Edge Davao 6 Issue 35

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

THE LOOK. Is that a staredown Presidential sister Kris Aquino is doing at Marijac Pamintuan, scion of the Pamintuan family who owns Apo View Hotel, after the celebrity was ushered into the hotel yesterday? She slipped into her room and did not attend a press conference for senatorial bets Chiz Escudero and Grace Poe whose candidacy she is supporting. Lean Daval Jr.

Sports

Page 16

PBA All-Stars arrive

Kris, James no-show C

all it another coincidence.

Kris aquino and former husband James Yap were both Davao-bound yesterday but did not show up in their respective press conference appearances.

The celebrity Presidential sister blew into town yesterday afternoon in the company of Team PNoy senatorial bet Chiz Escudero and stepped into the lobby of apo View Hotel at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon for a pre-arranged press conference. after being welcomed by apo View Hotel owner Marijac Pamintuan, Kris, who joined the campaign

sortie of Team PNoy in General Santos City yesterday morning, was heard telling Escudero she will just head straight to her room and will join the press conference later.

She did not show up and moderator antonio ajero, EDGE Davao Editor, announced that aquino cannot make it due to exhaustion.

“Maybe she is resting for a series of other events in the city late in the day,” ajero said.

Over in Digos City, James Yap did not show up for the formal media presentation of the Philippine Basketball association (PBa) all-Star Weekend at

FKRIS, JAMES NO-SHOW, 10

Basig nagsabot?

2 THE BIG NEWS

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

WHO’S AFRAID OF A SIGN? This seems to be the mindset of these promenaders who ignored a sign that prohibits swimming in this portion of the Sta. Ana Wharf mounted by the Philippine Ports Authority in Davao City yesterday . Lean Daval Jr.

Chiz hurls SALN dare against rivals

‘Magic sugar’ still banned in Davao City, says Braga S

By Che Palicte

by Antonio M. Ajero

“a

S of press time, ‘magic’ sugar is still banned in Davao City.”

This is exactly what City Councilor Pilar C. Braga said when asked about the status of the commodity in Davao City. Dr. Braga is the city councilor who authored the ordinance banning magic sugar in the city.

The Braga ordinance was based chiefly on advisory No. 2000-2001 of the Bureau of Food and Drug (BFaD), now renamed Food and Dru\g administration, an agency of the Department of Health

(DOH), prohibiting the commodity’s importation, distribution and sale.

“Magic sugar” is an artificial non-calorie sweetening agent which was discovered in 1937. it is chemically known as sodium cyclamate, cyclamic acid or calcium cyclamate.

Despite the findings that it can cause urinary bladders tumors in laboratory rats, it was marketed in several countries.

However, in FDa advisory No. 2013-009 dated april 15, 2013, the government agency reversed itself and now allows the use of magic sugar but “re-

quires all importers, traders and distributors to secure FDa authorization.”

Braga said the city council invited an FDa official to last Tuesday’s regular session to shed light on the matter.

Mrs. Deborah legaspi, FDa supervisor in region 11, attended the session and answered the questions from the local lawmakers.

Braga said the councilors were not satisfied with the answers “because they (FDa) seem unsure as to the latest finding that magic sugar is safe at a certain dosage.”

“it’s still a chemical that needs to be regulated,” the councilor said, adding that “until we are truly convinced of the recent so-called findings, the ordinance will not be lifted.”

She said the BFaD made waves in 2000 saying that magic sugar is hazardous, harmful to health thus the ordinance.

Now they’re singing a different tune, Braga said.

“How inconsistent, how unbelievable, how doubtful!” she added.

“The better part of valor is prudence,” Braga said.

ENaTOr Chiz Escudero, who submitted to the Senate secretary his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SalN) last Thursday with a signed waiver on secrecy of bank deposits , yesterday challenged other public servants, including senatorial candidates, to do likewise for transparency.

The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (ra 6713) requires all government officials and personnel to submit their sworn SalN documents within 30 days after assuming office and not later than april 30 every year thereafter.

During his SalN submission, Escudero challenged his peers in the Senate and candidates in the election next month to execute bank secrecy waivers.

“Candidates, particularly those running for Senate seats, have the obligation to execute bank secrecy waivers to observe the standard that was applied to former Chief Justice Corona by the Senate impeachment court in issuing a guilty verdict that led to his removal,” said Escudero.

He added that candidates for elective positions should make it a commitment to Filipino voters the execution of the secrecy waiver as proof of their hones intent in rendering public service as an assurance against theft of public funds.

“The challenge in transparency should not be treated as child’s play. Those who consider themselves as leaders do not need to be prodded to do something right, Escudero said.

GenSan talent wows Ellen Degeneres

a

SALN DARE. Reelectionist Sen. Chiz Escudero, right, who filed his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) last week, challenges other public servants, including senatorial candidates to file a signed waiver on secrecy of bank deposits for transparency while fellow Team PNoy senatorial bet Grace Poe listens during a press briefing at the Apo View Hotel yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

MEriCaN TV host Ellen Degeneres is again in awe of a young Filipino singer, this time, with aldrich lloyd Talonding from General Santos City. aldrich recently made news after a video of him singing luther Vandross’ hit “Dance With My Father” went viral. He was accompanied on guitar played by his cousin James Walter Bucong.

The video has now over 900,000 hits on Youtube.

Ellen recently showed

the video of aldrich to her audiences in “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” “last week i saw this video of a young singer.

He’s from the Philippines.

You gotta see this kid, amazing,” Ellen said.

This is not the first time that Filipino singers caught Ellen’s attention.

She has invited Charice to her show, which also paved the way for the singer’s international career.

FGENSAN, 10

SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

3

Sarangani board member sacked over funds misuse T HE Department of interior and local Government (DilG) has ordered the immediate removal from office of a provincial board member of Sarangani Province in connection with a dismissal verdict issued by the Office of the Ombudsman a decade ago over a fund misuse case. lawyer Muamar rhys Guiamadel, DilG region 12 legal counsel, said Wednesday the DilG central office issued the dismissal order against Sarangani board member Eugene alzate after the Court of appeals (Ca) reinstated in January its previous ruling that upheld the latter’s dismissal by the Ombudsman for dishonesty and grave misconduct.

“The Ca returned to its original ruling, dismissing alzate. That decision included corresponding accessory penalties such as the cancellation of his (civil service) eligibility, disqualification to hold any public office and forfeiture of benefits,” Guiamadel explained.

The official formally served alzate’s dismissal order, which was signed by DilG Undersecretary for local Government austere Panadero, at the Sarangani provincial capitol in alabel town on Tuesday morning. alzate is a known ally of reelectionist Sarangani rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao.

He is seeking reelection as board member of the province’s second district under the Pacquiao-led People’s

DRAGON BOAT RACE. The Butuan team of Father Saturnino Urios University makes a practice run before start of a race in the 2nd Cobra Philippine Dragon Boat Federation International Club

Crew Challenge in Dauis town, Bohol on Monday, 29 April 2013. The newly organized team from Butuan lost, but earned the respect of seasoned paddlers. [MindaNews/Erwin Mascariñas]

Champ Movement-United Nationalist alliance slate.

The DilG order cited that the Ca initially ruled on January 27, 2012 the dismissal of alzate and several other former provincial officials and employees of Sarangani based on a decision dated September 21, 2004 issued by the Ombudsman.

The court granted the motion for consideration filed by alzate based on its amended decision issued on august 30 last year, it said.

But the order noted that the appellate court

ruled anew on the case last January, setting aside its previous amended decision and reinstating its original decision issued a year ago.

The DilG said alzate could no longer question the Ombudsman’s decision since it is already final and executory and for supposedly failing to file an appeal.

Guiamadel said alzate insisted during the serving of the DilG order that his camp had filed the necessary appeal or motion for reconsideration regarding the Ca’s January resolution.

“i told (alzate) that it will be up to him to make his defense or raise (the appropriate motion) regarding this order,” he said.

The official added that it’s now up to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Sarangani to enforce the DilG central office’s dismissal order. in a text message posted in aBS-CBN’s TV Patrol Socksargen, alzate said the issuance and serving of the dismissal order from the DilG as “pure political harassment.”

“We have filed a timely motion for reconsider-

the merits to the soldiers in a simple ceremony at the 66th infantry Battalion Headquarters in Barangay Cabinuangan, New Bataan, Compostela Valley Wednesday.

He lauded the soldiers for respecting the rights of the people and the international Human law and above the rule of law.

“Keep up the good work as protectors of the people,” Coballes said.

The 17 members of the Scout Platoon of 66iB were led by 1lt. Marvin Gamad when they engaged the rebels in a firefight at Sitio apogon, Brgy Katipunan, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.

The encounter resulted to recovery of six high-powered firearms, namely five M-16 armalite rifles and one M-14 rifle, one anti-personnel landmine, handheld radios, and cam-

paign materials.

The soldiers treated and alternately carried one wounded rebel from mountainous area towards the poblacion using an improvised stretcher for his immediate transfer to Davao regional Hospital in Tagum City.

The rebel succumbed to massive organ failure while being treated in the hospital. [Pia 11/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines]

capacity of local structures like the councils for the protection of children and anti-trafficking in persons.

The TS Pablo Protection Cluster is tasked to ensure access of typhoon-affected communities to basic social services and assistance. it also supports these communities in preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.

Further, it conducts systematic monitoring and reporting of protection issues

especially among persons requiring special attention and persons with specific needs through community-based, gender-responsive, age-appropriate and culture-sensitive mechanisms.

The Cluster is composed of children and women-centered agencies like Save the Children, United Nations Population Fund, Plan international, local government units, UNiCEF, DSWD, DOJ, PNP, Hope Worldwide, United Nations

High Commissioner for refugees, and Community and Family Services international.

Nunez said the Cluster was able to install 44 Child-Friendly Spaces and 3 Women-Friendly Spaces and a referral Pathway System for Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence, and provided as well Child-Friendly Kits and Psychosocial Support to 499 children and 700 adults.

[DSWD/Carmela Cadigal-Duron]

17 soldiers lauded for heroic feat

T

HE military cited 17 members of the 66th infantry Battalion for a job well-done after figuring in an encounter with the New People’s army which resulted to the death of two rebels and the recovery of several high-powered fire arms in april 25, in the hinterlands of Nabunturan, Compostela Valley. lt. General Noel Coballes, commander of the Philippine army granted

‘TS Pablo’ monitors affected families

“i

N coordination with the local government units, we will continue to look into the status or conditions of the typhoon-affected families in camps or evacuation centers and those who are back in their communities,” said raquel E. Nunez, Policy and Plans Division Chief of DSWD and Head of TS Pablo Protection Cluster.

Nunez said the Cluster will sustain the child- and women-friendly spaces and will continue to build the

ation. Under the rules and jurisprudence, it will make the order held in abeyance pending the resolution of the motion,” he said.

“There is apparent deception here because (the order) did not include a copy of my motion for reconsideration and so it appeared as executory. We will fight this harassment.

My lawyers are ready to file cases (against) the involved officials,” alzate added.

The Office of the Ombudsman earlier ordered the dismissal from service of alzate and several oth-

er Sarangani officials after finding them guilty of misusing the province’s funds in 2002. also dismissed were former Sarangani Gov. Miguel Escobar, the late Vice Gov. Felipe Constantino and board members Teodorico Diaz, Juanito Purisima, redempto abiso, Marlind Marcelo and Hernando Sibugan. in late 2004, then Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo filed graft charges at the Sandiganbayan against Escobar and his co-accused. [allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews]

‘Visit Samal 2013’ successfully launched

T

HE Visit Samal island 2013 kicked off with a colorful motorcade joined by government officials, employees and resort owners held in the afternoon of april 27. island Garden City of Samal Mayor aniano P. antalan riding on a single motorcycle was joined

by Congressman antonio lagdameo on his Ducati bike led the motorcade which started from the City Hall Ground, Barangay Penaplata. The convoy traversed the roads in Mambago B to Barangay Villarica,Babak District and back to Penaplata via the national hi-way and finally converged at Peñaplata Freedom Park, Samal District.

Shortly after the vehicle parade, antalan and lagdameo led the cutting of ribbon which signalled the opening of the venue for the Visit Samal 2013 (VSi 2013) weeklong celebration followed with the flaming of grills for the ihaw-ihaw sa Samal

as one of the highlights activities before proceeding to the stage for the opening program.

“Nalipay ako sa kooperasyon nga gipakita sa mga resort owners ngad to sa local nga panggamhanan alang sa Visit Samal selebrasyon, nagpakita kini sa atong padayong pagtinabangay alang sa kalambuan sa industriya sa turismo.”(i am happy with the resort owners’ cooperation to the local government for the Visit Samal celebration, this shows our continuous collaboration for the development of our tourism industry) City Mayor aniano P. antalan said. antalan said that the island is generally peaceful, spared from natural disasters and also proud to belong to the top ten tourist destinations in the Philippines. He urged the resort owners to offer excellent service to tourist for them to have a memorable experience in the island. [Pr]

4 T

HE series of announcements by government officials from last week until the eve of labor day simply shows that the government has no heart for the workers: No wage increase, no security of tenure law, no tax exemption for workers. “and the increase in the SSS (Social Security System) contribution adds insult to injury.

Wala na ngang umento sa sahod, kinaltasan pa ang kanilang take home dahil sa pagpayag ni PNoy si pagtataas ng kontribusyon sa SSS,” Bayan Muna rep. Colmenares said in reaction to the announcement of Malacanang of a hike in the SSS contribution from 10.4% to 11%.

Bayan Muna has been working for the increase in the SSS pension since it filed House Bill 4365 in March 2011 increasing the SSS pension to P1,000 for those with at least 10 credited years of service and P2,000 for those with 20 credited years of service.

“But while we are pushing for the increase of pension, we are against an unreasonable increase in the contribution. Based on our study, the SSS has enough funds

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

SSS contribution increase adds insult to injury - - Bayan Muna to increase the pension without increasing the contribution. it’s assets amounted to P343.670 Billion in March 2012 and its annual investment income is P21-23 Billion per year. They have collectibles in the form of unremitted or delinquent premiums amounting to at least P8,515,581,227.56 Billion as of December 2010.

This amount does not yet include the collectibles from employers who did not avail of the amnesty program (P14.6B), fines and other penalties for the same,” rep. Colmenares explained.

He added that the SSS still has to file cases against more than 170,000 delinquent employers or those who do not remit the SSS contributions of their workers.

They were only able to file 1,227 cases in 2011 covering only P460.5 Million of unremitted premiums.

He also recalled that in 2010, SSS overcharged P 789 Million pesos SSS members loan payments for 2010 and the overcharged amounts from year 2000 could total to a maximum amount of P 7.1 Billion. “also in 2010, the SSS

Board Members received more that P200 Million in perks and bonuses. Kailangan pa ngang bawiin yun. it is not right that while thousands of members of the SSS wallow in poverty, the officials who receive payment from the contributions of its members get millions-worth of benefits,” rep. Col-

menares explained.

“HB 4365 has just passed third reading in the lower House in its substitute bill HB 6748 (substitute bill) on January 28 this year. Hindi pa nga ito nagiging batas, eto at itinaas na ang kontribusyon,” he said.

“Dagdag-pasakit na naman ito sa mga mang-

Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP).

The labor formation explained that Cayetano’s PTK: Presyo, Trabaho, Kita advocacy gives voice to the needs of the different sectors of this country. ”Senator alan understands that the fight against high prices, lack of jobs, and low wages,” it said. “Senator alan’s PTK program is the right program to help more Filipino families feel the benefits of our growing economy.” “after hearing about Senator alan’s listening Tour, which he has con-

ducted from the Cordillera region to Mindanao, we are convinced that he is the kind of senator we need: someone who listens. We believe that he is the right man in the Senate to fight for our cause.”

The labor group also made mention of Senator alan’s support for various issues that directly address laborers’ needs: the security of tenure bill, amendments to the Electric Power industry reform act (EPira) to ensure energy security, the appointment of a labor/ consumer representative to the Energy regulatory

Commission (ErC), and the amendments to the Salary Standardization law for civil servants, among others.

For his part, Cayetano expressed gratitude. “i’m thankful for Nagkaisa!’s endorsement and for their support of my PTK plan,” said Senator alan. “More Filipino families need to feel the benefits of this growing economy - that’s why i want to not only continue the fight against corruption, but launch a new fight to create wages, lower prices, and increase wages - Presyo, Trabaho, Kita.”

a positive indication that peace and political stability was forthcoming in Mindanao.

“This is a giant step in our efforts to pursue a just and lasting settlement to end the age-old conflict in Mindanao,” said Villar. “as i would always say, the Nacionalista Party (NP) is one with the Filipino nation in harnessing the

spirit and essence of people power in support of peace and development initiatives for Southern Philippines,” she said.

Saying that Mindanao would be one of her priority areas for her development programs if elected to the Senate, Villar said she was elated that the MilF and government have agreed to en-

sure coordination of the movements and deployment of election personnel and equipment and personnel of the armed Forces Philippines (aFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), as deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), in polling centers within the MilF-dominated areas.

Reelectionist Sen. Chiz Escudero, right, says he’s glad to hear that he leads the election surveys for senatoriables conducted by two universities in

Labor groups endorse Alan Cayetano

N

aGKaiSa, the largest umbrella organization of labor groups came together today support and endorse the senatorial bid of Senator alan cayetano. Nagkaisa has 47 member organisations of moderate to democratic left leaning that include the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), alliance of Progressive labor (aPl), Public Services labor independent Confederation (PSliNK), National association of Broadcast Unions (NaBU), Partido Manggagawa (PM), and the Bukluran ng

Villar hails gov’t-MILF agreement for clean, orderly polls in Mindanao

N

aCiONaliSTa Party-Team Pnoy senatorial candidate and former las Pinas rep.

Cynthia Villar yesterday hailed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between government and the Moro islamic liberation Front (MilF) to ensure clean, honest, and peaceful midterm elections, said it was

EDGEDAVAO

Davao City while fellow Team PNoy senatorial bet Grace Poe listens during a press briefing at the Apo View Hotel yesterday . Lean Daval Jr. gagawa.

PNoy even downplays the increase that will only amount to P60 a month. The President forgets that there are a lot of other deductions from salaries of ordinary workers,” rep.

Colmenares said. “if the political will is strong, the President can make things possible for the

benefit of the workers.

But that is obviously not what the President has in mind or heart. The Palace shuts its eyes to the real situation of the workers and the people. He only has eyes for those of his own class – the landed, the moneyed and the foreign companies,” rep.

Colmenares concluded.

Public urged to ‘vote fresh’, elect new, reform-oriented candidates

J

UST 11 days before the elections, various groups and personalities from the academe, civil society, youth and the arts community today urged the voting public to “vote fresh” by electing new and reform-oriented candidates who will champion pro-people policies in government. Under the slogan “Sa dose nating boto, maglagay tayo ng bago”, the groups also called on the voting public to vote for senatorial candidates who can break the grip of traditional and patronage politics in the Senate.

Protest vote “Voting fresh is the public’s protest vote, a clamor for new politics to return the power of elections back into the hands of voters. We’ve done this before when we elected former President Cory aquino by tapping into the hopes of millions of Filipinos who wanted an end to dictatorship. We’ve seen this again when the people of Naga elected the late Jesse robredo as their Mayor for three consecutive terms,” ateneo de Manila University political science professor Joy aceron said.

aceron added that honest and effective national and local candidates need a substantial amount of public support in order to give them a fighting chance against other candidates who have more resources. “i think voters want a new brand of leadership that’s based on principles, on track record, and on actual platforms. But we’re not going to get that if we make the same mistake of electing old names who represent old interests just because we think the alternative candidates have no chance of winning,” according to aceron. “also, when voters start electing good and honest leaders and reap the benefits of good governance, they eventually raise the bar for the kind of public servants they elect,” aceron said.

“Fresh names to help solve old problems” Meanwhile, Partido ng Manggagawa Chairperson rene Magtubo urged the public to pick “fresh candidates” who will focus on issues and interests of ordinary Filipinos, especially the workers.

5 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

Davao Chamber targetting strengthened halal industry

By Greg G. Deligero

T

HE three-country trade mission on May 27-31 to Singapore, Malaysia and indonesia spearheaded by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and industry, inc. (DCCCii) will explore technologies that will strengthen the country’s halal industry.

“We will look at ways how to improve our halal accreditation system to be at par with Malaysia,” said DCCCii executive director Mary anne abundo. at present, she said, local food producers have to get accreditation from Malaysia to penetrate the Middle East market “which is very expensive.”

However, since the untapped market outside the Middle East is still huge, abundo said there is no need for local food processors to get the costly accreditation from Malaysia. “all we need is to improve our own halal accreditation system,” she said.

The arabic term halal refers to food and medicines that are not

“haram,” or forbidden to Muslims.

The islamic halal industry concept is not only about food and medicines being free from “haram” contaminants, such as pork and its derivatives, and meat of other forbidden animals, but on how livestock and cultured fishes are raised to ensure fitness for human consumption.

Halal preparation also requires meticulous cleanliness, which appeals to non-islamic consumers seeking healthier foods.

With a strengthened halal industry, abundo said the local food processors will be more competitive for the coming integration of the Southeast asian countries by 2015 through the aSEaN Economic Community 2015 (aEC 2015). aEC 2015 is designed to make aSEaN (association of Southeast asian Nations) a single market and production base and a strong regional economic bloc in the global economy where there

will be free flow of goods, services, investment capital and skilled labor following the liberalization.

The countries that will be integrated include the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, indonesia, laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. at present, Thailand--asia’s largest food exporter— is the region’s top producer of halal products. last year, Thai halal food exports to 57 islamic countries amounted to a total of $6.8 billion.

Mindanao, home to about four million Muslims or a fifth of its population, is projected to become the halal hub of the country due to its strategic location. its halal industry is not yet developed, but there are efforts among stakeholders to get a share of the estimated $600-billion global halal market. Presently, the global halal market comprises 112 countries with an estimated population of 1.8 billion.

6 THE ECONOMY 5.4 4th Qtr 2012

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

6.8 4th Qtr 2012

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

USD 3,969.51 million Dec 2012 USD 5,135.46 million Nov 2012 USD -1,585 million Nov 2012 USD -209 million Mar 2012 P 5,171,689 million Dec 2012

8. Interest Rates 4/

T

HE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in region 12 has released around P4.65 million worth of financial grants to help improve the operations of various micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. Dr. Zenaida P. Hadji raoflaidan, DOST region 12 director, said the assistance is part of the agency’s ongoing implementation of the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) within the region’s four provinces and five cities.

She said the program mainly aims to encourage MSMEs in Southwestern Mindanao to adopt new technology innovations to enhance their operations as well as expand their markets. laidan said five MSMEs based in this city and two others from Sultan Kudarat province have so far availed of the program this year. The beneficiaries were aunt ludi Bakeshop and Snack Haus, Greentropics Coffee Enterprise, Pan de Pugon ni Ka Chona, rosechie Food Products, r & r Organic Ventures, rG Candy Factory and albaran’s Coco Candy.

To facilitate the release of the financial grants, the official said they signed separate memorandum of agreements last month with the owners of

3.6 % Jan 2013 P155,308 million Nov 2012 P 5,381 billion Nov 2012

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

P 40.67 Feb 2013

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

6,242.7 Jan 2013

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

132.4 Feb 2013

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.4 Feb 2013

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

3.8 Feb 2013

16. Visitor Arrivals

352,438 Nov 2012

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

20.9% Jan 2013

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

7.1% Jan 2013

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

the seven MSMEs. “The amount of grants that we released to these MSMEs varied according to their approved projects proposals,” the official said in a statement. laidan said aunt ludi Bakeshop and Snack Haus, which operates several mall-based specialty outlets here and nearby Koronadal City, received the biggest grant amounting to P1.98 million.

She said aunt ludi had submitted a proposal seeking assistance for the upgrading of its bakery’s mechanization.

Greentropics Coffee Enterprise received P975,000 for the acquisition of a complete line of processing equipment to improve the quality of their coffee products while Pan de Pugon got P420,000 for the purchase of new equipment to upgrade its coco biscocho production, she said. laidan said rosechie Food Products received P245,000 for the upgrading of its tart production while rG Candy Factory got P432,000 for the upgrading of its factory processing facilities.

She said albaran’s Coco Candy, which is based in President Quirino town in Sultan Kudarat, received P229,000 for its sweetened coconut processing project and r&r Ventures was granted P366,555 for the

upgrading of its organic liquid fertilizer processing facilities. laidan the agency continues to accept proposals for funding grants under the SETUP initiative, which “intends to empower MSMEs and help them grow into industry icons.”

She said the program’s priority areas are food processing; furniture and home furnishings; gifts, holiday decors and fashion accessories; marine and aquatic resources; horticulture; metals and engineering;

information and communication technology; and halal. laidan added that it support grants for the adoption of new technologies; manpower training; access to capital and markets; use of product standards and testing facilities; implementation of appropriate packaging and product labeling; increasing supply of raw materials; enhancing access to information; and, improving transport facilities. [allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews]

wards consumer protection and empowerment.

Department of Trade and industry-Davao region (DTi-Davao)

Consumer Welfare and Trade regulation Division (CWTrD) chief rachel S. remitio said such move of the region’s consumer

organizations is a manifestation of their strong commitment as consumer advocates. “as a federation, these consumer organizations will be working as one. Thus, their advocacies will be felt more and they will be moving towards a common direction,” she said.

The province of Davao del Norte has the most number of COs wherein all of its 11 municipalities have their respective consumer group. Meanwhile, Davao del Sur has seven, Davao Oriental has three, Compostela Valley has two, and Davao City has one. remitio said the leaders of the COs will meet anytime this month to further discuss their next steps in setting up a federation. it is targeted that by October this year, which is the Consumer Welfare Month celebration, the federation’s conceptual framework will already be firmed up.

[DTi 11/Jen Mendoza]

Davao by the numbers The population density in Davao City is

599 per square kilometer while the annual population growth rate is

2.41 percent.

Source: NSo

Davao consumer organizations to federate for louder voice

T

HE 24 consumer organizations (COs) in Davao region are forming a federation in a bid to make a stronger stance to-

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2012-February 2013) Month

STRAIGHT FROM THE GRILL. Customers live up for ‘lechon manok’ at a roadside chicken grill along Sasa, Davao City last night. Lean Daval Jr. as of august 2010

Cebu Pacific Zest Air Cebu Pacific Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines Cebu Pacific Cebu Pacific Cebu Pacific Cebu Pacific Philippine Airlines Cebu Pacific Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun Daily Daily Thu

Tue/Wed//Sat

EDGEDAVAO

DOST releases P4.65M grants to MSMEs

Stat Watch

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

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

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

5J965 / 5J968

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

13:35

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

Manila-Davao-Manila

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

14:05

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

Daily

MI588 / MI588 13:35 MI566 / MI566 15:20 MI551 / MI551 12:05 5J507 / 5J598 15:00 15:55 Mani2Mani 16:50 Z2524 / Z2525 16:05 5J967 / 5J600

16:35

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

18:55 18:55 15:45 15:30

Cebu-Davao-Cebu

16:45

Manila-Davao-Cebu

17:05

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

PROPERTY

7

Camella Northpoint’s Nottingham beckons The view from Nottingham is a green vista of manicured lawns and fragrant Caribbean pine trees.

i

F you’re on the market for a condo home that gives you the best value proposition, look no further than Nottingham. as Camella Northpoint’s third tower, Nottingham provides all the exclusive benefits to its unit owners. located within an oasis of green grass, robust plants and trees, and hundreds of imported Caribbean pine trees, Nottingham’s environs are beautiful, healthful, and refreshing. it stands tall with a good view of Camella Northpoint’s well-appointed clubhouse, Wakefield Manor, and its wellness pool with sparkling salinated water, cabanas and grill pits, and multi-purpose hall with its wide windows. To its right is a view of the cityscape of north Davao, where all the growth and action are happening. at 10-storeys, Nottingham has just the right elevation to enjoy a good view of Davao Gulf. as a mid-rise building, it also makes for a short and comfortable climb in its elevators or wide stairwell. With just the right number of residents in the condo building, there is also a short wait for the elevator. add to all that the deluxe facilities and amenities of Camella Northpoint and Nottingham easily becomes the best option for a condo home that allows its residents to enjoy convenient and privileged condo living.

its fitness gym at Wakefield Manor, jogging track that meanders around the lush property and wellness pool allow residents to enjoy outdoor recreation. The pocket gardens and nature park are excellent places to enjoy nature.

With a future lifestyle center that will be replete with specialty shops, restaurants, coffee shops and upscale retail stores, Nottingham residents are

Nottingham nears completion

sure to have a sophisticated and exciting lifestyle.

The best news is that Nottingham is nearing completion, enabling homebuyers to soon enjoy their new condo home and everything it has to offer them.

“Homebuyers who want to move in soon can do so in Nottingham, as the building will be completed within this year,” said anna Mae dela Pena, Marketing Head of Ca-

mella Davao, adding they are looking at turning over some units soon.

“Now is the best time to get your Nottingham condo unit, as Camella has made it easier and more convenient for buyers to get their dream condo home, with our special promos,” said dela Pena. reserving a Nottingham condo unit has been made affordable for as low as P10,000 reser-

vation fee. Big outright discounts are also in the offing, up to P200,000 for studio units, P250,000 for 2-bedroom units, and P300,000 for 3-bedroom units in Nottingham.

“Not only that, we are also offering easy-to-pay financing schemes, such as a low down payment of 10% stretched over 12 months. Buyers will not want for anything else with our easy-on-thepocket promos,” said dela

Pena.

With only a few more units left available, homebuyers are urged to call or visit Camella at Delgar Bldg. (in front of Camella Northpoint) or call 295-3973. For more Camella information, news, events and announcements, check out www.camella.com. ph, like “Camella Official” on Facebook and follow “@CamellaOfficial” on Twitter.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Are shareholder bonuses incentives or bribes?

ANAlYSIS

By John C. Coffee, Jr.

S EDITORIAL

Good practice

D

aBaWENYOS may have been impressed some more by the story that Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero is one of a very few senators who distributed their Priority Development assistance Fund (PDaF) among all provinces in the country. in a press statement, Senator Escudero said his PDaF is mainly dedicated to two projects in the provinces, namely 1). the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of public markets, and 2). medical assistance for indigent patients.

He downloaded P500,000 to each city and municipality for the construction, rehabilitation, repair of public markets. · Davao City, an independent city of Davao Del Sur and the regional center of the Davao region, received P500,000 for the purpose. · Davao Del Sur (its 14 municipalities, Davao City, and Digos City) received a total of P 8 million, while Davao Del Norte received a total of P 5.5 million. · On the other hand, the senator from Bicol gave P14 million to the Southern Philippine Medical Center in Davao City, and another P1 million for the Davao regional Hospital in Tagum City for the benefit of indigent patients in the Davao region.

For sure, Senator Chiz is doing this to other regions, and has assured everyone he’ll continue this practice for as long as he is in the Senate.

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Chiz’s gesture is something that his colleagues, hopefully, would replicate. Each senator has a PDaF of P200 million per year or a total of P1.2 billion for the entire term.

One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to be able to grasp the impact on the country if all 24 senators would do what he did.

The other senators can also make good their promise to prioritize education by pumping more PDaF money into scholarships for students in both public and private schools in the provinces. if every senator henceforth does what Escudero has done, that would partly answer the clamor of provinces, and cities outside of Metro Manila, for a more equitable distribution of government largesse in this country than what has been practiced since the pork barrel system was imported from the U.S. of a.

Come to think of it, the rebellions waged by both the Moro people and the communist insurgents for decades now are really all about the unfair distribution of the country’s wealth. if the country’s resources are equally distributed, even the growing call for federalism will become irrelevant.

They say that the pork barrel system is a source of graft. in this case, all that Escudero will get from it is a well deserved thank you. and some votes.

ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

RAMON M. MAXEY Consultant

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

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(Conclusion)

O what should be done? Special bonuses to selected directors are not inherently unlawful; nor are they fraudulent if full disclosure is made. But a director significantly compensated by third parties should not be seen as an “independent” director.

Here, the law needs to evolve. The Dodd-Frank act imposed new rules requiring that board committees have independent directors, but it looked to the definitions of independence used by the major stock exchanges.

Those rules understandably focus on whether the director is “independent of management.” in the new world of hedge fund activism, regulations need to look to whether individual directors are tied too closely by special compensation to those sponsoring and nominating them.

Once we recognize that compensation can give rise to a conflict of interest that induces a director to subordinate his or her own judgment to that of the institution paying the director, the definition of independence needs to be updated. although not all directors must be independent, only independent directors may today serve on the audit, nominating or compensation committees. This issue of redefining independence should be high on the agenda of both the NYSE and Nasdaq.

Next, the propriety of third-party compensation to directors should be openly faced by the real players in corporate governance today: the Council of institutional investors and the major proxy advisors. iSS supported the election of one of Jana’s nominees who would have received special compensation, but Glass lewis, the other major proxy advisor, objected to Jana’s bonuses. Clearly, both should develop and articulate their policies regarding bonuses. in addition, portfolio managers at pension and mutual funds must independently decide their own policies.

The great irony here is that the Dodd-Frank act restricted incentive compensation to executives at major financial institutions precisely because such compensation was thought to have led to the short-termism and perverse incentives that produced the 2008 financial crisis. But no one thought about director compensation, which can do the same. Today, we are at the crest of an immense slippery slope. if legitimized, these new compensation tactics will likely be used in a broad range of control and proxy fights, with the long-term result being a shift toward greater risk and leverage. in fairness, incentivizing directors may often be appropriate, but the simplest and best means to this end is through equity awards issued by the corporation.

Corporate stock or option awards treat directors alike and avoid giving them differing time horizons and incentives, because the stock price automatically trades off short- and long-term value. By contrast, third-party bonuses create the wrong incentives, fragment the board and imply a shift toward both the shortterm and higher risk.

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

T

A prophetic President Bush

HiS is not to suggest that Bush had the right policy prescriptions all or even most of the time. There is a strong case that the Bush administration should have done much more to address the larger challenges facing less skilled workers.

Bush’s vision of an “ownership society,” which centered on increasing homeownership among low-income americans, building on the work of his Democratic predecessor, seems in hindsight to have been ill-advised, particularly in the wake of the housing bust. Bush’s faith-based initiative, which aimed to empower religious organizations to take a bigger role in providing them, was always very limited in scope. The Bush-era tax cuts, arguably the centerpiece of the Bush domestic policy, were at best a mixed bag. The cuts in top marginal tax rates and capital gains may well have improved the incentives to work and invest at the top end, and the increase in the child tax credit benefited large numbers of middle-income families. But in the absence of a more ambitious overhaul of the tax code, it’s not clear that these gains were worth the loss of revenue. republicans would be wise to heed some of the political lessons of George W. Bush, positive and negative. The most obvious lesson is that the GOP won’t flourish unless it is seen as the defender of the economic interests of middle-income americans. in 2000, Bush’s emphasis on K-12 education and tax relief was in tune with the voting public. By 2005, however,

D

COMMENTARY By reihAn SAlAm

(Conclusion) the Bush administration’s domestic policy was adrift, as it championed misbegotten, ill-explained Social Security reform just as defined benefit pensions were vanishing and middle-class squeeze became a national obsession. and as James Capretta argues in “recasting Conservative Economics”in the new issue ofNational affairs, the rightof-center policy journal (where i am a contributing editor), republicans need to tell a more compelling story about the Bush years and the 2008 financial crisis with which they will forever be associated. in 2012, it often seemed as though Mitt romney had forgotten that Bush had ever been in office, and he struggled to articulate how and why his views differed from those of the former president.

The outlines of a compelling counternarrative of what went wrong during the crisis are emerging. One view, which has gained in popularity among right-of-center intellectuals but remains profoundly unpopular among the conservative rankand-file, is that Senator John McCain was actually right to say that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” in 2008 — the only problem was that the Federal

reserve failed to do enough to keep aggregate demand stable as the financial crisis took its toll. This has been dubbed a “market monetarist” interpretation of the Great recession.

The conservative intelligentsia has also rallied around the position that the stability of the financial system can be attributed in part to the overreliance of america’s major financial institutions on debt rather than equity. Wall Street republicans resist this interpretation, as more stringent equity requirements would reduce profits.

Yet at least one prominent republican lawmaker, Senator David Vitter of louisiana, has joined forces with the populist Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio to push for much higher equity requirements for banks with assets of more than $400 billion, a measure that will tend to curb the size of the largest banks. The idea is that higher equity requirements will help cushion banks against losses, thus forestalling future taxpayer bailouts.

One can imagine a republican party that embraces tough equity requirements and market monetarism in the name of preventing future financial crises and catastrophic economic downturns. One can also imagine a GOP that takes George W. Bush’s lead by at least trying to craft a compelling message for middle-income voters. But in 2013, over four years after Bush left office, the GOP still doesn’t know what to make of his legacy, and the result is a party and a movement that is very much adrift.

Political fist-pounding

iSaSTrOUS UNraVEliNG OF THE SOCial FaBriC – The recurring crucial issues raised during the campaign period are those that elicit yawns: the economy, unemployment and abject poverty.

Understandably, politicians figure a surefire way to win elections is to aim low. Filipino politicians are no different. They have traditionally scored at the polls by conducting fist-pounding, us-versus-them campaigns grounded on issue that stirs the voters’ emotion – government neglect.

Nevertheless, it is valid to note that there is actually changed in our economic sphere – accelerating GDP growth rate, stable currency, robust stock market not to mention improved credit ratings and investment grade. But despite the significant economic progress, a growing number of detractors and political adversaries including independent economists are pessimistic still, raising this question: “What progress are they talking about?”

What used to be known as “rate of growth,” the country’s perennially subpar economic performance is no longer a national embarrassment given the remarkable economic stability and investors’ confidence? as a matter of fact the aquino administration keeps on telling the people that they have never had it so good. in-

cumbent officeholders, eyeing all those confident and optimistic local and foreign investors, are of course taking credit for the

(1st of two parts)

country’s vibrant economic growth.

Meanwhile, leaders, campaign managers and some over bearing senatorial candidates saw it the other way around.

People who are detrimental to the programs and policies of government argued that the surging economy has changed the political debate, but not the lives of the majority of the citizens. To boost their chances in the polls the main opposition group made it a political issue, arguing that, so far, the country’s progress benefits only a lucky few while most of the people remain in crushing poverty. They accused the present leadership of living in a “rosy daydream” citing the government’s alleged pursuit of selective development, which they claimed

are anti-poor and anti-masses.

But do we have to blame solely the government for the hardship and misfortune of the citizens, the poor and the downtrodden in particular? lest we forget, we’ve been a people complaining of many years of faulty government and the issue about the widening gap between the rich and poor is nothing new – it’s a worn-out and oft-repeated concern. For many years people learned the hard way that large concentration of wealth and power in the wrong hands lead to a disastrous unraveling of the social fabric, the consequences of which are still being felt in the working populations across the country.

But why are majority of the Filipinos really poor and “living below the poverty line,” it might be asked?

Well, it’s so degrading to talk about it, but corruption is the biggest problem in society. Corruption is rampant in government and it has been institutionalized. The biggest perpetrators of corruption are no less than dishonest and wicked government officials – elected or otherwise. They believe that it is a way of living. Corruption becomes endemic because people in authority do not really have the capability and the will to give up power. it has a subliminal effect on young people because they think that it is something normal already.

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Market euphoria misreads the signals COMMENTARY

By AnAtole KAletSKy

(Conclusion)

T

HiS means that the direst possibilities suggested by Monti’s humiliating defeat last February and the unexpected gains

by Grillo and Berlusconi have been eliminated, or at least postponed.

There will be no serious effort to reverse italian fiscal austerity policies before the next election and certainly no more threats to break up the euro of the kind voiced by Grillo and Berlusconi in February’s election campaign. Hence the euphoria in financial markets and the sighs of relief in Brussels and Berlin.

Now for the bad news. While letta, the new prime minister, is formally a member of the PD, the machinations that led to his appointment and last weekend’s re-election of Napolitano have essentially destroyed this center-left party. This has left Berlusconi’s center-right People of liberty (PDl) as the only organized political force in italy capable of holding off Grillo’s anarchic insurgency.

Moreover, by orchestrating letta’s sudden emergence as prime minister, Berlusconi has cut off the political oxygen for a potentially much more popular young center-left leader, Matteo renzi, the mayor of Florence, who might have had a chance of reviving the PD. and best of all from Berlusconi’s standpoint, the new letta government will not enjoy its own parliamentary majority and will therefore be subject to instant dismissal if it takes any action that conflicts with Berlusconi’s personal interests or political strategy.

What all this means is that Berlusconi should not only be able to keep the judicial immunities he enjoys, and which are widely seen as a key motivation for his entire involvement in politics, but also that he will ensure that his party benefits from revisions in electoral laws. Better still, by pulling strings in the background but not joining the government, Berlusconi will avoid being tainted by the economic hardships italy continues to suffer.

By the end of the year, he should be able to blame the center-left, the euro-technocrats and Germany for italy’s problems even more effectively than he did at the last election and to present himself as a national savior from the chaos threatened

by Grillo’s anarchic Five Star Movement, which by then may be italy’s only effective left-of-center party.

So what European financial markets have been celebrating this week is the astonishing re-emergence of Silvio Berlusconi as the dominant figure in italian politics and therefore as the ultimate arbiter of whether italy will abide by the economic conditions laid down

by Berlin and Brussels or possibly trigger a breakup of the euro. if Berlusconi had been openly elected as italy’s president or prime minister, investors would surely have been less euphoric.

10 NEWS

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

PNoy orders probe on Mancao escape P

rESiDENT Benigno S. aquino iii on Thursday ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the escape of former Police Superintendent Cesar Mancao from the custody of the National Bureau of investigation (NBi).

Presidential Spokesman Edwin lacierda, in a press briefing, said the President has instructed Justice Secretary leila de lima “to conduct an investigation as to the cause of this escape, and also to hold accountable all persons found to be responsible for the escape of Mr. Mancao.” in the meantime, lacierda said the DOJ Secretary has already ordered a manhunt for Mancao.

all government agencies were also alerted regarding the incident, he said.

De lima has also asked the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the manhunt of the former police superintendent, he added.

Mancao, an accused in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, escaped from the custody of the NBi at 1:12 a.m. Thursday.

He was set to be transferred to the Manila City Jail Thursday morning on orders of the Manila City regional Trial Court Branch 18.

De lima has given Mancao until today (Thursday) to surrender.

(PNa)

LEG-PUNZEL. This construction worker hangs his leg outside a bunkhouse’s window along E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

ComVal inaugurates bridge

By Che Palicte

i

N Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province, the P94.7 million Kalaw Bridge was formally opened for public use last Monday.

The blessing and ribbon-cutting was spearheaded by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) region 11 director Mariano alquiza together with Compostela Valley first district representative Maricar Zamora and DPWH Compostela Valley District Engineer Silvino Cortez.

Construction of the bridge began in March of 2010 and was completed last august 2012, However, construction

of the bridge’s approaches and slope-protection delayed its formal opening.

Dennis Flores, DPWH information officer, told Edge Davao that the bridge underwent reconstruction due to frequent overflowing by the agusan river.

“This led to heavy traffic which made the bridge impassable,” he explained.

He added that Kalaw Bridge is a vital component of Daang Maharlika which is utilized by northbound and southbound cargo trucks and buses traveling between regions 11 and 13 and their environs, since the

Kris, James no-show...

the Davao del Sur Coliseum.

Fans were dismayed over the absence of Yap, undoubtedly one of the superstars of the league with the biggest fan base in the provinces.

“We are sorry but James Yap is not with us today,” the PBa event moderator announced at the start of the media

GenSan...

road traverses major agri-industrial establishments as well as central business districts and cities such as Davao, Panabo and Tagum.

Flores added that the bridge is safe for the travelling public and ensures a smooth flow of people, goods and services.

The 6.70 meter width of approaches and slope protection alone cost P14.1million. rep. Zamora supported alquiza’s assertions on the importance of the Kalaw Bridge in Compostela Valley province as well as the neighboring agusan provinces.

FFROM 1

conference where some 30 PBa stars attended including top rookie Chris Tiu. Yap will be playing for the PBa Stars squad who will be battling the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team. Yap’s teammates at SanMig Coffee PJ Simon, Joe Devance and Mark Barocca were present in the Digos City event.

The PBa representative said Yap will be arriving later with fellow PBa stars like Mark Caguioa but did not disclose the specific schedules. aquino is staying overnight at the apo View Hotel while Yap is booked along with the rest of the PBa entourage at Marco Polo Davao. NJB

FFROM 2

Ellen also invited Kapamilya singer rhap Salazar and “random girl” Youtube sensation Zendee rose Tenerefe. aldrich could be the next Filipino singer to be featured on Ellen’s show.

“How beautiful is that? it’s that soul in that

little boy. So, i’m looking for you. Please come here and sing to me and all of my friends here. You are amazing,” Ellen said. in a TV Patrol interview aired on Tuesday, april 30, Zendee revealed that she communicated with the pro-

ducer of “The Ellen Degeneres Show” and recommended aldrich.

Minessage ko po yung producer ng “Ellen.” Nagustuhan po nila. abangan po natin soon, baka soon., another Philippine pride,” Zendee said.

Dabawenyos frown on election violence T HE 2010 elections will forever be etched in the minds of Filipinos because of infamous Maguindanao Massacre on November 23, 2009, where 58 people were killed, including more than 30 media persons.

With two weeks to go before the May 13 polls, more election-related violence has been reported.

The latest was a candidate for councilor in Banisilan, North Cotabato who was shot dead Sunday night after a campaign rally in the town center. in Compostela Valley, the convoy of reelectionist Governor arturo Uy was held on Monday by a band of NPa rebels who later abducted one of the governor’s police escorts.

Despite the attack on the convoy of the wife of former vice president Teofisto Guingona, Gingoog City Mayor ruthie Guingona, the Philippine

National Police (PNP) said the number of election-related violence is lower this year.

The PNP noted 45 cases of election violence since January 2013 compared to 75 cases reported in the same period in 2010. in the Davao region, despite the presence of the New People’s army (NPa), the armed Forces of the Philippines (aFP) and PNP are projecting a relatively peaceful May 13 election.

Most of the violent incidents in the region have been perpetrated by communist rebels who figured in the burning of construction equipment and extortion activities victimizing businessmen and politicians.

Maj. Gen. ariel Bernardo, commander of the 10th infantry “agila” Division, told media last week that there were no reported incidents of election

violence in the Davao region.

Bernardo added that security forces are “proactive and preemptive” in ensuring people’s safety and securing a clean and honest elections.

One of the innovations discussed by the aFP and Commission on Election s(Comelec) to avoid violence is the use of texting in communicating with election inspectors or officers for assistance in voting precints.

Davao City Police chief ronald dela rosa said Dabawenyo candidates and voters have politically matured.

He added that deployment of guns and goons by candidates turns off voters and a waste of resources and counter-productive for local candidates involved in them, that is why election violence happens only in other parts of the country, but not in Davao City. CMP

peared that Mancao escaped because he did not want to be transferred to the Manila City Jail.

The transfer is in compliance with the order of the Manila regional Trial Court issued last Tuesday directing the NBi to turn over Mancao to the Manila City Jail.

Mancao was supposed to be transferred to the Manila City Jail today, Thursday.

De lima said two NBi guards are suspected to have helped Mancao escape.

She added that Mancao, who she talked to over the phone, repeatedly asked for an apology because of his escape.

De lima said Mancao feared that he could be killed once he is transferred to the Manila City Jail.

De lima further said Mancao asked for a few days to think about surrendering to authorities.

However, De lima said she has given Mancao the deadline of only until Thursday to surrender.

(PNa)

NBI orders manhunt to get Mancao

N

aTiONal Bureau of investigation Director Nonnatus Caesar rojas on Thursday ordered a manhunt operation to get former police officer Cesar Mancao ii who apparently escaped the bureau’s custody.

Mancao is the star witness in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. it was learned that at 1:12 a.m. Thursday, Mancao escaped the NBi detention facility.

Justice Secretary leila De lima, citing initial investigation, said it ap-

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

NATION/WORlD11

PHL bags second investment grade i

N another vote of confidence, the Philippines bagged its second investment grade rating on Thursday from global debt watcher Standard and Poor’s (S&P).

S&P gave the Philippines a stable outlook and raised its rating to

BBB- from the previous BB+.

The upgrade came only more than a month after Fitch ratings gave the country its first investment grade. an investment grade means the Philippines can borrow funds at a lower cost, allowing the

government to save.

“The upgrade on the Philippines reflects a strengthening external profile, moderating inflation and the government’s reliance on foreign currency debt,” S&P credit analyst agost Benard said in a statement.

MINIMUM WAGE EARNER. A Filipino labourer puts finishing touches on an unfinished mirror frame at a furniture factory during May Day in Tagaytay city, south of Manila May 1, 2013. La-

The Philippine economy exceeded expectations last year by accelerating growth to 6.6 percent from 3.9 percent in 2011.

“We expect the country to move into near-balanced external position because of persistent account sur-

pluses, in which large net transfers from Filipinos working abroad more than offset ongoing trade deficits,” Benard added.

Malacanang welcomed the upgrade, which it said is the “latest institutional affirmation of the aquino

bourers are earning minimum wage in the Philippines amounting to 400 pesos ($10). [REUTERS]

administration’s good governance initiatives.” “it is further indicative of sustained confidence in the Philippine economy: of our collective resilience, optimism, and growing potential, amidst global economic uncertainty,” presidential spokesperson Edwin lacierda said.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima for his part said the ratings upgrade is “an affirmation of what the markets already recognize—that our economy’s underlying soundness is on par with countries rated investment grade or higher.”

“For now, we must redouble our efforts to remove the remaining constraints to our growth if we are to reach even greater heights,” Purisima said.

This, as he vowed that the government will focus on infrastructure development, ramping up social investments and further opening up the economy.

With the S&P upgrade, only one major debt watcher, Moody’s investment Services, has yet to give the country an investment grade, placing it a notch lower with a Ba1 rating.

How Mancao World growth too slow to generate jobs: IMF escaped NBI T F

OrMEr police officer Cezar Mancao has escaped from the National Bureau of investigation (NBi), where he had been detained over a high-profile murder case. in an interview with aNC, NBi deputy director reynaldo Esmeralda said Mancao escaped at 1:14 a.m. Thursday while two security guards were on duty.

Closed-circuit television footage showed Mancao walking out of his room and out of the NBi gate, where a vehicle had been waiting, Esmeralda told aNC. The guards are now being probed for facilitating Mancao’s escape, the Justice department’s Twitter account quoted Sec. leila De lima as saying.

The Cabinet official also said she immediately called Mancao, asking him, “Tumakas ka raw (i heard you escaped)?” to which Mancao answered “Opo

(Yes), ma’am.”

Mancao, who is accused of killing publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000, was supposed to be transfered to the Manila City Jail Thursday.

The move has been ordered following the court’s denial of a motion for Mancao to be named a state witness and discharged as an accused.

De lima said Mancao fears that his life will be endangered if he is transferred to the city jail. [Yahoo!]

HE world economy is not growing fast enough to generate jobs for millions who have become unemployed due to the financial crisis but it is gaining strength gradually, a top iMF official said Wednesday.

While global growth is seen at 3.3 percent in 2013 and four percent next year, this masks a significant divergence in prospects, said Naoyuki Shinohara, deputy managing director of the international Monetary Fund.

The world is seeing a “three-speed” global recovery without “enough growth to generate jobs for the millions who have fallen into unemployment over the past five years”, Shinohara told a gathering of diplomats and business people.

Creating jobs must be “an overarching issue” as it goes to the

heart of the global economic crisis that is “falling disproportionately on young people”, he said in a speech in New Delhi.

The iMF official’s address came amid May Day protests in Europe against punishing government austerity drives and followed official figures Tuesday showing European unemployment hit a record of over 19 million.

Shinohara said the best performing economies were in the emerging and developing countries, with asia expected to grow by an average 7.1 percent this year and sub-Saharan africa forecast to expand by 5.6 percent.

Other nations are on the mend such as the United States, seen expanding by two percent in 2013, but he said recovery in the eurozone “remains elusive” with growth expected to

contract by a quarter of a percentage point.

While US corporate balance sheets and house prices are improving, expansion is not robust enough to significantly lower unemployment, he said.

He added the US government’s “sequestration” efforts to slash spending involving $85 billion in budget cuts will result in “too much short-term fiscal consolidation” while a longterm cost reduction roadmap is lacking.

“The balance needs to be right as this would help the US break free from the weak growth in recent years,” he said.

Shinohara, a former senior Japanese finance official, welcomed Tokyo’s new aggressive monetary easing aimed at ending a generation of almost zero growth, saying “it’s good to see Japan forging a new

strategy”.

He projected Japanese expansion of 1.6 percent this year but warned the nation’s high public debt and fiscal stimulus without a plan for spending consolidation later “raises the spectre of unsustainable debt” down the road.

Sounding downbeat on the eurozone, he said weakness is “now extending to core countries” such as France whose economy is seen shrinking slightly while Germany will grow by just 0.6 percent. Spain and italy, meanwhile “will experience substantial contractions”.

Structural labour market reforms are taking place as the economies struggle to regain competitiveness, Shinohara said, but “the pain” of austerity measures has the potential to lead to backtracking. [aFP]

12 ClASSIFIEDS ADS

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VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

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3) 3,831 sq m lot along Matina Diversion Road. 4) 41,408 sq m commercial/industrial lot at P800/sq m along the National Highway, Bunawan. 5) 7,056 sq m at P1,200/sq m commercial/residential lot along Indangan Road, Buhangin District. 6) 27,411 sq m commercial/industrial lot along the National Highway in Bincungan, Tagum City. 7) 116.15 to 245.92 sq meters , at P5.5M to P12.3M commercial/ office condo units in Bajada, Davao City. 8) 699 to 1,117 sq m at P4,100/sq m commercial lots at Josefina Town Center, along the National Highway, Dumoy, toril. 9) Ready-for-Occupancy Residential Properties: 4BR/3T&B in a 240 sq m lot with 177.31sqm floor area (2-storey) at P4.8M in an exclusive beachfront community in Dumoy, Toril.; 3BR 2-storey in a 71.25 sq m 2-storey in a 143sq m lot in an exclusive flower village in Maa, Davao City; 180 sq m lots with 71.25sqm to 126.42 sq m floor areas, priced at P3.751M to P5.773M in an exclusive mountain resort community along Matina, Diversion Road. 10) 1BR/2BR residential condo units located in Bolton, Maa, Obrero, Davao City.

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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013 COMMUNITY SENSE

13

2,000 applicants join job fair of SM City GenSan on Labor Day M

OrE than 2000 applicants gathered in SM City General Santos on May 1, 2013 to join the SM Supermalls Nationwide Job Fair in celebration of the labor Day. DOlE 12›s regional Director Ofelia B. Domingo graced the opening of the Job Fair at the Mall Trade Hall. Department of labor in region 12 thanked the SM management for being a partner of the endeavor in giving a chance of employment to the community. alexie G. De los Santos, the mall human resources manager, said in his welcome remarks that the Job Fair is only one of the many ways in which SM Supermalls can do its share for the community which is participated by both public and private

sectors to build a nation by providing employment to the people.

De los Santos also said the job fair aims to salute the new graduates and the Pinoy Working Force, and assist as many qualified individuals as possible in finding employment.

Employers were brought together to lessen the inconveniences of job seekers and provide opportunities for gainful employment to Filipino workers.

Over 100 companies including SM affiliates and mall tenants joined the job fair in SM City General Santos and 544 applicants were hired on the spot. This Job Fair is envisioned to attract the labor force to find their right career that will fit their capabilities and skills.

TADECO gets nod of PhilGAP for 2 years

i

TS expansion in Pantukan is Philippines’ second PhilGaP certified Cavendish banana plantation.

Cavendish banana producer and exporter Tagum agricultural Development Company, inc. (TaDECO), the first to obtain Philippine Good agricultural Practices (PhilGaP) certification in 2012, has done it again in 2013. it was joined this year by its sister company, the anflo Banana Corporation.

TaDECO and anflo Banana Corporation are the only producers and exporters of Cavendish banana to have been able to successfully secure the PhilGaP certification. Both companies operate under the anflocor Group of Companies, which has business ventures mainly in agriculture and logistics.

PhilGaP is primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by as-

suring food safety, minimizing detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations and ensuring a responsible approach to workers’ health, safety, welfare and hygiene.

The GaP Certification assessors from the Bureau of agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards of the Department of agriculture regularly visit anflo Banana Corporation and TaDECO for purposes of monitoring, inspection and validation.

The assessors evaluate standards of quality in the processing of Cavendish bananas in the farms. Packing houses, storerooms, warehouses and field operations are assessed including the records, workers’ safety, and hygiene and sanitation practices.

TaDECO and anflo Banana Corporation were found to have met the high standards of the Department of agriculture’s Code of Good agricultural Practices. (aNFlOCOr)

(L-R) Department of Agriculture’s Assistant Secretary and Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards OIC Director and Chairman of the GAP Certification Committee Mr. Salvador S. Salacup and Undersecretary Emerson Palad award the PhilGAP certification to TADECO and Anflo Banana Corporation thru Senior Vice President Vincent R. Floirendo and Vice President for Research, Information and Compliance Division Dr. Benny M. Corcolon.

14 SPORTS

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

Picking his foes, Floyd takes on Guerrero l

DSA FORUM. Phoenix Petroleum marketing officer Neb Bulaclac, left, shares a light moment with Jr. NBA All Star Player of the Game winner Anthony Sistoza of the Holy Trinity College of General Santos City, during yesterday’s

Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) forum at Dexter’s Pizza along McArthur Highway in Matina, Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

aS VEGaS (aP) -Floyd Mayweather Jr. admitted this week what many have long suspected - that he hand picks every opponent who enters the ring with him.

He also decides how much they get paid and what the contract details will be. So robert Guerrero was somewhat prepared when Mayweather picked him to be the opponent for his first fight in a year Saturday night at the MGM Grand hotel.

What he wasn’t prepared for was what Mayweather’s camp insisted on putting in the contract. ‘’He asked for a rematch clause. That was the very first thing,’’ Guerrero said. ‘’it just shows me where his head is at.’’

Where Mayweather’s head is at has, of course, been the topic of many conversations over the years.

When he fought last May against Miguel Cotto the worry among his fans was that he would be distracted by an upcoming jail sentence, though that turned out to be unfounded.

Talk to Mayweather now, and his head seems to be fine. So, too, are his reflexes at the age of 36, at

least judged by a sparring session last week where he practiced landing right hand leads against a fighter mimicking Guerrero’s southpaw style.

He has to lose sometime because nearly every fighter not named rocky Marciano lost at some point in their career. But Mayweather has a new sixfight television deal that should cement his status as the world’s highest paid athlete, and he doesn’t seem terribly concerned about a loss or a possible rematch of their welterweight title fight. ‘’i’ve done this my whole life,’’ Mayweather said. ‘’This is what i love to do.’’

Though Mayweather sees Guerrero as just the latest opponent for yet another huge payday, Guerrero sees things quite differently. He believes he is the fighter who will be the first to beat Mayweather, and he’s eager to earn both the recognition and the money that would come with such a win. at the final pre-fight press conference Wednesday he said Mayweather made a mistake by picking him as an opponent.

MONEY FIGHTS. Floyd Mayweather Jr. strikes a fighting stance with Robert Guerrero as promoter Oscar dela Hoya smiles from behind.

Ellis...

FFROM 16

“Papakita ko lang ang kaya kong gawin,” said the celebrated alaska rookie. in the 3-point shootout, James Yap of San Mig Coffee will lead the marksmen with stiff opposition from Mark Caguioa of Ginebra, Nino Canaleta of air 21, JV Casio of alaska, Marcio lassiter of Petron, Willie Miller of Globalport, ronjay Buenafe of Meralco, Chris Tiu of rain or Shine and Mark Macapagal of Meralco. in the Skills Challenge, defending twotime champion Jonas Villanueva of Barako Bull will gun for his third title against chief rival Mark Barocca of SanMig Coffee, JV Casio of alaska, Simon atkins of air 21, Willie Miller, ronjay Buenafe, ronald Tubid of Petron, Paul lee of rain or Shine, Chris Ellis of Ginebra and Pamboy raymudo of Talk

N Text. “i’ll try to win it one more time,” said Villanueva. Barocca, however, vowed to reverse the result this year after narrowly losing to Villanueva in 2012.

The main event tonight will feature the PBa Stalwarts against the PBa Greats.

The Stalwarts will rely on active players Buenafe, Tubid, Tiu, intal, Sol Mercado and Jervey Cruz, and former PBa stars Glen Capacio, Dicki Bachmann, Kenneth Duremdes, art dela Cruz, Topex robinson and Benjie Paras. The Greats will be bannered

by Dondon Hontiveros, Mark Cardona, Mike Cortez, Josh Urbiztondo, Peter June Simon, Joe Devance, Noli locsin, Johnedel Cardel, rodney Santos, Vince Hizon, Jerry Codinera and Bong Hawkins. (Neil Bravo)

INdulge!

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

THE EDGE-ZION SAMAL GETAWAY

Fun under the sun

I

t’s no ordinary May 1 holiday for Edge Davao and Zion employees as the twin families spent the Labor Day break for a summer island-hopping getaway in pristine samal Island.

From the sta. Ana Wharf where the group boarded a Wind N’ Wave boat, first stop was a dip at the Angel’s Cove in tal-

icud Island. snorkeling at the clear waters and paddling the kayak were a great starter to shake off the stress away.

Next was a stopover at Dayang Beach. Here, the group went on some fun activities and competition—adventure race and the much-anticipated cheering contest. team Production composed of

Eljun Agabon, Zaldy Boy Nemenzo, Randy Bureros, Raymund Lumapas and Jake Dupay outraced team Editorial (EJ Fernandez, Che Palicte, Greg Deligero, Dodoy Miagan, and Oriel Real) and team Acounting-Marketing (Cherry Pajarillaga, Richard Ebona, Dalisay Hamo, Kristine Borja and Julianne Miagan) in the

Top, family pose with Edge Davao and Zion Accuprint Publishing employees. Above, Edge Davao managing editor Neil Bravo, editor Antonio Ajero, gen. manager Olive Velasco and director of sales Jocelyn Panes. adventure race which is comprised of three obstacles—‘backhoe’ (filling a plastic cup with sand by foot), ‘edgy’ (hands-free banana eating), and ‘fire brigade’ (filling a softdrink

bottle with sea water through bare hands). then came the cheering contest where team Editorial swept away the competition with no less than ageless editorial

nture race.

The exciting adve

TEAM PRODUCTION. Second place in cheering contest.

EDGE-ZION family and kids.

TEAM EDITORIAL. First place, cheering.

consultant and columnist Ram Maxey taking his vaunted pre-war cheering act in a performance depicting the evolution of cheering. Daddy Ram punctuated Editorial’s performance with a “IDawn Zulueta mo ako” move that brought the house…err island down. team Accounting-Marketing can only say “so gr-r-r!.” Production placed second with their military-inspired routine. the turnaround destinations of the day were in Coral Garden and Pearl Farm.

TEAM ACCOUNTING-MARKETING. Swaying, swaying.

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

Cinco de Mayo at Eagles Ole! Join the countdown to Cinco de Mayo on May 4 at the Marco Polo Davao’s eagles Bar. Welcome the spirit fo Mexico with Mojitos, Margaritas, Nachos, Tortillas and many more! For reservations and inquiries, please call 221 0888 local 7608 or 7225.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

SM’s Health Mission reaches out to over 2,100 Dabawenyos

On April 24 and 25, 2013, SM Foundation, Inc. (SMFI), with the support of SM Lanang Premier, conducted a Medical and Dental Mission – “Gamot para sa Kapwa” to serve the needy communities in Davao City. The twoday event held at the mall’s Basement Parking Area provided free medical and dental services to a total of 2,108 Dabawenyos.

MOTherS always lead the way to everyone’s Beneficiaries were less needs. On Mother’s day, May 12, lead her to a spe- fortunate families, secial barbecue buffer dinner at the Waterfront Insu- nior citizens and Philippine war veterans in SMFI’s Mobile Clinic at SM Lanang Premier made Chest X-ray and ECG available to residents of Agdao, lar Davao’s Pool Aquarius. communities near La- Sasa, Ubalde and R. Castillo. relax under nang such as Agdao, the sunset with Sasa, R. Castillo and an amazing view Ubalde. of Davao Gulf

All roads lead to Mom!

beside a refreshing swimming pool with great food, live music and the company of the person you love most.

Avail of a 4 plus 1 promo at Php500 nett per person and get a chance to win a Pampering Package at our in-house massage spa plus her a complimentary pool pass that you can use on your next visit.

For more information or reservations, call the Waterfront Insular hotel Davao at (+63 82) 233 2881 to 87.

School is in at the SM Store COMPleTe your school needs at SM Accessories.

Save up to P800 on bags, socks, lunch kits, tumblers and more! Visit the Children’s Accessories and Character Shop departments of SM Store and get great savings now. You can also like Us on Facebook at SM Accessories Kids for details.

The Medical and Dental Mission in SM Lanang Premier was organized as part of the SM Group of Companies’ corporate social responsibility efforts.

It mobilized the support of various stakeholders – the government, the private sector, organizations and academic institutions – in serving the community through a unified initiative. Partners for the mission include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC, formerly called Davao Medical Center), City Health Office, San Pedro College, Metro Davao Medical and Research Center, Philippine Dental Association-Davao City

Dr. Antonio Solar of the Southern Dr. Susan Malaga, President of PDA-Davao City Dental Philippines Medical Center gives medical advice to an elderly patient.

Chapter, conducts a Fluoride Check to the children.

Dental Chapter and Phy- ing was also rendered and the socio-civic arm of the toothbrushes were given SM Group of Companies. toMax. Free medical and dental free of charge to children.

Other advocacies include consultations, provision of Doctors, dentists, nurses education through scholmedicines, diagnostic tests and medical technologists arship programs and donaand laboratory services from partner institutions tions of school buildings such as Chest X-ray, ECG, administered the laborato- to public elementary and Urinalysis, Fluoride Check, ry tests, medical and dental high schools, livelihood Hemoglobin Test, Dental consultations throughout projects and religious community projects.

Tooth Extraction, and Phy- the event. to-Heart Check were proHealth and medical SMFI helps the needy vided to the beneficiaries. projects are just one of the in communities within the A lecture demonstration four areas of advocacy of vicinity of SM Supermalls on proper tooth brush- the SM Foundation, Inc., nationwide.

Nursing students from San Pedro College SMFI’s Gamot Para sa Kapwa Medical and Dental Mission at SM Lanang Premier catered check the vital signs of patients. to families from nearby barangays.

LET yOUR ChILD’S TALENT ShINE! Join Promil Pre-School’s i-Shine Talent Camp on May 4, 10am at the Abreeza Mall Activity Center with Xian Lim, Dimples Romana and Matteo Guidicelli from 10am to 7pm.

The elderly queue up for a Phyto-heart Check.

Dentists from PDA-Davao City Dental Chapter check the fluoride Doctors from SPMC provide medical advice to senior citizens. levels of youngsters.

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

eNTerTAINMeNT

Gisele Bündchen named face of h&M fall campaign CAN’T stop, won’t stop!

Yesterday, Gisele Bündchen was spotted shooting some upcoming ads on the streets of london. Turns out the supermodel was working on h&M’s fall campaign.

Shortly after Vogue leaked the top secret info, the brand confirmed the exciting news.

Although Tom Brady’s better half will be following in some fierce footsteps—Beyoncé is currently starring in h&M’s summer campaign—this isn’t her first collaboration with the brand. The mom starred in the 2011 spring/summer ads.

If that weren’t enough, the busy mom is also currently the face of Chanel

beauty. It’s no wonder she has been the highest-paid

supermodel for nearly a decade!

Royal Family’s eating habits revealed:

Queen Enjoys Special K, Prince Charles doesn’t share NOT everyone has the luxury of sitting beside the royal family for a meal, and although most of their eating habits include cosuming plates from a lavish menu, sometimes it can be just as simple as a bowl of cereal.

Queen elizabeth II has recently put out an ad looking for a new sous chef for the royal kitchen, and Darren McGrady, who worked for the royal family for 15 years (for her Majesty until 1993, and for Princess Diana before her death in 1997) revealed some royal eating habits and offered advice for potential applicants during an interview with The Telegraph.

“I’m amazed they’re advertising at all,” he said. “They normally promote from within, because you have to learn the family recipes.

Although you’re cooking for 300 staff and kings and presidents, you’re also cooking for a family; for two pensioners, with particular likes and dislikes. You’d never put garlic in the queen’s menu, for example, or strong onions or paprika, because she hates them.”

But one thing the queen does thoroughly enjoy, according to McGrady, is a nice hearty bowl of Cornflakes or Special K, with fruit from her greenhouses or macadamia nuts she keeps in a Tupperware box. Who would’ve known?!

Additionally, no matter where the queen is in the world, she always takes afternoon tea every day, which consists of scones (“sometimes crumbled up and fed straight to the corgis”), sandwiches and two sweet options.

As for the other royals, McGrady notes that Prince Charles is not much one to share, and that his organic dishes—such as poached plums from his highgrove estate—are kept separate from the rest of the royal cuisine. he also notes that Prince Andrew is a huge fan of mangoes, saying, “every Christmas, he’d get sent a gift of mangoes, and he’d come into the kitchen bellowing: ‘Where are my mangoes?’” and adding that Prince William and Prince harry kept their appetite very simple: “Two boys who loved burg-

ers and pizza.”.

“I cooked for five American presidents; I flew on Concorde; I rode on the royal yacht Britannia,” McGrady recalls. “I often wonder how much William has changed.

I watched him grow up; I puréed fruit for him as a baby—and now he and Kate are going to have one of their own. I’d love to be in that kitchen working with the nanny and getting food ready for the baby.”

As for advice for the new royal chef, McGrady says, “learn quickly who likes what and how they like it. Know how to address the family. Try not to stand out—no piercings or pink hair; you never know who you’ll be standing next to in the royal photograph. And watch a lot of Downton Abbey. Working in the kitchens at the Palace is exactly like that.”

IRON MAN 3 Robert Downey, Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow GP

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IRON MAN 3 -3D Robert Downey, Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow GP

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A4 INdulge!

ArTS AND CUlTUre

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

Flip-flop sketch-up C OL L A B OR ATIOnS are the in thing when it comes to the fashion world, mixing high flair with the approachability of a world-renowned fashion brand. But Havaianas, the brand that promotes fun-fashion and selfexpression, is turning things around and is giving every juan and maria a chance to express themselves.

The You + Havaianas is the company’s search for the next big Havaianas collaboration and will feature winning design entries to be chosen from among designs made by YOU. You + Havaianas is the brand’s first major crowdsourcing contest where everyone will be given the chance to submit a winning design, which will become a limited edition style for the 2014 Havaianas Collection.

I tried my hand making my own design during the You + Havaianas launch last May 1 at the Gaisano Mall of Davao.

I know I do illustrate but being pitted against international book illustrator Macky Pamintuan, FIDA’s Christine Munda, and de-

signers Junnie Artajo and Wilson Limon, I know I with tough but enjoyable company.

You + Havaianas is launched on-ground to-

gether with Make Your Own Havaianas on May 2-5, 2013 at the Rockwell Tent, with simultaneous executions in Laoag, Subic, Batangas, naga,

Cebu, Bacolod, Boracay, CDO and Davao.

So rush now until May 5 to the You + Havaianas booth located at the dround floor Atrium of the Gaisano Mall of Davao and bring out the designer in you. Who knows, your design might be chosen for next year’s Havaianas Collection.

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

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

Education

MARKET-DRIVEN More students take up business courses

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

M

ore students are taking up business courses in college in the last two years.

Demand in the market for business graduates caused the upswing in business-related baccalaureate courses, according to the Commission on Higher education (CHeD) region 11.

Business courses had the most number of enrollees with 19,030 from all over the Davao region in the academic year 2012-2013 compared to the 16,516 in 2011-2012.

However, CHeD 11 expects more students opting for education courses after it jumped to second this school year from fifth

last school year.

CHeD 11 education Supervisor II Bernardo Luis Alejandro Jr. said more students will enroll in education courses in the years to come, especially with the new K-12 system, which will increase the demand for more teachers.

“This does not mean they will be hired right away though, because there are other requirements, like having owning a masters degree,” he said.

Another reason for an increase in enrolment in education courses is the chance to go abroad as there are lots of available jobs for teachers abroad, especially english teach-

ers, said Alejandro.

According to the Comparative Data on Top Five Programs in region 11, in the academic year 20122013, the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Secondary education course BS Business Administrator in second spot with 11,076 enrollees from academic year 2011 to 2012 where BS Secondary education is at top five with 6,252 enrollees.

For academic year 2012 – 2013, BS Information Technology follows BS secondary education at third with 8,514 enrollees. IT enrollees went down from the second spot in academic year 2011 – 2012 with 7,752.

Coming in at no. 4 is

BS Hotel and restaurant Management with 7,811 enrollees from a previous rank of third for the last academic year 2011 – 2012 with 7,418.

Next is BS Criminology with 7,797 at no. 4.

IT, HrM and education courses can be considered as preparatory courses for overseas employment and are included in the top five, Maritime programs and Nursing programs are still in top ten, a c c o rd i n g

to Alejandro.

“This means, people are enrolling with a global outlook with the ‘greener pasture’ in mind, which is why courses with most enrollees are for people who want to go abroad,” he said.

EDGEDAVAO

S2 Education

SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

ADDU opens first Languages school

EdGEDAVAO

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

I

F you want to broaden your horizon, it would be best to take up foreign language courses, and the best place to do it is at the Ateneo de Davao

University’s Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program.

It offers offers language courses, including French, Spanish, Nihon-

go, Mandarin, english, and Cebuano.

Humanities and Letters Language Department chair Maricar Gay Panda told edge Davao

in an interview that after they launched these programs, a lot of people of all ages showed interest and enrolled in language classes that will start this month of May. According to Panda, there are top executives from multinational businesses who want to enhance their business english skills while an entire family who immigrated to Davao City from South Korea want to learn the english language.

They can learn various languages through (a) one-on-one session, (b) module, or (c) group/ class sessions for a minimum of 30 hours and a flexible schedule that will depend on the student’s convenient time.

There are 50 foreign language teachers in these programs, some work full-time while others work part-time.

AdDU already had foreign language programs imbedded in some of their courses even before the Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program.

For example, the International Studies course includes Nihongo and Spanish classes, while Accounting and Business Programs include Mandarin classes.

However, the Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program offers certificate courses that can give more credibility.

Some of the teachers in the Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program who teach in these courses got their Masters Degree in Spain, some got their certification from Japan, which means these are high quality teachers. one of the teachers who teaches French classes at the Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, is certified.

The Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program was able to acquire certified French teachers because AdDU has close ties with the Canadian embassy whose secondary language is French.

The different language classes will adhere to the needs of the stu-

dents, as there are students who are only after the certification, others are scheduled to work in Canada, and elsewhere.

According to Ms. Panda, this will help people who intend to go abroad because after they finish the K-12 education, they can simply take language courses at the Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program to get certification and work abroad right away.

These courses do not just teach people how to read, write, and understand a foreign language, but also learn the culture of the country whose language they are learning, as well.

If the Language Center and Matteo ricci Mandarin Program becomes a success, AdDU is also looking at offering more languages, including Mandaya and Bahasa.

Panda said that Humanities and Letters, Literature and Arts Department chair Pamela Castrillo recently spoke to the Indonesian Consulate for linkages to the Bahasa language.

EDGEDAVAO SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

EdGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

Education

S3

ICT spells more employment

By Greg G. Deligero

G

rADUATeS of courses related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are in demand in the Davao region to fill up vacancies in companies offering software, graphics and content development, data entry and transcription, contact centers, graphics and animation and engineering and design process.

At of this month, the Department of Labor and employment (DoLe) 11 posted 1,392 vacancies available for cyber services, such as technical support representatives, customer service consultants and call center agents.

“These are the top three in-demand jobs in the region,” said reynaldo D. Badilles, chief of DoLe Davao City Field office.

Davao region produces an average of 18,000 graduates a year in fields such as business management, computer science, engineering, nursing and education. of the 46 higher learning institutions in the region, 42 are located in Davao City.

In 2009, the ICT industry in the region employed 6,480. The following year,

the number increased to 10,985. With an average yearly increase of about 69 percent, the industry is expected to offer at least 30,000 direct jobs by 2015.

“Davao has an unparalleled opportunity to grow its share in ICT job generation in the country as it hosts a number of organized ICT/IT-BPo sub-sectors, has good telecom infrastructure and a deep pool of human resource. These favorable conditions are further enhanced by the presence of active business support organizations and a strategic location for ICT investments,” said the industry situationer

obtained from the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center.

With first class ICT infrastructure and utilities available, the paper said Davao has the potential to become an important satellite delivery location for the non-voice sector of medical, legal and general transcription, medical coding and billing, software development and creative services.

The Philippine Government has established several Special economic Zones (ecozones) where Business Process outsourcing (BPo) captives and third party service providers may establish their businesses and reg-

ister with the Philippine economic Zone Authority (PeZA) as an ecozone IT enterprise.

Being a registered enterprise with PeZA, it automatically allows these companies certain fiscal incentives like exemption from income taxes from four to six years and employment of foreign nationals.

Currently, Davao City has six PeZA – accredited IT facilities providing unlimited power supply, premium spaces and high speed fiber optic telecommunications resiliency and redundancy.

These include the DAMoSA IT Park, the first IT Park in Davao

City. The area is 2.3 hectares owned and operated by Damosa Land, Inc. of the Floirendo family.

The park houses a few buildings that are occupied by commercial business establishments like banks, bakeshop, restaurants purposely to meet the needs of employees working in the vicinity, including call center agents.

Two of their buildings are also classified as IT Buildings dedicated for IT enterprises. Currently one of those buildings is exclusively occupied by Concentrix (contact center). other facilities are the Luisa Avenue Square IT Center which is exclusively occupied by Sutherland Global Services and the robinsons Cybergate wherein a huge portion of the mall’s space in the second floor is occupied VXI Global, one of the latest call centers to set up in Davao. The fourth floor of NCCC Mall is also exclusively occupied by opinionology (formerly Western Watts). recognizing the potential of Davao as the next ICT hub in the Philippines, SM decided to allocate a sizeable area of

more than 10,000 square meters in their annex building to get a piece of the pie of BPo companies looking for premium spaces in the city.

The latest company who took the plunge and built their own IT building in the city is the Ayala IT Hub wherein a total of four floors or a total of 9,000 square meters have been allocated for IT/BPo companies.

In 2012, the ICT industry’s employment contribution to Davao City was around 16,000 full time employeesm of whom more than 90% were with the voice sector (contact centers) making ir the fastest growing sub-sector of ICT. The industry likewise projects around 20-25% increase (3,000-5,000) to be added as full time employees in 2013. The projected increase is attributed to entry of new BPo players and the current ramped up requirements of existing locators.

The projected increase of around 25 percent per year by the industry will contribute significantly to the industry’s goal of reaching 32,000 full time employees by 2015.

EDGEDAVAO

S4 Education

SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EdGEDAVAO

Jobs ACADEMy ExpANDINg ICT TRAININg foR TEAChERs

By Che Palicte

T

He Jobs Academy has expanded their programs for 2013 to include Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training for teachers.

Jobs Academy marketing officer Francis Malalis told media last Monday, that the training would capacitate teachers, especially in the basic education program.

“This program is in line with our partnership with the Department of education, where teachers will become more aware of, and get oriented on the ICT-based program,” she explained.

Malalis bared that Jobs Academy is also expanding their partnership with the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company.

“The company gives unlimited sales force slots and summer jobs to our students this year,” she

added, saying that they have intensified their “100 percent job guaranteed or your money back” program.

The school guarantees jobs for the graduates of their degree courses: BS in Business Administration and BS in Information Technology; otherwise, JoBS Academy will reimburse their tuition fee for four years.

The 100 percent job placement assistance is also offered to graduates of their diploma courses: Diploma in Programming Technology and Hardware Servicing, Diploma in Multi Media Design and Animation, and Diploma in events Management.

EDGEDAVAO SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

EdGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

Education

S5

The Nursing Education phenomenon Top NURsINg sChooL. Davao’s San Pedro College is one of the country’s top performing nursing schools.

By Che Palicte

T

eN years ago, global demand for nurses triggered a surge in nursing education in the Philippines. Filipino nurses were preferred over their contemporaries because of their level of knowledge and the type of care they render their

patients.

A big change occurred in the following years, including the dwindling employment of nurses abroad and in their own country as well, and the massive establishment of nursing schools and colleges that failed to produce quality

graduates.

According to Jeannie Bibera, dean of nursing of San Pedro College (SPC), in the past years they had as many as 20 sections when demand for nurses surged, but today they only have three sections left.

She told edge Davao that the sudden decrease was due to the rise in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programs which is the most in demand these days.

Bibera explained that the SPC will continue to offer nursing courses because the institution has always been known as a nursing school since 1956.

“I guess, the nursing course is still important, people get sick and they need medical attention, not only from doctors but nurses as well,” she added.

The dean is using the term “phenomenon” to describe what the nursing program is experiencing today.

To recall, the start of 2001 paved the way to the mushrooming of nursing schools to the extent that even an information technology school has opened a college of nursing.

This is due to the fast turnover of nursing graduates going abroad and even fresh graduates without hospital experience have seen themselves

working and taking care of foreign patients immediately.

The Philippines is not a rich country, every year it experiences the worstof-the-worst economic problems. The term “below poverty line” seems to underline every Filipino families that never meets the basic standard of living that is why job offers abroad, most especially for registered nurses in the US or and UK, give hope to these families.

Parents who are poor strive hard finding ways and means to send their children to nursing schools to finish the fouryear course.

Most high school graduates take their college entrance tests in nursing because of the high demand but many schools neglect to see the importance of screening and maintaining good and quality students. regardless of the consequences, nursing schools continue to proliferate all throughout the country that it is becoming more of a business than a mission to mold and de-

velop good quality nurses.

This is why the Philippines has thousands of now surplus nursing graduates, most of whom cannot find work.

The government has issued a moratorium on enrollment in nursing be stopped and is trying to find ways for unemployed graduates to work.

The Commission on Higher education (Ched) has also issued a warning to shut down schools that are unable to sustain a high percentage of passers in the Nursing Licensure examination (NLe). The basis for the closure will be a 3-year consecutive below the national board passing rate in the exam.

The saddest thing is, Filipinos have been regarding the nursing profession as a lucrative career to earn dollars and euros and forgetting that nursing is in fact taking care and saving human life Many wish that nursing education in the Philippines will hopefully rise again and continue to produce the best Filipino nurses for the world.

EDGEDAVAO

S6 Education

SPEciaL SuPPLEMEnt

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EdGEDAVAO

gh office Depot equips schools

By EJ Dominic Fernandez

F

rom selling wholesale office supplies with limited products to offer in 1963, to becoming a one-stopshop for educational institutions and other offices at present, GH office Depot is a homegrown business in Davao City that has become a store of choice for most schools here.

GH office Depot owner Paul Go said in an interview that it is very fulfilling knowing that your customers are being served good and quality products at reasonable prices out of their company.

Which is why from being a wholesale store back in the 60s, the company saw an opportunity to provide for more customers by selling retail.

When other national and bigger office and school supply stores opened here in the city, the company was threatened, but later mr. Go found out that they cater to a different kind of customers, such as the institutional customers, schools and

government agencies.

They also prefer to stick to the standards price of the products they sell and would not take advantage of any occasions by increasing their prices.

Since they want to give the best for their customers, the company saw that the customers need a wider range of product besides school and office supplies, which is why they started selling school and office equipment, school and office furniture, sporting goods, sound system, computer, printer, inks and accessories and for the past three years they recently included cellphones, tablets, hardware and appliance products on their store.

GH office Depot is located at monteverde Avenue, this place is not located on the main highway were people can see; however, this fact does not affect the business, because people find the store convenient with the availability of whatever they need.

GH office Depot can even construct certain office structures, including the library bookshelves, school cabinets and office partitions. They can create custom structures to fit the needs of their customers.

GH actually means Go Hi which is the name

of the patriarch of the Go family, he is the founder of the store back in the 60s, on June, the company will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, which only shows that they were able to provide quality products to different people, institutions, and schools in Davao City.

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

Harden gets it done, forges Game 6 O

KlaHOMa CiTY (aP) -- James Harden lacked the energy to get through a morning shoot-around. Then he found the strength to fill the Houston rockets with life in a playoff series that had started to look hopeless.

Harden scored 31 points and sank seven 3-pointers while fighting flu-like symptoms, and the rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-100 Wednesday night to pull within 3-2 in their firstround playoff series.

Harden made the first seven 3s he tried and Houston led by as many as 16 to win its second straight, getting halfway to becoming the first team in NBa history to overcome an 0-3 series deficit. ‘’i just tried to go out there and give it all i had,’’

said Harden, adding that he slept all day. ‘’it was a win or go home, so i got some shots to fall and i just tried to not think about it.’’

The rockets played without starting point guard Jeremy lin for the second straight game because of a bruised chest muscle. Key reserve Carlos Delfino didn’t play in the second half because of a sore left foot.

They still had plenty of offense, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from Omer asik and 18 points and five 3-pointers from Francisco Garcia. Patrick Beverley scored 14 and aaron Brooks and Chandler Parsons chipped in 10 apiece.

We just came out here and played pressure-free.

Go out there and just hoop, that was our mindset going into the game,’’ Harden said.

HARD-FIGHTING. James Harden scored 31 points and sank seven 3-pointers while fighting flu-like symptoms.

Karlo hopes PBA will bring games in Davao Belga to Gilas: Sorry, part of the job

r

e-electioniST rep. Karlo Nograles is looking forward to Davao City’s hosting of out of town games of the Philippine Basketball association or perhaps the PBa all Stars in the near future.

The PBa plays its first ever all-Star Weekend in the region with Digos City in Davao del Sur as this year’s host from May 1-6. The games will be played in the Davao del

Sur Coliseum which has hosted several PBa games since its completion two years ago.

Nograles said with the completion of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) Gym inside the USEP campus in Barrio Obrero, the city now has a facility that could pass the hosting requirements of the PBa. The USEP Gym has a capacity of 8,000. “i am sure people of Davao City will be ex-

HOLE IN ONE. Mimi Siason (left) shows her Titleist no. 1 ball and her Tour Stage driver in scoring a rare hole-in-one on no. 6 at the Rancho Palos Verdes

cited to see PBa games played here. USEP Gym complements our current inventory of sports facilities and coupled with our hotels and exciting destinations, the PBa should be interested in bringing the games here,” rep.

Nograles said.

The multi-awarded legislator cited the recent successful hosting of the biggest boxing promotion in Davao— Pinoy Pride XiX— which featured a world

championship fight between Filipino boxing star rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista and Mexican Jose “Negro” ramirez.

“That event was seen not only on national television but also worldwide. That means added exposure for Davao City,” Nograles said.

He also cited the unity shown by Dabawenyos in sports as exemplified by the throngs of fans who watched the fight last april 20.

during the 8th Pomelo Tee yesterday. (Right) Boy Tan pumps his fist after sinking a birdie at no. 9.

B

EaU Belga, the other half of the “Extra rice Brothers” in the PBa, has tough words for the National Team.

“Pasensya lang, trabaho lang,” the burly Belga said during yesterday’s press conference at the Davao del Sur Coliseum for the 2013 PBa all Star Weekend in Digos City.

Belga reacted to the question by this writer when asked whether the PBa all Stars will play physical against the Smart Gilas-Pilipinas squad on Sunday.

“Tulong namin sa national team ito pero lalaban kami. ibibigay namin kung ano ang gusto nila,” said Belga as his teammates beside him erupted in cheers.

Even PBa Commissioner Chito Salud grinned from his seat.

Belga is one of the members of the PBa all Stars who will be playing the Smart Gilas for the annual PBa all Star showcase.

Playing for the allStars are Yap, Caguioa, abueva, Santos, Ellis, Canaleta, alex Cabagnot, Jay Washington, Cyrus Baguio, Casio, lassiter and Beau Belga.

The Gilas, mentored

by Chot reyes, will parade Sonny Thoss, ryan reyes, la Tenorio, larry Fonacier, Gary David, Jared Dillinger, Japeth aguilar, ranidel de Ocampo, June Mar Fajardo, Jimmy alapag, Gabe Norwood, Kelly Williams, Jeff Chan, Marc Pingris, and Jason Castro.

Tickets for the allStar Saturday are pegged at P500 for Upper Box, P1,000 for lower Box, and P1,500 for Courtside. (Neil Bravo)

16

VOL. 6 ISSUE 35 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, MAY 03-04, 2013

EDGEDAVAO Sports

Davao Sur is PBA’s second home

By Neil Bravo

T

HE Philippine Basketball association has found a home away from home in Davao del Sur. PBa Commissioner Chito Salud yesterday said Davao del Sur is now the second home of the PBa during the official press conference of the 2013 PBa all Star Weekend at the Davao del Sur Coliseum in Digos City.

“Davao del Sur is already our second home, we are like a member of the family in this province,” Salud said. Next to him at the panel in the conference, a beaming Governor Douglas Cagas of Davao del Sur nodded in approval.

“We are happy to be in Davao del Sur that is why we were so happy when Governor Cagas accepted our proposal,” Salud said.

Governor Cagas said the province has already hosted six PBa out of town games and their experience have made them more equipped in hosting such event as

big as the all-Star Weekend which will showcase the Skills Competitiion, Three-Point Shooutout, the Slam Dunk contest and the PBa Stalwarts versus PBa Greats showdown today.

On Sunday, the PBa all Stars test the mettle of the FiBa asia-bound Smart Gilas national team.

The PBa all Stars entourage was treated

by Governor Cagas on Wednesday night to a welcome dinner at the Davao del Sur Coliseum to kick off the star-studded weekend. Yesterday the PBa stars were back for the press conference where the players were formally introduced to the media, tree planting ceremonies and mall tour.

Fans mobbed the country’s basketball stars most notably Chris Tiu of rain or Shine, arwind Santos and alex Cabagnot of Petron, Joe Devance of SanMig Coffee, and Chris Ellis of Ginebra.

Ellis is my man - KG F

OrMEr back-toback PBa slam dunk champion KG Canaleta picked high-flying Ginebra rookie Chris Ellis as the man to beat in the slam dunk contest tonight in the 2013 PBa all Star Weekend in Digos City. “i pick Chris. There’s no one i can imagine who’s as good as Chris now,” said the air21 forward who will be playing in the Stalwarts versus Greats showdown tonight at the Davao del Sur Coliseum.

Ellis downplayed his chances despite the very high odds on his favor. “i am honored by KG picking me but i think there are lots of good dunkers,” Ellis said in yesterday’s press conference where the PBa all Stars were formally in-

troduced. asked what fans can expect from his routines, he simply said “let’s wait and see.”

Tonight, the much-awaited slam dunk competition will be contested by the pro league’s most vicious rim-rattlers arwin Santos of Petron and rookies Calvin abueva of alaska and the highly favored Ellis of Ginebra. also joining them are Cliff Hodge of Meralco, rey Guevarra of Meralco, and Elmer Espiritu of Ginebra.

JC intal of Barako Bull begged off due to a hamstring injury while former champion Canaleta has decided to pass up. Espiritu said he will try his best while abueva promised to show what he got.

FELLIS, 14

ALL STARS. Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas (right, seated) along with wife Didi (middle) and PBA Commissioner Chito Salud pose with the PBA All-Stars players after the press conference yesterday at the Davao del Sur Coliseum. NJB