Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 69 | Friday, June 4, 2021

CELEBRATING PHILIPPINE EAGLE WEEK

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

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Davao City Covid-19 TF keeps lockdown status of SP Building

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Bikers traverse along Roxas Avenue in Davao City using the newly painted bike lane. Thursday, June 3, is declared as World Bicycle Day, which is observed to celebrate tremendous physical and mental benefits of cycling for all age groups. Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 69 • FRIDAY, JUNE 04, 2021

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President Rodrigo Duterte discusses matters with Philippine General Hospital director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi and Senator Christopher Lawrence Go following the conferment of the Order of Lapu-Lapu on several personnel and staff of PGH for their bravery and heroism at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on Wednesday. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Davao City Covid-19 TF keeps lockdown status of SP Building

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he Davao City Covid-19 Task Force has extended the lockdown of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) building up to June 13, 2021 after 44 employees were tested positive of Covid-19.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, focal person of the City Covid-19 Task Force, said this is upon the recommendation of the City

Mati City Hall workers get vaccinated

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ity of Mati Vice Mayor Glenda Rabat Gayta along with several City Hall employees who qualified to the A1, A2, and A3 vaccine priority categories received their first dose of vaccine today, June 2.

Mati Incident Management Team headed

by Dr. Ben Hur Catbagan Jr. administered the first dose

to the LGU employees. All of them are classified workers in frontline services, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

“These LGU employees are the economic drivers of the city who face a lot of people every day. Mao dapat nato tabangan ang nakapadagan sa ekonomiya sa siyudad,” Dr. Catbagan

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3 cities, 1 town in DavNor experience COVID19 surge

Health Office (CHO) due to the number of positive cases among the employees from various offices at the SP Building.

Dr. Ashley Lopez, acting head of CHO, earlier said that most of the positive cases came from the city government offices at the SP Building, particularly from the City Assessor’s Office, City Treasurer’s Office, and the City Civil Registrar’s Office.

Lopez said from the 1,083 workers that were swabbed, 44 were tested positive of Covid-19.

“Although, gamay ang positivity rate but this is a big number considering kung wala ta nag surveillance swabbing didto sa sulod sa SP, kaning 44 in a matter of duha ka semana ani madoble or matriple ni. Maayo na lang kay nag surveillance swabbing ta,” Lopez said in a live broadcast with Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on

ll three cities and one town in the province are experiencing continuous surge of COVID19 cases as they enter the month of June.

These are Tagum City, Panabo City, Island Garden City of Samal and Municipality of Santo Tomas.

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The Island Garden City of Samal has suspended all of its tourism activities from June 1, 2021 to June 14, 2021with the release of Executive Order No. 292, series of 2021 which stated “there is a need to prohibit all tourism activities in the Island Garden City of Samal

Wednesday.

“President Putin said that Russia will increase the volume of deliveries of Sputnik V vaccines to the Philippines,” the OP statement read.

Duterte, for his part, thanked Putin for making Sputnik V available to the Philippines and reiterated the importance of the expeditious delivery of

ordered vaccines.

On May 30, the Philippines received 50,000 more doses of the Sputnik V vaccines.

The country has so far received a total of 80,000 Sputnik V doses, including the latest shipment. The first two batches composed of 15,000 doses each arrived on May 1 and May 12.

Sputnik V is the second

government-procured vaccines that have been delivered to the country after China’s SinovacCoronaVac. PH-Russia ties In the same telesummit, Duterte and Putin shared a commitment to further enhance bilateral ties on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the

Philippines and the Russian Federation.

“The Philippines and Russia have indeed a lot to celebrate. Our cooperation continues to strengthen and gain new momentum,” Duterte was quoted as saying.

Over the last five years, more than 30 agreements have been concluded and key bilateral mechanisms

established.

Duterte expressed confidence that the Philippines will “sustain the current upward trajectory” of the relations by deepening partnership, especially in trade and investment, defense, energy, space, and people-to-people exchanges.

He noted positive

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Putin vows to increase volume of Sputnik V deliveries to PH

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he Philippines can expect more Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine doses in the coming months after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to increase the volume of deliveries.

According to a statement from the Office of the President (OP), Putin made this commitment in a telesummit with President Rodrigo Duterte on

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NEWS 3

Police officers check on passengers of vehicles at a checkpoint in Opol, Misamis Oriental on Wednesday (2 June 2021) as neighboring Cagayan de Oro City was placed on Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) after a spike of COVID-19 cases threatened its hospital system. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

ERC ensures timely comm’l operation of electric spot market in Mindanao LTO warns against fixers, scammers on Facebook

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ismantling four guerilla fronts since 2018 and clearing 53 conflict-affected barangays out of the 80 recorded barangays in 2018 are considered the proof of a weakened communist terror group (CTG) in the region and was attributed to the strengthened whole of nation approach thru the Executive Order 70 or Ending Local Communist

Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

Some of the dismantled guerilla fronts are WGF33, WGF56, and WGF TALA. Besides winning the war thru combat operations, the 1oth Infantry Division thru Assistant Chief of Staff of the Civil Military Operations Lt. Col. Louie Dema-ala bared in an interview over One Davao Virtual Presser that much of the efforts now of

he Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 has extended its “lockdown” for another seven days amid a surge in Covid-19 cases among its personnel, regional police spokesperson Major Eudisan Gultiano said today, Thursday.

“It is not really a lockdown, we are just only implementing a very strict requirement for civilians and to our uniformed and non-uniformed personnel,” she said.

According to Gultiano, all civilian visitors will

be required to present a negative result of antigen or reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken within 48 hours before they will be allowed to enter the camp.

She said all offices and national support units inside the camp will also be monitoring their respective personnel for strict observance of health protocols.

“We allowed work from home only for those who are pregnant and have comorbidities,” she said.

Civilian workers were

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is making sure that the start of the commercial operation of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao is on the dot.

WESM is a venue for trading electricity as a commodity. It is where the generators sell their excess capacities not covered by contracts and where the customers buy additional capacities on top of their contracts.

ThePhilippineElectricity

Market Corporation (PEMC) is targeting to start the commercial operation of WESM in Mindanao this month.

“We exerted a lot of efforts so that we can ensure that the opening of WESM Mindanao will come on time, hence, ERC directed

the different distribution utilities (DUs) and WESM in Mindanao to participate and comply all the WESM requirements to ensure the overall readiness of the systems and procedures,” said Agnes Devanadera, chair of ERC, in an online Mindanao Power Forum hosted by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) last week.

For the upcoming opening of the WESM in Mindanao, ERC has approved with modification

the application of PEMC for a new price determination methodology (PDM) for the WESM. Devanadera said ERC’s decision was promulgated in December 2020 and the said new PDM will also be used for the upcoming commercial operation of WESM in Mindanao.

The significant feature of the new PDM is the adoption of the enhanced WESM design and operations that would provide a shorter

to promote awareness and recognition of, and respect for, their ancestral domain as enshrined in Republic Act 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) Law. Members of the Indigenous Political Structure of the Ata tribe of Paquibato District reiterated their call and reaffirmed their commitment to protect their ancestral domain from abuse due to rampant illegal sales of their lands

and intrusive developments introduced to various areas.

The statement also stated that, concretely, the IP leaders sought assistance in setting up billboards and signage in all the barangays of Paquibato District bearing the messages “Ancestral Domains are NOT FOR SALE” and “Penalty of IMPRISONMENT for the Seller and Buyer”, through Resolution No. 010 Series of 2021 signed by the nine

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PRO 11 camp “lockdown” extended CPDO supports Ata tribe’s call vs illegal sale of lands T also advised to stay inside the camp, Gultiano further said.

As of June 3, the total number of Covid-19 cases at PRO 11 is 499, of which 74 are active cases, 423 have recovered, and 2 have died.

Most of these active cases are currently at their isolation facility in Malagos, Calinan this city while some others are confined at different hospitals which Gultiano hopes to recover in the next few weeks.

Gultiano clarified that these personnel have no

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he Davao City Planning Development Office (CPDO) expressed support to the local Ata tribe’s call against illegal selling of their lands classified under ancestral domain.

In a statement, CPDO stated that last May 15, 2021, the leaders of the Indigenous People (IPs) gathered and collectively agreed to seek the support of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in amplifying their efforts

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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A biker pedals by a huge advertising billboard on his way to work in Cagayan de Oro City. Edge Davao

Pandemic plunges 100 million more workers into poverty: UN A

408 drug applications with FDAautomaticallyapproved

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he COVID-19 pandemic has pushed more than 100 million more workers into poverty, the UN said Wednesday, after working hours plummeted and access to good-quality jobs evaporated.

And the labor market crisis created by the pandemic was far from over, the UN’s International Labour Organization warned in a report.

Employment was not expected to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels until 2023 at the earliest, it said.

The ILO’s annual World Employment and Social Outlook report indicated that the planet would be 75 million jobs short at the end of this year compared to if the pandemic had not oc-

curred.

And it would still have 23 million fewer jobs by the end of next year than would otherwise have been the case.

COVID-19 “has not just been a public health crisis, it’s also been an employment and human crisis,” ILO chief Guy Ryder told reporters.

“Without a deliberate effort to accelerate the creation of decent jobs, and support the most vulnerable members of society and

the recovery of the hardest-hit economic sectors, the lingering effects of the pandemic could be with us for years in the form of lost human and economic potential, and higher poverty and inequality.”

Working hours slashed The report showed that global unemployment was expected to stand at 205 million people in 2022—far higher than the 187 million in 2019.

But the situation is worse than official unemployment figures indicate.

Many people have held onto their jobs but have seen their working hours cut dramatically.

In 2020, 8.8 percent of global working hours were

lost compared to the fourth quarter of 2019—the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs.

While the situation has improved, global working hours are far from having bounced back, and the world will still be short the equivalent of 100 million full-time jobs by the end of this year, the report found.

Global employment is expected to recover more quickly in the second half of 2021—provided the overall pandemic situation does not worsen.

But that recovery would be highly uneven, the ILO warned, due to inequitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. So far, more than 75

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fter the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) issued a show-cause order against the Center for Drug Regulation and Research (CDRR) under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some 408 drug applications were automatically approved.

“In her explanation as full compliance of the showcause order, Jesusa Joyce N. Cirunay, Director IV of the FDA Center for Drug Regulation and Research (CDRR), said they have processed 408 out of 412 AR (automatic renewal) applications,” the ARTA said in a statement Wednesday.

It cited Cirunay saying the four remaining applications are pending as two were not submitted by the client while the other two were re-routed to other centers or units.

The ARTA issued a show-cause order to Cirunay dated May 11, 2021 after it received 23 affidavits from several pharmaceutical firms that CDRR has yet to approve their renewal even though some of the applications were filed about seven years ago.

“Ambica International Corporation’s application that was received by the drug center on 2 February 2017, was only approved on 28 May 2021 -- almost 1,576 days or four years, three months, and 26 days from its date of application,” ARTA said.

Under the implementing rules and regulations of the Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery law, government agencies are given

ilipinas Shell will continue to provide oil and gas while it embarks on low carbon operations in line with the strategic directions of Royal Dutch Shell, its chief said Thursday.

Energy use “goes hand in hand with economic development” and the Philippines, a developing country, still needs traditional energy, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp president and CEO Cesar Romero told ANC. “In the Philippines, because of our stage of development, we see that there is still some role for traditional oil and gas as the country

progressively shifts towards more gas and ultimately to renewables,” Romero said.

“The direction of Shell company in the Philippines is to continue supplying the energy that we need while continuing to position ourselves for the future which is more gas and more renewables,” he added.

Parent Royal Dutch Shell earlier announced its plans to become carbon neutral by 2050.

In the Philippines, Shell is “embarking very hard on low carbon operations and introduction of low carbon

Pilipinas Shell: Pursuing low carbon operations while continuing oil, gas

Foreign investment pledges P to PH down 32.9% in Q1: PSA

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otal foreign investments the Philippine government has approved posted a double-digit decline in the first quarter of 2021 amid the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Philippine Statistics Authority’s data shows.

PSA data released on Thursday shows the FI in the January to March period stood at P19.55 billion, down 32.9% from P29.14

billion in the same period in 2020.

Approved investments are not actual investments but rather commitments by foreign entities, which may come in the near future.

First Quarter 2021 investments were pledges from six investment promotion agencies (IPAs), namely the Board of Investments (BOI), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Philip-

pine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

No investment approvals were reported from BOI-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BOI-BARMM) for the reference quarter, according to the PSA.

FI commitments for the first quarter of 2021 were mainly driven by investments from Japan which accounted for 54.8% of the total approved FI, followed

by Cayman Islands at 5.8% and South Korea at 3.0%.

Japan committed P10.72 billion, while Cayman Islands and South Korea pledged P1.14 billion and P592.63 million, respectively.

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ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

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Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) linemen conduct cable maintainance work along R. Castillo Street in Davao City in this undated photo. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is making sure that the start of the planned commercial operation of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao is on time. Edge Davao

Business firms urged to acquire safety seal

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usiness establishments are urged to apply for a safety certification to confirm their compliance with the government’s minimum public health standards.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday private companies bearing the safety seal assure that they are practicing the minimum health protocols.

This includes social distancing and the use of a contact-tracing application, particularly the StaySafe.PH application, among others.

StaySafe.PH is the coun-

try’s official health condition reporting, contact tracing, and social distancing system authorized by the Interagency Task Force on Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the National Task Force Against Covid-19.

“With the safety seal certification program in place, we are assuring the public,

especially our workers, that they are safe and protected outside their homes, even if we allow our economy to fully reopen,” Bello said in a statement.

“While the application is voluntary, I highly encourage our private business owners to seek for the safety certification to help increase public confidence,” Bello added.

He said obtaining the safety seal is free of charge.

The DOLE will issue the certification for establishments in the manufacturing,

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Converge ICT invests in PH cable landing operator Digitel Crossing

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onverge ICT said Thursday it acquired a stake in Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc for $4.8 million (P231 million) for shares in cable landing operator Digitel Crossing Inc. The Deed of Absolute Sale of Shares involves 10,000,000 common shares in Digitel Crossing Inc which operates several cable landing stations in the country, the fiber broadband provider told the stock exchange.

“Acquiring DCI will promote synergies in the telecommunications business of CNVRG and is meant to implement the joint ven-

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BOC exceeds May collection target

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he Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Wednesday it has surpassed its collection target in May by 6.6%.

In a statement, the BOC said the positive revenue collection performance last month is attributed to the improved valuation and volume of importations, and the intensified collective efforts of all the ports to prevent revenue leakages and

collect all lawful revenues.

“This continues to highlight the Bureau’s consistent and positive monthly collection for the fifth month this year since January,” it said.

Citing preliminary report from its Financial Service, the Customs said its collection of P49.334 billion in May is higher by P3.058 billion compared to its target of P46.276 billion for the month.

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What every Filipino woman should know to ensure her insurance is priced just right Filipinos have found out that having life insurance is a critical ‘must-have’ especially during uncertain times such as the current covid pandemic.

Those with some forms of insurance are better prepared to face medical emergencies because the high cost of medical expenses can ruin one’s finances.

One way to prepare for this is to get a life insurance with medical or health riders. But even this simple task of getting insured can become complicated and expensive, especially for women who are not able to get the proper advice.

But why so? Read more below and find out why this seemingly simple process can be costly, plus learn a few simple hacks that Filipino women can do before getting or upgrading their policy.

Pay only for what you need One of the biggest considerations in getting insurance is the cost. There are several factors that go into the pricing of insurance, one of them are riders that add more benefits such as health benefits.

You might have heard your insurance advisor explaining to you that your health coverage includes a long list of critical illnesses; of course, the longer the list, the more expensive the insurance becomes.

As the perceptive woman that you are, if you have a choice, you will choose only the critical illnesses for which you are predisposed to get by virtue of gender, heredity, and lifestyle. This is a smart way of paying for the coverage for illnesses for which you would be more vulnerable. It also makes you avoid the cost of many other illnesses you have the least possibility contracting.

age

Women-specific cover-

Another way to pay only for what you need is to get a woman-specific insurance policy.

Diabetes remains a big concern among Filipino women, so are various types of cancers – breast, ovarian and cervical.

A woman-centered insurance will have these features and benefits that are unique to your needs.

It makes a lot of sense for you because you can be sure that your benefits are directly related to what you may experience in the future.

It should earn in the long term Purchasing an insurance is a life-enhancing event because it is an investment on one’s life and that of the family.

In the ideal scenario, after a long time of paying for the premiums, the insured stays healthy and reaps the benefits of accumulating a hefty savings.

The good news is that this scenario is also available to women.

You can be insured with medical or health coverage that is specific to your needs, and after reaching a certain age without having to use your health benefits, your policy would have earned a sizeable fund value which you can withdraw as proceeds of your life-long savings.

This must be real Does such a product exist in the Philippines?

Fortunately, it does! Insular

Life’s “She Cares by Sheroes” is exactly this kind of product.

This is a 3-in-1 solution that addresses health, protection, and investment catered for the Filipino woman.

Since this is customizable to the needs of women, it is priced just right for you. And since this is also an insurance and investment product, you may use this to prepare for the future through its investment element.

“She Cares by Sheroes” is the first life insurance with investment product that provides 100% coverage for diabetes-related illnesses developed specifically for women in the country.

This was created when Insular Life partnered with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, for an insurance that caters specifically for women.

Aside from the diabetes cover, “She Cares by Sheroes” covers three (3) female-specific cancers: breast, ovarian, and cervical.

As Filipino women become more and more involved in the local economy, becoming breadwinners and executives in the corporate world, they deserve a product that they can rely on for their peace of mind.

To know more about this special product for women talk to your InLife financial advisor or check it out at https://www.insularlife.com. ph/shecares.

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On President Rodrigo Duterte studying the proposal to resume pilot face-to-face (F2F) classes in areas where Covid-19 risk is low:

It will really depend kung gaano karami na po ang gustong makita ni Presidenteng nabakunahan na pero ngayon po mahigit medyo maramirami na rin pong nabakunahan natin e let’s just say na siguro tinitignan ni Presidente kung mayroong nang enough confidence na magsimula ng pilot (It will really depend on how many people the President wants to see vaccinated but now we have vaccinated more than a few. Let’s just say that maybe the President is looking to see if there is enough confidence to start a pilot).”

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON HARRY ROQUE

EDITORIAL What happens if the city is placed under MECQ? Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has appealed to the Inter-Agency Task ForceRegional Task Force (IATF-RTF) to place Davao City under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from June 5 to June 30, 2021 instead of general community quarantine (GCQ) amid the surge of COVID- 19 cases.

The local government made the request Wednesday after the city registered 338 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday (June 1).

In her letter to IATF-RTF, the lady mayor said the move to declare the city under MECQ status is intended to allow a circuit breaker of sort in the surge of patients inside hospitals.

Duterte-Carpio assured all those affected by MECQ zero operational capacity under Department of Trade and Industry-Memorandum Circular (DTI-MC 21-19) can coordinate with the Trabaho Dabawenyo employment assistance at the City Mayor’s Special Office in Magsaysay Park.

She said that during the MECQ period, all public transportation shall be permitted to operate.

“We need to help frontliners by making sure that we stay home except for work or business,”Duterte-Carpio explained.

During the MECQ, travel will be limited to accessing essential goods and for those

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DILG director Alex Roldan, the IATF-RTF chairperson, said that Mayor Sara’s request was immediately endorsed to the National Task Force-IATF upon receipt.

“I believe that this is justifiable given the increasing trend of COVID-19 infection in Davao City,” Roldan said.

Dr. Ricardo Audan, head of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), earlier said that SPMC is boosting the bed capacity of its intensive care unit (ICU) after reaching critical level utilization due to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the city..

“This is the first time that we have a 100-percent increase in our ICU (capacity),” he said.

With the above favorable comments of RD Roldan and Dr. Audan, let’s hope that the IATF approves the request of Mayor Inday, so the surge of Covid 19 cases can be arrested.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

MAYA M. PADILLO Senior Reporter

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN MEGHANN STA. INES FERINA SANTOS Lifestyle

CHRISTIAN JAY H. RAFAL ANA MARIE G. SILPAO Layout

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. Consultant Correspondent Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBON • MARY ANN C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO DAVAL SR.,TRIA • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY Columnists: ANTONIO V.“ADI” FIGUEROA • HENRYLITO D. TACIO •B.JOHN CARLO • MUJAHID NAVARRA ••FRED C. LUMBA • DENNIS R. GORECHO ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO •“GICO” G. S. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER GREGORIO G. DELIGERO VIDA MIA VALVERDE • HAROLD CAVITE M. PEREZ

OLIVIA D. VELASCO SOLANI D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONAJASPER OLIVIA D. VELASCO V. BACSAL General Manager PresidentAdvertising Specialist Finance General Manager / VP Operations JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

working in permitted establishments. Businesses that are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity during ECQ will be allowed to fully open, while other sectors such as media establishments, medical clinics, banks, and other specific establishments are allowed to reopen at half on-site capacity while encouraging work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements, where applicable.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE RICHARD C. EBONA LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-YacapinProduct Sts. Development officer Cagayan de Oro City Address: No. 18 Purok 4B, Madelo Street, Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Tel: (088) 852-4894 Mobile number: +63 947 265 2969(smart); +63 916 955 8559(globe)

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VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

ALL ABOUT COVID-19 VARIANTS Viruses are microscopic parasites, generally much smaller than bacteria. “They lack the capacity to thrive and reproduce outside of a host body,” writes Aparna Vidyasagar, a Live Science contributor.

But how small are viruses compared to bacteria? “With a diameter of 220 nanometers (nm), the measles virus is about 8 times smaller than E. coli bacteria,” explains Vidyasagar. “At 45 nm, the hepatitis virus is about 40 times smaller than E. coli.”

E. coli, if you care to know, is Escherichia coli, a type of bacteria that normally lives in your intestines. It’s also found in the gut of some animals. While most types are harmless, some strains can cause diarrhea if you eat contaminated food or drink fouled water.

But how small is small when it comes to viruses? In an article published in the journal Nature Education in 2010, Dr. David R. Wessner, a professor of biology at Davidson College, provides this analogy: The polio virus, 30 nm, is about 10,000 times smaller than a grain of salt.

“Such differences in size between viruses and bacteria provided the critical first clue of the former’s existence,” Vidyasagar writes.

What concern most countries is the fact that viruses may be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

“The ability of viruses to cause devastating epidemics in human societies has led to the concern that viruses could be weaponized for biological warfare,” Wikipedia points out. “Further concern was raised by the successful recreation of the infamous 1918 influenza virus in the laboratory.”

It must be recalled that smallpox virus devastated numerous societies throughout history before its eradication.

Currently, only two centers in the world are authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to keep stocks of smallpox virus: the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR in Russia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

“It may be used as a weapon, as the vaccine for smallpox sometimes had severe side-effects, it is no longer used routinely in any country,” Wikipedia reports. “ Thus, much of the modern human population has almost no established resistance to smallpox and would be vulnerable to the virus.”

These days, the most pop-

ular virus is called coronavirus, particularly SARS-CoV-2, which causes the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment,” the WHO states. “Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.”

According to the United Nations health agency, “the best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads.”

All viruses, including SARSCoV-2, change over time. “Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties,” the WHO says. “However some changes may affect the virus’s properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures.”

The WHO, in collaboration with partners, expert networks, national authorities, institutions and researchers have been mon-

itoring and assessing the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 since January 2020.

Just recently, the WHO convened a group of scientists from several countries and agencies to consider easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatizing labels for variants of concerns (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI). At the present time, this expert group has recommended using labels using letters of the Greek alphabet.

A SARS-CoV-2 variants that meets the definition of a VOC and through a comparative assessment, has been demonstrated to be associated with one or more of the following changes at a degrees of global public health significance: Increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; or increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; or decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostic, vaccines, therapeutics.

So far, the WHO has identified VOC. These are Alpha (earliest document samples taken in the United Kingdom in September 2020), Beta (South Africa in May 2020), Gamma (Brazil in November 2020), and Delta (India

in October 2020).

A SARS-CoV-2 isolate is a VOI if, compared to a reference isolate, its genome has mutations with established or suspected phenotypic implications, and either: has been identified to cause community transmission/multiple COVID-19 cases/clusters, or has been detected in multiple countries; or is otherwise assessed to be a VOI by WHO in consultation with the WHO SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution Working Group.

The Philippine strain is called Theta; it was first reported in January 2021. The other VOI are Epsilon (USA in March 2020), Zeta (Brazil in April 2020), Eta (multiple countries in December 2020), Iota (USA in November 2020), and Kappa (India in October 2020).

“These labels do not replace existing scientific names, which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research,” the WHO said in a statement. w“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting,” the WHO explained. “As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.”

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

CAPT. LEVI E. CASE, MATI PLANTER Born in Vanceboro, Washington, Maine, Capt. Levi E. Case began his U.S. military service as a private on October 2, 1899; he was enlisted with the hospital corps as a nurse. Only 5 feet, six inches tall, he had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair and was described in his military records as excellent, honest, and faithful.

He arrived in the islands on December 24, 1899 and was honorably discharged on October 2, 1902 while posted at Calapan, Mindoro. He later enlisted with the Philippine Constabulary (PC) on January 2, 1903. In 1912, he was designated deputy governor of Davao district along with PC 2nd Lt. Charles H. Shamotulski. Later, they were joined in the position

by PC 1st Lt. Dorr H. Malone, and Milburn A. Maxey, the last superintendent of schools of Surigao. He retired from the military service with a rank of captain Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing, governor of the Moro Province, had nice words for the military of-

ficer. In his 1911 annual report, he credited Capt. Case for engaging in numerous civil works that benefited the Mandaya ‘with very satisfactory results’ and was credited for ‘establish[ing] several towns along the coast and has brought many people under [his] supervision.’

Capt. Case, despite his civil-military duties, was also interested in anthropology. He was cited by Henry O. Beyer, father of Philippine archaeology, in his work, (‘Population of the Philippine Islands in 1916’) and was mentioned in the translation of Juan Fernandez Villaverde’s The Ifugaos of Quiangan and vicinity,’ originally written in Spanish, particularly in his notes and addendum. The feature was published in 1909 in the Philippine Journal of Science.

In civilian life, Capt. Case acquired the 156-hectare Pujada Island Plantation while assigned in Mati City as the last American station commander. When his troops

pulled out, he stayed behind to manage the farm and later, after marrying a local maiden, to attend to his growing family. Outside his thriving hemp estate, he also invested at Davao Light & Power Company, a company founded

by American Patrick H. Frank in 1929.

A member of Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, he later returned to the U.S. for treatment, initially living at St. Cloud, Florida (as of November 11, 1935) but later listed his address as Beaverbrook (Forge) Road, Littleton, Middlesex, Massachusetts by June 4, 1938, two weeks before he passed away.

Case was married to Maria Lucas, of Tagabakid, Mati City, in 1916 at Mati City. The union produced four children, namely Eva Lillian, Hazel Dean, Leticia, and Alexander Benjamin.

Eva Lillian was born 18 September 18, 1917 at Mati City; she married to Basil Burroughs Francisco Jr., a Filipino.

Hazel Dean, meanwhile, was also born in Mati on November 5, 1919; she died in April 1953 at age 33 due to complication from stillbirth delivery. Her ambition was to be an aviatrix and she was good in Algebra. As of 1938, she was still enrolled at the Central American School, in Manila. Also known as Hazel Deanne, she was fondly called Tess or Tessie.

The third child was Leticia, who like her siblings, was also born in Mati. Meanwhile, Alexander Benjamin, born approximately between 1920 and 1926, was married to Flavia Lao. Born in Cuba on February 12, 1916, Francisco, an alumnus of De la Salle University (Manila) and a long-distance swimmer, married Eva in 1941. Having survived the war, they left the country and settled in New Orleans. Years after her death in 1961, he remarried.

At the time of his retirement in 1982, he was vice-president of Elizalde (Manila Rope) Ltd. in Manhattan and San Francisco. He

died on October 16, 2008 at age 92 at Watsonville, California, U.S.A. Case died at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital, in St. Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida, U.S.A. at age 62 on June 18, 1938. His interment was held on June 29, 1938 at Fairview Cemetery, Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Rev. Otis W. Foye, pastor of Dorchester Temple, presided. American Legion Post 249 of Littleton was represented by adjutant Dr. James D. Christie and Warren M. Nixon, as color bearers.

The legion’s ritual was held under Cpl. Ralph P. Hosmer, Camp 55, U.S.W.V. of Concord, by Cmdr.

Arthur Wright, J.V. C. Peter Shea; O.D. Herbert E. Berry; Adjutant W.P. Blodgett; Q.M. John E. Anderson; S C.S. John E. Loring; J.C.S. Arthur Parks; O.G. James N. Berry.

The color guard from the Concord Post were Hiram Parker and Louis Glibert. Buglers P.F.C. Edward P. Konik, Co. L, 13th Inf., and Leo E. Powers, Co. I, 13th Inf. of Fort Devens sounded the taps.

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LIFESTYLE

OWE MY LOVE AIRS FINALE EPISODE THIS FRIDAY FROM a pretend marriage that blossomed into a real romance, the story of Pacencia “Sensen” Guipit and Dr. Miguel “Migs” Alcancia glued viewers to their TV sets every night on “Owe My Love.”

Bannered by Kapuso Premier Drama Actress Lovi Poe (Sensen) and sought-after Kapuso leading man Benjamin Alves (Doc Migs), “Owe My Love” followed the story of Sensen and Migs whose lives intertwined in a world of debt, near-death, and dogged dedication to family.

The series’ last few episodes settle a number of unfinished businesses.

Fresh from his ill-fated wedding to Trixie (Winwyn Marquez), Doc Migs teams up with Sensen to finally get to the bottom of her father Oryo’s (Pekto Nacua) murder. Doc Migs tries to coax the truth out of his former bride, but Trixie digs her heels in and insists she is innocent. Meanwhile, she plots a gruesome end for Sensen but this immediately backfires.

An unexpected ally presents Sensen and Migs with damning

evidence against Divina (Jackie Lou Blanco) and her murderous schemes but a traumatic event leaves questions on whether Lolo Badong (Leo Martinez) will ever regain his memories.

Will Trixie and Divina ever pay for their misdeeds?

Meanwhile, the Guipit family looks to the future together with the people of Brgy. Petsa de Peligro. After all they’ve been through, is there hope for their prosperity?

Discover the fate of your favorite characters as one of GMA’s beloved series comes to a close. See how Vida (Aiai Delas Alas), Gwaps (Buboy Villar) and Evs (Kiray Celis) become model entrepreneurs and whose business has helped the town the most. Will the vloggers Jenny Rose (Jelai Andres) and Eddie (Jon Gutierrez) continue to find success as online celebrities?

Sensen and Migs’ contract, with all its provisions and restrictions, is now a done deal.

But do Sensen and Migs still have unfinished business? Is it time for another contract that’s meant to last forever?

Like the viewers, Lovi, Ben,

SALE WEEKEND AT SM LANANG

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Enjoy eye-popping deals of up to 70 percent off mall wide from hundreds of brands.

Shopping also gives you a chance to win a family vacation at Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort and P5,000 worth of SM shopping money in the e-raffle!

Get more discounts with your SM card on the Prestige sale on June 4; and the SMAC sale on June 5 and 6!

Don’t miss out The Great 3 Day Sale and enjoy an #aweSM and safe shopping weekend!

To ensure a #SafeMallingatSM experience, always remember to follow safety protocols and bring your mall entry essentials: face mask and shield and Safe Davao QR. Follow Facebook.com/smlanangpremier to get the latest on the best deals.

and Winwyn shared that they will also miss the rom-com series.

“Feeling ko magkakaroon din ng separation anxiety ‘yung viewers ‘pag natapos na yung palabas,” said Lovi. “Bawat tao—from cast, crew, staff [and] whole production—mami-miss ko. [‘Yung] buong bonding experience namin when we were on set kahit pa day off namin,

‘yun ‘yung mami-miss ko,” she shared.

Playing Sensen, Lovi said she had a number of takeaways from the series. “What you’re experiencing in real life, all of a sudden [it] hits you and gives you certain realizations,” the Kapuso actress said. “We have things that we learned during the show, and it worked for us in a very positive way. Si Sensen maram-

ing tinuro kay Lovi,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ben says he empathized with his character, Doc Migs. “I learned that you have to be understanding of everyone’s situation. Everyone is going through a financial struggle one way or another,” he shared. He added that he is grateful that he was given the chance to play the role of Doc Migs. “Sana nabigyan ko ng buhay ‘yung karakter niya. Sana po you will remember his character and his relationship with Lolo Badong,” he added.

Winwyn, on the other hand, has this message for her character Trixie: “Sana mahanap niya ‘yung totoong happiness niya.

Importante ang inner peace sa isang tao so sana makita niya rin ‘yun.”

Join the rest of the cast—Leo Martinez, Aiai Delas Alas, Jackie Lou Blanco, Nova Villa, Ruby Rodriguez, Pekto Nacua, Buboy Villar, Kiray Celis, Ryan Eigenmann, Jelai Andres, Jon Gutierrez, Jason Francisco, Divine Tetay, Terry Gian, and Mahal—on the final week of Owe My Love, 9:35 p.m., on GMA Telebabad.

GLOBE K’MMUNITY AND THE RIPPLE SOCIETY TO DONATE TINYTAN BREATHABLE MASKS TO MODERN-DAY HEROES Globe K’mmunity, together with youthoriented non-government organization The Ripple Society, is on a mission to bring back smiles despite the pandemic.

During its second anniversary celebration last week, K’mmunity PH ecstatically announced that it has partnered with global K-pop group BTS’ cute animated characters: Tinytan!

As part of its commitment to keep K’tizens up to speed on the latest Kollections, K’mmunity will be bringing in Tinytan’s Breathable Mask collection in the Philippines for K’Tizens, BTS fans, and K-pop fans alike! The collection will be available through Globe’s 0917 Lifestyle website starting May 17.

K’mmunity understands that the past year has been challenging, so as a way to celebrate back-to-back daebak years, K’mmunity and The Ripple Society will be donating masks to today’s modernday heroes for every Tinytan Breath Mask purchased. This includes medical frontliners, healthcare workers, even delivery riders who are hwaiting despite the pandemic.

Through this initiative, Globe K’mmunity and The Ripple Society encourage everyone--from K’Tizens,

Globe customers, and K-fans alike--to stan for something meaningful and trigger a ripple effect one TinyTan mask at a time.

For those who cannot wait to get their hands on the TinyTan Breathable face masks, orders may be placed through this link: https://0917lifestyle. com/ starting May 17, 2021.

Globe’s K’mmunity humbly started as a hallyu hub where K-fans can freely share their love for all things K: Kdrama, K-movies, K-pop, and more.

Since then, Globe K’mmunity has grown to be the go-to source of passionate K-fans, bringing them closer to their

idols through the latest news, as well as exclusive content and events.

As the global health crisis rages on, Globe actively engages in partnerships that advocate for one’s health and well-being to show its support to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), specifically UN SDG No. 3. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs. For more exciting updates and promos on all things related to K-culture, follow Globe on Facebook and join Kmmunity PH’s groups on Facebook, Twitter and Viber.

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ENVIRONMENT

9

CELEBRATING PHILIPPINE EAGLE WEEK

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

E

very June 4-10 of each calendar year, the Philippines celebrates Philippine Eagle Week, in honor of the country’s bird icon. This is in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 79.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) says Proclamation No. 79 aims specifically to strengthen public awareness on the

significant role of the Philippine Eagle in the forest ecosystem, and its importance as a national symbol and unique heritage, among others.

The law also intents to generate unified and concerted efforts among all sectors of the society to ensure the protection and perpetuation of the endangered species and to encourage non-government organizations, private companies or corporations, people’s organization, academic and scientific organizations and all other interested parties to participate in the annual celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week.

As the country is still battling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is fitting that this year’s theme is: “Helping the eagles survive the pandemic is helping ourselves.”

The Philippine eagle is second only to the Madagascar sea eagle in rarity. In size, it beats the American bald eagle; it is the world’s second largest – after the Harpy eagle of Central and South America.

In a feature carried

by Scientific American, the country’s bird icon is described as such: “With its shaggy bronze mane and proud white chest, the Philippine eagle is about as majestic as a bird can get. Capable of growing to more than a meter long and 8 kilograms in weight, this stunning creature is the largest eagle in the world, in terms of length.”

In the past, Philippine

eagles abound in the forests of Mount Apo and other parts of Mindanao. They can also be seen flying over in the forests of Sierra Madre in Luzon and Samar and Leyte in the Visayas.

Today, Philippine eagles inhabit those places but their number has dwindled.

In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has declared the Philippine eagle as an endangered species.

“One of the rarest and largest birds of prey, the majestic Philippine eagle is critically endangered,” the National Geographic pointed out.

One of the reasons why the Philippine eagles are soon to join the dodo into extinction is the destruction of its natural habitat – the tropical rainforest.

A few hundred years ago, at least 95% of the Philippines was covered by rain forest; only a few patches of open woodland and seasonal forest, mostly on Luzon, broke the expanse of moist, verdant land,” noted Dr. Lawrence R. Heaney, an American curator who holds honorary appointments at the Philippine National Museum.

By the time the Spanish arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, scattered coastal areas had been cleared for agriculture and villages. Three hundred

years later, rainforest still covered about 70% of the country.

Today, the Philippines is almost devoid of its forest cover. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 25.7% or about 7,665,000 hectares of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares is forested. Of this, 11.2% (861,000) hectares) is classified as primary forest.

Between 1990 and 2010, the Philippines lost an average of 54,750 hectares or 0.83% annually. “Most of the (Philippines’) once rich forest are gone,” said the FAO publication, Sustainable Forest Management. “Forest recovery, through natural and artificial means, never coped with the destruction rate.”

Studies show a pair of Philippine eagles needs at least 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of forest as a nesting territory.

“Without the forest, the species cannot survive over the long term,” says Dennis Joseph I. Salvador, the executive director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. “Without the forest, not only the Philippine eagle will go extinct, but so will the dreams and aspirations of millions of marginal income families who rely on the forest to survive.”

The Philippine eagle was formerly known as monkeyeating eagle (its generic name, Pithecophaga, comes

from the Greek words pithekos or “monkey” and phagein meaning “eater”).

It was later renamed the Philippine eagle under the administration of Ferdinand E. Marcos after it was learned that monkeys comprise an insignificant portion of its diet, which consists mainly of flying lemurs, civet cats, bats, rodents, and snakes.

A majestic bird, Philippine eagle stands a meter high, weighs anywhere from four to seven kilograms and has a grip three times the strength of the strongest man on earth, according to PEF. With a wing span of nearly seven feet and a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the Philippine eagle can gracefully swoop down on an unsuspecting prey and carry it off without breaking flight.

Efforts to save the Philippine eagle were started in 1965 by Jesus A. Alvarez, then director of the autonomous Parks and Wildlife Office, and Dioscoro S. Rabor, another founding father of Philippine conservation efforts. Charles Lindbergh spearheaded a drive to save the bird from 1969 to 1972.

In July 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 615 naming the Philippine eagle as the country’s national bird. He said that the eagle is found only

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The 44 workers are already in the isolation facilities. The city will be conducting also disinfection of the whole SP building.

The city government of Davao has initially ordered for the lockdown of the entire SP building from May 31 to June 6, 2021, due to Covid-19 cases.

The lockdown affects the City Treasurer’s Office, City Assessor’s Office, Business Bureau, and City Civil Registrar’s Office.

While the SP Building is in lockdown, all services of the offices at SP are being done at their district offices.

Dabawenyos are also advised to contact the offices through these contact details: City Civil Registrar - Marriage concerns: 0939970-8746; Death concerns: 0922-474-8466; Legal and correction concerns: 0943407-5590; Birth Concerns and other civil registry concerns: 0966-421-4058

/ 0939-621-2725 / 0933420-4481 or email at lcr@ davaocity.gov.ph and official FB Page: Davao City Civil Registrar’s Office-CCRO. For City Treasurer’s Office Payment Helplines - 0933-216-5537 / 0995199-0785 or Records: Mary Ann Ador (0932) 275 3376; Occupational Permits: Carlita Diagbel (0907) 904 8567 / (0907) 067 1890 / (0930) 818 8375; Special Mayor’s Permit: Jennyrose Amoguis (0948) 366 2904; Business Permit related concerns: Josephine Cahilig (0961) 432 5304; Other Concerns: Maria Tabao (0947) 766 0628 / Rose Japson (0932) 763 7248 / Marco Maglana: (0933) 813 1808, (0996) 919 4780.

For the Business Bureau - busbureau@davaocity. gov. ph For City Assessor’s Office - 0933 616 7014; Email: casso@davaocity.gov.ph; Official FB Page: Davao City Assessor’s Office

said.

Aside from Vice Mayor Glenda, City Councilors Cheeno Almario, Alexander Alcantara, and Sangguniang Panglungsod (SP) Secretary Juvy Mabini were also given their first jab of anti-Covid vaccine today at the SP Hall.

All of them did not manifest any reactions to the vaccine and were allowed to leave right after. They shall wait for ten weeks for the second dose. Of the 70 city

hall employees listed for vaccination, only 61 were vaccinated on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Dr. Catbagan advised the people in Mati who belong to the A4 vaccine priority category the frontline personnel in essential sectors including the uniformed personnel - to have themselves listed at the City Health Office because they will get their dose of the vaccine very soon. (CIO

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The EO is “an order amending Executive Order No. 291, series of 2021 to include suspension of all tourism activities in the Island Garden City of Samal within the period June 1 to June 14, 2921 except DOT star-rated resorts and staycation establishments.”

As of June 1, 2021, there are 42 active cases in the city of Samal.

Similarly, Panabo City is also experiencing a surge of COVID19 cases. Acting City Health Officer Dr. Eranie L. Pangilinan said “murag surge 2.0 (It’s like surge 2.0).”

She said this after 22 new cases were recorded from Barangays New Visayas, Datu Abdul Dadia, San Francisco, Cagangohan, and Sto. Niño, which she said were only recording “one digit” number of cases

several weeks prior.

She pointed that there are various causes for the surge such as the mandatory testing companies implement to their employees and COVID19 transmissions due to disobedience on the health protocols.

As of June 1, 2021, Panabo City has 102 active cases.

The same surge can be seen in the province’s capital, Tagum City as the active cases rose from 251 on May 29, 2021 to 308 on June 1, 2021; an increase of 57 active cases within 4 days. Tagum City currently has the most number of active cases.

The Municipality of Santo Tomas follows Tagum City in terms of most number of active cases in the province as active cases of 120 on May 31, 2021 increased to 144 on June 1, 2021.

developments in the procurement of 16 heavylift helicopters, adding that the Philippines looks forward to cooperating with Russia to speed up the modernization of defense assets and systems.

Duterte also stressed the need to improve market access of Philippine products to Russia, stating that local companies are ready to export more products to Moscow while noting that the Philippines has preferential access to global markets.

He conveyed appreciation to the Russian government for the warm hospitality extended to more than 10,000 Filipinos in Russia.

Key partner Putin, for his part, described the Philippines as a “key partner” in Southeast Asia with Russia and the Philippines sharing similar positions on many regional and international issues allowing for tighter cooperation in key multilateral platforms in the future.

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dispatch interval of five minutes which would result in better pricing signals as it instantly reflect the changes in supply and demand.

On the other hand, ERC enjoined DUs in Mindanao to strictly observe the interim Mindanao dispatch protocol.

Devanadera said ERC has sent letters to 30 Mindanao DUs and 23 embedded generation

firms just to make sure they stepped up their compliant.

“It is imperative that WESM for Mindanao trading participants be completed and the active participation of such trading participants particularly the DUs to ensure spot market preparedness for the success of the upcoming commercial operations of WESM Mindanao,” she said.

members present in the said meeting.

The entire Ata tribe’s ancestral domain sprawls over an area of 65,796.87 hectares of land, with 56,506.03 hectares situated within the boundaries of Davao City. The Ata tribe leaders are hoping that by protecting their ancestral domain, they will be able to preserve and enrich their indigenous culture and practices and also enhance their way of life with the support of local and national government agencies.

Meanwhile, CPDO has recently warned the public against buying “raw lots” for residential purposes because most of these properties are sold without proper government permits and licenses.

The said office issued this warning as notices of violation had been issued by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban

Development (DSHUD) formerly Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) Region XI against two realty companies for selling “raw lots” in Sitio Tinolang, Bayabas Toril and Barangay Gatungan Davao City.

Engineer Ivan Chin Cortez, coordinator of CPDO, said that buying raw lots, though affordable, may cause future problems because there is an absence of approved subdivision plans that cover the drainage plan and accessibility plan.

He said that homes established in previous raw lots could reek of the canal because greywater will accumulate around their homes.

Cortez warned sellers of raw lots to face administrative charges before DHSUD for not adhering to the requirements on selling raw lots. By Maya M. Padillo

the military group is focused on community support programs.

“Aside from the red area or where the CTGs are usually situated, we also focus on the white area. There is a symbiotic relationship between the red and the white areas. Ang white area ang nagbibigay ng financial support para sa mga CTGs na nasa red area.

Dito rin sa white ginagawa ang pagrerecruit para sumali sa armadong grupo,” Dema-ala explained.

He cited some gains of the military in weakening the CTG’s strength in the white area along with the initiative and support of the Regional and Provincial Task Force ELCAC. The closing of

Salugpungan schools across Davao Region was considered a major win for the uniformed men.

Aside from the Salugpungan schools, the issuance of a freeze order by the AMLAC on UCCP bank accounts was also a significant gain in the insurgency war.

The 10th Infantry Division reported to have organized 443 People’s Organizations (POs) composed of Underground Mass Organization (UGMOs) member.

Dema-ala explained that there is a need to sustain government’s efforts in engaging UGMO members by providing skills trainings and livelihood opportunities.

three working days to process simple transactions, seven working days for complex transactions and 20 working days for highly technical transactions.

ARTA director general Jeremiah Belgica earlier said such renewal applications fall under simple transactions and should be processed within three working days.

“The Authority is now evaluating FDA CDRR’s re-

ply before recommending an appropriate action,” the agency said.

Cirunay was given until May 31 to explain to ARTA why no administrative and criminal charges should be filed against her.

“The Authority is calling on the public to submit affidavit complaints if they have any pending applications with other government agencies,” it added. (PNA)

ture between CNVRG, DCI and Pacnet Network (Philippines), Inc,” Converge said.

“The parties negotiated and mutually agreed on the purchase price, taking into consideration the estimated

fair value of the shares of DCI,” it added.

Converge said DCI would maintain and operate the cable landing stations for the EAC and C2C cable systems.

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in the Philippines and as such should be a source of national pride.

“If the national bird dies,” Ramos said at that time, “so will all the country’s efforts at conserving its natural resources and treasures.”

“The Philippine eagle is the largest predator we have,” said Salvador, who was named one of the outstanding young men (TOYM) in 2000 for leadership in wildlife conservation. “By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat.”

The Philippine Eagle Center is located in a far-flung area in Malagos of Calinan District in Davao City. It takes almost an hour to travel from the heart of the city to the center where visitors get to encounter Philippine eagles placed in cages.

Primarily a research facility, the Philippine Eagle Center is nestled at the rolling foothills of Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak. Several Philippine eagles have been raised as part of the foundation’s breeding program. Most of them are being induced to breed in captivity.

bombed in a 28-footer to extend the margin to seven with 2:50 to go and Porzingis connected from 24 feet to make it a 10-point game 37 seconds later.

The Clippers weren’t done, however. Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. hit 3-pointers in a 9-0 flurry that closed the gap to 101100 with still 39.5 seconds left. And when Terance Mann stole a Doncic pass, Los Angeles had a chance to take the lead.

But Nicolas Batum couldn’t connect on a driv-

ing layup and subsequent tip-in attempt with just under 10 seconds remaining.

Kawhi Leonard misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left, allowing the Mavericks, who got four late free throws from Hardaway and Josh Richardson, to hold on.

Doncic, who had 27 of his 42 points in the first half, finished 17-for-37 overall and 6-for-12 on 3-pointers. He also found time for a game-high 14 assists and a team-high eight rebounds.

travel history except that they might have exposure to the members of their families who are positive of Covid-19.

She said the camp would remain under lockdown, unless all personnel are cleared of the infection through a swab test.

percent of all the jabs have gone to just 10 countries.

‘Working poverty’ The limited capacity of most developing and emerging economies to support strong fiscal stimulus measures will also take its toll, the ILO said. In

those countries, it said, the quality of newly created jobs would likely deteriorate.

The fall in employment and hours worked has meanwhile translated into a sharp drop in labor income and a rise in poverty.

products and services,” he said.

“We remain very open to exploring opportunities in this field and in fact even up to now we are doing what we can to contribute to Royal Dutch, the mother company’s aspirations,” he added.

Romero said Pilipinas Shell has the capacity to distribute energy in whatever

form when needed in the future.

“If today it’s oil, then we provide oil, if in the future it could be in some other form, it could be electricity, hydrogen, our sites are actually future proof and could accommodate all those things because we have the tech know-how coming from Royal Dutch Shell,” he said.

construction, utilities, information and communication, and warehousing industries.

Other designated issuing authorities are the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, and the local govern-

ment units.

To ensure strict and continual compliance to health protocols, the certification will only be valid for six months from the date of its issuance—except for tourism establishments, which certifications are valid for a year—and has to be renewed a month before expiration.

The May collection figures include additional revenues from the Tax Expenditure Fund (TEF) collection of P50.16 million and Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) collection of P86.26 million, the BOC said.

“Based on the report, 12 of the seventeen collection

districts exceeded their target for the month, namely the Port of San Fernando, Port of Manila, MICP, Port of Batangas, Port of Legaspi, Port of Iloilo, Port of Tacloban, Port of Surigao, Port of Cagayan de Oro, Port of Davao, Port of Subic, and Port of Clark,” the bureau said.

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Kiefer Ravena’s transfer to Japan’s B-League has created a stir over the PBA uniform players contract.

Mavericks hang on to defeat Clippers

T

im Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis rescued a tiring Luka Doncic with consecutive 3-pointers inside the final three minutes Wednesday night and the visiting Dallas Mavericks survived a frantic Los Angeles Clippers rally for a 105-100 victory and a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Doncic finished with a game-high 42 points, helping the Mavericks record the series’ fifth consecutive victory by the road team.

Game 6 in the best-of-

seven is scheduled for Friday night in Dallas.

Returning to the site of their surprising wins in Games 1 and 2 of the series, the fifth-seeded Mavericks led most of the way, including by as many as 16 points early in the fourth quarter.

But with Doncic running out of gas, the Mavericks managed just four points over nearly a nine-minute span of the fourth period, allowing the fourth-seeded Clippers to climb within 9591.

That’s when Hardaway

FMAVERICKS, P10

NLEX to abide by PBA contract rules

T

he NLEX Road Warriors will continue to follow the rules set by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) regarding the uniform player contracts (UPCs).

The UPCs suddenly became the hot topic throughout Wednesday when PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the rules would bar current NLEX star Kiefer Ravena from joining

B.League outfit Shiga Lakestars.

Marcial said the UPC also binds the players to the PBA like to their mother teams, which means the league may prevent them

from taking their acts overseas.

“As a member of the PBA, we are duty-bound to abide by the rules and regulations that govern the league. The NLEX Road Warriors stand by the tripartite agreement between our organization, the PBA, and the individual player, which is enshrined in the Uniform Player Contract (UPC),” NLEX said in a statement.

The team said Ravena’s impending transfer to Shiga must “need to conform to the terms of the UPC as well as the rules and policies of the PBA”.

Despite the situation, NLEX reiterated that it supports Ravena’s future endeavors.

“We understand and support Kiefer’s desire for personal advancement,” the team added. (PNA)

Embiid-less Sixers close out Wizards S

Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard (39) celebrates with guards George Hill (33) and Ben Simmons (25) during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards in game five of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Reuters

eth Curry scored a playoff career-high 30 points, Tobias Harris added 28 points and nine rebounds and the host Philadelphia 76ers eliminated the Washington Wizards in five games with a 129-112 victory on Wednesday.

Ben Simmons started at center and had 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the top-seeded Sixers, who will meet either the Atlanta Hawks or New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was Simmons’ third career playoff triple-double.

Tyrese Maxey added 13 points, Dwight Howard contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and Furkan Korkmaz had 10 points.

The Sixers played without Joel Embiid, who’s recovering from a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.

The Sixers announced that Embiid would be day-to-day moving forward.

Bradley Beal led the eighth-seeded Wizards with 32 points while Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Rui Hachimura added 21 points.

Davis Bertans suffered a right calf strain in Game 4 and would have been sidelined for four-to-six weeks.

When Hachimura hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:38 left in the second quarter, the Wizards pulled ahead 48-44.

Simmons drove to the basket and scored with 1:30 remaining to close within 5755. Simmons was also fouled but missed the free throw, which has been an issue throughout the series.

Danny Green made a trey with 3.6 seconds remaining and the Sixers went into the locker room with a 65-63 advantage.

The Wizards stayed close as they trailed just 89-85 after Robin Lopez dropped in a hook shot with 4:11 left in the third.

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 69 • FRIDAY, JUNE 04, 2021

PROUDLY HALF-PINOY. It was confirmed that David Alaba signed up with Real Madrid in the Spanish football tournament LaLiga

HALF-PINOY

Real Madrid-bound Alaba wears PH flag on kicks

P

rofessional football player David Alaba has the flags of the Philippines, Nigeria, and Austria on his playing shoes.

The Vienna-born Alaba, who turns 29 this month, was born to a Nigerian father and a Visayan mother who met in Austria in the 1980s while pursuing different careers.

Real Madrid, one of the heavyweights in the Spanish football league LaLiga, announced on May 28, 2021, the signing of Alaba to a five-year contract.

“Real Madrid has reached an agreement with David Alaba, who will be linked to the club for the next five seasons,” Madrid said in a statement, adding that Alaba will be presented as a Real player after the ongoing Euro 2020 tournament in mid-July.

Alaba previously suited up for Bayern Munich in the German league Bundesliga.

Alaba’s mother, Gina, was a nurse and a former beauty queen in the Philippines.

His father, George, is a Nigerian prince who went to Vienna to study Economics, was the first black guard soldier in the Austrian Army and is a musician.

Alaba has a younger sister, Rose May, a singer and songwriter who has released a number of chart-topping songs in Austria.

TRI-COLOR. Europe football player David Alaba always has the Nigerian, Austrian, and Philippine flags stitched to his playing shoes. He was born in Vienna to a Nigerian father and a Filipino mother.

(Photo courtesy of David Alaba Twitter)

Real Madrid fans still remember how Alaba, two months shy of his 20th birthday, slotted home a penalty against Spanish club in a Champions League semifinal penalty shootout in 2012.

Since then, Alaba has won almost every trophy he’s competed for: two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, two Club World Cups, 10 Bundesliga titles, and six German Cups.

Alaba is the third player with Filipino roots to play for Real Madrid after Spanish Eduardo Teus, who was born in Manila in 1896, and France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, whose parents are both from the Philippines, in the 201920 season.

Paulino Alcantara, also born in 1896 in Concepcion, Iloilo to a Spanish military officer and an Ilongga mother, played for another Spanish club, Barcelona where he started at 15 years old.

Alcantara played for the Philippine team in 1917 before becoming a doctor and later on, coach and manager of the Spanish national team.

Bayern talent scout Werner Kern once described Alaba as an “exceptional talent with an excellent attitude” and “can go very far”.

“Talent is one thing, but attitude and desire is another, and David has this undying desire to improve and develop,” Kern said of Alaba when he first moved to Bayern. (PR)