Edge Davao 7 Issue 268

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

VEHICLE CHECK. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, together with executive assistant Christopher “Bong” Go, examines one of the 98 vehicles that the city government initially acquired for the disaster and emergency response program of the different Davao City barangays. Duterte also distributed 72 brand new motorcycles to the barangay officials. Lean Daval Jr.

PEACE AMBASSADOR Sudagar gets ‘special assignment’from Mayor Duterte

INSIDE EDGE

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte wants newly appointed Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Halila Sudagar of the Kagan Tribe to be the city’s ambassador of peace to the MILF and the MNLF. Duterte had initially opposed Sudarar’s selection since she had already served as youth representative to

the City Council. He reconsidered, however, and on Monday Sudagar took her oath before him.

During the oath taking, Duterte said he wants Sudagar to be the emissary of the city to talk with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to tell them the city supports the aspirations of all Muslims

in Mindanao for peace.

“Samok naman ni. Pero kung naay panahon na makig storya sila mo adto ka didto (There is already trouble, but if there is a chance for you to talk, go to them),” the mayor told Sudagar Duterte also said he wants Sudagar to tell all Muslims in Mindanao that the city wants peace and not war because he does not want to

waste the lives of Filipinos.

“Paminawa sila kung unsa ilang isulti (Listen to them).

They are welcome here. In my time I do not want war,” he said.

Duterte said the MNLF is feeling left behind by the autonomy being offered by government to the MILF. “Ingna lang ang atong mga kaisgsuonang mga MILF

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DESIGNS

BY MAIZY COLLEEN Indulge A1

2 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

SIGNED. Bai Halila Sudagar looks on while Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte signs her Oath of Office as City Councilor from the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) at People’s Park on Monday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

Solon hits DFA move to Barangays get new vehicles downgrade Sabah claim N D

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

ATIONALIST People’s Coalition Congressman Win Gatchalian today assailed the reported offer of the Department of Foreign Affairs to downgrade the Philippines’ claim on Sabah in exchange for Malaysia’s support to the Philippines’ case against China lodged before a United Nations court, warning that such move will hurt the country’s sovereignty.

“DFA’s move to use Sabah as a bargaining chip to gain the support of Malaysia for

our case against China lodged before the UN is a huge diplomatic faux pas bordering on a sellout,” said Gatchalian, a majority member for the House committee on foreign relations. “The very idea of giving up our strong claim of ownership over Sabah, even if it is just a ‘note verbale,’ smacks of a sellout.”

Gatchalian criticized the DFA for even toying with the idea of having a quid pro quo deal with Malaysia since there

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Loren: preserve Lenten traditions

S

ENATOR Loren Legarda today encouraged Catholics to preserve Lenten traditions and likewise urged Filipinos, regardless of faith, to maintain religious customs.

Legarda, whose family observes a century-old tradition of doing the pabasa every Holy Wednesday, said that Lenten traditions are part of Filipino Catholics’ heritage and in fact, the preservation of these customs has continued to strengthen the faith of many.

“The Lenten Season, especially the Holy Week, is a time for contemplation. We observe Filipino Holy Week traditions as part of renewing our relationship with God. But it is also a reality that some of these traditions are already dying. We should exert greater effort to preserve these customs which are not only expressions of our faith, but also of our culture,” she said.

Legarda’s great-grandpar-

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte turned over 98 multicabs and 72 motorcycles to some of the city’s barangays for their respective disaster and emergency response programs.

Duterte made the turnover at the People’s Park on Monday afternoon.

Each motorcycle costs P85,300 including the registration, while the multicabs cost P490,000 each, including the three year Land Transportation Office (LTO) regis-

tration and sticker, insurance, spare tires, tools, and early warning device.

City Barangay Cultural Communities and Affairs Division (BCCAD) head Jose B. Ong said the multicabs will be also used by the barangays for burials in their communities.

Ong said the motorcycle will be used for maintaining peace and order in the barangays and to monitor the implementation of the solid waste management disposal program.

The vehicles were distributed to barangays that had not received vehicles in 2012 under then Mayor Sara Duterte. No breakdown of which barangays received the vehicles was immediately available.

Duterte reminded the barangay officials to take care of the vehicles because they were procured with people’s money.

“Magamit ninyo ni (You can use this) primarily for disaster,” he said.

He said the vehicles can be used by the barangays as ambulances to convey wounded people, but the driver detailed on the vehicle should also follow the speed limit implemented in the city.

He also reminded the barangay officials that the vehicles should be only used in the highways and not in the mountains because it might cause damage on the vehicles.

“Ampingi na ninyo nag maayo (You should really take care of the vehicles),” he said.

work, he/she shall be paid 100% of his/her salary for that day [Daily rate + COLA) x 100%]; For work done during a regular holiday, the employee shall be paid 200% of his/her regular salary for that day for the first eight hours [(Daily rate + COLA) x 200%]; For work done in excess of eight hours (overtime work), he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly

rate on said day [Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200% x 120% number of hours worked]; For work done during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her daily rate of 200% [(Daily rate+ COLA) x 200%] + [30% (Daily rate x 200%)]; and For work done in excess of eight hours (overtime work)

during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200% x 130% x 130% x number of hours worked).

The same Labor Advisory also issued pay rules for April 4, which is as follow: If the employee did not work, “no work. No pay” prin-

DOLE issues pay rules for lenten holidays T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued pay rules for April 2 (Maundy Thursday) and April 3 (Good Friday), regular holidays and April 4 (Black Saturday), a special non-working holiday.

With this, the DOLE through Labor Advisory No. 18, dated March 25, issued the pay rules for April 2 and 3, which are as follow: If the employee did not

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

Military operations to continue ‘until BIFF leader Kato falls’

A

RMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang on Tuesday vowed to continue arresting and neutralizing ranking Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) until BIFF commander Ameril Umbra Kato is apprehended.

Catapang airred this in the wake of the neutralization of military units of Cmdr. Bisaya during an encounter in Datu Unsay, Maguindanao last Sunday and arrest of Abdulgani Ismael Pagao, BIFF 4th Division deputy commander, at Campo Muslim Barangay Holy Mother Bagua, Cotabato City Monday night.

Aside from this, Pagao is also the financial and spiritual leader of the entire BIFF, whose strength is now placed at less than 200 fighters. “(The neutralization of these two) shows that the

leadership of the BIFF is now on the decline. The next thing we will do is to expedite the location and arrest of Kato,” Catapang said in Filipino.

Pagao did not resist arrest when the law enforcers served the arrest warrant issued by Executive Judge Bansawan Z. Ibrahim.

A loaded caliber .45, caliber M-1911A1 pistol, and a fragmentation grenade were seized from the suspect.

Pagao was turned over to the Criminal Investigation Detection Group for inquest proceedings Tuesday.

As this develops, the AFP chief said that they were still conducting searches against Filipino terror-bomber Basit Usman and hoped to nab the latter before the rainy season in June.

Catapang also classifies the BIFF strength on the decline with these recent

HY develop a bridge and not a school or a health center?

Bainot Kahal, 16, retorted to the question posed by the PNA here when queried for her reaction about an upcoming project of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to rebuild the wooden footbridge into a P10-million steel bridge to spur development in their area in this province of Maguindanao.

Bainot, together with 48 other high school seniors successfully graduated at the Tukanalipao Public High School on Monday after a three-day suspension of military action against the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to give way to graduation rites of various public schools in this depressed municipality.

The footbridge here gained status as an icon after the Jan. 25 clash between po-

lice and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) elements that took the lives of 44 police’s Special Action Force (SAF) personnel, 16 MILF rebels and six civilians who were caught in the crossfire.

The SAF members were on a dawn mission that day to get Malaysian terror bomber Zulkifli bin Hir, alias ‘Marwan’ and his Maguindanaon accomplice Basit Usman when the clash occurred.

The SAF mission successfully neutralized Marwan, who carried a USD 5-million bounty on his head, but failed to net Usman who is currently being coddled by his BIFF associates.

The incident brought the ongoing GPH-MILF comprehensive peace agreement into a halt by Senate following a detailed inquiry.

The Kahal clan, where Bainot belongs, owns the

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P10M Tukanalipao steel bridge breaks ground W

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NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

MANGLED. A sedan is mangled after being rammed from behind by a truck and hitting a post in Lanang, Davao City yesterday. Two other vehicles were also involved in the road mishap reportedly caused by the hauler’s faulty brakes. Lean Daval Jr.

Año says lawyer’s complaint baseless

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

F

ORMER Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and current 10th Infantry Division chief Major General Eduardo Año yesterday said the harassment complaint of a human rights lawyer against him and his comrades has “no basis.”

Still, Año said the AFP will continue its investigation on the complaint filed by lawyer Maria Catherine Dannug-Salucon as ordered by the Court of Appeals.

The CA had ordered the AFP on March 25 to identify the military officers who

allegedly harassed Dannug-Salucon.

The lawyer had filed petitions for Writ of Amparo and Writ of Habeas Data in April 2014 after what she claimed was “intensified surveillance” by the military against her.

Año, who was ISAFP chief at the time, said Dannug-Salucon was just “too paranoid” and that she has just suddenly accused all units of the AFP in Northern Luzon.

“Masyado lang siyang paranoid. She can not even identify who was following her,” he said.

“She is not a member of the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army) or any illegal organization, hence she cannot be under surveillance operations especially when I was still head of ISAFP,” he added.

Año said he did not know Catherine Dannug-Salucon and was not interested in her activities.

Based on reports, Dannug-Salucon claimed that several soldiers had been asking about her and her activities and that she had been labelled as a “Red lawyer.”

Ferrer: MILF members will not be integrated into PNP, AFP

C BAG CHECK. A handler and his highly trained bomb-sniffing dog inspect bags and other belongings of province-bound passengers at the entrance of the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) yesterday. Thousands of passengers are still expected to flock to DCOTT today due to the long Lenten break.

Lean Daval Jr.

In issuing its order last March 25, the CA also ordered all military units to secure Dannug-Salucon and her family’s security.

Among the respondents in the complaint are President Benigno Aquino, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, former Armed Forces chief Emmanuel Bautista, former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima, Army chief Lieutenant General Hernando Iriberri, 5th Infantry Division chief Major General Benito de Leon, and Isabela Provincial Police Office chief Chief Superintendent Miguel de Mayo Laurel.

HAIRPERSON of the government peace panel, Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, on Monday (March 30) clarified that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not be integrated into the Philippine National Police or the Armed Forces of the Philippines, once the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is passed.

“Again, we would like to clarify, wala pong integration ng MILF sa police force or sa Armed Forces of the Philippines, unlike in the peace agreement with the MNLF, that is not there; and the MILF will not become the police force for the Bangsamoro,”

she said.

Professor Ferrer urged the people to “go back to the text” to correct wrong interpretations on the contents of the BBL. “What we are stressing is go back to the text, go back to the original source, kasi ‘pag ang lumalabas ay ang mga parang general perceptions, then you miss out all of these very, very important provisions in the draft law that basically repeats what is written in the Constitution or upholds what are written in the Constitution and effectively delimits the powers of the Bangsamoro government,” she pointed out.

On the supposed creation of a Commission on

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4 SUBURBIA EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

GenSan to formulate own GAD policy I

LUMAD RITUAL AT HIGH NOON. Members of the Teduray tribe in South Upi, Maguindanao are busy preparing one of the ritual sites called Tenines at the Peak of Urok Kulayan, for the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples’ synchronized ritual for Peace at high noon Saturday, March 28. Photo courtesy of Comm.

FROILYN MENDOZA

GenSan allots P4M for city plaza improvement T

HE city government has allotted an initial P4 million for the improvement of the city plaza, which is being considered as among the city’s main landmarks.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Tuesday the funding will be utilized for the construction of additional recreational facilities and facilitate the further beautification of the Plaza Heneral Santos, which is located in front of the City Hall complex here.

He said they are looking at developing more attractions as well as improve and repair some of its existing facilities and structures.

The mayor said they will specifically install more lighting

structures and facilities at the plaza to enhance security in the area.

“We made it a priority to improve our plaza since as it is one of the popular recreational sites of the city. We want to make sure that our people and visitors are comfortable and safe while they are here,” Rivera said.

Thousands of residents have been frequenting the city plaza on a daily basis, which has vastly improved in terms of facilities and maintenance these past several years.

Among the improvements that had been completed were the construction of strategic parking spaces, provision of additional benches and instal-

Zambo health office ready for Holy Week

T

HE City Health Office is set to deploy medical teams at the Climaco Freedom Park in Mount Abong-Abong in time for the Holy Week observance.

This as thousands of Catholic faithful are set to converge from Holy Thursday until Good Friday at Mount Abong-Abong in Barangay Pasonanca for the way of the cross.

Dr. Rodelin Agbulos, city health officer, said Tuesday that the medical teams will be headed by seven physicians to attend to emergencies that may arise while the Catholic faithful are on pilgrimage.

Agbulos said they will establish makeshift medical stations where the medical teams, equipped with ambulances, will hold temporary clinic for the duration of the religious activity.

Agbulos said his office had coordinated with other agencies such as Philippine Red Cross, Department of Health, hospitals and the police for a coordinative effort.

Meanwhile, he urged the public to bring with them bottles of water to keep themselves hydrated while doing the Way of the Cross in Mount Abong-Abong.

FZAMBO, 10

lation of a sound system.

The local government has also rehabilitated the two monuments at the plaza, specifically of national hero Jose Rizal and the city’s acknowledged founder Gen. Paulino Santos.

Earlier this month, the local government started the construction of another monument in honor of the more than 300 local fishermen who died at the height of typhoon Pablo in Dec. 2012.

The construction of the monument, which has an initial funding of P130,000, was personally pushed by the mayor to pay tribute to the late fishermen.

A total of 328 fishermen went missing and were never

found after their fishing boats capsized at the height of typhoon Pablo on Dec. 3, 2012.

The 48 ill-fated fishing vessels, which were maintaining payaos or fish aggregating devices located around 115 nautical miles off the eastern seaboard of Mindanao, were already on their way to the nearest ports when the storm caught on them.

Rivera said the construction of the monument, which faces the Pendatun Avenue here, was supported by the city council.

“We will try to finish the project early next month so we can hold a ceremonial unveiling with the families of the missing fishermen,” he said. (PNA)

KALAHI-CIDSS. Nick Elvi Digol, Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Community Development Specialist, discusses Environmental and Social Safeguards during the Orientation-Training on Kalahi-CIDSS for Municipal Coordinating Teams of Kapalong, Pantukan, Compostela, San Isidro (DavOr), Boston, Caraga, Cateel, New Bataan, Malita and New Corella. Other topics presented were Community Empowerment Activity Cycle, Community Infrastructure,

N a bid to provide better opportunities and properly promote the welfare of women and other vulnerable sectors here, the city government will push this year for the institutionalization of the city’s gender and development (GAD) policies.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Tuesday he has directed the City Population Management Office (CPMO) to study and hold consultations with various sectors for the formulation of a comprehensive GAD policy for the city.

He said the proposed policy is mainly aimed to strengthen the local government’s programs and interventions in the protection and promotion of the welfare of women and children within the city’s 26 barangays.

“In this way, we can empower and uphold the welfare of women and other vulnerable sectors of the city,” Rivera said.

The formulation of the GAD policy was among the commitments issued by the mayor to the area’s women sector in line with the city’s celebration of the women’s month, which formally ended on Tuesday.

Hundreds of women have received various free services in a series of outreach activities conducted by the local government in the entire month.

The services included free pap smear, body mass index computation, free haircut, blood pres-

sure testing and legal consultation.

The outreach activities, which was facilitated by the CPMO, was joined and supported by local non-government groups and companies.

The Women’s Month, which is celebrated every March, is anchored on the International Women’s Day Celebration, which mainly upholds “women’s empowerment and their recognized role now in the society.”

The CPMO was earlier designated by the city mayor to spearhead various activities for the city’s women sector along with the City Social Welfare and Development Office and other national offices based in the city.

Judith Janiola, acting CPMO chief, said they tapped various women’s federations of the city for the month-long celebration.

“There was an overwhelming attendance from different barangays through the women federation in this celebration. This is the biggest attendance we had so far,” Janiola said.

She said that through this year’s celebration, they were able to bring forth their advocacy that “women must be empowered especially in decision-making.”

The culmination of the city’s women’s month celebration was marked by a fun walk and the “1 Billion Zumba Dance.”

(PNA)

Community-Based Procurement, Community-Based Finance, and Monitoring and Evaluation. Since 1993, Kalahi-CIDSS through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and partner agencies continues to empower poor communities all over the country by letting the people decide and plan for their development through conscientiously engaging and managing community projects that help reduce poverty. DSWD

EDGEDAVAO

5 ECONOMY

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

AirAsia travel pass boosts trade in Davao

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

A

IRASIA Philippines’ Asean Pass will help boost trade and commerce in Davao City, the airline’s top executive said.

“This is very important for Davao because Davao is more of a trade and commerce destination than a leisure destination,” AirAsia Philippines president and CEO Atty. Josephine Joy D. Cañeba said.

Cañeba said the Asean Pass will open Davao to the Philippines and to the rest of the Asean member-countries/ “This is very important for Davao because Davao is more of a trade and commerce destination that a leisure destination,” said Cañeba, who was in Davao recently when AirAsia re-launched the Davao-Manila route with a frequency of three-times daily.

She described the Asean Pass as similar to the train ticket issued to customers in Europe. The ticket allows the user to travel from one country to another using one single ticket.

The AirAsia ASEAN Pass

“is a travel pass that allows passengers to book fares by purchasing credits in advance and travel at a fixed rate and on over 140 routes across all 10 Asean countries: Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.”

The AirAsia Asean Pass is a way to promote Asean Integration, bridge communities and to attract more foreign tourists among Asean nations, according to Cañeba.

“It allows more people to travel through the Asean. It opens Philippines to tourists and opens Asean to Filipino,” Cañeba said during the recent Kapihan sa Abreeza.

AirAsia considers travelling important because of the learning and exposure a traveler can get from visiting not just tourist destinations, but the culture each Asean country has.

The Asean Pass will also allow more young people who do not have high purchasing power to travel and experience Asean more, Cañeba explained.

DIBIDI MA’AM? A bus passenger stares at the pirated DVDs being sold by a hawker for P35 to P50 each inside the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) yesterday. Lean Daval Jr. “Wth this Asean pass, definitely, they’ll get more excited to cross that outbucket list,” she said.

Guests availing the AirAsia Pass are given a choice

to purchase 10 or 20 credits and use the credits to redeem (purchase) flights within Asean countries.

Cañeba said with this pass, the budget carrier

which has base operation in Malaysia could be the airline of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines- East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) in the future.

“I really hope that we will be the BIMP-EAGA airline...as you know AirAsia have operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Philippines,” she said.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

BDO Unibank-ONB combination creates new growth opportunities

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T

crc@edgedavao.net

HE combination of the Henry-led BDO Unibank and Davao-based One Network Bank (ONB) will create new growth opportunities not just for the two banks but also for ONB’s clients, who are mostly from Mindanao.

“ONB’s borrowers, depositors and other clients will have the benefits that include bigger financial muscle and more products to invest on,” an earlier report said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) approved BDO’s acquisition of ONB last month, which covers 105 branches and micro-banking offices in Mindanao and Panay, which are among BDO’s targeted

growth areas.

BDO, the country’s largest bank in terms of assets, loans, deposits, capital and trust fund, expressed its interest to purchase ONB during the last quarter of last year which will translate to an instant access to ONB’ 700,000 clients from Mindanao and some parts of Visayas where BDO has no presence.

A reliable source of Edge Davao said ONB’s clients were already informed about the acquisition of ONB for an estimated P10 billion.

“The acquisition of ONB will allow BDO to have access to the big clients of ONB. BDO will become number one both

Body to issue Halal certification eyed T

HE national government is now studying the possibility of creating a body that will issue Halal accreditation in the country that is internationally accepted.

Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 director Roberto P. Alabado III said government officials are already discussing on the certification process which will allow Halal accreditation issued here to be internationally accepted.

“There is an issue right now that the accreditation given by local accrediting bodies are not recognized internationally,” Alabado said during the recent I-Speak media forum.

Halal is “a purification rite mandated by Islam in order to ensure that food is fit for consumption by its faithful.”

Alabado said it is important for some tourism-related establishments like hotels and restaurants to be Halal-certi-

fied because this will entice Muslim tourists from parts of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines- East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which is home to over 50 million Muslims, and Muslims countries in the Middle East.

He said there were establishments that posted that they are Halal certified but couldn’t provide the certificate.

“Halal accreditation is quite expensive but I encourage establishments to be Halal certified so that they could cater the Muslim market,” Alabado said.

“If the Muslim tourists started to come in, establishments could get back their investments for the certification,” he added.

Aside from BIMP-EAGA, the Asean alone has a great potential because of its over 600 million population that could

in commercial and rural banking sector,” the source said.

In an earlier report, ONB president and chief executive officer Alex V. Buenaventura said “that the partnership is an ideal combination of the rural bank’s strong regional presence and BDO’s financial muscle.”

“The combination would create new opportunities for growth. This partnership will enable ONB clients to access BDO’s strong balance sheet and expanded banking solutions, while providing BDO inroads to new market segments previously underserved by commercial banks,” Buenaventura said in the re-

port.

Buenaventura further admitted in the report that ONB has had a tradition of cooperation between BDO and the DMCI Group, owners of ONB. “More than other banks, BDO has partnered with the group in several major longterm large scale investment projects,” he said.

The Consunji-led ONB is Mindanao largest rural bank.

Eighty percent of its branch network in Mindanao and has total assets of P28.1 billion, net loans of P19.7 billion, and a deposit franchise amounting to P17.9 billion as of September 30, 2014.

The source disclosed that

NEXT HOST. DA 11 director Remelyn Recoter (center) looks on while Dr. Consolacion Satorre, deputy project director for Mindanao of the Philippine Rural Development Project (right), turns over the key of responsibility to Ma-

initial information revealed that ONB and BDO is planning to retain ONB’s name, while ONB’s employees will be subjected to BDO management.

The source also added that ONB will still continue its expansion plan even though it is under the BDO umbrella.

“Expansion will continue as ONB added three more branches this year. My theory is that BDO will even expand the ONB branch and compete in Luzon,” the source, who is a consultant of ONB, added.

Meanwhile, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said also in the report that the acquisition could change the face of rural banking in the

Philippines.

The acquisition will also improve the state of financial inclusion in the Philippines, according to Tetangco.

ONB is a product of the merger between three rural banks, namely the Consunji-owned Network Rural Bank, Buenaventura-led Rural Bank of Panabo, and Provident Rural Bank of Cotabato in 1996.

BDO is the country’s largest bank in terms of assets, loans, deposits, capital and trust funds. It has one of the largest distribution networks in the country, with 875 operating branches and 2,542 ATMs nationwide.

rio Malinao, regional manager Philippine Fisheries Development Authority as next year’s host of DA family’s Women’s Month Celebration. (Photo by Che Palicte/DA11)

DA 11 allots P65M for women empowerment Regular night flights start T at Laguindingan Airport T HE Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental began regular night flight operations to Northern Mindanao on Sunday night, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced on Monday.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said this following the opening of another airport gateway, the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) in Aklan last March 26.

Abaya said the beginning of regular night flights at Laguindingan Airport will boost

FBODY, 10

accessibility for the residents of Cagayan de Oro City and neighboring areas, as well as for visitors to the region.

To recall, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) gave airlines the option to schedule their night flights at the airport after being fully-equipped for night landing last October.

Evening flights formally opened last March 12 when low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air operated round-trips from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu and Davao. It will now offer regular

FREGULAR, 10

HE Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA 11) has allocated 5.1 percent of its total budget for the promotion of gender and development (GAD) .

DA 11 director Remelyn Recoter said out of this year’s P2.6 billion budget of the regional office, 5.1 percent or P65-million will fund projects involving women beneficiaries. These include provision of farm inputs, farm mechanization, postharvest facilities, food processing and other value-adding activities.

The fund will also support conduct of training and extension services to rural-based women organizations including incentives

for our local government agricultural extension workers who are mostly women technicians,” Recoter said.

In her message during the culmination of DA women›s month celebration in Davao City, Recoter said various development in the region can be attributed to rural women being an able partner of their husband in farm production.

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), in a message delivered by DA 11 GAD focal person Evelyn Basa, stressed that women should occupy 50 percent of the leadership whether in civil society organizations, academe, bureaucracy or electoral politics.

“Men and women have

different life experiences, they think differently and have different perspectives and priorities. Hence, both of them should be in all the different levels of leadership,” the PCW said.

Recoter said the DA is one of the gender sensitive agencies and have put emphasis on the capability of women to govern and lead.

“At the helm of 16 DA regional field offices, 50 percent are women regional directors. In the livestock sector, three out of the four DA attached agencies are also being led by women,” she said.

Compared to other countries in Asia and other parts of the world, Recoter said the women in our coun-

try are now given equal opportunities and actively participate in decision making.

This year’s DA monthlong women celebration in the region was hosted by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) – Mindanao support office. The celebration focused on the theme: “Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!” While women’s month celebration is centered on giving women equal rights and opportunities, the PCW also enjoined men to support GAD programs.

“We need more men who can stand for and promote women’s rights,” the PCW said. (Noel T. Provido/ DA11).

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

7 ENVIRONMENT

Saving our rivers

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“

MANY years ago, this was just a small pile. But as the years went by it has been growing.” So said Davao City councilor Leonardo Avila III of the portion of Davao River in Maa covered with white surface.

Avila, who is the chair of the City Council’s committee on environment and natural resources, was showing a video of his claim that a construction material company was dumping waste materials onto the river bank.

When it was reported that the river was contaminated with coliform bacteria, he personally went to the area during the conduct of a sample test on the water, according to a news report written

by Edge Davao’s Armando B. Fenequito, Jr. “When we visited the nearby community, some members of the community said that some of their children now have sores and skin diseases, simply because of this ready mix concrete waste that is being thrown in our rivers,” Avila was quoted as saying.

The councilor said the company has violated the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004. “We have to take care of this river not only from the pollution that comes from the seepage but also from certain companies who are trained to be environmentally conscious but are just dumping their waste into our beautiful Davao River, ” Avila pointed out.

If the Philippines will not protect its rivers and rehabilitate those dying and dead ones, Filipinos will definitely face dire consequences: ecological catastrophe and economic debacle.

“I do not want to be called the Prophet of Doom,” said Senator Franklin M. Drillon in a speech delivered during the first Philippine International River Summit in Iloilo City some years back, “but it pays to listen to concerned quarters who have been warning us that one of the fiercest battles in the future is on water.

“Indeed, the possibility that there will be less water available for people and industries in the near future is not remote in view of the droughts and famines experienced by many countries in the world. Hence, we need to intensify the campaign to protect our rivers, creeks and streams,” Drillon added.

Rivers and streams are bodies of water that flow through long passages called

Polluted river

Clean river channels. River water is collected in many springs and tributaries on mountain tops or the slopes along the banks of meandering rivers.

The Philippines has 412 principal river basins in 119 proclaimed watersheds. However, only 19 are considered major river basins. The longest river is the Cagayan located in Region II. Other important rivers in Luzon include the Agno and Pampanga, crossing the plains of Central Luzon; the Pasig, a commercially important artery flowing through the center of Metro Manila, providing the main drainage outlet for most of the waterways; and the Bicol, the primary river of Region V. In Mindanao, the principal rivers are the Rio Grande de Mindanao (known as the Pulangi River in its upper reaches) and the Agusan (where the world’s largest crocodile, Lolong, was caught).

“A healthy river is a niche of biodiversity,” writes Ricardo M. Umali, former undersecretary of the Department of

Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). “Depending on temperature, salinity, level of pollution, and especially the speed of water flow, different aquatic species will thrive in a river, its banks, or surrounding environment.”

Unfortunately, some of the country’s major rivers are undergoing various degradation.

“Today, our rivers are facing threats and challenges that we, as stewards of Mother Nature’s assets, must address,” Drillon said. “Among them are urban growth and development, lack of concrete or sound land use policy, climate change, flood risk, agricultural activities, pollution and increasing poor water quality.”

In fact, some of these rivers are nearly on the brink or gone already. Take the case of Metro Manila’s river systems. “All of Metro Manila’s rivers are biologically dead,” deplored the Silang-based International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) a couple of years ago.

The common measures of

vitality of a river are the number of bacteria present and the level of dissolved oxygen (DO). “Metro Manila’s rivers fail on both counts,” the IIRR claimed.

The number of bacteria depends on the amount of raw sewage and domestic waste in the water. This means that the more waste, the more bacteria. Domestic wastes such as garbage and human feces make up 70 percent of the pollution load in Metro Manila’s rivers. The remaining comes from industrial wastes.

A study conducted by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) some years back found that the DO in the water of Pasig River was only one milligram per liter in many parts and plummeted to zero at certain points.

The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) – the oxygen in the water required by aerobic bacteria so they could dissolve all organic matter thrown into the river – was measured at 350 tons. The virtual absence of this oxygen

made it impossible for such bacteria to “eat” up the debris thrown in the river.

“This absence of oxygen is the main cause of offensive odor and the absence of biological life in the Pasig,” the DANIDA explained.

In the past, the river was teemed with life and people came to see its beauty.

“The river showed off its bounty around the 1940s when, being relatively unpolluted, it generously flowed for people to wash clothes and take a bath in, for poets to admire, and for fishermen to take home a bountiful catch,” recalled Dr. Macrina Zafaralla in her study, Pasig: The Ecology of a Dying River.

Today, this scenario is all gone. As Manila developed with the imperatives of urbanization, industrial establishments conveniently mushroomed along both sides of the fabled river. Subsequent events tell of the usual path taken by all rivers that have witnessed the growth of great cities adjacent to them.

“With time, the river became an overused artery of commercial and industrial pursuits,” Dr. Zafaralla noted in her study. “In the 1960s, the water shimmered in oily squalor. Thereafter, water from artesian wells dug along the banks became unpotable for human consumption.

“As the water came to a standstill, water hyacinth blossomed in unimaginable thickets. Oil slicks, gases and other pollutants merged to spew out foul air. The degraded state of the river had never been more unbearable,” Dr. Zafaralla wrote.

“In many places around the world, rivers act as convenient dumping grounds for waste,” decried DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje. “Many of these rivers, once teeming with aquatic life, are now either biologically dead or dying.”

Metro Manila produces 7,000 tons of garbage a day without the facilities to dispose of it adequately. Therefore, much of it – about 1,500 tons – is thrown into streams, tributaries and the bay.

According to IIRR, organic pollutants are the main cause of

water pollution in the rivers. They include human sewage, animal waste, surface runoff from streets, cleaning materials, organic fertilizers, and wastes from food processing plants and pulp and paper factories.

“These pollutants are not directly poisonous to life in the rivers but they reduce the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, aside from increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, nitrates, and phosphates,” the IIRR said.

In 2008, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations showed that five of every 10 Filipinos believe water pollution is a serious threat to their health and environment. In 24 provinces, one of every five residents quaffs water from dubious sources, the Philippine Human Development Report said.

Unsafe water means diseases – if not death.

Every year, about 4,200 deaths are caused by contaminated drinking water and waterborne diseases. “An estimated 50% of typhoid cases (in the Philippines) are due to water pollution, sanitation conditions, and hygiene practices,” a World Bank report states. “Outbreaks are commonly associated with contaminated water supply systems.”

A recent World Bank study warned of a possible water scarcity problem in the country by 2025. By that time, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in eight of the 19 major river basins.

Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in the fishing and tourism industries. World Banks says water pollution and poor sanitation is costing the Philippines 47 billion pesos in lost tourism, 17 billion pesos in lost fishing catches and 3.3 billion pesos in unnecessary health costs.

Save those dying rivers and rehabilitate the dead ones now – before it’s too late! “Think of ways on how to keep our rivers healthy so that the younger generations and the generations yet unborn can still enjoy them. Let us be good stewards of Mother Nature. Let us save our rivers,” Drillon said.

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

EDITORIAL Change is from within

H

OLY Week, as they say, is a time for reflection.

For Christians, it is a time to consider what Jesus did more than 2,000 years ago and to see what they need to do to be worthy of the supreme sacrifice he made. But even for those of other faiths, the extended holidays offer a rare opportunity to pause and meditate on one’s thoughts and actions, to see if these are in consonance with what we universally hold as true and right.

Unfortunately, modern living has come in the way of such introspection. These days, Holy Week has become nothing more than an excuse for a jaunt, a time to frolic and have fun outside the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s understandable, of course. Life for many of us has become one big work day, and any chance we have to leave

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it all is certainly appreciated – and promptly jumped upon. That Holy Week comes in the peak of the dry season makes it so much more tempting to go out and have some fun.

Be that as it may, it would do us all a world of good if we, during the next four days, determine to pause every once in a while to reflect on ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country. As the philosopher Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living, and this extends to us as a nation. Decades of corruption, strife, crime, and other social evils will not go away simply by instituting laws or mouthing mantras and mottos.

The change must come from inside us, and what better time to do it than now, when we all pause and become that much more spiritual?

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

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N American reporter who made extensive studies on the lives of two of the most famous American presidents -- the well-loved Abraham Lincoln and the charismatic John F. Kennedy -- once compiled a set of startling similarities in the lives of the two great men and sent them to a fellow American writer, who had been delving into the very controversial realm of reincarnation.

Below are the striking similarities; they are a challenge to the human mind, defying explanation: · Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860; Kennedy 100 years later or in 1960. · Both had children who died while they were still living in the White House. · Both were killed in the presence of their wives. · Both were shot from behind -- in the head. · Both were assassinated on a Friday. · Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was born in 1839 while Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was born in 1939 -- or one hundred years later. · Both Lincoln and Kennedy were concerned with the issue of human rights. · Both Booth and Oswald were killed before they could be brought to trial. · Lincoln’s secretary, whose surname was Kennedy, advised Lincoln not to go the theater where he was later shot. · Kennedy’s secretary, whose surname was Lincoln, advised Kennedy not to go to Dallas where he was later shot. · Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and ran to a warehouse. On the other hand, Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and ran to a theater. · The names of John Wilkes Booth and Lee

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

Reincarnation: Fact or fiction?

Harvey Oswald THINK ON THESE! both consist of 15 letters. Lincoln has seven letters, ditto for Kennedy. · The names of Lincoln’s and Kennedy’s successors were both named Johnson.

Henrylito D. Tacio · Andrew henrytacio@gmail.com Johnson was born in 1808; Lyndon Johnson in 1908. · Both Johnsons were senators and Southern Democrats. · The names of both Johnsons consist of 13 letters.

Now, is there an explanation for these too much of “coincidences” (if you call these as such)? Could it be possible that Kennedy was actually a “reincarnation” of Lincoln? Why were there so many similarities between their lives?

What about their successors and assassins -were they “reincarnates” too?

Filipino psychic researcher Jaime T. Licauco defines reincarnation as “the belief in the continual rebirth of the human spirit or entity into the physical world in order to gain various experiences which are necessary for the entity’s evolution and development toward perfection.”

Perfection? Well, this was perhaps the reason why Hollywood movie actress Marisa Berenson, who appeared in Barry Lyndon, among others, believes in reincarnation.

“I can’t accept that you live and die and that’s it,” she once admitted. “I was born with a soul and what I make of this life will put me closer to

VANTAGE POINTS

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God in the next. My ultimate goal is to become a saint.”

Whether a person becomes a saint or not doesn’t matter, but the question remains: “Have we really been someone else in supposed past lives or past existences?”

Yes, according to Dr. Hemendra N. Bannerjee, executive director of the Shefenberg Research Foundation in Kingfishes, Oklahoma, in the United States. Together with his wife Margret, he had investigated more than 1,000 cases of reincarnation.

Dr. Bannerjee told a news correspondent that everyone has lived many times before -- as other persons -- and that many people do often get to be reincarnated as members of the opposite sex. “Every person, every creature, has lived before,” he stressed.

He said reincarnation is compatible with the Christian belief that says that after one dies, one’s soul goes to either heaven or hell and stays there. He added that Christianity believed in reincarnation until the fourth century and that some passages in the Bible express this. In fact, some sects still believe in it. But he asserted that a person does not go on being reincarnated forever.

“God cannot be that unkind,” Dr. Bannerjee pointed out. “Reincarnation does not stop at man. After many lives of learning, the soul should reach perfection -- and salvation.”

A reader once posed these questions to Licauco: “If we reincarnate in order to reach perfection, then why are there people who are born deaf and blind or are otherwise afflicted with dreadful diseases that make people afraid of facing life? Are their conditions the result of a great sin in the past?”

“Every action of man, including his thoughts, emotions, attitudes, fears and hopes, bring

about consequences or results,” answers Licauco. “If a person does violence to another, or even if he merely harbors hatred or envy toward his neighbor, he disturbs the natural and harmonious order of things in their respective planes of existence which must be corrected or restored.”

Experts call this “karma.” In the book Edgar Cayce on Reincarnation, karma is seen as a “universal law of cause and effect, which provides the soul with opportunities for physical, mental and spiritual growth.”

Licauco explains it further in these words: “We cannot do or think of anything at all without starting off the karmic process. That is why the Buddhists teach that we should practise detachment from things of this world; otherwise, we bring about consequences or effects in our lives. A dreadful disease or a physical defect could be a result of a karmic debt that must be paid for.”

In the Western culture, karma is interpreted as either reward or punishment for actions done in the past. “This is not entirely correct,” Licauco claims.

“Karma is neutral and objective,” he continues. “It simply refers to the consequences of one’s actions in a given lifetime. If you do an evil act or inflict moral or physical harm on another, you have to pay for it one way or another, if not in this lifetime, then in your next incarnation.

You are not being punished for your evil act if, for instance, you are born blind or paralytic. You are simply meeting the consequences of your past actions.”

Yogi Ramacharaka specifically pointed out this fact in his book, Yoga Philosophy: “An evil act is not an offense against the Creator as it is an offense against ourselves. We can’t harm the Absolute. But we may harm each other and in so doing harm ourselves.”

self-government. The Assembly consists of every adult in the community, thus it is a Government of the People literally. And its acts and decisions are meant to secure or provide for the wellbeing of everyone, thus a Government for the People literally.

In fact its sessions exemplify direct democracy in action and sovereignty incarnate. In assembling and deliberating—doing so together—the people collectively fulfill the role of the barangay government as the primary planning and implementing unit of government.

But it is worrisome that their public servants (barangay officials) exploit the assembly to serve their own purposes, reducing their Boss’s role to mere spectators instead of as the main participants. Consider: a Barangay Assembly that starts at 9 a.m. often eats up three or more hours for its officials’ reports, then provides 30 minutes or so for an Open Forum, followed by refreshments. ***** What’s supposed to be a community gathering turns out to be nothing more than a collection of spectators so the officials can have an audience for their reports and brag about alleged achievements.

People forget that this is THEIR assembly, not a platform for their servants to mount re-election campaigns. Letting officials take up most of the Assembly’s time limits the time citizens can devote to the business of governing, to air out concerns about their neighborhoods, or to express and exchange views on issues that

affect them.

It is wrong for the officials to grab the limelight and be the Assembly’s center of attention.

And wrong that they conduct it like a school convocation or, worse, like an election campaign’s “miting de avance”.

The people should be the center of attention. Or more accurately, their concerns, their views, and their ideas and proposals should be the Assembly’s focus. This is the community’s deliberative body, its highest authority, its incubator for community-based initiatives, especially for proposed reforms.

It is therefore where the will of the people must be given full play so it will emerge and form a consensus on important issues facing the community. Thus, this Assembly should be accorded the highest attention and consideration by everyone in every community. And its deliberations should be designed to accommodate the views, motions, and comments of the constituents.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Manny Valdehuesa is former UNESCO regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, Development Academy of Philippines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Government Academy; member, Cory Govt’s Peace Panel; awardee, PPI-UNICEF outstanding columnist. Author of books on governance, he is national chairman/convenor of Gising Barangay Movement Inc. valdehuesa@gmail.com)

What good do synchronized barangay assemblies serve?

NE wonders what good the synchronized barangay assemblies do for the grassroots in terms of empowering the people, good governance for the community, and its development. Given an agenda consisting mostly of reports verbally made by officials but not distributed, it does not invite attendance or serious participation, especially since they take up most of the time of the Assembly and leave little or nothing for serious deliberations.

The least they can do is furnish copies of their reports beforehand, preferably delivered to the homes, so people can read them and make intelligent comments or questions. Physical attendance is not enough.

It would be interesting to know what impact these assemblies have had thus far. Are local governments more responsive because of them, community needs better addressed? Is democracy at the grassroots more dynamic?

What’s notable is how the Assembly’s agenda is dictated from above. It may serve Malacanang’s or the DILG’s need for information, but it is not clear how it helps people govern better or exemplify autonomy (self-government).

For instance, why is it that local officials find it necessary to spend and devise gimmicks (distribute rice, serve refreshment, hold a raffle) to encourage attendance? One can understand why they would want a large attendance—as an indicator of the event’s success. But whether the prospect of taking part in the Assembly entices people to attend and participate is questionable.

THE WORM’S EYEVIEW

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA ***** If it turns out that more people are motivated to show up to avail of the gimmicks and handouts than to participate, then something is very wrong. What in essence is the rubric of democracy and the rite of sovereignty for citizens is trivialized.

In fact the Barangay Assembly and its deliberations exemplify the meaning and substance of democracy as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

The people themselves, not their representatives, congregate to conduct the business of governing. They initiate policies and ordinances.

They hear and pass upon the acts and decisions of public servants. They rectify what’s unacceptable or discipline errant behavior by wielding the power of initiative, referendum, or recall.

The Assembly is the formal venue and mechanism for undertaking the governing process— which also ensures transparency, accountability, and responsive service. It is the people’s parliament, the community’s legislative governing body, their constituent assembly. ***** In other words, it is Government by the People literally—with everyone engaged/involved in performing the tasks of autonomy or

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na ingon ni mayor na storya lang gyud ta dili na makigaway (Tell our MILF brothers that mayor said we will talk about this. We won’t fight),” he added.

Duterte said he had earlier told the national government not to talk with the MILF if it does not plan on talking to MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari.

“Wala man nila sunda, mao tong nasamok. Mao tong Zamboanga siege (They did not follow it, and that was why conflict arose. The result was the Zamboanga siege),” he said.

In an interview, Sudagar told reporters that she will consult her fellow Kagans first before accepting the special task of Duterte to her.

Sudagar took oath last Monday after she received the certificate of affirmation (COA) from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 at 11:45 a.m.

She said that in her first day as IPMR she will check the pending items left by former IPMR councilor Berino Mambo-o Sr. of Ata Tribe as she wants to continue what the latter started.

ciple shall apply unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment on special day; For work done in excess of eight hours (overtime work), he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her daily rate on the first eight hours of work [(Daily rate x 150%) + COLA; and For work done in excess of

eight hours (overtime work) during a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/ she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 150% x 130% x number of hours worked).

The pay rules were issued in pursuant to Proclamation No. 831 signed by President Benigno Aquino III last July 17, 2014. (PNA)

arrest and heavy casualties inflicted on them by the military during the month-long focused military operations against them.

The campaign, which started on Feb. 25, so far

caused the death of 151 BIFF men, wounding of 65 and capturing of 12 other BIFF men.

Ten soldiers were killed while another 33 were hurt in the campaign. (PNA)

16-hectare cornfield here where the footbridge is located.

When ARMM officials arrived minutes later, Bainot’s eyes widened in excitement upon learning that Department of Budget and Management Secretary Francisco “Butch” Abad made it to their place for Tuesday’s scheduled groundbreaking ceremony.

“I only see him on television,” she said.

During his speech, Abad accented that the project to improve the Tukanalipao footbridge reflects the government’s commitment to put an end to the decades-old Moro rebellion for self-determination in Mindanao.

“This bridge once im-

proved would usher in peace and development in this area,” Abad said as he urged the villagers to move on and put the Jan. 25 incident to rest.

The 100-meter bridge, expected to hasten the delivery of farm products by villagers here to various market outlets, would have an 820-meter concrete approach amounting to P7.5-M. Also lined up for farmer-villagers is a P10-M agri - assistance program and other livelihood packages.

“Now, I understand why there is a need for an upgraded bridge first for Tukanalipao before anything else,” Bainot beamed after Abad’s speech. (PNA)

be a market for Halal food and Halal services.

“There’s a huge number of population that subscribes to the Halal industry,”Alabado said.

To improve the industry, Alabado said Halal hould be integrated in all industries not just in Mindanao but all over the country, especially in Manila and other cities.

Muslim tourists in Manila allegedly find a hard time of looking hotels and restaurants that are Halal certified, accord-

ing to Alabado.

“We don’t want that to happened here. We wanted Davao to be Halal-friendly,” he said.

Davao Region is known to be one of the top producers and processor of Halal food products.

The Department of Science and Technology said the region could be a production based for Halal products that could be also exported to other countries. By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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ents, Gregorio Bautista and Agapita Torres-Bautista, started the Bautista annual pabasa in the early 1900s in their house along Avenida Rizal in Manila.

The chanting and singing of the Pasyon did not stop even during the worst times of the Japanese occupation, when Legarda’s grandparents, Jose “Pepe” Bautista and Carmen Gella Bautista, hid two sacred images over which the pabasa was sung.

The two life-sized images of Christ—the Scourging at the Pillar and the Crowning with Thorns—were entrusted by the Bautistas to a couple who used to live in the place where the San Lazaro Hospital presently stands.

Today, the two images, which are believed to be already 200 years old, are located in the Bautista ancestral home in Malabon, where the pabasa every Holy Wednesday is still being observed.

“Like the story of how our family has preserved a century-old tradition, many families have also their own stories on how their Lenten customs began. These stories are important details of our heritage. I hope that Filipino Catholics of the present generation will continue to honor these traditions by prioritizing the observance of these practices every Holy Week,” said Legarda.

“I also encourage non-Catholic Filipinos to preserve their respective religious practices because these are part of our heritage and culture, which are very important aspects of our identity as individuals and as a people. Even if we have different religious traditions, we have a common reason for observing these customs, which is to strengthen our faith and spirituality. Through this, we can find unity amidst diversity,” Legarda concluded.

Audit under the Bangsamoro government, she cited that according to Article 5, Section 2 of the BBL, the body that will be created in terms of performing some auditing functions in the Bangsamoro shall not in any way prejudice the powers, authority and duty of the national COA. “What probably has created a lot of confusion is to call that body a Bangsamoro Commission on Audit. So if the idea is to allow for an internal audit system that is within the Bangsamoro government, perhaps, one of the revisions or cleaning up that could be done is to remove any reference to that particular name, which has created much of this confusion,” she explained.

Ferrer also denied that the Bangsamoro government will have its own Commission on Election, noting that the BBL’s Article 7, Section 9 refers to a Bangsamoro electoral office, which shall be part of the COMELEC. “The only specialization that this COMELEC office in the Bangsamoro will have, is in relation to the fact that it will have a different kind of an electoral system,” she said.

On the Commission on Human Rights, Ferrer said the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) already has such a commission.

night trips to and from Manila.

Meanwhile, the DOTC said that an enhanced operations and maintenance contract is currently being bid out by the agency along with the Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, and new Bohol

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“So what is provided for here is that the Commission on Human Rights in the Bangsamoro shall have a coordinative and complementary relationship with the national Commission on Human Rights in carrying out its mandate, which is exactly what we have now in the ARMM, and that has been facilitated by a memorandum of agreement between the national Commission on Human Rights and the newly created the two- or three-year-old ARMM Commission on Human Rights,” she said.

“Maybe what is a little bit controversial here is that in the proposed law, there is this provision that provides for prosecutorial powers for the Bangsamoro Commission on Human Rights, which the current National Commission on Human Rights does not have,” she added.

Amid the confusion, Ferrer said she hopes that Congress would be able to provide a better version of the BBL. “We are not saying that the way the law is drafted now is the best language already that there is, and we look up to the wisdom of Congress to be able to come up with a much better language, precisely to be able to avoid these kinds of misinterpretation,” Ferrer said. (PCOO News Release)

is no assurance that Malaysia will help the Philippines with its dispute with China. “Malaysia itself has overlapping territorial interests and is China’s top trading partner in Southeast Asia,” he said.

The “Sabah for Spratlys swap” offer was expressed in a note verbale by the DFA to a representative of the Malaysian embassy last week, according to the independent VERA Files. The DFA offer was made just a week after Malaysian Defense Minister Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein visited the country.

The said note referred to a 2009 joint submission by Malaysia and Vietnam to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in which Malaysia laid claim to an extended continental shelf projected from Sabah.

The Philippines protested such submission as it effectively declared Sabah to be under the Malaysian flag.

In the note verbale, the DFA said it is reviewing the 2009 protest and that its action will depend on how Malaysia responds to Manila’s two requests on the South China Sea territorial claims. The first request is for Malaysia, which is also a Spratly islands claimant, to confirm that its claim of extended continental shelf is “entirely from the main coast of Malaysia, and not from any of the maritime features in the Spratly islands.” Malaysia was also asked to confirm it “does not claim entitlement to maritime areas beyond the 12 nautical miles from any of the maritime features in the Spratly islands it claims.”

“What power does Malaysia have that our highest officials feel the need to please our ASEAN neighbor? First, Malaysia became a third party in our peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which should have been internal to the Philippines. Now Malaysia will be involved with the country’s external affairs with regards to our territorial dispute with China in case the government downgrades the country’s claim over Sabah,” explained Gatchalian.

Gatchalian said giving up Sabah for the Spratlys is like bribing Malaysia to mollify the MILF, which looks to Malaysia as a big brother in the more than 20 years of waging an armed struggle to establish an Islamic state in Mindanao.

Under Article I of the 1987 Constitution, the country has sovereignty over its national territory: “The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including

its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.

The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.”

“Our Constitution ensures sovereignty over our national territory and the government must perform its duty to defend this sovereignty. Why is the government going to give up one of our territories for another when both these territories are rightfully ours in the first place,” said Gatchalian, who represents Valenzuela City’s 1st Congressional District.

Gatchalian added: “What will happen to the more than 600,000 Filipinos in Sabah who have to endure harassment? Asking Malaysia for support against China in exchange of our right over Sabah will be like asking Count Dracula to act as guard of the Blood Bank of the Philippine Red Cross.”

Former Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lauro Baja Jr. said the Philippine claim to Sabah will be “prejudiced” if Malaysia accedes to DFA’s request.

“We are in effect withdrawing our objection to Malaysia’s claim of ownership to Sabah,” he said.

Sabah (North Borneo) originally belonged to the Sultan of Brunei, who gave it to Sultan of Sulu Salah ud-Din Karamat Bakhtiar in 1658 as a reward for helping quell a rebellion. In 1878, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Alam Kiram leased North Borneo to the Hong Kong-based British North Borneo Co. of Baron Gustavos von Overbeck and Alfred Dent for 5,000 Malaysian dollars a year.

In 1946, Overbeck and Dent, without permission from the Sultan, transferred the territory to the British government when the company ceased operations.

On Sept. 11, 1962, Sultan of Sulu Mohammad Esmail Kiram ceded to the Philippine government full sovereignty, title and dominion over the territory. President Diosdado Macapagal filed the Philippines’ claim over Sabah with the United Nations.

In 1963, the British government, again without permission from the Sultan of Sulu, transferred Sabah to the newly formed Federation of Malaysia.

Malaysia is currently the broker in the peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF for the creation of a Bangsamoro, an autonomous political entity that will take the place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), described

by President Aquino as “a failed experiment.”

airports.

DOTC said that the O&M contract will require the eventual concessionaire to construct a terminal expansion aside from operating and maintaining the airport. (PNA)

The station of the cross is located at the foot of Pulong Bato, the highest peak of this city.

Agbulos also advised the public to bring with them protective gears such as hats and umbrellas.

Zamboanga City police director Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro said the number of people to converge at the Climaco Freedom Park in Mount Abong-Abong is expected to reach more than 20,000. (PNA)

Zambo... FROM 4

11 ICT HUB

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Globe Labs, JumpSparc, Microsoft lead PH bootcamp on Internet of Things W

ITH corporations and developers scampering to produce items which can “talk” to each other, Globe Labs has partnered with JumpSparc and Microsoft to teach interested parties – from students, professionals, hardware enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs – the easiest way to join the Internet of Things (IoT) bandwagon.

IoT promises to transform customer experience by allowing physical objects with embedded technology to transfer data over a network.

For instance, car sensors can inform the driver if something is wrong with the vehicle; a smartphone can be used to activate a coffee maker; a washing machine can be monitored via wifi, among other things.

The Jumpsparc IOT Bootcamp which will occupy the six weekends of March and April focuses not just on the technical aspects of product development but delves into the business and human-centered design side. Mentors

will also be available to provide continuous feedback.

“Globe Labs wants to help facilitate the discovery of products that genuinely help people and solve problems, assist in validating their ideas, and develop the social and selling skills of the participants. What better way to do this than to collaborate with Microsoft Corporation using their Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform and with JumpSparc, a company which advocates the do-it-yourself electronics and robotics culture and is an expert on bootcamps,” said Anne Michelle Santos, Globe Labs Project Manager for Digital Media.

Elymar Apao, co-founder of Jumpsparc added: “Imagine a Disneyland for electronic enthusiasts and hardware entrepreneurs. That’s what we do. We provide access to the hardware as well as the educational experience.”

Microsoft, on the other hand, wants to help organizations set up and run IoTstyled distributed systems by

Review:

providing a set of integrated Microsoft’s Azure cloud services designed to cut deployment times and management hassles.

The bootcamp aims to provide opportunities for anyone to become a maker of

things and earn from taheir projects while improving the people’s way of life. It will culminate in a hackathon for IoT to showcase what the participants have learned from the sessions.

The sessions include

product conceptualization and design; code and hardware walkthrough, home application, and presentation pitch practice; basic electronics and intro to sensors, motors and hardware interfacing; power supplies and inter-

New HTC One is a strong contender

H

TC’S flagship One phone has a lot going for it — except for strong sales.

In Samsung’s and Apple’s shadows, HTC barely has any market share despite having good phones. But the latest edition of the HTC One, dubbed M9, is even better than previous year’s models, as it addresses a major shortcoming: the camera.

The latest One keeps an elegant, all-metal design with a few changes. The power button moves from the top to the right side to keep the phone from sliding down and out of your hand when pressing. The back edges are also sharper to improve grip, though it does give the phone a boxy feel. The M9 screen stays at 5 inches, as measured diagonally.

Advance orders for the One have already begun in the U.S. The phone will be in retail stores on April 10, though it might ship sooner for those ordering it now. No-contract prices range from $600 at Verizon to $709 at AT&T. Here are other things to know before you buy.

BETTER PICTURES The 4 megapixels in previous One cameras was quite

low, resulting in fuzzy images, especially when cropped or enlarged. HTC had turned its attention to making each pixel capture more light, but the phone didn’t always succeed in taking better indoor and night shots.

The new One fixes that by squeezing in a standard 20-megapixel rear camera. Images are indeed better when enlarged. The new One does well in low light, too, compared with test shots taken with last year’s model.

The One still doesn’t always do as well as the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 in focus, color and exposure, especially in extreme situations.

Many indoor shots had a purple tint, and outdoor close-ups were out of focus. You can get good everyday shots, but don’t get the One just for the camera.

IT’S IN THE LOCATION HTC adapts the home screen to your location. At work, for instance, you’re shown apps for email, calendar and note-taking. At home, you see music, YouTube and an app store for more ways to waste time. When you’re out, you get Maps.

Choices change based on what you use. After a few days,

the phone added Netflix while “Out,” given my bad habit of watching video while dodging traffic on sidewalks. Location also influences suggestions for new apps.

It’s a good feature, though it ought to automatically figure out whether you’re home or at work. You need to specify that — something many people won’t bother to do.

And it would be nice to have more options beyond “Out.” Apps you need on your daily commute will differ from what you’d want on the weekend.

When you’re not home, the phone will periodically recommend nearby places to eat, based on Yelp recommendations.

Late Thursday afternoon, it sent me to a coffee shop about 15 minutes away by foot. (I went to a pub instead.)

SMASH-SAFE, SUPERB SOUND, STORAGE HTC is offering U.S. customers an extended protection plan for one year. You get a free replacement if you crack the screen, drop the

phone in the toilet or damage it in any other way. You’re limited to one replacement, and the plan doesn’t cover loss and theft. If you don’t need the replacement, you’ll get a $100 credit on your next One. The One also has superb sound, through twin front-facing speakers. And it’s one of the few phones still letting you add storage. You can’t replace the battery, though.

COMPROMISES There’s no fingerprint reader like the latest iPhones and high-end Samsung phones. The One has a full high-definition display at

The HTC One M9

facing isolated systems; physical and aesthetic design and projecting potential income; and Maker/IoT hackathon.

The bootcamp runs from March 13 to April 19 at the Globe Telepark, Valero Street in Makati City.

1080p, but it’s short of what comes with the latest Samsung and LG phones.

HTC also got rid of a second rear lens, which had captured depth information and allowed you to change the area of focus after the fact.

Other cameras do this with a single lens, but not very well.

HTC sacrificed that to fit in its 20-megapixel sensor. It’s a good trade-off, as everyday pictures are much better now. But avid photographers will do better with an iPhone or a Galaxy S6. Then again, if you’re clumsy, you can’t beat the promise of a free replacement.

12 CLASSIFIED

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DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICE

GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICE

Director of Sales

Marketing Specialist

JOCELYN S. PANES

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

EDMUND P. RENDON

General Santos City

Mobile: (Sun) 0925-357-3460 (Smart) 0907-202-3844

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

ANGELICA R. GARCIA Marketing Manager 97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

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EDGEDAVAO

STYLE

Designs by Maizy Colleen GETTING into the fashion industry takes a lot of guts. One thing I admire about this budding designer is her undaunted determination and courage to face the uncertainties and stay faithful to her dream --- to be a successful designer. At 23, Maizy Colleen Alvarez Tan has already woven her future in the business with an impressive following and clientele. She shows a lot of promise and she is sure to continue making waves with her talent, creativity and vision.

From paper dolls to make-believe ball gowns, Maizy already had the makings of a designer even back when she was little.

“As a child, I used to make my Barbie doll’s dresses out of handkerchiefs and scotch tape. I also collected paper dolls and drew cutout dresses for them. I’ve been intrigued by fashion for as long as I can remember.”

Eventually, this socalled pastime caught up with her as Maizy got older. She got into sewing and pattern-making.

“I hand stitched my first ever dress overnight. I’d say, it felt like a Cinderella moment. My parents were so amazed to see me in a design straight off a magazine. They bought me my first portable sewing machine shortly after that and I went on to make my own clothes. I even made my own prom dress and debut ball gown using that same

machine. Sewing brought me so much joy --- I feel at peace and less stressed.”

“I wanted to study fashion and become a designer, but I felt that it would disappoint my family as they wanted me to become a nurse. It didn’t really bother me at first, but halfway through college life, I felt like I wanted to pursue something else. I also didn’t want to quit on what I promised my parents.

So, I decided to finish my course and became a registered nurse. After which, I finally got my family’s go

At 23, Maizy Colleen Alvarez Tan has already woven her future in the business with an impressive following and clientele. signal and I followed my heart and enrolled myself in a fashion design school.

It felt good to go back to your first love.”

A year after Maizy graduated, she immediately got her hands busy. “I started

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EVENT

Out of the blue

By Henrylito Tacio

“THE BLUE FEATHER AWARD is the most coveted recognition journalism students of the Ateneo de Davao University receive,” says Dr. Maria Gemima V. Galang, a professor with the university’s Department of Education. She is also the woman behind the annual search.

There are actually two categories: newspaper and magazine. As one of the five judges in the search, I was invited to grace the awarding ceremony night held at the Apo View Hotel.

There were 12 awards in the newspaper category.

Libertad was winningest newspaper five awards. It has the Best Front Page and was chosen as the Second Best Newspaper.

It won the Best News Story (for “It’s complicated” by Karlo Alexie Puerto) and Best Original Sports Story “”Lady Eagles dominates round 1” by Claire E. Ponteras).

Libertad‘s Karlo Alexie Puerto, who wrote “Justice delayed, justice denied,” was named Best Tragedy Report along with Polaris’s Precious Domalaon, who penned “Time cut short.”

Polaris was also named third Best Newspaper. It also got Best Editorial.

Declared Best Newspaper was The Fourth Estate, whose editor-in-chief, Vanessa Kate Madrazo was also named Best Editor-in-Chief. Madrazo’s

piece, “Is peace possible,” was adjudged Best Column.

Vindicator got two citations: Best Business Story (“Total capitalization in Davao increased” by Kyle Cassey Navarro) and Best Editorial Cartoon (by Jerrick Luy).

The Best Original Community News Story went to Andrea Mejos for her story “Urban Blight,” which appeared in Advance. Angelo Caballero, who did the layout for Forefront, was chosen as the winner of Best Layout.

The magazine category was even more exciting.

There were 9 awards for grab. Denise Isabel Terio of Magu was named Best Editor-in-Chief.

Magu also got the Best in Magazine Layout while Lantaw got the Best Cover Page.

The Best Advertisement (for “Havaianas”) went to Gypsy while Garbo took the Best Advocacy Campaign for “Who are we to judge.”

In the Photo of the Year, four winners were declared: Banwe‘s Mary Joy de Castro was named first while Magu‘s Denise Isabel

Terio was second placer.

Two tied in the third place: Lantaw‘s Gwen Dale Caubang and Garbo‘s Roxanne Angelika Segumban.

Vanessa Kate Madrazo, who wrote “Sharmila Parmanand: Challenging Status Quo,” which appeared in Lantaw, topped the Best Mindanawon Story.

The two other awardees were Carly Chua (“Suwat ni Macario” in Magu) and Precious Domalaon (“Voices of Peace” in Banwe), second and third placers, respectively.

The Best Magazine Story went to Angelo Caballero (“To God’s Series of Ar-

chitectures” in Magu), first place; Mary Joy de Castro (“Beyond the Name B’laan” in Banwe), second place; and Vanessa Kate Madrazo (“Reeling Life from the Sea” in Lantaw), third place.

Named Best Magazine were Magu, first; Lantaw, second; and Banwe, third.

There were also persons who were named Most Outstanding Student Journalists: Aivy Rose Villarba, Angelo Caballero, Mary Joy de Castro, Precious Domalaon, and Vanessa Kate Madrazo.

This year’s theme for the magazine was General

Santos City, the country’s tuna capital. In behalf of Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera, who was not able to come to the awarding ceremony due to some circumstances, the volume of magazines was received by Dave R. Arreglado, the executive assistant of the city mayor’s office.

The awarding ceremony was also graced by Amado Santos Munda, Jr., who delivered a very eloquent speech on how his great grandfather “discovered” General Santos (before it was named as such). Some paintings were also exhibited in various strategic

prepared by our new Executive Chef, Victor Barangan, and his talented food production team. As an added treat, diners get to choose to claim either a complimentary Pool Pass or an Adult Pass to the Easter Event in the afternoon.

The Easter event, dubbed as Easter Funtasy, is where the Easter-iffic and egg-citing activities shall happen.

Children of all ages shall be shrouded in an ambiance of enchanting fantasy, as if they have stepped into a totally different reality. To enhance

the experience, children are encouraged to come in their most enchanting and captivating ensembles with matching made-up baskets.

Fun and games await your precious little ones, as well as tasty treats and prizes, and of course, the traditional Egg Hunt. Tickets are at Php 550.00nett per child, inclusive of event pass, snacks and complimentary Pool Pass. Adult Passes are at Php 350.00nett per person, with snacks.

Meditating, rejuvenating and family bonding has never been this enchantingly special at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao. For more details and reservations, contact us at (082) 233 2881 to 87 or 300 8881. For updates on our promos and culinary offerings, visit our website at www.waterfronthotels.com.ph. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/waterfront.davao and follow us on Instagram at WaterfrontDavao.

BABY COMPANY’S TRAVEL GEAR SALE IS ON! It’s Summer Time Moms & Dads! Baby Company’s Travel Gear Sale is on! Enjoy up to 50% off on strollers, carseats and more! And... Exclusive to Mom Card members, get a free Fun Fan for a minimum single-receipt purchase with P3,000 pesos only. Plus! Get a cool Ride-on Luggage for P799 pesos when you buy a single receipt purchase of any stroller. Hurry! See you at Baby Company’s Travel Gear Sale. Now until April 30. See posters and print ads for details. Per DTI FTEB Permit Number 4131 Series of 2015.

places The judges for the newspaper category were Stella A. Estremera, the editorin-chief of Sun.Star Davao, Carmelito Q. Francisco, the managing editor of Mindanao Times, and Edwin R. Fernandez, a journalism professor.

In the magazine category, Fernandez was also one of the judges, along with Ian Ray Garcia (a lifestyle columnist of Mindanao Times and editor-in-chief of M magazine), and myself (a columnist and features writer of Edge Davao and contributing editor of Philippines Graphic)

Holy Week specials at Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao THE LENTEN HOLIDAYS are upon us. It is the perfect time to relax, meditate, and spend quality time with yourself, family and friends.

And what better way to do so than at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao? Spend your Holy Week stay-cation with a selection of our Holy Week Room Specials. With rates starting as low as Php 2,400.00nett per room per night (Single Occupancy), guests can avail of Room accommodation with Buffet Breakfast at Café Uno, complimentary F&B coupon, complimentary use of the Swimming Pool, and free WIFI access. Rates are inclusive of government tax and service charge. Sprawling, well-manicured gardens, combined with the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the beach make Waterfront Insular Hotel the ideal place to commune and reconnect with your inner self, your family & with your Cre-

ator.

Come Easter Sunday, celebrate our Lord’s rising with specially prepared activities at the hotel. Easter Sunday Mass will be held at 10:30 am at the Lawin Room.

Guests and loyal patrons may listen to the Word of the Lord before proceeding to Café Uno for a sumptuous culinary offering of international cuisine. For only Php 750.00nett per person, delight your taste buds and allow yourself to once again indulge in appetizing food selections that are specially

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ENTERTAINMENT

Jeepney TV airs MMK classics for Holy Week IN OBSERVANCE of Holy Week, Jeepney TV will be airing timeless “Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK)” episodes on Maundy Thursday (April 2) and Good Friday (April 3).

MMK classic episodes “Ferris Wheel” featuring Angelika dela Cruz and Jericho Rosales will air on Maundy Thursday at 11PM, while other classic “MMK” episodes “Skating Rink,” “Agua Bendita,” and “Tsinelas” will air back-to-back on Good Friday starting at 12:50PM. The “MMK” classics Good Friday marathon features veteran actresses Judy Ann San-

tos (Agua Bendita), Rio Locsin (Skating Rink), Kapamilya royalty John Lloyd Cruz (Skating Rink), child star Bugoy Cariño (Tsinelas), and the late teen actor AJ Perez (Tsinelas).

Aside from the “MMK”

classics, Jeepney TV will also air the heartwarming TV series, “Tanging Yaman The Series: Sa Kandungan Mo, Inay” on March 31 (Tuesday), 1:15PM; April 2 (Thursday), 1:15PM; and April 3 (Friday), 1:50PM. The series stars Cherry Pie Picache as Louella, a former babymaker who is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. As her health condition deteriorates, she wishes to reunite with all the children she conceived for other parents, leaving her no choice but to reveal her secret.

For more information about Jeepney TV’s

“OH MY G” AIRS MARATHON SPECIAL THIS BLACK SATURDAY. ABS-CBN’s most-watched daytime TV program “Oh My G” will air its marathon special this Black Saturday, as part of the Kapamilya network’s Holy Week programing. The marathon special of the Janella Salvadorstarrer will begin at 12NN. Catch the first episodes of “Oh My G” and witness how Sophie’s (Janella) life changed when her parents died and when she became closer to G (God). Meanwhile, don’t miss the continuation of the feel-good drama series that will bring everyone closer to God, “Oh My G,” weekdays before “It’s Showtime” on ABSCBN Prime-Tanghali. For more information, please go to www. abscbnmobile.com.

Holy Week programing, please like and visit Jeepney TV’s Facebook page at www.facebook. com/JeepneyTV. Jeepney TV is available on SkyCable channel 9 and other leading cable systems nationwide.

Edward Benosa is Star Music’s newest balladeer HALF-SPANISH, halfFilipino singer-songwriter Edward Benosa is positive that there is still enough room in the Philippine music scene for real talents, and he intends to prove that with his self-titled debut album under Star Music.

Edward initially got his 15 minutes of fame when he auditioned for “The Voice of the Philippines Season 1” in 2013.

Despite being a nonchair turner, his good looks caused Toni Gonzaga to gush with admiration. Even coach Sarah Geronimo said it was his edge as a performer.

“But I don’t just want to be that ‘good-looking singer.’ I wish to let people hear my songs and discover my compositions,” said Edward.

“We Filipinos have a vast taste for music and I would like to believe that there is a part of the audience for my kind of sound.”

According to Edward, he is more on the side of pop ballad and his songs about love reach out to the hopeless romantic Pinoys who easily connect with experiential lyrics. He said, “Love songs define certain moments of our lives and the more relatable the lyrics are, the more it will captivate their hearts.”

Edward’s self-titled

debut album contains eight tracks including “Ikaw Lang,” “Paglisan,” “Puso Kong Ito,” “Sa Piling Mo,” “Why Didn’t You Stay,” “Stay” featuring Marion Aunor, and his carrier singles “Iingatan Ko” and “Di Man Lang Nagpaalam.” All the tracks have minus one versions in the album.

The album is now available at all record

bars nationwide for only P199. Digital tracks can also be downloaded worldwide via online music stores such as iTunes and Mymusicstore.com.ph.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/starrecordsphil, Twitter.com/ starrecordsph and Instagram.com/Starmusicph.

March 26-April 1, 2015

INSURGENT Shailene Woodley, Theo James PG

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

CINDERELLA Lily James, Hayley Atwell, Richard Madden G

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

SONG ONE Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn PG

R-16

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

HOME Rihanna, Jim Parsons G

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

EDGEDAVAO

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STYLE METRO MOM A1 accepting orders for custom-made dresses last August 2014. It was all about timing. It was close to the start of the holidays, which also marks the season for big family gatherings and weddings. And prom came after that. I’ve had the greatest pleasure of meeting new clients and seeing them leave with smiles from ear to ear. The most rewarding feeling is when I know that I made someone feel beautiful even for a night.”

Style philosophy “I’m not much into trends,” explains Maizy. “I like marrying romantic designs with timeless sophistication. A signature piece from me would probably be something with lace or embroidery in a classic silhouette of subtle elegance.

I’m not so much into shiny and sheer fabric or heavy beadwork. I prefer to highlight my client’s natural charm.”

“I think the modern woman is very practical and style savvy. I’ve had clients asking me to make them classic, silhouette pieces in neutral colors, all of which they can wear to different occasions. Say, a black tea-length skirt which can go from day to night by just simple change of accessories, shoes and bags or by adding on a blazer. Nowadays, the modern woman goes for smart purchases than impulse shopping.”

Wardrobe tips “If I could give advice to any woman of today, I’d give her these top 3 quickfixes,” shared Maizy. “First, wear something comfortable and not obscene. Wear the right clothes for the right occasion, because being well-dressed is a sign of respect not only to others, but also for you.”

“Wear something basic and inject an ooze of originality. Individual style can come with how you fix your hair or how you accessorize. It can also be very distinct, how you feel or think (e.g. edgy, grunge, sweet, etc). However you wear your clothes, always add a bit of YOU to it.”

“Lastly,” adds Maizy, “wear confidence over your shoulder and cap your everyday look with a smile.

I believe radiance comes from within and every woman should let her inner beauty shine through.”

For custom-made dresses, contact Maizy Colleen via maizycolleen@gmail. com. You can also check out her sample work and designs by following @maizycolleen on Instagram.

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NEWS

13

No ‘over financing’ in Muslim Mindanao

T

HE government peace panel clarified that the administration is not “over financing” the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the proposed Bangsamoro government.

Member of the Government Peace Panel, Senen Bacani, said to correct this misconception, there is a need to differentiate the existing budget for ARMM from the incremental funding that will be introduced once the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is passed.

“Tungkol sa financing, kailangan i-klaro dito kung ano ang existing at saka ano ang incremental. Pag-usapan muna natin ang incremental funding because of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Nakasaad diyan merong special development fund. First year, P7 billion and then for the next five years P2 billion each, that is a total of P17 billion. Tapos ang incremental fund na Bangsamoro Transition Authority, P1 billion. Iyan lang talaga ang karagdagang gastos [sa] pagpasa ng Bangsamoro Basic Law because the other expenses, nandiyan na ‘yan,” Bacani explained.

The ARMM meanwhile

has an existing budget of P24.3 billion, which will get an additional P900 million for pensions, for a total of P25.2 billion, he said, noting that in 2016, a “block grant” of P26.8 billion will replace the annual subsidy to ARMM. “When you say ‘block grant’, it gives you the impression na bago but it is just a new term. It is to replace the annual subsidy to the ARMM, which exists in the General Appropriations Act. Makikita sa General Appropriations Act for 2015, P24.3 billion, magdagdag ka ng P900 million because of the pension fund, that’s P25.2 billion. Papalitan ‘yan ng block grant in 2016 ng P26.8 billion,” he said.

Under the BBL, he said, the block grant is four percent of 60 percent of the net internal revenue collections.

“Ang base year niyan 2013. 2013, the estimated net BIR internal revenue collection is about P1.1 trillion—2.4 percent of that is P26.8 billion.

Kapalit lang ‘yan ‘nung 24.3 plus 900, so 25.2,” said Bacani.

“This is not additional. Projected na ito.”

“The current ARMM budget today will be translated into a block grant. It does not mean an increase. Ito talagang

CONGRATS. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte congratulates the five Dabawenyos who recently graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) during a courtesy call at People’s Park on Monday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr. karagdagan: Special Development Fund, P7 billion and then P2 billion a year for five years starting in 2017. A one-time transition fund of P1 billion in 2016,” Bacani said, denying what critics refer to as a P75 billion additional funding for

the Bangsamoro.

He noted that the incremental funding will be “subject to proper accountability and normal checks and balances and safeguards”.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, for his part, explained

the three components of the ARMM budget: the salary of government employees (42 percent), maintenance and operating expenses (12 percent), and capital outlay (46 percent).

“Tatlong pinupuntahan at hindi kalakihan ‘yan. With or

without the BBL ay ibibigay ‘yan. Now, it is called the ARMM government but in the future, if the bill passes, then it becomes the Bangsamoro government.

Just to stress those two points,” said Abad. (PCOO News Release)

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TEAM #BAYANIHAN. Batangas State University won 3rd place at the 11th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards for its mobile application that facilitates efficient delivery of public service from government agencies and local government units. The team is joined by Smart executives led by PLDT and Smart president and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno (third from right), and DOST Undersecretary Mon Ibrahim (third from left).

Students push for transparency, creates winning mobile app

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MOBILE app developed by students of Batangas State University is poised to contribute to the government’s efforts to improve public service and disclosure of relevant information.

Dubbed #BAYANIHAN, the mobile app was developed mainly for local government units (LGUs) as a centralized e-government website that will feature, among others, government financial reports to promote transparency in government.

#BAYANIHAN was one of the big winners in the recent 11th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards that was organized by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart). The team that is comprised of Electronics and Communications Engineering students Donna Rei Punzalan, Elezar Garcia, Ralph Brando Bernabe, and Aldrin Abacan, with mentor Engr.

Albertson Amante, won third place at the annual competition. The team received a cash prize of P100,000, and the same

amount was awarded to the school as grant.

The app will feature localized news, events, and classified ads. It will also serve as a platform where people can avail of the services of LGUs. People will be able to request for business permits and other documents online using the app.

“It uses the ‘task rabbit system’ where agents called “kabayanihan” are hired to process the documents to be acquired,” explained Abacan.

The #BAYANIHAN has both web and An-

droid versions, meaning the mobile app can be accessed via computers and mobile phones. To further assist those who would like to use the app, the team intends to set up interactive kiosks in public areas.

The team has great plans for #BAYANIHAN. “We intend to launch a beta version of both our Android application and website soon. We also have plans to create an iOS version for this,” said Abacan.

SWEEP or the Smart Wireless Engineering Ed-

ucation Program, is an industry-academe linkage program with a network of 52 colleges and universities in the Philippines.

The SWEEP Awards is the country’s biggest and longest-running technology competition.

This year’s grand champion is Wesleyan University of Cabanatuan City for S-MART or Smart Market Assistance and Product Trading, a mobile app that allows farmers to sell their agricultural products online. Meanwhile, Bulacan State University’s Smart IMAGE

(Instant Multiple-option Assessor for General Examinations) was first runner-up. Teams S-MART and Smart IMAGE won P500,000, and P200,000, respectively. The schools also got the equivalent amount in grants.

SWEEP aims to uplift engineering and IT education in the Philippines and help partner-schools produce industry-ready graduates. To know more about SWEEP, visit www. smartsweep.ph or follow us on Facebook (www. facebook.com/sweepschools).

“fourth estate” from the cities of Cebu and Davao, but also their professional peers from Iloilo, Bacolod, General Santos, Zamboanga, and Cagayan de Oro as well.

“Since 2012, the GMEA has been stoking the flames of creativity and passion from our colleagues in the broadcast media and journalism in Cebu and Davao. We are honored that with a bigger GMEA this year,

we will be able to continuously provide the impetus to further the craft and art of exemplary writing in Visayas and Mindanao,” said Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto.

Believing that media excellence transcends the daily coverage of developing events, the 2015 GMEA will distinguish journalists based in the seven key cities with sub-

missions for the following categories: Reporter of the Year for Print, Explanatory/Investigative Story of the Year for Print, Explanatory/Investigative Story of the Year for Broadcast, Columnist of the Year, Reporter of the Year for TV, Reporter of the Year for Radio and Blogger of the Year.

As in previous years, the entries should explore and promote advocacies in business and entre-

preneurship, information and communications technology, environment and disaster response, governance and social progress, and youth and education. The qualifying period will be from May 2014 to May 2015 for Visayas, with a submission deadline of May 29; while for Mindanao, it is June 2014 to June 2015, the last day of submissions being June 30, 2015.

This year’s staging of

the GMEA will coincide with the celebrations of the Freedom Week in Cebu on September 20 to 27, as well as the Media Freedom Day in Davao on November 23, in commemoration of the media personalities from those key cities who offered their lives in the line of duty.

For more information, email globecmea@gmail. com or call 09177919564 or (032) 4167159.

Bigger Globe Media Excellence Awards to fete best Visayas, Mindanao scribes

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LOBE Telecom recently announced the commencement of this year’s Globe Media Excellence Awards (GMEA), the premier award-giving body which recognizes excellence in journalism from the best breed of scribes in Visayas and Mindanao.

A highly-anticipated annual engagement in central and southern Philippines since 2012, the GMEA encourages writers to excel in civic, investigative, and explanatory journalism, with focus on pressing social concerns such as freedom from ignorance, poverty, and corruption. Now on its fourth year, the telco announces a broader coverage of the GMEA which will not only honor the men and women of the

VOL. 7 ISSUE 268 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

MORNING DRILLS. Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao goes thru early morning drills with strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune in Los Angeles for his upcoming 12-round welterweight world championship unification megafight against Floyd Mayweather. Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Tougher grind ahead for Manny

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IGHT-DIVISION world boxing champion and Philippine lawmaker Manny Pacquiao starts the tougher final month of his build-up program for his ‘Fight o the Century’ confrontation with American five-division titleholder Floyd Mayweather Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

As in the past week, Pacquiao will start visiting anew the University of California-Los Angeles Track and Field Stadium to resume, thrice a week, the rigorous

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World Boxing Organization welterweight kingpin will be rounding the 400-meter rubber-coated oval eight times, spend a little time resting before sprinting from the bottom of the bleacher section to the top.

This procedure, according to Fortune, which the Filipino ring hero started a week ago when he did away with his altitude training at Griffith Hills, will continue every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the desired results are achieved, two or three

Djokovic needed less than half an hour to take the first set but had to come back from a break down in the second, trailing 5-4 before rallying for the triumph.

“The first set went completely my way, but I had a drop of intensity and didn’t use opportunities early in the second set, made it close,” Djokovic said.

“I managed to come back in the right moment. I elevated the intensity and started playing a little bit of depth on the ball. But I still complicated my life in the second set.

“At the end of the day, it’s a win.”

- Nishikori, Raonic win -

Japan’s Kei Nishikori took just over an hour to defeat Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-2 to secure a fourth-round berth.

Asia’s top player -- who reached the semi-finals in Miami last year -- could not fault his performance.

“I played good tennis today, almost perfect. I’m excited that I’m playing good here. Maybe he was hurting a little bit, but still I was giving him a lot of pressure with my return,” Nishikori said.

“It was a great match today.

I felt great on the court, so very happy to win.”

Nishikori hit five aces and 16 winners, breaking 39th-ranked Troicki on five of six chances.

Djokovic advances in Miami

ORLD number one Novak Djokovic moved closer to a possible fourth Miami Open trophy by defeating Belgium’s Steve Darcis 6-0, 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

Defending champion Djokovic, seeking his third March hardcourt double of Indian Wells and Miami in the same year, fired five aces and broke Darcis five times.

Djokovic will next play Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov, who ousted Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-4.

Australian Open winner Djokovic wrapped up victory with a break in the final game to earn his 21st victory of the season as he pursues his third title of the year.

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regimen aimed at improving his agility and footwork.

From there, he proceeds to the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood for his ritual punching the mitts with chief trainer Freddie Roach.

The leg-strengthening regimen will remain, conditioning coach Justin Fortune said, with his pupil asked to perform the energy-sapping climb of the 82-step UCLA oval bleacher, which he will be repeating 16 times sideways on his right and left.

Before that, the reigning

F you are a government official in China and you are playing golf, you are in trouble.

Reason? Golf is widely associated with lavish spending which the Chinese government treats as a capital sin. That is why for government officials, golf is a forbidden game.

President Xi Jinping has laid down the “8 Rules on Official Behavior” which included golf as a forbidden game.

I heard too that the ruling party’s anti-graft body has laid down a directive where provincial Communist officials would face punishment if they engaged in any golf-related activities and that includes joining a club. They even set up a hotline where the

weeks from now.

According to Fortune, the procedure is so hard, only a few fighters with Pacquiao’s strength can perform.

“Mahirap talaga, lalo noong simula,” Pacquiao himself admitted, “Pero nang masanay na ako, maginhawa na rin ang pakiramdam ko. “I feel very strong, real strong now after only three days of doing the program.”

“Speed and agility, well, hindi pa perfect. I’m taking it slowly, dahan-dahan lang at hindi ko binibigla, but soon,

I know it will be back,” Pacquiao added, during a lunch he tendered for his family, Jinkee and children, members of his team and friends in his favorite Kabuki Restaurant along Vine St. in Hollywood Sunday.

Sunday morning, Pacquiao and party attended a religious service at the Westside Sheperd Church.

“The camp has been running well since we started pitching here,” he disclosed.

“We’re on track and I feel within a couple of weeks,

I’ll be regaining my fighting form.”

Sparring, he said has been going smoothly and effectively with at least five of his sparmates providing everything he needed in answer to whatever Mayweather can put on the table.

“Each of my sparmates, all very young, has the arsenal Floyd has been known for in amassing a clean 47-0 winloss slate,” he reconfirmed.

“Everything Freddie asked them, they give, kaya so far, perfect ang setup.”

KARATE KIDS. A taekwondo practitioner scores against an opponent with a jumping front kick during the 11th ITF Taekwon-Do Philippines National and Invitational Tournament 2015 at NCCC Mall on Sunday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

Why China is frowning upon golf?

public can report suspected golf violations.

The Chinese anti-graft commission believed that “all over the world, golf is synonymous with extravagant spending, and even in developed Western countries, it is considered a ‘noble’ sport”.

If you join a club in China, membership fees are far above normal annual income level of officials and the general public. Meaning, if you are a mere government official, you cannot afford a membership. That’s the presumption. Hence, if you join a club, there is suspicion that you have enriched yourself in office.

They also believe that if officials join a golf club, they risk

LET’S GET IT ON

Neil Bravo losing touch with the masses.

Those who cannot stay away from the sport do so under false names in order not to be perceived corrupt or out of touch.

Which reminds me of the ZTE deal during the time of former President GMA where the deal was reportedly sealed at the fairways. That’s the other side of golf--a convenient negotiating arena for under-the-table deals where there are no walls with ears.

But don’t get me wrong here. The Chinese love golf. In fact, from 200 golf courses in 2004 when the government issued a moratorium on building golf courses, the number rose to more than 600 at present. Tax breaks were even given to developers and operators of new courses in places like Hainan.

Talk about the world’s largest golf resort? China owns that

distinction with the Mission Hills Golf Club in the southern industrial hub of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong. The 20-square-kilometre (7.7 sq mile) complex was founded in 1994 and boasts twelve (yes, a dozen!) 18-hole courses.

China also holds clout over major golf events like the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, a tournament known as “Asia’s Major” where 40 of the world’s top 50 players present for the second consecutive year. This $8.5 million event is now the largest tournament in the world outside the US and the British Open.

Talk about the biggest golf design project? Tiger Woods

has been commissioned to redesign a course to the tune of $16.5 million. That is why it worries not if Tiger is playing bad these days. He is bound to become the highest paid golf designer.

Now, who cares if China is closing down 66 golf course they consider as illegally built?

Or who cares if a senior official is now being investigated for breaking the “8 Rules” by playing golf?

The forbidden tree always bears fruit.

Notes: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” at 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8 am to 10 am. You may write the author at bravoneil@rocketmail.com.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. VOL.77ISSUE ISSUE268 268••WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY,APRIL APRIL1, 1,2015 2015

BACK ON TRACK. Nonito Donaire Jr. claims World Boxing Council-North America Boxing Federation super bantamweight title after knocking out William Prado in the second round of their fight on Saturday.

BACK ON TRACK Donaire eyes title fight, Nietes defense set July 4

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RESH from his dominating victory against William Prado in Pinoy Pride 30, Nonito Donaire Jr. already has his sights set on a title fight.

Donaire Jr. (34-3, 22 KOs) showed his true form against Prado, punishing the Brazilian boxer in just two rounds to win the World Boxing Council-North America Boxing Federation super bantamweight belt on Saturday (March 28) at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

“I think it’s definitely a statement on where Nonito Donaire is at. If I had trouble with him, I wasn’t at that level. You guys could see the difference in talent,” Donaire said after his conquest.

“But with my power and everything that I have, I did feel that I was above that level,” he states. “We got to see where I’m at in terms of my ability, and I feel like I’m still at that elite level. I can still compete with guys like

(Guillermo) Rigondeaux and (Leo) Santa Cruz.”

With the impressive comeback, the five-division world champion says he wants to keep going and is hoping for a title shot before the year ends.

“Hopefully, I’ll get a chance against whoever,” said Donaire.

One fight worth pursuing is a rematch with Rigondeaux. Donaire had already fought Rigondeaux in 2013 but lost via unanimous decision.

“Anytime. If Rigondeaux allows it, we’re ready”, said his father and coach.

Nietes (35-1-4, 21 KOs) unleashed a right straight to send the Mexican down in the ninth round to retain his WBO junior flyweight crown.

According to ALA Promotions president and CEO Michael Aldeguer, Nietes will be defending the same title again opposite unified strawweight champion Francisco Rodriguez on July

4 in Cebu City.

If Nietes wins over Rodriguez in that match, he will move up to 112 lbs. to challenge WBA-WBO king Juan Francisco Estrada.

Praise from the PalaceAfter emerging victorious in their respective bouts, Donaire Jr. and Nietes were commended by Malacañan.

“The Filipino people take pride once more with the remarkable victory of Nonito Donaire Jr. against Brazilian boxer William Prado and with the win of Donnie Nietes in defending his World Boxing Organization junior flyweight championship,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

“So we’d like to congratulate our Filipino boxers who have done so remarkably well and showed the resiliency and athleticism of our Filipino athletes. It goes along the way of showing that we are of worldclass quality.”