Edge Davao 10 Issue 32

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

EMPHATIC. President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he is stressing a point during a news conference upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport in Davao City from a state visit in the People’s Republic of China early morning of Tuesday.

Lean Daval Jr.

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES NEWS

Kadamay-like bid ruled out

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HE Davao City council assured that there will be no repeat of the Bulacan incident in Davao City whereby members of the urban poor group Kadamay took over several housing units meant for personnel of the armed forces in March.

Councilor Rene Elias Lopez, chair of the committee on housing, rural and urban development said that his committee, in consultation with the local housing board has devised a strategy to prevent the Bulacan incident from being duplicated in the city.

“While the house is being constructed, yung beneficiary will be identified. The beneficiary will now act as the guardian of the unit to ensure that what Kadamay did in Bulacan will not happen because there will be someone who is going to defend the house while under construction and while under process pa ang papeles na ibibigay sa kanya,” Lopez told reporters during the Pulong-pulong ni Pulong on Tuesday.

The councilor said that it is a viable strategy because this will ensure that those identified beneficiaries by the city will rightfully claim their housing units.

About 5,000 people, including members of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) took over 4,000 vacant houses in Pandi town and the City of San Jose del Monte (both in Bulacan) as a protest for being neglected by the government.

The councilor also assured everyone that the city is providing decent homes to the beneficiaries of the housing project following the allegation that the phase one of Los Amigos housing provided substandard materials.

“I went there to validate. I don’t think it’s true. They are living decently. They have all the necessary amenities. They have schools there, daycare centers, multi-purpose

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NO MARTIAL LAW Duterte says to ponder it deeply as option for Sulu

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

W

ITH the call of Save Sulu Movement for him to declare martial law in six municipalities of Sulu, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said that he needed more time to ponder on it deeply.

“It is not only a political decision but also an emotional one. You do not tinker with the extraordinaire powers of the state,” said President Duterte

on Tuesday, when he arrived at Davao’s airport from China.

The president recalled his warning two months ago, when terrorist groups have been throwing bombs and planting IEDs in high schools.

“I issued a warning that do not force my hand to declare martial law because if I do, I will solve not only rebellion I will solve everything that ails Mindanao. Pati na ‘yung

boundary sa lupa.”

President Duterte reiterated that Martial Law is a very serious matter and that if he declares its implementation, there is no way of telling how long would it take to restore order or if the state will succeed.

“But just the same I’m warning everybody that if I declare martial law, there is no telling how long would it be and for what purpose. I’m tell-

ing you now that I will not only decide to end rebellion, I will solve everything I said what’s sick in Mindanao,” he said.

On May 10, Save Sulu Movement spokesperson Prof.

Octavio Dinampo urged the president to declare martial law in Patikul, Indanan, Parang, Maimbung, Talipao, and Kalingalan Caluang, which he called the “craters of terrorism” in Sulu.

SELLING FAST 40,000 Pacquiao-Horn tickets seen going in a week SPORTS 16

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

CHEERS. Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa obliges a group selfie request of his supporters upon his arrival with President Duterte at the Davao International Airport in Davao City from a state visit in the People’s Republic of China early morning of Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

Putting up of integrated schools for pupils sought

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HE House of Representatives has approved a measure seeking to establish integrated public schools to ensure access of elementary graduates to quality public high school education.

According to a statement on Tuesday, the House Committee on Basic Education chaired by Cebu Rep. Ramon Durano IV, approved the substitute bill entitled “An Act Ensuring Access To Free Secondary Education By Converting The Public Elementary Schools Into Integrated Schools”.

Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto, the bill’s author, said a public elementary school shall be converted into an integrated school that will offer complete basic education, in-

cluding high school.

Santos-Recto noted that the creation of integrated schools will allow elementary graduates, especially from rural communities, to continue their education at lesser cost, and will result in more savings for the government as facilities of existing elementary schools may be utilized for use of incoming high school students.

“There has been an alarming increase of elementary graduates who are unable to pursue secondary education because of the limited number of high schools and school facilities accessible within their communities,” Santos-Recto said.

Data from the Department

F PUTTING, 10

PRRD: Turkey, Mongolia want to be part of ASEAN

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte told reporters that Turkey and Mongolia expressed their intent to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) during his arrival speech at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport on Tuesday.

He said that he had a talk with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Prime Minister Jargaltulgyn

P

boarded the plane for the flight back to Davao. ”We decided that there’s a time to raise (the arbitral ruling). There is a time for me to ask about the arbitral ruling but it is not now,” Duterte told reporters.

The President said there is a need to set the agenda first before they could discuss the matter. ”We agreed to talk, to have a dialogue,” said Duterte, without elaborating.

The President has been adamant in raising with China

F DUTERTE, 10

vulged that he had a talk with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi regarding the possible membership of the two countries.

“Ang sabi niya, “Have you considered the physical --the geography whether they are part of the ASEAN or not?” They are. I would say that they are.”

Furthermore, he also said that Turkey seems to be ambivalent to whether it

would be a bridge to Europe and Asia or being an Asian.

“There has always been an ambivalent view. Sometimes they say that they are part of Asia, sometimes they say that they are the bridge of Asia to Europe.”

Currently, ASEAN has ten member countries, namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

tribunal in ensure “an orderly, simplified and expeditious disposition” of his electoral protest which raised three main issues.

Garcia said it is most important that a hearing officer be assigned for each cause of action “so as not to muddle the proceedings” as they intend to present a specific set of witnesses and documentary exhibits per cause of action.

He also reiterated the need for Marcos’ election protest to be decided with dispatch and pointed out that the designation of three separate hearing officers would certainly aid the Tribunal in resolving the case in a prompt and efficient manner.

“Public interest demands that this electoral controversy

be resolved with dispatch to determine once and for all the genuine choice of the electorate for the contested position.

The designation of the hearing commissioners, as suggested by protestant Marcos, shall surely aid this Honorable Tribunal in achieving its mandate to ensure a prompt and expeditious resolution of this election protest,” Garcia pointed out.

He added that the designation of hearing officers prior to the conduct of the preliminary conference in consistent with the summary nature and preferential status of election protest cases.

“In a long line of decided cases, this honorable tribunal has consistently ruled that an election case, unlike an ordi-

nary action, is imbued with public interest. Public interest demands that this electoral controversy be resolved with dispatch to determine once and for all the genuine choice of the electorate for the contested position,” read the petition.

The former senator said his petition challenging Robredo’s win “involves not only the adjudication of the private interests of rival candidates, but also the paramount need of dispelling the uncertainty which beclouds the real choice of the electorate.”

The first part of Marcos petition was about the Automated Election System (AES).

He said the vote counting machines (VCM) which was

Bongbong seeks 3 hearing officers in protest vs. Leni

Duterte, Xi agree to talk T sea dispute at‘right time’ RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping have agreed to hold talks on the ruling of the international Arbitral Tribunal on the West Philippine Sea “at the right time.”

Duterte emphasized this at a press conference upon his arrival from official visits to Cambodia, Hongkong and Beijing, China before dawn Tuesday at the Davao International Airport.

Duterte said he and Xi had the chance to talk about the matter shortly before he

Erdenebat of Mongolia on separate occasions while in China.

“Gusto nila na mag-sali sa ASEAN. And since I am now the chair, ang Pilipinas ngayon, they wanted me to sponsor their entry and I said, ‘Yes, why not?’” he said.

President Duterte visited China on May 13 to 15 to participate in the Road Belt Forum.

Also, the President di-

HE camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has filed an urgent motion before the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) seeking to designate at least three hearing officers who will assist the Tribunal during the preliminary conference on his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.

The justices made their decision to grant Marcos’ request for the setting of the preliminary conference on June 21 at 2 p.m.

In a seven-page urgent ex-parte motion, Marcos through his counsel George Erwin Garcia, said that the designation of hearing officers will help the 15-member

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Ulama to help reform former ASG bandits

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USLIM clerics and scholars (ulama) have vowed to help former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) become productive citizens.

Alih Aiyub, Ulama Council of the Philippines secretary-general, said Monday efforts are underway to help reform the ASG members who surrendered to the government.

Aiyub said they will help in the “aspect of psychological” needs of the former Abu Sayyaf members.

“Our approach will mainly (focus) on the debriefing process, especially in the orientation and reeducation,” Aiyub said.

He said they are looking at various mechanisms where the Ulama can play an active role in the fight against radicalism and extremism particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), where there is a heavy presence of the terror group.

Aiyub said the ASG surrenderers, who numbered to 50 individuals, can “effectively convince those active members to turn in themselves” and become productive citizens.

Aiyub, however, admitted that the long-term solution to counter and totally eradicate terrorism is a challenging task.

During the summit, the Ulama council has issued a declaration against terrorism,

saying that “It is Haram (forbidden and unlawful) to use Islam to justify or legitimize violent extremism and terrorism.”

The Ulama also challenged themselves “to reeducate our constituents to rediscover our Islamic faith for justice, compassion, harmony and peace.”

“It is imperative upon us all to cooperate and collaborate with the stakeholders in preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism in its many forms and manifestations,” the declaration said.

To operationalize the declaration, among the efforts are to adopt a uniform or central theme of Khutbah (sermon) and reform curriculum in Islamic schools.

“We are coming up with uniform Khutbah, especially during dhuhr (noon) congregation prayer on Fridays,” Aiyub said, adding that “there should be a standard messaging on the Khutbah, so that there will be no hate speeches.”

During the summit, the workshops were focused on seven thematic concerns since there are different dimensions of the drivers and causes of terrorism.

Aiyub said these include the issues of poverty, political, socio-cultural and injustices.

Efforts are also underway to reach an agreement with different line agencies on how to “spread the message of peace and harmony.”

(PNA)

NEWS 3

HELPING HANDS. A mother is being helped by her son clean the school ground during the second day of a weeklong ‘Brigada Eskwela’ at Zonta Elementary School in Brgy. 23-C, Isla Verde, Davao City on Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

Hundreds lose jobs, livelihood due to NPA attack in Mati City M

ATI CITY, Davao Oriental – The recent attack of the New People’s Army on the mining site of MilOro Mining Corp. here has not only destroyed equipment of the company and its contractors but has also deprived the residents of their livelihood.

Heracleo Felizarta and Re-

nato Lemente, chieftains of the villages where the tenement of the company is located, said the attack on May 6 has not only deprived the villagers of their source of income, as the company has employed about 800 individuals, but has also devastated the small village enterprises.

“The operations of the company has resulted in better purchasing power of the residents, but the attack has again brought them to where they were before (the time the company entered the villages,” said Felizarta as the tenement is located in the villages of Macambol and Cabuaya in this city.

Also, the attack has again triggered the reliance of some residents on illegal activities like illegal logging and illegal fishing, Lemente added.

“During the operations, since their income was better, they forgot these illegal activities,” he explained, pointing out that

Taken with Lademora was his aide Leonardo Cacao.

Lademora operates a mining tunnel in the high-grade gold rush area in Sinug-ang, which his family has claimed since the early 1980s.

The rebels also seized 21 firearms when it raided the mine site without a single shot fired around 7 a.m. The 21 firearms include 2 M16, 1 AK47, 1 BAR, 1 M14, 1 Garand, 4 Carbines, 3 M79 launchers, 3 shotguns and 4 caliber .45 handguns and 1 .38 revolver. The NPA also confiscated assorted ammunitions, magazines and other military supplies.

Lademora is the youngest son of the late Constabulary

colonel Carlos Lademora, said to be the leader of the dreaded Lost Command, whose reign in this town in the dark years of the 1980s have sown terror and gripped fear among residents here.

“Through the continuing control of said armed forces and the remaining notorious Lost Command forces, the Lademora family monopolized mining in Sinug-ang, Bayugan 3 and deprived other people of livelihood. Residents feared the existence of said armed group controlled by the Lademoras,” Montero said.

Montero described the Lost Command as a ragtag

month, ended the period that caused anxiety among Boholanos.

The remains of the two ASG members were buried within 24 hours from their deaths in accordance with Muslim rites.

All of the killed ASG members in Bohol since their arrival last month were given proper burial and buried in the town where they died.

In a press statement, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño of the Police Regional Office 7 and Lt. Gen Oscar Lactao, commander of Central Command, said all ASG members who

entered Bohol last month were all neutralized.

The death of the two Abu Sayyaf bandits made Bohol “cleared of ASG elements”, said Talino and Lactao.

Taliño and Lactao said the remaining ASG member, alias “Asis”, was killed in a firefight near dusk on Monday.

Alias Ubayda was killed early Monday afternoon.

The ASG members landed in Bohol in early April on board three bancas also known as “kumpit” to allegedly carry out kidnapping activities. (Dave Albarado/ PNA)

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NPA admits taking miner in custody

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HE rebel New People’s Army in the Caraga Region has confirmed that its Front 14 has “arrested” miner Carzon Ceasar “Abud” Lademora Saturday morning as “punitive action” for his family’s alleged “long record of abuse, crime, destruction of people’s livelihood and exploitation of small miners.”

Ka Ariel Montero, spokesperson of the Regional Operational Command of the NPA in the Northeastern Mindanao Region, said in a press statement Monday that Lademora was taken by the rebels at his mine site at Sitio Sinug-ang, Bayugan 3 in the municipality of Rosario in Agusan del Sur.

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2 ASG members buried in Bohol town

T BUDDY AT HAND. A Presidential Security Group personnel lends a hand to a protocol officer as she folds the Philippine flag after the arrival ceremony of President Duterte at the Davao International Airport in Davao early morning of Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

HE two Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members were buried Tuesday in the Calape Municipal Cemetery, a day after they were killed in two separate firefights in Pangangan Island, Calape town.

The two dead bandits, identified only as “Asis” and “Ubayda” were the only two remaining ASG members included in the rogues’ gallery distributed to the public by the police and the military, prior to their deaths during Monday’s clashes.

The burial of the bandits, who landed in Bohol last

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

ASEAN key to realizing maritime silk road initiative: Indonesian president

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FULL SWING. A backhoe operator works on the land filling project at Sta. Ana Port in Davao City on Tuesday. The beautification and rehabilitation project at Sta. Ana Port which will be developed into a promenade area is now in full swing. The city government of Davao is eyeing the area as a tourist destination.

Lean Daval Jr.

Duterte brings home ‘windfall’ investments from foreign trips P

China among fresh sources

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Davao Citybefore dawn Tuesday from his week-long official visits to Cambodia, Hongkong and Beijing in China. He described as “windfall” the fresh investments he drew from his latest foreign trips, particularly from the Chinese government.

Duterte, who arrived at around 3:00 a.m at the Davao International Airport, announced several commitments, particularly from Chinese President Xi Jinping, which include a RMB500 million grant to conduct feasibility studies on major infrastructure projects in the country. ”I return with a renewed sense of belief that, indeed, the future of the Philippines is in ASEAN and in Asia,” he said in his arrival speech.

The President said he was able to seek the support of “all stakeholders in the ASEAN re-

gion” at the World Economic Forum to invest in Southeast Asia, banking on its growing economy, natural resources and work force. ”Southeast Asia now stands at the center of the future of the Asia-Pacific,” he pointed out, adding that “responsible economic partners are our new allies in nation building and regional integration.”

“Working with them, we can narrow the development gap,” he said.

He highlighted the country’s “Build, Build, Build” program to enhance the country’s development, which could further pave the way to attract investors to locate in the country.

Duterte said his message drew support, particularly the Philippine government’s commitment to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. He also mentioned the government’s effort

to address criminality, curb corruption and compliance to contractual obligations.

“In short, I told them that it is no longer business as usual in the Philippines. The commitments are clear and the interests were articulated in my meetings with business leaders,” he said.

The President reiterated that the government will strengthen efforts to harness investments, both domestic and foreign, for the development of the people.

Duterte also highlighted his meetings with a “larger group of partners in Beijing that could open more opportunities.” ”With One Belt and One Road or OBOR, we have opportunities to synergize our efforts to bring progress and prosperity and the peace and stability that our peoples and our region deserve,” he said.

He said OBOR can be a paral-

lel platform for growth in the region.

The President also emphasized his successful meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, where they reaffirmed the commitment to build on the gains of his state visit last year.

They also decided to accelerate the implementation of infrastructure projects previously agreed.

“China is very liberal and generous,” the President said during the press conference.

He announced that there is already about RMB100 million coming in aside from the RMB500 million grant for feasibility studies. ” It’s in the blueprint (but) I don’t know at what stage. They will start on the two bridges to expand the Pasig River. These two bridges are “gratis.” It’s a grant. It’s a... no payment, sort of a donation,” Duterte told reporters. (PNA)

President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Richard Gordon, Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, Grace Poe, and Cynthia Villar.

Cayetano, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the passage of the measure would be in line with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to promote the welfare of the people.

Another measure passed was Senate Bill No. 1353 which seeks to amend and strength-

en Republic Act. No. 8344 or the Anti-hospital Deposit Law by imposing stricter penalties against erring hospitals that demand any deposit or other form of advance payment before admitting and treating an emergency patient. It was approved with 18 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and zero abstention.

The measure was authored and sponsored by neophyte Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Sen-

ate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Richard Gordon are also authors of the bill.

Hontiveros, former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, said the passage of the measure would show Filipinos “that health is, in fact, more important than wealth.”

Also approved was Senate Bill No. 1255 or an Act expanding the coverage of exemptions from revealing the source of published news or information obtained in confidence.

Senate OKs bill extending passport validity to 10 years

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T least six measures were passed in the Senate on Monday, including a measure meant to extend passport validity from five to 10 years.

With 18 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and zero abstention, the Senate passed Senate Bill No. 1365 or the Philippine Passport Act which seeks to extend the validity of the passport from five years to 10 years to make travel abroad easier, especially for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

It was authored by Senate

NDONESIAN President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) here on Monday expressed belief that Southeast Asian countries would contribute significantly to the realization of the new Silk Road initiative.

“As a matter of fact, one of the strategic frameworks in my governments vision and mission is to make Indonesia a global maritime axis,” he stated at a Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation round-table discussion at the Yangqi Lake International Conference Center.

Jokowi said Indonesia, as the worlds largest maritime economic zone located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has a strategic and important role in it.

Addressing 28 heads of state and government as well as chiefs of international organizations at the meeting, President Jokowi elaborated on the current condition in the context of his efforts to realize the vision of transforming the nation into a global maritime axis.

Jokowi also highlighted the countrys abundant natural resources and scenic tourist destinations from Aceh in the west to Papua in the east.

“The distance between the westernmost part of the archipelago and the easternmost is equal to the distance between London and Dubai or Los Angeles and New York.

The vast Indonesian archipelago and waters are full of

natural resources and tourist spots,” he said as quoted by Head of the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin.

The president believed that the countrys potentials are yet to be exploited optimally due to the lack of adequate infrastructure.

He said efforts have been made to improve the condition through a reduction of up to 80 percent in oil subsidy.

“Hence, the biggest infrastructure development in the countrys history has been carried out,” he pointed out.

While drawing reference to swift development in regions, such as North Sumatra and North Sulawesi, Jokowi noted that within the last two years, the people have borne witness to the results of the development efforts.

“North Sumatra, which is the western part of the Indonesian archipelago and also the entry gate to the Strait of Malacca, has now developed fast as a palm oil processing center and oleochemical industry. In the region, we have Lake Toba situated in a mountain that is being visited by increasing more number of tourists,” he stated.

On the other hand, North Sulawesi, is located close to the southern part of the Philippines, is currently also emerging as a new local and foreign tourist destination, he remarked. (PNA)

Tapping of local industries urged to modernize military

A

MID plans of the Duterte administration to utilize the US500-million loan being offered by Chinese government to modernize the Philippine military, a senator on Tuesday urged the government to first consider tapping local industries to create more jobs.

“Buy local, create jobs. This should be the new mantra of the government,” Senate Pres.

Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said in a statement.

Recto made this remark following Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s statement that the government plans to use the loan to procure defense equipment from China.

“We must stop relying on foreign suppliers to modernize the military equipment of our armed forces,” he added.

“There is no need to borrow from China. We should tap our domestic industries for the equipment needed by our policemen and soldiers.”

He said that the only equipment or parts that the Philippine government should import are those which the country cannot produce local-

ly.

“We should not bypass local industries which can provide parts or whole of the defense equipment being sought,” Recto said.

He pointed out that if defense equipment can be made locally and the products are of the same price and quality as the ones bought abroad, then they should be manufactured in the Philippines.

“We should look inward and develop our own capability. It is cheaper to produce and maintain them locally, than to import them. That way, jobs are created for the Filipinos and the local industries are given the chance to grow,” he added.

The senator cited the existence of local firearms industry which has been exporting its products for many decades noting that “some of them were licensees of world’s leading gun makers.”

“There are many of them, from boat builders to vehicle manufacturers to firearm/ammunition makers who can step up to the plate once there are firm orders from the government,” Recto said. (PNA)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

ECONOMY 5

‘APEC App Challenge’launched in Vietnam with eye on SMES

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SIA Pacific’s most talented software and web developers will arrive in Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday and Friday to participate in a 24hour “APEC App Challenge,” a joint initiative by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), The Asia Foundation and Google.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the MoIT, the marathon session will take place in conjunction with APEC’s Second Senior Officials’ Meeting and the 23rd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Hanoi this month.

As many as 11 teams of developers from APEC member economies will attempt to build a new mobile or web solution to one or more key challenges faced by medium, small, and micro enterprise owners who are interested in expanding their businesses through cross-border trade.

Lai Viet Anh, deputy chief of the MoIT’s E-Commerce and Information Technology Department, said she hoped “these creative young developers will encourage APEC policymakers to learn how to apply technology to some

of the real concerns people face when they want to expand their businesses.”

Developer teams are encouraged to think creatively about the challenges faced by local SMEs, the opportunities afforded by online tools and marketplaces, and the practicalities associated with developing and implementing their new product.

“The topic of APEC App Challenge is particularly important for the Asia-Pacific region, where SMEs make up roughly 98 percent of all businesses and employ twothirds of the region’s labor force,” said The Asia Foundation’s Senior Director of Digital Media and Technology Programs John Karr.

“For example, even though Indonesia’s SMEs contribute nearly 60 percent of gross domestic product, their share of total exports is only 16 percent.”

“The APEC App Challenge is a unique effort to generate learning and share new ideas across APEC by concurrently building potential solutions to help small businesses overcome existing barriers,” Google Asia Pacific’s Head of Trade and Economic Affairs Andrew Ure said. (PNA)

Cimatu picks WVisayas model in environmental management

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ECRETARY Roy Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday said that he chose Western Visayas to be the country’s role model in terms of environmental management.

“I was very much impressed with the environmental protection measures that the office here is doing and the local government units,” he said.

Cimatu, who met with the officials of the DENR-6 at noontime, recalled that he was talking with the bureau chiefs of the department after he was appointed by the president as environment secretary last week when he decided to choose a region to become a role model in terms of environmental management.

Cimatu stressed that “all the rivers in the region are clean,” indicating the region is good in protecting the environment.

Iloilo River serves as one of his benchmarks in choosing this region. He considered it as the “cleanest” among all other rivers in the country.

To recall, the city government created the Iloilo River Development Council, which later on was expanded and named as Iloilo Batiano Riv-

er Development Council to already include the adjacent river in Oton town.

The secretary, early this morning, visited the Iloilo River Esplanade along the Iloilo River. He said that the good management of the Iloilo River was something that other regions should emulate.

Also, the secretary said that the passion of Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. in protecting the environment was another reason that encouraged him to make this region as a role model.

He said that he was impressed with the governor’s initiative on the annual planting of one million trees in the province through its Action for Re-greening and Transformation for Climate Change Adaptation (ART for CCA).

DENR-6 regional director Jim Sampulna has presented the region’s accomplishments and best practices to the secretary during his visit to the regional office.

Cimatu said that further improvements in environment like massive tree planting should be continuously done in the region.

The visit of the secretary in the regional office here was his first outside Manila since his appointment to the post.

(PNA)

NEW LOOK. A fisherman takes advantage of the warm weather to repaint his fishing boat on Tuesday morning in a coastal community in Brgy. 23-C, Isla Verde, Davao City. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Davao Region will once again implement the three-month closed season in Davao Gulf starting June 1 to allow fish stocks to regenerate. Lean Daval Jr.

Easy financing can bolster agricultural growth: Piñol D

EPARTMENT of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol believes government’s Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) lending program for qualified farmers and fisherfolk can help Philippine agriculture exceed the 5.28 percent growth this sector registered during 2017’s first quarter.

“With implementation of easy access financing, agriculture and fisheries productivity could be further boosted,” he said in a statement released Monday.

He expressed optimism as

PLEA aims promoting full development of the country’s agriculture sector by facilitating access of farmers and fisherfolk to productivity-boosting loans.

PLEA loans can be as high as P50,000 per farmer, he noted.

DA earlier decided piloting PLEA in Nueva Ecija province’s onion farming area Bongabon municipality and Surigao del Norte province’s fishing site Malimono municipality.

On Monday, Philippine Statistical Authority reported

the country’s agriculture from January to March 2017 grew 5.28 percent.

“Such growth can be attributed to blessings of a good climate and favorable conditions in the farming sector,” said Pinol.

He also considers the growth an indication the country is on the right track in terms of agriculture and fisheries development.

According to PSA, agriculture’s first quarter growth enabled this sector to finally recover from several quarters of decline.

“All sub-sectors posted output increments,” noted PSA. PSA said the crops sub-sector mainly fueled Philippine agriculture’s first quarter growth and recovery, rising 8.28 percent then and accounting for 53.66 percent of the country’s total agricultural production.

“The livestock sub-sector posted a 3.22 percent growth in output in the first three months of 2017 and accounted for 16.85 percent of total agricultural output,” PSA continued. (PNA)

foreign suppliers to modernize the military equipment of our armed forces,” he added.

“There is no need to borrow from China. We should tap our domestic industries for the equipment needed by our policemen and soldiers.”

He said that the only equipment or parts that the Philippine government should import are those which the country cannot produce locally.

“We should not bypass local industries which can provide parts or whole of the defense equipment being sought,” Recto said.

He pointed out that if defense equipment can be made locally and the prod-

ucts are of the same price and quality as the ones bought abroad, then they should be manufactured in the Philippines.

“We should look inward and develop our own capability. It is cheaper to produce and maintain them locally, than to import them. That way, jobs are created for the Filipinos and the local industries are given the chance to grow,” he added.

The senator cited the existence of local firearms industry which has been exporting its products for many decades noting that “some of them were licensees of world’s leading gun makers.”

“There are many of them,

from boat builders to vehicle manufacturers to firearm/ ammunition makers who can step up to the plate once there are firm orders from the government,” Recto said.

Recto said the country’s car manufacturing industry can supply military and police vehicles.

Moreover, he said that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s home province of Cebu can even build coastal patrol ships.

“We have a world-class shipbuilding industry in Cebu, but our government agencies have yet to harness its potential as a major source of military and civilian boats,” he added. (PNA)

Tapping of industries urged to modernize military

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MID plans of the Duterte administration to utilize the US500-million loan being offered by Chinese government to modernize the Philippine military, a senator on Tuesday urged the government to first consider tapping local industries to create more jobs.

“Buy local, create jobs.

This should be the new mantra of the government,” Senate Pres. Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said in a statement.

Recto made this remark following Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s statement that the government plans to use the loan to procure defense equipment from China.

“We must stop relying on

6 SUBURBIA EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Aboard military trucks, the group go around the city streets to campaign for peace

Top army executives in the province and City Government officials together with the participants of the Peace Building Seminar make the peace sign during the seminar’s closing ceremony.

Group brings peace, unity campaign on city streets M

Col. Reuben Basiao, Commander of the 701st Brigade of the Philippine Army

5,000 join launching of Davao‘Brigada Eskwela’

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VER 5,000 students, parents and representatives from the government and the private sector joined the launching of the 2017 «Brigada Eskwela” at the Calinan Senior High School in Calinan District here on Monday.

Led by Education Undersecretary for Finance Victoria Catibog, the six-day Brigada Eskwela kicked off in public elementary and secondary or high schools across the country in preparation for the opening of classes in June.

Jenielito Atillo, Department of Education (DepEd) XI spokesperson, said the launching of Brigada Eskwela at the Calinan Senior High School also aims to convey the message that senior high school has taken off nationwide.

This year marks the full implementation of the K-12 system because there are already entrants to Grade 12, he said.

There are 297 public schools and 189 private institutions offering senior high school curriculum in the region, with Atillo saying the number is expected to increase given the number of applications pending for DepEd’s ap-

proval.

Atillo said there are 66,986 senior high school students in the Davao Region.

With this year’s theme, “Isang DepEd, Isang Pamayanan, Isang Bayanihan Para sa Handa at Ligtas na Paaralan,” Usec. Catibog underscored the efforts and resources pooled from all sectors.

She said the cooperation of the whole community is for the sake of the children.

“This is not simply (about) attendance but the message here is we are preparing the school for the future of the children. I think the private sector also touches the hearts of everyone that we are doing this for we value education,” Atillo said.

Atillo pointed out that children, parents and other stakeholders sacrificed their time, talent and skills even just for a few minutes.

Brigada Eskwela, or the national schools’ maintenance week, aims to bring together all education stakeholders to participate and contribute their time, effort and resources to prepare public school facilities in time for the opening of the new school year.

(PNA)

ATI CITY, DAVAO ORIENTAL – A group of residents from farflung communities here take to the streets of the City of Mati their campaign for peace and unity during a staged Peace Rally on Saturday, May 13.

Despite the drizzle, the 185 residents of five villages in the City of Mati, who have just completed a four-day Peace Building Seminar, go round the city aboard military trucks holding peace signages while enthusiastically promoting peace.

These new graduates of the Peace Building Seminar are residents of nine sitios in the villages of Sainz, Matiao, Central, Taguibo, and Buso – villages known to have small fraction of residents being influenced by leftist ideology.

These residents, who are mostly farmers, wholeheartedly accepted their role as citizens of the nation. They

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portunities for locals, and healthcare facilities are improving, among many others.

He highlighted the Provincial Government-initiated Nagkakaisang Lingkod ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan which has been bringing much-needed services especially to the most depressed communities.

During the peace building seminar, being organized by the Philippine Army and the City Government of Mati with the support of the Provincial Government, the participants were taught about the spirit of nationalism and love for country. The seminar educated them that each individual has a role to take in upholding the country’s peace and freedom.

Part of the seminar is giving participants a tour to some of Davao Oriental’s exquisite tourism destinations, namely: Subangan Provincial Museum in the City of Mati, Mount Hamiguitan World Heritage Park

in San Isidro town and Pusan Point Eco Park in Caraga town.

During the seminar, participants were given lectures on livelihood by speakers from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Trade and Industry, City Planning Office and City Information Office, among others.

The said seminar is part of the Philippine Army’s peace program called Community Support Program which will be formally launched next week in the City of Mati. Being supported by the local government, the program directly involves the communities’ participation in peace building and development.

Col. Basiao urged the community members to support the government’s thrusts in order for the province to achieve a sustainable and long-lasting peace and development. KAREN LOU DELOSO

when he swam 2.85 kms from the Alcatraz Island Penitentiary to San Francisco. In 2015, he swam 8.1 kms in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Macarine said in a chat over Facebook that the cold Hudson River’s temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit (about 14 Celsius) combined with the 7 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius) air temperature “came as a shock as I have been used to the tropical waters of my beloved Philippines.”

The Pinoy Aquaman

aimed to swim at least 10 kilometers in the Hudson River but fell short.

Macarine takes a break during his 8.4km Hudson River swim. Photo courtesy of Ingemar Macarine’s Facebook page He said he suffered some cuts on his neck and armpits as he is not used to wearing a wetsuit. He was forced to wear a wetsuit because of the cold water.

“This swim is a wake up call that I need to do more cold water swims as I prepare

for my ultimate open water swim this coming August,” said the Surigao-born marathon swimmer.

He said that the Hudson River swim, his 29th open-water swim, was part of his training to cross the English Channel, a stretch of 33 kms from the United Kingdom to France.

Macarine originally planned to cross the channel August last year but was forced to cancel it due to bad weather. (Roel Catoto / MindaNews)

celebrating its “Balanghai” festival.

The declaration, dated May 10, 2017, was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador

C. Medialdea by the authority of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. ”It is but fitting and proper that the people of the City of

Butuan be given the full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies,” the proclamation stated. (PNA)

Pinoy‘Aquaman’conquers icy cold waters of New York’s Hudson River

URIGAO-BASED endurance swimmer Ingemar “Pinoy Aquaman” Macarine did another first in New York state, as the first Filipino to swim in Hudson River’s icy waters.

He swam nonstop Sunday night (Philippine time) from Newburgh-Beacon Bridge up to 8.4 kilometers downstream in 1 hour and 49 minutes. It was the longest distance he swam so far in the United States.

Macarine’s first long swim in the US was in 2014,

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say the rebels have thrived on people’s insecurities on poverty and poor delivery of government services which drove them to mistrust the government in the past.

Col. Reuben Basiao, Commander of the 701st Brigade of the Philippine Army, who are among those who spearheaded the activity, said these people are simply victims of the ‘deception’ of the Communist New People’s Army Rebels, turning them against the government.

He said the Province of Davao Oriental has gone dramatic change over the past few years. “Davao Oriental is different from what it had been when I left it in 2011 in comparison to today’s development,” he said. He said paved roads are almost everywhere cutting down travel time while aiding farmers and residents on their livelihood.

Tourism infrastructures and facilities spur economic op-

Butuan celebrates‘Balanghai Festival’

ALACANANG, through Proclamation No. 205, has declared May 19, Friday, a special non-working day in Butuan City, which is

7 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

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Gentiles to head DIPO for 3 Mindanao regions

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WO months short of turning a year old in his former post as director of the Police Regional Office 6, Chief Superintendent Jose L. Gentile has been promoted to head the Directorate of Integrated Police Operations in Eastern Mindanao on Monday.

He was tasked to oversee the operations of the regional police offices of Regions 10, 11 and 13.

“I will be executing all the requirements of the Chief PNP as far as the operational activities of these three regions,” he said in an interview from the sidelines of Monday’s turnover of command to the incoming PRO 6 director held at the Camp Martin Delgado here.

Along with his promotion is an additional star on his shoulders, making him a twostar general. He will be based

in Camp Crame but will maintain satellite offices in Butuan, Cagayan De Oro and Davao City.

His promotion was due to the retirement of the DIPO chief last Friday. Gentiles, once assigned in the three regions as a young lieutenant, was handpicked as replacement.

Gentiles described his new assignment to be more challenging given the huge coverage when compared with Western Visayas.

He said that he has to deal with problems on insurgency as well as Muslim extremist activity, different from the issues in Western Visayas.

“I was already resigned to the thought that I will be retiring here because I have already mastered PRO 6, my comfort zone. I would like to interpret it that the CPNP would like to give me a job,” he added. (PNA)

LETTING GO. Davao Light employees together with the various guests came to witness the releasing of the pawikan hatchlings at the Cleanergy Park, Punta Dumalag Matina Aplaya, Davao City. This is one way to educate the

Davao Light releases remaining batch of pawikan hatchlings in Cleanergy Park

SSS opens bigger branches under new management D

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HE branch expansion of the Social Security System (SSS) continues under the new administration as it opened and upgraded 18 branches in just five months under the management of President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc.

“Along with the membership growth is the pension fund’s strong commitment of establishing higher standards in providing convenient and reliable services to all members and their beneficiaries,” Dooc said.

Since November 2016, the SSS opened three branches in Ilagan, Isabela; Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City; and Binondo, Manila. Meanwhile, four additional service offices were located in Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons Tacloban, Montalban Town Center and One-Stop Government Center in San Fernando City, La Union.

“Accessibility is our top criterion in selecting location for new SSS branches since we want to bring our services closer to our transacting members.

In fact, most of our branches are located either along major thoroughfares or within central business districts and shopping malls where public transportation is readily available,” Dooc added.

The new SSS management also relocated 11 SSS branches to bigger locations, namely; Novaliches, Masbate, Tacloban, Cauayan, Toril, Cainta, Pasig-Pioneer, Bogo, Toledo, Kalibo, and Mandaluyong.

“With the increasing volume of transactions, it is imperative for us to upgrade our offices not only to improve the

employees’ physical working condition but also to create additional facilities for our clients such as members’ assistance desk, tellering services and physical examination center. This also shows our strict compliance with the ARTA or Anti-Red Tape Act provisions,” Dooc explained.

SSS commitment for 2017 is to put up 18 additional branches and service offices this year. As of December 2016, the SSS has 167 branches all over the Philippines—48 in the National Capital Region (NCR), 61 branches in Visayas and 31 branches in Mindanao region.

Outside of the country, SSS has 20 foreign offices based in Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Milan and Rome in Italy, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Al Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and San Francisco, California.

The following SSS offices were categorized as small, medium, and large based on the number of transactions, amount of collection and number of employer accounts. As of December last year, there are 103 small, 44 medium and 20 large branch offices nationwide.

“We setup branch offices alongside the enhancement of our web-based facilities because based on our study, a significant number of our members still prefer face-to-face interaction. With our increased presence in cities or towns, we hope to encourage more of our workers to be an active member of SSS,” said Dooc.

community about the importance of preserving the environment especially for these already endangered species.

AVAO Light and Power Co., Inc. welcomed 129 baby Hawksbill Turltes from the last batch of Pawikan nest last April 30, 2017 in the Cleanergy Park at Sitio Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya, Davao City.

These pawikan hatchlings came from the fourth nest found last February 24, 2017.

To date, a total of 627 hatchlings from the four nests discovered in the Cleanergy Park were released in the first quarter of 2017.

Considered as critically endangered species, these pawikans gained support of the many who came to give

cheers and wishes as our little shelled friends eagerly walked their way to start their lives in the wild.

Present to witness the event were the Davao Light employees led by Rodger S. Velasco, EVP and COO together with Olie B. Dagala, one of the Directors of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA); Fr. Mike Pineda, Principal of the Ateneo High School and its faculty; and some members from the Junior Chamber International -Central Davao.

“Davao Light and the Aboitiz Foundation will continue in our efforts to protect the pawikans and in educating the

community to help preserve the environment for the future generations to enjoy.” said, Velasco.

Davao Light is expecting more mother pawikans to come to the Cleanergy Park and lay their next generation babies.

Cleanergy Park is a project of Davao Light and Power Co., an Aboitiz Power subsidiary, in partnership with and Aboitiz Foundation. It is a biodiversity park that is aimed to preserve the pawikan nesting grounds, be a home of many thriving bird species and maintain help ecological balance for other sea and land creatures.

at the Cotabato Airport at around 10 a.m. were ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, ARMM-Tourism Secretary Ayesha Dilangalen and other regional and provincial officials as business leaders.

“This is an opportunity for the ARMM tourism industry to flourish,” Dilangalen.

Cebu pacific will serve the

route four times a week.

Charo Lugamon, Cebu Pacific-Cotabato spokesperson, said the airline decided to reopen the route due to the rising demand, especially among local officials and business people.

Dilangalen said the new route will also make the region accessible to tourists

from the Visayas.

Air travelers from Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both in the ARMM region, and the provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, both in Region 12, are expected to take the route via Awang Airport, commonly known as Cotabato Airport.

(PNA)

continues to reach out to unregistered real estate brokers in the region.

“Both the government and real estate owners are hurt by the transactions entered into by unlicensed brokers,” Patnugot said, noting that unregistered brokers don’t pay taxes to the government.

On the other hand, he said the advantages of transacting the sale or lease of a real estate with registered brokers include the proper payment of taxes

and the assurance on the side of landowners of legal remedies if problems occur during or after the transaction.

Roy Rabor, PAREB vice president for Mindanao, told reporters that almost 50 percent of the sale and lease of lands in the country are being facilitated by unregistered brokers.

In the Davao region, Rabor added, only 120 of the 300 registered real estate brokers are active.

In line with the celebration

of the 57th foundation anniversary of PAREB, both Patnugot and Rabor expressed optimism that more real estate brokers will be registered in the country.

Rabor said PAREB will ink a memorandum of agreement with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Register of Deeds (RODs) to ensure the implementation of Republic Act 9646, the law that regulates the practice of real estate service in the Philippines. (PNA)

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST. The remaining nest found earlier this year has finally hatched last April 30, 2017. This baby pawikan is a simple reminder that we should take care of the environment for these little sea creatures to thrive and survive.

Cebu Pacific reopens Cotabato-Cebu route

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UDGET carrier Cebu Pacific Air reopened Tuesday its Cotabato-Cebu-Cotabato flights to serve the people of two provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and two others in Region 12.

Present during the relaunching of the flight held

Colorum brokers bane to real estate industry

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HE continued transaction being entered into by unregistered real estate brokers is not good for the government and the real estate industry.

This was raised by top officers of the Philippine Association of Real Estate Board (PAREB) and the Davao Board of Realtors Foundation Inc. (DBRFI) in a press conference here on Monday.

DBRFI president Hardinado Patnugot, Jr. said their group

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

EDITORIAL

Anti-distracted driving

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EGINNING tomorrow, it will be unlawful for anyone to use a mobile phone, tablet or any electronic device while driving.

Republic Act 10913, better known as the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, will be in full effect Thursday, May 18, 2017, 15 days after its Implementing Rules and Regulations were published and exactly a year after it was passed by the Senate.

For everyone’s information, the law defines distracted driving as “using a mobile communications device to write, send, or read text-based communication or to make or receive calls, and other similar acts,” as well as to use “an electronic entertainment or computing device to play games, watch movies, surf the internet, compose messages, read e-books, perform calculations, and other similar acts.”

There are exceptions though. These are limited to using said devices to make emergency calls, and motorists operating emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, etc.), provided the act is done “in the course and scope of his or her duties.”

Given that there are advances in technology where one can still use their gadgets through hands-free settings, said devices may be used provided that it’s via a hands-free function (speakerphone, earphones and mic, etc.), and provided it isn’t placed within your line of sight.

The fines and penalties for motorists caught violating the Anti-Distracted

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The spirit of the law is to clearly promote safety on the road where most accidents occur because of distracted driving.

Enforcement of the law, however, could find some “distraction” in the fact that there is no regulation in this jurisdiction on the use of car tints. Most people use super dark shades on their car windows and windshields that it is not possible for someone outside to see what is inside the car or what the driver is doing inside the car. Which means the law could be helpless for as long as there is no law regulating the use of car tints.

In other countries, private cars are barred if not regulated from using car tints on windshields and windows. This allows for authorities to see through the window or windshield the driver and passengers of the car, or if the driver is using devices while driving.

Now that this law is enforced, what should necessarily come next is the anti-car tint law.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor JIMMY K. LAKING Associate Editor

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ISTORICALLY, only few national offices have made Davao City as the home of its main office. The reason for this is that most departments under the Office of the President (Executive), Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives), and the Judiciary (Supreme Court and Court of Appeals) are in the national capital region.

This plan was further pushed during the Marcos regime when the national leadership, in reviving a moribund 1948 plan to create a national government center, started developing Constitution Hills (now Batasan Hills) as permanent home of the three branches of government, exclusive of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs).

On April 22, 1975, during the martial law years, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued President Decree 690, later amended by PD 1703 dated July 24, 1980, creating the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) as a state-owned and controlled firm. Given its corporate name, the agency’s coverage was exclusively confined to Mindanao.

SPDA, however, was deactivated by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under Executive Order No. 149 on November 18, 2002, and

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HE Philippines has sovereign rights over the Benham Rise area,” the Department of Foreign Affairs pointed out.

“The Duterte Administration is firm in protecting the country’s national interest and in upholding our sovereign rights.”

Described as an “underwater plateau,” Benham Rise has a top measuring 15,000 hectares and its base is 128,600 hectares. It’s not a disputed territory and is located in the country’s eastern border and far away from the West Philippine Sea. Fellow Davao journalist Manuel E. Cayon (of Business Mirror), who recently joined a group of journalists of an expedition in the area, wrote: “The Benham Rise is the seabed protrusion rising to about 3,200 meters from the Benham region seabed. The seabed bottom itself has an average depth of 5,000 meters from the sea level.”

Benham Rise, according to Wikipedia, has been part of the culture of ancient Filipinos. Ancient Catanduanes people have fished and roamed the area long before the colonial era. In fact, it is celebrated in Catandunganons’ folktales, legends and poetry.

Today, large percentage of fish caught by Catandunganon comes from Benham Rise. Its local Bicol term is called Kalipung-awan (means “loneliness in an isolated place”). Its

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

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Davao City as central office underwent “organizational enhancements” during under a task force created on March 30, 2003. Interestingly, three years later, the agency was reactivated on August 29, 2006, under Executive Order 560.

In 2011, Sen. Franklin Drilon called for the abolition of the SPDA, saying its functions are redundant and it has not brought substantial progress to the Mindanao area.

Under the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos (1992-98), the Office of the President, for the first time, opened a Mindanao bureau under Executive No. 7 issued in 1992, which it named as the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao (OPAMIN). The agency, though, was later abolished when President Joseph Estrada issued Executive Order No. 7 on September 30, 1998.

Under the Estrada edict, the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) System created under Administrative Order (AO) No. 55, series of 1988, as amended by AO 95, series of 1988, was also abolished, and the presidential assistants renamed as presidential assistants for regional concerns (PARECO), with the same functions as their predecessors.

The first serious effort to transfer a state agency to Mindanao was on

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa February 23, 2007 when President Arroyo issued Memorandum Order No. 240, directing the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to transfer Davao City, with the SPDA Compound as its central office.

The reason for the ordered transfer was for the agency to be “more accessible to the provinces to better serve and immediately address the need of the stakeholders of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in the countryside.”

In support of the Arroyo agenda, then DAR secretary Nasser C. Pangan-

daman, who was appointed DAR secretary on June 8, 2007, the strategy is part of the President’s thrust to develop Mindanao into “a super-region focused on agri-business.”

But the move elicited strong opposition from DAR employees who would be displaced. Instead of DAR, Presidential Adviser of New Government Centers Secretary Rodolfo del Rosario suggested instead to relocate the Department of Agriculture (DA), which was the original choice, to Mindanao, as the country’s good basket.

Nothing came out of the plan, though, because of incremental cost involved and the administrative ramifications involved, including the early retirement of bureaucrats who had always embraced negative impressions about their safety while assigned in Mindanao.

But then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte took up the cudgels from past presidents left. During his campaign sortie, he floated the idea of transferring three departments, namely agriculture, energy, and environment headquarters to Mindanao, in particular Davao City.

The transfer of DA to Davao City elicited endorsement from the business sector given that 34% of the country’s gross domestic product

(GDP) and 44% of the country’s national food trade come from southern Philippines.

Besides, Mindanao, which shares 39% of the country’s agricultural output, contributes 64% of the Philippine coconut production. Southern Philippines also underwrites 30% of national food trade and produces eight out of the top 10 agriculture export commodities.

But the transfer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE) was opposed on grounds “the country’s growing environment and energy problems” are in Luzon. Actually, 70% of the Philippine power market is in Luzon.

Marriz Agbon, founding chair of Mindanao Business Council, in reacting to the transfer, pointed out: “In Mindanao, it will do well for government to pursue a distributed energy policy environment wherein distribution utilities are encouraged to develop or solicit power projects in accordance with their respective projections of local economic development.”

Until now, however, the agenda to dissipate government departments in various regions of the archipelago remains a plan.

marginalized fishermen in the regions and will help them uplift their economic condition,” the science secretary pointed out.

The Secretary emphasized, in particular, the importance of Benham Rise in the present administration’s thrust of reducing economic inequality through creation of more income opportunities coming from marine resources.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ranked the country as number 8 among the top fish producers in the world in 2016, with Central Visayas at the forefront.

If you are wondering why it is called Benham Rise, well, it was named after American admiral and geologist Andrew Benham. He was a United States Navy officer, who served with both the South Atlantic and West Gulf Blockading Squadrons during the American Civil War. After Chinese survey ships were spotted in the region early this year, President Rodrigo Duterte suggested that the plateau be renamed to emphasize the Philippine’s sovereignty over the area.

Thus, the Philippine government officially adapts the name “Philippine Rise” for the feature and designates the area as a “protected food supply exclusive zone.” It also prohibited mining and oil exploration in the pla-

teau.

This is the second time the Philippine government has renamed an area to assert its sovereign rights. It must be recalled that in 2002, then President Benigno Aquino III signed an administrative order naming the country’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea as West Philippine Sea. There’s more to Benham Rise than just fishery resources. Marine law expert Jay Batongbacal, Benham Rise is potentially a rich source of natural gas and other resources such as heavy metals. During the first mapping, solidified methane was also discovered.

But those are not what Piñol had in mind. In a statement issued after the visit, he said: “I defended to the President that rather than focus on searching for mining or oil activities, we have to protect it because I see a P25-billion (food supply) potential there.”

Fish provides more than half of the protein requirement of almost all Filipinos. But in recent years, the average annual consumption has declined from 37 kilos to just 30 kilos.

“Unless we look for other sources of protein, the food intake of Filipinos will be greatly affected,” said an official from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, a line agency of the agriculture department.

Getting to know Philippine rise

strategic location between Taiwan and Luzon make it a feature of geopolitical importance.

It was first mapped in 1993 yet but its connection to the Philippine shelf “was validated only recently to justify the country’s economic claim.”

In April 2012, the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea already recognized and officially approved the Philippines’ claim on Benham Rise as part of its continental shelf and territory.

Benham Rise is larger than Luzon, the country’s biggest island.

Cayon added this information: “The entire region, including the extended continental shelf, would measure 25.9 million hectares, 5 million short of the country’s total land area.”

The Philippines has the sovereign rights over Benham Rise. “We don’t have territorial rights over Benham Rise,” explained Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. “What we have are sovereign rights, meaning we have exclusive rights to use and exploit the fishing ground and any mineral assets in the area.”

Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol of the Department of Agriculture told visiting journalists that he wanted Benham Rise to be declared as fish production area and suggested that a research structure be placed in the middle of the ocean where the Benham Rise is located.

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

“This would allow a better management of the resources in the Benham Region,” Piñol was quoted as saying.

Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) seemed to agree.

In a recent press statement, he asked researchers to do more scientific studies on high potential fishery resources like seaweeds and Benham Rise.

“The Department of Science and Technology is focusing on strengthening research and development initiatives in various fields including the fisheries sector because this will provide more opportunities for our

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Kadamay-like... FROM 1 halls, sports facilities, basketball court, which I think that the city has properly provided them.”

Currently, Lopez said that they have recently completed a committee hearing on the second phase of the Los Amigos, Tugbok, Davao City

relocation project.

Councilor Lopez said that the city has a long waiting list of people who wanted to avail themselves of the beneficiary program from the city and that they are trying their best to provide them with their needs. JECIA ANNE OPIANA

the issue on the West Philippine Sea, especially now that the Philippines and China have stronger relations and cooperation. His position, he earlier said, “does not indicate fear of China but keeping peace in the disputed area, which could be a potential flashpoint.”

“There will be a time that we have to talk about its implementation. You cannot avoid it. But it is not now. It is not the right time to do it,” Duterte said.

”We avoid violence and we avoid war because frankly, we cannot afford it and China cannot afford it also at this time.

Masisira tayong dalawa (Both of us will lose),” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Duterte was looking forward to the inaugural meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea later this month. ”This is one step forward in peacefully managing the dispute,” the President said.

(PNA)

of Education revealed that there are only 8,159 public secondary schools as compared to 38,688 public elementary schools.

Santos-Recto said many children in the rural areas are not enrolled in high school due

to the shortage of public high schools particularly in rural areas.

“Despite basic education being free, students still need to bear the costs for school materials and transportation, among others,” she said.

band organized by the elder Lademora composed of former Philippine Constabulary colleagues and criminal elements. “It functioned as a private army of the National Guthrie Plantations Inc. (NGPI) and Agusan Plantation Inc. (API) to grab land from farmers in the towns of Rosario and San Francisco, Agusan del Sur for oil palm plantations,” the NPA said.

It claimed that thousands of farmers were victimized and forced to sell or abandon

their lands for fear of the harassment and brutality by the Lost Command.

Montero said the Lademora siblings continue their “brutal acts and grave exploitation of the people” even though their father died in 2015.

In a phone interview, he said Lademora will be presented before the people whom his family had allegedly abused and it will be up to them to hand down the verdict of his fate. (Roel N. Catoto / Mindanews)

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EXCHANGING NOTES. The controversial newly-appointed Presidential Communications Operations Office assistant secretary for social media Margaux ‘Mocha’ Uson chats with Philippine National Police chief Director

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General Ronald Dela Rosa while they are waiting for the arrival ceremony of President Duterte at the Davao International Airport in Davao early morning of Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

one of the components of the automated system supplied

by Smartmatic has no “demonstrated capability” nor was it ever successfully used in a prior electoral exercise either in the Philippines or in any other country.

The second part of his petition consists of the more “traditional” modes of cheating like vote buying, pre-shading, intimidation and failure of elections, among others.

He specifically asked for the reopening of ballot boxes in each of the 36,465 clustered precincts in Cebu, Province of Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Masbate, Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Del Norte, Bukidnon, Iloilo Province, Bohol, Quezon Province, Batangas, Western Samar, Misamis Oriental, Camarines Sur, 2nd District of Northern Samar, Palawan, Sibugay, Misamis Occidental, Pangasinan, Isabela, Iloilo City, Bacolod City,

Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Zamboanga City.

Marcos is also asking the PET to annul the election results in Lanao Del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao where the ballots have been pre-shaded and recount of 22 provinces and five cities.

The third part of the protest focused on the unauthorized introduction by Smartmatic’s Marlon Garcia of a new hash code (or a new script / program) into the Transparency Server as well as the effects brought about by the unauthorized change.

The tribunal composed of the same 15 justices of the SC has decided to set just one preliminary conference for the protest and counter-protest, citing Rule 3 of the 2010 PET Rules that allows adjustment in rules” to achieve a just, expeditious and inexpensive determination and disposition of every contest before the

tribunal.”

It will be recalled that Marcos filed an election protest against Robredo in June 2016, contesting 39,221 clustered precincts which are composed of 132,446 established precincts. Robredo, meanwhile, filed a counter-protest, questioning 8,042 clustered precincts which are composed of 31,278 established precincts.

Marcos has assailed Robredo’s plea and asked the PET to dismiss her counter-protest since she failed to settle the first installment as directed by the Tribunal In arguing for the dismissal of the counter-protest, Marcos cited Rule 34 of the 2010 PET Rules which states “if a party fails to make cash deposits or additional deposits herein required within the prescribed time limit, the Tribunal may dismiss the protest or counter-protest, or take such action as it may deem equitable un-

der the circumstances.

Marcos also cited two decisions in election cases - Perla Garcia vs House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and Rep. Harry Angping and Bienvenido William Lloren vs.

Commission on Elections and Rogelio Pua Jr. in which the SC upheld the summary dismissal of the cases for failure to make the required cash deposits within the prescribed time limit.

Marcos earlier said he decided to file the electoral protest due to the series of frauds, anomalies and irregularities that marred the May 9 elections and that such activities made sure he would lose to Robredo, the vice presidential candidate of the administration’s Liberal Party.

Robredo won the 2016 vice presidential race with 14,418,817 votes or 263,473 more than Marcos who got 14,155,344 votes. (PNA)

most of those who were working in the company were those who used to rely in these activities.

Before the entry of the company in the area, the villagers were mainly dependent on farming and fishing while some of them, because of lack of livelihood activities, were engaged in illegal logging and illegal fishing.

On May 6, armed men believed to be members of the rebel group attacked the mine site of the company, the operating company of Hallmark and Australia Asia Mining Corps., and burned down equipment.

In an ensuing press statement, the rebels admitted they were the ones who attacked the mining site.

In contradicting the claim

of the rebels, the company said a multi-sectoral body, the Multi-Partite Monitoting Team whose members include government representatives and those coming from independent organziations, has been monitoring its operations which have been found to be aboveboard.

On the claim that it is destroying the Hamiguitan Protected Area, which is a World Heritage Site, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources noted that the company’s present site of operations is about six kilometers from the buffer zone of the protected area which the government has set up. By foot, residents said that it would take one to walk nine hours from the operations site to the

buffer zone.

What the public should know, the chieftains added, is that the company has partnered both with the government agencies and its host communities in ensuring that it helps protect the environment as it even relinquished about 7,000 hectares of its mining clains to the protected area and that it has planted about 500,000 trees, both forest and fruit-bearing, to ensure the forest areas are sustained.

On water discharges, the agency said that the company has set up siltation ponds, silt traps and other measures to ensure that the coast adjoining its mining site and port will have clear water. The report added that its water discharges are within the agency’s allow-

able limits.

On the claim that it is destroying farm, the agency noted that farming mineralized areas, aside from being far from the actual farms, is next to impossible. The operations, on the other hand, cannot affect farms because the mining site as well as the farms are divided by ridges andthat there is no water body that could bring silt to the farms.

The village chieftains added that the company has been supporting their other needs particularly in education that it has built seven school buildings and is planning to add two more this year. It has also been distributing school packages benefiting 2,000 school children in five schools within the host communities.

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INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

Rocky’s honors its barbers

TOP TO BOTTOM: It’s making each barber a part of the family.

Tom Gempesaw of Rocky’s Barbershop with Jun, Noel & Ruel. The bond goes beyond the employer - employee relationship. All the Rocky’s men.

From 5 to 21, there are years of partnerships that strengthens the bond between these barbers and Rocky’s. The openers. Jun Acub, Noel Namacos and Ruel Danas are still with Rocky’s since the first branch opened in Victoria Plaza mall in 1996. That marks their 21 years of service at Rocky’s.

WHEN ROCKY’S CELEBRATED A MILESTONE OF 20 YEARS IN THE MEN’S GROOMING business in 2016, it featured in a calendar fathers and sons spanning up to three generations who have been clients of the barbershop since it opened in 1996. The twelve sets of male personalities are but a few who had made men’s grooming at Rocky’s a tradition.

Why these bunch stay loyal while others start a tradition with the Davaoborn grooming brand is no secret. More than the excellent service, it’s the good relationship that has been and is being cultivated and nurtured by the homegrown barbers with each and every client who gets to sit on the barber’s chair. It makes the men look forward to the next visit.

The 20th year in the industry is a milestone for the first barbershop in the mall. This wouldn’t be so without a band of strong trade partners behind the name Rocky’s.

Recently, Rocky’s honored its trade partners— the barbers who made the brand what it is today.

Since the day Rocky’s opened the doors of its first branch in Victoria Plaza, three barbers are still on board, marking their 21 years of service this 2017. Jun Acub, in Abreeza branch today, and Noel Namacos and Ruel Danas, both you will catch at the Victoria Plaza

branch.

Among these loyal barbers’ many awards, each were handed a ring made of silver engraved with the Rocky’s logo and the number of years as partner of Rocky’s.

“Rocky’s barbershop recognizes your loyal and

“

Among these loyal barbers’ many awards, each were handed a ring made of silver engraved with the Rocky’s logo and the number of years as partner of Rocky’s.

dedicated service to our clients. Your contribution to the company made Rocky’s synonymous to excellent service provided by homegrown barbers,” extended the manager, Tom Gempesaw, to the three “family members”

who have been with the company since its “birth”.

The three men set the standard for the rest of the team of barbers. But there are many not too far behind them who are following their footsteps.

These younger trade part-

ners are following the footsteps of Jun, Noel and Ruel, and they received the recognition due them.

For every five years of service with the company one star pin were given to all the barbers.

Receiving two star pins were Al Sarallena (SM Ecoland) with 14 years of service, Pert Gudmalin (SM

Ecoland), 12 years with Rocky’s and Renz Arca (Gaisano Mall), 10 years.

A pin each was awarded to Raffy Prafina (Victoria Plaza) 9 years with the company; Rangie Begonia (SM Lanang Premier), 9 years; Asel Agudo (SM Ecoland), 8 years; Gary Bulanon (Abreeza Mall), 6 years; Jerry Israel (SM

Lanang Premier), 5 years; and Gaga Darato (Abreeza), 5 years.

If you see a pin and stars on the barbers’ collars on your next visit, those are the marks of their loyalty to their craft, to Rocky’s. It’s the mark of excellence, their pride.

Congratulations to the homegrown barbers of Rocky’s! May you continue the tradition of excellence in men’s grooming in the city, welcoming the generations of Davaoeños on your chair, their “throne”.

Rocky’s Barbershop is the first barbershop to open in a mall in Davao City in 1996. All its branches today are conveniently located in mallsVictoria Plaza, Abreeza Mall, GMall, SM City & SM Lanang Premier in Davao City, and Centrio Ayala Mall and SM City in Cagayan de Oro City.

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Travel with Pikachu this summer with the Canon EOS M10 THIS SUMMER, make Pokémon your perfect adventure buddy as you, Canon and Pokémon partner in a creative collaboration like no other!

Through the launch of a special edition EOS M10 box set, bundled with a Pikachu shoulder plush, this initiative aims to spur users to incorporate #ToyTravel creatively in photography. Toy Travel started as trend in Japan wherein toy owners bring their beloved toys with them as they travel. A key part of their trip is users taking photos of their travels together with their toy, a practice the Japanese have coined as Nui Dori. #ToyTravel spreads its reach this year as Canon launches it in the Philippines. “We are happy to be a part of this campaign combining the fun of photography and toys in traveling. The EOS M series is the perfect travel companion and as more and more Filipinos are travelling the country and the world, Canon is giving more reasons to enjoy it through #ToyTravel,” shared Benny Yu, Canon Marketing (Phils)., Inc., Consumer Group head.

“We’ve chosen to partner with Pokémon as they are well-loved by people of all ages, and that universal appeal makes Pokémon the perfect travel buddy for the EOS M10 photographer.”

Sleek and powerful EOS M10 As the lightest camera in Canon’s EOS M range of high performance mirrorless, interchangeablelens camera, the EOS M10 is the perfect companion for carrying around on all your adventures. The EOS M10 delivers superior images and allows users to capture and share spontaneous moments while on the go, making the camera a great companion for urbanites of today.

Perfect for selfies, the

EOS M10 has a tilt type LCD touchscreen that extends to 180 degrees. The Self Portrait mode features a one-touch beautification shortcut that offers a skin smoothing effect, allowing users to take flattering selfies and instantly upload them on social media platforms via the camera’s Wi-Fi connectivity.

Canon EOS M10 – The Perfect Adventure Buddy Photo Challenge Explore the world with Pikachu and take him on unique adventures. From May to July 2017, Canon is launching a monthly photo challenge. The challenge is open to the public to top the leadership board. With a different theme announced each month, participants are challenged to use nui dori for a chance to win an EOS M10 kit with a EF-M15-45mm kit lens

along with a Pikachu shoulder plush or limited edition Pokémon key chains.

The special edition EOS M10 box set bundled with Pikachu shoulder plush will be available from May 2017 onwards, prices as follows: • EOS M10 with EFM15-45mm at P22,998 payable in 12 months, 0% interest • EOS M10 with EFM15-45mm and 55200mm at P33,498 payable in 12 months, 0% interest New EOS M10 owners are entitled to P1,000 worth of gift certificates redeemable at over 150 merchants such as Vikings, Family Mart, Landmark via the Canon Red app (available in Google Play and Apple App Store).

For more details, please visit https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/pokemon

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

GMA shoots new romcom in Davao

By KENNETH IRVING ONG THE KAPUSO NETWORK is set to mesmerise its viewers once again as it unveils its upcoming primetime offering “I Heart Davao”.

The primetime romantic comedy series top bills multi-talented actress Carla Abellana and versatile Kapuso actor Tom Rodriguez, together with Kapuso heartthrob Benjamin Alves in a unique love triangle set in Davao City.

The return to the small screen of real-life couple Tom and Carla, I Heart Davao revolves around how Tom’s character Ponce will take the attempted buyout of his family’s cacao farm by the family of Carla’s character Hope. The two will also be facing individual issues – the death of Ponce’s girlfriend, and Hope’s heart transplant.

Their story will also take a twist when she discovers that her heart donor was the love of his life.

“We are grateful to

have the opportunity to work together,” said Tom during the show’s press conference at the New Asia Restaurant which was also attended by cast members Karla, Ben, Betong Sumaya, and Maey Bautista. “Handog ito sa TomCar fans waiting for a reunion project,” added Carla.

Hot on the heels of renewed interest in Davao, the latest GMA offering aims to further highlight the beauty of the “Land of Promise” and aims to capture the beauty of the city’s sights and sounds as well as its unique culture.

Many scenes of the series will be shot in and around Davao City and most of the dialogue will also feature dialogue in Visayan. “We did many scenes at the Malagos ca-

cao farm and to stay true to Davao, we had to use Bisaya,” said Tom who is a fluent Bisaya speaker.

“We are also excited with our shoot while white-water rafting,” revealed Ben, “It is my first time sa Davao at naamaze ako dito.”

GMA’s I Heart Davao is directed by Marlon N. Rivera of “Babae sa Septic Tank”, and starts airing on GMA’s Telebabad starting June.

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

Advertise with

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

Tel No. 082.221.3601/224.1413 Email: edgedavao@gmail.com marketing@edgedavao.net

11 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

B

Top Agents, Realtors feted at Matina Enclaves Open House

EHIND a company’s success are people who get the job done. These are no ordinary people.

They are whose who mastered the art of salesmanship.

Those who seal the deals.

That’s the other strength of Matina Enclaves. Aside from its top-of-the-line amenities and value-for-money packages, the maiden township project of Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco) relies on its sales people and realty affiliates.

It was just fitting

that these ‘superheroes’ are honored during the regular Open House on May 12 at the real estate firm’s Showroom at the Genesis 88 Building in Ecowest Drive, Ecoland.

Emerging as the Top Agent for the period is Carmen Uy of Visitacion Realty. Coming in second is Joseph Arthur Avila of Leuterio Realty; followed by Shiena Mae Furog of Furog Realty, 3rd; Solomon Banez of Banez Realty, 4th; Veljean Villaraiz of Three V Realty, 5th; Raughelle Lalain of Corro Realty, 6th; Giralyn Ferrariz of Regencia Realty, 7th;

AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ENCARNACION CAALAMAN BRAGANZA has been the subject of an Extra Judicial Settlement with affidavit of claim with waiver of rights executed among her heirs, per Doc. No.244; Page No.49; Book No. 132; Series of 2017, of the NOTARY PUBLIC FATIMA IRENE T. ADIN 5/3,10,17

EXTRA JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ALBERT FLORES ASUNCION died on March 9,2013 at Davao City has been the subject of an EXTRA JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE executed among his heirs, per Doc. No.315; Page No.63; Book No. 11; Series of 2017, of the NOTARY PUBLIC JANIS LOUIS H. ESPARCIA. 5/10, 17,24

Shian Rose Bonostro of Balio Realty, 8th; and Dolly Beth Relampagos of ROI Property Depot, 9th.

The Top Realtors are 1st - Visitacion Realty; 2nd - Leuterio Realty; 3rd - Furog Realty; 4th - Bañez Realty; 5th - Three V Realty; th - Corro Realty; 7th - Regencia Realty; 8th - Balio Realty; and 9th - ROI Property Depot.

“We are very thankful to our top agents and realtors. Again, these are the people that fuel the success of our product Matina Enclaves,” said Gerald Kent Garces, project director of The Matina Enclaves.

Matina Enclaves has started selling its sixth building after the first five condo buildings have been sold out.

“We will continue to reach out to people who are looking to find their right dreamhouse. Matina Enclaves is here to make that dream come true,” Garces said.

Matina Enclaves is a mixed use development project located adjacent to Davao City Golf Course in Quimpo Boulevard. The sprawling residential estate provides a majestic view of picturesque Mt. Apo and is designed with the concept of a natural greenery.

(NJB)

12 ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Empty nets: A future with no fish

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“W

E are running out of fish and running out of time.

For a country known for marine biodiversity, there are very few fish left to catch,” deplored Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Roy C. Alimoane, the director of Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC), a non-government organization based in Davao del Sur, agreed.

“Like the other vital resources such as forests, Philippine fisheries are about to collapse,” he pointed out.

The collapse of major fishing grounds in the country would mean uprooting 38,000 fishermen each year. “The fish is getting scarcer,” said Jojo Madera, a father of six. “We all have children, grandchildren. We have to think of the future!”

Fish provides more than half of the protein requirement of almost all Filipinos. But in recent years, the average annual consumption has declined from 37 kilos to just 30 kilos. “Unless we look for other sources of protein, the food intake of Filipinos will be greatly affected,” Alimoane said.

Fish shortage is happening in almost all parts of the Philippines. Davao Gulf, the 10th major fishing ground in the country, is a critical resource supporting the economies of six coastal cities and 24 coastal municipalities in Davao region.

But since 2000, the volume and quality of the fish in the Davao Gulf have been found to be in constant decline, according to a study conducted

by Kuala Lumpur-based World Fish Center.

Except for maya-maya, the harvest numbers for other nine species have been falling.

At the current rate of decline, the caraballas, bilong-bilong, molmol, and danggit may all disappear completely from Davao Gulf within a decade, the study said. The matambaka, tamban and moro-moro are more resilient, but even they may disappear within a generation, it added.

To save the fish from disappearing the waters of Davao Gulf, a close season is implemented every June to August of each year. “A lot of our fisherfolks like the close season at the Davao Gulf to allow more species of fishes to thrive,” Regional Director Fatma Idris of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was quoted as saying.

The national office of BFAR attributes the decline of fish catch in the country to destruction of the coastal zones, which

encompasses approximately 17,000 kilometers of coastline.

It includes mangrove forests, tidal flats, estuaries, island ecosystems, seagrasses, coral reefs and beaches.

Mangroves Mangroves grow well in tropical countries, including the Philippines. But most Filipinos don’t consider mangroves as important. “Coastal forests are not familiar to the average Filipino due to their early loss,” wrote Jurgenne Primavera and Resurreccion Sadaba in the book, Beach Forest Species and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines. “They’ve long gone unreported in the yearly Philippine Forestry Statistics.”

Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau, says its agency has identified 42 species of mangroves in the country.

None of them are facing extinction yet. But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is considering of putting 11 out of 70 mangrove species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Mangroves are very important to marine life, says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former head of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. They serve as sanctuaries and feeding grounds for fish that nibble on detritus (fallen and decaying leaves) trapped in the vegetation, and on the bark and leaves of living trees. “(Mangroves) are important feeding sites for many commercially important fish species (mullet, tilapia, eel, and especially milkfish), shrimps, prawns, mollusks, crabs, and sea cucumbers,” a World Bank report on environment adds.

“Fry that gather in mangrove areas are very important for aquaculture.”

From its original area of approximately 450,000 hectares in 1918, the mangrove areas went down to 140,000 hectares

“The fish is getting scarcer.We all have children, grandchildren. We have to think of the future!”

-- Jojo Madera, a father of six

in 1991. It decreased further in 1994 to 120,000 hectares, according to Dr. Carmelita I. Villamor, of the Ecosystems Research and Development (ERDB).

According to Villamor, the culprits of mangrove denudation in the country include logging for firewood, harvesting for tanbarks, and the conversion of mangroves to fishponds for milkfish and prawn culture.

Dr. Angel C. Alcala, the environment secretary during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos, claimed that where mangroves are cut, fishery production declines. Fishermen in Bulacan affirmed this theory saying that their fish catch has been falling since the mangroves were cleared in the nearby areas.

Coral reefs The Philippines has the distinction of being home to more

than 400 of the 700 coral reefs known to man. Unfortunately, most of these reefs are in a sad state of destruction. Only 6% of the country’s reefs are in excellent condition. Seventy percent are in various stages of deterioration.

A document from the Cebu-based Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) said a good to excellent coral reefs can produce 20 tons or more of fish and other edible products per square kilometers annually.

The destruction of these reefs can greatly reduce fish production, marine scientists said. “Once destroyed, they produce less than four tons per square kilometers per year,” the CRMP disclosed.

The sustainable catch from a good reef over 10 years is about 200 tons of fish while from a destroyed reef is only 72 tons, it added.

Newsweek, in its special report some years back, cited dynamite and cyanide fishing as the cause of the destruction of the country’s coral reefs.

“Although fish can be caught through traditional methods, fishermen prefer using dynamite because a bigger volume of fish is harvested through an easier and simpler process,” a lawmaker pointed out.

Dynamite fishing became rampant after the Second World War and the impact underwater is devastating. “A single blast’s shockwave typically travels at about 1500 meters per second (the length of 15 football fields), killing or maiming every fish in range and often liquefying their internal organs,” wrote Gregg Yan, communication officer of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Marine scientists said a small dynamite can destroy corals over an area three meters in

diameter.

Cyanide fishing may not be as rampant as in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is still being done in the country. “I believe that most cyanide used presently is for food fish and it is difficult to know how wide spread its use is,” Dr. Alan White, who used to be the chief of party of the Coastal Resource Management Project in Central Visayas. “It is still a major problem in Palawan and other areas where the live food fish trade is important.”

Although cyanide fishing is illegal, Filipinos are still doing it. “There may be short term gains now,” reminded Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay, director of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, “but we have to really think the serious repercussions for the future generation.

Remember this: no reef, no fish.”

Seagrasses

F ENVIRONMENT, 13

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

13

EDGEDAVAO

ENVIRONMENT... FROM 12

Seagrasses are said to be the “last frontier” of the country’s basic marine needs. In terms of seagrasses in the world, the Philippines – with 18 species thriving along its coasts – has the second highest. Western Australia has more than 30 species of seagrasses.

Seagrasses in the country covers an area of 27,282 square kilometers. They are widely distributed throughout the country – from Bolinao Bay (Pangasinan) in the north, Palawan and the Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor area to the center, and Zamboanga and Davao in the South.

“Seagrasses are the least studied among the habitats in our coastal zones,” Dr. Miguel Fortes, who authored Seagrasses: A Resource unknown in the ASEAN Region. “As such, we know less than we need to in order to use them in solving coastal environmental as well as societal problems.”

In the Philippines, among the diversified species found in the seagrass beds are fishes, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, crabs, scallops, mussels and snails.

Shrimps spend the early stages of their lives in seagrass areas.

Seahorses, a tourist attraction and of medicinal value, reside in seagrass beds. A study done in five seagrass sites in the country identified a total of 1,384 individuals and 55 species from 25 fish families.

A science report also said: “One hectare of seagrass absorbs 1.2 kilograms of nutrients each year, equivalent to the treated effluent of 200 people.

It can produce 100,000 liters of oxygen per day and can support 80,000 fish and 100 million invertebrates.”

Climate change In 2015, a study released by the WWF considered climate change as “one of the main reasons for the decline of marine species in the last 30 years.”

Climate change, caused by increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, is causing the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere to increase. As the air temperatures rises, oceans absorb some of this heat and become warmer.

“Climate change is already having a profound effect on life in the oceans,” the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says. “Marine species tend to be highly mobile, and many are moving quickly toward the poles to stay cool as average ocean temperature rise.”

The three perilous consequences of climate change in the oceans are sea level rise, coral bleaching and ocean acidification.

According to a new study published in Nature, the world’s

oceans are now rising far faster than they did in the past. The current sea-level rise rate – which started in 1990 – is 2.5 times faster than it was from 1900 to 1990.

The study found that for much of the 20th century, sea level rise was about 30% less than earlier research had figured. “We’re seeing a significant acceleration in the past few decades,” study lead author Carling Hay, a geophysical researcher at Harvard University, was quoted as saying.

“Climate change and its impacts, which can include bleaching, are some of the most pressing global threats to coral reef ecosystems today,” said Jennifer Koss, acting program manager for NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Coral bleaching takes place when corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light or nutrients.

They expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn white or pale.

“Bleaching is not a good

thing,” explained Dr. Terry Hughes, a distinguished professor at James Cook University, who convened the International Coral Reef Symposium in 2012 at Cairns, Australia. He said that as warm temperatures intensify, coral bleaching wil l also increase at an unprecedented level.

Ocean acidification is climate change’s evil twin. “Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually finds its way to and dissolves in the oceans, causing the water to become ‘acidic’… reducing the ability of the coral reefs to deposit calcium carbonate or calcify,” explained Dr. Edgardo Gomez, the founding director of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.

The acidity in the waters “can make life difficult for organisms that build shells out of calcium carbonate,” the NOAA says. “This includes not only corals and shellfish, but also tiny organisms like pteropods that form the foundation of many marine food webs.”

Aquaculture Pre-Columbian American farmers once dug moats around their fields. They were not protecting their crops from raiders or thieves though. They were adding another dimension to agriculture: fish production.

As fertilizers and crop residues ran off the land into the water, they feed the food chain that supported fish growing.

Since the middle century, the practice has been changing. Today, aquaculture is touted to be the aquatic counterpart of agriculture.

In recent years, a fish catch has been dwindling in the open seas, people are now raising fish. And it is booming as it has an edge over its competitors – the pork, chicken and beef industries. “Fish farming is more efficient,” said Hal Kane, a staff researcher of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute.

Growing a kilogram of beef in the feedlot typically takes seven kilograms of feed. And

although chicken is the most efficient of the land-raised meats, it still takes an estimated 2.2 kilograms of feed to yield a kilogram of chicken.

In comparison, fish need two kilograms of less feed per kilogram of live-weight gain.

Fish, suspended in the water, do not have to burn calories trying to heat their bodies, Kane explained.

But fish farming shares many of the problems of the livestock and poultry industries, according to Kane. Each depends on the same inputs – feed, water and land – to grow its produce.

“For aquaculture, the required land is often expensive coastal, lakefront, or riverfront property. There is competition for the grain used for feed, which could go instead to human consumption,” Kane said.

As with other meats, farmed fish produce wastes that have to be either dispensed of or used.

Where have all our fish gone?

14 MOTORING EDGEDAVAO

BMW X4: When you want to look good B

MW has been in the business of blurring segments lately. Starting with the original X vehicle, the X5 and moving on to the Gran Turismo and then the Gran Coupe, BMW has challenged the definition of each of those segments. The oddest amalgam they’ve come up with is when they blended the SUV and coupe genres together making the X6—the first “Sports Activity Coupe.” Pundits scoffed at it for its compromised utility and added price, but the public was enamored with its aggressive looks. BMW, it seems, has come up with a winning formula.

Enter the all-new X4 Sport Activity Coupe. Like the X6, the X4 sounds like a tough sell on paper: it’s more expensive and less practical than the X3 on which it’s based on and yet, one look at it and the snickering stops. It’s a high-riding style statement that, like traditional coupes, says to everyone in the world, “To hell with practicality.

I just want to look good.”

Of course, whether you consider the X4 to be good looking is up to the beholder.

But one thing is for sure: it’s a head-turner. The front fascia, with its huge kidney grille, oversized faux air intakes, and high-set fog lights are striking to say the least. Though some elements—headlights, hood, and grille—are shared with the more pedestrian-looking X3, enough differentiation has been made to make the X4 look like an angry, scowling bulldog.

Equipped with xLINE package, the X4 adds more bright work, some underbody protection, and large 19-inch alloy wheels with mixed tires. Overall, it’s enough to make a dramatic entrance. That said, there’s still a lingering impression that the body isn’t quite as dramatic.

In person as in photos, the X4 looks short and stubby like Danny DeVito who’s been hitting the gym too much. BMW has valiantly attempted to give it some swagger from the fastback roofline, abruptly cut ducktail tailgate, and use of horizontal elements, but arguably, it’s not enough.

What’s n o t

arguable is the way the X4 conducts itself on the road. As with the X3, the X4 comes with a 2.0-liter twin turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine producing 190 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. It comes mated with BMW’s fabulous 8-speed automatic and xDrive all-wheel drive with brakebased torque vectoring. Not surprisingly, drive it pedestrianly and it behaves like an X3, but engage it properly, and it rewards with a sporty experience. Launching it is quite fun as it catapults forward with startling force and no wheel chirp. It reaches 100 km/h in just 8 seconds, though it feels faster than that. Thanks to its locomotive-like thrust, it never feels lacking during any passing maneuver. The 8-speed automatic is also delightful, providing snappy and smooth gear changes every time.

Though built as an Autobahn cruiser, the X4 can be a handful when driven at speed.

Though it’s extremely stable on billiard smooth surfaces, the wide (245-series front and 275-series rear) and low profile tires mean the smallest of road imperfections will require minute steering corrections. The constant wiggling of the steering wheel plus the wind noise emanating from the side mirrors mean a more tiring drive after just drive to Tagaytay and back via the South Luzon Expressway. Off the highway and along twisty roads though, the X4 becomes thoroughly entertaining. It belittles its size with its sharp and precise steering and zero turnin delay. With the motor constantly on boost and all-wheel drive being rear-biased, corner carving is easy, if a bit surreal.

In more mundane settings like crawling along EDSA it takes some getting used to. The ride is surprisingly good, handling potholes with poise, but positioning it around traffic takes getting used to because of its limited exterior visibility.

Speaking about the cabin, the X4 is essentially an X3

with the seats mounted lower (20 millimeters front and 28 millimeters back) to offset the lower roofline (down by 36 millimeters). Thankfully, the front seats can still afford the driver a high-set sitting position, though it doesn’t seem to solve the visibility issue all that much. In the back, the sloping roofline cuts the headroom even more, but the average Filipino won’t complain. What will get people to complain is the compromised ingress/egress because of the sloping roofline as well as the smaller legroom that’s been cut down 45 millimeters compared to the X3.

On the plus side, the X4’s dashboard is one of BMW’s best and most ergonomically sound. The iDrive system works beautifully with clear, crisp graphics and snappy responses through its central wheel controller. Even the sound from its 6-speaker system is already impressive. The other comfort and convenience features make it feel its worth from the keyless Comfort Access system, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, powered seats (with memory for the driver), moon roof, and powered tailgate. And continuing with the xLINE package, this X4 comes with beautiful ‘Nevada’ seats—essentially mocha-colored leather with red contrast stitching and embossed with the “X” logo. It also adds further differentiation from the typical piano black accents by going with high-gloss Dark Copper ones.

Looked at from a practicality aspect, the even-numbered BMW X series doesn’t make sense. However, like the X6 before it, the BMW X4 isn’t designed with practicality in mind. It can barely sit five adults and can’t boast of a sizeable cargo hold (it tops out at 500 liters with the rear seats up or a number akin to smaller crossovers). Instead, the X4 is designed to put a smile on its driver’s face. Going for a more traditional choice such as the X3 or even the 4 Series may seem like a rational decision, but the BMW X4 stands out as being a more individualistic choice. It shows that the driver’s willing to take the wheel and take charge, pundits be damned.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Jr. NBA... FROM 15 ed as the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 Coaches of the Year. The Jr. NBA All-Stars together with the Coaches of the Year will be rewarded with an overseas NBA experience later this year and will be joined by fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia.

The following players also received special awards for their outstanding achievements in the National Training Camp: Mariela Avila of Luce-

na and Zean Paolo Moreno of Cagayan De Oro,Panasonic Rising S.T.A.R. Award; Camille Nolasco of Manila and Ian Espinosa of Iloilo, Cloudfone All-Star Players of the Game; Princess Delig of Cebu and Johndel Austria of Manila,Gatorade Hustle Award; Yza Camila Alarcon of Manila and Maverick John Vieto of Lucena, Globe Telecom Sportsmanship Award; Camille Nolasco and Joachim Eddie Laure of

Manila,Alaska Ambassadors; and Boni Marylene Solis and Kenji Duremdes, Jr. NBA Most Valuable Players.

Additionally, the National Training Camp showcased the fifth edition of the Jr. NBA All-Star alumni game hosting several past Jr. NBA All-Stars who have ascended in the amateur and collegiate ranks, and staged the first ever alumni homecoming of the Jr. NBA Philippines program.

problems with ITCs. No changes have been made in the PVL calendar, though.

The PSL, he added, religiously follows the AVC and FIVB rules, especially its calendar, and makes sure that the ITCs of its foreign guest players have been secured even before they plane in to the country.

“Either Palou was unaware of that calendar, which is well known among professionals and serious volleyball officials or just chose to ignore it hoping that the LVPI (Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc.) or I would pressure the FIVB to exempt the PVL from the FIVB’s sacred rules,” said Suzara.

He said Palou, being the secretary-general of the LVPI, should also be aware of the FIVB rules.

“Palou may have given inaccurate information to the PVL players, volleyball fans, PVL team owners, its TV part-

ner and other media into laying the blame on me, or the PSL, or the LVPI as the culprits and villains who caused this mess Palou inflicted on himself and the PVL,” Suzara said.

Suzara suggested that Palou and the PVL should also go over the checklist of compliance required by the government, including the work permits of their imports and other government clearances.

“I am afraid that if PVL fails to obtain these permits on time and shoot themselves on the foot again, PSL or the LVPI and maye I would be blamed again,” he said.

“I hope, for the sake of the PVL team owners, TV partners, sponsors, fans and players including those who went to social media without checking their facts, this problem which PVL itself created is resolved soonest,” Suzara added.

Suzara also demanded public apology from PVL play-

ers like Dzi Gervacio, Charo Soriano, Amanda Villanueva and Bea Tan for using the social media to accuse him of causing the delay in the release of the PVL imports’ ITCs. “I demand an apology from players who jumped into the fray and accused of me of bullying them without checking basic facts,” said Suzara, who is leading the formation of the team headed for the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship in Kazakhstan next week.

“I also request that the PSL be left alone to continue its difficult and sincere task of strengthening Philippine volleyball as we gear up for the Asian Club Championships in few weeks and the Southeast Asian Games in few months.”

“Our country does not need these distractions which are intended to cover up for the negligence and incompetence of supposed volleyball officials,” Suzara said.

PSL... FROM 15

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

is in need of Lay-out Artist Qualifications: • Male / Female • Knowledgeable in Adobe Photoshop and Indesign application • Willing to work under pressure

Accounting Clerks (2) Qualifications: • BS Accountancy Graduate • Female • Can work with minimum supervision • Experience of at least one year

Account Executive Qualifications: • BS Marketing Graduate • Male/Female • With pleasing personality Send your 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 or ella_tingzon@yahoo.com

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 32 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017

Cristobal captures PBF title R

OSEKIE “Kapre” Cristobal stopped Alvin Makiling in the 6th round to capture the vacant Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) lightweight title on Friday night at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Pavilion.

Cristobal made a good start but slowed down in the 4th and 5th rounds then came back strong in the 6th round.

It was Cristobal’s 13th win against two straight defeats from his previous two fights both held in Mexico.

“Dako akong pasalamat

NEW CHAMP. Rosekie Cristobal (left) with his manager Jilson Basang.

Jr. NBA, WNBA All-Stars named

Y

OUTH players from the Regional Selection Camp in Metro Manila shined the brightest among 72 boys and girls in the National Training Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska held at the Don Bosco Technical Institute May 12-13 and at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on May 14, attended

by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton and former WNBA AllStar Sue Wicks.

Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches fundamental skills, builds character, and promotes active lifestyles for Filipinos nationwide. Payton and Wicks joined Jr. NBA Coaches Chris Sumner and Jeffrey Cariaso in training and working with the young campers throughout the National Training Camp. Jr. NBA Asia Advisory Council members including NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo also attended the final day of the National Training Camp.

Eight boys and eight girls—comprised of players from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—were selected as Jr. NBA All-Stars on the last day of the three-day camp that honed and tested the basket-

T

HE Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City will be the venue of the upcoming 2017 International Conference on Physical Education, Recreation, Fitness and Sport Science on October 25 to 28.

What makes this event interesting is the exchange of research work by sports educators who will do a presentation for the benefit of the participants.

The years of research and

ball skills of regional finalists from tryouts staged in Cagayan de Oro, Lucena, Cebu and Manila earlier this year.

Kenji Trey Duremdes, 14, Jan Clement Macalalag, 13, and Victorino Torres, 13, of La Salle Greenhills; Joachim Eddie Laure of University of Santo Tomas High School; Johndel Austria, 13, of Escuela de Sophia-Caloocan; Ian Dominic Espinosa, 13, of Ateneo de Iloilo; Reinhard Jumanoy, 13, of University of San Carlos-North Campus; and Jeryk Dwight Bait, 14, of St. Francis National High School in Lucena represent the boys named as Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 All-Stars.

The girls selected as Jr. NBA All-Stars are composed of Boni Marylene Solis, 12; Jane Araza, 13, and Jeehan Nikaela Ahmed, 13, of Chiang Kai Shek College; Jazmine Ann Maniquis, 13, of St. Paul Pasig; Lindsey Nacional, 13, of La Salle College Antipolo; Camille Nolasco, 14, of Miriam College; and Chinnsai Demana, 13, of the University of the Visayas in Cebu.

Catrina June Biongcog of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and Jed Cabellon of Southwestern Univerrsity of Cebu meanwhile were select-

F JR. NBA, 14

P

“Let’s go back to training camp and prepare for the next championship fight,” said Basang.

Cristobal first bowed to Marcos Villasana Jr. by disqualification in their battle for the WBC Latino lightweight title last August 20, 2016 at the Centro de Convenciones, Acapulco, Guerrero in Mexico.

Villasana decked Cristobal in the fifth round. Cristobal also lost a point for a low blow in the eighth round, had two points deducted for what referee Christian Curiel ruled an intentional head butt in ninth.

Cristobal was later disqualified for another low blow in the 10th.

In his fight in Mexico, Cristobal again lost by disqualification to Nery Saguilan last November 5 at the Polideportivo Centenario in Los Mochis, Sinaloa.

Cristobal received a golden belt awarded by PBF president Lope “Jun” Sarreal Jr., who was assisted by boxing philanthropist Naris Singwangcha from Thailand and Games and Amusements Board chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra.

hand on the issue and emphasized that securing ITCs is the main responsibility the PVL. He said PVL president Richard Palou should make himself aware of the FIVB’s Electronic International Transfer Procedure Manual-- a 58-page document regarded as the bible of international transfer in volleyball, to ease his management and scheduling of the PVL tournaments.

Based on the FIVB transfer manual, the transfer of PVL imports should not be within the ITC period of Oct. 15, 2016 to May 15, 2017. The PVL Reinforced Conference started on April 30, 2017 and fell outside the ITC release period based on the same FIVB regulation.

The Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas (LVPI), according to its president Joey Romasanta, had sent about 25 E-mailed requests to the FIVB to expedite the processing of the ITCs for the PVL imports, disproving claims unseen hands tried to impede the FIVB release of the ITCs. The LVPI, however, was able to obtain ITCs for five Thai Players last May 3, according to FIVB records, again another proof the PVL had received support from the LVPI in securing the ITCs. The FIVB also allowed the release of a Japanese player last May 12 to play in the PVL. All ITCs were coursed through the LVPI in representation of the PVL before the FIVB.

Other PVL teams, however, still do not have imports as the ongoing conference is about to reach its midway mark.

The LVPI had recently secured the recognition of the FIVB, which dropped the old Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) as country representative in the international federation.

The PVL, however, uses PVF officials in the officiating of its matches.

Suzara said he had informed Palou about the consequence of moving the PVL Reinforced Conference from season-ending (like the what is practiced by the PSL for its Grand Prix) to season-opening as it would encounter

‘’I knew it would be a big time game tonight. I knew it wouldn’t be easy at all,’’ Thomas said. ‘’And we came out on top.’’

Led by Olynyk the Celtics got a huge lift from their bench, outscoring their Wizards’ counterparts 48-5.

Boston also connected on 11 3-pointers, including 8 of 13 in the second half. ‘’We needed it,’’ Olynyk said. ‘’That’s a tough team that we played seven tough games against and they can score. We needed to help out the starters, help out Isaiah.’’

Boston advances to the

Eastern Conference finals, where it will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 on Wednesday. It’s the Celtics first appearance in the conference finals since 2012. ‘’What a special opportunity to get a chance to compete against them,’’ Boston coach Brad Stevens said.

For Thomas it serves as the ultimate validation for a team that many felt was unworthy of the conference’s top seed. It also marked the latest big performance by Thomas, in a playoff run that began in the haze of his younger sister’s death in a car accident.

The 28-year-old All-Star has called the basketball court his sanctuary, and he continues to credit his teammates for giving him the strength to perform at a high level. ‘’That says a lot about the team we are and we believe in each other,’’ Thomas said. ‘’The game wasn’t always what we wanted it to be and it wasn’t a perfect game. But we kept going and stayed the course.’’

Bradley Beal led the Wizards - which was playing it its first Game 7 since 1979 - with 38 points, including 24 in the second half.

ent their paper, if they have one, as to what is the direction of their national championships in the years to come.

PRISAA is the organizer of the PRISAA National Championships and DepEd handles the Palarong Pambansa.

It would be interesting to know from these two big groups as to how they look at sports development in the long-term.

By the way, the event is initiated by Mindanao State

University professor Dr. Henry Daut and who is calling MSUans to help him make the event successful.

He is inviting all Physical Education teachers, coaches, sport science specialists, fitness and recreation practitioners and dance teachers to join.

Registration fee is P5,000 for local participants and $150 US for foreign delegates.

Early this month, Prof.

Daut has also been calling for

volunteers too as sports manpower is needed to man the running of the four-day conference.

To volunteer is an international sports conference will not only give you a chance to learn how to run an international conference but you can also add that in your portfolio.

Professor Daut is posting updates on his Facebook and you can reach him easily there by adding “Henry Cordero Daut”. (30)

PSL exec denies hand in PVL mess

HILIPPINE Superliga (PSL) president Ramon Suzara yesterday objected to allegations he was behind the failure of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) to secure international transfer certificates (ITCs) for its foreign players to see action in the ongoing Reinforced Conference.

Suzara, also the chairman of the Marketing and Development Committee of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and a member of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), has been under attack in the traditional and social media as fans and even PVL players accuse him of hindering the release of the ITCs for the PVL imports.

Suzara denied having a

I

sa Ginoo ug sa akong manager na si Sir Jilson Sabang sa iyahang suporta at ug pagsalig,” said the 22-year old Cristobal, a native of Pres. Roxas, North Cotabato.

Basang, on the other hand, thanked the MP Davao Gym under chief trainer Raides “Nonoy” Neri for training and helping Cristobal for the fight.

“We would like to thank Manny Pacquiao Stable for bringing out the fire power of our boxer. You are the best as always,” said Basang of MB Northstar Boxing Promotions.

Celtics clinch series in Game 7

SAIAH Thomas said he didn’t feel any pressure entering the first Game 7 of his career.

His play backed up his confidence and with the help of Kelly Olynyk and the Boston Celtics bench, Thomas earned the biggest win of his career.

Thomas scored 29 points and had 12 assists, Olynyk scored a career-playoff high 26 points and the Celtics used a big fourth quarter to outlast the Washington Wizards 115105 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night.

Join the Sport Conference in Davao

tests, that have been put in to the paper and practiced by the resource speakers, will be a gold mine for our sports educators in the Philippines, especially those from the Department of Education and private schools.

I hope that the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) will also send a big delegation to Davao and meet with their counterparts from DepEd, who are running the yearly Palarong Pamban-

F PSL, 14

CLEAN SLATE

By MOSES P. BILLACURA sa. This is a big chance for the two national sports organizers to also exchange and pres-

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. VOL.10 10ISSUE ISSUE32 32• •WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY,MAY MAY17, 17,2017 2017

SELLING FAST 40,000 Pacquiao-Horn tickets seen going in a week

B

OXING fans Down Under are going crazy about the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn fight.

Here’s the proof: about 40,000 tickets are estimated gone by next week as sales for the upcoming Pacquiao-Horn title fight at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on July 2 is now trending toward a complete sellout.

Suncorp Stadium can accommodate 55,000 guests and with about 60 percent of tickets sold out with 45 days to go before fight night, there is little doubt tickets will be sold out completely days before fight.

Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters is amazed at how

fast the tickets are selling.

“Tremendous, absolutely tremendous, never seen anything like it, really, “Arum told BoxingScene.com in a recent interview. “The whole country is engaged in it. The ticket sales have been absolutely enormous. It’s trending towards a sell-out which will be around 55,000 and I’m sure that we’ll be up around past 40,000 by next week and on our way to a complete sell-out.” Arum added.

Arum and Pacquiao recently traveled to Australia to kick off the media tour for the July 2 event. He said the reception accorded by the Australians were unbelievable.

“Horn has resonated with the public in Australia.

I think Pacquiao is an icon. The reception that they gave Pacquiao was unbelievable and Pacquiao appeals to the Australians because of his humble nature and they fell in love with him. I just think it’s the perfect storm as far as the opponent for Manny Pacquiao. And remember there’s 250,000 Filipino’s how live in Australia,” pointed out Arum.

The Horn fight is the first overseas bout for Pacquiao since Arum’s announcement saying the Filipino star won’t be fighting in the US for the remainder of his career unless a financially viable offer is made for him to resume fighting there.

Meanwhile Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach, who was unable to join Arum and Pacquiao during the media tour in Australia, has yet to rejoin Pacquiao in Manila for the first phase of training for the Horn fight.

Pacquiao will be training in the Philippines for about six weeks before moving to Brisbane for the second and final phase of his training. (PHILBOXING.COM)

BIG TICKET. Australian contender Jeff Horn stands at the grounds of Suncorp Stadium, venue of his fight against Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.