Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 94 | Saturday, July 3, 2021

WHEN WATER CAUSES DISEASES AND DEATHS HEALTH P9 VOL.14 ISSUE 94 • SATURDAY, JULY 03, 2021

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A worker brushes off dirt from a used tire to before displaying it at a store selling tires and car accessories along E. Quirino Avenue in Davao City on Friday.

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FAITH IN JABS Vaccine acceptance among Dabawenyos increasing: CHO

STORY ON PAGE

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 94 • SATURDAY, JULY 03, 2021

A senior citizen from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office 11’s (DSWD 11) Home for the Aged in Tagum City receives his Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Eleven of the 39 senior citizens from the institution scheduled to be vaccinated got deferred due to their maintenance medicines but will later receive their jabs during the vaccination for the second dose. James Sawila/CIO Tagum

F FAITH IN JABS Vaccine acceptance among

DavOr prioritizes testing, tracing to bring down Covid-19 cases

Dabawenyos increasing: CHO

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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compliance sa tao is excellent.

Nagadugay-nagadugay, kini atong ongoing vaccination, nagadaghan ang nituo ani atong bakuna kontra Covid,” Lopez said.

As the city’s supply of Covid-19 vaccines is expected to increase within the month, the city

government of Davao has ramped up its vaccination drive with over 238,000 doses being administered to eligible individuals.

Based on the report of the Davao City Vaccination Cluster, as of June 28, 2021, a total of 238,236 doses have been administered, of which 196,886 were first doses while 41,350 were given as second doses.

Those fully vaccinated include 26,361 of the city’s healthcare workers or A1.

Of the senior citizens or A2,

70,952 have received their first dose, while 10,988 have been fully vaccinated. Among persons with comorbidities or A3, 80,859 have received their first jab, while 3,976 are already fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the city government of Davao also expanded its Covid-19 inoculation drive to the A4 group this week with 2,790 eligible individuals having received their first dose against Covid-19.

The said sector includes

neglected senior citizens who are staying at the Home for the Aged facility of DSWD XI got the opportunity to become protected from the deadly virus yesterday, June 30, 2021 with their first dose of Sinovac vaccine. 11 of the 50 total residents are deferred due to their health conditions/medicines but will still receive their jabs later during the vaccination

for the second dose.

Ms. Candelaria Tingson, the manager of the facility extends her gratefulness to the government particularly to the City Health Office (CHO) of Tagum for including the senior citizens at the center in this lifesaving initiative.

She further stated that the government sees everyone as equal despite

various differences in socio-economic status and therefore should receive equal social service such as vaccination to protect and save the lives of the most vulnerable in the society.

Likewise, the CHO of Tagum mobile vaccination team will continue its vaccination drive to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology located

ased on the number of vaccination sites and vaccine roll outs in Davao City, confidence in Covid-19 vaccines and to get vaccinated among Dabawenyos is growing.

Davao City Health Office (CHO) acting head Dr. Ashley Lopez said the vaccine acceptance among Dabawenyos has been notably increasing.

“General assessment is very good, the response of the people is very good.

Ang commitment and

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ood pack distribution, bringing home of stranded residents, and aggressive testing and contact tracing were some of the proactive measures instituted by Davao Oriental amid the continuing fight against Covid-19.

In his virtual State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Wednesday, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said that following the onset of the outbreak last year and along with quarantine protocols, they implemented border controls and activated “Oplan Sundo” to rescue stranded residents, consisting mostly of students and residents who lost their jobs.

“We also aided locally stranded residents, mostly Returning Overseas Filipinos, thru the Hatid Tulong Program and assisted stranded foreign nationals and their families,” he said in his SOPA. Dayanghirang said they

prioritized food security at the height of the pandemic, with three waves of food packs benefitting 190,000 families.

Telemedicine, a Covid-19 hotline for mental health consultation, and free accommodation and transportation for healthcare providers at the Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center were also provided to live up to their mantra “No Losses in Diseases”, Dayanghirang said.

Davao Oriental, which is celebrating its 54th founding anniversary Thursday, was among the first in Mindanao to acquire reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction test kits, roll out the extensive mandatory testing, conduct training on contact tracing and swab testing, and institutionalize contact tracing teams down to local government units (LGUs), all of which helped in the early detection and

at barangay Canocotan next week to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to persons deprived of liberty.

Meanwhile, Tagum will be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine starting today, July 1 despite the on-going aggressive vaccination drive. This after Davao region recorded a spike on its COVID-19 cases.

However, the local government unit remains hopeful that everything will be back to normal after logging 92% completion on health care workers, 46% completion on senior citizens, 5,313 persons vaccinated under persons with comorbidities priority groups for first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Ziyarah Manalo/CIO Tagum

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Tagum’s Home for the Aged senior citizens get COVID-19 vaccine jab

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n its quest to achieve herd immunity and to protect the most vulnerable, the City Government of Tagum partnered up once again with the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office Region XI in vaccinating senior citizens housed in their Home for the Aged facility in barangay Visayan Village.

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NEWS

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Governor Nelson Dayanghirang interacts with members of the media in this undated photo. The governor has highlighted the measures instituted by the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental amid the continuing fight against Covid-19 during his virtual State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Wednesday. Edge Davao

20 establishments face lockdown

Troops confiscate 42 guns in Sarangani Province ops

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total of 42 firearms were retrieved in the continuing focused military operation in Maitum town, Sarangani Province on Thursday (July 1).

Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) spokesman Col. Alaric Avelino delos Santos said that members from 38th Infantry Battalion (IB) were able to confiscate 42 homemade shotguns from various personalities while they were operating in

barangays Batian and Zion in Maitum town.

Delos Santos said that the guns have been recovered from the possession of personalities believed to be members of “Militiang Bayan” under Platoon West of the New People’s Army’s Guerilla Front Musa, Far South Mindanao Region.

All confiscated firearms were brought to 38th IB headquarters in Kamanga, Maasim, Sarangani Province

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Early school registration nets 239T enrollees for 2021-2022

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epartment of Education spokesperson Jenielito Atillo reported that DepEd 11 has secured a total of 239,000 enrollees in Davao Region for the school year 2021-2022 during early registration in May 2021.

Atillo said for kindergarten, there are a total of 52,713 enrollees; 82,419 for Grade 1; 62,353 for Grade 7; and 41,515 for Grade 11, making it a total of 239, 000 for the entire region.

“Mao ni atong resulta or epekto sa atoang early registration nga

nakatabang ug dako sa among idea of what kind of school year are we going to face when we enter school year 20212022,” he said.

Atillo added that DepEd 11 will still open an enrolment period for those who were not able to catch up with the early registration schedule.

However, the date or schedule will depend on the final schedule of the opening of classes that will be announced

by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ang date niana is,

FEARLY, P10

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he Davao City Anti-Covid Task Force will be implementing lockdown on 20 establishments due to significant number of Covid-19 cluster cases based on the assessment by the city government district health officers.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Task Force Covid-19 Davao City, said in an interview during the Madayaw Morning over the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR), said based also on assessment, the said establishments violated the health protocols.

“On the protocols being violated, if there are increasing cases of Covid-19 in an office or establishment it is safe to assume that the workers must have failed to follow minimum health protocols,” Schlosser said in a text message.

Schlosser said that

the city government is checking the arrangements of workplaces, observance of the health protocols, work arrangements, and social distancing.

She added that there might be the possibility of poor ventilation, alternative work arrangement and building structure of the aforementioned that contributed to the significant number of cases.

Schlosser said that there is a chance that

the lockdown of the 20 establishments will be postponed if the managements will follow the guidelines and will only be advised to disinfect and conduct swab tests for all close contacts.

Last month, the city government placed BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) companies under lockdown due to high cases of Covid-19. Recently, the city lifted the lockdown of but these companies (BPO companies) will be monitored every two weeks.

Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy to Saudi Arabia Robert E. A. Borje, who arrived in the Kingdom for an official visit.

In the meeting, Borje expressed hope for greater cooperation with GCC and its member states as the Philippines rebounds from the pandemic.

Borje said he is optimistic that a much deeper collaboration with GCC and member states will help further spur and sustain lasting development

in Mindanao, particularly in BARMM. The Philippines, he said, has instituted reforms to make the region a preferred investment destination.

He said the GCC and its member states can play the role of vital partners as BARMM proceeds with governance and growth.

Economic development, he said, is important to address long-standing social issues such as peace and security in the Southern Philippines.

GCC’s support is vital

in order to realize the development potentials of BARMM, he added.

Al-Hajraf said he would be happy to explore greater GCC cooperation with the Philippines, including the establishment of a formal coordinating mechanism for trade and investments and economic partnership.

The GCC values its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and its member states and has been facilitating investments

Gulf Cooperation Council backs initiatives for Mindanao dev’t

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he Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed its support for the Philippine government’s efforts to pursue just and lasting peace and development in Mindanao, stressing the Council is ready to work with stakeholders to foster pathways of cooperation and partnership to benefit the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

GCC Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf made the pronouncement during a meeting with

FGULF, P10

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 94 • SATURDAY, JULY 03, 2021

Labor Force Survey for May 2021 shows that the unemployment rate in May 2021 eased to 7.7 percent from 8.7 percent in April, while underemployment fell to its lower rate since 1987 at 12.3 percent. Edge Davao

Implementing rules of coco levy law takes effect —DOF T

PH economy ‘on the mend’ as unemployment eases

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he implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act (RA) No. 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act is now in effect, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Thursday.

The IRR took effect 15 working days after it was published in a newspaper of general circulation last June 10.

The RA No. 11524, signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in February, mandated the Philippine Coconut Authority to craft and submit the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) to the President for his approval.

The law also created the Trust Fund Management

Committee (TFMC), composed of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, to oversee the management and utilization of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund (CFITF).

During the TFMC’s inaugural meeting last June 17, Dominguez was elected as TFMC’s chairman, according to the DOF. “After many years of intense political debate, it was

only during the Duterte administration that the Coco Levy Law was finally enacted. This marks a promise fulfilled by the President who, in his 2019 SONA (State of the Nation Address), vowed to return these funds taken arbitrarily from the pockets of Filipinos back to its true owner,” Dominguez said.

The Finance chief also highlighted the numerous checks and balances imposed to ensure proper utilization of coco levy funds.

Among these are the following: • establishment of the Coconut Levy Asset Registry which shall serve as the repository of all information related to Coconut Levy Assets and shall be periodically updated

• monitoring the status of disbursements of Implementing Agencies in relation to CFIDP “It is now the task of the Trust Fund Management Committee to properly manage the coconut levy trust fund, which is estimated at P75 billion, so that it serves our strategic development goals,” Dominguez said.

The Trust Fund will manage around P75 billion in cash and assets for the benefits of the country’s millions of coconuts farmers, who contributed for many years to grow the amount.

After then President Ferdinand Marcos was dislodged from power in 1986, local coconut farmers sought the assistance of the Presi-

FRULES, P10

he country’s top economic managers said the easing of the unemployment rate and the generation of quality jobs for May this year point to improving economic conditions.

The Labor Force Survey for May 2021 showed that the unemployment rate in May 2021 eased to 7.7 percent from 8.7 percent in April, while underemployment fell to its lower rate since 1987 at 12.3 percent.

“These significant improvements point to an economy on the mend. As the economy was further reopened in the second half of May, more Filipinos were able to rejoin the labor force and earn sufficient income, as indicated by the lower underemployment rate,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and

Budget and Management Secretary Wendel Avisado said in a joint statement Thursday.

The economic managers added that 1.5 million jobs were created between April and May this year.

“Following the trend of recovery from the previous months, total employment remains above pre-Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) levels with a net job creation of 2.2 million since January 2020,” they said.

They are also optimistic that the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) and the faster rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination program will support the government’s target to grow the economy by 6 to 7 percent this year.

Some 829,662 economic front-liners under the A4 priority group have received

pino manufacturing sector following two consecutive months of contraction seen at the start of the second quarter,” IHS Markit economist Shreeya Patel said.

Patel added that declines in output, new orders, and employment eased in June while exports rose sharply.

The IHS Markit reported that demand for Philippine-produced goods grew for two straight months, with a growth rate last month stronger than the historical average.

However, while community quarantine measures eased in the NCR Plus, the modified enhanced community quarantine declared in other areas in the country led to weak domestic demand, the report added.

“It was not all good news in June, however, with MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) measures persisting and, in some instances, delaying the supply of inputs. Meanwhile, rising raw material and transportation costs

FECONOMY, P10

P6.49 billion from Bayanihan 2 PH manufacturing rebounds in June M unused as law expires: DBM

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ome P6.49 billion of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) remained unused, lower than the P9 billion earlier announced by Malacanang, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday. “[I]t may be best to use the P6.49 billion figure instead since this is based on the submission of the agencies to the DBM,” DBM Assis-

tant Secretary Rolando Toledo said in a mobile message.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. on Monday estimated the unused Bayanihan 2 funds at P9 billion, but expressed optimism that this will be obligated before the expiry of the law.

Bayanihan 2 expired on Wednesday, June 30, after an earlier extension passed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte signed Bayani-

han 2 or Republic Act 11494 in September 2020. It was originally set to end on December 19, 2020.

Latest data available on the DBM website indicate that out of the P141.595 billion special appropriations under Bayanihan 2, there were P6.487 billion unobligated as of June 25, 2021.

The Department of Education (DepEd) had the big-

FBILLION, P10

anufacturing conditions in the Philippines have rebounded towards the end of the second quarter, the IHS Markit Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reported Thursday.

The manufacturing index for June settled at 50.8 from 49.9 in May. Scores above 50 indicate improvement of the sector and lower than 50 reflect deterioration.

“June data highlighted a partial rebound in the Fili-

FPH, P10

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ECONOMY

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Cheap but reliable second hand bicycles from Japan are displayed and sold outside an establishment along Dacudao Avenue in Davao City. Edge Davao

Customs posts P5 billion collection surplus in June

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he Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday reported that it has collected a total of PHP52.447 billion in June, posting an 11.2 percent surplus.Based on the preliminary report from the BOC Financial Service, the bureau said the amount is higher by PHP5.272 billion than last month’s target collection of PHP47.175 billion.

Aside from the collections of the 17 ports, the revenue includes additional collections from the Tax Expenditure Fund (TEF) collection of PHP157.06 million and Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) collection of PHP148.73

S

tate-run pension fund Social Security System on Thursday reminded its members and covered employers that the mandatory use of Payment Reference Number (PRN) for salary, calamity, emergency, and restructured loan payment transactions began on July 1, covering the billing month of June.

SSS president and CEO Aurora Ignacio said the use of PRNs for loans was introduced in November 2020 as part of the state pension fund’s Real-Time Processing of Loans (RTPL) Program.

The program facilitates the immediate and correct

Innovative entrepreneurial mind-setting encouraged

million.

This is the sixth consecutive month of the bureau in achieving positive collections.

To date, the BOC has collected PHP302.744 billion in the first six months of 2021, surpassing its midyear collection target of PHP291.833 billion by 3.7 percent or PHP10.911 billion.

The total collection for the first half of this year is also higher by PHP49.653 billion than last year’s total midyear collection amounting to PHP253.091 billion.

The bureau attributed the positive performance

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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11, through the Davao Regional Inclusive Innovation Center (RICC), conducted the Innovative Entrepreneurial Mind-setting webinar in partnership with Endeavor Philippines, one of the leading scale-up

posting of loan payments to their matching loan accounts.

“Initially, we planned to implement the mandatory use of PRN for loans on February 1, 2021. However, we decided to move this to July 1 to give our members and covered employers more time to register in the My.SSS portal. It also allows them to update their email addresses and mobile numbers through their My.SSS account for them to receive their PRN for loans notification on time,” Ignacio said in a statement.

Non-PRN loan payments will no longer be accepted beyond June 30, 2021, in-

cluding loan payments made through Electronic Data Interchange (EDINet) facility, according to the SSS. The PRN for loans is a system-generated number corresponding to a loan billing statement of an individual member -- self-employed, voluntary, or Overseas Filipino Worker members, or employer.

Every first to the sixth day of the month, the pension fund generates loan billing statements and notices with PRNs and sends them to the registered email addresses and mobile numbers of individual members and employers.

FCUSTOMS, P10

icro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are encouraged to have the right mindset for innovation and entrepreneurship to overcome business challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and pivot their businesses under the new normal. incubators in the country.

This is one of the agency’s interventions in helping entrepreneurs to acquire the acumen to keep their businesses afloat in the middle of a global health crisis.

More than a hundred startups and entrepreneurs in the region at-

tended the first of a series of webinars under the DTI 11-Endeavor Philippines partnership to hone them in having the right foundation and skill set to innovate and scale up.

Abetina Valenzuela, the founder and chief executive officer of the healthcare equipment and service provider Equilife Medical Equipment and Supplies Services, Inc. shared her entrepreneurial experiences as a former Endeavor incubatee.

She also gave some tips on how to successfully

scale up a business.

“Know your mission so that you can clearly explain to other people why it made sense, and why it was important. I think the greatest challenge that you need to overcome is believing in yourself, and believing in your ‘why’.

The kind of mindset that helped me along the way is to always have optimism in your vision and mission, but also be realistic. Dream big, but also stay grounded,” Valenzuela said.

Aside from sending the statements and notices through email and SMS, these are also available starting every seventh day of the month in the PRN-Loans tab of the My.SSS portal in the SSS website.

Should individual members need to modify the amount to be paid in their loan billing statement, they may do so by using their My.SSS account or at SSS branches, the pension fund said.

It added that employers can make changes only through their My.SSS account, where they must also submit an electronic-Loan

Collection List (e-LCL).

“They may download the e-LCL from their My.SSS accounts for offline editing and afterward upload/submit the updated e-LCL also through their My.SSS. Once the updated e-LCL is uploaded, they can proceed to pay their employee’s loans using PRN,” it said.

“The printout or screenshot of the loan billing statement with PRN and barcode or SMS of loans PRN received from the SSS must be presented upon payment,” it added.

Meanwhile, short-term loan payments with PRN will only be accepted through SSS

branches with Automated Tellering Systems (ATS) or RTPL-compliant collecting partners.

The SSS said employers may course their payments through the BancNet “eGov” facility using the following banks: Asia United Bank, Bank of Commerce, China Bank Corporation, CTBC Bank, EastWest Bank, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company, MUFG Bank, Philippine Bank of Communication, Philippine National Bank, Philippine Trust Company, Philippine Veterans Bank, Robinsons Bank, Standard

FINNOVATIVE, P10

FSSS, P10

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On his recent exoneration by the Office of the Ombudsman from cases filed by the so-called “mafia” in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation together with 10 other top PhilHealth officials.

Vindicated. My name was at stake. The Mafia group which filed cases against us are the ones with hidden cases unresolved by past administrations for as long as 15 years.”

Dr. Roy B. Ferrer

Former Acting President / CEO of PhilHealth (now assistant secretary of DOH)

EDITORIAL Good preemptive move The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar has ordered all police units across the country to intensify operations against private armed groups (PAGs) and loose firearms ahead of the election season.

February 2022, or eight months from now.

A report from the National Task Force on the Disbandment of PAGs (NFT-DPAGs) stated that there are more than 130 PAGs that have been monitored in Mindanao alone.

Indubitably, private armies almost always are a force to reckon with during elections in our country. With their loose high-powered firearms, they create mayhem and in some instances even influence the results of elections.

“I am directing all police offices and units nationwide to intensify operations against private armed groups and loose firearms. Hindi lamang sa Mindanao an gating tututukan kundi sa lahat nan g lugar sa bansa,” Eleazar said.

General Eleazar’s order is the right preemptive measure that could ensure credible, orderly and peaceful elections in 2022.

Take note that the election campaign season officially starts in

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Local police offices should intensify their intelligence gathering measures this early, in order to keep a close eye on all potential private armed groups as well as syndicates involved in gun running activities.

General Eleazar should be encouraged and extended all the assistance that the PNP needs in this laudable initiative.

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

However actual election campaign could start much earlier.

By now, political warlords are already recruiting their goons and buying arms as well.

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!

SAVING OUR BELEAGUERED BIODIVERSITY When Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan “rediscovered” the Philippines in 1521, the Philippines was teeming with virgin forests. But when Ferdinand Marcos became the president, mountains were devoid of trees and became denuded.

And almost 30 years since the Catholic Church leaders warned against an ecological debacle in the country, the disappearance of forests continues.

Today, “the Philippines is among the countries that are losing their forest cover fast, ranking fourth in the world’s top 10 most threatened forest hotspots,” deplored Marjorie Pamintuan, the spokesperson of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment. “If the deforestation rate of 157,400 hectares per year continues, the country’s remaining forest cover will be wiped out in less than 40 years.”

The loss of forest cover has triggered a lot of devastating consequences: flash floods, landslides, droughts, food crisis, and water problems. These are further aggravated by natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Unfortunately, human beings are not the only living creatures affected by vanishing forests but also the vast diversity of plants and animals that inhabit the ecologically-fragile ecosystem.

“By destroying forests, we are also destroying habitats.

Who knows what’s out there?”

asked Dr. Bernd-Markus Liss, principal advisor for forest policy of the German development agency GIZ, who discovered a new species of frogs Southern Leyte.

A loss of a single species of biological diversity (biodiversity) is more shattering than the destruction of infrastructures and plantations because it means extinction. “Once it is lost, it is lost forever,” the United Nations Environment Program pointed out.

The Philippines – with more than 7,000 islands and has a total land area of only 30 million hectares – has been identified as one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries. It is home to the highest rates of species discovery on a global scale and the highest level of endemism in the Indo-Malayan region on a per unit area basis.

More than 160 plant species have also been discovered, including varieties of the world’s largest flower, Rafflesia. The Philippines ranks fifth in the world in terms of number of plant species and hosts about five per cent of the world’s flora.

The Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), of which the Philippines is a signatory, has listed several wildlife species in the country that are rare, threatened, or endangered.

Among these are the Philippine eagle (the country’s bird icon), tamaraw, calamian deer, Pala-

wan bearcat, Mindanao gymure, Philippine tarsier, Panay flying fox, Cebu black shama, Philippine cockatoo, “bungang ipot,” “tagbak,” and Sander’s glocacia.

Dr. Seymour Sohmer from the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, has concluded in a study that the Philippines has already lost 40 percent of its endemic flora. And that may soon include the endangered “waling-waling” orchid.

Why so much ado about biodiversity loss? “The loss of species touches everyone, for no matter where or how we live, biodiversity is the basis for our existence,” wrote John Tuxill and Chris Bright, authors of Losing Strand in the Web of Life. In other words, without biodiversity man ceases to exist.

Dr. Peter Raven, a wellknown American biologist, cites three reasons why biodiversity should be conserved and protected; these are ethical and aesthetic, economic, and services.

To explain the first reason, he quotes the words of Paul Ehrlich and Ed Wilson, authors of Extinction: The Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species: “Because Homo sapiens (human beings) is the dominant species on Earth, we and many others think that people have an absolute moral responsibility to protect what are our only known living companions in the universe.”

The Holy Bible itself states so. God told Adam and Eve, the

first human beings: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28).

In terms of economic value, Dr. Raven says the world’s population uses organisms for food, medicines, chemicals, fiber, clothing, structural materials, and energy, among many others.

“Biodiversity provides a wealth of genes essential for maintaining the vigor of our crop and livestock,” Tuxill and Bright reminded.

Some 100 kinds of plants – including rice, wheat, corn, potato, and cassava – provide the great majority of the world’s food. “There might be tens of thousands of other plants that have edible parts and might be used more extensively for food, and perhaps brought into cultivation, if we knew them better,” Raven notes.

That was what God told Adam and Eve, too: “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

And to all the bests of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food” (Genesis 1:29-30).

Biodiversity provides pollination services, mostly in the form of insects, without which the world could not be fed.

Frogs, fish, and birds provide natural pest control; mussels and other aquatic organisms cleanse the water supplies; plants and microorganisms create the soils.

By saving the world’s biodiversity, man also saves the natural ecosystems in which they thrive and dwell. Ecosystems, functioning properly, are responsible for the Earth’s ability to capture energy from the sun and transform into chemical bonds to provide the energy necessary for the life processes of all species, including human beings.

Recently, two bills – Senate Bill 2078 and Senate Bill 2079 – were filed to amend Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Act of the Philippines.

“We appreciate this timely effort to revise and enhance this 20-year-old Wildlife legislation, considering the opportunity afforded us by the COVID-19 pandemic to re-examine the way we deal with wildlife, our biodiversity, including the immensely rich and multiple benefits we can derive from the sustainable use of these biological resources, and the genetic materials they can provide,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the Laguna-based ASEAN Center for Biodiversity.”

Additionally, we welcome the provisions on wildlife trafficking and wildlife laundering in the bills,” Lim said in a statement.

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

DAVAO LODGINGS, 1994 The challenge to handle an international conference made 1994 more than just a memorable date. In November that year, the first East ASEAN Business Convention and Exhibit, held at the Central Bank building at the corner of Jacinto Extension, Quirino Ave. and Tionko Ave. in Davao City, was conducted. What made the hosting tricky was finding space for the over thousand conferees to rest and sleep.

(The original date for the convention was in the last week of May that year but the protest held in the UP-Diliman campus, which riled Indonesia, forced the organizers to move it to a later date after the Indonesian participants, the largest contingent, withdrew their attendance.)

To address the problem, the organizers took the extra mile in improving the lodging facilities that, according to the standards of the day, were not qualified for star rank. Worse, some of the lodges and inns were not strictly built for tourism orientation.

To address the shortage, the homestay program was put in place to introduce the legendary Filipino hospitality.

What made the preparations more challenging was the fact that it formally launched the Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia and the Philippines’ East ASEAN Growth Area, known by its acronym today as BIMP-EAGA and distinguished foreign dignitaries and investors from the ASEAN region were attending the ambitious engagement.

Enumerating the hotels, lodges, inns, and pension houses that existed that year is like going down memory lane. Some billets have already closed shop, others have not survived the economic scraps while a few have changed ownership. One was tragically shut down by fire. Here is the list of accommodations with their corresponding offerings: Apo View Hotel, 105 rooms; Durian Hotel, 27; Hotel Maguindanao, 56; D’ Fabulous Venee’s Hotel, 50; Men Seng Hotel, 90; Ever-

green, 57; B.S. Inn, 62; Aveflor Inn, 35; Aljem’s Inn & Restaurant, 20; Davao Fortune Inn, 49; Park Square Inn, no figure; The Manor Pension House, 21; Tower Inn, no figure; Carpel’s Emerald Inn, 22; Mandaya Inn & Restaurant, 20; Southern Tourist Inn, 48; Royal House, 45; Felisa Pensione, 15; Villa Margarita Inn, 20; Larous Pension House, 53; Downtown Home, 15; Aurelio’s Pensione, 9; D’ Counter, 31; Alta Pension House, 18; El Mimar Tourist Lodge, 55; New Baclayon Lodge, 13 (singles); Baron Lodge, 23; Davao Tourist Lodge, 89; El Gusto Family Lodge, 56; Le Mirage I, 48; Davao Hotel, 9; Le Mirage II, 18; and Sunny Point Lodge, 20. Davao Insular Hotel, meanwhile, was exclusively blocked off for very important persons (VIPs).

Excluding those that did not present figures, the entire lodging list offered 1,214 rooms.

Twenty-six years later, around six of the ‘big’ hotels have

ceased operating, namely Durian Hotel (under renovation as Davao Persimmon Suites), Hotel Maguindanao (hit by a blaze), D’ Fabulous Venee’s Hotel (for disposal), Davao Tourist Lodge (location issue), Villa Margarita Inn (demolished to give way to a new structure), and Larous Pension House (hit by the pandemic).

Others have met different fates: Apo View Hotel (new management), Men Seng Hotel (new location), Royal House (new owner), New Baclayon Lodge, El Mimar Tourist Lodge, and Felisa Pensione (closed), and Sunny Point Lodge (transferred).

Evergreen later became the site of the infamous December 14, 2001 explosion attributed to American Michael T. Meiring caper that infuriated then city mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

President Fidel V. Ramos, one of the brains behind the geopolitical gathering, delivered a brief historical background on how the BIMP-EAGA commenced:

“The East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA) was a mere concept which I started discussing with the ASEAN heads of government in October 1992, particularly President Soeharto of Indonesia, when we all met in Brunei on the silver jubilee of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. But such was our belief in the desirability—and workability of the idea— and such were our commitments to making it happen—that, with this convention, the EAGA has now become a practical reality.

While we all have our individual strengths, it makes sense for those of us within a common geographic and cultural zone to use the complementarities of our economies.”

Twenty-six years later, the 1994 conference, supported largely by the United States Agency for International Development, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Department of Trade Industry, and the City Government of Davao, has catapulted the city to global consciousness.

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COMPETITIVE EDGE

DepEd-Canon business solutions result to 200% increase in productivity

M

anila, Philippines - As people adapt to the new way of living, modules and online classes have also evolved as the primary platform of students and educators to build uninterrupted learning.

Last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) branch in Region XI faced a logistical challenge in producing large volumes of printouts, sorting pages into modules, and dispatching to respective schools.

Canon, in partnership with DepEd Region XI, launched The Print Room Project to address the issue of high volume production printing by providing high-speed digital printing presses, backed up by a vast nationwide network of postsales support - including trained engineers, logistics support, optimum inventory of consumables and sales, and an organization structure committed to delighting the customers. It involves a dedicated printing room

with designated personnel to receive the master file for mass printing and smart sorting. Canon’s multi-function, high capacity, smart sorting printing Presses allow cost and time efficient production of modules that have increased Educational Module production for Region XI by up to 200%.

As a result, Canon’s smart copying and scanning machines has provided 26 million prints for Region XI students. These modules are centrally produced and respectively allocated among regional schools to provide tangible practice materials for students in supplementing virtually conducted classes amidst the pandemic protocols.

“Agility is key to adapting to the new normal. We provide solutions that enable clients to carry out their responsibility effectively. In this case, we improved education experience with the use of smartly sorted, printed modules to supplement elec-

tronic or digital learning sessions” said Yasuhiko Shiraki, Head for Business Imaging Solutions in Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. The days where moderators had to manually copy, sort, and compile all pages for modules are gone. “I hope that our schools elsewhere and other businesses find value in the concept of the Canon-DepEd Print Room Project to help save time and energy in producing educational materials”, said Dr. Maria Inez Asuncion, Department of Education Assistant Regional Director Aside from addressing high volume printing issues for educational modules, there is also an increasing demand for streamlined professional print workflows in office or printing business environments. Canon offers the latest imagePRESS series as the ideal solution for businesses or printing production houses who are looking to upgrade or improve the quality of their print assets

with high-resolution and vividly colored outputs.

“Delivering excellent print quality, speed, and paper compatibility, imagePRESS C170 and C165 increase efficiency by enabling in-house production houses and businesses to effectively broaden their print capabilities with high quality mass volume printing and best in class print software.” added

by Yasuhiko Shiraki.

Supporting diverse outputs and quality in-house printing, the robust color production printers equip businesses with the ability to produce outstanding colored prints at a professional standard. The imagePRESS C170 and C165 offer remarkable print speeds of up to 70 pages per minute (ppm) and 65 ppm respectively when producing high-quality colored assets in-house, helping businesses meet fast turnaround times and tight deadlines.

Canon imagePRESS C170 and C165 also provide absolute ease of use with intuitive interface and navigation, while ensuring strong endpoint security with a wide range of security features.

Designed to meet a wide range of printing needs, the imagePRESS C170 and C165 help users handle distinctive print formats alongside the standard A4 and A3 media, including envelopes, heavy media up to 350gsm, and long-sheet banners up to 1300mm. Providing further flexibility, the printers support gloss, silk, plain and

textured media, as well as a large range of in-line professional finishing for versatile and creative outputs.

The Multi-Density Adjustment Technology (MultiD.A.T.) enables printers to perform real-time density adjustments while printing. Users can prevent color fluctuations and produce high-quality deliverables steadily even when printing in large volumes. Additionally, the printers feature diverse print resolutions, including 190 lpi (lines per inch) and 170 lpi to attain high-resolution, high-quality images and text with superb clarity.

The paper cassette of the printers features an internal guide mechanism that maintains uniform paper position, and a technology that controls paper delivery speed, preventing the misalignment of letters, regardless of paper size or type during high-volume printing. Offering high

front and back registration accuracy, the printers also produce high-quality deliverables that require high positional accuracy on both sides of paper, such as double-sided flyers.

Canon Business Imaging Solutions is committed to providing quality and efficient printing solutions, such as the Print Room Project and imageRUNNER series 165 and 170, to address the evolving needs of today’s customers – bringing a delightful return on your investment. Upgrade your business now and provide better quality printing requirements to your clients with Canon imagePRESS series, now available at any Canon’s authorized distributors and dealers. To know more about digital solutions for your print, scanning, copying and document management requirements, please reach us at business_solutions@ canon.com.ph.

team,” said Miguel Capistrano, RedDoorz Philippines.

The current situation presented many growth possibilities for RedDoorz to contribute in the speed up

of the industry’s recovery.

RedDoorz is focusing on the digitalization of its consumer and partner assets, and launching tangible & impactful initiatives as it

improves its business operations with the help of government partners and other stakeholders, DOT acknowledges the need to support

RedDoorz expands offering, launches trendy brand for new normal

M

ANILA, Philippines RedDoorz, Southeast Asia’s (SEA) fastestgrowing technology-driven hotel management brand, announced its new line of accommodations - Sans Hotels.

Launched in a time when the entire tourism industry is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of this latest lifestyle economy concept marks a new chapter for RedDoorz as it successfully maneuvers towards becoming a multi-brand accommodation platform.

In the recent launch event with the Department of Tourism (DOT), RedDoorz and the DOT are anticipating strong local travel demands as the economy begins to reopen. Being one of the recognised standard tourism business in the country, RedDoorz even leveraged this milestone with the DOT to make Sans Hotels fully operational and provide more premium hotel offers.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been working closely with hotels like RedDoorz in driving better business operations for safe and fun domestic travels across the country.

The firm has definitely taken advantage of the benefits and opportunities from the DOT’s accreditation requirements in order to meet new customer requirements and demands and new travel experiences.

With their growing accredited Sans Hotels, we are delighted to witness broader opportunities for hotel owners to weather this pandemic,” said Dir. Virgilio Maguigad, Department of Tourism.

Sans Hotels is a trendy, economy lifestyle hotel brand that aims to provide vibrant experiences for customers at a low cost. Each hotel has a unique design, theme, and personality that is especially designed for the Gen Zs and millennials market who value the seamless integration of stylish comfort and smart technology.

The first Sans Hotel is now open for travellers in Manila and will open more properties in Tagaytay City and Cebu City.

Its launch in the market also represents RedDoorz’s strategic expansion towards becoming a multi-brand accommodations platform by providing customers and potential hoteliers a new

economic choice for their extended stay-ins in key strategic areas and new high-indemand destinations.

“We are excited to grow with local hotel players in high demand cities for the new customer segment the younger sector who are eager to go out and explore not only for staycations, but even for any kind of safe travels. With RedDoorz’ service guarantee that is guarantee and the strict implementation of hygiene and sanitation practices in all our properties, our multi-brand

platform offers the owners an opportunity to leverage our footprint, user bases, technology, best practices, other assets, and solid experiences of our regional

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WHEN WATER CAUSES DISEASES AND DEATHS Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“W

ater is life,” the old proverb insists. Not in the Philippines, recent studies have shown. “Heavy inorganic pollutants have made water increasingly a threat to life” here, according to a report released by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank some years back.

The study done by Greenpeace Water Patrol Investigation backed up the claim. Five out of the 18 artesian wells in Benguet and Bulacan were found to contain nitrate levels well above the drinking water safety limit issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The nitrate pollution that we discovered in farming areas is particularly worrisome – communities think that the water they drink everyday is clean because physically, it doesn’t smell bad or look bad. But it is actually laced with nitrate from fertilizers which people don’t normally associate with pollution,” Greenpeace said in a statement.

Drinking water with high levels of nitrate can cause serious health problems, particularly among children. The greatest risk of nitrate poisoning is “blue baby syndrome,” in which affected infants develop a peculiar blue-gray skin color. They may become

irritable or lethargic, depending on the severity of their condition. The condition can progress rapidly to cause coma and death if it is not recognized and treated appropriately.

For years, city residents of Cebu have complained about having to drink water from unsafe sources.

It seems the problem has grown even more urgent over the years. In 2011, a few people died while most were hospitalized when typhoid fever hit the town of Alegria. In response, the provincial government “distributed P50,000worth of relief goods to 149 affected residents in barangay Valencia,” the local daily “SunStar Cebu” reported.

But even in the midst of numerous fever cases, town officials reportedly refused to blame water was the cause of the typhoid fever outbreak. They reasoned that some who were hospitalized for typhoid drank water from other sources.

“About 80% of all dis-

eases and more than onethird of all deaths in developing countries are caused by contaminated water,” deplored Elizabeth Dowdeswell when she was still the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.

“At any given time, an estimated one-half of people in developing countries are suffering from diseases caused either directly by infection through the consumption of contaminated water or food, or indirectly by disease-carrying organisms such as mosquitoes, that breed in water,” the United Nations said in a press statement. “These diseases include diarrhea, schistosomiasis, dengue fever, infection by intestinal worms, malaria, river blindness and trachoma.”

The UN press statement disclosed these startling

facts and figures: “Every 8 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease; 50% of people in developing countries suffer from one or more water-related diseases; 80% of diseases in developing world are caused by contaminated water; 50% of people on earth lack adequate sanitation; 20% of freshwater fish species have been pushed to the edge of extinction from contaminated water.”

The notion that water can carry disease first occurred to the earliest Greeks. The physician Hippocrates, the ancient innovator of medical ethics, advised that polluted water be boiled or filtered before being consumed.

“An estimated 50% of typhoid cases (in the Philippines) are due to water pollution, sanitation conditions and hygiene prac-

tices,” said a World Bank report.

“Outbreaks are commonly associated with contaminated water supply systems.”

Typhoid fever and other water-related diseases are bound to stay in the Philippines, where water is becoming a scarce commodity. In 2000, Filipinos had to contend with only 6,332 cubic meters of “total actual renewable water” resources per capita. It dipped to 5,880 cubic meters five years later. It is still falling today.

It’s wonder why in 24 provinces, one of every five residents quaffs water from dubious sources, according to the Agusan del Sur, Apayao, Basilan, Benguet, Bukidnon, Camarines Norte, Guimaras, Ilocos Norte, Iloilo, Leyte, Maguindanao, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Negros Oriental and Occidental, North Cotabato, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Quezon, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga del Norte and Sur. Today’s “crisis in water and sanitation is – above all – a crisis of the poor,” said the United Nations Development Program study, “Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Water Crisis.”

In the Philippines,

“poor” refers to those whose incomes fall below the threshold determined by the government. It also refers to those who cannot afford to provide in a sustained manner for their minimum basic needs for food, health, education, housing and other social amenities in life.

Water is one of those basic necessities in life. “It is a grave moral shortcoming if people cannot drink water without courting disease or death,” Worldwatch Institute’s Sandra Postel once penned.

It may be obscene but in Tawi-Tawi province, 82 out of every 100 residents lack safe water. In Bataan, the number of residents exposed to unsafe water is a low 3, while it is at 39 in Capiz.

It’s the children who suffer the most from water-borne diseases. Annual infant deaths, from diarrhea alone, exceed the toll of Mindanao armed clashes. Children, particularly the malnourished ones, “are always at high risk of preventable WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) related diseases like diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid,” said an official of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Installing a flush toilet

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private-sector employees required to physically report to work, government personnel, workers in the informal sector, the selfemployed who work outside of their homes, and private household workers.

Also there are 2,812 indigents who were given their first dose as the city started inoculating those in the A5 sector (indigents), specifically for residents belonging to IP communities in Marilog.

“Naa ta’y directive from the Department of Health (DOH) na ang Pfizer vaccines allocated sa Davao City will be intended to A2, A3 and A5. This is relation to President Rodrigo Duterte’s order issued in May this year that the Pfizer vaccine be given to the country’s indigent population that is why there was a directive coming from DOH that part

of the allocation of Pfizer vaccines will be rolled out to A5,” Lopez said.

Lopez urged Dabawenyos to get vaccinated and complete the required number of doses as scheduled.

The city has opened Azuela Cove in Lanang, which is the city’s biggest vaccination site that can cater to up to 1,000 recipients per day. Other vaccination hubs in the city are at SM Lanang Premier, SM City Davao in Ecoland, Apolinario Mabini Elementary School in Bangkal, Matina Aplaya Elementary School, Malagos Elementary School, Crossing Bayabas National High School in Toril, Kor-Phil Voca-tional Training Center in Bunawan, Calinan Central Elementary School, Magallanes Elementary School, Mintal Elementary School, and Buhangin Elementary School

the prevention of massive spread.

As of June 29, the province, which is under modified enhanced community quarantine until July 15, still has 315 active Covid-19 cases.

Out of a total confirmed 2,701 infections, 2,313 have recovered and 73 died.

To further strengthen and sustain its Covid-19 response, Dayanghirang said the Provincial Task Force (PTF) ensured all LGUs are equipped with Department of Healthcertified temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, and initiated the “No Losses in Diseases: Kabarangay Kontra Covid-19” which mobilized and empowered villages to take charge of Covid-19 efforts.

“Additionally, the PTF implemented the digital contact tracing system to supplement the province’s contact tracing efforts and rolled out the vaccination program,” he said.

Dayanghirang and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte were among the Regional “Disiplina Muna” Ambassadors chosen by the Department of the Interior and Local Government last year.

“I remain steadfast in my commitment to implement more meaningful programs and projects that will benefit most, if not all, of the residents of the Province of Davao Oriental. After all, everything that we do in the name of public service is for good of the common good,” Dayanghirang stressed. (PNA)

for safekeeping.

6th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, meanwhile said that the aggressive drive continuous without letup against terrorism and lawlessness.

He said this campaign measure is done to preempt the terror plots

and criminal activities of malefactors.

WestMincom chief Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. urged the peace-loving people of Mindanao to take steps and support them in its journey towards the attainment of lasting peace and sustainable development in the region.

we will announce that in the future simply because we don’t have the specific opening date yet for school year 2021-2022. That is still to be announced by President Duterte and that will be the basis for our upcoming activities because two weeks or three weeks prior to the

opening of classes on even one month prior to that will be the schedule for enrolment,” he explained.

Last month, Duterte has thumbed down again proposals to begin a limited run of face-to-face school classes, citing concerns over the more transmissible Delta Covid-19 variant.

between the Asean and Gulf Coast investors, according to the secretary general.

The Council extends assistance to potential investors and has been helping raise awareness about the opportunities in the Asean composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Both Borje and Al-Hajraf

also stressed the importance of continuing cooperation in improved frameworks of cooperation to uphold migrant workers’ rights and in combating terrorism and violent extremism.

The GCC is a regional organization composed of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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dential Commission on Good Government in filing court cases to refund their investment.

In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that at least P71-billion worth of coconut levy funds that had been used to purchase shares in San Miguel Corporation during the Marcos years belong to the government and as such, should be used solely for the benefit of coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry.

The TFMC also noted the

transfer of P10 billion to the CFITF as initial capitalization pursuant to RA 11524, and the submission by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) of its initial inventory currently estimated to amount to P113.88 billion.

According to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), who serves as the Trust Fund Management Committee Secretariat, some of the assets in the PCGG inventory remain to be subject of various cases.

gest amount of unobligated funds worth P1.744 billion.

This was meant to cover the funding requirements for the implementation of digital education, information technology and digital infrastructure and alternative modules.

The DepEd funds were also supposed to finance the Basic Education-Learning-Continuity Plan and to provide subsidies and allowances to qualified students.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) followed with P1.294 billion unobligated funds meant to fund the requirements of various COVID-19 response and recovery interventions.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had P1 billion of unused funds for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of tourism roads leading to tourism destinations.

their first dose of Covid-19 jab since the list was expanded last May 27.

“We encourage local government units and establishments to coordinate on setting up vaccination facilities in workplaces.

This will accelerate vaccine deployment and give our workers the confidence to go out and earn a living while keeping their families safe,” they added.

The economic managers also encourage every-

one to get vaccinated and continue to follow minimum health protocols in order to avoid another surge in Covid-19 cases, which will pose a threat of another round of stringent community quarantine measures.

“By getting vaccinated, each one can help restore the opportunities taken away by the pandemic. Let us continue working together to collectively achieve a strong recovery in 2021,” they said.

(PNA)

were often faced by goods producers during the month.

Output prices rose further, and at the quickest rate in over two years, suggesting firms are committed to somewhat cushioning any potential losses,” Patel said.

Higher costs of transportation and raw materials led to increasing input prices last

month, IHS Markit added.

Meanwhile, the business outlook of manufacturers remained rosy as they expect higher production levels over the next 12 months.

Sentiment reached a three-month high, with optimism also supported by the government’s vaccination program, Patel added. (PNA)

to its improved valuation, digitized and modernized systems, the gradually improving economy resulting

in a higher volume of importations, and the intensified collection efforts of all districts. (PNA)

DTI 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi revealed that the Davao RIIC, dubbed as Innovation through Science, Technology, and Risk-resilient based Initiatives toward Knowledge Economy (iSTRIKE), has already implemented

several projects for the MSMEs in the region.

These include the Innovation for Business Recovery plans, industry-academe collaboration on market research study, and marketing plan formulation, among others.

Chartered Bank, and United Coconut Planters Bank Meanwhile, employers and individual members can make short-term loan payments through the following: Bayad Center, CashPinas, Partner Rural Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Rural Bank of Lanuza Inc., Security Bank Corporation, SM Mart Inc., and Union Bank of the Philippines.

“Individual members abroad may also course their payments through the foreign branches of the Philippine National Bank, Ventaja International Corporation, and i-Remit, Inc,” it said.

Likewise, the SSS announced that a facility to generate PRN for individual members is now available through the PRN-Loans module in their My.SSS account.

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REDDORZ... FROMP8 the tourism sector’s road to recovery and supports the diversification of hotel businesses whereby RedDoorz, and Sans Hotels by extension, plays a key role in achieving DOT’s recovery goals and continuously pro-

vides affordable, safe, and worry-free accommodations to travellers. The company has been recognized as one of the most resilient travel businesses to have emerged in SEA throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

in the home increases a newborn child’s chances of celebrating a first birthday by 59%. Unfortunately, 27 children out of every 1,000 kids never make it to their first birthday.

In industrialized countries like the United States and Japan, water-borne disease is a subject for history books. But in the Philippines and other developing countries, it involves hospital wards and morgues.

“All of these diseases are associated with our failure to provide clean water,” deplored Peter H. Gleick, director of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Devel-

opment, Environment and Security. “I think it’s terribly bleak, especially because we know what needs to be done to prevent these deaths. We’re doing some of it, but the efforts that are being made are not aggressive enough.”

Some aggression must be done now. “By the middle of this century, some 4 billion people could be facing water shortages,” says Don Hinrichsen, an award-winning American journalist and book author.

That’s half of the world’s projected population.

“By means of water,” says the Koran, “we give life to everything.”

and the start of the fourth, capped by a 3-pointer from Bryn Forbes, put the Bucks up, 96-78. The Hawks never got within single digits again.

Bobby Portis Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds for

the Bucks, and teammate P.J. Tucker grabbed 11 rebounds.

Milwaukee shot 50.5 percent from the field while improving to 7-1 at home in the playoffs. Atlanta hit 45.6 percent of its field-goal attempts.

modified GCQ areas.

The PVL has tapped the Centennial Arena in Laoag City as the bubble host of its new season.

On the other hand, the NBL has also begun its preparations for its new season by holding an online meeting with its stakeholders.

“We want to thank the IATF and the DOH (Department of Health) for helping

us forge this new policy direction and for recognizing the plight of our professional athletes and stakeholders, especially during these challenging times,” GAB chairman Baham Mitra said.

“This new order will help both our athletes and the leagues to move forward and break the pandemic sabbatical effect as we really need to keep our athletes in sporting shape.” (PNA)

Her times at both events are within the Olympic Selection Time (OST) or “B-cut” times of 2:12.28 and 59.66 seconds, for each event, respectively, noted Velasco, also an executive board member of the Asia Swimming Federation who attended the FINA World Congress in Doha, Qatar early this month.

Based in Melbourne, Gebbie was given a special exemption by Swimming Australia to take part in the Swimming Australia Olympic trials last July 17 and made the most out of the opportunity.

He earned 795 FINA points in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, resetting his own national record of 22.57 seconds in the heat to sink his own old mark of 22.62 seconds in winning the bronze medal in the event in the 30th SEA Games.

Gebbie, who also took a silver medal in the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay of the meet, also tallied 828 FINA points in clocking a new national standard of 49.94 seconds in the men’s 100-meter freestyle event at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea two years ago.

The swimmer’s times

are also faster than the Olympic “B-cut” times of 22.67 seconds and 50.03 seconds in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events, respectively.

Gebbie and Rule will boost the Philippine contingent to 19 athletes in 11 sports as they make their debut in the Summer Games unfolding on July 23, succeeding Jessie Khing Lacuna and Jasmine Alkali, who represented the country in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympiads.

Breastfeeding athletes can bring children to Tokyo: organizers They join the distinguished ranks of pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, sprinter Kristina Knott, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, boxers Felix Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Irish Magno, rower Cris Nievarez, skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, taekwondo jin Kurt Ryan Barbosa and weightlifters Hidylin Diaz and Elreen Ann Ando.

The Philippine Olympic contingent is the biggest since 20 athletes competed in 9 disciplines at the 2000 Sydney Olympiad.

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SPORTS 11

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) reacts to a play against the Atlanta Hawks during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

GAB allows scrimmages in areas under GCQ

T

he Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has cleared all the professional teams to do scrimmages in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

In a major amendment to the joint administrative order (JAO) on sports practices and games amid the pandemic, which was revealed on Thursday, clubs can now push through with their bubble training in GCQ areas provided that the sessions will take place inside a bubble for at least 15 days.

Initially, only Philippine Basketball Association teams have been allowed to conduct scrimmages in the regular GCQ areas through IATF Resolution 114, prompting most of the

teams to set up closed-circuit training in various locations in Batangas City.

But with the new JAO, member teams of other pro leagues like the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), National Basketball League (NBL), Philippines Football League, and Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 can now resume their practices as well.

On the other hand, GAB has also allowed fight sports organizers to hold their events in GCQ areas with the prerequisite that they should also be of a bubble type.

GAB has also cleared the holding of billiards and e-sports tournament bubbles in GCQ areas but maintained that the pro basketball leagues, PFL, and PVL can only hold matches in

FGAB, P10

With stars sidelined, Bucks top Hawks for 3-2 edge

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rook Lopez stepped into a leading role Thursday, scoring a season-high 33 points as the Milwaukee Bucks moved one victory from the NBA Finals, thanks to a 123-112 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Bucks took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series while playing without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out due to a hyperextended left knee. The Hawks were without their own star, as Trae Young was absent because of a bruised bone in his right

foot.

Jrue Holiday also loomed large in a balanced Bucks attack with 25 points and 13 assists, and Khris Middleton added 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Lopez posted his highest career point total in a postseason game.

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lthough they both did not qualify outright for the Tokyo Olympic Games, swimmers Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule are more fortunate than their predecessors who were awarded universality places by the International Swimming Federation to be able to compete in the quadrennial meet.

Due to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic, Gebbie and Rule have been awarded with 2 events instead of 1, unlike those who got universality spots in previous Olympics, according to Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lani Velasco.

“Gebbie and Rule earned Remedy Rule during SEA Games 2019 women’s 200m butterfly swimming in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac on universality places by garDecember 4, 2019. nering the highest FINA

Milwaukee, which never trailed, brought early intensity, jumping out to a 30-10 lead less than nine minutes into the game. The Hawks were within single digits late in the third quarter before the Bucks pulled away.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 28 points for the Hawks, while John Collins and Danilo Gallinari added 19 points each. Atlanta will return home for Game 6 on Saturday, attempting to extend its deepest playoff run since 2015.

Lou Williams, who rescued the Hawks in Game 4 with 21 points while starting for Young, scored 17 in another starting role in Game 5.

Antetokounmpo was injured in the third quarter Tuesday at Atlanta, and with no timetable for his return, he is in danger of missing Game 6 as well. Young, who also missed Game 4, was listed as questionable for Game 5 before the Hawks decided he would sit.

The Hawks regrouped late in the first quarter and were back within a single digits at 57-49 with less than two minutes remaining before halftime. They went into the break down 65-56 and closed within 65-59 on a Bogdanovic 3-pointer to open the second half.

A 9-0 run between the end of the third quarter

points among Filipinos after competing in Olympic qualifying competitions,” said Velasco, adding that that the Lausanne-based world governing body for swimming was to formally announce the universality places late Thursday.

Thus, Gebbie will compete in the men’s 50 and 100-meter freestyle events while Rule will see action in the women’s 100 and 200-meter butterfly races in the Olympic swimming championships scheduled July 24 to August 1 at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre.

“We would like to congratulate Remedy and Luke for earning the right to represent Philippine swimming at the Olympic Games,” Velasco said, while thanking

the Philippine Sports Commission for its support of the swimmers in their Olympic qualifying bids.

A double silver medalist at the 2019 30th Southeast Asian Games, Rule garnered 830 FINA points in copping bronze in the women’s 200m butterfly event in a new national mark of 2 minutes, 9.58 seconds at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa on March 5, 2020.

The former University of Texas swimming ace booked a slot in the women’s 100 fly after tallying 808 FINA points with a time of 59.55 seconds during the heats of the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite & Time Trials last May 5 in Austin, Texas.

FSTARS, P10

F2 PINOY, P10

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 94 • SATURDAY, JULY 03, 2021

Gilas center Ange Kouame is swarmed by the Dominican Republic defenders. FIBA photo

HEADS UNBOWED Gilas falls to Dominican Republic, exits Qualifiers

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ilas Pilipinas’ stint in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament ended on a bitter note early Friday (Philippine time) after suffering a 67-94 defeat at the hands of the Dominican Republic at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade.

The Dominicans shut down the Filipinos in the second half just as things looked promising for the latter come halftime.

Gilas zoomed in the second quarter, beginning the period with an 11-2 run to take a 3325 lead halfway through the frame.

The Dominican Republic, however, turned the tides late in the third quarter, finishing with a 14-2 rally of its own to take a 65-51 lead entering the fourth, where the team continued pulling away from there.

Victor Liz put up 23 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Dominican Republic, which booked the last semifinals berth for the tournament.

Gelvis Solano added 21 points, five assists, and three steals, while Mike Torres chipped in 20 markers, five rebounds, six dimes, and three interceptions.

The Dominican Republic will next face Italy, 90-83 winner over Puerto Rico in the first game, in the knockout semifinals on Saturday.

Jordan Heading tallied 16 points, one board, three assists, and one steal for the Philippine team, which will miss the Olympics for the 12th straight time.

This also means the number of Filipinos joining the 2021 edition in Tokyo remains at 17 barring FINA’s announcement of the two swimmers who would get the continental quota spots. (PNA)