Edge Davao 10 Issue 8

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

ILLEGAL LOADING. A bus bound for Koronadal City in South Cotabato picks up passengers outside the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal on Tuesday. DCOTT manager Aiza Yusoph has said she is discouraging bus operators from picking up passengers outside the terminal or along the highway for additional safety measures. Lean Daval Jr.

SMEAR DRIVE Army hits militants for campaign, unfounded allegations

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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adlopez0920@gmail.com

HE 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Army condemned the series of unfounded allegations being hurled by militant groups against government troops in the area, accusing them of being responsible for killings of farmers and leaders in Davao region.

In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, Capt.

Alexander Cabales, acting chief of public affairs office of 10th ID said the accusations were unfair since no formal charges were filed in proper forum in relation to the al-

leged killings and no shreds of evidence were presented.

“We call on these organizations to file the necessary complaints or cases against the perpetrators of these killings, they be soldiers or not, before the appropriate government investigating or judicial bodies so that justice could be served,” Cabales said.

The leadership of the 10th ID will welcome and support any probe to determine the truth behind the allegations, he added.

He also clarified that the 10th ID “do not condone any

misbehavior or abuses of its members and will be very grateful to those who will help us purge our ranks of misfits and abusive members.”

Cabales particularly named the group KARAPATAN in Davao region as the one behind making accusations to the army.

He also urged KARAPATAN to submit the necessary pieces of evidence to the Philippine National Police so that charges will be filed against to responsible to the killings.

Failure to press charges “will only confirm the notion

that the existence of KARAPATAN is to support the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army) armed struggle by undermining the successful efforts of the government against the communist violent insurgency through all these baseless and unfounded allegations,” Cabales said.

KARAPATAN is tagging the army in Davao region in the killings of the couple Ramon and Leonila Pesadilla in Compostela town; the couple Arlene and Arman Alcominar

FSMEAR, 10

New sutukil hub opens

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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NEW sutukil (sugba-tua-kinilaw) destination added to the wide array of food hub in city as Emilio’s Grill opened on April 8 at Tionko Avenue, Davao City.

Owner Glenda Won said

the business was inspired by the Tiongson Arcade in General Santos City which offers varieties of ready-togrill meat and seafoods at an affordable price.

“We are also looking at

FNEW, 10

SO GOOD

So wins US chess title Sports P14

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

CATCH-UP WORK. A worker from a construction company commissioned by the city government of Davao works on the metal barriers being installed at the center island along R. Castillo Street in Davao City on Monday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

3 troops, 5 Abu Sayyafs killed in Bohol gunbattle

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IVE Abu Sayyaf Group bandits and three government troopers were killed during a clash at Sitio Ilaya, Barangay Napo, Inabanga town, Bohol Tuesday morning.

Also wounded in the 7 a.m. encounter were two troopers, said Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo.

Also seized were four high-powered firearms, including three M-16 automatic rifles, and one M-14 carbine along with improvised explosive device.

Troops in the area were alerted after residents spotted three suspicious-looking pumpboats entering the riverside in Sitio Ilaya Monday night with its estimated 10 passengers, alighting and occupying three nearby houses.

With this development, military and police units were deployed to secure the area and prevent the ASGs from breaking out.

In the ensuing firefight, three soldiers were killed along with five of the bandits.

Fighting is still ongoing as of this posting, Arevalo said.

F3 TROOPS, 10

DOH confirms Dineros resigned PHIC position

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HE Department of Health confirmed Monday evening the resignation of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) interim president and CEO Hildegardes C. Dineros from his post.

“He (Dineros) resigned,” Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Ubial said in a text message.

As a replacement to his post, Ubial said that members of the PhilHealth Board then voted for Dr. Celestina Dela Serna as Interim PCEO during the board meeting.

Dela Serna is one of the Board Members from the

Overseas Filipino Workers sector.

The resignation of Dineros was also confirmed by Dr. Israel Francis Pargas, senior manager at PhilHealth’s Corporate Communication Department.

Meanwhile, insiders from PhilHealth who refused to reveal their names said that the resignation apparently surfaced due to power struggle between Dineros and Ubial for some aspects of PhilHealth operations.

However, the ‘feud’ was earlier denied by the Health Secretary citing that such was

FDOH, 10

800 aspirants in first PhiLSAT exam

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

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BOUT 800 aspiring law students for Davao testing area are expected to take the first Philippine Law School Admission Test to be administered this coming Sunday, April 16 at Jose Maria College, Davao City.

According to Mr. Dionisio Cervantes, Program Specialist of the Center for Educational Measurement Davao, there will be about 23 examiners in JMC to oversee the examinees.

“In each room, where there will be 30-40 examinees, there will be one examiner and two proctors to assist

the examiners in the distribution of the examination materials,” said Mr. Cervantes in an interview with Edge Davao.

He also said that the takers must only bring the necessary documents listed on the Bulletin of Information on the day of the examination, namely the PhiLSAT ID Form, official school ID or any government-issued ID with photo, notarized Certification of Graduation or original or certified true copy of Transcript of Records (TOR) if the examinee is already a college graduate, or notarized Cer-

tification of Candidacy for Graduation if the examinee is a graduating college student this current school year and PhiLSAT Examination Pass.

CEM further reminded the aspiring law students not to bring the prohibited items inside the building like bags of any kind, mobile phones and other electronic devices, recording or photographic devices and listening devices and media players.

CEM has been commissioned by the Legal Education Board to develop and administer the PhiLSAT. They have

also been the center to administer the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) for applicants seeking admission to Philippine medical schools.

Starting this year, PhiLSAT will be conducted yearly, making it the qualifying exam for aspiring law students according to the memorandum issued by LEB on December 29, 2016.

PhiLSAT will be administered in seven (7) sites around the country, namely Baguio City, Manila, Legaspi City, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City.

Duterte had ordered the Military to occupy the islands “and to claim it as ours”.

He said that he have asked the armed forces to build a structure there and put the Philippine flag as a sign that the country has claimed it.

“Those Oslands that we have occupied it’s already ours and will hang on to it,” he said.

Recently,China has ex-

pressed their concern over Duterte’s order of occupying the islands in the Kalayaan group of Islands.

“We hope that the Philippine side will continue to properly manage maritime disputes with Chinaand work with us to maintain the sound and steady growth of China-Philippine relationship,” Hua said.

Duterte not picking a fight with China over Kalayaan

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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ESPITE his order for Philippine troops to occupy the nine islands in the Kalayaan group of Islands, President Rodrigo Duterte said that China can relax for he is not pitching a fight against them.

Duterte said that he has no plan on getting involved in an international war and would like to maintain the friendship he had established

with China.

“China can relax. We are friends, we will not go to war,” he said. “We’re just trying to maintain the balance of geopolitical situation there.”

He said that he does not mean any harm to China, however, after the Philippines established occupancy on the nine islands no other countries will be allowed to make any exploration there.

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

Rody vows to bring home 5,000 OFWs from S. Arabia

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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T least 5,000 Overseas Filipino Workers who were stranded in Saudi Arabia are bound to go home after the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Middle East.

Duterte said that on his return to the Philippines after his visit to Saudi Arabia, he will bring home with him around 5,000 OFWs who were stranded there because they lacked documents.

“Those who have the clearance, I will fly them home. Those who were given clemency to where ever it was, that’s 5,000 of them I will bring them back,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that there is an ongoing repatriation in Saudi Arabia for foreign na-

tionals who do not have appropriate documents.

Around 15,000 Filipinos are stranded in Saudi Arabia for lack of documents.

Meanwhile, Department of Labor and Employment secretary Silvestre Bello said that they are targeting 15,000 stranded OFWs to return to the country this April.

Bello added that there are DOLE officials who are currently in Saudi Arabia right now to process the documents of the stranded OFWs. Aside from the 15,000 stranded OFWs there were also 31 Filipinos who were in the death row in the Middle East.

On the other hand, Duterte revealed that there were al-

NOT TO BE LEFT OUT. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio takes a selfie while his father, President Duterte, is delivering his departure speech before a state visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday afternoon at the Davao International Airport. Lean Daval Jr.

SAFETY FIRST FRODY, 10

Buses eyed to replace Davao City jeepneys Holy Week commuters told to take rides only in terminals D

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

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ITH the Holy Week celebration fast approaching, Davao City Overland Transport Terminal Manager Aiza Yusoph reminded passengers on their way home to ride only in public utility buses or vans stationed at the DCOTT. She said it is important that travelers take their rides only at

the DCOTT or in recognized satellite terminals to ensure their safety.

“I would like to remind everyone that aside from the Davao Terminal, our recognized satellite terminals are those located in Gaisano Mall, Tulip Drive, SM City and Victoria Plaza.

Furthermore, she said that

it is not safe for the commuters to board on a bus or van that was not stationed in the mentioned satellites because these public vehicles would not shoulder their insurance if they met an accident.

She also discouraged bus operators to pick up passengers along the highway for additional safety measures.

In addition for their Holy Week preparation, DCOTT has recently installed 20 CCTV cameras, two of which are pan-tiltzoom (PTZ) cameras that are capable of remote directional and zoom control. They will also deploy additional security personnel from the Task Force Davao and K-nine units in the terminal during the said occasion.

nal (DCOTT) daily during the Holy Week.

DCOTT manager Aizah Yusoph said they projected a 30 percent increase in the volume of passengers starting

Wednesday.

She said that bus companies will provide 300 to 350 additional trips to bring the daily trips to 1,000 in anticipation of the huge passenger

volume.

Yusoph said that on normal days with 650 to 700 trips daily, the passenger count is from 30,000 to 35,000.

Bus terminal braces for huge passenger volume

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N estimated 50,000 passengers bound for the different provinces and cities in Mindanao are expected to congest the Davao City Transport Termi-

FBUS, 10

AVAO City may embark on a High Priority Bus System (HPBS) that will address its need for a mass transport system amid a growing population.

Citing the initial findings of a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank on a transport system, Engr. Froilan Rigor, planning officer 4 at the City Planning Development Office, told reporters on Monday that experts are proposing a bus system to replace public utility jeepneys in some parts of the city.

Started sometime in the third quarter of 2016, Rigor said the study is expected to be completed by June 2017.

If the plan pushes through, Rigor, a member from government of the ADB’s pool of experts, explained that there will be special lanes for the HPBS. At the rate the city growing, he said it’s high time that it goes for an efficient mass transport system that could take a large number of passen-

FBUSES, 10

13 PA officials get promotions

13

SAFETY FIRST. A Task Force Davao personnel inspects bags and other belongings of province-bound passengers at the entrance of the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal on Tuesday. Lean Daval Jr.

gers compared to private vehicles and PUJs. He said the ADB is also studying how to cushion the adverse social impact once this project is implemented, most especially on the drivers and PUJ operators who risk losing their livelihood.

Among the recommendations, he said, is to absorb them as workers of the new bus units, give them livelihood assistance through acquiring their units, or organize them into cooperatives and then make them run the bus system.

Another possibility is to bring the PUJs to underserved areas like in Marilog District, although plans will be finalized upon the completion of the ADB study, he added.

Rigor said they expect the study would be another contentious topics at the Davao City Council because this is “something revolutionary” that must convince the local lawmakers it can be imple-

SENIOR Philippine Army officers were promoted to their next star rank during flag-raising ceremonies in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Monday This was disclosed by Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ray Tiongson in a statement Monday.

Promoted to Major General was 6th Infantry Division Commander, the former Brig.

Gen. Arnel Dela Vega.

While promoted to Brigadier Generals were Felipe B. Bejar Jr., Commander of the 51st Engineering Brigade; Perfecto M. Rimando Jr., Commander of the 801st Infantry Brigade; Glorivine R. Dida, Assistant Deputy Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division; Fernando T. Trinidad, Commander of the 903rd Infantry

Brigade; Francisco F. Mendoza Jr., Commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade; Felicisimo C. Budiongan, Assistant Deputy Commander of the Mechanized Infantry Division; Ramiro Manuel A. Rey, Commander of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne); Arnulfo C. Matanguihan, Commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade; Nixon M. Fortes, Commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade; Milfredo M. Melegrito, Commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade; Jose C. Faustino Jr., Commander of the 501st Infantry Brigade; and Manolo M. Samarita, Commander of the 602nd Infantry Brigade.

The ceremonies were presided over by PA commander Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda.

(PNA)

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

PH advances ASEAN’s bid to tap Japan on innovation

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BLESSINGS. Pastor Aury Bernaldez of United Church of Christ in the Philippines officiates the blessing of Zion Accuprint Publishing, Inc.’s new sticker machine in time for the 10th anniversary celebration of

the company and its sister company, Edge Davao’s 9th at its printing plant in Matina Pangi, Davao City on Monday night. Lean Daval Jr.

P-EAGA TIF cluster to prioritize connectivity, Halal value chain T

HE Philippines is keen about prioritizing air and sea linkages, as well as becoming part of the entire Halal value chain, in a bid to promote more trade and investment activities.

As a member-country of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), the Philippines is now moving towards increasing its connectivity within and outside the region.

Meanwhile, it also aims to maximize the potential of the Halal industry.

In a meeting at the latter part of last month in Davao City, the Philippine-EAGA Trade and Investment Fa-

cilitation (TIF) cluster has agreed to take the necessary steps to achieve its objective of increasing the economic activities of the country with its neighbors.

Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Arturo P. Boncato, Jr., the Philippine Senior Official to BIMP-EAGA, noted that for the Halal industry, for instance, there is still a lot that needs to be done.

He pointed out that the country has to move towards becoming part of the whole Halal value chain. This means that the country can maximize the presence of a huge Halal market, even at the local level.

“We have more than 10 million Filipino-Muslims.

That’s a market already,” Boncato said.

“We have no Halal restaurants in the airports. Our approach here can be domestic,” he added.

The availability of Halal slaughter houses is another opportunity that the country can look into. To date, there is only one Halal slaughter house in the country. It is located in Cotabato City.

For his part, DTI-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Regional Secretary Anwar A. Malang said that in capturing the Halal market, the sub-regional cooperation must look at it as an ecosystem, and not only focus on the food market.

“In ARMM, we are concerned of Halal because that’s our need,” he said, adding that it is about time to harmonize the standards of Halal certification.

DTI-Davao Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi emphasized on the need to fine-tune programs and projects to improve trade and investment facilitation in the sub-region.

Meanwhile, with the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025, Boncato emphasized on three things: 1) to see more convergence outside of the TIF cluster; 2) optimize the current fund; and, 3) encourage further the engagement of the private sector. DTI11/JMM

Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said not all banks were able to meet the deadline.

He said some players were more than ready to meet the target but others, including the big banks, did not meet the deadline due partly to the volume of cards to be replaced.

He said this is the reason why the central bank implemented the EMV Card Fraud Liability Shift Framework (ECFLSF) since Jan. 1 this year.

The BSP, in a statement issued in December 2016, said ECFLSF was a “market-based enforcement mechanism” and targeted to protect central bank-regulated financial institutions “from financial liability arising from losses on counterfeit card fraud.”

It explained that ”liability for this type of fraud shall shift to the BSFI (BSP-supervised financial institutions), which is not or is only partially com-

pliant with the EMV requirement.” ”This is considered fair and appropriate since the industry has been given more than three years to undertake full migration,” it said.

“That’s already, in a way, a market punishment,” Espenilla said but stressed that “we also still need another deadline.”

The BSP official said the

Businesses are also confident to get higher revenues, as 76 percent of the respondents said they expect an increase in revenues in the next 12 months. This went up from 58 percent in Q4 2016.

Profitability is likewise seen to improve within the period, as optimism rate climbed to 84 percent from 72 percent.

About 34 percent of businessmen are also expecting

better export performance in the next 12 months.

Investments in new buildings as well as in plant and machinery are also seen to increase.

However, employment expectations slightly declined to 52 percent in Q1 2017 from 54 percent in Q4 last year.

It was noted that the respondents are currently considering regulations and red

tape as major constraint in doing business in the country.

In Q1 2017 report, 28 percent of businessmen considers regulations and red tape as major constraint in doing business here, easing from a rate of 42 percent in Q1 2016.

Meanwhile, business leaders across the Asia Pacific have improved their business optimism in the last three months.

BSP eyes another deadline for banks’EMV-compliance

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HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) plans to set another deadline for Philippine banks’ EMV compliance.

EMV, which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, is a global standard for inter-operation of integrated circuit cards capable of authenticating point-of-sale transactions.

Philippine banks were required to be EMV-compliant

by Jan. 1, 2017 but BSP Deputy

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Business optimism in RP hits record high for Q1

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USINESS optimism in the Philippines has hit a record-high of 98 percent in the first quarter of 2017, according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR).

This rating was the highest since the last quarter of 2010.

Figures in Q1 2017 survey improved from 80 percent in fourth quarter last year.

FBUSINESS, 11

EPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary and 2017 ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) chair Ramon Lopez reported that the Philippines successfully advanced ASEAN’s objective to engage Japan on innovation, the inclusivity of the region’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) during the AEM Roadshow to Japan from 6 to 8 April 2017.

The ASEAN Delegation with ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh held a substantive discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Minister Hiroshige Seko of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and key local government officials to discuss measures to enhance ASEAN-Japan economic relations.

The Delegation also met with the Parliamentary Association for the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and some economic organizations such as the ASEAN–Japan Business Council and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

MSME development “We learned how Japanese start-ups make an impact on the economy through their innovative and creative ideas,” said Sec. Lopez, whose thrust at the domestic front is to empower MSMEs through an innova-

tion-led, productivity-oriented framework.

The Delegation traveled to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Wakayama and gathered insights on how Japan managed to gain its stature as a global leader for innovation. Specific sites visited were Hitachi Ltd., Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Panasonic Konosuke Matsushita Museum and Shima Seiki Manufacturing Ltd. The Delegation also met Osaka Governor Ichirō Matsui and Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura. The Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City governments have been long partners with Philippine government agencies in promoting investments of their small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines. Osaka City has become Manila’s Business Partner City since October 1989. On the other hand, Osaka Prefecture is the first prefecture to sign an investment promotion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in January 2016.

In September 2017, Osaka City will organize a business matching event between Japanese and the Filipino SMEs in automotive and aerospace parts manufacturing and electronics contract manufacturing.

Sec. Lopez also shared that parallel endeavors from

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Gov’t to shield next generation of Filipinos from huge infra gap

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INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said a massive infrastructure buildup, complemented by heavy investments in human capital formation and social protection for the poorest families, is the only way to shield the next generation of Filipinos from economic stagnation and preclude them from suffering the consequence of the huge infrastructure gap and insufficient spending on anti-poverty programs.

Such accelerated spending alone, which will require sweeping reforms in the country’s tax system via the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), will enable the Duterte administration to meet its target of making the Philippines an upper-middle income country by 2022 and a high-income economy in one generation or by 2040, Dominguez said.

Given the positive indicators of benign inflation, excess market liquidity and brisk Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth—the economy expanded 6.8 percent in 2016—now is the best time, he said, for the government to implement the CTRP so it can spend big on infrastructure, human capital and social protection.

“It is a matter of taking it and seizing the moment and making the hard decisions at this point in time. If we don’t do it, we will miss the boat,” Dominguez said at a recent forum.

Unless urgent pro-growth and anti-poverty programs are carried out right away, the Philippines’ “demographic sweet spot will have passed” and its citizens “will have become an aging population unable to maintain high inclusive growth rates,” he said.

“With the dramatic change in our demographics, the probability is high that the Philippines will never become a rich economy with a negligible poverty rate. This will be a calamity inflicted by failure to govern well,” he added.

Package One of the DOF’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) is contained in House Bill No. 4774, which was authored by Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua, who chairs the House ways and means committee.

The Cua-chaired panel voted in its 8th public hearing on the CTRP to “approve in principle” tax reform as a package and not on a piecemeal basis, subject to the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) that would draw up a substitute bill consolidating the proposed reforms by the Department of Finance (DOF) with other tax-related proposals by the lawmakers.

Dominguez has welcomed this move by Cua’s committee to “approve in principle” the first phase of the CTRP before the Lenten break of the Congress.

He said the decision of the

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

ECONOMY 5

DMCI Homes is Davao’s best developer T

HE country’s first Quadruple A builder developer, DMCI Homes, has been recognized at the Dot Property Philippines Awards 2017 as Best Developer in Davao City for its first development in Mindanao - Verdon Parc.

Dot Property Philippines Awards, the annual awards from one of the largest property portal, disclosed that Verdon Parc’s stunning development made it to earn the significant recognition. The property portal revealed “It is pleased to award Best Devel-

2017 award for Verdon Parc

oper in Davao City to DMCI Homes. The company has brought its high standards and core values to the city’s budding real estate market with Verdon Parc impressing all who see it.”

Located along Ecoland Drive corner Peacock Street, Verdon Parc is a three-hectare development consists of a single mid-rise building and three high-rise towers with lush greenery and first-class amenities.

Launched last year, Verdon Parc just recently welcomed its first batch of unit

owners with the completion of its only mid-rise building, Martel, consisting of less than 200 units of 1 and 2-bedroom offerings. The remaining tow-

ers will be completed in March 2020.

For more information on Verdon Parc and other DMCI Homes projects, call (632)

324-8888 (NCR) or (682) 2970447/ (682) 327-3438 (Davao) or visit the company’s official website www.dmcihomes.com News and other

lower prices and improve living standards, said the report.

However, trade is leaving many individuals and communities behind, notably in advanced economies, it said.

These economies have been incompetent in addressing trade shocks such as job losses, though job losses in certain sectors or regions have resulted from technological changes to a large extent, rather than from trade, said the report.

In face of trade shocks

and the absence of policies as countermeasures, the public has become more skeptical about the benefits of open trade, especially in advanced economies, it said.

It also noted that the sharp slowdown in global trade in recent years is both a symptom of and a contributor to low economic growth, and that trade openness has slowed down sharply in recent years as trade restrictions in some areas remain high and new restrictions

updates are also posted on the company›s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Exports up 11% in February IMF, World Bank, WTO urge nations to advance open trade

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ERCHANDISE exports in February this year has increased by 11 percent to USD4.78 billion from USD4.31 billion a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday.

Eight out of the country’s top ten exports made increments in its revenue in February.

Top gainers for the month of February were sectors of cathodes and sections of cathodes, of refined copper,

surging by 947 percent; other mineral products, up by 108 percent; coconut oil, up by 67 percent; electronic equipment and parts, up by 65 percent; metal components, up by 29 percent; other manufactures, up by 20 percent; electronic products, up by 16 percent; and chemicals, up by 10 percent.

On the other hand, machinery and transport equipment as well as ignition wiring set and other wiring sets used

FEXPORTS, 11

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EVERAL global financial institutions on Monday urged economies all over the world to advance open trade in an inclusive way.

“The role of trade in the global economy is at a critical juncture,” said a joint report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Increased trade integration has helped to drive economic growth, enhance productivity,

continue to grow since the global financial crisis.

The report called on economies to improve social safety nets and labor market policies, such as job search assistance and training programs.

It called for further trade integration by lowering restrictions on agricultural trade, reforming services and digital trade, upgrading bilateral and regional trade agreements, and mitigating trade adjustment costs. (PNA/Xinhua)

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

GenSan seeks malaria-free declaration

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EALTH personnel are pushing for the declaration of the entire General Santos City as malaria-free in the next two years.

Dr. Corazon Rodaje, malaria program coordinator of the City Health Office (CHO), said Monday the city is now on the pre-elimination stage for the disease after maintaining a clean record in terms of endemic or indigenous cases in

the last four years.

She said they expect to sustain such status until the end of the year to facilitate the city’s declaration as totally free from malaria.

“We’re already close to the (total elimination) stage and working double time to achieve that,” she said in an interview over Brigada News TV. According to the Department of Health (DOH), a city

or province may be declared as malaria-free if it sustains zero incidence of indigenous case of the disease for five consecutive years.

The CHO has not recorded any indigenous case of malaria within the city’s 26 barangays from 2013 to 2016.

But for the city to be declared as malaria-free, Rodaje clarified that nearby Sarangani Province should also achieve

such status.

Case records are not immediately available but Sarangani had been also working on the elimination of malaria in its seven municipalities, especially in remote barangays or communities.

The province had partnered up with Global Fund and Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. for the implementation of its enhanced malaria eradication

program.

As part of the CHO’s continuing interventions, Rodaje said they are closely monitoring several communities that have recorded malaria cases that originated from other areas.

She noted that malaria could easily be transmitted and spread through mosquitoes that might have bitten an infected person.

DPWH allots P50 million to build GenSan floodway

T PARTNERSHIP IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. Sarangani Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon confers with Regional Director Reynaldo Bungubung of the Department of Interior and Local Government during the first Provincial Preparedness and Partnership Dialogue on April 6. Bungubung stressed in his remarks the significance of “preparedness and partnership” in dealing

with disasters. The primary goal of preparedness “is to avert the loss of lives and assets which can be made possible by ensuring the safety and resilience of communities.” While partnership, like this dialogue, will harmonize interventions in the conduct of various disaster risk reduction management activities, Bungubung said. (Jake T. Narte/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

CDO councilor wants‘vaping’regulated

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CITY councilor in Cagayan de oro City on Monday pushed for an ordinance that would regulate “vaping” or electronic smoking (e-smoking) in public after the World Health Organization did not provide assurance that e-smoking is safe for human health.

Councilor Lourdes Gaane, a doctor and chair of the city council committee on health, said she is concerned about the proliferation of vaping in Cagayan De Oro. Gaane cited the position of the American Cancer Society, which stated that “inhaling a substance is not the same as

Maguindanao drug bust: 3 suspects arrested

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ITH the help of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), authorities busted Monday night an alleged drug den and arrested three members of a big time drug syndicate in Talitay town, Maguindanao.

Talitay is a small and isolated town in Maguindanao where big time illegal drug syndicates operate. Its mayor, Montasir Sabal, was tagged by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August last year as a “narco-politician” and a big time drug lord.

Sabal denied he was a drug lord but admitted he was into illegal drug trade before he was elected town mayor in 2013.

At 8 p.m. Monday, elements of the 19th Infantry Battalion backed by the Ma-

guindanao police public safety battalion raided the drug den in Barangay Poblacion, Talitay.

Lt. Colonel Robert Sarmiento, 19th Infantry Battalion commander, said authorities learned of the drug den and the people behind it from a local MILF leader.

The MILF has been providing the police and military with intelligence information about personalities engaged in the illegal drug trade in their bailiwicks.

Sarmiento told reporters the drug den operator, Bontua Bangan, managed to elude arrest when lawmen raided his home. But three of his men were caught in the act of sorting out methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) inside the drug den. (PNA)

swallowing it. There are questions about how safe it is to inhale some substances in the e-cigarette into the lungs.”

According to Gaane, the Canadian Cancer Society also backed the position of the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) about the possible ill-effects of e-smoking.

In the Philippines, then Rep. Eric Olivarez introduced a House bill in 2014 asking for the regulation of vaping on a national scale. Olivarez had classified vape as a drug and added that “any form of drug addiction cannot be countenanced by the State.” The bill is still pending in Congress. (PNA)

“That’s really a major concern for us so we’re maintaining the close monitoring of our communities,” she said.

The city last experienced a major malaria outbreak in 2008 that affected nearly 200 residents in Barangays Apopong and Labangal.

Three confirmed fatalities due to malaria were reported as a result of the outbreak.

(PNA)

HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has allotted around P50 million for the construction of another major floodway near the main commercial district of General Santos City.

Engr. Rey Francisco, chief of the DPWH city engineering district, said Monday they have opened the bidding for the floodway project, which will mainly cover a key portion of the flood-prone Aparente Street.

He said the floodway stretches about 1.3 kilometers, starting from the intersection of the national highway and Aparente Street to Block 8 of Barangay City Heights.

“We prioritized this project this year since that area is really a problem during the rainy season,” he said.

Portions of Aparente Street, which connects the city proper to Barangay City Heights and other nearby barangays, usually experience flooding during heavy rains that trigger severe traffic congestion.

Francisco noted the area easily gets flooded during rains due to the lack of proper drainage structures.

He noted that the volume of floodwaters along Aparentre street is usually significant as runoff water from nearby

areas settles there.

The official said the boxtype floodway will eventually connect with the main drainage canal along the national highway.

He was referring to the 2x2-meter floodway constructed by the DPWH along the national highway, which eventually extends to the Sarangani Bay. The DPWH had spent around P96 million for the expansion of the city’s drainage system from Barangao Lagao to the coastal village of Barangay Bula by way of Leon Llido Street.

The agency also expanded the drainage canal along national highway, specifically from the vicinity of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University to the corner of Santiango Boulevard.

The drainage canal stretches all the way to the city’s coasts by way of Santiago Boulevard, he said.

Francisco said he instructed their personnel to fast track awarding of the project’s contract to the winning bidder to facilitate its immediate implementation.

The project has an approved contract period of five months.

“We’re targeting to start the project’s construction this summer,” he added. (PNA)

SCOUTING. Scouts learn various activities such as marksmanship, basic first aid, emergency preparedness, tree planting, among others, during the Eastern Mindanao Region–Regional Summer Advancement Camp from April 8-11 at the 10th ID, Camp Manuel Yan in Mawab, Comval. (Maryel Lasaca/IDS ComVal)

7 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

SSS supports e-banking in Bangsamoro region

BETTER ROAD. A new farm-to-market road (FMR) in this barangay in the town of Salay in Misamis Oriental has not only benefitted farmers who now have a reliable road network to deliver their farm products to the market.

It has also provided relief to children who now have a convenient hike or ride to school. The FMR concreting was funded under DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). (Photo by Gian Enrique)

Better road frees farmers from woes, relief to schoolchildren

T

EOFILO Ubatay Jr., 53, grew up in barangay Membuli in the slope portion of this town burdened by a rugged road that has made it impossible for farmers like him to earn sufficiently.

“The road’s poor condition has been the problem of our village ever since. Even small trucks cannot reach near our farm areas because it is rocky and the terrain is uneven,” Ubatay said.

Ubatay recalls that farmers would carry their products like bananas, which is commonly grown in the village, like a relay, and haul it on either a makeshift carriage known as karosa pulled by carabaos or carried by horses.

“It was difficult. The task was laborious and it takes hours before our products reach the market,” he said.

Joan Caculan, another resident farmer, said that they pay

a hauling fee of P60 per sack of farm products like cassava, corn and banana to habal-habal or single-motor vehicles.

She added farmers incur production losses with products like banana getting battered with the road’s poor condition.

“Some products get rejected and it is a big loss to our income. We are left with little just enough for our daily sustenance,” she said.

But the concreting of a new farm-to-market road (FMR) in their village, which was completed in May last year, the burden of transport woes has been lifted off the shoulders of farmers like Ubatay and Caculan.

“We were able to really make use of the road and it has helped us a lot in transporting our products from the farm to the market since trucks can now enter near our farm areas,” Ubatay said.

Now, travel time has been cut in half, with some farmers now able to travel to the market in 30 minutes. Hauling costs have been reduced significantly from P60 to P25-30.

The 1.8-kilometer FMR was implemented under DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) with a cost of P18.6 million. Through its infrastructure component, PRDP aims to build reliable road networks that connect production areas to markets.

Membuli’s agricultural area is mostly planted with coconut, banana, corn and lanzones.

Resident-farmer Leonida Aquilam said that with the new road they plan to expand their area planted to lanzones, since “the road is now accessible.”

Relief to schoolchildren The new Membuli FMR is expected to benefit around 1,400 residents including

schoolchildren who used to traverse the difficult road going to their school.

“The children had to walk the pockmarked road and it gets worse when it rains. They even experienced stumbling over the slippery road,” Annieliz Odchigue, a teacher of Membuli Elementary School said.

But with the concreted road, Odchigue said that motor vehicles are now able to fetch and deliver the schoolchildren to the school.

“I noticed that we have more enrollees now and the parents cited the accessibility of the road as a reason,” she said.

According to Membuli Barangay Captain Fructoso Abejar, the barangay officials have assured that they will conduct regular cleanup drives along its shouldering to maintain the road that is a “long-answered prayer” for the people. (Jay M. Rosas, PRDP Mindanao)

T

HE Social Security System (SSS) has urged the banking community to explore and establish its electronic banking (e-banking) facilities in the armed-conflict region of Mindanao to further develop the economic opportunities that lies in the bountiful Land of Promise.

Social Security Commission (SSC), the governing body of SSS, Chairman Amado D. Valdez said that peace will eventually prosper in the armed-conflict area of Mindanao if the residents in the area are engaged in economic activities that can put food on their table, provide them decent shelter and employment, education and health facilities.

“I agree, let us give economic generation and economic development priority in the region, then peace order will follow. Only when there is an increase in economic activity, infrastructure development and employment generation, along with it, peace and order will be in place.” Valdez stressed in his key note address during the debut economic event of the Bangsa Moro Federal Business Council, Inc, (BMFBCI) held at F1 Hotel in Taguig last March 24.

Valdez noted this as he lamented the challenges faced

by SSS in covering employed and voluntary members in the Bangsamoro region.

“The unstable peace and order situation in the region is the biggest challenge faced by SSS in ensuring the coverage of employers and workers there.

It is difficult to convince people

of the need for social security protection when their physical safety is threatened on a daily basis, not to mention their job security and regular sources of income,” Valdez said, adding that SSS personnel’s safety were also at risk in conducting field investigations or case verifications in far-flung areas.

Valdez, likewise, stressed that the lack of banking facilities in the area was among the challenges of the pension fund since collection and disbursement activities of SSS rely greatly on the banking system.

“Members in far-flung areas often need to travel for hours to a city center where banking facilities are available.

For example in Basilan, there are several banks in Isabela City, but only one in Lamitan City,” he said.

Based on the latest data of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, there are about 1,486 banks branches in Mindanao. Of these number, only 19 were located in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

To date, SSS Mindanao Operations Group is divided in four divisions with 46 offices in the area. Total collections from the region reached P11.53 billion as of end of 2016, which represents only about 8 percent of the total contribution collections nationwide.

In terms of coverage, meanwhile, employers in Mindanao stood at around 109,000 or only 12 percent of total covered employers nationwide, while the individual SSS members of Mindanao was recorded at

from the processing plants of Mt. Matutum and Davao where we can stock and be made available to market vendors association in Metro Manila,” he said adding that DA is looking into establishing a network of small outlets such as sari-sari stores that would be accredited by DA. He said DA could provide chest freezers where meat producers can unload a certain number of kilos in every store to be made available in the neighborhood.

The hog raiser officials for their part pledge to helpstabi-

lize meat products especially in Metro Manila and peg the price of hog’s live weight at P115 (maximum). To immediately arrest the perceived shortage of meat, hog raisers will also transform their livestock weight to 8-10 kilos by extending the gestation period to 7-10 days.

Piñol said the current increased of demand of meat could be attributed to the cleansing campaign of DA against smuggled meat, which stops after reviewing the application and issuance of sani-

FSSS, 11

Smart shortlisted as Asia’s DA eyes outlets for meat products to curb price hike top digital services provider T

S

MART Communications is one of only three companies shortlisted at the prestigious Asia Communication Awards (ACA) as the continent’s best digital services provider.

Also in the running for the award are Indosat Ooredoo of Indonesia and Singtel Dash of Singapore. The winner will be announced on May 24 in an awarding ceremony in Singapore.

Smart’s Welcome Change campaign has also been shortlisted as Best Brand Campaign, along with projects from the Bankai Group, Airtel Business in India, and Progresif Cellular in Brunei.

Organized annually by London-based industry publication Total Telecom, the ACA recognizes outstanding performance by Asian carriers, multimedia content providers, vendors, and other communication service providers.

Digital transformation In 2016, Smart and parent company PLDT launched a $1-billion digital transformation program to enable their fixed and mobile networks to support the rising demand

for digital services. Smart has committed to progressively deploy LTE services to 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities by end-2018. The company is combining lowband frequencies for better indoor penetration and wider coverage, with high-band frequencies for additional capacity.

Smart has finished its LTE deployment in Boracay and Metro Davao, where average LTE download speed has quadrupled to 17 Mbps. Efforts are ongoing in Metro Cebu and Metro Manila, but improvements are already being felt. For instance, an average download speed of 16.3 Mbps and an average upload speed of 13.4 Mbps on Smart’s LTE service have been recorded in the southern Metro Manila cities of Las Piñas, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa.

Welcome Change To communicate its digital pivot, Smart unveiled a new logo resembling the Greek letter Delta which means change.

Smart also launched the Welcome Change campaign to encourage Filipinos to empower

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) intends to establish market outlets for livestock products where hog raisers could directly sell their meat products to Metro Manila consumers.

DA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol in a meeting with hog raisers association of Region 11 and 12 over the weekend in Davao City said marketing outlets will arrest the increasing prices of meat products due to perceived shortage of supply. The two regions are one of the leading producers of meat products in Mindanao, which

account to 60 percent.

“To address the high price of meat in Metro Manila, we are asking the hog producers of both regions to consider shipping their meat to Metro Manila and DA will subsidize its transportation cost,” he said adding that DA will also facilitate the establishment of market outlets for Mindanao meat producers to directly sell their products to Metro Manila consumers.

“We are looking (for an) emergency program where DA will establish freezer vans in Malate. Wewill bring in meats

FDA, 11

HOG RAISERS DIALOGUE. DA OIC-Regional Director Ricardo Oñate, Jr. (right) shares with Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (center) and officers of Hog Raisers

FSMART, 11 Association the status of hog production in Davao Region in a luncheon meeting held April 8 in Davao City. (Photo by Ronell Tangonan/DA-XI)

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

EDITORIAL

M

The real meaning of Lent

ILLIONS of the Catholic faithful in the country take a break for the observance of the Holy Week.

Expectedly, people are in the rush today to catch the last ride to their home provinces for the long weekend ahead.

While some take the Holy Week as a religious break, many of us have taken to the Lenten break as a holiday, a time for travels and adventures.

While the real meaning of Lent have not been the same as it was in the past, evolving as it is today as a break from the rigors of work, it is still important to understand why we observe this religious practice.

It has been said that the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and

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Resurrection of Christ. The better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart.

The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in us the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in our hearts.

By understanding this simple, yet deep meaning of Lent, the purpose of the season is best celebrated and not plainly spent to rest tired bodies.

More than the physical pain, it is that spiritual pain of being detached from our faith and the sacred practice of it because of our mundane preoccupation that must be eased away after this short but significant break.

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

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EDGEDAVAO

H

AVING facilitated investment missions and trade visits for the past decade, it is easy to see how possible investors are initially impressed by what we are presenting, only to be eventually turned off.

Why? The powerpoint presentations and promotion videos are tastefully done, the snacks served are delectable and the hotel that hosted the business conference did everything to make the guests feel welcome.

Yet, do investors really come? Are they looking to make a quick buck off the markets or do they intend to put long term money into establishing manufacturing or agricultural enterprises that employ locals in the long term?

The answer: investors looking into hard investments like building the value adding and job generating

T

HE Philippines has the highest number of depressed people in Southeast Asia, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Health. In fact, one in 5 adult Filipinos suffer from mental or psychiatric disorder.

It is not surprising why suicide cases in the country has been growing over a period of 20 years. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) reported the Philippines has suicide rates (per 100,000) of 2.5 for men and 1.7 for women as of 1993.

“But these numbers don’t necessarily tell the entire story,” wrote Lila Ramos-Shanani in her column for Philippine Star. “According to the WHO, they probably represent only a portion of the whole, because suicides statistics are vulnerable to under-reporting in a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines.”

Maria Theresa Redaniel, May Antonnette Lebanan-Dalida, and David Gunnell, authors of a study entitled, “Suicide in the Philippines: time trend analysis (1974-2005) and literature review,” wrote that the most commonly used methods of suicide were hanging, shooting and pesticide ingestion. In non-fatal attempts, the most common methods used were ingestion of drugs or pesticide ingestion. Family and relationship problems were the most common problems reported.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

9

For once, real public investments: Part 1: infrastructure brings real investors in? manufacturing establishments look for a multitude of factors: raw material availability, good credit, affordable labor costs and the right infrastructure in the area to support the investment.

Will credit ratings alone bring investments?

So we inherited good credit ratings from previous years. Credit ratings only tell us how good it is to lend money in a certain country and its government. It is no guarantee whatsoever that the returns on investment will actually be obtained.

Even the best laid and cleverly designed investments borne out of well prepared feasibility studies fail.

Will cheap labor bring investments?

We tried leveraging on cheaper labor than those in advanced countries in the 90’s, building industrial estates and encouraging Korean, Jap-

MY TWO CENTS’ John Tria anese and Taiwanese investments in component, garment and other investments that are meant for export.

Incentives and tax breaks were given to them for five year terms in unionfree zones that pushed industrial

peace and shielded them from many labor laws.

As the 2000s came in, many moved to China, where labor was cheaper, by far.

So what really brings in long term, hard investments?

Here is an illustration: Suppose a foreign company intends to build a coconut processing plant using largely affordable and widely available locally grown coconut as a raw material. The intent of course will allow local coconut producers a new market for their products, and create income opportunities far beyond the 60 direct hires the company will engage.

After all, in many areas in the country, coconut farmers are poor and depend on traders to buy their harvests for a pittance, which the trader may sell for a higher margin.

Having bad roads will increase

the price of logistics, and having ports far away will increase handling and logistics costs even more. Even assuming the coconuts were free, the eventual downstream cost of sending products, obtaining the right packaging, and even higher insurance and security costs defeats whatever gains are to be made. Business is said to be at high cost, deterring investment.

Add peace and order issues and local corruption among government officials and you have a clear recipe for investment deterrence. Cheap labor, good material availability and incentives may be no match for an area with poor infrastructure and poor peace and order.Whatever gains made from the fiscal incentives are offset by the uncertainties. (to be continued) For reactions: facebook.com/ johntriapage

tients to be institutionalized as much as possible. Instead, they should be cared for at the community level or at home, she explained.

Based on a survey conducted in 2000 by the National Statistics Office, mental illness is the third most common form of disability in the country – after visual and hearing impairments. For every 100,000 Filipinos, about 88 of them suffer from mental illness due to heredity, psychosocial development and substance abuse.

In Davao City, Dr. Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte – a councilor of the third district – has filed an ordinance entitled “Mental Health Code of 2016,” which if passed will “uphold the right of the people to mental health and encourage mental health consciousness among them.”

Dr. Villafuerte, a medical doctor who once studied psychology at the St. Paul University Manila, said the ordinance has eight objectives.

The first four are: promote a shift from a hospital-based system to a strengthened community-based mental health care delivery system; reorient and modernize the existing mental health facilities; integrate mental health care in the general health care delivery system; and promote, prevent and manage mental health at all levels and treat and rehabilitate persons with mental disability.

The remaining four objectives

are as follows: provide access to comprehensive health care and treatment to ensure a well-balanced mental health program in the community and hospital; establish a multi-sectoral joint network of mental illness or disability and the management of mental health problems among vulnerable groups; protect and promote the mental health of the people through a multi-disciplinary approach; and provide adequate support and follow-up mechanisms for the discharged.

Meanwhile, the statistics from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 showed some 3.29 million Filipinos or 3.3 percent of the population were suffering from depressive disorders while 3.07 million or 3.1 percent were suffering from anxiety disorders.

American president Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are about as happy as they choose to be.”

He knew better. He went through much anguish in his life – the death of his fiancée, lost elections, the Civil War, and other major disappointments.

At one period of his life he was so depressed he considered suicide.

But Lincoln chose to overcome his depression. He chose to be happy and obtained inner joy and peace in those last years before he was assassinated by a mentally-disturbed man.

Not just in the head

“While suicide rates are low in the Philippines, increases in incidence and relatively high rates in adolescents and young adults point to the importance of focused suicide prevention programs,” the study concluded. “Improving data quality and better reporting of suicide deaths is likewise imperative to inform and evaluate prevention strategies.”

More often than not, most of those who commit suicide are men and in their twenties. Luceno Bejona, a security guard under the Paseca Security Agency, was caught by surprised when heard a big bang at the entrance-exit of the parking lot of one of the biggest malls in Davao City some years back.

Bejona was at the ground floor at the time. So, he tried to find out what the noise was all about. He was shocked to see a bloodied man, wearing a white polo shirt and black cargo pants, lying face down.

The victim was later identified.

In his Facebook account, the victim wrote that he was planning to do it.

“I decided to go hindi dahil sa kasalanan ko ngaun… dahil matagal ko na tong plano, sana pala ginawa ko na noon di na sana ako nka gawa pa ng ibang kasalanan at makapanakit ng damdamin ng ibang tao,” he wrote.

To a comment to his status by a friend who was telling him not to do something drastic, he replied: “Dli ni sya dautan teh mao jud ni sya akong

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

disisyon (This is not wrong, sister, this is really my decision).”

The country has only one psychiatrist for every 250,000 people, admitted Dr. Paulyn Ubial, secretary of the Department of Health (DOH).

The figure is far from the ideal ratio of one is to 50,000. As such, her department is planning to train general practitioners, rural doctors, and municipal and city health officers to be mental health providers.

“We’re also training psychologists to give mental health first aid,” Dr. Ubial was quoted as saying by the state-run Philippine News Agency during a media briefing held at the DOH media relations unit in Manila on the occasion of World Health Day. According to the health secretary, she does not want mental health pa-

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

Duterte... FROM 2 Duterte also announced that he will sign an executive order renaming the Benham Rise to Philippines reefs or the Philippine rise.

“On the other side, the Benham rites, facing Tuguegarao that’s also ours and when I come back maybe I will be signing an Executive Order renaming it the Philippine reefs or the Philippine rise,” he said.

He said that he would like to establish the claim of the country on the islands before other countries stock their weapons there.

He added that he does not want the Philippines to be involved in any international war reason why he would like to maintain the good relationship between China and even the United States.

ready discussions about those Filipinos who were abused by their employers in the Middle East.

Duterte though, did not disclose any further details.

Duterte arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday evening as the first part of his trip in the Middle East.

He is set to meet with

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to to seek ways of further broadening cooperation, particularly in politico-security and defense, trade among others.

After his visit to Saudi Arabia Duterte will go to the Kingdom of Bahrain and then proceed to Doha, Qatar.

Rody... FROM 3 LONG TIME COMING. A man passes by a grader machine which is being used for the rehabilitation of Sta. Ana Port in Davao City on Tuesday.

The city government of Davao is positioning the port to be one of the city’s tourist destinations in the coming months. Lean Daval Jr.

Smear... FROM 1 and Cora Lina in Laak; Pedro Pandagay in Mabini; Danilo Nadal and Edwin Catog in Pantukan; all in Compostela Valley province, and Elias Pureza in San Isidro, Davao del Norte.

Cabales pointed out that based on their research by gathering records from the PNP the reported deaths of said individuals are still under investigation.

“Suspects are still unidentified and the PNP has not es-

tablished any motives behind the killings of these individuals,” he added.

Cabales reiterated his call to KARAPATAN and its allied groups to go beyond their usual communist propaganda lines and seek justice for these alleged victims through the rule of law and not through press releases and statements.

“The allegations against our soldiers are therefore unfounded without any factual and legal basis,” he said. (PNA)

our target market who are students, call center agents and office employees since this area is a business center and cyberzone,” added Won. Aside from grilled chicken and seafood, Emilio’s grill also offers other Oriental nonpork dishes such as Chinese Watsai soup and seaweed soup.

A self-proclaimed risk-taker, Won expressed high hopes on the success of her business despite the burgeoning competition among restaurants in the city.

Meanwhile, gracing the event was Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio stressed the city government’s thrust on assisting the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) l, being one of her 10-point agenda, because it is one of the major economic drivers of the city.

“Our focus really is the micro, small and medium enterprises. Though looking at them individually they seem small but combined they’re big. Multi-million investments

of one firm is small against the combined MSMEs, they really can spur development in our local economy,” Duterte said.

She said the LGU is now working closely partnership with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) in making Davao more business-friendly to businesses especially the MSMEs. “We want their businesses to be sustained, not just for short-term,” she said pointing out the ease of doing business will be her administration’s top priorities.

The Mayor added, although the city government has been keen on the investments coming in the city, the LGU welcomes investments coming from both big firms and MSMEs. In a report from Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC), the number of businesses in Davao City escalated by 7.71 percent to 39,800 in the third quarter of 2016 from 36,950 of the same period in 2015.

To prevent long queues at the terminal entrance, Yusoph said the security personnel conducting baggage inspection will be augmented.The entry and exit points of the terminal are guarded

by Task Force Davao.

She said the terminal is equipped with CCTV cameras mounted at the entrance and exit points and the lounging area for passengers. Police officers are also deployed in

the vicinity.

DCOTT is serving buses plying to and from General Santos City and Maguindanao, South Cotabato and North Cotabato provinces in the southern part of the city.

Buses also ply the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Butuan and Bukidnon province. It is also the hub of Philtranco that ferries passengers from Davao City to Pasay City.

(PNA)

New... FROM 1

Bus... FROM 3

3 troops... FROM 2 He added that the Bohol incident highlighted the importance of coordination and cooperation between civilians and military authorities in

breaking down possible terrorists plots.

Tuesday’s clash in Bohol with suspected ASG elements took place shortly after the US

just a matter of misunderstanding.

The Health chief also denied that the Board ousted Dineros and the decision came

from Dineros himself.

“We did not oust him, he resigned,” the Health official said.

She also said that Diner-

os was among the members of the PhilHealth Board who voted for Dela Serna as his replacement during an emergency meeting. (PNA)

mented here for the greater good.

If push comes to shove, he said, this project maybe implemented in the latter part of 2018 or early 2019.

He said the new bus system will be introduced in phases.

He said if the city council approves it, they plan to make the HPBS “flexible” with the possible construction of the proposed monorail project by China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co.

On January 23, Jiang Zhiping, the Chinese company’s planning and management deputy director said his group was keen on pursuing the project to ease traffic at the downtown area.

“The monorail is almost the cheapest urban transit in cities. For China, monorail is very popular now and secondly, it does not occupy roads.

The monorail is very light and the structure is very simple,” he said at that time.

This monorail project

will take about three years to complete – one year for engineering and planning and two years for the construction.

“The Chinese are very interested but these are all preliminary and there is no firm commitment that they will invest. It’s the barometer – commitment if the firm wants to invest, unless we see a firm commitment signed… Nothing on the ground yet. As of today, more serious is the bus,” Rigor said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/ MindaNews)

ASEAN and Japanese business communities to create lasting partnerships with MSMEs were observed during the business matching event held on 7 April, on the sidelines of the 2017 AEM Roadshow.

Also on the sidelines, the ASEAN-Japan Trade and Industry Ministers reaffirmed commitment to strengthen economic and industrial cooperation, in line with the ASEAN-Japan Strategic Economic Cooperation Roadmap.

“Included in the cooperation is to connect ASEAN SMEs with the global value chain, where SMEs will be supported thru capacity building, networking and business matching and enabling of new industries and start-ups,” Sec. Lopez said.

expand to more than 3 billion, thus representing a huge integrated market base. ASEAN is committed to work with Japan and other RCEP participating countries to come up with a modern, comprehensive, high quality, and mutually beneficial agreement.

Meanwhile, ASEAN-Japan Trade and Industry Ministers agreed to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, creating new industries, as well as social agenda on mobility, energy and healthcare thru cutting-edge technology. Business collaborations started with the launch of ASEAN-Japan Innovation network, according to the trade chief.

The Ministers welcomed the proposal of Philippines to organize regular ASEAN-Japan Trade Fair to promote the best of products in the region and the respective branding as well.

On RCEP, the Ministers also considered the possibility of having phased agreement or a building-block approach, completing areas on trade in goods and services, rules of origin, trade facilitation and intellectu-

al property rights.

“RCEP aims to be inclusive and innovation-led since it will include provisions that will support MSME development, e-commerce, human resource and capacity building, education, trade, finance, business matching, technical cooperation and market promotion and safety nets. A special study is being conducted to find ways to reduce non-tariff measures and remaining trade barriers,” he added.

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Innovation, regional economic partnership During an informal AEM– METI consultations, the Delegation discussed ASEAN-Japan economic relations, in particular the ongoing RCEP negotiations. Sec. Lopez reiterated that with RCEP, the current ASEAN market of 600 million could

Embassy in Manila issued a travel advisory to its nationals cautioning them from visiting the Central Visayas, Cebu and Bohol.

PH’s ASEAN chairmanship With the Philippines taking chairmanship of ASEAN 2017, the theme is focused on “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.” The Economic Ministers are promoting “inclusive, innovation-led growth” for shared prosperity in the region in relation to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

The three strategic measures to achieve this theme include increasing trade and investment, integrating MSMEs in the global value chains and developing an innovation-driven economy.

Arevalo said they were now ascertaining on whether this incident had any connection with the US travel advisory. (PNA) Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Extension of Validity of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate an AIRCONDITIONED TAXI Service Case No. R11-EV-TX2017-D-946 (2012-XI-00946)

ROSIE I TAN, Petitioner

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a AIRCONDITIONED TAXI service on the route: WITHIN DAVAO CITY to any point in REGION XI with the use of TEN (10) units, which Certificate will expire on March 27, 2018. In the petition filed on April 4, 2017, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said Certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on APRIL 24, 2017 at 09:20 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Atty. TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ, Chief Transportation Development Officer/Officer-In-Charge, this 4th day of April 2017 at Davao City.

Atty. CATLEYA B. ACAYLAR Attorney IV

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

WOMEN METRO MOM A1

can be worn separately and casually, adding a fresh and feminine touch to other custom-made creations, as well as prêt-à-porter classics and edgy pieces.

All the hard work and dedication first paid off when opportunity came for her to work with icons such as Joan Bitagcol and retail magnates such as Hindy Weber – Tantoco, who played a significant role in shaping her as an entrepreneur and a creative individual.

In 2014, Gabbie joined a competition organized by the Fashion Design

Council of the Philippines and received a special award for her collection which followed the theme of ‘Today’s Terno’. Two years after, she took center stage twice at the Manila Fashion Festival, and was invited to be one of the featured designers in notable trunk shows and artisanal fairs --- all of which paved the way for her to get noticed by local media and the big names in the industry. Her growing popularity gained international traction and she scored an invitation to showcase her work at the Vancouver Fashion Week in

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

March 2017.

Gabbie remains humble despite all the success and attention.

“I consider myself a young designer who still have much to learn. I want to keep the creativity and passion alive by expanding my knowledge and experience, in different ways and means. Over time, I’ve learned that you need not rush to make your own mark in the industry. It will come at your own time.”

Find out more about Gabbie and her designs by checking her Instagram account, @gabbisarenasph.

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

THE NIGHT WAS FILLED WITH BLACK AND GOLD as ladies and gents paraded the red carpet of Visayas ballroom during the first Toshi Tim Land, inc. Annual Awards held at Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City on March 28, 2017.

The homegrown company is the developer behind Oakridge Residential Estate, a mid-cost to high-end subdivision located in Indangan, Davao City.

The program was graced by Toshi Tim Land, Inc. top officials, real estate broker partners, representatives from Asia United bank (AUB), Chinabank, and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Also present was Davao City councilor and majorityfloor leader of the city council Bernard Al-ag.

Welcoming the guests, Toshi Tim Land, Inc. CEO Romualdo dela Peña expressed his gratitude and hopes on the success of the company

and its partners.

The program highlighted the awarding of the company’s top producers for 2016 for sales representatives, unit managers, and brokers.

The top three sellers of the year are Anthony Leuterio who received P850,000, Robert O. Baste with P800,000 and Emily Jane Calibo with P150,000.

Aside from recognizing their partners, the program also featured its own version of runway modelling competition with Toshi Tim Land Next Top Model where Ryan Sayson in his black suit and gold tie bested the male category while Geraldine Cañada, flaunting her black jumpsuit, won among the fe-

males.

To add more fun and excitement in the program, a raffle draw was also held.

According to dela Peña, the annual awards aimed not only to recognize their partners but to motivate and inspire them to perform even better in the years to come. He added, the project has already attained 50 percent sales out of 520 units.

The CEO also expressed interest in acquiring new properties to develop for residential projects. He said he is eyeing the Island Garden City of Samal as their next location.

“As of now, we are already 40 percent stable on land grading,” his update on the project construction.

In 2016, the company hit an annual sales of P153 million, marking a 300 percent increase from P45 million in 2015.

The company attributed this success not only to their partners but to the election to presidency of then Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Last year, the company’s peak season was in August, the Kadayawan Festival season where most Davaoenos come home to celebrate with their loved ones.

Toshi Tim Land, Inc. is a housing developer based in Davao City. It is owned by Filipinos and Japanese entrepreneurs.

The company originated from its international import-export business based in Japan. With its vision to provide Dabawenyos more housing options, Toshi Tim Land joined the real estate arena.

The company’s first project is strategically located at Indangan, Buhangin District, Davao City called Oakridge Residential Estate. The subdivision is conceptualized as a Japanese-themed community reflected on its house model designs.

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Toshi Tim Land holds first annual awards

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

COMPETITIVE EDGE 11

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committee to pass tax reforms as a package rather than on a piecemeal basis is a step closer for the Congress to help the Duterte administration fund its ambitious agenda to sustain the high-growth momentum, dramatically cut poverty and transform the country into a high middle-income economy by 2022.

Dominguez expressed the hope that the other members of the House of the Representatives as well as the senators would similarly see the urgency of passing this tax reform package in full “to set the economy on its irreversible path to high—and inclusive—growth under the Duterte presidency.

According to Dominguez, the government would have to spend some $180 billion or about P8 trillion between now and 2022 to close the immense infrastructure gap, which would, in turn, help ensure that the poorest communities in the country have fair access to quality goods and services as well as business opportunities, thus realizing the Duterte administration’s ultimate goal of making growth inclusive for every Filipino.

But to carry out this massive infrastructure buildup, the government cannot continue making do with low revenue collections, brought about by a complicated, unfair and inefficient tax system, he said.

“If we all agree that we have an infrastructure gap, you have to ask yourself, how are we going to finance them? Can we go continuously under a system where we have a low tax rate, low revenue collection, and still close that infrastructure gap?”

Dominguez said.

“Our society needs to invest

in infrastructure if we are going to take that next big step to bring ourselves to middle-income status and finally to high-income status,” he added.

Dominguez said that when the DOF was studying ways to improve revenue collections, one thing that stuck out was that excise taxes on petroleum products have not been adjusted to account for inflation for almost 20 years now, despite the low prices.

“You look at the situation now: you have generally a low inflation rate, you have generally a low interest rate, you have a stable currency, you have a low price of fuel. If you do not take advantage of that situation to change your tax structure, you are being very irresponsible. So with all these favorable factors, we think that now is the time to adjust the taxes on fuel to reflect the erosion in the value of money,” Dominguez said.

He pointed out that increasing the excise tax on fuel would translate into a retail price that is still below what it was two and a half years go.

Also, a study done by the DOF showed that the top 2 million households, or the richest 10 percent account for almost 60 percent of fuel consumption, while the richest 1 percent, or about 200,000 households, consume 20 percent of petroleum products, he said.

To cushion the impact of the increase in fuel excises on the country’s poor and other vulnerable sectors, he said the DOF will put in place various social protection programs, such as conditional and unconditional cash transfers, expanded PhilHealth coverage and cash cards for operators and drivers of public utility vehicles. (PR)

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PLDT initiates rollout of fiber Internet in Mindanao

T

ELECOMS and digital services provider PLDT Inc. has deployed its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities in General Santos City, making it the first ‘Fibr City’ to deliver faster broadband Internet in Mindanao.

The FTTH rollout will address the data connectivity needs of the whole SOCCSKSARGEN region which comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Saranggani.

“GenSan’s robust export industry and burgeoning medium to large enterprises, as well as its growing and diverse population, fits the profile of a Fibr City,” PLDT First Vice President and Head of Home Business Oscar Enrico A. Reyes Jr explained in a statement.

The rollout of the PLDT fiber Internet is part of the company’s ongoing expansion plans to provide faster Internet services to residences.

“PLDT Home Fibr will

provide GenSan’s residents with the platform, the power and the connection they need to take advantage of the vast opportunities in these rapidly evolving digital times,” according to Reyes.

Residents in the city may now experience equal upload and download speeds of up to 1 gigabits per second (GBPs) and gain access to entertainment and gaming content from PLDT Home partners and renowned providers like iflix, Netflix, Fox+, and iWant TV, among others, at subscription fees of as low as Php 1,899 per month.

Families will also enjoy added peace of mind with home security devices such as the home monitoring system Fam Cam, the cyber security platform Fam Zone and the multi-functional kiddie gadget Smart Watch.

“We are excited and proud to be among the first Fibr cities of PLDT. We are looking forward to this continued partnership that will

bring world-class internet service to homes and businesses in our city,” General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said.

PLDT completed earlier this year its first ever “Fibr City” project with the rollout of FTTH facilities in Toledo City, Cebu, serving the fast-growing city’s residents and its mining and tourism industries.

PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said that the telco company aimed to further increase the number of Smart Homes and Fibr Cities across the country.

With a footprint of around 2.8 million homes passed as of end-2016, PLDT is eyeing to expand the coverage of its FTTH network to about 4.4 million homes passed by the end of the year, making available the ultra-fast internet connection to more Filipino families in various parts of the country.

It has started to deploy

hybrid fiber technologies such as Huawei Technologies’ G.fast which can boost data speeds of up to 600-700 megabits per second (Mbps) to strengthen its fiber Internet services.

PLDT envisions that all of its subscribers will be in “smart homes” by end-2018.

Enabled by its combined FTTH and fiber-fast services, PLDT will continue to have a robust and efficient platform for offering its growing portfolio of entertainment, “peace of mind,” and other “Smart Home” services.

PLDT Group has invested over PHP 300 billion or USD 6 billion over the last 10 years to build its integrated fixed and wireless network, which includes the country’s most extensive fiber transmission and distribution infrastructure which now has 150,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables that support the growing data traffic of its fixed line and mobile networks. (PNA)

central bank needs to set a “hard deadline” for EMV compliance but admitted that there is a challenge regarding tailor fitting.

He said sanctions would be put in place once the new deadline had been set but also stressed that “in between that there’ll be a tailor fitted deadline depending on their level of progress and their challenges.”

He said banks were required to submit an update on their EMV-compliance and their commitments on how they would meet the requirements.

He added that he would submit a report to the BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) regarding the progress of EMV compliance among banks. (PNA)

in vehicles, aircrafts and ships declined their exports receipts by 17 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Electronic goods remained the top exported goods for the country in February, accounting for 51.6 percent of the total revenues in the said month.

Electronics exports improved to USD2.47 billion this year from USD2.13 billion February 2016.

This is followed by other manufactures with revenues increasing to USD345 million; machinery and transport equipment with exports amounting to USD240 million;

ignition wiring set and other wiring sets used in vehicles, aircrafts and ships with shipments reaching to USD179 million; and cathodes and sections of cathodes, of refined copper with revenues valuing at USD141 million.

Top export destinations for Philippine products in February this year include the United States of America, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore.

Meanwhile, two-month exports revenue this year grew by 17.4 percent to USD9.97 billion from USD8.5 billion in the same period last year. (PNA)

Business confidence in the region increased to 39 percent in Q1 2017 from Q4 2016’s 30 percent.

Emerging economies in the Asia Pacific are more optimistic than the developed economies, as the former expects better revenue and profitability as well as anticipating more investment in plant and machinery.

“We’ve witnessed a split between the developed and emerging Asia-Pacific regions for some time now, so it’s encouraging to see the region’s developed economies experience a positive swing in the

pendulum,” said P&A Grant Thornton Chairperson and CEO Marivic Españo.

“With confirmation of a US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, at least businesses can now begin to manage the fall-out.

Many will be looking to see how trade relations with the US pan out in future and, in the meantime, the corridor to China for exports looks positive as its economy continues to recover,” Españo added.

The IBR is a quarterly global survey of 2,400 businesses across 36 economies.

(PNA)

tary, and phytosanitary import clearance and identified fake importers.

“There was really unexpected and sudden demand for meat and all the while I thought that we did something wrong [but] it is actually a result of something we did right,” he said.

“On a long term, we will look into high cost of grains and feeds as we bring grains farmers into the equation and get them organized,” Sec. Piñol said as high prices of feeds was one of the identified factors causing the high prices of meat products. (Noel T. Provido/ DA-XI)

about 4.9 million or 14 percent of total individual SSS members nationwide.

“Just to give you a few snapshots, in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, we have 1,358 covered employers, over 15,000 covered employed workers, and 20,856 self-employed and voluntary members. Collections in the three provinces totaled P68.25 million for 2016,” Valdez said.

For SSS’ part, Valdez said that it will continue coverage and collection activities in the

region but will also focus more on establishing linkages and opening service offices.

“There is a need to open a service office in Lamitan City, Basilan, while we are also looking into upgrading the Tawi-Tawi service office into a full-service branch,” he said.

The use of G-Cash for contribution and loan payments, according to Valdez, will also be promoted since mobile phone usage and connectivity is more reliable and easier than bank transactions.

themselves through digital and mobile innovations.

To help Filipinos discover what the digital life has to offer, Smart is expanding its library of relevant content through partnerships with the likes of iflix, Netflix, Cignal, ABS-CBN’s iWantTV, and recently, Fox. Smart is also partnering with device makers like Vivo, Oppo, O+ USA, MyPhone, and Starmobile to be able to offer smartphones, especially LTE devices, at different price points.

On top of these efforts, Smart continues to introduce

affordable and value-packed products such as GigaSurf50 which offers 1.3GB of data valid for three days, for only P50.

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String of int’l accolades Smart has won several awards at the ACA, including Operator of the Year in 2011 and 2012.

Last year, Smart TechnoCart – a mobile digital laboratory donated to public schools to develop literacy among kindergarten students – won the Social Contribution Award. (PR)

12 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

Matina Enclaves’ March Top Sellers honored

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

A

njb@edgedavao.net

TOP Sellers Banquet as tribute to another productive sales period was hosted by the Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco) for its Top Sellers and Top Producer Realties for the month of March.

Topnotchers for March were the stars of the regular luncheon tribute held at the Kamayo Cafe of The Royal Mandaya Hotel on April 7, Friday.

“One productive month after another. What can we ask for? Matina Enclaves’ success is really the handiwork of its human resources—the sales people and the partner realty firms,” said Gerald Kent Garces, project head of Matina Enclaves.

The Top Sellers of the month are: 1st - Ofelia Genodepanon - Furog Realty; 2nd - Dollybeth Relampagos - ROI | Property Depot; 3rd

- Veljean Villaraiz - Three V Realty; 4th - Solomon Bañez - Bañez Realty; 5th - Estela Lovitos - Ortiz Realty; 6th - Christine Jamison - Kanapi Realty; 7th - Jeraldine Cañada - Explorer Davao Realty; 8th - Dexter Besinan - Besinan Realty; 9th - Emily Vitualla – Properties; and 10th - Enjielyn Viggoson - Albas Realty.

The Top Realties are: 1st - Furog Realty; 2nd - Leuterio Realty; 3rd - Ablas Realty;

4th - Explorer Davao Realty; and 5th - Property Depot | ROI. Matina Enclaves, the maiden venture of Esdevco, is a prime mixed use real estate development by the Davaobased real estate development firm which is owned by the Escandor family, known for its diverse business in secu-

rity services and hospitality.

On top of the business empire is President and CEO Glenn Escandor who is known to be hands on with the project.

Esdevco has already sold five residential condominiums with Building 1/B nearing completion. (NJB)

13 HOLY WEEK FEATURE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

Mary Magdalene: First witness of Christ’s resurrection

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

E

VERYONE was still sleeping. But Mary Magdalene along with other women – Mary the mother of James, and Salome (the mother of James and John) were already awake that early Sunday morning. They were all going to the burial site of Jesus Christ. Their main purpose: to sprinkle more spices on the corpse.

Jesus, as a result of cardiac arrest when he was crucified, was buried on Friday afternoon. Since the following day was Sabbath, they were not allowed to do what they wanted to do. So, they planned of doing it on a Sunday morning.

Just after sunrise, the women went to the tomb. They were completely surprised by what they saw. They were wondering among themselves who would roll away the stone for them from the entrance to the tomb, when they looked up and saw that the stone, huge as it was, had been rolled back already.

When they entered the tomb, they saw that the corpse was no longer there. Instead, they met a young man (actually an angel disguising as such), who told them: “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”

Mary Magdalene was shocked hearing those words. She never thought Jesus would be raised from the dead – as He told them before. Although she was completely surprised by the turn of the event, she was not altogether happy. Who would believe them – a bunch of women who witnessed the missing body?

The idea of women as primary witnesses does not seem very startling to people in the 20th century, but it was a revolutionary concept at the time.

In the first-century Palestine, women were on a very low run of the social ladder. There are old rabbinical sayings that said, “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than delivered to women” and “Blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.”

Perhaps no figure in history is as controversial or mysterious as Mary Magdalene.

Although there are some records about Jewish society in ancient Palestine 2,000 years ago, very little is known about Mary. The Bible provides no personal details of her age, status or family.

Mary means “wise woman” or “lady.” It is a Greek form of the Hebrew Miri-

am or Mariamme, and was the most popular woman’s name at the time of Jesus. Mary came from a town called Magdala, on the western side of the Sea of Galilee. That was the reason why she was called Mary Magdalene.

Among the women who are specifically named in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene’s name is one of the most frequently found. In Matthew 27:56, the author names three women in sequence: “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.”

In the Gospel of Mark, the author lists a group of women three times, and each time, Mary Magdalene’s name appears first. Finally, in the Gospel of Luke, the author enumerates the women who went to the tomb of Jesus, writing that, “It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them,” which once again places Mary Magdalene at the head of the list.

The story of Mary Magdalene contains four different episodes. The Bible first featured her in Luke 8:1-3 as the leader of a group of women who provided for Jesus and his follower their own financial resources.

Mary figured prominently on the last days of Jesus Christ. She was present at the crucifixion. In each of the four accounts, Mary was there, either standing at a distance with other women, or standing near the cross.

After Jesus died, she watched as the dead body was sealed inside the tomb. She could confirm that he was really dead. She wanted to put the spices needed for the proper burial of the body but could not do so.

According to Jewish law, ointments and spices could not be bought or sold on the Sabbath. Jesus’ death had been sudden, unexpected. The women did not have the necessary burial spices. So they waited until the Sabbath was over, bought the spices, and went to the tomb on that early Sunday morning.

And that was the reason why Mary Magdalene and the rest of women witnessed the resurrection. When Mary saw the tomb was empty, she had a profound revelation where she “saw” and “heard” Jesus. She understood in a way that is not easily explained that Jesus was no longer dead, but alive. She experienced a message from God that gave her an unshakeable conviction that Jesus lived.

As recorded in the New

Testament, the resurrection became one of the most compelling doctrines of Christianity, because, according to this doctrine, by rising from the dead, Jesus gave humanity hope of a life after death.

“The resurrection was undoubtedly the central proclamation of the early church from the very beginning,” explained Dr. Gary Habermas, author of The Resurrection of Jesus: A Rational Inquiry.

“The earliest Christians didn’t endorse Jesus’ teachings; they were convinced they had seen him alive after his crucifixion. That’s what changed their lives and started the church.”

Theologian Gerald O’Collins puts it this way: “In a profound sense, Christianity without the resurrection is not simply Christianity without its final chapter. It is not Christianity at all.”

Mary Magdalene was commissioned by the angel to “go and tell,” as an apostle to the apostles.

Throughout the centuries, Mary Magdalene was wrongly portrayed in literature and art as a reformed prostitute. This happened because of several things: One, Mary Magdalene was confused with the woman with the alabaster jar, described in Luke 7:36-50; the story of this other woman came just before Mary Magdalene is first mentioned.

The woman with the alabaster jar was called a “sinner,” but there was no reason to think that she was a prostitute; in fact, when Luke describes an actual prostitute in 15:30, he uses a different word.

Mary Magdalene was described as having a serious illness, but the nature of the illness was unspecified; later celibate male writers linked Mary’s illness, her “demons,” with her sexuality - which may have been a comment

about their own demons, rather than Mary’s.

Finally, Mary Magdalene was traditionally presented as the sinful woman, a perfect foil for Mary of Nazareth, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ.

It was because of this association of Mary as a prostitute that she became the patroness of “wayward women,” and “Magdalene houses” became established to help save women from prostitution.

For centuries, it has been the custom of many Christians to share dyed and painted eggs, particularly on Easter Sunday. The eggs represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb.

One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by Emperor Tiberius. When she met

him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed, “Christ is risen!”

Caesar laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house. (Photos taken from the net)

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

14 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

SO GOOD So wins US chess title W

ITH his top rivals falling by the wayside, GM Wesley So held off an unexpected challenger to claim his first U.S. national championship Monday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

The 23-year-old Philippine native defeated surprise finalist GM Alex Onischuk 11/2-1/2 in a rapid playoff, barely

holding off Onischuk’s attempt to tie the match in the decisive second game. The playoff was needed after the two topped the 12-player field with identical 7-4 scores.

On the women’s side, WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor, seeded sixth in the 12-player field, earned her first U.S. title with a 8-3 score, a full point clear of 2016 wom-

en’s champ NM Nazi Paikidze.

Coming up short on the men’s side were defending champion GM Fabiano Caruana and four-time former champion GM Hikaru Nakamura, both of whom were expected to contend with So for the title. Round 9 proved fatal to both players’s chances, as Caruana was jolted by a loss to GM Varuzhan Akobian and

Nakamura’s hopes were derailed by an untimely loss to Onischuk.

On the women’s side, GM Irina Krush and WGM Anna Zatonskih, both multiple winners of the title, suffered damaging upsets late in the tournament that kept them out of the winner’s circle.

So earned $50,000 for his win and Foisor won $25,000.

US CHAMP. Pinoy chess GM Wesley So, who migrated to the US, has won the US men’s chess title.

Celtics clinch division title Top Rank officially announces Pacquiao-Horn fight on July 1

T

HE Celtics now control their own fate in their quest to secure the Eastern Conference’s top playoff seed.

Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points to help Boston beat back a fourth-quarter charge and defeat the Brooklyn Nets 114-105 on Monday night.

The win clinched the Atlantic Division title and no worse than the No. 2 seed for the Celtics. More importantly, with Cleveland’s overtime loss at Miami on Monday night, a Boston win in its regular-season finale against Milwaukee on Wednesday would give the Celtics the No. 1 seed.

But if Boston loses to the Bucks and Cleveland wins its finale against Toronto, the Cavs would own the tiebreak-

er by virtue of their 3-1 headto-head record with Boston.

Thomas said being this position ‘’means a lot.’’ ‘’It says a lot about this team,’’ Thomas said. ‘’We’ve been through ups and downs. ... We just kept going. That says a lot about who we are.’’

After Monday’s win several players gathered in the trainer’s room to watch the end of Cleveland’s game with Miami. When the Cavs tied it late in OT on Deron Williams’ 3 before he completed fourpoint play to put them up one, screams could be heard from inside. Clapping was heard again from the same room when the Heat finished their victory, cementing the Celtics’ chance to claim top seed Wednesday.

3 games in SEABA opener

A

N exciting tripleheader will kick off the 2017 SEABA men’s championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The said tournament was officially launched during a contract signing at Bar One Restaurant inside Holiday Inn Manila Galleria on Tuesday.

Officials from SBP and SEABA were present in the signing ceremony that formally makes the Philippines the host of the SEABA Championship.

As announced in the said event, the game between Indonesia and Singapore will open the tournament on May 12 at 3 p.m.

A showdown between Malaysia and Thailand will follow

at 5 p.m., while Gilas will debut against Myanmar in the main game at 7 p.m.

The seventh team in the tournament, Vietnam, will begin its own quest the following day as it takes on Thailand at 3 p.m. followed by the Indonesia-Malaysia and the Gilas-Singapore games.

Gilas will take the day off on May 15 and will return to action on May 16 against Thailand in what could be the virtual title decider.

Meanwhile, the U16 division games will commence on May 14 also at “The Big Dome” with a doubleheader featuring Malaysia versus Indonesia at 10 a.m. and Batang Gilas versus Singapore at 12 p.m. (PNA)

“I

T’S official: @mannypacquiao will fight @jeffhornboxer in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 1st. Stay tuned for more info.”

The above tweet appeared Monday on Top Ranks’ Twitter page. Indeed, it is official: Legendary fighter Manny Pacquiao will be facing the little known Jeff Horn this coming summer.

There was talk for a while that Pacquiao would face Amir Khan in a superbout of sorts in the United Arab Emirates, but it was simply not meant to be.

Instead, the 59-6-2 Pacquiao will be fighting a man even hard core fans may have a hard time recognizing. And while it’s true the 18-0-1 Horn has

S

AUSSIE FIGHT. Manny Pacquiao will take on Australian Jeff Horn on July 1 in Brisbane.

never lost a bout, he’s never faced any truly notable opposition, either.

In this sense, he is the most unrecognizable of all Pacquiao’s opponents since at least 2008, when the Filipino great’s name became known the world over (as opposed to among fight fans) after he demolished Oscar De La Hoya.

Top Rank’s tweet said nothing of where or how this fight would be shown. It’s hard to imagine the match being a pay per view success, as Pacquiao’s PPV numbers have dwindled since his epic disappointment against Floyd Mayweather two years ago in a mega bout which was all but universally panned.

Go sparks Team Duterte to 8th win

EC. Christopher “Bong” Go delivered a knocked out performance as Team Duterte pulled off a resounding 101-89 victory against IBP Davao in Game 9 of their basketball friendly series on Friday at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym. Go, the special assistant to President Rodrigo Duterte, dazzled with 41 points on a great display of his lethal weapon to widen Team Duter-

te’s lead in the series, 8-0.

He torched IBP defense with his patented long bombs and pull jumpers to pick Team Duterte up to winning ways after a Game 8 draw.

IBP employed pressure defense on Go by doubling up and putting a much taller and quicker defender practically most of the time.

But the sweet-shooting closest aide maneuvered well to demonstrate his domi-

nance.

Arman Dioso led the way with 25 points for IBP which also got 11 apiece from Casquejo and Cadiogan.

The 2016 National IBP Basketball League champions were flat this time after playing a monster game in the last outing where they unfortunately could only muster a 93-93 draw.

Eugene Labor and Romero chipped in 10 apiece for

Team Duterte which drew three triples from Presidential Assistant for Sports Glenn Escandor.

Team Duterte won the first seven games of the series with Go averaging 42.8 points per game with nearly seven treys.

Go scored 48 points in Game 7 marked with remarkable final period performance to foil IBP’s bid to take its first victory.

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 LOOSE BALL. Matthew Martinez of Ateneo de Davao University tries to take control of the loose ball against player from Assumption College of Davao during the SBPEmilio Escandor Memorial Cup at the Goldstar Gym on Sunday, April 9. Lean Daval Jr.

Manny ready to go Down Under A

DD Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia to the list of venues on foreign soil that will play host to a Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao fight. Boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao has accepted the challenge of undefeated No. 2 world-rated contender Jeff “The Hornet” Horn to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title, Saturday, July 1 (Sunday, July 2, in Australia). Promoted by Top Rank® and Duco

Events, “The Battle of Brisbane” is expected to attract 55,000 fans and a record pay-per-view audience in Australia. It will also be seen live in the U.S. Look for details on the U.S. telecast in the following weeks.

“Manny has been a pioneer, bringing world title fights to Cowboys Stadium, The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena and now Suncorp Stadium. We’re boxing’s version of Lewis & Clark, discovering new markets,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “ Man-

ny knows who will be the crowd favorite on July 1, but he can’t wait to give Australia and the world a great performance. It’s going to be unbelievable event.”

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, is in his third reign as WBO welterweight champion. He regained the title on November 5, winning a dominant unanimous decision victory over defending champion Jessie Vargas.

Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Bisbane, Queensland, Australia,

enters this fight having won his last three fights -- all in 2016 -- against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey inside the distance.

They had a combined record of 105-14-4 when he fought them.

Horn is world-rated No. 2 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

Heat stay alive with OT win over Cavs

F

OR the Miami Heat, the season is going down to the final night.

They need a win.

They need some help.

But they still have a chance.

Tyler Johnson scored

T

HE life of an athlete has many challenges yet inspiring. For one, you’ll play a sport you love but the training you have to endure is not easy. Then comes the heartaches of losing a game yet there is a joy of winning. Then at the end of the day, friendships are forged.

And ask any male athlete, what or who will inspire him to play better? Usually, it’s their families and the desire not to pay expensive tuition fees in college or university.

And judging from what I’ve seen or heard, there’s always a lady that inspires them, big time.

Such is the case of coach Joaquin “Boy” Sarabia, now University of Mindanao sports director, who was once a standout for the Davao City teams and University of Visayas baseball and softball squads in Cebu. His supporters, of course, are his family, Judge Edipolo V. Sarabia Jr., nanay Anita Pereyras, his siblings ate Bing(Miras), Atty.

24 points, including the game’s final four from the foul line in overtime, and the Heat kept their postseason hopes alive by rallying past the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-121 on Monday night.

The Heat (40-41) remained

No. 9 in the Eastern Conference, a game behind No. 7 Indiana (41-40) and a tiebreaker behind No. 8 Chicago (40-41). ‘’We think it’s meant to be,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘’But we have to

take care of business.’’

That, and get some assistance. For Miami to reach the postseason - a near-impossibility after its 11-30 start - either Indiana or Chicago must lose.

Here’s Wednesday’s

slate: Miami hosts Washington (which is locked into the No. 4 spot), Chicago hosts NBA-worst Brooklyn, and Indiana hosts Atlanta. ‘’It’s win or go home,’’ Heat guard Josh Richardson said. ‘’Win, and we still

might go home.’’

Hassan Whiteside scored 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for Miami. Richardson scored 19 points, James Johnson had 16 and Goran Dragic added 15.

care of athletes by training them for city, regional and national competitions and the best part, always having the time to gather them at their humble home. It’s just the way they are. Gathering hungry athletes after each game can put a strain on a family’s budget. Believe me, if you continue to bring in a dozen of tired and hungry players, it’s going to be tough. But in our culture, we treat athletes as family members and such generosity and love we’ve been luckily, beneficiaries too.

Doc Phoebe first reacted to the weekly gathering of athletes at their home. You see, the lady of the house, is usually in-charge of the budgeting and if you married an athlete, you simply just take their cheques and take care of budgeting the expenses.

“Unsa man ni Boy?,” she asked coach Boy, who responds lovingly that they came from a game and just have to do a post-game meeting. But mind you, there’s al-

ways a feast, hahaha. In our Filipino culture, there is no meeting without a meal.

That first reaction, many moons ago, was never repeated, for Doc Phoebe has understood coach Boy’s way of managing athletes. And for reasons I don’t know, there is always a good cook in the team and this has made life easier for the team. A group goes to the wet market, the others prepare the ingredients and rice, lots of it, are cooked on a big pot, oh yeah, rice power we call it.

Then comes the serious meeting while dinner is being served.

Closely observing them was Doc Phoebe who upon hearing all their stories, happy and sad, has come to embrace them like her own son Tiny.

Gone is the feeling of awkwardness at the humble Sarabia home. You can actually just knock on their gate, just watch out for the dogs, and athletes are always welcome,

thanks to the understanding of the lady of the house. Many years have passed, Doc Phoebe has even become a godmother to their weddings or to their children. Oh yeah, some of them are serving in Malacanang now.

Coach Boy’s success in coaching and sports management could have never materialized without Doc Phoebe. Yes, UM has reaped national titles and produced many national athletes simply because coach Boy and Doc Phoebe walked the extra mile.

They opened their home to poor athletes looking for guidance and a warm meal, including us, then a struggling sportswriter, sports scholars now lawyers, Atty.Guillermo Iroy Jr. and Atty.Francisco Villano Jr. and hundred others whom they treated like family members.

Goodbye ate Phoebe. My wife Marjorie Dulalas Igpit and the rest of the Davao sports family will surely miss you.

Coach Boy Sarabia’s No.1 fan, Doc Phoebe

Edipolo Jr.(Bal), Engr.Arnold, ate Mona(the dentist) and his throng of fans in the Pereyras clan in Tagum, whom we religiously visit specially during the Christ The King celebrations.

Being a standout, ladies would normally admire and after 32 girlfriends, came the 33rd, Phoebe Amorsolo-Margaja (yes, exactly, a relative of national artist Fernando C. Amorsolo), whom he fondly calls “Pikot”. Ate Phoebe was studying dentistry at that time and Boy, so to speak, found the right glove, bat and spike shoes finally.

The glove, bat and spike shoes represent the life of Boy, without it, it’s meaningless. Without his No.1 fan, Phoebe, life would entirely be different.

After a stint in Cebu, Boy came home to Davao, helped the Pereyras Corporation in building its business infrastructure and ate Phoebe started her dentistry practice with her sister and business

CLEAN SLATE

By MOSES P. BILLACURA partner Eileen A. Margaja-Mascardo.

Then came Vincent or Tiny, their only son, who is now a registered nurse.

Life went on until coach Boy was offered the sports directorship post of UM, which has the biggest number of student-athetes in the region.

The position suits him well because he himself is an athlete and still is one up to this day. And silently supporting him all those many, many years is his No.1 fan, Phoebe.

Coach Boy has inherited his late father’s way of taking

NO MAN’S LAND. Lex Blanco of ADDU barrels his way inside the paint during the Ateneo-Assumption College of Davao match. Lean Daval Jr.

16

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 8 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

Davao Norte guv elected chair of RDCom–Mindanao D

By NOEL BAGUIO

AVAO City – Regional Development Councils (RDCs) in Mindanao unanimously voted Davao del Norte Governor Antonio Rafael G. del Rosario as chairman of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board-Regional Development Committee (RDCom) for the Mindanao Area.

The Mindanao RDCs chose del Rosario to represent the island to the NEDA Board during the recent organizational meeting of the Mindanao Area Committee of the RDCom at the Park Inn Hotel, Davao City.

Present were chairs and vice-chairs of the RDCs and NEDA Regional Directors for Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, as well as the repre-

sentative of the Executive Director of the Regional Planning and Development Office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Governor Anthony, as del Rosario is fondly called, is also the chair of RDC-11, which is the highest planning and policy making body in the Davao Region.

In an interview, the RDCom chair stressed his resolve to fulfill his mandate in the Neda Board-RDCom, which includes the articulation of Mindanao’s policy concerns.

He vowed to vigorously address the disparities in regional development priorities, adding he will work harder to promote equitable allocation of resources and to effectively respond to critical regional and local development needs.

D e l Rosario said he will rally the RDCs in Mindanao to constantly thrash out RDC-XI Chair Governor Anthony del Rosario common condelivers his message during the 1st RDC-XI straints and Quarterly Meeting last month.

Gov. Anthony del Rosario, center, with the members of the Regional Development Council (RDC)-XI. challenges and pursue key sectoral priorities to enable the region to substantially contribute to national development goals.

He also revealed his all-out support and commitment to the Duterte administration’s socio-economic and peace agenda, such as heavy investment on human resources and accel-

erated infrastructure spending including the reduction of logistics costs in the Mindanao area by improving linkage roads to key ports and other production areas, among others.

The official earlier proposed the first phase of the Mindanao Railway Project to commence on the Digos City–Davao City–

Tagum City Section.

The governor assured his constituents in Davao del Norte that he will not neglect his primary duty, particularly in serving their best interest, even as he breezes through his various official capacities. “…rest assured I will put Davao del Norte in a vantage

position and at the same time fulfill my obligations … While I intend to be a good father to our Dabaonon people through my leadership branding “Abilidad at Malasakit (AMA),” he told the provincial officials and employees during the Capitol Convocation Program last Monday.

Gov. Anthony del Rosario, 2nd left, new chair of the NEDA Board-Regional Development RDC-XI Chair Governor Anthony del Rosario presides the 1st RDC-XI Committee (RDCom) for the Mindanao Area, together with the chairs of the Regional Quarterly Meeting last month.

Development Councils in Mindanao.