Edge Davao 5 Issue 220

EDGEDAVAO P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

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Indulge

Page A1

Rains slow down but…

Warning still up All municipalities are provided with up-to-date information of weather condition.

Suburbia

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Sports

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HE oFFICE of Civil Defense 11 has warned communities near rivers and mountains to be alert all the time due to the possibility of landslides and flash floods brought about by intermittent rain caused by a low pressure area

hovering Mindanao. although rains have slowed down by mid-day yesterday, Tony Cloma, Jr., operations head of the oCD 11 said the uncertainty generated by the current weather condition must keep all disaster risk reduction and management council ready.

He said that disaster risk reduction and management councils in all municipalities are provid-

Padayon ta sa pagbantay!

FRAINS, 11

DAMAGED. A portion of Sta. Ana Wharf is on the verge of collapsing which may cause incidents that will harm many lives on R. Magsaysay Avenue, Davao City. A much needed repair of this iconic place should be undertaken immediately before anything happen. Lean Daval Jr.

Duterte says

Money came from philanthropist

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

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D

avao vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said that the unspecified amount of money that he gave away during a visit to a guerrilla zone somewhere in Compostela valley province did not come from the government but from the good graces of a lady philanthropist whose name he did not disclose.

Duterte divulged in a press conference

at the Grand Men Seng Hotel January 8 that the money he brought with him and gave away on the anniversary of the New Peoples army was a donation the lady who owns a popular restaurant.

Duterte said, “Maybe the military and the people will think that I gave away government money to the NPa, but the money, whether you believe it or not, came

from a lady who owns a popular ‘carenderia’ who asked me not to disclose her name.” according to Duterte, the lady also gave a one million peso cheque for cancer patients of the DMC as a way of showing gratitude to God for giving her a wonderful life. Soon after, the lady came back to

FDUTERTE, 11

2 THE BIG NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

On Jan. 10 - 13

Water interruption in some city parts

D

avao City Water District has scheduled three sets of water interruption affecting some parts of the city to pave way for separate system improvement projects.

First set is on January 10 from 9:00 aM to 5:00 PM and will affect Calinan Proper and abayon village. Said interruption is needed to allow DCWD’s crew to tap the newly installed 4-inch diameter Polyvinyl Chloride (PvC) pipeline to the existing 4-inch diameter PvC pipeline for the mainline improvement at Calinan Public Market. New service connections can be accommodated once said project is completed.

Second set is a sixhour water cut from January 11 from 9:00 aM

to 3:00 PM affecting the entire SIR Phase 2 in Matina. DCWD will install a bypass line for the mainline replacement project at said area.

Third set is from 6:00 PM of January 12 until 6:00 aM of January 13 and will cause low pressure to no water in the areas of Benedictine Sisters Rd., Manggahan village, Sunnyville Subd., Josefina village, Talomo Teachers village I, PLDT Subd., Mandaya – Talusa village, PNB village, New Washington village I & II, Talomo Cemento, Talomo Proper, Talusa village, Solariega Subd., aR village, versari village, Gulfview Executive Homes, Puan, Lower Rapnaga and Castro village.

DCWD’s crew will install

FWATER, 11

Over 1,000 families displaced by floods in S’west Mindanao

a

T least 1,102 families in General Santos City, the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato were displaced by severe flooding caused by the continuing rains in the area the last three days.

Jerome Barranco, office of Civil Defense (oCD)-Region assistant director, said Tuesday three major flooding incidents have been so far reported in the region as a result of the almost nonstop rains spawned by the entry of another Low Pressure area (LPa) and the continuing Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Mindanao.

In Norala town, South

Cotabato seven villages were hit by severe flooding on Sunday afternoon due to the overflowing of several rivers.

The floods directly affected some 526 families, damaged a bridge and about 79 hectares of palay farmlands, a report from the Norala Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Several villages in Gensan were partially submerged in floodwaters due to the swelling of irrigation channels and other waterways traversing various low-lying villages following hours of heavy rain. [allen v. Estabillo/ MindaNews]

COLORFUL. An old man walks by the colorful Kingdom of Moncado Alpha and Omega World Peace Crusaders Inc. in Barangay New Israel, Makilala, North Cotabato where the longest zipline in Southeast Asia is being put up. Lean Daval Jr.

FFS teaches banana-cacao intercropping to farmers S

MaLL farmers in Barangay New katipunan, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte are fastlearning the proper way of banana-cacao intercropping system through the Farmers Field School (FFS).

FFS is being initiated by 40 Coco Pal Farmer Leaders (CFL) who underwent free intensive trainings on banana-cacao intercrop farming technology provided by the Federation of Cooperative in Mindanao (FEDCo) through its Cacao-Banana agri-En-

terprise Development (CBaED) project. FEDCo partners with aCDI/ voCa funded by the United States Department of agriculture (USDa) in initiating the project. amado Sagot, 68, with a half hectare farm lot in Purok 11, Barangay New Katipunan said the FFS would augment his produce and income through the proper technology in the banana-cacao intercrop farming system.

Sagot is one of the 50

FFFS, 11

PROPER WAY OF PLANTING CACAO. SaturninoTuquib, Jr. one of the 40 Coco Pal Farmer Leaders (CFL) who underwent free intensive trainings on banana-cacao intercrop farming technology initiated by FEDCO teaches the

small farmers in Barangay New katipunan, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte on the proper way of planting cacao in their farms at their 6th session held December 22, 2012.

One year after: A journalist’s murder R12 Comelec, police

prepare polls security

By Aquiles Z. Zonio

a

year after the murder of “Tatak News” publisher Christopher Guarin right in front of his wife and daughter in General Santos City, the case remains in the doldrums. a murder case had already been filed in February last year by the police before the court against the alleged gunman. Marvin Palabrica. But the police have failed to trace the whereabouts of the suspect.

Guarin was gunned

down by motorcycle-riding hitmen around 10:30 p.m. on January 5 last year while driving his family home.

He was the first victim of media killings in 2012 and the 150th since democracy was restored in the country in 1986.

The police are eyeing business rivalry as one of the motives behind the killing.

Under threat…

Guarin’s widow, Lyn, said fear continues to haunt them even a year

after the murder of her husband.

Lyn bared that she and her children, Christopher Jr. and alea, rarely stay at home for security reason.

“We rarely stay at home after our neighbors told us there were unidentified motorcycle-riding men who had been asking for our whereabouts,” Lyn said.

The family keeps moving from one place to another to avoid being patterned.

“Sometimes, we

sleep at home but with security escorts,” Lyn added.

She said life for them has not been normal since the death of her husband. according to her, this is a big distraction not only in the schooling of her children but also in her efforts to find a stable means of livelihood.

“I cannot work even if I wanted to. We are only relying on our two-hectare coconut farm and the SSS pension of my

FONE, 11

T

HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Police Regional office 12 have started their security preparations for the scheduled May 13 midterm national and local elections.

Chief Supt. alex Paul Monteagudo, Region 12 police director, said they are currently drawing up a comprehensive security plan for the conduct of the May elections in the region in coordination with Comelec-Region 12 and other law enforcement units in the area.

Region 12, which is also known as the Soccsksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotaba-

to, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

Monteagudo said none among the region’s four provinces and five cities had been listed as potential hotspots or areas of concern for the elections, but said they are closely watching some localities due to the escalation of election-related violence.

He said they were specifically monitoring the political situation in Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat province which has started to heat up in the past months. [allen v. Estabillo/ MindaNews]

SUBURBIA 3

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013 North Cotabato opens Fort Pikit as tourism destination

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HE provincial government of North Cotabato opened yesterday historical Fort Pikit in Pikit town as a new tourism destination.

The event, attended by officials from the Department of Tourism and the Spanish government, is part of the province’s effort to earn more revenues from tourism and showcase the improvement in the local peace and order condition.

In May last year, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared Fort Pikit as a national historical landmark.

Fort Pikit, which sits on a hill overlooking the Cotabato-Davao highway, was built in 1893 by the Spanish colonizers who wanted to conquer the Moro people of Mindanao.

The americans also used the fort in their military campaign in Mindanao.

During World War II, the Japanese Imperial army used it as a garrison. aside from promoting Fort Pikit, the province had also built what could become the longest zip line in Southeast asia, in Barangay New Israel, Makilala town.

The 1.2-kilometer long zip line is being built within the eco-adventure park in the barangay, which is known for monkeys that mingle with the residents free and unharmed. It was

inaugurated last week by Gov. Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, Tourism Regional Director Jose Cabulanan and Environmental Development Corporation (EDC) vice president alejandro Catacutan.

“This will add more attraction to our climbers who are flocking to Mt. apo this summer, and additional activities to our tourists who just visit to see and feed the herd of monkeys roaming around,” Cabulanan said. village chief Lovely Paraiso said he is thankful that the park was built in his barangay since it will mean more jobs for the residents.

Mendoza stressed that developing the tourism potential of the province will bring in more money as well as prove that its peace and security situation has improved.

EDC, which runs the geothermal power plant in Mt. apo, contributed P5.8 million for the construction of the adventure sports facility in New Israel.

North Cotabato is also developing and promoting the asik-asik Falls in alamada, Batasan hot spring in Makilala, a number of falls in Magpet, spelunking eco-adventure in Kabacan and Pisan cave in Kabacan. [Ferdinandh Cabrera/MindaNews]

Special Feature

S

E don’t stop being women because there is a disaster, the DSWD and UNFPa want to make sure that women’s needs are met,” emphasized the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPa) Country Representative Ugochi Daniels.

Because of the dire need of protecting the vulnerable sector during disasters especially the women and children, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with the UNFPa launched the first ever women-friendly space in Davao Region.

The UNFPa introduced the idea of opening the women-friendly space to the DSWD during the ‘Sendong’ devastation in Cagayan de oro City.

Stationed in Cabinuangan Central Elementary School in New Bataan, Compostela valley, the women-friendly space was launched recently and witnessed by Compostela valley Governor arturo Uy, New Bataan Mayor Lorenzo Balbin, Jr., UNFPa Country Representative Ugochi Daniels, World Health organization (WHo) Consultant Dr. Ma. asuncion Silvestre and DSWD Focal Person for Families and Women Merlinda a.

Paragamac.

“The women-friendly space will serve as a safe ‘space’ for women.

It is open to all pregnant mothers, nursing mothers, senior citizens and persons with disability. The women-friendly space is a space where they are also provided with the much needed psycho-social support.

It is operational as long as there are internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the evacuation centers,” explained Merlinda Paragamac. “Pero hindi naman iiwanan ang mga lalake, nire-recognize lang natin ang special needs ng mga babae (However, we do not leave out the men, we are just recognizing the special needs of women),” she added.

“Natumbahan og lubi ang amoang balay ug nabanlas pa gyud sa sapa. Dako gyud kaayo ang akoang pasalamat sa DSWD ug sa UNFPa sa kanunayon nilang pagtabang sa amoa (a coconut tree fell on our house. What remains of our house were also washed away by the floods. I am extremely grateful to the DSWD and the UNFPa to their relentless assistance to us),” cried Gaudiosa Cordodo, 71 years old of Purok 18, Barangay Poblacion, New

WOMEN-FRIENDLY. Dr. Ma. Asuncion Silvestre, a neonatologist at the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) in Manila and chairperson of the breastfeeding committee and member of the Board of Trustee of the Philippine Society of

Newborn Medicine helps pregnant women prepare for their first stages of labor and motherhood and infant feeding in emergencies during the Women-Friendly Space launch in New Bataan, Compostela Valley recently.

Bataan, Compostela valley. other Local Government Units (LGUs) can replicate or institutionalize the women-friendly space. “We are encouraging everyone to please

let us know if the women-friendly space is helpful, how it has helped, and how it can be more helpful,” asked UNFPa Country Representative Ugochi Daniels. [DSWD]

Andap’s nightmare ( 1st of two parts )

by Susan B. Palad HE was supposed to get married that Saturday. Instead , she and her siblings buried their beloved mother at the foot of the ravaged mountains of andap, New Bataan. To this day, they still have to find the remains of their mama’s younger brother.

Her ring bearer , a cousin, was found along with his mother, Gina. Many of her relatives are dead and only one family is intact.

The house beside the river which she helped build from her salary for the past 14 years is gone.

The church where she was supposed to get married has been swept by the swirling mud along with the resort where the wedding reception was supposed to take place. Her entire village is lost and buried in 15 feet of huge boulders along with the hopes and dreams of a small mandaya community who has made andap their home for a hundred years.

Her mother was a proud Mandaya who found her faith within the small Baptist congregation in New Bataan. Her first born son, whom she is very proud of, carved a name in the tribe by becoming a

DSWD opens first ever ‘Pablo’ women-friendly space in ComVal “W

pastor. Her other son chose to be a carpenter. another daughter was married to a banana plantation worker while Inday found greener pastures in Makati. Kimod, meaning youngest in the Mandaya dialect, worked her way through college and became a social worker. There were a number of times that her salary kept Kimod in school.

My Edna was 16 when she was introduced by her sister Hilda who was taking care of two rambunctious boys in the apartment next to mine. Being a mother at a ripe age of 48 with an absentee husband is no walk in the park and so Edna did not only turn out to be the greatest yaya in this part of the world but became a friend, a confidant and a favorite among my own immediate family. my late brother, Manong Jun used to say that if only she could be xeroxed, he would have her xeroxed many times.

She is a gem and no family gathering is complete without her lording over the other “kasambahays” ensuring that everybody will enjoy themselves.

She accompanies us wherever we go for that much awaited family vaca-

tions and outings and not a single travel necessity is left behind, from feeding bottles, aqua shoes, floaters, diapers, sunscreen, party clothes, day clothes, beach clothes, sandals, heater, hair blower, easy to cook noodles, quaker oats, vegetables and fruits.

Name it, she has it! all securely bundled and neatly arranged in a big blue travelling bag I found at the ukay-ukay in Uyanguren. She does not ask for instructions but tells you what she has prepared so far and then ask without sounding offensive, if there is still anything that you want packed.

She has an eye for balance. She enjoys the vacations but never forgetting her own responsibilities to the family.

She connects with all my friends without being too assuming. Every member of the family feels special because she remembers every single detail about them. She even remembers that bars, my Muslim friend of long standing takes his coffee black. She never flirt even if my former husband’s good-looking Tausug bodyguards. Give her some furtive glances. She

is blessed with beautiful wide eyes, long silky hair, sweet smile, pearly teeth and slim graceful body.

She also developed her own flair for fashion and could spend many hours at the ukay-ukay for that one of a kind blouse or skirt.

For many years, she was mistakenly assumed as the mommy of my children at the prestigious Catholic school they attend.

She took care of the family when I had to face some personal storms in my life and demanded for divorce from my MNLF husband who was suddenly catapulted to power in the Sulu political arena. She washed my wounds, kneaded the pain and brought chicken soup when it’s cold and rainy until one day I just woke up and found myself on steady ground. He has become a dim memory and being a mother, breadwinner, community leader, sister, aunt, cousin and a friend take so much of my time. Whatever I am, Edna was there to cheer me on while keeping the domestic front move with such comforting efficiency. Inda and oto fondly calls her mommy Ingga since it was

difficult for them to say Edna while I am referred to as mommy Inah. Since then, she is mommy Ingga to all nephews, nieces and grandchildren. as Inda and oto grow older, she was not only a mommy but became an ate.

She accompanies my son and daughter to every soccer competition in Davao, Cagayan de oro, Bukidnon, Bacolod and Manila.

She was also very protective towards her wards and would quickly come to their rescue if she feels that they are being bullied .she gives beauty tips to my teen age daughter but she was particularly close to my son and to this day, my boy would sleep with her every opportunity he can get. I hope though that someday, the son of the chief of staff of the Moro National Liberation Front, would make it to the halls of the Philippine Military academy. This of course elicited some guffaws in the family. They could already see mommy Ingga at the vast PMa grounds frantically running after my boy, bringing his energy drink ,a towel and Johnson’s baby powder.

She goes to church ev-

ery Sunday and would usually come home with a pack of Jollibee’s. She goes home to andap every November for Thanksgiving.

Their church is the only one I know that celebrates Thanksgiving the same time as those in the United States. She goes home for New Year along with the other members of the family and bring boxes of gifts for each member of their tribe.

She calls her sisters “girl” and happily talks to them in their own Mandaya dialect while her hands are busy washing dishes or cooking breakfast. They call their mother regularly in andap and lovingly tease her. She lost her husband just three years ago. She refused to stay with any of her children. She is fiercely independent. Thus, a year ago, Edna asked my permission to go home to andap for good to take care of her mother. I could not refused knowing how devoted she is to her mama. Thus, we had a big despedida party at a beach resort and delivered kilometer long speeches praising her for the 13 wonderful years that she worked with us.

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

Sea level rises will be much worse than feared: Study shows a

LMoST 200 million people could be forced to leave their homes by the end of the century because of sea level rises, researchers have warned.

Sea level rises are now feared to be significantly worse than forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just six years ago.

Melting of the polar ice sheets could be so severe that seas could rise a meter by 2100, a level that would be considered ‘catastrophic’.

The latest findings were made by a specially-selected team of 26 leading experts who concluded the risks were ‘potentially severe’ after being asked to assess what sea level rises can be expected.

It is most likely, they found, that there will be an increase of 29cm this century but they also concluded there is a one in 20 chance that it could exceed 84cm with a ‘conceivable risk’ it will be greater than a meter.

Projections from each of the experts were combined using the mathematical technique expert

elicitation (EE) to provide a pooled estimate.

Even with sea level increases limited to 29cm there would be serious consequences not just to low lying countries such as the Maldives and Bangladesh but to some of the biggest cities in the world.

Many big cities, including London and New York, have river or coastal ports and even small rises significantly boosts the risks of flooding from storms and tidal surges.

Flooding and the threat of inundation is likely, concluded the team, to force up to 187 million people to leave their homes.

The forecasts, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, are higher than the projections published by the IPCC in 2007 when it was estimated that sea levels would rise by as little as 18cm and as much as 59cm.

Professor Jonathan Bamber, of the University of Bristol, said: ‘This is the first study of its kind on ice sheet melting to use a formalized mathematical pooling of experts’ opinions.

Melting ice, such as at this glacier at Neko Harbor in the Antarctic, is contributing to sea level rises.

‘It demonstrates the value and potential of this approach for a wide range of similar problems in climate change research, where past data and current numerical modelling have significant limitations when it comes to forecasting future trends and patterns.’

The findings are in line with other studies which have shown sea level rises are likely to be much worse than had been

thought just a few years ago and that the rate of increase has speeded up in the last decade.

In the study the team of researchers recognised that there remains considerable uncertainty over the likely extent and even the causes of melting in polar regions. ‘on the critical question of whether recent ice-sheet behaviour is due to variability in the ice sheet–climate system

or reflects a long-term trend, expert opinion is shown to be both very uncertain and undecided,’ they said.

‘We find an overwhelming lack of certainty about the crucial issue of the origin of recent accelerated mass loss from the ice sheets.

‘The present expert elicitation findings suggest a smaller contribution from the ice sheets than implied by semi-em-

pirical models, but larger than proposed in the last IPCC report.’ arctic and antarctic ice sheet melting is one of several contributors to sea level rises and is likely to make up an increasing proportion as the century progresses. a recent study found that melting ice sheets now contribute to 30 per cent of sea level rises, compared to 10 per cent in the 1990s. [Daily Mail]

1:10,000 meters scale showing the 2012 identified areas for the target planting sites and actual number of seedlings planted.

Such maps must be submitted to Dept. of Budget and Management, the Gaa noted.

The remaining amount of PhP1.2 billion for site preparation of NGP shall be released upon submission by DENR to DBM of the GIS-based maps or any available image maps of at least 1:10,000 scale indicating the 2013 identified sites for the planting activities and 2012 actual planted areas, the Gaa continued.

DENR earlier reported about 142.6 million seedlings have been planted in over 232,000 hectares of land nationwide since NGP’s launch.

“The program also generated over 364,000 jobs,” DENR added. [PNa]

NvIRoNMENT chief Ramon Paje is bullish about possible discovery of more flora and fauna species in the country.

He noted that further discoveries are likely since decades-long deforestation nationwide already reduced natural habitat of species, restricting several of these to a handful of areas only.

“Because our old growth and primary forests have shrunk, species that inhabit them have become concentrated in more compact biogeographic pockets and corridors - key protected areas -increasing prospects for their discovery,” he said.

Paje cited environment watchdog Conservation International (CI) as making the same projection.

“We join CI in anticipating that the discovery rate could further increase,” he said.

CI said the Philippines has among the highest discovery rates in the world with 16 new species of mammals discovered in the last 10 years, he noted.

Last month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported over 270 wildlife species from various taxonomic groups have been discovered in the Philippines during the past 25 years alone.

“Those species aren’t new life forms -what’s new are their discoveries in their natural habitats,” Paje said. DENR also pointed out the species discovered are endemic to the country.

Endemism means such species are found in the Philippines only. Paje believes the discoveries further raise need for better habitat rehabilitation and protection to help conserve biodiversity nationwide.

“The discoveries shouldn’t just astound us but also provide strong impetus to accelerate biodiversity conservation in the face of multiple threats,” he said. Such threats include illegal logging, black market wildlife trading, pollution, onslaught of invasive species and climate change, he added. [PNa]

DENR forest mg’t operations get P7.99B budget in 2013 E

G

ovERNMENT set for 2013 a budget of nearly PhP8 billion for the environment department’s forest management-related operations nationwide.

Such operations and budget for each under the recently-signed 2013 General appropriations act involve management of forest lands and forest resources (PhP992.85 million), forest protection (PhP957.38 million), community-based forestry program (PhP112.66 million), soil conservation and watershed management (PhP484.66 million) as well as forest boundary delineation and land use allocation (PhP375.35 million).

The Gaa also provides PhP5 billion as budget for this year’s forest development operations which government is undertaking through its National Greening Program.

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

Department of Environment and Natural Resources is spearheading implementation of NGP which government established through Executive order 26 series of 2011. an estimated 1.5 billion seedlings of indigenous and exotic tree species are targeted for planting under NGP. Government is fast-tracking reforestation nationwide as studies show the Philippines already lost much of its forest cover. Philippine forest cover in 2004 shrank to a mere 24 percent of the country’s 30 million hectares total land area from 70 percent in the early 1900s, studies show. authorities likewise reported the Philippines registered, during the 2000-

EDGEDAVAO

2005 period alone, an annual forest cover loss rate of 2.1 percent. They noted such rate was Southeast asia’s second fastest and the seventh most rapid in the world then.

Illegal logging, land conversion and ‘kaingin’ or slash-and-burn practices are among causes of deforestation nationwide, they continued. Through NGP, government aims to help promote poverty reduction, food security, livelihood development, biodiversity conservation as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation in the country.

The 2013 Gaa provides that PhP3.76 billion of the NGP budget for capital outlay as well as maintenance and other operating expenses shall be released upon DENR’s submission of geographic information system-based maps or any available image maps of at least

More specie discoveries anticipated in the country

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

THE ECONOMY 5

SSS grants P2-B calamity relief to members, pensioners in 2012 T

HE Social Security System (SSS) has granted over P2 billion through its calamity relief programs to about 134,000 affected members and pensioners all over the country who benefited from the early renewal of SSS salary loans and advance release of three months’ worth of pensions in 2012.

SSS President and Chief Executive officer Emilio de Quiros, Jr. said the SSS disbursed over P2.1 billion to 108,300 calamity-hit members through the Salary Loan Early Renewal Program (SLERP), while 25,500 pensioners received advance pensions of P179.99 million in 2012.

“We expect the number of beneficiaries of our calamity relief programs to further increase, after the SSS again offered the SLERP and advance release of pensions to help members and pensioners in areas recently battered

by Typhoon Pablo,” de Quiros said.

Early last year, the SSS offered the SLERP and advance release of pensions in declared calamity areas

due to Typhoon Sendong, which hit the country in December 2011, and reopened the programs after the southwest monsoon or “habagat” caused widespread destruction in mid-2012.

The SLERP allows members to renew their loans ahead of the prescribed schedule. The SSS recorded 9,064 SLERP availments amounting to P149.02 million after “Sendong,” 90 percent of which was disbursed to members in the badly-hit cities of Cagayan de oro and Iligan.

“SLERP loan releases to 99,230 members affected by heavy monsoon rains reached P1.95 billion,” he said. “Moreover, we granted P159.93 million in advance pensions to 23,722 pensioners due to ‘Sendong’ and P20.06 million to 1,777 pensioners affected by the monsoon.”

De Quiros said the SLERP and early pension releases are part of the current Calamity Relief Package for members in “declared and may be declared calamity areas” by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the wake

DECLINING. A fruit vendor along E. Quirino Avenue takes an afternoon nap yesterday due to the declining business activity after the Christmas season when people are no longer in spending frenzy. LEAN DAVAL JR.

of Typhoon Pablo.

SSS’ relief package also provides a two-percentage point cut in loan interest rates for members seeking funds to repair their homes damaged by “Pablo,” the strongest typhoon that hit the country in 2012 which

triggered landslides and flashfloods in southern Philippines.

“We call on ‘Pablo’-affected members and pensioners to file their applications so we can immediately process the release of their loan proceeds and

advance pensions. Pensioners who apply within January 2013 will get their March, april and May 2013 pensions in advance,” he said.

The deadline of applications is January 31, 2013 for the advance re-

lease of SSS pensions; March 31, 2013 for the SLERP; and December 31, 2013 for the special annual interest rates of six and seven percent under the Direct House Repair and Improvement Loan Program.

6

THE ECONOMY

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

5.8% 1st Qtr 2012

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

6.4 % 1st Qtr 2012

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

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

8. Interest Rates 4/

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

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

P 42.78 Jun 2012

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

5,091.2 May 2012

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

130.1 Jun 2012

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.8 Jun 2012

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.7 Jun 2012

16. Visitor Arrivals

349,779 Apr 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18.8 % Jan 2012

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.2 % Jan 2012

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

Inflation in 2012 down from previous year, within target F

ULL year 2012 inflation averaged 3.2 percent despite headline inflation slightly picking up to 2.9 percent in December from 2.8 percent in the previous month, according to the National Economic and Development authority (NEDa).

“Inflation for 2012 is well within the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s (DBCC) target of 3.0 to 5.0 percent for 2012. This is also within DBCC’s 2012 inflation forecast of 3.0 to 3.5 percent and still slower than the 4.6 percent full year inflation average in 2011,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary arsenio M. Balisacan.

Inflation in December 2012 was pushed up by the faster growth in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages (2.3% in December 2012 against 2.2% in November 2012) as well as alcoholic beverages and tobacco (5.1% against 5.0%).

“However, inflation in December 2012 is still lower compared to other aSEaN countries such as Thailand (3.6%) and Indonesia (4.3%),” the Cabinet official added.

Moreover, core inflation declined slightly to 3.3 percent from 3.4 percent in November 2012 and 4.2 percent in December 2011.

“This brings average core inflation rate to 3.7 percent in

2012, easing the demand pressure on consumer prices,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDa Director-General Meanwhile, alcoholic beverages and tobacco prices picked up as alcohol price index increased by 4.2 percent in December 2012 from 4.0 percent in the previous month while that of tobacco picked up by 6.1 percent from 6.0 percent in the same month.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), headline inflation increased to 2.8 percent inDecember 2012 from 2.6 percent in the previous month on the back of higher year-on-year increments in major commodity groups.

Price increases were observed for food and non-alcoholic beverages (2.1% in December 2012 against 1.6% in November 2012); alcoholic beverages and tobacco (6.4% against 6.0 percent); housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (2.6% against 2.5%); health (2.9% against 2.8%); communication (0.9% against 0.8%); and recreation and culture (4.9% against 4.8%).

However, for the year 2012, the average inflation rate in NCR declined to 2.9 percent from 4.0 percent in 2011. Similarly, inflation in areas outside NCR (aoNCR) also dropped from 4.9 percent in 2011 to 3.2 percent in 2012.

External events such as the Japan disaster in the first quarter of 2011, the Thailand flooding in the third quarter, the social unrest in the Middle East and the african region weakened the economy in 2011, affecting trade, foreign direct investments, and other financial channels, the Report said. also in 2011, the Euro debt crisis and the sluggish recovery of the US economy from the financial crisis shook investor

confidence and resulted in tighter credit and a decline in investments. The delay in spending for public construction further dampened growth.

“However, by the first half of 2012, indicators show that the targets set by the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 are likely to be attained,” according to the SER. The economy showed a more aggressive stance in the first six

months of 2012 as real Gross Domestic Product expanded by 6.2 percent. The growth was driven by services and industry on the supply side and by household consumption, government consumption, and net exports on the demand side. on Nov. 28, the National Statistical Coordination Board announced that the country posted a 6.5-percent growth in the first three quarters of 2012, and thus will likely surpass the 5.0-6.0 percent full year growth assumption of the Development Budget Coordination Committee.

Meanwhile, headline inflation remained well within the government’s target range of 3.0 to 5.0 percent for 2010 until the first half of 2012, the SER noted.

“With a benign inflation outlook, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reduced its policy rates to support domestic economic activity and reinforce investor confidence. The lower domestic interest rates supported the upbeat lending activities of banks during the period under review,” the report said. Full-year inflation averaged 3.2 percent, according to the National Statistics office’s press release on Jan. 4.

Moreover, the sustained inflow of remittances from migrant Filipino workers, net portfolio investments, and foreign direct investments contributed to further strengthen the peso.

On first two years of P-Noy administration

Gov’t closer to achieving targets of PHL Dev’t Plan 2011-2016 T

HE government moves closer to achieving its targets in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, despite unexpected external shocks that have threatened economic growth during the first two years of the aquino administration, according to the newly released Socioeconomic Report (SER) 2010-2012 of the National Economic and Development authority (NEDa).

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

2012

2011

2010

42.85 42.70 42.86 42.66 43.62

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

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

EDGEDAVAO

TRANSPORTATION. A farmer transports charcoal using a horse from the hinterlands of Barangay Tambobong in Baguio District yesterday. 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

ICT HUB MOTORING

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013 Galaxy phones power Samsung to record $8.3 billion profit

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aMSUNG Electronics, the world leader in mobiles and memory chips, said it likely earned a quarterly profit of $8.3 billion, as it sold close to 500 handsets a minute and as demand picked up for the flat screens it makes for mobile devices, including those for rival apple Inc products.

That run of five straight record quarters may end in January-March on weaker seasonal demand, though a strong pipeline of smartphones - the South Korean group’s biggest earner and improving chip prices have eased concerns that earnings growth could slow this year, powering Samsung shares to record levels last week.

The stock dipped 1.1 percent on Tuesday, in a Seoul market that was down 0.4 percent.

“Investors are a bit concerned that Samsung’s momentum may slow in the first half. The smartphone market is unlikely to sustain its strong growth as advanced markets are nearing saturation despite growth in emerging countries,” said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS asset Management.

Samsung has outpaced apple - its biggest rival and biggest customer - despite the U.S. firm’s launch of the latest iPhone 5, with sales momentum boosted by its Galaxy Note II phonecum-tablet, or ‘phablet’, in the fourth quarter. IPhone 5 sales were a little below expectations, analysts said.

While apple rolled out just a single new smartphone last year globally, Samsung bombarded the market with 37 variants tweaked for regional and consumer tastes, from

T

high-end smartphones to cheaper low-end models.

By comparison, Taiwan’s HTC Corp released 18 models, Nokia 9 and LG Electronics 24.

HTC on Monday said its fourth-quarter profit slumped more than 90 percent as its sales continue to trail those of the Galaxy range and the iPhone.

Samsung, valued at close to $230 billion, gave its october-December earnings guidance on Tuesday, ahead of the full earnings release expected

by January 25. a HIGH NoTE Shipments of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S III, which overtook the iPhone 4S in the third quarter to become the world’s best-selling smartphone, are likely to have slipped to around 15 million in the last quarter from 18 million in July-September, analysts estimate, but sales of around 8 million Galaxy Note II ‘phablets’ should more than make up for that - pushing overall smartphone shipments to around 63 million.

“The Note was selling well, boosting fourth-quarter profit, while iPhone 5 sales were less than expected,” said Song Myung-sub, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities.

“Samsung’s profit will drop in the current quarter because of decreased phone profits. It will launch the Galaxy S Iv only in March or april so, without new models, phone sales prices will fall this quarter. For the whole year, Samsung will launch new models faster than apple and have the upper hand in the smartphone market.”

Globe CEO Ernest Cu:

Mobile phones will revolutionize ad industry G

LoBE President and CEo Ernest Cu expressed bullish prospects about the growing ubiquity of mobile phones in the Philippines, with mobile set to change the landscape of traditional advertising in the country. as keynote speaker at the 2012 Mobile Marketing Conference of the Internet and Mobile Marketing association of the Philippines (IMMaP) with his speech “How Mobile is Changing the advertising Industry”, Cu cited the strong potential of mobile as an effective medium for brands to reach target audiences.

“The mobile phone has clearly taken great prominence in the human value chain. Time Magazine’s Mobility Poll revealed that out of 5,000 respondents across 8 countries, 68% sleep with their mobile phones next to them, and 66% would rather take their mobile phones to work instead of lunch,” said Cu. Citing an example closer to home, Cu revealed that in the Philippines, 9 out of 10 people own mobile phones, putting mobile phone penetration at its highest peak compared to any other form of medium such as Tv. “Indeed, mobile is the way to go to connect with and engage today’s consumers, as well as to create a rich consumer experience that goes beyond traditional marketing,” Cu

Globe CEO Ernest Cu

confirmed.

For Cu, the use of mobile as a channel to communicate with a target market pushes brand activation to the limits of a consumer’s imagination, citing augmented reality as an effective platform to bring advertising campaigns to life. Cu also said that mobile advertising opens creative corridors for dynamic and more compelling content, capitalizing on strong visual stimulation to entice consumers further. Lastly, Cu hyped the interactivity that mobile encourages, allowing consumers to instantly send feedback, making the retail experience more relevant and

Apple users downloaded almost 20-B apps in 2012

HE latest figures from apple show that the app Store passed the

40 billion download mark in 2012 and that it has, to date, paid developers over

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$7 billion. apple announced Monday that its app Store has

hit the 40 billion download mark with its 500 million users registering over 2 billion downloads in December 2012 alone, a total the company claims is a new record.

“It has been an incredible year for the ioS developer community,” said Eddy Cue, apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “Developers have made over seven billion dollars on the app Store, and we continue to invest in providing them with the best ecosystem so they can create the most innovative apps in the world.” apple was quick to stress that the totals represent unique users and unique downloads and do not include apps that have been re-downloaded or downloaded app updates.

The company also claims that almost 20 billion of the downloads to date took place since January 2012.

meaningful.

“Mobile technology has definitely changed the way brands talk to their consumers. Because it’s so personal and powerful, it enables the unique efficiency of reaching out to very precise target markets with mobile advertising-driven campaigns hinging on the capability to profile customers and touch them directly,” Cu added.

In 2010, Globe partnered with out There Media in launching its own mobile advertising platform My Rewards, My Globe Plus, now with over 2 million opt-in subscribers. Top consumer brands such as McDonald’s, Clear

and Sunsilk have effectively used the platform to engage and establish affinity with their target consumers.

Taking the track of extensively profiling the customer, Globe is embarking on a massive USD90M IT and systems transformation that will monitor demographics, usage, product subscriptions, transactions, bill payment and behavior of its subscribers. “as soon as we see that a customer has the propensity to top up load, to roam, or to subscribe to a promo on any given day, we can push the relevant service in an instant, to the right customer, at the right time,” Cu shared.

Smart phones, tablets dominate CES2013

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HE 2013 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) will be mainly a two-horse race, as smartphones and tablets are dominant figures by innovation and market trends. on the first press day of 2013 International CES on Sunday, two days before its official opening on Tuesday, specialties from the global consumer electronic industry revealed that smartphones and tablets are the only two products that enjoy fastest growing in the market and by sales revenue. They are squeezing old tech products and passing over other products quickly.

The year-on-year increase of global sales for tablets are provisionally estimated at 60 percent in 2012 and

smartphones at 38 percent, according to a joint report on market state

by Consumer Electronics association (CEa) and GFK Digital World.

In a report on the state of the consumer tech industry earlier Sunday, CEa Chief Economist and Research Director Shawn DuBravac said that smartphones and tablets are becoming hub devices for more hardwares. He called it an “unintended consequences of phones and tablets.”

DuBravac predicted that the world is going to enter a “post-smartphone” era, as 65 percent of mobile phone use time is in non-communication activities. The combination of mobile devices, sensors and services are creating a new life style. [PNa/Xinhua]

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

The Andrew Sullivan traveling blog show ( Conclusion ) ANAlYSIS

By Jack Shafer

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EDITORIAL

Split on sex ed

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ESPITE THE passage of the Reproductive Health Law, Davao residents are still split on sex education. at least that’s how the latest survey went.

In the survey made by the Davaobased Institute for Popular opinion of the University of Mindanao recently, Davawenyos are almost evenly split on the issue of sex education in schools. according to the survey, 47.91 percent of Davawenyos support the inclusion of sex education while a slightly higher 49.64 percent oppose the idea.

So, why are we seeing a split here?

It shows that while the voting in Congress went the way of the pro-Reproductive Health measure which proposes among others the inclusion of sex education in the school curriculum, the acceptance level is not as overwhelming.

Truth be told, the strong moral and religious culture Davawenyos have been raised in has still kept people naive about discussing sex, much less inculcate it in the minds of young people inside the classroom.

The survey also reflected that our ed-

EDGEDAVAO

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ucation system is still very much dictated by parents when it comes to subjects discussed in school. Where the subject of sex is rarely being talked about at home, our children take that unwritten rule at home to school. Sex is as taboo in school as it is at home, simple as that.

So,+ how would the government overcome this? It is not as easy as the voting went in Congress. a lot of work has to be done in order to bring down a culture of morality and accept a delicate subject as sex to be as basic and banal as science and math.

Consultations with the academe and the parents must be made in order that sex education can be incorporated in school curriculum with public support and acceptance. This means a lot of maturity and open-mindedness is required.

Sex education is not per se sex. It entails a world of disciplines from health, protection, values, social responsibility and exercise of rights.

There is no turning back. It’s a damnif-you-do-damn-if-you-don’t situation.

But like love and relationships, this subject should be handled, as they say, with care.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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NEILWIN L. BRAVO Sports and Motoring ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

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

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

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By Jack Shafer

oU could compare Sullivan’s early success to NPR and PBS pledge drives, but you’d be wrong. Sullivan hasn’t had time to guilt anybody for not subscribing and he isn’t offering tote bags. You could compare his success to the Kickstarter phenomenon, but you’d be wrong again. Kickstarter specializes in start-ups and projects that need one last push, not ongoing profitable operations like The Dish. or, you could compare his success to that of the New York Times‘s paywall, but you’d be wrong once more. Nobody who subscribed to the electronic editions of the Times got all giddy inside after doing so, or urged their friends to do the same, or felt like they were a part of the Times family after navigating its insanely complex online sign-up page. The Sullivan allure (I resist writing “cult”) may exceed even that of The New Yorker, a magazine that provides class-cover for the insecure who subscribe to it and pretty good journalism for all. But you can’t leave The Dish on your monitor to signify your identification with the site the way you can by leaving your New Yorker on the coffee table. Like the devotion of Deadheads, the fervor of the Sullivanians would require the biggest fMRI device to unlock and decode.

Because I just happen to own the biggest fMRI device and have captured a Sullivan enthusiast and made him submit to a brain scan, I have ideas about what motivates them to pay. To begin with, they find Sullivan to be a brilliant showman and a quick mind with loads of charisma. Even when they’re reading him and think that he’s full of it, they feel compelled to scroll to the end to determine exactly how full he is. and like his fellow blog pioneer Mickey Kaus, Sullivan upholds for his fans the Kinsley maxim that only by daring to go too far can a journalist ever dare go far enough. In the earlier days of american journalism (or at any London newspaper today), a cunning provocateur like Sullivan came as part of the package. But american journalism has become too tame, professional, and respectable to employ columnists who stir people up — a Sullivan specialty — or hold extreme positions, sometimes switching an extreme position (i.e., changing his mind) for another extreme position. The other blog entries, aggregation, the views out windows, and readers’ views that pad out the site can be useful, too, but if Sullivan were to go tomorrow, so would the site. You can’t produce a variety show without a headliner.

Like Glenn Beck, Bill Moyers, Bill o’Reilly, and Charlie Rose, Sullivan has acquired a fireside manner that attracts and maintains a large audience. Even when his fans don’t agree with his pulpit-thumping, his virtue-mongering, or the pyrotechnics of his righteousness, they still respond to his style. He’s their priest, they’re his parishioners. as tithings go, $19.99 a year is pretty cheap.

EDGEDAVAO

I

Mixed views and reactions

T’S EaSIER SaID THaN DoNE – opinions and responses were mixed following the series of shooting incidents in many parts of the country despite a widespread call for stricter gun control.

Peace advocates and movements against crime and violence were alarmed by the rising criminality not only in the urban areas but also in the countryside. They attributed the surge in criminality to irresponsible gun owners and drugs because most gruesome crimes are committed by people who are under the influence of prohibited drugs.

Concerned groups and terrified citizens noted the indiscriminate firing of guns during the Christmas and New Year’s revelries where a number of innocent bystanders were hit by stray bullets. one serious incident resulted to the death of a 7-year old girl and police probers are still on the process of determining who the real culprit is. another hideous occurrence is a shooting spree involving a suspect believed to be under the influence of illegal drugs who killed seven people including children. Law enforcers quickly responded and killed the suspect during a shootout and at the same time arrested his accomplice.

However, the critical problem doesn’t end there. Still and all, the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership should conduct a no non-sense probe into the proliferation of loose firearms. It its recent report, there were at least 600,000 registered firearms nationwide, but the sad thing is that about the same number are reported to be unregistered or loose firearms, which include modern and high-powered weapons. Suggestions likewise vary. Some lawmakers recom-

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VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

oRRIBLE! What horror wrought by a terrible hand! on reading the news and seeing the pictures of the wrath of “Pablo” such description may even be unapt.

I was 14 years old when we left Iloilo for Mindanao on December 31, 1939 and arriving in Dadiangas on January 4, 1940. That makes me a 72-year-old Mindanawon. This long I have not experienced a typhoon. In my 14 years in Iloilo as far as I can remember typhoon was a yearly visitation coming at most three times a year on typhoon season.

We were living in a bamboo and cogon house in our farm among the hills. The winds screamed. Coconuts and bamboos swayed; bananas in the open were flattened. But our house that rattled and squeaked as it quaked with the winds was spared. and so were the other bamboo and cogon houses and huts in the neighboring hills and in our barrio along the provincial road.

The typhoons brought strong rains and floods creating a sea of the fields below the hills and swelling to the brim the banks of a nearby brook and a river.

But the flood waters, while brown, carried not much mud. Within a day or two

mend that authorities should strictly conduct a full inventory of all registered firearms to determine who actually the legitimate gun owners are.

Meanwhile others proposed that lawful authorities should start posthaste an all-out campaign aimed at confiscating loose firearms and in the same way impose more stringent penalties or file appropriate charges against violators.

Well, it’s easier said than done. Past leadership exerted time and effort and tried hard to do away with loose firearms including the proliferation of illegal drugs, which is often related to horrible crimes, but miserably failed to do so and instead resorted to “stop-gap” solution. although some thoughtful observers felt that President Benigno aqunio III’s reaction about the critical issue was rather nebulous, his spokespersons and close advisers thought otherwise. Some political detractors and adversaries including the myopic type even speculated that PNoy’s alleged callous treatment on the issue has something to do with his fondness of guns. Being a legitimate gun owner and enthusiast, the President reportedly conducts regularly a weekly shooting practice in order to remain fit and ease out stress.

But before speculations were made about the President’s reaction and stand

What a wrath!

on the issue about loose firearms and drugs, his fair-haired boys and girl at the Palace quickly came to the rescue and stated PNoy had also been disturbed by the widespread conjectures that despite allegations of being too lenient in dealing with the problem, he really has no intention or purpose to fail people in their expectations. Palace people even expressed pride of the President saying that he had defied many negative perceptions and public misconceptions in previous occasions about his ability to govern the country. What PNoy has got to do as Commander-in-Chief in the prevailing situation is to direct the PNP leadership with his “favorite pet” now on the helm toward a practical resolution on the brewing issues while following the principle of transparency and accountability.

The ball is now on the court of the PNP hierarchy, the lead agency task to maintain peace and security in the communities. It should perform far more than their traditional functions in running after criminal elements. The PNP should conduct thorough research and in-depth investigations as in the case of unregistered firearms and illegal drugs or any issue involving peace and order in the localities so they can come up with valuable and tangible results. This might probably be the best move under such circumstances. Well, we cannot solve the ongoing problem overnight by just looking for the right patsy upon whom to fix the blame.

With this consideration, I firmly believe that the vigilant public should likewise take up its role in our collective effort to maintain peace and quiet and restore our country to its rightful dignity.

( 1st of two parts )

MIND DA NEWS By patricio p. diaz after the typhoon had passed, the waters would recede. Whatever damages the typhoons had wrought were minimal.

We expected typhoons every year.

We knew the months they were to come regularly. In anticipation, my father braced our house with bamboos. So did our other neighbors in the neighboring hills with bamboo and cogon houses.

From the reports and pictures from the Mindanao provinces “Pablo” had visited it appeared that this “Pablo” was a hundred times stronger than the unnamed typhoons I experienced in Iloilo. By the damages it had wrought and the horrible tales of the victims, it was a thousand times destructive.

More than a thousand people dead!

More than 70 years ago, the typhoons had not drowned a single person in our barrio in the 14 years I was there; in the entire province there were reports of one or two but not during every typhoon. of course, 70 years ago, the flood followed a regular course, not descending so suddenly upon villages carrying

tons and tons of mud. There were no hill or mountain slides.

“Pablo”, as a picture in the Philippine Daily Inquirer showed, flattened a whole town center; in a picture by MindaNews, it left no banana standing in a 10,000-hectare, or bigger, plantation.

Coconut trees were shorn of their palms or uprooted, big trees toppled. Galvanized iron roofs of concrete or semi-concrete buildings were ripped and blown away, lighter houses left in heaps of rubbles; concrete bridges wrecked.

The typhoons that visited us with predictable seasonal regularity more than 70 years ago were only annoying visitors compared to “Pablo” and its generation which are monthly or weekly avengers of the wrathful Mother Nature.

What has made Mother Nature so angry -- not only with the Philippines but the entire world? The favored among men – blessed with fortune and power -- since the latter half of the last century, to satisfy their greed, abused Mother Nature’s bounty and protective system on earth and above. The perfect balance of nature destroyed, the innocents now suffer the catastrophe of atmospheric and geophysical imbalance.

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The best solution for climate change ( 1st of two parts )

COMMENTARY By ralph Nader

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ITH Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection agency, stepping down, President Barack obama is losing one of the few people left in Washington who was willing to speak up about global warming and to push for significant measures to curb its impact. During her tenure, Ms. Jackson was frequently denounced

by GoP members of Congress and all too often reined in by obama. Despite his and Congress’ failure to pass legislation addressing global warming, Ms. Jackson advanced a regulatory agenda to pick up some of the slack.

She managed to see that fuel efficiency standards will increase by 2025, enact stricter pollution controls that must be met before any construction of new coal-fired power plants, and established EPa’s “endangerment finding,” bringing carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean air act. Her departure, however, highlights the failings of the obama administration to address global warming in a significant way. In his second term, the president can change that by pushing to enact a carbon tax. a carbon tax would place a fee on polluters that emit GHGs like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. It should be applied at major sources of GHG emissions: coal-fired power plants, petroleum refineries and importers, natural gas processors, and cement, steel, and GHG-intensive chemical plants. This tax would prod us away from dirty fossil fuels and toward clean energy alternatives to avert global warming while raising considerable revenue.

Global warming is happening, whether or not lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to acknowledge it. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the consequences of ignoring it are dire.

Given the already lackluster recovery, the future economic devastation from global warming looms many times larger than any “fiscal cliff.” a 2006 report from British economist Nicholas Stern estimated that if global temperatures increase 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years we risk losing up to 20 percent of global GDP – a loss similar to that of the Great Depression.

But global warming won’t just affect our pocketbooks. according to a report from DaRa, an international humanitarian organization, if we do nothing, over 100 million lives will be lost by 2030 from our reliance on fossil fuels and the effects of global warming, including hunger, the spread of disease, air pollution, and cancer.

We are already feeling the impacts of a warming planet. In 2011 the Mississippi River experienced yet another “500-year flood.” Extreme weather events, like Hurricane Sandy, are becoming more common. This summer, western states saw blistering wildfires consume over 9 million acres, about 3 million more than the annual average over the last decade. Droughts ravaged our heartland’s crops. By the end of the summer, nearly two-thirds of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought. Philip Bump, writing for Grist, pointed out data from the National oceanic and atmospheric administration showing that November was the 333rd consecutive month with global temperatures higher than the long-term average. If you are 27 years old, you’ve never experienced a colder-than-average month. as one of the largest polluters in the world, the United States has a special responsibility to lead the way in tackling global warming. We emit 18 percent of worldwide Co2 emissions with just 4.5 percent of the world’s population. In 2010, the country was responsible for about 5.6 billion metric tons of Co2 emissions – more than the collective emissions of all the countries of Europe and, not counting China, as much as the next five largest Co2 polluters combined. all of this doesn’t even include the additional 1.2 billion metric tons of Co2 equivalent emissions that we spewed into the atmosphere from non-Co2 GHGs.

10 NATION/WORlD NATION BRIEFS

T

Cautious

he Philippines is taking with caution Chinese ambassador Ma Keqing’s declaration of Beijing’s openness to a joint exploration for oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a position more recently reiterated by China’s foreign ministry to show its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the maritime dispute embroiling both countries.

Foreign Secretary albert del Rosario said any joint development in disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea should abide by Philippine laws and any business talks should be led by the private sector.

From Guam

T

he US drone that was found floating off Masbate province Sunday morning came from Guam where it was used in a military exercise last year, the US Embassy in Manila said Tuesday.

“The unarmed target drone that washed ashore off the coast of Masbate Island... was launched from the USS Chafee (DDG 90) during exercise valiant Shield 2012 on September 19, 2012 off the coast of Guam,” said embassy spokesperson Tina Malone in a statement.

T

Probe

a

Unlikely

a

Asked

hree of 13 alleged gang members killed in a shoot-out with Philippine police were policemen, authorities said, as they began a probe into whether the violence was linked to illegal gambling.

The official police report following Sunday’s incident in atimonan town, 170 kilometres (100 miles) south of Manila, said security forces tried to block armed members of a criminal gang at a road block, setting off a battle. senior Commission on Elections executive said that it is unlikely the poll body would impose a total gun ban for the 2013 midterm elections, even after incidents of gun-related violence made headlines.

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the incidents are not yet nationwide to merit a total gun ban. “Hindi naman nationwide po ito eh. These are two incidents. So baka hindi pa rin ma-convince ang Comelec for a total gun ban,” he said. transport party-list group, whose nominee is the daughter of former ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, has asked the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Elections from disqualifying it in the May 2013 elecions.

In a petition for certiorari with prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order, the alliance of Concerned Transport organizations (aCTo) said the poll body “gravely abused its discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction” when it withdrew on December 19 last year an august 13, 2012 resolution granting the group’s petition for registration/ accreditation for the upcoming elections.

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Manila Bay sunset view J threatened, groups claim

WORLD TODAY

a

construction boom in Metro Manila is widely seen as a boon for the Philippine economy, but it may come at a price money can’t measure, including the famed Manila Bay sunset.

Civil society and environment leaders recently slammed plans to reclaim bay areas along Roxas Boulevard, approved by the city council of Manila last year.

“Sunset on Manila Bay is a spectacular experience, and is free for all to enjoy.

But not for long, if developers have their way,” the group said. a signature campaign on Change.org has been launched by a group called “SoS Manila Bay Coalition”, which is rallying opposition against the project.

The coalition is composed of several civil society and environment groups, including the Cultural Center of the Philippines and World Wildlife Fund Philippines. also leading the initiative are private sector stakeholders, among them Magsaysay Lines owner Doris Magsaysay Ho as well as online activist and popular tour guide Carlos Celdran.

The reclamation will be implemented through an april 2012 consortium agreement between the Manila City government

N

Fishermen watch the famed Manila Bay sunset. [Yen Baet]

and Manila Goldcoast Development Corp., the same group which eyed a Manila Bay development in 1992.

It will involve about 288 hectares of land, including parts of the Manila Yacht Club and the Philippine Navy Headquarters. aside from blocking the view of the sunset from Malate and Ermita, the project will “worsen floods, extinguish the tourism area along Roxas Boulevard,” the group said.

It may also impact Intramuros as well as “20 vital anchorage berths for ships,” the group added.

“No aspect of this

scheme will improve the City of Manila in any discernible way — it is all for the profit of a few individuals,” the group said.

“We must act to protest this reclamation and prevent further destruction and loss of our heritage.

We will stop them again,” it added. a formal petition has also been drafted, asking the Manila City council to stop the reclamation while urging the implementation of a master plan to “maximize the potential of the waterfront.” “[T]he planned reclamation of Manila Bay and

the planned development of the area will directly affect the entire community made up of residents, businesses, tourism establishments, cultural heritage centers, and the Filipino people...” the petition read.

It will also “destroy all hopes of making Manila the center of culture, arts, recreation, and tourism,” it added.

This, as it noted the importance of increasing stakeholders’ awareness about how the area will affect the residential, business, tourism and cultural communities around the area. [Yahoo!]

N. Korea welcomes Google’s Schmidt

oRTH Korea has done its best to butter up Google Inc. ahead of Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt’s visit that started on Monday, even to the extent of setting up a gmail account for its state news agency KCNa at kcna@ gmail.com.

Sadly, the Hermit Kingdom’s chosen email address doesn’t work as it is short of the minimum six characters

Increase

apan will raise military spending this year for the first time in over a decade under a ruling party plan, an official said, as Tokyo summoned Beijing’s envoy amid a territorial row.

The national defence task force of the newly-elected Liberal Democratic Party will increase the defence budget request by more than 100 billion yen ($1.15 billion) in response to an emboldened China, a party official told aFP.

required for a Google account.

If Schmidt, on a private visit with Google executive Jared Cohen and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, does access the Internet in his foreigners-only hotel, he’s likely to find a similar experience to that in Google’s Silicon valley home.

Maxim Duncan, a Reuters correspondent who was in Pyongyang in 2010

and 2012, said speeds on systems set up for visiting foreign journalists were faster than those he was used to in China and that no sites were blocked.

“China correspondents were amused they could tweet in North Korea but not in China,” he said.

Schmidt may even come across a North Korean tablet that was unveiled last year and runs Google’s

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (R) and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt (L) arrive at an airport in Pyongyang, in this photo taken by Kyodo January 7, 2013. [REUTERS]

android operating system, although the tablet is likely a knock-off of a cheap Chinese clone, according to Martyn Williams, a technology journalist who runs the North Korea Tech blog (www.northkoreatech.org).

But he will only get a glimpse of what experience of the web is like for the small elite that is granted access if he looks at the local Internet, essentially a North Korean-only Intranet that blocks access to the outside world.

“If he types in google. com, he won’t be able to reach it,” said Williams, who has visited the North, a reclusive state that has been run by the Kim family since it was established in 1948 and where amnesty International says 250,000 people are imprisoned in forced labour camps for political crimes.

Even the local Intranet is limited to the politically sound among the 24 million strong population, according to Kim Heung-kwang, a North Korean computer engineering expert who defected to South Korea in 2004.

U

Named

S President Barack obama named Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon, setting up an ugly confirmation battle as Republican opponents said he was too hard on Israel and too soft on Iran. obama’s choice of John Brennan to replace scandal-tainted David Petraeus as CIa chief was seen as more straightforward despite the counterterrorism czar’s defense of “enhanced interrogation techniques” and the US drone war.

Support

C

hinese bloggers and celebrities along with foreign media campaigners threw their support behind journalists at a newspaper enmeshed in a censorship row, after a rare protest for press freedom.

The widespread backing came after hundreds demonstrated at the Guangzhou headquarters of the popular liberal newspaper Southern Weekly, after an article urging greater respect of constitutional rights was censored by an official.

T

Questioned

he decision to fly the victim of a gang rape that outraged India for treatment in Singapore made little medical sense as the woman was so severely injured that her death was all but inevitable, doctors say.

The government, on the back foot after furious street protests and stinging criticism of authorities over the December 16 rape in the capital, New Delhi, has struggled to defend its decision to send the 23-year-old physiotherapy student overseas. She died 48 hours later.

Catastrophic

a

ustralian fire crews battled hundreds of wildfires, a searing heatwave and powerful, hot outback winds on Tuesday, but were hopeful they had dodged a potentially catastrophic fire day without loss of life or major damage.

Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate homes as fires raged in southeast australia, while some had no choice but to seek shelter in their homes as fires approached. Temperatures soared to more than 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

Rains...

FFROM 1

ed with up-to-date information of the weather condition from the Philippine atmospheric, Geophysical and astronomical Services administration weather forecasting service to keep them informed.

“We pass to them periodic reports from the PaGaSa for them to be aware of the current weather condition,” Cloma said.

He said that based on their monitoring, several river systems particularly in asuncion, Kapalong and Carmen, Davao del Norte swelled due to the continuous rains.

Cloma said the flood is still manageable compared to the impact of typhoon Pablo which brought in gustiness, storm surge and flooding.

“We just pray that the low pressure area will not develop into a storm,” he said.

However, Cloma observed that the current weather condition has hampered the relief and

Duterte...

recovery operation on areas destroyed by typhoon Pablo.

“We receive reports that due to the swelling of Manurigao river between Baganga and Caraga in Davao oriental, big trucks bringing relief goods can no longer cross the river at this time,” Cloma said.

He said the oCD XI is coordinating all the time with the disaster risk reduction and management councils from the barangay, municipality, city and provincial levels to ensure the safety of the residents given the danger created by the weather system.

Cloma said the DRRMC must take the lead in preserving lives and property by conducting pre-emptive and forced evacuation if needed and that the evacuation area must be safe for residents who will be taking refuge. “as provided by law under Republic act 10121, DRMMC must be strengthened in terms

of preparedness. on the municipal level, they must have functional and active responders with ready rescue groups which are adequately equipped in handling emergency situations,” Cloma said.

He said the operation centers of all local government units must be manned and active all the time.

Cloma maintained that the Philippine atmospheric, Geophysical and astronomical Services administration was never remiss in giving accurate information to the public on weather systems, even the strength of typhoon Pablo.

He observed that it was the first time for many people residing in areas hardest to experience the havoc brought about by a storm as strong as typhoon Pablo.

“It was the first time that Davao Region was hit by a typhoon,” Cloma said. [PIa 11/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines]

he was intended to visit Comval and would be bringing money to assist the victims.

“I gave the money to aid the victims of typhoon Pablo and to start the circulation of money in the area where was no money in circulation at all,” Duterte said, making it clear that he entrusted the money to the NPa for distribution among the people there.

Duterte also pointed out that the video shown on Youtube accusing him of giving the NPa an annual aid of 125 million pesos is not true. He believes that this is mere propaganda concocted by a military officer whom he may have humiliated

once upon a time.

He also said debunked the report of one Karlos Manlupig, a local journalist, stating that the money he handed out to the NPa was in the form of a revolutionary tax to the rebels.

Duterte said that as he handed out the money to the rebels, he told them, “Unya na lang tong revolutionary tax, ha? (the revolutionary tax will come later)” was meant as a joke and nothing else because he was merely “horsing around” – nothing serious.

He added that he would never give revolutionary tax to the NPa, “I’m not that stupid.”

ued understanding and cooperation of affected customers and likewise advised them to store enough water prior to the scheduled water interruption as water supply may be restored earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.

The general public

may call the DCWD trunk line at 221-9400 and press “1” on their phone dial to listen to the latest daily water updates, or contact its call center through the 24-hour hotline 221-9412 or 0927-7988966 for updates, complaints, queries and other matters pertaining to DCWD services. (Jovana T. Duhaylungsod)

FFROM 1

him and said she would give him 500,000 pesos and that it was up to him to whom he would give it.

When typhoon Pablo hit, Duterte thought about using the money to assist the victims. He saw a perfect time to give the money to them when the NPa invited him to their anniversary, on December 26, 2012, as it was still during the ceasefire period.

Prior to going to Comval, Duterte paid Major General ariel Bernardo, commander of the Philippine army’s 10th Infantry based in typhoon-stricken Mawab, Comval a courtesy call, telling Bernardo that

Water...

FFROM 2

a butterfly valve bypass line and 350mm diameter pressure regulating valve at Talomo.

Both second and third sets are among the many projects that DCWD has to help reduce non-revenue water. acting general manager Edwin v. Regalado also appealed for the contin-

11

DBM oks P3.5 billion for SSS education aid T

HE Dept. of Budget and Management announced Monday the release of some P3.5 billion to the Social Security System, in fulfillment of the National Government’s counterpart funds under the Government Service Insurance System-SSS Educational assistance Fund Program.

It said the P3.5-billion release to SSS is part of the government’s P5-billion counterpart fund under the GSIS-SSS EaFP. The remaining P1.5 billion has been allotted to and released to the GSIS, it added.

The amount is chargeable against the “Unprogrammed Fund” under the 2012 General appropriations act.

FFS..

With the fund release, DBM Secretary Florencio abad said, “the SSS can extend financial aid to qualified members who wish to obtain their college degrees or finish tertiary schooling.”

“Member-beneficiaries can thus hone their talents in preparation for sustainable employment and compete effectively in the job market,” he added.

Under the EaFP, qualified SSS members may apply for loans amounting to P15,000 per semester for fouryear degree courses, for a total of P120,000 with six percent interest rate and payable in five years.

Repayment period will start one year after

graduation.

For technical or vocational courses, the assistance package would be P7,500 per semester or a total of P30,000 with six percent interest rate.

The amount will be paid in three years, of which repayment period will also start one year after graduation.

“The employment market is likely to pick up further this year, with more opportunities opening up for our college graduates,” said abad.

“We want to respond sufficiently to that demand by giving more Filipinos a chance to secure their tertiary degrees and become actively involved in shaping our growing economy,” he added. [PNa]

nana.

Tuquib said his farmer/trainees are now on their 6th session. They still have four remaining sessions to complete the 10 sessions byl February.

He said the FFS aims to teach small farmers set a goal in farming aside from the main objective of teaching them the right technology in banana-cacao intercropping.

Most of all, he said, FFS aims to inform farmers that “farming is a business” not for mere consumption of their families.

The small farmers/ beneficiaries of FFS are entitled to 50 free cacao seedlings each.

Most of his farmer/

trainees have farm lots ranging from half hectare to two hectares.

He said important topics in their trainings include land preparation, selection of good planting materials and how to come up with grafted seedlings.

Flordelyn Saavedra, marketing head of FEDCo said the farmers could avail of another set of 50 seedlings later on under the plant-now-pay later program of FEDCo at a lower price. of the 2,000 targeted farmer beneficiaries of FEDCo’s CBaED project, 1,800 were Saavedra however is confident this could be reached upon the culmination of the project next month.

the Philippines (NUJP) has been a big help in sustaining the schooling of her children, but not enough since they need to eat, buy clothes, medicines and other basic necessities. What she receives from NUJP monthly is for her children’s schooling.

She is losing hope that she will find justice for her husband.

NUJP dismayed…

Edwin Espejo, NUJP chair-Gensan chapter,

expressed dismay over the failure of police authorities to arrest the suspect and identify the mastermind behind Guarin’s killing.

In a statement, Espejo said “We fear that Guarin’s murder will yet again be relegated to a mere dot in the growing statistics of victims of the culture of impunity that still pervades and haunts the Philippine press.”

So, what else is new?

FFROM 2

small farmers/beneficiaries of the FFS under CFL Saturnino Tuquib, Jr. in Barangay New katipunan, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte.

Under FEDCo’s CBaED project, each of the 40 CFLs who completed the free training are obliged to re-echo their training to 50 small farmers in the community where they reside. according to Sagot, he used to plant banana varieties like tundan, cardava and binangay, for local consumption.

But with the FFS, he together with other small farmers in their barangay learned that cacao which is of high market demand nowadays could be intercropped with ba-

One..

FFROM 2

late husband,” she said.

Their Tatak newspaper, which used to be a good source of family income, stopped circulating after the death of her husband.

Their financial dilemma exacerbated when Typhoon Pablo damaged almost half of their coconut farm in Mawab town, Compostela valley.

She says the scholarship given by the National Union of Journalists of

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VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

Realty

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SPORTS 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

What else could go wrong?

Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard will be out indefinitely for the Lakers along with another big man Jordan Hill (right).

More Laker woes as Gasol, Howard join Hill in sidelines

L

oS aNGELES – The news got even worse for the Los angeles Lakers on Monday, as the struggling NBa club announced that forward Pau Gasol and center Dwight Howard will be sidelined indefinitely with injuries.

Both players were hurt Sunday in a home loss to Denver — the Lakers’ third straight defeat.

Howard, already playing with a sore right shoulder, suffered a torn labrum in the shoulder and will be re-examined in a week. Despite the injury, Howard tied his career-high with 26 rebounds in the defeat.

Gasol, who took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Denver center Javale McGee in the fourth quarter and left the court with a bleeding cut on his nose, has a concussion.

Both Gasol and coach Mike D’antoni had predicted Gasol would be ready for Tuesday’s game at Houston, but instead he won’t be traveling with

the team.

Jordan Hill was also hurt in the loss to the Nuggets, and was to have his right hip examined by a doctor.

Sunday’s defeat was the Lakers’ fourth in five games, and Kobe Bryant, with 29 points, couldn’t avert it.

Fans who were disappointed when the club opted for D’antoni rather than bringing former coach Phil Jackson back from retirement when they sacked Mike Brown in November voiced their displeasure.

Chants of “We Want Phil” again rang out in Staples Center, where the Lakers have now lost eight home games this season — one more than they did in all of the previous campaign.

“We’re not in a good place right now,” D’antoni admitted, though he was trying to stay optimistic.

“The hole’s not too big.

Mathematically, we can still make the playoffs.”

Celtics stop Knicks

N

EW YoRK (aP) -Paul Pierce scored 23 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 102-96 on Monday night in a heated first meeting of the season between the atlantic Division rivals.

Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who even without the suspended Rajon Rondo won their third straight and finally are playing like the team that has ruled the division for the last half-decade.

The Knicks want that title now, but Carmelo anthony and his teammates were reminded how tough the Celtics can make it. anthony had 20 points but shot 6 of 26 while battling his temper, Garnett and foul trouble. J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 24 points.

Rondo was suspended Monday for making contact with a referee in

a game against atlanta on Saturday and failure to cooperate with an NBa investigation. Without the NBa’s assist leader, the Celtics relied on the kind of defense that has been absent too often this season.

They allowed 78 points per game in their last two wins, then held the Knicks to 40 in the second half Monday.

Pierce, who was also in foul trouble in the tightly and sometimes inconsistently called game, put it away with a jumper with 45 seconds to go, blowing a kiss toward the crowd he loves to torment after putting the Celtics up by six. anthony had averaged 34.4 points in his last 10 games and had a pair of 40-point performances last week, but his jumper was off from the start Monday as the Knicks had their two-game winning streak snapped.

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

PBA PHILIPPINE CUP FINALS

EDGEDAVAO

Let’s get physical I

EXTRA RICE BROS. Beau Belga (top) and JR Quinahan (below) of Rain Or Shine will be at the forefront of a highly physical ROS defense.

T’S going to be a highly physical battle when the the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for the Philippine Cup in the PBa Bestof-Seven Finals which begin tonight at the SMaRT araneta Coliseum.

Game 1 is set at 6:45 pm.

“Rain or Shine always plays physical,” veteran Talk ‘N Text forward Harvey Carey told InteraKTv. “But we’re not going to back down. We’ve been here before. I would say

T

HE Philippine Football Federation has offered national men’s football team coach Hans Michael Weiss a sixmonth extension to his contract, which is set to expire this month.

PFF general secretary Ed Gastanes confirmed that the country’s football body has indeed made an offer to the German coach, who will still think about it.

“Yes, a contract extension of 6 months was offered to Coach Weiss,” Gastanes was quoted as saying.

The length of the extension, however, is a far cry from the two-year contact Weiss initially signed in 2011, putting doubts on whether the PFF wants to keep him long-term.

The azkals are set to compete in the qualifiers of the 2014 asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in March in a tournament that could determine Weiss’ future should he ac-

EXTENSION. Azkals coach Michael Weiss is offered a short contract extension of six months by the Philippine Football Federation.

cept the extension.

Weiss, who has set goals for the azkals as far as 2015, was hired two years ago upon the recommendation of the German Football association, which gave an assistance package for the country’s football development.

Since then, the azkals enjoyed the privilege of playing international friendly matches as well as the arrival of foreign-based players with Filipino lineage which beefed up the team.

boxing.”

Tropang Texters swingman Jared Dillinger even managed to poke fun at Rain or Shine enforcer Beau Belga during the series press conference Monday.

“I hope Beau Belga won’t take it too seriously, so as not to turn it into a WWE match and give us a body slam,” Dillinger said.

“But I expect a fun match with both teams playing similar styles.”

Belga also had his share of quips, saying he

expects bruising battles from Talk ‘N Text.

“Nagbubuhat na nga ako ng madami dahil mahirap kalaban si ali Peek,” added Belga.

Turning serious, Peek expressed how highly he thinks of the Tropang Texters’ opponents.

“It’s going to be a very hard-fought series. Both teams are hungry and Rain or Shine is currently on its second straight appearance e. as far as I am concerned, I’m not going to take them lightly,” said Peek.

one of only four coaches in PBa annals to achieve a rare Grand Slam, Black added, “Going against Rain or Shine will be very difficult for us. a lot of things they like to do, we also like to do, so something’s gonna give as the series goes on.”

Harvey Carey, one of only two remaining remnants of the original Talk `N Text team - along with guard Jimmy alapag – that clinched the 2003 Philippine Cup title, expects the best-of-seven title series to be a lot tougher compared to the one the Texters had against alaska in the semifinals.

“It’s gonna be a real

tough series. I think it’s gonna be a long series.

They (Elasto Painters) are a physical team. The alaska series probably prepared us to play against Rain or Shine,” said the 33-yearold Carey, one of Black’s hard-working players off the bench.

“Their bigs mostly shoot from the outside.

It will be a little bit more challenge for the big men for our team … We’ll definitely have our hands full.” out to foil Talk `N Text’s date with history is Yeng Guiao’s Rain or Shine team which is in the Finals for the second straight time, buoyed by their successful title run in the last Gover-

nors Cup. Though without a superstar in his roster, Guiao definitely likes his team’s chances against the reigning champions so long as they could keep the game close until the final two minutes for a chance to steal a win.

“The longer the series, the better for us. We just want to hang around. once we have a chance, it’s all up to us,” said Guiao.

Rain or Shine lost its lone game against Talk `N Text in the eliminations, 79-83, but not after leading the Tropang Texters by as much as 14 points before losing steam in the end of their october 27 meeting.

TNT goes for historic 3 T

Weiss offered short extension

alaska also plays physical and that prepared us for this series against Rain or Shine.”

Talk ‘N Text star forward Ranidel De ocampo said the Tropang Texters won’t just be content taking the punishment — they’re more than willing to dish it out too.

“Dapat handa kang masaktan pero handa ka ring bumawi,” added De ocampo. “Kung physical game yung series, oK lang naman. May hangganan naman yung physicality dahil hindi naman ito

aLK N’ Text Tropang Texters will have history foremost in their minds when they strut to the floor tonight.

Their quest for a rare piece of PBa history begins when they battle Rain or Shine in Game one of the Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart-araneta Coliseum.

The two-time defending champion is bidding to become only the first team since the legendary Crispa Redmanizers to win an all-Filipino championship three straight times.

The Floro franchise won it in 1979, 1980, 1983, and 1984 as no all-Filipino conference was held in 1981 and 1982.

So far the Tropang Texters – who became the first team in 27 years to rule the conference in back-to-back seasons - are right on track to a special feat that could net them the first ever Jun Bernardino Perpetual Trophy.

The Manny v. Pangilinan franchise is also very much capable of going all the way after winning 16 of their first 20 games in the season-opening tournament, moving them just four wins away from completing the hat-trick. “our focus has been on just trying to win basketball games and trying to be the best team in the league,” said Talk `N Text coach Norman Black, owner of 10 league championships in 15 Finals appearances.

“We know we’re not the most popular team, and I’m sure, Rain or Shine will agree with that. But we are playing the best basketball game that we are all proud of.”

MOUNTAIN PEEK. Burly Talk N’ Text forward Ali Peek (middle) will be the stonewall for the Texters in the Finals.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

STYLE

Looking back:

Style Trends of 2012

NeW YeaR is all about change. as we de-clutter our wardrobe and open space for new pieces, let’s take a quick look on some of the fashion trends that shaped 2012.

Color-blocking Bold, solid-color pieces made a quite a buzz among fashionistas at the early part of the year. Guided by the “3-colors max” rule (so as to avoid the Rainbow Brite look), this balanced mix of traffic light colors and bold hues (citrus yellow, cool blue, and bright pink) streamlined wardrobe staples and added glam to simple dressing by tossing a few colors over a dress or a simple top or bottom.

Sports Luxe From London and back, the spirit of the 2012 Olympics trickled down into our own wardrobe as sportswear made a strong presence in the second quarter.

Who can ever forget the It Girls on the cover of preview, dressed in iconic pin up shorts and airy sleeveless top? This style trend also hit

fashion home run with tailored and polished versions of the baseball jacket, shoulder coats, waffle knit, and sweat pants.

Super Bold Prints Vibrant, swirling, styledhead-to-toe patterns also made a bold statement. This trend shaped the face of power dressing and earned its right in the fashion scene, calling attention to the visually arresting designs of oversize florals, mirror-like geometric shapes, and paisley and parrot prints.

Orange hue happy Who could ever resist the happy vibe of orange and tangerine? Not only do these add a splash of cheer, but they also give every ensemble character and an edgier feel.

Pink is the color While this is easily the fool-proof solution to every woman’s wardrobe dilemma, a small but no-

ticeable shift in its form and use changed the look of smart dressing. We give this shade its well-deserved manicured-nail-applause for its versatility as office appropriate separates such as blazer, skirt, and shorts.

Talk about a totally new set of cute and feminine outfits!

Pastel and Candy Shades Sweet sorbet shades and candy hues give off a lowkey, ladylike vibe to women’s wear as seen in Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer Collection of biker-and tweed jackets, dresses accessorized with detachable

lace collars and oversized buttons, anglaise tops, and cellophane skirts.

Metallic Basics Shine and luster took a luminous spin as metallics changed the night scene with an over-all neo-disco feel.

Peplum It’s the most feminine style that sashayed in the year 2012. The short flared ruffle around the waist defines this season’s best selling peplum skirts, dresses, and tops. This trend transcends from minimalist and romantic to sexy as it gives an illusion of a small waist.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

HEALTH

How much sex is enough?

Dealing with your baby’s growth spurts

“Sex is as essential as eating or breathing,” Jodi dahlgren, a therapist at Calgary’s Hersh Centre for Sexual Wellness, told More Magazine. It can be one of the biggest issues in a marriage, said WCCOTV.

How much sex is enough to keep everyone happy?

YourTango.com turned to the Kinsey Institute, and found that 13 percent of married couples have sex a few times per year, 45 percent a few times per month, 34 percent two to three times per week, and 7 percent have it four or more times per week.

That said, Health.com wrote there’s no magic number of times per month or week that a couple “should” have sex. For a relationship to stay healthy for the long haul, both partners need to know each other’s sexual needs and put in the effort to meet those needs.

The University of Chicago’s General Social Survey (GSS) found 15 percent of all marriages are essentially sex-less, with no sex over the past six months to a year, said WCCO-TV. eli Coleman, Ph.d., Med, director of the Human Sexuality program at the University of Minnesota told WCCO-TV that research indicates with married couples there’s a dropoff after the first child. and another drop-off after the second child — and some couples never recover.

It’s natural as our lives get busier for the frequency of sex to decrease, said More Magazine. But it’s important for partners to be honest about how much sex would really keep each satisfied.

“There is no frequency per se that is wrong,” dr. alina Wydra, registered psychologist, told More Magazine. “The problem is when partners’

It’s natural as our lives get busier for the frequency of sex to decrease, said More Magazine.

But it’s important for partners to be honest about how much sex would really keep each satisfied. desires and needs are discrepant.”

Carol Bruess, director of the Marriage and Family program at the University of St. Thomas reiterated to WCCO-TV that the number doesn’t matter, “as long as both partners are

satisfied with the amount/frequency; the couple explicitly talks about it, they continue to talk about changing needs/aging/desires over time; and they seek outside assistance if they struggle with this important part of their relationship.” according to YourTango.com, if both partners are happy, it’s enough.

But if not, Health.com advised, have a frank talk about how much sex each of you really wants in order to remain happy in your relationship.

Be honest and open. and commit to making sex a priority at least a few times a month, even if that means you have to schedule it.

More Magazine cautioned to not wait until the problem is tearing apart your relationship before trying to solve it. dr. Wydra and dahlgren both recommend a sex or marriage therapist to help work through any issues.

HOW many growth spurts will my baby have?

During the first year, your baby’s body weight will triple and he will have grown 8 to 10 inches. All this growth happens in short bursts, lasting two or three days.

Your baby will have five of these growth spurts by the time he turns 1 year old, usually between one and three weeks and six and eight weeks, then at three months, six months and nine months.

What are the signs of a growth spurt?

You will begin to notice the following signs that usually indicate a growth spurt is coming: Increased feeding: Whether your baby is breast fed or formula fed, your baby will want to feed more often. Some breastfed infants have been known to nurse 15 or 16 times a day.

More waking at night: Your baby may wake up more during the night to feed, or wake up earlier from a nap.

Extra Sleepiness: After all this extra feeding, your baby may sleep longer and more soundly than usual.

Research has shown that the body releases 80% of growth hormones during sleep.

“Growth spurts in length

er Reports: a typical weight loss of 20 to 43 pounds for men and 14 to 40 pounds for women. Weight Watchers received top scores for allowing a variety of foods and for encouraging calorie awareness, exercise, and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

What works for weight loss? Psychologists weigh in as a companion to our survey of dieters, we worked with the american Psychological association to survey 1,328 licensed psychologists on how they dealt with patients’ weight and weight-loss challenges in their practice. They repeatedly identified emotional factors as not only an important factor in clients’ weight problems but also the major barrier to overcoming them.

asked what they found helpful, seven of 10 psychologists who worked with patients on their weight problems identified these three strategies as “excellent” or “good”: • Cognitive therapy, which helps people identify and correct dysfunctional thoughts that lead to unhelpful emotions and behaviors. For example, someone who eats a cookie at a party might blame it on a lack of willpower, conclude she’ll never get the weight off, then proceed to eat more cookies. Cognitive therapy would teach the person to think of the cookie as a one-time-only slip-up, because everybody makes mistakes.

• Problem-solving aimed at overcoming barriers to weight loss. a patient who says he’s too tired after work

tended to follow increased sleeping and nap time.

Growth spurts usually occurred within two days of the increased sleep…”, and a May 2011 study reported that“the chances of a growth spurt increased by a median of 43% for each nap and… increased by 20% for each additional hour of sleep.”

How to cope with growth spurts Some women may take the increased feedings as a sign that their babies aren’t getting enough milk and decide to stop breastfeeding. Actually, babies demand more food because they just need more, more often.

Both breastfed and formula-fed babies need calories to grow. So feed your baby as much and as often as he/she demands.

Forcing a baby to stay awake or adhere to her normal sleep schedule during this time will only make her cranky. On average a baby will sleep 4.5 hours more over the course of the day during a growth spurt.

These growth spurts usually only last a couple of days. Be careful, though, not to assume everything is a “growth spurt.” So long as your baby is gaining weight and needing five or six diaper changes a day, he’s doing fine.

Weight-loss plans ranked by real dieters

Need to drop a few pounds—or more than a few? If so, there’s a lot of good news in our new survey of 9,000 dieters and their experiences with 13 weight-loss programs.

We looked at four wellknown commercial plans— Jenny Craig, Medifast, Nutrisystems, and Weight Watchers—and nine do-ityourself (dIY) plans such as the atkins diet, Slim Fast, and the South Beach diet. The survey, one of the largest ever to compare specific diets, allowed us to rate them based on people’s overall satisfaction with the programs. We also looked at the typical amount of weight our dieters said they lost.

The people we surveyed freely chose the diets they

used and decided for themselves how long to stay on them. They had to rely on their own motivation or seek a boost from meetings or counseling, but they did not benefit from the frequent reminders, free food, and other methods often used to keep participants in clinical trials until the very end of a study. as a result, our ratings provide a unique view of how the diets work in the real world.

MyFitnessPal (MFP), a free smart phone app and website, got one of the top satisfaction scores. and while Weight Watchers is still the people’s choice, chosen by four out of 10 Consumer Reports’ readers, its scoring on satisfaction is not as impressive as MFP’s.

Here are other highlights from the survey: DIY Plans

Of the nine dIY plans, MFP received an overall satisfaction score of 83 and top marks for maintenance, calorie awareness, and food variety. The Paleo diet, which instructs dieters to eat like a caveman, received an 80 score, followed by the Mediterranean diet (77) and SparkPeople (76) which, like MyFitnessPal, is an app and website.

Commercial Plans In the commercial category, Weight Watchers got one of the top reader scores (74), followed by Medifast (70), Jenny Craig (66) and Nutrisystem (56). In terms of initial weight loss, Medifast was the only commercial plan to receive an above average rating. In fact, dieters said they lost more weight on the low-calorie Medifast program than any other diet rated by Consum-

to go to the gym might consider, with the therapist’s help, alternatives such as a run or walk at lunchtime or working out in the morning or on weekends.

• Mindfulness training, an approach that trains people to allow negative thoughts and emotions to come and go without dwelling on them, and instead concentrate on living and enjoying the moment.

Many of the psychologists said they collaborated with other professionals to help clients with weight problems. Though primary care physicians were the most common partner cited, the psychologists found that colleagues specializing in weight issues, nutritionists, and registered dietitians were the most helpful in addressing weight issues.

(From Yahoo! Health)

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ENTERTAINMENT

Katie Holmes gets her glam on in Bobbi Brown ad campaign DIvORcE has never looked better!

We finally have our first look at Katie Holmes’ debut as the first celebrity face of Bobbi Brown cosmetics, and we have to say, the former Mrs. Tom cruise doesn’t disappoint!

The star shows off a gorgeously glam beauty look in her premiere pose for the company, with a pretty pink pout and seriously smoldering eyes—thanks, no doubt, to the Long-Wear cream Shadow Sticks (available next month) she confidently promotes in the ad. Softly curled locks, an embellished strapless and a bold statement necklace complete Holmes’pictureperfect look, which is just begging to be worn for a fab night out.

But for a more daytimefriendly look, you can’t go wrong with Holmes’ knockout neutral palette

featured on BobbiBrowncosmetics.com, which you can recreate using the exact products used on Holmes. Fake a warm winter glow with bronzing powder, bring out your eyes with an espresso-hued gel eyeliner, perk up your pout with a girly

raspberry-tinted lipstick topped with a shiny gloss et voilà! You’re set for a casual about-the-town look with—or without—your little Suri in tow.

Which of Katie’s looks do you prefer? Glammed up for a night out or nice and casual for day?

Heidi Klum covers Marie Claire FOLLOWING her split from Seal last January, Heidi Klum is dishing on their divorce, sex and whether she’ll marry again.

The 39-year-old former victoria’s Secret supermodel, who covers Marie claire’s February issue in a sexy, satin mini dress, was candid in her interview with the mag, saying that when it comes to bedroom behavior, “if you’re wild and crazy, bring it on.”

“Some people are more experimental in bed and others are more boring,” Klum said. “If you are wild and crazy, bring it on so the other person is well aware that you have little devil horns that come out every once in a while. It’s good to make an effort to dress up sometimes, to do things outside of the norm.”

The Project Runway host, who has admitted to dating (and being in love with) her bodyguard Martin Kristen, also talked about her breakup with her ex-husband of seven years.

“People say, ‘Oh, God, how devastating to go through a divorce,” Klum went on. “Did I wish for

this to happen to my family? No. But everyone is healthy; we’re moving on with our lives. If someone got [very sick], God forbid, that would be a real problem. It’s not what I wanted—it’s not what anyone wanted—but it’s not a real problem.”

As for whether Klum is considering getting married again in the future, the mom of four said she doesn’t think tying the knot will be in the cards for her.

“I don’t think so. No. No. I wanted to keep the memory of our wedding alive every year, that’s why I thought it would be fun to get married over and over,” Klum said. “But now I don’t think it’s that important. I’m not angry about anything, but I don’t think I will. Maybe if I’m with someone for 15 or 20 years, and we do it in our old age as a fun thing to do…But I don’t have the urgency anymore.”

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UP AND ABOUT

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VOL.5 ISSUE 220 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013

Davao says “ahn-nyung-hase-yo” to Bulgogi Brothers

WHeN we hear the word “Gang-Nam”, what comes to mind is the widely popular beat and dance craze

by South Korean rapper named Psy. This K-pop video hit the world by storm with more than 1 billion views on youtube, earning it the Guinness citation for being the most liked video in youtube history.

There’s another “Gang-nam” however, and it’s a district in South Korea which literally means “south of the river”. This is where the first Bulgogi Brothers restaurant was founded. Gang-nam and Bulgogi Brothers attest to the popularity in the country of everything Korean.

With over 38 stores in South Korea to its first international branch in Manila, Bulgogi Brothers has won the hearts (and palates) of Filipino food enthusiasts.

This January, this Korean restaurant invades davao with the opening of its second provincial branch at 2nd floor, Fountain Court, SM Lanang Premier.

The 80-seater restaurant invites residents of davao

City and neighbouring towns who are in for great meals whenever they visit Bulgogi Brothers. They don’t have to travel far for a taste of authentic Korean dishes.

The authentic dining experience begins with complimentary side dishes

ness. Bulgogi Brothers has not only found the secret recipe to the perfect Bulgogi but also offers many ways to enjoy it—the Unyang (the classic patties), Gwang-Yang (seasoned beef with sweet sauce), Seoul (sliced beef with vegetables,

such as pickled vegetables, corn, sweet potatoes and of course, the quintessential Kimchi. a pot of complementary tea is also served hand in hand. Then feast on assorted Bulgogi that literally means “fire meat” in Korea.

The serving includes prime cuts of beef marinated in a number of ingredients that enhance the meat’s flavor and tender-

fruits, onion and soy sauce) These are cooked and served right at your table, on the spot. apart from their wellloved Bulgogi, there are other dishes waiting to be tasted. Bestsellers include jjigae (stew) and noodles Kimchi-jjigae (spicy stew made with ripened kimchi, pork and tofu); Haemul Gungjung Mandu (fried dumpling with seafood and served with spicy

sauce); and dubu Steak (fried crispy tofu with teriyaki sauce and bean sprout; among others.

Cap the hearty lunch or dinner with a wide range of beverages that includes various wines, Korean Soju and fresh fruit juices, among others. delight in all these dishes in a contemporary Korean ambiance and décor that suggests a family atmosphere and makes everyone feel right at home with every visit.

“Bulgogi Brothers has proven that is more than just good food as it is known for in Korea,” says Jean Paul Manuud, Bistro Group of Restaurants’ Chief Operating Officer. “Guests will enjoy the exceptional, authentic Korean food, cozy and charming ambience as well as the special quality of service that is akin to Bistro.

Soon, we will open Bulgogi Brothers in Cagayan de Oro in line with our expansion plans. This way, we bring the concept closer to more people who love Korean food.”

Bulgogi Brothers’ other branches are located in Greenbelt 5, alabang Town Center, SM Mall of asia and Harbor Point, Subic.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 220 •WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2013 ESCANDOR CUP

SPORTS 15

Unbeaten teams square off

By Neil Bravo

o

N Saturday, somebody’s ‘o’ has got to go.

The league’s unbeaten teams will stake their unblemished records as the1st Emilio D. Escandor Cup resumes this Saturday at the RMC Gym. Bracket B leader agro-Industrial Foundation College Baby Sailors will go up against dangerous ateneo de Davao University Blue Knights to open the exciting matches at 8:00 a.m.

The Baby Sailors tote a 2-0 record to stay atop Bracket B of the Juniors Division, a game ahead of ateneo (1-0).

In Bracket a, co-leaders Holy Child will tangle with assumption College of Davao at 9:30 a.m.

Both teams won their first outing for a 1-0 card.

In the Passerelle Division, second-running Ford (2-0) will battle Holy Child (1-0) at 11:00 a.m. a Ford win will lift them to a tie for the lead with idle ateneo which sits atop the leaderboard with an immaculate 3-0 slate.

For the final match of the day, Holy Child (2-0) will clash with rival ate-

TEAM STANDINGS EMILIO ESCANDOR CUP TEAM STANDINGS JUNIORS DIVISION BRaCKET a HCSD aCD FoRD JMC

W 1 1 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

PASSERELLE

2 1 1 0

0 0 2 2

aDDU FoRD HCSD EMaR aCD DRaNHS MINI

3 2 1 2 1 0

0 0 0 2 3 4

HCSD aDDU UIC aCD PISD

2 1 1 1 0

0 0 1 1 2

BRaCKET B aGRo aDDU DCDNHS EMaR

neo (1-0) in the Mini Division.

The tournament is organized by the Royal Mandaya Hotel and sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol sa Pilipinas (SBP) regional chapter.

HEATED ACTION between Ateneo and Emar in the ongoing Emilio Escandor Cup Basketball Tournament. The games resume this Saturday at the RMC Gym.

PFF SMART CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP IN KORONADAL

Kaya FC plays Mlang today T

PFF SMART CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP. Jonah Romero (10) will be among the leading players of UFL squad Kaya FC which plays Mindanao qualifier M’lang FC in the PFF Smart Club Championship today in Koronadal City. Other standouts for Kaya FC are (right photos) Lexton Moy (left) and Nate Burkey (right), both members of the Philippine Azkals.

HE battle to become the country’s top football club begins today as the Philippine Football Federation-SMaRT National Club Championships kicks off its 16-club national stage in Koronadal City.

UFL squad Kaya FC will open the competition on Wednesday as it clashes with M’Lang FC of North Cotabato at the South Cotabato Sports Complex in Koronadal City.

M’lang FC is one of two Mindanao clubs which advanced to this round. The other Mindanao qualifier if Romgarjal FC of Zamboanga del Norte. M’lang FC’s amazing march to the club championships began when it upset heavy favourite Hooligans FC of Davao City last November.

Davao City missed the bus as it played the Mindanao championship without its head coach and assistant.

Meanwhile, national football team star Chieffy Caligdong will make his de-

but with the Green archers United Globe as it faces Romgarjal FC also on Saturday at the Jose Rizal Memorial State University football field in Dapitan City.

The competition will feature 10 United Football League squads and six provincial teams which will play in a knockout tournament played in different provinces in the country.

The tournament will resume on Saturday, with four matches slated in different provinces in the country.

The Loyola Meralco Sparks will tangle with Cavitebased squad Flame United FC at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, while Baguio United FC plays UFL newcomer General Trias International FC on the same day at the Benguet State

University football field.

UFL squad Pachanga FC will also battle Division Two squad Cebu Queen City United at the aboitiz Football Field in Cebu City.

Three matches will then be played on Sunday to close the knockout stages. The Rizal Stadium will host the matches between UFL squads Pasargad FC and Philippine army FC, as well as the game between League titlist Global and Nomads FC. UFL Cup champion Penson Stallion Giligan’s will meet fellow Iloilo-based squad Ceres FC at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod on the same day.

Winners of each match will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

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