Edge Davao 7 Issue 247

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

BRAVING TRAFFIC. A man maneuvers his wheelchair through heavy traffic along R. Castillo Avenue in Davao City yesterday. Despite his disability, he tries to earn a living by working away from home, braving the traffic while travelling from R. Castillo Avenue to Davao City’s downtown area. Lean Daval Jr.

NEXT IN LINE Pulong eyes City Hall if Rody goes for Malacañang D

AVAO City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte yesterday declared his intention to run for mayor in 2016 but only if his father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, runs for president and if the people of Davao would welcome his candidacy.

In a statement, the young Duterte said his decision stemmed from “the strong possibility” that his father would seek the presidency.

He said with former Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio “already declaring her disinterest on running,” he sees no other

candidate that could continue the Duterte legacy.

Paolo said his sister “is already content with her legal practice and commercial endorsements.”

Edge Davao asked Sara to confirm her brother’s assertion, but she replied with a brief “No comment.”

Mayor Duterte had earlier signified his desire that Sara run for mayor in 2016 purportedly because he wants to retire from politics.

Paolo, however, apparently believes the mayor is seriously considering running for

president.

The young Duterte never had the direct endorsement of his father when he first entered politics as barangay captain and then for vice mayor. The reason, the father had said, is that his son does not have the proper background for politics like having a law degree.

Paolo, however, said he does not need to be a lawyer to be an effective public servant.

He is nevertheless pursuing a doctorate degree in public administration at the Lyceum Northwestern University

and is expected to graduate this May. Paolo graduated from college with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the University of Mindanao. He then took master’s degree in public administration at the University of Southeastern Philippines in 2009.

Paolo said the final decision would still be in the hands of the Dabawenyos, be on the hands of the Dabawenyos if they would want him to lead them and if the supreme being would will it. Jon Joaquin and Diana Lhyd Suelto

INSIDE EDGE JASON JAMES DY:

THE VOICE FROM MINDANAO!

Indulge A4

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

FOLDED UP. A group of children enjoy making Origami figures last Sunday in their community at the coast of Matina Aplaya. Armando Fenequito Jr.

Danao: Drugs, gunrunning a ‘family business’ in Isla Verde

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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AVAO City Police Office (DCPO) director Senior Superintendent Vicente D. Danao Jr. yesterday said drug dealing and gunrunning in Isla Verde, Quezon Boulevard has become a “family business” with two brothers, their brother-in-law, and even their father who is a former barangay captain arrested in a raid last Saturday at around 4:30 a.m.

In an interview, Danao told reporters that during surveillance conducted by police operatives several months ago, Kahlid Palawan alias “King” and Pangalian Palawan were

identified as two of the people who were selling drugs and guns in the area.

Danao said even their brother-in-law Nasarudin Batara alias Bobong Palawan was also involved in the illegal activity.

“Parang lumalabas na family business yung droga (It appears that the drug trade is a family business),” he said.

Danao said even the Palawan brothers’ father Karim, who is a former barangay captain of Barangay 23-C, was subjected to surveillance because his children had been tagged during the “Oplan Tokhang” of

former DCPO director Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa.

Danao said although the former barangay captain was not included in the search warrants, he was still arrested during the raid since he was inside the house.

“Unfortunately, the former barangay captain was also staying there. That is why he was included among the arrested suspects,” he added.

Danao said the firearms confiscated during the raid were separately owned by the former barangay captain and by his children.

Danao said they are still investigating the source of the illegal drugs and firearms as well as identifying the entry point of the contraband.

“Masyadong maluwang kasi Davao City especially in our shoreline, kasi bangkang maliit pwede makargahan kahit 5 kilos na unnoticable (Our shoreline is too wide here in Davao City. Even small boats can carry up to 5 kilos of drugs and not be noticed),” he said.

Danao said out of the 18 warrant of arrest implemented by police on Saturday, only 13 were positive on concealment

BPO-ICT companies that are mostly 50 to 100 seaters that are based here in Davao City.

She said the growth in this sector will provide the city with added revenue and jobs to Dabawenyos.

“Right now, we have to map out these companies because these will provide additional jobs to the existing 21,000 professionals in the ICT-BPO sector of Davao City,” she told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the recently held general membership meeting of the mem-

bers of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines-Davao chapter at the Park Inn by Radissons-Davao.

She said these small companies are now expanding up to 300 seats, tapping the 10,000 skilled talent of Davao City.

Holganza said the growth in the homegrown BPO companies of Davao make’s the city’s business community more mature.

“It provides more options not just to customers but also to local investors who are part-

ners of the city government in making jobs for the locality,” she said.

Holganza said this smaller sector of ICT-BPO, especially among home-based companies, will continue to grow in the coming years if more players from the telecommunication sector come in.

“The problems of these home-based companies are the expensive bandwidth and unreliable internet connection provided by existing telecommunication companies here,”

FDANAO, 14

Principe says women struggle far from over

By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY

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OUNCILOR Antoinette “Petite” Principe-Castrodes on Monday said the struggle of women for equality, civil liberties and human rights is “far from over” despite the passage of laws that protect them and programs that were implemented to uplift their living conditions.

“Yes, the struggle is far from over,” Principe-Castrodes said during the regular flagraising ceremonies at the City Hall grounds Monday morning.

While she acknowledged the fact that women today are being given more representations, PrincipeCastrodes said a significant amount of violations of the

rights given to them still persist.

“We need not look past our city to see that there are women from all walks of life being abused physically and emotionally by their husbands or domestic partners. There are still prostituted women who, despite the struggle to be seen as the victims, are still portrayed as the offenders,” she said.

“There are still various establishments that thrive on the commercialization and commodification of women in the guise of beauty contests and the like,” she added.

The City Government

FPRINCIPE, 14

Davao City sees growth in ICT-BPO industry this year Zarate nixes gov’t push

By CHENEEN R. CAPON for large scale mining

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ATIONAL ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NCIP) chair Wit Holganza said there will be robust growth in the homegrown Information and Communication Technology- Business Process Outsourcing (ICT-BPO) companies in Davao City this year.

“What’s on the radar of the national government agencies are those big BPO companies but there’s a robust growth in small BPO companies here,” Holganza said.

Holganza was referring to about 30 voice and non-voice

FDAVAO, 14

‘More land grabbing, human rights violations’

By JON JOAQUIN

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AYAN Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate yesterday said the government’s intensified push for more large scale mining in the country would only result in even more cases of land grabbing and human rights violations.

Speaking during the opening “Mining In The Philippines,” a photo exhibit on “the actual situation in the 20

years of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995” mounted at the North Wing Lobby of the House of Representatives, Zarate said land grabbing and human rights violations will be particularly true among the “hapless members of the country’s indigenous peoples.”

“Instead of pushing for this economically elitist and

FZARATE, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

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BBL does not guarantee peace in Mindanao -- Ferrer

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SEIZED GUNS. Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 deputy director for operations Senior Superintendent Aaron Aquino examines firearms seized from suspects arrested during a drug raid conducted early morning Saturday in Isla Verde,

Davao City. The confiscated firearms, 300 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), and drug paraphernalia were presented to the media at Camp Quintin M. Merecido yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

NACTING the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) into law even in the form desired by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not guarantee peace in Mindanao, the head of the government peace panel admitted in an interview with the Philippines News Agency at the sidelines of a journalism seminar in Anilao, Batangas, on Sunday.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said passing the draft BBL into a law will not totally solve the conflict in Mindanao as there are still other armed groups that are sowing chaos in the region.

“BBL is not equal to peace, it’s too narrow a view,” she stressed.

Ferrer said there are still

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HE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has requested the public to cooperate with the tight security measures that will be implemented during the 78th Araw ng Davao celebration this month.

DCPO director Senior Superintendent Vicente D. Danao Jr. told reporters that there will be a random checkpoints in some parts of the city to

ensure the safety of the people and visitors who will join the celebration from March 13 to 16.

“We ask the public to cooperate especially if there are inspections being conducted,” he said.

Danao said the strict security will be concentrated on the places of activity, especially the streets on which the parade will traverse.

Mamasapano incident to affect peace talks adversely: Dabawenyos

“We also encourage the public to report suspicious looking people who leave unattended baggage,” Danao said.

The people can report such sightings to the ISUMBONG kay CDDCPO hotline 0925-8233-276.

Danao also said carrying backpacks and tumblers are still discouraged, but people, especially tourists who do not know the said

prohibition, can submit them to the police for tagging.

He explained that backpacks have many compartments that make it easy to hide prohibited materials.

Danao said he will request around 100 personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion 11 to assist the DCPO in securing the activities.

FBBL, 14

Senators, congressmen vow to approve constitutional BBL

DCPO to public: Cooperate B with strict ‘Araw’ security

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

a lot of reforms that must be introduced and more armed groups that must be dealt with before peace can even have hope in Mindanao.

But, the government panel head said, enacting the BBL would at least eliminate the MILF among the government’s concerns in Mindanao, and “it’s a big thing, because you know how difficult it is if they (armed groups) unite.”

Ferrer also said they are open to discussing the changes in the draft BBL that the Congress wants to introduce but they are waiting for the Office of the President to initiate the talk with the legislators.

“Maybe it’s just a matter of explaining the provisions being objected to by the legislators or changing some of the

OTH Houses of Congress sealed an agreement on Monday to revise and amend the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to ensure its constitutionality even if this would result to a watered-down version as feared

by Moro rebels.

House Majority Floor Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II said the agreement was reached during the regular monthly meeting of Congress leaders to update their legislative agenda.

“We agreed that what we are going to approve is a constitutional BBL. We need to amend the proposal to ensure its constitutionality. To insist on what had been submitted by the Palace is not possible and realistic,” Gonzales said in an interview amidst appeal by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III not to change the

BBL too much.

“We are hoping to approve the proposal before the sine die adjournment on June 11,” Gonzales told House reporters.

He said the meeting was attended by him, SenatePresident Franklin Drilon, Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., Sen. Ralph Recto and Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo.

He also said that the possibility of special session after the sine die adjournment of the Second Regular Session of the 16th Congress is impossible.

“I don’t think it will work, I hope we pass the BBL before we adjourn by June,” he said.

Earlier, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the chairman of the 75-man ad hoc committee on the BBL, proposed one to two weeks special session to salvage the ”dying” bill seeking to create the

FSENATORS, 14

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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AJORITY of Dabawenyos believe that the death of the 44 members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25 will adversely affect the ongoing peace process between the government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

A survey conducted by the Institute Public Opinion (IPO) of the University of Mindanao (UM) showed that of the 1,241 respondents, 84 percent said the Mamasapano incident will have a negative effect on the peace process.

Adrian Tamayo, UMIPO’s specialist on economics, government, and political issues, said the respondents were systematically chosen from three congressional districts of Davao City.

He told reporters that only 12 percent of the respondents are optimistic that the incident will have little effect on the peace negotiations and on the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Only four percent of the total respondents, meanwhile, said the incident will not affect the peace process.

Speaking during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex, Tamayo said 49 percent of the respondents were saddened by the incident as many lives were lost, while 34 percent were outraged “Perhaps they have observed the disregard of the sanctity of life of the men in uniform who risked their lives to keep the ordinary person safe from the horrors of ter-

FMAMASAPANO, 14

SURVEY SAYS… Institute of Popular Opinion (IPO) specialist on economics, government, and political issues Dr. Adrian Tamayo discusses the result of his group’s survey about the Mamasapano incident conducted last February 7 to

15. Tamayo was a guest of yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

4 PROPERTY How families can take advantage of condo living at Northpoint T EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

HE convenient, hassle-free living in any of Northpoint’s condominiums brings many advantages to both to parents and children regardless of age. Whether the family lives in a two- or three-bedroom unit, they get to enjoy all the opportunities given to them as homeowners of Northpoint.

Easier supervision of children. As a compact home, a two- or three-bedroom condo unit makes it easy for parents to monitor their children’s activities. They can easily take a peek at the adjacent bedrooms to see what the kids are up to. If the children are in the living area, they are within earshot and eyesight of parents who may be cooking, cleaning or just watching TV. With Northpoint’s round-the-clock security, parents are assured their children are safe while enjoying the outdoor facilities and amenities at the clubhouse Wakefield Manor, such as the kiddie pool, playgrounds, pocket gardens, and nature park.

Minimal maintenance work. Parents will love the fact that they don’t have to mow the lawn, cut the overgrowth, or water the plants.

They won’t even have to be bothered when there is a need to fix roofs, sweep the grounds, or clean the pool. Even garbage management is taken out of their hands.

That’s because maintenance and upkeep of the condo property is taken care of by a professional property management team, also tasked to oversee security and homeowners’ affairs in Northpoint. Homeowners only need to worry about their own units.

With everything efficiently in place as is normal in a condo home, parents can clean up as they go. There is no clutter to put away, no big, bulky furniture to scrub, or big areas to clean. That means less maintenance demands, less stress, and more time to enjoy life with their families.

More social opportunities. Living in a condo home gives children more opportunities to socialize with their peers and neighbors. They see them on a daily basis at the clubhouse, pool, gardens, jogging trail, grounds, even at the parking area, corridors, and elevators.

It is easy for them to strike a conversation with other children, make new friends and learn to interact with others. This gives them more venues to socialize, helping to build their self-confidence and teaching them how to deal with their peers.

Northpoint has a diverse and carefully selected set of homeowners that makes for an exciting social community. Parents and their children will appreciate that they will be meeting people of all ages and from various backgrounds.

More physical activities. Parents and adult children can do their exercise regimen anytime they want at Wakefield Manor with its fitness gym and wellness pool with salinated water, as well as the jogging track than meanders around the condo grounds.

Children will love to frolic at the playground, play tag with friends under the towering Caribbean pine trees, or sit on the thick carpet of grass while exchanging stories with other kids. They can run freely on the grounds and inhale the fresh pine scent all day long.

Beneficial neighborhood relations. In Northpoint, everybody benefits from good neighborhood relations. Mothers with small children naturally gravitate towards each other, cooing over the babies and swapping baby stories. Fathers tend to gather for some talk knowing they are neighbors and share the same home location. Children easily make friends with other kids similar to their age.

These social interactions result to closer ties as friends, making it easy for neighbors to ask each other for some impromptu favor such as babysitting or carpooling. Knowing they are

Northpoint gives the best home environment for

small or growing families

friends with the people in their condo neighborhood makes Northpoint a more exciting and assuring place to live.

Northpoint is a landmark condominium development of Vista Residences, the vertical marketing arm of the country’s largest homebuilder, Vista Land. This British colonial themed condo community offers two- and three- bedroom units ideal for small or growing families who want to experience all the benefits they can get from living in Northpoint.

Currently, selected units with two, three, or four bedrooms come with free interior design in the living and dining area, including a bedroom selected by the homebuyer. To take advantage of the perks of living in Northpoint, homebuyers can call 226-3100 or visit the Camella offices at Delgar Bldg. (fronting Northpoint), JP Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City.

Family bonding time is special in Nort

hpoint

Young ones enjoy the pine-scented ambiance of Northpoint as they set out for their little adventures Teeners enjoy friendships at the clubhouse in Northpoint

Northpoint’s clubhouse is a comfortable place for teeners to hang out

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

NGCP: Mindanao power situation improved

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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OWER situation in Mindanao has improved in the past few days, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced.

Milfrance Capulong, NGCP corporate communication for Mindanao , said that after experiencing a tight supply, Mindanao now enjoys an improved power situation after the first unit of the STEAG State Power Inc (SPI)’s 210 megawatts (MW) coal-fired power plant in Misamis Occidental has become online yesterday.

“We have a reserve of 112MW and we expect that this will increase once the second unit of STEAG starts it commissioning by next week,” Capulong said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex Monday.

SPI implemented a maintenance shutdown of the first unit from February 19 to yesterday. For the second unit, the shutdown started February 21 and will last up to March 16.

“The first unit is on its test run,” Capulong said.

The maintenance shutdown of the first unit of SPI caused the Mindanao power situation to tighten, Capulong explained.

All generating plants are running in full capacities to meet the growing demand for power in Southern Mindanao since February 2015, according to her.

Capulong noted that as of yesterday, NGCP recorded a total of 1,423 MW power generation in the Mindanao power grid, while peak demand only spiked at 1,300MW. Power reserve in the grid was 112MW. “We observed that there’s a decrease in power demand in Mindanao,” she said.

The NGCP official attributed the drop in power demand in the island-region to the low power usage in the commercial and industrial and residential sectors .

“Perhaps, many people are now not staying on their homes or offices resort to lessen its power usage because of the rotating power interruptions,” Capulong said.

However, she said the reserve doesn’t mean there will be no rotating blackouts at all.

“There will still be rotating blackouts, but it will be shorter,” Capulong said.

The NGCP, she added, has entered bilateral power supply contracts to different companies and electric cooperatives from all over Mindanao to supply additional capacities to the grid.

“This will lower the power shortage in the future,” Capulong said, adding that NGCP is continuing its effort to maintain, add, and improve all transmission line nationwide.

“NGCP is ready for any incoming power capacities,” she said.

15 MSMEs of Sarangani benefit from DTI program

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OME 15 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Sarangani Province are set to benefit from an innovative business development program of the Department of TRADE and Industry (DTI).

Nenita Barroso, DTI-Sarangani provincial director, said Monday they will sign a memorandum of understanding next week with 15 MSMEs in province for the rollout starting this month of its Integrated Product and Market Development Project (i-PMDP).

She said the initiative will mainly involve selected MSMEs in the province under its processed food cluster.

The processed food cluster is one of the prioritized subsectors under the DTI’s industry clustering strategy.

Barroso said the i-PMDP mainly aims to increase and sustain the supply of export-quality processed products in the province.

“We will be identifying common products and harmonize market development interventions for diverse sectors of our processed food industry,” she said.

The official said the project is one of the provincial initiatives of the DTI to help local entrepreneurs prepare for the

integration of the economies the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-states.

She said Sarangani was among the areas that was seen to benefit largely from the regional economic cooperation due to its strategic location.

The province is among the provinces in Mindanao that have active engagements with areas within the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA. Barroso said that since processed food products from the province have so much potential in the ASEAN market, local MSMEs should have proper compliance with standards on food preparation, handling, manufacturing and other necessary requirements for exportation.

Through the program, she said they will help prepare local entrepreneurs in positioning themselves and their businesses to move up to the higher stages or levels of the exportation process.

One of the strategies of the project is to refer the submitted products of project enrollees to a certified food technologist for business and product diagnosis and capacity training, she said. (PNA)

BIG PROJECT. Torre Lorenzo president Tomas P. Lorenzo cites the significance of their partnership with Dusit International during the launching of the homegrown Torre Lorenzo brand at the Marco Polo Davao Tuesday last week.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

250 exhibitors in farm, agri trade fair

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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TOTAL of 250 exhibitors are expected to participate in the extended Kadayawan Farm and Agri Trade Fair at SM City Annex from this month to April 23.

Vicky Jimenez, event organizing team co-chair, said the exhibitors will come from different industries like agriculture, livestock and poultry, floriculture and commercial.

“Our event is usually lasts for a month but the Department of Tourism 11 partnered with SM City, who is our partner, and decided to extend the exhibit for the 2015 Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS),” Jimenez said in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

Jimenez said flowers, specifically various orchid

Special service campaign for Toyota FJ Cruiser slated

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OYOTA Motor Philippines Corporation (TMPC) has issued a special service campaign for the Toyota FJ Cruiser Steering Intermediate Shaft.

In a letter to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba dated February 3, 2015, Lawyer Rommel Gutierrez, TMPC’s First Vice President for government and industry Affairs of its corporate affairs group, said that these steering intermediate shafts of Toyota FJ Cruiser were produced from August 1 to 23, 2013 at their Japan Manufacturing Plant.

Gutierrez said the special service campaign covers six FJ Toyota Cruisers officially sold in the Philippines.

Due to the improper maintenance of welding equipment, the joint on the steering intermediate shaft assembly of the affected vehicles may have an

inadequate welding. With this scenario, the weld joint might separate which may lead to loss of steering control.

“As a preventive measure, we will replace the steering intermediate shaft assembly with a new one at no cost to our customers,” Gutierrez said.

TMPC has committed to contact the affected customers through notification letters and invite them to bring their vehicles to authorized Toyota dealers for repair.

Meanwhile, DTI-Davao Region officer-in-charge Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said Dabawenyos who bought an FJ Toyota Cruiser may also contact the nearest DTI office should they have clarifications or some other concerns relative to this advisory.

In Davao City, DTI office is located at 2F Mintrade Realty Building, Monteverde Avenue corner Sales Street. They can be reached at (082) 224-0511.

(DTI11/NCL/jmm)

species, and animals like bird and chicken will be the top products that will be featured in this year’s event.

A Goat and Sheep Techno Forum was conducted last year during the 2014 Kadayawan Farm and Agri Trade Fair.

Exhibitors will not only come from Davao City, but also from Kidapawan, Marbel, General Santos City, among others.

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international recognition and appreciation” leading the city to foster sisterhood relations with Vermont of the United States through exchanges in music and arts.

“This will be a promising future venture to boost our local tourism industry,” he said.

He also expected the city of Tagum to draw international attention in 2016 as it is being considered to host the International Brass Band Competition next year.

Meanwhile, Rellon aired his call for Tagumenyos to continue creating festivities to hand down to the next generation the tradition of celebrating success, culture, joy and happiness.

Bringing the involvement of children and youth at the forefront of this year’s Musikahan Festival, the organizers will feature the hundred voices concert of the city’s local choral groups which are both school and community-based.

Another significant feature of the Musikahan is the string instrument concert which will bring together, for the first time, all graduates of the Music Makers Program to render a series of special musical rendition. (PASAMBAP). (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)

by about 40 bonsai enthusiasts.

Aside from a bonsai contest, there will be also a lecture on bonsai making.

Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers.

Jimenez said the organizer of the trade fair is planning to conduct a Zumba festival within the almost two months of

exhibition of different flowers, fruit-bearing trees, animals, and other commercial products.

Their previous customers, Jimenez said, usually came as far as Baguio, and some other areas in Luzon, Palawan, Zamboanga, Butuan, General Santos City, and Kalinga-Apayao in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

MPMC UPDATES. Secretary Luwalhati Antonino (left), chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) listens as Dir. Romeo Montenegro of MinDA Investment Promotions and Public Affairs reports on the status of renewable energy projects under the One-Stop Facilitation and Monitoring Center Web Portal.

Mindanao power body pushes for more RE

Rellon calls for aggressive K tourism promotion drive

AGUM City Mayor Allan Rellon Saturday opened the Musikahan Festival with his call for aggressive promotion of the city’s tourism industry as the country opens its doors to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) Integration.

He called on local prime-movers of the city’s tourism industry to move ahead and not wait for the national government to promote “our place and (our) festivals as tourism destination.”

“We must initiate aggressive campaign to forefront our local tourism industry especially to international market,” he said in his Musikahan Festival opening remarks Saturday, during which he unveiled the musical note marker to signal the start of the trio-event to unfold this week in Tagum City.

Aside from the Musikahan Festival, the City of Tagum will also be celebrating its 17th Founding Anniversary and will be staging Tagumenyo Bisa’g Asa which is a celebration of “successful and united Tagumenyos worldwide”.

Rellon revealed that efforts to position Tagum as the music capital of the south and the city of festivals “has gained

Jimenez said that the same number of exhibitors participated in last year’s event.

There will be also a contest for bonsai enthusiast on March 10, according to her.

“This will be a contest between the smallest and biggest bonsai. This will be the first time in the country for this category,” Jimenez said.

The contest will be joined

EY power players from the government and the private sector are mapping steps to provide Mindanao with a greener and renewable power supply in the next five years.

During the 5th principals meeting of the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) held last week at the National Power Corporation Board Room, top officials from the power industry underscored the importance of advocating renewable energy (RE) as a prominent source of electricity for the island-region.

“There are good things coming in for Mindanao and power is one of them,” Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said in her opening statement.

Antonino said that compared to the situation last year and the years before, the state of Mindanao power today had seen significant improvement with the immediate and medium term measures, stressing that even with the ongoing maintenance shutdown of Steag’s 200MW coal-fired power plant, majority of Mindanao did not have rotating brownouts as reported by the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO).

She added that the Mindanao supply situation is even expected to have excess supply this year for the first since 2009, with the expected coming online of Therma South 300MW and the first 100MW out of 200MW from Sarangani Energy Corp.

Antonino, however, noted that the expected entry of more baseload capacities from coal-fired power plants totalling 2,000MW until 2018 should be complemented by accelerated deployment of renewable energy projects such as hydro, biomass, geothermal, and solar, among others.

She added that the OneStop Facilitation and Monitoring of MPMC currently tracks a total of 231 RE projects spread across Mindanao that could potentially generate at least 2,419MW of sustainable power for the region between 2020 and 2025.

The surge of RE power applications can be attributed to the One-Stop Facilitation and Monitoring Center (OSFMC) Web Portal, an online database developed by MinDA and the Department of Energy (DoE) with the assistance of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Launched in October last year, the web-based mechanism aims to accelerate the duration of the permitting

process for RE projects to one to two years instead of the usual three to five.

The same online monitoring facility initiated in Mindanao was also adapted by DoE that led to the formulation of the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS), which will also provides the same services for power proponents in Luzon and Visayas regions.

“A diversified mix of fossil and renewable energy sources is integral to our overall strategy of pursuing balanced and holistic economic growth in Mindanao,” said Romeo Montenegro, MinDA’s director for Investment Promotions and Public Affairs.

He added that pursuing RE development is also aligned with the MinDA’s Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework Plan, which recognizes power as a major enabling factor for socio-economic development.

Meanwhile, also highlighted in the meeting were updates on the reforms and electrification program made by the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (LASURECO), whose management was taken over last year by a task force led by the Department of Energy (DOE).

DOE Assistant Secretary Matanog Mapandi, who concurrently serves as interim General Manager and President of LASURECO, reported

that some 4,271 kWh meters have been cleaned and around 1,759 kWh meters installed to new member-consumers, while about 1,851 kWh meters have been calibrated and awaiting certification from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Mapandi revealed that a new meter reading and branding system had also been implemented to ensure a more efficient and effective collection of payments from among consumers.

Last year, DOE activated a rehabilitation task force to undertake reforms within the LASURECO, which through the years had been confronted with collection efficiency problems, operations losses and ballooning debts.

According to Mapandi, the new measure includes a snap photo of every meter read which is also reflected in the monthly billing statements of the consumers. The move is in response to the inherent lack of accurate metering scheme which has led to financial constraints that greatly stiffled LASURECO’s operations.

Established through Executive Order No. 81, MPMC plays an active part in spearheading and coordinating efforts of local, regional, and national government agencies and key power industry players to improve the overall power situation in Mindanao.

7 BIGGER PICTURE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

Yes, childhood cancers are curable!

(First of Two Parts)

Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio (Author’s note: The publication of the pictures and the stories for this two-part series is in accordance with the consent of the parents and assent from the patient.)

P

IKIT, North Cotabato resident Normiya Asi was so happy that the baby girl she delivered was healthy.

She named her “Talha.” But eight months later, she observed a lump near the child’s sex organ. She was worried and so she brought her to the hospital. After several check-ups, the doctors said Normiya’s child had malignant cancer. “She’s too young to have cancer,” said the devastated mother.

Myrna Loretero brought her one-year-old son Miguel, whose stomach was swelling, to the public hospital in Amas, Kidapawan City. The doctors conducted an ultrasound and did several checkups. Since the doctors had a hard time deciphering what the problem was with the little boy, they referred him to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City. The doctor’s diagnosis: rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of sarcoma (cancer of soft tissue).

Riquelene Dela Cruz, from Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, was only 14 when she was diagnosed with cancer.

The doctors advised that she should be operated on. She and her parents protested; they didn’t want her left hand to be cut. But when the pain was too much to bear, she decided to undergo the operation. For almost a year, “I was cancer-free,” she said.

But in May 2014, the cancer returned.

Cancer starts as a single cell and grows into a merciless disease that claims millions of lives year after year. In fact, cancer is one of the leading killers around the world.

It accounts for six million or 12 percent of deaths globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

Worldwide, 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the US-based St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which works closely with leading American pediatric oncologists. In the United States, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease -more than Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and diabetes combined.

“Two-thirds of children treated for childhood cancer will suffer long-term effects from treatment including loss of hearing and sight, heart disease, secondary cancers, learning disabilities, infertility and more,” the foundation points out.

Cancer is a rare disease among children, occurring in only 1 of 5,000 children every year. “The types of cancer that we see in children are different from adults,” says Dr. Mae Concepcion Dolendo, the head of the Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Unit of the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC), the largest public hospital in Mindanao.

“Childhood cancers are usually embryonal or deep seated and aggressive while adult cancers are epithelial in origin and can be slow growing,” Dr. Dolendo explains. Epithelial tissue, which is made up of cells closely packed and range in one or more layers, covers the whole surface of the human body.

“In contrast to many adult cancers,” notes The Merck Manual of Medical Information, “cancers in children tend to be much curable. About 75 percent of children with cancer survive at least 5 years.”

Childhood cancer isn’t just one disease. “There are over a dozen types of childhood cancer and countless subtypes, each requiring specific research to develop the best treatment for every child,” says St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

The most common cancers of children are: leukemia, brain and other central nervous system tumors, neuroblastoma (a cancer that grows in parts of the nervous system), Wilms’ tumor (a specific kind of cancer of

the kidneys), lymphoma (including both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin), rhabdomyosarcoma (the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in children), retinoblastoma (a cancer of the retina, the light-sensing area at the back of the eye), and bone cancer (including osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma).

Other types of cancers are rare in children, but they do happen sometimes. “In very rare cases, children may even develop cancers that are much more common in adults,” the American Cancer Society says.

Leukemias, which are cancers of the bone marrow and blood, are grouped into four main types according to how quickly they progress and the type of cell that becomes cancerous: acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myelocytic leukemia.

“Leukemia accounts half of childhood cancer,” says Dr. Dolendo. Compared to adults, whose cancers are brought about by lifestyle exposures, “(the causes of cancer among children) are multifactorial which includes genetic pre-

disposition, parental exposures, and early infections, among others.”

Dr. Dolendo says childhood cancers are also very aggressive but are very sensitive to treatment. “Overall survival for childhood leukemia is more than 90 percent in developed countries and almost 80 percent for all other cancers,” she says.

Unlike adult cancers, childhood cancers are not given much prominence. “I think childhood cancer is a significant problem among Filipinos because we have a relatively young population and children comprise 40 percent of our population,” Dr. Dolendo says.

“I would like to point out though that childhood cancer is still relatively uncommon accounting to only 10 percent of all cancers and 90 percent being adult cancers,” she adds. “In Mindanao, we expect about 1,000 new cases to be diagnosed every year.”

Unfortunately, of the 1,000 news cases annually, only 200-250 are diagnosed and able to access treatment.

As in adults, doctors use a combination of treatments, including surgery,

chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. “Children who survive cancer have more years than adults to develop long-term consequences of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, such as infertility, poor growth, damage to the heart, and even development of second cancers (which occurs in 3 percent to 12 percent of children who survive cancer),” the Merck manual notes.

“Because of these significant possible consequences and complexity of treatment, children with cancer are best treated in centers with expertise in childhood cancers,” the Merck manual points out.

“Childhood cancer treatment is complex and long term,” Dr. Dolendo agrees.

“Our solid tumor patients go through surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy when necessary. Standard treatment protocols for solid tumors span 6 months to two years of repeated visits to the hospital.”

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, for instance, are treated for twoand-a-half years. “And there are the necessary hospital

admissions in between chemotherapy when patients are treated for infection, receive transfusions, or go through evaluation work ups,” Dr. Dolendo says. “There are also repeated outpatient visits for check-ups and chemotherapy.”

Dr. Dolendo also runs the House of Hope, a single-floor facility with seven rooms, which is located inside the SPMC. Launched in 2007, it has since then catered more than 2,700 patients and 4,000 caregivers.

“We tried to compute for the total cost of treatment for all patients and we found that chemotherapy alone in the duration of our standard all treatment costs more than P300,000 per patient for chemotherapy medicines alone,” Dr. Dolendo says.

The aforementioned cost does not include blood products, supportive care medicines and hospitalizations. “Despite having similar diagnosis, every individual patient responds differently from other patients so the costs of care may vary with some patients admitted more than others,” Dr. Dolendo says.

Unfortunately, almost 80 percent of their patients come in late stages of disease with many complications which further escalate the cost of care.

In Africa, a wise unknown author once said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Taking from the same perspective, Dr. Dolendo says, “It certainly takes a whole community of people to see a child through a cancer journey.” (Continued on Tuesday)

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

EDITORIAL Dabawenyos in a blame game

D

ABAWENYOS think that resigned police director general Alan Purisima should take most of the blame for the massacre of 44 Special Action Force commandoes in the hands of combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private army in the so-called Mamasapano incident last month.

The hierarchy of blame is contained in the findings of an opinion survey conducted by the University of Mindanao Institute of Popular Opinion.

Nine of every 10 Dabawenyos interviewed believe that Purisima is responsible for the bungled operation that also resulted in the killing of wanted international terrorist Marwan, 14 MILF combatants and four civilians, including an 8-year old girl. Next in rank in the blame game topnotchers, pun intended, is SAF commander Napenas, with 84 percent, for not coordinating with other police and military commanders and not following the chain of command . Like in the case of Napenas, 84 percent of the survey respondents, said lack of coordination between the SAF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines on the ground, was likewise responsible for the great loss of lives. Next to blame, with 80 percent, is the MILF for taking out the lives of the already helpless fallen SAF commandos. No. 4 in the blame ranking is the perceived rivalry between the Philippine National Police and the AFP, with 67 percent of respondents pointing their

EDGEDAVAO

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accusing fingers to this direction. The least to take the blame is President Aquino with 60 percent.

The uglier picture is provided by the finding of the survey in that part wherein the respondents were asked why they believe a go-signal was given for the SAF operation. Nine of every 10 Dabawenyos (89 percent) believe that the reward money (of $5 million) could have motivated the higher-ups in giving the go-signal for the risky mission. The second ranking motivation is the “claim to fame” of General Purisima, with 44 p ercent, followed by the desire to neutralize the terrorists, with 36 percent; actionable information, 25 percent; to spoil the peace process, 23 percent; and “start a war as there is money in war,” 11 percent.

The opinion survey conducted during the period Feb. 5-15 involved 1,241 Dabawenyos from all walks of life in the three congressional districts of Davao City. As can be gleaned, the opinion survey was immediately conducted just days after the unfortunate incident in Mamasapano.

If a second survey asking the same questions is conducted today, could the perception of Dabawenyos be different from the first survey? What do you think? With the cacophony of opinions flying thick and fast in all conceivable forms of platform all over the country, we think that it is always a good thing for Dabawenyos to speak up and be heard. After all, we’re just a few hundred kilometers away from where it happened and we are very much part of Mindanao which is affected by the incident, like it or not.

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

T

WO years ago, I attended the golden wedding anniversary of our neighbor. I was not really interested to celebrate the occasion but my friend, who is the grandson of the couple, cajoled me to join him. He is a person who doesn’t invite people if it is not really that important.

Since I had nothing to do at that time, I decided to go with him. I sat down at the church and met some of my friend’s family, relatives, and friends. When the ceremony started, everyone was silent. But I observed that some family members were in tears.

In the middle of the ceremony, one grandson stood up, went to the podium, and sang the haunting Kenny Rogers song.

“I can’t remember when you weren’t there, when I didn’t care for anyone but you. I swear, we’ve been through everything there is. Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed, can’t imagine anything the two of us can’t do.”

The he belted out: “Through the years when everything went wrong, together we were strong. I know that I belonged right here with you, through the years. I never had a doubt we’d always work things out.

I’ve learned what love’s about by loving you through the years.”

This particular scenario flashed into my mind as I read the story forwarded to me by a friend through email. Read it and ponder: During the renovation of a house in Japan, someone breaks open the walls. (Jap-

A

FTER Davao fell into enemy hands on Dec. 20, 1941, the Japanese promptly established a military administration to take over the consular office existing in the city. The new office was formed to determine who among the local residents, mainly Filipinos, were supportive of the cause of the invaders. To do this, an interpreter who knew English was hired to interview individuals before a certificate of good standing, the ryominsho, was issued.

The document actually served as an instrument, or a pass, confirming that the holder of the certificate was not anti-Japanese. The women, elderly, and the children were spared from the rigors the men had to undergo. For males who were athletic and physically healthy, they “were immediately sent to the inner part of the compound, far from the prying eyes of others.” In short, they were readied for execution.

Taiji Ikeda of the Propaganda Corps of the Japanese Army, in March 1942, reported that “the number of certificates issued by the military certifying the

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Through the years anese houses THINK ON THESE! normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.)

Upon tearing down the walls, he finds a lizard stuck there because a nail from Henrylito D. Tacio outside was henrytacio@gmail.com hammered into one of its feet!

He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, because it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built!

The lizard has survived in such position in a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving! Indeed, it is impossible and mind-boggling! He keeps wondering how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a single step, since its foot was nailed!

He stopped his work momentarily and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating! Later, out from nowhere appears another lizard, with food in its mouth, suddenly feeding the stuck lizard.

He was deeply touched and stunned at such a scene! Imagine? The other lizard has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope! Pause for a moment and think: Will you do that to your partner?

If lizards can do it, why can’t human beings do? Being married to the person you love is the best thing that can ever happen to you. You belong to that person and that person belongs to you.

Marriage should be forever. Find the right partner for you. Women should not marry a guy because he is handsome, or rich, or because your parents tell you to marry him. The same is true with men. He should search for the right woman for him.

Marry the person who you will love even when you wake up in the morning and find him or her not good looking enough.

“Happy marriages,” said Tom Mullen, “begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.”

Once you’re married to the person whom you thought is the right one for you, accept him or her, including the bad traits and habits. Josh McDowell says, “What you are as a single person, you will be as a married person, only to a greater degree. Any negative character trait will be intensified in a marriage relationship, because you will feel free to let your guard down – that person has committed himself (herself) to you and you no longer have to worry about scaring him (her) off.”

Marriage is not always a bed of roses.

Two people from different backgrounds usually clash but that’s alright. Opposite attracts each other, right? “Men marry women with the hope they will never change,” commented Albert Einstein.

“Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.”

Ogden Nash tells: “Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other who never forgets.” However, he offers some advice: “To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong admit it; whenever you’re right shut up.”

Yes, there are marriages made in heaven — because from the beginning, God is in the midst of the union. Marriage, someone once said, is always a triangle: man, woman, and God. With that, marriage is bound to be forever. And husband and wife will live happily ever after.

Do you want to stay married to your partner forever? Learn wisdom from the words of Bon Jovi’s spouse: “My wife tells me that if I ever decide to leave, she is coming with me.”

By the way, some notes about the song “Through the Years.” It was written

by Steve Dorff and New York City native Marty Panzer, and was released in January 1982 as the fourth single from the album Share Your Love.

In early 1982, the song reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, remaining in the Top 40 for eleven weeks and went to number one on the adult contemporary chart, becoming Kenny Rogers’ fifth single to top this chart.

tyish guy—the interpreter—who was an employee of Ohta Development Corporation, a Japanese-owned abaca firm.

His function was to require the men and women to separately queue while he interviewed every one of them, separating those who were perceived to be bad from good, and issuing only the ryomisho to those he subjectively viewed as sympathetic to the Japanese. Hiroyuki Mizuguchi, a Davao resident who later joined his country’s war against the U.S., nonchalantly viewed the fate of those who were arbitrarily placed behind bars: ‘What happened to those [who were detained] in the stockade is best forgotten. We were at war. No one had the right to condemn the man to his death without a fair trial. Those who were waiting in life for their certificates were not losers of the war. They were victims of an unwanted war.’

Hiroyuki reminisced that the detainees were eventually taken out of their cells in groups of ten, their hands tightly bound, and forcibly loaded into

buses. To hide them from kibitzers, the Japanese sentries surrounded the inmates, keeping an eye for possible last-minute mutiny or plan to escape.

The prisoners were then sent away to an unknown destination. Hours later, the buses would return empty except for the vigilantes on board. To those who knew that thousands of innocent civilians had already died brutally in Japanese hands since the invasion, the disappearance of the able-bodied men was a sure sign of summary execution.

To further enhance the monitoring of public reception towards the new colonial managers, the Japanese organized the Davao Japanese Volunteer Troop, with the chief function to secure deficiently guarded posts. The paramilitary force had sixty members who were equally divided into two squads headquartered at the Guino-o compound. Taught to handle short arms and oriented in the nuances of basic intelligence-gathering, one of its odd jobs was to escort disgraced prisoners and suspected traitors to their deaths.

Summary executions

FAST BACKWARD

BY THE ARCHIVIST holders to be law-abiding citizens now (reached) 80 per cent of the pre-war population,” saying the beleaguered local residents were “now willingly cooperating with the Imperial forces on the establishment of a New Philippines.”

The military admin branch held office inside the Guino-o Autobus Compound, at the corner of Andres Bonifacio and Ponciano Reyes (now Cayetano Bangoy) streets. It was manned by a for-

10 ICT HUB EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

HI-TECH LEARNING. Global Filipino Teacher Emerson Dalangin demonstrates to students of Sico 1.0 National High School in San Juan, Batangas the effective way of using ICT tools donated by Globe Prepaid.

Globe enables 21 century learning in the countryside st

P

UBLIC high schools in the provinces, specifically in Batangas and Negros Occidental, finally have access to 21st century learning with the continued expansion of the Global Filipino School (GFS) program, a long-term educational initiative of Globe Prepaid.

Selected educational institutions for GFS are Sico 1.0 National High School in San Juan, Batangas and Bata National High School in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

A

Teachers in the said schools underwent a five-day teacher training workshop in information and communications technology (ICT) integration inside the classrooms, which they will eventually share with the teachers in neighboring schools.

“We believe in the importance of providing quality education to the Filipino youth to give them a brighter future,” Director of Globe Prepaid Raymond Policarpio said.

“Thus, we work closely with Globe Corporate Social Responsibility in bringing innovative education to public schools, teachers and students. One way to accomplish this is through GFS, a program being conducted by Globe in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) to transform select public schools into centers of ICT excellence,” he added.

“With the tools available for them under GFS, the teachers can now have ac-

cess to limitless teaching and learning engagements available on the Internet. They can enroll in online learning channels, engage in teleconferencing for best practices, and even operate classroom management tools. In short, a teacher can now work faster, more efficiently and effectively through the program,” he added.

As a GFS, both schools are committed to become ICT training hubs for the their respective DepEd divisions. This

means that apart from ensuring all homeroom teachers of each school will be trained on ICT integration in the classroom, teachers from various schools within the division will also complete their ICT training workshops.

Aside from the special teaching methods, Globe Prepaid also provided the schools with superior online connectivity via Tattoo as well as a Globe Mobile laboratory package which consists of a set of netbooks, mobile projectors,

printers and sound systems that will enable teachers to bring their ICT-centered engagements into the classroom.

The first GFS program was implemented in Bohol’s Bilar National High School in December 2012 after an evaluation on school management, teacher and student development, as well as ability and potential to forge partnerships and collaboration with the community stakeholders for sustainable development projects.

#Bayanihan is a cloud-based application for local government units (LGUs).

The grand champion took home P500,000 in cash prize, and the equivalent amount in grant for their school. The second and third placers received P200,000 and P100,000, respectively, with their schools also getting the same amount in grant.

The SWEEP Awards, the biggest and longest-running technology competition in the country, is organized annually by the telco as part of the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), a unique industry-academe linkage program that has a network of 52 colleges and universities all over the country. The goal of the partnership is to enhance Philippine engineering and IT education, and help partner-schools produce industry-ready graduates.

“At Smart, we champion innovation especially among the students, encouraging them to identify consumer pain points within their community, think outside the box, and design game-changing devices or applications anchored on mobile-enabled technologies,” said Ramon R. Isberto, head of Public Affairs at Smart.

“Through the years, we’ve

seen the vast improvement in the quality of entries submitted for the SWEEP Awards and the increasing potential for commercialization of what used to be prototypes for college theses.

These young innovators have effectively transformed the mobile phone into a tool that can be used to help solve everyday problems and needs,” added Isberto.

With the theme, “Building Cloud-based Communities”, Smart’s SWEEP Awards continues to provide college students with the platform to develop

and create innovative mobile applications that provide solutions to existing consumer pain points using mobile and Cloud technologies.

The other finalists are Smart I-PRINT (De La Salle Lipa); Smart A.S.S.: Aerial Surveillance System (Bulacan State University); SENTINEL: Smart Emergency Necklace Triggering Internet-Enabled Locator (Bulacan State University); Smart RESERVE (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila); AIDPH: A Web and Mobile-Based Application for Philippine Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Information System (University of Cebu-Main Campus); Constello (Ateneo de Manila University); and ALMS: Automated Landslide Monitoring System (University of Southeastern Philippines).

Smart also allowed for the first time non-SWEEP schools to participate via the open competition on mobile apps development and vie for the Smart DevNet Innovation Award. Five special awards were given to teams from the University of Southeastern Philippines. Each

team got P10,000 plus a path to commercialization. Once the app is commercialized, the winning team will get an additional P40,000 plus a share of the revenues.

For over a decade, Smart has and continues to work closely with schools and universities in molding and preparing students become industry-ready graduates or technopreneurs, leveraging on its network, infrastructure and technology resources.

For more information about SWEEP, click on www.smartsweep.ph.

Agri trading app tops 11 SWEEP Awards

TEAM of student innovators from Wesleyan University Philippines of Cabanatuan City bested nine other teams at the 11th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards of wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) with a mobile application that hopes to facilitate efficient trade of agricultural crops.

Basic agricultural crops such as rice and corn play an important role in the Philippine economy. It is also staple food for most Filipinos. This is why Wesleyan University’s S-MART (Smart Market Assistance and Product Trading) was judged most innovative and promising among the top entries for this year’s innovation awards.

S-MART is an app that allows the users to track prices of basic agricultural crops allowing producers to maximize their profit margins, and consumers to choose the best buys in the market.

Meanwhile, Smart IMAGE (Instant Multiple-option Assessor for General Examinations) of Bulacan State University, and #Bayanihan of Batangas State University won 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up, respectively.

Smart IMAGE is an attempt at making more efficient checking of examination papers, while

th

The top three teams at the 11th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards celebrate with Smart executives led by president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno (standing fourth from right), and DOST Undersecretary Mon Ibrahim (standing second from left)

11 SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

KALILANGAN FESTIVAL 2015. Participants give a spirited performance during the Kalilangan Festival 2015 Street Dancing Competition which was held from Pioneer Avenue to Oval Plaza in General Santos City. The James L. Chiongbian National Trade School of K’ling, Kiamba, Sarangani Province was declared the winner by default, winning P200,000. It also received the P20,000 consolation prize as well as a trophy. The festival was capped by

a grand fireworks display on February 27. The show at the RMMC Theatro Ambahanon was witnessed by Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera and his wife, Supreme Court Administrator Atty. Jose Midas P. Marquez, RTC Branch 12 Oscar P. Noel, and Colonel Renato Padua. President and chairman Kristoffer Franz Millado led the countdown for the fireworks display.

MisOr turns over computers, printers to reg’l trial courts T

HE province of Misamis Oriental has turned over 14 sets of computers worth P6 million to the Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) here Monday morning.

During the turnover ceremony, Governor Yevgeny Vin-

cente Emano said he hopes the computer sets would be of great help to the courts.

A fire of unknown origin gobbled up the entire Hall of Justice building in Cagayan De Oro City last February 6 and burned all court records of the

22 offices of the RTC courts here, including the Regional, Provincial, and City Prosecution Offices.

Emano said the RTC courts here still lack necessary equipment, particularly computers and printers to expedite cases at their temporary offices in Cagayan De Oro City.

“The donation is just the beginning of our promise to help the RTC courts here,”

Emano said.

In a short message, Emano said he was not donating the computer sets in order to ask favors from the judges of the RTC courts here.

“I have to put it on record that I have no case in any RTC court here. Thus, my initiative to donate the computers should not be construed that I am asking a favor from the regional trial courts,” Emano

said.

RTC Executive Judge Dennis Alcantar said all the regional trial courts are now holding the court salas in the Tourism Hall building in Cagayan de Oro City.

He said the businesses at the RTC are back to normal although the reconstruction of the burned documents of the cases are being complied by private lawyers.

According to Alcantar, the reconstruction of the new Hall of Justice building here, including the provision of office furniture and equipment, would amount to more than P200 million.

He said the Supreme Court has already asked Congress to appropriate the necessary amount for the construction of the new Hall of Justice building here. (PNA)

ty practices and prevention measures.

“We will distribute fliers on important fire safety tips to every household and briefly talk to them about it,” she said.

Belonio said they will also intensify their fire truck visibility campaign in areas that are considered as fire-prone.

She specifically cited crowded residential communities and commercial zones as well as areas that had history of major fire incidents.

“We will deploy our fire trucks and at the same time educate people on fire safety practices and prevention measures,” she said.

The official said it is important for local residents to

be aware of proper fire safety practices and related measures to prevent the occurrence of fire-related incidents, especially during the summer season.

In the last two months, local BFP personnel already recorded a total of 85 structural and grass fires in the area.

The latest structural fire was recorded on Thursday last week at Villegas Village in Barangay San Isidro.

The incident, which was declared by BFP to have been caused by electrical short circuit, involved a boarding house that hosts six families.

In terms of grass fires, the agency already recorded around 70 incidents in the

area since January.

On Saturday, a major grass fire at the city international airport triggered the closure of its runway for several hours.

A BFP report said the incident started at around 11 am at a portion of the airport compound and spread rapidly due to strong winds and the unusually intense warm weather in the city that was recorded at 35.6 degrees Celcius.

At around 1 p.m., it said local Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines personnel temporarily closed down the airport’s runway due to poor visibility. It was reopened at 2:20 p.m. (PNA)

retire in May this year.

Councilor Ramon Tabor said the granting of the “one step salary grade higher” is in compliance with Section 2 of Republic Act 7305, also known as the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.

Tabor, chair of the City Council committee on police, fire, and public safety, said that councilor Dan-

te Pajo, chair of the city’s health and sanitation, has recommended the one grade salary increase for the retiring health workers.

He said the Council approved an increase in the budget for retirement benefits of city workers from P8 million in 2014 to P10 million under the General Appropriation Ordinance

for 2015.

Elipe, chair of the city council’s committee on finance, ways and means, said the Council also increased from P17. 1 million in 2014 to P37.7 million in 2015 the terminal leave benefits to make sure that the retiring city workers could receive the benefits due them. (PNA)

BFP goes house-to-house on fire safety, prevention

B

UREAU of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel here will launch this week a house-to-house information and awareness campaign on fire prevention and safety in connection with the observance of the Fire Prevention Month.

Chief Insp. Nailyn Belonio, city fire marshall, said Monday they have scheduled visits to various communities within the city’s 26 barangays for the conduct of trainings, seminars and other related information and education activities on fire prevention and safety.

She said the initiative mainly aims to further raise the awareness of local residents on appropriate fire safe-

C

CDO wants more benefits for retirees

ITY officials in this port capital are working to grant more benefits to retirees of the city government, councilor Prexy Elipe said Monday.

Elipe said the City Council has recently approved an ordinance granting one grade salary increase from Grade 24 to Grade 25 to a health official who would

12

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DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICE

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Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., Quirino Ave., Davao City Tel: (082) 224-1413 Telefax: (082) 221-3601

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL The Settlement Hotel Melaka.

One of the Settlement’s wooden Malay Villas.

Malacca: relaxed and artsy at the

SETTLEMENT

WITH its rich and colourful history, Malacca is one of Malaysia’s most historic cities earning for it a spot in the UNESCO World Heritage list. A rich and prosperous international trading port for spices, porcelain, tea and silk, Malacca was a jewel in the eyes of its Portuguese, Dutch and Biritsh colonisers, all of whom left imprints of different influences of architecture in buildings throughout Malacca.

Drawing inspiration from the rich mix of cultures, the Settlement Hotel Melaka which I called home while I was visiting Malacca offers guests to the quaint 45-room boutique hotel a unique stay.

Located on the fringe of the city’s Portuguese Settlement along Jalan Ujong Pasir, the hotel ,which once used to be a 1960’s 4 storey government building, is now a beautifully designed building with various artwork and cenOne of the many wooden decorative houses that can be found turies-old wooden day beds and artefacts located around the hotel’s grounds. around the hotel.

At the dining area of the hotel.

All of The Settlement’s 45 rooms are well-appointed with deluxe beds, 40inch LCD TV as well as a spectacular bathroom with toiletries specially made by L’occitane and a fabulous free-standing bathtub. But while the

rooms of the Settlement were wonderful, the four wooden Malay villas that are located at the hotel’s well-manicured garden area give guests a truly Malaysian village experience with traditional a Malay bath and a beauti-

The Settlement’s Deluxe room. ful four-poster king sized bed completing the experience.

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

The lobby of the hotel has artwork such as these Picassos on exhibit for everyone to see and enjoy.

EDGEDAVAO

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UP AND ABOUT

It’s all about pizza in Food Magazine’s first issue ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc.’s Food magazine takes the food trip up a notch as it serves fun-filled cooking classes for foodies and kitchen savvy people for free on its 20th anniversary throughout the year.

Loyal readers are in for a treat as four cooking classes titled “Food Tastings” will be presented by Food magazine and Lifestyle Network. Food magazine also partners with the crème de la crème of the industry as it taps professional chefs as mentors for the series of cooking classes.

The first leg of the series on March 21 (Saturday) will be all about the great tandem of Pizza and Pasta as the first class will feature easy-to-make home pizza and pasta recipes. It will also let participants have the chance to let creative juices flow with the Pizza Creations activity to be held at Project Pie Tomas Morato, the official venue partner.

The next series of classes of “Food Tastings” will run throughout the year, having participants explore recipes on health and wellness, hearty breakfast meals, and delectable sugar rush gift ideas.

Interested participants can register and reserve a slot via tinyurl.com/foodtastings.

Meanwhile, Food magazine’s first issue of the year is all about pizza, featuring in its glossy pages easy tricks on how to make the perfect mouthwatering crust at home.

Food magazine also lets readers prep up for the sunny season with yummy Mediterranean snacks and spreads anyone can enjoy while basking under the sun.

Grab a copy of Food magazine’s first issue out on newsstands today.

Can’t find your favorite magazine? Head over to www. abs-cbnstore.com for ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc’s magazine titles. Nationwide shipping is guaranteed.

Up to 50% saving with SM Babies at the SM Store MARCH is here. And along with it comes big savings.

Moms and dads, enjoy up to 50% OFF on great fashion finds at the SM Babies Sale. Happening from March 1 to April 5, 2015 at SM City Davao, it’s the one sale all parents with precious little ones have been waiting for. From cute little onesies, knit pants, boots and everything else in between, get easy access to a myriad of comfortable fashion pieces that come in an assortment of colors, styles and fabrics all under one roof.

Head on to SM City Davao between March 1 and April 5 2015 and stock up on your baby’s must-haves now!

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

JASON JAMES

The Voice from Minda Text by Henrylito D. Tacio “HE is the voice of today, he is a world-class talent and he deserves to be heard all over the world.”

That was what coach Sarah Geronimo told viewers as her final pitch for her Jason James Dy. The voters had listened. Having garnered the highest percentage of text and online votes (52.95%), Dy emerged the winner of the second of “The Voice of the Philippines.” He defeated Alisah Bonaobra of Team Apl. The other two singers who made it to the top four were Rence Rapanot of Team Bamboo and Leah Patricio of Team Leah.

According to a news report from the ABS-CBN, the two got 19.17% and 18.02% of the votes, respectively, before scores were reset for Dy and Bonaobra.

Before he reprised his Top 2 performance of “Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin, the emotional Dy told the crowd at the Resorts World Manila: “Daghang salamat sa inyong tanan. Maraming, maraming salamat. Thank you so much. Lord, you are amazing.

Thank you. God bless po sa inyong lahat.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Jason Dy personally last year when he did the front act for the concert of American actor and singer Rex Smith. It was held at the Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Tagum City. So, when Domini Sebastian del Rosario asked me to watch the show, I willingly accepted the offer.

After all, Rex Smith used to be my favorite singer when I was still in college. Among the songs he popularized were “Simply Jessie,” “You Take My Breath Away,” “Never Gonna Give Up On You,” “Everlasting Love,” and

“Love Will Always Make You Cry.” When Domini introduced me to his kababayan (both of them are from Butuan City), I never paid so much attention. But after the show, I talked with Dy and learned a few things about him.

Aside from being a “haranista” -- someone who serenades girls -- he was also a demo artist. “I record demo tracks for singers who will sing the songs once they are released commercially,” he explained.

Among those he did as demo artist were the songs “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo?” (which was re-recorded by Xian Lim), “Kontrabida” (sang by Sam Con-

cepcion), and “Nasa ‘Yo Na Ang Lahat” (commercially released

by Daniel Padilla).

During our short interview, he did also his love he has for his mother, Malou Dy, who co-produced his album, “All About Me” (a copy of which was given to me after our short conversation).

In the inside cover of the album, he wrote these words for his mother: “You are the most amazing, most loving, most beautiful person I know. I owe everything to you. You are the reason I’m here and why I strive to be a better person every day.

Everything I do and everything I aim is for the sole purpose of making you proud (of me). You

have lo to the today.

In hi at the he join ippine mom w of him “Tha a fan o sic. I co and it w have yo If yo Dy onl well hi in 200 grante only so ship w ferent CBN w “His caused family mom work,” out his turned for som Dy June 1 the Ph change And not su He ma anymo knows In th congra You m from M

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

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Coco Martin to join Baguio’ s DY: anao! Panagbenga Festival this March

oved me and nurtured me kind of person that I am I will love you forever.” is biodata that was posted ABS-CBN website, he said ned “The Voice of the Philes” in order “to honor his who had been supportive m and his passion.” ank you for simply being of my singing and my muould lose everything I own would be okay as long as I you,” he wrote in his album. ou’re still at loss as to why ly mentioned his mother, is parents separated back 03. An annulment was ed this year. “James is their on. He has good relationwith his mom but is indiftowards his dad,” the ABSwebsite said. s parents’ separation d financial turmoil to the and that prompted James’ to go to Singapore for ” the biodata said. “Withs family, this handsome lad d to music for release and me extra bucks too.” will turn 24 this coming 19. Winning the “Voice of hilippines” will completely e his life now. d if we will meet again, I am ure if he will recognize me. ay not pay attention to me ore. Or, he may. But who s. he meantime, a warmest atulation Jason James Dy. make us proud, you being Mindanao!

KAPAMILYA fans up north will be in for a grand treat this March as ABS-CBN’s Teleserye King Coco Martin leads the pack of the brightest and hottest teleserye stars who will join this year’s celebration of Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City.

ABS-CBN Regional’s “Panagbenga Kapamilya Karavan” will happen on March 7 (Saturday), 4PM, at the Melvin Jones Grandstand of Burnham Park.

Aside from Coco, the show will also feature Zanjoe Marudo, Jana Agoncillo, and Beauty Gonzales of “Dream Dad;” Jane Oineza, Jerome Ponce, Loisa Andalio, and Joshua Garcia of “Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita;” and Nash Aguas, Alexa Ilacad, and Ella Cruz of “Bagito.”

Star Music’s pop boyband Gimme 5, composed of Nash, Joaquin Reyes, John Immanuel Bermundo,

MOR 103.1 Bagiuo DJs Juan Romantiko, JBrosas, BongBastic, Magic Chan, and Grasya Pantasya.

“Panagbenga Kapamilya Karavan” is spearheaded by ABS-CBN Regional (formerly known as the ABS-CBN Regional Group), which is the na-

Grae Fernandez, and Brace Arquiza, will also serenade their fans in the City of Pines.

This year’s “Panagbenga

tionwide TV and radio network of ABS-CBN Corporation.

For more Kapamilya stories and happenings in the regions, log on to www.abs-cbnnews.com, www.choosephils.com , and www.iwantv.com. ph.

Kapamilya Karavan” serves as the kick-off of the yearlong celebration of ABSCBN Baguio’s 20th anniversary dubbed as “Taon ng Pasasalamat” (Year of Thanksgiving).

Aside from the special visit of ABS-CBN’s biggest teleserye stars, another event highlight is the “PINASikat” segment, a talent search that will showcase Northern Luzon’s best, diverse, entertaining talents.

“Panagbenga Kapamilya Karavan” will be hosted by “MagTV Atin ‘To” presenter Kiko Villalba and “FOREVERMORE” HITS NEWEST ALLTIME HIGH NATIONAL TV RATING. Primetime viewers’ fascination over ABS-CBN’s top-rating romantic drama series “Forevermore” continues to grow as Agnes (played

by Liza Soberano) is set to reunite soon with her first love, Xander (Enrique Gil). This is proven by the data from Kantar Media last Wednesday (February 25) when “Forevermore” hit its newest alltime high national TV rating of 31.6%. It was more than twice the score of its rival teleserye on GMA, “Once Upon A Kiss (15.3%). Will Agnes and Xander’s reunion rekindle the sweetness of their first romance or will it bring back all the pain and bitterness from the past? Find out the answer in the country’s mostwatched kilig-serye, “Forevermore,” weeknights, after “Dream Dad” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For more updates about “Forevermore,” visit Forevermore.abs-cbn.com and follow the show’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/ StarCreativesTV, Twitter.com/ StarCreativesTV and Instagram. com/ StarCreativesTV. Meanwhile, viewers may also catch up on full episodes and past episodes of “Forevermore” through ABSCBNmobile. For more information, please go towww.abscbnmobile. com.

March 2-3, 2015

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson R16

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

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL YOU Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla PG

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

FOCUS Will Smith, Margot Robbie R13

R-16

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

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY / * PREDESTINATION Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan / * Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook R18 / * R16

12:40 | 3:15 LFS / * 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

FOOD

Other than tuna, discover

GENSAN EATS WHO doesn’t love to eat? Aside from Gensan’s famous tuna dishes, there are tons of great restaurants in Gensan, with each having their own trademark dishes that satisfy diverse palettes.

Will start-off my list with the ‘Pound for Pound Burger’ available at Jinkee’s Cafe for, located at Road Haus Hotel. My gosh, the 6” in diameter burger for P318 got me glued to the chair, and not because I can’t finish eating my half, but as I couldn’t stand up, on the count of being too full, its as if Manny Pacquiao himself knocked me out.

The burger lives up to its name, the bun, the bacon cooked to the right texture, with fresh lettuce and onions and tomatoes is

delicious its sinful to anyone who’s in a diet.

If you’re hungry for something exotic, drop by at Only Goodfellas on a Friday night at Valley High as they bring one of Sicily’s famous dishes to the Tuna Capital, their ‘Coniglio Stemperato’ (Rabbit Steam Fried) for only P395, you get 3 slices of Californian rabbit, cooked with herbs and spices, with a side of fries .

Some say it tastes like beef or chicken. The rabbit is divine, surely satisfying and goes well with wine.

For those who crave something hot and spicy, you should try the ‘Beef/ Chicken Khao Pad’ or ‘Tom Yung Gong’ of Have Sam Thai, located at Tiongson Archade, accompanied with ‘Pork/ Chicken Satay’ or their famous ‘HST Ribs’, and finish it off with their ‘Mango Sticky Rice’ or ‘Thai HaloHalo’ that has a surprise hidden at the core of its sago pearls, and its ‘Macopa fruit’, definitely something good to enjoy after a good meal or just to beat the heat.

If you fancy a place with a relaxing ambiance and great food, head on up to The Peak, located at the top floor of GPSS Building, J. Catolico Ave. and try their famous ‘Baked Chicken’, and my personal favourites ‘Lechon Kawali’ and ‘Rib Steak’. Truly a dinning experience worth trying.

Last but certainly not

Top: Have Sam Thai’s HST ribs.

Above: Only Goodfella’s Coniglio Stemperato, steam fried rabbit.

Left: Jinkee’s Cafe’s crazy huge Pound-for-pound Burger.

the least on my list is Gensan’s 1st ever steak house, Cotton Bowl Grill and Steak House, a trip to Gensan wouldn’t be complete if you haven’t munched in on their signature steaks, from ingredients passed

down from two generations. You’ll definitely get your steak cooked with perfection to your liking.

What have you tried so far when you visited Gensan? If you haven’t yet, what are you looking

forward to try? Tell me all about it! Mention/follow me on Twitter or Instagram, @kyriekoutre, plus for more adventures in and around my wonderland that is Gensan, Tuna Capital of the Philippines.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

ZION

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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

TO: ALL OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS:

Please be informed that Cynthia S. De Leon Pawnshop, BANSALAN BRANCH previously located at Quiros St. Poblacion Dos Bansalan Davao del Sur, has transferred to Stall # 524 Public Market Poblacion Dos Bansalan Davao del Sur. THE MANAGEMENT ...

SA TANAN NAMONG MAHAL NGA CUSTOMERS: Among ipahibalo nga ang Cynthia S. De Leon Pawnshop, BANSALAN BRANCH nga kanhi nahimutang sa Quiros St. Poblacion Bansalan Davao del Sur, gibalhin na sa Stall # 524 Public Market Poblacion Dos Bansalan Davao del Sur. TAGA PAGDUMALA

14

NEWS

Danao... FROM 2

EDGEDAVAO

of illegal drugs.

This led to the arrest of 20 suspects because some people who were not in the search warrant were also apprehended since they were inside the houses of the suspects during the raid.

The other suspects arrested during the raid were Maricris Batara, Abdullah Salem, Bokary Dimangadap, Pao-Pao Daradagan, Salem Ina Shaman, Rosita Lopez, Abdullah Mama, Umar, Barayman, Aslani Can-

didato, Aquino Dimangadap, Asnari Sultan, Sampiamo Gamor, Raymart Catito, Christian Sanglay, Carlito Pique and Ricky Pangandaman.

The police recovered a total of 300 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) with a street value of P2.7 million.

Also seized from the possession of the suspects were five caliber .45 pistols, an M-79 grenade launcher, seven 9mm pistols, seven .38 revolvers,

two fragmentation grenades, and 114 assorted ammunition.

The operation was initiated by the DCPO, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11, Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (RAIDSTOG)11, Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB)11, Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division (RIDMD)11, Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU) 11, and Highway Patrol Group.

she said.

Davao City does not only provide area for growth to homegrown ICT-BPO companies but also to big and foreign companies.

Earlier, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 11 regional director Maria Lourdes Lim reported

that four more BPO companies will enter the BPO sector of the city.

Holganza, however, did not confirm the entry of the four because of confidentiality.

Instead, she said Davao City will continue to attract investors in the BPO sector in

the coming years.

“These new companies are looking for Davao City as a secondary location of their operation to ensure business continuity,” she said.

She said that the city has been in the top 10 most suitable location for BPO companies in the past years.

words in the BBL if they are causing confusion,” she said.

The chief negotiator also clarified the misconception on the provisions on the Shari'ah Court, saying the Supreme Court (SC) will still have jurisdiction over it.

Section 7 of Article X of

the BBL states that “The decision of the Shari’ah Court shall be final and executory.”

Ferrer said it is just similar to the quasi-judicial power of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) whose decisions are also final and executory but did not

mean that the SC has lost jurisdiction over it.

She said they are doing everything to ensure that the draft law, once enacted by Congress, will pass the constitutionality test so it can be smoothly implemented.

(PNA)

rorism,” he said.

Tamayo said 15 percent felt hopeless about what’s going on in Mindanao. Only two percent expressed gratitude for the great sacrifice of the 44 SAF commandos Meanwhile, nine out of 10 Dabawenyos said former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisma should be blamed for the incident, while 8 out of 10 believed that SAF Director Getulio Napeñas is to be blamed because “he did not coordianate and follow the chain of command that resulted in the great loss of lives.”

The survey also said MILF should be also blamed, while 7 in every 10 believed the rivalry between PNP and the

Armed Forces of the Philippines was at fault.

Six in 10 believed President Benigno Aquino, being the commander-in-chief, is also to blame for the tragedy.

Dabawenyos were also asked for their opinion on the perceived reasons why a go-signak was given even if it was almost a suicide mission.

“Nine in every 10 revealed that the reward money could have motivated the higher ups to risk the lives of the commandos,” Tamayo said.

He said four in every 10 believed that if it goes successful, Purisima will earn the compliments needed for his return to the helm of PNP leadership after serving a

suspension.

On the other hand 4 out of 10 believe that the operations is just plainly to get the terrorist; 3 in 10 perceived that the go-signal proceeded from an actionable information.

He said that other respondents are “a little bit doomsayers because 2 in 10 believed it was intended to spoil the peace process wgile one in 10 said that it was done to earn money from war.”

“This only means the psyche of Dabawanyos are not the same with those from Manila who wanted an all-out war,” he said. “Dabawenyos are not easily driven by emotion, they are thinking before speaking”. CRC

through the Integrated Gender and Development Office (IGDO) is organizing a series of activities this week in time for the International Women’s Day celebration on March 8 and has invited Principe to speak on women in yesterday’s ceremony.

In her speech, the councilor from the third district briefed the city government employees on how women were almost left out years ago and how they were finally recognized as the years passed.

Principe-Castrodes cited the installation of Cozaron C. Aquino as the country’s first woman President and the passage of laws that protect women, including the Women’s Development Code of Davao

City, a landmark legislation of the city’s lawmaking body.

She also mentioned the rise of Sara Duterte-Carpio as the city’s first elected woman mayor. The present Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao is also composed of 10 female councilors.

But to Principe-Castrodes, amid these “little victories” that the Filipino woman has fought so bravely these past few decades lies a sad reality that women are still being abused physically and emotionally.

“Indeed we do not have to go far to see that various transgressions against women’s rights are being committed every single day,” Principe-Castrodes said.

“These transgressions

only create a deeper divide and are truly against the vision of a society where men and women are equal, both in the rights afforded as well as in the opportunities given to them,” she added.

The celebration of the women’s day or month, Principe-Castrodes said, is not about women asserting superiority over the men, but a declaration that women have the same rights as the men in our society.

“This declaration has been the product of the years of struggle and numerous lives sacrificed for the cause.

Let us pay tribute to those women who paved the way for future generations of women enjoying the opportunities that they have now,” she said.

Davao... FROM 2

BBL... FROM 3

Mamasapano... FROM 3

Pricipe... FROM 2

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

SCIENCE NATURE TOUR. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 11 assistant regional director for Technical Support Services division Mirasol Domingo talks to reporters about the upcoming Science

Zarate... FROM 2

Nation Tour Davao set on March 6 at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) gym during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

environmentally destructive mining thrust, we challenge the Aquino administration to prioritize the enactment into law of House Bill 171 or the People’s Mining Act of 2013,” Zarate said in a statement.

“Now is the opportune time to repeal the Mining Act of 1995. Otherwise, our already fast depleting mineral resources will only be plundered to benefit only these profit-greedy foreign mining corporations. What we need now is a more responsive and people oriented mining law,” he added.

Zarate, who is from Davao City, cited the August 23, 2013 killing of Datu Anting Freay, a respected B’laan leader in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur where the Lumads are waging strong opposition to the open-pit copper-gold mining project of multinational Glencore-Xstrata-SMI involving thousands of hectares in the tri-boundaries of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

“Datu Anting’s 16-year old son, Victor, was also killed

in the same incident, which witnesses said was perpetrated by members of the Army’s 39th IB,” he said.

“The deaths of the Freays happened even as the killings in October 2012 of anti-mining activist Juvy Caption and her two children, also in the same disputed mining project site of Glencore-Xstrata-SMI, remains unresolved. The army personnel responsible for the Capion deaths were only transferred to another area of assignment while supposedly awaiting results of a court martial proceeding,” he added.

Zarate said the People’s Mining Bill that he co-authored seeks to reorient the Philippine mining industry towards the “wise and sustainable development and judicious use” of the country’s mineral resources.

One its key provisions is the establishment of a centralized and strategic planning of the Philippine mining industry through the crafting and implementation of a National Industrialization Program and a National Mining Plan.

Another key provision is the reorientation of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as a scientific research institution under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with exclusive right to conduct exploration activities and identify strategic mineral resources needed for the country’s development.

He said the proposed bill also seeks the creation of Multi-Sectoral Mineral Councils for designated mining areas, composed of representatives from the government, stakeholder groups, and affected communities, which will approve and monitor the conduct of mining activities in each respective area.

“The Peoples’ Mining Bill does not only recognize the urgent need to protect the environment, but, more importantly, the need to reorient the utilization of our natural resources towards genuine economic growth, that is, growth that benefits the majority of our people and not only the few,” Zarate said.

Bangsamoro juridical entity.

Rodriguez said he was only eyeing a special session if the House of Representatives would not be able to approve the proposed BBL on sine die adjournment of the Second regular Session of the 16th Congress on June 11, adding that the July 27 resumption for the Third Regular Session would not be enough because lawmakers would be focusing on the deliberations of the 2016 national budget.

Earlier, Rodriguez said the panel was seriously considering the concerns raised against some provisions in the BBL that might be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC), such as allowing other areas outside the Bangsamoro territory to also join the entity upon a petition of at least 10 percent of the constituents, creation of its own internal audit body despite the presence of the Commission on Audit (CoA), disciplining of public officials and employees or a power to be taken away from the Office of the Ombudsman, establishment of civil

service, human rights body, allowing Bangsamoro to run its elections, and among others.

The bill is aimed at creating the new Bangsamoro juridical entity, replacing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

This was a result of the peace talks being pushed by the government with the MILF. The Bangsamoro measure was an offshoot of the historic signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) by the Government Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MILF last March 27, 2014.

The delays in the passage

of BBL were an offshoot of the Mamasapano, Maguindanao carnage last Jan. 25, 2015 where 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were killed by the combined forces of the MILF and its breakaway faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

The SAF members killed M ‎ alaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan” during the operation in the early hours of Jan. 25 in Tukanalipao village, Mamasapano, but Filipino terrorist Basit Usman, though wounded, managed to escape.

(PNA)

Senators... FROM 3

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s)7280 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 295942-4 issued to CARMENCITA F. BUENAFE was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

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Marfil, Firmeza rule Nutrilite Run C

HRISTIAN Marfil and Olive Firmeza won the 2015 Nutrilite Health Run in swashbuckling fashion on Sunday in a race that started and ended at the SM City Davao in Ecoland.

Marfil crossed the finish with a relatively fast time of 29 minutes and 9 seconds in the premier 10-kilometer men’s division while Firmeza took the women’s crown with a sub 40 clocking of 38:51. Agustin Yohon finished second to Marfil coming in almost a minute behind in 30:01 while Nestor Madula finished third in 31:10.

Emelyn Padin was a distant second to Firmeza in 46:50 with Conteza Pagal winding up third in 47:20.

In the men’s 5-K class,

Erwin Gubal took the title in 17:10 over Willy Liaong (19:54) and Leomar Rabaca (21:17). Ludilyn Andico crowned herself queen in the women’s side with a clocking of 22:56 over Carla Lim (22:59) who took second place and Shieng Oyong (23:15) who finished 3rd.

Richard Oliamot won the short 3-K men’s title in 18:24 over Reymark Sorianosos (20:11) and John Ortega (20:51). Nora Alla won the women’s side in 24:24 over Rachel Dalipe (24:30) and Evelyn Castañares (24:45).

The race is organized by Amway in celebration of its 80th anniversary and officiated by Vantage Sports under Kenneth Sai. (NJB)

WINNERS. Winners in the men’s and women’s divisions of the Nutrilite Health Run 2015 receive their trophies and loot bags during the awarding ceremonies last Sunday at the SM City Davao.

Rockets edge Cavs 104-103

F

SOUTHWOODS’ DROUGHT ENDS. Team captain Thirdy Escano of Manila Southwoods hoists the championship trophy, with help from PAL President Jaime J. Bautista, for ruling the Championship Division of the recently concluded 68th PAL Interclub Men’s Regular tournament held at Cebu City.

Wild finish at Honda Classic W ITH one swing, everything changed late on Sunday at The Honda

Classic.

Ian Poulter, searching for his first stroke-play PGA Tour win in the United States, was on the tee with an 8-iron at the par-3 fifth hole with a threeshot lead. He did the unthinkable, shanking his ball way right. The ball bounced off a cart path and into a water hazard. After a drop, the Englishman couldn’t get up-and-down for bogey. Sensing opportunity, Patrick Reed made birdie from just off the green.

T

Suddenly, there was a tie at the top in the waning moments of a long day at PGA National.

On the next hole, Poulter lost the lead when his tee shot at the par-4 snapped left and into a water hazard. Poulter went on to make bogey. However, Reed, who made par at No. 6, didn’t stay in charge for long.

Poulter’s tee shot to the 199-yard, par-3 seventh to just 3 feet, setting up a bounce-back birdie to end the day at 7 under par. Reed made bogey to fall out of the lead, a shot However, Poulter has company atop the leaderboard.

Paul Casey, who was part of the playoff last week at the Northern Trust Open, charged hard in the nine holes of the final round he played. He birdied three of the first four holes, then capped off his day by stuffing his approach to the par-4 ninth to 6 feet. The birdie has him tied with Poulter, with his ball sitting off the 10th fairway when play was called due to darkness.

The tournament will be wide open on Monday morning when play resumes at 8 a.m., with nine players sitting within four shots of the lead.

the team from scratch and then trains the team to whipped-up perfection the way he wanted the team to play. School officials normally exercise control only in matters of academics and discipline. The bottomline is, it’s the coach who picks his players.

It’s the coach who knows.

It’s that premise that Manny Pacquiao should stop wearing “Manny Knows” shirts and instead wear “Freddie Knows” to give credit to his success to the man who polished his skills and maps out the fightplans for him.

It pains me to hear of people interfering from coaches, most especially if the coach is winning.

Take this recent case of the DAVRAA. This is actually not new but I believe it’s time to change this system.

Davao City won all football titles in secondary and elementary and in futsal. However, according to Davao coach Al-

LET’S GET IT ON

OR the second time in four days, LeBron James went head-to-head with a fellow MVP candidate leading a Western Conference contender. But while he dominated Thursday’s matchup with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, on Sunday, Houston Rockets star James Harden matched him step-for-step in a rough-andtumble contest that featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes, and came down to the final seconds of overtime.

And on this particular occasion, the most gifted player in the game found himself bedeviled at the worst time by an uncontested 15-footer.

With the Rockets leading

his Cleveland Cavaliers 104-103 late in the overtime session of a nationally televised Sunday showcase contest, James beat excellent Rockets defender Trevor Ariza off the dribble to gain the lane, where he was fouled while attempting a layup

by Houston forward Josh Smith.

The whistle sent James to the foul line for a pair of free throws that could have tied the game and given the Cavs a one-point advantage with just 4.2 seconds left.

But James, who had struggled from the line all day, found no charity at the stripe, missing them both — making him just 3-for-11 from the foul line on the day — and prompting ABC

play-by-play man Mike Tirico to exclaim, “Are you kidding me?” as Harden corralled the miss.

After a pair of Cleveland fouls to extend the game, Harden stepped to the line on the other end with 0.6 seconds remaining and a chance to seal the victory. As the Toyota Center crowd serenaded him with “M-V-P!” chants, Harden made his first free throw before missing his second — intentionally, he said after the game, at the behest of head coach Kevin McHale. The plan to bleed out the final six-tenths backfired, though, as Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith snagged the rebound and called timeout, giving them one last look at a potential equalizer.

fights. But according to AIBA and ABAP, Pacquiao and Klitzcho are qualified and are therefore exceptions. What rule exempted these 2 future hall of fame boxers? Or does AIBA even have written and published rules for exemptions?

5) Incidentally, Executive Director Ed Piczon claims that AIBA PRO boxing Tournament is not a professional boxing tournament. I told him that all my life in sports I always believe that “PRO” in the

context of sports, is a shortcut for professional. He claims that it is not professional and at the same time, it is not amateur, then what is it? Furthermore, why did ABAP drop the word “amateur” from the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines and changed it to Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines.

Having said that, Guanzon stood firm on his decision to declare Barriga and Suarez as professionals.

“The bottomline for GAB is that we have declared these boxers to be Pro boxers and have done everything within our legal mandate. If the rest of the country and most especially the DOJ and BOI believe otherwise, at least GAB is free from culpability just in case anything unpleasant happens as a result of the ABAP refusal to have their pro boxers regulated and supervised like the rest of all professional athletes especially the pro boxers,” Guanzon said.

to dictating the formation of the team. A coach from the girls futsal team called the DepEd official’s action as “bullying.”

As I have said, this is not the first time it happened. It has happened also in the past.

The reason why this sports competition that escalates up to the Palarong Pambansa is full of flaws from the way it is being played to the way they select players. You don’t play two to three games a day unless you want to kill young kids. Or make them play with no regard to adverse conditions—under scorching heat or unplayable muddy field. There were instances too where they also tinker with the rules of the sport by shortening it like limit the number of games or sets in tennis, the number of innings in baseball, the number of sets in volleyball. The reason? They need to finish the competition in five days only. In one event I covered in the past, a non-working official who was just walking

along a tennis court had the guts to call a ball out and the umpire likewise stupidly recognized the call.

Don’t get me wrong but I believe in having a schoolbased sports competition if only DepEd subscribes to the universal tenets of the sport and adheres to time-honored rules in selecting athletes. Frankly, I do not subscribe to how it is being run to the whims of officials and to the detriment of athletes.

Coaches and players ought to be respected too. They are the ones who toiled under the heat playing on extra time away from their academics. They are the ones who understood the game the way the team is conceived to play. Come hell or high water, they stuck with each other. No one understands team spirit except the team members themselves—those sweaty bodies inside filthy locker rooms, soiled socks, tattered boots. That ‘air’ only athletes and coaches care to breathe like oxygen to their

lungs.

Do officials smell that air? I bet they don’t.

Do they cry with the athletes when they twist their ankles, or bruise their knees? I bet they don’t.

Where they around when you feel the ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat? I bet not.

So what the heck is the problem here? Why impose on the coach who to select as players? Oh, before I forgot, coaches like Albert Ryan Lim went to seminars and trainings, the recent one in London with an observation tour of the Premier League. They also spent years as players.

To sum it up, coaches know best. It’s a shame some people wanted to wear that hat.

Notes: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m. You may send comments and letters to this writer at bravoneil@rocketmail.com.

Clearing... FROM 16

DAVRAA coaches ‘bullied’ in selecting Palaro team?

HE Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet is over but the shouting is not.

Or shall we say the bullying is not.

Let’s take off from this question. In forming a team, who do you turn to, the coach or the official?

Quite a difficult question isn’t it? It works this way. If you are forming a pro team, the team officials begin by defining the team’s character. And then they leave the rest to the coaches. For example, if you build a team that’s going to put premium on defense, then you take players who can play defense and not offensive-minded ones.

If you build a fast team, you look for players who could run.

If you are looking for a passing team, you load it with passers.

That’s basic.

It’s different in the amateurs or to be specific, in the school sports level.

It’s the coach who forms

Neil Bravo

bert Ryan Lim, another team is going to the Palaro. Not Davao City.

The reason? A regional official of the Department of Education told coach Weng Sasuman, who attended the deliberations in behalf of coach Lim, that it’s going to be DepEd who will choose the players to represent the region and form what he calls a winning team. If the facts are right as given to me, the high-handed order amounts

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

CLEARING THE AIR

VOL. 7 ISSUE 247 • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

GAB chief Guanzon explains Barriga, Suarez fiasco

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

T

HREE Things about Mark Anthony Barriga and Charly Suarez.

One, they are both prized amateur boxers who have the best chance to give the Philippines its first Olympic gold.

Two, they are both from Davao.

And three, they are under a storm of controversy.

That controversy began when the London Olympics veteran Barriga and Suarez signed up with the AIBA Pro Boxing Tournament, a league featuring the top-ranked amateur boxers in the world fighting for a prize money.

With questions going on whether outstanding Filipino amateurs Mark Anthony Barriga and Charly Suarez, who now fights in the AIBA sponsored boxing tournaments, are to be considered professionals, the air has to be cleared once and for all.

In a post yesterday at Philboxing.com, Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Juan Ramon Guanzon finally broke his silence and gave his stand on the matter.

“GAB never threatened to go to court and seek a hold order on fighters Barriga and Suarez. When ABAP Executive Director [Edgardo] Piczon asked what does GAB in-

tend to do if ABAP boxers who participate in AIBA Pro Boxing Tournament do not get license from GAB. I just gave him an honest answer, i told him that since there are no APB tournament scheduled in the Philippines but only outside, we can only inform DOJ and BOI that Pro boxers Barriga and Suarez will be fighting in a professional tournament outside the country without professional licenses and are therefore violating a law,” said Guanzon in the statement.

He cited five factors that that led GAB to declare Barriga and Suarez as Professional Boxers. Guanzon cited the following: They have fought at least 6rounds and even up to 12 Rounds; they will not be protected by head gears during the fights; the scoring system is the professional system; they have lucrative 5 year contracts with AIBA; and contrary to claims by (ABAP) executive Director (Ed) Piczon that they have no promoters and managers, GAB believes otherwise, AIBA is the promoter because it will make money out of the APB tournament. ABAP is the manager because it decides where and when the boxers will fight, and they get a certain percentage (20%) out of the

boxers gross earnings.

Guanzon added that he had several questions which Piczon has failed to answer in the two dialogues that he had with him. These are: 1) If his position is that the 2 Pro boxers are not under the GAB jurisdiction because they have not applied for a Pro Boxing License, does he think that all existing pro boxers can avoid regulation and supervision by GAB if they dont apply for professional licenses? Because if that is the view we take, I believe no new aspiring pro boxer will apply for licenses and no one will reñew their licenses at the start of each year.

2) The format of the APB Tournament is spread over an undisclosed period of time wherein you only make

the weight, and fight 6-12 rounds once then go home and rest for several weeks.

In the ASEAN, ASIAN and olympic tournaments the boxers will have to make the weight everytime they fight for 3 rounds in a 2 week long tournament. Does ABAP even know the preparation and training for these different formats are also different?

3) Barriga has fought for an Italian team and Suarez has fought for Mumbay and Italy in the APB Tournament.

Is that even proper given the fact that they are Filipino Athletes and infact receiving monthly allowances from the Philippine Government?

4) APB is open to all pro boxers with less than 20

FCLEARING, 15

PROS OR AMATEURS? Charly Suarez (top) and Michael Anthony Barriga (left) are two Dabawenyo boxers discovered and trained by the Barangay Una boxing program now mired in controversy.