Edge Davao 5 Issue 156

Maayo unta kun madayon!

EDGEDAVAO P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

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Science/ Environment Page 4 Science\ Environment

Motoring

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GPH-MILF peace framework

AFP, advocates welcome accord P

EACE ADVOCATES in Mindanao’s various private sectors and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines expressed elation over the preliminary peace

Government-NDF agreement seen to follow

agreement reached between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

(MILF) during a joint rally and a series of media appearances in Davao City Monday morning.

In a dialogue with media practitioners attending the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao, Ecoland, lawyer Mary Ann Arnado of the Mindanao People’s Caucus said

FAFP, 11

CELEBRATION. Muslim, Christian and Lumad groups together with Task Force Davao personnel stage a peace rally to celebrate last Sunday’s announcement of President Benigno S. Aquino III that the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro along Roxas Ave. yesterday.

[LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Sports

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Land register exec defies relief order E

By Anthony S. Allada

Follow Us On

MPLOYEES and clients of the regional office here of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) are in a quandary as to whose orders to follow with two officials acting as the regional director or register of deeds.

Cruzabra allegedly continues signing land titles

LRA administrator Eulalio Diaz has issued an administrative order dated September 20, 2012 designating lawyer Ma. Theresa Pescadera as the new register of deeds to replace lawyer Asteria Cruzabra

who had served in that capacity for more than eight years.

Cruzabra has refused to step down and still functions as the regional head, saying she still has unfinished work to do, adding that she

has a pending appeal with the office of Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to retain her post, although Duterte has reportedly refused to be drawn into the controversy as he has no jurisdiction over the matter.

FLand, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

In GenSan

EDGEDAVAO

Pacman bodyguard stabbed to death

By Aquiles Z. Zonio

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close-in bodyguard of eight-division world champion and Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao succumbed to multiple stab wounds while being rushed to a hospital midnight last Sunday in General Santos City.

The victim, SPO3 Rey Edradan of the Sarangani Provincial Police Office, was assigned as one of Pacquiao’s close-in security escorts.

Edradan was also a member of the explosive ordnance disposal team.

Witnesses at the crime scene said Edradan, on board his black Toyota Avanza, arrived at the residence of a certain Rowena Cabaniog, a resident of Block 18 Lot 24, Phase-2B, Dona Soledad Subdivision in Barangay Labangal past 11:00 p.m.

Sunday.

The alleged assalant, reportedly a former livein partner of Cabaniog, was already waiting inside the house.

The same witnesses said a fight erupted between Edradan and the suspect which ended in a stabbing.

“The victim, who was unarmed, did not expect that the suspect was carrying a bladed weapon.

After the stabbing, the suspect even helped two male residents put the victim inside the car,” a witness, who asked not to be named, said.

Edradan was rushed to St. Elizabeth hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

The witnesses said the suspect left the crime scene forcibly bringing

GenSan acquires heavy equipment

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hE General Santos City government has acquired a fleet of new heavy equipment needed to boost the maintenance of roads and other infrastructure projects.

Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio led the blessing rites of the fleet in Monday’s regular flag-raising ceremony at the oval covered court.

“The purchase of the new heavy equipment was necessary for the maintenance of roads, especially those leading to various barangays,” Custodio said.

FPACMAN, 11

John Marc Reyes, acting city engineer, told Edge Davao that these pieces of new heavy equipment include three dump trucks, payloader, declogger, excavator and ladder truck.

Reyes said the purchase was made under the general fund, except for the backhoe, which was acquired using the city’s calamity fund.

“The total cost was about P65 million. We badly need these equipment because most of our old heavy equipment are

FGENSAN, 11

Gaisano Mall to rise in Carmen, DavNor

By Anthony S. Allada

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nhABITAnTS of Carmen, Davao del norte will no longer have to do their shopping in the cities of Tagum and Panabo after the Gaisano Grand Mall Carmen shall have risen in its midst next year.

Mayor Marcelino Perandos said the mall will be constructed on a three-hectare property newly- acquired by the Gaisano family.

Perandos said this new development only shows that business is alive in his town and that investors are welcome to establish their businesses in his town.

“I am happy about the turn of events during my incumbency. We are also the recipient of several awards due to our efforts to make our town competitive,” Perandos said in an interview.

The second-termer mayor said their successes have

been due to the concerted efforts of other political leaders in Carmen, especially the vice mayor, Alberto Sarin, and the the municipal council members.

“We work as a team.

That’s why, we have been successful in all our endeavors,” he said.

The town was recently conferred the Seal of Good housekeeping Award by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) with a corresponding P1-million as cash prize.

“Actually, this is already our second award from the DILG. In the first award, we used the money to construct the Punenarya ng Bayan. The second cash prize will be used to purchase an ambulance. We are always looking after the health of our people,” he said.

Because of this health

FGAISANO, 11

AGREEMENT. Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado of Mindanao People’s Caucus, right, displays a copy of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro during the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at SM City Mall Davao yesterday. At

her right is Bai Leng Mantawil, representative of Bangsamoro Women. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

Duterte’s fearless forecast

Bonguyan win over Karlo Nograles seen

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AVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has predicted victory for former vice mayor, now first district congressional candidate, Luis Bonguyan over reelectionist and first-termer Rep. Karlo A. nograles.

“Daug si Bonguyan. nakita na namo na daan.

Dili lang namo isulti ang detalye ug ngano (Bonguyan will win. We have already foreseen that. We will not divulge details and the factors on the win),” Duterte said during his weekly television program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” (From the Masses, For the Masses) over ABS-CBn Davao.

he said Bonguyan may win by a slim margin, but that this time nograles would lose.

“Walay pildi-pildi ni si Bonguyan (Bonguyan has never lost). he is a good man and he is a tested political leader. We are fielding him because we know his winnability,” he said.

The city’s first district is a known bailiwick of Karlo’s father, former house Speaker Prospero nograles, who served as the city’s first district congressional representative for 15 years.

In the May 10, 2010 elections, however, the young nograles won over former city councilor Maria Belen Acosta by only a slim margin of 8,172 votes

in a district that boasts of over 400,000 registered voters. Acosta is again running to regain her seat in the city council.

“Election is the people’s will. We just work hard and pray hard and submit ourselves to the will of the people. We surrender everything to God,” was the text message of nograles in reaction to Duterte’s prediction.

Only Duterte’s local party, hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, has a complete slate from city mayor to the members of the city council.

Other candidates are mostly independent and running alone. nograles identified himself as be-

ing affiliated with the newly-formed national Unity Party (nUP). the first time he has no partymates.

Duterte is making a comeback as city mayor after daughter, Sara, opted to give way to her father, his son, Paolo, a member of the city council for being president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), is running unopposed for vice mayor.

Second district Rep. Mylene Garcia and third district Rep. Isidro Ungab are also set to serve their third and last terms, with Garcia having a comfortable edge over her opponents while Ungab is running unopposed. [ASA ]

gion by establishing market contacts and linkages with industry leaders in Singapore, recognized as a major international commercial hub in Asia.

During the three-day mission, the Davao delegation will engage in round-table meetings with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore-Malay Chamber of Commerce, information technology (IT) leaders, and overseas Filipino workers based in Singapore, and will exhibit in one of the new malls of SIngapore, the Alexandra Retail Center,wherein Davao City will highlight investment opportunities in tourism, ICT and property development.

“A business-to-business

meeting will also be held in cooperation with Singaporebased travel and tourism industry players. The 28man mission will also be meeting with officials of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore who organized the business meetings of the other industries,» City Tourism and Investment Office head Jason Magnaye shared.

The mission to Singapore is fully supported by Cebu Pacific, the official airline of the Philippine delegation.

“We highly support this endeavor initiated by the City Government of Davao.

The concerted effort of government and the public sector is proof of effective leadership and show of par-

amount interests as well as enthusiasm of players in the business and tourism sectors to bring in more visitors and investments to Davao City,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

The roadshow also aims to increase air traffic between Davao City and Singapore via Cebu Pacific’s Manila and Cebu hubs especially with the airline’s trademark low fares and with having the most extensive route network in the country.

Cebu Pacific has daily/ regular direct flights from Davao City, one of its operational hubs in the country, to Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Butuan and Dipolog.

Davao City leads roadshow in Singapore

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hE Davao City government, together with officials from national agencies and private sector organizations, is in the forefront of the Davao Tourism, Trade and Investment Mission to Singapore on October 11-13, 2012.

This project is in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industries, Philippine Retirement Authority, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., ICT Davao, and the agri-business and property development sectors in the region.

The slated tourism and trade blitz aims to promote and market Davao City as one of the preferred tourism and investment destinations in the Asia-Pacific Re-

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 156 •TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012 Metrobank honors outstanding General Santos City teacher

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EnERAL Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio recently led the tribute to another General who had brought honor to the city by excelling in the field of education.

Mrs. Marivi L. Castro, of the General Santos City Special Education Integrated School(SPED), this city is chosen as one of the top 10 bests in Metrobank Foundation’s Search for Outstanding Teachers among 38 finalists nationwide.

“I did not expect to win,” she said in her speech at the Monday’s Flag Ceremony of City hall employees.

Custodio encouraged other teachers to be devoted not only for awards like this but also for personal fulfillment.

“The students will never forget a teacher all their lives,” she said.

The Metrobank Foundation has the theme “Excel. Engage. Empower.” promoting a culture

of excellence among Filipinos through its various programs such as the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE), the Search for The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), the Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS), the Metrobank Math Challenge (MMC), College Scholarship Program (CSP) and Excellence in Judiciary Program (EJP) and the SOT. It aims to strength ties with institutional partners in both public and private sectors such that there will always be a venue to further honor those who are able to reach their highest potential.

Today, the Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to remain a leader in corporate social responsibility by initiating and supporting leading edge programs that uplift the lives of our people and inspire the best in the Filipinos. [ChRiS SuLit]

Surigao bishop calls on flock in campaign against mining

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AnDAG Bishop nereo P. Odchimar has called on the people of Surigao del Sur to renew their commitment against mining and in the protection of nature during a symposium in Cantilan town Thursday.

“When we commit mistake to God, he will forgive us after we repent for our sins and ask forgiveness.

But when we commit mistake against nature, it will not forgive us and it will unleash a dreadful path of destruction just like what had happened last December when Sendong hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan,” the bishop said.

The church-led twoday symposium invited participants from the towns of Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza (collectively known as CarCanMadCarLan). It was held at the Immaculate Conception parish church in Cantilan on the first day, then at the San Vicente Ferrer Parish in the town of Carmen on Thursday.

Fr. Raymond Ambray, Parochial Vicar of the Immaculate Conception Parish, explained to the participants the fundamentals on the theology of creation and how it is related to the protection of the environment.

“With one source of creation, everything is interrelated and interconnected. We as created children of God have a task in this world to protect nature. It was not given only to a few but for the rest of us to gain from it,” said

the priest, who is also the executive secretary for the Social Action Center of CarCanMadCarLan. Miners and loggers, he said, justify that what they are doing to nature are justified since these resources are God’s gifts to man. But Ambray pointed out the miners and loggers abuse nature, and only a few get to enjoy the logs and the minerals, or the proceeds from these.

Cosme Loren, a member of the Surigao del Sur Irrigation Federation (SURIF) who was speaking in behalf of the farmers in Cantilan, expressed fears that if the large-scale mining operations within the town’s watershed area would not be stopped, there will be a gradual decline in their harvest and a deadly blow to their livelihood.

“Since last year the harvest has declined. In the last cropping, we had fewer harvest since the water from the mountains failed to reach our farm lands. Irrigation canals throughout the system went dry,” he said.

Loren stressed the need to protect the environment because when it fights back, it will not choose its victims. “Every one of us will suffer its wrath,” he warned.

The town’s Municipal Tribal Council headed by Datu Dagsaan (or Jaime Bat-ao), who is from the Manobo tribe, expressed his disbelief in the injustice done towards the environment and their ancestral land in Barangay Kabangahan. [ERwiN MASCARiñAS / MiNDANEwS]

PEACE ADVOCACY. One of the nine participating band in uniform perform their best during the concert dubbed “Music for Unity” geared towards promoting peace and development together with the soldiers in the neighboring areas of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley Province and Agusan del Sur

3

last October 4, 2012 held at the Atrium of the New City Hall of Tagum. The concert paved way for the people in this part of Mindanao that uniformed men are not just trained to combat for peace but also to be an advocate through music for peace. [LEo tiMogAN/Cio tAguM]

Military advocates for peace through music T

hE Local Government of Tagum City through Mayor Rey T. Uy in partnership with 10th Infantry (AGILA) Division spearheaded a special gathering concert dubbed as “Music for Unity” geared towards promoting peace and development together with the soldiers in the neighboring areas of Davao del norte, Compostela Valley Province and Agusan del Sur last October 4, 2012 held at the Atrium of the new City hall of Tagum.

The concert paved way for the people in this part of Mindanao that uniformed men are not just trained to combat for peace but also to be an advocate through music for peace.

Tagum, being the Music Capital of the South, is an apt venue to hold the event which was participated nine (9) different bands in the Region namely, 1003rd (Raptor) Brigade Band from Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Davao del norte Province;

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Band from City of Tagum, Davao del norte; 10th Infantry (Agila) Division Band from Municipality of Mawab, Compostela Valley Province; Tagum City Band from City of Tagum, Davao del norte, 1001st (Pag-Asa) Brigade Band from Municipality of Maco, Compostela Valley Province; 3rd Special Forces Battalion Band from Municipality of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Sur; 25th Infantry Bat-

talion Band from Municipality of Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province and 66th Infantry Battalion Band from Municipality of new Bataan, Compostela Valley Province.

The city mayor, who’s very vocal about his unwavering passion for music, even joined the soldiers in this jamming session and was also game in rendering his version of widely-known “Pusong Bato,” among others. [LouiE JAy LoSARiA/Cio

matu, which passed a resolution and an ordinance last May that sets the elimination and prohibition of the deployment of minors and under age children within the village’s mining sites.

The measure, which was endorsed by the local government of T’boli, called for the full enforcement of such prohibition in the area.

“They (mining operators) resorted to hiring transient and visiting child workers or laborers from neighboring villages because of the ban,” Mantilla.

The Barangay Council of Kematu earlier passed the measure to put an end to the long-time practice of local mining financiers and operators of illegally employing minors for

their operations.

Barangay Kematu was earlier identified by DOLE central office as among the eight villages in Region 12 that were considered as “child labor areas.”

The other areas were barangays Malire of Antipas, Cadungon and Saguing of Makilala, Presbitero of Pigkawayan, all in north Cotabato as well as barangays Lagao, San Isidro and City heights in this city.

The Provincial Council for the Protection of Children (PCPC) of South Cotabato had documented 64 minors who were recruited and employed by mining operators in Kematu.

The council, which is backed by DOLE and the Department of Interior and Local Government

(DILG), said the child laborers in the area worked as “abanteros,” packers and haulers in small-scale mining projects.

A number of minors reportedly worked in “banlas” or sluice mining operations, a method deemed illegal by the provincial government due to its destructive effect on the environment.

To address the renewed child labor cases in the area, Mantilla said they are set to expand their ongoing advocacy campaigns against child labor in the area.

She said they would also engage with local authorities and stakeholders to push for the strict enforcement of the ban among local mining operators. [ALLEN V. EStAbiLLo / MiN-

tAguM]

DOLE: Child labor persists in SouthCot’s mining areas C

ASES of child labor havepersisted in the last several months in small-scale mining areas in T’boli town in South Cotabato despite a ban imposed by the local government on the employment of children or minors in mining activities in the area.

Chona Mantilla, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 12 director, said Monday they uncovered during a recent assessment of the mining activities at the gold rush village of Kematu in T’boli that a number of mining operators in the area have continued to employ minors for their operations.

She said the current pool of child laborers reportedly come from areas outside of Barangay Ke-

DANEwS]

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO PCA takes measures to wipe out small scale insects in coconuts VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

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hE Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on Monday vows to continue enforcing measures to wipe out small scale insect infestation among the country’s coconut trees.

PCA reported positive development in its mitigating measures to combat coconut scale insect infestation affecting nine municipalities in Batangas.

In a statement, Euclides Forbes, PCA administrator, said that coconut farmers attested to the effectivity of the measures being undertaken – including pruning, spraying, and fertilization.

Forbes said that they had already spent over P5 million to treat infected trees, adding that they would continue to provide technical and financial support to totally eradicate the infestation.

“Technical staff from LGU’s (local government units) and farmers observed that after leaf pruning, coconut trees fully recovered when salt is applied as fertilizer,” Forbes said.

As of October 2012, there were already 252,967 leaves pruned in the affected municipalities. There are still pruning and spraying activities on-going in some barangays (villages), he said.

On the other hand, norlito Gicana, director of Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), cautioned farmers from spraying pesticides on infected coconut trees, noting that there are no registered pesticide discovered for coconuts.

“Insecticides may

leave residue on nuts,” Gicana said.

Dr. Luis Rey Velasco, an entomologist from the University of the Philippines – Los Baños (UPLB) also warned farmers from using pesticide, saying that spraying chemicals should not go on excess because it gives negative impact on natural enemies.

Experts, including those from PCA Albay and Davao Research Centers, said that this scale insect has been in the Philippines a long time ago.

This was the first time

Environmental Users Fee monitoring results bared

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hE results of the Environmental User Fee (EUF) monitoring in the Island Garden City of Samal dubbed as G-Watch IGaCoS Bantay Kinaiyahan Project was released to public by the Local G-Watch in Brgy. Catagman, in the city’ Samal District last September 26, 2012.

The public presentation was attended by resort owners, barangay officials, city government officials, department heads, civil society organizations and some national agency representatives stationed in the city.

Local G-Watch IGaCoS Bantay Kinaiyahan is a joint Citizen-Government Monitoring of the Environmental User Fee (EUF)organized and assisted by Government Watch (G-Watch) Program of the Ateneo

School of Government (ASoG) ofAteneo de Manila University in partnership with the city government of IGaCoS and the Civil Society Organizations( CSOs) here to monitor the implementation of EUF pursuant to City Ordinance 2009-156.

In June 2012, the Government Watch (G-Watch), a social accountability program of the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) organized a monitoring project that was meant to localize the G-Watch Social Accountability Approach with the objective to train LGUs and local CSOs to monitor and improve service delivery.

Extensive consultations were made in deciding what service delivery program will be monitored. [igACoS Cio]

to have an outbreak on this infestation. They advised to observe proper leaf pruning to prevent the coconut scale insect in spreading to the nearby areas.

On the other hand, mass rearing of predators (bio-control agents) is continuously being done.

Early this year, around 1000 predators have already been released. After releasing these predators, it will take three years to bring treated coconut trees to normal production.

In addition, five satel-

lite laboratories for mass rearing of predators will be established with PCA Alaminos, Laguna as the main laboratory.

Another measure that the experts are looking at is to spray vinegar and liquid soap separately.

Washing infected plant parts or a brisk wash spray of vinegar or liquid soap can be helpful in reducing population.

Other chemical and non-chemical methods to control the infestation are also being studied and are subject to efficacy trial/ tests. [PNA]

Mindanao communities to take legal action to stop construction of coal power plants

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InDAnAO community groups representing six provinces today declared their intention to explore legal options in their fight against dirty coal power projects in the region. At a joint press conference with Greenpeace, the group also announced the founding of Anti-COALition, a national network of communities which aims to ensure the country’s has a future powered by clean, peaceful, renewable energy.

“The weekend seminar on Environmental Law made us more aware of our basic rights to demand that the state protect its citizens from environmental harm and degradation”, said Juland Suazo, a community leader from Davao.

The declaration came

at the conclusion of the network’s two-day seminar-workshop on Environmental Law, organized by Greenpeace in partnership with the Ateneo Public Interest Legal and Advocacy Center.

Participants discussed laws protecting land and sea ecosystems, indigenous people, and biodiversity as well as civil legal procedures that can be used in environmental cases.

“Everywhere around the world, coal power plants victimize communities. They create health problems for people living around the facility, and damage their environment and their livelihoods,” said Anna Abad, Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

THE ECONOMY 5

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 156 •TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

NEDA sees 2012 inflation rate near 3%

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hE national Economic and Development Authority (nEDA) sees inflation rate for 2012 to settle at the low end of the government’s target of between three percent and five percent.

“The September data brought the headline inflation rate for the first three quarters of the year to only 3.2 percent, which is near the low end of the government’s target of 3.0 to 5.0 percent,” said Dr. Rosemarie G. Edillon of the nEDA-national Planning and Policy Staff.

The national Statistics Office (nSO) earlier reported that inflation in September eased to 3.6 percent from 3.8 percent last month.

Edillon said that lower prices of electricity, unleaded gasoline and kerosene dampened inflation in September 2012.

“We noted that MERALCO’s (Manila Electric Co.) generation and transmission costs decreased in September 2012 due to the significant decline in the charges imposed by the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

This, in effect, resulted in lower electricity bills for consumers during that month,” said Edillon.

Industry data showed that the generation charge in September was lower by P1.34 per kilowatt hour (kWh) compared to that in August 2012, the

lowest level since March 2012.

On the other hand, WESM charges declined to P8.74 per kWh in September from P14.70 per kWh in August.

Edillon also said that the September 2012 inflation was dragged down further by cuts in the price of kerosene, which declined by 5.4 percent compared to the price in September 2011. On the other hand, there was only a 0.7-percent change in the price of unleaded gasoline for the same period, compared to the 1.7-percent change to the previous period from August 2011 to August 2012.

“While rising food prices exerted pressure on inflation, it was partially tempered by lower increases in the price of fish,” said Edillon.

According to the nSO, inflation for commodities under the food and non-alcoholic beverages group was pegged at 3.7 percent in September 2012, which was much faster than the 3.3-percent inflation in August 2012. Meanwhile, the price of fish increased by only 6.8 percent in September 2012 compared to 7.3 percent in August 2012.

Edillon said that in selected Southeast Asian countries, inflation generally eased in September compared to the figure in August this year. [PNA]

ROADSHOW. Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) chief Jason Magnaye (left) announces the forthcoming Davao Tourism, Trade and Investment Mission to Singapore slated on October 11-13, 2012 during the

weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at SM City Mall Davao yesterday.

Also in the photo is Dir. Mariano R. Alquiza of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) XI. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

hE World Bank on Monday raised the country’s economic growth forecast for this year.

In its East Asia and Pacific Economic Data Monitor, the Washington-based lender projected that the Philippine economy would grow 5 percent this year and in 2013.

In June, the World Bank had projected a gross domestic product (GDP) of 4 percent for the Philippines this year and 5 percent next year.

The Bank’s latest forecast is within the low end

cent this year and 5 percent next year. Vietnam may grow 5.2 percent this year and 5.7 percent in 2013.

The lender, however, warned of a slowdown because of a “fragile” external environment.

“Within the EAP [East Asia Pacific] region, the risk remains a more pronounced slowdown in China than currently expected, while commodity exporters are at particular risk of a global slowdown,” the bank said.

The World Bank said China’s GDP is projected to slowdown to 7.7 percent this year

WB raises growth forecast for PHL T target of the government of betwen 5 percent and 6 percent, as well as the lender’s 7.2 percent average forecast fo East Asia and the Pacific.

In the first six months of 2012, the Philippine economy grew by 6.1 percent from 4.2 percent last year.

The World Bank projected that Indonesia will grow 6.1 percent this year and 6.3 percent in 2013. While Malaysia is likely to 4.8 percent this year and 4.6 percent 2013.

In addition, the bank forecast that Thailand’s economy will grow 4.5 per-

from 9.2 percent last year.

In 2013, however, China’s growth is expected to rebound to 8.1 percent as the impact of stimulus measures kicks in, supported further by an uptick in global trade.

Pamela Cox, World Bank East Asia and Pacific Regional vice president. said weaker demand for East Asia’s exports is slowing the regional economy, but compared to other parts of the world, it’s still growing strongly, and thriving domestic demand will enable the region’s economy to bounce back to 7.6 percent next year. [PNA]

6 AGRITRENDS EDGEDAVAO ‘Gossip girls’ learn the ropes of abaca enterprise VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

By Noel T. Provido

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OSSIPS used to be widespread in the remote Brgy. Maligang, Kiamba, Sarangani that local officials were prompted to issue ordinance declaring it an offense with a penalty of P3, 000.00.

“Most the women here used to be idle and spent more time conversing on other people’s affairs,” said Beverly Grace Pacquiao, as she compared how different is their situation now than before.

“While women were used to braiding each other’s hair while engage in gossips, their hands are now busy weaving tinagak [abaca fiber] to be sold to our cooperative,” she said.

“Even children are also using their free time weaving abaca hanks so they could have baon [allowance] or extra money to buy schools supplies or cellphone loads,” she added.

Thanks to the United Maligang Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UMMPC) for making abaca, a widely cultivated crop here becomes a viable source of income.

While gossiping was the favorite past time of most of the residents, 15 farmers banded together and put their speaking prowess into good use by forming a cooperative.

“The cooperative was organized as marketing arm of abaca farmers. Officers serve as the salesmen of farmers’ produce to get a better price from traders, ” said Ricardo Añora, manager of United Maligang Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UMMPC).

“Laway lang among kapital (our convincing words is our only capital), he said recalling their cooperative’s humble beginnings.

“Out of the payment they received, 20% went to cooperative as their capital share. The money collected was used as our revolving fund,” Añora said.

“For three years, we [officers] worked as volunteers as the cooperative was not yet capable to

Chairman Felicitas Taka (left) and manager Ricardo Añora of the United Maligang Multi-purpose Cooperative check the abaca fiber being processed into abaca hanks. Both officials adhere to strict quality control to ensure buyers of top quality fiber. grant an honorarium. But we have to serve for our co-op to grow and help more farmers,” he said.

Linking abaca fiber to market While they were encouraging more farmers to consolidate their abaca fiber, finding a reliable buyer was also a challenge as traders usually come and go.

Beverly Grace Pacquiao, the co-op’s treasurer recalled how they started opening up markets outside the province with only eight kilos of abaca hanks personally brought by a technician from Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) to Davao City.

Farmers then have to wait for the technician to be back so they can get their payment. Out of total, 20 percent went to the co-op as their capital share including their payment for the use of stripping machine.

“The volume for delivery keep on increasing to the point that we have to hire a vehicle to directly deliver it to the buyer,” she said.

Añora said the co-op early on was already keen in observing quality control. he said fibers are sorted into different classifications: “Good quality fiber has no tangles, shiny

white and stands out from the rest.”

“The best quality is classified as S2 and bought from farmers at P50-P54 per kilo. Class S1 that is quite rough is bought at P48-P50 per kilo while the Class G (lightly dark) bought from P35-P40 per kilo. The S3 which is the cheapest quality is bought at P25 – P30 a kilo,” he said.

The co-op’s adherence to quality control eventually paid off as they slowly became famous as supplier of quality abaca fiber. Through trade fairs and exhibits their product had been noticed and enabled them to expand their market to as far as Cebu, Cavite, and Tarlac.

While order keeps on increasing lack of adequate equipment limits the cooperative to produce more fiber.

“We needed an additional stripping machine to speed-up our production and other equipment to go into value-adding activities,” Añora said. having learned of their constraints, the municipal government recommended their proposal for abaca fiber processing equipment to the Department of Agriculture (DA) office in Region 12.

The DA regional of-

A woman weaves sinamay, a local textile use for making handicraft and novelty items. The handloom weaver enabled the co-op to go into value- adding activities.

fice eventually endorsed their project to be funded by the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

MRDP is a special project of DA and jointly funded by the World Bank, national and local government units. Through its Community Fund for Agriculture Development (CFAD), the program’s livelihood portfolio, the UMMPC was able to access P250,000.00. The said amount used to buy stripping machine, handloom weaver, and a heavy-duty sewing machine.

The abaca fiber they are producing tremendously increased from barely the 50-80 kilos a month to 300 kilos a month.

“The equipment we have availed ourselves of enabled us to keep up with the increasing demand from our buyers. It help us hasten the fiber production without sacrificing our co-op’s reputation as producer of quality abaca fiber,” Añora said while expressing his gratitude to DA-MRDP and their local officials.

“The handloom weaver and heavy duty machine are also useful in

our value adding activities. More women in the community are now into handicrafts and sinamay utilizing the abaca fiber rejects,” he added.

Minding their own business With the additional equipment coupled with their passion and ingenuity the cooperative has grown from the original 15 members to 133 members. These members enjoy several services such as production loan for abaca farming and patronage refund and dividend out of their support to the co-op.

What farmers enjoy the most now is the mode of payment for their produce. “now that the co-op is in good financial standing, farmer are paid in cold cash right after they have delivered the abaca fiber in the cooperative. If before they are obliged to share 20 percent of their sales, the payments they are receiving now are all theirs, ” Pacquiao said.

“We don’t also require minimum volume of delivery even if it is just a kilo of fiber we will accept it and immediately pay them. That is why housewives and children are now busy producing their

own tinagak [ball fiber],” she added.

“Trainings were also conducted for women to go into handicrafts making such as abaca bag, wallets, and artificial flowers so they could earn extra income,” Añora said while admiring women’s inherent creativity.

MRDP program director Lealyn Ramos lauded the cooperative’s effort of linking farmers’ produce to the market and turned their livelihood into viable enterprise.

“MRDP is now shifting its gears from assisting subsistence farming to introducing market systems approach not only in reducing poverty but also in creating sustainable economic enterprise. The UMMPC showed the way how smallholder farmers can be organized and create market opportunities to improve their income,” she said.

UMMPC chairperson Felicitas Taka said their cooperative is now going stronger as more farmers have realized how the organization has brought development in their community.

“Before most of the houses here are made of cogon and nipa materials but now you can see a lot of concrete houses. There are five pedicabs regularly plying students not so long ago students going to school could hardly fill in a pedicab,” she said.

She added that they don’t have electricity before but now it is evident that a lot of households own TV sets while a number of them even have satellite cable connection.

When asked if gossiping is still a favorite past time among women, both Taka and Pacquiao agreed that it is no longer as prevalent as before since women are now busy either weaving tinagak or handicrafts making.

“If ever they are into gossips it is more on the TV soap operas as watching TV is one of their means to enjoy the little comforts they have earned,” they said.

Beverly Grace Pacquio, co-op’s treasurer entices rural women to go into handicraft making to earn more.

PROPERTY

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 156 •TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

7

NEW MALL ON THE BLOCK. SM Lanang Premier is not only the newest mall in the city; it is also, by far, the greenest.

One of the main attractions at SM Lanang Premier is its Sky Garden, a row of restaurants set up in an al fresco area

surrounded by greenery. Also noticeable in the main atrium of the mall are the skylights which allows natural light to be utilized in the morning and afternoon, reducing the energy consumption of the mall.

OU’VE finally found the perfect location for your new business. Before you sign a lease remember that no matter now friendly your prospective landlord seems, the lease is not likely to be in your favor. here are some points to consider before signing a commercial lease.

Chances are when you find your perfect space the landlord will just happen to have a lease in his back pocket that “all his tenants have signed without a problem.” Chances are he’ll hold the lease with one hand and a pen filled with your blood in the other. Chances are he’s banking on you signing the lease without bothering to read it, which many of his tenants have probably done in the past. I hope the chances are you’re much too smart to do so.

I don’t care how many people he says are lined up to rent the space, you should take the lease home and take all the time you need to review it thoroughly before putting your name on the dotted line. Trust me, if the space was that hot it would be rented already, so don’t let anyone pressure you into acting too quickly.

much your rent might go up over the term of the lease. It is expected that rents will increase as property values increase, so most leases include a rent increase on the anniversary date of the lease.

Plus, if your landlord can rent the space for more than you agreed to pay a year ago, he is within his rights to ask for the increase. however, it would be a nightmare if your rent suddenly doubled. You should negotiate the timelines and amounts of increases before you sign the lease. If your landlord balks at this find another space.

Is a personal guarantee required? What happens if your business goes south and you can no longer afford to make the lease payment? Are you responsible for paying the rent out of your own pocket? Probably so. Most landlords insist on a personal guarantee from the owner or an officer of the corporation. This means that even if you go out of business you are still on the hook for the remainder of the monies owed.

Finally, be clear on every point in the lease. And if you’re not clear on every point get clarification from your attorney.

What you should know about your lease agreement Y Even if you read every word of the lease yourself have an attorney give it a second look because a lease is a legal document and as such, is written in a language mere mortals rarely understand.

Forget reading the fine print. When it comes to a lease it’s ALL fine print, and you should always get a more experienced pair of eyes to go over the details. here are a few other things to consider before signing a lease. how is the monthly lease payment calculated? The most basic equation for calculating a lease payment takes the number of square feet times the cost per square foot, then amortizes that over a 12 month span. For example, if you have 1,000 square feet and the cost per square foot is $12, the annual lease amount would be $12,000. Divided by 12 months the monthly lease payment would be $1,000. Again, this is a simplified scenario. These days most commercial leases include additional factors that affect the final price, such as a monthly percentage of your gross sales, property tax and rent increases, operating expense es-

calations, common area charges, etc.

Who is responsible for paying what? It’s important that you understand exactly what you are paying for and what expenses the landlord will cover.

Are you responsible for any costs other than the rent? Are you responsible for paying for your own utilities and garbage pickup, for example? Will you have to pay for window washing and janitorial service? Who pays for repairs if the air conditioner goes on the fritz? Chances are you do. It’s good to understand that ahead of time.

Can the monthly payment go up at anytime? It’s typical that a lease contain what’s known as an “escalation clause” that allows the landlord to pass on increased building operating expenses to the tenants. If your lease contains such a clause you should ask for a cap on the amount the lease payment may rise over a given period of time and an accounting of the items that are forcing the increase.

Will my rent increase every year? One very important factor to know is if and when, and by how

Exactly how much space are you leasing? What day of the month is the rent due and what’s the extra fee if you’re late? Who is responsible for repairs?

What common areas will you have access to? Who is responsible for maintaining things like keep-

ing the shared restrooms stocked with soap, towels, and most importantly, toilet paper?

A small detail to consider, except when you suddenly find yourself without such amenities at the wrong time. (tiM KNox foR buSiNESS KNow-how)

Davao ICon aims at projecting a positive impression for Mindanao

By Kathy Klye Tupas/DCCCII Media

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hE Davao Investment Conference (Davao ICon) spearheaded by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) aims to project a positive impression for Mindanao towards foreign investors and businessmen who will be flocking to the event this coming november 16-17, 2012 at the SMX Convention Center Davao, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City.

Davao, dubbed as one of the most livable and peaceful city in the Philippines and considered as the premier hub and center of trade in Mindanao, takes the lead in inviting investors to take a look at the prevailing opportunities that other regions in Mindanao can offer. Thus, chances for the untapped

regions to present and share their investment potentials are set during the conference.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim in Mindanao (ARMM) shall turn the spotlight on the probable investment areas and the positive developments that their region has attained.

Furthermore, they will be presenting the Economic Prospects on Mindanao 2020: An ARMM Outlook.

At the end of the conference, the event is expected to impress upon the delegates a positive outlook towards Mindanao and will hopefully pave the way for more businessmen and companies to invest, and more local and foreign tourists to visit Davao and the whole of Mindanao.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

EDGEDAVAO Facebook’s billion: Are you being served?

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

Commentary

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EDITORIAL

Less spending is cool

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hREE of the four governors in the Davao region, also called Region 11, are unopposed in their bid to rule their respective jurisdictions for their third and last three-year term. They are Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario of Davao del norte, Gov. Arthur T. Uy of Compostela Valley and Gov. Corazon n. Malanyaon of Davao Oriental.

The only bone of contention is the governorship in Davao del Sur, where the fight is between incumbent Rep. Marc Cagas, son of Gov. Douglas Cagas, and former Rep. Claude Bautista. The electorate of Davao del Sur has become accustomed to the governorship’s being hotly contested because the intense rivalry between the Cagases and the Bautistas is a protracted one. Douglas, or “Dodo,” and Claude fought twice for the position, in 2007 and 2010. Douglas won over Claude each time, but now, he has bequeathed the fight against Bautista to son Marc who still has one term to serve as member of Congress before being barred by law to run for a fourth term. Perhaps for Claude Bautista, this third fight for the governorship is worth a try, claiming in an electoral protest that he was the real winner in his second tussle with Douglas in 2010.

The May 2013 election in Davao del Sur will be “bloody” in terms of spending for both the Cagases and the Bautistas. Two other Bautistas are running

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for reelection –brother Benjamin Jr. for mayor in Malita and Franklin for congressman of the second district. On the other hand, Douglas will run for Digos City mayor, while wife Mercedes, now a boardmember, will vie for the Congress seat to be vacated by son Marc. Money, hopefully not blood, will certainly flow here.

In the three other provinces, it will be less costly for governors del Rosario, Uy and Malanyaon, because their ally representatives are also unopposed.

Why are these governors unopposed? One educated guess is that they have performed well, or perceived to be so, in their first two terms. There are not too many hot issues that can be brought against them by their political rivals. Another reason is that no local political parties and individuals with money and charisma strong enough to oppose them in their traditional strongholds.

In a mid-term election, there are no presidential bets to extend financial support to local candidates. This is still another reason the local opposition is weak.

Yes, maybe, just maybe, a midterm election like the May 2013 exercise is cool because politicians won’t need to spend so much money they have to recover later on from only God knows where.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

RAMON M. MAXEy Consultant kENNETH IRVING k. ONG Creative Solutions

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate

CARLO P. MALLO Features and Lifestyle

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. • JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA Photography

JADE C. ZALDIVAR • VICky BERDINA M. DE GuZMAN ANTHONy S. ALLADA • AQuILES Z. ZONIO 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 • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

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By John C ABell

ACEBOOK has reached an almost unimaginable milestone: 1 billion people are active users. It is hard to get your head around that number, which represents one-seventh of the world’s population (and not every one of us even has Internet access). It’s almost half the total number of people estimated to be on the Web at the beginning of this year.

Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg can’t quite seem to comprehend it: “It’s really humbling to get a billion people to do anything.”

But despite gangbuster growth, Facebook is based on a tricky business model: The more they use members’ shared information to target them for advertisers and marketers, the less members are likely to go along, and the more they’ll realize the bargain they’ve struck.

Just as Facebook effectively redefined “Friend,” it is pushing the boundaries of the public-private divide.

So it’s a fine line they have to walk, promising granular, voluminous, robust member data that has real value in the marketplace, while reassuring members there’s nothing to worry about.

Facebook does the latter primarily by not drawing attention to the issue at all. It has over the years changed things in ways that consistently favor increased sharing, putting the onus on members to opt out. Tech writers scream bloody murder, and yet (shockingly!) membership still rises.

But what would happen if Facebook actually offered a clear-cut choice to all of its 1 billion members?

Suppose the next time every member signed on, he or she were faced with a simple white page offering two clear choices. One choice would be: “I want to share my information only with people I designate as friends.” The other would be: “Facebook can give my information to whomever it wants, subject only to law.”

You wouldn’t be able to access your account until you chose. Facebook would be bound to honor each individual choice – the majority wouldn’t rule. how would you answer? What do you think the final tally would be?

Even if a minority of Facebook’s members chose the “friends only” option, that number would still be vast enough to wreak havoc on Facebook’s business plan. Clearly Facebook’s current revenues don’t exactly support its current valuation, but everyone who bought in was making a bet on the future. It is the future that remains in doubt, since there isn’t even a plan to execute. But one recent estimate says that if social advertising succeeds, Facebook could quintuple ad revenue to $21 billion in five years. That analysis, based on research by Carlos Kirjner, would value Facebook at $141 billion in a few years.

That number drops if Facebook can’t share all of its users’ data with advertisers.

Facebook won’t put this to the test, of course, because it would be suicide.

Even raising the question of whether users want to trust Facebook could sow seeds of doubt in users’ minds. Facebook would have nothing to gain and everything to lose. It already offers a range of privacy controls, and if you have the stomach to wade through dozens of choices, you can lead a very private Facebook existence.

Most people don’t bother, of course, but it’s probably not because they have given the matter a whole lot of thought.

EDGEDAVAO

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large sections of the new consumer economy work.

Coffee connoisseurs realized the coffeeshop business would do well anywhere in the country’s different bustling metropolis because coffee drinkers would never find such a place to sit, chat and relax. Furthermore, success in the business would require entrepreneurs to sell pricey coffee to a beverage-drinking nation. In every corner of every town and city across the country, you can buy a bottle or a can of softdrink for about P18. Coffeeshops on the other hand were asking customers to pay P80 for a cup of brewed coffee or P120 for a cappuccino. But culture shift was working in favor of the coffeeshop entrepreneurs.

Thanks to inroads by modern communication technology, cable television and foreign brands. Business analysts and economists say “Filipino consumers nowadays want to do what the rest of the country and the world are doing.”

And here’s more about coffee and tea – one of the world’s best and finest. Browsing Davao City’s hundreds of coffeeshops in search of the prefect cup of brew? Save yourself some time and effort and make straight for Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL) located at the newly-opened SM Premier in Lanang.

CBTL is now the undisputed choice of the

city’s coffee cognoscenti. Coffee specialists CBTL president Walden Chu and managing director Allen Tan describe the company as one of the pioneers in the coffee industry.

The CBTL at SM Premier is the company’s second outlet in the city and 50th branch worldwide, which likewise coincides with its 50th anniversary in the coffeeshop venture.

According to the two coffee buffs, it was just a matter of time before the company would open another branch in the city. The eponymous coffeehouse has been a roaring success ever since – that was almost 50 years ago when it opened its first outlet in California.

The secret of CBTL’s success is the product itself, Chu and Tan proudly say. The beans are imported fresh, home-roasted or thrown away out once it had been stocked more than the required number of days. It’s the kind of quality control that keeps customers from coming back. There are lots of coffee tastes to choose from: light and subtle, rich and smooth, dark and distinctive, flavored and decaffeinated. The company certainly believes in precision and doing things wholeheartedly and coffee fanatics in Davao City will certainly drink to that.

Customers at the same time would enjoy the richness and aroma of whole tea leaf goodness. CBTL offers a variety of the world’s best and finest tea: black tea, green tea, flavored tea, flavored green tea, oolong tea, fruit infusion, herbal infusion and decaffeinated teas. As we’ve mentioned earlier, one would never find such a place to sit, chat and relax – sipping a cup of the best and finest coffee and tea.

SpeCial Feature

provement in fund utilization, Moya said the government could save P30 billion annually from its personnel services. he said the efficiency would come from the full disclosure in the number of all employees and the centralized processing of statutory payment or those that need to be paid to the Government Insurance Service System (GSIS), Philhealth and Pag-IBIG. “From there we can plan our budget more efficiently so that we spend the exact amount to the agencies,” he said.

Because this is the payroll system for the government, Moya said the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) would be the main provider of banking services for this system but he pointed out that the payroll system “can be handed by any banks.”

Moya admits that the government cannot implement the program 100 percent nationwide immediately on issues of internet connection and geographical locations.

“We’ll look for a special approach for those who really cannot be included in the system but there’s no need to hold the program only because the system cannot be implemented 100 percent. What is important is majority of our employees are in highly urbanized areas specifically in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized centers,” he said.

Moya is “very confident” that the program will be rolled out in 2014.

“We expect some push back from some institutions primarily because they already have a system and changing that system will take time…If we fail we still have 2015 and 2016 to catch up. So I’m very confident that this will be implemented under this administration,” he said. [PnA]

Rolling out the national payroll system

ITh about 1.3-1.5 million members of the country’s labor force, it is understandable for the Aquino administration to ensure that the people’s money is used properly and not wasted on ghost employees, among others.

And the best way to ensure this is through the use of a national payroll system, which is targeted to be used by agencies under the Executive branch by 2014.

The system is being pilot-tested since the second quarter of 2012 at the national Computer Center (nCC), the Department of Science and Technology- Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), the Department of Budget and Management (DMB), the Department of Finance (DoF) and the Commission on Audit (COA).

Personnel services budget amounts to about P600 billion a year and Budget and Management Undersecretary Richard Moya said this accounts to about onethird of the government’s annual budget.

Moya said the system was pilot-tested in the six agencies since they were involved in the formulation of the prototype to getting hold of the records of all government expenditures.

The program was initially eyed to be implemented by 2013 but some glitches turned up during the dry-run.

Of the six agencies, the nCC, DOST-ASTI, BTr, and DoF continue to test the payroll system.

Moya said issues on employees’ records are found in DBM and COA but these are now being addressed. The two agencies are expected to do parallel runs on the software soon.

The DBM executive said about three or four of the agencies were expected “go to live” or are expected to formally use

By JoAnn SAntiAgo system by end 2012.

“We’d rather delay its implementation a bit to correct issues that have cropped up rather than stick with the 2013 deadline and increase the chances of failure in the future,” Moya said.

With the issue of cyber safety in mind, Moya said the centralized payroll system being formulated now would be cyber crime-free because since it was not a public site.

Moya said the government “haven’t spent a lot” in the preparation of the payroll system because the system being tested was formulated by people from nCC with the help of experts from the US Treasury, Australia and Brazil among others.

“But eventually we need to get an enterprise-grade, fully-redundant, fully-secured, high availability infrastructure,” he said.

“Some people are genuinely wanting to help us. Some see our momentum and then since they see our momentum and we are a growing economy it’s their interest to ensure that all our transparency initiatives are done,” he said.

The DBM executive clarified that implementation of a national payroll system is not aimed at putting in a centralized processing of government employees’ salaries but only the use of a single software that would capture expenditures of all the agencies under the Executive branch.

For one, the system is eyed to increase efficiency in fund utilization.

Citing as example a five percent im-

9

Crisis, what crisis?

Symbol of new consumer economy

PWARD COFFEEShOP VEnTURE – We have to take a brief respite from political issues now that the hoopla has finally simmered down right after the filing of certificate of candidacy (COCs). So folks, it’s back to business. no business in the country, Davao City in particular that symbolizes the new consumer economy better than the coffeeshop venture. Few coffee joints opened their doors on quiet lanes in the city five years ago. Today, many homegrown, well-established local as well as foreign brands opened in different locations around the city – in shopping malls, hotels, entertainment centers and commercial areas.

Sales have been growing 65 to 70 percent according to economists and coffee joint owners. Coffee companies notably the global marketers have to cater to local taste, which can take some doing. Even the homegrown coffeeshop proprietors adapt to the latest trend. One popular fruit-flavored coffee taste in the city is so customized to the local flavor that visitors especially foreigners would scarcely recognize it. Meanwhile other coffeeshop establishments likewise tried introducing ‘simply the best’ alternatives.

Try stepping inside among the perpetually jam-packed coffeeshops in the city’s busy commercial centers and you’ll find plenty of examples of the yuppie group and the typical emerging middle-class big spenders: clad in fashionable and signature jeans, jabbering expensive mobile phones, other full-featured electronic gadgets and drinking overpriced lattes. Consumers especially the younger set of coffee lovers are actually reshaping how

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

opinion

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By hugo Dixon

hE credit crisis burst into the open five years ago. The euro crisis has been rumbling for over two years. The term “crisis” isn’t just on everybody’s lips in finance. Wherever one turns – politics, business, medicine, ecology, psychology, in fact virtually every field of human activity – people talk about crises. But what are they, how do they develop and what can people do to change their course?

The first thing to say is that a crisis is not just a bad situation. When the word is used that way, it is devalued. The etymology is from the ancient Greek: krisis, or judgment. The Greek Orthodox Church uses the term when it talks about the Final Judgment – when sinners go to hell but the virtuous end up in heaven. The Chinese have a similar concept: the characters for crisis represent danger and opportunity.

A crisis is a point when people have to make rapid choices under extreme pressure, normally after something unhealthy has been exposed in a system. To use two other Greek words, one path can lead to chaos; another to catharsis or purification.

A crisis is certainly a test of character. It can be scary. Think of wars; environmental disasters that destroy civilisations of the sort charted in Jared Diamond’s book Collapse; mass unemployment; or individual depression that triggers suicide.

But the outcome can also be beneficial. This applies whether one is managing the aftermath of Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, the current euro crisis, the blow-up of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico or an individual’s mid-life crisis. Much depends on how the protagonists act.

Students of crises are fond of dividing them into phases. For example, Charles Kindleberger’s Manias, Panics, and Crashes identifies five phases of a financial crisis: an exogenous, normally positive, shock to the system; a bubble when people exaggerate the benefits of that shock; distress when some financiers realise that the game cannot last; the crash; and finally a depression.

While there is much to commend in Kindleberger’s system, it is too rigid to account for all crises in all fields. It also downplays the possibility that decision-makers can change the course of a crisis. A more flexible scheme that leaves space for human agency to affect how events turn out has two just phases: the bubble and the crash.

The bubble is typically characterised by mania and denial. Things are going well – or, at least, appear to be. Feedback loops end up magnifying confidence. In corporations or politics, bosses surround themselves with lackeys who tell them how brilliant they are. In finance, leverage plays a big part.

This is not healthy. Manic individuals don’t know their limitations and end up taking excessive risks – whether on a personal level or in managing an organisation or an entire economy. As the ancient Greeks said, hubris comes before nemesis.

But before that, there is denial. People do not wish to recognise that there is a fundamental sickness in a system, especially when they are doing so well. For example, back in 2007 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the greed was palpable.

Market participants had such a strong interest in keeping the game going that they turned a blind eye to the unsustainable buildup of leverage.

The ethical imperative in this phase is to burst the bubble before it gets too big. That, in turn, means both being able to spot a bubble and having the courage to stop the party before it gets out of hand. neither is easy. It’s hard to recognise a sickness given that there is usually some ideology which explains away the mania as a new normal. The few naysayers can be ridiculed by those who benefit from the continuation of the status quo.

What’s more, politicians, business leaders and investors rarely have long-term horizons. So even if they have an inkling that things aren’t sustainable, they may still have an incentive to prolong the bubble.

The crash, by contrast, is characterised by panic and scapegoating. People fear that the system could collapse. negative feedback loops are in operation: the loss of confidence breeds further losses in confidence. This is apparent on an individual level as much as a macro one.

Events move extremely fast and decisions have to be taken rapidly. Witness the succession of weekend crisis meetings after Lehman went bust – or the endless euro crisis summits. The key challenge is to take effective decisions that avoid vicious spirals while not embracing short-term fixes that fail to address the fundamental issues. With the euro crisis:, for example, it is important to improve competitiveness with structural reforms not just rely on liquidity injections from the European Central Bank.

In this phase, there is no denial that there is a problem. But there is often no agreement over what has gone wrong. Protagonists are reluctant to accept their share of responsibility but, instead, seek to blame others. Such scapegoating, though, prevents people from reforming a system fundamentally so that similar crises don’t recur.

Crises will always be a feature of life. The best that humanity can do is to make sure it doesn’t repeat the same ones. And the main way to evolve – both during a bubble and after a crash – is to strive to be honest about what is sick in a system. That way, crises won’t go to waste.

10 NATION/WORLD NATION BRIEFS

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Peaceful

hE Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) might just have its most peaceful elections in history with the recent breakthrough in the peace talks between the government and Muslim rebels in Mindanao.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said President Benigno “noynoy” Aquino III’s announcement of a framework agreement between his administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could lessen election-related violence in the region for May midterm polls.

Fastest-growing

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hE Philippines is now considered as the fastest-growing market for smartphones in Southeast Asia, with a staggering 326 percent increase in smartphone sales over the last 12 months.

According to Singapore-based research firm GfK, the country recorded the highest jump in smartphone market share among its neighboring countries in the region, growing from nine to 24 percent.

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Progress

hE Philippines is expected to achieve significant progress in its fight against human trafficking, as Senate approves Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act on third and final reading.

At the same time, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile urged President Benigno “noynoy” Aquino III to immediately enact the bill, which is seen to strengthen existing laws against human trafficking.

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Debate

FTER turning up the heat in the legislative chambers, debate on the Reproductive health (Rh) Bill now seems to have found itself in the academe and threatens to pit universities against each other.

The University of Santo Tomas’ student publication on Sept. 30 published an editorial slamming fellow Catholic schools Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University, where some members of the faculty issued statements supporting the controversial measure.

h

EDGEDAVAO

PHL among S.East T Asia’s ‘New Tigers’

WORLD TODAY

T

hE Philippines’ recovery from the Asian financial crisis and its high potential for growth has prodded a business website to name it one of the “new Tigers” in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines, as well as Indonesia, have “come of age” and are “poised to drive future growth and grab more economic power,”Market Watch said.

“In an economically vibrant Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines stand out as the region’s ‘new Tigers’ with the potential to leave a bigger imprint on global growth for years to come while the developed world struggles with excess debt and traditional regional heavyweights China and India lose momentum,” it added.

This review of the Philippines is the latest in a string of recent positive assessments and forecasts, most of them noting deep-seated governance reforms and its impact on ease of doing

A view of EDSA during the rush hour. [Photo CouRtESy of yEN bAEt] business. tage, it added.

The Philippines and national debt also Indonesia’s edge over remains low in the Philother countries in the re- ippines and Indonesia gion, Market Watch said, compared to countries in include “large and young the West, “leaving both labor force, an expanding enough room to boost middle class and... elect- their economies in case ed governments with of need,” the report said.

Market Watch also policies inspiring invesnoted that the two countor confidence.”

Sturdy banks and tries’ stock markets “are enough foreign exchange among the world’s best reserves also put the performing since the end countries at an advan- of 2008.”

S

In messages read out at an annual bilateral “friendship” meeting in Seoul, neither President Lee Myung-bak nor Prime Minister Yoshihiko noda directly addressed the dispute over an isolated island chain by name.

n Marking the two countries’ takeoff, Market Watch said, is their leap from borrower to lender status in the International Monetary Fund, with each pledging $1 billion to replenish the multilateral bank’s funds.

This, as Market Watch noted that the IMF bailed out the two countries during the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s.

S.Korea, Japan swap ‘cool’ diplomatic advice OUTh Korea’s president and Japan’s premier exchanged advice Monday on remaining “mature” and “cool-headed” but offered no concessions over a bitter territorial row that has soured relations.

Slashed

hE World Bank on Monday slashed its 2012 growth forecast for developing countries in East Asia and the Pacific to 7.2 percent, dragged down

by China’s worst economic performance in 13 years.

It said China’s economy would grow just 7.7 percent this year, down from 9.3 percent in 2011 and its slowest rate since 1999, but added that stimulus measures would help push it back above the crucial 8.0 percent mark in 2013.

Attacked

ACKERS incensed by the Philippines’ controversial cybercrime law have attacked government sites that deliver emergency information during natural disasters, an official said Saturday.

President Benigno Aquino’s spokeswoman Abigail Valte appealed for a stop to the attacks, on the websites and social media accounts of the weather service, the earthquake and tsunami monitoring service and the social welfare agency.

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

COOL-HEADED. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, pictured here in September, exchanged advice with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Monday on remaining “mature” and “cool-headed” but offered no concessions over a bitter territorial row that has soured relations.[AfP]

But the issue was clearly referenced in language couched in diplomatic niceties.

“From a broad perspective and based on the idea of taking a cool-headed approach, Japan and Korea must make efforts to build a stable relationship,” noda said in his written remarks.

Japan was infuriated

by Lee’s visit in August to the island chain, known as the Dokdo islands in Korean and the Takeshima islands in Japanese.

Tokyo said the visit -the first ever by a South Korean president -- was deliberately provocative and noda, at the time, labelled it “extremely deplorable.”

The islands, which lie between the two countries, are occupied by South Korea but claimed by both.

In his remarks, Lee stressed the need to build “a mature partnership ... with the courage and wisdom to look squarely at history and sincere action backing it up.”

Seoul insists Tokyo’s claim to the islands is erroneously founded in Japan’s 1910-45 colonial

rule over South Korea.

Back in August, Lee said he had visited the islands to press Tokyo to settle lingering colonial grievances, including the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II. he had also stated that Japanese Emperor Akihito would have to personally apologise for the excesses if he ever wanted to visit South Korea.

The visit and Lee’s comments sent bilateral relations -- which have often been tense, despite close economic ties -- into freefall, and triggered a fierce propaganda war over the territorial issue.

Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, who attended Monday’s event in Seoul, was scheduled to meet Lee later in the day, with media reports that the island row would top of the agenda.

Japan is also embroiled in a high-stakes row with China over a different set of disputed islands in the East China Sea, which are also claimed by Taiwan. [AfP]

Islamist

IGERIAn forces said on Monday they killed 30 members of Islamist sect Boko haram, including a senior commander, and arrested 10 others in a weekend raid on the northeastern city of Damaturu.

Boko haram is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan’s government with the avowed aim of reviving an ancient Islamic kingdom in majority Muslim northern nigeria.

T

Vulnerable

hE incursion by an unmanned aircraft into Israeli airspace at the weekend exposed the weakness of Israeli air defences, an Iranian military official was quoted as saying on Monday.

The Israeli air force shot down a drone on Saturday after it crossed into southern Israel, the military said, but it remained unclear where the aircraft had come from.

U

Warned

n Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Monday of a “dangerous’ fallout from spiralling violence along the Syrian-Turkish border, as regime troops shelled rebel bastions across Syria leaving dozens dead.

“The escalation of the conflict along the Syrian-Turkish border and the impact of the crisis on Lebanon are extremely dangerous,” Ban said at the opening of the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, France.

V

Victorious

EnEZUELAn President hugo Chavez shrugged off cancer and a unified opposition to triumph yet again at the ballot box and claim another six-year mandate to pursue his oil-funded socialist revolution.

Sunday proved a sterner test than previous elections in Chavez’s 14-year tenure, but the bombastic anti-American leftist emerged victorious again despite health scares, growing discontent and a strong opposition challenge.

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 156 •TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

AFP..

Land...

FFROM 1

peace advocates are happy that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the MILF have come up with a 13-page framework agreement on the Bangsamoro that has been widely publicized in the official gazette and available in the internet.

She urged all citizens to participate in intense discussions of the document as part of the collective effort to build a strong constituency for peace in Mindanao.

“This is an open document, open for scrutiny, open for discussion para masabtan sa tanan natong kaigsoonan,” Arnado said.

She also appealed for media’s help in the public discussion so the document and what it means will be understood by all before the formal signing of a peace accord soon.

“The biggest challenge to all of us now is how we can help in making this peace document a reality,” the MPC executive director said.

“This is what we peace advocates have been hankering for, a forward move toward the final attainment of peace in Mindanao,” said former partylist Rep. Pat M. Sarenas, now chairperson of the Mindanao Coalition of Development nGOs (Mincode).

Calling the document a breakthrough in the decades long conflict and the peace process, Ms Sarenas said all

Gaisano...

FFROM 1 stakeholders in Mindanao and the rest of the country should make the work of the transition commission jointly composed of Philippine government officials and representatives of the MILF easier and expeditious by participating actively in the discussions.

“The eventual achievement of a peace accord has always been included in the operational plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, that is why our soldiers are always ready for peace and the things that we have to do during peacetime,” Col. Eduardo del Leon, spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) said during the Kapehan dialogue.

Peace is what soldiers dream for Mindanao, he said, adding that peace will allow soldiers to concentrate on other important things that have to be done, and preparedness for disasters is just one of them.

“You don’t know how happy soldiers are about this positive development,” De Leon said in Pilipino. “Ito na yong matagal na matagal na naming inaasam-asam at ng aming mga pamilya.”

“During the rally this morning, we were so happy to see soldiers without arms but only documents in their hands,” said Baileng Mantawil of the Bangsamoro Women.

“This framework agreement is a welcome develop-

ment in the search for peace in Mindanao, she said, adding “we are so happy this seems to have happened so fast and beyond the expectations of us who accepted the fact that the peace process could take a long, long time.”

We always doubted the words of politicians about the peace process and so the framework comes as a pleasant surprise to us.” The Bangsamoro woman leader said.

Jinggoy Candelaria of the national Secretariat of Coalition for Citizens Constitution (C4C) said that the achievement of peace in Mindanao and the formation of new Bangsamoro entity augurs well for the advocacy for constitiutional changes to pave the way for asymmetric federalism, a gradual change to federalism starting with decentralization.

The group also agreed that the peace accord will have a telling effect on the effort of the government to strike peace with the communists through the GPh-national Democratic Front negotiator. “ I’m sure the nPA/nDF panel is watching for developments. The nDF should take the cue from the breakthrough development in the talks with the MILF. They should withdraw their unreasonable demands. Makikita natin kapag merong sinserong usapan, meron tayong mararating,” Col. de Leon said. AMA

“This award is given to Mayor Marcelino Perandos for his outstanding support, commitment and active involvement in the promotion of voluntary blood donation for three consecutive years towards the achievement of

the vision of RA 7719, otherwise known as the national Blood Services Act of 1994,” reads the plaque he received on July 14, 2012 in Pasay City. ASA

speed automatic, the Vios is responsive and smooth and partners well with the engine. It’s tuned to minimize revving, so the cabin is kept muted most of the time. Despite losing one gear against the City, the Vios exhibits a commendable 11.23 km/L in similar driving situation. Aside from the smooth engine and responsive transmission, the ride is dampened without being too isolated. It modulates itself well, absorbing sharp and abrupt road imperfections while keeping some degree of enthusiastic handling. The brakes do their job better than the City because of the wider tires. The quick-witted steering may be good for slower speeds and parking situations, but it feels somewhat disconnected at higher speeds, limiting this car’s fun-to-

drive factor.

Winner: TIE Value for Money Before, pricing a sub-compact sedan above the psychological P 800,000 barrier is a shot in the foot. however, both the honda City and the Toyota Vios break the mold, pricing their respective range-toppers at P 836,000 and P 820,000 respectively.

Still, both of these cars offer remarkably similar features inside and out. Outside, both have 15-inch alloys and front fog lamps. Inside, leather steering wheel with controls for the audio system, multi-information display, and high quality fabric seats are standard on both cars. Even in the realm of safety, both cars feature dual SRS airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, and anti-lock brakes.

FFROM 2

program as priority, Perandos became a hall of Famer in the 14th national Sandugo Outstanding Local Government Executive search, an award given by the Department of health and the Philippine Red Cross.

2012..

FFROM 14

does respond well enough.

When you’re not pretending to be a racer, the City exhibits a very refined personality.

The low speed ride is good and it rides bumps very well. At higher speeds, the City still feels stable. There’s noticeable body roll when cornering, but that’s a more than acceptable trade-off.

After a week’s worth of driving, the City averaged about 11.52 km/L in an urban environment.

Though sharing the same displacement as the honda, the Toyota Vios’s engine relies on a broad torque curve rather than peak power to pull itself forward. The result is smooth takeoffs from standstill while giving adequate overtaking acceleration when needed. It doesn’t’ like to be revved and it sound asthmatic beyond 4,000 rpm. With the four-

For over two weeks after her relief, Cruzabra allegedly continues signing land titles for housing developers and work overtime along with some employees.

Pescadera said she was not allowed to hold office occupied by Cruzabra and that she has appealed to their main office to implement the administrative order installing her as the new register of deeds.

“In the interest of the service and effective immediately, Atty. Ma. Theresa B. Pescadera, Register of Deeds III, is hereby designated

Gensan...

Acting Register of Deeds of Davao City. She shall perform the duties and responsibilities attached to this designation and shall receive Representation Allowance and Transportation Allowance (Rata) appurtenant thereto, subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations,” was the content of the administrative order signed by Diaz.

“This order supercedes all previous orders issued inconsistent herewith, takes effect immediately and remains in force until further orders,” the order further

said.

The LRA is mandated to issue decrees of registration and certificates of titles and register documents, patents and other land transactions for the benefit of landowners, Agrarian Reform-beneficiaries and the registering public in general.

It provides a secure, stable and trustworthy record of land ownership and recorded interests therein so as to promote social and economic well-being and contribute to national development. ASA

was about P33 million,” Reyes said.

The mobile hospital and rescuer truck were purchased using calamity fund, while the amount used in buying dumptruck came from regular fund.

The mobile hospital will be assigned at the General Santos City hospital, while the rescue truck will be placed under the control of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

The mobile hospital, equipped with complete set of medical gadgets, was purchased at P15 million, while the rescue truck, also with complete set of first aid and rescue facilities, was bought at P12 million.

According to Reyes, the City Engineer’s Office currently has a total of 10 heavy equipment. however, he said, four of these equipment are currently undergoing repair in Davao City, the other three had also bogged down and only the remaining three are in good running condition.

“The rehabilitation of four heavy equipment is expected to be finished before December. The three others are scheduled for repair in Davao City. By middle of next year, we are expecting that the rehabilitation of all our heavy equipment shall have been completed,” Reyes said. [AquiLES Z.

Initial investigation conducted by the Makar Police Station showed that the suspect is an employee of Barangay Apopong here.

The police refused to divulge the identity of the suspect at the moment.

The police are eyeing

jealousy as possible motive behind the tragedy, but are expecting to arrest the assailant anytime soon.

Pacquiao, who was in his residence in Kiamba town, Sarangani, has not yet issued any statement on the incident.

FFROM 2

being repaired,” Reyes said, adding that the city government managed to save lots of people’s money as the equipment was brought in tax free.

“The city government through the initiative of mayor Custodio opened a letter of credit with the Land Bank to be able to transport the heavy equipment from abroad tax free,” Reyes said.

The city engineer further revealed that more heavy equipment are due to arrive before year ends.

“We have three more heavy equipment coming.

These are comprised of a mobile hospital, a dump truck and a rescue truck.

The total purchase price

Pacman...

ZoNio]

FFROM 2

along with him Cabaniog and her two children.

“The woman was pleading for help from us because she didn’t want to go with the suspect, but the latter warned us not to intervene,” another witness, who refused to be identified, said.

Edge Davao hiring editor, 3 reporters EDGE DAVAO is in need of an editor and three staffwriters/reporters for its expansion program.

The reporters will be assigned to the business, science/environment and political beats.

On the other hand, the editor will supervise the reporters and do gate-keeping tasks.

Applicant must be a graduate of a four- year college course. For reporters, experience is not needed although preferable. The editor should have at least one-year experience in editing.

Interested parties may send their application letter to Mr. Antonio M. Ajero, Edge Davao editor, thru email address ajero_antonio@yahoo.com. For inquiries, please call Mr. Ajero thru mobile phone 09052422686 or landline 221-3601.

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6) 27,411 sq m commercial/industrial lot along the national highway in Bincungan, tagum City. 7) 116.15 to 245.92 sq meters , at P5.5M to P12.3M commercial/office condo units in Bajada, Davao City. 8) 699 to 1,117 sq m at P4,100/sq m commercial lots at Josefina Town Center, along the national highway, Dumoy, toril. 9) Ready-forOccupancy Residential Properties: 4BR/3T&B in a 240 sq m lot with 177.31sqm floor area (2-storey) at P4.8M in an exclusive beachfront community in Dumoy, Toril.; 3BR 2-storey in a 71.25 sq m 2-storey in a 143sq m lot in an exclusive flower village in Maa, Davao City; 180 sq m lots with 71.25sqm to 126.42 sq m floor areas, priced at P3.751M to P5.773M in an exclusive mountain resort community along Matina, Diversion Road. 10) 1BR/2BR residential condo units located in Bolton, Maa, obrero, Davao City. 11) FOR ASSUME (RUSH): 1BR res’l condo unit in Palmetto, Maa. P600K negotiable. Note: Items 1-9 can be paid in cash, in-house or bank financing. If interested, please call Jay (PRC REB Lic. 8237) at 0922851-5337 (Sun), 0908-883-8832 (Smart) or send email to propertiesindavao@yahoo.com.

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EDGEDAVAO 14 MOTORING 2012 Honda City 1.5 E vs 2012 Toyota Vios 1.5 G VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

Y

OU’RE A dean’s lister and you’ve been bugging your parents for a reward. With the semester starting again soon, why don’t you skip the Boracay trip and go for a new car instead? While your folks may be easily tempted by low downpayments and zero interest deals, it’s much more important that your new ride reflects who you are: smart, individual and hip.

And so, let’s put on the cool hat and bring you the refreshed honda City and Toyota Vios—two of the country’s slick but practical cars.

Best of all, these cars won’t have your parents crying, “uncle” with their affordability. But which one of these is the slicker one?

Exterior Undoubtedly, honda has always gotten the mechanical bits right, however judging from the previous generation it seemed to lack the “good looks gene”. The City has always been the aspiring athlete with great potential but not the endorsement attracting face. But the current generation is very different. honda designers have finally given the City killer looks to match the sporty pretentions and has gotten everyone’s attention for all the right reasons. Plus, early this year, honda has given the City a mild refresh further complimenting its sporty and sleek profile. The threebar grille is now finished in chrome and the rear features horizontal strakes in its hexagonal-shaped tail lamps.

On the other hand, the Toyota Vios is the victim of ubiquity. It’s available in just about every color and configuration from taxi cabs to cop cars. Still, a million user-choosers can’t be wrong.

It’s bland, but timeless. It’s sure to weather the test of time very well. But like the City, the Vios has been given a revamped nose thanks to a chromed-up grille with a dark surround. Plus, the

10-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels now feature a gunmetal finish improving the style factor. At the back, the rear lamp cluters now feature a prismatic finish, and the chrome garnish on the trunk has been toned down.

But perhaps, the most welcome change to the Vios is the antenna’s move from a bee-sting type to one that’s printed on the glass. This gives the Vios much better radio reception over the City.

Winner: Honda City Interior and Space The honda City’s daring design gets a bit muddled the moment you enter its’ cabin.

It’s best described as sold but uninteresting. There’s absolutely no soul, but again, there’s nothing you can genuinely criticize. Well, maybe orange-lit controls which are a throwback to cars circa 1990’s. Thankfully the new gauges are downright nice and easy to read. The story’s the same with the Vios’s cabin. But for a much older car, Toyota has done some changes to improve the cabin. For instance, the matte-silver accents are now finished in a high-gloss piano black material. Equally welcome is the new flat-bottom steering wheel which adds some hip room. An advantage of the Vios over the City is the ventilation and audio controls which feel more solid and luxurious. Finally, the Vios has entered the modern audio age with the introduction of an auxiliary input jack. Still, it’s oddly placed near the handbrake with no cradle or box to secure your iPod in. The City still has the connectivity edge with full iPod control via its nicely placed USB port.

The honda City is a nicely packaged car with enough space for five occupants.

Upfront, the room easily matches that of a compact car thanks to the simplified layout of the central cluster which frees millimeters of space. At the back, de-

spite the small rear hump and protruding cup holder, three adults can revel in the available space, though thigh support is a bit lacking. And though fairly minor, it’s good to note that the rear headrests aren’t adjustable, so if you’re on the tall side, better look elsewhere. As for luggage space, there’s enough space in the trunk for the occasional airport run, but not for multiple balik-bayan boxes. Meanwhile, the Toyota Vios isn’t class leading in anyway either, but despite its age, it still gets fairly good marks in its use of available cabin space. For one, there are more cubby holes to put your knickknacks around such as those found behind the central cluster and so forth. Like the City, there’s ample seat adjustment for all occupants, though the Vios has the slight edge for the rear occupants where the flat rear floor and folding cup holder makes way for more knee room. Additionally, the Vios is the only one to offer adjustable rear headrests. Like the City, there’s no 60/40 split-folding rear seats in the Vios and because of the shallower truck, airport trips maybe a bit more hassle. Still, it’s more than enough for everyday use.

Winner: TIE Performance The honda jumps to itsbiggest strength the moment you crank the starter and drive off. The 1.5-liter displacement may seem modest, but it packs quite a punch: 120 horsepower and 145 nm of torque. At lower rpms, it’s nothing extraordinary, but once it opens up, it sounds like how a honda should: refined with a hint of authority. The five-speed automatic means that the honda has better off-the-line acceleration and much more relaxed at highway speeds.

Though geared towards fuel economy than performance, nail the throttle and the car

F2012, 11

US Survey: 10 most accident-prone cars T

hE Insurance Institute for highway Safety offers consumers valuable data about current automobiles.

By compiling and analyzing claims information, the data helps drivers choose the safest vehicle available when considering what car to purchase.

The most recent issue of the IIhS Status Report, published Sept. 20, contains a table of personal injury protection (PIP) claims for cars manufactured between 2009 and 2011. It also ranks the 10 most dangerous cars on the road by that metric.

The data shows that smaller cars were involved in accidents with the most frequency. This is partially a matter of physics, since a small car is more likely than a large car to sustain damage in the event of a collision. But according to Matt Moore, vice president of the highway Loss Data Institute, a driver’s income,

location, and rate of use can also come into play.

“Smaller vehicles are more likely to be in urban areas, and smaller vehicles are likely to be driven more frequently because they’re owned by a single person in a given household,” he said in an interview. “Large cars tend to be owned by drivers who have two or three cars garaged, or more cars than people per household.”

Since a small car is more likely to be driven by a person who is the sole owner, it tends to get driven every day, he said. This increases its odds of being involved in an accident, where a car that’s driven only once a week is exposed to less risk.

Read ahead to see the 10 unluckiest cars in the U.S., according to the IIhS Status Report. All vehicles are 2009-2011 models, and all claim frequencies cited are per 1,000 insured vehicle years.

10. Chevrolet Aveo wagon Claim frequency: 22.3 The Chevrolet Aveo wagon is an inexpensive mini station wagon with a high fuel economy. Those attributes make it attractive to the driver who relies on one car all week.

“If two vehicles are involved in a crash, the smaller vehicle generally fares worse with regard to passenger protection,” Karl Brauer, CEO and editor in chief of the automotive review aggregator Total Car Score, said in an e-mail.

9. nissan Sentra Claim frequency: 23 Like the Aveo, the nissan Sentra is also a small car. According to Brauer, when manufacturers crashtest small cars like the Sentra, they normally test them in collisions with other small cars. This means that crash tests may not be the most reliable indicator of a vehicle’s susceptibility to personal injury crashes.

INdulge!

EVENTS

The beautifully pink fairy wonderland party served as the social debut of Katarina Mikaelle “Nikka”Montemayor Nograles, the unica hija in Congressman Karlo and Marga Nograles’s brood of three kids. The pastel themed celebration was very fitting for a little girl’s first birthday party, complete with bouquets of pearl balloons, scoops of ice cream and other sweets, and a bag full of magic and pixie dust.

Nikka looked so dainty and pretty in her cotton candy pink gown and fairy wings. her fairy friends also came in full regalia --- mini tiara, tutu’s, frilly dresses, wings, and all. The boys, on the other hand, looked handsome and dashing in their prince costumes.

Leading the kiddie games were Nikka’s older brothers, Matteo and Mas-

simo. They moved and danced to the beat of their favourite tunes. They also touched hearts with their short but moving birthday wishes for their little sister.

Three boys and girls were awarded with the best in costume title, which came with additional toy prizes.

Aside from the delectable buffet spread and party games, parents and kids also enjoyed the treats from the activity booths and food carts. The celebration was definitely nothing but spectacular.

The attention to detail and extra surprises were trademarks to the party planning skills of Nikka’s mom,

FNIKKA’S, A4

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

TRAVEL

Myroom.Noticethekingsizedbed.

VOL.5 ISSUE 156 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012

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Fit for a king A luxurious weekend at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra, Siem Reap

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Siem Reap is known for its hot and humid climate and the Sofitel Angkor

Phokeethra is a virtual oasis that shields you from the hot tropical climate.

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The hotel offers 5-star accommodations that combine Khmer and French architectural design, beautifuly landscaped gardens, five restaurants and bars, meeting facilities, a luxury spa and the largest free form swimming pool in Cambodia.

With 238 rooms and 23 suites, each of the hotel’s spacious rooms are elegantly designed with a beautiful views to either the hotel’s gardens, scenic lake, or breathtaking pool. The Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra

Bridgewaytotherooms.

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also has one of Siem Reap’s most impressive ballrooms and can also organize functions at the temples of Angkor, perfect for unforgettable weddings.

So the next time you plan to visit Cambodia, consider the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra as your sanctuary from the jungle.

Freshlymadecroissants.

Breakfastattheoneoftherestaurants.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Seeing music with soul gymnastics TubuRAN INSTITuTe, INC. (TbI) the Steiner Waldorf inspired school in blissful Village, Sitio Sagrada Familia, brgy. Indangan, Davao City is proudly presenting ArteNova Institut eurythmy Youth ensemble’s eurythmy performance, “Transitions” to be held on Friday, October 12, 2012 at the Davao Convention and Trade Center, F. Torres St., Davao City. On that day, Davaoeños will have the opportunity to witness this expressive art movement twice 1) Matinee at 3:00 in the afternoon (P100/ticket) and, 2) Gala at 7:00 in the evening (P200/ticket and P400/ticket).

Moniela Gonzaga dela Cruz, a volunteer of TbI describes eurythmy as a beautiful or harmonious rhythm.

“It’s a form of dance, speech, song, creative expression and body language combined,” she says. For the first time, Davaoenos can enjoy this performance of eurythmy jazzed up with acrobatics, jazz, tango, and other styles. Katherine e. estember, head Teacher of Tb says it’s not every day that ArteNova Institut eurythmy Youth ensemble from Switzerland is going on a Philippine tour and passing by Davao following their recent

debut at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.

Joining the excitement are schools, entrepreneurs, government workers, non-government organizations and people’s organizations engaged in green businesses, environment advocacies, children, conflict-mediation and concerned with total human development. The university of the Immaculate Conception (uIC), the Davao Doctor’s College (DDC), the Ateneo de Davao university (ADDu), the university of the Southeastern Philippines (uSeP), South Point School Davao (SPSD), Tender Years early Childhood Center (TYeCC), and the Philippine Women’s College – Davao (PWCD) are all sending their faculty, staff, and students majoring in education, Psychology, Sociology, Occupational Therapy, Liberal Arts, Physical education, and so on, to learn and experience about eurythmy also known as “soul gymnastics.” “This is a once in a lifetime experience for education Majors!” explains Dr. Lyndon Devero, OSA Director of the PWC – Davao. eurythmy is widely used pedagogically in more than 1,000 Steiner Wal-

dorf schools in over 65 countries to draw out students’ creativity. Athena Masilungan, mother, early childhood teacher, and dancer says, “In my experience with children, I’ve found that eurythmy helps them be attuned with their bodies and find connections and oneness with everything around them. I’ve seen them develop stronger physical bodies, better coordination and a deeper connection to nature.” The result for adults is the same according to hindy Weber Tantoco – mother, wife, teacher, fashion designer, owner of holy Carabao holistic Farms. “I find most use for it in healing, cleansing, and strengthening. The curative aspect of eurythmy

is what speaks to me more because of my needs,” she says. Joy Romualdez Kawpeng, mother, wife, teacher, classical pianist, and music educator will be joining the Swiss artists in Davao City and says, “eurythmy is nothing short of magic for me. but it’s not for free. Like a skill we’ve taught ourselves to learn – as an athlete, artist, or musician – we have to put in effort to see results.”

The three women are part of the first eurythmy basics Training Group in Manila that has been training with Tanja baumgarter, the star of “Transitions.” Ms. baumgarter is a mother of three children who got her training from the Zuccoli eurythmy School

in Dornach. She is the founder of eurythmy Massage that works on the living forces of the body and has been doing extensive eurythmy research on plants and water. She now travels abroad to give practical trainings in eurythmy. For this year’s celebration of 100 years of eurythmy, Ms. baumgarter is going on a Philippine Tour with ArteNova Institut. Davaoenos interested to watch Transitions can contact these numbers 09228938370 (sun), 09177174668 (globe), and 09081535326 (smart) for tickets.

All proceeds of Transitions will help Tuburan Institute, Inc. get off the ground as it embarks on its first school year developing balanced willing, thinking, and feeling. Inspired by the international Steiner Waldorf movement spanning more than 1,000 schools in over 65 countries two (2) college educators, founded Tuburan Institute, Inc. in June 2011. Its doors opened to the first students last June 13, 2012. each year one more level will be added until Class 12 on a proposed 10-hectare campus with children coming from families with different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Liam Neeson and his 10 badass flicks

WE’LL pay you $50 to fight Liam Neeson.

If you agreed to that bet, you are either Darth Maul (more on that in a second) or seriously delusional.

If you hear the name “Neeson”and immediately recall the grief-stricken father who learned to open his heart again in Love, Actually, well, you’re in for a rude awakening when Taken 2 rolls in to theaters tomorrow, guns blazing.

So to prepare for the latest showcase of Liam Neeson badassery, we’ve decided to look at ten of his most killer performances, so far (numbered, but really, in no particular order): 10. Taken: This 2008 action flick was a coming out party of sorts for Liam’s badassery. As Bryan Mills, a seemingly mild mannered dad, Liam traveled to Paris to retrieve his kidnapped daughter, busting out some CIA-level killing skills and off like half the population of Albania.

9. Batman Begins: Anyone who can take Christian Bale’s Batman in a fight deserves some serious street cred. And anyone with a legion of evil ninjas at his disposal officially earns the title of badass, which Liam did playing the League of Shadows’ mysterious Ra’s al Ghul.

8. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace: ObiWan Kenobi may have been space’s only hope, but who taught Obi everything he knew? Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, naturally. And though Darth Maul eventually K.O.ed Qui-Gon, the dude knew how to wield a lightsaber.

7. Battleship: So maybe

Taylor Kitsch’s Lieutenant Alex Hopper does most of the alien ass kicking in this board game-to-big screen adaptation, but anyone who can strike fear in Tim Riggins himself, as Neeson’s Admiral Terrance Shane does, is one bad mamma jamma.

hardly a pacifist. That’s not what makes the king of beasts, voiced by Liam, badass though: Aslan was killed. But didn’t die!

3. The A-Team: Col. John Smith was nicknamed Hannibal, for one. Not after the cannibal, but instead one of the great-

6. Clash of the Titans: As Zeus, leader of the gods on Mount Olympus, Liam punished mere mortals by knocking up their wives (whoopsies!), turning enemies into monsters with lightning and literally unleashing the Kraken. Oh, and he rocked one seriously badass beard.

5. The Grey: What do you do for a living? Oh, you don’t kill wolves when they threaten oil rigs?

Then you’re not as cool as Neeson’s John Ottway, who, after surviving an airplane crash in a blizzard, gets in to mono a mono fights with wolves and faces his mortality like a man.

4. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe: Aslan, the titular Great Lion, might be Narnia’s substitute for Jesus Christ figure, but he’s

est military leaders of all time—that’s pretty intimidating. He also habitually escapes prison, hijacks aircrafts and blows up stuff (like, lots and lots of stuff).

2. Kingdom of Heaven: In the Crusades-centric saga, Neeson plays Baron Godfrey of Ibelin, a man with a big ass sword who knows how to use it. Like, say against a family member (he kills his own nephew, for one). Plus he knights people, which is just plain awesome.

1. Darkman: The stuff of nightmares! And also...a superhero (this ain’t your abtastic Captain America or snarky Iron Man, kids).

Dr. Peyton Westlake was burnt and left for dead by mobsters, only to return with masks made of synthetic skin, super strength and a thirst for revenge. (E! Online)

view with the magazine that she’s more focused on her desire to stay true to her self: “What I do and who I am are two different things. And they always will be. What happens with people is they

lose sight of who they are, and they become either who they want to be or who they are perceived to be.”

Mila added: “I think that if I bought into the hype, I would lose all sight of who I am, and so much of who I am is what my parents went through and instilled in me. And I never want to lose that.

Ever. Because I would be so disappointed if I didn’t make them proud.”

Well, we’re sure the title of Sexiest Woman Alive at least makes Ashton Kutcher proud! (E! Online)

Mila Kunis is Esquire’s sexiest

STEP ASIDE, Rihanna & Minka Kelly!

29-year-old Mila Kunis is taking over the title of sexiest woman alive, as crowned by Esquire magazine, and lending her smoldering look and bare back to the November 2012 cover.

If you’re wondering how Mila feels about the flattering title, well, she’d “rather be scuba diving!”

Or at least so she writes in the racy, sure-to-getviews video of the cover shoot above.

And though many may agree she’s the sexiest, Mila reveals in an inter-

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Marga, as she’s known for putting together the most exciting family and social events. And, knowing how much of a dedicated mom Marga is, she definitely went a notch a higher with this one as she would only settle for nothing but the best for her children.

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Team Philippines off to a bad start in Homeless WC T EAM Philippines dropped its first two matches in the 2012 homeless World Cup Sunday at the Plaza de la Constitución in Zócalo, Mexico City.

Construction worker Jhay-ar Estuaria from Leveriza, Manila scored the Filipinos’ lone goal in their 10-1 defeat against Austria in their first game, while John Paul Cordero from the Leyte-Samar Center for Change hit the net twice in their 11-2 loss to Portugal in their second match of the day.

The homeless World

Cup employs the rules of street soccer, a more fast-paced type of football game. here, the game is played on a much smaller court and only involves four players – one goalkeeper and three outfield players – for each team.

Matches are only composed of two halves and lasts for seven minutes each. In case of ties, the result will be decided on penalty shootouts, leaving no room for draws.

Since the Filipinos arrived in Mexico a day after the start of the tournament, they were moved

Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the 2012 Japanese GP

Vettel wins Japanese GP

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hE reigning champion is now just four points behind with five races to go, and has momentum on his side after back to back victories.

Felipe Massa came through from 10th on the grid to second for his first podium finish in nearly two years.

But for the home crowd everything was insignificant compared to Kamui Kobayashi fending off Jenson Button for his maiden F1 podium in third place, as he equalled the best ever finish for a Japanese driver.

Vettel’s third Suzuka victory in four starts at the venue came easily as several likely challengers were eliminated in a chaotic first lap.

The carnage began when Alonso’s Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus banged wheels on the run to the first corner. That caused damage to the Ferrari and left it spinning into the sand trap.

Kobayashi had thrust

his Sauber between the Red Bulls off the line, and things then got much worse for Mark Webber when Romain Grosjean slid into him at the second corner.

The Lotus driver picked up front wing damage and a 10-second stop/go penalty, while Webber was spun to the back and needed a pitstop for checks.

As the chain reaction unfolded behind, nico Rosberg’s Mercedes was taken out in a clash with Bruno Senna’s Williams.

Once the resultant safety car had come in, Vettel was free to dominate, leading by as much as 20s on his way to a third victory of 2012.

Kobayashi held second until the first pitstops, when both he and the chasing Button were leapfrogged by Massa. Like Button, the Ferrari driver had gained a lot of ground in the first-corner shambles, and once ahead of the McLaren and Sauber, Massa was quick enough to pull away.

from Group C to Group G, which features European sides Portugal, Austria, Romania and Sweden.

The Philippines will next face Romania and Sweden on Monday (Tuesday morning Manila time).

The country has performed well in the competition since first joining in 2008, placing 26th out of 69 nations in the rankings last year.

The homeless World Cup aims to bring change to lives of poor people worldwide through a football event.

Homeless World Cup Team Philippines

PBA suspends referee in Ginebra-RoS duel

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hE PBA has handed down a suspension on referee Jun Marabe upon review of the official’s performance in Ginebra’s 98-94 win Sunday night over Rain or Shine.

Marabe called a crucial foul on Elasto Painters guard Gabe norwood during a loose ball scramble with LA Tenorio,

which Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao protested.

“Referee Marabe is suspended upon review of the call he made on Gabe norwood late in the game between Ginebra and Rain or Shine,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud, adding the official was banned because of “non-observance of the game officials’ respective

areas of jurisdiction to make a call and his disregard of the league’s official guidelines on loose ball situations.”

Marabae will be suspended for three weeks, a period comprised of 11 game days.

Rain or Shine earlier asked for a review of the officiating, but did not file a protest.

“Sanay naman kami na natatalo, but we’re not really happy with the calls last night, particularly that last play where norwood was called for a foul,” said Rain or Shine co-owner Raymond Yu. “It should have been let go by the ref. In my opinion, games should be decided by team and players’ execution and not the refs’ call.”

Messi, Ronaldo shine as Barcelona draws with Madrid

B

ARCELOnA, Spain -- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dueled each other to an entertaining stalemate on Sunday, with both superstars scoring twice as Barcelona drew 2-2 with Real Madrid to keep an eight-point lead over its archrival intact.

The result ended Barcelona’s perfect start to the league campaign as it dropped points for the first time in seven games, but provided yet another memorable chapter in the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, the two biggest names in soccer. ‘’It should be prohibited to say which is the best in the world,’’ Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said. ‘’They are both from another planet.’’

Ronaldo put Madrid ahead at Camp nou stadium in the 23rd from a pass by Karim Benze-

Real Madrid’s Pepe from Portugal, centre left, in action with FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi from Argentina, centre

right, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday.

ma to extend his scoring streak in ‘’clasico’’ matches to six.

Then it was Messi’s turn, as he took advantage of a defensive slip to

level for Barcelona in the 31st, before adding a second goal in the 61st with a perfect free kick from almost 25 yards out.

But as Barcelona

looked to seal the result, Mesut Oezil unlocked Barcelona’s makeshift defensive line to set up Ronaldo to respond five minutes later and split the points.

season game for these new-look Los Angeles Lakers. But the first Nash-toBryant assist also showed all the promise that could await them this season. “he just makes the game easy,” Bryant said later of his new point guard. “It’s a joy for me.

I’ve had to facilitate and score my entire career. I don’t have to do that now and I’m pretty happy about it.”

In Nash’s first game with the Lakers, he and

Bryant looked comfortable from the opening tip.

The Lakers hope their relationship only continues to improve. In previous seasons, the Lakers too often watched as Bryant dribbled out the shot clock before taking a tough, contested shot. nash also should be able to keep L.A.’s big men happy – or at least happier than they were when the offense ran only through Bryant’s hands. Bryant can now spend his energy trying to

get open, knowing that if he does, Nash will find him.

Few, if any, point guards have commanded Bryant’s respect the way nash can.

Bryant also knows it’s in the Lakers – and his – best interest to relinquish some control of the offense. “he’s a great all-around player,” Bryant said. “he just picks his spots. he can still score no matter what the defense is going to give him. If [the defense] is not going to be honest, he’s going to make them pay.”

Hawks dominate Heat Nash bonds quickly with Bryant in his Lakers debut

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TLAnTA -- Josh Smith scored 21 points, Lou Williams added 18 and the Atlanta hawks beat the Miami heat 92-79 in a preseason game Sunday.

Chris Bosh finished with 22 points, and LeBron James had 10 for the defending nBA champion heat, who played without Dwyane Wade as the star guard recovers from surgery on his left knee.

Ray Allen, making Miami debut, had 10 points

and five assists in 27 minutes.

Devin harris (right knee) and Zaza Pachulia (groin) were held out by Atlanta.

Wade is expected to travel with the heat for a seven-day trip to China that will include exhibition games against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday and next Sunday.

James had six rebounds and a game-high six assists in 24 minutes.

F

RESnO, Calif. – Steve nash drove into the lane Sunday night, and just like in all those games from his days with the Phoenix Suns, he immediately drew a crowd.

Three Golden State Warriors defenders collapsed on nash, and suddenly, in the corner of nash’s eye, was Kobe Bryant, across the floor, wide open and waving. Nash rifled a pass to Bryant, who rose up and buried a 3-pointer.

Yes, it was just a pre-

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Orcollo cruises to World Pool q’finals F

ILIPInO cue artist Dennis Orcollo cruised to the quarter-finals of the 2012 World Pool Masters last Sunday at the hala Legionow in Kielce in Southern Poland.

Orcollo stamped his class over world no. 1 Kelly Fisher of England, 8-6.

The Filipino lost the first rack when Fisher got off to a confident start, but Orcollo then proceeded to win the next five racks.

Fisher rallied to take the next two before going down 3-6, and then won the next two to make it 5-6.

Orcollo looked some-

Filipino cue master Dennis Orcullo

what uneasy, but restored his confidence when he won the 12th rack with a confident run-out.

In the next round, Orcollo will meet Mika Immonen of Finland, who brought downed Radoslaw Babica of Poland, 8-7.

“It’s going to be tough in my next match, but I believe I have a great chance to win,” said Orcollo.

Meanwhile, Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan got an early boot in the tournament, as he bowed to Mateusz Sniegocki of Poland, 6-8, in the Final Eight.

Sniegocki became the first player to make it through to the semi-finals

2BR

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after beating Pagulayan.

It was a proper scrap with neither player showing a lot of fluency, and when Pagulayan opened up a 4-1 and then a 5-2 lead, the crowd started to quiet down. Sniegocki then dug deep and cashed in on some sloppy play from Pagulayan to claw back in the match.

A break and run from Sniegocki in the 10th game saw the match go to 5-5. Pagulayan regained the lead in the next rack, but was horrendously out of position with just two balls left on the table, allowing the Pole to make it 6-6.