Edge Davao 7 Issue 103

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

ADMIRED. 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient Randy Halasan tries to hold back his tears upon hearing words of admiration and praises from Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte during Tuesday night’s courtesy call at The Marco Polo Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

RODY TO RANDY: YOUR WISH IS HARD TO REFUSE INSIDE EDGE

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

MEET ROMANIA’S 7-fOOT-4 13 YEAR OLD CAGER SPORTS page 15

RODY: DRINK BUT DO NOT MAKE THE BIG NEWS page 2 TROUBLE

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abf@edgedavao.net

AvAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte gave 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Randy Halasan a snappy salute when he met the first ever Dabawenyo awardee of Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Duterte walked to the lobby of The Marco Polo Hotel where the Marilog teacher was waiting for a meeting the latter personally requested after he was named the only Filipino awardee of the 2014 class.

The mayor shook hands with Halasan who admitted later he was “star-struck” to see his “idol” for the first time.

A beaming Duterte lauded Halasan for his sacrifice and dedication.

“He is a Dabawenyo and the only Filipino to win the Magsaysay Award this year and he has brought honor not only for the country but to the city,” Duterte told reporters at The Marco Polo Davao last Tues-

day night.

“We are really proud of you. A hard working Filipino winning a prestigious award,” the mayor told the 31-year old public school teacher who earned the distinction as the first Dabawenyo to win the prestigious award.

Halasan told Edge Davao he is happy to have finally met his idol. “Idol gyud nako siya mao nang gusto gyud nako sya ma-meet in person,” he said.

Edge Davao managing editor Neilwin Joseph Bravo, who wrote Halasan’s story in Edge Davao last year, had arranged for the meeting after calling up

FRODY, 10

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

MPSI: Dismissal of union leader valid

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAvO

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RANDY MEETS RODY. This year’s Ramon Magsaysay awardee Randy Halasan who hails from Davao City is visibly overjoyed when he meets Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte during a courtesy call at The Marco Polo Davao Tuesday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

njb@edgedavao.net

HE owner of Master Port Services, Inc. yesterday maintained the dismissal of a union leader is valid and not illegal.

In a statement emailed to Edge Davao yesterday, Masters Port Services Inc. (MPSI) owner Anthony Sasin denied the allegations of Carl Anthony olalo, president of the Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Masters Port Services Inc. (NAMMPSI) that he was illegally dismissed by the company last July 31.

“His dismissal and the dismissal of Mr. Donald Berdera and Mr. Darwin Berdera from MPSI are valid. The dismissals were not baseless, much less illegal. Also, the dismissals were never union related.

They were simply based on serious violations of the company code of discipline,” Sasin said in a statement.

According to the MPSI owner, olalo was dismissed after he was found to have

forged the signatures of his co-employees.

“This was triggered by complaints of his victims to the MPSI Human resource Department. Per records also of the company, Mr. olalo had numerous absences without leave,” Sasin added. olalo announced on Tuesday his intent to file a complaint before the National Labor relations Commission (NLrC)-Davao against MPSI for illegal dismissal during a press conference at the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Southern Mindanao office.

As to olalo’s fellow employees Darwin and Donald Berdera who were also dismissed, Sasin said their dismissal was based on serious misconduct in the form of “berating, humiliating and challenging the company’s assistant timekeeper to a fight and attempting to hit him with a hard hat.”

FMPSI, 10

AFP hurls challenge to Karapatan anew

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

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N official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) challenged KarapatanSouthern Mindanao Chapter to publicly denounce and condemn their alleged support to the New People’s Army (NPA).

“We encourage them to denounce and condemn the NPA kasi yan lang ang makapagsabi kung they are in the NPA or not. other human right advocacy group in Mindanao already condemned NPA pero sila umiiwas,”Lt. Col. Norman S. Zuniega, commander of the 10th Civil-Military operation Battalion of the 10th

Infantry Agila Division of Eastern Mindanao Command, said.

Zuniega said in an interview at Balutan restaurant at oroderm City in Davao City yesterday that there were reports confirmed by victims of NPA attacks in the past that members of the Karapatan act as third party.

“We just want to expose ano ba talaga ang tunay na kulay nila,” he said, adding that the group were alleged supporters of NPA. According to him, there were victims of landmine and grenade blast who sur-

FAFP, 10

Geographical indication eyed for Davao pomelo By vANNAH S. ANg

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vsa@edgedavao.net

HE Davao Pummelo Stakeholder’s Association, Inc. (DPSAI) plans to implement the Code of Practice (CoP) within the year in consonance with the country’s setting up of the identification of Davao pomelo as one of the Philippine products with the best potential for becoming a Geographical Indication (GI).

A GI is a label utilized for products that own distinct qualities,

produce through a traditional process, and carries an assured reputation that corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin while the CoP is expected to establish a standard for the Davao pomelo industry.

According to Patrick Belisario, DPSAI consultant, they have already finalized the CoP and submitted it to the Intellectual Property office

FGEOGRAPHICAL, 10

Rody: Drink but do not be troublesome

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

Ayor rodrigo Duterte thinks the pronouncement of Davao City Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) head ret.

Gen. Francisco Villaroman on prohibiting drunken revelers in the upcoming events of Kadayawan festival could just be a case of a misunderstood good intention.

Duterte told reporters on Tuesday night that Villaroman might want to remind people the harm

brought by being drunk during the celebration.

“Alam mo yan si Villaroman, military yan. He just wants to keep you safe from harming yourself and harming others.

That itong drunkenness, there is such a thing there sa ating criminal laws na disorderly conduct,” Duterte explained.

“Maybe good as any other time to remind everybody na it would be best if you remain sober,” he said.

BRIGHT LEAF AWARDS 2014:

Duterte said that he is not keen to implement the rule said by Villaroman for next week’s city celebration.

“Kung wala ka namang gawin, you did not create torouble, you do not harm anybody – Kung masaraysaray ka diha sa dalan bhala ka diha,” Duterte said.

But, Duterte reminded bar owners and other concessionaires in some activity areas of Kadayawan not to sell liquors and cigarettes to minors.

Earlier, councilor Al ryan Alejandre, spokesperson of the Kadayawan Execom clarified that there is no policy against drunk persons from attending the activities.

He said that he was surprised with the news that Villaroman announced the rule which does not exist.

Alejandre said that the drunk can be only arrested if the person will make trouble in a certain place of activity. ABF

Harvesting the best of the best T

HE much-anticipated Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards will once gain look through this year’s crop of published agriculture stories and photos and honor the best of the best.

Bright Leaf is the name given to Virginia Tobacco because it turns into a vivid yellow when

it is cured with intense heat. The discovery of the Bright Leaf tobacco brought to life the struggling economy of North Carolina in the United States. It is characterized by a distinct flavor and aroma that makes it the variant of choice for manufacturing tobacco products.

It is then appropriate

that it is also the name given to this annual competition now celebrating its eighth year. The Bright Leaf Awards are given to the most outstanding and relevant agriculture stories in print, radio, and television. It will also honor the most compelling photos that capture the essence of Tobacco farming and the

agriculture industry.

Didet Santiago, project manager of the Bright Leaf Awards, is encouraging all professional Filipino journalists residing in the Philippines to join the competition as their way of sharing the successes of farmers through their stories— in whatever medium—to the public.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

School calendars must be in sync: CHED 11 A

change in the school calendar in the tertiary level has to be implemented among secondary and elementary level to cushion losses to affected private higher education institutions, the regional Commission on Higher Education said yesterday.

CHED 11 regional director raul C. Alvarez Jr. said that Department of Education should synchronize the K to 12 program with that of CHED. “In my opinion, for this to work dapat kung ang higher education mag-move to August or early September dapat si DepEd rin.

Synchronization is an issue kasi matagal-tagal kaya nagkakaron ng issues ng losses

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

due to idleness,” Alvarez said during the press conference for the CHED National research Conference: Higher Education Institutions’ r & D National Development at The Grand regal Hotel yesterday.

However, he said that the two independent agencies have not sat together to discuss the proposal. He said that this can be only discussed by 2018.

“I think that is the only time we can approach DepEd kasi wala naman problema dun, pagbalik ng first year college by 2018 that is the time na magdesisyon lahat,”he said.

Last May, Alvarez said that starting by 2016 there

MEGA PROJECTS. Suntrust Properties, Inc. branch sales manager, Amy Monsalud (right), together with account manager Bernie Grasparil, announces during Club 888 media forum at The Marco Polo Davao yesterday the company’s upcoming projects and programs in Davao City. Suntrust Properties, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of property giant Megaworld Corporation.

Lean Daval Jr.

150 sales execs to be hired

by Suntrust for Megaworld FSCHOOL, 10

By vANNAH S. ANg

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vsa@edgedavao.net

UNTrUST Properties, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of property giant Megaworld Corporation, offers another opportunity for Davao City as they are looking for 150 sales associates to represent the city.

Bernie Grasparil, Suntrust product specialist, bared their plan to expand their network of sales associates to Davao because Megaworld Corporation sees so much potential clients in the city for their properties in Manila and Baguio.

“If we have sales as-

sociates here, then it will provide us an easier access to the Davao Market,” he said.

Megaworld Corporation caters to numerous clients nationwide as the country’s leading real estate developer and top business process and outsourcing (BPo) office developer.

Suntrust will hold a sales associates seminar for interested applicants at McDonald’s Bolton Branch on August 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will only be limited slots available.

The seminar will cover the introduction of Megaworld Corporation and its subsidiaries, an overview of Suntrust Properties, Inc., and the accreditation of attendees.

“The accepted sales associates will be given identification cards (IDs) to represent Suntrust Properties, Inc. and automated teller machine (ATM) cards so we could directly send whatever commission they earn from selling our properties in Manila and Baguio,” Grasparil said.

Interested applicants

need to bring three 1x1 ID pictures, two valid government IDs, and their taxpayer identification number (TIN).

“Anyone of any age who can talk and has a lot of connections in Davao City can join the seminar,” Grasparil said.

Suntrust sales associates will be assigned to assist in the marketing and selling of Megaworld Corporation’s properties and maintain good customer service.

“The sales associate’s job is to only refer a buyer to us. As soon as a sales associate could re-

fer a buyer to us, we will take charge and handle the account,” Grasparil said.

The condominium properties under Megaworld Corporation located in Manila and Baguio are Gibraltar, Kirana, Amadea, Ascentia, Asmara, Capitol Plaza, Shanata, and Solana.

These properties will be assigned to the sales associates representing Davao City.

Megaworld Corporation is led by real estate magnate and visionary, Dr. Andrew L. Tan. It pioneered the Live-Work-

Play-Learn township concept in the country.

The company introduced the successful large-scale, master-planned mixed-use developments such as Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City; Newport City in Pasay; McKinley Hill, Forbes Town Center, McKinley West, and Uptown Bonifacio, all in Fort Bonifacio; Woodside City in Pasig; Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City; The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; and the soon to rise Davao Park District in Davao City.

Coal plant now 88% complete

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

BOUNTIFUL HARVEST. Lanzones, mangosteen and Durian fruit are now sold at a much lower price around Davao City due to the abundance of supply brought by the bountiful harvest in time for the celebration of the 29th Kadayawan Festival. Lean Daval Jr.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE 300-megawatt Therma South Inc. (TSI) energy project of Aboitiz Power Corporation is now 88 percent complete and is scheduled to start its commercial operations by first half of 2015.

“As of June 2014, the power plant project is 88 percent complete with more than 3,500 workers on site working on the project,” the statement of TSI said.

In a statement, the completion of the project will give Mindanao a massive boost in its base load power supply.

“We are looking forward to our testing and commissioning phase this year,” Therma South president Benjamin A. Cariaso Jr.

said in the statement.

Cariaso said more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities from Zamboanga peninsula, Caraga, Cotabato, Saranggani, Bukidnon and Davao region are contracted with TSI. The statement added that key cities like Davao, Cagayan de oro, Butuan, Tagum, Kidapawan, Gen. Santos and Cotabato will receive much needed power supply once the operations starts.

“With the completion of our project, we will be able to supply reliable base load power to most of Mindanao and alleviate the effects of the power shortage in the island,” Cariaso added.

4 THE ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

‘Diskwento Caravan’ benefits 8,300 buyers in Davao del Sur By vANNAH S. ANg

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vsa@edgedavao.net

HE Department of Trade and Industry region 11’s (DTI 11) “Presyo Diskwento Caravan” has benefited a total of 8,300 consumers in the region and generated total sales worth P1,997,805 within the year.

The latest Presyo Diskwento Caravan was conducted in Hagonoy, a third class municipality located in Digos City from July 4 to 5. It was participated by three firms and generated total sales worth P430,305 from 3,000 buyers.

According to Eulogio C. orevillo, DTI-Davao del Sur officer-in-Charge, the conduct of the “Presyo Diskwento Caravans” in the province is now becoming a solution to address the clamor of various local government units (LGUs).

“Well, we have targets of our own but oftentimes, we conduct Presyo Diskwento Caravans in certain areas because the LGUs requested for it.

There are also instances

wherein we have already conducted a Presyo Diskwento Caravan in the said municipality but we go back and conduct another round again because of their request,” he said.

Jenny Mendoza, DTI 11 officer, said that four Presyo Diskwento Caravans have already been conducted in Davao del Sur as of July this year.

The first caravan was conducted last May in Bato, Sta. Cruz with three participating suppliers and generated total sales worth P262,500 from 1,200 buyers.

The second caravan was conducted last June 12 to 13 in Kiblawan with six participating firms and generated total sales worth P576,500 from 1,600 buyers.

The third caravan was conducted last June 17-18, once again in Kiblawan, with just a single participating firm and generated total sales worth P728,500 from 2,500 buyers.

Mendoza said that the Presyo Diskwento Car-

avan is an initiative that aims to bring relief to consumers from the rising prices of goods. This is in partnership with other government agencies and

the private sector.

“At least 10 percent discount is given to the buyers for their purchase of basic necessities and prime commodities at the

HE regional Development Council (rDC)-XI brought together the stakeholders of the energy sector to tackle issues and concerns relative to the attainment of reliable stable power in the Davao region. rDC-XI Chair Governor rodolfo del rosario said the activity sought the firm commitments of the local chief executives, relevant national government agencies and private

renewable energy (rE) developers for the immediate realization of potential rE projects, especially the recently-awarded DoE projects in region XI. “The development of potential renewable energy sources in Davao region is one of the Council’s priority agenda,” he stressed.

He said that with the impending power shortage in 2015, there is a need to identify and develop more commer-

cially-viable rE sources, in order to avert energy shortfall and effectively support the ever-increasing demand of residential, commercial and industrial consumers.

He added the quest for a sustainable and reliable electricity is part of the key strategic and sustainable infrastructure component of the Updated regional Development Plan (rDP), 2014-2016.

Participants of the forum agreed to adopt some

concrete strategies in order to fast track the implementation of awarded rE projects.

These include, among others, the streamlining of procedures and business processes, including the adoption of a fast lane for processing applications and uniform incentives scheme for rE development in all the LGUs. The stakeholders particularly pushed for the immediate implementa-

of the year that reached P125.59 million or P29.41 million higher than its target of P155 million for the entire year.

He said the city’s collection efficiency for general income account derived from permits and licenses is presently at 77 percent, with collections reaching P20.3 million as against its target of P25.3 million.

“The fiscal health of our city has never been very healthy as it is today,” he said in his first state-of-thecity address on Tuesday. rivera said a big chunk of the city’s Internal revenue Allotment share, which stands at around P958 million for this year, mainly comes from the area’s flagship tuna industry.

Dubbed the country’s

“tuna capital,” the city currently hosts six of the countries tuna canneries and various complementary industries.

But in the last 10 years, after the “phenomenal rise” of the city’s tuna industry, he said new investment opportunities were opened up in the area.

“Since I took office, increased business activities in the city have been noticeable,” said rivera, who won his first term as city mayor in the May 2013 midterm elections.

He said the local government specifically recorded around P871 million worth of new investments in the area during the first half of the year.

Such figure, which was

derived from new business registrations from January to June this year, was P300 million higher when compared to last year’s investment records during the period of P535.5 million, he said. rivera said the gross sales receipts of business renewals in the city also reached P42.57 billion for essentials and P28.93 billion for non-essentials.

Both figures are improvements of the gross sales receipts of P41.60 billion and P25.8 billion for essentials and non-essentials, respectively, during the first half of 2013.

“Simply put, business has never been this good in General Santos City,” he added. (MindaNews)

Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, 2nd left, Vice Gov. Victorio Suaybaguio, Jr. and PAGASA Acting Administrator Dr. Vicente Malano, right, unveil the perspective of the P20-million Tagum-Libuganon River Basin Flood Forecasting

and Warning Center at the Capitol, Mankilam, Tagum City. Ondoy Laguitao/ DavNor PIO caravan’s venue,” she said.

These basic necessities include canned sardines, processed milk, coffee, detergent or laundry soap, and rice. Prime

commodities, on the other hand, include processed and canned meat, instant noodles, and toiletries like shampoo and bath soap.

MALL businesses are “soft targets” of cybercriminals since they lack focus on information technology (IT) strategy, according to secure content and threat management solutions developer Kaspersky Lab. Based on the Kaspersky Lab’s 2014 IT Security risks summary report, very small businesses (VSBs) with fewer than 25 employees are the least likely to view "IT Strategy" as a top strategic concern.

Among all the VSBs worldwide, only 19 percent reported IT Strategy as one of their top-two strategic concerns, compared to 30 percent of businesses with more than 100 employees, and 35 percent of enterprises with 5,000 employees or more.

Kaspersky Lab believes that VSBs, which are often startups struggling to establish themselves, most often don’t have the money or IT expertise to properly implement vital IT components like security software.

“Every successful business needs an efficient IT strategy.

Unfortunately, VSBs are not capable to correctly implement IT elements such as security software because they may lack the expertise or financial resources,” said

Jimmy Fong, Channel Sales Director of Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia.

Citing estimates by the International Data Corporation, Kaspersky Lab also revealed that 80 million businesses worldwide with fewer than 10 employees believe that they are too small to be targeted by cybercriminals.

However, the reality is that many VSBs adopt the “security by obscurity” mentality, believing that they are too small to be targeted by cybercriminals and don’t have any data that cybercriminals would want.

According to the Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigations report, 193 of the 621 breaches analyzed – more than 30 percent – occurred at companies with 100 or fewer employees.

Kaspersky Lab warns that cybercriminals will also need less effort to successfully attack numerous VSBs instead of a single larger business.

And unlike larger enterprises with sufficient funds to recover from a cyberattack, small businesses may be driven to bankruptcy due to costs of lost customer data, significant time spent offline, and associated clean-up expenses.

RDC-XI gathers stakeholders to address power gap Kaspersky: PH businesses must invest in cybersecurity T S FRDC-XI, 10

GenSan Jan-Jun tax collection P205M

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HE city government has collected a total of P205.94 million in local taxes during the first half of the year, surpassing last year’s records by 15 percent.

City Mayor ronnel rivera said such figure is around P30 million more than the city’s total collections from business, real property and other taxes from January to June last year that only reached P175.094 million.

He said it also represents 82 percent of the city government’s local tax collection target for this year of around P251 million.

The mayor said business taxes made up the bulk of their collections during the first six months

5 SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Flood forecasting center to rise in DavNor

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AVAo del Norte is boosting its disaster preparedness and response program with the establishment of the P20-million Tagum-Libuganon river Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (TLrBFFWC) at the Provincial Government Center, Mankilam, Tagum City.

Governor rodolfo del rosario and Dr. Vicente B. Malano, Acting Administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) led the groundbreaking ceremony of the project.

Malano said the facility, which he revealed is the first in the whole Mindanao region, will give timely and accurate prediction of both flood crests and duration to save countless of lives and millions of pesos worth of crops and properties.

He said periodic information from the center regarding water level in the river basin will enable the local government units to issue educated warning to residents of possible flooding.

“Sana nga magkaroon ng change sa preparedness ng tao. Ito ay para

sa kanila, hindi sa kung sino man. Para talaga ito sa mga affected areas, hindi lang sa mga bahay, pati na rin sa agriculture at economy (I hope that there will be a change in the mindset of the citizens. This is for them, not for anybody else. This is for the affected areas, not just the houses, but the agriculture sector and economy, as well)”, he said.

It can be recalled that thousands of Davao del Norte residents are affected by the perennial flooding of the Libuganon river, which is the 10th largest among the 18 major river systems in the Philippines.

Del rosario thanked PAG-ASA, an attached agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), for choosing the province as host of the project.

He said the facility fortifies Davao del Norte’s position as a model of disaster preparedness and response efforts in the region.

“This facility, once in operation, will really be of great help to all of us.

In any calamity and eventuality, ang aming motto dito is zero casualty. We

really have to fight for that”, he said.

PAG-ASA-DoST allotted P20 million for the Main operation Center at the Capitol, along with the network of hydrological monitoring equipment for flood forecasting and warning that entails the installation

of automatic rain gauges, water level gauges and relay stations in key areas of the province. regional Disaster risk reduction and Management Council Chair BGen. Loreto rirao added that the monitoring system will ensure that future investments in the

Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, center, and PAGASA Acting Administrator Dr. Vicente Malano, left, lay the time capsule of the P20-million Tagum-Libuganon

flood-prone areas will be based on well-informed decisions.

“Hindi lang sa tao ang effect kung hindi sa planning at sa paggastos ng pera. When you put some investment, it should be based on science. Hindi masasayang ang investment ng pama-

halaan at ng mamamayan (The effect is not just on the people but also on planning and expenditure of funds. When you put some investment, it should be based on science so that investment of the government and the citizens would not be wasted)”, he said.

River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center at the Capitol, Mankilam, Tagum City. Ondoy Laguitao/DavNor PIO

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

7 ENVIRONMENT

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

S0S: SAVE OUR SOIL

By ARMANDO A. MORTEJO

“W

E are part of God’s creation, and God gave it to us to take care of it.

And we’ve done a pretty lousy job. our land is sick and part of our Christian responsibility is to heal it.” -- Harold ray Watson, 1985 ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Peace and International Understanding *** In 1974, Henry Kissinger, then the United States’ Secretary of State, famously declared that by 1984 no child, woman or man would ever go to bed hungry. That promise, unfortunately, remains grossly unfulfilled.

At the 1996 World Food Summit, political leaders from 186 countries pledged to halve the number of hungry people in the world by the year 2015 – or a reduction of 20 million each year. yet, “far from decreasing, the number of hungry people in the world is currently increasing,” said the UN Food and Agriculture organization.

In Asia, the challenge of reducing poverty and hunger is equally daunting as the region is home to two thirds of the world’s total poor. “The fight against global poverty must be won here in this region,” said the Manila-based Asian Development Bank.

“If the world is to halve poverty by 2015, Asia and the Pacific must be the spearhead in this effort.”

With the force and empathy of poetry, Edwin Markham wrote in his poem, “The Man With the Hoe,” the picture of someone who is poor: “The thing the Lord God made

and gave to have dominion over sea and land” but then “whom there is no shape more terrible. A thing that grieves not and that never hopes,” he typifies a “humanity betrayed, plundered, profaned, and disinherited.”

Macli-ing Dulag, in a poem translated into English, echoed the same sentiment. “If the land could speak for us, it would speak for us,” he wrote. “It would say, like us, that the years have forged the bond of life that ties us together.

It was our labor that made the land she is; and it was her yielding that gave us life. We and the land are one!”

Dulag continued: “But who would listen? Will they listen, those invisible, who, from an unfeeling distance, claim the land is theirs? Because pieces of paper say so? Because the pieces of paper are backed by men who speak threatening words, men who have power to shoot and to kill, men who have power to take our men and our sons away? If the land could speak, it would speak for us! For the land is us.”

Land is one of the main reasons why the world is currently facing hunger.

Gary Gardner, of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, said that in the past, civilizations could simply leave one piece of land for another when the soil nutrients had been depleted. Today, we no longer have this luxury; the world has, for all intents and purposes, run out of available cropland.

“If the soil on which all agriculture and all hu-

man life depends is wasted away, then the battle to free mankind from want cannot be won,” said Lord John Boyd orr.

The thin layer of earth we call topsoil is essential to land’s fertility. Typically, only some 15 centimeters deep, topsoil is a rich medium containing organic matter, minerals, nutrients, insects, microbes, worms and other elements needed to provide a nurturing environment for plants. oftentimes, topsoil are being washed or blown away. “Soil is made by God and put here for man to use, not for one generation but forever,” said rev.

Harold r. Watson, former director of the Davaobased Mindanao Baptist rural Life Center. “It takes thousands of years to build one inch of topsoil but only good strong rain to remove one inch from unprotected soil on the slopes of mountains.”

Erosion is the most pervasive form of soil degradation. “In the developing world, erosion and poverty interact in a destructive cycle: erosion is often rooted in poverty and crowding, while poverty and crowding are often the harvest of erosion,” wrote Gardner in a Worldwatch paper.

Humans cause erosion at a rate 10 to 15 times faster than any natural process, according to Bruce Wilkinson, a sedimentary geologist working with the Syracuse University in New york City. Global erosion, he pointed out, is occurring at a rate of about 75 gigatons a year – a gigaton is equal to a billion tons.

“To put that into context,” Wilkinson explained,

“current annual amounts of rock and soil moved over the Earth’s surface in response to human activities are an amount of material that would fill the Grand Canyon of Arizona in about 50 years.”

Erosion is the act in which earth is worn away, often by water, wind, or ice, the “National Geographic” informs. “A similar process, weathering, breaks down or dissolves rock, weakening it or turning it into tiny fragments,” it adds. “No rock is hard enough to resist the forces of weathering and erosion.

Together, they shaped the sharp peaks of the Himalaya Mountains in Asia and sculpted the spectacular forest of rock towers of Bryce Canyon, in the U.S. state of Utah.”

Actually, soil erosion is not a new phenomenon.

Archaeological sites of some civilization, studies showed, were undermined by soil erosion. The fertile wheat-growing lands that made North Africa the granary of the roman Empire are now largely desert.

The lowlands of Guatemala that once nourished a thriving Mayan culture of five million people were drained of their fertility by soil erosion.

“Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation – far worse than any outside enemy coming into a country and conquering it because it is an enemy you cannot see vividly,” said Watson, who received the 1985 ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding. “It’s a slow creeping enemy that soon possesses the land. We must consider ourselves in

a state of emergency; our topsoil is all going…”

“No other soil phenomenon is more destructive than is soil erosion,” reminded Nyle C. Brady, author of “The Nature and Properties of Soils.” “It involves losing water and plant nutrients at rates far higher than those occurring through leaching.

More tragically, however, it can result in the loss of the entire soil.”

The world loses the equivalent of 5-7 million hectares of farmland through erosion each year, according to FAo. This is equivalent to the land area of Belgium and the Netherlands combined. If the problem is not corrected, famine will the result.

The Department of Environment and Natural resources traced the severe erosion in the country to forest denudation caused by logging, “kaingin” (slashand-burn) farming, forest fires, improper agricultural practices, overgrazing, and surface mining.

“Strip away the trees from the forests and the soil is totally exposed to the full force of rain,” Watson pointed out.

Why so much ado about topsoil? Lester r. Brown and Edward C. Wolf, authors of a Worldwatch paper entitled “Soil Erosion: Quiet Crisis in the World Economy,” say the erosion affects crop production in two ways. They explain: “The loss of topsoil reduces the inherent productivity of land, both through the loss of nutrients and degradation of the physical structure. It also increases the costs of production.

“When farmers lose

topsoil,” the authors continue, “they may increase land productivity by substituting energy in the form of fertilizer. Hence, farmers losing topsoil may experience either a loss in land productivity or a rise in costs of agricultural inputs. And if productivity drops too low or agricultural costs rise too high, farmers are forced to abandon their land.”

Brown, who is now with the Earth Policy Institute, points out that the immediate effects of soil erosion are economic but in the long run its ultimate effects are social.

“When soils are depleted and crops are poorly nourished, people are often undernourished as well.

Failure to respond to the erosion threat will lead not only to the degradation of land, but to the degradation of life itself.” roy C. Alimoane, the current director of MBrLC, agrees. “Soil erosion, especially in the uplands, is now an extremely serious problem in the Philippines.

It doesn’t only result in increasing the impoverishment of the Filipino farmers, but also destroys other things down under.”

Filipinos should save its remaining topsoil before it’s too late! “A nation without soil is effectively bankrupt,” FAo reminded.

“A nation with appropriate land use patterns and farming techniques, where erosion has been controlled and contained, is poised on the springboard of development.”

“There is sufficiency for man’s need,” Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi once said, “but not for man’s greed.”

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Good job

A

S borne by records the treasurer’s office of Davao City has done an unprecedented good job of chalking up P665 million in real property tax during the first six months of 2014. The figures show that the city treasurer’s office (CTo) headed by rodrigo riola had collected in six months a total of P664, 972, 247 (as of June). The collections exceeded the one during the entire year last year which amounted to only P638, 743, 949.

The CTo broke its own record and for this, riola and his team ought to be congratulated.

The office proved to one and all that its target is doable, a piece of cake really, if one considers the figures as against the timeline.

Some rewards are in order here, too, if only to encourage the good performers to strive

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some more.

Let it not be forgotten too that some time ago, the city government uncovered the shenanigans of some erring CTo personnel who are now facing court charges for their dishonesty.

Whether the crackdown enhanced CTo personnel’s performance, it is not clear. one reason could be that the current taxable real property valuation has really increased due to the ongoing construction or property boom.

Another significance of the notable performance is that it proved to all that increasing tax collections even to incredible levels can be done. How? It should be studied to uncover the secrets, so measures can be taken in order to maintain if not surpass the good record.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA KENNETH IRVING K. ONG Photography Contributing Photographer Creative Solutions ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. AQUILES Z. ZONIO ARLENE D. PASAJE CHENEEN R. CAPON / VANNAH S. ANG Correspondent Cartoons Reporters

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

L

EVEL oF HEALTH WATCH - Scientists worldwide recently turned their attention to African countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia following the death of more than 800 old and young people infected with the dreaded Ebola illness. Thousands more patients remain in hospitals still in serious condition and under close observation. Worst of all, health experts fear is that a virulent strain of the virus has probably mutated to strike humans.

There is no way of knowing the real origin of the disease, according to health authorities, saying that the new virus strain could cause a “major health disaster.” Foreign and local health experts are expected to take more time to determine whether the contagious strain can be prevented by applying stopgap procedures since there is no appropriate medicine yet discovered to treat it up to this time. researchers have noted that the killer virus it seems is developing resistance to existing drugs. This means lowtech solutions like proper sanitation and personal hygiene remain the best weapon against the feared illness. Authorities believe that simple but effective

The Ebola scare

procedure can somehow reduce the death risk – at least for the time being.

That being said, Philippine health authorities should closely monitor the situation and make an update to keep people always on the alert.

Two months after the outbreak, the World Health organization (WHo) still has not discovered an answer to the confusion surrounding the Ebola disease. A series of tests found that the viral sequence was similar to the virus that causes cold-like symptoms – high fever, cough, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and internal bleeding, and if it remained untreated for days a patient would suffer severe sweating, pulmonary and respiratory ailment and paralysis ultimately resulting in death.

There’s still much to be learned about how the virus works especially in

WORM’S EYEVIEW

by MAnny vAldehueSA duct of their commentators?

The KBP should level up with the community and assure the listening public that its members are not taking them for a ride. When it prepared this radio Code, did it intend its members to honor and live by its contents? ***** Through all the years of the KBP’s existence, since the time of the late Teodoro Valencia, I am not aware that anyone has ever been cited for violations; no one rapped for using inflammatory, contemptible, lewd, reckless, or foul language. often the culprits are “block timers;” a mere disclaimer by the station management does not exculpate it.

The KBP claims to be a professional association and insists on regulating itself, but it is not clear that it is regulating its members, or indeed that it is capable of doing so.

There are commentators who sound like they should go back to school, take a language or speech course, maybe remedial reading too, or all of the above. Freedom of speech does not include the right to mangle language or murder pronunciation.

Language is the hallmark of our civilization and culture. It deserves to be treated with care and accuracy.

Language is what distinguishes man (homo sapiens) from all species in the animal kingdom. Its proper usage distinguishes advanced societies from the primitive; it characterizes the sophisticate and cultured. ***** Who will tell the KBP to get its act together and serve our society as it professes to do in its preamble? It should not exist purely for the economic objectives of network owners and stockholders, or for the vanity of its putative commentators or stars.

Media networks should not trash

9

Rice crisis in 1584 our situation. The challenge for Philippine health officials will be to maintain a sufficient level of surveillance while ensuring that the common cold-like symptom doesn’t overrun common sense. The pressure is on our health authorities to find a quick, reliable test for the Ebola virus. That’s actually a good thing, which means that should the infectious disease enter the country, health experts will be able to identify it early and prevent a possible outbreak.

When news broke out that a new Ebola outbreak was in progress in several African countries, Philippine health officials immediately made statements to that effect and it looked the health alert was correct. But by then the media had already picked up the critical health story. While the WHo has investigated the causes surrounding the latest Ebola epidemic, the country’s health authorities quickly imposed strict quarantine procedures and other infection-control measures such as the utilization of thermal scanning machines in all points of entry – airports, seaports and transport terminals to reduce the risk of Ebola outbreak, and the entry of other dreaded viruses.

The KBP’s commitment

SoMETIMES one gets the impression from listening to local radio that we’re under assault by aliens from other galaxies. But then you snap out of it promptly as it becomes obvious that the accents, alarmist tones, atrocious pronunciations, or table thumping originate from dubious commentators who sensationalize even trivial stuff.

Still, you can’t help wondering whether these people can read or write or understand what they read. Because if they do, how come they don’t observe their own guidelines? It’s all in their bible titled, radio Code of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas”.

KBP officials pompously refer to this radio Code when appearing as guest speakers. Note what its Preamble obligates KBP members to profess: “We believe that broadcasting in the Philippines possesses a uniquely immediate and lasting impact on the public, which demands a high sense of responsibility and discerning judgment of morality, fairness and honesty at all times; an obligation to uphold the proprieties and customs of civilized society, to maintain a respect for the right and sensitiveness of all people; to preserve the honor and sanctity of the family and home; to protect the sacredness of individual dignity; and to promote national unity.” ***** Further on, it states how broadcasters ought to conduct themselves: • Language shall be polite and not vulgar, obscene and inflammatory.

• Personal attacks against fellow broadcasters and other stations are considered unethical and subject to sanctions.

• Commentaries and related programs shall not erode the people’s confidence in duly constituted authority.

• Those who handle commentaries and analyses … shall have the expertise, proficiency and qualifications for the job … and so on.

Now, how many broadcasters are there who fastidiously observe these guidelines? Do the AM stations in Mindanao apply these provisions to the con-

VANTAGE POINTS

the standards of broadcast by hiring poorly qualified commentators and announcers.

And the KBP should be more demanding of its members, monitoring them to ensure that they earnestly abide by and enforce the radio Code.

It often seems that press freedom is being stretched to the limit by reckless or vulgar commentators; when they do, who makes up for the damage to communal sensibility? ***** It ought to be kept in mind by KBP members that a wrong word, an insult, a slanderous statement, or an unjustified condemnation is like a wound inflicted upon a person. The wound may heal with an apology, but a scar will remain.

There has been too much wounding and scarring in our society for too long. All the well-meaning campaigns we wage to instill decency and banish corruption are blithely cancelled out by irresponsible on-air pedants and verbal terrorists.

The need for Corporate Social responsibility should be taken seriously by the stalwarts of the KBP if they value its standing as a corporate citizen and a powerful member of civil society.

They should make sure the radio Code resonates in the voices and words of their members and employees, not just on the paper it is printed.

Because they have an important role in public education and social progress; they should not be party to on-air impropriety, sacrificing proper, accurate learning on the altar of revenue generation.

[Manny is former UNESCo regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, Development Academy of Philippines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Government Academy; member, Cory Govt’s Peace Panel; awardee, PPIUNICEF outstanding columnist: now president/national convenor, Gising Barangay Movement Inc. valdehuesa@ gmail.com]

FAST BACKWARD by the ArchiviSt

I

N colonial Philippines, both during Spanish and American regimes, rice was an economic and political commodity that af-fected government, especially when there was rice shortage or the price of the staple had sharply increased. Like the current rice conundrum that keeps the government on its toes, the challenge to feed Filipinos with their favorite staple was already nagging the American colonial government 13 years after its takeover from Spain. rice in precolonial era was classified into varieties. A century after the conquistadors re-discovered the country there were over 60 kinds of native rice planted in the archi-pelago.

In Davao region, as surveyed by the Americans, among the known rice strains, mostly upland, were the baka-nang-hauan, balanay, bandera, banogo, batukan, binagaybay, binogka, bisliganon, boyokot, buakan, bula-ing, dayogo, gomon, kabo-ong, kabovod, kalimbato, kalobid, kandoyogo, kapunit, karangkang, kayinti, laag, landing, lansiyau, lumban, lupa, mahosay, malagkit, mandaya, manobang, manumbay, sugila, sugngi, tadokan, and tapo (tapol?).

Issues like buying rice from Vietnam and Burma was already present when the US arrived. To avoid that rice did not fall into wrong hands, government intervention was needed, and the commodity was sold in small measures in marketplaces.

And to show a semblance of concern, the legisla-ture acted with haste in ensuring that the situation would be averted in the future.

There were also probes as there are today, and after hearings “in aid of legislation,” recommendations were submitted to satisfy the legislative demand on what to do when another rice crisis would rise. A chronicle found in the report of the Philippine Commis-sion says it all: “In September, 1911, it reached a point which was causing distress and danger of disorder in the more thickly settled portions of the islands. The Governor-General appointed a committee of officials and businessmen with the secretary of finance and justice as its chairman and on their ad-vice authorized the Bureau of Supply to purchase a large amount of rice from Sai-gon and rangoon. Thereafter, wherever it appeared necessary, the government con-trolled the price of this important food sta-ple in the islands by placing on sale in the public markets government rice at a rea-sonable price. This was handled in such a way that the rice could only be bought by actual consumers in small quantities. on october 19 the Legislature, by Act No. 2076, took cognizance of the situation and in ef-fect ratified the course adopted by the Gov-ernor-General and on January 4, 1912, by joint resolution, provided for a select joint legislative committee to investigate and to report with the recommendations on the present and future food situation.”

In 1913, the Philippine Commission passed Acts 2254 and 2280 creating “Agri-cultural Colonies,” a program designed to finance and expand the “Filipino rice colo-ny” experiment began in the Cotabato Valley that same year. one of the four objec-tives of the program, exclusive of the inten-tion to encourage emigration of people from the North to set up settlements in public lands in Mindanao and Sulu, was to increase food production, especially rice.

But the rice problem was already in exist-ence centuries ago, just 19 years into the rule of Spain in Manila as a city. Fr. Horacio de la Costa, SJ, in his seminal work The Jesu-its in the Philippines 1581-1768, wrote about a rice crisis that turned into a revolt some 430 years ago today. It was a real emergen-cy because it resulted in a bloody confron-tation.

10 NEWS

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

the mayor’s executive assistant Bong Go to relay Halasan’s wish.

Duterte said that the victory of Halasan is a big thing because the city is ‘always in the radar’ of national news.

“So, everytime Davao City has consistently won the best ganon... and now the highest for an individual is ang Magsaysay awardee na si Mr. Halasan,” he said.

The mayor emphasized that Halasan is the first Dabawenyo who won the renowned award which is considered as the Nobel Prize of Asia.

“I would say that he won the award because of his sacrifice and the care for

human being in the world.

But after all, pagkamatay nimo wala man kay madala pud,”he said.

“But you can leave behind something – loving your fellow men. It’s really love... It’s really a sacrifice that demands so much of your energy and time,” Duterte added.

“Mr. Halasan is imbued with fervent desire for that – that’s why I salute him,” the mayor emphasized.

Duterte said that he will find ways to materialize the advocacy of Halasan such as the construction of bridge in Sitio Pegalongan, Malamba, Marilog District.

“Siyempre, maulaw ta mobalibad,” Duterte said.

In a separate interview, Halasan told reporters that when he arrived in the area about eight years ago, he saw the problems of the students mostly from Matigsalog tribe.

“Nakita namo na dakog kakulangon. Kay naa naman jud ko didto, para sa akoa ikaw ang ilang teacher na nakakita sa problema sa mga lumad naa jud kay pwede na mahimo sa ilaha na ma iprove ilang panginabuhian dili lang sa pag eskwela,” Halasan narrated.

The 2014 ramon Magsaysay Awardee wants to see that his Indigenous People students in Pegalongan will be the model

tribe who comes out from poverty.

“Para sa katong naa sa lain-lain sitio mo sunod sa ilaha,” he said.

Halasan said that he will present in october the “Pagkain para sa mesa” which aims to strengthen the agriculture sector in the area.

“Mao na akong konsepto para sa 2020 ang Pegalongan dili na jud siya magutman,” he said.

He said the area has no bridge that would connect from other sitios. Aside from it, the area has no stable water system.

He added that the bridge will give more accessibility to the Matigsa-

log students from other sitios to go in school.

During his stay in the area, Halasan established the Pegalongan Farmers Association which aims to link with some government agencies and non-government organizations to address some problems of the livelihood of the farmers.

“Sa association natagaan mi’g crops gikan sa National Greening Program, nabutangan mi’g galingan – so dili na sila magpagaling sa layo na pila ka oras pa magbaklay,” He said that aside from the crops and the machine given to them, the association also established a sec-

ondary school in the area.

“Ang Bukidnon naka benefit sila. Sa una duha lang mi ka teacher magbaktas karon pito nami,” he said.

Halasan stressed that their school are just the schools in the city proper which has five concrete classrooms.

“Sa mga bata, dili na kaayo ma inggit na magminyo kay maka skwela naman sila,” he emphasized.

With the improvements of education in the area, the Teacher of Pegalongan requests that the area will have a vocational school to improve more the people’s livelihood.

Sasin insisted that the dismissal of Mr. olalo, Mr. Darwin Berdera and Mr. Donald Berdera are based on substantial evidence and that they were given due process.

“In fact, affidavits of witnesses and complainants were presented in the administrative proceedings. They were made to answer for all these complaints but the evidences against them were too substantial. Hence, they were dismissed,” Sasin said. on the allegations that the dismissal stemmed from an incident where olalo’s union challenged the Association of Trade Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ATU-TUCP) which is the

incumbent union at MPSI, NAMMPSI contended that the five-year term of ATUTUCP has already lapsed paving the way for them to file a certification election which was reportedly approved.

The approval of the certification election, according to olalo, allegedly put him in trouble along with NAMMPSI board members Darwin and Donald Berdera for illegally gathering signatures for their petition.

MPSI maintained that it did not dismiss olalo and the Berderas for exercising their legal rights but were so dismissed because they violated the company’s code of discipline and that they violated the rights of

others.

“MPSI always believes in unionism and the benefits it gives to the employees. The company respects the rights of the employees to associate and their right to choose their bargaining unit. If ATU is the employees’ choice, then the company is happy to deal with the said union. So far, both the company and the ATU are satisfied with their partnership. This is the reason why there is a lingering industrial peace in the establishment,” said Sasin.

As for Mr. olalo’s plan of filing an illegal dismissal case against MPSI before the NLrC, Sasin said they welcome such move “as it is Mr. olalo’s right.”

of the Philippines (IPoPHL) for validation and registration.

“We will finalize the auditing and control of the CoP soon,” he said.

DPSAI president Andrew Tan said that the IPoPHL, Department of Trade and Industry region 11, and various support groups from the government has initiated a series of meetings and audit since July 2012 for the setting up and strengthening of the association and its CoP. The CoP will serve as a guide for the proper standards of the pomelo Industry in the region.

This includes the product’s variety, planting

distance, fertilizers to be utilized, chemicals to be utilized, among other protocol standards.

“The guideline is for the growers to follow so that we can come up with a certain quality that is acceptable and uniform to all of the producers,” Tan said.

The CoP is also expected to ensure the highest quality for the Davao pomelo. It will aid in the marketing of the product as some foreign clients are doubtful in purchasing pomelo due to the lack of awareness of the fruit’s quality.

“But once they know it is Davao pomelo, they are sure that they will

get the quality and will be willing to buy it in a regular basis,” said Peter Damary, European Union consultant.

The DPSAI is officially registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a nonstock and non-profit corporation, consisting of pomelo growers, nursery operators, assemblers, integrators, wholesalers and retailers based in the Davao region and the provinces of North and South Cotabato.

At present, it has twelve active members and counting aimed at the protection, development, and promotion of the Davao pomelo.

faced and revealed that the Karapatan helped the rebel group in giving monetary assistance to the victims.

“Anong klaseng human rights advocate yan? I’m questioning their credibility. Bakit hindi nila final-an ng human right violation case ang NPA nung may nangyari sa Paquibato district,” Zuniega said. “In fact, in-acknowledge ng NPA na sila ang may kagagawan na nagtapon ng granada dun at the same time sila rin ang nag-landmine ng ambulance dun”.

Zuniega said that he wanted the group to helped in disarming the rebel group because they are capable of negotiating with them.

“They are claiming that their mandate is to defend Lumads of Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte and their development efforts for sustainable

agriculture, farm-to-market roads, schools, among others pero may napagawa ba silang roads, as far as I know, wala. Saka yung sa schools, people are already complaining na nangahadlok na ang mga teachers kay ang mga rebelde na ang mga nagatudlo sa sulod sa ekwelahan,” he said.

Zuniega also denied the alleged camping of soldier inside classrooms and resident’s house.

Arturo M. Davao, indigenous people mandatory representative of Kapalong, davao del Norte attested Zuniega’s claim.

Davao said that classes have been stopped because teachers evacuated the place because of the fear of being included in the clash between the military and the rebel group.

“Naay mga tao na gusto mubakwit gikan sa among kumudad pero dili sila

kagawas kay naa sa gawas ang NPA unya naa sa sulod ang army,” Davao said.

Zuniega said that NGos and the state should helped together in ending insurgency conflict in communities.

“Ang root cause naman kasi ng insurgency ay dahil hindi mapaabot ang serbisyo ng gobyerno sa mga pamayanan. Kung maalis ang armed groups sa mga communities at mawawal ang presence ng NPA, mas mabilis makakapasok ang tulong ng gobyerno. Nag nangyayari kasi ngayon hindi makapasok kasi andun ang presence ng NPA,” he said.

“Let us work together in pressuring the NPA to lay down their arms and in pursuing sustainable development for the IP communities, which can only be achieved in a peaceful environment,” he said. CrC

will be no freshmen in HEIs and will only resume by 2018 because of the K to 12 basic education system.

“Until now, DepEd has not changed its school calendar for elementary and high school. Natatapos pa rin ang mga klase by March,” he added.

Alvarez said that if only colleges and universities will change the opening of their classes from August or late September, it will give them a lull in operation for five months, from April to August.

He said that the lull in school operation will still

cost private schools because they have to pay some employees, power, and water, among others.

Alvarez estimated that losses, for the whole education system, will run from P20 billion to P25 billion.

Alvarez said that at pres-

ent no other private and public HEIs applied for the change of school calendar, only University of the Philippines- Mindanao Campus who classes is expected to start this month after five months of no operation.

CrC

“Walay sistema” (no system), was their common assessment.

The elderly women among them had to take turns sitting on two portable chairs they had brought along.

‘Let them enter’ HrVCB board member Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon who visited the gym Tuesday afternoon asked Benitez, the officer of the day, why the claimants waiting outside the gym were not allowed to occupy the bleachers.

He was told it was the regional CHr that made arrangements.

Gascon told Benitez to coordinate with CHr and allow the claimants waiting outside

to wait at the bleachers instead.

Gascon told MindaNews that in order to accommodate more claimants, the HrVCB extended the filing process here to August 7. He added that the same activity will be held in Tagum City on october 27 to 30.

Gascon also said HrVCB chair Lina Sarmiento had called for an emergency board meeting on August 7 to address the claimants’ concerns and help improve the situation in the other areas where the same activity would be conducted.

The HrVCB, he explained, has only a staff

of 30, inclusive of the nine board members. He said they have a limited budget and have been working in cooperation with the CHr. Under rA 10368 or the Human rights Victims reparation and recognition Act of 2013, victims of human rights violations under Marcos’ martial rule must file their claims within a six-month period (May 12 to November 10, 2014).

Failure to file within the six-month period will be considered a waiver.

“We would like to reiterate that all victims of martial law have to apply in person, including those conclusively presumed as

human rights violations victims (HrVVs) so that the Claims Board will be able to determine the kind of human rights violations and determine appropriate awards, as provided by rA 10368,“ HrVCB chair Sarmiento had earlier said.

In Mindanao, the HrVCB caravan went to Cotabato City on July 7 to 9, Butuan City on July 28 to 29, Cagayan de oro City on July 31 to August 1 and Davao City from August 4 to 7.

The HrVCB will go to Zamboanga City on August 18 to 20 and Tagum City on october 25 to 27.

(Carolyn o. Arguillas / MindaNews)

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Processing of HR victims’ claims in Davao: ‘the worst’

By CAROLYN ARgUILLAS, MindaNews

o

UTSIDE the Davao City recreation Center (old name,: Almendras Gym), hundreds of victims or relatives of victims of human rights violations under the Marcos dictatorship, most of them senior citizens -- waited under the heat of the sun, by the railings, under trees near walls that reeked of urine, inside or on top of vehicles hired from the Cotabato and Davao regions -- for their turn to enter the huge gym.

Inside the gym, the bleachers that could accommodate those waiting outside, were empty.

The few claimants who were allowed to enter after their long wait outside had to wait for their turn again in each of the four tables that they had to pass before their photographs were taken and their “acknowledgment receipt” handed over.

“This is the worst,” Marie Hilao Enriquez, chair of the human rights group, Karapatan, told MindaNews Tuesday afternoon as officials of the Human rights Victims’

Claims Board (HrVCB) announced that the August 4 to 6 schedule in Davao City had been extended until August 7 but in another venue – the Bankerohan gym, starting August 6.

“Walang sistema,” (no system) said Enriquez, who also went to a similar activity in Iloilo and Legaspi cities. “But this is the worst,” she repeatedly said. on Monday, claimants were told the venue on Tuesday, August 6, supposedly the last day, was the Sangguniang Panlungsod but on Tuesday, those who managed to get information from the HrVCB and the Commission on Human rights (CHr) were told to wait for the caravan in Tagum City, Davao del Norte while others were told the venue would be the regional office of CHR along Quimpo Boulevard, a small office that could definitely not accommodate hundreds of claimants.

From Almendras to Bankerohan gym Almendras Gym was no longer available for

August 6 and 7 because it had been previously booked for activities in the run-up to the Kadayawan, the city’s thanksgiving festival.

Acting mayor Paolo Duterte and Bankerohan barangay captain Edgar Ibuyan, Jr. offered the use of the Bankerohan Gym after they were informed of the claimants’ problems. In addition, claimants who had been sleeping outside the Almendras Gym since Sunday night would be allowed to sleep inside the Bankerohan gym.

Since Monday, complaints about how the HrVCB, which is being assisted by the Commission on Human rights (CHr), was handling the filing process had been mounting, chief of which was there was no system at all.

Claimants complained, among others, that there were no signages to guide them, no clear instructions, poor sound system and no consideration for the physical condition of the mostly elderly claimants.

“Victims twice over” redemptorist Brother

Karl Gaspar, acting Dean of the Saint Alphonsus Theologate and Mission Insitute who writes “A Sojourner’s View” column for MindaNews, wrote a two-part series on his two-day wait at the Almendras Gym. “Victimizing Victims Twice over” is Gaspar’s detailed account of how disorderly the processing was that it “victimizes the victims twice over!” and how going through the process felt like they were being tortured again.

Gaspar spent 22 months as a political detainee in Davao City in the early 1980s. on the second day of his wait, he was furious.

“There were those who just arrived today who found ways to find someone they knew among the gatekeepers so they didn’t have to stand in line and be allowed entry even ahead of us. That made me furious even more as I saw a few of them being able to enjoy the privilege,” he wrote. on Day 1 on August 4, priority numbers were handed out but not everyone was given. on Day 2

on August 4, those who were not served a day earlier but had priority numbers were given new numbers.

Laywer Arcadio Benitez, Jr., told MindaNews that the HrVCB received a total of 807 applications on August 4 and 5 --- 361 on August 4 and 446 on August 5. The first day ended at 10 p.m. while the second day ended at midnight, he said.

Claimant Wilfredo “Pidot” Villocino, a salon owner who was arrested by soldiers, “feet first” during a rally in 1984 which he allegedly organized in downtown Davao City, finally got his “acknowledgement receipt” at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

He arrived at the gym at around 11 a.m.

“Walay sistema” There were no longer three lines on Tuesday compared with Monday’s.

Claimants waited outside the gym in groups but there were no queues.

And no numbers given, too.

“Wala mang number. Mag-antay lang daw kami” (We were not given numbers. We were just

told to wait), said Arbaiya Sambuto of Buliok in Pikit, North Cotabato whose nine-year old brother, Hayrudin, was killed by soldiers on July 14, 1983.

Arbaiya was with neighbors who carried folders containing documents for presentation to the HrVCB. They were at the gym since Monday dawn.

Maria Villacarlos, 59, whose house in Lutay in Malungon, Sarangani was burned by soldiers on March 21, 1985, was at the gym at around 5 a.m. Monday. Like Arbaiya, Maria and other outof-town claimants slept on flattened cardboard boxes outside the gym.

“Di man daw pwede pumasok” (we were told we could not enter), she said.

Palanca award-winners Macario Tiu and Agustin “Don” Pagusara – also political detainees during the Marcos dictatorship -- were among those who waited for their turn outside the gym, along with colleagues and fellow ex-political detainees, most of them in their late 50s and 60s.

FPROCESSING, 10

12 CLASSIFIED

(

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Billiard Supplies

Phone Nos.

Cell Nos.

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FOOD

Ribs and Bibs at Marco Polo Davao’s Polo Bistro NoThING beats sinking your teeth and happily indulging in a succulent meal with family and friends in a soothing and calming view to inspire you to take a bite after another. The taste of freshly cooked meat and perfectly concocted side dishes plus a tall glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice or Black Mojito with Black Bacardi is just the perfect way to usher August in.

Yes, August is not just any other month – especially for the people of Davao. August spells more than just fun; it is a lifestyle that involves colours, happiness, camaraderie and food! To heat things up, Marco Polo Davao, finest hotel destination in the metro, kicks off with a celebration of dining staples perfect for your cravings.

Kicking off the much awaited gastronomical feast, last August 1, Marco Polo Davao, together with their GM Sir Anthony Tan, opened its doors to guests, VIPs and media to have a taste of their delectable meat dishes.

The night was filled with laughter, singing and accolades as the seconds

rolled in.

To make it more interesting, Marco Polo Davao Executive Chef, Ed Tuazon, gave the guests an insight of how these dining table staples – Pork and Beef Ribs – became stars on their own rights. More so, Sir Voltaire Albaladejo talked about the first black cocktail in the country and their Cocktail of the

Korean Beef short ribs with Bulgogi Sauce and side dish of Kimchi.

Pastry Chef Joseph Milgo

Chinese Spareribs with Schezhuan Sauce and Snowpea and white radish salad. month – the Black Mojito with Black Bacardi. To cap the night off, Chef Joseph Milgo prepared and served a plateful of the best and sweet desserts you could ever eat. Truly, it was not a night of counting calories and holding back, it was a night of eating and having fun!

Their extensive selection includes (its cooked 8 ways – your selection of pork or beef): Polo Bistro Baby Back Ribs with BBQ Sauce and Potato Chips, Pomelo and Green Mango side dish, Japanese Beef Short Ribs with Teriyaki Sauce and Pear, Cucumber and Wakame side dish, Chinese Spareribs with Szechuan Sauce and Prawn cracker, Snowpea and White Radish side dish, Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs with Bulgogi Sauce and Green Apple and Kimchi side dish Truly, the meat was juicy, succulent and falls off the bones in a slice. The side dishes added some texture to the already delicious meat thus perfectly complementing each other. The wakame side dish was a personal favorite and also the Japanese Beef

Marco Polo Davao’s General Manager Anthony Tan.

Marco Polo Davao’s Executive Chef Ed Tuazon talks about the Ribs.

Japanese Beef Short ribs with Teriyaki sauce and Wakame Salad.

Short Ribs with its delightful teriyaki sauce and pear.

Make your way to the Polo Bistro at the Marco Polo Davao and beginning August 1, 2014, enjoy perfectly grilled Pork and Beef Ribs and get 15% off and a

free glass of Black Mojito until August 9, 2014.

By the way, don’t forget your bibs! It won’t be Ribs and Bibs without it! For reservations and inquiries, please call them at 082 221 0888 local 7955.

Make #TheRoyalChef your Thursday habit! Email me at leeb a y 4 5 7@ y a h o o . c o m (subject:RoyalChef) or tag me on instagram (herroyalheiress) for your delicious pics and food finds!

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UP AND ABOUT

Get into the Kadayawan vibe at SM City Davao!

A celebration of thanksgiving through colors, flora, music and craftsmanship happens at SM Davao this month of harvest! Shop until you drop at the SM Kadayawan Sale on August 11 to 17. Enjoy up to 70% discount on great festival selections. Plus, get a chance to win a condo when you register at SM’s Shop & Win booth located at the ground floor of SM Davao Main Mall.

The Agro-industrial Trade Fair showcases the region’s best produce from August 1 to 31. Bask in the bounty of the region at the SM Davao Parking C. For the Bonsai and Dish Garden enthusiasts, the art of gardening promotes peace and tranquillity. Marvel at their works at the Annex from August 8 to 17.

Music is a universal language. Pin your ears on Tunog Mindanao, an open music festival which provides a venue for up and coming local artists to showcase their compositions on August 13, 4PM. Catch the OPM Hitmen Mall Tour and be serenaded by Chad Borja, Rannie Reymundo, Richard Reynoso and Renz Verano live on August 14, 5PM. Sing and dance with your favorite stars on August 15 to 17! SM Davao brings ex-housemates Fourth & Fifth Pagotan with lady spiker Michelle Gumabao on the 15th, 5PM at the Campus Crush Mall Show. ABS CBN Kapamilya Karavan heats up Kadayawan with the network’s brightest stars Bea Alonzo along with heartthrobs Paulo Avelino and Enchong Dee on August 16, 4PM at the SM Davao Parking C. On August 17, 6PM, GMA Kapuso Fiesta pumps up the Sunday with Dingdong Dantes, Mark Abaya, Rodjun Cruz and Lovi Poe. Catch the Bet ng Bayan regional finals with Alden Richards at 8PM. Grab some free pizza and take a selfie at the #SelfiePalooza on August 16 and get a chance to be part of Greenwich’s new campaign. Finally, cap the Kadayawan celebration in style at the Moda Mindanaw on August 23 and be awed by the elegance and versatility of Maguindanaoan inaul.

Get into the Kadayawan vibe at SM City Davao! For inquiries, call 297.6998 local 126. Like SM City Davao on Facebook and follow @smcitydavao on Twitter or @smdavao on Instagram for event and promo updates.

New LG G3 smart phone now available from Globe Proving its undisputed leadership in the consumer postpaid segment, Globe Telecom once again became the first Ph telco to offer the newest LG G3 with its suite of fully-customizable postpaid plans, further expanding its device portfolio and bringing to life the speed of its modern network with more pervasive 3G and 4G hSPA+ coverage.

The new LG G3 is available at Plan 1799 with P4,800 cashout, where subscribers get GoSURF999 for 5GB of consumable mobile Internet, free calls and texts to all networks, free Gadget Care coverage for one month, and free sixmonth access to Spotify Premium, allowing users to stream and listen to over 30 million songs on mobile.

With a Spotify Premium account, users can enjoy ad-free listening experience, play any song on-demand, listen to the highest audio quality, and download music and listen even on offline mode.

“As the leader in postpaid and preferred telco partner of the world’s leading device manufacturers such as LG Electronics, we are excited to offer the LG G3 as part of our extensive device portfolio. With our brand new network, customers can maximize the features of LG G3 and enjoy sharing fast and living fast,” said Raul Macatangay, Vice President for Postpaid Business and Devices at Globe.

Globe recently announced that its network

already has 100% 3G coverage nationwide, and by end-September 2014, 100 percent 4G hSPA+ footprint, enabling faster and more seamless mobile browsing and quality call and text services.

LG’s latest flagship smartphone takes pride in three core technologies— the sleek design, advanced display, and high-quality camera—providing a seamless yet “simple” user experience. The new Floating Arc shape makes the sides slimmer, allowing easy, one-hand con-

trol. The unit has been made more lightweight, too, for more carrying convenience.

LG’s strong contender for 2014’s “King of Android”, the LG G3 also introduces Quad hD (with 538ppi pixel density), which produces sharper and more vivid images, four times than Full hD displays. The 5.5-inch display allows for better viewing at a screen ratio of 76.4 percent.

The 13-megapixel camera includes the smartphone’s first Laser Auto Focus for fast and accurate auto-focusing, optical Image Stabilization Plus (oIS+) for clear photos despite shaky handling and low-light settings, and the Dual LED Flash for vibrant images and balanced colors.

More smart features like the Smart Keyboard (provides keyboard customization for user convenience), Smart Notice (gives suggestions based on user behavior), and Smart Security (offers enhanced security features like the Knock Code and Content Lock) have also been added to the new LG smartphone powerhouse.

Skycable brings award-winning shows home via Hits Channel

IMAGINE having your all-time favorite award-winning series and iconic TV characters all in one channel! SKYCable brings all these first in the Philippines through Hits Channel. Hits select lineup of shows will include Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Criminal Minds, Lost, Moonlighting, Diff’rent Strokes, and the Golden Girls.

Fans who devotedly followed and grew to love these multi-award winning series will definitely be excited to relive their favorite scenes and rediscover a fresh, new take on these iconic shows. Even the new generation of TV viewers will be given the opportunity to experience the greatest sto-

ries and famed characters of these well-loved TV programs.

Who could ever forget the classic tandem of Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison Jr. (Bruce Willis) in the romantic-comedy series, Moonlighting? The series was listed as one of Time Magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of AllTime” in 2007. It also launched the career of A-list actor, Bruce Willis.

American Sitcom, the Golden Girls revolves around the lives of four older, single women (three widows and one divorcee) sharing a house in Miami, Florida. The series received critical acclaim throughout most of its run and won several awards

including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice.

Famous TV families in The Cosby Show and Diff’rent Strokes are sure to treat your family to wholesome entertainment and great value values.

While post-modern comedy series, Seinfeld, gives viewers an inside look into the realities of “30-something singles” with each character dealing with career, relationships, and success.

For the love of thrill and action, you will definitely get hooked to the procedural drama of Criminal Minds and the mysterious adventures of Lost.

Both series are sure to capture the viewers’ curiosity with su-

prising twists and turns in every episode.

To get first-hand experience of Hits’ top-rating series, all SKYcable subscribers will be treated to a free trial for the first six (6) months from August 2014 to January 2015. After the free promo period, Hits will be available via Select for only Php50 per month.

Enjoy all these and more with the entire family via SKYcable, the country’s leading cable TV provider. Discover more ways of enjoying your digital cable TV with SKYcable’s widest choice of over 180 channels, flexible subscription options via SELECT, iRECORD feature that records, pauses and rewinds

live TV, and real-time coverage of live concerts and sporting events via FREE VIEW and PAYPER-VIEW. For more information on SKYcable, simply call the Customer Service hotlines at (02) 381-0000 for Metro Manila, CAMANAVA, and Rizal; (046) 484-4701 for Cavite; (049) 534-2814 for Calamba, Binan and Sta. Rosa, Laguna; (02) 520-8560 for San Pedro, Laguna; (044) 693-5877 for Bulacan; (032) 421-1818 for Cebu; (082) 305-5456 for Davao; (074) 442-4841 for Baguio; (034) 432-0051 for Bacolod; (033) 3001210 for Iloilo; (035) 225-1010 for Dumaguete; and (083) 301-3134 for Gen. Santos City or log on to www.mysky.com.ph.

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ENTERTAINMENT

‘My Husband’s Lover’ cast captivates fans in Vietnam

FOLLOWING the enthusiasm stirred by GMA Network’s groundbreaking series My Husband’s Lover in the Philippines, the show has since been enthralling audiences abroad, particularly in the neighboring country of Vietnam.

Last July, MHL cast members Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana, along with Jonalyn Viray who sang the theme song for the show’s Vietnam airing, visited the country for GMA’s third Vietnam Star Tour.

The Vietnam Star Tour is a joint project of GMA Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of the Network that oversees the syndication of GMA programs and films to foreign countries, and International Media JS Company (IMC), one of the leading multimedia groups in Vietnam, and the creator of Today TV which currently airs the series.

“The past few years have seen a steady increase in the demand for GMA programs in the region,” notes Roxanne J. Barcelona, Vice President of GMA Worldwide, Inc. “Consequently, the popularity of our Kapuso artists also reaches various foreign audiences,” she

nice to have the chance to connect with our audiences abroad.”

Meanwhile, Jonalyn was delighted to perform in the country, saying, “I’m grateful for the chance to entertain our Vietnamese fans seeing the enthusi-

furthers.

The Kapuso stars were greeted warmly by their Vietnamese fans over the course of their three-day visit. The Star Tour began with IMC’s sixth anniversary party which featured a performance by Jonalyn, and Carla showcasing her hosting skills in one segment. They also took time during their stay to attend a charity event where they gave presents to less fortunate children.

A presscon for the three artists drew a large crowd of fans who came out to see their favourite Filipino stars in person. Tom and Jonalyn serenaded the audience with impressive song numbers while Carla hosted a segment of the program. They also mingled and took photos

with their many supporters. As a token of appreciation, IMC presented each Kapuso star with their very own traditional Vietnamese attire.

“It’s overwhelming to see the positive response to My Husband’s Lover reaching international audiences as well,” shares Tom Rodriguez. “I’m glad they are enjoying watching this series as much as we enjoyed making it,” he

astic support that they’ve been giving to the show.”

Their tour concluded with a television guesting on the talk show Movie World where they invited the Vietnamese audience to continue supporting their series.

adds.

Carla, on the other hand, was glad to have another chance to visit the country and meet her fans, after headlining the Vietnam Star Tour last year. She has become a popular figure due to the airing of GMA dramas she has appeared in. “It feels good to be back here in Vietnam,” she expresses.

“The people are very welcoming and it’s always

GMA Network launches ‘Sing with MyJAPS’ music video promo GMA Network is set to bring excitement to the fans of Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose with the launch of ‘Sing with MyJAPS’ music video promo, which will run until August 22.

Following the successful release of Julie Anne’s second album, “Deeper,” GMA Network opens this opportunity to all Kapuso fans who love her bright pop and R&B music. This promo gives them a chance to be featured in the music video of Julie Anne’s hit carrier single, “Right Where You Belong” from her latest album, which will be shown in various GMA Network programs.

Kapuso fans, music lov-

ers, and netizens alike are invited to take a video of themselves or of some-

one, singing the chorus of Julie Anne’s “Right Where You Belong” using a video

camera or a smart phone.

The minus one of the said single’s chorus part can be downloaded from the video-sharing website, YouTube.

The entries must be submitted in MP4 format to singwithmyjaps@gmanetwork.com together with the sender’s name and address. It must also have the hashtag SingWithMyJaps as the subject of the email.

The final “Right Where You Belong” music video will be uploaded on GMA Records’ YouTube channel (GMARecordsOfficial) and viewed nationwide in the Kapuso Network.

Viewers all over the world may catch it through GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life TV

LUCY Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman R 16

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

ONCE A PRINCESS Erich Gonzales, Enchong Dee PG 13

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

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper PG 13

R-16

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

TROPHY WIFE / *HERCULES Cristine Reyes, Derek Ramsay, Heart Evangelista, John Estrada / *Dwayne Johnson R 13 / *R 13

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

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FOOD

Casual Japanese at Watami IT is good to find friends whenever one travels and last weekend was no exception. I was finally able to catch up with fellow writers Lester and Mark and layout artist Alden, all of whom I met many years back but have since kept in touch with.

We decided to meet up for lunch at Watami, a casual Japanese dining concept by the Bistro Group located at the sixth level of the uber chic East Wing of the Shangri-la Mall, which was thankfully just a short ride from

my hotel.

I was the first to arrive at 11:30 and was promptly ushered to the table. The restaurant’s facade was bright and festive while the interiors were more muted and cozy. While waiting, I was offered

Watami’s cozy interiors.

Salmon Sashimi.

Call: 224-0733 • Tionko St., Davao City

their Japanese house tea which was fragrant and soothing.

Lester finally arrived from his house all the way from Cavite and was famished. A quick order of Edamame and Salmon Sashimi ensured that we were alive and kicking while waiting for Mark who was stuck in EDSA traffic. We decided to order in advance so that there will be less time spent waiting for the food and more time catchingup with events.

Watami’s menu was a virtual tour of Japan with everyone’s favourite Japanese dishes present from cover to cover, Japanophiles (persons who love Japan) will definitely have a hard time choosing from what they want to eat.

Wanting to try a little bit of everything, Lester and I decided to try Watami’s pan-cooked Gyoza, famous Tonkatsu, the chilli Ramen, and some Shrimp Tempura. We just about finished ordering when Mark arrived, Alden was a no-show though since he was still stuck and work but promised to meet up for coffee later in the evening instead.

Watami’s Tonkatsu is a thick-cut pork fillet fried to perfection and served with a side of shredded cabbage with a sesame

Pork Tonkatsu sauce. The Tonkatsu, although thicker than the regular Tonkatsu, was tender to the bite with a nice crusty crunch. The cabbage salad added a refreshing counterpoint to the rich and flavourful dish.

The dish on the table that everyone loved though was Watami’s Chilli Ramen. The red broth of the ramen was rich and flavourful owing from the rich pork stock that was enhanced by miso paste and chilli bean paste. The slivers of roast pork were tender and fatty while the perfectly cooked egg, my favourite, brought me back to my favourite ramen houses.

For the Japanese food purists may say that Watami is “just” a casual Japanese dining restaurants as there are many new restaurants in Manila that brag about “specialisation”, but I think what

Watami lacks in so-called specialisation, it makes up in approachability, friendliness and, still, great food.

Follow me on Instagram

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

Shrimp Tempura.

Fun times with Lester and Mark.

Spicy Pork Ramen

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Easy Taxi taps Smart solutions to serve Metro Manila and Cebu commuters G

ETTING around the metro can be quite a predicament. With majority of the population relying on public transportation, a person’s commute becomes a daily challenge.

But all that is changing. recently, technology has paved the way for innovation in public transportation through Easy Taxi, a free downloadable mobile app, which is changing the way we get from point A to B in the Metro. If you need a taxi ASAP, all it takes is a couple of clicks on your mobile phone.

Breaking into its first year of operations in the Philippines, Easy Taxi is certainly not a newbie in the business of public transportation. Easy Taxi is the world’s biggest taxi application, currently providing commuters with the much needed convenience and peace of mind in 31 countries.

Convenient and Easy Aware that convenience is the key to attract their customers, Easy Taxi provides a service that saves you from the hassle of having to look for a cab, especially during rush hour. “We allow you to get a taxi in the comfort of your own home, your office,

your gym, or a restaurant, so you don’t have to endure the long wait, out in the streets,” says Mario Berta, regional Director for Easy Taxi Asia.

Being a global application, the Easy Taxi app can be used in other countries at your convenience. Taking the standards of service up a notch, Easy Taxi deploys its own concierge who goes to certain sites and books taxis for employees when they leave their offices. More than the convenience it already offers, Easy Taxi values customer satisfaction, with a 24/7 customer service that its competitors do not have.

An App with a Heart Apart from making the daily commute easier for people, Easy Taxi is a service that benefits both the passenger and the driver through driver education.

It offers seminars for taxi drivers on better customer service, and linkages to technology and banking services to better handle their finances.

“The delivery of our product is not just in our hands. We are a marketplace, and we serve as a link between taxi drivers and passengers,” says Dan-

iel Torres, CEo for Easy Taxi Philippines.

Connecting with the Best to bring the Best Service As an established frontrunner in the modernization of public transportation, Easy Taxi recognized the need for a reliable connectivity partner that would be able to provide the proficiency needed to break into the Philippine market. on its second day of operations of Easy Taxi in the country, Berta immediately asked his secretary to call Smart. As a resident of Manila for the past three and a half years, he saw for himself the ability of Smart to provide relevant and innovative solutions to the market.

“We are picky but loyal in terms of partnerships, and we try to select partners who are instrumental to our success. We tested multiple operators, and Smart was the best in connectivity. We believe that we have a strong partnership with Smart, the leading telecommunications provider in the Philippines,” Berta added. The same standards can also be found in other countries that are part of Easy Taxi’s network of elite telecom

Easy Taxi Philippines CEO Daniel Torres and Easy Taxi Regional Director for Asia Mario Berta say their popular app works best with Smart’s reliable and nationwidest coverage. partners.

Smart Solutions Knowing that a telecom is an instrumental partner in their line of business, Easy Taxi works with Smart on a multilevel scale, engaging in their operations and marketing departments with a variety of products and packages.

With about 2300 specially-designed SIM cards

currently being used in Metro Manila and Cebu, Smart ensures that Easy Taxi is given the seamless connectivity it requires to keep things going as smoothly as possible. Using Smart SIM cards that are embedded in the customized mobile devices, taxi drivers who use the Easy Taxi app stay connected 24/7, ensuring that

whatever time of the day, they are ready to bring customers to their destination.

Easy Taxi on the other hand, is able to track and accept reservations/ bookings for taxi service throughout the Philippines. Through Smart’s nationwidest coverage, and robust and reliable network, their Taxi reservation System is made “Easy”

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THE CHAMPION. The Reliance-Tapa King team from Davao City composed of (from left) swimmer Joboy Gonzales, cyclist Dexter Nonato and marathoner Michael Jan Echalico won first place in the all-men category of the 2014 Ironman 70.3 Philippines held Sunday in Cebu City beating 70 other teams. (Photo by DEEDEE GONZALES)

Teen Azkals competes in Brunei Aug. 9-23 T EEN Azkals national team just came from Singapore for their training with Jeff Cheng as their new team manager, and are getting ready for Hassanal Bolkiah Cup 2014 on August 9-23, 2014 in Brunei.

The send-off party was held for the team at onea Event Center on Sumulong Highway, Antipolo City, rizal last Sunday, Aug. 3, attended by members of the media and sponsored

by Mr. Alvin Carranza, Assistant Team Manager.

Engr. Grace Bondad

Nicolas, emcee for the night, facilitated the presentation of the official members who will compete for the Bolkiah Cup Trophy with the coordination of the team’s coordinator Coach Chito Manuel.

Jim Fraser, the Australian head coach of the team makes sure that the boys will bag the trophy because of their skills & determination to win following an intense training with the help of Coach Leigh Gunn, Coach Noel Marcaida and Coach Marlon Piñero. (PNA)

Davao trio tops Ironman 70.3 A N ALL Davao Team won first place in the all-men relay category of the prestigious 2014 Ironman 70.3 Philippines held Sunday in Cebu City.

The troika of swimmer Joboy Gonzales, cyclist Dexter Nonato and marathoner Michael Jan Echalico combined for the reliance-Tapa King Team to beat 70 other teams coming from all over

world.

Gonzales, a former member of the national swimming team completed the 1.9 kilometer swim in 23 minutes and 24 seconds. It was followed by the 90 km. Bike by Nonato in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 42 seconds.

Echague then finished the relay with a 21 km. run in one hour, 19 minutes and 58 seconds.

“Pinaghandaan tala-

ga naming ito sa tulong ng aming manager na si Ma’am Deedee Gonzales,’ said Nonato.

Deedee, who owns the reliance Transcriptions and Infotech Corp., is also the mother of Joboy.

Team roro (4:20:50) and rDAK-A (4:24:21) also both form the Philippines finished second and third, respectively.

Fourth was The Funtastics from Australia

(4:36:51) followed by Tribu (4.39.21), Buddies of Tagum City (4:46.43) and NPC-Phil (4:47.17).

The A of United States (5:28.13) finished 12th while Japan’s Ichiban Tri (5:39:24) placed 16th.

Christopher “Tope” Eyao of Davao City clocked 5:02:15 to finish over-all 37th and was the 10th placer among the Filipino entries led by August Benedicto (4:34:55).

HE fight card in the highly successful partnership between ALA Promotions and the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN will be staged in cooperation with The Filipino Channel TFC which has a huge following especially in the Middle East.

Undefeated WBo Intercontinental super bantamweight champion Genesis “Azukal” Servania, charismatic junior lightweight rey “Boom Boom” Bautista who is on the comeback trail and unbeaten King Arthur

Villanueva trained at the newly opened ALA Boxing and Fitness Gym on Balete Drive, Quezon City before returning to Cebu for their final month of preparation knowing that they will have a fight on their hands in Dubai.

Trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor told the Manila Standard/Viva Sports that with one month to go all three fighters “realize their opponents are good and they need to train hard to win.” Villamor added “their preparation has been good and we expect great fights.”

In the main event

promising Genesis “Azukal” Servania who has a record of 24-0 with 10 knockouts will defend his title against tough 27 year old Jose “Matador” Cabrera of Mexico who has a record of 22-4-2 with 10 knockouts and has fought some of the big names including WBo super flyweight champion omar Andres Narvaez and former WBC superflyweight champion Tomas rojas.

Servania did “everything we had to do and gave it all and improved my power, speed and conditioning. I am 80 percent

ready with one month to go.” Just like Bautista and Villanueva, Servania said he had studied tapes of Cabrera’s fights and he was a “defensive fighter with a good jab who moves well.”

Bautista who was mobbed by Filipino fans the last time he fought in Dubai will clash with strong and resilient Mexican Juan Jose “Piquet” Martinez, the reigning WBC Mundo Hispano champion with an awesome record of 15 knockouts in 19 wins with only one defeat.

Marquez sees Pacquiao ALA fighters training harder than ever for‘Duel in Dubai’ to win via knockout T M EXICAN fighter Juan Manuel Marquez believes Filipino world champion Manny Pacquiao can win via knockout versus undefeated Chris Algieri despite the American boxer’s height and reach advantage. ”I believe that Paquiao can win by knockout,” Marquez said in a boxingscene. com report.

Marquez, who fought Pacquiao four times and won the fourth fight via devastating sixth round knockout on December 8 two years ago, also said Al-

gieri has small chance to win against the Filipino boxing superstar. ”He barely has a chance to win. Algieri is strong and he’s durable. He has also boxing ability, as he shown against ruslan Provinkiov but he doesn’t have the style to beat Paquiao, who has great speed and power,” Marquez said.

Pacquiao, a House representative of the lone district of Saranggani province, and Algieri will face each other in November 22 this year at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian in Macau, China. (PNA)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 103 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

SPORTS 15

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GENDER BENDER Spurs hire NBA’s first ever woman assistant coach

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N their typically ho-hum manner, the Spurs announced on their website Tuesday that six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon will join the defending NBA championship coaching staff this season.

While University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Lisa Boyer worked as a volunteer assistant on the Cavaliers staff in 2001-02, and Natalie Nakase just wrapped up a stint as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers’ Las Vegas Summer League squad, Hammon, 37, is believed to be the first female officially hired as an assistant coach in NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL history.

Hammon announced plans to retire from the WNBA following her 16th season in the league, including the last eight as point guard of the San Antonio Stars.

The Stars have five games remaining on their regular-season schedule, and the playoffs extend into late September. Whenever Hammon wraps up her WNBA playing career, she will make NBA history.

“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Spurs head coach

Gregg Popovich said in the release. “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”

It’s been a banner year for the NBA in terms of progression. Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in American professional sports history when he joined the Nets in February, and just this past week Violet Palmer — the NBA’s first female referee — also became its first openly gay ref. The National Basketball Players Association also recently elected Michele roberts its executive director, installing her as the first woman at the helm of a major U.S. sports union.

A team seemingly always ahead of the curve in a trailblazing league, the Spurs also added two-time Euroleague Coach of the year Ettore Messina to its staff this summer. In addition to the Italian coaching legend, the Spurs staff also features the first native African to be named an NBA assistant (Ime Udoka) and the first New Zealander to play in the league (Sean Marks).

ASSISTANT COACH. Becky Hammon is now on of the San Antonio Spurs’ assistant coaches in the NBA.

7-4 Romanian teener taller than all NBA players

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TEEN TOWER. At 7-foot-4, Robert Bobroczky is taller than any other NBA player.

ULL disclosure: We remember when yao Ming, who stood 7’6 inches, per the NBA — the league’s practice of inflating height is an open secret at this point; just ask Charles Barkley — was drafted into the NBA, and his height was always something that we struggled to contextualize, even in an environment as full of taller-than-average people as the highest level of competitive basketball. To be honest,

we didn’t think we’d see anything like yao Ming again, but that was before the Internet alerted us to robert Bobroczky.

Bobroczky — 13 years old and hailing from romania — already stands at 7’4 inches, so even if he stops growing tomorrow (unlikely), he’d be a metaphoric head and shoulders over the league’s tallest player today, Hasheem Thabeet, who stands at a “mere” 7’2 inches. Most kids that are a little tall-

er than average are guided towards basketball at a young age, and Bobroczyk, we assume, was no different.

In a news feature that’s on youTube, you can see some of his play in action — but unlike most 13 year olds, robert has already been selected for play outside his home country, joining up with Italian basketball club Stella Azzurra rome, the same club where current New york Knick Andrea

Bargnani got his start.

This is probably a good time to mention that we hope Bobroczky has a more fulfilling basketball career than Bargs, who has been one of the most underwhelming number one overall picks in modern NBA history. Assuming the league does succeed in raising the age limit to 20, expect to see robert’s name bandied about in time for the 2021 edition of the draft. Time to que up some Skee-Lo.

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VOL. VOL.77ISSUE ISSUE103 103• THURSDAY, • THURSDAY,AUGUST AUGUST7,7,2014 2014

COUNTERSTRIKE ABC snaps Execs’ run in Game 3

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FTEr two close finishes, the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) finally scored a breakthrough win and saw its losing streak snapped in Game 3 after turning back City Hall Executive oldies, 94 – 84, in Game 3 of the 3rd Conference best of seven series on Tuesday night at the Genesis 88 Gym in Ecoland.

The village chiefs played incredibly all throughout and withstood down the stretch to cut the series deficit 1 - 2 and keep its hope alive. rolando Bantayan shot six triples to finish with 18 points for the ABC which remarkably shot better at behind the arc.

ABC made a total of

14 three pointers, including six from Bantayan that propelled the village chiefs to take as much 18 points lead. rome Torrejas Jr., who had 15 points, was accounted for three triples across his name.

Christopher “Bong” Go, who surprisingly finished the game without a three-pointer, topscored with 39 points for the Executive oldies who were trailing most of the game.

Glen Escandor racked up 22 points, including six triples—three coming in the first period alone.

ABC, which tasted its first win in 11 games bridging the three conferences, got a big boost from its supporting cast as it foiled the Execs quest to move within the threshold of another

sweep.

Second-stringer roger Galido stood up gallantly as the lefty playmaker contributed 12 points to help the cause of the village chiefs as J. Culaste and Barredo chipped in 11 and 10 markers respectively.

The Executive oldies tried hard to bounce back in the final period but fell short as the village chiefs managed to handle the ghost of the past of crumpling in closing seconds of the game.

The victory was a lot to do with the deliberate effort of the village chiefs to play as a team in both ends of the floor.

After trailing by 1, 23 – 24, at the end of the first canto, the village chiefs stepped up the rest

of the way to dictate the tempo of the match. ABC was up at the break, 44 – 38. (rico Biliran) Box scores: ABC – 94 – Bantayan 18, Torrejas Jr 15, Galido 12, Culaste 11, Barredo 10, Apostol 8, Maquiling 6, Culaste 6, Guevara 6, Laurel 2 Executive oldies – 84 – Go 39, Escandor 22, reyes 18, Peloton 4, Poliquit 2, Escarilla 1

LOSING STAND. Christopher “Bong” Go (top photo) of the City Hall Executives sails in for a twinner against a defender from the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC). HIs scoring partner Glenn Escandor (below) shows fine form in shooting six triples despite a losing stand against the Village Chiefs, 94-84, in Game 3. Go scored 39 points while Escandor had 22. Lean Daval Jr.