Edge Davao 6 Issue 103

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

LARGE POTHOLE. This huge pothole at the junction of E. Quirino Avenue and Tionko Street in Davao City has been a nightmare to motorists especially at night or during heavy downpour when waters are high in the area. For about a month now, this pothole has not been attended to by responsible government agencies. When Edge Davao took a photo of this section, PUJ and taxi drivers nodded in approval that it is high time this unattended road problem be addressed. Lean Daval Jr.

Miners’ misrepresentation Jacinto: Mining applications tainted with serious misrepresentations

By GREGORIO G. DELIGERO greg@edgedavao.net

Danilo Dayanghirang gestures while reading the Environment Committee report during yesterday’s City Council session where the proposed resolution declaring Davao City as a mining-free zone was the main agenda.

Lean Daval Jr.

T

ESTIMONIES and records related to the mining applications in Paquibato district, Davao City indicate “serious misrepresentations” on the part of the mining companies.

City planning and development coordinator Mario Luis J. Jacinto cited testimonies of tribal leaders during the committee hearings conducted by the council’s committee on environment that no representatives from the MGB or the companies visited and actually conducted actual consultation with members of the barangay councils, non-government organizations and indigenous communities.

He told the members of the city council in yesterday’s session that “there must be some consultative process” to be followed by the mining applicants.

“The members of the community must be informed and these are supposed to be properly documented. Even if the applications are already approved, this serious misrepresentation is ground for cancellation,” he said.

Last June 30, 2011, the regional office of the

FMINERS’,10

INSIDE:

2 3 14

Cotabato mayor says bombers identified Security alert raised following Cotabato blast DC to send 200 athletes to BPinoy elims

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Death toll in Cotabato bombing rises to 8

C

Bounty up for suspects

OTABATO CITY-The death toll in Monday’s car bomb attack in Cotabato City rose to eight as two more died while undergoing medical treatment at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, police said.

Senior Supt. Rolen Balquin, city police director, said Nasruddin Guialel and Salipudin Sindatok, both died in the hospital at about 10:00 p.m. Monday.

Killed on the spot were Samsuddin Harry

and Usop Jaji, both security escorts of Cotabato City administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi who police said was the target of the bomb attack along Sinsuat Avenue, this city.

Also killed on the spot were Sangcala Satol, Saidem Menak and Harris Unto, all passersby while Senior Police Officer 3 Mama Manambuay, who was on board a white Mitsubishi Strada, died while being treated at

FDEATH, 10

LIGHT MOMENT. Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte (right) shares a light moment with newly-installed Davao Police regional director Wency Pascual

Cotabato mayor says bombers identified C

OTABATO CITY--The mayor here is currently safeguarding the original security camera footage of Monday’s bombing in the city and vowed to unmask the identities of those behind the incident should they not yield to authorities soon.

More so, the local chief said to have in his possession documents pointing to exchange of calls and text messages from parties involved in the plan and execution of the bomb attack that has so far

claimed the lives of eight victims and wounding of 30 others.

“As early as this time, I urge both masterminds and perpetrators to come out or else I would offer a bounty on your heads,” Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. told newsmen here in a hastily called press conference on Tuesday.

Without elaboration, Guiani said the masterminds are “big people,” who have been long involved in the “illegal drug trade” in the Cotabato area.

“The police also have artist’s sketches of the culprits who carried out the attack so we have a positive identification of them according to witnesses,” he added.

On Monday, a car bomb exploded around 4:30 p.m. along Sinsuat Avenue here instantaneously killing five people.The explosion came from a parked multi-cab vehicle rigged with explosives in front of the Villa Funeral Parlor along the highway.

The car bomb went off as the Chevrolet vehicle of

City Administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, the mayor’s sister, was passing the area.

“The bomb was intended to kill me or my sister because we have advocated to rid of the drug menace in the city,” the mayor said.

Since his first term as mayor in 2010, Guiani has coordinated closely with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) after learning that the city was being used as a major transshipment point of illegal drugs in Mindanao.

(PNA)

who said during his speech at the City Council yesterday that Davao City is still the safest place in the country. Lean Daval Jr.

Prices during durian festival down to only P35-40 per kilo Private stakeholders, government approve Durian Road Map for Davao

By ANTONIO M. AJERO and EJ DOMINIC FERNANDEZ

D

ABAWENYOS and visitors can eat all the durian they want at considerably low prices during the Kadayawan Durian Festival slated on August 10-25 beside the dancing fountain at the back of scenic SM Premier at Lanang, Davao City.

The festival will be staged by the Durian Industry Council of Davao City, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Davao City’s Agriculturist Office and Department of Tourism, according to Larry Miculob, chairman of the durian

industry council and treasurer of the Mindanao Fruit Council.

Miculob told reporters covering the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Annex Monday that the festival will showcase (and sell) all the varieties of the exotic fruit available in Davao during the festival.

Miculob said that the festival participants are mulling to sell durian for as low as P35 to P40 per kilo, much lower compared to the current P60 per kilo.

During the 15-day festival, the Bureau of Plant Industry will ed-

FPRICES, 10

Mindanao exporters submitted 9 resolutions to Aquino for support

E SPIDERMAN. An accident waiting to happen is what this man is flirting with as he climbs a giant billboard without any safety gear yesterday along Ponciano Reyes Street in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

XPORTERS at the recently concluded 1st Mindanao Exporters Congress (MEC) in Davao City crafted nine resolutions which were submitted to the Office of the President for support.

Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport)11-Davao City Chapter headed by its president Ferdinand Marañon sponsored the MEC in celebration with PhilExport’s 20th anniversary.

The top three resolutions identified by PhilExport as priority resolutions are: Resolution No.1- to strengthen existing policies to expedite export processes; Resolution No. 2- for a more institutionalized manner in selecting the Mindanao Sector representative of the Export Development Council Private Sector Council Members; and Resolution No. 3- to support the bill on “Coastwise Trade” amending the

FMINDANAO, 10

EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

3

DAVAO DEL NORTE

Dolfo assures security of Batang Pinoy Mindanao G

OVERNOR Rodolfo del Rosario ordered security officials to ensure the utmost safety of all the delegations and visitors of the Batang Pinoy (BP) Mindanao leg to be hosted by the province on August 27-31, 2013.

The governor instructed the police, army and other security forces to use all the resources at their disposal to guarantee the protection of all the delegates, guests and spectators of the BP qualifying leg, which will be staged mainly at the new Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Center.

“My top priority is security. We have to ensure the safety of all the athletes and visitors,” del Rosario said at the joint meeting of all the coordinating committees.

With the recent bombings in Cotabato City and Cagayan de

Oro City, the chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)XI said the province cannot afford to take things lightly.

He put to task Provincial Police Director PSSupt. Samuel Gadingan to draw an efficient and effective security plan to ensure the success of the event.

The province is gearing up for the its first hosting of the BP regional games, which comes six months after its successful hosting of the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet last February.

PSC Commissioner Atty. Jose Luiz Gomez and Gov. del Rosario signed last month the memorandum of agreement for the staging of the event in the province.

The Batang Pinoy Philippine Youth Games is a local government unit (LGU)based and non-school-

based sports program that prioritizes out of school youth aged 15 and below.

It is mandated under Executive Order No. 44 to address the need for a grassroots

sports program centered on values formation through sports.

The qualifying leg is expected to attract some 3,500 young athletes from Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and the

N a bid to promote social harmony and the blending of culture and religious tolerance and appreciation in General Santos City, a city council member is pushing for the adoption by the local government of the Eid’l Fitr or the feast marking the end of Ramadan as part of the area’s official festivities.

City Councilor Franklin Gacal Jr. filed a resolution on Tuesday seeking for the inclusion of the Islamic holiday, which is held at the end of the holy month of fasting or Ramadan, in the city’s annual celebrations or festivities.

He said such move is only proper for the city

being a melting pot of various cultures in Region 12 and home to a significant Moro or Muslim population.

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

Studies showed that around five percent of the city’s total population, which reached 529,542 based on the 2010 census, are Muslims.

With that, Gacal said the city is constitutionally mandated not only to uplift the welfare of its constituents but also

support efforts towards religious and cultural development.

“Muslim culture and festivities form part of the way of life here and as such the city government’s support is also needed,” he said.

Gacal said the adoption of Eid’l Fitr as part of the city’s official festivities will also complement with the goals of the city’s new leadership “to usher in revitalized hope towards the building of a new GenSan.” “The role of (General Santos City) in the region as a melting pot of cultures, and a catchment area for small and medium scale business

requires fostering the value of social harmony that would promote the blending of culture and religious tolerance and appreciation,” he said.

“The stature of the city is now more multicultural, socially divergent, religiously plural and increasingly becoming the commercial hub in Region 12,” he added.

Gacal said having an official Eid’l Fitr festivity in the area will eventually enhance the image of the city as well as its economic growth.

“It will place the city in the global map of one billion Muslims worldwide celebrating the Eid’l Fitr,” he said. [MindaNews]

OLICE authorities have raised the security alert in General Santos City and the neighboring areas following the deadly bomb attack in Cotabato City on Monday afternoon. Senior Supt. Froilan Quidilla, city police director, said Tuesday the entire city is currently under heightened alert and they have deployed additional police personnel in various stra-

tegic areas to avert possible spillover or similar attacks in the area.

He said they specifically intensified their security operations in crowded areas such as shopping malls, public and private transport terminals, public markets, the city airport, Makar port, city hall complex and other public places. Mobile police teams have been assigned in parts of the city’s

downtown area and other communities within the 26 barangays, he said. “We have increased our deployment at our checkpoints and choke points, especially those situated at the entry and exit points of the city,” he said in a radio interview.

Quidilla said they have strengthened their security and intelligence coordination with community stakeholders, especially ba-

rangay officials and civilian volunteers. The official said the city police earlier implemented some security preparation regarding possible bomb attacks following the July 26 explosion in Cagayan de Oro City. He said they gathered officials and personnel of the area’s private security agencies for a series of bomb awareness seminars. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY

ORDERED. Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario orders security officials to ensure the security of delegates and visitors to the Batang Mindanao Mindanao Qualifying Games to be hosted by Davao del Norte on August 27-31, 2013. [Noel Baguio]

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Some 23 tournaments will be included in the qualifier, where the first and second placers will automat-

Davao del Norte

ically become eligible to compete in the National Championships, which will be hosted

by Zamboanga City sometime on November 2013. [Noel Baguio]

Dad wants Eid’l Fitr to be part of festivities Kapalong marks 65th year I

GENERAL SANTOS CITY

Security alert raised following Cotabato blast P

T

HE Municipality of Kapalong marks another milestone as it celebrates its 65th founding anniversary.

The town traces its roots when it was created as a distinct municipality under Executive Order No. 151 signed by then President Elpidio R. Quirino on August 1, 1948.

The Araw ng Kapalong Steering Committee headed by Mayor Edgardo L. Timbol has lined up a weeklong festivity with more fun and excitement .

The PROGLAD Kapalong chapter hosted the first day celebration last July 25 with a parade and a friendly basketball match against the PNP Regional Mobile Group and a variety show at night.

The group also initiated an inter-barangay volleyball tournament for all gays and lesbians from the different barangays.

On the 2nd day, Christians of different denominations and churches were invited to gather in an ecumenical service to give praises and glory to the great provider.

A tribal ritual was also staged by the Kapalong Tribal Council as part of the LGU’s effort of preserving the municipality’s cultural heritage.

The participation of schools was also enjoined to the Inter-high school basketball tourna-

ment and the Hugyaw Sayaw competition for secondary and elementary schools sponsored by Congressman Anthony Rafael G. del Rosario.

Maryknoll High School of Maniki Inc. won the breath taking championship game against Kapalong National High School for the basketball event while Sampao Elementary School and Capungagan High School emerged as the champion in the Hugyaw Sayaw competition.

An invitational Amateur Boxing, Taekwondo and Dart Tournaments and the Mountain Bike Cross Country Race added to the list of sports events initiated that did delighted all sports enthusiasts in town.

The PNP’s First Edgardo L. Timbol Run-For-aCause was also a success with more than 700 participants.

The barangays were also given a night for their Sayawitan Inter Barangay Competition with the aim of promoting the municipality’s tourism industry where Barangay Tiburcia emerged as the champion.

The farmers’ day initiated by the Municipal Agriculture Office offered free technology clinic on animals. It was also a relaxing day for the farmers as they participated on different parlor games. [MIO/ Kapalong]

4

EDGEDAVAO

NATION/WORLD

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

MANILA

President to meet security cluster to discuss Mindanao bombings P

RESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday assured that culprits in the series of deadly bombings in Mindanao will be brought to justice as the Palace condemned Monday’s bombing which has killed eight people and injured 30 others in Cotabato City.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to get all these culprits in due time. Ang terrorists iilan lang sila, tagong tago, pero palagay ko mahahanap din natin sila in the very near future, (The are only a small number of terrorists and they are in hiding, but I think we will be able to find them in the very near future),” Aquino told reporters in a media briefing in Subic, Olongapo City.

Aquino vowed to hunt down and punish those responsible for the bombings. The Chief Executive will meet with the government security cluster on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Mindanao.

Asked if Monday’s bombing was related to

EIGHT DIED HERE. Police and firemen examine the area where a car bomb exploded in Cotabato City on Monday. Eight people died in the blast. threats of Al- Qaeda terrorist attacks, Aquino said, “Wala tayo indicators na ganun ang pangyayari. Iisa lang naman ang terrorism angle... we’re exhausting all the leads. (We don’t have any indicators that was the case. Terrorism angle is the same... we’re exhausting all the leads).”

The powerful explosion which rocked Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato City during Monday’s rush hour initially killed six people but death toll later climbed to eight when two other hospitalized victims perished.

Two weeks ago, eight people died and several others were injured

when a blast hit a mall in Cagayan de Oro City.

Aquino hinted at the possible identities of the suspects but they have yet to verify if they were responsible for the deadly attacks.

“We’ve been pursuing the suspects but hindi pa sigurado if they’re the parties responsible

for this. Merong ilang sektor na ayaw magpatuloy ang ating peace process... we’re exhausting all these leads, we’re investigating the leads to determine who are the perpetrators and eventually these will help us in the arrest (We’ve been pursuing the suspects but we are still unsure

HE Philippine Airlines (PAL) did not drop their domestic flights.

This is what PAL Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said in reaction to reports saying the flag-carrier has abandoned operations for most domestic flights in the Philippines since August 1.

“Philippine Airlines announced that it will not discontinue service to any domestic destination even

as it continues to expand its code sharing agreement with affiliate PAL Express,” Ang said.

“The expanded code share will allow PAL to continue to expand its network and optimize its existing fleet and resources while giving customers more choices in terms of destinations, flights and schedules,” he added.

The PAL official clarified PAL will still continue to market flights to Lao-

ag, Iloilo, Kalibo, Bacolod, Tagbiliran, and General Santos City even after transferring its flight operation to another airline.

Last week, PAL has “realigned the operation” for the said local destinations to low-cost carrier PAL Express, which belongs to PAL group of companies.

With this arrangement, Ang assured PAL Express passengers will continue to experience the “same standards of safe-

ty and customer service” they should expect from PAL. “Even if it is being operated by PAL Express, PAL is still the marketing carrier for these flights,” Ang noted.

“This is being done to allow the flag carrier to service more routes and ensure seamless connectivity between stops while awaiting delivery of PAL’s new Airbus aircraft to complete its fleet,” he added.

Customs official

ENATOR Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III wants to help his ‘kababayans’ recover from the recent traumatic bombing experience.

Pimentel, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, said that he wanted P 250, 000 from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork barrel, to be used as financial as-

sistance to the victims of the recent bomb blast in Cagayan de Oro City.

The senator has recently written a letter to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman regarding the matter.

In the letter, Pimentel said that his PDAF under Special Allotment Re-

lease Order (SARO) No. G-12-T00940 dated October 18 remains valid until December 31, 2013 and is funded under the FY 2011 General Appropriations Act (RA 10147).

He requested that the amount be transferred from the National Capital Region (NCR) Crisis Intervention Unit to the Regional Office No. 10,

with the distribution to the bombing victims to be handled by Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno.

The July 26 bombing incident killed 8 people and injured more than 40 others. At present, police are investigating the incident but so far no suspects have been arrested.

(PNA)

if they’re the parties responsible. There are few sectors which are against the continuation of the peace process.. we’re exhausting all these leades, we’re investigating the leads to determine who are the perpetrators and eventually these will help us in the arrest),” he said. (PNA)

PAL: Domestic flights to go on PNoy to meet with T

Pimentel wants ‘pork’for CDO bomb victims S

MANILA

P

RESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will meet with Customs deputy commissioner Danilo Lim who submitted his resignation two weeks ago.

Aquino, who was in Subic to lead the welcome ceremonies of the arrival of the country’s second warship BRP Ramon Alcaraz, did not say whether he would accept Lim’s courtesy resignation.

“I’ll meet General Lim this afternoon after the security assessment in Mindanao. I’ll talk to him first. Mahirap naman na mag-usap kami pero meron na akong desisyon bago pa kami makapag-usap. Bigyan ko naman ng

kaunting respeto yung tao at ‘wag naman niya malaman from a different source,” Aquino told reporters in a media briefing.

Lim tendered his resignation a day after Aquino lashed at the Bureau of Customs for its failure to curb smuggling.

Lim, a former military official, said the rampant corrupt practices in the agency prompted him to ask Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr if he could be transferred to another agency.

He also revealed of ‘powerful’ forces behind the padrino (godfather) system in the bureau. (PNA)

THE ECONOMY 5

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

All systems go for Mindanao’s largest business conference

“I

T’S all systems go,” announced John Gaisano, Jr., conference director of this year’s Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon), the biggest annual gathering of business leaders, policymakers, exporters, traders, and exhibitors in the island-region.

He said that as of yesterday (August 6) the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated (DCCCII), the lead organizer of the event confirmed more than 300 pre-event registrations from expected participants, the highest number of pre-registrations for the MinBizCon in the past ten years.

While Gaisano is optimistic that they can hit their desired number of participants, he explained that the conference can only accommodate 1,000 seats considering that the venue might be filled up due to President Aquino’s confirmed attendance to the event.

He said that President Aquino, who will be the conference’s keynote speaker, will be accompanied by 11 of his cabinet secretaries.

Slated from August 8 to 9 here in this city, the

conference will present to the president policy agenda aimed to prepare the island-region for the 2015 ASEAN integration.

Gaisano added that prior to the conference, a team from DCCCII, Philippine Chamber of Commerce Inc., and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) travelled around the six regions in Mindanao to gather key issues, concerns, and recommendations from more than 250 businessmen and business organizations.

The key issues, concerns, and recommendations were translated into policy agenda, which are the bases for the conference’s program and the selection of speakers and executives who will respond to it.

Gaisano said that the policy agenda are also designed to address issues of key Mindanao economic sectors such as agriculture, energy, information and technology, tourism, small and medium enterprises, logistics and infrastructure, skills development, and natural resource management.

“The need for the government and private sectors to work together in preparation for the greater ASEAN Integration is

GAISANO among the key items included in the policy agenda,” said Gaisano, adding that the over 630 million population size of ASEAN will provide a very large market for Mindanao’s micro and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Gaisano explained however that the integration will also put Mindanao-based MSMEs into a fierce competition with their ASEAN counterparts.

“There is a need to revisit our policies and procedures if we are to enter into a free trade agreement with ASEAN,” he said, adding that 98 percent of the country’s economy is comprised with MSMEs, which accounts for 68 percent of the country’s total domestic employment.

6

THE ECONOMY

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

7.1 1st Qtr 2013

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

7.8 1st Qtr 2013

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

USD 3,741 million Feb 2013 USD 4,708 million Feb 2013 USD -967 million Feb 2013 USD -640 million Dec 2012 P 4,964,560 million Feb 2013

8. Interest Rates 4/

2.4 % Mar 2013 P113,609 million Mar 2013 P 5,281 billion Mar 2013

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

P 41.14 Apr 2013

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

6,847.5 Mar 2013

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

132.8 Apr 2013

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

2.6 Apr 2013

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.1 Apr 2013

16. Visitor Arrivals

418,108 Feb 2013

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

20.9% Jan 2013

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.1% Jan 2013

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2012-April 2013) Month Average December November October September August July June May April March February January

2013

2012

2011

40.67 40.73

42.23 41.01 41.12 41.45 41.75 42.04 41.91 42.78 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

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

BSP ready to adjust key rates as inflation further decelerates T

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the continued decline in the country’s inflation rate provides more room for monetary officials to change the central bank’s policy stance if need arises.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported Tuesday the further decline of rate of price increases in the country last July to 2.5 percent from the revised 2.7 percent last June, which was originally at 2.8 percent.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., in a text message to reporters, said actual inflation rate last July is within the central bank’s 2.2 to 3.1 percent forecast for last month and transpired due to lower price increases in utilities and some commodities and services.

Inflation in 2012 is higher at 3.2 percent.

Tetangco reiterated that “the downward trend in price increases supports our assessment of benign inflation.”

He explained that “as inflation expectations remain

well-anchored, we foresee inflation over the policy horizon to be within the government’s target range.”

“That said, this provides BSP room to make any further adjustments to policy stance if needed to address possible effects of changes in the growth trajectory of our main trading partners, including US, Japan and China, and shifts in investors sentiment that could adversely impact the prices of international commodities and capital flows,” he added.

The government’s inflation target for this and next year is a range between three to five percent while the target for 2015 is between two to four percent.

The within-target inflation rate in the country has provided monetary officials to maintain the central bank’s key rates since the last quarter of 2012.

Central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB), however, touched the rate of the BSP’s special deposit account (SDA) to address among others the high liquidity situa-

tion in the economy and prevent foreign money from tapping the facility.

To date, the BSP’s overnight borrowing or reverse

repurchase (RRP) facility rate is at record-low of 3.5 percent while the overnight lending or repurchase rate (RP) is at 5.5 percent. (PNA)

CEB upgraded the aircraft used for flights 5J 118/119 between Manila and Hong Kong, from a 180-seater Airbus A320 to a 436-seater Airbus A330 aircraft. This is scheduled after CEB accepts delivery of its 2nd Airbus A330 aircraft from Toulouse, France in September 2013.

The airline flies four times daily from Manila to Hong Kong, daily from both Clark and Cebu

to Hong Kong, and twice weekly from Iloilo to Hong Kong.

“There is a great degree of interest in travel to Hong Kong, and we at Cebu Pacific want to continuously stimulate this demand with our trademark lowest fares, and more flights and routes. To date, we offer guests the most number of routes to Hong Kong, providing many travelers from all over the Philippines fast and

convenient access to this popular international destination,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

To further promote travel to Hong Kong, CEB holds a P999 seat sale from Manila until August 7, 2013 or until seats last.

The P999 seats are for travel from September 15 to November 30, 2013.

For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www.cebupacificair.com, or call the reservation hotlines (02)7020-888 or (032)230-8888. The latest seat sales can also be found on CEB’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.

CEB earlier announced it will operate a total of six brand-new Airbus A330 aircraft by 2015.

These aircraft will be utilized for CEB’s long-haul operations, which will be launched with direct daily Manila-Dubai services on October 7, 2013.

Since its inception in 1996, CEB has flown over 75 million passengers. It also posted a good track record in stimulating short-haul travel of passengers around Asia, with an 11% system-wide passenger growth in 2012.

BY THE NUMBERS Mindanao’s Gro ss Regional Domestic Prod uct for 2012 posts

3,000

motorised tricyc le in Davao City al s operating ong around

95

fixed routes.

SOURCE: CITY FRAN CHISING

BOARD

CEB adds more seats on MNL-HK route

D

EPLOYS A330 aircraft to accommodate demand The Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB) will utilize its brand-new Airbus A330 aircraft on one of its daily Manila-Hong Kong-Manila flights, from September 16 to October 4, 2013. This increases the number of available CEB seats on this route by 36%.

A shopper browses discounted items on display at a sports apparel outlet at the Annex of SM City Davao yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

as of May 2013 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 Cebu Pacific Thu

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

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 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 13:25

Cebu Pacific Tue/Wed//Sat 5J965 / 5J968 13:35 Silk Air Mon/Sat MI588 / MI588 13:35 Silk Air Wed/Sun MI566 / MI566 15:20 Silk Air Thurs MI551 / MI551 12:05 Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 5J507 / 5J598 15:00 Philippine Airlines August 15:55 Mani2Mani 16:50 Zest Air Daily Z2524 / Z2525 16:05

Manila-Davao-Manila Davao-Singapore Davao-Singapore Davao-Singapore Cebu-Davao-Cebu

14:05 18:55 18:55 15:45 15:30

Cebu-Davao-Cebu

16:45

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

7

Rice gene digs deep to triple yields in drought AT A GLANCE: • •

R

•

ICE is a staple food for nearly half of the world’s population, but is also particularly susceptible to drought owing to its shallow roots, researchers say.

The new study shows that by pointing roots down instead of sideways, the Deeper Rooting 1 (DRO1) gene results in roots that are nearly twice as deep as those of standard rice varieties.

“If rice adapts to or avoids drought conditions using deeper roots, it can get water and nutrients from the deep soil layers,” says the study’s lead author Yusaku Uga, a researcher with Japan’s National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences.

Uga and his team found that in moderate drought conditions, the yield of rice with DRO1 was double that of the

Severe drought can cause as much as 40 per cent yield loss The gene causes the roots to grow further down towards water and nutrients This produces grains during drought, raising hopes for better rice crops shallow-rooted rice variety. Under severe drought conditions, this increased to 3.6 times greater.

“The most important point is that we had rice grains produced under drought conditions,” says Uga. “When rice crops just tolerate drought, they cannot get water and nutrients, resulting in a kind of survival mode.”

The DRO1 gene occurs naturally in more than 60 rice varieties.

For the study, the research team crossbred a rice variety carrying DRO1 with a shallow-rooted variety and then bred the offspring together to produce a rice crop in which DRO1 was uniformly present.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) estimates that an additional 8-10 million tonnes of rice will

be needed each year to keep rice prices affordable at around US$300 per tonne. Finding a drought-resistant variety of rice may be key to

attaining this goal, according to researchers.

“Drought is the most widespread and damaging of all environmental stresses,” says

seasoning sauces; its flowers can be eaten after being lightly blanched or raw as a tasty addition to salad; and the oil content of its kernel is used as lubricant for fine machinery and also as vegetable cooking oil,” she explained.

“There are a lot of studies that have been conducted on the uses of malunggay. It can even be used to treat wastewater,” she added.

At Biomasa, a Technical University based in Nicaragua, studies have been conducted using the seeds from malunggay for the final treatment in wastewater treatment units.

Malunggay is also a good source of provita-

min A, vitamins B and C, and minerals, such as iron, among others.

Malunggay leaves are also good for headache, bleeding from a shallow cut, bacterial and fungal skin complaints, and gastric ulcers and diarrhea.

Malunggay pods are dewormers, and good for treating liver and spleen problems, pain of the joints and malnutrition; while malunggay seeds can treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramps, sexually transmitted diseases, boils and urinary problems, and a relaxant for epilepsy.

“Because of the many uses of malunggay, the government should formulate a sustainable

framework for development that will serve as guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for the production, marketing, processing and distribution of malunggay for food, medicinal, health, and commercial needs.

This is the goal of the proposed measure I filed,” said Legarda.

The bill also seeks to establish a Malunggay Development Fund to provide for the funding requirements for the production, marketing, and processing of malunggay, with an initial amount of one billion pesos to be taken from the existing budget of the Department of Agriculture.

Sophie Clayton, head of communications at IRRI. “In some states in India, severe drought can cause as much as 40 per cent yield loss

[in rice crops].

Moreover, with the onset of climate change, droughts may become more frequent and more severe.”

Legarda urges gov’t to maximize benefits of malunggay UN, partners renew efforts

S

ENATOR Loren Legarda has highlighted the varied uses of malunggay and urged the government to maximize the benefits of the tropical crop.

Legarda said that she has re-filed the proposed Malunggay Development Act, under Senate Bill No. 104, to spur the production, processing, marketing and distribution of malunggay in suitable areas of the country in order to acquire its benefits.

“Malunggay is one of the most useful tropical trees. Its young leaves are commonly cooked and eaten like spinach or used to make soups and salads; its dry seed can be ground to a powder and used for

to support greening projects

T

ACKLING desertification and harnessing the economic opportunities from renewable energy, desert tourism and other sustainable development projects in drylands are the focus of new agreements signed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners in China Renewed collaboration between UNEP, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Beijing-based Elion Foundation was announced at the conclusion of the Kubuqi Inter-

national Desert Forum - the only international forum dedicated to supporting the green development of the world’s deserts, held in Inner Mongolia.

The Elion Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports desertification control, local community development and education in the Kubuqi region (China’s seventh largest desert) and beyond.

UNEP and the UNCCD both signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Foundation that aim to improve the management of dryland ecosystems. [UNEP]

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

EDITORIAL

I

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Tempest in a teapot?

F you think that the two mining companies wanting to mine in Paquibato district are some Manila-based or foreign-based corporations, think again.

In fact, the two companies –Alberto Mining Corporation and Pensons Mining Corporation -- are owned by the same group of persons, most of them Dabawenyos, people whom readers of this newspaper may know or have heard about. The general information sheets (GIS) of both companies are identical, save for a very few entries.

In the case of Pensons, only three of the 17 stockholders are non-Davao City residents. On the other hand, 15 of the 20 listed stockholders Alberto are Davao City residents. The corporate secretary of both firms is one and the same person, and so with the notary public, also a Dabawenyo who happens to be the president of both corporations.

Both companies registered Unit # 47 4thFloor, Landco Corporate Center, Bajada, Davao City as their office address. Notably, many of the listed of-

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ficers and stockholders of both corporations are surnamed Palermo, who are close relatives of Gerry Palermo, the amiable Dabawenyo geodetic engineer who is said to have made quite a pile by being the original claimant of the multi-billion peso Tampakan (South Cotabato) mining deposit to be explored

by Sagittarius Mining Inc. Before his untimely demise, Gerry had told his coffeemates at Victoria Plaza, his favorite haunt, that aside from the two claims in South Cotabato, he and his father also had active mining claims in Davao del Sur and Davao City.

Our point here is that the tempest created by the two companies’ applications to do mining operations Paquibato will soon calm down, since it appears that this is a local affair involving local players –Dabawenyos who want to mine some portions of the city and the local government which has declared it is against any sort of mining hereabouts.

Our guess is that this tempest in a teapot will be over in no time at all.

What’s yours?

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG Creative Solutions ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate Editor

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

EJ DOMINIC C. FERNANDEZ Reporter

AQUILES Z. ZONIO Correspondent

Columnists: CARLOS MUNDA • MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NICASIO AGUSTIN • VIDA A. MIA VALVERDE • Economic ENRICO“ADDIE” “GICO” G. Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER ANGELO C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA Analysts: • BERNADETTE B. DAYANGIRANG M.QUISIDO PEREZ • Lifestyle Columnists: BAISR., FAUZIAH SINSUAT •AMBOLODTO • MEGHANN STA. INES BORBON • MARY• JONALLIER ANN “ADI” C. • LEANDRO B. DAVAL • NIKKIFATIMA GOTIANSE-TAN NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY •ZEN NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

OLIVIA D. VELASCO General Manager

RICHARD C. C. EBONA EBONA RICHARD Marketing Supervisor Advertising Specialist

SOLANID.D.MARATAS MARATAS SOLANI Finance Finance

JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

KRISTINE D. BORJA Markerting Specialist

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE

LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Tel: (088) 852-4894

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

ANGELICA R. GARCIA | Marketing Manager Blk. 1, Lot 10, La Mar Townhomes, Apitong St., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 942-1503

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

V

Are our public places safe?

ULNERABLE “SOFT” TARGETS – Since the Cagayan de Oro City bombing, security has been steeped up especially in Metro Manila, but “soft” areas – entertainment centers, shopping malls, schools, parks, airports, seaports and transport terminals may be the more vulnerable targets. How easy is to walkover into these “soft targets” teeming with people. The explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) the previous week in a popular recreation complex in CDO is one grim reality that disturbs the stillness of a peaceful city.

The explosion that killed at least 8 innocent civilians and injuring scores more was cruelly simple. The culprit perhaps with a companion serving as a lookout left a backpack loaded with explosives fitted with rudimentary timer and simply walked away – and the unexpected happened. But security experts theorized the bloody incident as a “load of rubbish to call it a sophisticated attack” – anybody could it. The bad news is that “soft” spots are easy target even for ordinary criminals. What make these places useful and functional is what make them devilishly hard to secure: high volume of people, many doors and exits, and lax security procedures.

Barely two weeks after that incident, another believed to be a car bomb explosion rocked a commercial area in Cotabato City killing at least 6 people and severely wounding 30 others. Police probers investigating both bombings are still facing a blank wall.

Government forensic experts and intelligence agents were picking through the rubbles and smoldering ruins for clues, but up to now the perpetrators and the motives are still unknown – either part of a terrorist network or perhaps a local clone. But because public places were the targets, intelligence agents are looking hard at other angles.

N

VANTAGE POINTS

There is also a possibility that the recent bombings have something to do either with politics or personal grudge.

W h a t ’ s more, the bombings come in the midst of a warning about global security alert issued by the U.S. prompting its government to close their embassies and consulate offices particularly in the Middle East and some parts of Asia including the Philippines for security reasons.

Are we going to presume that the recent bombings have something to do with the US warning? Or is there really a terrorist threat?

It appears that offenders can hit anyone anytime and the threat to the US and its allies is global. For the nth time Islamic extremists likewise explicitly threatened the U.S. allies.

Governments from Asian nations including the Philippines sent troops to help the U.S.’s rebuilding and polishing efforts in some wartorn Arab countries making them potential targets for anti-US jihadists.

We could hear our people saying it is virtually impossible to make public places secure. That’s wrong and that doesn’t mean our police and military, and intelligence network shouldn’t try. Our peace and security people would show they must. The Philippines is among the nation in the Asian region that is plagued with violent insurgencies – might also find their public areas targeted by homegrown terrorists. And if authorities know one thing about terrorists, it’s that they stick to what they know best. For extremist

groups interested in killing large number of innocent people, public places offer an ideal venue.

The recent bombings were the reasons the government boosted its status to red, its second highest state of alert. As the government hardened security around diplomatic posts, military and government facilities and key businesses, terrorist operatives – homegrown or otherwise will look for targets that are not so well protected. They are taking aim at accessible places – entertainment joints, malls, hotels, schools, parks and tourist sites – that are not and can never be very well protected. When the soft targets are linked to global income-generating ventures such as tourism and other key businesses in countries that count on it, the secondary economic impact can be almost worse.

One of the things that figure into the perpetrators’ calculations are the chances of success, and they will abandon an attack when they saw a hefty security. However, some security experts worry that the current taste for soft targets might be intended to divert attention while the culprits prepare a spectacular attack. Security threat is a dilemma for countries rich and poor. Just imagine, in the Philippines for example, keeping a million people safe every day in public places is a nightmare to our peace and security officials and intelligence specialists. It’s a daunting task authorities could never do without the support and cooperation of the people. In a troubled world there is always a continuous terrorist threat and security officials have to sensitize everyone from a boot-polish boy to the nippiest and the passersby. In the wake of the two bombings, assurance from authorities that “nothing passed unnoticed” seemed frighteningly unconvincing.

UN ‘critical’ to U.S. interests

EW U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, saying the world organization is “critical” to U.S. interests.

The 42-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner walked from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations across New York City’s First Avenue to the UN Headquarters complex on a summer afternoon with aides and security personnel.

Pausing in the lobby of the 39-story UN Secretariat, she met a battery of cameras and reporters, saying, “Hello everybody. I am Samantha Power. I am totally delighted to be here, so honored, so thrilled to have started work as the U.S. ambassador to the UN.” Power emigrated from Dublin, Ireland, to the United States when she was 9-yearsold and became a U.S. citizen. She went to Yale University and Harvard Law School, was a war correspondent in the Balkans and wrote a 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning book on genocide and also taught.

The book, “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” brought her to the attention of a U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois, Barack Obama, who was campaigning for the presidency.

She later served as a special assistant to Obama and was senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights on the

SPECIAL FEATURE

BY WILLIAM M. REILLY National Security staff at the White House.

“I’ve worked with the secretary-general over the last few years at the White House, worked very effectively with him, and I am looking very much forward to a close working relationship now that I am up here in New York,” Power told reporters.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Power’s nomination only last week.

“As I made clear in my testimony before the senate the UN is critical to a range of U.S. interests and U.S. leadership at the UN is indispensable to make progress on those interests,” she said.

“We have a lot to discuss upstairs and even more to do whether it’s terrorism, it’s a broader range of security concerns, mass atrocities in Syria, South Sudan, the effort to alleviate global poverty, the crackdown on civil society around the world.”

“There are just so many issues where the United States and the United Nations have to work together to achieve progress,” Power said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to come to New York, to be able to sit behind the placard that says the United States.”

Power replaces Ambassador Susan

Rice who has been appointed National Security Adviser by Obama.

Rice resigned the UN post after she was the White House choice for communicating with the media after the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three others were killed and 10 injured or wounded. Rice went on news programs saying the attack stemmed from a protest demonstration which later proved to be false; there was no demonstration just the attack.

While Power’s journey to the United Nations may sound like an immigrant’s dream, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

She was criticized by some for remarks about a decade ago they regarded as critical to Israel and she apologized and resigned her role in Obama’s first campaign for the White House when she called his opponent, Hillary Clinton, a “monster.” She later worked under former Secretary of State Clinton.

After Power presented her credentials to Ban, in a conference room outside his 38th floor office, she posed for pictures with him, his wife, Ban Soon-taek, and her husband, Cass Sunstein, with whom she has two small children. Sunstein is a former official in the Obama White House and is a Harvard Law professor. [PNA/Xinhua]

9

Customary Filipino serenade fading out SPECIAL FEATURE

BY HONOR BLANCO CABIE

(Conclusion)

T

HE popular Filipino serenade, popularly known in this Southeast Asian archipelago as harana, is slowly fading out.

This part of the country’s culture, in vogue and in crescendo in the 1950s up to the 1960s – when Elvis Presley was wiggling his hips with “Jailhouse Rock” and the Beatles dishing out their “It’s Been A Hard Day’s Night,” has now been overtaken by a different key and scale.

The inroads of the cell phone technology and the spread of social networking services have helped erase from the manners of today’s generation of Filipinos the erstwhile cherished tradition of their grandparents and grand uncles and aunts.

In some provinces – like Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and the whole Ilocos region – the sight of a man and his friends, the classic Spanish guitar in hand, was most familiar by the window of one woman being courted at past dusk.

The men in their late teens or early 20s, in their evening best, hair combed with scented pomade available from the nearest town store, belted out several love songs when the night was young and the moon was yellow.

In some of the provinces, particularly those in rice-growing Nueva Ecija, the men would be politely invited inside where they would engage, alternately, in sort of competition with the woman being courted with the number of songs sung till past midnight.

But those in the Ilocos, even if they were still awake, would never let the men inside – high in the belief the modest Ilocana should never show the man courting him he was being considered, if at all.

It seemed they belonged to the old school of thought that the Ilocana, as were many Filipino women in other parts of the country, were basically shy and secretive.

Fast forward to the later decades, and the culture of “ang-angaw” among the Ilocanos and “tuksuhan” among the Tagalogs or just teasing flourished .

This was common among teeners and young adults, a way of matching people who may have mutual admiration or affection for each other and may end up in a romance or avoidance of each other if the scenario became embarrassing for both individuals.

The presence of other men during the evening serenade, most notably very close friends of the one courting or one who is interested in the woman next door or in some other barangay, was at that time a psychological boost.

In the Ilocos, the men would blend voices and sing the ballad

10

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Prices.. FFROM 2 ucate the buying public how to distinguish the different varieties of the fruit, according to festival committee chair Manuel Villanueva who added that educational farm tour for a minimal fee will also be conducted for those who want to learn more about durian and its culture.

At the same time, Miculob and Villanueva announced that the Durian Road Map for Davao Region was approved last August 2 during a meeting of durian growers and stakeholders with local and national government representatives and officials of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, Davao City Agriculturist Office, provincial agriculturist offices and high value crops division representatives of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley.

According to DA acting regional executive Remelyn Recoter, highlights of the road map

which is good for the next five years, although subject to annual revisions if need be, include the increase of areas to be planted to durian in the region from the current 6,000 hectares (after the Typhoon Pablo devastations) to 10,000 hectares in 2017.

The road map also includes government budgetary support for capacity building, package of technology training, organizational development, productivity and quality enhancement, nursery development, strengthening regulations, continuing research and development program, local and international trade fairs and promotions; and public-private partnership in major investment projects like fruit processing plants.

Pursuant to the ambitious road map, Miculob and Villanueva said the durian industry hopes to increase production volume from the current 37,000 metric tons to 100,000 metric tons by 2017 at an ideal yield of 10 tons per hectare from the

current average of 4.4 metric tons.

“We are also targeting to export 40 percent of our total volume of production by 2017,” Miculob said.

He said a few plantations have already yielded 10 metric tons per hectare, indicating that such the industry target is doable.

The durian harvest fell right smack into the middle of the Kadayawan festival, he said.

“Another good thing is that the harvest season will last longer, from August to December,” Miculob said.

Miculob and Villanueva attributed this year’s bountiful harvest to ideal weather and the package of technology that most durian growers had learned during the last two years.

Only durian farmers and growers will participate in the festival so they would experience how advantageous it is to sell directly to the public, instead of through the usual middlemen, the farmer-leader said.

the CRMC. Manambuay was with Chief Inspector Abubakar Mangelen, both of the Maguindanao PNP intelligence unit when the blast occurred at 4:25 p.m.

Mangelen is out of danger, his relatives said.

Mayor Japal Guiani Jr, claimed the object of the bomb attack was him or his administrator Guiani-Sayadi, his younger sister, who was on board a Chevrolet bullet proof van about 10 meters from the blast site.

Guiani offered an unspecified amount of bounty to anyone who could provide information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the men behind the attack.

“It was un-Islamic, done during the holy month of Ramadhan, I condemn this act of terrorists,” Guiani said.

He said after the July 26 bomb attack in Cagayan de Oro City, he and his sister were warned of possible similar attack on the family convoy.

Guiani-Sayadi’s black vehicle was saved by a dump truck it was tailing when the blast

occurred, Mayor Guiani said. “She is fortunate that there were two vehicles ahead,” Guiai said.

Balquin said the scene of crime operatives and combined police, Army and Marine bomb experts are still sifting through the scene of the explosion to determine what kind of explosives used in the attack.

“We have the chassis number of the car bomb, we will determine its owner,” Balquin said, adding that the Toyota Town Ace passenger vehicle loaded with gallons of gasoline, was parked in the area at least three hours before.

The scene of the blast remained cordoned off by police authorities as investigation was still on-going.

Balquin said that in the 30 wounded persons, 13 of them are still confined in a hospital while the 17 others is now in good condition.

In Manila, Philippine National Police (PNP) nChief Director General Alan Purisima on Tuesday reiterated his order to step-up

intelligence and target-hardening efforts in their respective areas, particularly on soft targets like commercial areas and such places of convergence and to fully employ the threetiered defense system.

Purisima also ordered that part of these incident management measures is to layout an isolation and preservation of the crime scene and initiate explosives trace detection process to aid in the investigation referring to the mishandling of the preservation of the blast site at the Cagayan de Oro mall explosion on July 26.The Cagayan de Oro police allowed club owners to clean the site of the explosion without cordoning off the area.

The PNP chief added that all available resources and personnel of Cotabato City Police Office were mobilized and ordered to coordinate with the local government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to assist the wounded and make necessary arrangements for the casualties. (PNA)

Death..FFROM 2

BATO’S WARNINGS. Davao City Police Office (DCPO) chief Ronald dela Rosa cautions the public to be wary at all times with suspicious persons as he shares his

views on the recent bombing in Cotabato City which left eight people dead during an interview at Sangguniang Panlungsod yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Mindanao.. FFROM 2 Cabotage Law. President Aquino in his fourth State of the Nation Address had asked Congress to amend the Cabotage Law to sustain the growth of the country’s economy.

Cabotage refers to trading in coastal waters while the Cabotage Law itself refers a Tariff and Customs provision which states that maritime transportation of goods and

passengers within the country is reserved to Philippine registered marine vessels.

PhilExport –Davao chapter chairperson Domingo Ang said high shipping cost hinders small exporters from growing. Amending the Cabotage Law is viewed to ease shipping cost, he said.

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair, Secretary Luwalhati Antonino

said the amendment of this law will eventually allow foreign vessels to directly transport domestic cargo between two ports other than those designated as international ports.

She was one of the proponents in amending the said law when she was still a member of the House of Representatives. (PhilExport 11-Davao)

Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) endorsed for favorable action by its central office the applications for exploration permits of Pensons Mining Corporation and Alberto Mining Corporation in barangays Lumiad, Mapula, Salapawan and Tapak in Paquibato district covering a total of 16,867 hectares.

The two companies have the same stockholders and officers as indicated by their General Infound Sheets (GIS) in Security and Exchange Commision.

MGB regional director Edilberto L. Arreza said neither corporation has exceeded the maximum allowable area for mining application. Penson Mining covers 8,391 hectares while Alberto Mining applied for 8,475 hectares.

He said that the proposed mining projects appear to be acceptable to the indigenous cultural communities as evidenced by the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with indigenous cultural communities.

But Datu Rolly G. Latawan, barangay captian of Tapak, who was also invited to appear

in the yesterday’s session, said that they were made to understand by the companies that the exploration permit has nothing to do with mining operations but merely for research and other scientific purposes in order to determine the resources in the area.

“They did not tell us that they are going to mine,” he said in yesterday’s council session.

Jacinto said the MoA should also be a tripartite document with the National Indigenous People Commission (NCIP) as the third party, duly approved by the commission en-banc to signify that the companies have secured prior free consent from the tribal communities.

Latawan and other barangay captains revealed that IP signatories of the MoA who manifested their approval of the granting of the exploration permit were only brought to a certain place in the city, miles away from their communities.

Cristito D. Ingay, NCIP provincial officer for Davao City, said they were not informed by the MGB of the existence of the applica-

tion.

“It should have been referred to our office.

It’s one thing that the MGB missed. There was no official endorsement,” he said.

Lawyer Wilfredo G. Moncano, chief of the MGB mines management division, insisted that the NCIP was properly informed together with the city government as shown by the received stamped copies of the documents.

The city council yesterday passed a resolution informing the MGB central office of its strong opposition to the possible issuance of exploration permits to the mining companies.

Voting unanimously the council cited the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code of 1991 which provides that the city “shall protect the environment from activities which result in pollution, acceleration or eutrophication of rivers and lakes or of ecological imbalance.”

The council also called for the conduct of a study that will be used as the basis in enacting an ordinance declaring Davao City as mining-free.

Miners’.. FFROM 1

11 ICT HUB

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

High-definition multi-color iPad Mini coming this year T

HE latest reports concerning what Apple may or may not be planning to launch before the end of this

year are centered on the second generation 7.9-inch tablet.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the second-gener-

ation iPad Mini, widely expected to launch in September, will have a higher definition Retina display after all and will also be available

in a choice of back plate colors.

The original device, launched in October 2012 sported a standard definition 7.9-

COMING. Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announcing the iPad Mini.

inch display and was available with either a black or a sliver-white anodized alloy back.

However according to unnamed sources, Apple, that most secretive of tech companies, is planning to offer potential owners a choice of colors like the iPod touch.

There is no doubt that a new small tablet will be launched later this year, the only disagreement so far is focused on screen resolution. Reports earlier this year, courtesy of Apple analyst extraordinaire, Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities, stated that due to the prohibitive costs, the next iPad Mini would be a stopgap product and that a high-resolution version wouldn’t be launched until 2014 when manufacturing costs had fallen.

However, in recent weeks news has emerged that despite their love/hate relationship, Apple has

chosen to partner with Samsung in order to build smaller high-resolution displays for smaller devices, leading the Wall Street Journal to the conclusion that the Retina iPad Mini will be coming out this year.

Looking around at the current state of the small tablet market, if Apple doesn’t up the resolution on its next device, it will be the only branded tablet in that space that doesn’t offer a 1080p viewing experience. The latest Google tablet, the Nexus 7, has a high definition screen as does the existing Amazon Kindle Fire. What’s more, the next generation Amazon tablet, also expected to launch in September, is claimed to have a higher resolution still, while Samsung has a number of 7-inch, 8-inch and 10inch tablets with HD displays on offer in different territories.

Do you punch your PC too? Amazon founder Bezos to buy O

VER one third of US consumers with problematic computers have been driven to threatening, shouting at and even hitting their PCs in frustration.

Thirty-six percent of US consumers with disobedient PCs admit that over the last six months they have indeed lashed out at their notebook or desktop. Some have used profanity, have screamed and shouted in frustration or have even been driven to beat it, either with a fist or with the closest suitable object.

Unsurprisingly, those in the 2000-strong survey group who are plagued by the underperformance of their computers say that it’s having an emotional impact on their lives -- 65 percent say they feel frustrated, 10 percent feel anger, and 4 percent feel that they are being victimized.

“We’ve become so dependent on our computers and think of them as helpful partners, making it that much more painful when they betray us at the worst possible time,” said Roddy McLean of Crucial.com, the computer RAM company that commissioned the study.

Surprisingly, the younger the user, the greater the frustration.

Despite being perceived as digital natives who eat, drink and sleep consumer technology, the study, undertaken

by Harris Interactive, found that the over-35s were much more sanguine when it came to computer performance.

Over one third (39%) of 18-34-year-olds resort to abusive behavior towards what is essentially nothing more than a consumer electronics device when the going gets frustrating compared with a

quarter of older users, and 12 percent of younger users admitted resorting to violence compared with just 2 percent of those aged 35 or older.

When asked what they thought was the source of their ire, 46 percent of those who have had computer problems said that they believed it was viruses and malware, 10 percent believed it was being caused by the software installed on the computer, 8 percent cited insufficient RAM, while only 12 percent blamed themselves for their computers’ behavior, and most honestly of all, 16 percent said they were not sure what was causing the problem.

The survey didn’t provide any details as to which type of computer -- i.e., Mac or PC - or which operating system the device was running.

[AFP]

Washington Post for $250 M A

MAZON.COM Inc founder Jeff Bezos will buy the Washington Post newspaper for $250 million in a surprise deal that ends the Graham family’s 80 years of ownership and hands one of the country’s most influential publications to the businessman whose Internet company has transformed retailing.

Bezos, hailed by many as technology visionary, called his acquisition a personal endeavor and reassured employees and readers of the 135-yearold newspaper he will preserve its journalistic tradition, while driving innovation.

The acquisition, the latest in a flurry of deals for print publications including the New York Times Co’s sale of the Boston Globe for $70 million, is a another sign of the unprecedented challenges newspapers face as advertising revenue and readership decline.

Shares of the Washington Post Co climbed more than 5 percent to $599.85

after hours - their highest level in almost five years.

Donald Graham, the chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Co, said in an interview that he and his niece Katharine Weymouth, the Post’s publisher, made the decision to put the newspaper up for sale earlier this year after looking at its financial forecasts.

“For the first time in either of our lives we said to each other: is ownership by the Washington Post Co the best thing for the newspaper? We could keep it alive, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was could we make it strong?”

Graham and Bezos discussed the deal at two meetings in Sun Valley, Idaho during the annual Allen & Co media and tech conference in July. The investment bank had been retained earlier in the year to gauge potential buyer interest, and is now the banker on the deal.

Graham’s company had talked to no more than a dozen parties about selling the paper.

He declined to name the other parties.

“I named a price and Jeff agreed to pay it,” said Graham, who initially thought Bezos would be an unlikely buyer. “To my surprise, when (Allen & Co) said they would call him, I said that would be great but I didn’t think he would be interested.”

The investment bank ended up advising on the deal.

At a meeting in January, Graham said longtime friend and former Washington Post board member Warren Buffett referred to Bezos as the best CEO in the United States for his technology and business acumen.

“I asked (Bezos) why he wanted to do it and his reasons are the best ones: he believes in what newspapers do and what the Post does and that it’s important to the country,” Graham said.

The Amazon CEO took that message directly to employees in a letter posted on the newspaper’s website. [AFP]

12 CLASSIFIEDS

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VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

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CLASSIFIEDS 13

14 SPORTS

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

GANG REBOUNDING. Francis Gabrile Escandor and Ayos Angeles of Ateneo defend against Leo Austria of Ford Academy during the Royal Mandaya Hotel Cup basketball tournament last sunday. Ateneo won 67-37. Lean Daval Jr.

EDGEDAVAO

DC to send 200 athletes to BPinoy elims Davao City sports war chest smaller than Kadayawan sports budget

F

OR a change, Davao City will be sending an almost full complement to the forthcoming 2013 Batang Pinoy Mindanao eliminations on August 27-31 in nearby Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

The 200-man delegation will be armed with a war chest of P700,077— perhaps the biggest budget the city has set aside for a multi-sport regional eliminations.

This was formally announced by the Davao City Sports Development Office yesterday following a meeting with sports associations and the Department of Education (Deped) regional office.

“We are sending a bug delegation to the Batang Pinoy Mindanao leg and we have allocated a sum of P700,077 for this,” declared city sports chief Butch Ramirez.

While the budget may sound daunting, it pales in comparison to the budget allocated for Kadayawan sports which is P850,000.

The Kadayawan sports events will be among the sidelights of Davao’s annual festival.

Davao City will be taking part in arnis (15 athletes), athletics (13),

badminton (8), chess (8), dancesport 3), lawn tennis (4), sepak takraw (5), softball (12), swimming (16), table tennis (8), taekwondo (13) and volleyball (20).

The contingent will also include non-NSA entries in judo (16) and karatedo (15).

In sum, the delegation will be composed of 16 athletes, 27 coaches and 17 officials.

Batang Pinoy is an open tournament for children aged 15 years old and below or those born in 1998 or later. Representation will be by local government units and anyone wishing to particioate must be endorsed by an LGU. Ramirez said while the city will have one official delegation, it will not deprive athletes or associations wishing to take part using their own resources.

“We hope to compete under one team and one city but if we can help others compete, we will endorse them,” Ramirez stressed. He added that if a non-member athlete wins in the eliminations, the city will be supporting the said athlete in the Nationals.

Top karateka to miss BPinoy

A

N iron rule has just produced another irony.

Gabriel Quinones, one of this year’s sports awardees and the city’s top-performing junior karatedo athlete, will be missing the 2013 Batang Pinoy Mindanao leg eliminations in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Quinones, 2013 karatedo athlete of the year in the So Kim Cheng Awards, is out of the competition by virtue of a strange rule followed in selecting Davao City athletes for the regional sports conclave selecting the qualifiers for the Nationals set November this year in Zamboanga City.

Another karateka and SKC awardee Darlene Maramara will also be left out in the Batang Pinoy Mindanao leg eliminations set August 27-31.

“Hindi kami kasali. We don’t know, good luck na lang sa kanila,” said Rommel Tan, who heads the Association for the Advancement of Karatedo (AAK).

The Philippine Karatedo Federation (PKF) is the

acknowledged NSA for the sport.

AAK has produced the high-achieving karatekas in Davao City including Quinones, Darlene and Denzel Maramara and Alyssa Danya Paquil, among others. The four recently won five gold medals in the SM Milo Super Karate Kids Age Group Championships in SM City Marikina.

Davao City has announced yesterday it will be sending a 200-man delegation to the Mindanao leg of the Batang Pinoy with a budget of 700,077.

The delegation will include 16 karatedo athletes and 2 coaches, but it will not be Tan’s group.

“Ambot ngano. Di kami kasali (I don’t know why.

We are not included),” Tan said in a text message.

Karatedo is one of the problematic sports associations in the city where conflicting groups vie for the budget and representation of the city in regional and national tournaments. Other sports with similar problems are swimming, volleyball and chess.

INdulge!

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

STYLE

Sunlab’s sample sale:

Stylish fashion hub holds first pop-up store SUNLAB, one of the quirkiest and most colorful stores in Davao, recently had its first ever Sample Sale last weekend.

Owned by three good friends — Havaianas South East Mindanao’s Marga Nograles, FTLP’s Sarah Claudio and ARC Public Relations Director Celine Gabriel-Lim— Sunlab is a fashion hub that houses a wide variety of both international and local brands. The store boasts a strong street following as it carries an impressive collection of trendy clothing and accessories.

The pop-up store, set up in Villa Margarita,

FSUNLAB’S, 10

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

Globe Telecom is Asia’s Best Brand

CMO Asia has conferred Asia’s Best Brand Award to Globe Telecom in recognition of its marketing leadership in the telecommunications sector both local and regional.

Globe was chosen based on the following criteria: a) Mind Share – indicates a brand’s strength inside the minds of the consumers of the respective product category; b) Market Share – shows a brand’s strength in a certain market in terms of consumers’ actual buying behavior; and c) Commitment Share – indicates a brand’s strength in encouraging consumers to buy that brand in the future.

“Branding is important since it provides the interface between the consumers and the company and shows how much a service or product is accepted by the public. Currently, Globe continues to sustain its growth momentum complemented by robust subscriber acquisitions which leverage on the success of our various marketing efforts across all brands. This Award, therefore, is proof that we are on the right track,” said Yoly Crisanto, Head of Globe Corporate Communications.

The 4th CMO Asia Awards for Excellence in Branding & Marketing recognizes Organizations, Chief Marketing Officers and Professionals who have shown leadership in building brands combined with consistent innovation and strategic marketing. It is also dedicated to high level knowledge exchange through thought leadership and peer networking amongst decision makers across industry segments in Asia.

The Awards was represented by 25 countries across Asia with about 200 Senior Leaders and decision makers who attended the awarding ceremony at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore.

Earlier, Globe My Super Plan for postpaid users was awarded the Most Innovative Telecom Project Award in the Asia Telecom Awards for its huge impact in the market. Globe My Super Plan as well as Go Sakto for prepaid subscribers, are both pioneering services that allow users to create their own plan or promo according to their needs, budget, usage levels, and preference and are testament to the strength of the Globe brand.

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Xian Lim’s commitment to a healthier lifestyle

By Kenneth Irving Ong

TALENTED actor, model, and upcoming singer Xian Lim took the time to visit some of Avon’s most passionate and dedicated sales representatives in Davao, to talk about his resolution to live a healthier, more balanced life this year with Avon Life Boost, his latest endorsement.

“In our line of work it’s important to stay healthy and fit so we can endure the long hours and still perform well,” shared Xian. “I already try to keep active by working out and playing basketball every now and then and I also make sure to eat in moderation. But when I learned about Avon Life Boost and was asked to become its endorser, it was

Cebu Pacific Air inks lease agreements for 5th and 6th A330 aircraft

THE Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB) recently signed operating lease agreements on two brand-new Airbus A330-300 aircraft with Intrepid Aviation, a US-based commercial aircraft lessor to passenger and freight airline operators worldwide.

CEB’s additional Airbus A330-300 aircraft will be delivered from 2014 to 2015, and will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772B engines. By 2015, CEB will operate a total of six brandnew Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

CEB earlier announced it will launch its long-haul operations with direct daily Manila-Dubai services on October 7, 2013. The Airbus A330-300 aircraft will allow it to fly to farther destinations, beyond the range of CEB’s Airbus A320 fleet.

“With our A330 fleet strengthened by this lease agreement, we will continue exploring other regions we can serve, such as the Middle East, Australia, parts of Europe and the US. These additional wide-body aircraft will allow us to offer Cebu Pacific’s trademark lowest fares to even more passengers,” said CEB General Manager for the Long-Haul Division Alex Reyes.

Since its inception in 1996, CEB has flown over 75 million passengers. It also posted a good track record in stimulating short-haul travel of passengers around Asia, with an 11% system-wide passenger growth in 2012.

Xian shares why he takes Avon Life Boost.

Xian together with Davao’s Avon ladies.

easy to say ‘yes’ because it really champions the kind of lifestyle that I want to achieve.”

Xian also revealed that working in show business may look glamorous but in reality, it involves endless hours of shoots, tapings and being on the road to get to locations “Oftentimes we would start early in the morning and end up really late in the evening just to get a scene done.” quips Xian “ That is why I try to stay healthy by having an active and taking Avon Life Boost as part of my daily health regimen.”

Avon Life Boost offers a nutritious and delicious defense against common

illnesses with the chewable, orange-flavored Vitamin C tablets Defense-C. The great tasting DefenseC contains acerola cherry fruit extracts, a natural source of Vitamin C, as well as sodium ascorbate, which helps reduce acidity.

When asked why Avon, the company for women, chose Xian to be Avon Life Boost’s endorser, Jassel Ang of Avon Nutritionals quickly replied “It is actually the Avon women who chose Xian to be the endorser. His commitment to having active lifestyle sealed the deal for us.”

Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with over $10 billion in annual revenue. As the world’s largest direct seller, Avon markets to women in more than 100 countries through approximately 6.5 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon’s product line includes beauty products, as well as fashion and home products, and features such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin So Soft, Advance Techniques, and Avon Naturals. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avoncompany.com.

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Judy Ann risks everything for her son in “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” PINOY Soap Opera Queen Judy Ann Santos continues to keep primetime viewers on the edge of their seats as her character Anessa claims vengeance and risks her all to recover her kidnapped son in ABS-CBN’s consistent top-rating and fastpaced primetime drama series “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala.”

From being a battered wife of Eros (Sam Milby), Anessa empowered herself and rose to defend herself from the people who maltreated her and to fight for her right as the mother of Emman (Miguel Vergara) who was k idnapped

by Eros and Alexis (KC Concepcion).

What far will Anessa’s retribution take her?

How will she turn Eros and Alexis’ wedding ‘more special?

Meanwhile, because of its compelling narrative and top caliber performance of its powerhouse cast, “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” remains unbeatable in its time slot since it premiered on June 17.

In fact, “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” managed to beat two primetime teleseryes of GMA namely, Mundo Mo’y Akin at My Husband’s Lover. On July 5 (Friday), the Kapamilya drama series hit its all-time high national TV ratings of 31.4% based on data from Kantar Media covering urban and rural homes nationwide.

It rated nine points higher than its then rival show,

Mundo Mo’y Akin which only scored 22%.

Like Anessa, “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala,” which is set to end soon, stayed undefeatable despite new competition. Based on the latest data from Kantar Media last Friday (August 2), Judy Ann’s drama series scores a 14-point lead versus My Husband’s Lover.

Don’t miss the fast-paced story of “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala,” weeknights, after “Muling Buksan Ang Puso” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For more updates about the show, log on to www.facebook.com/HKLM. TV and follow @HKLM_TV on Twitter.

GMA Network wins top honors at the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption Awards LEADING television station GMA Network won a total of seven accolades, including two Hall of Fame citations, at the VACC (Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption) Awards held last Friday, August 2, at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

This year, GMA Channel 7 was inducted to the organization’s Hall of Fame for winning the Outstanding Television Station award for several years. Similarly, DZBB 594 khz, the Network’s flagship radio station, was also recognized as

a Hall of Fame awardee for the Outstanding Radio Station category.

GMA News anchor Jiggy Manicad was named Outstanding Television Anchor for his work on GMA News TV’s late afternoon newscast Quick Response Team. Likewise, senior reporter John Consulta bested several others for the Outstanding Television News Reporter award.

Sharing the Special Award for the Television Host category were GMA News pillars Jessica Soho and Mike Enriquez. Their re-

spective programs, Soho’s primetime newscast State of the Nation on GMA News TV and Enriquez’ hard-hitting investigative program Imbestigador on GMA-7, were also cited for the Television Program category. DZBB’s senior reporter Rowena Salvacion, in turn, was given a special award under the Radio Reporter category.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the VACC is an organization committed to eradicating criminality and corruption in the country.

BAKIT HINDI KA CRUSH NG CRUSH MO? 2D Kim Chiu, Xian Lim PG 13

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

THE SMURFS 2 2D Hank Azaria Neil, Patrick Harris GP

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

PERCY JACKSON SEA OF MONSTERS 2D Logan Lerman, Brandon Jackson PG 13

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

R-16 RED 2 / *THE WOLVERINE 2D

From L-R: 15th VACC awardees GMA reporter John Consulta, AVP for Corporate Affairs Teresa Pacis, GMA News pillar and consultant for GMA Radio Operations Mike Enriquez, QRT news anchor Jiggy Manicad, State of the Nation with Jessica Soho executive producer Myla Torres, DZBB senior reporter Rowena Salvacion, and Imbestigador associate producer Michael Manalaysay.

Bruce Willis/ *Hugh Jackman R13/ *PG13

12:00 | 2:20 / * 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

STYLE

EDGEDavao Davao Partners

Sunlab’s..FFROM A1

featured select designer labels such as Prada, Valentino, D&G, Tory Burch, and MiuMiu. There was also an impressive display of stylish and functional items from local brands like Glamorosa, Shiq Bags, Shoes by Faith, Spruce Pinked, googoogaga, Jean and Rosz Accessories, Jelly Nelly Sandals, and the Havaianas Embellished Collection.

The first day of the sale was reserved for regular clients and friends.

The activity opened with a trunk show featuring pieces from the sample sale. I was part of the group of women who were invited to model for the said show. Alongside yours truly were eligible bachelorettes and hot mommas namely Jarisse Go, Vannah Ang, Alicia Jaldon, Tisay Celi, Trisha and Chiara Baluyot, Michele Seng, Carine Bacani, and Carine Cabebe. It was nerve-wrecking for me to be side by side svelte and tall ladies as I had just abandoned my diet during my recent trip out of town. I shrugged off the anxiety and chose pieces which would hide a bit of the excess baggage. The

other ladies walked like pros and strutted around the room with elegance and ease.

In one side of the room were racks of designer labels in an assortment of soft fabric, lace and crochets, solid hues, mosaics and oriental prints, and classic cuts. I sensed a lot of panic buying right from the moment the doors opened. Huaraches, accessories, and bags sold like hot cakes. Sunlab’s collaboration with home grown clothing brand Glamorosa was also a hit among buyers, with pieces ranging from chiffon dresses and one piece wonders which are perfect for our tropical weather. My own loot included chunky accessories and a stack printed dresses.

“We wanted to showcase the latest and mosttalked about fashion finds that are usually only found abroad or in Manila,” shared Marg. “For a limited time only, shoppers were able to choose from a host of premium brands at discounted prices. With this new shopping concept, chic Davaoeñas need not travel to Manila or overseas anymore for the hottest fashion finds.”

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 •WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

FIBA ASIA ROUNDUP

Iran continues rampage

I

RAN continued its march through the FIBA Asia Championship, battering Bahrain, 75-56, in Group F action on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The two-time Asian champions won going away despite resting star center Hamed Haddadi, who played just 17 minutes. Superstar swingman Samad Nikkhah Bahrami led the way for Iran with 17 points while shooting guard Hamed Afagh continued to showcase fine form with 15.

Iran looked like it was set for another monumental beatdown after taking a 23-6 lead after the first quarter. But Bahrain, missing naturalized center CJ Giles for the rest of the tournament, bounced back by limiting Iran to just seven points in the second quarter to come within three points, 30-27, at the half.

But the Persians flexed their muscles in the third quarter, outscoring their foes, 33-14, to put the game out of reach.

Iran remained atop its group with four wins in the books, while Bahrain dropped its second straight assignment in the second round.

The two teams will plunge back into action on Wednesday, with Iran battling Kazakhstan and Bahrain taking on China.

Jordan keeps hopes alive

J

ORDAN kept its bid alive for a spot in the FIBA Asia Championship quarterfinals with an 80-54 victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Mohammad Hadrab paced Jordan with 21 points while Mahmoud Abdeen added 13 as they booked their first

UNSTOPPABLE. Gabe Norwood drives against Japan’s Takeuchi Kosuke.

win in the second round of competition.

Jordan won despite a poor game from naturalized swingman Jimmy Baxter, who scored just two points in the

contest on 1-of-6 shooting.

Hong Kong, which lost for the fourth consecutive time in the tournament, saw only Shing Yee Fong score in

ANOTHER DOPING MESS A-Rod banned through 2014 N EW YORK CITY– New York Yankees star slugger Alex Rodriguez was banned through to the end of the 2014 season Monday in the latest doping scandal to blacken baseball.

Rodriguez is expected to appeal the punishment, while a dozen other players accepted 50 game suspensions from Major League Baseball over their links to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation over the fate of Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player who baseball officials say used banned drugs including testosterone and human growth hormone and also tried to obstruct the Biogenesis probe.

“Rodriguez’s discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of nu-

merous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years,” MLB said in a statement.

“Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.

Rodriguez’s suspension will take effect on Thursday. He was expected to be in a Yankees uniform for the first time this season on Monday night, after completing rehab from hip and quadriceps injury.

He can continue to play while any appeal is pending.

double-digits.

Jordan will take on Japan in a crucial battle on Wednesday that could end up deciding the last qualifier for the next round, depend-

ing on the Hayabusa’s match this afternoon against Chinese Taipei.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, will wrap up its second round campaign against Gilas Pilipinas.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ. banned for 211 games

16

VOL. 6 ISSUE 103 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

EDGEDAVAO Sports

PERFECT RUN Chinese Taipei struggles against Japan V

ETERAN stars Tsen Wen-Ting and Lin ChihChieh scored key baskets to help Chinese Taipei escape a hard-fighting Japan squad, 79-76, in Group E action in the FIBA Asia Championship on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With the win, the Taiwanese remained perfect in the tournament and kept alive its bid to top the

group stages.

But it had to survive a gritty effort by the Japanese, who went toe-to-toe with their more heralded opponents all game.

With Japan just two points behind, the ponytailed Tseng hit a crucial three-pointer to push the Chinese Taipei lead back to five, 7469, with 3:21 left.

Japan came charging back, scoring the next four

points. But Lin responded with a threepoint play with 44 seconds remaining to put more distance between the two teams, 77-73.

After a Japan miss, Tseng nailed two free throws to ice the game for Chinese Taipei, who can sweep the group stages with a victory in its final outing on Wednesday against Qatar.

Tseng finished with his best output

of the tournament with 19 points, while Lin added 16. The loss spoiled the balanced effort of Japan, which drew double-digit efforts from four different players.

With its second defeat in the second round, Japan is in danger of falling out of the knockout stages. Its showdown with Jordan will determine the final qualifier from Group E in the next round.

DOMINATING PRESENCE. Japeth Aguilar of the Philippines slams over Japan’s Ichioka Hiroshi and Takeuchi Kosuke during the third quarter of the Philippines-Japan match won by the Filipinos, 90-71, at the FIBA Asia Champioships. Below, Larty Fonacier also hit big from rainbow country against Japan.