Edge10 issue142 October 18, 2017

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

BOOSTING THE TROOPS.President Duterte talks to the soldiers in his latest visit to Marawi City. The President declared the liberation of Marawi City from ISIS-inspired Maute group on Tuesday after the military killed Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute of the Maute group early morning of Monday. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

BACK TO NORMAL

But classes and government work still suspended By: ANGIE SAVERON

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ormal traf�ic resumed in Davao City on Tuesday after TRANSMISSION Piston Davao called off its participation in a nationwide transport that �izzled out in the face of City Hall preparation that took the sting of what was initially billed a crippling strike.

Both the TRANSMISSION and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced that the transport strike in Davao City lasted until Monday at 12 mid-

night.

Classes in both public and privates schools were still suspended, along with work in government of�icers in line with Memorandum Circular No. 29 issued by the Of�ice of the President.

The head of the City Transport and Traf�ic Management Of�ice said traf�ic is now back to normal as passenger jeepneys resumed operation.

“Normal man ang situation sa traf�ic pero naa’y pronouncement gikan sa Of-

�ice of the president nga suspendido gihapon ang klase sa public and private schools ug wala pu’y trabaho ang opisina sa national ug local government,” said CTTMO head, Supt. Dioniso Abude.

Based on the CTTMO’s records, two minor vehicular accidents involving private vehicles were listed. “ Sa buntag naa ta’y is aka minor vehicular accident involving is aka private car and isa ka motor, minor lang man to siya sa may Crossing Matina pagka hapon diri dapit sa

may Ponciano adunay duha ka private vehicular accident,” said Abude.

The City Government and LTFRB has prepared six buses in case there will be stranded passengers in the city. The Davao City Police Of�ice (DCPO) also offered assistance to the public by providing libreng sakay in their Police Mobile.

“The DCPO has offered our mobile vehicle sa libreng sakay sa tanan nga ma stranded hilabi na unyang

BACK, 10

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

MAKING SURE. A boy looks on while a Task Force Davao personnel inspects his mother’s belongings at the entrance of the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) on Tuesday. Authorities implemented stricter security measures after government troops killed Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute of the Maute group on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Govt urged to dump bill that allows incineration

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he government must scrap moves to repeal the waste incineration ban and stop promoting socalled “waste-to-energy” (WtE) incineration facilities.

This was the call made by more than 50 civil society groups in a press conference today in Quezon City.

The groups, under a banner alliance called No Burn Pilipinas, condemned House Bill 2286, which sought to repeal the waste incineration ban enshrined in Republic Act 8749, the Clean Air Act, and amend the country’s landmark Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, in order to allow incineration in the country.

The groups also said that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’

(DENR) promotion of WtE is not only regressive but also runs counter to their mandate to ensure a healthy environment for Filipinos.

“Repealing the incineration ban is bad news for the environment, public health and local communities,” said Von Hernandez, Global Coordinator of the Break Free from Plastic movement. “It represents a regressive move on the part of Congress, at a time when the planet is in dire need of genuine solutions to the climate and waste crisis.

Worse, it presents a triple whammy for Filipinos as socalled WtE plants translate to higher electricity costs, higher waste disposal fees, and higher risks of cancer for host communities.”

GOVT, 10

Comelec exec’s resignation letter to Duterte‘improper’

S

enator Pan�ilo Lacson on Tuesday questioned the move of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson Andres Bautista to submit his resignation to President Rodrigo Duterte saying he should have submitted his resignation to the Comelec en banc.

“I am not a lawyer but I don’t think it is even proper to submit Chairman Bautista’s resignation to the president,” Lacson said in a radio interview.

“Comelec is a constitu-

tional body and I asked some lawyers about this. I think the proper way to do it is to submit his resignation to the Comelec en banc,” he added.

In an October 13 television interview, Duterte said he has accepted the resignation of Bautista as Comelec chair saying it would be better off if he resigned so that there would be no trouble.

Bautista tendered his resignation effective December 31, 2017 - the same day the House of Representatives

COMELEC, 10

EastMinCom to tighten Davao security measures By: ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. he Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has tightened security measures in Davao Region following the death of Maute Group leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute in Marawi City on Monday.

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EastMinCom spokesperson Maj. Ezra L. Balagtey said that the measures were meant to counter possible reprisal from the Maute Group after the death of its leaders.

“The commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, Lt. Gen. Rey Lenardo Guerrero issued directives to all units to raise alert level their respective areas of responsibility to prevent any reprisal from the sympathetic groups,” he said.

Balagtey said the tightening of security will include

the “intensi�ication of security operations” especially in the areas of convergence such as malls and places of worships.

“Of course, the security in the territorial waters will be intensi�ied because this might be used as mobility corridor of the terrorist groups,” he said.

He said there will be stricter conduct of checkpoints in some areas to ensure the safety of all citizens in the region.

Balagtey said the said security measures will be also

applied to other areas under EastMinCom. He said the EastMinCom is also coordinating with other stakeholders so that mechanism provided under Martial Law will be properly imposed without disregarding the respect on human rights.

“In the same manner, we will also continue our presence we made that is providing awareness on violent extremism and terrorism to raise their awareness,” he said.

Balagtey said the whole EastMinCom hopes that the support from the stakeholders on the �ight against violent extremism will continue.

“We also ask the commu-

nity to continue supporting us by reporting any dubious activities and personalities in their areas. So that we can prevent any atrocities to happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Balagtey said the whole EastMinCom congratulated all operating soliders of Western Mindanao Command in the Marawi Siege for the job well done.

“We are happy for the accomplishment of the Western Mindanao Command in neutralizing Hapilon and Maute,” he said.

He said that accomplishment is the welcome development on the peace and order not just in Marawi City but also in the areas of EastMinCom.

the Consulate General had been in touch with the victim’s family and had offered assistance, especially in coordinating arrangements for the repatriation of the victim’s remains.

“We also continue to communicate with the Filipino community through our social media advisories, and have offered consular assistance to Filipinos affected by the wild�ires,” he said.

DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano expressed con-

dolences to the family of the Filipino presumed to have perished in the wild�ire.

“I have instructed our Consulate General in San Francisco to offer all possible assistance to the family and to continue to closely monitor the welfare of other Filipinos in the affected areas,” he said in a statement.

More than 10,000 �ire�ighters are currently battling 16 large wild�ires that have burned more than 86,600 hectares.

The �ires have destroyed 5,700 structures and have claimed at least 40 lives.

About 100,000 people have been evacuated from the �ires.

There are an estimated 13,500 Filipinos living in the Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties, which are the areas most affected by the wild�ires.

An estimated 4,200 Filipinos live in the other affected counties of Lake, Marin and Mendocino. (PNA)

Filipino among fatalities in California wildfire

A

Filipino is presumed dead in the wild�ire currently engul�ing North California’s wine county, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco reported to the DFA that the Filipino’s remains, which have yet to be positively identi�ied, were recovered on October 14 in Napa County.

Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon Ascalon said

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

DCPO says it is ready for Undas deployment By: ANGIE SAVERON

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he Davao City Police Office has declared itself ready for deployment during the duration of the Undas season, in observance of All Souls Day and All Saints Day. “By October 21, the deployment of personnel will start since we anticipate a lot of people to visit the graves of their departed ones early,”said P/Senior Inspector Maria Teressita Gaspan, DCPO spokesperson.

She added that no police personnel will be taking a taking vacation to ensure enough personnel for deployment.

She said that all malls, churches and places of worships will be secured.

She said the maximum deployment of troops will start on October 30 with the DCPO expected to mobilize approx-

imately 1800 policemen, to be augmented by the Police Regional Of�ice Region XI with two company size contingents from the Regional Public Safety Battalion and Police Auxiliary.

They will be assigned in all cemeteries in the city as well as in the monitoring of all public spaces and vital installations.

They are also expected to monitor the terminals, seaports and airports. “ Naa gihapon naka deploy nga police kay dili lang ta mag focus didto because the enemy might take advantage of the situation,” said Gaspan.

She said the public must refrain from bringing along with them bladed weapons, guns, liquor, explosives and any other objects during the Undas season.

There will be police assistance desks in each cemetery to help the public. “ Tanan nga seminteryo aduna’y established Police assistance desk para in case nga naa’y bata mawala adunay mga police assistance didto dayun sila muduol para mas matagaan ug prompt na action,” said Gaspan.

At the same time, she said the resignation of the 57 police auxiliary personnel has not affected the DCPO a bit, adding more police auxiliary will have to be hired next year.

280 IPs take oath as 10th ID soldiers By: ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

A

total of 280 members of Indigenous People communities in Davao Region took their oath as candidate soldiers of 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

In a ceremony at the 10th ID Headquarters in Mawab Compostela Valley, the members of different tribes vowed to defend the constitution and the country against the lawless elements.

10th ID assistant commander Brig. General Bienvenido Datuin bared that these IP soldiers will get the same salary, allowances and other bene�its just like the regular soldiers have. “When they graduate, the same bene�its and privileges will given them and they will also be given the same serial numbers, “ Datuin said.

He said these IP soldiers were chosen by the different brigade commanders in the region. Among the Brigades under 10th ID are 1001st Brigade in Compostela Valley, 1002nd in Davao Del Sur, 1003rd in Davao del Norte and 701st in Davao Oriental.

“We are making sure that all of the Brigades are well represented, “ he said. Datuin said these soldiers will also be given the same training like the regular soldiers which will last for eight weeks. “The training will be focusing on how to execute our campaign plan; community support program, respect for human rights and we will make sure that it will be people centered and developmental in nature, “ he said.

He emphasized that the 10th ID took a lot of IP to become soldiers of the country because it is important for them to involve the tribes in the communities in terms of nation building. “My experience as 28th IB (Infantry Battalion) as well as 701st Brigade, I’ve been so long in these areas, it is important that we have to involve our brothers and sisters from the tribes,” he said.

Datuin added that according to the tribal leaders within the area of 10th ID, the move of the division might be the solution to end insurgency. “You get the people involved, it’s a collective responsibility, “ he said.

Datuin hopes that there will be more batches to come that will help them in their campaign.

STRESSING A POINT. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio gestures while delivering a speech during a convention in Davao City in this undated photo. The

mayor issued an order creating the Davao City Anti-Scam Unit under the Mayor’s office on Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

Reconstruction commission pressed for Marawi

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uwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles today said that the death of two of the country’s most notorious terrorist leaders- Isnilon Hapilon of the Abu Sayyaf Group and Omar Maute of the Maute Group-- should now jumpstart a massive and well-organized recon-

struction effort to rebuild cial undertaking that would Marawi City. require an honest and dedNograles, who is also icated group of civil work serving as acting congress- experts, logisticians and city man for the �irst district of planners.

Sulu, said that the task of Nograles proposed the rebuilding Marawi City and creation of a non-partisan return its old glory as the and non-sectarian reconcenter of Islamic culture in struction commission which the Philippines is an enor- would design and manage mous logistical and �inan- RECONSTRUCTION, 10

One bullet for Maute and three for Hapilon

A

TO THE NEXT LEVEL. A young boy takes advantage of the suspension of classes to practice his skim-boarding skills at Times Beach in Matina, Davao City on Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

sniper headshot killed Omar Maute, one of the leaders of the ISIS-inspired Maute terror group who led a �ive-month siege in Marawi City.

Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, the “Emir of ISIS in the Philippines” was killed with three bullets to his chest as he tried to run.

Hapilon and Maute were killed as they tried to escape to another building to avoid an assault force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Special Forces and the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force units Monday dawn.

The military’s target to end the crisis was Sunday, October 15.

“I am con�irming the (touted) Emir of ISIS in the Philippines and Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and

the last of the dreaded Maute brothers, Omar, are both dead,” Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduardo Ano said.

“Hapilon and Omar were both neutralized during the dawn raid today,” Ano told a press brie�ing in Kampo Ranao, headquarters of the Army’s103rd Infantry Brigade.

Ano said eight other ISISMaute gunmen were killed with Hapilon and Omar as they made a dash to another building to elude the attacking troops.

He said the troops were able to rescue 20 hostages including a two-month old baby girl born inside the war zone.

Ano said there was still an ongoing �ire�ight to free the remaining 22 hostages still being held by 30 ISIS gunmen that include six foreign �ighters.

ONE, 10

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Financial markets resume operation Trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange resumed Tuesday even as Malacanang again suspended work in government of�ices in line with the second day of the nationwide transport strike.

Trading and settlement at the Securities Clearing Corportion of the Philippines will also resume Tuesday, the PSE said in a statement.

“BSP’s (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) Philippine Payments and Settlement Systems (PhilPaSS) has con�irmed it will be operating despite the announcement of suspension of work in government,” it added.

The BSP, in a statement,

said PhilPaSS is on normal clearing operations for the day “to support the banking and �inancial sectors.”

Malacanang, in Memorandum Circular 29 issued Monday night, announced another day of suspension of work in all government agencies and all levels of classes in both public and private schools nationwide to ensure the safety of state workers and students not only from the transport strike but the inclement weather.

Suspension of work in other branches of government as well as the private sector was left to the discretion of their of�icials. (PNA

OFW remittances up 7.8% to $2.5B

S

trong domestic spending is seen to continue in the Philippines as remittance in�lows remain robust, an economist of ING Bank Manila said.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday showed that cash remittances reached USD2.499 billion last August, 7.8 percent higher than year-ago’s USD2.319 billion and the USD2.283 billion last July.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng, in a research note, said the faster growth of remittances from month-ago’s 7.1 percent expansion is an “upside surprise” since it made the margin between remittances and trade de�icit “practically disappeared.”

Exports grew by 9.4 percent last August although imports posted a rebound and increased by 10.5 percent.

“The increase also sup-

ports higher domestic spending which in turn means �irm imports ahead,” Cuyegkeng said, referring to growth of remittances.

Remittances has been among the major growth drivers of the Philippine economy for some decades now as is accounts for around 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

In 2016, cash in�lows from Filipino workers overseas grew by �ive percent, higher than the central bank’s four percent target.

This year, the BSP’s remittance growth assumption is still four percent.

As of end-August this year, remittances rose by 5.4 percent to USD18.595 billion. Including in-kind remittances, total remittances posted an uptick of 6.4 percent to USD20.723 billion.

(PNA)

South Palawan economy seen to flourish in 2018

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UERTO PRINCESA CITY- A 50-km. PHP900-million road project in the town of Bataraza in Palawan province, which will connect to the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) rollon/roll-off port, is expected to boost southern Palawan’s economy before the end of the year.

Provincial information of�icer Gil Acosta Jr. said Tuesday the road project that would connect “the bustling mining community” of Barangay Rio Tuba to Barangay Buliluyan in Bataraza is expected to be completed soon.

“It will link the BIMP-EAGA roll-on/roll-off (RORO) port in Buliluyan to the arterial road network in the mainland when it opens its doors in the �irst quarter of 2018 for tourists and

merchants from destinations like Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia,” Acosta said in a statement.

The �low of people, goods, and services to and from Palawan from these countries will likely commence, he added.

“The efforts of Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez to make things happen for the southern Palawan economy is about to pay off. While the neighboring northern Palawan is basking in the limelight of economic development, attributed primarily to its thriving tourism industry, the south has somewhat lackadaisically maintained the status quo in the last decade. Tied up to its modest agriculture industry, southern Palawan’s economy is unable to keep pace with the robust growth of the tourism-rich

SOUTH, 10

HOMEMADE. A Maranao woman wraps a native delicacy known as ‘dodol’ at her shop along the highway in Balabagan, Lanao del Sur. Dodol, which is

made of glutinous rice and sugar, is known in the Visayan dialect as kalamay.

Photo courtesy of Keith Bacongco

AIDFI bags ASEAN Leadership Award on Rural Development

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he Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI) wins the 3rd ASEAN Leadership Award on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, in conjunction with the 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (AMRDPE) which was held last October 6 in Kuala Lumpur.

AIDFI was among 19 other recipients from 10 ASEAN countries, whose awards were presented by Malaysian Rural and Regional Development Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. AIDFI was chosen in the non-governmental organizations (NGO) sector while Coffee for Peace based

in Davao was chosen in the private sector. Each country had an NGO and Private Sector winner.

The ceremony held in the JW Marriot Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was also attended by National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Lead Convenor Liza L. Maza, NAPC Director Sem H. Cordial and

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia H.E. Charles C. Jose.

Ismail Sabri said the objective of award was to recognize the contributions and roles of NGOs and private sectors in rural community development and poverty eradication.

He said the award would encourage NGOs and the private sector to continue and strengthen their work and contributions to rural community development in their respective countries especially to the ASEAN Community building.

In line with the 3rd Leadership Award, NAPC of

the Philippines had opened a competition for NGO’s and private sector for selection of the Philippine winners.

The criteria were that the NGO should have work or worked, besides Philippines, in other ASEAN countries.

AIDFI had activities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. AIDFI was shortlisted and a community which had received a ram pump system for drinking water was visited by the jury.

AIDFI was represented by two of its Board of Trustees: Auke Idzenga and Jose Moven Ligahon.

e�it more than 84,000 day care workers nationwide.

“Under HB 6550, over 84,000 day care workers nationwide will be regularized as the measure mandates for the creation of two plantilla positions for day care workers per barangay,” Brosas said.

“We want security of tenure and higher allowances and bene�its for our day care workers, unlike under the current setup wherein their employment is subject to political considerations,” she added.

The bill states that day care workers shall receive additional compensation, such as overtime pay, hazard

allowance and subsistence allowance.

Furthermore, the bill provides that all day care workers shall automatically become members of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth.

The bill seeks the creation of a Special Personnel Selection Board (SPSB) for day care worker positions to screen candidates and create a pool of 10 quali�ied applicants for possible appointment to the positions.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commis-

sion on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), will be mandated to provide for a system of continuing education and skills training and knowledge enhancement programs for day care workers.

“Aside from �inancial and economic bene�its, we also want continuous development for our day care workers that is why the bill also mandates DSWD in coordination with DepEd, CHED, and TESDA to provide skills training, knowledge enhancement, and scholarship opportunities,” Brosas said.

(PNA)

Magna Carta for Day Care workers okayed by House

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he House of Representatives has approved on second reading a measure seeking to establish the Magna Carta of Day Care Workers.

Legislators approved House Bill 6550, which aims to improve the social and economic well-being of day care workers.

The bill provides for the creation of at least one Day Care Worker I and one Day Care Worker II plantilla positions — entitled to Salary Grade 6 and Salary Grade 8, respectively — in all day care centers nationwide.

Principal author, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, said the proposed law would ben-

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

ECONOMY 5

Hawaii trade mission enhances ties with PH

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awaii is working to assist small businesses develop and market more products to the Philippines, as the two states improve bilateral economic and trade relations, said visiting Hawaii Governor David Ige. “There are a number of things that we are doing on the Hawaii side to support small business and the development of products for potential export not only to the Philippines (but) as well as to other communities,” he said in a press brie�ing here on Monday.

Ige said the state of Hawaii is continuing its focus on products in hospitality sector.

Edwin Hawkins, Executive Director of the Of�ice of Economic Development, said Hawaii is looking for opportunity for investments in economic development and increased food production.

“We have large agricultural lands and we would be willing to look at various groups and I think the Filipino community is one of those that we would like to encourage either investments or assistance to them and developing these areas into a diversi�ied agriculture,” he said.

Luis Salaveria, Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said there is signi�icant trade

difference between Hawaii and the Philippines, in favor of the latter.

Data indicated that from 2012 to 2016, Hawaii imported an average of USD 27.2 million worth of products every year from the Philippines. The major items imported from the Philippines were �ishes, fruits and jewelry.

Hawaii, on the other hand, exported an average of USD4.7 million of products annually to the Philippines in the past �ive years.

“Our intention really is open up the collaboration between Hawaii and the Philippines and to �ind those opportunities and areas where we think that there could be a signi�icant collaborative relationship,” Salaveria said in an interview.

He identi�ied energy as an important area of collaboration in terms of sharing of knowledge and technology.

Meanwhile, Ige said the goodwill and trade mission to the Philippines is also focused on person-to-person relationship, noting ties between Hawaii and the Philippines are “one of the most important bilateral relationships that we have in the island.”

He said several important government-to-government meetings would be conducted during the mission.(PNA)

OFW bank told to shell out financial packages

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verseas Filipino Workers have welcomed the establishment of the Overseas Filipino Bank which will start its operations next year.

Mary Joy Ersando, on Tuesday said she hopes the new bank will feature special �inancial packages for them to avail themselves of the bene�its compared from the usual offerings being made by commercial banks in the country.

Ersando had been working as a nurse for at least 10 years in Saudi Arabia.

“Sana yan bank na yan (I wish this bank) will grant loans na meron (that has) low interest rates for housing, small scale business or personal loans,” Ersando said.

“Makakatulong yan kung yung (It will help if the) secured banking system are same sa mga (to the) top banks sa Pilipinas (in the Philippines),” she added.

True to his campaign promise, President Rodrigo Duterte issued last month Executive Order No. 44 allowing the state-owned

Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to acquire Philippine Postal Savings Bank, Inc., a subsidiary of of Philippine Postal Corporation, and convert it to OFB. Under E.O. 44, the LBP is also ordered to infuse fresh capitals to strengthen the capital base of the OFB to effectively provide the needed banking services to the OFWs. The OFB will have nine-member board that will be chaired by LBP president.

Another Filipino banker, who is based in Doha, Qatar, noted they have yet to see the bene�its and programs of the newly-established bank.

“It is a welcome development since there are millions of Filipinos who are sending their money to their families back home,” the banker, who only identi�ied himself Nathaniel, said.

He said proper investment is one of key elements to help OFWs achieve �inancial security, especially those who are eyeing return home for good. (PNA)

STREET FAVORITE. A vendor selling street food prepares to cook ‘kwek-kwek’ at his stall at the Roxas Night market in Davao City on Monday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

DOF imposes sanctions on 20 erring employees T

he Revenue Integrity Protection Service , the anti-corruption unit of the Department of Finance, has been able to obtain orders imposing administrative sanctions against 20 erring employees and officials of the Bureau of Local Government Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Bureau of Customs .

From January to September 2017, decisions were promulgated by the Ombudsman and CSC �inding the employees and of�icials guilty of Grave Misconduct and Serious Dishonesty and �inding anomalies regarding the accomplishment and �iling of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) reports.

In the Administrative Cases �iled by RIPS, the penalty of dismissal from the service was imposed on two (2) BIR employees and three (3) BOC employees which carried penalties of forfeiture of bene�its, perpetual disquali�ication to hold public of�ice and a bar to taking the Civil Service Examinations.

Judith G. Pacana, Chief Revenue Of�icer IV of BIR Iligan City was found to have

failed to declare in her SALN a parcel of land donated by her sister located in Misamis Oriental; an ancestral house located in Cagayan De Oro City; a land in Molugan, El Salvador City; a land located in Cagayan De Oro City; and a housing loan. She also failed to secure a travel authority for her trip to Hongkong and Singapore.

Consequently, the Ombudsman found Pacana guilty of Serious Dishonesty and Grave Misconduct, in its Decision dated 06 June 2017, holding that “[Pacana’s] failure to disclose signi�icant number of her assets and liability, in several SALNs, which is required under Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6713, shows a clear intent to violate the law, and is a �lagrant disregard of established rule which consti-

tute Grave Misconduct. More so, such act being repeatedly done, the same also amounts to Serious Dishonesty.”

Likewise, in the case involving Ester Gra�il Sese, an Administrative Aide at the BOC who was only earning P 78,264.00 gross salary in the year 2012, the Ombudsman found that she failed to declare various motor vehicles in her 2000 to 2010 SALNs; falsely declared the acquisition cost of her assets; failed to declare various �irearms in her 2012 to 2013 SALNs; and failed to declare a townhouse in her 2002 SALN. The Ombudsman in its Decision dated 26 October 2016 ordered Sese’s dismissal from the service for Serious Dishonesty and Grave Misconduct.

In another case, Visitacion B. Difuntorum, Customs Operations Of�icer V of the BOC, was found to have failed to declare in her SALNs various lands located in Quezon City and Catarman, Samar from 1995 to 2006.

The Ombudsman in its decision dated 19 May 2017,

found her guilty of Dishonesty for “[Difuntorum] made us believe that the only properties are those listed in her SALNs when in truth and fact, as proved by the extant records, there are several properties registered under her and her husband’s name still undisclosed. Worst of all, she made the declarations under oath. This is dishonesty.” Considering Difuntorum’s retirement from the service last 30 January 2012, she was directed instead to pay a �ine equivalent to one (1) year of her latest salary, payable to the Of�ice of the Ombudsman.

Also, a BOC Special Agent, Ramir Saunders Gomez, was found to have failed to declare six (6) real properties discovered by RIPS located in Old Cabalan, Olongapo City in his SALN although all the Transfer Certi�icates of Title (TCTs) for the same are registered in his name.

In its 13-page Decision dated 23 June 2017, the Ombudsman ordered Gomez’s

seven more equipment to arrive,” he said in a statement.

The equipment includes eight sets of excavators, eight sets of wheel loaders, �ive sets of compactors, �ive sets of track type tractors, �ive sets of bulldozers, eight sets of dump trucks, eight sets of cement mixers and one unit of container van.

Villar said they have so far �inished site development works for six areas of transitory houses for Marawi siege evacuees.

“The area, which has

been developed by DPWH in Barangay Sagongsongan, Marawi City, can accommodate 1,100 families,” he said.

“Road concreting will be completed by November this year,” Villar added.

DPWH is the lead agency for the reconstruction committee of the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM).

“We have ordered all engineers concerned to prioritize the assessment of the area and make sure that all necessary procedures are taken care of even before the

on-ground rehabilitation starts,” Villar noted.

“Our priority is to make sure that roads and bridges are in place such that there is smooth access of Marawi and its nearby towns,” he added.

Likewise, the DPWH provides and monitors assistance to evacuation centers such as improvement of roadways, installation of water supply system, latrines, communal kitchens and other related matters. (PNA)

DOF, 10

DPWH gets China equipment donation for Marawi rehab

S

ome 47 sets of heavy equipment donated by the People’s Republic of China have arrived in the country, the Department of Public Works and Highways said Tuesday.

According to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, the construction equipment arrived at the Port of Iligan City this week and will be used for the quick recovery phase of Marawi City.

“Through China’s Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Program, we expect

6 SUBURBIA RISING EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Heart of a volunteer. MAD Talks participants lighted candles and formed the letters M.A.D. symbolizing their commitment to be like candles, to give light and be the light to the many especially during dark times.

‘MAD’ millennials spark volunteerism in Mindanao in light of Marawi crisis

P

ala-o, Iligan City – As the terrorism crisis in Marawi City in Northern Mindanao nears its end and the city comes to terms with the massive devastation caused by the Maute terrorist group, the youth in the region converged to learn how to leverage volunteerism to be of help in rebuilding the war torn city and the lives of its displaced people.

Some 300 youth leaders and college students from the region’s different universities came together at the “MAD Talks: Nagmahal, Nasaktan, Nagvolunteer” forum held recently at the Doña Juana Actub Lluch Memorial Central School in Iligan City.

The forum was spearheaded by the non-government group and a 2016 TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations) awardee I am Making A Difference, Inc. (I am MAD) composed of millennials committed to spread the gospel of active volunteer-

ism and sel�lessness through its collective passion and nationwide advocacy to mobilize local youth.

The MAD Talks forum presented resource speakers and successful volunteers who shared their insights and personal life experiences to inspire the Mindanaoan youth to continue to make a difference through their respective organizations and not to get tired of helping others despite challenges.

“It is high-time to focus on the youth in this region in light of the Marawi siege.

They need motivation and inspiration for them to be able to accomplish what needs to be done in the area of volunteerism. We hope that with MAD Talks, our youth leaders in the country will be moved by real-life results brought about by volunteerism that will promote more participation, development and peace,” said I am MAD co-founder Christian Marx Rivero, a youth leader from a far-�lung community in Sibuyan Island, Romblon.

Wino Dela Cruz, one of the I am MAD volunteers who spoke at the forum, said, “There may be war, there may be chaos and other forms of distresses in our lives but we can always turn our pain into purpose, our brokenness into blessing.

Let us always choose to love no matter what. Love your-

self and offer the love that you have to others and create a community of shared compassion, charity, and care. Experience that rare joy and a renewed love of life through volunteerism.”

After the series of inspirational talks, the attendees lighted candles and formed the letters M.A.D. symbolizing their commitment to be like candles, to give light and be the light to the many especially during dark times.

I am MAD vows to continuously monitor and coordinate the youth leaders’ progress in the region.

MAD Talks was just one of the activities in three-day outreach program dubbed I am MAD Camp. The �irst part of the program engaged select students at the host school in various sets of educational, entertaining and team-building activi-

ties. All these are aligned with the organization’s four key advocacies anchored on the Department of Education’s core values—love of God (Maka-Diyos), love for others (Makatao), love of environment (Makakalikasan), and love of country (Makabayan), all of which are integrated as well in “The Ten I am MAD Commitments.” Learner-participants also received the “Bag of Dreams” packs with basic school supplies.

I am MAD was able to donate as well school supplies and snacks for evacuees from Marawi who are currently adopted as students at the school. The donation was made possible through the school principal Dr. Enerio E. Ebisa, who also served as the MAD builder-coordinator for the Iligan camp. Mindanao State

University - Iligan Institute of Technology’s Associate Professor Dr. Ruben L. Abucayon was the group’s partner for the MAD Talks in securing youth participation. The Joint Task Force Marawi led

by Lt. Col. Elmer Suderio also joined the camp and provided internal security.

The MAD Camp in Iligan City was the group’s 38th edition since its inception in 2009 that gathered 21 passionate volunteers from across the country, while the MAD Talks in Iligan was the 20th youth event the volunteer group had organized in the country. MAD Talks youth forum event is a �inalist in this year’s Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards competing under the Culture, Arts, and Heritage category.

KAPIHAN SA KAPITOLYO unveils for the IP month in October.

T

he Kapihan sa Kapitolyo tackles in one edition the Kalibungan Festival of the Ata-Manobos in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte and the Sambuokan Festival of the City of Mati, Davao Oriental. Both Festivals fall on the same dates on October 28-29.

Talaingod Tribal Leader, Datu Lumansad Sibogan and Ata-Manobo Tribe IP Youth Leader, Reagan Li-

bayao Lagman discuss the signi�icance of Kalibungan as part of the culture and tradition of the Ata Manobos.

Meanwhile Tanya Rabat-Tan, Samboukan Festival directress and City of Mati Tourism Of�icer Arlene Llamada discuss the highlights of this year’s Sambuokan which connotes unity.

(PIA XI DavNor-DavOr Infocen)

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA RISING 7

Troops arrest Abu Sayyaf‘spotter’

Z

AMBOANGA CITY -Joint police and military operatives have arrested an alleged “spotter” of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) involved in the Sipadan kidnapping 12 years ago, an of�icial announced Tuesday.

Chief Insp. Helen Galvez, Police Regional Of�ice-9 (PRO-9) information of�icer, identi�ied the arrested suspect as Mansul Radalan alias Bentong, 37, of Barangay Baliwasan, this city.

Galvez said that Radalan was arrested in a law enforcement operation by way of serving search warrant at around 4:25 a.m. Monday in Mangal Drive, Baliwasan.

Galvez said that recovered from the suspect’s residence were bomb-making materials, such as ammonium nitrate, a commercial blasting cap, 900 grams of two-inch concrete nails, and a ri�le grenade.

She said that Radalan was involved in the kidnap-

ping of 21 people in April 2000 in Sipadan diving resort in Sabah. The victims consisted of 10 Europeans and 11 Asians--nine Malaysians and two Filipinos.

The ASG herded the victims in the hinterlands of Sulu, where they were released in batches following payment of huge ransom.

Galvez said that Radalan was also involved in the botched kidnapping of Dr. Armando Iturralde in October 2015 in Barangay Talon-Talon, this city.

Iturralde is the brother of Zamboanga City Vice Mayor Cesar Iturralde.

Galvez said Radalan, the ASG spotter, was casing a Korean businessman who is a probable kidnapping target.

She said that Radalan as a spotter is the one scouting for possible kidnap victim.

She said that Radalan was detained while appro- Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology located in the City priate charges are set to be of Mati, Davao Oriental will soon have a 3-storey library that will be called Learning Resource Center with P41 million funding. DOSCST President, Dr. �iled against him. (PNA)

Edito Sumile says that the library will conform with the taste of the millennials while satisfying their quest for knowledge. (PIA XI DavNor-DavOr Infocen)

Police seize 30 loose P arms in Sultan Kudarat

I

SULAN, Sultan Kudarat -- Police seized on Tuesday over 30 loose firearms in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat.

Sr. Supt. Raul Supiter, Sultan Kudarat police provincial director, said the Columbio police, led by Chief Insp. Bernard Francias, has launched “Oplan Bakal” and collected 26 pieces of 12-gauge shot guns, one M14 ri�le, three cal. 22 pistols and explosives.

The campaign aims to reduce loose �irearms and crimes in the locality.

“Some of these guns were voluntarily surrendered by its owners, others were collected during the implementation of anti-gun law,” Supiter told PNA. He said the bulk of the �irearms were collected in

Barangay Datablao, an upland village near the borders of Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur, where the communist rebels operate.

“Our campaign against loose �irearms in the province remains after the drug war was transferred to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA),” Supiter said.

He aired his appeal to other residents in possession of unlicensed guns to

voluntarily surrender to avoid violating gun laws.

While the anti-drug campaign has been reassigned to PDEA, Supiter said his directive to all town police chiefs in Sultan Kudarat is to intensify the campaign against loose �irearms and riding in tandem criminals preying on civilians.

“We also need the people’s support, just inform us so we can act accordingly,” he said. (PNA)

DENR-ARMM worker killed, 2 others hurt in ambush

olice here are hot on the trail of a motorcycle-riding gunmen who ambushed and killed Monday an employee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and wounded two others.

Sr. Supt. Rolly Octavio, city police director, said probers have initial information about the suspects who ambushed and killed Abdulgani Guiama, 38, driver of DENR-ARMM, but declined to give further details pending follow up operations.

Guiama of Barangay Tamontaka 1, this city, was driving the DENR-ARMM van with Manuel Capin, DENRARMM supply of�icer, and Pablo Amador, a miner and visitor of the environment of�ice when

Army seizes motorboats, guns, IEDs in Maguindanao

G Heads and representatives of 33 national government agencies in Region 11 go out of their way, traveling 130 kilometers from Davao City to haul the services of their respective agencies during the ARENA 11 Serbisyo Caravan conducted Oct 3-4 in Brgy Upper Ulip, Monkayo, Compostela Valley. The

Serbisyo Caravan in Upper Ulip is the 19th that the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies (ARENA) in Regional 11 has conducted since 2011 to bring the government closer to residents of geographically isolated and depressed areas. (PIA XI)

attacked ar around 3:30 p.m. along Ramon Rabago Sr Street when attacked.

The suspects sped off towards the direction of nearby De Mazenod Avenue.

Responding police of�icers rushed the victims to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center but Guiama, a relative of DENR-ARMM Regional Sec. Kahal Kedtag, was pronounced dead upon arrival by attending physicians.

The two other victims are still con�ined at a local hospital.

Police said the suspects were on board a Honda motorbike without license plate.

Police said motive of the attack could be robbery since the victims had just withdrawn cash from a bank. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)

overnment forces, backed by allied Moro combatants, seized motorboats, assorted �irearms and improvised explosive devices during clearing operations in Barangay Poblacion, Datu Piang and Barangay Katibpuan, Talayan, all in Maguindanao.

Capt. Arvin John Encinas, Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) spokesman, said the explosives and other war materials were owned by the ISIS - inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

The Army and its ally, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), jointly carried out the clearing operations.

“Civilians provided us the information about the armed

men in their villages so we launched clearing maneuvers,” Encinas said.

Among those recovered were one M-653 ri�le, one M-203 grenade launcher and assorted ammunition as well as bomb making components.

Encinas said a still unidenti�ied supporter of BIFF sub-leader Abunawas Damiog alias Bayawak, kept the �irearms of the militants underneath Olandang Bridge in Datu Piang town.

Civilians from Katibpuan, Talayan, meanwhile, pointed to the Army 10 motorized boats used by the BIFF in cruising tributaries of the 220,000– hectare Liguasan Marsh in the area. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

T

Oh, this drug war

he latest on the controversial drug war in the Philippines had 88 percent of Filipinos signifying their support. Now, that’s huge.

That’s what the latest Asia Pulse Research Inc. survey reported.

Given the Duterte administration’s bloody war on narcotics, 88 percent of Filipinos are going for it. The survey was conducted from Sept. 24 to 30 and it revealed same levels of support from geographic areas and socio-economic groupings at 84 percent to 94 percent and 80 percent to 89 percent, according to the survey. Believe it or not, only 2 percent of Filipinos are not supportive of the campaign, while 9 percent are unable to say if they support or do not support. Less than 1 percent of Filipinos are unable to state their position on the issue. The survey showed 58 percent wanting to have the leaders of the Catholic Church to assist with the rehabilitation of drug addicts as the preferred action.

The survey also had 46 percent of Filipinos wanting the Church leaders to monitor police operations and 40 percent

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wanting church leaders to speak up about the police operations The survey was conducted with the following backdrop: the Senate’s investigation into the shipment of illegal drugs worth P6.4 billion; the Senate’s hearing into the suspected hazing death of law student Horacio Castillo III; and the sacking of virtually the entire Caloocan City police force in the aftermath of the killing of teenagers Karl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman.

The survey re�lected the people’s dissent on illegal drugs and their more damaging effects to innocent civilians over deaths of suspects. However, it also revealed a desire towards a more practical stance by the church leaders to be part of the campaign--the solution instead of the problem--and we mean not merely to criticize and protest over the bloody outcome or a war that was expected to turn out the way it is going.

Yes, it is understandable that the religious will eternally live through a stance of preserving and respecting human lives but there is also the more pressing need to be active in the campaign in roles the church can best be effective than barking at the state.

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

T

he actors in urban drama…

Davao City is now on the verge of joining the league of emerging global cities. It is undergoing the natural process of urban transformation brought by unrelenting urbanization and dynamic urban economic growth. Increasing car ownership, which can be gleaned on daily traf�ic congestion, is the effect of growing middle class who can afford to buy private motor vehicles, to the gladness of car dealers and motorcycle centers which have sprouted like mushrooms in various parts of the city. The hustle and bustle of the city roads seems music to those who have and mortifying to those who have less.

Gone are the days when Davaoeńos can freely walk and cross the streets of Davao city anytime without fear of being caught for jaywalking by a yellow-uniformed city traf�ic enforcer. There were ‘more’ street-spaces before than moving cars. Khaki-uniformed police assigned to traf�ic beat usually have more yawns than engaging in pacifying traf�ic incidents that

I

t’s a little known fact that Davao region, after the war, could have earned the credit as the most populated urban center in terms of working lawyers, majority of whom had lucrative practice as lawyers for abaca plantation owners, landed gentries, and big establishments.

The need for lawyers to help planters, mostly Americans and Japanese, navigate through the legal nuances of laws enacted by the prewar Congress was an imperative that even the native landed gentries resorted in cases where their lands were being land-grabbed.

In jurisprudence, there are numerous agrarian cases that reached the Supreme Court which were handled by Davao lawyers who would later become prominent politicians and government of�icials. Some were into logging, construction, and business.

In fact, The Davao City Trade and Commerce and Directory for 1949, edited and published by Emilio de Santos, also an attorney, had 117 practising lawyers, compared to only 83 physicians or medical practitioners in the city and adjacent suburbs within Davao region. That’s roughly 1.5 lawyers for every doctor!

Although the almanac is not an of�icial listing, it provides, in some way, a

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Of streets and sidewalks (Part 1) rarely occur. Occasionally, a romantic memory recall about the ‘good old’ Davao city, perhaps the urban center before the mid-90s and earlier, come to re-visit and tinker the minds of older residents relishing the good ol’ days – no road congestions, no anti-jaywalking policy, no painted crosswalks (pedestrian lanes), cheerful pedestrian sidewalks because people walk a lot. AC jeeps were the main urban transport in the Poblacion, non-aircon taxis spewing black smoke from their bellies, and the daily festive mood of Ilustre and San Pedro Sts. being the social and commercial center of the city.

Before the era of Victoria Plaza, the street called Ilustre - a two-lane thoroughfare - was bustling with life so vibrant that pedestrians have to crisscross the street in between a parade of bumper to bumper vehicles. The sidewalks were teeming with faceless people that the whole of Ilustre complex has become the heart of the city. Movie houses, grocery stores, appliance stores, novelty shops, mini-hardware stores,

The diversity of people and faces crowed out city centers and Dario G. Pampanga, PhD colorful characters inhabit the city streets and sidewalks. Some are banks, diners and snack bars, bar- seemingly permanent �ixtures of ber shops and beauty parlors were mobile small watch repair shops, linked side by side with each other. hawkers of DVDs and CDs, ambuGenerally, the number of people lant vendors of cellphone cards, in the city center during daytime is vendors of banana cue, camote cue, numerous than the nighttime shift. boiled and cooked-in-oil peanuts, That is always and has been the rule small buyers of old coins and jewof the thumb that even an astute elries, some are ukay-ukay (used statistician would agree. Most of garments/clothes) hawkers. Other them who populate the city center urban organism who virtually ‘live’ are daytime citizens who typically in the city sidewalks during daytime reside in nearby ancestral houses, are vendors and hawkers of one-taapartments, rental houses, board- ble sari-sari stores, candy and cigaing houses for students and work- rette stands (despite cigarette ban ers, and incidentally, those who live in the city) secured by either an old in urban informal settlements in person or a teenager sitting idly in city center peripheries. Of course, one side of the sidewalk. One can added are transients from city see children enjoying running back suburbs who eke out their living in and forth and most of the time runthe city center, university students, ning across the streets unmindful of company employees and people moving vehicles. This is a daily sight coming from nearby provinces and when you happened to traverse San municipalities, not to mention the Pedro Street. daily arrival of visitors from other The street of San Pedro is the ofplaces deplaning into the city on �icial residential address of the of�ice whatever their businesses are. They of the City Mayor of Davao. Just right are typically called urban citizens.

in front of the classic-baroque city hall is an elevated mini-park which is characteristically monotonic - I would say it is an unfriendly park.

Going down the street level are cars parked along roadsides blocking your way out and of course, hawkers are everywhere.

The next block to the left is another park just a little spacier than an overblown size of a tennis court– a park with no vegetation that looks like a massive concrete slab - which I describe as huge ‘heat island’. Perhaps it was made so because most big and elaborate public events (a tiny public space for a city with 1.6 million residents) are held in that location (?) Just across the ‘heat island’ is a massive edi�ice called the legislative building facing the famous San Pedro Cathedral where daily mass is of�iciated.

The thousands of people milling daily around this executive-legislative-church-commercial complex are the same people who undoubtedly ‘beg’ for safe space as comfortable refuge for them to rest before moving on to their next activity.

perspective of the role lawyers have to play in the growth of the city.

The directory included lawyers with familiar surnames who later made signi�icant strides in their social involvements. Names like Leopoldo Abellera (founder of Rizal Memorial Colleges and Court of Appeals justice), Abelardo Aportadera, Casimiro Arkoncel (owner of Panorama Homes), Isidro S. Bastida (city councilor), Gregorio Cañeda (governor), Rafael S. Castillo (1934 Constitutional Convention delegate), Leon Ma. A. Garcia (city mayor), Antonio Habana, Jr. (city councilor), Cresencio Lascuña (vice governor), and Rosa Santos-Munda (daughter of Gen. Paulino Santos and president of Philippine Women’s College).

Also included in the lawyers’ portfolio are Tiburcio S. Cervantes (city councillor), Aida Gil-Damaso (judge), Donato C. Endriga (city councilor), Enrique A. Fernandez (acting justice secretary), Constancio B. Maglana (congressman), Ricardo Miranda (governor), Remedios Pnferrada (city councilor), Pantaleon A Pelayo (1934 Constitutional Convention delegate), and Romualdo Quimpo (founder of Davao City and assemblyman).

In the list of physicians, numerous still-popular names could be

Leocadio Sexon (husband of the war-time medical director of Davao Mission Hospital) and Lucio C. Tapia (an institution among dentists in the 1970s).

The roster of architects, with only three professionals, included Ramon D. Basa, arguably the most prominent before and after the war. The civil engineers’ list, which had 13 members, included interesting names, such as Gaudencio Antonino (senator), Carmelo Porras (�irst elected city mayor) Lorenzo Sarmiento (congressman), and Brigido L. Valencia (public works secretary and Pampanga governor).

Meanwhile, the entries under electrical engineers included only �ive names, while there were four in the opticians’ list, including the wellknown B.V. Jamora.

Among public accountants, the four names included in the list are Salvacion Manongdo Chua (sister of Justice Abellera), Melencio B. Daleña, Carlos C. Gempesaw (city councilor), and Guillermo E. Torres, CPA topnotcher, University of Mindanao founder and solicitor-general.

The roster of surveyors was brief with only seven entries, namely: Severo Dacanay, M.A. Fañe, Antonio Hernandez, Roman Joaquin, Casiano Salas, Bonifacio Tamayo, and Jose

Vedua.

Given this backdrop societies and organizations, mostly created after the Liberation, also sprouted in Davao City. In 1949, the list of association included the following: Association of Movie Owners, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Davao Association of Firearms Dealers, Davao Drivers’ Association, Davao Jaycees, Davao Lions Club, Davao Rotary, Davao Medical Society, Davao Stevedores Mutual Bene�it Association, Davao Tenants and Peasants Association, Filipino Chamber of Commerce, Filipino Davao Carpenters Union; Government Employees Association, Kaliwat Sa Bohol, Layers’ League, Leyte-Samar Association, Mindanao Abaca Planters Association, Mindanao Drivers’ Association, Mindanao Pistol and Ri�le Association, Reserve Of�icers’ Legion of the Philippines, Young Men’s Christian Association (Davao Branch), Women’s League, and Veterans’ League, among others.

The preface of the directory, in a tribute, described the city as holding “great promise to its inhabitants in particular but also to [the] country’s prosperity in general… [She] is our most important metropolis in the south.”

URBAN STREETGAZER

‘City of lawyers’

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa found, such as Concepcion B. de Asis (city councilor), Santiago Dacudao (medical director of a Japanese-owned hospital), and Roque Monfort (owner of the world-famous Bat Cave).

But there were also other professionals that could be mined from this unique directory, including architects, civil engineers, dental surgeons electrical engineers, opticians, pharmacists, public accountants, and surveyors.

Next to lawyers and doctors, the most populated professions were those in pharmacy (44) and dentistry (21). The more familiar names of dentists (to the author, at least) were

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

BACK... FROM 1 hapon,” said P/Senior Inspector Ma. Teressita Gaspan, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Of�ice.

She said the police alone has deployed approximately 30 mobile vehicles from all 12 stations in the city. “Daghan na nanakay in fact nag post pa sila (in their social media accounts) kay �irst time daw nila na makasakay ug mobile as pasahero. Actually it yielded positive results,” said

Gaspan.

She said the public should be informed that the DCPO is out there in the open to help them. “Actually ginahimo na jud ni namo karon lang siguro napagawas sa media,” she said.

“Gaya ng libreng sakay ng City Government hangtud sa naa pa’y ma stranded na commuter, bisan kinsa daghan man tag mobile sa atong kadalanan,” she added.

Hernandez also decried that no less than the DENR is paving the way for the resurgence of waste incineration proposals in the country, which the DENR currently promotes as “waste-to-energy,” pyrolysis or gasi�ication plants. “It is scandalous that the government agency mandated to implement our environmental laws is the same one working hard to undermine the spirit and intent of such laws,” he said.

Burning waste has many negative health, environmental, social, and economic consequences. Incinerators threaten human health, pollute our air, harm our economies, contribute signi�icantly to global warming, and fuel an unsustainable system of consumption and wasting.

According to Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition: “The push to revoke the incineration ban will undermine source segregation, recycling and other Zero Waste strategies that conserve resources, avoid toxic pollution and generate livelihoods and jobs. Instead of overturning the prohibition on waste burning, Congress should, in fact, strengthen it by passing waste prevention and reduction measures complementing RA 9003 such as banning single-use plastic bags, disallowing recyclable and compostable materials in disposal facilities, curbing e-waste, and incentivizing innovations in waste management sector.”

Experiences around the world have also shown that WtE through incineration is the most expensive and most energy-intensive way to man-

age waste and generate electricity. Incinerators are capital intensive and are more expensive than coal and nuclear facilities.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the projected capital cost of new waste incinerator facilities is twice the cost of coal�ired power plants and 60% more than the cost of nuclear energy facilities. Waste incinerator operations and maintenance costs are 10 times the cost for coal plants and four times the cost of nuclear plants.

Lea Guerrero, Climate and Clean Energy Campaigner of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) said: “Incinerators are a costly folly.

Should these facilities be built in the Philippines the budget will be in the tens of billions of pesos. There will also be massive increases in tipping fees by local government units (LGUs) who are already stretched for funds. Clearly, it›s a bad investment given that it›s also the wrong way to manage waste.»

“A better alternative remains the strict implementation of the law,” said Sonia Mendoza, Chairman of Mother Earth Foundation (MEF).

“Implementing Zero Waste solutions is inexpensive and can be started immediately. If properly implemented, results can be seen in a few months as in the case of the City of San Fernando in Pampanga. We are calling on other LGUs to reject all incineration and WtE proposals, and instead pursue the Zero Waste approach, starting with the strict implementation of RA 9003.”(ECO-COALITION)

“We will not allow terrorism to reign in Marawi City or elsewhere in the country,” he said .

Defense Secretary Del�in Lorenzana said it was the information provided by the young hostage who “was able to escape” last Saturday that allowed the troops to locate the hostages and the gunmen.

“The troops suspected the building but it was the information provided that we were able to ascertain where they were hiding,” Lorenzana said.

On Sunday night, Special Forces teams moved into the building under the cover of heavy rain.

Lorenzana said the �irst

contact with the terrorists came past 3 a.m. but the troops who were equipped with night vision goggles gained the upper hand.

Seeing they were about to be surrounded, Hapilon and Omar got out from the building and dashed to another building at the back.

They were met however by troops supported by an M113A2 armoured personnel carrier which was equipped with Remote Controlled Weapons System which can see through the dark.

Ano said Omar was shot by a sniper while Hapilon was killed with three bullets to his chest. (MindaNews)

GOVT... FROM 2

ONE... FROM 3

SOFT AS A BED. A daughter of a trader along Monteverde Street in Davao City makes the sacks containing ukay-ukay products her resting place on Tuesday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

COMELEC... FROM 2

(HOR) announced their decision to impeach him.

Lacson added that the Comelec chair was independent and not under the executive branch so it was not necessary for him to submit his resignation to the President.

“Why would he submit it to the president? The president, while he is the appointing authority, Chairman Bautista is like any chairperson of any constitutional body...Independent,” Lacson said.

Although Bautista explained that this was to give the President time to appoint, Lacson said that Duterte could not appoint unless there was a vacancy.

“But anong basis ng president mag-appoint kung nariyan pa siya? Mag-appoint ang president kung may vacancy (The president can only appoint if there’s a vacancy). So I don’t know,” Lacson said.

Lacson also felt that the House of Representatives rushed Bautista’s impeachment.

“Minadali ng HOR yung impeachment, overturning even the justice committee recommendation. Mukhang

may dynamics, mukhang may usapan sila (The HOR rushed the impeachment, overturning even the justice committee recommendation. It seems like they have the dynamics, it seems like they agreed on something),” Lacson said.

“Ako, kung ako mag-analyze, may nangyari in between mukhang may kasunduan si Chairman Bautista and HOR leadership, ‘huwag ninyo ako impeach sa HOR, magre-resign na lang ako (The way I analyze it, there was an agreement between Chairman Bautista and the HOR leadership, ‘Don’t impeach me, I’m going to resign instead,’” he added.

Lacson said despite Bautista’s resignation, his impeachment trial should continue.

“As long as he’s there, and the articles of impeachment is transmitted to the Senate, we will have to go through the process of the impeachment trial,” Lacson said.

President Duterte earlier said that Bautista’s decision to resign meant that he has already “removed himself.” (PNA)

the reconstruction of Marawi City which has been �lattened to the ground due to nearly �ive months of armed con�lict.

Nograles also proposed that Martial Law should remain in effect even after the last remnant of the Maute militants have been �lushed out to ensure the swift and uninterrupted reconstruction effort in Marawi City.

Nograles said that with expected outpouring of �inancial aid to support the reconstruction of Marawi, there is a need to establish a single but well-organized government body, fully backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which would manage the funds for the reconstruction

of the city.

“I think that we should learn from our Yolanda experience. There were too many cooks that spoiled the broth. Everyone’s claiming credit for the projects but when problems began to manifest, everyone’s playing the blame game. We should do this differently in Marawi by creating a single government body that orchestrates all the needed reconstruction projects,” Nograles said.

Nograles said that Marawi reconstructions should put priority on the rebuilding of homes and schools to speed up the reinstatement of the tens of thousand of internally displaced residents without sacri�icing proper urban zoning and design.

RECONSTRUCTION... FROM 3

SOUTH... FROM 4 north in the race for economic progress,” Acosta said.

However, with the infrastructure developments, the economic landscape in southern Palawan is set to change, he said.

“At the onset of Alvarez’ administration in 2013, the provincial government has put a premium on the development of southern Palawan’s important infrastructure facilities,” he added.

Quick to capitalize on the economic upswing, some of the country’s top companies, among them Del Monte Philippines, Kennemer Foods, Agumil, and Singapore’s Lionheart Ltd., are now establishing their respective bases of operations in the south in the municipalities of Brooke’s Point, Bataraza, Rizal, Quezon and Sofronio Espaňola.

Acosta said with President Rodrigo Duterte pushing for BIMP-EAGA to drive growth, believing it is a locomotive for stronger cooperation and development among member countries, the province would partner with the national and local governments in “putting up projects that would improve the delivery of basic services like water, electricity, roads and bridges, airports and seaports, school buildings and hospitals in southern Palawan, in anticipation of the economic boom.”

“As Governor Alvarez puts it, ‘We must increase our agricultural production to cope with the food requirements of the growing population and the expected in�lux of tourists to our shores in the years to come,’” he said. (PNA)

dismissal from the service for Serious Dishonesty and Grave Misconduct and said “[Gomez] deliberately did not disclose his ownership over the real properties from 1996 to 2013 – a clear proof of willful and deliberate assertion of a falsehood.” Verily in the same case, “[T]he failure to �ile a truthful SALN puts in doubt the integrity of the of�icer and would normally amount to dishonesty” said the Ombudsman.

In the CSC, the RIPS won the case against Ma. Herminia A. Pabito, Revenue Of�icer IV of the BIR, who was found to have failed to declare in her 2009 to 2011 SALNs a property registered in Pabito’s name and her sister; and failed to secure travel authorities for her travels in Bangkok, Thailand, Shanghai, China and Hongkong. She was dismissed on 02 May 2017 for Serious Dishonesty and �ive (5) counts of violation of Of�ice Rules and Regulations.

The CSC noted that “Regardless of the terms and conditions agreed upon by [Pabito] and her sister on the aforesaid real property,

[Pabito] has the obligation to declare the same in her SALN from the time of acquisition of the said property. This is in accordance with Section S of Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Of�icials and Employees).”

In addition to the Orders dismissing the �ive (5) government employees, the RIPS cases also resulted in Orders of Suspension that ranged from one month to one year imposed on nine (9) BOC employees, two (2) BIR employees, and one (1) City Treasurer for non-declaration of realties in SALNs for one (1) to six (6) years; failure to submit a SALN for one (1) to two (2) years; non-declaration of business interests in 2005 to 2012 SALNs; failure to secure travel authorities abroad; belated �iling of SALN; error in judgment and misinterpretation in accomplishing the SALN; and a �inding of absence of bad faith in mis-declaring the acquisition cost or details of certain assets in the SALN. (DOF)

DOF... FROM 5

INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

TRAVEL

EDGEDAVAO

20 Years of adventure at EDEN

EDEN NATURE PARK AND RESORT or more commonly known as Eden was discovered in 1971. It used to be a loggedover area covered by a blanket of wild grass.

Not long after, terraces were carved out of the mountain slope, and thousands of pine seedlings were planted.

Today, there are over 100,000 pine trees spread in about 80 hectares, providing a magnificent backdrop of the various attraction in Eden. Located at the highest point of the park, a wonderful view of Davao City and the gulf beholds you as commune with nature.

In the 1990’s, Eden was classified as an ecotourism zone. The owners envisioned the property could be a good setting for corporate events, considering the ambience therein.

Eden Nature Park and Resort started its operations in October 1997.

Over the years, the market responded favorably and the resort expanded its operations by offering day tour packages and guided shuttle tours around the property. The resort caters to live-in corporate seminars, retreats, wedding receptions and special events. There is a plethora of things to do in the 80-hectare property. Attractions, dining outlets, fishing village, butterfly garden, hydroponicallygrown vegetables, flower

and herb garden, adventure rides, and cultural village were established.

More rooms and cottages were built along with the attractions. Today, Eden has a total of sixty-three rooms and cottages, six function rooms and four F&B outlets.

To make Eden also cater to the younger and more adventurous generation adventure tourism was added to Eden’s activities. First the Skyrider, more popularly known as “zipline” which was introduced in 2008. Five years later, the resort added the Skycycle, the first and so far the only one in Davao. The Skycycle became such a hit that, from the initial 2 bicycle lines, we have expanded to the present 8 lines. Finally, in 2015, Eden launched the Skyswing, setting the bar of adventure rides to a higher level. The Skyswing is another firstof-its-kind in the Davao Region.

The multi-faceted experiences of the guests as they visit Eden is one of the reasons why Trip Advisor, the popular travel search engine, has ranked

Eden Nature Park and Resort as No.1 in “Things to Do” in Davao City.

We also have learned to adapt to trends, tastes, and changes and be consistent with our branding and is sensitive towards how the nature and quality of experience match our brand image. As times change, we adapt to the changing needs of our

guest. Eden continues to contribute to the tourism industry in Davao. We are more determined to be ahead of the competition and always be on the lookout for greater opportunities. We want our presence felt by every person thinking of going to Davao that Eden Nature Park should always be a part of their go-to list.

Tracing back Eden’s development, Mr. Zaldy Magnaye, Eden’s President/CEO says, “One factor that contributed to Eden’s growth is the attitude that we are always a “work in progress”. By “work in progress”, I refer to the constant search for areas for improvement and for new growth opportunities. On the one hand, there is always a conscious effort to meet, if not exceed, our guests’ expectations by listening to their views and using these as inputs in how to constantly improve. On the other hand, Eden’s evolution from a forest to a banana farm, to a nature park, and eventually, to a multi-activity resort exemplifies the company’s determination to explore avenues for growth. “ Eden Nature Park and Resort marks a key mile-

stone as it celebrate its 20th anniversary. For twenty years, Eden has been providing friendly and accommodating services to its guests. Whatever the future holds, Eden will always be a landmark in Davao, providing hospitality to all the tourists giving them a chance to experience nature and adventure at its best.

To commemorate the event, Eden offers special 20th Anniversary promotions to travel aficionados starting October 1 to October 30, 2017. Enjoy an overnight stay for two in Deluxe rooms for only P2,000.00. Avail 20% off on Eden’s Family Cottages and Mountain Villas. Get P20.00 OFF on day tour packages including the rides Skyswing, Skycycle, Skyrider, and Guided Shuttle Tour.

EDGEDAVAO

A2INdulge!

EVENT

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Santos Land rising

Nora Morada (second from left) and Tony Boy Domingo (fourth from right) together with the design team.

THE URBAN LANDSCAPE of Durianburg is changing fast with the skies of the city now a host to many residential skyscrapers. Recognising the fast pace of the city’s development, Santos Land, one of Davao’s most dynamic local developers of homes and communities, recently launched their first vertical development the Ivory Residences last October 6 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Davao.

Attended by the company’s board of directors, management, brokers and potential buyers, the modern twenty floor development located along J.P. Laurel Avenue is a bold new direction for the company and promises to change the landscape of Davao, giving its residents a life of convenience within the city as it is just within walking-distance of many of Durianburg’s malls and universities.

“Today is so important to Santos Land because we are formally launching our first vertical residential subdivision, the Ivory Residences.” shared SLDI president Tony Boy Domingo in his speech.

“There were a number of times in the past that we have attempted to put up a hotel and residential condominium but for so many reasons, valid and imagined, we always end-

Ivory Residences. ed up putting them off.

But now, the somehow elusive dream has come true and we are so privileged, happy and blessed to share this great moment with you.”

Also part of the development is Obsidian Hotel, SLDC’s first foray into the hospitality business. “The close proximity of the hotel to the condo project offers the occupants the best venue for business meetings and superb service.” noted Mr. Domingo.

“We are celebrating our 46th founding anniversa-

ry and this project marks another milestone for us. This is the first condo project Santos Land has ventured into and we would like to tell you that we will give it our best efforts with the foremost intention and desire to give our clients the best product and excellent service.” he added.

Congratulations to the Santos Land team for rising up to the challenge and giving Dabawenyos more options to find a place they can call their own.

Santos Clan Family Council Chic Ramoso, Bien Estanislao and SLDC and Design Team of Ivory Rresidences.

Nelia Partoza.

Santos Land Development Inc. president Tony Boy Domingo.

Mario Tinio (second from left) joined by his grandson Miggy, Atty. Onie Partoza, Ms Emily Domingo and Dr Chito Morada.

SLDC Managers Edna Aldea, May Ann Plana, Lenie Estanislao and Sales and Marketing Manager Estela Aguilos.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

GMA personalities honored by various award-giving bodies SEVERAL GMA news and entertainment personalities were recently recognized by various award-giving bodies both from private and government institutions.

October 18 – 20, 2017 only

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At the 7th EdukCircle Awards, GMA personalities dominated the list of winners in the news and public affairs category, with 24 Oras anchors Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez winning the Best Female and Male News Anchors, respectively.

Fellow GMA News pillar Jessica Soho was conferred the Best Magazine Show Host for her program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.

Meanwhile, EdukCircle named I-Witness’ Sandra Aguinaldo as Best in Documentary Program while Pinoy MD host Connie Sison was awarded the Best Health Show Host. AHA! host Drew Arellano won as Best Educational Show Host.

Gabby Concepcion was awarded as Best Actor for Television for Ika-

6 Na Utos. At the same time, Eat Bulaga! host Jose Manalo emerged as the Most Outstanding TV Personality in Comedy.

EdukCircle also commended today’s hottest endorsers and most influential personalities.

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera and Phenomenal Star Maine Mendoza were included in the list of 5 Most Influential Female Endorsers of the Year. Pambansang Bae, Alden Richards, in turn, was included in the

list of 5 Most Influential Male Endorsers of the Year.

Kapuso Primetime King Dingdong Dantes was awarded as one of the 5 Most Influential Film Actors of the Year while Ultimate Star Jennylyn Mercado was included in the 5 Most Influential Film Actresses.

Meanwhile, the Public Attorney’s Office, through its Program on Awards & Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Committee, gave the

Outstanding Broadcaster Award to five Kapuso news personalities: Susan Enriquez, Steve Dailisan, Bernadette Reyes, Joel Reyes Zobel, and Ivan Mayrina.

PAO also conferred the Outstanding Reporter honor to Chino Gaston.

The awards were given to individuals who have done exemplary work in their fields of service and who have helped PAO realize its vision and mission. Meanwhile, GMA News TV’s flagship newscast State of the Nation with Jessica Soho was recognized as the Outstanding News Program.

Ivan earlier received the Award of Excellence in the Field of Broadcasting from the School Press Advisers Movement, Inc. (SPAM). With his award, Mayrina became the fourth recipient of the said award following previous awardees, GMA News pillars Mike Enriquez, Jessica Soho, and Mel Tiangco. SPAM, Inc., is an organization of campus journalism advisers from all over the Philippines.

EDGEDAVAO

A4INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142•WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

MVT Bridges Philippines, Purok Malakas, General Santos City for more Information Please contact Cellphone Number 09460154748. Look for Shane S. Liquit Marketing Consultant

COMPETITIVE EDGE 11

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Davao City Administrator Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez hands over a token to the Osaka City Government, represented by Economic Strategy Bureau Director Ms. Aya Wada.

City Administrator Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez receives token of appreciation from OCCI International Business Committee Chair Mr. Masashi Hashimoto.

Davao brings investment, tourism officials to Japan O

SAKA, Japan — The City Government of Davao, through the Davao City Investment Promotion Center and City Tourism Operations Office, has started its first Tourism and Investment Roadshow in Japan Monday — bringing the Life is Here brand.

Lemuel Ortonio, the chief of the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center, said the trip kicked off with a series of meetings in Osaka, one of the four cities the 22-person Davao team will visit in Japan.

“We are very happy over the kind of reception that we got from our meetings,” he said.

Also part of the delegation are representatives of the private sector — Damosa Land Inc., Yovel Agri Enterprise and Yovel East Research and Development Inc., Bloomers Travel and Tours and Bloomers Mar-

keting, Eden Nature Park and Resort, Gasera Corporation, Waterfront Insular Hotel Hotel, and Ana’s Breeders Farms.

The Davao team met with the of�icials of the Osaka City Government International Relations Department, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and various tourism associations, tour operators, and travel agencies in Osaka City.

“There are commitments from Osaka of�icials and businessmen to help promote Davao City to Osaka residents and the business community.

We hope these will translate to actual visits and investments in Davao,” he said.

The Osaka City Government facilitated the visit of the Davao City delegation to the Osaka Central Wholesale Market Honjo to provide the group information on the goods that are in demand in Osaka, the quality required, and the distribution process involved.

The City Tourism Operations Of�ice, on the other hand, presented the different tourism attractions during the meeting with tourism industry players in Osaka.

It was in 2012 when representatives from the City Government of Davao last conducted a business and tourism mission in Singapore.

The main objective of the

new roadshow is to promote Davao City as the preferred tourism and investment destination in the Asia Paci�ic region, as well as enhance linkage and partnership with investment, trade, and tourism marketing representatives in major cities of Japan.

The roadshow will also include visits to the key cities of Kyoto, Yokohama, and Tokyo.

The Davao City delegation members are City Administrator Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez, City Councilors Jimmy Dureza and Al Ryan Alejandre, Lemuel Ortonio of DCIPC, Davao Tourism chief Generose Tecson, and Davao City Information Of�icer Jefry Tupas.

The roadshow is in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. CIO

pertise in rebuilding con�lict-hit areas, can provide technical aid and other forms of assistance to the Philippines to help rebuild Marawi City.

Georgieva also welcomed Dominguez’s plan to tap domestic resources to raise funds for Marawi’s reconstruction, which she said, was “the right thing to do” and underscored the importance of “inclusive development” as a key aspect of the rehabilitation strategy for the city.

“We can only express all of our sympathy for what has been going on in Marawi,” said Georgieva during the meeting

held at the World Bank Of�ice here. “As an institution that has committed to peaceful development and dealing with con�lict situations, we would be honored in helping in terms of [re]building and engaging in any possible way what we can do in this situation.”

Besides Dominguez, also at the meeting were Secretaries Alan Peter Cayetano of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Mara Warwick, the World Bank country di-

rector for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, was also at the meeting.

On behalf of the Philippines, Dominguez thanked the World Bank “for its generous assistance to the Philippines through the years” and welcomed its offer of aid for Marawi City.

Dominguez emphasized the need for World Bank’s technical advice and expertise in reconstructing the entire city of Marawi as the Philippines has very limited experience in handling a rehabilitation program of this

World Bank confirms assistance to PH in rebuilding Marawi City

W

ASHINGTON DC—Citing its long-standing partnership with the Philippines, World Bank chief executive of�icer Kristalina Georgieva con�irmed the institution’s commitment to work with the Philippine government in helping con�lict-torn Marawi City rise from devastation, along with scaling up support for peace-building efforts in Mindanao.

In a meeting here with Philippine of�icials led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Georgieva said the World Bank, with its capability and ex-

WORLD, 13

DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY

Notice is hereby given that the estates of the late FLOTELA YAP BERGONIA and FELIX BERGONIA has been the subject of an Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate with Special Power of Attorney executed among their heirs, per Doc. No.385; Page No.77; Book No.87; Series of 2014, of the NOTARY PUBLIC SALVADOR M. BIJIS.

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH SIMULTANEOUS DEED OF SALE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late EMILIANA T. NINTE, who died on April 21, 2003, in Davao City, has been the subject of an extra-judicial settlement of estate with simultaneous deed of sale, executed among her heirs, per Doc. No. 380; Page No. 76; Book No. CLXIII; Series of 2013, of the Notary Public MELQUIADES E. CEDEÑO. Oct. 11, 18 & 25, 2017

12 AGRITRENDS Coming soon: Biotech eggplant EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

H

ousewife Saturnina Dela Rita from Bansalan, Davao del Sur loves cooking eggplant. Today, she slices about �ive pieces of eggplant and mixes it with other vegetables.

She’s preparing “pinakbet,” the favorite dish of her son.

Yesterday, Saturnina grilled 10 eggplants. Once cooked, she peeled them off and placed them in a saucer that was full of beaten eggs with salt. In a prepared fan, she fried the eggplant.

After cooking, she brought them to the table where her daughter, Gerry, was waiting. He ate the eggplant omelet with much gusto.

But what the family really like is the fresh eggplant salad.

Saturnina boils about 8 eggplants in a hot water, then mashes them. After that, she pours some vinegar and soy sauce. It is served with onions and tomato.

“I can cook eggplant in various ways,” Saturnina says.

“But the big problem I have with this fruit vegetable is that some of them have worms inside them. My children abhor seeing worms in already cooked eggplant.”

Saturnina may no longer has that problem soon. Thanks to Bt talong which farmers will soon be planting in their farms.

Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis and talong is the local term for eggplant. Bt talong is a product of modern biotechnology thus it is also called genetically modi�ied (GM) crop.

Biotechnology, as de�ined by the Convention on Biological Diversity, is “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or

modify products or processes for speci�ic use.”

In traditional, non-genetic engineering form, biotechnology has already brought in a lot of bene�its. But modern biotechnology has allowed scientists to further enhance what the nature has already done.

“Bt talong was developed by genetically engineering a gene from the bacteria so that the GM eggplants now produce a protein that defends it against insect attacks,” explained Dr. Michael Purugganan, a Filipino plant geneticist who is the Dean of Science at the New York University.

Bt, a common soil bacterium, produces a protein that paralyzes the larvae of some harmful insects, including the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). Scienti�ically, it is called Leucinodes orbonalis, a moth specie prevalent in Asia and Africa.

Bt is present in the Philippine soil and had been in use for years without any harmful effects. As it comes from the earth itself, Bt is very natural, according to said Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, a member of the Department of Agriculture’s Scienti�ic and Technical Review Panel which reviews and assesses the safety of gene modi�ied foods. In 1901, Bt was discovered to have an insecticidal property. By 1950s, it became a well-known biological insecticide.

EFSB feeds almost exclusively on eggplant. An entire crop can be lost from EFSB infestation. “The EFSB can cause as much as 50-75% loss of fruits,” said former Science Secretary Emil Q. Javier.

The bene�its of Bt talong eggplant are quite obvious: higher yield, less environmental impact on the use of chemicals and no toxic residue on the fruits. However, these bene�its are often overshadowed by accusations of those against genetically-modi�ied crops.

In fact, a new study showed that Bt talong could bring health cost savings of P9.33 million yearly from its nearly pesticide-free use. It does not bene�it only the health of consumers but also of farmers, bene�icial insects, farm animals, and birds.

Researcher Sergio R. Francisco has estimated savings in a survey of long exposed to pesticide spraying against the highly-infesting EFSB in his study, “Health and Environmental Impacts of Bt Eggplant.”

The study was based on the perception of 100 eggplant farmers from Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Quezon who sprayed their eggplant.

These farmers have a long experience of farming from 9.96 to 18.04 years.

In a press statement, it was disclosed that the bene�it to human health from health cost savings in growing Bt talong is equivalent to P2.49 million yearly as risk from illnesses is avoided. For farm animals, the projected bene�it per year is at P2.12 million.

For bene�icial insects, the environmental bene�it is valued at P2.45 million yearly and for bird species, P2.27 million – as these are saved from death, thereby contributing to biodiversity enhancement. The study on environment bene�it valuation was done based on the

“willing to pay” (WTP) model.

Farmers were asked how much higher amount they were willing to pay in order to eliminate pesticide spraying and avoid its health and environmental costs. They indicated that they are willing to pay a higher price by up to P1,019 per liter for a safer pesticide for human.

The farmers also assured willingness to pay an additional P945 per liter for farm animals’ safety and by a higher P894 per liter for those safer for bene�icial insects. For pesticides safer for birds, they are willing to pay P867 per liter more.

The estimated bene�its, according to the press statement, are realized based on an assumed Bt talong growing on 50% of present eggplant area of 9,000 hectares with a farm area each of 0.7 hectare.

In the study, farmers who are growing eggplants were found to be very much aware of the adverse effects of pesticides to human and the environment.

In fact, almost half of the 100 farmers (46%) admitted to have suffered sickness after pesticide spraying. Among their complaints were dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, loose bowel movement, and itchiness.

The farmers also observed that even if they have been spraying heavily on eggplants, yield has declined. In a study conducted in 2007, it was noted that the eggplant yield was at 18.04 metric tons per hectare in Batangas, down from the previous �ive-year average of 25.78 metric tons per hectare.

The same decline in yield was observed in Pangasinan

with 25.05 metric tons per hectare yield compared to 29.7 metric tons the previous �ive-year average. In Nueva Ecija, yield was lower at 22.3 metric tons per hectare compared to 24.04 metric tons the previous �iveyear average.

Despite the decline production, farmers continued pesticide spraying and even intensi�ied it because pests became more intensively invasive.

In Batangas, for instance, farmers sprayed at a cost of P31,463 or 19.97% of total production cost for a total of 74.24 liters. Pangasinan farmers spent P17,383 (25.66%) using 42.13 liters.

Many eggplant farmers spray chemical insecticides every other day, or up to 80 times per growing season to control EFSB infestation in their farms, pointed out Dr. Bernardo.

But the big question is: Is the Bt protein found in Bt talong safe to non-target organisms?

On tests conducted on dogs, guinea pigs, rats, �ish, frogs, and even birds, the Bt protein was

found not to have any harmful effects, according to Extension Toxicology Network (Extoxnet), a pesticide information project of several US universities.

“The speci�icity of Bt for its target insects is one of the characteristics that make it an ideal method of biological pest control,” said a brie�ing paper published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). “The speci�icity rests on the fact that the toxicity of the Bt protein is receptor-mediated. This means that for an insect to be affected by the Bt protein, it must have speci�ic receptor sites in its gut where the proteins can bind. Fortunately, humans and majority of bene�icial insects do not have these receptors.”

According to Dr. Bernardo, cooking the Bt talong can completely denatured the Bt protein. “It is non-detectable in any cooked food therefore there is no human exposure to Bt proteins in eating cooked Bt crops,” she said.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

NO... FROM 15

protected, Lue has made a contingency lineup in case James doesn’t play. Smith will take his spot in the Cavs’ ‘’B’’ lineup.

Lue has said for days that he doesn’t know for sure if James will be ready. ‘’You know I never hide stuff from you guys,’’ Lue said when pressed about his superstar’s availability. ‘’I really don’t know, I mean, just depends on how he feels after today. ... I’m preparing that he is (playing).’’

Smith, who is beginning his third full season with Cleveland, knows it will take a lot more than a sore ankle to keep James off the �loor. ‘’Just because he loves the game,’’ he said. ‘’We were talking about it, he’s never missed, since he was 8 years old and he started playing, he’s never missed a �irst game. I’m preparing for him to play.’’

The Cavaliers have struggled mightily when James has been out of the lineup, losing 11 straight regular-season games and going 4-23 without him since 2014.

With a revamped roster and more offensive options than ever, Lue believes the Cavs are more equipped to compete when James is on the bench. ‘’We’ll be a lot better off,’’ he said. ‘’I think we got a lot of different pieces. We’re

deeper. A lot of versatile players. A lot of different lineups we can play. So, it will be different but I think we have a better chance.’’

Irving spent six seasons with Cleveland but left on shaky terms.

His demand to be traded this summer rankled some Cavaliers fans, and he created a larger divide last week when he described Boston as a ‘’real, live sports city.’’

That didn’t sit well with many Cleveland residents, and he’s certain to get an earful Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers plan to honor Irving, who made the biggest shot in franchise history, with a video tribute at some point during the game. Irving’s 3-pointer in the waning moments of Game 7 in 2016 lifted Cleveland to the city’s �irst championship since 1964.

Lue wasn’t sure what else Irving should expect from the �ired-up, sellout crowd. ‘’We’ve got the best fans in the world and they’re going to do whatever they see best,’’ he said. ‘’Whatever decision they make, that’s the right one. Because they’ve been behind us for three straight years, since I’ve been here, they’ve always made the right decisions.

So whatever they decide to do, I embrace whatever they do.’’

EDGEDAVAO

WORLD... FROM 11 magnitude. “(The rehabilitation of Marawi) is a complicated situation,” said Dominguez, noting as an example the issue involving land titling for its returning residents, many of whom are informal settlers living in multi-storey structures.

“The World Bank has the experience in reconstruction. We want to rebuild the entire city and keep a part of it as a memorial,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez informed Georgieva that with the approval of President Duterte, the government has opted to raise funds “domestically” for Marawi’s recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction program by, among others, issuing bonds.

“I would like to introduce the concept that the rest of the country is involved in Marawi, that we have to contribute ourselves to the reconstruction and we are going with the bond issue,” said Dominguez.

Georgieva said that the Philippine government and the World Bank “need to work together” even as she cited the strength and resilience of Filipinos in dealing with con�lict and tragedies.

In a statement issued last Aug. 31, the World

Bank said it will “scale up support for peace-building and development in Mindanao as part of the midterm adjustment of its country partnership strategy.”

“This scaled-up program for the entire Mindanao will focus on supporting the government’s program to raise agricultural productivity and improve connectivity from farm to market; boost education, skills, and employability of the youth; and help build resilient communities,” its statement said.

In the meeting, Dominguez and Pernia also provided Georgieva an update on the status of the ongoing infrastructure projects in the Philippines that are being implemented with the assistance of the World Bank, such as the Metro Manila Flood Management Project, which is being co-funded with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System.

Cayetano mentioned that several countries have already provided assistance and committed to help Marawi, but a clear direction and detailed rehabilitation plan is needed to organize such efforts.

NEWS 13

EDGE DAVAO Serving a seamless society

is in need of the following: ACCOUNT EXCECUTIVE Qualifications: - BS Marketing Graduate - Male/Female - With pleasing personality

ACCOUNTING CLERK Qualifications: - BS Accountancy Graduate - Female - Can work with minimum supervision - Experience of at least one year

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(Printing Press)

Qualifications: - At least high school graduate - Physically and mentally fit - Can handle minor repairs of the machine - Has the ability to be cool under pressure of deadlines and complex projects - Experience of at least one year Submit application letter and resume to: Ella P. Tingzon HR/Admin Supervisor Edge Davao Review Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City Or email at edgedavao@gmail.com ella or tingzon@yahoo.com

14 MOTORING EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Meet the 2018 Isuzu D-Max

T

here are those who like �launting their success with outward displays of wealth, while there are others who are equally successful but prefer not to attract any attention. Among the pickup trucks available in the market today, the one that perfectly �its the latter’s description is the Isuzu D-Max. It may not have the same headline grabbing power as some of the other choices out there, but it doesn’t mean it’s less capable. In fact, it’s an honest-to-goodness vehicle that drives and rides very well.

In terms of aesthetics, it’s hard to tell that much has changed. The D-Max enters into 2018 looking largely the same way it did. Yet, it must be remembered that just a year ago, it went through a major refresh giving it a stronger looking front-end. It’s still not as in-your-face, but there’s also no denying that it looks quite pleasant. The new hood, grille, headlights, bumpers—they all look clean, understated, and elegant. Subjectively though, the best part of the D-Max’s new getup is the wheels. The 6-spoke, 18-inchers �ill in the arches handsomely.

While the D-Max’s exterior remains as fresh as ever, if there’s one place

where it needs some work, it’s on the inside. It’s solidly put together, well-wearing, and easyto-clean. But it’s also extremely plasticky. The biggest culprit is the climate control system whose setup not only takes up a large chunk of interior space, but can be quite confusing to use at �irst. Still, the cabin’s easy to use and live with. Plus, Isuzu’s actually done some work to modernize some details here and there. The instrument cluster’s new and so is the pattern on the leather seats. The infotainment system is also fresh with crisper graphics and can be out�itted with optional tire pressure sensors.

And speaking of standard features, the D-Max comes loaded with them; perhaps far more than any pickup truck in the same price bracket. Aside from the aforementioned leather seats and snazzier infotainment system, it gets power seat adjustment for the driver, a push-button start/stop system, electronic stability control with traction control, hill start assist, rear parking sensors, and a backup camera as standard. For 2018, the price has actually jumped by P 70,000 to P 1,670,000 which sounds like

a lot of money, but considering that the Colorado (+ P 19,000), Ranger (+ P 69,000), and Hilux (+ P 42,000) are all priced more, the D-Max sits comfortably midpack pricewise.

Encouragingly, the D-Max’s ergonomics are spot on. With the exception of the steering wheel (which badly needs reach adjustment), the rest of the package is solid.

The front seats, though not as supportive as those found in a sporty compact promotes comfort even during long stints in traf�ic. It’s worth noting though that even at the lowest setting, it’s mounted quite high. This offers a commanding view of traf�ic, but it does feel awkward for the �irst few kilometers of driving. The space upfront is good despite the climate control system taking a good chunk of knee room away. The second row can actually accommodate three adults comfortably with everyone getting their own 3-point seatbelts and adjustable headrests, or if there are just two occupants at the back, they can enjoy the center armrest a s

well. Oddly enough, ISOFIX child seat anchors are absent but at least there are top-tethers to accommodate traditional child seats.

Storage is abundant and well thought out with twin gloveboxes, a deep center console bin, cup holders on both sides of the dash, and another storage spot at the center of the top of the dash.

Almost aesthetically unchanged from last year, the vast majority of the 2018 update is concentrated under the hood.

It employs a new 3.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine. Part of Isuzu’s Blue Power range, the 4JJ1-TCX engine is now Euro IV emissions compliant. It also nets a slight power bump (177 horsepower from 163 horsepower) with torque remaining the same at 380 Nm. While these �igures don’t light the spec sheet ablaze, they do a �ine job of making the D-Max feel motivated most of the time.

Underway, the D-Max feels willing and relaxed. With peak torque coming in sooner and extending later, it’s brisk.

There’s a momentary lapse in power before the turbo kicks in (below 1,600 rpm), but once it does, the momentum just keeps going. From 2,000 rpm upward, it offers a clean and smooth response along with a broad band of pull that extends past 4,000 rpm. And even at high speeds, the engine never feels taxed or stressed—a trait it’s surely inherited from the N-Series truck which basically shares the same engine.

Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) is also remarkably improved from its pre-Euro IV days. There’s some clatter present at full throttle, but those who’re used to diesels will consider it fairly quiet.

Accompanying the engine is a 5-speed automatic. Though it’s a carryover, it feels better matched to this engine. The shifts are smoother and less obtrusive from before. That said, an extra gear could have made it a better highway cruiser. As it stands though, it does a respectable 7.63 km/L in the city (average speed 13 km/h) and 10.52 km/L on the highway (average speed 54 km/h).

As one would expect out of a pickup truck, the suspension is �irm. Still, the D-Max exhibits qualities that are good for a ladder-on-frame vehicle with

rear leaf springs. There’s no unwanted bucking or bouncing around even over choppy surfaces and the handling is largely sorted. It has its fair share of rolling through corners and diving under braking, but nothing alarming. The brakes also feel good and con�idence inspiring. If there’s one chink to its armor though, it’s the steering. With 3.8 turns lock-to-lock, it already takes numerous tugs of the wheel to get it to turn, but add the hefty weight and 6.3-meter turning radius (one of the largest in its class), and it can be a bane through tight maneuvers such as negotiating U-turn slots and parking slots.

All in all, the 2018 Isuzu D-Max is certainly not breaking any molds, but the addition of the new Euro IV compliant engine is certainly a welcome update to this well-sorted, wellthought of package. While it isn’t as �lashy or advanced as some of its rivals, it still remains an honest and reliable choice.

Plus, it can easily handle anything life throws at it be it work, play, or adventure. It doesn’t �it the bill for those who’re looking for a �lashy new toy, but for those who’re seeking to �ind a strong, practical, and comfortable choice, there’s perhaps no better life partner than this.

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

Horn calls out McGregor U

WE CAN DO BETTER THAN FLOYD. Australian world champion Jeff Horn, who defeated Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao last July, says he can

NOT YET. With Cleveland star Lebron James unsure of playing in the first game of the season, the encounter with former backcourt partner Kyrie Irving of Boston could fizzle out.

I

do aa better jon on UFC star Conor McGregor (shown in photo) than Floyd Mayweather.

No Kyrie vs. Lebron in opener

NDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -- Following Cleveland’s �inal practice before a season opener against Boston with playoff-level hype, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue still wasn’t sure if LeBron James was playing Tuesday.

J.R. Smith knows. ‘’Oh, he’s gonna go,’’ Smith said of his celebrated teammate. ‘’He’s gonna go,

T

he merger between the world’s best sports TV coverage group, ESPN and the country’s local Sports 5 spells a new era in sports broadcasting.

ESPN stands for Especial Sports Programming Network and has been America’s most extensive television coverer of the best sports events in the world like boxing title �ights, the Olympics, world athletics championships, swimming, world-class tennis, major league baseball, FIFA world soccer, golf and many more.

During the 70s, a local TV network attempted bringing to Philippine audiences live coverage of the MLB (Major League Baseball) World Baseball Series thru the satellite telecommunication system.

Many baseball a�icionados were elated initially because the TV executive in charge of the transmission was a die-hard baseball fan and had desired that Filipinos get to watch world-class baseball on local television. The effort lasted only a couple of years for lack of commercial sponsors.

FC star Conor McGregor is a potential left-�ield opponent for WBO welterweight world champion Jeff Horn, if the Australian wins his �irst title defence against Britain’s Gary Corcoran.

Horn, who won the title off Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao back in July, will make a voluntary defence against WBO inter-continental champion Corcoran (17-1, seven KOs), that organisation’s 10th ranked contender.

“He [Corcoran] is �it, he’s young, and he’s going to be a hungry lion,” Horn’s trainer and manager Glenn Rushton told AAP. The bout will take place on 13 December at the Brisbane Convention Centre. It will be the �irst leg of a two-�ight deal with Brisbane City Council and Queensland government, with Pacquiao and uni�ied super lightweight world champion Terrence Crawford two of the top targets.

However, McGregor, who lost to the undefeated Floyd Mayweather in his �irst boxing

trust me that. I don’t care what he’s gotta do, he’s gonna play.’’

While Smith may be giving James the green light, Lue and other team of�icials remained unsure of James’ status for the game against the Celtics and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, whose ballyhooed return to Cleveland is expected to be part homecoming, part hate-fest.

James didn’t speak to reporters following Monday’s practice, but the three-time champion was in a playful

I am hoping that ESPN 5 (that’s the new name they will carry) can bring about a renaissance even if most of the events to be covered and shown will be American sports in nature.

For one thing, I don’t know how Filipinos will identify themselves with American football, cricket or ice hockey and some other event that is not regularly played in our country.

These three sports are extensively covered by ESPN because of their large audiences in various continents around the world.

Cricket is competitively played in India (1.3 B pop.), in England, Australia and other Commonwealth countries that have felt the British in�luence.

Its rules are somewhat akin to baseball but are quite complicated to understand. You have a batter who tries hitting at a ball thrown by a pitcher and an umpire standing by.

That is all how I understand the game.

American football might be appreciated to a degree but its stop and go action, unlike basketball, will not sit

mood while engaging in a competitive outside shooting contest with teammates Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Jeff Green.

James has been slowed by a sprained left ankle suffered in practice on Sept. 27. He played in only one of Cleveland’s �ive exhibition games, and his absence has kept a starting lineup that now includes Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose from getting much �loor time together.

The 32-year-old James hasn’t missed an opener in his previous 14 seasons, and it would be hard to imagine sitting this one

ESPN 5

SPORTS KEN Fred C. Lumba well with Filipino audiences especially with the masa who goes gaga over non-stop action.

For a while, I did like it when I was a resident in LA many years ago. I had to master the names of pro�icient talked-about QBs and the passing records they are successfully able to throw to

bout back in August, is also on the Horn camp’s radar.

“It’s come out a little bit out of let �ield, but who knows, it’s possible,” Rushton said. “If the opportunity presents itself, we would certainly consider doing that �ight and show the world that we can do a better job than Mayweather.

“There’s no way Jeff is going to stand there and be pummelled for the �irst two or three rounds (like Mayweather) I can assure you.”

Rushton would prefer any �ight with McGregor to be a voluntary world title defence for Horn, but the Irishman doesn’t have a top 15 ranking that he needs for that to happen. He would also be amenable to a non-title �ight with the outspoken McGregor.

Rushton is still hopeful Pacquiao will agree to a rematch.

“I spoke with Danny Leigh from the WBO last night and he was still fairly optimistic that Manny Pacquiao would come down here next April and �ight Jeff Horn in the rematch,” Rushton said.

out given the attention with Irving coming back following this summer’s blockbuster trade between the teams - and the AllStar

guard’s recent swipe at Cleveland.

Just so he’s

NO, 13

their teammates for the TDs (touchdowns).

But I did not like ice hockey and the NHL. There was always �ighting due to shoving and pushing. But Americans lapped that up.

I think executives of the Kapatid Network should seriously review and take a survey among Filipino sports fans which games they would prefer watching and following in the Philippines.

Major League Baseball is soon to wind up its regular season as the NBA hostilities unwrap. Thus, the World Series is the marquee event that is on the calendar this October till early November. Baseball has a great following among folks in the sixty and up age bracket.

Because the cold winds of autumn and the snowy winter will prevent fans from going out to watch outdoor spectator sports, indoor games like the NBA will keep the American sports fanatic queueing up at the ticket booths of many coliseums around the USA.

Boxing will never run out of time.

All year round, action inside the ring is extensively watched around the world.

Billiards I believe has a huge grassroots fan base here. ESPN covers it including straight pool and snooker as the playing arena is not as wide, square meter wise.

Still, for the Filipinos to get bene�ited by this exposure to TV sports, ESPN 5 should avoid airing sports events that cannot �ind identi�ication with the local sports fan, including aspiring potential national athletes.

Martial arts like karate, taekwondo, wrestling and mix martial sports will also �ind their place in the local boob tube. Gymnastics, swimming and athletics likewise.

A toast to ESPN 5! Cheers! (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) Titus 3:4: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done but because of his mercy.” GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 10 ISSUE 142• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

BOUNCING BACK

Team Duterte-CMO regains winning edge, topples IBP 101-96 R echarged and resharpened. That’s exactly how a winning team gets back on track after a loss.

With a winniing run that lasted for nearly a year snapped, the pressure was also off for Team Duterte-CMO as it regained its form just as quickly to bounce back with a 101-96 win over rival IBP in Game 19 of their basketball friendly series on Sat-

urday at the Genesis 88 Gym. Razor-sharp gunner Sec. Christopher “Bong” Go typi�ied the Duterte cagers’ rebound leading his squad to its 14th win in the prolonged series.

Go, the sweet-shooting special assistant to President Duterte, torched the hoop from “Bong Go

Land” nine times in the entire game for another massive 38-point outburst.

HIs back up crew of Joel Aberilla and Sevilla also had monster games themselves add-

ing 19 and 10 points for themselves in the scoreline.

It wasn’t easy though. The Duterte-CMO Execs lagged behind by as much as 14 in the early going before slowly clawing back in the second half. Once settled from their shaky start, they stepped hard on the gas in the fourth period to coast to victory.

The series now stands at 14-1 in Team Duterte’s

favor with four games ending in deadlocks.

The IBP Lawyers stepped on the �loor with a new-found hop on their step after posting their �irst win in the series last week with a 93-82 shocker to snap a losing skein that lasted ages.

With that winning gameface, they jumped off to the driver’s seat in the �irst two quarters and looked head-

MARKSMAN. Team Duterte-CMO top gun Sec. Bong Go drives to the lane for a twinner against IBP defense.

ed for its second win in the series.

However, god teams always �ind a way out of trouble and before it could get worse, Team Duterte-CMO unleashed its dreaded �irepower.

Armand Dioso’s huge night of 39 points went to naught for IBP. Paguican made 12 while Ongkiko and Ciudadano had 10 for IBP.