Edge Davao Volume 13 Issue 127 | Sunday-Monday, September 6-7, 2020

TILAPIA SKIN AS BURN BANDAGE

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GROUND FOR DISMISSAL HEALTH P5

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

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Erring City Hall employees may lose jobs for failing to observe health protocols STORY ON PAGE 2

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio expresses her sentiments over some of the employees of City Hall who only wear mask and observe health protocols in their respective offices when she is around.

Edge Davao

WORLDWIDE COVID-19 NUMBERS BOARD

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

PHILIPPINES

WORLDWIDE

CONFIRMED: 26,795,847 • DEATHS: 878,963 • RECOVERED: 18,907,692

CONFIRMED: 232,072 • DEATHS: 3,737 • RECOVERED: 160,549

As of September 5, 2020, here’s the Top 5 list of countries with most number of COVID-19 cases 1. U.S.A CONFIRMED: 6,389,057 DEATHS: 192,111 RECOVERED: 3,635,854

2. BRAZIL CONFIRMED: 4,091,801 DEATHS: 125,584 RECOVERED: 3,278,243

3. INDIA CONFIRMED: 4,023,179 DEATHS: 69,635 RECOVERED: 3,107,223

4. RUSSIA CONFIRMED: 1,015,105 DEATHS: 17,649 RECOVERED: 832,747

5. PERU CONFIRMED: 676,848 DEATHS: 29,554 RECOVERED: 498,523

SOURCE: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

Talks with US, Russian Covid-19 vaccine makers ongoing: DOH

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An electric scooter rider uses the bike lane while traversing side-by-side with motorcycle riders along MacArthur highway in Matina, Davao City over the weekend. Edge Davao

he Department of Health (DOH) will be meeting separately with representatives of American drug giant Pfizer and the Russian Embassy in Manila to discuss the possible procurement of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed.

The agency will be joined by officials from the Office of the President and the Department of Foreign Affairs, but Vergeire said she cannot disclose any details yet.

Asked if Manila's talks with the Russian and Chinese vaccine makers will affect its negotiations with the American company, Vergeire said multiple sources for an effective vaccine are, in fact, beneficial for the country.

"I don't think this will

affect our negotiations with other institutions and other countries and I think it's not only the Philippines conducting negotiations with different manufacturers, all countries do that... It's complimentary," she said in a media briefing.

Pfizer earlier revealed its late-stage vaccine trial results may come out in October 2020. According to reports, the pharmaceutical firm enrolled some 23,000 volunteers in its Phase 3 trials that began in July 2020.

Russia, on the other hand, began its post-registration clinical trial for its candidate coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, late August 2020. The clinical trial came days after it announced Sputnik V's approval in Moscow, a move met with international skepticism. (PNA)

GROUND FOR DISMISSAL Erring City Hall employees may lose jobs for failing to observe health protocols

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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ity hall employees may face dismissal from service for failure to observe the health standard protocols based on the memorandum released by the City Administrator’s Office on August 18, 2020.

The memo on the imposed penalties for violation of health standard protocols was addressed to all officials, employees and non-plantilla personnel of the city government of Davao.

The memorandum stated that in adherence to the existing directive during the period of State of National Emergency due to Covid-19 pandemic, City Hall employees are directed to strictly observe the health standard protocols such as physical distancing and wearing of

face masks at all times.

For plantilla personnel, non-compliance to such is considered a Violation of Reasonable Office Rules and Regulations classified as Light Offense under 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service with corresponding sanctions as follows: first offense - reprimand; second offense - suspension of one (1) to 30 days; and third offense - dismissal from service.

For personnel under Job Order and Contract of

Service, the same sanctions shall be applied.

All erring city government personnel shall be imposed also with a fine of P20 to be paid at the City Treasurers Office.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio expressed her sentiments against some of City Hall employees who ignore health protocols in their offices.

“Sample, naa’y isa ka office dinha sa city hall bantayan nila kung naa na si Inday Sara. Kung naa na si Inday Sara manggawas ang ilahang mga monitor, kanang hoy social distancing, mask, etc. Tapos kung wala nako, mawala pud ang ilahang monitor. Mura gani ug ‘ha nawala na ang Covid-19 or niabot na ang Covid-19 nga ginganlan ug Inday Sara. Panggawas na

mo dinha, pag distancing namo.’ Dili na lang nako i-mention ang opisina kabalo man mo kung kinsa mo,” Mayor Sara said in an interview with Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) 87.5 on Friday.

The mayor also mentioned that there are some employees that gossip in an enclosed alley where air circulation is poor.

“Ang kanang mga taga city hall ako ra pu’y gibantayan ana nila. Pag naa si Inday Sara manago na sila tanan unya musunod na sila tanan sa health protocols.

Tapos pag mawala si Inday Sara, mag chismis sa hallway, mag-ingon ana gani.

Naga-mask na nuon sila pero kanang ngano magtapok man mo aning kulob na hallway nga walay nagacirculate na air tungod kay

wala siya’y bintana?” she said.

Mayor Sara reminded city hall employees that she is not the virus and they need to wear the face mask all the time.

“Sa sugod pa gyud nagsulti nako nga dili ako ang Covid-19, dili ako ang makatakod so dili mo magmask kung naa ko. Dapat mag mask mo all the time.

A thousand times na ko nakakita nga ilahang tabunan ilang baba kung makit-an ko nila. It’s either ako ang Covid-19 or kanang nanimaho kong basurahan nga kinahanglan suoton nato ni ang mask kay naa na ang baho. Or sa panan-aw nila virus ko. Dili po ako ang virus, ang virus po andiyan sa palibot natin so ang mask itaod na siya.

Remember God is ev-

erywhere so makit an mo ni God na wala mo’y mask. Pag raffle ni God sa Covid-19 syempre alangan naman I raffle to sa mga naka-mask didto gyud na i-raffle sa mga wala nag mask. Mudaog gyud mo sa raffle sa Covid-19,” she said.

She added that all the health protocols implemented is for the safety and protection not only of the employees but for their families as well.

“Dili ko kasabot kung unsaon nako pag-pasabot sa inyuha nga para sa inyuha ang ginapa-implement nga protocols ug dili para sa akoang pleasure. Kung kamo mag-suot ug mask ug mag-distancing ug frequent mag-handwashing, kamo ug ang inyuhang pamilya ang ma-protektahan ana,” she said.

from facilities and health workers and the people.

Kung ang mga tao musunod sa atong mga health standards, definitely makita sa mga numero nga munaog na and as of the moment we may not see major changes because daghan ug contributors,” Tabada said.

Returning OFWs and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and the people’s complacency have contributed to the changing numbers of cases, according to the RESU chief.

“Daghan muabot, daghan mulihok, and daghan medyo murag nag-complacent. As we noticed when we go to the communities medyo naa gyud gihapon na when they are between the bounds of

but if they go out naa sila protection. Murag kini nga factors nag-increase or nag-enhanced sa numbers.

What is very important is if the people learn to protect themselves and to protect their families maybe the efforts of the government and the health workers will become stronger and we can definitely decrease the numbers,” she said.

Based on the data on the provincial Covid-19 cases distribution by the Department of Health 11 (DOH 11) as of September 3, 2020, there are a total of 251 cases in Davao del Norte wherein 84 are active cases; 1,409 total cases in Davao City with 207 active cases; 128 total cases in Davao del Sur with 32

active cases; 210 total cases in Davao Oriental with 25 active cases; and 42 total cases in Davao Occidental with seven active cases.

Dr. Lenny Joy Rivera, assistant regional director of DOH Davao Center for Health Development (CHD), said as Davao region enters the sixth month of the pandemic, ROFs and LSIs remain major contributor in the number of cases in the region based on their assessment.

‘Pinag-aaralan po talaga natin kung ano ang epekto during the ECQ and GCQ and MGCQ nakikita natin erratic ang data, may time na mataas at may time na mababa pero there are actually reasons behind. Kasi

4 fishermen arrested for RESU reacts to UP-Min's Covid-19 cases projection head of the Region“Una, ang kani nga mga their households dili kaayo active cases; 174 total casillegal fishing in Mati City heal Epidemiology Sur- numero are just report sila magsuot ug protection es in Davao de Oro with 64

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our residents of the City of Mati were apprehended by the Philippine Coast Guard on September 3 for illegal fishing.

The illegal fishermen were identified as Ariel Abendanio, Ronald Forones, Rolando Malongo, and Ramel Lucero. The banca used by the fishermen is registered to one Ronald Cañete.

Also confiscated by the authorities were one banca, one engine, one compressor, several fishing gears, and about four kilos of reef fish species like molmol, kitang, bilason katambak and indangan.

Authorities also recovered one huge trumpet shell locally known as tam-

buli. The suspects were illegaly fishing in Balete Bay when apprehended.

The Philippine Coast Guard Davao Oriental presented to City of Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat some of the equipment confiscated from the four illegal fishers on Friday afternoon.

They assured Mayor Michelle that the arrested suspects will be facing charges for violation of Municipal Ordinance No. 26-A series of 1997 and of Republic Act 10654 otherwise known as The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

Section 102 of RA 10654 prohibits the fishing or taking of rare, threatened or endangered species. (CIO MATI)

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veillance Unit (RESU) reacted to the projection made by the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UP-Mindanao) that the number of Covid-19 cases in Davao City may hit 2,500 by the end of September based on its Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling laboratory (IAM lab).

Dr. Cleo Fe Tabada, head of the DOH RESU Davao, said in a virtual presser there are too many factors to look at before one can predict what will happen by the end of the month.

She also said that numbers do not signify the real situation but are just reflection of what the people see at the surface and these numbers are affected by a lot of factors.

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

Private schools warn 'academic freeze' may lead to learning loss

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Growing flowers and other plants has become a hobby for many people, like this homemaker in Digos City, in this time of pandemic. Photo taken 4 September 2020 by ERIC SB LIBRE/MindaNews

City gov’t moves to get a step ahead in contact tracing

By MAYA M. PADILLO he regional office of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA 11) attributed the drastic decline of tourism performance in Davao Region to the cancellation of flights and the meetings incentives conference exhibition (MICE) events since March this year driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

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The contact list and history form are where the patients must put their close contacts and their history of travel. The forms must then be returned at the District Health Office within 24 hours to make sure that there is no delay in advising close contacts to do quarantine.

“We are trying to be one step ahead sa atoang contact-tracing ug duna ta’y bag-o na gi-baba sa

atoang mga district health offices ug mga forms. So every time na dunay isa ka tao ingnan ka sa district health office na dapat ka i-swab, tagaan ka ug case investigation form (CIF).

Within 24 hours dapat mabalik sa district health office ang contact list form ug history form,” Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a live interview with Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) 87.5 on Friday.

Aspiring filmmakers, LGU employees undergo online filmmaking workshops

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agum City – In its aim to keep the culture and the arts alive in the city, the City Government of Tagum (LGU), thru the City Historical, Cultural and Arts Council, has partnered with mainstream and Mindanaoan filmmakers in facilitating its first-ever series of filmmaking workshops attended by Tagumenyo film enthusiasts and LGU employees.

Breeding the Prime Movers As the City Historical and Cultural Center nears its completion, the LGU prepares for its opening by conducting a Practical Filmmaking Workshop helmed by Mr. Earl A. Bontuyan, a mainstream director, writer, cinematographer, and visual effects

artist who worked with titles like Segunda Mano, Dalaw, Wapakman, and Sa Ilalim ng Tulay, among others.

The workshop was conducted in July and August this year where 30 participants were carefully selected due to the face-to-face component of the said workshop amidst the pandemic. Topics like the film’s history, story development, lighting, and editing were discussed by Mr. Bontuyan leading to a short film written, shot, and edited by the participants.

Partnering with FDCP A similar workshop utilizing the online platform in partnership with the Film Development

FASPIRING, P9

“Kanang forms i-fill up ug dapat ibalik siya within 24 hours and dapat masultihan na dayon ug mga nakalista didto na close contacts nga mag-quarantine na sila until mugawas ang result sa ilahang close contact,” she added.

The mayor said that the city is also tracing the close contacts of those who had exposures to a Covid-19 positive case to ensure they also immediately undergo the 14-day quarantine to contain the spread of the virus.

She said there is no need to wait for the results within 24 hours but will just tell the people to do quarantine.

“Ang contact tracing team magsugod na sila contact didto. We want to take it one step further kana man sila ang close contact

sa gi-swab, ang gusto na pud nato is advisan nato sila nga mag-quarantine ang close contact sa close contact sa gi-swab nga nagahulat ug results,” Mayor Sara said.

According to the mayor the city has resorted to this initiative as delay from swabbing to results was noticed.

“During our discussion dunay delay from contact tracing until results, from swabbing to results. Medyo taas ang delay so every time na dunay delay nga one day anang contact tracing, mudaghan ang cases due to exposure,” she said.

Mayor Sara also said that the city is also developing a new electronic system for contact tracing to locate the close contacts more efficiently.

private school group is opposing calls for an ‘academic freeze’ or suspension of classes in the wake of the health crisis, warning it may lead to learning loss.

“Hindi po ito praktikal at lalo pong dadami ang problema. ‘Yung effects po will be more serious and compounding,” Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations managing director Joseph Noel Estrada told CNN Philippines’ Newsroom Weekend on Saturday.

[This is not practical.

There will be more problems. Effects will be more serious and compounding.]

Estrada said the cancellation of classes in all levels since March to curb the spread of coronavirus wiped out at least half of the knowledge gained by students from last school year. “’Yung retention, ‘yung knowledge, education gains nila from last year, 70% na lang sa reading; and sa math and other subjects, around 50% na lang,” Estrada noted.

[Their retention, knowledge, education gains from last year for reading have gone down to 70 percent.

In Math and other subjects - it is down to 50 percent.]

Estrada said this means that “they’ve lost almost

one school year in terms of learning.”

He said further delaying the opening of classes means students would have to catch up to more lessons.

People online continue to call for ’academic freeze’ as students and teachers share struggles in distance learning such as lack of gadgets and connectivity.

Estrada said learners and educators with economic difficulties deserve help and support from the government.

He said the academic freeze “should not be for everyone, although it remains an option for some parents.”

The Department of Education moved the opening of school year 2020-2021 for kindergarten to high school to October 5. The earlier date was August 24.

But DepEd allowed some private basic educational institutions to hold classes before October 5 as long as these are limited to distance learning.

Meanwhile, some colleges and universities have begun classes using the digital platform, the Commission on Higher Education previously said. Hundreds more are set to begin their academic calendar this month and in October, it added.

Easing of quarantine restrictions restores some 7.5 million jobs

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he easing of quarantine restrictions enabled the restoration of 7.5 million jobs and the return to productive work of 4.9 million workers compared to the April 2020 LFS, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Thus, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said, the Department of Labor and Employment is pleased with the improvements in the country’s employment situation as reflected in the July 2020 round of the Labor Force Survey.

“This significant progress in the labor market situation is the result of the government’s commitment

in containing the COVID pandemic and its impact through the strict imposition of the minimum health standards, provision of safety-net and income support programs to our workers, and the gradual opening of the economy,” Bello, in a statement said.

He said that in the coming months, further improvements can be expected with the easing of quarantine restrictions, the government’s implementation of the “Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Recover” (PDITR) strategy, and making safe and sufficient public transport available

FEASING, P10

Mr. Earl A. Bontuyan teaches the group the importance of different shots in films and what messages they could convey to the audience. Leo Timogan/ CIO Tagum

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

Smooth movement of goods helped manage PH inflation

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he government’s move to ensure that movement of goods throughout the country remain smooth amid quarantine measures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic helped in managing domestic inflation, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said Friday.

In a text message, Lopez has welcomed the 2.4-percent inflation rate in August that remains within the 2 to 4 percent target of the government. “[It’s a] good indication that we are able to manage the production and supply situation despite the lockdowns and pandemic,” he

Workers test four units of UV light germicidal device acquired by the local government of General Luna in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte to protect its workplaces from the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019. Photo taken 4 September 2020 by ROEL N. CATOTO/MindaNews

PH inflation to remain within gov’t target due to pandemic

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ilipinos need not worry about big upticks in the prices of domestic goods as inflation is expected to stay within the government’s 2 to 4 percent target band until 2022.

“The balance of risks tilts toward the downside owing largely to potential disruptions to domestic and global economic activity of the ongoing pandemic,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Friday.

Inflation is not seen to surpass the target band unlike what happened in 2018 when it surged to as high as 6.7 percent in September and October because of rice supply constraints, among others.

This is because the supply of basic commodities remains ample due to favorable weather conditions and lower demand on account of the pandemic.

After a two-month rise, rate of price increases made a turn-around last August at 2.4 percent.

Inflation registered its first rise this year in June

after accelerating to 2.5 percent from May’s 2.1 percent, which authorities attributed to upticks in the transport index, specifically tricycle fare index.

On the said month, transport index accelerated by 2.3 percent compared to the 5.6 percent annual decrease in the previous month.

This was traced to an increased need for tricycle service after the government-regulated public transportation in line with its quarantine measures aimed at addressing the rise of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Inflation rose further to 2.7 percent last July still due to the acceleration in the transport index, which posted a faster print of 6.3 percent from the revised 2.4 percent in the previous month.

Last August, inflation slowed because of the deceleration in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages index, which posted an annual rate of 1.8 percent from the previous month’s 2.4 percent.

Several indices also posted slower annual rates namely the alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 17.7 percent; clothing and footwear, 1.9 percent; furnishing, household, equipment, and routine maintenance of the house, 3.9 percent; education, 0.1 percent; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services, 2.3 percent.

Monetary officials said that because of the pandemic inflation is expected to remain benign, with average forecasts to be mostly at the lower half of the target band.

The average inflation forecast for this year is 2.5 percent while it is 3 percent and 3.1 percent for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, in a state-

ment Friday, said the unrestricted movement of food and other essential goods around the country, along with the impact of rice tariffication resulted positively for the domestic inflation rate.

“As we continuously implement varying levels of community quarantines and localized lockdowns in the country, we need the government and the private sector to tap local agricultural produce and maximize the use of digital technologies to ensure stability in the supply chain,” he said.

Chua said there is a need to effectively oversee the supply and allocation of agricultural products to guarantee adequate supply and address wastages and spoilage and limit farmers’ losses.

“Investments in cold storage facilities and innovations in food packaging and processing need to be increased as well, alongside the boosting of agricultural production, both in rural and urban areas, through

incident and as we strengthen all components of our security systems. We will also see to it that the perpetrators are caught, tried, and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Dominguez said UCPB officials are working with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other concerned agencies since mid-June 2020 to uncover the crime.

He said the bank is also “reviewing and strengthening its IT (information and technology) and security controls” since he has instructed the officials of the various GFIs “to keep their security systems up-to-date

and sophisticated”.

He said UCPB officials have “assured us that their clients' funds were not affected by the incident”.

The bank “is a resilient and well-managed institution, registering a net income of PHP2.9 billion for the first half of 2020,” he said.

“We also assure the public that government financial institutions are consistently fortifying their cybersecurity systems. Client funds are safe and intact, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect our stakeholders,” he said.

Dominguez said stateowned financial institutions

are “strictly complying” with the central bank’s circulars on information risks and security.

“GFIs are consistently updating the security of their databases, servers, devices, and software to respond to new threats and vulnerabilities,” he said.

These institutions “are also taking proactive measures to verify vendors and business partners, and limiting 3rd-party access to critical programs”.

“GFIs also have the mechanisms in place to monitor, detect, isolate, and eliminate incursions into their cyber systems,” he added. (PNA)

FPH INFLATION, P10

Gov't to run after criminals behind UCPB cyber theft

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inance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government is firm on running after perpetrators of the PHP167-million cyber heist at the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) last June.

In a Viber message to journalists on Friday, he said the Department of Finance (DOF), which oversees government financial institutions (GFIs), is closely working with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and law enforcement agencies “to keep GFIs and the banking system safe, secure, and reliable”.

“No stone will be left unturned as we investigate this

said.

He added that the unimpeded movement of cargoes both for agricultural and essential products as well as other products in the value chain is vital to keep a manageable inflation figure.

“Unimpeded movement of cargo is a nationwide policy emphasized by President Duterte himself,” Lopez said.

“There should be no unnecessary delay at checkpoints and no need for testing of drivers and helpers of trucking services across LGU borders,” he added.

Inflation rate in August is lower than the 2.7 percent in July while year-to-date inflation is at 2.5 percent.

(PNA)

PH remains ‘go-to guy’ for ITBPM firms: DTI chief

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he Philippines remains to be a reliable investment destination for information technology and business process management (ITBPM) companies amid the challenging business environment brought by the pandemic and the rise of new technologies, the country’s trade chief said Friday.

“You talk about ITBPM, we still have a clear and good advantage given the quality of manpower that we have. We are still the “go-to guy” when it comes to ITBPM despite the technology,” said Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez at the 28th Metro Manila Business Conference.

Lopez said that despite the growth in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, there will still be manpower to run the machines.

“Yes there are machines that can aid BPOs, but what we have to do is get all these new technologies for greater efficiencies and lowering the cost of ITBPM service,” he added.

He noted that this means ITBPM firms should focus on upskilling their workforce as these technologies change the nature of jobs needed in the industry.

“What it means also is that you will have to upskill and level up the kind

FPH REMAINS, P10

Diokno pushes for bank secrecy law amendment

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angko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno pushed for the amendment of the Philippines' bank secrecy law.

During budget deliberations at the House of Representatives, Diokno said amending the law will help enhance the country's credibility.

Approved in 1955, Republic Act No. 1405 declares bank deposits confidential and prohibits any person or government office to look into them, except under certain conditions, such as upon the

order of a court.

Diokno said there are only two countries in the world with bank secrecy laws: Lebanon and the Philippines.

"I think if we can pass that, it will also help us gain more credibility right now," he said.

He made the remark in response to Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte, who asked finance officials what new laws they think the country needs to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acting Socioeconomic

he Philippine peso depreciated against the US dollar on Saturday as the downgraded forecast on the country’s economic growth this year by a global debt watcher weighed on the local unit’s allure.

The local currency shed 4 centavos to close at P48.62:$1 from Thursday’s finish at 48.58.

“The Philippine peso weakened following the downgrade of Moody’s on its outlook for the Philippine growth to -7% contraction from 4.5%,” BPI Asset Management and Trust Corp. said in a market

commentary.

“The revised outlook was on the back of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions as lockdown in Luzon has affected the labor market along with the remittances and consumer sentiment and spending,” it said.

In its forecast update, Moody’s cited the contraction in the first quarter and the sharper decline of 16.5% in the second quarter, which brought the economy to a recession for the first time in 29 years.

Moody’s -7% GDP growth this year is worse than the economic managers’ -5.5% projection.

FDIOKNO, P10

Peso slips on economic outlook downgrade

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5 HEALTH EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

Tilapia skin as burn bandage

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

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hen I was 18, I learned the value of knowing what to do in an emergency. It was 4:30 in the morning, and my 12-year-old sister Elena was too excited about a school field trip the next day to sleep. She had been asked to bring rice for her classmates, so she got out of bed and headed for the kitchen of our home while the rest of the family still sleeping.

Elena put rice and water into a kettle, and placed it on top of our earthen stove.

Then she emptied the last of a kerosene container onto the firewood and lit it. The wood initially caught, but the flames died down a few seconds later. She found another can that she thought contained kerosene and poured it straight onto the dying fire.

In fact, it was gasoline, which immediately burst into flames. Shocked, Elena dropped the can, spilling gasoline over he feet. In an instant, she was literally on fire.

Just at that moment, I walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water and was horrified to see Elena engulfed by flames. Remembering my first aid training at secondary school, I grabbed a wet blanket that was soaking in a laundry basin and wrapped it around her to smother the flames.

Elena’s cries of pain woke the entire family, and we rushed her to the hospital – still wrapped in the wet blanket.

My quick action probably saved my little sister’s life. “If you had not been around, it would have been worse,” the emergency room doctor told me later.

“Good thing you knew what to do.”

It took for my sister three months to recover from the burn to her feet and legs. But before that, she had to endure the pain of the treatment. Her burns were bandaged with gauze and silver sulfadiazine cream.

“It’s a burn cream because there’s silver in it, so it prevents the burns from being infected,” explained Dr. Jeanne Lee, the American interim burn director at the regional burn center at the University of California.

“But it doesn’t help in terms of debriding a burn or necessarily helping it heal.”

Another not-so-good thing about the gauze-andcream dressing is that it has to be changed every day. “I really hated it each time they have to change the dressing,” said my sister who now lives in the United States. “Every time the nurse unwrapped the gauze bandage, I cried in pain.”

But it may soon be a

thing of the past should the Philippines follow what Brazil has done recently.

Health professionals from all over the world were stunned when doctors from the historic city of Fortaleza used the skin of tilapia as a bandage for second- and third-degree burns.

“Burn patients look as if they’ve emerged from the waves,” wrote Nadia Sussman, in a news report circulated by Reuters. “They are covered in fish skin – specifically strips of sterilized tilapia.”

The innovation arose from an unmet need. “Animal skin has long been used in the treatment of burns in developed countries,” Sussman noted. “But Brazil lacks the human skin, pig skin, and artificial alternatives that are widely available in the United States.”

In Brazil, the three functional skin banks can meet only one percent of the national demand according to Dr. Edmar Maciel, a plastic surgeon and burn specialist leading the clinical trials with tilapia skin. Because of this, most burn patients are bandaged with gauze and silver sulfadiazine cream.

As artificial skins are not always available, Dr. thought of using the tilapia skin as burn bandage. In his study, he found out that the tilapia skins contained huge amount of collagen proteins, which are very important for scarring. “Another factor we discovered is that the amount of tension, of resistance of tilapia skin is much greater than in human skin,” he was quoted as saying. “Also the amount of moisture.”

There are three types of burns, according to “The Doctors Book of Home Remedies.”

First-degree burns are painful and red.

They occur from sunburn, scalding and other minor accidents. These are the kind of burns that can be treated at home.

Second-degree burns ooze, blister, and are painful.

They results from severe sunburn or from brief contact with hot oven coils or other household accidents.

These may be treated at home if the burn is confined to a small area of surface skin.

But third-degree burns

are extremely dangerous -even if they don’t hurt (the result of destroyed nerve endings). They leave skin charred and turned it white or cream-colored. This kind of burns can be caused by fire, chemicals, electricity or any prolonged contact with hot surfaces. For these, you’ll need immediate medical help.

Other burns that demand a doctor’s immediate attention, according to the home remedies book, include: burns on the face, hands, feet, pelvic and pubic areas, or in the eyes; any burn that you aren’t sure is first- or second-degree; burns that show signs of infection, including a blister filled with greenish or brownish fluid, or a burn that becomes hot again or turns red; or any burn that doesn’t heal in ten days to two weeks.

In her Reuters report, Sussman wrote on how the doctors utilized the tilapia skin among burn patients: “In patients with superficial second-degree burns,

the doctors apply the fish skin and leave it until the patient scars naturally. For deep second-degree burns, the tilapia bandages must be changed a few times over several weeks of treatment, but still far less often than the gauze with cream.”

According to Dr. Maciel, the tilapia treatment cut down the healing time by up to several days and reduces the use of pain medication.

“The tilapia skin sticks to the wound and creates what we call a buffer effect,” he explained. “It blocks outside contamination, it prevents the loss of moisture, and it stays bonded to the bed of the wound until it heals over.”

If you are still wondering how it is done, the “Daily Mail” gives this information: “Before the fish skin is used, doctors remove its scales, muscle tissue, toxins and get rid of its distinct smell. It is then stretched and laminated before being stored in refrigerated banks in strips of 10 centimeters by 20 centimeters for up to two years.

“The result is something similar to human skin, which remains flexible and easy to mould around a wound. It is then placed over the patient’s damaged skin for up to 11 days before being removed.

“Then, doctors remove the scaly skin using petroleum jelly to lift, slide and ease the dressing away from the healed area.”

The tilapia-based skin substitute may not be available yet in the Philippines, but the medical breakthrough is a good news.

After all, the country lacks substantial human skins available for burn patients.

In the last five years, the number of burn cases in the country have considerably increased. For instance, at the Davao-based Southern Philippines Medical Center, the only hospital with a burn unit in Mindanao, about 300 burn patients are treated each year.

The tilapia skin is the first aquatic animal skin to be used on burn patients.

Tilapia is widely farmed in

Brazil and whose skin, until now, was considered trash.

But with this recent discovery, the tilapia skin may already be one of the most valuable skins in the future.

In the Philippines, tilapia is now the second most popular table fish – after bangus. The fish is a native of Africa and was introduced in the country in the 1950s. Today, “the Philippines is now the fourth largest producer of tilapia in the world,” said Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero, a fishery expert who’s now an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology.

The country is just behind China, Egypt and Indonesia.

With that, the use of tilapia skin in treating burns should be pursued, urged Vanessa Duma-an, a journalism student of the Ateneo de Davao University. In a recent feature, she wrote that a patient with major burn injuries needs, on the average, P10,000 to P20,000 for treatment.

“A single dressing sizing up to 20 x 20 centimeters is priced up to 1,000,” she pointed out. “Imagine if someone is injured from the hip downwards.”

In batting for tilapia skin as burn bandage, she wrote: “Not only it can help in medical terms, those in the fish industry can finally the fish’s skins to good use.”

Duma-an added: “If clinical trials will be pioneered in the country and show continuing success, we can only hope that this medical, and if not, also an agricultural breakthrough, will be processed on an industrial scale and be part of the public health system for a more efficient, environment- and patient-friendly treatment for burn victims.”

Most people think burns

FTILAPIA, P10

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On City hall employees observing health standard protocols only when she is around: Sa sugod pa gyud nagsulti nako nga dili ako ang Covid-19, dili ako ang makatakod so dili mo magmask kung naa ko. Dapat mag mask mo all the time. A thousand times na ko nakakita nga ilahang tabunan ilang baba kung makit-an ko nila. It’s either ako ang Covid-19 or kanang nanimaho kong basurahan nga kinahanglan suoton nato ni ang mask kay naa na ang baho.

Or sa panan-aw nila virus ko. Dili po ako ang virus, ang virus po andiyan sa palibot natin so ang mask itaod na siya. Remember God is everywhere so makit an mo ni God na wala mo’y mask. Pag raffle ni God sa Covid-19 syempre alangan naman i-raffle to sa mga naka-mask didto gyud na i-raffle sa mga wala nag mask. Mudaog gyud mo sa raffle sa Covid-19.”

MAYOR SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO City Mayor

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

VANTAGE POINTS

7

FRED C. LUMBA SPECKS OF LIFE

ARE THERE ANYMORE GOOD MEN LEFT In a huge population of more than 100 million, would it be exasperatingly hard to find someone to fit the bill?

Or is it more like searching in a haystack?

The huge financial mess discovered – and exposed by a whistle-blower - in the Philhealth corruption scandal indicts the cultural impunity that has been in existence and in practice for many decades, nursed in fact by the benumbed indifference of a timid and tolerant society.

The Philhealth issue is not the tip of the iceberg, mind you.

Many more earth-shaking exposes’ in yesteryears and recent past have come and gone but the authors of the evil schemes have not been convicted and jailed. It appears that they are able to squeeze themselves out of the discomfiting situation by securing the services of “talented” lawyers who smartly navigate the legal waters with a variety of “swimming” methods and styles.

Yes, it can no longer be denied that our justice and penal

system is pockmarked with loopholes, if you know what I am pointing at.

Rumors that we have thugs and crooks in robes in the judiciary are no longer rumors. Many criminal cases involving scions of rich, prominent and politically-connected families are able to buy their way out of a sure conviction because there is a crooked system existing.

One sickening horrific fact is that while we have an extradition treaty with the USA, Filipinos who are facing court suits conveniently escape by taking the first plane out to Uncle Sam’s territory where they enjoy the “fruits” of their labor.

Criminal minds and plunderers are ironically encouraged to push through their sinister plots to engage in pilferage and thievery because they are not scared of the penal laws existing in the country.

The death penalty is being re-introduced only because the increasing surge of criminality is now – again – being felt and expe-

rienced.

Ordinarily, however, the spate of corruption controversies no longer surprise and shake the Pinoy nation.

They have gotten used to these wrong-doings because they have become integral parts of their contemporary life.

But with the grave anti-social effects of Covid 19, Filipinos are now realizing (and recognizing, I hope) that they need to collectively voice out their rightful indignation because these corruption scandals have got to stop as the wrong-doings are negatively affecting the government and the people in a monstrous manner.

Unfortunately, Philhealth appointees have been – one after the other - exiting disgracefully, hounded by issues about negligent and lax management, dereliction of duty, incompetence and such other concerns, even bordering on inutility.

Everybody is agreed that the matter is systemic.

From top to bottom, the culture of corruption has ebbed

down to its lowest level that nothing – it seems – can solve or even minimize it to a tolerable level.

Perhaps, PRRD should ask for a volunteer.

Instead of scouting for talented managers and executives that will man and head government offices, the President could ask the nation if there is anyone willing to volunteer and serve the country in a position that has no political backing or support.

In this way, the volunteer-appointee will not suffer from political pressures if he had been otherwise backed or recommended by a powerful politician.

I believe there are still many capable Filipinos out there willing to take up the challenge.

These are the guys who silently do their jobs and accomplish their tasks with noble objectivity and diligence.

Enough of bureaucrats.

Enough of the ‘padrino’ connection. Enough of the old traditional “you and me” brotherhood.

I would strongly espouse this volunteer-ism concept.

We have tried everything possible under the sun but our government remains in bondage to corruption, thievery and illegalities.

A volunteer-appointee I think will do better under the circumstance because he is not indebted to anyone but to the appointing authority alone.

Therefore, he will have much leeway to hire and fire, whenever necessary and implement the changes he sees to be effective and efficient.

At least, PRRD need not search in a haystack.

Napoleon Hill, author of the much-acclaimed Think and Grow Rich, said: “No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or other, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure.”

Challenges will not stop daring us in the face.

It is up to us if we cower in fear or take the dare. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo. com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES.

HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

WHAT MAKES A TRUE LEADER? “The political scene is perhaps the most public arena where people have expressed their distrust in those who lead them. These are not easy times in which to be a leader.” -- Henry and Richard Blackaby, authors of Spiritual Leadership *** And it came to pass that God saw the sufferings of His people in Egypt. He had heard them crying out because of the miseries they were experiencing. He wanted to rescue them from their bondage. So, He called a man named Moses to bring God’s chosen people out of Egypt.

“Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt,” Moses asked.

Moses was terrified to become the leader. In their book, Spiritual Leadership, authors Henry and Richard Blackaby wrote: “Leadership. Everyone experiences it, or the lack of it, in their daily lives. Those called to lead can find doing so a daunting task. Those expected to follow can experience frustration when their leader is unable to lead.”

There are 850 different definitions of leadership. That was what Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus found when they were writing their collaborative book, Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. It is no wonder why today’s leaders have a hard time measuring up their level. There are too many standards to meet!

Dr. John C. Maxwell, an au-

thority on leadership, has written a very comprehensive book entitled, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. In his introduction, he posed these questions: “What makes people want to follow a leader? Why do people reluctantly comply with one leader while passionately following another to the ends of the earth? What separates leadership theorists from successful leaders who lead effectively in the real world?”

Maxwell enumerated the 21 qualities -- in alphabetical order -- as follows: character, charisma, commitment, communication, competence, courage, discernment, focus, generosity, initiative, listening, passion, positive attitude, problem solving, relationships, security, self-discipline, servanthood, teachability and vision.

Now, here are some thoughts from various leaders and thinkers from around the world: Character: “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” -- Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshal Charisma: “How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you.” -- Dan Reiland, vice president of leadership development

Commitment: “People do not follow uncommitted leaders. Commitment can be displayed in a full range of matters to include the work hours you choose to maintain, how you work to improve your abilities, or what you do for your fellow workers at personal sacrifice.”

-- Stephen Gregg, chairman of Ethix Corporation Communication: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” -- Lee Iacocca, American automobile executive Competence: “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its piped nor its theories will hold water.” -- John Gardner, American novelist Courage: “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities… because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”-- Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister Discernment: “The first rule of holes: When you’re in one, stop digging.” -- Molly Ivins, American columnist Focus: “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.” -- Margaret Mead, anthropologist Generosity: “No person was

ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” -- Calvin Coolidge, American president Initiative: “Success seems to be connected with action.

Successful people keep moving.

They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” -- Conrad Hilton, hotel executive Listening: “The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.” -- Woodrow Wilson, American president Passion: “Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”

-- Henri Frederic Amie, Swiss moral philosopher Positive Attitude: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind.” -- William James, psychologist Problem Solving: “The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”

-- John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State Relationships: “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” -- Theodore Roosevelt, American president Responsibility: “When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at

himself.” -- Louis Nizer Security: “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.” -- Andrew Carnegie, industrialist Self-discipline:“A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself… He longs to whatever can make captive of him.” -- John Foster, author Servanthood: “The true leader serves. Serves people.

Serves their best interests, and in so doing will not always be popular, may not always impress. But because true leaders are motivated by loving concern rather than a desire for personal glory, they are willing to pay the price.” -- Eugene B. Habecker, author Teachability: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” -- John Wooden, Basketball coach Vision: “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”

-- John Scully, Chief Executive Officer To end this piece, here is a final statement from Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu: “To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.

The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’”

8 EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020 VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

2020 TUNA FEST GOES DIGITAL SMART ACCELERATES LTE ROLLOUT IN SOCCSKSARGEN

THIS YEAR, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tuna Capital of the Philippines is holding one of the country’s most popular festivals online.

To ensure the safety of its residents, General Santos City is livestreaming the major events of the 2020 Tuna Festival. Enabling these digital celebrations is PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc.’s (Smart) ramped-up roll out of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced network in Mindanao, including the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat (SOCCSKSARGEN).

To date, over 90% of Smart’s sites in SOCCSKSARGEN are already on LTE. In addition to expanding its LTE reach, Smart is also increasing the capacity of its LTE sites by deploying more LTE base stations, increasing their count in the region by around 40% this year.

“Our continuing investments in expanding and upgrading our network infrastructure nationwide is proof of our commitment to keep improving customer experience across the country,” said PLDTSmart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering Mario G. Tamayo.

“By making LTE more available and increasing our network capacity, our customers in General Santos City and other areas in the region can use our network to stay connected with loved ones, access online learning platforms, work remotely, and run their businesses from the safety of their homes, especially in the New Normal,” Tamayo added.

Digital Tuna Festival With this improved network in place, residents of General Santos City will also be able to participate in the online festivities for this year’s Tuna Festival, one of Mindanao’s most anticipated events.

Held in General Santos City, known as the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” the Festival runs from Aug. 29 to Sept 15, with the local government of General Santos City livestreaming digital celebrations on its official Facebook accounts, as well as the official TNT Facebook page.

Smart, led by its TNT brand, is supporting the online festivi-

ties, which include the opening ceremonies held at the Plaza Heneral Santos, the unveiling of the Official Tuna Festival 2020 Billboard, online Zumba sessions, TikTok challenges, and live concerts. All major festival activities will be streamed live via the TNT official Facebook page.

TNT subscribers can enjoy and share all these online activities with TNT Free Stories For All. For only Php 99, subscribers can enjoy 14 GB (2 GB/ Day) of TikTok and other social apps plus 2 GB open access for 7 days. To avail, subscribers only need to download the new Smart App and choose TNT

FREE STORIES FOR ALL, or dial *123#, select GIGA and choose Stories.

PH’s only fully integrated telco This year, Smart is also set to further increase the number of its LTE sites and availability across all municipalities. To date, Smart’s 4G/LTE service, when combined with its 3G service, now provides highspeed mobile internet service to over 93% of the country’s cities and municipalities and 95% of the population.

“In most provinces, we have already upgraded our existing sites to LTE. We continue

to add LTE bands and rollout additional physical sites so that we can support our customers’ ever-increasing need for connectivity, especially in the new normal,” Tamayo added.

The country’s only fully integrated telecoms and digital services provider, PLDT and Smart’s sustained investments in their network have totaled some Php260 billion from 2015 to 2019. In the first half of 2020, Smart further increased the number of its LTE base stations by 10% compared to end-2019.

In April, it also increased the capacity of its LTE network by reallocating its assigned 1800 Mhz frequency from 2G to 4G/ LTE. As a result, 3,785 Smart base stations are now providing additional capacity for its LTE network. PLDT has leveled up its target capital expenditures for 2020 back up to about Php70 billion.

Moreover, in its ongoing LTE and LTE-Advanced rollout, Smart has been installing 5G-capable equipment which will enable Smart to deploy 5G easier and faster.

Smart’s mobile network is supported by PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, which provides high-capacity links to LTE base stations and is now nearly 360,000 kilometers nationwide.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

To cap off the two-day Basic Filmmaking Workshop, participants poses for a photo opportunity using the Tagumpay sign of the city. Some representatives of the Film Development Council of the

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF THE DECEASED CASIANO C. AMOGUIS Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late CASIANO C. AMOGUIS who died on August 10, 2018 at Whitehouse Toril, Davao City, Philippines has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF THE DECEASED CASIANO C. AMOGUIS executed among his heirs, per Doc. No.241; PageNo.50; Book No.190 Series of 2020, of the NOTARY PUBLIC ATTY. DANIEL O. EVANGELIO, JR.

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ROMEO A. JOVELLANOS who died on August 19, 2017 at San Pedro Hospital Inc. C. Guzman St., Davao City, Philippines has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE executed among his heirs, per Doc. No.124; PageNo.26; Book No.181 Series of 2019, of the NOTARY PUBLIC ATTY. FATIMA IRENE T. ADIN.

9

Philippines and online participants joins the pictorial by using the Zoom application. JP Cordovero/CIO Tagum

ASPIRING.. FROM3 Council of the Philippines was also facilitated in the first week of August.

Some participants were gathered at the Audio-visual room at the 4th floor of the new city hall to address their internet connectivity issues.

The speakers were Ms. Abigail Lazaro who talked about Acting followed by Mr. Dexter Dela Peña who discussed Cinematography. For the following day, Mr. Bagane Fiola and Teng Mangansakan taught the participants about Scriptwriting and Directing, respectively.

Creating a Film Synergy While the filmmaking workshops provided

Tagumenyo filmmakers new knowledge and techniques, the activities ultimately wanted to create a filmmaking community wherein Tagumenyos can share their vision and work together to create films that would reflect the culture and way of life in the city.

Meanwhile, a film festival is slated to happen sometime this year showcasing the films to be created by the participating city employees from both workshops in celebration of the Civil Service Month and are expected to be premiered at the 1,000 seater multi-purpose theatre located at the center. Ziyarah Manalo/ CIO Tagum

10 EDGEDAVAO RESU.. FROM3

VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

may mga times na nung pumasok na po ang mga ROFs, LSIs so that is the time na umakyat. Pag- wala naman pong dumating, bumababa ang mga kaso,” she said.

Rivera said they are also studying the cases per barangay in terms of local

and community transmission.

“Saka yung mga transmission na imported na cases which is coming from the other regions or other areas na papunta ng Davao.

Although, makikita natin na bumababa ang cases

natin compared before. We are hoping na this will continue pa po at ang lahat ng initiatives especially yung minimum basic health standards ay gagawin pa rin natin so that we can continue the downward slope ng ating mga cases at

the same time decreasing the positivity rate. Yun po ang aim at nakikita natin for the past six months at para hindi natin ma-reach yung projected number ng UP-Mindanao na 2,500 cases,” she said. By Maya M. Padillo

so that more business can reopen and more workers can return to work and earn income.

He also added that the Department is committed to preserve, protect, and facilitate jobs as we support the development and implementation of RECHARGE PH which is the Government’s Recovery Plan to facilitate the restarting of social and economic

activities in a way that is safe, amid the pandemic.

Employment facilitation services in different platforms – online, digital, and face-to-face – with the assistance of our Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), various national government agencies, and the private sector will be provided in order to connect Filipino jobseekers with the much-needed de-

cent jobs for the country and its economy to recover.

“We will continue to provide and sustain our social protection programs for the affected workers in anticipation of the enactment into law of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (BAYANIHAN2),” Bello said.

“We are hopeful that the economy recovers into a better normal and would have the capacity to absorb

displaced, re-entrants, and new entrants to the labor market. I call upon every Filipino worker and citizen to observe discipline in observing minimum health protocols —wearing of face mask and face shields, washing of hands, and physical distancing —at all times as the health of our economy lies on a healthy workforce,” the labor chief said. (DOLE/PIA-NCR)

are only caused by fires. Not likely some chemicals and electrical current can burn as well. “Although the skin is usually the part of the body that’s burned, the tissues under it also can be burned, and internal organs can be burned even when the skin is not,” says “The Merck Manual of Medical Informa-

tion.”

Tissues that are burned may die. When a burn damages tissues, fluid leaks from blood vessels, causing swelling. In an extensive burn, loss of a large amount of fluid from abnormally leaky blood vessels can cause shock. In shock, blood pressure decreases so much that

too little blood flows to the brain and other vital organs.

“About 85 percent of burns are minor and can be treated at home, in a doctor’s office, or in a hospital’s emergency department,” says the Merck manual.

But not all burns – especially major burns – can be treated at home. “For

more serious burns, you must seek professional help,” points out the Philippine Society of Burn Injuries. “Burns left unattended may lead to deformation of the body. Open wounds, especially, may develop infections and further complications.” — (Photos sourced from the internet)

pionship debut a successful one, submitting Thailand’s Detchadin “Detchpool” Sornsirisuphathin in round two.

Denice kept a close eye

on the contest throughout, watching from backstage.

“To be honest, I was more on edge watching my brother fight more than I was nervous for mine. That

was his ONE Championship debut, so he really needed to win. I’m glad we were both able to win. This night was a milestone in our careers,” Zamboanga concluded.

Zamboanga currently remains in Bangkok to continue riding out Covid-19.

She hopes to return home to Manila before the year ends.

sat? The Thunder actually outscored the Rockets by five points across 131 minutes. Oklahoma City's best lineup, if you exclude garbage time, was the one that tried to beat Houston at its own game. If you take away a meaningless Game 4 buzzer-beater, the fivesome of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder, Lu Dort and Danilo Gallinari outscored the Rockets by 15 points. The only problem was that Billy Donovan never fully committed to using it. The group played only 14 minutes in the series.

Davis has averaged as many as 43 minutes per game in a single postseason, but even he has to rest.

At the very least, there are going to be 8-10 minutes of game time in which someone besides him will need to be the tallest Laker on the floor. Early in the series, it might even be more. And as Oklahoma City learned, traditional center minutes don't get well against the Rockets.

There's a lesson for the Lakers to learn here. Frank Vogel is just as conservative with his lineup decisions as Donovan, but Adams is a far better player than either JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard, and while both can hold their own athletically against normal teams, they will, in all likelihood, be liabilities against Houston.

Fortunately, the Lakers have the ultimate trump card sitting in their back pocket.

They have LeBron, and their best chance at upending

Houston's small-ball philosophy when Davis rests is to embrace it themselves by turning James into their backup center.

The Lakers tinkered with the idea in that February matchup, and some of the concepts that should survive into this series were evident then. Vogel paired LeBron with another bigger forward to serve as a sort of co-center to avoid overextending James, in this case, Kyle Kuzma.

Markieff Morris will likely get the first crack at this role in this series, but his declining mobility was already on display against Portland. Houston is going to exacerbate that, and the endgame will likely be Kuzma again. The key to making that front-court tandem work is spacing it properly.

This is where the Lakers failed in February. Their two worst shooters, Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo, were part of this micro-ball lineup in that game, and while they put points on the board, they didn't exactly come through athleticism or shooting as they typically would with smaller lineups. The purpose of these groups, specifically, is to avoid players besides LeBron posting up. Bad process leads to a good result here.

The proper iteration is something closer to what LeBron had in Cleveland. As in Los Angeles, it was more of a "break glass in case of emergency" measure than a rotation staple. The 2017-

18 Cavaliers got extended run out of it in two critical moments: Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, and while trailing by double-digits in Game 1 of their second round series against the Toronto Raptors. Ty Lue's sole goal in this setting was to maximize shooting around James. Jeff Green served as the co-center (a necessity against teams that, unlike Houston, actually played normal centers).

The other three slots? Kyle Korver, George Hill and J.R. Smith. That's a combined career 3-point percentage of 39.8. That trio made the paint look like an abandoned lot.

The true function of that space is what it does for LeBron as a driver. There's no help against him at the rim because anyone that might provide it is hugging a shooter to take away the 3-pointer. That's even true of actual centers. Jonas Valanciunas would clearly prefer to meet LeBron at the basket on this play, but he's pulled away by Jeff Green.

Not even Pascal Siakam is athletic enough to stop freight train LeBron alone.

The shots are almost comically easy, especially with a generational passer like LeBron at the helm. Valanciunas is again mindful of the shooting threat... and it allows Green to jog into an alley-oop. This is the sort of cut Caruso makes in his sleep.

Switch the screen that LeBron calls for? He roasts his preferred matchup one-

on-one. Duck under it? He steps into an open 3-pointer. Help at the basket?

Someone else gets an open 3. Don't? He dunks. Short of having the sort of defender that can truly hang with LeBron one-on-one, a list that might only include Kawhi Leonard, there is no solution to this whatsoever.

Houston doesn't even come close. The last time P.J. Tucker tried to defend LeBron in a playoff series, he averaged 36 points on 57 percent shooting. Robert Covington might be the best off-ball defender in the NBA, but he's overwhelmingly mediocre in one-on-one settings. Paul just shot 12-of20 against him in the first round. Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier combined to hit 19 of their 26 attempts against him in their 2018 second-round series. Nobody else has a chance.

The Caruso-Rondo variant doesn't have enough shooting to pull this off, but the Lakers can scrape it together if they're willing to commit. Offsetting Caruso with Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope works, especially if the Lakers are open to a few Jared Dudley minutes to pick up the shooting slack. Inconsistent as he is, Dion Waiters has enough gravity to fill the role.

The theoretical tradeoff to this offensive boon should come on defense, but playing small-ball center has been the logical endpoint to LeBron's defensive role all season.

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the government’s Plant, Plant, Plant program,” he said.

Chua added that preventive preparations on production support, crop insurance and other recovery programs are needed to address possible losses and to immediately implement quick-response programs in disasters-prone areas, especially since La Niña is projected to hit the country late this month or in October.

Relatively, ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Antonio Mapa said the slower inflation rate last August can be traced to the impact of the economic recession, with the domestic economy posting a 0.7 percent and 16.5 percent contraction in the first and second quarter of this year, respectively, due to the pandemic and the stronger peso.

He said reverting the National Capital Region (NCR), along with four nearby provinces, back to the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 4 to 18 “may have slowed already hobbled demand

further.”

“For the balance of the year, we expect inflation to remain at the lower-end of the BSP’s inflation target band given depressed economic activity with the stronger PHP (Philippine peso) also limiting imported inflation,” he said.

Mapa said that since inflation is seen to remain within target in the policy horizon and because Diokno has indicated the need to keep key rates steady “for at least two quarters” “we expect the BSP to keep policy levers untouched well into 2021.”

Also, ANZ Research, in a report, said inflation decelerated last August “presumably reflecting the impact of a reinstated lockdown during the first two weeks of the month.”

“We continue to expect price pressures to remain mild and not present any challenge to monetary policy. At the same time, sufficient liquidity in the financial system and incomplete transmission of previous cuts in the policy rate do not make a case for further easing at this stage,” it added. (PNA)

of jobs that we will have to develop to be able to service all these technologies around us,” said Lopez.

Moreover, the DTI chief bats for the approval of the CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) Bill in the Congress to attract more investments through low-

ering corporate income tax rates and providing fiscal incentives to investors.

Data from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority showed that from January to July 2020, registered projects from ITBPM sector grew 37 percent to PHP11.4 billion amid the global health crisis. (PNA)

Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, for his part, said they are also working on amendments to the

Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act, which he said will improve financing for agriculture.

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NOTICE OF AUCTION The VGM Pawnshop, Inc. will hold a public auction sale to all unredeemed and unrenewed items on Feb. 01, 2020 to March 31, 2020 on September 15, 2020 at VGM Pawnshop, Inc. Sasa Branch, VGM Bldg., km. 11 Sasa, Davao City at 9:00 o’clock in the morning.

Ang VGM Pawnshop, Inc. magasubasta sa tanang prenda nga wala malukat sa bulan sa Pebrero 01, 2020 hangtud Marso 31, 2020 karong Setyembre 15, 2020 alas 9:00 sa buntag dinha sa VGM Pawnshop, Inc. Sasa Branch, VGM Bldg., Km. 11, Sasa, Davao City.

THE MANAGEMENT

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VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

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Filipina atomweight Denice“The Menace”Zamboanga (right) finishes off opponent“Dream Girl”Watsapinya Kaewkhong of Thailand (left).

UST accepts Ayo’s resignation

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he University of Santo Tomas (UST) has accepted the resignation of Aldin Ayo as the head coach of its men’s basketball team as well as two of his assistant coaches.

“It is with a heavy heart that the University of Santo Tomas accepts the resignation of Mr. Aldin Ayo, head coach of the UST men’s basketball team, together with the resignations of Mr. McJour Luib and Mr. Jinino Manansala as assistant coaches,” UST’s office of the secretary-general (OSG) said in a statement on Saturday.

Ayo confirmed on Friday night that he left his post as the Growling Tigers’ gaffer amid the investigation on their alleged training bubble in his hometown of Capuy, Sorsogon.

Amateur teams are not allowed to practice at all amid the coronavi-

rus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, prompting the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) to open a probe on the alleged bubble, which is apparently a violation of quarantine protocols set by the government.

After receiving the report from UST’s fact-finding committee, the UAAP Board of Managing Directors has already recommended a set of sanctions to be slapped to Ayo and the Growling Tigers, which is to be submitted to the league’s board of trustees for final approval.

“Rest assured that the university will remain committed to the welfare of the student-athletes and that the process of rebuilding athletic programs, particularly that of the men’s basketball team, through compassion and competence, will commence,” UST’s OSG said.

(PNA)

Zamboanga ready for Lee after win in Bangkok

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t was a quick and flawless victory for 23-year-old top Filipina atomweight Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga.

The undefeated top contender put together an inspiring performance, finishing opponent “Dream Girl” Watsapinya Kaewkhong of Thailand just a little over a minute into the first round of their clash at ONE: A NEW BREED last Friday, 28 August.

After establishing her dominance in the striking exchanges early, Zamboanga snatched a quick takedown, and then secured side control. From there, she worked on cranking out an Americana, and the tap came shortly after.

Looking back on her performance, Zamboanga gave a little bit of credit to her game but overmatched opponent. Ultimately, “The Menace” explained that she felt she had no choice but to win this bout, to keep her dream of facing reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee alive.

“She (Watsapinya) had good control, but I think I was just able to overpower her. Of course, I couldn’t afford to lose that fight. My goal was to get the win and nothing else,” said Zambo-

national borders, it has proven difficult to put together events in Asia. Zamboanga was left with no other options but to take somewhat of a tune-up fight in preparation for Lee, which she wouldn’t mind doing again if the opportunity presents itself.

“Once the world goes back to normal, I think I’m ready to face Angela. She’s my idol. But if the situation stays like this for some time, and if ONE Championship is giving me the chance to fight again, then I’ll take another fight,” said Zamboanga.

Earlier on the card, Zamboanga’s older brother Drex made his ONE Cham-

The Houston Rockets are the answer to that question. Born out of the positionless basketball James helped popularize, the Rockets are built around a simple premise: centers are bad. Universally. And they even have proof of concept against the Lakers.

Anthony Davis is perhaps the league's best center.

When these two teams last met at full strength in February, Davis did everything the NBA's best center is supposed to do against a team that eschews the position entirely. He scored 32 points on 67 percent shooting. He finished the game with 13 rebounds and three blocks. And the Lakers still lost. They were outscored with Davis on the floor because Davis is a center, and according to Houston, centers are bad.

The "why" is mathematical. Post-ups, even against mismatches, are less valuable shots on average than

the 3-pointers Houston values. Davis' mid-range jumpers are even worse.

The Rockets willingly punt away the rebounding battle in favor of winning on the turnover and fouling front.

As rarely as James Harden uses screens anymore, he still craves bigs to hunt in switches. The logic is, to this point, theoretical, and Davis is an exception to many of these rules. He can take and make 3's. He can defend the perimeter as well as most wings, and he can do so while still living up to his responsibilities as an actual big man. He is not going to get played off of the floor by anybody.

But normal centers?

They're vulnerable. In fact, they're prey. Steven Adams is among the better ones in basketball. Oklahoma City got outscored by 50 points in the 210 minutes that he played against Houston in the first round. When he

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Why Lebron should play center vs the Rockets

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Lebron James blocks Russel Westbrook’s fastbreak layup.

anga.

“I didn’t expect to submit her so easily, by Americana no less. I wanted to strike with her, that’s what I was planning to do. But the submission was there, so I took the chance and I got the win. That’s the important thing.”

Zamboanga is the number one contender for Lee’s atomweight belt. Following impressive victories over top-rated opponent Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan and former ONE World Title challenger Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi, the 23-year-old effectively earned a shot at the division’s queen.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, however, with increased security between

eBron James was a positionless player before it was cool. Routinely slotted as a small forward, James has spent the past 17 years defending across the positional spectrum, passing like a point guard, scoring like a shooting guard and rebounding like a power forward. The league has slowly caught up to his versatility and in some cases, exceeded it. The final frontier for LeBron has, largely, been playing center.

It's a position he realistically can play but has largely avoided as a matter of both physical preservation and optimization. LeBron is so good at what he already does, and under normal circumstances, such radical decision making can have diminishing returns. If his teams already achieve their desired spacing with him as a forward, why deprive themselves of the opposing benefits playing a center provides?

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VOL.13 ISSUE 127 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2020

PBA BUBBLE

NLEX Road Warriors coach Joseller "Yeng" Guiao is pushing for Clark Freeport as host to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Bubble. Guiao said this would depend on the decision of the PBA Board of Governors and the Office of the Commissioner.

Clark eyed to host NBA-style PBA ‘Bubble’

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LARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – As the resumption of the 45th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup 2020 looms, exploratory talks have been made for prospective venues to host the “PBA Bubble” – including this Freeport.

“Three things. First, we have the rooms – the accommodation by hotels in Clark that can entail 12 teams. So that’s about 400 to 500 people,” said NLEX Road Warriors coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao in a phone interview on Thursday.

Clark is a premier business hub and a preferred tourist destination that is home to top-grade hotels which can potentially accommodate all 12 teams of the PBA. These include Marriott Hotel, Widus Hotel and Casino, Royce Hotel, and Midori Hotel.

It is also host to the best golf courses in the country where players can enjoy the fairways in between games and practices.

“Second, Clark is gated. It is self-contained so safety and health protocols can be easily implemented there,” Guiao said, adding that the accessibility of Clark is also a plus point.

“Third is proximity. It’s close to Manila and other places as well. In case one of the players has a family emergency, they can easily get out of the bubble so it’s a factor,” he said.

When asked about the chances of Clark being chosen as a venue, Guiao said that it would depend on the decision of the PBA Board of Governors and the Office of the Commissioner.

PBA out-of-town games in Pampanga are usually held at Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultur-

al Center.

In the past, Guiao also pushed for Clark as a venue of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Olympics.

“We already saw it last year. Some games happened in Clark. Again, for the same reason, because it is conveniently located, there are plenty of open spaces, we have the facilities – first-class hotels, we have the expertise – people who are highly educated and know how to handle such sporting events and we also have a lot of sports fans there,” he said.

The concept of the PBA bubble is patterned after the National Basketball Association (NBA) model, wherein all players from every team including staff, officials and other people involved will stay in a “bubble”.

This means that everybody inside the bubble will have no physical contact with other people outside of it, including their families.

The players will be housed in one hotel and will be transported to practice venues until the games are over.

Guiao said the PBA Board of Governors and Commissioner Willie Marcial are “thinking seriously” in carefully considering all probable venues.

Other possible bubble venues eyed by the PBA include the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna, Subic in Zambales, and even Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (PNA)