Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 274 | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

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IT’S A GO!

VOL.14 ISSUE 274 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

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Region-wide Covid pedia vaccination rolls out February 14 STORY ON PAGE 2

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A pedestrian walks by tarpaulins of vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao City on Tuesday, the first day of the official campaign period for national positions in the 2022 elections. Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 274 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

IT’S A GO!

President Rodrigo Duterte presides over a meeting with key government officials prior to his “Talk to the People”at the Malacañan Palace on Monday night. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Region-wide Covid-19 pediatric vaccination rolls out February 14

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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fter some delays, vaccination for the pediatric population aged 5 to 11 in Davao Region will finally be rolled out on February 14, 2022.

Dr. Janis Olavides, vaccination team leader of DOH11, urged parents, legal guardians, and grandparents to have kids aged 5 to 11 years old get vaccinated.

“We really have wanted it to have it on February 7, 2022, pero due to logistical

concerns we will be pushing it on Feb. 14, which is good also for us to get ample time and for LGUs to prepare for this rollout,” she said in a virtual presser on Monday.

Meanwhile, the city government of Davao will pilot

Davao City Water District advises customers of a water service interruption on February 13, 2022 from 12:01 AM to 11:00 AM affecting all areas served by Toril Water Supply System (WSS).

Specific areas are Purok Pagkaka-isa, Toril Executive Village, Paradise Village, Ilocano Village, Davao Housing Subd., B.B. Homes Subd., New Dalia-

on, Toril Public Market, St. Jude, Santa Clara Village, Prudential Village, San Jose, St. Michael Village, San Roque Village, Duha Village, San Vicente Village, San Nicolas Village, Teacher’s Village, Rovical Village, Nakada Village, Doña Manuela Subd., Sitio Kanipaan, Kasama Village, Lizada Beach, Daliao Beach, Aplaya Village, Gutierrez Village, Sitio Tambakan,

the rollout of the pediatric vaccination in the city’s four hospitals namely Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), the Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH), the DMSF Hospitals, and the Seamen’s Hospital.

The Vaccination Cluster reported that Brokenshire Hospital and the Metro Davao Medical And Research Center (MDMRC) have yet to confirm their

Low water pressure to no water due to DLPC’s power interrruption in all Toril WSS areas FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Kalambuan sa Katawhan HOA, Villa Grande Heights Subd., Samantha Homes, Kristina Homes II, Bangoy Compound, Salsa Village, Sitio Saypon, Concordo Compound, Vergen Delos Remedios, streets of Alegre, Durian, San Nicolas, Macopa, Abocado, St. John, Venus, Crusner, Mercury, and Jupiter, Purok 15, Dacoville Subd., Farland

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participation in the pediatric vaccination rollout.

On the other hand, Olavides urged the public to participate in Part 3 of the National Vaccination Day slated on February 10 to 11, 2022.

“Priority is those individuals who already received their two doses and have their booster shot already provided that they

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Cholera outbreak in DavOr town kills 6

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s of February 7, a total of 491 cholera cases has been recorded in the town of Caraga in Davao Oriental. Six persons have died from the disease.

The latest deaths include a 78-year old and a 29-year old both residents from hard-hit Barangay Santiago in the same town.

The Provincial Health Office of Davao Oriental has responded to the outbreak by dispatching a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health Response on the Waterborne Disease Outbreak team consisting of 21 provincial health personnel composed of doctors, nurses, sanitary inspectors and support staff.

The response teams will take part in the treatment, monitoring, coordination and active surveillance to control the cholera outbreak.

Provincial Health Offi-

cer II Dr. Reden Bersaldo said the active surveillance will include house-to-house survey of families to assess the hydration status.

The outbreak was first discovered when a surge of diarrhea cases was reported on Jan. 29 in Barangay Santiago in Caraga town.

It then spread to the other barangays of San Jose, San Miguel, Sobrecarey, Poblacion, Pichon and Don Leon Balante.

Rectal swabs from the patients confirmed the diarrhea was caused by Cholera.

Last week the Provincial Government has provided medical supplies like medicines and other needed logistics and personnel to Caraga. A mini-hospital was also established to cater to patients in the town.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by the infection of the intestine by the Vibrio Cholarae bacteria. (PIA/RG Alama)

Political leaders, Paras said, wanted Duterte to continue serving as the country’s top official if not only constrained by the Constitution.

Duterte, however, said National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential adviser on Covid-19 response Vince Dizon, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Interior Secretary Edu-

ardo Año deserved more credit for leading the country’s fight against Covid-19.

“I am not taking any credit without bringing in the entire entourage who has helped me in my work as President,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded public address.

He said he is “lucky” to have a “good team” who are committed to their jobs, despite the fact that the Phil-

Duterte says he ‘doesn’t deserve’ popularity; credit goes to Cabinet

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resident Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he thinks he does not deserve his popularity, saying the real stars in the country’s Covid-19 response are his Cabinet members.

This, after Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Jacinto Paras bared that many local officials continue to have “full support” in the Duterte administration’s handling of the prevailing health crisis.

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NEWS

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Davao City is now categorized as a Moderate Risk Local Government Unit (LGU) for Covid-19 after it recorded decreasing daily growth and attack rates the past days. Edge Davao

Number of beleaguered firms in Davao Region dwindling No Covid cases in Davao schools in doing special face-to-face classes

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he regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd 11) reported that no student fell ill in the 14 schools in Davao Region that piloted the face-to-face (F2F) classes.

“Gusto naming ipaabot sa lahat na wala tayong mga sakit na caused by Covid sa 14 pilot implementing schools kung saan 13 dito ay public and one private.

SEN. BONG GO

May mga sakit pero ang sakit ay naiulat na dahil sa madalaas na pag-ulan dito sa ating rehiyon,” said DepEd-Davao Director Allan Farnazo in a virtual presser on Monday.

DepEd 11 has allowed some schools, private and public, in Davao Region to kick off limited F2F classes since last year. These schools were selected by DepEd 11 for being

in areas considered to be low-risk to Covid-19.

As of February 2, 2022 no face-to-face classes are ongoing because the schools are on their midyear break for February 2-5, 2022 under SY 20212022 Calendar. The Academic Quarter 3 is set to start on February 7, but certain divisions may start on a later date following the

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By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he number of establishments that retrenched workers in the Davao Region has decreased last year compared to the number in 2020 according to an official of the regional office of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA 11).

NEDA Regional Director Maria Lourdes Lim reported that the number decreased to 450 in 2021 compared to a 2020 figure of 1,087 establishments and the number of affected workers was down by almost 50 percent or 9,949

workers retrenched in 2021 compared to the 2020 figure of 18, 470 workers.

“These establishments continue to cope with the lingering effects of the pandemic as the main reason for the termination of workers and finan-

rollout of COVID-19 shots for children between 5 to 11 years old.

The petition also seeks to make the injunction permanent by declaring Department of Health Memorandum No. 2022-0041, which sets the interim guidelines for the rollout of pediatric vaccines, as unconstitutional and void for grave abuse of discretion.

“I respect the right of the petitioners to ques-

tion before our courts the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for our minors… Nasa demokrasya naman po tayo,” Go said in a statement issued on Monday, February 7.

“Bilang chair ng Senate Committee on Health, tiwala ako na dumaan sa masusi at maingat na pagsusuri ang mga bakuna bago inilabas ito sa publiko.

Naniniwala din ako na ang bakuna ang susi na-

cial losses that these establishments continue to experience in 2021,” Lim said in a virtual presser on Monday afternoon.

According to Lim, the majority of the report of the retrenched workers and the closure of the company were from the agriculture, forestry, and fishery sector particularly in the banana plantations in the region.

In terms of employment generation, Lim said the region was able to sustain high employment rates from

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Bong Go urges parents to get their eligible children vaccinated, seek accurate information from experts, trusted healthcare providers

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enator Christopher “Bong” Go reiterated the importance of vaccines in defeating the pandemic as he urged parents to get their qualified children inoculated so the latter would not get severely sick or die of COVID-19.

His appeal came after a petition had been filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for a temporary restraining order against the government’s

tin para malampasan ang kasalukuyang pandemya,” he continued.

Go pointed out that public health experts largely agree that the vaccines are the most effective form of protection against the virus. However, he acknowledged that there may be hesitations due to differing opinions or information published online, especially on social media.

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua urges the National Innovation Council (NIC) to work together to promote innovative solutions and raise the country’s overall productivity. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

NEDA cites role of innovation in achieving UMIC status in 2022

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ocioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua has urged the National Innovation Council (NIC) to work together to promote innovative solutions and raise the country’s overall productivity.

“Higher productivity will allow us to graduate from our current low middle-income country status to upper-middle income country status by the end of 2022, and high-income country status in one generation. For the Filipino

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otential investments to the Philippines that were set aside amid the pandemic are expected to push through with the easing of restrictions for foreign travelers, a trade official said Monday.

During the Laging Handa briefing, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said many investments were put on hold since the coronavirus disease

people, it means living without poverty and having equal opportunities to succeed,” Chua said.

Recent economic indicators show that the Philippines is on track to achieving an upper-middle income country status in

2022.

Chua said sustaining this level of development rests on the country’s ability to innovate in an increasingly competitive and resource-constrained world.

To this end, the NIC is now developing the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD) to be launched within the year.

This document will establish the country’s 10-year vision, long-term

goals, agenda, and strategies related to innovation.

The NIASD will be formulated through a series of co-creation workshops with the NIC member agencies and other stakeholders, and be guided by the Philippine Innovation Toolkit.

To enhance the innovation capacity of the Philippines, all government agencies are mandated by RA 11293 to comply with the NIASD and pursue its at-

2019 (Covid-19) pandemic struck, and among the reasons is the strict policy in the country for foreign travelers.

Starting this week, the country will scrap the facility-based quarantine for foreign nationals arriving in the Philippines.

Foreign travelers are expected to present a negative result of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

test done 48 hours before arrival.

Castelo said many business activities from foreign sources were delayed since the onset of the pandemic, such as bringing in equipment for their facilities, business missions, and sending foreign experts for their operation here.

The country’s reopening to foreign travelers will also align with the enactment of the retail trade lib-

eralization law as many foreign investors are expected to visit the Philippines to look into opportunities in retail trade.

“More foreign investments translate to more jobs for Filipinos,” Castelo said. “If there are foreign investments, we also expect that our micro, small and medium enterprises will also benefit as we ease restrictions for foreign travelers.” (PNA)

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BIR collects P2.08 trillion in 2021, exceeds target

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he Bureau of Internal Revenue has collected P2.08 trillion in 2021 despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said Monday.

The total is inclusive of tax refund and has exceeded 2020’s collection by 6.48 percent and the target set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) by .09 percent, the BIR said citing a tentative report.

This is “good collection performance” despite business closures early in the year, COVID-19 infections, typhoons and other tax administration challenges, Commissioner Caesar Dulay said.

“We really lived out our theme for 2021, Sama-Sama sa Hamon ng Panahon...

Everybody supported each other...

No one group could have done it if we did not act professionally and with competence,” Dulay said.

Meanwhile, Finance Usec. Antonette C. Tionko lauded the BIR “for always rising to the challenge of

raising much-needed revenues to provide a comfortable life for Filipinos.”

“With the BIR’s proactive initiatives, we have built a tax system that upholds simplicity, fairness and efficiency while ensuring a sustainable and stable stream of revenues for the country,” she said.

The BIR said its programs, such as the its anti-tax evaders campaign, contributed to the overall collection success.

Meanwhile, its Run After Tax Evaders Program, Oplan Kandado Program and Tax Compliance Verification Drive have resulted in the filing of 137 cases with the Department of Justice, closure of 523 establishments, collection of P2.948 billion, and tax mapping of 120,220 business establishments nationwide, the BIR said.

Also through the tax amnesty program, the BIR has aided 45,346 Filipinos who failed to comply with tax obligations on time, which resulted in about P3.59 billion in revenue.

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ECONOMY 5

Porters unload sacks of rice from a vessel at a private port in Davao City. The Department of Finance said the Bureau of Customs has collected P18.9 billion in customs duties from rice imports in 2021, 22 percent higher than the P15.5 billion collection in 2020. Edge Davao

PH collects P18.9 billion from rice customs duties last year ARTA to lead drafting of PH ease of doing business report

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he Philippines will establish its own ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report after the World Bank decided to discontinue its annual survey last year, the country’s anti-red tape body said on Monday.

Some of the methods used by the World Bank will also be employed in drafting the report, but given a “local flavor”, said the Anti-Red Tape Authority.

ARTA Director General Sec. Jeremiah Belgica said this reporting system will help make it easier for Filipinos to do transactions with government including those who want to start a business and apply for permits.

“By contextualizing our measurement and our surveys, we would be able to have a more responsive and more contextualized competition not only against our neighboring countries within the region and elsewhere, but more so within our localized context between government agencies and between local government units,” Belgica said.

This system will help check and monitor the

processes in various government agencies. An incentive system with the performance of government offices may also be determined.

ARTA Deputy Director General for Operations Ernesto Perez added, the target stakeholders of the Philippine EODB System shall be national government agencies and local government units. He said this will improve the business climate in the country, encourage investments and promote economic recovery.

Perez said this new reporting system will help not just big businesses, but ordinary citizens as well especially those who may want to start a small business.

“They will be assured that the processes are streamlined at reduced number of documentary requirements and at reduced number of steps for lesser processing time,” Perez said.

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said the EODB report will help the government successful reforms as well as areas for improvement.

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he Bureau of Customs has collected P18.9 billion in customs duties from rice imports in 2021, the Department of Finance said Tuesday.

The total is 22 percent higher than the P15.5 billion collection in 2020, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said in his report to the DOF. Import duties collected from rice imports since March 5, 2019 go to the annual P10-billion Rice

Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the Rice Tariffication Law. RCEF is used for programs to enhance productivity and competitiveness of farmers.

Meanwhile, total collection from pork imports was at P3.75 billion from April

9, 2021 to Jan. 28, 2022, from a total volume of 242 million kilograms, the BOC said.

However, some P4 billion was the estimated foregone revenues for the period as a result of lowered import tariff on pork.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the temporary cut in pork tariff to address the supply shortage caused by the African Swine fever.

“These directives were meant to quell inflation by boosting the supply of pork and stabilizing its retail prices in the domestic market after the outbreak of the Asian Swine Fever (ASF) had hurt domestic hog production,” the DOF said.

Inflation in 2021 averaged 4.5 percent using the 2012 base year, higher than the 2 to 4 percent target range.

sures are up to date and effective against all sorts of threats,” Dominguez told the two agencies during a recent Department of Finance (DOF) Executive Committee (Execom) meeting.

Dominguez recalled that the recent hacking incident involving BDO Unibank and the Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) and the complaints of several teachers about losing money from their accounts in the Land Bank of the Philippines (Land-

Bank) as proof of the rise in cyber attacks as more and more Filipinos resort to online transactions to avoid face-to-face interactions amid the pandemic.

LandBank has already issued a statement saying that its systems remain secure against any form of hacking, and that its initial investigation showed the teachers were the victims of phishing.

Phishing is a scheme in which hackers pretend to be legitimate banking representatives either by

sending fake emails or text messages via bogus bank websites to obtain confidential bank details from clients and use these to pilfer or make unauthorized money transfers from the victims’ accounts.

Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko, who oversees both the BOC and BIR as head of the DOF’s Revenue Operations Group (ROG), assured Dominguez that cybersecurity is covered by the ongoing digitalization and

BIR, BOC ordered to beef up cybersecurity measures

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inance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has directed the country’s main revenue-generating agencies – the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) – to further fortify their respective systems against hacking and other cyber threats as he expressed concern over the increasing number of scams perpetrated online against financial consumers.

“Please make sure that your cybersecurity mea-

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 274 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

On President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s “very good” net satisfaction rating of +60 based on the December 2021 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS):

“Lubos po kaming nagpapasalamat sa sambayanang Pilipino sa patuloy ninyong suporta at tiwala sa liderato ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte (We are very grateful to the Filipino people for your continued support and trust in the leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte).”

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles Acting presidential spokesperson

EDITORIAL Good news THERE are at least two welcome news about the pandemic in our country during the last two days.

In the national scene, the Department of Health and the National COVID Task Force are seeing the easing up of health restrictions soon.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the Philippines is now at “low risk” for virus transmission as cases continue to decline as it did during the last week.

Both Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Vince Dizon, presidential adviser on COVID-19 and testing czar, both announced that the easing of restrictions may

EDGEDAVAO

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Another good news that Filipinos can chew on has happened right here in the region. The Department of Education in Davao has reported that no COVID-19 infection has occurred in Davao schools holding face-to-face classes in November and December last year. This happened despite a high attendance rate of students of up to more than 90 percent.

Let’s hope and pray that the positive trend continues so that our country will soon fully recover from the pandemic just like other nations in the world.

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

soon happen in March in the midst of the election campaign.

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 274 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

WHAT’S IN A KISS? The Webster dictionary defines kiss as “an application of the lips to a person or things in token of affection, or reverence.”

Actually, kissing is proof that two heads are better than one.

This coming Valentine’s Day, kissing is one of the most important acts of affection. It has always been a part of history. In fact, it was a kiss from God that infused the “spirit of life” into man, accord­ing to the account of Genesis 2:7.

God is said to have formed Adam from slime and dust and then breathed a rational soul into him. This concept of divine insufflation, which surfaces freq­ uen­ tly in religious teachings, is often viewed through the kiss metaphor.

Another memorable kiss recorded in the Bible was the betray­al kiss of Judas. As told in the New Testament, Jewish leaders under the high priest Caiaphas had paid Judas Iscariot 30 pieces of silver to identify Jesus Christ. With a kiss, Judas singled him out. Jesus was arrested, charged with blasphe­my, and con­demned to death.

Motion pictures, particularly those from Hollywood, have contributed a lot of unforgetta-

ble kisses. The first kiss ever to be recorded in films occurred in Thomas Edison’s film The Kiss between actor John C. Rice and actress May Irwin in April, 1896.

Adapted from a short scene in the Broadway comedy The Widow Jones, The Kiss was filmed

by Raff and Gammon for nickelodeon. Its running time was less than 30 seconds.

Several years later, in 1941, the longest kiss in film history happened. Jane Wyman and Regis Toomey executed it in the movie You’re in the Army Now. The Lewis Seiler comedy about two vacuum cleaner salesmen features a scene in which Toomey and Wyman hold a single kiss for 3 minutes and 5 seconds (or 4% of the film’s running time).

Years earlier, in 1926, the Warner Brothers made a film with 191 kisses. During the course of the picture (2 hours and 47 minutes) Oscar-winning actor John Barrymore as the amorous adventurer in Don Juan bestows a total of 191 kisses on a number of beautiful senori­ tas – an average of one every 53 seconds.

One cinema kiss that turned heads among the moviegoing public in the 1970s was between

two male actors, Peter Finch and Murray Head, in the film Sunday Bloody Sunday. The British tale of a bisexual love triangle included a medium close-up shot of this kiss in a scene originally planned to have featured only an embrace from afar.

Director John Schlesinger commented that Finch and Head “were certainly less shocked by the kiss than the technicians on the set were. When Finch was asked about the scene by somebody on TV, he said, ‘I did it for England.’” He did win an Oscar, posthumously, for his performance.

There are several theories on how kissing started. During earlier times, man did not see it to express emotions through lip movement. Kissing, as it has been called, is the fruitful result of man’s ancient quest for salt.

Researchers point out that early cave-dwellers were the first to discover the presence of salt on sweat-covered faces, so they took to licking the salty faces of their mates and loved ones.

At the dawn of civilization, the desire of salt-licking cave folk gave way to sensation far more pleasurable than the taste of salt itself. The modern

world, however, gave various interpreta­tions on how to exacerbate a sensation depending on the mood and attitude of the sodium-seekers.

This explains, therefore, why there are today many forms of kissing. The early Christians made kissing a sign of fellowship.

They greeted “all the brethren with a holy kiss.” Even more ceremonial is the “kiss of peace” given to the newly baptized and in celebration of the Eucharist. After a time, by ecclesiasti­cal regulations, men were allowed to kiss only men, women only women.

More effusive was kissing as a court ceremony. The ceremo­ nial kiss, especially developed by the Persian kings, reached Greece after the Macedo­ nian conquest, and Rome toward the end of the Republic, being afterwards adapted to imperial and papal habits.

The Oriental hand-kiss spread to the Greco-Roman world, and was revived at the courts of Christendom during the Renaissance. The Greco-Roman custom of kissing the feet of temple statues was adopted by the primitive Church. From the same source sprang the practice of kissing the Book after

oath-taking in courts of law.

In Roman literature, there are three types of kissing listed. The first is called osculum, which is just a friendship kiss and is not meant to arouse passion. It’s just like the peck hosts give their guests as they arrive or depart.

The second is called basium, which is a more passionate kiss, such as would be exchanged by lovers. (The Spanish word for kiss, “beso,” comes from this Roman word, and so does the old English word “buss.”

The third word for kiss the Romans used is savium, consid­ ered to be an erotic kiss since the tongue is nearly always brought into play. These days, it’s called the soul kiss or “French kiss.”

What actually happens when you kiss? According to a kiss specialist, “a kiss thrill increases your pulse-beat five pumps a minutes; your blood pres­sure rises; you breathe faster; your circulation speeds up; some of your white blood cells disinte­ grate; your pituitary and adrenal glands start pumping hormones into your system at an increased rate.”

Wow! All of that in just a kiss!

DENNIS R. GORECHO KUWENTONG PEYUPS

NO SALUBONG FOR THE #BESTBAREVER2020_21 # B e s t B a r Eve r 2 0 2 0 _ 2 1 became one of the trending hashtag as aspiring lawyers trooped to different locations nationwide to take the bar exams last February 4 and 6, 2022.

This year’s bar is dubbed as the “best bar ever” because it is so far the largest in history with 11,790 registered examinees for the combined 2020 and 2021 batches.

These examinees have also been reviewing longer than any other Bar examinees in the past which was postponed several times due to the pandemic.

The Supreme Court implemented many changes.

Unlike in the previous bar exams where good and legible handwriting is a big factor, passing is now no longer dependent on penmanship since it was done digitally.

The exams were not spread out in four (4) consecutive Sundays in a month but in two days while the venues are scattered at thirty-one (31) local testing sites nationwide instead of one venue, UST being the recent.

The bar coverage was likewise reduced to four subjects

- Laws pertaining to the State and Its relationship with its Citizens (formerly Political Law, Labor Law, and Taxation Law); Criminal Law; Law pertaining to Private Personal and Commercial Relations (formerly Civil Law and Commercial law); and Procedure and Professional Ethics (formerly Remedial Law, Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises) It is expected that the batch 2020-2021 bar exam results will be released earlier than previous bar exams as examiners can check the answers much quicker due to the digitization. The normal releasing of results is usually 5-6 months after the exams.

Due to the Covid19 pandemic, external bar-related activities such as the “bar-operation” were banned outside and within the security perimeter of the local testing center.

The bar-ops are traditional practices for law schools to boost morale and confidence of bar examinees, like arranging the logistics for the examinees.

Bar examinations are seen not the concern solely of bar takers but also for the interest

of their collegial community, specifically the law students and alumni Examinees were warned by the Supreme Court that they may be barred from taking the test “if it is later known that bar-ops ‘ activities were conducted by their law school in the hotel they are staying.”

There was also no traditional “salubong” as part of the bar-ops to greet the examinees as they exit the exam venue.

The streets leading to the exam sites were usually filled with festive atmosphere as law students and support groups from various law schools as well as friends and relatives gather for the annual “salubong” during the last day of the exams.

From colorful balloons, confetti, drumbeats, beers, flags that stands for the pride of their schools, and even bouquets of flowers, it is a day of celebration for law schools united altogether with one common goal—provide comfort and warmth for those who took the bar.

The traditional “salubong” was temporarily suspended af-

ter the bombing incident that occurred during the 2010 bar exams on Taft Avenue as examinees began exiting De La Salle University (DLSU). A MK2 grenade was thrown at a group of fraternity men that resulted in injuries to 47 people, including two who required amputations.

DLSU has been home to the bar exams from 1995 to 2010.

The exams were later held at the University of Santo .Thomas (UST) from 2011 until 2019.

The bar exam is a yearly spectacle on the performance of law schools measured on the most number of topnotchers or scoring the highest passing rate.

I was among the lucky 1,465 examinees who passed, or 39.63 percent out of the 3,697 examinees of the 1998 bar exams held in DLSU, which is considered as one of the highest in the bar exam history.

The 2016 bar exam had the highest number of passers 3747 out of 6344 (59.06 percent) examinees while the 1999 bar examinations recorded the lowest passing rate of 16.59% or with a total number of 660 successful examinees.

The first Philippine Bar Exams was conducted in 1901 with only 13 examinees.

Former SC Associate Justice Florenz Regalado holds the highest score in the Philippine bar exam (96.70%, 1939).

SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said that a number of Bar examinees were disqualified for violating the policies of the Office of the Bar Chairperson and their Honor Code.

These are examinees who deliberately entered the local testing centers without disclosing that they had previously tested positive for COVID-19; who smuggled mobile phones inside the examination rooms; and who accessed social media during lunch break inside the premises.

May the Force be with you members of #BestBarEver2020_21.

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

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WOMEN

The Stolen Shot, by Maybelle Abe Yu, acrylic on canvas . Shadow’s Paradise, by Maybelle Abe Yu, acrylic on canvas.

Home of Dreams, by Maybelle Abe Yu, acrylic on canvas .

FROM BREAK TO BREAKTHROUGH YOGA TEACHER MAYBELLE “ABE” MARQUEZ - YU PAINTS A PICTURE OF HER PANDEMIC PASTIME.

While the pandemic disrupted majority of our routines and systems, it is up to us to take advantage of this pause, however we can, to rest, learn, pursue new paths, grow, and thrive. Instead of doomscrolling, we can take this chance to rediscover ourselves and what brings us joy.

Picking up or reliving a hobby makes for a healthy diversion from a constant barrage of bad news. This pursuit of interest is best carved out doing what makes you feel good inside and out—and not under the guise of a productivity contest. The idea is to relax, breathe, and enjoy the moment.

In the case of yoga teacher Maybelle “Abe” Marquez - Yu, she used her free time to brush up on her creativity. At 41 years old, this mom of three has reinvented herself as a visual artist and has captured the attention of art enthusiasts in Davao.

Never too late to paint “I stopped teaching yoga when the pandemic broke out,” says Maybelle.

The break gave her a chance to focus on other matters. In moments of stillness, she found herself staring at blank walls.

custom pieces. Her works were also featured as part of the Mindanao Art exhibit in 2021.

She imagined how a pop of colors could help enhance the scenery at home.

“My husband and I became interested in collecting art after a friend gave us an art piece.”

Maybelle also became interested in paintings and contemplated the idea of painting a piece for their wall.

“I never had any formal training in painting. Although, I joined a couple of summer workshops when I young. I just never really took it seriously. With the free time I had because of the pandemic, I was able to take online art classes, practice, and explore this new passion and hobby.”

Blending in It turned out to be a positive and nurturing experience for Maybelle, and she found comfort and joy in painting.

“I pour myself into my work every chance I get. Art, for me,

Yoga teacher turned visual artist, Maybelle Abe Marquez-Yu. is like yoga.”

She adds that art encourages openness and exploration. It’s also about trusting the process and having that discipline and control over the outcome. Ultimately, the flow highlights positivity, hope, and joy.

The unveiling Maybelle eventually shared her creative journey and some of her completed works on social media. Her flair in art came as a revelation to many and impressed art aficionados.

Soon, friends reached out and commissioned her to paint

Art and about “I love painting acrylic on canvas. The most challenging for me, I guess, is getting past that ‘ugly stage’ of my process or knowing when a piece is already done.”

Every piece also presents different challenges to an artist. Maybelle has a good recollection of the many firsts which served as learning experiences.

“The 4 x 4 piece entitled ‘See No Evil,’ which I created for the Mindanao Art exhibit, was the first time I ever made and showcased a human face.

I thought it would take me forever to make the subject look human.”

“Another one of my memorable pieces is ‘Shadow’s Paradise.’ I had to work around a Balinese theme and marry my style with the owner’s concept and interest.”

“My style continues to evolve as time goes by. There are no boundaries. Right now, I tend to lean towards abstract, surrealism, and impressionism.

I also enjoy making portraits.”

You can see more of Maybelle’s works when she joins other creatives in an art show slated to launch in April 2022.

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o one is spared from pneumonia, an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs. In these days of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pneumonia is even more alarming.

Pneumonia is one of the symptoms that is present among those who are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A person is said to a COVID-19 patient when he or she is exposed to respiratory fluids carrying the virus.

“The virus then multiplies and attacks the cells in the body, causing damage to the lungs’ air sacs or alveoli and the surrounding tissues,” explains the Makati Medical Center (MMC).

“The body’s immune system responds by fighting the virus, but it eventually breaks down for many of the infected as fluid and dead cells start building up and clogging the lungs’ air sacs,” MMC continues. “This affects the oxygen supply in the lungs, so a COVID-19 patient with pneumonia experiences coughing and shortness of breath.”

Unlike those pneumonia caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi, the symptoms of pneumonia among COVID-19 patients last longer.

“At first, infections occur in various small areas of the lungs and then spread slowly over several days or weeks,” MMC says. “As such, it is common for COVID-19 patients with pneumonia to have both of their lungs infected rather than just one.”

The lengthy, large-scale infection – coupled with the gravity of COVID-19 – leads to damaged lung tissues, resulting in more complications like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the MMC says. ARDS is a form of lung failure that develops quickly, requiring patients to be placed on ven-

tilators to get oxygen into their lungs.

One risk that COVID-19 patients with pneumonia faces is its long-term effects on the lungs. “Unlike regular pneumonia, where people recover without any lasting lung damage, pneumonia due to COVID-19 can be so severe that it leaves lung lesions, causing breathing difficulties even after recovery.”

On its own, pneumonia can be a serious health risk because it primarily attacks the lungs which are responsible for respiratory functions – getting oxygen into the body and delivering it to the bloodstream, sending out carbon dioxide, among others – that are vital for survival.

In the Philippines, pneumonia ranked fifth among those that causes the most number of deaths among Filipinos, with an average of 32,991 deaths per year from 2015 to 2019, according to the Department of Health (DOH). In 2020, pneumonia ranked fourth as the registered deaths increased to 37,265.

In a news conference some years back, Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong Lim, a pediatrics professor at the University of the Philippines – College of Medicine said pneumonia costs the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) at least P2 billion annually.

It must be recalled that pneumonia was the leading cause of death in Davao City from 2011 to 2012, according to the City Health Office.

From January to November in 2012 alone, some 1,115 people were killed as a result of pneumonia. In 2015, pneumonia topped the lead-

PNEUMONIA AND COVID-19: DEADLY DUO Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

ing cause of mortality in the city, with 1,577 deaths.

Actually, pneumonia isn’t a single illness but many different ones, each caused by a different microscopic organism.

“Pneumonia tends to be more serious for children under the age of five, adults over the age of 65, people with certain conditions, or organ or blood and marrow stem cell transplant procedures,” the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says.

Lifestyle habits, like smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol, can also raise a person’s chances of getting pneumonia. “Smoking damages your body’s natural defenses against the bacteria and viruses that cause pneumonia,” the Mayo Clinic says.

The WHO says pneumonia is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. The most common are: Streptococcus pneumoniae (the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in children), Haemophilus influenzae type B or Hib (the second most common cause of bacterial pneumonia), and respiratory syncytial virus (the most common viral cause of pneumonia).

“In infants infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Pneumocystis

jiroveci is one of the most common causes of pneumonia, responsible for at least one quarter of all pneumonia deaths in HIV-infected infants,” the United Nations health agency states.

In healthy adults, two types of influenza virus – called types A and B – cause pneumonia. The chickenpox virus can also cause pneumonia in adults. In elderly people, viral pneumonia is likely to be caused by influenza, parainfluenza, or respiratory syncytial virus.

There are three types of fungi that commonly cause pneumonia: Histoplasma capsulatum, which causes histoplasmosis; Coccidioides immitis, which causes coccidioidomycosis; and Blastomyces dermatitidis, which causes blastomycosis. Most people who become infected have only minor symptoms and don’t know that they’re infected.

Some become gravely ill.

There are so-called “atypical pneumonias,” which are pneumonias caused by organisms other than the typical bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The most common causes are Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae.

Both bacteria-like organisms are the most common cause of pneumonia in people ages 5 to 35. Mycoplasma epidemics reportedly

occur in confined groups such as students, military personnel, and families.

Pneumonia can be spread in a number of ways.

“The viruses and bacteria, commonly found in a child’s nose or throat, can infect the lungs if they are inhaled,” says the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO). “They may also spread via air-borne droplets from a cough or sneeze.

In addition, pneumonia may spread through blood, es-

pecially during and shortly after birth.” “(Pneumonia) is a tough disease to diagnose,” says Dr. Marie Budev, a pulmonologist and the medical director of the lung transplant program at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “Age makes a big difference, as well as a person’s immune system… and, of course, the symptoms themselves.”

“The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may

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have already passed the minimum interval for the booster,” she said.

Olavides also encouraged the unvaccinated senior citizens to take part in the said activity. She said data shows that the virus is still hitting the senior citizens.

“We have a lot of Covid deaths in comparison to those lesser ages. Kaya this is one factor wherein we wanted to emphasize that this is an additional layer of protection for everyone especially of the vulnerable group, the senior citizens,” she said.

Subd., Sison Subd., and Villa Josefina Resort Village, along Bayabas-Toril Road (from Piedad Bridge to Bato Upper Piedad Toril), along Bayabas-Eden Road, Bato Upper Piedad, Bato Urban, Upper Piedad, and Marapangi Resettlement Area.

DCWD’s Production Well No. 1 under Toril WSS will be affected by Davao Light and Power Company’s (DLPC) power interruption on the said date to give way to DLPC’s pole dressing activity.

Although the power cut is shorter in duration, DCWD needs additional time for re-switching on of the affected production well, 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 this schedule. Water supply may be restored earlier if DLPC’s work 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.

For the latest water service updates or any DCWD related concerns, the general public may contact DCWD’s 24-hour call center hotlines at 235-3293, 244-6767, 0927-798-8966, 0925-5113293, or 0908-441-0653 and chat support in the DCWD’s website (www.davao-water. gov.ph) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/officialDCWD). (Katrina Belen M. Roble)

ippines lacked resources at the

beginning of the pandemic and relied on other countries for assistance.

“Ako (Me), I do not think that I deserve that popularity.

I would rather share it with all of the department secretaries and the directors doing the job promptly and as fast and the number one exhibit thanks to Secretary Dizon, Secretary Galvez, Secretary Año, Secretary Lorenzana.

Nakikita mo ang resulta ng trabaho (We can see the result of their work). And to think that we had nothing at the start,” he added.

Duterte admitted his administration is not perfect, but he wanted to end his term having tried his best to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in government.

“Gusto ko talaga na malinis ang ano ko (I want us to be

clean) even if we committed faults. I’m hoping that we could at least not erase but bring into light sa tao para wala tayong tinatago (to the people so we won’t be hiding anything). We want to go out, it’s just a matter of months a clean bill of health,” he added.

In the December 2021 survey of the Social Weather Stations, Duterte also obtained a “very good” level of +60 net satisfaction rating.

This was 8 percent higher than his rating in September 2021 but 19 percent lower than in November 2020.

Another survey conducted

by Pulse Asia also in December 2021 showed Duterte’s approval rating increased to 72 percent.

His approval went up by eight percentage points from the 64 percent he got in the survey conducted in September of the same year. (PNA)

tainment through a collective national effort.

“A strong economic foundation built on inclusive innovation will be crucial in raising overall productivity and bringing prosperity to the people.

The Philippine Innovation Act provides us with a window of opportunity to achieve this objective by creating a culture of future planning and funding innovative solutions,” Chua said.

The NIC is tasked to develop the country’s strategic

vision, goals, and strategies for innovation.

It has 25 members, namely the President of the Philippines as the chairperson; the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as the vice-chairperson; heads of 16 other member agencies; and seven executive members from the private sector.

As vice-chairperson of the NIC, Chua was authorized by the President to chair the first council meeting last Friday. (PR)

said. “The season is still going on, the game is going on. I’m just worried about the game.”

Hornets coach James Borrego called it “exciting news.”

“Happy for Melo, happy for his teammates. I think they need to share this together. They’ve done this together and I know they’re extremely happy for him, proud of him, as am I as his coach,” Borrego said. “Thrilled for our organization.”

Murray is also a firsttime All-Star. The 25-year-old is averaging career highs of 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds and an NBA-lead-

ing 2.1 steals in 47 games. His 10 triple-doubles are the second most in the league and a single-season record for the Spurs.

Durant, a 12-time AllStar, will not play because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, which has sidelined him for the last 11 games. Green has a lower back injury that has kept him out of action the last 14 games. Green is a four-time All-Star selection.

Durant and LeBron James are the team captains for the game and will select their rosters on Thursday.

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class suspensions during the

Omicron surge and on account of Typhoon Odette in certain affected areas.

Meanwhile, Farnazo also said that 186 schools are supposed to open for F2F classes this month if only F2F classes had not been suspended due to the region’s Alert Level 3 status.

“Itong 186 na paaralan ay ready na magbukas ngunit sinusunod natin ang Alert Level. Alam ng lahat na pag Alert Level No. 3 ay automatic suspended ang face-to-face classes,” he said.

These schools are in Davao City, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Digos City, Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS), Mati City, Panabo City, and Tagum City.

Farnazo clarified that only F2F classes are suspended but other learning modalities like TV and radio-based learning and modular are still being done.

He also clarified that when the region will be placed under Alert Level 2, these schools can immediately start implementing F2F classes but will still comply with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (AITF).

“Dahil meron tayong mga provinces alam natin na may mga classifications like in Davao City, may mga barangays na mataas ang alert status. Yun ang mga considerations kaya ang polisya kahit na ito ay nasa listahan sa regional office, all decisions must be localized,” Farnazo said. By Maya M. Padillo

the first to the third quarter of 2021 within the range of 94.6 percent to 95.8 percent vis-avis the levels in 2020 due to the reopening of business operations as the spread of Covid-19 was contained.

She said the containment was attributed to the massive vaccination drive by both the private and public sectors towards the end of 2021.

“Because of this effort the average third-quarter employment sustained at 95.0 percent almost at par

with the pre-pandemic level during the first quarter of 2020 at 95.4 percent,” she said.

Lim also said that as fewer restrictions in people mobility were implemented in 2021, more quality jobs were generated as reflected in the region’s underemployment rate which declined significantly to 9 percent in the second quarter.

However, the underemployment, the rate increased to 17.8 percent in the third quarter of 2021.

The senator assured the parents that their concerns are legitimate and strongly encouraged them to get the information they need from trusted healthcare providers and health experts, such as their local pediatricians.

“Sa mga magulang na may agam-agam hinggil sa ating mga bakuna kontra COVID-19, hinihikayat ko kayo na sumangguni sa inyong mga doktor, health experts o sa DOH upang mailatag nang maayos ang mga impormasyon na dapat ninyong malaman. Huwag po tayong basta-basta maniwala sa kung anong mga ipinapakalat sa social media,” cautioned Go. Nevertheless, following a slight delay, the government officially began inoculations for the nearly 16 million children aged 5 to 11 on Monday in select areas in Metro Manila. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a pediatric version of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine which shall be distributed across the country in the coming days.

In a joint statement last Thursday, the DOH and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said that the rollout is the result of careful studies by health experts and has been approved in the United States and many other countries. They added that no adverse events were

recorded among the nine million vaccinated minors aged 12 to 17 since rollout began in October 2021.

“As we always emphasize, all Food and Drug Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. Over 8.1 million children have already been vaccinated worldwide, with no reports of deaths and serious adverse events among those vaccinated,” they remarked.

The Philippine Pediatric Society and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines also expressed their support for the rollout in a separate joint statement on Friday.

In the end, Go recommended that additional guidance be released by concerned agencies so accurate information can be made accessible to the public. The senator further urged the government to keep improving its information campaign to combat misinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

“Sa mga ahensya naman ng gobyerno, kailangang mas paigtingin ang inyong information campaign hinggil sa pagbabakuna sa ating mga menor de edad. Gawing mas available ang mga tamang impormasyon sa paraang mas maayos at mas madaling maintindihan ng lahat,” appealed Go.

matched a season high with 20 for Oklahoma City. Josh Giddey added 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

The Thunder led 23-20 after one quarter before Golden State made 14 of 23 shots in the second to take a 56-46 lead at the break. Andrew Wiggins scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

Jonathan Kuminga’s nasty two-handed putback jam early in the fourth pushed Golden State’s lead to 87-74.

Oklahoma City continued to battle. On one posses-

sion, the Thunder collected four offensive boards before Dort threw down a powerful two-handed putback dunk to trim Golden State’s lead to 9583.

A steal and layup by Giddey trimmed Golden State’s lead to 101-94 with just under three minutes remaining. Another layup by Giddey cut it to five before Thompson’s pair of 3-pointers. Curry punctuated the win with a 3 on which he turned around and walked the other way before it went in.

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vary from mild to severe, depending on factors such as the type of germ causing the infection, and your age and overall health,” the Mayo Clinic says.

“Mild signs and symptoms often are similar to those of a cold or flu, but they last longer.”

The Mayo Clinic says the signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include: chest pain when you breathe or cough; confusion or changes in mental awareness (in adults age 65 and older); cough, which may produce phlegm; fatigue; fever, sweating and shaking chills; lower than normal body temperature (in adults older than age 65 and people with weak immune systems); nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; and shortness of breath.

“Newborns and infants may not show any sign of the infection,” the Mayo Clinic says.

“Or they may vomit, have a fever and cough, appear restless or tired and without energy, or have difficulty breathing and eating.”

Pneumonia is generally treated with antibiotics. “The antibiotic of choice is amoxicillin dispersible tablets,” the WHO says. “Most cases of pneumonia require oral antibiotics, which are often prescribed at a health center. These cases can also be diagnosed and treated with inexpensive oral antibiotics at the community level by trained community health workers.”

Pneumonia often clears

up in 2 to 3 weeks. But older adults, babies, and people with other diseases can become very ill. Hospitalization is recommended only for severe cases of pneumonia.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, so goes a saying. “Preventing pneumonia in children is an essential component of a strategy to reduce child mortality,” the WHO says. “Immunization against Hib, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia.”

In 2013, the health department introduced the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine as an addition to its free basic immunization program for children in the health centers across the country.

“Non-immunization is one of the definite risk factors that makes any child more vulnerable to pneumonia,” said Dr. Salvacion Gatchalian, past president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines.

You can also lower your chances of getting pneumonia by staying away from people who have the flu, colds, measles, or chickenpox. You may get pneumonia after you have one of these illnesses. Wash your hands often. Wear a face mask whenever you go out. All these measures can help prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria that may cause pneumonia.

showing in the 2018 Asian Games and impressive performance during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where the country placed on top of the medal tally. The country also bagged a total of four medals, including its first Olympic gold, at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

“Marami pong kababayan natin ang hanga sa ating mga atleta dahil sa sakripisyong kanilang ipinakita. Araw-araw nilang binubuhos ang lahat ng kanilang makakaya sa training, kahit pa nasa kalagitnaan tayo ng pandemya,” said Go. “Indeed, our athletes found ways to stay on top of their game despite strict quarantine restrictions both locally and abroad. In fact, they even have to endure being away from their loved ones for extended periods just to train and represent our country in their respective fields,” he added.

Go then thanked the athletes present during the hearing, assuring them that the discussions will benefit them in the long run.

“With the help and cooperation of our various National Sports Associations, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Sports Commission, we aim to improve the quality of assistance you deserve,” he said.

The senator also assured them of full support from the Senate, citing Republic Act No. 11470 that he authored and co-sponsored, which establishes the National Academy of Sports (NAS) at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac to provide education and training for young aspiring athletes.

“Pag nag-training, nasasakripisyo ang pag-aaral, pag nag-aaral, nasasakripisyo ang training. Ngayon po, pwede na pong pagsabayin. Diyan po ito sa Clark, malapit na pong matapos ang gusali na pinatayo ng

gobyerno. Para po ito sa atleta,” said Go. As part of the results of the hearing, a Magna Carta for Filipino athletes was also proposed to be drafted and studied further to clearly identify the rights and privileges of athletes.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of transparency and to allay doubts of partiality, Go disclosed that he is the Honorary Chairman of PATAFA, but said that such title was conferred to him by PATAFA before he was elected as senator and before he became the head of the Senate Sports Committee.

“To allay doubts of partiality, I have never discharged any function related to this role. Being an ‘Honorary Chairman’ is merely a title or honor, without the usual obligations or remunerations,” explained Go. Ending the hearing, Go asked those involved to find an amicable resolution to the conflict. He added that the longer the issue drags on, the longer the country is exposed to embarrassment in the international sporting arena. “‘Wag po natin sayangin ang karangalan na dala ng ating mga atleta noong mga nakaraang taon para sa mga isyu na maaari namang pag-usapan at ayusin,” advised the senator.

“Pwede naman pong ayusin ninyo ito. How can we unify as a nation and win in international competitions if we cannot even see eye to eye as one nation and one team?” he added.

He also urged the parties to avoid pointing fingers, noting that there has been no final determination of guilt or liability from any tribunal.

“Ang importante lang po dito ay nabibigyan natin ng kaukulang tulong ang ating mga atleta. As much as possible, I am asking all Filipinos to just support and pray for our athletes as they regularly compete to bring honor to our country,” he said.

modernization programs of the two agencies.

“Please make sure that that’s up to date because apparently, it’s getting more and more prevalent,” Dominguez told Tionko.

Long before the pandem-

ic broke out in March 2020, Dominguez already directed DOF and its attached agencies to vigorously pursue their respective digitalization programs to help boost revenue collections and further improve the delivery of services to the public.

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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray were named as injury replacements for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Ball, Murray replace KD, Green in NBA All-Star Game Klay douses late Thunder rally as Warriors stretch streak to nine

O

KLAHOMA CITY — Klay Thompson scored 21 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-98, on Monday night (Tuesday, Manila time) for their ninth

straight win.

After the Thunder rallied late in the fourth quarter to cut Golden State’s lead to five, Thompson hit two 3-pointers — including one with just over a minute remaining — to put the

Warriors up nine.

Stephen Curry added 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who shot 50 percent from the field.

Lu Dort scored 26 points and Darius Bazley

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EW YORK — Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray were named to the NBA All-Star Game on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) as injury replacements for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

The league also announced that Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who was selected as a reserve, will replace Durant as a starter.

The 71st NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Cleveland.

This is the first AllStar selection for Ball, last year’s Rookie of the Year.

The 20-year-old Ball becomes the fourth-youngest All-Star in NBA history. He is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.47 steals in 47 games for Charlotte.

Ball said he was taking a pre-game nap when he received a phone call from general manager Mitch Kupchak.

“I’m pretty much blessed, excited,” Ball

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FRED C. LUMBA SPORTS KEN

WESLEY SO UPDATE Even as pole vaulter EJ Obiena has agreed to take part in a mediation process that will settle his much publicized dispute with PATAFA, we continue to see bright moments for Pinoy athletes in the sports firmament.

As we went to press, Fil-Am super GM Wesley So overcame jet lag to register two straight victories in the on-going first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin.

After four matches in the double round robin, four-man group, So leads group D with 3 points as the players take a one day rest.

He defeated fellow Ameri-

can super GM Lenier Dominguez Monday in an Italian Game employing a double rook occupation of the seventh rank to force the latter to resign.

A day earlier, Wesley soundly turned back Alexei Shirov for his first win after being held to a draw in his first two matches - against Dominguez with Black and India’s Pentala Harekrishna with White.

He will likely meet Levon Aronian who is leading group C also with 3 points in the 16-player, four-group tournament.

Earlier China’s Ding Liren, ranked number 3 in the world, failed to make it to Berlin due to

visa problems and was replaced

by Poland’s Radoslaw Wojtaszek who, not surprisingly, is tied for the lead with Vladimir Fedoseev with 2.5pts in Group B. In Group A, another American, super GM Hikaru Nakamura is hanging tightly on to the driver’s seat, as Russia’s Alexander Grischuk irreverently makes his pursuit.

The winners in each of the four groups will move to the semi-finals, a knockout format with the victors clashing for the first leg championship trophy.

Strict health protocols are being observed in compliance

with the WHO rules and regulations on Covid19 infection. While spectators are allowed to watch the matches, entry of chess fans is limited.

The on-the-board games are seen to bring back animated interest in chess which was replaced, albeit temporarily, by online tournaments.

Interestingly, commercial sponsors supported the on-line contests because lesser expenses were required because participants need not leave their individual residence or cities.

Should Wesley snatch one of the top two slots in this Grand

Prix, he will qualify to the Candidates Matches in April where the eventual top finisher will get to challenge Word Champion Magnus Carlsen for the FIDE World Championship.

WS has prepared diligently, skipping the FIDE Grand Swiss and the prestigious Tata Steel in WIjk Aan Zee, Netherlands this January.

He only needs to draw his next two assignments - versus Harekrishna in R5 and Shirov anew in R6 - to claim a spot in the crossover semifinals. (EmaIl your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.14 ISSUE 274 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go presides over the joint Senate Committee hearing on Monday, February 7, regarding the rift between pole vaulter and Olympian Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

LET’S TALK

Bong Go wants probe, resolution of Obiena-PATAFA row

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hair of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go presided over the joint Senate Committee hearing on Monday, February 7, regarding the rift between pole vaulter and Olympian Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

Leading the public hearing of the Senate Sports Committee, joint with the Finance Committee, Go emphasized the need to identify possible government interventions to resolve the issues or craft necessary legislation to avoid such conflicts from recurring. He then urged concerned agencies and organizations to always prioritize the welfare of athletes.

“Nandito po tayo ngayon para pag-usapan ang mga isyung ito at tugunan po ang ugat ng mga nakakagulat na pangyayari. Sa akin naman po, nandito po ako para pumagitna sa PATAFA at kay Mr. Obiena para po maayos ang gusot na ito,” said Go. “Priority ko pong maiwasan at hindi na maulit ang mga sitwasyong katulad nito,” he added.

The dispute was reportedly caused by delayed payments to Obiena’s Ukrainian coach, Vitaly Petrov.

PATAFA initially ordered Obiena to return funds intended for Petrov, accusing the pole vaulter of faking liquidation records and embezzlement.

Obiena and Petrov both refuted the claims.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) initially stepped in as a mediator, asking Obiena and PATAFA to desist from making public pronouncements. The PSC stated that it will remain open to spearheading any mediation between Obiena and PATAFA. Expressing his frustration over the controversy, Go strongly recommended for the PSC to regularly meet and coordinate with the Philippine Olympic Committee to ensure that all assistance needed by the athletes are promptly provided and such conflicts are immediately resolved.

“Alam n’yo, tuwing mayroong Asian Games, mayroong Southeast

Asian Games – even the recent Southeast Asian Games, pagkatapos, after giving honor to our country eh ang nangyayari doon na naman ‘yung nagsisisihan - Saan na ‘yung pera?

Anong nangyari? Sino ang nakatanggap? Walang katapusan,” remarked Go. “So, ibig kong sabihin dito, kaya nga po tayo mayroong PSC, it’s high time na you should step up at magpagitna, hindi ‘yung Senado ang referee dito. Kami rito gagawa kami ng, maybe, bagong batas na para to strengthen PSC dahil dito... tapusin natin ito ngayong araw na ito at ang PSC po dapat ang magpagitna d’yan,” he added.

Go then said that the hearing aims to come up with meaningful recommendations in aid of legislation to boost the morale of athletes, improve their performance in their respective fields, and foster better relationships among various sports organizations and athletes.

“Yet, we must do so in a spirit of fair play and justice,” he added.

Meanwhile, stressing the government’s continuing commitment to strengthen the country’s sports program and safeguard the welfare of the athletes, Go pointed out that the exemplary performance of the Philippines in various international sports competitions in recent years is no coincidence.

“Alam naman po natin kung gaano ka-dedikado ang mga atletang Pilipino kapag nabibigyan lang sila ng tamang mga oportunidad at pag-alalay, suporta po. Maliban sa pagiging mapagpursige, likas din po talagang magagaling ang mga Pilipino sa larangan ng sports,” he said.

Go noted the Philippines’ decent

FTALK, P10