Edge Davao Volume 13 Issue 148 | Thursday, October 1, 2020

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Environment firm says no significant coral reef identified within the study area of bridge project STORY ON PAGE 2

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco and several members of the House of Representatives in a meeting at the Malacañang Golf (MALAGO) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on Tuesday night. The President called on Cayetano and Velasco, who were accompanied by their respective partymates and supporters in the Lower House, to discuss matters affecting Congress lately. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte tops the list of the most admired man in the Philippines, an annual study by British market research and data analytics firm YouGov showed. Duterte has an admiration score of 19.67 percent. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

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PRRD ‘most admired’ person in PH: survey

Environment firm says no significant coral reef identified within the study area of bridge project

By MAYA M. PADILLO consultancy firm revealed on Wednesday there are no significant coral reefs identified within the study area for the proposed Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) connector project.

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The findings were based on the baseline coral assessment conducted

by Galerio Environmental Consultancy (GEC) in the various Stations both in the Davao City and Samal sides.

GEC’s assessment debunked claims by the family who owns the property affected by the SIDC connector project who earlier said that the proposed bridge has ill effects on the white sand beach, rich sea life, and undersea flora and fauna. The Rodriguez family is making this contention as the basis of their appeal for a realignment of the landing site.

The family said they commissioned scientists Dr. Filipina Sotto, Dr. Cleto Nañola, and Joey Gatus to do a study of the ecosystem and biodiversity around the area of Paradise Reef, an area that will be hit by

the bridge. Based on the study, there are three sites (stations) considered feasible for the landing site of the bridge: Lomos (station 1), Bridgeport (station 2), and the Paradise Island Beach Resort (PIBR, station 3).

Dr. Sotto’s team concluded that station 3’s Paradise Reef is home to rich marine life and corals preserved by the Rodriguez family as a de facto marine life sanctuary for almost 100 years.

For its part, GEC was hired by Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Ltd as its sub-consultant to collaborate in the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project including social aspects such as the conduct of public consultations and surveys.

The coral assessment

covered seven stations with four sampling locations in Davao City and three sampling locations in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS). For the Davao City side, the location is in Barangay Hizon with stations 1 to 4, while in Samal is in Barangay Limao with 1 to 3 stations.

Diana Kristina Velasco, land use specialist of Galerio Environmental Consultancy, presented the results of the surveys conducted during the virtual public hearing on Monday.

She said as a summary, the average living coral (20.2 percent) and the hard-coral cover (10.4 percent) in Barangay Limao is in poor condition based on the quartile index of reef health, soft coral condition is 23.4 percent, mean algal cover is 15.4 percent and mostly dead coral is covered with filamentous algae, other fauna such as sponges, sea anemone and ascidians were apparent.

“Based on this result, we can infer that most of the dead coral was translated into algal cover and biotic components suggesting

that coral mortality was followed by the colonization of alga and no significant coral reefs identified within the study area,” she said.

Based on the survey conducted at Davao Station 1, there is an average hard cover in poor condition and soft corals still comprise a higher proportion compared to hard coral cover.

For Davao Station 2, there is about eight percent of hard coral that belong to Acroporidae family and less of non-acropids and some life forms observed were massive such as Lobophylia, symphilia, and sub-massive Pocilopora; for Station 3, there were other conspicuous hard corals that were massive in the area such as porites, foliose, and encrusting montipora and also sponges are among dominant other fauna recorded in the survey; and Station 4, there is an average hard coral cover which is low and considered as in poor condition, whereas the LCC (live coral cover) is considered fair when the soft coral is also assessed, and other benthic

FFINDINGS, P9

resident Rodrigo Duterte is the most admired man in the Philippines, an annual study

by British market research and data analytics firm YouGov showed.

Other notable Filipino men in YouGov’s list were Senator Manny Pacquiao in second place and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno in third.

The women’s category, meanwhile, has five Filipino nationals in the top 20, with actress Angel Locsin topping the list followed by 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray in second place, actresses Sarah Geronimo and Liza Soberano in third

and sixth places, respectively, and Vice President Leni Robredo in 15th place.

The YouGov’s 2020 study, released on September 23, gathered nominations from January to March this year by asking the question: “Thinking about people alive in the world today, which man or woman do you most admire?”

Based on the results, the British firm compiled the men and women who received the most nominations and were nominated in at least four states.

An additional five to 10 popular figures were add-

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House Speakership row: Velasco in, Cayetano out

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resident Rodrigo Duterte asked Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to give way to Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco as new Speaker in a meeting he held with lawmakers on Tuesday, September 29.

“It was the agreement and it was enforced during the time they were discussing among the 3 of them.

The question was only as to when, but both parties agreed before the President on October 14,” said Oriental Mindoro 1st District Representative Salva-

dor “Doy” Leachon in an ANC interview.

Duterte faced the contingent from the House at the Malacañang Golf Clubhouse, after which he held a separate meeting with Cayetano, Velasco and his longtime aide and now senator Bong Go. “It was stated very clearly. Well, the position of course of the President, even during the time it was being impressed upon us, the nature of the conversation, is to enforce definitely,” Leachon, Velasco’s

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

Ata Manobos file cases of abuse against Haran

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embers of the Ata-Manobo tribe have filed cases on human trafficking, child abuse, violation of international humanitarian law, and involuntary servitude (slavery) against Haran management.

During a special interview at Radio 911, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Director of Legal Affairs and spokesperson of National Task Force ELCAC, Atty.

Marlon Bosantog, specified the cases filed against Haran.

“This morning nakapag file tayo ng kaso na (This morning we filed cases on) human trafficking, child abuse, violation of international humanitarian law especially on the conscription of child warriors, yung pagkuha ng mga child soldiers para maki digma (the training of child soldiers to participate in war). And then involuntary servitude, a form of slavery),” he said.

Onboard the special radio interview in the afternoon on September 15, he explained that the child abuse case is due to the testimony under oath of the witnesses saying they were recruited when they were still minors.

“Ang mga complainant po natin dito, may apat tayong complainant, sila po ay mga minors noong sila ay ni recruit at ‘inabuse’ ng CPP-NDA-NDF (Our

complainant here, there are four of them, they were minors when they were recruited and abused by the CPP-NDA-NDF),” he said.

In addition, Bosantog cited the complainants’ testimony that they were forced to do things against their will and were often times not given food unless they follow instructions.

“Halimbawa yung pumunta sila sa Manila, they were not informed na mag ra-rally sila (Example when they went to Manila, they were not informed that they were going for a rally). They were just made to hold the cards and if you don’t do that they will not be given resources like food. You should rally first before being given water and food,” he cited.

Bosantog also explained that fear among the IPs is the reason why, until recently, no cases were filed against Haran Management despite being known for these crimes.

“Naririnig natin ang Haran for almost how many years now, naririnig natin yung mga abuses na nangyayari pero bakit walang naka file na kaso. Alam niyo kung bakit? Kase natatakot yung mga nag fi-file ng kaso para sa mga buhay nila buhay ng pamilya nila, kase alam naman natin yung CPP-NDA-NDF pumapatay talaga yung mga yan, so nahihirapan tayong

strict monitoring and dismissal from police service any personnel of the PRO 11 caught for drinking liquor in public, pawning or losing issued firearms and engaging in illegal gambling activities and illegal drugs.

Police Brig. General Filmore Escobal, director of the PRO XI stressed that he will strictly implement the said directives to anyone found guilty of the aforementioned offenses.

“This order is aligned with the police leadership’s police for the members of the police force to be responsible, respectable, and disciplined and for the presidential order to kick out from the ser-

Escobal still promised to have everything go through proper proceedings to observe due process.

Under his administration, there were already 15 policemen dismissed, one demoted, and 27 others suspended after they were found guilty engaging in illegal and prohibited activities.

Escobal expected that the police personnel of Davao Region must compliant and consider this as stern warning that PRO 11 will be very strict in implementing this matter in order to uphold the integrity of the police service. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

Majority of adult Filipinos are practicing Covid-19 standard health protocols such as wearing of face mask, frequent hand washing and observing social distancing, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. Edge Davao

Central 911 logs 585,308 responses in 18 years

By MAYA M. PADILLO early two decades after its establishment, Davao Central 911 has FATA, P9 amassed a total of 585,308 rePRO 11 to be strict on erring cops sponses to emergency calls resulting to he leadership of the vice any police personnel significant number of lives and properPolice Regional Of- caught drinking in public,” ties saved in the process. fice XI directed for he pointed out.

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PH gov't identifies two new indicators for community quarantine classification

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he Philippine government has identified two new indicators for its community quarantine classification, an epidemiologist with the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) sub-technical working group on data analytics said Tuesday.

Dr. John Wong said the government would be using the Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) and the two-week growth rate (2WGR) to identify which level of community quarantine an area may be classified.

The ADAR is the number of cases over a two-

week period divided by the population of the local government unit (LGU). The higher the ADAR, the higher risk of infection.

The 2WGR, meanwhile, measures the growth of the epidemic in an area or how quickly the number of cases is changing over a period of time. The second indicator compares the cases in the past two weeks from the number of cases three to four weeks ago.

If the growth rate is positive, Wong said this would mean that the epidemic is growing. A negative computation, on the

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NEWS 3

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Davao Central 911 chief Emmanuel Jaldon commended the efforts of its personnel during the 18th anniversary of the 24-hour helpline last Saturday.

“It is in our culture to treat every response as a day to day dedication.

Some responses were successful in saving people’s lives, while others were

not lucky enough to live.

This is the daily reality of a 911 responder has to go through,” Jaldon said in a text message.

One thing that poses a challenge to Davao Central 911 is the surging number of prank calls, the city’s 24-hour helpline for emergencies and disasters, have raised concern among Central 911 call person-

nel. Jaldon is referring to unintentional calls or non-emergency calls that are congesting up lines for real emergencies.

Although, this is common to all emergency answering points in the world to receive these types of calls, Jaldon said Davao City 911 is looking to provide an avenue for callers only “needing information.”

Jaldon expressed gratitude to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who continue to enhance the capabilities of the service to meet the present emergency needs of the growing population coupled by the impact to

safety concerns due to fast development and growth of the city.

“Up to this point in time, Central 911 still conforms with its vision as the premier emergency response service in the country and is at par with international standards when it comes to response even during this very challenging state of Covid-19 pandemic. The 18th anniversary of Davao City Central 911 is a significant testament of continuous dedication of the city government of Davao in providing the best possible emergency response services to the people of Davao City,” he said.

episodes of compressed lessons on various learning areas targeting kindergarten to Grade 12 students in the region for the opening week of the upcoming school year.

The airing of the learning modules will be available from 8 to 9 a.m. from Mondays to Fridays over DXGN 89.9 Spirit FMDavao, DXWT Wild FM Davao 92.3 FM, DXXL iFM Davao 93.9, DXUM Radyo Ukay 819, DXDC 621 RMN Davao, DXLL 94.7 One Radio, DXRD 711 Sonshine Radio, DXRR 1017 Radyo Rapido, Sky Cable Davao, and Solar TV. “The DepEd entered into an agreement with these stations to play the materials in broadcast quality,” he said.

Barbasan said the supplemental materials were created by a pool of 30

writers and content producers who were trained by fellow educators who have a background in the media industry to get the message across the young learners easily.

All materials, which could come in dramatic, informative, and instructional format, were vetted by a committee tasked to ensure quality, he added.

“The modules of the DepEd are intended for self-learning,” Barbasan said, explaining that the supplemental materials are conceptualized to aid the self-learning experience of the students.

He said the production team took two months to prepare the supplemental materials.

“The radio-based instruction is quite challenging because, of course, in radio, you are

going to create a theater in the minds of the students. You need a voice artist. The editing must take into consideration all elements – the singsong.

It should be enticing for the children and then, the content must be brief and concise,” he said.

Barbasan said the agency pursued this program so that schoolchildren could access additional resources for free.

“The TVBI-RBI will be a modality of DepEd that can be accessed by the children for free. The private schools have access online. Those who are in public could not go online because of the limitation in the far-flung communities. We want to cater to their needs with this modality,” he added. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

DepEd-Davao to start airing supplemental materials over 10 radio, television stations

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he Davao City division of the Department of Education (DepEd) will start broadcasting its supplemental modules over 10 radio and television networks in time for the opening of classes on October 5 to aid the self-learning of the students who are enrolled in “asynchronous” set-up in the time of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly those who live in far-flung communities.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Arnold Barbasan, who heads the TV-based Instruction and Radio-based Instruction (TVBI-RBI) which creates the supplemental materials, said that the agency would air “Matuto sa Radyo” (Learn on Radio), a one-hour radio program that features five to seven

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

Sacks of rice are seen at a dryer of a rice milling plant in Bansalan, Davao del Sur. The National Food Authority (NFA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are working with local government units to help farmers hit by the pandemic sell their produce at a higher price. Edge Davao

India eye ties in LGUs bought P2.6-B worth PH, pharma, BPO sectors of farmers’ produce -- DA T

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he Department of Agriculture (DA) said local government units (LGUs) bought some PHP2.6 billion worth of local farmers’ produce from the start of the community quarantine in March until September.

DA told the Philippine News Agency that the PHP2.6 billion were purchased via “direct procurement from farmers by 443 local government units” nationwide.

DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness Kristine Evangelista said vegetable procurement for this year is particularly higher compared to the same period last year.

“We have reason to believe that LGU procurement increased because agricultural commodities

also became part of the food packs distributed [by the DA] to their constituents,” she added.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has been advocating his appeal to LGUs, especially in the barangay level, to source out produce from local farmers even before the pandemic took place.

“We urge our LGUs to prioritize buying fresh produce from our farmers.

It’s a win-win situation for both consumers and producers,” Dar said in March

during distribution of food packs amid the raging pandemic.

The food supplies could actually come from the “kanayunan”, he said, minimizing movement from one location to another.

In line with this vision, Dar launched the “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” to bolster the agency’s call for “bountiful harvest and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk”.

Kadiwa is a market system which sells major agricultural goods at reasonably low prices to help poor Filipino households.

Kadiwa is loosely translated as “one idea, one thought,” which is in consonance with the Dar’s “new thinking” for the agriculture paradigm.

Evangelista, in a virtual conference on Tuesday,

said as of Sept. 26, a total of 1,439 Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita on Wheels were conducted.

“The total sales generated amounted to PHP47,685,923,” she added.

Evangelista added that they have taken note of some 20 deliveries to various LGUs and Agribusiness Development Center Pabili through Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Online, which generated sales totaling PHP5,553,095.

She said including some PHP56,143 earned from retail sales, the overall sales for Kadiwa in the regions amounted to PHPP290,146,075.

The Kadiwa project establishes a direct link between the farmers and fisherfolk and the consum-

ic.

chased should not exceed the government’s average revenues in the last three years.

“For prudential reasons, we interpret this to mean that it should be used only during extraordinary times -- and these are obviously extraordinary times,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said. (PNA)

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Gov’t ready to repay P300-B repurchase deal with BSP

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he national government is prepared to repay the PHP300 billion that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) extended through a repurchase agreement to help fund the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response program.

Asked by a journalist if the government is ready to pay the funding agree-

ment by Sept. 30, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said yes.

Last March, BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) authorized the central bank to purchase government securities from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) to support the national government’s programs in addressing the impact of the pandem-

Under the deal, BTr has a maximum of six months to repay the debt securities.

The BSP Charter allows for this deal, provided that the tenor of the securities is three months and can be renewed for another three months.

Also, the number of securities that will be pur-

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has invited Indian players in the pharmaceutical industry to tap business opportunities in the Philippines as the two countries target to strengthen cooperation.

The DTI urged them to participate in manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, vaccines, and essential medicines, as well as establishing facilities for research and development for herbal medicine.

“The Philippines still has a traditional view of India. This mindset has to change given the vast opportunities for collaboration that remain untapped,” DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said in a statement Tuesday.

The Philippines and India held its 13th Joint Working Group on Trade and Investments (JWGTI) meeting and identifying sectors where both countries aim to strengthen cooperation.

The DTI said the online JWGTI meeting was concluded last Sept. 17.

The meeting was led by Rodolfo and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of India Anant Swarup.

The two countries aim to focus future ini-

tiatives to foster synergies in sectors of textiles and electronics for smart manufacturing and digital technologies, as well as integrated circuit (IC) design and electronics system design manufacturing.

Being the top countries for information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO), the Philippines and India also target to boost cooperation on telemedicine, health information management, software development, and IT solutions and online learning.

They also included energy and agriculture sectors as priorities for future partnerships.

Swarup said Manila and New Delhi have yet to harness the full potential of their bilateral trade.

“Both sides share in each other’s total trade is negligible, from only about 0.3 to 1 percent, hence the full potential of the relations is yet to be reached,” Swarup said.

Total trade between the two countries reached USD2.4 billion in 2019.

India was the 14th largest trade partner for the country last year.

Investments from Indian companies also reached PHP915.64 million. (PNA)

ECONOMY 5

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

Solon pushes for dev't of PH coffee industry

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lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to create a national program that will help develop the country’s coffee industry.

Rep. Sharon Garin of AAMBIS-OWA Party-list has filed House Bill 3598 or the “Coffee Industry Development Act.” Under the proposed measure, a National Coffee Board will be established to “formulate necessary programs and projects for the advancement and industry-wide development of coffee in the Philippines.”

The bill is also expected to provide safeguard for the welfare of coffee farmers.

Garin pointed out that there is a high demand for locally-produced coffee.

“The Philippines produces around 30,000 metric tons of coffee per year but the local demand reaches 100,000 metric tons,” she said. “Local supply cannot fulfill local demand that we have to import coffee just to meet it.”

She added that immediate passage of the bill would help the coffee in-

dustry regain its losses due to the Taal Volcano eruption and the community lockdowns in the past six months.

The National Coffee Board will be spearheaded by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture as chairperson, with the secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry as vice-chairperson.

Among the objectives of the board include providing technical assistance on planting and rehabilitation of farms; develop efficient and productive processing technologies for coffee beans; facilitate the establishment of credit programs for coffee farmers; conduct research and scientific studies; establish a germplasm collection and gene bank for coffee; and promote the coffee industry for domestic and export markets.

Once enacted into law, the national program will receive a P50 million funding.

Oct. 1 is International Coffee Day.

WB seeks board approval for $12B Covid-19 vaccine financing plan

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orld Bank President David Malpass said on Tuesday he is seeking board approval for a $12 billion coronavirus vaccine financing plan to help poor and developing countries secure a sufficient share of vaccine doses when they become available in the coming months.

Malpass told Reuters in an exclusive interview that the initiative, part of $160 billion in coronavirus aid financing pledged by the multilateral lender, is aimed at helping countries procure and distribute vaccines early to health care and other essential workers and expand global production. He said the board was expected to consider the plan in early October.

Global competition for

early coronairus vaccine doses is already fierce, months ahead of any approvals, as wealthy countries move to secure supplies.

The US government has pledged over $3 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines under development by Britain's AstraZeneca and by US drug giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech SE. Malpass said the World Bank plan aimed to put poor and middle-income countries, where the virus is spreading most rapidly, on the same footing as richer countries by ensuring have financing to secure supplies and a system for distribution, which will encourage drug makers to

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BPI sees slow growth for rest of year, businesses to normalize in 2021

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ank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said it sees sluggish growth for the rest of the year as shown by the modest rise in consumption and people mobility.

The Ayala-led bank added that there is still a lot of uncertainty despite the easing of quarantine restrictions, and businesses may normalize only within the first half of 2021.

“We are seeing signs of improvement. We saw a pick-up on activity when the government started easing the quarantine. But we are still operating 40 to 45 percent below the mobility levels prior to the pandemic,” said BPI Securities Corp president Haj Narvaez.

He added that the gradual increase in economic activity shows how people

and businesses are coping.

“I would argue that companies and businesses have kind of learned that there’s a way to operate and grow their businesses without using the traditional avenue for selling products. So a lot of people are focusing on e-commerce, a lot more people are buying goods online, and more people transferring money via their banking apps to pay for goods and services. So we see a lot of growth potential there,” he said.

Narvaez said foreign investors look at mobility levels as a gauge to assess the situation in the Philippines. While the country has shown improvement, the Philippines still lags behind its neighbors.

“You can see that the likes of Indonesia, Thai-

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Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC) chief April Marie Dayap says agribusiness remains the city’s top priority area for investment, especially the export of agricultural products, cold storage facilities, and food

terminals during during the webinar organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. Edge Davao

Agribusiness remains Davao City’s top investment priority

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gribusiness remains the city’s top priority area for investment, especially the export of agricultural products, cold storage facilities, and food terminals, an official said Tuesday.

April Marie Dayap, chief of the Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC), said this during the webinar, “Diverse Investment Opportunities Await You in Davao”, organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

Next to agri-business, Dayap said, is the manufacturing industry, which she said has been booming in the past few years.

She likewise noted that although greatly affected by the pandemic, the tourism industry has helped bolster the city’s economy over time while stimulating small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

“Davao City is undoubtedly bountiful and we have a conducive high quality of life. We are the sixth economic powerhouse in Asia with our unprecedented skyrock-

eting economy (in recent years),” Dayap said.

Meanwhile, she said the city government would continue to partner with the private sector in rebooting the local economy from the adverse impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The city, together with the private sector, a certain company, is currently doing a study on the impact of the pandemic in the economy.

“It might be done within the month and will be ready for review and assessment so we can come out with strategies on how to reboot (the economy) and go back to

its normal gains,” Dayap said.

In her presentation during the webinar, she cited the city’s first-quarter performance this year that showed an increase in the number of total capitalization and the number of business permits.

The second-quarter performance, however, saw a decline due to the effects of the pandemic, Dayap said.

“Being a service-driven economy, the city felt the severe impact of the crisis with the shutdowns or temporary closures of businesses, mostly the service sector,” she added. (PNA)

with utmost transparency and we have cooperated for any request of inquiry. However, we are distressed as this issue on PPE procurement has become political in nature.

Our interest is transparency and not politics,” it said.

The statement was issued after Hontiveros, in a press release, alleged that DBM procured overpriced PPE last April and May based on the 11 contracts the agency has entered.

She said DBM tapped four local firms to supply PPE but there are seven

Chinese-owned companies that the government selected and whose products are more expensive than the locally-produced ones.

The price of the PPE sets ranges between PHP1,700 and PHP2,000.

Hontiveros said tapping local companies for the PPE supply is cheaper since the government implemented a price freeze from March 23 until April 13, which prevented companies from jacking up their prices.

“This price freeze meant that the eight com-

ponents of procured PPE sets could only cost a maximum total of PHP945,” she added.

The DBM said it has sent a letter to Hontiveros’ office “to furnish us a copy of the basis for her supposed findings of overpricing” but has not received a reply.

“It has been often said that reiteration of a baseless allegation does not make it legitimate, it only makes the allegation absurd and nonsensical,” it said, adding the “PS-DBM stand by our previous expression of facts.” (PNA)

No overpricing in PPE procurement - DBM

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he Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has denied overpricing in the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) as alleged by Senator Risa Hontiveros since the agency ensures transparency in their processes.

In a statement Tuesday night, the agency said all the documents for the PPE acquisition “are evident” since “all notices of award of the PS-DBM (procurement service-DBM) have been made public.”

“Our office operates

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

On claims that the Samal Island-Davao City connector bridge project will adversely affect coral reef in the Samal Island side:

Based on this result, we can infer that most of the dead coral was translated into algal cover and biotic components suggesting that coral mortality was followed by the colonization of alga and no significant coral reefs identified within the study area.”

Diana Kristina Velasco Land use specialist, Galerio Environmental Consultancy

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 128 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

7 EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

VANTAGE POINTS

ENTERTAINMENT

FRED C. LUMBA

PARK INN BY RADISSON DAVAO OFFERS ‘IN RESIDENCE’ PROGRAM 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 THE PRECEDING whistle-blower - in the Philhealth corruption scandal MONTHS have indicts the cultural impunity that has been enabled us to unravel in existence and in practice for opportunities, enhance many decades, nursed in fact by our creativity and the benumbed indifference of a discover our new sense timid and tolerant society.

The Philhealth is not of purpose.

Theissue recent the tip of the iceberg, mind you. inevitable circumstances Many more earth-shaking led to ainparadigm exposes’ yesteryears and reshift not only the cent past have comeinand gone but hospitality industry but the authors of the evil schemes have notinbeen convicted largely tourism as and jailed. ItAlways appears aiming that they are well. able to squeeze themselves out of to remain relevant, the discomfiting situationSM by seHotels Conventions curing the&services of “talented” Corp. lawyers (SMHCC) who smartly navigate the legal waters with spearheaded an a variety of “swimming” to methods and styles. initiative repurpose Yes, it can no longer be deits spaces to respond to nied that our justice and penal

the current situation, one of it includes Park Inn by Radisson Davao.

Park Inn by Radisson Davao, a 202-room business hotel conveniently located right beside SM Lanang Premier is one of SMHCC’s hotels under the Radisson Hotel Group profile. It has been operating for more than seven years now and has been a witness of plenty historical events in the Land of Promise.

Park Inn by Radisson Davao is also the first Radisson Hotel political scene is perbuilt“The in the Philippines. haps the most public Catering to one’s needsarena where people have expressed and implementing a stricter their distrust in those who lead health These & safety them. areprotocol not easyhas times in which -- Henry been onetoofbe thea leader.” hotel’s top and Richard priorities thus,Blackaby, the wholeauthors of Spiritual Leadership SMHCC group is proud to *** present Park that AndInitResidence. came to pass Inn by Radisson Davao’s of His God saw the sufferings people Egypt. He heard GeneralinManager, Ms.had Emelyn them crying out because of Rosales shares, “It is indeed the miseries they time wereinexperienca challenging the ing. He wanted to rescue them tourism industry even after from their bondage.

So, He monthsa since pandemic called man the named Moses to bring chosenthese people out kickedGod’s off. During of Egypt. foreign times, we would want “Who am that Iashould to continue toI,create space go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelfor our where they can ites out guests of Egypt,” Moses asked. be assured safety Moses that was their terrified to become the leader.

In their book, and health is our top priority Spiritual Leadership, authors and still being able to give the 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-

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 ‘hotel staycation’ vibe.

With ON THESE! In Residence, those who are coming to the city for business for a lengthy stay will be able to enjoy unique benefits of a hotel while still feeling at home.” thority on leadership, has writCommitment: “People do In Residence is a highlyten a very comprehensive book not follow uncommitted leadcustomized innovation in long entitled, The 21 Indispensable ers. Commitment can be disterm hotelofaccommodation.

Qualities a Leader. In his played in a full range of matters For Park Inn by introduction, heRadisson posed these to include the work hours you questions: makestailored people choose to maintain, how you Davao, one“What can utilize want to follow a leader?

Why rates starting at Php1,100 do work to improve your abilities, people reluctantly for a minimum staycomply of 14 with or what you do for your fellow one leader while passionately workers at personal sacrifice.” days and for a 30 day stay following another to the ends of -- Stephen Gregg, chairman of which would include special the earth?

What separates lead- Ethix Corporation ership theorists from successful Communication: “You can facilities and benefits such as leaders who lead effectively in have brilliant ideas, but if you a welcome safety kit, discount the real world?” can’t get them across, your ideas on food and drinks, worry-free Maxwell enumerated the 21 won’t get you anywhere.” -- Lee housekeeping services, access qualities -- in alphabetical order Iacocca, American automobile to a pantry with vital kitchen -- as follows: character, charis- executive ma, commitment, communiCompetence: “The socigadgets (microwave, oven cation, competence, courage, ety which scorns excellence in toaster & water dispenser), discernment, focus, generosity, plumbing because and plumbing once a week schedule grocery medical institutions easy initiative, listening, passion, pos- is a humble activity and tolerassistance and problem more. Thesolving, hotel access to private and public itive attitude, ates shoddiness in philosophy is also strategically located relationships, security, self-dis- transportation. because it is an exalted activity cipline, servanthood, such teachabiliwillSMHCC have neither good plumbing near establishments as properties ty and vision. nor good philosophy.

Neither its malls, supermarket, church, encompassing In Residence Now, here are some span pipedLuzon, nor itsVisayas theoriesand will hold thoughts from various leaders water.” -- John Gardner, Ameriand thinkers from around the Mindanao can novelistwhich includes participating Hotel world: Courage: Radisson “Courage is rightCharacter: “Leadership is Group ly esteemed first ofby human hotels:the Park Inn the capacity and will to rally men Radisson qualities…Davao, becausePark it is Inn the qualby and women to a common pur- Radisson ity whichNorth guarantees all othEdsa, Park pose and the character which ers.”-- Winston Churchill, British byMinister Radisson Iloilo and inspires confidence.” -- Bernard Inn Prime Blu Cebu. “The first Montgomery, British Field Mar- Radissn Discernment: shal rule of holes: When you’re Despite the challenging erain Charisma: “How can you that one, we stopare digging.”

-Molly Ivins, currently facing, have charisma? Be more con- Park American columnist Inn by Radisson Davao cerned about making others Focus: “What people say, with SM & they feel good about themselves than along what people do,Hotels and what is driven you are making them feel good Conventions say they do areCorp. entirely different about you.” -- Dan Reiland, vice by things.”

-- Margaret Mead, anpassion to constantly president of leadership develop- reshape thropologist the way it operates ment person was and Generosity: manages its“No properties

WHAT MAKES A TRUE LEADER? 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 to continuously provide Responsibility: “When a man points accommodations a finger at someone #FeelGood else, should to ourheguests andremember partners. that four of his fingers are For bookings and pointing inquiries,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 call Radisson fear;Park and Inn the by next, the people hate ... at When Davao (082)the 272best 7600leader’s or work isatdone the people say, ‘We email reservations.davao@ did it ourselves!’” parkinn.com.

8 HEALTH EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

Prostrate cancer: Men’s silent killer

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO ast Sunday, while attending a church service, I learned that my former colleague died. At age 45, he was too young to die of prostate cancer. The same disease killed my boss, who was already 72 at the time of his death.

L

Senator Raul Roco was already 64 when he died of prostate cancer. Other famous people who died of it include singers Frank Zappa and Dan Fogelberg, poet Langston Hughes, biochemist Linus Pauling, Canadian politician Pierre Trudeau, French politician Francois Mitterrand, journalist Andrew Roth, and film actors Dennis Hopper, Gary Cooper, Telly Savalas, Don Ameche, Sam Wanamaker, Fredric March, and Stewart Granger.

After lung cancer, prostate cancer is now the second most common cancer among Filipino males. After lung cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men. The 2010 statistics from the Department of Health (DOH) showed about 6 million Filipino men over the age of 50 are susceptible to develop the disease.

“Prostate cancer occurs mainly in older men,” the Philippine Cancer Society (PCS) states. “About 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older and it is rare before age 40. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 66.”

According to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), prostate cancer develops in 19.3 out of every 100,000 Filipinos. In a bill filed by Senator Manuel Lapid, it was stated that four cases

of prostate cancer are detected each day.

Unfortunately, most men don’t know they have it or will have it. “Prostate cancer usually grows very slowly and may take decades to produce symptoms,” says The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Thus, far more men have prostate cancer than die from it. Many men with prostate cancer die without ever knowing that the cancer was present.”

The bad news is that “one out of 5 prostate cancers will result in death within five years.” That’s according to Dr. Jason Letran, urologist at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, University of Santo Tomas, and Chinese General Hospital.

The prostate gland lies just under the bladder (the hollow organ where urine is stored) and surrounds the urethra (the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body). It produces the fluid in the semen that nourishes sperm. Pili nut-sized in young men, the prostate gland enlarges with age. Three common disorders affect the prostate: benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, and prostatitis.

Unknowingly, prostate cancer is among the most curable cancers. But unlike those in the Western countries, most Asian men with

prostate cancer “come for treatment very late,” observes Dr. Sahabudin Raja Mohamed, consultant urologist at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur, “when little can be done to help them.”

Generally, men don’t seek exams or treatment until they start having symptoms of pain, urinating blood or not urinating at all. By that time, the disease may be too late to be cured.

“Prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage,” the Merck manual points out.

But the PCS urges older men who have the following symptoms to go for medical consult immediately: problems passing urine, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night; blood in the urine (hematuria); and trouble getting an erection

(impotence).

Other symptoms that merit an immediate medical consultation include: pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer spread to bones; and weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord.

Only a doctor can know for sure whether a person really has prostate cancer.

“If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, go and see your doctor immediately so that the cause can be diagnosed and any relevant treatment administered,” recommends Professor Peter Lim Huat Chye, senior consultant and advisor of the Department of Urology at the Changi General Hospital in Singapore.

In some men, symptoms develop after it spreads (metastasizes).

“The areas most often affected by cancer spread are bone (typically the pelvis, ribs, or vertebrae), and the kidneys,” the Merck manual states. “Bone cancer tends to be painful and may weaken the bone enough for it to easily fracture.”

It is only at this time that men try to see a doctor – when most of the time it is already too late. “Prostate cancer often spreads to the bones,” says Dr. Linda Lim-Varona, an internist.

“Unfortunately, because of pain or fractures, many patients discover the problem only when the cancer has already spread to the bones.”

Prostate cancer can also spread to the brain, which eventually causes seizures, confusion, headaches, weakness, or other neurologic symptoms. Spread to the spinal cord, which is also common, can cause pain, numbness, weakness, or incontinence. After the cancer spreads, anemia is common.

In the Philippines, annual screening with digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) are recommended by the Philippine Urological Association.

“Doctors usually perform a DRE, which is the insertion of a gloved finger inside the rectum to assess the size of the prostate,” informs Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist and cardiologist who serves as consultant at the Manila Doctors Hospital and Makati Medical Center. “A PSA blood test, a urinalysis, and a special ultrasound of the prostate are often requested, too.”

Two features help a doctor determine the likely course of the cancer and the best treatment: how far the cancer has spread (if the cancer is confined to a small part of the prostate gland, generally many years will pass before it spreads

to areas around the gland and then to bone and other parts of the body) and how malignant the cells look (prostate cancer cells that are more distorted under the microscope tend to grow and spread more quickly).

Like most cancer, no one knows what causes prostate cancer. “The causes of prostate cancer are not well understood,” says the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). “Doctors cannot explain why one man gets prostate cancer and another does not.”

Researchers are studying factors that may increase the risk of the disease. Having one or more close relatives with prostate cancer increases a man’s risk of developing the disease. A diet high in animal fat is another factor (fats increase levels of testosterone, a male hormone).

Obesity is also a contributing factor. Two studies, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said that maintaining normal weight throughout your lifetime reduces your risk of developing prostate cancer.

So far, no proven link exists between prostate cancer and an active sex life, masturbation, use of alcohol or tobacco, circumcision, infertility, and infection of the prostate. The theory that men who have vasectomies are at slightly increased risk for prostate cancer remains unproved.

The Mayo Clinic states that once prostate cancer has spread to other areas, it may still respond to some treatment and may be controlled “but it’s unlikely to be cured.”

Other complications that may arise from prostate cancer and its treatment include urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

FPROSTRATE, P9

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

FINDINGS... FROM2

attributes are other fauna such as sponges and gorgonian were also recorded.

For the IGaCoS stations: Station 1, which is the south of the proposed landing area, there is an average hard coral covered at 14.7 percent, which is considered as poor in condition, hard coral is slightly higher than the soft coral and other fauna such as sponges, sea anemone and ascidians were recorded; for Station 2, which is the nearest point at the landing area, soft coral has higher benthic proportion compared to hard coral and due to strong current, low profile but with massive porites, diploastrea and lobophyllia are abundant; and Sta-

tion 3, which is the north of the proposed landing area, low relief corals were observed in patch reef with dominant massive porites and dead coral with algae (0.5 percent) and soft coral were recorded low (6.5 percent).

The samplings in Davao City and Samal were conducted on June 28 to 29, 2019 and December 6 to 7, 2019.

The proposed SIDC connector has a length of 3.98km (total roadway, including four ramps); and 2.85km (point to point length) and will be located at Barangays Vicente Hizon Sr., Angliongto and R. Castillo (Davao City side) and Barangay Limao in IGaCoS.

ed for individual countries.

Using the list, the poll respondents were asked the following questions: “Who do you truly admire?” and “Who do you most admire?”

“By asking respondents two questions, we can understand both the breadth (i.e. global reach) and the intensity of a person’s support,” YouGov said in explaining its methodology.

The survey results

showed that Duterte has an admiration score of 19.67 percent, followed by Pacquiao with 10.65 percent, and Moreno with 7.96 percent.

Locsin, on the other hand, garnered 15.03 percent, followed by Gray with 11.09 percent, and Geronimo with 7.48 percent.

Soberano had a 6.67 percent admiration score while Robredo had 2.71 percent. (PNA)

PDP-Laban party mate, also said.

Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte, an ally of Cayetano’s, said the October 14 date for Velasco’s turn at the Speakership was “not clear.” But he said the lawmakers did agree with Duterte’s wish to abide by the term-sharing deal.

“The President expressed his desire to honor the term-sharing. We all agreed. Speaker Alan clearly said, ‘Sir, we will follow you. If you want me to resign, I will resign any day,’” said Villafuerte.

But Cayetano said he could not speak for the majority of his allies in the House. According to Villafuerte, the Cayetano allies at the meeting expressed

support for his continued leadership and “appealed that we cannot change the commanding general of the House in the middle of the war against [COVID-19].”

Duterte listened to them then pulled aside Cayetano and Velasco for a talk, which lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes.

When it was over, Cayetano told the other lawmakers that he would explain what transpired in another venue.

To the Cayetano camp’s surprise, lawmakers allied with Velasco told media that Velasco was the new Speaker.

“How can you be new Speaker? You still need to be voted upon, right?” said Villafuerte.

other hand, reflects the shrinkage of the epidemic.

Explaining the process of CQ classification, Wong said the government would be looking at "gate-keeping criteria" or the public health capacity of a community first, which includes its testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine capacities.

And once LGUs establish or prove their capacity is sufficient, their ADAR and 2WGR would be mea-

sured next.

"Once they meet again the cut-offs of these criteria then we allow them through the gate to a lower level of community quarantine," he said in a virtual presser in Malacanang.

"The goal of every LGU is to try to lower their community quarantine status and reach the new normal.

(The) de-escalation depends on several criteria, so we call this the gatekeeping criteria," he said. (PNA)

meet their demand.

Without early doses that can bring outbreaks under control, many of these countries risk economic collapse that will push hundreds of millions of people back into poverty.

"Our goal is to alter the course of the pandemic for the low and middle income developing countries," Malpass said. "This is a market signal to the manufacturers

that there will be financing available for the developing countries and there will be demand. We will begin asking the manufacturers to begin creating allocations for these countries."

Malpass said the World Bank also was asking wealthy countries that have "over-reserved" more doses than they will ultimately need, to release those doses to poorer countries.

PRRD... FROM2

HOUSE... FROM2

PH... FROM3

WB... FROM5

ATA... FROM3

kumuha ng mga witnesses (We’ve heard of Haran for almost how many years now, we’ve heard the abuses that were happening but no cases were filed. Do you know why? Because they [witnesses] fear for their lives, for their families’ lives, because we all know that the CPP-NDA-NDF really do kill, that’s why we had a tough time finding witnesses),” he said. However, there are now those who have found the courage to step up and testify against Haran.

“Pero ngayon through God’s grace, nakahanap tayo ng mga naglakas loob na tumulong sa kampanya ng gobyerno para tapusin ang ginagawa sa UCCP Haran (But now through God’s grace, we’ve found people who have courage to help with the govern-

ment’s campaign to end the doings of UCCP Haran),” Bosantong said.

He said that it took not merely months, but a year to build up the case against Haran.

“Ang kaso nato hindi lang siya nagawa ng ilang buwan, taon din yung inilakad para maka gawa tayo ng magandang kaso at mahinto na ang ginagawang exploitation sa loob ng Haran (This case didn’t take months, it took a year of building up a good case to finish the exploitation that is happening inside Haran),” he said.

The filing of cases was done in the Office of the City Persecutor of Davao and in the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Davao del Norte last September 15. (Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI/jmda)

ing public.

In a separate online forum on Monday, Asis Perez, convenor of advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan helping Filipino farmers, cited that low buying prices of high quality products like tuna severely affected

the fisheries sector.

Asis, a former director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, called on the government to continuously promote the consumption of all the locally produced and caught fish products. (PNA)

land, and Vietnam are probably ahead of us in terms of a return to nor-

malcy. I would say the mobility there is probably 20 to 30 percent below the levels prior to the pandemic.Sothatprettymuch explains the concerns of foreign investors.”

He said that while malls and restaurants are

starting to see improvements in customer visits, property developers and restaurant operators will still see a significant yearon-year decline in earnings in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, sectors that will see continued growth despite the pandemic are manufacturing and telecoms, BPI said.

and Lakers last met.

The big number 20 For all the talk about the Heat winning by committee, Miami will absolutely need an All-Star effort from Butler each night. When Butler has scored 20 or more points in these playoffs, the Heat are 7-0. When he goes under that number, the Heat are 5-3.

Will guarding James wear Butler down and impact what he can contribute offensively? The answer to that question could ultimately decide the series.

Heat vs. Lakers prediction Lakers in six As Butler himself put it, the Heat will have to

play “damn near perfect” to beat the Lakers. If Miami pulls it off, don’t be surprised. This group has shown itself to be as connected, fearless and determined as any in the NBA. The bet here is that James and Davis will propel Los Angeles to the championship, outperforming Butler and Adebayo and overcoming the limitations of the supporting cast. Then they will celebrate by saying, “We’re getting the hell out of Disney World.”

The NBA regular season started on Oct. 22, 2019. Almost a full year later, a champion will be crowned. Whether it’s the Heat or Lakers, they will have earned it, no asterisks necessary.

he flexed his hand.

Top seed Djokovic, bidding for a second French Open title, glared at someone in the crowd in the following game and re-focused to reel off the last three games for victory.

The 17-time major winner shrugged off the incident which was hard to ignore at a tournament where only 1000 fans are allowed on site each day due to coronavirus restrictions.

“No, that's my childhood friend. I sent him a

kiss after I won the game.

It was very nice to see him,” he said.

Meanwhile, Djokovic insisted his New York disqualification, handed out when he swiped a ball which felled a line judge, was definitely a thing of the past.

In the immediate aftermath of his US Open retreat, he went to Rome where he captured a record 36th Masters title.

“I have not had any traces of New York in my mind. I'm over it,” he said.

LGU... FROM4

BPI... FROM5

NBA... FROM10

DJOKOVIC... FROM11

PROSTRATE... FROM8

9

Evidence from some studies shows that vitamin B6, selenium, vitamin E, soy foods and lycopene (found in tomatoes) can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Being physically active also helps. In addition, circumcised men may have a slightly lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who still have their foreskin, according to an American study.

There are several ways of treating prostate cancer.

“Choosing among treatment options can be complicated and often depends on the man’s lifestyle preference,” the Merck manual says.

The Merck manual lists six treatment options: curative treatment (a common strategy for men with cancers confined to the prostate that are likely to cause troublesome symptoms), palliative therapy (treating the symptoms rather than the cancer itself), radiation therapy (to kill the cancer and preserve healthy tissue), hormonal therapy (commonly used to delay the spread of the cancer or to treat widespread), and watchful waiting (forego all treatment until symptoms develop, if they develop at all).

Life, so goes a saying, begins at forty. And for Filipino men, that’s the time to see an urologist to ensure that all is well “down there.”

“A man should have a digital rectal exam at age 45 if he has no family history

of prostate cancer, or earlier at age 40 if some members of the family have it,” suggested Dr. Michael Jonathan Latayan, a urology consultant at Metro Davao Medical and Research Center in Davao City.

“There is no escaping this disease among males,” Dr. Jaime Songco, a director of the Philippine Urologists Association, told a national daily. He added that males between 60 and 80 years old are sure to already have enlarged prostates. “I hope they don’t wait until this develops into advanced prostate cancer,” he warned.

When detected early, prostate cancer can be beaten. Roger Moore, known for his James Bond movies, was successfully treated with surgery in 1993. In 2003, Colin Powell underwent surgery for early-stage prostate cancer and also made a full recovery.

Actor Ben Stiller was diagnosed in 2014; today, he’s cancer-free. Another actor, Robert De Niro, was diagnosed at the age of 60; it was good that it was at a very early stage and he is able to beat the disease.

In 2005, Sir Ian McKellen was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he revealed in 2012. “If it’s diagnosed early, it’s manageable,” he told Time Out. “My levels of PSA are way below the interesting level, let alone dangerous. So, I’m fine, really.” – (Photos sourced from the net)

making sure the ball is distributed equitably, keeping the Celtics guessing. Jae, Iggy and Kelly were the big bods that helped contain eventual MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in their upset win against the Milwaukee Bucks. They too busied themselves providing more muscle on the defense, while spicing up the offense. They will be expected to be fielded once again in the Finals to keep the likes of Lebron and AD at bay. Iggy has the championship experience that he can impart on the newbies, having been Finals MVP with Golden State in the first of 3 crowns of that proud Warrior era.

Iggy, in particular, has 3 championship rings to match Lebron’s. He has an ax to grind as well, having been posterized by Lebron in what many consider as the greatest playoff block ever in the league’s history.

And then there’s Tyler, the hero. Tyler epitomizes the future of Miami basketball. He is young, talented, and unfazed by all the klieglights. Plus he has a boyish charisma that disarms almost everybody. Tyler owned Game 4, where he knocked out the Celtics with 37 scattered points that kept the Celtics at bay when the Heat’s big guns went cold. Tyler once again showed up bigtime on the final quarter of Game 6, wiping out the Celtics biggest lead at 6 with 2 consecutive detonated bombs.

Finally, there’s coach Eric Spoelstra. Coach Eric

is a top-notch coach who is not afraid to innovate.

He devised a successful ‘Giannis-stopper’ defense that will now become a blueprint for the future.

He has also been learning and using excerpts from the notes of Coaches Brad Stevens and Nick Nurse and the rest. His periodic use of different variations of the zone defense kept the Celtics offense baffled.

If Jimmy is the heart of the team, Coach Eric is the head, with Goran as his oncourt deputy. It will be interesting to watch him pit his 3 rings against another former Miami standout, Lebron James, who also has 3 championship rings.

Lebron, of course, is the big favorite to get his 4th ring here. But Coach Eric and his wards are all unfazed.

The Heat are a balanced team of veterans and rookies with plenty of upside. With Iggy (36 years old), Goran (34), Jimmy (31) and outgoing Udonis Haslem (40) providing the wisdom, the maturation phase for the likes of Bam Adebayo (23), Tyler Herro (20), Kendrick Nunn (25) and Duncan Robinson (26) look assured. Despite the lack of a top-level superstar now, the team has enough solid players and a strong winning culture that is anchored on aggressiveness and blue-collar determination. And with enough cap space ready to acquire an established star, expect this team to be very competitive, not just in this year’s Finals, but for the years ahead.

THE HEAT... FROM12

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VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler gets the rebound over Marcus Smart of the Celtics.

NBA FINALS PREVIEW What to know about Heat vs. Lakers

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trips as a member of the Cavs, and yes, the Heat.

The reunion storyline will be hanging over the Miami-Los Angeles matchup because James’ departure from South Beach in 2014 left hard feelings on both sides.

However, this isn’t about James facing Pat Riley. It’s about a championship favorite in the Lakers facing a Heat team with some serious 2004 Pistons vibes.

James and Anthony Davis are the top two players in the series, but how far down the list can you go before hitting another Laker? Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic and more have each made a

splash in these playoffs for the Heat and contributed to victories in their own ways. Miami isn’t satisfied with making it this far — the Heat are here to win it all.

Which team will leave the “bubble” with the Larry O’Brien trophy? Let’s dive in ...

The key matchup LeBron James vs. Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala There is no stopping James, but the Heat can deploy a few forwards capable of at least challenging him, including a former Finals MVP in Iguodala who is extremely familiar with James’ game from the Cavs-Warriors days.

As has always been the case, the key is to prevent James from living in the paint. Through 15 playoff games, James has taken 267 field goal attempts, 139 of which have come within eight feet of the basket, per NBA.com stats.

If he gets rolling downhill, well, good luck with that.

Keep him on the perimeter, though, and you can live with the results.

James is shooting just 32.5 percent on 3-pointers above the break this postseason, and he dipped under 30 percent from deep against both the Rockets and Nuggets.

No need to chase over screens like James is Duncan Robinson. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will take this possession every time.

“You just got to have that will, understanding you’re guarding the top talent ever,” Iguodala told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears. “He’s going to make you pay when you make mistakes. You just try to play mistake-free basketball. Put him in vulnerable situations where you feel like you got the advantage, whether it’s a shot or a pass or where he is defensively.”

Butler, Crowder and

Iguodala possess the strength, speed and quick hands to occasionally push James away from the areas in which he’d prefer to operate.

When it comes down to it, though, defense on James is a team effort.

That’s why Spoelstra may use Miami’s zone defense as a change-up pitch.

The X-factor Can Anthony Davis break the Heat’s zone defense?

The problem with the zone? Davis is the ideal guy to carve it up, and James knows how to find him.

While the Heat flustered the Celtics with the zone at times during the Eastern Conference finals, the Lakers are a different animal. Instead of Daniel Theis catching the ball in the middle, it’s a First Team All-NBA player.

(Meyers Leonard won’t be part of the zone in the Finals, but the point stands.)

Davis is hitting nearly 80 percent of his playoff shots in the restricted area and more than 50 percent of his attempts from midrange, per NBA.com stats.

His ability to score at multiple levels puts pressure on the defense and opens passing lanes.

If the Heat plan to utilize the zone for long stretches, they must be on a string with their rotations and constantly communicating where Davis is roaming. (Adebayo will draw the primary assignment if they mostly stick with man-to-man. He can’t afford to get in foul trouble against Davis, who is averaging 9.8 free throws per game in the postseason.)

This is not the same defense Los Angeles saw during the regular season, obviously, but this version of Davis also looks far more comfortable with his team than he did back in December when the Heat

GAB's office in Makati to discuss the possibility of Abueva's ban being lifted.

While Commissioner Ed Trinidad, who met Abueva and Robinson, did not commit to the lifting, Mitra said, "Abueva's request will be discussed and decided upon by the board in the next board meeting."

If GAB moves to finally

put to an end Abueva's ban, he may be cleared to travel to Angeles and join the Fuel Masters in the PBA bubble.

However, Mitra added: "He will undergo a seminar on Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of a Professional Athlete once the GAB Board decides to give back his license."

'For the good of all' Meanwhile, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial called on the fans, especially those who are clamoring for Abueva's return, for understanding as they are working on having the embattled player back in action.

"Kung nagagalit po kayo sa akin, pasensya

muna po. Ito po ay sa kabutihan po ng lahat (If you are mad at me, I apologize for the meantime. This is for everyone's good)," Marcial said during the press launch of the PBA bubble.

It has been more than a year since the league slapped Abueva with an indefinite ban for unsportsmanlike behavior he

had during last year's PBA Commissioner's Cup. On when the PBA may lift the sanction, Marcial answered, "Ayokong mag-commit (I do not want to commit)."

However, Phoenix team manager Paolo Bugia said Abueva is now cleared to join the team in practices.

(PNA)

fter the Heat closed out the Eastern Conference finals with a Game 6 win over the Celtics on Sunday night, Miami forward Jimmy Butler offered a nice summary of the past decade of NBA Finals series.

“The main key — and it’s been like this for a very long time — if you want to win, you’re going to have to go through a LeBron James-led team,” Butler said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it normally comes down to.

That’s what we’ve gotta focus in on. Obviously you can’t just focus in on him because he has so many really good players around him, but you’re going to get the same test over and over again until you pass it.

That test is LeBron James.”

Oh, that guy is back.

James has reached nine of the past 10 NBA Finals, this time coming out of the Western Conference with the Lakers after eight

FNBA, P9

GAB to discuss Abueva ban in next meeting

G

ames and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra said on Tuesday that his agency may act on the indefinite suspension on Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) superstar Calvin Abueva very soon.

Mitra said Abueva and Phoenix interim coach Topex Robinson went to

VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

PBA bubble protocols set

O

fficials of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) on Tuesday set bubble protocols for basketball players down to the hotel staff staying at the Quest Hotel here as a preventive measure amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

In a press conference, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon, CDC President, and CEO Noel Manankil, and PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the basketball players who arrived at the bubble area are subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests as part of the strict health and safety protocols.

Dizon said even coaches and hotel staff, as well as the driver of each bus assigned per team, will also undergo pre-entry protocols, including swabbing and strict quarantine protocols pending the test results.

He said all players and coaches have their respective QR codes as they enter the bubble as a contact tracing protocol.

“Ang protocols pag may nag-positive not necessarily hihinto ang game ([Under] the protocols, if someone turns positive, the games would not be necessarily halted). It depends upon the situation,” he said.

“We also discourage players (from doing) fist bumps and high fives during the game as part of the safety protocols,” he said.

Only 10 players and three referees are allowed not to wear their face mask during the game.

Marcial said no family members are allowed during the semifinals and finals.

“Just like the NBA. Virtual ang nakikita (It can be seen virtual), and no family members are allowed at the semifinals and finals,” he said.

The opening of the PBA

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bubble game is on October 9. The Quest Hotel is exclusive to the PBA bubble for three months.

Doubleheaders will happen every day until the quarterfinals.

During the semifinals and the finals, games will be played on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Marcial also said players are allowed to leave in case of an emergency but can no longer go back to the bubble.

Prepared to respond Dizon also said the BCDA is prepared should someone get infected by the Covid-19 during the PBA bubble.

He said protocols have been set if a player will contract Covid-19 during the bubble or when the result of the preliminary tests is released.

"That person will immediately be isolated and taken out of the bubble," Dizon said.

Afterward, Dizon said, contact tracing will immediately follow, and a fiveday window will take place among the Covid-19 patient's close contacts.

"Napaka-importante ng contact tracing natin (Our contact tracing is very im-

portant) in the bubble," he said.

However, Dizon believes a potential Covid-19 case will only have a little effect on the bubble.

"Not necessarily, hihinto ang practices at ang games ng buong bubble.

Depende yan sa magiging resulta ng contact tracing (the practices and the games in the whole bubble will stop. It will depend on the result of contact tracing)," he said.

The PBA will resume action on Oct. 11 at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

Meanwhile, Manankil thanked the PBA for choosing Clark as its official location for the PBA bubble.

“We are very thankful to the PBA. This is the first step in trying to help locators boost the economy in this freeport area. It is also a test of the resiliency of Clark in handling the Covid pandemic,” he said.

Dizon also said the PBA event gives hope to Clark in holding sporting events.

As of press time, nine PBA teams have arrived at the Quest Hotel in Mimosa.

(With reports of Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)

Djokovic wins first round match in 'brutal' fashion

N

ovak Djokovic showed no mental demons from his US Open disqualification as he cruised into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday in “brutal” fashion.

Djokovic was described as a “snake killing its prey” by vanquished Roland Garros opponent Mikael Ymer, as the World No.1's bid to become the first man in half a century to win all four grand slam titles twice got off to a convincing start.

Djokovic eased to a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 victory, reaching the second round in Paris for a record-equalling 16th time.

It was also his 32nd win in 33 matches in 2020, his only loss coming when he was defaulted from the US Open.

“It felt like when a snake kills its prey,” was the blunt verdict of 23-year-old Ymer, who never recovered from dropping the first set in just 20 minutes under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier.

“He hits it pretty big.

I had chances to rally but then I got suffocated. It was corner to corner and

he rarely misses.

“At the beginning, it was just surreal. The court felt big and I was nervous because I was facing the best on the other side.”

Djokovic won the first set in just 20 minutes, only losing seven points.

Tennis journalist George Bellshaw described the bagel as “about as brutal as it gets”.

Djokovic did drop serve early in the second set when an attempted drop shot fell short, but there was no angry response this time, just an ironic chuckle.

The 33-year-old then led the applause for Ymer when he played a sensational between-thelegs winner Nick Kyrgios would have been proud of in the sixth game.

But it was one-way traffic as Djokovic polished off the second set with his trademark clean hitting.

The 80th-ranked Ymer, facing a World No.1 for the first time, stuck manfully to his task in the third set and Djokovic became a little sloppy as he handed back a service break with a double-fault after which

FDJOKOVIC, P9

PBA BUBBLE PROTOCOLS. NLEX Road warriors players Asi Taulava (left) and Kiefer Ravena (right) arrive on Tuesday (Sept. 29, 2020) at the Quest Hotel in Mimosa, Clark, Pampanga. This is in preparation for the PBA bubble game opening on Oct. 9.

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VOL.13 ISSUE 148 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020

THE HEAT IS ON

T

he Miami Heat outlasted the Boston Celtics 125 -113 to win the NBA Eastern Conference this season and move on to the Finals. The game was close until 3 minutes into the final quarter when the Heat had an amazing run, turning a 90-96 deficit to a 114-102 lead. Not surprisingly, this was achieved with a mix of grizzled veterans – Jimmy Butler and Iggy Igoudala – plus 3 fearless youngsters, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.

The Heat displayed balanced scoring that had the Celtics guessing whom to guard. The Heat has developed a multi-dimensional offense that could pour in the points from outside and in, combining a balance of finesse

and force. Most significantly, they have acquired a tough-as-nails defense that mirrors the persona of their top dog, Jimmy Butler. They’ve got ‘No Fear’ written all over their faces, and this should bode well for them in the

The Miami Heat will be banking on rookie Tyler Herro, 10-year veteran Jimmy Butler and shot block artist Bam Adebayo. upcoming Finals.

Jimmy Butler, that badass journeyman who previously had been through painful seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers, is showing his true value. He led by example, hustling and defending and doing the dirty job. His work ethic, and his mentorship and clear confidence on the young players

in the roster, have worked wonders for the team. His outstanding performance in these playoffs will make the Wolves and Sixers fans realize what they all failed to see when they let him slip away. His third-wheel treatment to the Wolves’ Towns-Wiggins and the Sixers’ Embiid- Simmons duos will haunt them for years to come.

The Heat will win or

lose depending on the performance of their top dog.

Butler has become the heart of this team. Aside from the numbers he brings in regularly in the court, his off-court presence has been exemplary.

Indeed, Butler has found a home with the Heat.

Equally outstanding are the great effort from the likes of Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, that

wonderkid Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jae Crawder, Andre Igoudala and Kelly Olynyk. Bam has been the fulcrum for the team’s bread-and-butter pick-and-roll, freeing up such shooters like Duncan, Tyler and Goran, while he’s slipping in for the alley-oop pass or a possible rebound. Goran has been the wily court general,

FTHE HEAT, P9