Edge Davao 8 Issue 145

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

NO TO ‘IN AID OF ELECTION’

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE… Sixty-six days before Christmas and 13-year-old Arian James Navares is already busy fixing up a display of colorful Christmas lanterns that his family sells along Tionko Avenue in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

2016 budget won’t be used for elections: Dayanghirang

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang yesterday gave assurance that the proposed P6.3-billion 2016 budget of the city will not be used for partisan politics in next year’s national election.

In an interview at the sidelines of the regular Council session yesterday at the Sangguniang Panlungsod building, Dayanghirang, chair of the committee on finance, ways and means, and appropriation, told reporters that the budget

will not be used by the candidates because the election period will start in January while the approval of the budget will not be later than first week of December.

He said by January there will be no more projects for

the city because of the election ban.

“The way I look at it, the entire operation of the city will be only on maintenance and operating expenditures,” he said.

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EDGEDAVAO Sports PH bids for Rio Qualifiers P14

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

INTERACTIVITY. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries participate in an interactive activity during Youth Development Session (YDS) regional launch at the Davao City National High School yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

DSWD rolls out reproductive health program for 4Ps teens

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

WO in every five teenagers in the Davao Region are engaged in premarital sex while the number of teenage pregnancy has been increasing since 1998.

This is not far different from the reproductive conditions of young men and women in other regions of the Philippines, which has been dubbed a “gold medalist in Asia” when it comes to population of teenage pregnancy.

Population Commission officer Moises Villacorta said teenage pregnancy is common among the poor and marginalized because of low awareness and misconception.

To end the trend, a total of 102,606 youth beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang

Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will participate in the initial roll-out of the Youth Development Sessions (YDS) in a bid to raise awareness on reproductive health among poor teens.

“It is important to provide intervention to poor youths because they are the most vulnerable sector that usually becomes victims of teenage pregnancy, among others,” DSWD 11 regional director Priscilla N. Razon said during the launch of the YDS at the Davao City National High School yesterday.

The YDS is a parallel intervention to the Family Development Session (FDS) targeted

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SC stops GMA plunder trial

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HE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued a status quo ante order stopping for 30 days the plunder trial against former President and now Pampanga (2nd District) Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by the Sandiganbayan.

The case involves the alleged anomalous utilization of the confidential intelligence fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) amounting to P365 million during Arroyo’s term as president.

Likewise, the SC also ordered the Sandiganbayan

First Division to submit its comment on Arroyo’s petition.

In her 124-page petition for certiorari filed through her legal counsel Estelito Mendoza, Arroyo asked the High Court to set an oral argument and suspend the plunder trial.

She also asked the SC to set aside and nullify the resolution of the Sandiganbayan dated April 6, 2015 and Sept.

10, 2015 which dismissed the “demurrer to evidence” which she filed.

The Sandiganbayan has allowed Arroyo’s co-accused

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Military condemns killing of mayor, son

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines condemned the killing of Loreto, Agusan del Sur Mayor Dario Otaza 57, and son Daryl, 27, by alleged members of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee of the New People’s Army (NPA) Barangay. Bitan-agan, Butuan City yesterday morning.

In a statement issued by Eastmincom, the victims were reportedly abducted at 6:30 p.m., October 19, 2015 at their residence by the perpetrators who pretended as agents of National Bureau of Investiga-

tion (NBI) in Barangay Baan in Butuan City.

The soldiers of 23rd Infantry Battalion, who are part of the pursuing troops in support to the law enforcement efforts, found the bodies of Mayor Otaza and Daryl hogtied with multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies in Brgy.

Bitan-agan at 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday.

Eastmincom said these brutal acts of attacking and killing civilians should not be the object of attack under the Internal Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict, civilians and civilian

properties.

“The killing of Mayor Otaza and son is another lumad killing purposely to sow terror and to intimidate the peace-loving lumad communities,” said in the statement It stated that Otaza was a former NPA member turn peace-advocate was instrumental in the surrender of 154 NPA members during “Pagbabalik-Loob” in Agusan del Sur last year. He facilitated the delivery of government services to indigenous peoples or lumad communities.

The Police Regional Office in Caraga is now conducting an investigation of the inci-

dent.

Eastmincom said that on October 7, 2015, a Higaonon tribal leader Datu Ricardo Mandihinog Sulhayan of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte was killed by NPA members.

On October 12, 2015, the NPAs abducted another tribal leader known as Datu Saligando in Brgy. Camagong, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte.

Eastmincom added that it has observed that a series of killings and kidnappings against civilians in lumad communities within eastern Mindanao occurred during the 2nd and 3rd quarter of this year allegedly perpetrated by NPA.

HE Davao City Council is set to craft an ordinance to fix the political boundaries of the barangays in the city to avoid boundary conflicts.

In yesterday’s Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong media briefing, councilor Bernard Al-ag, chair of the committee on rules, privileges, laws and ordinances, said many boundary conflicts have arisen in barangays in the city.

Al-ag said he noted that the boundary problem usually arises if new businesses are established in a certain area.

“Just like in Barangays Bunawan and Mahayag when the Steel Asia Plant was built, the conflict began. When there was no Steel Asia there was no boundary conflict,” he said.

He said his committee is set to visit the barangays with conflicts such as Barangays Sto. Niño and Mintal, Malabog

Megkawayan and Saloy, Sasa and Panacan, Panacan and Ilang, and Ilang and Tibunco.

Al-ag said the committee also wants to have a Global Positioning System (GPS) map to formulate a technical description in all the boundaries of the barangays.

For his part, committee vice chair councilor Bonifacio Militar said if the City Council focuses on the boundary conflicts, it would be time-con-

suming.

Militar said during his time as floor leader he advised the parties to file cases in court if their conflict is not settled by the Council.

“Under the local government code, if both parties will not agree to an amicable settlement certified by the City Council, they are advised to file the case on court,” he said.

He said this process will

Dads want to fix barangay boundaries T

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

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4 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

CHILDREN’S WELFARE. Third district councilor Antoinette Principe-Castordes reads the statement of the participants BIG BUDGET. Davao City Council committee on finance, ways and means, and appropriation chair councilor Danilo of the Children’s Summit held last week in yesterday’s City Council’s regular session. The participants are calling the Dayanghirang presents the P6.3-billion proposed 2016 budget in his privilege speech during the regular City Council barangay leaders and other government officials to study the implementation of the Children’s Welfare Code of the session yesterday. Armando B. Fenequito Jr. Davao City. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

Military deploys 125 IP soldiers T

HE military has authorized the deployment of 125 certified members of the Indigenous People (IP) back to their villages in order to assist in the development of their ancestral communities.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the army’s 4th Infantry Division here, said on Tuesday that the 125 IPs are regular members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with a rank of private to sergeants.

He said that the IP soldiers, most of them of the Manobos and Higa-onon tribes, underwent an alternative learning system (ALS) accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Before the end of this year, the IP soldiers would be de-

ployed to 35 pilot villages to start their own respective ALS cells and hand down mainstream education to members of the tribal communities, Martinez said.

“These soldiers range from privates to sergeants. Unarmed, the IP soldiers would wear the traditional tribal garb once they are integrated back to their villages,” Martinez said.

The 4th Infantry Division maintains military jurisdiction in eight provinces – Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Agusan Del Norte, Agusan Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur and Dinagat. Of these, only island provinces of Camiguin and Dinagat are free of armed communist rebels.

(PNA)

1 dead, 31 rescued as boat capsizes off Surigao Sea

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NE person died while 26 passengers, a one-yearold child, and three crew members including the captain of a motorized boat were rescued after the boat capsized while on voyage toward Surigao City port coming from an island province of this region during the weekend.

The Dinagat Island Province Police in its report to the regional headquarters here on Monday said the motorized boat MV Jaymart was sailing from the port of San Jose Dinagat Island Province towards the port of Surigao City in mainland Surigao del Norte province, but capsized when it encountered big waves off Ba-

rangay Zaragoza in the city at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The incident and distress call was received and immediately responded to by a joint team from the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Dinagat rescue team.

The rescuers identified the fatality as a certain Teofilo Saguin, of legal age; a native of Dinagat Island province and a person with disability (PWD).

But the other passengers including a one-year-old baby and the boat’s three crews including the boat captain identified as Renato Tominez were rescued, the police report said.

(PNA)

1st econ industrial zone of R-11 rising in Panabo D

AMOSA LAND INC., a subsidiary of the Anflo Group of Companies engaged in property development, will develop a 53-hectare property in Panabo City, Davao del Norte into an industrial economic zone, the first in the Davao Region.

Ricardo F. Lagdameo, Damosa Land vice president and head of the project, said the industrial economic zone is one of Anflocor Group’s numerous initiatives in Panabo City, which is just 30 kilometers from the heart of Davao City.

Lagdameo said “we believe Damosa Land’s initiative will develop Panabo into an alternative and yet complementary investment destination in the region.”

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority has reportedly approved Anflocor’s application to turn the property into a special economic zone with manufacturing and warehousing agro-industrial

components.

The proposed industrial zone is near Anflocor’s Davao International Container Terminal (DICT). It is expected to become an engine of growth for Panabo City which is known for its export banana industry.

Tagum Agricultural Development Corp., a banana exporting company pioneered by the late Antonio O. Floirendo, has been operating in Panabo for more than five decades now, long before it was created into a city.

Lagdameo has been quoted as saying the project “can potentially create thousands of jobs, increase trade in the city and thus boost the local economy.”

With the establishment of the modern container terminal in the city, which is about 300 meters from the proposed economic zone, “there is truly a strong case for locating manufacturing operations in our industrial park,”

he added, pointing out that the short distance between the logistics facility and the economic zone would provide a symbiotic relationship that would be advantageous to locators.

“You would not find that in many other places,” he said, although the company has yet to reveal the amount of money it will invest in the project.

The company added that it would make the project “a world-class facility” with “safety measures that will be installed, such as a suitable perimeter fence, CCTV (closed circuit television system), and 24/7 security. “ “The estate will be equipped with basic structures and facilities, including power, water, communications facilities, and sewage or drainage systems,” it added.

The project “will provide a conducive environment for locators, enabling them to compete in the export mar-

ket,” as it will be part of the integration of production areas into economic zones based on the 2003-2030 long-term plan of the Regional Development Council.

Earlier, the company was reported to be developing its 88-hectare property in the city into a mixed use project as it will both have a residential, commercial and educational component.

The project will have a school as the company and the University of the Philippines-Los Banos (UPLB) signed an agreement for the establishment of the state university’s satellite campus.

In December last year, the university launched the off-campus program Master of Sience in Entomology in partnership with the Floirendo company.

In the latest information from the company, it said the university’s satellite campus will be located in the economic zone. ALBERTO DALILAN

Flood victims get P 1.27M of emergency shelter aid

A

TOTAL of 127 families in the village of Marayag in this municipality have received P 1.27-million worth of emergency shelter assistance (ESA), after their homes suffered damages due to a destructive flood brought about by LPA Agaton in 2014.

Turned over by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

11 and the Provincial Government, each family beneficiary received P10, 000.00.

Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon, who led the turnover, said she hopes that the cash assistance would help residents repair and improve their homes.

For families who have already fixed their houses, the

BOUNDARY CONFLICTS. Davao City councilors Bernard Al-ag and Bonifacio Militar talk about a proposed ordinance that will resolve boundary conflicts in all

FFLOOD, 10 barangays in the city. The two spoke to reporters in yesterday’s Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong media briefing. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Reclamation project starts March 2016

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

ONSTRUCTION of the 200-hectare reclamation project stretching from R. Castillo to Bucana in Davao City will start by March next year, Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) chief Ivan C. Cortez said.

This, after the bidding process was delayed during the second quarter of the year.

Cortez earlier said that the reclamation was set to start by January in 2016.

“We are planning to advertise the invitation to bid for the project which has an estimated cost of P39 million,” Cortez told reporters Monday.

Earlier, the unsolicited proposal from the Manila-based Mega Harbour Corporation already received its endorsement from the city’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) board earlier this year.

Cortez said the project, comprised of four islands, has already attracted interest from foreign investors aside from the original project proponent.

Once the project is awarded to the winning bidder the construction will start with 75.01 hectares (has) Island 1 stretching from Agadao to Sta. Ana which has a port operation and a five-hectare govern-

ment center component.

Once completed, the port operation of the first island will have a berthing capacity of 2.5 kilometers, twice the current capacity of the Davao Sasa Port.

The 39.24 hectare- second island will become the central business district and shopping center.

The third island that will be allocated for tourist centers and residential resorts will have a total area of 59.47 has.

The 40.89-hectare fourth island, facing Sandawa area, will be connected to the road leading to Quimpo Boulevard, will be devoted for township development.

“The construction will take a total of two years while prot operation is targeted to start on the third year,” Cortez said.

He also explained that the damage to environment of the reclamation project will be “very minimal.”

“Cortez said the area where the reclamation is situated “is already heavily silted.”

“There was no coral bed that will be destroyed,” he said.

Only seaweed farmers were among the most affected sector of the industry.

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2016 budget to support climate change projects

B

UDGET Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad bared that funds for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the proposed 2016 National Budget have reached P132 billion in order to build the resilience of vulnerable communities against the devastating impact of climate change.

“With the help of the World Bank, our ongoing audit of the P3.002-trillion budget for next year has tagged P132-billion worth of projects that represent climate expenditures,” the budget chief said in response to calls by Finance Ministers of the ‘Vulnerable Twenty’ (V20) for a significant mobilization of funds for a global response to climate change.

The V20 group is led by the Philippines and represents a significant number of nations most vulnerable to climate change. It held its inaugural meeting during the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Lima, Peru last week to push for greater investments in climate resiliency ahead of the COP21 talks in Paris.

“The amount of P132 billion for climate expendi-

tures is a huge investment, but we have been working on increasing the budget to address climate change since 2011. More importantly, the 2016 budget builds on the lessons of Typhoon Yolanda as well as focusing on climate change adaptation. This prioritization reflects the National Government’s major support for enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience in vulnerable communities,” said Abad.

The tagging of climate expenditures in the 2016 budget was made possible through an ongoing climate change expenditures tagging initiative supported by the World Bank.

By tracking expenditures associated with climate change, the National Government will have an easier time identifying them, ensuring their transparency, and enhancing their effectiveness.

Majority of the climate expenditure in the proposed 2016 budget was lodged under the budget of the DPWH, around 72.2 percent to account for the increase in funding of flood control protection.

The construction of flood

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MATINA ENCLAVES OPEN HOUSE. The Escandor Development Corporation (Esdevco) recently held an Open House last October 15, 2015 with the theme “Pinoy Mirienda Fiesta Open House.” The homegrown developer of Matina

Enclaves feted Jocelyn Asoy for selling two units. She received two baskets of grocery items from Esdevco.

It’s TIME to CHANGE THE GAME. Your ads come to life with vivid, clear, crisp colors.

Get the value for your money and don’t settle for an aweful copy on a badly printed space.

Advertise wisely.

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

As creative as you can get.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Group rejects HLURB housing plan

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Organization of Socialized Housing Development of the Philippines (OSHDP) is opposing the proposal of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to cut down construction period of housing projects from five years to one to three years.

“We are opposing it because some projects would take longer time before the construction is completed,” OSHDP president Carlito C. Dublan said in Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

Dublan said smaller land development projects could be completed in three years but

not all including those projects that could reach to more than 10 to 15 hectares.

He said the group and the board came up with a resolution that proposes the year of construction to be determined by the kind of project development.

“Developers will need to present their project proposal to the board for assessment,” Dublan said.

Meanwhile, Dublan said local land developers for residential projects continued to strive in Davao Region despite the presence of Manila-based real estate developers who are mostly into vertical land development, an official said.

“These big real estate developers are mostly focus on developing condominiums while local are more focus on developing subdivisions and other horizontal land development,” he said.

This was after Dublin was asked how the local players in the real estate industry is performing in the presence of big developers like of Manny Villars and the Ayalas.

“Owning a lot and a house is still the most conducive place to raise a family in the region,” Dublan said, adding that condominiums are viable for businessmen and those families who wanted to have a temporary home right in the

center of Davao City.

The region’s real estate sector, he said, will continue to grow following the growth in other sectors like tourism, manufacturing, ICT-BPO and agriculture.

“All of these sectors will need land development for its respective operation,” Dublan said.

According to a report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 11, the sub-sector of real estate also posted growth in the past few years because of the entry of developers here.

Dublan also said there is still a huge housing backlog in the region that should be ad-

dressed.

“There’s a huge demand for housing project in the region,” Dublan said, adding that the Philippines has a 4 million housing backlog for more than 40 years.

In Davao City, there are 40,000 housing backlogs.

This is despite the effort of various government agencies to make housing project affordable to the mass public.

Dublan said even the private sector are complying the requirement of the government to allot at least 20 percent of their development to socialized housing.

He said that even banks are now offering housing loans

NGCP restoring power in Lando-hit provinces

G LEGAL ADVICE. Barangay Sasa chief Juanito E. Flores Jr. (fifth from right) and Sasa Vendors Association president Winefredo Catiloc (sixth from right) seek legal advice from members of the City Council on the matter of whether

or not a barangay is authorized to operate its own public market. The two gentlemen appeared in yesterday’s regular City Council session at the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall. Lean Daval Jr.

Widened enforcement of seasonal commercial fishing ban proposed A

N international non-government organization working for the conservation of the ocean has urged the government to widen the implementation of the seasonal closure on Mindanao’s sardines fisheries.

After the successful implementation of the close season policy on commercial fishing in Davao Gulf, Oceana Philippines has raised the importance for the government to enforce the policy in other

areas in the country where production of sardine fishes is declining.

Oceana Phils. vice president Atty. Gloria Estenzo-Ramos lauded the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Davao Region for the successful declaration of the closed season meant to conserve and protect small pelagic fishes during spawning period in June to August.

“We have great laws, but not implemented. But in

Davao, they are trying to enforce, to help conserve our resources and drawing in our stakeholders,” Ramos stated during Friday’s Kapihan sa Isla at SM Lanang.

“For many Filipinos, sardines seem like an inexhaustible gift from the sea. Yet, the supply has declined in recent decades, prompting fisheries officials to impose a closed season during the spawning period in the past three years,” Ramos said.

BFAR-XI Regional Director Fatma Idris noted a 34 percent increase in the length of fishes being caught from the gulf a year after the 2014 implementation.

She said there has also been an increase in terms of volume in the fish catch and 10% reduction of catch of juvenile fishes.

Most of the fish catch include bullet tuna or pirit in the local term, big-eyed scad

EPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that all DSWD-Field Offices in areas affected by Typhoon Lando continue to repack relief supplies that can be immediately distributed to local government units (LGUs) when necessary.

She said that aside from keeping the safety of affected families through continuous evacuation from hazardous areas, the goal of the Department is to also ensure that there are enough relief supplies and these reach the beneficiaries immediately.

The Secretary added that the Department has an

existing agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Public Works and Highways for the availability of vehicles to transport relief goods in affected areas.

She also mentioned the new mechanized repacking system that the Depart-

ment has recently acquired in partnership with World Food Programme and funding support from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The system enhances the capacity of the Department to repack 50,000 family food packs per day.

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DSWD aims speedy delivery of relief goods D

FDSWD AIMS, 10

at a single digit interest rate as well as the Pag-ibig which is also trying to keep pace with the private financial firms.

“We also have community mortgage program which the public can avail if they cannot afford our socialized housing projects,” Dublan said.

These program can bring monthly amortization to P2,000 which is lower than the socialized housing project which cause around P450,000 per unit, according to him.

Dublan projected the real estate here will continue to strive because of the housing backlog as well as the good governance here. CHENEEN R. CAPON

RID-OPERATOR National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is completing its power restoration works in six provinces affected by Typhoon “Lando.”

In its 11:00 a.m. update Tuesday, the grid operator said line patrol inspection and repair is ongoing in Aurora, some parts of Batangas, Benguet, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan.

In Aurora, the areas with power outage are Dingalan, Dipaculao, Ma. Aurora, San Luis and Baler.

For Batangas, most businesses still have brownouts, namely, FORCEM, Shell and SMFI. However, households are already with power.

In Benguet, some customers of the Benguet Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (BENECO) are among those without power.

For the Mountain Province, all customers of the Mountain Province Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (MOPRECO) are still suffering from the power cut.

In Nueva Ecija, which is one of the most hard-hit provinces, the areas isolated to the

grid are Natividad, Llanera, Palayan, Bongabon, Gabaldon, Laur, Rizal and Talavera.

For Pangasinan, the areas without electricity are Bugallon, Lingayen, Binmaley, San Carlos City, Malasigui, Urbiztondo, Mangatarem, Aguilar and part of Batista.

NGCP stressed that the power outage was either caused by its transmission facilities or the distribution facilities of the ECs. The power company stressed it has available materials to repair the damages to its transmission facilities and its line crews are placed in strategic positions to facilitate immediate restoration work.

On Sunday, the transmission firm reported there were 12 provinces suffered power outages due to typhoon “Lando”, which are Apayao, Aurora, Batangas, Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Quezon, Tarlac and Zambales.

Power has been restored in the provinces of Apayao, Cagayan, Batangas, Isabela, Kalinga, Tarlac, Quezon and Zambales. (PNA)

ABOR and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday received an unexpected praise from a group of farmers and fishermen in Davao whose lives have been transformed because of DOLE’s intervention.

In a letter, the Balet Farmers and Fisherfolk Association (BFFA), headed by Victorinao Navarro, Jr., said Association is now reaping the “blessings” in terms of income and productivity from the livelihood assistance the DOLE had extended the group.

“We extend our utmost

and sincere gratitude to your office—through the Davao Regional Office and the Davao Norte Field Office—for the fabricated fishing boat and artificial reef shelter that now benefit our members and the people of Barangay Balet in general,” said Navarro, Jr. in his letter. Navarro is the chairman of the BFFA board of directors.

The BFFA, based in Babak District in the Island Garden of Samal, received the DOLE livelihood assistance on 15 May 2015, the same day it deployed the artificial reef and used the fabricated fishing boat.

Farmers, fisherfolks thank DOLE for aid L

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

EDGEDAVAO WOMEN

NEST OPENS IN DAVAO Inside Nest.

HAS the stork come with its special delivery? For sure, you’re excited to swathe your little one in the cutest ensembles and comfortable sheets.

You’ll find all these and more in the newest baby boutique in town.

Aptly named as “Nest,” this concept store offers a wide variety of infant clothes, toys, accessories and baby care essentials.

Owned and managed by new mom, Patricia “Trish” Uy-Lee, Nest space is filled to the brim with a mixed collection of locally-sourced pieces and trusted brands from across the globe.

Not only does it carry products specifically its junior clientele, the store also brings to town some pieces which are perfect for mothers who are “infanticipating” and those who are mindful of baby-proof wearables.

“This idea landed on my lap as I journeyed to this new chapter called motherhood,” shares Trisha. “I am able to relate with other parents and have a

Owned and managed by new mom, Patricia “Trish” Uy-Lee, Nest space is filled to the brim with a mixed collection of locally-sourced pieces and trusted brands from across the globe.

An assortment of clothes for the little one.

better understanding of their list of must-have’s. Whatever we have in store, I acquired them with my own baby in mind.”

“Our retail philosophy is to make parenthood more convenient, enjoyable and fulfilling. We aim to provide all parents with sustainable and practical solutions, as well as to bring delight into their homes through specialty items which can help them nurture and bond with their child.”

Visit the Nest located along Mabini Street, facing Tumble Tots.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

TRAVEL

Heritage and history at the heart of Davao WITH its colourful history as Durianburg’s premier hotel and venue of choice, Marco Polo Davao partnered with one of Davao City’s oldest socio-civic organisation, Hijos de Davao to hold an event titled “A Celebration of Heritage at the Heart of Davao”.

“On behalf of our organization, we would like to thank Marco Polo Davao for hosting this event. We have always been in the forefront in promoting and preserving heritage, culture and fellowship among Dabawenyos for the past 51 years. We are truly honored to make this hotel our official venue for events which promote our vision and advocacies”, says former 2nd-District Congressman and newly elected Hijos president Vince Garcia.

The event started with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a gown exhibit at the lobby at 5:00 P.M. which was initiated by the Hijos De Davao Board

Members and Marco Polo Davao’s Heads-ofDepartment. The gowns featured were those worn by some of muses of the Hijos De Davao through the years and were done by some of the country’s top designers.

“When we were thinking of a good way to end our ad campaign entitled The Heart of Davao, we decided to host a cocktail event for the city’s old families. After all, they have been fully supportive of our hotel since it was constructed in 1998.

It is time to give back and dedicate a meaningful event just for them”, says

Dottie V. Würgler-Cronin, General Manager of Marco Polo Davao.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a short program at The Deck, which started with the GM’s Opening Remarks. Dottie thanked each and every one for gracing the event and invited them to attend the hotel’s upcoming occasions such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve countdown.

Hijos de Davao President Vince Garcia also delivered a short message and extended his heartfelt thanks to the hotel for hosting such event for

their organisation which has been spearheading various cultural projects and had just recently launched a coffee table book featuring the old families of Davao.

Free flowing wines and cocktails were served to the guest’s delight. Marco Polo Davao also raffled

off rooms in Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotels, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and Marco Polo Ortigas Manila.

The hotel also auctioned some of its Philippine Eagle stuffed toys with wardrobes designed by the city’s rising designers in support of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.

Score up to 50% off on great selections when you shop at the SM Kids Sale from October 16 to November 15, 2015. Hurry to The SM Store near you and do your early Christmas shopping!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Frencheska Farr surfs through life ASIDE from showbiz commitments, Frencheska Farr is also busy doing two of her favorite things.

Frencheska is currently focused on her nature trips and honing her surfing skills. In her Instagram account she shared a video showing a surfing day at the beach. She said, “Sun. Fun. Surf. Fun. Fun. Fun.” A few weeks ago, Frencheska also shared a video of scenes from her Siargao trip on her Instagram account.

She said, “Sharing with you some good vibrations from our trip to the island of Siargao last week.”

Frencheska is currently on a nature trip and adventure mood with the digital filmmak-

er and her non-showbiz beau, Gino Jose. The couple are constantly updating their social media accounts with their series of out of town exploits.

In an Instagram post, Gino shared his insight as a filmmaker and Frencheska was featured

in the video as his muse from one of their trips. He said, “We are digital filmmakers and this is what we do. This is our work (something that creates pay) and passion (an outlet for doing something we love). This is what digital filmmaking is to us.”

Madlang Cebuano jampack Hoops Dome for ‘Kapamilya, Thank You: It’s Showtime Biyaheng Cebu”

NOTHING stopped the madlang Cebu from partying with the “It’s Showtime” family as they went in full force to Hoops Dome last Saturday (Oct 17) for the highly-anticipated “Kapamilya, Thank You: It’s Showtime, Biyaheng Cebu.”

Thousands of screaming fans welcomed “It’s Showtime” hosts Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Vhong Navarro, Billy Crawford, Jhong Hilario, Karylle, Jugs Jugueta, Teddy Corpuz, Ryan Bang and Eruption the moment they stepped on the popular indoor arena in Lapu Lapu City.

The long wait definitely paid off as the crowd enjoyed an afternoon of laughter, excitement, and “kilig” led by “Everyday I Love you” stars Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano, and Gerald Anderson.

The “kilig” vibes continued when Angelica Yap aka Pastillas Girl chose Richard Parajinog of Ozamis to be her Mr. Pastillas as the story of “Nasaan Ka Mr. Pastillas” finally concluded.

Team Diyosa, composed of Manuel Chua, Kiray, and Aira Bermudez, meanwhile, was hailed champion with their “Proud to be Me” concept and won P200,000 in the biggest lip sync battle of “It’s Showtime,” “Lip Swak Olympics.”

Also joining the celebration were Pinoy rap icon Andrew E. and Abra, which sang their hits “Humanap Ka ng Panget” and “Gayuma.”

Doubling the fun and antics were “Funny One’s” Crazy Duo with Jhong Hilario, Teddy Corpuz, and Jugs Jugueta.

As early as 7am, fans were already lining up outside the venue, according to a report from TV Patrol. Kapamilyas from different parts of Cebu battled with the shifting weather just to express their love and support for their favorite Kapamilya celebrities.

With the month-long

ANIMversary of “It’s Showtime” comes the much-awaited “Magpasikat” week, which starts on Monday (Oct 19). Watch out as the hosts surprise the madlang with their explosive “Magpasikat” performances.

Don’t miss the fun and good vibes in “It’s Showtime,” Mondays to Fridays, 12nn on ABS-CBN. For more information, follow “It’s Showtime” on Facebook and Twitter (@ ItsShowtimena).

October 21-27, 2015

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5: GHOST DIMENSION Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Dan Gill Ivy George, Katie Featherston R13

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

LAST WITCH HUNTER Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, * Michael Caine R13

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

BLACK MASS Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton Benedict Cumberbatch, *Kevin Bacon

R-16

R16

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

GOOSEBUMPS Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, Jillian Bell PG

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

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Party, play and swim at #SwimBreak UP AND ABOUT

DREAMERS Production and Bacardi Philippines in collaboration with Park inn by Radisson Davao are bringing #SwimBreak to Davao City onOctober 31, 2015 at the Park Inn by Radisson Davao’s Pool Bar and Lounge.

The idea is to have a different kind of Halloween experience.

We usually dress up for this occasion with “naughty” or “nice” constumes. With #Swimbreak, we will know if you’re naughty or nice on the type of swimwear you wear! #SwimBreak starts at 3PM, with many party games such as beer bongs, Bacardi shooting games, and water guns for the early attendees. Come dressed in your best swimwear and go home as the best girl or dude of the night.

Spinning for the event is head-

lines by sexy Brazilian DJ, Romeo Cavalcante. Plus local acts Niel Recinto of Manic Nightnings Productions, Enzo Cooke resident Dj of the Brewery, as well as DJs Adonis M., Ronn Mirage and Ram Mia of Dreamers Production.

Tickets are at Php350 and include entry to the event, Park Inn pool pass, and a Bacardi Breezer.

Tickets can be purchased at the front desk of Park Inn by Radisson Davao, Forth and Tay Lanang,

Business Class Lanang, Dimsum Dinner Damosa, Rainbow Project GMALL, Red Corner Burger Café (Obrero and Mabini) or contact Dondie Gado at 09477459819, Paul Jundit at 09189478832, or Ramelyn Malaya at 09155876326.

For More information about #SwimBreak and Dreamers Production visit: https://www.faceb o ok .com/ T he Club Crawler s .

Instagarm and twitter at @dreamersproduction.

7 AGRITRENDS

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Export potential of thecountry’s fish icon Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Fried bangus

Tinolang bangus

Bangus

M

ILKFISH, more popularly known as bangus, has export potential to Asian Muslim countries, reports Cheneen R. Capon in the September 15, 2015 issue of EDGE Davao.

“Mindanao has a huge production of bangus that could be exported in Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia,” Dr. Alex Tan, the president of Mindanao Integrated Aquaculture Association, told Davao media in a forum.

According to Tan, the two aforementioned countries “have production areas for bangus but not enough to supply the daily requirement of the population.”

In the same news report, Fatma Idris was quoted as saying: “Mindanao has the ability to compete with other bangus producing countries because we have a more advanced and mature technology for bangus production.”

Idris, who is the regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said that some people who are raising bangus are already harvesting bangus that weigh 500 grams, “which is the demand for export.”

Even in the local market, there’s a big demand for bangus. After all, the sleek and silvery bangus is the most favorite fish of Filipinos. The popularity of bangus can be gleaned in such recipes as bangus en tocho (fried bangus served with a sauce of any of the following: tahure, tokwa, or tausi), bulanglang na bangus (with eggplants, ampalaya, sitao, malunggay, onion, tomatoes, rice washing and bagoong), rellenong bangus (formerly a party dish; now available even in school cafeterias and malls), and bangus

lumpia.

The reputation of bangus, however, extends to other countries as well. Unknowingly, the Philippines has been exporting bangus to the United States, Middle East, England, Canada and Japan.

“We export bangus to countries where there are a lot of Filipinos and overseas foreign workers,” said Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, former executive director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

For a very long time, the Philippine aquaculture industry was virtually synonymous with bangus culture. The introduction of marine cages has greatly expanded the range of culture systems under which bangus is now being produced: brackishwater ponds, fishpens in freshwater lakes, fishpens in shallow bays, lake-based cages whether fixed or floating, and sea-based cages. Perhaps no other aquaculture species has wider range of environment and culture systems under which it is being produced.

Bangus is one of the most important fish species that is being cultured in the Philippines. “Bangus has always been the most important species cultured in the Philippines in terms of area and production,” said Dr. Guerrero.

The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), a line agency of the Department of Agriculture, said that about 98% of bangus production comes from aquaculture; only a small amount comes from marine fisheries. Bangus is farmed in brackishwater, freshwater and marine water.

Bangus can be raised anywhere in the country. However, the top bangus producing

regions are Regions 6, 3, 1 and 4A, while top producing provinces are Capiz, Iloilo, Bulacan, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, and Quezon.

The BAS reported that from 2002 to 2011, production of bangus from aquaculture grew at an average rate of 2.62 percent. Average production during the ten-year period was 312,666 metric tons. In 2011, aquaculture production was valued at PhP30.6 million with an annual growth rate of 9.21 percent.

Bangus (scientific name: Chanos chanos) is most closely related to carps and catfishes.

It occurs in the Indian Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean, tending to school around coasts and islands with reefs. A warm water species, it prefers water temperatures between 20-33 degrees Centigrade.

Bangus is one of the most studied fish in the world. Scientists have found that they spawn only in fully saline water. Females spawn up to 7 million eggs, which hatch in about 24 hours. Spawning and fertilization take place at night.

The frequency of spawning per year is still unknown.

Eggs and larvae are pelagic up to two to three weeks. In nature, the larvae seek out clear coastal and estuarine waters warmer than 23°C with 10-32 parts per thousand salinity and abundant phytoplankton.

Incubating eggs and newly hatched larvae are transported to the shore by currents where they are gathered by people in brackish waters such as shallow sandy areas, mouths of rivers, and lagoons.

Older larvae migrate onshore and settle in coastal wetlands (mangroves, estuaries) during the juvenile stage, or occasionally enter freshwater

lakes. Under natural conditions, larvae and fry migrate to tidal pools and settle in them for one month until they become juveniles, then migrate into lagoons, lakes and shallow waters until they reach adolescence before returning to the sea for further grown and sexual maturation.

In the past, bangus fry abound in the country. In recent years, however, the number collected has been dwindling due to the destruction of natural habitats brought about by the extensive conversion of mangrove areas to fishponds, destructive fishing methods (like dynamite fishing) and environmental degradation (deforestation and siltation), among others.

Consequently, with the decrease in seed supply, the cost of fry and fingerlings has increased significantly over the years. As a result, the Philippines has to import fry from Indonesia and Taiwan since both have lower prices compared to those sold in the country, according to Dr. Guerrero.

Normally, bangus fry appears in different places and various seasonal peaks. Areas like Southern Leyte, Western Samar, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Occidental, Antique, and Iloilo have two peak seasons: March to July and October to November. Provinces like Cotabato and Zamboanga del Sur have fry available year-round.

Livelihood Options for Coastal Communities, published by the Silang-based International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, says peak gathering days occur during high tides after two or three days following a new moon or a full moon. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) or peak-spawn-

ing season of bangus starts in March to June and drops in August to September.

During the breeding season, the rising GSI value coincides with rising seawater temperature. Spawning regularly occurs among five- to seven-year-old female breeder (sabalo) in the wild. Fertility is about 300,000 to one million eggs per kilogram weight of sabalo.

The lack of fry was cited as one of the many problems that beset bangus production in the country. Bangus growers need to worry anymore about where to get their fry. The Finfish Hatcheries, Inc. (FHI) has been selling bangus fry since 1997.

FHI, the first and largest commercial fry hatchery in the country, is part of the business integration program of the Agribusiness Unit of the Alcantara Group. It now supplies more than 50% of the national requirements for bangus fry.

Its hatchery is in barangay Lun Masla of Malapatan in Sarangani Province. Here, more than 10,000 breeders are maintained and managed to produce bangus eggs on a daily basis throughout the year. The eggs are collected, cleaned and hatched. The hatchlings are grown to the marketable sizes in 18-21 days in larval ponds.

During the growing period, they are fed with a mixture of planktons and commercial feeds.

The breeders are 50% males and 50% females. Sexing is a tedious work as male and females have to be chosen carefully and tagged. Some breeders have already reached the age of 25 and yet they are still breeding in groups.

It takes 5 years for a bangus to mature sexually. FHI se-

lects breeders for commercial production only when they are 8 years old. A sabalo can produce seven kilos of eggs in one year. And one kilo consists of 750,000 eggs.

Bangus spawns in ponds in frenzy at night. The sabalo release the eggs while the males discharge the milt. Fertilization happens externally in the pond water. There is no need for hormone induction for mature breeders. The eggs are collected in nets in the early morning. They are cleaned and placed in the larval ponds immediately.

The bangus eggs hatch in the ponds within 24 hours.

The hatchlings feed on the yolk sac for about 2-3 days.

They undergo morphological transformations. As first feeds, the larva are supplied natural food in a mixture of zoo- and phyto-planktons. Commercial feeds are provided in the last quarter of the production.”

According to FHI, more Filipino farmers are now seeding their ponds and cages with bangus fry being sold by FHI, which has major dealers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

It maintains sales offices in Makati, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Alabel, Sarangani, its head office.

For further details, readers can visit its website: www.saranganifry.com.

“Aquaculture in the Philippines will continue to improve as needs for food and livelihood opportunities are enhanced by the growing population,” FHI said in a statement.

“The base of any aquaculture is the ability of the country to complete the production cycle in culture. Any seafood production system that relies on wild stocks cannot be sustainable. FHI is at the forefront of this service in the Philippines.”

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

EDITORIAL The evil that men do

I

F it has made any pretensions of being a respecter of human rights, the New People’s Army (NPA) has managed to shatter that by murdering Loreto, Agusan del Sur Mayor Dario Otaza, 57, and his son Daryl, 27. The two had been snatched from their home in the village of Baan, Butuan City, Agusan del Sur at about 6:50 p.m. on Monday. Yesterday morning, soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Battalion who were supporting law enforcers in pursuing the abductors found their bodies — hogtied and bearing multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies.

The mayor’s background serves as a clue as to why he was captured and killed. According to the military, Otaza was a former NPA member who turned “peace advocate.” The military credits him for the surrender of 154 NPA members during “Pagbabalik-Loob” program in Agusan del Sur last year. He also facilitated the delivery of government services to indigenous peoples or lumad communities, the military said. That would be enough for the NPA to target him for liquidation —

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as it has apparently done.

But it is one thing to get incensed at a person, another to kill him in such a heinous and cowardly manner. Based on the military’s report, Otaza and his son were hogtied and shot multiple times. One can only imagine the terror they felt as they helplessly waited for the guns to be fired at them. It was an execution that bears no semblance to a just system, one that would have at least given them some dignity in death. That Otaza’s son was included only serves to heighten the cruelty of the murder.

The NPA has presented itself as a defender of the people, but if it resorts to cold blooded murder to accomplish this then it is seriously undermining its own advocacies. In a certain sense — but still in no way acceptable — it would have been better if their victims had died in an armed encounter; then it would have been chalked off as a result of the war the rebels are claiming to be waging. But to shoot two helpless, hogtied men — that is nothing short of evil.

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EDGEDAVAO

O

NLY in recent days has a phenomenon unseen unraveled so impressively. Not tempted by the trappings and potentials of the massive power of the Office of the president, Rodrigo Duterte, the anti-candidate, will not fade away softly nor quickly due to the imagination he continues to sweep, judging from the adulation received at Makati’s greenbelt mall recently.

Love him or hate him, he weaves, and will eventually will leave an unchallenged legacy of non-lust for power that we have never experienced. Others jumped at the notion of running for president for much less. Just look at the 130 aspirants. The benefit, if you will, of the phenomenon is that it taught us important lessons about Philippine politics: 1. The Philippine presidency is a seat of absolute power. It controls almost a third of the national budget, and is responsible for many unbudgeted funds. Thus, it has often been accused of leveraging these in exchange for political favors and control.

While successful in trashing the pork barrel system, the Aquino presidency retains the same power for itself. It will be known for having a Butch Abad for Budget secretary, and for possibly misusing or misappro-

F

ILIPINOS are descendants of Malay explorers but the bloodline has been infused with Chinese, Arab, Indian, Spanish, and American lineages. This fusion of cultures has given rise to no less than 111 distinct cultural and linguistic groups, each with its basic Malayo-Polynesian roots but with varying degrees of other foreign influences.

Today, we are known throughout the world. Our warmth and hospitality are noticed wherever we go. Resilient, enduring, and industrious, we are also noted for our talent, versatility, and creativity.

Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, is best known for his works Noli Me Tangere (“Touch Me Not”) and El Filibusterismo (“The Rebel”).

Touted to be a genius, he could read and write at age 2, and grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, English, Greek, German, French, and Chinese.

Juan Luna is the finest painter this country has ever produced. His painting, The Death of Cleopatra, won second prize in a contest in Madrid, Spain in 1880. This masterpiece is now on exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Pinturas in Madrid. His huge painting, Spoliarium, won the first Gold Medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes, also in Spain.

Filipino women are very beautiful. In fact, Gloria Diaz won the Miss Universe title in 1969 and Margarita Moran did it again in 1973. Gemma Cruz was crowned Miss International in 1964, a title which Aurora Pijuan got in 1970 and Melanie Marquez in 1979.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

9

What the non-filing has spawned priating state MY TWO CENTS’ funds at high levels to favor the Presidents office.

Why Duterte chose not to take a shot at this power leaves many wonderJohn Tria ing. It howevecisouth@gmail.com er bolsters his reputation for prudent calculation before taking swift yet deep action. If he were a boxer, he would study opponents thoroughly before striking.

2. A non-Manila candidate has to work triple time to win this seat. Duterte is not a member of Manila’s political elite, and indications point to he not wanting to join it.

Having refused national positions over the last two decades is a testament to the fact that he, like many Mindanaoans, cherishes the freedom of the farm and the rest house, the mountains and beaches, and the “me time” that Manila forbids.

3. Being Philippine President requires

you to perform for the crowd. Don’t you wonder why actors often become strong contenders for Malacañang? Before Mar, Grace, and Binay went after it, Jinggoy Estrada and the showbiz political elite were preparing to wage the right wars to win it.

PNoy was often derided by the public for not meeting their expectations to act according to certain expectations. Duterte wont stoop to that level, and the Davao electorate doesn’t exactly approve of such antics by its elected officials. The fact that there are no actors or entertainers in Davao’s City Council, and even in the town and provincial boards of immediate Mindanao provinces makes this point clear.

4. Manila’s political circles cannot bring us a candidate like Duterte. All infirm one way or another, vetting them in the coming elections will only reduce them to the mud they sling at each other. It’s a sad testament to Manila as a source of leadership. All the traffic, the high cost of living, contrasting poverty, and the general ineffectiveness and inefficiency of a bloated metropolis make you wonder what kind of governance it breeds.

The core message of Duterte’s non-filing

as presidential candidate speaks to his advocacy of Federalism. Why should he want the centralized power in a system he wants to change? Philip Lustre may try to convince me that Federalism is a lost cause, but this may be so in Manila’s coffee shops, beer houses, and kebab joints that Manila’s elite news and PR people like him haunt.

The reality of life outside Metro Manila, however, is that it is effective local governance honed by 25 years of the local government code that has made champions of proper governance like Palawan’s Hagedorn, Naga City’s Robredo, Fernando’s Marikina, Sarangani Province’s Dominguez.

Even imperfect Metro Cebu is a far more decent place than Metro Manila. These are governments that have been successful mainly because of their non-reliance on Manila.

Practically left on their own, they thrived.

It’s time we woke up to the need to make government relevant to the electorate, so that we can elect people who we can work with in creating the governance we deserve.

Duterte has championed all those outside Manila who have made a difference, and has shown us how local politics and governance show the way to a good future.

Angela Perez THINK ON THESE! Baraquio, the 25-year-old Physical Education teacher who was chosen as Miss America in 2000, is the daughter of Philippine-born Henrylito D. Tacio parents living henrytacio@gmail.com in Hawaii.

In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not by Americans. Today, the Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country, next to the United States and United Kingdom.

In 1898, the United States bought the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain.

The first Asian to have entered the prestigious Harvard University of Medicine is Dr. Fe del Mundo, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service in 1977. Benjamin J. Cayetano is the first and only American of Filipino descent who became the state governor of Hawaii.

In 1977, Alex Tizon, of The Seattle Times, received the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting, a plum that symbolizes professional excellence in the field of journalism.

The plaudit came half a century after Carlos P. Romulo won the prize in International Journalism for Philippines Herald. That award must have helped Romulo become the first

Asian and Filipino to head the United Nations General Assembly in 1949.

Los Angeles, California was co-founded in 1781 by a Filipino named Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, along with 43 Latinos from Mexico sent by the Spanish government. Filipino doctor Abelardo Aguilar co-discovered the antibiotic “Erythromycin” using the Brand Name Ilosone, coined from the provincial name of Iloilo. The one-chip video camera was first made by Marc Loinaz, a Filipino inventor from New Jersey.

Among the Hollywood celebrities who have claimed that they have Filipino blood running in their veins are Dean Devlin, writer and producer of several hit films like Independence Day and Godzilla; Rob Schneider, a comedian, writer and actor who appeared in Big Daddy and Bench Warmers; Lou Diamond Phillips, the lead actor in La Bamba; Paolo Montalban, the lead actor in the hit TV series Mortal Kombat; Tia Carrere, a pretty actress from Hawaii who appeared in True Lies; and Ernie Reyes Jr., a martial expert who did supporting roles in The Rundown and Rush Hour 2.

Other pure- or part-Filipino celebrities in American showbiz include Von Flores, Nia Peeples (of TV’s Walker: Texas Ranger and The Young and the Restless), Phoebe Cates (star of The Blue Lagoon and Paradise), and brothers Julio Iglesias Jr. and Enrique Iglesias (who are also singers).

Lea Salonga is the first Filipino singer to win the coveted Tony Award for her Broadway performance in Miss Saigon. She also be-

came the first Filipino to have performed at the celebrated Oscar Awards, when she rendered the Walt Disney song, “A Whole New World” before Hollywood celebrities during the 65th annual event in Los Angeles.

The first Filipino act to land a top hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s was the group Rocky Fellers of Manila. Sugar Pie deSanto (his father was from the Philippines), Jaya, Foxy Brown and Enrique Iglesias followed.

The list is far from complete. I am sure you know others which are not listed. If you know, please do tell me so I can include them in a sequel I am planning to write.

Now, let me tell you something our national pride. Philippine Eagle, our national bird, is now one of the most endangered birds of the planet. Sampaguita, which is of jasmine variety, was adopted as our national flower in 1934.

The reason why narra was chosen as our national tree was because they are most abundant in Bicol, Mindanao, and the Cagayan Valley forests. Bangus, our national fish, is a slim, very agile fish in the water, has a silvery gray dorsal area and white ventral area that looks like milk (which is why it is called also as milkfish).

Our original ancestral home, and still the home of Filipinos in rural areas, is the bahay kubo, (or nipa hut). The pre-Hispanic architecture was perfectly adapted to the climate and could be easily repaired or rebuilt after the frequent typhoon, flood or earthquake using simple tools and native materials.

Proudly Filipino

10 NEWS NO... FROM 1

The budget for 2016 reflects an increase of P507 million from the P5.8 billion budget for this year.

“The increase is just correspondingly the same with the increase of all budgets… This P507 million is already a huge amount that can be used for its infrastructure and other projects,” Dayanghirang said.

He said the source fund for next year’s budget will be the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), business taxes, and real property tax.

Dayanghirang said the economic activities of the city also had an increase of almost 10 percent this year.

Dayanghirang did not divulge the breakdown of the budget, saying he had just received the proposal from the Local Finance Committee (LFC) of the local executive branch of the city.

He said the discussion is set to start today (Wednesday) as his committee called for a

hearing on the proposed budget.

He said the biggest chunk of the budget might go to the salaries of the employees of the city government, followed by maintenance and other operating expenditures (MOOE).

Dayanghirang said the City Mayor’s Office could also have a bigger budget because of the operations of Central 911, Task Force Davao, and the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC).

He said along with the 2016 budget, his committee also plans to discuss the Supplemental Budget (SB) no. 4 for the Christmas bonus of city government employees.

Dayanghirang, however, said his committee is still waiting for the proposal of SB 4 from LFC. “There are DBM (Department of Budget and Management) Circulars mandating us on what amount will be given to the employees,” he said.

“These seaweed producers will be relocated,” he said, adding that the livelihood component of these farmers is not yet on the table to be discussed.

The reclamation project will be just 15 to 20 meters away from the city’s sea shores to make the project feasible, according to Cortez.

“Their study found out that Davao Gulf is deep for reclamation that’s why it will be set nearer to the shores,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 11 regional director Fatma Idris expressed

her support to the project adding it is needed by the city for its economic growth.

“The project is part of city’s comprehensive development plan,” Idris said.

However, international NGO Oceana senior marine scientist Jimely O. Flores opposed the reclamation project adding it would change the direction of sea current of Davao Gulf which is home to many pelagic fishes.

Flores said the reclamation project might also affect the viability of the gulf as a spawning area for many fishes, including tuna and sardines.

or matambaka and yellowfin found from the East Coast of the region known to be a tuna highway.

“Mas maganda ang huli ng mga isda ngayong taon.

Humaba ang length at mas maraming matured fish ang nahuhuli, kasi maraming compliant sa closed season,” (This year there is better catch, bigger and more matured fish-

es are being caught because many are compliant with the closed season. ) Idris stated.

This was verified by Conchita Masin, head of the Agraryong Reporma Samahang Kababaihan sa Governor Generoso, who attested that there was high production of fishes a year after the ban of commercial fishing was enforced.

(PIA-XI/Carina L. Cayon)

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be the easiest way to solve the boundary problems in the barangays in the city.

Al-ag agreed with Militar’s proposal and said once the GPS map and technical description

of the boundaries are finalized and approved on the plenary discussion, all barangays will be advised to file their respective cases in court. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

in the case to post bail for their temporary release, namely former PCSO General Manager and Vice Chairman Rosario Uriarte, former Board of Directors Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc, Raymundo Roquero and Ma. Fatima Valdes, as well as former Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Reynaldo Villar.

Because of this, Arroyo argued that the denial by the Sandiganbayan of her demurrer to evidence is contrary to

the principle of “equal justice” since there was not enough evidence to pin her down in the case.

Arroyo further argued that if the 637 documentary exhibits of the prosecution and testimonies presented by their 21 witnesses will be made as basis, they have failed to prove that she has “pocketed” even a single centavo or a peso from the PCSO fund, which was allegedly anomalously utilized. (PNA)

cash assistance will serve as a refund for the repair costs.

The residents who received the emergency shelter cash assistance thanked the Provincial Government and the DSWD for the aid, saying it is truly a big help for them.

The qualified recipients of the ESA are those who were evaluated by the municipal and provincial social workers and validated by the DSWD regional office.

The governor thanked the DSWD Regional Office for their relentless support to her province, noting them to be one of the most reliable partner agency that her prov-

ince have. “Without them (DSWD), it may have been difficult for us to address our concerns on our own,” she said.

She also highlighted the DSWD’s active role in the relief operation at the time of the disaster.

Residents recalled the horror they endured during the heavy flooding that swept away houses and crops. Boulders and mud slid down from the mountains and piled in the center of the village. “It was a good thing that the government acted quickly and that help came right away,” said one villager. PIO

control facilities covering 18 major river basins and principal rivers and watersheds by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) totaled P59.8 billion.

Other projects that were tagged as climate expenditures were the reforestation

of 1.5 million hectares under the six-year National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) amounting to P10.2 billion and farm-tomarket roads amounting to P12.9 billion under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

As of Oct. 19, 42,097 families or 203,267 persons from Regions, I, II, III, CAR,

and NCR have been displaced and assisted of whom 13,910 families or 62,990 persons are inside 336 evacuation centers managed by LGUs. Likewise, 12,207 families or 59,159 persons are outside evacuation centers.

The DSWD had already provided a total of P1,323,704.40 worth of relief assistance and continues to ensure steady supply of food packs to the said regions.

Meanwhile, the LGUs of Regions I, II, III and V have been provided P829,649 worth of assistance.

Some 187, 525 family food packs are available in 96 municipalities of 17 provinces in Regions CAR, I, II, III, and IV-A. DSWD disaster teams continue to coordinate with the LGUs to determine other services that can be provided to the affected families.

(DSWD)

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for high school student-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya. It is implemented nationwide in partnership with the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The YDS will be conducted in school-based setting during weekdays within class hours.

“It is a modular session conducted once a month that aims to motivate the adolescents in attending and finishing their education,” Razon said. “The YDS shall help the adolescents be equipped with appropriate knowledge, attitude, and skills to face developmental challenges, see available opportunities, and overcome possible risks to aid them in achieving optimal and holistic development. ” NYC assistant secretary Percival Cendeña said each session under the YDS program will equip the children with the necessary life skills to realize their full potential, reduce their risky behavior, and decrease deterrents to their development with the end goal of enabling them to contribute meaningfully to improving the conditions of their families.

Cendeña said it is important to increase the awareness of Filipino youth because 30 percent of young women still believe they won’t get pregnant if they engaged in unpro-

tected sex just once.

“The modules are designed to develop a positive mind-set among the youth participants,” Cendeña said.

“Included in the YDS module are activities which will allow the youth beneficiary families in school.”

He said only three out of 11 total modules are now out in the region while the rest will follow.

The first three include the module on Bata, bata magkano ka ginawa?, Self Care: Changing minds and Changing bodies, and Understanding Adolescence: Self care and anti substance abuse.

“We hope that through YDS we will be able to reduce the number of teenage pregnancy, specifically among the beneficiaries of 4Ps of DSWD,” Cendeña said, adding that curiosity aside from poverty and peer pressure were among the reasons why youths engaged to risky behaviors.

Meanwhile, Brokenshire Women and Teen Center officer Dr. Tessa Mae Bonguyan said the hospital has established its own teenage health program with the aim to increase reproductive awareness among the youth here.

Bonguyan also said the Brokenshire Memorial Hospital also offers special delivery packages for teenage moms as well as counseling and consultancy.

Navarro said his association’s members belong to a marginalized segment of the agriculture sector which is the backbone of the country’s economy.

“What the DOLE did, and this is the concern of the Aquino III administration, was to bring the government closer to the people to uplift our farmers’ and fisherfolks’ living conditions,” Navarro said.

Baldoz commended the DOLE regional office headed

by Regional Director Jeoffrey Suyao for seeing to it that the BFFA remains on a successful track in providing its members an honest and decent option to

earn better incomes.

“I also commend Davao del Norte Field Office Director Erlinda Mamitag for extending DOLE livelihood services to far-flung areas like Barangay Balet,” she said.

The DOLE, according to Baldoz, continues to extend livelihood assistance to workers, especially those in the marginalized sector, including victims of calamities, through its regional and field offices under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, which contains many program packages, such as livelihood starter kits. (DOLE)

rector of ICT Office – Department of Science and Technology Philippines.

1337 Ventures is looking forward to working with supporting partner Techtalks.ph in this inaugural Alpha Startups in Philippines. “We really love engaging with the local ecosystems as this supports the initiative of building communities within localities.”

Lakhmichand said.

Entrepreneurs will be exposed to a 5-day intensive bootcamp from the November

9 to 13, 2015, where 25 selected startups will get to test their ideas through customer and product development, growth hacking and learn the art of pitching.

Startups will get the chance to show their key learnings of the week at a demo day on November 13 that will be attended by key investors. Entrepreneurs registering for the pre-accelerator program in November will have to submit a one-minute video pitch as an entry point.

individuals unlock the value of data they already have in their systems, as well as new valuable external data sources they may not even know they need. By bringing as much

data as possible to the problem at hand, professionals can answer their toughest questions and embed insight and expertise into every decision they make.

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11 COMPETITIVE EDGE

PLDT, Smart provide free calls, charging stations in Lando areas P

LDT mobile subsidiary Smart Communications has deployed free call and charging stations to areas hit by Typhoon Lando as part of efforts to provide relief to the communities affected by the powerful storm.

“Libreng Tawag” services are ongoing at Calanasan Terminal (Centro 3, Claveria) and Barangay Hall (Centro 10, Tuguegarao City) in Cagayan; San Vicente Barangay Hall in Ilagan, Isabela; and at the evacuation center located at the office of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Lagawe, Ifugao.

Telecoms Sans Frontieres, the leading international NGO specializing in emergency telecommunications, has also volunteered and

is on standby to offer free calls in partnership with Smart.

To facilitate faster coordination of relief efforts, Smart also provided satellite phones to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Due to lack of commercial power, Smart has also made available free charging of mobile phone batteries in the following cell sites in Nueva Ecija: Brgy. San Roque, San Jose City, Munoz; Brgy. Bantug, Munoz; Brgy. Baloc, Sto. Domingo, Baloc; Brgy. Pulog Buli, Sto. Domingo; Brgy. Poblacion (behind municipal hall), Talavera; Poblacion North, Lupao; Poblacion Centro, Pantabangan; Brgy. Sinipit (behind municipal hall), Bongabon.

Charging services were also set up in Marcos Village

(beside Iglesia ni Cristo), Siclong, Laur; Brgy. Paltik, Dingalan; Gabaldon town proper and Neust Compound; Cabu, Cabanatuan; Bangad, Cabanatuan; Aliaga Poblacion; Brgy.

Mambangan, Quezon, San Leonardo; Cuyapo Poblacion, San Leonardo; Saranay Disctrict, Guimba; Penaranda Poblacion; San Vicente, Gapan; P Carmen St., San Isidro 1; Brgy.

San Fernando, Cabaiao; Brgy.

San Roque, Cabaiao; Gapan, Balwarte; Brgy. Concepcion, General Tinio; and Agbanawag, Llanera.

In partnership with Rappler’s Project Agos, Smart subscribers can help provide vital information and report on-ground situation in their respective areas for free by sending RELIEFPH <msg> or

RESCUEPH <msg> to 2929.

“There was minimal damage to our wireless network brought about by Typhoon Lando. However, services in affected areas may be intermittent due to massive loss of commercial power,” said Smart Public Affairs Group Head Ramon Isberto.

Recognizing communications as an important form of relief, Smart has been consistent in immediately providing free calls and charging services during disasters. By making available emergency communication links, Smart is able to help government and humanitarian agencies assess the needs of survivors and coordinate with each other better for more effective relief efforts to affected communities.

NAIA improves in 2015 online airport survey

T

HE Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 has improved its ranking from being 1st in the “World’s Worst Airport” list from 2011 to 2013 to only 8th in the “Worst Airports in Asia” list this year.

Both surveys, which were conducted by nine-year-old interactive website “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports,” were released on October 17.

The website gave credit to rehabilitation efforts which have “helped decongest and clean up Terminal 1,” and the introduction of the Wings Transit Lounge in Terminal 3 which have “helped make things more comfortable.”

However, it did not ignore earlier reports this year on Terminal 1’s leaking ceilings and Terminal 2’s collapsing floors which it noted needs “room for improvement”.

It also pointed out how passengers remain annoyed by the poor customer service, the long queues, the sub-par food selection, the lack of restrooms and the crowded seating areas.

“There is definitely a long way to go but we’re thrilled to see improvements come along bit by bit,” the website said.

The 10 Worst Airports in Asia 2015 are: (1) Kathmandu Tribhu-

van International Airport, Nepal (2) Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan (3) Kabal Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan (4) Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam (5) Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Pakistan (6) Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China (7) Chennai (Madras) International Airport, India (8) Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Philippines (9) Dhaka Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh (10) Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka The 10 Worst Airports in the World 2015 are: (1) Port Harcourt International Airport, Nigeria (2) Jeddah King Abdulaazziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia (3) Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal (4) Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan (5) Caracas Simon Bolivar International Airport, Venezuela (6) Port au Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti (7) Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan (8) Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam (9) Islambad Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Pakistan (10) Paris Beauvais-Tille International Airport, Paris, France. (PNA)

1337 Ventures brings Alpha Startups to Phl

IBM launches industry’s first consulting practice dedicated to cognitive business I BM on Friday launched the industry’s first consulting organization dedicated to helping clients realize the transformative value of cognitive business.

IBM Cognitive Business Solutions extends the exclusive cognitive leadership of IBM Watson and the company›s established market leadership in business analytics.

The new practice draws on the expertise of more than 2,000 consulting professionals spanning machine learning, advanced analytics, data science and development, supported by industry and change management specialists to accelerate client journeys to cognitive business.

Cognitive represents an entirely new model of computing that includes a range of technology innovations in an-

alytics, natural language processing and machine learning.

Industry analyst firm IDC predicts that by 2018, half of all consumers will interact regularly with services based on cognitive computing.

“Our work with clients across many industries shows that cognitive computing is the path to the next great set of possibilities for business,” said Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president, IBM Global Business Services. “Clients know they are collecting and analyzing more data than ever before, but 80 percent of all the available data -- images, voice, literature, chemical formulas, social expressions -- remains out of reach for traditional computing systems.

We’re scaling expertise to close that gap and help our clients become cognitive banks,

retailers, automakers, insurers or healthcare providers.”

IBM said its consultants are prepared today to bring clients “get started” offerings and readiness assessments that create low-cost entry points to begin the journey to become cognitive enterprises.

“Before long, we will look back and wonder how we made important decisions or discovered new opportunities without systematically learning from all available data,” said Stephen Pratt, global leader, IBM Cognitive Business Solutions. “Over the next decade, this transformation will be very personal for professionals as we embrace learning algorithms to enhance our capacity. For clients, cognitive systems will provide organizations that adopt these powerful tools

outperform their peers.”

IBM introduced new data discovery and question-and-answer capabilities for Watson Analytics that will make it even easier for users to extract insights from their data. IBM also announced widespread adoption, with half a million professionals registering for this groundbreaking data exploration and visualization service since its introduction less than a year ago.

The rapid ascent of Watson Analytics into one of the most popular self-service analytics platforms in the world has been fueled by its unique ability to put cognitive capabilities into the hands of business users, and enable a new era of unbiased analysis.

IBM Watson Analytics helps

FIBM, 10

1

337 Ventures (pronounced “leet ventures”) in collaboration with Department of Science and Technology (DOST) brings its idea validation program, Alpha Startups, to the Philippines with the initial marker being laid in Cebu on November 9 to 13. Existing start ups as well as new business ideas are welcome to apply for the inaugural class within the Philippines.

“We have always viewed the Philippines region as a lucrative market to launch a start up. They have a large unbanked population, one of the biggest inbound transactions and great talent. This program will greatly help Philippine entrepreneurs as well as all others within our Alpha Startups alumni as it puts them on a global footing to potentially work together and have a greater geographical presence,” said Bikesh Lakhmichand, CEO of 1337 Ventures Alpha Startups has helped many an entrepreneur achieve their goals and business expansion objectives. This includes providing resources, potential funding, tech support, while nurturing them with business knowledge and decision making skills. They help transform a start up’s early raw ideas into ‘minimal viable products’

(MVP) where it is good for an initial market launch.

“Alpha Startups was a great shortcut for Closetstyles to validate what works and what doesn’t’. At the end of the program, we felt the direction was clearer and we were more confident in executing it” said Fong Kam Ling, founder of Closetstyles.

“The program was invaluable to me in strengthening our value proposition and structuring our thoughts into a pitch deck. It was due to this that we raised our first round of investments in such a short time,” said Brian Foo, founder of Gigfairy.

Alpha Startups Cebu will be one of the building blocksof the Philippine start up roadmap that was authored

by Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino with the vision of creating 500Philippino startups raising US$200 million of total funding by 2020.

“The Alpha Startup Bootcamp will help early stage startups get off the ground by teaching them the basics of building a digital business.

This is a gap we currently see in the Philippine startup ecosystem that this initiative will help address,” said Monchito Ibrahim, Deputy Executive Di-

F1337, 10

12 CLASSIFIED

EDGEDAVAO

DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICE JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., Quirino Ave., Davao City Tel: (082) 224-1413 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICE EDMUND D. RENDON Marketing Specialist Mobile: (Smart) 0909-424-7990 MANILA MARKETING OFFICE ANGELICA R. GARCIA Marketing Manager 97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave., Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

NEWS 13

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20,000 voters in NorCot sans biometric data cannot vote T

IME is running out for more than 20,000 registered voters in North Cotabato due to validation problems, a top poll official of the province said.

The province comprises 17 municipalities, and Kidapawan City as its capital being the center of commerce and industry.

“They cannot cast votes

in next year’s elections if they could not validate registration records within the remaining week of registration and validation schedules set by the Comelec,” lawyer Duque Kadatuan, provincial election supervisor, said.

The Comelec had earlier set October 31 as the last day of registration for new voters and validation for old elector-

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH WAIVER

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late MARCELINO S. DE LA PEÑA has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF STATE WITH WAIVER executed among his heirs per Doc. No.243; Page No.049; Book No.1; Series of 2015, of the NOTARY PUBLIC EVANGELINE D. SION 10/21,27/11/3

ates.

“Our main Comelec office in Manila had repeatedly announced it and has made clear that there would be no extension of the list up,” Kadatuan added.

The poll official cited Republic Act 10367 that orders mandatory voters registration, and specifies that all voter registration records must have

biometrics information.

All voters’ biometrics information are fed into the Comelec’s Voter Registration Machine (VRM), which uses a digital camera, fingerprint scanner and a signature pad to capture voter’s biometrics data.

Kadatuan clarified that old voters who fails to re-validate their registration records

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE / TRANSFER OF RIGHTS

Notice are hereby given that the estate of the late ABDUL UY SR. and ALICIA B. UY has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE / TRANSFER OF RIGHTS executed among their heirs per Doc. No.301; Page No.61; Book No. 108; Series of 2015, of the NOTARY PUBLIC FATIMA IRENE T. ADIN 10/07.14.21

would not be allowed to vote in next year’s political exercise.

“Our ‘No-Bio-No-Boto’ campaign has been going on for several months now but to date, more than 20,000 are yet to undergo validation process,” Kadatuan said.

Kadatuan revealed that the town of Pikit has the highest number of registered voters with no biometric records.

“As to why it has the highest, may be most were fake voters so they cannot validate their records, some may have fled to other areas,” he said.

Kadatuan repeated his appeal for the voters with no biometric records to do it now and avoid “last minute Filipino attitude.”

Comelec records, meanwhile, also showed that at least 31,000 voters in South

Cotabato province also have no appropriate biometric data to complete their poll records.

“Over 15,000 voters with no Comelec biometrics data are residents of 10 towns while the rest were from Koronadal City and Gen. Santos City,” lawyer Jay Gerada, South Cotabato provincial election supervisor, said.

Gerada said that South Cotabato, including Gen. Santos City, has some 600,000 registered voters.

In Maguindanao, Udtog Tago, lawyer-cum-provincial election supervisor, said the province have few voters without registration data since the province, which is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), had a general voters registration in 2012. (PNA)

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) MRO21020962 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 10162944 issued to MA. ILOWA KRISTINE B. DARANTINAO was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

10/7/14/21

14 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

UP MINDANAO CHEERDANCE. BS Architecture emerged champions in the UP Mindanao Cheerdance Competition held in the opening of the DULA 2015 university sports festival. BS Agribusiness Economics won second place, while defending champion, BS Biology, was in third place. Trailing the winners were BS Food Technology, BS Computer Science, BS Applied Mathematics, and BA Communication Arts.The judges were Jade Naya, Arturo Ensalada, and Cresilda Calero.

RIO BID IS ON SBP submits bid to host Rio Qualifiers O

FFICIALS of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas worked double time over the weekend to formalize the country’s bid to host the FIBA World O ly m p i c Qualifying Tournament n e x t year.

On Mond a y, SBP

BEAUTY AND POWER. Rachel Ann Daquis of Petron Blaze will try to carry the struggling titleholder against RC Cola Air Force. The two teams are due for a heated battle late in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at The Arena in San Juan. See story on page 15. PSL photo

vice chairman Ricky Vargas confirmed to InterAksyon. com that Butch Antonio, SBP executive director for international affairs and Gilas Pilipinas team manager, already formally informed FIBA of the country’s desire to host the tournament.

“Before I left Manila, Butch Antonio wa s

supposed to let FIBA know of our intention to join the bidding for hosting, which I think will happen in November this year,” wrote Vargas in a text message.

Antonio also said in a text on Monday that the SBP has already complied with the initial documents needed for the hosting.

“We informed FIBA already of our intent to host an Olympic qualifier,” added Antonio.

SBP executive director Sonny Barrios likewise confirmed the development, saying the re-

quirements were processed last week.

FIBA will announce on November 23 whether the Philippines will get to host one of the three scheduled wildcard tournaments that offer tickets to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 18 teams who were runners-up from other continents will be divided into three groups, each having a separate tournament. The champion of each bracket advances to the Olympics.

The three Olympic qualifying tournaments are slated July 5 to 11.

Six other countries are also interested in hosting the Olympic qualifying events, namely Canada, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Germany and Serbia.

ASIA’S BEST. Philippines’ top gunner and Asia’s best pointguard Jayson Castro can have another crack at the Olympics at home if the country wins the bid. FIBA Asia photo

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 145 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

SPORTS 15

NEW LAKERS ERA

Russel, Kobe team up for new future with Lakers

D

IMPORT. Lynda Morales and the Raiders hope to score a more comfortable win after a five-set opening match. Photo by Dante Peralta

Can RC Cola sustain momentum?

R

C Cola-Air Force is looking good after its opening-match victory. The true test, however, will have to come against struggling titleholder Petron. The two teams are due for a heated battle late Tuesday in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at The Arena in San Juan.

Whatever happens, that will only make the PSL’s Grand Prix offering more interesting.

The Raiders needed five sets to defeat Meralco last week and face another tough test against the reigning champion Blaze Spikers, who are aching to bounce back after from a five-set loss to Philips Gold.

Puerto Rico national team member Lynda Morales showed the way for RC Cola in the opener with 19 kills and a conference-high seven blocks and focus will again be on the 6-foot-5 middle blocker as the Raiders try to go two for two.

RC Cola-Air Force coach Rhovyl Verayo said the locals need to play much better.

“We still have a lot to show.

We didn’t have any decent receives against Meralco that’s why we struggled in the second and third sets. Volleyball is a team game. Our fortune doesn’t rest on Lynda or Sara (McClinton) alone. Everybody must contribute to get that victory,” said Verayo, who is counting on veterans Maika Ortiz, Rhea Dimaculangan and skipper Wendy Semana to deliver.

They face a tough Petron squad led by Aby Marano, Dindin Manabat, Rachel Anne Daquis with a pair of Brazilians in Rupia Inck and Erica Adachi serving as reinforcements, although the Blaze Spikers have struggled to find their rhythm and hold an even 2-2 card in the middle of the table.

Philips Gold (1-1) is also due to take on bottom team Meralco (0-4) in an earlier match.

Drawing firepower from UCLA standout Bojana Todorovic, the Lady Slammers registered their first win as they clobbered the Blaze Spikers.

’ANGELO Russell’s first NBA season also might be Kobe Bryant’s last. Even before they’ve played their first real game together, the teenager and the veteran both were grateful their careers intersected with the Los Angeles Lakers. ‘’Just to be around a guy that’s done what he’s done, you can’t help becoming a better player and a better person,’’ said Russell, the second overall pick out of Ohio State.

Russell and Bryant are hoping the upcoming season isn’t just a passing of a torch for a once-proud franchise on the hardest of times.

While NBA champions Bryant and Metta World Peace are back in the purple and gold for perhaps the last time, they’ll have at least a season to work with the Lakers’ tantalizing young core of Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson. ‘’It’s good to be around them and get that youthful energy,’’ the 37-year-old Bryant said. ‘’I’m excited for them. This is the beginning of their careers and their journey.’’

The Lakers aren’t expected to make the playoffs after enduring the worst season in a proud franchise’s history, going 21-61 under coach Byron Scott last year. But to Bryant, the NBA’s third-leading

scorer and a five-time champion, returning to the postseason with a team in profound transition would be yet another career highlight and yet another defiance of expectations. ‘’I wouldn’t put any limits on what we can do, because there’s a lot of talent on this roster,’’ Bryant said.

Despite the low external expectations, the Lakers have assembled an intriguing combination of young talent and an experienced supporting cast. Center Roy Hibbert appears to be rejuvenated after his All-Star career stalled in Indiana, while veterans Lou Williams and Brandon Bass should provide support.

But all eyes will be on Russell, the point guard with preternaturally good court vision and tantalizing all-around talent. The Lakers don’t say Russell is ready to be an immediate star, but they’ve banked a good portion of their future on his evolving game.

So far, Bryant is impressed. ‘’I think he has a lot of ambition,’’ Bryant said. ‘’He wants to be great, and it starts there. Really my responsibility to him is to not lose sight of what’s most important, which is the game. That’s the heart of it all. Playing in this market, with

a lot of different distractions, a lot of criticism or critique that might come his way, it doesn’t matter. You just focus on what got you here, and that’s playing the game.’’

Here are more things to know about the Lakers’ upcoming season: DIRE STRAITS: The 16time champion Lakers have only missed the playoffs seven times in a franchise history that began in Minneapolis in 1948. They’ve only missed the playoffs in consecutive years twice, including the past two campaigns. The Lakers have never missed the playoffs in three straight seasons.

GOLDEN JULIUS: Russell’s summer-league and preseason performances were uneven, but almost nobody is cautious about another first-round draft pick starting his first full NBA season.

Randle, the power forward from Kentucky who broke his leg in last year’s season opener, is attracting preseason buzz for his recovery and his burgeoning all-around game. Teammates are raving, fans are impressed and opponents are already worried about Randle’s combination of athleticism and smarts. While the Lakers ease Russell into the flow, Randle appears ready for the rumble.

CAREFUL: Bryant hopes to stay healthy after his last three seasons ended prematurely due to injuries. To that end, Scott is likely to rest him in certain back-to-back games, along with keeping a cap on his minutes - something Scott promised to do last year, but never really did consistently before Bryant injured his shoulder in January.

RETURN OF THE SWAG: Nick Young is healthy again after injuries limited him to 42 games last season under Scott, who questioned the quirky veteran guard’s commitment and defense.

Young has been renewed in training camp, even earning praise from Scott - but nearly everybody around the Lakers wonders how long it’ll be before Swaggy P reverts to his inimitably strange style.

NO GOODBYES: Bryant hasn’t decided whether he’ll retire, resign with the Lakers or go elsewhere next summer. He doesn’t intend to talk about it every week.

Although he has repeatedly said in the past that he would never play for another team, Kobe isn’t eliminating any possibility as he heads into a season in which he’ll consume 37.5 percent of the Lakers’ salary cap room with his $25 million deal. ‘’Hell if I know,’’ he said.

PRESEASON. Houston Rockets’ James Harden and New Orleans Pelicans’ Jeff Adrien battle for the ball during an NBA preseason game Tuesday (PHL Time). AP

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