Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 96 | Tuesday, July 6, 2021

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INTERZONAL

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

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TRAVEL RT-PCR test result no longer required

for fully vaccinated individuals STORY ON PAGE 2

The death toll from the ill-fated C-130H Hercules plane crash in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday climbs to 50, 47 are military personnel while the three others are civilians. Photo courtesy of JTF Sulu

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

Senator Christopher Lawrence“Bong”Go delivers his speech during the launching of the 125th Malasakit Center at Siargao Island Medical Center in Dap, Surigao del Norte over the weekend. (Photo from Sen. Bong Go’s FB page)

INTERZONAL TRAVEL A

500 BPAT members in NoCot get govt aid

RT-PCR test result no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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quarantine classifications.

P re s i d e n t i a l Spokesperson Harry Roque announced over the weekend that IATF has approved Resolution 124-

B allowing fully vaccinated individuals to present their vaccination card only for interzonal travel.

‘Yes. That has been agreed a long time ago sa Covid-19 Task Force nato sa Davao City na tanan issuances sa national government para dili maconfuse ang mga tao, we will follow all the issuances, “ Mayor Sara said during the Special Hours with Mayor Inday Sara Duterte via Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday.

In April this year, the city government required a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test result from persons entering Davao City even if they have been fully vaccinated already.

However, the mayor reminded that the latest protocol of IATF is intended for those fully vaccinated individuals only.

“So duna bay pagbag-o?

Of course walay pagbag-o because kani only relates to fully vaccinated and duna

PSA said the same QR code mechanism will be available through electronic versions of the PhilID, such as an app.

“The implementation of the plan will be included in the roadmap for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys),” the PSA said.

The PSA’s plan is timely as it announced that as of June 17, 2021, a total of 561,042 PhilID cards are already with official delivery partner Philippine Post -- almost 15 percent of 3,605,401 registrants who have passed processing and deduplication following Step 2 (biometrics) registration.

PSA has partnered

with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to produce the PhilID cards and provide personalization equipment and facilities. PSA manages the personalization process.

PSA assures easier and safer transactions using the PhilID, like in accessing financial assistance from the government or availing of financial credit offerings from the private sector.

“In terms of physical security elements, the PhilID is integrated with anti-counterfeiting security features such as guilloche print, hologram, security inks, optically variable inks, and latent images similar to the security features used in banknotes and other

security documents.

Complementing the physical security features, the PhilID card also contains a digitally-signed QR code with selected demographic information for digital security and to facilitate offline verification of identity.”

“The PhilID card is the physical representation of the entire PhilSys program and the PSA is working closely with BSP for the production and personalization of PhilIDs, leveraging on our Central Bank’s longstanding, solid reputation for excellence in producing secure prints for Filipinos – from our

ayor Sara Duterte-Carpio affirmed that the city government of Davao will adopt the latest protocol issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on fully vaccinated individuals that no longer requires reverse polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) test for interzonal travel.

Interzonal travel refers to the movement between provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities under different community

T

he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) continues to implement measures to ensure that all demographic information of Philippine Identification (PhilID) cardholders is genuine.

PSA will soon roll out a website and offline mechanisms to enable relying parties, such as government agencies and financial service providers, to verify, using public-private key cryptography, the digital signature in the QR (quick response) code and confirm that the demographic information is accurate and has not been tampered with, the agency said in a statement on June 29.

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total of 589 members of the Barangay Peace and Auxiliary Team (BPAT) in Makilala,North Cotabato received financial assistance from the local government agencies in a ceremony held in Barangay Saguing, Makilala over the weekend.

Each beneficiary got P 5,000 from the Department of Labor and Employment 12 (DOLE).

The Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division based in Mawab, Davao de Oro, reported that a total of P2,945,000 in cash assistance was given to community volunteers under the auspices of 2nd District Representative of North Cotabato, Congressman Rudy S Caoagdan.

Rep. Caoagdan

acknowledged in his speech the importance of the BPATs, adding that they deserve to be the beneficiaries of the TUPAD Program of the DOLE. “This is our way of recognizing you for your selfless act and dedication to help the government in maintaining the peace and order in your respective communities,” he said.

He also thanked DOLE Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III for the support of the agency in delivering services to displaced and underemployed workers.

These beneficiaries underwent BPATs Refresher Training initiated by the local government of Makilala in partnership with military and police on May 7 to 11,2021 at the Makilala National High School.

Fifty perish in Sulu C-130 crash: DND

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he death toll from the ill-fated C-130H Hercules plane crash in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday has climbed to 50, the Department of National Defense (DND) said.

In an update Sunday evening, the DND said 47 are military personnel while the three others are civilians.

Some 49 military personnel and four civilians are undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the crash.

A total of 32 of the military personnel were brought for treatment in

Zamboanga City while 18 are still confined at the 11th Infantry Division hospital at Barangay Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

All passengers, pilots and crew have been retrieved.

Meantime, the search for the C-130’s black box is ongoing.

Philippine Army (PA) spokesperson Col. Ramon Zagala said the Army is “doing its best” to save the injured.

“Rest assured that the PA is ready to provide assistance to their families and take care of the wellbeing of the injured personnel. Our

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

NEWS

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Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista listens to the discussion during a meeting presided by President Rodrigo Duterte in this undated photo. DSWD is willing to face any investigating body and present the necessary evidence to belie the allegations of Senator Manny Pacquiao that there are missing funds from the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). Edge Davao

City conducts risk assessment of 20 establishments facing lockdown Davao City flies flag at half-mast in honor of Sulu crash fatalities

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he city is flying the Philippine flag at half-mast starting today until July 9 in honor of those who perished from the C-130H Hercules plane crash in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday.

In a statement, the city government expressed its condolences to the families of the victims who are mostly military personnel.

“We are also offering our prayers to the survivors.

May you find strength and comfort in the millions of Filipinos who share your grief and pain,” the statement read.

In an update Sunday evening, the Department of Defense said the death toll from the ill-fated plane has

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he city government of Davao is conducting risk assessment of the 20 establishments in Davao City that are facing lockdown due to rising cases of Covid-19.

“We are constantly monitoring all the establishments and we are not singling out any establishments, but for those establishments with increasing cases definitely there will be risk assessment

and if there is high risk talaga of transmission they will be put into lockdown,” said Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Task Force Covid-19 Davao City, during the online “Usapang Pangkalusugan” of the

lockdown.

Under the Zoning Containment Strategy areas are classified into four zones based on set parameters: the Critical Zone (CrZ) refers to the areas where the initial number of cases or several clustering of cases have been identified within the past 7 days, the Containment Zone (CZ) or areas without new cases but are adjacent to a geographic unit categorized

the Coronavac’s Sinovac vaccine during the industry-based vaccination activity at Felcris Centrale last June 30 to July 2, 2021.

The three-day vaccination program was participated by BPO companies namely Next BPO Solutions, Jobs eSolutions, Segworks Technologies Corporation, Hartman Business Solutions, Open Access BPO, Flatworld Solutions, Concentrix, and Awesome OS in coordination with the CHO and Davao Central 911.

Manalastas, who is also

the chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Next BPO Solutions, said they are targeting to inoculate 25,000 BPO employees.

“What we are doing is, we agreed with the city government of Davao that we will organize it, we will provide the facility, we will work together with different companies and all of us participate as volunteers to implement the project. The city government provides the Sinovac vaccine for the employees,” he said.

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BPO sector requests for additional Covid-19 vaccines

T Archbishop Emeritus Antonio Ledesma passes by a tarpaulin bearing the photograph of former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the words “Salamat PNoy” (Thank you PNoy) at the entrance of the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City on Saturday, 03 July 2021. Ledesma officiated the 9th day memorial mass for Aquino who died in his sleep on 24 June 2021. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO.

Department of Health 11 (DOH 11) on Monday.

Schlosser explained that the city adheres to the Zoning Containment Strategy, which is a joint memorandum of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in implementing

he Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector in Davao City is requesting for additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the city government of Davao through the City Health Office (CHO).

The request is in addition to the vaccines that were first allocated for the three-day vaccination drive for the BPO workers last week.

BPO Association of Davao, Inc. (BPOADI) President Eric Manalastas said a total of 1,711 BPO workers in Davao City received the first dose of

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

An oil refinery in Brgy. Sasa, Davao City. Pump prices of petroleum products to go up for another round in this week. The price per liter of diesel may increase by P0.10 while gasoline prices may hike by P0.50 to P0.60 per liter.

Biz sentiment weak; consumer confidence improves in Q2 ‘21 Zambo biz group seeks B inoculation of A4 group usinesses were less optimistic while consumer confidence improved in the second quarter of the year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Business Expectations Survey (BES) and Consumer Expectation Survey (CES) showed Friday.

Senior director of the BSP Department of Economic Statistics, Redentor Paolo Alegre Jr., said the overall confidence index of businesses in April to June plummeted to 1.4 percent from 17.4 percent in January to March.

“If we compare the Philippine sentiment with other countries, we are similar to businesses in the United States, Bulgaria, Chile, and China. Their businesses there were less optimistic,”

Alegre said in a virtual press briefing.

Business sentiment fell in the second quarter of the year due to the upsurge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections, re-imposition of stricter community quarantine in the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal), and elevated inflation due to supply constraints, he added.

He said this trend would

continue in the next quarter and the next 12 months.

Among sectors, the BES showed that only the construction sector has better expectations in the coming months while the business confidence of firms in industry, services, and wholesale and retail trade is weak.

“In the construction sector, we see that the sector turned optimistic. And the reason given was because of the expect(ed) increase in volume, in activity of infrastructure projects due to the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the government,” Alegre said.

On the other hand, other sectors were less optimistic mainly due to concerns on Covid-19, rising infection

rate, implementation of stricter community quarantine, and the slow arrival of vaccines, among others.

The African swine fever outbreak, declining milling production, power generation, limited public transportation, the decline in exports, and weaker macroeconomic fundamentals were also cited by other sectors, saying these have affected their business expectations in the coming months.

Meanwhile, consumer confidence in the second quarter of the year improved to -30.9 percent from -34.7 percent in the first quarter.

Alegre said Philippine consumer confidence for the April-to-June quarter is

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he Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. (ZCCIFI) has requested the Department of Health (DOH) and City Health Office to vaccinate persons under the A4 priority group in Zamboanga City.

Pedro Rufo Soliven, ZCCIFI president, on Saturday stressed the need for economic front-liners to be inoculated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) because they are always in the field.

Soliven said the A4 inoculation will protect both workers and the people they serve or work with.

“The economic front-liners must be given importance and with urgency,” he said.

Currently, the vaccination program is for the A1 (health care workers), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (adults with comorbidities) groups.

Soliven, who represents the private sector in the Regional Development Coun-

said in a Reddit forum that it was working with partners targeted in the attack, and that some 200 businesses “have been encrypted.”

Ransomware attacks typically involve locking away data in systems using encryption, making companies pay to regain access.

Kaseya describes itself as a leading provider of IT and security management services to small and medium-sized businesses.

VSA, the company’s flag-

ship offering, is designed to let companies manage networks of computers and printers from a single point.

The company became aware of a possible incident with VSA at midday on the US east coast and “immediately shut down” its servers as a “precautionary measure,” it said.

Kaseya also “immediately notified our on-premises customers via email, in-product notes, and phone

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SEC revokes KingABC license over Hundreds of US biz hit by cyberattack unfair debt collection practices A

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he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked the license of KingABC Lending Corp. after the firm was found to have committed unfair debt collection practices such as threatening to shame borrowers on social media.

In a statement on Sunday, the SEC said its Corporate Governance and Finance Department (CGFD) found

KingABC to have committed 15 violations of the Unfair Debt Collection Practices of Financing Companies and Lending Companies.

KingABC reportedly threatened to publish borrowers’ names online as scammers, and contacting their contact list despite not being named as co-makers or guarantors.

The company was also

said to have used obscenities, insults, or profane language during collections, threatening to sue borrowers on a made-up legal basis.

The revocation of its Certification of Authority (CA) was ordered on June 7. It was previously penalized for first and second violations of the unfair debt collection practices.

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US IT company urged customers to shut down their servers Friday after cyberattackers smuggled ransomware onto its network platform.

Kaseya said Friday evening that it had limited the attack to “a very small percentage of our customers” who use its signature VSA software, “currently estimated at fewer than 40 worldwide.”

Cybersecurity firm Huntress Labs had earlier

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VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

ECONOMY

5

A call center agent receives his Covid-19 vaccine during the first day of vaccination for the employees of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies at Felcris Centrale in Davao City. BPO sector in Davao City is requesting for additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the city government of Davao on top of the vaccines that were first allocated for the three-day vaccination drive for the BPO workers last week. Edge Davao

Solar-powered irrigation to help increase Lanao farmers’ yield

Fuel price hike seen this week

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ump prices of petroleum products are seen to go up for another round in this week, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said over the weekend.

In its fuel price forecast for July 16 to 12 trading week, Unioil said the price per liter of diesel may increase by P0.10.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices may hike by P0.50 to

P0.60 per liter.

Oil companies usually announce fuel price adjustment every Monday, to be effective on the next day.

Latest data available from the Department of Energy shows that year-todate adjustments stand at a net increase of P10.75 per liter for gasoline and P9.25 per liter for diesel as of June 22, 2021.

BIR padlocks 207 firms in first 5 months of 2021

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total of 207 errant firms were shut by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the first five months of 2021 for various tax violations, the Department of Finance said Monday.

The crackdown was conducted under the agency’s Oplan Kandado campaign which resulted in collections of P995.04

million in taxes, the DOF said in a statement.

In May alone, 36 establishments were padlocked and P37.3 million were collected in back taxes, according to a BIR report to the DOF. Last year, the agency’s Oplan Kandado program closed 209 establishments and collected

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ice farmers of Taraka, Lanao del Sur, an old town beside the 34,000-hectare Lake Lanao, will be able to plant a second crop in one year with the opening of the first-ever local government-funded Solar Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) on July 29.

In a statement Sunday, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said the six units of SPIS, funded through a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), compose the first batch of solar-powered irrigation built in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

It is also the first SPIS to be established under

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ow Corp said Monday it has increased its stake in unit Now Telecom Co Inc to take it “to the next level” following its 25-year franchise renewal.

Now Corp increased its stake in Now Telecom to 24.23 percent from 19 percent, it said in a statement.

Now Telecom’s franchise has been extended for another 25 years beginning in

the Mindanao Water Supply Program launched

by MinDA, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and DBP, the agencies involved in the crafting of the MinDAWater Program.

MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Taraka Mayor Nashiba Sumagayan and Vice Mayor Odin Sumagayan will lead the opening of the water pipes from the SPIS units

designed to irrigate between 600 to 1,000 hectares of farmlands.

“Mayor Sumagayan is also building a Solar-Powered Water Supply System to provide potable water for the 25,000 population of the town which had relied on their water needs from the Taraka River which meanders through the town proper and dislodges in Lake Lanao,” he added.

Farmers had relied only on rainwater to irrigate their rice farms, resulting in low productivity.

“For the rice farmers of Taraka, this will be a historic event as they

had traditionally planted only once a year even if the water of Lake Lanao is just a few kilometers away,” Piñol added.

MinDA is also introducing a complete value chain concept for the Rice Industry of Taraka, where the farmers will plant, process, and market the rice they will produce.

MinDA will invite BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Murad Ebrahim, BARMM-MAFAR Minister Mohamad Yacob, and DBP officials led by its president, Emmanuel Herbosa, to attend the ceremonial opening of the irrigation valves.

(PNA)

2018, Now Corp said.

Now Telecom earlier introduced pre-5G broadband speed of up to 2 Gbps to its enterprise clients.

The goal is to extend this service to consumer markets through fixed wireless access and cellular devices, it said.

Now Corp said the telecom is “currently setting the stage” for a public listing as well as its 5G rollout.

In December, Now Telecom signed a deal with Finnish tech giant Nokia for its 5G rollout.

“We speak for Now Corp. owners that we must play a bigger part of the game plan,” Now Corp chairman Mel Velasco Velarde said.

“Now Telecom’s licenses and its evolving business plan, which is a work in progress with Nokia, would

allow us to offer gigabit speed to both fixed and mobile cellular broadband subscribers,” Velarde added.

The company said it has also been undertaking other organizational and financial changes to prepare for future opportunities.

NOW Telecom previously held off its third telco bid as it questioned the selection process.

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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In affirming that the city government of Davao will no longer require reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for interzonal travel:

Yes. That has been agreed a long time ago sa Covid-19 Task Force nato sa Davao City na tanan issuances sa national government para dili maconfuse ang mga tao, we will follow all the issuances.”

Sara Duterte-Carpio Davao City Mayor

EDITORIAL Vaccinated people’s advantage Here’s good news to fully vaccinated Filipino individuals. There is no more need for them to present swab test results in travelling within the Philippines. This, according to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) latest announcement.

In lieu of a Covid-19 domestic vaccination card duly issued by a legitimate vaccination center, a certificate of quarantine showing the holder’s vaccination status issued by the Bureau of Quarantine will suffice.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque defined “ a fully vaccinated individual as someone who has more than or equal to 2 weeks after having received the second dose in a 2-dose vaccine; or more than or equal to 2 weeks after having received a single-dose vaccine.”

For interzonal travel allowed under amended “pertinent resolutions” of the IATF and provisions of the Omnibus Guidelines on the community quarantine implementation, Roque said the presentation of vaccination card “shall be sufficient alternatives” for any testing requirement which the local government of destination may require.

Under the new protocols pursuant to the IATF-EID Resolution No. 124-5, fully vaccinated people will only need to present their vaccination card for interzonal and intrazonal movement.

According to Secretary Roque, intrazonal movement of fully vaccinated senior citizens within the areas under the general community quarantine and modified GCQ imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic “shall continue to be allowed.”

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This meaningful changes in protocols for the movement of people, goods and services augur well for a faster recovery of the country’s economic well-being.

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

On the other hand, intrazonal travel is the movement of people, goods and services between localities under the same community quarantine classification, without transiting through an area placed under a different classification.

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)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

PULLING DOWN OTHERS Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the country’s national hero, once said: “We need criticism to keep us awake.”

But when you criticize, be sure you know who you are putting in the light. There was this well-known New York photographer who went to a socialite party. On his way in, the hostess told him, “Oh I love your photos; you muThe photographer never replied. And so they had dinner and at the end of the night, on his way out, the photographer commented to the hostess, “I really loved the food; you must have an amazing stove!”

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do.” That’s a reminder from Dale Carnegie, an American writer and developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, and public speaking.

To criticize means, according to my dictionary, is “to find fault with” or “to point out the faults of.” But criticism also means “to consider the merits and demerits of and judge accordingly.”

The usually unflappable Winston Churchill could handle anything; he endured the chaos and terror of World War II without losing his cool. But at least one event in his life had a

humbling effect: the day that Lady Nancy Astor became the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons.

At one time, the two were staying with Churchill’s cousin, the Duke of Marlborough, at Blenheim Palace. During the dinner, Lady Astor told the British prime minister: “Winston, if I were your wife, I’d put poison in your coffee.”

He looked her straight in the eyes and remarked, “Nancy, if I were your husband, I’d drink it.”

But there’s a Pinoy version to it. At a party, a woman told a young man who imbibed too many drinks. “You are drunk,” she said. The young man mumbled but still managed to say, “Tomorrow, I will be sober, but you will still be ugly!”

Their exchange of words may be funny but what if you were the recipient of such offending words?

What if someone will tell you any of the following statements: “Your work puts a first grader to shame” (which actually means you don’t know what you’re doing) or “Your acting is no brainer” (another way of saying “It’s boring”).

Some people criticize others because the recipient is better than them. In the movie, Bituing Walang Ningning, singing sensation Cherrie Gil told the upcom-

ing phenomenal Sharon Cuneta, “You’re nothing but a second rate, trying hard copycat.”

“What people say about us is never quite true; but it is never quite false, either; they always miss the bull’s-eye, but they rarely fail to hit the target,” Sydney Harris once said. On his 90th birthday, American president Herbert Hoover said, “Criticism is no doubt good for the soul but we must beware that it does not upset our confidence in ourselves.”

There are two sides of criticism: bad or good. As Donald H. Rumsfeld, former US Secretary of Defense, puts it: “If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.”

However, take heed of your critics. Take the case of Samuel L. Jackson. The award-winning Hollywood actor no longer loses his cool when playing golf, thanks to one critic. “One day, I did get angry with myself and threw a club,” he recalled. “My caddie told me, ‘You’re not good enough to get mad.’”

A fair lady once wrote to an author if he accepts comments.

What she actually means if he can live with criticisms. “Sure, I acknowledge both good and bad comments,” the author replied.

“The good comments tell me that I am on the right track. The bad comments are my gauge to strive better. In other words, what I am doing is not good enough.”

The trouble with most people is that they would rather be ruined by praise than saved with criticism. O.A. Battista said, “One of the surest marks of good character is a man’s ability to accept personal criticism without malice to the one who gives it.”

What does the Bible say about being a critic? It said, “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” Here’s a tip from Henry Ward Beecher: “We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have travelled from the point where they started.”

There are people who don’t believe what critics say about him or his ability. Bill Cartwright, who became one of the famous basketball players from the National Basketball Association (NBA), comments: “I remember when I was in college, people told me I couldn’t play in the NBA. There’s always somebody saying you can’t do it, and those people have to be ignored.”

In our daily activities, we tend to criticize others because it’s 100 times easier to do so

than to praise someone. “It is much easier to be critical than to be correct,” Benjamin Disraeli surmises. “Lots of faults we think we see in others are simply the ones we expect to find there because we have them,” Frank A. Clark contends.

One of the surest marks of good character is a man’s ability to accept personal criticism without malice to the one who gives it.

A woman at a mall was looking at the ice cream. Another woman came up behind her and grabbed hold of her hand. “Get away from there. You don’t need that. You’re already overweight.”

The startled woman turned around to face her critic. The woman who had approached her realized she had confused this woman with a friend. The woman gained her composure and responded to her critical assailant with these words: “You mean you have a friend!?!”

Lord Alfred Tennyson advises: “No man ever got very high by pulling other people down.

The intelligent merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not work with those who work with him. Don’t knock your friends. Don’t knock your enemies. Don’t knock yourself.

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

LITTLE SPANISH BARRIO OF DARONG Named after the surgeon fish (Acanthurus bleekeri), barangay Darong (alternate name for labahita or indangan), originally a Moro settlement, is more known today due to its hosting of a modern San Miguel Brewery, inaugurated on September 29, 1994, the feast of Saint Michael.

But the village was also home to numerous Spanish expatriates during the American occupation.

One of the landowners was Manuel Gutierrez, who had a sprawling 1,600-hectare hacienda that was home to roughly 900 heads of Brahman cattle. The property was reduced by a tenth when it was sold in 1959 to the family of Luis Nuere. The old Hacienda Gutierrez extended from Darong to the townsite of Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. The area is now owned by David Consunji, the billionaire-owner of South Davao Development Co., Inc. (SODACO).

Up to 1930, Darong was a typical barrio preferred by Spaniards due to its anchorage. The pioneers in the area included the Echevarria, Matute, Sainz, Palacios, and Ovida families, to name a few. In fact, commercial steamers from Spain used to dock at the area, bringing authentic Hispanic articles, commodities, and other supplies until the pre-Commonwealth period.

In 1941, the Darong property was taken over by the Japanese military administration. Because the Gutierrezes were friends of Gen. Fujimora, the Japanese officer with jurisdiction over the area, the farm management remained with the landowners.

For some time, the ranch was a source of food of the Japanese soldiers who were allowed to slaughter cattle for consumption but were prohibited from selling them.

The lands of the Gutierrezes later expanded. Restituto, brother of Manuel and Domingo, bought the land stretching from Matina Crossing up to the coastal areas of Matina Aplaya after the war. Some of the lands are now known as GSIS Heights, Santo Niño, and Pangi.

Restituto died in 1926 after refusing to have his leg amputated due to gangrene, while Manuel, owner of the Matina estate, also bought properties in Toril and Sibulan. Domingo married Restituto’s widow and bore two children. Restituto had seven sons by her.

In archival records dating back to the first decade of the 20th century, certain incidents involving Darong found their way in official narratives. In the 1904 bulletin of the Weather Bureau,

a report described a kind of hog cholera that hit the place: “En Darong, sin embargo, se ha presentado una epidemia que mata un 50 por ciento de cerdos.” (In Darong, however, a disease has appeared which carried off 50 per cent of the swine.) By this time, the old barrio had a population of 108 people, according to the official census.

A year earlier, an observer came out with an account reporting that a merchant of the ‘town of Darong’, Don Manuel Sanchez wrote of farmers preparing lands for the opening of new abaca plantations, a reason why there were no timbers that were cut.

With wax collecting getting a poor price, the natives were drawn to planting Manila hemp and processing them for fiber.

A report published in The Philippine Agricultural Review (1908) also expressed the sentiment of early settlers of the potential of Darong and other places adjacent to it, especially the town of Davao, where commerce was brisk and trading was healthy: “The prevailing spirit among the pioneers who have cast their lot with the fortunes of Davao has been one of optimism and enthusiasm. The development of this district has in reality just begun.

What is now needed is larger capital to adequately develop the resources of the district.

“Davao district offers to the newcomer a just and stable government, conditions of peace and order, unoccupied Government land rich with the accumulated fertility of the ages, fair transportation facilities, American neighbors (the benefit of whose experience in plantation work may be had for the asking), a climate free from many of the annoyances found in other parts of the Philippines, a section in which cholera, surra, and rinderpest have never made their appearance, and a community whose intelligent cooperation will tend to perpetuate existing favorable conditions, thus insuring a high quality of product and a good market price.”

Mabel Cook Cole, in Savage Gentlemen (1929), told of a personal experience that brought her to Darong to meet Dato Tongkaling, headman of the Bagobo.

From there they hiked uphill and reached the home of the chieftain just as dusk was setting. She was ushered into the warrior’s room, which had interesting objects.

She wrote: “It was one vast room, capable of holding two hundred or more persons. There was but one

door and no windows save a few peep holes. The long low walls were hung with scores of copper gongs, drums, ancient Chinese jars, looms, shields, spears, and clothing heavily beaded. Hanging altars held offerings for the spirits. In an imposing position near the center of the room stood the two decorated poles around which the warriors relate their brave deeds after a human sacrifice. Torchlight glittered on burnished copper and shone on polished steel.”

Though the datu was known to have eaten the hearts and livers of the tribe’s slain enemies, Cole’s stay, which was courteous, was embellished with memorable sights of women sewing beaded baskets, and embroidering beaded articles of clothing while the men, fit and ready for war, told stories, answered questions, and played a bamboo guitar.

The old Darong lands have since changed hands many times.

The Zobels, with the support of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), succeeded in negotiating with the local government of Santa Cruz to declare thirty-four (34) hectares of the property once owned by the Palacios family and the twenty-six (26) hectares earlier acquired by the SMC, into an industrial estate.

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LIFESTYLE

SM WORKERS: I LOVE MY JAB! SM in Davao City is making strides to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating mall workers—economic frontliners who have been working tirelessly to deliver essential products and services during COVID-19.

SM Supermalls heeded the partnership of the City Government of Davao that aims to vaccinate the mall sector; in SM Lanang Premier and SM City Davao this is thousands of workers and employees!

Last June 30, over 600 essential workers from both malls were vaccinated in SMX Davao. The inoculations continued for 1000 more workers at the beginning of July and will be sustained onwards to make the vaccine accessible to employees, security and maintenance personnel, cashiers, and sales associates.

“We fully commit to support the government’s call to achieve herd immunity. That’s why it is important to inoculate from our employees to service agency workers. No one should be left behind in this endeavor,” says Engr. Jonathan Nick Santos, Regional Operations Manager of SM Supermalls Mindanao.

The vaccination program is a culmination of the efforts of the city government through the City Health Office and the Department of Health.

Volunteer medical teams from the AFP Health Service Com-

mand - Health Service Center Eastern Mindanao (Camp Panacan Station Hospital), Davao Medical Society, Jose

Maria College and Brokenshire College came together mobilize the activity. SM mall employees also volunteered for

the activity while brands and merchants pooled in resources to support the medical staff on duty.

At the core of SM’s operations during the pandemic are sustained contributions to the

UN Comprehensive Response to COVID-19--to build business resilience, to delivery large-scale and coordinated health response and to mount recovery processes that builds the economy back and better.

ANNE CURTIS ENJOYS GREAT DELIVERY DEALS ON FOODPANDA MULTI-TALENTED actress Anne Curtis is tickled pink to share the good news about foodpanda’s great promos that will feed your appetite and fit your budget while you stay safe at home. She shares great deals and discounts in the foodpanda app, where you can find a wide variety of good food discoveries coupled with the convenience that foodpanda’s delivery service brings. Think: shops for groceries and pandamart for everyday essentials to keep you worry-free from sunrise to sundown.

It-girl Anne amps up the fun as she keeps you updated on everyday savings, with foodpanda promos such as Super Sundays that lets you feast with your family at 40% off and more on thousands of restaurants if you book

between 12 noon to 6 pm; while Mega Mondays can be a great way to jumpstart your week with 30% off and more on your favorite restaurants and thousands of other choices for new cuisines to try if you book from 12 noon to 6 pm. Find Epic Deals every day on different brands with 50% off, and pandapro members can also enjoy up to 40% off on exclusive deals with only P50 a month!

Ever the go-getter, Anne enjoys the convenience of ordering through foodpanda, as it allows her to have more time to spend with her family. “With so many restaurant choices, it’s so easy to find what I am craving for on the foodpanda app and there are great deals to choose from every day! As a new mom, I also find it important that our food delivery is reliable and safe. With foodpanda, I am assured of quality service from

our friendly riders that put safety as a priority. Kaya, tap mo na yan!”

“We are happy to have Anne on board to share the great deals and discounts we have for our foodpanda customers. We believe that she represents our savvy foodies who want to enjoy a wide variety of cuisines that can be delivered straight to your doorstep from our thousands of partner restaurants,” shares foodpanda Philippines managing director Daniel Marogy.

It’s a comeback for sure, as the multi-hyphenate entertainer stages AnnePagbabalik with her popstar persona as she shares foodpanda’s promos, with video clips and more exciting appearances on the app.

Catch Anne as she shares more of the great deals that are only a few taps away on the foodpanda app.

For more details, visit the official foodpanda Facebook page or its official website www.foodpanda.ph

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ENVIRONMENT

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WATER CRISIS IS FOR REAL Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

T

hree in 10 people worldwide could not wash their hands with soap and water at home during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF said that 40% of the world’s population – or 3 billion people – do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home.

The number is much higher in least developed countries, where nearly three-quarters go without.

This was “unacceptable” that the most vulnerable communities are unable to use the simplest of methods to protect themselves and their loved ones from the dreaded virus, deplored Kelly Ann Naylor, associate director of water, sanitation and hygiene at UNICEF. “The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene in disease prevention,” Naylor said. “It has also stressed a pre-existing problem for many: handwashing with soap remains out of reach for millions of children where they’re born, live and learn.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed the same concern. “Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, yet millions of people across the world lack access to a reliable, safe supply of water,” he said in a

statement.

But it’s not only at home where water is non-existing – even in health care facilities.

“Working in a health care facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment,” Tedros said. “Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene in health care facilities are fundamental to stopping COVID-19.”

There are many people who think that washing hands frequently is a waste of time. What they don’t know is that hands are host to many bacteria and viruses. You may not believe this, but according to several scientific studies, one square centimeter of skin holds roughly 1,500 bacteria.

The website buzzle.com reiterates: “Every human being comes in contact with germs and bacteria in their daily life. These harmful microorganisms are present all around us like on the door knobs, faucets, light switches, stair railings, etc. People touch these things while doing their routine work, without thinking much about it and with the same hands

touch their face, eyes, nose and sometimes eat food, too. While performing these acts, the germs and bacteria get into our body, causing several diseases.”

The current pandemic has made the water crisis more apparent.

“Even before the pandemic, millions of children and families were suffering without clean water, safe sanitation, and a place to wash their hands,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “The time has come to dramatically accelerate our efforts to provide every child and family with the most basic needs for their health and well-being, including fighting off infectious diseases like COVID-19.”

The water crisis is no longer shocking. It has already been predicted. The Nobel-prize winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that by 2080 nearly half the world’s population will be without clean water.

“The necessary sense of urgency is lacking,” said the New York-based United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in a statement. “The facts have been staring us in the face for years. While demand increases, the annual available fresh water supply per inhabitant is regularly decreasing and is expected to fall to an average 4,800 cubic meters by the year 2025 against 7,300 cubic meters in 1995.”

However, the water crisis may come sooner than what the UN body has predicted.

“We are fast exhausting our surface water supplies – water consumption and use now exceed the capability of the system to renew itself,” says Terry Leckie, one of Australia’s leading water industry experts and a passionate advocate of water reform. “And the majority of groundwater sources are either already contaminated or soon will be.”

It is happening now in the Philippines, where rapid population growth over the last century has been a major factor in increasing water usage. Experts claim that with an annual population rate of 2 percent to 2.3 percent, the Philippines would be facing a water shortage by 2025.

The population data sheet of the Washington, D.C.-based Population Reference Bureau showed the Philippines was home to 96.2 million people, as of mid-2012. By mid-2025, there will be about 117.8 million Filipinos living in 30 million hectares, the total land area of the country.

Currently, the water demands – and shortages – of many cities throughout the country are expanding. In a study done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, nine major cities were listed as “water-critical areas.” These were Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Angeles, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and

Zamboanga.

“The rapid urbanization of the Philippines, with more than 2 million being added to the urban population annually, is having a major impact on water resources,” notes the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its Asian Water Development Outlook some years back.

In Metro Manila, for instance, residents often complain of lack of water during the summer months. In some parts of the metropolis, the water supply situation reaches a vulnerable state that the little amount of water some residents get is not enough even for emergency purposes like cooking and drinking.

Aside from rapid population growth, the water crisis in the Philippines can also be traced to environmental degradation and pollution. According to an ADB study, only about 33 percent of river systems are classified as suitable public water supply sources, and up to 58 percent of groundwater is contaminated.

Of the 457 water bodies classified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), only 51 percent meet the 1996 water quality standards. Sixteen rivers are considered “biologically dead” during dry months.

In addition, wasteful and inefficient use of water, saltwater intrusion, high non-revenue water levels due to leaks and illegal connections, and denudation

of forest cover, are placing major strains on water resources. “Combined with growing population pressures, it is becoming more difficult to provide basic water services,” the ADB study surmised.

Dr. Sandra Postel, director of the Massachusetts-based Global Water Policy Project, believes water problems will be right there with climate change as a threat to the human future.

More importantly, higher global temperatures will worsen the current water problems.

“Although the two are related, water has no substitutes. We can transition away from coal and oil to solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.

But there is no transitioning away from water to something else,” said the head of the group that seeks to save fresh water.

The majority of the world’s water is used for agriculture or food production. The Virtual Water App (http://virtualwater.eu/) is a quick way to learn how much water is used in the production of beef (4,650 liters of water for 300 grams of beef steak) and chocolates (2,400 liters per 100 grams of chocolate). It takes 1,000 tons of water to grow one ton of rice grain.

“Water is the most precious asset on Earth,” points out Dr. Sandra Postel, director of the Massachusetts-based Global Water

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gihapoy unvaccinated individuals nga kinahanglan gihapon ug testing,” she said.

The resolution defined that a fully vaccinated individual is someone who has more than or equal to 2 weeks after having received the second dose in a 2-dose vaccine; or more than or equal to 2 weeks after having received a single-dose vaccine.

In addition, a fully vaccinated individual must be administered with vaccines that are included in the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) List or Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration or Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the IATF continue to allow intrazonal travel for senior citizens during Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

This, however, is subject to the presentation of a Covid-19 domestic vaccination card duly issued by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s vaccination status as may be issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).

For interzonal travel allowed under the pertinent resolutions of the IATF and provisions of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine

in the Philippines, as amended, the presentation of a Covid-19 domestic vaccination card duly signed by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s vaccination status as may be issued by the Bureau of Quarantine shall be sufficient alternatives to any testing requirement (before travel or upon arrival) which the local government of destination may require.

This interzonal travel shall likewise apply to fully vaccinated senior citizens.

Also, the traveler needs to undergo health and exposure screening upon arrival in the local government of destination.

In situations when fully vaccinated individuals are close contacts of probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases, they may undergo a shortened 7-day quarantine period only if they remain asymptomatic for the duration of the 7-day period.

In case there is a need for RT-PCR testing, this may be done not earlier than the 5th day after the date of the last exposure.

No testing and quarantine shall be required for close contacts who may have been traced beyond the 7th day from the last exposure and who remained asymptomatic.

The IATF stated that prescribed testing and isolation protocols shall be followed once the RT-PCR test yields a positive result, or the individual becomes symptomatic.

banknotes to our passports,” PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said.

Mapa, also the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General, added the security features will protect identity and make the PhilID the best valid proof of identity for Filipinos.

PSA said government agencies and private businesses must acknowledge the PhilID as a valid proof of identity in accordance with Section 12 of Republic Act No. 11055, or the PhilSys Act. Signed into law by

President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, the PhilSys Act aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)

cil-9, likewise called on the local government to start opening up the economy to accelerate the city’s recovery.

The city, under general community quarantine for the entire July, has 400 active Covid-19 cases as of Friday, with 58 percent of them asymptomatic.

Therewerealso72new recoveries and 21 new infections. One death upped

the fatality toll to 544.

Of the total 11,640 cases, 10,696 recovered.

“Community transmission remains wide-

comparable to those in Europe, such as France, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The BSP reported that consumer confidence remains upbeat for the third quarter of the year and the next 12 months.

Among the expectations of consumers that improved

outlook for the coming months are more jobs and permanent employment; additional and higher income; and effective government programs in dealing with the pandemic, such as the vaccination program, provision of financial assistance, and relaxing of quarantine restrictions. (PNA)

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spread, thus, people are advisedtocontinuepracticing minimum health standards and to follow quarantineguidelinesto prevent another surge in Covid-19cases,”thecity’s officialFacebookaccount stated. (PNA)

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hearts are with all the people who are sorrowed by this tragedy,” he said.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, one of the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) C-130H cargo planes figured in a mishap upon landing in Jolo.

The aircraft took off from Col. Jose Villamor Air Base in Pasay City en route to Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro and then ferried personnel to Jolo.

The aircraft was one of the two C-130H acquired through a grant from the US government that arrived in

the country last January 29.

It was formally welcomed to the PAF fleet during a ceremony at the Villamor Air Base, Pasay City on February 18.

The C-130 is a fourengine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin.

Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. (PNA)

as Critical Zone (CrZ), the Buffer Zone (BZ) which refers to the areas without new cases but are adjacent to areas categorized as Containment Zone (CZ).

The said strategy also follows the National Task Force on COVID-19’s Prevent-Detect-IsolateTreatment-Reintegration (PDITR) strategy.

“If we are to follow the strategy, kahit may different parameters whether may house lockdown, barangay lockdown, establishment lockdown or a market lockdown, may mga

parameters tayo. However, for the establishments with a less than a thousand employees, kahit one cluster of case we can put it on lockdown, given the high risk. With those establishments with more than 1,000 employees and at least two clusters of cases puwede na tayong magpa-lockdown ng isang establishment whether in the same floor or the same room or different floor, as long as it is in the same establishments, puwede na i-lockdown,” Schlosser said.

climbed to 50.

The toll includes 47 military personnel and three civilians. Some 49 military personnel and four civilians are undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the crash.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, one of the PAF C-130H cargo planes figured in a mishap upon landing in

Jolo.

The aircraft took off from Col. Jose Villamor Air Base in Pasay City en route to Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro and then ferried personnel to Jolo.

The aircraft was one of the two C-130H acquired through a grant from the US government that arrived in the country last January 29. (PNA)

Apart from conducting vaccination at Felcris Centrale, he said the group is also eyeing NCCC Mall Buhangin as vaccination site to achieve their target.

The BPO in Davao City estimated employees from BPO companies.

M. Padillo

P607.87 million in taxes.

The BIR earlier included Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators

in its drive against tax violators, which resulted to several firms being shut due to delinquencies.

“It is likewise clear that at this point, the re-

based on the evidence submitted by the complainants,” the SEC said.

“TheDepartmentnoted messages filled with deaththreats,profanities, andotherobnoxiousand reprehensiblelanguage,” it added.

IncludingtherevocationofKingABC’sCA,the corporate regulator has canceled the licenses of 35financingandlending companiesduetothevariousviolationsofitsrules and regulations.

The SEC has also revoked the primary registration of some 2,081 lending companies for their failure to secure the necessary CA. Some 58 onlinelendingcompanies havealsobeenorderedto shut down for lack of authority.

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vocationofRespondent’s CA is not merely appropriate, but rather necessitated by the gravity and number of its offenses,” the CGFD said.

Based on the SEC’s list of lending companieswithaCA,KingABC offered interest rates of 0.5% to 1.00% per day.

Aside from the 15 violations found, the SEC said 53 more complaints havebeenlodgedagainst the firm for the same issues as of the date of the order.

“Even more telling is the fact that subsequent totheissuanceoftheFormal Charge, the abusive collection practice of the respondentonlybecame worse and more hostile

industry has an 50,000 30 to 35

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Policy Project. “It is the basis of life.”

“As water is an absolutely vital resource, at the center of life itself, it is a key integrating factor in the environment. Without sustainable water management to ensure that there are sufficient supplies of clean, safe water, the health of ecosystems and those who depend on them, especially people, suffer,” said Dr. Klaus Toepfer, during his term as executive director of the Nairobi-based United Nations Environment Program.

Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. Water makes up more than 60 percent of your body weight. Proteins make up only 18% while fats encompass 15%, minerals 4%, carbohydrates 2% and vitamins less than one percent.

Your brain contains 74% water, blood contains 83% water, lean muscle has 75% water and bone has 22% water. A lack of water affects everything from your digestive tract to your immune system. It also helps regulate your body temperature.

A household of five needs at least 120 liters per day to meet basic needs – for drinking, food preparation, cooking and cleaning up, washing and personal hygiene, laundry, house cleaning, according to the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental group.

A person needs at least 24 liters of water daily or one liter per hour. Even

when he breathes, he still needs water. “Our lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide,” wrote Leroy Perry in a Reader’s Digest article. “It is possible to lose half a liter of liquid each day just by exhaling.”

Only 2.5 percent of the water that covers over 70 percent of the earth’s surface is considered fresh water. And only 1.3 percent is available for human use since most of the freshwater is trapped in glaciers, ice sheets, and mountainous areas. Fresh water is drawn either from wells (tapping underground sources called aquifers) or from surface flows (like lakes, rivers, and man-made reservoirs).

“There is no more water on earth now than there was 2,000 years ago,” notes the US National Wildlife Federation, which has been working for years to protect water resources not only in the United States but throughout the world as well. “This limited supply of freshwater must meet the needs of a human population that has tripled in the last century and continues to grow at almost 80 million people per year.”

“Whiskey’s for drinkin’,” American author Mark Twain once wrote. “But water is for fightin’ over.” Sir Crispin Tickell, one of the organizers of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, agreed: “The world has got a very big water problem.

It will be the progenitor of more wars than oil.”

gest delegation since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The Tokyo-bound Filipino athletes include Ernest John Obiena (athletics), Carlos Yulo (gymnastics), Eumir Felix Marcial (boxing), Irish Magno (boxing), Nesthy Petecio (boxing), Carlo Paalam (boxing), Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting), Cris Nievarez (rowing), Kurt Barbosa (taekwondo), Margielyn Didal (skateboarding), Elreen Ando (weightlifting), Jayson Valdez (shooting), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Kiyomi Watanabe (judo), Kristina Knott (athletics), Yuka Saso (golf), Bianca Pagdanganan (golf), Luke Gebbie (swimming) and Remedy Rule (swimming).

Ramirez said the country’s Olympic campaign can become a uniting factor for

the country.

“Sana makatulong sa environment ng Pilipinas.

Hopefully, we can unite them. Sana magkaisa ang mga Pilipino dahil sa mga atleta (Hope to help the Philippine environment. Hopefully, we can unite them. I hope Filipinos unite because of the athletes),” he said.

He also requested the prayers and support of Filipinos for all the national athletes as they try anew to get the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8.

“I encourage everyone to offer some prayers for our delegation. We need your prayers and your cheers. Win or lose help us.

Sana mamayagpag ang atletang Pilipino (I hope our Filipino athletes will excel),” he said. (PR)

to shut down their VSA servers to prevent them from being compromised.”

“We believe that we have identified the source of the vulnerability and are preparing a patch to mitigate it,” the company said in a statement.

According to the New Zealand government’s Computer Emergency Response Team, the attackers were from a hacking group known as REvil.

REvil was also, according to the FBI, behind last month’s attack on JBS, one of the world’s biggest meat processors, which ended with the Brazil-based company

paying bitcoin worth $11 million to the hackers.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) put out word that it was “taking action to understand and address the recent supply-chain ransomware attack” against Kaseya VSA and the service providers using its software.

CISA called on businesses to follow Kaseya’s guidance and quickly shut down VSA servers to avoid having systems compromised.

Kaseya lists a US headquarters in Florida and an international headquarters in Ireland.

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SPORTS 11

After a rigorous day of travel, Manny Pacquiao (in file photo) has arrived in LA.

Former Olympian Suarez beats foe, stays udefeated

F

ormer Olympian Charly “King’s Warrior” Suarez kept his unblemished record as a professional lightweight campaigner after scoring a unanimous decision over Eduardo “The Nightmare” Mancito at the Urdaneta Cultural Sports Complex in Urdaneta City on Saturday night.

Suarez, who dropped his first boxing match in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, used body shots and effective combinations to frustrate Mancito in the main

event of the “Relentless: Fists of Fire” boxing showdown.

With his win, the 32-year-old Suarez improved his clean ring record to seven wins with five knockouts.

Mancito, 28, absorbed his back-to-back defeat after losing a unanimous decision to Salimo Jengo of Tanzania in November last year. He now carries an 18-12-2 record.

The fight was promoted by Robert Hill of VSP Boxing and Cucuy Elorde of UKC Pro Boxing Edition. (PNA)

Pacquiao arrives in LA for Spence fight F ilipino fighting Senator Manny Pacquiao and his team touched down in Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday afternoon to prepare for his welterweight bout against Errol Spence Jr. on August 21 in Las Vegas.

Despite fans and dozens of masked-up entourage members waiting, the Pacman snuck out of LAX through an alternate exit.

Coach Buboy Fernandez explained that looser COVID-19 restrictions in Los Angeles played a role in deciding to bring camp to the

US earlier than expected.

“At least, we are here now, so we will continue our training...The people here in the US, they’re coordinating. If the government says people take the vaccine, [they take it] so it’s more safe here, that’s why we decided to come here early,” he said.

In the meantime, MP Promotions manager Sean Gibbons gave the latest update on the cancelled bantamweight unification title

between Nonito Donaire Jr and JohnRiel Casimero whom he represents.

Gibbons ran into Nonito’s father Nonito Donaire Sr. while waiting for Pacquiao.

“All that nonsense out of the ring, we put all that behind us. It was things said that probably didn’t need to be said. People got their tempers up but everything is good now, we apologized to Nonito. I hope one day the fight could happen,” Gibbons said.

“The youth, the size, and skills,” says Garcia, explaining why he’s giving Spence the edge over the forty-something Pacquiao.

Still, Garcia makes it clear the match will be no walk in the park for Spence, either. “It’s not going to be an easy fight for Spence,” he claims. “Pacquiao’s going to have a lot in his arsenal.” Such as? “He’s got a lot of experiences,” Garcia adds, “quick footwork, fast hands, power.”

In other words, Garcia feels Spence-Pacquiao will be a high quality affair. “It’s not an easy fight,” he states in the interview, “but I just feel that Spence is a fighter that can make the adjustments well…I think he’s going to win in a good fight.”

As far as how he feels the bout will end, Garcia isn’t expecting a thrilling stoppage. “I don’t think he stops Manny,” he says of Spence. “It’ll go the dis-

tance.” Garcia also speaks in the interview of sparring Pacquiao years ago, claiming the Filipino legend only hurt him once. “Straight left….that was the only time he caught my attention like that.”

The announcement of Spence-Pacquiao seemingly came from out of nowhere a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, it’s one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the year. Although Spence is favored, Pacquiao is incredibly hard to write off, especially since his last bout saw him upsetting the younger, undefeated Keith Thurman.

As for Garcia, he tells ESNEWS that he’s not sure what the future holds.

There had been talk that he, not Spence, would be Pacquiao’s next opponent. Garcia’s last fight was against Jessie Vargas in 2020, a bout which saw him win by unanimous decision.

Garcia: Spence has youth, size, skills to beat Pacquiao

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Errol Spence (right) beats up Mikey Garcia. The latter believes, Spence has it to beat Manny Pacquiao.

ithout doubt, Mikey Garcia knows what it’s like to face Errol Spence.

Having never lost a fight, the Californian stepped into the ring at AT&T stadium in Dallas back in 2019 to face welterweight titlist Spence in a pay per view event. It was a brave move, a jump in weight classes, and a quest for boxing glory.

Unfortunately for Garcia, Spence made easy work of the man, winning round after round on the judge’s cards before being awarded a unanimous decision win. If anyone is aware of the ins and outs the still undefeated Spence presents in the way of a ring challenge, it’s Garcia.

Speaking to ESNEWS from his brother Robert’s gym, Garcia claimed it’s his belief that Spence will defeat the legendary Manny Pacquiao when the two men face off in August.

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 96 • TUESDAY, JULY 06, 2021

SAY A PRAYER We can pull off surprises: Butch

“I’m so excited for the result of the hard work of the athletes, coaches, and NSAs on this journey to Tokyo Olympics in this pandemic.”-- PSC Chairman William“Butch”Ramirez

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hilippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez lauded the hard work of the Filipino athletes as he expressed confidence that the 19-strong Tokyo Olympics qualifiers have what it takes to get a golden finish.

“I’m so excited for the result of the hard work of the athletes, coaches, and NSAs on this journey to Tokyo Olympics in this pandemic,” Ramirez said during the PSC Hour program of Radyo Pilipinas Dos on Friday.

The two-time PSC chief thanked the athletes for their sacrifices and dedication to reach their dream of becoming an Olympian which, according to him, is not an overnight success.

“Yung makarating ka lang ng Olympics, parang nanalo ka na rin ng gold (When you just get to the Olympics, it’s like you’ve already won gold). It’s priceless to be in an international competition lalo na sa (especially in) Olympics” Ramirez said.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic that hampered the athletes’ preparation, Ramirez said the Philippine team has a good chance to bring home an Olympic medal.

“Naniniwala akong may medalya tayo sa Tokyo Olympics. Malamang meron tayong gold, silver at bronze medal kasi mayron din tayong mga baguhan na pwedeng gumawa ng surprises. Hindi naman kailangan na umabot ka ng 12 years para maka-medalya ka sa Olympics. Depende talaga sa talento, coaching, exposure, serendipity, at panahon, maraming factors yan (I believe we can win medal in Tokyo Olympics. We probably have gold, silver and bronze medals because we also have beginners who can make surprises. You don’t have to take 12 years to win an Olympics medal. It really depends on the talent, coaching, exposure, serendipity, and time, there are many factors),” he said.

He also said preparing for the Olympics is not a one-year affair, saying preparation for the Tokyo 2020+1 Olympics started as early as the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Ramirez said the PSC has spent around PHP2 billion for the national team’s expenses since 2016 just to form a formidable team for Tokyo Games.

The Philippines will be sending the second-big-

FSAY, P10