Edge Davao 10 Issue 36

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

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EQUALIZER Peace walk to warn against violent extremism EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

MADE IN RP. President Rodrigo Duterte shows his Ibarra watch and encourages his cabinet members to patronize Philippine made products during a predeparture speech before leaving for a state visit to Russia at the Davao International Airport in Davao City on Monday. Lean Daval Jr

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA MUSLIM educator in Davao City batted for strengthening education as a means to helping prevent the spread of violent extremism.

“We have always been passionate for peace by emphasizing the role of education,” Samer Along of the Madrasah and Peace program told the Kapehan sa Davao.

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“Education is the great equalizer for peace,” he said.

Advocates of peace and harmony today (Tuesday) will join hundreds of indigenous peoples and Muslim leaders in a ‘peace walk’ that sought to raise awareness against violent extremism.

Youda Sevilla of the Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light (HWPL) said the peace walk is part of a world-wide campaign against violent extremism.

“Violent extremism has recently been the most talked

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DAVAO EDGE Sports Sara: ‘Easy money’ lures poor to drugs STILL WAITING M NEWS

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA AYOR Inday Sara Duterte said that in a third world country like the Philippines, the most vulnerable sector in criminality will always be the low income or the poor people.

Just like in Davao City where three fourth of the population here

belongs to the marginalized sector, most of the apprehended personalities of illegal drugs were the poor people.

Mayor Inday said that they are most vulnerable to illegal activities because of the easy money illegal drugs bring, and will suffice to meet

the needs of their families.

“Diri sa atong nasud, mas daghan ang low income family. Mas daghan ang ginatawag nato nga poor, therefore mas daghan ang madakpan sa ginatawag nato na poor family,” she said.

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Jordan Clarkson aching to play for GIlas, but no word from FIBA

WORLD CHAMP AT LAST

Melindo wins world title in crushing 1st round KO

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

ENGROSSED. Rep. Antonio Floirendo (right) of the 1st District of Davao del Norte chats with Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo while waiting for the arrival of President Duterte at the Davao International Airport in Davao City on Monday. The controversial congressman is among the members of Duterte’s delegates in his state visit to Russia. Lean Daval Jr.

Failed promises prod Tribal chiefs blast NPA raid 11 NPAs to surrender on mining firm in Mati City E T LEVEN members of the communist New People’s Army surrendered to the Philippine Army in Barangay Midtungok village here on Sunday morning.

1st Lt John Austin Jamora, commanding officer of the Alpha Company, 33rd Infantry (Makabayan) Battalion, said the surrenderers also handed over eight high-powered rifles that included five M16, two M1 Garand, and an AK-47.

Jamora said the rebels belong to the indigenous Manobo tribe living in the hinterland villages of Midtungok.

They were identified as Ayob Mopac, Benjamin Kalay, Samuel Badak, Mel Pandi, Kang Mopac, Tiin Mooac, Usad Mopac, Long Oding, Sebio Masandag, Gabriel Mopac, and Nonoy Lapi.

Col. Bismarck Soliba, commander of the Army’s 1st

Mechanized Infantry Brigade, said the NPA in Sultan Kudarat are losing members due to demoralization in their ranks.

“The IPs are disgruntled over the unfulfilled promises of the NPA leaders. The members are dying in the encounters but the ‘supamil’ (family support) for their followers was not provided,” he said.

Major Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division commander, commended the units involved in the surrender negotiations.

He said the surrender was a result of combined efforts of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, under Lt. Colonel Harold Cabunoc and the 57th IB under Lt. Colonel Enrique Clemente.

“The surrender of NPA members reflect the waning influence of the communist movement in the countryside,”

HE recent attack on a mining firm operating in Mati City, Davao Oriental did not only destroy millions worth of equipment but also deprived the local residents of their livelihoods.

Two tribal chieftains criticized the New People’s Army (NPA) for attacking the Mil-Oro Mining Corporation, saying that a number of indigenous peoples in the area lost their jobs and livelihood opportunities that they derive from the said mining company.

Fully armed men attacked and burned equipment of MilOro last May 5. Mil-Oro’s site is

to beef up anti-terror drive

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OP military officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations vowed to work together to fight terrorism which poses threat to peace and security in the region.

In a statement Sunday, Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said the military chiefs from the regional bloc signed the joint statement aimed at enhancing joint military exercises, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capacities The move also seeks to

beef up efforts to formalize the ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) which was first agreed upon by all defense chiefs during the 12th ACDFIM held in Malaysia in 2015, to become a mechanism to combat the prevalence of violent ideologies and create a coordinated response to non-traditional threats like disasters.

AFP Chief General Eduardo Año, who also sits as the 2017 ACDFIM Chair, spearheaded the call for the enhancement of cooperation and collabora-

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area than the punishment that the NPAs claimed they carried against the mining company.

“More than 800 villagers who are employed by the mining firm are now directly affected by the destruction made by the NPAs,” Felizarta and Lemente said.

The attack, they added, also devastated the small village enterprises of IPs in said villages.

“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, or at the time the company entered the villages,”

Felizarta said.

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

“During the operations, since their income was better, they forgot these illegal activities,” Lemente explained.

He also pointed out that most of those who were working in the company were those who used to rely in said illegal activities.

Those who were not in illegal activities also survive through farming and fishing, he said. (PNA)

ber 7,” he told the Philippine News Agency on the phone.

Parreno said Philippine Red Cross personnel assisted rescuers in the handling of the Romanian’s body.

Authorities expanded the search and retrieval operations for Bratu on Monday and dispatched additional rescuers to various locations.

Bratu, who reportedly hails from Balta Alba in Romania, fell around 600 feet from a portion of fall number 2 in Barangay Lake Lahit, Lake Sebu, the highest of the area’s seven waterfalls.

But Milagros Lorca, head of the South Cotabato Provincial DRRM Office, said it appeared that the foreigner’s fall appeared “intentional” as reported by witnesses.

“There was reportedly an intention on the part of the

victim to do it. So it’s an isolated incident,” she said.

She said the victim initially climbed the restricted portion of the waterfall, prompting other visitors to alert the local police.

Responding policemen reportedly negotiated with the victim to come down to a safer area but to no avail, she said.

Chief Insp. Ramon Gencianos Jr., Lake Sebu police chief, said the victim appeared distraught prior to the incident.

Citing their investigation, the police official said Bratu was reportedly upset after being turned down by a woman he was pursuing to join her in going to Cotabato City.

The woman did not want Bratu to come with her as it might be dangerous for him being a foreigner, he said.

Gencianos said the foreigner was reportedly “very much in love” with the woman, who was previously introduced by a friend the latter was staying with in Surallah, South Cotabato.

Before his fall, he said Bratu was seen holding a photo of him and the woman.

“He (Bratu) can’t speak and understand English and they mainly communicated through hand signs. It’s possible that he misinterpreted her in the process,” he said.

Gencianos said they immediately launched search and rescue operations after the incident but failed to locate the victim.

He said the operations were suspended on Sunday due to heavy rains in the area and the strong water current.

Body of Romanian who fell off South Cotabato waterfall found

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situated in the villages of Macambol and Cabuaya in Mati City.

Days after the attack, the NPA in Southern Mindanao issued a statement admitting responsibility to the attack.

The NPA said the attack was staged as a means of punishment to Mil-Oro due to the alleged environmental destruction it caused in the area and the displacement of the people.

But for tribal chieftains Heracleo Felizarta and Renato Lemente, the effects of the attack are detrimental to the livelihood of the IPs in the

ESCUERS recovered Monday morning the remains of a Romanian who went missing on Saturday after falling off a waterfall in Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato.

Jose Parreno, assistant head of the Lake Sebu Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), said the body of victim Petrica Paul Bratu, 22, was found between 10:30 to 11 a.m. near fall number 7 of Lake Sebu’s famed seven waterfalls.

He said the area is located several kilometers downstream of fall number 2, where the foreigner fell around noon last Saturday.

“Our rescuers scoured all possible locations downstream and eventually found him at the vicinity of fall num-

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

Duterte to receive honorary degree from USSR school

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is set to receive an honorary doctorate from a Russian university during his visit to Moscow, Russia this week.

The conferment of honorary doctorate to Pres. Duterte at MGIMO University (Moscow State Institute of International Relations) is set on Wednesday.

He is also expected to de-

liver a policy speech at MGIMO University and hold a dialogue with students.

MGIMO University is a prestigious institution for diplomatic training and international relations studies.

The president will leave Davao on May 22 (Monday) for a four-day visit to Russia and is expected to arrive in Moscow at 10:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. of May 23, Manila time). (PNA)

Misuari’s temporary liberty extended until November 16

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XTENDED for six months.

The regional trial court that last year granted a six-month liberty to Nur Misuari, founding chair of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), has granted him an extension of another six months or until November 16, 2017.

Misuari made his first public appearance after the court granted his motion for extension on Sunday, May 21, at the Royal Mandaya hotel in Davao City at the “Bangsamoro and Federalism” lecture and consultation on Federalism, “focused on its application in Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan.”

In a three-page resolution dated May 16, Judge Maria Rowena Modesto San-Pedro of the Regional Trial Court Branch 158 in Pasig City granted Misuari’s “Motion for Extension of Period of Suspension of Proceedings and Implementation of Warrant of Arrest” filed on April 26, a day before the six-month temporary liberty Modesto granted on October 27 was scheduled to end.

The court directed the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies to “suspend as well, the en-

forcement of the Warrants of Arrest issued against the accused Misuari” within the extended six-month period.

Misuari was in hiding from September 2013 until Judge Modesto granted him temporary liberty in October last year “to allow him to attend peace talk sessions with the government.”

Warrants of arrest had been issued against Misuari and 59 others for rebellion and violation of Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes against Humanity following the September 2013 stand-off in Zamboanga City between his followers and government troops that left 137 persons dead, 251 injured and 118,889 of the city’s 807,000 population displaced, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s October 2, 2013 report.

The Department of Justice , the City of Zamboanga and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) made no objections to Misuari’s October 2016 motion to the court.

In Misuari’s April 2017 motion, the DOJ and OPAPP again posed no objection.

The City of Zamboanga

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BEFORE SEND-OFF. Presidential son Sebastian Duterte waits for the arrival of his father, President Duterte, at the Davao International Airport in Davao City.

The president left for a state visit to Russia on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Sara on EU grants:

Follow the President Says office will look into programs funded by EU

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

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AVAO City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio has expressed her full support to the President Duterte’s order not to accept grants from the European Union(EU).

On Friday, the mayor said that the decision is the call of the executive department (Malacanang).

“It really depends on the executive department on how they want to form the independent foreign policy,”

Duterte-Carpio said. “Kita, diri sa siyudad sa Davao, as long as we do our duties as a local government, we will just leave the policy to the national government.”

Last week, president Duterte approved the recommendation of the Department of Finance to reject EU grants that would allow them to interfere with the internal policies of the country.

For the city, Duter-

te-Carpio said that she will check with the City Social Services and Development Office if there are projects in Davao funded by the EU. “I have to check with the CSSDO kung dunay projects nga naa diri sa Davao funded by the EU. We will wait for the decision of the granting agency kung naa man diri sulod sa Davao city.”

The mayor also said that if there are any projects that would be affected by the

No plans to acquire more SSVs for now: DND

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NEW VENTURE. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 11 director Mercedita P. Jabagat discusses the agency’s upcoming short film making contest during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

president’s order, she will await the decision of the granting agencies.

“Well, nagsulti na man ang atoang presidente nga ingon ana iyang direction so we will just have to follow through the line. Anyway, kung duna man gyuy projects nga maapektuhan, tan-awon nato kung unsa ang pwede nga intervention gikan sa local government and the national government agencies.”

CQUISITION of additional strategic sealift vessels (SSVs) for the Philippine Navy will depend on the prevailing security environment in the future.

This was stressed by Department of National Defense public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong when asked by the PNA on whether there are plans to acquire additional SSVs for the Navy.

“At the moment, there are no plans to acquire a third SSV. Our modernization plan, which is based on the PN’s doctrine, only provides for two,” he added.

“Perhaps we will consider it in the future when our security environment will require it,” Andolong emphasized to the PNA. As of this posting, the PN

has two SSVs in its inventory, the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and the BRP Davao Del Sur (LD602) which is scheduled to be commissioned this coming May 31.

The BRP Davao Del Sur arrived off South Harbor, Manila last May 8 after departing from the PT PAL (Persero) shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia last May 4.

She was named after the province of Davao Del Sur, the home of the country’s highest peak Mount Apo and other rare species of flora and fauna.

“It gives due recognition to the province as sanctuary of natural wonders and rarities like the country’s highest peak Mount. Apo, the most prized Philippine orchid Vanda Sanderiana, and the en-

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4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

ERC urged to fast-track system loss review

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HE Energy Regulatory Commission must craft a periodic review of its system loss program to entice power supply stakeholders to engage in more efficient processes.

“The ERC should have a regular mechanism that will study the system loss every so often,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, said in a statement.

He asked the ERC to fasttrack its assessment of the program to facilitate the early implementation of new system loss caps that will reduce the charges that private distribution utilities and electric cooperatives can pass on to their consumers.

Gatchalian made this call pointing out the long gap in-between the last ERC regulation

of the recoverable system loss charges in 2008 and its ongoing review of the program.

“The last caps are still in the 2008 levels. The ERC can do a review of the program at shorter intervals. The utilities are now more efficient in power generation and distribution because they are already equipped and very knowledgeable on how to reduce their system losses,” he added.

The ERC earlier said it is currently assessing the system loss program. Next month, it is set to start public consultations and group discussions on the proposed new caps submitted by a third party that reviewed documentary submissions of distribution utilities and electric cooperatives.

Once approved, the new

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UPBEAT. One Meralco Foundation (OMF) president and corporate social responsibility officer Jeffrey Tarayao (right), together with Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) athletics director Noli Ayao, talks about the organization’s advocacies with its partners during a news conference at The Marco Polo Davao on Monday.

Lean Daval Jr.

DOT says Mindanao ready O for Middle East tourists T

HE Department of Tourism is eyeing to attract tourists from the Middle East, saying Mindanao is ready to receive Muslim tourists given the “improved halal industry” in the area.

DoT XI regional director Roberto Alabado III said Mindanao’s readiness to receive tourists from Middle Eastern countries can be attributed to the improved halal industry and other facilities like mosques, hotel accommodation and restaurants.

The DOT-assisted restaurants and hotels for halal accreditation are currently being reassessed so they can be given certification, he said.

For now, Alabado said

China’s plan for new world order: What role does it leave to Russia?

they are focusing on ASEAN-member countries that have a big Muslim population.

If huge number of Muslim tourists from ASEAN come to Mindanao, Alabado said this could encourage those from the Middle East.

He also pointed to the recent creation of the halal council, which could help boost halal tourism in the Philippines. Both Davao City and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are vying for halal tourism.

Alabado said the advantage of Davao City is its international airport, which can be the point of entry for those coming from the Middle East,

Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alabado said tourists would want to experience the beaches, the culture and the food in the Philippines.

Living mostly in desert areas in the Middle East, he said Philippines, Mindanao in particular, can offer a different experience for them.

But he noted that they can also be sensitive in the quality of infrastructure so “therefore we must have high quality accommodations that are tourists-friendly”.

While Davao City is already ready in terms of quality accommodations, he said tourists from the Middle East “want more than what has been registered under DOT.”

With the rate of conventions happening in the city, “we do not have rooms left for other tourists, forcing them to go to low quality rooms,” he said.<=”” p=”” style=”box-sizing: border-box;”> Alabado said it would be ideal to double the 3,000 DoT-accredited rooms so that there will be more available spaces for other tourists and visitors.

The DoT is also pushing for air connectivity between Davao, ASEAN and the Middle East. Alabado said even a once-a-week flight to Davao will be good not only for overseas Filipino workers but also for tourists as well.

(PNA)

which accounts for a sizable share of the consumer basket of the poor, drive up food inflation that could eventually shove households back to poverty.

“We are submitting our first major research paper for 2017—on the factors that determine movements in poverty incidence,” Beltran, who is also the DOF’s chief economist, said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. Beltran said that based on an analysis of poverty incidence movements between 1985 and 2013 plus pertinent policy reforms initiated over that 28-year period, this DOF research project made the following conclusions: • Gross Domestic Product (GDP) real growth, wider fiscal space (through higher CCT and infrastructure) and higher microfinance coverage contribute positively to poverty reduction; • Higher OFW remittances

lead to more micro-entrepreneurs and more lending to microenterprises, which contribute to poverty reduction; and • Food inflation worsens poverty; better food production and reforms in the rice sector are necessary to preserve the gains from rising incomes.

“At higher levels of GDP growth, the economy becomes more inclusive as more families emerge from poverty and acquire bigger shares in the economic pie,” said the DOF paper.

“Inclusive development programs are most effective if supplemented by higher microfinance coverage and broader and effectively targeted CCT coverage. These two programs, if implemented effectively, can reduce poverty,” it said.

Moreover, the research paper stressed that, “Food inflation needs to be tamed to avoid its adverse impact on poverty.

High food inflation drives households back to poverty.”

Added the DOF study: “The rice sector, which accounts for a significant proportion of the consumer basket of the poor, should be reformed to make it contribute more effectively to poverty reduction. Enhancing food supply thru food production and timely importation, if natural disasters destroy the harvest, will go a long way in preserving the gains from good GDP growth and financial inclusion programs.”

Last month, Dominguez and the rest of President Duterte’s economic team held two forums at the Conrad Manila Hotel on “DuterteNomics,” which is the government’s economic strategy of an aggressive expenditure program—on infrastructure, human capital formation and social protection—to sustain the growth momentum, attract more investments and create enough

DOF study links infra, social investments to inclusive growth

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UICKER economic growth sets the stage for wider fiscal space through greater investments in infrastructure, conditional cash transfer (CCT) and micro-lending programs, which, in turn, accelerate poverty reduction and spell financial inclusion, according to a Department of Finance (DOF) study.

This study by the DOF—its first major research paper for the year and led by Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran— noted that higher remittances by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also foster economic inclusion because many of these remitters’ beneficiaries in the country end up lending cash to microenterprises if not becoming micro-entrepreneurs themselves.

Also, this DOF paper batted for reforms in the rice sector that would lead to a more stable and affordable supply because unwarranted spikes in retail prices of this staple,

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N Monday, The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation wrapped up in China’s capital of Beijing. Alexei Maslov, one of the leading Russian scholars and expert in East Asian studies, talked to Sputnik about what the summit achieved and the true aims of China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road project.

China’s most ambitious project, known as One Belt, One Road, is seen by many as purely an economic and trade initiative, concerned with huge infrastructure projects, mostly around transport and energy: roads, bridges, gas pipelines, ports, railways, and power plants.

Professor Alexei Maslov, Head of the School of Asian Studies at Russia’s Higher School of Economics and Director of the Centre for Chinese Strategic Studies however explained what China’s real purpose is with the project.

“Apart from the purely

economic, the idea initially had another side. It is usually referred to as geo-strategic, however the world ‘civilizational’ better fits here, even though China tries not to show it off,” reads Professor Maslov’s analytical article for Sputnik.

The core of the project, he further explains, is that China wants to play a key role in the global world which will follow new rules, and where countries will have new roles.

The One Belt, One Road initiative, which China proposed in 2013, is a matrix of traditional Chinese or, to put it more broadly, of Asian political perception.

India, Japan to Launch Their Rival to China’s OBOR Professor Maslov further notes that the project does not have a clear plan, no clear parameters, calculations of expenses, pay-off period or other operational costs.

China only announced it is ready to invest into the project, providing no details on

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Laoag gears up for ASEAN officers’meeting on energy

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S the center of renewable energy in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Ilocos Norte is expecting about 300 delegates to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) senior officers’ meeting on energy in August here.

Organizers said the meeting will focus on renewable energy generation program.

This early, the Ilocos Norte government, along with other government agencies, are preparing to ensure the smooth holding of the international gathering.

Last week, Vice Governor Angelo Eugenio Marcos Barba met with representatives

from Malacañang, led by Undersecretary Celia Estrada Villanueva, deputy director-general for Tourism and Special Events Services, who personally checked on the airport and hotel facilities where the ASEAN delegates will be billeted.

Barba said it would be an honor for the province to host the event, which is geared towards economic growth and development.

Paving the way to a greener environment and technology, Ilocos Norte is the first province in the country to enact an ordinance banning the entry of coal-powered plants.

(PNA)

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY 5

DSWD gets P150M budget share for medical assistance

By REBECCA ESPERA

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HE regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday said it was able to acquire P150million share from a nationwide allocation of P1Billion intended for medical assistance.

DSWD regional director Mercedita Jabagat said that of the 150 million-budget share of Region XI, P100 million is intended for Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) clients while the remaining P50 million will be spent for

Up to 300 businessmen to join Duterte in Russia

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OME 200 to 300 businessmen based in the Philippines will be joining President Rodrigo Duterte in his visit to Russia this week, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

Lopez mentioned there will be government-to-government and business-to-business memoranda of understanding that are set to sign between the two countries.

The Department of Trade and Industry will be signing MOUs on Trade and Investment Promotion and on Industry Development with its Russian counterpart.

Lopez noted that there are vast trade and investment opportunities between Manila and Moscow, as President Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin aim for stronger and closer bilateral ties.

“Everything is new. What I see here with Russia, it’s newly opened kind of relationship and can be discussed all aspects of cooperation. The main task really is for them to increase awareness on the Philippines, the businesses here, the opportunities,” the trade chief said.

He added that the government will hold a forum on doing business and investments in the Philippines and will also present the ‘Dutertenomics’ to Russian businessmen.

Prior to the meeting of the two heads of state on Thursday, the two countries inaugurated the Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC) meeting here last month.

DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo and Russian

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the medical expenses of clients of the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) of Tagum City. She clarified that medicine is the prime and only medical assistance for any illness that will be given by the DSWD and that those who want

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beth David said Package One of the CTRP is necessary to enable the government to hike its budget for health care, which is currently one of the lowest among the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

David said that adequate spending for quality health care “will mean the poor are not excluded.”

“We really need to support this. I will ask for your support because we need this to improve our health. If you look at the health spending data in countries – even just the ASEAN -- the $135 per capita that the Philippines spends on health is so much smaller than what Malaysia spends, which is $456 per capita. Let’s just look at Thailand, $228 per capita. Vietnam spends $142 per capita,” David said, citing 2014 figures from the World Bank’s Health Expenditures Database.

In terms of out-of-pocket spending for health, David said Filipinos still pay 54 percent of their total health expenses with their own money, second to Cambodians who shoulder 74 percent out-of-pocket, David said. But she likewise pointed out that Indonesia has lesser out-ofpocket expenses at 47 percent, and Vietnam with only 37 percent.

“We cannot leave health

has been done or not. She said the assistance that will be released for each person will be limited P75,000 for every quarter.

Outpatients are not exempted to this program as long as the requirements that are needed for the

medical assistance are to be able to provide by the client.

To same amount per quarter that outpatients will be able to enjoy, including those who undergo chemotherapy, dialysis and other medical procedures that are in need to have medicine.

ENTERPRISING. Two Badjao girls prepare the sauce for the fish crackers they are selling at their community in Brgy. 23-C, Isla Verde, Davao City on Monday.

Lean Daval Jr.

Three agencies link arms in urging passage of‘pro-poor’tax reform bill

EADING officials of the three government departments have appealed to legislators to swiftly approve the first package of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) that is seen to dramatically increase spending on not only infrastructure but also on the development of country’s human capital.

The three departments— Departments of Education, Health and the Department of Budget Management described the CTRP as a “winwin” and “pro-poor” measure, They said at a recent forum at the Philippine International Convention Center that the CTRP deserves the support of every sector because it will enable the government to accelerate spending on education and health as well as on social protection for the poorest of the poor while putting more money in the pockets of 99 percent of the population.

DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno, who opened the forum, said that the CTRP, “which I strongly support,” is “the second priority in the Duterte administration’s socioeconomic reform agenda to alleviate poverty and unlock the economic potential of the country.”

DOH Undersecretary Lili-

to avail themselves of medical assistance should show documents in order to be granted.

She added that the medicine to be requested must have Doctor’s prescription to enable her office to verify whether the procedure

to markets alone. If we leave it to markets alone, the poor and the marginalized would be excluded. Government has to intervene so that health for the poor, the marginalized, and disadvantaged is inclusive. So with the comprehensive tax reform, finally, quality healthcare will mean the poor are not excluded,” David said.

DepEd Assistant Secretary and chief of staff Nepomuceno Malaluan said education will be a key beneficiary of the CTRP, not only because the bill specifies that a portion of the additional revenues to be collected from it should go to this sector, but also because the government is mandated under the law to give the highest priority to education.

“In our view, certainly, the tax reform package is propoor. What is anti-poor is if we come to a tragedy where, as mentioned by (Department of Finance) Undersecretary (Karl Kendrick) Chua, this is not taken as a package,” Malaluan said. “[Some] individuals in the name of protecting the poor mangle the CTRP and cherry pick those that are popular because of the tax relief. But at the same time end up with a net tax take that is less than where we started from. To us, that will be the biggest trage-

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6 SUBURBIA EDGEDAVAO

52 centenarians to get P100T cash gifts each from DSWD

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HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started to release the cash gifts to some of the identified 52 Centenarians from Region XI out of the identified 2,292 Centenarians nationwide.

This generosity has been stipulated under R.A. 10868, stating that those Filipinos who live to 100 years or more would be given a Letter of Felicitation from President Duterte and a cash gift worth P100,000 each.

Director Mercedita Jabagat of DSWD-XI said during the Kapehan sa Davao held at SM City Davao that the tracking of Centenarian Filipinos has started last year. She added that her office has already started to dispense the P5.2 million that is intended to be divided among the 52 centenarian who are residents of Region XI, 24 of them are currently living in Davao City.

The oldest of the recipients was Diosdada Sasarita

who lives in Bangkal with the rest of her children. She is 116 years old.

As of Monday, May 22, Jabagat mentioned that 20 centenarians had already received a one hundred thousand pesos each and the one who recently received the cash was already 116 years old.

The names of the 52 centenarians were remained confidential and they were chosen by means of a careful assessment using their birth certificate, school records, marriage certificate and the likes in which could provide verification of their age. RD Jabagat also said that they were able to locate these 52 centenarians given that they were social pensioners of which the City Social Services and Development Office had given validation to such.

Jabagat also clarified that such amount to be received by the Centenarians is really purposed for them and not for their families to benefit. REBECCA ESPERA

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

UM leads in 2017 LET secondary level exam UM grabs 7 of top 10 slots nationwide E

XAMINEES from the University of Mindanao in Davao City (UMDavao) dominated the top 10 in this year’s Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) in the secondary level.

Seven of the top 10 successful examinees for LET secondary level exam this year are from the University of Mindanao (six from UM-Davao City and one from UM-Digos City in Davao del Sur).

Marian Kaye Fortinez Gallego of UM-Davao City topped this year’s LET secondary exam with a 92.80 percent rating.

Landing in number 5 slot is Gerlie Tampos Albia from UM-Digos City with 91.40 percent rating; two examinees tied for number 6 post – Rosa Mae Asaytona Salazar and Chrestine Bariquit Torrejos, both from UM-Davao City, who got 91.20 rating; and examinee Leslae Kay Cataytay

Mantilla of UM-Davao City in number 7 with 91.00 percent rating.

Two more UM-Davao City examinees landed in the top 10 of this year’s LET secondary level exam: Kristine Clarrisse Cabante Planas at number 8 with 90.60 rating and Mark John Tayong Pepito at number 9 with 90.40 rating.

Meanwhile, in this year’s LET examination in elementary level, two more examinees from Davao City landed in the

top 10.

Tied at number 7 are examinees Kathleen Crystyl Noquiao Longakit of Holy Cross of Davao College and Jamaika Ann Sarigumba Serra of University of Southeastern Philippines-Davao City, who both got a rating of 88.00 percent.

The LET for 2017 was conducted last March by the Board of Professional Teachers of the Philippine Regulatory Commission.

(PNA)

S. Cotabato starts preparatory works for outpatient drug treatment facility

T

HE provincial government of South Cotabato has started the preparatory works for the establishment of an outpatient treatment and after care facility for drug dependents.

Nelida Pereira, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office head, said Monday they are currently working on various arrangements for the operationalization of the facility, which will be situated at the Upper Valley Community Hospital in Surallah town.

She said the initiative is spearheaded by the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) and the provincial technical working group on surfacing personalities involved on drugs or SPIDs. “We’re hope to start catering to some of the assessed drug dependents soon,” she said in an interview.

She was referring to the more than 12,000 SPIDs in different parts of the province who earlier underwent a series of assessments in line with the program’s rollout.

Pereira, who serves as the PADAC’s head secretariat, said they earlier visited several drug treatment and rehabilitation centers based in Davao Region for the referral of SPIDs who might need further interventions later on.

The official said the after

care center in Surallah will mainly cater to SPIDs who are classified under low and moderate risk levels.

She said those under high risk levels would be referred to institutional interventions in drug rehabilitation centers.

Among the institutions visited by the team are the Luntiang Paraiso Regional Rehabilitation Center (LPRRC) in New Corella, Davao Del Norte and the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents in Purok-7, Barangay Bago Oshiro, Tugbok, Davao City.

LPRRC currently accommodates 44 clients while the Davao City facility hosts 77 clients coming from parts of Mindanao.

Pereira said LPRRC’s clients pay at least PHP8,000 a month for a minimum six-month treatment and rehabilitation while the Davao City government-run treatment center charges PHP10,000 a month.

She said they are working on forging a memorandum of agreement with the two institutions for the referral of clients from the province.

Pereira added that the team will embark on further site visits in June in drug rehabilitation and treatment facilities in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Zamboanga.

(PNA)

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER. Girl builds sand castle in Cagwait, Surigao del Sur, in the last days of summer. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

DWSD launches its first film festival

By REBECCA ESPERA

T

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development, Region XI has launched on Monday the DSWD Film Festival. Under the theme “ DSWD: May Malasakit”, the film festival will showcase talent of professional, as well as, amateur filmmakers who will document success stories in the implementation of DSWD programs and services.

During the Kapehan sa Davao held at SM City Davao,

Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat of the DSWD XI said that the film festival is directed to popularize programs and services of the DSWD. These programs include support to disaster preparedness, supplemental feeding, and even the new program for centenary Filipinos. At present, the DSWD has been quite popular with respect to the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or the 4Ps, a conditional

cash transfer program for the poor Filipinos.

With this film festival, other programs of the DSWD are expected to be showcased in order for the general public to appreciate better.

The DWSD Film Festival shall award the best films produced by participating filmmakers. Up for grabs will be P40,000 for the grand winner plus a plaque of recognition, while the second and third placers will receive P25,000

and P15,000, respectively.

Another four (4) winners will be given P5,000 as consolation prizes and a plaque of recognition.

Deadline for the submission of entries will be on May 31, 2017.

DSWD XI announced to the public that interested participants may contact DSWD XI through mobile number 09498860184, or visit the DSWD XI website at www. fo11.dswd.gov.ph.

cally be utilized to upgrade the equipment of its forthcoming provincial hospital located at the capitol compound in Barangay Maribulan, Alabel town.

The two-storey facility, which is now 85 percent complete, is targeted to open within the second half of the year, he said.

Alejandro said the I-HOPE grant could be used for equipment upgrade, medical assistance, nutrition initiatives and hospital services.

“But since the provincial

hospital will be operational soon, we agreed with the governor (Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon) that the PHP50 million will solely be utilized for the purchase of equipment for the provincial hospital,” he said.

The move will help the local government make the hospital functional by October, he said.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the provincial government has already spent around PHP150 million for the construction of the hospital, which sits in a 3,500-square

meter area within the capitol compound.

The hospital’s construction started in 2012 through an initial PHP50 million grant from the DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program.

Another PHP75 million was later released as augmentation.

The agency allotted some PHP20 million for the acquisition of hospital equipment and PHP5 million for the construction of a two-storey out-patient department and its operating room foundation. (PNA)

Sarangani seeks P50M hospital equipment grant from PCSO

T

HE provincial government of Sarangani is seeking a P50 million grant from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to fund the acquisition of additional equipment for the province’s main hospital.

D. Arvin Alejandro, provincial health officer, said Monday they have proposed for the availment of the grant through the PCSO’s Integrated Health for Overall Productivity and Empowerment (I-HOPE) program.

He said it would specifi-

7 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

DRIVEN TO SERVE. AboitizPower team members work hand in hand in the construction of a concrete perimeter fence along the shoreline of Inawayan National High School.

AboitizPower joins Brigada Eskwela 2017 F

OR the 5th consecutive year, AboitizPower (AP) subsidiary Therma South, Inc. (TSI) participated again in the annual conduct of Brigada Eskwela by the Department of Education (DepEd) last May 15 by mobilizing its team members as volunteers in securing and beautifying the premises of its surrounding schools. For this year, TSI chose Sirawan National High

School (SNHS) as its beneficiary.

More than 60 volunteers participated in the annual event through the erection of a concrete perimeter fence along the shoreline of the coastal school, as well as cleaning the school premises. The volunteers were a mix of TSI and AP Corporate team members. Since TSI first participated in Brigada Eskwela back in 2013, this

Partners Group set to acquire outsourcing firm SPi Global

I

NTERNATIONAL private market investment management firm Partners Group has acquired business process outsourcing firm SPi Global which provides services catering to education, science, technical and medical research publishers worldwide on behalf of its clients.

In its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), PLDT Inc. said the company is being acquired from CVC Capital Partners Asia III (CVC) and its subsidiary PLDT Global Investments Corporation (PGIC) in a transaction that values SPi at USD 330 million.

Partners Group will partner with SPi’s management team led by its Chief Executive Officer Rattan Datta to implement various value creation initiatives to strengthen the growth of the company through introduction of additional offerings to SPi’s service catalogue and expansion of its business applications segment.

Three senior Partners Group executives will join the Board of Directors at SPi namely Cyrus Driver, Managing Director, Private Equity Directs Asia, Christian Unger, Managing Director, Industry Value Creation, and Florian Marquis, Senior Vice President, Private Equity Directs Asia.

“After a period of dynamic growth under our prior owners, we are very

happy to welcome Partners Group as our new business partner and look forward to working with the firm to further complement our global footprint as well as client service capabilities. With its prior exposure and strategic interest in the content and learning sectors, Partners Group’s experience, global network and values make it the right partner to support our continued growth while maintaining the client-centric approach which has allowed us to become the leading provider in the content services market,” SPi Global President and CEO Ratan Datta said.

For his part, Cyrus Driver, Managing Director, Private Equity Directs Asia stated: “Through best-in-class delivery, technology-enabled efficiencies and global scale, SPi has become a strategic vendor to the largest global publishers. As the publishing world transforms and expands at a rapid pace, SPi has a very exciting opportunity to support its customers with an enhanced range of services and leading edge technology solutions.”

“As the segment leader, SPi also has the opportunity to consolidate the industry and drive ever higher efficiencies for its customers.

We very much look forward to working with Ratan and his impressive team to helping SPi achieve its full potential,” he added. (PNA)

year posted the biggest volunteer turnout.

“I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to AboitizPower for their support to us, not only during Brigada Eskwela, but for being our steadfast partner in the development of the younger generation. This year’s Brigada Eskwela is made even more special because our school will be having our first batch of Senior

High graduates this academic year”, said SNHS Principal Cesar B. Esmale.

The company first participated in Brigada Eskwela in 2014 when it helped in painting and cleaning works at Binugao Central Elementary School and Inawayan Elementary School. In 2015, volunteers painted classrooms and conducted minor ceiling works at Binugao National High School. In 2016,

the company helped Inawayan National High School in the construction of a plant box and a 31-meter pathway connecting the gym to one of the school buildings.

“Supporting education is one of the main thrusts of AboitizPower in its goal to drive change for a better world. We put great importance on the development of the schools of our host communities as they will help

nurture the young minds of our future leaders”, said Jason C. Magnaye, TSI Manager for Reputation and Stakeholder Management, during his opening statement.

Held annually, Brigada Eskwela is a nationwide program of DepEd that aims to bring together various education stakeholders to actively help public schools around the country through voluntary work.

in the Philippines to the Chinese market and bring in additional tourists from mainland China,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.

Teo, who was with the entourage of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, said the chartered flights add to the list of air carriers that directly service 13 Chinese cities for trips to Manila, Kalibo, Cebu and Laoag.

It was not mentioned which airline will be providing the services or when the services will start.

She, however, described

the deal as a “win-win” situation for both parties and expressed excitement for the launch of the said flights.

“We are excited about Guangxi’s commitment, as we tap its 55 million population of what is considered the Asian center of economy and finance,” she added.

Meanwhile, tour operator Sun Fair International, which has offices in Xiamen and Hong Kong, has already committed additional ten thousand Chinese tourists coming from the cities of Shanghai, Xiamen,

Chongqing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Beijing, starting this month.

The additional Chinese tourists will make up a diverse group of leisure travelers, divers and adventure seekers to rollers, businessmen, culinary travelers to shoppers, and even employees on company paid tours, Sun Fair International said in a statement.

Proposed local destinations include Manila, Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Surigao, Subic, and Negros Occidental.

(Azer N. Parrocha/PNA)

supply chain management sectors policy formulation.

One of its sessions, was a survey to the manufacturing companies and logistics services providers to identify the current logistics capabilities in Davao Region, which is one of the key areas in the country.

Its quantitative results were consolidated and will be reflected to the country’s first logistics performance report this June 2017.

“The results that we gathered from you today would be very much helpful in improving our national logistics policies and programs which will also be integrated into the National Logistics Master Plan,” DTI-Davao Region chief for Industry Development Services Division Marie Anne J. How said.

During the one-day activity, DTI-Competitiveness Bureau chief for SCLMD Sarah C. Lope discussed in details

the overview, methodology and the results of the World Bank’s (WB) Logistics Performance Index (LPI), which ranked Philippines at 71 out of 160 economies in 2016.

This is a huge drop from the 2012 ranking of 52nd.

The WB-LPI measures and summarizes logistics performance across countries, based on the time and cost associated with logistics processes, such as port processing, customs clearance, transport, and etc. Its score is categorized into four typologies, namely: logistics friendly (3.50-5.00); consistent performers (2.95-3.49); partial performers (2.40-2.94); and logistics unfriendly (0.002.39).

Philippines, which scored 2.86, together with Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, and Myanmar, landed in the partial performers category. On the other

hand, Singapore and Malaysia scored under Logistics Friendly countries.

Measuring logistics infrastructure is already being implemented through the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Project, which is also one of the competitiveness initiatives of DTI. It identifies the establishment of ports and measures its distance from key areas in a locality. The CMCI ranks every Local Government Unit (LGU) based on four pillars, to include Government Efficiency, Economic Dynamism, Infrastructure, and Resiliency.

DTI-Davao Regional Director, Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said, “As we are moving towards a highly competitive country, there is a need to ensure efficiency in our logistics capability and to be at par, not only in ASEAN countries, but also compete globally.” DTI11/MAB/JMM

More direct flights from China to RP cities seen

D

IRECT flights from China’s Guangxi Province to the country’s top tourist destinations Davao, Cebu and Clark can soon be expected to bring in additional tourists from China.

This after the Department of Tourism (DOT) recently closed a deal with Chinese state-owned Guangxi Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd. to mount these additional flights during the recent “Belt and Road Forum” in Beijing.

“This undertaking will open up secondary gateways

DTI holds logistics efficiency indicator project roadshow

T

HE Department of Trade and Industry Supply Chain and Logistics Management Division (DTI-SCLMD) and DTI-Davao Region conducted recently the Logistics Efficiency Indicator (LEI) Project Roadshow in a bid to enhance the logistics sector in the country.

Around 60 participants consisting of representatives of the logistics service providers, manufacturing companies, and some national government agencies involved in the logistics sector attended the activity at the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.

The Logistics Efficiency Indicator Project is a data-gathering activity designed to develop measurement and baseline assessment of Philippine logistics cost, time efficiency, and reliability of transporting goods/cargoes and services, which are critical for a meaningful logistics and

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EDITORIAL

W

Car tints, and obsolete LTO stickers

ITH the latest driving regulation, the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, some things will have to be scrapped by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) with regards to vehicle registration.

Two significant things crop up after the new measure--first, there is a need to regulate the shade of car tints for windshields and windows, and second, the seemingly obsolete use of registration stickers on vehicle windshields and carplates.

The Anti-Distracted Driving Act, while a good measure to help curb vehicle accidents, will not be that effective in this jurisdiction for the simple reason that law enforcers have no way of seeing from plain view whether or not a driver is violating the law by using gadgets while behind the wheel on the road. The trend of using dark tints in cars negate the efficient enforcement of the law unless our cops flag down the car and ask the driver to roll down his windows.

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There is a need therefore to regulate the use of car tints as a complementary law to the existing Anti-Distracted Driving Act. Still with the ADDA, the bone of contention for barring the use of gadgets is that they interfere with the driver’s line of sight. And speaking of line of sight, isn’t the existing LTO registration sticker within that line of sight zone?

Other than the sticker interfering as well with the driver’s line of sight, it has outlived its purpose. In the digital age where car registration is already archived electronically, there is no need to refer to a sticker which, in reality, is never really regarded as a conclusive proof that one’s vehicle is registered. The reckoning documents are still the original OR and and CR which the LTO or police look for when verifying one’s registration.

Imagine how much the government can save if we stop procuring LTO stickers for windshields and car plates?

Changes indeed are in order.

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EDGEDAVAO

I

AM not an icon chaser.

I do not idolize people and put them on a pedestal.

So, at this juncture you already understand why the subject of this piece is such.

So many Filipinos have decried the CA rejection of Lopez, stressing the line (spin) that money changed hands, that business (the mining tycoons) eventually won the battle.

That is unfair and a very sweeping statement. If we accept this school of thought, then every CA member who voted for Lopez’ rejection received a bundle of lobby money.

I do not believe that every senator or congressman has a price tag.

Gina Lopez may have registered her points popularly but to a degree she displayed a lack of respect for the law. While her crusading ways far elicited praises from environmentalists and those who have suffered from irresponsible mining op-

I

T was known then as Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP). But other provinces outside of Mindanao are experiencing the same problems. So, the project seeks to include them and is now called Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

PRDP is a six-year development platform of the national government. It started in 2014 and will end in 2020. The project seeks to partner with the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector in providing key infrastructure, facilities, technology and information.

A total of P27.5 billion has been allotted, of which 74.64% comes from the World Bank, 12.99% from the national government, 11.32% from LGUs and the remaining 1.5% from the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Development Program.

Of the 81 targeted provinces, 75 have already submitted their proposed projects, according to the PRDP national accomplishments project report. Only five provinces have no proposed project yet: Batanes, Camiguin, Davao Occidental, Rizal and Sulu.

“Davao Occidental is the

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Don’t cry for Gina Lopez erations, Lopez exceeded the limits of the law nonetheless.

By circumstance, she belonged to a well-landed family which was not of her choice.

The ABS-CBN network continue to disparage her (former) boss – Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

Freedom of the press is not absolute.

By careful analysis, Lopez should correct the misinformation being peddled by the giant TV-radio network even as for less than a year, she was appointed and given a chance to prove her worth as a public servant by the authority whom the media conglomerate dislikes.

If she fails to do that, can citizens then assume she does not care if the present administration is being destructively criticized by her close kin who owns and operates the media network for as long as her personal star keep on rising?

Affected social media participants are now moving to force

SPECKS OF LIFE Fred C. Lumba her to run for the senate In the 2019 mid-term polls. A religious soul even quipped Lopez is good material for the presidency in 2022.

Hmmm…something is cooking. Can you smell it?

Incidentally, by 2020 the ABS franchise is expiring. Pres.

Digong has expressed his view not to renew it. Well and good.

What say you, netizens?

The Filipino electorate, I am sad to say, is easily impressionable. The Pinoy masa is easily swayed by media avalanche that favors a certain personality. They are attracted by the bandwagon mentality, a tool used by political operators to enable their candidates to win in a landslide.

Yes, I am no fan of Gina Lopez. I appreciate her noble intentions to curb irresponsible mining. But there are laws to observe and there are legal processes to follow. We are a government of laws and not of men.

She does not have a monopoly of good intentions. If Filipinos think she is the last of our long lines of choices, they are completely wrong. There are many more people as capable as her (if not more) who can do the job without circumventing the laws that govern us – with as much political will.

She could have given the cul-

prits whom she caught violating the provisions of the law a day in court. One cannot just rectify a wrong by unilaterally applying the penalty/ies for such.

I used to think – before the coming of Duterte – that our country is already beyond repair. Corruption was everywhere – in Malacanang, at the BIR and Bureau of Customs, inside the courtrooms and prosecution offices. Rogue cops, including generals, were on the payroll of every crime syndicate – gambling, illegal drugs, smuggling, etc. In every nook and cranny of the bureaucratic service, the multi-headed hydra of corruption was rearing its ugly head.

These have all changed after Duterte’s election. There is hope that real change is coming.

So, folks, don’t cry for Gina Lopez. Argentina didn’t cry for Eva. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

the project and was reduced to an average of 14 minutes with the project at an average distance travelled of 6.2 kilometers,” it said.

Still under the I-Build component, a 19% decrease in hauling cost for agricultural products has been noted. The average hauling cost per sack was reduced from P36.94 to P29.91.

In the past, fish traders lost around P51,000 because of the poor road condition. With the project implementation, the losses had been converted to income.

Under objective three of the project, at least 22,594 households have been seen to have improved access to agri-fishery services. The services refer to rural infrastructures, potable water systems and enterprise development subprojects, social and economic services, improved drinking water and sure market of produce.

In fetching water, for instance, a decrease of 22% has been observed. Without the project, fetching time was 45 minutes; it was reduced to 15 minutes with the implementation of the project. The distance

ranges from 100 meters to one kilometers from the household location.

There are actually four components of the project. The other three are I-Plan (getting a budget of P789 million), I-Reap (P6.93 billion), and I-Support (P1.23 billion). I-Build gets the biggest pie of the budget: P18.54 billion.

The objectives of PRDP is “to increase and enhance farm and fishery productivity in the targeted areas by supporting smallholders and fishers to sustainably increase their marketable surpluses, and by improving access to markets.”

RPDP envisions to have 5% increase at least per year in household incomes of farmers and fisherfolk and 7% increase in value of marketed outputs.

The project also looks forward of getting 20% increase in number of farmers and fisherfolk with improved access to the services rendered by the Department of Agriculture.

More importantly, PRDP aims to have 30% increase in income for targeted beneficiaries involved in enterprise development.

Improving standard of living in rural areas

newest province in Davao region,” said Araceli M. Morano, deputy project director, during a press conference. “But it is interested to send its proposal on black pepper.”

As of April 2017, the top supported commodities under the PRDP are coconut (P4.28 billion), abaca (P3.31 billion), banana (P1.92 billion), rubber (P1.77 billion), coffee (P1.45 billion), dairy (P1.09 billion), cassava (P877.05 million), mango (P768.28 million), rice (P626.57 million) and aromatic/pigmented rice (P575.22 million).

The implementation of the project in Mindanao has increased the income of the beneficiaries by 24% – from an average of P194,741 to P247,567. At the farmer’s level, there was a 64% in income per hectare (from P55,584.00 to P90,958.00). An increase of 27% has been reported in household net income and 26% in production of targeted beneficiaries of enterprise development.

The figures were bared in the briefing paper, “Mindanao Cluster Initial Achievements on Project Development Objectives Indicators,” which was circulated

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

during the press conference.

An increase of 11% in volume of marketed outputs has also been noted – from 17 metric tons to 18.8 metric tons. Due to the establishment of farm to market roads, about 76% decrease in transport losses has been reported.

“Reduction in transport losses is also one of the factors that contribute in the increase in marketed outputs,” the briefing paper said.

Farm to market roads are under the I-Build component. “An average of 38 minutes without

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EQUALIZER... FROM 1

about issue of the global community and global concern,” she said, adding that it has been linked to specific religious and political views and used to blame certain groups..

HWPL added that people who carry harmful actions by their beliefs often do not admit that they are an extremists.

“It is their belief that they are doing the right thing,” she said.

Aloy said the Madrasah and Peace Program maintains 49 Madrasah schools in Davao City alone with 99 Arabic teachers and 149 mosque centers.

Deputy mayor Datu Pamikiren Latip Arumpac,Jr. said Muslim communities are supportive of the walk.

“In the communities, we have advised our constituents that if they are unable to do anything about suspicious people, they can always report them to the Task Force Davao,” he said.

The peace walk will promote peace, harmony and friendship as well as to commemorate the 4th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace.

The event was organized by the HCWP, in partnership with the 11 tribes of Davao and the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Program (MCDPP).

The peace walk will culminate in a program at the People’s Park.

Among the speakers of the event will be Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy of Compostella Valley, Deputy Mayor Datu Pamikiren Latip Arumpac, Jr. from the Iranun Tribe, Deputy Mayor Datu Roel Arthur Ali and Executive Director Aleem Jamal Munib of the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Program.

Peace Walk begins at 8:00 in the morning at Rizal Park and ends in People’s Park.

“Sila usually ang mabiktima sa mga in-ani (illegal drugs) because of the easy money, because sa kalisod sa ilahang kinabuhi,” Mayor Inday added.

Mayor Inday though clarified that in the previous operations of the Davao City Police Office it proves that it is not only the marginalized sector who were arrested by the authorities.

Previously, the DCPO apprehended the grandson of a well-known hotelier in the city who was involved in illegal drugs.

Mayor Inday also lauded the efforts of the men in uniform in the city for keeping

the city peaceful and safe for every Davaoeṅos.

“Kanang zero criminality, zero crime incident, that’s a utopian dream, wala kay Makita na lugar nga nay zero na in-ana – ang imporatnate ang atong law enforcement agencies nagabuhat sila og operations (to maintain the safety of the city),” Mayor Inday said.

On Friday, Over P2 million worth of illegal drug were confiscated while 66 individuals were apprehended by the joint forces of the law enforcement agencies of the city in a One time, Big time operation in 10 barangays that were identified as the drug affected area.

jobs, drastically reduce the poverty rate and transform the Philippines into an upper middle-income economy by 2022.

The DOF is pushing the congressional approval of its Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) that is meant to help raise sufficient funds for this ambitious inclusive-growth strategy anchored on a “Build, Build, Build” program to usher in a “golden age of Philippine infrastructure,” which aims to finally close the country’s yawning infrastructure gap by investing P8 trillion in roads, bridges, railways, airports and other major infra projects over the medium term.

Alongside infrastructure

development, Dominguez said that a hefty part of the higher revenue take from the proposed CTRP reforms will be dedicated to programs on education, health, skills training and other forms of human capital formation; as well as on direct cash transfers and other social protection initiatives for the benefit of sectors vulnerable to the initial impact of the would-be tax rate adjustments.

Dominguez was a signatory to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 10693 or the Microfinance NGOs Act, which provides poor families with easy access to microfinance services and operations. (PNA)

caps will take effect in 2019 for private distribution utilities and in 2020, for electric cooperatives. The next scheduled assessment will be after four years for private utilities, and six years for rural cooperatives.

Gatchalian, however, said he found the timeline “too long.”

“It is only 2017, that’s two more years. There must be a way that the caps can be changed more regularly. Remember that a day saved is a day advantage to the consum-

ers. Consumers should not continue to be burdened with a high cost of system inefficiency,” Gatchalian said.

The neophyte senator earlier filed Senate Bill No. 1188, which seeks to reduce the existing system loss cap for private distribution utilities to five percent (from 8.5 percent), and to 10 percent (from 13 percent) for electric cooperatives.

The measure likewise proposes the exemption of system loss charges from value added tax (VAT).

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SETTING IT RIGHT. An official fixes the helmet of one of the honor guards during the pre-departure ceremony for President Duterte at the Davao International Airport in Davao City. The president left for a state visit in Russia on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Body... FROM 2

The entire seven falls area was closed to visitors on Saturday on orders from South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes to avoid possible disruptions to the search and retrieval operations.

The provincial government of South Cotabato is currently coordinating with concerned agencies to officially inform the Romanian embassy in Manila regarding the incident. (PNA)

tion among the ASEAN Armed Forces for a more secure and stable region.

“The threats of terrorism, particularly the spread of ISIS-inspired extremism; maritime security concerns, and onslaught of disasters and calamities became the focus of the meeting and these inspired the mutual agreement to forge stronger partnerships,” Arevalo said.

During the meeting’s plenary session, Año emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the regional bloc as a whole in order to strengthen its economic

leverage and potential.

“ASEAN has become a rising global economic force due to its strategic location and economic activity. It has abundant resources, a more integrated market, and a large combined GDP from its members,” Año said.

“By providing security to our respective nations, we create a better environment for growth and prosperity. And through purposive security cooperation, we actually help to secure and sustain our region’s economic gains. We all know that a secure ASEAN is a progressive ASEAN,” he added.

the payback period or what the national economies of the participating countries should do for it.

“The ambiguity of the initiative however guarantees its ‘insubmersibility’ – no one would be able to assess its success. It gives China the right to change the rules of the game depending on the situation,” the expert explains.

China, he says, is now fleshing out the initiative by declaring long-existing projects to be part of it. He cites as an example the construction of the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh, which is expected to be opened in December 2018 as part of the project, and which was announced in 2010, long before the launch of the project. Or the construction of the partly operational China-Paki-

stan corridor which connects China’s city of Kashgar with the Pakistani port city of Gwadar, which was launched in 2002.

The West is wondering what China needs these numerous unhurried annual discussions and conferences for, he says. The aim is evident: to see how the world is reacting to the idea to unite around China and its vision of a more open world, which will be accessible not only to those western countries who initially set up the rules of the modern world.

The Belt and Road Forum, Professor Maslov says, has become the first review of allies that China has gathered around itself, many of whom are holders of Beijing’s grants.

(PNA)

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said Dela Vega.

“I am glad that these rebels have realized the futility of the armed struggle,” he added.

According to Dela Vega,

Mayor Randy Ecija Jr, of Sen. Ninoy Aquino town, has shown that the LGU is ready to address the social issues in their town. (PNA)

“failed to file its Comment/ Opposition after moving for time to file the same on 3 May 2017.”

The court noted that the peace process between the government and the MNLF “has yet to be terminated.”

In fact, there is no formal meeting as yet between the peace implementing panels of the government under Undersecretary Nabil Tan, and the MNLF headed

by Randolph Parcasio. But they have held four informal meetings.

The court said the OPAPP had manifested in its sixth monthly report to the court that after the four informal meetings, Misuari “sought the presence of no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to discuss the envisioned new Bangsamoro entity, which was scheduled on the 1st and 2nd week of May.” The May meeting with the President did not push through. Tan and Parcasio told MindaNews that they are still awaiting the schedule from the Office of the President. The President is leaving for Russia on May 22 and will return to the country on May 26.

Misuari signed the December 23, 1976 Tripoli Agreement under the Marcos administration and the September 2, 1996 Final Peace Agreement under the Ramos administration.

His faction did not participate in the 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) which

is tasked by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to draft a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The BTC is set to submit its draft law to the Office of the President on the first week of June, BTC chair Ghazali Jaafar had earlier told MindaNews.

The BBL would pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro, a new autonomous political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), in accordance with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) that both parties signed on March 27, 2014.

The BTC under the Aquino administration had 15 members. The Duterte administration expanded the membership from 15 to 21 supposedly to “make it more inclusive” and ensure the participation of all the MNLF factions.

There are three representatives of the MNLF in the BTC, nominated by the MNLF faction under Muslimin Sema and Yusoph Jikiri.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza set up a separate peace implementing panel for the MNLF-Misuari faction in November to work on draft law that would incorporate the unimplemented provisions of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement to strengthen the ARMM. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

CHASING WORDS

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO SUCCESS STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE A LIVING DOING THE THINGS THEY LOVE. Like most millennials my age, I’ve dreamt a lot of dreams. The most common ones being a rockstar or a surfer but if there’s one thing that I’ve always dreamt about turning into a reality it’s being a writer.

It wasn’t always like this. I never imagined that I would actually end up leaving my solid corporate career to pursue writing as a profession but I did. How I decided to leave everything behind was an accumulation of various events that lead me to realize how passionate I was about writing.

I felt something lacking and somehow, in hindsight I realized I needed a creative outlet. I went lengths to try to discover what could fill in this creative void that I felt.

This search led me far from home and into the world of surfing as a lifestyle, which greatly changed my perspective of life.

The experiences I had with the ocean had taught me so much that I couldn’t just let them be intangible memories. I wanted to relive the memories and the feelings that came along with it. Photos were not enough because I didn’t always bring a camera with me in the water. That was when I started writing again.

Fearfully, I wrote about my experiences of chasing after waves. I knew I was still afraid of others reading my work so I kept my writing to myself. Whenever I wrote, I always felt the indescribable satisfaction that I felt back then when everything seemed

Writing happens anywhere.

new.

The feeling is comparable to a surfer’s stoke from riding a wave. I get that kind of euphoric high whenever I finished writing something, whatever the subject may be. Then it hit me. I’ve always been writing ever since I could remember and I realized that the answer was right under my nose all along.

I’ve always longed to be a writer. To bring to life words that pulls strings of emotions in souls. I’ve always kept this dream so buried within my fears that I had to fight out fear itself to realize that if I

“

How I decided to leave everything behind was an accumulation of various events that lead me to realize how passionate I was about writing.

There is no vacation from writing but I don’t mind working from a beach side restaurant like the Surf Shack in Dahican Surf Resort or hanging from a hammock by the shore. never risked this, I would regret this forever.

To bring tidings of encouragement, here are a few questions I’ve chanced upon that have helped me to continue on this journey.

You know the answer to the question: Why do you need to write?

There’s always something that makes my heart stir whenever I hear

people relate to what I write or if I read something so powerful that it stirs the emotions inside me. Wishing that I could have written what I just read moves me to write better. If photographers capture moments with light, I would like to believe that as a writer, we either capture memories or create reality through words.

One of my favorite authors, Austrian poet and novelist Ranier Maria Rilke from his book “Letters to a Young Poet” captures this perfectly: Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.

Stay tuned next week for the continuation of this story. Meanwhile, you can check out my blog: www.millennialmermaid.com for more stories.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

EVENT

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

Canon launches ToyTravel photo challenge

TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY will never be the same again as Canon launches a creative collaboration together with Pokemon.

Fresh off their Manila launch, Canon introduced to Davao its special edition EOS M10 box set, bundled with a Pikachu shoulder plush in an intimate event at the Park Inn

by Radisson Hotel Davao last May 18. The bundling of the Pikachu toy aims to promote users to incorporate toy travel, a trend in Japan where toy owners bring their beloved toys with them as they travel.

“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.”

Starting this month to July 2017, Canon is holding a monthly photo challenge.

Everyone is encouraged to sign up and submit their best Toy Travel photo to top the leadership board with a different theme announced each month. Participants to the contest have a chance to win an EO M10 kite with a EF-M15-45mm kit lens along with a Pikachu shoulder plush or limited edition Pokemon key chains.

The launch event also featured invormative talks from travel blogger Jay Ferrer who talked about travel photography and etiquette and food blogger Jill Tan who talked about food photography for social media.

The afternoon was capped by the raffling off of prizes, Pokemon plush toys, and one special edition EOS M10 box set with a bundled Pikachu shoulder plush.

For more information on the ToyTravel contest, you can check out their website at https://snapshot. canon-asia.com/pokemon.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

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Sam Milby to delight fans with comeback album NOW SHOWING

May 17 – 22, 2017

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Rockoustic Heartthrob Sam Milby finds his way back to the music scene with a brand new album under Star Music entitled “Sam: 12.”

This is Sam’s fourth solo album, his fifth overall, and his muchawaited return to recording since he last released “Be Mine” in 2011.

The actor-singer is now on his 12th year in showbiz and the album is aptly called such signifying his successful years in the industry since he started as a housemate in Pinoy Big Brother Season 1 in 2005.

“The long wait is over now. I am back with my music. I hope you enjoy all the tracks,” shares the Filipino-American artist.

This latest album consists of nine original tracks including three songs written by Gabriel Tagadtad: “Virus,” “Balang Araw,” and “Who’s that Girl?”

“Balang Araw” is an exciting track, a hopeful, happy-sounding duet with KZ Tandingan, while “Game Over” is another collaboration with “The Voice of the Philippines” Season 1 alumna Moira dela Torre whom Sam has previously done covers with.

The album also includes Francis Kiko Salazar’s “’Di Kita Minahal”

and the album’s carrier single, “Tunay na Pag-ibig.” Completing the track list are Nathan Concepcion’s composition “Bulag Sa Pag-ibig,” Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connoly, Jonathan Graham Quinn, Tom Simpson, and Paul Wilson’s “Chasing Cars,” and Jonathan Manalo’s “Last Goodbye.”

Sam, Malou Santos and Roxy Liquigan serve as executive producers of the album while Jonathan

Manalo is the over-all album producer.

“Sam: 12” is out now in all digital stores worldwide. The album will soon be available at all record bars nationwide for only P299.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/starrecordsphil, Twitter. com/starrecordsph and Instagram. com/Starmusicph.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 â&#x20AC;¢ TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

Exercise, healthy diet to lower risk of colon cancer recurrence

A

TEAM led by University of California, San Francisco, researchers have found that colon cancer patients who have a healthy body weight, exercise regularly and eat a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables have a significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence or death.

Published on May 17, ahead of the 2017 annual gathering of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s largest clinical cancer research meeting, the study was based on an analysis of data collected on patients participating in a national study for people in the United States with stage III colon cancer and going through evaluations over about seven years.

“We found that colon cancer patients who reported a healthy body weight, engaged in regular physical activity, and ate a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits that was low in red and processed meats, had a lower risk of cancer recurrence and death compared to patients who did not engage in these behaviors,” said lead author Erin L. Van Blarigan, assistant professor in the UCSF departments of epidemiology and biostatistics, and urology.

This was a prospective study among nearly 1,000 stage III colon cancer patients enrolled in a chemotherapy trial conducted from 1999 to 2001. Clinical researchers from Harvard University administered a validated questionnaire on

lifestyle at two points during the trial. The data was made available to a team led by UCSF researchers, who performed the analysis.

The researchers found that over a median follow-up period of seven years, colon cancer survivors who adhered to the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors had a 42 percent lower risk of death and 31 percent lower risk of cancer recurrence compared to patients who did not engage in these behaviors. There were 335 people with colon cancer recurrences, 256 of whom died; 43 additional patients died during the study from other causes.

In the study, the patients were given a score from 0 to 6 measuring the degree to which their lifestyle matched the healthy lifestyle guidelines. Only 9 percent of them had a lifestyle that adhered closely to the guidelines, indicated by a score of 5 or 6.

“There are more than one million colorectal cancer survivors in the United States,” Van Blarigan, a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, was quoted as saying in a news release. “These individuals are living longer than ever before, but the disease remains the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. There is a pressing need for improved survivorship care, and resources to help people adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle after cancer diagnosis.” (Xinhua)

Aussie billionaire Forrest bares 400M philanthropic donations

A

USTRALIAN mining magnate and business billionaire Andrew Forrest announced on Monday that he was giving away 400 million AU dollars (298 million U.S. dollars), in what will be the largest philanthropic donation by a living person in the country’s history.

Forrest, chairman and former CEO of mining company Fortescue Metals Group, announced the donation — which will be distributed to a number of different causes — in Canberra, explaining that recent strength in the iron ore market meant he could once again afford to donate vast sums of money.

“We had a slightly unsustainable business model previously where we would actually borrow money to give it away,” Forrest said on Monday.

“And fortunately, we don’t have to do that now thanks to the strength of the iron ore sector, the leadership of this country throughout the ages, and that word I would like to

introduce more commonly into the dialogue of leadership, which is courage’.”

The mining and business mogul was worth an estimated 1.7 billion AU dollars (1.24 billion dollars) in 2016, making him Australia’s 22nd richest person.

According to Forrest, the donation will be split among a number of worthy causes, with 75 million AU dollars (55.85 million dollars) to be allocated to a number of cancer institutes, 75 million (55.85 million dollars) to higher education research, 75 million (55.85 million dollars) to the cause of giving children the “best chance in life”.

Meanwhile, 50 million AU dollars (37.2 million dollars) will be allocated to “building stronger communities”, and 50 million (37.2 million dollars) to creating “equal opportunity among all Australians”.

Forrest will also give 75 million AU dollars (55.85 million dollars) to his Walk Free Foundation, which aims towards ending modern slavery.

DU30 CLASSROOM. Engineers from Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC) Power Plant inspect the two-classroom building now being currently built at Mangelen Integrated School in Kamanga. The Du30 Classroom was committed by SEC to President Rodrigo Duterte, who

was the guest of honor during the power plant’s inauguration in January. Once finished, classrooms which cost P1.5 million pesos, will also be fully equipped with complete sets of multi-media e-learning equipment.

Practical steps to help prevent dog bites A

GREAT and playful pet is fun to have around.

More than just a companion, pets create a social dynamic with their owner that positively influences the well-being of both. A pet’s health is closely linked to its mental, physical and social competencies so it is important they are provided with the adequate amount of nourishment, shelter, grooming, exercise, and medical care.

In addition to medical and nutritional attention, proper obedience and interaction training are an important part of pet ownership. As responsible pet owners, we must remember that we have the obligation to keep our pets from harm’s way. Lack of social training for dogs and individuals often becomes a recipe for

unfortunate encounters, such as dog bites, that could equally endanger and traumatize the person and the pet.

Through the years, experts have been encouraging pet parents to visit their veterinarian for regular rabies vaccination. In local villages and barangays, free rabies vaccination services are made available during pet celebrations to promote rabies prevention among pet owners. In recent findings, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that 47 percent of rabies cases were children below 15 years old.

Although 100 percent fatal, it is largely preventable if precautionary measures are observed. In 2020, DOH aims the Philippines to be rabies-free.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

believes that proper social exercises for dogs, individuals and pedestrians are sustainable solutions to prevent this public health issue. Here are some practical tips to prevent dog bites.

Socialization Socialization, or when a puppy is introduced to new people, places and locations, should begin between 3 and 14 weeks of age. AVMA recommends that a plan be developed for the different environments that will be a part of your new dog’s life. Once your puppy comes home, if you live in a city, slowly introduce your dog to situations with people and traffic. You can also carefully expose your pet to people wearing hats, carrying umbrellas, or holding other everyday

Free vaccination services offered during the Barangay Magallanes Pet Celebration

objects that could be perceived as a threat. Don’t forget: make sure your dog is fully vaccinated before he or she is exposed to areas with a high likelihood of unvaccinated dogs.

If you have adopted an older dog and are unsure of his or her socialization history, take time to bond with your pet and get to learn their temperament before introducing your dog to a whole new array of experiences.

Learn the Signs A dog can display physical indications that they are upset or about to bite. Some of the obvious actions include barking or growling, but there are also some unexpected signs. If a dog pricks up or flattens his or her ears, tenses up or stares at a person, or even wags their tail or rolls over to expose their belly, the dog may be fearful or stressed.

Teach Your Children How to Interact with Dogs It is also important to teach your children how to approach and pet a dog. This includes instructing your child to always ask the owner before petting an animal, even if they know the dog, and to pet gently and avoid yelling or sudden movements. Remember to avoid touching a dog if it is sleeping or eating, and let the dog be alone in its crate or bed – we all appreciate having some alone time!

Whether you just brought a puppy home or your child loves to say “hi” to dogs in the neighborhood, we can all play a role in preventing dog bites.

12 AGRITRENDS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

Biotech crops reduce pesticide use

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

B

Y planting more biotech crops, the world will be a better place to live, according to the newly-published report of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).

Aside from improved crop productivity and profitability, the report – entitled Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2016 – also examines other benefits of biotechnology.

The adoption of biotech crops has decreased the environment impact with a 19% reduction in herbicide and insecticide use, said Prof. Paul S. Teng, chair of the ISAA board, who launched the report in the Philippines.

From 1996 (the first year of biotech commercialization) to 2015, the world saved 620 million kilograms of active ingredients of pesticides. In 2015 alone, some 37.4 million kilograms was left unused.

The reduction was made possible through the use of biopesticides. For years, many organic farmers have used a bacterial pesticide called Bt to control a variety of pests that attack agricultural crops.

Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil bacterium so called because it was first isolated in the Thuringia region of Germany. It produces a protein that paralyzes the larvae of some harmful insects.

Scientists, through genetic engineering, have taken the Bt gene responsible for the production of the insecticidal protein from the bacterium and incorporated it into the genome of plants. As such, the plants have a builtin mechanism of protection against targeted pests.

Aside from corn, Bt is also introduced in cotton, poplar, potato, rice, soybean, tomato, and more recently eggplant.

“The protein produced by the plants does not get washed away, nor is it destroyed by sunlight,” said a briefing paper published by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology. “The plants are protected from the insects round the clock regardless of the situation.”

Since Bt crops are able to defend themselves against pests, the use of chemical insecticides is significantly reduced. A study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture showed that 8.2 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were eliminated by the farmers

who planted Bt crops in 1998.

“Aside from being effective against insect pests, Bt crops have lower incidences of opportunistic microbial pathogens, such as the fungus Fusarium,” the briefing paper said. “This fungus produces mycotoxins that can be deadly to livestock and also cause cancer in humans.”

The briefing paper shares this information on how Bt operates: “When ingested by larva of the target insect, the Bt protein is activated in the gut’s alkaline condition and punctures the midgut leaving the insect unable to eat. The insect dies within a few days.”

It is for this reason why much research has been done to exploit the organism’s agronomic value. To date, there are more than 200 types of Bt proteins identified with varying degrees of toxicity to some insects.

In the past, Bt was cultured by fermentation.

In fact, over the last 40 years, Bt has been used as an insecticide by farmers around the world. It is said that organic farming has benefited from it as it is one of the very few insecticides permitted by organic standards. “The insecticide is applied either as a spray, or as ground applications. It comes in both granules and liquefied form,” the briefing paper said.

T h e Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that up to 35% of the losses in the annual crop production worldwide are due to pests – insects, weeds, plant diseases, rodents and birds. Of the estimated one million insects in the world, between 150 to 200 species frequently cause serious damage to crops.

When losses due to pests are combined with postharvest losses, worldwide food losses would amount to 45%.

“This is almost one half of the world’s potential food supply,” the FAO pointed out.

This is the reason why most farmers around the world use pesticide to control these pests. For a long time, no one seemed to question the safety of pesticides. Not until 1962, when marine biologist and writer Rachel Carson wrote the now classic Silent

Pesticides are killing more than just the pests.

“Some pesticides harm the living organisms other than the targeted pest,” observed the Davaobased Technical Assistance Center for the Development of Rural and Urban Poor.

Spring.

In her book, she described how pesticides cause longterm hazards to birds, fish, other wildlife, and humans, but provides only short-term gains to controlling the pests.

Despite her findings, pesticide use continues to soar.

“Farmers now apply abut one pound of pesticides per year for every person on the planet, 75% of it in industrial countries,” Peter Weber, a researcher with the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute reported some years back.

In the Philippines, most farmers are using chemicals to control pests that attack rice.

“Pesticides are like bombs being dropped in the food web creating enormous destruction,” said entomologist Dr.

K.L. Heong, who once worked with the International Rice Research Institute.

Pesticides are killing more than just the pests. “Some pesticides harm the living organisms other than the targeted pest,” observed the Davaobased Technical Assistance Center for the Development of Rural and Urban Poor. “Some travel to the food chain to bioaccumulate in higher organisms.”

Gretta Goldenman and Sarojini Rengam, authors of Pesticides and You, explained that pesticides concentrated even to toxic levels via the food chain. Thus, an increase feeding on plant sprayed with pesticides might be eaten by another insect which might be eaten by a bird.

“Traces of pesticides too small to kill the targeted pest can accumulate to the levels high enough to harm species further on up the food chain,” the two authors warned.

Health experts claim pesticides can enter the human body through the lungs, diges-

tive system, or skin. Depending on the pesticide, health effects can be immediate (acute) or they can occur after years of lower-level exposure.

Long-term effects of pesticides include skin disorders, damage to internal organs (liver, kidneys, lungs), increased sensitivity to pesticides and effects on the progeny.

All these harmful effects can be minimized if more farmers will adopt agricultural

biotechnology. It uses a range of tools, including traditional breeding techniques, that alter living organisms, or parts of organisms, to make or modify products; improve plants or animals; or develop microorganisms for specific agricultural uses. Modern biotechnology today includes the tools of genetic engineering.

“Biotechnology provides farmers with tools that can make production cheaper and more manageable,” the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in its website.

For example, some biotechnology crops can be engineered to tolerate specific herbicides, which make weed control simpler and more efficient. Other crops have been engineered to be resistant to specific plant diseases and insect pests, which can make pest control more reliable and effective, and/or can decrease the use of synthetic pesticides.

Meanwhile, pesticides continue to lose their effectiveness against crop-destroying pests as a result of genetic selection, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

At least 520 insects and mites, 150 plant diseases, and 113 weeds have developed resistance to one or more pesticides meant to control them.

In addition, at least 17 insect species are resistant to all major classic of insecticides, and several plant diseases are immune to most fungicides used against them.

“Resistance to pesticides is as natural as evolution,” Weber reminded. “In fact, it is natural selection in fast forward, provoked by the very chemicals meant to control the pest. Resistant strains develop particularly quickly when farmers overuse pesticides and try to eliminate pests rather than control them. Kill 99.9 percent of the insects in a field, and the survivors are a superstrain.”

(Photos taken from the net)

JASKIN PAWNSHOP Notice of Auction Sale

All Jewelry and other items pawned at Jaskin Pawnshop San Perdo Street, Davao City during the months of September to December 2016 if not redeemed or renewed will be sold to the public on June 16, 2017 at our pawnshop premises.

May 23,24,25, 2017

VOL. 10 ISSUE 36 • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

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

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dangered Philippine Eagle,” PN spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna earlier said.

Also, the namesake takes inspiration from a former PN vessel of the same name notable for its accomplishments during during the 1980s.

“Naming the vessel after Davao Del Sur is consistent with its predecessor, BRP Tar-

lac (LD-601), which was also named after a province,” Lincuna added.

The ship was launched last Sept. 29. She is the sister ship of the BRP Tarlac (LD601), currently the largest Filipino warship in commissioned.

BRP Tarlac was commissioned during short ceremo-

nies at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor last June 1.

She arrived in the Philippines last May 14 after a five-day journey from PT PAL shipyard in Surabaya which started on May 9.

BRP Davao Del Sur is also a Makassar-class landing platform dock like her sister ship BRP Tarlac. (PNA)

Ministry of Economic Development Deputy Minister Alexander Tsybulskiy led the first JCTEC meeting of Manila and Moscow.

The JCTEC is a formal platform for the two parties to discuss cooperation on sectors such as trade, investments, iron and steel, aviation, energy, information and com-

munications technology, intellectual property, agriculture, transportation, science and technology, tourism, higher education, and labor.

President Duterte and Putin had their bilateral meeting last year on the sidelines of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru, in which the latter committed to

buy USD2.5 billion of agriculture products from the Philippines.

The two leaders also met during the Belt and Road Forum hosted by China in Beijing early this month.

Russia was the country’s 33rd trading partner in 2016, with two-way trade reaching USD226.25 million. (PNA)

dy,” he added.

Malaluan was referring to some quarters who are pushing for the approval of only the tax relief portion of the CTRP, which is the lowering of personal income tax (PIT) rates, while abandoning the revenue-enhancing provisions of the tax reform package that aim to broaden the tax base and plug the massive leakages in the current tax system.

According to Malaluan, the CTRP is crucial to delivering quality learning to young Filipinos, especially now when several “cost driv-

ers” have made it even more imperative to spend more on education.

These cost drivers include, he said, the projected increase in elementary and high school enrollees under the K-12 curriculum from 24 million in 2016 to around 27 to 28 million by 2022; upgrading learning aids with modern technological tools; strengthening technical-vocational education under the K-12; and meeting rising rehabilitation expenses for school buildings and facilities affected by climate change.

He said investing more in education and health “will translate to higher incomes and more productive sectors.”

DBM Director Rolando Toledo, who heads the Department’s Fiscal Planning and Reforms Bureau, said the CTRP is a “win-win proposition that we wish our legislators will support enthusiastically.”

The CTRP will make the tax system “simpler, fairer and more efficient,” and “put money in the pockets of 99 percent of our population,” Toledo said.

Up... FROM 5

Three... FROM 5

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STILL WAITING Jordan Clarkson aching to play for GIlas, but no word from FIBA L OS Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson is ready to play for the Gilas Pilipinas squad. Only, world basketball governing body FIBA has yet to clear him.

Spin. PH reported on Sunday that Clarkson’s father Mike is budgering FIBA now on his son’s status.

“Is Jordan Clarkson’s patience wearing thin while waiting for Fiba clearance to finally don the Gilas Pilipinas jersey?,” reported Spin.PH. The report said that Mike Clarkson posted an Instagram message addressed to Fiba asking when his son can finally be given the clearance to play for the Philippines in international basketball.

“FIBA, when can we make this a reality,” read the caption used by Mike Clark-

son in describing his Instagram photo of two shirts - a white one bearing a small image of his son and his whole name JORDAN CLARKSON printed in bold letters, and the other colored blue with the word PILIPINAS also in bold letters.

“When? He’s READY!,” added the elder Clarkson, who also used several hashtags to the message including #filipino, #lakers, #gilaspilipinas, #philippines, among others.

The message came just after Gilas Pilipinas earned a berth in the Fiba World Cup qualifiers this November by topping the Southeast Asia Basketball Association (Seaba) Championship held in Manila last week.

Fiba has yet to give the green light for Clarkson to

play for the country of his mother as there are still supporting papers the world governing body for the sport has been asking with regards to the NBA players’ birth certificate and those of his Filipina mother Annette, a native of Angeles, Pampanga.

The 24-year-old Clarkson has a Filipino passport which the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) claims he acquired during his pre-teen years, thus making him eligible to play for Gilas.

Without the Fiba clearance, the most Clarkson could do to play for the national team is to apply for naturalization. Former NBA stalwart Andray Blatche is the current naturalized player for Gilas.

Only one naturalized player can play for one country at a time. (Spin.PH)

WAITING FOR CLEARANCE. Jordan Clarkson is just awaiting clearance from FIBA to play for the Gilas Pilipinas squad.

Crawford wins, calls out Pacquiao

T

ERENCE Crawford made his statement again at Madison Square Garden Saturday night and may be headed for a clash with Manny Pacquiao. After stopping a determined Felix Diaz who could not come out for the 10th round, Crawford said he was ready to take on Pacquiao or Keith Thurman or any of the other elite champions in the welterweight division.

Crawford, 31-0, 22 KO’s. took every round on two of the three judges scorecards prior to the end. But it was Diaz and his tenacity to compete that made this fight interesting. At no point did Crawford seem to have his WBO and WBC titles in jeopardy and when Diaz sustained a cut earlier in the fight it was a matter of time.

Diaz, a 2008 Dominican Olympic Gold Medalist, was a heavy underdog and during fight week reiterated that made him more motivated in becoming the next fighter to achieve boxing history at the Garden. But from round one it was all Crawford who wanted to solidify his status as one of the top three pound-forpound fighters, In essence, this was a mas-

terpiece and Crawford with his promoter Bob Arum, of Top Rank will eventually sit down and discuss the next move.

The final punchstat numbers showed Crawford landing 59 percent of his power punches and Diaz landed just 18 punches over the last punches in the final three rounds of the fight ,after landing 16 in the seventh round.

From the beginning, Crawford also went to the southpaw approach that was also a major part of Diaz and his fight plan.

“I Wanted to prove that I was the better southpaw,” said Crawford about his strategy.

He also displayed what has become a Terence Crawford boxing clinic by using foot speed and moving his head and waist to avoid the punches. Diaz threw a few good punches but it was not enough as the clinic continued before the fight was stopped.

The prevailing opinion is that Crawford, at 147, in an elite division in the sport is ready to take that next step.

Arum was on the defense and looks at Keith Thurman the unified champion as a possible opponent, however he is PBC promoted and that poses

an issue as Top Rank and the PBC have not worked co-promotions.

Thurman fights are televised on Showtime and Crawford, as was this one was, has become a popular draw on HBO. Arum, though refuses to think otherwise and said, “I am a promoter, I can make any fight I want.”

“If not Keith Thurman, whoever lets go,” said Crawford. “ Who knows it’s up to my promoter Bob Arum. Of course that’s what we all look for in the sport of boxing pound for pound.”

Pacquiao is preparing for his upcoming WBO welterweight title defense against Jeff Horn, July 2nd in Australia.

Crawford has hardly looked at being best poundfor-pound as a priority but a fight with Pacquiao could determine where he stands among the elite. And there is no question that Crawford is heading to tougher competition now that it is known that he headed to be an elite fighter at 147.

He said, “ That’s what we do it for and it’s why we bleed, sweat and put our lives on the line to be remembered in the sport of boxing.”

TOWEL IN THE BEACH. This unknown golfer covers his head with a towel to protect from the sun’s glare as he tries to get his ball out of the sandtrap during the 2nd Mindanao Meet Interclub at the Apo Golf and Country Club. Boy Lim

Day misses 3-footer, loses title

A

USTRALIAN-FILIPINO Jason Day has missed a three-foot putt to keep a playoff alive at the Byron Nelson PGA tournament, after a number of sensational shots to stay in contention.

Day entered the 18th hole in a playoff for the title, with scores tied with Billy Horschel at 12-under after four rounds.

Day took the outright lead during Sunday’s final round of the Byron Nelson PGA tournament thanks to

a stunning chip-in from outside the green on the 15th hole.

Days’s seventh and 10thhole birdies before a bogey on the 12th were enough to place him alongside American Horschel in a two-way tie for the lead with five holes remaining.

But Day put himself in prime position for a second title in Irving, Texas and his first tour victory of the year after producing the shot of the tournament on the par-

four 15th.

He finished 12-under for the tournament in Irving, Texas, alongside Horschel, with overnight leader James Hahn faltering with four final-round bogeys to finish tied for third.

In the third round, world No.4 Day ignited his his spluttering game with nine birdies in a seven-under-par third round, his best of the year.

He previously won the tournament in 2010 - the first of his 10 US PGA Tour titles.

PUNISHING. Terence Crawford pummels Felix Diaz en route to a 10th round TKO win.

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WORLD CHAMP AT LAST Melindo wins world title in crushing 1st round KO

KNOCKOUT. Milan Melindo celebrates after dethroning Japanese Akira Yagaeshi with a smashing knockout in the first round in Tokyo last Sunday.

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO njb@edgedavao.net

T

HE Philippines’ Milan Melindo captured his first world title after blitzing the usually durable Akira Yaegashi in the first round at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday.

Melindo, a standout of ALA Boxing Gym of Cebu, dropped the champion first with a right hand set up by the left jab.

A report from Secondsout.com said Yaegashi rose, but a follow-up combination punctuated with a reaching hooker-cut deposited the Japanese tough guy on the canvas again.

The third and final knock-

down came from a crisp onetwo, left-right combo. A bewildered Yaegashi , 34, was kept down on the canvas and separated from his belt. The official time of the stoppage was 2:45 of round one.

Melindo, 29, captured his first world title and goes back to Philippines 36-2-0 (13). His only two defeats have come in his previous two world title tries. Yaegashi, likely headed for retirement, fell to 25-6-0 (13). Melindo is trained by former world title challenger Edito Ala Villamor.

In the main event, Naoya Inoue retained his superflyweight world title with a third

round knockout win over Mexican-American Ricardo Rodriguez..

The two-division champion Inoue, 24, defended his super flyweight belt against Rodriguez who had gone the distance with David Carmona twice in his career.

Rodriguez, 27, pressured forward trying to swarm Inoue early with body punches, but the Mexican-American could not mount a serious attack against Inoue’s jab and right hand.

The Secondsout.com report said Inoue kept Rodriguez on the end of his punches while he searched for his

right hand and left hook.

However, in round two, it was an uppercut that produced the best work.

The end came in round three when Inoue toppled Rodriguez with a left hook. The challenger rose on unsteady legs and was soon decked again with the same type of punch. This time, Rodriguez grimaced on the canvas and failed to rise.

The KO victory came at 1:08 of the third round.

“Monster” Inoue added the fifth defense of his title and raised his record to 13-0-0 (11). Rodriguez crashed to 16-4-0 (5).

One Meralco Foundation supports Mindanao Peace Games

FC Meralco Manila team captain James Younghusband shares inspiration for pursuing football career

C

ELEBRITY football player James Younghusband, team captain of the FC Meralco Manila (formerly Meralco Sparks) football club will be gracing the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Mindanao Peace Games Football Invitational in Davao City on Monday, May 22.

Younghusband and the team’s coach Aries Caslib are representing One Meralco Foundation (OMF) along with Jeffrey O. Tarayao, the foundation’s president and Meralco’s chief CSR officer.

OMF is the corporate foundation of the Manila Electric Company, a major sponsor of the five-day youth development and sports event organized by the Ateneo de Davao University and Mindanao Peace Games.

Six teams representing each of the six regions of Mindanao will be competing in a series of nine aside games from May 22 to 26 at the Matina Campus of the Ateneo. These teams are Ateneo de Zamboanga (Region 9), Iligan Medical Center College (Region 10), Ateneo de Davao (Region 11), Surallah FC (Region 12), Fr. Saturnino Urios University (Region 13) and Maguindanao United FC (ARMM).

The tournament is open to boys age 15 years old and

younger, and is expected to draw 120 athletes and coaches.

Aside from football, Mindanao Peace Games will also hold daily forums on various topics such as leadership skill development, advocating through sports, values formation, among others.

“The goal of the Mindanao Peace Games is to encourage holistic development in our young athletes so they mature not only as good football players but also as responsible, disciplined and peace-loving Filipinos,” said Coach Noli Ayo, Ateneo’s university athletics director and convenor of the Mindanao Peace Games.

On the first day of the event, Younghusband will share his inspiration for pursuing a career in football. He will also entertain questions from the participating young athletes in a Q&A session.

Meanwh i l e , Coach Caslib will also briefly talk about his experience being at the helm of a national football league team and share some best practices with the coaches of

the competing teams.

Apart from the Mindanao Peace Games, One Meralco Foundation and the Meralco Manila football team also support the PMC Football for Peace program of the Philippine Marine Corps. It advocates for long-term peace especially in conflict areas in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by engaging the youth in these provinces through the sport of football.

“We believe that sports is an effective tool f o r

shaping the character especially of young people. The skills, discipline and values that make a good athlete are usually the same things that could transform an individual into a productive and socially responsible citizen. By supporting this advocacy, we are helping prepare the youth for a more competitive yet very promising future.” Tarayao said.

CELTICS WIN. Al Horforford (42) and Jonas Jerebko (8) of Boston celebrate after the lastsecond shot of Avery Bradley gave the Celtics Game 3 win over Cleveland.

Bradley’s buzzer-beater hands Celtics Game 3 win

L

EPRECHAUNS are imaginary. Celtic pride is very real.

Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer danced on the rim and dropped with less than a second left and Boston, blown out in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals and playing without star Isaiah Thomas, stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-108 on Sunday night in Game 3 to end the champions’ 13-game postseason winning streak.

Bradley’s shot from the left wing - off a play designed by coach Brad Stevens bounced on the rim four times before going down. It capped a furious, focused comeback by the Celtics, who trailed by 21 in the third quarter before rallying to tighten up a series that appeared to be over. ‘’We have guys who have chips on their shoulders,’’ Boston coach Brad Stevens said. ‘’We knew that Friday (Game 2) was a disaster. It wasn’t worth all four.

It was worth one. So we got back together.’’

Smart, who started in place of Thomas, made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points, and Bradley had 20 for the Celtics, who were given little chance after losing by 44 in Game 2 and then losing Thomas for the rest of the postseason because of a hip injury. ‘’Everybody had to step up their game tonight especially with one of our brothers down,’’ Smart said. ‘’Our love and support goes out to Isaiah. We wish he could be here but we

understand. We just kept fighting. Everybody did their part.’’

Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, and Kevin Love had 28 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers dropped to 10-1 in the postseason with their first loss since Game 4 of last year’s Finals.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.

LeBron James had one of the worst games of his postseason career, finishing with 11 points and six turnovers.

On his way to the postgame news conference, the superstar got into an exchange with a fan who heckled him about his rough night. ‘’I didn’t have it,’’ said James. ‘’You let a team like that grab momentum you almost knew a shot like that was going in.’’

Despite James’ struggles, the Cavs led 77-56 in the third quarter after making 14 3-pointers in the first half.

But Cleveland got complacent, Smart got hot and the Celtics, who arrived at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday morning for their shootaround without Thomas and looking somewhat defeated, never gave up. ‘’We decided were going to go out and play hard, swinging.’’ Bradley said. ‘’We never counted ourselves out.’’

The Celtics tied the Cavs at 95-all on Smart’s 3-pointer and then matched the James and Co. basket for basket in the final minutes in one of the most entertaining games of what has been a mostly boring postseason.

Boston’s Jonas Jerebko’s baseline jumper put the Celtics ahead 108-106 with 30 seconds left before Irving scored on a drive to tie it with 10.7 seconds left.

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