Edge10 issue 206 January 18, 2017

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 •THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

DENIAL. Secretary Christopher “Bong” Go of the Special Assistant to the President (SAP) belies Rappler’s report accusing him of intervening in the P15.5 billion project to acquire Philippine Navy warships. Go said on Wednesday that he will resign if it can be proven that he intervened in the frigate deal. Lean Daval Jr.

GLOBE DUMPS ‘HIRNA’ Taxi operators turn to Smart for help

S

MART COMMUNICATIONS will supply the smart phones needed to implement the Hirna taxi hailing application project conceptualized by the Metro Davao Taxi Operators Association with the assistance of Avis International, and the support of the Davao City government and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

The cellular phone units to be distributed to thousands of Davao City taxi drivers who will initially participate in the project are expected to arrive today and tomorrow, according to lawyer Rogelio Largo, president of the taxi op-

erators association who happens to be also the president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)- Davao City chapter.

Smart became the new partner telecommunications company of the Hirna taxi hailing

GLOBE,P11

BARKING UP WRONG TREE

Robillo says PRC blood bank open 24/7

By JUDIE VEGA

T

he Davao City chapter of the Philippine Red Cross categorically denied on Wednesday that it refused a patient who underwent a cesarean operation two weeks ago access to its blood bank.

“It could not be us because we were open 24/7 even on the 30 and 31 of December and on January 1st,” chapter chairman Eduardo Robillo told the Habe at Kape on Wednesday

at the Abreeza.

Robillo said he was issuing the clari�ication in reaction to City Councilor Diosdado Mahipus who took the �loor last week to express dismay on the inability of the patient to access blood.

Robillo suggested that Mahipus must be referring to another blood bank not operated by the PRC chapter. BARKING,P11

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

FOREIGN SUPPORT. President Rodrigo Duterte and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines Chief Representative Susumo Ito exchange pleasantries during the inauguration of the new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems Development Project at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (PATMC) in Pasay City on Tuesday evening. Also in the photo

are Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Mayon evacuees NTC to crack whip v. breach 9T mark

T

he number of families affected by the eruption of the Mayon Volcano has now climbed to 9,480 or equivalent to 38,939 persons.

This was disclosed by National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Ricardo Jalad in an update Wednesday.

Affected families are residing in 36 barangays located in Camalig, Guinobatan,

Ligao City, Daraga, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo and Legaspi City.

Of the above-mentioned �igure, 8,296 families or 34,003 are being helped inside 30 evacuation centers while 1,184 families or 4,936 individuals are being aided outside.

Also, Jalad said that the series of phreatic explosions and lava �lows have prompted the pre-emptive evacuation of 3,904 families. (PNA)

Duterte presses review of delayed govt projects

P

resident Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday, January 16, announced that he would initiate a review of public works projects that remained un�inished for years.

“So I will review with the Cabinet this one. All public works projects, which have been delayed for years, you get out immediately and I can maybe look for the money,” President Duterte said in a speech in Pasay City during the inauguration of the new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traf�ic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems.

“We’re doing good in the �ield of taxation. I’m sure Tugade and Dominguez can look for the money. Umalis kayo diyan, ‘yung lahat ng butas, ‘yung may manhole diyan,” the President said.

The Chief Executive noted that highways in the country are clogged with un�inished products and that accidents multiply because of the sheer negligence also of the people handling the project. “This insanity must stop,” he said.

Duterte reiterated his call to do away with the practice

DUTERTE,P11

illegal radio stations

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

T

he National Telecommunications Commission will crack down on illegal radio stations in the region this year.

NTC 11 regional Nelson Cañete said that this year, he recommended 30 cease and desist orders against erring radio stations who have no permits and licenses to operate.

Cañete said his of�ice conducted inspection last year to these radio stations but no licenses and permits were presented to their team during

that time.

“There were two conducted last year and we see same �indings,” he said. “We don’t see any violation because they have no permits. If they have permits we will see the violations,” Cañete said in jest.

He said of the 30 illegal radio station in the region, the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental have

the most numbers which are still operating on air.

There are also 10 in Davao del Sur and �ive in Davao del Sur. Cañete said that there is a radio station in Davao Oriental owned by a Congressman that has no permit yet since its application was not yet approved by their national of�ice.

He said these stations are not given frequency from the commission and they just grabbed it from the legal radio stations .

A

best investment a people can make,” former Supreme Court Justice Reynato Puno said during the third Senate hearing on Charter change.

Puno made this remark stressing that preferring a constitutional assembly (con-ass) over a constitutional convention (con-con) because it is

cheaper is a “cheap argument.”

“The justi�ication for a conass is that it is cheaper than a con-con. To me, that is a cheap argument,” he added.

Puno also suggested a “hybrid” con-con where each position will be a mixture of elected and appointed delegates.

However, he said that if the

“Kini nga mga stasyon, wala gyud namo kini tagai og frequency (These radio stations, we do not give them the frequency),” he said. “Og ang frequency, sila ray gabuot ana (They are just the one who make their frequency),” he added.

He said there is a frequency of a radio station in Davao City that is being used in Mati City, Davao Oriental. “Radio stations in Davao City, including Mati is their service area.

So, we have to protect

Congress convenes as a conass, he said that voting should be done separately noting that voting jointly meant the cancellation of the participation of the Senate.

“As institutions, they are equal. They have different perspectives and these per-

NTC,P11

Ex-justice justifies cost of writing constitution former Supreme Court chief justice on Wednesday said the cost of amending or revising the 1987 Constitution should not be “counted” as it is “the best investment” people can make.

“We should not count the cost when writing a constitution. A good constitution is the

EX,P11

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

NEWS 3

Woman’s bomb joke delays flight of plane

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

A

28-year-old woman caused a delay of �light at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport after she jokingly alluded to a bomb inside an airplane on Tuesday night.

This was bared by Police Regional Of�ice 11 spokesperson Chief Inps. Andrea dela Cerna in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media brie�ing.

Police report identi�ied the suspect as Blanca A. Pulvera, 28, from Mabini, Compostela Valley Province. Dela Cerna said Pulvera was inside Cebu Paci�ic �light 5J970 bound for Manila along with other passengers when she made the joke around 7:00 p.m. of January 16.

She said upon the incident, all passengers were immediately told to go down the plane and the personnel of PNP explosive ordnance division and Aviation Securi-

ty Unit (AVSEU) 11 conducted search inside the aircraft.

“Nagkaroon talaga ng delay sa �light (There was delay of �light that time),” she said.

Dela Cerna reminded the public that bomb joke is prohibited and penalized under the Presidential 1727 “Declaring as Unlawful the Malicious of False Information of the Willful Making of Any Threat Concerning Bombs, Explosives or Any Similar Device or Means of Destruction and Imposing Penalties. “ Under the law any violators who will be found guilty will suffer up to �ive years of imprisonment and P40,000 �ine. “Para hindi tayo makaabala, huwag tayong magbibiro ng hindi maganda especially bomb jokes (To avoid making inconvenience to other people, we should not make bad jokes expecially bomb jokes), “ she said.

n line with efforts to eliminate scalawags from the force, the operatives of the PNP-Counter Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) arrested the police chief of Sasmuan town in Pampanga for extortion during an entrapment operation Tuesday night.

CITF spokesperson Chief Inspector Jewel Nicanor, in a report by Radyo Pilipinas, identi�ied the arrested policeman as Senior Inspector Romeo Bulanadi.

He was arrested inside the Sasmuan police station around 7:15 p.m.

Bulanadi became the object of said operation after a “perya” (carnival) operator �iled a complaint claiming that the former tried to extort P30,000 from him.

The suspect allegedly threatened to con�iscate all of the carnival’s equipment should the operator fail to give in to the extortion demand. (PNA)

BOTTOM LINE. Philippine Red Cross Davao City chapter administrator Rogelio U. Aca, Jr. (left) says the increasing population in the city has contributed to the rising demand of blood supply and the challenge of blood shortage is being faced by both Red Cross and Department of

Health blood center. Aca, who was joined by chapter chairman Eduardo Robillo (right), made the statement during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza mall. Lean Daval Jr.

Crime lab wants Cop chief nabbed for extort attempt trained personnel I

By ANGIE SAVERON

T

he Philippine National Police’s cutting edge crime laboratory in Davao city inaugurated on Monday is in need of trained personnel to perform the facilities multiple functions.

“National headquarters is working hand in hand to �ill the vacuum of personnel but

as of this time kulang talaga ang strength namin” said Senior Supt.Georby Manuel, Di-

rector of the Regional Crime Laboratory Of�ice.

He told the AFP-PNP Press Corps on Wednesday that the crime lab is undermanned with only 15 personnel, forcing it borrow personnel from the Davao City police of�ice.

Since the Crime labora-

with the City Council. Milan also said during this week’s edition of Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza mall that investors from Hawaii, China, Japan and Taiwan are currently looking for business opportunities in the city. Lean Daval Jr.

CRIME,P11

Rappler violated the law, says NPC

T ECOZONE FOR DAVAO. Newly elected Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) president Arturo Milan bares that a plan to put up an economic zone to help promote Davao City and attract foreign investors and tourists is being discussed by his group

tory will serve in six regions here in Mindanao, namely Region nine, region 10, region 11, region 12, region 13 and ARMM, there are personnel from those region detailed in the crime lab of�ice.

“Those people are examiners from their respective

he National Press Club of the Philippines has claimed that digital news platform Rappler violated the constitutional limit for foreign ownership on media companies, after it granted control and ownership to foreign �irm Omidyar Network Fund LLC. In a statement released Jan. 16, the NPC said Rappler “violated the strict constitutional provision on 100 percent control and ownership of mass media.”

The Constitution requires that control for any Filipino media entity should be 100 percent.

NPC president Paul Gutierrez said responsible journalism means complying with the law, adding that it did not accept members,

journalists and media entities “of dubious legal personalities.”

In its decision dated Jan. 11, 2018, the SEC revoked the operating license of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. for using a “deceptive scheme” to violate restrictions on foreign ownership rules.

“As the SEC noted, Rappler breached this constitutional limit when it allowed Omidyar to exercise control over its corporate affairs as provided for in their internal agreement, in exchange for a fund infusion of USD 1 million dollars,” Gutierrez said.

Omidyar Network Fund LLC is one of the Philippine Depositary Receipts holders of Rappler.

RAPPLER,P11

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

DTI’s program to focus on IPs

T

he Department of Trade and Industry will be focusing its Strike Team Program for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) on lumads this year, Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group Zenaida Maglaya said.

Maglaya said DTI will strengthen and expand the reach of Strike Team Program for IPs, now targeting the 20 poorest provinces in the country and focusing this year on Lumad -- the country’s largest indigenous group.

Under the Strike Team Program for IPs, the department brings its services to 30 poor-

est provinces in the country giving them entrepreneurial trainings and linking them to �inancial institutions, among others.

“We will sustain momentum for 10 provinces and we are working with 10 more IP communities,” said Maglaya.

“Now, we’re looking at how we can address the needs of lumads. Our regional of�ices, will identify communities where we can help in terms of product development and trainings as well,” she added.

As of December 2017, the program conducted 87 entre-

DTI’S,P11

ASEAN collaboration pushed for aggie coops

T

he Philippines on Tuesday called for increased collaboration with other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in promoting agricultural cooperatives deemed important for poverty reduction in the region.

Cooperative Development Authority Chairman Orlando Ravanera made the call as the country hosts the 7th ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum to provide opportunity for learning exchange and cooperation towards enhancing ASEAN economic collaboration through agricultural cooperatives.

“There is a remarkable economic growth in this part

of the world, in Asia, as growing region. (But) how can you reconcile the reality that in Asia, 560 million are below the poverty line. Along that line, you know that the great equalizer is cooperativism,” he said in a press brie�ing.

Ravanera cited as an example the Philippines which is producing the number one coffee in the world, but remains a top importer of coffee.

He said cooperatives are now following value chain in producing various agricultural products.

Data indicated there are now some 26,600 cooperatives in the Philippines with

ASEAN,P12

Tax reform to simplify tax rates on investment

F

inance of�icials aim to simplify tax rates on investment products in the Philippines partly to help improve services being offered to the public and address the complex tax rates of �inancial products.

“We just want to clear the underbrush,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

The Finance chief said package four of the tax reform program, which Department of Finance (DOF) of�icials target to submit to Congress by the middle of this year, will correct years of attrition and simplify the rates.

He said a peso-denominated investment product that has a tenor of less than �ive years is being slapped a 20 percent withholding tax for interest it earned but the rate is zero for those that have tenors of more than �ive years.

He said a dollar-denominated investment product has a 7.5 percent withholding tax regardless of tenor.

‘We want to simplify it so that it becomes easier to �ile, administer,” he said.

Dominguez said package four of the tax reform will be revenue neutral.

He is optimistic that the �inancial industry will welcome the proposed reform in the tax rates of the products they offer.

Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko said the proposed reform on �inancial products’ tax rates will help the public determine which products are best for them.

“What we want is for the rates to be similarly close to each other so that the providers will improve their service. So you know it’s not one against the other because of tax but because the services are better,” she added. (PNA)

VANTAGE VIEW. Director for Investment Promotion and Public Affairs Office of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro shares his insights on Davao City’s 2018 business outlook during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza mall.

Montenegro said there will be surging demand for cement and steel as the city will continue to experience construction boom. Lean Daval Jr.

European chamber to host Mindanao business confab

By JUDIE VEGA

T

he European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines will host the Mindanao Business Briefing on January 23, 2018 in Davao City in a bid to highlight the island as a “key location for investment.”

ECCP is undertaking the activity in partnership with the Prime Philippines, the country’s leading commercial estate �irm.

Raphil Saguan, associate manager for capital markets and investments of Prime Philippines said that the Mindanao business brie�ing is designed to make updates on Mindanao’s security situation, business resiliency, and optimism.

The event will feature high-caliber guests from different sectors with Department of National Defense Secretary Lorezana’sproviding an update on the security situation of Mindanao.

“This will be backed up

by Prime Philippines’ Managing Director and Founder Jet Yu’s talk on Davao Real Estate Snapshot under Martial Law,” said Saguan.

According to Prime Phil-

ippines Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is expected to open the program along with ECCP PresidentGuenterTaus and ECCPSouth Minadanao Business Council Chairman Antonio Peralta.

Peralta said that some of the talks will be about other facets of the event. Van Hattum, Head of Economic & Trade Section of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, will be speaking about the updates on the EU and Mindanao Trade. ECCP’s Executive Director Florian Gottein will give a better understanding on the functions and versions of ECCP

for MInanao. Other guest speakers are Lars Wittig, Regus Philippines’ Country Manager and Damosa Land Incorporated’s Ricardo Lagdameo.

Saguan said that Prime Philippines will also hold the Mindanao Business Forum in Quezon City on February 8, 2018. “ The forum will hightlight the Mindanao, especially the siege Marawi City, as a key location for investment . Investors and the media are invited to both events, “ he said.

The business forum will hosted by SEDA Abreeza beginning at 9 a.m.

TQMP President Paul Vincent Go said the company planned to produce value adding products like �igured glass used for housing projects after it �inalized the acquisition deal with the AGC. The Philippine Competition Commission has approved the transaction of TQMP and AGC in December last year, but the approval took a while since the �irms noti�ied the anti-trust body only in June last year.

According to the PCC, a favorable decision cannot be issued in the Phase I review

as it has seen “concerns on potential input foreclosure in the downstream wholesale supply market of clear and bronze �loat glass”.

To address competition concerns, TQMP submitted its voluntary commitments including setting prices and providing services to customers through fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory measures, and maintaining a non-discriminatory practice in the processing of purchase orders and delivery of products and services.

It also vowed to sell

products or services to glass distributors on terms no less favorable than similarly situated customers.

With these commitments, the PCC approved the transaction.

The acquired facility is located in a 28-hectare property with a daily production capacity of 500 tons per day.

AGC Regional President for Asia Paci�ic General Division Masahiro Takeda said the Pasig plant’s revenue in 2017 was �lat compared to 2016. (PNA)

PH firm to ramp up AGC factory output

T

QMP Glass Manufacturing Corp. plans to ramp up its newly acquired �lat glass factory from AGC Flat Glass Philippines, Inc. (AGPH) , following the acquisition by the former of 100 percent of the issued and outstanding shares owned by the �lat glass manufacturer.

On Wednesday, the Japanese �irm has turned over the �lat glass facility in Pasig City, which is the only �lat glass manufacturing plant in the country, to the Filipino company.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

ECONOMY 5

Loan for Metro Manila subway, bypass okayed Along with Plaridel Bypass in Bulacan

T

he Philippines is set to sign this �irst quarter of 2018 the agreement on the �irst tranche of the Japanese funding for the Metro Manila Subway Project along with the loan accord for the Plaridel Bypass Road in Bulacan, which will also be �inanced by Japan.

According to the Department of Finance, the contract for the �irst tranche of the 104.5 billion yen (approximately $929.1 million) loan for the �irst phase of the subway project and the 9.399 billion yen ($89 million) loan accord for the third phase of the Plaridel Bypass Road Project in Bulacan, are both targeted to be signed on the last week of January 2018, once the Philippine government secures the approval of the

Monetary Board and the Special Presidential Authority for these agreements.

The 15.928 billion yen ($142 million) loan agreement for the �lood risk management project in the Cavite industrial area, meanwhile, is targeted for the Monetary Board’s �inal approval, with the effectivity of the loan targeted on the �irst week of February 2018, the DOF’s International Finance Group said in its report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III during a recent DOF Executive Committee meeting.

President Duterte and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe witnessed the ceremonial exchange of the signed loan agreement at the PICC lastNov. 13 for the Cavite �lood

OF Bank launch fulfills PRRD vow

F

inance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the launch on Thursday (Jan. 18) of the Overseas Filipinos Bank through the combined efforts of the Department of Finance and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) ful�ills yet another 2016 campaign promise of President Duterte to the Filipino people.

All obstacles to the opening of the bank that will cater to the needs of all overseas-based Filipinos have now been removed following last week’s approval by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) of the acquisition by the LandBank Postal Savings Bank (Postbank), which will be converted into this �inancial institution for overseas Filipinos, Dominguez said.

The OF Bank will be launched on Thursday afternoon at the PostBank Center, Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila.

“It’s just a matter of the administrative integration of the bank. It’s an administrative thing and all the approvals have been cleared away for the acquisition,” Dominguez said.

“You know, we are just ful�illing his (President Duterte’s) campaign promise one by one. First, tax reform, then this new bank,” he added.

Dominguez said that besides ful�illing a campaign promise made during the presidential elections, the conversion of PostalBank into the OFB also saved the former from bankruptcy.

He said the DOF and LandBank are also planning to secure licenses in other

NO EASY TASK. A woman works on the seat cover of a customer’s vehicle at the upholstery section of Southern Banawe along Cabaguio Avenue

LOAN,P12 in Davao City on Wednesday. Lean Daval Jr.

countries with large concentrations of overseas Filipinos so the LandBank can provide �inancial advisory services to the Filipino communities in these areas.

The go-signal given last Jan. 11 by the PCC for LandBank to acquire PostalBank follows the approval last December by the Monetary Board of the acquisition.

In September last year, the President issued Executive Order No. 44 ordering the Philippine Postal Corporation and the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) to transfer their PostalBank shares to LandBank at zero value.

The EO further stated that the former PostalBank will be converted into the “Overseas Filipino Bank,” which will be a “policy bank dedicated to provide �inancial products and services tailored to the requirement of overseas Filipinos” and will focus on delivering “quality and ef�icient foreign remittance services.”

The OFB was previously conceptualized as a bank catering exclusively to the needs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) but was later expanded by Dominguez to provide services to all foreign-based Filipinos to make it more inclusive, in keeping with the government’s �inancial inclusion agenda.

According to Dominguez, the OFB will become a subsidiary of LandBank, “the government-owned and -controlled bank with the most extensive branch network that will cater to the needs of the families of foreign-based Filipinos.” (DOF)

Tier1’s franchise good for ARMM

By ANGIE SAVERON

T

Wednesday.

Cañete said that securing congressional franchise will take so much time and he understands why Tier1 is in the rush, he said that Tier1 is allowed to operate in ARMM but for them to operate outside ARMM they have to af�iliate with companies provided franchises.

He said that Jonathon B. Stevens (Board Chairman of the Tier1) already coordinat-

ed with NTC RXI because they wanted Davao as their pilot area however, since it is the Central of�ice of NTC who will issue the permits they needed there is not much he can do about it.

“Yesterday, one of Tier1’s personnel went to the of�ice and asked about the requirements needed, because they are eager and willing to comply,” he said.

Tier1 is the rush in taking care of the papers they need because they wanted to start putting up the towers.

“I think his (Jonathon B. Stevens) personnel went to the central of�ice today to take

care of the permits because it is the central of�ice who will issue the �irst permit all we can do in the regional of�ice is to renew the permit given to them,” he said.

Cañete said that if Tier1 will put up towers without the necessary permits needed they would have to take it down.

Tier1 is the company who promised to 100 MBPS internet connection to the underserved areas in the Philippines by installing 50,000 towers within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The said project will commence on January 29, 2018.

of teachers has already increased this year with the implementation of the Third Tranche of Salary Standardization Law. Furthermore, government personnel, including teachers, may expect another round of salary adjustments with the Fourth Tranche of SSL set to be implemented in 2019.

Currently, an entry-level public school teacher (Teacher 1), having Salary Grade

11 under Tranche 3 of the SSL, earns a monthly salary of P20,179. Annually, he/she will enjoy bonuses and allowances of P74,358[1]. This rounds up the monthly compensation package of teachers to P26,375. By 2019, their monthly salaries will increase to P20,754 and their total annual bonuses and allowances will increase to P75,5081, rounding up their monthly compensation package to

P27,046, or P671 more per month.

At the same time, the signi�icant reduction in taxes with the lower personal income tax rates imposed by TRAIN will signi�icantly increase the take-home pay of teachers. In fact, a Teacher 1 is tax-exempt under the TRAIN law as his/ her annual taxable income falls below P250,000.

Additional take home pay

ier1 cannot operate outside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) because it does not have the congressional franchise.

“Tier1 was given the franchise for ARMM therefore it can only operate with the area of ARMM,” said National Telecommunications Commission regional director Nelson Canete.

He added that Tier1 has a franchise but there is no frequency, so they are now asking for it from the NTC Central Off�ice,” Canete told the AFP-PNP Press Corps at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on

DBM not opposed to teachers’rate hike

D

BM Secretary Benjamin Diokno categorically stated that he is “not opposed to the increasing the salaries of our teachers” in a press conference this morning at the DBM Central Of�ice.

“I understand the crucial role teachers have in nation-building and I do believe they should be rewarded accordingly,” he said.

According to the budget chief, the take-home pay

DBM,P12

EDGEDAVAO

6 SUBURBIA RISING

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is given a briefing on the capabilities of the equipment under the new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems Development Project during its inauguration at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (PATMC) in Pasay City on January

Top NPA leader, wife surrender in SouthCot

G

ENERAL SANTOS CITY -- A ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) and his wife surrendered to government troops based in South Cotabato province on Monday after a series of negotiations.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Leander, commanding of�icer of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion (IB), said Tuesday that NPA-Far South Mindanao or Valentin Palamine Command spokesperson Noel Legaspi alias Ka Efren and wife Wendy decided to yield voluntarily after serving the rebel movement for around 26 years.

He said the surrender

was facilitated by the 27th IB based in Tupi town in South Cotabato in coordination with provincial of�icials led by Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes.

“This is the result of continuing collaborative efforts aimed at convincing more NPA rebels in the area to surrender and return to the folds of the law,” he said in a radio interview.

Leander said Legaspi was considered as among the top leaders of the NPA-Far South Mindanao, which operates in parts of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and

TOP,P12

PRRD funds P260-M projects in Zamboanga Sibugay

I

PIL, Zamboanga Sibugay -- Gov. Wilter Palma has doubled his efforts to foster economic growth as he expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for funding the concreting of two farm-to-market road projects worth PhP260 million.

The road projects with a total length of 20.55 kilometers are located in the nearby towns of Payao and Titay.

Palma is looking forward for the completion of the two projects.

The projects are part of President Duterte’s thrust “build, build, build” and funded through the Conditional Matching Grant Project (CMGP) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“My main objective is to improve the way of life of my people, especially the farmers.

It would be easier for them to deliver the agricultural products if they have a good access road,” Palma on Tuesday said.

PRRD,P12

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

16, 2018. Also in the photo are Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines Chief Representative Susumu Ito. RICHARD

75 new teachers apoointed in ARMM C

OTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has hired 75 new teachers for Maguindanao.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, who signed on Monday the appointment papers of the mentors during a forum here, reminded them “to make teaching more of (a) service and commitment than livelihood.”

“You chose this path because it is your passion - because you are committed and determined that you want our

youth to learn,” the governor said, adding that the regional government would support the efforts of the teachers and reward them suitably.

The governor stressed that a mechanism was made to ensure that appointees are well-distributed to schools that are in need of instructors.

Along with the teachers’ appointment is a deployment

order.

Lawyer Rasul Mitmug Jr., newly appointed DepEdARMM secretary, has reminded the newly-hired teachers to ensure that the youth in the ARMM receive “quality education.”

An appointee, Elpigenia Apellido, 41, a single mother with two children, could hardly believe she was of�icially appointed as mentor in ARMM. “Excited with fear of the unknown,” she said after signing her appointment paper and deployment order.

Apellido said she waited for two years to have her appointment signed by the regional governor.

Since her graduation in 1999, she worked as factory worker in Luzon and also as a farmer in Sultan Kudarat, her hometown.

During the past two years, she served as a volunteer teacher in Kulasi Elementary School where she did not receive compensation.

Another appointee, Johaira Ali, said she acknowledged the unique challenges

country’s “Halal Hub”.

“The workshop was also aimed at exploring the wide array of market potential for Halal chevon production and to identify the gaps in its supply chain from production to marketing aspects,” Malang said.

Lawyer Ranibai Dilangalen, DAF-ARMM Undersecretary, said Halal was not only

limited to the absence of pork ingredients in food as people should also be enlightened about Halal production for them to fully understand its basic principles.

The activity was conducted through the Philippine Rural Development Program I – Plan. It was attended by participants involved in the

75,P12

ARMM pushes Halal chevon to address demand

C

OTABATO CITY -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is bent to further improve production of Halal chevon or goat meat. This is to address the growing demand of the trade market, describing it as a “sunshine industry” due to its huge potential.

On Monday, the Department of Trade and Industry

(DTI)-ARMM, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF-ARMM), conducted a workshop for entrepreneurs involved in Halal chevon industry.

Lawyer Anwar Malang, DTI-ARMM secretary, said the workshop was directed in line with the government’s efforts to make the ARMM as the

ARMM,P13

7 HEALTH

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

Organ donation: A second chance at life

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“Organ donation is a unique opportunity to help save lives by giving a part of yourself so that others may live.” – National Kidney and Transplant Institute It all started when Louie S. Puracan, a �ire�ighter from Bansalan, Davao del Sur, went to a hospital for his regular medical checkup in 2009. The doctor noticed the creatine level of the patient was increasing.

The doctor was worried knowing the patient was already 41 years old. So he talked with him wanting to �ind out if what he assumed was right. During their conversation, Louie disclosed that he was 30 when arthritis started to knock him out. To get rid of the agony, he resorted to taking pain relievers. Hearing this revelation, the doctor told him that most pain relievers can cause kidney disease.

The doctor then advised him to undergo a glomerular �iltration rate (GFR) to measure the level of his kidney function and determine the stage of kidney disease at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City. (He was working at that time at the Bureau of Fire Protection at Calamba, Laguna).

He did. “The result caused me sleepless nights,” he recalled.

“My kidney functions rate was 60% and it was irreversible.

Upon hearing that diagnosis, my world seemed to collapse. The only thing doctors could do was to delay the progression.”

Louie then requested for transfer to Davao City to be near his family. His appeal was granted in 2011 and was under the care of Dr. Maria Theresa Badang, a nephrologist. “By that time, I was losing weight, felt dizzy every now and then, and hopeless,” he said.

In 2016, when the result of his GFR test was placed at 21%, Dr. Bad-ang recommended for preemptive transplant. “She didn’t want me to undergo dialysis as it would entail more ex-

penses on my part,” he said. “She advised me to look for possible kidney donor as soon as possible.”

By this time, Louie was getting weak and felt catching his breath. Family members and relatives knew the situation and so a clan meeting was held in Bansalan. Four cousins and his adopted sister volunteered to be his donor.

In January 2017, the doctor stated doing the laboratory work for cross-matching. Here, blood from the donor and recipient are mixed. If the recipient’s cells attack and kill the donor cells, the crossmatch is considered positive. This means the recipient has antibodies “against” the donor’s cells. If the crossmatch is negative, the pair is considered compatible.

His adopted sister, then 30 years old and married with three children, was a perfect match for Louie. “My mother named her Blyssen, which is derived from the word, ‘blessing,’ as there are two of us, all boys – my brother Neil (now a colorectal surgeon) and myself,” he informed. “Little did we know that she is indeed a blessing to all of us, particularly to me.”

His doctor and other fellow kidney patients were so happy that he got a perfect match on his �irst attempt for a crossmatch.

He had his transplant operation on May 16, 2017 but not without a hitch.

“As soon as the surgeons took my sister’s kidney from her body, the kidney turns into grey,” he said. “The doctors gave 40% chance and assured me that the kidney will function in my body.

They explained that situation like this happens. Some have even acute kidney rejection right after the transplant.”

After 16 days at the hospital, Louie was �inally released from the hospital. “During the next four months, I was in and out of the hospital for nine times,” he said. “It was really a rollercoaster ride. There was a time that I thought of giving up as I can’t bear the pain anymore.”

In addition, he had problem getting sleep and the restless legs syndrome irritated him so much. “The thing that I really hated most is the never-ending episodes of vomiting,” he said. “I vomit almost all day, which causes dehydration and weakens my body.”

To get rid of sleeplessness, the doctors gave him sedatives.

In October last year, he had to undergo a kidney biopsy as his transplant team thought he was undergoing kidney rejection.

Surprisingly, his creatine level rose to 225%.

“At present, I feel better,” he now says. “I’m back to my work but mindful of my diet. I’m so happy that the Lord extended my life leading me to the right people, my nephrologist and the transplant team. And to my sister, who shared her life with me by giving her kidney. I could not survive the crucial six months period without my family whose prayers and encouragement give me the courage to �ight for it.”

Indeed, it was Blessyn’s generosity who saved the life of her brother. It is inspiring but, sadly, not typical. “Thousands of Filipinos die every year of organ failure and the lack of organ donors,” deplored the NKTI. “Many lives can be saved if more Filipinos will donate a part of themselves.”

Take the case of kidney failure alone. Records from the Department of Health show at least one Filipino dies each hour from kidney failure, which is considered the ninth leading cause of death in the country. Some 10,000 Filipinos need kidney transplants from donors every year.

“The survival rate of organ transplants is quite encouraging,” the NKTI said in a statement. Its data showed that the survival rates for kidney transplants

during the �irst year were registered at 90-95% for living-related donors and about 80-85% for diseased organ donors.

“These rates are comparable with the survival rates of similar transplants in other parts of the world,” the institute said.

As people live longer, organ diseases and health problems like diabetes – one of the main causes of kidney failure – are expected to rise, creating even greater demand for organ donations.

The good news is: there are now reputable Filipino doctors that can perform transplantation.

Aside from that, there are new drugs and improved surgical techniques that can make transplants safer and more successful.

“We have the expertise to save more lives, but many patients die because of lack of available donor organs,” says Dr. Antonio V. Cayco, who practices in internal medicine and specializes in nephrology at the Makati Medical Center. “It is a tragedy for everyone.”

One major reason of the shortage of transplantable organs is that the relatives of people who have died simply haven’t been asked. “Doctors and other health professionals are reluctant to bring the subject of donation to the bereaved family,” said Dr. Enrique Ona, who was NKTI chief transplant surgeon when interviewed by this author. “In some instances, they do not think of organ donation when brain death occurs in their patients.”

Another reason is fear.

“There is a fear among the living that organ donation (kidney, for instance) might make them weak, shorten their lives, and affect their sexuality or child-bearing,” Dr. Ona said.

For the uninformed, transplant doctors do not become involved until all efforts have been made to save a patient’s life, the patient has been declared braindead, and consent for organ and tissue donation has been con�irmed. “For a patient to be an organ donor, he has to be con�irmed brain-dead by two medical specialists,” informs Dr. Ona.

Confusion about brain-dead among the families of potential donors, doctors and even hospital administrators is another hindrance of donation of organs. To grieving loved ones, the person looks alive. “People think there might be a miracle, so they hold on,” one doctor contends.

There are also those who are morti�ied by operation or even death. Some Filipinos consider organ donation as a death wish.

Despite the fact the Philippines has passed Republic Act 7170.

Also known as Organ Donation Act of 1991, it authorizes “the legacy or donation of all or part of a human body after death for speci�ied purposes.”

But despite all the laws, there is still low turn-out of organ donation. This is true not only in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries. “While medical technology and skills have developed at a rapid pace, the attitudes of society towards organ donation have not changed quite so fast,” points out Associate Professor K. Prabhakaran, director of the Liver Transplant Program at the National University Hospital in Singapore.

More often than not, people who are very close to the dying patient oftentimes turn down request of organ donation. “Public education is probably the most important factor in ensuring organ donation,” believes Dr. Prema Raj Jeyaraj, the surgical director of the liver transplant program in the Singapore General Hospital.

Some people believe that organ donation will dis�igure a dead person’s body and delay his funeral. One doctor offers this explanation: “The organs are removed in a sterile operation undertaken by skilled surgeons.

The donor is treated with the utmost respect and dignity. When the procedure is �inished, the wound is closed, just as in any other operation. The entire process is done quickly to preserve the organs and will therefore not delay a funeral.”

Proper education, it seems, is the key. Perhaps Filipino doctors can learn something from Dr. Ramayee Sinnasamy, senior heart

transplant coordinator of the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. Every time he gives a talk on organ donation, he asks the audience: “When we are alive and in good health, we donate blood as many times as we want.

But why aren’t we donating our organs when we are dead and gone? When those organs are not of any use to us anymore?”

Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, former health undersecretary, agrees. “Organ donation saves lives and it is very important that every person has the power to save a life by becoming an organ, tissue or eye donor,” he says. “It is a noble gift because you can give someone a second chance at life.”

Although many people believe their religion will not allow organ donations, virtually all major religions support it as a humanitarian act. In the Philippines, the Catholic church allows it for “altruistic motives,” according to the Episcopal Commission on Bioethics of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). “We may donate them as an act of charity,” it said.

The NKTI says about 25 organs and tissues may be donated for transplantation. Aside from kidneys, major organs include the heart, lungs, liver, bowel, pancreas and stomach. The tissues include heart valves, bone and cartilage, bone marrow, corneas and skin.

The lack of organ donors in the Philippines has led to the development of an ugly side of organ transplantation. There are poverty-stricken Filipinos who are selling body organs for a corresponding fee.

This is “morally unacceptable,” the CBCP said. “The dignity of the human person as an image of God includes not only his or her soul but his or her corporeal being. Hence, our body ought not to be treated as a commodity or object of commerce, which would amount to the… plundering of the human body,” it explained in a statement released in 2008.

The NKTI has launched a program called Human Organ Preservation Effort (HOPE)

ORGAN,P13

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

T

What Bong does

he allusion that Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go interfered with a deal involving naval hardware for the Philippine Navy is not surprising.

If one knows Bong’s role in the of�ice and even the household of President Rodrigo Duterte, you would see it coming.

From the days of the President as Mayor of Davao City, Bong has been his trusted aide after he took the cudgels from a former aide who passed away. Bong has always been known to be the passport to then Mayor Duterte. It has not changed even when Mayor Duterte became President.

So it is normal to have papers coursed through Bong or people who wanted to have an audience with PRRD to go through him. That is why when reports came out of Bong’s alleged in-

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 224-1413 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net edgedavao@gmail.com

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

tervention of a P15.5 billion deal, it is no longer hair-raising.

It looked like Bong’s facilitation of documents, requests and complaints has been misinterpreted as intervention. And this is likely the case in the Philippine Navy deal where Bong supposedly endorsed a South Korean supplier.

In fairness to Bong, he has never been known to use that clout he enjoys. He simply goes to work and attends to even the most minor cases referred to him to the point of micro-management.

Now, if the accusers stand up to their claims on Bong’s intervention, they better take on the President’s challenge to prove their allegations at the expense of Bong’s but.

But �irst, they must prove it convincingly.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ANGELIE SAVERON BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO JUDELYN VEGA MEGHANN STA. INES Reporters ARMANDO B. FENENQUITO JR. NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle CHA MONFORTE LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents Cartoons Photography Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. Columnists: D. TACIO G.•DELIGERO • JOHN CARLO TRIA • VIDAGOTIANSE-TAN MIA S. VALVERDE•• NICASIO FRED C. LUMBA • ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA BORBONHENRYLITO • MARY ANN “ADI”• GREGORIO C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

the national association of newspapers

OLIVIA D. VELASCO D.D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONA OLIVIA D. VELASCO JOCELYN S. PANES SOLANI SOLANI MARATAS General Manager Finance Advertising Specialist General Manager Director of Sales Finance

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE Richard C. Ebona | Product Development officer LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND D. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts.Address: 04 Orilla St. Purok 4B Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Specialist Cellphone number: 09472652969 General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Email Address: edgedavao@gmail.com Mobile: (Smart) 09101864939 Tel: (088) 852-4894

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Roadside parking with impunity

O

ne of the most exasperating and quintessential causes of road congestion in Davao City is the usurpation of road space and conscious grabbing of sidewalks by parking space-hungry motorists, not to mention sidewalk vendors and hawkers. These motorists behave like they have an exclusive entitlement to park anywhere and everywhere they want to park. They literally don’t have guilt and precisely doing it with impunity. It is unconscionable that most car owners who are supposed to be highly educated are the ones doing this violation �lagrantly. An example of this horrendous phenomenon can be seen along Mt. Apo St. in Brgy.

Malvar. From the looks of it, Davao city has become a huge parking area since most city streets, roads and thoroughfares are �illed-in-therim with parked private vehicles.

Other direct in�luencers to congestion are the commercial and business establishments which do not provide inner parking spaces as part of development plans.

Owners of these buildings utterly maximize �loor area for more rentable spaces, and deliberately not minding to provide ample parking

T

he move to divide Davao City into two urban centres was strongest in the early years of the Duterte mayoralty (1988-92). Local politicians voiced out a worn-out position that such plan would in the end result in two progressive metropolitan hub. Under the plan, the common and natural boundary for the recon�igured cities would be Davao River.

Strongly opposing the move to slice the city was the mayor himself who saw such sinister plan as political accommodation. It goes without saying that any attempt to partition territories at the instance of Congress or at the instigation of politicians is deemed as gerrymandering.

This attempt to divide the city would later spill over to another move, which was to create new districts. Under the 1987 Constitution, it only requires a population of 250,000 for a new congressional district to be created through legislative action.

Historically, the plan to split the city �irst cropped up after the January 1980 local elections resulted in a deadlock. Luis T. Santos, the KBL of�icial bet for city mayor who was later labelled by the press as “the squatter of City Hall,” lost to Elias B. Lopez, the

space. Instead, they only provide an allowable minimum setback of ___ meter from the property line and using the setback as parking facility. This kind of greed consequently creates incorrigible impact to road congestion as most motorists using the supposed parking facility usurps the space for pedestrian sidewalks, and most of time encroach the street.

In the same manner those establishments with wide frontage put up a sign “parking for customers only,” let alone motorized tricycle terminal on the roadside, becomes active generator too to road congestion, and the list goes on and on.

Traf�ic congestion generates cost to everyone and indirectly increases costs through much to the economic system. In Davao city, the cost of congestion will be exacerbated in the short term because of increasing urban population coupled with travel expansion caused by the unrelenting and unmanaged urban sprawl.

How can the city minimize roadside parking (as directly related to traf�ic obstruction) so as to ensure smooth �low of vehicular

URBAN STREEZ GAZER Dario G. Pampanga, PhD traf�ic? Foremost is the stringent implementation of city’s traf�ic code provision on traf�ic obstruction and charging violators with immense cost (the city’s traf�ic code is now eligible for revision and amendments). Drastic measures such as vehicle towing can be put into action. On-street public pay parking areas should be identi�ied and operationalized (potential are Duterte St, Mayon St., Aguinaldo St., etc). All roads, streets, and

highways are funded by taxpayers’ money and generally not paid for directly for the exclusive use of motorists who bene�it from it.

Generally, the most heavily subsidized human beings are private motorist in the form of good roads, more roads, bridges, road bypasses, circumferential roads, signalized intersections, road dividers, traf�ic signs, pavement markings, etc., while public commuters who do not have access to a private car have had their mobility options awfully diminished. Sorry folks, you only have the centuries-old auto-calesas (AC jeeps) and PUJs as urban mass transport system. Let us enjoy together the sickening toxic tailpipe fumes handed to us by private motorists on silver platters; they don’t mind giving it anyway!

It is high time that the city government of Davao has to do drastic and herculean job to provide balanced solution from a private car-subsidized/favored tradition to providing a modern high priority urban mass transport service. This would give a great relief to public commuters whose daily commuting are stunted by road congestion, illegal parking, toxic smoke emis-

sions, arbitrary u-turns, car waiting and standing, dilapidated ACs and PUJs, among others.

Indeed, there is highly positive indication that the city government would be embarking on modernizing urban public transport service.

This includes recon�iguration of transport and traf�ic management strategies, including geometric design improvements, and the amendments of various traditional and commonly violated traf�ic rules and regulations.

Thus, this column staunchly supports the city’s chief executive in her efforts to modernize the city’s urban transport by adopting a high priority mass transport service. It would be a great relief for the commuters from time delay, congestion, and health hazards.

The commuters would bene�it from timely, comfortable, safe and accessible transport system. It should be noted that these virtuous plans are already in the �inal stages and wrapping it up and implementing it soon would be of immeasurable service to the citizens of Davao city.

(Author can be reached through dpampanga@yahoo.com)

would be christened Imelda, after his wife, who was at the time minister of Human Settlements.

To his credit, Floirendo did not support the notion of creation an Imelda City. However, if the President insisted, he would not be in a position to stop the proposal. But Santos was amenable: ‘’I’d love to have it Imelda City.’’

The division, though, did not materialize. In March 1981, Lopez, a University of the Philippines alumnus like Marcos, was installed by the Commission on Election as the rightful winner in the previous year’s electoral contest.

The idea of naming places after a living person, though, is not allowed by law. Of course, under Marcos’ dictatorial regime, such prohibition was easily removed by means of a decree and the impediment of creating a city named after Imelda could have been negated outright.

But this was not the only instance when a place in Davao was renamed.

On November 25, 1977, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1247, creating the municipality to San Mariano, now Maragusan, under the province of Davao. The

town’s original appellation was named after Mariano, father of the President, with the ‘san’ as a pre�ix without any religious signi�icance.

Two years later, Batasang Pambansa passed on April 4, 1979, Batas Pambansa Blg. 23 creating the town of San Vicente, later renamed to Laak, also in Davao province. The name was inspired by Vicente Duterte, former governor of the undivided Davao and father of incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte.

In 2001, Rep. Manuel Zamora, now vice-governor of Compostela Valley, �iled a bill renaming the province of Compostela Valley to Davao de Oro. Last December 8, 2016, the provincial Board, with Zamora presiding, passed a resolution support the proposed chance of name.

On August 19, 2017, during the closing ritesa of the provincial chapter congress of the Lady Local Legislators’ League in Davao City, Rep. Maricar Zamora, daughter of the original proponent, expressed optimism the initiative renaming the province would be passed soon.

But to get the imprimatur of the provincial population, the proposed change of name will still have to be put to a plebiscite.

Dividing Davao City into two

Nacionalista’s choice.

A February 22, 1981 article entitled ‘In Philippine City, Politics Provides Comic-Opera Overlay’, which came out in The New York Times, reported: “The candidate of the opposition Nacionalista Party, Elias Lopez, received 2,000 more votes but has not been proclaimed the winner. Moves before the Election Commission and the courts have perpetuated the deadlock, and Mr. Santos, backed by the in�luence of the national Government, insists that he is legally in of�ice until the contest is decided…

“Mr. Lopez, however, is also close to the President’s party, and Mr. Marcos’s local friends, with the President’s cooperation, are working out a Solomonic compromise, resolving in one maneuver the election deadlock and the problem of Davao’s unwieldy dimensions.

Coincidentally, on Feb. 20, 1981, which was the story’s dateline, Pope John Paul II was at the Davao airport to say Mass.

The city’s of�icial newspaper, Ang Barangay, which was distributed among the Pope’s entourage, featured a portrait of the Pope and a sabotaged photo of Santos win a typed-in caption,

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa ‘’an impostor.’’

In a nonchalant disclosure, Santos said Antonio O. Floirendo, the President’s kingmaker in Mindanao, had con�irmed of the plan “to split Davao into two cities, providing employment for both men with a claim to the mayoralty,” adding ‘’Davao will be divided within the year.”

Floirendo, however, clari�ied the division of the city would still be put to a plebiscite.

Under the plan, one part of the divided city would be given the name New Davao, while the other, consistent with the idea of President Ferdinand E. Marcos,

EDGEDAVAO

10 COMPETITIVE EDGE

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

THE SWITCHYARD. Hedcor’s 69-MW hydropower plant is now on its commissioning phase and is set to begin its commercial operations this year.

More Mindanao towns get renewable energy D

Water service interruptions in areas served by DUMOYWSS line 2 and Brgy. Biao Guanga

A

boitizPower subsidiary Hedcor Bukidnon, Inc. is on the final phase of commissioning its 69-MW hydropower facilities in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Eight electric cooperatives in Mindanao have already signed up for Manolo Fortich Hydros renewable energy generation beginning 2018.

About 45 megawatts of hydro plant’s total rated capacity have already been contracted to various electric coops in Mindanao. This includes South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II), Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2 (ZAMSURECO 1 and 2) , Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO), Misamis Occidental I

Electric Cooperative (MOELCI 1), Siargao Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO), Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative (BUSECO), and Surigao del Sur 1 Electric Cooperative, Inc (SURSECO 1).

“With our partnerships, we are excited to deliver reliable and ample power supply to every town in need in Mindanao while ensuring none-

to-very-little potential adverse effects to our environment.

We are thankful to our electric coop partners for adding AboitizPower’s Cleanergy to attain a more balanced mix of energy for their franchise areas,” said Hedcor’s VP for operations and maintenance Rolando Pacquiao.

SOCOTECO II which serving the municipalities of Sarangani, Tupi and Polomolok in South Cotabato and General Santos City signed for 20 MW. Municipalities of Lingig, Bislig, Tagbina, Barobo, Hinatuan, Lianga, and San Agustin in the province of Surigao del Sur under the franchise of SURSECO 1 will soon enjoy 2 MW of renewable energy. ZANECO

which serves the area in and around Zamboanga del Norte and the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan has signed for a total of 10 MW. Zamsureco 1 and Zamsureco 2 which services the rest of Zamboanga peninsula signed for 3 MW each. BUSECO with franchise locations all over Bukidnon including areas in Malaybalay City, Manolo Fortich, and Valencia City, signed for 5 MW. While MOELCI 1, currently servicing some municipalities in Misamis Occidental, and SIARELCO, covering at least nine towns in Siargao island, each signed for 1 MW of power supply.

“We look forward to part-

expanding its portfolio of petroleum products.

TIPCO Asphalt is the leading manufacturer and distributor of asphalt products for repairing, maintenance and servicing and construction of road pavements, highways and airport runways in Thailand and the Asia-Paci�ic region. Its asphalt products are also sold to importers and road contractors in Africa, Australia and North America.

Phoenix Petroleum is the leading independent oil company in the Philippines, engaged in the trading and marketing of re�ined petroleum products, including LPG, and lubricants, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, hauling and into-plane services. It also recently expanded to the convenience retailing business with its acquisition of Philippine Family Mart.

MORE,P13

Phoenix Petroleum expands to bitumen business

P

hoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. has entered into a joint venture agreement with TIPCO Asphalt Public Company, Limited (TIPCO Asphalt) of Thailand and Carlito B. Castrillo of PhilAsphalt (Dev’t) Corporation (PhilAsphalt) – expanding its portfolio to include bitumen and bitumen-related products.

The joint venture will operate, market, and distribute

bitumen and bitumen-related products in the Philippines.

The deal is part of Phoenix Petroleum’s strategic focus to create growth and opportunities in highly attractive industries and markets that are complementary to its core fuel business and are underpinned by strong macroeconomic fundamentals. As bitumen is one of the by-products of crude oil re�ining, Phoenix is effectively

avao City Water District informs its customers of �ive separate sets of water service interruption to give way to service improvement works and preventive maintenance activities.

The �irst to fourth sets will affect areas served by Line 2 of Dumoy Water Supply System (WSS).

First set is from 10:00 AM of January 19, 2018 until 10:00 AM of January 20, 2018 affecting these areas in Ma-a: portion of Ma-a road (from Emerald Vill. to Carlos P. Garcia Highway) including Davao Riverview Vill., Nacilla Vill., Emerald Vill., Yñiguez Vill.,

Luzviminda Vill., Villa Azalea Subd., Midl& Subd., DDF Bugac, Trinidad Greenhills Subd., Don Julian Vill., Sangilagan Vill., GEM Vill., New Argao Vill., St. Michael Vill. I & II, Spring Vill., Metroville Subd, Garzon Compound, Sto. Niño Maa, Pantinople Vill., Garcia Settlers, Anahaw Vill., Dinaville Subd., Diho Vill. IV, Salcedo Vilage, JPMI Vill., Ma-a Peoples Vill., Las Terrazas (Ma-a portion only), Pag-asa Vill., Del Pilar Vill., Purok II-A, New Washington Vill., NHA Ma-a, Maharlika Vill., Green Meadows Maa, Roldan Vill., Woodridge Park Subd., Southvilla Heights, Monter-

WATER,P12

DENR-11 receives electric, hybrid cars and quick charging station

D

epartment of Environment and Natural Resources Region XI recently received two (2) units of electric and hybrid vehicles and an electric vehicle quick charging station from Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) as part of their partnership in promoting clean energy and environmental protection.

These said 2 units are Outlander PHEV (plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and i-MiEV electric vehicle.

Gracing the turn-over ceremony held at DENR-XI Regional Of�ice in Lanang, Davao City are DENR Regional Director Ruth M. Tawantawan, MMC President and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshi-

kiri and Davao City Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang who represented Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio.

The Outlander PHEV, i-MiEV and EV quick charger are part of the donation made by MMC to DENR last June 2017 wherein �ive (5) units of Outlander PHEV, �ive (5) units of i-MiEV and four (4) units of EV quick chargers were delivered to DENR Central Of�ice in Quezon City.

MMC President and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri said in his message during the short program that the turn-over of the electric vehicles and EV Charging Station is the result of the Memorandum of Under-

DENR,P13

INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

FOOD

EDGEDAVAO

Kloser to the streets

IN OTHER PLACES, trailer parks are but normal sights. Even before the upsurge of food trucks, that is. Aside from being economically and financially cheap (specially for startups), converted trailers into business and gastronomic dining places are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Admit it, their presence gives a very modern and rustic feel to any place.

In Davao, though the number of converted trailers are not as prevalent as in other places, it has slowly been taking over parts of our streets.

The opening of a legit trailer park in downtown Davao is a positive testimony to how we are slowly embracing the many options thrown at us —especially for business owners.

One such dining place in the city opted to embrace the many beautiful purpose of a trailer. Converted into a modern day resto, you’d feel closer to the streets when dining.

Kargo is an experience more than just a foodie destination. Street side gustatory experience. The glass side facing the street adds a layer of excitement as you take a bite. It has that mysterious vibe -- especially with the number of tinted cars passing by.

Not knowing whether they are looking at you or your food. Or both.

Kargo sounds globally pinoy. True. And their menu is all that -- very global with Pinoy flavours. Fusion, yes, and adjusted to the local palate. Is this a good thing? It depends on your craving.

They have the usual menu items you’d expect from a dinner type resto — pasta, chicken, fried faves and anything with rice on it. Their menu is not complicated. In truth,

it’s an easy read as they provided descriptions for the dishes. Not only that, the dishes they have are reasonably priced and comes in big servings.

A best seller is their humongous Burri-Sushi -- a fusion between the burrito and the sushi. It has everything you need to be busog. This dish has been crafted in a way that you get to taste the bold flavours of the burrito with the subtle, delicate taste of sushi without overpowering one another.

Their pasta choices are limited but not limited in taste. They have their own take on three of the most favoured pasta dishes in the world -- the classic pomodoro, everyone’s goto aglio olio and Pinoy’s creamy carbonara.

Pasta proved best for sharing. Taste wise, they were well-seasoned and cooked just right.

Like their plate of crispy fried onion rings, wellseasoned but a bit too crunchy. Other than that,

the rings were okay.

Also on their menu are Rice Bowls (Kargo Chops, Braised Beef Cuts) and Kargo Meals that includes Buffalo Wings and the MVP Curry.

Kargo is very casual and embraces the on-thego concept of filling the tummy. With its price point, it’s actually pretty decent — the serving is big, flavours are great and the location adds excitement as you take a bite

every single time. It’s not complicated nor is it intimidating. I personally like that it’s not pretentious and does not try to imitate big flavours. It’s just fun eating and dining.

Kargo is located at 1050 Emilio Jacinto Extension, Davao City.

For my latest food finds, follow me on Instagram @ iamleebai and Facebook @theroyalchefeats. Happy eating, royalistas!

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

EVENT

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

Toshi Tim Land celebrates excellence

TOSHI TIM LAND INC. held sports fest and semi-annual awarding ceremonies happened last October 28 and 29, 2017 at Holy Child Academy in Cabatian, Davao City.

The event aims to develop a good relationship and camaraderie between the employees and sales agent. Attending the two-day event were company personel and guests namely: RB Team, Leuterio Realty, Davao Dragon Vibe Realty, Ablas Realty, Explorer Davao Realty, Renwei Mei Corp. and Toshi Tim Land, Inc. employees.

This is the second year Toshi Tim Land organized the sports fest but this is the RB Team is the top realty group. first time it was held together with the company’s semi-annual awarding ceremonies. The arawding ceremonies are held every year to acknowledge the top real estate with outstanding sales.

Winning in the games were Explorer Davao Realty for basketball, RB Team for badminton, and the team from Toshi Tim Land, Inc. employees for volleyball.

For the sales awards, the top sales representative award went to Lucila M. Bersaluna while the top unit manager award went to Noel A. Pleños. RB Team was RB Team takes home the gold in badminton. hailed as the top realty group.

Winners of the basketball game, Explorer Davao Realty.

Toshi Land Inc. staff win in volleyball.

Noel A. Pleños is the top unit manager.

UP AND ABOUT

Retailers win big in Smart Ka-Partner Rewards program THE YEAR 2017 has proven gainful for Smart Communications’ load retailers, who have reaped the benefits of the company’s Ka-Partner Rewards loyalty incentive program.

Load retailers of Smart, Sun, and TNT have taken home various prizes and bonuses during events and activities organized through the Smart Ka-Partner program, the PLDT wireless subsidiary’s nationwide network of retailers.

Thousands of retailers all over the Philippines were treated to exclusive incentives such as infotainment sessions, prizes and special blitzes, including the Ka-Partner Level Up series of retailer conventions, which were held at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, SMX Convention Center at SM Lanang Premier in Davao City, and IC3 Convention Center in Cebu City.

Entertainment was provided by celebrities James Reid and Nadine Lustre, Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, Anne Curtis, Karylle, Bela Padilla, Jhong Hilario, Michael Pangilinan, and Alex Gonzaga, among other artists, and hosts Luis Manzano and Jasmine Curtis. No less than superstar Nora Aunor announced the grand prize winners at the Araneta event.

The Ka-Partner Rewards annual conventions, which fea-

PLDT and Smart executives led by CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan (fourth from right) congratulate on stage the raffle winners during the Ka-Partner Level Up national retailers’ convention at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, in July 2017.

ture entertainment from the country’s top celebrities, parlor games, and a raffle draw for a brand new car and a grand prize of P1 million, aim to honor partner-retailers and recognize the valuable role they play in the growth of the company.

Sales generated by retailers account for up to 85 percent of Smart’s prepaid revenues, as nearly eight out of 10 Smart subscribers are prepaid and buy their load at their friendly neighborhood sari-sari store.

Lane of Metro Manila, Lydia of Central Luzon, and Nalie of Visayas were declared winners of P1 million each during the conventions in Quezon

City and Cebu. This brings to nine the total number of millionaires of the Ka-Partner Rewards program since its launch in 2012.

In efforts to further enrich the lives of its winning load retailers, Smart also conducted a financial literacy session for its Ka-Partner Millionaires Circle, or the P1 million winners during the retailer conventions.

During the session, the retailer-millionaires were taught how to budget their money efficiently—by allocating funds for priority expenses first, including savings—as well as other measures and business opportunities that could help

them achieve financial wellness.

The retailers were also advised to keep using the KaPartner app to help them better keep track of their inventory and monitor what their customers want.

One lucky senior citizen from Paco, Manila, meanwhile, received a Retailer package and a new smartphone for being the top graduate of the #SmartMillenniors program.

The program, which aims to teach the elderly on the basics of smartphones, social media, and cybersecurity, is part of Smart’s technology for development initiatives.

Aside from being awarded top honors and receiving the “Smart Millennior Award,” Benjamin Pura Sr., 63, was also cited for being Best in Mobile Phone Navigation—an honor awarded by the program to the senior who was able to master the smartphone the fastest.

In the pipeline are more prizes and rewards, as well as an expanded Ka-Partner Rewards program, as Smart’s way of giving back to its retailertrade partners.

As more people consume music, videos, and games through their phones, mobile usage over the years has shifted from call and text to data services. Smart’s Ka-Partner program aims to enhance the business of the retailers so that they can provide more mobile users access to these services.

Through its Ka-Partner Rewards Program, Smart aims to uplift the livelihood of its retailers, while enabling the community to stay connected

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Sirkus to take viewers on a magical journey BEGINNING JANUARY 21, prepare to be spellbound by GMA Network’s newest adventure-filled fantasy series Sirkus.

Produced by the awardwinning GMA Public Affairs team, Sirkus is a family-oriented program about fraternal twins Mia and Miko who find themselves in the company of a travelling circus called

Portraying Mia and Miko are two of today’s promising young actors Mikee Quintos and Mikoy Sirkus Salamanca after Morales. Mikee, who won trying to escape from the as the Best New Female hands of an evil villain- TV Personality at the 2017 ess. On the road, the twins Star Awards for TV, is best will discover secrets about known for her role as Lira their new-found family as in the hit telefantasya sewell as their own identi- ries Encantadia. Mikoy, on the other hand, is a ties. finalist in the reality TV show Protégé: The Battle for The Big Artista Break.

After their parents mysteriously disappear, Mia and Miko will have to rely on the protection of a rag-tag group of circus performers who include a magician, a fire-breather, an acrobat, a strongman, and a clairvoyant. In the middle of this cat-andmouse chase, the circus becomes key to revealing the truth about the siblings’ identity. They will eventually learn the reason behind the villainess’ obsession to catch them.

Joining Mikee and Mikoy in this colorful series are some of today’s brightest stars: Andre Paras, who plays the lovable strongman Martel;

Cherie Gil as La Ora.

Gardo Versoza as Leviticus.

Mikee Quintos and Mikoy Morales as Mia and Miko.

Chariz Solomon as the remarkable portrayals as ents Miguel and Liza. quirky clairvoyant Astra; an antagonist, Ms. CheThis latest Kapuso ofSef Cadayona as the funny rie Gil breathes life to the fering is created by Proacrobat Al; and Klea Pine- coldhearted and vengeful gram Manager Angeli da as the gorgeous fire- La Ora. Atienza. breather Sefira. Veteran Helping La Ora in her At the helm of this upactor Gardo Versoza plays quest to catch Mia and coming magical series is Leviticus—the leader of Miko are her minions internationally-awarded the Sirkus Salamanca who Luca (Divine Tetay) and writer-director Zig Dulay. will serve as the father fig- Facundo (Gerard Arca).

Join Mia and Miko’s ure of the twins.

Playing special roles are magical journey in Sirkus One the country’s best Zoren Legaspi and Angelu beginning January 21, actresses known for her de Leon as the twins’ par- Sundays on GMA-7.

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

Advertise with

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

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

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

GLOBE... FROM 1

app after its rival Globe Telecom backed out of the project, earlier indorsed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and LFRB chairman Martin Delgra III. The project was launched during a well-attended ceremony at City Hall early December with a Globe regional of�icer declaring support for Hirna in a speech.

Largo said Hirna could have been started last Christmas but Globe’s change of heart caused a slight delay.

“We will start installing cellphones with Hirna app our taxi units on January 22,” Largo said, adding “we hope to �inish installation of the phones by the end of February.”

The taxi operators are not clear about the reason or reasons for Globe’s last-minute withdrawal, but some of them thought that it might be “con�lict of interest” since it has a prior contract with Grab, a taxi hailing app similar to Hirna and Uber.

“Smart readily accommodated our request as opposed to Globe,” according to

Largo, who bared that Smart will provide the cellphones with unlimited Internet data.

It’s like a plan where taxi operators will pay �ixed amount monthly for a �ixed period.”

Hirna hailing app will involve some 5,000 taxi units registered in Davao City.

Mayor Inday Sara was earlier reported to have promised taxi operators and drivers that her administration will no longer allow the operation of Uber, a hailing app for non-taxi units, for as long local taxi operators would �ind a way to improve taxi service in Davao City.

Uber is not favored as it is perceived to encourage the purchase of more private vehicles which will worsen the traf�ic situation in the city’s streets.

In a separate statement, LTFRB chairman Delgra also told reporters that the implementation of an effective and ef�icient taxi hailing app will be very advantageous to all stakeholders such as taxi drivers, taxi operators and commuters.

He suggested the councilor may not have been given the correct information. “It must be a clear case of misunderstanding,” he said.

Robilio said the increasing population in the city has contributed to the rising demand of blood supply.

“The real problem is the lack of blood due to not enough people donating blood; this is not only true in Davao City but in other areas in the country as well,” he said.

He cited that DOH Blood center is also is facing this challenge of blood shortage, not only Red Cross.

Robilio said that blood is perishable and its shelf life is limited even if stored in the most ideal conditions depending on the type of blood component involved.

“Thus, to ensure availability, people should donate blood regularly, “Robilio said PRC- Davao Chapter revealed that blood unit dispensed by the Red Cross

Blood Center collected to 11, 019 units in 2017 as against 14, 637 units in 2016. In terms of distribution by hospitals in 2017, Southern Philippines Medical Center was served with the most number units at 3, 948 followed vy Dan Pedro Hospital with 1, 242 units.

The chapter, Robilio said, can only gather blood supply through private and government blood-letting activities as it does not have the capacity to conduct multiple functions.

“We are not funded by the government and we solely rely our budget on donations and fund-raising activities.

Thus we cannot form our own blood-letting activities using our own budget so we partner with companies and establishments,” he said.

Robilio encourage patients that once blood is not available, quali�ied blood donor with the same blood type as the patient should be brought to the blood center.

these legal radio stations to serve their service areas,” he said. Cañete said these illegal stations usually use portable transmitter which allegedly manufactured at home.

He said under their rules if an individual wants to operate a radio station, the owner needs to secure permit to install their tranmitters and towers and even the transport of this material.

Aside from the radio stations in the provinces, the NTC 11 also looking for the two radio stations in Davao City in which they used bamboo poles as their transmitters.

These stations are located at Mac Arthur Highway, Mati-

na near the old ABS-CBN and in Toril.

“We have not yet inspected these stations, but even if they have papers, knowing that their tower transmitters are made of bamboo pole, I will recommend show cause or cease and desist oreder,” Cañete said.

He said he already submitted four cease and desist order last year, two in Digos City, one in the town of Bansalan, Davao del Sur and Lupon, Davao Oriental.

“There is not action from our national of�ice but hopefully, this will be acted upon,” he said.

Cañete said the NTC 11 will be stricter this year be-

BARKING... FROM 1

NTC... FROM 2

11

EDGEDAVAO

INCOMING. European Chamber of commerce of the Philippines-SouthMin Business Council chairman Antonio Peralta (left), together with PRIME Philippines assistant manager for business development Jen Namis, promotes during this week’s Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at

Abreeza mall the upcoming Mindanao Business Briefing: Updates on Security Situation, Business Resiliency, and Optimism slated on January 23 at Seda Abreeza Hotel. Lean Daval Jr.

cause his of�ice just want these radio stations to comply with their regulations. “I just want to tell this to them that we are not here to curtail the freedom of the media, what we only want you comply with our regulations,” he said.

He said the NTC 11 already have the support of local government units in

the region by granting his request not to issue business permits without certi�ication from their of�ice.

“With our coordination with the local governments, its easy for us to close these stations,” he said. Cañete said he also asked the assistance of the local police on their implementation of the cease and desist order.

CRIME... FROM 3

spectives have to be re�lected institutionally,” Puno said.

Puno also pointed out that the numerical superiority of the House of Representatives will simply overwhelm the Senate.

He disagreed with former SC chief justice Hilario Davide, Jr. who saw no need to amend the Constitution and even described efforts to do so as a “leap to hell.”

“I don’t know how to intelligently answer that fear because I have not been to hell, your honors,” Puno quipped, referring to Davide’s earlier

statement.

He insisted that there is a need to “overhaul” the Constitution as the current institution was “done in haste.”

Moreover, he said that there was also a need to “rede�ine” the philosophy of the federal government that would be adopted.

Aside from Puno, other resource persons in the hearing who are in favor of Charter change were former Senate President Former Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr., and former Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna. (PNA)

of awarding government contracts to the lowest bidder.

“Because everyday that a certain contract is bidded out, it’s always tainted with corruption, 90 percent,” he said, noting that it is hard to �ind a transaction that’s “almost clean.”

To address this, the President said he would propose to do the turnkey phases. “We will come up with the speci�ications, the projected cost and everything --- just like the Swiss challenge,” Duterte explained.

“We will present it to you.

I’ll give you 10 percent for mobilization. But you must be a company with a track record.

You must have the equipment.

And I will not allow subcontracts, which means to say that those who --- a few people that have also improved their lives maybe have reached the mid-

dle-income state because of that,” he said.

During his speech, the President also issued a warning against local of�icials who are sitting on their job. “I’m warning the local government of�icials. I do not want to threaten you but you just do your duty also because remember, I can always suspend or dismiss you if I want to,” he said.

“I’ve been sparing. I’m not the Ombudsman. But administratively I can hang you. So do it, those governors and mayors who are deadwoods or who do nothing at hinayaan mo na lang kami ditong mga pulis pati the Armed Forces to take care of everything and you are not doing anything to serve your constituents, including dying for your people, umalis kayo diyan,” the President said. (PNA)

EX... FROM 2

DUTERTE... FROM 2

regions, kung taga region 12 ka lahat ng �ingerprint cards from that area ibibigay sayo that is your priority, kung taga t13 ka ganun nanman but yung main concentration namin dito sa Davao City,” Manuel said “We could not say how many will be placed in the crime lab but we are hoping to have additional personnel considering that the Crime Lab XI is the center for Mindanao,” Pallado added.

Due to the lack of personnel, the personnel are multitasking to carry out their mandate.

Pallado said that they already submitted the proposed staf�ing organization and were waiting for its approval.

“Kung ma approve sana mabigyan kami ng minimum of 60 person sa Region XI, she said.

“As much as possible gusto naming talaga na hindi kami multitasking, kung sa technical examiner ka, yun ka lang talaga tapos yung iba sa Scenes of Crime Of�icer

(SOCO) yung trabaho nila is SOCO lang rin. Ang nangyari kasi ngayon ay kami pa mag examine, tapos mag SOCO, mag court duty pa the next day,” she said.

When asked about the possibility of the LGBT community to work in the crime lab of�ice Pallado said “ Yes, welcome po sa Philippine National Police ang lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.”

She said they are welcome most especially if they are medical technologist, chemist, chemical engineering and a graduate of criminology.

She said the requirements needed to apply in the crime lab is the same requirement with Police Of�icer 1 like personal data sheet, birth certi�icate, transcript of records, eligibility.

“The only difference is that after the training in PO1 and they are assigned to their respective unit that is when the specialization training of SOCO will start,” she said.

The press club also said press freedom and freedom of expression “have not been affected nor threatened” when the SEC moved to cancel Rappler’s license.

Gutierrez also denied any media repression in the country as there are over a

thousand media entities in operation, which consist of 436 television broadcast stations, 411 AM radio stations, over 1,000 FM radio stations, more than 400 newspapers and social media platforms that have yet to be numbered.

(PNA)

preneurial trainings, assisted 5,664 IPs bene�iciaries, and linked 52 IP micro, small, and medium enterprises to �inancial institutions.

In the 2015 Full Year Of�icial Poverty Statistics of the Philippines, the 30 poorest

provinces in the country in terms of percentage of poverty incidence among families include Apayao, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate, Romblon, and Sorsogon in Luzon.(PNA)

RAPPLER... FROM 3

DTI’S... FROM 4

12

EDGEDAVAO

ASEAN... FROM 4

NBA... FROM 15

some 14 million members.

Esther Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers Association (AFA), noted that aside from just providing sources of funds for growing and harvesting crops, cooperatives are also assisting the farmers in packaging their produce and bring these to

mainstream markets.

“Because they are members of cooperatives, at the end of the day, after (undertaking) the value chain, the incomes they achieved are returned to them through patronage refunds, dividends.

They can feel they really own the business,” she said.(PNA)

risk management program, and the exchange of notes for the Metro Manila Subway and the Plaridel Bypass Road Project on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings.

Dominguez and Japan International Cooperation Agency Chief Representative to the Philippines Susumu Ito signed the loan agreement for the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project, which will be implement-

ed by the Department of Public Works and Highways .

The project, which aims to control and mitigate �looding in several areas in Cavite that host economic zones and residential communities, stands to bene�it some 8,000 households as well as manufacturing plants in the cities of General Trias and Imus and the municipalities of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in the province.(DOF)

due to lower taxes for Teacher 1 will amount to P35,537, 176% of his/her monthly salary.

The combined effect of the increase in salary from the SSL and lowered tax rates due to the implementation of TRAIN law will result to an additional take home pay of P43,363 per year. In 2019, annual tax savings will increase to P37,262 as it is indexed to salary. Additional take home pay due to SSL and TRAIN increase to P45,312.

The DBM estimates that doubling the salaries of teachers in 2018 will require an additional P343.7 billion in Personnel Services (PS) costs.

In the 2018 GAA, the programmed PS costs for teaching positions is set at P381.1 billion. Doubling the salaries of teachers will require PS costs of about P724.8 billion, implying a �inancing requirement of P343.7 billion.

The DBM Secretary cited the budgetary impact as the reason behind previous statements in which he cautioned against the doubling of teachers’ salaries. He clari�ied that the President’s instruction is “to look into increasing their salaries, not doubling them”.

“We have to ensure that our

public sector de�icit remains manageable,” the Budget chief said. “Financing this P343.7 billion may require hiking the de�icit from 3% of GDP to 5% of GDP, and it may put at risk the excellent international �inancial standing the Duterte Administration has built over the past 18 months,” the DBM Secretary said.

“Alternatively, we may raise more taxes or reduce other expenditure items,” Sec. Diokno mentioned. “Raising P343.7 billion is a monumental task,” he said. “Consider that Package 1A of TRAIN is expected to deliver about P90 billion in revenues, yet this is only about one-fourth the amount needed to �inance the doubling of salaries of teachers,” the Secretary added.

(DBM) On the other hand, the DBM Secretary also cautioned against sacri�icing spending for other Budget priorities such Build Build Build, Free College Tuition, Marawi Rehabilitation, the Cash Transfer Programs of the government, among other things.

“We must think and prioritize long-term solutions for our country’s development and for the people’s general welfare.” Sec. Diokno said.

“So I was kind of imagining this, but it was really big wins. I was in the bed, I thought, ‘oh, my God, this is going to happen. Oh, my God.’ But then I stopped myself, because it’s a super big goal. If I will not reach this, then I will put myself under pressure.”

And now that the moment is here, “I will just enjoy

it. I think I’m going to play on big court again. I will just try to show my best tennis, because I’m pretty sure, like, all my opponents, she will struggle a little bit, and I will try to use this. That’s what I’m going to do. I know a little bit how Elina is playing, but I still didn’t go to the details.”

3 from the �loor and scored only four points in the period. ‘’I think they did a good job on him but also he had played a long stretch of minutes. And I thought he was

fatigued more than anything,’’ Gentry said. ‘’But when we needed him most, when we needed Jrue most, that’s when they came through. And that’s the big thing.’’

LOAN... FROM 5

DB... FROM 5

15... FROM 15

DAVIS... FROM 15

ble the NBA would take some disciplinary action against players. Paul is also the president of the National Basketball Players Association, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. ‘’Chris was a great Clipper, solid citizen his whole time here,’’ Ballmer said. ‘’But as I told him last time we had dinner, ‘Every time we play, I’m against you the whole time.’’’

Both teams were off Tues-

day. The Clippers host Denver on Wednesday, and Houston is off until it hosts Minnesota on Thursday.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers also said his team was in its own locker room. ‘’Their entire team was not in their locker room,’’ he said, referring to the Rockets.

Walking into his postgame interview, Rivers joked, ‘’We’re honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day; we’re non-violent.’’

itz Classic Estates, Lower Dampa, Ma-a Slaughter House, Ma-a City Jail, Ma-a Riverside, Ciudad Verde Subd, Ma-a Riverfront, & Carlos P. Garcia Highway (from Shell Gas Station to Ma-a bridge).

Second set is from 10:00 AM of January 19, 2018 until 10:00 PM of January 20, 2018 affecting portion of Carlos P. Garcia Highway (from Ma-a bridge to San Juan Subd.); entire Buhangin areas including Jade Valley Subd., Juliville Subd., NCCC Relocation, Tigatto area, Panorama Homes Subd., Robinsons Highl&s Subd., Montclair Subd., Green Heights Subd., S&awa Vill., Pag-asa Vill., Spring Valley Subd., San Pedro Vill., Ladislawa Vill., Orange Grove Hotel, Buhangin Proper, Buhangin-Tigatto-M&ug Road (from J.P. Laurel Ave. to DDF Subd.), DDF Subd., Mt. Carmel, Dumanlas, San Vicente Buhangin, portion of Buhangin-Cabantian Road (from crossing Milan to Villa Park Subd.), Bread Subd., Pioneer Subd., Carpio Subd., Sison Vill., S& Vill., Villa Park Subd., St. Jude Buhangin, Sta. Teresita, Dragon Compound, St. John Subd., NHA Buhangin, Pareñas Compound, La Verna Hills Subd., Pag-Ibig Subd., Ciudad De Esperanza (Dumoy WSS connections only), & Diho Vill. Buhangin; some Poblacion areas including Bacaca Road, El Rio Vista Phases I-IV, Rolling Hills Subd., San Antonio Vill., Riverview Vill., Marfori Heights I & II, Napaka Vill., Doña Vicenta Vill.

I & II, Awhag Vill., Mineral Vill., Garden Park Vill., Davao Medical School Foundation, EMP Vill.

I & II, Diho Subd. III, San Rafael Vill., Ledesma Subd., Fatima Vill., Monfort Vill., Circumferential Road, & Stella Maris Homeowners Assn., portion of Quirino (from Bankerohan Bridge to corner J.P. Laurel Avenue), Madapo Hills, Don Isidro Vill., Everly Hills Subd., Bankerohan Public Market, Fr. Selga St., Malvar St., F. Torres St., Barangays 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13; J.P. Laurel Avenue (from Durian Hotel to Davao-Agusan Road), Sto. Niño Hillside Subd., SAGADA Vill., Leonora Vill., Garcia Heights, NCCC Housing, San Antonio Bajada, Hilltop Vill., Morning Side Subd., De Jesus Subd., DLPC, back of DLPC, Abreeza Mall, Villa Margarita Hotel, Roadway Inn, Regina Compound, Regino Compound, Consuegra Compound, Penera Compound ,Doña Milagros Vill., Rivera Vill., Southern Philippines Medical Center, Aquino Subd., Margarita Vill., DCWD, Hillside Subd., Bloom�ields Subd., Jereza Subd., Lanang Executive Homes, & Lulu Subd.; and portion of Cabaguio Ave. (from DECO Machine Shop to J. P. Laurel Ave.) including RGA Vill., Cory Aquamarine, Palm

Vill., Sarphil Subd., Park View Ave., SOS Vill., YCF Vill., & Freedom Settlers Vill.

Third set is from 10:00 AM of January 19, 2018 until 10:00 PM of January 21, 2018 affecting these Angliongto/ Mamay Road areas: Belisario Heights, Diamond Vill. I & II, Liceralde Vill., JLA Subd., St. Anthony Vill., Mamay Vill., Roseville Subd., Victoria Heights, Vincent Heights, Leah Subd., Damosa Fairlane; and some Lanang, Pampanga, & Sasa areas including Hillside Subd., SM Lanang Premier, Grand Regal Hotel, Pampanga Urban Homeowners, Davao-Agusan Road (from Lanang to Km. 12 Sasa including Insular Vill. I & II, Doña Pilar, Vill., Doña Paz Vill., Southern Homes, Hacienda Vill., & Old Airport Road), Ramos Vill., & Villa De Davao Subd.

Fourth set is from 10:00 AM of January 19, 2018 until 10:00 AM of January 23, 2018 affecting these elevated areas in Lanang, Pampanga, Sasa, & Panacan: Doña Asuncion Subd., Summerhill Vill., Guadalupe Vill., Fortune Executive Homes, Nova Tierra Vill., Belen Homes, Pampanga Executive Homes, San Roque Vill., Don Lorenzo Homes, Bolton Vill., Doña Aurelia Vill., Lougemar Vill., Marla Compound, Doña Salud, Bel-Air Subd., Crystal Meadows, Tierra Verde Vill., EMI Ville Homes, Empress Subd., Landmark III, Portville, San Juan Vill., Vista Verde I & II, Camp Catitipan, AFP Mutual Homes, & Davao Int’l Airport The �irst four sets of water service interruptions will give way to improvement works in preparation for the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project of DCWD which upon completion in 2019 will improve water supply in Davao City, viz: tapping of the newly installed butter�ly valves along Ma-a Diversion Road/ Slaughter House and along Ma-a Road going to San Rafael, tapping of the newly installed pipelines to the existing pipelines along Ma-a Diversion Road/Slaughter House and Maa Road corner Eden Street in St. Michael Vill., and interconnection of the existing pipelines to the newly installed pipelines along San Francisco Street corner Sto. Niño Street and along Palm Drive corner Sto. Rosario Street in Buhangin; and preventive maintenance works, viz: tapping of the newly realigned pipeline crossing at Maa Bridge, and repair of gate valve at Talomo Sump Compound.

DCWD will conduct water delivery to some affected areas in the third and fourth sets. The schedule of deliveries will be posted to DCWD’s website (www. davao-water.gov.ph) & facebook account (www.facebook.com/ davaowater).

WATER... FROM 10

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

Fifth set is on January 23, 2018 from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM affecting Purok 2 in Biao Guianga.

This will give way to the tapping of a newly installed pipeline to the existing DCWD pipeline in the affected area. Once completed, the project will allow for accommodation of additional service connections.

On behalf of the DCWD management, general manager Engr.

Edwin V. Regalado asks for the understanding and cooperation of would-be affected customers.

They are also advised to store enough water prior to the scheduled water interruptions. Water

supply may be restored earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.

The general public may visit DCWD website & of�icial Facebook page or call the Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297DCWD (3293) and press “1” on their phone dial for the latest daily water updates. Contact 09277988966, 0925-5113293, & 0908-4410653 for other updates, complaints, queries on the water delivery schedule, & matters pertaining to DCWD services. (Shaira Angelica S. Magno)

Davao del Sur provinces.

Legaspi was a long-time spokesperson of the group and had granted media interviews in the past regarding NPA activities in the area.

His wife, Ka Wendy, had served in the NPA unit’s medical staff.

Citing talks with Legaspi, the Army of�icial said the latter and his wife decided to surrender as they could no longer endure the dif�icult situation in the mountains.

“They wanted to lead normal lives and end the long years of hiding from authorities,” Leander said.

South Cotabato board member Agustin Dema-ala said they would continue with their efforts to convince more NPA rebels to surrender.

He said they expect that more rebels would yield and lay down their �irearms in

the coming days as a result of such development.

In Sultan Kudarat province, more than 100 NPA rebels already surrendered since last year through the provincial government led by Gov. Datu Pax Mangudadatu.

Dema-ala assured that surrenderers would get various assistance through the Comprehensive Local Integration Program or CLIP. The program, which started in 2014, aims to facilitate the mainstreaming of former NPA rebels as productive citizens; enhance capacities of LGUs and national government agencies in the implementation and sustainability of the CLIP; and compensate and remunerate all surrendered �irearms, including those coming from the NPA. (PNA)

Records from the Provincial Planning and Development Of�ice (PPDO) showed that most of those who will bene�it from the projects in the towns of Payao and Titay are poor farmers.

The concreting of the farm-to-market road in Payao town is the longest among the two projects with a length of 15.22 kilometers worth PHP186.5 million traversing seven barangays - Guintolan, Balungisan, San Isidro, Bulacan, Katipunan, Kulisap, and Poblacion.

Payao is a third class town which comprises of 29 barangays with a population of 31,686, mostly farmers and �isher folks.

A coastal town in the �irst district, the municipal waters of Payao is rich in marine resources like bangus, prawn, shrimps, seaweed, shell�ish, abalone, sea cucumber and

�irst class �ish of different species.

The second farm-to-market road project has a length of 5.34 kilometers worth PHP73.5 million traverses the barangays of San Antonio, Dalisay, and Pulidan in Titay municipality.

Titay which comprises of 30 barangays is known as one of the province’ rice granary.

The town is within the second district of this province.

Christopher Lazo, head of the provincial engineer’s of�ice, said the contractors were speeding up the concreting of the two farm-to-market road projects owing to unpredictable weather condition.

“Unpredictable weather is making dif�icult to the contractors as they worry that heavy downpour will delay the on-going concreting works,” Lazo said.(PNA)

in the region, especially with the threat of terrorism and the vulnerability of the youth with the ongoing recruitment of local terror groups.

“I always remind my students to be critical and to refuse when someone recruits them into an unknown group with the promise of a better life,” she said.

For newly-hired Sahira Kalipapa, 30, she said the distance between her home and

school assignment might be challenging, but she was more excited to help her students.

Kalipapa, a resident of Datu Paglas North, will be deployed to Darampua Elementary School in Sultan sa Barongis, an hour away from her place.

Hataman said Monday’s appointments comprised the �irst batch of new teachers in the region. More appointees are expected this year. (PNA)

TOP... FROM 6

PRRD... FROM 6

75... FROM 6

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

ARMM... FROM 6 processing, production and marketing of goat meat within the region and government and nongovernmental institutions mandated to boost the development of the Halal industry in the region.

Meanwhile, as part of the region’s efforts in the development and promotion of the Halal industry, the Of�ice of the Regional Governor released a memorandum directing all its of�ices and agencies to create programs, projects, missions and visions anchored on the

ARMM Vision.

The ARMM Vision states that: “By 2040, the people in the Bangsamoro are self-governing with predominantly middle-class society living in safe communities, having a dynamic economy including a Halal ecosystem, enjoying inclusive peace and diverse cultures, who shall enhance sustainable development ensuring that responsibilities and bene�its are shared by all.” (PR)

nering with more electric cooperatives in Mindanao who wish to start their shift to a more balanced mix of energy supply” Pacquiao said.

Hedcor currently operates 22 hydro power plants in

the country. Five of which are located in Davao City, four in Davao del Sur and 13 in Luzon.

These power plants produce a combined 185 MW of clean and renewable hydro power energy.

standing between the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and DENR last February 2017 in which MMC under its corporate social responsibility program vowed to support DENR’s environmental projects which aims to reduce carbon footprints. As such, MMC also aims to promote electric and hybrid vehicle technology.

“We are elated that our i-MiEV and Outlander PHEV have �inally reached the shores of Mindanao. We are positive

that this will help promote MMC’s future projects for electric vehicles in the country and encourage more Filipinos to patronize the next generation cars,” he said.

President Oshikiri also said that he is looking forward to more environmental projects with DENR. He further encouraged everyone to continue to strive and do their part for a cleaner and healthier environment not only for today’s generation but most importantly,

MORE... FROM 10 MORE... FROM 10

NEWS13

EDGEDAVAO the future generation.

On the other hand, Director Ruth M. Tawantawan expressed her gratitude to MMPC and to DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu for the turn-over of the vehicles and the quick charging station to DENR Davao Region.

She stressed that the vehicles and charging station came at a right time because the Region needed additional vehicles to help achieve its growing targets for this year and the succeeding years.

“These alternative vehicles actively reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the environment and I say, any technology that actively reduces the amount of carbon created is welcome in the city declared as Air Quality Champion,” she stressed.

Director Tawantawan also emphasized that DENR, being the primary agency tasked in the management of the environment, tries its best to be pioneers in the use of sustainable energy and other ecologically-sound practices to model the principles that it preaches.

“We are glad that with this

partnership, we can be among the �irst to use electric and hybrid vehicles in the city so that we can encourage more agencies, of�ices and people to invest in these alternative vehicles,” she said.

Moreover, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio through Councilor Dayanghirang congratulated the partnership for the turnover of the electronic vehicles and quick charging station which is another marking in environmental revolution.

She also commended MMPC for its initiative to push the technology of hybrid and pure electric vehicles in alignment with government’s campaign to reduce and prevent environmental pollution in the country.

“It is my hope that this technology will �lourish as it not only bene�it the environment but shall also promote better health for Filipinos. It is also my hope that this is just the beginning of a series of environmental initiatives to bene�it not only this age but also the generations to come,” the Mayor stressed. (DENR-XI PR)

which coordinates organ donation. The institute created HOPE speci�ically for the retrieval, preservation, and allocation of organs and tissues for clinical transplantation.

Among those who can donate their organs are people who are 18 years or older. “A minor or a person under age 18 may become a donor only if a parent or legal guardian gives consent,” the

NKTI said.

People who decides to donate portions of their organs once they die are given organ donor card. “The organ donor card identi�ies your wish to become an organ donor,” the NKTI explained.

It is by giving part of oneself that others may live. Elisa (not her real name for privacy reason) knows this well. In 1995, her kid-

ORGAN... FROM 12

neys commenced to deteriorate as a result of the disease she had since she was still a teenager. By 2004, she had a chronic kidney failure and was into a program of dialysis three times a week.

Since dialysis treatment is a long process, she explored of getting a kidney transplant.

“My husband tried to donate his other kidney, but it was incompatible with mine,” Elisa recalls. Her brother offered his kidney, too, but she was crushed when the doctor told her that her brother’s kidney does match with her, too.

Since she could not �ind any donor, she went to another province and eventually found one. On September 30, 2004, she had her kidney

transplantation. “My body has very strong resistance towards foreign organs,” Elisa laments. “It went into acute rejection on the �ifth day of the transplant while I was still in the hospital.”

She was �lown back to her hometown. Her surgeon administered high dosage of drugs and after two days, the new kidney was activated.

“Thank God, I was discharged after one week,” she says.

Elisa is also grateful for that person who donated his organ to her. “I had a new lease of life because someone did that for me before he died,” she says. “Whoever he is, I will always be thankful of him.”

EXTRA JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ANATALIO ORTEGA TORRES with special power of attorney has been the subject of an Extra Judicial Settlement of Estate executed among his heirs, per Doc. No.7; Page No.2; Book No. 11; Series of 2018, of the NOTARY PUBLIC CHERYL T. LIMBING 1/18,25,2/1

14 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018

LOMA LOOMS

P

Pacquiao wants blockbuster Lomachenko fight

hilippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao said on Wednesday he was in talks for a blockbuster bout with world champion Vasyl Lomachenko, widely considered the best “pound-forpound” fighter on the planet.

Pacquiao, 39, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, is eyeing an April date with the Ukrainian World Boxing Organization superfeatherweight champ during a break from his duties as a Philippines senator.

“There are negotiations now about the number one pound-for-pound (boxer) which is Lomachenko,” Pacquiao said in an interview on ABS-CBN television.

“There are still talks on the weight, reducing the weight,” said Pacquiao, who has been �ighting as a welterweight.

Pacquiao aides told AFP there has been no agreement on the venue and the actual date of the Lomachenko �ight.

Rated by boxing experts as the world’s top “pound-forpound” �ighter, Lomachenko, 29, has lost just once in 11 pro bouts and won all the others by knockout.

Pacquiao, whose loss of his WBO welterweight title to Australia’s Jeff Horn last year left his record standing at 59 wins, seven losses and two draws, is now in the twilight of his career.

The Filipino southpaw retired brie�ly in 2016 but made a comeback to retake his WBO title from Jessie Vargas just months later. He has not scored a knockout win in the past eight years.

In contrast Lomachenko cemented his status last year

BIG ONE. Ukrainian superfeatherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko could be Manny Pacquiaos next opponent.

after retaining his WBO junior lightweight title.

Lomachenko, who won gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, rocketed to the top of his weight class after turning pro in 2013, winning nine world championship �ights in his �irst 11 contests.

Pacquiao, who has not climbed the ring since the Horn loss, said last month he had opened talks to �ight mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in April.

But the Irishman said he wanted his next bout to be a return to the octagon after losing a boxing bout to unbeaten Floyd Mayweather by a 10th-round technical knockout in their muchhyped �ight in Las Vegas in August last year.

On Wednesday, Pacquiao rejected calls for him to retire for good, adding he did not believe his recent losses tarnished his record.

“You know, I miss boxing,” Pacquiao said, adding he was “still okay.”

Pacquiao, elected a senator in 2016, said he would only train for three months for an April �ight so he did not neglect his legislative duties.

“That’s more than enough.”

Pacquiao said Wednesday he was also open to �ighting British boxer Amir Khan but said any �ight would have to be done in April when the Philippine Congress would go on break.

Pacquiao return on Crawford-Horn fight T he return of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) is being lined to return to the ring as part of the April 21 card, which is going to feature Terence Crawford challenging Jeff Horn for the WBO welterweight title.

Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum is looking to have the card take place on April 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN would televise both �ights.

But the venue and location is up in the air, because NHL team the Golden Knights might need the venue for the NHL playoffs, which are scheduled to begin April 11. The Golden Knights lead the Paci�ic Division with 61 points.

Top Rank is hoping to resolve the venue issue in the coming days.

RETURN TO THE RING. Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao may return on April 21 in the Terrence Crawford-Jeff Horn.

“Unless they can get some clearance from the league, we can’t do it in Las Vegas because none of the other arenas are avail-

able and we would have to do it somewhere else,” Arum said to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

If they are unable to

work out the particulars, the event could head to Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 14.

Jr. NBA coaches hold clinic

C

arlos Barroca and Rob Newson – this year’s Jr. NBA coaches –conducted a Coaches Clinic at the Tip-Off of Jr. NBA Philippines 2018 presented by Alaska at Don Bosco Makati on January 13.

The NBA coaches shared coaching principles, tips and basketball plays with over 200 local coaches, with Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA All-Star alumni serving as demo players to execute the basketball moves.

The league’s global youth basketball participation program, remains free

and open to boys and girls ages 10-14 throughout its four stages:Skills Clinics in schools and communities, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and an NBA experience trip.

Since its launch in 2007, Jr. NBA clinics have been implemented in 110 cities and municipalities across the country and the 2018 program will return to key provinces including Agusan Del Norte, Batangas, Benguet, Cavite, Misamis Oriental, and Negros Occidental.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.10 10ISSUE ISSUE206 206••THURSDAY, JANUARY18 18,, 2018 2018 VOL. THURSDAY, JANUARY

SPORTS15

15-year old rolls in Aussie Open AUSSIE OPEN RUN. Last year’s girls champion Marta Kostyuk marched on to the women’s draw this time at only 15 years old.

M

arta Kostyuk’s incredible record at Melbourne Park con-

tinues.

Aged just 15, last year’s Australian Open girls’ singles champion is now the youngest player to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni’s run at the 1997 US Open after defeating Australia’s Olivia Rogowska 6-3 7-5.

The second-round victory takes Kostyuk’s unbroken streak of victories at Melbourne Park to 11 – six en route to last year’s junior title, three after making good on her qualifying wildcard last

week, and now the �irst two Grand Slam match wins of her �ledgling career, having taken out No.25 seed Shuai Peng in the �irst round.

“I’m happy, just happy – I made it through,” says Kostyuk, who remains relatively unfazed for a player whose reputation is growing with each passing victory – perhaps in part on account of her manager, Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic. “I beat some records or repeat them every year, so I feel okay.

“Ivan is always helping me when he sees me. After every match he’s telling me what was wrong – not everything is right even when I win.”

NBA investigates Rockets-Clippers incident

L

OS ANGELES (AP) -- The NBA has spoken to Clippers star Blake Grif�in as well as other players from the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles as part of its investigation into late-game and postgame incidents involving the teams.

Grif�in con�irmed Tuesday that he had been contacted by league of�icials. ‘’I’ve spoken to them,’’ he said after attending a L.A. Clippers Foundation event at an elementary school. ‘’I’m sure they’ve talked to everybody by now. We’ll see what they come up with.’’

Tempers boiled over Monday night late in the Clippers’ 113-102 victory , to the point where several security guards were needed outside the Houston locker room afterward. ‘’I wouldn’t call it pretty crazy,’’ Grif�in said. ‘’In this day and age everything kind of gets blown a little bit out of proportion.’’

Citing anonymous NBA sources, ESPN reported several Rockets players headed toward the Clippers’ locker room afterward, seeking a confrontation, but were escorted away by security before anything got

physical. ‘’We were exactly where we were supposed to be. All our guys were in the locker room talking,’’ Grif�in said Tuesday. ‘’We were doing the right thing.’’

There were incidents as well in the closing minutes of Chris Paul’s �irst game against the Clippers at Staples Center since he was traded to the Rockets last summer. Grif�in appeared to bump Houston coach Mike D’Antoni, and they exchanged words. Grif�in and Houston’s Trevor Ariza were later ejected after another incident. ‘’I think the NBA should �inish their investigation,’’ Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said Tuesday. ‘’I’m glad we got the win last night and I’m glad all our guys were in our locker room all night last night.’’

Afterward, neither team offered speci�ics on what happened, if anything, in the Clippers’ locker room.

Paul was asked about it and dodged the question. ‘’I don’t know,’’ he said. ‘’We took our loss. Tough loss.’’

It seems almost inevita-

NBA,P12

Ljubicic is bound to have feedback after an error-strewn display from both players as the Melbourne sun beat down on MCA. Kostyuk may be working hard to ditch her perfectionist tendencies – “You make mistakes in every point, in every shot, so you can’t be like this or you’ll end up in a psycho hospital,” she added on court – but the straight-sets win came in spite of her 45 unforced errors, edging out Rogowska’s 43.

The players traded three breaks of serve in succession before Kostyuk consolidated for a 4-1 lead, dropping and recovering the break once

more before sealing the opener on her fourth set point.

Rogowska struggled to �ind her range throughout the contest, �iring forehand after backhand beyond the baseline in her efforts to overpower an opponent 11 years her junior. Instead it handed Kostyuk a cushion, the Ukrainian breaking in the opening game of the second set in spite of a code violation for coaching, which she vigorously denied.

“I wasn’t upset – I was so mad, because I didn’t see what mom was showing me,” said Kostyuk. “I just look at her, I showed, like, I didn’t do right shot, and I turned

so I didn’t see what she was showing me. Then when the referee said code violation, I was, like, What? I didn’t even see her – I swear I didn’t see what she was showing me.

“Yeah, I was so mad, but actually when I’m mad it’s helping,” she added.

With the �inish line in sight, however, it was Kostyuk’s game that began to show signs of frailty as Rogowska broke back, only to gift the youngster the chance to serve for the match at 6-5.

Nerves were still in evidence as she framed a serve high into the crowd on her �irst match point, defusing the tension with a cheeky challenge,

but she wrapped up victory at the second attempt when Rogowska netted a backhand.

Kostyuk, one of three Ukrainian women already through to the third round at Melbourne Park, will now face compatriot and No.4 seed Elina Svitolina in the �inal 32 – one of the ‘big’ opponents she began visualising across the net following her junior triumph.

“It was actually April of last year,” Kostyuk said. “I was trying to fall asleep and then I started to think, because I knew that I would probably get the wildcard as a winner in juniors next year.

15,P12

Davis explodes as Pelicans stop Celtics B

OSTON (AP) -- Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans eventually were too big for the Boston Celtics.

Davis had 45 points and 16 rebounds as he and DeMarcus Cousins controlled the lane and led the Pelicans to a 116-113 overtime victory on Tuesday night, ending the Celtics’ seven-game winning streak. ‘’It was a great win for us. They tested us,’’ said Davis, who just missed matching the 48 points he scored Sunday during a win in New York.

Cousins added 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 23 points.

The trio combined for all 12 Pelicans points in OT as New Orleans handed the Celtics their �irst loss of 2018.

Ian Clark added 15 points for the Pelicans, whose size inside ended up prevailing in overtime when Boston’s barrage of 3-pointers stopped falling.

Kyrie Irving led Boston with 27 points, 24 after halftime as the Celtics rallied

from a 12-point de�icit and led by as much as �ive late in regulation. ‘’For some reason tonight, the whole game we were a little careless. It just carried over there at the end,’’ said Al Horford, who had 14 points and nine rebounds. ‘’We thought we had it. It just got away from us.’’

Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown added 16 points apiece for the Celtics, who attempted a season-high 50 3-pointers. Rather than challenge Davis and Cousins inside, the Celtics lived outside and it cost them in overtime when they went just 1 for 4. ‘’I thought we did a great job defensively in the �irst half trying to contain Kyrie.

You know that that’s not going to last the entire game,’’ Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. ‘’We came up with stops when we absolutely had to and then we were able to make some plays down the stretch that were the difference in the game.’’

Horford’s 3-pointer early in OT gave Boston a 107-106 lead and Boston

went up 113110. A jumper by Cousins cut the lead to 113-112, then Holiday added two more �ield goals and Boston couldn’t catch up from there. ‘’They kept worrying about me so much diving to the rim, Jrue was able to hit them little midrange jumpers. He kind of took over that overtime for us and got some separation for us,’’ Davis said.

New Orleans survived a rough start to the fourth, opening the period 3 for 13 and going without a �ield goal from 6:40 remained until the 1:50-mark, when a layup

by Clark cut Boston’s lead to 101-98. The Pelicans went ahead 104-102 in the �inal minute of regulation before Irving drove for a layup to tie it at 104-all with 11 seconds left.

Irving scored 16 in the

EXPLOSION. Anthony Davis of New Orleans fired 45 points.

third to help Boston back into it, but New Orleans scored the last six points of the third for an 87-80 lead, and went ahead by 10 early in the fourth.

Boston battled back again, tying it at 95-all when a dunk by Brown invigorated the home fans.

SECOND WIND The Pelicans overcame Boston’s �ive-point lead late despite a rough fourth quarter for Davis, who was 0 for

DAVIS,P12

16

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 206 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 , 2018