Edge Davao 5 Issue 127

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VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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Science/ Environment

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Many to oppose Naboc clean-up N Franco Tito cautions DENR exec

EWLY-ASSUMED Regional Director Joselin Marcus E. Frigada of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) deserves support

ICT Hub

Sports

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Is there gold deposit in Mabatas?

for his plant to clean-up the highlysilted Naboc River in the gold-laden mountain Diwata as the river is

heavily polluted.

However, the DENR regional official should have enough po-

litical will to pursue the project, as many vested interests are secretly against it. This was the warning of former Diwalwal barangay cap-

FMANY, 11

Page 16

DETAINED. The four youth activists who staged a blockade with the residents during a demolition attempt in Ma-a, Davao City are seen inside their cell at the Davao City Police Office yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

BIFF vows

No attacks on eve of GPH-MILF talks Follow Us On

T

HE Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) has heeded the appeal of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to refrain from launching offensives against government forces in deference to the scheduled resumption of talks with the Philippine gov-

ernment in Malaysia this week.

Abumisry Mama, spokesperson of the BIFF said they would heed the request of their former comrades.

“It’s not a big deal, if we can feed a starving cat asking for food why not this simple request of our brothers,” Mama

said.

He, however, clarified they were not implementing a ceasefire and had told their forces to maintain a defensive position.

Asked if their gesture of cooperation meant they were going back to the fold of the MILF, he replied: “No way, it won’t re-

ally happen.”

Meanwhile, the MILF said it was glad to hear the positive response of the BIFF. “But we need to be sure. Yet they received and signed our letter brought by our emissary,” MILF spokesperson Von Al Haq

FNo, 14

2

THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

DOE says

Government oil firm could lower prices

By Carlo P. Mallo

T GADGETS FAIR. Computers in different sizes, designs and colors are on display in the ongoing Games and Gadgets Fair at the activity center of Abreeza Mall yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

HE Department of Energy is looking at measures to bring down the price of oil in the country aside from regulation.

In an interview with Energy Undersecretary Loretta Ayson last Friday, she said the government is thinking of owning a petroleum firm that can compete with existing oil companies.

“There is nothing definite about it, but it is an idea we’re looking at,” Ayson said.

The continuous increase in oil prices has prompted calls for the return of government regu-

lation of oil prices.

“The proposed plan will allow us to bring down prices without having to subsidize,” Ayson said.

Instead of subsidizing all oil imports in the country, the government will only be subsidizing the oil company it owns, which will allow it to lower it’s prices giving consumers a cheaper option.

Last week, oil prices increased by as much as P1.50 per liter for kerosene, P1.40 per liter for diesel, P1.30 per liter for leaded, and P1.50 for unleaded.

HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to find a company that would provide the transmission of election results in the 2013 midterm polls after the lone bidder in the transmission bidding failed to meet the requirements.

“As of today, we found the lone bidder, Blue Media Communications Inc., ineligible,” said Helen Flores, Comelec’s Special Bids and Awards Committee chairperson.

However, she noted that they are giving the company a chance to explain. “Since they requested reconsideration, we will see their explanation on why they failed to meet

the requirements.”

Flores said that two companies actually purchased bid documents -- Blue Media and Smartmatic -- but it was only the former that submitted the bid.

The transmission contract is pegged at over P402 million.

On the other hand, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said they will talk to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the telecommunication companies if no company passed the bidding process.

Brillantes added that transmission of the votes is the critical aspect of an automated election. [PNA]

Lone bidder in transmission of 2013 election results fails

Chief Justice Sereno says T ‘no’ to media interviews N

EWLY-installed Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. Aranal Sereno has declined media interviews.

On her first day in office as the country’s first female Chief Justice, Sereno said she prefers that the SC return to its “dignified silence.”

“Wisdom leads me to return the Supreme Court to its days of dignified silence -- when its justices were heard when read through their writings and when the actions of the Court were best seen in their collective resolutions,” Sereno said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Sereno explained that accepting media interviews would require time

and effort for her and her staff in coming up with an agreement with legitimate media personalities, about the length and scope of the interviews, scheduling and other operational matters.

“To reach an agreement on the matter would require devoting considerable time from me and my staff and would distract me from paying attention to the more fundamental and urgent problems besetting the Judiciary,” she said.

Sereno also emphasized that the Judiciary is not a political branch of government.

“Its role is unique among all the public institutions. It is constitutionally designed to be deliberate, accurate,

sober and carefully balanced before arriving at its decisions and in the presentation of such decisions,” she said.

“The Supreme Court will act with due speed in discharging its role, but the outcome of all of its actions must be clear, categorical and not easily given to change. It must thus exert efforts to minimize susceptibility to misinterpretation,” Sereno said.

She added that for the High Court to return to its golden days, “then the Chief Justice must respectfully decline all these well-meaning requests for interview.”

While declining all requests for media interview, the new Chief Magistrate assured that there

will be units of the SC that will still provide the media and the general public with any information about the Court.

“I am meeting in the next few day the various units of the Supreme Court that will engage with media and the general public in providing information from the Court,” Sereno said.

“We will seek ways on how to best respond to the needs of media for accurate and timely information,” she added.

Sereno, the 24th Chief Justice of the Philippines, took her oath of office on Saturday before President Benigno S. Aquino III in Malacanang. She replaced ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.

[PNA]

HIV/AIDS cases in PHL now more Lawyer insists case vs Madlos than 10,000-mark

son should be reinvestigated

T

HE legal counsel of the son of National Democratic Front spokesperson Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos is set to file a motion for reconsideration today after the court denied their petition on Friday last week calling for a reinvestigation and lifting of a warrant of arrest against his son.

Lawyer Alfonso S. Casurra said they will exhaust all legal remedies to obtain a favorable ruling for Vincent Isagani R. Madlos, only son of Ka Oris and Ka Maria Malaya, for destructive arson

and robbery.

“We hope the court understand our predicament and our situation.

To my mind there is no harm if the court will just remand it back to the prosecutor as that is something provided in the rules,” Casurra said.

Vincent Isagani was charged together with his father for destructive arson in relation to the burning of Platinum Group Metals Corporation (PGMC) on October 3, 2011 by the New People’s Army (NPA). On August 6, Branch 32 of the Regional Trial Court

here issued the warrant of arrest against Madlos’ 32-year old son.

Casurra said they filed a petition last week to suspend the warrant since the prosecution filed the case solely on the basis of statements by witnesses presented

by PGMC. “We are asking the court to have a second look that principally our motion was anchored on the fact that we were not given the right to participate in the preliminary investigation,” he said, adding he is willing to bring his cli-

ent in court if the case against Ka Oris’ son is suspended and the warrant lifted.

The lawyer said it was stupid of the police to demand that his client present himself in court and be jailed without bail while the issue of his identity [as a suspect] is being resolved.

He reiterated that the issue in the first place was one-sided.

Casurra appealed for fairness by allowing the younger Madlos to respond to the charges.

He also added that

FLAWYER, 11

T

HE number of HIV/ AIDS cases in the Philippines has surpassed the 10,000mark after the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 278 new infections in July.

Records of the DOH’s Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry showed that from 1984 to July 2012, there were 10,242 HIV cases and 1,078 of them became AIDS with 353 deaths.

The July cases were 36 percent higher than the 204 cases recorded during the same month in 2011. Of these, 17 were already AIDS at the

time of reporting.

The surveillance showed that 262 of the new cases were infected through sexual contacts, with 223 of them belonging to the sector of menwho-have-sex-with-men.

Sixteen of the new cases were injecting drug users.

Records showed that overseas Filipino workers have contributed 36 cases and they all contracted the virus through sexual contacts.

From January to July this year, there were 1,878 cases, including 96 AIDS and 10 deaths.

[PNA]

THE BIG NEWS

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 127 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012 Arena 11 Serbisyo Caravan serves faraway Balut Island

3

Vicky Berdina M. de Guzman

T

HOUSANDS of residents in faraway Balut Island, municipality of Sarangani, Davao del Sur were served during the one day visit there recently by members of the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies Region 11 who conducted a Serbisyo Caravan at the remote community many of whose inhabitants are indigenous (lumads).

The caravan consisted of representatives from 21 national government agencies such as the DILG, DSWD, DepEd, DBM, Civil Service Commission, DOH, DAR, DOST, Marina, DPWH, PNP,

NFA, among others who rendered service in their respective expertise as the case may be.

Sarangani Mayor Jerry T. Cawa thanked the Serbisyo Caravan on behalf of the town’s 23,000 inhabitants.

Civil Military Operations officer of 1002, Capt. William Alfred Rodriguez, said peace and order in Sarangani remains manageable, as attested to by Mayor Cawa.

DBM Director Archilles Gerard C. Bravo, president of Arena 11, said this Serbisyo Caravan was different because the venue was the farthest place they had been to for this program.

SIGNING. Gracing the signing ceremony for a suburban residential project are (seated l-r) Annabelle H. Mayor, Executive Assistant to the Chairman at ULDI; Debin E. Uraya II, President of ULDI; Debin A. Uraya, Chairman

of ULDI; Ricardo R. Floirendo, Senior Vice President of ANFLOCOR; Oscar V. Grapa, Chief Financial Officer of ANFLOCOR; and Alfred E. Samson, Vice President for Finance of ANFLOCOR.

ANFLOCOR, Uraya Land ink DLPC bares 10-minute joint development accord interruption Aug 31 D

AVAO Light and Power Company will conduct a 10-minute power interruption on August 31, Friday, affecting the customers in the southern part of its franchise.

Ross Luga, Corporate Communications Officer, said that this service interruption is necessary to facilitate the normalization of Puan substation or back to its normal set-up from Digos Line to Davao Line. This will also allow deloading of the electric utility’s Calinan Substation.

Customers affected by this service interruption are those from Ulas Police Station going to Catalunan Pequeño up to Calinan Substation. This includes whole of Mintal, Tugbok proper, Tacunan, Tagakpan, Los Amigos and its nearby environs.

Those residing from Ulas crossing going to Puan up to URC in Bago

Aplaya including some parts of Libby Road will also be experiencing this service disruption.

Some of Davao City Water District’s sump pumps will also be affected by this power outage.

Davao Light apologizes for the inconvenience of these scheduled power interruptions but it will exert all efforts to restore electric service as scheduled or earlier. However, there may be instances where restoration may extend beyond the schedule due to unavoidable circumstances.

The electric utility’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) allows Davao Light to remotely control switches in the substations and along the distribution lines making it efficient in implementing maintenance works or restoration of power supply at its barest minimum during service interruptions.

A

NFLO Management and Investment Corporation (ANFLOCOR) took another significant stride as it embarks on another venture for a suburban residential project with Uraya Land Development, Incorporated.

“Having achieved various milestones, especially in the real estate industry, ANFLOCOR continues to welcome new ventures that promote invigorating and integrated standard of living,

thus making the most out of what Davao City has to offer,” said ANFLOCOR Real Estate Manager Rannel F. Flores.

The said project was formally launched with the signing of the Joint Venture Agreement last August 15, 2012.

As per terms of agreement, Uraya Land, the developer of this project, will transform into a posh and exclusive residential subdivision 135,904 sqm of Anflo landholdings in Mara-

pangi, Toril.

This development will serve as the extension of Uraya Land’s existing subdivision Villa de Mercedes in Catigan, Toril that offers high-end living experience to its future residents.

“With Uraya Land’s remarkable experience in developing suburban residential projects, manifested by the various awards it reaped over the years, ANFLOCOR takes pride in this new partnership,” added

Flores.

Flores further said that this project is seen to expaand opportunities to more people who wish to locate their home in a more relaxed environment.

“This is a statement of ANFLOCOR’s stronger presence in the real estate industry following the company’s first venture into residential community project – Damosa Fairlane – by its property development arm Damosa Land, Inc.,” said Flores.

ETWEEN two lawmakers from Cavite, Senate President Juan Ponce believes that Senator Panfilo Lacson has the edge over Rep. Joseph E.A. Abaya to head the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). ”I do not know Abaya very well, but I know Senator Lacson quite well enough. I think if they will tap Senator Lacson, to head that department, he will do very well because he is trained as a law enforcement person and the police organization is under that department,” Enrile said in a Senate media interview.

Both Lacson and Abaya are being considered to succeed Robredo.

Enrile said Lacson, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, has been exposed to national politics and the local leaders of the country. ”In terms of political content of that function, he is familiar with the breadth of the responsibility. He knows the problem of law and order in every area of the country, having been the head of the police department of this country,” Enrile said. ”He was a member of the Cabinet. He has been a senator for many terms so, therefore, he is familiar with the laws and conditions of this country, as well as the political nuances involved in administering that department,” the 89-year-old lawmaker

said.

Lacson’s final term as senator will end in 2013.

Abaya, grandson of the Philippines’ first President Emilio Aguinaldo, is reportedly one of the Liberal Party members being groomed to take over the DILG. Others include: former Isabela governor Grace Padaca, Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. Enrile, however, said it’s still up to President Benigno S. Aquino III to select the best for the DILG’s post. ”Not only the best material, but having the trust and confidence of the appointing power,” Enrile said.

On reports that Vice

President Jejomar Binay is also being considered to take over DILG, Enrile doubts whether Binay, already a housing czar of the Aquino administration, is interested to handle the post though he “will be well suited for the job.”

Meanwhile, Senator Franklin Drilon said he expects President Aquino to appoint the next DILG secretary within the next two weeks. ”I believe that the vacancy should immediately be filled because we cannot allow the department to be run by remote control from the Office of the Executive Secretary. That is not good, the DILG involves police where peace and order is a mandate,” Drilon said. [PNA]

T

Trillanes IV, who authored and sponsored Senate Bill No. 3215 or the Act Strengthening the Career Executive Service, said the passage of the proposed legislation into law would help minimize political appointments and encourage the profes-

sionalization of managers and executives by strictly adhering to the principles of merit system in government service.

“This proposed legislation seeks to strengthen the Career Executive Service by placing the Career Executive Service Board

(CESB) under the supervision of the Civil Service Commission, as well as introduce structural and functional changes into the CESB,” Trillanes explained.

Under the proposed law, Trillanes said the Of-

For DILG post

Enrile believes Lacson has edge over Abaya

B

Senate okays bill strengthening ranks of government executives

WAITING. A man rests on his hammock while waiting for the mechanic that will repair his prime mover along E. Quirino Ave. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

HE Senate approved on third and final reading on Tuesday a bill which seeks to professionalize the ranks of government managers and executives by requiring them to comply with civil service rules.

Senator Antonio

FSENATE, 11

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Arctic sea ice shrinking to new low in satellite era

T

HE blanket of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean melted to its lowest extent ever recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to scientists from U.S. space agency NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

On August 26, the Arctic sea ice extent fell to 1.58 million square miles, or 4.10 million square kilometers. The number is 27,000 square miles, or 70,000 square kilometers below the record low daily sea ice extent set Sept. 18, 2007.

Since the summer Arctic sea ice minimum normally does not occur until the melt season ends in mid- to-late September, the scientists expect the sea ice extent to continue to dwindle for the next two or three weeks, said Walt Meier, an NSIDC scientist.

“It’s a little surprising to see the 2012 Arctic sea ice extent in August dip below the record low 2007 sea ice extent in September,” he said.

Pacific agency sees climate change as ‘most serious long-term threat’

T

HE Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP)secretariat stressed here Monday that climate change is potentially the most serious long-term threat to the development and survival of the Pacific people today.

Kosi Latu, SPREP Deputy Director-general highlighted the issue at the on-going annual conference of the New Life Churches of Fiji on protecting the environment as God’s creation and gift to humankind, which was attended by more than 300 delegates at the Suva Civic Centre.

Latu told the conference that when bigger countries talked about climate change, it was really about changing their economy from being a fossil fuel-based economy to a renewable energybased economy because the burning of fossil fuels was the primary contributor to climate change.”But for us here in the region, it’ s much more than that.

It’s about our survival.”

Latu noted that Pacific island countries were highly dependent on fossil fuel to meet their energy needs, spending be-

tween 30-40 percent of their annual national income on energy sources such as oil and gas, but contributed only 0.03 percent to the total global emissions.

“The impact is incredible” and relocation has already happened in some islands in the Pacific, Latu said. “While the impact will vary from country to country, the low lying islands of the Pacific are going to be more affected because they’re much more vulnerable.”

“Our food systems, our agriculture patterns, even health, our fisheries, infrastructure, water, tourism which we depend on so much -- all those sectors of the economy are going to be potentially affected,” he said, adding there would also be interesting political and legal and political questions and issues of sovereignty in relating to relocation.

“What if the people of Kiribati then decide to relocate to Australia or New Zealand? .. What will happen to the land that’s under water? These are the kinds of issues that governments need to think about,” Latu questioned.

[PNA/Xinhua]

“It’s likely we are going to surpass the record decline by a fair amount this year by the time all is said and done.”

On Sept. 18, 2007, the September minimum extent of Arctic sea ice shattered all satellite records, reaching a five-day running average of 1.61 million square miles, or 4.17 million square kilometers. Compared to the long-term minimum average from 1979 to 2000, the 2007 minimum extent was lower by about a million square miles -- an area about the same as Alaska and Texas combined, or 10 Britains.

The sea ice cap naturally grows during the cold Arctic winters and shrinks when temperatures climb in the spring and summer.

But over the last three decades, satellites have observed a 13 percent decline per decade in the minimum summertime extent of the sea ice. The thickness of the sea ice cover also continues to decline.

[PNA/XINHUA]

Green Climate Fund Board finally meets, starts work

T

HE 24-member Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) finally met here last week and established its critically vital operating finance mechanism. Albay Gov. Joey Salceda represents the Philippines in the Board.

Salceda officially sits in the GCF board representing a group of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Other regional representatives in the board are from Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Czech Republic; Poland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland the United States of America and other countries cate-

gorized as Small Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

Earlier this year, at the behest of the Asian Group in the Fund, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino nominated Salceda for election to the GCF Board.

The GCF is designated as an operating financial mechanism of the UNFCCC and is governed and supervised by the 24-member Board.

Salceda has distinguished himself as a pioneer in Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Philippines.

For his innovative and notably success initiatives, the United Nations designated him as its CCA and DRR Global Champion and spokesman in these concerns. The UN also named his province, Albay, as its Global Model.

Salceda said the GCF

Board will address several key issues, including initiatives towards the operationalization of the Fund, amounting to about $ 100 billion, decide on the Fund’s host country.

The Fund, he said, will provide simplified and improved access to climate change funding for developing countries, including direct access, based their country driven approach to problems related to CCA and DRR. In a statement at the Centre de Conference Verembe here, Salceda said he trusts the system and selection process of the host country for the Fund and suggested to the Board to look first into the “How” and not on the “Who” concerns. Six countries have offered to host the Fund -- Germany, Mexico, Namibia, Poland, Republic of Korea and Switzerland.

The Green Climate

Fund was created in the Copenhagen Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in December 2011 at Durban, South Africa. It has initially been allocated $ 20 billion per year in the first three years and $ 100 billion thereafter or within the next five years, to carry out its mandate. It aims to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the international community to address climate change.

In the context of sustainable development, the Fund will strive to ensure a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways by supporting initiatives by developing countries to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impact. [PNA]

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 127 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

5

6 THE ECONOMY Stat Watch

1. Gross National Income Growth Rate (At Constant 2000 Prices)

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

2. Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate (At Constant 2000 Prices)

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

3. Exports 1/ 4. Imports 1/ 5. Trade Balance 6. Balance of Payments 2/ 7. Broad Money Liabilities

USD 4,931 million May 2012 USD 4,770 million Apr 2012 USD -135 million Apr 2012 USD -209 million Mar 2012 P 4,580,674 million Apr 2012

8. Interest Rates 4/

4.1 % May 2012 P131,403 million May 2012 P 5,075 billion Apr 2012

9. National Government Revenues 10. National government outstanding debt 11. Peso per US $ 5/

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

BSP projects inflation to stay within 2.9-3.8% T

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects a hike in the inflation rate for August 2012 due to the combined impact of the monsoon floods, higher utility rates and peso weakening but stressed that full-year outlook still points to manageable inflation.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., in a text message to reporters Tuesday, said rate of price increases for this month is projected to stay within 2.9-3.8 percent.

He explained that “our expectation is that, as in the past, price increases in selected vegetables

and fish as a result of supply disruptions from natural calamities would be temporary.”

“Our assessment continues to be that average inflation for 2012 and 2013 would fall within the lower half of our target range over the policy horizon of three to five percent,” he said.

Inflation last July registered an uptick to 3.2 percent from month-ago’s 2.8 percent on account of higher inflation rate in all commodity groups except for clothing and footwear, health, transport, and education indices.

This brought to 3.1 percent

the average inflation rate in the first seven months of the year.

Tetangco said monetary officials “will remain mindful of aggregate global demand developments, possible price pressures from volatilities in commodity prices, and the impact of shifts in capital flows on asset prices and the exchange rage.”

“We will make adjustments to policy stance and adopt prudential measures, as appropriate, to ensure that our inflation target is protected,” he added.

The central bank does not foresee inflation exceeding the

three to five percent target until 2014 with the average inflation rate eyed to stay at the lower end of the target range.

This outlook enabled central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) to further cut the BSP’s policy rates to record-low level last July 26 to provide additional buffer against negative global developments.

To date, BSP’s overnight borrowing or reverse repurchase (RRP) rate is at record-low of 3.75 percent and the overnight lending or repurchase (RP) rate is 5.75 percent. [PNA]

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011) Month Average December November October September August July June May April March February January

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

43.31 43.64 43.27 43.45 43.02 42.42 42.81 43.37 43.13 43.24 43.52 43.70 44.17

45.11 43.95 43.49 43.44 44.31 45.18 46.32 46.30 45.60 44.63 45.74 46.31 46.03

JUNK SHOP. Scavengers rush to a junk shop along Washington Street to sell their collection of retrieved items yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

ASEAN countries to set up one regional aviation market

T

HE 10-member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will set up a single aviation market to welcome the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 in a move to further facilitate movement of goods and labor.

Civil Aviation Department (CAD) director-general and ASEAN Air Transport Working Group (ATWG) chairman Voradej Harn-

prasert said this at the 26th ASEAN air transport meeting being held this week from Monday through Thursday.

Voradej presided at the ceremony, with representatives from the public and private sectors of the 10 ASEAN countries participating in the event.

Apart from the 26th ASEAN ATWG meeting, related meetings are taking place here including the

22nd ASEAN Airlines Meeting, and an ASEAN-India Working Group on Regional Air Service Arrangement (AWIG-RASA).

Voradej said ATWG is discussing the implementation of an ASEAN common aviation market foundation roadmap on economic and technical matters.

Liberalization of aviation is intended, while the development of tools and measures will be dis-

cussed and become standardized common regulations for ASEAN members on further aviation safety and air traffic control.

Thai civil aviation chief Voradej said he was certain that once the ASEAN single aviation market takes effect, airlines will not move to operate in other airports but will stay based in Bangkok,Thailand which is a convenient location linking to other countries. [PNA/TNA]

as of august 2010

Cebu Pacific Daily Zest Air Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Philippine Airlines Daily Philippine Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun Philippine Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Silk Air Mon/Wed/Sat Cebu Pacific Thu Cebu Pacific Tue/Wed//Sat

5J961 / 5J962 Z2390 / Z2390 5J593 / 5J348 PR809 / PR810 PR819 / PR820 5J394 / 5J393 5J599 / 5J594 5J347 / 5J596 5J963 / 5J964 PR811 / PR812 5J595 / 5J966 MI588 / MI588 5J965 / 5J968 5J965 / 5J968

5:45 5:45 6:00 6:10 7:50 7:50 8:00 9:10 9:40 11:30 12:00 18:55 12:55 13:35

Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Iloilo Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga Cebu-Davao-Cebu Iloilo-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Cebu-Davao-Manila Davao-Cebu-Singapore Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila

6:15 6:25 6:30 7:00 8:50 8:10 8:30 9:40 10:10 12:20 12:30 13:35 13:25 14:05

Silk Air Thu/Sun Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri Philippine Airlines August Zest Air Daily Cebu Pacific Daily Philippines Airlines Daily Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat Cebu Pacific Daily Cebu Pacific Tue/Sat/Sun Cebu Pacific Daily Airphil Express Daily Philippine Airlines Daily except Sunday Philippine Airlines Sunday

MI566 / MI566 5J507 / 5J598 15:55 Z2524 / Z2525 5J967 / 5J600 PR813 / PR814 5J215 / 5J216 5971 / 5J970 5J973 / 5J974 5J969 / 5J972 2P987 / 2P988 PR821 / PR822 PR821 / PR822

18:55 15:00 Mani2Mani 16:05 16:35 16:55 18:00 18:40 20:00 20:30 20:30 21:20 22:20

Davao-Singapore Cebu-Davao-Cebu 16:50 Cebu-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Cebu Manila-Davao-Manila Cagayan de Oro-Davao-Cagayan de Oro Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila Manila-Davao-Manila

15:20 15:30 16:45 17:05 17:45 18:20 19:10 20:30 21:00 21:00 21:50 22:50

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 127 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Apple ‘to unveil mini iPad’ G

ICT HUB

7

Global PC market to grow 0.9% this year: report

A

PPLE will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in October after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month, the All Things Digital website reported Sunday.

“First comes the latest iteration of the tech giant’s hugely popular smartphone, which will be unveiled at an as yet unannounced event on September 12,” the website said.

“Only after the next-generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it’s been working on,” it said.

“That device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches (20 centimeters), will be uncrated at a second special event, which sources say is currently scheduled for October.”

The 10-inch iPad has long dominated the tablet market, but faces a growing challenge from smaller models like Amazon’s Kindle Fire, the Google Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy.

Apple is expected to launch the miniature iPad later this year, with analysts saying it could allow the California-based company to again best its global rivals despite the death last year of visionary founder Steve Jobs.

New York journalist Noah Rosenberg works on his iPad at local coffee shop Smooch in Brooklyn earlier this month. Apple will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in October after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month, the All Things Digital website reported Sunday.

Nokia jumps on hopes it can cash in on Samsung setback

S

HARES in mobile phone firm Nokia leapt 10 percent on Monday on hopes it can benefit from a setback to rival Samsung, which has lost a high-profile court case to Apple that could lead to an injunction against some of its products.

A U.S. jury found South Korea’s Samsung Electronics copied critical features of Apple’s hugely popular iPhone and iPad and awarded the U.S. company $1.05 billion in damages.

“In addition to Apple, we name Microsoft and Nokia as the main beneficiaries from this outcome,” said Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies.

Shares in Nokia were 10.2 percent higher at 2.746 euros by 0835 GMT. Microsoft’s Europeanlisted shares were 1.6 percent higher.

Nokia and its software partner Microsoft have been struggling to win ground from Samsung’s Android-powered smart-

phones which lead the market.

Google’s Android is used in around 65 percent of smartphones sold globally, with Samsung the biggest maker of Android phones.

Nokia has been fighting for survival after losing vast ground to Apple and Samsung. In 2011 it forged a software alliance with Microsoft, which had also fallen behind in smartphone software.

Nokia is now the largest maker of Windows Phones, but the market share of the software has stayed at below 5 percent.

“We think that the real winner hear will be Microsoft and the Windows Phone ecosystem,” Nomura analysts said in a note.

“As Android and Apple tear each other apart, Microsoft has been waiting in the wings and is in a very good position to move in and entice users to switch from Android to Microsoft, as we have already seen that user loyalty is low,” they said.

Nokia is expected to launch its first smartphones using a new ver-

sion of Windows Phone software at an industry event in early September.

A salesman demonstrates a Nokia smartphone in a shop in Riga July 18, 2012.

LOBAL sales of personal computers (PCs) are expected to inch up 0.9 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, marking the second straight year of growth below two percent as a global economic downturn eats into PC demand, a report showed Monday.

The size of the global PC market is expected to reach 367.2 million units this year, compared with 363.9 million units the previous year, when PC shipments posted a 1.7-percent growth, according to the recent report by market research firm IDC. The data includes both desktop and laptop PCs. The company projected global PC shipments to mark an average 7.1 percent growth from 2013-2016, down from the 8.4 percent compound annual growth rate previously forecast for 2012-2016.

The weak growth forecast for this year was largely attributed to lackluster demand in both emerging and mature markets.

PC shipments in emerging markets are expected to grow 2.5 percent this year,

tumbling from an 11-percent increase in 2011. Shipments in mature markets are likely to fall 1.2 percent, but recover from an 8.7 percent drop last year, the report showed.

“Consumers have been hit by weak economic conditions, but are also waiting to see what Windows 8 and Ultrabook products will look like while considering spending on other products like media tablets and smartphones,” the report said.

While the report pinned hopes on demand in the emerging market, it remained mostly downbeat on growth this year.

“IDC remains optimistic that PC penetration opportunities in emerging markets will form the bulwark of the market and help sustain the double-digit portable PC growth in the long run,” said IDC analyst Jay Chou.

“However, a host of alltoo-familiar variables will lead to a subdued second half of the year with only consumer notebooks remaining in the growth mode for all of 2012,” Chou said.

[PNA/YONHAP]

Facebook unveils new search ad plan

F

ACEBOOK has unveiled a new feature which delivers ads to users based on their search queries, taking a page from a strategy used effectively

by Google and others.

“We have launched a feature that surfaces sponsored results along with the organic results when people are looking for things on Facebook,” a Facebook spokeswoman said.

“We try to show people

apps and pages they’ll be most interested in.”

The world’s biggest social network gets most of its revenues from ads, but until now has not directly linked those ads to search queries in the manner of the big search engines like Google and Yahoo.

The move comes with Facebook seeking to reassure investors it can boost revenues after a disastrous public offering in May, after which its share price fell by more than half.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO A victory for competition COMMENTARY

BY JOHN C. ABELL

A

EDITORIALS

It can be done

O

PERATIVES of the Davao City Police Office continue to notch successes in the continuing fight against illegal drugs as shown by the almost daily arrests it has made in the last two weeks.

Among those arrested for illegal drugs possession, particularly shabu, were employees of the National Statistics Office –Adamson Arcamo Sevilla and Rheet Delan Milgo—who were caught having a pot session with two of their friends –Leonill Alterado Llido and Joel Romero Gantes, in a house in Barrio Obrero.

The police likewise busted a Chinese businessman – Vincent Peter Wee—also for possession of shabu.

The five suspects are detained and facing charges of violating RA 9165, also known as

Another Robredo?

E

VEN AS THE nation was watching the moving media coverage of the last rites honoring the late Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, many of his countrymen were wondering who would fit into his tsinelas, which had

EDGEDAVAO Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

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OLIVIA D. VELASCO General Manager

Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002.

Yesterday, the DCPO was again reported to have collared more drug offenders. This is proof that law enforcers are not necessarily helpless against the drug menace. Police officers, with the proper guidance and inspiration provided by their commanders, could do better in the continuing drive.

Still, we support the suggestion of DCPO Director Ronald dela Rosa for the city government to conduct random drug tests on its employees with more regularity.

The random test is a good start in the great job of making the entire city truly drug-free, a magnificent obsession of our leaders headed

by Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte to the satisfaction and approval of Dabawenyos.

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales RICHARD C. EBONA Advertising Specialists

ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

become the unique symbol of his style of leadership. Will the next DILG Secretary be another “Jesse Robredo” whose sincerity, competence, and honesty were the trademark of his office? We all hope so (our fingers crossed).

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate

CARLO P. MALLO Features and Lifestyle

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR., • JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA Photography Creative Solutions JADE C. ZALDIVAR • MOSES C. BILLACURA Staff Writers

Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBON • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG

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LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Tel: (088) 852-4894

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(1st of two parts)

PPLE’S resounding patent victory over Samsung in a California courtroom last Friday is a blow to the competition, which now won’t be able copy Apple’s technology. But it is a win for competition. It will force everyone to think harder about turning the unimaginable into the normal.

And that’s what technology innovation is all about.

I am all for intellectual property (it’s how writers make a living) and no particular fan of software patents, which can be vague and overly broad. It’s a very tangled area of IP that in the modern-day tech industry has been a life-support system (think Kodak) and a means of protecting oneself against patent trolls (like that guy who tried to sue the World Wide Web). Patent troves, in the astute description of technologist Andy Baio, have also been weaponized in perverted campaigns to stifle innovation.

Apple and Samsung are duking it out all over the world -- some 50 lawsuits in about 10 countries, by one reckoning -- in a sort of forever war. Samsung got a favorable ruling just days before in a South Korean court. But the marquee case was the one in San Jose, California, where a jury found that Samsung had violated six of the seven patents Apple sought to defend - three software and three design - and awarded the company $1.05 billion.

The conventional wisdom is that a victory like this for a company like Apple is bad for consumers because it gives a virtual monopoly even more marketplace power.

Dan Gimor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication -- and nobody’s fool -- presents this case as clearly as I have seen: …e’re likely to see a ban on many mobile devices from Samsung and other manufacturers in the wake of this case, as an emboldened Apple tries to create an unprecedented monopoly. If so, the ultimate loser will be competition in the technology marketplace, with even more power accruing to a company that already has too much.

Leave aside the California jury’s wisdom or the possibility the outcome will be reversed on appeal. Leave aside how you feel about the iPhone. Leave aside how you feel about Apple, whose Microsoft-like imperiousness was more charming when it was a minor underdog and not bigger than Microsoft. Leave aside how much Apple’s deep hatred of Google related to Android, the market-leading mobile operating system that powers Samsung and many other phones, may be driving this blood feud.

We tech consumers are interested in price, and in the near term, tablets and smartphones could be more expensive because of license fees and the huge cost of patent litigation added to the cost of the electronics we buy. And there may also be less choice for a while.

But we have a deeper vested interest in the leveling power that comes from true competition, even if it costs a little more to get there. It’s not about rewarding the originator of an idea. It’s about challenging everyone else to come up with a better one. We should be for things that punish technological complacency and that protect conditions for innovation, not take a rooting interest in which companies are winning and which are losing (Pandodaily’s Farhad Manjoo makes a great case that copying paid off handsomely for Samsung -- revenue of about $25 million from the infringing handsets, versus a cost of litigation of about $3 billion).

Extending the status quo -- as in making more phones like iPhones -- may have made things cheaper, but it wasn’t going to inspire innovation or cultivate the Next Great Thing.

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

T

HE FACTOR OF URBAN BIAS – The economy has greatly improved and current officials take credit for the country’s vibrant economic growth.

Government economic think-tanks point to the gleaming economic development transpiring around and proudly announce the country is becoming a land of business opportunity and achievement.

However, for some experts who should exactly know such crucial statistics, the much-publicized economic growth actually is creating a wider gap between the have and have-nots.

This self-centered view is easy to understand – but it is also a mistaken one.

Like most developing countries, ours is still a society made up of two layers – a modern one in which we live; and a traditional one, which is inhabited by the great majority of Filipinos in depressed small towns and barangays. Despite a generation of economic growth, these two Filipino societies have not yet fused into one – they seem to have solidified into two separate countries: a nation of the privileged and a nation of the poor.

This is certainly the case when people who live and work in Metro Manila and other bustling urban centers in different parts of the country tend to think this country begins – and ends – where they are. It is no wonder that they socialize with people of their own kind, who live in the same high-end ‘villages’ as they do.

Their friends have roughly the same income; they went to the same prestigious schools and share their own interests.

What’s more, when they travel they don’t head for Davao, Puerto Prinsesa, Cebu, Bohol or Zamboanga; they go to New

Media and disproportions

A dual society York, San Francisco, Paris, Rome or London.

Many noted economic experts are pessimistic still arguing that, so far, the country’s progress benefits only a lucky and chosen few while most citizens remain in abject poverty. For many of us, specifically the affluent and the privileged, the poor and the less-fortunate are largely invisible. More serious still is the fact that by seeing so much human misery that we can do so little about – we’ve developed a selective blindness where they are concerned. The emergence of the filthy rich and urban middle class and the humiliation of the poor have only ignited alienation.

Again, in the eyes of the wealthy, the poor are just the hands that reach out to beg while their expensive cars are stalled in monstrous traffic. They are the faceless denizens in the squatter colonies and slum settlements that blight the landscape beyond their scenic gardens – or spoil the view from their condominium windows and fashionable offices. It is no coincidence that these urban poor who share our cities with us are really just the refugees from the greater misery and stagnation of our neglected countryside.

At least we know that mega-rich people only represent a fraction of the population. But who are the Filipino poor? It is estimated that roughly 55 percent of our entire population of 90 million or more people – subsist on incomes that fail to

meet their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education. Yet, half this number can actually count themselves “lucky”- because they’re better off than the poorest of the poor who are actually unable to meet their minimum needs for food alone.

What do the poor supposedly do?

One of the unkind observations is the most common stereotypes that the poor are poor simply because they are lazy, and irresolute. But looking from a better perspective, the poor people, as a matter of fact, do some of the hardest physical work in this country – construction workers, port laborers and scavengers.

The bulk of them, of course are people in the depressed rural communities – rice and corn farmers, plantation workers, fishermen and kaingeros or slash-andburn farmers.

Among the poorest of the poor, most would likely be living not in Metro Manila and the urban metropolis, but in the country’s deprived provinces. What can be seen here is the factor of urban bias. Not only have our social and economic policies during the previous administrations failed to alleviate mass poverty. What is worse, many public policies are actually anti-poor – biased against people in the depressed rural areas. And the reason for this is plain and simple: public policies are largely made and enacted by legislators who live in the big cities. Previous leaderships, of course, always say that alleviating mass poverty is their primary concern, yet it seldom put its money where their mouths are. Will the Aquino administration be entirely different from its predecessors?

Well, let’s keep on beat watching, people!

SPECIAL REPORT

exceptional father to his children and husband to me. He already fulfilled his dreams for himself -- ‘quotang quota na,’” quoting her husband again.

President Aquino has conferred on Robredo a posthumous Philippine Legion of Honor, with the rank of Chief Commander, which he presented to his widow Leni after the concelebrated requiem mass.

The award, considered the highest the President can confer without the need for Congress’ approval, was given to Robredo for his achievements as Interior and Local Government Secretary and as mayor of Naga City for 19 years.

While expressing appreciation, Robredo’s widow Leni said her husband would not like the pageantry in his honor. “If we could hear Jesse speak, I know he would be saying ‘sobra-sobra na ito,’” said Leni after receiving the Philippine Legion of Honor award on behalf of her family.

She appealed to her husband to allow the people to honor him “in the way we think you deserved to be honored.”

Following the awarding of the honor and the mass, Robredo’s remains were brought to the Naga Imperial Crematory and Columbary for the cremation.

Robredo died when the Piper Seneca he was riding en route to Naga City from Cebu City crashed off Masbate waters on Saturday (August 18). His body was found three days (Aug. 21) later.

[PNA]

Finding success in politics without being a ‘trapo’

P

RESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday lauded the late Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo for being successful in politics without being a traditional politician, or commonly called a “trapo”.

The President, in his eulogy delivered after the concelebrated requiem mass at the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia in Naga City, said Robredo was a “trailblazer” to the “tuwid na daan” (righteous path).

“Pinatunayan niyang puwedeng magtagumpay sa pulitika nang hindi nagiging trapo,” he said. “He (Robredo) was not contented with the status quo... He has proven that change and reforms are possible,” he added.

President Aquino recalled how family time was always sacred to the late DILG Secretary despite the many demands of his job as a member of his Cabinet. “Sagrado sa kanya ang oras kasama ang pamilya. Palagi siyang nagmamadaling makauwi sa Naga,” he said.

“His family lost a husband and a father. The country lost a faithful servant and leader. I have lost a brother in my official family, and a true friend,” he noted.

The President said Robredo knew his strengths and weaknesses, and was not one to tolerate flattery even when dealing with political allies and foes alike. “With him, what you see is what you get,” he said.

“Backstabbing is a reality in politics, but Jesse showed good manners in deal-

BY LILYBETH G. ISON ing even with people who have shown him ill,” he added. President Aquino said the late DILG Chief has already fulfilled all his dreams for himself.

He quoted a verse in the Holy Bible -- 2Timothy 4:6-7 which states “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept my faith...”

“Angkop na angkop po ito kay Jesse, mission accomplished na siya sa mundong ito. Marapat lang na maranasan na niya ang mga gantimpala ng isang buo at mabuting buhay sa piling ng Diyos Ama. Nasa hanay na po si Jesse ng mga bayaning sumusubaybay sa atin mula sa kalangitan, at nagbibigay lakas sa atin upang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang mabuting gawain,” he said.

“Kaya huwag na po tayong lumuha.

Sa halip, magpasalamat tayo. Sa maikling panahong narito siya sa mundo, tayo pa ang nabiyayaan ng pagkakataong makapiling si Jesse,” he added.

Robredo’s widow Atty. Leni said her husband always believe that he will die young. “He was never fearful of his life.

‘Kung ano ang nakatakda, siyang mangyayari. Kung oras mo na, oras mo na,’” she said quoting her husband.

But, she said her husband died “with nothing left unsaid. He was an

9

C

ERTAINLY, the memory of the late Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo deserves a niche in the nation’s consciousness. But as in past instances where a public figure passed away the media, national television in particular, seems tohave been overdoing its coverage of the event. Judging on the huge amount of time dedicated to it the viewing public tends to get theimpression that nothing else of importance has happened since August 21, the day Robredo’s body was found.

Media’s response to Robredo’s death reminds me of how it acted when comedy king Rodolfo V. Quizon aka Dolphy passed away last month.

TV networks tried to outdo each

‘Our colleagues can take a cue or two from their American counterparts in maintaining a sober coverage of the passing of well-known figures.’

other in getting the latest details at the actor’s wake and fresh sound bites from his family and friends. A supposedly solemn occasion turned not exactly into a comic episode which Dolphy himself wound have loved but a not so subtle extension of the ratings war.

Such war finds another arena with Robredo’s death. This is not bad per se except that it has magnified the event beyond proportion. A sober, calibrated coverage would have sufficed to deliver the message that the secretary had left behind a legacy of good governance worthy of emulation. One need not overdo the coverage to the point of invading even the private grief of his loved ones, an act that borders on disrespect.

Our colleagues can take a cue or two from their American counterparts in maintaining a sober coverage of the passing of well-known figures. They would give ample time and space to such events but not at the expense of diminishing the significance of other stories.

But if we are to make sense of media’s overreaction to Robredo’s death, we can say that it is caused by the desperate need for heroes in these times. Like rain in summer, Robredo was a rarity among public officials. His qualities are an aberration in a system where wrongdoings often get rewarded than punished. He was a whiff of fresh air, so to speak.

Alas, while it feels good to hear every now and then the good things that Robredo had done for Naga City and the Department of Interior and Local Governments, the praises also remind us that there are many officials who don’t share his vision.

For every Robredo, there are hundreds whose motives run counter to his.

It would take more than disproportionate coverage to correct these ills.

[MindaNews/ H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com]

10 SUBURBIA

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

Evacuees urged to return home

G

FIESTA TIME. A street dancer performs along Velez Street in Cagayan de Oro City on August 26, 2012 for the celebration of the feast of San Agustin on August 28. [MINDANEWS PHOTO BY FROILAN GALLARDO]

198,000 poor families benefit from 4Ps T

HE national government has enlisted in the last seven months around 55,000 more poor households in Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region as beneficiaries of its continuing conditional cash transfer program.

Gemma Rivera, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 12 director, said in a statement that they have so far served a total of 198,000 “poorest of the poor” households in the region that were covered by the government’s flagship anti-poverty initiative Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. The program, which forms part of the government’s anti-poverty convergence strategy, is being implemented in 32 municipalities and two cities in the region.

Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Co-

tabato, Kidapawan and Tacurong.

Rivera, who is also the 4Ps deputy program manager for Region 12, said the beneficiaries included families of active members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the area.

The government is presently engaged in peace negotiations with the MILF and is hoping to sign a final peace agreement with the rebel group within this year.

“We have no borders.

We don’t care if they (beneficiaries) have relatives in any rebel organization.

What we are concerned with is the plight of their children,” Rivera said.

Bai Zorahayda Taha, DSWD Region 12 director, said the program’s expansion is currently ongoing based on an earlier commitment made by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. She said they’re targeting to enlist a total of 96,695 additional household-beneficiaries this year in 15 identified ex-

pansion areas in the region.

In January, the agency initially validated an additional 55,912 households in the region as beneficiaries of the program.

The additional beneficiaries comprised 24,268 households in North Cotabato, 22,415 in South Cotabato and 5,271 in Sultan Kudarat.

4Ps is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to “poorest of the poor” households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14 years.

The program provides beneficiaries cash grants of P500 a month for health and nutrition expenses and P300 a month per child for educational expenses.

A household with three qualified children could get P1,400 monthly.

Taha reiterated that the 4Ps is not a dole-out initiative as claimed by

its critics and that the assistance were only released to beneficiaries after complying with the program’s requirements.

“There are pre-conditions that beneficiaries must accomplish in order to remain qualified for the grants, like keeping their kids in school and making regular visits to health centers,” she stressed.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman disclosed last week that the program has already served around threemillion households in the country this year.

From last year year’s target of 2.34 million households, the national government had set the expansion of 4Ps to 3.04 million households this year as part the fifth phase of its implementation.

The national government increased the program’s budget from P21.19 billion this year to P39.5 billion next year to cope with the 4Ps expansion.[PNA]

by Del Monte Philippines Incorporated (DMPI) to construct fish bone ditches in the land preparation of DMPI Misamis OrientalBukidnon expansion area in the barangay.

The equipment were allegedly burned because the two companies refused to pay revolutionary taxes which the NPAs usually demand from companies

where they operate.

“This incident caused loss of employment for the workers of the said company and delayed the development in Misamis Oriental”, Lt Col. Osias said.

Suspected communist rebels also burned equipment of PTFI Wood Processing Company and another three trailer trucks in Agusan del Sur in July.

And earlier in June, NPA rebels also burned equipment of the PTFI or Provident Tree Farms Incorporated in same area because it was not allegedly paying revolutionary tax, Osias said.

The Philippine Army together with the PNP are still conducting investigation of the burning incidents,Osias added.[PNA]

NPA rebels torch heavy equipment in Misamis

A

BOUT 10 New Peoples Army (NPA)rebels of the Guerilla Front 4B group torched six backhoes in Brgy Kagumahan, Kinoguitan, Misamis Oriental Sunday evening.

Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio C. Osias, IV, spokesman of the 4th ID Philippine Army, said the burned equipment were owned by Golden Horn Company, a contractor hired

OVERNMENT aid agencies are convincing thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return home since normalcy had been restored in most of conflict communities in Maguindanao.

Retired Gen. Loreto Rirao, director of the Regional Risk Reduction Management Council in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said assessment is on going and some areas have been declared safe for IDPs who cramped in evacuation centers.

Rirao said many of the IDPs refuse to return home due to persistent pronouncements in media by the spokesperson of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters Abu Misry Mama.

Mama was quoted in media reports claiming the conflict is not yet over and that they will take another offensive against the military.

“He is doing a disservice to his co-inhabitants of Maguindanao,” Rirao said.

Acting ARMM Gov. Mujib Hataman said the ARMM’s peace and order council has to build consensus first with Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on how to return displaced villagers to their conflict-stricken barangays.

“Normalcy has been restored in many places but we have difficulty convincing many IDPs that it is now safe to return home,” Rirao added.

Mangudadatu ordered newly- installed Maguindanao police director Senior Supt. Jaime Pido to ensure the safety of civilians while they were on their way home.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has repeatedly made public appeals to the BIFF to refrain from aggressive moves because it is making the lives of their fellow Muslims difficult.

“The end losers are our fellow Muslims, I think they should stop these atrocities,” Von Al Haq, MILF spokesperson said in an interview. [PNA]

So. Cot planners endorse P536-M dev’t investments

D

EVELOPMENT planners in South Cotabato have proposed for about P535.66 million worth of socio-economic and development investments for the province’s 10 towns and lone city next year.

South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. said the planned investments covered various top priority programs and projects of the provincial government that it adopted for funding and implementation based on its 2013 Annual Investment Plan (AIP).

He said they are set to submit the AIP, which was recently endorsed by the Provincial Development Council (PDC), to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for review and approval.

“Our investments (next year) will mainly focus on the provision and delivery of more social services and priority infrastructure,” Pingoy said.

Based on the summary of the AIP allocation, the social services component received the biggest funding with P303.39 million or 56.64 percent of the total investments.

The infrastructure component received P161.39 million or 30.13 percent share followed by economic services with P42.67 million or 7.97 percent, general public services with P17.23 million or 3.22 percent and environmental or natural resource services with P10.96 million or 2.05 percent.

The AIP will be funded through the province’s general fund and the 20 percent local development fund.

The governor earlier said among the priority initiatives that would be funded and implemented next year are the construction and development of the provincial hospital annex in Surallah town and the expansion and upgrading of the main provincial hospital in Koronadal City.

Pingoy said they will expand the implementation of its feeding or nutrition programs, outreach programs in remote areas of the province and provision of health care and insurance services for poor residents.

The local government will continue with the repair and upgrading of provincial roads, bridges and related infrastructure as well as enhance the ongoing development of the province’s eco-tourism resources, specifically the famed seven waterfalls of Lake Sebu town, he said.

The PDC, which is chaired by the governor, is considered as the province’s highest policy-making body.

It is composed of the province’s city and municipal mayors, the chair of the committee on appropriations of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, congressional district offices and representatives of non-government organizations operating in the province.[PNA]

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 127 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

In GenSan

Tuna Congress set on September 6-7

P

LAYERS in the tuna industry will converge in General Santos City on September 6 and 7, 2012.

The gathering will be hosted by the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc. (SFFAII) headed by its president, Jake Lu. Issues affecting the industry will be discussed, after which resolutions passed during the gather-

No...

FFROM 1

Former Diwalwal Brgy. Capt. Franco Tito with a journalist.

Many...

FFROM 1

tain Franco Tito, who said the clean-up of Naboc is important to the environment and the well-being not only of the residents of Diwalwal but of all the people of Regions 11 and Caraga where the polluted river disgorges its polluted waters.

Tito said Naboc River is heavily polluted with mercury which was used by miners to process ore into gold for the longest time. He said it served as a tailing pond of all the mining activities in Diwalwal for almost three decades now.

Tito said capitalist F.F. Cruz, founder and head of the world-class engineering company, was willing to invest as much as P200 million in the cleanup of the storied river, but many people openly or secretly opposed the same.

In a recent meeting of the National Task Force Diwalwal-Program Monitoring and Coordination Center (NTFD-PMCC), Fragada discussed with government agencies and local government officials of Compostela the need to start cleaning up the Naboc River which flows from the mountains of Mt. Diwata in Monkayo, Compostela Valley down to the Agusan River.

Senate...

Is Mabatas gold-laden, too?

Fragada said the cleanup will stop pollution of Naboc River which has become the basin of suspended solids and chemicals from smallscale mining operations.

The cleanup, however, requires the transfer of gold ore processing structures such as ball-mills and carbon in pulp plants, from the mine site to a temporary tailings pond located in Mabatas, Upper Ulip in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.

The transfer of gold ore processing plants is opposed

by Philippine Mining Development Corporation (PMDC) president Lito Mondragon who said the Mabatas Mine Tailings Dam is not yet ready and that PMDC is looking for a “long term solution” regarding the tailings pond development.

But Fragada sees the need for an immediate start of the clean up drive, saying, “Are we ready to answer for people’s lives because of the pollution? We have to provide immediate solution to immediate problems.”

Tito said that Fragada should first look into unconfirmed reports that Mabatas itself has plenty of gold de-

posits, a reason why some vested interests do not want to immediately transfer the operation of ball mills to the area.

Tito said that Fragada should not be over-optimistic about the cleanup because he will be sorely disappointed that even some national and local officials would block his efforts to clean up the river in pursuit of their individual agenda.

Compostela Valley Board Member Moran Tacasan said the transfer of ore processing plants from the mine site forms part of the “No Habitation Policy” that the provincial government is enforcing to lessen the risk of landslides.

Mt. Diwata Punong Barangay Rodolfo Boyles confirmed willingness of miners of Mt. Diwata to transfer their gold-ore processing operation to Mabatas.

Atty. Mondragon finally agreed, but he asked that PMDC be spared of any liability that may arise due to the “untimely” transfer of gold processing operation to the site of the Mabatas Mine Tailings Dam. [With reports from Jeanevive Duron-Abanganof the Philippine Information Agency]

Civil Service Commission.

Earlier, Drilon said CESB has no authority to remove government executives for lack of eligibility and only the Civil Service Commission has that authority.

It can be recalled that the Public Attorney’s Of-

fice protested over a CESB resolution rendering the tenure of PAO officials temporary because they are non-career executive service officers and they are required to meet certain eligibility requirements other than being lawyers.[PNA]

FFROM 3

fice of the President shall have the primary disciplinary authority over the presidential appointees while the disciplinary authority in case of the nonpresidential appointees shall remain in the head of the agency and, in a concurrent capacity, the

said, also in a phone interview on Monday night.

Asked about the possible scenarios had the BIFF rejected their appeal, Al Haq gave no categorical answer except to say that MILF fighters have been positioned close to BIFF forces.

Led by then 105th Base Command chief Ustadz Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF broke away from the MILF over disagreements on how the peace process with government has fared after the

Lawyer...

ing will be forwarded to concerned government agencies for action.

This year’s theme is, “Opening New Grounds and Strengthening Commitment: A Resilient Tuna Industry’.

GenSan, called the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” is home to a good number of fishing companies, fish canneries, and allied industries.

[CPIO/PING APONESTO]

ATTRACTION. A child plays with an educational toy in one of the many attractions of Go Education exhibit at the Annex of SM City Mall Davao.

[LEAN DAVAL JR.]

botched Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

But Kato’s health deteriorated after he suffered a stroke. Reports said he had passed away, but his followers maintained he is still alive.

The military said the BIFF statement would give a respite to the civilians who were displaced after the rebel group attacked government forces in Maguindanao and North Cotabato a week ago.

“We will just hope the BIFF’s statement is sincere and they really mean it,” Col. Prudencio Asto of the 6th division said.

Asto added they continue to support police operations against the BIFF. Meanwhile, the BIFF said it is now opening its doors to negotiations with government.

“It’s just that nobody came to talk or negotiate with us now,” Mama said.

(Ferdinandh Cabrera/ MindaNews)

remains they are really looking for that son,” he said.

Vincent Isagani resigned from his job sometime late last year after learning of the cases against him.

Casurra also voiced fears for his client’s safety, as the court “does not have any control of people who will be serving it [warrant] and that is really dangerous”.

Asked about the whereabouts of his client, Casurra said “he is now hiding.”

He added that murder and multiple frustrated murder cases have been filed too against Vincent Isagani, this time in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur in relation to an NPA raid on July 21 this year. The cases are pending at the provincial prosecutor’s office.

“This time the name of the respondent is already complete. Apparently this is taken from the cue of the first case,” he said.

The respondents in

the Claver attack were the same respondents listed in the Bunawan incident, Casurra noted.

“Whether this is political persecution, we still do not know about it. The reasonable conclusion will point out that ultimately this is a calculated move on the part of government against Jorge Madlos, this time to include his son,” he said.

Senior Inspector Jerson Soliven, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group provincial director said in a radio interview that despite Madlos’ petition and Ka Oris’ warnings against the judge handling the case and Gov. Sol F. Matugas that were aired over a local radio station they will comply with the Aug. 6 order.

“There is nothing personal about this. We hope the people will also understand us. Trabaho lang po eto, (We’re just doing our job)” Soliven said. [Vanessa Almeda/ MindaNews]

FFROM 2

the witnesses presented

by PGMC have already retracted their story and “said among others that they did not sign any document to pinpoint persons or personalities. They only said they saw armed men but never telling or describing names.”

In denying the petition, Judge Dan R. Calderon said: “It appears movant Vincent Isagani R. Madlos is not the accused Isagani Madlos in this case.”

Vincent and Isagani Casurra maintained that Vincent Isagani and Isagani is one and the same person based on the accounts of witnesses and the facts leading to his being named as one of the leaders of the Oct. 3 NPA attack on mining firms in Claver, Surigao del Norte.

He pointed out that the warrant was immediately served in Cebu where Vincent Isagani worked as a call center agent.

“Therefore the fact

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VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Realty

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Deadline for submission of materials is 12:00 NN. Deadline for Friday and Saturday issues is 5:00 PM. Deadline for Sunday and Monday issues is Saturday 12:00 NN. For more information, please call our Advertising Office 221-3601; 301-6235 and ask for Jane or Chay.

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14 NATION/WORLD NATION BRIEFS Dignified silence

T

HE Supreme Court will return to its days of dignified silence, as Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has decided to not grant interviews to the media.

In a statement on the Supreme Court website, Sereno said “wisdom leads me to seek to return the Supreme Court to its days of dignified silence--when its justices were heard when read through their writings and when the actions of the Court were best seen in their collective resolutions.”

P

Sealed

HILIPPINE Airlines has sealed a deal for as many as 85 wideand narrow-bodied jetliners from the world’s biggest aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie in a transaction that the flag carrier is set to announce today.

According to industry sources familiar with the matter, the first phase of the multiyear acquisition spree would see PAL acquiring up to 54 aircraft (raised from an initial order of 35) from the European plane maker to boost its current fleet of 39 jets.

E

Wasted

VER wondered how much money is wasted due to massive traffic jams in Metro Manila?

Although the amount lost to traffic congestion would depend on the activity or business that is being held up by bad traffic, a study published by the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) revealed that traffic congestion in Metro Manila alone would amount to P137.5 billion just for 2011.

T

Beneficial

HE data security provisions in the recently signed Data Privacy Act will have a significant impact on the country’s outsourcing industry as this ensures the protection of information received from offshore sources.

“The business process outsourcing industry will comply with the full extent of the new law. From a technical perspective it will encourage companies in our sector to strengthen existing security protocols and further deter any attempts at data theft,” to Benedict Hernandez, director of the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP).

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

2 Tibetans die in self-immolation

T

WO teenagers burned to death in southwest China, taking to over 50 the number of Tibetans who have set themselves alight in protest against Beijing’s rule, rights groups said on Tuesday.

Lobsang Kalsang, 18, a Buddhist monk, and former monk Damchoek, 17, died in hospital on Monday after setting themselves on fire in Aba town, which has become a flashpoint for such protests by ethnic Tibetans.

China’s Tibetaninhabited areas have seen an explosion in the violent form of protest since March 2011, when the self-immolation of a monk named Phuntsog at Aba’s revered Kirti monastery sparked riots and a police crackdown.

The first recorded similar incident was in February 2009, and there have now been 51 such fiery protests, according to tallies compiled by overseas-based pressure groups Free Tibet and the International Campaign for Tibet.

In 2009, a young Kirti monk doused himself in oil and set himself on fire carrying an image of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, before being shot by police and taken to a local hospital.

The next incident was not recorded until 2011, but since then dozens of ethnic Tibetans, most

SELF-IMMOLATION. shows Buddhist monks outside the Kirti monastary in Aba in China’s Sichuan province. Two Tibetan men have died after setting fire to themselves

in China, a US broadcaster and two overseas pressure groups said Tuesday, taking the number of such protests to more than 50 since 2009.

of them young monks and nuns, have set fire to themselves. Many, though not all, have died.

Experts say suicide is a major taboo in Tibetan Buddhist culture, and the immolations are a sign of growing desperation among those living in the vast and remote Tibetan plateau.

The two men in the latest incident shouted slogans condemning Chinese policies in Tibet as they set themselves alight, Radio Free Asia said, citing two India-based monks with contacts in Aba, Sichuan province.

They protested close to the Kirti monastery, which has been under

intense security since Phuntsog’s immolation.

An AFP reporter who managed to gain access in March saw hundreds of armed soldiers, some of them carrying fire extinguishers, lining roads, patrolling the town’s narrow main street and manning road blocks.

“Tibetans’ fundamental human rights are being ignored by international leaders who are afraid of risking their relationships with China,” said Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden in a statement.

“The time has come for each one of us to speak up and demand Tibetan freedom.”

No one at the Kirti

monastery or the hospital where the monks reportedly died could be reached by telephone, while authorities in Aba declined to comment on the latest incident.

Free Tibet said Damchoek, who like many Tibetans used only one name, was the brother of Tenzin Choedon, a teenage nun who set fire to herself in February this year.

Tibetans have long chafed under China’s rule over the Tibetan plateau, saying that Beijing has curbed religious freedoms and their culture is being eroded by an influx of Han Chinese, the country’s main ethnic group.

as a leader who got things done while rising above the corruption that infests Philippine politics.

“He was a trail blazer.

He showed you can succeed in politics without becoming a traditional politician,” Aquino said during the funeral that was broadcast live on national television.

“All of Naga feel like they have lost a father,” he said, wearing a black arm band as a sign of mourning.

Aquino’s entire cabi-

net attended the funeral of a colleague whom they had hailed as perhaps the most hard working among them.

They stood beside Robredo’s grieving widow and three daughters -- aged 12, 18 and 24, -some of them teary eyed as police and military honour guards in crisp blue and green uniforms carried the coffin.

As the mournful bugle music “Taps” played, Aquino handed the Philippine flag that draped

Robredo’s coffin to his widow.

A three-volley salute by 21 military riflemen followed, before the coffin was wheeled inside the crematorium for a private ceremony reserved for family members.

Robredo, 54, was on his way home to Naga aboard a twin-engine airplane when it encountered engine trouble and plunged into the deep sea in the central Philippines on August 18.

After a three-day search, divers pulled Robredo’s remains from the wreck on the seabed. The pilot and his co-pilot also died, while Robredo’s security aide survived.

Aquino appointed Robredo shortly after he won the presidency in 2010 on a platform to end corruption.

Robredo was widely praised for leading reforms in the country’s 143,000-strong corruption-plagued police force and seeking to implement a policy of transparency in government.

His political star rose in 2000 when he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for good governance. The well-respected award recognises achievers annually across the region.

PHL lays to rest Sec. Robredo P RESIDENT Benigno Aquino led a state funeral on Tuesday for one of the country’s most respected politicians, who died in a lightplane crash.

Thousands of people lined the streets as Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo’s funeral cortege made its way from a Catholic basilica to a nearby crematorium in his home town of Naga in the far east of the Philippines.

In his eulogy, Aquino paid tribute to Robredo

WORLD TODAY Warplane

S

Replacement

P

RESIDENt Benigno Aquino III instructed Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario on Monday to start the process of finding a replacement for Philippine ambassador to China Sonia Brady.

Brady suffered a stroke last Wednesday. She is currently under medical observation in a hospital in Beijing, said Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez.

EDGEDAVAO

STATE FUNERAL. A supporter of the late interior secretary Jesse Robredo displays a placard as the funeral cortege pass-

es by during his state funeral in Naga City, south of Manila, on August 28. Robredo died in a light plane crash.

YRIAN fighter planes made rare sorties on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, killing at least 60 people in its eastern suburbs, the same day a Syrian military helicopter crashed while under rebel fire, activists said.

They said aerial attacks by at least two fighter planes late on Monday had targeted the neighbourhood of Zemalka and the more easterly suburb of Saqba where Free Syrian Army fighters had attacked and overrun several army roadblocks earlier in the day.

Exploratory

C

OLOMBIAN President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed that his government had begun “exploratory discussions” with leftist FARC rebels to lay the groundwork for a fullfledged peace process.

“Since the day my government took office, I have respected my constitutional obligation to seek peace, and we have undertaken exploratory talks with the FARC, to seek an end to the conflict,” Santos said in a speech to the nation.

E

Seeking

GYPT’S president will meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday, seeking in his first state visit outside the Arab world to win badly needed investment and expand diplomatic ties.

Mohamed Morsi took over in June as Egypt’s first freely elected civilian and Islamist leader after protests toppled his long-ruling, US-allied predecessor.

R

Sentenced

USSIA on Tuesday sentenced a radical anti-Vladimir Putin activist to eight years in prison for drug possession in a case that her supporters have decried as politically motivated.

Taisiya Osipova, 28, an activist with the Other Russia opposition group, was sentenced by a court in the city of Smolensk about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Moscow, her lawyer Natalia Shaposhnikova told AFP.

F

Dismantled

RENCH police on Tuesday dismantled the biggest Roma encampment in the Lyon area, extending a nationwide crackdown in what the local mayor described as a human catastrophe.

Authorities said 121 Roma, 47 of them children, had been moved out of the camp on the outskirts of Lyon on the basis of a court order that they vacate the land, which belongs to a property developer.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

STYLE

Blow me away

THIS is a scene at the playground of my photographer-friend, Paul Borromeo. His playgroud otherwise known as LeadFoto Studios.

It was my first time to style our chinita model, Chat Elizagaque. Makeup artistfriend, Tiny Pinili, worked up her magic wand of a brush to prettify Chat. Joining Paul behind the lens were Marlon Advincula, who’s one of the mainstays of LeadFoto, and Raul Tolentino (aka Doc Jun).

Yes, I love my playing stylist and collaborating with the great shutterbugs and talents in town. It is a creative outlet I love visiting every so often, just to let loose all those worry lines from the office. I was on holiday, anyway. What better way to unwind than to touch base with my fashion

inflicted soul?

I was more than happy to pick out the wardrobe for this shoot, and so I let out my SOS alarm and called Mimi Tupas, the beauty and brains behind Davao’s homegrown clothing brand, SOUL Lifestyle. I was

imagining air-blown skirts and long and sheer dresses as I scanned through the racks of SOUL. I must say, Mimi’s sales reps were so sweet as to soothe my ego by saying that they thought I was my little 5 year old daughter’s older sister. Awww…. I’d give them ‘10’ on their customer service rating.

The studio had just been re-painted and we were excited to break in the freshness of our white walls. Gone were the footprints and the holes punched in by the models’ high heels from countless photo shoots past.

Adding to the brightness was Doc Jun’s beauty dish,

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

Breastfeeding is Beautiful at SM City Davao AS PART of SM Supermalls SM Cares program for Women and Children, SM City Davao held Breastfeeding is Beautiful, a forum on breastfeeding at The Annex last August 24.

Pregnant women, barangay health workers, and students of BS Nursing and midwifery participated in the said activity.

“Since the creation of the 1st Breastfeeding Station at SM Megamall in 2006, we now have 42 breastfeeding stations nationwide and have served more than 170,000 breastfeeding mothers,” SM Davao mall manager Ms Lynette Lopez said.

SM City Davao was the first mall in the city to establish a Breastfeeding Station for their clients. The station is now located at the Level 2 of SM Davao’s Main Mall.

DOH Regional Breastfeeding Coordinator Clarose Mascardo joined the celebration. Mommy Sense’s Ms Lyn Tan discussed about the common misconceptions on breastfeeding while yoga instructor Nikki Honasan demonstrated yoga poses for breastfeeding mothers.

With the said event, SM Supermalls Program on Breastfeeding continues to support mothers who have chosen to breastfeed by being a venue to educate mothers on the vast and countless benefits of breastfeeding to mothers, to babies, to their families and even to the community.

Catwalk- Model Discovery 2012:

Redefining modeling in Davao’s fashion industry

METROPOLITAN TALENT Management + Events announced the re-launch of Catwalk – Metropolitan Model Discovery. It is a competition meant for budding and aspiring models. “It is time that Davao gets reintroduced to what a modeling competition is and should be, we want to redefine and elevate modeling to new levels.“ says Edwin Balabis, co-owner of Metropolitan.

The competition has embarked to various changes since its inception. Producing top-notch models, candidates from six years ago have made names for themselves as noted print and ramp models, here in Davao and in Manila. The competition aims to provide a solid foundation and training ground for individuals who are interested to delve into the fashion scene.

On September 2, 2012 Catwalk will once again open its doors in their search for potential models. This event was created to promote, engage, and support Davao’s fashion industry. The need for fresh faces and the city’s emergence as a fashion capital is the driving force for this year’s competition. Posters announcing the screening date have been seen spread throughout the city and the event’s Facebook fanpage has received positive feedback as well.

Catwalk 2012’s screening will be open for aspiring models residing in Davao City. Screening date has been set to September 2, 2012 at Royeca Ballet Studio, Valencia compound in Arellano cor. Jacinto Ext. streets. The screening will start at 9:00am onwards. Applicants must meet the set requirements of 5’7 for females and 5’10 for males, between the ages of 14 – 23 for eligibility.

For more information about the event, contact Edwin Balabis at +63 922 426 6146 or Andy Lutz at +63 919 679 8667. Visit their official page in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CatwalkModelDiscovery or send them an email at metromodels.event@yahoo.com

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

HEALTH

The deadly disease most women ignore ROSIEO’DONNELL says it’s a “miracle” that she survived, after ignoring heartattack warning signs because she didn’t recognize her danger. When the former talk-show host, 50, developed soreness and aching in her chest and arms after helping “an enormous woman” out of a car, she chalked it up to muscle strain.

When the ache persisted—and she became nauseated with clammy skin— O’Donnell was worried enough to Google women’s heart attack symptoms. “I had many of them, but really? –I thought – naaa,” she wrote in her blog. Like 50 percent of women who have heart attacks, she didn’t call 911. Instead, she took an aspirin, then waited until the next day to get help for what turned out to be a 99 percent blockage in her LAD coronary artery, a type of heart attack called the “widow-maker.”

The Myth that Puts Women’s Lives at Risk Often thought of as a man’s problem, heart attacks kill 267,000 American women annually: more than all forms of cancer combined. Every year since 1994, heart attacks have killed more US women than men. Yet many women still think that breast cancer (which kills 40,800 women a year) is their biggest health threat.

Most women—and even doctors—don’t know the gender-specific symptoms of a heart attack, says cardiologist Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute. “Fewer than half of women have the classic Hollywood heart attack with crushing chest pain—often described as feeling like an elephant is sitting on you—that’s typical in men.”

Women’s Heart Attack Symptoms Often Misdiagnosed Instead, women typically have less dramatic heart attack symptoms that may not include any chest pain. As a result, women are misdiagnosed at a far higher rate than men—and are more likely to die after a heart attack than men are, according to a new study

of 1.4 million heart attack patients.

“Relatively young women like Rosie O’Donnell have the highest rate of heart-attack fatalities, because their symptoms are frequently misdiagnosed,” both by women themselves and by emergency physicians, says Dr. Merz.

One shocking study reported that up to 50 percent of the time, women’s heart attack symptoms go unrecognized by emergency and medical professionals. And nearly two-thirds of heart attack deaths in women occur in women with no history of chest pain, reports womenheart.org.

Young Women Also At Risk If you think you’re too young to have a heart attack, here’s what you need to know: Of the 435,000 American women who have heart attacks annually, 83.000 are under age 65 and 35,000 are under age 55. Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely to be fatal as in men.

To protect yourself, get checked for such common risk factors as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. Alert your doctor if you have a family history of heart disease, particularly if relatives were affected at an early age. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and keeping your

weight down are the best ways to trim heart attack risk.

And if you smoke, here’s yet another reason to kick the habit: Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women. A study that tracked nearly 120,000 women ages 30 to 55 for 12 years found that those who smoked were four times more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from heart disease than the nonsmokers.

Seven Warning Signs Women Should Never Ignore Because most heart attack research has focused on men, adds Dr. Merz, “symptoms that are extremely common in women are called ‘atypical,’ when they’re only atypical in men. Lack of awareness of women’s warning signs— and not getting health care soon enough—are major contributors to why heart attacks kill more women than men every year.”

When a heart attack strikes, getting medical help within the first hour reduces the risk of dying by 50 percent. If you have any of these warning signs, call 911.

Shortness of breath.

During a heart attack, or in some cases, days or even weeks preceding the attack, many women report

gasping as if they’d just run a marathon or having trouble talking, one study reported.

Non-chest pain. Instead of an explosive pain in the chest, women may develop less severe pain in the upper back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or arm. “Get immediate medical help if you have any unusual symptom above the waist, even if it’s not in your chest,” advises Dr. Merz.

Unusual fatigue. In one study of female heart attack survivors, 71 percent experienced unusual fatigue in the days and weeks before the attack—often so extreme that the women were too fatigued to make their bed, lift a laptop, or walk to the mailbox.

Heavy sweating. Women may be suddenly drenched with sweat for no apparent reason. Frequently, women feel both hot and chilled, with clammy skin, during a heart attack, as happened to O’Donnell.

Nausea or dizziness.

During an attack, women frequently vomit or feel like they’re going to faint. The nausea can also feel like heartburn, says Dr. Merz.

Anxiety. Many women experience a feeling of impending doom or intense fear before or during a heart attack. Heeding that inner warning can be lifesaving.

(From Yahoo! Health)

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Prince Harry shuts down Facebook page WE’RE NOT SURE which piece of news is worth mulling over more: that Prince Harry has reportedly, in the wake of the scandalous leaking, mock reenacting, general oglingand relentless dissection of his naked Las Vegas photos, shut down the Facebook account we never knew existed, or that said account was created under the pseudonym Spike Wells (now there’s someone who sounds like they know how to party).

Of course, given that the palace is trying to cap this runaway story any which way they can, coupled with the royal family’s penchant for (until now, at least) maintaining their privacy during public media storms, we have yet to get definitive word on whether or not Spike Wells was indeed Harry’s doing.

But we have our suspicions. And more than that, we have enough evidence for you to decide for yourself.

However, let’s get formalities out of the way first: a spokesperson for the prince told E! News that reports of his suspected once-active, now-frozen social media page aren’t something they would comment on “given the private nature of the topic.”

Now, while it would hardly be surprising if he had a page (he may be third in line to the throne, but he’s also 27 and living in this modern social world, after all) he almost certainly wouldn’t be so unthinking as to use his real name.

Enter the mysterious Spike Wells, whose account was created roughly four years ago.

Prior to this weekend, Wells’ account was active and boasted more than 400 friends. All close personal ones, we’re sure.

While Wells used extremely highprivacy settings on his account, some aspects of his page were still visible to the public at large and the page has long been under suspicion by royal-watchers in Britain. Coupled with the timing of the page’s deletion (if the tabloids are to be believed, purportedly at the behest of Harry’s personal adviser), it certainly seems like a link exists.

And while conspiracies have been born from less, it’s not quite as tentative a connection as just that. In fact, tentative is the last word we’d use.

Prior to the page’s deletion, “Spike”—incidentally, an oft-cited nickname of Harry’s, and even the security name he’s known as by his

Scotland Yard minder, according to London’s Telegraph—was quite the globetrotting playboy, posting photos of his travels and parties both in England and beyond. So he was wellto-do.

Then there’s the matter of none of the profile or public photos posted by the user ever showing Spike’s face, though his build was notably similar (identically so?) to the prince. During his Las Vegas trip, too, the profile picture was changed to show three young men in matching Panama hats (Harry’s chapeau of choice during his trip) standing in front of a hotel suite that, as it’s been pointed out, bears an uncanny resemblance to the MGM Grand hotel suite Harry stayed in last week, which was the site of his now-infamous debauchery.

The Telegraph also points out that some of the photos posted to the page in the past include various African animals (Harry is a frequent visitor to the continent), and his profile indicates that he is from Maun, Botswana—curious not only for someone who seems to be almost exclusively friends with billionaire Brits in their 20s, but because Harry and his

ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davyvisited the town together back in 2007.

Further fueling the speculative flames: a photo of a redheaded child posted to the profile with the comment, “Oh my God, I’m ginger.” Another photo showed a group of people wearing Angry Birds hats. Harry himself was famously (and adorably) photographed in one over the summer. On yet another photo, though the faces were obscured, two people looking eerily like Harry and Chelsea were shown together.

Perhaps the most denial-proof shot, however, showed a faceless man in arctic conditions holding up a Union Jack flag that bore the logo of Walking With the Wounded. We’re not sure that one even requires an explanation, but here it is anyway: Last spring, Harry infamously joined the charity trek and even made international headlines when he was temporarily stranded with the North Pole-bound trekkers.

So there you have it. Is Spike Wells Harry? Let’s just say, if not, the prince might be making headlines once again. For identity theft.

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 127 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

STYLE ENTERTAINMENT

which became very useful in adding drama to Chat’s photos. Each photographer had their own turn in shooting Chat, while I played “electric fan girl,” propping around the small fan we used to achieve the blow-me-away peg.

Aside from the wardrobe, I also brought one bag full of my accessories which we could mix and match with the different sets of clothing I pulled out from SOUL. Tatiana played little assistant to her stylist-mommy, and everyone in the studio welcomed her playfulness and whimsical narrations of our daily life as frenemies.

Chat is a natural. Her beauty stood out in every shot, whether in emanating her goofy character or when she needs to look serious and seductive. And she has the most graceful and flawless fingers! Tiny and I were eyeing them with much envy, and the longing for Chat’s perfection went up another notch when her boyfriend popped in the studio. After one look at the tall basketball varsity player, Tiny and I had only this to say: “Promising!”

Here are Chat’s photos from Paul, Marlon and Doc Jun. I hope you’ll like the looks we did for this set.

SPORTS

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15

Cash windfall await Phoenix 4 winners A

champion’s purse of P25,000 await the winner of the Trip Ko Phoenix Fuels Season 4 featuring finalists Zoelo Extreme and Accelerate Vega. The Finals is set on Friday at the Davao City Recreation Center.

A total of P50,000 plus trophies will be given away by the organizing Phoenix Petroleum as well as basketball patron Toy Paglas, former Municipal Mayor of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao.

Fighting for third are teams Cycle Fork and Accelerate Supreme. Games start at 11 am, with the championship game at 1 pm.

The second placer will receive a cash prize of P10,000, third P7,000, and fourth P5,000. Awards will also be given to the Most Valuable Player and the Mythical Five.

The fourth conference of the Trip Ko Phoenix Fuels Basketball Cup opened last July 1, 2012 with eight teams: Cyclomax Titan, Cyclomax 4T, Zoelo Extreme, Zoelo Diesel, Accelerate Vega, Accelerate Supreme, Cycle Fork and 2T Max. The teams were handled by veteran

Neb Bulaclac, marketing supervisor of Phoenix Petroleum Phils., Inc. (left), announces the schedule of the under 16 Trip Ko Phoenix Basketball Tournament championship game during the weekly Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) forum at Tower Inn yesterday. With him is Michael Chad Bouffard of Best Center Small Basketeers Phils. [LEAN DAVAL JR. ] coaches Dindo Pastor, Bayong Villaflor, Nick Serafica, Alex Albores, Dodong Cagampang, Avel Guno, Noy Pido, Bert Malinao, Allan Josol, Eddie Salac, Rhoderick Conda, Aladin Saldua, Roy Josol,

Jigger Saniel, Bambie Santander, and Arman Villanueva. Heading the whole tournament are Commissioner Cadel Mosqueda and Tournament Director Goldie Delvo.

Coach Noy Pido and assistant coach Bert Malinao and the Team Zoelo Extreme (left). Team Accelerate Vega (right) led by coach Rhoderick Conda and assistant coach Aladin Saldua. Both teams aim for the title in the finals the Trip Ko Phoenix Fuels Basketball Cup on August 31, 2012 at the Davao City Recreation Center

Assumption wins DBL title A

SSUMPTION College of Davao beat Agro Industrial Foundation College, 67 – 65, in a winner-take-all championship match to clinch the 2012 Duterte Basketball League Junior Division 1 title in a dramatic fashion at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym late Monday.

Assumption, which barely missed the final

four, made two crucial stops and overcame letdowns at the free throw line in the final seconds to pull away with the title clincher victory and complete a remarkable comeback.

The Cabaguio-based dribblers went 1 out of 6 at the foul line under ten seconds left in the game but they did it eventually in defense, forcing Agro to commit

crucial turnover down the stretch.

Assumption, which entered the semifinal round via slight edge in the quotient over Ford Academy and beat intensely top-seed Holy Child School of Davao twice in the final four, brought home P5, 000.00 while Agro pocketed P2, 500.00 Jhayston Oquias played hero for the re-

juvenated Assumption squad, pouring in 18 points in the epic title clash marked with five lead changes under final two minutes of play.

The prolific leftyforward, who almost single handedly lift Assumption past Holy Child School of Davao in a back-to-back game in the semifinal round, showed toughness in both ends of the floor.

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EDGEDAVAO

Aunzo-Mackay pair takes lead

By Neil Bravo

F

ERDIE Aunzo and Monchit Mackay sizzled on a scorching day at the Apo layout with a combined two-under par 70 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the P1M Samsung-Emcor Pro-Am. On a day Davao’s heat took its toll on the favoured sons of Apo, Aunzo blended well with Mackay, a Davao-based sportswear entrepreneur for the early lead of this tournament offering whopping cash bonanza amounting to P1 Million.

Elmer Salvador and Antonio Lascuna—two of Apo’s favorite sons—faltered in Day 1 as would the rest of the field. Only the pair of Aunzo and Mackay submitted a sub-par round, three pairs matched par and the rest were an assortment of frustration as Apo’s monstrous length made even tougher with the

SAMSUNG-EMCOR GOLF. Frankie Minoza (left) chips from the fringe in Tuesday’s round one. (BOY LIM)

dry fairways reared its ugly head on the field of over 100 golfers from both the professional and amateur ranks.

Salvador and his partner Ryan Gotan had a fat 77 while Lascuna and partner Denden De Castro were just as miserable with a 78.

Bukidnon’s Paul Minoza and Francis Morilla were two shots adrift with an even 72 in a tie with Jhonel Ababa and Benjie Leparto, and Albin Engino and Edsel Tan. Bunched with identical 73s were Miguel OchoaJohn Kier Abdon, Boboy Jaraula-Reymond Jaraula, Christopher delos Santos-Kim Tae Woo. Another favourite Frankie Minoza, paired with golfing host Ting Castillo, carded a 76.

SONS OF APO. Seeing action in the ongoing Samsung-Emcor Pro-Am were Elmer Salvador (right) and Tony Lascuna (center)—both from Davao’s Apo Golf and Country Club. [BOY LIM]