Edge10 issue 234, February 27, 2018

www.edgedavao.net

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

EDGEDAVAO

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

Serving a seamless society

COUNTRYWIDE ANTI-CAVITY DRIVE. Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, Inc. general manager Arvind Sachdev (left) and Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan lead the launching of the Philippine Anti-Cavity Campaign at Bueno Park Clubhouse in Caloocan City on Monday. The campaign aims for better oral health in the country and to provide Filipino families more reasons to smile. Lean Daval Jr

UNNECESSARY

Say Dabawenyos on Pulong’s resignation PRIDE OF DAVAO D

By ANGIE SAVERON

espite his sudden resignation as vice mayor of Davao City, Paolo Z. Duterte remains to be a politician to reckon with as his political capital is still very high.

Majority of Dabawenyos believed that the resignation of Paolo or “Pulong” from the position last December 25, 2017 was very unnecessary.

This is bared in a survey conducted by the Uni-

A2

versity of Mindanao-based Institute of Popular Opinion (IPO) that measured the sentiments of the public on his resignation, with 651 or 54 percent of a total of 1,200 respondents saying it was not

UNNECESSARY,P10

At home in

Matina Enclaves

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ony Tancaptiong , who graduated at the Davao Chinese High School, now Davao Chong Chua High School, and who is behind the phenomenal success of Jollibee Foods, gave another honor to Dabawenyos when he received an honorary doctorate title from the ponti�ical University of Sto. Tomas.

Dr. Tancaptiong, the lone recipient for 2018, was con-

ferred the title of Doctor of Business Administration.

Established in 1927, the rare award has been conferred on 78 personalities, including four Philippine presidents, nine cardinals, a number of Supreme Court chief justices, national artists and General Douglas McArthur. Contributed by Davao Chong Hua HS Alumni Association.

Dr. Tony Tancaptiong

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

TESDA MILESTONES. TESDA provincial director for Davao City, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental Nestor S. Tabada bares that 66 percent of the 32,000 youths trained last year by TESDA-accredited schools have been hired by domestic and foreign firms needing their skills. To Tabada’s left are Mafel Joan Gamale,

TESDA information officer, and Christine Dompor, provincial tourism officer of Compostela Valley, during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw edition at SM Annex. MICHAEL UY/PIA

TRAIN to yield P130-B revenues T

All systems go for Bulawan festival

By JUDIE VEGA

DBM sec assures Italian biz chamber

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midst complaints about the additional excise tax that goes with the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the new law is expected to yield PHP130 billion revenues in 2018.

Speaking before members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Inc (ICCPi) in a meeting entitled, “TRAIN: Driving

the Philippine Economy in 2018”, held in Makati City on Feb. 22, Diokno said the expected revenue will steadily rise to as much as PHP220

billion annually and will generate close to PHP1 trillion in revenues over a �ive-year period from 2018 to 2022.

“TRAIN is an essential tool in our expansionary �iscal strategy. It will not only generate additional resources for priority programs and projects but also make our �iscal program more sustainable,” Diokno said.

In his presentation, Diokno discussed the Philippine economic outlook for 2018

and how the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law �its in the development agenda of the Duterte Administration.

He added that the full effects of TRAIN will only be appreciated in the medium to long-term.

“We are sure that the criticisms will die down once they see the impressive infrastructures built and the social services programs im-

TRAIN,P10

he provincial government of Compostela Valley has expressed readiness to celebrate its 11th Bulawan (Growing Green for Good Governance) Festival and 20th founding anniversary that will be celebrated by the province on March 4 to 8, 2018 Christine Dompur, Provincial Tourism Of�icer said various activities have been lined up for this year’s Bulawan Festival which will start on March 4 (Sunday)

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lis, whose dead body was found in a freezer inside an abandoned apartment in the Gulf state earlier this month.

“It will be the President who will decide on that,” said Bello, when asked if they would issue a recommendation on the deployment ban.

The DOLE chief said that they would wait on the ac-

tion of the Kuwaiti government regarding the matter.

“We will see on what the Kuwaiti government will do...but what is important is when they (Kuwait) sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the protection of our OFWs. If they do that, there is a possibility that the President might lift the ban,” Bello said.

On Thursday, Duterte

said that the deployment ban would stay unless the arrest of the suspects on the death of Demafelis has been made.

It was reported that the employers of Demafelis, Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun, were arrested in separate occasions in Lebanon and Syria, this week. (PNA)

ALL,P10

Duterte will not railroad cha-cha

Lifting of OFW ban up to PRRD: Bello P

he Department of Labor and Employment said the decision on whether to lift or not the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait is up to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III made the statement in connection with the arrest of the suspects in the death of Joanna Demafe-

and culminate on March 8 (Thursday).

The festival, according to Dompur, will serve as the province’s thanksgiving to its stakeholders. “This is a way of thanking everyone and showcasing the beauty of Comval.”

A Fun Run and Duathlon in the province will kick off the celebration.

Dompur said that this year’s celebration will be “bigger” with the 2nd Bula-

resident Rodrigo R. Duterte will not railroad Charter change (Cha-cha) and has vowed to give lawmakers “ample time” to ponder on its proposed revisions, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. made this statement to belie claims of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that there was a plot by congressmen to railroad Cha-cha.

Drilon claimed that some congressmen wanted to

postpone the May 2018 barangay (village) elections and hold it on a later date simultaneously with the plebiscite on proposed amendments.

“I would say that Senator Drilon is off tangent because there will be a lot more discussion ahead of us for Charter change. Meaning, it is not the President’s purpose to railroad it knowing how important it is revising no less than the fundamental law of the land,” Roque said in a Palace brie�ing.

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Duterte no-show in EDSA not seen to diminish event

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he absence of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the last two anniversary celebrations of the People Power Revolution is not an attempt to diminish the signi�icance of the historical event, Malacañang said Monday.

“There is no attempt to diminish,” Presidential Harry Roque Jr. said in a Palace brie�ing, noting that Feb. 25 remains a national holiday and public funds are still spent to commemorate it.

“I don’t think there should be any reason to deviate from the fact that by law and by practice, we celebrate EDSA because it was a historical event in our country,” he added.

Roque also rejected claims that it was common practice for presidents to lead the EDSA celebrations noting that past presidents have skipped the event as well.

“I don’t think it’s usual (practice) because even in the past, not all presidents showed up,” Roque said.

He, meanwhile, assured that with or without the president’s attendance, the government will still and always recognize the historic event as “signi�icant.”

“We still recognize and we will always recognize EDSA not only as an important historical event but it was the �irst bloodless People

he Bureau of Immigration is set to deport a South Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in Seoul for operating a multi-million dollar telephone fraud scheme that victimized his compatriots in 2015.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Jung Hyojin, 35, is now detained at the immigration facility in Bicutan, Taguig after he was arrested by operatives from the bureau’s fugitive search unit in Malate, Manila on Thursday.

He noted that the foreigner is the subject of an Interpol red notice and has three standing arrest warrants by the Seoul central district court where he was indicted for organizing a fraud syndicate, an offense that carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.

“Like all the other wanted foreign criminals that we caught after hiding here to avoid prosecution, he (Jung), too, will be deported to face trial in his homeland and receive punishment for his crimes,” Morente said.

His presence here poses a threat to public safety and security,” the BI chief added.

Morente said the Jung is an overstaying and undocumented alien as his passport was cancelled by the South Korean government.

A check of the BI database showed that the South Korean �led to Manila on Feb. 23, 2015 and did not leave the country since then.

BI intelligence of�icer Bobby Raquepo said Jung headed a criminal organization in his country from 2013 to 2015 which defrauded vic-

DUTERTE,P10

BI to deport SKorea phone fraud fugitive T

BI,P10

ICON AT COMVAL. Lawyer Lucky Siegfred Balleque, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Compostela Valley, explains to reporters attending the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Annex yesterday details of the Business Investment Conference of Compostela Valley (ICON-ComVal) on March 5 at the Provincial Capitol

in Nabunturan. Aside from tackling investment areas like aquaculture, banana, coffee, cacao, tourism and green mining in plenary, the one-day event will also feature market matching and trade exhibit.

Michael Uy/PIA.

Comval to host business I-Con

By JUDIE VEGA

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ompostela Valley province on March 5 will host a business investment and Conference in a bid to highlight six priority industries as part of the week-long Bulawan Festival 2018 at the capital town of Nabunturan.

Lucky Seigfred Balleque, DTI Comval Provincial Director said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday that

after the successful run with the Provincial Investment Conference in 2016 and the Provincial Business Leader’s

Forum 2017, the province is bent on promoting its major industries comprising of aquaculture, banana, cacao, coffee, tourism and green mining.

“Comval is a potential investment area in Davao Region especially on agriculture and with several mining �irms operating in the province, the advancement on

the process and value adding shall also be highlighted as it demands more markets both in domestic and exports,” Balleque said.

The conference is centered on the theme: “Enriching the growing business and investment opportunities in Comval.”

The one-day conference

COMVAL,P10

Bid to change status of Mecca mosques opposed

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

M OPPOSED. Sheikh Abdulhabi Gumander (left), chair of the Bangsamoro Foreign Information Center, together with Davao City madrasah center head Sheikh Jamal Munib and other Muslim leaders, expresses his objection against the planned internationalization of Islam’s two

most holy mosques, Maccah and Medina in Saudi Arabia, by Iran and Qatar during a news conference at Grand Men Seng Hotel on Saturday night. Lean Daval Jr

uslim leaders in Mindanao opposed the proposed internationalization of two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

In a press conference at Grand Men Seng Hotel, leaders from different areas and Islamic organizations in the island agreed that no country or nation should intervene on the management of the two Holy Mosques except the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Davao City Madrasah Development Program executive director Alim Jamal said he believes that the proposed ‘internationalization’ of the management of the two grand Mosques in Mecca and Medina is being in�luenced

by Iran and Qatar.

“This idea has been brought before by Iran and

revived by Qatar which somehow appears to be politically motivated,”Jamal said.

Jamal said the two countries have no right to take the management rights of the the two grand Mosques because of the religious background set down by Prophet Mohammad in their doctrines.

He said a war may arise if these countries insist on internationalization of the management. “Sabi po ng foreign minister ng Saudi Arabi (The foreign minister of Saudi Arabi said), it is a declaration of war. So what will happene if this will happen,” he said.

Davao Region Grand Mufti Mohammad Pasigan said they already signed a manifesto sending it to the

BID,P10

EDGEDAVAO

4 ECONOMY

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

PSE deal to lower broker ownership

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EYE-POPPERS. Mall goers check out various models of closed-circuit television (CCTV) sets on display at the exhibit area of United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Davao City chapter’s Construction Show 2018 at the Annex of SM City Davao on Sunday. Lean Daval Jr

BIR surpasses excise tax target As January collections reached P22 B

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otal actual excise tax collections for January 2018 reached P22.078 billion, or over 7.7 percent of the goal of P20.501 billion for that month and 81.69 percent higher compared to the P12.152 billion tax take in the same period last year, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

In a report during a recent Executive Committee (Execom) meeting of the Department of Finance (DOF), BIR

Commissioner Caesar Dulay said the bureau has collected a total of P12.139 billion excise taxes from tobacco �irms

in January 2018, exceeding by 52.8 percent the target of P7.944 billion for the month.

Dulay said tobacco excise collections during the entire one-month period were also 95.91 percent or P5.942 billion higher compared to the tax take of P6.196 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Excise tax collections from automobiles reached P443.34

millon, or 29.42 percent in excess of the the target for the month of P342.561 million and 113.13 percent higher than last year’s collections for the same period amounting to P208.010 million.

Meanwhile, tax collections from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) amounted to P2.5 billion in the same period.

Of this amount, collections

last year. Customer loans rose by 18 per cent to P1.8 trillion on broad-based increases across all loan segments, while total deposits went up by 11 per cent to P2.1 trillion, led by the 12 per cent growth in low-cost CASA deposits (comprising 73 per cent of total deposits). As a result, net interest income rose by 25 per cent to P81.8 billion.

Non-interest income contributed P47.2 billion, higher by 13 per cent, with fee-based income accounting for P28.9 billion for a 30 per cent expansion. In addition, insurance premiums went up by 23 per cent to P9.9

billion. These compensated for the expected 20 per cent decline in trading and forex gains to P3.9 billion given the challenging market conditions. Overall, gross operating income advanced by 20 per cent toP129.0 billion.

Meanwhile, operating expenses rose by 21 per cent to P84.9 billion. However, excluding extraordinary items, operating expenses would have increased by 15 per cent, re�lecting BDO’s continuing investments in its branch network and strategic initiatives. BDO added 76 branches, bringing total consolidated branches (including HK

branch) to 1,180, in 2017.

The Bank set aside higher provisions amounting to P6.5 billion to cover required provisioning associated with the change in loan loss methodology to Expected Credit Losses (ECL) related to BSP Circular 855 and IFRS9. Gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio improved to 1.2 per cent from 1.3 per cent as of end2016. NPL cover improved to 146 per cent from 139 per cent in 2016.

The Bank’s capital base stood at P298.3 billion, with Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) and Common Equity Tier 1

BIR,P13

BDO earns record P28 billion in 2017

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DO Unibank, Inc. (BDO) reported an alltime high net income of P28.1 billion in 2017 on strong growth across all business segments, matching the Bank’s earnings guidance and marking a seven (7) per cent rise year-on-year. Excluding consolidation effects of the life insurance business, however, this represented a strong 15 per cent jump in core earnings on the back of solid growth in loans, low-cost deposits and fee-income.

The sustained expansion in lending, deposit-taking and fee-based businesses drove the Bank’s solid performance

BDO,P13

he Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. has signed a �irm underwriting agreement ensuring a reduction in its broker ownership to less than 20 percent, which will pave the way for an acquisition of the Philippine Dealing System Holdings Inc. (PDS).

The PSE signed Friday the agreement with BDO Capital & Investment Corporation and First Metro Investment Corporation for the conduct of its stock rights offering (SRO) next month.

“The �irm commitment of our underwriters to our SRO effectively reduces the ownership of brokers in the Exchange to below 20 percent. Compliance with the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) on the 20 percent maximum broker ownership in the Exchange has �inally been

achieved,” PSE President and Chief Executive Of�icer Ramon S. Monzon said in a statement.

The PSE is offering 11.5 million shares in the SRO to all its existing shareholders as of March 1, 2018, at PHP252 per share. The offer period will run from March 12 to 16.

Broker shareholders will not be allowed to participate and subscribe to the offered shares as the SRO was aimed to comply with the SRC provision that no single industry can own more than 20 percent of the voting rights of a stock exchange.

“The road to compliance was a long multi-step process which concludes with the SRO... But we were committed and focused all throughout the process and we are happy to see its completion and conclusion. We are introduc-

he Department of Agriculture through its Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), is planning to establish an ice plant in every province with �ishing grounds, starting this year until 2019.

BFAR Regional Director Remia Appari said Monday that the ice plant will be established in partnership with a coastal municipality.

The plan was broached during BFAR’s management committee meeting with Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol last week.

Aparri said this is in response to the data that �isherfolk incur some 30 to 40 percent post-harvest losses due to lack of cold storage.

As to how big the facility is, she said that it will be based

on the production of the area that will be served. BFAR, she noted, will allot PHP3 to PHP5 million for every ice plant that will be established.

“This is expected to increase their income with the reduction in the post-harvest losses. It will also minimize the dependency of �isherfolk from getting all the �ish from the sea,” she said.

BFAR is still to craft the guidelines on who will manage the facility. It can either be the local government unit if they have the capability or they may request fund from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

On the other hand, she also revealed that the open season for sardines, herring and mackerel in the Visayan

PSE,P13

BFAR eyes ice plants in fish-rich provinces T

BFAR,P13

Turkey-PH meet yields 2 bilateral pacts MOUs

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wo bilateral agreements on agriculture and investment promotion were signed by the Philippines and Turkey during the recently concluded Philippine-Turkey Joint Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation (PH-TR JCETC) meeting early this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Monday.

The DFA said the inaugural PH-TR JCETC meet ran from Feb. 5 to 6 in Ankara, Turkey.

Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez and Turkish National Defense Minister

Nurretin Canikli signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippine and Turkey governments on agricultural cooperation that aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in plant production and protection, agricultural research, �isheries, research in related �ields and joint ventures between the private sectors, among others.

Meanwhile, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, head of the Philippine Board of Investments and Arda Ermut, president of Turkey’s Prime Ministry Investment

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

ECONOMY 5

BSP chief doused inflation uptick fears after RRR cut

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angko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. dubbed as “unfounded” the fears of some analysts of loser monetary policy that can fuel in�lation after the recent cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR), which monetary of�icials said is simply an operational adjustment.

In a message to reporters Sunday, the central bank chief, who also announced being declared as free of tongue cancer by his doctors and is now in a pilgrimage at the Holy Land, said he continues to monitor domestic �inancial developments, especially after the RRR adjustment a few weeks back.

He said the one percentage cut in “the ultra-high” RRR to 20 percent has a neutral effect since the expected PHP90 billion to be released in the economy as a result of the RRR cut is expected to be absorbed by the central bank’s

Term Deposit Facility (TDF).

Before the announcement of the RRR change, monetary of�icials hiked the offering for the seven-day TDF from PHP40 billion to PHP50 billion and the 14-day tenor from PHP20 billion to PHP40 billion.

The expected hike in tenders to the TDF facilities due to possible increase in any excess liquidity as a result of the operational adjustment announced by the BSP is the reason why the RRR cut is not considered as an easing monetary policy stance, Espenilla said.

He pointed out that “if BSP wants to change the monetary policy stance, BSP will signal that overtly, by changing the policy rate (the overnight RRP [reverse repurchase] rate).”

He said the change in policy stance can also be done “more subtly without neces-

BSP,P14

GSIS leads batch of GOCCs onboard the eFOI platform

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total of 32 Government–Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) including the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) are now onboard the electronic Freedom of Information (eFOI) portal after a technical training workshop on Feb. 15 in Malacanang, Manila.

The eFOI portal, www.foi. gov.ph, is a platform which enables citizens and agencies to facilitate online requests for information within 15 working days.

To date, the eFOI portal now has 3,413 online requests for information lodged for 250 participating agencies which includes 183 national

government agencies, 65 GOCCs, one state college, and one local water district.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Project Management Of�ice continues to conduct capacity-building activities for government agencies to equip designated FOI personnel on the process, system, and technical operation of the eFOI agency dashboard.

It will also continue to conduct FOI Roadshows for local government units, civil society organizations, the media, the business sector, and the academe to likewise increase demand for government information.

The Presidential Communications Operations Of�ice envisions to onboard 100 percent of executive agencies

GSIS,P14

CHIPPING IN. Norwegian tourists Christian Kopperud and Inge Heier pay a courtesy visit to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio at City Hall on Friday to inform her of their intention to donate safety equipment to Central 911. Lean Daval Jr

7k jobs available in 2-day special jobs fair of DOLE T

he Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 11 registered a total of 245 job seekers during the first day of the two-day special job fair for displaced NCCC Mall workers on Sunday at the Davao City Recreation Center.

DOLE 11 communication of�icer Kriztja Marae Labrador told MindaNews on there are 7,205 job vacancies – 5,142 overseas and 2,063 locals –and they expect around 2,900 NCCC Mall workers displaced by the December 23 �ire to participate in the fair.

She said this is part of DOLE’s intervention to help the �ire victims get long-term employment, after having them undergo an Emergency Employment Program

that provided them a 30-day temporary employment, which started on December 28, 2017 and has since listed 1,500 bene�iciaries.

She said some of the displaced mall workers had been reassigned to other branches.

For local employment, job applicants can choose from business process outsourcing, sales representatives, management trainees, service crew, �ield coordinator, stock clerks, assistant store man-

agers, marketing professionals, online English tutors, and salesmen, she said.

Jobs available for overseas employment include nurses, cleaners, service crew, waiters/waitresses, household worker services, laborers, merchandisers, technicians, barista, and engineers, she added.

On the �irst day, 160 applicants quali�ied for local jobs and 73 for overseas; 47 were hired on the spot for local and seven 11 for overseas; 105 for follow-up interview for local jobs and 88 for overseas, she said.

The �ire, which caused by an electrical short circuit at the ceiling on the third �loor last December 23, 2017, left 38 people dead – 37 were call

center agents of Survey Sampling International (SSI) and a key custodian of the mall – after being trapped on the fourth �loor.

It took �ire�ighters more than day to put out.

On January 2, Fire Supt.

Jerry Candido, Interagency Anti-Arson Task Force deputy team leader and spokesperson, said they found that NCCC Mall Davao and its tenant Survey Sampling International (SSI) failed to comply with �ire safety requirements as they found lapses in the setup of the mall’s �ire alarm, sprinkler system, and �ire exits.

Candido said the task force found out that the sprinkler systems of the third and

branches to 135 and the extension of�ices to 11 by the end of this year.

“Right now we have a very healthy headroom for additional lending to infrastructure projects. And we want to continue to fuel that by low-cost deposits. We want our countrymen to be our partner, transforming their savings into infrastructure projects,” she said.

“If needed, we can also raise funds but that is not yet in our priorities this year because as I’ve said our ratios would show that we still have enough funds to support even a 26 percent growth in loan portfolio,” she said.

Last year, the bank registered a 21.82 percent increase in gross loan portfo-

lio to PHP293.47 billion, 35 percent of which, amounting to PHP76.23 billion, was allocated for infrastructure and logistics projects.

Borromeo also said they also plan to increase the bank’s total assets of PHP597.41 billion last year to about PHP 1 trillion during its jubilee year in 2022.

The DBP chief said they are not allocating any speci�ic amount for the infrastructure projects as long as it is still within the allowable single borrower’s limit set by the central bank.

“This administration would like to be labeled as the administration that supported the infra or the golden years of infra projects in the country. As a policy map we

want to support that. That in a way is refocusing or reminding the public that we are the infra bank,” she said.

The National Economic and Development Authority has identi�ied at least 75 infrastructure projects and Borromeo noted that most of these will be funded by of�icial development assistance (ODA) loans while others will be funded partly through private-public partnership.

“Whatever the modality will be we are ready to fund it or partner with them,” she said.

Last year, the bank extended about PHP7 billion worth of loans for 132 projects under its �lagship Infrastructure Contractors Support

1.2K OFWs repatriated from Kuwait by PAL DBP eyes at least 80% of loan portfolio for infra projects

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total of 1,240 distressed Filipinos have so far been �lown back home from Kuwait by �lag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) since President Rodrigo Duterte called for the repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) suffering from maltreatment from their employers.

Last Feb. 23, 190 OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on board PAL �light PR669. They were welcomed by Hans Leo Cacdac, administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Michelle Raquini, 32 years old, from Sta. Ana, Manila, said she is not going back to Ku-

wait. She is aware of various sexual harassment stories coming from other Filipino domestic helpers. Although her lady employer was good to her, she cannot say the same of her employer’s husband who Michelle feels wanted to rape her. When she heard of the Philippine government’s repatriation �lights, she signed up at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.

PAL operates four �lights a week between Manila and Kuwait using the 363-seater Airbus A330.

Since Feb. 11, PAL has �lown hundreds of distressed OFWs endorsed by the embassy. From Feb. 15 to 23, a total of 730 OFWs processed

1.2K,P14

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ANILA -- State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is willing to �inance big-ticket infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program.

In a brie�ing Monday, DBP president and CEO Cecilia Borromeo said the bank wants to allocate at least 80 percent of its loan portfolio for infrastructure projects.

She said DBP would really need additional funds to increase its loan portfolio and they plan to back this by more aggressive deposit-taking activities, with the bank eyeing to open 10 new branches and eight extension of�ices nationwide this year alone.

These of�ices are expected to bring the bank’s total

7K,P14

DBP,P14

EDGEDAVAO

6 SUBURBIA RISING

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Army conducts medical mission in Maguindanao

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PULONG’S POLITICAL CAPITAL. Dr. Adrian Tamayo of the University of Mindanao Institute of Popular Opinion fields questions from reporters on the results of an IPO survey on the people’s reaction on the sud-

den resignation of Paolo Z. Duterte from his position as city vice mayor recently. The survey also measured Pulong’s political capital currently.

MICHAEL UY/PIA

MPATUAN, Maguindanao -- Soldiers belonging to the Army’s First Mechanized Battalion took time out from their work of securing the area and extended medical outreach program to indigent residents of this town on Sunday.

Led by Lt. Col. Lauro Oliveros, commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion (MIB), military doctors and health providers from Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Health Of�ice extended medical services to some 200 residents of Barangay Tomicor, a known Indigenous People (IP) community in the province.

Oliveros said the outreach program was also participated by Ampatuan Mayor Rasol Sangki and Capt. Edgel De Vera, chief of 11th Mechanized Company.

The soldiers, called in

military parlance as “Lakan soldiers,” in partnership with IPHO, conducted medical consultation, dental and circumcision operations and free haircut.

On the other hand, the town government conducted birth certi�icate registration to the residents who don’t have birth certi�icate yet, which ended up with a total of 272 bene�iciaries.

The activity was facilitated by the Army’s Community Support Program (CSP) Team led by 2nd Lt. Gipsy Labaniego, in connection with their immersion in the area.

Oliveros, who described the activity as a success, noted that medical missions in impoverished areas are important for the IPs for them to feel the presence of the government as well as to bring the unit, particularly the “Lakan” Battalion, closer to the people. (PNA)

AMBOANGA CITY -- A total of 102 infrastructure projects involving road construction and improvement worth PHP1.6 billion are up for implementation in this city this year.

This was announced by Department of Finance Sec. Carlos Dominguez III, guest speaker of the 81st Charter anniversary on Monday of this city.

Dominguez said these projects included the 36.77-kilometer by-pass road targeted to be completed this year.

Once completed, the bypass road will serve as al-

ternative route for business from neighboring provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

It will also ease up transportation of goods to the Zamboanga Special Economic Zone (Zamboecozone).

Meanwhile, Dominguez vowed to support the plan to transfer the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) to a new site in Barangay Mercedes.

However, he requested the city’s two congressmen to �ile certain legislation that would fast track the implementation of a new airport project. (PNA)

AGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Sunday’s arrest of the wife of a slain terrorist leader will weaken the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), although police said they remain vigilant to thwart any retaliatory attack.

Police identi�ied the arrested suspect as Juromee Dongon, said to be the wife of a JI leader in Southeast Asia, the Malaysian national Zulkili bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”

Marwan was killed in an operation that also claimed the lives of 44 Philipppine National Police’s Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and a handful of armed rebels and civilians in a village in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015.

Dongon was apprehended with SPO4 Andy Atta and his wife Lorilie Dongon-Atta, Romeo Dongon, and Norein Santos, in two separate raids in Tubod and Baroy towns in Lanao del Norte on Sunday, Feb. 25.

Seized from them were various �irearms and ammunition, laptops, cellphones, and materials usually used in assembling improvised explosive device (IED).

The joint operations were carried out by intelligence, police and military operatives, based on search warrants against the personalities.

The death of bin Hir and Dongon’s arrest struck

P1.6-B infra projects up for implementation in Zambo

Insurance firm expands in Mindanao, assures stability Z C AGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Amid the failure of several insurance companies to maintain higher net worth requirement, an international insurance firm has assured that it is financially stable and capable of sustaining operations as it expands presence in Mindanao.

Track record and longevity in the business are one of Allianz PNB Life Insurance’s advantages as it branches out in Mindanao, said the �irm’s regional business manager for Mindanao Noel Berdeprado.

According to the Insurance Commission, among

those that ceased operations and gave up their business licenses are six non-life companies, namely, Centennial Guarantee Assurance Corp., FLT Prime Insurance Corp., Manila Surety and Fidelity Co. Inc., Meridian Assurance Corp., Solid Guaranty Inc. and

United Insurance Co. Inc. A life insurance �irm, CAP Life Insurance Corp. also surrendered its license to engage in said business, the Insurance Commission added.

In its Feb. 15 advisory, Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa has also warned companies who are practicing “unsafe and unsound” practices.

These gloomy developments have not discouraged Allianz PNB from putting up branches in the countryside, Berdeprado said.

He noted that Allianz PNB is among the top insur-

ers in the Philippines, with 18 million customers in the Asia Paci�ic region alone.

In 2016, the company had gross written premium of 125 billion euros and has an operating pro�it of 10.8 billion euros.

In Region 10, Berdeprado said Cagayan de Oro has been chosen as Allianz PNB’s primary base of operations in the island.

“Being the regional center and logistics and business hub of Northern Mindanao, the city is one of the most progressive and competitive cities in the

Slain terrorist’s wife Bail upheld for 16 Maguindanao cops arrest to weaken JI C T he Court of Appeals upheld the decision of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court allowing the 16 policemen who were among the 198 accused in the Maguindanao massacre case, to be released on bail.

In a three-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, concurred by Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and Samuel Gaerlan, the CA 10th Division denied the government prosecutors’ motion for reconsideration seeking the reversal of Quezon RTC Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes’ decision granting the petition for bail �iled by the 16 accused police of�icers who

are members of the 1508th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG).

It noted that the arguments raised in the motion for reconsideration �iled by government prosecutors are not different from what they raised in their previous pleadings, which have already been duly considered in its July 2017 decision.

“After a careful calibration of the parties’ perspective arguments, the Court is convinced that no new and legitimate ground was raised to reverse or set aside the Court’s earlier �inding,” the CA said.

“Be that as it may, the Court has once given petitioner’s submissions a thor-

ough and objective review but even on second hard look no cogent reason surfaces to warrant the reconsideration sought,” the CA explained.

“As it is, the arguments advanced in support of the motion are not compelling or persuasive enough to impel the Court to justify petitioner’s desired course of action or to warrant a possible reversal or setting aside of the Court’s decision,” it added.

In seeking the reversal of the CA’s decision, government prosecutors held that Reyes committed grave abuse of discretion and acted in excess of jurisdiction in granting the petition for

INSURANCE,P14

bail of the accused.

It noted that the judge limited herself to the testimonies of only 13 out of the 35 prosecution witnesses and disregarded other undisputed and material facts which would warrant the dismissal of the bail petition.

The prosecution insisted that it presented strong evidence suf�icient to establish the guilt of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre.

The appellate court, in the said ruling, af�irmed the order issued by presiding judge Solis-Reyes on October 13, 2014 which granted the petition for bail.

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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

7 COMPETITIVE EDGE

PCSO confident of lottery tech systems upgrade P

hilippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan on Monday said the agency is confident it can bid out this year the P10.906 billion Nationwide Online Lottery System (NOLS) project to upgrade the more than 20-year-old equipment being used for the Lotto games draws by a provider.

Balutan said the bidding for the project was stalled since last year by court cases �iled by the Philippine Gaming Management Corp.

(PGMC), a Malaysian-controlled �irm, but he said there’s a “light at the end of the tunnel” after the provider expressed to cooperate.

“I’ve been informed that PGMC will withdraw all their cases in the courts, also at the request of the PCSO so that we can proceed with the bidding for the NOLS,” Balutan said.

The project aims for centralized technology systems for PCSO’s lottery

games draws for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

At present, PGMC is the service provider for Luzon, while the Paci�ic Online Systems Corp. (POSC) conducts draws for Visayas and Mindanao. Both �irms are listed in the Philippines Stock Exchange (PSE).

But their Equipment Lease Agreements (ELAs) are going to expire in the middle of this year.

In July 2017, Presiding Judge Maximo de Leon of the Makati City Regional Trial Court, Branch 143 granted temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of PGMC against the

NOLS bidding participated by at least 17 �irms who bought bid documents.

The court action dismayed the of�icials and employees of PCSO because they said the state-of-theart lottery systems would give wider market share that will guarantee government funds and that cost cheaper than the current lottery lease system.

Balutan said the lottery systems and technology upgrade would also enhance the capability of the more than 10,000 lotto outlets nationwide supervised by PCSO.

and blood. Lives were lost.

Peace was elusive. Hope was dimmed away. For 8 months since the armed con�lict, Marawi and its people are slowly rebuilding their lives.

Hope is being restored by generous people, organizations, and communities.

As a homegrown barbecue restaurant in Mindanao, Penong’s Franchise Corp., believes that Mindanaoans can work hand in hand to help rebuild Marawi, especially

through food security. Food as a basic necessity can empower and help a community grow again. A fundraising campaign called #FoodSecureMarawi will be led by Penong’s to empower 500 families in Marawi towards food security. The campaign is an avenue for Minadanaoans to be part of rebuilding Marawi.

Coin banks will be placed at Penong’s food chains all over Mindanao starting March 1, 2018.

Mindanaoans can give their share and contributions for Marawi through these coin banks. Proceeds of the campaign will be used to provide 2000 vegetable seed packs and fruit tree seedlings, and provide training in organic agriculture and agripreneurship (entrepreneurship in agriculture) for the campaign bene�iciaries.

Through the collective effort of Mindanaoans, Penong’s

PCSO,P14

Penong’s leads fundraising campaign for a food secure Marawi

D

avao City, February 27, 2018 - Penong’s Franchise Corp., in partnership with Food SECURE Philippines, are leading a fundraising campaign to empower families in Marawi to be food secure, healthy, and business-minded.

The armed struggle in Marawi was sad and tragic for Filipinos. It was unexpected that the once vibrant and progressive community was brought down to �ire

PENONGS,P14

ABOITIZPOWER’S “PANGARAP” SOARS HIGH AT 19.

AboitizPower’s adopted Philippine Eagle, Pangarap, turned 19 years old on February 23, 2018. AboitizPower has been supporting the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) since 2010 by providing funds for Pangarap’s food, veterinary care, and shelter maintenance. “Our

longstanding partnership with AboitizPower has been instrumental in our advocacy to save the Philippine Eagle. Through their adoption of Pangarap, they help support our various initiatives in the Captive Breeding Program and in our efforts to raise awareness for the mission,” said PEF executive director Dennis Salvador.

SSS to shoulder service fees for members’ transactions with partner banks

T

he Social Security System (SSS) will shoulder the costs of standard service fee applied for local collection and disbursements of bene�its of accredited collecting banks in accordance to Social Security Commission (SSC) Resolution No. 870s.

2017.

SSS President and Chief Executive Of�icer Emmanuel F. Dooc said the application of standard service fee is in compliance with the Department of Finance directive to shift to fee-based compensation agreement, which will take effect upon amendment of the agency’s existing agreement with its partner banks.

Dooc stressed that the SSS will pay its partner banks P10 for every payment made by members and employers as stated in the SSC Resolution.

“We would like to emphasize that the service fee for every transaction with partner banks will be paid by SSS and no amount should be collected from our members or employers,” said Dooc.

Dooc added that the service fee charged for SSS transactions made through the their partner banks will compensate the latter for helping the SSS in its collection efforts. It will also remove the practice of

SSS,P14

PAL ORDERS FOR 6 EXTRA WIDE-BODIED AIRBUS UNITS. A sneak peek at the making of PAL’s Airbus A350-900 XWB (Extra Wide Body) at the Airbus Factory in Toulouse City, France. PAL ordered six A350900s to be deployed on the airline’s international long-haul routes with the first delivery slated in June this year. The expected 2018 deliveries (A350s/A321/Q400s) totaling 15 will bring the PAL fleet count to 103. Shown above: nose, portion of the fuselage, and a fully painted tailfin bearing the colors of the country and the flag carrier!

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

T

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Formidable foe

here was the headline on Philippine Star of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio being a contender for Speakership in 2019. There was also the social media posts of her image reading the paper with a naughty grin.

So who says the Davao City Mayor is running for a seat in the House?

There was no con�irmation yet. Only the possibility that she might run for Congress as there are only two possible options she is considering--either to run for mayor again or run for a seat in Congress. Either way, she is likely to make it. And so the possibility of her

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becoming Speaker of the House is likewise not remote, more so that she is at present at loggerheads with current Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who is a staunch ally of her father President Rodrigo Duterte.

If that happens, Mayor Duterte-Carpio stands a good chance of unseating Alvarez. There is reportedly a growing dissatisfaction in the House over the leadership of Alvarez. It also did not help that Alvarez went on collision with the presidential daughter.

Now that naughty smile of the lady mayor speaks a thousand words and political observers know that was only the beginning.

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 Correspondents Lifestyle LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARLENE D. PASAJE 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

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2018

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Mt. Apo is partly ‘Swiss-owned’

t’s an intriguing claim but, truth to tell, that mystical mountain can be rightly called as partly Swiss-owned, though it does not necessarly mean foreigners, despite certain legal restrictions, are now allowed to own a piece of property in the Philippines.

Back in 1995, a group of environmentalists known as the Group-Switzerland Philippines (GSP) symbolically bought at least 1,500 square meters of land on Mt. Apo. Every square meter was paid the equivalent of 10 Swiss francs in exchange for cards substituted as ‘land titles.

GSP, founded in 1983, is a Swiss solidarity group established non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) with Philippine development as agenda.

The symbolic purchase was done to back the indigenous people’s struggle against the Mt. Apo geothermal project, and the “land symbolizes strong emotional and economic linkages.”

The venerable mountain’s history is not confined to Swiss ownership. Over the centuries, scientists, climbers, and adventurers have been mesmerized the legends and myths that surrounds it. Once Spanish

Don Joaquin Rajal, a former Davao district governor, attempted to scale Mt. Apo but several problems would surface while preparations for the climb were done.

In a letter dated October 19, 1889, which Fr. Mateo Gisbert, S.J., addressed to his Mission Superior in Manila, wrote: “Since no other occasions where it had been attempted, the climbers retraced their steps, many of them dying, Europeans and Visayans kept saying it was impossible to climb Mount Apo. The unbaptized Bagobos, the most knowledgeable, among whom some had gone up more than once looking for sulphur, had also been saying it could not be done, especially if no human sacrifice was first offered to Mandarangan [a god]. According to them, he lives there and needs to drink human blood. Stemming from such erroneous tenets, this idea was the strongest deterrent to the unbaptized Bagobo, but should at no instance deter Christians.”

Unwilling to give up, the governor inquired from the Bagobos on the southeast sector of the mountain on what was needed to finally conquer the sacred elevation. After gathering the information he needed, the climb was set on October 5,

“Water thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while every mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of Wind, Sand and Stars Clarabelle Cornelio is a television reporter who works in Davao City. When she goes home to her native town in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, she has a problem: water. “Permi lang wala agas ug tubig sa among lugar,” she wrote in her Facebook account. (Oftentimes, water is not gushing from our faucet.)

“So many people have been complaining about it; there are others who already use profane words to raise the problem,” commented Atty. Aimee F. Ampoloquio. “It seems the water district has not given a solution. So many consumers have gone to the office but nothing happened to it. They’re too haste in getting the payment but not when it comes to service.”

I know the feeling because I am from the same town. I have to wake up early in the morning if I want to take a bath. One of my sisters has to wash the clothes of her family at night. A sisterin-law has to fill all the containers with water very early in the morning or else she wouldn’t have water the whole day.

In Davao City, water problem may not be felt yet by its residents. But with

the economy continues to boom and more people are added to its current population, it is just a matter of time that water crisis will spurt!

Back in 1746, American statesman Benjamin Franklin said: “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”

He may be gone already but his statement is still prevalent as ever. In fact, it is now one of the most-often quoted words as water is becoming scarcer.

“All efforts at reducing poverty would count for nothing if the basic needs of people for reliable drinking water and sanitation are not met,” said Tadao Chino, when he was still the president of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank. “The vital importance of water must be recognized – equitable provision of water for human needs, protection of water quality, and conservation of a healthy natural environment are development prerequisites of the highest priority.”

Words of wisdom, these. But it seems the issue of water crisis is still far from the top of the decision makers’ agenda. Certainly, alarm bells occasionally ring but it seems no one is listening.

During elections, politicians promise as their constituents hope. “Nobody does anything,” one woman lamented.

“Politicians come, make promises, take votes and go. There’s a well alright but

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa 1880, with Datu Manig, the Bagobo chief, acting as guide, and his men as carriers and guides. Father Gisbert, who was part of the expedition, reported: “The day after starting out, our only route was the Tagulayan River, reached on a 200-meter-high slope, a sheer precipice.

Wading in the river, we have to go against the current, besides crossing it several times with water up to our chest. In this way we achieved that second day only for only two hours.

“We continued up to the river the third day. After seven hours crossing it 14 times at risk to one’s life, we climbed a mountain anew to look for a better trail and dry our wet clothes.

“The fourth day we hiked for only an hour because Mr. Campos felt sick after yesterday’s travails.

“The fifth day, leaving behind Mr. [Jose] Campos still sick in a poor house with three men to take care of him, we continued our march until 6:00 in the evening, climbing although with great difficulty to 1,600 meters above sea level to the foot of the volcano itself. We pitched tents for the night, and decided on climbing the following day.

“The sixth day, then we set aside for the ascent. The difficulties we have to overcome were much greater than those of all the previous days. The pagans who should have opened the trail for us asked us to march ahead of them. They were afraid of Mandarangan, in whose domain, they kept saying, we ere about to enter. No other solution but for us to lead.

For three hours we ourselves opened a path through a thick forest still remaining to be crossed. There I left part of my old

soutane, all of us emerging bruised from that horrible passage. Our difficulties ended as soon as we exalted from that which we called ‘Fern Forest’ because ferns about in it. We cow ascend to the peak by normal stages.

“But soon the ground we were walking on felt very hot and soft. Smoke was rising from the cleft on our left. We were at the first sulphur mouth, or on the true crater of Apo, which is active today. We stopped for about five minutes to measure its evaluation: 2,400 meters above sea level, 741 below the peak. The pagans came nearer to us to see at close range what had caused them so much fear. A noisy rumble continued, like the emission of a steam cauldron. This certainly was what most frightened them. But now they lost their fear, as one of them was saying that he had seen Mandarangan flee on the priest’s arrival.”

Such mystical link the natives connect to the sulphur mountain has slowly lost its currency. Each year, especially during summer, climbers are allowed to climb the mountain but with strict orders to protect the environment from any form of destruction of violation.

For too long, man has taken water for granted. After all, viewed from space, our planet is “of shimmering blue and glistening white,” much more so than green. Water covers about 70% of the earth’s surface.

Each year, more people are added to the world’s total population. More people means more mouths to feed.

To produce food, water is needed. Take rice, our staple food. In his book, “Water: The International Crisis,” Robin Clark writes that a farmer needs 5,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of rice.

“Rice growing is a heavy consumer of water,” contends the International Rice Research Institute.

Farming accounts for some 70% of global water use. The two other sectors – domestic and industrial – divide the remaining 30%. Over the last three centuries, the volume of water withdrawal has increased more than 35 times, whereas human population has only increased sevenfold, according to reports.

All over the world, inequalities in access to water are increasing. “While an American family may rinse and flush away as much as 2,000 liters of water a day, families in some parts of the developing world survive on as little as 150 liters, and they often have to travel several kilometers to obtain the precious fluid,” wrote Michael S. Serrill in a “Time” spe-

cial report.

Then, there’s the problem of water pollution. It comes from many sources, including untreated sewage, chemical discharges, spillage of toxic materials, harmful products leached from land disposal sites, agricultural chemicals, salt from irrigation schemes, and atmospheric pollutants dissolved in rainwater.

If water is polluted and contaminated, health problems are just a throw away. “About 80% of all diseases and more than one-third of all deaths in developing countries are caused by contaminated water,” said Elizabeth Dowdeswell when she was still the executive director of United Nations Environment Program.

Since time immemorial, illnesses and deaths from diseases associated with water have plagued mankind.

Among those who suffered from water-related dysentery include King Louis VIII of France, Prince Albert of England, and American President George Washington. Louis Pasteur’s two daughters are said to have died of typhoid fever.

“The world has got a very big water problem,” says Sir Crispin Tickell, one of the organizers of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. “It will be the progenitor of more wars than oil.”

Hope this time, someone will listen!

Looming water crisis

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

it is dirty. What else can the government claim to do when it cannot even provide a glass of drinking water for my children?”

All life – from human beings and animals to plants – depends on water.

Without water, there can be no life. Man can live nearly two months without food, but can live only three or four days without water. That’s how important water is!

When God created the heaven and earth, He also created water. But it is constant. We use water and then discard it. Water is evaporated and it comes back to earth again in the form of rain.

10NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 rum together with Senate President Pimentel and he declared to an audience of about 4,000 members of the Liga ng Barangay of Leyte that barangay elections would push through,” Roque said.

He said that while there is a pending bill in the House of Representatives �iled by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel

to suspend anew the barangay elections, the Senate President said that there was no support in the Senate for another postponement.

“As far as Congress is concerned, barangay elections will push through. This would belie already the statement of Senator Drilon,” Roque said. (PNA)

wan Shootfest by the Comval AFPPNP proficiency firing and ‘Retrato’, a photo contest 2018 as one of the highlights of the festival.

“The festival will also feature the search for the Bulawan Queen, and the unveiling of Comval at 20 Coffeetable book entitled: Pyagsugpatan Comval: Unity and Limitless Possibilities,” She said.

ComValenyos could also expect artists to come to the province such as Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario, Jason Dy, Klarisse De Guzman, Jona Viray, TJ Monterde, and Jaya.

Dompur said they are expect-

ing around 5000 tourists especially on the nightly events, specifically coming from the province and its neighboring areas such as Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental.

On March 8, there will be a Foundation day were there will be awarded as ‘Governor’s Awards for Excellence’ and the 2nd Governors Cup Basketball League were the placers are Comval Tricycle Drivers and a unity night concert which will also serve as an appreciation event for the stakeholders of the provincial government it will end with a fireworks display.

tims of more than USD8 million.

The FSU chief added that the group operated a telecom fraud call center which made phone calls to victims who were coerced to give their money after being harassed and intimidated by callers who pretended to be police

investigators.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate operated its business from February 2013 to February 2015 after which Jung and his cohorts disappeared and absconded with the victims’ money. (PNA)

is eyed to generate investments both for new and expansion projects will be a venue to converge all industry players to match with potential investors and enablers to harmonize its actions and plans for the development of priority industries.

“This year the province concentrated on strengthening the local business sector with the conduct of the Business Matching, which is an arrangement for possible future supply of the prospective markets,” Balleque said He added that Comval Bizicon 2018will help develop new products and maximize abundant raw materials for processing and value

adding since it will combine investment conference into one.

Rochelle Otoc, Trade and Industry Development Analyst, for her part said, the conference will have components of plenary session, break-out session, market/ investment matching, trade fair and exhibit and industry tour and familiarization.

“The investment conference is a platform jointly created by the Department of Trade Industry, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Labor and Employment, Provincial Government of Comval and Department of Natural Resources,” she said.

embassies in Manila expressing their opposition during their conference in Manila.

Pasigan called on other Muslim groups in the Philippines to unite against the internatiolizaion of the holy sites. For his part, Bangsamoro Non-Muslim affairs executive director Abdulhadi Gumander said Saudi Arabo is the only country who has the right to the two cities since these are part of their territory. Gumander said intervening within the territory of a certain country is a form of mockery to their constitution.

“This may cause chaos and prob-

lems in terms of international relations,” he said. Autnomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)) Grand Mufti Abdulkhair Tarason said they are worried that if the internationalization will be pushed through, these two Holy Mosques might be mismanaged.

“These two Grand Mosques were managed and maintained well by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said. Tarason said he and the other leaders will stand �irm on their faith that their religious places will not be interferred by other nations just becaue they are claiming as Muslims.

Power Revolution in the whole entire planet earth and it remains signi�icant,” Roque said.

Duterte is a known friend to the Marcos family and approved the late president’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016.

He skipped this year’s EDSA celebration in Manila since he spent it in his hometown city Davao which he regularly visits on weekends.

In 2017, Duterte also

skipped the EDSA anniversary rites at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to attend the relaunch of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in Davao City.

In his EDSA anniversary message, Duterte urged Filipinos to enrich the state’s democracy stressing that “a people’s courage and resolve can alter the course of our nation’s history.”

(PNA)

ALL... FROM 2

BI... FROM 3

UAP CONSTRUCTION SHOW. Mall goers flock at the Annex of SM City Davao to check out the latest construction products on display during United Architects of the Philippines’ Construction Show 2018 over the weekend. Lean Daval Jr

UNNECESSARY... FROM 1 necessary. The survey covered a total of 1,200 respondents across the three congressional districts.

It was conducted on January 31 to February 8, one month after his resignation.

“The results said 54 of every 100 Dabawenyo saw his resignation as unnecessary and that he should have stayed and held the line,” said Dr. Adrian Tamayo, director of the IPO during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Annex yesterday, February 26.

Tamayo said the survey was meant to measure the public’s sentiments on Duterte’s sudden decision.

“He is the second strongest person in Davao City and he is elected also by the public. By that measure he is also accountable so we wanted to measure the sentiments of the public on the resignation as well as determine the sentiments of the people on it’s impact on the functions of the city council,” Tamayo said.

Reacting to the survey, Duterte released a statement saying he was grateful for the continued support and trust to him as a leader of the city.

“It was my honor to have served you, and I will always be honored to continue serving you in the best possible way — even if I am out of politics,” he said.

He apologized once again to the public and seeks for more understanding on the decision that he made. He said that it was not easy for him to do and that the public already know the reason and his situation that lead to his decision.

“I truly value your unwavering support and trust. While I am humbled by this, it gives me the courage and the inspiration to work and support the objectives, plans, and programs of both our local government and national government as a

private individual,” the eldest child of President Duterte said.

Based on the survey 405 or 34 percent supports the decision of the previous vice mayor, while 144 or 12 percent are hesitant to give opinion.

“Fifty-seven percent of the 54 Dabawenyos are found in District One, a quarter of them are found in District Two and a little, around eight to 10 percent, are found in District Three,” he said.

The younger Duterte appeals more to males (50%) than the combined females (42%) and the LGBT (8%). He maintained a strong following among those aged 30 to 39 years, and a good number of them (42%) belong to income Class C. Very minimal come from income Class AB (5%) and Class E (8%), and earned college education (64%).

A total of 696 or 58 percent of the Davawenyos still trust Duterte as their leader; 58 in every 100 maintain sustained confidence while the remaining 42% lost their confidence. Therefore, Paolo Duterte maintains a net political capital of 38%. This is a political capital he maintains even he is already out of public sight. However, this may slip through his fingers if left uncared of.

“Together, let us help our government face and overcome these challenges as one, united people and country,” Duterte said.

Meanwhile, the public has seen the dramatic change to have effects on the operation of the City Council; only 47 percent or 567 believes that the Council can still function effectively.

A combined 53% are ambivalent. Some believe that the Council will not be the same (29%) after he left; others are uncertain (18%) while others withheld their opinion (6%).

Pambansa.

City Sports Division Office head Michael Denton Aportadera said the city is ready for the hosting since the city already have the

sporting facilities.

Aportadera said the basic facilities needed to hold the national games are oval track stadium and an Olympic standard swimming

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pool.

Also, the city’s hosting of this year’s DAVRAA is considered as a dry run to the 2019 Palarong Pambansa.

Mayor Sara Z. Duterte also asked for another hosting o f the regional games in order for the city to be more prepared in next

year’s Palaro.

The mayor earlier said she is keen to host big sporting events to help the tourism industry in the city. Mayor Duterte said this events will also boost businesses in the city especially the micro, small and medium enterprises.

plemented,” Diokno said.

To finance the higher requirement for infrastructure spending, he said, seventy percent of the TRAIN revenues will be earmarked for the “Build Build Build” program while the remaining will be allotted for social services.

Diokno reiterated that the government ensures mitigating measures to offset the inflationary impact of TRAIN Law. “In order to compensate for the inflationary impact of TRAIN, we have set aside PHP200 per month per household to the poorest 50 percent of households. Some PHP24.5 billion for the unconditional cash grant has been included in the 2018 National Budget,” he added.

The unconditional cash transfers for the poorest of the poor will be increased to PHP300 per month in 2019 and 2020 benefitting 10 million Filipino households, he said.

TRAIN is not a perfect law, he said, but on balance it is a big plus for the economy.

“TRAIN takes into consideration the immediate, the medium, and the long-run effects of the law,” he added.

Diokno said the passage of Package 1 of TRAIN shows the commitment of the Duterte Administration in improving the economic conditions of the country and the general welfare of its people.

The Budget chief also participated in the open forum moderated by lawyer Tony Abad and was joined by his co-speakers – Congressman Dakila Carlo Cua, Finance Undersecretary Atonette Tionko, and lawyer Amanda Carpo of Kittelson & Carpo Consulting.

For more information, visit www.dbm.gov.ph. For regular updates, follow the official Facebook and Twitter account of DBM: @ DBMgovph. (DBM PR)

“The people will be given ample time and opportunity to debate and ponder on the proposed revisions whatever they may be,” he added.

Roque, however, noted that Duterte wanted the Congress to wait until the Consultative Committee’s (Con-Com) is done with its review of the 1987 Constitution and submits its draft constitution.

Duterte earlier signed Executive Order No. 10 creating a 25-member committee, led by former Supreme Court chief justice Reynato Puno, tasked to review the 1987 Constitution.

“He (Duterte) would prefer that Congress await the outcome of the work product of the Constitu-

tional Commission (referring to the Consultative Committee) before it is tackled in Congress,” Roque said.

Roque pointed out that the Chief Executive is hands off on the timetable for the plebiscite on proposed amendments since it was the task of the Congress, after all.

“I think the timetable is they want it already. From the leadership, that is the lower house, has revised the timetable it might be in time for the 2019 elections but it’s something the Congress must decide not the executive,” Roque said.

Roque, citing Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, also assured that barangay elections will push through.

“Last Friday, I was in one fo-

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TRAVEL

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

EDGEDAVAO

The

Zambales escapade CRYSTAL BEACH RESORT was an Instagrammer’s heaven. There were so many thoughtful and artsy places that demanded to be photographed. From the reception area, take a few steps forward and you’ll easily spot signages that remind you to throw your trash properly and segregate it. This one was more for the kids to be able to understand easily too since they created mascots for the biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Awesome effort!

Go a little further and you’ll come across a beautiful walkway that had a bamboo top that started from the reception up till the campsite fronting the beach. It was an eyecatcher and if you got the right angles, it’s good enough to make it to your Instagram feed.

Walk more and to your right, you’ll see a wooden wall with scribbles and doodles on it, mostly aimed at the single people (it was the Valentine’s Day weekend) and it had a dainty white retro bicycle standing on one end. This photo wall definitely would garner a lot of photos around especially to those who weren’t in a relationship.

One thing I would encourage you when you’re in Zambales is to bring slippers with you unless you want to burn your feet walking from the beach to the nearest shaded spot. I forgot how wide the beachfront was and from Domingo’s restaurant up to the shore, there weren’t much trees nor infrastructure to shade the sand from the fiery sun.

I was used to having a lot of trees shade the sand around in Dahican or I could just run up to the shore where the sand was constantly wet from the waves.

Here in Zambales, you’d have either have tough heels or wear slippers to avoid being burnt.

Although I realized this on our second day already and my burnt feet did not dampen my whole experience at all.

To your right, after the wooden wall, you could see a line of

The famous pine tree walk.

My favorite part! The Jungle Hostel. mature pine trees that lead to the glamping grounds and the campsite. This is the most photographed part of the resort as I’ve observed. On a packed day, it can be challenging to get a shot without photobombers so you have to choose the time you’ll be taking pictures.

Although the place doesn’t get really packed and suffocating, there are a few people bound to walk behind you, completely unaware you’re having a photoshoot. That’s okay, a few minutes they’ll disappear from the frame and you can have the pine trees all to yourself.

Now, let’s talk about the food. You’ve got a choice between bringing your own food and cooking them at the resort’s grilling areas or you could order at Domingo’s Restaurant. It takes quite a while to get your orders if it’s the peak hours but the food was delicious. The price is around the normal Manila range, an average of PHP 200 per dish but the

Acoustic nights on the sand.

Creative! Surfboards used as decor for these tables by the shore.

serving sizes were big enough for two if you order outside the sulit meals.

During the evening, acoustic nights are held on the sand just in front of the resort, you could just grab a table and sit on the sand, order beer and listen to the music. The view is again picture perfect, even at night.

There are lights suspended in the air and it truly gives you that “I’m on a beach vaca” vibe.

My favorite parts were the Jungle Hostel because of the

juvenile pine trees that were growing around the surf shacks and this was the part not so many people visit. You can have one side of the shoreline to yourself while you take some time to sunbathe on the recliners nearby.

If there aren’t any waves around then this is the spot you’d find me. With a book and just the sound of the ocean, you’re all set to soak the sun and the sound of the sea for hours on end. If only there was a way

you could easily order drinks, you wouldn’t have to leave but I guess not being able to order drinks would make this spot available for other beachgoers.

Zambales has the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen. The first night I arrived, I was watching from the ocean, the biggest sunset I’ve ever seen in a decade! Too bad I didn’t have my phone with me but the memory of it was clear. A huge orangered sun hung in the distance as it was slowly going down into the sea. Everybody had their phones out taking photos.

There were a few just admiring the sunset on the shore.

It was beautiful, relaxing and very peaceful even if there were people around. The crowd was very chill too, adding to the effect that this wasn’t a party person’s paradise which I loved.

Next week, I’ll share about the Earth Festival and the best foodie spots in Liwa! Check out www.millennialmermaid.com for more details on this trip. See you!

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EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

At home in

MATINA ENCLAVES

By NEIL BRAVO EVERYONE who asks where is President Rodrigo Duterte’s preferred place to hold private and official meetings in Davao would find this answer--Matina Enclaves.

From election day to pre-inauguration day, and now to his Presidency days, Davao’s most loved son comes home to Matina Enclaves, a sprawling complex in downtown Davao along Ecoland’s bustling area.

The fact that he lives nearby makes it the ideal place.

But far more than that, being a Dabawenyo-owned development with amazing amenities make it his choice to tell everyone Davao and its people has got what it takes to compete in any business.

More recent events had President Duterte’s engagements hosted at the Matina Enclaves’ clubhouse which, for the best part, has been a familiar venue even with his security entourage.

“He always comes here when he’s in town so we always make it sure it’s ready for him,” said Glenn Y. Escandor, president and CEO of Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco) which develops Matina Enclaves.

In August last year, President Duterte came to inaugurate the first condominium building of the project.

A barking CNY celeb at TRMH

By NEIL BRAVO

The Royal Mandaya Hotel ushered in the year of the Brown Earth Dog with a loud bark on February 16.

Traditional Chinese dancers from the Sinagtala Dance Artist and Lion Dancers from the Kim Ling Kung Fu Lion Dance Troupe set the mood for a howling celebration.

Guests arrived with their wishes written on brown paper (Fu) pasted on the wall. There were photo ops as well with the TRMH Instagram Photo booth set up for the guests and the traditional Fortune Cookies were distributed around. Three of those fortune cookies bear special prizes like overnight accommodation at The Royal Mandaya Hotel and lunch and dinner buffet for two at Kamayo Cafe.

Beltsasar Alfred Petel hosted the TRMH CNY celebration.

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Heartthrobs join GMA Kapuso Foundation’s blood drive

PAMBANSANG BAE Alden Richards and Kapuso heartthrob Ken Chan donated blood during separate bloodletting events of GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF).

Alden joined GMA Network employees at the nationwide Kapuso Bloodletting Day, held simultaneously last February 9 at the Network’s headquarters in Quezon City and in GMA’s various Regional TV stations.

Alden surprised everyone, including his fans, when he announced that he will donate blood for the first time. “This is my way of sharing a part of me to help save lives and to be of service to those in need. It’s a very delightful feeling,” he

said.

The Kapuso star also encouraged his supporters to donate blood as well.

Now on its 10th year, the annual event organized by GMA Network’s Corporate Affairs Division in coordination with GMA Kapuso Foundation and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) yielded a total of 1,569 (706,050 cc) blood bags.

GMA Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communication Angel Javier Cruz said that giving blood is the essence of Serbisyong Totoo. “When we give our blood, we show our love and care for our fellow countrymen and for me, that’s really the sign of a true Kapuso,” she emphasized.

Meanwhile, Ken Chan donated blood for the first time at GMAKF’s bi-annual Sagip Dugtong Buhay project last February 10 at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City which produced 1,902 (855,900 cc) blood bags.

“I’ve always wanted to

donate blood, but I just didn’t know where or how. Good thing there’s GMA Kapuso Foundation which is always there to help others,”

Ken said.

“We do the Sagip Dugtong Buhay every February during the love month and in August during our founder Tita

Mel Tiangco’s birthday month, because this advocacy is very close to her heart. The purpose of having twice a year activities for bloodletting is to also encourage the value of volunteerism.

We should also take care of our health so we can donate blood,” said GMAKF Executive Vice President and COO Rikki Escudero-Catibog.

Donations during the Kapuso Bloodletting Day and Sagip Dugtong Buhay reached a total of 3,471 (1,561,950 cc) blood bags and were given to the Philippine Red Cross.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

11 MOTORING

Yamaha launches Mio campaign

AMBASSADORS. Yamaha recently launched its new brand ambassadors The Millenials.

Y

amaha Motor Philippines presents its We Are Mio campaign led by the number one AT, the MIO.

The cultivation of the riding culture continues by representing these motorcycles as the vessel of today. On the MIO, you are ageless, forever young, always trending, and the fun never stops!

Also introduced

were Yamaha’s newest ambassadors, the Miollennials.

Each one represents a character and a lifestyle that riders can familiarize with.

They are BoyBandPH for the all new Mio Sporty, Matteo Guidicelli for the Mio Aerox 155,

Drew Arellano for the Mio Soul I 125, and Nadine Lustre for the Mio I 125.

The campaign was of�icially introduced on February 14 which was a perfect display for the love of riding. It was debuted at the newly minted Yamaha Monuments station where the entire facility was covered in the Mio Be Unstoppable theme.

Yamaha also had

its own dedicated Yamaha train with the Miollennials on its façade. During the grand launch, Drew Arellano greeted enthusiasts of the MIO and BoyBandPH put on a show for everyone in attendance.

Yamaha’s message to everyone is clear. It’s time to be movers,makers, and fearless doers.

Be unstoppable with the Yamaha MIO.

EDGEDAVAO

12 AGRITRENDS

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

The grass that feeds Filipinos Third of Five Parts

TEXT and PHOTOS By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“It takes many PhDs and more than 10 years to develop a geneticallymodified organism (GMO). A handful of misguided militants needs only a few seconds to destroy it,” lamented Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr., one of the country’s most respected agricultural scientists.

He was then the executive director of the state-owned Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) when he said those words. He was talking about the destruction of the golden rice plants in a trial �ield in Pili, Camarines Sur. On August 8, 2013, more than 400 so-called “farmers” who uprooted the genetically modi�ied crop that was nearly ready for harvest.

“This courageous action undertaken by the Peasant Movement of Bicol and the SIKWAL-GMO alliance was necessary to prevent the contamination of Asia’s most important food crop

by GMOs,” said Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), a group of non-government organizations in Asia in a statement. GMO refers to genetically-modi�ied organisms.

“The risks posed by �ield trials of golden rice may not mean much to (to those who conducted the �ield trials), but they are enormous for farmers and consumers in the Philippines and throughout Asia,” APC added.

“There is no way to ensure that a GMO �ield trial does not contaminate neighboring �ields.”

“I cried when I saw what was

happening,” recalled Mary Jane Espina, the PhilRice’s research assistant of the Golden Rice Project. “The tears were not just for the destroyed crops and the wasted efforts. It was because of the fact that we are not stupid to toil for something that will destroy people’s lives.”

But contrary to what the militants claim, those who uprooted the rice plants were actually not farmers. “Farmers could never destroy plants,” Perfecto Joaquin, a farmer for 20 years in Nueva Ecija, replied of what he thinks about the incident. “First of all, we know that a big amount of money is needed to start a farm.

Afterwards, you just destroy crops in a �ield? Much will be lost and that is destructive.”

The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) considered it as an “act of sabotage of a lawfully and responsibly-conducted scienti�ic experiment. This disruption is also an act of disrespect for the cause of scienti�ic inquiry and disregards the hard work that has been invested in reaching this stage of the research.”

NAST, the country’s premier

recognition and advisory body on science and technology, added, “Rather than use unfounded fears in making a decision, the scienti�ic data from the sabotaged experiment would have provided the third set of solid observations about the �ield performance of golden rice.”

The �ield experiment in Pili,

ple’s vitamin A status. In turn, this could reduce the extent and impact of vitamin A de�iciency among Filipinos.”

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind each year because of a lack of vitamin A in their diets. Not only that, about

Camarines Sur was one of the thirteen multilocational trials started in 2012 in different parts of the country. The �ield testing was conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and PhilRice, which are both authorized by the government through the Department of Agriculture.

So contrary to the activists’ accusations, there is no private corporate involvement. In fact, the �ield testing was under the scrutiny of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, which oversees �ield testing of biotech crops.

Credited for discovering the golden rice were Ingo Potrykus, who was 65 at that time and was about to retire as a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg. “My team targeted vitamin A de�iciency because this is one of the largest health problems worldwide,” said Potrykus.

According to IRRI, golden rice contains beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A when eaten. “Because rice is so popular in the Philippines,” the Laguna-based rice institute says, “providing rice that is more nutritious and that contains beta carotene could help boost peo-

half of these children die within 12 months.

Vitamin A de�iciency also depresses the immune system, raising overall mortality among children from other causes such as diarrhea, measles, and pneumonia. For these diseases the additional toll is estimated at 1 million preventable deaths a year, or around 2,700 per day, mostly among children younger than 5.

Vitamin A is found naturally in many foods, including liver of chicken, beef, pork, and �ish. Most of them, however, can be found in root crops (carrot and sweet potato) vegetables (broccoli and tomato), and milk products (cheese and butter), and fruits (papaya, mango, melon). Most of these sources are beyond the reach of poor people, particularly those living in shanty places, upland areas, and rural communities.

“We’re still losing one generation after another to malnutrition and this just shouldn’t be happening anymore,” deplores Dr. Howart Bouis, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute.

Golden rice is one possible solution to the problem. Normally, rice plants produce beta-carotene in their green parts,

“There’s so much misinformation floating around about GMOS that is taken as fact by people. The genes they inserted to make the vitamin are not some weird manufactured material, but are also found in squash, carrots and melons.” – Dr. Michael D. Purugganan, a professor of genomics and biology and the dean for science at New York University

but not the grain that people eat.

Golden rice is genetically engineered to produce beta-carotene in the edible part of the plant.

Using genetic modi�ication techniques, scientists developed golden rice using genes from corn and a common soil microorganism that together produce beta carotene in the rice grain.

According to IRRI, conventional breeding programs could not be used to develop golden rice because rice varieties do not contain signi�icant amounts of beta carotene.

IRRI describes golden rice as unique because it contains beta carotene which gives the golden color to the cereal (as well as to fruits and vegetables like squash, papaya and carrots). The body converts beta carotene in golden rice to Vitamin A as needed.

According to research published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2009, daily consumption of a cup of rice – about 150 grams uncooked weight – could supply half of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin A for an adult.

In 2005, scientists develop the current version of golden rice. In the Philippines, the �irst generation golden rice was �irst tested in advanced �ield trials in IRRI in 2008. The second generation of selected varieties was �ield tested in the wet season of 2010. At the PhilRice, con�ined �ield trials of advanced lines were conducted in February to June 2011.

“The �ield trials are an important step in evaluating the performance of golden rice and to determine if it can be planted, grown, and harvested just like other popular rice varieties,” PhilRice said in a statement.

“These trials are also part of the safety assessment of golden rice.”

Farmers who produce organically grown crops currently co-exist with farmers who grow genetically modi�ied crops and crops grown in conventional ways. ‘Co-existence’ is the practice of growing different kinds of

crops, crops grown in different ways, or crops for different customers nearby or next to each other, while keeping the crops separate so they don’t mix and so their economic value is not affected.

“Golden rice could likewise co-exist with other crops, including other types of rice and rice grown in other ways such as in organic agriculture,” IRRI claims.

“Golden rice is unlikely to impact organic agriculture through cross-pollination—also known as outcrossing or gene �low—for reasons that apply to all cultivated rice. Cross-pollination in rice is rare if plants are separated by a short distance of a few feet or meters and it can only occur when rice plants are �lowering at the same time.

“Moreover, rice pollen is normally viable for only a few minutes after �lowering. All these factors mean that organically-grown rice won’t usually cross-pollinate with another cultivated rice variety unless they are growing close together and �lower at the same time,” IRRI adds.

To further minimize the possible accidental mixing of golden rice, if it is approved, with other rice varieties, “we plan to work with rice producers in areas where golden rice could be grown to develop guidelines for cultivation, harvest, transport, storage, and processing of rice to help keep it separate,” IRRI says.

Because it’s genetically modi�ied, golden rice has faced opposition from environmental groups and others. “A rip-off of the public trust” was how the Rural Advancement Foundation International, an advocacy group based in Winnipeg, Canada, said of the nutrient-rich rice.

There are those who believe that golden rice is not the best answer to Vitamin A de�iciency. “The problem is that you’re trying to �ix vitamin A de�iciency with a narrow GM solution when the problem is much more

AGRITRENDS,P14

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

PSE.. FROM 4

quired by the SEC before PSE could proceed to acquire PDS, the owner of the fixed-income bourse operator, Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corporation (PDEx).

“This is a reform that has remained unresolved for many years.

It took no less than DOF (Depart-

ment of Finance) Secretary Dominguez to ensure that full compliance is finally achieved,” said PSE Chairman Jose T. Pardo.

The Philippine Competition Commission approved last November the PSE’s plan to merge with the PDS. (PNA)

from Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines Inc. amounted to P1.186 billion, followed by Pepsi Cola Philippines Inc., P666 million; ARC Refreshments Corp., P293.015 million; Nestle Philippines Inc., P143.5 million; Inter Beverages Philippines, P112 million; Asia Brewery Inc., P18 million; Liwayway Marketing, P16.049 million; SMB Inc. P10.726 million; and Zesto Corp., P7 million.

Earlier, BIR officials said local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. has paid P4 billion more in monthly taxes since global firm Japan Tobacco Inc. (JTI) took it over in 2017.

Data showed that compared to the same period in the previous year, cigarettes bearing the brands sold by Mighty yielded roughly P4 billion more in monthly excise taxes over the September-December 2017 period, or when JTI fully took over the operations of the company.

Dulay said this increase in excise tax payments on Mighty brands totaling P20.22 billion from September to December 2017 represented a 262-percent improvement or P14.65 billion more from the collection of P5.57 billion for the same period in 2016, when Mighty was still controlled by its previous owners.

The BIR chief said total excise tax collections for September to December 2017 amounted to P71.24 billion or a 26.68-percent hike over the collections in 2016 of P56.24 billion.

Excise tax collections from the tobacco industry comprised 57.4 percent of the total excise tax collections for September to December 2017, contributing P40.91 billion that year, Dulay said.

“What stands out there is the Mighty-JTI improvement in collections as they represented 262-percent improvement from September to December,” Dulay had said.(DOF)

Sea has already started after the closed season that was implemented through Fisheries Administrative Order 167, ended last February 15.

Aparri said they are expect-

ing an increase of some 100 million metric tons in the volume of harvest of the said species as a result of the closed season. “This constitutes about four percent of the existing harvest,” she said.

The increased volume of sardines, herring and mackerel in the market may result in decrease in prices, thus the establishment of the ice plant is deemed important. (PNA)

(CET1) ratio at 14.5 per cent and 12.9 per cent, respectively, both well above regulatory levels. The Bank had raised P60 billion in fresh equity via a stock rights offer (SRO)

in January 2017.

For 2018, BDO believes that its focused growth strategy, robust business franchise and solid balance sheet and capital base place

the Bank well-positioned to tap opportunities in growth sectors benefiting from the country’s favorable demographics and the government’s infrastructure build-up.

BFAR.. FROM 4 BDO.. FROM 4

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

ing monitoring and trading mechanisms, including the necessary system automation to ensure that broker ownership limits in the Exchange will no longer be breached moving forward,” he said.

Compliance with the ownership limit of stockbrokers was re-

BIR.. FROM 4

NEWS 13

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is in need of

Account Executives (3) Qualifications: • BS Marketing Graduate • Male/Female • With pleasing personality • With salary + commision

Send your application letter and resume to: Ella P. Tingzon HR/Admin Supervisor Edge Davao Review Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City Or email at edgedavao@gmail.com or ella_tingzon@yahoo.com

14 NEWS

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VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

PCSO... FROM 7

“We’ve to have state-of-the-art systems and technology for our lottery games,” Balutan stressed.

He also pointed out that the bidding would be the first ever in the history of PCSO. “Because previously, it was

just an ELA, merely equipment lease agreement. There was no bidding done when they were tapped in 1996. Their (PGMC and POSC) ELAs will terminate by July and August this year, respectively,” Balutan said.

and Food SECURE Philippines hope to bring change and help rebuild Marawi. You can be part of the change too by supporting the #FoodSecureMarawi campaign.

For inquiries on campaign partnership, you may contact Christine Jodloman at 0929-4759-732, or email foodsecureph@gmail. com.

“�loat”, which usually serves as a source of compensation for the banks› services.

“We thank our partner banks for their unrelenting support to SSS and for helping us in our collections efforts even without compensation in the past years. We truly appreciate their kindness in accommodating our members,” said Dooc.

Based on the SSC Resolution approved late last year, banks are required to remit to SSS all its collections from SSS members and employers immediately on the next banking day from the date of the transaction. Dooc explained that funds received through its partner banks can be used for immediate investment.

like to face former four division champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and WBC super flyweight

champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who defeated Juan Francisco Estrada in the main event.

Father Saturnino Urios University; Klein Tyrone Tagotongan, 13, of St. Mary’s School; and Vince Uchi, 14, of Alabel National Science Highschool for the boys division and Madelyn Flores, 14, of Bukidnon National Highschool; Aishe Solis, 13, of Corpus Christi School; Mikylla Taborada, 13, of Kauswagan National Highschool; and Pauline Angelique Valle, 13, of Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive Highschool for the girls division.

“There’s a lot of talent here.

We were really impressed with at least three of the kids who were selected that we really feel have the natural ability to make it until the end. The kids love the game. They worked really hard and I’m excited to see them in Manila,” said Coach

Newson.

Boys and girls aged 10-14 who want to join the NBA’s free youth basketball program can still participate in the two remaining Regional Selection Camps in Baguio on March 17-18 and Manila on April 21-22. Interested participants can still register online at www.jrnba. asia, where the program terms and conditions can be found.

For more information, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines and Twitter at www.twitter. com/nba_philippnes. For all things NBA, fans can visit www.nba.com, like the NBA on Facebook at www. facebook.com/philsnba and follow www.twitter.com/nba_philippines on Twitter.

which clinched a spot in the next round of the quali�iers after going 3-1 so far in the �irst round, with 18 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.

Rosario added 14 points

and four rebounds, while Kiefer Ravena had 13 points, eight coming from a 12-0 run that eventually sparked the 37-point Gilas barrage midway through the �irst half, two rebounds, �ive assists, and two steals. (PNA)

complex,” Clare Oxborrow, from the anti-GM group Friends of the Earth, was quoted as saying

by BBC News. “People who are de�icient in vitamin A are also de�icient in a whole host of other vitamins and minerals. What are we going to do? Are we going to genetically modify a crop to address these issues, too?”

On the other hand, Greenpeace, which has made a concerted effort to block golden rice’s introduction since it was announced in 2000, claims that vitamin A-forti�ied rice may not be effective in delivering vitamin A to children. However, Tufts University and the Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences in China have already proven that golden rice is effective.

After conducting nutritional trials with animals and then adults in the United States, the

researchers fed 23 Chinese children one meal of golden rice and tested to see if they had absorbed the beta carotene. The results, which were published in 2012 in the peer-reviewed “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” demonstrate conclusively that golden rice is, indeed, effective.

“The real reason Greenpeace is opposed to golden rice is because it is genetically modi�ied and it can’t seem to imagine that even one bene�icial crop might result from this technique,” writes Dr. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace who helped lead the organization for 15 years but is now an independent ecologist and environmentalist. “It is willing to put its zero-tolerance ideology ahead of a critical humanitarian mission.”

(To be continued)

PENONGS... FROM 7 SSS... FROM 7

MARKETING MANGOSTEEN. Mangosteen is one of the most popular exotic fruits along with durian. It is considered the queen of tropical fruits. Once they are harvested from the trees, the fruits are immediately sorted, packed and sold. Photo by Henrylito D. Tacio

TURKEY... FROM 4

Support and Promotion Agency, signed the MOU between the two agencies.

The second agreement aims to strengthen Philippines-Turkey ties through exchange of best practices and information on investment environment and opportunities.

The signing of the MOUs was witnessed by Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and Turkish National Defense Minister Nurretin Canikli, who co-chaired the PH-TR JCETC meet.

During the meeting, DFA bared that Lopez and Canikli also discussed opportunities for cooperation in defense industries, construction and consultancy services,

shipbuilding and energy.

Among others, the two delegation heads exchanged views on the economic situations in their respective countries, anti-terrorism efforts in their respective regions, as well as prospects for micro, small and medium enterprise development and Islamic financing for the rehabilitation of Marawi.

On the sidelines, Lopez met with the Turkish Contractors Association and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey, where he highlighted the country’s economic performance, its strategic location in the region and the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program. (PNA)

sarily changing the RRP rate (but) by allowing the market-determined TDF rates to rise (or fall) by altering auction volumes.”

He explained that TDF, which is part of the Interest Rate Corridor (IRC) and was implemented since June 2016, “has given BSP the fine maneuvering room to conduct monetary policy and gradually bring down RRR.” He, however, clarified that “the speed and timing of the RRR phase down is largely a function of the liquidity absorbing ability of OMO (open market operations).

He also noted that “to the extent that speculators use RRR reduction as pretext for peso depreciation,

BSP sells foreign exchange from its reserves to manage excessive peso volatility” and this, he said, “has the effect of draining peso liquidity from the system which causes a self-correction,” “The bottomline, the BSP has many options to maintain firm monetary control. The key reason it is lowering RRR is to promote a more efficient and level financial system that’s less biased against deposit-taking financial institutions which creates market distortions,” he added.

Espenilla said the RRR cut “is really, in a sense, part of a grand normalisation process. Alongside capital market reforms and fx liberalisation.”

PNA)

by the end of 2018.

To see the full list of participat-

ing agencies, visit www.foi.gov.ph/ agencies. (PCOO)

by the Philippine embassy were flown home by PAL, free of charge.

Florita Gracias, 38 years old from Iligan City, arrived with her three children (11, seven years old and seven months old) after encountering documentation problems. As an undocumented domestic helper, she availed of the amnesty offered by the Philippine

embassy and left her Indian husband in Kuwait. She was all praise for her 1st PAL flight experience.

Coordination between the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, OWWA and PAL enabled the homesick Filipinos to reunite with their families.

BSP... FROM 5

GSIS... FROM 5

1.2 K... FROM 5

Upon arrival at the NAIA Terminal 1, the OFWs received P5,000 cash from DFA and another P5,000 check from OWWA who will also be providing complimentary transportation to their �inal destinations in the provinces.

Cacdac also offered alternative sources of income – livelihood projects or skills training

through TESDA – to discourage them from returning as domestic helpers abroad.

Janette Barrentos, 44 years old from Palawan, hopes she can return to Kuwait. She came home with no savings and hopes to �ind work here The government’s repatriation program for Kuwait OFWs had been extended up to April.

fourth floors did not work while the alarm system of the mall was not interconnected with SSI’s, he said.

He said the sprinkler system’s control valve on the third floor had no sprinkler head. The one on the fourth floor was intact but installed outside the facility of SSI when it should have been installed inside.

Candito also pointed out that the floor control valve on the third floor was closed due to the ongoing renovation while the one on the

fourth floor had been closed for a long time due to the operation of SSI. He said the sprinklers would not spray water as the floor control valve was closed.

The task force also found out that the NCCC’s alarm system was not automatic, and did not reach the fourth floor when it was sounded by mall personnel, as the SSI’s alarm system was not connected with the mall’s, he said. (MindaNews)

(DBP ICONS) program, which helped improving the capacity of Filipino contractors.

Projects under this financing program include social and transport infrastructures like roads and bridges, water supply, wastewater and sanitation.

Borromeo said the bank also extended last year loans for the construction of about 120 hospitals and 2,486 school buildings, most of which were projects of local government units while other projects were those of private entities. (PNA)

Philippines. Allianz is making the strategic decision to grow its agency channel in Mindanao starting in Cagayan de Oro,” said

Allianz PNB Life president and CEO Dr. Olaf Kliesow in a press conference held here recently.

(PNA)

Reyes, in granting their bail applications, noted that none of the testimonies or exhibits presented by the prosecution had particularly

linked and identified the police officers to the relevant times and places surrounding the alleged killing of the victims. (PNA)

a blow to the JI and will likely further weaken the group, said Supt. Lemuel Gonda, regional police spokesperson.

Still, Gonda said they are

not taking any chances as the group’s remaining members may stage retaliatory attacks following the loss of their key leaders. (PNA)

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INSURANCE... FROM 6 BAIL... FROM 6

SLAIN... FROM 6

DONNIE... FROM 15

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GILAS... FROM 15

AGRITRENDS... FROM 12

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Donnie Nietes wants Gilas closes in Chocolatito, Rungvisai on 2nd round

ASSIST. Gilas rookie Kiefer Ravena passes off to a teammate during the Philippines-Japan World Cup Qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

HBO DEBUT. IBF flyweight champion Donnie Nietes stopped Juan Carlos Reveco of Mexico to defend his title.

I

NGLEWOOD - Donnie Nietes made easy work of mandatory challenger Juan Carlos Reveco, stopping him in the seventh round, successfully defending his IBF flyweight title.

It was all Nietes from the opening bell, outboxing the Argentine �ighter by throwing and landing combinations to the head and body.

As the bout progressed, Nietes began to break Reveco down. During the fourth and �ifth rounds, Nietes’ punches began to take their toll, as

Reveco began to noticeably slow down.

Towards the end of the sixth round, Nietes (41-14, 23 knockouts) wobbled Reveco with a right hand to the head. Reveco staggered towards his corner, needing the assistance of trainer/ cutman Rudy Hernandez to sit

on his stool.

Sensing he was still hurt, Nietes went on the attack.

The Filipino �ighter stunned Reveco again, dropping him moments later with a combination to the head. Reveco was able to beat the count, but his corner threw in the towel, prompting referee Eddie Hernandez to stop the bout at 53 seconds.

The 39-year-old Reveco, who is from Las Heras, Argentina, drops to 39-4, 19 KOs. The numbers also re�lect-

A

and other cities and provinces in Mindanao, including young Higa-onon, Manobo and Banwaon players, participated in the �irst-ever Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp in Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte.

11 aspirants got the nod from Jr. NBA Coaches Rob

Newson and Jeffrey Cariaso as they excelled in two days’ worth of intense basketball training and scrimmages.

They also exempli�ied the Jr. NBA core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect throughout the camp.

Travelling to Manila for

ed Nietes’ dominance during the �ight. Nietes landed 100 out of 407 total punches (24.6 percent), while Reveco only connected on 40 out of 318 total punches (12.6 percent).

“I’m very proud to defend my title in front of all the great Filipino fans here in Los Angeles,” said Nietes, who was making the �irst defense of his IBF title. “I want the biggest �ights either at this weight or to move up.”

What’s next? Nietes would

the National Training Camp on May 18-20 are Richard Carvero III, 13, and Paolo Matthew Kho, 13, of Corpus Christi School; Christian Joi Mesias, 14, of Jose Maria College; Zhan Paolo Moreno, 13, of Xavier University; Michael John Sarmiento, 13, of

G

ilas Pilipinas bucked a slow start against Japan and took a win in Matchday 4 of the FIBA World Cup Quali�iers at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Sunday night.

Japan went off to a hot start, quickly opening a 20-4 lead to the shock of the jampacked venue.

But just as Coach Chot Reyes inserted Kiefer Ravena to the game, the tides turned into Gilas’ favor as the team went on a 37-6 run spanning to the second quarter for a 41-26 lead.

Japan inched closer with a 15-2 run lead later in the second to cut the lead to just

two, 43-41, with 20.4 seconds to go in the period, but Troy Rosario announced his return to national team play with a corner triple at the halftime buzzer for a 46-41 lead.

That buzzer-beating triple turned out to be spark for Gilas’ second half brilliance as the team reopened a double-digit spread.

Japan still put up a �ight and cut the lead down to two, 86-84, with 31.5 seconds to go, but Jayson Castro made his Gilas return felt with a dagger �loater with 10.3 seconds left.

Andray Blatche led Gilas,

GILAS,P14

DONNIE,P14

Mindanao leg breaks Jr. NBA record

record-breaking 1,505 young basketball players across Mindanao welcomed the Jr. NBA Philippines 2018 presented by Alaska at Fr. Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City on Feb. 24-25. Boys and girls from Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Davao, Sarangani

W

hat makes you go home?

If I’ll answer that, despite a busy schedule in school or work, I’d like to go home because of my mamang Lolita’s cooking. You are used to it, grew up with it and all those long years, you even memorize the menu. For reasons I don’t know, if you dine with the old folks, everything is just perfect. Ahh, the smell of the newly-cooked rice, pinakbet or beef stew (pressure cooked), and the taste, ohhh lalala, just amazing.

Of course, you would love dining out with your friends as Davao City offers a long list of outstanding restaurants, from our favorite “law-oy pu-

MINDANAO,P14

BEST LEAP. A Panabo City athlete leaps to his best jump in the long jump competitions in the recent 2018 DAVRAA meet at the UM Sports Complex in Davao City.

Let’s show some love to our student-athletes

westo”(fronting the PC Barracks, now Camp Domingo Leonor) to the unlimited rice at Penong’s, “lugaw” at Dencia’s, or for special occasions at The Royal Mandaya Hotel or Marco Polo Hotel.

Where there is good food (affordable or expensive), there is a happy Dabawenyo.

I don’t know with the new generation these days but we grew up being taught how to cook. First the rice(usually, when you are in Grade One), then you learn to clean, then fry or “sugba” the �ish, as you progress then you start learning the “tinola”, then the proper way of preparing the tuna kinilaw. Eventually you have a complete arsenal for “Su-

CLEAN SLATE

By MOSES P. BILLACURA

tukil”. Once you are released to the world, you will survive, so to speak.

Recent reports that food safety was not strictly followed affected dozens of student-athletes from Mati who are in the city for the Davao Regional Athletic Association

Meet, a qualifying tournament for the Palarong Pambansa.

“This reckless action resulted in the injury of individuals, obvious cost-cutting on the budget for the meals is tantamount to corruption and should be dealt with severely,” Davao City mayor Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio said in a statement.

“Reckless action” indeed.

I don’t know what they were thinking when they served the “bahaw” food to the Mati student-athletes.

Had they treated the student-athletes like their own children, this unfortunate “reckless action” should never have happened.

Why? Ma konsensiya na

man.

I hope this will never be repeated when food safety becomes a strict policy to be followed by the organizing Department of Education. This can be prevented!

But if this happens again in the future, it simply means that there is no true love accorded to our student-athletes.

And I hope that those responsible for hurting our student-athletes will pay for their actions.

Let us, please, show some love to our student-athletes because they are the future of this nation. Keep them safe and healthy.

They simply deserve our brotherly love.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

WORLD HOOPS. Special Assistant to the President Sec. Christopher “Bong” Go (3rd from left), Presidential Assistant for Sports Glenn Escandor (3rd from right) and lawyer Mans Carpio (2nd from right) hosted Level Up World Hoops Clinic at the Genesis 88 Gym recently. The World Hoops Clinic is led by former SMART Gilas

VOL. 10 ISSUE 234 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

national team coach Tab Baldwin (4th from left) with assistants Jay Salvador, Sandy Arespacochaga and Pao Salvador.

DEPED 11: City likely to host Palaro 2019

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

T

he Department of Education (DepEd) 11 is con�ident that the hosting Palarong Pambansa next year will be awarded to Davao City.

This was bared by DepEd 11 regional director lawyer Alberto Escobarte.

“In fact other regions are supportive es-

pecially, Mindanao regions,” he said.

Escobarte said the recent success of hosting the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet last week is already enough basis for DEPED to award the national games in the city.

He said the city other than the un-

�inished Olympic-sized pool, the city has enough playing venues which is an advantage for the said event and the modern sports facility inside the University of the Philippines Mindanao will be also opening next year.

Escobartes said the city’s hosting of the

regional meet was well-managed because the of�icials were able to �inish all games on the morning of the �ifth day.

On February 28, the city government will formally submit their bidding to DepEd national of�ice for the hosting of Palarong

DEPED,P10