Edge Davao Volume 15 Issue 1 | Tuesday, April 12, 2022

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A man struggles to manuever his motorcycle carrying live chickens through a muddy road on his way to the market in a village in Calinan District, Davao City. The city government of Davao has set up 13 veterinary checkpoints assisted by Task Force Davao and the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) to enhance border control and monitor the entry of live poultry and poultry products to the city after suspected bird flu outbreak were reported in nearby provinces. Edge Davao

HEALTHCARE VOTE Doctors express support for BBM-Sara tandem

STORY ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

Vice presidential aspirant Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio talks to some of persons with disability (PWDs) during her visit to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) compound in Escopa, Quezon City for a “meet and greet”with the PWDs of the Quezon City’s Third District. HNP

HEALTHCARE VOTE T

Davao City prohibits entry of game fowl from areas with bird flu cases

Doctors express support for BBM-Sara tandem

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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he UniteaMD, composed of doctors from Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN, and Caraga Region expressed support to BBM-Sara UniTeam of Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and his running mate Vice Presidential candidate Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and will be pushing proposals that will benefit the health care professionals.

Dr. Jett Lu, lead convenor and founder of UniteaMD, told media that the group has already formed a technical working group to send out their proposals to the administration of BBMSara, if the tandem will win

in the May 9 elections.

“Among the proposals ay suporta para sa mga health care workers because the pandemic is not yet over. Dahil long term ang development ng mga workers and we have so many

good nurses na kailangan lumabas for their family, kailangan natin silang i-retain, i-develop through trainings,” Lu said in a press conference during the opening of UniteaMD headquarters in Davao City over the weekend.

Lu added that the group is also pushing for the improvement of the health system in terms of service delivery.

“Napansin natin na nung pumutok ang pandemic hirap na hirap tayo sa produkto, mga gamit such as ventilators, gamot, etc.

Na mention ni BBM he will be redeveloping the RHU

(Rural Health Unit) system, however, we need to improve the health system in terms of service delivery.

We can inform the public, we can cascade to the public, kung paano alagaan ang sarili natin,” he said.

The group will include other members of the health care industry such as nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and allied health and paramedical professionals.

Meanwhile, the group will be carrying the ideals of the UniTeam which are positivity, unity, and continuity.

In a statement, the group wants the achieve-

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Mayor Sara vows to empower PWDs with more jobs, livelihood trainings

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ice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte on Sunday vowed to replicate Davao City programs for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) by providing them more jobs and livelihood trainings.

During her visit to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) compound in Escopa, Quezon City for a

“meet and greet” with the PWDs of the Quezon City’s Third District, she reiterated how the PWDs in Davao City were given priority in terms of business and livelihood.

She said the City Government of Davao prioritizes the provision of their personally managed offices that will promptly cater to fellow PWDs’ needs.

“Sa Davao City, gusto nila (PWDs) meron silang autonomy sa pagpapatakbo ng opisina. Kaya ‘yun po ang tinatrabaho namin na hindi na po sila naka-attach sa aming (In Davao City, PWDs want to have autonomy in running the office. So that’s what we have been working on that they should be attached in our) City Social Welfare and

Development Office (CSWDO),” Mayor Sara said, adding that the Davao City Hall employs a considerable number of PWDs. “Ang ginagawa namin ngayon ay maging standalone office sila at sila mismo, ang aming mga officers at kasama ang mga empleyado sa City Government of Davao na assigned sa opi-

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he city government has imposed a ban on the transport of game fowl into this city from areas with a bird flu outbreak to protect the local poultry industry from possible transmission of the virus, Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, head of the City Veterinary Office, said.

Transport of game fowl from areas with no recorded bird flu cases, however, will be allowed provided the owners present a biosecurity clearance.

Pinili told the Davao City Disaster Radio on Friday that breeders or cockfighting aficionados in the city may send game fowls to other places to compete in national derbies, but bringing them back into the city will require the presentation of a veterinary health certificate issued either by a private or government veterinarian certified by the local government, and a

shipping permit.

“Entry of game fowls (without the biosecurity requirements) is prohibited if they come from Luzon or municipalities or provinces affected by bird flu.

Those breeders from Davao City, however, can send out game fowls to other areas since we are free from avian flu,” she said.

Pinili said the local government is doing its best to protect the city and keep its bird flu-free status after the recent detection of avian influenza in neighboring Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur and in North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

She said the local government has set up 13 veterinary checkpoints assisted by Task Force Davao and the Davao City Police Office to enhance border control and monitor the entry of live poultry and poultry

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Bukidnon town clears two roads blocked by landslides

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wo roads in Sumilao, Bukidnon that were recently affected by landslides are already passable after continuous clearing operations, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) confirmed on Sunday.

In an interview, MDRRMO head Ariosto Zagado said landslides were reported at about 4 p.m. on Friday on the provincial road between Poblacion and Kulasi

villages.

The MDRRMO immediately proceeded to the site but had to suspend operations due to the instability of the area and heavy rains brought by a low pressure area (LPA).

Clearing operations resumed Saturday, with Poblacion fully cleared and Kulasi partially cleared after the heavy equipment sustained mechanical problems.

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

NEWS

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UniteaMD convenors Dr. Jett Lu (center), Dr. Sergio Demontaño Jr. (left), and Dr. Asterio Ronquillo pledge their support for presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice-presidential bet Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio during a presser at the group’s headquarters along E. Quirino Avenue in Davao City over the weekend. Edge Davao

Construction of Retarding Basin to address flooding woes: DPWH

By MAYA M. PADILLO

PEC to close for a day for simulation activity in case of bird flu outbreak

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he Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) will close for a day on Monday, April 11, for a simulation activity to prepare its personnel for a possible lockdown in case the Avian Influenza (AI) H5N1 or bird flu is detected in Davao City.

Andi Baldonado, development project manager of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), told MindaNews on Saturday that the one-day drill is intended to test the protocols of the center in the event of an outbreak that may necessitate its temporary closure.

The drill will have as participants the Center’s bird keepers, food stock technicians, and maintenance personnel to effectively handle a situation during a lockdown “for the safety of our national bird, endemic raptors, and other animals housed at the PEC.” “The keepers will be assigned to specific areas within the facility. They will attend to the eagles and animals only in those areas. The movement of the staff is restricted within the PEC,” she said.

The PEF announced, in its social media account on

Saturday, that a lockdown will severely affect the operation of the center but added it cannot risk the safety of the endemic wildlife, many of them rescued, that are either taking shelter or being rehabilitated at the center.

It said the drill will allow them to respond “at a moment’s notice as soon as there is a detected case of Avian flu in Davao City.”

“In the event that the Avian Flu is detected in Davao City, the Philippine Eagle Center will again have to close its gates and resort to lockdown and quarantine,” the foundation said It added that a lockdown is a necessary biosecurity measure to protect all Philippine Eagles and other raptors in the facility from being wiped out by the disease.

The center will reopen on April 12.

“The PEC is home to 5% of the global population of this already critically endangered bird,” it said.

Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, head of the City Veterinary Office, said during an interview over Davao City Disaster

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sa La Verna,” said Dean Ortiz, spokesperson of DPWH 11, during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday.

Included in the construction of the Retarding Basin are the pumps that will distribute the water so that it won’t fill up as well as control the flow of the water. The basin will also catch floodwaters from Cabantian and its surrounding area.

“Naa’y pumps sa sulod na mao’y mag distribute sa tubig para dili mapuno.

Kaning Retarding Basin tan-

an tubig sa Cabantian ug sa palibot niya, diri sa siya padulong labi na kinahanglan nato kontrolon ang tubig sa paggawas. Kung baha hinay hinay lang ang tubig na musulod ug dili totally i-flood dayon,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz explained that the water will be distributed in two channels: one in Diversion Road particularly at the drainage in RDL Pharmaceutical Laboratory and will exit at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) outfall going to the runway to the Davao Gulf.

“What we are currently doing is we are distributing the flow of waters into La Verna padulong sa CAAP outfall. We have an ongoing installation of pipes going in the direction of CAAP. Ang sulod sa La Verna gipa

dak-an nato ang mga kanal, using new technology for drainage. We have already widened the existing drainage, nagbutang nata ug box culvert ug unya ang katong outfall we have also widened it. So we are optimistic that this will work for La Verna,” he added.

Ortiz said DPWH is optimistic that the Retarding Basin is expected to address the flooding problem in the area.

“This is what we have thought of as the best solution to the flooding problem if not to address the problem at least to minimize the incidences of flooding not only to the Diversion Road but also to the immediate environment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ortiz also

nato sa atoang website na in favor ang CSC sa fourday work week. So far as to the implementation guidelines wala pa ta’y makuha na detalye,” said Cyril Nathan Eamiguel, regional director of CSC 11 during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday.

The CSC has supported this type of work arrange-

ment and has already released a memorandum circular No. 18 series of 2020 which covers all heads of constitutional bodies, departments, bureaus, and agencies of the national government, Local Government Units (LGUs), government-owned-and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) with original char-

ter, state universities, and colleges.

Meanwhile, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Chua was also reported recommending the shortening of the work week to four days but with longer hours to help conserve energy. By Maya M. Padillo

he regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH 11) is optimistic that the construction of the Retarding Basin will address the flooding problems in La Verna Hills Subdivision, Buhangin, Davao City.

With construction ongoing, the Retarding Basin, which is approximately larger than the basketball court, can store 40,000 cubic meters of floodwaters.

La Verna Hills Subdivision is one of the areas in Davao City that experience heavy flooding especially when it rains heavily.

“The La Verna (Retarding Basin) project is ongoing and the reason for that is because we have to make sure that the water does not flow directly, bago mugawas

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No guidelines yet for four-day work week

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he regional office of the Civil Service Commission (CSC 11) said on Monday it has not received the guidelines of the four-day work week scheme.

“Wala pa’y official na nadawat ang among opisina related to the implementation of four-day work week scheme, although, makita

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

A boy sells lukay (palm fronds) to churchgoers early morning on Palm Sunday (10 April 2022) outside the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Iligan City as Christendom starts the Holy Week. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

PEZA allows 30% WFH for registered IT-BPOs, RBEs until September 12

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hilippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Charito Plaza has announced that the agency is accepting applications from PEZA-registered information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPOs) and registered business enterprises (RBEs) for the hybrid work arrangement.

PEZA-registered ITBPOs and RBEs that cannot immediately return to office (RTO) even after April 1 can request a Letter of Authority (LOA) from PEZA with the needed requirements.

“Now that pabalik na tayo sa normal, gusto ng ating gobyerno na (maging) normal na rin ang takbo ng ating ekonomiya at ito ang solusyon ni PEZA, ang 70-30 (Now that we are returning to normal, our government wants economic activity to also return to normal so this the solution

of the PEZA –the 70-30 hybrid work scheme),” Plaza said.

PEZA has been issuing Letter of Authorities (LOAs) to its interested registered enterprises applying for a hybrid operation prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

70-30 work scheme Plaza said this hybrid work setup is until 12 September 2022 only, the declared end of state of (Covid-19) calamity by President Rodrigo Duterte.

IT-BPO companies and RBEs intending to avail this

work arrangement shall individually apply by sending their applications to PEZA. Plaza said PEZA’s work from home (WFH) scheme for its registered IT-BPOs and RBEs has been conceptualized even before the passage of Republic Act No. 11165, also known as the Telecommuting Act, on Dec. 20, 2018.

“PEZA therefore is just restoring back to the regular ratio of not more than 30 percent domestic sales allowance and WFH work ratio. PEZA is giving the institutionalization of the hybrid work scheme to include DOLE’s (Department of Labor and Employment) protection, safety, and security of tenure of workers engaged in the virtual or WFH schemes to the next administration,” she said.

Plaza said that since 2020 when pandemic began, one of PEZA’s Bayani-

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pect the prices of agricultural products to increase because the prices of raw materials are going up.”

However, So said the price hikes would not be sudden but gradual.

In particular, the harvest price of corn rose by

P0.50 per kilo, according to the SINAG chief.

With this, So said that in the coming week “the production cost of farmers increased, thus the price of produce will also go up.”

Likewise, he added

han business assistance and reprieves was the temporary increase of WFH arrangements which was the 90 percent WFH and 10 percent onsite.

“But starting 01 April 2022, PEZA-registered ITBPOs are now going back to our regular policy ratio of 70-30 on sales allowance and not more than 30 percent of WFH,” she added.

Deputy Director General (DDG) for Policy and Planning Tereso Panga said that on the provisions of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, it does not prohibit PEZA-registered RBEs and IT-BPOs from conducting remote work or performing a portion of their activity outside the economic zones.

“As long as our ecozone locators doing hybrid work are complying with the

that the price of fish and vegetables will also increase.

For fish, So said that the price of bangus rose to P135 per kilo from P85 per kilo while the price of tilapia increased

by P30.

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Oil prices forecast to drop for second straight week

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il prices are forecast to drop for a second straight week, according to industry players.

This is also the third rollback of the year, after oil prices skyrocketed the past few weeks due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Gasoline prices could drop by P1 to P1.20 per liter starting today.

Diesel will have a slight decrease in prices at P0.30 to P0.50 per liter, while kerosene will go down by P2.80 to P3.

This is after the world market posted lower trading prices, China extending its COVID-19 lockdown, on top of Russian forces retreating from Kyiv in Ukraine.

Since the start of 2022, oil prices started increasing as tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated.

At one point, the market saw a P12 increase per liter of diesel.

Ukraine last Saturday said it regained control of Kyiv region.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Russian President Vladimir Putin has given up on conquering Kyiv after his forces were turned back by Ukraine’s military.

Despite decreases in gas prices the last three weeks, diesel prices this year have increased by as much as P26; gasoline posted a P16 increase while kerosene prices increased by P24.

The price of chicken while there is no supply issue for the meantime, he said that there is still an expected price increase.

He added that the country might face a bigger problem if the avian

flu further spreads.

Price of pork is seen at P330 to P340 per kilo in Luzon, according to So. For rice, So said that the group is not seeing an additional increase for now.

Agri group sees hike in prices of farm products he Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) over the weekend said prices of agricultural commodities are seen to increase in the coming weeks.

SINAG president Rosendo So said, “We ex-

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VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

ECONOMY

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A pump attendant refuels a public utility jeepney (PUJ) with diesel at a gasoline station along Ponciano Street in Davao City. Oil firms have announced another round of cuts in the pump prices of petroleum products starting today, April 12. Edge Davao

Philippine foreign reserves up to $108.54B as of end-March Economist eyes further rise in PH GIR as economy recovers

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ontinued reopening and recovery of economies are expected to further lift the country’s dollar reserves, which rose to USD108.54 billion in March 2022.

In a report released on Friday, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said the latest gross international reserves (GIR) of the country is among the highest after the record-high USD110.1 billion registered in December 2020.

Ricafort said continued improvement of structural inflows to the country, such as the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) remittances, revenues of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, foreign tourism revenues, and foreign direct investments (FDIs) are seen as beneficial to the GIR. “Moreover, the continued increase in fund-raising and other investment banking activities by the country’s biggest companies/conglomerates, in view of the recent rising trend in global/local bond yields from record lows,

funding preparations as the economy reopens further towards greater normalcy, could entail some increase in foreign investment inflows that could add to the country’s balance of payments (BOP) and GIR,” he said.

The end-March 2022 GIR of the country is equivalent to 9.6 months worth of imports, and is way higher than the international threshold of three to four months cover.

Ricafort said the high level of GIR is a plus for the local currency against speculative attacks.

“Thus, near record high GIR and prospects of reaching new record highs in the coming months could further strengthen the country’s external position, which is a key pillar for the country’s continued favorable credit ratings for the second straight year, mostly at 1-3 notches above the minimum investment grade, a sign of resilience despite the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic that caused downgrades in other countries around the world,” he added. (PNA)

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he Philippines’ foreign currency reserves increased as of end-March this year as the national government increased its foreign currency deposit with the central bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

Preliminary BSP data showed the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) level — a measure of a country’s ability to settle import payments and service foreign debt — as of end-March stood at $108.54 billion from $107.8 billion as of end-February.

The central bank’s

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orld food prices hit an all-time high in March as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent “shocks” through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.

The disruption in export flows resulting from the Feb. 24 invasion and international sanc-

reserve assets consist of foreign investments, gold, foreign exchange, reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and special drawing rights.

“The month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected mainly the national government’s (NG) net foreign currency deposits with

the BSP, which include proceeds from its issuance of ROP (Republic of the Philippines) Global Bonds, and the BSP’s net income from its investments abroad,” the BSP said.

The latest GIR level represents a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 9.6 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income, according to the central bank.

By convention, GIR is viewed to be adequate if it can finance at least three months’ worth of the coun-

try’s imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

Moreover, the endMarch GIR level is also about 7.2 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.4 times based on residual maturity.

Short-term debt based on residual maturity refers to outstanding external debt with an original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within

tions against Russia has spurred fears of a global hunger crisis, especially across the Middle East and Africa, where the knock-on effects are already playing out.

Russia and Ukraine, with vast grain-growing regions that are among the world’s main breadbaskets, account for a huge share of the globe’s exports in several ma-

jor commodities such as wheat, vegetable oil and corn.

“World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels ever, as war in the Black Sea region spread shocks through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils,” the FAO said in a statement.

The FAO’s food price

index, which had already reported a record in February, surged by 12.6 percent last month, “making a giant leap to a new highest level since its inception in 1990”, the UN agency said.

The index, a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 159.3 points in March.

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6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

On the candidacy of actor Robin Padilla for the Philippine Senate:

Your desire in life is what’s good for the Philippines.

You helped our Muslim brothers and sisters and you were advocating of helping them).”

President Rodrigo R. Duterte

EDITORIAL Let’s heed the urgent warning The World Health Organization (WHO) and our own medical experts have once again urged the public to get themselves vaccinated including booster shots.

The WHO urged national and local government units (LGUs) to intensify their vaccination program.

Medical experts who have been involved in the fight against the pandemic since Day 1 have expressed concern that the unimpressive booster shot coverage and the possible entry of the Omicron XE sub-variant could cause a surge of COVID-19 cases next month.

“We’re thinking that, by May, cases may surge because it’s possible for the Omicron subvariant to enter the country. Secondly, vaccine booster coverage is low,” said Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) president Dr. Maricar Limpin in a radio interview which was in turn reported by Philippine Star.

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The Department of Health data indicated that only about 12.2 million people have received their booster shots out of 66.2 million fully-vaccinated Filipinos.

The WHO previously warned of a possible surge due to political and religious activities. The WHO is, of course, referring to the very high number of people attending rallies in the current campaigning for the May 9 general elections and the Catholic fiestas traditionally celebrated in the month of May.

We cannot just ignore the warning being aired by the WHO and medical experts because it has basis. The most desirable reaction is for the people to be fully vaccinated, and including booster shots.

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

In the report, Dr. Limpin also noted that there are people who completed their primary vaccine series last year, but have yet to receive their booster shots and now have waning immunity and thus are prone to infection.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

TAMING YOUR OTHER POWERFUL WARRIOR “Learning patience can be a difficult experience, but once conquered, you will find life is easier.” – Catherine Pulsifer ***

We have two most powerful warriors, according to Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. These are patience and time. You cannot control time (no one can!) but you can do something with patience.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience,” declared Ralph Waldo Emerson. Josiah Gilbert Holland added, “There is no royal road to anything, one thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.”

Or, as Mahatma Gandhi puts it: “To lose patience is to lose the battle.”

The Holy Bible, the Book of all Seasons, teaches us patience.

Take the case of Abraham. At age 75, he was given God’s promise of a son. Ten years later, he was still waiting. Fifteen years passed, then 20, and still no son.

Finally, when Abraham was 100, a quarter-century after

God had made the promise, baby Isaac was born. “Surely Abraham had times of doubt during those 25 years,” commented Dr. Charles Stanley, an inspirational author. “Yet he continued to trust God and kept watching for the fulfillment of His promise.”

Examples from the Bible abound. As a young man, Jacob met the girl of his dreams, but he worked many years before making her his bride. Joseph had a God-given vision of blessing at age 17 but languished 13 years in slavery and prison before receiving the reward. David was anointed King of Israel as a teenager but spent the next 14 years or so running for his life before taking the throne.

Those stories, related to me when I was still a little boy, came to mind.

But then the words of Paul Sweeney also haunted me.

“How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” he wondered.

Men of science themselves value patience well enough.

Thomas A. Edison said, “Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” And Albert Einstein once admitted, “I think

and think for months and years, ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”

“He that can have patience can have what he will,” American statesman Benjamin Franklin said.

A young man presented himself to the local expert on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist. The expert brushed him off because he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn.

The young man pleaded for a chance. Finally, the expert consented and told the youth, “Be here tomorrow.”

The next morning, the expert put a jade stone in the boy’s hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work: cutting, weighing, and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.

The following morning, the expert again placed the jade stone in the youth’s hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day, the expert repeated the exercise and the instructions.

On the sixth day, the youth held the jade stone, but could no longer stand the silence.

“Sir,” he asked, “when am I going to learn something?”

The expert answered, “You’ll

learn.”

Several more days went by and the youth’s frustration mounted. One morning, as the expert approached and beckoned for him to hold out his hand, he was about to blurt out that he could go on no longer.

But as the expert placed the stone in the youth’s hand, the young man exclaimed without looking at his hand, “This is not the same jade stone!”

“You have begun to learn,” the expert told him.

“Patience can’t be acquired overnight,” said Eknath Easwaran. “It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.”

The description of Epictetus was even more picturesque: “No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”

“The key to everything is patience,” reminded Arnold H. Glasow. “You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”

But on second thought, “We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by

every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.” Those words came from the pen of William Channing.

But do people still wait today?

Even in the past as it is today, there is no such thing as sudden results. Listen to the words of Jacob Riis: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at a hundredth and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it – but all that had gone before.”

Wait and be patient. “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials,” George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon pointed out.

“Hold on; hold fast; hold out.

Patience is genius.”

As Dr. Stanley puts it: “This is clearly how most of us act, even if we don’t express it. Perhaps that’s why Scripture includes so many examples of godly patience and reward. Over and over, we see the Father making promises to His children, only to have them wait years, sometimes decades, for the promise to be fulfilled. But the result of that patience is always a blessing.”

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

CAPT. F.R. ORIG, TORIL’S POLICE CHIEF Born in Balilihan, Bohol, on January 29, 1903, Francisco R. Orig, the first-born of Pastor Orig and Rosa Racho, grew up with a Catholic upbringing; he was baptized in the Church of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel in his birthplace, took up elementary in his hometown and earned secondary education at Bohol Provincial High School in Tagbilaran, then the province’s capital town.

He joined public service in 1922 as a teacher and served the post for six years. Following his election as councilor of his birthplace, he had to relinquish his classroom job and focused on the challenges of his new position. While in government, he met his wife, Eleuteria Lacia.

The daughter of Guillermo Lacia of Sikatuna, Bohol, and Buenaventurada Jaugan, Eleuteria was a native of Plaridel,

Misamis Occidental; she was born on February 20, 1908.

Influenced by her Protestant brothers who em-braced her mother’s religion, she enrolled in high school at Silliman University in Dumaguete after completing preparatory grades in her birthplace.

Orig met Eleuteria while she was on vacation in Balili-han to visit relatives. They fell in love and married just months later on July 13, 1929. The union was blessed with twelve children.

The Orig brood included Dalmacio (born September 26, 1929), Edelfonso (b. July 9, 1931), Purificacion (b. Septem-ber 2, 1933), Pura (b. February 13, 1935), Ronaldo (b.

March 17, 1937), Reverencio (b.

February 14, 1939), Auro-ra (b.

November 15, 1940), Francisco, Jr. (died in infancy), Jesusa (b.

December 25, 1942), Alfredo

(b. February 8, 1947), Agnes (b.

April 20, 1948), and Nympha (b.

April 23, 1952).

To capitulate to the wish of Eleuteria’s parents to see their first grandchild Dalmacio, the Orig family moved to Plaridel where Francisco worked as a road construction foreman. But their stay in Mindanao was not for long. They moved back to Balilihan after most of Orig’s siblings migrated, with only sister Candida tending the family es-tate.

Due to his qualification, Francisco, in 1932,after assum-ing as chief of police of Corpuz town, moved to the new assignment for convenience, and served the post for three years.

At the instance of Francisco’s brother, Primitivo, who had moved to Davao, the Orig family, now a family of six, migrated to Davao in 1936. Initially, they re-

sided with a friend along Santa Ana Street who hired the couple to act as sales agents of his jewelry business.

After Davao became a city in 1937, Orig, with his police background, was hired as a first-class policeman of the Davao City police force. And when Pantaleon Pelayo Sr. became city mayor, he was tapped to head the newly or-ganized Toril police station with a rank of sergeant. For convenience, the couple transferred to Toril where they temporarily stayed at the residence of Catalino Sayon, lat-er the city’s first postwar appointed councilor.

Challenged by the growing family, Orig leased a piece of land owned by the Serapio family along Jorge Saavedra Street in Toril where he built a house.

When the war broke out, the Orig couple left behind their

residence, made a stop at Pikit, North Cotabato, and returned home.

At Balilihan, where Orig was appointed police chief, they resided at barrio Cantomimbo during the war. For her part, Eleuteria served in the Women Auxiliary Ser-vices as F Company commander in the villages of Sal-ing and Cantomimbo. After the conflict, the family returned to Toril and rebuilt their slightly damaged house. Orig re-joined the city police force as second lieutenant while his wife tended to the expanding family.

Orig, due to cerebral hemorrhage, died on April 2, 1956; he was only 53 years old and was at the time a cap-tain in the city police force. His remains are buried in Lubogan Cemetery.

Eleuteria, meanwhile, died on April 20, 1990. (Sources: Reverencio Lacia Orig and Geni.com)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

COMPETITIVE EDGE

When developing tech leaders, a global perspective is key Over the last decade, technology has radically changed the way businesses all over the world look and operate. Accompanying this meteoric change among businesses, is the need for different leadership traits.

According to Forbes , key traits that future leaders will need to possess include the ability to embrace technology and employ a global citizen mindset. This mindset includes celebrating diversity and understanding new cultures in order to gain knowledge on how to enter and succeed in new global markets. On the other hand, embracing technology will allow leaders to improve efficiency in the organization.

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, continues to instill these fundamental traits into young, tech-driven talent through the Global Leaders Program. This year marks its fourth iteration as it continues to mold tech leaders of tomorrow.

The Global Leaders Program is a 2-year graduate program consisting of four 6-month local and overseas rotations open to final-year students and young professionals with up to two years of

working experience. Participants can expect to receive mentorship from senior management, a rigorous training curriculum under the various Shopee departments, and the opportunity to work on highly impactful projects.

And one of the key experiences of the Global Leaders Program is the opportunity to work in different Shopee markets across the region and gain pivotal exposure to the tech industry. Throughout the overseas rotation, Shopee will provide mobility support to GLP Associates to ensure hassle-free overseas accommodations and seamless visa applications.

Karen Perez, Head of People at Shopee Philippines, said “At Shopee, we understand how crucial developing a global perspective is in pushing the Philippine tech industry forward.

Through the overseas rotations of the Global Leaders Program, we believe that we can help broaden the horizons of young Filipino talent. We are deeply committed to delivering more opportunities to hone the skills of young Filipino professionals and support the growth of our local digital economy.”

Jan, a GLP associate currently completing her second overseas rotation in

Thailand under the Marketing Department, has shared what influenced her decision to apply. “The promise of diverse rotation and regional exposure at such a young age attracted me to the Global Leaders Program. I believe the program brings in many unique opportunities that would allow me to launch my career and create immediate impact.” she said.

For Lance, another GLP associate that is also currently assigned to Thailand,

the opportunity to gain regional exposure abroad has provided him with a better understanding of our local situation. He shared, “Being able to live and work in the same company, but in a different country immediately provides me with a new ‘perspective’. This is quite useful because it helps me notice the differences between Thailand and the Philippines in terms of the needs of our buyers and sellers, organizational structure, and

working-style. These differences helped me strategize on how we can better tailor our solutions or ways of working to fit different local contexts.”

Koko, on the other hand, completed his overseas training in Singapore last August 2021. Being trained abroad gave him the opportunity to grow as both a professional and an individual. He said, “I was able to experience different work functions, roles, industries, and even

South Korean boy band formed by SME that debuted in January 2016.

The group, which won its very first Asia Artist Awards Grand Daesang in 2020, has three

full-length albums to its name: Empathy (2018), Resonance (2020), and Universe (2021).

Universe is a 13-track album featuring catchy singles “Uni-

verse (Let’s Play Ball)” and “Beautiful.”

“Coming from the success of our EXO collaboration, as promised, we are thrilled to present our latest collection featuring NCT. NCTzens can expect exciting merchandise highlighting layouts from the group’s album, NCT 2021 Universe. Watch out, K-pop fans, because this will not be the last,” said Beng Ochoa, 0917 Lifestyle Head.

0917 Lifestyle is Globe’s progressive urban brand for apparel, gadgets, and accessories. Aside from the partnership with SME, it has previously collaborated with other fandom-driven brands like Disney, Marvel, and MTV. The 0917 NCT Collection features NCT shirts, jackets, hoodies and other accessories that come in an envelope sleeve packaging.

markets in the short span of two years. I also had the opportunity to take on a lot of responsibility early on in my career, which helped me build confidence in my own knowledge and skills.”

Young Filipinos looking to challenge themselves and drive change in the tech industry are welcome to apply to Shopee’s Global Leaders Program here: https://careers.shopee.ph/ GLP. The application period has been extended until April 30 2022

NCTzens Alert: 0917 Lifestyle launches all-new NCT

NCTzens and K-Pop fans alike have a lot to be thrilled about this month as 0917 Lifestyle, in collaboration with SM Entertainment (SME), just launched exclusive

merchandise celebrating the release of NCT’s “Universe” comeback album.

NCT, an acronym for Neo Culture Technology, is a popular 23-member

An exclusive random one of 21 unreleased digitally signed NCT Universe photocards are included for every purchase of any shirt, jacket, and/or hoodie.

The merchandise is exclusively sold and available only on selected 0917 sales channels.

These are 0917Lifestyle.com, Globe’s online shop, Globe’s shops in Zalora, Lazada, and Shopee, and selected Globe Stores.

0917 and SME entered into a partnership last year, beginning with the 0917 EXO Collection designed after the band’s “Don’t Fight The Feeling” special album. SME has been hailed as having led the worldwide K-pop phenomenon through its roster of successful artists such as H.O.T, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls Generation, SHINee, EXO, NCT, and a lot more.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

ENVIRONMENT

9

MOUNT APO: THE COUNTRY’S HIGHEST PEAK.

DISCOVERING MINDANAO’S

RICH BIODIVERSITY Waling-waling: The queen of Philippine orchids.

T

Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

he Philippines is one of the 18 mega-diverse countries in the world as it contains two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity and between 70% and 80% of the world’s flora and fauna species.

“The Philippines ranks fifth in the number of plant species and maintains 5% of the world’s flora,” says the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, a multilateral treaty.

In the past, when people talked about biodiversity in the Philippines, they usually thought of Luzon, the largest island in the country.

It’s understandable. For instance, Mount Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna alone has been found to have higher species diversity than the whole of North America. In 1997, the late award-winning zoologist Dioscoro Rabor reported at least 50 species of mammals, 120 bird species, six species of amphibians, 19 types of reptiles and several varieties of fish are inhabiting the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve.

Even before that, in the late 1800s, American forester Dr. Hugh Curran Sr. came to the place and started to plant various species of trees coming from all over the country in Mount Makiling. Today, the mountain has

been described as having an “exceptional diversity of woody plant species, totaling more than the entire number of woody species found in the United States.”

Russell Mittermeier, one of the authors of Megadiversity: Earth’s Biologically Wealthiest Nations, said the Philippine biodiversity was “truly amazing in global terms and this is certainly true of overall diversity but especially so as regards endemism.”

But it’s not only in Luzon where biodiversity abounds.

Mindanao, the country’s second largest island, is home to a huge number of biodiversity; in fact, some of them are completely unknown yet.

A team of researchers, led by herpetologist Marites Sanguila of Father Saturnino Urios University, described Mindanao as the “epicenter” of southern Philippine biodiversity. They made such a claim after surveying northeastern Mindanao and associated islands.

“The terrestrial biodiversity of the Philippines is amazing, and this part of

Philippine eagle: An endangered species.

Mindanao is the center of the center of that diversity,” commented Dr. Rafe Brown, curator-in-charge of herpetology at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute.

“The biodiversity is so high in this pocket of northeast Mindanao, largely because the ranges of so many species in the archipelago overlap in this one area,” Dr. Brown was quoted as saying by earth.com. “We knew it was really diverse, but we didn’t have a sense of this

one area being the bull’seye, the epicenter of this diversity.”

The result of the survey made it to be published in the online open-access journal ZooKeys, which detailed their findings: a total of 126 species, including 40 frogs, one caecilian, 49 lizards, 35 snakes, a freshwater turtle and a crocodile.

Some of these species are completely unknown. “(About) 95% of Mindanao’s amphibians don’t appear anywhere else in the world,”

Dr. Brown said.

For its part, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is also conducting its own study through its Biodiversity S&T Program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).

The Biodiversity in Selected Mountain Ecosystems of Mindanao for Conservation and Sustainable Development was implemented by Central Mindanao University (CMU) headed

by Dr. Victor B. Amoroso.

This three-year project aims to update, assess, and monitor the biodiversity and evaluate the physico-chemical properties of the identified mountain ecosystems.

Assessment of biodiversity was conducted in Mount Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental, Mount Apo in North Cotabato, and Mount Pantaron and Mount Tago Ranges, which are both in Bukidnon.

A new terrestrial orchid species, called Dilochia deleoniae, was discovered in Mount Hamiguitan Range, according to a report by Eirene Zaragosa-Arcayos published in The PCAARRD Monitor. “This endemic species prefers to open in partly shaded habitat where it is

found either in clumps or scattered,” she wrote.

New species of flowering plant called Hypericum perrryongii was also discovered in Mount Hamiguitan.

This species flowers from June until late July and bears fruit in August.

Other new discoveries include: Actinostachys minuta, a grass fern that grows on the trunk of the tree fern embedded between adventitious roots; and Metapocyrtus bronsi, a type of snoutbeetle named after the Mandaya word bronsi (meaning bronze), the prominent color of the scale markings on its skin.

The research team also discovered Arulenus validispinus, a pygmy grasshopper; and Gymnosiphon syceorosensis, a type of flowering plant. Because only one population of the latter has been discovered, “no estimation of its abundance or overall distribution can be made yet.”

All in all, 219 species were initially documented in Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary: 42 ferns and lycophytes, 130 understory flora, and 138 trees and shrubs belonging to 96 genera and 51 families.

A total of 490 species of plants were recorded

FDISCOVERING, P10

10 EDGEDAVAO HEALTHCARE... FROM2

ments of President Rodrigo Duterte to be protected and continued and that the BBM-Sara Uniteam is the only tandem that has expressed willingness to continue with the constructive programs of the present administration.

“With this pledge, plus the good chemistry and synergy between Senator Bong Bong Marcos and Mayor Sara Duterte, we are optimistic about attaining sustainable growth and development in the next 6 years, and hopefully, beyond,” it said.

On the other hand, the UniteaMD headquarters will also serve as a hub at the same time dropping

area of BBM-Sara campaign materials.

“Where you could drop and all those people willing to get free campaign materials to get here para i-ship out wherever area na kailangan pa ng tulong ng BBMSara,” Lu said.

He added that in every BBM-Sara UniTeam rally, there are volunteer-doctors that will serve as medical team.

“Ang emphasis ng grupo ay positive campaigning because we are professional. No campaign smearing kundi plataporma lang kung anong maibigay sa mga health workers pagdating ng panahon,” said Dr. Linell Malimbag.

products to the city.

“They are (manning the checkpoints) 24/7 to check the entry of live poultry or poultry products if they have the documents,” Pinili said.

She said the city is classified under “Stage 1,” which means it remains free from avian flu.

Under this stage, Pinili noted the local government undertakes preventive measures, including the consistent surveillance of commercial and backyard poultry farms.

She said the local government is trying to prevent the entry of the infection to protect local raisers and the consumers since bird flu, a zoonotic disease, could be

transmitted to humans who may suffer from “mild” respiratory symptoms such as cough, flu and fatigue.

“For as long as you cook it well, however, you will not get the infection,” she said.

Pinili said the local government is consistently taking samples from local growers to see if their farms remain free from infection.

She added that results of the 60 samples taken from a farm, where 10 out of 300 ducks died recently, tested negative for bird flu.

Pinili said another possible source of bird flu is the migratory birds. He asked residents to keep their distance from these birds to avoid spreading the virus.

sina nila, sila ang magdecide kung ano ang mga polisiya at projects para sa kanilang sector (We are trying to make them a stand-alone office, our offices along with employees of City Government of Davao assigned in their offices, they will decide on what policies and projects for their sector),” she added.

Among the attendees in Sunday’s event is Daisy Lumalang, 54, an orthopedic impaired since she was 2 years old, said she is thankful to Duterte for being passionate in serving the underprivileged, especially the PWD sector.

“Malaki po ang pasasalamat naming mga PWD na bumisita si Mayor Sara dito dahil alam namin na tunay ang kanyang malasakit sa lahat -- lalong lalo na sa aming mga may kapansanan (We are very thankful that Mayor Sara for visiting us because we know she has compassion for everyone, especially to us with disabilities),” Lumalang said.

She added: “Marami nang mga PWDs na natulun-

gan si Mayor Sara sa Davao City. Ibig sabihin, magagawa niya rin niya ito sa buong Pilipinas. Malakas po ang panalangin ko na mananalo siya (Mayor Sara already helped a lot of PWDs. Meaning, she can also do it throughout the country. I’m have strong faith that she will win),” she added.

Duterte highlighted the importance of business security in different sectors stating that it is the “key to financial stability.”

“Ang unang direksyon namin sa lahat ng sektor sa Davao ay ang pagnenegosyo dahil ‘yun ang pinakamabilis na natutunan ng tao at mabilis na pagpasok ng pera sa kanilang mga bahay at mga pamilya. Nagbibigay din kami ng opportunities dahil ang iba ay trabaho ang gusto at hindi pagnenegosyo (Our first directive for every sector in Davao was to provide livelihood because that the easiest to learn and to earn profit. We also give employment opportunities for those want to work and not business),” Duterte said.

minimum 70 percent export sales and minimum 70 percent on-site report by their workers, they are (and should be) entitled to enjoy our tax incentives,” he said.

Panga said the 30 percent work from home is permissible activity under PEZA, CREATE and Telecommuting laws.

Plaza said that even pri-

or to the pandemic, the hybrid work model was also being practiced worldwide, specifically in India, the Philippine’s top competitor in the IT-BPO sector.

Thus, recognizing and adapting to this global trend is needed to maintain the country’s competitiveness and flexibility in the ‘new normal’, she added.

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local government is doing all it can to protect the city and to keep its bird-flu free status after the recent detection of Avian Influenza in neighboring Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.

She said the local government has set up 13 veterinary checkpoints, assisted by Task Force Davao and Davao City Police Office to enhance its border control and monitor entry of live poultry and poultry products.

“They are 24/7 to check the entry of live poultry or poultry products if they have the documents,” she said.

She said the city is classified under “stage 1,” which means it remains free from Avian Flu. Under this stage, she said the local govern-

measures, including a consistent surveillance of the commercial and backyard poultry farms.

She said that the local government is trying to prevent the entry of the infection to protect local raisers and the consumers since the “bird flu,” a zoonotic disease, could be transmitted to humans who may suffer from “mild” respiratory symptoms such as cough, flu, and fatigue.

“For as long as you cook it well, you will not get the infection,” she said.

She said the local government is consistently taking samples from local growers to see if farms remain free from infection.

She added that results of the 60 samples taken from a farm, where 10 out of the 300 ducks died recently, tested negative for bird flu.

Head coach Don Abnett said the athletes’ base fitness is fine and they will make the most out of their limited time to bring them back to tip-top shape.

“They’ve done general training before they got here so the base fitness is okay.

Next week we’re gonna get into the boxing specifics.

We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks,” said the Australian tactician, who is getting a lot of help from coaches Roel Velasco, Ronald Chavez, Mitchel Martinez and Galido.

“Would’ve liked to have it (training camp) four or five weeks longer. But we’ll do what we can with the time that we have,” he added.

Manalo lauded the Thailand Boxing Association for hosting the training camp as well as the Thailand Open that drew 14 boxing federations across Asia, Europe and Oceania, including the Philippines’ Southeast Asian rivals in Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, besides host nation Thailand.

“Good thing our friends from the Thailand Boxing Association offered this opportunity to train in Muak Lek. That really provides us with the best challenge that can push our boxers to be at their best pagdating ng (in the upcoming) SEA Games and also the Women’s World Championships,” Manalo said. (PR)

and assessed in Mount Tago Range: 60 bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts), 202 ferns and lycophytes, 125 understory flora, and 103 trees and shrubs.

Mount Apo, with an altitude of 2,954 meters (9,692 feet), is the country’s highest peak. It is the original home of the delicately beautiful waling-waling (scientifically known as Vanda sanderiana). It is touted as the queen of Philippine orchids.

Although not part of the PCAARRD study, Hedcor, a subsidiary of the publicly-listed Aboitiz Power Corporation, and the University of the Philippines-Mindanao conducted a research study entitled “Wildlife Inventory and Biodiversity Assessment Project at the Impact Areas within the Mount Apo National Park of Sibulan Hydroelectric Powerplant” from June 2015 to February 2016.

The fieldwork documented all biological systems within the identified impact sites, specifically recorded vascular plants, butterflies, moths, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

The study found 368 species of plants with 26 (7.1%) of them endemic (prevalent in or limited to the area) and 23 (6.3%) considered as threatened species (either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered).

Insects abound in the area with more than 235 species: 89 species of moths, 26 species of butterflies, and 20 species of dragonflies and damselflies. More than 100 species of other insect orders were found, including beetles.

As for terrestrial vertebrate fauna, about 146 have been identified with 64 (43.8%) endemic and 10 threatened species (6.8%).

Of those identified, 25 were amphibians, 27 reptiles, 81 birds and 13 mammals.

Biodiversity – or biological diversity – is made up of all species of plants and animals, their genetic material and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Species diversity refers to the variety of species within a given area. Genetic diversity, on the other hand, refers to the variation of genes and genotypes between and within species.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 75% of human nutrition is provided by only seven species of crops: wheat, rice, corn, potato, barley, sweet potato and cassava. Roughly 20% of protein requirements of humans in developing countries is provided by animals, particularly from fish for Filipinos.

In the Philippines, at least 68 common plants are being used as medicines.

Two of the most important anti-cancer drugs in the

the next 12 months.

The level of GIR, as of a particular period, is considered adequate, if it provides at least 100% cover for the payment

of the country’s foreign liabilities, public and private, falling due within the immediate twelvemonth period, according to the BSP.

Likewise, the net international reserves (NIR), which refers to the difference between the BSP’s reserve assets (GIR) and reserve liabilities - shortterm foreign debt and

Kulasi’s one lane is already passable, according to Zagado, but cautioned motorists to remain vigilant.

“We advise the commuters to be extra cautious in traversing the area,” Zagado said in the vernacular.

The MDRRMO continuously monitors the villages of San Vicente and Kisolon as there are landslide-prone areas and Kisolon, which is flood-prone.

Zagado also urged the residents, especially those in hazardous areas, to always monitor the weather conditions and follow the advice of authorities.

“Report to us if there are reported incidents in your area,” he said.

The towns of Impasug-ong and Malitbog experienced light to moderate rainfall on Sunday morning.

(PNA)

called on the residents of La Verna Hills residents to throw their wastes properly because most of the wastes gathered by the personnel of DPWH while cleaning the drainages are domestic wastes.

“It is so disappointing to see na kasagaran na makita nato sa kanal are all domestic wastes. The government is doing the best it can for its constituents but if the constituents themselves do not cooperate so mabutang lang na futile ang ginabuhat sa government para sa atoa,” he said.

He added that domestic wastes pose a challenge for DPWH, especially since the project is still ongoing.

“That is why we are appealing sa residents for their cooperation since ang crucial man gud katong pumps nato. Halimbawa, ang pumps nato mapuno ug silt ug basura then they won’t function kay maguba man hinoon. Siguro on a micro perspective ang mga barangay nato ang hangyuon nato to monitor their constituents sa proper nga paglabay sa ilang basura,” he said.

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Radio on Friday that the ment undertakes preventive

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world come from the rosy periwinkle, found in Asia’s tropical rainforests. Taxol, the only drug that shows promise against breast cancer and ovarian cancer, is derived from the Pacific Yew bark.

If nothing is done soon, some of the unknown species will become extinct.

Once a species is extinct, it cannot be brought back again. “When the last individual of a race of living beings breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again,” naturalist William Beebe reminded.

The principal threat to most species – land, aquatic and marine – is the loss or degradation of habitat due to human activities: conversion of natural ecosystems to farming and aquaculture, animal husbandry, mining, logging, bottom trawling, industrialization and urban expansion.

“Loss of habitat affects nine out of ten threatened birds and plants, along with over 80 per cent of threatened mammals,” People and the Planet pointed out.

“Human activities contribute more to the loss of biodiversity than any other factor,” FAO contends. “Biological resources are renewable resources, but they are being exploited at rates that exceed their sustainable yield.”

Climate change will be an increasing factor in loss of habitat. “While habitat loss and fragmentation have been the primary drivers of past and predicted species extinction, climate change is now putting additional pressure on many animals and plants,” said Rolando Inciong, head of Communication and Public Affairs of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.

The second main source of threat is direct exploitation – in tropical areas many endangered mammals are a source of meat. “It is in our culture to catch, kill, and or cook anything that moves,” deplored Mike Lu, treasurer of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, who has observed a dramatic decline in bird species over many years.

Finally, there is the introduction of alien species. The following groups have had a particularly negative impact on wetland biodiversity: fish such as the giant catfish and black bass; toads and frogs, including the marine toad, the American bullfrog, and leopard frog; and aquatic plants like the water hyacinth and water fern.

“Of all the global problems that confront us, species extinction is the one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that will have the most serious consequences,” declared Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

credit and loans from the International Monetary Fund - increased by $740 million to $108.53 billion as of end-March from the end-February level of $107.79 billion.

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS

11

THAILAND OPEN CAMPAIGNERS. Members of the Philippine boxing team pose for posterity after winning three gold and two silver medals in the 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament that ended on Saturday (April 9, 2022) at the Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel. From left: Roel Velasco (coach), Mitchel Martinez (coach), Hergie Bacyadan, Aira Villegas, Riza Pasuit, Reynaldo Galido (coach), Rogen Ladon, Ian Clark Bautista, Don Abnett (coach), Marcus Manalo (ABAP secretary-general). (Photo courtesy of ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo)

PH boxers shift focus to SEAG, world tilt after Thailand Open

T

he Philippine national boxing team seeks to fine-tune its game as it goes into the final stage of its rigorous preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games as well as the 2022 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships next month.

This after a victorious campaign in the recently-concluded 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament held at the luxurious Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel where 14 Filipino pugilists joined, with five of them clinching podium finishes.

Rogen Ladon (men’s flyweight), Riza Pasuit (women’s light) and Hergie Bacyadan (women’s middle) snared gold medals while Ian Clark Bautista (men’s feather) and Aira Villegas (women’s fly) seized silvers, resulting in the country’s best finish in the prestigious

Meralco takes 2-1 finals lead over Ginebra

M

eralco Bolts took a 2-1 lead in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals after tripping Barangay Ginebra, 83-74, in Game 3 on Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Bolts turned to their defense in the second half to take down the Gin Kings, who failed to sustain a hot offensive first half in the end.

With Justin Brownlee quickly taking over, Ginebra raced to a 27-22 first-quarter lead, while the team held Meralco to just 18 second-quarter points en route to a 48-40 halftime advantage.

The Bolts, however, shut down the Gin Kings in the final 24 minutes,

holding them to just 26 points the rest of the way, 13 in each of the last two quarters, while getting their offensive rhythm in time.

Tony Bishop finished with 30 points, 16 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block, while Chris Newsome added 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for Meralco.

Brownlee finished with 19 markers, 15 rebounds, seven dimes, one steal, and six swats for Ginebra.

Already flirting with a quadruple-double and a 5x5 at the half, however, he was held to just six points in the second half.

(PNA)

tournament organized by the Thailand Boxing Association headed by its president and concurrent Asian Boxing Confederation chief Pichai Chunhavajira.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Manalo said the Thailand Open tested the Pinoy boxers’ current mettle and that gave them a clearer view of what to work on after a two-week pre-competition training camp in Muak

Lek, just outside Bangkok.

“There’s some catching up to do particularly on the conditioning side. What happened here in this Thailand Open is really a feedback for us. Whether we won or we came up short, it’s feedback,” Manalo, who led the Philippine delegation along with ABAP president Ed Picson and veteran boxing official Karina Picson, said in a news release on Sunday. “’Yung mga early losses

natin it’s an indication lang na (Our early losses are just indication that) some of the boxers are not yet there in terms of their peak performance, which is fine. The reason why we joined here is to know where we are right now,” added Manalo, a mental performance coach and a graduate of sport and exercise psychology from Texas Tech University.

The morning after the Thailand Open, the national pugs immediately went

back to Muak Lek where they would resume their training for four to five weeks before flying straight to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi for the SEA Games scheduled on May 12 to 23.

Meanwhile, Villegas flew back to the Philippines along with coach Reynaldo Galido to arrange visa requirements for the Women’s World Championships on May 6 to 21 in Istanbul, Turkey.

FPH, P10

Lakers search for new coach as Frank Vogel is sacked T he Los Angeles Lakers will have a new guy in charge of the new campaign after a dismal 2021-2022 season.

A 33-49 season saw the Lakers end up 11th spot in the Western Conference, out of the play-in tournament, and management is expected to announce the dismissal of Frank Vogel on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) “Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the Lakers, a decision that’s expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources tell ESPN. Lakers’ search expected to be lengthy and expansive with no clear initial frontrunner,” Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN posted on Twitter.

Vogel, tapped by the Lakers in 2019 and in his first season helped the team to the championship, ends a three-year stint with the ballclub.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel has been fired after the team’s dismal performance this year.

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 1 • TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022

Ginebra import Justin Brownlee jostles for position against Meralco’s Cliff Hodge

The “Empire” strikes back Sorry for lifting this headline from a popular sci-fi American movie.

Can’t help it.

Did you really think Tim Cone would allow Ginebra to fall into the sinkhole on a 0-2 tally?

Of course not.

“We had to make mental adjustments,” the Ginebra mentor told PBA reporters after the Gins clinched a 99-93 hard earned win that evened their best of seven series at one apiece.

The team mindset, this is what Cone was referring to.

Handicapped by Japeth Aguilar’s absence due to a calf injury sustained against NLEX in the semis, Cone saw the vacuum and needed to have it filled up ASAP. Actually, no one could fill in Aguilar’s shoes, not even if Christian Standhardinger had an identical twin to come to the rescue.

Did you notice how Ginebra fought differently with Brownlee re-assuming the lead role that he was called and tasked upon to do?

JB poured in 36 pts, collected 13 rebounds and issued 9 assists for a near triple double.

And the highlight of his performance was the lightning speed with which he yanked the ball out of Chris Banchero’s hand who had already taken the rebound to put in a two-handed slam.

That was the point where Meralco was already catching up, (91-94) time down to 1:22 in the fourth. JB’s dunk gave the Gins enough breathing room, 96-91 and also killed the euphoria in the Meralco bench.

I would commend lavishly

Cone’s strategic defense his boys clamped on Game 1 hero Alein Maliksi who produced an egg and on Chris Newsome’s steady backcourt orchestration with only 7 this time.

Maliksi put in a huge 24 to propel the Bolts in the opener and give coach Norman Black a reason to smile.

Mind you, Game 3 is going to be more physical. And the team that blinks and loses its cool will lose.

The momentum has gone back to Brgy. Ginebra but the pressure remains on Cone’s shoulders.

Black will diagnose why Maliksi went zero all the way.

In the same manner, he will clinically, like a heart surgeon, analyze how JB was able to get away from his Meralco guards.

Something somewhere went wrong for Meralco.

Aaron Black did alright, much better I think. In fact, he impressed everyone with his sterling performance in scoring, assisting and in defense.

The young Black was responsible for bringing back life to Meralco when the Bolts were down by 20-points at one point.

The scores: Ginebra 99 Brownlee 36, Thompson 16, Tenorio 13, Standhardinger 12, Pinto 10, Chan 7, Mariano 5, Salado, Onwubere, DeVance, Ayaay 0.

Meralco 93 - Bishop 31, Black 24, Banchero 14, Newsome 7, Alamazan 6, Quinto 5, Hodge 4,Baclao 2, Hugnatan, Maliksi 0. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com). GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES