Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 116 | Thursday, July 29, 2021

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

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Yuell, a civil engineer, cleans the tank of his fully grown betta fish at a breeding area at his home in Brgy. Sasa, Davao City on Wednesday. As construction projects became scarce during the pandemic, he turned his hobby of breeding fish into an income generating activity. Edge Davao

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City notices positive turnout of second dosers for Covid-19 vaccination STORY ON PAGE 2

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Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio officiates a civil wedding in Davao City on Tuesday. Mayor Sara named Municipality of Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco as her political spokesperson. Photo courtesy of Mayor Inday Sara FB page

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GenSan to put up medical waste treatment facility

City notices positive turnout of second dosers for Covid-19 vaccination

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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avao City Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser disclosed that the city government of Davao has noticed a positive turnout of the second dosers for Covid-19 vaccines.

“We have good number of second dosers,” Schlosser said As of July 25, 2021, For Priority A1 (health care workers), the city recorded 22,594 dosers for the first dose of Sinovac vaccine and 23,000 dosers for the second dose; 9,000 for the first dose of AstraZeneca

vaccine and 4,992 for the second dose; 15,699 for the first dose of Pfizer vaccine and 9,800 for the second dose and still ongoing.

For Priority A2 (senior citizens), 10,000 first dose of Sinovac and 8,258 for second dose; 26,000 for first dose of Pfizer and 18,000 for the second dose and

vaccination still ongoing; 4,000 for the first dose of AstraZeneca 4,000 and 336 for the second dose (because of the time interval) as of July 28, 2021.

“Ang time of interval of AstraZeneca is four weeks to three months,” Schlosser said.

For Priority A3 (persons with comorbidities), 23,000 for the first dose of Sinovac and 20,345 for the second dose; 7,871 for the first dose of AstraZeneca and 337 for the second dose; 70,067 for first dose of Pfizer and

deputy field commander of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and six of his cohorts surrendered to the government troops in Maguindanao on Monday (July 26) Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) spokesman Col. Alaric Avelino Delos Santos identified the surrenderer as commander Binladen only. Six of his members also submitted themselves to the members of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade .

The surrenderers also yielded two M14 rifles; M16 rifle; a Barret with tripod and magazine; Garand rifle; M79 Grenade Launcher;rocket-propelled grenade; 20 rounds cap magazine for M14; one 30 rounds cap magazine for M16; and an RPG ammunition.

He said the successful surrender of the seven BIFF personalities was made possible through the concerted efforts of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion and its intelligence units.

According to Delos Santos, the surrendered personalities revealed that the focused military operations in central Mindanao forced them to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law.

Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan Jr. the commander of WestMinCom commended the troops of the Joint Task Force Central for their numerous accomplishments, adding that all their successes are attributable to its stakeholders and the civilians who continue

56,954 for second dose.

For Priority A4 (essential workers), 72,795 for first dose of Sinovac and 1,034 for second dose and vaccination is ongoing; and 24,651 for first dose of AstraZeneca and 22,000 for the second dose.

For A5 (indigent/IPs), 517 for the first dose of Sinovac and 232 for the second dose 232; 330 for first dose of AstraZeneca (no roll out for second dose yet); and 7,024 for first dose of Pfizer and 4,895 for the

to support and cooperate with them as they endeavor towards achieving its common goal.

Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of the Joint Task Force Central, meanwhile vowed to continue to hunt and pound the remaining local terrorists.

“Nevertheless, all the military units under my command are always ready to welcome those who wish to surrender and end their armed struggle peacefully,” Uy said.

he city government is pushing for the establishment next year of its own medical waste treatment facility.

Glenville Gonzalez, department head of the city-run Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital (DJPRH), said Tuesday they already crafted a development plan for the waste treatment plant, which is envisioned to become an income-generating project of the city.

He said they have proposed an allocation of some PHP40 million in the city’s 2022 budget for the construction of the facility and the installation of the necessary machines and equipment.

“This facility is a must for the hospital since it is one of the major require-

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Moro CSOs express dismay over PRRD after skipping BTA extension issue in SONA

M BIFF chief, 6 others surrender in Maguindanao A FGOOD, P10

ments for our accreditation with the DOH (Department of Health),” he said in a question hour during the city council’s regular session.

Gonzalez was referring to the city government’s ongoing efforts to upgrade the DJPRH’s classification into a Level 2 hospital.

The waste treatment is included in the projects being targeted by the city in its proposed loan of nearly PHP2 billion with the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The local government has a standing proposal on the project from the Davao City-based “cleantech” or clean technology firm RAD Green Solutions, the developer of proprietary technology Pyroclave Optima.

oro civil society organizations (CSOs) were dismayed over the failure of President Rodrigo Duterte to push the extension of the transition period in the Bangsamoro region as a priority legislative measure during his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

In his almost threehour speech, Duterte cited the signing of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM) as one of his administration’s key milestones, but kept mum over the incessant clamor to extend the life of

the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

“We’re disappointed that the President did not mention the extension of the transition period in the Bangsamoro as a priority bill. Nevertheless, we will not stop appealing to him and lobbying before Congress to pass a law extending the transition period in the Bangsamoro region,” Samsodin Amella, co-convenor of the Civil Society Organizations Movement for Moral Governance (CSOMMG).

The Bangsamoro region-based CSOMMG has been strongly pushing for the extension of the BTA for three years until 2025.

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Members of Moro civil society organizations join the motorcade in Metro Manila on Monday (26 July 2021) to call on President Rodrigo Duterte to certify the Bangsamoro transition extension as a priority legislative bill. Duterte delivered his sixth and final State of the Nation Address but did not mention anything about the extension of the

NEWS

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transition period in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Photo courtesy of Civil Society Organizations Movement for Moral Governance

Proposed genome center in Mindanao to help fast track specimen testing

Davao nurses top list of healthcare workers affected by Covid-19

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urses are the most affected healthcare workers hit by Covid-19 in Davao Region.

The Department of Health-Davao (DOHDavao) reported that as of July 25, 2021, for medical profession, nurses have the highest number of active cases with 942 followed by physicians with 362 cases and two deaths; nurse attendants with 276 cases; medical technologists with 185; and other healthcare workers 352 with three deaths.

For non-medical workers: staff (healthcare workers) with 667 and seven deaths and non-HWC/

frontliners with 1,073 and four deaths.

There are total of 3,876 healthcare workers affected by Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic and of these number, 482 are currently admitted while 3,375 already recovered.

There are a total of 19 deaths recorded.

Meanwhile, based on the Regional Situation Update on Covid-19 in Davao Region as of 5 p.m. of July 27, 2021, DOH-Davao Center for Health Development reported 106 new cases of Covid-19 in the region bringing the total number of active cases to 6,305.

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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Delayed releasing and detection of Covid-19 and its variants are among challenges being faced by the local health authorities. In fact, DOH 11 was recently stormed by queries from Davao media on delayed releasing of the detected Delta variant of Covid-19 cases in Davao City and Tagum City over the weekend.

On July 25, 2021, Tagum City Health Officer Dr. Arnel Florendo announced

via a Facebook post that a 22-year-old female patient with no recent travel history was the first confirmed local case of the Delta variant or B.1.617.2 in Tagum City.

On Monday, Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, confirmed that a 28-year-old female is also the first person infected with the Delta variant of Covid-19 in Davao City. On June 27, 2021, the patient

was reported positive and on June 28, 2021 to July 11, 2021 she underwent quarantined. The patient has completed the required isolation period of 14 days and has since recovered.

“Mao na sa pagkakaron naningkamot ang Region 11 nga naa ta’y atoang kaugalingong laboratory. Nagstart na ug trabaho ang atong UP-Mindanao for their Philippine Genome Center didto sa atoang Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

Nagasugod na ni sila ug naa na mga gamay na mga requirements para makasugod na pud sila sa pag-process sa atong own genome sequencing,” said

pandemic responses at the Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday.

Galvez said the second delegation of the Israeli experts has come in a “very crucial time” now that the country has detected local transmission of the more vicious Delta Covid-19 variant.

“While the national government is now focused on scaling up the implementation of our Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDTIR) strategy and impose stricter border control in all points of entry, we know that there are

still much to be learned and much to be done,” he added.

The visiting Israeli team is scheduled to observe the Philippines’ Covid-19 mitigation efforts and inspect the country’s hospitalization capacity within this week.

“We hope that through this series of consultations and site visits to our health facilities, you will be able to provide us more insights on how we can better manage and control the spread of the delta variant,” Galvez said.

Delta variant threat During the discussions, Chaim Markos Rafalowski, Disaster Management Coor-

dinator of the Magen David Adom in Israel, shared how the Israeli Ministry of Health along with medical professionals is trying to halt the local transmission of the Delta variant.

“Some of the strategies we did to mitigate the Covid-19 is that we close our borders very early in Israel and we had an early detection of cases, particularly the Delta variant,” he said.

Rafalowski said the health experts involved in virus mitigation must consider the isolation of those at risk of exposure, including active cases and their

he proposed Philippine Genome Center Mindanao Satellite Facility (PGC-MSF) of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UPMin) is expected to help fast track diagnosis for Covid-19 specimens.

Dr. Annabelle Yumang, director of the Department of Health 11 (DOH 11).

The proposed Philippine Genome Center Mindanao Satellite Facility (PGC-MSF) of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UPMin) that will serve as an additional testing laboratory for Covid-19 in Mindanao.

When fully operational the facility is expected to improve the capability of the local health authorities to immediately detect the patients who are infected with Covid-19 and its variants.

Currently, all Covid-19 specimens are send to PGC at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, for a full range of DNA sequencing services.

close contacts, and increase capacity on epidemiological investigations.

On his part, Health Undersecretary Dr. Leopoldo Vega, head of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID)’s Response Cluster, said there are many similar practices being done by the Philippines and Israel when it comes to containing the pandemic.

Vega said both countries have the same prevention and treatment practices.

“Maraming similarities,

Israeli experts crucial in PH fight against Delta variant: Galvez

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he National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 said the visit of Israeli health experts is very timely and crucial as the government ramped up its coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response efforts amid the threat of the Delta variant.

NTF Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said the vaccination program has been improved after the first delegation of Israeli experts visited the country and assist the government in ensuring proper vaccine management last month.

“It was only a month ago when your government sent a delegation of vaccine and logistics experts here to observe our vaccine deployment and administration strategies and offer recommendations on how we can further improve them. We certainly learned a lot from them and have incorporated their suggestions into our current systems and approaches,” Galvez said in a written message read by his representative, Ret. Brig. Gen. Agustus De Villa, during the Philippines-Israel health experts’ discussions on the Covid-19

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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Residents ride on a wooden canoe to take part in a coastal clean-up drive in Barangay Poblacion, Del Carmen, Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte province Monday morning. The Local government unit of Del Carmen conducted simultaneous coastal clean-up in celebration of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. MindaNews photo by IVY MARIE MANGADLAO

2.2 million more jobs created despite pandemic: NEDA chief D

Digital transformation boosts policy-making, service delivery

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show that there were 42.5 million Filipinos employed in January 2020.

In its latest LFS in May 2021, total employed Filipinos was at 44.72 million, 5 percent or 2.22 million higher than January 2020 numbers.

“We achieved the lowest ever poverty rate, underemployment rate -meaning those with work but want to have more income -- and the lowest ever unemployment rate.

So when we entered 2020, the conditions of the people have significantly improved,” Chua said.

However, due to lockdowns that started in March 2020, most business establishments were closed and challenges brought by the pandemic made some entrepreneurs close their businesses and shed workers.

According to PSA, there were 3.73 million jobless Filipinos in May 2021.

“What we have noticed in the past few quarters is that so long as we can manage the risk and identifying the highest risk and put the lockdowns or restrictions, we are able to open the rest of the economy safely so that the workers can go back,” the NEDA chief added.

Chua is optimistic that the country will be able to get back to the pre-pandemic levels by next year

by strengthening efforts to fight Covid-19, as well as passing and implementing key economic reform legislations that will attract more investments and create more jobs for Filipinos.

He also underscored the need for a faster rollout of Covid-19 vaccination program throughout the country.

“We have a budget prepared (to) fight Covid.

There are vaccination money there, there is a recovery, we passed and enacted the CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) law, the FIST (Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer) law -- these are reforms that enable our recovery. So we are going to implement them,” Chua added. (PNA)

ata science, analytics, and digital transformation can help make better policies and deliver better services as the Philippines heads to a new and better normal, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

“I have always believed and advocated for digital transformation within the government in order to strengthen policy-making and service delivery. The government and businesses alike need to use data science to make better policies.

This has become even more urgent in the new normal,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said during the 2021 Analytics Summit PH. Organized by the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP), the summit convenes key stakeholders from various sectors to evaluate and learn more about

MT, the data from DA-13 showed.

Most corn farmers in the region are also engaged in cassava production, providing additional income for their families.

Cassava production in Caraga likewise improved from 17,673.95 MT in 2019 to 19,293.87 MT in 2020, the department said.

Support services provided by the DA to rice farmers in the region also helped raise palay production in the area under Duterte’s term.

Last year, the total palay yield in the region was recorded at 503,330 MT. The total palay harvest,

the department said, has also brought the rice self-sufficiency rate of Caraga to 93.29 percent.

“The DA has strengthened its programs and services under the present administration, especially the support to farms by providing them with inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers,” DA-13 information officer Emmylou Presilda told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Presilda added that the use of new technologies and farm mechanization also helped the farmers in Caraga boost their production in the past six years.

Farming modernization

From 2016, a total of 3,230 units of agricultural machinery and equipment were released to the different rice and corn farmers’ associations in Caraga under the DA’s mechanization program to help them improve their production.

For this year alone, a total of PHP349.1 million worth of farm machinery and equipment were handed over by DA-13 to the different rice farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the region.

Among the biggest turnover activities conducted this year were facilitated in the provinces of Surigao del

Sur and Agusan del Norte and Butuan City.

Last February, the DA13 turned over a total of PHP149.4 million worth of farm machinery and equipment to the different farmers’ associations and cooperatives in Surigao del Sur through the provincial government.

In the same month, 12 farmers’ associations in Agusan del Norte and three from Butuan City were also provided by the agriculture department with PHP42.4 million worth of machinery, to include 13 units of four-wheel-drive tractors, 11 hand tractors, 18 float-

obs in the country were higher by 2.2 million from the pre-pandemic level, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said.

In an interview with PTV after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday evening, Chua said through risk management and implementation of granular lockdowns, the country generated more jobs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis. “(T)oday, we are 2.2 million jobs more than when… before Covid happened,” said Chua, who is also the director-general of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Labor Force Survey (LFS)

how best practices in data science and analytics will help the country take on challenges of socio-economic development and service delivery while keeping pace with the 4th Industrial Revolution.

The NEDA chief further underscored the significance of digitalization during the pandemic when social protection programs need to be efficiently delivered using information and communications technology (ICT).

Chua recounted that the biggest challenge in implementing the social amelioration program (SAP) for 18 million families and the small business wage subsidy (SBWS) for 3.1 million workers was how these critical emergency responses could reach the people, most of whom were unbanked or without access to

ing trailers, six rice-combine harvesters, and two transplanters.

In March, a total of 53 rice farmers’ cooperatives and associations in Surigao del Sur also benefited from the farm mechanization program of the DA, while in April, four groups of rice farmers in Rosario, Agusan del Sur received PHP7.4 million worth of equipment.

Corn farmers in the region also received advanced farm tools through the mechanization program of the agriculture department.

For this year, a total of PHP12.5 million worth of

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DA programs under PRRD admin boost Caraga rice, corn yield

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he strengthened agricultural programs and services implemented under the Duterte administration resulted in an increase in the production of the corn and palay (unhusked rice) industries in the Caraga region.

Data provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA) 13 (Caraga) on Tuesday showed farmers engaged in white and yellow corn production in the region gained an average yield of 3.52 metric tons (MT) per hectare of harvest from 2016 to 2020.

Last year, the total corn production in the region reached up to 157,639.11

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ECONOMY 5

Food delivery riders take a breather at a gasoline station in Matina, Davao City. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued rules in determining the employment relationship between food delivery and courier riders and their respective digital platforms. Edge Davao

PH books P149.9 billion budget deficit in June

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he Philippines booked a P149.9 billion budget deficit in June as government spending again outstripped income, the Bureau of Treasury said on Tuesday.

The June shortfall pushed the total deficit for the first half to P716.1 billion, which was 27.8 percent higher than in the same period last year.

Treasury however also noted that this was still 29.7 percent lower than the planned deficit of P1.018 trillion for the period.

“Total collections for June slid to P245.6 billion, 30 percent or P105.4 billion less than last year’s tally of P351 billion,” Treasury said.

However, the P1.49 trillion collected in the first half

was still higher by 2.6 percent or P37 billion compared to the same period last year on account of higher tax collections. This was also higher than the revised forecast of P1.422 trillion by 4.8 percent, the agency said.

National government expenditures meanwhile hit P395.4 billion in June, reflecting a 13.2 percent growth from the same month last year. This mostly went to the infrastructure program, the modernization of the military, emergency repatriation of overseas Filipinos, the Smart Campuses Program of the Commission on Higher Education, and expenditures for the preparatory activities

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BPO firm partners with NGOs for Covid response projects

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usiness process outsourcing (BPO) firm Accenture Philippines has partnered with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the country to roll out projects that will help alleviate hunger, poverty, and education in communities.

In a press conference Tuesday, Accenture Philippines managing director Lito Tayag said the company has partnered with Caritas Manila, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response projects.

Tayag said the company pledged USD5 million, or

around PHP240 million, last May to implement projects that will help Filipinos amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a responsible business, Accenture remains committed to making a positive impact in communities in the Philippines during these challenging times. In the true Filipino spirit of bayanihan, we stand together with our partner organizations, Caritas Manila, PBSP and PBEd in continuing to do our part in making a lasting and inclusive impact for communities in the Philippines,” he said.

Accenture’s partnership with Caritas Manila involves the distribution of gift

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DBM: P679.27B released for COVID-19 response

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he Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Tuesday it has released P679.27 billion, as of June 30, to various implementing agencies to support projects, activities, and programs intended to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Of this, P600.66 billion has been obligated and about P550.53 billion has been disbursed based on Financial Accountability Reports submitted by the corresponding agencies and

departments,” the DBM said.

The said amounts are equivalent to an 88.4% obligation rate and 91.7% disbursement rate, respectively, the Budget department said.

Obligations are liabilities legally incurred and committed to be paid for by the government either immediately or in the future.

Disbursements, on the other hand, refer to the actual withdrawal of cash from the Bureau of the Treasury due to the encashment of checks issued by agencies and payment of budgetary obligations.

The DBM noted allotment releases to support Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover

as One Act or Bayanihan 2 amount to P214.12 billion, wherein P200.25 billion was obligated and P189.86 billion was disbursed.

“This leaves a balance of P13.88 billion, of which, only P5.97 Billion (or less than 1% of the total allotment releases) was reverted to the General Fund in view of the expiration of the Special Appropriations and FY 2019 Continuing Appropriations under the same law last June 30, 2021,” it said.

emerged as the principal fault line along which the global recovery splits into two blocs,” the International Monetary Fund said in its updated World Economic Outlook, warning of the danger to the economy if new virus variants are allowed to take hold.

The recovery “is not assured even in countries where infections are currently very low so long as the virus circulates elsewhere,” the report said.

And while the recent inflation spike is the result of the unprecedented and uneven turnaround from the pandemic and should prove

temporary, the IMF raised the possibility that price increases could become “persistent.”

The Washington-based crisis lender once again stressed that “the immediate priority is to deploy vaccines equitably worldwide.”

Advanced nations have vaccinated nearly 40 percent of the population, compared to barely 10 percent in emerging markets and even fewer in low-income countries, the report said.

“The emergence of highly infectious virus variants could derail the recovery and wipe out $4.5 trillion cumulatively from global GDP

by 2025,” IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath warned in a blog post.

More than half of that lost wealth would come from rich nations in the event new variants of the coronavirus spread unchecked.

And this is not just a “tail risk” that is highly unlikely, “This is a realistic downside risk,” said Petya Koeva-Brooks, deputy director of the IMF Research Department.

Although some emerging market nations like Brazil and Mexico are poised to show stronger growth this

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IMF sees 6% world growth, warns developing nations falling behind

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he global economy will expand by 6% this year, but disparities between nations are widening as advanced economies accelerate while developing countries fall behind, the IMF said Tuesday.

While the forecast for global growth is unchanged from the previous estimate in April, the United States is projected to see faster 7% growth thanks to massive government spending and widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, while the IMF slashed the forecast for India, which is facing a resurgence of infections.

“Vaccine access has

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On the good turnout of the second dosers for Covid-19 vaccines:

So far daghan gyud nagabalik sa second dose. Ang atoa lang daghan na worry ngano ang AstraZeneca gamay lang ang second dosers because of the longer time interval sa first dose and second dose.”

Dr. Michelle Schlosser

Davao City Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson

EDITORIAL Ordinance against fake information The Davao City government is reportedly mulling over the idea of instituting legal actions against people spreading false information about the pandemic, especially individuals convincing others not to submit themselves to anti-Covid-19 vaccination.

ible Dabawenyos and Filipinos gobble up these stories as gospel truth and gleefully spread them to equally ignorant neighbors.

The fake news and false information include claims that individuals will become zombies or will die two years after having themselves vaccinated. Unfortunately many gull-

Considering that we have become increasingly a world of scams and scammers, come to think of it, what we really need is a law against all forms of fakery.

This is a brilliant idea which is timely in countering the so many conspiracy theories and outrageous fallacies being peddled by rumormongers through the unbridled social media and irresponsible media outlets.

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It’s a good thing that for starters this course of action of the city which might need legislation has already been discussed preliminarily between Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and City Councilor Joselle Villafuerte, a seasoned medical practitioner who is making a mark in the city council as a serious legislator.

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VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

ON SELECTING A GOOD LEADER When God saw the misery of His people in Egypt, he asked a young man named Moses to lead them out of the clutch of Pharaoh. “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt,” God told Moses.

At first, the neophyte Moses declined. “Who am I?” he asked.

But God insisted, “Lead my people.” And that was what terrified Moses. To lead the people out of Egypt and he never had any experience at all. “A leader,” says Dr. John C. Maxwell, the leading authority on leadership, “is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.”

Leonard Ravenhill in The Last Days Newsletter, shares the story of a group of tourists who were visiting a picturesque village. As they walked by, an old man sitting beside a fence, one tourist asked in a patronizing way, “Were any great men born in this village?”

The old man looked at the tourist who inquired and told him bluntly: “Nope, only babies.”

Putting in perspective the opinion of the old man, it simply means that being a leader is not discovered; it is developed.

Those truly “born leaders” will always emerge; but, to stay on top of the game, natural leadership characteristics must be harnessed and enhanced.

So, what are some of the traits that a leader should possess? First and foremost, he

must have a character. A scorpion, being a poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on his back across a river. “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me while I’m swimming and I’ll drown.”

“My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “if I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now, where is the logic in that?” The turtle agreed, “You’re right. Hop in.”

The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river the scorpion gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle resignedly said, “Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there’d be no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?”

“It has nothing to do with logic,” the drowning scorpion sadly replied. “It’s just my character.”

“Nearly all men can withstand adversity. If you truly want to test a man’s character, give him power,” said American president Abraham Lincoln.

Character is what you do in the dark, D.L. Moody notes. And “there is no substitute for character,” reminds Robert A. Cook.

“You can buy brains, but you cannot buy character.”

Integrity is the second trait a leader must always possess.

If what you say and what you do are the same, then you are a

man of integrity. As American businessman and writer Max Depree points out: “Integrity in all things precedes all else. The open demonstration of integrity is essential; followers must be wholeheartedly convinced of their leader’s integrity. For leaders who live a public life, perceptions become a fact of life.”

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters,” said Albert Einstein. The ultimate test of leaders’ credibility is whether they do what they say. Most politicians are not good leaders because they lack this specific trait of a good leader.

After all, what they say is not what they do.

“No one achieves and sustains success without discipline,” Dr. John C. Maxwell once said. And that includes being a leader. As Bertrand Russell puts it, “Nothing of importance is ever achieved without discipline. I feel myself sometimes not wholly in sympathy with some modern educational theorists, because I think that they underestimate the part that discipline plays. But the discipline you have in your life should be one determined by your own desires and your own needs, not put upon you by society or authority.”

You may be talented, wealthy and famous, but with-

out discipline, you cannot go far.

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

A good leader should also have the ability to influence others. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority,” said Kenneth Blanchard, co-author of One-Minute Manager. John C. Maxwell, a famous author and speaker, agrees: “Leadership is influence.”

John D. Rockefeller was known for his amazing business success, but he had a greater reputation among those who knew him as being a man who motivated his people. He had a sincere appreciation for others and was willing to accept failure if an honest attempt had been made at success.

When one of his partners, Edward T. Bedford, failed in a business venture, which cost Rockefeller’s company a million dollars, Rockefeller responded with a statement that has become classic in business lore. He didn’t criticize Bedford because he knew he had done his best.

He did, however, call Bedford to his office.

“I think it is honorable that you were able to salvage 60 percent of the money you invested in the South American venture,”

Rockefeller told Bedford. “That’s not bad; in fact, it’s splendid. We don’t always do as well as that upstairs.”

A good leader is also good in motivating others rather than manipulating them. In his book, Something to Smile About, Zig Ziglar gives us a thought-provoking comparison on both words: “Motivation occurs when you persuade others to take an action in their own best interests. Things such as people preparing their homework, accepting responsibility for their performance, and finishing their education are the results of motivation.”

On the other hand, “manipulation is persuading others to take an action that is primarily for your benefit,” Ziglar explains.

“Things such as selling an inferior product at an inflated price and working people overtime with no extra pay are examples of manipulation.”

Walter Stevenson, who is known for his leadership, once pointed out: “If leadership is an art, then leaders are the artists, organizations are the easel, people are the canvas, ideas are the pigment, values are the frame, and vision is the thing that’s hung up at the gallery--the final outcome that’s so magical it tempts the audience to forget the messy process by which the result is fashioned, and lures them into a state of awe.”

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

PETITION TO RETAIN AMERICAN TROOPS American military behavior in the first year of occupation in Mindanao was generally well praised to the point that townships in the island opposed the transfer of Davao district governor Maj. Hunter Liggett. In general, the War Department under Secretary Elihu Root had received tenths of petitions requesting the retention of U.S. troops in many areas of the archipelago.

The Washington-based The Evening Star, in its April 25, 1902 issue, carried a front-page story titled ‘Philippine Towns Want Officers to Remain,’ stating the petitions were transmitted that day to Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge, who chaired the Senate committee on Philippine affairs.

“The petitioners declare that by the presence of American troops in their respective localities they are Insured humane treatment, protection and the maintenance of peace and good order. In many cases

the petitions refer to individual American officers whom the natives have learned to admire and respect, and to whom they look for protection and justice.

In several Instances also the petitioners ask that American troops be not replaced by native scouts.”

In Davao, the petitions from the towns of Mati, Baganga, Caraga, Davao, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Misamis, Cagayan and Jolo, were routed through the Department of Mindanao and Jolo. At Zamboanga, American governor-general Howard Taft also received similar news.

Gen. Adna Romanza Chaffee, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, was later ordered by the War Department by cable to send all the communications. For his part, Gen. William August Kobbe, head of the U.S. Volunteers, forwarded the petition from the municipal council of Davao, saying: “From my personal knowl-

edge of the people and of Major Liggett I know that the petition is not based on sentimental considerations, but on the situation as exists there, and on the serious convictions of the petitioners.

“As relevant thereto. I forward also here with Major Liggett’s latest report, requesting its return to this office. It deserves the careful perusal of the major general commanding the division.

“All races in Mindanao and some from other islands are represented at Davao. It has furnished and will continue to furnish. problems of a kind that. If not met as Major Liggett meets them, may be a source of infinite trouble and expense to the United States, and that cannot be met by relays of short-service troops. I therefore earnestly second the petitioners’ request.

“Davao should, in my opinion, be ultimately held by one

company of troops, preferably the latter, and I hope that It may be possible to retain Major Liggett in command. He knows nothing of the petition, nor has he ever expressed a wish to remain at Davao. He is a captain, 5th United States Infantry.”

This positive assessment also got headline treatment from another Washington newspaper, The Times, which carried the title ‘Filipino Praise for American Troops’ in its April 26, 1902 edition. It highlighted the reason for Maj. Liggett’s retention, saying he “is a well-liked and a very popular person in this town, especially among the savages who inhabit the woods.”

Acceptance of U.S. Army volunteers was not exclusive to the maintenance of peace and order. The servicemen, as workhorses of the new colonial government, were responsible for the opening of roads, installation of tele-

phone systems, construction of weather stations, townhalls, and schools, building of towns, and, later, the opening of abaca plantations.

Most significantly, their many contributions could be felt in the fields of education, health and medicine, science, judiciary and justice system, local governance, agriculture, transport, law enforcement, and public service.

Except for the murder of Davao district governor Lt. Edward Bolton and his farm administrator Benjamin Christian four years later, the 1909 Philippine Constabulary mutiny, and the 1910 Manobo uprising, American relationship was generally accepted as civil despite contrary perception that the timidity of local residents had something to do with the fact the colonial forces were superiorly equipped and had the resources to hunt down hostile sectors.

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CEBU LANDMASTERS UNVEILS THE NEW ABACA RESORT MACTAN LEADING developer in VisMin Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) strengthens its hotel portfolio in the region as it reveals its very first resort development – the P2.5 billion Abaca Resort Mactan.

The expanded luxury boutique hotel is set to be completed in 2024.

The 125-room all-suite accommodation featuring exclusively panoramic ocean views is envisioned to fill the gap for luxury resorts catering to global travelers in Cebu’s thriving tourism scene in preparation for international mobility. It will rise 17-stories high on a 4,500 sqm. property formerly occupied by the multi-awarded Abaca Boutique Resort in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City, a tourism growth center.

CLI purchased the property in 2019 and has signed up

The Abaca Group to continue operating the hotel and providing luxury experiences tailored for local and global tourists.

To design the resort and infuse it with a unique sense of place sought by an emerging breed of high-end travelers, CLI tapped internationally renowned architectural firm Büro Ole Scheeren whose projects won numerous awards globally. Some of their notable work are CTBUH Urban Habitat Award 2020 Winner DUO in Singapore, the World Building of the Year 2015 The Interlace in Singapore, and MahaNakhon Tower in Bangkok, a mixed-use high-rise development that upends the conventional typology of the skyscraper. The resort’s design is also locally supported by the Philippines’ leading architectural firm AIDEA. Abaca Resort Mactan is CLI’s first resort development and

will feature a timeless Sky Villas concept to serve as the platform for memorable getaways. Each room will offer the luxury of space and will range from 40-50 sqm for the Oceanfront Suites, and up to 105 sqm for the Sky Villas which will have its own one-of-a-kind floating infinity pools that will be offered in both 1 and 2 bedrooms.

Aside from its awe-inspiring architecture, the resort will feature a luxurious infinity pool, an elevated cascading plunge pool, 360-degree roofdeck bar, a private beach and panoramic ocean views. These will be enhanced by a gym and spa, kids center and function rooms for events.

Abaca Resort Mactan will also be distinguished by culinary offerings that have won for The Abaca Group a loyal following in highly cosmopolitan Cebu. The resort will have three

outlets, offering new food and beverage concepts for the resort – a live-fire Asian concept on the main level, a new normal, all-day dining format and fantastic banquet facilities that can seat over 200 persons. Abaca restaurant will return and have a new home on the impressive rooftop with panoramic views of both the city and the sea.

“We have always wanted to contribute towards making Cebu a thriving economic and tourism destination,” according to CLI chairman and CEO Jose Soberano III. “Abaca Resort Mactan will put Cebu on the radar of this emerging breed of global travelers seeking worldclass, authentic and unique holiday experience.”

The Abaca Group’s Founder, Managing Partner and Executive Chef Jason Hyatt says, “as one of the country’s preeminent developers, we are honored that

CLI has chosen to partner with us once again through their hospitality arm. Being added to their portfolio of established global brands like Accor, Radisson and Ascott is so inspiring.”

Following the opening of the new Abaca Resort Mactan in 2024, Cebu Landmasters targets expanding its hotel portfolio to 1,433 rooms by 2025. This is in line with CLI’s strategy to buildup its recurring business contributing 10% to the company’s topline.

“We see tourism in the Visayas and Mindanao driving the economy once global mobility is restored,” according to Soberano. With direct flight connections all over the world, Cebu will be the natural gateway to the Philippines for many travelers seeking to enjoy the country’s world-acclaimed beaches and other attractions. “We will be ready for that boom.”

FILIPINO GIRL GROUP, BINI, RELEASES EMPOWERING ANTHEM WITH bouncy electro-pop and high energy beats, Filipino girl group, BINI, recently launched their empowering Maxi Single “Born to Win”.

On the EP, “Born to Win” has been reworked into a Latin number with pulsing horns and percussion-heavy arrangement, a party-ready EDM tune, and an exquisite string quartet piece. BINI rocked to these tracks on “The Runway,” the first part of group’s launch event where they wore the collection that designer Francis Libiran especially created for them.

The Maxi Single, which is available digitally on major streaming services, also features an instrumental version and an acapella version that highlights the members’ individual vocal colors.

Aside from the release of these remixes, BINI is also marking a major first as its “Born to Win” music video is featured on the MTV Asia channel this week.

Since the group’s official launch last June, “Born to Win” has now recorded over 870,000 views on YouTube and over 300,000 streams

on Spotify.

Tapping into a broader global audience, BINI will further expand the “Born to Win” era by

releasing foreign language versions. Fans can look forward to the confidence-boosting anthem’s Bahasa, Thai, Japanese, and Span-

ish editions coming out soon.

BINI, which is composed of Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena, is also preparing for a busier second half of 2021 with the release of their debut album, which will feature original songs, and a joint concert with their brother group BGYO. Like BGYO, BINI trained for two years under ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy, which prepares and grooms talents for international stardom. Before their official launch as a group, BINI released their pre-debut single “Da Coconut Nut” in November 2020 and went viral on social media for their TV performances that earned praises from both local and international fans.

For updates, follow BINI_ph on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok, and subscribe to the group’s official YouTube channel, BINI Official.

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harks, rays and chimaeras are referred collectively as sharks. They are perceived to be scary and ferocious monsters of the sea. This has been the notion since time immemorial. In the 1975 American thriller film, Jaws, a man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town, prompting police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw).

There are over 1,000 shark species around the world. About 200 of these can be found in the Philippines. In terms of shark biodiversity, it ranks fourth after Australia, Indonesia, and Japan and second in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

Sharks, however, are unfairly viewed as dangerous to human beings.

What most people don’t know is that sharks play a functional and important role in the marine ecosystem.

“Their presence is an indicator of a healthy ocean with abundance of prey, including fisheries,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in an exclusive interview. “Without them, there will be no early warning signs of impending impacts that could ultimately affect human survival.”

According to Dr. Lim, sharks keep the population of certain species in check thus keeping the fish stocks robust. In addition, they help in preventing the spread of diseases. “They naturally preyed upon the weakest and the ones in poor health,” she explains.

Oceanea, an ocean conservation and advocacy organization, also

adds: “Through the spatial controls and abundance, sharks indirectly maintain the seagrass and coral reef habitats.” Both coastal ecosystems are needed for fish and other marine creatures to thrive.

Unfortunately, sharks and rays are in serious decline around the world.

“Today, 75% of oceanic shark species are at risk of disappearing,” deplores the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP).

In the Philippines, the abundance of sharks has declined over the past decades with more than half of the 39 species now threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Previous studies on shark species found at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) have recorded the presence of 23 species of sharks and rays. A designated Heritage Park of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), TRNP covers roughly 10,000 hectares of coral reef at the heart of the Coral Triangle.

This pristine site is home to a high density of marine species, including 700 species of fish, 13 species of dolphins and whales, and over 100 species of waterbirds, accord-

ENVIRONMENT

9

WHERE HAVE ALL THE

SHARKS GONE?

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO David Choy and Darrell Blatchley

ing to the official website of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO).

Tubbataha is one of the last few remaining places in the Philippines where reef sharks thrive, attributed to the strict protection afforded to the park and sufficient area to support the movement of the apex predator.

And for the first time, with the support of the Laguna-based ACB, the TMO is leading a shark survey following studies conducted by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) from 2015 to 2017.

Angelique Songco, protected area superintendent and TMO head, explained that the shark survey will use the Underwater Visual Survey (UVS) method, a non-invasive and unbiased approach, in which divers swim down current for 40 minutes while identifying and counting passing sharks within an imaginary 30-meter transect strip.

While the UVS has little to no effect on the behavior of sharks, the survey needs to be complemented with other techniques for a better understanding of shark ecology, Songco said.

In a news release, it was said researchers and ma-

rine park rangers will conduct the survey with assistance from World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) – Philippines, LAMAVE, and local volunteers.

“The objective is to establish trends over the years and detect changes in shark abundance and species distribution,” Songco said, adding that the information generated from the study will also be used to assess the effectiveness of the park management as sharks are one of its key biophysical indicators.

Dr. Lim said that the shark study, along with lessons learned and further research activities in the park, may feed towards larger stakeholder efforts to enhance shark conservation measures at the national and regional levels.

There are 254 species of sharks and rays in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species that can be found in the ASEAN, of which 140 are categorized as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable.

“We take note of the collaborative efforts among the government, non-government organizations, and academic institutions to fill the knowledge gaps on sharks and

other important species in the marine protected area,” Dr. Lim said.

Sharks are the main ingredient for shark fin soup, a prestigious dish among ethnic Chinese both in China and abroad, served at wedding banquets, Lunar New Year celebrations, and high-end restaurants.

“The demand among an expanding middle class in places like Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia is driving unsustainable fishing in unmanaged fisheries of less economically developed countries,” WildAid deplored.

An ocean without sharks is much scarier than an ocean without them. “Though potentially dangerous, shark attacks are extremely rare – and humans annually kill from 70 to 100 million sharks yearly for their liver, meat and of course their fins,” deplores Gregg Yan, a conservation advocate and director for communications of Oceana Philippines.

“They have far more reason to fear humans than we do them.”

A recent scientific paper published in Marine Policy has proven this.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Hong Kong, the

Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia and WildAid, reveals that fishing pressure on threatened shark populations has increased dramatically.

Data from the Sea Around Us shows that the global shark catch has more than doubled to 1.4 million tons the in the last six decades, with the overexploitation “threatening almost 60% of shark species, the highest proportion among all vertebrate groups,” said lead author Professor Yvonne Sadovy, of the Swire Institute for Marine Science at the University of Hong Kong.

Over the past several years, dozens of countries around the world have adopted bans on shark fishing. “However, given the prevalence of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, and the fact that most countries still do not ban finning, the practice continues globally,” WildAid said in a press statement.

Faced with challenges such as poor enforcement, accidental catch, inadequate laws, and criminal activity, the researchers call for adopting the precautionary principle and

FSHARKS, P10

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second dose.

“So far daghan gyud nagabalik sa second dose.

Ang atoa lang daghan na worry ngano ang AstraZeneca gamay lang ang second dosers because of the longer time interval sa first dose and second dose,” Schlosser explained.

She said on the first week of next month more second dosers are expected with the roll out of the second dose for AstraZeneca.

“Karon sa roll out sa AstraZeneca, managhan na gyud ang atong second

dosers because daghan man ta gipangbakunahan ug first dose sa AstraZeneca.

Mao na gyud ni ang gihulat sa kadaghanan kasi daghan nangutana nganong dako kaayo ug difference ang first dose from the second dose. Kasi during that time sa atong mga first roll out ang atong pinaka daghan na vaccines na available or allocated vaccine sa atoa were Sinovac and AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca will take at least three months ang interval. In our case ang atong interval three months,” she said.

Pyroclave Optima is a medical waste processor that uses pyrolysis or the process of decomposing waste materials using extreme heat without direct contact with the waste materials.

Gonzalez said they initially identified a space within the DJPRH or city hospital compound as the site of the waste treatment plant, which would only occupy about 200 to 300 square meters.

He said they are also considering a proposal from the Waste Management Office to establish the facility at the sanitary landfill site in Barangay Sinawal.

But he said the hospital compound has enough space to host the facility and the process demonstration earlier showed that it will not generate smell or any harmful emission.

“This will utilize a ma-

chine that will process the infectious wastes and they will eventually come out in residual form,” Gonzalez said.

The official said the establishment of the treatment facility will mainly address the problem of the disposal of the hospital’s infectious wastes.

He said they cannot bring their wastes to other existing treatment plants due to the lack of accredited transporter of infectious wastes in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) and the neighboring areas.

The provincial governments of South Cotabato and Sarangani currently operate their own medical waste treatment facilities in Tantangan town and Alabel, respectively.

“Once we have our own facility, we can cater to the needs of other hospitals as well and make it as another source of income,” Gonzalez said. (PNA)

The BIFF personalities are still undergoing custodial debriefing as of this writing.

Since January 2021,

134 BIFF personalities had already been neutralized, of which 69 were killed, 63 surrendered, and two were apprehended.

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the peace agreement signed by government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), provides that during the transition period, the BARMM will be governed by the BTA, an 80-member body composed of 41 members nominated by the MILF and 39 nominated by the government.

If the transition period is not extended, the mandate of the MILF-led BTA will end on June 30, 2022 when the first set of elected officials shall have taken their oaths of office.

Duterte previously vowed support for the extension of the transition period but a month before the SONA, expressed a “neutral stance” and left the matter in the hands of Congress.

In March, at least one million signatures were submitted to Malacañang petitioning the President to certify the bills extending the transition period in the Bangsamoro region as a priority legislative measure of the Duterte administration.

Amella noted that if Congress will not pass a law postponing the

BARMM elections that will effectively extend the transition period, politicians who will not support it “might lose the Bangsamoro vote.”

He told MindaNews on the phone that they will campaign against the national and local politicians who will not support the extension of the transition period.

During Monday’s SONA, Moro and non-Moro indigenous peoples in and outside the Bangsamoro region joined a motorcade of over 100 cars and motorcycles in Metro Manila to press anew the extension of the transition period in the BARMM. The One Bangsamoro Movement, Inc. (1Bangsa), which counts at least 60 Moro groups as members, also expressed frustration that Duterte failed to ask Congress during the SONA to prioritize the extension of the transition period in the BARMM. Alan Balangi-Amer, 1Bangsa president, said that if the Bangsamoro transition period will not be extended, correcting the historical injustices against the Bangsamoro people “could become a failure as BARMM is just in its infancy.”

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DAVAO ... FROM 3

Of these new cases, 56 were from Davao City, 16 from Davao de Oro, 26 from Davao del Norte, five from Davao del Sur, and three from Davao Oriental.

There were 451 recoveries reported and among these, 126 were from Davao City, 39 from Davao de Oro, 137 from Davao del Norte, 110 from Davao del Sur, 15 from Davao Occidental, and 24 from Davao Oriental.

There were 16 death

cases reported and among these, eight from Davao City, two from Davao del Sur, two from Davao del Norte, and four from Davao de Oro. All cases reported were local cases.

Dr. Annabelle Yumang, director of DOH 11, reported that as of July 26, 2021, Davao Region has 50 available ICU beds, 378 available isolation beds, 254 available ward beds, and 38 available mechanical ventilators. By Maya M. Padillo

practices ng Israel at saka sa atin lalo na sa prevention and isolation, yung kakaiba lang sa isolation nila kasi pwede silang mag-home quarantine pero kasi sa atin talaga dito mahirap ung home quarantine kasi marami ngang nae-expose na mga kapamilya so kailangan talaga na sa isolation facility lalo na itong sa Delta (We have many similarities with the Israeli practices, particularly in prevention and isolation but the policy on home quarantine only differs as they allowed it there,

while here it’s really hard to impose home quarantine because many family members will be exposed so we really need to transfer the patient to the isolation facility,” Vega said in an interview.

Home quarantine vs.

Covid-19 In the Philippine setting, Vega noted that in some houses, there is more than one family living together.

Rafalowski likewise emphasized that there are two important protocols that must be observed during a home quarantine period.

formal financial services.

“At the height of the crisis, there was no single registry or database of Filipinos to identify beneficiaries. At the same time, 71 percent of the total adult population did not have bank accounts, making it difficult to efficiently disburse the subsidies. This is why the President gave the directive to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys to provide all Filipinos a unique and digitalized ID,” he said.

To cope with the pandemic, the Philippine Statistics Authority has adopted a three-step registration system to ensure the safe and efficient implementation of PhilSys. Since October 2020, over 38.7 million individuals have been registered for step 1 or the demographic

data collection.

Some 20.1 million individuals have completed their step 2 registration or biometrics capture, and more than 4.8 million have applied for bank accounts.

Moreover, over 558,000 registrants have received their PhilID cards.

“We envision PhilSys to spark the widespread use of banking services and electronic payments, thus accelerating the growth of the digital economy. PhilSys may also facilitate the vaccination of the general population and the implementation of digital vaccine credentials in the future,” Chua said.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the PhilSys Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

vouchers to over 180,000 families, or nearly a million individuals, to assist them in their daily needs.

They will also feed 5,000 malnourished children in communities in Metro Manila and nearby cities within the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus for six months.

The project with PBSP aims to provide training in entrepreneurship and technical-vocational skills to 3,000 individuals.

The PBSP will also assist in providing livelihood training and assistance to about 14,000 families and close to 1,300 individuals through its programs such as Mask4All, Super Carinderia, and Kada-Uno: The Hunger Program Hope Fund in NCR Plus cities, and selected provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.

To address learning gaps during this time of the pandemic, Accenture’s tie-up with PBEd will roll out Kiddie Learning Train, which is a volunteer-based community

program that targets to teach students and bring them up to speed with Reading, Math, and Science curricula.

About 1,000 Kinder to Grade 3 students from public schools will be benefiting from this program.

Accenture also implements projects that will respond to the changing need of the job market amid a faster shift to digitalization.

The BPO firm is currently rolling out Skills to Succeed Academy, an online learning program that enhances the employability of Filipino youth; digital volunteering platforms that teach Filipino children how to code through the Hour of Code and Coder Dojo, help map uncharted areas for disaster relief through the Missing Maps, and help in climate change mitigation through Globe Observer; and the Near-Hire Training, which is a 15-day program that enhances basic competencies such as oral English communication skills of trainees. (PNA)

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SHARKS... FROM 9 halting the consumption and trade in all shark fins.

Like human beings, sharks are not created equal. “There are different kinds of sharks,” Dr. Lim says. “The carnivorous sharks, like the tiger sharks, great whales, bull sharks, are considered apex predators.”

But there are sharks which don’t eat meat.

“The largest sharks are harmless and are plankton-feeders,” Dr. Lim says, referring to whale sharks and megamouths. Like the apex predators, these large sharks are also good indicators of abundant food supply. “The presence of krills and copepods that these sharks feed on also attract marine species that are considered important to fisheries,” she says.

Aside from ecological benefits, sharks have also been proven to boost local economies through sustainable tourism activities.

The most noted sharkbased tourism in the country are those in Donsol in

Sorsogon and Malapascua Island in Cebu.

“You can (benefit from) live sharks over and over again throughout their lifetime. But once they are dead, you can use them only once and nothing more,” says Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay, founder and director of MWWP. In addition, sharks can also be a source of food for those living near the seashores. “In greater numbers, sharks and rays can be part of the diet of coastal communities, as it was in the olden days when they have not yet been overhunted, and the oceans were less polluted,” Dr. Lim says.

Sharks have to be saved from disappearing in the country’s waters. “Protecting sharks in the Philippines is in our best interest,” said Save Sharks Network Philippines in a statement.

“Their presence is beneficial to both our economy and ecosystems.” – (Photos

by David Choy and Darrell Blatchley)

Further, out of the P387.93 billion allotment released pursuant to Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the DBM said P369.08 billion has been obligated and P357.85 billion has been disbursed.

“Other releases outside the Bayanihan laws have also reached P77.22 billion wherein agencies have obligated P31.34 billion and disbursed P13.82 billion, respectively,” it said.

Allotments released from the Fiscal Year (FY)

2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) cover, among others, funds for the ongoing procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

It added that unobligated funds from the FY 2020 and 2021 GAA are still valid for obligation until December 31, 2021.

The DBM said it “is committed to support all implementing agencies in their continuous implementation of COVID-19 response measures, by ensuring the judicious management of government resources.”

of the COMELEC for the 2022 polls.

Total expenditures as of end-June 2021 amounting to P2.206 trillion also outpaced the previous year’s actual disbursement by 9.6 percent, but missed the P2.44

trillion revised program by 9.6 percent, Treasury said.

The Philippines has been spending and borrowing heavily for its COVID-19 response as well as its ambitious infrastructure program.

farm machinery were handed over by DA-13 to various corn farmers’ associations in the region.

Also in February, about 210 corn farmers from the town of San Luis, Agusan del Sur were provided with PHP7.9 million worth of farm equipment, while this month of July, the two corn farmers’ organizations in

Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, and Tagbina, Surigao del Sur each received PHP2.5 million worth of machinery.

The DA-13 said they are scheduled to release more farm equipment this year, emphasizing that farm mechanization is among the priorities of the agriculture department under the Duterte administration. (PNA)

year, developing nations as a group are lagging and struggling to return to their pre-pandemic levels.

“I would say we’re more worried than we were back in April,” Koeva-Brooks told AFP. The IMF is pushing for a $50 billion plan that offers a “feasible cost to end the pandemic” by distributing vaccines and addressing immediate needs in lower income countries.

Temporary or persistent?

Rising prices are another factor weighing on the global recovery, and

pose a challenge to policymakers.

“The unprecedented convulsion in the global economy last year continues to trigger aftershocks,” the IMF said, pointing to a shortage of computer chips and a lack of shipping containers where they are needed, which has delayed deliveries of materials.

Koeva-Brooks said some of the bottlenecks and price jumps were to be expected and should be temporary, but IMF economists acknowledge that higher inflation could become entrenched.

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VOL.14 ISSUE 116 • THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021

SPORTS 11

Remedy Rule swims in the 200-m butterfly event in the Tokyo Olympics.

Rule falls short of 200 fly final in Tokyo Olympics Osaka eliminated from Tokyo Olympics

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apanese tennis star Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over a loss to her Czech opponent Marketa Vondrousova on Tuesday.

Second-seeded Osaka, who is a four-time Grand Slam winner, lost against Vondrousova 2-0 with the sets of 6-1, 6-4 in the third round match of women’s singles at Ariake Tennis Centre Court to exit the Games.

Vondrousova will face Spain’s Paula Badosa or Na-

dia Podoroska of Argentina in the quarterfinals.

Osaka, 23, lit the Olympic cauldron at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony on Friday.

On Sunday, world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia also suffered a shock loss in the first round of women’s singles tennis.

Spanish Sara Sorribes Tormo, world no. 48, beat defending Wimbledon champion Barty with the sets of 6-4, 6-3 to qualify for the next round. (Anadolu)

T

he Philippines’ Remedy Rule fell short of the women’s 200-meter butterfly final in the Tokyo Olympic Games, finishing 15th out of the 16 swimmers during the semifinal round.

The 24-year-old Rule finished last in the second semifinal, clocking 2:12.89

in her final event of her Olympic campaign in Tokyo.

Rule’s time was better

than Julimar Avila Mancia of Honduras, who placed last out of the 16 swimmers with a time of 2:16.38.

Zhang Yu Fei of China topped the semifinals with a time of 2:04.89. She will be going up against Hali Flickinger of the US, Regan Smith of Hungary, Yu Liyan of Chi-

na, Brianna Throssell of Australia, Svetlana Chimrova of Russian Olympic Committee, and Alys Margaret Thomas of Great Britain in the final.

The Olympic campaign ends for Rule, who finished 25th among 33 swimmers in the women’s 100-meter butterfly.

“We have limited resources but we saw her potential so we took the chance,” related Ramirez.

The PSC gave its support for what is now called Team HD – foreign coach, strength and conditioning coach, masseuse, sports psychologist and a sports nutritionist. Diaz went on to keep winning for flag and country.

Seeing the effect, Ramirez and the PSC board of commissioners provided the same support, based on their submitted requirements, for Caloy Yulo, EJ Obiena, Kiyomi Watanabe, among others.

“I have always said, experience is an advantage. Hidilyn took 4 Olympic cycles to finally attain her golden dream,” explained the sports chief, whose own experi-

ence as a two-term Chairman of the PSC helped him lead effectively.

The PSC has quietly supported the national team, spending around 2.7 Billion to cover the expenses of the national team. This covers foreign exposures, trainings, equipment, meals supplies and allowances. Ramirez disclosed that looking forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics now becomes a rosier picture to look forward to. By then we would have a more mature team to field.

“I think it gives everyone more impetus to plan and start their preparations,” said Ramirez, smiling “pero dito muna tayo, savor the moment and keep praying for more moments of victories for our athletes and the Filipino people.”

Butch pays credit to PSC’s Hidilyn Model

Team Hidilyn Diaz: The men and women behind the success of the country’s first Olympic gold medalist.

T

he Hidilyn model works.

It is not the first time that Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez mentions a trial system they adopted in the sports agency to make every effort to produce an Olympic gold.

They have called it the Hidilyn model, long before Hidilyn Diaz made history by winning the country’s first Olympic gold, 97 years after the Philippines first made its Olympic foray in 1927.

After her silver Olympic victory in 2016, the PSC’s board approved the requests of Samahang Weightlifiting ng Pilipinas for a support team for Diaz as she set her sights for this 2020 Olympic edition.

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VOL.14 ISSUE 116 • THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021

Nesthy Petecio celebrates after her win in the quarterfinals.

Nesthy beats Colombian, assures Philippines of a second medal

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OKYO - Dabawenya pride Nesthy Petecio will come home with a medal. But she isn’t finished yet.

The Davao del Sur native methodically tore apart Arias Castaneda of Colombia, 5-0, in their featherweight quarterfinal on Wednesday to assure Team Philippines of a second medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Petecio needs a win to be in the finals.

That chance will come on July 31 (Saturday) against Italian Irma Testa, a tall and intimidating fighter who more or less fights in the same style as world No. 1 Lin Yu-ting, who Petecio sent crashing in the round of 16.

Launching into a tactical fight against a game but outclassed Colombian, Petecio repeatedly landed clean shots both from inside and afar to assure the frst multi-medal Olympic performance by a Philippine contingent in 89 years.

“Masayang-masaya po,” said the 29year old world champion, just moments after advancing to the semifinals of the 54-57kg weight class and assuring boxing’s first Olympic medal since Onyok Velasco’s silver in 1996 in Atlanta.

“Sobrang blessed po,” she added.

Coming on the heels of Hidilyn Diaz’s weightlifting gold on Monday, Petecio’s win also guaranteed this 19-man contingent of its most prolific Olympic finish since the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, where Simeon Toribio (high jump), Teofilo Ildefonso (swimming) and Jose Villanueva (boxing) won bronze medals.

Testa used her advantage in reach to the limit in beating Canadian Caroline Verge, 5-0, in the match immediately after Petecio’s.

The 23-year old from Assisi is ranked No. 5 in the world, two rungs higher than the Filipina she is set to meet in the semifinals for a place in the gold-medal match.