Edge Davao 7Issue 233

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

WORK FOR PEACE. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte reiterates the need to resume peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the recent Mamasapano incident so the dream of every Mindanaoan of lasting peace will be realized. Duterte was guest speaker of the 39th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao Convention fellowship night at the Davao City Recreation Center on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

QUIT OR ELSE Mayor tells drug-using cop to resign

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte advised police officers who are using drugs to resign or face his wrath.

“Kanang pulis nga anaa sa droga, pahawa namo (All police officers who are into drugs must resign),” Duterte told reporters in an interview Monday night at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The statement came hours after a member of the Davao City Police Office

(DCPO) tested positive in a surprise drug test initiated by city police director Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr. The mayor said the police officer must resign now and not wait to be “butchered.”

In a separate interview yesterday, DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace C. Driz identified the policeman as Senior Police Officer (SPO1) Librado Nalzaro Jr. of the

Mobile Patrol Group.

Driz told Edge Davao that the DCPO gave Nalzaro 15 days to challenge the result of the drug test.

She said Nalzaro tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

Driz said Nalzaro was appointed as a police officer in 1986 under the Police Constabulary-Institute of National Police (PC-INP). He was removed from the service in 2000 because of alleged

involvement in illegal drugs but was reinstated in 2010 due to his appeal from the national office.

“We will give him due process regarding the result to give him fair treatment,” she said.

Driz said depending on the final report, Nalzaro could be slapped with either removal from the service or forced retirement. She said forced retirement is for police officers above 50 years of age.

INSIDE EDGE STYLE & IMAGE

Indulge A1

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

LIGHT MOMENT. Davao City Archbishop Romulo G. Valle and other priests laugh while listening to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s humorous statements during the 39th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao Convention fellowship night at the Davao City Recreation Center on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Town police chief, deputy killed in grenade attack

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BUKIDNON town police chief and his deputy died when another policeman lobbed grenades at them after a gathering and dinner Monday night, reports said.

The fatalities were identified as Senior Inspector Crisanto Molina and Inspector Dexter Garcia, both of the municipality of Cabanglasan which is

situated in Bukidnon’s border with Agusan del Sur. The suspect, Police Officer (PO)1 Gorospe Cairo of the Cabanglasan municipal police who was reported to have tested positive in a drug test, is at large, municipal officials said.

Police Inspector Jiselle Ester Lou M. Longakit, Bukidnon provincial police

office public information officer, said manhunt operations are ongoing against the suspect.

Hansel Echavez, chief of the Bukidnon Provincial Public Affairs and Information and Assistance Office, quoted Cabanglasan Vice Mayor Lolita Obsioma as saying that Cairo lobbed the first grenade at the dining hall.

The blast killed Molina instantly after being hit with shrapnel in the head and back. Garcia ran after the suspect, but the latter threw another grenade, killing Garcia.

Before the incident, local officials cited requests they made to pull out two police officers in Cabanglasan who were reported to have tested positive in the drug

test.

Molina was quoted to have said he was waiting for the order from the regional and provincial police offices for the pull out.

Longakit said Cairo was supposed to report to the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office on Tuesday while undergoing the process of pre-charge evaluation of the administrative case that will

be filed against the erring police officers.

Both Molina and Garcia, she added, joined the Philippine National Police through its Lateral Entry Program, a scheme that allows professionals from select fields to enter the police force obtaining inspector ranks without going through the Philippine National Police Academy.

HE Davao City council’s committee on finance, ways and means, and appropriations might resort to amending the 2005 Revenue Code of Davao City to make some vague provisions more specific.

This was opened when City Council Secretary Charito N. Santos asked the committee, chaired by councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang, for legal opinion on the appropriate fees to be charged for requests of copies of Ordinance No. 0546 series of 2013 or the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordi-

nance.

The existing tax code does not include charges for newspaper publication of the ordinance.

In an interview yesterday, Dayanghirang said there is a need to amend the tax code because it does not state the “determination of payment” on the copies of ordinance publication.

He said he will ask the General Service Office (GSO) to identify the charge for newspaper publication, whether it would be per page or per copy.

“Dapat pud i-resolve ni

sa GSO kay sila man ang nakabalo ana (The GSO should also resolve this matter since it is the one that knows about this),” he said.

The request was approved on first reading in yesterday’s regular session and was referred to the committee of Dayanghirang.

Earlier, City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) head Rodrigo Riola said his office is now finalizing the draft of the revised tax code that will be submitted to the mayor’s office.

He said after the evaluation of the proposal from the executive department, his of-

fice will submit the proposal to the City Council for deliberation.

Riola had earlier said it is high time for the existing code to be revised since it was approved in 2005 and implemented in 2006.

It was supposed to be revised in 2012 but the process was postponed.

Under section 191 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines, local units “shall have the authority to adjust tax rates as prescribed herein not oftener than once every

Council in a bind on P1M Dayanghirang wants to amend tax code aid for SAF men’s kids T

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HE Davao City Council is in a bind as to how it can deliver on the proposal of the Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte to allocate P1 million for the educational fund of the children of the 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF) slain in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25.

Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte told reporters in an interview yesterday that as of the moment the proposal cannot materialize since there is an existing rule of the Commission on Audit (COA) that the

city government cannot allocate funds for the purpose.

“We tried our best. I even talked to city administrator Melchor Quitain. We also asked the COA and it was stipulated in their rules that we cannot release money for that matter,” Paolo said.

He said that they are studying alternative ways to donate money for the children of the slain SAF members.

“The easiest way is through the donations from the public or from us as gov-

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

Muslims converge for passage of BBL

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By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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PEACE. A Muslim woman flashes the peace sign during a peace rally in Davao City yesterday in support of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as the solution to Mindanao conflict. Lean Daval Jr.

NCIP asks Council to reinstate Mambo-o on holdover capacity

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has asked the Davao City Council to reinstate former Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Berino Mambo-o Sr. in the meantime while the assumption of incoming IPMR Halila Sudagar is yet to be resolved.

In an interview yesterday, Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte told reporters that the NCIP and tribal chieftains of the different IP tribes of the city made a resolution asking the Council for the reinstatement of Mambo-o on a holdover capacity.

Paolo said the Council

will adopt the resolution because there should be no vacuum in any government position. The IPMR has been vacant for a month after Mambo-o’s term expired last January 10.

Paolo said the NCIP also informed the Council that if no complaint is filed against Sudagar by February 20, it will issue a certificate of affirmation (COA) to her.

“We will accept Sudagar as the new member of City Council if she will bring her COA on February 20,” Paolo said.

But if a complaint is filed against Sudagar, the Council will take Mambo-o in a holdover capacity up to six months.

OMMISSION on Higher Education (CHED) 11 regional director Raul C. Alvarez Jr. yesterday said the launch of the manual “Ethical Review of Research Involving Human and NonHuman Populations” by San Pedro College was timely in light of the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.

SPC had launched the manual yesterday for the advancement of research and development studies of students in both undergraduate and graduate studies.

In his speech during the launch, Alvarez said improving the protocols in conduct-

ing researches will improve the Philippines’ competitiveness as one of the nation members of the ASEAN. He said the Philippines has been noted for its low performance when it comes to science and technology advancement and the conduct of quality research and development studies when compared with other ASEAN countries like Vietnam and Thailand.

He said based on the 2012-2013 ranking presented to the World Economic Forum, the Philippines ranks 86th when it comes to the capacity to do innovation.

When it comes to com-

CHED director pushes for higher quality R&D C

“While there are complaints we cannot determine how long the case will run,” he said.

In yesterday’s regular session, councilor Karlo S. Bello, who is the proponent of the amendment of City Ordinance No. 044810 series of 2010 or An Ordinance Providing Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples, said the continuous vacuum on the position deprives indigenous peoples the services due them.

Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte had earlier said he will call the members of Kagan tribe in the city to an assembly to find out if they

really want Sudagar to sit as the IPMR in the City Council.

He said if the whole tribe in the assembly will say they want Sudagar to sit as IPMR, he will accept it.

The mayor said that said he also intends to talk to Sudagar to ask if the selection process was really fair.

He said he noticed in the selection that all the Baragwas or council of elders in the 37 Kagan communities were all members of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, which is his political party.

Duterte said he does not want it to appear that the party will monopolize the positions in government.

crc@edgedavao.net

USLIMS from all over Davao Region converged at Rizal Park in Davao City yesterday to urge lawmakers to resume and speed up the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

This after the 75-member ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives led

by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez decided to suspend the deliberation of House Bill No 4994 or the proposed BBL early this week.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate committee on local government, had also decided to suspend hearings on the BBL until the issues surrounding the Mamasapano clash on January 25 have been clarified.

“We have organized the Davao Peace Movement for BBL (DPM) to call on Congress to speed up the passage of the BBL which has been stalled

due to the Mamasapano tragedy,” DPM steering committee chair Abdul Rasad Sawat said in an interview yesterday.

Sawat said the Mamasapano tragedy is not reason enough for Congress to derail the passage of the BBL. He said the peace talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH) has gone too far that it should not be stopped just because of the Mamasapano incident.

Sawat said the passage of the BBL is just one of mechanisms written in the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) that will give the people of Mindanao the pace and development they have been calling for since the start of decades-long armed struggle in the island region.

Sawat said mass move-

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Camiguin now ‘insurgency free’

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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ASTERN Mindanao C o m m a n d (EastMinCom) commander Lieutenant General Aurelio Baladad yesterday said Camiguin Province has been declared “insurgency free.”

In an interview, Baladad said Camiguin joins two other areas in the EastMinCom area of responsibility that are now free of the presence of armed groups. The two other areas are Dinagat Island and Davao Oriental.

EastMinCom spokesperson Major Ezra Balegtey also said records show there is no

FCHED, 14 MALL TIME? High school students spend time inside a mall yesterday – during school hours. Lean Daval Jr.

presence of armed groups in Camiguin.

“As of Tuesday morning, Camiguin is now an insurgency-free area. The presence of the military in the area is also minimal,” Balegtey said.

Dinagat Island was declared insurgency-free in December last year. Balegtey said there is also no armed group present in the area.

However, in Davao Oriental, which was declared insurgency-free in April 2013, there is still a minimal num-

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4 SUBURBIA EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Tagum best practices benchmarked O

FFICIALS of two local government units from Luzon visited Tagum City last week saw for themselves the best local government practices implemented by the city government of Tagum.

The group from the Municipality of Gerona, Tarlac benchmarked the city’s economic enterprises, specifically how the local government was able to rehabilitate the city’s public cemetery in Barangay La Filipina.

The group was composed of the Sangguniang Bayan members and bigwigs from its Municipal Planning and Development Office and Municipal Engineering Office.

The group was welcomed at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) building by councilors Francisco Remitar and Oscar Bermudez, city engineer Roosevelt Corporal,

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City Economic and Enterprise head Grace Terante, city health officer Arnel Florendo, and SP secretary Rey Buhion.

“It’s a good thing they chose us as benchmark for the rehabilitation of their public cemetery. This only manifests that we have done something good in the rehabilitation of our cemetery that other LGUs can replicate,” Terante said.

Another set of visitors from LGU Daraga, Albay also came to benchmark the city’s Night Market Program, which was dubbed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as the city’s longest dining hall and was recognized with a Galing Pook Award last year.

The visitors from Daraga were composed of Vice Mayor Carlos V. Baylon, Sanguniang Bayan members, and employees of the LGU. Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

WELCOME. Officials of the city government of Tagum welcome their counterparts from the Municipality of Gerona, Tarlac who recently visited the city to benchmark the local government’s best practices in governance. Photo by Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

DCWD’s pipeline bridge construction under way

ONSTRUCTION of Davao City Water District (DCWD)’s 1000-millimeter diameter suspension-type pipe bridge crossing between Governor Generoso Bridges 1 and 2 is on-going and is esti-

mated to be completed by the end of March 2015, about 300 calendar days after the notice to proceed was granted to contractors on June 2, 2014.

The project costs P115 million and consists of the

installation of a 1,000 mm diameter steel pipeline with a total length of 184 linear meters and the construction of a 167.50-meter long steel truss, concrete pier column with bored pile footing, concrete py-

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION. Excavation works for the bridge’s abutment at the Matina side.

lon, abutments at both sides of the bridge crossing, and cables.

In a recent assessment report of DCWD’s Project Monitoring Office, current works include the installation of scaffolding, rebars and formworks and concrete pouring for the concrete pylon; excavation for the valve box at Bankerohan and Matina sides; concrete pouring for the abutment at Bankerohan side; and excavation of the abutment at Matina side.

DCWD general manager Edwin V. Regaldo said once the project is completed and the new pipeline is laid, around 64 percent of the approximately 53,844 service connections being served by Line 1 of Dumoy Water Supply System will enjoy improved water supply.

These service connections situated in downtown and northern areas of Davao City were the most affected when DCWD’s pipe bridge crossing collapsed, damaging the original 600 mm diameter and 750 mm diameter transmission/ distribution pipelines on December 16, 2012.

Although DCWD temporarily laid two 400 mm diameter by-pass pipelines, the water supply has not been enough and the affected customers experience low water pressure to no water during peak hours.

Regalado said once the project is done, water pressure will increase by seven percent.

The contractor for the infrastructure work is the joint venture of RD Policarpio & Co. Inc., Allado Construction Company, Inc., and TGV Builders Inc. (Jovana T. Duhaylungsod)

Pablo-hit areas get more housing aid T HE Davao Oriental provincial government and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 11 continue to distribute more housing aid to more families who lost their homes during Typhoon Pablo in 2012.

Under the Modified Housing Program (MSAP), Davao Oriental Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon led the distribution of permanent shelters to some 1,840 families in three typhoon Pablo-hit areas Baganga, Cateel and Boston towns.

Malanyaon said the support from local and international community has made her province grow stronger and resilient, knowing that despite the mounting challenges, “there are still people with generous and kind hearts that will help meet the urgent needs and help the province build resilience.”

Davao Oriental Information Officer Karen Lou Deloso said MSAP is a joint venture

between the DSWD, which bankrolls the funds, and the provincial government which shoulders the acquisition of resettlement sites.

Deloso said based on the MSAP reports, Baganga town received 920 shelters, Cateel 770, and Boston 150.

DSWD11 was also optimistic that all remaining houses targeted for construction will be completed by the end of March this year underscoring the benefits of the partnership that hastens delivery of assistance to the survivors.

Deloso said there are now 13,780 housing units that were already implemented on the ground, offering typhoon survivors opportunity for a fresh start.

Deloso said the DSWD also highlighted the resiliency and the socio-economic developments making Davao Oriental a model in development and became the country’s benchmark in disaster response and rehabilitation. (PNA)

North Cotabato gov’t to construct covered court in Girl Scout camp

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ORTH Cotabato Governor Emmylou Mendoza on Monday vowed to provide funds for the construction of a covered court inside Mindanao’s biggest Boy and Girl Scout camp.

Mendoza said an initial amount of P150,000 annually will be released for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines-North Cotabato Chapter for the covered court construction.

During the culminating program of 25th Regional Girl Scout Encampment in Barangay Bulatukan here Monday, Mendoza urged the young girls

and women to be active counterparts of men in building a better society not only in their communities but the entire country as well.

Mendoza said women should take the lead or become active partners in building communities and productive citizens.

“Become model citizens, develop your potentials and become responsible individuals in the community,” Mendoza told girls scouts from all over Mindanao who ended their five-day encampment.

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5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Del Rosario: RDC to prioritize study on optimal power development

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Regional Development Council (RDC) 11 will prioritize this year the conduct of a study on optimal electric power development in Davao Region.

Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo R. del Rosario. RDC 11 chair, said they had proposed the study to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST- PCIEERD) for possible regional research and development (R&D) support fund during a recent media interaction.

“The study aims to establish and assess information of all power facilities and services in the region,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said the result of the study will be utilized for the formulation of a 20-year power demand-supply fore-

GenSan is top tourist destination

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HE Department of Tourism (DOT) 12 on Monday said that this city was second in terms of most number of domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in 2014 in the region’s five cities.

This despite negative reports on violence in the city and its environs.

Region 12 is composed of the provinces of North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and Gen. Santos City.

Data released by the DOT12 showed Gen. Santos City registered the highest number of arrivals from January to December 2014 with 271,051 visitors followed by Cotabato City with total of 38,596 tourists recorded.

Koronadal City came in third with 35,757 tourists.

Kidapawan City placed fourth and fifth Tacurong City with 33,232 tourists and 12,479 visitors, respectively.

The DOT gathered the data through reports from hotels and resorts in the whole region.

The Cotabato City Tourism Office attributed this recognition to the thriving socio-economic situation and the improving peace and order in

FGENSAN, 14

cast covering each of the electric cooperatives and utilities; identify existing and emerging gaps and issues in electric power industry.

The study on optimal electric power development in the region will be used as basis for possible recommendations on viable green power generation technologies that could balance power generation mix of the region.

“The study would serve as a guide or reference for private power industry players in scheduling of investment, and for the government in providing development directions on power and electrification in the region,” Del Rosario said.

NEDA 11 regional director Maria Lourdes Lim reported in the same event that 76 percent of the households in Davao region were already provided

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SLICE IT UP. A sidewalk vendor slices green mango which she sells at P25 apiece along City Hall drive in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Increase of investments boosts business confidence in ARMM B

USINESS confidence is still up in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as new investments hit more than P863 million early this year, the ARMM Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) announced Monday.

A P741.8 million nickel ore mining project in Panglima Sugala, in Tawi-Tawi Province and a P121.25 million petroleum depot project also in the same province were among those listed by the RBOI Management Committee as being readied for final approval from its Board of Directors.

“With the recent incident in Maguindanao, this is a

welcome development which shows that business players are still bullish about Mindanao,” said Sec. Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

The nickel ore mining project is estimated to produce 1,000,000 metric tons of ore per year, while the petroleum trading project will have a holding capacity of 7.6 million liters after the completion of its infrastructure and facilities.

Antonino explained that with genuine peace in place, Mindanao has the capacity to accelerate its growth and develop much faster than the rest of the country.

New Corella, UP Mindanao ink tourism development accord

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HE Municipal Government of New Corella, province of Davao del Norte and the University of the Philippine (UP)–Mindanao signed last February 6 a Memorandum of Agreement for the tourism development of the municipality.

Dennis Sumaylo, professor from UP Mindanao, said the partnership will be comprised of two areas--infrastructure development and community development.

“In the infrastructure development, we will focus on establishing structures that will relate to the culture and nature of the area,” Sumaylo said.

He said that on community development, they will focus on cultivating the sense of accountability from the people.

“As the town’s slogan say ‘I am New Corella,’ we will let them feel that this is their place and that they will protect and beautify it,” Sumaylo said, adding that part of the project is the development of the products of the municipality and the sustainability of the

Quips

community groups.

He also said that the partnership could last longer depending on the needs of the program.

“Initially the first phase, which will consist of the Panas Eco Cultural Park and Balaang Bukid (Holy Mountain), will go on around six months,” Sumaylo said.

Mayor Nestor Alcoran expressed his gratitude to UP for helping their municipality in developing their tourism potential areas.

“This is a big help to us as the project will develop not only the place but also the people in the municipality,” he said.

According to Sumaylo, the project with the municipal government is part of the extension program of the university.

“As of now, the university is deploying two faculty members to look into this project,” he said.

He added that as an extension program, they are not receiving any remuneration from the municipal government. (PIA 11/Michael Uy)

“Last year’s fun sale was focused on shopping, but now it’s bigger because the whole tourism sector of Davao City is included,” - City Tourism Operations Office head Lissette Marques on the Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) slated from April 3 to May 17.

Mindanao’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 is 14.32 percent, ahead of Visayas’ 12.57 percent, which translated 0.9 percent contribution to the 7.2 percent domestic GDP growth recorded by the country in 2013.

“It is undeniable that peace is a precursor for growth and development, and that Mindanao could generate a much higher growth rate if lasting peace is achieved by the island-region and its people,” she added.

Antonino said that while we seek justice for the Maguindanao incident, we must also be determined to pursue development.

Atty. Ishak Mastura, chair of the ARMM RBOI announced that a potential multi-billion peso logistics center in the Port of Polloc in Parang, Maguindanao is also being eyed by several investors who are currently receiving support from the ARMM RBOI and the officials of the Port of Polloc.

He added that his department is also processing investment projects in Maguindanao particularly in the establishment of oil palm and banana plantations, and the creation of additional capacities in renewable energy, specifically biomass power plants.

During the BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT Trade Fair and

NEW AUDITOR. Present during the signing of the engagement contract were (from left): M Lhuillier Group owners Michael Lhuillier and President Michel Lhuillier; Punongbayan & Araullo Chair and CEO

Business Leaders Conference held in October last year, a leading Malaysian company expressed interest to supply oil palm seedling to Maguindanao, while discussions were also conducted to establish connectivity between the Port of Labuan in Malaysia and Port of Polloc.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, while IMT-GT stands for Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Growth Triangle. Both economic groupings were formed with the goals of promoting trade, investment, and tourism in less-developed states and provinces in the

ASEAN sub-groups.

“As we push for a more investment-friendly ARMM, we must prioritize peace and infrastructure development in order for the region to play its strategic role in the BIMP-EAGA, in the greater context of the ASEAN integration,” said Antonino.

She added that with the collaboration of both private and public sectors, Mindanao and its people will continue to pursue sustained peace and will ensure that public and private investments across the region will continue to accelerate and deliver progress and transformation particularly among the region’s conflict-affected areas.

Marivic Españo; P&A Managing Partner and COO Jun Cuaresma; and P&A Audit & Assurance Partner and Partner In-charge of Branches Chris Ferareza.

M. Lhuillier Group engages P&A as auditor P

UNONGBAYAN & Araullo (P&A), one of the country’s leading accounting, tax, advisory and outsourcing services firms, was appointed auditor of several companies under the M Lhuillier Group.

Staying true to its commit-

ment to unlock the potential for growth of dynamic organizations, P&A’s responsive team of experts will provide professional services to these companies. P&A hopes to support the Group’s continuing growth by providing high

quality service.

Present during the signing of the engagement contract were (from L): M Lhuillier Group owners Michael Lhuillier and President Michel Lhuillier; P&A Chair and CEO Marivic Españo; P&A

Managing Partner and COO Jun Cuaresma; and P&A Audit & Assurance Partner and Partner In-charge of Branches Chris Ferareza.

M Lhuillier Group is a leading financial services provider to Filipinos all over the world.

ERCHANDISE exports grew by 9 percent for full-year 2014 despite the 3.2 percent drop in December due to lower outbound shipments of manufactures, total agro-based, and petroleum products, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

“Compared to other economies in the region, the Philippines’ full year exports growth performance was relatively strong despite the challenging external environment. This is a good indication of the growing resiliency of our sectors given that economies in the Euro area, Japan and China remain sluggish, causing regional trade flows to soften,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

Total revenue from Philippine exports declined to US$4.8 billion in December 2014 from US$5.0 billion in

December 20l3. However, total sales receipts for the fullyear 2014 rose to US$61.8 billion from US$56.7 billion the previous year.

As for the performance of major commodity groups, export earnings from manufactured goods posted US$ 4.18 billion in December 2014, down from US$4.23 billion registered in December 2013.

“This can be traced mainly to year-on-year declines in other manufactured products, wood manufactures and electronic equipment and parts.

Nonetheless, outbound sales of electronic products, machinery and transport equipment, garments, miscellaneous manufactured articles and chemicals remained buoyant,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

Likewise, sluggish outturns in coconut products and sugar products pulled down revenues from total agro-

based products by 24.9 percent from US$388.7 million in December 2013 to US$291.8 million in December 2014.

“While outward sales of other agro-based products reached US$81.7 million, higher by 10.2 percent compared to US$74.2 million in December 2013, decline in coconut oil exports drove outward shipments from coconut products to drop from US$145.1 million in December 2013 to US$79.5 million in the same month of 2014,” said Balisacan.

Moving forward, he also warns of a possible slight tempering in the exports sector in 2015 given weakness in China and Euro deflation.

“What could provide an upside support to exports is the continuing US recovery and possibly some respite from Japan, which may realize economic expansion towards end-2015,” said Balisacan.

Meanwhile, the PSA’s lat-

est Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI) report showed the manufacturing sector growing at 7.5 percent in 2014.

In December 2014, the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) and Value of Production Index (VaPI) also grew by 7.5 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, owing to robust domestic and sustained exports demands for certain products and services such as printing, beverages, basic metals, wood, and wood products.

“The Philippine manufacturing sector is on a catch-up phase. Reforms undertaken thus far have helped the manufacturing sector get back on track to a higher-growth trajectory. Moreover, expectations remain high in the first quarter of 2015 due to brighter job prospects, stable prices of commodities, and higher household incomes,” said Balisacan.

PH exports remain relatively strong in region M

7 BIGGER PICTURE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Love is in the air (Photo by Michael H. Chan)

This inscrutable thing called love

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day, All in the morning bedtime, And I a maid at your window, To be your valentine.

– William Shakespeare in Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5

Y

ES, William Shakespeare – touted to be the Father of English literature – wrote some lines on Valentine.

So did Samuel Pepys (of Diary distinction) and poet Robert Herrick. And scores of others.

Throughout the world, including the Philippines, February 14 is observed as “a day for lovers.” But the question is: What is this thing called love?

This, that they call “the greatest of all sentiments”?

True, love has a colossal force. The Hanging Garden of Babylon, for instance, came to be because of – yes, you’re right! – love. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India was another wonder wrought by love. In fact, it is known as “the world’s greatest monument to love.”

In like manner, love has served as the inspiration which has given artists the reach to touch genius. The great Italian Petrarch indicated lines to an unrequited love (for his beloved Laura) and in the process gave the world the sonnet. Two disappointments in love drove the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh to devote all his time to his painting, in the process creating eloquent portrayals of the tragedy of modern man.

The tender love story of Romeo and Juliet lingers to titillate the imagination of many.

The undying and unselfish love of Cyrano de Bergerac for Roxanne makes people, particularly the ladies, misty-eyed.

Jane Eyre finding fulfilment at last in the love of brooding Edward Rochester sends tingles up and down our spines. In all these stories, love conquers all.

Skeptics, however, dismiss

the fact that these great romances are mere products of the imagination and that they only nurture our escapist tendencies. Romantic tales they may be, but there could be some factual bases or real-life models behind each great love story.

For real life romances can be more intriguing and complex than the fictional yarns.

And wrought with more twists and tangles and sub-plots than are possible in any Mills and Boon or Barbara Cartland novel.

Andre Laurent and his beautiful wife Catherine were honeymooning in the snowy Austrian Alps. Both were keen rock climbers. That’s how they met, and that’s why they went to Austria on their honeymoon.

Then an accident happened. Andre was climbing a frost-covered rock face. Catherine was waiting at the bottom of the cliff while her husband made the first ascent. He was 60 feet above the ground when he slipped and fell.

Catherine had no time to act – just react. She did what her heart told her she must do: she threw herself under the body of her husband. “Catherine broke her husband’s fall and saved his life,” a friend commented. “But she did it at the cost of her own.”

While replete with happiness, love can also be tragic indeed. Just how many crimes have been committed in the name of love? There was that case of a woman who abandoned her mansion and sailed away when she failed to convince her boyfriend to settle down in peace and quiet as a plain and ordinary citizen. She

died on a desert rocky isle in the Caribbean Sea. Police blotters are cluttered with cases of unrequited, ill-fated loves. Perhaps that celebrated wit Oscar Wilde was right when he wrote: “Every man kills the thing he loves; the coward does it with a kiss, the brave with a sword.”

So, what is love?

Frank Tyger once commented that in tennis, love is nothing. But in life, love means everything. As Bernard Raskas puts it: “If we do not love, we are nothing. And, if we do not love ourselves, we are nobody.”

Charles Galloway has this further explanation: “The need to love and be loved is the simplest of all human wants. Man needs love like he needs the sun and the rain. He perishes without it. His basic longing is to be the object of love and to be able to give love. No other need is quite so significant to his nature.”

Love, Shakespeare wrote, is blind. But that’s not true, according to Rabbi Julius Gordon.

“Love is not blind,” he pointed out. “Love sees more, not less.

But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.”

Love is indeed too hard to define. “When we try to anal-

yse what love really is,” wrote Rev. Dexter Irisari, “we are confined to our own limitations to conclude that it is an irresistible feeling which stirs and thrills us immensely. It is not so strange that we cannot often look at it as rational and deliberate. Human love is only human so it suffers human limitations. Actually, we love in our hearts – making love a reasonable feeling.”

Evelyn Millis Duvalls defines love as a language that expresses everything from poetry to profanity. In her book, Love and Facts of Life, she says in part: “Love is something deep inside the individual. It makes one aware of other person’s feelings and sensitivity – making one sustain the other, and the two of them endure together whatever life has to offer.

“Love is creative,” she continues. “It creates a union of people seeking a new meaning in life. It makes them discover things and reach for new heights and dimensions.

It gives the lover a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and achievement. It is this creative factor in love that motivates the lover to be more productive, to try to be what his loved

Love is forever (Photo by Michael H. Chan)

one expects him to become.”

“When love fills the heart,” notes Prophet Ellen G. White, “it will flow out to others, not because love is the principle of actions. Love modifies the character, governs the impulses, subdues enmity and ennobles the affections.”

Poet Kahlil Gibran penned these lines: “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor it would be possessed; for love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’ And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night; to know the pain of too much tenderness; to be wounded by your own understanding to love; and to bleed willingly and joyfully. To make at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. To rest at the noon hour and meditate on love’s ecstasy. To return home

at eventide with gratitude; and then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.”

From the time of Adam and Eve to the death of Jesus Christ – and even until now.

Love still exists. Why is this so? Og Mandino, the author of bestselling The Greatest Salesman in the World, sums up the answer in these words: “My reasoning they may counter; my speech, they may distrust; my apparel, they may disapprove of; my fact, they may reject; yet my love will melt all hearts, liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.”

But perhaps, the best definition of love comes from the Bible: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13: 4-8).

It ends with this statement: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13).

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

B

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Life or death

Y any reckoning, a single police officer caught using drugs is one too many. That was the case in Davao City last Monday when a policeman belonging to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) tested positive for the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride (more commonly called shabu). True, there were almost 500 cops who underwent the surprise test, and all but one failed, but as the cliché goes, the presence of just one bad egg spoils the batch. It is also reasonable to suspect that there would be more offenders among the other police officers who have not yet been tested.

Couple that story with what happened yesterday in a town in Bukidnon and the entire thing takes on a terrifying twist. The commander of the police station in Cabanglasan, a town straddling Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur, was killed when a police officer who had tested positive for drugs lobbed a grenade at him. When the attacker fled, the dep-

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uty ran after him and was promptly killed when the erring cop threw another grenade at him. Quite apart from the operational lapse that may have occurred – why would a policeman run after a suspect without verifying if the latter was carrying another grenade? – the incident shows just how dangerous it is for a cop to be involved in drugs.

Whether it likes it or not, the DCPO’s name is already sullied by the involvement of one of its men in drugs, and we have to ask what assurance it can give that we can rely on the police force to protect us. The rhetorical question needs to be asked at this point: Who protects us from our protectors? How sure are we that, with the incident in Bukidnon as our background, our own police officers will not train their guns or grenades at us? This is a serious issue that the DCPO must address. It is not just a matter of one cop testing positive for drugs; it is, in a very real sense, a matter of life or death.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. KENNETH IRVING K. ONG CHENEEN R. CAPON BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO Reporters MEGHANN STA. INES AQUILES Z. ZONIO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle Photography CHA MONFORTE JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIA ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents Contributing Photographer Cartoons MUNDA • HENRYLITO TACIO • MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO AURELIO A. PEÑA • MARY Columnists: CARLOS MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. ANN “ADI”• C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • VIDA MIA VALVERDE • Economic Analysts:• ENRICO BORBON MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN EMILY “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER PEREZENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA EconomicM. Analyst:

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EDGEDAVAO

W

HEN a politician-actor was involved in a scandal some years back, his sister – a model-turned-actress – told reporters: “Don’t judge my brother, he is not a book.”

Well, she was actually paraphrasing the mostoften quoted statement: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The Bible puts it this way: “Stop judging by mere appearances,” (John 7:24).

Read the story below and tell me what you think of it: A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned.

The husband asked the secretary if he could see the president but she answered that he would be busy all day. “We’ll wait,” the wife joined.

For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn’t. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do.

“Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

“We had a son that attended Harvard for one year,” the wife told the president. “He loved Harvard.

He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.”

The president wasn’t touched he was shocked.

“Madam,”” he said gruffly, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no,” the wife explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”

Upon hearing this, the president rolled his eyes.

He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit. “A building,” he exclaimed “Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard.”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now.

The wife turned to her husband and said

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Judge not quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a THINK ON THESE! university? Why don’t we just start our own?”

Her husband nodded.

The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, Henrylito D. Tacio traveling to Palo henrytacio@gmail.com Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about!

“Men are not to be judged by their looks, habits, and appearances,” Sir Roger L’Estrange once said, “but by the character of their lives and conversations, and by their works.”

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer quips: “When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” John Mason adds: “Judge thyself with a judgment of sincerity, and thou wilt judge others with a judgment of charity.” Honore de Balzac reiterates: “The more you judge, the less you love.”

In a speech delivered at Pittsburgh, Thomas Woodrow Wilson declared: “One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat. At any rate, if it is heat it ought to be white heat and not sputter, because sputtering heat is apt to spread the fire.

There ought, if there is any heat at all, to be that warmth of the heart which makes every man thrust aside his own personal feeling, his own personal interest, and take thought of the welfare and benefit of others.”

Judgment means a stale state of mind. And the mind always wants judgment, because to be in an unknown process is always hazardous and uncomfortable. This story happened in the days of Lao Tzu in China: There was an old man in a village, very poor, but even kings were jealous of him because he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered fabulous prizes for the horse, but the man would say, “This horse is not a horse to me, he is a person. And how can you sell a person, a friend?”

The man was poor, but he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and said, “You foolish old man! We knew that someday the horse

would be stolen. It would have been better to sell it.

What a misfortune!”

“Don’t go so far as to say that,” the old man said.

“Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact; everything else is judgment. Whether it is a misfortune or a blessing I don’t know, because this is just a fragment. Who knows what is going to follow it?”

People laughed at the old man. They had always known he was a little crazy. But after fifteen days, suddenly one night the horse returned. The horse had not been stolen; the animal had escaped into the wild. And not only had the horse return, the animal brought a dozen wild horses along.

Again the people gathered and they said, “Old man, you were right. This was not a misfortune, it has indeed proved to be a blessing.”

The old man said, “Again you are going too far.

Just say that the horse is back... who knows whether it is a blessing or not?” It is only a fragment. You read a single word in a sentence - how can you judge the whole book?”

This time the people could not say much, but inside they knew that he was wrong. Twelve beautiful horses had come.

The old man had an only son who started to train the horses. Just a week later he fell from a horse and his legs were broken. The people gathered again, and again they judged. They said, “Again you proved right! It was a misfortune. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your old age he was your only support. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man said, “You are obsessed with judgment. Don’t go that far. Say only that my son had broken his legs. Life comes in fragments and more is never given to you.”

It happened that after a few weeks the country went to war, and all the young men of the town were forcibly taken for the military. Only the old man’s son was left because he was crippled. The whole town was crying and weeping, because it was a losing fight and they knew that most of the young people would never come back. They came to the old man and they said, “You were right, old man - this has proved a blessing. Maybe your son is crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever.’

The old man said again, “You go on and on judging. Nobody knows! Only say this: that your sons have been forced to enter the army and my son has not been forced. But only God, who sees the total picture, knows whether it is a blessing or a misfortune.”

Norman Schwarzkopf said: “Judge them as you find them. Never prejudge anybody, based upon any of those things that sometimes people are prejudged on.”

Dear Senators Alan and Bongbong, please understand the PEACE PROCESS

S

ENATOR Alan Peter Cayetanos’s statements illustrate his callousness against many of us in Mindanao. He played to the angry sentiments of his Metro Manila constituents on an issue that does not truly affect them as much as it does affect us down here on this forgotten island.

At this point I implore him to reserve his comments until after a full investigation is at least underway. His words carry weight – enough to entertain many of us with a fake bravado that only serves to fan sectarian flames that cause enmity between peoples. As a senator, I would expect that he sees beyond the myopia of a national government that for generations have referred to a “Muslim problem” as though it were the handiwork of religious leaders that can be met by appeasing demands. The tentative tone of his speech sounds really frustrating, as if he were fed what to say.

The same is true with Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. Contrary to his call to restore faith in the peace process, the cake in this issue is taken himself above all, as I believe must finally shed light on what actually happened in the Jabidah Massacre more than 40 years ago. Many historians believe this to be the emotional spark that created the Moro rebellion that we know of today. Had Marcos not formed this commando unit that tried to take over several towns in Sabah,

Malaysia, the MY TWO CENTS’ massacre of these men would not have taken place in Corregidor Island in Cavite.

It is alleged that then-President Marcos himself ordered the execution of these trainees.

The key John Tria question is ecisouth@gmail.com whether we should anchor any faith or levy any credibility on Bongbong’s words.

The fault of both senators is that they comment on a situation they barely understand. What’s worse is that they try to gain political points on an issue they really don’t care about. None of them can truly understand what waging peace in Mindanao means, so they better just keep quiet and let those with real involvement speak out. Perhaps the best suggestion both senators can make is to allow Mindanao’s leaders to lead the peace effort. Only Mindanaoans can lend the proper experience to

the conflict resolution process.

All that said, the peace process, much like that of Northern Ireland, for example, is an opportunity to thoroughly flesh out and address the roots of the conflict. Yes, it is a political solution, and the military force employed is but a means to arrive at a negotiating table from a position of strength to enable proper discussion of issues. Time and expertise are invested in learning about why the protagonists seem so angry with each other, and what their core and long term interests are, not just their present demands and positions on issues.

Most importantly, it is an opportunity to collectively examine the historical and structural roots of the conflict, far beyond and before the activities and supposed crimes of current protagonists. The depths of the conflict are examined, no matter how far ago – they must be resolved, lest new forms of protagonists and new conflicts rise up citing the same sense of historical injustice. Often the result of conflict resolution transcends legal bounds and the limits of history.

What matters most is moving on to the future with pride and decency, both emerging winners eager to work together to prevent the same conflict, killing, and animosity from happening again. Easier said than done, but for the sake of future generations the sacrifice to wage and build peace must be done.

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Catholicization of Davao

FAST BACKWARD

BY THE ARCHIVIST

A

DECREE issued on July 30, 1860 by Queen Isabel II led to the creation of a politicomilitary government in Mindanao and its neighboring islands. Under Article 13 of the edict, which was published in the Gaceta of Madrid on August 5, Mindanao was subdivided into six districts, including Davao, and gave the Jesuits the task to “engage in the spiritual care of the island and will replace the present parish priests with missionaries of its own in accordance with the increase in available personnel and conform to the way it deems convenient.”

Expounding this provision was another royal order issued on September 10, 1861 that gave the Jesuits “exclusive task of founding and thereafter developing mission stations and… they will be charged with the administration of the parishes and missions stations which have already been established by the Augustinian Recollects.” The order also stated that if no Jesuits could momentarily take over the parishes if these are vacated, the ministerial function would remain with the Recollects, unless “actually vacated and entrusted to the Society of Jesus.”

The first Jesuit to set foot in Davao on March 5, 1860 was Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas, the first mission superior of the restored Society.

He took the ship Elcano, the steamer used in the Oyanguren campaign, from Polloc, a port in Maguindanao. His arrival, which took place before the royal order was signed, was significant given that during the past two months Davao did not have a priest. The Recollect parish priest had earlier died from a malignant fever without even receiving the last rites for lack of communication with the next nearest mission. For a few days, Cuevas administered sacraments before returning to Polloc.

Cuevas’ visit was awe-inspiring. He did not only get a distant view of the sulfurs of Mount Apo which was described as looking “like snowfields in the sunshine,” his arrival was welcomed by the commander of the tercio civil and the vice governor of Zamboanga who was at the gulf on a special mission. He was also brought to the main settlement situated just a few hundred meters upstream from the mouth of the river where he observed filth that could have caused the death of the Recollect priest.

At the time Davao had only about 830 residents “distributed between the capital [Davao] and the visita of Sigaboy.” Some of them were former exiled convicts who joined the Oyanguren expedition and were amply rewarded with appointments in the police force.

Unwilling to construct their own domiciles, they also refused to till the land or embrace agriculture but contented in subsisting on meager salaries allotted from the tributes or from earnings from small barters. Years after Datu Bago’s fall, the settlement remained sluggish, and was remotely visited by colonial managers from Manila.

Fr. Peter Schreurs, MSC wrote about the condition at the time: “There was only one poor school in the village, which was run by somebody calling himself a teacher, who was allotted a salary of two pesos a month. For the defense of the stockade, which was built of light materials, there was a garrison of one hundred men of the tercio civil under the command of four officers from the ranks of sergeants and corporals of the regular army. Their captain earned a pay of twenty pesos a month, the lieutenant of seventeen pesos and the soldiers of three pesos. In four years, not a single steam-propelled warship had been in the waters of the gulf and only once a year it was visited by an interisland ship.”

By 1873, the Jesuits started taking over the Recollect missions outside Davao. During this period, Fr. Francisco Martin Luengo, the parish priest of Surigao, made a reconnaissance trip to Sigaboy, and, upon reaching the coastal village of Caraga, he was impressed by the beauty of the place. He wrote: “Caraga, o que nombre este!

Y cuantas ideas me despiera!” (Caraga, what a name! And how many thoughts does it rouse in me!)

10 ICT HUB EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Bruce Jenner wasn’t texting during fatal crash: publicist B

RUCE Jenner was not texting while driving when he got into a chain-reaction crash in Malibu that left a woman dead, a publicist for the Olympic gold medalist said Sunday.

Jenner will provide his cellphone records if requested by investigators looking into the cause of the four-vehicle crash on Pacific Coast Highway, Alan Nierob said.

“The evidence will show that Bruce was not texting at the time of the accident,” he said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said investigators will likely seek cellphone records for all the drivers to determine if distracted driving played a role in the accident.

Jenner was driving a black Cadillac Escalade when he rear-ended a Lexus sedan that slammed into a Toyota Prius that had slowed down or stopped on the famous coastal highway, sheriff’s Sgt. Philip Brooks said.

The Lexus veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a black Hummer.

The driver of the Lexus — Kim Howe 69, of Calabasas, California — was pronounced dead at the scene.

In his first comments since Saturday’s crash, Jenner called the accident “a devastating tragedy” and vowed to cooperate with investigators.

“My heartfelt and deep-

est sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident,” Jenner said in a statement Sunday evening. “It is a devastating tragedy I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time.

I am praying for them.”

The moment of impact was captured by celebrity photographers, who quickly posted the images on the Internet. The photos show the white Lexus mangled in the front and back, facing the Hummer, which had a heavily damaged engine and its hood popped open. Jenner’s Escalade, which was pulling an off-road vehicle, had a damaged front end.

The SUV with a trailer belonging to Bruce Jenner is seen the scene of a car involved in the four-vehicle crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, There was no indi- crash where one person was killed and at least seven other’s were injured, Calif., that killed a woman, Los Angeles County authorities said. (AP Photo/ cation Jenner was being Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. Olympic gold medalist Jenner was in one of the cars Ringo H.W. Chiu) chased by paparazzi However, Brooks said self has declined public com- er generation as Kim Karat the time of the crash, au- has custody of all the vehicles thorities said. “Being a ce- and will be inspecting them it is difficult to determine if ment, his appearance has dashian’s stepfather. He and lebrity, he is often followed to ensure they are mechan- a driver was texting at the gradually become more tra- Kris Jenner appeared on the by paparazzi. He was aware ically sound or whether a exact time of a collision. In- ditionally feminine. Those reality series “Keeping Up of that, and it doesn’t appear defect prevented somebody vestigators will look at signs in his inner circles have not with the Kardashians” along of driver behavior such as challenged speculation that with their children, and the he took any evasive action to from stopping in time.

Investigators could also multiple texts that span a pe- he is preparing to live as a pair’s relationship and its avoid the paparazzi,” Brooks request search warrants, if riod of time leading up to, or woman and perhaps will ap- troubles have been featured said.

Authorities said Jenner necessary. The information including, the crash, Brooks pear in a new reality series prominently on the show.

The two finalized their diabout his transition. passed a field sobriety test gleaned from those records said.

The crash comes at a Jenner won a gold med- vorce late last year, ending and voluntarily submitted a could help inform prosecublood sample to determine tors, if they were to consider time of widespread talk that al in the men’s decathlon at 23 years of marriage. TAMI charges against the drivers Jenner, 65, is becoming a the 1976 Summer Games, ABDOLLAH, Associated whether he was intoxicated. woman. Though Jenner him- but he is known to a young- Press The sheriff’s department involved.

Careful: Samsung’s SmartTV records your living room talk

I

N the George Orwell classic novel 1984, Oceania’s ruling party monitors its citizens through telescreens, which are both television sets and security cameras. It

was chilling look into a possible future – a future that is apparently here. Now. Samsung recently admitted that its Smart TV – which it advertises with the tag-

line, “TV has never been this smart” – can and does record all conversations within its microphone’s range. The manual actually says this: If you enable Voice Rec-

ognition, you can interact with your Smart TV using your voice. To provide you the Voice Recognition feature, some voice commands may be transmitted (along with

information about your device, including device identifiers) to a third-party service that converts speech to text or to the extent necessary to provide the Voice Recognition features to you.

In addition, Samsung may collect and your device may capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features.

Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

In an article on CNET dated February 8, writer Chris Matyszczyk says a Samsung spokeswoman told him: “Samsung takes consumer privacy very seriously. In all of our Smart TVs we employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, in-

cluding data encryption, to secure consumers’ personal information and prevent unauthorized collection or use.”

The problem is who can do such authorizing, and for what.

Corynne McSherry, intellectual property director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said judging by the privacy policy, it seems Samsung is collecting voice commands mostly to improve the TV’s performance.

“It looks like they are using a third-party service to convert speech to text, so that’s most of what is being disclosed here,” she said.

But she added, “If I were the customer, I might like to know who that third party was, and I’d definitely like to know whether my words were being transmitted in a secure form.”

Samsung has so far not identified the third party that is processing the data collected from its smart TVs. Edge Davao

11 THE TRAVEL TELLER

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

SECDEA BEACH RESORT: Comfort and leisure at its Best

By OLAN FERNANDEZ EMBOSCADO

T

HE Island Garden City of Samal has always been Southern Mindanao’s premier beach and island destination. It is dotted not only with pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear waters but with eco-adventure destinations one should not miss when visiting the island.

Considered by some as the largest resort city in the country, Samal Island is home to finest beach resorts in the region.

Every year new beach resorts – even highland and inland ones – are being constructed to cater to more visitors flocking to the island. The newest addition is SECDEA Beach Resort.

SECDEA Beach Resort is conveniently located in San Isidro, Babak District. It is easily accessible whether by a private car or the island’s famed habal-habal ride. It is about 15 minutes travel if you’re coming from Babak proper or 25 minutes from Peñaplata.

More than the resort’s proxim-

ity, SECDEA’s modern facilities and amenities are among the reasons it should be the place of your choice on your next visit to Samal.

SECDEA Beach Resort boasts a stunning beach atmosphere with state-of-the-art amenities and facilities, contemporary designed beach villas and cottages, and uniquely-designed architecture. It is ideally designed to provide convenience and recreation whether basking on the beach, frolicking in the sand, or just roaming around the 56-hectare property.

One of the most recommended things to do while in SECDEA is the Mangrove Walk. It features wooden and concrete bridges perfect to stroll around the mangrove mini-forest. Inside the area is a mangrove nursery where Patapat and Bakhaw are grown.

Another feature of this first class resort is the huge lagoon and fish pond perfectly

built near the main entrance. It serves as a charming welcoming sight upon entering the vicinity of the resort. Here, fishing is allowed where one can catch tilapia and bangus – and yes, you can have them cooked fresh for you.

SECDEA’s infinity pool by the restaurant is a charmer. It offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Davao Gulf and the two famous Liguid Islands – a very therapeutic and relaxing sight to behold. In addition to that are the enticing colors of the white shoreline, the azure skies, and the blue seawaters that perfectly blend to define a perfect tropical haven.

SECDEA’s villas, lodges, and seaside cottages are designed with coziness and comfort – all come with clean, spacious, and modern bathrooms. For those who wish to stay, there are seaside cottages for couples, spacious lodges for a family of four, and comfy villas for bigger groups or families. Room rates range to from P3,500 to P12,000.

There are so many things one can do at SECDEA. You can sweat it out and climb up the 124-step stairway that will lead you to the hill overlooking the view of Davao Gulf and the entire resort. Trust me, the view from the top is just breathtaking.

You can also roam around the entire property by riding or driving a golf cart. Vehicles are not allowed inside the main resort but a spacious parking area is located just beside the main entrance. Golf carting around SECDEA is an amazing experience. But wait, it also has bicycles that you can borrow and go wander around the property.

What about the food? SECDEA serves oh-so-delectable dishes that will make you feel like you’re in the comfort of your own home. I’m highly recommending its own version of bagnet pinakbet and adobo.

Get yourself a refreshing guyabano shake too – just perfect for a sunny beach day.

What about day-tour tripping? Worry not, SECDEA offers day tour trip for only P750 pesos and that comes with a sumptuous buffet lunch, free use of the pool, mangrove walk, and tour around the re-

sort.

Whether you’re here for a day tour or for a night or two, SECDEA Beach Resort will embrace you with warmth and comfort, giving you another feel of the “charm of tropical island living.” After all, SECDEA is Samal Island ‘s newest comfort and relaxation desti-

nation.

For more information, you may check the details and related information below.

SECDEA Beach Resort San Isidro, Babak District Island Garden City of Samal (082) 305 2774 https://www.facebook.com/ secdeabeachresort

12

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

WOMEN

STYLE & IMAGE

Ella Canave Anung FASHION styling is one of the fast growing careers in this modern day and age. Given the power and influence of trimedia and online channels, most industries have invested more attention and effort in brand and image. Part of marketing and advertising brands is communicating values and image to your audience by way of visuals and imagery. Both require expertise in putting together style elements into one set, putting a scene into life by way of providing all the essentials, including wardrobe, that each set up requires. This is where a stylist comes in handy.

Pam Quiñones, Liz Uy, Ranier Dagala… These are just few of the names that ring a bell when the term fashion styling comes to mind. The demand for fashion stylists originated from the need for a professional and creative eye to help improve a person or a company’s image and conceptualize ideas for commercials, film productions and magazine shoots. Most of the people of this profession work freelance while some are employed in publishing and events companies, advertising agencies, fashion designers, retail brands, etc.

Photos by Paul Borromeo and Your Ever After Studios

In Durianburg, one of the many who are slowly creating a name for himself/herself is Angela “Ella” Canave Anung, a 24-year-old Accountancy graduate. Her foray into the fashion scene proved to be a sensible choice as she had always been fascinated with clothing design as early as high school age. “I knew where my passion lies, so I summed up my guts to do some self-study and email professional stylists for tips and info on how to make a career in fashion,” says Ella. “I also messaged photographers and designers in town, offered them my services as stylist for their pictorials. I knew I had to establish myself first by creating a good portfolio to show everyone what I can do.” Soon, Ella got calls from clients asking

for her help in engagement shoot while some are for collaborative work for magazine and portrait shoots.

“When I do styling projects/ stints, I always ask for the theme and peg of the shoot, considering the point of view of the photographer and client. Then I ask about the personalities of the subject/s or model/s. Are they comfortable wearing anything or they just want to stick on a certain type of selections? It’s also important to see the model, or at least a full body photo, so I can be familiar with the body type I’m going to style. I, then, create the ideal shape for the subject/model. The purpose is to find a focal point and come up with a creative style

STYLE A4

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

UP AND ABOUT

LUCKY SHEEP at SM Children’s Accessories Cheer up with your buddy sheep backpack.

Adorable sheep plush toys from the Children’s Accessories Department at the SM Store!

Lucky, lovable sheep toy for kids of all ages.

Fun time with Sheep.

Say BAA-BAA bye-bye to the Year of the Horse. And say hell

PEOPLE born in the Year of the Sheep are good natured, kind hearted, polite, clever, and easily taken by sympathy. They work very hard to accomplish their goals, and are good team workers.

It is said that Sheep have fantastic luck. They usually meet the ones who will assist them and will care deeply for them. They obtain their wishes without force, they are the masters of soft sell techniques.

Sheep are artistic, talented, and have a great sense of fashion. They are generous to share what they have, and thus have close friends and families.

SM Children’s Accessories celebrates Chinese New Year with a collection of cute, lovable, and huggable sheep plush toys that will make playtime and sleep time lots of fun.

Bring home hugs, joy and luck with these cute little Sheep’s, available in SM Children’s Accessories department of the SM Store.

Discover your fortune forecast with Marites Allen at SM Lanang Premier THIS Year of the Sheep, maximize your auspicious energies. Get some tips on how to attract good fortune when you visit SM Lanang Premier this Lunar New Year.

On Wednesday, February 11, 5 pm, international Feng Shui master Marites Allen will be at

the Atrium to share her forecast for 2015. Find out your lucky colors, numbers and elements this year through free consultations brought to you by the metro’s premier shopping and lifestyle hub.

For a glimpse of Chinese culture and artistic traditions, catch the time-honored Lion and

Dragon Dance on February 19 at 10 am and marvel at the Chinese Cultural Show on February 21, 5 pm, at The Atrium.

Welcome the Chinese New Year at SM Lanang Premier! For more details, contact 285-0943 or visit SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for event updates.

Make Valentine’s Day extra special with S a four-course set dinner paired with wine live Bossa Nova performance from the tale per person. For inquiries and reservations, sedahotels.com.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

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ENTERTAINMENT

James, Nadine to star in “MMK’s” Valentine special

laughed, fell in love, and got inspired through the real-life narratives of the show’s letter-senders.

Don’t miss the longest-running drama anthology in Asia, “MMK,” every Saturday, 7:15PM, after “Home Sweetie Home” on ABS-CBN. For more updates, log on to MMK.abs-cbn. com, follow @MMKOfficial on Twitter, and “like”Facebook .com/ MMKOfficial. Tweet your thoughts about this Saturday’s episode by using the hashtag #MMKSignsOfLove.

THE “JaDine” love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre will make TV viewers fall in love in the upcoming Valentine’s Day episode of ABSCBN’s “Maalaala Mo Kaya.”

lo to 2015, the Year of the Sheep!

James and Nadine will play the characters of Yong and Carmina, who were initially bound by the latter’s fascination with romance novels and the list of love signs which she thought led her to Mr. Right.

Can Yong and Carmina’s relationship founded on superficial hints last when challenges take their toll on them?

Also part of the upcoming “MMK” Valentine special this Saturday

(February 14) are Sharmaine Arnaiz, Hyasmin Neri, Andre Garcia, Aina Solano, Erin Ocampo, Myrtle Sarosa, Nicole Barranda, Kyra Custodio,

Choose your Sheep at Children’s Accessories Department at the SM Store!

Axel Torres, Onse, Noel Colet and Marites Samson. It is directed by Frasco Mortiz and written

by Benson Logronio and Arah Jell Badayos.

“MMK” is led by business unit head Malou Santos and creative manager Mel Mendozadel Rosario.

Capturing the hearts of Filipino viewers all over the world for the past 23 years, “Maalaala Mo Kaya” has legions of fans from different generations who cried,

Julian Trono talks about his Korean training in Arirang’s ‘Korea Today’ Playtime is fun time with a sheep plush toy

Seda Abreeza’s Reflections of love. Have es paired for every course at Misto with a ents of Muzicskool for only Php1,480 nett s, please call (082) 3228888 or email dvo@

KAPUSO teen star Julian Trono is definitely set to conquer bigger stages and win bigger audiences.

Last week, he was cited as an example of youngsters who go through K-Pop training in the Arirang morning show ‘Korea Today’. “[The] Korean system [is] more of smooth [and] very strict when it comes to steps. And of course when it comes to singing, [the Koreans are] more practical. There [are] a lot of differences between the Philippines and Korea… [The] Korean system is very, very unique,” he said.

The actor, singer, and dancer is currently in Korea as part of a three-year partnership between GMA Network and JU

February 11, 2015

JUPITER ASCENDING Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum PG 13

11:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

Entertainment. He is set to release a single called ‘Wiki Me’ wherein he collaborated with a Korean composer.

He is also scheduled to guest in the music and variety program ‘Show

Champion’ on MBC, a free TV channel in South Korea.

On his arrival back to Manila, his single ‘Wiki Me’ will be launched in Sunday All Stars on February 22.

R18

11:35 | 2:05 | 4:35 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

PADDINGTON / *EVERLY Hugh Bonnevilles, Xian Lim (Voice of Paddington) / * Salma Hayek

R-16

PG13/ *R16

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

THE WEDDING RINGER Kevin Hart, Josh Gad R13

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

EDGEDAVAO

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WOMEN STYLE A1 that falls at a flattering angle. For example, exposing skin below your neck down to the boob cleavage can finely draw the eye downward, giving an illusion of a longer upper body silhouette. From there, I research for ideas on how to make the peg unique and attention worthy (e.g. poses, hair and makeup, lighting, clothing textures, possible props, etc.). After that, I scout, gather and produce the props needed.”

Sharing her insights on the modern day woman, Ella takes into consideration a utilitarian wardrobe to complement the versatile woman in this cosmopolitan world. “A modern woman has a clas-

sic sophistication which can get her through the many seasons without sacrificing comfort and function. She follows her instincts and I believe we are more knowledgeable of which cuts and prints flatter her curves and smile.

She is able to pull off a look and make it seem effortless for her.”

Style tips from Ella: Corporate Wear “Remember, you want to look respectable and stylish. You can always play with colors (such as teal, burgundy, plum) and prints (stripes, bold patterns) -- though for me it’s best to keep your colors in the same hue but different shades. Neutrals are your best friend. Choose flats

or heels either but best to say no to embellishments, gems, or anything with glitters.”

Cockatail Events “Keep your look somewhere between low-key and posh. You don’t want to look like a walking chandelier, ey? But before choosing your wardrobe, know the theme of the event. Keep your skirt length at knee-low or midthigh high (at most).”

Street Casual “Your best weapon is your personality. Whatever you want to echo when you’re out in the streets or just strolling in the mall, go for it. Mix and match if you want, just keep everything in moderate. Let’s say,

there’s wrong with print on print; as long as it doesn’t blind the eyes. Or buttondowns paired with a leather pencil skirt paired with sneakers are quick fixes for you. Just take note, street casual calls for a laidback and effortless flair.”

Formal “Understand the dress code. Consider wearing clothes that can be dressed up or dressed down. If you think you’re overly dressed, convert your look to a semi-formal one by maybe removing an accessory or removing the tie for men and opening one button on top. I encourage ladies to fit their chosen dress a day/s before the event. This will give you time to make the necessary alterations.

With accessories, avoid being so matchy-matchy.

Accessories should complement your entire look.

Perfect fit is the key! You must be confident enough to strut your look! Kapag bongga ang fit sayo at nakakaflatter ang dress, mas masarap irampa! With accessories, avoid being so matchy-matchy. Accessories should complement your entire look. Then heels for the ladies! Nude ones are the safest choice.

However, if the shoe design complements the look, I’d say, why not?”

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

ZION

ACCUPRINT PUBLISHING, INC.

MACHINE OPERATOR (Printing Press)

Qualifications: - 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

EDGEDAVAO

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NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

Council... FFROM 2 ernment officials, but if it will be from the money of the city government which is the money of the people of Davao City, it is prohibited according to COA,” the vice mayor said.

Earlier, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he will ask the City Council for P1 million

for the education of the SAF members’ children, adding he will seek a foundation that will manage the fund.

He also said Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada already gave P1 million to the families of the 44 fallen SAF members. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

five years, but in no case shall such adjustment exceed 10 percent of the rates fixed under this code.”

The revision will be based

under section 143 of the law so that the increase will be lower than the provision of the existing tax code. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

ber of armed groups.

He said this is because the province is near Compostela Valley Province, which is still a hot bed for the New People’s Army (NPA).

“May nagagawi pa din doon na mga armed groups

(Some armed groups still stray into the province),” Balegtey said.

He said one such incursion in December last year resulted in an armed encounter between the rebels and government troops.

Dayanghirang... FFROM 2 Camiguin... FFROM 3

WALK FOR PEACE. Muslim women join the peace demonstration along the main thoroughfares of Davao City yesterday to call for the resumption of the discussions on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress. Lean Daval Jr.

Muslims...

FFROM 3

ments will continue in the region if the proposed law will not get the nod of Congress.

He said members of the Muslim communities in Davao Region believe the advocacy of President Benigno Aquino in attaining genuine peace in Mindanao.

Yesterday’s peace rally was participated in by members of Muslim communities from Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, and Compostela Valley.

Sawat said the peace rally was simultaneously conducted

in different part of Mindanao and Luzon. Among the areas were Isabela, Pagadian, Cotobato, Davao, General Santos, Tacurong, Marawi, Iligan, Quezon City, and the municipality of Pikit in North Cotabato.

He said the movement was spearheaded by the Muslim Alliance for Peace and allied organizations .

Sawat said the groups aim to gather six million signatures for a manifesto that will be submitted to lawmakers to push for the passage of the BBL.

“The GSP takes an active part in molding the society and that it is very imminent that it will be a major sector that will determine or shape the future,” Mendoza said, adding that women are now empowered in the country.

About 1,652 young girls the provinces of Basilan, Lanao

del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato and the cities of Marawi, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Tacurong, and Kidapawan.

The theme of this year’s girl scout’s regional encampment was: “Imagine: Girl Scouts Igniting the Future.” (PNA)

Cotabato City. Mayor Japal J. Guiani, Jr. is hoping more tourists will visit the city in 2015.

“This year, we are expecting many investments to come in the city. We have several shopping malls that are expected to open this year and we also have foreign investors who are interested in exploring the potentials of Cotabato City,” he said.

The Department of Tourism in Central Mindanao is targeting two million tourists arrivals in the region in 2015.

Moreover, the city is also in its initial stage of building a Visitors Information Center, that will serve as the hub of information for tourists regarding different attractions and destinations in the city. (PNA)

with Electric Power Supply last year, higher than the 74 percent in 2013.

“There were 896 Barangays and 4,496 Sitios in the Region that were energized as of November 2014, bringing the 2014 accomplishment rate to 76 percent, higher by 2 percentage points from 2013’s 74 percent,” Lim said.

She said the current accomplishment had already achieved the end-of-Plan target of 70.28 percent.

“This noteworthy achieve-

ment is attributed to the prioritization of rural electrification by the National Government through implementation of countryside electrification programs such as the Sitio Electrification Project (SEP) and the Expanded Rural Electrification Program,” Lim added.

Lim said that both projects aim to improve the quality of life and widen access to basic social services for the marginalized sectors in remote and geographically isolated areas.

North... FFROM 4

GenSan... FFROM 5

Del Rosario... FFROM 5

CHED...

FFROM 3

ing up with quality scientific research and development studies, the country ranks 102nd.

“The government is not spending enough for research and development.

Some ASEAN countries are allotting 10 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but ours is less than that,” he said.

Alvarez said a shift in heart and culture is needed to uplift research and development in the country.

However, he said he did not blame the government because many higher education institutions (HEIs) like SPC are taking initiatives in making their R&D competitive.

HEIs, however, need to conduct researches that are based on the needs of the industries, he said.

Alvarez urged other schools and universities in the region to make their own initiatives in uplifting their respective research and development protocols in order to be at par with the ASEAN nations.

For his part, SPC chaplain Fr. Ramon Claro G. Mendez said the protocols used in research should not be

based on the market but on the “higher purpose” of benefitting society.

During the ceremony, SPC president Sr. Annabella A. Roña said the manual was made “in response to the newly crafted vision, mission statement and goals of SPC. The vision which puts emphasis on the poor and disadvantaged is ensured of the ethical protocols which the vulnerable populations as subjects are given protection as a provision in the conduct of the study.”

Roña said the manual will serve as guide to students, faculty, and other researchers conducting researches in their respective field.

She said it is very important for SPC to have an ethical protocol in conducting research especially because SPC’s curricula are generally focused on health related profession.

“It is no doubt that most of the subjects of the study will involve human and animal populations and studies may also involve the use of microorganisms,” she added.

Marleonie M. Baluyot, Ethics Committee chair and

DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORP. De Guzman St., Davao City Telefax (082)225-4473

editor of the manual, said the book compiled relevant provisions as protocols prior to implementation of any research proposal.

“It ensures compliance of review of the proposal which will provide better outcomes in the conduct of research,” he said.

Baluyot added that the manual “sees to it that investigator/s, aside from the scientific and/ or technical review, addresses those provisions required by the ethics as suggested by the International Ethics Review Committee consisting of three members to compose the panel”.

Baluyot said the manual generally adopted most protocols of the World Health Organization (WHO) to make sure that the standards and practices of the College in reviewing research protocols are aligned with the generally accepted standards.

The manual was prelaunched in February 2014 and was later on adopted

by SPC as a protocol to review all research proposals in the undergraduate and graduate studies. CHENEEN R. CAPON

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE All unredeemed items pawned during the month of September 2014,if not redeemed/renewed on February 15, 2015 will be put on Auction Sale February 20, 2015 at 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P.M. Pahibalo nga ang tanang wala malukat nga prenda sa bulan Setyembre 2014,kung dili malukat sa Pebrero 15, 2015 isubasta sa bulan sa Pebrero 20, 2015 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag hangtud sa alas 5:00 sa hapon.

DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORPORATION Davao City: 252 San Pedro St., 167 San Pedro St., CVA Bldg., C. M. Recto St., G/F Victoria Plaza Bajada 120-B Lapu-lapu St., Agdao 75C R. Magsaysay Ave., 2nd Level Gaisano Mall Bajada, G/F NCCC Bldg., R. Magsaysay Ave., Centerpoint Plaza Matina Fronting San Pedro College Guerrero St., Carlson Bldg., Lapu-lapu St.,Agdao NCCC Mall Matina Saavedra St., Toril

Gaisano South Citimall, Ilustre St., Km. 11 Sasa Km. 13 Panacan Boulevard Buhangin Cabantian Bankerohan Calinan Davao del Norte Gaisano Mall, Panabo Davao del Norte Gaisano Grand Mall of Tagum, Tagum City Gaisano Mall of Tagum, Tagum City Purok Marilag 11, Quezon St.,Tagum City Davao del Sur Gaisano Grand Mall of Digos , Quezon St., Digos City

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a FILCAB Ordinary Regular Service Case No.2001-XI-02353 UNITED HOMEOWNERS TRANSPORT SERVICE COOPERATIVE (UHTSC) Petitioner x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a FILCAB Ordinary Regular service on the route. DOÑA PILAR SUBDIVISION VIA JP LAUREL AVENUE with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate will expire on December 20, 2015. In the petition filed on January 23, 2015, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on FEBRUARY 24, 2015 at 09:00 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Officer In-Charge, this 23rd day of January 2015 at Davao City.

EDGAR CRISANTO R. VIOLOAN Acting Chief Transport Development Officer

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

DREAM COME TRUE

D

Davao City Sports Complex to finally rise

REAM no more people of Davao City.

The realization of having a modern sports facility for Davao City, a long-time dream, is finally taking place under the administration of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“The funding is already there. It’s just a matter of implementing the plan and building the sports complex,” City Administrator Atty. Jesus Melchor V. Quitain told participants to the recent 2015 Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Mindanao Games at the University of Immaculate Conception (UIC) Bajada campus gym.

“We hope that the construction will start soon, and we hope that the construction will continue before the end of the term of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte,” Quitain added.

Nestled in a 20-hectare lot inside the University of the Philippines-Mindanao in Mintal, Tugbok District, the facility will be called the Davao City Sports Complex.

Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro T. Ungab said the budget allocation was already included in the General Appropriations Act 2015 and that construction works for

the sports complex will commence either in May or June this year.

First phase of the project will cost P250 million, consisting of the auditorium (P100 million), indoor gym and multi-purpose building (P50 million), track oval, lightings and outdoor sports (P50 million) and road leading to the sports complex (P50 million).

Rep. Ungab said the auditorium, indoor gym and multi-purpose building and road construction is now up for bidding. On process is the bidding for the track oval and outdoor sports.

Ungab said it was Mayor Duterte himself who first brought the idea of building a modern sports facility for the people of Davao several years back.

“It’s a realization of a common dream. I was still in the City Council when Mayor Duterte first laid out the idea of establishing sports complex in the city,” said Ungab, chair of the committee on appropriations in the House of Representatives.

“Now, we can see this dream turning into a reality,” he added.

It can be recalled that the

City Government of Davao and UP-Mindanao entered into an agreement several years ago to establish the sports complex, but the plan never really get going because of funding problems and that there were informal settlers living in the

before losing value in 91 equal increments to match the rolling nature of the ranking formula.

The points earned are divided by the number of events in which a player competes in that 104week span (with a minimum value of 40) to get an average, the measure that sets the ranking’s pecking order.

Woods is yet to earn any ranking points in 2015 and earned less 7.39 points for all of an injury-plagued 2014. He’s set to lose very little the next two weeks, but will lose the remaining points for his 2013 WGC-Cadillac Championship win in March. Currently, Woods is not eligible for the event. Later in the month, he’ll lose points from winning the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, which could be replaced with a modest finish.

REGG Popovich’s grand plan has produced plenty of wins.

The Spurs made it an even 1,000 for him on Monday night.

San Antonio rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and got an 18-foot baseline jumper from Marco Belinelli with 2.1 seconds left to give Popovich a milestone 95-93 victory at Indiana. ‘’I’ve been here a long time and I’ve had good players.

That’s the formula,’’ Popovich said. ‘’Getting the players is difficult, but I’ve been fortunate to have good ones. The time, that’s the most important element. You have to be around for a while I guess.’’

Popovich celebrated in his typical low-key way. He walked to midcourt, putt an arm around Pacers coach Frank Vo-

Tiger at his lowest OWGR position since 1996, could plummet further

T

IGER Woods hasn’t been this low in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1996, the year he turned pro.

Woods checks in at No. 62 in the latest world ranking, his worst ranking since the week after he won his first PGA Tour event in Las Vegas in October 1996 (No. 75). If Woods continues to struggle similarly as he did in Phoenix two weeks ago or is sidelined with injury, he will plummet further.

Without getting too deep, the Official World Golf Ranking is determined based on results from the prior two years (104 weeks). Players earn points in events based on their finish and the strength of the competition they beat. Those points hold their full value for approximately three months (13 weeks)

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15

WOKE up with a message from Martz Angeles Coleman, aunt of United States fencer Lee Kiefer, last Sunday morning.

Her big news? Lee just won the gold in the Algers World Cup. That should be big news indeed. A gold in the World Cup is no mean feat for a young fencer like Lee. But wait, that’s not enough.

Lee won the gold in style and when I mean in style, she did it against the toughest of opposition. The teen fencing sensation defeated no less than Ariana Errigo of Italy, the world’s no. 2 fencer in women’s foil and the same lady who ended the Olympic run of Lee in 2012 in London.

Oh, if you have not heard of Lee, she is a half-Pinay fencer for the United States

WBO Intercontinental Junior Featherweight champion Genesis “Azukal” Servania punches Mexican challenger Juan Luis “Perla Negra” Hernandez during their title fight at USEP Gym in Davao City Saturday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

area where the facility will be constructed.

Today, these two main concerns have been addressed under Mayor Duterte and through the help of Rep. Ungab.

“Because of the help of

Congressman Ungab, the funding has been made available for the construction of the sports complex,” Quitain said.

“That is one information, one development that every Dabawenyo is waiting for,” her added.

Ungab said the sports complex to be constructed is a progressive type.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ungab said. “It’s been a long time since we hoped to have a sports complex. “Now, it’s a reality.” (SDD-CMO)

gel, hugged one of his former players and stoically strolled into the Spurs’ locker room though he later acknowledged he might drink some wine.

While Popovich does have five NBA championships, few midseason wins have come with this much fanfare.

Only two coaches, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, reached 1,000 wins faster than Popovich. Only one other coach, Jerry Sloan, achieved the feat with one team. Sloan won 1,127 games with Utah. Popovich is 1,000-462 in 19 NBA seasons, all with San Antonio.

His regular-season winning percentage (.684) ranks fifth all time. His playoff winning percentage is seventh (.623) though only two men in front of him coached more than 100 postseason games, Jackson

and Billy Cunningham.

And it came on the most fitting stage of all for the Indiana native. Popovich was born in northwest Indiana and grew up playing high school basketball in Merrillville, Indiana.

But it was Popovich’s players who wanted this win most - and it showed as they erased a nine-point deficit over the final 5 1/2 minutes.

Belinelli finally tipped the game with his jumper just before the shot clock expired, and George Hill’s 3-pointer for the win bounced off the rim at the buzzer. ‘’A thousand wins, that’s a lot of wins and I feel very lucky that I’ve been with him for a lot of them,’’ Tony Parker said after scoring 19 points. ‘’We’ve experienced so much stuff together.

I’m just very happy for him.’’

Popovich played this one with some caution.

After Sunday night’s loss in Toronto, he deactivated Manu Ginobili and carefully tracked the minutes of Parker and Tim Duncan. Parker and Duncan, who had 15 points and eight rebounds, each played 30 minutes, 23 seconds and didn’t enter the fourth quarter until just before the closing run began. ‘’We just weren’t solid enough down the stretch and gave them too many extra possessions,’’ Pacers forward David West said. ‘’We’re disappointed we let this game get away.’’

West finished with 10 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for Indiana. Rodney Stuckey had 19 points as the Pacers’ three-game winning streak came to an end.

Popovich earns win No. 1,000 as Spurs get past Pacers

G

Lee Kiefer is closing in on Rio

team and she LET’S GET IT ON is currently ranked no. 4 in the world.

Her mother is a Dabawenya doctor Teresa Bacani Kiefer who is now based in Kentucky. Lee has been to Davao Neil Bravo when she was 12 and she stayed at an aunt’s house in El Rio Vista Village in my neighbourhood.

Lee is only 19 and is the United States’ biggest hope for a fencing medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

I sent a message to her coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak and the very accommodating mentor responded excitedly to announce that Lee has improved to world no. 4 from no. 5.

“Our goal is not only to go to Rio but to have a medal,” coach Amgad said in a message.

Coach Amgad said the qualifying school for the Rio Olympics will be held next month in Havana, Cuba for the Havana Grand Prix.

In Algers, Algeria, Lee defeated the veteran Errigo 15-14. Lee gave up around five inches to the tall Italian fencer ranked no. 2 in the world. Earlier in St. Mauer, Lee also defeated 2012 Olympic gold winner Elisa Di-Francesca of Italy for the silver in

the St. Mauer World Cup. She also won the Juniors World Cup gold medal last year and anchored the US team to a silver medal finish early this year in the Gdansk World Cup. Her aunt in Davao, Dr. Janice Bacani Carandang must be very proud of Lee. A stint in the 2016 Olympics is now on sight for the Kiefer family and they all look forward to cheering for Lee in Rio. Prior to that though, let’s pray Lee survives the Havana Grand Prix—her passport to Rio hinges in this event.

We are all rooting for you Lee, way to go.

Postscripts: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

RIO IN SIGHT

Half-Pinay fencer wins World Cup gold

GOLD MEDAL. Half-Pinay Lee Kiefer (second from left) of the United States is crowded at the podium by the other VICTORY HUG. Lee Kiefer celebrates with coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak after beating Ariana Errigo of Itay. medalists including Ariana Errigo (left) whom she beat in the finals of the Algers World Cup las Sunday. (USFA photo) (USFA photo)

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

U

NITED States fencer Lee Kiefer, a daughter of a doctor from Davao, finally scored a breakthrough win beating Arriana Errigo of Italy in the finals of the Algers World Cup by the skin of her teeth, 15-14, in Algiers, Algeria last Sunday.

The 19-year old daughter of Doctor Teresa Bacani Kiefer, now based in Kentucky, USA, survived the veteran Errigo who also denied her of a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympics. Errigo went on to finish with a silver in London after

bowing to compatriot Elisa Di Francesca for the gold.

News of Kiefer’s win was relayed to Edge Davao by her US-based aunt Maritz Angeles Coleman.

“So happy and jumping for joy, my niece Olympian Lee Kiefer won gold at the

Algers World Cup over 2012 Italian silver medallist Errigo,” Coleman told this writer in a message on Facebook.

Kiefer’s US coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak also told this writer in a message that the win shoved Kiefer to the no. 4 ranking in the

world.

“Yes, she is ranking 4th now and out goal (is) not only to go to Rio, but have a medal there,” said coach Khazbak.

Khazbak also added that their next tournament is the Grand Prix in Havana next

month which is the qualifiers for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Algers World Cup was held last February 6-8 and is being participated by the players ranked by the international fencing body FIE (Federation Internationale D’Escrime).