Edge Davao 5 Issue 219

EDGEDAVAO P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

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LPA nears Davao, Cotabato regions Rains may trigger flashfloods and landslides LPA only 360 kilometers southeast of Davao City

Suburbia

Sports

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HE Low Pressure Area (LPA) earlier expected to hit the Davao and Caraga regions is moving towards the Davao and the Cotabato regions.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in its weather advisory issued at 5 p.m. yesterday said the LPA was estimated at 360 kilometers southeast of Davao City as of 4 p.m. embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

The weather disturbance is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms in

Susmarya!!

FLPA, 11

Page 16

ROUTINE PATROL. Task Force Davao personnel with the help of some beach goers try to dock their patrol boat after a routine patrol of the Davao City’s sea coast to prevent bad elements from smuggling illegal goods such as firearms and illegal drugs yesterday in Barangay 76-A Bucana. LEAN DAVAL JR.

IPO-UM survey says

Dabawenyos split on sex education

By Che Palicte

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ESIDENTS of Davao City are sharply divided on the issue of including sex education in the school curriculum as stipulated in the newly-approved Reproductive Health Law. This was gleaned from the findings of a survey conducted by the Institute for Popular Opinion of the University of Mindanao (IPO-UM) days before the contro-

47.91 percent of respondents want sex education, but a slightly higher percentage of 49.64 oppose idea More females than males want sex education versial RH Bill was signed into law.

Dr. Ma. Linda Arquiza, IPO-UM director, reported during the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at the SM City

Davao Annex yesterday that the survey was conducted from November 18 to 28 among 1,400 respondents.

FIPO-UM, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS

Kidnaping victim escapes from rebs

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

By Che Palicte

A

FARMHAND of Barangay Tambobong, Baguio District in Davao City earlier reported to have been abducted by armed men said to be members of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) last December 31 managed to escape last Thursday morning, January 3.

Boyet Duyan claimed that he was afraid the rebels were planning to kill him, a reason he decided to escape. ” Sa dihang nakakita kog higayon, nidagan ko ug taman padulong sa kugunan, ila kong gigukod ug niingon sila na patyon ko kung madakpan ko nila (as soon as I saw the

chance, I ran as fast as I could towards the cogonal area, and they gave chase while shouting they would kill me if they caught up with me), “ Duyan said.

In an interview in Tambobong last Friday, he told media practitioners from Davao City that he asked for help upon reaching his sister’s house in Sitio Luyan. It was when members of the barangay police alerted authorities of the 84th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, the unit tasked to act on the reported abduction of some barangay residents by the NPA in Tambobo-

FKIDNAPING, 11

In Pablo-hit areas DENR 11 to start massive reforestation

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HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-XI) will soon start its massive reforestation and rehabilitation efforts in the typhoon Pablo affected areas of Compostela Valley Province and Davao Oriental as part of its National Greening Program (NGP) target for 2013.

Through the Cash for Work Scheme, members of People’s Organizations (POs), local people and barangays residents will be hired for a continuous period of 90 days for site preparation, hauling of seedlings and the actual tree planting.

The workers shall be paid using the social mobilization fund of NGP

following the minimum wage law which is presently at PhP 301.00 per day.

DENR Regional Executive Director Joselin Marcus E. Fragada said that somehow this Cash for Work scheme under the NGP will be the source of income for some typhoon victims in the area.

“Despite what happened, we will never cease from doing our best to reforest and rehabilitate the areas damaged by the typhoon and will also continue to plant seedlings in other parts of the region to accomplish our NGP targets for 2013 with the community as our partners,” Fragada said. [DENR 11/ Bing Cordova]

20/20. Congresswoman Mylene Garcia of Davao City’s second congressional district talks to residents of barangay Cabantian in Buhangin district on the importance of healthy eyesight in one’s life during an eye clinic held at the Country Homes subdi-

vision, while a senior citizen (inset) is being examined by optometrist Dr. Marylou Mesmis to determine the pair of glasses fit for him. The free eye clinic regularly sponsored by the lady lawmaker is conducted in every barangay located in the district.

Davao Customs ups revenue despite raised yearly target

By Anthony S. Allada and EJ Dominic C. Fernandez

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HE Bureau of Customs in the Port of Davao exceeded anew its collection target for the year. This, despite the increasing target assigned to it by the Department of Finance every year.

This was reported by lawyer Martiniano B. Bangcoy, Bureau of Customs acting collector for the customs district that includes Davao, General Santos and other satellite ports such as Mati and Parang.

Bangcoy reported

that the initial collection report for the period of January to December 2012 shows that the collection in the district had already reached P5,891,705,545.42, indicating a positive deviation, or increase, of P513,124,545.42, which is 10 percent of the 2012 collection target of only P5,278,581,000.

“This is not yet final though, because the port of General Santos has not yet reported its final collection which we are expecting to be passed

this week, which means the numbers will still increase,” he said.

He said in the Port of Davao, the total collection was P5,378,863,771.45 of the targeted P4,871,057,000, showing an increase of P507,806,771.45.

In General Santos, the latest cash collection is P509,413,892.97 of the targeted P4,871,057,000 with a positive deviation of P13,054,892.97.

Port of Parang did not hit its target with a

total collection of only P82,480,000, while the Port of Mati collected P3,345,401.

The BOC in Davao has been consistent in surpassing its revenue target despite the big increase in quota imposed by the finance department, Bangcoy said.

Efficient collection He attributed the positive accomplishment to efficient revenue collection and the overall effect of efforts

FDAVAO, 11

Liwanag World Festival at PWC Jan. 29-Feb. 2

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

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DIRE DISCLOSURE. Nic Perlas, Liwanag World Festival 2013 festival director (left), bares that according to a group of experts who conducted a thorough study in 2027 most of Davao City, specifically the coastal areas, would be submerged in sea

water. He disclosed the findings during a press briefing at Rue Mango Apartelle in Juna Subdivision, Matina on Saturday. Also seen in the photo is Liwanag spokesperson Maya Vandenbroeck. LEAN DAVAL JR.

IWANAG World Festival, which will be held at the Philippines Womens College from January 29 to February 2, 2013, will be opening doors for people who are looking for a better world and a better society.

Liwanag consultant and former city agricultural office head, Leo Avila, said “the advantage, if you are part of this event, is that you will be a part of a larger group of people who are looking for a better world, better humanity and a better sustainable society.”

That was the state-

ment Avila made in a press conference held at the Atrium of SM Ecoland Annex last January 7.

He added that there are a lot of initiatives going on; however, they are not highlighted because there is only one in the area doing that initiative, such as sustainable development and sustainable agriculture.

“With the festival, we can connect, inspire and highlight different initiatives. The people who think they are alone will see that there are other people from other places who are also doing the same initiatives they are

doing. This way, they can be able to connect with each other.” Avila Added.

Liwanag aims to emphasize that there is another world and another Philippines which is rising despite the decay and pain. Liwanag: World Festival on Creativity and Sustainability has a task to reveal, experience, and fully appreciate the better world. The festival will showcase brilliant, heart-centered initiatives in different dimensions of sustainability such as ecological, economic, cultural, political, social, human and spiritual.

FLIWANAG, 11

SUBURBIA 3

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013 Gov. Mangudadatu unaware of clashes in Maguindanao

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ESPITE media reports about the sporadic clashes between warring clans and the recent torching of houses in Datu Montawal town, Maguindanao Gov. Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu admitted he was not informed of the situation in the area.

He said that he has yet to get the information from his provincial police director.

“I am sorry but I don’t know anything about the harassments in Datu Montawal but I will ask my police director to brief me on the matter,” he said in his text message sent to a Catholic-run broadcast network in Kidapawan City.

On Friday, three houses, some 20 meters away from the police station in Datu Montawal were razed to the ground by still unidentified armed men.

But residents led by Datu Abdullah Pandita, resident of Poblacion, Datu Montawal, alleged it was the group of wanted criminal Datu Andy Montawal as behind the harassments in his village. The suspect, younger brother of Datu Montawal Mayor Datu Uttoh Montawal, has long been wanted for murder and rape charges.

The torching of houses in Datu Montawal came a month after a lull in the intermittent exchange of fires between warring clans in the area.

Mangudadatu said he will send police investigators to dig deeper on the issue. One of the motives behind the clashes, reports said, is the intense political rivalry in the area.

Residents, however, believed the fighting is beyond politics. [PNA]

TENT CITY. A month after typhoon Pablo hit New Bataan, Compostela Valley province, some survivors have been moved from the gymnasium to these tents at the grounds of the New Bataan National High School on 31 December 2012.[Mindanews/Keith Bacongco]

So.Cot town to be placed under state of calamity B O

FFICIALS of Norala town in South Cotabato are set to declare the entire area under the state of calamity following the floods on Sunday night that submerged seven of its barangays.

Romeo Nunag, focal person of the Norala Municipal Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC), said Monday they are presently conducting an assessment of the damages wrought by the floods on infrastructures and agricultural crops to facilitate the calamity declaration.

He said the declaration will be issued either by the MDRRMC, through its chair Mayor Victor Balayon, or by the Sangguniang

Bukidnon to promote organic farming

Bayan.

Nunag said the MDRRMC made initial discussions on the matter during an emergency meeting called by Balayon on Sunday night.

Around 79 hectares of farmlands and residential communities in the area were swamped by floodwaters on Sunday night due to the swelling of several rivers.

The affected areas were barangays Esperanza, Poblacion, Lapuz, San Jose, Liberty, Simsiman and Matapol.

An MDRRMC report cited that 526 families had been so far affected by the floods in Norala, which is considered one of the province’s rice granaries.

Officials said a bridge and various agriculture crops were reported as damaged as a result of the calamity.

Joel Dimput, provincial barangay affairs chief, said their initial verification and assessment showed that Matapol was hit hardest by the floods.

But he said San Jose posted the most number of affected families with 180, followed by Matapol with 117, Lapuz with 102, Sisiman with 45, Liberty with 40, Esperanza with 35 and Poblacion with 7.

Dimput said they are presently determining the number of affected families for the distribution of food packs and other relief items.

Meantime, Nunag said they are closely monitoring the area’s situation due to the continuing rains spawned by a Low Pressure Area and the effects of the prevailing Inter-tropical Convergence Zone.

“We advised the barangay councils to immediately evacuate residents situated within the high risk areas in case the situation worsens later on,” he said in a radio interview.

Nunag added that the MDRRMC has set the delivery on Monday afternoon of the initial food packs and relief items for the affected residents.

[Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews]

stands for Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful and Peaceful Elections.

ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the traditional conflict zone during elections. yesterday, the PPCRV facilitated the peace covenant signing in Matanog town in Maguindanao.

The PPCRV pushed for the covenant signing in partnership with the 6th Infantry Division. Next in line are the towns of Sultan Mastura

and Parang where the elections in May will be hotly contested.

Procalla urged cause-oriented groups and individuals whose desire is to have a peaceful balloting in ARMM to join PPCRV or work in partnership with PPCRV. The proposed peace covenant contains conditions that all candidates will agree and commit to work for CHAMP and refrain followers from resorting to violence to win the elections.

PPCRV is the lone poll watchdog accredited by the Commission on Elec-

tions for the 2013 midterm polls.

According to Ambassador Henrietta de Villa, PPCRV national chair, this year’s elections are expected to be less violent, at least clean and orderly since the poll body is using the automated election with registered voters already used biometrics.

Some 300 voters that participated in the last elections were delisted by the poll body in ARMM after they were found to be multi-registrant, under age and flying voters.[PNA]

Church-based watchdog starts campaign for peaceful balloting

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XACTLy four months and three days before the May 2013 national and local elections, the Church-based Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) has started campaigns for clean and peaceful elections.

Father Dave Procalla of the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato and PPCRV chair for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said PPCRV is launching a peace covenant signing among candidates in the ARMM to ensure CHAMP which

UKIDNON will start implementing the law on organic agriculture this year with an information drive and by developing demonstration farms, provincial agriculturist Alson Quimba said.

Quimba also said they will form local committees on organic agriculture at the provincial, city and municipal levels as part of the ground work for the implementation of Republic Act 10068 of 2010.

“This is one of our major targets for 2013,” he said, although he pointed out that the provincial and municipal agriculture offices have already designated focal persons.

Bukidnon passed an organic agriculture code in 2011 patterned after RA 100068.

The code set an annual allocation of P5 million budget for organic agriculture in Bukidnon. For this year, however, only P3 million was allocated, provincial board member Ranulfo Pepito said.

Quimba said P2 million from the budget would be spent on the education component of the program.

Pepito, the proponent of the code said the ordinance is the first in Northern Mindanao and will protect Bukidnon’s “advantage in agriculture.” “(It is) to protect and advance the right of the small and disadvantaged farmers to food security, sustainable livelihood and social equity in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” Pepito, chair of the board committee on agriculture, added in his sponsorship note for the code.

Section 14 of RA10068 defines the composition of local technical commit-

tees at the provincial, city and municipal levels. Their task is to implement activities under National Organic Agriculture Program in coordination with the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS).

Mavic Hilario of Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka or Pakisama-Bukidnon said it is good that the province already has its own organic agriculture code. She, however, pointed out that it still lacks implementing rules and regulations or IRR. Pepito said the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) will draft the IRR. Section 12 of the Act provides that in line with the National Organic Agricultural Program, the BAFPS shall submit to the National Organic Agriculture Board a plan to bring the program down to the grassroots, utilizing personnel and facilities of local government units.

The law aims to achieve cooperation not just with LGUs but also with nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations.

The country’s organic agriculture law stresses the policy to “promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines that will cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil, increase farm productivity, reduce pollution and destruction of the environment, prevent the depletion of natural resources, further protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public, and save on imported farm inputs.”

[Walter I. Balane/MindaNews]

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Tougher tree seedlings eyed for NGP T

HE environment department targets further enhancing survival rate of tree seedlings for government’s ongoing 2011-2016 National Greening Program (NGP), recognizing such improvement is essential to the success of Philippine reforestation.

“We’ll pursue more research on the matter,” said Dr. Rafael Cadiz, Supervising Science Research Specialist of the department’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), the agency tasked with overseeing and spearheading production of quality planting materials.

He noted that such research is due as some tree species’ survival rates are below the 80 percent the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) targeted for NGP. Studies show good-quality seedlings have better survival and growth unlike poor-quality ones. “To help attain high survival rate in forests, we must use healthy and vigorous seedlings,” Cadiz noted.

Launched in 2011, NGP aims reforesting some 1.5 million hectares of open, denuded and degraded land nationwide.

Government institutionalized NGP through Executive Order 26 series of 2011 to help promote poverty reduction, food security, livelihood de-

velopment, biodiversity conservation as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation.

NGP requires planting an estimated 1.5 billion seedlings of indigenous and exotic tree species. To meet such requirement, DENR is spearheading nationwide clonal propagation activities for mass production of good-quality and genetically superior NGP seedlings.

“Cloning is the process of duplicating an organism to produce similar ones -what’s generated are copies of the original source,” Cadiz said.

He noted cloning is needed as deforested Philippines already has limited sources of germplasm or living tissue from which new trees can be grown.

Such living tissue can be either seeds or parts of plants to be mass-produced.

“We’re able to gather only very few number of seeds or wildings,” Cadiz said. Inaccessible location of mother trees and species’ differing flowering intervals also raise need for cloning to help meet NGP seedling requirements, he continued.

Authorities concerned set propagation protocols for clonal production of good-quality planting stock for NGP. “Those protocols detail how to propagate certain plant species to ensure high survival,” Cadiz said.

ERDB earlier reported

establishing new clonal facilities as well as rehabilitating and expanding existing ones and nurseries as well to help boost cloned NGP seedling production through macrosomatic and microsomatic propagation techniques.

Macrosomatic propagation uses cuttings from chosen parent plants while the microsomatic technique involves tissue culture, ERDB noted. “On a national scale, the regional clonal facilities including ERDB will have a total

production capacity of about 600,000 seedlings per year,” ERDB said.

ERDB said source of planting materials for cloning are different regions’ hedge gardens established under supervision of its Ecosystems Research and Development Services. “Propagation’s done particularly for indigenous and endangered species such as kamagong (Diospyros discolor), molave (Vitex parviflora), toog (Petersianthus quadrialatus), Philippine

19 villages flooded in GenSan, South Cotabato N

INETEEN villages in General Santos City nd in nearby South Cotabato province were submerged in floodwaters as several rivers and irrigation channels swelled anew late on Sunday afternoon due to continuous heavy rains in the area.

Jerome Barranco, assistant director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 12, said Monday the floods affected portions of around a dozen low-lying villages in this city and seven others in Norala town in South Cotabato.

A report from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council here said various irrigation canals traversing the city overflowed on Sunday afternoon following hours of almost nonstop

heavy rains that started at around 11 .am.

Among the areas affected by the floods were portions of barangays City Heights, Lagao, San Isidro, Ligaya, Baluan, Bula, Baluan, Katangawan, Apopong, Buayan, Olympog and Conel.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio convened the CDRRMC in Barangay Baluan on Monday morning to assess the situation and discuss some remedial measures.

In South Cotabato, Barranco said an initial 79 hectares of farmlands and residential communities in seven barangays of Norala town were swamped by floodwaters due to the swelling of several rivers in the area.

He said the affected areas were barangays Esperanza, Poblacion, Lapuz, San Jose, Liberty,

Simsiman and Matapol.

Citing a report from the Norala Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Coordinating Council, he said some 526 families were affected by the floods.

Barranco cited a report that said the floods damaged a bridge and various agriculture crops.

“There were no reported evacuations so far and the floodwaters in some of the affected villages in both areas have already subsided,” he said.

But the official said the flood and landslide alerts are still up in this city other parts of Region 12 or the Soccsksargen Region due to the intermittent rains, which were triggered by the entry of another Low Pressure Area (LPA) and the

continuing Inter-tropical Convergence Zone affecting Mindanao.

Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong Kidapawan and Cotabato.

Dante Arriola, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) station here, said the LPA was tracked at around 300 kilometers southeast of Mindanao as of 4 a.m. today. He said residents should expect moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon and late evening, that might trigger landslides and flashfloods. [Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews]

teak (Tectona philippinensis) and some dipterocarp species,” ERDB continued.

In line with the social mobilization strategy government set for helping carry out NGP, DENR earlier commenced partnering with state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide on producing additional cloned NGP seedlings.

DENR said among SUCs that committed establishing respective clonal nurseries for the purpose are Apayao State Col-

lege, Kalinga-Apayao State College, Mariano Marcos State University, Isabela State University, PampangaAgricultural College and Ramon Magsaysay Technological University.

Southern Luzon State University, Western Philippines University, Bicol University, Bohol Island State University, Negros Oriental State University, University of Eastern Philippines and Caraga State University also made the same commitment, DENR added. [PNA]

CDO green group to file Writ of Kalikasan vs city gov’t

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local civil society group will file a civil suit against Cagayan de Oro City Hall, as the legal trust fund they have launched online has been receiving generous donations, the group’s leader said Friday.

In an interview, Richard Nixon Baban, Bangon Kagay-an chair, said that they will slap a Writ of Kalikasan case against the city government this week.

“While we are still waiting for the board resolutions of Sendong Survivors Collective and Task Force Macajalar, we are collating all evidences and testimonies which we will use in our case,” said Baban.

He added that the complainants who are already on board in the filing of the case are his group and the Save CDO Movement, represented by its chair Ralph Abragan.

A Writ of Kalikasan is the environmental counterpart of the Writ of Amparo, which mainly protects a citizen’s civil rights.

It is a legal remedy provided for in Section 16, Article II of the 1986 Constitution that guarantees every citizen’s right to a “balanced and healthful ecology in ac-

cord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”

Bangon Kagay-an (BK) has employed the human rights lawyer-couple tandem of Mar and Evangeline Carrasco to lead their legal team of 10 lawyers. Baban, however, requested to withhold the names of the other lawyers in their legal team.

Meanwhile, the Bangon Kagay-an legal trust fund launched last month has been steadily receiving donations, even from Kagay-anons based abroad.

“Thank you very much Francis Banayna, based in Qatar for the generous donation of Php 10,000 for the BK legal trust fund, which will be used for the filing of a Writ of Kalikasan case intended to stop the bleeding of our environment in Cagayan de Oro,” posted Baban in their Facebook page.

For those who want to be part of this worthy cause, you can donate to our account at Banco De Oro-Cagayan de Oro Branch (Account Name: Bangon Kagay-an, Inc., CA No. 002848026748), he said. [Cong B. Corrales/ MindaNews]

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

THE ECONOMY 5

SAP delivers real-time insight, planning with merchandise data S

AP AG yesterday announced new solutions to fast track retailers onto real-time analytics. The SAP® Planning for Retail rapid-deployment solution enables real-time demand-driven forecasting and multiyear budget projections, while the SAP rapid-deployment solution for shopper insight delivers prebuilt analytics powered by the SAP HANA® platform in both mobile and Web formats. Retailers with limited resources that need to keep up with seasonal rushes or changing product demand can have these fully integrated analytics solutions up and running within seven to twelve weeks on average.

Accurate and immediate retail data have become increasingly difficult to secure. “With economic changes, customer fragmentation, erratic sale patterns and non-integrated IT systems that blur the operations aspect of retail,” said Nadine Rahman, head of RDS Sales of SAP Asia Pacific Japan.

“SAP Planning for Retail helps retailers achieve prompt and efficient visibility across channels and

merchandise categories over a comprehensive period of time.”

SAP Planning for Retail produces detailed sales projections that can define corporate budgets three to five years in advance. With this foresight, retailers can better guard against overstock and shortage scenarios while offering a more enticing mix of products and prices per channel and per store.

“SAP Planning for Retail is the desired solution as it provides accurate demand data and financial forecasting, that many planning solutions in the market are unable to do,” said Adaire Fox-Martin, senior vice president, Industries Business Solutions, SAP Asia Pacific Japan.

The SAP rapid-deployment solution for shopper insight helps solve the delay that retail managers experience in accessing and analyzing sales, returns, and other transactional data. SAP HANA provides sub-second rollup and interactive analysis of retail data not possible with traditional database technology.

POTABLE WATER. Residents of an upland barangay unload gallons of potable water from the motorcycle of a delivery man they commissioned in Barangay Tambobong, Baguio District, Davao City yesterday. Due to the distance of the barangay from the

city proper, the barangay residents continue to dream that the services of the Davao City Water District could reach the place to end their burden of buying clean water at a high cost. LEAN DAVAL JR.

This data can be viewed though a mobile device for near-real-time analytics, accessible from anywhere.

SAP Planning for Retail and rapid deployment of shopper insight help ensure an implementation process with a fixed

retailers. They can gain immediate access to real-time capabilities and, because the solutions are fully scalable, retailers can keep adding to them as needed.

“It is important that SAP innovation is made available to retailers in

scope and fixed price. Leveraging preconfigured software encompassing SAP best practices, services, and end-user enablement, the assets help to support fewer risks, lower costs, and a more predictable return on investment (ROI) for

order for them to maximize their yields,” said Claude Ringuet, head for Consumer Industries Solutions of SAP Asia Pacific Japan. “These solutions put forward the best practices and integrated processes across various industries.”

6

THE ECONOMY

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

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

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

8. Interest Rates 4/

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

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

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

DCCCII president Architect Daniel Lim, festival director Nicanor Perlas, Liwanag spokesperson Maya Flaminda Javellana Vandenbroeck, associate festival director Dr. Gina Cembrano, and festival consultant Leo Avila discussing the details of Liwanag World Festival 2013.

sustainable practices such as solar energy, rainwater catchment facilities and LED lights in their buildings, especially for malls,”a strategy which is aligned with the advocacy of Liwanag World Festival.

TheLiwanag World Festival on Creativity and Sustainability2013 happening from January 29 until February 2, 2013 at

the Philippine Women’s College of Davao, features several world renowned movers in the different spheres of society such as Mr. Seth Jordan, co-founder and co-initiator of Think Outward and Occupy Wallstreet, who will speak about the “Global impact and message of the Occupy Wallstreet Movement”; Mr. Bruce Cryer, Global Director of

Heart Math Health Care, talking about “Revolutionary Discoveries in the Science of the Heart and Its Relevance to Creativity and Societal Sustainability” and

by Ms. Barbara Marx Hubbard, President, Foundation for Conscious Evolution who will tell audiences “The New Story of the Universe and the Future of Humanity.”

tion in building 3, and will start construction of building 4 in the second semester of the year,” declared Marlon B. Escalicas, Camella Davao GM. Nottingham will be topped off this January, signifying the overall completion of the building’s structure. It is targeted

for turnover towards the third quarter to unit owners who have been eagerly waiting to move in to their new condo home.

For Camella Northpoint’s first two completed buildings, Manchester and Birmingham, over 103 units and 93 units, respectively, have already been turned

over to homeowners, turning this British colonial themed condo community into a living, thriving community.

Even as Camella is in the thick of catering to homebuyers who want to acquire Camella Northpoint’s premier address, it has already slated the start of construction of Liverpool, its greenest and tallest condo tower at 15-storeys, towards the second half of the year.

Camella is also excited about offering their asset management service to Camella Northpoint unit owners. Upon enrolment to this service, unit owners will have the convenience of having their condo units maintained by a professional management team.

This service includes ensuring utility bills payment so unit owners who will be away for long periods of time will no longer worry about disconnection due to non-payment of bills. This is ideal to those who are always out of town, as their units will be properly taken care of in their absence.

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

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

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

UNSAFE. A construction worker is seen working on the roof of a house without the standard safety gear and harness in a subdivision in Sasa yesterday.

Authorities need to check construction sites especially those outside the city

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

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

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HE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. formalized their partnership with Liwanag World Festival 2013 after a special board meeting heldlastJanuary 3, 2013 led by newly-inducted president Architect Daniel Lim together with Board Members Antonio dela Cruz (Executive VP), Myrna Valdez (VP for Trade and Commerce), Engr. Wilfred Teves (VP for Agribusiness), and Arch. Agatha Valencia (VP for Professional and Service Ventures).

“The DCCCII fully supports the Liwanag World Festival. We are actively encouraging our members to join this event as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility Program.” Mr. Lim emphasized during the press conference held at Rue Mango Apartelle and Suites, along Juna Subdivision, Matina this morning.He also mentioned about the on-going conversations about implementing environment-friendly architecture in businesses. “Buildings are the biggest contributor to carbon emissionsnext to vehicles, that’s why we are now encouraging companies to use

Camella Northpoint to top off rd th 3 tower, construct 4 tower soon C

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

Month

EDGEDAVAO

Davao City Chamber of commerce now official partner of Liwanag 2013

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

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

AMELLA opens its New year with a big bang, with the topping off this month of Nottingham, the 3rd tower of its landmark condo development, Camella Northpoint.

“2013 is another big year for Camella, as we have now reached the highest point of construc-

proper where violations against the use of prescribed safety gear for construction workers are rampant. LEAN DAVAL JR.

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

6:15 6:25 6:30 7:00 8:50 8:10 8:30 9:40 10:10 12:20 12:30 09:05 13:25 14:05

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

MI588 / MI588 MI566 / MI566 MI551 / MI551 5J507 / 5J598 15:55 Z2524 / Z2525 5J967 / 5J600 PR813 / PR814 5J215 / 5J216 5971 / 5J970 5J973 / 5J974 5J969 / 5J972 2P987 / 2P988 PR821 / PR822 PR821 / PR822

18:55 18:55 15:45 15:00 Mani2Mani 16:05 16:35 16:55 18:00 18:40 20:00 20:30 20:30 21:20 22:20

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

13:35 15:20 12:05 15:30 16:45 17:05 17:45 18:20 19:10 20:30 21:00 21:00 21:50 22:50

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

COMMUNITY MOTORING SENSE 7

Architect Birrey leads YMCA donors Others are Edison Lu and Julu Enterprises, Villa-Abrille and Coronel, Aquino and Glowing Motor Parts.

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HE «Dinner for a Cause», organized by yMCA Davao to raise funds for scholarship, youth training and leadership development programs, was a big success. The fund drive at the Apo View Hotel was supported by businessmen, civic & community leaders including youth volunteers.

Principally, visual artist Julito N. Pepito, The Apo View Hotel and The Dudelz Band were yMCA major partners in this event. An acrylic painting in canvass worth P130,000 in the market today was donated by Pepito, a long-serving corporate secretary of yMCA Davao. The painting was won by businessman Eduardo Reponte, who is a mango dealer & meat vendor.

Incoming president & event co-chair Leoncio Villa-Abrille acknowledged

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friends and kins alike who willingly and generously gave to yMCA Davao.

He highlighted the donation from Architect Romeo Birrey, president of RGB Construction, Inc. A prominent and leading architectural & urban contractor in Davao City, Birrey, was the lone corporate major donor.

Entrepreneur Edison Lu, president of Julu Enterprises, and currently chair of the Board of Trustees of Davao Central High School, as well as, landowners Dr. Milagros & Teresita Villa-Abrille and Reynaldo VA Coronel & spouse Gloria Maria, were among the corporate benefactors.

Leading the list of corporate sponsors were Anflo Investment & Management Corp., Abdulah Aquino of Aquino Coliseum Gallera and Joaquin Tan of Glowing Motor Parts Corp.

Former vice mayor Louie Bonguyan, now seeking a congressional seat in

WINNER. Businessman Eduardo Reponte (3rd from left) receives an acrylic painting in canvass (worth P130,000 in the market today) as grand prize from (L-R) ways & means committee co-chairs, PP Joe Custodio & 2013 Pres. Nonoy Villa-Abrille, do-

the city’s first distict, attended the event. Former city councilor Susabel Reta, currently city hall consultant, also graced the affair.

Chairman Scott Nimmo of the Council of Presidents of all Davao City Rotary Clubs, and his equally supportive spouse Rhoda, president of the RC of

South Davao Spouses, were avid supporters, as well.

Among many others, accountant Alfred Gelua, the local president of the the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, also came. yMCA Pres. Antonio Partoza, Jr. expressed his appreciation by thanking

nor-painting artist & corporate secretary Lito Pepito, General Secretary Sylvia Piedad and 2012 Pres. Ony Partoza Jr. The 32” x 48” artwork that depicts the richness of Davao vegetation is a donation from visual multimedia artist Pepito.

the audience for coming and for sharing their generosity, while Past Pres.

Jose Custodio, overall chair of the fundraising committee, gave an overview of the raffle and dinner.

Incoming yMCA treasurer & board director Paciencio Rosalem Jr. delivered the closing remarks.

While enjoying dinner, Charo Mae Palo, a youth volunteer from Davao Marine Maritime Academy, entertained the guests with several ballads. And before the raffle started, the youth Federation of Davao gave a wonderful song and dance performance.

ITH its training cum production program, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is helping Mindanao communities ravaged by typhoon “Pablo” (international name: Bopha) become victims to builders.

Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, announced that typhoon victims will be given training in construction-related skills such as carpentry, masonry, electrical installation and plumbing to make them capable of rebuilding their homes damaged by the typhoon.

“We will provide the tools, supplies and materials to give the victims new skills that they can immediately use in building temporary shelters and building relocation shelters and row houses once the relocation sites have been identified by the LGUs with the assistance of the proper national agencies. This will help their communities start anew,” he said.

Villanueva said they started mobilizing their schools and training centers in the Davao and CARAGA regions for the training.

The initiative is under the Cash for Training Program (C4TP) of TESDA and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that uses the train-and-build strategy.

Under this, TESDA will provide training, tools and supplies to the typhoon victims who will undergo

the training. Immediately after, they are expected to put into practical application their learning on construction-related work.

Typhoon “Pablo,” which killed over a thousand people, hit hard the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur. Many families in the areas continue to feel the aftereffects of the typhoon, and are in need of supplies and safer shelters.

“What’s good about this program is we engage the people to be the lead actors in rebuilding their homes and their communities,” Villanueva said.

“The training will not only equip them with the constructions skills, but will boost their morale knowing that they have a role in the rehabilitation efforts, and not merely recipients of government aid,” he added.

TESDA regional directors in the affected areas will directly coordinate with their counterpart in the DSWD for the list of beneficiaries in the worsthit areas, and recruit the training participants.

TESDA and DSWD partnered to implement the C4TP to assist disadvantaged youth by giving them training, a little cash and helping them to find work.

The program will run from December to May 2013.

Aside from the TESDA training centers, other schools and centers in Mindanao will also be tapped to assist on the conduct of the program. [TESDA]

Smart powers Oxfam’s disaster response efforts W

MART Communications, Inc. has loaned fixed terminal satellite phones to Oxfam in the Philippines to assist in its relief and rehabilitation efforts in three of the provinces in Southern Mindanao hardest hit by Typhoon Pablo early last month.

The five satellite phones will be used in the operation centers of Oxfam and its partner, the Humanitarian Response Consortium (HRC), in Davao Oriental’s Tagum City and in Bislig City of

Surigao del Sur. The contract is for a minimum period of three months but could extend up to seven months.

“We are happy to partner with Oxfam and the HRC in helping out the victims of Typhoon Pablo.

We recognize the important role that communications play in post-disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts. The devastation caused by Pablo to lives, property, infrastructure and agricultural crops is just so enormous we would need

all the help we can get to help rebuild the affected communities,” said Darwin Flores, Smart’s senior manager for community partnerships.

Known for its quick disaster response deployment, Smart was the first company to set foot on the coastal towns of Cateel and Baganga in Davao Oriental, two of those that were hit hardest by Pablo.

With the help of its partners, the telco was able to offer free call and satellite Internet services to the residents and

humanitarian agencies operating in the affected communities. It also mounted relief operations to address the urgent need of the victims for food and clean, drinking water.

“These lines will enable us to coordinate our relief and rehabilitation efforts and allow us to respond immediately to the needs of the victims of Typhoon Pablo in Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur and Compostela Valley,” said Janice Jan Manlutac, program manager for Building Resilient Communities, Oxfam in the Philippines.

Oxfam is a global movement of people working towards a world without poverty. It responds in emergencies, working for the long term to help people rebuild their lives.

Its partner, HRC, is leading Oxfam’s humanitarian response in the affected areas. HRC was formed by five local groups in 2010 with a mission to provide emergency response services to populations affected by disasters. Each of the five local entities has complementing specializations and has strategic operations in all three major island groups of the Philippines.

In the event of a natural disaster or conflict, these NGOs pool together their resources to launch an emergency response as one consortium.

‘Pablo’ victims start new homes with TESDA training

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

The Andrew Sullivan traveling blog show ( 1st of two parts ) ANAlYSIS

By Jack Shafer

By Jack Shafer

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EDITORIAL

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Keeping our doctors on local soil

OR the longest time in this country, the medical profession was considered a lucrative means of livelihood. Its practitioners were looked up to with respect for their hard-earned expertise in curing various types of ailments afflicting mankind. Their knowledge of medicine helps them save lives, even of people who are on the brink of death itself. Theirs is an honorable profession all right.

No wonder then that so many of our countrymen harbor dreams of joining the medical profession. But not all are able to make it to the top level ranks and have to content themselves with being employed in government service. And there’s the rub. They don’t manage to earn as much as their colleagues who are in private practice. The pay discrepancy between government doctors and private practitioners has become widely distorted and the dearth of government physicians has evolved into a serious problem. Both private and government physicians have relatively equal expertise in the science of healing the sick, hence the wide discrepancy in take home pay certainly seems absurd and needs to be addressed.

There is no way to arrest the need but to make government practice an equally lucrative option.

With that in mind, there is a bill filed in the Senate proposing for increased pay for government doctors authored by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. The bill seeks higher pay for entry level doctors in government from Salary Grade 16 which carries a basic monthly pay of P26,878 to Salary Grade 27 which pays P62,670 a month.

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In addition to that, the bill also seeks higher transportation, food and medical allowance as well as education grants for qualified government doctors.

The move aims to arrest the exodus of Filipino doctors to foreign employers. The Philippines is the second largest exporter of doctors next to India.

The exodus of physicians has resulted in the depletion of government doctors in rural areas where government doctors are underpaid and overloaded.

For that reason, it becomes extremely difficult to hire doctors for assignment to remote towns.

When calamity or epidemic strikes in those areas, the discrepancy becomes instantly apparent as has been shown in reports from the field on the number of deaths that could have been minimized had there been more government doctors available. This is very evident in the aftermath of last month’s typhoon (Pablo) where the reality of undermanned government hospitals was again exposed. It had volunteer doctors rushing to help fill in the shortage of government doctors in such calamity-hit areas like Cateel and Baganga in Davao Oriental, Monkayo and New Bataan in Compostela Valley.

With the Senate bill aimed at closing the income gap between private and government medical practitioners, it is hoped that our doctors—considered at par with the best in the world—will opt to stay in their home country for keeps, thereby being able to serve more of their countrymen. Which, after all, should be the case.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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Hy is Andrew Sullivan selling? And what are his readers buying?

Sullivan, maestro of the popular blog The Dish, pulled off the impossible this week. After announcing that he was breaking free from his bosses at the Daily Beast and would henceforth finance the site with $19.99 annual subscriptions from readers, he collected about $400,000 in two days from nearly 12,000 Dish enthusiasts, some volunteering more than the suggested amount. Published since April 2011 by the Daily Beast, and before that by the Atlantic, and before that by Time, The Dish now returns to its 2000 origins as Sullivan’s indie project.

If you admire journalism and entrepreneurism, you’ve got to be pulling for Sullivan and his five employees and two interns to pull down the $900,000 he says he needs to operate The Dish for a year. As Sullivan states in his declaration of independence, the rewards of his success won’t fall just on The Dish: “The point of doing this as simply and as purely as possible is precisely to forge a path other smaller blogs and sites can follow.”

But the questions remain: what is Sullivan selling and what are his paying readers (he calls them “members”) actually buying? More nudge than paywall, The Dish “freemium” subscription system will give non-members a limited number of free “Read On” clicks for longer posts each month, after which they’ll be reminded that they really should consider paying $19.99. “Everything else on the Dish will remain free. No link from another blog to us will ever be counted for the meter — so no blogger or writer need ever worry that a link to us will push their readers into a paywall,” Sullivan writes. But cheapskates who want to avoid paying and evade The Dish’s nagging can just use their RSS readers to consume the complete site.

If any of The Dish’s members threw money at Sullivan in the name of convenience, I’d be astonished. I also doubt that many of these members worry that The Dish will vanish if they don’t subscribe: Sullivan isn’t saying “give me money or I’ll shoot this blog.”

Had contributions trickled in and then stopped at $100,000 by the end of the month, my guess is that Sullivan would have refunded the funders and moved The Dish back under a larger Web umbrella. (BuzzFeed Sullivan, anyone?)

No, what Sullivan is selling and what his readers are buying is more ethereal than a magazine subscription. His request for money has successfully located the most passionate of Dish readers who valued Sullivan’s site highly when it was free and now, thanks to his dunning notice, have an opportunity to value it even higher by giving $19.99 or more. The response to Sullivan’s pitch doesn’t turn The Dish into a Veblen good, but it does reveal a previously untapped willingness of readers to pay for something they could get for nothing. Is it too much to imagine that we’re witnessing an HBO moment for the Web, like when somebody convinced people to pay a premium for TV, which they had become accustomed to getting for free? Probably, but a writer can wish.

EDGEDAVAO

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Smoking is a forced habit

IGARETTE FIRMS CAN’T PANIC IN THE FACE OF A NEW TAX SCHEME – Opinions and observations differ on the recent implementation of the highly controversial new “Sin Tax Reform Law.” Lawmakers and health authorities warned that the risk of acquiring lung cancer and other respiratory illness has increased threefold in the past decade. As a result, it became one of the country’s dreaded diseases. So what has to be done in a country growing ever more populous, which sounds small but represents an enormous number of smoking fanatics?

Well, forget the old notion that only adults smoke or that smoking seldom kills. Lung cancer and other related ailment caused by excessive smoking no longer cares about age and class distinction – it’s becoming prevalent in mansions or even in slums and smokers are getting younger never seen before.

Shrewdly, smoking actually is forced habit and the number of tobacco addicts is somewhat staggering. The worsening situation prompted health authorities to appeal to our legislators to enact a law that would monitor and regulate the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products – eventually to protect the people’s health.

Aside from health concerns, the enforcement of the new “sin tax” scheme is aimed at generating additional government revenues, which in turn could be used for priority projects. But local cigarette manufacturers decried the approval of the new law, which they described as anti-local industry. They say the law entails endless problems and observed that policymakers and government regulators seemed have a commitment to raise tax collection targets, but when it comes to a scheme, it’s less clear. Good-

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

ness gracious!

It’s now clear with the implementation of the new excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products, isn’t it gentlemen?

In addition, they strongly argued that local cigarettes will become more unaffordable for many Filipino customers and consumption will be greatly reduced because smoking fanatics will switch to cheaper and non-regulated black market or smuggled brands. In this case, they ranted it undermines the public health objectives of the “sin tax” scheme that eventually would likewise be enervated by smuggled and faked cigarettes, which do not pay taxes. On the other hand, local tobacco growers and small manufacturers, which produced only low and medium-priced brands, will be directly threatened in their existence and the livelihood of about 3 million Filipino farmers who depend solely on the tobacco industry will be also greatly affected.

Furthermore, people in the tobacco industry lament that the new tax scheme is excessive and unprecedented and that no other country in the world has increased that much. What it hurts them most is that under the directive, all improved brands will increase by 6 percent while tax rate on low and medium-priced brands will increase by as much a 1000 percent. They claimed that government regulators supposedly should have adopted a one rate

system for cigarette brand levels – on all brands “to level the playing field.”

But manufacturers can’t actually panic in the face of a new tax scheme simply because smokers don’t buy smuggled or non-regulated brands to do unscrupulous traders a favor. Smokers buy because they like the taste and they think prices are much cheaper compared to locally-produced cigarettes.

Right now, the consideration for all of us, anti-smoking groups and health buffs in particular, is how they can make sure that the collective move undertaken by people in the tobacco industry is actually adding a bit of value to the people’s health and well-being. Say what they will about cigarette smoking, but anybody worth his grain of salt knows that the habit is extremely bad for the health. But that mere observation offers little or no comfort at all to the cigarette producers. The logic of their common interest suggests that the new “sin tax” scheme is highly detrimental to the country’s tobacco industry.

For our part, we don’t actually discourage smokers from doing their habit, but we will only encourage them to refrain from too much use because there is health risk associated with excessive smoking. And besides we don’t care whether the tobacco excise tax will increase from 6% to 1000%. Our only concern is that aside from additional cost on one’s budget, is the rising cases of lung cancer and other respiratory ailment caused by smoking among Filipino users. However, to those who haven’t change their minds yet and decided to continue the habit while they felt they’re still quite healthy – on the surface, of course, we’re not going to stop them.

Our only advice – life is short, please don’t make it shorter!

of how a retirement from the ring at this stage would affect his future in politics.

If that sounds ambiguous, here’s an explanation.

Pacquiao entered politics with the presumption that his fame – and money, of course – would carry him to victory. It was only on his second try though – and in a different district (Sarangani) that he won a House seat. He first sought election as a congressman of General Santos City, but was beaten by Darlene Antonino-Custodio.

Now he’s a congressman, Pacquiao has not concealed his plan to run for the Senate and from there plot his way to the presidency. It may sound ridiculous given his credentials, but the boxer thinks he can get past the voters’ scrutiny, or lack of it, simply because he is immensely popular.

If comedians like Tito Sotto have made it to the once august halls of the Senate, why can’t he? Besides, the Senate now allows its members to copy from blogs

and speeches without citing the authors.

That’s Lawmaking Made Easy 101 for Filipino politicians.

But Pacquiao’s defeat in the hands of Marquez last December 9 may have diminished the mystique that naturally surrounds sport and folk heroes. On the other hand, a victory would have achieved the opposite considering the storied rivalry against his Mexican rival.

I had guessed Pacquiao would retire if he won that fight. But since fate did not favor him, he feels he has to recover a lot of lost ground before embarking on grander political plans. A part of the only X-factor that could draw voters to his side has been lost when he fell on the canvas in the dying seconds of his fourth fight with Marquez.

For him, the only way to erase the ignominy is to arrange another rematch with the Mexican who had declared before December 9 that he would retire regardless of the outcome of their fourth encounter, or rack up impressive wins against other opponents.

And so despite the concerns over his health, Pacquiao thinks he should continue fighting – including maybe, just maybe, an enemy called Parkinson’s disease.

[MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com]

Pacquiao, Parkinson’s and politics

CQUIRING the dreaded Parkinson’s disease is one of the risks professional boxers face due to the beating that their brain gets every time they fight. The disease doesn’t choose its victims. Even Mohammad Ali, who declared he was the greatest, was unable to hold against this debilitating ailment.

Dr. Rustico Jimenez, a Filipino physician, recently grabbed the headlines when he said that boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, who was knocked out cold

by Juan Manuel Marquez last month, is showing early signs of the disease. The doctor clarified though that he did not actually examine Pacquiao, and only based his statements on the boxer’s “twitching movements” during TV interviews after the fight that stunned Filipino fans and the sporting world.

As expected, Pacquiao dismissed Jimenez’ observations, saying he knows his body better. “I will be the one to say that I will retire from boxing because I am the one who knows and feels what my body is telling me,” Bulletin Today (January 4, 2013) quoted him as having said.

Pacquiao, the representative of Sarangani province, was not simply reacting to speculations about his health. By junking pleas from his fans that he hang up his gloves now, he is clearly apprehensive

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When political compromise is suspect COMMENTARY

By Bill BiShop

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HE odds are that the extremely close national election wasn’t close at all in the place where you live.

And that’s a problem.

For the past four decades, Americans have been self-segregating into communities where they are increasingly likely to vote with their neighbors in overwhelming majorities. In 1976, only a quarter of voters lived in a county where either Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford won by 20 points or more. By 2008, 46.7 percent of voters lived in one of these landslide counties.

This year, the national margins narrowed still further. But more than half of all voters (52 percent) lived in a county where either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney won by 20 percentage points or more. What’s true in counties is also true in states. In 1976, there were 20 states where either Ford or Carter won by five points or less. In 2008, there were seven.

This year, only four.

The problem with this increasing self-segregation is that there are now few places where voters (or their representatives) must fully contend with those from the other party. There is more danger (both socially and politically) in disappointing like-minded neighbors than in compromising with those who live elsewhere. Compromise isn’t rewarded in like-minded communities.

Compromisers are suspect members of the tribe.

And politics has much more about tribe than policy. Columbia University political scientist Donald P. Green says that people choose their political party the same way they choose their friends. They aren’t picking among policies. They are joining a social group — they are finding the people they would like their sons or daughters to marry.

Ways of living increasingly vary from place to place – and those differences align with political party. Demographer Ron Lesthaeghe has found an increasing correlation between family formation patterns and the presidential vote, for example. In U.S. counties where women marry later and there are more cohabitating couples, Lesthaeghe found, the Democratic vote is higher.

Americans are polarizing even in the way we talk, says linguist William Labov.

He has found that regional accents are strengthening. And those differences in accent follow political divisions.

In this setting, Green writes, elections become “forums for intergroup competition contests between them and us.”

That has changed the purpose of politics from settling differences to giving people a chance to assert individual distinction and the righteousness of their group.

We don’t want to settle conflict. We want to “tell our story.”

“Political action,” writes French sociologist Alain Ehrenberg, “is now less an issue of resolving conflicts between adversaries and more an issue of collectively facilitating individual action. This is a new political constraint.”

No kidding. So, without time for a cup of coffee after the election, the familiar (and oftentimes confounding) divide has reappeared with President Barack Obama’s presumed first choice for secretary of state and the “fiscal cliff” debate.

Even the deaths of 26 children and teachers in a Connecticut school couldn’t bridge our tribal differences. When the Pew Research Center asked if it was more important to protect gun owners’ rights or control gun ownership, 69 percent of Republicans said the former and 72 percent of Democrats agreed with the latter.

These divisions, because they are baked into our way of life and the nation’s geography, are almost impossible to change. Candidates Obama and Romney spent more than $1.1 billion each in the few months before the election. In the end, a grand total of 208 counties out of more than 3,100 voted differently in 2012 than they did in 2008.

The Democrats hired the smartest of the sharp pencil boys in psychological and social media research to cajole, lure, manipulate and massage the vote. They were the best – and exactly 11 counties that voted Republican in 2008 switched allegiance and voted Democratic in November.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS

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Visitors

ore and more foreign visitors are extending their stay in the Philippines, indicating that the country remained a favorite tourist destination, according to the Bureau of Immigration.

Records showed that in 2012, the bureau’s visa extension office was swamped with 172,055 applications for extension of stay by foreign tourists, which it approved. The figure was 13-per cent higher the previous year’s 151,913 applications.

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

More fun to be Pinoy, N immigration data show

WORLD TODAY

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Joint venture

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he Philippines and China may forge ahead with the joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in the West Philippine Sea, which the latter calls the South China Sea, even as their leaders continue to squabble over boundaries.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing made this suggestion as she said these resources could remain idle for a very long time if the Philippines and China waited for a final resolution of their territorial dispute before engaging in any commercial development in the area.

Tightened

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s classes resume after the holiday break, anti-drug operatives are tightening their watch in schools for minors engaged in the drug trade. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said this stemmed from reports that drug syndicates are using minors to sell drugs to pupils.

PDEA head Arturo Cacdac Jr. was quoted in the report as saying this is part of the agency’s expanded operations against the drug trade.

M

Feted

iss Universe 2012 runner-up Janine Tugonon was feted in a motorcade from Quezon City to the University of Santo Tomas in Manila Monday morning.

Bystanders and motorists waved to Tugonon and took photos of her using their mobile phones.

Tugonon was to receive an award from the UST, her alma mater, for bringing honor to the country with her finish in last year’s beauty pageant.

I

Gun ban

n line with its efforts to minimize injuries and death on New year’s Eve, National Police head Director General Alan Purisima ordered a nationwide crackdown on illegally manufactured firecrackers nationwide.

Purisima has instructed all police commanders to conduct raids on shops making and selling firecrackers that are not up to government safety standards. “We are very concerned of the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic materials and that is why are joining forces with the Dept. of Health in reducing firecracker-related injuries,” the PNP chief stressed.

Recovered

elson Mandela has “recovered” from recent surgery and a lung infection, a health scare that had put South Africa on edge as the anti-apartheid hero spent nearly three weeks in hospital, the presidency said Sunday, citing his doctors.

The 94-year-old Mandela “has recovered from his surgical procedure and the lung infection, his doctors said today,” said a statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office.

MORE FUN. Thousands of people celebrate in a public square as national boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is announced the winner of his bout against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, in Manila on November 13, 2011. 32-year-old Pacquiao retained his World

Boxing Organisation welter weight title but only after a hard fight which initially left some Filipinos fearful their hero might lose for the first time since 2005. [AFP/ JAY DIRECTO]

OT only is it more fun in the Philippines; it’s also more fun to be Pinoy, with the government noting a surge in the number of Filipinos who reacquired citizenship in the Philippines last year.

A total of 30,362 applications for dual citizenship have been reported by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in 2012, up 57 percent from 19,328 a year ago.

Of the total, 5,564 petitions were filed at the bureau’s main office in Manila, Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David, Jr. was quoted in the government’s news agency as saying.

The rest coursed ap-

plications through various Philippine consulates abroad, David added.

Naturally born Filipinos who are now American citizens topped the list of applicants, the Philippine News Agency quoted BI legal officer Marc Anthony Antonio as saying.

They were followed

by Britons and Canadians, with most of the petitions filed at the Philippine consulates in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, New york, Honolulu, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, and London.

Dual citizenship is granted under Republic Act 9225, which allows naturally born Filipinos

who became naturalized citizens of other countries to remain Philippine citizens.

Aside from submission of required documents, the application involves taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines and a processing fee of P3,000.

Since the implementation of the dual citizenship law in 2004, about 150,000 natural-born Filipinos worldwide have availed of the process, Antonio said.

Dual citizenship recently gained attention in the Philippines amid a disqualification case filed against actor Aga Muhlach, who is running for Camarines Sur

representative.

A Camarines Sur resident has accused Muhlach of being a Spanish citizen, having applied for citizenship in Spain while failing to apply for dual citizenship.

The 1987 Constitution requires those running for government positions to be “naturally born” Filipino citizens.

Muhlach’s lawyers have asked for the case to be dismissed, however, noting that the actor is Filipino and did not swear allegiance to Spain. Muhlach’s father was a naturalized Filipino and his mother was a naturally born citizen. [yahoo!]

to be vigilant in coming days, with scorching temperatures predicted in several states and hundreds of blazes already raging.

The danger was most acute in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, with the mercury expected to hit 43 degrees

Celsius (109 F) in Sydney on Tuesday.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell sounded a grim warning about the forecast record heat and high winds, with a large amount of grass and vegetation ripe for burning due to bumper spring rains.

“Tomorrow is not going to be just another ordinary day,” said O’Farrell.

“Tomorrow will be perhaps the worst fire danger day this state has ever faced.”

Thousands of firefighters and about 70 aircraft were on standby, with some 90 blazes already burning -- 20 out of control -- and catastrophic conditions forecast for regions south of Sydney.

Introduced after the 2009 Black Saturday firestorm in Victoria which claimed 173 lives, a catastrophic rating means fires will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and very fast-moving, with evacuation the only safe option.

Extreme conditions were also expected in Victoria state on Tuesday, with fires already burning there.

Some 13 million of Australia’s 23 million people live in Victoria and New South Wales.

N

‘Worst ever’ fire danger feared in Australia

A

USTRALIANS were bracing on Monday for what officials warned could be the worst fire danger day ever seen, as police searched for some 100 people still missing in ravaged Tasmania.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged Australians

DEVASTATED. Aerial photograph taken on January 5, 2013 shows the devastated Boomer Bay area after bush fires swept through Tasmania. Police were combing devastated towns for 100 people missing Sunday. [AFP]

To suspend

apan’s Toyota Motor has decided to halt the construction of new factories for the next three years in a shift from its previous policy of building new plants almost annually, reports said Sunday.

The company, which hopes to regain top spot in the global auto market, will concentrate its capital investment on existing factories, the Nikkei business daily said.

S

Censorship

cores of supporters of one of China’s most liberal newspapers demonstrated outside its headquarters on Monday in a rare protest against censorship, calling for the resignation of the provincial propaganda chief.

The protest in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, comes amid an escalating standoff between the government and the people over press freedom.

It is also an early test of Communist Party Chief Xi Jinping’s commitment to reform.

H

Anthem

awkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling party kicked off their first full working day of 2013 by singing the national anthem, seen by critics as a symbol of past imperialism and militarism.

The return of the 58-year-old Abe to the premiership following his conservative Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) landslide win in an election last month has raised concerns at home and abroad about a shift to the right in Japanese politics.

A

Protests

top Venezuelan opposition leader called Sunday for street protests if the government goes ahead with a plan to delay the inauguration of ailing President Hugo Chavez, who has suffered complications following his latest round of cancer surgery.

Julio Borges, national coordinator of the opposition Justice First party, also promised to file complaints with unspecified international organizations, if the constitutionally-mandated January 10 swearing-in ceremony does not take place.

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

LPA...

Kidnaping...

FFROM 1

Mindanao, “particularly in the regions of Davao and SOCCSKSARGEN which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.”

“Residents in these areas are advised to take all the necessary precautionary measures.”

Davao region (Region 11) comprises the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley and the cities of Davao, Tagum, Panabo, Samal,

IPO-UM...

FFROM 2 Digos and Mati while Region 12 (Southwestern Mndanao or Soccsksargen), comprises South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Kidapawan, Tacurong and Cotabato.

The LPA is the second in four days and the third since Typhoon Pablo struck Davao and Caraga regions on December 4.

After Typhoon Pablo

on December 4, an LPA was spotted towards Caraga and Davao regions, with an expected landfall in Dinagat islands on January 26.

The LPA, which intensified into Typhoon Quinta, made landfall in Eastern Visayas instead. On January 2, another LPA was also spotted near the same regions, later intensifying into what would be known as Typhoon Auring. [MindaNews]

lower class masses face economic woes on how to allocate meager resources a large number of family members.

Alquiza said those in favor of sex education in school wants to integrate reproductive health concerns in high school than in elementary education.

“Surely, it requires enough degree of maturity to understand the nature of pro-creation.

Consequently, a sizable number signified that it should be established as academics in the high school level and not in elementary,” Alquiza said.

She said those in favor of sex education in high school suggested to teach subjects like gender and sexual education, ways to communication with parents on issues involving sex and relationships, issues on active sex, information on reproduction, ways to resist sexual engagement, ways to communicate with partner on matter of birth control as well as sexually transmitted disease, communicating with partner on resisting sex and type of birth control.

Professor Maian Cozo, a researcher of the IPO-UM , said that the results of the survey also stress that the parents must have a significant role in designing the curriculum if sex education is taught in school (88.40 percent), followed by health professionals (86.7 percent), school administrator (78.1 percent), religious leaders (55.8 percent), students (53.2 percent) and politicians (47.3 percent) in that order.

President Benigno

Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10354 or the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012” on December 21, 2012.

Section 15 of the law entitled, “ Age- and Development-Appropriate Reproductive Health Education,” cites that the state shall provide ageand development-appropriate reproductive health education to adolescents (with age 11 to 19 years old) which shall be taught by adequately trained teachers informal and nonformal educational system and integrated in relevant subjects such as, but not limited to, values formation; knowledge and skills in self-protection against discrimination; sexual abuse and violence against women and children and other forms of gender based violence and teen pregnancy; physical, social and emotional changes in adolescents; women’s rights and children’s rights; responsible teenage behavior; gender and development; and responsible parenthood.

The law provides flexibility in the formulation and adoption of appropriate course content, scope and methodology in each educational level or group and be allowed only after consultations with parents-teachers-community associations, school officials and other interest groups.

The Department of Education (DepED) shall formulate a curriculum which shall be used by public schools and may be adopted by private schools. [With a report from Jean D. Abangan/ PIA 11]

FFROM 1

The survey said that 47.91 percent of the respondents support the inclusion of sex education in the curriculum.

However, a slightly larger group of 49.64 percent oppose the idea.

Alquiza said more Dabawenyos do not favor the introduction of sex in education, adding that “sex education remains a concept that ordinary residents do not embrace as a component of the Philippine education.”

Alquiza also said that based on the survey, more females (27.55 percent ) favor the introduction of sex education in the formal education than males (21.57 percent).

She said that on the age-demographics, those aged 30 to 35 and 36 to 42 gave highest approval rating of integrating sex education in the curriculum.

“This is interesting because these age-levels are the most productive among people in terms of economics and biologics. Their approval of the inclusion of sex education in the curriculum must be borne from their experiences and perspectives that education may also teach about a stable family size to support and safe sexual activities,” Alquiza said.

She also noted that the poorest sectors which belong to Class D and Class E of the population likewise support sex education in schools giving ratings at 21.85 percent and 16.18 percent, respectively.

Alquiza explained that these figures could be prompted by poverty-related problems, considering that the

ng.

He said that during the two days that he and many other barangay folks, they were being convinced by lecturers of the rebel group to join them in their armed struggle against the government, saying the government continues to fail

Davao...

to even give solutions to the problem of poverty which affects most of the members of the indigenous peoples, also called Lumads.

Duyan claimed that his scary experience under the armed men, made him realize that he should be joining the Citizen

Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in order for him to protect himself and his family.

Abduction victim is now under the protective custody of the 84th Infantry Battalion Charlie Company under the command of 1st Lt. Bernard Betita. CMDP

surpassed with an actual collection of P5.9 billion.

Bangcoy said the bureau is expecting that the finance department will again raise each port’s collection goal after consulting with the association of district collectors.

Every year, the port collectors would appeal for lower and more achievable revenue target, especially for smaller ports which are having difficulty in hitting their targets due to various factors. ASA/EJDCF

“By computing the carbon footprint in the festival, we can determine how many trees we need to plant to make up for it. This way, we can make history by being the first international conference held in Davao which is Carbon Neutral,” Avila said.

Volunteer Program coordinator Maya Vandenbroeck also pointed out in the conference, that they aim to keep the event as low cost as possible but still very creative and sustainable.

She cited an example saying, “ we are not using tarpaulins so that there will be less ecological impact, instead we will use cartolina and sketch the faces of the speakers and the guests of the festival, because we want it to be very environmentally friendly.”

She also said, in order to cut costs they are getting a lot of volunteers.

Even the speakers and the artists who are invited to the event waived their professional feesd to perform and speak free for Liwanag World Festival.

This festival will be sharing the visionary works of some of the great contemporary leaders of the country such as Alex Lacson, Gina Lopez, Maria Resa, Nicanor Perlas, and Tony Meloto. The festival will also showcase performances by Joey Ayala, Michael Dapdap, Waway Saway and Zia Quizon.

There will also be artistic expressions by the Talaandigs, Mebuyan, and Maranao. There will be dozens more individuals and groups who will take part in the entire festival.

FFROM 2 to curb corruption in the graft-ridden agency.

The customs official said that in 2011, the target was P4.6 billion, but actual collection that year was P5.4 billion.

The annual target was raised to P5.3 billion in 2012, but again this was

Liwanag...

FFROM 2 Avila also believes that this festival can open an opportunity for civil society to connect with the government as its concept is three-folding which includes business, government and civil society.

He cited, “for example, secretary Delos Reyes of the Department of Agrarian Reform, who is coming to the festival, can connect with civil society in order to do programs related to the development of the agrarian reform beneficiaries.”

This festival also lives up to its advocacy of having a sustainable society by partnering with the City Environment and Natural Resource Office in computing the carbon footprint in this festival to make sure the event is Carbon Neutral.

A man uses an umbrella to protect himself from the scourging heat while coincidentally a lady at his back seems to ignore being exposed from direct sunlight along McArthur Highway in Matina yesterday. LEAN DAVAL JR.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

Realty

EDGEDAVAO

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SPORTS 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

Thunder roars over Toronto T

Russell Westbrook comes up with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting in 35 minutes of action. AP

ORONTO — To Kevin Durant, an early afternoon start in Toronto against an improving Raptors team was a trap waiting to be sprung on Oklahoma City.

But with a balanced offensive attack, and a defensive correction in the second half, the Thunder steered clear of getting caught.

Russell Westbrook scored 23 points, Durant had 22 and Oklahoma City beat the Raptors 10492 on Sunday (Monday, Manila time), giving the Thunder a winning start to a stretch that sees them play 11 of 13 on the road.

“This is one of those trap games when you play at 1:00 p.m. in Toronto,” Durant said. “It’s a tough place to play. A few teams came in here and lost around this time.

We knew we had to be focused and have a lot of energy from the beginning.”

Serge Ibaka had 19 points and eight rebounds and Kevin Martin scored 16 for Oklahoma City, who came in having played an NBA-low 12 road games this season but improved to 9-4 as visitors.

“We just want to keep on playing like we’re at home and keep on racking up the wins,” Martin said.

Nick Collison had 10 points and eight rebounds to help the Thunder win for the fifth time in eight games since their season-long 12-game winning streak.

Oklahoma City is 14-0 this season when at least five players score in double figures.

“Everybody participated, everybody chipped in and everybody did their job,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “We’re good when we force the defense to chase the ball around and the ball finds a good shot. It’s not really who finds it, just as long as it’s a good shot.”

Westbrook and Durant each had seven assists. For Durant, that was his most since dishing out a career-high 10 against Golden State on Nov. 18.

“Kevin is the best scorer in the game,” Westbrook said. “He can score whenever he pleases but he does a great job of keeping his teammates involved.”

Alan Anderson scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the second quarter and Amir Johnson had

19 for the Raptors, who lost their second straight after winning eight of nine.

“I praised our guys, the way we fought and scrapped,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “But at the end of day reality set in.”

DeMar DeRozan scored 11 points but made just four of 16 field goal attempts. DeRozan made only 3 of 11 attempts in Friday’s loss to Sacramento.

“We wanted to make sure we didn’t give him any easy shots,” Brooks said. “He’s an athletic guy that can get to the rim and his mid-range game is good.”

Kyle Lowry scored 10 for the Raptors, who had won four of their previous five home meetings with Oklahoma City. Jose Calderon had 10 points and 11 assists as Toronto dropped to 6-14 against Western Conference opponents.

Toronto guard Terrence Ross left one minute into the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return.

Casey said Ross’ injury is not considered serious but declined to say whether the rookie would be available for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia.

Ibaka scored 10 points as the Thunder built a 23-12 lead with 3:10 left in the first, but Toronto closed the quarter with six straight points to make it 23-18 after one.

Anderson connected on his first six field goal attempts of the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, as the Raptors took a 39-37 lead with 5:40 left. Toronto kept it close the rest of the way, but a 3 by Thabo Sefolosha with 36 seconds left gave Oklahoma City a 5250 edge at the half.

“That second quarter we were just exchanging baskets and when you do that, teams can get comfortable and teams can get hot,” Brooks said.

Anderson and the Raptors cooled off in the third, making just five of 16 field goal attempts. Westbrook scored 12 points for the Thunder in the third as Oklahoma City pulled away again, taking a 78-67 lead into the fourth.

“In the second half we really locked in defensively,” Brooks said. “Our length and athleticism causes a lot of problems.”

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

Balkman vows to be good P

ETRON’S new import Renaldo Balkman, a certified NBA veteran, promises he won’t be a head case for his PBA team.

The former New york Knick has vowed to be a good soldier when he joins the Boosters for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. “My job is to play basketball and to listen (to my coach)”, said Balkman, who was once compared

by NBA legend and former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas to blue-collar workers Dennis Rodman and Metta World Peace.

The six-year NBA veteran said he will accept whatever role the coach will give him.

“Whatever the coach tells me to do, that’s my job.

If the coach tells me I have poor shots and tell to just play defense, I will just play defense,” he added.

“That is what a player should be. If there is a leader on the team, don’t take that (respect) away from him.”

The six-year NBA veteran, at 6-8 most likely the shortest among the batch of imports for the mid-season tournament, arrived in

the country on Sunday morning and will be joining Petron’s practice on Monday.

If he proves true to his word, Balkman should be a welcome addition to a Petron team which has had problems meshing together the games of its star-studded lineup this season.

Well-known import agent Sheryl Reyes said she is happy to have convinced the double-double machine to take his act to the local pro league. “ I a m s o

proud to have brought him (Balkman) here. He is one of the most humble and hardworking imports I know,” said Reyes, who has brought in a long list of top-caliber reinforcements to the league.

EDGEDAVAO

NBA veteran Renaldo Balkman will be the Petron Boosters import in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

D’Antoni wants improved Lakers D F

ASTER starts and a much improved defense are sorely needed by the Los Angeles Lakers if the 16-time NBA champions are to resurrect a bitterly disappointing campaign, according to their head coach Mike D’Antoni.

Lakers fans had lofty expectations for 201213 after Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were joined by fellow All-Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the off-season but the once mighty franchise has failed to gel, slipping to a 15-17 record.

An ageing line-up has not been helped by a spate of injuries and three different head coaches, though the return of veteran point guard Nash from a leg fracture for the last six games certainly gave the team a much needed lift.

“We just have to get better starts,” D’Antoni told reporters after Lakers team practice at their El Segundo training facility on Saturday. “Whatever we’re doing isn’t working right now.

“And defensively, we need to work harder. We

lose our energy on defense sometimes because the offense sputters.”

The Lakers lost a tense battle with their city rival Clippers 107-102 on Friday after clawing back from a 19-point deficit early in the fourth quarter at the Staples Center.

FALLING SHORT In their previous game they also fell short, going down 103-99 on their home court against the struggling Philadelphia 76ers on New year’s Day after trailing by 11 points in the first quarter.

“We competed,” D’An-

toni said of his team’s spirited revival against the Clippers when Bryant finished with a game-high 38 points. “We came back and we had a shot at the end to win.

“We’re always shooting under pressure, down eight or 10, and the ball has to go in. Then you’re down 15 or 17, and it’s ‘Oh man’. We’re struggling with that a little bit.

“So there are spots where we’re really good and there are spots where we seem to dissolve a little bit as a team.

We have to find guys that

can make shots and we have to get back to that.”

The Lakers have very little time to get back as they host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday and their three-time defensive player of the year Howard has billed himself a “game-day decision”.

Center Howard put up 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers against the Clippers on Friday but hurt his shoulder in a tangle with Caron Butler and woke up on Saturday in some pain.

Howard skipped team

practice on Saturday and received treatment from the Lakers’ training staff but D’Antoni was not too worried, saying the center’s chances of playing on Sunday were “good.”

Bench player Jordan Hill, who sprained his right ankle against the Clippers, was listed as “probable” for Sunday’s game against the Nuggets.

The Lakers, who have lost three of their last four games, have gone 10-12 since D’Antoni took over from interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

Surprise, surprise!

The quirky, the funny, the fabulous, and the weird TRAVEL is all about making discoveries. Wether it be a place to eat, finding the places to buy stuff, or even just to experience a good nightcap. Believe me, every time I travel, I find something wonderful in the ordinary, or something quirky in the grand and these photos are just some of the more interesting signs and finds I have seen in the past year.

Hong Kong They say the British are an eccentric lot and this eccentricity must have rubbed off on the people of Hong Kong. With their uber-stylish hairdo to crazy outfits, nothing beats Hong Kong when it comes to trendy fashion. Enter Hello Kitty shoes by Vans. Yes, the cuteness of Hello Kitty is merged with the edginess of skateboard fashion, nice!

Hong Kong is also the home to streets with lots of neon signs, each competing with the other to grab a buyers attention, so imagine a street with signs advertising food and fashion, then suddenly you are greeted by the word ‘UNDERWEAR’ in bright red bold letters. Of course that is nothing to be afraid about unless you have to “beware of the glass” because it might bite.

Macau With its many narrow alleys and churches, it was actually a treat to peek into the Church of St. Dominic, just off Senado Square, and find a string quarter rehearsing for a show later tonight. What was more amazing was that anyone and everyone can enter and enjoy the free performance while they practiced. I wonder if the local parishes can adopt this idea.

Siem Reap Cambodia has got to have the craziest signs, and some that would actually be

deemed illegal in other con tries, case in point, Happy Herb Pizza. So what kind of herbs would make one “happy” you might ask? I for sure did not, but when I saw the neighboring Ecstatic Pizza, you can be sure it is a different kind of pizza that is not for the faint of heart.

Singapore Singapore is still known to be a conservative city but with a growing art scene thanks to it’s government sponsored art programs.

That is the main reason why there are lots of art-themed cafes sprouting up in the Lion City with quirky designs and creative twists to an ordinary latte. Of course putting up a billboard of an almost naked male torso along Orchard Road can cause quite a stir.

As for me, I am content with a sign reading “Ong Ong Kitchen” for good eats.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @kennethkingong for more travel and foodie finds.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

EVENTs

VOL.5 ISSUE 219 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

Isyu Minda to lead in T

Going ‘Glamping’ for 2013 at the Waterfront FUSINg the concept of glamorous and camping, Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao’s New Year’s countdown was a party like no other. A sumptuous dinner buffet was held at the garden Tent where dinners were serenaded by the gem Cache Band.

Flowing cocktails were served right after dinner as guests started dancing, counting down the clock to 2013.

Party games like tent pitching, and other campfire favorites also kept the crowd entertained.

And as the clock struck 12, the crowd erupted in a joyful noise and with the venue right on the sea side across Samal Island, guests were also treated to a view of fireworks from across the gulf.

Waterfront Davao’s New Year glamping Countdown was truly a great way to kickstart the new year.

IsyU MINDANAO is undoubtedly the program of choice during weekends for most Mindanaoans, especially those in Davao, General santos and Cagayan de Oro. Hosted by broadcast journalist and international award-winning indie filmmaker John Paul seniel, Isyu Mindanao features stories that have proven to be eye-openers for the public at large.

Time and again, Isyu Mindanao have been lauded for its simple yet impactful story-telling. They have spurred both authorities and people to action and paved the way for productive debate on issues and concerns.

Last December 8, Isyu Mindanao delved deep into the story behind Father Pops Tentorio’s killing. In the eyes of witnesses, the motive behind the gruesome murder was traced in detail, empowering the viewers to form their own judgments and opinions based on the facts at hand. This particular episode of Isyu Mindanao achieved the highest rating in its timeslot according to data from the industry’s

widely-trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

Based on the overnight household ratings data recorded in Metro Davao for December 8, Isyu Mindanao registered its biggest margin over all rivals as it peaked at an average household rating of 7.3 percent versus ABsCBN’s Honey Watch Out!’s 2.5 percent and Why Not?’s 3.3 percent, and also leaving TV 5’s Batibot and The Powerpuff Girls behind with only 4.3 and 3.7 percent, respectively. since its re-launch last

Box office: Texas Chainsaw TExAs Chainsaw 3D was the surprise No. 1 film at the weekend box office due to, in part, its surprise draw: Trey songz.

Django ($20.1 million) held strong, and held onto second place in the weekend standings. Overall, the Quentin Tarantino Oscar hopeExit polling showed one in ful is now at $106.4 million three moviegoers cited the stateside. singer, making his first turn Les Mis ($16.1 million) in a major movie, as the hor- cracked $100 million nearly ror remake’s main attraction, as fast as Django, 13 days to Django Unchained and the latter’s 12 days. No movLes Misérables meanwhile, ie musical has ever gotten to both zoomed to $100 mil- nine digits as quickly.

Elsewhere, Promised lion domestically, while Matt Damon’s Promised Land Land went wide, but didn’t struggled to crack the Top impress with a $4.3 million take from more than 1,600 10.

Texas Chainsaw 3D goes screens.

The Hobbit: An Unexdown as the second-biggest opening Texas Chainsaw pected Journey, which had movie. Its bigger-than- its run at No. 1 ended after expected estimated $23 three weekends, dropped million Friday-sunday take to third place, but picked up was driven by presumably another $17.5 million and songz-taken females, who upped its domestic haul to made up more than half of $263.8 million.

Billy Crystal’s and Bette the opening-weekend audience. About the only game Midler’s Parental Guidance the movie didn’t win was the ($10.1 million; $52.8 million Cinemascore one—per the overall domestically) continpolling company, the film ued to school fellow holidaywas graded just a C-plus by season comediesThis Is 40 and The Guilt Trip. moviegoers.

Outside of the Top 10, two In its second weekend,

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EDGEDAVAO

anao continues TV ratings

October, Isyu Mindanao’s ratings continue to improve as it continues to inch away from programs in the same time slot, with its in-depth reports and heart-warming stories that affect the lives especially of Mindanaoans.

For Isyu Mindanao’s first episode this 2013, John Paul seniel takes a look back into the wide-scale damage brought about by Typhoon Pablo in Baganga, Davao

Oriental that has put the lives of the residents especially of school children and teachers on-hold. Left with nothing, they are still hopeful that someday they will be able to rehabilitate their devastated schools and resume their most-valued education.

Meanwhile in General santos City, join Jennifer solis as she tackles the livelihood problem faced by many scavengers. They are now left with no more garbage to collect since the implementation of the solid waste management by the

local government.

Also featured in this week’s episode is Joe Legaspina’s narration of Diasyber Baynostory’s story of hope and survival. The 14year-old Diasyber, popularly known as Dodoy, has polio. But despite having this physical disability, he was able to rescue and look after his younger siblings during the height of Typhoon sendong in Ilaya, Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City.

Isyu Mindanao airs every saturday, 7:30 am, in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and General santos.

w 3D shocks Justin Bieber shows awards-season contenders impressed. The controversycourting Zero Dark Thirty put up a big $2.8 million from just 60 theaters, while Naomi Watts’ The Impossible ($2.8 million) averaged a solid $4,825 from its 500-plus theaters.

Overall, the first weekend of 2013 was just about even with the first weekend of 2012.

Here’s a complete look at the weekend’s top movies, per studio estimates and stats as compiled per Hollywood.com: 1. Texas Chainsaw 3D, $23 million 2. Django Unchained, $20.1 million 3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, $17.5 million 4. Les Misérables, $16.1 million 5. Parental Guidance, $10.1 million 6. Jack Reacher, $9.3 million 7. This is 40, $8.6 million 8. Lincoln, $5.3 million 9. The Guilt Trip, $4.5 million 10. Promised Land, $4.3 million

off new hockeythemed tattoo

ANOTHER day means another tattoo for Justin Bieber.

T h e 18-year-old pop star debuted some fresh ink on the back of his shoulder via Instagram today, which was inspired by one of his favorite hobbies— hockey, of course— and dedicated to a special person in his life. Bieber’s latest piece is of the logo for the stratford Cullitons junior ice hockey team based in...can you guess? yes, Canada!

Biebs wrote, “My grandfather always took me to the

stratford culliton every friday night this is for u Grampa ...

My man @chenterios hooked

it up” Less than a week ago, J.B. had another tattoo session where the celeb added some roses to a pre-existing image of praying hands on his leg.

What’s next?!

INdulge! A3

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

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EVENTs

A cheerful Christmas with the little angels

THE event area of Abreeza Ayala mall was speckled with twisted balloons, clowns, and kids who were all excited to perform and watch their friends groove on stage as the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. celebrated the Christmas season as well as their 15th Anniversary last December 29.

Mr. Antonio Brias and his wife Maricris FloirendoBrias of Davao were the moving forces behind the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. in Mindanao – a support group whose advocacy is on the well-being of the children with Down Syn-

drome, a challenge that never defined these kids but rather made them even more loved by the people around them.

They shared the spirit of kindness and exuberance of Christmas to kids with a lot of dancing and stage performances. There were

those who performed the Creed of the Babies with Down Syndrome through a doxology that brought out too much emotion from the audience. Some of the kids danced the hula, complete with their grass skirts, colorful leis and their most fascinating smiles. There

were also those who executed a Muslim-inspired dancing with their headdresses on and bamboos all ready for props.

The kids and their parents were also entertained with a magical show, on-site photo opportunities, raffle prizes, food and ice cream.

Christina Brias, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brias, personally handed cupcakes, loot bags, gift items, and cash gifts to the delight of the kids.

The party was full of warmth and love from their families and friends.

It was full of enthusiasm and positivity that moved the hearts of the viewers who were there to witness the children’s talents as they continue to bring smile and love to the world.

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 219 •TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2013

City sports submits programs for 2013

By Neil Bravo

D

AVAO City’s sports programs for the year will be anchored on the second athlete’s recognition, employee sportsfest, Araw ng Dabaw and the Summerfest.

The City Sports Development Office bared the city government’s sports programs in a message to EDGE Davao as the city’s sports community braces for another sporting season.

“The main components are the four priority programs. We have submitted the budget proposal to the CMO,” said Pocholo Elegino, acting chief of the CSDO. The 2013 programs were included in the budget provisions passed under the 2013 Annual Investment Plan of the City Government.

Elegino said the main components are the second Athletes Recognition Night which will be held during the Araw ng Dabaw celebration, the Araw-related sports events, Davao City Hall

The Davao Summerfest in May will be among the major sports components under the 2013 program of the City Sports Development Office.

Employees Association (DACHEA) sportsfest, and the third edition of the Davao Summerfest.

The athletes’ recognition program will be the second time the city gov-

ernment will be feting the athletes who have brought honor and pride to the city in the sporting arenas. Last year, some 200 athletes were given plaques and cash incen-

tives.

Likewise, the Davao Summerfest, organized by the city government festival partner Duaw Davao, turned out to be the biggest sports event

in the city last year with breakthrough components such as Sports Conference, Sports Expo, Sports Camps and Sports Competitions.

Other than the major

sports programs, the city also regularly allocates funding for athletes’ participation to various regional, national and even international competitions.

to him (Douthit) like an ordinary import, unless the club waives him, in which other case, other teams can engage his services,” said Salud.

From the looks of it, the Express appeared not too keen on tapping the services of Douthit this time as coach Franz Pumaren recently revealed to Spin.ph that he’s looking at Michael Dunigan as possible import for the conference that starts on February 8.

Talk n’ Text is eyeing to utilize Douthit, who is under the payroll of the Smart group as a member of the national team, as an import in the tournament.

However, Air21 governor Lito Alvarez seemed hesitant to give Douthit his release papers, telling Spin.ph that Air21 is looking at Douthit as a back-up option in the event Dunigan fails to live up to expectations.

“Mahirap pa kasi sumugal sa ngayon eh. Video pa lang ang nakikita namin dun sa import naming na paparating,”

said Alvarez.

But Alvarez said they have no plan to “hostage” the career of Douthit.

“Kung may teams na gustong kunin si Marcus, pwede naman nila kaming kausapin. Open kami to talk”, said Alvarez while denying an approach from Talk n’ Text Tropang Texters.

Asked how much Air21 will ask in return for the rights to Douthit, Alvarez was replied: “Mapapag-usapan naman yun.”

Air21 coach Franz Pumaren explained why they are not giving Douthit a second tour of duty after an impressive stint with the team in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup. “Gusto namin ang laro ni Marcus eh. Kaya lang ayaw na naming guluhin ang focus niya sa national team”, said Pumaren.

PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial likewise clarified the league is not taking Douthit’s tweets against him.

“Hindi naman. Kailangan lang sigurong ipaalam sa kanya ang rules ng liga,” said Marcial.

PBA teams in Douthit tug-of-war P

Marcus Douthit want to play in the PBA. Air 21 holds the rights to the naturalized Smart Gilas player.

BA commissioner Chito Salud declared on Saturday that naturalized player Marcus Douthit is eligible to play in the coming Commissioner’s Cup either with his mother team Air21 or with any other squad should the Express decide to release him.

Salud made this clear in response to a post by the 6-foot-11 Smart Gilas mainstay on the social networking site Twitter expressing impatience over the clarification of his status in the wake of interest from Talk ‘N Text.

Douthit tweeted on his account @DouthitMarcus, “Can somebody tell the commissioner to hurry up so i know if im going to play next conference.”

The commissioner clarified Douthit can play in the mid-season tournament featuring imports of unlimited height, with Air21, the team where he played for last season which still holds the playing rights on him.

“Air21 has the rights

16 SPORTS

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EDGEDAVAO

Pacquiao mulls charges vs Doc Manny Pacquiao’s camp may file libel charges against a Filipino doctor.

M

ANNy Pacquiao’s camp is mulling the possibility of filing charges against Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines president Dr. Rustico Jimenez over statements saying that the eight-division world boxing champion may be showing early signs of Parkinson’s Disease.

“When Manny and I return from Israel, I will proceed to America and I will consult with our attorneys David Marroso of O’Melveny and Myers in Los Angeles,” said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz.

Pacquiao is set to return sometime next week.

Jimenez, a neurologist, had earlier called for Pacquiao’s retirement following his shocking knokout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez

last December, but clarified that he never examined Pacquiao and that he simply made an opinion out of concern.

Pacquiao himself, in an interview with boxing website BoxingScene. com, said that he is 100-percent healthy following the normal results of a CT Scan in Las Vegas and an MRI scan at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center days after the fight.

His doctor Regina Bagsic likewise said in an interview with News5 that she hasn’t seen any sign of Parkinson’s in the boxer.

Meantime, the Paccquiao camp says there ought to be mandatory random drug testing in the event a fifth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is made.

A member of Team

Pacquiao voiced this out a recently as the possibility of a fifth clash between the rivals began to make the rounds again.

The Pacquiao ally who asked not to be named said it would be much better that Marquez and even Pacquiao agree to random testing following the sudden ending to the fourth fight between the two last December 8 in Las Vegas.

“Rumors that Marquez was on PED was hot topic,” he said.

Even the fellow, who had a few chances to see Marquez up close in the final days leading to the fight, expressed surprise over the massive physique of the 39-year-old Mexican.

“I got the opportunity to see him and I could not believe what I was seeing. He had muscles shaped like big water-

melons and I was asking myself if what I was seeing was right.”

Marquez went on to post one of boxing’s most vicious victories, a one-punch knockout of the Filipino icon in the sixth round before a stunned sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“They said that it was a product of hard training and science but I don’t know. Maybe it’s true but I would like that random drug testing be done should they fight again.”

Marquez hasn’t decided yet whether he would continue boxing since his wife wants him to hang up his gloves.

Pacquiao said he would like to see a fifth clash.

Promoter Bob Arum said a fifth showdown should be a dandy.