Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 170 | Friday, October 1, 2021

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

WHAT PEOPLE WANTS

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

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HOW COVID-19 CAN BE CURTAILED HEALTH P 9 edgedavao@gmail.com

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A father, accompanied by his son, maneuvers his bicycle carrying puppies that he will sell along Ilustre Street in Davao City on Thursday.

Edge Davao

Latest Pulse Asia survey reflects people’s desire for stable leadership: Mayor Sara’s spox STORY ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

President Rodrigo Duterte gestures while presiding a meeting at Malacañang Palace. The President certified as urgent the proposed P5.024-trillion budget for 2022 on Wednesday night. Presidential Photo

WHAT PEOPLE WANTS Latest Pulse Asia survey reflects people’s desire 2,297 Covid-19 cases on for stable leadership: Mayor Sara’s spox

home, house lockdowns

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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Sara ranked first with 20 percent rating followed by former senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Ma-

nila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, and Senator Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao.

“Nagpapasalamat is Mayor Sara sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan na patuloy na nananawagan at naniniwala na si Mayor Sara ang karapatdapat na maging ating susunod na presidente. Owing to Mayor Sara’s stellar track record of performance as mayor of Davao City and her courage and conviction as a leader

who always puts the people’s needs first,” Frasco delivered the video message through the Facebook page of Mayor Sara.

Frasco said Mayor Sara continues to listen to the pulse of the Filipino people as well as shares the desire of her countrymen to rise above adversity towards the development of the country.

In July last year, Mayor Sara announced she is open

said Wednesday the penalty was based on the series of random surprise inspections conducted since last week by a composite team commissioned by the local government.

He said the five businesses that were ordered closed for at least five days involved two swimming

resorts, two bars, and a used clothing or “ukayukay” shop.

The concerned establishments failed to comply with the minimum health standards, including the observance of safe physical distancing and wearing of face masks by customers and workers, he said.

“With a heavy heart I did that because I want to send the message to everybody that while we want the economy to grow and want the economy not to be disturbed, we want also everyone to observe the basic health protocols,” Ogena said in a radio inter-

olitical spokesperson of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco, said the latest Pulse Asia survey reflects the people’s desire for stable leadership in this uncertain times and saw in Mayor Sara “the president that they need and the president that they can trust.”

In the latest survey of Pulse Asia, which was conducted on September 6 to 11, 2021, showed Mayor

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5 firms in Koronadal penalized for violating COVID-19 protocols

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ive business establishments here have been meted with fiveday temporary closure while 82 others received warnings from the city government for violating the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols.

Mayor Eliordo Ogena

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total of 2,297 Covid-19 positive patients are currently placed on home isolation with 704 houses locked down in Davao City as of September 27, 2021.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the health group and Covid-19 Task Force approves Covid-19 positive cases that can be isolated at home.

Of the 704 house lockdowns, some have one or more Covid-19 positive patients, affirming that household transmission remains high amid the city’s surge of cases, the mayor said.

“We implement house lockdowns even if the Covid-19 patients are not there, but all the more we enforce the lockdowns if the patients are there,” Duterte-Carpio said.

Apart from house lockdown, the city also imposed a lockdown on 12 buildings, four compounds, and one school.

The mayor said the lockdowns utilized 1,108 security personnel from the police, barangay tanods, Public Safety Securi-

ty Command Center and police auxiliary group.

The data file does not reflect those from the lockdowns through the district offices and barangays without a report submitted to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesman of the city’s Covid-19 Task Force, earlier said they constantly communicate with the barangay captains, barangay functionaries such as the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs), Safety and Security Cluster (Philippine National Police), City Health Office, and district health offices to strengthen and monitor the lockdowns in households.

Schlosser said in some household transmissions, all members of a family have been infected with the virus.

“We are requesting everyone, a number of social gatherings like birthdays and reunions are being held, it’s not the right time for that. If you truly love your friends, your family, this is not the

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

NEWS

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A caminero (road construction worker) struggles to carry a whole sheet of resin-coated plywood along Iligan City’s circumferential road in Barangay Del Carmen Wednesday morning (29 September 2021). This landslide-prone part of the newly built diversion road is now being repaired, installing concrete walls on both sides. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

Davao Coastal Bypass Road to be inaugurated by March 2022 7 demoralized NPA leader, guerrillas yield in Bukidnon

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even guerrillas of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPANDF) surrendered to the government, claiming they are already tired of evading government troops and deceiving people into joining their futile cause.

In a media statement on Wednesday, Maj. Gen.l Romeo Brawner Jr, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said a CPP-NPANDF leader together with

six other members surrendered to the 403rd Infantry Brigade in Brgy Tongan-Tongan, Valencia City, Bukidnon on September 26.

Among those who voluntarily surrendered were Dante Pluma Cuyos alias Dr/Pedring/Asul/Riche, who served as the ‘Kalihim sa Seksyon’ (Political Officer) of Platoon Bagsik, Guerilla Front (GF) Malayag of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH 11) bared on Thursday that the entire Segment A (Bago Aplaya to Times Beach) of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project is targeted to be inaugurated by March 2022.

The first portion of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road from Bago Aplaya to Talomo (Segment A) was expected to be open to the public in February 2020.

“Yung gi-propose na inauguration by February is only a portion of Segment A. Pero upon verification by higher-ups in the cen-

PRRD certifies as urgent proposed P5-trillion 2022 national budget

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resident Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night certified as urgent the proposed PHP5.024-trillion budget for 2022.

In a September 29 letter addressed to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Duterte sought the immediate enactment of House Bill 10153, or the 2022 General Appropriations Bill.

Duterte said the spending measure must be imme-

diately enacted to “address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects, and activities for FY 2022, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its constitutional mandate.”

According to Velasco, the House aims to pass its

version of the 2022 national budget by September 30, or before Congress suspends session on October 17 to November 15 for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2022 elections.

Velasco said the overall objective is for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the 2022 General Appropriations Act by December to prevent a reenacted budget that could slow economic

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tral office it was found out na yung portion for the inauguration, which is Bago Aplaya-Talomo only. So ang labasan niya is doon pa rin sa may Coca-Cola Plant sa Talomo. So it will just add probably for congestion na naman kasi isa lang ang labasan,” she April Momo, Engineer III of DPWH 11.

Momo said the agency opted to finish the entire Segment A, which is from Bago Aplaya to Times Beach with a total length of 7.62 kilometers.

“That segment A is still proposed for inauguration

by March of 2022. Para may dalawang labasan na siya sa Times beach,” she said.

The Davao Coastal Road began its construction in 2017. The 18.21-kilometer Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project stretches from the Davao-Cotabato highway junction to R. Castillo in Davao City’s central

area.

The project includes a 540 linear meters and four-lanes Bucana Bridge that will traverse from the area of Bago Aplaya, Brgy.

Talomo, Punta Dumalag, Tulip Drive, Manuel Roxas Avenue to Sta. Ana Wharf Road and R. Castillo Street as the endpoint of the project alignment.

The project will function as diversion and bypass road and roadway grade separators or flyover for the existing road network that is already experiencing heavy traffic

drive-thru bakuna, kung nakabuhat ta ug drive-thru na swabbing, we are also eyeing drive-thru bakuna at the Davao Crocodile Park kay mao man ang pinaka feasible na space kung mag drive-thru,” Schlosser said on Wednesday.

Last Month, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio pronounced that the city will be ramping up its daily vaccination from 10,000 to 15,000 vaccinees

per day to achieve the targeted herd immunity before the end of this year.

The city government has opened more vaccination sites and implemented sectoral vaccination as strategies to help achieve the target.

The latest undertaking was the establishment of “Bakuna Nights” at San Roque Elementary School

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City gov’t eyeing to open drive-thru vaccination hub

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r. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, disclosed that the city government is now eyeing to open drive-thru “bakuna” (vaccination) at the Davao Crocodile Park as strategy to achieve the target of vaccinating 15,000 vaccinees per day.

“One of the strategies to achieve 15,000 per day vaccinees, the city will be doing

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

A meat vendor prepares pork meat for a customer at Bankerohan Public Market on Thursday. The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that prices of pork have started to normalize in the markets. Edge Davao

DA says pork prices T starting to normalize T

PEZA is targetting more investments from Taiwan

he Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Wednesday that prices of pork have started to normalize in the markets.

A report from its Bantay Presyo Price Monitoring Unit showed the prevailing price of kasim is now at PHP280 per kilo, down from its peak price of PHP360 per kilo in January 2021, while liempo sells at PHP340 per kilo, which is PHP60 cheaper than its peak price at PHP400 per kilo in January 2021.

Frozen pork sold in wet markets also continues to be cheaper by PHP60

per kilogram compared to fresh pork -- at PHP220 per kilo for frozen kasim, and PHP280 per kilo for frozen liempo.

However, the report also mentioned that only seven out of every 100 meat stalls are selling frozen pork in the National Capital Region (NCR) wet markets as frozen pork requires chillers.

“If the trend continues, the DA projects retail prices may return to the price lev-

el of September last year,” the DA said.

The DA added it will continue to assist pork producers to maintain this momentum and push the industry to sustain its repopulation and recovery.

To continue with this development, the DA said it will maintain its partnership with the private sector and local government units in the implementation of the “OneDA Family” twin program, of hog repopulation or INSPIRE and “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” or BABay ASF” to fully revitalize the country’s swine industry.

Apart from this, the DA also shoulders financial assistance through its Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) which has allotted an additional PHP300 million for lending to the backyard and semi-commercial raisers in “green zones” or areas that are already free from the African swine fever (ASF).

The additional amount will help support continuing efforts to revive the country’s hog industry.

On September 10, the DA-ACPC launched its Agri-Negosyo (ANYO) SWINE R3 program and

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he Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is targeting to lure more investments from Taiwan with the signing of the bilateral investment agreement and the New Southbound Trade Treaty between the two economies.

PEZA deputy director general Tereso Panga said in his personal social media account Wednesday that the investment promotion agency hopes to maintain Taiwan as one of the topmost investors in PEZA. PEZA held Global Biz with Taiwan on Tuesday which was attended by PEZA director general Charito Plaza, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) and Resident Representative to Taiwan Wilfredo Beltran Fernandez, and Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Head of Mission Michael Peiyung Hsu.

“Given Taiwan’s status as the 7th largest economy in Asia and 20th largest in the world by purchasing power parity certainly, the Philippines will benefit from its increased economic cooperation with Taiwan,” Panga said.

He added Taiwan has a competitive manufacturing sector especially in electronics, machinery, and petrochemicals as well as energy and information and communications technology, which they can expand in the Philippines.

According to the PEZA official, there are 112 Taiwanese enterprises registered with PEZA. Their total investments amounted to PHP32.3 billion, creating nearly 40,000 employment for Filipinos.

Panga cited top Taiwanese investors in PEZA which

n insurance executive has expressed optimism that the increasing people’s interest in getting protection products, especially during the pandemic, can help buoy the sector during these challenging times.

In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, Pru Life UK senior vice president and chief customer marketing officer Allan Tumbaga said insurance take-up is increasing and sentiments support this based on surveys and research.

“If you look at it now, the insurance industry is growing. It may not be very fast like before but what we see is that given the pandemic, given all the restrictions we have now, people are still

getting insurance,” he said.

Tumbaga said one interesting result of the surveys is the increased interest especially of young people to purchase insurance products.

“The pandemic has shown that anything can happen to you because nothing is expected. It’s better to be prepared always,” he added.

Tumbaga said this is one of the reasons for the insurance sector’s optimism for growth.

“I foresee that insurance sales will continue, the insurance industry will prosper, and everyone will be more protected and they will be more confident looking forward to the future,” he said.

Davao de Oro Negosyo Centers continue aid for entrepreneurs A

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he Negosyo Centers located in each of the 11 municipalities in the province have continued to support the existing and would-be local entrepreneurs.

The 11 facilities, which are operated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao de Oro Provincial Office together with the concerned local government units (LGUs), have been extending different types of assistance to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within their respective areas of operation. The interventions include relevant train-

ing programs and seminars, business counseling, product development, business registration, marketing, and financing facilitation.

From January to August this year, these Negosyo Centers have already conducted a total of 40 training activities and seminars. The topics ranged from product development and labeling to marketing and promotion. These have already benefitted a total of 350 MSMEs. Apart from these free capacity-building and skills improvement interventions, the Negosyo Centers, through the in-house busi-

ness counsellors, have also been guiding their clients on how to go about with the registration process.

DTI-Davao de Oro Provincial Director Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque said that the staff assigned at the Negosyo Centers have undergone several trainings themselves. These have prepared them in handling their job as well as in meeting the MSMEs’ needs.

“With our Negosyo Centers scattered throughout the province, it has become easier for us in DTI to reach more clients. At the same time, those who live in the far-flung barangays, where

transportation access is limited, can visit the facility more conveniently,” the provincial trade official said.

Among the latest training activities conducted by the Negosyo Centers in the province were on meat processing, which was participated by 30 potential and existing MSMEs of Compostela; home-based mushroom production for the group of persons with disability (PWDs) in Maragusan; and marketing of products under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program, which are sold at the resorts’ pasalubong centers.

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Growing interest in insurance products to boost sector

EDGEDAVAO

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ECONOMY

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DusitD2 Davao receives four recognations this year from the international award-giving body, Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards. The property is recognized as the Best Leisure Hotel in Asia, Best Lifestyle Hotel in Asia, and Best New Hotel in Asia, and its signature spa outlet, Namm Spa, was remarked as the Best Spa Hotel in Asia. Edge Davao

DusitD2 Davao bags 4 awards from Haute Grandeur Global PAL partners with FDFC for ‘Fly Now, Pay Later’ program

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lag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has partnered with BillEase operator First Digital Finance Corp. (FDFC) for a “Fly Now, Pay Later” program with installment payment methods.

Under the partnership, customers can book airline tickets and pay over time, through monthly installments over three, six, nine,

or 12 months. The first installment will be due 15 or 30 days after booking.

Customers will have to present a valid identification card to sign up, and they will be shown the actual amounts including the exact date of installments and a disclosure statement before completing the purchase.

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iving up to the promise of safe and confident stays, DusitD2 once again steps on to the global scene with four awards from Haute Grandeur.

Dusit Davao properties continue to bring accolades and exceed expectations amidst all the challenges of today. The international award-giving body, Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards, recognized DusitD2 as the Best Leisure Hotel in Asia, Best Lifestyle Hotel in Asia, and Best New Hotel in Asia (less than 3 years). Its signature spa outlet, Namm

Fake certificates used in sale, trade of imported meat: NMIS

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he National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) on Wednesday issued a stern warning against unscrupulous traders and online sellers using fake or tampered Certificate of Meat Inspection (COMI).

These certificates are used for the sale or trade of imported meat, the NMIS said in a statement.

“NMIS have received reports of traders and online sellers which are using fake or tampered Certificate of

Meat Inspection for the sale or trade of imported meat,” it said.

It warned the public not to buy imported meat accompanied by a COMI that bears an electronic signature.

Forging official marks and certificates is punishable under Republic Act (RA) No. 9296, as amended by RA No. 10536, also known as the “Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

It also urged the public to report any trade transactions of imported meat that are accompanied by a COMI using an electronic signature or appearing to be questionable.

The reports can be sent through these e-mails: Office of the Executive Director, nmisexedir@gmail. com and Meat Import Export Division, nmis.mied@ gmail.com. They can also be reached through contact numbers 8924 7980and 09178-367009.

Spa, was remarked as the Best Spa Hotel in Asia.

The Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards gives merits to properties that deliver consistent, exceptional, and excellent experiences in the hospitality industry. It honors the principles of hard work, commitment, and determination of the people behind luxurious brands. The basis for win-

ners are guest feedback and reviews, and not the typical voting system by the general public – a concept that is exclusive to the brand.

“Our can do attitude only grew stronger during the toughest of times, and we are grateful that our hardwork came back through recognitions like this from Haute Grandeur. This is the ideal piece of inspiration to continue to optimistic and goal-driven as one team,” said Hotel Manager Christoph Kuch.

DusitD2 Davao is currently a multi-use hotel fa-

cility, as it takes advantage of its towers to accommodate both quarantine and non-quarantine guests. “We are taking advantage of our towers to ensure that the safety of every segment of the market is recognized.

We have our leisure and business clients at the North Tower, while we provide accommodation for quarantine guests at the South Tower,” Kuch adds. Entrance and exit points are separated to maintain implementing guidelines. Namm Spa, on the other hand, remains to

Berja said that currently, AirAsia Philippines’ domestic flights frequency are at around 10% to 15% of preCOVID-19 levels.

As part of efforts to increase flight frequency, AirAsia will be launching flights from Manila going to Dumaguete City and Roxas City come first quarter 2022, he said.

The carrier is also planning to increase flights to Cebu, Boracay, Tagbilaran, and other major domestic routes by December this year.

Berja added that AirAsia Philippines is planning to open its hub in Clark in February next year.

“That would cater to Clark-Cebu, Clark-Davao, Boracay,” he said.

AirAsia Philippines is also eyeing to open its Cebu hub beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.

For international flights, the low-cost airline is projecting to hit pre-pandemic levels by “early 2023 or later part of 2022.”

“But that one is very

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AirAsia PH sees 100% return to pre-COVID levels for domestic ops by early 2022

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udget carrier AirAsia Philippines on Wednesday expressed optimism that its domestic operations will reach preCOVID-19 pandemic levels within the first half of 2022, banking on the government’s vaccination drive.

“For domestic frequency, aligned again to the path of herd immunity, we hope to at least achieve a 100% by April or May before the elections,” AirAsia Philippines chief financial officer Rey Berja told reporters at a virtual press conference.

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

On the latest Pulse Asia survey showing Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio ahead in the list of presidentiables:

Nagpapasalamat is Mayor Sara sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan na patuloy na nananawagan at naniniwala na si Mayor Sara ang karapatdapat na maging ating susunod na presidente. Owing to Mayor Sara’s stellar track record of performance as mayor of Davao City and her courage and conviction as a leader who always puts the people’s needs first.”

Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco

Political spokesperson of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

EDITORIAL The cup runneth over Due to the pandemic, millions of Filipinos have lost their means of livelihood. As a logical consequence, hunger stalks them 24 hours a day. But make no mistake about it, this is a worldwide phenomenon, through no fault of a particular country.

The economic disaster in the Philippines as in other parts of the globe is due mainly to the restrictions in movement of people and goods that the government and health authorities are forced to impose in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and minimize the number of deaths.

The economic paralysis has rendered Dabawenyos helpless and miserable as their counterparts in other places. A big majority of them look up to the government for help. Thus, the government has sprang into action with various assistance programs worth billions of pesos. However, even with the huge loans government has to draw from various monetary sources, it can only do so much.

The burden has to be shared by the altruistic groups and individuals in the private sector. Yes, this is the sector that chooses to come to the succor of the needy instead of busying themselves with criticizing the government and heckling government officials obviously for political mileage.

In these altruistic groups we count the big business corporations

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Mercifully, we also have elected officials who have the welfare of the people in their hearts doing their share in alleviating the misery of their constituents.

In the Davao Region, the provincial governors and town and city mayors have not been remiss of their duties to come to the aid of the people.

In Davao City, officials led by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio are doing just that. In the city’s three congressional districts, the elected congressmen – Paolo Z. Duterte of the First District, Vicent J. Garcia of the second, and Isidro T. Ungab of the third, and even Jerecho B. Nograles of the PBA partylist are always on the move to help.

For his part, Rep. “Pulong” is always reaching out to the city’s workers who have been deprived of their pre-pandemic incomes extending rice, cash and other forms of assistance with regularity. But he hasn’t forgotten the other lowly sectors, including the non-health frontliners.

“The cup runneth over,” taken from the Hebrew Bible (Psalms: 23:5).

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

OLIVIA D. VELASCO SOLANI D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONAJASPER OLIVIA D. VELASCO V. BACSAL General Manager PresidentAdvertising Specialist Finance General Manager / VP Operations JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

who take care of their own workers and the well-intentioned community pantries with their novel ideas of helping the less fortunate cope with the crisis.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE RICHARD C. EBONA LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-YacapinProduct Sts. Development officer Cagayan de Oro City Address: No. 18 Purok 4B, Madelo Street, Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Tel: (088) 852-4894 Mobile number: +63 947 265 2969(smart); +63 916 955 8559(globe)

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO RABIES: IF BITES COULD KILL Last year, I was bitten by a cat.

It was dark and I was walking; unknowingly, I stepped on the tail of the cat. I was bitten as the cat was definitely hurt.

I immediately washed the bitten area with flowing water and soap. “The first-aid measure includes immediate and thorough flushing and washing of the wound for a minimum of 15 minutes with soap and water, detergent, povidone iodine or other substances that remove and kill the rabies virus,” states the World Health Organization (WHO) in its website.

Since I knew a bite by a dog or cat is dangerous, I went to the provincial hospital to have a rabies vaccination. I had to go back to my hometown since I didn’t have any referral from the municipal health office.

I was able to get a referral note but I decided to go back the following day. I left early in the morning because I knew it was a “first come, first served” basis. I gave the referral note to the person-in-charge and was told to pay P50 first and then returned together with the receipt.

After doing so, I was given a number and went to the area where the patients – all of them were either bitten by a dog or a cat – were waiting for the shot. “The shots are free,” we were told, “but in case we run out of vaccines, you can buy it from outside.”

I was really surprised that

there were too many patients.

“It’s always like this,” said Anna, who had her third shot already.

“If there are too many, those who would take the first shot had to be vaccinated in the afternoon.”

It seems that people are now aware that the bite of either a dog or cat can kill.

“A bite, scratch or broken skin licked by a potential rabies carrier should be managed properly.

Although it is not an emergency case, it is urgent,” says the Davao City-based Animal Bite Center in its Facebook account.

In Davao Region, over 200 human rabies deaths are recorded each year, according to a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Mindanao. “(Rabies) has a case-fatality rate of almost 100% and so remains a major public health issue, even though it is known to be 100% preventable,” said the paper that was published in Philippine Journal Science (June 2020 issue).

So much so that last year, the Davao City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO) intensified its anti-rabies campaign by going around to barangays to give anti-rabies shots to canines.

Although rabies is not among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) still considered it as a significant public health problem because it is one of the most acutely fatal infections.

This despite the enactment of Republic Act 9482, otherwise known as the Rabies Act of 2007.

One of the reasons why rabies is still with us – when it is already eliminated in Singapore, Japan and other highly industrialized countries – is that it is one of the most misunderstood diseases by Filipinos.

Many, especially those in rural areas, still believe that garlic and a few drops of vinegar can cure rabies. Others believe that a quack doctor – called tandok – has the power to eliminate the virus from the body with the use of a stone or by sucking with the use of a carabao horn.

A document obtained by this author from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) cites several other reasons why rabies is still a problem in the country: lack of appreciation by local chief executives to the rabies program as public health threat leading to poor implementation; ineffective local ordinance in the implementation of the rabies prevention and control program; poor vaccination coverage by the province; numerous stray dogs, poor implementation of stray dogs and no dog pound; lack of funding; and limited, if not lack, of personnel.

Rabies, an acute and deadly viral infection of the brain, is one of the most terrifying diseases known to man. The Merck Manual of Medical Information says: “The rabies virus takes at least 10 days

– usually 30 to 50 days – to reach the brain (depending on where the bite is).”

During the interval, measures can be taken to eradicate the virus and help prevent death. “Rabies is eventually fatal once the rabies virus reaches the spinal cord and brain,” the Merck manual says.

Dogs are man’s best friend, so goes a saying. But it can also be man’s worst enemy once it has rabies. Although the virus is present in many species of wild and domestic animals, dogs are the main sources of rabies in the country. In Davao Region, most of the fatality cases are caused by dog bites.

Other animals which can transmit rabies are cats, bats, and foxes. Rabies rarely affects rodents (such as mice and rats), rabbits, or hares. Birds and reptiles, however, do not develop rabies.

“The domestic dog is the most important reservoir of the virus,” said Dr. Mary Elizabeth Miranda, who was then the leader of the rabies research program of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine when I interviewed her.

The DOH says rabies is usually transmitted from a dog’s saliva and enters the body through breaks in the skin. It can also enter the body through a person’s eyes and mouth.

It is easy to spot a rabid animal. “A common clue is a sudden change of behavior, like drooling, unprovoked aggression, biting, aimless running and dif-

ficulty breathing,” informs Dr. Silvius Alon, a veterinarian who once worked with the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center. However, some infected animals may become paralyzed or die suddenly without showing signs of illness.

If a dog has bitten a person, experts advise not to kill the animal. Instead, they suggested that the dog be confined and observed.

“If the dog remains healthy for ten to 14 days, it’s safe to assume it’s rabies-free,” says Dr. Miranda. If the animal does show symptoms, the owner should contact the local health department or a veterinarian immediately and the dog should be humanely put down.

A person who is bitten by a rabid animal undergoes three phases: the early period followed by the excitation phase and finally into coma.

Death is inevitable once the symptoms appear.

Unknowingly, there are several ways of protecting Filipinos from rabies. First is to reduce the risk of exposure. In high-risk areas, people need to avoid contact with wild animals and stray dogs (particularly if they appear in distress or are behaving unusually).

Another is to vaccinate pets and animals, which may be carriers of rabies.

“Vaccination and dog population control are more cost-effective and more doable in controlling the disease in animals,” Dr. Miranda claims.

DENNIS R. GORECHO PINOY MARINO RIGHTS

FILIPINO SEAFARERS AS PHILIPPINE’S GIFTS TO THE WORLD “Filipino seafarers are our gifts to give to the world and to the Church.”

Words that became part of the homilies of masses for the 26th National Seafarers Day (NSD) last Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Former president Fidel V. Ramos earlier issued on July 9, 1996 Proclamation No. 828 declaring August 18 as NSD to give due recognition to the vital role of Filipino seafarers towards the development of the Philippines as a maritime country.

The Stella Maris Philippines was tasked to coordinate with the public and private sector in activities related to the celebration of the said event.

Later, Proclamation No.1094 was issued in 1997 by President Ramos which moved NSD to every last Sunday of September every year.

The Philippines is considered as the major supplier of maritime labor globally as it is estimated that there is one Filipino seafarer for every four to five complements on board a vessel at

any time.

The sea-based sector’s remittance comprise at least 22 percent of the total dollar remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

These remittances help spur domestic consumption in the Philippines and a key ingredient in the country’s drive to achieve higher but sustainable growth.

Seafarers have been the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, enjoying a vital function in sustaining the stream of important items, akin to food, household and medical provisions.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed extraordinary demands on seafarers, with hundreds of thousands of seafarers stranded on ships for months beyond their original contracts, unable to be repatriated due to national travel restrictions. A similar number of seafarers are unable to join ships and earn a living.

“As Filipino seafarers continue to sail the seas of the world, they give hope that despite the pandemic which has paralyzed

many of our day-to-day activities and ventures, somehow, we are still interconnected” There is always hope. Our hope is God,” Balanga Bishop and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Bishop Promoter of Stella Maris-Philippines Ruperto C. Santos said in a statement.

Bishop Santos noted that Filipino seafarers give honor to the Philippines with their dedication and discipline in their lines of work.

Pope Francis earlier aired his concern on the challenges that are faced by maritime workers and their families in the midst of the pandemic adding that “without the people of the sea, many parts of the world would starve.”

People depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their sustenance as the fishing industry employs, directly or indirectly, more than 200 million people.

Bishop Santos added that “seafarers and fishers bring healing when hunger is nourished and when material sustenance from their cargo ships or boats reach our ports and shores.”

Former Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle during the 2012 NSD celebration said that Filipino seafarers are also ‘saint potentials’.

Referring to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod, Tagle stressed that they were seafarers and missionaries at the same time before they became saints, who sailed to other countries and died for a mission: “to teach the Good News.”

The work of a seafarer is not exactly a walk in the park.

Away from his family and working on board vessels sailing non-stop for weeks or months the world’s oceans, the Filipino seafarer is physically, mentally and emotionally stressed.

The shipping industry and seafaring profession are not without incident or peril where some may go missing or die in maritime disasters, while others may suffer illnesses or injury due increased work-related stress and exposure to extreme weather changes.

The European Maritime Safety Agency declared in a report that between 2011 and 2020,

there were 745 work-related fatalities among maritime workers and nearly 9,000 persons injured The Memorial at Sea is a traditional wreathe and flower-throwing activity by the sea for the deceased seafarers and fishers, as well as for those who have perished or missing at sea.

The flowers carry the message of love and gratitude as there is no distance of time or oceans but a mutual waiting for a reunion in peace.

Last year’s Memorial at Sea focused on the 36 Filipino seafarers that were still missing after the Panama-flagged livestock carrier Gulf Livestock 1 capsized in rough seas in southwest Japan on September 2, 2020 due to Typhoon Maysak.

Let us continue to pray for the Filipino seafarers’ perseverance, for their protection and for their safety.

(Atty. Dennis Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)

8

EDGEDAVAO EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Mati has a new festival for abundance —

T

ABUNDA FESTIVAL

he City of Mati has added another festival to its list of annual celebrations thru City Ordinance No. 500 series of 2021.

Called Abunda Festival, the new festivity will focus on the agricultural sector and will be held every 3rd week of October.

Abunda Festival celebration will last for one

week and will end as soon as the Sambuokan Festival starts on the 4th week of October.

Among the highlights of Abunda Festival are the Carabao Parade, Farmers and Fisherfolks Association Recognition Night, Cooking Competition, among others.

The festival’s venue will be at the Farmers’ Bagsakan

Center in Sitio Tagawisan, Barangay Badas and will be spearheaded by the City Agriculture Office.

The festival will focus on the three aspects of agriculture — crops, fisheries, and livestocks.

The Carabao Parade will be held on the first day of the festival wherein each barangays would festoon their carabaos with vari-

ous agricultural produce of their respective villages.

The Farmers and Fisherfolks Association Recognition Night will meanwhile give recognition to different

farmers and fisherfolks as well as livestock raisers organizations.

The Abunda Festival will also showcase various agricultural products and will give huge discounts to consumers at the Farmers Bagsakan Center. Only those registered farmers and sellers will be allowed to sell their produce at the center.

Seminars and trainings will also be conducted for the benefit of farmers, fisherfolks and livestock raisers to include product demonstrations and presentations to help them in

their livelihood.

The cooking competition will meanwhile showcase various recipes of farmers and fisherfolks of Mati wherein the winner will be declared as Mati’s Best.

The Abunda Festival is made possible thru the cooperation of various departments of the City of Mati LGU like the City Mayor’s Office, the City Agriculture Office, City Veterinary Services Office, City Information Office, and the City Events and Tourism Office.

(CIO MATI/Alab Maldo)

Birch Tree empowers local women micro-entrepreneurs

Shopee Debuts Kim Chiu as Brand Ambassador

M

ANILA, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 - Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, introduces its newest brand ambassador, Kim Chiu, alongside the launch of the 10.10 Brands Festival, its biggest brands sale of the year. The famous actress, dubbed the Princess of Philippine Movies and TV, will feature in Shopee’s new TV commercial and many exciting in-app activities.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee Philippines is happy to welcome one of the country’s top entertainers into the Shopee family, Kim Chiu. Kim’s bubbly, charming personality and love for online shopping both resonate with millions of Filipinos who find joy and excitement on Shopee. This 10.10 Brands Festival, we hope to bring the best brand deals and so much more with our valued and trusted brand partners.”

Users can look forward to these from Shopee brand ambassador Kim Chiu: • Kim Chiu’s new Shopee TV commercial: Kim Chiu gives the viral “Proof of Delivery” trend her own spin.

Fans can look out for the TV commercial on local TV networks and on Shopee’s official Facebook and YouTube accounts.

• Kim Chiu for Shopee Prizes: Users can find Kim Chiu on in-app games such as Spin & Win and Guess It Right, which they can play to win rewards such as coins and vouchers.

• Mini-games and contests with Kim Chiu: This October, users can join the #10BrandFaves contest featuring Kim Chiu for a chance to win 1,000 Shopee coins.

Fans can look forward to more Kim Chiu content such as behind-the-scenes videos on Shopee’s official YouTube and TikTok channels, and Kim Chiu-themed Instagram stickers. Users can also interact with the actress herself during her Twitter takeover on Shopee’s official Twitter account this October 9.

Shopee 10.10 Brands Festival Until October 10, shoppers can enjoy free shipping with no minimum spend, big brand giveaways, and up to ₱1,000 off brand vouchers at Shopee’s 10.10 Brands Festival.

Lucky shoppers can win ₱430,000 worth of prizes, such as vouchers, bundles, newly launched items, and even a lifetime supply of products, from over 30 participating brands.

Leading up to 10.10, shoppers can also look forward to Nestle, Deerma, GoMO!, Lactum, Colgate Palmolive, Shigetsu, P&G Beauty, Garnier, and Belo Brand Days on Shopee Mall, where they can get discounts up to 80% off, branded items as low as ₱179, and a free gift with every purchase.

Starting October 1, shoppers can check out different themed sales on Shopee including the Groceries Fair on

October 1, Fashion Fair on October 2-3, Mom & Baby Fair on October 4, Work From Home Fair on October 5, Gadgets and Gizmo Fair on October 6-7, and Beauty and Wellness Fair on October 8-9.

At the 10.10 Brands Festival, shoppers can use ShopeePay to buy load, pay bills, and scan to pay.

They can activate their ShopeePay wallet and top up through online banking, debit card, and over-the-

counter partners to get up to 50% discount on load from Globe, Smart, Sun, and TNT; 50% cashback from Maynilad, PLDT, and a growing list of partner billers; and ShopeePay ₱1 Deals from Puregold, Ultramega Supermarket, Potato Corner, and other partner merchants.

For more information, visit https://shopee.ph/.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

D

airy brand Birch Tree, manufactured by Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF), one of the Philippines’ leading food and beverage companies, has been helping uplift and empower local women micro-entrepreneurs to earn extra income during the pandemic through the Aling Tindera Waste-to-Cash program. The initiative is done in partnership with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX).

“When we initially partnered with PCX in 2019, our only goal then was to offset our entire plastic footprint for the year. We committed to offsetting 300,000kg of plastic waste.

But as we continued to hear positive stories from those who have participated in the program, we can’t help but be glad of this program’s immediate positive financial impact,” said Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer, CNPF. Aling Tindera is a waste-to-cash program where PCX incentivizes women-owned sari-sari stores to become collection points for post-consumer plastic waste. The participants are also provided with the necessary community infrastructure to aggregate, sort, and efficiently transport waste to partner processing facilities. Incentivizing residents to collect plastic waste also paves the way for cleaner environments and improved public health.

The Aling Tindera Waste-to-Cash program was created in response to the growing challenge of plastic waste ending up in nature. Its goal is to serve as an aggregation hub where any community member may sell post-consumer plastic by kilogram.

Since July 2020, Birch Tree has sponsored two Aling Tindera locations.

“Birch Tree was one of the first brands to step up to become an Aling Tindera partner. Through the company’s sponsorship, we

were able to fully equip our partner ‘Aling Tinderas’ with the tools they need to operate their collection point,” said a representative from PCX. The ‘Aling Tinderas’ are women sari-sari store owners invited by the city governments to join the initiative. Through the program, each woman is provided with a purposefully designed 10-foot or 20-foot container, one manual baler to help manage the collected waste, one weighing scale, and starting capital.

One of the Aling Tinderas is 42-year-old Neneng Rosello, who earns a living from peeling garlic.

Since the start of operations of the waste-to-cash program in her area, Rosello has made Php1,868.75.

Before the pandemic, she would join other similar plastic waste collection programs to earn extra money.

“Dahil sa Aling Tindera, nagawa kong ipagpatuloy ang magandang gawain para sa kapaligiran. Mas nakakatulong rin ako sa aking pamilya at nakadagdag sa aming budget pinansyal,” Rosello said.

Meanwhile, 50-yearold Raquel Moderazo, another Aling Tindera, gets her primary source of income from her eatery business. Since she accepted the city government’s invitation to join the program, Moderazo has earned Php1,763.75.

“Nakakatulong po ang Birch Tree sa paglinis ng ating basura sa paligid habang nakakatulong sa gaya naming bahagi ng Aling Tindera. Kahit nadagdagan yung obligasyon ko, masaya ako na nakakatulong din naman sa pag-aalaga ng kapaligiran,” Moderazo said.

There are currently eight Aling Tindera locations in the City of Manila.

PCX aims to increase this number to 100 while also expanding to other areas across the country.

9 HEALTH EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

A

ntonio B. Partoza, Jr., a Davao businessman, said he didn’t know where he got the novel coronavirus as he was just staying in his farm where his itinerary is house, office and farm. All of them were negative.

But then, in November last year, he lost his senses of smell and taste, a symptom that a person is infected with the coronavirus.

When he was confirmed that he was positive, he was brought to a hotel where he stayed for 10 days.

“Nothing, just boredom,” he replied when asked what he felt during those times of isolation.

Davao broadcast journalist Aljo Bendijo said he was infected while working at PTV Studio. He had fever, muscle pains, and a dry cough. Later on, he suffered from bilateral pneumonia (moderate to severe).

Bendijo was isolated for 4 days in a government quarantine facility and was admitted to Lourdes Hospital in Sta. Mesa, Manila, where he stayed for 7 days.

Both were lucky. But not celebrities like Claire dela Fuente, Nestor Torre, Jr., Joey Bautista, Heherson Alvarez, Alfredo Lim, Antonio Cuenco, Elmer Pato, Sixto Brillantes, Oscar Cruz, Lloyd Cadena, Danilo Lim, Reynaldo Umali, Celso Dayrit, Emilio Osmena, and Manuel Morato. They all succumbed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

They are among the 38,164 Filipinos who died of the dreaded disease as of September 29. Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in March 2020, the Philippines has accumulated 2,535,732 confirmed cases, of which 2,365,229 have recovered,

according to the Department of Health (DOH).

So, one wonders: When will this pandemic end?

No one knows. But there are ways the proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2, as the novel coronavirus is called as it is a distant cousin of the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, can be curtailed.

Vaccination One of the best ways to fight COVID-19 is through vaccination. “We know with certainty that if a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus is not developed quickly and distributed widely, enormous numbers of people will die,” said Dr. John Scales Avery, an associate professor emeritus at the H.C. Orsted Institute of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

“A vaccine helps the body’s immune system to recognize and fight pathogens like viruses and bacteria, which then keeps us safe from the diseases they cause,” says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Fortunately, several COVID-19 vaccines were developed. “Once vaccines are demonstrated to be safe and efficacious, they must be approved by national regulators, manufactured to exacting standards, and distributed,” the WHO says.

The Pfizer vaccine was listed for WHO Emergency Use Lising (EUL) on December 31, 2020. The Covishield and AstraZene-

HOW COVID-19 CAN BE CURTAILED Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO ca vaccines (developed by AstraZeneca/Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and SK Bio, respectively) were given EUL on February 16, 2021.

The Janssen vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson, was listed for EUL on March 12, 2021. The Moderna vaccine was listed for EUL on April 30 while Sinopharm was listed for EUL on May 7. The Sinovac vaccine was approved for EUL on June 1.

The first mass vaccination program started in early December 2020. “Vaccination protects people from severe illness and death,” says Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, special adviser of the National Task Force Against COVID-19. “Because vaccinated persons have a shorter illness and lowest viral load, there seems to be some level of transmission blocking as well.”

During his Talk to the People address last September 27, President Rodrigo R. Duterte announced that 20.3 million Filipinos or 26% of the country’s eligible population are now fully-vaccinated against

COVID-19, while more than 23.6 million have already received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The current population of the Philippines is 111,384,619 based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.

“Many cities, particularly in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao have already surpassed 50% vaccination of the target population,” Duterte said, adding the government is “targeting to administer around a total of 55 million vaccines by October.”

The PH COVID-19 vaccine tracker, as of September 28, listed 69,699,340 vaccines delivered to the Philippines.

About 44,964,020 vaccines were purchased by the national government while 5,028,500 were procured by local government units and the private sector.

COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, donated 16,067,680 vaccines. Donations from other countries totalled 3,639,140 vaccines.

Despite the success of

the vaccination program, health officials still urged Filipinos to follow health protocols to curtail the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2.

“The virus will be with us until who knows when, so we must continue practicing new normal standard protocols outside and inside our homes,” says Dr. Paolo Dillera, an internal medicine physician whose clinic is in Metro Davao Medical and Research Center.

Hand washing The first line of defense against COVID-19 virus is hand washing. “It is one of the most effective ways to reduce the transmission of pathogens and microorganisms, if done properly,” says Dr. Francis Lagudas, a doctor who works in a government hospital in Sarangani Province.

Hand washing is highly recommended for frontliners, especially among health care professionals.

“Our hands are the main pathways of germ transmission in taking care of our sick patients,” Dr. Lagudas says. “As such, hand washing plays an important role in preventing the

spread of any infection like COVID-19.”

Here’s how to wash your hands properly: Wet your hand with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap. Then, rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Well, try humming the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. Then, rinse your hands well under running water. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

If soap and water are not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 70% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

How should you use hand sanitizer? Apply the product to the palm of one hand. Rub your hands to-

FHOW, P10

10

EDGEDAVAO

WHAT... FROM 2

to run for a national position in the 2022 elections.

She bared that she will do consultations to listen to the pulse of the people.

However, earlier this month the mayor took a 360-degree turn and said she is not running in any

national post following President Duterte’s acceptance of the nomination as vice presidential candidate of PDP-Laban.

Mayor Sara recently confirmed that she would seek re-election as mayor of Davao City.

view.

He said the 82 other establishments were given citation tickets and warnings for failing to fully comply with health protocols.

“Hopefully they will be more careful and others will be more careful because we are not joking here, he said.

The mayor said the composite team will continue to conduct surprise visits and inspections in the coming days on business establishments within the city’s 27 barangays.

He earlier issued a memorandum renewing the mandate of the team as endorsed by the department heads and members of the city’s incident management team.

The team is headed by the City Health Office and backed up by personnel from the City Licensing Office, Community Affairs Office, City Environment and

Natural Resources Office, and the city police.

Ogena said it is important for the local government to sustain the compliance monitoring on business establishments to control the spread of COVID-19 in the city.

He said businesses and residents need to strictly follow the health protocols as it is the most effective measure to stop local transmission.

“If they will not do that, we might be overwhelmed

by COVID. We have to do a balancing act,” the mayor said.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the active COVID-19 cases in the city dropped to 532, after reaching an all-time high of 779 on Sept. 19.

The confirmed infections in the city since last year already reached a total of 5,714, with 183 related deaths and 4,999 recoveries. (MindaNews)

time to hold a social gathering. We have social media platforms. Let’s keep ourselves from physical

social gatherings being the cause of the surge of household transmission,” she said.

growth and hamper the delivery of government services.

The proposed budget for next year is 11.5 percent higher than this year’s PHP4.506 trillion.

It is guided by a strategy supported by three main pillars -- Building Resilience amidst the Pandemic; Sustaining the Momentum towards Recovery, and Continuing the Legacy of Infrastructure Development.

The social services sec-

tor will receive the largest share of PHP1.92 trillion or 38.3 percent of the total 2022 budget.

The economic services sector will receive the second largest share at 29.3 percent or PHP1.474 trillion; 17.2 percent or PHP862.7 billion to general public services; 10.8 percent or PHP541.3 billion to debt burden (including net lending); and 4.5 percent or PHP224.4 billion to defense. (PNA)

calibrated swine repopulation for ASF green zones.

Eligible borrowers include individual, start-up and existing semi-commercial swine raisers (SCSR), small enterprises, and farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs).

In previous reports, ACPC

Director Jocelyn Badiola said individual borrowers can avail of up to PHP300,000 start-up SCSR up to PHP1 million, existing SCSR up to PHP3 million, and small enterprises and FCAs up to PHP15 million. The loan has zero interest, and is payable for up to five years.

be one of the most authentic places for Thai wellness services in the region.

It also takes pride of its fully vaccinated staff who are confidently on

duty, and the Department of Tourism’s Safety Seal and the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safe Travels Certificate under its wing.

“This latest service innovation using a card-free installment solution adds more flexibility to our flight booking process,” PAL Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing Oscar “Ren Ren” Reyes said in an emailed statement.

“This latest offering is

part of our goal to provide customers a transparent and flexible way to pay.

Travelers can now enjoy an installment plan when they’re booking their tickets, removing some of the hassle and added costs of planning a trip during the new normal,” he added.

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congestion problem and would also have broader or indirect road influence areas as they also function

and caters to inter-provincial and regional transport movements and vehicular flows.

(NCMRC).

Four other female CPPNPA rebels identified as Jalyn Hagayhay Mandikonlay alias Cecil/Sassy, Platoon Medic, Nalyn Gibangon Mansayloan alias Sabel, Maricel Tingcas Gamot alias Maricel, Lina Tawide Tilucan alias Kikay, who serves as a political guide surrendered with Cuyos.

“We welcome Cuyos’ return to the peaceful path as he finally realized the senselessness of his more than nine years of armed struggle, seeing his friends and companions die or being captured in the past weeks,” Brawner said.

M14rifle;andoneCal.30 Garand rifle.

Meanwhile, a couple alsolefttheCPP-NPA-NDF andrecentlysurrendered tothePhilippineArmy’s 8th Infantry Battalion.

Theywereidentifiedas JunasTuminaoLindaban aliasKint,politicalguide, Squad1,togetherwithhis partywife,RosalindaSimpanPaunayaliasKeratin/ Jela,squadmedic,bothof SDGDario,GF89,NCMRC. The couple said they decidedtosurrenderafter realizingtheirevildeedsof deceivinglocalpeopleinto joiningthearmedstruggle.

Withmoremembersof CPP-NPA-NDFreturningto thefoldofthelaw,Brawner saidtheendoftheCommunistTerroristGroup(CTG) in Bukidnon province is forthcoming.

“Theyweredemoralized as our troops incessantly conduct focused militaryoperationsbased ontheinfluxofinformation receivedfromciviliansenablingthetroopstotrack CTGhideouts.Theywere tiredofcontinuouslyhiding whilehavingmeagerfood suppliesinthemountains,” Brawner said.

DEMORALIZED... FROM 3

“We commend their decisionandyourArmyis alwaysreadytohelpand assistthemaswelearned thatoneofthefemalesurrenderersispregnant,another is suffering from a kidneyproblemwhileone isdeaf.Weshallfacilitate theirmedicaltreatmentat CampEvangelistaStation Hospitalin4ID,”headded.

Thegroupalsosurrenderedhigh-poweredfirearmsthatincludethreeCal. 7.62mmAK47rifles;one Cal.5.56mmM4Bushmasterrifle;oneCal.7.62mm

CITY... FROM 3

aiming to cater to individuals who cannot go to vaccination hubs during daytime, especially those who are working, which is part of the city’s innovative means to cover more people in its vaccination drive.

“Magpadayon ang atoang Bakuna Nights daily except Saturday and Sunday.

It will start 5 pm to 7:30 pm cut off pero nagapadayon hangtod naa pa’y tao. Its a really convenient time para sa atoang mga workers, dili na sila mag-absent or mananghid pa sa ilahang mga employers para magpabakuna because they have this chance na po,” Schlosser said.

She added that she will recommend to the Vaccination Cluster of establishing also an evening vaccination (Bakuna Nights) in Toril.

Another strategy that the city is doing is the mobile vaccination drive of the City Council.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) rolled out the mobile vaccination after Mayor Sara sought the support of the city council members to set up their vaccination teams.

Schlosser said a total of 11,000 vaccinees benefited from the mobile vaccination from September 22 to

26, 2021.

“In fact, nakit-an ni sa Covid 19 task force na very effective ang way of vaccination sa atoang mga councilors as one of our targets is to vaccinate 15,000 a day, it was noted atong mga sectoral halos na vaccinate na tanan katong mga different priorities. Halos tanan na priority na vaccinate na nato tanan. Pero naa pa uba’y uba’y didto na naa sa barangay so we are going down to the barangay level,” she said.

She added that apart from bringing the vaccination drive to the barangay level, the city will also bring the information drive to the barangay level as there is still hesitation from the community, although, the various priority groups were already inoculated.

“Naa man gyud uba’y uba’y didto na maskin na serve na ang prioritization dili pa gyud sila convince, so aside sa dalhon nato didto ang vaccination, dalahon pud nato ang info drive sa barangay with the help of the barangay officials. Tanan na estratehiya na convenient sa mga katawhan, gina-studyhan kung posible ug kung guapo ang reception sa mga tao,” she said. By Maya M. Padillo

include Sunon Properties with PHP4.5 billion investments, Tong Shing Electronics with PHP2.9 billion investments, Kinpo Elec-

tronics with PHP2.1 billion investments, and its affiliate company Acbel Polytech PHP1.7 billion investments.

“With the CREATE (Cor-

tough because that involves the restrictions of other countries and that will be out of our control,” Berja said.

He said AirAsia Philippines will be opening flights going to and from Taiwan and Singapore in December.

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gether. Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. A word of concern: Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty.

Wearing face mask “A person in public without a face mask during a pandemic is a walking septic tank,” said Abhijit Naskar. “When we wear a face mask, you’ll be saving a life.

That life could be your own, or someone who means a lot to you,” observed Ron Baratono.

Thus, a face mask is a life-saving device. “Intuitively and through science, one can find enough reasons to continue wearing face masks to curb the transmission of COVID-19,” says Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, a physician who writes a regular health column for Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“It is well established that COVID-19 can be transmitted by fine respiratory particles which may be coming from an infected person,” explains Dr. Castillo, who was a COVID-19 patient before. “Unfortunately, the infected may be asymptomatic (complete absence of symptoms) or paucisymptomatic (very mild, unrecognized infection).”

According to Dr. Castillo, many asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic individuals are unwittingly spreading the virus in the community, in their workplaces and in their own household. “Intuitively and based on evidence, the use of face masks, especially indoors, can significantly reduce the risk of transmission,” he says.

Physical distancing Avis Viswanathan said it well: “Without doubt, maintaining a distance from some people is the only way to maintain your equanimity – and, of course, to avoid catching COVID-19!”

“Physical distancing is important because mask protection cannot stop the spread of COVID-19 virus since there is no ‘one-sizefits-all’ approach in protection due to face mask alone,” says Dr. Teodofredo Esguerra, an expedition and wilderness EMS (emergency medical services) physician who also suffered from COVID-19.

“Exhaled air can pass

through the sides instead of passing through the mask layers and vice versa,” he says. “By virtue of gravity, aerosols go down within 3 to 5 feet usually.”

Dr. Richard Mata, who shares medical information through his social media account, also cites the importance of physical distancing. “If all of us can really achieve physical distance everywhere, we can easily drop the cases because the virus can’t reach you – not unless it’s from a sneeze or cough as it can push the virus further.”

Face masks, he points out, are also not perfect.

“A leak from the side of surgical masks can cause the transmission,” Dr. Mata says. “Therefore, even if everyone is wearing masks, social distancing still needs to be practiced.”

Stay at home Finally, health officials urged Filipinos to stay at home. “Staying at home is important as it lessens our exposure and decreases the chance of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2,” says Dr. Dillera. “But more importantly, I think having a good immune system and optimum health through exercise and healthy practices are keys in battling this pandemic.”

Dr. Neil Humphrey O. Laquihon, founder of the Reseta QRx, cites several reasons why staying at home is necessary for the curtailment of the COVID-19 virus: “For one, when you stay at home, you stay out of the crowded places. The fewer people you are around with, the lower your chance of being infected.

“For another, staying at home means you help stop the spread of the virus to others. If you are feeling sick – like having a headache or runny nose – this could mean you have the infection. It is advisable for you to stay at home until you feel better,” says Dr. Laquihon, medical coordinator on COVID-19 for hospitals of the province of Cotabato.

He advises not to go to clinics or hospitals if you have mild symptoms because health professionals there “are dealing with many COVID-19 cases and you will make it more busier raising your chance of getting the virus.”

Gilas Women has now lost all three of its games in Group B, with an average losing margin of 65.3 points and in danger of falling out of Division A. The Scores: CHINESE TAIPEI 93 -Lin WY 19, Cheng 14, Liu 13, Lin YT 8, Tai 8, Chu 7,

Chen 7, Lin T 6, Peng 5, Han 4, Wang 2, Lin HF 0.

PHILIPPINES 52 -- Bernardino 24, Castro 14, Fajardo 5, Pontejos 4, Nabalan 3, Tongco 2, Cabinbin 0, Castillo 0, Clarin 0, Prado 0, Cayabyab 0.

Quarters: 26-15, 45-30, 76-41, 93-52.

played by more than 20,000 children from Marawi, down to the coastal islands of Limasawa. Ramirez assured that it will continue to reach more places, even in the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“I am beholden to you

and the country to continue to work towards the development of sports and our youth,” concluded the agency chief.

Ramirez is set to return in Marawi for the official unveiling of the newly rehabilitated MSU Track Oval next month.

GILAS... FROM 11

BUTCH... FROM 12

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

SPORTS

11

Jazz keeps core intact in bid for NBA title S

ALT LAKE CITY — After posting the best regular-season record a year ago, the Utah Jazz are hungry to show they can take another step and contend for an NBA title.

Fil-Am cager Jordan Clarkson will be at the forefront of the Utah Jazz campaign next season.

Djokovic pulls out of Indian Wells

W

orld number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next month’s Indian Wells tournament, organizers said on Wednesday.

“I am sorry I won’t get to see my fans in Indian Wells and play in the desert, my favorite place to go. I hope to see you next year!,” Djokovic said in a statement.

The 34-year-old Ser-

bian came up short this month in his bid for a calendar Grand Slam, losing in straight sets to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final. He is tied with Roger Federer for the most Indian Wells titles, with each having won five.

Djokovic is the latest marquee name to withdraw from the tournament, with 2018 women’s champion Naomi Osaka,

world number one Ash Barty and Serena Williams also sitting out.

“We are disappointed that Novak will not be able to join us at the BNP Paribas Open this fall,” tournament director Tommy Haas said.

“We hope to see him back in Tennis Paradise next March to contend for a record-setting sixth title in the desert.”

shots from deep, led by five triples from Lin Wen-yu who paced Chinese Taipei with 19 points and four rebounds.

Cheng I-Hsiu also added 14 points, seven boards, and three assists, while Liu Hsi-Yeh got 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

Chinese Taipei poured it on in the third frame, exploding for 31 in the period to pull away and stretch the lead to 35, 76-41.

The lead further swelled to 43 points after a pair of freebies from Chen Wei-an with 2:41 left that made it a 92-49 affair.

The Taiwanese took their first victory in Group

B and arranged a date against Korea, with the winner facing Japan in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Philippines finds itself in a familiar position as it takes on India in the classification match for seventh place on Friday midnight, with the loser being relegated to Division B. Clare Castro played better in today’s game with her 14 points and six boards for the Philippines, but Gilas Women turning the ball over 26 times cost it dearly with Chinese Taipei manufacturing 31 massive points from those miscues.

It won’t be a simple task for Utah. The Jazz have evolved from an underdog into a team no opponent takes for granted.

“We’re not going to sneak up on anybody,” guard Donovan Mitchell said. “For us, we got to continue to do what we do but come out with fire, hunger, and an edge.”

Other players echoed Mitchell’s sentiment as the Jazz held their media day on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time). Utah will hold training camp in Las Vegas this week ahead of its preseason opener against San Antonio on Oct. 4.

A few new faces joined the team in the offseason, but much of the core who experienced disappointing early exits from the NBA playoffs each of the last two seasons remains intact.

Utah blew a 2-0 lead to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals last season and lost to Denver in seven games a year earlier after surrendering a 3-1 lead.

“You don’t get many of

those windows in your career,” center Rudy Gobert said. “It’s a great opportunity for us, no matter what happens, to be the best we can be. It’s exciting after all those years of losing and learning, losing and learning, being a part of a group that wants to do something even better.”

Gobert credited his stint with France in the Tokyo Olympics with helping him make some defensive improvements.

Mitchell, who took three weeks off from basketball before diving into rehabilitation on his ankle, said he has also put a focus on becoming a consistently better defender.

“I think there’s another level I can get to,” Mitchell said. “I’ve said that every year, but I think it’s the truth.”

Utah did not do much to shake up its roster over the summer. Mike Conley returned to the Jazz. Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside also signed as free agents and Eric Paschall came to Utah via a trade with Golden

State. The Jazz also drafted Baylor guard Jared Butler with the 40th overall pick.

Gay, Whiteside, and Paschall fill holes left by Georges Niang and Derrick Favors. Niang signed with Philadelphia as a free agent and Favors was traded to Oklahoma City.

Continuity does not equal complacency with the Jazz. Utah expects the veteran additions to be more than stopgap solutions.

“I’m not fond of the expression, ‘run it back,’” coach Quin Snyder said.

“That’s not what we’re trying to do.”

Utah enters training camp with no players nursing major injuries. Mitchell said he has fully healed from the ankle injury he suffered late last season.

Conley took up yoga to help strengthen his hamstring with improved mobility and flexibility.

Additionally, all Jazz players, coaches, and staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the regular season.

“It’s every person’s choice, but the fact that our players and … the entire organization chose to do that to protect each other says something about them,” GM Justin Zanik said.

Gilas Women fall to Chinese Taipei

G

ilas Pilipinas Women bowed to a hot-shooting Chinese Taipei side as they suffered a 41-point defeat, 93-52, to bow out of the group stages in the 2021 Fiba Women’s Asia Cup Thursday morning (Manila time) at Prince Hamza Hall in Amman.

Afril Bernardino was the lone bright spot for the Philippines with her double-double of 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and two steals, but failed to get much from the supporting cast as the team shot only two of their 14 triples.

Compare that to the precision of the Taiwanese, which drilled 15 of their 41

FGILAS, P10

Afril Bernardino delivered as usual, but found little support. PHOTO: FIBA.BASKETBALL

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 170 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2021

DR. BUTCH

The Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi Campus conferred Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez for his contribution to the Mindanao Sports for Peace movement.

MSU confers Doctor of Humanities to PSC Chair Ramirez

T

he Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi Campus conferred Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez for his contribution to the Mindanao Sports for Peace movement yesterday at the MSU Convention Center, Lanao del Sur during the university’s celebration of its 60th founding anniversary.

MSU System President Habib Macaayong led the awarding of the academic recognition to Ramirez, together with Executive Vice President Rasid Paca, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Alma Berowa, and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Alizedney Ditucalan.

“You have touched the hearts of many. On behalf of the whole MSU System community, we honor the unrelenting support you have afforded our institution,” said Macaayong.

“I am humbled at the privilege of esteem being bestowed on me today with this conferment of a Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa by this prestigious and respected educational institution.

I thank Pres. Macaayong and the whole Mindanao State University for recognizing our efforts and contributions to the university and the Mindanao Sports for Peace movement,” said Ramirez in his acceptance speech.

The agency chief shared that

President Rodrigo Duterte made it clear to him when he assumed office, to bring sports to the periphery.

“Although Marawi is not in the periphery, it is an urban society beset by the sad realities of strife.

That is why we continued supporting this city, by rehabilitating the MSU Track Oval to an Olympic-standard facility and helping accelerate sports development, we hope to shore up the spirits of the people and spark inspiration among the youth through sports,” added Ramirez.

In July 2017, just two months after the siege in Marawi, the PSC aided more than 300 displaced children in Brgy. Buru-un in Iligan city, to conduct the PSC’s UNESCO-recognized project, the Children’s Games. The following year, the agency came back and brought the program inside MSU to more than 500 children from all over the city.

Through the PSC, sports was

FBUTCH, P10