayas and Mindanao.

“With this development, we now have a clearer plan on the project’s implementation. Power resource sharing among the country’s major islands will now become a reality,” the NGCP said in a news release issued Wednesday.

Linking the power grids of Visayas and Mindanao is part of the plan to unify the grids of

both islands and Luzon. The Luzon and Visayas grids have long been connected through the Naga–Ormoc high-voltage direct current line.

The survey, conducted from Sept. to Nov. last year, found a viable route along the country’s western seaboard, from Cebu to Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte.

An earlier NGCP study showed that eastern routes are unsuitable for laying submarine cables due to the presence of torpedoes and high-explosive shells from the 1944 Battle of Surigao, an underwater volcano, fault lines, and seismic hazards, such as

unstable rock slabs that can cause landslips and tsunamis.

“This is a large undertaking. We want this facility to be state-of-the-art, as well as sturdy enough to last generations. We are considering many factors in the design and implementation of the project, including changing weather conditions. Ensuring the quality and reliability of power transmission services to both Visayas and Mindanao customers is of paramount importance,” the power firm said.

Estimating the project to be completed by Dec. 2020, the NGCP said it will soon

start preparing the conceptual design, cost estimate, and update of the system simulation study using the Cebu-Dipolog route for submission to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It will also conduct inland and route surveys for substations and overhead transmission lines.

The grid operator sought the support of the ERC, environment department, and local government units along the path of the project.

“With their full support, we are confident that we will be able to complete this project on time,” the company stated. (PNA)

NOT AMUSED. An elderly man walks by a display of wide collection of swim suits along Rizal Street in Davao City a couple of weeks before the start of summer season. Lean Daval Jr.

PH, China to explore hybrid-financing ventures

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EIJING has agreed to study Manila’s proposal to implement through hybrid or co-financing arrangements with multilateral institutions the big-ticket Philippine projects that had been submitted to China for possible funding on the Duterte watch.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who led a top-level government delegation to Beijing last week, said China Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng had welcomed his proposal to consider co-financing the projects with other multilateral lending institutions such as the Asian Development Bank(ADB), the World Bank, and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

He said Gao had informed the Philippine delegation in their talks during the Jan. 2324 mission that Beijing would want “to clarify the operating

procedures” in executing such arrangements and determine if this would lead to a more efficient and smooth implementation of the project.

According to Dominguez, ranking Chinese officials have agreed with the delegation on the urgency of implementing projects that Manila has proposed to China for possible financing under the Duterte presidency.

They also agreed on the importance of “openness and transparency” in the ongoing talks on the MOUs that were sealed last year during PRRD’s China visit as well as in the implementation stage of the projects that China would eventually underwrite.

The Philippine delegation submitted a total of 40 “large and small” infrastructure projects to China for possible loan financing and assistance in conducting feasibility studies during the Jan. 23-24 mis-

sion.

Of the 40 projects, 15 are being proposed for loan financing while another 25 were submitted for feasibility study support.

Three of these large-scale projects are worth $3.4 billion combined.

These are the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in the provinces of Cagayan and Kalinga with an estimated total project cost of $53.6 million; the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, $374.03 million; and the South Line of the NorthSouth Railway running from Manila to Legaspi City in Bicol, $3.01 billion.

Nine other projects, which aim to interconnect the country’s three main island-groups, boost tourism, and construct a flood control system in Mindanao and ensure its stable power supply, were presented by the Philippine team to Gao

for feasibility study support.

Dominguez said the other projects on the list are relatively small in scale, and are easier to implement, such as the construction of bridges across the Pasig River to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

He said that during the Philippine delegation’s meeting with China’s Commerce Ministry officials led by Gao, both parties agreed to regularly hold bilateral meetings to ensure that the projects approved for Chinese financing “are aligned with the priorities of both countries.”

Dominguez, who described the meetings with Chinese officials as “very positive” said the Philippine mission was a “productive first step towards achieving the desire of (Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping)” in further reinforcing ties between the two countries.” (PR)

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will conduct a two-day workshop aimed at developing a framework for the management of Benham Rise, the Philippines’ resource-rich territory off the eastern coast of Luzon Island.

The workshop, slated for February 2-3 and organized

by DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), will bring together policymakers and experts in a bid to come up with a policy framework for the protection and sustainable management of the undersea region.

The discussions will focus on resources in the region including biodiversity, fisheries, mineral, oil and gas; existing policies governing the area, and alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals and Philippine Development Plan, among others.

Resource persons include BMB officials led by Director Theresa Mundita Lim, who is expected to speak on the thrust towards the sustainable management of the Benham Rise; Dr. Vincent Hilomen on the general overview of the region; and Ms. Armida Andres on the framework’s alignment in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan.

Experts from the University of the Philippines are also expected to share their knowledge and expertise on the Benham Rise during the workshop. Leading them is Dr. Mario Aurelio of the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), who will share the successful strides made by the government on claiming the region under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS; Atty. Jay Batongbakal of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea on existing policies governing the Benham Rise.

Dr. Cesar Villanoy of the

UP-Marine Science Institute will make a presentation on the physical environment of Benham Rise while Dr. Hildie Nacorda of the UP-Los Baños in Laguna will tackle the biodiversity resources surveys made in the Benham Rise in 2014 and 2016.

Dr. Carlos Primo David, also of UP-NIGS, will present the mineral, oil and gas resources of the region, while Commodore Eduardo Gongona of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will talk on the fishery resources.

Benham Rise is claimed as the largest marine area of the country that remains relatively pristine. With the recent recognition of Benham Rise as part of the Philippines’ territory and extended continental shelf (ECS) granted by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) in 2012, interest in utilization of Benham Rise increased.

Development of a sound sustainable management framework for Benham Rise would give the Philippines opportunities to develop its marine scientific research capabilities, provide an anchor for mobilizing offshore resources and management in the eastern seaboard of Luzon, and establish the basis of Philippine control and management of seabed exploration activities in the EEZ, continental shelf, and extended continental shelf.

The recognition of the Philippine jurisdiction over the Benham Rise Region is the Philippines’ first successful validation of a claim in accord with the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). It is the first major expansion of the Philippines’ maritime boundaries since the late 1970s when it declared its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The waters above the ECS are considered as high seas.

(PNA)

NY Times Travel Show features 3 major PH tourist destinations

T

HREE major Philippine tourist spots were featured at the Philippine booth during the New York Times Travel Show held at Jacob Javits Convention Center from January 27 to 29, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported.

Boracay (#1), Palawan (#2), and Cebu (#5) were cited

by Condé Nast s Traveler s 2016 Reader s Choice Awards as some of the world s best.

Anchor destinations in the Philippines, as well as several diving spots, such as Palawan, Bohol, and Boracay were highlighted during the travel show.

The DFA statement said several guests inquired about Palawan because of its reputation as a home to an international island resort and because of other natural attractions such as the Puerto

Princesa Underground River.

The New York Times Travel Show is a three-day event featuring nearly 500 exhibitors representing over 150 countries.

The Travel Show is one of New York’s most popular attractions during the winter season. It is currently the largest travel trade and consumer show in North America drawing visitors from all over the world.

It has notably grown in attendance within the past few years, as thousands of guests flock to the Javits Center to learn more about global destinations as well as new opportunities in the travel industry.

The event promotes travel to domestic and international hot spots, popular travel sites and off-grid destinations.

(PNA)

7 SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

DavNor honors outstanding cops T

HE Davao del Norte Provincial Police Office (DNPPO) in coordination with the provincial government of Davao del Norte recognized the exemplary accomplishment of the ten outstanding police personnel, one Rookie of the year, and the best police station in the province, during the awarding ceremony last February

1, 2017, at the DNPPO Headquarters.

Adjudged as the Ten Outstanding cops are PSI Dexter Cuevas, PCI Ruth Dizon, PSI Rowena Jacosalem, PSI Lurobe Rojo Jr., SPO1 Mary Joy Hapitan, SPO4 Joseph Estrada, SPO1 Savarte Biating, SPO2 Roldan Rubion, PO3 Reynante Balacuit, and PO2 Paciano Ramirez Jr..

PO1 Jade Cuamag clinched the rookie of the year award while Kapalong Municipal Police Station earned Best Police Station in the province.

“It is as important as that we give due recognition to our personnel who are performing well”, Regional Director PCSUPT Manuel Gaerlan said.

To show its full support to

their excellent service and to encourage other police officers to follow suit, the provincial government appropriated P250,000 for the awards, giving P20,000 for each individual winner and P30,000 for the best police station.

“Nagtraining gyud na sila para sa security and peace and order nato…so tagaan gyud nato silag respeto og

irecognize gyud ilang achievement” Hon. Shirley Aala, one of the proponents of the awards said.

More than the trophy and cash price, the award served as an inspiration to the winners in giving their best in doing their duty.

“Being part of where I am now, is such a privilege for me, given the fact that all my ef-

DENR chief orders closure of 21 destructive mines

T

RELIEF ASSISTANCE. Mayor Allan Rellon led the distribution of relief packs in the flooded barangays of Tagum City. In Brgy. Pagsabangan alone, four truckloads of relief packs were distributed to 1,780 families affected by the recent calamity. (Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum)

Tagum flood victims get relief packs T

HE City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of the Local Government of Tagum bared its latest record regarding the series of relief operations it has conducted following the days of torrential rain that submerged eight barangays here and pushed the local government to declare the city under the State of Calamity.

As of the end of January, a total of 5, 438 households received the relief packs distributed by CSWDO to the baran-

gays of Cuambugan, Canocotan, Bincungan, Mankilam, San Miguel, Busaon, Liboganon and Pagsabangan. Each relief pack contained five (5) kilos of rice, 5 packs of instant noodles and eight (8) canned goods.

The relief operation started last January 20, 2016 concurrent to the onset of the heavy downpour. Four days later the City Council passed the Resolution No. 288 declaring Tagum City under the State of Calamity which facilitated the immediate release of the

city’s calamity fund used by the local government in its relief efforts.

Mayor Allan Rellon, who led in the distribution, said that the city government is always on the go in effectively responding to calamities that will hit the city. He also urged the affected families to remain vigilant even in the absence of rainstorms and other calamities as well as to actively coordinate with the local government so as to smooth the progress of disaster mitigation

and response.

Meanwhile, Ms. Sally Balili of CSWDO said that their office is always ready in giving relief assistance to every Tagumenyo. She stressed that an adequate stock of relief supplies is ensured by CSWDO, especially that Tagum City is still experiencing random heavy rainfall.

On the other hand, the Incident Command Post of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is still on its full swing. (Roy Banias/ CIO Tagum)

forts and hardship were given commendation and appreciation”, awardee Cuevas said.

The STOP awards aims to honor, encourage police personnel and promote police work as a shared responsibility within the community.

The awardees were encouraged to apply for a higher award in the national level.

(PIO DavNor)

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the closure of 21 metallic mining companies operating in the country for environmental destruction resulting from their respective operations.

DENR Secretary Regina Lopez, in a press briefing on Thursday, said such move is in line with the administration’s bid to promote environmental protection and social justice nationwide.

“DENR rightfully decided to take on social justice as its heart and soul -- that means Filipinos, not just those companies, must benefit from the country’s natural resources,” she stressed.

Lopez noted Filipinos won’t be able to benefit if the mining companies’ operations continue destroying the environment.

She identified the axed companies as BenguetCorp Nickel Mines Inc., Eramen Minerals Inc., Zambales Diversified Metals Corporation and LNL Archipelago Minerals Inc. all in Zambales province; as well as Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Development Corp., Emir Minerals Corp. and Techiron Mineral Resources Inc., all in Eastern Samar province’s Homonhon Island.

In Dinagat Islands province, mining companies that were ordered closure were AAMPHIL Natural Resources Exploration, Kromico Inc., SinoSteel Philippines H.Y. Mining Corporation, Oriental Synergy Mining Corporation, Wellex Mining Corporation, Libjo Mining Corporation and Oriental Vision Mining Philippines Corp.

DENR also decided closing down ADNAMA Mining Resources Corporation, Claver Mineral Development Corp., Platinum Development Corp., CTP Construction and Mining Corp., Carrascal Nickel Corporation, Marcventures Mining and Development Corporation and Hinatuan MiningCorporation, all operating in Surigao del Norte province.

Among environmental ills DENR’s nationwide mining audit traced to the companies are siltation, leak of mine tailings into water bodies, and illegal tree-cutting.

Lopez noted such ills are adversely affecting lives and livelihood of people in the mining areas, further worsening their plight.

“I’m not against mining but am opposing suffering -- we can’t allow such negative conditions to persist,” she said.

Lopez, however, said companies with mining operations the DENR deemed fit for closure can still appeal for Malacanang’s reversal of the agency’s decision.

But, she stressed that these companies must already stop with their respective mining operations if Malacanang agrees with the DENR’s decision.

Lopez reiterated her plan of pursuing area development nationwide to help promote people’s socio-economic well-being without destroying the environment.

Eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture are among activities she plans promoting through the area development strategy.

the aid they need,” he said. “We assure our constituents that we in the Provincial Government will not abandon them in this time of crisis,” he said.

“Although we have suffered a lot of damages during the disaster, we are still thankful that aid came and that there is assurance of support coming from the national government,” he said.

During the distribution of food packs, Governor Dayanghi-

rang called on to the residents’ cooperation with the local authorities and officials by heeding to weather advisories and warnings during disasters. He also told them to comply with the local government in securing Community Tax Certificate or Cedula, a document proving they are citizens of the town, thus, making identification and distribution of relief goods easier, faster and more efficient. (DavOr PIO)

Nabunturan loses Evacuees in DavOr given relief assistance P37M over flood T T HE town of Nabunturan in Compostela Valley lost around P37-million worth of rice production and infrastructure projects over the recent flooding that affected the whole region last week.

The Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council revealed that around 520 hectares of rice plantations costing around P6.65-million were damaged due to the flood.

The report noted that most of the plantations plowed by 470 farmers, which was mostly in the vegetative phase,

was submerged for three days.

In infrastructure projects, roads and drainage systems worth around P30.35-million were destroyed by the catastrophe.

Meanwhile, the total evacuees reached to 190 families or 657 individuals from seven barangays namely Basak, Magsaysay, Sta. Maria, Magading, Sto. Niño, Cabacungan and Pangutosan.

The whole province of Compostela Valley including Nabunturan was declared under the state of calamity last week.

(PIA11, Michael Uy)

HE provincial government of Davao Oriental distributed food packs to some 2,000 families in three villages of Boston town during a relief distribution conducted last February 1.

These families were among those affected by the heavy floods and landslides brought about by the tail-end of a cold front.

Among the barangays that received aid on Wednesday’s relief distribution are Sibajay, Cabasagan and Poblacion.

Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, who led the distribution, said that the provision of food packs is only one of the Provincial Government’s interventions to help disaster-affected families, who are mostly depending on farming as a source of income.

He said that in the ensuing days, the Provincial Government through aid from the national government will be sending agricultural support to the affected farmers through provision

of planting materials such as seeds, farming implements, and equipment among others, thus, helping them recuperate on the damages caused by the floods to their crops and livestock.

“Although heavy rains have subsided, it will take time before the residents will fully recover.

And the Provincial Government will make sure that all available resources are tapped in order to provide these affected families

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

I

Lameness and Leila

F Senator Leila De Lima has exhibited another of her lame antics, all for self-aggrandizement.

We all know she hates the guts of President Rodrigo Duterte. That’s a given. But her latest jab at the President included a snipe at Davao City where the latter was mayor for more than two decades.

Speaking her mind out on the constitutionality issue of drafting the military to aid in the anti-illegal drug operations, the controversial senator said: “The real problem is not the PNP or AFP per se, but the monstrous policy hatched in the bowels of Davao City that gave rise to more than a thousand dead in that city and over 7,000 in the whole country. No pretext can change this root of the problem.”

And like somebody coming in scot-clean, she came through with anther of her “brilliant” solution: “The solution is to stop the killings, not call the AFP to pull off the killings that the PNP has supposedly ceased to perform. Spare the civilians from all killings, whether by the PNP or the AFP.” This one is coming from somebody implicated in the proliferation of illegal drugs itself and is facing administrative cases left

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and right.

This is also coming from somebody who, during her tenure as Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, came to Davao City to conduct a probe on extrajudicial killings and came up with nothing.

And this is coming from somebody who, during her tenure as Secretary of Justice, allowed the national penitentiary to be converted into five-star accommodations by high-value inmates, drug lords mostly.

Now, if the anti-drug war is a monstrous policy hatched in the bowels of Davao City, the senator’s solutions are mere cosmetic cover-ups hatched in the bowels of her inefficiency.

The anti-drug war was effectively implemented in Davao City and Dabawenyos did not complain. The “monstrous policy” was the key to the peace and prosperity that had come to the city after it has successfully eliminated drug lords, pushers and street users. If there is any complaint at all, it would have come from the residents of this city.

Not much can be said of De Lima’s monstrous, all-talk no-action lameness.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

9

The fuss about project NOAH “I ask you to rally with me to retain this program in the government as it benefited all of us in (terms of) the science of knowing (about the) hazards affecting our communities.” – Dr. Teofredo “Ted” Esguerra *** EFORE the month of January ended, I read with much interest the post of my hometown friend, Dr. Teofredo “Ted” Esguerra, in his Facebook wall about the “decommissioning” of Project NOAH (Nationwide Assessment of Hazards) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“If you do not know it, the rescuers could make it through the flood, landslides and other hazards because we have guidance from Project NOAH as to the hazard maps,” wrote Doc Ted, as he is popularly called. “Unlike in the days of old, we are not ‘blind’ today in profiling corridors of great risks versus safer spots for evacuation or create lanes for safe response to disaster hot zones.”

Doc Ted, if you care to know, is the disaster and crisis lead of the Energy Development Corporation. He is a senior instructor on technical rescue, advanced life support, wilderness rescue, mountain medicine, mass casualty incident management, and tactical medicine for various schools, military units, volunteer groups, local government rescue teams and communities around Southeast Asia.

“I ask you to rally with me to retain this program in the government as it benefited all of us in the science of knowing hazards affecting our communities,” he further wrote. “Let us pray that the good President Rody (Rodrigo) Duterte will check on this matter.”

B

F

ORMER Davao City mayor Luis T. Santos, who later became interior and local government secretary during the first Aquino administration, was the gist of many urban legends, part true and part myth, when he was still the chief of police of Davao City. Though his family was into logging, his name was hardly an identity to reckon with, at least not until he engaged the criminals in numerous shootouts.

Unlike President Rodrigo Duterte who prides himself of a political pedigree, Santos, including some relatives, migrated to Davao in search of the proverbial green pasture; he found it in the logging industry at a time when getting concessions was considered a walk in the park.

The exploits of Santos while chief of police in the early 1960’s earned him the moniker of Diego Salvador, after the popular noontime Visayan radio drama with the same title. When he killed the infamous criminal Falcone in the town of Tagum in a clandestine police operation, his fame shot up. Accounts say he personally shot the fugitive, even challenging him to a duel.

Even outside the law enforcement circle, after he left the police force to challenge the mayoralty, the threat to his life, which was obviously an extension of his work as a cop, continued.

But his name as a pistolero, a marksman, was larger than the vain attempts to get him.

Legend says that Santos, after being sworn into office as mayor of Davao City in 1971, he was promptly informed that the hideout of a notorious fugitive, long the prized target of the

Coincidentally, THINK ON THESE! I got a press statement from Senator Loren the following day from my e-mail.

She said that she expects improved preparedness of the government in dealing with Henrylito D. Tacio disaster risks henrytacio@gmail.com following the completion of Project NOAH.” So, the reason for “decommissioning” it is because it has already reached its completion.

Just like any government projects, it has to come to an end. And according to DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, Project NOAH “is now due for use and adoption.”

The government agency most likely to use it is the country’s weather bureau – the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or commonly known as PAGASA. “The DOST said that the Project NOAH has been completed and PAGASA will take over the operations aspect of the delivered outputs. If the Project indeed delivered what it has promised to deliver, then the concerned agencies of government should be ready and able to translate research and information into action with measurable gains,” said Senator Legarda, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Champion for Resilience of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Aside from Doc Ted, another person who is

worried about the cessation of Project NOAH is Emmanuel Piñol, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture. Hearing that it will be stopped by the end of February, he opined: “This would be a disaster especially now that the country experiences one flooding after another.”

He said that his department needs Project NOAH and he will do everything to save it.

“Initially, I will talk to President Rody Duterte and ask him to allow the DA to take over Project NOAH,” Piñol wrote in his Facebook wall.

Project NOAH is a program that uses science and technology in building capacities for disaster risk reduction and management. According to its website, Project NOAH has the following components: • Distribution of Hydrometeorological Devices in hard-hit areas in the Philippines (Hydromet). These devices are installed along the country’s 18 major river basins to provide a better picture of the country’s surface water in relation to flooding.

• Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation – Light Detection and Ranging (DREAM-LIDAR) Project. The project aims to produce more accurate flood inundation and hazard maps in 3D for the country’s flood-prone and major river systems and watersheds.

• Enhancing Geohazards Mapping through LIDAR. This project uses LIDAR technology and computer-assisted analyses to identify exact areas prone to landslides.

• Coastal Hazards and Storm Surge Assessment and Mitigation (CHASSAM).

CHASSAM helps generate wave surge, wave refraction, and coastal circulation models to understand and recommend solutions for coastal erosion.

• Flood Information Network (FloodNET) Project. This is a flood center that will provide timely and accurate information for flood early warning systems. The FloodNET Project comes up with computer models for the critical river basins, automate the process of data gathering, modeling and information output, and release flood forecasts.

• Local Development of Doppler Radar Systems (LaDDeRS). LaDDeRS seeks to develop local capacity to design, fabricate, and operate sub-systems of Doppler radars for remotely sensing the dynamic parameters of sea surface such as wave, wind field, and surface current velocity.

• Landslide Sensors Development Project.

This project is a low-cost, locally developed, sensor-based early monitoring and warning system for landslides, slope failures, and debris flow.

• Weather Hazard Information Project (WHIP). This involves the utilization of platforms such as television (DOSTv) and a web portal (http://noah.dost.gov.ph), which display realtime satellite, Doppler radar, automated rain gauges, and water level monitoring stations data to empower local government units and communities to prepare against extreme natural hazards.

According to Secretary dela Peña, Project NOAH started in 2011 and most component projects were completed in 2015, but it was extended in 2016 to cover additional targets and deliverables.

The extension until February 28, 2017 is for the transfer of the technologies to relevant government agencies.

Now, you know.

local Secret FAST BACKWARD Service, was already pinpointed. Wanting to personally get the hunted, he left the celebration hosted in his honor and led a squad of cops in literally taking down Antonio V. Figueroa the criminal.

On Nov. 14, 1972, just months after the declaration of martial law, he and opposition city councilor Zafiro L. Respicio were arrested. Santos became the 36th mayor arrested under the military regime.

But his incarceration was short-lived after he signed a manifesto supporting the Marcos dictatorship. Respicio, a diehard militant, stayed long in jail before friends interceded.

Because of his pledge of loyalty to the new regime, Santos retained his position. But this did not deter his would-be assassins from hunting him down even while in office. According to urban legend, the plotters were eventually known and identified, and a certain Rudy (his surname forgotten at the moment) was tagged as mastermind.

Rudy was the son of Dimas, a tough-looking, wristband-wearing bearded muscleman who worked as a foreman of a stevedoring company at Santa Ana wharf. As our neighbor at Soliman,

a squatter colony within a mangrove forest adjacent to the now buried Agdao Creek, he was always at odds with his father who would detain him inside a room to prevent him from escaping. At one time, locked in a room and naked, he still made good his flight.

But Rudy was clever. He always used his creativity in escaping, this time using the patadyong (wraparound skirt) given by his mother as his blanket. He used window for his escape.

His flight would become top news in the neighborhood in just few hours.

Legends have it that Mayor Santos eventually caught up with Rudy after the cops arrested him for committing another crime. He was brought to City Hall and, in full view of the public, was reprimanded and humiliated. At a time when there was yet no extrajudicial killing to speak about, City Hall gave him another chance to live but on a promise that he would reform himself and adopt more civil ways in earning a living. He left town but did not mend his ways.

Another urban legend that has gained currency (but supposedly took place) involves former mayor, now president, Rodrigo Duterte, given his tough stance against drugs, who was set for the crosshairs. The assassins billeted themselves across City Hall, on a budget hotel at the corner of Crooked Road. The plan was to hit the mayor’s office with recoilless-assisted projectile. Fortunately, the plot was discovered and the culprits arrested. Whatever happened to the criminals is everybody’s guess.

In the annals of Davao history, most of

those who died by the muzzle of the gun were provincial officials. Spanish governor Jose Pinzon y Purga was assassinated by the Moros of Tagum in 1861, while American governor Edward Robert Bolton, along with his farm administrator, was fatally chopped down by a Tagacaolo ward leader who had an axe to grind. Bolton’s death on June 6, 1906, resulted in a juez de cuchillo (indiscriminate killing) that cost the lives of many tribesmen suspected to harbor the murderer.

In the post-Marcos era, Davao del Sur governor Ramon de los Cientos, already retired from public service, was gunned down in his farm by suspected rebels. The cause of the killing was traced by authorities to a possible agrarian conflict.

On May 28, 2014, Laak mayor Reynaldo Navarro, the first appointed and first elected vice governor of Compostela Valley Province, was ambushed by armed men in Asuncion town while on his way to Davao City. Probers blamed the New People’s Army (NPA) for the offense but certain sectors thought the whole episode was a politically motivated murder.

On a larger scale, it is a tribute to Filipinos that since proclaiming independence in 1898, no President has become victim to any form of assassination. The closest we had to removing a chief executive from power was the exile of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos to Hawaii in 1986 as a result of a popular uprising and the forced resignation of former president, now Manila mayor, Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Killing Davao politicos

EDGEDAVAO

10 ENVIRONMENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

Mangroves:

Going, going, gone?

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

A

S worse as forest denudation in the uplands is the rape of resources down in the nearshore fishery areas. Over the years, mangrove trees and shrubs on swampy grounds and river mouths have been cut or destroyed.

From about 500,000 hectares of mangrove forests in 1918, it dwindled to only 120,500 hectares in 1994, according to Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). By 2012, only 117,000 hectares remained, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported.

“All over the country, whatever coastal province you visit, you see the same sight – desolate stretches of shoreline completely stripped of mangrove cover and now totally exposed to the pounding of the ocean’s waves,” an environmentalist said of mangrove status in the late 1990s.

Aside from “overexploitation by coastal dwellers,” the rapid disappearance of the mangroves forests was also due “to conversion to settlements, agriculture, aquaculture, salt pans and industry,” to quote SEAFDEC. By looking at mangrove forests, they seem to be sinister-looking. They are the places where cadavers of murdered victims are being thrown. They serve as backgrounds for some horror movies. That’s why they are given less importance by people.

Unknowingly, however, mangroves can help protect people and properties from total destruction should a strong typhoon hit the country. The Philippines has more than 7,000 islands and most Filipinos live near the shorelines.

Each year, an average of 20 typhoons visit the country.

It must be recalled that in 2013, 25 typhoons visited the country of which Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) was strongest killing more than 6,000 people. In fact, Yolanda was touted as “one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record.”

Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer, a professor of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of the Philippines in Miag-ao, Iloilo, recalled: “(The typhoon) uprooted trees, destroyed buildings, and brought storm surges of up to 6 meters,”. “The typhoon destroyed coastal communities in 8 of the 17 regions in the Philippines and affected 16 million individuals or 3.4 million families.”

The total cost of damage after Yolanda left the country: P38.9 billion (P20.2 billion for agriculture and P19.6 billion for

infrastructure including bridges and buildings).

In the midst of the chaos that came in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, there were stories on how mangroves saved people from death and their houses from destruction.

“People attributed their zero casualties to mangroves,” Dr. Ferrer wrote in a paper that was published by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA).

“These communities remind us of the value of mangroves.”

Saving people from typhoons The question is: how do mangroves save people from the wrath of typhoons? To find an answer to this question, a study on the protection service by mangroves was conducted by a group of researchers from the Visayas State University (VSU) based in Baybay City, Leyte. EEPSEA funded the study.

The researchers collected data from areas where Typhoon Yolanda passed through, particularly Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros, Panay and Palawan. They used secondary data from municipality offices and other government agencies.

“For casualties, we collected data on number of dead, missing and injured individuals,” said Moises Neil V. Seriño, assistant professor of the university’s Department of Economics, who headed the study.

“For the damages to properties, we collected data on totally and partially damaged houses.”

Based on the results of their study, they found out the province of Leyte as having the highest number of death among the provinces hit by typhoon Yolanda.

Those injured were not classified into either major or

slight injury.

“As long as people seek treatment in hospital and clinics, they are counted as injured without a distinction regarding the extent of injury,” Seriño explained.

“However, a huge number of people who were injured did not seek treatment.”

According to the researchers, heavy casualties were reported in Leyte and Samar because storm surge heavily devastated these areas.

Aside from casualty, heavy damages on properties were also recorded. “We disaggregate the damages into partially and totally damaged houses.

Results show that on average, 85 houses per barangay were reported to be partially damaged and around 58 houses per barangay were reported to be totally damaged,” Seriño reported.

Negros Occidental and Leyte were among the top provinces that reported relatively higher damages in housing property while Bohol reported minimal damages to housing property. The study found out that “there are more damages in housing properties in areas with relatively lesser mangrove cover compared to coastal barangays with substantial mangrove cover,” the researchers wrote.

In an exclusive interview,

Seriño told this author: “Mangroves provided significant protection to communities.

Coastal communities with substantial mangrove cover suffered fewer or less casualty and less housing damages as compared to coastal communities with reduced mangrove cover.”

Seriño further said: “Our study finds that the remaining mangrove vegetation reduced the number of deaths and damaged houses during the Yolanda incident. This property and lifesaving effects of mangrove is robust. Mangroves can protect us (our lives, livelihood and properties) from damaging effects of typhoons.”

Dr. Ferrer had the same idea. “Mangroves act as natural barriers in coastal areas, protecting communities from storm surges, waves, tidal currents, and typhoons,” she replied in an e-mail interview.

Some scientific studies have shown that “a barrier of mangroves over 100 meters wide can reduce wave height by between 13% and 66%.” In addition, “a per kilometer width of mangroves can weaken storm surge by 5-50 centimeters and surface wind waves by more than 75%.”

Vanishing mangroves But despite their uses, mangroves are fast disappearing in this part of the world. Accord-

ing to BFAR, of the remaining 117,000 hectares of mangrove forest, 95% represents secondary growth and only 5% constitutes old or primary mangroves mostly found in Palawan.

“Most mangrove areas in Luzon and the Visayas are made up of reproduction brush and young growth. Thus, mangrove forests remaining along Philippine coasts today are of much lower quality than early in the century, and they cover less than one-third of their original area,” the BFAR said in a briefing paper.

The most rapid decrease of mangroves happened during the 1960s and 1970s when government policies encouraged the expansion of aquaculture in various parts of the country.

The expansion occurred largely during a period when real prices for fish and shrimp were steadily increasing.

“Our mangroves are being mangled to give way to fishponds, especially for bangus culture, and in recent years, the production of prawns for export,” Dr. Angel C. Alcala, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service, said at that time.

But there were other causes. “Cutting of mangroves for fuelwood, charcoal making and construction is probably the second most pervasive intrusion on the resource,” wrote

Alan T. White and Roy Olsen D. de Leon in a collaborative report.

Small bakeries, for instance, prefer mangrove wood.

The demand for these products leads to illegal cutting, over harvesting, and subsequent degradation of the habitat and ecosystem.

“I’d rather cut mangrove trees than die of hunger,” said 38-year-old Jake Mangkaw, who quit fishing as source of livelihood. He sells the cut mangroves as firewood.

According to White and de Leon, the above activities has contributed to the decline of nearshore fisheries. “Degraded areas are more easily reclassified as disposable lands, which makes conversion more likely,” they wrote.

The economic boom has also contributed to the denudation of mangrove forests.

“Mangrove areas are the site for reclamation for urbanization and human settlements, expansion of highways, ports, and factories and tourism and recreational facilities,” said the late University of the Philippines-Visayas professor, Rodolfo B. Baldevarona. “As human settlement, mangrove is preferred because of its proximity to the sea and the fisheries along the shoreline.”

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EDGEDAVAO PEOPLE

D-TOUR ADVENTURE

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

A DETOUR (or diversion, if you want to use British English) is a – normally temporary – route taking traffic around an area, mostly in the cities, of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site.

But when it is spelled as DTour, it takes another turn. In Davao, D is associated with Uncle D, who was famous for his travels that were featured in one of the top-rating televisions show in the city.

The man behind Uncle D is Darrell Dean Blatchley, an American who speaks Bisaya so well that you sometimes think if he is really non-Filipino. Although he was born in the United States, he has already spent at least half of his life in Davao City, where his parents work as Christian missionaries.

Not only that, he is happily married to a Filipina named Mary, with whom he has two handsome kids.

In 2015, he was the only non-Filipino to receive the prestigious Datu Bago Awards among that year’s recipients.

The awardees were recognized for their “outstanding, exemplary and selfless contribution to the growth and development of Davao City through its greatest resources, its people and for their invaluable contribution to the preservation of the Dabawenyo culture heritage.”

Although the Uncle D Adventures is already off the air, people in Davao and other parts of the country can look forward seeing his newest ad-

ventures through D-Tour, “a socio-cultural and awareness tool that presents itself as a conscience for the society at hand by presenting situations wherein an individual is faced by simulated but rather common scenarios in life in which he may encounter.”

If that sounds a long introduction, read on so you get to understand what D-Tour is all about. The eco-conservation and adventure show, which Blatchley hosts, is produced by State of Mind Productions, Inc. The main advocacy of the company is to raise the artistry level in the city.

“We want to help artists, musicians, filmmakers and others to have an equal opportunity, which are usually given to a chosen few,” says Blatchley, the man behind the famed D’Bone Collector Museum.

So far, 12 episodes have already been done. “The show doesn’t only promote the places we visited for tourism purposes but also as a way to educate and inform the viewers about the beauty of nature around us,” he says during the launching of the D-Tour.

I had the opportunity of watching the two-finished episodes during the launching.

The first one deals more on his life: as a boy growing up in the United States, his interest in

“

Although the Uncle D Adventures is already off the air, people in Davao and other parts of the country can look forward seeing his newest adventures through D-Tour,

animals, what inspired him to do what he is doing now, and how he met his wife.

Another interesting episode was on typhoons: Blatchley as one of the two civilians from Davao who volunteered to help during the aftermath of Yolanda and as one of the first responders when Pablo hit some parts of Davao region.

Then, there was an episode on how he and other volunteers saved Mount Apo when it was under fire. But one episode that had me glued was when he held a crocodile with his two hands. Another breathtaking episode was when he went inside a cave.

The crew members of DTour include Timothy Sac, Xynyrd Jubay, Zerich Bordios, and Junnix Daclison. Accord-

ing to Blatchley, his crew was ordained by God. “They are all we have,” he explained. “And yet each team member brings a piece needed to make what we have (to do and to come up with the show).”

While filming, they encountered some problems, too. “But with our team, we became family and as a family we make decisions together. We are not an ordinary team; sensitive people may never survive like we do.”

One of the problems they encountered while filming was claustrophobia. “Most of the team members had never gone caving and we went to some extreme caves,” he said. “The preparation talk, I told them that if they stay with me they will survive! If someone panics,

then h e might die.”

Being known as “Uncle D” is not a bed of roses. “It’s a ‘responsibility’ harder than most will ever imagine,” he said. “Your offcamera image has to match your on-camera. I am outspoken and persuasive at times.

Learning to tone it down is hard but a must.”

Although most of the 12 episodes were filmed in Davao region, he is looking forward doing other episodes outside of the region. “We are looking at a region outside of ours to go to and live with lumads for a week or so,” he revealed. “Showing how they live in harmony with nature in some cases and as time goes on what will be lost.”

When asked for his final words, Blatchley said: “Life is a journey full of choices and consequences. We know that what we are doing with this show is not safe. But if it made a positive change for this country and inspired others to take action to protect this great nation and its resources, then we have taken a truly good path.”

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

Yamaha arrives in Lanang MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS living near the northern parts of Durianburg the now have more reasons to smile as Bikeworld Inc., opened the one of the biggest Yamaha motorcycle showrooms in the country last January 27.

Located along J.P. Laurel Avenue, the spanking new dealership is what Yamaha terms as its “3S Shop” which means that customers of the store is involved in the sales, after sales service and spare parts of all Yamaha motorcycle products.

The launch day kicked off with a motorcade featuring members of Durianburg’s Yamaha many active clubs. This was promptly followed by some games and entertainment before the ceremonial ribbon was eventually cut and the over 200-square meter showroom blessed.

Present for the simple opening ceremonies were Yamaha Motor Philippines exec Tomoyo Shiinoue, and Dennis Lazaro who also officiated in the symbolic turnover of Yamaha’s certificate of dealership to Dr. Philip Imperial, the President of Bikeworld Inc. When asked why Bikeworld decided to open a showroom in Lanang, Dr. Imperial noted the

lack of proper motorcycle service centers in the area. “With this 3S Yamaha Dealership, we intend to give our clients in Lanang, and in the nearby areas, the widest Yamaha motorbikes to choose from, top-notch after sales service, as well as provide the various parts, accessories and consumables they need.”

“We have a computerised service bay, where the latest Yamaha technologies are used to diagnose and service every Yamaha motorbike,” added Philip, “Our staff is also highly trained and live by Bikeworld’s vow to provide honest, timely, and effective service for out clients.”

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

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Kapuso stars banner biggest festivals in January

NOW SHOWING

February 1 – 7, 2017

MONSTER TRUCKS Lucas Till, Jane Levy Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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TRUST GMA NETWORK to kick off the year in the most festive way possible, making sure Kapuso fans in Aklan, Cebu, and Iloilo have a memorable celebration of three of the country’s major fiestas: Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, and Dinagyang Festivals.

In a month-long festivities that aim to honor the Holy Infant Jesus or Sto. Nino, Kapuso fans were treated to a series of Kapuso Mall Shows featuring the casts of Meant To Be, Ika6 Na Utos, and Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa.

The Kapuso stars could not help but be overwhelmed by the warm reception they received from their fans.

“We did not expect such warm welcome from our Kapusong Cebuano and Ilonggo since every year, we have Kapuso artists who go to Cebu and Iloilo to celebrate the Sinulog and Dinagyang festivals,” admits Meant To Be’s Barbie Forteza. “We came from our taping (in Manila) but when we heard them shouting and saw how happy they were, we forgot about how tired we were.”

Her co-star Ken Chan, who is also not new to regional malls shows, was taken by surprise upon seeing the jam-packed Robinsons Place Iloilo last Jan. 21. “It was really fun performing because you can hear the people shouting and cheering for you,” he shares. The crowd estimate during their Iloilo show was at 8,000.

Barbie and Ken, together with their co-stars Jak Roberto, Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj, and Mika dela Cruz were also in Cebu for the Sinulog Festival last Jan. 14 and 15. They held back-to-back mall shows in Gaisano Capital Island Mall Mactan and SM City Cebu and even joined the Grand Sinulog Parade together with the stars of Destined To Be Yours Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza; and My Love From The Star’s Jennylyn Mercado and Gil Cuerva.

Around 1.5 million people gathered during the parade while each mall show was attended by thousands of mall-goers.

“It was Meant To Be’s second time in Cebu and we won’t get tired promoting there,” tells Jak. Asked about his first Dinagyang experience as an actor, Jak says he could not believe it when he found out that they were able to fill the mall the way other bigger stars usually did.

Meanwhile, new Kapuso heartthrob Ivan says he greatly appreciates meeting their fans in person. “Since we are always on the set of our show, we don’t usually feel the response of the viewers about us and the show.

It’s really different in real life,” he adds.

The Sinulog and Dinagyang experience is something new to Addy.

“This was the first time that I did a festival in the Philippines. And to be honest, I’ve never seen so many people in one place in my whole life. It was surely overwhelming.”

Actress Sunshine Dizon agrees that this year’s Sinulog and Dinagyang Festivals were one for the book.

“It was a very memorable experience,” says the star of the hit-rating afternoon teleserye Ika-6 Na Utos.

Sunshine was joined by Gabby Concepcion in their Kapuso Mall Shows in Cebu and Iloilo last Jan 14 and Jan. 22, respectively. Their co-star, Ryza Cenon, also celebrated with them during the Sinulog Festival.

Meanwhile, the cast of the Afternoon Prime series Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa made sure they did not miss the fun. In fact, they went to all three

festivals.

Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose pumped up the energy of Kapuso fans who went to Pastrana Park to watch the Ati-Atihan Festival Kapuso Fiesta last Jan. 10. She was joined by her co-star Martin del Rosario.

Also gracing this year’s Ati-Atihan is Kapuso singer James Wright who went to Aklan last Jan. 6 for the Mutya It Kalibo Coronation Night.

Julie and Martin were joined by Benjamin Alves and LJ Reyes last January 13 in The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu for the Sinulog Festival.

Says Julie of the Kapusong Aklanons, Cebuanos, and Ilonggos: “We are very thankful for the warm reception we got from them. It is very touching that they continue to support all GMA shows. We hope that they support our new teleserye as well.”

Julie and Martin were also in Iloilo for a Kapuso Mall Show last January 20 at Robinsons Place Jaro.

“We cannot express how grateful we are to our Kapusong Aklanon, Cebuano, and Ilonggo for the resounding success of our series of Kapuso Mall Shows this year in celebration of the Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, and Dinagyang Festivals,” says Oliver Amoroso, Officer-in-Charge of GMA’s Regional TV Department. “It is our privilege to bring to them GMA’s biggest shows and brightest stars as a way of thanking them for keeping the Kapuso Network number one nationwide.”

EDGE DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

ECO-ZONES... FROM 1

gal Hotel, Davao City.

The two-day gab gathered more than 200 key representatives from the government, private sectors and other institutions to finalize integral steps necessary in accelerating regional economic zone development initiatives in Mindanao.

Among other things, the summit highlighted the collaboration between MinDa and PEZA through the signing of a memorandum of agreement that will encourage concerned agencies to participate in the promotion and development of eco-zones.

The MinDa chief stressed that the human resource of the island region is ready to embrace opportunities that will come with ecozone developments.

According to Alonto, MinDa and PEZA are looking at a holistic approach in ecozone development in which Mindanao’s agriculture and its component sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture will play key roles in the region’s overall development.

“If I am to envision the island region’s development in the next 10 to 20 years, I see agriculture cooperatives and agri-based industries as the most prominent drivers of Mindanao’s economy,” said Alonto.

One of the potential areas targeted for ecozone development is Tawi-Tawi with its high potential for agriculture and aquaculture development, particularly seaweed.

With the influx of agribased ecozones, Sec. Alonto hopes that this will strike a “balance between large plantation and smallholer farming” wherein farmers can fully PDAs the long-term benefits of such initiatives.

The agency is also looking into the establishment of key infrastructure and connectivi-

ty networks as they play a vital role in ensuring lie seamless flow of economic activities in the proposed eco-zones.

Through the Mindanao Development Corridors, a spatial approach to development, MinDa will work with concerned agencies in making sure that all interregional roads, gateway port and airports, as well as other logistic facilities are in place.

The MinDa chief identified some of the early gains of the strategy include the scheduled launching of the Davao-GenSan-Bitung shipping route, which will expedite travel time for goods between Indonesia and the Philippines from five weeks to three days.

“We are counting on this new route to entice more locators in our ecozones, especially from our neighbors in the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia and Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and the larger ASEAN market.” said Alonto.

The program also looked into the development of the Mindanao Railway Project, identified by the national government as one of the top priority projects for Mindanao.

Following the 1st Mindanao Ecozones Converging Meeting, MinDa representatives participated in PEZA-initiated workshops for local government units in Mindanao in several workshops held at PEZA main office last January 19 to 20, 2017 and January 26, 2017.

As a result of these workshops, the Mindanao Economic Zone Summit was set on February 2 to 3 in Davao City.

Following this workshop PEZA is looking forward to conduct the Philippine Economic Zones Convergence in Davao City on October 12 to 14, 2017, in partnership with MinDa and Chamber of Real Estate and Builder’s Association (CREBA).

intelligence operations.

“They (AFP) just have to be deputized by PDEA. Some of them are already involved, especially the intelligence personnel of the AFP in information gathering,” he said.

Meanwhile, Task Force Davao commander Col. Bernard Erwin Neri, who was present during Wednesday’s press conference, said their organization is also willing to support PDEA.

Neri also backed Albani’s statement that the TFD could help PDEA’s campaign as one of its “supporting units.”

“We [military and police] are still the supporting units of PDEA, the lead agency. We will not stop our campaign, we will still help them,” said Neri.

However, Neri pointed out that the certain units who would assist in the operations need to be trained on handling war against illegal drugs.

PDEA... FROM 4

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

GUV... FROM 2

as the peace talks between the Government and the CPP-NPANDF,” he added.

The attack, Dayanghirang pointed out, had exposed civilians to danger that caused mass evacuation.

“We in the Provincial Government will continue to support the Municipal Government of Manay in providing material support to the men, women, children and elderly evacuees, who are now being displaced by the violence.”

Dayanghirang also called on the peace panel of the government to investigate and make sure that such atrocities will never happen again.

He also asked his constituents for sobriety and pray for the peaceful resolution of all the conflicts at the soonest time possible.

In a statement to the media on Thursday, Captain Rhyan Batchar, chief information officer of 10th Infantry (Agila) Division said Alejo and his troops, together with the members of Philippine National Police (PNP) in the area were responding to the complaints of residents in Barangays Lambog and Rizal in Manay town when waylaid by undermined number of NPAs. “Barangay officials complained that the NPAs were forcing them to support the communist movement and forcibly asking money and foodstuffs from store owners and ordinary individuals,” Batchar said in the statement.

He added that the local police force of Manay and the local government unit request-

ed the assistance of 67th IB to address the security concerns of the people in said villages.

The responding members of the army and police were ambushed by the NPAs afternoon on Wednesday, February 1 in Sitio Paliwason, Lambog, Manay.

“Reinforcing troops of 67th IB immediately proceeded to the area and helped secure the people by moving them away from the encounter site. The troops also recovered another two high-powered rifle, one an AK-47 and personal belongings left by the fleeing NPAs,” Batchar added.

He added that the skirmishes forced several residents in Lambog and Rizal to leave their homes for safety.

Barangay officials in said villages, Batchar said, have already reported the evacuation of residents to the LGU and police of Manay.

“It is very sad that this incident happened while the NPA was supposed to be observing a unilateral ceasefire which they say is still in effect until February 10,” Major General Rafael Valencia, commander of 10th ID said in the same statement.

The attack, Valencia added, manifested that the NPAs are never the people’s army – as they waylaid a police-army team who were responding to the pleas of the people for their safety and security.

“It is the mandate of the soldiers and the police to secure and protect the people and the communities,” he added.

trative charges.

The IAS will file cases against police personnel who violate the provisions of restrictive custody, including the custodian of those under restrictive custody.

It will also issue clearances including recommendations for promotion, transfer or appointment, and for financial transactions of PNP personnel.

“In order for IAS to fulfill (its) functions, it is crucial that the pertinent provisions of the law guarantee that the organization is capacitated and empowered in instilling discipline and enhancing performance of personnel and units of the police force at all levels of its command,” Lacson said.

would have a national, regional, district, provincial and city offices. It will be headed by the Inspector General, with a rank of Police Deputy Director General. He will be assisted by deputy inspectors general for administration and operations.

The deputies will have a rank of Police Director.

The Inspector General must be an active duty commissioned officer of the PNP, a member of the Philippine Bar in good standing, and a holder of a Police Executive Service Eligibility, Career Service Executive Eligibility, or Career Executive Service Eligibility.

Directors of regional offices will have the rank of Chief Superintendent, while directors of provincial and city offices will have the rank of Senior Superintendent. (PNA)

More... FROM 4

Composition Lacson said that the IAS

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

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

1/27,2/3,10

NEWS11

Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) mass communication professor Ces Rodriguez talks about the Let’s make Davao City limpyo campaign jingle which will be launched on February 6 during the flag hoisting ceremony at City Hall. The jingle will be used by the different Barangays in the city to encourage Dabawenyos to help in the campaign for a cleaner Davao City.

Lean Daval Jr

750 new... FROM 2 In December 2016, 34 adolescents aged 10-19 years were reported to HARP. All of them were infected through sexual contact (five male-female sex, 19 male-to-male sex, 10 sex with both males and females). Of the 221 cases among those aged 15-24 years, 95 percent were male, and 219 were infected through sexual contact (23 male-female sex, 129 male-to-male sex, 67 sex with both males and females) and two through needle-sharing among IDUs. The report also said that 267 of the cases (36 percent), were logged in the National Capital Region (NCR), which was followed by Calabarzon with 136 cases (18 percent); Central Luzon with 74 (10 percent); Central Visayas with 59 (8 percent); and Davao with 46 (6 percent). The remaining 168 cases (22 percent) were from other regions in the country.

Two of the three pregnant women were from NCR while the other one was from Cen-

tral Visayas.

The first AIDS case in the Philippines was reported in 1984. From January 1984 to December 2016, 39,622 HIV positive cases have been reported to HARP, 93 percent or 36,801, of whom were male.

Some 51 percent, or 20,386, were from the 25-34 age group while 10,720 were between 15 and 24 years old.

In the early years of the epidemic (1984 to 1990), 62 percent or 133 of 216 cases were female but as the years went by, the trend changed.

From 1991 to the present, males comprised 93 percent or 36,718 of 39,395 cases.

The age group with the biggest proportion of cases has also turned younger. Between 2001 and 2005, it was 35 to 49 years. However, starting 2006, the age proportion shifted to 25 to 34 years. The proportion of HIV positive cases in the 15-24 age bracket increased from 25 percent in 2006-2010 to 28 percent in 2011-2016. (PNA)

tinued efforts must focus on business to business contacts to bring more Japanese business to Davao and the jobs and economic benefits that go with new business.”

As a followup, Yelinek convened a special meeting of the Rotary Club of East Davao, which he presides, and invited

Tomoko Dodo, consul-director of the Japanese Consulate in Davao, to speak on the significance of the official visit of PM Abe last month.

Consul Dodo pledged to work with Davao businessmen for more business matching encounter with Japanese businessmen.

unavoidable delays, the project is estimated to be completed

by December 2020.

“We need the support of the government, the Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the different local government units the project will traverse, among others, to push this forward. With their full support, we are confident that we will be able to complete this project on time,” stated the company.

NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and de-

veloping the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets.

The consortium, which holds the 25-year concession contract to operate the country’s power transmission network, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy, Jr., Calaca High Power Corporation led by Robert Coyiuto, Jr., and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as technical partner.

Dabawenyos... FROM 4

NGCP... FROM 5

12 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 248 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017

closely watching DA cites LGUs for controlling DOE LPG market behavior spread of Fusarium disease A

T

HE Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11) has rewarded to the provincial governments of Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental for containing the spread of banana Fusarium Wilt in the region.

Fusarium Wilt that is also known as Panama disease is a soil borne fungus causing wilting of banana plants. In 2013, DA-11 has identified at least 701,480 infected mats in the region prompting the agency and banana stakeholders to implement quarantine measures and needed interventions to save the one of the country’s leading dollar-earning industry.

The DA-11 conducted the search for the best-managed fusarium-infected farm as a rewards system for LGUs that effectively implemented quarantine control measures and interventions such as installation of foot and vehicle vats along entry points, issuance of local ordinance, disease eradication activities, and information drive.

Under Category I (with more than 1,000 hectares of

RECOGNITION. Davao del Norte Provincial Agriculturist Anastacia Notarte (3rd L) receives the mock cheque of P1million pesos and a plaque of recognition as Category I provincial winner of the search for Best-Managed Fusarium Infected Farm in Region XI. Handing over the reward are: (from L-R) DA-11 Crop Protection Chief, Marilou Infante and Integrated Laboratory Chief Susan Razo, and USEP President Lourdes Generalao. (DA-11 Photo) infected areas), the province Davao del Norte has received P1.745-million as cash prize under DA-XI’s search for best-managed banana fusarium infected farms in the region.

Of the said amount P1-million will go to the provincial LGU while the municipal LGU of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte received P445,000 and while

the barangay LGU of La Libertad received P300,000. The town of Sto. Tomas and its covered barangay of La Libertad were adjudged as winners in municipal and barangay levels respectively.

For Category II (with less than 1,000 hectares of infected areas), the province of Davao Oriental received a total of P1.25-million of

which P650-thousand goes to the provincial LGU while the muncipal LGU of San Isidro received P400-thousand and its covered barangay of La Union received P230-thousand.

Speaking during the awarding ceremony held Wednesday in Davao City, DA-XI OIC-Regional Director Ricardo Oñate, Jr. has cited the

PLDT, Inc., an industry-leading enabler of digital business solutions to enterprises in the Philippines, was awarded as the 2-Tier Partner of the Year

by Cisco Philippines during the recently concluded Cisco Partner Conference 2017 at Solaire Resort and Casino, Manila City. The Award is given to organizations that set the standards in revenue growth performance and commitment to innovation. ePLDT helped Cisco expand its business to new geographies by winning key deals in the BPO sector through its unique service offerings.

According to Nerisse Ramos, ePLDT Group Chief Operating Officer, it was ePLDT’s

strategic imperative to drive managed service growth that brought about big wins from enterprise verticals primarily in BPO, Hospitality and Manufacturing.

“We want to thank Cisco for recognizing our efforts in bringing innovative solutions to enterprises that solve their real-life business concerns,” Ramos said. “Our company has been setting the pace for IT innovation in the country. And with our long-standing and still growing partnership with Cisco, we will can enable fresher and more relevant technologies as well as value-creating IT solutions to the country.”

Eric Alberto, ePLDT Group President and CEO, added that the Award epitomizes ePLDT’s

F DA, 12

MIDST the increase of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices, the Department of Energy (DOE) assured that it is closely monitoring the local LPG market to make sure that only reasonably priced LPG products are being sold to consumers.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi reported: “Our Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) is closely assessing the global trend of supply and demand, while also taking into consideration other factors affecting the prices of LPG.” “The DOE-OIMB reported that the root cause of the LPG price hike this month was due to the increased demand by the cold weather continents such as North America, Europe and even Northern Asia,” Sec. Cusi explained.

Moreover Cusi added, “LPG is primarily being used as a heating fuel in these regions, especially with the extended cold weather or winter attributed to La Niña.”

Sec. Cusi clarified, “Large consuming countries are having a hard time getting their supply because even the transportation of these LPG products, mostly through railway, is also affected by the cold weather. This curbs supply, then affects the demand, and ultimately the prices.”

“The DOE-OIMB report also cites the rising global

crude oil prices and outages of oil refineries in some oil-producing countries as additional factors for the rising prices of LPG.” Sec. Cusi informed, “LPG is a by-product of crude oil and natural gas production. And with the global crude oil prices going up due also to the higher demand and curbed supply production from the OPEC, any by-product would also increase.”

“Since more than 90% of our LPG supply is imported, we must ensure that LPG products sold in the local market are reasonably priced, according to what actually is transpiring in the global market. This is how the government can protect consumers from these price volatilities,” Cusi said.

“We are being more thorough in monitoring the local market because some LPG traders might take advantage of this international market scenario to the detriment of the public. We don’t want that to happen.”

The DOE is also campaigning on the demand-side management of proper LPG use such as cooking with the appropriate size of pans, setting to low fire or turning off the stove when the water is already boiling and ensuring the integrity of the hose of the LPG to avoid leakage. (DOE)

stronghold as a trusted partner in the country’s IT industry, which was built with its investments in global-quality infrastructure, and more importantly, in world-class expertise.

“We have a strong team of pacesetters who are committed to delivering best-of-breed solutions to businesses—a team that is customer-centric which creates solutions that matter,” Alberto said.

In 2014, ePLDT won the same Cisco 2-Tier Partner of the Year Award for meeting requirements in personnel, support and specialization. The digital innovator demonstrated that it has the capability to sell, install and manage Cisco products and services in the country.

Jovy Hernandez, First Vice President and Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Groups said: “SMEs and Large enterprises in the country need a reliable partner that can help them drive their growth. That’s what ePLDT does, offering the right solutions backed by the right people to enable businesses not only to thrive but to innovate and disrupt.”

Cisco designs and sells broad lines of products, provides services and delivers intelligent solutions to develop and connect networks around the world for more than 30 years.

Learn more about ePLDT and its broad range of services.

Visit the website at www.epldt. com. (PR)

MUFG execs positive ePLDT receives Cisco 2-Tier Partner of the Year Award on economic growth E M ITSUBISHI UFJ Financial Group Inc. (MUFG), Japan’s biggest bank, forecasts the Philippine economy to grow between 6 to 7 percent this 2017.

The bank’s executives cited economic gains from the programs and policies of the Aquino administration and the strong commitment of the Duterte administration to further pursue measures to sustain robustness of the Philippine economy.

Takayoshi Futae, Managing Executive Officer and Chief Executive Officer for Asia and Oceania MUFG’s Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd (BTMU), said the bid to improve infrastructure in the Philippines has gained further support after the current government vowed to continue economic policies of the previous administration. ”Clearly President (Rodrigo R.) Duterte said he really wants to improve infrastructure development. So I really became more serious about helping this country to grow,” he said.

Tadahiro Miyamoto, BTMU Manila branch General Manager, said a major highlight of the Duterte administration’s 10-point economic agenda is sustained economic growth through higher infrastructure investment.

“When we saw that it was

very comforting for us… There is no big change from the previous government in terms of policies… It is beneficial to the country and the people,” he said.

The current government bids to increase infrastructure investment to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year to achieve higher growth print, ensure more inclusive growth and make the Philippines a high income country in one generation.

Futae said MUFG is “committed to supporting Asia’s growth”, citing that the financial institution is the world’s biggest project finance provider.

He said the Philippines and Thailand is among the key markets in Asia that FUMG is committed to strengthen their business in.

Last year, BTMU bought 20 percent stake in Security Bank Corporation (Security Bank) through a PHP36.9 billion investment. ”We are very bullish and very happy with the alliance with Security Bank. We believe in this country’s big potential,” Futae said.

Futae said Japanese investors consider the Philippines a priority investment destination and they are willing to explore more business opportunities in the domestic economy. (PNA)

AWARD. (From left to right) Bidhan Roy, Cisco ASEAN Director for Distribution and Geo; Benjamin Rollan, Cisco Partner Account Manager; Irene De Guzman, PLDT Core Business Group Product Manager; Fay Ocampo, PLDT Core Business Group, AVP and Head of Enterprise Voice and Managed IT; Brett C. Medel, ePLDT Group CIO and Solutions Consulting Head; Robin Llamas, Cisco Manager for Partner Business Group; Lalaine de Persia, ePLDT Head of

Strategic Partnership; Enrique Rodriguez, Cisco Country Manager; Rommel Angeles, Cisco Client Services Manager; and Alfred Tan, Cisco ASEAN Director for Partner Business Group pose for the camera as ePLDT representatives receive the 2-Tier Partner of the Year Award during the recently concluded Cisco Partner Conference 2017 at Solaire Resort and Casino, Manila City.

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Turn the tide Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, a fishery expert who is with the National Academy of Science and Technology, urges Filipinos to stop the wanton destruction of mangroves.

“Because of the interconnectivity between mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs, the loss of one will cause the decline in productivity of the others,” he explained. “Fisheries production in our coastal waters will consequently decline.”

Fishermen in Davao Gulf support this claim, saying that their fish catch has been falling since the mangroves were cleared in the nearby areas.

There are other uses aside from those mentioned earlier. For one, they are important sources of both major and minor forest products. The major forest products include timber, firewood, charcoal, and pulp and paper, whereas the

minor products derived are extractives (tannin and dyes), nipa sap and nipa shingles, oil, medicine, resin, tea and livestock supplements.

Timber products from mangroves are poles, house post foundation, pilings, bridges, ship planking and mine timber props. Wood quality is excellent for making furniture and tool handles.

In rural areas, firewood and charcoal from mangroves are used in cooking, heating and ironing. “Bakuan” (Rhizophora spp.) is considered the best for charcoal making compared to those derived from any Philippine hardwood species because of its high calorific value and emission of very little smoke.

“Bakuan” is also excellent for firewood.

But most importantly, mangroves serve as sanctuaries and feeding grounds for fish that nibble on detritus trapped in

the vegetation, and on the bark and leave of living trees.

Those living in the coastal areas turn to mangroves for cures for various ailments, including premature falling of hair, boils, snake bites, smallpox, ulcerations, sore eyes, tumors, tonsilitis, pharyngitis, hemorrhoids, skin eruptions, burns, diarrhea and intestinal bleeding.

Instead of looking mangroves as less important, they should be seen as a link between the land and the sea.

And they must be saved from further denudation.

“I always believed that as long as there is life, there is hope,” said Dr. Guerrero. “Yes, there is definitely hope if we begin to realize that we are only stewards and not the owners of our natural resources like mangroves. We are only their guardians for future generations.”

key role of the LGUs in keeping the incidence of banana Fusarium Wilt at bay.

“This awarding ceremony is a manifestation of the effective collaboration of DA and the LGUs as well as our attached agencies in addressing the need of our banana industry. Our rewards system is also an indication of what we have done to contain the disease,” Oñate said.

University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) President Lourdes Generalao who graced the event as guest speaker lauded DA’s effort of engaging the LGUs in managing banana fusarium wilt.

Generalao who is also a plant pathologist said the best way to manage the disease is through the strong efforts of the LGUs as they can reach even the

remotest area.

Davao del Norte provincial agriculturist Anastacia Notarte in her message on behalf of the awardees said the cash prize will be invested in the enhancing their tissue culture laboratory to provide more quality and disease-free seedlings to small banana farmers in the province. (Noel T. Provido/DAXI)

DA... FROM 12

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MELBY MATCH Gensan fighter gets title shot in Melbourne

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

P

njb@edgedavao.net

ERTH, Australia – The distinction of being the first Filipino to see action in a title fight in Australia this year won’t go to boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Adam Diu Abdulhamid will get that distinction as he faces Australian Tim Hunt for the for the vacant WBC-ABCO super lightweight title in Melbourne on April 21, a day before the Filipino box-

ing legend will have his turn.

That is assuming the Apriil 23 fight at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane takes place.

Australian boxing promoter and manager Peter Maniatis announced the fight through Philippines-based boxing news site Philboxing. The fight be held at the historic Malvern Town Hall in Melbourne.

Malvern Town Hall is the former town hall of the municipality of Malvern in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the seat of the local g o ve r n m e n t area of the City of Stonnington.

Maniatis said t h e Malvern Town Hall is

now is a very popular venue, hosting Filipino boxers. Former WBA interim world champion Randy Petalcorin fought twice and scored knockout wins at the Malvern Town Hall in 2013 and 2014. “l would like to invite as many Filipino boxers to Melbourne, Australia to fight on my events and also give Filipino boxers opportunity in title bouts here in Australia” said the Melbourne-based Maniatis.

Abdulhamid, who has a professional record of 11 wins with 4 knockouts and 3 losses, fights out of the Sanman Gym of Gen. Santos City.

Hunt has an impressive 20-1-4 (7) ring record and held the PABA and Australian boxing titles.

A check with Boxrec showed that Abdulhamid,22, is a southpaw and lost in his first overseas outing by TKO in Russia last year against Georgi Chelokhsaev for the WBO Youth super lightweight title.

TITLE SHOT. Adam Diu Abdulhamid gets a title shot in Melbourne on April 21.

After that loss, he rebounded with with wins against Marjhun Tabamo and Raymond Yanong.

Abdulhamid has set up his training camp in Gen. Santos City and is reportedly very hard in training in a serious bid

Explosive card in Gensan Feb. 26

T

HE explosive inaugural boxing show for this year by Sanman Promotions will now be held on February 26 at the Lagao Gym in General Santos City.

“It is officially part of the annual Kalilangan Festival celebration by the city,” said promoter Jim Claude “JC” Manangquil, Chief Executive Office of the Sanman Promotions.

The boxing card, dubbed as the “Rise of the Next Champions” was first scheduled at a convention center of one of the

malls on February 25. “(But) we had to change the venue to Lagao Gym because the SM Convention Center could only accommodate around 800 people and that will not be enough,” said Manangquil.

Lagao Gym, which is owned by the city government can accommodate at least 5,000 people.

“This is still free to the public and it is now included in the calendar of the city,” said Manangquil.

The boxing card will have

four championships including an International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Youth super flyweight title fight. It will start at 5 p.m. following the amateur boxing slated at 1 p.m.

The undefeated Jade Bornea (6 wins, 4 KOs) of the Sanman-Amoy Stable will face Raul “Vulcan” Yu (9 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws, 8 KOs) of the ALA Stable from Cebu for the vacant IBF World Youth super flyweight title.

The other title fights will feature three new Sanman fighters Eden “Sanman” Son-

sona (35-6-2, 12 KOs), Ben Mananquil (12-1-2, 3 KOs), and Lolito “Thunder Shot” Sonsona (20-1-4-, 9 KOs).Eden, a former WBC International Silver super featherweight champion, will face Jovany Rota (9-90, 6 KOs) for the World Boxing Federation (WBF)International super featherweight crown, while his elder brother Lolito takes on former WBC Euro Asia Pacific and WBO Asia Pacific flyweight champion Macrea “The Barb Wire” Gandionco (11-4-2, 7 KOs) for the WBF Asia super flyweight title.

to win the WBC ABCO titles.

Maniatis describes Hunt as someone who “boxes well and has good foot work and good skills.”

“I have spoken to the WBC rep Patrick Cusick who sanctioned the WBC ABCO fight

and he said the winner of this regional title fight will get a WBC World ranking and be invited to fight in India this year so it’s an exciting incentive for both boxers to win the ABCO title fight,” Maniatis was quoted by Philboxing as saying.

Davao to host GAB confab

T

HE Games and Amusements Board (GAB) is holding the Philippine Boxing Convention in Davao City on May 10 to 12 and the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Convention in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

GAB Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra said registration is free for both conventions.

“We’re still finalizing the activities in the convention,” said Mitra.

The convention in Davao will also include a seminar on officiating and judging and topics on medical issues.<>GAB has agreed with the newly-organized Philippine Promoters and Managers Association (PPMA) headed by its president Dante Almario to make an amendment

on its General Rule on reducing the 45 days mandatory rest period of all boxers per rounds.

“Exception on the 45 days mandatory rest period (that it) may be reduced but not less than 30 days subject to presentation of CT scan and medical clearance and favorable recommendation of the GAB doctor,” said Mitra.

Meanwhile, OPBF is presently headed by its President Juan Ramon Guanzon, a former GAB Chairman from Bacolod City.

Last year’s OPBF Convention was held in Bacolod with no less than World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman as the guest of honor.

Sulaiman is invited again for this year’s convention. (PNA)

Gasol burries 24 as Grizzlies topple Nuggets

M NO MAN’S LAND. Star Hotshot Paul Lee slithers through the tight defense of Mahindra during the Star-Mahindra matchup in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome. Star won. PBA Media

ARC Gasol scored 24 points, Mike Conley had 18 and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 119-99 on Wednesday night.

Memphis led for most of the game and won its third in a row.

Emmanuel Mudiay had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds in his return to the Nuggets lineup. Denver came into the game without Nikola Jokic (left hip flexor strain) and Will Barton (left ankle soreness) and then lost two more players before the night ended.

Point guard Jameer Nelson was ejected just 4:07 into the game, leaving the Nuggets with three guards, and leading scor-

er Danilo Gallinari exited late in the third quarter with a left groin strain.

The Grizzlies took advantage of a tired Nuggets team that lost on the road to the Lakers on Tuesday. They led by 16 in the first half and increased it to 19 in the third when Gasol had 10 points.

Memphis stretched the lead to 25 midway through the fourth quarter.

TIP-INS Grizzlies: The last time Memphis won three in a row was when it reeled off five straight from Dec. 1-10. The last of those was a 21-point win over Golden State. ...

G Wade Baldwin IV was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the D League on Tuesday.

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