Edge Davao Volume 15 Issue 40 | Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

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President Rodrigo Duterte traverses along Davao-Cotabato national highway in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on a Can-Am on-road three-wheeler motorcycle over the weekend. It was the first time after more than six years that the President made an out of town motorcycle ride, an activity he loved to do when he was still mayor of Davao City. Edge Davao

GETTING STARTED Sara requests meeting with OVP for smooth transition

STORY ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front queue outside the Notre Dame University in Cotabato City, venue of the Napolcom’s Special Qualifying Eligibility Examination for entry into the Philippine National Police. MIndaNews photo by FERDINANDH B. CABRERA

GETTING STARTED T

PNP in the thick of preparations for Marcos, Sara inaugurations

Sara requests meeting with OVP for smooth transition

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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ice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio has requested the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for an initial meeting concerning the protocols and policies for the transition.

In her letter dated May 27, 2022 addressed to Vice President Leni Robredo, Duterte-Carpio requested an initial meeting between members of her respective

teams at the soonest possible time to discuss protocols, and policies, precedents, and other matters concerning the OVP to ensure a smooth transition.

Duterte-Carpio also requested that the initial meeting will be held via zoom.

She also mentioned in her letter that Davao City Administrator lawyer Zuleika Lopez will be coordinating with the OVP about her request.

Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco, spokesperson of Duterte-Carpio,

earlier announced that the incoming VP has formally communicated with the OVP for purposes of transition.

She also clarified that the initial meeting sought will be between the teams and not personally between the outgoing VP and the incoming VP. She said Duterte-Carpio

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he Philippine National Police (PNP) is ready to send augmentation forces during the separate inaugurations of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President-elect Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio next month.

At a press conference in Camp Crame Monday, PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said no threats have been monitored for the inauguration of the two new leaders but police continues to monitor.

“For the inauguration of both our president-elect and vice president-elect, definitely the PNP is ready to respond to any eventuality and as matter of fact we have been coordinating with the different focal persons to ensure safety and security regardless of

where they want to hold the inauguration,” Danao said. “If the need arises we will augment.”

“As of now we have not received any serious threat. However, we should not be very complacent considering that these are our top leaders of the land. We should always be on alert. So atin pong i-ensure ang safety ng President-elect and Vice President-elect (We should ensure the safety of both the president-elect and vice-president-elect),” Danao added.

He made assurances that the police is ready to ensure a smooth transition of power.

“We are fully ready to ensure the smooth transition of power to President-elect Marcos from President Duterte as we

undreds of applicants for police from among male and female members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front on Sunday took the National Police Commission’s Special Qualifying Eligibility Examination (NSQEE) for entry into the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Passers of the NSQEE will be conferred by the NAPOLCOM with eligibility for temporary appointment as patrolman or patrolwoman in the PNP. Permanent

appointment can be given upon satisfaction of the prescribed educational requirement of baccalaureate degree which they have to obtain within fifteen (15) years upon entry to the PNP, as prescribed under Section 14 of RA 8551, on the general qualification for appointment into the PNP. Section 2 of Article XI of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao provides that in order to facilitate entry into the Phil-

Reams of cigarettes, shabu seized at border checkpoints H T he continuous implementation of the intensified checkpoint operations of Task Force Davao and Davao City Police Office on Saturday, May 28, netted law violators at the fixed border checkpoints of Davao City.

The authorities from the Sirawan checkpoint in Toril arrested a three persons reportedly sneaking a total of 100 reams of cigarettes with an estimated

street value of P50,000.

The suspects were identified as Viejay B. Sahidain, 35 years old, married, resident of Purok 20, Acacia, Calinan; Marvin A. Anub, 32 years old, married and a resident of Purok 4, Barangay Tamayong, Calinan; and Palma E. Sahidain, 36, married, a resident of Purok 6, Barangay 23-C Mini Forest, Davao City. They were onboard an orange Toyota Wigo with plate number

LAH 3262.

This arrest came after a total of 50 reams of imported Nelson cigarettes were also seized at the same detachment in the morning of May 28. The authorities revealed that the imported tobaccos which reportedly has an estimated street value of P25,000 belongs to a certain Jul-Amir Asiri Ambutong, 45 years old, married and a residence of Malasugat Sangali, Zambo-

anga City, onboard a gray Nissan Navara pick-up with plate number LDP 3449 heading towards Davao City.

The suspects were apprehended for violating Republic Act 4712, an act amending certain sections of Tariff and Customs Code of The Philippines, as the cigarettes they carried has no permit from the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

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FPNP, P10

MILF, MNLF applicants take examination for entry in PNP

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VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS

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Department of Health 11 (DOH 11) assistant director Dr. Gerna Manatad confirms during the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Covid-19 situation in Davao Region is currently stable with the positivity rate at less than one percent. Edge Davao

Covid-19 confirmed cases in Davao Region remain low

By MAYA M. PADILLO

D

epartment of Health (DOH 11) Assistant Regional Director Dr. Gerna Manatad confirmed that Covid-19 cases in Davao Region remain low contrary to a surge scare following the May 9 local and national elections.

Manatad reported that there are only 31 confirmed cases recorded from May 23 to 29, 2022 and DOH 11 is hoping that the trend will continue.

“We are constantly monitoring the number of

PEF working on emergency plan to keep the eagles safe fromAvian Flu

T

he Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) is currently working with the city government of Davao on an emergency plan to keep the 34 eagles from the threat of the Avian Flu. Andi Baldonado, development manager of PEF, told media that they are now working for the release of the usufruct to allow them to use the 50-hectare property in Barangay Eden in Toril, Davao City as an alternative area for the emergency transfer of the eagles.

“We are working with the city government of Davao to allow us to use land owned by the city in Barangay Eden. We are working on the release of

the usufruct to allow us to use the facility for captive breeding and rescue rehabilitation center. We are still in the initial phase but we are grateful that the city government is supportive of this emergency plan,” she said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday.

Baldonado also said that the long-term plan is to move the eagles already as the Malagos area is not conducive anymore for breeding and keeping the birds because aside from the threat of the Avian Flu, there are also game farms present in the area that pose risk for contamination.

“That is our immediate response for an emergency

like this because sa Malagos there are more game farms around the center and other animals within the area. So this makes the Malagos area susceptible to infection at hindi na siya ideal for longterm plans for the Philippine Eagle conservation like breeding and we find that it is time to really need to secure the population and move them,” she said.

Baldonado said the recent outbreak in Magsaysay town in Davao del Sur, which is a mere 90 km southwest of the PEC, posed a threat and puts at risk all 34 eagles in the PEC of being decimated.

She said the center is intensifying its biosecurity

FPEF, P10

Covid-19 confirmed cases every day. So far, we hope to sustain this kind of situation,” she said.

She added that DOH 11 continues to see a low number of cases with no sudden changes or increases week-

ly. She also said the health department is also closely coordinating with the local epidemiology and surveillance unit and the hospitals that admit confirmed cases of Covid-19.

“For the hospital ca-

pacity, in case meron tayong mga kalangan i-admit sa hospitals mataas yung kapasidad ng ating mga hospitals because mababa ang kaso natin for the whole region,” she said.

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Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) development manager Andi Baldonado says during the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao that the PEF is currently working with the city government of Davao on an emergency plan to keep the 34 eagles from the threat of the Avian Flu. Edge Davao

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

Agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) Ricardo Damale, Fortunato Cayona, Ronald Damali, Virginia Pacturan, Richard Damale, and Ryan Rey Damale (left to right) receive their land titles during the CLOA distribution held in Makilala, North Cotabato.

Contractualization ‘not bad per se’ -- next Labor chief

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“Ang contractual employment ay hindi naman bad per se. Maraming ganiyan na umiiral. Kahit na construction, at isa sa mga pinakatipikal na halimbawa... Kung bawal po iyang contract engagement, eh papaano na ang ating mga OFWs?” he said.

(Contractual employment is not bad per se. A

lot of jobs are contractual, even in construction, one of the most typical examples. If contract engagement would be discontinued, what would happen to our OFWs?) Laguesma also said that the contractual work is also typical for companies that fall under the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME).

He lamented, however, the abuses done with “endo,” such as the non-renewal of employment contracts due to an employee’s supposed underperformance.

“Kung ikaw ay sumailalim sa tinatawag na probationary employment

Cleanfuel and Petro Gazz will implement the same changes, excluding kerosene which they do not carry.

The adjustments will take effect at 6 a.m. today, May 31, for all the firms except for Caltex at 12:01 a.m., and Cleanfuel at 8:01 a.m. the same day.

Other firms have yet to make similar announcements for the week.

Domestic pump prices have so far been on an uptrend for most of the year, with only seven weekly rollbacks implemented in 2022.

Latest data available from the Department of Energy (DOE) show that yearto-date adjustments stand at a net increase of P25.55 per liter for gasoline, P29.10 per liter for diesel, and P25.20 per liter for kerosene.

ncoming Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Sunday said that there was nothing wrong with contractual employment, but lamented what he described as “abuse” in the non-regularization of contractual workers—colloquially known as “endo.”

Laguesma said that contract jobs by themselves are not inherently bad, especially in project-based employment such as construction work.

He also noted that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are often employed contractually, acknowledging the existence of legitimate job contracting.

Diesel, kerosene up; gasoline down by P1.70 per liter today

O

il firms are set to hike pump prices of diesel and kerosene this week, while rolling back those of gasoline.

In separate advisories, Chevron Philippines Inc. (Caltex), Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Seaoil Philippines Inc. said they will cut down prices per liter of gasoline by P1.70, while hiking diesel by P1.20 and kerosene by P2.45.

na 6 months, eh pagdating po ng 5th month and 29th day ay sabihin na hindi ka nag-qualify sa standard, iyon po ay abuso,” Laguesma said.

(If you were to undergo a 6-month probationary employment, and you are told at the 5th month and 29th day that you didn’t meet their standards, that is abuse.)

Contractual employees, he said, must be told from the beginning about the standards and requirements they need to meet and accomplish during the probationary period.

He added that under the law, these employees must

FPRRD, P10

BSP warns public against fake, recorded trunkline message

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he Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas warned the public to exercise caution when dealing with phone numbers that are using automated voice prompts allegedly from the central bank trunkline.

Consumers have been reportedly receiving fraudulent calls from mobile numbers and when they call the number back, they allegedly hear a recorded message that is similar to

the BSP trunkline voice prompt, the central bank said over the weekend.

The BSP said it does not have an official mobile phone number.

“The BSP reminds the public to refrain from providing any personal or financial information to unverified or suspicious sources,” it said.

Official BSP contact details, including its trunk

Pascual said.

“We will focus on bringing foreign direct investments. We will try to give priority to investors that are in high-tech industries,” he said.

Pascual said there is a growing demand for data centers outside the US and the Philippines is a good destination.

The former University of the Philippines president

and the incumbent president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has agreed to become President-elect Ferdinand Bonbong Marcos Jr’s Trade chief after a lengthy conversation.

“I believe our ideas, thoughts coincide,” Pascual said.

Pascual will join other prominent business heads

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Incoming DTI chief eyes promoting digitalization, high-tech investments

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ncoming Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual on Monday said digital transformation and bringing in more innovation-based foreign investments would be among his priorities once in office.

“One of my priorities is to promote the digital transformation of DTI and all our functionaries as well as the MSMEs and other enterprises in the country,”

FINCOMING, P10

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

ECONOMY

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Tourists flock to the Parola in Cape San Agustin, Governor Generoso town in Davao Oriental over the weekend. There are three lighthouses (parola) in this area where the Pacific Ocean and the Davao Gulf meet. The Parola is a favorite destination for local tourists. MindaNews photo by GREGORIO C. BUENO

DA to propose P270B budget for 2023: Dar

PH backs Int’l Labor Conference call for safe, healthy workplaces

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s the world of work wrestles with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippine delegation in the 110th Session of the International Labor Conference (ILC) in Geneva is pushing for the global call for the inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions in the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Framework of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

The Philippine contingent to the ILC, headed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, is embarking on a 15-day discussion of the world of work issues, specifically on occupational safety and health, apprenticeships, as well as the social and solidarity economy.

“Our Philippine team in this international parliament of labor is one with the ILC in pushing for the inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions in the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. More than ever, our obligation and commitment to the life, health, and dignity of workers cannot be overemphasized,” Bello said in a news

release on Sunday.

The ILC kicked off on May 27 and will culminate on June 11.

The conference will also discuss the social and solidarity economy and the international standardization of the quality apprenticeship, which is defined by the ILO as “a unique form of technical vocational education and training, combining on-the-job training and off-the-job learning.

Bello is joined by key officials of the Department of Labor and Employment in the labor relations and occupational health and safety clusters composed of Undersecretaries Benjo Santos Benavidez, Renato L. Ebarle, Randy B. Escolango, Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresita S. Cucueco, Executive Director Noel C. Binag, and Director Ma. Consuelo S. Bacay.

The DOLE is also joined by 12 labor group representatives from the Kilusang Mayo Uno, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, and Federation of Free Workers, and 13 from the Employers Confederation of the Philippines.

T

he Department of Agriculture is set to propose a P270-billion budget for 2023 under the incoming Marcos administration, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Monday.

Dar stressed that “so much more” could be done in the agriculture sector if an apt budgetary support would be allocated to the agency, which he claimed was “neglected” in the past years.

“What we have prepared as budget for 2023 is at the level of P270 billion.

We really have considered everything. That’s the level of budget that we need in agriculture, otherwise talagang…we have been

under-budgeted, we have been neglected all these 30 years,” he said in an ANC interview.

The DA was earlier seeking an P8 billion to 10 billion increase in the agency’s P91-billion proposed 2022 budget. The agency originally proposed a budget of P231 billion, but the Department of Budget and Management only recommended P91 billion to Congress.

Despite the lack of in-

crease in the DA’s budget, Dar said the country still posted a record harvest in rice production with 19.96 million metric tonnes.

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier said he would recommend a price cap on riceand mandate government agencies to serve as middlemen in the procurement of harvests under his administration.

This will lower rice prices to P20 to P30 from the existing costs of 38 to P50 per kilogram for the local commercial prices in Metro Manila and P37 to P52 for imported commercial rice.

Furthermore, Dar emphasized that the incom-

ing Marcos administration will inherit an agriculture sector that is “gasping for breath,” also considering the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

He thus said a sizable budget for next year would help resolve this and “unlock the potential” of the Philippine agriculture industry.

“That has been a result of this long neglect. We need now to significantly give budgetary support so that all the very requirements for farming and fishing can be properly supported by the government. This time it’s really a minimum budget for survival,” he added.

ish Paña said the distributed CLOAs covered 149.9 hectares of land implemented under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“I would like to congratulate all the beneficiaries on their recent victory of having ownership and possession of their CLOA. It is indeed a great opportuni-

ty and a privilege to be an ARB. Take good care of the land and make it productive,” Paña said.

According to Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Julie Garcia, all beneficiaries were oriented to their roles and responsibilities before releasing their CLOAs to them.

“We also reminded the

ARBs that the DAR will continue to provide support services interventions to make their lands more productive to generate more income for their respective families,” Garcia said.

Virginia Pacturan, of Kisante, Makilala, was very grateful and happy with the recent acceptance of CLOA

128 NorCot town farmers receive land titles from DAR A

total of 128 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) recently received certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in a series of CLOA distribution activities in 18 barangays of Makilala.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Char-

FNORCOT, P10

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

On the possibility the President might teach in his hometown after stepping down from power:

I really don’t know.

He said he was going to teach… sa Davao.”

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

VANTAGE POINTS

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HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

OCEANS IN DEEP TROUBLE While attending the International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida about a decade ago, I had the opportunity of meeting Dr. Deborah Gochfeld, a senior research scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research of the University of Mississippi.

I told her I was interested in writing something about the possibility of discovering some drugs from the oceans. Most of the drugs discovered in recent years were from tropical forests.

“The sky’s the limit,” she said.

“The oceans have a much broader diversity of chemical structures than are found in plants – which include uses for cancer, heart disease, and infections, among others – so it is likely that marine animals will include all of these options and more.”

Dr. William Fenical, director for marine biotechnology and biomedicine at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, echoes the same idea. “Marine resources could be the major source of drugs in the coming years,” he pointed out.

Most of these marine resources thrive in coral reefs.

“Many coral reef species produce chemicals like histamines and antibiotics used in medicine and science,” reports The Nature Con-

servancy, an organization whose mission is to preserve plants, animals and natural communities by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival.

“Coral reef plants and animals are important sources of new medicines being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, heart disease, viruses, and other diseases,” says the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Some coral reef organisms produce powerful chemicals to fend off attackers, and scientists continue to research the medicinal potential of these substances.”

Unfortunately, the world may lose them soon as the oceans are continuously devastated by human activities. “Once thought to be so vast and resilient that no level of human assault could damage them, the oceans are now crying out for attention,” noted a report released by the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute.

“The world’s oceans are in danger, and the enormity of the challenge is bigger than one country or organization,” the World Bank said in a statement during the World Oceans Summit held in Singapore some years back.

From the objectivity of space, the earth is overwhelmingly composed of water. Land appears almost as an afterthought.

“Oceans cover nearly 71% of the earth’s surface, and their deepest trenches plunge farther below sea level than Mount Everest climbs about it,” writes WI’s Peter Weber. “They contain 97% of the water on earth, and more than 10,000 times as much as all the world’s freshwater lakes and rivers combined.”

Some marine scientists estimated that the seafloor alone may contain up to 10 million species, the majority of them undiscovered. “But no one knows for sure,” wrote Donald Hinrichsen, an award-winning journalist and author of Coastal Waters of the World: Trends, Threats, and Strategies. “The ocean is our last great frontier.”

But this “last great frontier” may soon be gone, too. Thanks to the continuous man’s emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These gases don’t only accumulate in the atmosphere, causing climate change, but they also sink into the sea floor causing the waters to acidify.

According to scientists, between 25% and 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions over the

industrial period have been absorbed by the world’s oceans, thus preventing atmospheric carbon dioxide build-up from becoming worse.

“Two hundred years ago, the amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean was around 200 ppm (parts per million). Now it is nearly 400 ppm. If people continue their business as usual, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)… predicts that it will be more than 500 ppm by the end of the century,” explained Dr. Edgardo Gomez, the founding director of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.

The acidification, Dr. Gomez added, may be gradual but would happen simultaneously all over the world. He warned that it would be worse than the acidification of agricultural lands due to the use of chemical fertilizers.

“Land is more manageable,” Dr. Gomez said. “With the use of organic fertilizer and chemicals, land can easily recover. But once the ocean becomes acidic, it would take millions of years to bring back their natural (state).”

As if those are not enough, nearly 270,000 tons of plastic, which is enough to fill more than 38,500 garbage trucks, is float-

ing in the world’s oceans. This was based on a study done by 5 Gyres Institute, an organization that aims to reduce plastic in the oceans.

The recent finding is comparable to an earlier study done by researchers in Spain who used different methodology. That said study estimated “there were 7,000 to 35,000 tons of plastics this size floating in the ocean.”

These plastics are likely to stay in the oceans. “Plastics persist for up to 50 years and, because they are usually buoyant, they are widely distributed by ocean currents and wind,” notes World Resources Institute.

Continued overfishing is serving to further undermine the resilience of ocean systems, and contrary to some claims, despite some improvements largely in developed regions, fisheries management is still failing to halt the decline of key species and damage to the ecosystems on which marine life depends.

“For the first time in this century, world marine fish catches are declining,” deplored Greenpeace, the international environmental organization. “Many of the world’s formerly productive fisheries are seriously depleted, and some have collapsed due to overfishing.”

ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

AMBUSH IN CARAGA Amid the atrocities performed by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Davao region, hun-dreds of innocent individuals became victims of insurgency. Among those traitorously killed or assassinated were city cops, politicians, suspected informants, and government troops.

But the government, on October 3, 1985, got its revenge. A platoon of Philippine Con-stabulary and Army troops, with support from the militiamen and Mandaya tribesmen, am-bushed a 200-strong rebel group at sitio Sangab, Pichon, Caraga, Davao Oriental.

The joint command was led

by Capt. Peter Sumondong of the Army’s Home Defense Forces Group, who was injured in the encounter. The waylay led to the massacre of three no-tori-

ous rebel field commanders and twenty-seven of their men.

A military press statement identified the slain rebel leaders as Alexander Navarro, com-manding officer of 234th Secondary Regional Guerrilla Unit (SRGU) of the CPP-NPA-NDF, who was known as Commander Saulo; and Pablo Estander, also known as Commander Ramil; and Joel Fernandez, alias Commander Karim, members of the SRGU’s Operational Command.

The ambush took place while the commanders and their men were about to converge for the Front 15 plenum, which would have gathered insurgents from the municipalities of the towns of Tarragona, Manay, Baganga, and Caraga.

Lt. Col. Carlos I. Peña, Davao Oriental provincial commander, acted on time upon receipt of

information there was an unusually large insurgent group about to converge in a remote Caraga location. He organized two platoons to intercept them, one led by Capt. Binang Hadjiril, commander of the 433rd PC Company positioned his troops on a hill hours before the NPAs arrived. The units also sealed all possible exits.

A reinforcement of PC and Marine troops led by M/Sgt. Isaias Silvestre, Jr., a Medal of Valor awardee and the ‘hero of Calapagan,’ was sent to hunt down fleeing rebels who were reported to have escaped to the fringes of barangay Calapagan, in the town of Lupon.

An informant who joined the government during the encounter reported that what was left of the NPAs fled to sitio Tinaan, an NPA redoubt roughly 36 kilo-

meters from the ambush site. Efforts to locate the fortified rebel camp by helicopter fly-over, however, failed.

Calapagan is the same place where a total of fifty-three rebels, cornered and outfought, were annihilated by Army servicemen in May 1985. This was one of the biggest losses of the insurgency since it strategically controlled most of Davao region.

Seized in the aftermath of the 15-minute ambuscade were an M-70 grenade launcher, a caliber .30 Browning automatic rifle (BAR), caliber .30 rifle, medical supplies, documents, and briefing charts for use in the supposed plenary.

Also recovered from the ambush scene was a dump truck commandeered from a logging firm accused of contributing P60,000 and forty sacks of rice

monthly to the rebel movement, a motorcycle, and a Land Cruiser pick-up.

In a statement, Brig. Gen. Dionisio Tan-Gatue, PC regional commander, announced that the three fallen rebel commanders were among the government’s wanted list, saying the same unit was also involved in the arms and explosives raid of the Apex Mining compound in Maco, Davao de Oro, and the twin assaults of the 41st and 17th Army detachments, also in the same province.

Due to the clash, Mandaya residents of the sitios of Sangab, Palaylasan, Langawitan, and Tagalongdong had to make a forced evacuation. Red Cross and military teams supported the evacuees, whose livestock and poultry were depleted by rebel raids, with medicines and food.

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VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

COMPETITIVE EDGE

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Score “mas mura sa Shopee”* deals as low as ₱66 at the 6.6 - 7.7 Mid-Year Sale As shoppers fill up their Shopee carts with their favorite finds, they can also discover “Mas Mura Sa Shopee”* [It’s cheaper on Shopee] deals with lowpriced items that are guaranteed to make their haul worth every peso.

With 6.6 just around the corner, take your pick from the following items at only ₱66 that fit your everyday

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Say goodbye to wrinkled clothing with this handheld steam iron, which you can use either at home or on your next trip. Improve your gaming experience with these noise cancelling gaming headphones, giving you that high quality sound without sacrificing comfort.

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Shopee launches a new in-app game in time for 6.6 Shopee is giving you

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To know more about the 6.6 - 7.7 Mid-Year Sale, visit the 6.6 Mid-Year Sale page on Shopee.

9 HEALTH EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

Cigarettes are the primary culprit of lung cancer.

So many good things will happen to a smoker once he decides to quit smoking.

F

ilipinos who smoke may not be aware of it but they are actually killing themselves softly. Every time they smoke cigarettes, they are putting several poisonous chemicals into their bodies without them knowing it.

As a matter of fact, Dr. Halfdan Mahler, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), likened smoking to “slow-motion suicide.”

More than 700,000 people die due to suicide every year, according to the United Nations health agency. These deaths are unintentional but smoking is another story; it is premeditated as they know they would die from one of those diseases linked with tobacco use.

Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, the WHO reports. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

The “tobacco epidemic,” as WHO considers it, is “one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.”

“All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco,” the WHO says in its website.

Despite this fact, people still continue to use tobacco, particularly in the form of cigarette smoking. “Over 80% of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in lowand middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness

and death is heaviest,” the WHO deplores. “Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.”

In the Philippines, about 17 million people smoke – or nearly a third of the adult population, according to the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. In its study, it was found that nearly half of all Filipino men and 9% of women smoke. The habit costs the economy nearly $4 billion a year in healthcare and productivity losses, the study said.

What is alarming is that younger generations are also being hooked with the vice. Based on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, tobacco use among Filipino students (aged 13 to 15 years old) increased from 13.7% in 2011 to 16% in 2015.

Moreover, 42.7% of students have already heard of electronic cigarettes and 11.7% of them have already tried or experimented with the device.

“This has now become our biggest problem as electronic cigarettes have been linked to conventional cigarette use,” pointed out Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, adding that the longitudinal study from the Yale University found that high school students who reported using e-cigarettes were 7 times more

the most common form of tobacco use around the world. “When burned, cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals,” the American Lung Association states. “At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic. Many of these chemicals are also found in consumer products but these products have warning labels.

(But) there is no such warning for the toxins in tobacco smoke.”

Among the chemicals found in tobacco smoke and where these are also found: acetone (found in nail polish remover), acetic acid (an ingredient in hair dye), ammonia (a common household cleaner), arsenic (used in rat poison), benzene (found in rubber cement

SMOKING IS SUICIDE

IN SLOW MOTION

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO from Wikipedia

Those who quit smoking are actually winners.

likely to report subsequent conventional cigarette use.

This is very alarming, indeed. So much so that every year, the Philippines joins the rest of the world in the observance of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. June is declared as National No-Smoking Month in the country. Pursuant to Proclamation No. 183, the observance aims to raise public awareness on

the ill effects of smoking as well as to encourage smokers to give up the habit.

Tobacco kills up to half its users, the WHO warns.

As a form of suicide, it may take several years before a person dies. Tobacco harms nearly every organ of the body due to the poisons it contains.

Some 4,000 known chemicals in tobacco smoke, the WHO says.

Cigarette smoking is

and gasoline), butane (used in lighter fluid), and cadmium (active component in battery acid).

Here are more chemicals: carbon monoxide (released in car exhaust fumes), formaldehyde (embalming fluid), lead (used in batteries), naphthalene (an ingredient in mothballs), methanol (a main component in rocket fuel), nicotine (used as an insecticide), tar (material for paving roads), and toluene (used to manufacture paint).

“Smoking causes addiction to nicotine, a stimulant drug that is in tobacco,” says the website medlineplus.gov. “Nicotine addiction makes it much harder for people to quit smoking.” That’s why experts advised that if you haven’t started smoking, don’t do it!

Smoking is hazardous to your health, health officials said.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Estimates show smoking increases the risk for coronary heart dis-

ease and stroke by 2-4 times and of developing lung cancer for men by 25 times and for women by 25.7 times. “Smoking causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost,” the CDC reminds.

Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs (alveoli) found in the lungs. Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

“Tobacco smoking is the most important risk factor for COPD, causing swelling and rupturing of the air sacs in the lungs, which reduces the lung’s capacity to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide,” the WHO says.

One in five smokers will develop COPD – which causes episodes of breathlessness, coughing and mucus production – in their lifetime, and almost half of COPD deaths are attributable to smoking, the UN health agency says.

FSMOKING, P10

10 EDGEDAVAO GETTING ... FROM2

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

COVID-19 ... FROM3

Shesaidintermsofthe positivityrate,DavaoRegion isatlessthanonepositivity rate.

Meanwhile,Manatad saidDOH11isconducting extensivemonitoringinthe surveillanceofthenewOmicronsubvariantBA.2.12.1.

“Wearealsosubmitting FROM 2 reportsaslongasitfitsthe At Lasang checkpoint the passengers of a Public criterianakailangannating in Brgy. Bunawan, the Utility Van when busted kolektahanngsamplesfor personnel of Task Force with four sachets of sus- genomicsequencing.Weare Davao and DCPO appre- pected shabu weighing closelycoordinatingwith hended a certain Michael around 1.36 grams with an theepidemiologybureau Angelo Rollen Requina, estimated street value of togetherwiththePhilippine

GenomeCenter(PGC),”she said.

Earlierthismonth,the DOH Covid-19 surveillancesystemfirstdetected BA.2.12.1intwolocalcases fromtheNationalCapital Region(NCR)whohadno internationaltravelhistoryandwerefromthesame cluster.Bothcasesexperiencedmildsymptomsand testedpositivelastApril22, 2022.Theyareasymptomatic and have completed homeisolation.Thecases havebeenfullyvaccinated.

measures and only allowed the keeper to have access to the eagles.

“We are open to the public pa rin but we have stricter measures and we don’t allow vehicles to come inside the property anymore and we are on standby for a possible lockdown for any case detection in Davao City,” she said.

Apart from the Avian Flu, the eagles are facing threats like humans continuing to come in contact with the eagle in the forests as encroachment and destruction of natural habitats.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020 the center has rescued seven eagles and admitted them to PEC in 2021. Another four eagles were rescued and this year, one eagle was rescued and admitted to the center.

“Even if we continue to release the eagles we find that they are still continually being trapped or shot, actu-

ally one in every three birds that are admitted at the center has a gunshot wound or merong pellets embedded sa kanyang body. This is alarming for all of us kasi ibig sabihin kahit pa mag breed tayo ng agila dito sa Davao City and release the eagles into the forests, ganon pa rin po, na trap sila at nababaril,” Baldonado said.

These concerns will be the highlight of the upcoming Philippine Eagle Week (PEW) 2022 slated from June 4 to 13 with the theme “AgiLaya: Lasting Freedom for the Philippine Eagle.”

Highlights of the event include an exhibit from June 5 to 12, 2022 featuring Philippine eagle conservation milestones at SM Lanang Premier Atrium. From the taxidermy specimen of the late Pag-asa to gears for forest patrolling, the exhibit gives a glimpse of the significant strides in eagle conservation. By Maya M. Padillo

ful, and I’m trusting everything more.”

Next for the 17-yearold is the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier on June 6 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club, an event MacLean says he’s confident he can qualify for.

Nagayo’s week wasn’t as straight forward, but the result was no different. Entering Saturday’s round five strokes back, the 18-yearold carded a final round 71 to win the Junior Girls division by five strokes.

Swetha Sathish, who held the 36-hole lead in the Junior Girls division wasn’t able to get it done down the stretch, but her confidence remains intact.

“Thinking about those good shots, visualizing those good shots, and then making them happen was really crucial [this week],”

said Sathish, and the positive thoughts didn’t end there.

“I see myself probably winning a couple provincial championships, maybe even a national championship, and definitely getting into a good university in the future and [eventually] going professional.”

From the Junior Boys division, the top eight players have earned exemptions into the 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, August 6-10, at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Including Nagayo, the top eight players in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship taking place July 25-29 at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont. (With a report from Golf

in the pool stage before taking down Warsaw, Melbourne, and then Liman for the title.

Liman, on the other hand, was led by the eight points and four rebounds of Stefan Kojic. Mihailo Vasic had five, as Aleksandar Ratkov added four.

As tough as the loss was, the third-ranked team in the world still improved its finish from the Utsunomiya tilt, where it only ended up at fifth.

Liman also brought home $30,000 (P1,569,750).

Sansar MMC Energy of Mongolia took third place.

Two Philippine teams -- Cebu Chooks and Manila Chooks -- lost in the quarterfinals to finish seventh and eighth, respectively.

The FIBA 3x3 World Tour will be back on July 3031 for the ninth edition of the Prague Masters.

The scores: Ub 20 - Brankovic 9, Majstorovic 8, Stojacic 3, Barac 0.

Liman 17 - Kojic 8, Vasic 5, Ratkov 4, Kilijian 0.

intends to undertake as smooth and orderly transition as possible.

Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio also reached out to Education Secretary Leonor Briones to discuss the

transition.

It can be recalled that Briones announced DepEd is looking forward to working for a smooth transition at the department with Duterte-Carpio.

33, married, a resident of Purok 3 Lubogan Toril, Davao City for carrying illegal drugs during the mandatory inspection.

The suspect was among

P21,760.

The suspects and evidences were immediately turned over to the respective police stations for proper filing of cases.

remain ever faithful and loyal to the Constitution, the flag and the duly constituted authorities in dispersing our law enforcement and public safety duties,” he said.

Duterte is expected to hold the inauguration in Davao City on June 19 and Marcos on June 30.

Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, chief of the PNP-Public Informa-

tion Office, said police are ready to assist the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in securing the two events through the PNP’s Police Security and Protection Group.

“There was already coordination with the PSG on the deployment. The number of security personnel is kept confidential due to security purposes,” Alba said. (PNA)

ippine National Police of the MILF and MNLF members from the BARMM, “the age, height and educational attainment requirements may be waived by the National Police Commission, subject to existing rules and regulations.”

The waiver can be availed of within five years from the ratification of the Organic Law. The law was ratified in January 2019.

It also states that the requirement of educational attainment shall be complied with within 15 years

from their entry, provided that their ranks and grades shall be subject to existing laws, rules and regulations governing the PNP. The NAPOLCOM in its May 19 press release said members of the MILF and MNLF who aspire to join the police service shall submit a certification issued by the MILF or MNLF chair, validated by the Ad Hoc Office on Bangsamoro Policing as prescribed under Executive Order No. 0003 issue on March 7, 2022. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)

be told on the third month about the status of their performance, so that there may be time to improve and satisfy the employer’s requirements.

Laguesma also said that contractual work and subsquently “endo” is also tied to the issue of worker wages, adding that there is a delicate balance between giving employees tenure and operating these businesses.

Laguesma, who previ-

ously served as Labor Secretary under the administration of former President Joseph Estrada, has been selected by President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to return to the post.

He had earlier said that he has yet to address “endo” issues among workers with the Department of Labor and Employment, adding that there is no “quick fix” to contractualization.

line (+632) 8811-1277, are posted on its official website, it said.

The National Telecommunications Commission

also recently ordered the three major telco operators to remind users about the proliferating fake jobs text scams.

and economists such as Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Benjamin Diokno and 2 former Socioeco-

nomic Secretaries Felipie Medalla and Arsenio Balisacan in Marcos’ economic cluster.

from the DAR. “l could not contain my happiness upon receiving the CLOA. My endless appreciation and gratitude to

DAR for their commitment to serving the ARBs. We have been excitedly waiting for this and now it is already in our hands,” Pacturan said.

REAMS ...

PNP ... FROM2

MILF ... FROM2

PRRD ... FROM4

BSP ... FROM4

INCOMING ... FROM4 NORCOT ... FROM5

PEF ... FROM3

THREE ... FROM12

UB ... FROM11

SMOKING... FROM9 Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer. “Smokers are up to 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer in their lifetime, compared with non-smokers,” the WHO says. “Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke at home or in the workplace have a 30% higher risk of developing lung cancer.”

If you have asthma, tobacco smoke can trigger an attack or make an attack worse. “In people living with asthma, tobacco smoking further restricts activity, contributes to work disability and increases the risk of severe asthma requiring emergency care,” the WHO states, adding that around one in nine asthma deaths can be attributed to tobacco smoking.

Tuberculosis (TB), before it becomes activated, starts with latent TB infection. Latent TB may develop into active disease at any time, particularly when the immune system is weakened. “Smoking substantially increases the risk of TB and death from TB,” the WHO says. “More than 20% of global TB incidence may be attributable to tobacco.”

The CDC also states that smoking causes cancer almost anywhere in the body: bladder, blood (acute myeloid leukemia), cervix, colon and rectum (colorectal), esophagus, kidney and ureter, larynx, liver, oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils), pancreas, stomach, and trachea, bronchus, and lung.

There are other health risks and problems caused by cigarette smoking, according to the CDC. For women, smoking can make it harder to become pregnant. It can also affect her baby’s health before and after birth. Smoking increases risk for preterm (early) delivery, stillbirth (death of the baby before birth), low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, ectopic pregnancy, and orofacial clefts in infants.

Smoking can also affect men’s sperm. Rachel Gurevich, writing for verywellfamily.com, reported on a study that was published in European Urology: “The negative effect smoking had on sperm health was stronger in infertile men and in moderate to heavy smokers, compared to light smokers.”

The CDC says smoking can increase a person’s risk for cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens that makes it hard for you to see). It can also cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which damages a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision.

The best way for smokers to avoid all those health consequences is to quit now. “Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of health problems,” medlineplus. gov pinpoints. “The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit.”

What happens to those

who quit smoking? According to the WHO, the following are benefits of those who quit smoking compared with those who continue doing the habit: at about 30, gain almost 10 years of life expectancy; at about 40, gain 9 years of life expectancy; at about 50, gain 6 years of life expectancy; at about 60, gain 3 years of life expectancy.

But doing so is a difficult task. Two medical experts are in agreement that smokers who cannot stop smoking really need help – or else they may not be able to kick the addictive vice.

“Smokers may be rightfully considered as victims of an addictive disease, and those who cannot quit remain part of the health equation of every nation, just as much as the healthy non-smokers,” says Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, a cardiologist and lifetime member of the Philippine Medical Association and Philippine Heart Association.

“They actually need more understanding, more attention, and more care from their physicians, who should aim for a treatment goal of at least partially protecting them from the cardiovascular and other health hazards of cigarette addiction,” explained Dr. Castillo, a professor in cardiovascular medicine.

In order for them to reduce the health hazards brought about by smoking, these smokers should be given some interventions they can lean on until they will be able to quit smoking altogether.

“Like many other interventions in daily life – seat belts in cars, motorcycle helmets, safe needle exchange in drug addiction, to cite a few – (smokers should have some alternatives to tobacco which can) reduce health harms linked to smoking,” says Professor Tikki Elka Pangestu, former director of the research policy and cooperation at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Both medical experts call this as tobacco harm reduction (THR). “(It) is a strategy to mitigate the health risk in smokers who use conventional cigarettes,” Dr. Castillo explains.

“Complete smoking cessation is still the primary goal but since this cannot be achieved in the far bigger majority of smokers we describe as recalcitrant, then a pragmatic middle-ground alternative should be offered to them.”

As smoking is one of the world’s largest health problems, many countries have already introduced laws to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke in public places. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo R. Duterte, a former smoker, bans smoking in public places.

The ban carries a maximum penalty of four months in jail and a fine of P5,000 pesos, both for indoor and outdoor smoking. It also covers existing bans on tobacco advertisements, promotions or sponsorship.

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

11

The Boston Celtics pose for a photo with the Bob Cousy Eastern Conference Championship Trophy after Game 7 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals at the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida. Brian Babineau, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP

Celtics beat Heat, face Warriors in NBA Finals

M

IAMI -- The Boston Celtics, led by 26 points from Jayson Tatum, advanced to the NBA Finals by defeating Miami, 100-96, on Sunday, setting up a showdown against the Golden State Warriors.

Boston captured the winner-take-all matchup to take the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 4-3 and secure a place in the championship series, which begins Thursday in San Francisco.

The Celtics, who eliminated 2021 NBA champi-

on Milwaukee in a seventh game earlier this month, held off the Heat down the stretch to advance after losing the conference finals three times in the past five seasons.

“To get over the hump with this group, it means everything,” Tatum said.

“Not a lot of people believed in us, but it worked out.”

Tatum, who also had 10 rebounds and six assists, was named the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player after what he called the biggest game of his career.

Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each added 24 points for Boston while Jimmy Butler led Miami with 35 points in a losing cause.

Boston veteran center Al Horford reached his first NBA Finals at age 35.

“This group is special,”

he said. “I’m happy to be sharing this moment with these guys.”

Golden State split two games with the Celtics in the regular season, winning, 111-107, in December at Boston and losing, 110-88, in March at San Francisco.

The Celtics reached the NBA Finals for the first time since losing the 2010 title to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics haven’t won the NBA crown since 2008.

The Warriors, in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years, seek their fourth title in that span

dying seconds, but Smart hit two free throws to produce the final margin and the Celtics kept Miami at bay from there.

“We figured it out,” Brown said. “We persevered. We got the job done.”

Boston jumped ahead 20-7 and led by as much as 34-17 early in the second quarter, but the Heat closed the second quarter on an 11-2 run to pull within 5549 at half-time.

Butler scored 24 points in the first half while Brown had 15 and Tatum 13 to lead the Celtics. AFP

rebounds, while Majstorovic provided eight markers as the two joined hands for the telling 8-1 run for a 15-8 lead with 2:52 to go that eventually led to the crew bagging $40,000 (P2,093,000).

World No. 1 Strahinja Stojacic made his presence felt as well with three points, including the booming two-pointer with 45.4 seconds left that doused cold water to a last-ditch attempt by their fellow Serbians in catching up.

Majstorovic, 34, was

later on crowned as the Manila Masters’ Most Valuable Player, adding yet another valuable piece to his stacked collection.

“It feels amazing,” said the ‘Maestro,’ a three-time 3x3 World Cup gold medalist. “We want to prove that we are the best team in the world. And we did it.

We need to stay calm, work hard, and keep playing the same way.”

Ub finished the tournament unscathed. It went 2-0

Ub wins FIBA 3x3 Manila Masters

U

Ub Huishan NE celebrates after winning the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters.

and the first since 2018.

Smart had six points in a 10-1 spurt by Boston for a 65-52 Celtics lead early in the third quarter, but a 7-0 Heat run soon after pulled Miami within 72-65 and the Celtics carried an 82-75 lead into the final quarter.

An 8-0 Celtics spurt early in the fourth quarter lifted Boston ahead 90-79, the Heat missing nine shots in a row during the futility run.

Max Strus sank a three-pointer to close an 11-0 Miami run and lift the Heat within 98-96 in the

b Huishan NE turned back Liman Huishan NE, 20-17, to rule the 2022 Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters, Sunday night at Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Marko Brankovic and Dejan Majstorovic formed a solid 1-2 punch as the tandem powered the world’s No. 1 team in owning another WT leg after conquering the Utsunomiya Opener in Japan a couple of weeks ago.

Brankovic top-scored with nine points and five

FUB, P10

12 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.15 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022

Ella Nagayo receives her championship trophy.

THREE IN A ROW

‘Swingderella’ scores comeback win in NextGen Ontario Championships

By NEIL BRAVO

S

tart believing Toronto-based Dabawenya golf sensation Alessandra “Ella” Nagayo is Canada’s next generation golf superstar.

On Saturday, the 18-year old daughter of former city councilor and now labor attache Atty. Rachel Zozobrado-Nagayo, conquered what most golfers call “phenomenally difficult” course at Oak Bay Golf Club in Port Severn, Ont. for her third straight title since April 16.

Nagayo followed up her recent win in the Canadian Junior Golf Association circuit after coming through with another championshp in the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship Qualifier Presented by The Ultimate Divot Tool last May 18.

Earlier, Nagayo opened the 2022 season of the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) with a smashing triumph in the Season Opener last April 16-17 in Ontario, Canada.

There wasn’t much for the girls nicknamed “Swingderella” and boys champion Ben MacLean

to worry about on Saturday at the fabled Oak Bay. Nagayo (Toronto, Ont.) made a final round comeback to capture the title in the girls division at the NextGen Ontario Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards. In contrast, MacLean (Niagara Falls, Ont.) led wire-to-wire to pocket the boys title.

MacLean carded rounds of 69, 69 and 70 for an 11-stroke victory for his second championship in as many weeks, after bringing home the 2022 Ontario Junior Spring Classic (U19) Boys Championship last week.

“I made a huge jump in my game last year and I took most of the stuff I did last year and added to that,” said MacLean on his recent success. “[I’m] finding better shots off the tee and hitting my shots a lot better than I was last year which has been pretty help-

FTHREE, P10