Edge Davao 5 Issue 244

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

So long, Lolong.

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Filipino moderne at Mesa Science /Environment

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How long do crocodile live?

Sports Page 16

Uphold law or go to jail COMELEC WARNS CANDIDATES

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

C

ANDIDATES seeking national positions formally launch their campaign today even as the Commission on Elections regional office warned them to observe and uphold the election laws or go to jail.

The Comelec said it will be the first elections where an electoral candidate can be sanctioned and imprisoned for not following the electoral rules.

Comelec regional director lawyer Wilfred Jay Balisado issued this warning during the weekly Kapehan sa SM. “There is always a first time,” Balisado said pertaining to Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code that provides for a penalty of one to six years for election-related violations.

When asked about what is the most se-

Lolong is dead

FCOMELEC,11

By Anthony S. Allada Karate phenom wins race

Follow Us On

T

HE world’s largest salt water crocodile died Sunday night at the Eco-Park in Bunawan town, Agusan del Sur, after reportedly refusing to eat for over a month.

Dr. Alexander Collantes, animal doctor of the Davao Crocodile Park in Davao City, declared the one-tonne, 21-foot crocodile dead after conducting a check-up on the reptile at its pen in Consuelo village.

FLOLONG IS DEAD, 11

AGELESS. Actress Lorna Tolentino, in town last week to promote a new teleserye of GMA television network, says that everyday should be a Valentine’s Day. Lean Daval Jr.

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

CTO sees further hike in tax take

P4.5 B tax target eyed

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

W

ITH a 22.6-percent surge in tax revenues in 2013, Davao City is looking to collect P4.5 billion next year.

Davao City Treasurer Rodrigo Riola made this announcement after confirming the increase in tax collection for the third straight year.

Guesting during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Ecoland Annex, Riola bared the city’s target based on their potential tax base which is an increase from last year’s P 4.3 billion collection.

According to data on business permit collection prepared by the city treasurer’s office, as of January 31, 2013, the city has already collected P589,141,208 registering a 22.6-percent increase compared to the P480,315,493 collected in the same period last year.

Riola said that with this statistics, CTO estimated that in 2013, the city will be able to collect P4.5 billion.

Riola commended the business firms in Davao City for their cooperation saying, “the business climate and the business activities in Davao City are much improved this year.”

Business bureau chief lawyer Tristan Dwight Domingo also attributed the increase in tax collection to the employees of the city treasurer’s office and the business bureau.

“I don’t want to take all the credit, majority of the credit should go to the employees of the city treasurer’s office and the business bureau,” Domingo said.

“In my personal assessment the trust of the business owners in the leaders of the city is such that they pay their taxes religiously,”

ARAW NG DABAW

he said, adding that efficient systems of processing application for business permits and renewals this year are also some positive factors behind the much improved tax collection this year.

Domingo said that despite being shorthanded in manpower, his office was able to handle the tremendous increase in transactions. “We were still able to deliver a very good performance,” he said.

To be able to collect more taxes this year, Domingo believes that further improvement in the system of processing business permits should be implemented. He also pointed out the need of improving mechanisms aimed at making it easy and convenient for taxpayers to transact business with the city government.

INCREASED REVENUES. Davao City treasurer Rodrigo Riola announces the more than 20-percent increase in the city’s tax collection and explains the factors that led to the positive collection performance during the weekly Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

This time it will be simpler

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

E

XPECT a simple version of the Araw ng Dabaw celebration this year.

Duaw Dabaw executive director Lisette Marques said during the

Kapehan sa SM held at SM Annex Ecoland Yesterday that this year’s Araw ng Dabaw will have lesser competitions compared to last year even if the budget of P5.2 Million will

ARAW NG DABAW. Duaw Dabaw director Lisette Marques discloses that this year’s Araw ng Dabaw will be simpler compared to last year and one new event that it will feature is the publicizing of the Mutya ng Dabaw Screening which will be held at the SM City Davao today. The beateous events manager guested at the Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at the SM City Davao Annex yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

still be the same.

“It will be simpler because there will be fewer competitions this year compared to last year,” Marques said. This year’s Araw ng Dabaw will formally open on February 25.

Despite the fewer events, the festivities will not be short of its pomp and pageantry.

There will be some innovations too.

For a change, screening for the candidates to the Mutya ng Dabaw 2013 will be made open to the public. The Mutya ng Dabaw screening will be held at the SM Annex Ecoland atrium at 5:00

FARAW NG DABAW,11

Ungab defends DRSU System

By Anthony S. Allada

D

AVAO City Rep. Isidro T. Ungab yesterday clarified that House Bill 5311, an act seeking to establish the Davao Regional State University System (DRSUS), is the result of a long study conducted by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and the National Economic and Development Authority.

Ungab said the bill seeks to integrate the four state universities in the region, namely, the University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao

Oriental State College of Science and Technology, Southern Philippines AgriBusiness Marine and Aquatic School of Technology and the Davao del Norte State College.

USeP itself is a product of amalgamation, that of the old Davao School of Arts and Trade (DSAT) and a state agricultural school in Mampasing, Mabini in Davao del Norte (Mabini is now part of Compostela Valley).

The DRSUS bill seeks to establish a regional state university system This came after hun-

dreds of students at the University of Southeaster, part of reform program of the Aquino administration in education.

The administration bill intends to reduce the number of SUCs in the country so as to maximize their limited budgets.

However, a number of student organizations oppose the bill as it is allegedly disadvantageous to the youth. The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) alleges that the bill will justify the further reduc-

FUNGAB,11

CHECKPOINT. Task Force Davao personnel inspect a passenger van that’s about to enter Davao City, in Sirawan, Toril yesterday. TF Davao is in full alert after an illegal drug courier from Cotabato City was arrested last week. Lean Daval Jr.

E-SEASON

EDGEDAVAOVOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

3

Casiño: This is like running a triathlon “I

will be buff after this campaign!” said Makabayan bet Teddy Casiño as he prepares to kick off his campaign on Tuesday with simultaneous “Takbo ni Teddy, Takbo ng Karaniwang Tao” runs in 33 cities and towns in the country.

“I will treat this campaign as a full triathlon event, requiring my full concentration and effort in both body and mind because we have to overcome obstacles and hurdles for us to win. But more than my personal preparation, what is important is the preparation of the common people for the campaign considering that these efforts symbolize our struggle to bring the voice of the common folk to the Senate, in a way this is a ‘people’s run’,” he added.

Dubbed “Takbo ni Teddy, Takbo ng Karani-

S

wang Tao,” tomorrow’s run will be participated in by thousands of supporters from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. There will be simultaneous runs will in Vigan; Tuguegarao; Cauayan, Ilagan and Santiago in Isabela; Dagupan; Baguio; Daet; Naga, Legaspi, Sorsogon, Masbate, Catanduanes in Bicol; Iloilo; Bacolod; Cebu; Cagayan de Oro; Iligan; Bukidnon; Davao; and Zamboanga City.

There are also 12 cities participating in Southern Tagalog.

In Manila, Casiño will lead a short run starting at Buendia corner Taft Avenue - an area in the metropolis teeming with people - and ending at the Senate grounds.

In Davao City, the run will commence at Brokenshire Hospital where Casiño was born and will end at the Rizal park.

Casino is a regular

runner and has joined several races in the past.

He plans to run in various places in the country as part of his campaign. “At least I will be hitting two birds with one stone – I will be campaigning and keeping myself fit by running around the country.”

“Ang tanong ng marami, wala na bang iba?

Kaya nga po ako tumatakbong senador ay para may iba naman,” said Casiño.

The three-term party-list congressman added, “For so many decades, the same old political clans and vested interests have dominated the Senate. I want to break that stranglehold. I want to bring the voice of the karaniwang tao, especially the poor and marginalized who make up the majority in our country, into the halls of the Senate.

In the course of the three month campaign, Casiño plans to literally

and evolution. However, the country is also one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of species that are endangered or threatened of extinction.

“It is sad to note that the unique biodiversity that our country is greatly blessed with is deeply threatened by irresponsible acts. But I am hopeful that this partnership project between the DENR and DOT will promote the natural attractions in our

country while ensuring environmental conservation and sustainable development,” she stressed.

The DENR-DOT project is called “Partnerships for Biodiversity Conservation: Mainstreaming in Local Agricultural Landscapes,” which will primarily promote the natural wonders of Agusan del Norte, Aklan, Antique, Cagayan, Capiz, Davao Oriental, Negros Occidental, Occidental Mindoro, Quirino and Palawan.

Part of the program’s goal is to educate tourists about the need to protect and preserve the environment, while generating livelihood opportunities that would encourage local communities to pursue sustainable development.

“We must refrain from undertaking activities that would result to loss of biodiversity such as land degradation, especially overgrazing and deforestation, as well as pollution, overfishing, hunting, species invasion, land-use change, and the overuse of freshwater,” Legarda said.

“We are confronted with the task of protecting our country’s unique but endangered biodiversity.

Pursuing a kind of development that has genuine regard for the state of our natural wealth has never become more crucial than today. We would want to promote our natural resources, but the greater challenge is for all of us to make our environment cleaner, greener and safer for future generations,” Legarda concluded.(PR)

Legarda supports ecotourism efforts

ENATOR Loren Legarda today welcomed the government’s plan to boost ecotourism through a partnership project between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Legarda, a staunch environmentalist, said that the Philippines has already been hailed as the World’s Center of Marine Biodiversity – the epicentre of biodiversity

run in various parts of the country to not only call attention to his candidacy but also to express the plight of the karaniwang tao and the need to collectively push for reforms.

“Our campaign is a mass movement and is not a simple machinery run by money, our campaign is of, by and for

the common folk,” Casiño said.

“Ang mga pagtakbo pong gagawin natin sa iba’t-ibang parte ng bansa kasama ang ating mga kababayan ay nagpapakita na kaisa natin sila at sa pagtakbo din nila e naipapakita na kailangang pagpawisan at pagtrabahuhan ang kampanya na-

tin para magkaroon ng kinatawan ang karaniwang tao sa Senado. Hindi ito tulad ng sa iba na umaasa sa pangalan, pera at impluwensya,” he added.

“Ang Takbo ni Teddy ay takbo para sa karaniwang tao and I will run all over the country” ended Casiño.

tion regarding campaign and expense monitoring to avoid surprises,” Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr said.

Comelec also launched an online site where netizens could post their complaints on possible violations on campaigning.

Netizens may post their complaints through Comelec’s Twitter account (@COMELEC) and mycomelec.tv.

“Tapos na - sa wakas - ang panahon ng helplessness ng mga botanteng sawang sawa na sa premature campaigning,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said in his Twitter ac-

count.

Candidates are allowed to put up streamers that are eight feet wide and 3 feet tall to be displayed five days before the date of the meeting or rally and should be removed within 24 hours after the event.

Posters made of cloth, paper, cardboard or any other material should be three feet wide and two feet tall.

The poll body also shortened the aggregate airtime allotment for each candidate to 120 minutes and 180 minutes on television and radio stations, respectively. (PNA)

eat, no jobs or low wages amidst high prices. And reports show that criminals commit their crimes not for themselves but to be able to feed their families,” Cayetano explained. “So we cannot entirely blame the increase in crime rates on our police.”

Cayetano challenged the administration to increase jobs as a solution to decreasing crime rates.

“Government needs to intervene and generate more jobs both

for opportunities for employment and for our entrepreneurs,” Cayetano said. “A lot of Filipinos are good in business but they do not have the capital. Others have skills but can’t find jobs. So they resort to the commission of crimes.”

Cayetano argued that if Filipinos feel a sense of opportunity, there will be prosperity and ultimately a significant decrease if not the eradication of crime in the country.

NATIONAL CANDIDATES

And they’re off T

HE campaign period for national candidates and party-list groups officially begins today (Feb 12) as they are reminded by the Commission on Elections to strictly follow campaign rules or face “criminal prosecution.”

The poll body will start regulating campaign propaganda and counting of campaign expenditures tomorrow.

“Violation of Comelec rules particularly on the size and location of propaganda automatically attaches criminal liability to the candidate.

Thus, I urge candidates to read and study all pertinent rules and regula-

Cayetano: increase jobs to end crime

S

ENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano said that the increase in crime rates cannot be solely blamed on the Philippine National Police but must instead be attributed to poverty and a high unemployment rate.

Cayetano put the issue into perspective as the PNP gets the heat for the increase in crime rates in the country.

“The main cause of crime is poverty, because people have nothing to

4 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

How long do crocodiles live?

T

HE answer to this question is difficult to answer precisely and, like the size of crocodiles, suffers from exaggeration. There are a few clues, however, which can tell us the age of these venerable reptiles. Did you know the oldest crocodile reportedly died in 1997 at a zoo in Russia, aged 115 years old? I have not been able to verify this story entirely, but there’s good evidence to suggest that it is true (the crocodile was originally captured in the 1890’s as a 5 to 10 year old juvenile).

Measuring the longevityof crocodiles can be very difficult, because they live for such a long time.

Reliable age records are more difficult to come by, and typically derive from captive animals which has problems (see below). The image on the left is Gomek, who died in February 1997 at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. He was 17.9 feet when he died, and around 70 to 80 years old. He was captured in Papua New Guinea as an adult, and his age at that time was unknown, although he grew less than a foot in the 20 years he remained in Florida.

How is age measured?

There is currently no reliable way of measuring crocodile age, although several techniques can be used to derive a reasonable guess. The most common method is to measure lamellar growth rings in bones and teeth - each ring corresponds to a change in growth rate which typically occurs once a year between dry and wet seasons.

This is problematic for animals living in tropical climates (ie. most species) as growth rates within a year vary much less than those in temperate climates where there are distinct seasons. Innermost growth

SWEETHEART AFTER CAPTURE. Sweetheart, a large saltwater crocodile from Australia, was captured from a lagoon after terrorising fishermen - or, more specifically, their boats. He gained a reputation for attacking outboard motors (probably because of the low-frequency vibrations they emitted, or because of their shape). He never attacked a person. However, it was decided to move him before a fatality occurred. Unfortunately, like many large and old crocodiles, the stress of capture was too much for him and he died.

rings also degenerate over time, and most measures of age using growth ring data will underestimate age. A more reliable method is to mark a young animal of known age and determine age whenever it is recaptured. Unfortunately this technique takes the animal’s entire lifetime to come up with a figure!

Even then you rarely know whether an animal died or moved out of the area, and whether it died of natural causes or was killed. A 22 year study on Australian freshwater crocodiles has

revealed good evidence of animals at least 50 to 60 years of age, estimated from recaptures dating back to the late 1970s, and extrapolated from growth rates. This is fairly typical for most medium-sized species.

Estimating maximum age from animals which have lived and died in captivity is problematic as we don’t know whether the animal lived as long as it would under natural conditions - or longer than a wild animal! Stress, incorrect diet, disease

- all these can cause premature death in captivity, although factors such as predation are usually eliminated. It is possible that mean age in captive animals is higher than in wild populations, but that maximum age is achieved in animals in the wild (where conditions may be optimal, assuming the animal survives to such an old age).

Bearing these inaccuracies in mind, the oldest crocodilians appear to be the largest species. C. porosus is estimated to

live around 70 years on average, and there is limited evidence that some individuals may exceed 100 years. Certainly, individuals in many aboriginal tribes recognise very old crocodiles that have been alive for as long as they can remember. The same is true of C. niloticus, which probably lives nearly as long as the saltwater crocodile. One of the oldest crocodiles recorded died in a zoo in Russia apparently aged 115 years old.

Unfortunately, the news report did not identify the

Program which the government launched in 2011 to help promote poverty alleviation, food security, environmental stability, biodiversity conservation as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation.

NGP aims greening some 1.5 million hectares of open, denuded and degraded land nationwide using around 1.5 billion seedlings of indigenous and exotic tree species.

Mangroves are groups of salt-tolerant plants occupying inter-tidal zones of sheltered coasts around estuaries and lagoons.

Authorities included mangrove planting in NGP as available data show by 1994, the Philippines already lost some 70 percent of its mangrove forests which in 1918 covered about 500,000 hectares nationwide. [PNA]

AKARTA, Feb. 11 (PNA/Xinhua) -- Indonesia’s Environmental Affairs Minister Balthazar Kambuaya said on Monday that the country has been seeing stagnant environmental quality index at 60 in the last few years, noting the index level is barely able to improve.

Speaking in his remarks to open an environment management coordination meeting for the country’s eastern region of Sulawesi and Maluku, the minister said that environment quality index describes the effectiveness of authority overseeing environment affairs. The higher the index level, the better the authority demonstrates its tasks, he added.

Authorities set 2013-2016 NGP mangrove planting targets G OVERNMENT targets greening from 2013 to 2016 nearly 38,500 hectares of mangrove areas nationwide so more of these can be avail-

able for future ecological and non-ecological benefits.

The Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources set such greening

activity in 17,910 hectares within protected areas and another 20,501 hectares outside these locations.

The activity is part of the National Greening

species. Other species may not live as long, especially members of the family Alligatorinae. Caimans are estimated to live only 30 to 40 years, for example.

Such ages are likely to be underestimates, having come from zoo animals.

It is clear that stories of crocodiles living hundreds of years are simply untrue, yet there is reasonable evidence that medium to large species are capable of attaining at least 60 to 70 years when disease, starvation and predation have been avoided.

Indonesia’s environmental quality index remains stagnant--Minister

J

“Indonesia had never attained 70 or 80 for national environment quality index. People have the rights to good environment quality, clean and fresh air and water,” he said in Maluku province’s capital of Ambon as quoted by the Antara news agency.

He, however, said that eastern Indonesia has recorded better environment quality than national average.

The meeting to draft and design regional frameworks in addressing central government’s environmental and natural resources development plans until 2014 was joined by representatives of 101 regencies and municipals from eight provinces in Sulawesi and Maluku.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

THE ECONOMY

5

Firm puts in P50M for hydro plant rehab G

ENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 11 Feb) – Renewable energy firm Euro Hydro Power (Asia) Holdings, Inc. is investing around P50 million for the rehabilitation and recommissioning of a mothballed mini hydro power plant in nearby Koronadal City.

Ignacio Guinid Jr., Euro Hydro officer-in-charge and technical services manager, said Monday they are targeting to start by June the rehabilitation works on the mini hydro power plant located in Sitio Upper Guadalupe of Barangay Carpenter Hill in Koronadal City, in partnership with the local government and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 12.

He said the company signed earlier this month a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the city government of Koronadal and NIA-12 for the rehabilitation and operation of the power facility.

Guinid said they are processing the required permits with the

Department of Energy (DoE) and other government agencies to facilitate the plant’s rehabilitation.

“If everything goes well, as planned, we might be able to start the plant’s operations by January 2014 or even earlier,” he said.

The mini hydro power plant, which has a capacity of 600 kilowatts (kW), was constructed by the national government in 1971 and became fully operational in 1974.

But the plant’s operations were later hampered by the heavy siltation on the dam where it was installed, forcing its shutdown in 1981.

The Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Company rehabilitated the facility in 1984 and took over its operations a year later until its contract expired in 1991.

NIA Region 12 assumed the plant’s operations and maintenance from 1991 to 1997 but eventually shelved the project.

Guinid said the rehabilitation works will mainly involve the reconstruction and overhaul of the plant’s

structure, facilities as well as the area’s irrigation dam.

As cited in the MOA, he said Euro Hydro will handle all maintenance and operational aspects of the mini hydro power plant.

Once operational, Guinid said the facility is expected to generate around 500 to 600 kW of power that will be embedded with the South Cotabato I Electric Cooperative’s (Socoteco I) system.

He said the cost of the power supplies that will be generated by the plant would be minimal due to its proximity to the area.

“The plant’s capacity may not be that significant but it will eventually help reduce the area’s power deficit,” Guinid said.

He was referring to the three to five megawatts (MW) of power that is usually cut off by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) from the area’s systems whenever Mindanao’s power supply goes critical. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)

6

PROPERTY

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

Camella Northpoint cites reasons st why it is a 1 -rate investment option

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

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

EDGEDAVAO

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/

Month

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

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

T

HOSE looking for first rate investment should train their sights on Camella Northpoint. Here are the reasons why.

Location is still #1. Camella Northpoint is located at the junction of Buhangin Road and JP Laurel Avenue in Bajada, two major thoroughfares within the emerging business district north of Davao. It is at the heart of the city’s growth area where modern conveniences are easily accessible.

Camella Northpoint’s prime location makes it near all major locators and public utilities, from the airport, seaport, worship places, banks, markets, hospitals, and schools, to the biggest and most modern malls, supermarkets, and shopping centers in the city.

Its premier address makes it the most desirable place to live in Davao, undeniably attractive even to those looking to invest in a rental property.

High rental rates. As a most sought after address in the city,

Northpoint’s condo units are an attractive option as a rental home. Rental rates range from P20,000 for a studio unit and between P30,000 to P50,000 for a two-bedroom or three-bedroom unit.

Northpoint’s high rental rates make it a great earning asset as it can easily cover the investor-owner’s amortization. With a studio unit alone, monthly amortization is less than P20,000, which means the unit owner covers his amortization and also earns income from the monthly rental fee.

Green living, green investment. As Davao’s only pine estate, Camella Northpoint gives its homeowners the privilege to enjoy green living. The imported Caribbean pine trees scattered on the grounds of Northpoint create a fresh, clean, and vibrant surrounding that is naturally healthful for the condo dwellers.

Northpoint’s green towers have excellent indoor air quality as these are designed to allow cooler air to flow freely

into the buildings, giving the residents fresh, pine-scented air and a comfortable indoor temperature.

With a cooler building that also allows natural light to illuminate its interiors, there is less need for artificial lighting and airconditioning, cutting down on electricity cost. This means less power consumption and lesser impact on the environment.

Northpoint residents have made a green investment because by investing in a Camella home, they support a company that helps reduce impacts on the environment.

Charming lifestyle center.

Northpoint’s initial offering for its lifestyle center is a fine dining restaurant with a wine cellar housed at the White Mansion. This commercial development will soon house a boutique hotel, supermarket, restaurants, coffee shop, and specialty shops carrying wellknown brands in Manila and from abroad.

This will give homeowners

and the rest of Davao a place to hold exclusive business meetings or intimate family gatherings while enjoying a jazz concert within the natural ambiance of age-old acacia trees and fragrant Caribbean pine trees.

Property value on the rise.

Northpoint’s property value continues to rise, making it a rewarding investment for unit owners. Northpoint studio units initially sold for P1.3 M in 2009 but now go for P2 M, almost a 50% increase in value which continues to rise today.

This is also owed to its air of exclusivity, prestige, and world-class facilities and amenities that make it a charming and pleasant place to live To acquire the charmed and privileged lifestyle as a Northpoint homeowner, get in touch with Camella at 2/F Delgar Building, JP Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City, telephone numbers (082) 222-0963 and (082) 222-5221, vismin@camella.com.ph, and www.camella.com.ph.

as of august 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

COMMUNITY SENSE

7

Civil engineers turn over green school building

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HE Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Davao City Chapter (PICE DCC), in partnership with Davao Contractors Association Center, Inc. (DACACI) turned over last Sunday a school building under the PICE “Project Green Engineering Philippines (PGEP)” to New Carmen Elementary School, barangay New Carmen, Tugbok district, this city.

The 63sqm green classroom building was uniquely designed to be more energy efficient and environmental friendly maximizing the use of the sunlight and air to make the place best for learning. The building also come fully equipped with toilet facilities, blackboards, pupils’ armchairs, teacher’s table and chair and school supplies.

A rainwater collector tank and trash bins were also given to the school as part of the “greening existing schools” program of the PICE to raise the level of awareness of the community and the school on proper water supply utilization and conservation and proper waste disposal and management.

The turn-over ceremony was graced by Engr.

David G. Sanchez, National PICE 1st Vice President and PGEP Chair; Engr.

Ramon F. Allado, Chairman of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board(PCAB) and Past President of DACACI; Mr. Ricardo U. Ho, President

of Davao City Sta. Ana Lion’s Club; Dr. Adeline I. Go, Ed.D, DepED Tugbok District Supervisor; Mr. Antonio A. Tabar, Sr., Punong Barangay of New Carmen; Mr. Sherwin I. Velasquez- School Administrator and Mr. Alvin Alcantara of Davies Paints; Engr. Reynaldo O. Aquitania, 2013 PICE DCC President and Engr. Erdsan Rene S. Suero, 2012 PICE DCC President.

In his turned over speech, Engr. David G. Sanchez, National 1st Vice President lauded the PICE Davao City Chapter for completing this first green school building in Mindanao and encouraged the chapter to collaborate with organizations and entities to jointly construct more green structures in the city.

Likewise, Dr. Adeline I. Go, Barangay Captain Antonio A. Tabar, Sr. and Mr. Sherwin I. Velasquez had expressed their gratitude to the PICE for choosing New Carmen Elementary School in Barangay New Carmen as recipient of the PhilGreen School Building and has praised the benevolence of all the groups involved on the project as they added that this school building will become a source of good education and a better future of the school children in the barangay.

The event was likewise witnessed by the officers and members of

the PICE and other organizations, among them were Engr. Jose D. Gestuveo Jr., PICE DCC 1st Vice President & NAMPAP President; Engr. Cary H. Beatisula, 2nd Vice President; Engr. Angel T. Torrejon, Director and Co-Chairman on Special Projects; Engr. Silvino G. Presto, Jr., Director and Chairman – Community Service; Engr. Sharon Angelica G. Bonguyan, Engr.

Juliet T. Luy, Engr. Jimwell L. Bonguyan, Engr. Roderick R. Tecson, Engr. Ana Marie C. Marte, and Engr.

Juan Claudio Y. Tinga.

Other activities simultaneously conducted

during the day were the PICE tree planting, free medical and dental clinic with medicines and vitamins, free eye examination and eye glasses, free legal consultation and distribution of free slippers spearheaded by Davao City Sta. Ana Lions Club.

The construction of the PICE PhilGreen school building project is supported by Davao Contractors Association Center, Inc., Davao City Sta. Ana Lions Club, MD JERAM Construction, Inc. and Davies Paints Philippines.

In another develop-

ment, Engr. Erdsan Rene S. Suero; 2012 PICE DCC President disclosed that the PICE Davao City chapter is now under a new leadership headed by its new President, Engr. Reynaldo A. Aquitania. Other officers are Engr. Jose D. Gestuveo Jr., 1st Vice President; Engr.

Cary H. Beatisula, 2nd Vice President; Engr. Sharon Angelica G. Bonguyan, Secretary; Engr. Juliet T. Luy, Treasurer; Engr.

Juan Claudio Y. Tinga, Auditor; Engr. Silvino G. Presto Jr., Business Manager; and Engr. Hilario A. Fernandez, PIO. The new directors are Engr. Cresil-

Sun Cellular continues to modernize customer service

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The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) Davao West Chapter has formally launched its BE HONEST Advocacy Campaign last January 26, 2013 at the Abreeza Mall, Davao City. Supporting the BE HONEST Campaign are (seated from left) Department of Tourism Region X1 represented by Regional Director Arturo P. Boncato, Jr., Mr. Pierre Ryan Tan of Mabuhay Group of Taxi and ARENA X1 represented by its president Engr. Mariano R. Alquiza of the DPWH. Also seated are BCBP leaders namely Mr. Jong Tiro , Area Managing Director, Dr. Rodolfo S. Lorena, Chapter Head and Reynaldo Aranda, Programs and Services Director. Abreeza Mall Davao as the home of the official launching was represented by its Marketing Manager, Ms. Ruby Ochoa. Standing at the back are the members of the governance team. The BCBP also commenced its Mall Walk as part of its BE HONEST campaign. Other partner-supporters are RCBC, Philippine Retirement Authority, Seagull Resorts Development, 829 One World Travel Express and DabTOA ( Dabaw Tourism Operators Assn.)

da T. Caballero, Engr. Anacleto C. Calamba Jr., Engr.

Remegio Q. Nantes, Engr.

Francis R. Rizon, Engr. Arniel A. Sosa, Engr. Evtri E. Tabanguil and Engr. Angel T. Torrejon.

In the national level, DPWH Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo was re-elected National President together with Engr.

David G. Sanchez as National 1st Vice President; the Chair of the PICE Project Green Engineering Philippines (PGEP) who has visited the city to grace the turnover ceremony of the PICE PhilGreen school building, Suero ended. PICEDCC_PR

EN years after its graceful entry into the local telecommunications scene, renowned mobile service innovator Sun Cellular moves forward to modernizing customer care with the unveiling of its intensified roster of digital-based service channels.

“Apart from expanding our pervasive outlets of The Sun Shop nationwide, as well as our 24/7 service hotline, we continually look for new ways to serve our on-the-go customers who would require a more edgy and flexible type of communication with us,” says Reuben Pangan, Vice President for Customer Service Operations of Sun Cellular.

Among these new channels, Pangan has highlighted Sun Cellu-

lar’s heightened 24/7 customer service operations through Facebook at www.facebook. com/suncellularph and through Twitter atwww. twitter.com/suncelltweets.

“In the same way that the interaction means of our customers have evolved, we have also gone beyond our usual channels to make it convenient for them to reach out to us through their online social media pages and data-connected smartphones,” explains Pangan.

And as the network continues to fuel the smartphone growth in the country, it has also released a series of mobile applications for after-sales services and public information.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Awakening in Sulu SPECIAL FEATURE

BY MENARDO WENCESLAO

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EDITORIAL

The simple election

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AMPAIGNING for national candidates, meaning candidates for senator, starts today, so do the surfeit of prohibitions most everybody ignores or rarely follows.

This is mid-term election, so named because it is held in the middle of the six-year term of the President and the Vice President. However, this is by no means a so-so political exercise. Its outcome can spell success or failure of a sitting President, or what we sometimes refer to as the administration.

If majority of the elected members of the Senate and the House of Representatives belong to his party or coalition, Congress as a whole can be ex-

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And so in a way, it is not really hard to decide who to vote for this May –if the voter wants P-Noy to succeed, he only needs to vote for the President’s candidate for House representative and majority if not all his bets for senators.

The most important issue this May seems that simple.

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HERE is a perceptible awakening of the people in Sulu and most likely in the other island provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. The awakening is the realization of the island residents as to who really are the elements that brought the scourge in their lives and in what used to be the pristine and idyllic islands which are home to gentle people who love the sea and who live in peace and quiet and simplicity of a fisherman’s life and satisfaction of an uncomplicated barter trade and modest commerce.

But as the say, “them were the times”.

When the secessionist rebellion initiated by the Moro National Liberation Front was waged, a lot of changes happened in the lives of the islanders. This became more complicated and radicalized when the Abu Sayyaf Guerillas (ASG) dissociated from the MNLF and staged the infamous hostage taking of foreign tourists from Sipadan, Malaysia followed by serious of kidnap-for-ransom, extortion and other heinous crimes. Patikol, Sulu was to be the bastion of their operations. Ransoms and extortions were not to be their only source of money ASG was also copiously funded by foreign sources among them the late Libyan strongman Moammar Khadafy and Al Qaeda Chieftain Osama bin Laden. The moment they associated with Al Qaeda, ASG added one more signature act of terrorism – indiscriminate bombings – as an additional means to establish an Iranian-style Islamic theocracy not only in the three main island provinces but, with the aid of Jemaah Islamiyah, in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

For decades, the islands of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan became battlefields between government forces and the ASG terrorists. The islanders which for many years were cajoled into believing that ASGs and JIs were fighting for a cause soon realized that they too have become hostages of the ogre that ASG had become. Ironically even as when this iniquitous situation was the case, the MNLF maintained a cautious distance from their erstwhile comrades in arms. This lackadaisical attitude is borne by the rumor that some leaders of the MNLF were also recipients of the largesse from their benefactors from the Islamic nations.

The deaths of their patrons Bin Laden and Khadafy virtually stopped their financial spigot from flowing. In the Middle East, the now famous Arab Spring continued to flourish threatening monarchs, rulers and other chiefs of fiefdoms to establish reforms and justice. They too had stopped being generous to terrorist organizations. On the other hand the Armed Forces of the Philippines increased its pressure on the terrorist groups. The ASG, in small forces attempted to conduct kidnap-for-ransom operations but in many parts of the civilian communities where they used to freely roam before had become hostile to them.

It was not for long when the ASGs turned to whoever will bleed and whoever could pay ransom never mind if they are Muslims or Christians. Thus the enmity between the MNLF and the ASG became a veritable powder keg soon to explode.

And so the battle begins. For certain, the MNLF will triumph as the people who had long been oppressed by the terrorist and kidnap-for-ransom horde of ASG are on their side. The island inhabitants have seen the light of day and even as they are tired and weary they can fight another war to rid themselves of the beasts that are the ASGs. (MW)

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

V

VANTAGE POINTS

A desperate public reaction

IRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TOTALLY STAMP OUT ILLEGAL DRUGS – With the May 2013 midterm elections just around the corner, it’s no surprise that incumbent Davao City Vice Mayor and mayoral candidate Rodrigo Duterte is eager to keep attention focused on positive news, such as his all-out campaign against illegal drugs. But he is having trouble avoiding persistent questions about the alleged involvement of some rogue cops in the proliferation of the illegal but highly lucrative drugs deal. More intriguing are questions allegedly surrounding the role of some thick-witted barangay officials in the flourishing of illegal drugs in their respective turfs.

Efforts to halt the illegal drugs trade in the city and its suburban areas are failing out despite stringent measures are being undertaken by law authorities. The production of illegal drugs notably the synthetic-based methamphetamine hydrochloride or popular known as ‘shabu’ is the major problem of the country including Davao City. And drug dealers’ coffers are rich with the profit. Authorities say different drug syndicates pocketed hundred millions of pesos the last two years from their profitable dealings, with big-time pushers – taking up to ten times a policeman’s salary – expecting further growth this year and beyond.

While the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the lead government unit task to run after drug syndicates deployed composite teams of law enforcers to smash up drug laboratories thriving across the country, the agency is pleading for more financial aid to augment its intensified operations aimed at slashing the production of shabu and cultivation of the lowly local poppy plant ‘marijuana.’ The Davao City Police Office

(DCPO) and the regional anti-drug operatives got another boost when the conducted a series of raids that eventually yielded several drug suspects specifically in Boulevard, Bucana, mini forest and Isla Verde areas known as lairs of drug dealers and users in the city.

The bad news is that we often heard people saying it is virtually impossible to minimize if not totally stamp out illegal drugs trade. But that doesn’t mean the police and drug enforcers shouldn’t try. And if they know one thing about the illegal but highly profitable drug business, it’s that drug dealers stick to what they know best – penetrate the mass base. That’s a dilemma for law authorities because it’s a task they could never do just by themselves without the cooperation and coordination of the barangay officials and residents. There is always a continuous secret flow of prohibited drugs, and law enforcers have to sensitize everyone from boot-polish boy to the trike drives to the lowly ‘tambays’ in every ghetto because everybody observed the ‘code of silence.’

Still, some things are known. Keen and thoughtful observers had often commented that the thing the police and drug enforcement units lack is not more men but better surveillance and intelligence network. The observation may be honestly held because it was a desperate people’s reaction to the real drug problem situation. But whatever the difficulties confronting city officials, vice mayor Duterte above all, the police and drug enforc-

ers elsewhere in the city, the situation is slowly improving, and composite teams of law enforcers continue to pick up and arrest suspected drug distributors and users in areas where drug abuse is rampant.

In the streets of the city, many point their fingers at some corrupt and greedy cops – and intelligence source claims they are directly involve in the illegal drug trade either as distributor or protector of drug syndicates. The problem – one that law authorities have faced when confronting the situation – is that an “allout war” against drugs in the urban areas notably in the slum districts and squatter colonies run the risk of losing the confidence of the residents because they’re not used to that. It would mean, in short, police operation is not the solution - to help them recoup from destitution is to provide them with basic needs because this would hold them back from dealing with drug syndicates.

In many occasions, Duterte warned that Davao City can be a dangerous place for criminal elements, most particularly drug syndicates.

Tough action is his trademark, and it is obviously appreciated by the city’s burgeoning population. The local government and law authorities therefore should be capable of registering its bite in dealing with the deteriorating drug abuse problems. The all-out campaign against illegal drugs has always mattered, and this election year even matters more than ever. Duterte still has much to do to clean up the city of underworld characters. Clamping down on drug syndicates, clearing the area from robbery-holdup gangs and carnap groups and big-time swindlers have long been part of his crusade. We hope that his stiff warning against criminal elements is not just that – gestures.

Aquino’s Second Push

“B

UT why is the MILF agreeing to this socio-economic deal with the government? The answer is simple; it is part of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB). Besides, it is to convey to our people and combatants, after signing of the FAB, that there is something that trickles to them as a way of peace dividends. More importantly, the MILF believes this will redound to their greater benefits which could also empower them economically and henceforth politically for more vigorous and sustained assertion of their right to self-determination.

“By the way, if the MILF agrees to this socio-economic deal, it is because it is a necessary compo-

( Conclusion )

MIND DA NEWS PATRICIO P. DIAZ nent of conflict resolutions tried and tested in various parts of the world. It is part of the whole deal.

The Aquino administration is not doing it unilaterally but in partnership with the MILF after it was discussed in the negotiating table with facilitation. Moreover, the MILF believes it is the right thing to do, after it bitterly engaged the government both in the battlefields and in negotiation, which did not end with the MILF at the losing side. This is the reason why the two Parties are now facing each other in the battle of the hearts

and minds.

“Finally, we believe President Benigno Aquino III has no hidden agenda when he causes the implementation of these projects. Besides, our people, who have been ravaged and marginalized by 40 years of continuous war, need them to jumpstart their long journey to recovery.”

Yet, the program is a big gamble of Government and MILF, of President Aquino III and Chairman Murad. If it succeeds, they will win above all the confidence and gratitude of the Moros. However, if the program fails, besides losing the confidence of the Moros, they will lose face and bring a historic frustration.

[Patricio P. Diaz/MindaNews]

9

Fact, fiction, and opinion ( 1st of two parts ) WAYWARD AND FANCIFUL:

A

GAIL ILAGAN

N article written by Mahar Lagmay and company saw print in the inner pages of a national daily today. The report explains what happened to Barangay Andap in New Bataan in a language that makes technical terms comprehensible to the layman. Lagmay, et al threw in juicy bits on the methodology they used to arrive at their expert opinion. Anyone is welcome to replicate what they did.

I googled for AMF Lagmay and hit on an 8 December article he posted on the National Institute for Geological Services website. It was an initial assessment on Andap based on, among others, a picture snapped

by MindaNews photojournalist Ruby Thursday More the morning after the deadly debris flow on 4 December.

This initial assessment was fleshed out a bit more fully in today’s article.

I could have screamed in relief. Finally! Here’s a Filipino expert using his expertise to serve the Filipino community. In three days, he’d put together a lucid initial assessment.

(In those three days, I too had done rapid needs assessment and started to deploy psycho first aid teams. But I live just three hours from Andap. Lagmay is based in Luzon and had to make do with Ruby Thursday’s pictures. His work in those first three days is more remarkable than mine. Haah – there must be a reason why geologists are paid higher than psychologists.)

It had pained me, yes, to see the National Geographic van out there in Andap and in the mountains of Compostela heading to Cateel. That these guys were out there in December while the rest had gone Christmas break only strengthened my suspicion that we were looking at a major geologic event in our time in our midst. It pained me because I did not see Mindanao’s very own environmental science experts out there.

They were not even interested to see Ruby Thursday’s pictures when MindaNews offered these and the rest of our videos, all catalogued as to dates and places, for them to study.

Every time I come home from the Pablo-stricken areas, my daughter Sage has taken it upon herself to debrief me, maybe because she thinks I’d be easier to live with if I’d gotten my impressions of what I’d seen out of my system. Sagey, perceptive soul, once asked me why I did not look too happy about NatGeo being out there.

I said it’s because defining our reality is an onus that we should not palm off to outsiders; that I’d cringe every time a student or a colleague talks about Mindanao and cites a fly in, fly out scholar, commentator, blogger, along with any other two-cents’-worther as if it is their opinion that we should consider over any other. We who are here have eyes and ears, and we can put two and two together. Because it is our community, our evidence-based opinion about it should count perhaps more than the views of those who do not have to live here, who do not understand or care about our context, our culture.

10 NATION/WORLD

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VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Kabataan: Don’t get carried away by PNoy visit to MILF

ABATAAN Partylist second nominee Bai Ali Indayla has urged the public to treat with scrutiny the planned visit of President Benigno Aquino III to the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) this Monday to launch Sajahatra Bangsamoro, a set of government assistance to identified MILF communities.

“The visit is sure to get the attention of Filipinos especially those who follow the peace process. But we call on the public not to get carried away easily,” Indayla said.

Indayla said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, is right in calling the event “merely symbolic”.

“The Moro people deserve more than just another experiment designed to momentarily offset the social and economic hardship of select beneficiaries,” she said.

President Aquino, according to her, engages in one publicity stunt after another to get the people’s attention away from what the Moro people and most ordinary Filipinos need.

“Sajahatra provides no assurance that beneficiaries will get access to the services they need

especially on health and education,” she said.

“The program promises to aid beneficiaries to a number of health and social services yet this government is doggedly pursuing the privatization of government hospitals that mostly cater to impoverished communities including those of the target beneficiaries,” she said.

She added that drastic budget cuts made on state colleges and universities across the country makes it difficult, if not impossible, for ordinary Moros and Filipinos to get an education.

The former human rights group spokesperson said that Aquino styles himself as a man of peace whilst giving his approval to the restriction and endangering of the lives of countless civilians in different militarized communities in Mindanao mostly in Moro areas.

Indayla said Aquino must show his commitment and sincerity to the Bangsamoro cause by effecting clear-cut policies that favor the great majority of Filipinos, not that of large businesses and foreign corporations.

Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus (Center) answers questions on the Divorce Bill which she filed during the 13th Congress and other issues affecting women and children while Gabriela Sothern Mindanao Region chair Dr. Jean Lindo (left), and chair emeritus Lyda Jara Canson hold protest slogans in the weekly Kapehan sa

Dabaw at the SM City Davao Annex yesterday. The group also promoted One Billion Rising, an activity which intends to end poverty and violence against women. Lean Daval Jr.

Gabriela hits gov’t for Tubbataha

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OMEN’S group Gabriela Women’s Party demanded government accountability for the destruction of Tubbataha and the continuous plunder of the country’s natural resources made possible by laws that guarantee perpetual subservience to US and the large-scale foreign corporate interests. The group believes that the destruction of the environment and the sell-out of sovereignty are itself acts of violence that must be stopped.

Gabriela Women’s Par-

ty Southern Mindanao is set to lead a confluence of organizations, schools and individuals in Davao as a contribution to the One Billion Rising movement, where a mass dance protest of 2,000 people will be conducted in Rizal Park on February 14 at 4 pm to call for an end to poverty and all forms of violence against women.

“Violence against women originates from the ideology of domination and power over anything perceived as weaker – women, children, the environment, and even nations”, said Dr.

Jean Lindo, Chairperson of Gabriela Women’s Party.

“The ‘Tubataha rape’ is not new. We have had our sovereignty battered over and over again by the US with the government’s complicity. The nonstop plunder of our environment through large-scale mining and logging activities can be blamed for the scale of destruction unleashed by extreme weather disturbances previously unheard of in the Southern Mindanao region,” she added.

Lindo expressed that the present 23 Mineral

Production Sharing Agreements and 50-150 Mining Exploration Permits and Applications covering 1 million hectares in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental should be cancelled in order to prevent another Typhoon Pablo from battering the region and its people.

“Laws such as the Visiting Fores Agreement, Mutual Defense Treaty, and the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 are vehicles for the systematic rape of our sovereignty and national patrimony. We reiterate our call for the scrapping of these laws,” Lindo concluded.

ULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao, Feb. 11 (PNA) -- President Benigno Aquino III Monday said the signing of the much-awaited comprehensive peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front might happen this March.

“I think we’re very, very close to agreements on all the points. Pero, as you know, I don’t like to give deadlines even to people investigating crimes,” the President said in an interview with the media at the sidelines of the launching of the “Sajahatra Bangsamoro” program here.

“This is a consensual process. We are trying to achieve consensus and it will take its natural course but we think it might be earlier... at least earlier than the end of March,” he noted.

In his speech at the

launching of the “Sajahatra Bangsamoro,” Aquino said the peace negotiations moved forward “unhindered by secrecy and manipulation, and propelled by solidarity towards the shared goal of empowering every Filipino in the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).”

“Others have stumbled in the past. We were determined not to make the same mistakes, we were determined not to succumb to indiscriminate knee-jerk reactions borne out of anger, or to cast aside true consensus, or favor concealment over transparency in negotiations,” he said.

“At ngayon po, ang ipinapakita natin sa pamamagitan nitong Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program -- Hindi na kailangang maghintay ng mahabang panahon upang mad-

anas ang pagbabago; ang puwedeng simulan o ipatupad ngayon, sisimulan at ipapatupad natin ngayon. Hindi na kailangang tumanda ng labing-isang libong benepisyaryo ng MILF nang hindi nasasaklaw ng PhilHealth coverage o ng Cash for Work program. Hindi na po kailangang mamuti ng buhok ng mga komunidad sa kakahintay. Hindi na kailangang mag-abang ang 500 kabataang Moro ng maraming taon para makapag-aral, dahil sa ipamamahaging mga scholarship sa ilalim ng programang ito,” he stressed.

The President said the administration’s goal is to “accelerate the transition of MILF communities steeped in armed struggle to a productive citizenry that buys into the national agenda, and contributes to our shared goal of equitable progress.”

PNoy’s visit to MILF camp, Peace pact signing set in March a brave thing to do: Trenas S

P

RACTICALLY risking his life and his entire cabinet by setting on the stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), President Aquino truly deserves all the people’s support in his historic quest to lay the solid foundation for permanent and meaningful peace in Mindanao, Iloilo Congressman Jerry Trenas today said.

“The President’s decision to visit the heart of the Muslim rebellion underscores his sincere intention to forge peace with the Muslim Filipinos. This is a very brave thing to do especially because there are still other rebel factions operating in this

part of Mindanao. We should all salute him for that,” Trenas said.

On on one hand, Trenas noted, reports on the preparations being made by the MILF leadership only reflect the determination and desire of the MILF and their supporters to end the decades-old war that only heightened poverty and instability in that part of the country.

“We all support President Aquino’s visit to personally feel and see the needs of the area and what government must do to promote peace and development,” Trenas said.

The President’s visit should strengthen the confidence of all Filipinos, especially Muslims, in the sincerity

of government to end war and usher an era of genuine development of their long-neglected communities.

“This visit will surely build trust among all Filipinos. Trust is key to any peace agreement.

We can never reach a genuine and permanent peace without trust and sincerity of contending parties,” he stressed.

The lawmaker said he is confident that the final peace agreement with the MILF would be “inclusive” and would not prejudice the desire of other the Bangsamoro groups like the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to participate in the overall and development processes in Mindanao.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

COMELEC...

FFROM 1

rious penalty for violators, Balisado said, “The number one penalty is imprisonment followed by a perpetual absolute disqualification to hold public elective office if a political candidate is tried and convicted of violating the election rules this is without provision.”

“There is always a first time that a candidate can be imprisoned, especially now that the new chairman (COMELEC chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.) is very strict in abiding by the rules,” he added.

“Just because there were no cases filed against violators in the 2010 elections, doesn’t mean it would be the same this year,” he warned.

“The chairman is very serious in prosecuting,” he said, pointing out an example saying, “a lot of party lists have been disqualified, even though some of them won in the 2010 elections because they did not pass the criteria of a party

FFROM 1 list.”

With the onset of the campaign period, he encouraged the national candidates and national party lists who will campaign in the Davao region to “please coordinate with our COMELEC offices so that we will be able to know about the common cluster areas where campaign materials are allowed to be posted.”

Balisado bared that there are 2.6 million voters in the Davao region including some 100 thousand new voters.

About the ban on public works, Balisado said that before March 29, Local Government Units and the Department of Public Works and Highways are mandated under the law to submit before the COMELEC a list of ongoing projects whose implementation is scheduled later as there are no prohibitions on this provided that these projects are already settled before March 29 and are not subject for bidding.

On taking advantage of disasters, he said, “no one should take advantage of the disaster, in any way, the aid which will be given to the victims must be coursed to the right agency and Red Cross is our prime mover where the aids must be given to.”

“LGUs should inform us if there is an emergency to provide assistance, they must inform the COMELEC and be coursed to the proper channel,” he added.

Balisado also stressed that TV stations and radio stations are mandated to submit before the COMELEC all contracts between them and the candidate to see how much paid, because it is not just the air time but also the cost.

He also said that later on this week they will start accepting applicants for precinct count optical scan (PCOS) technicians from schools and the Department of Education will be giving them a list of teachers for this job.

Daan and the Mutya sa Dabaw.

The talent show of the Mutya ng Dabaw will be held on February 20 at a still to be announced venue while the semi-finals will be held on Februrary 27 at the Abreeza Mall.

Marques said the Grand Coronation Night of the pageant is something that should not be missed. “Do not miss the grand coronation night of Mutya ng

Dabaw because we are preparing something memorable,” she added.

Marques also bared that the Davao Summerfest will follow the Araw ng Dabaw on April 26-May 5.

The annual Summerfest, now on its third year, is the city’s vehicle to promote it as summer destination. This event will showcase sports, health and wellness, culture and arts.

Araw ng Dabaw...

FFROM 2

p.m. today.

Some of the competitions that will be removed for this year’s Araw ng Dabaw calendar are the song competition, Davao Dish, poster making, mascot making, and the poetry making competitions.

The competitions that will be featured for this year’s Araw ng Dabaw are Sayaw Pinoy, Kanta Dabaw, Laban Labandz, Sayaw sa

Lolong is dead...

11

Officials of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) were reportedly also present when the saurian named “Lolong” died.

Collantes was called upon by the Eco-Park keepers over Lolong’s unusual behavior and the veterinarian immediately went to Bunawan.

A necropsy has yet to be performed on the crocodile which was captured in a creek in the Bunawan barangay of Nueva Era on September 3, 2011.

It was given the name “Lolong” after crocodile hunter Ernesto “Lolong” Goloran Cañete, who died

Ungab...

FFROM 2

tion of the budget for SUCs, which are currently suffering from lack of resources.

As a result this will compromise the allocation for college education to the detriment of the Filipino youth.

Oppositors in Davao City last week sought the intervention of San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito Estrada to convince Ungab not to push for the bill as it is reportedly detrimental for them.

Estrada who visited USeP Tuesday last week for a talk, promised them to personally talk with Ungab over the matter as

of a heart attack while searching for the animal.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde said “Lolong” refused to eat since last month and they noticed a change in the color of his feces and the unusual bloating of his belly.

After typhoon Pablo hit Agusan del Sur and other parts of Mindanao last December, changes in Lolong’s behavior were noted, according to local officials.

The Eco-Park in upland Consuelo village where the crocodile had been kept was drawing hundreds of local tourists daily, generating up to

P20,000 in gate receipts per day, the mayor said.

Elorde ordered the closure of the park on Sunday hours before Dr. Collantes declared the reptile dead.

The provincial government spearheaded by Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza had earlier set aside more than P5 million to support the Bunawan town’s EcoPark.

Representatives from the United States-based National Geographic and Guinness Book of Records had documented “Lolong,” and declared it to be the world’s largest crocodile caught alive.

soon as possible.

“As a matter of parliamentary courtesy it is not my intention to interfere the agenda of my colleague at the congress. But my only wish to talk with him personally and try to convince him on the disadvantages of the bill,” Estrada was quoted as saying during his visit.

He said that he would like also to inquire from Ungab the rationale of filing the bill which was met with strong opposition from the student sector in the city.

When asked if Estrada already met him, Ungab confirmed, saying “Yes, I

met him at the airport but I explained to him that amalgamation is the product of a long study by CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and that DRSUS is intended to improve the quality of higher education in the entire region.”

Ungab however advised oppositors to involve themselves in the debate on the bill which is expected to be re-introduced in Congress after the election.

He said the bill could not be tackled by the congress since he and other members of House were so preoccupied with the Sin Tax debates.

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VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

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SPORTS 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Heat sink Lakers 107-97 M

IAMI (AP) -- LeBron James ran a few steps behind the play, knowing exactly what was coming. The lob from Norris Cole arrived, and the NBA’s reigning MVP rose for a catch and dunk.

He made it look easy.

He’s making everything look easy right now.

James scored 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting in a record-setting show, Dwyane Wade scored 30 and the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 10797 on Sunday for their fifth straight win.

It was James’ fifth straight game with at least 30 points, a franchise record. He also joined Adrian Dantley (1979) and Moses Malone (1982) as the only

NBA players to score at least 30 and shoot at least 60 percent in five straight outings, the team said. ‘’Don’t take it for granted,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘’He’s making greatness look easy.’’

Mario Chalmers scored 13 and Chris Bosh finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.

Kobe Bryant had 28 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who also got 18 points from Earl Clark. The Lakers had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter, while Miami had none. ‘’Turnovers,’’ lamented Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni. ‘’You have to give them credit. They’re good.’’

With the win, Miami moved 2 1/2 games clear of the New York Knicks in

ONE ON ONE. Lebron James of the Miaami Heat goes one on one against Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier Sunday.

Dwight Howard and Steve Nash each scored 15 for the Lakers. ‘’They have a couple of sensational players over there that made some big plays,’’ Bryant said.

Indeed, James and Wade stole the show down the stretch.

Wade also shot 12 for 18 for Miami, which shot 55 percent as a team and held a 38-29 edge in rebounding. James scored 20 in the second half and Wade had 18 in the final two quarters, but the defending NBA champions weren’t able to pull away until the final minutes.

Wade had five straight points for Miami, the last of them coming with 7:15 left when his three-point

play put the Heat up 89-82 - at that point, their biggest lead of the day.

A minute later, Wade started what might have been Miami’s signature sequence of the game.

He stepped in front of a pass by Bryant under the basket, then flipped it to Bosh before falling out of bounds. Bosh got the ball to Cole, who beat Nash down the court, then lobbed a pass over his head to James, who soared for a slam that gave the Heat a seven-point lead once again. ‘’You could feel the buzz in the arena today,’’ James said. ‘’We were just happy that we were able to play our game, weather some of their storms that they had and come out with a win.’’

With 3:25 left, James turned in another highlight.

EW YORK (AP) -Chris Paul preserved the big lead that Jamal Crawford helped build, then they both looked elsewhere for the key to this Clippers victory. ‘’I think the game ball goes to Grant Hill,’’ Paul said.

Hill led the defensive effort that limited Carmelo Anthony to one basket in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles pulled away for a 10288 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Anthony scored 42 points in his fifth 40-point game of the season, but took only two shots in the final period while defended by the 40-year-old Hill, who didn’t even play in the first half but was on the floor for the final 15:21. ‘’I think that Grant Hill sitting on the bench the whole time, he came in and provided a great presence out there on Melo. I don’t think we win that game

without him,’’ Crawford said.

Paul scored 25 points in his second game back from injury and Crawford, a former Knicks guard, had 27. Blake Griffin finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who bounced back from a 22-point loss in Miami on Friday to win for just the fourth time in 12 games.

They finish off their eightgame Grammys road trip Monday in Philadelphia. ‘’Jamal, Chris, Blake, I mean everybody, it was a team effort. Everybody stepped up at some point,’’ coach Vinny Del Negro said.

Raymond Felton scored 20 points for the Knicks, who lost for the second time in eight games and wrap up their successful first half Wednesday against Toronto.

J.R. Smith was only 1 for 9 from the field, getting badly outplayed by Crawford in a matchup of top NBA reserves.

Clippers drop Knicks 102-88 N

14 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Katipuneras sweep Friendly matches

By Neil Bravo

T

HE visiting Katipuneras FC swept its two Friendly matches against Faith Academy and Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City recently.

Shannon Arthur made mincemeat of her defenders finding her target three times for a hat trick to lead the Katipuneras’ onslaught in their first match against Faith Academy 7-0 at the Faith Academy Football Field.

Arthur’s explosion all came from goals beyond the box.

After Nona Amoncio, who once played in the AFC Under 16 Qualifiers in Malaysia, cracked open the scoring in the 13th minute, Arthur fired her first goal in the 18th minute as the RIFA standouts ended the half 2-0. When the Katipuneras returned for the second half, they

suddenly went berserk as they fired from all cylinders keyed by Arthur’s marker with 7 minutes gone in the second half.

Anna Dio and Martie Bautista joined the scoring fray with a marker each as the visitors went up 5-0. Bautista’s goal came from a spectacular cross from Amoncio who played right wing midfield.

As if she was not finished, Arthur scored another before Bautista closed out the scoring.

The Katipuneras came back in the afternoon to beat Ateneo 4-0 after a close 1-0 lead in the first half. The Katipuneras are made up of players who have suited up for the U13, U14 and U16 AFC Festival for Girls in 2010 and 2011 in Vietnam. They are: Marianne Caparros, Isabelle Sabio, Mica Corrales, Lia De Guzman, Cathy

AMWAY RUN

Donaire leads PSA awardees

T

HREE world champions and a varsity team that has put together one of the most dominant runs in college basketball history, have been chosen co-winners of the Athlete of the Year award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).

Reigning world super-bantamweight king Nonito Donaire Jr., Big League Softball World Series winner Team Manila, Aiba World Women’s Boxing Championship gold medal winner Josie Gabuco, and reigning five-

Cabrera, AC Temena, Isabelle Medina, Antonette Amoncio, Bea Velasco, Joly Catedrilla, Tessa Bernardo, Noelle Antonio, Sami Garcia, Inna Guarin, Anna Dio, Martie Bautista, Pam Diaz, and Shannon Arthur.

time UAAP men’s basketball title holders Ateneo Blue Eagles share the highest honor bestowed by the country’s oldest media organization for the remarkable feats that made 2012 a truly memorable one.

They now share the limelight when last year’s top achievers are recognized during the PSA Annual Awards Night presented by Milo set on March 16 at the Manila Hotel.

The sheer impact of their success and the way they dominated their re-

spective fields made all four worthy of the award, according to PSA president Rey Bancod of Tempo.

Gabuco is a first-time recipient of the accolade, and so are the Manila softbelles and the amazing Blue Eagles, both of whom also became the first group to be given such honor since the Philippine contingent that reigned as Southeast Asian Games overall champion in 2005.

For Donaire, it’s his third Athlete of the Year trophy and second

Tadlas, Jaro rule

By Neil Bravo

B

OBBY Tadlas upstaged veteran Ronald Dagaang down the homestretch to win the short but tightly fought 1K@Amway Run on Saturday in Quimpo Boulevard.

Tadlas clocked 17 minutes and 10 seconds in negotiating the 5-kilometer footrace to win the men’s title at the expense of Dagaang who settled for second after checking in 47 seconds later. Roel Javasco was a far third in 19 minutes and 17 sec-

onds.

In the distaff side, youthful Celie Rose Jaro outsprinted Princess Novem to take the women’s title in 20 minites and 56 seconds. Novem came in second 23 seconds later in 21:19.

Christine Javasco was third in 21:59.

In the unique 1-K division, Rudy Putian won the men’s race in 5 minutes and 54 seconds in a one-sided race. Eduard Asugue was a distant second in 10 minutes and 1

second. Philip Maceda was third in 10:53.

The women’s 1-K title went to Carolyn Gotales who crossed the finish in 7:48 while Bernadeth Garagay was a close second in 7:55 and Sonja Takala was third in 8:15.

Some 1,200 runners answered the early morning gunstart of the Davao leg of this multistop nationwide race organized by global business networking company Amway and managed

by Vantage Sports.

ESCANDOR CUP ACTION. (Top photo) Francis Gabriel Escandor of Ateneo powers his way inside during their semis duel against Emar Learning Center during their semifinal match of the 1st Emil Escandor Memorial Cup at the Rizal Memorial Colleges gym on Saturday.

Escandor fired 7 points in the first quarter alone to key Ateneo’s win. (right photo) An Emar Learning Center High School player drives to the basket against the Ateneo de Davao High School. ADDU high school booked their ticket to the finals after beating Emar Learning Center High School. (left photo) Glen Escandor (middle) of the organizing Royal Mandaya Hotel chats with tournament director Jek Melendres (left) and coach Mike Manigo.

Lean Daval Jr. and RMH photos

straight since sharing the award with billiards ace Dennis Orcollo in last year’s staging of the event also supported by Senator Chiz Escudero.

The `Filipino Flash’ became just the seventh three-time winner of the award since the PSA began keeping its records in 1981, joining an illustrious list that include Lydia De Vega, Bong Coo, Paeng Nepomuceno, Luisito Espinosa, Efren `Bata’ Reyes, and the great Manny Pacquiao.

The man truly deserved it.

INdulge!

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

Ushering in the Year of the Snake at the Marco Polo Peking Duck

Peking Duck wrapped in Momo Wrapper

Arch. Mike Dakudao dots the eye of the Lion

Performers from the Colegio de San Ignacio

EVEN the torrential rains that flooded most of the metro did not stop me from reaching my final destination last February 9, even if the taxi cab threatened to stall no thanks to the deep water, I was determined to reach the Marco Polo Davao just to be able to witness the Chinese New Year’s Eve celebration.

If ever there was a hotel that should fuss a lot about Chinese New Year, it should be the Marco Polo Davao, due to the fact that the hotel chain started in Hong Kong and is also located right at the very edge of Davao’s own Chinatown.

As I arrived, I was delighted by the lobby of the hotel that is decked out with a huge 15-foot high prosperity tree that is full of ang-pao and golden coins. Unfortunately I had already missed the traditional dotting of the eyes of the lions and the lion dance (thanks to Patty for the beautiful photos of the performers) but at least I was able to make it to

Mr. Jun Jun Lim dots the eye of the Lion.

dinner at the Lotus Court making this my fourth Chinese New Year celebration at the Marco Polo in a row with fellow friends from the media.

The Chinese New Year buffet at the Lotus Court was sumptuous, complete with Peking Duck, and Suckling Pig. Dessert was also complete with freshly cooked Butchi as per the regular request of Jinggoy.

Fortune cookies were then handed out to everyone which had a fortune on one side and lotto numbers at the back. Unfortunately Anavi and Amy got the same fortune and the same number. Looks like they would have to split the

Performers from the Colegio de San Ignacio

lotto prize if ever they won.

Dinner ended with the bribe of the gods, tikoy. The story behind which is that the Kitchen God reports to heaven every new years day. To make the Kitchen God speak only sweet words and to keep his mouth shut on bad matters tikoy was offered to him.

And so with happy content faces and tikoy in our hands, we ended the meal and greet everyone Gong Xi Fa Cai! Follow me on twitter and Instagram @kennethkingong for more foodie finds, travel tips and happenings in and around Durianburg.

Happy with our Tikoy bribes

Deep-fried Crabs with Oatmeal and Parmesan Cheese

Performers from the Colegio de San Ignacio

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

2013 Grammys best & worst:

50 First Dates speed dating event on Feb 15 Taylor Swift’s circus, Justin Timberlake’s VALENTINE’S DAY is just a few days away but to the single and searching, take heart: Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples anymore. The Junior Chamber International-Davao Inc. (JCI Davao) will host their 1stpost-valentines speed dating event, 50 First Dates, on February 15, 2013 (Friday) at Primo Café and Grille, Camus St., Corner General Luna Street, Davao City.

The goal of the event is to help busy active singles, have a chance to meet in a pleasant non-threatening environment face-to-face. This may be your chance to meet your soul mates and let love at first sight happen in one night! The event isn’t only for singles but to those committed as well because in addition to the speed dating, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and mingle with other people and party the night away as there will be games, prizes, henna tattoo and face painting booths and many more surprises await you.

Tickets are available at Annipie Malvar (fronting St. Jude Parish), Bigbys Café & Restaurant SM Davao and Bigbys Café & Restaurant Sm Lanang Premier priced at Php400(Ladies), Php500(Gentlemen) and Php250(Party Only). This event is in partnership with Globe Telecom, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., Premier Condoms, Tanduay Distillers, Inc., Trellis ‘n Vines and Bleu Chili Wing Bar. This event is for the benefit of House of Hope.

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return and nip-slip memo talk

THE 2013 Grammy Awards offered appearances and performances from Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Adele, Jennifer Lopez, The Black Keys, Gotye, Mumford & Sons, fun., Beyoncé and more, including the everpresent hope/worry that someone might have a dress-code violating, wardrobe malfunction.

And we didn’t just mean host LL Cool J. So read on to find out the best and worst of the night.

Biggest Statement: Taylor Swift turned “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” into a total circus as fire performers, a stiltwalker and some poor stand-in for the guys who’ve provided her with her hitmaking fodder by treating her poorly.

Wherever they are, in the audience or cowering at home, at least they weren’t the ones nearly getting their junk fakestomped on by the fierce young star.

Second Biggest Statement: Host LL Cool J thanked his pal “T.Swizzle” and then proceeded to surprise some of the night’s biggest stars— Adele, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake—by namechecking them in a heartfelt speech about how Grammys are a “dream come true.”

Extra-Special Effects: Playing to the audience, pop trio fun. astounded the L.A. crowd with an in-house rainstorm…that didn’t create an instant traffic jam. (Also, bonus points for keeping it classy and not “making it rain” with dollar bills.)

Best Duet? Which was your favorite? Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, Wiz Khalifa and Miguel or who?

Best Self-Deprecating Quote: While accepting the award for best song, fun. singer Nate Ruess revealed that, as those with HD screens could surmise, they aren’t all that young.

Biggest Rock Star Appearance: That’d be by Johnny Depp, who somehow managed to look way more like a rock star than anyone else in the room.

Second-Best Tribute: Jennifer Lopez revived Angelina Jolie’s leg’s pose, and no one was complaining at this obvious uncover version of an award show classic.

Chris Brown’s Ocean View: It was hard not to notice that everyone rose to their feet as Frank Ocean picked up his award. Everyone, but Chris Brown. (Hey, if you’re going to sit in the front row with Rihanna, people are going to notice you.)

Justin Timberlake’s Big Band Revival:The Social Network actor was pretty convincing in what seems to be his next big movie role as a swing-era big band leader. That guy can really act.

Biggest Fan: Kelly Clarkson’s delirious enthusiasm defined gracious as she thanked all the other acts in her category, and then came out to sing tributes to Carole

King and Patti Page.

Coolest Cat: Jay-Z already pretty much defines cool, but he killed it tonight: enjoying a snifter while enjoying the show, sliding out of his chair to go onstage to rap with Timberlake or just joking about the Dream’s hat while accepting an award.

Marley and We: Not content to channel Elvis Presley, Bruna Mars teamed up with Sting on “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Walking on the Moon,” before morphing into a Bob Marley tribute with Rihanna and Ziggy and Stephen Marley. The tribute seemed kind of cobbled together—we’re pretty sure Marley had more than enough great songs just to focus on him—but you couldn’t argue with the legitimate looking joy on peoples faces.

Most Helpful Feedback: Jack White, who

led two different bands, one an all-female group and the other an all-male band, held up Katy Perry’s intro for Best New Artist by leaving his guitar lying on the stage bleeding noisy feedback. Yeah, rock and roll.

Best Performances?

Who were the best of the night? Rihanna or Jack White or The Lumineers?

Someone else?

Wardrobe Malfunction or Functional: Carrie Underwood’s dress seemed to have a mind of its own—or at least a TV of its own—as it displayed images of butterflies in a custom THEIA gown.

Biggest Scene-stealer: Prince somehow got Gotye so tongue-tied at the start of his Record of the Year acceptance speech that the “Someone That I Used to Know” singer appeared to be giving a speech about Prince.

(Prince didn’t seem to mind.)

Best Tribute: Which one did you like the best?

The Bob Marley tribute or the Dave Brubeck one (with Kenny Garrett, Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea) or the celebration og the muisc of the Band’s Levon Helm?

Worst Edit: We’re not sure what Marcus Mumford was saying to Adele when the sound dropped out in his speech accepting the Record of the Year, but we choose to believe it was the funniest thing of the very long night and we missed it.

Second Worst: While we’re not sure the rap supergroup LL Cool J was the best way to end the show, it definitely was jarring to have the announcer start talking over the performance before it was over.

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Josh Kua and Markki Stroem at SM Lanang Premier Valentines SM Lanang Premier brings music that makes your heart throb this February 15 and 16.

Don’t miss this back to back Valentine show featuring two of the handsomest and freshest faces ever to visit Davao.

Get serenaded with the soulful strings of international violinist Josh Kua on Feb 15, 6pm at the Atrium. Young virtuoso Kua is a gifted musician and a known personality in Malaysia, now on his way to becoming better known in the Asian region. This Australian Chinese sweetheart, who is also a noted multimedia model, will surely dazzle everyone with his charm and talent.

Fall in love with the

music of Markki Stroem on Feb 16, 7pm at the Fountain Court. This Filipino-Norwegian’s singing prowess and strong presence was initially noticed by mainstream audiences in ABS-CBN’s Pilipinas Got Talent.

Stroem released his first album Thousand Pieces

in 2012, which is known for its jazzy, self-penned tracks and for effectively reconfiguring Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop song “Call Me Maybe”.

This Valentines celebrate love, culture, music, good food and so much more only at SM Lanang Premier!

ing adventures. And of course, this show is made especially for our modern moms. If you’re looking for recipes that your family will surely love, but at the same time easy and quick to prepare, then this is the cooking show for you,” said Susie Aquino, Senior Brand Manager of Del Monte.

Aside from the cooking adventures, the new season of Del Monte Kitchenomics is also proud to present its new tandem in the kitchen – Chef Dino Ferrari and Eugene Domingo. “We have always chosen brand ambassadors who are passionate about food and life. Eugene Domingo is an amazing actress. She makes any show engaging and entertaining.

Chef Dino Ferrari is our culinary expert. He was trained in the Philippines and in France as well.

They both have a wholesome, approachable image consistent with the Del Monte Brand. We’re very happy to have them as part of the DEL MONTE KITCHENOMICS Family,” said Aquino.

For Chef Dino and Eugene, both of them are excited to be part of the well-loved cooking show on TV. “It’s awesome to be part of such a big fam-

ily with tried and tested products through the times,” said Chef Dino.

Meanwhile, Eugene feels privileged to become a part of Del Monte Kitchenomincs which has been every Filipino’s favorite cooking show through the years. “This is a good chance for me to learn more about how to prepare and cook my favorite dishes the easiest way. I feel so blessed and I am so excited to be a part of the Del Monte family.

With me and Chef Dino as partners in the Del Monte kitchen, cooking will truly be delightful,” she said.

Del Monte Kitchenomics is continuously cooking up exciting and innovative recipes ideas for the now more sophisticated Filipino taste. Further, the recipes are consumers-tested to make sure that they are truly delicious.

Catch the new season of DEL MONTE KITCHENOMICS beginning February 13 every Wednesday and Saturday before Eat Bulaga and every Sunday after AHA! only on GMA-7. For more information, please visit www. delmonte.ph/kitchenomics. You may also visit the brand fan page at www. facebook.com/Delmontekitchenomics

Del Monte Kitchenomics back on TV February 13

GMA Network is cooking up a new and exciting season of Del Monte Kitchenomics this coming February. For starters, Del Monte Kitchenomics will be hosted by the latest kitchen duo – celebrity chef Dino Ferrari and award-winning comedy actress Eugene Domingo. The new season will air beginning February 13, every Wednesday and Saturday before Eat Bulaga and every Sunday after AHA! on GMA-7.

Del Monte Kitchenomics has proven to be the Filipinos’ trusted culinary partner throughout the years. It has been providing wonderful meal solutions to the Filipino consumers for almost three decades now. And through all these years, Del Monte Kitchenomics has evolved along with Filipino moms.

“We’re excited to let everyone know that your trusted culinary partner, Del Monte Kitchenomics, is back on TV. This year, we made our show even more appetizing for your viewing pleasure. We’ll take our viewers to different places; we really want them to enjoy our cook-

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FOOD

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Filipino moderne at Mesa

By Kenneth Irving Ong OPENED just Last February 1 at the Ground Floor, Fountain Court of SM Lanang Premier, Mesa Filipino Moderne is the newest undertaking of restauranteur, Enrico “Ricky” Dee, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and their local partner, Glenn Escandor and his family.

Updating classic Filipino dishes and transforming them into new and innovative cuisine, Mesa Filipino Moderne aims to update and modernise Filipino cuisine using new techniques and interesting flavour combinations in all its 128 menu items from appetisers, seafood combinations, soups, entrees, and specialty desserts to bring out a unique dining experience.

Mesa serves specialty appetisers that are new yet still familiar to the Filipino palate that include Mesa’s take on Fried Tinapa Springrolls, and their Wonton Wrapped Sisig.

Unique to Mesa Filipino

Moderne is their Patotim, a Mesa take on the favourite Patatim, only this time using a duck instead of a pork shank. Patatim lovers need not fret though as Mesa deboned the pig leg to produce a boneless and easier to enjoy Patatim.

Interactive dining is taken to new heights as Mesa Filipino Moderne prepares their Crispchon, a crispy fried suckling pig that is prepared two ways.

The first way being craved up on the table-side and served in spring rolls similar to a peking duck and the later served after being stir-fried in garlic and oil.

What is even better with Mesa Filipino Moderne is that the food is served family style, for everyone to share and experience a Filipino dining revolution in cozy and modern appointments. Mesa Filipino Moderne can also host functions with their two function rooms.

Mesa Filipino Moderne is open daily and is located at the ground Floor Fountain Court of SM Lanang Premier.

Tableside service is a treat at Mesa Filipino Moderne.

Mesa’s Turon

Tinapa Springroll

Wanton-wrapped Sisig

Serving Chicken Binakol.

Siguerillas sa Gata.

Patotim

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO VOL.5 ISSUE 244 •TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

IS HE DATING AGAIN?

Love-struck

Tiger

Tiger Woods (lower photo) is reportedly having a romantic time with ski champion Lindsey Vonn. The former world no. 1 golfer lent his private jet to fetch an injured Vonn recently.

T

IGER WOODS appears to be following the standard dating protocol with his rumored girlfriend, Olympic gold-medal skier Lindsey Vonn.

Early in the relationship: Pay for dinners and movies.

Later on: Go to slightly-nicer dinners, maybe surprise her with some roses.

Once you’re comfortable: Send your private plane to Austria to fetch your new lady friend after she suffers a season-ending knee injury in skiing’s world championships.

He’s playing it by the book.

Though Vonn has claimed she and Tiger are just friends, reports out of Europe say the golf superstar sent his private plane to fetch Vonn after she suffered a catastrophic knee injury on the slopes this week.

Ski Racing Magazine cites the Swiss newspaper Blick for the report.

Vonn reportedly caught the flight in Salzburg.

Late last month, Woods’ spokesman declined comment on Tiger’s relationship with

Vonn. US Weekly recently quoted a source who said the pair had been dating for nine months.

Vonn crashed during Tuesday’s Super-G race and tore two ligaments in her knee. She will undergo surgery next week.

Another story on this rumoured romance goes: One of the surest signs a man is interested in a woman is when he gives her a ride on his private jet, right

guys?

Woods, then, must be seriously interested in Lindsey Vonn, because he sent his jet to Austria to pick up the skier, who suffered a devastating injury during a race this week, according to TMZ and other media outlets.

TMZ published a photo of Vonn boarding Woods’ jet.

There have been rumors that Woods and the 28-year-old Vonn were dating, but Vonn

has said the two are only friends. A spokesman for Woods recently declined to comment

on the relationship between the two, USA Today reported.

The Daily Mail of

London reported that the two divorcees began dating in November.

16 SPORTS

VOL.5 ISSUE 244 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

An Ateneo de Manila volleybelle digs for the ball in their match against rival Dela Salle University in the UAAP. The Green Archers against Ateneo 25-19, 25-23, 25-21. [UAAP PHOTO]

YEAR OF THE SNAKE RUN

Karate phenom wins

By Neil Bravo

F

OR a change, Oona Barnes set aside her karate gi and put on her running shoes for the Year of the Snake Run. Luck could well be on her way this year as she proved her determination on the mat could also make her win on the road.

Barnes, one of Davao City’s athletes of the year and a bemedalled internationalist in karatedo, clocked 26 minutes and 13 seconds to win the 13 years old and under 4-kilometer race.

“Versatile talaga si Oona kahit saan mo siya ilagay, she will excel,” Barnes’ karatedo instructor Rommel Tan told EDGE Davao in a text message after learning of her ward’s victory.

Danna Pillerin was a far second in 42:41 while Margaret Pillerin was third in 43:41.

Jet Lee Lirasan won

the boys title in 18 minutes and 18 seconds followed by Andrei Castillo (20:03) in second and Mark Macedo (20:04) in third.

Arnie Macaneras topped the premier 18-kilometer men’s race in 42 minutes and 22 seconds.

Ronald Dagaang, running in his second straight race in two days, placed second in 42:36 while Nestor Madula (45:18) clinched third.

Veteran Monalisa Ambasa won the women’s title in 50 minutes and 5 seconds, besting Ruffa Sorongon who crossed the finish in second at 50:40.

Daime Jaro was third in 55:35.

In the 8-kilometer race, Jesmar Lopez won the men’s crown in 26:58 followed by Roly Paderna (27:10) and Lloyd Malinao (30:10). The women’s plum went to Cellie Rose Jaro, who also won the

KARATE KID. Oona Barnes, a multi-awarded karatedo phenom, won the Under-14 4-kilometer race of the Year of the Snake Run. (FB FILE)

Amway Run only a day before. Jaro clocked 32:56 while Vivian Avergonzado (34:54) took second place followed by Cristy Capani-

arihan (40:35) in third.

The Year of the Snake Run was held in time for the city’s grand welcome of the Lunar New Year.