Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 256 | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

VOL.14 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022

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UP TO PEOPLE Sara leaves enforcement of Alert Level 3 in Davao City up to residents STORY ON PAGE 2

Motorists from the south side of Davao City are experiencing moderate to heavy traffic flow since the temporary closure of Bolton bridge 1 and Bolton bridge 2, which the bridges’ integrity is still being assessed by the Department of Public Works and Highways 11 (DPWH 11) after Saturday’s massive fire in the area. Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022

UP TO PEOPLE

President Rodrigo Duterte presides over a meeting with key government officials prior to his “Talk to the People”at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on Monday. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Sara leaves enforcement of Alert Level 3 in Davao City up to residents

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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be responsible enough to take care of themselves dinha sa gawas,” the mayor said on Monday.

Last week, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) reverted Davao City under Alert Level 3 status from Jan-

uary 14 to 31, 2022 due to the surge of Covid-19 cases.

Mayor Sara instructed the Covid-19 Task Force on the liberal implementation under Alert Level 3 including no closures of establishments but emphasized the wearing of face mask, social distancing, and booster vaccination campaign.

“No closures (bars) if they want to open then

they can open their bars except they cannot serve alcohol. Ang atong gilikayan alcohol in public is the gathering that it will create, but the bar if open sa other service siya then that is not a problem with us,” Mayor Sara said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sara reminded Dabawenyos to take extra precautions due to the spike of Covid-19 cases.

(GDP) and should be used to drive economic activity that will assist in the country’s post-pandemic recovery.

“Even as we continue to battle COVID-19, we are marching forward with the full intent of reenergizing the economy, boosting consumption and promoting investment. The government is the country’s biggest employer, and it can find ways to create more jobs this year through its

Build, Build, Build campaign,” Escudero said.

“Perhaps they can include military and supply infrastructures in the Ayungin Shoal among the Build. Build, Build projects this year. That would be hitting two birds with one stone: giving more Filipinos jobs and asserting our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Some 4.2 million working-age Filipinos were unemployed and 7.9 mil-

lion suffered pay cuts due to shorter working hours caused by slower economic activity, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported in February 2021.

Poverty incidence has also gone up last year to 23.7%, which means 26.14 million Filipinos were living below the poverty threshold of P12,082 monthly for a family of five. This is almost two million more than the 22.26 million poor

ayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the enforcement of the Alert Level 3 status in Davao City is “liberal.”

“Meaning we leave it up to the people kung unsa ang ilahang kinahanglan buhaton sa gawas. Kung sige ta lockdown, lockdown, sarado-open-sarado we will never be able to learn, untangle ourselves from this pandemic. It is up to the people to

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Chiz: Build, Build, Build, Program must generate more jobs to aid post-pandemic recovery

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enatorial aspirant and incumbent Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero is urging the national government to set a higher target for job creation through its Build, Build, Build program, which received a massive P1.18 trillion budget this year, almost a quarter of the P5.04 trillion national budget.

The amount, Escudero pointed out, is equivalent to 5.3% of the Philippines’ gross domestic product

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SoCot requires negative RT-PCR test results for inbound travelers

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he provincial government of South Cotabato is now requiring inbound travelers to present negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results at its border checkpoints.

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. on Monday issued Executive Order (EO) No. 01 Series of 2022 that instructed the one city and 10 municipal government units in the province to require RT PCR results taken within three days for the travelers from high-risk countries and areas in the Philippines within Alert Level 3 or higher categories.

“For uniformity, the local government units (LGUs) shall adopt quarantine and isolation protocols

based on IATF Resolution No. 155 for both travelers from outside of the country and from within the Philippines taking into consideration the 10, 14, and 21-day quarantine and isolation protocols,” Tamayo said in the directive.

Residents of South Cotabato arriving in General Santos City Airport are also advised to register with S-PASS or Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage before entering the province.

“There shall be strict implementation of the S-PASS QR Code, the management of the General Santos International Airport shall be enjoined to enforce its implementation,” Tamayo said.

The provincial govern-

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Water Service Interruption in some Dumoy WSS, all Panacan WSS, and some Cabantian WSS areas

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January 21 and 23, 2022

avao City Water District advises the public of two separate sets of water service interruptions.

First set is on January 21, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM affecting some areas served by Dumoy Water Supply System (WSS) in Maa. No water are Juario Village, Davao View Village, Nacilla Village, Villa Azalea, Luzviminda Village, Yñiguez Subd., Emerald Village, Riverview Garden Homes, Midland Subd., DDF Bugac Maa, Monte de Piedad Housing, Trinidad Greenhills, Dinaville Subd., Anahaw Village, Diho Village 4, Salcedo Village, Maa City Jail, Maa Peoples Vil-

lage, Sitio Mayren, Ciudad Verde Subd., Estorba Compound, Purok 1-A, Corrales Compound, Maharlika Village, Green Meadows Subd., NHA Maa, along Riverside Road, and along Ma-a Road (from Riverview Garden Homes to C.P. Garcia National Highway).

DCWD needs to temporarily shut off water supply in the affected areas to give way to the realignment of pipe crossing due to the road improvement project of Brgy. Maa. Second set is on January 23, 2022 from 3:30 AM to 7:30 AM. Low water pressure to no water will be experienced in all areas served by Panacan WSS,

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022

NEWS

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Due to sea traffic at the Dapa Port in Siargao Island, humanitarian aid to the island is unloaded using other on-going government International seaport projects in Barangay Jubang in Dapa. Photo taken Sunday, 16 January 2022.

MindaNews photo by ROEL CATOTO

Metro Davao bill approved

by Senate on final reading SEC revokes license of Fynamics Lending

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he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has declared final and executory the revocation of the Certificate of Authority (CA) of Fynamics Lending Inc.to operate as a lending company, over its repeated failure to comply with reportorial requirements.

In an order dated January 5, the SEC Corporate Governance and Finance Department (CGFD) upheld its earlier order dated December 6, 2021revoking the CA of Fynamics, which operates online lending platform Pondo Peso, for its fourth violation of Rule 8(a) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9474, otherwise known as the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007 (LCRA).

Rule 8(a) of the LCRA IRR provides that a lending company that has been duly registered and granted a CA shall file with

the SEC reports/manuals, including interim semi-annual financial statements, in accordance with a designated schedule.

Fynamics failed to submit its 2020 Second Semester Interim Financial Statements on the February 15, 2021 deadline, as per SEC Memorandum Circular No. 3, Series of 2013, which is already the fourth time the company has not complied with the submission of the said report.

The CGFD gave Fynamics a chance to explain why its CA should not be revoked through a show cause letter dated July 7, 2021, and through a hearing on October 11, 2021.

However, Fynamics failed to submit an explanation or appear in the hearing.

“Thus, in light of the Company’s failure to respond to this Department’s Show Cause Letter and its continuous non-compliance

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he Senate has recently approved House Bill No. 8930 or the establishment of the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority (MDDA) on third and final reading.

Congressman Isidro Ungab lauded the Senate for approving the said bill, which aims to change the socio-economic landscape, growth, and development of the Davao Region.

In a statement, Ungab said the creation of MDDA, consisting of six cities and nine municipalities in the

Davao Region and shall be known as Metropolitan Davao, is in response to the fast growth and peculiar urbanization of the Davao Region.

Under House Bill 8930, the MDDA will cover 10 towns and cities, namely: Tagum City, Panabo City, Carmen, and Samal in

Davao del Norte; Davao City; Digos City and Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur; Mati City in Davao Oriental; Maco in Davao de Oro; and Malita in Davao Occidental.

Ungab also stated that he is confident that with the MDDA creation the need for a synchronized and unified development in the Davao Region will now be addressed.

The proposed agency will manage common programs and projects on infrastructure, drainage,

espite the cases being faced by presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., he remains steadfast due to the outpouring support and prayers by his supporters and allies, including running mate vice presidential candidate Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Lawyer Victor Rodriguez, chief of staff and spokesman of Marcos, told media in a virtual presser on Tuesday that Mayor Sara giving her moral support to Marcos is a big thing.

“In fact, kahapon ay nagpalabas din siya ng kanyang maliit na mensahe ngunit napakabuluhan na siya ay kaisa ni Bongbong Marcos sa pamam-

agitan ng pagdasal na sana ay maging maganda at positibo ang promulgation kahapon. At yan ay tinatanaw na malaking loob ni Marcos kay Mayor Sara,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is referring to the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) second division confirming the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Marcos.

The petition to cancel Marcos’ COC, which was filed by civic leaders, is one among three pending petitions against him. Two others for disqualification remain.

Mayor Sara issued a statement through her spokesperson Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco, welcoming the Comelec

decision to affirm the COC of Marcos as an opportunity for the Filipino people to express their will in fair and free elections.

“Thank you to our vice presidential candidate Mayors Inday Sara. Maraming Salamat sa inyong suporta at mga panalangin na inyong binubuhos para kay Bongbong Marcos,” Rodriguez said.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez expressed optimism that the two pending disqualification cases will be junked also by the Comelec. Still pending in the Comelec Second Division is the petition to bar Marcos from running for president filed by the group Pudno nga Ilokano (The Real Ilokano)

disaster response, public transport, road traffic, and solid waste.

One of the initiatives of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, MDDA is expected to assure stronger coordination among Metro Davao’s component cities and municipalities in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of priority programs and projects.

The MDDA will be similar to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in the national capital region (NCR).

based on his tax conviction by a Quezon City court and also pending in the Comelec First Division is a consolidation of petitions filed by the group Akbayan, Bonifacio Ilagan, et. al. and Abubakar Mangelen which also revolved around Marcos Jr.’s tax conviction.

“We are confidently positive with the cases that are still pending because inaaral namin yung mga kaso na binabato nila sa amin. Sinabi na namin ng ilang ulit ito ay mga baseless cases, these are nuisance petitions that the only purpose is to malign and derail the campaign and candidacy of Marcos,” Rodriguez said. By Maya M. Padillo

Mayor Sara praying for BBM D

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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A fruit vendor offers a free taste of grapes to lure a customer along Monteverde Street in Davao City on Tuesday. Edge Davao

Congress approves bill regulating coop banks

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he House of Representatives has approved on second reading House Bill 9541 which provides for the registration, regulation and operation of cooperative banks.

According to its congressional fact sheet, HB 9541 provides for the establishment, management, and regulation of cooperative banks under the super-

vision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as primary regulator, conformably with the provisions of the General Banking Law of 2000.

The same fact sheet

says it expands the membership of cooperative banks by opening up the sector to foreign cooperatives, provided that such foreign cooperatives may not own more than forty percent (40%) of the total outstanding voting shares of a cooperative bank.

It also authorizes cooperative banks to engage in a wide range of financial

services such as extending credit, deposit taking, discounting and rediscounting, correspondent banking, dealing in debt securities, acting as collection agent, dealing in foreign exchange transactions, acting as government depository and conduit bank for government lending programs, and participating in gov-

Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, enactment of the Retail Trade Liberalization law, and supporting legislative reforms such as the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act and the Public Service Act. He said these reforms and the current situation of allowing businesses to remain open despite the spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases due to Omicron variant will

help the country to grow at 6 to 7 percent this year, which was the country’s economic growth before the Covid-19 struck.

Lopez cited that foreign direct investments (FDI) hit USD8.1 billion in October 2021, which is 48 percent higher than 2020, and 23 percent higher than the FDI level in 2019.

“It’s really encouraging how foreign investors have again put their trust, their confidence in the country,”

he said.

He added that exports grew by 15 percent to USD68 billion from January to November last year compared to the same period in 2020.

Exports level in the previous year was 5 percent higher than the export revenues in 2019, the DTI chief added.

“With all this liberalization going on — as you know, with the CREATE, Re-

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Liberalization reforms to help PH growth back to pre-Covid level

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eforms pushing for economic liberalization will help the country to get back to pre-pandemic level, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said Monday.

During the webinar of Chinese Filipino Business Club Inc. (CFBCI), Lopez highlighted the importance of the country’s ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Corporate

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BOI OKs P109.5-M essential oil export producer’s project

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he Board of Investments (BOI) has approved the application for registration of Iba Botanicals Inc. as a new export producer of pure essential oils that will soon operate in Zambales.

Expected to start its commercial operation in January 2022, the project was registered under Republic Act 11534 or Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act based on the “Export Activities,” of the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) as the transitional SIPP. The project has a capacity of 35.6 metric tons or 35,688 kilograms per year.

The company employs organic farming techniques, and is in the process of securing a third party international organic certification.

It will engage in the production of export products, particularly essential oils from ylang-ylang, vetiver,

and elemi species.

With its high potential for job creation, the firm is projected to generate a total of 430 jobs in its fifth year of operation.

The company will engage up to 200 workers directly from a community in the vetiver plantations located in San Juan, Zambales.

The country’s economy will reap the benefits of the project’s operation, as the projected output to the economy is PHP245.28 million.

The project is expected to reduce poverty incidence in Region 3 or Central Luzon, which ranked third among the regions with the highest unemployment rate at 8.8 percent as of September 2021.

As the pandemic has affected the employment of the Filipinos, the project will help in easing both through generation of jobs that will be brought during its construction and commercial operations.

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ECONOMY 5

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez believes reforms pushing for economic liberalization will help the country to get back to pre-pandemic level. Presidential Photo

BSP says online fraud cost P540M in 2021 Firm applies for EUA for PH-made COVID-19 medicine molnupiravir

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firm has applied for an emergency use authorization to start the production of molnupiravir in the country.

At President Rodrigo Duterte’s Talk to the People on Monday night, Food and Drug Administration director general Dr. Oscar Gutierrez reported that Lloyd Laboratories, Inc. applied for an EUA on Friday.

Gutierrez added that the FDA already drafted guidelines on the issuance of EUA for locally manufactured drugs for COVID-19.

He said the FDA already submitted it to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday.

Gutierrez said a GMP insection will be conducted by the FDA-FROO in

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From 2020-2021, there were 42,456 complaints from victims of phishing, identity theft, malware attacks, and other types of fraud targetting people in online financial transactions, the BSP said.

“A majority of these have been deemed closed. But

PH, France sign joint declaration affirming cooperation on dairy sector development

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he Philippines and France have affirmed their cooperation on the development of both countries’ dairy sector, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the DA said Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Ambassador of the French Republic to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz signed, on January 17, 2022, a joint declaration affirming the two countries’ commitment to ensure the development of the dairy sector.

The DA said the joint declaration builds on the agreement between the Philippines and France “to strengthen cooperation for the development of public policies in the area of food security, particularly in the dairy sector, through technical and economic partnerships between stakeholders of the Filipino and French agri-food industry.”

During the signing ceremony held via video conference, the DA said Dar expressed his gratitude to France for the ongoing co-

the process was long and arduous. And for many complaints, the resolutions were unfavorable to the consumer,” Diokno told the senators.

While consumers flocked to online banking, online payments and other digital financial services during the pandemic, there

was also a spike in online fraud, Diokno said.

The BSP said that from 2019 to 2020: - Hacking and malware attack surged by 2,324 percent - Phishing and other social engineering schemes increased by 302 percent - Identity theft or account take-over rose by 2.5 percent “The top three cybercrimes in 2020 were first, account takeover or identity theft; second, phishing and other social engineering

schemes; and third, cardnot-present fraud,” Diokno added.

In 2021 meanwhile, complaints related to the use of internet and mobile banking accounted for 45.2 percent of the complaints received by the BSP, according to Diokno.

“Hackers and scammers took advantage of the digital infrastructure, and consumer vulnerability to perpetrate crime,” he said.

Diokno said passing the Financial Consumer Pro-

epartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez has lauded real estate developer Haus Talk, Inc. for being the first small and medium enterprise (SME) to be publicly listed for this year.

Madlambayan family’s business Haus Talk conducted its initial public offering (IPO) on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Monday.

In his statement during the PSE listing of Haus Talk, Lopez said public listing could help SMEs to expand their businesses by tapping more financial resources through IPO. “May this IPO serve to inspire more MSMEs to aspire for scaling up like Haus Talk.

May this also serve to amplify the signal that our capital market is healthy and ready to support the growth of our

MSMEs,” he added.

Lopez also underscored Haus Talk’s move for an IPO in the midst of the pandemic.

“Haus Talk has taken (the) bold step of joining PSE’s hand-holding program, and the results will surely inspire other SMEs to take the road to IPO toward expansion, growth, and sustained impact on clients, em-

nline fraud cost consumers around P540 million in 2021 alone, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said on Monday as it called on lawmakers to approve a bill meant to protect financial consumers.

operation between the two countries.

The Agriculture chief also conveyed his support for the upcoming cooperation actions such as the implementation of a pilot project for the integrated development of the dairy sector as well as the official visit of a Philippine delegation to France for benchmarking best practices that may be applicable to the Philippine dairy industry.

Under the joint declaration, the Philippines and

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DTI lauds first SME to list on PSE this year D FDTI, P10

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022

On the enforcement of Alert Level 3 in Davao City:

It is up to the people to be responsible enough to take care of themselves dinha sa gawas.”

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

EDITORIAL The cup runneth over The Philippines is a lucky beneficiary of the kindness of the community of nations as a result of pandemic and Typhoon Odette catastrophe.

As one sample, the United States of America, in partnership with the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) facility, donated an additional 2.7 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines as part of its relentless worldwide effort to help end COVID-19, particularly amid the threat of the Omicron variant.

On the other hand, Japan donated on January 14 an Emergency Grant Aid of P663 million to the Philippines in response to the damages caused to the country by Typhoon Odette.

The Emergency Grand Aid, provided through multiple international organizations, will allow for the implementation of humanitarian assistance activities in areas such as food, shelter, non-food

EDGEDAVAO

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Last December, Japan also donated disaster relief goods such as generators, camping tents, sleeping pad, others and were distributed to affected communities.

Also South Korean Ambassador Kim Inchul turned over US$50,000 1,500 sacks of rice and 740 units of hygiene kits as immediate relief to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s National Resources Operating Center.

As intimated earlier, Filipinos are lucky to have generous neighbors who are quick to spring up to provide us aid once they hear about disasters that hit us.

We can only wish that one day soon we will feel our cup runneth over (Psalms 23:5) and be able to come to their succor when the time comes.

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

items, health and water and sanitation for the survivors in the central and southern parts of the Philippines.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

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

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VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO SERAFICA J. WEIS THINK ON THESE! IBP DAVAO CORNER

WHERE HAVE ALL OUR MARINE TURTLES GONE? One of the gentlest creatures ever to exist, the marine turtles – locally known as pawikan – have roamed the tropical seas for 130 million years without much change in appearance, earning the moniker the living fossil.

In a feature for Canopy International, Marizal Calpito and Lourdes P. Calacal of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) wrote: “Some 200 million years ago, marine turtles developed as the earth throbbed with dramatic geophysical changes - surviving as their living conditions changed, adapting to the natural rhythms of prehistoric life. Down through the ages, they thrived, remaining much the same as their hardy ancestors.”

There are only eight species of marine turtles known to man. Five of these species can be found in the Philippine waters.

These are the Green Sea (known in the science world as Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Leatherback (Dermocheyls coriacea).

The three other species – which can’t be found in the Philippines – are the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), Flatback (Chelonia depressa), and Black Sea (Chelonia agassizi).

Unfortunately, all eight species are listed under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which means the trade of these species and subspecies is strictly “prohibited except for educational, scientific or research and study purposes.”

The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has also classified the eight species as endangered. This is so because “their populations are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate.”

Since time immemorial, marine turtles are hunted for meat and leather; their eggs are taken for food and aphrodisiacs. Their nesting sites go for development.

They are ground up by dredges, run over by pleasure boats, poisoned by pollution, strangled by trash, and drowned by fishline and net.

Despite sincere efforts by the Philippine government and environmentalists to prevent the further decimation of the marine turtle population, the gathering of turtle eggs and trading of stuffed turtles in souvenir shops remain unabated.

“Unless we seriously take on the task of protecting the much endangered marine turtles, these

ancient creatures will soon be extinct,” said a Filipino environmentalist.

This is alarming as human beings hardly know about them.

All they understand is that marine turtles belong to the order Chelonia, an order of reptiles that has existed and flourished since prehistory. Marine turtles can be differentiated from their terrestrial and freshwater relatives by their flattened forelimbs. Freshwater turtles have five claws on each forelimb with easily distinguishable individual digits. In comparison, marine turtles have flattened foreflippers with obscured individual digits.

Marine turtles are air-breathing reptiles that live their long legendary lives mostly in the sea.

But they do spend a critically important part of their life stages in sandy beaches.

Most female marine turtles come ashore several times every two or three years to nest. Yet scientists know little about how they navigate, where they grow up, or how long they live. Why is it so difficult to study marine turtles?

“They’re a mystery,” contends Dr. Archie Carr, a visionary herpetologist who earned the moniker ‘Father of Marine Turtle Research’ when he set up camp on the beach at Tortuguero, Costa Rica in 1954.

Since then, several others have

followed suit.

But despite this explosion of research, scientists are frustrated. “I don’t know any branch of science where we have applied so much effort and learned so little,” complained Dr. Richard Byles of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

However, there are signs of progress. Each marine turtle species exhibits a distinctive behavior, habitat preferences and diet requirements. But in terms of reproduction, they share some behavioral similarities.

“Under this particular life stage of marine turtles is critical to marine turtle conservation and management since it is during this period that they are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of human activities,” Calpito and Calacal asserted.

Of the five marine turtles found in the Philippines, the Green Sea turtle is the most abundant. They have been sighted as far north as the Fuga Islands in Cagayan, and in the Southwest in Bancuran, Palawan. Because of its tasty meat, it is also the most threatened. This marine turtle got its name from the green fat found inside its body. It stores the fat from its diet of seagrasses.

The Hawksbill turtle is considered the most beautiful of all sea turtles. It differs from other species by the overlapping scales

on its top shell. The skin and flippers of this species are in black patches with white edges, which enhance the beauty of the species.

It grows to a little less than a meter in length and weighs over 50 kilograms. It uses its pointed beak, which resembles that of hawks (that’s where it got its name), to pick snails, crabs, sponges, and other small animals that inhabit coral reefs.

Although rarely seen in the country, the Leatherback turtle is the largest of all the marine turtles. It may grow up to more than two and a half meters long and weigh as much as 800 kilograms.

Instead of a shell, a thick skin with seven long ridges or keels serves as the turtle’s protection. Its leathery back gave it its name.

The Olive Ridley turtle or socalled lambanagan can be distinguished from the other species by five or more scales on its back. It has a distinct olive-brown color.

These turtles have been seen by fishermen in the shallow coastal waters of Paluan, Occidental Mindoro.

The Loggerhead turtle is a big-headed turtle, weighing up to 200 kilograms. It feeds primarily in estuaries and along the continental shelf, using the jaw muscles that make up most of its oversize head to crush mollusks and crustaceans.

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

ORIGIN OF PLACE-NAMES IN MANOBO Languages and dialects are important aspects of historiography. Especially in understanding the provenance of place-names, many of the names of villages, though chiefly evolved or conjugated, have their etymological origins in indigenous tongues.

A particularly rich source of terms that have been institutionalized as names of towns and cities is the Manobo language, which is older than most tribal dialects in Davao region.

In Davao de Oro, for instance, the term ‘pangi’ refers to a river and a place (Mipangi), or in the case of Davao City, Marapangi (Toril) and Pangi (Matina), a place and a river, respectively. At times, the term is attributed to Pangium edule, a tree native to the mangroves of Southeast Asia.

Such is not the case here, though. Pangi (pangue) is derived

from a Manobo term for a freshwater or river shark that once roamed the aquatic bodies and coastal regions of the archipelago, often hunting in brackish waters where the fresh water meets the ocean water. River sharks, due to unrestrained hunting, have long been gone from the major waterways of the region.

Manobo words also have similarities in other dialects given that a number of indigenous languages have evolved from the Manobo as the mother tongue, or trace their orthography to Malay linguistic roots. Digus, for one, is a Manobo word that is similar to the Bagobo ‘digos,’ which means to go swimming or take a bath in the river.

Tugbok, on the other hand, is also originally from Manobo, which the Bagobo dialect loaned; it means ‘to spearfish.’ In old Vi-

sayan, it carries erotic connotation as it refers to a sharp, pointed object used to pierce the penile head as a part of producing orgasm during sexual intercourse.

In Monkayo, there is a sitio known as Totoy, which residents credit to a place where indigenous women made temporary stops to breastfeed their infants. Such attribution, though, is misplaced.

Totoy is actually a corruption of Manobo ‘toytoy,’ which means to walk across a mountain ridge or negotiate a long, narrow elevated bridge that people aptly call ‘hanging bridge.’

In the same town, there exists also a village named Inambatan, which is derived from Manobo ‘ambat,’ or fence. Sitio Tandawan, meanwhile, draws its name after the Manobo window.

The debate on where the term Sigaboy initiated continues

to this day. Some historians attribute it as a corruption of ‘siga (ang mata sa) baboy’ (wide-eyed wild boar). But the most likely origin of the place-name (now known as the municipality of Gov. Generoso) is the Manobo ‘saboy,’ which refers to a tripwire for a wildgame trap.

And here’s more: Pundaguitan, Gov. Generoso, got its name after the Spanish word ‘punta’ (point) and the Manobo ‘dagit,’ a technique used by a bird of prey in catching by swooping down on its victim. Barangay Panikian of Banaybanay, got its appellation after the Manobo ‘paniki,’ (‘kuwaknit’ in Visayan), which is a small bat living in colonies inside hollow trees.

Meanwhile, Badas (the equivalent of ‘whip’ in Maguindanao dialect), is a place in Mati City where the so-called ‘Sleeping Dinosaur’ is found. Technically, it is the

equivalent of the Visayan ‘butalo,’ a poor shot that cannot hit a target. Manay’s barangay Cayawan, on the other hand, is mispronunciation of the Manobo ‘kayow,’ or hornbill. Cayawan means ‘a place of hornbills.’

Another Manobo loanword is Tomoaong, a barangay of Tarragona, Davao Oriental. It’s a variant of Tomoing, which means ‘yellow honey bee with honeycombs inside tree hollows.’

The term Pagsabangan, which is the name of a barangay in Tagum City, originates from the Manobo ‘sabang’ (‘for a river to branch into a bigger river’) and ‘sabangan’ or river confluence.

Tagulaya, a headland in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, is derived from the Manobo ‘tagudaya,’ or baggage, with reference to the luggage natives carry on their backs in crossing hills or rivers.

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COMPETITIVE EDGE

DA-11 distributes cash aid to 483 rice farmers

As part of its key programs to help the rice farmers in the Davao region affected by the liberalized rice trade, the Department of Agriculture-XI (DA-XI) has distributed P5,000 unconditional cash assistance to some 483 rice farmers in Davao City.

The said cash assistance is a continuation of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) which is an excess of the P10-Billion annual appropriation for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) from the rice importation tariff revenues.

In his message during the distribution activity recently in Barangay Marilog, Agriculture Regional Executive Director Abel James Monteagudo said that it is timely for rice farmers to receive the assistance in this time of health emergency to help augment their financial expenses this cropping season.

“Unlike other crops, rice farming is both financial and labor intensive as our farmers need to start anew every planting season,” he said.

Identified farmers listed in the Registry System

rice farmers in Davao del Norte; P27.8-million for the 5,492 farmers in Davao del Sur; P26.8-million for the 5,286 farmers in Davao de Oro; and, P22.3-million for the

4,397 farmers in Davao Oriental. We are closely coordinating with other municipalities to fast track the distribution to help our rice farmers this cropping season,” Basa said.

Aside from the cash assistance, farmer-beneficiaries also received their Interventions Monitoring Card (IMC) which serves as an ID and cash card for validated farmers.

Moreover, Monteagudo also encouraged rice farmers to come together and be organized for a more cost-efficient rice production, processing and marketing.

“As we continue to help our rice farmers achieve optimum yield and increase income, there is also a need for farm clustering for them to have better access to resources, technologies and markets, he said.

DA-XI is continuously distributing free high quality rice seeds, fertilizers and agri-machinery to rice farmers in the Davao region as one of its key strategies to transform the Philippine agriculture especially the rice industry into a modern and industrialized sector. (Celso C. Vergara, DA-11)

gistics in the Philippines for the next 50 years,” said Nigel Lockett, Country Manager of DHL Express Philippines. “With varied facility upgrades and relocations slated for the next three years, we will ensure that we can cater continued growth, maintain our great service quality and remain a safe place to work for all. I am committed to being close to our people, customers, and partners.”

Today, DHL continues to be the pioneer in the industry, pushing automation and digitalization in its operations and laying

the framework for sustainable logistics. One of Nigel’s top priorities for the company is to maintain clean operations and promote green logistics, affirmed by the recent acquisition of three electric vehicles to add to its fleet in Manila. This solidifies the country’s commitment to DHL’s global mission of reducing logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050.

Nigel takes over from the previous Country Manager, Nurhayati Abdullah, who has recently taken on a new regional role in DHL Express as the Head of Emerging Markets.

CASH AID | Rice farmers in Davao City receive P5,000 cash aid under the RCEF-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance of the Department of Agriculture-XI. Photo by: Celso C. Vergara, DA-11 for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) are those tilling two hectares and below rice farm and were affected by the low buying price of palay.

DA-XI Rice Program

coordinator Evelyn G. Basa said that the RFFA is not a loan program but an unconditional cash assistance for rice farmers to revive and support in paying for the agricultural

inputs.

“For this year, DA-XI in partnership with USSC Super Service will be releasing P130.7-million for which P53.6-million is allocated for the 10,614

DHL Express Philippines appoints Nigel Lockett as Country Manager • Nigel Lockett steps up as DHL Express Philippines’ Country Manager • With over 26 years of experience working throughout the DHL Express network, Nigel Lockett will lead the team in leveraging critical investments in infrastructure, sustainability, and technology to meet customers’ needs and empower employees

Philippines, January 18, 2022: DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, appoints Nigel Lockett as the Country Manager for its business operations in the Philippines. In this role, he will be responsible for over 1,000 employees providing express delivery services from the Philippines to 220 countries and territories across the globe.

Nigel will lead the team in leveraging critical investments in infrastructure, sus-

tainability, and technology to meet customers’ needs and empower employees. He is also keen on driving solid pandemic operation measures, strengthening a people-first culture, and keeping an eye on DHL Express’ overall strategy and goals.

Nigel has 26 years of experience working throughout the DHL Express network and has been deployed in countries such as Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, giving him a comprehen-

sive grasp of DHL’s operations in the Asia Pacific region. In the early 2000s, he managed the Manila Gateway, which served as the central hub of DHL’s operations in the Philippines.

His accomplishments earned him a promotion to Senior Director of Operations before being named General Manager of DHL’s Bangkok Hub. Equipped with operations expertise and first-hand experience of the local market, Nigel is fully prepared to meet the

challenges and grasp the opportunities in the Philippines. “We will continue to expand our footprint to ensure we are close to our market. We want to remain as the Provider of Choice for air express lo-

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he municipality of Bansalan is touted as “the green town of Davao del Sur.” It is understandable as it has several farms that practice ecologically-sound and environment-friendly schemes.

In barangay Kinuskusan, there is a training center that has been visited by thousands of people from all over the country. Even before farm tourism has become a buzzword in the travel world, people flock to the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) to see the technologies it has developed through the years.

“The MBRLC has been at the forefront of improving the lives of the Filipino people, both physically and spiritually,” commented then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the center’s 30th anniversary.

“They have provided our people with the necessary guidance in order to become productive members of society.”

Since its humble beginning in September 1971, MBRLC has become one of the most-often visited places in Mindanao. People from other countries – from Australia to Zimbabwe, from Afghanistan to Vietnam, from the United Kingdom to the United States – have also visited the center.

So far, about half a million people have paid a visit to the Watson Farm, as it was then called as it was founded by an American agricultural missionary from Mississippi named Harold R. Watson.

“From an initial effort to train and improve the productivity of farmers in the area, it has spread as a reputable model throughout the Philippines and touched all of Asia,” said Jerry A. Rankin, former president of the International Mission Board based in Richmond, Virginia. “Agricultural technology and methods have turned

barren hills into productive farms.”

Some scribes have described MBRLC as a Disneyland of organic farming systems. “What we are promoting at the center is organic farming,” says Jethro P. Adang, the second Filipino to become director of the center; the first one was Roy C. Alimoane. (Previously, the center was managed by Americans: Harold R. Watson, Jon J. Palmer, and Steve L. Musen.) “We want to show to our visitors that farming systems that protect the environment can also be productive and sustainable.”

The United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO), in its report, Organic Agriculture and Food Security, believes organic agriculture is one of the methods that can fight hunger, tackle the issues of climate change aside from being beneficial for farmers, consumers and the environment.

In a recent report, Lucille Elna Parreno-de Guzman gives this further definition: “Organic agriculture is an agricultural production system that avoids or largely

AGRITRENDS

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FARMING SYSTEMS Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

excludes the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers, growth regulators, pesticides, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms and products.”

That’s what MBRLC is trying to do in its farm located in barangay Kinuskusan, about 10 kilometers away from the town proper. As 60% of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares are considered uplands, it has developed

four sustainable farming schemes.

The Bureau of Soil and Water Management, a line agency of the Department of Agriculture, considered organic agriculture as one of the methods that can combat land degradation. In fact, it has been found that organic agriculture does not only help improve soil fertility but also prevent wind and water erosion of the soil, improve water infiltration and retention capacity,

reduce surface and ground water consumption and subsequent soil salinization and reduce ground and surface water contamination.

Erosion is the most pervasive form of land degradation. “Soil is made by God and put here for man to use, not for one generation but forever,” Watson said. “It takes thousands of years to build one inch of topsoil but only one good strong rain to remove one inch from unprotected soil on the slopes of mountains.”

On another occasion, Watson said, “Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation – far worse than any outside enemy coming into a country and conquering it because it is an enemy you cannot see vividly. It’s a slow creeping enemy that soon possesses the land. We must consider ourselves in a state of emergency; our topsoil is all going…”

The possible solution to the erosion problem is Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT 1), where two hedgerows of nitrogen fixing plants are planted together following the upland’s contour lines. “The idea is to stop the topsoil from eroding,” Adang says. Uplands under cultivation in the country have lost about twothirds of their valuable topsoil, the primary resource in

FDISNEYLAND, P10

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“If you have to, magdouble mask mo sa mga lugar na daghan og tao sama anang palengke, malls.

Practice distancing magpalayo gyud ta pirmi sa mga tao and dad-on nato

ang atoang mga alcohol.

Magpabakuna ta, duha ka doses pagkahuman kuhaon pud nato ang atoang booster shot. Mao na ang atong kinahanglan buhaton for Covid-19,” the mayor said.

Filipinos in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the PSA. “We cannot reverse the worsening poverty without creating jobs or livelihood opportunities for the millions who have lost their work. The government’s investment in infrastructure must have a return in terms of employment so that people will once again have money for consumption, which will help the country because the Philippines is primarily a consumer economy,” Escudero said.

The 2022 National Expenditure Program showed that some P336 billion will go to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) while P127 billion will go to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) for projects under the Build, Build, Build program.

According to the DPWH, the department has generated 6.5 million jobs from 2016 to 2020 through its Build, Build,

Build projects, with the workers paid the minimum wage, depending on their areas.

“The next president and the next members of Congress will be handed the gargantuan task of leading the country in the very long, very arduous path of recovery. It is imperative that the legislators who are in charge of reviewing and approving the budget also work to ensure that every peso of the P5.04 trillion for 2022 contributes to our economic recovery,” Escudero said.

The Philippines is reeling from the economic impact of COVID-19, including the repeated lockdowns, which is estimated to cost Filipinos P41.4 trillion in the long term due to poor consumption, decreased productivity, reduced demand and lost investments.

In 2020 alone, the pandemic cost the Philippines P4.3 trillion, according to the National Economic Development Authority.

ment will also be conducting a provincial vaccination day to ensure that the target population will be vaccinated.

“The assistance of police nurses in the province shall be utilized and engaged to help in the vaccine operations,” he said.

The province is targeting to vaccinate around 700,000

individuals from its estimated one million population.

South Cotabato together with 50 other areas in the county will remain under Alert level 3 until January 31 as announced by the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases last week due to increasing Covid-19 cases. (PNA)

particularly, entire Panacan, Ilang, Tibungco, Bunawan, and Lasang; some Sasa areas (Airview Heights, BAT Compound, Bayview Village, Cabayugan I, II, and III, De Guzman Village, Delbros Village (PDRHAI), Doña Caridad Subd., Doña Socorro Village, Landmark Village I and II, Mahayahay Settlers, Mercedes Village, Nelia Ville Subd. I and II, Purok Bangoy, Sagrada, Nelia Ville Subd. I and II, San Jose Village, San Lorenzo Ruiz Village, San Vicente, SAPAHA, St. John, and Suha Village); and National Highways: portion of C.P. Garcia Highway (from Panacan Relocation to DPWH Depot) and portion of Davao-Agusan Road [from junction Panacan Ave. (Km. 13) to Lasang and right side from junction Panacan Ave. (Km. 13) to junction Sulpicio Street] and some areas served by Cabantian WSS, specifically, some Indangan areas (Nagkahiusa Village, San Isidro Indangan, Sto. Niño Village, Saint Ignatius, Nueva Esperanza Village, Indangan Relocation, Anita’s HOA, Molave Homes, Hidalgo Homes, Celerina Heights, Adap Village, Millennium Village, Lemon Village, Magradeco Village, and Villa Alevida).

DCWD’s production wells under Cabantian and Panacan water supply systems will be affected by Davao Light and Power Company’s (DLPC) power interruption on the said date needed to facilitate the line preparations and load transfers

necessary to fully isolate DLPC’s Bunawan Substation.

Although the power cut is shorter in duration, DCWD needs additional time for re-switching on of the affected production wells, pressure build-up, and line delivery, thus the longer duration of water service interruption.

The DCWD management asks for the understanding and cooperation of would-be affected customers and advises them to store enough water prior to the schedules. Water supply may be restored earlier if DCWD and DLPC’s works goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.

DCWD conducts flushing after service works are completed.

However, once water is restored, customers are advised to open all faucets and allow water to run for at least two minutes. Do not drink tap water immediately but if needed, boil water beforehand as safety precaution.

The general public may visit DCWD’s website (www. davao-water.gov.ph) and Facebook page (www.facebook. com/officialDCWD) and dial telephone voicemail 235-3293 for the latest water service updates. For queries, customers may also call DCWD’s 24-hour Water Patrol Emergency Hotlines at 244-6767, 0927-7988966, 0925-511-3293, and 0908-441-0653 or send a message to the 24/7 chat support in the DCWD website and FB Page. (Katrina Belen M. Roble)

tail Trade Liberalization Act, with Foreign Investment Act, Public Service Act — we know that it can encourage more investments and more jobs.

More jobs would mean more

income for our people. They will become a larger consumer base for all your businesses,” he told Chinese and Filipino businessmen attending the webinar.

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agriculture.

The technology is very simple. The hedgerows are planted in very dense double rows to serve as erosion barriers.

When the hedgerows – a combination of various nitrogen fixing tree species and shrubs like ipil-ipil, kakawate, flemingia, and rensonii – attain the height of two meters, they are cut back to about 40 centimeters and the cutting are placed in the 3- to 5-meter alleys where crops are growing.

SALT is considered a diversified farming system. Aside from the hedgerows, rows of perennial crops such as coffee, bananas, and citrus are grown in areas occupied by corn. The annual crops are rotated: corn is followed by soybeans or peanuts and then followed again by corn. “In this way, a farmer has something to harvest every month throughout the year,” Adang states.

The success of SALT has ushered to the birth of three more variants, each one addressing a certain niche for the upland farmers.

As malnutrition is a big problem, the MBRLC developed Simple Agro-Livestock Technology (SALT 2). Livestock particularly refers to goats, whose milk and meat can be the farm’s source of protein. Twelve dairy does and one buck are raised in one-half hectare. The goat house is located at the center.

The lower portion is planted to various leguminous crops and napier grass, which are the source of forage for goats. The upper portion is allotted to agricultural crops.

“As we are raising dairy goats, we practice zero grazing,” Adang says. The leguminous crops are cut and given to goats. The goat manure is used as fertilizer for the forages and agricultural crops. “The sources of income for the farmer are milk, goats, and some from his crops,” he says.

The Philippines is fast losing its forest cover. To save the lingering forests, the MBRLC tries to integrate more trees in its SALT systems. In fact, the remaining two systems have more trees in them: Sustainable Agroforest Land Technology (SALT 3) and Small Agrofruit Livelihood

Technology (SALT 4).

The two-hectare SALT 3 is a small-scale reforestation; one hectare is planted to agricultural crops while the other hectare is allotted to trees like mahogany, narra, raintree, and ipil-ipil. The forest component is located at the upper portion to douse the impact of the raindrops.

To further curb the rushing water from the upper portion, bamboo is planted in the middle of the two components as a boundary crop. In the lower portion, the original SALT scheme is still followed.

Since Mindanao is touted to be the fruit basket of the country, MBRLC developed the one-half hectare SALT 4. The area is planted to various fruit trees like durian, mangosteen, lanzones, marang, and guava.

While the fruits are still young, the area is planted to annual crops (banana and pineapple) and vegetables (string beans, peanuts, cucumber).

For the lowlands, the center has developed a gardening system called Food Always In The Home (FAITH), which can provide all-year round vegetables for a family with six members. “A refrigerator in the farm is what we call it,” Adang says.

In a sense, it is. You can pick fresh tomatoes, eggplants, ampalaya, alugbati, winged beans, malunggay, and okra. You can even harvest fruits like pineapple and papaya, which are planted along the boundary of the garden as fences.

The 100-square meter garden can provide 300 grams of fresh vegetables daily. The central feature of the garden is a series of raised garden beds into which bamboo baskets and trench composts are set about one foot in depth. These are filled with little manure and some decomposed garbage and packed with leaves of grasses and leguminous plants like kakawate, flemingia, rensonii, and ipil-ipil.

In all its systems, the center doesn’t use pesticides. “The key to good pest control,” Adang says, “begins with knowing your crops and checking them regularly to make sure they are healthy and not bothered by something that might want to eat them before you do! When

with the reportorial requirements for lending companies, and considering that the Company was sufficiently notified and given opportunities to explain its position, this Department hereby finds that the revocation of the Company’s CA is in order,” the CGFD said.

Further, Fynamics did not file an appeal, motion for reconsideration, or petition for certiorari following the SEC’s issuance of the order revoking the company’s CA. In addition to its failure to comply with reportorial re-

quirements to the SEC, the CGFD has also previously penalized Fynamics for its first and second violations of SEC Memorandum Circular No. 18, Series of 2019, which provides the Prohibition on Unfair Debt Collection Practices of Financing Companies and Lending Companies. “[I]n view of the foregoing, and in accordance with Part IV, Rule II, Sec. 2-4(a) of the [Revised Rules of Court], the Order revoking the Certificate of Authority to Operate as a Lending Company of Fynamics is final and executory.”

tection Act will help curb the

family, or paying goods online,” Diokno told the Senate Public Services Committee.

The FCPA seeks to grant the BSP “quasi-judicial” power to receive, hear and decide on the public’s complaints on online frauds.

Under the current system, the BSP is only limited to receiving complaints, but the investigation lies with the banks or financial institutions concerned.

Victor Dimagiba, president of Laban Konsyumer Inc. said the BSP lacked the authority to decide on the cases.

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scams.

The BSP, along with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bankers Association of the Philippines, Thrift Banks, Insurance Commission, Philippine Stocks Exchange, and other groups, are all backing the proposal, he said.

“The FCPA will protect every Juan and Maria making financial transactions. Whether they are making deposits to save for their children’s education, taking a loan to grow their businesses, sending money to friends and

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France commit to “facilitate the linking of dairy producers and associations; agricultural and agri-food companies; and importers and

distributors of the two counties and encourage them to find opportunities for partnerships and commercial collaborations.”

you see a pest or disease problem, with diligent scouting it can be controlled before it becomes a major problem.”

If infestation is immense, however, the center makes homemade pesticides using neem, kakawate, marigold, garlic, and hot pepper.

At the MBRLC, wastes are no waste. They use them as feed for their night-crawling earthworms (Eudrilus eugeniae). “With the aid of aerobic microorganisms (that is, bacteria and fungi), earthworms digest processed organic materials under favorable temperature and moisture conditions,” Adang explains. “The materials that pass through the digestive tract of the earthworms come out in a texturized, sanitized and deodorized form of castings known as vermicompost.”

They use vermicompost in fertilizer for their crops. “While low in major plant nutrients compared to chemical fertilizers,” Adang says, “vermicompost supports microorganisms, which make nutrients more readily available to plants and produce substances that promote plant growth and health.”

MBRLC also has fishponds, where it raises tilapia. In some parts of the ponds, azolla and golden apple snail are also raised (although not together).

Azolla is used as feed for tilapia and ducks. Azolla contains 4-5 percent nitrogen, 1-1.5 percent phosphorus, and 2-3 percent potassium. “As such, azolla can also be applied as organic fertilizer in fresh, dried, or composted form.” As for golden apple snails, they are utilized as feed for ducks.

Chicken and pigs also dominate some areas of the farm.

Instead of being a problem, the center uses pig manure as a source of biogas. They are using biogas to pasteurize goat’s milk and cook food prepared in the canteen.

The MBRLC was actually conceptualized based on the masteral thesis of Watson. He found out that most agricultural training centers in the 1960s already had sophisticated facilities but didn’t have demonstration farms where the trainees can immerse themselves.

“In those years, training

centers had huge buildings where people could learn modern techniques of farming,” Watson said. “But unfortunately, they didn’t have demo fields that show how to do those techniques.”

At the MBRLC, training is conducted every week. The trainees don’t learn only the basics of organic farming the center developed but also the skills in doing them. “We call it hands-on-experience,” Adang says. “Only 25% of the training is done in the room, the remaining 75% are finished in the field.”

Each day, about 30 participants join the training. But in these days of the coronavirus pandemic, the participants are trimmed down to only 10. “We follow all the health protocols recommended by the government,” Adang says.

Even those who come to the center for a tour, they learn so many things. “We usually have a short orientation at the training hall,” Adang says. “After that, they can tour around the center, which usually takes about half a day. But in some instances, if farmers have so many questions during the tour, it may take about one day.”

Right now, brief exposure study tours (BEST), as the center calls it, are being discouraged again due to pandemic.

But a few individuals who happen to drop by are being toured.

There is a minimal fee of P45 per person for the tour.

“Our farming systems are far from perfect,” admits Adang.

“Every day, we are learning. But we are happy to share what we know. We don’t hide anything here. Everyone is free to copy what we do.”

In fact, for encouraging international utilization of the farming schemes the center has developed through the years, its first director, Watson received the Ramon Magsaysay Award – Asia’s Nobel Prize – for international understanding.

MBRLC has also received recognitions from the regional office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, various government agencies, and Presidential Citation from former president Corazon C. Aquino

ernment allocation programs

operative bank by imposing on private borrowings a ceiling of twenty-five percent (25%) of its unimpaired capital and surplus.Authorizes the conversion of funds collected and administered by the Cooperative Development Authority under P.D. 175 as capital, for purposes of augmenting the capitalization of qualified cooperative banks.

Provides for escheat proceedings for the funds of Samahang Nayon (SNs) and Municipal Katipunan ng mga Samahang Nayon (MKSNs) which hold shares in cooperative banks should they fail to convert into cooperatives within three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act.

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It also authorizes cooperative banks to invest in equities of allied undertakings such as banks, financial institutions and non-bank financial intermediaries; warehousing and other post-harvest facilities; distribution of farm implements and equipment; transportation of agricultural products, leasing, Automated Teller Machine network operations, public transportation, and financial technology.

The fact sheet also lists the following mandates: Prescribes limitations on the lending authority of a co-

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addition to evaluation of doc-

uments.

He added that pre-assessment already started and evaluation will be completed when all the requirements are met.

Molnupiravir is the first oral antiviral drug shown to

prevent mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 from progressing into severe disease that needs hospitalization.

The FDA in December granted an EUA to anti-COVID-19 drug molnupiravir under the brand name Molnarz.

ployees, and other stakeholders,” the trade chief said.

While the government is pursuing the “Build, Build, Build” program, he encouraged the private sector, includ-

ing SMEs, to push for more construction and infrastructure projects that will support the country’s economic recovery and job creation amid the ongoing pandemic.

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LeBron James promised that“we’ll be better.”

LeBron apologizes to fans for disappointing Lakers season China drops plans to sell Olympic tickets, as COVID-19 cases rise

C

hina on Monday cancelled plans to sell tickets to the public for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached its highest since March 2020.

Organizers said last year there would be no international spectators at the Games -- partly due to China’s weeks-long quarantine requirements -- but they had promised to allow domestic audiences.

But those plans were scrapped on Monday as China reported 223 new infections just 3 weeks before the Winter Olympics are set to open.

“In order to protect the health and safety of Olympic-related personnel and spectators, it was decided to adjust the original plan to sell tickets to the public and (instead) organize spectators to watch the Games on-site,” the Beijing Olympic organizing committee said in a statement.

China’s omicron threat ‘under control’, no lockdown for Winter Olympics, organizers say It is unclear how these spectators will be selected and whether they will have to quarantine before or after the Games.

China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, has stuck to a strict policy of targeting zero COVID cases even as the rest of the world has reopened.

But its approach has come under sustained pressure in recent weeks with multiple virus

clusters in key areas including the port of Tianjin and the southern manufacturing region of Guangdong.

Athletes and officials have already started to land in the capital ahead of the Games, immediately entering a tightly controlled bubble separating them from the rest of the population.

After a local case of the highly infectious Omicron strain was detected in Beijing over the weekend, authorities also tightened regulations for arrivals from elsewhere in China.

The capital is now demanding a negative test before travel and a follow-up test after entering, with residents urged not to leave the city for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

Some tourist sites have also been closed.

A senior health official told residents to “avoid buying goods from overseas” after saying the local case could have been brought in by international post.

The infected woman in Beijing had not travelled or had contact with other infected people, authorities said as they tested 13,000 people living or working in the same area.

Health official Pang Xinghuo told reporters the virus had been found on the surface of a letter the infected person had received from Canada.

Dozens of letters from the same batch were tested and five showed traces of COVID-19, Pang said.

L

eBron James on Monday apologized to Los Angeles Lakers fans for the team’s disappointing play and promised that “We’ll be better.” “#LakerNation I apologize and I promise we’ll be better!”

James said on Twitter.

Half of the 2021/2022 season already over and the Lakers have a 21-22 win-loss record in the Western Conference, including three straight defeats.

The fans have been critical of their superstar guard Russell Westbrook lately for his poor shooting performance.

James, on the other hand, averaged 28.9 points, 7.5 re-

bounds, 6.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks on 51.9 percent shooting and 36.2 percent from the 3-point line this season.

James is a four-time NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), winning titles with the Miami Heat (2), Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

He has been playing for the Lakers since 2018.

Utah ends losing streak Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets with a 125-102 score on Sunday,

ending their four-game losing streak.

Utah led after a 15-2 run spanning the first and second quarters and made a 13-point lead in the third.

Denver rallied to get an 81-80 lead on Will Barton’s three-point play but Utah carried a 91-88 lead into the fourth quarter.

Rudy Gobert, who missed the previous five games after testing positive for COVID-19, inspired the Jazz for the away win, posting a double-double.

The French center finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds at Ball Arena.

Donovan Mitchell produced 31 points to help his team end a four-game skid.

Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to add 16 points and six points.

For the losing side, Serbian center Nikola Jokic notched a triple-double.

Jokic played with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 14 assists.

Also, Monte Morris and Nah’Shon Hyland scored 13 points each.

Utah Jazz have a 29-14 winloss record this season.

Phoenix Suns win again The Phoenix Suns claimed their third straight NBA game, defeating Detroit Pistons 135108 at Little Caesars Arena.

Devin Booker led the Suns to victory with 30 points while Cameron Payne and JaVale McGee each added 20 points each.

No vax, no French Open for Djokovic

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Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic walks at Dubai Airport after the Australian Federal Court upheld a government decision to cancel his visa to play in the Australian Open, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 17, 2022. Abdel Hadi Ramahi, Reuters.

ARIS - Novak Djokovic could be barred from playing in the French Open as things stand now after the Sports Ministry said on Monday there would be no exemption from France’s new vaccine pass law.

World number one Djokovic, who has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, was deported from Australia on Sunday before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year after losing a court case to have the cancellation of his visa overturned.

France’s vaccine pass law, approved by parliament on Sunday, will require people to have a certificate of vaccination to enter public places such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas and long-distance trains.

“The rule is simple. The

vaccine pass will be imposed, as soon as the law is promulgated, in establishments that were already subject to the health pass,” the ministry said.

“This will apply to everyone who is a spectator or a professional sportsperson. And this until further notice.

“Now, as far as Roland Garros is concerned, it’s in May. The situation may change between now and then and we hope that it will be more favorable. So we’ll see, but clearly there’s no exemption.”

Serbian Djokovic, who was barred from bidding to win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, has refused to vaccinate and was criticized for attending public events last month after testing positive for the coronavirus.

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022

Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial (left) is reunited with MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons in the boxer’s Los Angeles apartment Monday night (Tuesday morning, Manila time). (Photo courtesy of Eumir Marcial).

PRO DRIVE

Marcial back in the US to resume pro campaign

T

he road to boxing greatness continues for Eumir Felix Marcial as he now embarks on securing his second professional victory in the United States.

After months of committing to business and personal matters owing to his Olympic achievement, Marcial arrived in the US Monday night (Tuesday morning, Manila time) to commence his Los Angeles training camp in anticipation of an upcoming bout early April.

“Finally, I can now fully focus on my training. I was told to prepare for a scheduled outing. I need to be in excellent shape because I want to get back in the ring soon and also make myself available for the national team by May,” said Marcial.

Marcial is also eyeing a possible stint at the 31st Southeast Asian Games scheduled on May 12-23 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Marcial won gold medals in the last three biennial meets and is looking at a fourth straight SEA Games title.

From LA, the 26-year-old Marcial will move to Las Vegas to be with famed conditioning coach Angel Memo Heredia by mid-February, something

that excites the Zamboangeño Olympian.

“I thank Sir Sean (Gibbons, MP Promotions President) and Senator Manny (Pacquiao) for making sure I get the best possible team here in the US. I know a lot of great things that coach Memo has done that’s why it excites me a lot that I will also be under Memo’s program,” said Marcial.

Marcial, a native of Lunzuran, Zamboanga City, signed a multi-year contract with Pacquiao’s MP Promotions July of 2020 then made his pro debut in December of the same year, beating American Andrew Whitfield in a four-round battle in Los Angeles.

After claiming a bronze medal in last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Marcial married his longtime partner Princess Galarpe in a classy beachside wedding in Batangas.

Marcial started the year by training in Tagaytay City together with world-rated fellow Zamboangeño Jonas Sultan.