Edge Davao 9 Issue 25

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

HORRIBLE IMAGES. Store owner Edgardo Zardillo shows packs of cigarettes printed with images of graphic health warning at his stall in Doña Pilar Avenue, Sasa, Davao City yesterday. Smokers seem to ignore the printed images on cigarette packaging as sales of the products continue to increase. Lean Daval Jr.

PNOY BEHIND SMEAR PLOT? EDGE Duterte camp assails President for demolition job

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE camp of presidential bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte claimed that the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III is behind the attacks against the PDP-Laban presidential bet.

“We believe that his pop-

ularity now is the reason why the Aquino administration has unleashed a string of attacks against Duterte,” Duterte’s national campaign manager Leoncio Evasco said in a statement.

Evasco said the attack from the administration only

hopes that they can prevent the surge of the popularity of Duterte.

“We have seen our numbers getting even bigger to validate what we are seeing on the ground: The rallies that are getting bigger and louder, the defection of forces from other

fences to our side, “he said.

He said the growing numbers of volunteers and thousands of people are now migrating to the cause of Real Change and Tapang at Malasakit, the campaign slogans of Duterte.

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DAVAO Sports

11th Pomelo Tee at RPV April 28-May 1 P16

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

CONTAINED. Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 11 spokesman Fire Chief Inspector Nestor G. Jimenez says fire fighters and volunteers have established fire lines in an effort to put out the ongoing fire in Mount Apo which already damaged at least 150 hectares of forest and grasslands. Jimenez was among the guests of yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases. Lean Daval Jr.

Criminal raps vs. 2 suspects in shooting of 2 Saudi nat’ls

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HE Zamboanga City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the criminal case against two suspects for the shooting of two influential Saudi nationals last month.

Zamboanga City Prosecutor Ricard Cabaron dismissed the complaint for frustrated and attempted murder filed against Mujer Abubakar Amilassan and Junaide Cadir Saleh for lack of evidence.

Amilassan and Saleh were arrested a few minutes after Dr. A’id Al-Qarni, an international lecturer and renowned author of many inspirational books worldwide and Sheikh Turki Assaegh, religious attaché of the Royal Embassy

of Saudi Arabia were shot last March 1.

Al-Qarni is reportedly on the Islamic State’s hit list.

The two suspects signed a waiver of detention after they were arrested and the prosecutors have conducted a preliminary investigation.

Prosecutor General Claro A. Arellano, chief of the Department of Justice’s National Prosecution Service (NPS), said that the police can still file a motion for reconsideration (MR) within 15 days upon receipt of the resolution.

Al-Qarni had just conducted a lecture at the Western Mindanao State University

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10th ID probe shows lapses by soldiers

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OLDIERS of 6th Scout Ranger involved in the ‘accidental killing of Daniel Ferrer at Sitio Mitundo, Barangay Baracatan in Toril District, Davao City last week are now under restriction.

This after the 10th Infantry Division (ID) Board of Inquiry (BOI) found out lapses on their operation on April 1 which resulted to the death of Ferrer.

10th ID spokesperson Capt. Rhyan Batchar told reporters in yesterday’s AFPPNP Press Corps forum, the BOI recommended that the involved unit shall undergo retraining and the parent unit of the troops involved to conduct a separate investigation to determine the administra-

tive culpability of the soldiers involved.

He said based on the investigation of BOI the troops failed to exercise due diligence to ascertain their target before firing their firearms contrary to the provision in the rules of engagement on the use of force against the enemy which states that “identification of target must be by visual means.”

Batchar explained the accident that caused the death of Ferrer last April 1 while our soldiers were on security patrol against lawless armed groups (ALGs) reportedly roaming around in the mountain barangays of Toril District.

“The troops fired purely to

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Comelec to review rice aid to farmers

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE good news is the Davao City Council has passed the P31.5 million assistance to the protesting farmers of Kidapawan City.

The bad news? The Commission on Election will have to review the process if it is not covered by the election ban.

The Commission on Election (Comelec) 11 will have to review the request of the city government to exempt the P31.5-million assistance for the farmers of North Cotabato from the election ban.

In yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps forum at The Ritz Hotel by Garden Oases, Comelec 11 assistant regional director Marlon Casquejo bared that as soon as his office will receive the request letter of the city government the polling office will immediately check the request if the city complied with the require-

ments.

Casqejo said before implementing a project or program under the prohibition should pass the requirements set under Comelec Resoution No. 991.

He said under the resolution, the program should be reported with the Commission on Audit (COA), public information and awareness, and information dissemination activities from the COA circular.

“During the distribution goods, presence of candidates or even relatives of the candidates are not allowed,” he said.

“If they comply all of these requirements then they can apply for exemption,” he said.

Casquejo said as of yesterday morning, the Comelec 11 has not yet received any letter from the city government asking for an exemption.

“Sa pagkakaron wala pa

mi nadawat na letter. Pag naa na mi madawat na letter we will just try to check whether na-comply ba nila and once complied, exemptions will follow (Our office has not yet received any letter as of now.

If we receive the letter we will just try to check if the city comply the requirements and once complied exemption follows),” he said.

He said the process of approval could only take short if the program is intended for calamity assistance since it is a priority measure.

Casquejo said the assistant city administrator Jhopee S. Avanceña-Agustin already asked a verbal request which he asked for a letter.

“If it will fall under the exemptions for the release of public funds the Comelec will issue an exemption,” he said.

He said the Comelec will

prioritize their request and once the letter reaches their office he will immediately send to their central office for immediate action.

City Social Service and Development Office (CSSDO) head Malou Bermudo, earlier, the aid will be given to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) and this group will be the one to distribute to the affected towns in North Cotabato.

Bermudo said the city also coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare Offices in North Cotabato to have complete lists of famers who are affected with the drought.

“We will coordinate with the Municipal Social Welfare Offices because they are the ones who know the beneficiaries,” she said.

She said based on the data

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ing away from the 5-person pack.

“We have seen our numbers getting even bigger, validating what we are seeing on the ground. That Rody is on top means the people are on top. However, that Rody is on top exposes him to attacks.

We believe that his popularity now is the reason why the Aquino administration has unleashed a string of attacks against Duterte, hoping that they can prevent his surge,” Bohol Mayor Leoncio Evasco, Duterte’s national campaign manager was quoted by the

Standard as saying.

With a little over a month to go before the elections, political forces are consolidating behind Duterte whose ratings have consistently climbed since he declared his bid for the Presidency. Manny Pinol

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Duterte moves up to no.1 in Standard survey day after presidential frontrunner Rody Duterte topped the Manila Broadcasting Corporation/DZRH nation-wide survey, the Standard/Laylo national survey came up with its latest poll showing the Davao City Mayor break-

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

DCPO maintains crime efficiency rate is high, disputes PNP record

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) Central Office to reveal the crime solution efficiency rate of every city in the country.

Speaking in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps forum,

DCPO spokesperson Chief Insp. Milgrace C. Driz said showing the records of every city police will give the people an overview of how police units perform.

Driz also requested that if the central office will show data of crime volumes, the

non-index crimes and crime solution rate should also be included.

“To know how the police in the city are working and to their diligence to file cases that should be done,” she said.

Driz said that the crime efficiency rate of the city in-

creased in 2015 with 78.88 percent which is higher than the 55.97 percent in 2014 and 33 percent in 2013.

“We are increasing in crime solution efficiency and this means that the police are working hard,” he said.

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NEWS 3 NGCP restores power disrupted by fallen tree

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) confirmed that the power outage in the Davao City Wednesday happened after its Toril 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line 1 tripped at around 2:40 p.m. yesterday.

Milfrance Q. Capulong, NGCP corporate communication officer for Mindanao, told EDGE Davao yesterday that line was damaged by a fallen tree but was also repaired at around 3:52 p.m. on the same day.

The fault in the transmission line resulted in the one 150-megawatt unit of the coal-fired power plant of Therma South Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, “to

automatically shutdown as a precautionary measure” because the “energy produced by the power plant will have nowhere else to go.”

Wilfredo Rodolfo III, branding and communications manager for Mindanao of the Aboitiz Power, told EDGE Davao that measure was implemented to prevent the Easter Sunday blackout years ago after the STEAG coal-fired power plant tripped down.

“TSI power plant was not down. It’s okay this entire time. It was NGCP line that went down,” Rodolfo clarified.

Rodolfo said the plant started to be up after the line

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Magnitude 5.9 quake jolts Davao Occidental

COMELEC ON RICE AID. Commission on Elections (Comelec) 11 assistant director lawyer Marlon Casquejo says the city government of Davao will just need to comply with the requirements so that the P31.5-million rice

aid to Kidapawan farmers approved by the City Council on Tuesday will be automatically exempted from Comelec ban. Casquejo graced yesterday’s AFPPNP Press Corps media forum at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases. Lean Daval Jr.

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MAGNITUDE 5.9 earthquake struck the province of Davao Occidental on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its bulletin, Phivolcs said the tremor occurred at 4:29 p.m. with its epicenter traced 308 kilometers southeast of Sarangani in Davao Occidental.

Phivolcs added that trem-

or was felt at Intensity 2 in Tupi, South Cotabato and Alabel, Sarangani while Intensity 1 felt in General Santos City.

The agency noted that the quake, which was tectonic in origin, had a depth of 86 kilometers.

Phivolcs said there was no reported casualty or damage, adding that there are no aftershocks expected from the temblor. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Ejercito, 5 others in raps EDGE DAVAO barred from leaving PHL S

ENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and five others are barred from leaving the country.

This, after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has implemented the hold departure order (HDO) issued against them by the Sandiganbayan.

Aside from Ejercito, the other people who are not allowed to leave the country are: former San Juan city administrator

Ranulfo Decals, treasurer Rosalinda Marasigan, city attorney Romualdo de los Santos, city budget officer Lorenza Ching, and city engineer Danilo Mercado.

According to BI spokesperson Nikki Reyes, BI Associate Commissioner Abdullah Mangotara signed the orderimplementing the HDO. On Monday, the the Anti-Graft Court issued the HDO

Cayetano clinches Cebu

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NE Cebu gubernatorial bet Winston Garcia and his running mate, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, officially declared their support for the vice presidential bid of Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.

Garcia and Soon-Ruiz recently met with the senator in their headquarters in Cebu City last Sunday (April 3). The tandem leads the One Cebu Party, which also announced its support for Cayetano’s presidential running mate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. “(Cayetano) and my brother, Pablo John, are good friends. I am a good friend of his father and I know what kind of person he is,” Garcia told reporters. “The WinNer team supports Cayetano... We choose him as our candidate because I know him, and he is a very reliable friend,” he further said in a statement issued on Monday (April 4).

Garcia said that based on the surveys they conducted,

Cayetano continues to be the leading vice presidential bet in Cebu. Garcia also vowed to deliver one million votes for the senator.

Ruiz, meanwhile, stressed that Cayetano had been her personal choice even before their party declared support for Duterte’s presidential bid.

She noted how the senator has helped Cebuanos in the past by providing medical assistance for indigent patients in the province. She said this is why Cayetano landed as the number one senator in Cebu among all senatorial bets during the 2013 elections.

For his part, Cayetano said he considers the local tandem’s endorsement as an answered prayer.

“Salamat sa Diyos, it is an answered prayer for me and Mayor Duterte to garner more support,” Cayetano said. “The endorsement is mutual. We also support the tandem of Winston and Nerissa… We believe in the WinNer team and in One Cebu,” he added.

Barangay councilors league for Bongbong

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ENATOR Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos received yet another boost to his vice presidential bid from the big organization of kagawads, or barangay councilors.

This was learned today as the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines (BCLP), through its national president, Ricardo B. Junio, a kagawad in Valenzuela City, issued a manifesto of support for Marcos.

“BCLP-National supports Vice President Bongbong Marcos in his principle that an empowered local government translates to an empowered nation – specifically his sponsorship on the creation of Retirement Fund for barangay officials and its call to rekindle the unity of the Filipinos,” the manifesto said.

In its facebook account, Junio said the league has 294,189 members nationwide.

BCLP likewise expressed

support for a clean, honest and peaceful 2016 elections.

Marcos said he was elated by the outpouring of support he has been getting from the people and organizations like the BCLP as he vowed to continue bringing the message of national unity to as many people and places as possible, especially at the grassroots level.

“I am very thankful to all that have been supporting me in their own big and little ways. This only confirms my belief that the Filipino people are intelligent enough to know the truth. At ang katotohanan ay ang lagi kong sinasabi na sa pagkakaisa lamang ng mga Pilipino mai-aangat ang bansa at ang ating pamumuhay,” he said.

The BCLP credited Marcos for sponsoring and pushing for Senate Bill No. 12 entitled, “An Act Providing Barangay Officials, including Barangay Tanods, Members of the Lupon ng Tagapamayapa, Barangay Health Workers and

and the BI only received a copy and implemented the order only on Tuesday.

Reyes added that their names would be uploaded in the bureau’s HDO list so that they can be stopped, in case they would attempt to pass through the Immigration counters at the international seaports and airports in order to leave the country.

The Sandiganbayan issued

the order against Ejercito in connection to a graft case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against them last week.

Ejercito and 19 other former and incumbent officials of San Juan were charged for their alleged involvement in using calamity funds to purchase Php 2.1 million worth of high-powered firearms in year 2008, when the senator was still mayor of the city. (PNA)

The Vote 2016

Former Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte takes a selfie from the people in Alegria, Surigao del Norte as the Byaheng DU30 goes on tour in some places in Mindanao.The Byaheng DU30 is a 30-day caravan which aims to campaign Duterte’s presidency. Photo from Byaheng DU30 Facebook Page

Poe out to prove strong stance against corruption, criminality

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NDEPENDENT presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe has promised she would be tough when dealing with criminals, especially those involved in the illegal trade, and corrupt officials in government.

Poe said she would prove that regardless of who supported her in the presidential elections, she would dispense justice to both friends and foes.

The survey frontrunner said the only way to make people trust the government again was to ensure that corrupt officials, regardless of their political leanings, would have no place in government. ”Dapat patas ang pagtrato kaibigan man o kaaway, mayaman man o mahirap. Papatunayan ko naman kahit ‘yung mga kaibigan ko, halimbawa, Barangay Day Care Workers Retirement Benefits,” which was approved by the Senate on third and final reading last December.

sa mga pagdinig sa Senado, naging patas naman tayo sa pagdinig sa kanila. Kung tunay na may kasalanan sila ay hindi naman tayo nag-atubili na sabihin iyon at mag-file ng kaso laban sa kanila,” Poe said in an interview with Bombo Radyo Cebu.

The senator led the public inquiry into the Mamasapano tragedy and the state of the Metro Rail Transit, two of the most controversial hearings in the Senate.

Poe is also the primary sponsor of the Freedom of Information bill in the Senate, which passed in a record time of eight months but remains pending in the House of Representatives. The FOI is a vital tool in eliminating corruption and institutionalizing citizen’s participation in keeping the government honest.

The measure, sponsored and defended by Marcos being the chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, provides a retirement

“Lalo na kapag ako ang naging pangulo, talagang dapat mabawasan ang korapsyon,” she said.

Under her administration, Poe said government officials with corruption charges will be immediately removed from office. She also encourages the courts to speed up trial.

Aside from the billions stolen from the country’s coffers, Poe said corruption was the main culprit for people’s distrust in government.

In last Monday political rally in Valenzuela City, Poe assured the supporters that she would go down to the root cause of criminality by going to barangay to barangay if she has to in order to make sure that the streets are safe.

Poe, who had repeatedly warned public officials and uniformed personnel against pay of P100,000 for each qualified Barangay Chairman, P80,000 for each member of Sangguniang Barangay, and P50,000 each for the Baran-

condoning crime and corruption in government, said she would not go easy on police officers who failed to reduce the crime rate in their area.

She also promised a more focused and extensive monitoring of the peace and order situation across the country.

In a “Gobyernong may Puso,” a special room will be set up in Malacanang where the president can personally receive updates.

Poe, who believes barangay officials should be trained and equipped in fighting criminality, vowed to put up closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all barangay crime hotspots.

While stiffer measures will be implemented to maintain peace and order, Poe said her administration would adhere to due process. (PNA)

gay Treasurer and Secretary, Barangay Tanod, Member of the Lupon ng Tagapamayapa, and Barangay Health and Day Care Workers.

5 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Esdevco cites March top sellers E

SCANDOR Development Corporation (ESDEVCO) cited its top sellers for the month of March 2016 with a thanksgiving lunch last April 5 at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.

ESDEVCO is the developer of initial venture The Matina Enclaves, a sprawling mixed use real estate development located in Ecoland, Davao City.

The Matina Enclaves project head

Gerald Kent Garces announced the Top Sellers for Month, namely: Charity Furog, Jocelyn Asoy, Rizalyn Denaga, Cherry Codilla, Ofelia Genodepanon, Romeo Hierro, Gilbert Monecillo and Joseph Avila.

“I thank the Top Sellers for their enthusiasm and dedication. Good luck to another fruitful and productive month,” Garces said.

Meantime, the recent project up-

dates for the Matina Enclaves condominium Building 1 (B) include the ongoing installation of staircase, installation of exterior walls on the 4th floor, installation of plumbing works, installation of interior walls on the 2nd floor.

The Matina Enclaves recently broke ground for Building 2 and at the same time completed the topping off of Building 1.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

13 city hotels to get M Halal certification

Globe Telehealth launches KonsultaMD in Davao

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

TOTAL of 13 hotels and restaurants in Davao City will be soon be Halal certified as the city gears itself to become a destination of foreign tourists from Islamic countries.

This is according to Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. president for tourism and investment Malou Ampuan who said these establishments will be among the 53 establishments targeted by the Department of Tourism and Halal International Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. to be certified nationwide.

For Davao City, Ampuan said, the establishments in-

clude hotel chains Marco Polo Davao, Seda Hotel, Grand Regal Hotel, and Park Inn by Radisson- Davao.

“These establishments will be showcased during the Philippines Halal Tourism Expo 2016 slated on April 22 until 24 at the Abreeza Mall,” Ampuan told reporters in this week’s edition of Wednesday’s sa Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall yesterday.

Other food and accommodation establishments will come from Manila with 20 for Luzon, and Cebu and Boracay with 10 each for Visayas.

The certification of these establishments is in line with the Mindanao launched Phil-

ippine Halal Tourism Project of the tourism agency. The project aims to put the country on the Muslim travel index of CrescentRating, world’s leading authority on halal-friendly travel since 2008.

Ampuan said the halal certification of these establishments will also become one of the criteria on the assessment on the readiness of the country to accommodate Muslim tourists by CrescentRating.

Meawhile, Ampuan said the expo will also gather Halal certifiers, suppliers, and establishments. “It will be a meeting point point of Halal buyers and suppliers,” she

added.

The expo will be also a venue to showcase Muslim-friendly destination in Mindanao and in the Philippines.

Ampuan said four airline companies, namely, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia and V- Air were invited to showcase their routes.

“The event is organized to increase the level of awareness on the principles and concepts of halal. Ultimately, it aims to improve the position of Davao in the tourism industry by aligning our programs to halal tourism, one of the fastest growing global tourism concept,” Ampuan added.

OLD ATTRACTION. A foreigner and his daughter roam around Sta. Ana wharf to have a glimpse of one of the oldest ports in the Davao Region. Sta. Ana wharf still attracts local and foreign tourists despite its sorry state due to dilapidation. Lean Daval Jr.

ANILA-BASED Global Telehealth, Inc., a corporate startup of telecommunication giant Globe Telecom, rolled out KonsultaMD in a bid to provide the public with immediate and affordable medical services remotely.

“KonsultaMD is a 24/7 health hotline service manned by licensed Filipino doctors who provide medical assessment and information, including basic healthcare and permissible medication over the phone,” Vincent Syquia, business head development for KonsultaMD, told reporters in yesterday’s edition of Wednesday’s sa Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall.

Syquia said the KonsultaMD will enhance the accessibility of the public to licensed doctors. In the Philippines, he said that there are only seven doctors to attend in every 1,000 Filipinos.

The KonsultaMD, he added, turned medical services like consultations more affordable by just dialing the KonsultaMD hotline at 79880 via mobile phones or (02) 798 800 via landline.

“The cost of regular consultation in health centers is usually P200 to P300, while doctor’s consultation is around P500. Our service cost only P60 per month per person which gives our subscribers unlimited access to Konsulta MD,” he added.

While recognizing the limitation of remote consultation and presumptive diagnosis, he said, most of its attending doctors were able to assist calling clients on their concerns on general medicine like cough, fever, cold, sore eyes; pedia-related concerns; and ob-gyne concerns of women since it was launched on August last year.

“Our data revealed that 99.9 percent of our clients are satisfied, while the other 0.1

percent those who insisted prescription which we cannot do,” he added. The service has already more than 100,000 subscribers since it was launched last year.

Syquia also said three to four hour travel time to the nearest hospital or health center is cut into minutes through the use of KonsultaMD. “There is no waiting time.”

“The doctor is literally at the palm of your hands,” he said, adding an average of four to five doctors every shift are receiving calls from clients to ensure a round-the-clock service.

“The telehealth service provided by the KonsultaMD makes the entire health industry more efficient,” he said, adding the service health the government in attaining its goal of universal healthcare for all Filipinos regardless of their location.

As much as the KonsultaMD may lessen the possibility of self-medication, it still encourages face-to-face consultation with medical doctor who can give final diagnosis and medical prescription.

“Our doctors can only perform presumptive diagnosis and prescribe over-the-counter medicines,” he said.

Apart from remote consultation and over-the-counter medicine prescription, subscribers can also receive medical information on telephone triage, reading of lab and diagnostic results as well as health coaching and nutrition counseling.

“Our clients don’t need to be sick just to be able to avail our services,” he said, adding that subscribers may speak to doctors as many times as they want.

However, he said, the effectively of the service will depend on the honesty of the caller.

Meanwhile, KonsultaMD

Emperador generates P7-B net income in 2015 BDO extends P998-M loan E to large flour miller in Asia MPERADOR Inc., the world’s largest brandy company, reported a net income of PHP7 billion on revenues of PHP43.6 billion last year, inclusive of foreign operations. The company made the highest quarterly net income in the fourth quarter of 2015, amounting to PHP2.26 billion, showing a 38% year-on-year increase versus the fourth quarter of 2014 and as much as 56% quarter-on-quarter increase against the third quarter of 2015.

Emperador chairman Dr. Andrew L. Tan said, “The fourth quarter of 2015 also

marked a significant milestone in Emperador’s history as an agreement with Beam Suntory Inc was reached to buy Fundador – Philippines’ best-selling premium brandy and an iconic brand for more than 150 years. The purchase also included other Spanish assets like Terry Centenario, Spain’s number one selling brandy; Tres Cepas, the number one brandy in Equatorial Guinea; and Harveys, the number one selling sherry wine in the United Kingdom. The turnover of the Spanish assets recently occurred early this month.”

Emperador Inc. president, Winston Co, also said, “This recent development truly marks an epoch in Emperador’s history. The long-term potential of our brandy business is more compelling than ever. We have become even more global.”

Meanwhile, Emperador now has a much bigger product portfolio of brandy and whisky that has greater global presence. The core local product, Emperador brandy, can surely benefit from this international route to market given export opportunities in other countries.

Mr. Co said, “We are best

positioned to capitalize on premiumization opportunities in the Philippine market. We now have a broad spectrum of products available locally ranging from standard to ultra-premium offerings. Our core local product, Emperador brandy, remains to be the undisputed leader in the local liquor industry. We also now have a compelling presence in foreign liquor in the Philippines with our Fundador brandy and single malt whisky products, The Dalmore and Jura.”

Emperador Inc. is majority-owned by Alliance Global Group, Inc.

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Through the OpenTraffic initiative, Grab and World Bank aim to help address traffic congestion and road safety challenges under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and its concerned agencies.

Aside from OpenTraffic, another initiative dubbed

Driver will meanwhile identify road incident blackspots and improve emergency response.

To date, 200 government staff from the agency, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and

the Cebu City Transportation Office have been trained to use the OpenTraffic platform.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya in a statement welcomed the initiative noting that using big data is one of the “potential solutions” to the challenges faced by the country’s transport systems.

Grab ties up with WB to help PHL ease traffic PP-BASED transport service Grab on Tuesday announced a partnership with World Bank to provide the government with free GPS data to better manage travel speeds and journey times in two of the Philippines’ largest cities — Manila and Cebu.

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Y-LED Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc. (BDO) has extended a seven-year Php 998-million loan to the local subsidiary of Interflour Group Pte. Ltd. of Singapore, one of the largest millers in Asia.

In a statement, BDO said the loan extended to Mabuhay Interflour Mill, Inc. (MIMI) would partly finance the construction of its flour mill within a 5.2-hectare property in Subic Bay Gateway Park Phase II. Construction is expected to end in early 2017, after the company entered the local market in 2014. The mill will turn wheat into food flour for distribution both here and abroad.

The statement said the mill has a capacity to produce 500 metric tons of flour daily but this can be doubled to 1,000 metric tons by 2019.

BDO senior vice president

F GLOBE, 10

and head of international desk Edward Wenceslao said the loan agreement was a “welcome development” for the bank.

“BDO supports initiatives by conglomerates that generate employment opportunities in fast-growing business districts like Subic,” he said.

Interflour Chief Executive Greg Harvey said he was very optimistic on their future local operations, citing that there were about 25,000 bakeshops n the country.

“We welcome the support of BDO and thank them for the cooperation in working with us to develop local employment and more affordable flour for the Philippine community in general,” he said.

To date, Interflour has nine flour mills, eight of which are in Southeast Asia and one in Turkey. (PNA)

EDGEDAVAO

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Megaworld’s net income soars to P10.4B in 2015

THE ECONOMY 7

Property giant’s rental income in all-time high

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EGAWORLD, the country’s largest developer of integrated urban townships and the biggest lessor of office spaces, has breached the P10-billion mark in net core income for 2015. The company’s core profit reached P10.40-billion (net of P181-million non-recurring gain from P10.58-billion), up 10.58% from last year’s P9.40-billion (net of P12.16-billion non-recurring gain).

“We already have a strong roster of townships across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that are backed by adequate landbanking and carefully-thought masterplans. We have already mastered the art of township development.

What we want to put focus on now is how to further grow our rental portfolio, which is integral to being a township developer. Malls and offices are key components of an urban township,“ says Francis Canuto, chief finance officer, Megaworld.

Megaworld’s consolidated revenues, excluding non-recurring gains, grew 9.37% year-on-year in 2015 to P44.81-billion from the previous year’s P40.97-billion. Each of Megaworld’s core business - residential, rental and hotel operations – hit double-digit

growth in 2015.

Megaworld’s leasing business has been the fastest growing business segment in 2015, as rental income grew to a remarkable 23.46%. Leasing income from malls, commercial centers, and offices reached P8.73-billion in 2015 from P7.07-billion the previous year.

“Our rental business had been growing exponentially the last five years. We are confident that we will reach the P11-billion target by the end of this year as we see continuous growth in consumer spending as well as further expansion of BPO companies, particularly in key growth areas in Visayas and Mindanao where Megaworld is already present, ” adds Canuto.

The company launched five townships in 2015, bringing its total township developments across the country to 20. These are Eastwood City in Quezon City, (18.5 hectares); Newport City in Pasay City (25 hectares); McKinley Hill (50 hectares), McKinley West (34.5 hectares), Uptown Bonifacio (15.4 hectares) and Forbes Town Center (5 hectares), all in Fort Bonifacio; The Mactan Newtown in Cebu (28.8 hectares); Iloilo Business Park (72 hectares) and Sta.

HE Philippine peso weakened to a greenback Tuesday partly due to news that Saudi Arabia is not keen on freezing oil output if Iran will not join it.

It finished the trade at 46.26 from 46.10 in the previous session, which a trader also traced to some foreign investors decision to unload some holdings of local equities.

The local unit’s weak-

ness started early on when it opened at 46.24 from the previous day’s 46.00.

It traded between 46.27 and 46.16 resulting to an average of 46.22.

Volume of trade reached USD660.76, higher than the USD 519 million in the previous session.

On Wednesday, the currency pair is seen to trade between 46.10 and 46.30. (PNA)

TRANSPORT WOOS. A multicab passenger vehicle plying the Panacandowntown route traverses R. Magsaysay Avenue in Davao City yesterday.

Transport groups Piston and Transmision are planning to join the nationwide

Sun Life is PHL’s top insurance provider

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

S PHP weakens versus USD as oil prices slip T F MEGAWORLD, 10

PHL’s inflation rate rose to 1.1% in March 2016

P

HILIPPINES’ inflation rate rose to 1.1 percent in March 2016 from 0.9 percent the previous month, but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is not worried saying this is within expectations.

In a text message to reporters Tuesday, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said monetary officials earlier expected inflation rate to stay between 0.6-1.4 percent last March.

“This is also consistent with our latest runs showing that over the policy horizon, inflation will slowly move up to within target (levels),” he said, referring to the government’s three to five percent target for 2016-18.

Last March’s inflation rate was lower than year-ago’s 2.4 percent and brought the first quarter’s average to 1.1 percent.

Inflation has been below

target since May last year when it fell to 1.6 percent from the previous month’s 2.2 percent due to low oil prices.

Monetary officials and analysts alike project inflation to go up to within target levels in the second half of this year, given the expected normalization of oil prices and impact of the dry spell on agricultural products among others.

Tetangco said monetary officials saw inflation this year to average at the low end of the government’s target.

“We will continue to monitor developments,” he said.

The central bank chief also said that amidst the uptick in domestic inflation rate, there still no need to adjust the BSP’s policy stance since it remained appropriate.

“Right now we see no urgent need to change stance of policy,” he added. (PNA)

transport rally slated on April 18 to protest against taxi flag down rate reduction and the implementation of phasing out of multicab in the city.

Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

UN Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc. (SLOCPI) retained its status as the top-ranking life insurance provider in the Philippines based on the premium income last year.

“This is the fifth consecutive year that Sun Life topped the industry in premium income. Unaudited quarterly statistics submissions to the Insurance Commission confirmed that Sun Life posted a premium income of P32.8 billion in 2015, up from P 30.7 billion in the previous year,” a statement read.

Combined with Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc., the Sun Life group in the Philippines made close toP43 billion premium income in 2015.

In terms of new business measured in weighted first year premium (WFYP), SLOCPI grew by close to 17% to P6.

04 Billion, while Sun Life Grepa grew by 46% to P1.61 Billion.

Overall, Sun Life Philippines saw growth in 2015 through new products, aggressive expansion programs, effective branding campaigns,

intensive agency recruitment and heightened operational efficiencies.

“Sun Life Philippines had a banner year in 2015. We have an incredible team working there and their hard work and dedication to customers shines through in everything they do,” said Kevin Strain, Sun Life Financial Asia president.

Strain said last year was a “significant year for Sun Life Philippines when it celebrated its 120th year in the country and reaped major local and international awards.”

Sun Life Philippines was also recognized as Employer of the Year by the People Management Association of the Philippines and Asia’s Life Insurance Company of the Year at the 19th Asia Insurance Industry Awards. “These awards truly spoke well of Sun Life Philippines excellent leadership and operations,” said Strain.

For her part, Sun Life Philippines President Riza Mantaring attributed Sun Life’s continued success to the unwavering trust and patronage of its clients and the team’s excellent

execution of its various initiatives designed to fuel further growth.

Last year also marked Sun Life’s successful completion of its aggressive 5 year growth plan called Route 5. “With all of us focused on realizing our Route 5 goals of having 5,000 advisors, 5Billion in net income, 5 billion in AFYP, and P50 Billion in mutual funds AUM by 2015, we ended the year achieving all that and even exceeding our targets,” Mantaring said.

“A big part of our success is our most prolific and dynamic agency force whose passion to serve and sense of mission to help every Filipino achieve financial freedom have led us to the top. But of course, our utmost gratitude goes out to all our clients and business partners whose continued trust has inspired us to always aspire for excellence,” Mantaring concluded.

Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. (SLOCPI) is the longest-staying life insurance company in the Philippines now with 45 new business of-

fices, 39 inter-branch sales offices; 64 customer centers and eight financial stores throughout the country.

The company has close to a thousand employees and 7,800 Sun Life advisors. Sun Life Philippines offers individual insurance, education savings plans, mutual funds and retirement planning, group insurance and retirement benefits.

SLOCPI is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies, a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers.

Sun Life Financial and its partners also operate in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2015, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $891 billion.

Board decided to study the impact of the fare adjustment.

He noted that this was to ensure that the Board will be able to strike a balance that would be economically beneficial for both the riding public and the operators and their drivers.

In the Consolidated Order, the Board ordered a stay in the implementation of its Consolidated Decision issued on March 8, when the order for fixed flag-down rates was announced.

To recall, the Board issued Consolidated Decision on March 8 approving the permanent reduction of the existing taxi fare nationwide to Php

30 for the flag-down rate, Php 3.50 for every succeeding 500 meters and Php 3.50 for the waiting time per 90 seconds.

It also ordered the re-implementation of its previous Order on provisional reduction of the existing flag down rate of Php 40 to Php 30 of all taxi services nationwide (except in the Cordillera Administrative Region) and Php 35 to Php 30 of taxi services in the CAR. However, various Motions for Reconsideration on the Consolidated Decision of the Board have been filed by different transport groups, which included Metro Davao Taxi Operators Association, Taxi Operators and Drivers in Cagayan De Oro City,

Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, Inc. (MCTOA), Dumper Philippines Taxi Drivers Association, Inc. (Dumper), Association of United Taxi Operators in the Cordillera Administrative Region (AUTOCAR) and Angat Tsuper Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator ng Pilipinas Genuine Organization Transport Coalition (STOP & GO).

Under LTFRB’s Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure, the timely filing of a Motion for Reconsideration by any party adversely affected by the Board’s decision, order or resolution stays the immediate execution or implementation of the assailed decision, order or resolution. (PNA)

LTFRB orders P30-taxi flag down reverted to‘provisional’status

B

ARELY a month since the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced that the flag-down rate for taxis nationwide will be fixed at Php 30, the Board on Tuesday ordered it to revert to its provisional status.

“The Board deemed it best to stay the implementation of our Consolidated Decision while we are diligently reviewing and evaluating the Motions for Reconsideration,” LTFRB Chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said.

Ginez noted that in the Board’s evaluation of the various Motions for Reconsiderations that were filed, the

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

E

Beth’s mission

LIZABETH Zimmerman-Duterte is one tough nut to crack with one soft heart to share.

Caught in a fierce battle with the Big C, Beth, former wife of presidential bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte is on a mission—to help bring her husband to the presidency.

Strange? Perhaps. But not for Beth, mother to former Mayor (and now running as unopposed Mayoralty bet) Inday Sara, vice mayor Paolo and Sebastian.

Despite her medical condition, Beth has plunged into the campaign trail, not merely relegated to a kibitzer but deciding to go active in this crucial stretch of the campaign.

Beth and Mayor Rody have gone a long way in the latter’s journey from being a practicing lawyer to prosecutor and to being chief executive of Davao City.

Despite what transpired between them, mutual respect is always there.

Beth is now leading the “Byaheng DU30” a 30-day caravan by 30 volunteers to campaign for the candidacy of Duterte for President.

Shrugging off stage 3 cancer, Beth has decided to stop her radiation sessions to come out and help in the campaign.

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Based on medical records, she has 16 more radiation sessions to complete the 33 sessions prescribed by her doctor. That will have to wait after she comes back from the one-month caravan.

Beth knows that there are a lot of questions in the minds of Filipinos about her former husband, and she is only very much willing to answer the queries personally.

In the Facbook page of Byaheng DU30, Beth said she wants to meet her fellow Filipinos and answer their questions about the man in Digong.

Beth has said this clear. She is still very much a part of Digong’s life. “I wanted to help him because he is still part of my family, he is the father of my children. We may be annulled in court but we were also married in the church and the Catholic church never anulled our marriage.”

The caravan is intended to go around mainly the Visayas and Mindanao to thank the supporters and convince the undecided.

Beth’s mission is no joke considering her frail condition. But she is not fazed by the risks of the Big C. In her heart and mind is the mission to bring about the change in the country that she believes only Mayor Duterte can bring.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

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EDGEDAVAO

G

OD gave us Ten Commandments to follow. Oftentimes, we make a list of 10 places to visit, 10 things to do, 10 favorite foods, 10 best movies of all time, and so on.

So here are 10 things to remember to make life worth living and more memorable.

The value of time: “The management of time should be the No. 1 priority for us,” writes C. Neil Strait. “Without some organization of our day, it will waste away without purpose and drain away without accomplishment.”

Each day, God gives us 24 hours but how do we spend them? “Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes,” Paul J. Meyer points out. “A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over.”

The success of perseverance: It was through perseverance that the snail reached Noah’s Ark. But “lots of people limit their possibilities by giving up easily,” says Norman Vincent Peale. “Never tell yourself this is too much for me. It’s no use. I can’t go on. If you do you’re licked, and by your own thinking, too. Keep believing and keep on keeping on.”

To get through the hardest journey, we need to take one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. “Perseverance is the most overrated of traits if it is unaccompanied by talent; beating your head against a wall is more likely to produce a concussion in the head than a hole in the wall,” Sydney Harris reminds.

The pleasure of working: It’s the only thing we can do for eight hours. We can’t eat for eight hours nor drink for that long. “Rest and play are the desserts of life,” Harold Mayfield says. “Work is the meal. It is only a child

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

VANTAGE POINTS

9

10 things to remember who dreams of THINK ON THESE! a diet of dessert alone.”

Walter Hoving suggests: “Find a job that’s suited to your talents and then do a lot more work than you’re paid for.

In time, you’ll be Henrylito D. Tacio paid much more henrytacio@gmail.com for what you do.

Workers who get what they can, as fast as they can, are bound to be disillusioned. Such people fail to make progress simply because they aren’t profitable to the people who hire them.”

The worth of character: “What you are in the dark” is how D.L. Moody defines character.

“There is no substitute for character,” Robert A. Cook declares. “You can buy brains, but you cannot buy character.”

“Promises must be kept, deadlines met, commitments honored; not just for the sake of old-fashioned morality, but because we become what we do (or fail to do), and character is simply the sum of our performances,” reminds Howard Sparks.

A Chinese philosopher once said, “Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on toes.” That’s what discipline is all about.

“Discipline is demanded of the athlete to win a game. Discipline is required for the captain running his ship. Discipline is needed

for the pianist to practice for the concert. Only in the matter of personal conduct is the need for discipline questioned. But if parents believe standards are necessary, then discipline certainly is needed to attain them,” believes Mrs. Wright W. Brooks.

The influence of example: Experience is the best teacher, so they say. The world is replete of examples of people who succeeded in life because they fought for what they thought was right. During the time Noah was building the ark, he was very much in the minority – but he won. When Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers, he was a decided minority – but he won. When David, ridiculed by his brothers, went to meet Goliath, in size he was in a decided minority – but he won!

Albert Schweitzer summarizes, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

The tranquility of solitude: Just what is solitude? To the simple, prison but to the thinker, it is paradise. “Practice the art of ‘aloneness’ and you will discover the treasure of tranquility,” says William A. Ward. “Develop the art of solitude and you will unearth the gift of serenity.”

Unfortunately, modern world has developed a phobia of being alone. “We prefer the most trivial and even obnoxious company, the most meaningless activities, to being alone with ourselves; we seem to be frightened at the prospect of facing ourselves,” Erich Fromm says.

The virtue of patience: Patience comes from two Greek words, meaning “stay under,” not always bobbing up. “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster; one moment

of impatience may ruin a whole life,” so goes a Chinese saying.

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open. “Remember that quiet patience can and does master and outlive all boisterous, stormy human discords,” reminds Lowell Filmore.

The improvement of talent: Encourage people to use their talents in their own ways and they will often turn a squirrel cage of frustration into a ladder of success. “There is a good deal of wasted talent in the world, and some of the waste comes from sheer ignorance,” deplores Gilbert Highet. “People simply do not know how to apply their energies.”

“Talent is what you have,” explains Lloyd D. Mattson. “Person is what you are. It is the person who uses the talents; and if the person is inadequate, the talent won’t account for much. Most of us look at an unusually talented person and assume that all it takes to win is talent. Don’t be fooled. Talent is only the beginning.”

The sound of music: A little boy who loved music was bitterly disappointed because he could neither play nor sing. But Amati, the violin-maker, told him: “There are many ways of making music. What matters is the song in the heart.” So Antonio Stradivarius was encouraged to become the world’s greatest violin-maker.

“Music study has great value insofar as a mastery of it enables one to live more richly and wholesomely, to be a stronger, better, happier, more cooperative individual; to succeed more fully in the greatbusiness of being human,” says Vernon Leidig.

exacerbate an MY TWO CENTS’ already tense situation. Sadly, dealing with the MNLF in Zamboanga is nothing new for the government. It ought to have learned from two recent experiences such John Tria as the Camp ecisouth@gmail.com Cawa-cawa and Cabtangan siege that took place in the city. A friend told me that Duterte only verbalized what many are afraid to say about Roxas in particular and the PNOY government in general. It just pains me to see that every time there is such a situation the government is a beehive of activity, not because there are great solutions brewing to resolve the conflict, but because characters like Mar roxas and Jejomar Binay are jostling for political points.

This is where, sadly, Jejomar Binay didn’t do well. He was unable to drive the discussion on this and probably intended to capitalize on the debate to answer allegations against him.

Given his current circumstances, I and many others expected him to try to unravel Mar Roxas and the failures of the present administra-

tion so that he could differentiate himself and score some points. I guess he was exhausted from pushing his desire to bring notes or documents he lost the energy to focus on what he wanted to drive. He seemed more concerned about how he and many others can Mayor Duterte and Senator Poe, on the other hand, got this right, and it is that elections are always a referendum on how credible and effective a current government is, as embodied in the Tuwid na Daan slogan of the current administration. Poe got Roxas on the defensive about Mamasapano, an argument he will never win since he already has claimed not knowing about the operation in spite of his being DILG secretary in command of the SAF 44 troops. Not knowing and blaming others for what is clearly his responsibility brings out the discussion on other blunders, such as Yolanda and Zamboanga, where he has found it too difficult to dispel eyewitness accounts of his non-performance, and the ire of many in Mindanao who were slighted not only by his statement about “muslim mananakop”, but about allowing the MNLF to expand their siege under his watch, and publicly admitting to knowing nothing about the Mamasapano operation that was supposed to be under his watch.

Duterte cleverly exposed Mars weak points and temper, enabling him to admit that the Shabu kitchens in the Bilibid prisons are

real, and that in spite of whatever gains Roxas may have made catching drug pushers, or playing around with drug and crime data of selected Philippine cities to try to make his opponents look bad, he already has forgotten that he was DILG Secretary in charge of removing such a menace, hanging out his own poor performance to dry. What damned him further was his governments blind eye on allowing the drug to be cooked inside prison. In his desire to make himself look decent, Roxas managed to say that he was proud of the current government in spite of the shabu kitchens that only increase the number of criminals to catch, and the recent tanim bala scandal that he seemed powerless to stop. Recent alliances made with jueteng lords the Pineda family, and the list of political dynasties in different regions including the Romualdos of Camiguin only cement the hypocrisy that is Tuwid na Daan. He obviously revealed the truth about his own and his governments performance and it is shameful.

No spin can ever explain it away.

For Mar to say in his closing statement that it is about bringing back decent government is the icing on his cake, only that it spilled on the floor, and he slipped on it. It was not a repudiation of his opponents, it was an indictment of the administration he represents, and of himself. The grave scandal putting the current administration to shame is that it nominates its worst performer to succeed it.

Going beyond debates: Exposing pretense and fraud (part 2)

S

ECOND pretense exposed: Mar Roxas and Jejomar Binay Smarting from his self perceived “victory” in the first round of debates in Cagayan de Oro, Mar Roxas thought that he presented himself as the smart, well studied and decent choice for president. He took to giving lengthy answers with statistics. He also bared his irritation and temper when defending the current administration, even stating how proud he was of the current administration in spite of the admitted fact that shabu continues to be cooked inside the Bilibid prison by drug lords he successfully had arrested. Whether the Rappler editors thought this was an impressive display of leadership talent is anyone’s guess. We give them the benefit of the doubt. What we need to remind ourselves is that the premise of periodic elections are not about who looks good as a candidate. The first question is whether the current administration is able to do its job.

Everything else ought to follow.

Mayor Duterte’s booming response calling Mar Roxas a fraud is very telling for many who see the Mar Roxas candidacy as unraveling.

This comes amid the recent decision to let his Vice Presidential running mate Leni Robredo campaign on her own, which to my mind is worrisome for the administration. It is possible that the LP leadership perceives Mar as a liability. As with Zamboanga, both he and Vice president Binay entered the fray only to

10 NEWS

EXPLAINING. Captain Ryan Batchar, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, comments on the issue of Daniel Ferrer, an 11-year old boy who was accidentally shot and killed by members of the 2nd Scout Ranger battalion in Sibulan, Toril district. Batchar was joined by Eastern

DCPO... FROM 3

She said the PNP showed the index crime of the city in the past five years which has a total of 38,537 without including the non-index crime.

Index crimes are defined as acts perpetrated by criminals and other lawless elements such as theft was physical injuries robbery, murder and rape.

Non-index crimes are those in which police initiated operations for the apprehension of suspects for violating the special laws such as anti-illegal drugs operations and anti-illegal gambling operations.

Driz said if the index crime and non-index crime will be computed together under the same category, there will be another variable for crime cleared and crime solved.

“Crime cleared means there are already cases filed against the perpetrators but the suspects are yet to be arrested and with regards to solved the suspect was already arrested and charged,” she said.

She said as result the crime solution efficiency will come up.

Driz, however, said she cannot justify the peacefulness but the people themselves could attest that Davao City is a peaceful city.

“Mga tao mismo ang nakakaalam kung gaano ka-peaceful ang Davao City despite of this crime rates (The people really know that Davao City is peaceful despite of the crime rate),” she said.

Driz came up the statement after the PNP bared its Crime Situation for calendar year 2010 to 2015 showing The PNP recorded a total of 6,010 murders for the top 15 chartered cities nationwide

for 2010 to 2015.

Based on that document, the recorded index crimes for the top 15 chartered cities nationwide, Davao City posted the most number of recorded murders with 1,032. It was followed by Quezon City with 961 and Cebu City with 806.

Naga City meanwhile posted the least number of murders at 45 while Makati had 113 incidents.

Driz admitted that there many cases in the city but most of the people killed were drug related incidence.

“The perpetrators were unknown and we have to witnesses that could point out the suspects,” she said.

“Most of this are drug related cases as well as personal grudge on the part of the victims,” she added.

PNP records also showed that the city also ranked second among the 15 chartered cities in terms of recorded rape incidents. From 2010 to 2015, Quezon City recorded the most number of rape cases at 1,122 followed by Davao at 843.

Driz retorted to this statement saying that most of rape cases in the city are product of incestuous rape committed inside domiciles.

“Unlike in other places in the country, even if there is a police presence, for example in their streets, still the cops could not still do anything,” she said.

She said she already talked to police stations in the city and the station commanders told her that most of the suspects were properly informed that is why the charges are immediately filed.

“It means to say, solved,” she said.

Barbara Heights (173 hectares), both in Iloilo; Boracay Newcoast in Boracay Island (150 hectares); Twin Lakes in Tagaytay (1,300 hectares); ArcoVia City in Pasig City (12.3 hectares); Southwoods City in the boundaries of Cavite and Laguna (561 hectares); Davao Park District in Lanang, Davao City (11 hectares); Alabang West in Las Piñas City (62

hectares); Suntrust Ecotown in Tanza, Cavite (350 hectares) and The Upper East (34 hectares) and Northill Gateway (50 hectares) both in Negros Occidental; a vast property beside the Pampanga Provincial Capitol in the City of San Fernando (35.6-hectares); and Westside City in the Entertainment City in Paranaque (31 hectares.)

Megaworld... FROM 7

EDGEDAVAO

Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) public information chief Captain Roda Leoncito during yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases. Lean Daval Jr.

10th ID... FROM 2 protect themselves and secure their position from what they perceived at that time as enemy threat; they did so without criminal intent,” he said.

He said the incident happened at around 10:30 in the morning, April 1, 2016 at Sitio Mitundo, Brgy Baracatan, Toril District, Davao City.

Batchar said the soldiers saw one man carrying a long firearm prompting the troops to fire shots towards them. He said a person was able to jump for cover and run away leaving behind his firearm.

“The persons were later

identified as Danny Pile, the one who was carrying the long firearm and his nephew, Daniel Ferrer who was closely following next to him. Upon search, they discovered the lifeless body of the victim, later identified as Daniel Ferrer, nephew of Danilo. The soldiers also found one “rifle” left

by Danilo, which turned out to be an air gun,” he said.

He said the soldiers immediately brought the dead body of Ferrer to a nearby detachment at Sitio Lawaon, Barangay Sibulan. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

(WMSU) in Zamboanga City when the incident happened.

He sustained three gunshot wounds in his right shoul-

der and middle portion of his chest while Sheikh Assaegh sustained wounds in his right thigh and left leg. (PNA)

is operated by Manila-based Global Telehealth, Inc., an affiliate of Globe Telehealth , Inc. and Mexico-based health hotline provider Salud Interactive.

He also said the KonsultaMD does not yet offer video calls between the patient and the doctor because of the “inconsistency of the network and fluctuating internet bandwith.”

Syquia said TeleHealth

services is relatively new to the Philippines but has been a growing industry abroad for more than two decades.

“Studies of US-based TeleDoc, a TeleHealth service provider, showed that 92 percent of the people who called them did not seek further medical services,” he added.

CHENEEN R. CAPON with reports from Yssa Banas and Chrislen Bulosan, ADDU Interns

Criminal... FROM 2 Globe... FROM 6

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

PNOY... FROM 1

“Rody is on top means the people are on top. However, that Rody is on top exposes him to attacks,” he said.

Evasco said with the millions of support from the people to it is clear for Duterte’s rivals now that he is the presidential candidate to beat which is the reason of the attacks against him.

“A truth courtesy of the Filipino people whose overwhelming show of love for Rody is enough to drown even the most finely orchestrated of attacks,” he said.

He said that slowly, Duterte is getting closer to his goal of “ensuring victory not only for

him but for the Filipino people who are desperate for change, desperate to end criminality, poverty and corruption that hounded the nation so long now.”

Pulse Asia on Monday denied the survey result showing that Duterte is taking the lead with 26 percent of 4,000 respondents as their top presidential bet.

Senator Grace Poe, with 24 percent, allegedly dropped to second place in the fabricated March 21-25 polls. Meanwhile, administration bet Mar Roxas supposedly scored 21% while Vice President Jejomar Binay got 19 percent.

provided to their offices, the municipalities that are affected with the dry spell are Arakan Valley, President Roxas, Magpet, Antipas and some parts of Kidapawan City.

The City Council has approved on Tuesday the P31.5 assistance for the protesting famers who are hit by the drought in North Cotabato as requested by Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The fund will enable the city to procure and give 15,000 sacks of rice to the farmers of North Cotabato.

This approval came in when Duterte vowed on Friday that he will give food assistance to the victims of drought after the bloody dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato last week.

The dispersal resulted to two deaths from the group of the protesters and dozens were wounded from the police and farmers.

The ordinance states the Office of the City Mayor has is-

sued a certificate of urgency on April 4, requesting for the approval to support then farmers of North Cotabato.

It said the North Cotabato has been experiencing drought and rat infestation as the result of dry spell which affected 31,663.70 hectares of agricultural lands in the province.

There are 13,286 farmers who are suffering from the P1.47 billion damage based from Damage and Assessment Needs Analysis report of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12.

The assistance will be drawn from the P309 million quick response fund (QRF) which was recommended by Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO).

During the discussion, City Budget Office head Erlinda Furog assured the city council the city government still has enough money to respond to the needs of the Dabawneyos once a calamity or disaster will heat the city.

was repaired around 4 p.m. yesterday. However, “it will take several hours before the plant to start up and synchronize to the grid.”

Meanwhile, the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) announced that incident could have caused four hours of rotating power interruption in its franchise area which include Davao City, Panabo City, and other munici-

palities in Davao del Norte.

However, the NGCP was able to repair the transmission line around 3:42 yesterday.

Rossano C. Luga, assistant vice president for reputation enhancement of DLPC, said the distribution utility has to assess as how many hours they will implement now that all the two units of TSI are synchronized to the Mindanao grid.

Comelec... FROM 2

NGCP... FROM 3

11 ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Saving Davao’s endangered species: Waling-waling Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO (First of Two Parts)

“O

F all the global problems that confront us, species extinction is one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that will have the most serious consequences,” contends Dr. Peter Raven, a well-known American biologist.

Unlike other global ecological problems, Dr. Raven stressed, the crisis is completely irreversible.

“Extinction is forever,” deplores the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The Philippines, because of its many islands, has one of the world’s most unique and diverse species.

Thousands of species and subspecies of flora and fauna comprise the archipelago’s wildlife resources.

A c c o r d i n g the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), a line agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines has more than 2,500 endemic flora and fauna species, excluding insects and other invertebrates.

“The Philippines has tremendous wildlife resources,” wrote Jesus B. Alvarez Jr. in a 1981 position paper. “We have unique and beautiful birds which are in great demand, both here and abroad. We also have rare interesting mammals.

Most outstanding are the tamaraw and the Philippine eagle which could be placed alongside the world’s finest species.”

Unfortunately, many of the country’s endemic flora and fauna are on the verge of extinction. “A few decades ago, the wildlife of the Philippines was notable for its abundance; now, it is notable for its variety; if the present trend of destruction continues, Philippine wildlife will be notable for its absence,” commented Dr. Lee Talbot, who was once a member of the Southeast Asia Project on Wildlife Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Among those that has been considered on

the verge of extinction is the exotic waling-waling, which used to abound in the forests of Mount Apo. “The waling-waling’s beauty adorns our treetops, especially in Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is endemic. But there are threats to its survival, as the flowers that grow and thrive in the wild are harvested for commercial and decorative purposes, and their habitat is destroyed by deforestation,” said Senator Loren Legarda who pushed for making the orchid the country’s second flower icon (after sampaguita).

Waling-waling “is one of the finest orchid species endemic to the Philippines, desired by orchid growers and breeders alike for its showy and attractive flowers and ability to impart its vigor and floral characteristics to its progeny,” wrote Dr. Helen Valmayor in her book, “Orchidiana Philippiniana.”

“A Pictorial Cyclopedia of Philippine Ornamental Plants,” described the exotic waling-waling in these words: “The flowers are flat, to eight centimeters across; the sepals and petals are obviate, bluish pink, with buff-yellow stain, and dull-crimson reticulations on the lateral sepals; the lip is small and concave, purple-red at base, strongly recurved and brownish purple at apex; with three prominent keels.”

The waling-waling, named in “allusion to a moth in flight,” was discovered on Mindanao in 1882. It used to grow on tree trunks in the rainforests of Davao, Sultan Kudarat and other parts of the island. It is worshipped as “diwata” (fairy) by the native Bagobos.

Unfortunately, the exotic orchid is almost on the brink of extinction.

“The waling-waling is almost extinct in the wild,” deplored Dr. Domingo Madulid, one of the country’s noted botanists.

“Rarer varieties of this plant can only be found in expensive nurseries.”

Recent surveys show that the waling-waling can

be found in abundance no longer in the Philippines but in other countries, particularly Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Hawaii.

It is the best orchid variety of the country, Madulid said. But most Filipinos didn’t know that it could be one of the biggest sources of dollars for the country. In the 1950s, the “systematic plunder” of wild plants, including orchids, started.

Madulid said that long before the country was sending maids to Singapore and Hong Kong, upland farmers had been despoiling the forests and selling rare orchid varieties, such as waling-waling, abroad.

There’s an interesting on how the world came to know waling-waling.

Valmayor, in her very informative book, shared this story: “One of the most successful and secretive collectors was Carl Roebelin, who was in the employ of Frederick Sander of the Orchid House of Sanders at St. Albans, England.

“About 1879, the Spanish government of the Philippines initiated a regular mail service between Manila and Mindanao. This provided a satisfactory means of sending collected plant material from the southern island to Manila.

Consequently, Sander commissioned Roebelin to explore Mindanao for spectacular and still undiscovered orchids.”

It was February or March of 1880 when Roebelin came to Mindanao in the Bay of Illana near Cotabato. The place was described as “a very mountainous region on the western side of Mindanao.”

Valmayor added this additional information: “At that time, only the coastal regions and some rivers were controlled by the Spaniards. The interiors were populated by hostile tribes who were wary about white intruders.”

The story continued: “Earlier, (Roebelin) had heard of stories from natives about an orchid that grew on trees in mosquito-infested jungles with ‘flowers as big a dishpans.’ This

whetted his appetite to seek the mysterious orchid, thinking of fabulous prices it would command in Europe.

“To reach the area, Roebelin had to travel with Sam Choon, half Chinese and Filipino, for apparently he was the only one who could trade safely with the natives. (The two) sailed up the river towards Lake Magindanao to the interior village of a rather peaceful tribe, the Subanons. They lived above the mosquito zone in tree houses about 50 feet above the ground.

These raised dwellings protected them from the marauding warlike Bagobos, who would attack the villagers at night. Ladders for the tree houses made up of tree trunks were pulled

up for the night, making them safe from raids of the Bagobos.

“Roebelin slept for the night in one of these tree houses very close to the tree branches. While asleep he was awakened by a loud roar and the shaking of the flimsy thatched hut. He was sure it was an earthquake and proceeded to tie himself to a branch while the shaking continued. He dropped off exhausted, fell asleep, and when he woke up in the morning he saw the beautiful spray of purple and brown flowers which the natives called as ‘waling-waling.’”

Roebelin took some plants and mailed them but they never reached England, “as themail service was disrupted by the earthquake.”

Valmayor wrote:

“Roebelin returned to England with only an illustration of walingwaling, but he was again dispatched by Sander to go back, and this time he did secure the orchid.”

When the orchid flowered in England in 1882, German taxonomist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach named the plant after Sander, hence the name “Vanda Sanderiana,” or “Euanthe sanderiana,” as another taxonomist preferred to call the plant.

After that, Sanders introduced waling-waling to orchid enthusiasts and lovers in London the following year. Since then, it has influenced another thousand or more colorful and attractive vandaceous hybrids that are now part of the world’s multibillion-dollar orchid and cutflower industry.

For almost a century, waling-waling disappeared in the Davao gardens. But thanks to Charita Pentespina, it has “returned” to its native home. Then a neophyte orchidist, Puentespina successfully pioneered in mass producing the

waling-waling through embryo culture in 1985.

During the 48th Araw ng Dabaw, the first waling-waling seedlings in compots (community pots) were sold to the public, which in no time generated interest among hobbyists and commercial orchid growers.

Since then, the waling-waling has become a fixture in almost every garden in Davao. “The return of the waling-waling to every home garden in Davao and elsewhere in the country is one thing,” one noted author wrote. “It is another thing to see it bloom in its habitat at the foothills of Mount Apo.” Yes, waling-waling is endemic to the country.

“Our national symbols are vital to our identity as Filipinos,” Legarda pointed out. “As we discover more about ourselves, we must also update the symbols that represent us. I believe that initiatives to do so increase the engagement of everyday Filipinos with the symbols of our nation, and aid in our nationbuilding process.”

12 CLASSIFIEDS

EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

EDGEDAVAO GENSAN PARTNERS Serving a seamless society

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

EDGEDAVAO FOOD

Malagos Cheese.

Lechon Cebu.

A celebration of

FILIPINO FLAVORS and more

Malagos chocolate cake.

TIME FLIES FAST AND JUST LIKE THAT, SEDA ABREEZA IS TURNING THREE THIS MONTH OF APRIL and to celebrate the hotel’s milestone. I was given a sneak peek of the food promotion as well as of the happenings that will occur within the month last April 2 and you could say that I am truly excited to share these.

General Manager Kennedy Kapulong trying out some sorbetes.

Chef Bang (center) together with the sales team of Seda.

Davao is all about food and as Durianburg’s urban lifestyle hotel, Seda is cooking up a storm by offering a series of Filipinothemed buffet offerings at its all-day-dining restaurant, Misto.

Sous Chef Giovanna “Bang” Flores and her team have prepped a wide-ranging set of menus for “Flavors of the Philippines,” a month-long gastronomic event launched by the Department of Tourism as part of their Visit the Philippines Again 2016 campaign.

Diners at Misto get to go on a gastronomic tour around the country all Fridays of April with each evening carrying a different theme featuring Fiesta Flavors, Street Food Flavors, Island Flavors, Sum-

Seda’s drink of the month, the Tanggero. mer Flavors, and Regional Flavors.

Dinner was formally opened with a toast by Seda Abreeza’s General manager Kennedy Kapulong. Instead of the usual wine, the ceremonial toast featured Seda’s drink of the month, the Tanggero, a refreshing and silky mango and rum cocktail that is perfect for the summer season.

The preview dinner featured iconic Filipino dishes such as Lechon Cebu (which arrived a little later than expected no thanks to delayed flights), Malagos Cheeses,, Tuna Pakfry, Crabs, Grilled Squid, Chicken BBQ, Caldereta, Relenong Bangus, as well as Filipino favourites with

Pinakbet with Shrimp Tempura (top) and crabs.

a twist such as Pochero de Cebu, and Pinakbet with Shrimp Tempura.

Although I am not a dessert junkie, I especially loved the Malagos Chocolate Cake that was served that night. The cake was not too sweet and the frosting that was made using dark Malagos chocolate was rich with a hint of bitterness which pairs well with coffee.

“For the younger set, Seda is bringing back its Seda Little Chefs program,” said Kennedy. Now on its second year, Seda Little Chefs allows kids from six to 12 years old to discover the delights of the culinary arts with the assistance of Seda’s talented kitchen team from April

15 to 16 from 1:30PM to 4PM. Kids may register for Php3,200 nett, slots are limited.

Seda Abreeza also partnered with the Department of Tourism to support the Visit Davao Fun Sale for an art exhibit from April 13 to May 5 organized by Tabula Rasa featuring some of the best visual artists of Davao.

Davao’s urban lifestyle has changed in such short a time and I believe that Seda was part of this revolution, changing the way we enjoy food and life in general.

For inquiries and reservations for dinner or Seda Little Chefs, please call (082) 322 8888 or email dvo@sedahotels.com.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

UP AND ABOUT

Globe Telecom launches Disney Mobile THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PHILIPPINES’ NUMBER ONE MOBILE BRAND GLOBE TELECOM announced, last March 28, the launch of Southeast Asia’s first Disney Mobile smartphone.

Globe Telecom will be the first telco in Southeast Asia to offer Disney Mobile smartphones through its new myStarter postpaid plans for as low as P750 per month.

Created especially for the trendsetting Disney fan and themed around popular Disney franchises, these smartphones carry the signature aesthetic of the Disney brand from its lively colors to matching themed accessories. The first Disney Mobile range for the Philippines comes in 3 themes – Mickey Mouse, Frozen and Disney Princess.

Apart from its adorable hardware design, each device is packed with custom content that is sure to bring the fun and magic of Disney right in the palm of one’s hand. The smartphones’ interfaces show tailored app icons, Disney-themed live and static wallpapers, widgets and exclusive re-recordings of famous Disney songs as ringtones, such as It’s A Small World, Do You Want to Build a Snowman, Part of Your World, and the like. Premium Disney apps are also included in each device

and in line with the smartphone theme. These range from Princess Story Theater, Frozen Storybook Deluxe, to Castle of Illusion, among others.

Disney Mobile is an LTE device that gives users access to a whole range of other Disney content such as games, apps, books and the Disney Philippines website.

“The arrival of Disney Mobile in the Philippines is one of the milestones of our multi-year comprehensive partnership with The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia. We are thrilled to offer these phones exclusively through our budget-friendly myStarter postpaid plans. Not only do our customers have access to Disney’s interactive content, movie premieres and retail promotions, but also to a device

designed after one of the most iconic brands in the world,” says Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business, Dan Horan.

“Disney continues to actively pursue innovative digital media opportunities and provide fans with the best entertainment experience on whatever platform they want. Smartphones have immensely changed the way Filipinos consume entertainment and Disney Mobile allows us to bring our content closer to more fans in a fun and personal way,” said James Gray, General Manager for Disney Interactive, The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

Alongside Globe and Disney, Cellprime CEO Eric Yu also shared that “We are proud to be working with Disney and Globe

Telecom to bring Disney Mobile to the Philippines. With this new exciting partnership, we aim to provide Globe Telecom’s millions of customers with devices that bring them the magic of Disney, every day, through their phones.” Cellprime is the manufacturer of Disney Mobile handsets in the Philippines.

The Disney Mobile device is available exclusively with Globe myStarter postpaid Plan 500 with a P250 monthly cash out that can be charged to the monthly bill. Customers can go to any Globe store or online to get the plans.

Globe myStarter plans are the new all-in-one budget-friendly plans. Plan 500 is already bundled with a smartphone and comes with unlimited calls and

texts to Globe and TM, 300 texts to other networks and 200 MB of data and a smartphone. It is also available on Plan 300 with a smartphone and 300 texts to all networks, 300 minutes to Globe and TM, and 200 MB worth of data.

With the myStarter plans, customers will no longer worry about going over the limit as it guarantees a fixed bill every month and can easily be topped-up when needed. It is also the first postpaid plan that is capable of number portability where customers can opt to retain their prepaid numbers. The plan also provides free access to Facebook, Viber, and a separate 1 GB data wallet for Spotify Basic.

Disney Mobile smartphones are top quality dual SIM android devices compatible with 4G LTE that runs on a Lollipop operating system. It has a 5” HD IPS Screen; 13 megapixel (MP) rear camera; 5MP front camera; and 1.2 Quad Core.

In 2015, Globe and Disney entered a comprehensive collaboration to gain access to brand properties of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and global leader in short-form video, Maker Studios.

Globe is the undisputed leader in mobile Postpaid, closing 2015 with revenues at P85.1 billion underpinned by growth in customer base now at 2.4 million, and 55% increase in mobile data revenues year-on-year.

Italianni’s introduces ‘Ultimate Ribs’ for groups

Also launches refreshing hand-crafted Summer coolers THE ULTIMATE IN TASTE AND PORTIONS! That’s what Italianni’s “Ultimate Rib Platter” is all about. Imagine sinking your teeth into 1 to 1.4 kilos of Baby Back Ribs with a choice of additional per side dish (Italian Fried Rice, Insalata Rucola salad, House salad and Spaghetti Aglio Olio) worth P145 only. This is something that two to three persons can share, A’More Di’Merrier, Italianni’s style. For only P995, an order is quite a steal! That’s value for money for you and your friends.

Italianni’s ribs are marinated in spices and ingredients that complement the flavor and not bury it

so the meat shines. There is a symphony of flavors – a little sweet, a little tart, a little hot with a whole of

deliciousness right in every bite.

Have a serving of this new menu offering that is available all day, every day, in all Italianni’s branches (except Boracay).

Together with this promo are the newest thirst quenchers of Italiannis.

Take a sip of their freshly handcrafted beverages “Cranberry Twists” and “Lemonade Twists” for only P145. A choice of Watermelon Cranberry – that has cranberry juice mixed with muddled watermelon and a hint of cucumber, Cucumber Cranberry –

with cranberry juice muddled cucumber and lime juice, Mango Cranberry – with cranberry juice and muddled ripe mango, Orange Cranberry – flavored with cranberry juice, orange, and mint leaves.

You may also enjoy the surprisingly sweet com-

bination of fresh peachmango for a fruity twist of Peach Mango Lemonade, the refreshing minty tropical fusion of lemon and sweet Orange Lemonade; Ginger Lychee Lemonade with sweet tangy delightful drink made of lychee and a hint of ginger, and lastly, Fresh Oregano Lemonade filled with uniquely ice-cold lemonade with a soothing aromatic flavor of fresh oregano mix all from their list of “LEMONADE TWISTS”. This is a perfect summer cooldown for you and your friends.

For more information, you can check out our social media accounts at facebook.com/italiannisph; twitter.com/italiannisph; and instagram.com/ italiannisph.

In Davao, Italiannis is located at the ground floor of the Abreeza Mall.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Juan Happy Love Story’ airs this May on GMA TWO OF THE COUNTRY’S FITSPOs (fit inspirations) because of their todie-for sexy physique come together to do an extremely hot and sometimes naughty project entitled JUAN HAPPY LOVE STORY!

Dennis Trillo is JUAN, ang pinapangarap na THE ONE ng girls. Responsible and go-getter si Juan. Matinik sa chicks, pero mas matinik sa negosyo, kaya naman from a car salesman ay naging used car shop owner.

And his business is doing great.

Nothing can go wrong at this point in his life.

Heart Evangelista is HAPPY, ang nangangarap na ma-meet ang kaniyang THE ONE. May naging boyfriends naman pero nothing serious kasi nga hindi sila ang THE ONE. Feisty, loyal and family-oriented itong si Happy.

Nothing is going right naman at this point in her life.

This May, Kapuso Network’s Drama King Dennis Trillo and Philippine TV’s Sweetheart Heart Evangelista are back together again in the upcoming series Juan Happy Love Story.

This program is the perfect combination of sexy and naughty peppered with romance and comedy as versatility of Dennis and Heart are showcased to delight their fans.

Both Kapuso stars express their excitement for their latest project on GMA as this is the first time that they will be dabbling in a light-hearted, sexy and naughty comedy series.

“I’m very excited but at the same time kinakabahan rin kasi naughty, sexy, love story ito.

It’s very fresh so pampasaya siya ng buhay. Never pa ako nakagawa ng ganito and this role is very challenging. So thank you sa GMA for always giving me challenging roles,” said Heart.

Juan is raised by her Mamu and Papi, Mameng and Caloy (Ms. Gloria Romero and Mr. Nick Lizaso).

Happy is the middle child of Boyong and Isay (Gardo Versoza and Lotlot De Leon).

Her older sister is Joy (Ericka Padilla) and her youngest brother is Lucky (Vincent Magbanua).

Dominic Roco will play Henry, Happy’s brother-in-law and Juan’s trusted mechanic who will be caught between the crossfire when Juan and Happy’s marriage starts failing.

Making Juan and Happy’s married life more colourful (and challenging) are Bob (Joross Gamboa) and Agatha (Kim Domingo).

JUAN HAPPY LOVE STORY is a product of

Dennis, on the other hand, will certainly win hearts of women because of his character in the show and like Heart, he is equally thrilled to offer something new to the viewers. “Iba ito sa mga ginawa namin dati, siguro mas medyo makulit yung character ko ngayon. Refreshing makagawa ng ganitong project, kaya salamat sa GMA dahil nabibigyan kami ng proyekto na hindi pa namin nagagawa before.”

Juan Happy Love Story, an original concept by GMA Entertainment TV Drama Department, is made more

the visionary minds of the Creative Team headed by Roy Iglesias (Creative Director), Jake Tordesillas (Primetime Slot 3 Block Head), Agnes GageloniaUligan (Primetime 3 Head), Denoy NavarroPunio (Unit Head) and Marlon Miguel (Headwriter) , under the capable supervision of the Production team of GMA Drama headed by Ms. Lilybeth G. Rasonable (SVP For ETV), Ms. Redgie Magno (VP For Drama), Ms. Cheryl Ching-Sy (AVP for Drama), Ms. Hazel Felizmenio Abonita (Program Manager) and Ms. Darling Torres (Executive Producer).

Under the direction of LA Madridejos, Juan Happy Love Story unfolds this May on GMA Telebabad.

amusing with its unique “he said, she said” method of narrative presentation.

Viewers get to appreciate their own love stories as they share Juan and Happy’s journey, how a man and a woman who are worlds apart in their views about life and love find themselves in a whirlwind romance and end up getting married. When they experience difficulty having their own child, they will decide to adopt a little girl who helps them rekindle their love for each other and eventually save their marriage.

Benjamin Alves shares why he pursued acting

BENJAMIN ALVES WAS AN OUTSTANDING STUDENT A FEW YEARS BACK IN COLLEGE. In fact, he was the Summa Cum Laude for English Literature in University of Guam.

However, Benjamin set aside his love for literature to chase his dream—acting.

The Kapuso actor revealed it was the early stages in school when he started to discover that he was drawn to acting. Benjamin said, “Frustrated actor talaga ako dati pa.

Mahiyain lang talaga ako. Second grade pa lang ako, gusto ko nang umarte.”

Benjamin was still studying in Guam when he tried his luck in acting. However, his shy nature became a barrier to reaching his dreams.

“Nasa Guam pa ako nun, kaso nung time na mag-audition ako, hindi ako napipili,” Benjamin revealed.

He added, “I’ve always wanted to act when I was a kid. I wanted to be in front of the camera, to be on stage kaso dati nga talaga, mahiyain ako.”

Benjamin revealed that his dream to act slowly faded when he went to college. He pursued English Literature and graduated with honors from University of Guam.

When he came to the Philippines, a door of opportunity to act opened for Benjamin at GMA Network. That is when he started to follow his childhood dream.

He said, “Thankfully, nagbunga ‘yung career ko. And also, nabigyan ako ng chance na to also do my degree so I’m very thankful.”

April 7, 2016

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill PG

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

THE JUNGLE BOOK Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray PG

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

ELEMENTO/ *10 CLOVERFIELD LANE Cristine Reyes, Albert Solis/ *John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead R13/*R13

12:20 | 2:00 | 3:40 LFS / *5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

MR. RIGHT Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell R16

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

From my home to yours FOOD

Tried and true recipes from my family’s kitchen I LOVE TO COOK. So do my parents. To top it all, our family loves to cook and eat together. Everyone in the family (cheers to my tita’s, tito’s, cousins, nieces and nephews!) has that ‘party bug’ that makes for a reason to eat and not be on a diet. That’s how we are.

My recent trip back home to Cotabato proved to be a feast more than ever. At home, it’s always a celebration – that merits no particular reason to celebrate. Just the fact that we are all in the same compound means a feast of the freshest seafoods from the fishpond.

Here are some of the recent dishes we whipped up. I apologize for making you hungry. Enjoy!

Steamed Crabs With the rich abundance of fat crabs in Cotabato City, no wonder we love to munch on some crabs and fresh seafoods anytime. With or without celebration, it’s always a staple in the dining table.

And yes, that’s how we roll…with crabs! Normally, what we do is from this is we come up with other dishes for the carbs.

Like ginataang crabs with veggies and our favourite, crabs with Alavar sauce.

1 kilo crabs, cleaned Knob of ginger, mashed 2 cans sparkling carbonated drink Freshly ground black pepper Smoked paprika

shredded ½ head red cabbage, shredded 1 apple, cored, sliced finely White onion, rings Orange meat

4 pieces red chilies, minced (with seeds) 1 can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon brown sugar Garlic powder ½ teaspoon Coriander powder Cinnamon powder Dash of smoked paprika Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Make sure that the crabs are cleaned and dead before cooking. In a deep pan, add crabs, ginger, carbonated drink, ground pepper and paprika.

Cook/ Steam until sauce reduces.

Serve with fish sauce and calamansi.

Salted Egg and Sugpo This is one big experiment that turned to be a new favourite. Admittedly, I love anything with salted egg -- let me get that straight, I love when salted egg is mixed with either crabs or prawns. Could also be used with vegetables.

5 to 6 pieces Tiger Prawns ½ cup butter, softened Garlic, minced finely 4 salted egg yolks, mashed 2 hardboiled egg yolks, mashed

DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENT

In a pan, add butter and a little oil. Melt. Add garlic until brown but not burned. Add chilies. Sauté.

Add mashed salted egg yolks and hardboiled egg yolks. Sauté for a minute.

Pour evaporated milk and mix until consistency thickens. Let simmer but not boiling. Add brown sugar, coriander powder, paprika and cinnamon powder. Mix. Simmer.

Once simmering, add steamed prawns. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with slices of green onions. Serve over hot steamed rice.

Kid-Friendly Red Pasta with Carrots I had this prepared for the little nephews during dinner. We always have some special dish for them.

This time it was pasta and chicken. Here’s an easy to prepare red sauce pasta with carrots. Yes, sneaky tita Leebai.

You can always add your meats, balls and whathaveyou’s for a delectable pasta for kids and adults.

Pasta, cooked according to package (keep some pasta water) Garlic, minced Red onion, sliced Carrots, shredded Cheddar cheese, grated 750 ml red sauce pasta sauce (any to your liking) 1 tablespoon brown sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Garlic powder Cook your pasta according to package. Keep pasta water for later use.

Set aside. In a pan, with oil and butter, over low heat, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until brown but not burnt.

Add pasta sauce and let simmer. Add shredded carrots and half of the

Vinaigrette Oil Salt Pepper Balsamic vinegar Lemon zest

shredded cheese. Simmer until cheese melts. Add cooked pasta. Mix. If sauce get too thick, add some pasta water.

Season to taste. Top with more grated cheese.

Citrus Coleslaw I’m a coleslaw addict. I love how simple this recipe

is but can elevate a meal without overpowering the flavours and taste. Also, the fact that it can be prepared ahead of time is also a plus. You can always do a vinaigrette or a dressing for your coleslaw.

Fresh lettuce, torn ½ head cabbage (green),

In a bowl, mix the ingredients for your vinaigrette.

Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Set aside.

In a bowl (I use a chilled bowl), add your cabbages, apples and onions. Toss greens with your vinaigrette. Garnish with orange meat. You can also add some crushed nuts for that added crunch.

Make #TheRoyalChef your Thursday habit. Follow my messy food affair at the theroyalchefeats. wordpress.com and on Instagram at @theroyalchefleebai.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 13

BFP: APO FIRE CONTROLLED Jimenez says more volunteers needed

By YSSA BAÑAS and CHRISLEN BULOSAN

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HE Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) Davao confirmed that the two-week long forest fire in Mt. Apo is already controlled “The survey conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) revealed that a total number of 151 hectares were already affected by the fire that started on a Black Saturday in North Cotabato area and went down all the

way to Lake Venado,” BFP fire inspector Nestor Jimenez said during the AFP-PNP Press Conference at the Ritz Hotel yesterday.

However, Jimenez said the bureau is in need of more volunteers to totally put off the fire.

To date, he said there are only 300 volunteers present in the mountain composed the Lumads, local residents, personnel of Cental 911 and among others who are help-

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Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late LICENIO MALINO BAGAY has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT WITH DEED OF SALE executed among his heirs per Doc. No.196; Page No.40; Book No. 115; Series of 2016, of the NOTARY PUBLIC FATIMA IRENE T. ADIN 3/31.4/7.14

ing to fight the fire.

He also said there is only one active helicopter that pours tons of crushed ice over the mountain.

“We need more self-sufficient volunteers that have their own cutting tools, food and could stay up to four days in the camp. Some of our volunteers end up doing picnic on the campsite because they did not bring anything,” he said.

Although the situation is considered under control, the BFP is still seeking for a special airplane that can drop the water jelly and eradicate the fire within 30 minutes.

Jimenez said that Davao City portion of the mountain is safe already from the grass fire.

“We’re continuing to make all efforts to regulate the fire so that it won’t spread and affect Mount Talomo and the centennial tree that is only more than 300 meters away from the fire.” he added.

Jimenez also called out the people to avoid incidence like this to happen again.

“If we do mountain clearing, we have to set fire lines.

Smokers should not throw lighted cigarettes anywhere.”

As of now, the BFP and DENR continue to prevent the fire from spreading, expecting it to be put off as soon as possible. #

14 COMMUNITY SENSE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

Therma Marine, DSWD give livelihood DLPC open on April 9 skills training to upland Maco farmers D

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rine vice president for Mindanao operations, said that the training is one of the ways for the company to give back to the community that has supported all of AboitizPower’s sustainability initiatives like the A-Park where Therma Marine has planted 10,000 indigenous and fruit trees since 2012.

During the hands-on training last February 23, DSWD OIC provincial coordinating officer Michael Marqueso said that through the program, the government hopes to lessen Mindanao’s dependence on onion imports from Tarlac.

Barangay Mapaang is located seven kilometers away from Therma Marine’s power barge moored in Maco, a first income class municipality about 60 kilometers from downtown Davao City. Mapaang is an upland community accessible to the rest of the town through a steep farm-tomarket road.

AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Marine, Inc. has two power barges in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and Maco, Compostela Valley which provide 200-MW of dependable peaking power to Mindanao. It is one of the most efficient peaking power plants in the region, helping 23 customers - electric cooperatives and distribution utiliMaapang farmers in Maco, Compostela Valley look on as they learn new techniques in organic onion farming during ties - by providing additional the livelihood skills training program by AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Marine and the provincial Department of power supply when needed.

Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

BOUT a hundred Mapaang corn farmers in Maco, Compostela Valley no longer have to rely on the P28,000 they earn from each harvest, toiling on 2,500 square meters of land.

The farmers learned to grow organic onions, which allow them to earn as much as P160,000 for 2,000 kilos of high value onions they harvested from the 2,500 square meters of land they set aside for the endeavor.

The 100 farmers are the first batch of beneficiaries of a joint livelihood skills training program of AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Marine and the provincial Depart-

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ment of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Jinglyn Ragase, one of the farmer-beneficiaries, thanked AboitizPower for the opportunity to grow organic onions, which sell at an average of P80 per kilo. She said that her family’s income from growing corn, which is harvested once every 4 months during favorable weather, is a far cry from onion growing.

Onions are also harvested once every four months.

Ragase said that income from growing corn was not enough to provide for her family’s basic needs. She pointed out that almost 35 percent of the income from

a harvest of corn goes to buying seeds for the next planting season.

During the livelihood training program on organic onion farming, farmers received starter kits to enable them to begin planting right away.

The training teaches farmers to switch to growing onions as their main produce or to practice intercropping.

After the first harvest, the farmers can use selected bulbs for the next planting.

Farmers also have the option to establish onion nurseries and sell the bulbs to fellow farmers.

Jan Risager, Therma Ma-

AVAO Light and Power Company’s (DLPC) frontline services will be available for the public on April 9, Saturday, declared as a legal non-working holiday in celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor.

Payment and customer services in the full service centers at Ponciano office and at SM Malls will be accepted from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., respectively.

Meanwhile, Panabo branch customer services will be open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and its payment services will be from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Toril and Calinan payment offices will be open from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon, and from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Only Sto. Tomas payment office is unavailable during holidays.

Emergency service will remain available 24 hours through 229-DLPC (3572).

BPI holds first-ever Lifestyle Madness in General Santos

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HE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), known for its highly anticipated “Madness” events, is holding its first-ever BPI Lifestyle Madness on April 1 to 4, 2016 at Veranza Mall, General Santos City. The event is a onestop-shop offering financial solutions and exclusive deals catering to the various needs of its clients.

Following similarly successful legs in key cities within Luzon, Visayas and other parts of Mindanao, BPI turns its focus on fast-growing parts of the country, as the bank’s clients, families, young urban professionals, and overseas Filipinos in these areas get to explore and meet their financial goals through the long-running Madness program.

To make the experience more fruitful, visitors will be guided by BPI represen-

tatives who will give them on-the-spot expert advice on achieving their life goals.

In addition, raffles—hourly draws and grand draws— will be held and are open for all, with gift certificates and premium home appliances from BPI’s partner merchants are at stake.

Apart from BPI’s deposit and investment products, the bank’s Auto Loan, Housing Loan, Ka-Negosyo Loan, Personal Loans, and BPI-Philam Life Insurance are offered in this event.

BPI Credit Card holders can also avail of items at Real 0%, pay up to 12 months in installments, and even get double the credit limit of their credit card, ideal for big-ticket purchases.

BPI Lifestyle Madness’ next stops will be in Bacolod—June 2 to 5, Ilocos Nort—June 10 to 12, Davao—June 16 to 19, Bulacan—July 8 to 10.

is jointly funded by World Bank, national government and the local government

units throughout the regions in Mindanao. (Eva Mae Baculio/PRDP Mindanao)

World Bank to conduct review mission for PRDP

HE World Bank is set to conduct its second Review Mission for the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) in Mindanao on April 7-8, 2016.

The review will look into the planned, proposed and on-going implementation of the various Project components including infrastructure, enterprise development, planning and support to implementation.

“There has been a surge in the projects submitted to PRDP specially the Mindanao Cluster since the last World Bank mission and since the first World Bank mission in August 2015,” PRDP Mindanao cluster project director Lealyn Ramos said.

As of March 2016, Mindanao has a total indicative portfolio of P12.33 billion under the infrastructure development component, which is 30% increase from the first World Bank Mission when Mindanao only registered P9.91 billion portfolio.

Of the infrastructure portfolio, the approved sub-

projects cost a total of P6.26 billion for a total of 206 projects as of March 2016 which is 44 per cent of the total PRDP portfolio. Another P6.07 billion is on the pipeline. Most of the projects are farm-to-market roads (FMR).

For enterprise development, Mindanao has also cornered the biggest allocation of P545.43 million. Of the figure, a total P124.38 million was earmarked for eight approved subprojects as of March 2016. Four subprojects worth P74.16 million are in Region 12.

Since the first review mission, 26 provinces or 100% of PLGUs, and other five City LGUs had already entered into Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DA. PRDP had completed the preparation and packaging of 26 or 100% PCIPs duly approved by the Provincial Development Councils.

“The PRDP will ensure that good governance will be mainstreamed through transparency and accountability measures at all stages

of the project development cycle” said PRDP national deputy project director Arnel de Mesa.

He said the Project has utilized science-based tools to innovatively institutionalize proper planning of project interventions.

“PRDP uses value-chain analysis, vulnerability and suitability assessment tools, and geotagging technology as empirical basis to our interventions,” De Mesa added.

The World Bank team who will visit project sites in Davao del Norte and Davao City is led by PRDP Task team leader Frauke Jungbluth.

With her are Doug Forn; infrastructure consultant Raoul Asanza, economists Hanane Ahmed and Luningning Bondoc; finance specialist Tomas Sta. Maria; social and environment safeguards consultant Jonas Bautista; and Monitoring and Evaluation specialist Hanif Rehemtulla.

PRDP is a six-year special program of the Department of Agriculture focused on establishing a modern,

value chain oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It

DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala and World Bank Task Team Leader for the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Frauke Jungbluth signaled the start of the World Bank Review Mission for the PRDP last Monday at the DA Central Office in Manila. The World Bank will visit project areas around Philippines to monitor the implementation of the Project. With them is PRDP Deputy Project Director Arnel De Mesa. (PRDP NPCO InfoACE)

VOL. 9 ISSUE 25 • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS 15

Albay all set for Palarong Pambansa 2016

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OT only a few skeptics cast a shadow of doubt that the Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) would be able to finish the construction of the facilities for the Palarong Pambansa 2016 on time.

With about only five months to prepare the games’ venues and facilities, the PGA, through the Provincial Engineering Office, and the contractor, the Verzontal Builders Inc., worked round the clock and left no stone unturned to beat the tight deadline.

The works could have started earlier in August 2015 yet but certain kinks had to be ironed out with the Bicol University administration to be able to come out with a memorandum of agreement that would be beneficial to both parties – the BU and the PGA. There was a moment in time that the negotiation reached a deadlock and was threatened to bog down because of one BU Board of Regents member.

It was at this point that the technical working committee (TWC) entertained the idea of considering the transfer of the games venue to another place -- one of them is at Villahermosa, Daraga, Albay, an expansive space where a Philippine Army’s infantry brigade is based.

The original main venue

was an excellent site in Travesia in the town of Guinobatan.

Dr. Ed Laguerta, Bicol resident volcanologist, cautioned that it is along the path of lahar flows from the Mayon Volcano.

The TWC had no recourse but to heed the wisdom of Laguerta’s advice – and so the Bicol University main campus compound, with its wide sports ground.

For the best interest of and the glory of Albay, in particular, and the Bicol Region, in general, both the PGA and the BU administration saw the light of agreement and decided to proceed.

The engineering works for the sports festival started in October 2015.

Provincial engineer Dante Baclao and the Verzontal Builders Inc. buckled down to work.

They needed, among others, to build a strong grandstand that could accommodate some 2,500 people and not yield to strong typhoons.

“We contracted a Vietnamese company to construct the pre-fabricated metal posts and beams,” Baclao said in a 7:00 p.m. interview at the back of the huge green-colored grandstand that is having finishing touches on Monday.

He said it was the first time that the Vietnamese manufacturer made this kind

of netal material for posts, resembling the head and long neck of a swan.

“It can withstand the thrust of a strong typhoon,” the provincial engineer claimed.

In front of the spacious grandstand lies the red oval field that looks like a giant carpet and guarded by huge lights atop giants posts.

Some 200 meters from the grandstand lies an Olympic-size swimming pool being cleaned by four workers.

“Anytime from now, we will be filling it water from

various sources through the help of the Bureau of Fire Protection,” Baclao said.

Other venues for other games are already in place, he said.

The Verzontal Builders Inc. has worked round-theclock to finish the facilities on time despite limited schedule.

It has also constructed the facilities requested by some sports coordinators for their billeting centers which were agreed upon in the second and final national technical conference in February, Baclao said.

The company will add 30-40 water containers in every billeting center to ensure enough supply of water, especially that dry season has crept in the province.

This is aside from the water rationing that will be done by the Bureau of Fire Protection, the engineer said.

Meanwhile, most of the athletes from the 18 regions of the country are now in Albay and have started their concentration training for familiarization with the various playing venues for the 2016 Palarong Pambansa on April 10-16.

Department of Education

(DepEd) Bicol spokesperson Roy Banas said first to arrive were delegates from Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), numbering 700, who came during the Holy Week.

Participants from Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) followed on Tuesday last week.

Banas said the DepEd is expecting thousands of athletes, teachers and coaches to be coming this first week of April.

Delegates from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 10, 11 and Negros Island Region as well as contingents from Region 3 and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have reportedly arrived already.

Those from Regions 2, 6, 7 and 4A are expected to arrive Tuesday.

Expected to be in Albay on Wednesday are those from the National Capital Region, which has the biggest delegation.

All in all, Banas said, delegates who will gather in Albay are expected to reach 18,000 – composed of student-athletes, coaches and chaperons from 18 regions.

Banas said the playing

venues are now ready.

The BU compound is now being used for the training of the athletes while the playing venues rented by the provincial government like malls and hotels will be available on Friday.

The events to be played are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.

Demonstration sports are billiards, futsal, wrestling and wushu.

Meanwhile, the Bicol athletes have just finished Phase 1 of their concentration training in Barangay Travesia, Guinobatan while the second phase of training started on Monday up to Saturday in Albay Sports Complex.

There are 640 Bicol players, of which 224 are in the elementary and 288 are in secondary, while 47 are joining the demonstration sports, 50 in special games while more than 30 are delegation officials.

Banas said the expenses of DepEd-Bicol for this year’s Palaro are lower because it will be held in Albay.

From PHP10.5 million expenses incurred by DepEd-Bicol in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Davao del Norte, the costs now reach only PHP8.5 million.

The Bicol athletes are now 95-percent ready, including the preparation for training, procurement, uniform, food, sports equipment, incentives and transportation costs.

The DepEd-Bicol hopes to be in the fifth place in the overall standing, from the previous 10th place.

Last year, Bicol delegates brought home nine gold, 14 silver and 19 bronze medals from Tagum City, the venue of the Palarong Pambansa 2015.

All virtually set, let the games begin! (PNA)

Spurs beat Jazz as Duncan gets 1000th win

DEEP IN TRAINING. American Timothy Bradley trains with Tony Atlas.

Bradley wants win, legacy N

OT for anything else, but it’s his legacy which Tim Bradley is fighting for when he meets Manny Pacquiao anew inside the ring this Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) at the MGM Grand here.

Neither was he thinking about his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title or the prize purse involved that convinced him to accept facing Pacquiao for the third time over the last four years.

The 32-year-old native of Palm Springs, California said being mentioned in the same breath as the Filipino ring icon is more than enough to cement his status as one of best welterweight fighters of his era.

“Getting this match for a third time is everything for my career right now,” said Bradley,

just one of six fighters to beat Pacquiao in his stellar boxing career (57-6-3, 38 KOs).

“Getting a win over a legend and an icon in Manny Pacquiao, a fighter that has been reigning for over a decade and an eight-time world division champion, right there you can be remembered forever by being a fighter like that.”

Bradley did beat the Filipino southpaw in their first meeting in 2012, although the outcome of their WBO title fight ended in a disputed split decision win.

The American, a +200 underdog opposite his longtime nemesis in the latest Vegas odds, then lost a unanimous decision to Pacquiao in their rematch two years later.

Now, he wants to get even by beating the Pacman without

a cloud of doubt.

“I said I wanna be remembered. I don’t want to do this just to being another champion or another great champion, I wanna be remembered, I wanna be talked about. Anytime they bring up Manny Pacquiao’s name in the future I wanna be mentioned along those lines,” said Bradley, who also arrived here on Monday in time for his and Pacquiao’s scheduled grand arrival at the lobby of MGM Grand on Tuesday afternoon.

“To beat Manny Pacquiao so my name would always be relevant to the sport, and that’s what this fight is for me. It’s about being relevant for years.

When I die out and I’m done with boxing, my kids will be talking about it for decades,” he added.

K

AWHI Leonard made the go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds left and scored 18 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz, 88-86, on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time), giving Tim Duncan his 1,000th regular-season victory.

Rodney Hood missed the potential winning 3-pointer at the buzzer as Utah fell a halfgame behind Dallas for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Jazz remained in the No. 8 slot and a half-game ahead of the Houston Rockets.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Manu Ginobili each added

14 points in the Spurs’ franchise-record 65th victory. They visit Golden State on Thursday.

Duncan became the third player with 1,000 victories in the regular season, following Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish. Duncan is the career leader in victories with one team.

Hood finished with 23 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

San Antonio’s bench was the difference-maker, outscoring the Jazz reserves 40-26.

The Spurs used a 19-2 stretch to open a 31-20 lead in the second quarter, but the Jazz

didn’t roll over. Utah was held scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the second quarter, but responded with a 13-4 run to cut the lead to 35-33.

Spurs went into halftime with a 42-37 lead.

HRIS Paul scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers, 103-81, on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time) , beating their Staples Center co-tenants for the 10th straight time in Kobe Bryant’s last game as a visitor in his home arena.

Jeff Green added 21 points off the bench for the Clippers, whose franchise-record victory streak over the Lakers is their second-longest active run against any opponent.

Bryant scored six points on 2-of-12 shooting following a 34-point performance in a loss to Boston on Sunday. The

crowd, including plenty of Lakers fans, made Bryant feel at home, cheering his introduction and when he re-entered the game in the second quarter.

The Clippers paid tribute to the superstar guard, who retires next Wednesday, with a video shown just before he was introduced.

TIP-INS Spurs: Boris Diaw did not play due to a groin injury. ... The Spurs were outscored 33-21 in the fourth quarter.

Jazz: Alec Burks missed his 50th straight game due to a fractured left fibula. Coach Quin Snyder said, contrary to reports, Burks has not been shut down for the season.

Clarkson injured in LA loss C

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

11 Pomelo Tee at RPV April 28-May 1 th

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HE 11th Pomelo Tee, the signature annual tournament of the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club just got bigger and better.

With fabulous hole in one prizes at stake in designated par 3’s including 500,000 pesos cash courtesy of Pioneer Insurance, a brand new 2016 Montero Sport from Kar Asia Inc. (automatic), a Royal Caribbean Cruise, RPVGCC Golf Shares, a Kawasaki Motorcycle and a Daikin Airconditioning Unit, this year’s event promises to be more exciting.

This according to tournament director Ting Castillo during the weekly SCOOP at the Royal Mandaya Hotel last Tuesday who was

accompanied by RPVGCC Operations Manager Karl Moises.

Around 400 golfers from Davao City and from out of town are expected to see action in the upcoming 11th Pomelo Tee Golf Tournament this coming April 28-May 1 at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club in Indangan.

Moises cited that this year’s tournament is slated to be more challenging and tough but with more extravagant prizes awaiting the winners and the participants.

“We’re expecting that number since this is a 36-hole event and the players (a guest-member team composition) will be able to select 2

playing days from the total 4 day affair,” Castillo said.

This tournament will be a stroke play team and individual competition using the modified stableford format.

The entry fee for the tournament is P4,500 per player with mulligan with a maximum handicap of 27 for the men and 32 for the women players to be applied.

Meanwhile, Castillo and Moises stressed that some of the proceeds of this event will go to the educational programs of the Pablo Lorenzo NHS, one of the beneficiaries of the Pomelo Tee as well as the various priority projects of the Rotary Club of Davao.

POMELO TEE. Rancho Palos Verdes board director Joe Marfori hits from the fringe in last year’s 10th Pomelo Tee. The event will be bigger and better this year. Boy Lim

VOL. VOL.99ISSUE ISSUE25 25••THURSDAY, THURSDAY,APRIL APRIL7,7,2016 2016