Edge Davao 9 Issue 259 by Edge Davao The Business Paper

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

SHARING THE PAIN. President Rodrigo Duterte reacts while looking at the remains of Corporal Michael Yadao at Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City on Friday afternoon. Duterte visited the wake of Yadao and Private Virnel Damondon who were both killed in an encounter with the New People’s Army at the Brgy. Lamanan, Calinan District, Davao City on Thursday. Lean Daval Jr.

FINAL SALUTE Army grieves over fallen soldiers in Calinan, Paquibato clashes

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

“W

adlopez0920@gmail.com

E grieved for the death of our soldiers, and we salute them for their display of the finest tradition of soldiery.” This was the statement issued by Brig. General Gilbert I. Gapay, commander of Joint Task Force Haribon which has the operational jurisdiction over Davao City.

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EDGEDAVAO Sports Compostela Valley gears BACK TO THE FAIRWAYS

9th Phoenix-Pioneer Open golf set March 11 P15

up for Bulawan Festival By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

OMPOSTELA VALLEY—Various activities are in line for the 10th Bulawan Festival

and 19th founding anniversary that will be celebrated by the province on March 4 to 8, 2018. SP member Hon. Joanna Aileen Gen-

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UPBEAT. Rep. of PBA Partylist Cong. Jericho Nograles, PIA’s Efren Elbabuena, ComVal Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy, SP member Joanna Aileen Gentugaya ham it up during the Hermes Forum at Waterfront Insular Hotel on Saturday. (JERMAINE DELA CRUZ)

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

AT THE HELM. Newly-elected national officers of Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines led by this year’s president Vice Mayor Donnabel Joy Mejia (leftmost) of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur are proclaimed during the organization’s 24th National Convention and Election of National Officers held at Garden Oases in Davao City on Friday. Lean Daval Jr.

Pres. Duterte calls recent allegations ‘pure garbage’

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has dismissed as “pure garbage” the recent allegations against him, saying he has already ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to give out information about his financial worth. In a speech before the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1967 of which he is an honorary member, the President described the issue as a matter of principle and honor for him. He reiterated his campaign pledge that should any of his family members or he himself be involved in corruption in government, he will resign immediately from office. He also gave his word that he would not bring shame to PMA Class of 1967. “Kaya ang gusto ko lang sabihin sa inyo (All I want to tell you is), it’s politics again. It’s a rehash of what they… it is pure garbage,” the President said in his speech at the Cordillera Convention Hall of the

Baguio Country Club Friday night. “But you know, I’m President. I’ve ordered AMLC and everybody to give information what’s my worth in this, in terms of pesos, in this planet.” The President further said that neither any member of his family nor himself is involved in corruption, noting that he has not signed any voucher for extra benefits or accepted allowances. He admitted he only gets his salary. The President vowed to hit hard against corruption, adding that he must lead by example to command obedience. “You know our people have endured corruption all throughout the years. I would not like to be a person (who is) into the blame game,” he said. “But at least during my time, there will be a respite for the people. And corruption will really be controlled or stopped. ‘Yan ang masiguro ninyo. (You are assured of that.)” (PNA)

Easterlies may persist in eastern RP till next week

HE eastern sections of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao may experience mostly cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms until next week. “The easterlies will continue affecting those areas and cause such expected conditions there,” said weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio of the state weather bureau, PAGASA. He however said that winds will not reach gale-force intensity during the easterlies’ predominance in the coun-

try’s eastern section. Aurelio noted that latest available data indicate that the easterlies may predominate there until Thursday (Feb. 23) or Friday (Feb. 24). “Resurgence of the northeast monsoon or ‘amihan’ is likely afterwards,” he said. Experts said the easterlies are winds with components from the east. The annual ‘amihan’ starts over Siberia as cold, dry air mass which gathers moisture while traveling across the Pacific Ocean towards the Philip-

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Mayor Sara: Trillanes ‘better alive than dead’ By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

AVAO City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Friday that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is better “alive than dead” so that her father, President Duterte could bully him. This after the senator claimed that President Duterte wanted him dead based on the information he purportedly received. In her social media account, Sara posted the photo of the article where Trillanes said that the President wanted him dead with a caption “Are you sure? Boy Nograles is still alive.” Sara was referring to former 1st District Congressman

of the City, Prospero “Boy” Nograles, one of his father’s longest political enemy. The two however, reconciled when Rodrigo decided to run for the presidency. Sara added that her father wanted him alive because he wants playing games. “PRD does not want you dead because he wants playing games. Kung wala ka na wala na siya ma-bully. Ask Nograles and Senator (Leila) De Lima” she posted. Recently, Trillanes has been receiving tirades from the Duterte family following his revival of the alleged anomalous bank transaction of President Rodrigo amounting pur-

portedly at P2.4 billion. Trillanes even included the Duterte children on the alleged illegal transaction of Rodrigo back then. Sara rebutted Trillanes’ accusation saying that she does not pretend to be someone she’s not. “I never pretended to be what I am not. If Trillanes can show where my alleged P121 million is right now and how it became illegal, let’s get it and I give it to all of you,” she said. Rodrigo’s eldest son Paolo also made a statement following the accusation. He even call Trillanes “moron” and suggested that the senator would take

psychiatric test. “He earlier accused me of being a drug user and when I have proven that I am not, now he accuses me of having millions in questionable wealth. From drug test and now bank test if I may suggest for him to take psychiatric test as something is very very wrong with his mind,” Paolo said. Rodrigo also made his piece saying that the senator is a robber and advised him to bring his case in court. “I would advised Trillanes to go to court and file proper case against me and advised him further to stop opening his mouth when he has nothing to say anyway,” he said.

She said their integrated module allows pupils and students to learn and undergo stress debriefing at the same time. Karl Duanne Casurra, school principal of Fun To Learn, a private kindergarten school, brought four occupational therapists from Cebu. “They are conducting series of stress debriefing to our public school teachers here. They are from Medical Action Relief, Counseling and Healing Services for Christ and Alyansa sa mga Bisayang Therapists,” he said. Casurra said the stress debriefing activities will enable the teachers and students to cope with the fears caused by the quake and its aftershocks. “This is to help teachers

and students increase their functional independence while preventing or minimizing possible mental problem,” he said. Casurra said city and provincial governments and the Department of Education (DepEd) in the city and province had agreed that classes for all schools will resume on Monday. Governor Matugas, a former regional director of DepEd said she will recommend a stress debriefing for all teachers and Deped officials. “We have a group of psychologists coming from Cebu, Manila and Northern Mindanao who arrived in Surigao City today (Friday) to conduct series of stress debriefing,” she said. Berte said the occupational therapists found

that a few teachers were extremely traumatized. . Officials, meanwhile, expressed concerns on the safety of students and teachers who will use the school buildings. “Pipila ra man ang severely damaged schools but despite of that we will find another way to hold classes even outside the school building,” Casurra said. Mayor Matugas told DepEd officials not to occupy buildings which are considered dangerous to avoid accidents. Last Monday structural engineers from Manila arrived in Surigao and checked several schools as well as private and government buildings. But there was no report yet on their findings. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews)

Surigao teachers undergo stress debriefing

TOTAL of 1,200 teachers who were traumatized by the 6.7-magnitude quake last February 10 underwent stress debriefing this week to help them cope with the trauma, an education official said. Dr. Gilda Berte, Surigao City schools division superintendent said 400 teachers underwent debriefing on Thursday and Friday and 800 others were scheduled to undergo the procedure on Saturday. Students, too, will undergo stress debriefing by the Department of Health starting Monday, Berte said during a conference Friday with Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Matugas, City Mayor Ernesto Matugas City Vice Mayor Alfonso S. Casurra.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

54 quake-hit Surigao villages received assistance: DSWD

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported Saturday that all 54 barangays in quake-hit Surigao City have already been provided relief assistance. Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said she is quite relieved that all barangays that were affected by the 6.7-magnitude tremor that rocked the city last Feb. 10 have been reached. She assured the local government units of these barangays that her office will continue to send them the resources they need to help the quake

victims. “We have to help our ‘kababayans’ (compatriots) recover from the trauma caused by the earthquake. They are still traumatized from their experience and may not be able to return to their normal lives because aftershocks are still felt from time to time,” Taguiwalo said. “The DSWD pledges to continue monitoring the situation and to be always prepared to provide what assistance are within our means.” She noted that the repacking of relief goods at DSWD-Caraga region contin-

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Higher tobacco taxes could compensate losses from mine closures: health group

UBLIC health think tank and advocacy group, HealthJustice Philippines, has said that losses from the closure of mining operations could be compensated by revenues from the tobacco tax. “The government need not fear what it perceives to be substantial losses. These can be recouped by increasing tobacco taxes. If we increase tobacco tax to PHP1 per stick, the estimated annual revenues could be around PHP174.9 billion. We can also save around 95,696 lives every year. That way, we are hitting two birds with one stone. We are prioritizing our health and environment while still ensuring our

fiscal stability,” said Atty. Irene Reyes of HealthJustice. In an earlier statement, HealthJustice announced that increasing tobacco taxes is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the most effective way to discourage smoking and prevent the youth from trying it in the first place. “An increase of PHP1 tobacco tax per stick can significantly curtail smoking in the Philippines and save around 100,000 lives every year,” Reyes said. Last Feb. 9, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced the

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IN SORROW. Corporal Michael Yadao’s wife Glaiza and brother-in-law Harold Corpus grief as his remains arrived at Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City on Friday afternoon. Yadao, together with Private First

Class Virnel Damondon, was killed in an encounter with the New People’s Army at the Brgy. Lamanan, Calinan District, Davao City on Thursday. Lean Daval Jr.

RP, Russia to formalize MOU on cooperation By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

ATIONAL Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon said that the Philippines and Russia are expected to ink a Memorandum of Understanding on

security cooperation between the two countries. In a press conference in Davao City a day after the meeting of President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian Frdera-

tion Secretary of the Security Council H. E Nikolay P. Putrushev, Esperon said that the MOU of the two countries is expected to be signed when Duterte visits Moscow.

The MOU between the two countries will ensure cooperation on the fields of Security and Intelligence, defense and Military, law enforcement, ter-

BOUT 1.8 million Grade 9 students from public and private schools nationwide will take the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) on March 1 and 2. The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Bureau of Educational Assessment (BEA), will lead the administration of the annual NCAE, with help from personnel of schools divisions nationwide. The NCAE determines the learner’s aptitude and occupational interest in any of the Senior High School (SHS) tracks. Occupational interest is the learner’s preference in specific vocations and career categories.

The two-day exam also aims to guide the conduct of career guidance at the school level and to ensure the development of skills and competencies required for the world of work and career choices. This is also to provide basis for profiling a learner’s aptitude in the four SHS tracks -- Academic, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design. Under the Academic track are the following strands: Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS). The career assessment covers three domains -- Gen-

eral Scholastic Aptitude (GSA), Occupational Interest Inventory (OII), and Aptitude for the SHS tracks. The GSA refers to the student’s scientific ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, mathematical ability and logical reasoning ability. The OII pertains to the checklist of occupational interests which provides an assessment on preferences for comprehensive career guidance. The Aptitude test measures the innate ability of the student to succeed in the SHS tracks. This year’s career assessment is pursuant to the DepEd’s Memorandum No. 16 s. 2017. (PNA)

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is ready to accept calls 24/7 regarding abuses on children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). With this, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III urged the public to report to DOLE Hotline 1349 any mistreatment of young Filipinos whose parents are working abroad. “I am asking the public that if they witness or suspect that the child of an OFW is being abused, they should call our Hotline 1349 so we can ensure the safety of the child,” he

said in a statement. Citing the UNICEF’s National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children: Philippines, Bello noted that children left behind by OFW parents are prone to abuses. The labor chief said the reports that will be received by Hotline 1349 are going to be validated and investigated by DOLE, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Justice (DOJ). “We have to protect these children. One way of protecting them is to report this to our

Hotline 1349. We will investigate, and if necessary, rescue the child. Mahirap kasi na ang pinagtitiwalaan mo na mag-aalaga sa anak mo ay iyon pa ang mag-aabuso sa mga bata (It is unacceptable that the very people to whom OFWs entrust their children, would be the ones to abuse them),” Bello added. He said the hotline is in line with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte for government agencies to ensure that queries and concerns of the public are immediately acted upon. (PNA)

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1.8-M students to take career assessment exam

DOLE: Call Hotline 1349 to report abuse on children of OFWs

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6 SUBURBIA Davao Oriental to help speed up Mindanao’s overall development

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USHING for further development and global competitiveness for the entire island of Mindanao, a composite team from Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and USAID Compete Project met with the heads of the Provincial Government’s key offices to discuss the province’s laid-out plans on infrastructure development. During the meeting on February 16 at the Provincial Capitol, Lydia Martinez, Team Leader of the Compete Project, said that they are looking at the infrastructure plans and investment potentials of the different provinces, touted to boost development in Mindanao. The team has been in a series of visits in different provinces in Mindanao to study the viability of their infrastructure development plans for inclusion in the blueprint of the Mindanao Development Plan, where in enhanced connectivity is identified as a major enabling factor to boost economic and investment potentials. The team said the study is part of the program’s thrust to provide technical assistance to enhance viability of infrastructure programs. They said that they are eyeing strategic areas potential for the development of airports and seaports that are touted to advance Mindanao’s trade

and economic growth. The team said that conducting this study would help the government strategize and prioritize projects in order to make sure that its investments would not go down the drain. Presenting the policy directions of the Provincial Government, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Freddie C. Bendulo showed the proposed plans of the province to build ports as well as roads that will greatly support the development of the province’s economic and tourism industries. “Davao Oriental, as part of the southeast Mindanao Corridor, has an immense potential to contribute in the overall development of Mindanao,” he said. Ednar G. Dayanghirang,

Civil works on for Sarangani firm’s 2nd 105-MW coal-fired facility

HE civil works have formally started for the second section of Sarangani Energy Corporation’s (SEC) USD 570 million coal-fired power plant in Maasim town in Sarangani Province. Engineering firm JGC Philippines, Inc. (JPhil), which was contracted by SEC to build the second 105-megawatt (MW) component of the 210-MW power plant, launched the project’s construction on Thursday, following the ceremonial start of excavation at its site in Barangay Kamanga in Maasim. Joel Lubguban, JPhil deputy project manager, said the site excavation mainly signals the actual start of the power plant project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works. “This is an important milestone for (JPhil). Right now, we’re on track with our target to deliver the power plant by the first quarter of 2019,” he said. He assured the SEC that they will complete on schedule the project’s offshore and onshore works as set in their contract. SEC awarded to JPhil, which is a subsidiary of JGC Corporation of Japan, the offshore and onshore contracts for the EPC works of the second 105-MW coal-fired power plant in July last year. The onshore portion of the project was projected to take

30 months to complete and will involve around 140 JPhil engineers and support staff. Lubguban said local communities will significantly benefit from the project in terms of employment as they will hire around 1,500 workers for the entire duration of the construction phase. He said preference will be given to skilled workers coming from Maasim and the neighboring areas. “We will be doing this work for around 3,000 man hours for the duration,” he said. President Rodrigo R. Duterte led on Jan. 26 the formal ground breaking and kick-off of the project and the ceremonial switch-on of the power plant’s first 105-MW section, which started commercial operations in April last year. SEC specifically utilized a circulating fluidized bed boiler, described as the latest clean coal technology, “where low sulfur coal are heated to generate steam that in turn propel the steam turbine generator.” The company said the plant’s Section 1 currently supplies power to more than three million residents in the provinces of Sarangani, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, South Cotabato, Davao del Norte, and the cities of General Santos, Iligan, Bayugan, Butuan, Samal and Tagum. (PNA)

Chief of Staff at the Provincial Governor’s Office, emphasized the need for infrastructure development not only in the town centers but as well as the hinterlands. He suggested putting up more farmto-market roads to help the marginalized communities in the upland villages in transporting their goods. He considered these roads as crucial to these far-flung villages as it would help cut the expensive transportation cost. “We are an agricultural province and most of our constituents are farmers living in upland villages. I think we should also focus of putting up investments in these marginalized areas,” he said, saying the strategy would not only help curb poverty but would also decrease the incidence of in-

surgency. He also suggested the inclusion of ancestral domains in the infrastructure development plan as these areas are usually located farthest from the town centers and often requires more support in terms of development. Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang stressed the province’s need to further develop the province’s tourism value-chain to support the already established world-class tourism destinations. He said that tapping funding support from agencies to put up key infrastructure facilities will help the province prop up its emerging tourism industry, thus, providing livelihoods and incomes to the province’s poor constituents. (Karen Lou Deloso/PIO DavOr)

ARMM opens new road in Maguindanao town

EGIONAL Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Friday led the turnover of P13.27 million worth of road projects to the municipal government of Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao. Hataman led other ARMM officials in the turnover ceremony of the 1.3-kilometer access road at Barangay Mulaog here. Also present were Public Works and Highways-ARMM Secretary Engr. Mustapha Loong, Maguindanao’s 1st District Engineer Nasrodin Ibrahim, Sultan Kudarat Mayor Shameem Mastura, and other officials. Sultan Mastura Road (Phase 1) connecting Barangay Banubo to Barangay Mulaog was concreted. Sec. Loong said construction started in 2016 through a Memorandum of Agreement between his agency and the municipal government. The ARMM executive said the construction of another two-kilometer road will be implemented this year in the same town connecting Barangay Mulaog to Barangay Sinditan, Sultan Kudarat. Data from DPWH-ARMM showed that the agency had implemented 22.39 kilometers of road projects from 2012-2016 in the town of Sultan Kudarat alone with an allocation of P304.52 million. An additional P150 million is earmarked for the implementation of projects with a length of 12.70 kilometers this year.

That includes concreting of Dagurungan-Boliok-Tambo Road in Sultan Mastura; Ladia-Ibotigen Road; Ibotigen-Narra-Katidtuan Road; Mulaog-Sinditan Road; construction of flood control project in Nuling Creek; and concreting of an access road from the national highway. Hataman assured that the regional government would fast track all the infrastructure projects in Sultan Kudarat. Mayor Mastura noted the Mulaog to Sinditan project is an instrument for the development of their area. “We are very thankful to Gov. Hataman for his support not just for Maguindanao but for the entire ARMM as well, kahit saang parte ng ARMM nakikita po natin ang malaking pagbabago,” Mayor Mastura said. The mayor said his constituents can now easily go to the market and buy their needs and that the project would also address flooding concerns. “Napakasaya po namin dahil bawas po sa gastusin namin ang project na ito. Dati aabot ng P90 ang pamasahe pero ngayon na maayos na ang daan aabot na lang sa P10, malaking bagay na yun dahil pwede pa po namin pambili ng bigas yun,” Fatima Solaiman, a 52-year-old resident of Barangay Banubo, said. “Ang dating imposible ngayon ay naging posible, dito na po ako tumanda, hindi po namin inisip na magiging sementado pa ang daan dito,” Solaiman added. (PNA)

burning its units plying the Gen. Santos City-Cotabato City route if his demand for a P1-million monthly protection money was ignored. Upon receipt of the demand, the bus firm cooperated with Sultan Kudarat PNP. Supiter coordinated with the Maguindanao police office and the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion in the entrapment operation. “The bus firm’s cooperation with the security officers led to the arrest of the suspect,” Supiter said, adding

Ibrahim is now in police custody awaiting charges of extortion. The bus operator lauded the successful police operation and vowed to continue cooperating with authorities against lawless elements. Supiter said investigators are still determining what group Ibrahim belonged to. But the al-Khobar extortion group is operating in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces, prying on bus firms and multi-national companies. (PNA)

Extortion attempt vs GenSan-based bus firm foiled

OLICE and military operatives foiled an attempt by an extortion group to mulct the lone bus firm plying the Cotabato City-Maguindanao-Gen. Santos City route and arrested a man during entrapment operation Friday, police said. The suspect was to receive a P1 million extortion money he demanded from Biocrest Multi-Purpose Cooperative when lawmen arrested him at past 9 a.m. in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.

Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, Sultan Kudarat provincial police director, identified the suspect as 43-year-old Jerry Ibrahim, a resident of Datu Saudi town. He was nabbed while in the act of receiving from a courier a package that actually contained a few bills and dummy papers. Supiter said the entrapment was successful due to the cooperation of the firm’s management with the police authorities. Ibrahim has repeatedly threatened the bus firm of

READY FOR JOBS. Some 244 students graduate under Alternative Learning System (ALS) program on February 10 at Barangay San Isidro Hall. There were 59 graduates in welding/SMAW, 31 in cookery, 59 in massage, 56 in Electrical Installation Maintenance (EIM) and 39 in housekeeping. (Gensan CPIO/Jan Rey P. Libunao)

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DA-BFAR to build fishing landing center in Tawi-Tawi

HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BFAR-ARMM) has allocated PhP 3 million to build a community fish landing center in the province of Tawi-Tawi. BFAR-ARMM Regional Director Janice Desamito-Musali on Friday told the Philippines News Agency the construction of the project is scheduled to start within the second quarter of this year. The fish landing center will be placed beside the wet market section of the public market of Bongao municipality, the capital of the province of Tawi-Tawi. Musali said the community fish landing center, once completed, will boost the economic livelihood of the fisher folks in the province. Fishing is one of the lead-

ing sources of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, which has rich fishing grounds. Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his visit to Tawi-Tawi earlier this week, said his office will allocate funds to build an ice plant as support infrastructure of the fishing landing center. Piñol said they will organize the fisher folks of Tawi-Tawi into a cooperative to manage the ice plant. He said the ice plant could be powered by a Hybrid Energy Renewable System (HRES) with diesel generator as backup when informed of the unstable power supply in the province. The HRES is a stand-alone power system for providing electricity in remote areas due to advances in renewable energy technologies. (PNA)

DOLE leads ASEAN meet on migrant workers’rights

HE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Labor Ministers including the head of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines will convene in an informal discussion on how to protect and promote the rights of migrant workers. Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the gathering of ASEAN Labor Ministers’ Retreat and the 10th Meeting of the ASEAN

Committee on Migrant Workers (ACMW), to be hosted by the DOLE, will be held on February 19 to 22 in Davao City. “We are honored to host the ministerial retreat and the ACMW meeting this year. The Philippines, as the chairman of ASEAN 2017, looks forward to the finalization of the instrument on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers,” he said in a statement.

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English tutorial center for Chinese opens door By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

C CLASS launches its office in Davao City to cater to the high demand for Chinese citizens who seek to develop their English language proficiency as well as to provide job opportunities to the local community. CC Class serves as the only English training provider to Huijang, China’s largest online e-learning program. Located at 15th floor, Landco building, CC Class offers facilities to qualified teachers in teaching English language. Qian Dongxing CEO of Huijang Group of Companies said the company has chosen Davao City as the location of their first physical office in the Philippines because they were enamored by the compassion, expertise and talent of Davaoeños. Dongxing added Huijang has accumulated 120 million users worldwide, built four business units including an online learning information, online study community, mobile applications for English study and free on line platforms, covering contents such as multi-language studies, K12 curriculum, studyabroad examinations, vocational skills and various arts. Sally Yu, Huijang’s Director of Global Teachers said

Huijiang Online Education Qian Dongxing (left) speaks in Chinese as his interpreter prepares to tranlate his speech. their biggest edge among other online learning platforms is that they provide their own software, teaching references and other services, whereas others only use Skype for communication. Anne Collamar, Operations Manager of CC Class said CC Class at present has only more than 80 teachers that provide English language teaching to adults, college students and children who have the option to teach English at home or use the facilities in the center.

Academic Quality. Pavo said, to ensure quality of their teachers, the company requires applicants to finish a 4-year degree especially but not necessarily in Bachelor of Education, with proficiency in English language and passed the oral and written examination of the center. Founded in 2015 by Anne Collamar and Qian Dongxing, CC Class caters to more than 10,000 students every year, with more than 80 percent coming from China and the rest overseas.

the latest issues on Climate Change. Among the products to be displayed are Agricultural Chemicals • Animal Housing and Breeding • Animal HealthCare and Nutrition • Dairy Products Equipment and Machinery • Facilities on Postharvest • Feed Ingredients • Feed Milling • Fertilizers and Pest Management • Fishery Products • Food Packaging • Food Processing • Fruits and Vegetables • Greenhouses and Nurseries • Horticulture Inputs • Meat Products • Organic Farming and Hydroponics • Publications •Research and Consultancy • Seeds and Planting Materials • Crop Protection* Irrigation Systems • Waste Management. Participants of the event are San Miguel Foods Inc. (B-Meg), Agri Component Corp., Phil. Foremost Milling Corp., Dynamic Power Corp., Marid Agri-Digest, Amazon Mfg., DP Agri Machineries, Tractorco Company Inc., Southern Synergy Sales, Asuki Weighing Scale, Plastmann Ind’l Corp., Honda

Phils., Schalen Scales & Marketing, DMI-MX3, Payo Manufactring (Dok Alternatibo), Plastech Corp., Sagrex Agri Corp.,Exceed Enterprises, Plastimer Ind’l. Corp., Nature’s Bio Organic, Julu Enterprises, Val-Co Phils (Team Agri Ind’l. Corp.) Inc., Jocanima Agri Products, Suntrust Marketing, Leads Agri Produts, Arca Galleon, Bounty Farms Inc., Hypig Genetics, Santeh Feeds, Maharlika Agro Ventures, Prime Agritech Corp., Apthealth Inc., Exceed Enterprises, Vet One Inc., Atlas Fertilizer, Rainmac Ent., Universal Harvester, ECR Marketing, Club Ultima, This event was also supported by Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry a Bureau of Plants Industry and Livestock Development Council. For participation or additional inquiries regarding the expo, you may call CMB Events and Promotion Specialist Inc. at (02) 531-9947, 571-7143 or mobile phone at (0998)544-8077 or e-mail us at cmb_events@yahoo. com.

Agriculture and Livestock Expo set on March 23-25 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Premier Mall

SET FOR TOPPING OFF. The iconic Aeon Towers, at 33 levels the highest building in Mindanao soon, is set for topping off on February 28. Aeon Towers is developed by Davao-based firm FTC Group of Companies.

She added CC Class Davao is looking forward to hiring 300 teachers at the end of the year. Moreover, Huijang is looking forward to open more teaching centers and train over 5000 teachers across the Philippines. “Our long term goal is to be the platform of choice for top educational professionals that share our lifelong dream of making education and fairer to all. It is our aim to bring teachers and learners together,” said Cecilia Pavo, Huijang Director for

INDANAO Agriculture and Livestock Expo is the agribusiness exhibition and conference organized by CMB Events and Promotion Specialist Inc. annually in both Visayas and Mindanao Region. The emphasis of this year’s event aims to help agricultural producers both in crops and livestock to improve and increase production in a sustainable way so that they can be more competitive in the World Market. The three day event will highlight the most up-todate and ground breaking inputs, technologies and alliances which can enhance the profitability of the interdependent industries of Agriculture, Livestock and Food. On its 7th year, the organizer promises the event to be more captivating because there will be more Agri products and latest Equipment on display. Free seminars will also be conducted during the three day expo such as Hogs and other Livestock raising, Organic Farming, Animal Nutrition and Health and

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

EDITORIAL

Not even worth the precious time

Y answering Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s rehashed

Simply put, the President should not dignify such a wild ti-

accusations, President Rodrigo Duterte is actually rade from an accuser brandishing pieces of documents taken wasting his time.

The opposition Senator refreshed his election time accusa-

from an unknown source, not even from the bank itself.

Dabawenyos, whom President Duterte served for over

tion against President Duterte over alleged amassed ill-gotten two decades as Mayor, would perhaps be the first ones to atwealth amounting to P2.7 billion. There are no new pieces of test to the record of the President and his daughter Sara and evidence that are damning enough to give this accuser a wor- son Paolo, both public servants as well, who are included in thy time but the President uncharacteristically is dignifying Trillanes’ accusations.

Trillanes is a sucker for publicity and just because he had

the accusations.

Apparently, nobody from among his advisers told him not been badly beaten in argumentation in the Senate floor, he is

to or is it just a case of a man having had enough of his accuser. taking his grandstanding elsewhere with an old issue.

EDGEDAVAO

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IVE it to William “Butch” Ramirez. Just when things appeared to be settling down for Philippine sports with a new management ramrodding the team at the Philippine Sports Commission, Ramirez virtually dropped a bomb with his order giving the country’s 57 national sports associations a 30-day period to liquidate their outstanding balances from the PSC or face sanctions. In a press conference last week in Manila, Ramirez said the 57 NSAs have had a total outstanding balance of P98,736,165 in the form of financial assistance. They were given up to March 16 to settle their obligations. He also ordered PSC executive director Carlo Abarquez to write the NSAs to demand explanation (why they failed to settle their obligations) and to liquidate their balances. This came with a stern warning that the PSC would not hesitate to suspend those who would fail to comply with his order. He added, however, that the PSC would still continue providing financial assistance to athletes, coaches and sports organizations with ‘good standing records.’ Ramirez’ order must have come with the impact of an Intensity 7 tremor to some NSAs who did not realize it would come if all. Used to having their ways for decades, it probably did not strike them that the PSC would spring to life Phoenix-like from the doldrums to assume a new resolve and direction. For truth to tell, some NSAs have taken the path that some Manila-based national organizations have evolved into: virtual mafias

NABLE to tolerate an idle mind, sometimes a free-wheeling incursion into long-forgotten archives once in a while yields nuggets of information that surprises a researcher. Recently, we stumbled on a presidential fiat creating the town named Roxas in Davao region. However, a review of the list of present-day municipalities in Davao region did not yield any name resembling in sound to that supposed township. As a refresher, on Sept. 28, 1964, President Diosdado Macapagal signed Executive Order No. 102 “creating the municipality of Roxas in the Province of Davao” pursuant to Section 68 of the Revised Administrative Code. The new municipality was created based on House Bill 1965, which the House of Representatives approved. The edict states the town of Roxas will comprise “the barrios and sitios of Coronon, Astorga, Darong, Inawayan, Sibulan, Pitogo, Idong, Cobingon, Sappot, Tubison, Bayongon, Landing, Tagulaya, Lomlom, Lower Quinocol, Upper Quinocol, Isom, Baracatan, Cabarisan and Lubo, all of the municipality of Sta. Cruz… with the seat of government at the barrio of Darong.” The statute also delineates the boundary of the new town as follows: “Beginning from a point at the mouth of the Pilan Delok Creek at Davao Gulf; thence along the center of Pilan Delok Creek to its source; thence by a straight line to the summit of Mt. Lepantod; thence by a straight line to the summit of Mt. Apo.”

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

PSC on the right track or corporations run REVERSED PUNCH (GYAKU ZUKI) by families or cluster of cohorts clothed with articles of incorporations. This is the reason why Philippine sports in general Jimmy K.Laking has stagnated and by extension, why the PSC has wallowed in ’29 years of failure’ since it was created by virtue of Republic Act 6847 in 1990. Evident was the lack of a mass-based program or direction in most of these NSAs. With some exemptions, their activities are centered, directed or decided (some say cooked) mostly in Manila. Consequently, this explains the limited participation of the regions if at all and why at times athletes old enough to be grandmothers and granddaddies often don the national colors in international competitions. Why, one 42-year old ‘Filipino’ of still hazy origin continues to play for the Manila-orchestrated Philippine team like there is a dearth of talents in this basketball-crazy archipelago! It also explains why instead of doing their recruitment in the regions to replen-

ish their talents, some NSAs simply resort to hiring Fil-Americans who cannot, truth to tell, barely make it to the top collegiate competitions in the United States. This nation mind you is rooting for Ramirez to go the whole hog in cleansing Philippine sports and in transforming it into something that helps sustain, unify, and strengthen our character as a people and as nation. It is quite a tall order but Ramirez arguably is the right guy for the right job. *** Had one national sports association played its cards right, Wesley So, the world’s No. 2 chess player who comes from Cavite could have continually done honors for the Philippines with his brilliant showing in chess. But a falling out with the Philippine Chess Federation made So decide to play for good for the United States. Since then, the 24-year old So has graduated from strength to strength and is now ranked just behind world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the chess ratings. His most recent victory was the 2017 Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the Netherlands where he upstaged a formidable field led by Carlsen himself. It was his career best considering that the tournament, dubbed the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’ featured at least five or six of the world’s chess elite. The update is that Carlsen and So, would be playing in the 2017 grand chess tour, so called because it involved three events--the 2017 Singuefield Cup in July 31-August 12, the St. Louis Rapid (August 13-17) the 2017

London Classic (Nov. 29-Dec. 12). It is a formidable field with the likes of Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Sergey Karjakin, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Viswanathan Anand, and Levon Aronian participating. Anybody in the list can be champion. Here is one game culled from the 8th London Chess Classic last December which So won undefeated:

As a conFAST BACKWARD sequence, the jurisdiction of Santa Cruz, the mother town, was greatly reduced. On paper, Roxas is the third town to be carved out of Santa Cruz. On July 15, 1949, Antonio V. Figueroa Padada was founded, and four days later, Digos (now a city) was established. Moreover, the diktat also set conditions that the new town could only officially start after its officials, from the mayor down to the councilors, have been appointed and qualified, and the Secretary of Finance has certified the municipality has the financial capacity to pay for all the statutory obligations and ordinary essential services of a regular town. Another condition embedded in the edict is the ability of the mother town to “maintain creditably its municipal government, meet all its statutory and contractual obligations and provide for the essential municipal services.” Accordingly, the Roxas town was suspended because the edict creating it was questioned before the Supreme Court, which nullified its formation because this would mean the disintegration of the already deci-

mated municipality of Santa Cruz. Sadly, we have yet to discover the actual ruling of the high tribunal on the matter. The carving out of new territories from bigger municipalities was already practiced during Spanish colonial times. Boston, now a town of Davao Oriental, was once part of Cateel and was known to local residents as Dakung Banua (big town). The towns of Monkayo and Compostela in Compostela Valley Province were once under Nabunturan, while New Bataan was carved out of Nabunturan and Compostela. Tagum City, on the other hand, was part of Panabo, while San Isidro, Davao del Norte, then part of barangay Sawata, was a piece of the larger territory of Asuncion town. In missionary records, three towns which were part of the old Monkayo were reduced into small territories, namely: Jativa (now part of barangay Haguimitan), Gandia (now barangay Mamunga), and Gerona (now part of barangay Upper Ulip). Tagum City, on the other hand, used to host the former barrios, now towns, of Mawab and Maco. Mabini, Compostela Valley, meanwhile, was carved out of Maco and Pantukan towns. Two of the provinces of Davao region are daughters of larger territories. Davao Occidental was once part of Davao del Sur, while Compostela Valley was then under Davao del Norte. In recent times, two areas outside Davao jurisdiction were dissolved after their creation were questioned before the

Supreme Court. Created under Republic Act No. 4413, Rajah Buayan, formerly Gen. Santos when it was under the unified province of Cotabato, was converted into a city on Jan. 1, 1966, but only 7,488 voters participated in the plebiscite. Though the opposition lost, the result of the polls was questioned before the court given that the total number of voters cast was not even the majority of the actual registered voters in the locality. As a result, the lower court issued an injunction on Jan. 4, 1966 restraining the city officers from assuming their positions, a decision the high tribunal unanimously upheld on Oct. 29, 1966. Consequently, the law creating Rajah Buayan City was declared null and void. On the other hand, the province of Shariff Kabunsuan was created under the Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 201, with nine original towns under it. Weeks before the plebiscite was held on Oct. 28, 2006, another town was added, and yet another municipality two months later. The result of the plebiscite overwhelmingly favored the creation of the new province. But the Supreme Court overturned the creation on July 17, 2008, declaring the power to create provinces and cities exclusively belongs to Congress. Consequently, the high tribunal declared the power of the ARMM Regional Assembly to create provinces and cities as unconstitutional. The verdict was reaffirmed in January 2009.

The dissolution of Roxas town

J Gallagher – R Mitra French Defence 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.c3 Be7 8.Bd3 0–0 9.Ne5 c5 10.Be3 Qc7 11.Qe2 Nd5 12.0–0 Nxe3 13.fxe3 b614. Bxh7+ Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Rxf7 Rxf7 17.Qxf7+ Kh7 18.Rf1 Bd8 19.Qg6+ Kg8 20.Qe8+ Kh7 21.Rf8 1–0

10 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

Matina Enclaves’ January Top Sellers feted By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

njb@edgedavao.net

SCANDOR Development Corporation (Esdevco) celebrated another productive month on the sales column and what a way to do that but to treat its Top Sellers and Top Producer Realties. The month’s topnotchers were the stars of the regular Top Sellers Banquet held at the Kamayo Cafe of The Royal Mandaya Hotel. The luncheon awarding was held at the Kamayo Restaurant of The Royal Mandaya Hotel recently. “Once again our sellers did an outstanding job at the sales and ESDEVCO would like to thank them for the hard work in selling the Matina Enclaves,” said Gerald Garces, project

head of Matina Enclaves. The Top Sellers of the month are Gilbert Monecillo, Shiena Mae Furog, Solomon Banez, Veljean Villaraiz, and Dexter Besinan. The Top Producing Realties are Leuterio Realty, Furog Realty, Banez Realty, Bongabong Realty, and Three V Realty. Matina Enclaves is a prime mixed use real estate development by the Davao-based Esdevco which is owned by the Escandor family, known for its diverse business in security services and hospitality. At the moment, the project has sold five residential condominiums with Building 1/B reported at 93 percent complete as of January 30.

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

BEAUTY

EDGEDAVAO

Charting Beauty with

Calayan

THE TANDEM OF DRS. MANNY AND PIE CALAYAN has become synonymous with beauty and enhancement. Having started their business back in 1995, they have built their reputation with a complete hands-on approach so every client who walks in their clinics for clinical procedures either in Metro Manila. Cebu and now Davao will surely be handled by either one of the well-known husband and wife team.

Their Davao clinic touts all the services available in more urbane Metro Manila and Cebu. These include top of the line skin technology such as the Smaxel Laser which can treat wrinkles and refresh aging skin, Vaser-

“

By uniformly outfitting their facilities, the Calayans are creating hubs that can cater to all their clients’ beauty needs whether it is something base like a facial to more complicated cases where a full surgical team is needed.

Lipo which is centered on ultrasonic liposuction and Doublo which is their latest in non-invasive skin tightening and rejuvenation. Clients may also avail of services of a more healing strain such as Naturopathy and Acupuncture. By uniformly outfitting their facilities, the Calayans are creating hubs that can cater to all their clients’ beauty needs whether it is something base like a facial (though theirs can be as luxe as one that uses 24-karat gold or plant-based serums from Biologique Recherche) to more complicated cases where a full surgical team is needed. So how has

Davao responded since they opened their clinic doors last November 20th? Dr. Manny shares that feedback has been positive. He has performed more than fifteen surgical procedures in Davao to date and referrals from existing clients have been on the rise. Around 70% of clients are those who avail of their dermatological services while the remainder are surgical. However, in this industry where trust comes highly valued, they believe that no service is too small to be taken seriously since they are looking to build lasting relationships with

their clients. With their sights set beyond Philippine shores, their exploration of what is next never stops. They are in talks to open a clinic in Japan and are musing about venturing into Canada. Wherever their next site is to bear their signature “C”, what is certain is how laser-sharp their focus is on creating cutting edge yet relaxing environs that center on safe and well-handled beautification. Visit The Manny and Pie Calayan Clinic at the 2nd level of SM Lanang Premier. For inquiries, call 0917-1004464 or 2982439.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge! EVENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

SKY kicks off SKY Alive 2017 tour in Davao By KENNETH IRVING ONG

NOW SHOWING

February 15 – 21, 2017

A CURE FOR WELLNESS Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

R16

1:00 | 3:55 | 6:50 | 9:45 LFS

MY EX AND WHYS Liza Soberano, Enrique Gil Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

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

ARRIVAL Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

JOHN WICK 2 Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

R16

11:45 | 2:15 | 4:45 | 7:15 | 9:45 LFS

FROM FEBRUARY 17 TO 20, SKY Alive, the interactive family entertainment roadshow of SKY, made its first stop for 2017 at the Atrium of SM Lanang Premier. Promising to give SKY and non-SKY subscribers a fun-filled weekend of various activities, games, and celebrity gimmicks, the fourday event showcases SKY’s various channel providers as well as its suite of services.

“SKY Alive is our way to give mall-goers a chance to experience the different channels and services of SKY through interactive booths at the exhibit,” said SKY Cable Corporation’s head-marketing communications Arlene Torres. Channels joining the Davao leg, are HBO, Red by HBO and ABS-CBN Regional.

Guests visiting the SKY Alive exhibit can choose from a list of exciting activities such as getting glamed up for the Academy Awards at the HBO booth, and getting their own Chinese name as well as learning basic martial arts techniques at the Red by HBO booth. The SKY Alive event also becomes star-stud-

ded with the attendance of Filipino actor Jake Macapagal and Thai actor Charlie Ruedpokanon of HBO’s original dark fantasy thriller, “Halfworlds”, for meet and greet sessions on February 18 and 19 from 4 to 5PM at the “Halfworlds” booth. Fans of ABS-CBN Regional’s “Kapamilya Mas Winner Ka” will be happy to know that the cast members Rovic Cuasito, Cherry Manning and

Redge Ledesma together with Lady Bam and Onnie Alfaro of “MagTV Na Magnegosyo Ta” will also be present on February 19 at 3PM. Davao is the first stop of the SKY Alive tour with the next event scheduled in Makati City. “For this year, we plan to bring the SKY Alive to more regions outside of Metro Manila with stops in Cebu and Iloilo in the pipeline,” added Arlene.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 â&#x20AC;˘ SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

UP AND ABOUT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Newly-opened beach resort in Sarangani province beckons On February 14, 2017, Fr. Francisco Bajos of the Malapatan parish blessed the PINOBRE BEACH RESORT at Tuyan, Malapatan, Sarangani Province, three kilometers away from the town proper. It is owned by the couple Mr. Candido and Angie Mayol of General Santos City.

This Pinobre Beach Resort has its swimming pool just before the beach itself surrounded by coconut trees, furnished with decent dressing and comfort rooms aside from the cottage at the beach. In addition, the resort has 30 meter-covered hall for special get-together like birthdays, weddings, meeting sessions. Later, the owners intend

to have small cottages made for those who want to stay overnight. At present, Paolo Mayol manages the PINOBRE BEACH RESORT. Please visit us alone or with your friends and families. Welcome!

EDGE DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

A4 INdulge! ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 259 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - 20, 2017

The Oscar:

Most likely winners By HENRYLITO D. TACIO ON FEBRUARY 26, the annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry will be held at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Now on its 89th year, it is the oldest entertainment awards ceremony in the United States.

had been nominated, becoming the most successful film in Golden Globe Awards history. Moonlight, a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths, is the other film that may get the Best Picture Oscar. It received eight nominations (tied with Arrival). One critic wrote: “Anchored During the ceremony, by extraordinary perforthe Academy of Motion Pic- mances from a tremendous ture Arts and Sciences (AM- ensemble cast, Barry JenPAS) will present Academy kins’s staggering, singular Awards in 24 categories. vision is profoundly movThe winners are awarded a ing in its portrayal of the copy of a statuette, officially moments, people, and uncalled the Academy Award knowable forces that shape of Merit, which has become our lives and make us who commonly known by its we are.” nickname “Oscar.” Moonlight almost a dozActually, the trophy is en awards from various film 13-and-a-half inches high critics circle, including Chiand weighs 8-and-a-half cago, New York (Online), pounds. It is cast in solid Phoenix, and San Francisco. Britannia metal electro- It was also cited by the Toplated with 28-karat gold. ronto Film Critics AssociaThe name Oscar was report- tion. edly conceived by director In the Best Director catMargaret Herrick, who ob- egory, Damien Chazelle is served that the little statues the person to beat. He has reminded her of her uncle received more than a dozen Oscar. awards already, including In the past, only five the Golden Globe, for difilms were nominated for recting La La Land. He was Best Picture. But in recent also the man behind the years, more films were in- Oscar-nominated Whiplash. cluded. This year, nine Should he win, he will be the movies are competing youngest to win the award at against each other. These 32. are: Arrival, Fences, HackBarry Jenkins (Moonsaw Ridge, Hell or High Wa- light) is also in the contenter, Hidden Figures, La La tion. He also won several Land, Lion, Manchester by awards from various film the Sea and Moonlight. critics circle, including from The most likely win- the Los Angeles, San Franner: La La Land, a roman- cisco, Utah and New York. tic musical comedy-drama The three other nomifilm starring Ryan Gosling nees are: Denis Villeneuve (as a musician) and Emma for Arrival, Mel Gibson Stone (an aspiring actress) for Hacksaw Ridge, and Kenwho meet and fall in love in neth Lonergan for ManchesLos Angeles. The film’s title ter by Sea. Gibson now has refers both to the city of Los the longest gap between a Angeles and to the idiom directing win (1995’s Bravefor being out of touch with heart) and a follow-up nomreality. ination: 21 years. After all, it received the In the Best Actor catmost nominations with egory, the five nominees are: a record-tying fourteen Casey Affleck for his role (1950’s All About Eve and as Lee Chandler in Man1997’s Titanic also achieved chester by the Sea, Andrew this distinction). At the Garfield as Desmond T. Golden Globe, touted to be Doss in Hacksaw Ridge, the pre-cursor of the Os- Ryan Gosling as Sebastian cars, La La Land won all Wilder in La La Land, Vigseven awards for which it go Mortensen as Ben Cash

in Captain Fantastic and Denzel Washington as Troy Maxon in Fences. Affleck already won various acting awards for his performance, including the Golden Globe, as a handyman trying to comfort his teenage nephew while coping with a tragedy from his own past and his grief over his brother’s death. He was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actor (in 2008 for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). Should he win, he and Oscar-winning big brother Ben Affleck will become the 16th Oscar-winning sibling pair in the history of the Academy. Ben won two Oscars: for Best Screenplay (with his friend, Matt Damon) for 1997’s Good Will Hunting and for Best Director for 2013’s Argo. With eight nominations now, Washington is the most nominated AfricanAmerican actor in Academy Award history. He already won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for the historical war drama film Glory (1989) and Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). Speaking of Best Supporting Actor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals) is the first Golden Globe Supporting Actor winner to not be nominated for the Oscar since Richard Benjamin (The Sunshine Boys) in 1976. Interestingly enough, just like The Sunshine Boys, his co-star, Michael Shannon as Detective Bobby Andes, was nominated instead. The other four nominees are: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight as Juan, Jeff Bridges for Hell or High Water as Marcus Hamilton, Lucas Hedges for Manchester by the Sea as Patrick Chandler, and Dev Patel for Lion as Saroo Brierley. Ali, who portrays a Cuban-born drug dealer living in Miami who becomes a surrogate father to a bullied youngster and tries to instill confidence in him, is most likely to emerge the win-

ner; he has harvested several acting awards for his performance including those from the New York Film Critics Circle, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, and Los Angeles Film Critics Circle. Of the five nominees, only Bridges has won the award before – for Best Actor for his role as Otis “Bad” Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart. He also earned nominations for his roles in The Last Picture Show (1971), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Starman (1984), The Contender (2000), and True Grit (2010). In the Best Actress category, three are nominated for playing real-life characters: Ruth Negga as Mildred Loving in Loving, Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy in Jackie, and Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins in Florence Foster Jenkins. The two other nominees are Isabelle Huppert as Michele LeBlanc in Elle and Emma Stone as Mia Dolan in La La Land. Negga becomes the first black European (Irish) and African (born in Ethiopia) actress to be nominated in a lead acting category. Huppert holds the record as the first Trifecta winner to be Oscar-nominated for a foreign language film role. With already 20 nominations, Streep has more nominations than any other actor or actress; she won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Best Actress for Sophie’s Choice(1982) and The Iron Lady (2011). Her other nominated roles are The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), Silkwood (1983), Out of

Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), Evil Angels (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing (1998), Music of the Heart (1999), Adaptation (2002), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Doubt (2008), Julie & Julia(2009), August: Orange County (2013), and Into the Woods (2014). Stone, however, is the most likely to win the coveted award. She was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the role of a recovering drug addict in the black comedydrama Birdman(2014). Film critic Caroline Framke said it all when she wrote of Stone’s performance in the film: “Stone is an extraordinary actor. She uses every square inch of her expressive face, letting even the smallest of twitches tell an entire interior story — an especially valuable skill when she’s working with a script like La La Land’s, which sketches Mia as charming and talented but lets the actor fill in the rest.” For the first time in in Academy Awards history, three black actresses were nominated in a single category (Supporting Actress) in the same year: Viola Davis as Rose Lee Maxson in Fences, Naomie Harris as Paula in Moonlight and Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures. The most likely winner: Davis. Tony Hicks, of The Mercury News, wrote of her performance: “She threw herself into the role of Rose Maxon with everything she had, and she was brilliant.” The two other nominees are Nicole Kidman as Sue Brierley in Lion and

Michelle Williams as Randi in Manchester by the Sea. Kidman was a previous winner – as Best Actress for her performance as Virginia Woolf in the drama film The Hours (2002). The following are nominated for Best Original Screenplay: Mike Mills for 20th Century Women, Taylor Sheridan for Hell or High Water, Damien Chazelle for La La Land, Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for The Lobster, and Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea. The likely winner: Chazelle. In the Best Adapted Screenplay, the following are nominated: Eric Heisserer for Arrival from “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; August Wilson for Fences from Fences by August Wilson (posthumous nomination); Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi for Hidden Figures from Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly; Luke Davies for Lion from “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley and Larry Buttrose; and Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney for Moonlight from “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Jenkins and McCraney are the duo most likely to win the award. At least two songs from La La Land made a cut for Best Original Song: “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” and “City of Stars” (one of the two will emerge the winner). The other nominees are “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from Trolls, “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story, and “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. The envelope, please! (Photos taken from the net)

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Seventeen soldiers belonging to 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine army were wounded while two others were killed when hit by a landmine mounted by the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Tawantawan, Calinan District, Davao City on Thursday noon, February 17. Major Ezra Balagtey, Civil Military Operations (CMO) officer of JTF Haribon said the soldiers were pursuing the NPA rebels who earlier attacked and burned a pineapple harvesting facility owned by Del Monte in Tawantawan when hit by the landmine. Balagtey added that prior to the attack at the pineapple harvesting facility, the NPAs already harassed a military detachment in Malabog, Paquibato District at around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The soldiers were able to fight back against the attacking rebels and defended the detachment, the report added. One NPA was killed during the attack. Killed during the landmine attack were Corporal Michael Yadao and Private Virnel Da-

mondon. Both belonged to the 3rd IB. Of the 17 wounded troopers, only eight were identified, to include 2Lt. Harvey Kyl Escora; Cpl. Arnel Cuaresma; Cpl. Rey Danaytan; Cpl. Dominic Alegado; Pfc. Celso Neri; Pvt. Mike Barnuevo; Cpl. Jose Bautista Jr; and Pfc. Marion Rex Retutar. Balagtey added that another armed confrontation took place in the afternoon of the same date in Lamanan, Calinan between the blocking force of the army and the fleeing rebels. Another NPA rebels was also killed during the afternoon skirmish. “We will see to it that the deaths (of our soldiers) will not be in vain. Their ultimate sacrifice will further motivate us to work for peace in this part of the country,” Gapay added in his statement. He said that pursuit operations are still on-going to clear the area of possible improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the NPAs that could kill or harm the civilians in the area.

rorism and transitional crimes, anti-illegal drugs work plan and maritime law enforcement. Esperon said that pending the signing of the MOU, there are a lot of areas where the two countries can help each other. “Although we talk a lot on the bilateral talks yesterday (Thursday) everything is put on hold until the MOU is signed, but certainly there are many things that we can do now even without the agreements,” he said. He said that the MOU was crafted during the visit of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay last December. He revealed that during the several occasions that leaders of the two countries met, the leaders are already reviewing things to come up with the MOU including the economic cooperation of the two countries. “Earlier we have exported many products to Russia to Vladivostok. We have an $85 million two way trade right now and the dialogue between President Duterte and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in APEC about the volume of $2.5 billion in the agricultural products and other things that can go with the trade,” he said. Esperon said that there were no talks yet in the matter of joint military exercises. He said that the military cooperation will be in a form of schooling.

“I would say that the Military to Military cooperation will be more on schooling, technical exchange, information exchange and intelligence exchange,” Esperon said. He said that the intelligence community of the Philippines can learn from KGB, the intelligence community of Russia. He also said that there were also talks on the firearms for the military and navy. “We are entertaining all offers as you may have noted, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is in continuous build up for a credible defense capabilities. We are doing multi-sourcing now,” he said. He said that with the understanding of the Philippines with Russia the country still maintains its alliances and doing “robust relation our neighbors specially” like China, Japan and other countries. Esperon added that the country’s military relationship with the US troops will not be affected even with the MOU of the Philippines and Russia. “Not at all,” he said. “But there will be some modifications as we come along, the defense board meet every year to discuss the exercises and the terms of the agreement,” he said. Since 1970s the two countries already had a diplomatic relation however, this is the first MOU of the two parties. Petrushev came in with two deputy ministers during his visit here in the city.

ues, so as to ensure the smooth flow of aid to the victims. To date, a total of P10.26-million worth of assistance has been provided to affected families through the LGUs. Of the amount, P9.18 million was sourced from the department, P963,838 from

the LGUs, and P112,350 from non-governmental organizations. DSWD-Caraga social workers meanwhile continue to conduct psychosocial activities for victims in the towns of Malimono, San Franciso, and Surigao City. (PNA)

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NEWS 11

HAVE FUN, WILL SWIM. Young boys make a passenger vessel’s outrigger their diving platform as they spend their Saturday morning swimming at the beachfront of Sta. Ana Port in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

PDIC warns public vs raffle scams T HE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday warned the public about scams wherein the victims, who are made to believe that they won in a raffle, are required to pay cer-

tain amounts before they can claim their prize. In an advisory posted on its website, the state deposit insurer said the scam claims that the raffle draws were held by a certain media net-

tugaya who is also the committee chair on tourism said this year’s celebration will be “bigger” with the First Governor’s Shootfest as one of the highlights of the festival. “We expect the presence of PNP Chief General “Bato” Dela Rosa on the shootfest but we also expect him to come to the opening ceremony,” said Gentugaya. The festival will also feature the search for the first Bulawan Festival Queen, which is separated from the usual Bulawanong Pasundayag where each municipality picks their own Bulawan Queen. ComValenyos could also expect artists to come to the province such as Richard Poon, Billy Crawford, and Andrew E. Gentugaya said they are expecting around 7000 tourists especially on the nightly events, specifically coming from the province and its neighboring areas such as Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. On March 8, Com Val government top officials will sponsor “Bulawanong Paghiu-

sa”, a unity night concert which will also serve as an appreciation event for the stakeholders of the provincial government. Com Val Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy assured that security measures will be strictly observed during the festival. “We advise the public not to bring backpack to the capitol grounds,” stressed Uy. Meanwhile, with the recent pronouncement of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez on the cancellation of MPSA of 75 mining companies across the country, the provincial leader said St. Augustine Gold and Copper Ltd. which operates King-king Copper-Gold Project, Uy said the company told him that they are complying the requirements and has signalled an assurance that there is no protected watershed around their area. According the governor, mining serves as the second largest economy drivers in the province next to agriculture. ‘Bulawan’ is a Cebuano term for gold, one of the main mineral products of the province.

closure of 23 mining firms in different parts of the country. Environment Secretary Gina Lopez pointed out that these firms were operating in or areas near watersheds, causing coastal waters to be contaminated with excessive mineral particles, consequently posing a risk to the environment, health and lives of those

living in mining communities. “You cannot, you must not, and you should not have any mining which endangers the water supply of the Filipino. No amount of money warrants the quality of life of the Filipino,” Lopez said. HealthJustice Philippines is a Bloomberg Awardee for Global Tobacco Control. (PNA)

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work. ”The target victims are then instructed to contact a person to claim their prize. When called, this person will require the target victims to pay a certain amount via a remittance agency for “purposes of PDIC insurance.” PDIC stressed that it was not involved in any raffle draw or contests with any organizations. ”As state deposit insurer, PDIC insures deposits in banks up to the maximum deposit insurance coverage of Php 500,000 per depositor per bank,” PDIC said in a statement. PDIC said that “only deposits placed in banks are covered by PDIC’s deposit in-

surance and claim for deposit insurance may be made only upon closure of the bank.” In November 2016, the deposit insurer made a similar warning about a scam wherein some individuals claimed that they, officials of the PDIC and related agencies, offered to assist depositors on fasttracking their deposit insurance claims. PDIC encourages the public to report scams to the agency’s Public Assistance Department through telephone numbers 841-46-30 or 841-46-31 or the toll free numbers 1-800-1-888-7342; by e-mail at pad@pdic.gov.ph or through private message at www.facebook.com/OfficialPDIC. (PNA)

pines, noted PAGASA. ’Amihan’, which is characterized by “widespread” cloudiness with rains or showers, affects the Philippines’ eastern portions from October to March. In its 24-hour forecast released Saturday, the bureau said cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms are likely over the Cagayan Valley, Bicol, East-

ern Visayas, Caraga and Davao regions, as well as Aurora and Quezon provinces. Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains or thunderstorms are possible over Metro Manila and rest of the country. Moderate to strong winds from the east to northeast will prevail over Luzon, as well as the eastern sections of the Visayas and Mindanao. (PNA)

The retreat aims to engage the ASEAN Labor Ministers and their senior officials to take action on how to move forward with the finalization of the instrument, which is one of the main outcome documents of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship this year. The DOLE, together with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), will

lead the negotiations on the finalization of the instrument. The Declaration, which was a ground breaking move to address the issue of migrant workers in the ASEAN region, was signed on January 13, 2007 during the 12th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu. The Philippine Chairmanship of ASEAN 2017, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN regional community, is anchored on the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.” (PNA)

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NEWS 13

Water service interruptions in some city partsFeb. 23 - 24

AVAO City Water District advises of three separate sets of water service interruption. First set will be from 9:00 AM of February 23, 2017 until 12:00 AM of February 24, 2017 affecting all areas served by Line 1 of Dumoy Water Supply System. No water will be experienced in entire Talomo, Ulas, Matina Aplaya, Matina, Langub, Bucana, Downtown, Ecoland Phases 1 to 7, Bo. Obrero, Pampanga, and Sasa and some areas along Bago Aplaya (Gulf View Executive Homes, Versari Village, Castro Village, Sto. Niño Village, Lower Rapnaga, and Plantacion Solariega), Bangkal (from corner Royal Valley to Balusong Bridge), Ma-a (from NCCC Mall to Emerald Village), and Agdao (Wilfredo Aquino, Gov. Vicente Duterte, Leon Garcia Sr., R. Castillo, Ubalde, Lapu-Lapu, San Antonio, and Centro). Low water pressure to no water will be experienced by some areas in Lanang (Beach Side Homes, Ramos Village, Lizada Village, Villa De Davao Subd., Lanang Beach Club, Insular Village I & II, Mountain Dew Village, Fortune Exec. Homes, Nova Tierra Village, Alcantara & Sons, and Lapanday Subd.) and Sasa (Km. 9, Doña Paz Subd., Hacienda Village, Doña Aurella Village, Maria Subd., Lougemar Subd., Old Airport, Doña Salud Subd., Vicente Pichon Subd., PPA, Pa-

rola, Pakiputan Wharf, Kms. 10 to 12, and ICSAMA). This water service interruption is needed for the installation of the 250mm diameter isolation valve and reorientation of Discharge Line Assembly for Dumoy Production Well Nos. 7 and 11 for preventive maintenance purposes. Second set will be from 8:00 PM of February 23, 2017 until 5:00 AM of February 24, 2017. No water will be experienced in portion of J.P. Laurel Avenue (from SPMC to Alcantara & Sons Lanang and immediate environs), Angliongto/ Mamay Road and immediate environs, and portion of Davao – Agusan Road (from Alcantara & Sons to Sasa Public Market and immediate environs). Low water pressure to no water will be experienced in portion of R. Castillo St. (from corner Fatima Village to Alcantara & Sons and immediate environs) and portion of Davao – Agusan Road (from Alcantara & Sons to Maryknoll Drive and immediate environs). This water service interruption is needed for the tapping of the water distribution system of Dakudao & Sons, Km. 6, Lanang. Once completed, said project will allow for accommodation of additional service connections. Third set will be from 8:00 PM of February 23, 2017 until 5:00 AM of February 24, 2017.

No water will be experienced in portion of Davao – Bukidnon Road (from corner Ulas to corner Wellspring Village), Greenhills Subd., Bacanaya Compound, BRC Compound, Maligaya Village, Bacalso Compound, and Keith Williams. This water service interruption is needed for the tapping of the water distribution system of Sincere Brgy. Catalunan Pequeño. Once completed, said project will allow for accommodation of additional service connections. The DCWD management asks for the understanding and cooperation of would-be affected customers. They are also advised to store enough water prior to the scheduled water interruptions. Water supply may be restored earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise. The general public may visit DCWD website (www. davao-water.gov.ph) and official Facebook page (www. facebook.com/davaowater) or call the Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297-DCWD (3293) and press “1” on their phone dial for the latest daily water updates. Contact 09277988966, 0925-5113293, and 0908-4410653 for other updates, complaints, queries, and matters pertaining to DCWD services. (John Winston Anthony C. Ajero II)

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EDGEDAVAO Sports 15

BACK TO THE FAIRWAYS 9 Phoenix-Pioneer Open golf set March 11

TOP EXEC. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines president and Presidential Adviser on Sports Dennis Uy will lead the ceremonial tee off.

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

njb@edgedavao.net

HE country’s top golfing executives will be back to the fairways for the 9th edition of the Phoenix-Pioneer Open golf tournament which tees off on March 11 at the rolling Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club. Organizers expect to hit the registration cutoff of 200 limited to the first registrants and invited guests. Registration will start on March 1 at designated centers – Rancho Palos

Verdes Golf and Country Club, Apo Golf and Country Club, Dencio’s SM Ecoland and the Phoenix Mega Station in Lanang. Registration fee is at P5,000 per player which entitles the registrant to compete in the team, partner and individual categories, with a maximum of one team and one partner. All participants will receive as freebies a specially-designed tournament kit made by Rudy Project com-

posed of golf shirt and cap, a Phoenix signature golf umbrella and a JBL Clip 2 waterproof Bluetooth speaker by Harman Kardon. Players can also avail of one practice round on any day between March 7 to 10 at the RPVGCC. The tournament is open to male and female golfers for the Team Division, Partner Division and the Individual Division, Prizes at stake are a Royal Selangor pewter plates

and Phoenix Petroleum Philippine Fuel Cards. Champion teams will receive a limited edition Phoenix signature golf bag. For aces scored on designated holes, the ace scorer will take home a brand new Tata Xenon 4x4 Premium and P100,000 worth of Phoenix fuel cards, according to tournament coordinator Liloh Evangelista. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines CEO Dennis Uy will lead the traditional ceremo-

nial balls. The awarding ceremonies will be held at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club where tournament proceeds will be turned over to the Phoenix Foundation Charities.

Barriga eyes first KO win Magdaleno thumbs down rematch with Donaire

ANABO City’s former Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga is having a dream start in his professional career, amassing three wins in just seven months. As of presstime, the undefeated boxer is seeing action in his fourth professional fight at the Makati Cinema Square. He takes on Jeven Villacite (4-5-4). Barriga credited his smooth transition to the people around him, among them are former interim WBA World titleholder Drian Francisco, and reigning IBF world champion and fellow Davaoeño Jerwin Ancajas. According to him, the two helped fasttrack his development as a boxer as he was able to get valuable tips from the two champions. “Sobrang happy ko na magkasama kami. Unang-una si Kuya Drian, nauna na samin yan eh. Dati nakikita ko lang sa TV, ngayon kasama mo sa training camp, nakakasparring,” Barriga told Tiebreaker Times. “Lalong lalo na si Jerwin, may mga time na partner kami ni Jerwin sa sparring. Para sa akin, sobrang thankful ako na magkasama kami, nagtutulungan kami. Alam ko sa sarili ko na mabilis akong mag-improve dahil sa kanila kasi mga world champion, worldclass na sila eh.”

In his previous his fights, Barriga was able to showcase his speed and ring generalship to get the victory. But he isn’t content with that. The 23-year-old pugilist knows that he would not go far in the spot if he only relied on his current skillset “Yung mga kalaban kasi hindi ganun kasimple patapusin, pabagsakin. Lumalaban sila so kailangan mo pa din gawin yung best mo sa training. Dito sa pros kailangan mas maimprove mo pa yung talent mo, yung power at skills kasi iba dito sa professional. “Kumbaga ako sa amateur, okay,” he assessed. “Pero pagdating sa professional, malayo pa. Malayong, malayo pa. Maraming bigas pang kakainin ko dito sa professional. Maraming improvement na dapat gawin.” As Barriga heads to his fourth fight, he plans to finally earn his first knockout win. He has been dying to show all his hard work in training, and to him, it will add more fulfillment to his fledgling career. “Ang target ko talaga ngayon, gusto ko talaga makapabagsak. Ang sakin ngayon sa darating kong laban, kahit na sobrang pagod, pipilitin ko yung sarili ko na makakuha ng knockout. Gusto kong maranasan, gusto kong makapabagsak ng boxer.

DABAWENYO HOPE. Mark Anthony Barriga (right) is showing a lot of promise in the pros.

HERE will be no rematch between WBO superbantamweight champion Jessie Magdaleno and former champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire. Magdaleno has reneged on his promise to give Donaire an immediate rematch and called the Pinoy fighter a sore loser in a 360 degree reversal from his display of respect right after winning the title on a disputed decision in Las Vegas last November. Donaire, 34, said he never expected Magdaleno to turn arrogant so soon after wresting the crown. In a social media rant, Magdaleno said, “I don’t need to fight you right now, I don’t need anything from you, dude … I can get better paydays from other great potential fighters … there are bigger and better matches than you … you’re old now, everyone sees it.” During the routine medical check-ups in the dressing room after their fight, Magdaleno praised Donaire as a “great champion” and promised an immediate rematch.

NO REMATCH. Jessie Magdaleno tags Noninot Donaire during their fiercelyfought battle last November. Donaire said he met Top Rank president Todd Duboef, Top Rank vice president for business and legal affairs Harrison Whitman and his manager Cameron Dunkin in Las Vegas the other day to discuss plans for the rematch. But Magdaleno later said he wants nothing to do with Donaire. “I’m training now because I was aiming for the rematch,” Donaire said in an interview from his Las Vegas home. “Unfortunately, Magdaleno has come up with the excuse that I didn’t have a rematch

Big Dome is SEABA venue

HE 2017 Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Men’s Championship has been set. Gilas coach Chot Reyes announced on Twitter that the regional competition will be held on May 12-18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. “SEABA now confirmed at Araneta from May 12-18,” Reyes’ tweet said. “The Big Dome” has played host to numerous international basketball tournaments, such as t h e

1978 FIBA World Cup and the 1991 SEA Games, the most recent being a friendly between Gilas and Iran last year. Gilas Pilipinas needs to win the SEABA crown in order to qualify for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup which will determine the teams that will compete in the six-window qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. The national team has a pool of 24 players-12 rookies led by Mac Belo and Matthew Wright; and 12 veterans led by Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo. Gilas Pilipinas players are expected to be pulled out from their respective mother clubs two months before the competition. (With PNA report)

clause. He was the mandatory challenger so there was no room to negotiate really anything. Instead of fighting me again and making more money in a rematch, he’d rather take an easy fight. He claims he’ll fight someone for more money but when I challenged him to give me a name in the WBO rankings, he evaded the question.” Donaire said he knew all along Magdaleno would exercise all options to duck a rematch. “He told me he’d give me a rematch during the medicals,” said Donaire. “Now, he’s back-pedal-

ling.” A move up to the featherweight division as an alternative isn’t timely, he added. “I need more time to move to 126,” noted Donaire. “When I met with Todd, Harrison and Cameron, I was 128 pounds that morning. I need time to build lean muscle mass and not just heavy fat.” Donaire was recently picked by the WBC to participate in a stepladder elimination series for the vacant 122-pound title relinquished by Hozumi Hasegawa but the process will mean a long wait. The first step is No. 1 Rey Vargas of Mexico will face No. 2 Gavin McDonnell of the UK in Yorkshire on Feb. 25. Then, the winner will stake the crown against the survivor of an eliminator between No. 3 Hugo Ruiz and No. 4 Julio Ceja. The winner moves on to put the title on the line against the survivor of another bout between No. 5 Anselmo Moreno and No. 6 Donaire. “Top Rank refused to explore the WBC option as it was three fights to the title,” said Donaire.

TOP GILAS. Asia’s best point guard Jayson Castro will be back in the Gilas pool for the SEABA tilt.

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