Edge7 issue 50

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

BEYOND

BEAUTY Unilever names 30 ‘Beyond Beauty’women of Mindanao

2 ON THE COVER EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

BEYOND BEAUTY Unilever names 30 ‘Beyond Beauty’women of Mindanao

By ArMAndo B. Fenequito Jr. abf@edgedavao.net

“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” - Mandy Hale

F

or 30 years of being of service in giving beautiful hair to every Filipino woman, Cream Silk honored 30 women from Mindanao who contributed in the island’s development in a ceremony last Friday at The Peak of Gaisano Mall.

Candy M. Hernandez, major accounts executive for Southern Mindanao of Unilever Philippines, said that aside from possessing good character, the women of different ages succeeded in their own different fields of interest or profession and made significant contributions to society.

The women who were recognized for their exemplary role in influencing every Filipina in the country are: 1. Ann Tiukihoy PAminTuAn A native of Surigao, the now Davao-based artist is considered one of the pillars of the country’s design industry. This world renowned metal artist, jewelry maker, home accessories and furniture designer belongs to a new wave of Filipino designers gaining worldwide recognition from Manila to New York, Milan, Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

2. irene SAnTiAgo Irene Morada Santiago, chair emerita of the Mindanao Commission on Women and convenor of the Mothers for Peace movement, has been selected as the N-Peace Awardee 2013, role Model for Peace from the Philippines, a prestigious prize which recognizes the leadership role of women and peace advocates from six conflict-affected countries in Asia. She is one of six women awardees chosen for their leadership and contribution towards building peace.

3. ZohAymA monTAner International award-winning modern Islamic typographer and visual artist, Zohayma Montañer, Al-Haj, has become one of the most eminent names in the scope of Islamic art. Her main goal is to give dawa’ah through her art and pleasing Allah. At 17, she got her first international award in Valencia, Spain. She is now actively working to spread the message of Islam through her works and art exhibitions world wide 4. ShAmcey gurreA SupSup-Lee Shamcey Gurrea Supsup-Lee was crowned Miss Universe-Philippines 2011 and represented her country at the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in São Paulo, Brazil, where she finished as 3rd runner-Up. Supsup obtained her Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, grad-

uating with magna cum laude.

She was also a valedictorian in grade school and salutatorian in high school. She now hosts a lifestyle show on ANC. 5. AgneS LocSin Born in Davao City, Agnes Dakudao Locsin is a dancer, teacher and is considered one of the most progressive contemporary choreographers in the Philippines. Her dances focus on Philippine beliefs and rituals, and ethnic and urban life. Her early dance lessons were under the training of her mother at the Locsin Dance Workshop in Davao where she later became artistic director to the Locsin Dance Ensemble. She was dance director of the Terpsichoreans in Ateneo de Davao and taught at the CCP Dance School, the University of the Philippines College of Music and the Jazz Tap Center. She was also dance consultant to the Philippine Educational Theater Association and Tanghalang Pilipino. She was artistic director of Ballet Philippines 6. MAgS Lopez cALpito cue A former commercial model, Cue is the brains behind MAGS, one of the country’s most successful clothing brands. originally from Cagayan de oro, MAGS now boasts of twenty-one branches nationwide and has dressed countless of celebrities and influential ladies in the society. She was one of 2013’s Best Dressed Women of the Philippines, which is made up of a roster of women who have “accomplished in their chosen passion yet remain humble; driven yet compassionate.

7. mArgAriTA MorAn FLoirendo Margarita Morán Floirendo is a multi-awarded peace advocate for her efforts in Mindanao and currently the President of Ballet Philippines. She gained prominence when she won the Miss Universe in 1973 at Athens, Greece. Two years after her reign, she married and managed to finish her Business Administration degree in Boston University and took her masters in University of London. She once hosted ABS-CBN’s “Margie on Mindanao” and produced a multi-awarded movie, “Bagong Buwan”. Moran is also notable for her social and civic works especially for promoting peace and livelihood as part of the Mindanao Commission on Women organization and recently as an ambassador-trustee of Habitat for Humanity Philippines.

8. AngeL Aquino originally from Barobo, Surigao del Sur, Angelita Velasquez-Aquino is a fashion model and an award-wining film and television actress. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Baguio, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism course.

She has won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards from PMPC Star Awards, Gawad

Tanglaw, CineFilipino Film Festival and Balanghai. She was also nominated in various Gawad Urian and FAMAS awards.

9. Yvette MArie ceLi punzALAn Yvette’s Bags and Beads started as a hobby of owner/ designer Yvette Marie Celi-Punzalan, who made these crocheted straw bags for herself before it eventually grew into a business, thanks to the positive feedback from her family and friends. Today, she employs and trains women, mostly housewives, to help crochet the bags based on her designs.

10. JoJi iLAgAn BiAn Joji Ilagan Bian is a well-respected business leader and educator in Mindanao. She is the Founding Chairman of Council of Hotel and restaurant Educators of the Philippines and Country representative – Philippines to the Asia Pacific Council of Hotel and restaurant Institution Education. She is the Chairman of the Joji Ilagan Career Center Foundation which operates the Joji Ilagan College of Business and Tourism; Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship; JIB International School of Hotel and Tourism Management (General Santos City); Tumble Tots Phil.

Franchise; JIB E- Academy and Six Eleven Global Solution.

11. BAYAng BArrioS Bayang Barrios, who hails from Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, and is best known for her use of indigenous instruments and styles. She has released 5 albums, the latest of which was “Malaya” released in 2013. Barrios has won various awards, such as the Manila MetroPop Music Festival, Anvil Awards, Catholic Mass Media Awards, Katha Awards, and the Hanoi Music Festival.

12. JuriS FernAndez Multi-awarded Dabawenya singer and songwriter Julie Iris Fernandez-Lim was the lead singer of acoustic group MYMP from 2003 to 2009. Since 2009, she became a regular performer on ABS-CBN’s ASAP as part of the group called the Sessionistas. Since she went solo in 2009, her solo albums has reached Gold and Platinum status. She has also released albums in Singapore and Korea.

13. chAriTA PuenTeSPinA Charita Puentespina is the founder of the Puentespina orchids and Tropical Plants Inc based in Davao City. It was the result of her passion for horticulture with her efforts to improve her own flowers through hybridization becoming the industry standard of quality.

In 2013, awarded Filipina Entrepreneur of 2013 along with eleven awardees. She was also honored as one of the 50 Inspiring Stories of Agri-Entrepreneurs, and credited for saving the Waling-waling, now one of the country’s national flowers,

from extinction.

14. mAry Ann monTemAyor Mary Ann “Baby” Montemayor is one of Davao and Mindanao’s staunch tourism advocates - and it shows in her resume. Currently and in the past years, she has led various tourism organizations, such as the Davao region Tourism Council, Southern Philippines Tourism Council, Southern Philippines Tourism Council, BIMP-EAGA, aside from managing her own hotel, Villa Margarita.

15. Sitti dJALiA turABin-HAtAMAn Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman is the Anak Mindanao Party List representative in Congress and a committed advocate of women’s rights in Mindanao.

She currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos. She also served as director of the Moro Human rights Center and as president of Pinay Kilos since at least 2007. She has also focused her advocacy on the plight of families in conflict areas of Sulu and Basilan.

16. dadai Joaquin Dabawenya artist Dadai Joaquin has been painting and drawing for many years and has been part of several exhibits in Davao and Cagayan de oro. She is noted for her works in soil, using the often unseen but very rich colors of common earth to create dramatic paintings.

17. mimi VergArA TuPAS Dedicated wife, loving mother and entrepreneur, Mimi Vergara Tupas is Davao’s fashion retail queen, the force behind hip clothing brands, SoUL and Pickled & Peppered. recently, she has extended her business acumen to producing SoUL Kitchen and Co., a homebased kitchen concoction enterprise that is currently earning raves, with her line of coldpressed fruit, vegetable juices and healthy salads.

18. dr. MAe doLendo Dr. Mae Dolendo is pediatric oncologist. She is also the head of the Southern Philippines Medical Center’s Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Unit. She is also the program director of House of Hope, a transient center for children with cancer with ongoing treatment at SPMC. The center aims to give hope, and provide care and cure to children with cancer.

19. ArLene cunAnAn Davao-born Arlene Cunanan is a wife, a mother of four boys, pianist, entrepreneur and actress based in Singapore. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Music major in Piano Instrument, minor in Marimba and organ instruments at Colegio de la Imaculada Concepcion in Cebu City with a Master’s Program at the Conservatory of Music, University of the Philippines.

In Singapore, she has appeared in TV documentaries and dramas at MediaCorp Channel, var-

ious print ads, TV commercials, live skits, short films, corporate videos, glossy magazines and newspapers.

20. dr. AnnABeLLe LAo-reYeS Dr. Annabelle Lao-reyes is a wife, mother, teacher, researcher and a stroke advocate. She is the only female neurologist– psychiatrist in Mindanao and the only stroke specialist and neurosonologist in Mindanao.

Aside from the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, she also trained at the Singapore General Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona, USA. Her works and research on stroke and cerebrovascular ultrasound has been published over 25 international papers.

21. MeLAi cAntiveroS-FrAnciSco Comedienne Melai Cantiveros-Francisco of General Santos City is the fifth Big Winner of the hit reality show, Pinoy Big Brother. She, along with her real life partner, Jason Francisco, starred in a reality show spin-off entitled “Melason In Love”. Cantiveros also played one of the leading characters in the daytime drama “Impostor”, which bagged a nomination under Best Telenovela Category in the International Emmy Awards.

22. FrAnceS MArgArette SAguLiLi eSquiveL Born in Davao City, but raised in Los Angeles, Marga Esquivel has a beauty that is the perfect mix of Asian exoticism and California cool. Fluent in English and Tagalog, she has graced the pages of French Elle, Zooey, Phoenix International, Foam, Audrey Magazine, Wad, Nasty Gal, Thomas Wylde, among others, endorsing global brands. Currently doing her rounds in Europe, Marga is serving up Pinay power in the world of fashion.

23. MicHeLLe SoLon Although an Ilonggo, Michelle Solon is a staunch supporter of Sarangani tourism.

She is currently the chair of the regional Tourism Council of the province. Along with the council, she has initiated various tourism campaigns in promoting various tourism products and services in within and beyond the province.

24. ciArA iSABeL uY Young entrepreneur Ciara Isabel Uy is the executive vice president of Davao Metro Shuttle, a major transport service provider in Southern Mindanao. In their desire to promote Mindanao destinations to more tourists and visitors, they initiated the Destination Mindanaw, a tour program that takes guests to Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Mati in Davao oriental, Sarangani and General Santos in SoCKSArGEN and Surigao del Sur. 25. SArA ZimmermAn duterte-cArpio

Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, lovingly called as Inday Sara by Dabawenyos, is Davao City’s first woman mayor and the youngest to have been elected to the post. Before she was elected as Mayor, she first served the city as its Vice Mayor.

Today, she is practicing lawyer and hosts a segment in a local TV news program. She is also a Governor of the Philippine National red Cross.

26. eLeAnor JoSe Eleanor Jose is the woman behind the famous Vjandep Pastel of Camiguin, a favorite pasalubong delicacy of those who visit the island. Twenty four years ago, she started the business from what was left of her husband Virgilio’s PhP120 Christmas bonus using the traditional half-drum make-shift oven and produced three boxes of pastel. Today, she runs she has around 200 employees from all over Mindanao, all treated like family members with free board and lodging. Vjandep, which stands for Virgilio Jose and Elena Popera, Pastel is now sold nationwide.

27. JoJie ALcAntArA Jojie Alcantara is an artist, traveler, writer, photographer, TV host, product endorser, and mother. Her personal advocacy of promoting her country never fails to fill her with adrenalin.

As a photojournalist, she has bagged awards locally and internationally. She is also Getty Image contributor. She writes a column in two newspapers, and contributes to travel and airline magazines. She is also a 3-time Pacific Asia Travel Association Gold Awards nominee.

28. SAmerAh guToc Noted as one of 500 Most Influential Muslims (The royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan), Samira Gutoc, is a journalist, manager, consultant, environmentalist, trainor, activist, organizer and now a legislator. She obtained her degrees in Communication and Master in International Studies at the University of the Philippines, law degree from the Arellano School of Law and a fellowship at the oxford Center for Islamic Studies. She was nominated to The Ten outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and awarded by Junior Chamber International as one of the country’s outstanding Young Men for Leadership. She was former Executive Vice President of the 1st National Youth Parliament and reform ArMM Now spokesperson. She is now an oIC sectoral representative for women and chairs the Committee on Education, Arts, Culture and Sports Development. She also sits as regent in the Mindanao State University System.

29. BArBArA gAiSAno 30. kriSTine gAiSAno The two entrepreneurs are honored for their contribution in the field of business in Mindanao.

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014 Holcim Philippines chief executive officer Eduardo Sahagun greets the family members of one of the beneficiaries of “Tabang ta Kabalayan” during the turnover ceremony of 100 new houses for typhoon Pablo victims in New Bataan, Compostela Valley Province Friday afternoon. “Tabang ta Kabalayan” is a shelter and livelihood program of Holcim Philippines in partnership with the local government of Compostella Valley Province and the municipality of New Bataan. Lean Daval Jr.

THE BIG NEWS

ABAP 11 to conduct probe on boxer’s death M

3

Holcim provides houses, livelihood to Pablo victims By cheneen r. cAPon

By neiLWin JoSepH L. BrAvo njb@edgedavao.net

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HE regional Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) will conduct a probe on the tragic ring incident in Barangay Sawata, San Isidro in Davao del Norte after a teenaged boxer died in a fiesta boxing tournament.

Johnrey Amar, 14, died after collapsing in the ring in the second round of the amateur slugfest organized

by Barangay Sawata. reports said he was brought to the Kapalong District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. The same reports said the cause of death is head injury.

Gene rose Teccson, head of the region 11 ABAP, boxing’s national sports association, said that she has sent a letter to the barangay officials

DEATH IN BOXING. Gene Rose Tecson of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) 11 answers questions from the writer during the “Let’s Get It On!” radio sports talk show on 105.9 Balita FM. Tecson reavealed that they have not sanctioned the tournament where a 14-year old boxer died in a fiesta boxing tournament in Barangay Sawata, San Isidro, Davao del Norte.

IN EDUCATION FRONT

to submit an official report of the incident. Tecson revealed that the tournament was not sanctioned by ABAP 11 and no referees and judges from the ranks of the ABAP or the official ABAP referees organization were requested to officiate the tournament.

“We are not involved in that tournament. No requests were made. We do not know sino ang nag-officiate diyan. Kaya gusto naming malaman,” Tecson said in an interview during the Let’s Get It on!” sports talk show at 105.9 Balita FM on Saturday.

“May problema diyan kasi hindi naming alam na may tournament. Hindi po sanctioned ng ABAP yan,” bared Tecson, who is also the program director of Baran-

FABAP, 10

PHL needs to catch up with ASEAN neighbors T

HE country has lagged behind its ASEAN neighbors in terms of quality education despite the Filipino students’ competitive English communication skills, officials of private schools said Friday.

“We have so much to catch up with ASEAN, especially in higher education,” rey Castro, assistant vice president for

business development of the University of Mindanao, said in a press conference.

He cited that unlike the Philippines, other ASEAN countries have established a system for the quality of education, enabling many of their universities to land in the world ranking list.

Malaysia, for example, has

less than 100 schools but over 10 of these made it to the world university rankings, Castro said.

But the Philippines, which has nearly 1,900 private and public colleges and universities, usually had only four or five schools included the list, he said.

“It is so because other ASEAN countries are conscious of

the global requirements,” he explained.

Castro added the Commission on Higher Education has been doing reforms, which he hoped the new chairperson who will assume by August will continue.

Jimmie-Loe Dela Vega, executive director of the Davao

FPHL, 10

crc@edgedavao.net

orE than a structure, homes build hope especially to the homeless victims of typhoon Pablo.

Holcim- Philippines, in partnership with the provincial government of Compostella Valley and the municipality of New Bataan assist in the construction of the P14 million-sustainable village with 100 new houses for families who lost everything during the typhoon.

“Bilang Pilipino, hindi nya matitiis na nakikita nyang

naghihirap ang kanyang kapwa Pilipino,” Holcim-Philippinea CEo Eduardo Sahagun said, while recalling the December 4 tragedy during the turn-over ceremony last Friday.

It has been exactly one year and six months that residents of New Bataan, Compostella Valley were doomed by Pablo. once a vibrant community, villages became ghost towns as residents were trying to cope up with the huge loss of lives and their properties.

FHOLCIM, 10

Tourism to gain from free Wi-Fi access bill

S

ENATE President Pro-Tempore ralph recto said the tourism sector will benefit from his proposed bill that seeks providing free public internet access in National Capital region (NCr) or Metro Manila. ”Tourists will be surprised that we have free Wi-Fi connection in the airport, national roads -- they will really find out that it’s more fun in the Philippines and more of them will come here,” he said. recto’s SB 2232 proposes installation of free internet connection not only in the airport, national roads like EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) and expressways but in public buildings, hospitals, schools and parks as well. ”Allowing free wireless internet access in key public places in NCr means provid-

ing access to the underserved in our society, including getting low-income people online,” recto said.

He said the bill, also known Free Metro Manila Wi-Fi Act of 2014, aims to enhance business growth opportunities and assure NCr residents “ease of sourcing timely information at the click of a button.” ”For the Philippines to further establish itself as an emerging economy, a public broadband internet infrastructure must be in place beginning with NCr,” he said.

He also said providing free internet access to public buildings and facilities in the national capital “will ensure that our growing labor force will be updated with employ-

FTOURISM, 10

4 NEWS

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

PHOTO PLAYERS. Executives of Canon Philippines Mindanao Regional office and Premier Photo, Inc. pose with the participants of Colours’ Cosplay Photography Workshop at Abreeza Mall yesterday. They are (R-L) Kelly Uy, Premier Photo, Inc. (PPI)president and chief executive officer;Gloria B. Sommer,Colours Digital Foto marketing officer; Martin Uy of PPI; Canon Philippines Mindanao Regional office marketing officer Monique P. Libo-on,branch manager Karen J. Cabonce and photographer Chiaw Yap. Lean Daval Jr.

Law beneficial DOH now use implants Epira to consumers--exec to prevent pregnancies By cheneen r. cAPon

By AnTonio m. Ajero ajero_antonio@yahoo.com

A

UTHorITIES of the Department of Health in region 11 have started to use subdermal contraceptive implants to prevent women from getting pregnant for as long as three years.

This was bared by Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama, DoH 11 director, in a speech he delivered before members of the rotary Club of Davao led by architect Pablito “Sonny” Labao.

Dumamadiscussed family planning’s role in maternal and child health, one of the rotary International’s six areas of focus. The other areas of focus are disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, peace and conflict prevention and resolution, and economic and community development.

Dumama said that more than 600 women enrolled in the DoH 11’s family planning

program have already availed themselves ofsubdermal contraceptive implants.

The multi-awarded DoH official said the implant is administered free by the government, but this is now also available in private clinics at the cost of around P8,000.

Implants reportedly “involve the delivery of a steroid progestin from polymer capsules or rods placed under the skin. The hormone dif-

fuses out slowly at a stable rate, providing contraceptive effectiveness for 1-5 years.”

He said DoH is using Implanon 68 mg Etonogestrel implant distributed by organon oSS Holland donated by the UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities).

Dumamasaid DoH authorities do not expect a controversy to arise from the use of implants, although DoH isclosely monitoring the users’ reactions to their use.

The DoH official also explained to rotarians the importance of breastfeeding to maternal and child health, saying that the hospitals are requiredto help in the campaign for breastfeeding. He said permits to operate of hospitals caught not cooperating with the government program are not renewed. rC Davao has launched a number of health programs,

including those designed to check the spread of dengue and rabies diseases, two maladies identified by the rotary clubs in the Davao City area.

Incoming rI 3860 District Governor remegio “Boy” Salanatin earlier urged rotary clubs in the Visayas and Mindanao areas to launch their own health projects, aside from their support to the worldwide Polio-Plus program to The rotary Foundation.

Polio-Plus launched in the mid-eighties decade, is designed to eradicate polio from the face of the earth through massive immunization in majority countries of the world.

The program has so impressed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported by the owners of Microsoft that it has contributed more than$300 million to the fund.

run dzrB radyo ng Bayan said Sec. De Lima was bound to be able to confirm before the CA “clearly” and “systematically.”

“We are confident that Sec. De Lima will be able to answer all the issues that will be asked of her (during the confirmation hearing),” Valte said.

“We all know she has long been preparing for it,”

she added.

De Lima’s confirmation hearing will come amid the ongoing pork barrel scam investigation, which her office is investigating.

Earlier, the CA pointed out that De Lima has not completed sets of documents required by the commission since she was appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

De Lima would be considered bypassed if she is not confirmed by the CA when it adjourns on June 14 since she was never scheduled for her confirmation hearing by the CA in the previous Congress.

The confirmation hearing determines a cabinet officials’ fitness to head a department or a constitutional post. [PNA]

Department of Health (DOH) 11 director Dr. Dumama

De Lima expected to breeze through CA M

ALACANANG on Saturday expressed confidence that Justice Secretary Leila De Lima would be able to breeze through her first confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments (CA) on June 4.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview over state-

I

crc@edgedavao.net

N the midst of debates on the effectively and efficiency of the Electric Power Industry reform Act (EPIrA) law, a top executive of Aboitiz Power Company declared that the law has been beneficial to power consumers since its implementation in 2001.

Bobby orig, first vice president of Aboitiz said that EPIrA law has encouraged competition among private power providers and lowered the cost of power delivered to end-consumers.

The result of their study which was based from the implementation of EPIrA law in Luzon grid showed that the law substantially helps in alleviating

the power crisis in the area.

Before the implementation of the law, orig said that power in Luzon is “poor, unreliable and unsustainable” because it is “highly politicized” and only subsidized by the government.

The EPIrA law, according to him, lowered the debt of the government from 2001 to 2004.

“The government was able to divert it budget and use its big saving to much needed infrastructure and social services,” he said, adding that the sales of assets of National Power Corporation (NPC) made the government earned as much as USD21.8 billion.

FEPIRA, 10

P37.8 million funds for local poverty reduction programs

By ArMAndo B. Fenequito Jr.

A

abf@edgedavao.net

ToTAL of P37.8 million was allotted for various local poverty reduction programs that will be implemented by Davao City local government in partnership with national agencies.

The Davao City council has passed two ordinances authorizing Davao City Mayor rodrigo r. Duterte to enter a memorandum of agreement between the city and two national agencies for the implementation of local poverty reduction program.

The city council approved during the special session last Friday afternoon the “ordinance Authorizing the City Mayor to sign for and in behalf of the City Government of Davao the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to be entered by and between the City Government of Davao and Department of Agriculture (DA), relative to the implemen-

tation of the local poverty reduction action plan (LPrAP) 2014 as stipulated in the DBMDILG-DSWD-NAPC joint memorandum circular no. 03 series of 2012.”

Under the MoA, the DA will allocate P24.8 million for the ‘Bottom-up Budgeting’ (BuB) for the identified beneficiaries of the city. The city will also give P11 million as counterpart funding for the projects stipulated in the MoA. “This BuB initiative will also make the planning and budgeting process of both local and national government more participatory and empowering through the genuine involvement of grassroots organizations and communities and strengthening of convergence mechanism in the delivery of national services in the com-

FP37.8, 10

5 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

Smart launches pay-early promo, rewards timely postpaid patrons H

oW does owning a new smartphone sound? With Smart Postpaid, timely settlement of your phone bills may come with a FrEE premium gadget via the recently launched Pay Early, Get Lucky raffle promo of wireless services leader, Smart Communications, Inc. Paying for one’s outstanding postpaid balance in full and on time qualifies every Smart subscriber to earn a raffle entry for a chance to win the latest and hottest smart phones currently available in the market: the Sony Xperia L for the third prize winner, the LG Nexus 5 for the second prize, and the 16 GB iPhone 5s for the grand prize.

“There are many perks for staying connected through Smart. We don’t want the connection to be limited only to calling,

texting, internet and social media services,” said Kathy Carag, Marketing Head for Smart Postpaid.

“The Pay Early, Get Lucky is one of the many ways we connect with our valued clients and express appreciation for their continued patronage. So from May to August this year, subscribers who will pay their bills in full and on time will have a chance to bring home a new phone,” she added.

Winners for the month of May will be drawn on June 6, 2014, June winners on July 7, 2014, while July lucky subscribers will be drawn on August 6, 2014.

To guide subscribers, there are eight payment channels or ways to settle postpaid bills: via Smart Money, My Smart portal, Smart Centers, ATMs, over-the-counter (Asia United Bank, Banco de

oro, Bank of Commerce, Bank of Philippine Islands, Development Bank of the Philippines, East West Bank, among others) credit card (check out my.Smart or PLDT online for details), online banking, and mobile banking services (call 888-1-888 for customer service).

Also, there are over 27,000 Smart authorized payment channels all over the country like Cebuana Lhuillier, 7-Eleven branches, SM, Save More, and selected Bayad Center outlets among others.

Payments made through credit cards online are posted on real time.

The Pay Early, Get Lucky promo started May 1, 2014 and is set to conclude on August 6, 2014 (per DTI Permit No. 3364, series of 2014). Visit www.smart.com.ph/ postpaid/promos/getlucky to learn more.

6 THE ECONOMY

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

Education, entrepreneurship key to sustainable growth for ASEAN S

USTAINABILITY of growth in the 600-billlion strong ASEAN region will be assured if governments ensure that they invest in education of their people and on entrepreneurship.

In his speech during the opening plenary of the World Economic Forum on East Asia at the Makati Shangri-La Thursday, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said ASEAN’s goal of equitable progress “is within our reach.”

He said the issue of inequity will be addressed by making sure that people from all social classes benefit from socioeconomic mobility. ”The best way to obtain a society which ensures mobility for all is through education: the best anti-poverty weapon,” he said.

Yudhoyono explained that they addressed the disparity issue on Indonesia’s education system by calibrating tuition fees based on the capacity of students to pay.

He said they also gave the poor students “modest

living expenses.”

Another factor that would ensure mobility is financial inclusion, thus, the Indonesian government released 150-trillion rupiah (about USD 13 billion) to be lent to the poor, most of which were without collateral requirements.

The Indonesian president said some 11 million Indonesians benefited from the microcredit and most of them were able to alleviate themselves from poverty.

Entrepreneurship is also a potent solution to ensure mobility, he said. ”I particularly like the concepts of entrepreneurship because you really do not need a university graduate to become one,” he said.

He cited a study which found out that only 14 percent of Indonesian entrepreneurs have university degrees, 17 percent have only elementary degrees, and four percent have no formal education. ”This means anybody could be entrepreneur,” he added.

As ASEAN governments continue to address

ORGANICALLY-GROWN. A trader counts the fingers on each bunch of bananas before loading them into a truck in a remote village of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato on Friday, May 23. Traders buy these organically-grown bananas at P1 each finger. [MindaNews photo Keith Bacongco] the problem of poverty, Yudhoyono said the fruits of these are slowly being seen a proven by the increase in the number of

middle class. ”It has changed the face of many cities and countryside. It has sown productivity and creativi-

ty, creating and spreading wealth on a scale never before seen in history, and it has changed the way Asians look at themselves,

AEC to hasten harmonization of rules in ASEAN -- Purisima P T

HE ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) that will take place in 2015 will hasten the harmonization of rules, process, standard in the region, said Department of Finance (DoF) Secretary Cesar V. Purisima in a dialogue during the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia here Friday.

Purisima mentioned that each ASEAN member-state should accelerate the integration of stan-

dard, rules, and process and commit to implement it in order to ease flow of goods, services, capital, and labor force in the region.

He urged that ASEAN should have common customs order that will further permit freer trade.

Moreover, the DoF chief cited challenges that the ASEAN should address in line with the AEC such as infrastructure, deeper financial market, and ed-

ucation.

“If we are to (go into) one market, we need to connect our countries,” Purisima noted.

He mentioned that deepening the financial market will support investment in infrastructure.

He echoed ASEAN should “recycle” its money to finance the upgrading of infrastructure in the region instead of sending the money in Western cap-

ital market.

Further, Purisima said education will play a crucial role in the integration which will make ASEAN citizens more participating and productive for the economic growth of the region.

“ASEAN must be aware of the challenges. These challenges should be understand also by civil society and not only by the government,” he noted.

[PNA]

the Benguet Method that has been popularized by BAN Toxics.

Evelyn Cubelo, the group’s artisanal and smallscale mining program manager, said in a press conference here that such method is a traditional technique developed and widely used by indigenous tribes in Benguet.

The facility utilizes gravity and borax, instead of mercury. She said borax is a chemical compound that is

less toxic compared to mercury when handled properly.

“We continue to look for the best alternative technology that is most effective in doing away with toxic chemicals in the future,” Cubelo said.

She mentioned that at the national level, groups have been studying on the permanent storage of mercury as it is a persistent chemical.

All of Benguet’s 2,500 small-scale miners are al-

ready using such mercury-free facility, she noted.

The project will be a series of “miners-training-miners” in which BAN Toxics will bring in miners from other parts of the country who have abandoned mercury use to train their counterparts in Mt. Diwata.

The pioneering group of trainees is expected to share their knowledge to other miners in the area.

[Lorie Ann Cascaro/MindaNews]

Group eyes 5,000 miners to use mercury-free facility

E

N V I r o N M E N TA L group BAN Toxics on Friday said it aims to convince 5,000 smallscale miners in Mt. Diwata in Monkayo, Compostela Valley province, to use mercury-free gold processing facility.

The number represents close to 30 percent of about 18,000 small miners in the area.

The facility, which was launched Friday for the first time in Mindanao, will apply

and in turn, the way the world looks at Asia,” he said dubbing Asians as “the agents of global economic growth.” [PNA]

PHL preparing workforce for ‘demographic sweet spot’ rESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday said the government is continuously investing in human capital to better prepare its future workforce when the Philippines sits on a “demographic sweet spot” next year.

At the opening plenary of the 23rd World Economic Forum on East Asia being held here, President Aquino cited the United Nations population projections indicating that the Philippines will be hitting a “demographic sweet spot” in 2015 that will last for the next 35 years.

“Countries in such conditions post an average yearly growth of 7.3 percent over the next ten years. We are incredibly poised to take full advantage of the situation, having made strategic investments in education and skills training, which will equip our future workforce with the correct skills to fill the jobs that are and will be created,” he added.

The President said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has been equipped with the resources necessary to help the people acquire the skills they need to be truly competitive in the job market.

He said the agency’s budget has been raised by a total of 77 percent. This resulted to an increase in the number of TESDA graduates

who found employment to 62.4 percent in 2012 from only 28.5 percent from 2006 to 2008.

“The improvement is even more stark when you look at specific industries: For instance, when it comes to the IT-BPo (information technology-business process outsourcing) industry, TESDA graduates have an employment rate of 70.9 percent, while the electronics and semiconductor program has recorded an 85 percent employment rate,” he said.

The Chief Executive noted that these numbers are still improving, citing a TESDA report showing the most recent batch of trainees for the semiconductor industry posting a 91-percent placement ratio.

“It is evident: our country is in the midst of a dramatic turnaround in every sector, and we are intent on continuing this trend and making certain that each and every Filipino enjoys the full dividends of progress,” he said.

Further, President Aquino said the country is making strides in most economic sectors, particularly tourism and agriculture, as it aims to bring inclusive growth to every sector of society.

He said it is actively finding ways to create more jobs and livelihood opportunities for the people. [PNA]

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

7

Tilapia: Answer to fish needs of Filipinos TexT and PhoToS By gerry T. eSTrerA

F

ISH provides more than half of the protein requirement of almost all Filipinos. At this rate, this makes the Filipinos one of the world’s biggest fish consumers. This must be the reason why the current dwindling fish catch alarms experts. “Unless we look for other sources of protein, the food intake of Filipinos will be greatly affected,” a government official said.

To solve the problem, some fishery experts are batting for aquaculture. It is the raising of fish and other aquatic life in protected enclosure or in controlled, natural environments. one of its key benefits is its potential for reducing pressure on marine fisheries.

In the Philippines, tilapia is now the second most important fish – after bangus. Tilapia fish pens are a common sight in almost all the major rivers and lakes in the country, including Laguna de Bay, Taal Lake, and Lake Sebu. It is very popular among Filipinos who cooked the fish in different ways, including fried, grilled, sinigang (a sour soup using tamarind, santol, guava or calamansi as a base) and paksiw(similar to sin-

igang only it uses vinegar).

Dr. rafael D. Guerrero III, the man who popularized tilapia in the Philippines, touted tilapia as the “country’s wave of the future.” As he puts it, “We are now one of the world’s leading producers of tilapia.”

The fishery expert found out that tilapias are among the easiest and most profitable fish to farm. “The tilapia has good attributes that make it suitable for aquaculture,” he says. “It matures early, breeds readily and is a hardy fish.”

Most of the tilapia raised in the Philippines are consumed locally. However, there is a growing international market demand for tilapia as a foodfish. In the United States and Europe, tilapia is getting a lot of attention.

Tilapia can be raised in cages, tanks or in ponds in monoculture or in polyculture with other fishes. Integrated farming with other agriculture crops has also been done. Culture technique may be extensive, semi-intensive, or intensive.

The Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) shares the following information on the

culture of tilapia: Cage culture: Cages are installed in lakes, dams, rivers, raceways, canals, and im-

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poundments or even in the open sea. The use of cages has many advantages over ponds and tanks: Cages are less expensive, stocking density can be increased, and management is relatively easy.

Fish cages can either be fixed or stationary or floating, depending on the depth of the water. In fixed or stationary cages, the cages are attached to a staked bamboo (30 centimeters deep). Its basic framework consists of nylon net sewn similar to an inverted mosquito net. The net flooring which may or may not touch the bottom is kept at least 0.5 meter above the water level. A brace strengthens the posts while a cover protects the stocks from floods and poaches.

In floating cages (recommended for 5 meters deep), the net cages are attached to bamboo rafts. Lead sinkers attached to the flooring holds the structure in place. A freeboard of one meter is left above the waterline. Bamboo rafts, oil drums, or Styrofoam may be used as floats.

Ponds: Tilapia ponds vary from 0.25 to two hectares. The enclosing dikes are about 1.5 to 2 meters high. Water depth of one to 1.5 meters is maintained (freeboard is about 0.5 meter). The pond bottom should be well compacted to minimize seepage.

Tanks: The intensive culture of tilapia in tanks requires artificial feeds, thus water management is critical. rectangular concrete tanks are suitable in limited areas. A tank of size 20 to 500 square meters and 1.2 to 1.5 meters deep may vary in shape: rectangular, square, octagonal, or circular.

The amount and kind of feeds depend on the culture method used. “Feed is required in tank culture systems or in waters with low primary production,” SEAFDEC said. “Feeding rate can be adjusted depending on the average weight of the fish.”

Tilapia in cages used to enjoy the plankton-rich lakes and needed only minimal supplement feeding. Such is not the case anymore today – what with the congestion of cages in lakes.

“The use of supplemental feeds is necessary in intensive or semi-intensive culture,” SEAFDEC stated. “organic or inorganic fertilizer is needed for natural food production in the first two months of culture. In the third or four month, however, natural food becomes limiting, hence feeding is necessary.”

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic resources in Cagayan province, has found that that small floating plants

in fishponds, called azolla or duckweeds, can effectively substitute for half of the commercial feeds for tilapia production. The study also found out that a 50-50 combination of fresh azolla and commercial feeds recorded a higher tilapia growth rate than pure commercial feeds.

At the MBrLC, research has shown that you can make your tilapia pond more productive and profitable by raising a pig at the site of the pond.

Pig wastes go directly to the pond and help to fertilize the tiny plants that serve as the tilapia’s main food. Tests have proven that tilapia cultured in this kind of pond can be eaten without any harmful effect.

“Tilapia is here to stay in the country,” said Dr. Guerrero. “Its farming should be further promoted in upland and coastal areas of the country where fisheries production will be adversely affected by climate change.”

To make tilapia available to all Filipinos, certain problems like the lack of quality fingerlings in areas like the Visayas and Mindanao and the need for extension services to fish farmers must be solved first. “The establishment of more private hatcheries and the pushing of a national extension program will definitely help,” he says.

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

F

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

Death in the ring

oUrTEEN-YEAr old Johnrey Amar’s dreams of becoming a boxing champion ended with a second round knockout in a barangay fiesta boxing tournament in Barangay Sawata, San Isidro in Davao del Norte. He never recovered from the knockout and the teenaged boxer was declared dead on arrival at the Kapalong District Hospital moments later.

Johnrey’s death in the ring could spark a lot of questions especially from those responsible in organizing the tournament.

We searched for the details of Johnrey’s death by beginning with the query on whether the tournament was sanctioned by the national sports association (NSA) of amateur boxing which is the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) represented in the Davao region by Gene rose Tecson. We learned from Tecson that there were no requests coming from the organizers to sanction the tournament or request for boxing referees and judges. With that, it can only be surmised that the tournament was not officially sanctioned and officiated by ABAP. According to news reports, the boxing tournament had the permit of the barangay council and the municipal government. However, that is not the critical factor there. Any tournament sanctioned and officiated by the ABAP undergoes strict safety standards which includes medical check-ups prior to fights, use of appropriate boxing gears and equipment, and accredited referees and judges.

In the tragic tournament in Sawata, news reports only mentioned there was a doctor and the fight had the permit of the LGU and ba-

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rangay. It further narrated that Johnrey collapsed in the ring and he was brought to the hospital where he was declared DoA secondary to head injury.

The question is, did the attending doctor conduct medical examination of Johnrey to declare the cause of death as head injury? Normally, deaths in the ring necessitate the conduct of an autopsy to determine the cause of death. In Johnrey’s case, would someone just declare it head injury without examining him? remember he was immediately declared dead on arrival. Amateur boxing today uses a protective armor or head gear. other than that, the referee is trained to halt the exchange where there is a clear hit to the head and to give the boxer a standing count for him to recover from the hit. Excessive hit to the head also necessitates a stoppage. It’s not like professional boxing where a boxer could get beaten up.

Judging from the nature of amateur fights, there is enough safety measures set forth by the rules itself and unless the people handling the competition are inept and inexperienced, there is no way that the boxers will have to go through a beating in the ring.

Tecson said an investigation will be made even if the national ABAP has also surprisingly not given any instructions to conduct a probe on the tragic death of the young boxer from Davao del Norte.

In the same breath, the provincial government of Davao del Norte (which hopes to bring the Palarong Pambansa to the province next year) must show its regard for safety in sports by ensuring that such a sorry incident will not happen again in the future.

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG Creative Solutions

ARLENE D. PASAJE Cartoons

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GREGORIO G. DELIGERO Associate Editor

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

ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR./ CHENEEN R. CAPON Reporters

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

GENERAL OFFICE SANTOS CITY CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OLIVIA D. VELASCO OLIVIA D. VELASCO RICHARDRICHARD C. EBONAC. EBONA SOLANI D. MARATAS SOLANI D. MARATAS MARKETING OFFICE | Marketing Manager General Manager General ManagerMarketingAdvertising Supervisor SpecialistFinance FinanceLEIZEL A. DELOSOLEIZEL A. DELOSO | MarketingFLOREnCE ManagerS. ViLLARin

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EDGEDAVAO

D

AMPENING THE WATEr CoNSUMErS’ EXPECTATIoN oF BETTEr SErVICE – For the past months, much of Mindanao including Davao City have been suffering from massive brownouts lasting 4 to 6 hours while other areas experienced 10 to 12 hours power interruptions. Surprisingly, the situation gradually improved probably due to the intermittent rains that raised the water level of Lake Lanao, which make the hydroelectric power plants produce additional load to augment the power deficiency situation.

Consumers, Dabawenyos in particular heave a collective sigh of relief because they have been ease from the nightmarish situation – sweating for hours and going back to candle power. Now the power supply situation is almost back to normal, but then again they’re being confronted with another problem – water interruption.

Water consumers are fuming at how once the city’s proud water facility and provider allowed its services to decline.

Badly affected by the unbearable daily water supply situation are people living in elevated areas. There is no water in the faucet from 6:00 a.m. or even earlier until 12:00 noon especially during the hot summer months. Water in higher areas flows after noontime and if does flow, it would only make one’s blood pressure rise. The deplorable condition has been going on for quite some time – good or bad weather.

The situation does not sit comfortably well in a city where water is abundant and its quality considered as second best worldwide. City residents could not hide their frustrations over the poor distribution of water that eventually led to reducing their expectation of better service. In explaining to the consumers, officials of the water facility put some blamed on the burgeoning population and property development boom following the logic that

A

LL those alleged to have received dirty PDAF money chorused one common refrain: I deny having met Janet Napoles, and I have never had any transaction with her. I vehemently deny the allegation.

Their emphatic message to the public is: We are clean, honest and uncorrupt.

Question: Are they?

As for me, I’m inclided to side with Benhur Luy & Co. . They have documents, and they gave credible, believable testimonies before the Senate.

The lawmakers have only their self-serving, self-righteous indignation. our porky lawmakers are creative genius. They converted their PDAF into an ATM with an annual maintaining balance of P200-M (for senators) and P70-M (for congressmen).

And they are honorable men. ooooo Top media personalities from the country’s top media groups were alleged to have received cash gifts and Pr money from Napoles.

Again, denials came fast and furious from Korina Sanchez, Mike Enriquez, Luchi Cruz-Valdez.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

VANTAGE POINTS

State of decline the more people and infrastructure, the more water is needed.

Indeed, industry woes are expected to worsen as the local water firm faces other pressing problems.

Among the travails: lack of bigger reservoirs and generator sets to run the booster pumps that provide air pressure because these would require huge capital outlay amounting to several millions, and project backlogs. More than that, militant groups, conservationists and environmentalists often opposed any planned expansion project for the reason that it would affect the ecosystem and harm flora and fauna.

The biggest problem – this has existed for many, many years – is that squatter colonies are blocking the upgrading of infrastructures. The problem is real and it has been addressed firmly according to officials of the water firm. But so far we have no idea how true that the water service provider is on track with regard to its priority projects like solving the poor water distribution system and upgrading existing and building new infrastructures. officials therefore should not meet queries about the water supply situation and its quality with the usual “why-areyou-so-concerned” response that the “situation is all right today.” But what about tomorrow? With that kind of responsibility, water firm officials should mount exceptional effort utilizing whatever resources are available – and continuously work on improving the water supply system.

CITY’S TroUBLED ECoSYSTEM – The

major concern of environmentalist groups right now is the challenges facing Davao City arising from urban growth: congestion, low water supply and deforestation.

They are urging city officials to formulate a “realistic land-use plan” for the city. The formula will designate specific areas for housing and allow greater conservation measures for the remaining hectares.

Not only are environmentalist groups who want to preserve the city’s ecological balance but residents as well. They know full well that the city’s water supply is a key indicator of its troubled ecosystem.

As more people settle in the city, more trees are felled to give way to the housing boom – resulting in the low water retention of the soil as the demand for water heightens.

Thus, environmentalists and residents alike are concerned with the protection of the city’s remaining watershed and forest reservation areas, and protect it from being parceled out by dubious claimants.

The strategic location and good weather of Davao City is a boon to tourists, migrants, retirees and real-estate developers. But sad to say, housing developers have allegedly ravaged the environment with their earth-moving and tree-cutting activities.

The city’s watershed, a vast forested area in the 3rd district was being ruined slowly but steadily by unscrupulous capitalists and the possible disastrous effect of their undertakings had to be stamp out permanently. To forestall the destruction of the environment, city residents must support environmentalist groups and conservationist citizens in adding their little voice to protect the ecosystem. our support is crucial because the devastation of the environment will create havoc in our water system, agriculture and all means of livelihood.

We never received Napoles money, they declared.

I think it is best for these media bigwigs to remain calm.

They don’t have to prove their innocence.

It’s Benhur Luy’s burden to prove the imputations.

The big three of ABS-CBN, GMA and TV5 have nothing to gain by parroting their innocence. They have everything to lose if they talk unwittingly out of turn. Silence is golden should be their battlecry. ooooo Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong revilla Jr. have expressed readiness to face arrest.

Brave guys. But don’t be surprised if later, their lawyers would petition that they be placed under hospital arrest for reasons like hypertension, diabetes and

heart failure.

The denial game

ooooo About two dozen Italian women were reported to have fallen in love with Catholic priests, and have asked Pope Francis to make celibacy (chastity vow) optional so they could marry their priest-boyfriends.

I think women are getting bolder everyday. I’m afraid they are carrying the women’s rights too far.

But let me pose this question: What do priests have that non-priests do not have?

Well, priestly charms are simply irresistible to women. They are true gentleman in many ways. They are well-mannered, gentle, respectful, soft-spoken.

They are devoid of false air, bravura, pretense. They are extremely likeable fellows. They have refined language, demeanor. They are not “loud”. – These are charms that easily sweep women off their feet.

I’m talking of good priests, not the bad ones.

Those Italian women must have told their priest-boyfriends: “Bless me Father, for I have fallen in love with you.”

9

Stop buying bottled water SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS

By H. MarcoS c. Mordeno

S

oMETIME last year, a colleague showed a photo of hundreds of empty bottles of what we commonly call “mineral water” littered on a street in the metropolis. Ironically, those bottles were thrown there by people who joined an Earth Day fun run. Not funny, really.

Such awful sight should make us reexamine the habit of patronizing bottled water. We think it’s trendy, cool.

We are deceived by ads claiming that bottled water is safer and “healthier” compared to tap water, and the use of healthy, attractive endorsers by companies that sell this stuff. In other words, patronizing it is nothing more than wanting to be “in”. Companies know their psychology; consumers wish to partake of a product endorser’s identity.

But seldom do we realize that buying it only produces more and more trash and gives no actual health benefits. In the US alone, the number of empty plastic bottles each year can circle the equator at least 19 times. How many of these bottles, most of which are thrown away and not recycled, find their way into rivers and seas where they can endanger marine life?

I don’t have figures for the Philippines. Yet, judging by the number of stores that are selling bottled water it can be presumed that this industry must be reaping windfalls here. Even hotels have now imbibed the habit of labeling bottled water with the names of their establishments.

The net effect of a thriving bottled water business – and the so-called purified water business too – is that people have come to suspect the quality (read safety) of tap water supplied by the local water utilities. Perhaps you may not like the taste of your tap water compared to that of its bottled, nay, overpriced cousin. However, a taste which is not to your liking doesn’t necessarily mean that tap water is unsafe.

Think again. Local water systems are regulated by government. When we say regulations, we’re not just referring to the amount we pay per unit volume of consumption but also quality standards that make tap water safe for humans. on the other hand, how sure are we that bottled water business in general undergoes rigorous government safety regulations?

And there’s another downside to getting hooked to bottled or “purified” water: it cuts us off from the issue of obliging government to ensure access to safe and affordable water, potable water to be exact. By joining the bandwagon created by the commodification of water we are unknowingly handing over the control of this basic life-giving resource to the corporations.

In Bukidnon, for instance, plantations have diverted huge volumes of water from rivers away from traditional farms compounding the difficulties of ordinary farmers during the dry season. Let’s not add to the problem by allowing corporations to further hoard what should be part of the commons. [MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@ gmail.com]

10 NEWS

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

Holcim...FFROM 3

ABAP... FFROM 3 gay Una Boxing Program of former congressman Tonyboy Floirendo. “I have asked who are the persons responsible here because this is a very sad event, a big setback for boxing.”

Tecson said she was also surprised that the national ABAP office is silent on the issue.

“Matagal na silang hindi nagcommunicate sa amin.

Ngayon wala rin silang imik.

I am saddened by these turn of events,” said Tecson under whose stewardship the likes of olympian boxers Michael Anthony Barriga and rey Saludar were produced in Panabo City.

Tecson said there must be an inquiry on the ill-fated tournament and those responsible should be held accountable. She suggested that an autopsy be conduct-

ed on Amar to determine exactly the reason for his death.

“It’s not enough that he was declared dead by reason of head injury. Ang tanong diyan, paano nila nasabi na head injury nga ito unless they did an autopsy?” Tecson asked.

Amar’s death is the second tragic ring incident in the amateur ranks in the country in a span of five months. Last December, Jonas Garcia, a fourth year high school student from Bulacan, died after blacking out at a boxing match serving as eliminations for the 2014 Palarong Pambansa.

Garcia’s death prompted the Department of Education (Deped) to cancel the elementary boxing event in the Palarong Pambansa this year.

notice oF LoSS

notice is hereby given by LoYoLA pLAnS conSoLidAted inc. that certiFicAte oF FuLL pAYMent no.(s) 1005513 under LoYoLA pLAn contract no.(s) 294508-8/nnn707234560 issued to eSperAnzA c. cASiAno was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

5/19/26/6/2

notice oF LoSS

notice is hereby given by LoYoLA pLAnS conSoLidAted inc. that certiFicAte oF FuLL pAYMent no.(s) 21081580 under Loyola contract no(s). 193839-3 issued to eveLYn JAMpAc 1002451 under Loyola contract no(s). 30787-4 issued to roMeo KeitH c. LLAguno 1003377 under Loyola contract no(s).1120357-7 issued to eLizABetH c. gonzAgA were lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

5/12,19,26

LegAL notice

The situation now, however, changes. Today, young children find time to play again while their parents become productive again courtesy of the assistance from kind-hearted individuals and well-meaning institutions and private corporations.

“Wala mi nagdahum na magkabalay mi nga ing-ani kanindot,” said 73-year old Patricio P. Planteras, in describing the structure he still managed to appreciate even as he is already losing his sight because of eye cataract.

Architect Michael “Mike” Guerrero, chairman and founder of Green Architecture Ad-

vocacy of the Philippines who designed the structures said the houses were built based on the technology adopted from Indonesia.

“Less resources, less energy and more environment friendly,” he said.

Guerrero said that every detail of the house is intricate and suitable to the area.

He said that houses were capable of withstanding another Pablo because materials used were reliable and planned.

Holcim did not just give homes but skills and knowledge to homeowners who are recipients of the “Tabang ta kabalayan- a shelter and liveli-

hood program”.

As part of the sustainable program, about 177 men and women of the village were trained of carpentry, masonry, plumbing, roof tile making, hollow blocks making and electrical wire installation.

Sahagun said that families in the area can now start their own business and lift their own feet from the stones and mud of the past.

“Some of our trainees will work for the LGU and private companies,” he said.

Differently-able Jerry C. Polinar, 36 years old and a shoemaker, said the trainings they gained can be use in looking for

a source of additional income especially that demands for income now increase as their two children are growing. His also wife attended the training for roof tile making.

Villagers can start their livelihood because Holcim is leaving the equipment and tools to the community.

Aside from houses, the first model community built by Holcim and the beneficiaries has a recreation area, chapel, community garden, livelihood center and training center.

Sahagun said that the village will be replicated to Tacloban which was struck by Yolanda more than six months ago.

Association of Colleges and Schools, said the areas that the Philippine educational system needs to enhance include skills or “what the students can really do” and “not just their knowledge”.

He said this is why the Enhanced Basic Education Program or K2+12 offers other areas of learning such as music and technical-vocational skills.

“our youth will become employable when they reach 18 years old with K2+12,” he said, adding it prepares the youth for the global economy. republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 has increased the number of years for basic education. Aside from undergoing two years of kindergarten, students have to finish a total of 12

years of elementary and high school education.

Various sectors have opposed the K2+12 program even before it became a law and implemented starting June 2013. Progressive groups said it aims to produce skilled workers for the global market, while some parents viewed it as an added economic burden.

Youth and student orga-

nizations have repeatedly protested against what they call the commercialization of education as shown by the annual tuition hikes.

In the Davao region, a total of 107 private elementary and high schools were allowed to increase their tuition and miscellaneous fees for school year 2014-2015. [Lorie Ann Cascaro/ MindaNews]

ment opportunities.”

“Free wireless internet connection will ensure that the populace -- beginning with those in the capital -- will be equipped with and honed to using key faculties needed to build an innovative, pro-

gressive and rapidly digitizing economy,” he noted. recto said free Wi-Fi connection can be extended in other major cities of the country like Cebu and Davao. ”of course, we’ll do that in other urban areas but we have

to start somewhere and that’s here in Metro Manila,” he said.

He said the Information and Communications Technology office under Department of Science and Technology will be the lead agency for implementation of the bill

once it is enacted into law. on the other hand, recto said the amount necessary for the implementation will be charged against “any available funds” of National Telecommunication Commission.

[PNA]

“The privatization of NPC assets generated an amount of USD7.7 billion for the sales of transmission assets , USD 10.8 billion from the appointment of independent power plant administrators , USD 3.3 billion from the sale of generating assets, and USD .004 billion from the sale of commission power plants,” orig said.

“Epira is suppose to create an environment that will lead the government exiting the power industry and its assets is suppose to be privatized,” he said The gradual turnover of power assets to the private sector has improved the generating capacity of power plants.

In year 2000, the generating capacity of power plants owned

by NPC is 90 percent the private sector holds 10 percent but during the EPIrA regime, from 2001 to 2012 generating capacity of the private sector increase to 74 percent while the generating capacity of power plants NPC got to 26 percent, he said.

Contrary to the claims that there were only a few compa-

nies who were able to benefit and participate in the privatization of NPC assets, orig said that, in fact, there were 14 companies who were able to acquire generating assets from NPC with generating capacity of 50 MW and above.

“It is not true that big giant players in the industry were able to benefit and participate from the privatization of NPC assets,” he said.

Among the players that were able to participate are the Alcantara-owned and Aboitizowned companies.

He said that EPIrA also created an environment conducive for more investments to come in thus increasing the power supply. It also guides the lowering of power rates.

Based on his report presented during the Mindanao Power Stakeholders Meeting at The Marco Polo Davao last Wednesday, it bared that Philippines has the second lowest power rate with P32 per kilowatt.

It is lower than in other

countries that implement the Wholesale Electric Spot Market like New Zealand, Europe but “The highest peak of power rate is observe when there are power outages,” he said, noting that in January 2010 and November 2013 there were a sudden increase in power rate because there was a decrease in the power supply that happened because of the shutting down of Malampaya power plant in 2010.

The record increase in 2013 that cause outrage in consumers was caused by a confluence of events that was created by plant maintenance, forced outage and typhoon Yolanda that lead to the utilization of expensive reserves in the WESM market, orig explained “The total generation capacity that was lost during time is 3,701MW; 1,170 MW, was lost from plant outages; 1,491 MW was lost due to force outages and 140 MW lost because of the shutdown of Leyte powe plant because of typhoon Yolanda,” he said.

Given with the demand 5, 141MW of the Luzon and Visayas grid, 68 percent cannot be supplied from the generation capacity that was lost. one of the most debated in the WESM is s the price. “one way is to compare the reasonability of WESM price during 2007 to 2013 which is P4.32 per kilowatt hour and Meralco whose rate is P5.13kWh. This is 14 percent lower,” he said.

The WESM price is also 5 percent lower that the special discounted rate offered by NPC which is P4.66kWH. “This is a very clear indicator that the Epira has driven down the generation charges,” he said.

But Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) chair and an entrepreneur Vicente T. Lao is firm that the law should be amended, or otherwise it should be abolished. He said that it provides the government an avenue not to provide the basic services that people deserve.

munity,” the MoA stipulates.

The MoA states that out the P24.

8 million allocated by the DA, P9.8 million will go to high value crops development programs such as sustainable agroforestry development project and vegetable enhancement.

The P3.5 million will go to rice production enhancement program, P1.68 million for corn production enhancement, and P4.49 will be allocated for Municipal Fishery Development Project. Then, P3.25 million will be for goat restocking project, P600,000 for free range restock-

ing project, P50,000 for piglet restocking project and P1.5 million for biogas digester project.

The council also approved “ordinance Authorizing the City Mayor to sign for and in behalf of the City Government of Davao the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to be entered by and between the City Government of Davao and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) relative to the implementation of the local poverty reduction action plan (LPrAP) 2014 as stipulated in the DBM-DILG-

DSWD-NAPC joint memorandum circular no. 03 series of 2012.”

Under the MoA between the city and TESDA, the city will be given P3 million budget for the Technology-Based Community Training and Entrepreneurship program.

The MoA states that the city will also provide counterpart assistance such as training venue and office supplies during the conduct of the trainings.

Among the programs that will be offered are beauty care, food processing, bread and pas-

try, welding, bag making and entrepreneurship appreciation course.

The target beneficiaries of this program will the out of school youth, parents of children in conflict with law, persons with disability, women and urban poor.

The City Social Services and Development office (CSSDo) had already identified the Barangay Cabantian, Barangay Sasa, Barangay Calinan Poblcaion, Barangay Crossing Bayabas, Barangay Centro Agdao and Barangay Ilang.

PHL... FFROM 3

Tourism...FFROM 3

Epira... FFROM 4

notice is hereby given that the estate of the late roniLo B. pALMA has been the subject of an eXtrAJudiciAL SettLeMent with the special power of Attorney executed by his heirs per doc. no.268; page no. 54; Book no. Xiv; Series of 2014 of the notArY puBLic iSrAeLito P. Torreon P37.8...FFROM 4 5/12/19/26 General Santos Drive, Koronadal City, South Cotabato 9506

Tel. No. 083-228-2511 ; Fax No. 083-228-2654

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WANTED For IMMEDIATE HIrING!

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BUS DrIVEr

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Qualifications: Qualifications:

1.

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Male, 28 – 40 years old 1. least Male, high 28 – school 40 years old At graduate 2. At least high school graduate With 5 years driving experience (bus, trucks) 3. With 5 years driving experience (bus, trucks)

requirements: Requirements: 1. Driver’s License with official receipt 1.x Driver’s License (2 with Official Receipt 2. 2 2 I.D. picture pcs.)

2. 2 x 2 I.D. (2 pcs.) or clearance from 3. Certificate of picture Employment 3. Certificate of Employment or clearance from

May previous apply in employment person at Human resource Department, YBLI in office, General Santos Resource Drive, May apply person at Human Koronadal City.

Department, YBLI Office, General Santos Drive, Koronadal City.

11 COMPETITIVE EDGE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

Ateneo De Davao entry wins Pioneer video-making contest

By AtHenA JiLLiAn BrAvo

T

HrEE students of the Ateneo de Davao University who collaborated for the video entitled “My friends who ran” romped away with the grand prize in the Pioneer Insurance ‘Stories of Friendship’ video competition.

The video, pegged by multi-awarded young director Anju De Vera, was awarded the grand prize winner during the awards ceremonies last May 20, 2014.

‘My friends who ran’ was one of the chosen 8 who garnered about 2,530 votes, shares and support in the social media. The story was about a teenage boy whose friends went to school far away but later on decided not to run alone in his journey.

The cast in this video includes Maura Mae Vigilia, Mike Cedric Espino and Dennis Jabilles III. The three actors and De Vera are students of the Hu-

rEPUBLIC oF THE PHILIPPINES rEGIoNAL TrIAL CoUrT 11TH JUDICIAL rEGIoN oFFice oF tHe cLerK oF court-SHeriFF DAVAo CITY

nAtionAL HoMe MortgAge FinAnce corporAtion (nHMFc) Mortgagee, -versuseJF-reM cASe no. 14, 613-14 roMeo B. BiBAt Mortgagor/s. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x notice oF eXtrA-JudiciAL SALe

Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135, as amended, filed by Act 4118 , filed the above-mentioned mortgagee against roMeo B. BiBAt a resident of Green Meadows 4 Lot 13, Blk 42 Sto Niño, Mintal , Davao City at to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of March 31, 2014, the outstanding balance of debtor-mortgagor is p 837,380.82 Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest and penalty charges and other charges, plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, plus 10% interest of the total amount of the indebtedness as attorneys’s fees and other necessary expenses in the enforcement of the extra-judicial forclosure, the undersigned Sheriff IV of regional Trial Court, Davao City; the undersigned will sell at public auction on June 27, 2014 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning, or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland ,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGEr’S CHECK and in Philippine Currency, the following real property together with all the improvements thereon, to wit: transfer certificate of title no. t-217390 “ A parcel of land x x x x situated in the Barangay of Mintal, city of davao xxx. containing an area of 135 SquAre MeterS, more or less xxx.”

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

That in the event the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on August 1, 2014 without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the titles herein described real property/ ies and the encumbrances thereon , if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, May 21, 2014.

ProV’L SHErIFF: 5/26/6/2,9

For THE EX-oFFICIo

(Sgd) divinAgrAciA B. BArceLonA Sheriff iv

TRUE STORY OF FRIENDSHIP. Pioneer Inc President and CEO Lorenzo Chan with grand winners Anju de Vera, Dennis Jabilles and Mike Cedric Espino. Photo

by Juan Manila. manities and Letters Department of ADDU. Pioneer launched this competition as part of their 60th anniversary. The country’s leading insurance firm launched the project to call on the youth to show what real

friendship is all about which is also the guiding principle of the insurance firm.

Pioneer has been serving the Filipino people for decades as an insurance company and a “friend” who is always ready to back you up

when the unexpected happens.

De Vera said that everything would not be possible if it wasn’t for the production team’s friendship. “We have portrayed how important friends are not just through

ternational name Haiyan).

Meantime, special citation will be given to Bayanihan Kessennuma Filipino Community, a group of Filipinos who were themselves victims of the earthquake and tsunami but were challenged to help other victims as well.

Chit Guerrero, head of ABSCBN Special Projects and one of the moving forces behind the awards said: “When we were going through their entries, we were moved by the fact that these ordinary Filipinos actually suffered from the very reason why they were brought together – the calamities. They are worthy of being called heroes because they overcame the biggest challenge of their lives and overturned these to become opportunities to help.”

The four finalists will be honored on June 8 at “Saludo Sa Bayaning Pilipino sa Japan,” a free concert in honor of the Filipino modern day heroes. Showcasing the Filipino talent and paying tribute to the awardees are Angel Locsinand “The Voice” 2013 grand winner Mitoy Yonting. The event will be hosted by DZMM Teleradyo’s Maresciel Yao, anchor of “Usapang de Campanilla.”

Ailene Averion, ABS-CBN Global Ltd. managing director for Asia-Pacific shared, “’Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards’ has been honoring Filipinos in Japan since 1997 but this is the third time we are formally staging the ‘Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards sa Gawing Japan’ which includes winners from the country.” It is truly fitting for the network to recognize the exemplary acts because TFC is also celebrating its 20th anniversary by way of honoring the “galing” or “greatness of Filipinos,” including for service to fellowmen.

“Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards sa Gawing Japan” within the event “Saludo Sa Bayaning Pilipino sa Japan” will be held in the Matsudo Citizen Hall at the Chiba Prefecture. The free event will be mounted in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Japan, Philippine overseas Labor Employment office under the Department of Labor and Employment, Hawak Kamay sa Mahal Na Ina (HAKMI),” “Filipino Communities in Japan,” and Matsui Japan. For

the video but also with our teamwork and hardwork when we created this entry,” De Vera said.

De Vera’s team plans to use the P120,000 top prize to buy film equipment they could use in the future.

ABS-CBN TFC honors Filipinos’excellence in Japan

T

Wo years after the first “Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards” was staged, both triumphs and tragedies have befallen the Philippines but ABSCBN Japan, Inc. (ABS-CBN TFC) and UGAT Foundation continue to remember individuals and organizations in the Asia Pacific who have turned these into opportunities to help through the “Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards sa Gawing Japan” which will be held on June 8 in Chiba.

This year, ABS-CBN TFC and UGAT Foundation, in partnership with Stimula Productions, will honor the three finalists in the event “Saludo sa Bayaning Pilipino sa Japan:” rachel rakahashi, Charito Itoh and Jepie Dato rammada.

Takahashi and Itoh are two distinguished ladies who helped Filipinos in Japan during the March 11 Tohoku great earthquake and tsunami. The third finalist, Jeppie Dato ramada, the founder of United Filipinos in Gifu (UNIFIL-GIFU), is the brains behind the “Let’s Walk Together,” a fun run organized to gather funds for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (in-

more information, visit http:// www.facebook.com/TFCJapan Connect with fellow global Filipinos and visit twitter.com/ KapamilyaTFC and instragram.com/KapamilyaTFC Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio Lopez Jr. fondly called Kapitan, was inspired to mount the Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards when he learnt of a domestic helper who saved his ward from an oncoming vehicle in Hong Kong. Kapitan tapped Ugat Foundation Inc. headed by Project Director Fr. Nilo Tanalega to create a recognition for more outstanding Filipinos performing extraordinary works. The Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards started its National Awards for outstanding Filipinos in the Philippines in 1995 and extended it internationally, beginning in Japan in 1999. Succeeding versions ensued until the first formal Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Awards was finally staged in 2012. All winners go through a screening, validation and final section process before the awarding.

12 CLASSIFIED

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

Time out with JC de Vera

By Kenneth Irving Ong

EvEry sEcond, minute and hour counts in today’s fast-paced lifestyle and although everyone who owns a mobile phone would have ways to tell the time, nothing beats the style and function of a watch on one’s wrist. recognising this, fashion brand Tomato launched their watch line in 2011 and called it Tomato Time, offering highly stylish yet affordable timepieces that suit the fashionable set.

Fast forward to 2014 and Tomato Time is finally hitting davao city’s shores with the opening of their Tomato Time kiosk at the Gaisano Mall of davao last May 18 which was graced by the arrival of Tomato Time’s brand ambassador Jc de vera.

At an exclusive press meeting, the Moon of

JC de Vera for Tomato Time.

Tomato Time Trooper watch.

A light moment during the Q&A. Desire and Legal Wife actor revealed his love for watches. “Happy talaga ako with Tomato Time, kasi very particular ako

sa watch. I like wearing watches, lalo na sa work.” beamed Jc. “The designs of Tomato Time match my many moods from sporty to casual, to corporate or party.” celebrity stylist Pam Quiñones also loved Tomato Time. “A lot of Tomato Time watches are very classic. If you wear it now, and then you keep it, you can still wear it after 10 years or so.” says Pam. Although the watches may look stylish and expensive, the watches of Tomato Time are available at an affordable price range from P800 to P1200. The watches also come with a 1-year warranty service on mechanism and battery, giving its customers wallet-friendly watches without sacrificing its quality.

Tomato Time Taylor watch with leather strap.

JC shows off Tomato Time’s Swap Watch which allow one to mix and match different watch faces with different straps creating infinite combination posibilities.

A2 INdulge! uP AND ABOuT

Hearts and Arrows opens at SM City Davao CuT to ideal proportions with superior optical symmetry and a specific faceting pattern, Hearts and Arrows is a visual phenomenon that appears in the finest round of diamonds when viewed thru a special gemscope.

Diamonds cut with precisely aligned and carefully shaped facets with exact proportions produce this incredibly scintillating sight. A Hearts & Arrows diamond is the ultimate and the most brilliant diamond in the world.

For centuries, diamonds have remained the ultimate symbol of love and affluence. To some girls, it has become an icon of independence and achievement. Hearts and Arrows are for the individuals who seek the best in everything and will not settle for second best.

No ordinary diamond can match the fire it will light in a woman’s heart. Gift your loved one a rare piece of precious stone or reward yourself with a perfectly cut sparkling gem. Visit Hearts and Arrows at the ground floor, main mall of SM City Davao.

ASUS announces redesigned Fonepad 7 ASuS announced the New Fonepad 7 FE170CG, the latest version of the 7-inch Android device with full 3G telephony functionality. The latest Fonepad 7 comes in a range of colors (black, red, white, and blue), and is powered by an Intel® Atom™ Dual-Core Processor 1.2GHz with Intel HyperThreading Technology. It is more handy than its predecessor the Fonepad 7 Dual SIM ME175CG, with an 11cm width, you can easily hold it with one hand. A narrower bezel design provides users with a larger viewing area on which to experience the brand new ZenuI interface.

Intel performance in your palm The ASuS Fonepad 7 features an Intel Atom Multi-Core Processor 1.2GHz with Intel HyperThreading Technology that combines powerful performance with energy efficiency, giving this Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (4.4 KitKat upgradable) tablet smooth multi-tasking performance and an incredible 10-hour battery life. The 1020 x 600 display provides vivid, clear visuals while high quality audio is provided by a front speaker with ASuS SonicMaster technology.

Built-in 3G with HSPA+ mobile data with download speeds up to 42Mbit/s and uploads of 5.76Mbit/s meaning Fonepad 7 is an always-connected device for seamless web browsing. With full 3G telephony support across GSM and WCDMA bands, Fonepad 7 can also be used for voice calls using the built-in noise-cancelling digital microphone or an optional Bluetooth headset.

Fonepad 7 has a rear-facing 2-megapixel camera capable of taking 1600 x 1200 resolution images and 720p video recording at up to 30 frames per second. The front facing 0.3-megapixel camera allows for video chats and VGA video recording at 30fps. Both cameras feature f/2.8 aperture lenses. Improved camera software features a Selfie Mode that automatically starts a countdown and takes a shot once it detects a preset number of faces in the frame, as well as Time Rewind mode which takes a series of burst shots so the user can choose the best images from the set.

Weighing just 290g and measuring 192 x 110 x 10.7mm, Fonepad 7 is light enough to comfortably fit in a user’s palm. Its narrow bezel design increases available display area despite its smaller dimensions, the display also has a smudge-resistant coat that helps repel fingerprint smudges.

Be amazed by ASUS ZenUI Fonepad 7 features the exclusive ASuS ZenuI mobile device interface. It features more than 200 software tweaks over previous ASuS interfaces and sports a new visual design with modern ‘flat’ icons, customizable vivid color themes that match the device color, animations, new ringtones and notification sounds, and a clean layout to clearly present information. ASuS ZenuI also includes two features — What’s Next and Do It Later — designed to free users from actively having to manage the multitude of information they are confronted with daily, thus enabling them to be more productive.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

MOVIE REVIEW

Of monsters and men Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla

By Jay Rosas

As a young kid growing in pre-development boom davao, one of my fondest childhood memories was going to the now-abandoned theaters located in the city’s oldest streets.

A couple of movie-going experiences really stuck with me: one of them was watching a Godzilla movie. I guess I was about 7 or younger because what exact Godzilla movie (maybe it was the one versus destroyah because it was the one before roland Emmerich’s criminally overblown 1998 version).

Later on, I had a Godzilla toy that stayed with me for as long as I can remember.

I brought this memory with me when I went to see the new Godzilla, this time in the hands of British director Gareth Edwards.

I’m not strictly a part of the fanbase but I share this personal account with the thousands who know the Godzilla mythos and hold the giant monster close to their hearts. Those who were disappointed coming out of the IMAX with the “I told you not all movie look good in IMAX” criterion didn’t have what I or Godzilla fans have, but they also obviously miss (not their fault) what makes movies good apart from being the usual edgeof-your-seat entertainment that summer blockbusters are always expected to deliver to the mass of popcorn-munching, escapist audience.

Bringing to life a classic source material, just like your standard-issue Marvel superhero movie, is always a sticky situation for filmmakers where fanbase demands messes up the vision. vision is what the unknowing and uninitiated always miss. And thankfully, Edwards has honored the material and mythology with a vision and affection for the genre,

which he exhibited in his 2010 debut low-budget sci-fi film Monsters. It’s easy to name Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific rim, released last year, as a direct comparison but both are visionary directors who know their kaiju stuff that both films actually work as companion pieces – better modern examples, not only of the genre, but the entire oeuvre of actionfantasy flicks.

By allowing just enough background history – Godzilla’s Japanese roots – Edwards was able to showcase what he can bring to elevate the film’s genre, and its cultural relevance to modern times.

His Godzilla is a masterclass exercise in juggling tension and grace. This is evident in his handling of key scenes, the san Franciso railroad sequence being an instant favorite, and his overall visual treatment of the creature, which he does in slow reveals. Godzilla’s pointy backside when it slides through the surface of the water is perhaps a visual reference to steven spielberg’s Jaws, even the mood and tone by which the tension develops. Alexandre desplat’s score is also reminiscent of that

tension.

The tease is played so well that its craftsmanship far exceeds the gimmickry, and shames the bratty audience’s need for instant gratification in the form of the flashy and boisterous (here’s looking at you Michael Bay and your clunky robots). Even his versions of Godzilla’s new enemies, the two MUTos (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial object) waiting to procreate, evoke his monster aliens in Monsters. Edwards is not interested in giving us the mayhem we want – this is not a disaster movie, though it’s obviously what is left after. But in showing us its aftermath – Honolulu washed out, Las vegas and san Francisco reduced to cinders – it echoes the destruction of the Hiroshima bombing, history repeating itself, a necessary reminder of humanity’s inhumanity when it teeters in the brink of destructive power. despite the talent wattage of the cast, from Breaking Bad’s Bryan cranston to French actress Juliette Binoche, playing the parents of Ford Brody (who grew up to become Aaron Taylor-Johnson) to Ken Watanabe and British actress sally Hawkins, playing scientists expert on the monsters’ nature, human drama and character development is kept to a minimum. We spend an hour enmeshed in the Brody family dynamics, from the 1999 disaster in a small Japanese town that tore them apart to Brody’s separation from his son and wife Elle (Elizabeth olsen) in the present time.

Most of the criticism

was directed towards character development, which I strongly believe was intentionally kept to a minimum. The humdrum human drama, though pushed by cranston’s character, was easily dispensed as we wait for the reunion of Brody and Elle, Johnson looking terribly bored and uninspired most of the time. There is however a moving moment when Brody faces Godzilla after blowing up the MUTos nest, Godzilla protecting a crowd which includes Elle from being pulverized by a fallen building. It shows the helpless husband and the unlikely protector in a moment of connection that escapes human comprehension and that ultimately exposes our limitations and follies.

It’s funny that though Godzilla, with the obvious fattening up, has been slowed down by his weight, there is a clarity and awareness to his mission that even humans fail to grasp with our supposed advanced tactical intelligence. our own ignorance is the very punishment of our failure to grasp this seemingly cosmic sense of order from disorder. When Godzilla wakes from his brief, post-smackdown sleep, he leaves the stunned humans almost with a sneer, as if saying, “you never learn anything.” If indeed Edwards’ Godzilla is this generation’s Jaws, then the modern “monster” we’re facing but are either too cool to care or just plain stupid to give a damn about, is climate change. can’t get any subtler than “nature will find a way to restore its balance.”

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

King of Asianovelas returns in ‘The Heirs’

Lee Min Ho marks his return on Philippine television via the much-awaited Korean drama “The Heirs” premiering this Monday (May 26) on ABS-CBN. Dubbed as “The Best in Asia,” “The Heirs” stars Philippines’ King of Asinovelas Min Ho, who was loved

by Filipinos in “Boys Over Flowers” and “City Hunter,” together with one of Korea’s hottest leading ladies, Park Shin-Hye, who also endeared viewers for her portrayals in “He’s Beautiful” and “Heartstrings.”

It became the talk-of-

the-town especially among netizens when they learned about the airing and hashtags such as #KingMinHo and other related topics trended nationwide on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Watch the story of Ryan (Min Ho), a high school student and heir to a large Korean conglomerate, who is sent to study in the u.S. He may already have it all, but deep inside, he yearns for a complete family as he was born as an illegitimate child to his father.

Ryan then bumps into Julia (Shin Hye), who has ar-

rived from Korea in search of her older sister. Due to unfortunate turnout of events, Julia finds herself penniless in a foreign country with no one to run to.

This is where Ryan comes for her rescue.

Julia temporarily lives with Ryan in his mansion that will pave way for the two to get to know each other and fall in love. Their whirlwind romance gets cut short when Ryan’s fiancée Rachel arrives and kicks Julia out of the house.

Time passes by and the two see each other again in

Korea. In his return, Ryan’s heart is torn between love and duty. Will Ryan’s family accept Ryan’s decision to call off the wedding to be with their househelp’s daughter? Which crown will he choose to wear--- love or power?

Don’t miss the premier of “The Heirs” this Monday (May 26), 4:30 PM, on ABSCBN’s Kapamilya Gold. For more updates, follow @ Kapamilanovela on Twitter or like the official Kapamilyanovela Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ ABSCBNKapamilyanovelas.

Hit Koreanovela Jewel in the Palace airs anew on GMA Network IN its tradition of providing hit Asianovelas in the history of Philippine television, GMA Network once again airs the well-loved Koreanovela, Jewel in the Palace, on the Afternoon Prime block starting Monday (May 26).

Considered as one of the highest-rating Asianovelas in the Philippines, Jewel in the Palace is set to bring back memories to the Filipino viewers’ weekday afternoons with its moving storyline, intense scenes, and impeccable performances of the cast.

Because of Jewel in the Palace’s success in the Philippines, two of its stars, Yang Mi Kyung who played Lady Han and Jo Jung Eun who portrayed young Jang Geum even visited their Filipino fans.

Jewel in the Palace will definitely capture the interest of Kapuso viewers once more as it showcases the timeless story of Seo

Jang Geum (Lee Young Ae), a court lady in the Royal Kitchen who bravely faces conspiracies and intrigues to rise and become the first

ever female physician in the Royal Palace.

With her pure heart, Jang Geum will eventually win the hearts of Min Jung Ho (Ji Jin Hee), an admired military man who serves as a guard in the Royal Palace and King Jungjong (Im Ho), the 11th king of the Chosun Dynasty.

Conflict arises when Choi Geum Yong (Hong Ri Na), the long-time rival of Jang Geum in the Royal Kitchen, finds out that her first love, Jung Ho actually has special feelings for Jang Geum. This gives Geum Yong another reason to compete with Jang Geum.

Catch the rerun of the phenomenal Koreanovela Jewel in the Palace that will touch the Filipino viewers’ hearts starting Monday at 5:00 PM only on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Xian Lim gets emotional with new album STAR RECORDS releases Xian Lim’s sophomore album titled “XL2” that features three of his original compositions.

“My second album is extra special and literally too personal because it carries three of my original songs,” said Xian, who launched his singing career on 2012 via his certified gold record, “So It’s You.” “Recording them really made the process more exciting and emotional at the same time. Because it gave me the chance to set the standards and put my full emotion in my renditions,” he explained.

Among Xian’s original songs are “Alay Ko Sa ‘Yo,” “Iibigin,” and “Kung ‘Di Sa Iyo” which was one of the

official theme songs of the hit ABS-CBN drama series “Ina Kapatid Anak,” where

he and Teleserye Princess Kim Chiu paired up.

Aside from Xian’s com-

position “XL2” also features other original tracks “Di Bale,” “Keep In Mind,” “Ikaw Na,” “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo,” and the carrier single “Pag May Time.”

Xian also covered the OPM classic, “Si Aida, si Lorna o si Fe” that was popularized by 80’s music icon Marco Sison.

“XL2” album is now available in record bars nationwide for only P250. The tracks can also be downloaded via iTunes, www. amazon.com, www.mymusicstore.com.ph and www. starmusic.ph.

For more information about Xian’s “XL2” album, visit Star Records’ Facebook fanpage at Facebook.com/ starrecordsphil or follow @ starrecordsph on Twitter.

BRICK MANSIONS 2D Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA R 13

12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 | 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

GODZILLA 3D Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston PG 13

1:30 | 4:00 | 6:30 | 9:00 LFS

GODZILLA 2D Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston PG 13

12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

R-16 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 2D Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone PG 13

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

Musikademy’s celebration of OPM Maestro Ryan Cayabyab joined the cast for the final song number.

MUsIcAL productions in durianburg are oftentimes hard to come by. no thanks to the costs involved plus the sheer number of man hours needed practicing the lines and internalising each song. That is why I consider myself lucky to have been able to catch Musikademy’s latest production titled Minsan Pang Minahal at the sM centerstage at sM Lanang Premier last April 5.

Vicky Villarino as Bebang and Cecile Hidalgo as Bechay charmed the audience with their antics.

EDGEDavao Davao Partners An original musical play based on the classical songs of master composer and songwriter ryan cayabyab, the play featured Musikademy students and faculty including the Musikademy 16 Teens and scholars as well as guest performers, Hong Kong based pianist, Michael Lopez, well-known thespian Michael dakudao, and songspell alumnae rina Angeles and Gemma Herradura.

Minsan Pang Minahal is the quintessential love story about the power of love and forgiveness between the protagonists Ann and Marco with the timeless songs of ryan cayabyab providing the energy and direction of the emotions.

I admit that at times during the play, I could not help but hum along to familiar songs such as Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika, Kailan, Tuwing Umuulan At Kapiling Ka, Araw Gabi, and many more

songs that were part of me growing up. This is proof of Mr. cayabyab’s genius in penning his tunes which weave through various emotions and levels of energy with an honest

and unpretentious vibe.

Minsan Pang Minahal was written and directed

by March de ramos, choreography by cecile Hidalgo and Edison Bimbo Morales with music di-

rection by Musikademy’s Bong Aviola.

Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter for more travel stories, foodie finds, and happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

FOR SALE I. Industrial Lots: Location: Bunawan, Davao City Area: 3,500 to 5,500 sq.m. more or less

CLASSIFIED 13 edge davao For SALe hiring (direct Buyer only)

EDGE DAVAo is a need of three staffwriters/reporters for its expansion program.

II. House and Lot: Location: Blk. 16, Lot 9 Villa Josefina Resort Village Dumoy, Toril, Davao City Lot Area: 284 sq.m.

Flr. Area: 177.31 sq.m.

Type: 2 Storey House and Lot Interested PRYCE CORPORATION Parties contact: 0922-879-0036 (Sonny), 0922-881-4994 (Jenny), 0922-881-44997 (Andy), (082) 224-2686

HIRING!!!

Pryce Corporation, a property holding & real estate development company for upscale residential subdivision and memorial parks is in need of a:

TECHNICAL HEAD

     

Destiny Training Center located at Silway-8, Polomolok, South Cotabato, Philippines Area: 1.5 hectares (clean title) Contact Person: Jayson Mata and Jarry Cortez Mobile Numbers: 09073069070,09266173168 Telephone Number:(083)301-7975 Email Ad: april23jayson@yahoo.com / jarrycortez@gmail.com website: http://www.destinytrainingcenterph.com

JudeA, a start-up pharmaceuticals distribution company is looking for:

QUALIFICATIONS:

territorY MAnAger/S

Not more than 35 years old Civil Engineering graduate (with license is an advantage) Computer literate and must have knowledge in AUTOCAD/ STAAD and Project Management At least 1 year experience in construction and field related works Can work with minimal supervision Willing to travel

Qualifications: 1. Male/Female, 24 to 30 years old 2. At least 6 months of pharmaceuticals selling experience, 3. Very pleasing personality, 4. Passionate, honest, and can work with minimal supervision.

Send your Application Letter together with your Resume’ and Transcript of Records (photocopy only) to: The Administration Department Pryce Corporation Suite 057, 5th Flr. Pryce Tower Condo., J.P. Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City Contact Details: (082) 224-2686, email add: prycecorp.dvo@gmail.com

3 reporters

Successful candidates can look forward to : 1. Industry competitive salary, allowances and commissions, 2. Company car, 3. Paid vacation leaves, Out-patient benefits, 4. Career progression and positive work environment.

For interested/qualified applicants: please email your resume with latest 2X2 picture on or before May 30, 2014 at judeapharma@gmail.com

The reporters will be assigned to the business, science/environment and political beats.

Applicant must be a graduate of a four- year college course. Experience is not needed although preferable.

Interested parties may send their application letter to Mr. Antonio M. Ajero, Edge Davao editor, thru email address ajero_antonio@yahoo. com. For inquiries, please call Mr. Ajero thru mobile phone 09052422686 or landline 221-3601.

14 SPORTS

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

END OF REIGN? With Rafa not in his best form, will his title run come to an end this year?

F

or once, not everything seems so obvious heading into the French open.

Yes, rafael Nadal will still be favored by most to win the clay-court Grand Slam tournament yet again. He is, after all, 59-1 for his career at roland Garros, winner of a record eight championships, including the last four.

Still, if the 2014 tennis season to date is any indication, there could be some surprises in store when play begins in Paris on Sunday. So far, there already was one new major champion, Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian open. And there has been a rather egalitarian feel to the spring clay circuit, with nine winners at nine tournaments.

The three top men in the ATP rankings - No. 1 Nadal,

No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Wawrinka - each claimed a Masters title on the slow red surface, including Djokovic’s victory over Nadal in the rome final last weekend. That gave Nadal three clay losses in a season for the first time since 2004, when he was all of 17 and yet to make his French open debut.

“It’s more normal this year than the last 10 years have been because the last years have been strange and we’ve gotten used to having these great finals between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world and one player dominating the whole year - and we started to think that’s normal. really, that’s the exception,” said Mats Wilander, who won the French open three times in the 1980s.

“Heading into the French

open, it’s more exciting. The regular tour probably benefits from having one superstar that’s cleaning up everything, or maybe a rivalry,” Wilander added. “But the French open and the other Slams benefit from having no clear-cut favorite. That’s the way it used to be, and I think it’s better. I don’t think we want to go there and ask ourselves: Is Nadal going to win a ninth time? That just doesn’t excite me at all. It’s much more exciting to think that Djokovic is the favorite or that (roger) Federer has a chance.”

Not surprisingly, Nadal does not exactly agree.

He’ll be seeded No. 1 for only the third time at roland Garros - one of those years, 2009, was when his lone loss came, against robin Soderling

fortnight.

“For me, the French open is extremely important because it’s a grand slam I won only twice and I want to win more and more,” the world number one said following the draw which pitted her against local hope Alize Lim in the first round.

“I won five times Wimbledon, Australian, the U.S. open, so for me it’s important.

“I have the capability of playing on clay, so I don’t know why I wasn’t more consistent on clay before.

“But, hey, I guess better late than never, right?”

For her rivals, Williams doing well on clay spells doom and gloom as it was the only surface where they felt they had a strong possibility of stopping her charge towards more silverware. over the last three years, she has won at least one title on European dirt every sea-

son and, if anything, appears hungry for more success on what is largely conceived to be her least favorite surface.

Serena: More pleasure, less pain P

ArIS (reuters) - Pain and pleasure go handin-hand for Serena Williams when it comes to the French open and the American hopes she will get an overdose of happiness in one of her favorite cities as she targets a third roland Garros title.

Two years ago, Williams hit the lowest of the low when she slumped to a first-round exit in Paris, her first and only opening round defeat in a stellar grand slam career that has earned her 17 major singles titles.

The pain and anguish of that defeat melted away just 12 months later when she lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup for a second time.

But in a career littered with triumphs, it was surprisingly only her second win at the home of claycourt tennis and she is on a mission to rectify that anomaly over the next

“I don’t know what clicked or didn’t click (on clay). I grew up on hard courts, and then when I turned 10 I played only clay until I turned pro,” added the 32-year-old, who will draw level with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s haul of 18 majors if she wins in Paris.

“I’m really good now. I’m great. I feel like this is the only place I want to be.

“I don’t remember the last time I was defending champ (in Paris), so it feels really good that I’m here as defending champion.

“I’m really excited. I think I have had a really long, great career. It just feels really good to be at this point in my career and playing as defending champion.”

in the fourth round - but he could relinquish the top ranking to Djokovic over the course of the 15-day tournament.

Asked about the idea of this year’s French open being a little less predictable, Nadal replied: “I don’t care. I don’t know. I think about myself.

What I have to do.”

In addition to dropping a fourth consecutive head-tohead match against Djokovic, Nadal’s defeat at the Italian open followed a series of difficult three-setters in rome, as well as losses in the - gasp!

- quarterfinals of Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

His 41-match winning streak at Barcelona ended against Nicolas Almagro, who had been 0-10 against Nadal.

That came after being beaten at Monte Carlo by Da-

BEATABLE? Many experts say Rafael Nadal is beatable this year in clay. vid Ferrer, whom Nadal easily beat in last year’s French open final and hadn’t lost to anywhere on clay in a decade.

Then again, as Wilander points out, these earlier-than-usual exits mean Nadal arrives in Paris with less wear and tear. Plus those losses were all in best-of-three-set matches, while the French open is best-of-five. And Nadal did earn the title at the Madrid open, so he knows he’s not completely out of sorts.

“There’s all this scar tissue he can reason with and say, `Hold on, I won Madrid, this is the French open, I’m fresher than ever.’ He’s going to put a little less pressure on himself but still go in with a sense of confidence knowing it’s five sets,” Wilander said.

“And he can think, `What are

they going to do? How are they going to beat me in two hours? That’s never going to happen. I have four hours to solve this problem.’ That gives him confidence right away.”

Djokovic, for his part, is trying to complete a career Grand Slam with his first French open title, after losing to Nadal in the semifinals last year and the final in 2012. He was sidelined recently with an injured right wrist but sure looked absolutely fine in rome.

The Serb called his victory there “definitely a confidence booster” because beating Nadal on clay is the “ultimate challenge.”

“I’m very happy with my game so far,” Djokovic said, “and hopefully I can carry that into roland Garros.”

MORE PLEASURE PLEASE. Serena Williams, world no. 1, hopes to get much fun in Paris.

SPORTS 15

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

George cleared to play M

IAMI (AP) -- Indiana’s Paul George will play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, which comes as no surprise to the Miami Heat.

They were expecting him there all along.

The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared ‘’to return to normal basketball activity,’’ a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. ‘’Barring any unforeseen complications, he will play’’ on Saturday in Miami, the Pacers said.

So that settled one lineup issue.

The Heat now have a lineup decision to make.

Greg oden - whose last postseason appearance was April 30, 2009 - may be inserted into the Heat rotation after showing Miami’s coaches in recent days that back issues that slowed him down for weeks may finally be a thing of the past. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra suggested that oden ‘’could’’ get some minutes, which would almost certainly come against Indiana center roy Hibbert. ‘’If coach needs me, I’m ready to play,’’ oden said. ‘’I’m definitely ready whenever he needs me.’’

The series is tied at a game apiece, with Miami grabbing the home-court edge away by rallying for an 87-83 win at Indianapolis in Game 2. The teams have been off since, which figures to be a blessing of sorts for the Pacers - who had several players limping and ailing late in that game, with George’s concussion the most notable malady.

The back of George’s head was struck by Dwyane

REVENGE. Paul George of Indiana (24) matches up with Lebron James (6) of Miami in Game 2.

Wade’s knee as both were trying to get control of a loose ball during the fourth quarter of that game. George remained in the game but

was basically a non-factor the rest of the way, and Miami owned the final minutes. The concussion came to light only after George revealed post-

game that he briefly ‘’blacked out.’’ ‘’I probably should have kept that to myself,’’ George said. ‘’It just made a mess.

That’s something that, going forward, just keep that between myself and the training staff.’’

The Heat never even

considered the possibility that George wouldn’t play in Game 3. ‘’Why wouldn’t he?’’ Heat star LeBron James asked.

Ibaka could return in West series o

BACK TO THE LINE-UP. OKC center Serge Ibaka could be back in uniform in Game 3.

KLAHoMA CITY (AP) -The San Antonio Spurs never believed Serge Ibaka was out for the Western Conference finals, even after the Thunder said they expected him to miss the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury.

Looks like the Spurs might have been on to something.

The Thunder said Friday that their defensive standout now is day-to-day after his strained left calf showed improved movement and stability and a significant decrease in swelling. The Thunder have missed Ibaka badly as San Antonio has raced to a 2-0 lead in the series, and his possible return gives the Thunder hope as they prepare for Game 3 on Sunday in oklahoma City. ‘’His progress in the last several days has been surprising,’’ Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. ‘’I don’t think any of us thought we’d

be standing here talking about this. We’re grateful that we are.’’

Well, maybe no one with the Thunder expected it. The Spurs certainly did. ‘’We knew he would be back, and that’s good,’’ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ‘’Nobody would wish that on anybody to miss a playoff.

We’ve had guys miss playoffs before. It’s obviously a downer.

If he gets back in - and I’m sure he will, as I’ve said from the beginning - I think it’s great.’’

Ibaka was injured in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers, a Western Conference semifinals series-clinching win on May 15. He is averaging 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 62 percent from the field.

Presti did not say if Ibaka would be available for Game 3, just that he could not be ruled

out. Presti said he felt it best to be forthcoming with the change in the situation. ‘’It would be convenient to not provide the information, and if he were ever healthy enough to play in a game, to release that an hour before the game,’’ he said. ‘’But in this case, we don’t think that was the way to handle it, because previously, we had deemed him out. And we can’t deem him out.’’

Ibaka, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the league in blocked shots during the regular season and erased many of oklahoma City’s defensive mistakes.

Without having to deal with oklahoma City’s primary rim protector, San Antonio scored 66 points in the paint on 67 percent shooting in a 122-105 win in Game 1. The Spurs followed up with 54 points in the paint on 66 percent shooting in a 112-77 blowout in Game 2.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 7 ISSUE 50 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, MAY 25-26, 2014

BATTLE FOR THE REBOUND. Francis Gabriel Escandor (18) and Vande Alagao (88) of Ateneo de Davao University battle for the rebound against Chong Hoa players in the Final Four of the St. Stephen’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. Ateneo won in overtime 88-85 to reach the finals.

Blue Knights in finals of Manila hoopfest By neiLWin JoSepH L. BrAvo

W

njb@edgedavao.net

HEN the going got tough, the tougher nerves got going.

Ateneo de Davao University’s main man Dariel Manliguez twice displayed nerves of steel taking his heroic act to two important chapters.

First sequence: Manliguez stole a crucial inbound pass with time down to 7 seconds and the Davao champion Blue Knights down by a basket, 79-80, against a tough Chong Hoa squad of Manila. The shifty forward got tagged with a flagrant foul in the process and went to the line with three ticks on the clock. He sank the first but missed the second for an 80-all count and Ateneo got the final possession enough to draw the final play.

Manliguez took a triple try that missed but who needs a three when there’s five minutes to play in overtime, anyway?

Second sequence: Manliguez had almost the same play reprised with 13 seconds left.

He stole the ball off the Chong Hoa inbound with Ateneo protecting a precarious 86-85 lead.

Manliguez got fouled again and he split his freebies for a 87-85 lead. The Manilans missed in the ensuing play and Ateneo coach Miggy Solitaria sued for time to cool down his players nerves.

Ateneo ‘s Ayon Angeles was fouled and he too had a split and you know what? Big game players come down with the big rebound and Maliguez did just that to seal the win.

The Blue Knights, on training camp in Manila for the entire summer, now advance to the finals of the St. Stephen’s Basketball Tournament against Chiang Kai Shek College which they beat in their first game with the Blazing Dragons parading a severely depleted line-up.

CKSC defeated University of the Philippines IS in the other Final Four match.

“They will be playing with a complete line-up na so it’s

IDOL. Dariel Manliguez, who sone for Ateneo in the semis, poses with his PBA idol Larrye Fonacier who also plays for SMART Gilas National Team. FB Photo going t be tougher. For us, this is already an achievement but we will try to make it,” said Solitaria.

Manliguez and Paul Coquilla shone for Ateneo in the scoring end but it was Ateneo’s team effort that put them in the thick of the fight through all quar-

INJURED. Indiana’s Paul George has been cleared to play in Game 3. Story on page 15.

ters. The Blue Knights’ frontline manned by Josh Barrientos and Francis Gabriel Escandor also fought tooth and nail and held their ground against the heftier Chong Hoa side.

The Blue Knights advanced to the Final Four with a 3-2 winloss record.