Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 75 | Friday, June 11, 2021

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Davao City’s vaccination sites restricted for walk-in clients The Joint Senate Committee on Local Government, Finance, Government Corporations and Public Enterprises presided

by Senator Francis Tolentino approves the creation of the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority (MDDA) at the committee level on Thursday. Edge Davao

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 75 • FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

NO WALK-IN

President Rodrigo Duterte expresses gratitude to China’s“timely”acts of helping the Philippines recover from the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Presidential Photo

Davao City’s vaccination sites restricted for walk-in clients

By MAYA M. PADILLO accination continues in Davao City despite implementing stricter restrictions due to the continuing surge of Covid-19 cases

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On Thursday, the city government of Davao announced it is now discouraging walk-ins in vaccination sites.

In an advisory issued on June 9, 2021, the city government of Davao strongly discourage walk-

ins as the long wait and crowding at the vaccination sites might put you at risk of being infected.

Dabawenyos are advised to coordinate with their respective District Health Office for their vaccination schedule.

Meanwhile, Vaccination Cluster head Dr. Joy Villafuerte bared that based on report during the regular Davao City COVID-19 Task Force meeting there are a total of 102,359 individuals in Davao City inoculated with first doses of three different COVID-19 vaccines as of June 8, 2021.

Of the 102,359 who got their first doses of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer vaccines, a total of 29,534

are frontline health care workers who belong to the Priority A1 of the national government’s vaccination program while 53,778 are senior citizens under the Priority A2 group and 19,047 are persons with comorbidities.

Among the 29,534 medical frontliners, 20,310 received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine while 8,559 got AstraZeneca

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PNP disqualifies 3 applicants for fake RT-PCR test results

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hree out of the 66 police applicants in Lanao del Sur have been delisted after they were found to have submitted fake results of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test in the ongoing recruitment in the Police Regional OfficeBangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Guillermo Eleazar ordered last Tuesday (June 8) the disqualification of police applicants found to have deliberately submitted fake RT-PCR results in PROBAR Out of the 66 applicants, nine were already cleared while 54 other applicants, all from Lanao del Sur, are under investigation.

Eleazar said they found out about the anomaly when a team led by PCol Nora Camarao, head of the PNP Recruitment and

Selection Service Unit, went to the PRO-BAR to oversee the ongoing recruitment system amid reports in the past of the prevalence of irregularities.

“I have already issued an order to delist all the applicants who deliberately submitted fake RT-PCR tests in PRO-BAR. This order extends to other PROs and PNP units to do the same. We will not give a second chance for this year’s recruitment to those who would dare bastardize our recruitment process,” Eleazar said.

“Kasi kung papayagan natin na palusutin ang mga ito, it will send a very wrong message na okay lang ang kanilang ginawa. For all we know, kapag nakapasok ang mga ito ay baka ito yung mga pulis na magtatanim lang nang ebidensya dahil ngayon pa nga lang may kalokohan ng ginawa,” he added.

“It depends on the definition or perspective of the person on what an epicenter is. From our perspective, it (Davao City) is also one of the epicenters now, along with Western Visayas,” David said in a televised public briefing on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, Davao City has 2,830 active Covid-19 cases, more than

half of the region’s total 5,306.

Western Visayas has 9,517 active cases, also as of June 9, led by Iloilo City with 2,269.

David said NCR cases are on a decline as hospitals are no longer congested.

On Monday, OCTA Research reported cases increased in Davao City,

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Promise of free education OCTA concerned over case surge lures IPs to join CPP-NPA in Davao City, Western Visayas

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ndigenous peoples (IP) in communist organizations were promised free education when they were recruited.

Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib, in a virtual forum on Wednesday, said there is an estimated 1,500 IPs lured by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran-Davao since 2015.

“The IPs that were in Haran did not know the real intention of the groups that took them there. The parents were told that their children will have free education, that they can go to college. They didn’t know they will be sent to rallies,” Jubahib said.

Last February, 19 IP students were reunited with their parents and

tribe leaders after they were extricated from their handlers at the University San Carlos in Cebu City.

Over 100 IPs from Talaingod and Kapalong towns were also rescued recently by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Task Force to End Local

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he OCTA Research Group considers Davao City and Western Visayas as among the epicenters of Covid-19 cases amid a surge in infections.

The National Capital Region, with an average of 1,000 cases per day, is still one of the epicenters, Prof.

Guido David said, but noted corresponding increases in Mindanao.

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NEWS 3

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Governor Douglas“Dodo”Cagas of Davao del Sur passes away due to Covid-19 complications at Medical Center of Digos Cooperative on Thursday. The governor was 77.

4,000 MECQ violators nabbed in Davao City

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olice arrested a total of 4,255 persons for various violations since the start of the 15day modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Davao City.

According to Capt. Rose Aguilar, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), the arrests were made from June 5,2021 up to June 9.

She said non-wearing of face shields and face masks topped the list of offenses with 2,736.

Other violations include curfew with 571; social distancing 721; breaking the liquor ban 3; and pillion riding without barrier 180.

Speaking at the AFPPNP Press Corps virtual

media briefing Wednesday, Aguilar said they have intensified police visibility to ensure that all the health protocols under the MECQ are observed.

Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSCC) head Angel Sumagaysay, emphasized the need to intensify information dissemination campaigns to remind the public about the guidelines and Executive Orders issued by the city government of Davao.

The city was placed under MECQ beginning June 5 until June 20, 2021, following the approval of the InterAgency Task Force (IATF) on Thursday (June 3).

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87% of NPA surrenderers in Mindanao are IP members

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bout 87 percent of surrenderers from the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao are members of indigenous peoples (IPs), according to an official of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

Lawyer Marlon Bosantog, the spokesperson for Legal Affairs and IP concerns of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and NCIPCaraga Director, confirmed this during a virtual press briefing on Monday.

“Eighty-seven percent of surrenderers from 2016 to 2020 in Mindanao are members of the indigenous peoples. Just goes to say

that the exploitation of the IP community is so deep, that majority of them who are being victimized by the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) belong to the ICC or the Indigenous Cultural Communities,” Bosantog said.

He said they have already filed cases against the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran, with the IP minors as the primary complainants and the NCIP as cocomplainant.

The 19 IP minors rescued in Cebu City in February were taken by

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Davao del Sur Gov. Cagas passes away

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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overnor Douglas “Dodo” Cagas of Davao del Sur passed away at 5:30 a.m. of June 10, 2021 due to Covid-19 complications.

Last June 3, 2021, the governor was brought to Medical Center of Digos Cooperative after feeling unwell. On June 4, 2021, a social media post was reported claiming that the governor had

passed away, which was immediately debunked by the camp of the governor clarifying that the governor is recovering at the I.C.U. and that his vital organs were functioning normally.

Cagas is the husband of Congresswoman Didi and father of Vice Governor Marc Douglas Cagas.

In her Facebook account, Lelyn Fe Suario posted that before the governor’s last moment, he was able to write “Release Me” in a paper.

“You have fought the good fight. We DAVSURNON will forever grateful.

Your last

handwritten “Release Me” broke my heart. You’re pain free now. Find your unfound happiness in heaven” her post said.

In a statement, the camp of the late governor described him as “a brother, uncle, advisor, and friend to many. He was the father of Davao del Sur, a dedicated public servant, and his life is a wonderful inspiration to all.”

Christopher Bong Go, and his House Bill 8930.

Ungab told Edge Davao, following MDDA’s approval, the said joint committee will first consolidate the mentioned three senate bills and his House bill and come up with a joint committee report and present it to the floor for plenary deliberations.

“I hope Senator Tolentino will present it on the floor when Congress resumes on July,” Ungab said.

Ungab also said after the approval at the Senate’s plenary, it is expected that there will be a bicameral

conference committee since the senate version will be different from the House version.

“After the bicameral conference approves a reconciled version, it will be presented to both house for approval, after which the President will sign the bill into law. Medyo mahaba pa ang process,” he added.

On his end, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go expressed his optimism earlier that the MDDA will make it through the Senate.

“I am confident na maipapasa itong batas na ito dahil kailangan po ng

tulong ng mga siyudad sa Davao Region para sa ilang mga pasilidad na masyado pong mahal para pasanin ng mga local government units (LGUs) sa tulad ng waste management, flood control, public health and sanitation services. Marami pa pong maitutulong ang MDDA sa mga LGUs ng Davao tulad ng pagbibigay ng guidance at iisang direksyon para mas lalo pa pong umusbong ang Davao Region,” Go said in a text message.

Under MDDA, Davao Region will now have a separate budget for infrastructure, drainage,

Creation of Metropolitan Davao Dev’t Authority gains ground at the Senate

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he Joint Senate Committee on Local Government, Finance, Government Corporations and Public Enterprises has approved the creation of the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority (MDDA) at the committee level.

Davao City Third District Rep. Isidro Ungab announced through his Facebook account on Thursday that MDDA has been approved consolidating the Senate Bill 2116 of Senator Imee Marcos, Senate Bill 2153 of Sen. Ronald Bato dela Rosa, Senate Bill 2157 of Sen.

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) announces that it would undergo systems maintenance activities for several hours on June 13 and June 14. BPI said the BPI ATMs, BPI Cash, Accept Machines (CAMs) and In-store and online purchases using BPI Debit Card would be temporarily unavailable during the scheduled systems upgrade. Edge Davao

DOST assists displaced T OFWs in starting business

Child labor swells for first time in two decades: UN

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he Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has a program for COVID-19 displaced Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in helping them start their own business.

During the recent Pakigsayod episode, DOST Davao del Norte Provincial Director, Engr. Donna Nueva Ecija, said that this program is called ‘Innovations for Filipinos Working Distantly from the Philippines’ (I FWD PH).

“Nag abri ug usa ka online training ang DOST kung gusto sila mag enroll.

Tudlu-an sila kung unsaon pag sugod sa Negosyo (DOST has opened an on-

line training where they [OFWs] can enroll. They will be taught how to start a business),” she revealed.

The training duration of I FWD PH is from 3-6 months as it teaches the beneficiaries on the early stages of starting a business to the end.

“Ang training gikan sa pag soul searching kung unsa ilang gusto nga Negosyo, tapos sa pag apply sa ilang business permits, sa

mga requirements, mga records pag han-ay, unsay resources nga available sa ilaha. Unya sa values pud (The training starts from teaching them to soul search on what business they want to start, then how to apply for their business permits, the requirements, in organizing records, what resources are available to them, and also, they are taught business values),” she explained.

After completing the entirety of the training duration (3-6 months), the beneficiaries can borrow capital from DOST to start their business.

DOST also offers free

consultancy on top of the capital borrowing for those who choose to go into businesses. For example, if one chooses to go into the food business, they will be trained how to ensure safe and clean food products.

“Ang DOST, dili mi regulatory agency, we bridge the gap. So dili sila angay mahadlok kung muduol sila sa amoa unya naa mi’y makita nga sukwahi sa ilang proseso kay tabangan namo sila (In DOST, we are not a regulatory agency, we bridge the gap. Our beneficiaries don’t have to be afraid if we see concerns in their processes, we will

pines, Inc. (AKPI) would be used to partially finance the company’s working capital and other short-term operational requirements for the domestic and export sale of its novel Flywheel Energy Storage System.

“DBP is ecstatic about this project as it manifests our passion for supporting ground-breaking environment-friendly processes and new technologies that promote the more efficient utilization of green energy,” Herbosa said.

DBP is the sixth-largest

bank in the country in terms of assets and provides credit support to four strategic sectors of the economy –infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; environment; and social services and community development.

AKPI’s parent company, Amber Kinetics, Inc. (AKI), developed its patented kinetic energy storage system that features a flywheel that converts and stores electrical energy in a rotating mass and is more superior than traditional batteries in

terms of unlimited daily cycling capability, high roundtrip efficiency, zero capacity degradation, and has no chemical reactions.

AKI established its first manufacturing site in Sto. Tomas town in Batangas. It plans to open a second manufacturing facility also in the province to meet growing demand.

Herbosa said the introduction of this technology is seen as a boon to the power industry as it complements the gradual shift to renew-

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DBP grants P750-million credit line to boost renewable energy storage

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tate-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has granted a PHP750-million revolving credit line to a fledgling energy firm for the manufacture and export of cost-effective and sustainable energy storage systems for power generation activities of renewable energy companies, a top official said.

In a statement on Wednesday, DBP president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Herbosa said the bank’s funding assistance to Amber Kinetics Philip-

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he world has marked the first rise in child labor in two decades and the coronavirus crisis threatens to push millions more youngsters toward the same fate, the United Nations said Thursday.

In a joint report, the International Labor Organization and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said the number in child labor stood at 160 million at the start of 2020 -- an increase of 8.4 million in four years.

The hike began before the pandemic hit and marks a dramatic reversal of a downward trend that had seen child labour numbers shrink by 94 million between year 2000 and 2016, it said.

Just as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning to pick up steam, nearly one in 10 children globally were stuck in child labor, with sub-Saharan Africa the worst affected.

While the percentage of children in child labor remained the same as in 2016, population growth meant that the numbers rose significantly.

And the pandemic risks worsening the situation significantly, the agencies said.

They warned that unless urgent action is taken to help ballooning numbers of families plunging into poverty, nearly 50 million more kids could be forced into child labour over the next two years.

‘Losing ground’ “We are losing ground in the fight to end child labor,” UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore told report-

ers, stressing that “the COVID-19 crisis is making a bad situation even worse.”

“Now, well into a second year of global lockdowns, school closures, economic disruptions, and shrinking national budgets, families are forced to make heart-breaking choices.”

If the latest projections of poverty increases due to the pandemic materialise, another nine million children will be pushed into child labour by the end of 2022, the report said.

But statistic modelling shows that the number could potentially be more than five times higher, according to UNICEF statistics specialist Claudia Cappa, who co-authored the report.

“If social protection coverage slips from the current levels... as a result of austerity measures and other factors, the number of children falling into child labour can go up (an additional) 46 million” by the end of next year, she told AFP. The report, which is published every four years, showed that children aged between five and 11 accounted for over half of the global figure.

Hazardous work Boys were significantly more likely to be affected, accounting for 97 of the 160 million children toiling in child labor at the start of 2020.

But the gender gap narrows by half when household chores performed for at least 21 hours per week are counted, the report said.

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ECONOMY

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Market goers buy vegetables at a makeshift stall outside the main building of Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City on Thursday. Edge Davao

Mynt gears for more ‘impactful’ link with public, private sectors

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intech company Mynt, the operator of GCash, targets to create more impactful partnerships with both the public and the private sectors.

“Partnerships are really important to GCash, especially as we see ourselves as a platform player. We’ve been forging more impactful partnerships from both the private and public sector to help us create a more inclusive ecosystem with relevant products that address the daily solutions of our users,” Mynt president Martha Sazon told the Philippine News Agency in an email correspondence.

She said that in turn, Mynt offers its partners access to a growing user base, and a reliable and robust platform to bring value to our joint markets.

There are now over 40 mil-

lion GCash users.

The firm earlier announced that the GCash app was used to distribute some PHP16 billion to more than 2 million beneficiaries of the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

Some local government units (LGUs) like Makati have been distributing “ayuda” (aid) via GCash to its citizens.

Sazon said Mynt has been reaching out to municipalities outside the Metro to increase GCash’s presence nationwide.

It can also be recalled that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has tapped Mynt so that it could distribute the allowances of TESDA scholars via the mobile wallet this

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DTI-DavSur’s rollout of livelihood seeding program benefits 20 IPs

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he indigenous people communities in two far-flung barangays in Davao del Sur were the first to benefit from the rollout of the livelihood seeding program of the Department of Trade and Industry in the province.

The DTI Davao del Sur field office started off its implementation of the Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay-Livelihood Seeding Program for this year, involving 20 IP members from the Blaan tribe as recipients.

There were ten (10) IP beneficiaries from Barangay Kimlawis in the municipality of Kiblawan, who received sari-sari store livelihood starter kits when the program was launched on June 4, 2021.

Another batch of re-

PH working with ADB, WB on measures vs. climate change

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he Philippine government is now working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on a goal to acquire all coalfired power plants in Mindanao, a Department of Finance (DOF) official said.

In a virtual roundtable briefing hosted by the British Embassy on Wednesday, Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez, who read the speech of DOF Secretary Carlos Domiguez III, said the government intends to repurpose the coal-fired power plants to

increase the region’s renewable energy.

“This proposal aims to shift most of Mindanao’s energy requirements to hydropower, which will eventually spur more investments from companies seeking to expand their operations in areas powered by clean energy,” she said.

As part of this move, Alvarez said the government is working with ADB regarding the pilot-testing of the coal replacement fund.

“And right now, we are in talks and in cooperation

with the DOE (Department of Energy) on how we could actually do feasibility studies on the business model of how we can acquire coal-fired power plants,” she said.

This bid, Alvarez said, aims to “create an environment that is conducive to sustainable investments.”

“We’re trying to harmonize how capital markets can actually move towards renewable energy or sustainable projects,” she said.

Alvarez said the Energy

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cipients, comprising ten (10) Blaan members from Barangay Saub in Matanao town, was also provided with the starter kits on

Tuesday (June 8).

Apart from the starter kits, the beneficiaries have also participated in a free seminar where they have learned knowledge on entrepreneurial mind setting, basic accounting, financial literacy and sari-sari store management.

The DTI Negosyo Center business counselors also provided free one-on-one

business cliniquing.

The livelihood seeding program aims to assist the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to recover from the economic effect of natural and manmade disasters.

It is also to encourage them to restore their sustainable livelihood enterprises by providing grant-

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On the advantages of the creation of the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority, a bill authored by Davao City Rep. Isidro T. Ungab, recently approved by the House of Representatives.

Once ma- approved into law ang MDDA ( Metropolitan Davao Development Authority ), it will bring more teeth and power considering that we now have a separate budget for infrastructures, drainage, disaster management, traffic, even operating expenses.”

REP. ISIDRO T. UNGAB HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3RD DISTRICT OF DAVAO CITY

EDITORIAL Removing bad eggs Three out of 66 police applicants in Lanao del Sur have been Disqualified after they were found to have submitted fake results of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test in the ongoing recruitment of the Police Regional OfficeBangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Guillermo Eleazar ordered last Tuesday (June 8) the disqualification of police applicants found to have deliberately submitted fake RTPCR results to the PRO-BAR. Out of the 66 applicants, 54 are under investigation.

The anomaly was discovered when a team led by PCol Nora Camarao, head of the PNP Recruitment and Selection Service Unit, went to the PRO-BAR to oversee the ongoing recruitment amid reports about past irregularities.

“Kasi kung papayagan natin na palusutin ang mga ito, it will

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The aggressive reform in the PNP Recruitment System is a longterm internal cleansing measure initiated by PGeneral Eleazar under the Intensified Cleanliness Policy when he assumed the top post last May 8 this year in a move to demolish the culture of corruption and padrino system in the PNP Recruitment System.

The drive is well-placed as we all know the anomalous recruitment system is one of the major roots of the culture of abuse and wrongdoings among a few members of the PNP who entered the police service in irregular ways.

We can say that Eleazar has found an ideal way of removing future bad eggs in the PNP. Just imagine the PNP will be recruiting 17,000 new police officers this year alone.

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

send a very wrong message na okay lang ang kanilang ginawa.

For all we know, kapag nakapasok ang mga ito ay baka ito yung mga pulis na magtatanim lang nang ebidensya dahil ngayon pa nga lang may kalokohan ng ginawa,” Eleazar explained.

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

7

HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

DISCIPLINE IS THE KEY When the President Ferdinand E. Marcos launched Bagong Lipunan (New Society), he initiated several programs and initiatives. Perhaps one of the most popular slogans during that time was: “Sa ikakaunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.” It can be literally translated as: in order for a country to progress, discipline is needed.

“Why is discipline important?” asked John F. MacArthur Jr. “Discipline teaches us to operate by principle rather than desire. Saying no to our impulses (even the ones that are not inherently sinful) puts us in control of our appetites rather than vice versa. It deposes our lust and permits truth, virtue, and integrity to rule our minds instead.”

If you love football, then you probably know Jerry Lee Rice. To the uninformed, he was an American football wide receiver who played 20 seasons in the National Football League.

He is widely considered to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and among the greatest NFL players overall.

There is an interesting anecdote on how he became such.

In Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know, author John C. Maxwell relates this story:

“People who know him well say he is natural. Physically his God-given gifts are incredible, yet those alone have not made him great. The real key to his success has been his self-discipline. He works and prepares -- day in and day out -- unlike anyone else in professional football.

“During practice in high school, Rice’s coach, Charles Davis, made his players sprint twenty times up and down a forty-yard hill. On a particularly hot and hungry Mississippi day, Rice was ready to give up after eleven trips. As he sneaked toward the locker room, he realized what he was doing. “’Don’t quit,’ he told himself. ‘Because once you get into that mode of quitting, then you feel like it’s okay.’ He went back and finished his sprints, and he has never been a quitter since.”

And so, Rice became a professional football player -- and was so famous, too. “Even in the off-season, while other players are fishing or lying around enjoying downtime, Rice is working, his normal exercise routine lasting from 7:00 am to noon,” Maxwell wrote.

Discipline -- that’s what separates Rice from good to great. Leonardo da Vinci puts it this way: “You will never

have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself... the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. ...And this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others.”

According to Maxwell, in order for us to develop a lifestyle of discipline, we have to accept challenge and eliminate any tendency that makes us to come up with some excuses.

“Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them,” French classical writer Francois La Rochefoucauld wrote.

In creative writing, discipline is a prerequisite. Michael Chabon said, “You need three things to become a successful novelist: talent, luck and discipline. Discipline is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.”

This is what author H. Jackson Brown said, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

“No success was won without self- determination and self-discipline,” wrote Lailah Gifty Akita in Pearls of Wisdom: Great Mind. William Cullen Bryant rewrote Thanatopsis a hundred times. Edward Gibbon rewrote his Autobiography nine times. Plato wrote the first sentence of his Republic nine times. Virgil spent 12 years writing his Aeneid.

Practice makes perfect, so goes a popular saying. That is what discipline is all about. “I believe that we learn by practice,” Martha Graham, American modern dancer and choreographer, believes. “Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same.

“In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes the shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit,” Graham further said.

“One becomes, in some areas, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also said: “It is a mistake to

think that the practice of my art has become easy to me. I assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I have not frequently and diligently studied.”

When asked by a fellow pianist if he could be ready to play a recital on short notice, Jan Paderewski replied, “I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily for 40 years.”

“I wish I had been born with such determination,” the other said. Paderewski answered back: “We are all born with it. I just used mine.”

Even if in the beginning you fail, just go on. Discipline yourself no matter what happens, you will be able to attain what you want. An assistant of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was bewildered when he found out that he did 50,000 experiments before he succeeded with a new storage battery.

“Results?” Edison told him.

“Why man, I have gotten lots of results. I now know 50,000 things that won’t work.” “... A disciplined pursuit of less will keep us focused and make the greatest impact,” wrote Tim Hiller in Strive: Life is Short, Pursue What Matters.

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

EXPLOITING DAVAO GULF’S TUNA Commercial tuna fishing in Davao Gulf did not formally take off until December 1936, four months shy of Davao’s cityhood, when Davao Fishery, Inc., a Japanese-owned company was launched with specific intent to explore and exploit the tuna resources of the bay. A major aspect of the event was the unveiling of new fishing methods by Japanese fishermen.

Except for the launch Nena, with a gross tonnage (GT) of 23.03, eight smaller tuna crafts below four tons comprised the 1937 tuna fleet. Only the Lamidan, with 4.41 GT, was not Japanese owned. The other boats with equivalent tonnages were Meding, 2.78 GT; Mabine, 2.94 GT; Mayon, 2.97 GT; Mucho, 1.47 GT; Bareles, 2.97 GT; Padada, 2.96 GT; and Talomo, 2.28 GT. Some of the motorboats employed Boholano labor, who were paid from P12 to P18 monthly and provided free food. The Japanese fishermen,

meanwhile, were paid on partition basis.

After deducting expenses and maintenance costs, they got 60 percent of the net income while the boat owner got the remaining 40 percent.

Motorboat Nena, the largest in the fleet, started operating right from the start of the tuna fishing venture. Records show its biggest haul was recorded in June 1937 with 14,513 kilograms but it experienced decline until September due to the failure to catch herring, tamban, in the gulf for use as bait. In the catching big yellowfins, fishermen used the long line method.

Awareness about the rich tuna fishing grounds in the gulf was first reported in 1929 by an American who, upon getting enough details were to source herrings for bait, went to San Diego, California, to convince tuna packers in the area to invest in opening a tuna canning plant in Malita, Davao Occidental. Sadly, nothing was heard

about the plan after that.

Five years later, Philippine Packing Corp., using an advanced fishing vessel named Defender, conducted a survey of the gulf in the hope of finding a tuna source for their plant at Bogo, Misamis Oriental. Nothing substantial in terms of assessment came out of the exploration. That same year, the fishing boat Shonan Maru, owned by the Formosan (Taiwanese) government, dropped by the port of Davao while conducting a tuna survey in the Celebes Sea. This unexpected visit was instructive. The boat’s technicians shared data with the Japanese fishermen about the potentials of tuna fisheries.

The chanced encounter provided the inspiration for the future exploitation of the tuna resources inside the gulf.

Claro Martin, of the Bureau of Science in Manila, in an article (‘Tuna Fishery and Longline Fishing in Davao Gulf, Philippines’) published in The

Philippine Journal of Science (1938), wrote that the bay was home to two commercial species of tuna, the tuliñgan (skipjack) and the bareles (yellowfin), known in Japan as itoshibi and scientifically known as Neothunnus macropterus.

Some scientists, though, disagreed, saying the Davao yellowfin tuna is “a new and distinct species” with elongated second dorsal and anal. It was given a new name as Neothunnus itoshibi.

Martin also identified the principal fishing ground and the limitation or disadvantage involved in not being able to catch bigger fish in the gulf.

The main fishing ground for yellowfins is the eastern two-thirds of the entrance to the [Davao] Gulf from off Monserrat [Gov. Generoso, Davao Oriental] to within twenty miles south of Cape San Agustin. The western part of the entrance of the [Davao] Gulf did not prove to be a good fishing ground for yellowfin. It was

found that more yellowfins could be caught further outside the Gulf, but on account of the size of the craft the operation is limited to within a radius of twenty miles from Port San Agustin.

Fresh tuna catches from the gulf, upon return to the port, were transferred to a cold storage warehouse owned by Davao Ice Plant Company before these were distributed to retail vendors who bought the yellowfins at from thirty to thirty-five centavos per kilo and sold them to customers at from fifty to sixty centavos per kilo.

There was a recommendation to open a tuna canning plant in Davao but this was quashed given that the fresh fish catches hauled by the fleet to the port were mostly sold in the local markets. Eighty percent of the skipjacks, yellowfins, and spearfish (dugso in Cebuano) landed in Davao at the time were consumed by Japanese residents.

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LIFESTYLE

CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION PROFESSIONAL HOME ORGANIZER AND ‘NEAT OBSESSIONS’ AUTHOR, ISSA GUICO REYES, SHARES TIPS ON HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY. ONE of the biggest trends in 2021 is pantry organization. If you still haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, you might want to think beyond the fad and focus on the benefits of having a neat and clutter-free pantry.

Case in point, avoiding duplicates and wastage. It’s easy for things to get lost and forgotten in the back or under a pile of boxes and packages. Getting your supplies sorted out will give you visual clarity on what you actually have and what you need, as well as what needs to go and what can be repurposed so nothing goes to waste. This way, you get to save money on groceries. Moreover, having easy-to-navigate cupboards and shelves will make meal preparation and cooking faster and easier—thus, saving your time and energy.

“The goal of organizing is not always to make a space aesthetically pleasing. It’s about establishing a system, so that everyone who uses the space will be able to move efficiently,” explains Issa Guico Reyes, a professional home organizer, KonMari consultant-in-training, and mother of three.

This author of the best-selling book, Neat Obsessions, is the go-to specialist of homemakers—celebrities included—who are looking for practical solutions to make their place more orderly and functional.

Getting started Issa says it’s necessary to put some thought into how you organize your supplies. Every zone and grouping should have a rhyme and a reason that’s attuned to your lifestyle and how you operate around the house.

So, what’s first on the to-do list? Sort and categorize your pantry supplies.

“Sorting is putting everything you own into general categories, so when time comes that you need a specific item, you won’t waste precious time searching the entire mess just to find one small item.”

“Identify the items needed on a daily basis and the ones that are only used weekly or less often. Items that are needed daily must be more accessible to you.

Make sure to take note of the expiry dates to avoid wastage.”

Baskets, bins, and jars Designating goods into zones and containers make for easy identification and navigation.

This is where storage solutions and containers come in handy.

But, before you add to cart, it’s best to take inventory of your items first and keep in mind how much space you have. For good measure, you also need to consider the storage requirements of your pantry staples.

According to Issa, one of the most common mistakes people make is buying organizers before sorting out the supplies. “As a result, sometimes the items don’t fit the allotted space— hence making it challenging to establish a system.”

“Baskets and organizing bins are practical and useful,” she adds. “Place items of the same category in one basket or bin.

If there are only a few items in a specific category and the basket’s space can still accommodate more, then place other items which go together—such as pasta and sauce—and label them accordingly.”

Jars, on the other hand, serve as good decanters. “I decant items which can be measured, such as sugar, flour, beans, cereals, etc. Decanting in jars is useful, most especially when you

don’t want to deal with boxes and containers of different shapes. Just like with baskets and bins, label the jars accordingly by brand (if applicable), name of product, and expiry date.”

Issa also recommends clear bins and containers. “You can use them to sort perishable items in the open shelving of the refrigerator. They also make it easier for you to see everything that’s stored at the back of the fridge.”

Refrigerated items Don’t just place your perishable goods in random places inside the refrigerator. Instead, make use of the built-in zones designed for each type of beverage and food.

“There are specific areas for bottles, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc. Placing our supplies in their proper zones will not only help keep the fridge organized, it will also help preserve the food longer. Vegetables and fruits may be stored in reusable produce bags to keep them fresh and to avoid moisture.”

At home, Issa makes it a point to unbox leftover or take-

cannot accommodate the excess items. For example, there’s no use in buying a lot if your refrigerator and pantry cannot hold all of your supplies.”

“It’s best to detach our feelings of fear and panic when we do grocery shopping. Because of these feelings, we tend to overspend and buy things that we don’t really need or are unhealthy. Be mindful of what your household needs and responsibly manage the food you have. When you think about it, you really don’t need a lot.

If you really want to avoid going out too much, then buy more of those items which won’t spoil easily.”

out food and transfer them into clear containers with lids before storing them in the fridge. “This way, we can immediately see what’s inside. It also makes it easy for us to heat the food in the microwave when needed.”

Mindful shopping A well-stocked pantry doesn’t mean we need to fill the shelves to the brim. There is no need to buy items that won’t serve their purpose in our homes, nor is it wise to hoard perishable goods. Plan your meals and be mindful of your inventory and purchases.

As Issa puts it, “Too much is when your budget and space

Long-term sustainability How do we make the system sustainable and doable for every member of the family, including kids?

“Involve to evolve,” Issa suggests. “Get the entire household into the process by showing them where you place the items—all properly labelled.

Place your kids’ snacks in an area that’s accessible to them.

Or, if you don’t want them to see all the stocks or consume everything at once, manage these by placing only the ‘fortoday’ snacks in a small bin. Be creative in involving your kids and in maintaining a system.”

Visit www.neatobsessions. com or follow @neatobsessions on Instagram to find more organizing inspo or watch videos of real-life home edits. To order a copy of the Neat Obsessions book, simply send a message to @agooddayretail on Instagram.

Photos courtesy of Issa Guico Reyes.

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AGRITRENDS

RAISING TILAPIA IN BACKYARD PONDS

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

T

he coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has adversely affected many Filipinos. No one is spared as the disease is no respecter. Whether a person is rich or poor, he or she can be infected with the dreaded virus.

As the country continues its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgency to address the needs of the communities to have a stable and sustainable protein source. Pork, the most readily available source of meat, is beyond the reach of most Filipinos as the country is also suffering from the African swine fever.

Thus, the most practical way of addressing the protein needs of Filipinos is through fish, the second staple food. Farmers, who are also greatly affected by the pandemic, can increase disposable income by raising tilapia in their backyard.

This is what the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) had in mind when it launched the Backyard Tilapia Farming Project under the component 3 of the GALING-PCAARRD Kontra COVID-19.

“The project is designed to improve the capacities of the poor to develop and implement livelihood activities during the post lockdown period,” PCAARRD said in its information bulletin No.

109/2020. “By doing so, the project aims to ensure that the poor will be able to address their basic food needs in terms of fish protein requirement, tilapia being considered as the ‘aquatic chicken’ in aquaculture.”

In addition, the project wants to promote environment-friendly culture techniques for tilapia farming, specifically on growing the fish in earthen ponds and on the minimal use of commercial feeds.

Ten fisherfolk households from Laguna and another 10 from Batangas were selected as backyard tilapia farmer cooperators. Those selected have 100-400 square meter ponds with enough supply of water year round either coming from a river, stream, deep well, or irrigation canal or from rainfall during the wet season. They also agreed to undergo tilapia culture and processing training.

Actually, the project was patterned after the former Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) and PLAN-Philippines project called Fish for Every Fam-

ily.

“The (current) project aims to emulate the success of establishing over 400 tilapia fishponds varying in size from 50 to 200 square meters from 2004 to 2006 in five poor provinces covered

by PLAN-Philippines,” the bulletin explained. “These are Isabela, Pangasinan, Oriental Mindoro, Southern Leyte, and Western Samar.”

The bulletin provides step-by-step methods of tilapia grow-out culture in fishpond. “Tilapia farming in ponds is a very popular method,” it stated. “A pond is a small area of still, fresh water, and no more than 1.8 meter deep.”

Site preparation: The pond site should be thoroughly cleared of all the trees and bushes, including their roots. No wooden materials should be left because these will rot and cause leaks. The fishpond bottom is sun-dried

before the actual start of the culture period.

Pond excavation and dikes construction: The excavation work within the area marked for the pond bottom can be carried out either manually or mechanically.

Pond construction becomes economical if earthen dikes are made around the pond using the excavated soil from the pond bed.

Dikes must be well compacted to make them stable, and the top should be flat to render them accessible to small vehicles when needed.

It is recommended to grow short, creeping grass on the top and sides of the dike.

Trees are not desirable since shade inhibits the productivity of the pond.

Water inlet structure: For small ponds, the best inlet structure is a polyvinyl chloride (pvc) pipe of about 10 centimeters in diameter with a control tap

and a screen basket. The downstream end of the pipe should be 30-40 centimeters above the water level. A sluice is also suitable for this purpose, especially for larger ponds.

A screen is also fixed to check the entry of undesirable fishes and other aquatic organisms. The pond elevation should be sloped to where the catch basin (a square concrete) is located.

This serves as a catch area during pond draining.

Maintenance and repair: Earthen dikes are susceptible to weathering and need period inspection. Paying attention to and fixing minor damages regularly helps avoid costly repairs later on.

When repairing gates and screens, check all gates and pipes for broken slabs and parts. Repair screens to prevent predators and pests from entering the pond system. When repairing dikes, check all dikes for leakages and seepages.

Pond preparation: This is the first step towards ensuring better production of tilapias in ponds. The pond bottom should be compacted and levelled.

Pond drying: It is recommended to dry the pond bottom until the soil cracks and until the soil is firm enough to hold one’s weight without sinking. This is to eliminate undesirable species

9

and predators, oxidation of harmful chemical substances, and mineralization of organic matter. It is necessary to remove harmful chemicals for these will adversely affect tilapia growth and survival.

Pond fertilization: Either inorganic or organic fertilizers such as manure, compost, or even vermicast may be used. The nutrients and organic matter content of manure helps increase the water holding capacity of the soil, decrease the rate of evaporation, and increase enzymatic activity. All of which increase fertility and yield.

Fertilizer application by broadcasting: In applying inorganic fertilizers, it should be dissolved in buckets containing pond water and then splashed over the whole pond surface.

Stocking of fingerlings: The fingerlings are conditioned at least 12-24 hours prior to dispersal. They are placed in hapa-in-concrete holding tanks with no feeding.

Stocking of uniformly sized fingerlings is done before 7 in the morning or after sundown when the water temperature is low. Fingerlings must be properly conditioned or acclimatized for 20 minutes before stocking to minimize stress.

Feeds and feeding: Ad-

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vaccines, and 665 had Pfizer vaccines.

A number of senior citizens in the city were inoculated with the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccines with a total of 37,722 while 10,090 were injected with Pfizer vaccines and 5,966 received Sinovac jabs.

The first dose of the Sinovac vaccines was given to 11,825 persons with comorbidities while AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines were administered

to 6,670 and 552 A3 individuals, respectively.

Villafuerte said fewer Dabawenyos availed of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. Of the total 21,550 inoculated with the second dose, 20,679 came from the A1 priority group, 861 from the A2 group, and 10 from the A3 grouo. The first dose vaccination for A1 and A2 listed individuals started earlier while the A3 vaccination began about two weeks ago.

He said some of the applicants admitted they did not undergo a swab test but still submitted the fake document. They said they paid P500 for the fake RTPCR result.

Some of the applicants were also subjected to a swab test but unaware that the RT-PCR results they submitted are fake.

“Nagbigay na ako ng instruction na yung mga aplikante na sinadyang mag-submit ng pekeng RTPCR result ay hindi lang i-disqualify kundi kasuhan na rin. Ito yung sinasabi natin na dapat salain maigi ang mga papasok sa PNP dahil kung ngayon pa lang na gumawa na sila ng kalokohan, sigurado na magiging sakit ng ulo ito sa PNP kapag naging pulis na ang mga ito,” he said.

Eleazar also directed the PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) to conduct operations against those who are involved in producing and selling fake RT-PCR in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

“We are now conducting investigation to identify all those involved in this, including the personnel of the medical facility which issued the fake RT-PCR results and the signatories in the falsified document, and

my instruction is to charge and arrest them all para hindi na makapang-loko pa,” Eleazar added.

The aggressive reform in the PNP Recruitment System is a long-term internal cleansing measure initiated

by PGen Eleazar under the Intensified Cleanliness Policy when he assumed the top post in May 8 this year in a move to demolish the culture of corruption and padrino system in the PNP Recruitment System.

He said the anomalous recruitment system is one of the major roots of the culture of abuse and wrongdoings among a few members of the PNP who entered the police service in irregular ways.

“Our recruitment process under CORES (Comprehensive Online Recruitment Encrypting System ) works on a concept of honesty, integrity and trust in the system. If you cannot respect our recruitment process, then you have no place in our organization,” Eleazar further said.

The CORES uses a QR Code System for all PNP applicants to ensure that the entry of those who want to be policemen would be purely based on qualifications.

For this year, the PNP will be recruiting about 17,000 policemen.

disaster management, traffic management, and even operating expenses.

Ungab, who authored the House version, said the creation of the MDDA will allow for a more coordinated development in the Davao Region’s rapidly urbanizing areas.

Under the proposed bill, the MDDA’s fund will come from the national annual budget as well as contributions from the local budget of the covered towns and cities.

Meanwhile, Senator RonaldM.delaRosasuggested adding the municipalities of Hagonoy, Padada, Malalag, and Sta. Maria, all in his home province of Davao del Sur. He cited their locations are near within the Metro Davao area, which will be along the Davao Gulf.

Go said Ungab did not object to the said inclusion.

The MDDA will be similar to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in the capital region. By Maya M. Padillo

in-kind assistance, and capacitating them with seminars and training on basic entrepreneurship skills.

“Given all the calamities we experience in Davao del Sur, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the livelihood seeding program of DTI provides an opportunity for our micro, small and medium enterprises to restore their businesses through the provision of livelihood starter kits,” stated Maria Victoria Placer, OIC provincial director of DTI Davao del Sur. Placer said, “We want

to empower our entrepreneurs in these barangays and provide them opportunities to scale up their businesses leading towards the achievement of our goals of inclusive growth in DTI.” For this year, she bared that they target to visit 20 barangays in the province and distribute 220 livelihood starter kits to qualified MSMEs. “This year, we are taking the challenge to reach farther barangays like Barangay Kimlawis in Kiblawan,” Placer said. (PIA-XI, Carina L. Cayon)

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Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and the provincial government.

Jubahib has arranged housing projects, with the help of the National Housing Authority and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, in Sitio Dulian and Sitio Tibukag, Barangay Dagohoy in Talaingod town for rescued IPs. “From around 1,500 IPs that were taken into the Haran compound in 2014 to 2015, we now only have some 150 left. It has been a long process for the rescue operations because we are doing it legally,” Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry “Agila” Division G-7 commander, Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, said in the same

forum.

Psychological interventions in the form of counseling follow rescue efforts as the IPs suffer from stress and anxiety and have suicidal tendencies.

Some children have also died due to unsanitary living conditions.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary and NTFELCAC spokesperson Lorraine Badoy said it is vital that Filipinos are aware of the atrocities by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and their allies in Congress, like partylist Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna and Sarah Elago of Kabataan.

South Cotabato, General Santos, Cotabato City, and Western Visayas.

“In some LGUs (local government units) in Mindanao, the hospital utilization rate is already

high so this is very concerning,” David said. “In Davao City, the hospitals are not yet full but the increase in cases is concerning.

Increase in cases need to be slowed down.” (PNA)

The approval came after Mayor Sara Duterte requested the national IATF to elevate the city to a higher quarantine status instead of general

community quarantine (GCQ) to allow a circuit breaker in the surge of patients inside Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC)

UCCP Haran organizers without parental consent.

Cases were also filed in relation to the death of two infants while in UCCP-Haran last year.

Covid-19 reportedly killed an eight-month-old while another was due to squalid conditions.

Hiding the condition and cause of death of the children also placed the lives of other IPs inside UCCP Haran in danger, Bosantog said.

“Furthermore, we have children coming from UCPP Haran who actually filed cases against the people who recruited them, who brought them

to UCCP Haran. During their movement to UCCP Haran and to other parts of the country, they were organized by Karapatan,” Bosantog said.

The children, according to Bosantog, were issued Bayan Muna identification cards before boarding their flights.

“They were actually taught how to do ambush, how to do explosives and bombs training, how to actually recover wounded and dead cadres that were part of encounters and they were actually were part of several encounters. Some of these children were trained as medic,” he narrated.

help them),” she assured.

Currently, the I-FWD PH program is on its second batch as the first batch started and finished last year, 2020.

Furthermore, DOST regularly partners with

the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) when it comes to Micro, Small, Medium, Entrepreneurs (MSMEs). For the beneficiaries who need help in business registration or marketing, DOST refers them to DTI.

year.

TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña earlier said the move is the safest way to distribute the scholars’ allowances without them getting exposed to the risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

He also considers this a more efficient mode, since it has a shorter processing time.

Meanwhile, last June

7, Mynt has formalized its partnership with AirAsia Philippines, enabling passengers to make contactless payments.

“Working with AirAsia to provide a more convenient option to pay for (flight) bookings is the start of our tourism play. We want to make sure that GCash is available in the places (where people are) traveling to,” Sazon said. (PNA)

Department believes “the Philippines needs to balance its economic stability in terms of energy security

while at the same time how do we transition towards low-carbon energy development.”

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ditional feeds may be needed if plankton growth is not enough and fish growth is slow. Fish growth can be checked by measuring the fishes’ weight during a scheduled sampling. Feeds are broadcast into the pond, usually on the same part of the pond in order to train the fish to feed. An active feeding response is a good indication of healthy fishes.

Sampling: The increase in the fish’s body weight is used as a basis in determining the amount of feeds required. Thus, regular fish weight sampling is recommended. To get a representative population, a case net is thrown to a school of fish

attracted by feeding. The bulk weight is recorded, fishes are counted, and the body weight is divided by the number of fishes.

Harvesting: The tilapia produce is harvested in about three to four months of culture with supplemental feeding.

“Beyond the pandemic, the project hopes to provide the selected marginalized communities with science and technology (S&T) knowledge that can be passed down from generations and better opportunities and additional income,” said PCAARRD, a line agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

points to help Phoenix hold the 10-point halftime lead.

Jokic scored 15 prior to the break for Denver.

Dario Saric knocked down a 3-pointer for the final

points of the first quarter to give the Suns a 25-21 lead.

He connected on another trey to give Phoenix a 35-25 advantage with 8:32 remaining in the half.

93-69 victory.

“Rey has been our captain and eldest member of the team so his maturity has been a stabilizing force in our group. He’s also an excellent three-point shooter who has a scorer’s mentality so he has become a reliable source of points,” said Baldwin.

“We will miss his leadership and scoring punch in the team.”

With this development, Isaac Go and Mike Nieto are the only 2019 draftees still available for the squad. Allyn Bulanadi is still recovering from a shoulder injury, and Matt Nieto recently suffered a broken hand.

But Baldwin is counting on the team’s “next man up” mentality to come to the fore as they continue gearing up for the qualifiers, which takes place on

June 16 to 20 in Clark.

“As a national team, you always believe that you have the talent to replace fallen players. We’re currently looking at Jordan Heading and Jaydee Tungcab to step into the vacancy left by Rey’s injury,” said Baldwin.

“Jordan provides excellent shooting and some ball handling skills while Jaydee is an outstanding open court player who is also a tenacious defender,” he added.

Heading and Tungcab were both part of the most recent batch of selections from the Gilas Draft.

“We are hoping that the impact on the team’s leadership will be minimized by more players stepping up and becoming more vocal, on and off the court,” Baldwin said.

cannot take responsibility for lost lives, and the prime minister is not sufficiently aware of it.”

Suga also vowed to vacci-

nate all of Japan’s citizens by November. The country has reported 765,619 coronavirus cases, including 13,743 deaths, so far. (Anadolu)

Tolentino said. “Athletes are also preparing for the Asian Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and Winter Olympics next year.

So it’s very difficult for the SEA Games to be postponed.”

Only Vietnam and Myanmar, which is currently in the midst of a political unrest, were in favor of the postponement, while Laos abstained.

Tolentino bared that Vietnam was hesitant on postponing the games be-

cause infrastructure-wise, everything is now set.

“But the pandemic has raised the alarm,” he said.

“The final decision will be known next week,” Tolentino said.

Chef de mission Mon Fernandez, on the other hand, said he will respect whatever decision Vietnam will make.

He believes that a postponement might even favor the Filipino athletes in terms of training and Covid-19 vaccination.

able energy sources that offer variable outputs, with an energy storage system that ensures overall electricity generation matches demand.

He said Amber Kinetic’s technology offers an option that can provide a more reliable power supply, at less cost, especially in those rural areas with unreliable grid

infrastructure, or in those islands that are now heavily reliant on diesel generators and biofuels for their electricity requirements.

“DBP views this as a timely and responsive initiative that directly addresses the growing demand for new power sources fueled largely by our expanding national economy,” Herbosa said.

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Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul passes the ball against the Denver Nuggets in the second half during game two in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Phoenix Suns Arena. Reuters.

Suns crush Nuggets for 2-0 lead Vietnam to decide on C SEAG fate next week hris Paul recorded 17 points and 15 assists without committing a turnover, helping the Phoenix Suns roar to a 123-98 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Devin Booker scored a team-best 18 points and collected 10 rebounds for the Suns, who have won five consecutive postseason games.

Phoenix won the first two games of this series by an average of 21 points.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s newly selected Most Valuable Player, had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists despite sitting out the

entire fourth quarter.

Game 3 of the best-of-7 series will be played Friday night in Denver.

Mikal Bridges scored 16 points and Deandre Ayton added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who shot 47.9 percent from the field and were 18 of 38 (47.4 percent) from 3-point range.

Jae Crowder tallied 11 points and reserve Torrey Craig had

10 for Phoenix.

Denver’s Will Barton played for the first time since injuring his right hamstring on April 23, and he scored 10 points in 16 minutes. Michael Porter Jr., who played despite a back ailment, had just 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting, making just 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

Paul Millsap contributed 11 points for the Nuggets, who made 40 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 14 of 43 (32.6 percent) from behind the arc.

Phoenix led 52-42 at halftime and then exploded in the first two minutes of the third quarter.

Crowder buried two 3-pointers and Ayton scored

the other four points during a 10-1 burst that boosted the lead to 19.

Paul later knocked down a jumper to increase the Suns’ lead to 69-48 with 6:57 left in the stanza. The advantage reached 22 late in the quarter before Phoenix settled for an 86-67 cushion entering the fourth.

Paul drained a 3-pointer to push the Suns’ lead to 10275 with 8:36 left.

Cameron Johnson and Bridges hit back-to-back 3-pointers to increase the margin to a game-high 31 just before the midway point of the quarter.

Earlier, Booker scored 13

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ippines, voted against the proposal.

On why he voted no, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino said the athletes are already thinking about the biennial meet and that a hefty PHP200 million budget has been set for it.

“It’s unfair to the athletes who have already sacrificed their time and effort in training for the SEA Games,”

countries, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Initially planned to be held in 2020 summer, Tokyo Olympics has been delayed by a year due to the raging pandemic which forced governments to close borders to stem the spread of infections.

Enforcing stricter measures to avoid spread of the infection due to the Tokyo Olympics when it starts this July, the organizers barred international visitors from attending the games in Japan.

Rigorous health measures are in place for participants throughout the games to avoid getting in contact with the infection while glob-

al positioning system will be utilized to monitor movement of participants to nab pandemic protocol breakers.

Japan had earlier planned to allow 180,000 visitors but that number was halved.

“Protecting the lives and safety of the people is my responsibility,” said Suga, who leads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

However, Yukio Edano, the leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan replied to Suga in parliament: “You cannot make up for lives once they are lost. Politics

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Japan to go ahead with Tokyo Olympics J

The Philippine Olympic boxing team.

T

he Vietnamese government now has the final say on whether the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games will push through as scheduled or not amid the continued surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in its capital Hanoi.

The SEA Games Federation met on Wednesday virtually to discuss the idea of postponing it to next year, but members from eight countries, including the Phil-

apan on Wednesday vowed to go ahead with Tokyo Olympics amid opposition that the world’s biggest games should be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I want to send out from Japan a message that the world has confronted the difficulties brought on by the novel coronavirus and overcome them by uniting,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told parliament.

Suga said his government will further reduce the number of Olympic officials, workers and press members coming in to Japan for the tournament from foreign

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12 SPORTS Rey Suerte suffered an injury during Gilas Pilipinas practice at the Inspire Sports Academy. Photo courtesy of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 75 • FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

UNLUCKY SUERTE Dabawenyo Gilas captain Rey Suerte likely to miss FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers with ankle injury

T

he Philippine men’s national basketball team suffered another setback as Dabawenyo team captain Rey Suerte sustained an ankle sprain following Wednesday’s practice.

It is uncertain if the native of Maco, Davao del Norte who also suited up for the University of Mindanao in Davao City prior to taking his talents to Ceb (University of the Visayas) and Manila (University of the East) will get to suit up for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark, Pampanga, as well as the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.

“The swelling is significant,” according to Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin.

“He was recently designated as our team captain, so this is not good news at all,” he added. “It’s unfortunate, because he was also doing very well in practice.”

According to Gilas Pilipinas trainer Dexter Aseron, Suerte miscalculated his landing after jumping for a rebound,

and added unnecessary weight on his ankle.

Based on Aseron’s initial assessment, Suerte suffered a Grade 2 or Grade 3 sprain.

“It could take one to two weeks to recover,” said Aseron. “We’re hoping there will be no fractures when he gets his x-ray.”

Suerte, the second pick in the 2019 “Gilas Draft,” missed the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers against Indonesia in February 2020. But he started both of the Philippines’ games against Thailand last November.

In the first game, a 93-61 triumph for Gilas, Suerte had nine points on four-of-eight shooting. In the second game, he tallied four points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a

FUNLUCKY, P10