Edge Davao Volume 14 Issue 281 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

VOL.14 ISSUE 281 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

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REOPENING DOORS City gov’t eases restrictions, reopens tourism activities to help Davao City’s fast economic recovery STORY ON PAGE 2

After a hard day’s work, a group of men unwinds by drinking at a restobar along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Lanang, Davao City on Tuesday night. The city government of Davao has lifted the modified liquor ban that took effect on February 15, 2022 allowing bars and restaurant to serve liquor and alcoholic beverages.

Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

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President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, San Miguel Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang, and Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, leads the unveiling of the project marker of the South Luzon Expressway Elevated Extension Project during the inauguration ceremony in Alabang, Muntinlupa City on Tuesday. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

REOPENING DOORS

Davao City gov’t eases restrictions, reopens tourism Parents thank government for activities to help city’s fast economic recovery ‘Resbakuna for Kids’ roll-out

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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ment, which is opening up tourism activities. We welcome that diri sa syudad sa Davao. We started with giving people area for fresh air and recreation katong sa coastal road and then we are doing the liquor ban sa public and we are lifting the prohibition on events sa government, musunod-su-

nod na, hinay hinayon nato ug abli tanan, hulat hulaton lang nato ang effect sa cases nato sa Davao City,” said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Mayor Sara has eased the restriction on liquor ban in the establishments that are open to the public and lift Executive Order No. 69 series of 2021 or “An Order Extending Until September 12, 2022, the Regulations on All Barangay, Local, and National Govern-

ment Office Events Including Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation Events,” which took effect on February 15, 2022 through EO No. 6 Series of 2022 also known as “An Order Providing For The Lifting Of The Regulations On All Barangay, Local, And National Government Office Events Including Government-owned And Controlled Corporation Events.”

candidates have copies of the notice informing them of their supposed compliance to Comelec Resolution No.10730, the rules and regulations in implementing our fair election act,” Usman said.

For now, the focus of the city election office are the campaign posters of the national candidates because

their campaign period started on February 8.

“Our local candidates are not yet covered because technically their campaign period has not yet started and their being candidates per se,” Usman said.

She said the Task Force Baklas has for its partners the Department of the Interior and Local Government;

City Environment and Natural Resources Office; Philippine National Police; and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

All the agencies conveyed together with Comelec – Koronadal to pursue the activation of the task force as mandated un-

any establishments will be putting up that “WE ARE OPEN” sign on their doors soon.

That’s because the city government of Davao is easing restrictions and opening tourism to help fast track the economic recovery of Davao City.

“Ang pinakapaspas magpabalik sa economic activity is mao man pud ang direction karon sa atoang national govern-

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Comelec starts ‘Operation Baklas’ in Koronadal City

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he Task Force Baklas of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) started removing illegal campaign materials here on Tuesday.

Lawyer Maleiha Usman, city election officer, said they started the operation after giving notice to the national candidates recently.

“I think even the local

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r. Gemma Tiu, a pediatrician and a mother of a 10 year old son Nate Ethan Gabriel who got vaccinated yesterday during the roll-out of the vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 could not help but express her relief after months of waiting for the COVID19 vaccine for her child.

“Sa umpisa ng pandemic, itong anak ko ay nakikinig na at inaalam niya na kung paano maproteksyunan mula sa virus. Alam nya na ang tanging makaprotect sa atin sa COVID ay vaccination. (Even during the start of the pandemic, my child was always listening and he learns how to be protected from getting the virus infection. He knew that that the best way to get protected is through vaccination.),” Dr. Tiu said.

About 250 children flocked to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) on the first day of the roll-out. The said facility was first in Davao City to hold the vaccination for the pediatric group with age ranging from 5 to 11 years.

“Inaabangan na talaga niya ito. Gusto na nyang magface to face classes at namimiss na niya ang

kanyang mga kaklase. Kaya kagabi, maaga siyang natulog at maaga rin syang nagising. Hindi ako nahirapang gisingin sya kasi excited rin sya sa vaccination. (My son has long waited for this. He wanted to go back to the face to face classes because he already missed his classmates. Last night, he slept early and woke early early this morning. It wasn’t hard for me to wake him up because he was really excited for the vaccination.)”

The parent, after the vaccination, expressed gratitude to the government and how happy she is for getting the sense of security and protection for her kid.

“Iniencourage ko ang mga parents na pag-isipang mabuti. Itong bakunang ito ay para sa kabutihan ng mga bata. Ito naman ay dumaan ng research and studies sa ibang bansa. So kung s ibang bansa ay natapos na nilang pabakunahan ang kanilang mga anak na 5-11 years old at wala namang reported na major adverse side effects, ibig sabihin safe po ang bakuna.” (I encourage the parents to think very well. This vaccine is for the good of our kids. This vaccine has gone through

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NEWS

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Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio says the city government of Davao is now gearing on recovering economic activities by easing restrictions and opening tourism. Edge Davao

Davao City prepares for pediatric vaccination

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Dr. Schlosser assures booster shots safe

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he Davao City Covid-19 Task Force assured that booster doses are safe contrary to some claims of adverse effects after getting the booster shot.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the said task force, confirmed there are side effects from the booster shot but they are considered as minor.

“Kasi ang naa sa fake news naa daw nangamatay ug na ospital. I am reassuring the public as of today in Davao City we can safely say na wala gyud namatay because of the booster dose pero expected gyud kaayo nga naay adverse minor effects nga pain sa arm on the inoculation site, fever, sakit ang lawas- those are expected effects,” she said on Wednesday.

Schlosser said some Dabawenyos are already complacent that they are already protected with the first and second doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccines.

“Ang atoang booster mao na ang atong ginahangyo sa tanan nga dapat pa nato i-strengthened kay so far medyo kampanti ang mga tao na first and second dose lang they think completed na nila ug na ang first and second dose of vaccination enough na siya. But I have to repeat and I will always repeat this to the public, ang booster is an additional layer of protection.

Naa siya’y 25 percent of additional protection against infection at the same time protection sad siya against the severity of Covid-19.

Habang naa pa tay Covid-19 na infection puwede pata ma infect even with the vaccine,” Schlosser said.

Meanwhile, Schlosser also reported that as of February 13, 2022 Davao City’s positivity rate is at 7.8 percent which is almost close to the acceptable positivity rate of 5 percent.

Ug nagpadayon gihapon ang pagbaba sa atoang mga

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he city government of Davao is set to roll out pediatric inoculation for children aged 5 years old to 11 years old tentatively scheduled on February 21, 2022.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, said this will happen if nothing goes wrong especially in the logistical side of the program.

“Naa nata’y tentative date February 21 and usually pag tentative most often than not pag wala gyud ta’y mga kakulian sa atoang supply like the vaccines and logistics, mapatupad gyud

nato na. Ang atong manpower is on standby na,” she said.

The city government has identified special sites for the inoculation of the 5 years old to 11 years old namely Almendras Gym, San Roque Central Elementary School, and Vicente Hizon Elementary School.

Schlosser said walk-ins are allowed in these sites.

Schlosser said the city is also looking at establishing district sites and has already identified areas namely F. Dizon Elementary School for District 1, Abreeza Mall for District 3, SM Lanang Premier for District 2, Gmall Toril for District 3, and Holy Cross of Calinan for District 3.

“Mao ni ang atong mga

said the city will not oppose the decision of schools should they decide to allow in-campus classes for students, provided that there will be strict compliance with the minimum public health standards (MPHS) to avoid contracting the infection.

She told private and public basic education institutions to apply for resumption of face-to-face classes

with the Department of Education (DepEd) while colleges and universities or higher education institutions with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Duterte said the city can learn from the practices of schools in Metro Manila that reopened in-campus classes.

“We leave that to the schools to decide if they

want face-to-face because our DepEd and CHED have guidelines, and schools in Manila, National Capital Region, have already started reopening. They have faceto-face classes, so we are not without examples on how to start again and go back to face-to-face classes,” she said.

The mayor said the local government of Davao has

FCITY, P10

Authorities allow schools to resume F2F classes A

s community restrictions here further eased, the City Government of Davao has allowed schools in Davao City to resume face-to-face classes after two years of remote learning due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Mayor Sara Duterte said.

In her program streamed live over her Facebook page, Duterte

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

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A pedestrian looks on the “ukay-ukay” shoes being displayed and sold along the sidewalk im Matina, Davao City on Wednesday. Edge Davao

SEC collects P119-M in fees, penalties through online tool

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he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has collected PHP119.07 million in fees and penalties, or an average of PHP11.9 million per month from March 2021 to January of this year, through its web-based system that allows cashless payment of business registrations, fees, and other charges.

SEC chairman Emilio Aquino said the fees and other charges collected through the Commission’s Electronic System for Payments to SEC (eSPAYSEC) involved 16,898 transactions from the time the project was first implemented on March 1,

2021 up to Jan. 26, 2022.

Aquino said the eSPAYSEC allows the online payment of fees, penalties, and other charges using debit and credit cards, digital wallets, and other cashless payment options.

Another SEC initiative

under Aquino –the Electronic Filing and Submission Tool (eFAST)--that covers the online submission of the audited financial statement (AFS), general information sheet (GIS), and other reportorial requirements of businesses processed 169,323 enrollments from the time of its launching on March 15, 2021 up to Jan. 26, 2022, with a total of 185,127 reports submitted electronically.

The SEC’s Electronic System for Processing and Registration of Companies (eSPARC), which makes it faster and convenient for

corporations to register, processed 48,266 applications from April 11 last year to Jan. 26, 2022, Aquino said in his presentation to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III of the SEC’s accomplishments for 2021.

Impressed with the SEC’s accomplishments, Dominguez congratulated Aquino and the rest of the SEC for making significant progress in the Commission’s programs to improve the ease of doing business through its digitalization, as well as for deepening the capital markets.

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DOT chief sees tourism sector recovery from pandemic in ‘22

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epartment of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Wednesday expressed confidence that this year, the tourism sector will recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Puyat pointed out that tourists were just waiting for our borders to open.

“When you talk about tourism, yes,” Puyat said when asked if the recovery of the tourism sector will

happen this 2022.

“Hinihintay lang ng ating tourism stakeholders na magbukas. Ang pagbukas kasi for foreigners means that we are going back to normal,” she added.

(Tourism stakeholders were waiting for the country to open its borders.

The opening for foreigners means that we are going back to normal).

As of Tuesday, Puyat said

ebu Pacific has resumed its thrice weekly flights to Bangkok, and weekly flights to Fukuoka and Jakarta, in time for the easing of Philippine arrival quarantine restrictions and reopening of borders for tourists this month.

The IATF has recently revised the entry and quarantine protocols for international arrivals to the Philippines, temporarily suspending its country classification restrictions (listing countries under green, yellow, and red categories). Based on these guidelines, fully vaccinated

passengers from visa-free countries can visit the for business or leisure purposes, and are no longer required to observe mandatory facility-based quarantine upon arrival, as long as they present a negative RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours prior arrival.

“This development will benefit the tourism industry across the Philippines as we welcome vaccinated travelers from around the world to explore our beautiful shores. We laud the Department of Tourism for actively pushing for our

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Pacific resumes flights PEZA woos UAE oil firms to set Cebu to Bangkok, Fukuoka, Jakarta up refineries in PH ecozones C P hilippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director general Charito Plaza has invited oil companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to build and operate oil refineries in the country.

During the Global Biz with PEZA featuring the United Arab Emirates held in Dubai Tuesday, Plaza said oil companies based in the UAE can look into opportunities in making the Philippines its hub in the Southeast Asian region.

“We seek your help to talk with big oil companies here in UAE as we attract them to locate in our island refinery ecozones, so to bring their oil deposits, stock it in the Philippines and have it refined there,” she said.

Plaza added UAE firms can take advantage of the ease of doing business as PEZA offers a one-stop shop for processing investments within ecozones and enjoying fiscal incentives and lower corporate in-

come tax rate with the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law.

Island refinery ecozone is a new type of ecozone that PEZA is pursuing to help the country secure petroleum needs and lessen its vulnerability from oil supply and price disruptions in the world market.

UAE is one of the biggest oil and gas producers in the world with a daily average production of 3 million barrels of petroleum and oil re-

serves of 100 billion barrels.

One-third of its economy depends on its oil and gas industry.

Aside from setting up oil refinery ecozones, Plaza said UAE companies may also explore opportunities in establishing halal ecozones, as well as Islamic banking in the Philippines.

She said there are only six locators from the UAE in PEZA zones with total investments amounting to PHP383 billion and employing 1,049 personnel. (PNA)

FCEBU, P10

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ECONOMY

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Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH) president and CEO Celso Bernard G. Lopez (3rd from right) turns over a key to Shopping Center Management Corporation (SCMC) vice president for operations in Mindanao Oliver John R. Tiu (2nd from left) during the Davao Doctors Care Center at SM City Davao turn over ceremony. Also present during the event were DDH chief operations officer Mirasol B. Tiu (2nd from left), SCMC regional operations manager, Mindanao 2 Engr. Jonathan Nick D. Santos (leftmost) and DDH medical director Dr. Ronald P. Tangente. SM

JPMorgan says oil prices may hit $125 per barrel in second quarter

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PMorgan said Monday crude oil prices may hit $125 per barrel in the second quarter of this year.

The US-based global investment bank and financial services company said on the supply side the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, dubbed as OPEC+, is unlikely to deviate from its targeted oil production quota.

The world’s biggest oil producers of OPEC+ are experiencing difficulties in meeting their monthly production quotas.

The total oil production from OPEC+ rose in January by a modest 150,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to the International

Energy Agency (IEA).

The global oil demand, however, is estimated to increase by 3.2 million bpd this year, the IEA said.

On the supply side, global oil consumption has skyrocketed with the normalization from the coronavirus pandemic, which caused crude prices to soar.

Also, the escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine has fueled oil prices.

The price of international benchmark Brent crude climbed above $96 per barrel earlier Monday, its highest level in approximately seven years.

The price of American benchmark West Texas Intermediate hit as high as $94.92 a barrel. (Anadolu)

Cash remittances hit $31.4 billion in 2021

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ash remittances from overseas Filipinos coursed through banks grew by 3.3 percent to $2.99 billion in December 2021 from $2.89 billion in the same month in 2020, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said on Tuesday.

This resulted in fullyear 2021 cash remittances totaling $31.42 billion, up 5.1 percent from the $29.9 billion recorded in 2020, the BSP said.

Full-year 2021 personal remittances mean-

while reached a new record high of $34.88 billion, surpassing US$33.47 in 2019, and the $33.19 billion recorded in 2020 by 5.1 percent.

In December, personal remittances grew yearon-year by 2.9 percent to

promotion of integrated pest management and biological control of pests and diseases in its coverage area.

“Through the (laboratory), it will be able to easily supply Biocon agents to the farmers in the first district of Surigao del Sur while serving the whole province in terms of natural pest management,” the DA-13 said.

The agency also handed over to the Cantilan town government the equipment and materials for the laboratory, which included a fabricated laminar flow hood, a heavy-duty blender, and a pressure cooker. (PNA)

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New rice pest control laboratory to serve 5 Surigao del Sur towns

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ice farmers in five towns of Surigao del Sur can now benefit from a laboratory that will help eliminate pest infestation and rice farm diseases in the area, the Department of Agriculture in Caraga (DA-13) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the DA13 said it formally opened a Biological Control (Biocon) Agent Laboratory in the town of Cantilan on Monday.

The opening of the laboratory was led by DA-13 Regional Executive Director Ricardo Oñate Jr., Cantilan Mayor Carla Lopez-Pichay, and Surigao del Sur 1st District Repre-

sentative Prospero Pichay.

“The laboratory will directly benefit the farmers in the towns of Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen, and Lanuza,” the DA-13 said.

The agency added that the laboratory will supply Biocon agents, such as the Metharizium anisopliae, a fungus that grows upon insect host cuticle that controls the population of rice black bug (RBB), locust, mosquitoes, and soil termites.

The laboratory will also conduct mass production of other biological control agents, including Trichoderma and Trichogramma, and intensify the

$3.298 billion, the highest monthly level since the tracking of personal remittances data series began in 2005, the BSP added.

“The growth in personal remittances reflected a pickup in OFW deployment, strong demand for OFWs amid the reopening of host economies to foreign workers, and the continued shift to digital support that facilitated inward transfer of remittances,” the central

bank said.

The increase in remittances meanwhile led to an increase in domestic demand, with the 2021 level accounting for 8.9 percent and 8.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national income (GNI), respectively, the BSP added.

The Philippines is one of top recipients of remittances, which power domestic consumption and economic expansion.

from the SEC authorization to pursue such activities.

The companies, their agents, representatives and promoters, as well as the owners and operators of their hosting sites, were further enjoined to cease from offering and/or advertising their lending business and related business through the internet or any other media, and to remove all materials involving such.

The SEC issued the order after finding that none of the groups were registered as a corporation with the Commission.

Accordingly, they also lack the certificate of authority to operate as a lending/financing company

(CA).

Republic Act 9474, or the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007 (LCRA), requires persons or entities operating as lending companies to register as corporations and to secure from the SEC the necessary authority to operate. “(T)he Commission finds that the continued operation of the online lending operators constitutes a clear violation of, and should be penalized pursuant to the (LCRA) because it engages in or carries out a lending business without the required license form the Commission,” the commission en banc held.

SEC orders 8 online illegal lenders to stop operations

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues its crackdown against illegal lending after ordering eight online lending operators to stop conducting lending activities without the necessary license.

In an order issued February 8, the commission en banc directed CashWill, PesoBee, Peso T-Safe Online Cash, RushLoan, SkyMart, SpendCash, Tapa, and WithU, to immediately cease and desist from operating, engaging in, carrying out, abetting, and/or promoting lending/financing businesses and related activities until they have incorporated and secured

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

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On President Rodrigo Duterte’s resolve to work hard to serve the Filipino people until his final day in office:

While many Filipinos have expressed their sadness that President Rodrigo Duterte’s term is coming to an end, such is the democratic process.

Everything has to come to an end at some point. That said, I am confident that he has done his best in serving the country and will continue to do so as the country’s leader.”

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go

EDITORIAL Quo vadis?

Journalists of Davao and other parts of Mindanao are invited to a media forum today on the occasion of the 12th founding anniversary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Newly-minted Chairperson Maria Belen Sunga-Acosta is guest interviewee. She will be supported by Undersecretary Janet Lopoz and Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro, highly able MinDA veterans who can surely help answer questions about the unique agency.which is actually more

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

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The two and other variants were created decades ago in the hope of solving age-problems confronting the island region.

These are just few of the questions that may be asked in the forum.

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

than 12-years old if we included its forerunners like pre-Martial Law Mindanao Development Administration and post- EDSA MeDCo.

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 THINK ON THESE!

ALL ABOUT SMOKING Smoking is one subject that famous men and women often talk about. “Remember, if you smoke after sex you’re doing it fast,” said Oscar-winning Woody Allen. To which Florence King contradicted. “Now the only thing I miss about sex is the cigarette afterward,” she said. “Next to the first one in the morning, it’s the best one of all. It tasted so good that even if I had been frigid, I would have pretended otherwise just to be able to smoke it.”

Quitting smoking, indeed, is the hardest thing to do. Listen to what American humorist Mark Twain said: “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world.

I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.”

Barbara Kelly had the same view. “I tried to stop smoking cigarettes by telling myself I just didn’t want to smoke, but I didn’t believe myself.” Bill Hicks stated, “I’m not really a heavy smoker any more. I only get through two lighters a day now.”

There are those who really hate smoking. “Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless,” said King James I of

England.

Duane Alan Hahn has this to say about tobacco: “Everything is not fine. You violate our bodies.

You give us pain. You’re no better than a rapist. Until you come to your senses, you are the enemy.”

Dr. Halfdan Mahler, former director-general of the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) compared tobacco use to “slow-motion suicide.”

Even for non-smokers, tobacco is deadly. Second-hand smoke exposure has been implicated in adverse health outcomes, causing 1.2 million deaths annually, the WHO said. Nearly half of all children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke and 65,000 children die each year due to illnesses related to second-hand smoke.

Because of its poisonous contents, Roman Catholic Bishop Cornelius Lucey had coined the word “cancerettes” for cigarettes.

He explained that the heavier a smoker a person is, the more likely he is to be a victim of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is widely recognized as being due almost entire­ ly to smoking. Lung cancer is considered as the deadliest type of cancer in the country. In 2020, there were a total of 19,180 new cases of lung cancer.

Smoking tobacco is one of the

world’s leading killers. Tobacco kills up to half of its users, the WHO said. “Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year,” the United Nations health agency pointed out. “More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use.”

As such, smoking can be likened to an epidemic. But unlike other epidem­ics, it has no compari­ son, according to Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima. “The tobacco epidemic is not like the other ones,” said the former WHO official, adding that no pathologi­cal agent, virus, bacteria or bacillus can be blamed for the disease.

Aside from lung cancer, other smoking-caused health problems include respiratory diseases, peptic ulcers and pregnancy complications, including low birth weight. Among malnourished mothers, low birth weight threatens children’s lives.

Children born to smoking mothers also risk impaired physical and intellectual development.

Women who smoke face an increased risk of dying of breast cancer, according to an American study. The more cigarettes a woman smoked and the longer she had smoked, the greater her risk, the study noted. Those who smoked two packs or more a day, for instance, were 75 percent

more likely to develop fatal breast cancer than were non-smokers.

Smoking has also been observed to cause slower penile erection among men because excessive nicotine in the bloodstream “causes constriction of the penile artery, the blood vessel necessary in male erection,” to quote the words of a chest physician at the Lung Center of the Philippines.

Three out of four Filipino smokers want to quit smoking, former health secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial reported. Latest records released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Health (DOH) revealed only about 640,000 – out of the 15.9 million smokers – were able to quit smoking altogether.

But quitting is easier said than done. Since these recalcitrant smokers cannot quit smoking immediately, the best thing to do is provide them tobacco alternatives like electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette).

“E-cigarettes are way less harmful than cigarettes and they can and do help smokers switch if they can quit,” Dr. David Abrams, a New York University professor of social and behavioral sciences in the College of Global Public Health told CBS This Morning

Tony Dokoupil.

But there’s a better alternative than e-cigarettes and it’s called heated tobacco products (HTPs). FAME Leaders Academy, a research group based in Makati, found evidence that the use of HTPs could have a positive impact on this very hard-to-reach group of recalcitrant smokers.

The group – from Cardio-Metabolic Research Unit – has just completed two independent systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the use of HTPs. “Compared to conventional cigarettes, HTPs have significantly less harmful effects on some cardiovascular risk factors, that is, heart rate, high density lipoprotein (good cholesterol), and arterial function,” says Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, a cardiologist who headed the study.

That was the conclusion of the first meta-analysis. The second one showed that HTPs have significantly less risk exposure to harmful elements found in conventional cigarette smoking.

The harmful elements are those associated with the disease complications in the heart, lungs and other vital organs of the body.

According to Dr. Castillo, the two meta-analyses are currently undergoing peer review in international journals.

DENNIS R. GORECHO KUWENTONG PEYUPS

ALTERNATIVE LAWYERING AND NERI COLMENARES Many alternative lawyers are guided by the words of former President Ramon Magsaysay: “Those who have less in life should have more in law.”

Alternative lawyering is legal practice either individually or through legal resource organizations that work with the poor and marginalized groups, identities and communities towards their empowerment, greater access to justice, and building peace.

Alternative lawyers do often take on careers outside of the mainstream, but what differentiates their work is their commitment to a different route to, and conception of, justice.

The poor who have less resources in relation to the rich, will often have to bank on the law to safeguard their rights.

In building a more accessible, inclusive and dynamic justice system, all remedies allowed by law should be completely exhausted for their protection.

The semblance of being given “more” in law is imperative to equip them the chance of equality which they do not enjoy.

I was exposed to alternative lawyering as a volunteer law stu-

dent for Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) led by Chel Diokno.

Lawyers, as professionals, are expected to uphold the ethical and moral values that are said to be essential to the fabric that holds society together.

Perhaps this is also the principle behind the legal advocacies of senatoriable Neri Colmenares, who is my batchmate from the UP College of Law. He finished his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at San Beda College before joining UP Law. Neri considers the law and how it is formulated as very alienating. In an interview, he recalled how even in his days as a UP Law student, he would inquire about legal phrases and how they can be simplified to make them understandable to the people.

“Law alienates the people because of the language. So I promised to myself that if I become a lawyer, I will explain and make sure that my pleadings are as simple as possible,” Neri said.

As a lawyer and legislator, he tried to explain issues as simply as possible, including laws that

may appear complex attributing to his long experience of working and immersing with the basic sector.

Born in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Neri was active in the struggle against the late former President Ferdinand Marcos’ leadership in 1970s.

He was active in the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), and became the Visayas regional chair of the Student Catholic Action (SCA).

He was arrested and tortured for protesting the ban on student councils and campus publications.

As a torture survivor, he continued to assert and defend human rights.

Neri is the chairperson of both the Makabayan Coalition and the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), a national association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines.

He has been actively assisting families of victims of human rights violations, calling out government abuses, fighting disinformation, and filing relevant

legal measures to put a stop to what progressives deem as anti-people policies.

This despite repeated attempts to discredit him, including relentless red-tagging with his photos plastered in several cities and the filing of trumpedup kidnapping and other related charges.

Neri has been a three-term representative for Bayan Muna and a senior deputy minority leader in the 16th Congress.

He also sponsored the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Law, the Human Rights Victims Reparation Law, the Anti-Torture Law, the Local Absentee Voting Act for Media and the Special Election Precincts for PWDs and Senior Citizens Act. He ran but lost in the 2019 midterm elections, coming as 24th with more than 4.6 million votes.

Neri also acted as a petitioner or counsel in the complaint filed by mothers of extrajudicial killing victims in the International Criminal Court, being a human rights lawyer.

The hashtag “#WeWantNeri” became viral as calls for

Vice President Leni Robredo to include Neri in their senatorial slate for the 2022 elections emerged online which was announced on October 8 2021.

Makabayan officially said that they will be supporting the Leni-Kiko tandem based on their agreement on issues including the pandemic response and heat, peace, sovereignty, human rights, and uplifting the lives of the poor, workers, farmers and indigenous people.

Neri advocates for free public health services, an established national minimum wage for workers and agrarian reform and agro-industrial development.

Colmenares joins the other senatorial aspirants that were endorsed by 1Sambayan, namely: Senators Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima , Antonio Trillanes, Teddy Baguilat, Chel Diokno, Alex Lacson and Sonny Matula.

(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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EDGEDAVAO

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SWEETS

SOUNDS mushy but it’s not surprising that you come across something you tried a first bite you find so lovely and sweet that it made you fall in love.

That’s exactly the sensation I felt with my first bite of Malagos Black Forest cake.

Love

This heavenly sweet stuff is filled with Malagos Garden’s signature chocolate topped with cream frosting and fresh cherries. Prepared using artisan chocolate harvested in its cacao farm and processed to ensure intricate and unique flavors in each bite.

I swear it will make your heart skip a bit before slicing.

The Malagos Black Forest cake is the newest addition to Malagos’ mouth watering dessert line using Malagos chocolate as the main ingredient.

There’s the decadent and sweet Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake. Malagos’ take on combining chocolates and cheese.

The Tableya cake, Malagos’ version

of moist chocolate cake made with its unsweetened chocolate that gives a symphony of sweetness with a hint of bitterness.

And everybody’s favorite, the Chocolate Parfait. A homemade tableya ice cream cake made from Malagos 65 percent dark chocolate topped with whipped cream.

If money can’t buy you happiness and love, Malagos Garden Resort cakes can.

Malagos cakes are available at Malagos Homegrown in Matina Aplaya, Davao City.

For years now, Malagos continue to offer both cheeses and chocolates despite already making a name even outside the country such as the four Golds received by its 100 percent Premium Unsweetened Chocolate and one Bronze at the 2020 World Drinking Chocolate Competition organized by the prestigious International Chocolate Awards.

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AGRITRENDS

IT PAYS TO GROW YOUR

9

LUSCIOUS MUSHROOM FOR PICKING

OWN MUSHROOM Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

L

MUSHROOM FOR SALE

et’s start this with a quiz: It’s not an animal, a plant or a mineral. It is both edible and toxic, vegetarian yet meaty in flavor, wild and domesticated, a contemporary health craze and an ancient remedy. It can send your mind on a wild hallucinogenic flight. It can also kill you.

If you are following the Reader’s Digest series, “I am the Food in Your Plate,” then you know the answer.

Yes, you are right – mushroom.

These days, as people become more health conscious, more and more Filipinos are eating mushrooms. Since 1995, the mushroom industry has been booming due to the huge demand. Unfortunately, most of the mushroom Filipinos consumed were imported from other Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Japan.

More than 100,000 varieties of mushrooms have been discovered, of which 2,000 are reportedly edible or fit for human consumption. In the Philippines, there are ten varieties of edible and medicinal mushrooms being grown. These are: paddy straw, oyster, shiitake, button, ear fungi,

milky, yellowish oyster, reishi, lion’s mane, and king tuber oyster.

It’s time for Filipinos to grow their own mushrooms. “Mushroom production can be a viable source of income for farmers with quick returns from low investment,” said Peñafrancia Gordo, the mushroom focal person of the Davao regional office of the Department of Agriculture.

Aside from its profitability, going into this kind of agriculture venture may help promote better farm waste management as rice straws and dried banana are utilized as raw materials.

The Philippines is one of the world’s top producers of rice. A total of 10,680 gigatons of rice straw are produced per year, a paper said. Much of this is burnt in open fields or merged in the soil in wet condition during ploughing.

MUSHROOM READY FOR EATING

In recent years, the Philippines has been in the top five banana exporters in the world exporting around 3.5 million tons of banana fruits annually. Davao region is among the highest banana producers. Instead of burning those banana leaves, they can be used for mushroom production.

Unlike other farming schemes, mushroom cul-

tivation is not really labor intensive. “It can be an ideal activity for housewives, senior citizens, and for differently-abled persons to be financially independent,” said Noel T. Provido, former DA regional information officer.

Yes, there’s money in growing mushrooms in your backyard. Ask Rosario Campo of Carmen, Davao

del Norte, who has been growing straw mushrooms since 1992. According to her, growing mushrooms doesn’t take so much of her time and it requires minimal financing.

“In just 12 days from planting, you can start harvesting and earn income,” she pointed out.

She believed that from growing mushrooms, she

will be able to raise the much-needed P250,000 for her daughter’s practicum abroad.

Economic analysts see mushrooms as another major Philippine crop. The local market for the crop is reportedly growing. In several Makati supermarkets, mushrooms are among the fast-selling items in their vegetables section.

Some local supermarkets in Metro Manila shelves have begun to carry canned mushrooms imported from China. “It’s a pity that we have to import because we can produce the mushrooms ourselves,” says an entrepreneur who’s into mushroom production.

Generally speaking, many Filipinos still have to develop a liking for mushrooms. Studies indicate only about 10 percent of the current population of more than 100 million regularly consume them.

“It is regrettable that, to date, cultivating mushrooms has been almost ignored in many developing countries, even though it could contribute significant-

FMUSHROOM, P10

10 EDGEDAVAO REOPENING... FROM2

Mayor Sara also lifted the modified liquor ban that also took effect on February 15, 2022 that allowed bars and restaurants to serve liquor and alcoholic beverages.

“We are starting to reopen.

Ang nabilin na lang man sa liquor ban is serving it in public so we are doing that already and we lifted events, the EO 69, the prohibition on events on the government side. We’ve never put restriction sa private side,” she said.

For tourism, the mayor urged MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) organizers to follow the guide released by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“We already have the DTI guide on how to conduct events especially if MICE events. We will just follow that and then we encourage ang atoang mga business establishments to open dinha na sa

mga bisita diri sa Davao City,” Mayor Sara said.

This is further strengthened when Davao City is placed under Alert Level 2 from February 16 to 28, 2022.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sara said the city cannot open yet the Roxas Night Market, which is the popular place for Dabawenyos to converge to eat. Mayor Sara has ordered the closure of the popular Roxas Night Market in 2020.

“That will come but not today ang Roxas Night Market, dili sa karon,” she said.

The mayor is hopeful that Covid-19 cases in Davao City will be just mild and asymptomatic.

“Because we see that we are at 1.2 million fully vaccinated and there is some sort of protection na sa atong population particularly didto sa mga adults with comorbidities and senior citizens who are high risk,” she said.

der the Comelec resolution.

“We have agreed to divide the group and come up with a clustering system, there are designated barangays in each cluster, this morning we send off our team for operation,” Usman said.

Koronadal City is composed of 27 barangays.

Usman said the city Comelec office is expecting to finish taking down illegal posters ahead of time.

“Originally the task force planned to conduct ‘Operation Baklas’ for one week because we anticipated the bulk of posters but then I was just

updated by the team that our roads and even the trees were cleaned by unlawful election propaganda,” Usman said.

Usman also reminded the candidates of the size of the campaign posters as not to exceed two by three feet.

Candidates can also place campaign posters at private properties provided subjected to allowable size and with the consent of the owner, she said.

“As the local candidates’ campaign period starts on March 25, we will pursue another ‘Operation Baklas’ for that purpose,” she said. (PNA)

research and studies in other countries. So if other countries were able to vaccinate their kids aged 5 to 11 years and there was no reported major adverse side effects, then we can say that the vaccine is safe.)”, Dr. Tiu added.

Following the kick-off ceremony of the Resbakuna for Kids, other vaccination site in private hospitals, schools, malls will then cater children of this age group for COVID19 vaccination.

Department of Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Roy Fer-

rer also urged the parents and guardians of kids.

“Let us convince our loved once, friends, neighbors, especially those who have not yet vaccinated, to receive it.

Let them be reminded on the MPHS protocol, let us not put our guards down, this will be the new norm that we are going to practice in our day to day lives. Let us not be complacent. If this virus will mutate, that is another problem that we will face in the future,” Dr. Ferrer said. (PIA XI/Frances Mae Macapagat)

that a total of 10,676 foreign travelers arrived since the border of the country opened for them on February 10. Around 45% of the arrivals are balikbayans.

The foreigners came from

the US, Canada, Australia, UK, South Korea, Germany, and Japan, according to Puyat.

For leisure, the DOT chief said the occupancy rate in hotels is now at 29%.

country to start accepting foreign tourists again, and we will support this initiative however we can,” said Xander Lao, Chief Commercial Officer at Cebu Pacific.

Cebu Pacific also plans to resume its flights to other international routes from Manila next month, specifically Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) on March 1 (Tuesday); and Taipei on March 2 (Saturday).

The UAE authorities have also lifted capacity restrictions on the Dubai-Manila route, enabling CEB to resume its daily flight frequency beginning March 1 (Tuesday).

“We continue to bank on the rebound of domestic tourism this year while remaining agile in addressing demand for international travel as well. We are encouraged that with these positive indicators, more OFWs can also fly back home easily and safely to their families,” added Lao. Passengers are reminded to ensure their requirements are complete prior to the day of travel. Everyjuan is advised to input their own contact details on their bookings to ensure timely receipt of important reminders, flight changes, and the like.

“The acts of the unregistered online lending operators in illegally offering and providing loans to the public, charging high interest rates, and subjecting its debtors to unfair treatment through abusive and even libelous language in collecting the loaned

amount,” it said.

Further, the Commission found that the online lending operators have been imposing onerous and unreasonable terms, charging high interest rates, and performing acts that violate the right to privacy of their borrowers.

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ginatan awan na mga district sites, although wala pa ta’y date ani,” she said.

On February 14, 2022 vaccination for pediatrics five to 11 years was piloted in the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) Hospital.

“We have also gathered

na open to the public na si DMSF ang kinahanglan lang is pre-registraiton sa Safe DQR which is already posted sa atoang city government of Davao Facebook Page. Ang atong SPMC will also open to the public ang atong ginahulat kung unsa ang proseso sa registration,” Schlosser said.

not received any report from DepEd-Davao about any untoward incident from the five pilot schools in the city that have been allowed to resume face-to-face classes.

“I would surmise that the absence of any report would mean that the conduct of faceto-face classes is okay because, so far, we have not received report from DepEd that anything occurred with rollout of faceto-face classes,” she said.

Duterte told the schools to comply with MPHS, particularly wearing of face mask, physical distancing, and frequent handwashing of students to minimize risk of contracting COVID-19.

She said the local government wants to gradually restore other activities here.

“Our direction is that we will be Dabawenyos living with COVID-19. We cannot wait for

the time to come that we are COVID-free or that there is eradication of COVID because we do not know if COVID will ever go away. What we shall do is we continue on with MPHS and slowly restore all the activities that have been restricted previously,” she said.

According to the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao, Davao City reported 39 new cases, bringing total cases to 71,538, with 1,144 active, 68,505 recoveries, and 1,889 dead.

From Alert Level 3, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental have been placed under Alert Level 2 starting February 16 until 28. The provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao Occidental will remain under Alert Level 3 for the same period. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

cases. We are very thankful for that dili lang gyud sa atong mga efforts but also sa efforts sa atoang mga katawhan kay naga pabakuna gyud sila. We are still calling sa tanan katawhan na ubay ubay na ang atong na achieve with our primary ug secondary doses,” she said.

She said the city has already inoculated 85.14 percent of the total population of Davao City.

“Before herd immunity ang atoang gina-target karon didto nata sa total population.

Sa atoang total population dako dako na ug naka 85.14 percent nata dili ni sa herd immunity, which is nakab-ot na nato pero ang atong goal man gyud is the total population sa Davao City na mabakunahan.

Mao na ang basehan sa atong rating in percentage not herd immunity lang,” she said. By Maya M. Padillo

“I don’t know in the past, but I don’t think this has ever happened in SEC’s history that you have achieved so much in the ease of doing business, so, congratulations,” Dominguez told Aquino. “SEC has also contributed in a big way to improving the capital markets, and of course in catching fraudulent transactions.”

Aquino said another digitalization initiative is the OneSEC tool, which ensures the one-day submission and electronic registration of companies.

A subsystem of eSPARC, the OneSEC was able to register 3,288 new corporations from Sept. 15, 2021 to January 26 this year.

versus Gonzalez.

Estrada however contracted Covid 19 virus and is unable to fight. The WBC decided to elevate Estrada to super champion and have the regular belt fought over by Gonzalez and an opponent to be determined.

That should have presented opportunity for Ancajas or Ioka to break into the seeming exclusive circle and compete for the vacant title while staking their title in a virtual unification.

But the powers that be decided otherwise and resorted to importing from the lower weight in the person of WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez to rival Gonzalez for the vacant WBC super flyweight title.

“What is funny is that Martinez stated that win or lose, he will move back down to flyweight to challenge WBO titlist Sunny Edwards in a unification. What the...???,” wrote Reynoso.

The WBA did even worst when it had to tap light flyweight Jesse Bam Rodriguez to fight Mexican ex WBC champion Carlos Cuadras for its vacant regular super flyweight title when Rungvusai, his sup-

posed original original opponent also contracted the viral infection. The title had been vacant since Gonzalez wrested the super title from Yafai.

Rodriguez overcame size and power disadvantages and upset Cuadras recently. It is not clear if Rodriguez will stay in the new weight class or go back down to light flyweight.

“Still odder, Gonzalez stated that if he wins the vacant WBC regular super flyweight title, he is amenable to defend it against Rodriguez’s brother WBA interim belt holder, Joshua Franco. What???,” the article said.

Given these strange occurrences, Ancajas may be better off moving up to 118 lbs where the situations are clearer and saner than his current division where fans and observers can’t make heads or tails of things.

Even if the unification with Ioka pushes through this year, Jerwin may be better off starting to campaign in the bantamweights as it seems that he won’t be getting better break with WBA and WBC for the opportunity to fight their super fly fair haired champions any time soon. (Philboxing.com)

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MUSHROOM... FROM9

ly to feeding their population, for edible mushrooms are delicious and nutritionally valuable,” deplores Jan Lelley, who wrote an article on mushroom growing.

Actually, mushroom is not a vegetable although people consider it as such. “All mushrooms are fungi and they produce spores, similar to pollen or seeds, which allows them to spread or travel by the wind,” wrote Nicola Shubrook for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s website. “The rest of the mushroom then matures, typically living in soil or wood.”

Nutrient density is the term used to describe the concentration of nutrients per calorie offered by a given food. In his book Eat for Health, Dr. Joel Fuhrman ranks a variety of foods based on their nutrient density, and mushrooms score 134, which is higher than most fruits including blueberries and raspberries, some vegetables, and all meat, eggs and dairy products.

There are several ways of growing mushrooms as there are several types of mushrooms. Most of them can be grown with little space and require little time. Since rice straws and dried banana leaves are plentiful, people can start growing mushrooms using these free and thrown away materials.

Below are the fundamental techniques involved in the culture of banana or rice straw type of mushroom. This information comes from the Bureau of Plant Industry which is now producing mushroom spawn in abundance: Dry rice straws and banana leaves are the most common types of bedding materials.

If these are not available, you may use other materials like cotton wastes, jute sacks, corn stalks, water hyacinth, sugar bagasse and abaca waste.

Gather long, clean and well dried rice straws and banana leaves, preferably those that are still standing in the field. As much as possible, avoid using old and contaminated bedding materials.

Then, bundle the bedding materials 6-8 inches in diameter. If rice straws are used, arrange butt ends together. The bundle materials are cut 1.5 to 2 feet long.

Soak the bundled materials in water for at least 3 hours but not more than 10 hours until enough moisture is absorbed by the materials. Be sure to have a foundation serving as support for the bed. Set the soaked-bundled materials, closely knit them together, evenly and compactly.

Water the bed well with the urea or ammonium sulfate at a rate of one to two tablespoons per gallon of water. Add sugar at the rate of 33 grams per gallon of water to improve the yield of mushrooms. Press the layer to the level of the surface. Stop watering when the water starts to drip off the bed.

Insert thumb-size prawns around the bed, four inches from along the side and four inches apart from each other.

Never plant spawn in the middle of the bed. Set the second layer of straw on the top of the first layer. Put the butt ends

together in two opposite directions. Water and press down.

Follow the same procedure until a six-layer bed is attained.

When the bed is made, it may be best to cover it with a plastic sheet, gunny sack or any suitable materials to protect it from the drying effect of the wind and to keep it humid.

Remove the cover only after seven days. Don’t water the bed as it is still wet. Watering should be done only in amounts, which would keep the surface moist and its environs humid.

Watering may be done using a sprinkler, passing the same over the bed and along the sides. Avoid soaking the bed as this condition is equally harmful to the proper development of the mushrooms as insufficient watering.

The growth of mushrooms on the bed comes in flushes.

With adequate maintenance and care, the first flush usually comes and flushes from 13 to 15 days following seeding.

When a flush is on, watering must be avoided. Watering is resumed when the flush is over.

Harvesting is done in the following manner: 1. Harvest the whole mushroom including the stump. Don’t leave any stump in the bed as this would rot and in rotting the adjacent mushroom may be affected.

2. As much as possible care must be taken not to disturb the small buttons.

3. Mushrooms in the button stage of growth are more succulent, hence they are better preferred than the fully opened ones.

4. Harvested mushrooms may be placed in trays or in kaings.

By the way, not all mushrooms can be eaten. In fact, there are a number of species of mushroom that are poisonous, and although some resemble certain edible species, eating them could be fatal.

“Eating mushrooms gathered in the wild is risky,” experts usually caution.

Claudius II and Pope Clement VII were both killed by enemies who poisoned them with deadly mushrooms. Buddha died, according to legend, from a mushroom that grew underground. Buddha was given the mushroom by a peasant who believed it to be a delicacy.

The most recent tragedy that involved mushrooms happened in 2011. Reader’s Digest reports: “On New Year’s Eve, mistaking the death cap mushroom for edible straw mushrooms used in Chinese cooking, a 38-year-old Canberra chef and 52-year-old friend both died in hospital of liver failure 48 hours after eating a meal he prepared with the deadly fungus.”

In November 2012, The Atlantic published an article stating that only about 50 to 100 are toxic. The website of Organic Facts reiterates: “Some species of mushrooms are not edible, are highly poisonous and look strikingly similar to their edible counterparts. Don’t ever try picking mushrooms for consumption from the woods unless you have been trained to identify them very well.”

when he hurt his left knee during a loss at Detroit. He had his ACL repaired by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2017.

“We feel pretty confident about the structural part of his knee,” Donovan said. “But, you know, listen, there’s a lot of things that I think the doctor that he’ll go see knows, can kind of maybe pinpoint maybe what some of the challenges and issues are.”

LaVine was selected for his second All-Star game when the reserves were announced Feb. 3. He also is scheduled to participate in the 3-point shooting contest.

Donovan said he hasn’t spoken with LaVine about AllStar weekend.

“The doctors will talk to him about all that stuff and then there will be some decisions made,” Donovan said. “But I’m not sure what they’ve come to.”

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SMB brings back Johnson as sub import S

even years after his initial PBA stint with Barangay Ginebra, Orlando Johnson returns, hooking up with a San Miguel Beer team raring to sustain a three-game romp versus a skidding TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday.

The Beermen and the Tropang Giga clash at 6 p.m.

- the mainer of an explosive bill that reopens the league door for a live audience.

San Miguel welcomes Johnson to its fold as the Beermen plunge back into action after drubbing the Terrafirma Dyip, 100-88,

last Dec. 26.

Prior to that, the Beermen routed the Blackwater Bossing, 107-88, and beat out the NorthPort Batang Pier, 91-88.

But even with the hot streak, the team management and coaching staff opted to bring in Johnson for Brandon Brown, surely in their hope to be a tougher contender in the conference.

Johnson, an NBA vet-

Zach LaVine missed his second straight game Monday when the Bulls hosted the San Antonio Spurs, and coach Billy Donovan said LaVine also will miss Wednesday night’s matchup with Sacramento.

eran with tours of duty with the Indiana Pacers, the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans, has had his earlier PBA exposure with the Gins Kings in 2015 where he averaged 33.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in 12 outings.

Johnson and the Kings were beaten in the first round of the post-elims play then.

On the other end of

the floor on Johnson’s PBA comeback is a TNT side playing a third game in a grueling four-game schedule over eight days.

The Tropang Giga are hard pressed to beat the Beermen, having lost their last two games that shoved them out of the Magic Eight at 2-4.

They should have been at 3-3 if not for endgame lapses resulting in a 92-93 heartbreaker against the

Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters Sunday.

Coach Chot Reyes and his troops now look to rebound while needing to manage energy for another tough match against the Barangay Ginebra Kings Friday.

Last time, Reyes sat out RR Pogoy and Poy Erram, two players tipped to wear the Gilas jersey in the coming FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers. (PBA)

HICAGO — Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is slated to visit with doctors in Los Angeles on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time), looking for more answers about periodic soreness in his surgically repaired left knee.

LaVine missed his second straight game Monday when the Bulls hosted the San Antonio Spurs, and coach Billy Donovan said LaVine also will miss Wednesday night’s matchup with Sacramento.

No decision has been made about LaVine’s availability for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland.

“He swells after games

sometimes, and sometimes he doesn’t,” Donovan said.

“So I think getting to the bottom of some of that stuff, you know, they’ve obviously done imaging. He is cleared to play. There is discomfort there. He doesn’t feel great. It’s really kind of just depends.”

LaVine is a key player for the resurgent Bulls, who were second in the Eastern Conference with a 36-21 record heading into Monday night’s action. The 6-foot-5 LaVine, who turns 26 on March 10, is averaging 24.6 points in 47 games this year.

He had 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting during Friday night’s 134-122 vic-

tory over Minnesota in his last game.

“I think he would like to feel better more consistently than he has for a stretch of time,” Donovan said. “I think with the way he was feeling after the Minnesota game, I think that’s kind of when it started where he wanted to maybe take it a step further, just to really have somebody look at him.”

LaVine was selected by the Timberwolves with the No. 13 pick in the 2014 draft. He was traded to Chicago in June 2017.

LaVine’s last season in Minnesota was cut short

Knee check for LaVine C FKNEE, P10

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The world champion from Davao has been super flyweight champion of the IBF since more than six years ago

CROSSROADS

Should Ancajas move up in weight?

P

erhaps, Panabo City native Jerwin Ancajas would be better off, career wise if he moves up to and campaigns in the bantamweights and join the company of fellow Pinoys Nonito Donaire and Johnriel Casimero and Japanese two belts holder Naoya Inoue in the battle of supremacy in that weight class.

That’s what veteran boxing writer Teodoro Medina Reynoso thinks in his latest article on Philboxing.com.

Reynoso said the world champion from Davao has been super flyweight champion of the IBF since more than six years ago, in fact he is the most senior of the titlists in the division and among the longest reigning world boxing champions and yet, he could not get any of the other major beltholders to a unification fight.

Ancajas could have last December against WBO titleholder Kazuto Ioka but that projected unification got cancelled due to renewed travel restrictions in Japan. That fight may be rescheduled this new year but nothing is certain yet.

Ioka though is not Jerwin’s original target.

Reynoso wrote: “For years, he has patiently waited for the chance to cross mitts against any of the division’s biggest names as Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvusai.

But time and again, he was left outside looking in as the powers that be determined that those three have first to settle their so called unfinished businesses as

they held a win over the other at some points in time. Estrada is 1-1 versus Gonzalez and also 1-1 against Rungvusai while Gonzalez is 0-2 versus Rungvusai but originally won the crown by beating Cuadras who once defeated Rungvusai.

How many fights do they have to fight among themselves to settle their unfinished business?”

Looking back at their boxing records, Chocolatito Gonzalez became pound for pound best when he won his third division world crown at 115 lbs by besting Mexico’s Carlos Cuadras in 2017. But Gonzalez lost that WBC super flyweight title on points to Thailand’s Sor Rungvusai who defeated him again in their rematch by knockout. Rungvusai went on to defend that title by outpointing Estrada but Estrada turned the tables by split decision win in their title rematch.

Gonzalez bounced back to contention by winning the WBA title over Khalid Yafai and proceeded to challenge Estrada in a unification match which Estrada controversially won by decision.

Rungvusai should have been next in line for Estrada but the WBC ruled an immediate title rematch

FCROSSROADS, P10