Edge Davao 8 Issue 166

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RED ALERT VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

ON THE DECLINE? A vendor arranges his display of Christmas lanterns in different colors and sizes at a makeshift store along Quezon Boulevard yesterday.

Sales of Christmas lanterns and decorations are declining according to sellers and manufacturers as more and more people are recycling their old ones.

Lean Daval Jr.

DCPO vigilant after twin Cotabato blasts EDGEDAVAO Sports

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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HE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) is now on red alert status following the grenade blasts in Cotabato City and Kabacan, North Cotabato on Saturday night.

In an interview yesterday, DCPO spokesperson Chief Inspector Milgrace Driz said

although there are no reports of threats, the DCPO has intensified its mobile and foot patrol as well as checkpoints and chokepoints to ensure the safety of the public.

“We appeal to the people, especially the commuters, that you have to submit your-

selves for inspection because we need to secure the city and ensure the safety of the commuters and drivers,” she said.

Driz also asked the cooperation of all passengers to submit their baggage for inspection voluntarily.

“Within the Davao City

range, we are trying to secure the city with the help also from our friendly forces in Task Force Davao and unified force multipliers,” she said.

She said aside from the patrols and checkpoints, the DCPO also intensified its intel-

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3rd ACQ Cup cage loop draws 10 college teams P15

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

City needs two new shelter areas for influx of Lumads

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City government is now identifying two new shelter areas to house the groups of Indigenous People (IPs) from some parts of Mindanao who will celebrate Christmas in the city next month.

In an interview yesterday, City Social Service and Development Office (CSSDO) head Malou Bermudo said her office was prompted to find new shelter areas because the gymnasiums in Toril and Calinan are under repair.

“So, right now, we are still finalizing the possible shelter areas because our shelter areas in Toril and Calinan will not be available because it is under repair,” she said.

She said the CSSDO is expecting more Lumads to come to the city this year than the 11,000 who came last year.

Bermudo said the gymnasiums available as of the moment are the ones Buhangin,

Bankerohan, Matina Aplaya, Tugbok, and Bunawan.

She said the Bunawan gym is also under repair but the barangay officials told her the facility can cater to a smaller number of IPs. Bermudo said the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) ahs already inspected possible shelter areas for the Lumads.

“We are still waiting for the report coming from the City Engineer’s Office,” she said.

She said the City Mayor’s Office (CMO) has prepared a budget for the accommodation of the Lumads but she did not reveal how much.

Bermudo said she hopes the budget will be released before December because the IPs are expected to arrive on the first day of the month.

Earlier, city administrator Jesus Melchor V. Quitain said the city government will cater to the needs of all the Lumads

FCITY, 10

Ferrer on BBL passage: Not much time but‘still hoping’

“I

T’S not over until its over,” the chair of the government (GPH) peace panel in the negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said on the possibility of passing the the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by December 16, the self-imposed deadline set last month by the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“It’s not over until its over di ba? But I have to admit that as the days go by the chances (of passing the BBL by December 16) become slimmer,” Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, GPH peace panel chair said in a press conference at the Apo View Hotel on Friday afternoon.

She cited the quorum

problems at the House of Representatives which has not resumed interpellation on the BBL since Congress resumed sessions on November 3.

There have been five session days since but no interpellation as there was no quorum on November 3, 4, 9 and 10 and the 11th was spent on the Salary Standardization Law. Congress will resume sessions on November 23 as sessions were called off this week due to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

At the Senate, only one Senator, Juan Ponce Enrile, has interpellated during the five session days. He manifested he would continue in the next sessions.

Ferrer acknowledged that

FFERRER, 10

GETTING YOUNGER. Noli Dimaandal of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 says there is an increase in cases of minors getting involved in illegal drug trade as drug perpetrators nowadays use them as drug couriers. Dimaandal was a guest in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

Police alarmed over rise of gangs

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

OLICE have expressed alarm over the increase in the number of youth gangs involved in crimes in Davao City following the death of a police officer in Toril District early last month.

Allegedly stabbed to death by a gang member which the police here found to be “alarming”.

“There was an increase in the number of criminal gangs in the city that can be the result of the recent stabbing accident of a police officer in Toril,” Senior Police Officer (SPO)4 Ma. Rosario Y. Suarez of the Communication Relations Di-

vision-Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 told reporters during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

“That incident give them more confidence to commit crimes,” Suarez added.

She was referring to the killing of SPO1 Vevencio Daytoc Vertudazo, 40, a member the Toril Police Station who was stabbed dead by three suspected youth gang members belonging to the Batang District Hall Gang.

The victim was conducting police visibility patrol near the Toril District Hall when the gang members stabbed him.

He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Police later caught up with two of the suspects and shot them dead when the latter allegedly tried to fight back.

Suarez did not give data on the number of youth gangs but said many new groups are operating even inside schools, with members as young as nine years old being recruited.

The latest data on youth gangs come from 2007, during which the DCPO recorded a total of 116 gangs, of which only 35 were considered criminal.

But Suarez said despite

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Lumad school blames military for burning teachers’cottage

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YOUNG CHEFS. Students from one of the private schools in Davao City participate in a pizza-making camp at the Annex of SM City Davao yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

the rise in the number of youth gangs, criminal activities involving members of different gang groups in the city are still relatively low especially when Mayor Rodrigo Duterte airs warnings to them.

“A teacher from a public secondary school in barangay Bangkal confirmed the existence of gang groups inside the schools and she was alarmed,” Suarez said. “This is the reason why there are riots inside and within the premises of schools here.”

She said gangs are recruiting students because “these

NETWORK of schools for the Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) is holding the military accountable for the November 12 burning of a teachers’ cottage in its satellite school in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur and “the continuous attacks on our schools and Lumad communities.”

The military denied responsibility for the burning and claimed in a November 13 statement by the Eastern Mindanao Command that the perpetrators were a “still unidentified lawless armed group wearing Army uniforms” who “disguised as soldiers of 23rd Infantry Battalion (23rd IB).”

The Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development, Inc. (ALCADEV), in a statement

dated November 16, said the military “is attempting to cover-up the crime by conveniently excusing the perpetrators as ‘impostors’ citing that Army uniforms and military backpacks were recently procured from an accredited tailoring shop in Butuan City and deduced that these were used for the disguise of the perpetrators.”

It said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “is trying to blame the NPA (New Peoples Army) for this atrocity while continuing its vilification of ALCADEV as an NPA school.”

A teachers’ cottage of the ALCADEV satellite school in Sitio Km. 30, Brgy. Padiay, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur was burned down by six unidentified men at around 2 a.m. on November

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 3

Duterte warns drivers of ‘colorum’ vehicles

M

AYOR Rodridgo Duterte on Sunday warned drivers of “colorum” vehicles that they would be arrested and announced that unregistered van terminals will be demolished.

Duterte issued the warning in his Sunday television program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” after learning that the City Transport and Traffic

Management Office (CTTMO) still received reports of “colorum” (is slang for illegal public land transport) vehicles still plying the streets and that some bus terminals operate without a franchise from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“If you don’t have the franchise, you will face charges,

and I will order the confiscation of your vehicle,” he said in Cebuano.

The mayor said some of the illegal terminals can be found along F. Torres St., Rizal St., the area along Quezon Boulevard, Sta. Ana Avenue, Panacan area, and the area fronting Victoria Plaza.

“Aside from the fact that they are not supposed to ply

the routes, wala gyud na silay authorization sa gobyerno, in case na madisgrasya o mamatay, tabla. Walay insurance (they are not authorized by government, in case of accidents or death, you get nothing. There is no insurance), that’s why we arresting the drivers,” he said.

Although this is LTFRB’s jurisdiction, Duterte said oth-

er law enforces can make the arrest even if they are not deputized.

He said even the police can arrest erring drivers “because they are violating .. the law.”

“As long as there is a violation of the law, I do not think that you need the deputization of anybody,” he said.

“If you allow passengers

to board your vehicles and you endanger them, I have every right to arrest and detain you, you and your motor vehicle,” the mayor added in Cebuano.

He also told the passengers not to ride the “colorum” vehicles because in case of accidents, the passengers will get nothing as there is no insurance. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

‘Mass arrests’for APEC hit

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

U ART EXHIBIT. Artists Dadai Joaquin (left) and Rita Bustamante promote their upcoming art exhibit slated on November 19 to 28 at Casa Munda. The two women graced yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

Council tackles P6.3-billion budget on second reading

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City council is set to discuss for second reading the proposed P6.3 billion 2016 budget in today’s regular session.

Today’s agenda includes the presentation of the proposed budget under the committee on finance, ways and mean, and appropriations headed by councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang.

Members of the local finance committee (LFC) and all heads of different offices are also invited to be present during the discussion.

In last week’s Pulong-Pulong ni Pulong, Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte said the City Council will hasten the passage of the budget so that it can be immediately utilized next year.

“Ginahan-ay na, amo nang tapuson gyud kay para ang budget next year han-ay na dire-diretso na ang dagan sa atong gobyerno (We are now

fixing it, we need to fast-track the budget so that next year the operation of the city government will be continuous),” he said.

Earlier, Dayanghirang said had already adopted the proposed P6.3 billion 2016 budget for the city submitted by the LFC. Of the total budget, the CMO will get P1.9 billion of the P5 billion allotted for the general fund proper.

Dayanghirang said the CMO has the biggest budget because of the operations of Central 911, Task Force Davao, and the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC).

Of the total budget, P84.3 million will go to the personal services (PS) for the salary of the employees, P1.7 billion will go to the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and P58.9 million will go to the capital outlay.

The City Environment

and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) follows with P456 million (P41 million for PS, P414 million for MOOE and P561,000 for capital outlay).

The Sangguniang Panlungsod will get P406 million (P148 million for PS, P248 million for MOOE, and P8.7 million for capital outlay).

City Engineer’s Office (CEO) has an allocation of P359.5 million (P61 million for PS, P295 million for MOOE and P2.3 million for capital outlay).

City Health Office (CHO) will get P275.2 million allocation (P192.3 million for PS, P81.3 million for MOOE and P1.5 million for capital outlay).

City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) will get a budget of P168.2 million (P124.9 million for PS, P39.6 million for MOOE and P3.6 million for capital outlay).

City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) will get P161 million, (P79.7

million for PS, P80.6 for MOOE and P733,823 for capital outlay).

City Administrator’s Office will get P66.9 million (P53.1 million for PS, P12.8 for MOOE and P898,884 for capital outlay).

City Agriculturist’s Office will get P66.2 million (P60.1 million for PS, P5.9 million for MOOE and P124,000 for capital outlay).

City General Services Office (GSO) will get P51.5 million (P39.1 million for PS and P12.3 million for MOOE).

City Veterinarian’s Office will get P41.8 million (P31.2 million for PS, P10.3 million for MOOE and P287,171 for capital outlay).

City Accountant’s Office will get will get P33.7 million (P27.8 million for PS, P5.4 million for MOOE and P500,000 for capital outlay).

City Planning and Devel-

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crc@edgedavao.net

S-BASED Human Rights Watch (HRW) yesterday said the Philippine government should immediately release the hundreds of mostly indigent and homeless Manila residents, including more than 140 children, who it said have been detained ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

In a statement, HRW said the “arbitrary detentions” are part of so-called “clearing operations” aimed to beautify the city ahead of the summit, which will bring world leaders to Manila from November 16 to 18, 2015.

The group said since November 9, local authorities have rounded up several hundred adults and children from streets and informal settlements in Manila and surrounding municipalities of Metro Manila, and detained them without charge.

“Many of the adults operate food carts or sell scavenged items and were told by officials who detained them that they would be able to return to the streets and resume their work after the summit.

On the orders of local mayors, including Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, police and social workers are detaining them under guard in government facilities for the homeless and orphans,” HRW said.

“Philippine authorities have violated the rights of hundreds of Manila residents to put a cynical veneer of ‘cleanliness’ on the city for APEC delegates,” said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The removal and detention of homeless and impoverished residents from where they live and work without due process is a violation of their basic human rights.”

HRW said according to witnesses, police, neighborhood officials, and social workers appear on the streets where people are living and examine their tents and hovels.

“The people detained are then brought by truck to the

Reception and Action Center (RAC), a social welfare facility run by the Manila city government. Adults and accompanied children from Manila are held at the RAC while children from Manila with no parents present are sent to Boys Town, a shelter for homeless children run by the Manila government in nearby Marikina. Many of those picked up, including people from outside Manila, are then sent to the Jose Fabella Center, a national government-run facility for the homeless in neighboring Mandaluyong City,” the group said.

The national Department of Social Welfare and Development told Human Rights Watch that from November 9 to November 12 a total of 48 homeless or indigent individuals have been detained at the Jose Fabella Center, 40 from Manila, while the others are from nearby Quezon City and Pasay City. The Manila city government reported that authorities had “rescued” at least 141 street children as of November 10, dozens of whom were sent to Boys Town.

“Local authorities conduct the ‘clearing operations’ in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” HRW said.

“The department’s director for Metro Manila, Alicia Bonoan, told Human Rights Watch the ‘clearing operations’ were part of a government policy of ‘rescuing’ and ‘reaching out’ to the homeless and the poor, particularly children. She said they were conducted in tandem with a modified cash transfer program launched in 2011 that provides up to P4,000 in monthly rental support payments for up to six months to 4,408 low-income families in Metro Manila,” the group said.

Bonoan denied any link between the ongoing operations and the APEC summit but the accounts of people who have recently been detained, their relatives, and social workers from nongovernmental groups suggest otherwise.

Surigao council bet 4 Mindanawons among 38 new diplomats: DFA faces disqualification T

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FORMER city prosecutor in this city has filed a disqualification complaint against a candidate for councilor here.

Lawyer Clarito P. Servillas, a former city prosecutor and four others from the Coalition of Surigaonons Good Governance-Transparency and Accountability (COSUGGTA) have petitioned the Commission on Elections to disqualify Simeon Vicente G. Castrence, an incumbent Provincial Board member of District 1, for alleged misrepresenting he is a resident of Surigao City in his certificate of candidacy (COC).

MindaNews obtained a copy of the complaint filed November 9 before the legal department of the Comelec in Manila.

“Respondent declared that

he is a resident of Surigao City for a specified period of time despite clear and unmistakable fact that he is a resident of General Luna, one of the municipalities of Surigao del Norte and despite non-compliance regarding the period of his stay as a legal resident of Surigao City,” the seven-page complaint said.

The complaint alleged that on October 17, 2015, two days after the filing of his COC, Castrence filed for transfer/ transfer with activation of his voter’s registration from General Luna to Surigao City.

Castrence said he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

Aside from Servillas, complainants include Fernando A. Almeda Jr., Lito Argente, Armando Elumba and Isidro C. Carbonilla.

(Roel Catoto / MindaNews)

HE Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that 38 examinees of the five-phase Foreign Service Officers Exam passed, out of 143 who passed the preliminary examination in 2013 and 2014.

MindaNews noted that at least four of them are from Mindanao: Michael Frank A. Alar and Jaybee B. Arguillas of Davao City, Edward D. Chan of Buenavista in Agusan del Norte and Al-bari B. Macalawan, an Iranun from Cotabato City.

The Board of Foreign Service Examinations (BFSE) announced through the DFA website that the 38 passers “have been recommended by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for appointment by the President as Foreign Service Officer Class, Class IV.” The FSO Exam, considered among the most difficult government examinations, is composed of five stages: the Civil Service

Examination for Foreign Service Officer (CSE-FSO), Preliminary Interview, Written Test, Psychological Test, and Oral Test.

“The examination is usually completed within a period of one year from the date of the CSEFSO which serves as the qualifying test of the examination,” the BFSE said.

Only those who pass the CSE-FSO and preliminary interview can proceed to take the written test and only those who pass the written test are eligible to take the psychological exam.

Those who pass the psychological exam can then proceed to the last stage, the oral exam which has three phases: panel interview, group discussion, and a formal dinner where the examinees are given three minutes to prepare for a three-minute speech on a topic they pick from a fishbowl, for delivery before a

F4 MINDANAWONS, 10

MICHAEL FRANK A. ALAR

EDWARD D. CHAN

JAYBEE B. ARGUILLAS

AL-BARI MACALAWAN

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EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

DOT to promote VDFS in Singapore

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

FFICIALS from the Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 will be flying to Singapore this year for the promotion of the third Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) from March 25 to May 31.

“Davao is projected as the new adventure area of many Singaporeans, ”DOT 11 regional director Robert Alaba-

do III told reporters.

Alabado said the operation of new Davao-Singapore route by a local airline company will boost the influx of tourists here.

The Singapore route, he said, is important for the tourism industry of the region because it is an international hub and a convergence point.

“It has the most flights from different destinations around the world,” Alabado said.

Singapore is the gateway to more European tourists here, according to him.

“I believe that the region has attractive bridges to entice many Singaporean tourists.

It’s time for these markets to experience Davao,” Alabado said.

The organizing team of VDFS area has already preparing tour packages for the 10-weekend event of discounts and promos on shopping, dining, tours and leisure, among others.

Among the tour package

A DAY’S WORK. Construction workers lay stones and concrete mix at a drainage maintenance project in Isla Verde, Quezon Boulevard, Davao City. MindaNews photo by TOTO LOZANO

CEO survey: Phl remains attractive to APEC investors

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HE Philippines remains an attractive investment destination among companies from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies given its large domestic market and high talented labor pool.

This, despite a survey result showing that Asia-Pacific chief executive officers (CEOs) believe that prospects for business growth over the next 12 months are dimming fast amid financial market volatility and cyber security concerns.

PwC network’s fifth annual APEC CEO Survey covering 800 CEOs and industry leaders indicates that around half of them still intend to raise investments next year, particularly in the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore.

The majority of CEOs (53 percent) planned to increase investments, with most of that investment (68 percent) aimed for the APEC region despite their dwindling confidence in revenue growth.

Alexander Cabrera, chairman and senior partner at PwC Philippines, identified the huge domestic market and availability of talent as the Philippines’ competitive advantage.

“The Philippines is a nation of very good professionals –doctors, accountants, archi-

tects and engineers. …Because the skills will move more freely and they know that the Philippines is a source of those skills, that’s really raising their (CEOs) confidence level that if they come here, if they bring the business to the Philippines, that there will be enough (human) resource here to support that business,” he said in an interview.

To further attract investments, Cabrera underscored the need to simplify doing business in the Philippines to be at par with the global economies.

He noted the country should also continue focusing on development of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

“If these SMEs will be assisted during their formative stage, if the time that they can access the foreign markets will be shortened, if they will be part of the value chain of the big corporations, that will produce the inclusive growth that is really important,” he added.

Cabrera said the middle class in the Philippines needs to be likewise enlarged.

“That effectively expands the domestic market of these businesses in the Philippines.

That’s also a big source of business growth,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PwC’s survey shows that there is a clear diversification of investments within the APEC region, with China, the United States and Indonesia remain the main draws for CEO business investments.

“I think (on) diversification of the investment locations, we are really beneficiaries of the slowdown in China,” Cabrera said.

He believed that Philippine CEOs appear not affected by the coming elections.

“I think the fact they remained optimistic about revenue growth may prove maybe the point of some prophets of boom. They are saying that regardless of who wins in the next elections, the economic gains of the Philippines are irreversible,” added Cabrera.

More of the 800 APEC business leaders surveyed – PwC’s largest sample ever— think that expanded broadband access and increased participation in the digital economy hold the most promise for their business from regional connectivity, ahead of regional trade projects or new infrastructure in underdeveloped areas of the region.

They are also optimistic a free trade area in Asia Pacific

FCEO, 10

which will be offered during the event were the Davao City Countryside Tour, which includes an eight-hour tour to the Philippine Eagle Foundation and Eden Nature Park and Resort.

Participating tour operators and tour establishments will also offer the four-hour Davao City tour, including visits to Museo Dabawenyo, City Hall, Jack’s Ridge, San Pedro Cathedral, Holy Infant Jesus Shrine, Durian Candy Factory, and Crocodile Park.

The organizers will also offer for the first time the eight-hour Marilog Highland Agri-tour which will allow the tourist to experience a Baguio-like experience of the south.

Included under this tour are a meal and tour in Balik Bukid, a restaurant that serves all-organic dishes, and a tour to Seagull Resort and Bemwa Farm in Marilog District.

Adventurers and could avail the three-day Mt. Apo trekking and reach the highest peak in the country.

Alabado said there will be also more tour packages that will highlights the tourist destination in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS).

Tour packages that would allow tourists to experience Samal include the eight-hour Samal Inland Resort where

tourist will go to the famous Paradise Island Beach Resort, Samal Dairy Farm, Monfort Bat Cave, and Hagimit Falls; the Samal-Talikud Island tour which will highlight the Coral Garden, Babusanta, Angel’s Cove or Mansud Wall and Giant Clam Sanctuary.

Tourists also resort on experiencing the culture of the island with the Samal Agri-kultura tour, including a four to six hours tours and interaction with indigenous tribes in the island, rice farming experience, either guided snorkeling or horseback riding and visit to Mangongawong Falls.

There will be a tour package for beach goers who would like to experience the Vanishing Island Sunset cruise which include swimming and snorkeling and sunset view.

Meanwghile, Restaurant Owners Association of Davao president Benjie Lizada said tourist should prepare for a more delightful gastronomic summer next year as more restaurants and dining establishments in Davao City will join next year’s VDFS. “More than 150 have expressed their interest of joining next year’s fun sale event,” Lizada said, adding this year’s VDFS was participated by 144 restaurants.

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Comval to award ‘Gulayan’ achievers

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) in collaboration with the provincial government and the Department of Education (DepEd) in Davao Region will award achievers of the Agri-Pinoy Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (AP-GPP) 2015 on Wednesday, November 18.

Gulayan sa Paaralan is a school-based production initiative, particularly in the establishment of vegetables

gardens, as effective ways of addressing nutritional needs that have been in place in the educational system for a long time.

On its 7th year of the Gulayan sa Paaralan, participating schools of different municipalities will be recognized.

The contest is categorized into two: the container garden for schools and field category.

Under Container Garden Category for the Elementary level, Mawab Central Elemen-

GSC taps UST experts for museum project

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HE city government has linked up with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) to fast track the development of the city’s museum.

Vice Mayor Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles said Monday they have tapped expert’s from the pontifical university’s museum of Arts and sciences to assist the preparations for the establishment of the city museum.

She said Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P., director of the UST museum, arrived in the city last week to start the ground works regarding the plans and other activities in connection with the museum project.

Fr. Abaño initially visited the old city hall building, which had been designated as the site of the planned museum, she said.

The site visit was facilitated by the city government’s technical working group (TWG) for the museum project that comprise representatives from the City Engineer’s Office, Office of the Building Official, City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office and the Pioneers-Decendants of General Santos City Inc. “We looked into the plans for the renovation and reconstruction of the old city hall building to pave the way for establishment of the museum,” said Nograles, who chairs the TWG. The vice mayor said Fr. Abaño expressed full support to the project lauded the commitment of city officials to make sure that it will be realized.

“He was very delighted that the city officials are united in the goal to preserve and value the history, culture, traditions and customs of the city as well as safeguard them,” she said.

The city council passed an ordinance in 2011 endorsing the establishment of the city museum and designating as site the historic

old city hall building, which is located at the back of the present city hall.

The old city hall building was constructed in October 1949 and used to be the main seat of government of the then Buayan municipality of the undivided Cotabato empire.

The then Buayan municipality was renamed General Santos town six years later and an upsurge in the local economy eventually led to its establishment as a chartered city in July 1968 based on Republic Act 5412.

The ordinance cited that the proposed city museum will mainly serve as “a venue to showcase the history, culture and myths and evolution of the southern frontier people, both first inhabitants or indigenous individuals, and migrant settlers, including their artifacts, tools, and infrastructures.”

It said the museum will serve as a repository of the vanishing antiquated treasures consisting of heirlooms and arts/crafts of the early dominant indigenous peoples in the city and its ruling Moro sultanates.

The museum will showcase through pictures and replica or images the heritage sites of the city, like important landmarks as well as natural and created sites or structures, the ordinance said. It will display old materials, equipment and other proofs of the evolution of the city’s thriving tuna industry, memorabilia of the city’s founder Gen. Paulino T. Santos Sr., its pioneering settlers and other prominent personalities from the city.

Bañas said the move is in line with their advocacy to preserve, collect, study and present noteworthy works in relation to the city’s culture and traditions.

“The museum will highlight the city’s achievements these past years. It will also be a hall of creativity, ideas and knowledge,” she added.

(PNA)

tary School won 1st place followed by Tagdangua Elementary School as the 2nd placer and 3rd place is Magsaysay Elementary School.

For Field Garden Category, 1st place is New Albay Elementary School, 2nd place is Panag Elementary School and 3rd place is Banglasan Elementary School.

For the Container Garden Category, of the High School level, Montevista National High School – Annex reaped

the 1st place followed by New Leyte National High School, and Corazon Aquino National High School for the 3rd place.

For Field Garden Category, Manat National High School got the 1st place, Pindasan National High School for the 2nd place and 3rd place is Andili National High School.

As per evaluation, the chosen school is recognized for the best implementation of the program and of course, seen to have nurtured their

WWF EXHIBIT. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) vice president for Business Operations Ludwig Federigan (third from left), Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) president Antonio dela Cruz (leftmost), Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 director Robby Alabado (second from left), Ruben Bangayan (center), Consul General Abdullah Zawawi Tahir (third from

gardens well. The implementation of the program is the province’s way of answering the call of malnutrition among preschool and adolescent children which is defined as one of the social health problems of the country.

The objectives of this program are to promote vegetable production in public elementary and secondary schools; establish and maintain school gardens as food basket or source of vegeta-

bles to sustain supplementary feeding; to serve as laboratory for learners; to produce vegetables in the schools that are rich sources of protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals and eventually increase vegetable consumptions and improve learner’s nutrition; to showcase small-scale food production models; and, to inculcate among learners the values of vegetable gardening, good health and nutrition, love of labor, and caring for others.

right) of Malaysia, Park Inn Davao general manager Pavan Kakar (second from right), and SM Hotels and Convention Corporation vice president for marketing Neil Rumbaoa cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the WWF exhibit at RBG on Saturday night. Lean Daval Jr.

New DICT opens in mid 2016

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

D

crc@edgedavao.net

AVAO-BASED port operator Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) will start the operation of its rehabilitated second berth by July next year as it prepares to handle bigger cargo volume.

Anflocor president and CEO Alexander N. Valoria said the company invested a total of P1.8 billion for the rehabilitation of the eight-hectare port in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. The rehabilitation started this year.

“We’re almost finished with the rehabilitation of the second berth,” Valoria said.

“About 53 percent is already completed.”

Valoria said the two quay cranes for the second berth will arrive by first week of

February next year.

“In effect, these will double the capacity of DICT of 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU),” Valoria said.

The port, designed to be Mindanao’s most modern container terminal with state-of-the-art equipment, commenced its commercial operation in 2013.

The increase of the port’s capacity, Valoria said, will catalyze the spur in other allied industries like trucking, among others.

“It will be a catalyst of growth in any industry in the region,” he said.

The firm intends to expand and increase its capacity when it is close to reach the 600,000 TEU by 2017.

Last year’s port opera-

tion generated P1.3 billion in revenue catering mostly exporters of banana and pineapple for export and importers of hardware items, general merchandise, and other raw materials like corrugated board for banana export.

Valoria said the cargo volume catered by DICT as of this year increase from 228,000 TEUs last year to 270,000 to 280,000 TEUs this year. Large portion or 70 to 80 percent of the DICT port operation is for export, while the rest is for import.

Valoria said there was an increase in the volume of export cargos which include fresh fruits like Cavendish banana and pineapple and processed agriculture

products which are mostly exported to Japan, China, Korea, and Middle East.

He, however, said the region’s banana industry has not fully recovered from the onslaught of Typhoon Pablo in 2012, causing damage to the industry of at least US$ 300 million.

“There are still areas that we need to rehabilitate. We are still catching-up,” Valoria said, adding that the banana industry in Davao has not reached again its peak production in 2010.

He attributed the slow recovery of the banana industry, which is the region’s top export commodity and economic driver, to drought, typhoons, and changing climate.

residential high-rise development of Ortigas & Company Limited Partnership located at Capitol Commons in Pasig.

The company has also begun constructing the Areté, the Creative Hub of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. Target completion for the hub is February 2017.

The project includes a three-storey theater build-

ing, a four-storey innovation/ learning building; and the utility center building.

Another building project is the phase 2 office expansion of TV5 Network, Inc. which involves the construction of a nine-storey building with a combined floor area of 20,031 square meters.

The Consunji-owned construction firm will also construct two diesel power

plants in Palawan and Sultan Kudarat with combined capacity of 13.59 megawatts.

The company was also awarded the Tirona Pumping Station and Reservoir project in Kawit, Cavite.

DMCI is one of the country’s leading engineering and construction firms which completed already over 500 projects of varying scale and complexity. (PNA)

DMCI signs P2.9-B new projects in Q3 A

UNIT of conglomerate Consunji-led DMCI Holdings has won building, power and water projects worth Php2.9 billion during the third quarter of 2015, bringing its total order book to over Php31 billion.

D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) is set to begin next month the 42-month structural and basic architectural works for The Imperium, a 67-storey

EDGEDAVAO

7 CULTURE & ARTS HISTORY OF DAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

Maglana in defense of Sabah

By ANTONIO FIGUEROA

O

N September 19, 2015, Sultan Esmail Kiram II, the reigning sovereign of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo since October 26, 2013, at age 76, died due to kidney failure in Zamboanga City. He succeeded his elder brother, the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, to the throne, and was later replaced by the crown prince, Rajamuda Datu Phugdal Kiram, 75, as the next sultan in “strict adherence to the law and order of succession.”

North Borneo was originally known as Sabah, a territory ceded by the sultan of Borneo to the sultanate of Sulu for helping the former’s kingdom against European threat, specifically the Dutch aggression, in 1704.

Under the 1960 UN General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV), Principle 9 of the Annex, which set the referendum in North Borneo and Sarawak as “free and without coercion,” the territory that rightfully belongs to the Philippines, by legal right and title, was ‘given’ to Malaysia.

Three years later, from June 7-13, 1963, in order to resolve the issues affecting the Sabah claim, the Manila Accord was signed on July 31, 1963 by Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and this included a joint statement by all three parties.

Throughout the negotiation, tension was high between the successor state (Malaysia) and the claimant country (Philip-

pines).

‘Sabah is Philippines’ Least known among the Filipino figures that staunchly defended the Sabah case was Davao Oriental congressman Constancio B. Maglana who stood in the House of Representatives on March 27, 1968 to deliver a privilege speech titled “Sabah is Philippines.”

Rep. Maglana’s speech was made while both the Senate and the House of Representatives were conducting a full-scale inquiry into the “Corregidor incident” (the debunked Jabidah massacre), the wick Malaysia used in accusing the Philippines before the United Nations for “committing inimical acts to their interests”. As a result, Filipinos were persecuted, prompting the Davao lawmaker to lambaste Malaysia: “[O]ur nationals in Sabah are now being subjected to indignities. They are arrested for alleged violations of their immigration laws by considering them as transient newcomers when they themselves admit that these compatriots of ours have been long-time residents of Sabah. Reports had been received in this Chamber that our nationals, when arrested by [the Malaysians], are quarantined in dark places and allowed to thrive on very little food and treated like ordinary criminals.

That is the way our nationals are

treated. While in our country, when their nationals violate our laws, yes, we apprehend them, but we treat them decently. We feed them, clothe them, and house them in proper places as much as we could.”

Upping the ante The row between the Philippines and Malaysia further escalated the following year following an allegation in the editorial of Sabah Times that the country was channeling funds for independent candidates in Sabah.

Maglana did not allow this vitriol pass without retort by hurling his blunt commentary, saying: “Malaysia is again resorting to psychological warfare. This time it has become presumptuous to use the Philippines as a tool in making the world believe that there is some form of democracy in that oppressed colonial state by putting words in our mouths conveying the meaning that there is an opposition in Sabah. The accusation is most welcomed because it gives us the opportunity to announce to the world that there is no such thing as an opposition I Sabah, neither in Brunei or Sarawak, hence the administration, even if it is the last thing it will do on earth, will not waste one centavo for an opposition that does not exist.”

This statement came just few days before the UN-sponsored electoral exercise was conducted in the contested ter-

ritory. The Davao congressman continued: “All this talk about general ‘elections’ in Malaysia… is all a mock and simulated suffrage tofool the entire world that Malaysia is not a colonial aggrupation led by the former country of Malaya or Federation of Malaya as puppet head nation.”

Unchanged Forty years later, the issue about Sabah remained unchanged. On August 20, 2008, during the Arroyo administration, Malacañang issued Memorandum Circular 162 entitled “Guidelines on Matters Pertaining to North Borneo (SABAH)” to government departments as

regards any act or statement expressing or implying, directly or indirectly, any recognition of a foreign state’s sovereignty over Sabah, a Philippine territory.

In part, the circular provides that “No department, agency, or instrumentality of the Philippine Government shall make any act or statement expressing or implying, directly or indirectly, any recognition of a foreign state’s sovereignty over North Borneo (Sabah) or non-recognition of Philippine title or historical and legal rights to the same.”

In 2013, after the bloody confrontation between the Malaysian forces and heirs to Sabah sultanate ended, the government considered bringing the territo-

rial claim of the Sultanate of Sulu over Sabah before an international tribunal for resolution.

Despite claiming territorial rights over Sabah, Malaysia, as a result of the lease of Sabah signed on January 22, 1878, between the sultan of Sulu and the British North Borneo Company represented by Baron Gustavos von de Overbeck and Alfred Dent, Malaysia continues to pay to this day a token annual rent of 5,300 ringgit (P77,000) to the sultanate of Sulu as “cession fee.”

As a footnote, Rep. Maglana, it must be remembered, authored Republic Act 5747, signed on June 21, 1969, which created the town of Banaybanay, Davao Oriental.

Rep. Constancio B. Maglana and the Sultan Kiram II of Sulu (from www.mb.com.ph)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE EXTENSION OF THE TENDER OFFER FOR SHARES OF

DAVAO DOCTORS HOSPITAL (CLINICA HILARIO), INC. Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings, Inc. (“MPHHI”) (formerly Neptune Stroika Holdings, Inc.), hereby announces that its offer to acquire the remaining 587,154 common shares of Davao Doctors Hospital (Clinica Hilario), Inc. (“DDH”) which comprise approximately 65.18% of the total outstanding shares of DDH, is extended from its original deadline of 5:00 p.m. of November 19, 2015 to 5:00 pm of December 19, 2015. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved MPHHI’s request for extension of the Tender Offer Period in its letter dated November 6, 2015, and received by MPHHI on November 13, 2015

Except for the extension of the deadline of the Tender Offer and the corresponding adjustment of the start of the Settlement Date as indicated above, all the other terms and conditions of the Tender Offer as published remain unchanged.

The offer period is extended to give DDH shareholders more time to consider the offer and clarify some terms, and prepare the necessary documentary requirements.

Each stockholder of DDH is advised to read the full terms and conditions of the Tender Offer and SEC Form 19-1. Inquiries and requests for assistance and copies of SEC Form 19-1 may be directed to the Tender Offer Agent, whose address and telephone numbers are indicated above.

For more information and for inquiries regarding the tender you may contact the Tender Offer Agent as follows:

Atty. Dominador Maphilindo O. Carrillo SyCip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices The Penthouse, 17/F, Landco Corporate Centre J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City 8000 Telephone No. : (6382) 221-3917 Correspondingly, the start of the Settlement Date Email Address : dmocarillo@syciplaw.com will also be moved to December 21, 2015.

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

EDITORIAL Listen to the Lumad

I

T is interesting to read the many views expressed by various people on the issue of Lumads making their way to Metro Manila to protest the militarization they have been experiencing in their very own hometowns. Many of the reactions are supportive of the indigenous people, with urbanites standing in solidarity with the IPs because of their shared humanity and the fact that many people still remember the days of martial law. Under that regime, anyone — not just the Lumad — could be arrested by the military on mere suspicion of being a threat to the Marcos dictatorship. In a very real sense, there is little that divides the Lumad and the city dwellers; both have been victims of oppression, and both rise to the challenge when pushed against the wall.

There are some, however, who see the Lumads in a completely different and unjust light. Some have questioned whether the IPs actually understand the issues they are raising: militarization, oppression, government policies, economics, environment protection, human rights, and even the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) which is holding a leaders meeting this week in Metro Manila. To critics, the Lumads cannot possibly understand these “complex” issues and therefore are nothing but pawns

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being manipulated by certain groups with an agenda against the government. To paraphrase one particularly vicious commenter: “Do the Lumads know what APEC, WTO, economic cooperation, free trade, import tariffs, export subsidies, open market, and protectionist policy mean?”

That kind of view of the Lumad is extremely discriminatory and bigoted — the kind of bias that has no place in a civilized society. It is as if city dwellers have a monopoly of understanding such topics, while the Lumads are relegated to their farming communities oblivious to these facets of modern living. It is actually this kind attitude that makes those who live in Metro Manila think they can make decisions for the IPs in the mountains, and they enforce these decisions with the barrel of the gun. If you wonder why the IPs have descended on Metro Manila, there is your answer.

The reverse is actually more true: those in the cities cannot possibly understand what the Lumads are going through. They are being driven out of their homes, their schools are being burned, their crops being laid to waste, their people are being murdered.

We must listen to them and learn what life is like under tremendous pressure from those who feel they are superior.

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EDGEDAVAO

D

URING the birthday party of Senator and vice-president aspirant Alan Peter Cayetano in Taguig City, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte was quoted as saying: “Ten percent of your life is ruled by you while 90 percent is destiny. Destiny is instructed by God; it is not ruled by mortal.

We don’t know when will we be born or die so I don’t know. Let us place everything in the hands of God. If God intends me that I’ll be a candidate of honor, I will be there. But if God does not want, I will not be there.”

Three months earlier, on September 26, he told the organizers of the Million People March: “It is not my destiny (to become a president). I do not have any ambition.”

Ever earlier than that, on May 24, in an interview with Sonshine Radio, he admitted: “The presidency is destiny talaga. Destiny.”

Duterte’s words remind me of the words of William Jennings Bryan: “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

American author and motivational speaker Leo F. Buscaglia has this to say: “I believe that you control your destiny, that you can be what you want to be. You can also stop and say, No, I won’t do it, I won’t behave his way anymore. I’m lonely and I need people around me, maybe I have to change my methods of behaving and then you do it.”

To become a president, if we have to believe the thought of Duterte, is a matter of destiny. After all, if you are the president, everything you do and say is bound to be news – however trivial the situation. It’s a case of “damn if you and damn if you don’t.” You have people to rally for you because of the things that are in stake like businesses, privileges, fame, and more importantly, power. There are also those who are against you and they are called opposition.

I

N Mindanao aboriginality is distinguished between Lumad and Moro. The latter is a term derived from the English word, Moor, which the Spanish used to disparagingly and collectively refer to Muslim natives during their colonial reign in the Philippines.

Interestingly, from this unusual polarization arose the tri-people imagination of Mindanao’s modern population─1) Christian majority who descended from migrant settlers from Luzon and the Visayas approximating 72% of Mindanao’s population; 2) Moro or Muslim minority comprised of 13 ethno-linguistic sub-groups making up 20% of the census; and, 3) Lumad minority covering 18 or so ethnic tribes that collectively make up 5 % of the region’s population.

The goal of this categorization is to recognize and accommodate the differences between the current inhabitants of Mindanao. Sadly however, it also remarkably echoes the Spanish colonial classification of the natives as Christian, Moro and Non-Christian (with lumads falling under the last category).

But this archaic grouping has become untenable because non-Muslim indigenous tribes in Mindanao are now asserting their own narrative amidst the noise and notoriety generated by the campaign for the enactment of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

For its promoters, the BBL is both a manifestation of the Muslim minority’s right to self-determination and the culmination of a laborious peace-process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Note however that non-Islamized ethnic tribes in Mindanao have expressed categorical opposition to being part of the Bangsamoro territory contemplated in the BBL. Moreover, Lumads in Mindanao who have remained true to their indigenous practices are now loudly demanding state response to their

VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

9

A matter of destiny Of course, a president is not THINK ON THESE! only honored or revered but he or she is also ridiculed and criticized. When he was still the president of the United States, funny caricatures of George W. Bush were widespread.

Henrylito D. Tacio Who hasn’t heard of former presi- henrytacio@gmail.com dent Bill Clinton and the oral office? Ex-president Joseph Estrada is often the subject of Erap jokes.

Even the current resident of Malacanang is not spared from mockery. Recently, I got this text message which was forwarded to me: A Filipino died and on his way to heaven, Saint Peter asked him: “Where are you from?” When the man answered that he was from the Philippines, Peter replied, “Welcome to heaven. You have suffered much from your president.”

That maybe is one of the reasons why Duterte doesn’t want to run.

In a way, he is already famous. But there are other ways of becoming famous and successful – in your own way. However, the road to success is oftentimes not offered on a silver platter – except for a chosen few. You have to do something to achieve it. Some in fact have to work hard more than others.

Of course, there are people who become star overnight – because of sheer luck or talent. But not everyone can have that kind of success. In most

instances, to those who become star overnight, fame is swift and fleeting. Somewhere, sometime, a younger and even more talented individual will come along the way and takes the limelight from the former star. But success based on hard work and perseverance is difficult to be taken away from you.

Thomas Alva Edison knew this fact. “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,” he said. “Accordingly a genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.”

Do your own homework. Don’t rest on your laurels. Never settle for anything less. But whatever you do, do your very best. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds: “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heavens and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

Successful people are people who learned what failure is all about. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Failures or rejections ran into the hundreds before a person achieve success. Conrad Hilton once said, “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

Ever heard of one of America’s most outstanding failures? In 18931, he failed in business. In 1832, he was defeated for legislature. In 1833, he again failed in business. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislature but was defeated for Speaker in 1838. In 1843, he was defeated for Congress but was elected to Congress in 1846. He was defeated for Senate in 1855, for Vice-President in 1856,

and for Senate again in 1858. But in 1860, he was elected to President of the United States. His name: Abraham Lincoln.

Donald Phillips commented, “Everything – failures as well as successes – became stepping stones to the presidency. In this sense, Lincoln’s entire life prepared him for his future executive leadership role.”

Ok, you’re rich and famous. You can have everything you want in life. But hope the story of a genie in the bottle will remind you of something. A little boy found a corked bottle at the foot of a tree.

There was a curious buzzing sound inside and so he pulled out the cork to see what it was. Out came a cloud which formed into genie and then expanded as big as a house. The genie then threatened to kill the boy.

With great presence of mind, the boy wondered out loud how such a big object could fit to such a small bottle. So he asked the big genie to show. Foolishly, it did. Then he capped down the cork again.

The genie kept cursing and threatening and shouting. But the corked stayed on. Then the captive took a new tack and promised not to hurt the boy if he left him out again. The boy thought about this for a long time and was skeptical and did not want to get tricked. Finally, he agreed that he would let the genie out only if he became his servant. He agreed.

Success is like a genie. It will become bigger and bigger and before you know it, it will rule over your life – and even destroy you. But like the little boy, you have to make your success your servant instead of your master.

Charles Reade reminds: “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

In a 1987 public lecture, well-respected Mindanao historian, Professor Rudy B. Rudil, asserted that the 13 different ethno-linguistic Muslim communities and the various Lumad tribes are the only groups of indigenous people in Mindanao who can make an ancestral domain claim.

Correspondingly, neither the MILF nor the projected Bangsamoro parliament can justify claims over traditional land rights in Mindanao.

In this regard, the rethinking of the tri-people approach clearly places the premium on the capacity of each of these indigenous groups in Mindanao to assert their respective cultural identity and history in their very own terms.

Finally, this alternative picture of Mindanao can better facilitate a collective view of it, both as a territory and as a community of Filipinos.

This may sound cliché but inculcating this kind of community mindset can overcome the prevailing “us against them” paradigm that has long fuelled the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao.

A wholistic view of Mindanao is indeed more appropriate in light of the fact that the entire region is considered the poorest in the Philippines.

In effect making the tri-people division irrelevant given that a huge majority of Mindanao’s inhabitants are all struggling with poverty. Pertinently, the biggest problem afflicting Mindanao right now, power outages, does not discriminate among its population at all.

Indeed, a paradigm shift in plotting the development of Mindanao has already begun.

According to the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework Plan (2011 – 2030), “the desired outcomes for Mindanao will not come from without – particularly not from the central government, the national capital nor the rest of the country – but will be achieved through the collective efforts of Mindanawons themselves, acting in unity and harmony”.

The caveat here is that simply adopting this

integrated perspective in socio-economic development planning for Mindanao is not a sure-fire cure for all the region’s problems. Obviously, there are deeply-rooted political issues, such as the proliferation of local dynasties for instance, in the area that require further remedial measures.

More importantly, regardless of the strength of this inclusive approach to unlock the development potential of Mindanao, the self-determination aspiration of Muslim Filipinos still has to be respected. Therefore, the Bangsamoro campaign just cannot be abandoned full stop.

Nevertheless, as their self-imposed deadline to enact a new regional autonomy law looms, Congress should seriously revisit the view that creating a segregated Muslim territory in Mindanao is the only means to meet the self-determination demands of Muslim Filipinos.

In development parlance, Mindanao when viewed as a huge integrated market demands a coordinated and comprehensive strategy involving all stake-holders in the region. Ostensibly different to the one implemented now as a consequence of the splitting-Mindanao-into-two development model inadvertently promoted in the Bangsamoro campaign.

And while the Constitution calls for the creation of an autonomous region for Muslims in Mindanao, Filipino Muslims are not automatically bound by this particular local autonomy regime.

At the very least, other political measures and governance devises more consistent with the goal of fostering “unity and harmony” amongst all the inhabitants of Mindanao has to be explored.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Atty. Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco is a practicing lawyer. He is presently completing a Masters of Law and Development in Melbourne Law School.

He recently published a book entitled, Rethinking the Bangsamoro Perspective.)

Rethinking the Mindanao Divide PEACETALK

BY MICHAEL HENRY LL. YUSINGCO own issues such as the encroachment of mining companies on their traditional lands and the disruption of their way of life due to the militarization of their communities.

The tragedy is non-religious Lumads continue to suffer in the fringes when it comes to development because state attention and resources seem to be directed primarily to the creation of a segregated Bangsamoro area within Mindanao.

This therefore beggars the question- Should this anachronistic view of its population then be challenged to achieve a more inclusive development of Mindanao?

First and foremost, a shift in outlook would paint Mindanao as an island amalgamation of different ethnic groups and not an essentially divided region of two religious faiths.

This alternative approach is actually more consistent with the secular regime in the country wherein all religions are guaranteed the freedom to exercise their rituals and to perform rites in the expression of their faith for as long as these acts do not violate state law and the constitution.

More importantly, this means the state is not an arena where the various religions compete for control. It is a neutral ground where any faith can lay claim to its own space. And any problems concerning the right to practice one’s religion automatically become a Constitutional issue with the courts as the only available recourse.

Furthermore, abandoning the religious overtone in the Mindanao narrative is largely relevant to the most important concern in the development discourse for this region—i.e. the adjudication of claims pertaining to traditional lands.

10 NEWS RED... FROM 1

ligence operation in order to preempt terror plans.

“We can preempt easily and we can put up checkpoints. We can put up patrollers and provide police visibility,” she said.

Driz said that DCPO director Senior Superintendent Vicente D. Danao Jr. is now inspecting all police stations to check if the patrollers are deployed within their areas of responsibility.

She said Danao instructed all police stations to deploy police officers down to the barangay level to extract information that could help preempt crimes.

At around 6:25 p.m. on November 14, a grenade was lobbed in front of a refilling station of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) storage tanks at the intersection of Malvar and Rizal Avenue in Kabacan, North Cotabato, injuring five persons.

Around 7:30 p.m., while the city was still suffering from a blackout, troops from the 5th Special Forces Battalion on board a truck were patrolling Sinsuat Avenue when something exploded in front of the vehicle.

The shrapnel injured Corporal Noel Ganab, Private

First Class. Romer Agustin, and a certain Mohaimen Biron who was passing by.

The blast also damaged the truck’s windshield and the windshield of another truck parked beside a lumberyard.

Lieutenant Colonel Rannie Sevilla, commanding officer of the 5th Special Forces battalion based in Cotabato City said they were the intended target of the motorcycle-riding men who fired a 40 mm grenade launcher and immediately sped off.

He said the modus was similar to the attack on their headquarters in August where one soldier was killed.

The city police are investigating if the explosions were the handiwork of one group and if the explosion at the Colight that triggered a brownout was done to make it easier to launch the next attack.

Police Director Raul Supiter,saiddespitethetightsecurity last night, the perpetrators still managed to mount their attacks.

Supiter said they will investigate further to identify the group behind Saturday nights’ attacks. (with reports from Ferdinand B. Cabrera / MindaNews)

12, “destroying books, school supplies, instructional and learning materials, stocks of rice, power generator set, audio-video equipment, sewing machine, kitchen utensils and farm tools,” the ALCADEV said.

About 5,000 banana and abaca seedlings in the school nursery of hardwood and fruit trees adjacent to the cottage were also destroyed, the statement added.

Karapatan-Caraga in a Nov. 14 press statement e-mailed on Sunday said elements of the Army’s 23rd IB “were in nearby areas, about three to five kilometers away from the school, when the burning incident happened.”

The Eastern Mindanao Command’s November 13 statement quoted Lt. Col. Lynart Castisimo, commander of the 23rd IB, as saying he received reports that there were groups who earlier bought Army uniforms and military backpacks in a tailoring shop in Butuan City and that “it is clear that the uniforms were used by the perpetrators in the burning of ALCADEV cottage.”

“We strongly deny the involvement of our soldiers and we condemn the burning of ALCADEV cottage by the lawless bandit group,” Castisimo said, adding they would exert “our best efforts” to help the Philippine National Police in

the investigation and law enforcement operations in the area.

Karapatan-Caraga recalled that “months prior to the burning incident,” elements of the 23rd IB and Special Forces arrived in the area and neighboring communities, and had since been going around communities including Km. 29 and Km. 30, launching “COPD (Community Organizing for Peace and Development) and combat operations.”

ALCADEV said the 23rd IB has a detachment in the center of Brgy Padiay, less than five kilometers from the school.

Karapatan-Caraga said that sometime in June, six soldiers, introducing themselves as members of the 23rd IB, attempted to enter the school grounds of ALCADEV in to conduct a census of students but the teachers refused them on the grounds that armed men are not allowed in school premises.

The rights group said the soldiers “constantly warned residents from joining progressive organizations, vilified the school and its teachers as NPA and had been telling residents to burn the school” but the residents said it was the community that set up the school with the help of ALCADEV. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

opment Office will get P31.5 million (P24.7 million for PS, P6.7 million for MOOE and P100,000 for capital outlay).

City Legal Office will get P25.2 million (P21.8 million for PS, P2.9 million for MOOE and P526,395 for capital outlay).

City Civil Registrar’s Office will also get P24.3 million (P17 million for PS, P7.3 million for PS and P43,000 for capital outlay).

P1.1 billion will also be allocated for development fund and P128 million for economic enterprise.

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are the individuals who have allowances” and can provide funds for the gangs.

“Money and other variable items are extorted from member students when they exit the school gates,” Suarez added.

Suarez said teens tend to be the prey of these groups because of their vulnerability.

“At the age of 10 to 15, the youths tend to influence more by peer pressure and problems. Those who aren’t able to build their strong values with their family members become victim of these gang groups,” she said.

Suarez also said poverty, the immediate environment, and family problems also affect the decision-making and assessing-capacities of young Dabawenyos.

“The problem on the existence of gangs who are involved in criminality is one of the problems that the city has been confronting for many years,” she added.

Suarez said barangay officials should strengthen their respective youth program to ensure that young constituents will not be engaged to any criminal activity.

But most important, parents should be more vigilant when it comes to the activities and engagements of their children.

Suarez said at present, the police, schools, and local government units (LGUs) are collaborating to monitor gang activities through the installation of more CCTV cameras in schools and by increasing police visibility.

crowd of diplomats and fellow examinees.

A total of 143 passed the preliminary examination – 124 in 2014 and 19 in 2013.

Of the 143, only 83 passed the written exam and only 53 passed the psychological exam and were eligible to move on to the oral exam. Of the 53, only 38 passed.

The 38 new diplomats: Alar, Michael Frank A; Aquino, Thomas Philip C; Arguillas, Jaybee B; Ayap, Manuel C; Beniahan, Jhullie Anne A; Capati, Bojer B; Carillo, Venince Allen V; Chan, Edward D; Corrado, Joan Macrise C; Felimer, Emmylou B; Galima, Aprilfleur S; Ganzon, Mina Angeles L; Guiang, Alfred Kristoffer A; Gurrea, Fay Irene L; Lao, Mark Hanzel H; Lim, Mark Dominic E; Lipana, Dianne Shayne D; Macalawan, Al-Bari B; Martinez, Beatriz Alexandra G; Marquez, Fellain Ann P; Milla, Patricia C; Miras, Adrian; Mostajo, Josel N; Mutia, Rowena F; Ochoa, Ma. Claribel M; Olaguera, Jose Santiago; Pavon, Teddy Edmund T; Payumo, Angeli A; Ramintas, Jake Robin S; Rosales, Barbie Jane L; Sadie, Jomar T; Sanchez, Janice C; Santos, John Boitte C; Solosa, Pat Lester F; Tiosen, Feamor Vyn S; Uy, Krystal Lyn T; Valles, Marivil V; and Zurita, Paolo R. They will be undergoing a six-month Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC) at the Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy of the DFA’s Foreign Service Institute, as mandated by RA 7157 or the Foreign Service Act of 1991.

Section 15 of Title 2 on Appointments states that immediately following their appointments as Foreign Service Officers, Class IV, they shall undergo a one-year cadetship which shall consist of “six months intensive classroom instructions on all aspects of consular and diplomatic duties and responsibilities” and another six months on-thejob training.

The law also provides that one who passes an FSO Exam but “declines to accept an initial appointment as foreign service officer within a period of one year from the date (he/ she) was offered the appointment shall be required to take and pass examinations again in order to be eligible for an initial appointment.”

Alar, who is turning 36 next month, was born in Davao City to parents coming from Negros Oriental and Leyte, moved to Negros when he was 10, graduated AB Political Science from the Silliman University in Dumaguete City and has been “working for peace since year 2000,” mostly in Mindanao.

Alar is presently a consultant for World Bank, particularly for its facility supporting the Bangsamoro peace process, FASTRAC. Arguillas, 31, completed her elementary and high school education at the Ateneo de Davao University, took up Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines in Mindanao before moving to UP Asian Institute of Tourism in Diliman where she graduated with a degree in BS Tourism.

She is presently a desk officer at the Office of the United Nations and other International Organizations (UNIO) at the DFA. Chan, 24, finished AB Political Science at the Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City. He is presently research specialist at the DFA’s Foreign Service Institute.

Macalawan, 24, is a member of the Young Moro Professionals Network. He finished his Bachelors and then Masters in Political Economy with specialization in International Relations and Development at the University of Asia and the Pacific.

He is presently a Peace Program Officer at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. (MindaNews)

could be a reality by 2020 as regional integration proceeds on several fronts.

CEOs consider the ASEAN Economic Community as the ‘mega regional’ game changer, while there are also hopes that Trans-Pacific Partnership

(TPP) will boost exports and fuel regional growth.

The PwC’s 2015 APEC CEO Survey, conducted between June 23 and August 21, was released Monday ahead of the annual APEC Leaders Meeting on Nov. 18 to 19. (PNA)

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who will come to the city for Christmas.

“Pag merong Lumad from wherever place, we will really need to look after them. Nobody will be turned away,” he said.

Quitain, however, said the city will impose rules in every shelter such as no drinking of liquor.

He said the city will also provide security in the shelters.

City Health Office (CHO) assistant head Dr. Sam Cruz,

for his part, said his office ready to handle the influx of Lumads who will arrive next month.

Cruz said the role of CHO in the shelters is to look after the health of the Lumads and provide medical services while they are staying in the city.

The city government annually lets Lumads from various areas to stay in various shelters as they move about the city to ask for holiday gifts of cash and other materials.

if the BBL is not passed by December 16, it will be more difficult to muster a quorum next year.

When Congress resumes on January 19 next year, it will have only eight session days until February 5. Congress will again go on recess between February 6 and May 22 for the election campaign leading to the May 9 synchronized elections.

“We’re still hoping but not to give false hopes to anyone.

We know the chances are getting smaller as the days go by,” she said.

Miracles Last week, when MindaNews asked Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, on the next steps to be taken should Congress fail to pass the BBL by December 16, she replied: “No Plan B. We’re not giving up. On the peace table are miracles waiting to happen.”

Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MILF peace panel and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) that drafted the BBL, was not as optimistic.

He told MindaNews, “Optimism has been shelved many months ago; only the ember of hope does not die until the last minute. Let the time pass and continue to engage especially the friends of the peace process, both domestic and international.”

In August, MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim told MindaNews that if the BBL is not passed under the Aquino administration, “we still have the CAB” (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro).

“What is important is nandyan yung agreement, we protect that agreement because if it cannot be implemented within our lifetime, then the struggle will continue and the next generation will always demand for the implementation of this agreement,” he said.

The passage of the BBL would have paved the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro, the new auton-

omous political entity that would replace the 25-year old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Its passage would also have allowed for the normalization process to move faster as ratification of the BBL would mean decommissioning of 30% of MILF forces and weapons and, on the part of government, identification of the priorities for redeployment of the military as well as the “start of deactivation of civilian armed auxiliaries,” among others.

Not much time but..

Ferrer maintained that the leadership in the House and the Senate, and President Aquino, are committed to ensure the passage of the BBL “and not pass this problem on to the next administration.”

“The idea is really to pass the law and if it is necessary to adjust the timeline, adjust it so that hopefully by the time of the next President, hopefully this is no longer a problem.

I mean we don’t have to start again with refiling the bill or whatever needs to be done),” Ferrer said in mixed English and Filipino.

But she admitted that “timeline-wise, it is very clear we don’t have much time. But definitely there’s still time.

There’s still time.”

What is important, she said is that the BBL is passed “maskin di pa yan umabot sa bicam this year basta maitawid na yan sa plenary ng House and Senate” (even if it does not reach the bicameral conference level this year, but the House and Senate pass it).

The bicameral conference does not require plenary attendance. It is composed of representatives from the House and Senate who will be tasked to “settle, reconcile or thresh out differences or disagreements on any provision of the bill.”

But the two houses are supposed to finish interpellation first so they can proceed to the period of amendments, approve the bills separately and move on to the bicameral conference. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

The annual VDFS is organized by the DOT 11 in partnership with the Davao City Tourism Office, Big Davao Fun Sale Retailers Association of Davao, Tours Consortium, Inc., Restaurant Owners Associa-

tion of Davao City, Hotel and Resorts Sales and Marketing Associaton of Davao (HRSMA Davao), the newly created MICE Organizers’ ventures Davao and Davao Wellness and Spa Association.

Ferrer... FROM 2

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EDGEDAVAO TRAVEL

The hidden magic of

LONG sandy beaches away from the crowds, a fantastic coral garden for snorkelers, and a myriad of dive spots. That is how we usually describe Talikud Island. A regular stop on every island-hopping agenda, it may seem that what we Dabawenyos see of Talikud is merely the cover of a magical book whose inside pages are waiting to be discovered.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a familiarization tour of the island hosted by Ms. Araceli Ayuste of Talikud Island Tours to re-discover Talikud Island’s beautiful beaches as well as discover the island’s inland attractions away from the sea.

“We wanted to develop the attractions on Talikud Island itself,” beamed Araceli “There is so much more to see and do beyond the white sand beaches and diving around the island. She also added that the tours being offered are designed so that visitors to the island can appreciate its natural beauty as well as history.

Here are some of my favourite spots which should stir some of your

Top: A colorful sunset at Talikud Island.

interest on Talikud beyond the shoreline: Talikud Island Mangrove Sanctuary Located on the north east corner of Talikud island and just a short ride from the Sta. Cruz pier, the Talikud Island Mangrove Sanctuary is a great place to relax and experience the changing of the tides. During low tide, one can actually walk between

Sunset at the Talikud Island Mangrove Sanctuary.

Above: Under the impressive roots of the Giant Belete Tree.

Left: At the Faith Healer’s Camp.

The bat colony at Dadatan Bat Conservation Park. the mangroves to discover the different creatures of the tidal zone. One can also opt to spend the night here to see wading birds feed in the morning and late afternoon.

The Faith Healer’s Camp Made from a natural limestone cave, the Faith Healer’s Camp was once the residence of a tribal shaman or faith healer.

It is said that in the past, the shaman would treat people who lived on Talikud with potions and medicinal oils cooked in the cave’s natural depression which served as a cooking hearth.

The Giant Balete Tree Just a little beyond the Faith Healer’s camp, one cannot the hundred-year old balete tree on the roadside. Interrestingly, its arboreal roots all come down to roughly the same length and remain suspended in the air. Locals believe it is the home of spirits with stories of children getting lost on its boughs and the magically appearing on the upper floor of the child’s home nearby.

Dadatan Bat Conservation Park The more adventurous will want to visit the

Dadatan Bar Conservation Park. Although the population of bats in the cave is much smaller to the one on Samal Island, the cave was no less impressive. True to it being a conservation zone, access to the cave is through a short jungle hike down a forested gorge. Those who cannot trek can instead observe the bats from an observation deck close by.

All these destinations on Talikud Island are easily accessible through rented motorbikes from Sta. Cruz port. There are regular ferry boat rides to Sta. Cruz port from Sta. Ana Wharf on mainland Davao City.

These destinations are also part of Talikud Island Tours’ packages. For more details you can check their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/TalikudIsland. They can also be contacted through telephone number 09257212754.

EDGEDAVAO

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FOOD

More to love at

Inasal de Cebu INASAL DE CEBU opened its bigger and better home on Oct. 26 2015 at the corner of Lapulapu and Waling-waling Street, General Santos City. It’s amazing to see how far this business has gone from just a P22,000 capital through the years.

Inasal de Cebu’s flavor is based on the original Cebu lechon, but is modified specifically for Gensan’s palate. For just P199 you can fill your tummy up, and picking which dish to put on ones plate becomes a rigorous task as all the dishes ranging from vegetables, fish , beef and most especially pork, all

Not only a scrumptious all you can eat buffet, but Inasal de Cebu also has a karenderia type open-air canteen, where you could get a viand for as low as P35. look so delish that you’d want to savour them all if you could. The seperate air-conditioned buffet area, that could cater to 150 guests, is also open for functions and private occations.

Not only a scrumptious all you can eat buffet, but Inasal de Cebu also has a karenderia type open-air canteen where you could get a viand for as low as P35. Just because it’s affordable doesn’t mean the place has to be compromised. Their karenderia, even if its open-air, is clean, wide and has a very modern feel to it, unlike most karenderias.

Inasal de Cebu is the first establishment in Gensan that has a drive-thru lechon take out station, wherein a minute or two you could already get your quick lechon, bopis, pak-

lay, dinuguan and more. You get the quality for the right value of money: P300 for a kilo of delicious lechon, that is processed through a modern electronic roasting machine, that assures

equal heat allocation during the roasting process, which makes the meat evenly cooked.

As early as 6:00am up until 10:00pm, expect lechon to be rolling out their clean processing station, located at the back of the buffet area where you can choose which pig you’d want, (if you’d like to order a full sized one) and assure you that you’ll get what you paid for because they’ll tag the pig as soon as you’ve decided. Their prices start from P2,500 for a 10-12k lechon de leche, up to P8,500 for a 55-60k one.

Now, didn’t that just make you crave for some? Head on down to Inasal de Cebu and satisfy your craving.

Check out Insal de Cebu’s Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/inasaldecebuph.

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram, @kyriekoutre for more adventures in and around my wonderland that is Gensan, Tuna Capital of the Philippines.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

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ENTERTAINMENT

Daryl Ong finds own voice in first album AFTER making a mark in his stint in the second season of “The Voice of the Philippines,” pop and RnB singer Daryl Ong is ready to share his voice and story via his first self-titled album released under Star Music.

Daryl said the album is not just a milestone in his musical journey, but also an accomplishment in his personal life amidst all the struggles he went through.

“This album means a lot to me. It’s not just a compilation of songs; I see it as a compilation of dreams and goals I had long ago when I started singing,” he said.

It can be remembered that Daryl joined “The Voice” not only to share his talent with the world, but also to reach out to his son as their communication was severed when the little one was secretly brought to the US. Daryl’s first single is a song called “Mabuti Pa,” written by the veteran songwriter Vehnee

Ako” in A Song of Praise Music Festival.

“Daryl Ong” is executive produced by Malou N. Santos, Roxy Liquigan, Vehnee Saturno, and Kate Valenzuela. The overall album producers are Vehnee and Kate, with Jonathan Manalo as the audio content head.

It is now available at all record bars nationwide for only P250.

Digital tracks can also

Saturno, who also composed most of the songs in the album.

The album also features “Parang Langit,” a duet with Angeline Quinto,” and bonus track “Ikaw Na Nga,” one of the theme songs of the top-rating teleserye “Bridges of Love.”

Completing the track list of the album are “Dapat Pa Ba?” “It’s Not Easy Letting Go,” “Just Wanna Be With You,” “Hopeless Romantic,” “Only You,” “Ngayong Hanggang Wakas,” and bonus tracks “S’yempre” and “Torpe.”

A talented singer, Daryl won second runner-up for his interpretation of “Torpe” at Philpop 2014 and was given the People’s Choice Award for “Hangga’t May Tinig

be downloaded via leading record stores all over the country and in online music stores such as iTunes, Mymusicstore.com.ph, and Starmusic.ph.

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

UP AND ABOUT

SKY Exclusive Treat:

Win a Trip to the UK to Watch The X Factor UK Finals LIVE

WHILE already a smashing international sensation, this year’s The X Factor UK has made waves in the country with its top contenders either hailing from the Philippines or is of Filipino descent.

Local fans and the British public were wowed when 4th Impact (then named 4th Power) exploded on to the stage and impressed the judges.

Openly-gay, cosmopolitan diva from Australia, of both British and Filipino descent, Sean Miley Moore, is a commanding force in every performance as he showcases his years of experience in theatre. With the finale just a few weeks away, it’s the voting UK fans that decides who makes the final cut. But

with a bit of luck and a lot of talent, one or both Filipino performers may just make it there.

As a special treat for eager fans in the country, SKYcable offers its subscribers a unique opportunity to watch the finale, live and in-person, this December 12 and 13 2015.

To earn the chance to experience powerful performances on the booming The X Factor stage, fans just need to send their response to this simple line: “Name one X Factor UK Season 12 judge”.

Current and active SKYcable postpaid subscribers with RTL-CBS included in their plan or SELECT channel line-up can join this fly-in promo by simply visiting either w w w.mysk y.com.ph/ xfactoruk12. Once on the webpage, all subscribers

have to do is input their response and fill-out essential details. The full contest mechanics are listed on both sites.

In the grand raffle draw, one SKYcable subscriber can get a chance to win a roundtrip ticket, from Manila to London and vice versa, for both December 11 and 14; exclusive two-day passes for the Season 12 The X Factor UK Finale on December 12 and 13; accommodation for 4 days and 3 nights for two at the Wembley Hotel; and pocket money worth USD500. Any non-metro manila subscriber who wins will also receive round trip tickets for two to Manila, including an overnight stay at Remington Hotel. This special fly-in treat is part of SKY’s commitment to provide its subscribers exclusive perks and unmatched entertainment that enriches their lives.

Stay tuned to RTL-

CBS Entertainment every Sunday at 10:30am (9:00pm replay) to watch new episodes of The X Factor UK. SKYcable subscribers can watch via Ch. 739 for HD, or Ch. 616 for SD. If you’re interested to know more about RTL-CBS and SKY’s fly-in promo, simply log on to www.mysky.com. ph, or call the 24-hour customer service hotline 305-5456 You may also send a text for free to the text hotline 23662.

Only SKYcable provides quality home entertainment with the widest-range of standard and high definition digital channels; with over 200 channels, and other top-of-the-line services such as flexible subscription options via SELECT; iRECORD that records, pauses, and rewinds live TV; as well as real-time coverage of live concerts and sporting events via FREE VIEW and PAY-PERVIEW.

November 18 – 24, 2015

WANG FAM Pokwang, Benjie Paras PG

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

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY 2 3D Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson PG

1:00 | 3:45 | 6:30 | 9:15 LFS

SPECTRE/ *THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY 2 PG/*PG

Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz/ *Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 11:45 | 2:30 LFS / *5:20 | 8:00 LFS

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY 2 Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson PG

11:20 | 2:00 | 4:40 | 7:20 | 10:00 LFS

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EVENT

Extreme left: Nina Perkins and Jay Balascopo sing “Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko” together with the residents.

Left: Marco Polo Davao associates pose with the staff of Co Su Gian after the turning over of donations.

A season for sharing

Marco Polo Davao associates visit Co Sui Gian Home for the Aged MARCO POLO DAVAO associates headed by the HR and Front Office Departments visited the Co Sui Gian Home for the Aged in Cabantian, Davao City last October 31,2015. Co Sui Gian houses around 40 senior citizens who are abandoned and neglected by their respective families.

Front Office Assistant Managers Ryan Amanon and Jay Balascopo assist while residents enjoy their meals.

The short but meaningful visit of the hotel’s associates is part of its continued commitment to reach out and give back to communities in need of assistance. Assistant Front Office Manager, Jay Balascopo and Ms. Nina Perkins of Front Office warmed up the group with a series of dance and song numbers. The residents delightedly sang to the tune of “Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko”.

The outreach program ended with a warm get together with the residents and turn-over of donations to the social workers of the center.

Bottom: Sharing a hearty meal after the short program.

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 166 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

Sugar:

11 SCIENCE

Foe or friend?

Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO “I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.” – Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman of the World

I

***

N the Philippines, there’s no data as to how much sugar an average adult consumes.

But a study commissioned by the Center for Research and Development of the University of Asia and the Pacific showed that, on a per capita basis, Ilocos region, Metro Manila, and Central Luzon had the highest usage in 1993 at 18.3 kilograms, 18.0 kilograms, and 16.6 kilograms, respectively.

All the other regions, including two in Luzon and seven in Visayas and Mindanao, recorded a per cap consumption below the national average. Per capita consumption for all regions ranges from 11 kilograms to 13 kilograms.

On the demand by different user groups, the study concluded that for the same period, the country’s total consumption grew by 3.5% annually. The household sugar consumption rose by 3.5% while the industrial use increased by 4.6%.

“Sugar was once a luxury ingredient reserved for special occasions,” wrote Tiffany O’Callaghan, an editor in the Opinion section at New Scientist. “But in recent years it has become a large and growing part of our diets. If you eat processed food of any kind, it probably contains added sugar. You can find it in sliced bread, breakfast cereals, salad dressings, soups, cooking sauces and many other staples.

Low-fat products often contain a lot of added sugar.”

Just like salt, eating too much sugar is doing us no good. As a matter of fact, sugar is being touted as public health enemy number one: as bad if not worse than fat, and the major driving force behind obesity, heart disease and type II diabetes. Some researchers even contend that sugar is toxic or addictive.

It is no wonder why health bodies are waging “a war on sugar.” The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) wants people to cut sugar consumption radically.

In the United States,, doctors

and scientists are pressing food companies to reduce sugar and be more open about how much they add. In the United Kingdom, a group called Action on Sugar has just launched a campaign to ratchet down sugar.

But is sugar really that bad?

Sugar, used to be called as “white gold,” is the generalized name for a class of chemically-related sweet-flavored substances, most of which are used as food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dex-

trose), fructose and galactose.

The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide (in the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose). Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose.

Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars.

Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.

Mounting evidence suggests that flooding your system with sugar-sweetened beverages – such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, iced tea and sports drinks – may increase your risk of diabetes.

A recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care examined more than 310,000 patients and found that those who drank 1-2 servings of the sweet stuff a day were 26%

more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank it once a month or not at all.

“The reason is twofold: Loading up on sugar-sweetened beverages tends to lead to weight gain, which is a risk factor for diabetes,” writes Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of Best Sugar Addiction Now! “Previous studies have found that those who toss back high-calorie drinks tend not to cut calories elsewhere from their meals. Second, sugar-loaded drinks deliver a quick rush of sugars to your body, which over time can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation.”

Gary Taubes, in an article which appeared in The New York Times, noted: “In 1924, Haven Emerson, director of

the institute of public health at Columbia University, reported that diabetes deaths in New York City had increased as much as 15-fold since the Civil War years, and that deaths increased as much as fourfold in some U.S. cities between 1900 and 1920 alone. This coincided, he noted, with an equally significant increase in sugar consumption — almost doubling from 1890 to the early 1920s — with the birth and subsequent growth of the candy and soft-drink industries.”

Eating an excessive amount of fat isn’t the only thing that increases your risk of heart disease. “A diet rich in sugar can also hurt your heart,” points out Emily G.W. Chau, an American health journalist. In fact, some studies found that sugarplays a direct role on the health of your ticker.

A study published in the Journal of the American Med-

Sugar cane

Delicacies with too much sugar in them.

ical Association found that people who took in more than 17.5% of their calories from added sugars were 20-30% more likely to have high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat that’s found in your blood.

When you consume more sugar than you need for energy, the excess sugars form triglycerides, which are then stored in fat cells.

The same study found that people who got 25% or more of their calories from added sugars were more than 3 times more likely to have low levels of HDL (the good cholesterol that helps prevent plaque buildup by carrying cholesterol from your arteries to your liver where it is then excreted) than those whose diets included less than 5% sugar. Both high triglycerides and low HDL levels contribute to atherosclerosis – the hardening of your arteries – a condition that in-

creases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

Those who eat diets rich in sugar are most likely to be depressed. Studies have shown that there is a direct link between mood and blood sugar balance. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose and your brain runs on glucose. The more uneven your blood sugar supply the more uneven your mood.

People who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and ate a sugar-heavy diet were more likely to be hospitalized in a 2-year follow-up period, according to a research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

“Behavioral disorders, in general, are affected by massive swings in sugar,” explains Dr. Teitelbaum. “When you eat a lot of sugar , your blood sugar levels shoot way up and then go way low. These fluctuations drive your metabolism and mood nuts . And when someone is schizophrenic, he already has a hair-trigger.”

Cancer may be triggered, too, if you eat too much sugar.

“The sugar-cancer connection is compelling and scary,” says Connie Bennett, author of Sugar Shock!, pointing to in vitro studies that show cancer cells feed on sugar to fuel their growth and proliferation.

“Researchers call them ‘glucose guzzlers.’”

While it’s not proven that sugar fuels cancer growth in the body, it is a known fact that obesity – a likely effect of eat-

ing too much sugar – increases your risk of developing a number of cancers, and that both sugar and insulin fuel cancer-cell growth.

“We were surprised to realize that changes in our metabolism caused by dietary sugar impact on our cancer risk,” said Dr. Custodia Garcia-Jiminez at the University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. “We are now investigating what other dietary components may influence our cancer risk.

Changing diet is one of easiest prevention strategies that can potentially save a lot of suffering and money.”

A number of other studies indicate a strong relationship between sugar consumption and an increased risk of cancer.

The University of Minnesota researchers looked at more than 60,000 patients over 14 years and found that people who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

“If God hadn’t meant for us to eat sugar, he wouldn’t have invented dentists,” said Ralph Nader, an American activist and author. But Luc Tappy, a physiologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, disagrees: “You cannot live without essential fats. You cannot live without protein. It’s going to be difficult to have enough energy if you don’t have some carbohydrate.

But without sugar, there is no problem. It’s an entirely dispensable food.”

12 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

A teacher downloads educational video materials stored in Globe Telecom’s servers. Globe Director for Corporate Social Responsibility Fernando Esguerra said learning institutions should take the opportunity of motivating students with the use of ICT-tools to make their learning experience more enjoyable and sustainable. Photo from Text2teach.org.ph

Use of mobile devices for education pushed

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LOBE Telecom is advocating responsible use of mobile devices in school campuses for the country’s learning institutions to effectively leverage advancement in information and communications technology.

“Internet is a valuable source of information and an important additional teaching tool. As internet now plays a major role in the lives of young people, learning institutions should take the opportunity of motivating students with the use of ICT-tools to make their learning experience more enjoyable and sustainable,” Globe Director for Corporate Social Responsibility Fernando Esguerra said.

While government learning institutions are now adapting the use of ICT materials, the use of digital technologies as a learning tool is not as widespread as it should be.

“Whether or not technology is available in the schools, children will have access to some devices one way or another especially as the smartphone penetration is steadily gaining traction and handheld internet will soon become available to everyone. This presents a great opportunity for the country’s educational system to adopt the use of mobile devices in enhancing formal education,” Esguerra said.

According to Esguerra, such move would also substantially reduce public spending in education and infrastructure and enhance competitiveness of the country’s learning institutions amid global shift towards digitization.

In line with efforts to integrate ICT tools into formal education, Globe Telecom has been implementing the Global Filipino School program for over three years now.

The program is a longterm educational initiative that seeks to transform select public schools into centers of ICT excellence and provide innovative teaching methods.

Specifically, the program aims to create a center for ICT excellence in schools that exemplify exceptional commitment to ICT-integrated education and also create teacher training hubs to increase understanding and effective usage of ICT in the classroom.

In partnership with the Department of Education and selected public schools, the program involves providing schools with superior online connectivity, a Globe Mobile Laboratory package, and 21st Century Teaching Methods using ICT in the classroom.

Selected public schools are utilized as a teacher training hub on ICT excellence in the classroom, for the entire division where the school is

Eagle is now part of the Adopt-aSpecies Program of CEMEX Philippines Foundation. In fact, this trailblazing program triggered the establishment of the Adopta-Wildlife-Species Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“The adopt-a-species law allows companies like us to put resources in various species conservation projects. And because of that, we were able to reach out to many areas in the Philippines. Some of our adopted species were the Butanding (whale shark), Tarsier, and Negros Bleeding Heart,” shared Paul Arcenas, CEMEX vice president for strategic planning.

“We are looking forward to many interactions with PEF and the Sibulan IPO. We hope to make this partnership sustainable to be able to help more communities in protecting the

Philippine Eagle,” added Arcenas, who also serves as board member of the CEMEX Philippines Foundation.

“When we hear Philippine Eagle, it’s synonymous to mighty. Locally, we call it ‘Haribon’ or King of Birds. And indeed, our very own Philippine Eagle is a mighty and powerful forest raptor. We at the CEMEX Philippines Foundation are truly happy to support PEF in their extensive efforts to help address the issue of our vanishing eagles.

This partnership will surely help our eagles breed and live safely,” said Chito Maniago, executive director of CEMEX Philippines Foundation.

During the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony, PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador recognized the important role of the Sibulan IPO in the eagle protection.

located. Both the school and DepEd ensure all teachers of the select school are trained to bring 21st century learning into the classroom. Apart from this, both are also tasked to conduct teacher training to neighboring public schools within their division.

First implemented in Bilar National High School in Bohol, the program, based on the school’s report, has generated increased interest of teachers to conduct their lessons, increased student interest towards learning and improvement in the school’s performance in the National Achievement Test (NAT).

Currently, the program is being implemented in 11 different schools located in various parts of the country. By next year, the Global Filipino School program hopes to be present in all 18 regions nationwide, and cover 60 DepEd schools divisions.

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YMCA Davao reelects Ongkingco president P UBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS District Engineer Fernando S. Ongkingco Jr. was unanimously elected to a second term as president of the Young Men’s Christian Association-Davao City chapter during a meeting called for the purpose Saturday at the chapter’s conference room.

Following Ongkingco’s reelection was an initial discussion of several projects designed to make 2016 a banner year for the chapter, including a massive recruitment of members in schools, colleges and universities.

Aside from approving details of the chapter’s induction of officers on January 24, 2016 at the Marco Polo Davao, the committee of ways and means headed by reelected first vice president Jose B. Custodio also presented three proposed fund-raising activities for the year. The board also approved a proposal to hold a Christmas gathering and bonding of YMCA members and their family members sometime in the middle of December.

The chapter officers welcomed to the board of directors three newcomers in the persons of Russel U. Barrizo, executive director of the Anflo Foundation, who was elected corporate secretary, Ma. Lita A. Montalban, owner of Emar Humanities College and chapter president of the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA), elected assistant

corporate secretary, and Dr. Julius D. dela Victoria, elected director.

Others elected with Ongkingco, Custodio, Barrizo, Montalban and dela Victoria were lawyer Leoncio P. VillaAbrille, second vice president; Henry B. Braceros, treasurer; Manuel S. Tagud, assistant treasurer; lawyer and lawyer Ricardo V. Villegas, auditor; Antonio M. Ajero, public relations officer; and Vicente R. Banes Jr., business manager.

Public Works and Highways Region 11 Director Mariano R. Alquiza, and former DPWH district engineer Isagani G. Javier were elected directors; while Melody Ann V. Rico and Jekris Shalom D. Mendoza were reelected youth directors.

Custodio, VillaAbrille, Villegas and Banes served as presidents in the past.

FIDN set to transform APEC financial systems T HE Philippines, host to the 2015 meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), is collaborating with leading international organizations to help transform financial systems in the Asia-Pacific, expanding the reach of credit and other financial-services for a more inclusive regional economy.

The collaboration is formalized through the establishment of the Financial

Infrastructure Development Network (FIDN), a multi-sectoral platform for promoting initiatives to make financial services in the region more accessible, especially to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The establishment of the FIDN, launched on November 12 in Makati City, comes at a time when Asia-Pacific continues to face the challenge of

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CEMEX backs conservation of Philippine Eagle habitat

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EMEX Philippines Foundation recently inked a threeyear partnership with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) to support the safeguarding of the vanishing Philippine Eagle by reinforcing education outreach in at least seven eagle habitats.

Also part of the partnership is the organization of at least 100 indigenous forest guards who will care for the eagles and their habitats. CEMEX will also help conduct Philippine Eagle surveys in three suspected eagle territories, delineate nesting sites, and initiate home range and habitat use on adult birds.

Additionally, the partnership will facilitate livelihood support to communities of the Sinabadan Indigenous Peoples’ Organization (IPO).

The habitat conservation and protection of the Philippine

Cemex Philippines Foundation and PEF representatives with the Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe and Datu Ambe.

“Again, we’re proud to engage with our partners in Sibulan.

PEF has been working with them for more than 10 years now. The Sibulan community is

really one of the champions of saving the Philippine Eagle.”

“I know that this [Adopt-aSpecies] campaign is not isolated from CEMEX’s global envi-

ronmental efforts. We know that CEMEX Philippines has similar initiatives implemented by other CEMEX companies abroad;

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making financial services accessible to more MSMEs and low-income households.

Although the region is a driver of the global economy, poverty remains a serious issue, and boosting the MSME sector is believed to significantly help accelerate the process of poverty reduction.

Besides the Philippines, which represents other APEC member economies, the FIDN is also composed of the following institutions: International Finance Corp.

(IFC), a member of the World Bank Group; the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC); the SME Finance Forum; and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is supported by leading global financial industry associations and firms that have joined the Asia-Pa-

cific Financial Forum (APFF), a platform established by APEC Finance Ministers in 2013 to develop and integrate the region’s financial markets.

The Philippines’ participation in the FIDN is made active through representation by and inputs from the Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Credit Information Corp.

Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said, “We’ve always said MSMEs are the lifeforce of the regional economy, contributing to over 60% of total employment, over 40% to GDP and over 15% to total exports among APEC economies. However, about 40% of the financing needs of MSMEs are unserved. At the same time, we are fully convinced of the power of finance as a

tool to reduce poverty. We are putting our money where our mouth is in putting more fuel to Asia-Pacific’s growth engine.” Purisima served as chair of the APEC Finance Ministers’ Process that produced the Cebu Action Plan last September.

SEC Chair Teresita Herbosa said, “The Securities and Exchange Commission agrees there is a pressing need to integrate more people and enterprises to capital markets so they become part of the formal sector. There is no true capital market development – and there is no meaningful economic progress – if many are left out. It is with earnest drive that the SEC, together with the other participants, will work toward the vision of a more financially integrated Asia-Pacific through the FIDN.”

practically doing the same thing— preserving and conserving natural areas and working with indigenous people,” Salvador said.

As response from the Sibulan IPO, Datu Hernan Ambe, president of Sinabbadab Kaag Tugallan, expressed his optimism in this partnership. “Malaki ang aming pasasalamat na

kasama na namin ang CEMEX sa proteksyon ng Philippine Eagle.

Ang pagprotekta po ng kalikasan ay mahirap kung kami-kami lang. Maraming taong taga-labas ang gumagawa ng illegal logging, illegal kaingin at illegal hunting. Sa partnership na ito, layunin naming matigil na ang illegal activities sa loob ng aming lupang ninuno.” [We are grateful

that CEMEX is now one with us in protecting the Philippine Eagle. The protection of our environment is challenging if we’re alone. There are many outsiders who are doing illegal logging, illegal kaingin, and illegal hunting. Through this partnership, we aim to restrict these illegal activities inside our forefather’s land.]

Monteverde Sr. Central Elem.

School.

The event was also supported by the (DAPRISA) Davao Association Private Schools Association Inc.,and Metro Davao Youth Chess Club,

Tabudlong said.

The tournament director said that upon suggestion of YMCA assistant secretary Ma. Lita Montalban who is DAPRISAA president, there will soon be regular tournaments

on other sports and athletic events.

The athletic program will go hand in hand with the chapter’s aggressive recruitment for more YMCA members, he said.

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Davao... FROM 15

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Sonshine Sports coordinator Dr. Jun Cardona and tournament technical director Tisha Goldie Delvo lead the ceremonial tossing of the 3rd ACQ Collegiate Basketball League at the Jose Maria College Sky Gym on Saturday. Lean Daval Jr.

3rd ACQ Cup cage loop draws 10 college teams

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HE Rizal Memorial Colleges Bulldogs (RMC) edged the University of Mindanao (UM) Wildcats, 71-70, in the 3rd ACQ Cup Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament Sunday at the Jose Maria College (JMC) SkyGym. In other games, Agro dumped University of Immaculate Conception (UIC), 77-54, while MATS College of Technology also crushed Holy Cross of Sasa, 77-66.

The Saturday match saw Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC) winning over St. John Paul II College, 87-56.

The much-awaited 3rd ACQ Cup 2015 featuring Davao City’s collegiate dribblers got

underway at JMC SkyGym Saturday afternoon with a total of 10 teams seeing action.

A parade of teams and a brief program kicked off the the third cage event organized

by Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy.

Sonshine sports coordinator Dr. Jun Cardona welcomed the participants during the momentous launch attended by all the teams and witnessed

by JMC officials and students.

Competing for this season’s tournament are JMC, St. John Paul II College, HCDC, RMC, UIC, UM, Agro Industrial Colleges of the Philippines, DMMA College of Southern Philippines, Holy Cross of Sasa and MATS College of Technology.

Davao Wisdom, Kapitan Tomas rule 1st YMCA interschool chess tourney

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HE Davao Wisdom Academy won all slots in the boys and girls highschool category of the 1st YMCA Davao interschool monthly rapid chess tournament held last Saturday, Nov. 14, at the YMCA Davao Multi-Purpose Hall along Villamor St. in Davao City.

This was announced by Ronnie M. Tabudlong, tournament director, who said that the monthly tournament was sponsored by YMCA Davao officers led by president Fernando S. Ongkingco Jr. The results are as follows: (High School Boys) Champion - Norman James Varquez of Davao Wisdom Academy 1st Runner Up - Michael John Varquez of Davao Wisdom Academy 2nd Runner Up - Alisa Galliamova A. Tabudlong - Davao Wisdom Academy (High School Girls) Champion - Rhobie Shayne Benogsdan - Davao Wisdom Academy

1st Runner Up - Precious Dela Cruz - Davao Wisdom Academy In the grade school category, most of the winners come from Kapitan Monteverde elementary school.

The results are as follows: (Grade School Boys) Champion - Verby Quiachon Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elem. School 1st Runner Up - Marnie Goc-ong - Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elem.

School 2nd Runner Up - Gre Jomari Morales - Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr.Central Elem. School 3rd Runner Up - Vlademir Orbeta - Sixto Babao Elem.

School (Grade School Girls) Champion - Nathalie Suter - Doña Pilar Learning Center 1st Runner Up - Teresa Amor Borinaga - Doña Pilar Learning Center 2nd Runner Up - Kimberly Acodit - Kapitan Tomas

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HIGHER INCENTIVES Nograles: New law for athletes to revitalize dying sports sector

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AVAO City First District representative and House labor committee chair Karlo Alexei Nograles yesterday said the signing of law that increases the incentives for national athletes, coaches and trainers would definitely reinvigorate the country’s dying sports sector and give rise to a new breed of world-class Filipino athletes.

Nograles said Republic Act 10699, otherwise known as the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act” should attract more Filipinos who are gifted with talents in various sports disciplines to train really hard to be able to join our pool of national athletes.

He said the measure which was originally proposed in the House of Representatives

by PuwersangBayaningAtleta (PBA) Partylist Rep. Mark Sambar would not only improve

the living conditions of poor Filipino athletes, coaches and trainers but it would inspire them to work harder to bring pride and glory for the country during international sporting competitions.

As envisioned by Sambar when he authored the measure, RA 10699 would also remove certain turf wars among sporting organizations when it comes to funding as it is now specified that funding releases will now be handled by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) regardless of the nature of the sports and the nature of the competition.

It was also Sambar who pushed for the inclusion of athletes considered as persons with disability (PWDs) as among the beneficiaries of this measure.

“It is just fair that we credit Congressman Sambar because he is the brainchild and the

original author of this law. As a true champion of our athletes, PBA has been pushing for the passage of this measure since the 15th Congress,” Nograles said.

Nograles said one reason why the country still lacks world-class talents in various sports disciplines is because of the notion that there is no money and there is no future for athletes.

“Many talents go to waste because they pursue other professions. This is due to the notion that they would only get hungry if they get into sports as their profession,” Nograles said, On the other hand, Koko Nograles, who is also running for Congress under PBA Partylist said that the strict implementation of the law should be monitored to ensure that these incentives for athletes are properly administered. He added that this new law should also

prompt the PSC to work harder in training national athletes.

“It’s one thing to incentivize. But what good are incentives if our athletes do not win medals?,” the younger Nograles said.

RA 10699, which was recently signed into law by President Aquino grants gold medalists in the Olympics P10 million cash reward while silver winners get P5 million and bronze medalists P2 million.

Athletes who get gold in the Asian Games would get P2 million, silver medalists P1 million and bronze medalists P400,000.

For the Southeast Asian Games, a gold is worth P300,000, silver P150,000 and bronze P60,000.

For team events with five or more participants, each team member will get 25 percent of the cash incentives provided for the individual medal winners.

The Davao del Norte DEO Men’s Basketball Team won 1st Place in the recently concluded 2015 DPWH XI Sportsfest, routing Davao City DEO, 67-60 in the final game. Joining them in this post game photo are Regional Director Mariano R. Alquiza (center), DE Lorna Ricardo, DPWH XI-EARO President Alexander Turingan and ADE Daniel Jaravata.

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