Edge Davao 5 Issue 263

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

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Page A1 The management and staff of Edge Davao led by its general manager Olivia D. Velasco (5th from right of back row), editor-in-chief Antonio M. Ajero (to Ms Velasco’s left), director of sales Jocelyn S. Panes (to her left) and editorial consultant Ramon Maxey (second from right front row) celebrate the company’s 5th anniversary at Edge Davao office on E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Longer brownouts

Black Berry Sports

Page 15

Pacquiao eyes three more fights

Mindanao now short of 283MW

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

Wider area affected by power shortage

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INDANAO now has an electric power shortfall of 283 megawatts (MW) which means a worsening of the rotating brownouts currently being experienced by many cities in the island.

General Santos, Butuan, Marbel, and Cotabato are just some of the Mindanao cities experiencing power interruptions due to lack of supply.

This was the report of Romeo “Yo” Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) director of investment promoption and public affairs,

FLONGER BROWNOUTS, 11

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A student examines a replica of a proposed flood resilient proto-type housing made by the architecture and engineering students of the Ateneo de Davao University during the Technical Exhibit of School of Engineering and Architecture of ADDU at the Activity Center of Abreeza Mall yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

2 THE BIG NEWS

Pablo heroes recognized

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

By Che Palicte

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ORE than 50 civilians and soldiers for their acts of heroism when they assisted victims of typhoon Pablo in some of the Davao provinces were given recognition last Friday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council NDRRMC Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario led the awarding ceremony dubbed as Bakas Parangal (Bayaning Likas Parangal).

Secretary Gazmin thanked the awardees for

Gazmin says

their acts of valor and benevolence.

“Such are most appreciated by our countrymen who were unfortunate victims of typhoon Pablo,” Gazmin said.

NDRRMC Executive Director del Rosario said the rite recognizes the great courage of the responders during calamities and disasters.

“Bakas Parangal is given to those who displayed extraordinary acts of bravery with a full understanding that such courage would result in dreadful consequences,” the citation states.

DND, AFP told to review peacekeeping missions

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HE Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are still reviewing their peacekeeping missions to other countries.

This was bared by DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during an interview at the Royal Mandaya Hotel last Friday

during the Bakas Parangal awarding ceremony for typhoon Pablo heroes.

“The Syrian defense minister declared ceasefire in order to free the 21 Filipino peacekeepers being held by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights,” he said, adding that the Filipino peacekeepers

FGAZMIN SAYS, 11

South Cotabato’s distinctive products such as T’nalak fabric and native accessories, and a T’boli woman as an added attraction can be seen at the province’s booth during

Davao City cited as newest MICE destination in Asia

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

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AVAO City’s standing in world tourism is seen to have been raised a notch higher when it was chosen as one of the only two cities to be given special attention in this year’s IMEX (International MICE Exhi-

A

culmination of the 76th Araw ng Dabaw along City Hall drive yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

bition) in Frankfurt, Germany, or IMEX Frankfurt 2013 for short.

Davao City’s recognition as Asia’s newest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences/Conventions and Exhibitions) destination was known at

the end of its successful hosting of the 3rd Philippine MICE Convention (MICE Con) held at the SM Lanang’s SMX Convention Center, March 6-9.

Department of Tourism Region 11 director Arturo Boncato Jr. told

this reporter that only the city and the famous Fukuoka Island, Japan will be given special focus as the newest MICE destinations in Asia during the IMEX in Frankfurt.

He said that aside

imparted when he spoke to mostly executives and retired businessmen and professionals during a joint meeting of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., American Chamber-Davao, Ambassador Club Davao and the Rotary Club of South Davao at the Marco Polo Davao, a

week ago.

He said financial literacy is important to both company employees and those who are not working, and both the moneyed and the poor.

So said most company workers and professionals in the country still work very hard way past their

retirement age because of their failure to plan their finances early enough in their active life.

“Eight or nine out of 10 retirees still work not because they want to, but because they have to, as a result of not being able to provide for their retire-

Prof urges PHL schools to teach financial literacy

N economic professor and asset management consultant said financial literacy and investment education should be taught in Philippine schools in order for Filipinos to avoid financial ruin when they retire.

This was one of the lessons Professor Ricky G. So

A worker is seen painting the frontage of the almost finished restoration of the Davao City Hall a week before the city celebrates the much-awaited March 16

the last day of MICE Convention 2013 at SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

FINANCIAL LITERACY. Officers and members of the Ambassadors Club of Davao, headed by Edge Davao editor Tony Ajero pose for posterity with economic professor and investment consultant Ricky G. So (center), who gave a talk on financial literacy during the Ambassadors joint meeting with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce

FDAVAO CITY, 11

FPROF URGES, 11

and Industry, American Chamber-Davao and the Rotary Club of South Davao. Also in the picture, seated from left, are former Davao City vice mayor Louie Bonguyan, wife Ching, Sun Star Davao general manager, lawyer Leoncio Villa-Abrille and immediate past national president, Dr. Roy B. Fever.

EDGEDAVAOVOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

SUBURBIA

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Batangas to copy DavNor’s economic enterprise model

TOKEN. Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario receives a giant Batangas knife as a token from Batangas Provincial Administrator Victor Reyes, during Batangueños visit to the Davao del Norte Capitol. Batangas province is replicating the economic enterprise model of Davao del Norte. [Noel Baguio]

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HE success of Davao del Norte’s economic enterprise department has inspired the Province of Batangas to replicate the model in order to improve its health services.

Pedrito Martin Dijan, the Chief of Staff of

Governor Vilma Santos, bared the Provincial Government of Batangas is very interested to copy the structure of the Provincial Economic Enterprise and Development Office (PEEDO) of Davao del Norte.

Dijan, together with

Bukidnon cops place 53 ‘hot’ villages on poll watch-list

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IFTY-THREE of Bukidnon’s 464 barangays have been classified as “election watch-list areas,” Supt.

Narciso Domingo, provincial deputy police director for administration, said Friday.

He said that 48 villages were included in the list because of the alleged presence of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

The Bukidnon Provincial Police Office (BPPO) announced it will deploy for the May 13 elections a total of 635 policemen to secure the province’s 538 polling places, especially those in its watch-list.

Senior Supt. Orlando Beñas, Bukidnon police director, said that communist insurgency remains a pressing concern for the province with at least two rebel fronts operating in the area.

Kitaotao town has the most number of villages under the “election watch-list” at 35, the BPPO said.

San Fernando town followed with nine, including the village of Dao, where tribal leader Jimmy Liguyon was killed on March 5, 2012 allegedly by a paramilitary group.

Quezon town has six villages on the watch-list namely Barangays Sta. Felomina, Linabo, Lipa, Delapa, Kipaypayon, and Sta. Cruz.

In Valencia City, which has 31 barangays, the list includes Barangays Concepcion, Banlag, Laligan, Guinoyuran, Lilingayon, and Lurogan. The last three villages were included due to the “presence of criminal gangs,” the BPPO said.

Five of Pangantucan town’s 19 villages were on the list namely Barangays Adtuyon, Gandingan, New Eden, Portulin, and Mendis.

The town of Impasug-ong has three villages on the watch-list: Buntongan, Sayawan, and Kalabugao.

Two of Malaybalay’s 46 villages were on the watch-list: Dalwangan and Patpat, both along the city highway.

The villages of Canangaan and Mandahican in Cabanglasan, Bugwak and Kapalaran in Dangcagan, Pamotolon and Malinao in Kalilangan, and Magsaysay and Kisawa in Kibawe were also on the watch-list.

Barangay Imbayao in Don Carlos town is also included in the list. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)

Provincial Administrator Victor Reyes and 17 other Capitol department heads of Batangas, visited the province to study its health programs, projects and activities.

DavNor Vice Governor Victorio Suaybaguio and OIC-Provincial

Administrator Norma Lumain welcomed the guests, while Provincial Planning and Development Officer Engr. Josie Jean Rabanos, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Agapito Hornido and PEEDO Head Ma. Eliza Andin briefed the visitors on

the profile and health sector structure of the province. Governor Rodolfo del Rosario later on joined the group.

Dijan thanked their counterparts for enlightening them on the essentials of creating a new economic enterprise department, which they intend to handle the operation of the 12 district hospitals of Batangas, among other undertakings.

It can be recalled that del Rosario created the PEEDO in 2011 to increase the generation of sustainable local revenue and improve the delivery of basic health services to the people of Davao del Norte.

The new office took over the control of the three provincial hospitals in Kapalong, Carmen and the Island Garden City of Samal, as well as, the blood bank component from the auspices of the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

The PHO is now left with the public health services under its care.

However, Andin bared

the PEEDO maintains a consultative and coordinating relationship with the former.

To improve services, the PEEDO implemented a new hospital billing scheme using the PhilHealth standard, created a hospital services package and availed of a laboratory equipment and supplies tie-up with private entities.

These innovations enabled the province to earn a total combined income of P32.5 million from the three provincial hospitals in 2012, exceeding their projected target by 125 percent.

The increased income has allowed the office to achieve financial independence during its first year alone, particularly in paying the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the hospitals.

Andin, however, revealed her department is yet to free the dependence of its personnel requirement from the general fund owing to the infancy of the office.

[Noel Baguio]

ment for the city.

“Dako na kaayo ang kalahian from 1998 to present and all those things na nahitabo pasalamatan nato ang mga tao ug sa atong mga neighboring towns nga naka-contribute ug dako sa development sa Tagum.”

This idea was seconded by city councilor De Carlo “Oyo” L. Uy who also extended gratitude to the people for being staunch partners in transforming Tagum to become a firstclass component city.

“Kung unsa man ang nabuhat na progress diri, it’s because of the Tagumeños sa ilahang undying support sa administration in all the programs and projects,” the young solon said.

The parade culminated the week-long festivities in celebration of the city’s quindecennial anniversary, kicked off with a free social services day last March 1 and a tree planting activity at Tagum Botanical Park on March 2.

[Louie Lapat/CIO Tagum]

Tagum City celebrates 15th foundation day

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HE City of Tagum celebrated its 15th founding anniversary last March 7 with a mammoth civic parade participated by government officials and employees, barangay functionaries, academic institutions, business establishments and non-government organizations.

Mayor Rey T. Uy led the Tagumeños in the said parade which highlighted the simple yet meaningful observance of the city’s conversion into a component

city from a municipality.

“So much has been done pero daghan pa gyud ug himu-unon kay ang programa ug serbisyo paabot sa tao wala gyud na’y kahumanan,” Mayor Uy stressed in a statement to the local media.

The local chief executive, who is now counting months before he finally steps down due to term limits, is hopeful that the local government would intensify its services for the people which are vital in steering more develop-

MARCH TO PROGRESS. Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy leads city officials, employees, barangay leaders, academic institutions, business establishments and non-government organizations during the civic parade culminating the week-long observance of the 15th Araw ng Tagum last March 7. [Leo Timogan/CIO Tagum]

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VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

From Sonny Angara

Mini-Marshall Plan ‘good for ARMM’

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EAM PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara Thursday proposed the crafting of a mini-Marshall Plan for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to turn the region into a zone of prosperity, development and peace.

Angara said this initiative will be vital for the long-term prosperity of the region and the country in light of the current conflict in Sabah which can displace some 800,000 Filipinos.

“Prosperity, development and peace in the region will hasten the process of turning swords into plowshares. All the more should this be urgently pursued with the Sabah issue being at the forefront right now,” said Angara, a former law professor.

He said the following will be the major components of the sweeping and broad development program: Educational investment, to reverse the illiteracy rate in the region, historically the high-

est in the country; I n f ra s t r u c t u re investment, to modernize the infrastructure of the region which has not kept pace with the modernization of other regions; and An agriculture and fishery development program, to fully tap the rich agro-fishery resources of the region.

He emphasized that a coordinated, sweeping approach to development is ideal for the region, given the investment void that the government has to fill.

This is the reason, Angara said, he is proposing a bigger, more ambitious development program.

The education component of the proposed development program for ARMM will be heavy on skills training and citizen empowerment, while investments in infrastructure will include enhancing the power generation capacities in the region.

Angara said the Mindanao Regional Development Program and all institutions mandated to help the region can be tapped to help the ARMM

Supporters of Senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar hold her posters while waiting for the start of Team PNoy campaign sortie in Davao City, at the Rizal Park along San Pedro Street recently. Lean Daval Jr.

identify the priority investment areas and the major components of the scaled-down Marshall Plan.

The region actually has much potential for tourism, given its lush scenery like Tahing-Ta-

hing beach in TawiTawi or Tagbili in Sulu,” said Angara, who co-authored Republic Act 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009, which declares a national policy on tourism as an engine of investment, employment, growth and

national development.

He noted current proposals handed to the Department of Tourism (DOT) by ARMM youth groups to grow a tourism industry by first urging residents to visit provinces within the region.

“The Sultanate of Sulu had already heeded the call of the United Nations and has declared a ceasefire. This shows their sincerity in negotiating the claim on Sabah.

They want resolution on the issue, not a war,” he said.

Casiño also raised humanitarian concerns over the armed conflict in Sabah.

“Their [Malaysia] media reports say 60 have been killed in Sabah, more than 50 killed by their forces. The continuous air strikes and attacks

show Malaysia’s low regard for life and the people of Sabah. Do you think the public will believe that all those who were killed were supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu?

With the massive military operation of Malaysia, it is highly improbable that there are no, or little ‘collateral damage.’ I’ve seen some photographs from the media and many look like civilians,” said the three-term congressman.

Casiño reiterated his appeal to Pres. Benigno Aquino to dialogue with Sultan Jamalul Ki-

ram III to find an acceptable resolution on the issues and to come to a consensus on how to deal with Malaysia on the Sabah claim including the raising of the controversy to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

This week, Casiño filed House Resolution 3042 which seeks to investigate Aquino’s mishandling and undermining of the Philippine claim on Sabah and House Resolution 3043 which calls for the raising of the Sabah claim to the International Court of Justice.

baseless and malicious.

Such accusations only betray the ignorance of their knowledge of the President’s personal history and conviction,” he said.

Quimbo pointed out that if there is anyone who has personally felt the pain of being victimized by electoral fraud, it is President Aquino himself.

“His father was cheated in 1978. His mother was robbed of victory in 1986. It was likewise the discovery of the elector-

al fraud that happened in 2004, that pushed the President to lead the opposition in 2007 to victory,” he said.

The President, according to Quimbo, has made unprecedented gains the last two years because of his “Daang Matuwid” program, because of the people’s continued trust. Thus, a clean and credible election is important for the President.

“The baseless accusation against the Presi-

dent by UNA we fear is a prelude of how they plan to weaken him in the next three years,” he said.

United Nationalist Alliace secretary-general and campaign manager Toby Tiangco was quoted in news reports as saying that with Lanto in the Comelec, the stage has been set for a modified version of the 2004 elections where then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly cheated movie action king Fernando Poe Jr.

N the wake of the celebration of International Women’s Day, Senator Alan Cayetano urged the government to come up with contingency measures designed to protect the Filipinas who will inevitably suffer due to the ongoing Sabah standoff.

Cayetano particularly cited the situation in the island of Tawi-Tawi where food prices have begun to soar as a result of the ongoing tensions in Sabah between the Malaysian Royal Security Forces and the armed men of the Sultanate of Sulu.

“As the primary caregivers of their families, women are disproportionally affected by issues related to PTK: Presyo, Trabaho, Kita in displaced contexts resulting from conflict, natural calamities, and development aggression,” he explained. “Government must do all it can to protect them from these events that put them in a very vulnerable situation.”

Amid reports of the possible return to the country of Filipinos fearing for their safety in Sabah, Cayetano called on the government to take into account the special needs of Filipinas who have earlier left the country to work as migrant workers in Malay-

Casiño slams Malaysia’s refusal of truce in Sabah

“M

ALAYSIA is supposed to be our partner is promoting peace in Mindanao but now they are slaughtering our people,” said Makabayan senatorial bet Teddy Casiño yesterday after Prime Minister Najib Razak refused to call for a ceasefire.

Casiño said Malaysia’s insistence of an unconditional surrender and their all-out war in Sabah shows their government’s unreasonable and inhumane stand on the Sabah dispute.

PNoy will not tolerate cheating, says Quimbo

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EAM PNoy spokesman Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo on Saturday took exception to opposition claims that the appointment of Macabangkit Lanto to the Commission on Elections is part of a grand plan to rig the results of the midterm elections in May. President Aquino, according to Quimbo, will not tolerate, much more, be involved, in any form of electoral fraud.

“Any insinuation to that effect is completely

“There must be a peaceful resolution to the conflict we face in Sabah.

But peace can only be truly sustained if it coincides with true economic growth and development,” said Angara. Che Palicte

Due to Sabah standoff

Cayetano pushes for protection of women

I

sia.

“These women have left the country to work in Malaysia with the hope of being able to provide better lives for their families.

Now they are in danger of being displaced. The government must see to it that in the event of their return to the country they are provided with ample livelihood opportunities to compensate for the loss of their jobs in Malaysia,” he said.

“We cannot allow them to add to the 15 million women in the county who are currently unemployed.

They have more than themselves to think about.

They have their families to provide for,” he added.

Cayetano said that at the very least a transition allowance must be provided for all these Filipinos in order to help them start anew upon their return to the country.

Cayetano expressed his confidence that more than being at the forefront of gender equality, the Philippines will be deemed as one of the countries at the forefront of women empowerment. “If we are successful in achieving this, it will serve as a big factor towards achieving greater economic growth,” he said.

THE ECONOMY 5 Electricity rate increase due to approved universal charge

EDGEDAVAOVOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

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HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has recently directed all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to collect another universal charge from its customers after it has approved the petition filed by Power Sector Assets & Liabilities Management Corp.

(PSALM). This is to re-

cover stranded contract costs of the PSALM. Following the order, customers of Davao Light and Power Co. will be billed 19.38 centavos per kilowatt-hour on their electricity bills starting March billing period.

The stranded contract charge can be seen as a line item under the Universal Charge

of the consumer’s electric bill.

For a typical residential customer with a monthly consumption of 175 kWh, this translates to a P33.92 increase in the bill. Davao Light merely acts as a collecting agent for this charge which will be remitted to PSALM. [PR]

SIDEWALK STORE. A passerby checks out the newly displayed “ukay-ukay” in a sidewalk along City Hall drive, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

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THE ECONOMY

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

BFAR director sees higher harvest with lifting of sardine fishing ban

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ISHERIES officials are expecting higher sardine and herring fish landings this year following the official lifting Friday of a threemonth fishing ban along their identified spawning grounds off the Western Mindanao seas.

Lawyer Asis Perez, BFAR national director, said they are specifically targeting to surpass last year’s increase in total sardine landings or production, which came after

the first closed season for sardine fishing along the East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay. Citing the experiences of sardine canneries, he said the increase in sardine production last year reached 25 to 30 percent or equivalent to 90,000 metric tons (MT) based on the country’s average production trend of about 400,000 MT. In 2012, BFAR earlier said the sardine production in the

Zamboanga Region grew from 146,835.66 MT to 156,153.51 MT as a result of the ban.

“This year, I think we can even surpass that because of the spillover effect (of the ban),” he told reporters.

BFAR enforced the second sardine fishing ban from Dec. 1, 2012 to March 1 this year based on Joint Administrative Order Number 1, Series of 2011 issued by BFAR and the Department of the Interior and Local

Government.

The fishing ban falls under the established spawning season for three major species of sardines -- fimbriated sardines (tunsoy), Indian sardines (tamban) and round herring (tulis) -- that are found in the East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay. On Friday, Perez led the official lifting of the sardine fishing ban in a simple ceremony held in the coastal village of Baliwasan, Zamboanga

City aboard the agency’s research vessel M/V DA-BFAR. The event, which was joined by officials and representatives of sardine canning companies as well as fishing operators, was among the highlights of the three-day Mindanao-wide Environmental Media Conference hosted by BFAR. The official said they consider the second closed season as a “big success” as shown by the strong cooperation given by the fishing sector, the association of sardine canning plants as well as government law enforcement units in the area.

“The results of our studies showed that the closure of the fishing area allowed the sardine species to breed and spawn during the period and eventually increase in population significantly,” Perez said.

When the first closed season for sardine fishing was implemented last year, he

recalled that sardine fishing and canning players vehemently opposed it.

“This time, there was no resistance because we have proven to them that the scheme is very effective. Now they’re happy and fully supporting (the fishing ban),” Perez said.

Owing to the successful implementation of the fishing ban in the Western Mindanao area, Perez said they are now looking at sustaining a similar regulation that is being implemented in the Visayan Sea. BFAR imposed the fishing ban in the Visayas area from Nov. 15, 2012 to Feb. 14 this to also increase the population of sardines and herring.

“For the third season, I have commissioned a study for another closure along the Palawan area and this time, it will be focused on our galunggong (round scad),” he added. [Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews]

SHELTER. A shoe shine man and his daughter seek refuge behind the Araw ng Dabaw Week-end Market signage to avoid the scourging heat of the afternoon sun along City Hall drive, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

EDGEDAVAO VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

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Turtle ‘victory’ at wildlife meeting S

OME of the world’s most endangered turtles have been given additional protection at the Cites conservation meeting in Bangkok.

Proposals on a large number of Asian freshwater turtles and tortoises and other species popular with pet owners were accepted by the government negotiators meeting in the Thai capital.

Some of the amendments were proposed jointly by the United States and China, marking the first time these two countries have co-operated to protect reptiles.

Welfare campaigners have welcomed the move as a critical step to save these species.

Over half the world’s

freshwater turtles are critically endangered.

Along with tortoises, these species are much in demand by collectors and for food.

In Asia, turtles play a big part in traditional medicine as well.

The US was concerned about native turtle species, including diamondback terrapins that are increasingly under threat.

In all, 44 species of Asian freshwater turtles and tortoises and three species of North American pond turtles were upgraded in the eyes of the convention, meaning that their trade will be more carefully regulated.

“This is a huge conservation win,” the head of the US delegation, Brian Ar-

royo, told BBC News.

“A lot of meaningful conservation will come out of this,” he added.

The turtle vote was remarkable for the degree of co-operation exhibited by the US and China. The countries jointly submitted two proposals to increase protection for a number of Asian

USSIAN scientists have claimed the discovery of a new type of bacterial life in water from a buried Antarctic lake.

The researchers have been studying samples brought up from Vostok the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica.

Last year, the team drilled through almost 4km (2.34 miles) of ice to reach the lake and retrieve samples.

Vostok is thought to have been cut off from the surface for millions of years.

This has raised the possibility that such isolated bodies of water might host microbial life forms new to science.

“After putting aside all possible elements of

contamination, DNA was found that did not coincide with any of the wellknown types in the global database,” said Sergei Bulat, of the genetics laboratory at the St Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics.

“We are calling this life form unclassified and unidentified,” he explained.

Dr Bulat added that close attention was focused on one particular form of bacteria whose DNA was less than 86% similar to previously existing forms.

“A level of 90% usually means that the organism is unknown.”

However, other researchers said the data needed to be carefully verified by other experts before the claims could be

confirmed.

The Vostok drilling project took years to plan and implement.

The lake’s location in the heart of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet makes it one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet.

It is the place where thermometers recorded the lowest ever temperature on Earth - minus 89C on 21 July 1983.

Vostok Station was set up by the Russians in 1956, and their seismic soundings soon suggested there was an area of liquid underneath all the ice. However, it was only in the 1990s that British scientists, with the help of radar, were able to determine the full extent of the sub-glacial feature.

With an area of 15,000

square km and with depths reaching more than 800m, Lake Vostok is similar in size to Lake Baikal in Siberia or Lake Ontario in North America.

The US recently broke through into another Antarctic lake - Whillans.

They have also reported the discovery of microbial life in the lake waters. But Lake Whillans is thought by some to have been less isolated than Vostok.

A British expedition to drill through 3km (1.8 miles) of Antarctic ice into Lake Ellsworth was called off late last year after engineers were unable to join the main borehole with a parallel hole that was to be used to recover drilling water.

[BBC]

HE government’s weather agency plans to undertake as soon as possible a landmark project aimed at further enhancing its weather forecasting.

“We’ll do an experimental model to look into the possibility of forecasting tracks of tropical cyclones (TCs),” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) research and development acting deputy administrator Dr. Flaviana

Hilario said Friday at a climate briefing in Metro Manila.

She said PAGASA and other climate centers will collaborate on the project.

“It’s very difficult to forecast TC tracks,” she noted.

Hilario said PAGASA continues rolling out more automatic weather stations nationwide so more areas can be represented more accurately, enabling the agency to better make its forecasts.

Private groups are

welcome to roll out respective stations as well particularly if the matter is coordinated with PAGASA for accuracy of data generated, she noted.

“Those private stations must be calibrated accordingly,” she said.

PAGASA has technical personnel capable of checking such stations’ calibration and validating data these generate, she noted.

“Based on our experience, automatic stations are very sensitive so

these must be checked,” she said.

During the briefing, PAGASA weather specialist Ana Liza Solis reported between three to seven TCs are expected in the country from March to June this year.

“We’re also expecting the 2013 rainy season’s onset during the period from late May to early June,” she continued.

PAGASA projects zero to one TC this March and April, one or two TCs in May and two or three TCs in June. [PNA]

softshell and hardshell turtle species.

These proposals were accepted by consensus. Brian Arroyo believes the move augurs well for the future.

“This signals are that the Chinese government is committed to being

Antarctic lake yields new life

R

PAGASA mulls landmark weather forecasting project T

serious about conservation. It’s a leap forward for both countries in terms of conservation,” he said.

Campaign groups were also pleased with the increased protection for these species.

The charity Care for the Wild said that pet owners

should remember that these animals do not just come from a shop.

In a statement they said: “The trend for ‘exotic’ pets has a price, and hopefully people will start to realize that these creatures belong in the wild, not in a living room.” [BBC Nature]

Captive-bred Philippine Eagle ‘Mabuhay’ turns a month old

“M

ABUHAY,” the second Philippine Eagle bred in captivity, turned a month old Saturday.

The offspring of Pagasa, the first captive-bred Philippine Eagle, Mabuhay is “a testimony of the continuous learning and resilience of the staff” in conservation breeding, said Jason Ibañez, head of research and conservation of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Celebrating the first month of the eaglet at the PEF in Calinan here, Ibañez recalled the challenges they faced before Mabuhay was hatched.

It was after 21 long years that Pag-asa was able to procreate through cooperative artificial insemination with Kalinawan, a 29-year old female that was rescued from Zamboanga del Sur and turned over to PEF in 2009, he said.

The Filipino word mabuhay means “to live” or “welcome.”

Anna Mae Sumaya, PEF curator for conservation breeding, recalled that Mabuhay hatched from a difficult position, so she had to carefully help it come out to prevent its vital veins from getting damage and keep it from hurting itself that might cause its death.

Mabuhay was hatched 48 hours after breaking its shell at 1:55 a.m. last February 9 and weighed 158 grams, according to

Sumaya.

She explained that the eaglet began cracking its shell on the side unlike others that normally popped through the upper part of the egg, where there is air space.

Sumaya said Mabuhay is now healthy with the help of its anonymous donor who pledged to shoulder the eaglet’s upkeep estimated at P150,000 a year.

Celebrating with Mabuhay’s first month were three “hatch-mates,” or those who shared the same birth date with the eaglet, namely Leonora Calimbo, 34, and Mitchie Dela Cruz, 36 both from Calinan, and Marilou Natad, 28, from Matina, all in this city.

They went home with free Philippine Eagle stuffed toys.

Such stuffed toy is sold at P1,000 to help the foundation defray the costs in its work to preserve the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and its habitat.

Dennis Salvador, PEF executive director, said earlier that man-made activities like logging and mining, among other development projects, continue to endanger the Philippine Eagles and their forest habitat.

Mabuhay is the 37th eagle fostered by PEF, including eight others that are waiting for adoption.

[Lorie Ann A. Cascaro/ MindaNews]

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Cult of personalidad ( 1st of two parts )

COMMENTARY

BY JOHN LLOYD

H

EDITORIAL

Big help coming

T

ENS OF THOUSANDS of Dabawenyos who are in a state of unhealth, particularly those afflicted with kidney disease, now have good reason to welcome what acting Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte has in mind. He plans to expand the much-vaunted assistance of the city government to kidney patients to include patients who are confined in hospitals other than the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

Mr. Duterte bared his plan in a speech he delivered during a program held in commemoration of World Kidney Day. And his plan is doable, to say the least. Which is to democratize the services of the city government’s long-running “Lingap Para sa mga Mahihirap” program that subsidizes the cost of treatment and medicines for mainly poor patients confined at the SPMC. The best part of Duterte’s plan is the deployment of dialysis machines to smaller hospitals, and for the city government to shoulder the fees paid to medical personnel involved in the treatment.

Duterte said it pains him to deny help to Dabawenyos who need to undergo dialysis in smaller facilities like clinics, aside from those being served by the Lingap program at the SPMC. He revealed that medical and social services constitute the biggest ex-

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pense in his 19-year experience as leader of the local government unit – a total of P220 million for medicines, hospitalization and burial expenses for indigent patients.

“It is much, much bigger than the intelligence fund which is only P5 million per year,” Duterte bared.

To better appreciate the extent of the plan that the vice mayor is mulling over, let’s take a look into the operation of the dialysis section of the SPMC. Dr. Jeanette Ybiernas, medical director of the SPMC Mindanao Dialysis Center, said that due to increasing demand, management has had to raise to 55 the number of dialysis machines from the original 34 last October.

Everyday, the center dialyzes some 90 patients, Dr. Ybiernas said, adding that at any given time there could be close to a staggering 1,000 patients in various dialysis centers in the city.

The Duterte solution, if adopted, would certainly go a long way to helping more and more kidney patients in Davao City – the better for them to appreciate its now famous slogan: “Life is Here!”

Editor’s note: The editorial published in the March 8-9. 2013 edition of Edge Davao was still unedited.

This is the edited one. Our apologies.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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UGO Chavez’s popularity was not confined to Venezuela; it was a global phenomenon. He pulled together a coalition of forces into a kind of “Chavez International,” an alternative to Western hegemony. It was an amalgam of allies whose comradeship was historically weird – communists, Islamists, Soviet holdovers, Western idealists and far leftists – but politically potent. And in the end, irrelevant.

Chavez’s first, closest alliance was with Fidel Castro. It was unconditional devotion on the part of the younger man; on Fidel’s side, it was admiration coupled with a canny estimation of the benefits of Venezuela’s loyalty in a post-Soviet era. Cuba got billions of dollars’ worth of oil; Venezuela got thousands of Cuban medical staff, engineers and other experts. More than that, Fidel gave Chavez an ideology of sorts, or as Francisco Toro writes, “a kind of cosmic morality play pitting unalloyed socialist ‘good’ in an unending death struggle against the ravages of ‘evil’ American imperialism.”

The “American imperialism” was the glue that bound Chavez International together. It united him with a range of world figures eager to court him for his oil wealth, and happy to join with him against a West and an Amerika (with a “k:), in particular that was either their active or potential foe.

Chavez visited, and loudly proclaimed the virtue, of Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the late Muammar Gaddafi, the even later Saddam Hussein, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Many of those were given the “Order of the Liberator,” Venezuela’s highest honor, though most of these figures were or are deeply abusive of human rights, and some – such as Saddam, Mugabe and presently and most brutally, Assad – waged war on sections of their own population.

When – rarely – it was put to Chavez that his embrace of these figures was contrary to the posture of one who saw himself as a liberator, he fell back on a rationale that has become an all-purpose escape clause for those joined in Chavez International: that the tyrants are tyrants only according to the “Western corporate media.”

Christopher Hitchens traveled in Venezuela with Chavez, and with the actor and Chavez supporter Sean Penn, in 2008. He related a conversation in which the president appeared to deny the existence of Osama bin Laden: “I don’t know anything about Osama bin Laden that doesn’t come to me through the filter of the West and its propaganda,” Chavez said. “There is film of the Americans landing on the moon. Does that mean the moon shot really happened?

In the film, the Yanqui flag is flying straight out. So, is there wind on the moon?”

Chavez International either ignored, or was in no position to condemn, the real human rights abuses in Chavez’s Venezuela. In a savagely critical obituary, Human Rights Watch summed up his 14-year presidency as “characterized by a dramatic concentration of power and open disregard for basic human rights guarantees.”

But HRW, whose representatives were barred from entry to Venezuela, could be dismissed: Chavez could, writes Francisco Toro, use an “unthinking anti-Americanism (as) the all-purpose excuse for any and every authoritarian excess, stigmatizing any form of protests and casting a dark pall over any expression of discontent or dissent.”

EDGEDAVAO VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

T

Outward show of cooperation

AKING A MORE PROMINENT AND PROACTIVE ROLE TO MAKE MICEcon A SUCCESS – When it comes to hosting local, national and international conferences, Davao City could now offer huge and gaudy venues unlike a year ago when there is no appropriate place capable of accommodating big events – many thanks to the enormous SMX Convention Center. More significantly, a four-day MICE (meetings, incentive travel, conventions, exhibitions and events) conference was attended not only by local and national business entities but by delegates from Australia, New Zealand, USA, South Korea, Singapore and Canada as well.

Following the spirit of support and cooperation focused on the trends and innovations of business, Davao City organizers take a more prominent and proactive role in making MICEcon a successful endeavor. Not surprisingly, the city rolls out the red carpet to over 500 delegates attending the prestigious convention – meeting and event planners, destination management companies, incentive travel operators, hotels and restaurants, airline companies, convention and exhibition centers, national tourism organizations, local tourism offices, industry association executives among many others. The MICE concept includes the presentation of different activities such as a plenary session, a tour around the city’s famed tourist destination for international representatives, a marketplace exhibition showcasing various products

A

and services and business-to-business event for local sellers and foreign buyers.

T h e presence of world-ren o w n e d resource speakers and several economists and hundreds of delegates could not but help put Davao City on the business convention map. It’s an opportunity for the city government and the business sector to demonstrate their resolve and strength in working together to establish links with the other local, national and international business communities. Unveiled likewise during the confab was the theme iMICE 2013 – iGNITE, iNNOVATE, iNSPIRE and iNFUSE, which set out the organizers’ goals to highlight that MICE market is growing fast as there are more and more companies and local government units (LGUs) looking for new business destinations adding that the event is a call for new investors to put up bigger venues where they could introduce their products and services.

Most if not all the delegates were impressed, bemoaned some keen observers. They likewise noted that the atmosphere at the MICE forum was highly

stimulating with the participants actively exchanging business strategies, ideas, information, views and opinions. While demonstrating the high degree of interest in business conferences, the event organizers also conclusively proved the value of cooperation and business interaction as group-building exercises and verified its effectiveness as an avenue for investment opportunities.

While many big conventions already on schedule and waiting anxiously for their turn, it is perhaps understandable that there has been a rash of press stories proclaiming Davao City as the new investment and conference haven in this southern part of the country. As a result, event organizers, domestic and foreign investors, such stories say, are rushing to complete business deals in the city.

Well-established companies and event planners who previously would contemplate doing their business ventures only in Metro Manila now realize that exploring and expanding in other progressive areas like Davao City may be the only way to ensure their business undertaking would flourish even more. The city actually is in the midst of hosting another significant event – the Advertisement Congress, which is slated before the year ends. In short, there will be a noteworthy occasion for the city’s leaders, captains of trade and industry and event organizers to look for better and higher revenues for the government coffers. It’s a pretty modest goal and that’s great news for the city and its people.

SPECIAL FEATURE

BY JOHN R. MYERS JR.

al and international levels, and to make difficult decisions to achieve greater good,” Miller added.

Jamaican opposition leader Andrew Holness also expressed his condolences to the late Venezuelan leader, who “is a good man and had a special place in his good heart for Jamaica.”

Meanwhile, other Caribbean beneficiaries of Chavez’s generosity also acknowledged economic gains from many of his initiatives.

According to Antigua Observer, a local Antigua and Barbuda newspaper, the country has saved over 200 million XCD (74.07 million U.S. dollars) through the PetroCaribe project and other favorable agreements with Venezuela.

Venezuela also offered about 7.5 million U.S. dollars to the twin-island nation to update its airport to meet the 2007 Cricket World Cup of the West Indies, and another 8-million-dollar grant to finance a major water infrastructure project, the newspaper said.

“Hugo Chavez’s stewardship of important partnerships across the region has been translated into meaningful and longstanding social and infrastructural programs,” said the country’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer.

“His contributions to the development of Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean as a whole will always be remembered,” he added.

That’s why Jamaican flags were flown at half-mast on Friday, and Antigua and Barbuda announced a three-day mourning for Chavez a day before.[PNA/Xinhua]

Chavez’s legacy to Caribbean

FTER ruling his country for 14 years and fighting cancer for two years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez passed away Tuesday, leaving a legacy cherished by neighboring countries.

Venezuela may not be popular with some Latin American countries, but for Jamaica and many small Caribbean economies, the world’s fifth largest oil producer is an important ally which supplies them with long-term cheap energy, a great contribution to them.

Under the PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement signed in 2005, Jamaica and other beneficiaries can buy Venezuela-produced crude oil at market value, but only need to pay 5 to 50 percent of the upfront money, and wipe off the remainder in 17 to 25 years on 1 percent interest.

The deal allows these countries to offset their debt to Venezuela with services and goods such as bananas, rice and sugar.

Besides Jamaica, beneficiaries of the preferential oil prices include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Nicaragua, Suriname, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Take Jamaica for example, the third largest island in the Caribbean region, established the PetroCaribe Development Fund in 2006 to manage the proceeds that accrue under the deferred financing arrangement of the PetroCaribe agreement with Venezuela.

The fund now has about 170 billion Jamaican dollars (1.77 billion U.S. dollars) and is the largest source of concessionary loan financing available to the Jamaican government.

“We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars given on credit that has been used to provide balance of payments support,” said Wesley Hughes, Jamaica’s ex-financial secretary and now the fund’s CEO. “Without it we would have had serious challenges on the balance of payments.”

Last year, Hughes estimated in his capacity as financial secretary that Chavez’s PetroCaribe deal saved Jamaica some 600 million U.S. dollars on balance of payments annually.

“What he did under the fund ... I can tell you, saved the Jamaican economy,” Jamaica’s former Energy Minister James Robertson said on hearing of Chavez’s death.

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller also hailed Chavez as a true friend of the island country and its people, and a brave and visionary statesman who safeguarded the interests of less developed countries.

“He will be long remembered for his willingness to challenge the ‘status quo,’ to take a stand against inequality and injustice at the individual, national, region-

VANTAGE POINTS

9

The Sabah standoff’s grim implications ( Conclusion ) COMMENTARY

BY BEN KRITZ

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HIS would have suited Razak just fine, because he and his party have staked their political future – which is to be decided in elections that must be held in Malaysia before June 27 – on being perceived as a regional leader (There is a very good explanation of this in a March 2 article by Lindsay Murdoch in Australia’s The Age newspaper entitled, “Risks and potential rewards as poll nears”). In addition to mediating the Philippine-MILF talks, Razak’s government has also intervened in negotiations between the government and Muslim separatists in neighboring Thailand.

Thus the “successful” conclusion of the Bangsamoro agreement served the personal political aims of the leaders of both the Philippines and Malaysia, both of whom felt they needed that success to retain their hold on power in upcoming elections in both countries, albeit in slightly different ways. That has, of course, completely blown up in their faces. The long-dormant issue of the ownership of Sabah is now a very current critical topic, and with that, the Bangsamoro Agreement is dead; if the Administration and the MILF still insist on pressing on with it – and it should be assumed they will – the Sultanate of Sulu, now apparently united behind Jamalul Kiram, and the MNLF whom have already expressed solidarity with their Suluanon brethren now have reasons which are already publicly regarded as justifiable for resisting.

Were that not bad enough, both governments have further aggravated the crisis with their desperate reactions in the aftermath of the standoff in Sabah.

Both have drawn fire for attempting to impose a news blackout; Malaysian authorities have been accused of detaining journalists in the area, while it was widely reported in the hours after the deadly skirmish last Friday that Malacañang’s communications people were contacting local media outlets, demanding that coverage of the crisis – in particular, coverage of unfathomably poorly-chosen comments by DILG Secretary Mar Roxas calling the Kirams “stubborn” and “hard-headed” – be “toned down.”

President Aquino does not have to worry about his own position in the Philippines’ upcoming elections, but the backlash from his being perceived as having “betrayed” Filipinos in Sabah and giving up on the country’s long-standing claim to the area could very well cost him control of the Legislature. Prime Minister Razak is in an even more precarious position. Making some kind of accommodation with the Sultanate of Sulu would be seen as surrendering Malaysian sovereignty in an area that could well swing the election (his party has already been accused of vote-buying among Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak).

On the other hand, a declaration that “Sabah is Malaysian” risks serious unrest among the sizable part of the state’s population that consider themselves subjects of the Sultanate first.

And the bigger picture is that an economically-vital region which has already suffered too long from sectarian unrest and inattention from both national governments now appears not to be on the verge of peaceful development, but has been pushed into even greater chaos.

Whether that chaos can be contained and eventually resolved is now the question; so far, the actions of neither of the nations responsible for it give us much hope that it can be.

10 ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO marks

EDGEDAVAO

5 year anniversary th

By EJ Dominic Fernandez Photos by Lean Daval Jr.

General Manager Olivia D. Velasco shares a light moment with Editor-in-chief Antonio A. Ajero

Wacky pose for a souvenir photograph

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ITHOUT much fanfare, Edge Davao marked last March 9 its 5th year anniversary with a simple celebration solely devoted to employees.

While not disrupting the paper’s operation, the management and staff took an hour-long break to celebrate the

anniversary with food and, of course, prayers.

Before partaking of the delicious and hearty food served in a buffet, the employees joined the company’s owners in a thanksgiving ceremony by led by Rev. Joshua Apostol which coincides with the blessing

Blessing of the new extension office of the accounting department

of its extension office for accounting department and new printing equipment.

“We had a lot of struggles, but we thank God for those struggles, because it is not about the destination, but the journey,” said general manager Olivia Velasco in her message to the staff.

“As what Mr. Ajero keeps on reminding us to stay humble, and that is exactly what we will do, despite whatever success we may achieve, because if we will take off humbly, we will land smoothly,” she added.

For his part, editor-in-chief Antonio Ajero motivates the staff not to forget to thank God in their ev-

General Manager Olivia D. Velasco and Editor-in-chief Antonio A. Ajero lead the blessing of the new printing equipment

Staff of the different departments of the publication

One of the awardees, associate editor Greg G. Deligero, receives a token of appreciation from general manager Olivia D. Velasco, editor-in-chief Antonio A. Ajero and director of sales Jocelyn S. Panes

ery day lives.

“We must thank God for the experiences we have, because it is in these experiences that we gain wisdom,” he said.

The management also bestowed recognition to its employees who stayed in the paper since its inception five years ago: associate editor Greg G. Deligero, editorial consultant Ramon M. Maxey, circulation head Agustin V. Miagan Jr and lifestyle section chief Kenneth Irving K. Ong. TThe “five-year awardees” were each given a chic Timex watch as a token of appreciation.

The management and staff of Edge Davao offer a prayer

HR head Ella Tingzon poses for a photograph

11

EDGEDAVAO VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

Malaysian and Philippines’ civil society groups: declare humanitarian ceasefire now

Longer brownouts...

FFROM 1 last Friday (March 8) when he spoke during the Regional Media Workshop on Power Industry and Renewable Energy Development in Mindanao at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

In his power situationer, Director Montenegro said that Mindanao can only generate 885 MW of energy, compared to the total demand of 1138 MW. He said the situation has prompted the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) as the operator of the system, to order and notify specific electric cooperatives to implement load curtailments due to the deficit.

He cited Davao Light & Power Company, Inc. as an example of those to be adversely affected by the energy shortfall.

“If the company needs 40 to 50 MW at a certain hour, and there is a 283MW power deficit, NGCP will notify Davao Light that NGCP can only sell 30 MW to Davao Light. This will force Davao Light to implement longer rotating blackouts in their franchise areas which include Davao City and the four places in Davao del Norte, namely Panabo City, Carmen, Braulio Dujali and Sto. Tomas.

The scenario in other areas serviced by provincial electric cooperatives is much worse than Davao City because these cooperatives do not have standby giant generating sets like Davao Light.

Right now, Davao City, however, is not yet experiencing these rotating brownouts due to its standby power generators in Bajada which can be switched on when NGCP notifies it about a load curtailment.

A new option of Davao Light is to tap Sibulan hydroelectric project plant in Sibulan, Sta. Cruz, Davao

del Sur which is owned and operated by its sister company, Hedcor, according to Montenegro.

Assuming there is a 4.7-percent annual growth in the demand for energy, Mindanao requires at least 500 MW by 2016, another 500 MW by 2020, and an additional 1,600 MW by 2030, Montenegro said, stressing the dire need for increasing the capacity of the area to generate power to meet the rapidly growing demand of the commerce and industry sectors of the economy.

The 283-MW power deficit of Mindanao places it at a disadvantage as potential investment destination compared to Luzon which has an excess of 1049 M, and the Visayas which enjoys a surplus of 414 MW. “We cannot tap these excess power because we are not yet connected, which is why Michael Sinocruz, chief of the planning division energy policy and planning bureau of the Department of Energy (DOE), proposed earlier to connect Leyte and Mindanao to avail themselves of the excess of the northern islands, ” Montenegro said.

“When the time will come when Mindanao will have excess capacity, we can also sell power to them as well,” the MinDA official said.

He said that the Agus-Pulangi hydroelectric power system in Iligan City can no longer be relied upon as source of power due to various problems such as heavy siltation and aging of its power plants.

“Mindanao can’t rely on it for future energy consumption anymore because the plants are built to last for only 30 year, has been in use for more than 60 years, “ he said, adding that “siltation causes slow current of water leading to

low power generation.”

On the positive side, he said Mindanao is currently “seeing a surging growth of investment in fossil fuel in the energy mix, particularly coal, Aboitiz Energy Solutions it will kick off online with their coal energy on 2014 to 2015 with 300 MW, while Alsons Energy Development Corp with 200 MW by 2016, to name a few, which will contribute 60 percent of the power requirement of Mindanao.”

“If the committed projects will start operating, we will have another forum by 2016, and I guarantee, we will not be discussing power shortage, but pricing issues, “ Montengro boasted.

He stated there is a need to address electricity consumption growth too, because half of the problem with power supply in Mindanao is not addressed by supply generation alone, but also by energy conservation from consumers.

“People should unplug their appliances from the socket when not in used to avoid 10 percent phantom usage,” he said to point out a small contribution that the people can do for the energy issue Mindanao is facing.

Montenegro pointed out solutions for the energy deficit problem of Mindanao with the quick rehabilitation and up rating of Agus-Pulangi to produce 50 percent MW more; tapping the imbedded generators or enhance the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) of industries and malls to pool 200MW; and the reopening of Iligan Diesel Power Plant “As we are waiting for the final ruling of the Commission on Audit (COA) in the next couple of days so that the 100MW will be available

by June or August this year.”

financial wellness program is one way of keeping the loyalty of employees and inspiration to continue working for the company.

Part of financial education is teaching employees to avoid spending their income on dead investments and inflationary expenses.

Right now, there is a fast turnover of workers in the call centers and other socalled business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, but So said financial wellness will hopefully make call center agents stay put.

In corporate financial wellness program, employees will be taught early on

to have a success mindset, to be mindful of inflation, wise investments, and wealth management.

A worker or an entrepreneur must be able to grow his money, So said, adding that one who believes he has plenty of money and assets should first ensure his financial freedom in retirement, before even thinking of philanthropy or charity.

Life is so miserable for a retiree who is penniless, because even his children and grandchildren will not be so enthusiastic in living with or hosting him, he said.

Prof urges...

FFROM 2

ment or failure of not being able to invest their money properly,” So told some 70 participants of the joint meeting who were mostly beyond 50 years old.

He suggested to owners of companies, top executives and professionals in attendance to emphasize financial literacy and wellness for employees in their long-term corporate programs, saying that financial literacy in gaining traction among multi-national companies in Manila and elsewhere in the world.

He said there is now an awakening in the corporate world that having a

C

IVIL society organizations in Malaysia and the Philippines are urging Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Najib, President Benigno Aquino and Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to “immediately declare a humanitarian ceasefire” to ensure the safety of women, children, elderly and other vulnerable persons in the conflict-affected areas in Sabah, Malaysia.

In the Joint Statement of Malaysian-Philippine CSOs titled “Standoff in Lahad Datu: Engage in Dialogue Now with all stakeholders to resolve

the crisis peacefully,” the signatories from at least 100 CSOs in the Philippines, Malaysia and other countries, also asked for “safe zones” where humanitarian organizations “can install facilities to be accessed by those who are injured and require immediate medical care.”

“Time is of the essence.

The world is looking at you, now,” the signatories led by Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), the Davao City-based Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) and the Mindanao PeaceWeavers (MPW).

Malaysian authorities

announced Thursday that 32 more followers of Kiram were killed. Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Inspector-General of Police was reported in Malaysian newspapers as saying the “the death toll among the Sulu intruders stands at 52.”

Eight policemen have been killed since violence broke out on Friday, bringing the death toll to 60 as of Thursday evening.

The state-owned news agency, Bernama, reported that security forces have detained 79 persons believed to be members of Kiram’s group. [Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews

from resorts, hotels, travel and tour companies, airlines, professional congress organizers, academe, tourism government officers and other industry suppliers participated in this year’s MICECON. MICECON allocated two days for plenary session with 12 international speakers who guided the country’s MICE organizers and suppliers in aligning their business operations with the global market trends and industry practices, according to Ramon Enero III, chief operating officer of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).

The speakers were from Australia, United States of America, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and one from the Philippines.

There were also business-to-business meetings called “MICE mart” as well as product and service exhibitions of industry players and suppliers called “MICE Marketplace” during the event.

“The conference will further promote Davao City as a MICE destination in the Southern Philippines as the event serves as an industry platform for learning and business,” Enero said.

Davao City tourism and investment officer Jason Magnaye said MICECON was a huge success

and that is was a MICECON of many “firsts.” ”It was the first time President Benigno Aquino III opened the event; it also was the first time that the program was dominated by top class foreign speakers; and it was the first time that the number of delegates went pass the 500-mark,” he said.

“We received encouraging feedback from both delegates and speakers, and foreign buyers were impressed with the city and its people,” Magnaye said.

“We expect more MICE activities to happen in the city soon,” he added.

MICECON 2013, the biggest international event in Davao City since ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2006, was organized by the TPB, with the full support of the city government of Davao led

by Mayor Sara Duterte, Davao Tourism Association (DATA) headed

by Ms Gene Bangayan, Davao Region Tourism Council, Association of Davao Event Organizaers and Suppliers, Small Hotels Association of Davao, Davao Travel Agencies Association, Philippines Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS), Meetings, Incentive Travel, Events/ Exhibition (MITE) Philippines Inc., and Philippine Airlines (PAL).

the Philippines to other countries.

In turn, Gazmin ordered the AFP leadership to do the assessment and review of the missions.

The defense secretary did not go into details beyond saying that

“malalaman natin yan after the assessment.”

He, however, hinted that part of the assessment would be the determination as to what the country could benefit after sending peacekeeping forces to foreign nations.

Davao City...

FFROM 2 from being thrashed into big-time world tourism, Davao’s choice is a recognition of its strides in the highly competitive field of travel and convention hosting.

He said IMEX 2013 in Frankfurt is no doubt one of the biggest MICE exhibitions in the world to take place in that European city in May. According to Boncato, Davao City, through DOT, applied for the wild card stand of IMEX Frankfurt 2013, as it is like a bid, and won a free stand or booth at the event in May, making the city the only city in the Philippines that has an incentive venue for MICE planners under the ‘Let’s Go to Davao Program.’

Boncato said DOT personnel had an initial training last Friday with Mr. Gary Grimmer, chief executive officer of GainingEdge, Australia, who is also one of the international speakers in the plenary session of MICECON. GainingEdge is an organization that helps various groups in the MICE world to grow. This company also works with IMEX. He added, “this year, we partnered with SMX Convention Center in producing our MICE manuals and beefing up our incentives to planners.”

More than 600 delegates, foreign and local,

Gazmin says...

FFROM 2

were part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria.

Gazmin reported that President Benigno Aquino III wants to review all the peacekeeping missions being sent by

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VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

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EDGEDAVAO VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013 CLASSIFIEDS ADS

14 SPORTS

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Lakers beat Raptors in OT

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant spins past Raptors forward Rudy Gay on a drive to the basket in the first half Friday night at Staples Center.

Realty FOR SALE:

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L

OS ANGELES (AP) -Kobe Bryant’s steely determination never wavers. It’s his 34-yearold body he sometimes wonders about.

He skipped pre-game shootaround because his shoulders were tight, and he was feeling weary in overtime.

But Bryant found enough energy to hit the tying 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play in regulation, then dunked for the go-ahead basket with 10

seconds left in the extra session, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 118-116 on Friday night for their second straight comefrom-behind win.

They rallied from 25 points down to beat New Orleans on the road two nights earlier, when Bryant had 42 points and 12 assists. This time, he finished with 41 points and 12 assists, and made 14 of 16 free throws. ‘’It’s like, ‘Damn, are

you kidding again?’’’ Bryant said. ‘’Do we collectively have the energy to do this again, and we did.’’

Against the Raptors, the Lakers rallied from a 15-point deficit in regulation and a slow start in overtime to close within a half-game of Utah for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

They also moved a game above .500. ‘’It feels good to be back within striking distance,’’ Bryant said. ‘’We’re

just hell-bent on trying to win games.’’

Dwight Howard had 24 points and 13 rebounds while going 6 of 13 from the free-throw line as he and Bryant complimented each other well for the second game in a row. ‘’We know what we’re trying to accomplish as a team and we just stuck together,’’ Howard said. ‘’Kobe hit some tough shots and then we got some good stops at the end.’’

phia, their 13th in a row at home and most importantly, their 17th straight victory overall.

For good measure, it all came on a night where James got to take the final 8 minutes off, a bit of unplanned rest that started with the outcome not exactly decided, either. ‘’We got better tonight,’’ James said. ‘’And that’s the most important

thing.’’

Chris Bosh scored 16 points, Ray Allen added 12 and Shane Battier scored 11 for the Heat, who matched the 12th-longest winning streak in NBA history and became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot this season.

James went to the bench with 8:02 left and with the Heat only lead-

ing by eight. Philadelphia never got any closer than that from there, and James wound up logging his 11th-shortest night of the season in terms of minutes, playing just over 34 on Friday. ‘’Good team win, particularly in the second half,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘’Our bench was really dialed in.’’

Thaddeus Young scored 25 points, Dorell Wright added 14 and Spencer Hawes finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who lost their 12th straight on the road. Jrue Holiday added a game-high 13 assists for Philadelphia.

The 76ers got outscored 48-31 in the final 19 minutes. ‘’I’ve very proud of them,’’ Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. ‘’Our guys fought tonight. They did a tremendous job and it’s just that Miami is a great, great team and that’s what happens with great teams. They ratchet it up on you and squeeze you for about five or six minutes and then they take the game. That’s what championships have always done, so I couldn’t ask any more of our guys.

I thought they did everything they could do.’’

Heat win 17th straight

M

IAMI (AP) -- So many streaks. And the Miami Heat made sure they all survived.

LeBron James scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and the Heat pulled away late to beat Philadelphia 10293 on Friday night - their 12th straight regular-season win over Philadel-

INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO BlackBerry becomes smart again VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EVENTS

Launches the all new Blackberry Z10 Smartphone in the Philippines

BACK in the days when there were no tablet devices, when mobile phones were less smart and only knew how to send text messages and make calls, there was already a company that pioneered smart mobile devices and that company eventually became the pioneer in the development of the smartphone and that company is today, called BlackBerry.

Fast forward to March, 2013 and the mobile phone market is now flooded with smart phones in every shape and size and BlackBerry is again stepping

into the forefront with the launch of its all-new BlackBerry Z10 all touch smartphone powered by BlackBerry’s new re-designed, re-engineered, and re-in-

The all new BlackBerry Z10 and its new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

vented BlackBerry 10 operating system that promises to be a cut above the rest by offering a unique mobile computing experience.

Although the BlackBerry Z10 will not be available in the Philippines until the March 19, me and a lucky few were given a chance to get our hands on the beautiful and sleek new phone

FBLACKBERRY, A4

BlackBerry country director for the Philippines, Cameron Vernest, unveils the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone.

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

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Get your Mom Card now in any Baby Company store for P100 only with 3 years validity. Connect with us on our website at www.babycompany.com.ph and Facebook at babycompanyph to know more of Mom Card.

HK chefs spice up Davao food scene

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

SM City Davao ‘Araw’ sale slated March 11 to 17 CELEBRATIONS are more exciting at SM City Davao as the city’s hippest hub tops the 76th Araw ng Dabaw with a smorgasbord of delightful activities for everyone!

In partnership with SM Davao, Museo Dabawenyo showcases the City’s landmarks, historic events and sites through photographs in Davao: Then & Now. Get a glimpse of the Davao’s rich and colorful history. Davao: Then & Now will be on exhibit until March 16 at the ground floor of the Annex.

A demonstration of the city’s abundant agricultural industry, the country’s largest Agri Trade Fair opens 270 booths to plant enthusiasts, hobbyists and just the curious. Visit the Agri Trade Fair & Floral Exhibit from March 1-27 at the open grounds and check out the trends on flowers, fruits and ornamental decors.

The all-male ensemble composed of four dads,

Dr. Eric Dacanay, Herbert “Ebet” Silonga, Jerome Icatar, and Allan Mitchell Silonga, X Factor Philippines Season 1 finalist Daddy’s Home is set to perform at SM City Davao. Catch Daddy’s Home live at SM City

Davao on March 15 at the Event Centre, Annex.

This Araw ng Dabaw, stars of ABSCBN’s most passionate drama series Apoy sa Dagat heat up the celebration at SM City Davao Open Grounds on March 16! Enjoy an after-

noon of music, dance and giggles with Angelica Panganiban, Diether Ocampo and Piolo Pascual on Saturday.

Star of the 2013 historical drama series Indio, Maxene Magalona will melt Davaoenos’ hearts away while GMA 7’s leading men from “Temptation of Wife” Dennis Trillo and Rafael Rosell will surely heat up the afternoon of March 17. Party with your favorite stars and catch GMA7’s Kapuso Mall Show live at the Annex.

This Araw ng Dabaw, everything’s at SM City Davao! Avail of up to 70% discount on unbelievable selections at SM Davao’s Araw ng Dabaw Sale on March 11-17. Mall hours are extended until 10 PM on Friday (March15) and until midnight on Saturday (March16).

For inquiries, please call 297.6998. Like SM City Davao on Facebook and follow @smcitydavao on Twitter for event and promo updates.

Beat the summer heat with the Kapuso Network this March MARCO POLO Davao welcomes two acclaimed chefs from Hong Kong, master Chef Au Yeung Chung Kei (or Chef Kei) and Chef Sam Hei Tak. They shall be showcasing a promotional Chinese menu featuring Cantonese delights from March 13 to 23, 2013.

Chef Kei is currently the Chef de Cuisine of Marco Polo Hotels. He served for five years as Chef of the Michelin-recommended Cucina Restaurant of Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel. Apart from exposure to highend Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, he considers his ten-year overseas experience in Osaka, Japan, as fundamental to his professional growth.

Chef Kei’s culinary repertoire is widely influenced by international taste trends, yet he is also a staunch advocate of authentic traditional flavors. He is known for his exacting standards, aspiring as he always does for perfection.

“I’m always learning from others in trying to create the best, most satisfying menus for my customers. This is the professional standard I set for myself, and for my staff who grow and thrive with me every step of the way,” Chef Kei said.

Partnering with Chef Kei is Chef Sam Hei Tak whose day job involves designing and creating Cantonese dim sum in our flagship hotel Hong Kong.

“I have no doubt that both chefs will bring in the wondrous flavours and aromas the Orient is justly famous for”, said Hotel General Manager Anthony Tan. While in Davao, the duo will be designing entrees and dim sum delights as well as sharing culinary notes with the chefs at Lotus Court, the Cantonese restaurant of Marco Polo Davao.

THE Kapuso Network kicks off the summer season with its first batch of offerings that are sure to beat the summer heat in more ways than one.

In the first of many Summer sa Mundo ng Kapuso on-air plugs, Kapuso personalities get their hands on the cup stacking craze that has become so popular among the youth these days - proving how fun and exciting summer can be when spent watching the Network’s March launches.

These are the Saturday night sitcom Vampire Ang Daddy Ko, the new primetime drama Mundo Mo’y Akin, and the TV airing of the hugely successful Foursome concert.

Starting March 9, Vampire Ang Daddy Ko topbilled by ace comedian and TV host Vic Sotto brings to weekend viewers a funny yet heartwarming story about a

family headed by a vampire. Joining bossing Vic in this family sitcom jointly produced by GMA and and MZet Productions are Oyo Sotto, Glaiza de Castro, Bea Binene, Derrick Monasterio, Jackie Lou Blanco, and Ms. Pilita Corales. Set to make Vampire Ang Daddy Ko even more endearing is newest child wonder Ryzza Mae Dizon.

In Mundo Mo’y Akin, the sought-afte r lo ve team of Alden Richards and Louise delos Reyes reunite in this original story tackling wealth,

power, beauty, and deceit. Joining them is new Kapuso young actress, Lauren Young, along with a powerhouse cast composed of some of the Network’s most talented and established stars Sunshine Dizon, Angelika dela Cruz, Jolina Magdangal, Gabby Eigenmann, and Ms. Jacklyn Jose.

Mundo Mo’y Akin premieres March 18 on GMA Telebabad.

Completing the lineup is the television debut of the jampacked concert of Concert King Martin Rivera, Concert Queen

Pops Fernandez, multiawarded singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid, and Asia ’s Songbird Regine Velasquez. See these OPM music royalties come together for the first time on the concert stage in Foursome airing on March 24 on GMA’s SNBO. Experience the summer thrill with these new Kapuso programs this month. See more of the Summer sa Mundo ng Kapuso campaign on GMA-7 and visit www. gmanetwork.com for more details.

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Pregnant Kate Middleton did not reveal she’s having a girl FIRST it seemed like Kate Middleton had revealed she was having a girl. Then some doubt started to creep in.

Now, finally, comes what appears to be proof that the royal mum-to-be did not, in fact, have a slip of the tongue during her visit to Grimsby, England, on Tuesday.

In a video obtained by the Grimsby Telegraph, one can hear the Duchess of Cambridge, upon accepting a teddy bear from a local woman, say, “Oh, is this for us? Thank you very much. That is very sweet of you.”

Of course, this obviously refutes what Sandra Cook, who was standing next to Middleton in the crowd at the time of the gift giving, said when she claimed to have overheard Prince William’s other half say, “Thank you, I’ll take that for my d...” before allegedly cutting herself off.

Speculation quickly ensued that Middleton

was about to utter the word “daughter” and thus had essentially revealed the sex of the royal baby.

Lisa Hewson, who shot the footage, told the Grimsby Telegraph why she wanted to share the clip.

“Kate does such a good job and people are always picking and pulling her apart,” Hewson said.

“If you know something isn’t true and it is caus-

ing trouble, you have to do the right thing, and, hopefully, that is what I am doing here.”

She added, “I am sure the lady genuinely thought she heard what she said she did, and I don’t want to make her look bad. All I am saying is this is my video; if you want to listen to it, here it is. She might look at it and think ‘Oh my god, I’ve got it wrong.’”

Chris Brown’s Valet Fight: Inside the dispute over $10 parking fee WELL, no one likes to pay for parking, but Chris Brown probably shouldn’t have tried to rally for the cause with so many people around watching.

And filming.

The F.A.M.E. artist was caught on video Wednesday night throwing Fbombs at a valet stand outside a charity event at Pinz bowling alley in Studio City, Calif., in what was an apparent disagreement over the $10 parking fee.

Meanwhile, a valet source with knowledge of the incident has informed E! News that there was confusion on both sides over who was going to pay what and when.

“Chris Brown arrived with his entourage in two vehicles,” the source told us. “He spoke to the attendant and requested VIP parking. He told the valet he would pay them $100. The valet told him that wasn’t necessary, that each car is $5. He did not give them $100.”

But, even though he offered $100, the source claimed that Brown was

loath to pay anything on his way out.

“When he came out of the event after 20 minutes,” the source continued, “they charged him $10 for two vehicles. He got aggressive because he felt like he was there for such a short time that he didn’t need to pay. The valets didn’t get involved in the altercation, they just told him they’d hand the keys over when he paid the $10.”

Ultimately, someone in Brown’s entourage

coughed up the sawbuck and they went on their way.

Another source had previously told us that Brown and his pals had been under the impression, when they returned to the car, that someone had already paid (hey, it’s hard to keep track of every member of an entourage is up to) and that they were being doublecharged—a perceived accounting error they obviously had little patience for.

INdulge! A3

A4 INdulge!

EVENTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

BlackBerry...

FFROM A1

The BlackBerry Z10 comes in black and white.

BlackBerry Philippines’ business manager Kristian Salvo and his white BlackBerry Z10. last March 8 at the Marco tions where some other Polo Hotel. smartphones can’t. Also BlackBerry country di- worth mentioning is the rector for the Philippines, Blackberry 10’s keyboard, Cameron Vernest was all which has got to be the one smiles when he unveiled of the, if not, the best in the new Z10. “2013 is the smartphones to date. Able tenth year since Black- to understand and adapt Berry smartphones were to you and the words you first officially introduced use, it learns the words here. And today, we are you use and how you use excited to announce that the words, then offers the the Blackberry Z10 smart- words up to you to flick phone is coming to the onto what you are typing, Philippines.” says Cam- allowing for faster messageron “Blackberry 10 of- ing. fers a faster and smarter BlackBerry 10 takes experience that continu- BlackBerry Messaging to ously adapts to you. Every new frontiers with BBM feature, every gesture, and video conferencing plus every detail is designed to screen sharing, a feature keep you moving.” which allows one to share And the phone was your screen with the peras snappy as he prom- son he or she is conferised. The apps open quick encing with, allowing for thanks to the phone’s dual better collaborative work. core 1.5 Ghz processor. I also love the way BlackThe windows and gestures Berry incorporated an exare smooth and the 4.2- pandable SD slot for you to inch display was crystal be able to add up to 64gb clear. of additional storage space The Blackberry 10 web for all your photos, videos, browser is way better than music and movies. it’s predecessor and can Apps will also be a feaeven run flash applica- ture on BlackBerry 10

Round-table discussions on the new Z10.

BlackBerry’s new smarter keyboard. through BlackBerry’s app store. Already available in the store are famous apps for social networking, imaging, games, and productivity with even more apps being developed in the pipeline.

Although the BlackBerry Z10 will only be available nationwide by March 19, you can make reservations

for the new BlackBerry Z10 from authorised dealers at www.buybb10.com. For more information on this new beautiful smartphone, you can visit ph.blackberry. com/BlackBerryZ10.

Follow me on Twitter and on Instagram @kennethkingong for more happenings in, around , and beyond Durianburg.

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO VOL.6 ISSUE 263 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, MARCH 10-11, 2013

Pacquiao eyes 3 more fights

M

ANNY Pacquiao is giving himself a minimum of one and a maximum of three fights before finally calling it quits.

“I am just 34 (years old),” Pacquiao said recently as he was busy attending to his businesses just before heading back to General Santos City.

Besides, Pacquiao stressed, he lives a clean life following his religious transformation.

Pacquiao used to drink, womanize and gamble as if there’s no tomorrow.

But the last 18 months, the celebrated Filipino puncher has decided to mend his ways.

The last time he had a taste of alcohol was in

2011.

“I could not remember exactly when but it was in 2011,” he said.

After the elections in May, Pacquiao said he will give attention to his boxing career.

“But as of this time, my focus is on the elections.”

Although Pacquiao is running unopposed as congressman of Sarangani, his wife Jinkee is gunning for the position of vice-governor, while his brother Rogelio is aiming for the congress seat in the first district of South Cotabato.

But when the time comes that he has to discuss his future in the ring, Pacquiao said he will make sure he returns

with a big bang following his stunning sixth-round knockout defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez last December at the MGM Grand.

Top Rank head Bob Arum was a fifth fight between the two for Sept.

14.

Pacquiao said he hasn’t decided yet although Arum wants to see the two attending a huge show he is promoting in Macau on April 6.

“Wala pa,” said Pacquiao, who is being asked by his wife Jinkee to drop

by Macau for a short break.

Pacquiao sounded uninterested in going.

“Puro casino lang naman ang meron doon.

I don’t gamble anymore.”

Sharapova advances at Indian Wells

Maria Sharapova of Russia lunges for a shot against Francesca Schiavone of Italy during their match at the BNP Paribas Open.

I

NDIAN WELLS, Calif.Maria Sharapova of Russia hits a return to Francesca Schiavone of Italy during day 3 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 8, 2013 in Indian Wells, California. Photo - AFP Maria Sharapova didn’t need too much time out in the chilly wind at Indian Wells on Friday, sweeping into the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Francesca Schiavone. The second-seeded Russian dropped her first service game as they traded breaks in the first three games, then settled in to seal the victory in just 61 minutes.

“Once I started being a little bit more aggressive I felt like I had an edge on her,” Sharapova said. She was glad to get through her tournament opener against the 2010 French Open champion, even if the

Italian’s drop in form has seen her slip to 47th in the world.

“No matter where she is in the rankings she has experience, has a Grand Slam behind her back,” said Sharapova, who is playing just her third tournament of 2013. Like all seeded players in the combined ATP Masters and WTA tournament, she received a first-round bye.

Sharapova, the 2006 champion in the California desert and runner-up last year to Victoria Azarenka, advanced to a third-round match against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska also booked her third-round berth, rolling past US wild card Maria Sanchez 6-2, 6-1. Poland’s Radwanska, ranked fourth in the world, has already

nabbed two titles this year at Auckland and Sydney while Sanchez was playing in just her third WTA main draw.

In men’s first-round action, Italy’s Fabio Fognini advanced to a second-round clash with World No. 1 Novak Dkjokovic with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene. Fognini, ranked 36th in the world, will face a daunting task against the Serb, who is 13-0 in 2013.

Djokovic’s season so far includes a third Australian Open title and a fourth ATP Dubai Open triumph, and he said he thought the hard courts of Indian Wells, where he won in 2008 and 2009, suit his game.

“Hopefully I can maintain the high level of performance and move into these weeks with a great deal of confidence,” Djokovic said as he looked

forward not only to his Indian Wells campaign but to the following Masters tournament in Miami.

Russian Evgeny Donskoy defeated Japan’s Tatsuma Ito 6-2, 6-1 to line up a meeting with third-seeded US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray.

Defending champion Roger Federer, the second seed, will lead the men’s seeds into the fray on Saturday against Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin.

Fifth-seeded Rafael Nadal, the 11-time Grand Slam champion on the comeback trail after a seven-month injury absence, will play American Ryan Harrison. Azarenka was also due to open her campaign on Saturday, with a potentially tricky second-round match against two-time champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

Tiger in charge at Doral

D

ORAL, Fla. (AP) -Tiger Woods was starting to pull away with six birdies over a span of eight holes. Phil Mickelson, on the other side of the golf course, caught up to Woods briefly when he started his second nine with four birdies in five holes.

And that’s when Graeme McDowell decided to ruin the reunion on the Blue Monster.

Woods and Mickelson have staged some memorable battles at Doral, twice playing in the final group together on the weekend. They bring out the biggest crowds, and the loudest. This was Fri-

day in the Cadillac Championship, and the anticipation was building.

McDowell stepped in, telling caddie Ken Comboy, ‘’Let’s spoil this party.’’ He birdied his last two holes to break up the Woods-Mickelson pairing. ‘’I’m sure they would have liked Tiger and Phil in that last group tomorrow,’’ McDowell said. ‘’Would have been great for the tournament. But I certainly will enjoy the position of being in the last group and the mix.

That’s right where I want to be.’’

Woods is where he expects to be.

Tiger Woods checks the wind direction during the second round of the Cadillac Championship golf tournament on Friday in Doral, Fla.

16

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EDGEDAVAO