Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 150 | Wednesday, September 8, 2021

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VOL.14 ISSUE 150 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2021

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City gov’t to release EO on ‘no bakuna, no renewal’ of contracts STORY ON PAGE 2 Street sweeper Susan Hermocilla, a 24-year contractual employee of the city government of Davao, sweeps rubbish off the road along Pelayo Street in Davao City on Tuesday. Hermocilla is one of the many employees that availed the free vaccination against Covid-19 program by the city government of Davao and will likely gets a contract renewal after Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio ordered the “no bakuna, no renewal” of contracts among city hall employees. Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 150 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2021

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio orders the mandatory Work-From-Home (WFH), skeleton workforce arrangement in all barangays, city and national government offices in Davao City from September 8 to 26, 2021 and encouraged the private sector to do the same due to the continuing surge of Covid-19 cases in Davao City. Edge Davao

MANDATORY City gov’t to release EO on ‘no bakuna, no renewal’ of contracts

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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be renewed next year.

“Ipagawas ni nato anytime ang EO. It’s already final and cleared by the City Legal Office and we are set to release it anytime for the information of all city government employees

including JOs and contract of services. So no bakuna, no renewal of contracts by January 1, 2022,” the mayor announced on Monday.

For plantilla employees, the mayor said it would be a case for insubordination if they don’t get vaccinated.

The mayor has been urging the Dabawenyos to get vaccinated as protection against the ill effects of Covid-19.

As of August 31, 2021, the city registered a high percentage of vaccination

rate at 48-49 percent for the first dose or 590,318 individuals given the first dose and 27-28 percent for the second dose or 329,203 fully vaccinated individuals.

Meanwhile, the city government’s mobile anti-Covid vaccination drive has now reached the farflung areas to inoculate indigent residents under the priority group A-5. The drive covered Barangay Suawan in Marilog District and Baguio District.

MGH Trading OPC 5. SCET Colleens Corporation (SCET) 6. Filipino Family Club International, Inc. 7. SPAV Solutions Corp. doing business under the names and styles of Emporia Institute, Emporia 8. Every Supermarket, Tindahan Xpress Inc., MP. Sales Inc. 9. Brio de Agoho Club Resort Inc./Brio de Agoho/ Agoho Resort and Villas Inc. For the complete list of advisories, you may visit https://www.sec.gov.ph/ investors-education-and-information/advisories/ The SEC-Davao Exten-

sion Office has verified the operations/recruitment of the following entities in its area of responsibility (Davao Region, Soccsksargen and Maguindanao Province): 1. FMD Logistics Trucking Corporation/FMD Logistics International Corporation 2. Philaz/Philaz International Trade Co. Ltd. 3. Seafood Trade.Asia/ Shrimp Farming/ Seafood.

Asia Digital Marketing Services/Ong Shrimp Farming/ Aqua Import Export and Properties Holdings, Inc. 4. Money Game hub/ MGH Trading OPC FMD Logistics Trucking

Corporation/ FMD Logistics Trucking Corporation/FMD Logistics International Corporation, headed by John Edward Obatay Victorio, Mark Anthony Ballesteros and Ronel Joven Lapira, is apparently offering a business opportunity where a prospective investor will make an initial investment of P11,000.00 to P315,000.00 with a promise of profit of up to 55% in just 6 months.

Philaz/Philaz International Trade Co., Ltd. claims to be a self-service order placement platform for all international e-commerce companies, supporting mainstream e-commerce

he city government of Davao is set to release anytime Executive Order (EO) “no vaccination, no renewal” of contracts policy among City Hall employees, including job orders, and contract of services, by January 1, 2022.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered to make vaccination mandatory among city hall employees including job orders and contract of services

by December 31, 2021, or their contracts would not

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Kagawad, 2 others caught with bullets, NPA’s supplies

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barangay kagawad (village councilor) and two other individuals were arrested in a joint military and police checkpoint in Barangay Pianing, Butuan City for transporting several bullets and food supplies allegedly for the New People’s Army (NPA) operating in Caraga Region.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat, police director of Caraga Region, identified the suspects as Ferdinand Aque Dagium, 27, a barangay kagawad in Agusan del Sur, his brother Rolando Aque Dagium, 34, and Marvin Pepito Merencillo, 26.

Caramat said the arrested individuals are suspected couriers of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-NPA).

The authorities were able to recover from the suspects 4,800 pieces of 7.62mm AK-47 live bullets; two pieces of rifle grenades; three units of single motorcycles, as well as various food supplies.

The operation was conducted by the team from PRO 13 and members of the Philippine Army’s 65th and 75th Infantry Battalions following reports about the movement of these lawless elements.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Guillermo Lorenzo T Eleazar, meanwhile commended both the policemen and soldiers for this great job.

Eleazar said he hopes to intensify further the campaign against the communist rebels especially with the forthcoming elections wherein the CPP-NPA-NDF remains the biggest threat in terms of election-related violence and extortion.

“Maraming buhay ng sibilyan at security forces ang nasagip at maraming karahasan ang napigil sa pagkakaharang ng libu-libong bala sa Butuan City na dapat sana ay mapapasakamay ng CPP-NPA-NDF sa Mindanao,” Eleazar said.

platform such as Shoppee, Lazada, Amazon and Ebay. Investors can earn Php50.00 to Php3,600.00 daily or up to Php1,500.00 to PHP108,000.00 monthly depending on what plan they avail of.

Seafood Trade.Asia/ Shrimp Farming/Seafood.

Asia Digital Marketing Services/Ong Shrimp Farming/Aqua Import Export and Properties Holdings Inc. owned and operated

by Kyle Belo Chan are enticing the public to participate in its aquaculture farming business by offering several packages with 40% to 170% guaranteed Return

on Investment (ROI) from the period of 50 to 150 days.

Mondey Game Hum/ MGH Trading OPC is allegedly a perfume-distribution marketing company and is headed by Alexander Libres Salvador who entices the public to join the company and invest a minimum of Five Hundred Pesos (Php500.00) and promises seven times (7X) return on investment for a period of 40 days.

SCET Colleens Corporation (SCET), headed by Shara Jane Casao Chavez, Kay Anne Cuizon Leyson, Edith Francisse Villegas

SEC warns public versus 9 illegal investment firms

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he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued another set of advisories against several entities soliciting investments from the public without the necessary licenses: 1. FMD Locistics Trucking Corporation/FMD Logistics International Corporation 2. Philaz/Philaz International Trade Co., Ltd. 3. Seafood Trade.Asia /Shrimp Farming/Seafood.

Asia Digital Marketing Services/Ong Shrimp Farming/ Aqua Import Export and Properties Holdings Inc. 4.

Money Gamehub/

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 150 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2021

NEWS

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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte discusses matters with Senator Christopher Lawrence Go during the meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City. The President is set to lead today’s convention of a faction of his political party where it is expected to reveal candidates for the 2022 elections, party leadership. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Sara orders mandatory WFH, skeleton workforce arrangement City gov’t pushes for oxygen generation plant

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ayor Sara Duterte-Carpio affirmed that an allocation for the establishment of an oxygen generation plant is already available.

“Yes, duna na to’y budget ang atoang oxygen generation plant,” the mayor announced on Monday.

Last month, the City Council has approved an ordinance allocating funds worth P23 million for the purchase of oxygen sets and establishment of an oxygen plant in Davao City. The ordinance authorized the city govern-

ment of Davao to utilize a portion of the 30-percent Quick Response Fund (QRF) out of the five percent Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund or Calamity Fund of the City Government for calendar year 2021 amounting to P66,593,437 for programs, projects and activities related to Covid-19-related response.

Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, committee chairperson on finance, ways and means, and appropriations and who endorsed the said ordinance

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Army general loses fight to COVID-19

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rigadier General Bagnus Gaerlan, assistant commander of the 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division (1st ID) of the Philippine Army based in Kota Sangan, Pulacan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, died of severe coronavirus disease (COVID 19) infection Monday morning.

A press statement from the 1st ID’s Public Affairs Office (DPAO) said that Dr. Anatalio E. Cagampang Jr., chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center (ZDS-

MC), pronounced Gaerlan dead at 5:19 a.m.

Captain Mary Jephte Mañebog, DPAO chief, said that Gaerlan was first tested positive of COVID-19 through an antigen test on September 2. He was confined the same day at the ZDSMC. On September 3, he was tested positive of COVID-19 using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR test, Mañebog added.

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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ue to the continuing surge of Covid-19 cases in Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio ordered the mandatory Work-From-Home (WFH), skeleton workforce arrangement in all barangays, city and national government offices in Davao City from September 8 to 26, 2021 and encouraged the private sector to do the same.

Through Executive Order (E.O.) No. 44 Series of 2021 released on Tuesday, otherwise known as “An Order Implementing A Fully Operational WorkFrom-Home And Skeleton Arrangement In All Barangay, City And National Government Offices Including Government-Owned And Controlled Corporations

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fficials and parliamentarians of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have welcomed the Senate’s move to pass on third and final reading the bill resetting the region’s elections from 2022 to 2025 and extending the life of its transition period.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said extending the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) gave the region a

From September 8 to 26, 2021, Encouraging The Same For the Private Sector”.

The mayor issued E.O. 44 as the city experiences a massive surge in Covid-19 positive cases even as the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and other private hospitals are fully occupied with all

kinds of patients, including Covid-19 cases.

“Puno na sila tanan.

Atoang SPMC is more than their prepared covid-19 beds, even atong Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs).

We are at 65 percent, but there is expectation that it will fill up depending on sa turnover sa mga patients,” she said on Monday.

Mayor Sara stated in her EO that health group of the Response Cluster of the Davao Covid-19 Task Force recommended to put essential workers on a workfrom-home arrangement.

She said that the recommendation was modified to be mandatory for gov-

ernment offices only so as not to disrupt businesses and private offices.

She also said that the WFH and skeleton workforce arrangement may be voluntarily adopted by private offices and establishments.

The mayor mentioned that personnel working in the vaccination program, COVID-19 response, solid waste management program, implementation projects, and emergency response are exempted from the directive.

E.O. 44 also ordered that all disaster and social services personnel may also adopt a WFH arrange-

“better chance” in setting the future of the Bangsamoro people.

“By extending the transition period -- the BTA gets ample time to finish the job and make sure that the next regional officials will work under a system that befits the realities of the Bangsamoro and responds to the changing times,” Ebrahim said in a statement Tuesday.

The Senate voted to pass Monday on third and final reading Senate Bill 2214

resetting the BARMM elections and thereby extending the BTA and the transition period to 2025.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, the BARMM regional spokesperson, said comprehensive peace and development is within reach now with the passage of the bill.

“This bill will ensure that we set the course for the newly established Bangsamoro region towards an irreversible course of peace and development,” Sinarim-

bo, also BARMM interior minister, said in a separate statement.

He thanked the leadership of the Senate and specifically lauded Senator Francis Tolentino, author of Senate Bill 2214 and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri “for this historic move.”

Members of the BTA parliament expressed their gratitude to the Senate for “shepherding the process” of the bill’s passage, saying

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III says government debt and its share of domestic economic output rose last year due to pandemic-related spending but this remained fiscally viable and sustainable. Presidential Photo

PARC decides in favor of continuing MEPI, farmers’ co-op lease deal

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he Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, in a meeting held on 1 September 2021, decided to uphold the lease agreement between Marsman Estate Plantations Inc. (MEPI) and the Davao Marsman Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DAMARB MPC).

The meeting included in the agenda the motion for reconsideration of MEPI and DAMARB requesting for the revocation of PARC Resolution No. 2016-30-05 issued in 2016 which revoked the Contract of Lease.

Meeting records showed that a supermajority voted in support of the lease agreement between DAM-

ARB MPC and MEPI. Based on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (Republic Act 6657), the PARC is composed of the President of the Philippines as Chairperson, the Secretary of Agrarian Reform as Vice-Chairperson and the following as members; Secretaries of the Department of Agriculture;

Environment and Natural Resources; Budget and Management; Interior and Local Government; Public Works and Highways; Trade and Industry; Finance; and Labor and Employment.

Also included as PARC members are the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority; Land Bank of the Philippines President; National Irrigation Administration Administrator; Land Registration Authority Administrator; and representatives of affected landowners and agrarian reform beneficiaries from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

As of August 26, 2021, there are 697 signatories

he Department of Agriculture-Region 12, in partnership with the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPVet), started Monday the distribution of sentinel hogs to villages affected by the African swine fever (ASF) in the province.

Dr. Rufino Sorupia, the provincial veterinarian, said two villages -- Barangays Linangkob in this city and Malungon in Makilala town -identified as pioneering areas will get at least 30 hogs.

He said Barangay Linangkob will be the recipient of 22 sentinel hogs, while Barangay Malungon will receive eight hogs.

In the next few days, Sorupia said the remaining 60 hogs will be dispensed to other ASF-affected hog raisers in the neighboring towns of Magpet, Arakan, Makilala, and President Roxas.

“This will serve as an experimental phase to determine if the virus still exists or we could start reproduc-

tion in these areas,” he said.

Sorupia said repopulation may be possible if the hogs survive in 90 days.

Recently, the OPVet conducted an ocular inspection of various hog farms to ensure that safety standards are in place, including water supply, septic tank, and necessary disinfection protocols.

“We are imposing strict biosecurity compliance to ensure the safety of the hogs against any viruses”, he said.

(including 32 ARB members of DAMARB-MPC who are also signatories to the Lease Contract with MEPI) to the fifth Amendment of the Lease Contract and 97 non-signatories. This is currently 88% of the total ARBs. DAMARB MPC members enjoy the highest land rentals in the agriculture sector currently placed at P90,000 per hectare.

Non-signatory ARBs were paid the increased rental of P50,000/year/ hectare up through 2020.

They have not been paid the incentive/production bonus of P40,000 per ARB for years 2019 and 2020 as they have not yet signed the

Based on OPVet data, the ASF infestation in the province that took place between July to December last year wrought some PHP16 million worth of damages to the local hog industry that affected a total of 736 hog raisers here and in the towns of Arakan, Makilala, President Roxas, and Magpet.

“Yet, the situation is improving because zero ASF cases were reported in the province since January this year,” Sorupia added. (PNA)

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90 sentinel hogs distributed in ASF-hit villages in NorCot

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Rise in gov’t debt still fiscally viable, sustainable: DOF chief

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epartment of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said government debt and its share of domestic economic output rose last year due to pandemic-related spending but this remained fiscally viable and sustainable.

In his speech during the virtual House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee briefing, Dominguez said the proportion of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) of the country rose by 15 percentage points last year from a record-low 39.6 percent pre-pandemic.

“It is important to note that about 25 percent of our domestic economy consists of government spending. If we did not increase the level of public spending through borrowings, the domestic economy would have collapsed. This event would have inflicted a far more painful toll on our people,” he said.

Last year, the government borrowed about PHP2.7 trillion, majority of which was sourced onshore.

Dominguez said it is the right time to borrow “to fund

our people’s needs” but clarified “we must use borrowings in a prudent manner” such as increasing the capacity of the health care system as well as the productive sectors.

“If we do not do these things, the economy will collapse even further,” he added.

Dominguez also cited the need to spend wisely, such as on infrastructure programs “because infrastructure investments have the highest multiplier effect on economic growth.”

The government touted its infrastructure program, “Build, Build, Build”, as a major priority to ensure the sustainability of domestic growth.

The current administration increased infrastructure investment to around 5 percent of GDP from around 2.8 percent in the previous governments.

Dominguez said the financing program will remain to be sustainable and borrowing will be prudent to fund both the economic investments and the pandemic-related programs.

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ECONOMY

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Vendors at the Digos City Satellite Bus Terminal on Monday (6 September 2021) wait for arriving buses whose passengers they can entice to buy their wares. Some people in the terminal, meanwhile, are not strictly following proper use of masks and shields, despite Davao del Sur’s 140 new COVID-19 cases reported on Sunday. MindaNews photo by YAS D. OCAMPO

PH biz adviser backs granular lockdown to revive economy

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residential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said he believes shifting to a granular lockdown is the “right approach” to revive the economy.

In an interview on Teleradyo Monday, Concepcion said it is the right time to try new approaches in dealing with the pandemic, even as the country reached another record-high number of new COVID-19 cases.

“This is the right approach. If we don’t try new things then we would not be able to live with COVID-19,” he said.

“We have to try granular type of lockdowns. It’s more challenging to do that kasi you really have to be data-driven, you really have to have a good implementation team, you’ll have more security people.

“It’s challenging but it’s worth the try. If we don’t try then we will never know, and it’s good to pilot it at this point in time.”

Malacañang on Monday announced Metro Manila will go on a general community quarantine (GCQ), the second-loosest lockdown level, beginning Wednesday, September 8, until the end of the month.

The government will also be implementing a localized lockdown scheme, wherein cities could be placed under different alert levels.

Concepcion, who earlier proposed only allowing vaccinated people to go to malls and restaurants, also said he has been urging local chief executives to try his suggestion.

“Very clearly, our prob-

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Unemployment rate eases, but underemployment rises in July

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ewer people were jobless in July, but more people found their jobs insufficient or lacking in the same month and were looking for more work, the state statistics bureau said on Tuesday.

The Philippines’ unemployment rate eased to 6.9 percent in July, the Philippine Statistics Authority said, meaning there were 3.07 million unemployed individuals 15 years old

and over.

The underemployment rate meanwhile climbed to 20.9 percent in July. This meant that there were 8.69 million Filipinos who found work but were still looking for more work.

Joblessness has been declining since the record plunge last year as the government eased lockdowns meant to check the spread of COVID-19.

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Inflation accelerates to 4.9% in August I nflation accelerated in August to 4.9 percent as food prices again surged, the state statistics bureau said on Tuesday.

In contrast, inflation in July was at 4 percent, while it was at 2.4 percent in August last year.

This was the fastest rise in prices in 32 months, or since December 2018.

“For food index, the annual growth rate at the national level accelerated to 6.9 percent in August 2021, from 5.1 percent in July 2021. It was observed at 1.7 percent in August 2020,” the Philippine Sta-

tistics Authority said.

Prices of meat rose 16.4 percent, fish, 12.4 percent, and vegetables, 15.7 percent, the PSA said. Prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco also climbed 11.1 percent.

Inflation was even higher for the poor, data from the PSA showed. For the bottom 30 percent of the population, inflation was at 5.2 percent, according to the PSA. With the August 2021

inflation, the Philippines’ average inflation from January to August 2021 stood at 4.4 percent, while for the bottom 30 percent, the average inflation rate for the year so far was 4.9 percent.

The August number was within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ forecast of 4.1 to 4.9 percent.

Earlier this month the BSP said inflation may remain elevated in the short term before settling within the government target of 2 to 4 percent.

“The risks to the inflation outlook remain broad-

ly balanced over the policy horizon,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said after the PSA briefing.

Inflation in 2021 could average 4.1 percent, higher than the previous forecast of 4 percent, the BSP has said in an earlier virtual briefing.

Nicholas Mapa, senior economist at ING Bank, said lack of supplies, particularly for food, clearly pushed up prices.

“Whenever you see inflation jump up from 4 percent to 4.9 percent it is clearly caused or driv-

(gross domestic product) and the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, the government’s solid fiscal position, and sound banking sector,” it said in a statement.

The rating affirmation came nearly 15 months after JCRA upgraded its ratings on the Philippines to A-level on June 11, 2020, on the belief that the economy would be able to weather the impact of the virus-induced pandemic.

In its report, the Japan-based debt watcher said the recovery of economic ac-

tivities is delayed as a result of movement restrictions needed to address the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), especially given the more contagious Delta variant.

“However, the government has been swiftly implementing adequate measures such as increased public health-related expenditure, acceleration of vaccination, and continuation of employment program(s) by drawing upon its relatively strong fiscal position before the pandem-

ic,” it said.

The credit rater said it “does not consider that the fiscal soundness will be impaired because while the fiscal deficit has widened, the support package at this time is backed by appropriate fiscal policies and the government debt will remain comparatively subdued.”

“The Duterte administration’s centerpiece infrastructure development program has not been retarded even amid the prolonged pandemic,” it added. (PNA)

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Japan credit company affirms ‘A’ rating on PH

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apan Credit Rating Agency (JCRA) on Monday affirmed its A-level credit rating with a stable outlook on the Philippines, citing partly government measures to address the pandemic’s impact on the health system and the economy.

“The ratings mainly reflect the country’s high and sustainable economic growth performance underpinned by solid domestic demand, its reliance to external shocks supported by an external debt kept low relative to GDP

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 150 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2021

On the Executive Order (EO) stipulating “no vaccination, no renewal” of contracts policy among City Hall employees, including job orders, and contract of services, by January 1, 2022:

Ipagawas ni nato anytime ang EO. It’s already final and cleared by the City Legal Office and we are set to release it anytime for the information of all city government employees including JOs and contract of services. So no bakuna, no renewal of contracts by January 1, 2022.”

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

EDITORIAL Pandemic of the unvaccinated There is a chorus among first world countries including the United States and Australia referring to the current surge in Covid-19 cases. It’s called “the pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Davao City can very much relate to this given the current surge in cases nit just in the city but in the entire Davao Region.

While there is a continuous campaign for vaccination, the rollout is still far from the target figures of the entire population.

However, the efforts by the city government to maximize the rollout including rural areas are a step in the right direction.

The label “pandemic of the unvaccinated” which was used by US President Joe Biden and government and health officials in Sydney, Australia put emphasis on the importance and urgency of vaccination. In Australia, the government has made vaccina-

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The label captures the glaring reality that unvaccinated people overwhelmingly account for new cases and serious infections. It aims to change the hearts and minds of unvaccinated people. Although it doesn’t tell the whole story with some new infections occurring among the fully vaccinated. That recent twist could mean the virus, especially the delta variant, is overwhelming the vaccine.

The new twist is telling us that the unvaccinated are the biggest driver, but likewise we must also keep in mind that the vaccinated are also part of it now. That is because of the delta variant.

While the pandemic clearly involves all people, not just the unvaccinated, our best hope is still getting more people vaccinated.

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

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

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tion mandatory among healthcare workers.

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VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

NEVER SAY NEVER It’s not force nor knowledge that makes a person successful; it is his ability to keep on. As British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill once said: “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”

Churchill further explained it in these words: “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”

Perhaps you have heard some stories about the famous Polish pianist and composer Ignace Paderewski. “He was a favorite of concert audiences around the world,” someone wrote. “His musical fame opened access to diplomacy and the media.”

Now, here’s a story related

by Darrel L. Anderson: A mother, wishing to encourage her son’s progress at the piano, bought tickets for a Paderewski performance. They had seats near the front of the concert hall.

It so happened that the mother found a friend and they started having a conversation.

She forgot about her son, who slipped away. When eight o’clock came around, the spotlight was

focused on the stage, and only then the audience noticed the boy at the piano bench innocently picking out, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

Just as when the mother was going up the stage, Paderewski appeared and quickly moved to the keyboard. “Don’t quit. Keep playing,” he whispered to the little boy.

Leaning over, the master reached down with his left hand and started filling in a bass part.

Soon, his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato.

Together, the master and the young novice held the crowd spellbound.

Reading the story reminded me of Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke, a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. However, she is best known under her pen name Isak Dinesen.

“When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself,” wrote the famous author of “Out of Africa” and “The Immortal Story.”

Paderewski himself believed in that, too. At one time, he was asked by a fellow pianist if he could be ready to play a recital

on short notice, he replied, “I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily for 40 years.”

“I wish I had been born with such determination,” the other pianist said. To which Paderewski replied, “We are all born with it. I just used mine.”

This brings us to another story that was featured in 1000 Stories You Can Use. A long, long time ago, a boy was born to wealthy parents in New York City. However, the boy had poor eyesight and his health was so weak that he could not even attend school like other children. He also couldn’t join them in school games. He wanted to play football, but that was out of the question.

One day, he had to really beg to be allowed to join in some of the rough games of other boys.

Again, he was told that his health was a big hindrance. It was then that he told them bravely: “I am going to be strong, no matter what the doctor says. I will exercise this weak body until I become an athlete.”

So, he did exercise. First slowly but continued doing so.

Despite early discouragement, he persevered and increased his effort. When he was a young man, he went out West and lived the rough and rugged life of a rancher, spending several hours a day in the saddle.

He was so respected and

loved by other cowboys that they joined his cavalry regiment in the Spanish-American war; it became famous as the “Rough Riders.”

If you are still wondering who the sickly boy who became a sturdy cowboy was, he was no other than Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States.

“Remember the two benefits of failure,” American speaker and author Roger Von Oech reminded. “First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.”

Let’s take a closer look at those who never say never after a series of failures. Take the case of Harry S Truman. Before he became the president of the United States, he encountered several setbacks. He and his father both suffered bankruptcy. West Point rejected his application. In fact, he experienced so many failures as a young man that he once wrote to his sweetheart, Bess, “I can’t possibly lose forever.”

Truman was his party’s fourth choice for senator. He was the underdog in every election he fought. He was so poor that even after he was elected senator, he was forced to use a public health dentist and to sleep occasionally in his car while on the campaign trail.

Before they become well-

known authors, they have to beg publishers to print their books.

Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book, And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishers. William Kennedy had written several manuscripts, all of them turned down by numerous publishers, before his “sudden success” with his novel Ironweed, which was rejected by 13 publishers before it was finally accepted for publication.

Alex Haley got a rejection letter once a week for four years as a budding writer. Later in his career, he was ready to give up on the book Roots and himself. After nine years on the project, he felt inadequate to the task and was ready to throw himself off a freighter in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

As Alex was standing at the back of the freighter, looking at the wake and preparing to throw himself into the ocean, he heard the voices of all his ancestors saying, “You go do what you got to do because they are all up there watching. Don’t give up. You can do it. We’re counting on you!” In the subsequent weeks, the final draft of Roots poured out of him – and the rest was history.

Newt Gingrich said it right: “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

DENNIS R. GORECHO PINOY MARINO RIGHTS

THE SINKING OF MV GULF LIVESTOCK 1 , MISSING SEAFARERS AND THE PRESUMPTION OF DEATH “Munhait hi nitaguwan tun ajor karu nga miid ahan chi iibba an tatagu ay mun-anap ay chi cha enggan adugwan.”

It is the Ifugao translation of “ It’s painful when the truth hits you that nobody is looking for them until now” says Maya Addug-Sanchez whose brother, Captain Dante Addug, is one of the missing 36 Filipino crew on board the Gulf Livestock 1.

The Panama-flagged livestock carrier GULF LIVESTOCK 1 capsized in southwest Japan a year ago, on September 2, 2020, during the typhoon Maysak, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane with winds of at least 130 mph.

The 2002-built 133.6-meter-long (438 foot) ship had on board thirty nine (39) Filipinos, two New Zealanders and two Australians as crew as well as 5,800 cattle.

The vessel left Napier, New Zealand on August 14, 2020 and was sailing to Tangshan, China when it experienced an engine issue and sent a distress signal before it went missing.

Two crew have been found

alive so far, and another was pronounced dead on arrival at a Japanese hospital.

One of the survivors narrated that the ship’s main engine failed before the vessel was struck by a big wave and capsized.

A representative proceeding on behalf of Filipino, Australian and New Zealand crew members has been commenced last August 31, 2021 in the Admiralty and Maritime list of the Federal Court of Australia seeking damages for certain crew members from the vessel owner and its charterers.

The vessel owner and charterers have not yet filed a defence to the proceedings Out of the families of 36 missing Filipino crew, only six joined the international case while most families have already received compensation for missing persons under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) The nature and circumstances surrounding the work of seafarers onboard a vessel necessarily include the risk of accidental disappearance at sea. This risk is so peculiar to their employment that no other kind of employment

is accompanied by the said risk.

In the absence of a CBA, employers usually attempt to evade liability for compensation for cases of missing persons involved in maritime accidents.

They argue that a person missing under the circumstances provided in Article 391 of the Civil Code may not legally be considered as dead until the lapse of the period fixed by law on presumption of death, and consequently the heirs cannot yet be considered as persons entitled to compensation under the law.

These include a person on board a vessel lost during a sea voyage which is missing, or a person who has been in danger of death under other circumstances and his existence has not been known for four years.

However, the Supreme Court ruled in Falcon Maritime, Inc. , vs.. Flores (G.R. No. 202990, September 26, 2012) that these provisions do not apply if sufficient evidence exist that the person concerned had indeed died.

Where there are facts, known or knowable, from which a rational conclusion can be made, the

presumption does not step in, and the rule of preponderance of evidence controls. (Joaquin vs. Navarro, 93 Phil. 257).

Witnesses narrated that when the deceased fell, it was still dark and the vessel was in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean battling with strong winds and enormous waves.

There can be no other conclusion but that the deceased was struck and swallowed by the gigantic waves. He is no longer in danger of death pursuant to Art. 391 – he is already dead In the case of Pantollano vs. Korphil Shipmgt. (G.R. No. 169575 March 30, 2011), the defense of prescription was raised in relation to a seafarer that went missing on August 2, 1994.

Korphil argued that the three-year prescriptive period commenced to run from the time the cause of action accrued, or at the time the seafarer allegedly died on August 2, 1994. Hence, when the wife filed her claim on May 29, 2000, the same has already prescribed.

The Court disregarded the defense of prescription as it ruled

that on August 2, 1994, it cannot as yet be presumed that the seafarer is already dead.

If such an argument will be allowed, then no claim for death compensation benefits under this circumstance will ever prosper.

This is so because the heirs of a missing seafarer have to wait for four years as provided under Article 391 of the Civil Code before he is declared as legally dead. After four years, the prescriptive period for filing money claims under Article 291 of the Labor Code would, obviously, lapse. This scenario could not have been the intention of the legislature in enacting a social legislation, such as the Labor Code.

“Hay waja lattan ha’in ya nan pammati’ hinan inkarin Ma’nongan nga aji na bay-bay-an nan tatagu na,” Maya said ( What’s keeping me get by is my faith in the promise of God that He will not abandon His people.)

The hashtag #SavetheForty is keeping the hopes of the relatives that they will soon receive news that the 40 men are still alive at sea and will be reunited with them.

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BIDA ESKWELA YEAR 2 FUNDRAISER AIMS TO RAISE PHP200K IN 50 DAYS IN its commitment to continuously support education regardless of time, space or threats, volunteer-powered group, I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) is calling on everyone to join hands anew in its fundraising campaign called BigayAyuda para sa Eskwela or BIDA Eskwela Year 2.

The multi-awarded non-profit organization aims to raise at least P200,000 in 50 days from every donor’s P50 or singkwenta pocket donations with #BIDAEskwelaSingkwenta. Collections from this social media push will help select underprivileged schools in the Philippines that have been equally affected by the ongoing pandemic.

Now on its second year, BIDA Eskwela targets to send supplemental aid to 20 initial beneficiaries from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that include schools in Pangasinan, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Bulacan, Romblon, Rizal, Metro Manila, Antique, Bukidnon, Agusan Del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao City, and Zamboanga City.

The nationwide, digitalcentric donation drive runs from Aug. 5 to Sept. 24, in time for the opening of School Year 2021-2022 next month.

Learning delivery challenges The State of Public Health Emergency has brought many challenges to the Philippine education system particularly on the implementation of the new modalities of learning. Reports from the ground showed that among schools that opted for modular distance learning through printed format, teachers were hounded by lack of supplies such as bond paper and ink for the production of their textbooks, activity sheets, and learning guides. The limited access to reproduction machines like printers and photocopiers also hampered the timely distribution of these learning materials, resulting in delays in learning. Furthermore, teachers faced problems in availing proper personal protective equipment while distributing modules.

On the other hand, insufficient internet subsidies impeded schools from implementing modular distance learning in digital format. Limited access to quality gadgets with specifica-

lend their singing voice every day for 50 days, thereby reaching far more schools to help more young learners. Interested SING-fluencers can join the SINGkwentahan by following and contacting the organization through fb.com/IamMakingADifference or tiktok.com/@ iammad_ph.

tions to complete required tasks in learning such as making videos and ebooks also worsened the problem.

Citizen action, hope to cope While the Department of Education had allocated funds for the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan in the time of COVID 19 (BE-LCP), it is simply not enough. Oftentimes, teachers and non-teaching personnel have to shell out their own money. This is why there’s an earnest patriotic duty to help fill in the gap. There’s a need for urgent citizen action.

“During these pressing times, our communities need hope to cope with the challenges brought by the dragging effect of the pandemic,’’ says Sarah Butad, project lead of BIDA Eskwela Year 2. “With our #BIDAEskwela initiative, I am M.A.D. is in continuous pursuit of giving assistance to select underprivileged schools in the country to help deliver quality education to the future nation builders whatever the circumstance is.”

Depending on the actual auxiliary needs of the identified school beneficiaries under their Brigada Eskwela program, funds raised from the campaign will be distributed to each institution to help them in carrying out their various distance learning delivery pursuits and assist them in addressing other equally important school maintenance resource gaps.

The COVID-19 health crisis has disrupted the daily lives of Filipino teachers and learners, and will continue into its second school year. The Department of Education has set the resumption of classes on Sept. 13.

Delivering brand new printer, printing materials for the Aeta community at Biaan Aeta Intergrated School in Mariveles, Bataan.

Delivering bondpaper supplies and learner kits at Daan Taligaman Elementary School in Bugsukan, Butuan City.

“The values of love, care, and the youth-driven campaign now concern for our fellowmen are aims to replicate that success values for all people regardless with #BIDAEskwelaSingkof time and space or threats. wenta pocket donation push.

With the power of volunteerism, To complete the P200,000 goal, nothing is too big or small BIDA Eskwela needs to collect acts of kindness. Through our P4,000 or 80 pieces of P50 daily collective action, we can still for 50 days. The group strongly champion the power of Bayabelieves that when it comes to nihan even in this time of the helping, no amount should be pandemic,” Butad added. too small, especially when collectively pursued and shared. #BIDAEskwelaSingkwenta, I am M.A.D. also invites the Sing & Share public to be a part of this year’s Last year, from the origilevel-up digital campaign on nal target of P200,000 for 20 Facebook and Tiktok with “Sing schools, the first BIDA Eskwela & Share”. While there are 20 fund drive overwhelmingly initially identified beneficiaries raised more than P400,000 in for the #BIDAEskwelaSingk40 days. The accumulated extra wenta fundraising campaign, funds were extended to 20 more this can be expanded further schools, benefiting a total of 40 with the help of so-called SINGlearning institutions. This year, fluencers or carolers who can

Network of support, donation channels As of this writing, BIDA Eskwela Year 2 has also garnered support from civic and action groups such as H.E.L.P. Pilipinas, Zonta Club of Makati Ayala, Rotary Club of Makati Uptown, I-YOU-DA, The New Channel, and Amazing Grace Foundation (Australia). These like-minded entities have committed to donate monetary contributions totaling to more or less P100,000.

Moreover, the fundraising has received support and endorsement from the National Youth Commission (NYC), the ASEAN Youth Advocates Network (AYAN), the National Youth Volunteers Coalition (NYVC), The Inquirer Foundation and CID Communication.

Interested individuals or entities are encouraged to donate as little as P50 through the following mobile wallet and bank savings accounts: GCash or PayMaya (09088176049 / Erwin Dela Cruz), BDO (Mayo Ceazar Mendoza / 003010257672), Metrobank (Mark Conrad Ravanzo / 0663725653850), BPI (Ruth Butad / 0829342561), Landbank (Bigjay C. Lagang / 2986155891), UnionBank (Vonn Vincent Tanchuan / 109420073791).

Donations are also accepted via PayPal (bit.ly/iammadpaypal).

For more details, visit BIDA Eskwela’s official donation information platform at bit.ly/bidadonate. For transparency, all donation receipts and proceeds from the actual collections are published and viewable at bit.ly/ bidatracker.

For updates, partnerships, and further inquiries, send an email to iammadph@gmail. com or via mobile at 0926 785 0208. Follow and message I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) on Facebook (fb.com/IamMakingADifference), Instagram/ Twitter/Tiktok (@iammad_ph), Youtube (bit.ly/IamMADYoutube) and podcast via anchor. fm/iammad or bit.ly/MADTalksSpotify.

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D

ario, who grew up in Davao City, was in his late 20s when he moved to barangay Kinuskusan in Bansalan, Davao del Sur. This was after he married Maricel, whom he met in a department store where they were both working.

Starting as a new family, Maricel’s father gave them a three-hectare farm which Dario could till. Being an upland area, Dario planted corn. In the beginning, the harvest was plentiful. But after seven years of farming the land, he noticed the corn production was becoming less and less. Despite the fact he was already planting hybrid corn and providing fertilizer to the crop.

Dario consulted the municipal agriculture extensionist when he visited the barangay. Observing the farm, the extension worker noticed some stones already sprouting. In other parts of the farm, cogon grass was already growing.

“I know what the problem is,” the extensionist told Dario. “Your farm is already devoid of topsoil, the primary resource in agriculture.

Even if you put a lot of fertilizer, the production will no longer increase. Erosion has taken away the soil.”

Destructive enemy “Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation — far worse than any external enemy coming into a country and conquering it because erosion is an enemy you cannot see vividly,” pointed out Harold R. Watson, former director of the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc. “It’s a slow creeping enemy that soon possesses the land.”

Once the topsoil is lost, it is lost forever. “No other soil phenomenon is more destructive than soil erosion,”

wrote Nyle C. Brady in his book, The Nature and Properties of Soil. “It involves losing water and plant nutrients at rates far higher than those occurring through leaching. More tragically, however, it can result in the loss of the entire soil. Erosion is serious in all climates, since wind as well as water can be the agent of removal.”

Soil scientists claim 58% of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares are susceptible to erosion.

“For one, the magnitude of soil erosion in cultivated sloping areas has reached an alarming proportion,” deplored Angel C. Alcala, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Ancient ally In men’s modern quest for soil erosion control, they found an ancient ally in the world’s tallest grass, bamboo.

A study conducted by a team of researchers from Central Mindanao University (CMU) showed the roots of giant bamboo (scientific name: Dendrocalamus asper) can efficiently absorb excess water and bind the soil together, thus reducing erosion.

They came up with the conclusion after assessing the contribution of giant bamboo in the Taganibong Watershed in Musuan, Bukidnon. Soil erosion was measured every time it rains through the erosion bar method.

In two years, data

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BAMBOO

CAN CURB SOIL EROSION Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO showed that giant bamboo cuts soil losses by 75% or 22.66 tons per hectare per year compared with 90.12 tons per hectare per year in open areas. Displaced soil particles are lessened by 80% while a river near a giant bamboo plantation decreased water discharge by 85%.

The study, which was funded by the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), also found that sediment yield – a major cause of siltation and flooding in lowland areas – decreased to 2 tons per hectare in a giant bamboo plantation compared to 50 tons per hectare in an open area.

“Bamboo foliage also helps in intercepting raindrops and minimizing the impact to the soil surface,” the study said. “Bamboo litters also shield the soil from the impact of raindrops as decomposed litter improves soil structure and promotes

water entry by 40%. This further reduces surface flow, translating to minimized soil erosion and landslides.”

Excellent choice Bamboo is indeed an excellent choice when it comes to erosion control.

“As an alternative to retaining walls and other man-made structures, bamboo can serve as an excellent means of erosion control,” observes the website, bambubatu.com. “Whether you’re dealing with grades and terraces on a sloped property, or the loss of topsoil to river beds and irrigation run-off, the mighty roots of a well-established bamboo plant will provide a remarkable solution to erosion and other related problems.”

According to the website, live bamboo, especially its vigorous root network, works in different ways to: consolidate topsoil, stabilize slopes, preserve river beds, prevent runoff, discourage trampling and reduce evaporation.

A study by Alexia Stokes, Adrien Lucas and Luc

Jouneau published in the American Journal of Botany showed that bamboo is not only useful in controlling landslides, land degradation and soil mass movement but also improves the quality, moisture and stability of the soil.

In his earthbound.report feature, Jeremy Williams suggested using bamboo for land restoration. “Soil loss remains one of the more overlooked global environmental issues. Almost a third of the world’s land is degraded, presenting a serious obstacle to feeding a growing population in the future. Restoring soil and preserving it for the future is an important 21st century challenge, and bamboo could play a major role.”

Williams described bamboo as “a remarkable plant for all kinds of reasons.” “But (bamboo) is particularly well suited to land restoration projects,” he pointed out. “It has long root systems that can reach down deep, drawing up nutrients where other plants would struggle, so they can

grow on poor soil or on steep slopes. Those roots bind the soil together and prevent further erosion, with a single bamboo plant able to bind six cubic meters of dirt.”

Aside from being resilient, bamboo grows fast.

Some species of bamboo are clocked at growing over 90 centimeters in height in a day. That’s over 3.8 centimeters in one hour! No other plant on earth can do that.

“Bamboo can reach full maturity in one to 5 years (depending on species),” says bamboobotanicals.ca.

“Hardwood trees can take 30 to 40 years. It is the only woody plant that can keep up with the rate of human consumption and deforestation.”

Unlike the trees, bamboo is a renewable resource.

When it is harvested, bamboo will continue to grow new shorts from its root system. There is no additional planting or cultivation.

Bamboo requires no chemicals, pesticides or fertilizer to grow and thrive. Its very

FBAMBOO, P10

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Based on the report of the Davao City Vaccination Cluster, as of September 1, 2021: Priority A1 (health care workers) there are a total of 58,035 administered for the first dose and 44, 486 for second dose; Priority A2 (senior citizens) 87,394 first dose and 80, 811 second dose; Priority A3 (persons with comorbidities) 158, 290 for first dose and 115, 304 for sec-

ond dose; Priority A4 (essential workers) a total of 264, 599 for first dose and 91, 092 for second dose; Priority A5 (poor population) 37, 116 for first dose and 8,357 for second dose.

There are a total of 605,434 vaccines administered in the first dose and 340,050 for second dose.

The city aims to inoculate 1.2 Million by November to reach herd immunity.

Tablante, Earn Sta. Rita Saguindel, And Artemio Tarona Ponce, Jr., is offering a number of investment packages and promos ranging from Three Thousand Eight Hundred Pesos (Php3,800.00) to One Million Eighty Thousand Pesos (Php1,080,000.00) promising guaranteed lucrative passive returns of Five to Eight Percent Return of Investment (5-8% ROI) per month and other bonuses with little or no risk.

Filipino Family Club International, Inc. formerly or a variation of the Francis Leo Marcos Family Club Incorporated or FLM Family Club, Inc. by Francis Leo A. Marcos or Norman A. Mangusin is continuously soliciting donations from public for its dubious humanitarian activities without prior registration, license and/or accreditation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

SPAV Solutions Corp. doing business under the names and styles of Emporia Institute, Emporia (formerly SPAV Solutions Corp.) (“SPAV Solutions Corp.” for brevity) headed by Mr. James Ryan A. Sumilang and Neilbert Abella. SPAV Solutions Corp. supposedly operates a foreign currency exchange trading business and had accepted investments from their colleagues and acquaintances in different accounting firms, with a promise of up to three percent (3%) of the total pool of managed funds or an average of 30% for a three (3)

months trading period.

Under the program of every Supermarket, Tindahan XPress Inc., , MP. Sales Inc., headed by Raymond P. Pineda, a.k.a. “Mon Pineda.”

Under its program, the applicant may invest Three Hundred Seventy-eight Thousand Pesos or Five Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos, depending on the selected plan, projecting an earning opportunity with a “conservative” return of income ranging from “10% to 20% earnings per year.”

Brio de Agoho Club Resort Inc./Brio de Agoho/ Agoho Resort and Villas Inc., headed by its President and Chairman of the Board, Maricel P. Valentin.

Brio de Agoho Club Resort Inc./ Brio de Agoho/Agoho Resort and Villas Inc. are offering and selling their club shares through their “Lifetime Co-ownership Business Model” or “Fractional Ownership” for the amount of Php975,000.00 which are available in different payment options such as Post-Dated Cheques (PDC), Auto Debit, Online Banking(preferred receiving bank is Union Bank), Over-The-Counter, Paymaya/7-Eleven via Cliqq Payment and Cash Payment (Xavierville Office/ Briode Agoho Office). A down payment of 20% or Php195,000.00 is payable in eight months and the balance of 80% or 780,000.00 is payable in Twenty Five Months; total share price is Php975,000.00 plus processing Fee of Php20,000.00.

senators who participated and raised concerns during the deliberation of the proposal had made a substantial impact on the bill’s enactment.

“We are grateful to the senators who have chosen to provide ample time and space for the transition authority to fulfill its mandate and in effect secure the hardearned gains of the peace process rather than to subject our people yet again to a routinary political exercise which often creates disunity in our region,” BTA Deputy Speaker Zia Adiong said.

Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, who authored a similar bill in the House of Representatives, also lauded the senators for taking into consideration the welfare of the Mindanao peace process than their personal political interest.

The 15 senators who voted “yes” on the third reading include Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, Sherwin

Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Grace Poe, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Cynthia Villar, Francis Tolentino, Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senate President Vicente Sotto III. Senators Ralph Recto, Emmanuel Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson voted against the bill, while Senator Imee Marcos abstained.

If enacted into law, the country’s next president will be given authority to appoint the 80 members of the BTA. The term of the current BTA members will end on June 30, 2022.

In the past months, several caravans and calls were held by civilians both in Mindanao and in Manila to persuade both the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass the bill.

Several leaders and personalities have also shared similar calls, saying the bill will help save the gains of the peace process. (PNA)

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during the session, said the ordinance was in response to the request of the city government in response to the continued increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the city.

The construction of an oxygen plant aims to prepare the city for a massive surge in Covid-19 cases following the detection of more cases of the Delta variant in the city.

Mayor Sara also announced that a budget for the purchase of oxygen sets is also available.

“Duna na pud budget tong pagpalit ug mga oxygen sets. We are ongoing processing on documentation for the purchase,” she said.

The steady oxygen supply in the city was among

the things that have been discussed between Mayor Sara and the Department of Health 11 (DOH 11) during their regular meetings with private hospitals last month.

Mayor Sara assured on Monday that so far the city has not receive concerns of shortage of oxygen supply from the hospitals.

“So far wala na siya nato nadawat na concerns gikan sa mga hospitals. Ang nakuha nato na concerns sa ilaha is the overwhelming number of patients na naga-adto sa ilaha,” the mayor said.

This week, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has announced experiencing an usually high volume of patients needing admission for Covid-19. By Maya M. Padillo

ment, provided that they are on-call and on a shifting arrangement 24 hours a day.

“All offices must create a system wherein government service is accessible to all those in need despite the WFH and skeleton workforce arrangement,” the mayor stated.

The EO also mandates that offices should have online platforms where clients can access and direct their queries, with a real-time feedback response system, all meetings involving government offices shall use online platforms and that all meetings of more than five attendees

are prohibited.

Meanwhile, the City Assessor’s Office at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) is placed under lockdown after 16 employees were tested positive for Covid-19.

“They requested a lockdown and during the lockdown they will also implement a renovation sa ilahang opisina so that magkaroon ug correct na ventilation ilahang office.

Ventilation is just opening ang ilahang mga windows so ang maglisod magcomply ani are offices na gamay ang windows or walay windows,” the mayor said.

Gaerlan was the commanding officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion from September 1, 2010 to January 18, 2012.

He became the commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade based in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, which covers Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental, from June 29, 2018 to August 19, 2019.

Gaerlan, a native of San Juan, La Union, was installed as 1st ID deputy commander in August 2019.

Major General Gene Ponio, 1st ID commander and acting chief of the Western Mindanao Command, expressed the Army’s sympathies to the bereaved family of the late general.(Richel Umel / MindaNews)

en by the cost of the supply-side factors,” Maps said.

He pointed out Metro

Manila returned to lockdown in August, which meant that demand was subdued for the month.

amended contract.

MEPI continues to reach out to the non-signatories – proof being their claims for the new rental referred above. MEPI’s invitation for the splinter group to negotiate have been consistently declined.

This may be verified with local office of DAR. Although MEPI and the Marsman Drysdale Group are eager to have an early resolution of this long pending case for the benefit of all concerned, it is open to consider other fair and equitable alternative solutions.

MEPI representatives, during the meeting, reported that its banana farms continue to do well despite the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic, spread of Panama disease, and others.

The company also maintained our whole work force in excess of 4,300 and provides healthcare services to its community to alleviate sufferings brought about by Covid 19, including purchasing vaccines for all employees and ARBs, and donating vaccines for the communities near its farms.

Businesses and analysts had warned earlier that the fresh lockdowns imposed from late July to early September would weigh down

the labor market again.The Asian Development Bank also noted that the new jobs created amid the pandemic were of lower quality.

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own fallen leaves provide the necessary nutrients that get recycled back into the soil.

Global market What most Filipinos don’t know is that what used to be known as the “poor man’s timber” is now gracing many high-end homes, hotels, and offices around the world. Yes, the humble bamboo has gone a long, long way.

“The global bamboo market size was valued at $68.8 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.0% from 2019 to 2025 to reach $98.30 billion by 2027,” said the website, grandviewresearch. com. “Growing investments focused on infrastructure development, increasing use of sustainable building/ construction resources, and rising consumer awareness regarding the uses and benefits of bamboo are expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period.”

Bamboos, along with rattan, provide several environmental, economic, and social benefits to society. “Bamboo is a sustainable resource that can grow under a range of climatic conditions, but preferably a tropical climate,” the website said. “It provides approximately 35% more oxygen and absorbs 40% more carbon dioxide as compared to trees, which results in a substantial improvement in the air quality. Further, cultivation of bamboo offers carbon fixation, controls soil erosion, and purifies the environment.”

In the world market, bamboo is more preferred over timber as the former is

easier to harvest, transport and are relatively affordable. “(Bamboos) are water-resistant by nature and offer high durability,” the website said. “These benefits result in the sustainable use of bamboo in applications such as furniture, shelter, and handicraft products. They are also used to produce flooring, charcoal, mats/ screens, and woven products.”

Other uses Although often listed as a “minor” forest product, bamboo is fast regaining its rightful place these days. According to an article, which appeared in Reader’s Digest, bamboo “is delicate enough to be used in phonograph needles, yet strong enough to be used in bridge construction.” As such, bamboo can replace or indirectly decrease consumption of three critically scarce resources: wood, metal and oil.

Bamboo is also indispensable in the fishing and banana industry. In Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, people use bamboo as material for making rafts, fishing rods, outriggers for bancas and for fish pens. In salt-water areas, bamboo is used as stakes in the culture of mussels and oysters.

In the banana industry, bamboo poles are used as props to support fruit-bearing bananas. The demand for bamboo props is large.

In Davao alone, about 20 million props are needed every year. Experts say that growing bamboo for banana props is seen as a means to stop the illegal cutting of young commercial timber species in the forest to be used as banana props.

being tested.

Players and officials will also benefit from the easing of UEFA rules by allowing them to enter highest-risk areas at stadiums without further testing.

UEFA said teams still must verify the rules in place at national borders before traveling for an away game.

“This includes checking if the type of vaccination of all individuals of a team delegation is accepted by authorities of the country which they are going to visit for the match,” UEFA said.

The Russian vaccine Sputnik is not recognized in England where Chelsea hosts Zenit St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

MANNY PACQUIAO FUTURE Regarding Manny Pacquiao and his future on the PPV platform, that’s up in the air at the moment. Whether he even fights against it is

another story entirely.

At present, the “Pacman” is more focused on his political career. The race for the Presidency of the Philippines is hotting up for 2022.

lem really is our hospitals can get full as we have more sick people. So if we allow the economy to open, clearly we have to protect the unvaccinated, and that’s the reason why we are really strongly recommending that it’s only the vaccinated that go out to high-risk establishments,” Concepcion said.

“The unvaccinated can still go out to work, can still buy their essentials, but limited to less risky establishments,” he added, saying that the proposal can be pilot-tested in a city with the highest vaccination rate.

“This is, to me, the best time to try new things. You

don’t try things when it is normal. It’s like an acid test. Let’s see if it works. If it doesn’t, then we can pull out, anyway isang LGU lang naman,” Concepcion also said.

The alert level for each city and municipality will be decided by the Department of Health, depending on factors such as hospital capacity and the number of cases.

The entire Metro Manila, except Manila, is under the highest Alert Level 4 because hospital bed capacity is more than 70 percent, and the area is under moderate to critical risk for COVID-19, according to the DOH.

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Leylah Fernandez reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, eliminating 2016 champion Angelique Kerber in the US Open round four match on Sunday.

Fernandez eyes US N Open semis spot

UEFA to allow away fans to attend Champions League

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EW YORK — Two teenagers can earn semifinal spots at the US Open, as both Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz are in action on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).

Another spot can be filled by a qualifier, if Botic Van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands upsets No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev.

Fernandez, a day after turning 19, follows that match on Arthur Ashe Stadium by playing No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina.

The Fil-Canadian has defeated Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber in her last two matches.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz plays the final match of the

day on Ashe against No. 12 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, 21.

It’s the youngest matchup this late in a major since 20-year-old Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic, 19, in the quarterfinals of the 2006 French Open. The other quarterfinal matchup pits French Open champion and No. 8 seed Barbora Krejcikova against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.

KEY RESULTS MONDAY (Tuesday, Manila time) Women’s Fourth

Round: No. 4 Karolina Pliskova beat No. 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-4; No. 11 Belinda Bencic beat No. 7 Iga Swiatek 7-6 (12), 6-3; Emma Raducanu beat Shelby Rogers 6-2, 6-1.

Men’s Fourth Round: No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat Jenson Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; No. 4 Alexander Zverev beat No. 13 Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7); No. 6 Matteo Berrettini beat Oscar Otte 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Lloyd Harris beat No. 22 Reilly Opelka 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

STAT OF THE DAY 3 — Number of female qualifiers to reach the US Open quarterfinals since the Open era began in 1968, after 18-year-

what it takes to rise to the top spot.

The Raptors are retooling, and Lowry felt joining the Heat was the best move for him.

“This summer, I knew the direction that Toronto was heading in and what they were going to do,” Lowry said on the “Pull Up Podcast” with CJ McCollum.

“They’re just going into a situation where those guys are younger and they’re gonna let them take the reins, you know?”

Lowry says “it’s only championships or bust” as he teams up with Butler and the Heat.

“If you aren’t playing for championships, what are you playing for? And that’s the only thought process that went into my free agency, is where do I go to become a champion?”

“I feel like this is what they want to do. I have a close friend, Jimmy Butler, there and I feel like Miami, that’s what they want to do.”

old Emma Raducanu of Britain joined Barbara Gerken in 1981 and Kaia Kanepi in 2017.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “Obviously we appreciate the spotlight in those moments. But then, you know, you have today and I’m going to have 9 million death threats and whatnot.”

— Shelby Rogers, on going from the highs of beating No. 1 Ash Barty to the lows of getting routed by Emma Raducanu.

YON, Switzerland — Ahead of the Champions League group stage starting next week, UEFA cleared the way on Monday for away team fans to travel and attend games internationally.

UEFA cited vaccine programs across Europe for relaxing its rules.

The opening Champions League games on Sept.

14 include Bayern Munich playing at Barcelona and Manchester United visiting Swiss champion Young Boys.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant fans were excluded for nearly all UEFA-organized games last season, and for the qualifying rounds of the three club competitions this sea-

son, including the Europa League and Europa Conference.

UEFA has lifted that ban, allowing fans to travel if allowed by health and government rules enforced in the home team’s city.

UEFA said “5 percent of the total allowed stadium capacity will be reserved to fans of the away team, subject to any decision in this respect falling under the responsibility of the relevant competent authorities.”

“Ongoing vaccination campaigns across Europe” were cited by UEFA, plus countries allowing freer movement for people who were vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 to go to public events without

Lowry on joining Heat: ‘Championships or bust’

D

espite the chance to go for the big money at another club, Kyle Lowry said inking a deal with the Miami Heat was about bidding for an NBA title.

That aside from being able to vie for another championship, with friend Jimmy Butler.

Lowry is joining the Heat on a three-year contract.

NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors, Lowry says he feels the Heat have

Kyle Lowry said inking a deal with the Miami Heat was about bidding for an NBA title.

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Manny Pacquiao losing to Yordenis Ugas did low Pay Per View numbers for the legend’s last fight.

LOW NUMBERS Pacquiao-Ugas fight fared bad in PPV

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orld Boxing News gained a reaction to rumblings that Manny Pacquiao losing to Yordenis Ugas did low Pay Per View numbers for the legend’s last fight.

Pacquiao took the eighth defeat of his career at the hands of Cuban Ugas, who stepped in when Errol Spence Jr. pulled out with an eye injury days before.

Facing Spence would have certainly taken Pacquiao the half a million buys mark as sold for the previous Keith Thurman event in July 2019. But meeting Ugas did little to put the Filipino across a quarter-million marker.

Without giving an exact figure, Pacquiao’s former long-time promoter Bob Arum said his view of sales is not a good look for the Senator.

“Pacquiao’s never done, that I’m aware of, anything like how bad as he did for that fight,” Arum told WBN’s Dan Rafael when discussing the arrangements for a clash between Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter last week.

Arum’s words came as Premier Boxing Champions became more receptive to making a deal before the purse bid deadline later this month.

“He never did anything nearly as bad. That could be their thinking.

I can’t read their mind,” he pointed out on whether the renewed interest was down to Pacquiao vs. Ugas numbers.

CRAWFORD VS. PORTER Another theory from Arum was that Crawford vs. Porter would now head to ESPN due to PBC potentially securing the rights to Canelo vs. Caleb Plant.

“When they look at their situation, they have a tremendous amount that they’ve bet on the Canelo fight. To take on a burden like this, an additional burden is not easy.

“So, that may be one of the reasons why they may opt for us to do the event,” said Arum, before concluding on why there was an extension in the first place.

“We talked numbers before.

I don’t think they’re just jerking around with this (extension). That doesn’t mean necessarily we make a deal, but certainly, there’s good faith.”

Bob Arum Eddie HearnMark Robinson Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn is now sniffing around the welterweight world title bout to make a bid if nothing gets finalized by September 14th.

Arum will want everything done and dusted by then to avoid any scenario where DAZN would have a chance to steal the event.

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