Edge Davao 7 Issue 228

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

PEACE SYMBOL. A park-goer feeds pigeons with crushed bread from her own hand at Rizal Park in Davao City yesterday. They’re not doves but these pigeons can well symbolize the quest for peace in once-again troubled Mindanao. Lean Daval Jr.

SCHOOL’S OUT 6,000 Mamasapano kids stop going to school

BY JEFRY M. TUPAS

A

T least 6,000 schoolchildren in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao stopped going to school following the clashes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and elements of Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) on January 25.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman said the incident prompted the authorities to suspend classes in 13 public schools in the town.

Over 6,000 individuals also left their homes because of the carnage.

The regional government, through its program called ARMM Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (Heart), has distributed almost a thousand food packs and other relief goods to the affected families.

Ramil Masukat, director of the region’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the agency continues to respond to the needs of the evacuees.

On Monday, Hataman led ARMM officials and employees – all of them wearing black shirts to symbolize grief – in a community prayer.

Hataman reminded the public that the botched police operation in Mamasapano town also resulted in the deaths of four civilians.

Hataman has also called for a Mindanao peace that is based on truth and justice as he maintained that war is never the solution to the peace problem of Mindanao.

“We are calling for justice

for those who died Mamasapano, especially the civilians,” he said.

Earlier, Hataman said the Mamasapano incident that resulted in the death of 44 SAF men, a number of MILF fighters, and some civilians was “unfortunate and tragic.”

“To demand for justice not based on truth is vengeance,” Hataman said in Filipino. “Let us first uncover the truth before we judge. And it is not peace if it is not based on justice.”

FSCHOOL’S, 14

INSIDE EDGE

KORINA’S JOURNEY

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2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Paolo urges schools to act on bullying SHORTCUT. A teenager crosses the Governor Generoso Bridge 1 from Bankerohan to S.I.R. in Matina using its concrete railing to avoid the vehicles passing by the area yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

D

abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte yesterday urged all the schools in the city to act on bullying incidents happening inside their premises.

In an interview yesterday, Paolo told reporters that despite the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 10627

or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, bullying still exists in the schools and administrations do not pay attention on it.

“I think it’s about time.

What are waiting for to give action to this law?” he said.

Paolo said his own eightyear-old daughter was a victim of bullying inside her school.

He said a classmate poked his daughter with a pair of scissors and twisted her finger.

“Yesterday, the classmate threw her bag into the trash bin,” he added.

Paolo said every time his daughter arrived home, she would cry because the bullying she was being subjected

to.

He said he reported the matter to the school administration but the latter did not take any action.

“The school would always tell us that they already talked with the boy. But the boy is not yet conscious of what he is doing unless he will be disci-

plined by his parents,” he said.

Paolo said he has already talked to his lawyers regarding the action his family would take.

He said he already sent a message to the boy’s father through Facebook regarding the incidents but there was no response.

Paolo’s legal counsel Alexis Lumbatan said they have already written a letter to the school administration, adding the school should have a mechanism in consonance with the Implementing Rules and Regulation of RA 10627 to prevent bullying inside its jurisdiction.

perintendent Marvin Pepino said he is hoping that the investigation would bring justice to the victims and their families.

He said as a policeman, he feels there were some lapses in the operation which had intended to arrest Malaysian bomb expert Zulkifli Bin Hir alias “Marwan” and Abdul Basit Usman.

“As a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP), we felt that there were lapses not just in the operation but in its totality, including the intelligence and the planning itself. With the ongoing investigation, we hope the truth will come out,” he said.

For his part, Chief In-

spector Ramil Macarampat, who was a classmate of slain SAF member Senior Inspector Ryan Pabalinas in the Philippine National Police Academy (NPA) batch 2006, said during his stint in Parang, Maguindanao his unit would enter Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) territory only after coordinating with the Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

“When I was in Parang we would coordinate with the CCCH and AHJAG so that it something goes wrong they would be the ones to mediate,” he said.

3 hurt in Isulan blast; RDR: Stop speculating on Mamasapano clash terrorism ruled out D T

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

HREE persons, including a suspect, were injured in a grenade explosion before noon Tuesday inside the public market of Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat.

Superintendent Jemuel Siason, chief of the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Public Safety Company, said the blast occurred around 11:15 a.m. at a busy section of the public market, hitting the suspect and two other bystanders.

Citing results of their initial investigation, he said a man identified as Raheb Pangelaton Dimaluloy, 36, initially came to the public market looking for a person over an undisclosed grudge.

He said Dimaluloy, who was listed as a resident of Ba-

rangay Dimakiling in Paglat town in Maguindanao, brought along a grenade, which he supposedly planned to use on his target.

“As he was walking towards his target, the grenade slipped from his hands and exploded as it hit the ground,” he said in a radio interview.

Siason said the suspect sustained injuries on various parts of his body as a result of the explosion, which triggered panic among market goers and stall owners.

He identified the two other injured victims as Maylene Vargas, 29, of Barangay Dansuli and minor Bandar Abraham of Barangay Kalawag 2 in Isulan town.

F3 HURT, 14

AVAO del Norte Governor and Regional Development Council (RDC) 11 chair Rodolfo del Rosario yesterday called for a stop to the speculation on the January 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that resulted in the deaths of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) members.

“Let us get down to the bottom of this, because it will not help us if we continue to speculate. We can’t speculate because we were not there, and so an investigation will unearth all of this,” del Rosario told reporters.

Del Rosario said the proposed Truth Commission should undertake the

investigation “immediately... so that we can identify who should be blamed for the lapses.”

At the same time, the governor said he does not think an international group would be able to dig any deeper into the matter.

“I don’t think that an international group will be on the position to figure out what actually transpired. We have to do our own investigation here and on the basis of the result of our own investigation, then we can submit this to the international court,” he said.

Meanwhile, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Deputy Director for operation Su-

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

3

DOT to help promote Davao City festivals VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

T

PROMOTING DAVAO. Newly-installed Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 director Roberto Alabado III tells city councilors that his office will help promote Davao City’s festivals nationally during yesterday’s regular session at Sangguning Panlungsod session hall. Lean Daval Jr.

NCIP yet to certify Sudagar as IP rep

T

HE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 has yet to issue a certificate of affirmation (COA) to the newly selected Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) to the Davao City Council Halila Sudagar of Kagan tribe.

In an interview with DXAB 1296 Radyo Patrol yesterday, NCIP 11 regional director Geroncio Aguio said the documents on the selection of Sudagar have not yet been sent by NCIP Davao del Sur to his office.

Aguio said as soon as the documents are forwarded to his office, he will immediately evaluate them so that the COA can be issued.

The selection of Sudagar as the next IPMR has been brought to limelight after Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he did not favor it.

Duterte had said Su-

dagar had already had a chance to be a public servant when she became Sangguniang Kabatan Federation President from 2007 to 2010.

He said the power should be distributed to another Kagan who has not had any position in the city government.

Duterte clarified there was nothing wrong with Sudagar herself, only that other people should be given an opportunity to serve the Indigenous People (IP).

With the arising conflict on the selection, committee on civil, political and human rights chairman councilor Karlo Bello made a move to amend City Ordinance No. 044810 series of 2010 or An Ordinance Providing Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples in City Council of Davao and Providing Funds Therefore.

Bello aims to avoid

confusion to the conduct of the selection process.

In yesterday’s regular session, Bello said that in last Monday’s committee hearing, they discussed issues with representatives from the NCIP, City Administrator’s Office, the tribal deputy mayors, and other members of the tribes.

“The committee was briefly oriented on the selection process in the just concluded selection of the Kagan tribe,” Bello said in a privilege speech.

Bello said they discussed the unconfirmed reports of vote-buying and non-representation of voters.

Bello said that the proposal will be put under scrutiny in the discussion to ensure that it is “not just an attempt to justify the amendment or to undermine the will of the tribes.” Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

abf@edgedavao.net

HE Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 will assist the Davao City Government in promoting the city’s festivals nationwide.

In an interview, DOT 11 regional director Roberto Alabado told reporters that his office is coordinating with city tourism officer Lisette Marques on how can his office can support the city’s events.

He said DOT 11 has been supporting the celebration of the Kadayawan Festival even before it became considered the “Mother of all Festivals in Mindanao.”

Alabado said his office will also support the proposal of councilor Al Ryan Alejandre to promote the Araw ng Davao even though it is a socio-civic activity.

Last week, Alejandre said the city will promote the festivals nationwide to bring more visitors in.

He said Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte wants the festivals to reach Luzon, Visayas, and other parts of Mindanao.

Alejandre said a team has

already prepared advertising materials for the Araw ng Davao celebration which will be released this month.

He said the city will distribute promotional materials and billboards all over the country telling the people to come and join the city’s celebration and see its beauty.

Aleajandre also said since the election is just a year away, the executive committee is expecting more politicians to join the Araw ng Davao celebration.

“It is probably one of the things that we would also expect, that there are politicians who will join us this year. We do not know who they are,” he said.

Alejandre said the committee is planning to expand the stage at Rizal Park fronting San Pedro Street because of the expected presence of more politicians.

He said thee committees will set guidelines for the politicians to speak, adding they are only allowed to speak during the Civic Parade.

4 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Distressed OFWs tap P1.5-M aid fund

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T MOBILE BUSINESS. A street vendor fixes her display of cartoon character-shaped balloons inside San Pedro Cathedral compound in Davao City yesterday.

Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

HE National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) 11 will allocate an initial of P1.5-million this year for the assistance of undocumented and distressed Filipino workers from abroad.

Reintegration officer Rea B. Sa-an said NRCO, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), has allocated P500,000 for livelihood assistance, P450,000 for the Livelihood Assistance Program (at P10,000 per beneficiary), and P630,000 for the Balik Pinay Training Program.

Sa-an said the NRCO was able to assist 45 undocumented and 63 distressed OFWs in 2014. The agency is targeting to assist 225 this year, she added.

“The problem is that most

of undocumented and distressed OFWs are afraid to seek help because of the criticism they might get from the public as well as the passive action of the different local government units of the region,” she said.

Sa-an said most of her clients were abused domestic helpers coming from the Middle East.

She said four were rape victims who were later disowned by their husbands. One of the four rape victims was impregnated by her own employer.

Another client was arrested in an airport abroad because she was carrying illegal drugs. “She was recruited to be a drug mule but after being detained, she was assisted by the

City eyes P39-B reclamation, 4 other huge PPP projects DOJ forms joint task

By ANTONIO M. AJERO

T

HE reclamation of some 200 hectares of land along the shores of Davao City, particularly the area from the Magsaysay Park up to Bucana area, is one of the five big ticket projects being considered by the city government under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

This was bared by Ivan C. Cortez, acting chief of the Davao City Investments Promotion Center, in a speech before members of the Rotary Club of East Davao headed by lawyer Anton Banzali Tuesday .

The project, worth P39 billion, is proposed by Mega Harbor, a Filipino developer currently in the construction and development of some big

ports in Luzon, Mega Harbor has been given an original proponent status by the local PPP board.

The firm has proposed that 40 hectares of the total area reclaimed will be given to the city government to be developed into a government center.

Cortez said once the company completes documentation and licensing of the project this year, it is expected to start the following year.

Barring major problems, the reclamation will be completed by 2019.

Another PPP project, the DCIPC head said, is a proposal to build a P2-billion government center building at the old site of the City and City Fiscal offices at the back

RUBBER farm owner was critically wounded in a bomb explosion yesterday in Sumisip, Basilan province, a police official said.

Senior Inspector Alchmad Alibonga, Sumisip police chief, identified the victim as Hamirun Mingkong, 47, a resident of Sitio Baag, Barangay Guiong.

Alibonga said Mingkong was about to tap rubber trees around 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday when he stepped on an improvised bomb fashioned out as a land mine.

Alibonga said Mingkong was critically wounded and rushed to the hospital.

He blamed the incident on members of the Abu Sayyaf under Musana Jamiri, adding the motive could be extortion.

The incident occurred four days after an improvised bomb explosion killed a woman and injured her niece in Barangay Limbocandis, Sumisip.

Killed in last Friday’s incident was Mannah Jallama, 25. Wounded was Sopia Abduhu, 16.

The victims were pasturing their cow around 8:30 a.m. Friday when Jallama stepped on a landmine.

Jallama died on the spot while Abduhu was hospitalized. (MindaNews)

Basilan farm owner hurt in bomb blast A

of Jose Rizal monument of Plaza Rizal adjacent to the existing City Engineer’s Office (CEO). The site, which is along A. Pichon Jr. Street, is occupied by eateries specializing in barbecue and grilled fish. The building is to have 20 floors to be built by Alloy MTD, a Malaysian company involved in the construction of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

The proposal is still pending for discussion on the merits, Cortez said.

The third proposed PPP project is a downtown onstreet parking mechanism submitted by DC Tech, a local computer company. In essence, the selective city streets will allow parking with computerized signals

to indicate which parts are available for parking from time to time.

Cortez said the fourth PPP proposal under study involved the development of the existing Ramon Magsaysay Park into a partly commercial establishment with spaces for rent. The proceeds will be used to fund the maintenance and expansion of the park.

Cortez said that the fourth big-ticket PPP project is a waste-to-energy facility that will prolong the use of the city’s landfill in barangay New Carmen in Tugbok which is about to be filled up.

“There are three similar projects submitted to the city government along this line,” he said.

AMENDMENTS. Councilor Karlo Bello gives reporters details of the committee meeting held last Monday to amend the Mandatory Representation of Indigenous

FDISTRESSED, 14

force to probe clash A

S per directive of President Benigno Aquino, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has formed a joint task force for the conduct of parallel investigation on the Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash that left 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) dead.

DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima, in an interview with reporters on Tuesday, said the investigation will be focused on a “case buildup” for the possible filing of charges.

“Ang kino-confirm (ko) up to today is indeed the instruction of the President to the

DOJ to undertake case buildup and prepare the appropriate or necessary criminal charges against those maybe identified or determined to be responsible doon sa nangyari,” she said.

As such, De Lima said she has ordered the creation of a joint task force composed of members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the National Prosecution Service that will build up the case.

“We will be closely coordinating with the Philippine National Police, with the Board of Inquiry, and of course, we will

FDOJ, 14

People in the City Council after Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte refused to acknowledge the Kagan tribe’s chosen representative Halili Sudagar. Lean Daval Jr.

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

RDC 11 eyes Samal as site for alternative int’l airport

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Regional Development Council (RDC) 11 is eyeing the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) in Davao del Norte as an alternative site for a new international airport.

RDC chair and Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, speaking in yesterday’s Kapehan sa PIA, said RDC 11 has to identify an alternative site for an international airport as well as develop satellite airports as part of a long-term plan for the connectivity of the Davao Region.

Aside from Igacos, other areas like Panabo City and some places in the province of Davao del Sur will be subjected to a study to be conducted by the RDC 11 for 2015 to 2016.

“It doesn’t have to be in Davao City if it cannot provide a suitable area for the new airport,” del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said the Council is planning to scout public

Filipinos urged: Save, invest in stock market

A

FINANCIAL educational institution is encouraging Filipinos to invest their hard-earned money into the stock market, especially considering the local bourse is rallying to alltime highs.

Edmund Lee, president and chief executive officer of Caylum Trading Institute, said the people should start saving and investing to get a return on their money.

“I really do understand that there is a big market in real estate, mutual funds and other asset classes. But we honestly believe that stock market outperforms all those other classes. That is why it is very important to understand more about the stock market,” he said in an interview.

Lee pointed out that only 0.70 percent of the entire 100 million Filipinos are investing, while all developed countries have at least 50 to 60 percent of their population participating in the stock market.

“There is very much a lot more room for growth,” he said.

Lee said investors can take advantage of the market rally, supported by the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closed near 7,700 level on Friday, its seventh record since 2015 started. (PNA)

lands for the new airport in the region this year.

“But I think Samal can provide 1,000 hectares that doesn’t necessary need to be a public land. Samal is 30,000 hectares,” he said.

The RDC 11 chair said the present airport, the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, has already exceeded its capacity of 2 million passengers as shown in the 2011 and 2013 data of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)- Davao.

“The current airport site with a total land area of 217 hectares is surrounded by urban area ,which means there’s no room for expansion. It cannot be developed for industrial purposes,” del Rosario said.

He said that

the existing international airport can no longer cater to the increasing number of passengers going to and from the region as well as bigger bodied airplanes.

“If we don’t do anything we might lose the growing market of passengers and cargo in the region,” the RDC chair said.

The Mactan International Airport in Cebu is one of the benchmark for this plan to have another airport in the region, according to Del Rosario.

“Mactan International Airport has been c o n t i n u a l ly growing and expanding, and it brings growth to its sur-

rounding areas because there were factories and manufacturing establishments around it,” del Rosario said.

In an earlier interview, Davao City Planning and Development Office planning division chief Engr. Jose Froilan Rigor said the current air-

port will reach its maximum capacity 25 years from now.

Rigor, in his presentation during the roadshow of the Updated Regional Development Plan last year , said that the City Government of Davao is also eyeing to have the Mindanao International Airport in Callawa, Davao City.

However, the area cannot be developed into an airport because it is already awarded to farmers as beneficiaries of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Regional Development Council (RDC) 11 chair and Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario checks on the 2014 RDC report during yesterday’s media interaction at the Philippine Information Agency. Lean Daval Jr.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

NEDA 11director says Davao Region almost ready for Asean Integration

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

E

crc@edgedavao.net

XCEPT for some minor kinks to work out, Davao Region is almost ready for the 2015 Asean Integration.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 11 director Maria Lourdes Lim made the declaration yesterday, giving Davao a score of 8 from a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of preparedness of the different sectors.

“The preparation is not done overnight,” Lim said during the regular Kapehansa PIA forum even as she emphasized that connectivity plays a

vital role in increasing the region’s competitiveness against other Asean nations.

She said one of the sectors that is not fully prepared for the integration is the logistic sector.

Lim said that even though the government has already poured in investment for public infrastructure and modernization of seaports and airports, the logistic sector has to be strengthened more in order to become competitive in the integration.

“Both the private and public sector should invest togeth-

er for the development of the logistic sector, either on soft or hard infrastructures,” Lim said She added that both the public and private sector in the Davao region should cooperate in intensifying information dissemination campaign among different industries like agriculture and services.

There are still fears on the integration, especially among stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), that could not perform well in the integration, according to the NEDA 11 director.

“We have to increase efforts on raising the awareness of each sector on the opportunities brought by the Asean integration,” she said.

Through the integration, L:im said there will more free flow of goods, services, employments and investment in 10 Asean members, namely: Philippines, Bruinei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The agricultural commodities of the region, she said, have big potential in the creation of a single-based and produc-

tion-based market of Asean.

She added that the government has been exploring different initiatives to improve the competitiveness of different sectors.

For instance, she said there have been efforts to bring down tariff rates of some of the agricultural commodities like rice, sugar and corn which is almost zero.

But, more than bringing down tariff rates, Lim explained that producers of major export products should secure a phytosanitary certificate to be able to export products to

Coffee exporter interested in growing Phl hybrid rice

C

MAJOR PLAYER IN ASEAN INTEGRATION. Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima delivers the keynote speech at the Nikkei Asian Review Forum last January 30 at The Peninsula Manila. Purisima spoke about how the

Philippines’ strong macroeconomic fundamentals and reform trajectory will allow the country to reap its demographic dividend to be a major player in an integrated ASEAN economy.

Davao records hike in employment rate T

HE employment rate of the Davao Region increased by 1.1 percent last year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 11 reported yesterday.

“The latest labor and employment statistics for Davao Region showed that we were able to sustain the upward movement in our employment rates, hitting 94.2 percent, which is 1.1 percentage points higher than 2013 figures, and hitting just slightly above the 2014 employment rate target of 94.1,” NEDA 11 director Maria Lourdes Lim said during the Kapehansa PIA. Lim said the increase is

mainly on “account of the robust business and investment climate – particularly in services, especially in the ICT sector, and agriculture, where the bulk of the labor force is concentrated.”

“The solid performance in the employment rate is indicative of the effective job generation and facilitation efforts of the Government, which are continually gaining more ground,” Lim added.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 11 reported that during the past year, 69,568 jobseekers were placed in local employment, way above the 2014 target of 51,310 jobseekers.

“Conversely,the unemployment rate declined by the same 1.1 percentage point margin as compared with the CY 2013 level,” Lim said.

On the other hand, she said the 19.3 percent underemployment rate of the Region in 2014 represented a 2 percentage point uptick from the previous year’s 17.3 percent, suggesting that in 2014, more workers were doing part-time and intermittent jobs, while many were in search for longer work hours with better pay.

In 2014, more people joined the labor force as indicated by the increase in the labor force participation rate,

from 64.2 percent in 2013 to 65.4 percent in 2014.

“This translates to 2.05 million workers in the Region, higher by 61,000 workers than the previous year,” Lim said, adding that programs for job generation should be intensified, besides promoting diversification and value-adding activities in agricultural production so that there will be more quality jobs.

“Overall, the employment, unemployment and labor force participation rates of the Region exhibited better results compared to the national average figures of 93.2, 6.8, and 64.5 percent, respectively,” she said. Cheneen R. Capon

market, Macau. China’s corruption crackdown has deterred high-rolling mainland gamblers from Macau’s casino tables in the past year.

The Manila casino will cater to the growing influx of tourists to the Philippines, but Clarence Chung Yuk Man, chairman of the Philippine arm of Melco Crown, said it would also target local gamblers who are estimated to have parted with $2.3 billion last year.

He said out of the casino

customers and high-rollers.

“We will promote cross marketing and also try to promote this property to our customers so that there is additional choice for them,” Chung told a news conference.

Australian billionaire James Packer, who is Melco’s co-chairman, said the Philippines’ strong economy, its

sino; the Crown, Nobu and Hyatt hotels; two premium nightclubs; the world’s first DreamWorks-inspired interactive play space DreamPlay; restaurants and retail shops.

Nobu is part-owned by Hollywod star Robert de Nero, who appears in a video commercial for the resort, alongside Leonardo Di Caprio and director Martin Scorcese.

OFFEE exporter PNG Coffee Ltd (PCL) is interested in investing in a pioneering hybrid rice growing in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as the PHilippines is proving wrong perceptions that rice cannot be grown in PNG. PCL Chairman Noreo Beangke has inspected the hybrid rice supported for planting in PNG by Philippine Ambassador to PNG Bien Tejano in an interest to venture in the highly promising crop.

“PNG Coffee Ltd is a coffee exporter and has vast tracts of land. It is also eyeing planting of hybrid rice,” said Frisco M. Malabanan, consultant of SL8H seed producer SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC).

Village Garden PNG Ltd., the private New Guinean company conducting a pilot growing of various SLAC hybrid rice seeds, has opened its farm as technology demonstration area for observation by different PNG institutions.

“We have already created massive awareness in PNG on hybrid rice. What we are proving is that based on results, rice can be grown there. Some importers have been saying rice can’t grow in PNG, but we’re proving them wrong. Our rice grains are already filled,” Malabanan said.

Quips

Macau operator opens new casino resort in Manila

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ELCO Crown Entertainment formally opened its $1 billion casino and entertainment resort in Manila on Monday, hoping to cash in on a fast growing Philippine economy and increased tourism.

The company’s co-chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho said the opening of the City of Dreams Manila is part of the company’s plans to have casinos across Asia.

It operates casinos in the world’s biggest gambling

Asean country members.

Lim also said that government and players in key industries in country have been upscaling industry road maps since 2011 to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each industry as well as how those weaknesses will be addressed.

And although the integration has already began, Lim said the region can still continue it preparation efforts since the Regional Development Council 11 has crafted a development plan to be implemented up to 2016.

“Residents will have direct access to the lake and some of them will operators with licenses in the 100 million people and rising have this exclusive view Philippines, Melco is the only tourism offer a huge market of Samal Island, Mt. Apo one with a customer base in potential. and Davao Gulf right Macau and can bring in VIP The resort houses a ca- outside their windows.”

- Suntrust Properties Inc. president Harrison M. Paltongan on the launching of One Lakeshore Drive’s second 20-story condominium recently at the Marco Polo Davao

Harvest, though, has yet to be done in March. A target yield of at least seven metric tons per hectare is eyed in the pilot farm.

Government officials particularly from the East Sepik province are also expressing interest to plant rice.

One of the technology demonstration farm’s visitors is a board member of the local parliament in East Sepik province, Wosera Gawik district, Joseph Yopy Yopy. The province has 200,000 to 250,000 hectares of land that may potentially be planted to hybrid rice.

The news of the hybrid rice growing has been on national television in PNG, highlighting Philippines’ contribution to this, according to SLAC Chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong.

“We are happy that the Philippines is becoming a part of the history of agriculture and rice sector in a country like PNG that really needs to have a rice supply of its own,” Lim said.

Not only can rice be grown in PNG. But because its land has barely been touched by modern agriculture, rice may still be grown organically, or perhaps with little fertilizer.

7 AGRITRENDS

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

There’s huge demand for palm oil Text and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“

Farmers need to see the big potential of this industry,” former Davao City Councilor Peter Laviña said in a recent forum.

He was referring to oil palm, known in the science world as Elaeis guineensis. An edible palm oil comes from its fruits. Palm oil can be separated into a wide range of distinct oils with different properties.

This versatility has seen palm oil to replace animal and other vegetable oils in a wide variety of products.

According to him, palm oil has a huge demand not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. After all, it has a variety of uses. Aside being used as cooking oil, palm oil is used in confectionary, ice cream, and ready-to-eat meals. It is the main ingredient for most margarine and the base for most liquid detergents, soaps, shampoos, lipstick, waxes, and polishes.

It is also used as industrial lubricant.

Over the last decade, global production of palm oil has doubled. By 2000, palm oil was the most produced and traded vegetable oil accounting for 40 percent of all vegetable oils traded internationally, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). By 2006, the percentage had risen to 65 percent.

Worldwide demand for palm oil is expected to double

Oil palm trees

Oil palm plantation

again by 2020.

Laviña, a member of the Philippine Oil Palm Industry Development Council, said the country imported a total of P35 billion worth of palm oil from neighboring countries, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia.

Such huge amount, Laviña pointed out, could be saved if only local farmers in the rural areas start growing oil palm so the country won’t import palm oil anymore from other countries.

Actually, the oil palm is native to West Africa, where it was traditionally cultivated as a subsistence crop for food, fiber and medicine. Originally, trees were interplanted in traditional, small-scale agricultural production systems along with other annual and perennial crops.

However, rising demand for vegetable oils since the 1970s has seen oil palm cultivation shift to a large-scale plantations. Such plantations have become one of the fastest-growing monocropping plantations in the tropics of Africa, as well as in Asia and the Pacific region, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Much of the recent expansion has occurred in Malaysia and Indonesia. By 2000, these two countries accounted for just over half of the world’s total plantation area, and Nigeria settled for just over 30

Extracting oil palm fruits percent, FAO reported.

The success of its neighboring countries made the Philippines to follow suit.

“The Philippines is currently a minor producer of palm oil in the Southeast Asian region, but this is set to change with the country recently declaring ambitions to convert some eight million hectares of idle lands across the country into oil palm plantations,” reported journalist Elga Reyes.

Currently, about 70,000 hectares are planted to oil palm in the country. This supplies only 20 percent of the total local demand. “(Planting oil palm) will also benefit our farmers because it has a higher yield than coconut,” Laviña said.

Laviña gave this comparison between coconut and oil palm, as reported by Cheneen R. Capon in a recent issue of Edge Davao: A single hectare planted with 140 good variety of oil palm and good farm management can produce as much as 20 tons per year.

On the other hand, coconut needs to have 3-4 hectares before it can produce the same amount.

There’s money in oil palm.

Secretary Ramon Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported that the 6 million hectares

planted to oil palm in Indonesia reaps US$50 billion annually from this industry – an amount that is nearly the size of the 2014 national budget of the Philippines.

A noted Canadian agricultural scientist considers oil palm as the greatest crop in Southeast Asia. “The vegetable oil yield of oil palm is five times that of coconut and more than ten times that of soybeans, sunflower, and rapeseeds,” pointed out Dr. Pablito P. Pamplona, director and secretary of the Philippine Palm Oil Development Council.

Growing oil palm is an investment-friendly and easyto-grow crop as proven by farmers from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand who grow it. “A typical oil palm cultivating two hectares or more is economically transformed and liberated from poverty in four to five years after planting,” Dr. Pamplona wrote in an article published in a national magazine.

Poverty incidence in the Philippines, at 25 percent, is among the highest among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In comparison, the poverty incidence in Indonesia is only 13.3 percent, 7.2 percent for Thailand, and 3.8 percent for

Delivering oil palm fruits

Malaysia.

“Among these four countries, it is only the Philippines which will not be able to meet the UN Medium Term Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by 2015,” wrote Dr. Pamplona.

In 2012, a World Bank report cited the significant role of oil palm in helping overcoming poverty in Indonesia.

The government of Thailand likewise credited oil palm to as having significantly helped the country overcome rural poverty, and the same was true for Malaysia.

“Large-scale oil palm plantations in these three neighboring countries have helped them become net food exporters, with vegetable oil in the form of palm oil being among their major export food products,” Dr. Pamplona wrote.

Should Mindanao farmers consider planting oil palm extensively? But before that happen, there should be planting materials which farmers could plant. Unfortunately, lack of planting materials has been cited as one of the main reasons why the industry is on a stand still.

“A single seedling can cost a farmer from P200 to P300 and that’s huge because a single hectare needs 140 pieces,”

Laviña said.

It means that a farmer needs an initial investment of P28,000 to 42,000 per hectare for one hectare alone. What if he plants five hectares? The initial investment is from P140,000 to P210,000.

There are always two sides of a coin. While oil palm plantations can boost the country’s economy, it also has its liabilities side.

“Large areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems with high conservation values have been cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations – destroying critical habitat for many endangered species, including rhinos, elephants and tigers,” the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) claimed. “In some cases, the expansion of plantations has led to the eviction of forest-dwelling peoples.”

Other impacts include: soil erosion, air pollution, soil and water pollution, and climate change.

“Given the rate of expansion of the palm oil industry and its impact on key ecosystems and species, a concerted effort is needed by all stakeholders to identify and adopt cost-effective strategies to reduce the industry’s overall impact,” WWF suggested.

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

EDITORIAL The first casualties of war

A

MONG the first casualties of any conflict are the children, they who rely on the adults to guide them and protect them but from whose hands they often suffer.

Such is the case with the children of Mamasapano, Maguindanao who have been out of school ever since the January 25 clash that claimed the lives of 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), a number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters, and four civilians. The clash had forced the authorities to suspend classes in 13 public schools in the town, leaving at least 6,000 school children without classes for more than a week now. Needless to say, these children are the ones who will suffer the most out of their unfortunate situation as they miss instruction that they can use to lift themselves out of the poverty that is already widespread in Mamasapano.

This is the hidden cost of a conflict that has been hogging the headlines since the clash happened. Most people, especially those outside of Mindanao, only see the deaths of the

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fighters on both sides of the equation, and because of this they call for “all-out war” to exact revenge. What they do not see is that even now, with government still waiting for the result of the investigations that are being mounted and no declaration of war has yet been made, civilians – especially the children – are already suffering. What more when an actual war is waged by government against the MILF? Many apparently do not realize that the areas that they want government to wage war in are not empty battlefields as they see in the movies where soldiers can fire at each other without fear of hitting civilians. These are thriving communities where people live, work, raise families, and share friendships. Mounting a war there is like shooting cannonballs at Makati City or staging a gunfight in downtown Quezon City. If that sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. Always remember that each call for war is like a death sentence on entire communities, and children will be the first casualties.

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“

I DEARLY wish to see lasting peace established in Sri Lanka as soon as possible,” said British-born science fiction guru Arthur C. Clarke, referring to Asia’s longest-running war in which the Tamil Tigers’ campaign for an independent homeland has left tens of thousands dead.

Although the conflict started in 1972, fighting has been escalating in the island since late 2005, when a Nordic-brokered truce unraveled. Clarke, who shot to fame after writing ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ lived for five decades in Sri Lanka until his death in 2008. “But I’m aware that peace cannot just be wished — it requires a great deal of hard work, courage, and persistence,” he said.

Peace was what John Lennon, one of the Beatles, also dreamed. In one of his famous songs, he wrote: “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”

Even Martin Luther King, Jr. himself longed for peace. “One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal,” he said. “We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.”

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace,” Buddha pointed out. But what is peace? “Peace is more precious than a piece of land,” says Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. An anonymous author puts it this way: “Peace is the marriage of the people and the planet, with all attendant vows.”

Oscar Romero says: “Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the

M

ORE than a week ago, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte bared that some generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are not happy with his pronouncement that he would end the country’s longstanding communist insurgency by forming a coalition government with the revolutionaries.

The rumored presidentiable said after the release last January 19 of Compostela Valley jail warden Jose Mervin Coquilla by the New People’s Army (NPA) that in the coalition, he would let revolutionaries handle land reform which he described as “not simply the distribution of lands.”

Why the military, or some segment of it, is apprehensive over the planned coalition is expected. It is not the first time that generals expressed displeasure over Duterte’s accommodating approach towards the Left.

A number of them even went a step further in accusing Duterte of coddling the communists and “sleeping with the enemies of the state.”

For exactly 27 years of his political leadership in Davao City, Duterte’s connection with the Left has been an open secret. He has visited the “Red territory” a number of times and has often facilitated the release of government soldiers and police officers held captive by the NPA. His ties with the Left can be traced back when he first ran for mayor in 1988, the most turbulent time in the city’s history as it was the height of anti-communist vigilante

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

In quest of peace

VANTAGE POINTS

9

generous, tranTHINK ON THESE! quil contribution of all to the good of all.

Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty.”

If you have seen the Hollywood movie, Henrylito D. Tacio “Miss Congeniality,” there henrytacio@gmail.com was a scene where contestants were asked to state their thoughts on anything. But at the end of each answer, they all had one appeal: “world peace.”

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was the man who discovered dynamite. At the time of his death, he controlled factories for the manufacture of explosives in many parts of the world. However, his will provided that the major portion of his $9 million estate be set up as a fund to establish yearly prizes for merit in physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, and – yes, you’re right! – world peace.

Its Asian counterpart – the Ramon Magsaysay Award – has added the word “peace” in its international understanding category. My former boss, Harold R. Watson, received the prestigious award in 1985. The Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa themselves collected the same award before they were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.

But despite all the recent initiatives, peace is elusive as ever. “Do you know what

astonished me most in the world?” asked French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. “(It’s) the inability of force to create anything. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the spirit. Soldiers usually win battles and generals get the credit for them. You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. If they want peace, nations should avoid the pinpricks that precede cannon shots.”

How can peace be attained? “If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends.

You talk to your enemies,” Moshe Dayan advised. “Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding,” Ralph Waldo Emerson said.

War is not the solution to the problem, although war is going on in other parts of the world to attain peace. But peace can also be achieved if they lay down their arms.

The Bible foresees: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

Hafast Abiola shares this idea: “Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”

American President John F. Kennedy reiterates, “But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the

hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.”

“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold,” the Dalai Lama claims. “It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.”

Will there be peace on earth soon? Judy Chicago wishes that day will come soon.

“Then all that has divided us will merge. And then compassion will be wedded to power.

And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind. And then both men and women will be gentle. And then both women and men will be strong. And then no person will be subject to another’s will.

And then all will be rich and free and varied.

And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many. And then all will share equally in the earth’s abundance. And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old. And then all will nourish the young.

And then all will cherish life’s creatures.

And then all will live in harmony with each other and with the earth. And everywhere will be called Eden, once again.

Is that a wishful thinking? Well, Mahatma Gandhi declared, “It is possible to live in peace.”

And Walt Whitman, in his ‘Leaves of Grass,’ wrote: “Peace is always beautiful.”

group Alsa Masa which launched a bloody campaign against the e q u a l l y atrocious operations of NPA’s “Sparrow” urban guerilla unit.

Duterte stayed away from the ideological bickering that was capitalized on by his anti-communist political opponents.

For not riding on the wave of vigilantism, the communist tag was then nailed on his name.

But Duterte can hardly be a communist.

While he keeps open to meeting with revolutionary groups like the NPA, the Moro National Libration Front (MNLF), and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), his priority upon his assumption of office was to restore and maintain law and order by going after the criminals.

He pushed for the enactment of policy, budgetary, and implementing measures to restore and maintain law and order and build local capacities to address emerging and existing threats that the city had to confront.

Among the fundamental features

of Duterte’s leadership is the sustained logistical and operational support like financial to the local police, the military’s Task Force Davao, and other law enforcement and security agencies.

The relationship he nurtured with key figures in the opposing political spectrum facilitated a seeming Modus Vivendi in the city which allows law enforcers and leftist elements to walk around the downtown without fear of being harmed by either side.

Duterte’s plan to let the revolutionaries handle land reform manifested his deep understanding of the root cause of insurgency: the landlord system which continues to ignite unrest in the countryside.

Politically, the Left still considers the Philippines a semi-feudal and semicolonial society beholden to the interests of the imperialist United States of America.

Militarily, they are avid believers in the Maoist principle of protracted war.

When President Cory Aquino came to power in 1986, she started talks with the Left but the negotiations collapsed barely a year after. Dialogues made by the next administrations – from Ramos to Arroyo – failed. A prospect for settlement under the current administration of President Noynoy Aquino is also bleak. Past negotiations were marred by apparent distrust on both sides.

Duterte’s plan to form a coalition government with the Left once he is elected president is a spark of hope for a country

that has long been in quest for durable settlement of one of the world’s oldest insurgency problems that has killed tens of thousands of combatants and civilians.

In addition to this optimism is the positive remark by Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair Jose Maria Sison who described Duterte as “someone they (local revolutionary forces) can negotiate with and make reasonable agreements with.”

Some security experts, however, argued that government’s pursuit of a political settlement will entail a dramatic change for the military, the primary institution that has been at the forefront in pursuing counterinsurgency strategies which often proved counter-productive and subsequently failed to defeat the NPA. More than the clash of ideology, some people are of the belief that a section in the military establishment considers it is not in its interest to totally defeat or resolve the insurgency as it will either diminish the value of their existence or take away from them the benefits they gain from the longrunning war, including financial.

In ending the five-decade-long conflict, the government needs to ensure that it has full support from all ranks of the military, police, and paramilitary forces that are also in the position to make a settlement finally successful or further deepen the internal rift.

Spark of hope

10 ICT HUB EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015 HATE IS NOT FOR HUMANS. Protesters hold images of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who was taken hostage by the Islamic State group, during a rally in front of the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. News of his beheading surfaced the next day. (AP Photo/ Koji Sasahara)

Slain hostage’s 2010 tweet embraced on social media

K

ENJI Goto’s words, now more than four years old, have taken on a new poignancy.

“Closing my eyes and holding still. It’s the end if I get mad or scream. It’s close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters.”

That tweet from Sept. 7,

2010, has been embraced by social media users as a fitting memorial to the 47-year-old freelance journalist. It had 20,000 retweets by Monday, and was being repeated by others by the minute.

Early Sunday, news emerged that Goto had been killed by extremists of the Islamic State group after efforts to secure his release from months of captivity failed. His

reported death followed that of another Japanese hostage, adventurer Haruna Yukawa, who was also being held by the militants.

The Twitter account was verified as Goto’s by his friend Toshi Maeda, who heads Tokyo-based venture Pacific Bridge, which created the mobile-video application Goto used for some of his reports from Syria.

His account has other musings from Goto, of course, including comments about French wine and complaints about his tired eyes, as well as his reporting.

But it was the message of tolerance that seemed to resonate with the thousands of Japanese Twitter users, expressing admiration for Goto’s reporting about the suffering of children in Sierra

Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

Yuki Watabe, a 15-yearold high school student in Sapporo, northern Japan, said the tweet gave him heartache.

“He was such a wonderful person,” Watabe said. “He had a strong sense of doing the right thing.”

An English translation of that tweet, originally in Japanese, was also circulating on

Twitter.

Goto’s last tweet was in October, about the time he left for Syria, to rescue Yukawa, who disappeared last summer.

Maeda recalled how Goto believed in citizen journalism.

“He was like a brother to me,” he said. “He was an inspiration. He was a friend and a colleague.” YURI KAGEYAMA, Associated Press

HP boss gets raise despite persistent sales slump

H

ewlett-Packard boss Meg Whitman has graduated from the dollar-a-year club, as the struggling company prepares to split up.

The veteran tech CEO was paid $19.6 million in cash and stock last year, up from $17.6 million in 2013, after HP’s board of directors raised her base salary to $1.5 million from $1 and bestowed additional cash and stock awards based on her performance last year.

HP has reported declining revenue for each of the last three years. Whitman, who was named CEO in 2011, has warned shareholders that a turnaround would take several years.

Despite the sales slump, HP’s board concluded Whitman beat performance targets that directors had set for revenue and cash flow in 2014, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. The board also said she had improved the company’s product lines and strengthened its cloud-computing capabilities, while pre-

paring for the impending split into two companies.

One new company will sell personal computers and printers, while the other focuses on commercial tech products and services for business customers.

Whitman had received a base salary of $1 a year since she became CEO. That’s not unusual for leaders of big tech companies who generally receive valuable stock grants in addition. But HP’s board concluded that a raise to $1.5 million was warranted “con-

sidering the stage of our turnaround.”

She also received $4.3 million in incentive payments based on her performance, along with $8.1 million in stock grants and $5.4 million in stock options that vest on the basis of the company’s stock performance in coming years.

HP’s stock rose about 50 percent during its 2014 fiscal year, closing at $35.73 on Oct. 31. Shares were trading just below $36 on Monday, down less than 1 percent for the day. BRANDON BAILEY, AP Technology Writer

HP CEO Meg Whitman

11 THE TRAVEL TELLER

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Korina’s journey as Mutya ng Tagum City

By OLAN FERNANDEZ EMBOSCADO

F

OR some, the Mutya ng Tagum City coronation night on November 20, 2014 was just a night of glitz and glamour. But for the lovely Korina Dayan Sawan, who bested nine other nine to win the crown, that night was a life-changing moment and the beginning of her new journey as the city’s ambassador of goodwill.

Although she had joined and won other beauty pageants in the past, joining the Mutya ng Tagum City had always been her dream. Winning the crown was some-

thing she never expected.

All she wished was just to be included in the Top 5. But fate had another plan for her.

Her beauty, charm, and wit brought her to more than what she expected – bring home the crown and reign for one year.

Korina believes t was something that God has given her because not every girl is given the opportunity to become the Mutya. She has thus vowed to do her best to fulfill the tasks given to her and savor every moment while she’s still reigning.

As the city’s ambassador of goodwill, the 20-year-old lass who represented Barangay Mankilam during the pageant will join the City Government in extending programs and projects in the communities. Korina is now fulfilling her duties and responsibilities, focusing on Wellness, Sports, and Health, which was the theme of last year’s pageant.

Here’s The Travel Teller’s conversation with Korina Sawan, the 2014 Mutya ng Tagum City: The Travel Teller: What

Photo by CIO-Tagum City

Photo by Jayson Kirk Arnaiz

Photo by Jayson Kirk Arnaiz pushed you to join Mutya ng Tagum City aside from representing your Barangay?

Korina Sawan: Joining Mutya ng Tagum City for me is a dream come true. My eagerness to prove to myself and to other people that I can be the next Mutya ng Tagum pushed me to join.

The Travel Teller: What were your preparations before joining the pageant?

Korina Sawan: Honestly, I had a short time preparing for the pageant as I was busy with my studies especially with my Omnibus Class. I am a graduating student and I wasn’t allowed to leave my class.

So what I did was I watched Youtube videos about Miss Universe and other pageants where I could get better ideas on how to walk, how to answer questions, how to pose, and other relevant things about beauty pageants.

The Travel Teller: What have you become after being crowned the Mutya ng Tagum City 2014?

Korina Sawan: Well I think I’m just the same Korina as before but one thing that changed after Mutya is that I became mature. I’ve realized that I’ve got bigger responsibilities now as Mutya ng Tagum 2014.

The Travel Teller: Do you have planned or lined-up activities as part of your duties and responsibilities as the Mutya ng Tagum City 2014?

Korina Sawan: The theme of Mutya ng Tagum City last year was Wellness, Sports, and Health. In line with that, I am proposing a Summer Sports Training Program for the youth in partnership with Barangay Mankilam and the City Government. I am excited to work for it and I hope it will be implemented soon.

The Travel Teller: As the reigning Mutya ng Tagum, how can you promote Tagum City as a tourism destination in Davao Region?

Korina Sawan: I can help promote Tagum City as a tourism destination by saying good

things about our beloved city.

Tagum City is generally safe.

We celebrate unique events and colorful festivals the whole year round. There are great places that our city has to offer. And of course the true nature of our people. Tagumenyos are known as friendly, hospitable, and happy people.

The Travel Teller: What is your message to the people of Tagum City and those aspiring to become a beauty queen like you?

Korina Sawan: To all Tagumenyos, daghang salamat sa supporta ug pagsalig sa akoa.

Nagbag-o akong kinabuhi tungod sa Mutya, gusto ko makatabang sa akong kaugalingong pamaagi para sa kalambuan sa atong siyudad. Tagum, Tagumpay! To the aspiring beauty queens, work hard and pray harder if you want to achieve something. Keep the faith! Great things happen in God’s perfect time.

Korina is now a graduating student of Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (Mindanao

Photo by CIO-Tagum City International College) taking up Bachelor of Science major in International Studies and currently working with Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 11 as part of her OJT. According to her, working with DOT 11 is a great expe-

Korina Sawan working as OJT at Department of Tourism - Region XI

rience she’ll definitely cherish.

And she believes that Mutya ng Tagum City 2014 was her ticket in getting there.

The annual search for the Mutya ng Tagum City is organized by the City Government of Tagum through the

Tagum City Tourism Council in partnership with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. It aims to not only showcase the candidates’ beauty but also their commitment to take part in community-building.

12

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This 35–year-old mother of two started offering services for layout and print

Mae’s venture into the creative business began when she realized she had the knack for customizing prints such as her daughter’s birthday cards and stationeries.

back in 2011. Her line of products includes not only event stationeries but also 3D invitations. “I don’t call this work because I enjoy what I do. I think that’s what’s critical in this business. The creative process takes too much time, from conceptualization to printing and cutting. You have to love all these ‘dirty work,’ so to speak; otherwise it will just burn you out. Every client requires a new concept, thus the need for new ideas and inspiration.”

“I’m home based, which gives me more time to

oversee matters of the house. I get to bring my kids to school and prepare meals for the family. I dedicate the rest of my free time to my craft. This business has given me a sense of fulfillment because I get to be with my family even while I’m at work.”

Mae’s venture into the creative business began when she realized she had the knack for customizing prints such as her daughter’s birthday cards and stationeries. “I was such a fan of prints and paper even when I was young. Motherhood, in

a way, rekindled my love for patterns and the art of paper folding. I just never thought it would turn out to be a successful business for me. I guess nothing is really impossible if you set all your energy and passion into something you love.”

“An invitation is like a first glimpse of any type of occasion. Nowadays, there’s such a great demand for artists who can cater to the needs of parents and couples. Having this in mind, I summed

3D party A4

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

Globe, Viva tie up to Katy Pe bring exclusive video The top 5 mome content on mobile AS part of its commitment to bringing innovative content to its customers on the back of its partnerships with global brands such as Spotify and the NBA, Globe Telecom forged an exclusive partnership with Viva Communications, the biggest entertainment content provider in the country today, to enable access to thousands of movies, music videos and live concerts and events on their mobile phones.

With the partnership, Globe prepaid and TM customers gain access to Viva’s rich library of video content in the form of movie clips, bloopers, outtakes and behind-thescenes, movie promo segments, compiled classic movie lines, compilations, music and lyric videos, press conferences, event clips, concert highlights, among others.

The videos are available on the telco’s one-stop shop virtual video store Piso Mall, which allows users to watch videos on their mobile phones from a selection of over 200,000

Sealing the partnership between Globe and VIVA are (from left) VIVA PSICOM Vice Chairman Arnel Gabriel, Globe SVP for Consumer Mobile Marketing Issa Cabreira, Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Daniel Horan, Viva Communications Chairman and CEO Vicente del Rosario, Jr., Globe Director for Content and VAS Rina Azcuna-Siongco, and Viva Communications Vice President Vincent del Rosario. videos, with each video available for viewing for as low as P1. With Piso Mall, Globe prepaid and TM customers can enjoy their favorite TV shows, movie trailers and clips, music videos and video tutorials at a pocket-friendly price, anytime, anywhere via their mobile phones.

“With Piso Mall, we are bringing entertainment at the comfort of one’s mobile phone. We are proud to have Viva as our first local content partner as we only partner with the best. Globe and Viva share the same vision and commitment to giving the Filipino consumers what they want. Filipinos

are entertainment lovers – we sing, we dance, we watch movies, we love our celebrities. There’s no better partner than Viva, and Globe is bringing an amazing portfolio of video content from Viva to our consumers who now live a very digital lifestyle,” shares Issa Cabreira, SVP for Consumer Mobile Marketing at Globe.

“As Globe partners with the best, Viva also partners with the best.

Globe is our only partner in this endeavor and I hope it will be a long-lasting tie-up. I’m sure this will be one of our biggest projects,” quips Vicente del Rosario, Jr., Chairman

and CEO of Viva Communications.

Prepaid customers need not worry about charges from data usage because video browsing on Piso Store is free and does not require maintaining balance. Prepaid customers will only be charged upon viewing of the videos.

Globe and TM customers may access Piso Mall by texting PISO to 8888 or by visiting http://m. pisomall.com.ph on their mobile browser. There is no maintaining balance required to access Piso Mall and no additional data charge when browsing the videos thru the Piso Mall.

Find great travel deals at the Kathryn and Dan 6th Davao Mega Travel Sale Metro magazine

Where are you off to this summer, or what destinations await you for the rest of the year? It’s time to plan it out now because the early bird gets the best deals! These days, travel is an essential part of our lives as we continue to discover new places, experience various cultures, and learn about the world. We are given more opportunities to travel with the more affordable fares and tour packages that are within our reach.

To get hold of these exciting travel offers and packages, the Davao Travel Agencies Association (DTAA), in partnership with Cebu Pacific and Amadeus, will once again spearhead its annual travel fair dubbed the 6th Davao Mega Travel Sale: Your Passport to the World on February 6 to 8, 2015 at Abreeza Mall.

The event will be participated

in by different travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, resorts, and destination promotions agencies from all over the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It will serve as a venue for bringing together major industry players

for an opportunity to launch new services or products and establish new marketing connections. Another highlight of the travel sale is an inter-school search for Mr. & Ms. Travel Ambassadors 2015, to be participated in by various schools in Davao offering tourism and hospitality courses.

For Dabawenyos and regional visitors, this is the best time to plan for summer vacations and other travel requirements with the low airfare offers and and packages up for grabs during the travel sale.

Wherever your next dream destination is, it’s time to make it come true by visiting the travel fair and booking your trip now.

For more details, check out the 6th Davao Mega Travel Sale on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/davaomegatravelsale.

KAPAMILYA superstars Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla capture the essence of modern romance in Metro magazine’s Valentine’s issue to celebrate their remake of the iconic teleserye, “Pangako Sa Yo” which is set to make waves this 2015 in ABS-CBN.

Kathryn and Daniel, collectively referred to as KathNiel, are the teen queen and king of this generation, with hit movies, top-rating teleseryes, and a loyal cult following. In Metro magazine’s Valentine’s issue, their team up prove that their power and undeniable chemistry reign supreme even in the glossy pages of a fashion magazine. Metro magazine recalls the loveteam’s history, highlighting

the milestones they have ach at such a young age.

Kathryn and Daniel also up about landing the roles lifetime in “Pangako Sa Yo,” a loved teleserye that aired fo years on Philippine TV and r over 16 countries, including a bodian adaptation. The Kapa royalties expressed their e ment over their biggest proje far, with Kathryn describing “big honor.”

Metro magazine also gets sonal with the pair highlig the biggest question that i waiting for an answer from teen queen and king: “Are th are they not?”

Don’t forget to grab a co Metro magazine’s Valentine’s out in newsstands today and love with Kathryn and Daniel

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

erry rocks Superbowl

ents of her performance we cannot get over WELL that’s just how we do it at the Super Bowl!

After so much excitement and anticipation, Katy Perry finally took to the stage for the Pepsi halftime show.

Joined by special (and not so secretive) guests Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott, the 30-year-old star got millions of viewers dancing and singing in their living rooms during her 12-minute set.

“Today is the day that the Lord has made!” Perry tweeted hours before her performance. “I will rejoice and be glad in it!”

But really, how did Miss Perry do during her set? Well if you like dancing palm trees, ‘90s flashbacks, and giant lions, we have a feeling you were very pleased.

Here are the five best moments from the show.

strumming his guitar.

Rock on, dude!

Katy’s Giant Roar: Who needs a stage when you have a giant blinged-out lion to climb aboard? In her first of many outfits, Perry kicked off the show with “Roar” and “Dark Horse” as she tried to keep her balance on top of the moving structure. Oh, did we mention she was wearing heels? Impressive, girl!

Patricia and Vince Hizon’s dream house in Powerhouse

1

open s of a a wellor two ran in a Camamilya exciteect so it as a

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4

Where Are the Hot Dogs: During “California Gurls,” Perry stepped out in an outfit totally reminiscent of those famous Hot Dog on a Stick uniforms. The dancing palm trees and beach balls didn’t exactly help either. But

5

Fly Away: Perry just made the impossible, impossible. During her final song, the 30-year-old didn’t just belt out “Firework.” She also took a quick fly-over the stadium while being strapped in safely (thank goodness) in a harness.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane!

Nope, it’s just Perry ending on an extra high note!

2

Lenny Kissed a Girl: Okay, so the rock star didn’t exactly make out with anyone onstage. He did, however, add some serious rock ‘n’ roll to Perry’s track “I Kissed a Girl.” In true Lenny style, the singer wore ripped denim jeans and a black leather jacket while

niel land first e cover together

hieved

3

Work It Missy: So it wasn’t exactly a surprise!

But the rapper certainly appealed to a whole other audience when she performed “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control” onstage! Oh we just feel so nostalgic!

while the singer hoped all eyes would be on her outfit, we were too busy staring at the dancing sharks. Paging Discovery Channel: You might have found a new addition to Shark Week. After all, they have their own Twitter handle already.

FORMER basketball star Vince “The Prince” Hizon is a champion both in the hardcourt and at home. This is according to his wife Patricia Bermudez Hizon as they open their home to Powerhouse this Wednesday on GMA-7.

“I don’t have any idea when it comes to handling household budget. He does everything from paying the bills to record-keeping,” shares Patricia.

It was in 2003 when basketball fans witnessed Vince’s proposal to Patricia during a half-time break in one of the PBA games. The couple now has two children and has been living together for 12 years.

Patricia knows she is the only princess in Vince’s heart, saying “Of all the things that he has done and would do for me, he won’t waste his time on just another person like that. Siya na rin ang nagbigay sa akin nun, ng seguridad, na walang iba.”

The couple allows viewers to take a glimpse of their dream house in Quezon City. With an area of 1,000 square meters, the house has a modern and minimalist theme and has a basketball court located at the back.

Vince has his own means to save money. In fact, the family only uses vinegar and water to clean their floor.

And despite having a huge house, the couple is proud that they consume less electricity.

What are the couple’s secrets in keeping a happy home? Find out this Wednesday as Kara David unravels the story of Vince and Patricia Hizon in Powerhouse, 4:35PM, on GMA-7.

February 4, 2015

INTO THE WOODS Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden GP

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

PROJECT ALMANAC Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D'Elia PG 13

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

WILD Reese Witherspoon R16

R-16

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

THAT THING CALLED TADHANA Angelica Panganiban, JM De Guzman PG13

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

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

WOMEN 3D party A1

up my courage to test the waters and see how my design and printing services would fare. I’ve been lucky ever since. Orders just keep pouring in. Every new project excites me and gives me an opportunity to explore other mediums and techniques.”

Mae’s 3D prints are not your typical stationeries as all the details and cuts are intricate in shape and design. “Each pack of 30 pieces would take me about a week. I get most of my materials here in Davao but there are also some types of paper which I need to source from other places. My husband plays an integral part in helping acquire materials from abroad and in setting up my craft room.”

On top of invitations and stationeries, Mae also customizes mugs and tumblers, giveaways and favor boxes, PVC nametags and 3D table decorations.

Check out Adorable Invites by KikayMae on Facebook to view more of Mae’s products and sample work. You may also inquire and order through mobile number 09328220507 or email adorableinvites@gmail. com.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

EDGE

13

EDGEDAVAO

Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

WANTS YOU!

ZION

ACCUPRINT PUBLISHING, INC.

MACHINE OPERATOR (Printing Press)

Qualifications:

Account Executives (2) - Male / Female, not more than 30 years old - Candidate must posses a Bachelor/ College Degree in any Business field.

- Willing to work under pressure, flexible, persuasive, can speak fluently and computer literate - A team player - With Basic Salary, Transportation, Communication, allowance + Commission For interested applicants, you may send your resume to: HR Department EDGEDavao

Doors 13 & 14 Alcrej B;dg., Quirino Ave., Davao City Tel. No. (082) 221-3601 Email: edgedavao@gmail.com

- At least high school graduate, not more than 30 years old - Physically and mentally fit - Can handle minor repairs of the machine - Has the ability to be cool under pressure of deadlines and complex projects - Experience of at least one year Door 14 Alcrej Building, Quirino Ave., 8000 Davao City, Philippines E-mail: marketing@edgedavao.net zion_publishing@yahoo.com Telefax: (082) 2213601 Website: www.edgedavao.net

14

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

INTENT. Mass communication interns from the Holy Cross of Davao College listen intently to the discussion during Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

School’s... FFROM 1

Hataman said the public seems to forget that aside from the fatalities from the police and MILF, civilians were also killed in the carnage. One of the civilian vic-

tims was a 5-year-old girl.

ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia has announced the distribution of P10,000 financial assistance to each of the six civilians

injured in the clash and P25,000 to each of the families of the four who died.

ARMM also provided a total of 932 relief goods to the displaced families.

The three are currently being treated at the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Hospital in Isulan, he said.

Siason said the circumstances of the incident showed that it was not terrorism-related and considered an isolated

case.

He said it had no connection to recent incidents in nearby areas, especially the clash in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao last January 25 that killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police’s

Special Action Force, 18 Moro rebels, and four civilians.

The official said they remain on high alert as a result of the incident and noted that the security situation in the area is considered under control.

(MindaNews)

Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Social Welfare and Development to get back here,” she said.

Sa-an said the NRCO is willing to extend assistance to OFWs who seek help.

“We give financial learning

advocacy and entrepreneurial, livelihood training, and P10,000 financial assistance for capitalization of businesses of OFWs,” she said.

Some beneficiary clients of the NRCO who were given the P10,000 livelihood assistance

put up stores, eateries, and catfish farms, among others.

Sa-an also said the agency is planning to coordinate with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for the skills training and capacity building of OFWs.

not be precluded also from gathering evidence so as to help in the case buildup,” she said.

When asked why prosecutors were being tapped in the parallel probe, the DOJ chief said: “Ang kanilang pinaka-trabaho is to evaluate and assess yung mga nakakalap na ebidensya kung sufficient na ba for purposes of filing charges, what charges can be filed, and against whom they are filed, to be filed.”

She said the case buildup was still in its early stages and

that she has yet to finalize the composition of the joint task force.

A total of 44 PNP-SAF personnel were killed while 12 others were wounded during the 11-hour firefight on Jan. 25 with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. The MILF said 17 of its fighters were killed in the clash.

The PNP-SAF members supposedly entered an

MILF-controlled area in Mamasapano to arrest Filipino bombmaker Abdulbasit Usman and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan. Government officials earlier said Marwan was most likely killed in the operation, although this has yet to be supported by solid evidence.

Aside from the DOJ, both Houses of Congress will also conduct their own investigations into the clash.

Parallel investigations will also be conducted by the PNP and the MILF. (PNA)

3 hurt... FFROM 2

Distressed... FFROM 4

DOJ... FFROM 4

Councilor wants suspension of land titling in GenSan lifted

A

CITY official is pushing for the immediate lifting of a suspension order issued by the Land Registration Authority (LRA) over the titling of public lands within the city.

City Councilor Rosalita Nunez has filed a resolution urging the LRA to recall the “total suspension” order on land titling that it issued in July 2013 in the wake of an investigation over alleged irregularities in the processing of land titles involving declared public lands in the area.

She said the move aims to facilitate the processing of titles for various alienable and disposable lands in the city that are already considered as residential areas.

The official specifically cited areas that were not covered by the investigation and subject to claims by local residents.

Nunez said some of these areas are already eligible for titling as provided for in Republic Act 10023 or the “Act Authorizing the Issuance of Free Patents to Residential Lands.”

“The suspension affected areas outside of the focus of investigation and dampened the hopes of local residents who were pushing for the titling of their claimed and acquired residential lots,” she said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) initially issued a memorandum on

July 18, 2013, directing an investigation into cases of alleged illegal titling of lands in South Cotabato, Sarangani and in this city.

The DENR, through Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, directed the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Region 12 to secure copies of titles included in the alleged illegal land titling cases.

The agency also created a fact-finding team to investigate the numerous complaints of anomalous titling of public lands in the area, specifically in parts of this city.

As a result, DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Demetrio Ignacio issued another memorandum on July 22, 2013 for the “suspension of issuance of survey authority, acceptance and processing of all public land applications and issuance of patents over lands located in the Provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani.”

But Nunez said the CENRO in Buayan district here had recommended that the suspension order should be reassessed to limit its coverage to those areas that are under investigation.

The CENRO’s recommendation was included in the completed staff work that it submitted to the DENR in connection with the suspension order that it cited as “sweeping.”

“It recommended that the

suspension should only cover areas that under investigation, specifically the grazing agreements that were affected by the titling anomalies,” she said.

She said the recall recommendation covered other lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the CENRO district office or areas within this city and the provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani.

The city government earlier asked the DENR and other government agencies to investigate the rampant illegal titling of public lands in the area, including those covered

by Forest Land Grazing Lease Agreements and Integrated Forest Plantation Management Agreements (IFPMA).

Last year, the Registry of Deeds here uncovered the alleged illegal titling of around 800 hectares of land near the city international airport that was eventually sold to a Manila-based businessman.

The area is covered by an IFPMA forged with the government by the Alsons Development and Investment Corp.

Several years ago, a local clan was able to secure a Certificate of Ancestral Land Title over 87 hectares of the 599-hectare city airport here that it was claiming.

City officials called the issuance of the title as anomalous and contested it before the courts.

(MindaNews)

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 228 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Cavs rip Sixers N

OW in double digits, the Cavaliers’ winning streak is both intact and impressive.

Not to LeBron James.

“We haven’t done anything,” he said. “We haven’t earned anything. Until we do something, then we can feel good about ourselves. But we haven’t done anything.”

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points, James added 18 points and 11 assists, and Cleveland staggered to its 11th straight win, 97-84 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

The winning streak is Cleveland’s longest since reeling off 13 in a row — a franchise record — in 2010, the last season of James’ first stint with the club. The Cavs had trouble putting away the young Sixers, who did all they could to stay close but don’t have the firepower to keep up with Irving, James and Co. With Atlanta’s 19-game winning streak ending in a 115-100 loss to New Orleans

on Monday night, Cleveland is now the NBA’s hottest team.

That doesn’t mean all that much to James.

“The title is the ultimate goal, but we haven’t played in a playoff series together,” he said. “We haven’t played in one playoff game, one playoff minute — that’s when it really counts. You build your habits and progress over the regular season. But for us, we’re a team we have a lot to make up and we can’t be complacent. As fast as you go on an 11-game winning streak, you can go on an 11-game losing streak.”

Kevin Love added 15 rebounds and Matthew Dellavedova made three clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Cavs, who led by 20 in the third, avoid an upset. Love did not attempt a shot after the first quarter and finished with just five points on 1-of-7 shooting. He stayed on the floor more than an hour after the game with two Cavs assistant coaches working on his shot.

Jerami Grant and Robert Covington scored 18 apiece for the Sixers, who beat the Cavs last month when Cleveland was in disarray.

The Cavs’ biggest opponent may have been boredom as they played listlessly for long stretches against a young, but less talented team. Cleveland built its 20-point lead in the third quarter, but the Sixers wouldn’t go away and pulled to 69-67 early in the fourth.

Irving briefly restored order with a pair of 3-pointers, but the Sixers rallied again and closed to 80-77 on Covington’s 3.

Irving, selected Eastern Conference player of the week earlier in the day, then scored six of Cleveland’s next eight points and Dellavedova dropped his second 3 of the period, giving the Cavs a 91-83 lead with 2:36 left.

Unlike James, Irving feels a greater sense of accomplishment as the Cavs string wins together.

champion, chasing the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, needs to reach the top 50 after the Northern Trust Open at Riviera or Honda Classic later this month in order to qualify for the WGC Cadillac Championship that

begins March 5 at Doral.

Former world number one Woods has captured that WGC event seven times and won four times at Doral, most recently at the 2013 WGC Cadillac event.

Woods, 39, has failed to qualify for only one WGC event, the 2011 HSBC Champions, in his career.

Woods dropped nine ranking spots after missing the cut at last week’s Phoenix Open and enters this week’s US PGA event at Torrey Pines only two spots above his worst ranking, 58th, since his first PGA victory at Las Vegas in 1996.

With 79 career titles, Woods is only three shy of matching the all-time record of 82 PGA triumphs by Sam Snead. But he last won a title at the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational and has not won a major since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, when he won a playoff over Rocco Mediate limping on a broken leg.

Woods had been the world number one until last May but nagging back injuries and struggling to revamp his swing have seen him fail to finish in the top 20 in his past nine events.

15

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James dunks against Philadelphia 76ers’JaKarr Sampson in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Monday in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Tiger could miss Doral after ranking falls to 56

T

IGER Woods fell to 56th in the world rankings released Monday and is in danger of failing to qualify for next month’s World Golf Championships event at Doral.

The 14-time major

Tiger Woods fell to 56th in the world rankings and is in danger of failing to qualify for next month’s World Golf Championships event at Doral

I

NDEED, greatness comes in the most unexpected moments and places.

Before the final 20 seconds of Monday’s Super Bowl, who the heck in this planet knows Malcolm Butler?

Malcolm Butler who?

Nobody. Perhaps not even the Super Bowl commentators knew much about Malcolm.

Then came the twist of fate. The New England substitute cornerback, a rookie in his first ever Super Bowl, came through with the biggest play of the day—stripping off Ricardo Lockette of possession from a pass by Russel Wilson. Before that, Jermaine Kearse had a spectacular

Nathanielsz reveals what Floyd told Manny

B

OXING analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz claims unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. offered Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao some financial advice when they met in Miami recently.

Pacquiao and Mayweather ran into each other during an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks last week and talked briefly at halftime. It was later revealed that the two also met for an hour at the Filipino’s hotel suite.

In an interview on radio DZMM on Monday, Nathanielsz said Mayweather told Pacquiao that he needed to take a closer look at his financial situation.

“Mayweather is trying to tell Pacquiao… you straighten

out your finances because you are being taken for a ride,” Nathanielsz said.

“He has some kind of sympathy for Pacquiao, kasi alam ni Mayweather… Look at Mayweather, sobrang yaman niya because his finances are well taken care of,” the analyst added.

“Sinabi niya, ‘You are being taken for a ride. They are stealing from you.’ Kasi sinabi niya, ‘You are paying (Top Rank chief executive) Bob Arum 27.5% for every fight.”

Nathanielsz believes Mayweather’s words “opened the eyes of Manny,” although he is unsure how the Filipino champ will respond to the unbeaten boxer’s advice.

Mayweather has long been skeptical about

Greatness is unexpected catch for the LET’S GET IT ON Seattle Seahawks and went to the 1-yard line.

Up to that point, Seattle’s final rally looked like it will be capped with a come-from Neil Bravo behind win.

Malcolm X, err… Butler had other plans.

Perhaps, Malcolm did not even expect

the moment will come. He was just right there at the right place at the right time in front of Lockette. Instinct, not even rookie talent, moved Malcolm’s muscles to sneak into Lockette. But credit that to cerebral decisions, Malcolm made the interception that will preserve another heroic act from teammate Tom Brady.

QB Tom is much bigger a football figure than Malcolm. He just chalked up his 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th touchdowns of his career, breaking the record of the legendary Joe Mantana. With four TDs in this SB, Major Tom won his third MVP trophy to go with four Lombardi trophies.

Pacquiao’s financial situation, often making comments about the Filipino boxer’s tax woes both at home and in the United States during interviews, and at times saying he wants to see Pacquiao’s “check” from his previous fight.

The unbeaten Mayweather is also no fan of Arum, Pacquiao’s longtime promoter. A former Top Rank fighter himself, Mayweather broke away from Arum to take control of his own career and has since become one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

Nathanielsz also revealed that Mayweather told both Pacquiao and his adviser, Michael Koncz, to “stop lying” about having a contract for a May 2 mega-fight.

That, too, is greatness.

Unlike Malcolm, Tom made the moment happen. He created his own opportunities. And scored with his talent.

The Super Bowl is now history and two heroes have just emerged—the rookie Malcolm Butler and the indefatigable Tom Brady.

Those heroics came when the New England Patriots are crumbling down to the final moments.

Oh, to be loved by the sports gods who define and decide the moments of glory in sports. Yes, greatness, is never expected.

And that’s the beauty of sports.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. VOL.77ISSUE ISSUE228 228••WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY FEBRUARY4,4,2015 2015

Alex Pagulayan is one of two Pinoy cueists make history in Derby City Classic.

Pinoy cueists make history P

INOYS tare once again atop the pocket billiards world after Warren Kiamco and Alex Pagulayan grabbed the first two major titles in the 2015 Derby City Classic in theHorseshoe Indiana Resort and Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana, USA. Pagulayan won the one pocket division last week, completing an unprecedented career triple crown (one pocket, banks, and 9 ball), while Kiamco defeated Pagulayan in the

9 ball final to win perhaps the biggest title of a solid career.

Filipino-Canadian Pagulayan’s win and second-place finish means he takes the Master of the Table bonus for the player who earns the most points in all of the disciplines.

American Shannon “The Cannon” Daulton eventually won the Banks contest.

Warren Kiamco. Image copyright Bob Guerrero.

Kiamco won US$16,000 for his triumph while Pagu-

layan banks US$20,000 for his Master of the Table bonus to go along with the $12,000 for the one pocket victory and $8,000 for his 9 ball runner-up finish.

Pagulayan defeated Efren Reyes 3-0 then dumped Justin Hall by the same score to seal a date with Rhode Island veteran Mike Dechaine in the final.

In the pocket billiards discipline of one pocket, each player has only one pocket in which to sink eight of the fifteen balls on the table to win a

rack. Because of the defensive nature of the game, racks often last long, hence the short races.

Dechaine, the undefeated American held a twice-to-beat advantage but lost the first final match 3-0. In the next match Pagulayan defeated Dechaine 3-1 to lift the trophy.

Pool news site AZBilliards.com called Pagulayan’s play “the most spectacular one-pocket performance ever captured on tape.”

The victory means Pagulayan becomes the only player to win all three major divisions of the Derby City Classic in its seventeen-year history.

Pagulayan ruled the banks in 2011 and the 9 ball in 2013.

Pagulayan was already in elite company as one of just a few players who has won both a WPA world championship (in 9 ball,) and the prestigious U.S. Open 9 ball championship.

Kiamco defeated Jeremy Sossei 9-6 in the semifinals of

the 9 ball division to set a date with Pagulayan in the finals.

Since Kiamco had yet to be defeated, he enjoyed a twiceto-beat advantage, which he needed when Pagulayan won the first finals match 9-6. A red-hot Pagulayan scored a sizzling .961 on the Accu-stats TPA (total performance average) indicator in that match. A score of 1.00 is a perfect performance, meaning no misses, positional errors, or other mistakes.