Edge Davao 8 Issue 20

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

TRY IT ON. A mall-goer tries out a Pacquiao vs Mayweather shirt displayed at a Manny Pacquiao specialty outlet at a mall along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao City three days before the “fight of the century.” Stores selling Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. merchandise enjoy brisk sale, proof of the impact of their mega fight. Lean Daval Jr.

DUTERTE REJECTS PDP-LABAN OFFER Mayor not keen on being partys standard bearer

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

“

abf@edgedavao.net

I AM the bearer of the burden, not the standard.”

That was Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s reaction to reports that Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III wants him to become the standard bearer of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Pimentel, in an interview with a national daily, had

said the PDP-Laban will field Duterte as its standard-bearer once the latter decides to run for president in 2016.

Pimentel was quoted as saying many members of the 10,000-strong party want Duterte to be its standard-bearer and are trying to convince him to throw his hat into the ring.

“The party is willing to support him, if he should de-

cide to run for President,” Pimentel said, but added he has no confirmation yet of Duterte’s plans.

Duterte recently placed third in a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

He has, however, consistently denied wanting to run for President, saying he does not want the job and he does not have the money to mount

a presidential campaign.

Earlier, news portal gmanetwork.com reported that the PDP Laban is seriously considering Duterte as their standard bearer. I quoted Pimentel as saying that Duterte has a strong following in Visayas and Mindanaobecause he speaks Cebuano, and a little bit of Ilonggo. He said that the two island regions also

FDUTERTE, 10

INSIDE EDGE BIGGEST PACMAN CROWD IN DAVNOR Sports P16

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

RED DYE. Members of progressive groups splatter red dye on a coffin replica as a highlight of their protest rally in front of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) regional office along Quimpo Boulevard in Davao City in support of convicted drug trafficker Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso whose execution in Indonesia was suspended. Lean Daval Jr.

Yap pushes review of labor policies

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Councilor Leah Librado-Yap urged the national government to review the labor policies so that no more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) will risk the lives just to work abroad.

“May our government act fast and review our labor policies so that we would not be sending all our kababayans outside the country just to work and risk their lives,” Librado-Yap said in a statement dated April 28, a day before the scheduled execution of Mary Jane Veloso for smuggling

drugs into Indonesia.

Veloso’s execution was suspended by Indonesian officials after her alleged recruiter surrendered to Philippine authorities. Veloso, a victim of human trafficking, will reportedly become a witness and complainant against the recruiter.

Librado-Yap said the government is “not so keen on our job creation programs” and “would rather have agrarian reform and industrialization at the back seat to focus on sending more Filipinos abroad for

FYAP, 10

Edge Davao gets 4‘Bestnominations edited’ paper, 3 other awards

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

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DGE Davao bagged four nominations in the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) Civic Journalism Community Awards which will be awarded on May 16 at the Diamond Hotel in Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Edge Davao is nominated in four categories including the coveted Best Edited Com-

munity Newspaper award, the same award it won last year.

The other nominations for the seven-year old newspaper are Best in Environmental Reporting, Best in Photojournalism and Best in Culture, Arts and History Reporting.

“This is good news for

us,” said Edge Davao editor in chief Antonio M. Ajero after he received the official list of nominees from the PPI yesterday.

Edge Davao general manager Olivia D. Velasco said the nominations are a recognition of the humble efforts of the youngest daily publication in Davao City to uplift

the standards of community journalism.

“We welcome the nominations with pride in our hearts that our efforts are beginning to get noticed. These nominations only make us work even harder for our readers and advertisers,” Velasco said.

regulation officers from the Food and Drugs Administration to conduct a random product monitoring a few weeks ago after an incident in Metro Manila in which two persons died after drinking milk tea.

“Our officers were able to inspect a total of 13 establishments,” he said.

The FDA regulation officers also inspected milk tea shops located in the university belt, big tea shops, malls, and private individuals producing ingredients for milk tea.

Dumama said the owners of inspected establishments lauded the initiative of DOH here because they need to regain back the trust and confidence of their clients.

“The milk tea case in Manila, even though it is isolated, caused a decrease on their sales,” Dumama said.

Dumama and Belizario said there no need for a milk tea scare because the agency, together with local government units, is doing its part in securing the safety and health of consumers.

FEDGE, 10

PHL vows to probe DOH 11: Reveal names of erring milk tea shops Mary Jane’s recruiter D T

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

HE Philippines has vowed to pursue full investigation against those responsible for the trafficking of Filipino Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to die in Indonesia by firing squad for drug smuggling, but given a last-minute reprieve before the execution could be carried out before dawn Wednesday.

Veloso’s execution was postponed after her recruiter, who reportedly set her up to smuggle 2.6 kilos of heroin stashed inside a suitcase to In-

donesia, surrendered to Philippine authorities Tuesday, hours before Mary Jane was to be put to death, along with eight other prisoners convicted for drug-related offenses.

All eight drug convicts, which includes two Australians, one Brazilian, four Africans and an Indonesian, were all executed by firing squad after midnight at the prison island of Nusa Kambangan, except for Veloso.

“The Philippine government reiterates its strong com-

FPHL, 10

EPARTMENT of Health (DOH) 11 regional director Dr. Abdullah Dumama said the Davao City Health Office (CHO) should disclose the names of the two establishments that were found to be selling expired milk tea ingredients last week.

“Personally, if personnel of the CHO really saw something, it is just proper to publish that,” Dumama said during the Club 888 media forum at The Marco Polo, Davao yesterday.

This is after some milk tea

shop owners in Davao City appealed to CHO to reveal the names of the two milk tea shops operating in a major mall here in order to stop speculation.

DOH Undersecretary Dr. Vicente Y. Belizario supported Dumama, saying it is “just fair for the public to know.”

He lauded the initiative of DOH 11 in inspecting milk tea establishments around the city even if it is the mandate of the city local government through the CHO. Dumama said he ordered

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Davao Region nears zero malaria cases

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

AVAO Region is likely to succeed in lowering the number of malaria cases and perhaps even eradicating the disease altogether as required by the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), an official of the Department of Health (DOH) 11 said.

“We are happy to announce that the malaria cases in Davao Region dropped by 99 percent (in 14 years).

From 2001, the cases declined from 5,860 to just 67 last year,” DOH 11 regional director Dr. Abdullah Dumama Jr. said during the Club 888 media forum at the Marco Polo Davao yesterday.

Dumama said the re-

ported cases last year were mostly from the municipality of Kapalong, Davao del Norte with 65 cases, while the other two cases were reported in Marilog District, Davao City.

He attributed the huge decrease in the number of malaria cases to the active participation of local government units in each province, down to the barangay level.

“The interventions of the health department like distribution of treated nets with pesticides, spraying of insecticides and border operations helped in decreasing the number of the malaria cases,” Dumama said “This is the first time in

HARD DAY’S WORK. A tired-looking Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte rubs his forehead while attending Region 12’s 2nd Liga ng Barangay Convention at Grand Men Seng Hotel on Tuesday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

Drug rehab patients Drug suspect killed, companion escapes maybe dead: Duterte FDAVAO, 10

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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NE drug suspect died while his companion escaped when police tried to implement a search warrant on them in Bolinao Site Kilometer 12, Sasa, Davao City yesterday morning.

The fatality was identified as Vivencio Sabio while his cohort was identified as Melquiadez Valderrama.

Police said Sabio was “neutralized” when he attempted to throw an M33 fragmentation grenade at police officers.

Sasa Police confiscated seven sachets of suspected

shabu methamphetamine hydrochloride), two improvised tooters, five rolled aluminum foils, three improvised needles, a homemade .38 caliber pistol, five live bullets, and a homemade .22 caliber pistol with three live bullets.

Police said they also recovered from the room of Valderrama eight sachets of shabu, two empty sachets with residue of shabu, three improvised tooters, 13 used aluminum foils, 18 unused aluminum foils, six disposable lighters, and an empty box of USB portable shaver.

FDRUG, 10

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte is not worried about the decreasing number of drug dependents admitted at the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation for Drug Dependents (DCTRDD).

“I do not care about the implications,” Duterte said in an interview Tuesday night at the Grand Men Seng Hotel.

Duterte said one possi-

ble reason for the decreasing number of drug dependents undergoing rehab is that many of them are already dead.

“I am not worried about the (Commission on) Human Rights accepting or not. I have no business with them. I have to protect the city,” he said.

He said his duty as mayor is to protect the next generation so it does not suffer chaos from drug ad-

ZERO MALARIA. Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr. (left) and Region 11 director Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama Jr. say the agency is exerting all efforts to achieve the goal of a malaria-free Philippines come 2020. The two gentlemen graced yesterday’s Club 888 media forum at The Marco Polo, Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

dicts.

Duterte also reiterated his warning that he will kill anyone who sneaks illegal drugs in the city.

“Do not commit the mistake of coming in with drugs, I will kill you,” he said.

He also reminded parents to look after their children so that they do not fall into drug dependence.

“There are a lot of harmful chemicals there, a dead-

ly mix, and it can shrink the brain of a person,” he said.

DCTRCDD chief Dr. Gene Gulanes had earlier said only 21 drug dependents had been admitted into the center during the first quarter of this year, compared with 30 during the same period last year.

Gulanes, however, said this did not necessarily indicate that drug use has also declined in the city.

OMMUNIST New People’s Army rebels abducted two personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) shortly after ambushing BJMP van in a daring rescue of a comrade in Surigao del Sur Tuesday morning.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, of the army’s Public Affairs Division here, said on Wednesday that two other jail guards and a prisoner were wounded during the ambush in Marihatag, Surigao Del Sur. Martinez did not release the names of the two wounded jail guards, but identified the wounded prisoner as Robert Rivas.

He also identified the abducted BJMP jail guards as SO2 Juan Salazar and SO2

Feliciano Polan, all of the provincial BJMP in Surigao Del Sur, he said.

In a report reaching here Wednesday, Martinez said that the wounded were now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Tandag City.

He said that the BJMP personnel were escorting two prisoners on their way to a court hearing Tuesday morning when waylaid by about 30 fully-armed NPA rebels to rescue one of the prisoners identified as Jojean M. Alameda.

Taken along with the two other BJMP officers, Alameda is reportedly a bomb expert and a high valued NPA officer, Martinez said.

The NPA rebels also cart-

FDRUG REHAB, 10

Rebels abduct 2 BJMP guards C

FREBELS, 10

EDGEDAVAO

4 SUBURBIA

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Drought also affects rainforestation projects T

HE prolonged dry spell has not only affected crop production but has also affected rainforestation initiatives in the watershed, according to an environment group.

“The heat is making it difficult for tree nurseries to thrive healthily, requiring more efforts from our community partners to ensure its survival,” Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) Watershed Campaigner Joy Enriquez said.

The IDIS and the Watershed Management Council (WMC) are currently implementing a riparian rainforestation project in the Panigan-Tamugan watershed, Davao’s future source of drinking water.

The pilot project, which is being implemented in barangays Tambobong, Tamugan, Gumalang, Wines and Tawantawan in Baguio district, focuses on the planting of native trees along the riverbanks.

According to the group, while the partner communities have placed their tree nurseries near water sources, the intense heat has required more careful monitoring to ensure that the seedlings survive.

“Because of the heat, the transfer of the seedlings from the community nurseries to the planting areas has been postponed until the rains come so that the survival

chances of the seedlings will increase,” said Enriquez.

In its latest advisory, PAGASA has already warned the public that the heat is expected to worsen due to the El Nino phenomenon. According to the weather bureau, this will even result in the delay of the rainy season.

IDIS Executive Director Ann Fuertes underscored the importance of making sure that the seedlings survive the hot weather. “These past months, Mindanao has experienced a surge of tree planting activities. But all of it will go to waste if none of the saplings survive in this extreme heat,” she said.

“What is needed now is tree nurturing. Our responsibility doesn’t stop the moment we finish planting those seedlings. We need to ensure that they grow to maturity.”

Fuertes recommended tree nurturing activities in the watersheds to sustain previous tree planting initiatives.

“We encourage community residents and stakeholders to revisit those areas that they have planted to check on the saplings, water them and replace those that have died.”

“This is also our call in all the areas covered by the National Greening Program.

We need to take good care of these seedlings for them to survive and for all of us to harvest the benefits these trees provide,” she added.

Less than half of NPA rebs now in E. Mindanao--AFP

T

HE military continues to make a headway in its anti-insurgency campaign with the number of barangays cleared from rebel influence and number of rebels neutralized during the first quarter of 2015.

Lt. General Aurelio Baladad, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command told the AFP-PNP Press Corps that less than half of the forces of the communist rebels nationwide are situated in its area of jurisdiction.

He said 44 percent of the rebel manpower, 48 percent of the firearms, 46 percent of the affected barangays, and 46 percent of the guerrilla fronts are located in Eastern Mindanao.

“Eastern Mindanao remains to be a hotbed of communist insurgency,” Baladad said.

He noted a decline in the number of rebel forces from the third and fourth quarter of 2014 at 1,996 to 1,990, respectively to 1,886 in the first quarter of 2015.

Baladad also reported a

2.4 percent drop in the number of firearms recovered by government at 2,335 in the last quarter of 2014 to 2,300 in the first quarter of 2015.

He also noticed a decline in the number of influenced barangays from 514 in the last quarter of 2014 to 496 in the first quarter of 2015, a downtrend at seven percent.

“A further drop in the influenced barangays will mean better conditions in the hinterland areas,” Baladad said.

He also reported the drop in the number of guerrilla fronts, a political unit of the rebels from one GF last year to two GFs this year. Baladad said three GFs have been downgraded to section committees due to the efforts of the Armed Forces.

He said that a total of 102 rebels were neutralized by the government forces, among them 28 killed, 26 arrested, and 48 surrendered.

Baladad also said that a total of 28 soldiers were also killed in the campaign. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

AOFF programs director Russel U. Barrizo (2nd from left) presents to the Office of Cong. Anton Lagdameo the four new scholars of the foundation. (Office of Cong. Lagdameo)

DavNor to be declared peaceful, development-ready on June 19 T

OP official of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade (IB) of the Philippine Army revealed on Tuesday (April 27) at Matinao Resort, New Corella that the whole province of Davao del Norte will be declared peaceful and development ready by June 19, 2015.

1003rd IB Commanding Officer Col. Harold Cabreros said in an interview that they are on track with their schedule

on the declaration of the whole province as peaceful and development ready by June 19.

As of Tuesday, three local government units were already cleared and declared normalize.

These were Panabo City, Dujali and New Corella.

He said that the other eight local government units in the province will be declared peaceful and development ready before June 19.

“For now, we have

evaluated all the towns except for Talaingod, which we are still conducting Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP),” Cabreros said.

He explained that the process for the declaration includes evaluation from the brigade then validation from the 10th Infantry Division.

Cabreros said that the declaration also signifies the culmination of the army led PDOP activities

in the province.

“The culmination will indicate the transfer of the lead agency role for PDOP from the Philippine Army to the local Peace and Order Council,” he said.

He emphasized that even if there will be a transfer of responsibility for the sustainability of the PDOP, the army will still remain to be on guard and ready to thwart rebels if there will be resurgence after the declaration.

(PIA11, Michael Uy)

ucts due to the prolonged dry spell had already reached P140.8 million as of April 8.

He said that so far 10,270 hectares of agricultural lands and fishponds were damaged, although 82 percent of these still have chances of recovery.

Crops affected, Palacat said, include rice, banana, assorted vegetables, rubber, cassava, corn, and even mango and coconut trees and fishponds.

He said he constantly coordinates with the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administra-

tion (PAGASA) for weather forecasts.

This city, for several days now, has been experiencing rains, prompting authorities to think twice about the conduct of the cloud seeding operations, which require a huge funding.

Based on the proposal, the counterpart of the Department of Agriculture will be P3 million, the Zamboanga City Water District will share P700,000 while the local government will chip in P300,000.

The City Council has approved last April 1 a resolution placing this city under a state of ca-

lamity due to the prolonged dry spell per recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC).

The cloud seeding operation is one of the most immediate measures recommended to mitigate the effects of the long dry spell in this city.

As a form of weather modification, cloud seeding is the process of spreading either dry ice, or more commonly, silver iodide aerosols, through the use of an airplane into the upper part of clouds to stimulate the precipitation process and form rain. (MindaNews)

Zambo defers cloud seeding, thanks to rains

T

HANKS to the frequent rains the past days, the city government, through the Office of the City Agriculture, is temporarily deferring the conduct of cloud seeding operations.

City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat said Wednesday that of cloud seeding is no longer needed because of the rains.

However, Palacat said inducing artificial rain would be pursued should the dry spell persist and further increase damage to the agriculture sector.

Palacat has reported that the damage to agricultural and fishery prod-

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Website created for MSMEs

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

OLLOWING the growth of e-commerce in the Philippines, government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will launch the Pinoy e-Mall this week to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in promoting locally manufactured products.

“This will be similar to online selling sites like Lazada and Zalora, among others,” PHLPost assistant postmaster general for marketing Louie Carlos told Edge Davao.

Carlos said the Pinoy e-mall is a website where over 1,000 different products of MSMEs that are being assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will be promoted and marketed in both local and international market through online.

“The PHLPost and the DTI entered into a partnership for the creation of e-Mall,” Carlos said. “It will be the online market area of products available on different ‘One Town, One Product (OTOP) Tindahang Pinoy located in different parts of the country.”

In Davao Region, the OTOP Store, DTI 11’s marketing facility, continues in offering authentic and export –quality products for the local and foreign tourists.

Carlos said this kind of partnership between the two agencies created a service that

will make locally manufactured products available to a bigger market.

“There’s no need for buyers to go to a certain place or province just to buy their favorite pasalubong and souvenir items because these will be made available in the website,” he said.

Carlos said the partnership between PHLPost and DTI started in July last year.

Under the partnership, the GOCC courier company will also provide delivery service of the commodity to the customer’s doorstep anywhere in the country.

“There will be a corresponding delivery charge, all for a low registration fee of P2,500,” he said.

PHLPost postmaster general Josie dela Cruz said PHLPost will converge with the e-commerce of other postal administrations outside the country for the promotion and delivery of the products.

Meanwhile, Carlos said stamps of the much-awaited fight of the century-the Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown--will be initially posted in the Pinoy e-Mall website Carlos said initiatives like the partnership with DTI is just one move of PHLPost to regain its huge role in the growing courier industry of the Philippines.

“PHLPost is here to stay,” he said.

CARD MRI expands in unbanked areas I

N an effort to further reach out and provide more accessible financial services to the unbanked Filipinos, the CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) through its microfinance-oriented rural bank, CARD Bank, Inc., recently opened its 60thbranch in Balangiga, Eastern Samar.

“CARD MRI wants to bring various services at the doorsteps of millions of Filipinos, services that are responsive and affordable,” said Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, founder and managing director of CARD MRI.CARD Bank is one of the member institutions of CARD MRI. CARD MRI continues to expand in unbanked towns and islands in the country this year.

“That is who we are. Also, all the branches we open have a history attached to it. Balangiga is one of the historical places in the country,” Dr. Alip said.

CARD Balangiga branch was first established in 2008 under CARD, Inc., an NGO that offers microfinance and community development services to people living below poverty line. CARD MRI operation in Balangiga also covers the municipality of Lawaan, Giporlos and Marabut. It has 43 centers composed of 1,343 members.

These members have been transitioned to CARD Bank and will have greater opportunities for ownership by buying shares of stocks.

“Only by creating a vehicle for asset ownership we can ensure that the poor will gain control over their own resources and over their own destiny. Let us give ownership to the poor,” Alip said.

CARD Bank, Inc.’s ownership was shared among its clients on February 14, 2000.

From then on, members can buy shares of stocks through transfer of their compulsory savings as payment for their shares of stocks.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), 15% of the total population lives in unbanked cities and municipalities. Majority of them are in ARMM, Eastern Visayas and CAR. These areas are part of CARD MRI’s expansion plan.

“We already mapped areas to where we will expand our operations. These include the unbanked rural areas and island towns in the country,” Alip said.

Currently, CARD MRI has 1,650 branches nationwide serving 2.7 million Filipinos particularly those living below the poverty line.

THE NEW GUY. The Marco Polo, Davao’s newly-installed Marketing and Communications manager Josef T. Ledesma introduces himself to members of Davao City media during yesterday’s Club 888 media forum at the hotel’s Eagle’s Bar. Lean Daval Jr.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

P102M to combat Panama disease

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is allocating P102 million this year for the eradication and control of Panama disease which has endangered the multi-billion banana industry in the Davao Region.

Noted as one of the country’s top exporter of banana in the world market, Davao Region has a total of 60,000 hectares of production area for banana.

DA 11 High Value Crops Development Program coordinator Melanie A. Provido said DA 11 will start the identification of production areas

where the eradication program for Panama disease will be implemented.

“We will be allocating P39 million this year for the provision of fusarium wilt tolerant varieties known as the Giant Cavendish Tissue Culture Variety (GCTCV) 219 and 218,” Provido said. “These varieties were developed by the Bureau of Plant Industry in partnership with a Taiwanese company.”

Provido said the DA 11 has expanding its demo production areas for both GCTCV 219 and GCTCV 218.

“The difference between

30,000 vacancies in GSC job fairs T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 12 has already generated around 30,000 job vacancies for the scheduled job fairs in the region in connection with the Labor Day celebration.

Ofelia Domingo, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 12 director, said Monday they are currently finalizing two major job fairs on May 1 in two shopping malls here.

She said the “Araw ng Manggagawa 2015” job fairs will be held simultaneously at the KCC Mall Convention Center and the SM Mall Events and Convention Center here.

Around 200 companies and job placement agencies have so far signified to participate in the two events, she said.

“As of today, we have generated around 20,000 local

and 10,000 overseas job vacancies for the scheduled job fairs,” Domingo said.

Last year, DOLE-12 was able to generate around 28,000 overseas and local job vacancies in two major job fairs held in the city.

A total of 195 employers participated in the two activities, which resulted to the hiring “on-the-spot” of 1,748 job applicants.

In line with the Labor Day celebration, the official said they will hold the 3rd Regional Career Advocacy Congress on April 29 at the South Cotabato Gymnasium and Cultural Center and the Industry Tripartite Council (ITC) Sports Festival at the South Cotabato Sports Complex in Koronadal City on May 1.

She said the congress will mainly focus on discussions regarding issues on job mis-

HE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recently announced that it will run after employers who have failed to fulfill their obligations to their employees and to the state-run health insurer.

“We do not want any employee or their dependents to experience non-availment of PhilHealth benefits because of the employers’ negligence,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla, “that is why we are issuing this reminder for the benefit of over 13 million employees, both in the public and private sectors.”

Reports have reached PhilHealth about erring employers who either do not remit the premium contributions deducted from a member’s monthly salary; do not remit the correct amount promptly;

or do not submit the required remittance reports on schedule, thereby causing anxiety among employees who expect to avail themselves of the benefits at point-of-service.

According to Padilla, failure of employers to remit the required contributions and submit remittance reports shall make them liable for reimbursement of payment of a properly filed claim of their employees, as prescribed under Section 18(d) of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the National Health Insurance Act of 2013.

Through Circular No. 003, s-2015, PhilHealth stressed its authority to recover the full amount of claim payments from employers for properly filed claims by employed members and their depen-

F30,000, 10

the two is that the GCTCV 219 produces better quality of banana. It is almost similar to Granine variety which is exported to international markets like China, japan and Southe Korea. However, it has lower tolerance to fusarium wilt while the GCTCV 218 produces banana that are not as good as 219 but its tolerance to the disease is higher. Farmers can even plant it beside infected mats,” she said.

Some companies like Lapanday and other small banana farmers have already exported GCTCV 219 to the Japanese market last year, ac-

in this method,” Provido said.

She also clarified that this kind of eradication program where farmers can get payment from burning the infected mat is applicable to those farmers who have more than a hundred infected mats.

For those with less than 100, farmers are advised to either plant the GCTCV 219 or GCTCV 218.

Farmers owning and managing abandoned areas because of the disease can resolve to crop shifting.

“We will be providing free seedlings of crops like cacao and cassava to the qualified

beneficiaries,” Provido said.

DA 11 has total of 1,000 cacao seedling that can be distributed to farmers who will opt for crop shifting.

Based on 2013 report, the DA 11 was able to geotagged a total of 701,000 mats infected with the Panama disease.

Davao del Norte has the biggest infected number of mats planted either with Cavendish, saba, and Lakatan variety totaling to 430,256 mats; followed by Davao City with 109,837; Compostela Valley with 91,838; Davao del Sur with 61,780; and Davao Oriental with 7,769 mats.

SCALED. Prospective buyers check out a scale model of Urban Hive Palms by Eco Dwellings Corporation project which will be developed along Bacaca Road.

The project was launched on Tuesday night at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang. Lean Daval Jr.

DA eyes 2K has. more for cacao

PhilHealth to pursue T negligent employers T

FPHILHEALTH, 10

cording to Provido.

The BPI 11 in Bago Oshiro, Tugbok district will initially supply supplyP20 million worth of the tissue culture of GCTCV 219. Officials from BPI are asking for extension for the production of the remaining P19 million worth of GCTCV 219 tissue culture.

Under the program, DA 11 also allocated P40 million for the payment of farmers who will voluntarily burn infected mats of the disease.

“Each farmer will be paid with P500 for each infected tree burnt. Farmers have to follow protocol for eradication

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 is eyeing around 2,000 hectares more of cacao production areas next year on top of the Davao Region’s existing 6,000 hectares of cacao farmland.

“This is the Department of Agriculture 11’s target for next year. This part of our effort in attaining the 27,000 hectares planted with cacao by 2020,” DA 11 High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) coordinator Melanie A. Provido said during the Davao Business Forum at the Derm Path in SM City Davao.

Provido said Agriculture Sec., Proceso Alcala is committed to making the cacao industry grow further because of its huge market potential both locally and internationally.

“For 2016, the DA is

targeting to expand cacao production areas by 8,683 hectares and Davao Region is committed to expand by 2,000 hectares next year,” she said.

Provido said there’s a lot of coconut areas in the region that can be planted with cacao.

“Given with the good soil and weather condition for cacao here, Davao Region has a huge potential to become a huge player in the global market of cacao,” she said.

The DA 11 will be receiving P45 million out of the P230 national budget for acquisition of cacao planting materials next year. For this year, DA 11 has a total of P52 million funding for the whole cacao development program.

“DA 11 is planning to buy a total of 1 million cacao seedlings just for the

expansion program next year,” Provido said.

DA 11 is collaborating with the Bureau of Plant Industry in accrediting plant nurseries which will be the agency’s source of quality cacao seedlings.

“At present, there are only 9 of the more than 100 plants nurseries accredited by the BPI and we need to accredit more,” Provido said. “We are targeting to double the number of accredit nurseries next year.”

Meanwhile, DA 11 told farmers in the region to delay the planting of cacao because of the ongoing long dry-spell season.

Even though the region is just experiencing mild drought, this could still affect the growth and survival rate of cacao seedling if it will be planted now.

“We stopped the delivery and distribution of

700,000 cacao seedling to farmer-beneficiaries because of the dry spell,” Provido said, adding that farmers will get back to planting cacao seedlings by the third quarter during the rainy season.

She said that at present, there is no significant damage to the cacao industry because of the El Nio phenomenon.

“Our cacao trees here are protected because it does not receive direct heat from the sun,” Provido said, noting that cacao is intercropped with coconut and other fruit-bearing trees.

Provido said if the El Niño will cause further damage, the regional agency is ready to assist affected farmers with its assistance like distribution of water drums and power sprayers. CHENEEN R. CAPON

INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

17th Annual Ayala Malls Merchant Rewards

Abreeza Mall merchants bag awards ABREEZA MALL merchants received honors at the 17th Annual Ayala Malls Merchant Rewards, a yearly tradition that recognizes the achievements of Ayala Malls’ merchant partners nationwide who have inspired the industry with their innovativeness, marketing savvy, and business leadership.

The awarding ceremony was held at the Fairmont Hotel Makati Ballroom on the evening of April 14, 2015. Present at the awards night were Ayala Land executives, among them Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, President Bobby Dy, Senior Vice President and Ayala Malls Group Head Junie Jalandoni, Vice President and Head of Operations and Support Services Ro-

wena Tomeldan, Assistant Vice President and Head of Merchandise Mix Vivian Jose, and Assistant Vice President for VisMin Clavel Tongco. Ayala Corporation’s Chairman Emeritus Jaime Zobel de Ayala also graced the event.

Abreeza Mall merchants who were honored at the awards night were T’nalak for Overall Visual Merchandising Excellence and Visual Merchandising Hall of Fame; Res|Toe|Run, Etude House, and Charriol for Store Operations Excellence; Sneaker Club for Most Promising Retailer; and Healthy Options for Store of the Year.

The Merchant Rewards was also a night of entertainment, with performances by Sarah Geronimo, Darren Espanto, and Jason Dy livening up the Vivian Jose, Rodel Medel and Thomas Lim of R.O.X. (Ayala Center Cebu winner), Nieva Rivera and Susan Matus of T’nalak, Patsy Zobel, Lilianna Manahan, and Mia Borromeo. ceremony.

Rowena Tomeldan, Ester Rollorata and Danelle Jo Filipinas of Sneaker Club, and Clavel Tongco.

Clavel Tongco, Aristotle Ramos of Res Toe Run, Thomas Y. Lim of Primer Group of Companies, Irene C. Nieva of Res Toe Run, Donna Z. Gonzales of Etude House, and Luigi Escano of Abreeza Mall.

Held earlier on the same day at the Fairmont Hotel Makati Ballroom was the 11th Annual Ayala Malls Merchant Forum, a series of talks which focused this year on the theme “Building Customer Connections” and featured experts sharing insights on marketing strategies, research and trends, digital management, and customer service. Other Abreeza Mall merchants took home awards at the Merchant Forum; namely, Just G, Women’secret, and T’nalak for Visual Merchandising Excellence; Tommy Hilfiger, Bigby’s Café and Restaurant, T’nalak, and Debenhams for Christmas Decor; National Book Store for Marketing Excellence; Taters, TGI Friday’s, and Italianni’s for Marketing Partner; and Robinsons Supermarket and Mercury Drug for Electronic Gift Certificate (eGC) Partner.

For inquiries and updates on Abreeza Mall news and events, please visit the Main Concierge at the ground floor or call (082) 321-9332.

Stay updated by liking www.facebook.com/AbreezaMall and following @abreezatweets on Twitter and @iloveabreezamall on Instagram.

Junie Jalandoni, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Belle Sison-Aluner and Nalen Rubiato of Healthy Options, Fernando Zobel de Ayala, and Bobby Dy.

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

FOOD

Sweet summer coolers

BLESSED with fresh produce, we are lucky to have some of the world’s sweetest fruits and vegetables made readily available in our local farmer’s market. On days when we crave for a drink, we can always blend, whip or puree coolers and mixes in no time. However, did you know that you can also make quenchers without using fruits or vegetables? YES! Aside from the usual fresh fruit shakes and blends, our pantry treasures can verily provide and be converted into something delectable in a snap. Here, you need not have many ingredients – just a handful to help you create something special on any given day. Remember, you can always substitute.

Peanut Butter Frappe Peanut butter is not only good in sandwiches but more as a thirst quencher.

In a blender, puree ¼ cup of smooth, creamy peanut butter and 1 cup unsweetened milk (or any milk of your choice) until smooth.

Pour in a glass with chocolate syrup. Serve.

Whimsical Blend Mix and match food

A traditional drink made from sesame seeds, ground almonds and rice.

In a blender, pour 1 cup of sweetened rice milk (you can also use almond milk or soy) and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Blend with ice until smooth. If you want to make thicker and richer, add a scoop of

vanilla ice cream.

Milkshake Always a favourite, I love mine coffee flavoured.

In a blender, combine 2 cups of vanilla ice cream, 1 cup milk (you can use whole milk or almond or soy milk), ½ cup black coffee and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder. Blend until smooth and serve. You can mix and match flavours to your liking – match pow-

der, mocha, strawberry and even mint.

Caramel Frappuccino Here’s a take on the alltime favourite Frappuccino we all line up in stores.

Now, you can re-create this sweet and heavenly goodness at home anytime, any day.

In a blender, pour 2 cups ice, 1 cup strong coffee (black or espresso), 1 cup almond milk (or nay

milk), 1/3 cup caramel sauce (if you don’t have this, you can also use organic honey) and 3 tablespoons white sugar. Blend on high until smooth.

Pour into glass and top with cream and caramel sauce.

Make #TheRoyalChef your Thursday habit. Follow and tag me on instagram (@herroyalheiress) for your delicious food finds!

flavours to create another level of delicious flavour for you to enjoy.

In a glass, scoop some vanilla ice cream. In another glass, mix equal part of grape juice (you can also use cranberry cocktail) and sparkling soda (you can use sprite or any other fruit soda of your choice). Slowly pour over ice cream.

Horchata

UP AND ABOUT

‘Asia’s 24/7 Party Island’ gets a big boost from Smart WITH OVER 75,000 tourists expected to flock to Boracay this weekend, leading mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has teamed up with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and top events firm Fearless Productions to mount Sunkissed Boracay 2015, the island’s official Labor Day weekend celebrations.

Happening from April 30 to May 3 at Station 1’s White House Beach Resort, Sunkissed Boracay gathers some of the biggest names in the international party scene such as DJ R3HAB, Paris

Blohm and Morgan Page, as well as local party scene staples and Smart Ambassadors DJ Ace Ramos and MC Pao, among many others.

Sunkissed Boracay is just one of a total of 13 Labor Day weekend celebrations in the island hosted by Smart, which is a much anticipated presence for its ‘Live All Out’ brand of epic parties, exciting activities and prizes.

‘Asia’s 24/7 Party Island’ “Smart is thrilled to partner with Fearless and DOT, as we all pull out all the stops in celebrating the Labor Day weekend, which is the perfect opportunity to

prove Boracay’s moniker as ‘Asia’s 24/7 Party Island,” said Ramon Isberto, Smart Public Affairs head.

“Smart’s major brands have come together for this huge effort to promote Boracay and give our subscribers the ultimate summer story they can instantly share with friends and loved ones through the best call, text and mobile Internet bundles, backed by the country’s largest and most advanced network.”

Smart ‘Live All Out’ parties Among the other Smart’s ‘Live All Out’ parties in the island’s most happening plac-

es are: the Starworld’s Sunkissed at Epic (May 1); Fox’s Son of the Beach at Epic (May 1); RX Summer Fling at Epic (May 1); Meg’s Yacht Party (May 1); Jungle Boracay at Tides (May 1); Sundazed Foam Party at Tides (May 2); Summer Hangover at Sur Beach Resort (May 3); and Groove Manila at Tides (May 3).

Throughout the celebrations, festivalgoers can head to the Smart Dome at Station 1, where they can hang out with Smart endorsers and brand ambassadors; recharge their gadgets for free; download apps and mobile content; and snap free photo-souvenirs.

Win barkada getaways, gadgets As part of Smart’s huge summer campaign, festivalgoers who shall register to top promos like Unli Call and Text 30; Jump All Out 50; or Big Bytes 50 will earn e-raffle entries for a chance to win barkada getaways, Instax cameras, GoPro HERO4 cameras, Bluetooth Speakers, as well as tickets to Katy Perry’s May 7 concert at the Philippine Arena.

Subscribers who will download top apps like Spinnr, Buqo and Viewstream, and share their experience with these apps on social media also stand a chance to win a brand new Samsung Note 4 and other

premium items.

Moreover, those who will activate a new Smart Prepaid SIM, purchase a Smart Bro device, or top-up their existing account at designated booths can take home a Smart Summer Kit with cool beach must-haves as well as enjoy special treats.

For more information on Smart’s events in Boracay, check out smart. com.ph/liveallout and follow @SMARTCares on Twitter and Instagram.

Also use the hashtags #liveallout and #smartsummer to share your Smart summer experience, or to check out the stream of online posts about the island’s biggest celebrations.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

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ENTERTAINMENT

Star Music showcases fresh OPM talents in new compilation album

STAR MUSIC has banded together upand-coming local musicians in its newest compilation album “OPM Fresh,” which showcases OPM’s next generation of talents and their refreshing new sound.

More than being an album, “OPM Fresh” provides a platform for budding solo and group acts from various genres to shine and show their potential.

The first compilation album contains 13 songs and two bonus tracks.

It features the pioneer batch of OPM Fresh that includes Harana, the newest boygroup composed of young Kapamilya heartthrobs Joseph Marco, Bryan Santos, Michael Pangilinan, and Marlo Mortel. Their single “Number One” and Mortel’s song “M.O.O.” are included in the album.

“OPM Fresh” also shines light on “PBB All In” finalist Maris Racal with her song “Tanong Mo Sa Bituin,” as well as “The Voice” artist Jacob Benedicto with his track “’Pagkat Ikaw.”

Moreover, it boasts the works of young composers Kaye Cal (“Isang Araw”), Hazel Faith (“Liwanag”), and MMJ or the Magno Twins (“Haypa (Hayup Ah).”

Other songs on the track list include “Rain

Dance” by recording artist/EDM producer Moophs feat. Alexandra feat. Alexandra; “Boy” by Star Magic artist Renee Pionso; “Til My Heartaches End” by TFCkat 2013 grand winner Vanessa Q; “Must Be Going Crazy”

by Star Magic batch 2013 member Alexander Diaz; “Kasalanan” by JC Padilla, brother of Daniel Padilla; and “Hanep” by all-girl band Rouge.

The album also has bonus tracks by Inigo Pascual (“Lullabye-bye”) and Alex Gonzaga (“Break Na Tayo”).

“OPM Fresh,” produced by Rox Santos, is now available at all record bars nationwide for only P199. Digital tracks can also 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.

ALAMAT: an animated series for Filipino children on GMA FILIPINO children love animation. They support 24-hour cartoon channels, buy the merchandise, and attend events that feature their favorite characters. But the cartoons they watch have foreign themes and the characters they imitate rarely share the same values.

GMA News and Public Affairs attempts to change this with an animated series that tells Philippine stories and celebrates the country’s own, unique culture.

Entitled ALAMAT, the series features some of the country’s beloved myths and legends such as Ang Langgam at Tipaklong, Ang Mahiwagang Singsing, Alamat ng Bayabas and Mariang Sinukuan among others.

April 29 – May 5, 2015

FURIOUS 7 / * UNFRIENDED

The program is childfriendly, but Filipinos of all ages will surely be enchanted by these stories.

ALAMAT will feature the work of talented Pinoy animators, some of whom worked on feature films and TV projects with big studios like Disney, Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network.

After entertaining audi-

ences worldwide, they are happy to work with GMA and finally create original content for fellow Filipinos.

Giving voice to the characters are Kapuso artists Glaiza de Castro, Kylie Padilla, Gabby Eigenmann, Louise delos Reyes, Betong Sumaya, Pekto, John Feir, Bea Binene, Jeric Gonzales,

Pen Medina, Roi Vinzon, Love Anover, Maey Bautista, and Tonipet Gaba.

It’s about time that the children of the Philippines had a cartoon series of their own.

GMA News and Public Affairs delivers with this groundbreaking animated project. ALAMAT airs July 2015 on GMA7.

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker / * Hannah Sossaman, Matthew Bohrer PG / *R13

12:10 | 3:10 LFS / * 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON 3D Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth PG

2:00 | 5:05 | 8:10 LFS

GET HARD Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart R16

R-16

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

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth PG

12:45 | 3:50 | 6:55 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

10th NCD: The grandest burst of birthday joy EVENT

By Armando B. Fenequito Jr. Photos by Lean Daval Jr.

“IS THIS DISNEYLAND?” A six-year old girl asked her mother as her eyes lit up amidst the different rides, dancing mascots and children’s treats inside the sprawling Sonshine Land at the Jose Maria College compound.

The girl was just one of more than 20,000 children who joined the 10th National Children’s Day grand birthday party treat of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy last April 25.

The party featured a theme park treat where many children enjoyed the rides and free ice cream and popcorn.

There were also mas-

cots of popular cartoon characters such as Tom and Jerry, Hello Kitty, Olaf of Frozen, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spongebob and Patrick, and the Minions.

Those who came to the NCD also witnessed the traditional grand parade featuring famous Anime characters such as Naruto, Card Captor Sakura etc. and the very known Japanese Gundam Robots.

Disney Princesses such as Belle of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel of the Little Mermaid, and Jasmine of the Aladdin and many more.

Characters from Star Wars and Superman which also give additional attraction during the

parade, that even the adults also enjoyed it.

Pastor Quiboloy also gave a huge birthday cake for all the children inside the Sonshine Land.

He said that he came up with this birthday treat ten years ago, because he wanted the children especially the less fortunate to at least experience a grand birthday celebration

once a year.

He declared that birthday is also the birthday of three million children all over the country.

Pastor Quiboloy believes that the children is the potential hope of the fatherland that is why he made a team who could help him study the possible solution to get the children out of poverty.

7 HEALTH

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

STRAWBERRY FRUITS FOREVER

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

I

KNOW strawberries are grown in Baguio but I never had the opportunity of eating some. “How does it taste like?” I asked myself.

It wasn’t until I went to the United States that I finally had my first taste of strawberries. My aunt Aida planted some strawberries near the fences all over her place in Ohio. “Your uncle Carl likes them,” she told me.

But both of them were working. So, when the two went to their respective jobs, I had the grand time of harvesting the red and heartshaped fruits. What made the harvesting more fascinating was the fact that the autumn season had just started.

I brought the freshly-picked strawberries inside and sliced some of them. I put the sliced strawberries in a bowl and then poured some milk on top. So, while watching my favorite television shows, I was eatgin strawberries.

After staying for almost a month at my aunt’s place, I flew to Hibbing, Minnesota, where my sister Elena and her family lived. At one time, we went to the nearby city of Grand Rapids. It was there that I had my first taste of strawberry dipped in a chocolate. Mucho gusto!

Strawberry is known in the science world as Fragaria ananassa. A regular-size fruit has about 75 percent water, thus eating it helps makes a person’s skin hydrated and glossy. A low-calorie fruit, it is an excellent choice for those who want to lose weight.

The strawberry fruit was mentioned in ancient Roman literature in reference to its medicinal use. The French began taking the strawberry from the forest to their gardens for harvest in the 1300s.

Charles the fifth, the French king of the late 1300s, had 1,200 strawberry plants in his royal garden.

In the early 1400s western European monks were using the wild strawberry in their illuminated man-

uscripts. The strawberry is found in Italian, Flemish, German art, and English miniatures. It symbolizes perfect righteousness. The entire strawberry plant was used to cure depressive illnesses.

By the 1500s references of cultivation of the strawberry became more common.

People began using it for its supposed medicinal properties and botanists began naming the different species. In England, the demand for regular strawberry farming had increased by the mid-1500s.

In the Philippines, strawberries are only grown in the highland places of Benguet and Baguio. In Mindanao, they thrive in some cool areas of Davao City.

When it comes to preventing cancer, can what you eat make a difference?

Certain foods are high in antioxidants, which mop up the free radicals that contribute to cancer. But in studies it’s been a challenge to tease apart the effects of diet alone on cancer risk, since peo-

ple who eat foods rich in antioxidants also tend to exercise more and avoid smoking, other factors that are known to lower the chances of developing cancer.

Now, in a small study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research, researchers uncovered more intriguing evidence that diet may influence the cancer process, even before it begins.

Among three dozen participants at high risk of developing esophageal cancer in China, it turned out that eating strawberries helped prevent early lesions from developing into tumors. That’s right – strawberries.

Alice Park, a staff writer at Time and covers health, medicine, nutrition and fitness, reports: “Tong Chen, a cancer researcher at Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, decided to look at strawberries as a cancer-preventer in humans after animal studies showed that the fruit had anti-cancer effects. With plenty of dried fruit supplied by the California

Strawberry Commission, which also funded the study, she focused her trial on 36 participants from three provinces in central China that have among the world’s highest rates of esophageal cancer.

Chen gave the volunteers freeze-dried strawberry powder, which was mixed with water into a drink. The freeze-dried form tends to concentrate whatever beneficial properties the fruit might have.

“In many cases, esophageal cancer progresses from pre-cancerous growths that are graded as mild, moderate and severe for their likelihood of advancing into malignancy,” Park writes. “Among the participants in the study, 29 saw their lesions revert to a less dangerous state — from mild to ungraded, or from moderate to mild — after six months of consuming the equivalent of two ounces of strawberries a day.”

There are several other healthy reasons why you should eat strawberries, according to Alicia Cox, author of an article which listed ten health benefits of the fruit. For one, s t rawb e r r i e s boost immunity.

“Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C,” says

Toronto-based registered dietitian Madeleine Edwards.

Most mammals – except for human beings – have the ability to produce vitamin C naturally, which is why it’s so important to get your daily requirement. “One serving of strawberries contains 51.5 mg of vitamin C – about half of your daily requirement,” Edwards says. “Double a serving to one cup and get 100 percent.”

Vitamin C is a wellknown immunity booster, as well as a powerful, fast-working antioxidant. A 2010 study of University of California at Los Angeles discovered that the antioxidant power in strawberries becomes “bioavailable” or “ready to work in the blood” after eating the fruit for just a few weeks.

Like most fruits, strawberries also fight bad cholesterol as they also contain powerful heart-health boosters. “Ellagic acid and flavonoids – or phytochemicals – can provide an antioxidant effect that can benefit heart health in various ways,” explains Edwards.

“One way includes counteracting the effect of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL – the bad cholesterol in the blood – which causes plaque to build up in arteries,” says Edwards. “A second way is that they provide an anti-inflammatory effect, which is also good for the heart.”

Researchers at the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center in Toronto studied the effect of strawberries on a cholesterol-lowering diet and concluded that adding strawberries to the diet reduced oxidative damage, as well as blood lipids – both of which play a role in heart disease and diabetes.

According to Cox, strawberries regulate blood pressure. Potassium is yet another

heart healthy nutrient found in strawberries, and with 134 milligrams per serving, strawberries are considered a “medium source,” the Alberta Health Services points out.

“Potassium can help regulate blood pressure and may even help to lower high blood pressure by acting as a buffer against the negative effects of sodium,” Cox writes.

“With their impact on the reduction of LDL, inflammation and high blood pressure, strawberries have earned the title of one of the most hearthealthy fruits you can eat.”

Nutritionists said strawberries are packed with B2, B5, B6, vitamin K, copper, and magnesium. They also contain folate, a key ingredient in the manufacture of red blood cells. Strawberries likewise contain omega fatty acids and essential fiber.

Fiber is a necessity for healthy digestion, and strawberries naturally contain about 2 grams per serving.

Problems that can arise from lack of fiber include constipation and diverticulitis (an inflammation of the intestines).

Fiber can also aid in fighting type 2 diabetes, one of the most common lifestyle diseases these days. “Fiber helps slow the absorption of sugars (that is, glucose) in the blood,” says Edwards. “As a result, adults who are managing diabetes can enjoy strawberries – in moderation – in their diet.”

A food allergy results when your body’s immune system responds in an abnormal way after you eat a certain food. Specifically, your body’s immune system mistakenly identifies the food as a foreign invader and produces a substance called histamine that causes allergic symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Some people may suffer from allergy in strawberries, known as oral allergy syndrome. The symptoms of astrawberry allergy are the same as that of any food allergy reaction. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms can appear within a few minutes to an hour after eating the food and can include: a rash or red ring around the mouth; hives and/or swelling; eczema; vomiting; diarrhea; swelling or itching of the mouth, lips or tongue; and tightness in the throat and/or difficulty breathing.

The Mayo Clinic says the most common treatment for allergic symptoms is to take an antihistamine medication, such as Benadryl, as soon as symptoms appear. An antihistamine can slow your body’s immune response, reduce allergic symptoms and prevent a more serious reaction. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about the correct dosage.

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

EDITORIAL Mary Jane and other victims

W

E join the parents and other loved ones of Mary Jane Veloso in their elation over the last-minute reprieve she got before her scheduled execution was carried out dawn yesterday in Indonesia. Mary Jane was condemned to death after being convicted of attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilos of heroin hidden inside a suitcase to Indonesia. Veloso’s reprieve came when her recruiter who allegedly set her up surrendered to Philippine authorities. However, eight other drug convicts were not as lucky as Mary Jane. Her fellow prisoners, which include two Australians, one Brazilian, four Africans and an Indonesian were executed by firing squad after midnight at the prison island of Nusa Kambangan.

In a statement read to reporters, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that “the Philippine government reiterates its strong commitment to pursue full investigation of those accountable for the victimization of Mary Jane.” Secretary del Rosario re-

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ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

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

the national association of newspapers

OLIVIA D. VELASCO D.D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONA OLIVIA D. VELASCO JOCELYN S. PANES SOLANI SOLANI MARATAS General Manager Finance Advertising Specialist General Manager Director of Sales Finance RICHARD C. EBONA Marketing Supervisor

lated President Aquino’s last-ditch efforts to save Veloso’s life by repeatedly appealing to Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo at the sidelines of the recently concluded Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Malaysia this week.

Veloso remains in the death row as she was only a reprieve, meaning a delay in her execution while the Philippine and Indonesia authorities will revisit her case. The delay will give Mary Jane a chance to prove that indeed, she was only set up by some drug, and human, traffickers in her case.

However, Mary Jane’s case should be treated by authorities, meaning law enforcers, in both countries to strengthen their cooperation in fighting crimes in the region. But of course, the other countries in Asia should join the campaign as well. Failing to do so would mean more Mary Janes victimized by crime operators and endangered of being condemned to the death row.

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE

LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND P. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Specialist General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Mobile: (Sun) 0925-357-3460 Tel: (088) 852-4894 (Smart) 0907-202-3844

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

EDGEDAVAO

T

HE remarkable performance of Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte in the latest Social Weather Station survey brings to the fore again the perceived anatomy of modern-day Filipino voting behavior. Recently, from a mere 5 percent share, Duterte gained an astounding 10 percent leap and is currently ranked third, together with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive official candidate of Liberal Party. The long running topnotcher, Vice President Jojo Binay, has consistently fallen several times already and might possibly be dislodged by Senator Grace Poe, with a measly difference of 4 percent only.

Whatever makes Duterte’s performance remarkable is now sending shockwaves among PR practitioners and spin doctors of other presidentiables. Duterte is a mere mayor of a city in impoverished Mindanao. He has no bailiwick whatsoever either in Luzon or in the Visayas. True he was born in Maasin, Leyte and his father, the late undivided Davao Gov. Vicente G. Duterte, had his roots in Cebu, but Mayor Rody grew up in Davao City and built his political fortunes here. Right now, whatever positive contribution out of any nostalgic feeling attached to that town remains untapped in grassroots campaign for Duterte.

P

HILOSOPHERS and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. Wikipedia defines happiness as “a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.”

A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have been done to define happiness and identify its sources. In fact, there are various research groups, including positive psychology, which are employing the scientific method to research questions about what “happiness” is, and how it might be attained.

In her book The How of Happiness, author Sonja Lyubomirsky concludes that 50 percent of a given human’s happiness level is genetically determined (based on twin studies), 10 percent is affected by life circumstances and situation, and a remaining 40 percent of happiness is subject to self-control.

Actually, there are two kinds of people living in this world: there are those who choose to be happy, and there are those who choose to be unhappy. After all, as most sages say, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within.

“The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, smiling and content with their life,” said an unknown author of the article which was forwarded to me by a friend via electronic mail. “Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.”

The article contains 22 things to that can make people happy. I am not sure if you

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Duterte’s poll survey performance All the RANDOM THOUGHTS other leading figures in the survey have their built-in national audience. Binay, even when he still the Makati City mayor and was running for Jonallier M. Perez the vice presidency during the 2010 elections, then already had his own national audience, thanks to plenty of sisterhood city agreements and the Boys Scouts of the Philippines, among others.

Of course, Binay now is the incumbent vice president, a mere heartbeat away from the chain-smoking president. Binay was consistently the forerunner and still is.

What sets on the panic mode in his PR camp is the continuous slide in recent surveys, largely brought about by the well-discussed alleged corruption in several infrastructure projects in Makati and, consequently, unexplained wealth of his family.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the TRO petition over his son Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay’s suspension ordered

by the Ombudsman. Should the Supreme Court affirm the validity of Junjun’s suspension, even without reading the entire Opinion of the court, the next poll survey will surely see the elder Binay’s numbers spiraling down the drain.

Poe has her own national audience too.

She is a no-nonsense and hardworking senator and the people saw these traits during the Mamasapano hearings in the Senate.

She performed her job as the MTRCB chair with flying colors. More importantly, the people, particularly the poor ones, still remember her late father, movie action king Fernando Poe, who ran and lost in the 2004 presidential elections. He claimed to have been cheated and the indications so far seem to prove that. The protest was never discussed based on merits due to his untimely and sudden death.

Roxas, needless to say, has his own share of the target market. The old man’s name “Roxas” still rings a bell, although the younger Roxas, despite his admittedly good work performance, appears far too elitist and technocratic as far as the vast poor majority of the voters is concerned.

His previous attempts to demolish such aloof and withdrawn image, such as the “Mr. Palengke” campaign, were epic personal rebranding failures.

Against these seemingly insurmountable odds against him, Duterte managed to rise to the third rank. What make him palatable to the voters are essentially simple.

In a paper entitled “Restudying the Filipino Voter Today” published recently by the Institute of Political and Electoral Reform, the foremost factor voters look for in a candidate is no longer popularity or the power of endorsement of traditional network and organization, as were prevalent in mid 1990s. This explains why many actors lost in the elections and endorsements by influential groups, such as the religious congregations and their immensely popular leaders, failed to do the trick. The study claims that the “benefit factor” or the characteristics that can personally benefit the voters are most critical. One must be perceived as approachable, accessible and delivers the small but equally important results. This works well for Duterte whose specific accomplishments in Davao City are smaller, precise and tangible – something the people quickly see, hear, touch, feel and even taste. Most voters – whose politics is confined to rice and fish – are less interested in intangible things, like the abstract-sounding clean governance programs. These do not add anything immediately consumable to one’s dining table.

have read it THINK ON THESE! somewhere but there are some truths to what the author has listed. Let me share just 15 items listed: 1.

Don’t hold grudges: Happy people u n d e r s t a n d Henrylito D. Tacio that it’s better henrytacio@gmail.com to forgive and forget than to let their negative feelings crowd out their positive feelings. Holding a grudge has a lot of detrimental effects on your well-being, including increased depression, anxiety, and stress.

Why let anyone who has wronged you have power over you? If you let go of all your grudges, you’ll gain a clear conscience and enough energy to enjoy the good things in life.

2. Treat everyone with kindness: Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that being kind makes you happier? Every time you perform a selfless act, your brain produces serotonin, a hormone that eases tension and lifts your spirits. Not only that, but treating people with love, dignity, and respect also allows you to build stronger relationships.

3. See problems as challenges: The word “problem” is never part of a happy person’s vocabulary. A problem is viewed as a drawback, a struggle, or an unstable situation while a challenge is viewed as something positive like an opportunity, a task, or a dare.

Whenever you face an obstacle, try looking at it as a challenge.

4. Express gratitude for what they already have: There’s a popular saying that goes something like this: “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.” You will have a deeper sense of contentment if you count your blessings instead of yearning for what you don’t have.

5. Dream big: People who get into the habit of dreaming big are more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t.

If you dare to dream big, your mind will put itself in a focused and positive state.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff: Happy people ask themselves, “Will this problem matter a year from now?” They understand that life’s too short to get worked up over trivial situations. Letting things roll off your back will definitely put you at ease to enjoy the more important things in life.

7. Speak well of others: Being nice feels better than being mean. As fun as gossiping is, it usually leaves you feeling guilty and resentful. Saying nice things about other people encourages you to think positive, non-judgmental thoughts.

8. Never make excuses: Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

Happy people don’t make excuses or blame others for their own failures in life. Instead, they own up to their mistakes and, by doing so, they proactively try to change for the better.

9. Get absorbed into the present: Happy people don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. They savor the present.

They let themselves get immersed in whatever they’re doing at the moment. Stop and smell the roses.

10. Wake up at the same time every morning: Have you noticed that a lot of successful

people tend to be early risers? Waking up at the same time every morning stabilizes your circadian rhythm, increases productivity, and puts you in a calm and centered state.

11. Avoid social comparison: Everyone works at his own pace, so why compare yourself to others? If you think you’re better than someone else, you gain an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you think someone else is better than you, you end up feeling bad about yourself. You’ll be happier if you focus on your own progress and praise others on theirs.

12. Choose friends wisely: Misery loves company. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with optimistic people who will encourage you to achieve your goals. The more positive energy you have around you, the better you will feel about yourself.

13. Never seek approval from others: Happy people don’t care what others think of them. They follow their own hearts without letting naysayers discourage them. They understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. Listen to what people have to say, but never seek anyone’s approval but your own.

14. Tell the truth: Lying stresses you out, corrodes your self-esteem, and makes you unlikeable. The truth will set you free. Being honest improves your mental health and builds others’ trust in you. Always be truthful, and never apologize for it.

15. Accept what cannot be changed: Once you accept the fact that life is not fair, you’ll be more at peace with yourself. Instead of obsessing over how unfair life is, just focus on what you can control and change it for the better.

Again, just remember the words of the Dalai Lama XIV. “Happiness,” he said, “is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”

So you want to be happy?

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Duterte... FROM 1 have same things in common.

Pimentel said he believes that Duterte could be the leader who will be able to push the transition to federalism, which the party has been advocating since 1982.

The solon from Cagayan de Oro City also said that federalism, which Duterte is espousing, would help preserve

the cultural identity of each province in the country.

Pimentel is confident that Duterte has a chance to beat other possible presidential candidates, including Vice President Jejomar Binay, a long-time PDP-Laban member who has since formed his own United Nationalist Alliance.

the next twenty years or so.”

She said the Aquino administration is also not keen on resolving the case of 300 teachers in America who are victims of human trafficking as well as the cases of abuse of Filipinas in the Middle East where the bulk of OFWs are concentrated.

“Migrante International reported that for the past year, the number of OFWs imprisoned in different countries all over the globe reached a staggering 7,000. Of these, 123 are on death row or facing eminent execution either by hanging, firing squad or other

heinous means” she said.

She said in terms of aid from the government, the OFWs are receiving very little assistance and support.

“Since 1970, OFW recruitment has now reached its peak and the country continues its labor export policy to the detriment of our OFWs who would have to die in exchange for their dreams,” she said.

Librado-Yap said the Philippine government is earning from the dollar remittances of OFWs. Last year, P1.07 trillion was added to the country’s coffers.

He said with every patient admitted there are still many drug users in the community who did not undergo rehabilitation.

Gulanes said that of the 21, 10 came from Buhangin district, six from Poblacion district, and five from Talomo district.

Every patient has a

minimum six months treatment, although this still depends on the behavior of the patient.

Gulanes said after the patient completes the treatment in the center, he or she will be referred to the community social worker for monitoring and evaluation.

dents who were later found out to have no qualifying contributions.

These erring employers shall also be penalized with a fine of not less than P5,000 multiplied by the total number of employees for failure or refusal to register or deduct PhilHealth premium contributions. In the same manner, a fine of not less than P5,000 but not more than P10,000 multiplied by the total number of employees shall be applied for employers who refused or failed to remit and report contributions.

Delinquent employers are those who have missed monthly premium contributions in behalf of its employees for at least one month

within a six-month period.

Under-remitting employers, on the other hand, are those who remitted and reported contributions that are less than the prescribed amount or those who remitted accurate contributions but did not include all its employees.

The circular also defines non-remitting employers as those who have not remitted any premium contributions to PhilHealth from the start of its operations or for six months or more, while non-reporting employers are those that may or may not have remitted premium contributions and have not submitted any report for at least one month within a period of six month. (PhilHealth)

matches in Region 12.

“We will gather anew industry and academic leaders as well as parents and students for a dialogue and mapping of strategies to ensure that the academic programs of our schools, colleges and universities will be responsive to the needs of local industries,” she said.

Domingo said around 250 local stakeholders and

representatives from various private and government agencies have confirmed to join the congress.

She added that the sports festival will be joined

by DOLE-12 employees, DOLE-Regional Coordinating Committee heads and employees as well as Regional Tripartite Industry Peace Council and ITC representatives. (MindaNews)

Librado... FROM 2

MANUAL WORK. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) workers manual drain out a portion of the road along Quimpo Boulevard in Davao City which had been filled with rainwater from the previous night’s heavy rains. Lean Daval Jr.

Yap... FROM 2

Edge... FROM 2

mitment to pursue full investigation of those accountable for the victimization of Mary Jane,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement read to reporters.

After she was unexpectedly given a stay in execution by the Indonesian government, Veloso, 30, has left the execution island and was moved back to her cell in Yogyakarta prison, the DFA said.

Del Rosario said the purpose of the stay is to allow Veloso to give testimony in connection with the complaint filed against the recruiters.

“The President has undertaken all avenues including diplomatic and legal means to do what he can for Mary Jane as it is the President’s belief that every human life is invaluable,” Del Rosario said, referring to President Benigno S. Aquino III’s last-ditch efforts

to save Veloso’s life through repeated appeals to Indonesian leader Jokowi Widodo at the sidelines of the recently concluded Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Malaysia this week.

“The last minute in stay had been granted and as we conveyed this morning we are all relieved by this welcome development,” Del Rosario said as he expressed the government’s appreciation to Indonesia for its “favorable consideration” of its request.

Philippine officials said Veloso remains on death row because she was only given a reprieve, but expressed hope that she will be spared from execution after Indonesia agreed to look into her case.

Meanwhile, Del Rosario thanked all those who provided support and solidarity to the Veloso family. (PNA)

ed away two assaults M4 rifles, four 9mm pistols, and on 45 pistols.

Martinez said that the army’s 36th Infantry Battalion

has been pursuing the NPA rebels and conduct rescue and retrieval operations for the BJMP personnel since Wednesday. (PNA)

springs for the source of our water,” said Faizal Rashak-Mauna.

Aside from daily household chores, he added that they also use the water to supplement their fields if additional supply is needed. “The entire village is really happy with this project because getting water won’t be a problem anymore.”

The LGU created a technical working group to supervise the implementation of the project and conducted competitive bidding.

Through MRDP’s Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD), six barangays received P250,000 each for a cattle production project, which was identified after the LGU consultations with the community.

“The cattle is a big help in our farming, aside from being an additional income when we sell it,” said Dang Malomalo Pumbaya, president of the

Dilausan Farmers Organization, one of the beneficiary people’s organizations (PO).

From an initial seven heads, she said that they now have 18 cows which they have started to distribute to other members “to propagate and sustain the project.”

“Now, there is always consultation with the community, and we constantly explain to them, that unlike previous projects, the projects we have now are sustained and maintained,” said Mayor Raysalam Baguit Mangondato.

The LGU was also awarded citing their FMR’s proper implementation and adherence to quality in terms of plans and specifications.

“We have hurdled the first challenge to implementing any project and that is by establishing a strong sense of cooperation from everybody,” Mangondato added. (Jay M. Rosas, PRDP-Mindanao)

Rebels... FROM 3

Livelihood... FROM 13

Edge Davao’s four nominations was matched by Sun Star Baguio. Sun Star Cebu has three and Cebu Daily News has two.

Also nominated for Best Edited Community Newspaper is Cebu Daily News of Cebu City from Visayas.

For Best in Environmental Reporting the other nominees are Sun Star Baguio (Luzon) and Sun Star Cebu from Visayas. For Best in Photojournalism, the other nominees are Sun Star Baguio (Luzon) and Cebu Daily News (Visayas). Also nominated for Best in Culture, Arts and History Reporting

are Sun Star Baguio and Sun Star Cebu.

For Best in Editorial Page, the nominees are Sun Star Baguio (Luzon), Sun Star Cebu (Visayas) and Mindanao Times (Mindanao). Making it to the Best in Business and Economic Reporting are Panaw News (Visayas) and Sun Star Davao (Mindanao).

Edge Davao previously won Best in Environmental Reporting and Best in Business and Economic Reporting in 2011, Best in Business and Economic Reporting in 2012, Best in Science and Environmental Reporting in 2013 and Best Edited in 2014.

our history that we can say that we are starting to eliminate malaria in the region,” he added.

Dumama said for this year, there was a single case reported in Davao del Norte during the first quarter. No deaths were reporter, however.

Dumama also said the province of Davao del Norte is ready to declared zero indigenous cases from 2001 to 2014.

The provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao del Sur were also noted for zero malaria cases from 2011 to 2014 and 2013 to 2014, respectively.

“Based on the stratification of areas in 2013-2015, the endemic population has also decreased from 1,012,362, which is 25 percent of the total population, in 2001 to 170,378, 3.5 per-

cent of the total population, in 2015,” Dumama said.

The region is targeting to be 100 percent malaria free by 2020, which is also the national target.

Last year, DOH 11 declared and awarded 14 municipalities for being malaria disease-fee and gave them cash incentives of P60,000 each.

For this year, the regional agency is targeting to declare nine more municipalities.

“We have already assessed municipalities of Compostela, Mati, Tarragona, Caraga, Cateel in Davao Oriental as of April this year,” Dumama said.

Four more municipalities, namely Matanao in Davao del Sur, Mawab and Pantukan in Compostela Valley, and Tagum City will be scheduled for assessment by the third quarter of this year.

Davao City Police Office (DCPO) spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace Driz said the police are now running after Valderrama.

She said the two had long been under surveillance.

The value of the drug seized from the suspects was placed at around P35,000.

Davao... FROM 3

Drug... FROM 3

Drug rehab... FROM 3

PhilHealth... FROM 6

30,000... FROM 6

ICT HUB 11

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Globe partners with WhatsApp G

LOBE Telecom has forged a partnership with WhatsApp to allow customers to enjoy free access to the mobile messaging app with a prepaid promo or postpaid plan subscription.

Available to prepaid and postpaid customers, free WhatsApp enables users to enjoy real-time messaging and voice calling without data charges on any Globe prepaid promo or myLifestyle Plan subscription starting April 30, 2015.

Prepaid customers registered to any of their favorite text, call or surf promos such as GoSakto, GoUnli25, GoUnli20, and GoSurf as well as postpaid customers on myLifestyle Plan can avail of free access to WhatsApp. With free WhatsApp, Globe customers can exchange text and video messages, create messaging groups, and send each other unlimited images without having to pay any extra amount on top of their current prepaid promos or monthly service fees (MSF).

Simultaneous to the

A

launch of the partnership, WhatsApp also recently introduced its WhatsApp Calling feature that allows users to make and accept calls, decline or respond to calls with a message, use a speakerphone and mute the microphone feature.

“At Globe, we are proud to be partnering with global companies to give our customers the best digital experiences on their devices.

WhatsApp is a leading global messaging company, and we are very excited to announce our partnership with them, which coincides with the global introduction of the new WhatsApp calling feature,” says Dan Horan, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Group at Globe.

“As part of our continuing journey to enable the Filipino digital lifestyle, we have collaborated with WhatsApp to let our customers enjoy free access to one of the world’s leading messaging apps with a prepaid promo registration or postpaid plan subscription.

With WhatsApp, users can enjoy free calls, texts and photo

sharing with other WhatsApp users anywhere in the world without worrying about their data charges or the need to look for Wi-Fi spots. Just register to your favorite prepaid promo or get a myLifestyle Plan and avail of free WhatsApp only from Globe,” says Issa Cabreira, Globe Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Marketing.

“With the new WhatsApp Calling feature, our 800 million users can easily call their friends all over the world,” said Brian Acton, Co-Founder of WhatsApp. “We’re excited to be partnering with Globe to enrich everyday communications for Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.”

WhatsApp is a cross-platform, real-time mobile messaging application that allows millions of people around the world to stay connected with their friends and family. To access free WhatsApp, customers can just download the app and use it free of data charges instantly.

Aside from free WhatsApp, prepaid and post-

paid customers can also enjoy free access to Facebook by subscribing to their favorite Globe promos.

In 2014, Globe led the industry in mobile data business with revenues and data traffic growing faster than competition, on the back of its partnerships with global players and better network experience to provide compelling content that enrich the Filipino digital lifestyle.

Mobile browsing and other data revenues reached P14.3 billion in 2014, up 23% from P11.6 billion in the previous year, giving Globe a clear edge over competition with 64% revenue market share.

The Globe network also carried significantly higher data traffic at 87,000 terabytes of data, increasing 270% from the previous year because of a significant surge in mobile browsing activity and higher smartphone adoption among its customers. With its network modernization, Globe has greater capacity for data traffic that translates to better experience for its customers.

4.5-inch diagonal keeps ZenFone C practically compact, along with an ergonomic design that tapers to just 6.2mm at the thinnest edge.

PixelMaster camera: See what others can’t see ZenFone C is equipped for superb everyday photography and fun selfies, with two builtin cameras. The main PixelMaster camera has a 5MP, f/2.0 lens to capture stunning photos. PixelMaster’s industry-leading Low Light mode employs pixel-merging technology to capture up to 400%-brighter photos at night, or in low-light scenes, without the need for a flash — something not previously possible with a 5MP camera.

The ZenFone C’s PixelMaster main camera also has Backlight (HDR) mode to let users capture vivid, evenly-exposed photos in challenging backlit scenes such as sunset portraits. By using pixel-enhancing technology to increase contrast by up to 400%, Backlight (HDR) mode ensures that foreground subjects stand out clearly and are free of shadows.

ZenFone C’s ZenUI Camera app also includes loads of powerful features to help users capture the very best photographs and selfies, including Time Rewind that snaps even before the shutter button is pressed and Depth of Field to create stunning minia-

ture-world effects.

Large battery: Extreme stamina that just keeps going ZenFone C has a high-capacity battery that offers seriously-extended use. The 2100mAh cell has sufficient juice to power ZenFone C for

ASUS ZenFone C now available

SUS has announced the availability of the ZenFone C (ZC451CG), a compact, stylish and high-value smartphone for today’s savvy and socially-connected consumers, with a vivid 4.5inch display and a feature-rich 5MP PixelMaster main camera with industry-leading lowlight performance. The newest member of the original ZenFone generation keeps the fun rolling with a high-capacity battery that provides almost 30 hours of 3G talk time and over 10 days on standby.

ZenFone C packs a powerful 1.2GHz Intel® Atom™ Z2520 processor for superior everyday performance, and includes intelligent dual SIM, dual-active technology that lets users both deal with and switch seamlessly between business and personal needs.

This lightweight marvel also has exclusive ASUS SonicMaster audio technology, controlled by the intuitive ASUS AudioWizard with ICEpower® technology for mobile-audio experiences that sound great in any surroundings.

Quad-thread power: Highspeed processor and ultra-responsive display ZenFone C’s 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2520 processor is a multi-core powerhouse with quad-thread Hyper-Threading Technology. Supported by 1GB of fast RAM, ZenFone C’s 854 x 480-pixel (FWVGA) display responds to touch in a mere 70ms, even when multitasking — so the user is never kept waiting High-quality LED-backlight technology ensures that everything on the display is bright and clear, with vivid color reproduction. The screen’s

Apple reports record first quarter performance on strong China sales

A

PPLE said Monday that it posted US$58 billion in sales and $13.6 billion in net profit in the January-March period, up 27 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. The performance was a record for the first quarter and the second-best ever after the fourth quarter of last year.

It was attributed to the continued popularity of its latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones, as well as strong sales in China.

Apple’s first smartphone with a large screen, the iPhone 6 remains hugely pop-

ular six months after its release. Its sales in China in the first three months stood at $16.8 billion, up 71 percent on-year. For the first time, the number of iPhones sold in Chinese-speaking countries surpassed that in the U.S. By contrast, rival Samsung Electronics continues to struggle. The company managed to post an operating profit of W5.9 trillion in the first three months, but this was largely due to cost-cutting efforts. Samsung expects sales of its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, to take off in the second quarter.

up to 29.8 hours of 3G talk time and up to 260 hours of standby — or over 10 days of service between charges.

This powerful lithium-ion battery is also easily removed, enabling ZenFone C users to pack as much backup power as they need.

SonicMaster audio: Exclusive technology for high-quality mobile sound ZenFone C benefits from ASUS-exclusive SonicMaster technology for exceptional mobile-audio experiences. An

ingenuous amplifier design enables ZenFone C to deliver an output voltage that’s up to 25% greater than competing smartphones. The included ASUS AudioWizard app with ICEpower technology helps the users to shape the sound for every environment and situation. The result is rich, powerful and dynamic audio output that delivers louder, distortion-free sound for both work and play, from speakerphone calls and voiced map directions to music and movies.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING ZenFone C (ZC451CG) is now available in all authorized re-sellers nationwide for only P4,595 SPECIFICATIONS ASUS ZenFone C (ZC451CG) Processor Operating system Display PixelMaster cameras

Network standards Memory and storage Wireless Connectors Location sensors Other sensors Battery Colors Dimensions (H x W x D) Weight

1.2GHz Intel® Atom™ Z2520 Android™ 4.4 (KitKat) with ASUS ZenUI 4.5-inch LED-backlit TFT with 854 x 480 (FWVGA) resolution Rear: 5MP, f/2.0-aperture auto-focus lens with LED flash Front: 0.3MP PixelMaster features include Low Light mode, Backlight (HDR) mode, Beautification mode and Manual (professional settings) mode GSM 850/900/1800/1900; UMTS 850/900/1900/2100; DC-HSDPA (download/upload): 42.2/5.76Mbit/s 8GB ROM, ASUS WebStorage 5GB (lifetime) 1GB RAM Micro SD card support, up to 64GB 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 3.5mm audio jack, dual SIM (dual active), micro USB GPS, GLONASS Accelerometer, proximity Removable 2100mAh lithium-ion Black, white and red 136.5 x 67 x 10.9~6.2mm 149g

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DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICE

GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICE

Director of Sales

Marketing Specialist

JOCELYN S. PANES

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

EDMUND P. RENDON

General Santos City

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

MANILA MARKETING OFFICE

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

COMMUNITY SENSE 13

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Wheelchairs for PWDs in Davao City, Cycle 3.0 F

OR the third year in a row, the American Wheelchair Mission (AWM) together with the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU), will provide wheelchairs and other orthopedic assistive devices for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Davao City.

On 30 April 2015, a ceremony shall take place to initially distribute 75 mobility devices, which include wheelchairs, crutch-

es, canes and walkers, at the Finster Auditorium of AdDU. This year, the mission hopes to give away 264 wheelchairs, 96 crutches, 32 canes, and 33 walkers to around 500 PWDs. Each wheelchair, valued at USD500, comes with a basic toolkit and has more practical features compared to other models.

This effort is largely supported by the Knights of Columbus of California.

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late SPS. MONICO REBUYON and TEOFILA CALACAT has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT executed among their heirs per Doc. No.61; Page No.61; Book No. IX; Series of 2012, of the NOTARY PUBLIC OSCAR S. AQUINO 4/16.23.30

According to Abe Dolinete, State Deputy of the California Knights, “the mission is intended to bring these devices to indigent PWDs and be able to help them attain mobility.”

As a partner of the AWM, AdDU, through its School of Nursing, Department of Social Work, and Office of the President, under the coordination of the University Community Engagement and Advocacy

Council (UCEAC), ensures that the beneficiaries are those most deserving. As part of the application process, volunteer social work students visit the PWDs for validation.

Since 2013, AWM through AdDU has given away an estimated 1,000 orthopedic assistive devices to PWDs in Davao City, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur provinces. AdDU assis-

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) 21085158 under Loyola Plan Contract No(s).

10080694-0 issued to TEODORO S. TORILLA FINAL CONTRACT/POLICY NO. 821694-7 issued to TEODORO S. TORILLA were lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

4/23,30/5/7

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) 21103564 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 1883473/NNN430005942 issued to CLARO C. SUSTITUIDO, Jr. was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

3/23/30/5/7

tant to the president Jeremy Eliab said, “AdDU is grateful that AWM continues to trust the University in being of service to the PWD communities in Mindanao.”

Shipping of the devices takes five to six months from the United States of America to the Philippines, and a week from Manila to Davao City. Prior to these transfers, the AWM spends a lot of time raising funds to be able to send the devices

to the indigent beneficiaries. “The whole process is challenging but it is very meaningful,” Eliab added.

Groups, organizations and individuals who wish to avail of the mobility devices may call the UCEAC office at 2212411, local 8262. According to UCEAC Chairperson Atty. Romeo T. Cabarde, Jr., they will prioritize indigent PWDs who can’t afford wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

Livelihood lift for lake town

S

ITTING along the mouth of Lake Lanao, the town of Balindong, Lanao del Sur should be able to reap from the bounty of Mindanao’s largest lake. However, agriculture activities have been less than robust with the lack of necessary infrastructure like roads.

“It was difficult to transport our products, especially during rainy season when the road gets muddy. Carabaos carry our produce from our farm to the nearest village stop where we would wait for a vehicle that would transport it to Marawi,” said Khalil Macarampat, a farmer of Barangay Talob.

He said that a sack of their farm produce like corn has a 50-peso transport cost. But with the rehabilitation of their village’s farm-to-market road, they now only pay 20 pesos.

The P13-millionproject

that rehabilitated the 2.4-kilometer farm-to-market roadconnects the town villages of Dadayag and Talob, and was funded under the rural infrastructure component of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), with counterpart funding from the local government.

“It has become convenient and provided comfort for us farmers here. The 30-peso savings is already a big deal,” Macarampat said, adding that any vehicle can now pass through their village.

Aside from the FMR, a P1.1 million potable water supply (PWS) system was also constructed in the village to bring safe and accessible water closer to households.

“Before, we just depended on rain collectors or from

FLIVELIHOOD, 10

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE AirAsia surprises guests of Pacman NDC’s GM to grace plane with free passes, promo seats 4th DCCCII meeting EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

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UCKY guests on board the AirAsia Philippines Airbus A320 with the exclusive Manny Pacquiao livery on Tuesday received a special treat from AirAsia. Free passes to nationwide live viewing party of the Pacman vs. Mayweather fight, souvenir items and much more were given away including free roundtrip seats for two Pacman fans, Catherine Cabardo, 42, and her 11 year-old son, James Christian, who both flew to Manila on flight Z2782 from Cebu.

Cabardo has been a single mom for James Christian since the death of her husband 10 years ago. She lives in a fishing community in Poblacion, Talisay Cebu. An on-call worker at a nearby rattan factory, she augments her income selling

fish. The AirAsia flight was the mother and son’s first trip together on board a plane.

AirAsia Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer, Joy Cañeba said, “We celebrate Manny as a hero and icon who showed us that perseverance can make dreams come true. In his honor, we have painted our aircraft with his name and face, offer promotional low fares and we are giving away free viewing party passes to his much-awaited match.”

AirAsia, Manny Pacquiao’s airline of choice, is offering promotional seats from as low as P399 one way (base fare only) to/from Manila, Cebu, Kalibo (Boracay), Tagbilaran (Bohol), Tacloban, Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Davao, Cagayan de Oro* and to international

destinations of Hong Kong, Macau, Incheon (Seoul), Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu for guests traveling from 15 June to 15 October 2015.

AirAsia is also giving away free passes to live and exclusive AirAsia viewing party of “The Battle for Greatness” happening nationwide on Sunday, 3 May 2015 at SM Mall of Asia Centerstage Cinema in Manila, Regency Hotel in Boracay, New Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City, USEP Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Davao City and Nazareth Gymnasium in Cagayan de Oro City.

Using the official hashtag #flyhighManny, AirAsia Facebook fans and Twitter followers may send their most creative cheers or messages for Pacman as entries while

lucky passengers of any AirAsia flights in the Philippines get a chance to win free passes to watch Pacman vs. Mayweather fight just by flying AirAsia from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Kalibo from May 1 to 2, 2015.

As many as 5,000 free passes for Pacman vs. Mayweather bout will also be given away to those who will show up as early as 6:00AM at USEP Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Davao City and Nazareth Gymnasium in Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday, 3 May. Contest mechanics for #flyhighManny, as well as promotions and activities are available at Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsiaPhilippines) and Twitter(twitter. com/AirAsiaPh).

Rachel Clark, Director of Spectrum Policy, Ofcom, UK; Ira Keltz, Deputy Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communication Commission (FCC), USA; and Henry Foo, Senior Manager, Resource Management and Standards, IDA, will deliver keynotes at the Summit and will take part in regulatory discussions exploring dynamic spectrum access.

They will be joined by a distinguished line-up of speakers from four continents, including regulators from Botswana, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, and the Philippines.

Ofcom’s involvement in the Summit follows its recent decision to implement TV

White Space regulations, enabling access to the unused parts of radio spectrum in the 470 to 790 MHz frequency band.

Likewise, the FCC has taken important steps to free up unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other uses, across a variety of bands. The FCC has already permitted access to the TV White Spaces and is looking to ensure that a minimum amount of unlicensed TV White Space spectrum is available on a nationwide basis.

The FCC has also taken important steps recently to enable further dynamic access to 3.5 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies for high-capacity wireless connectivity on a licensed and unlicensed basis.

“The move toward greater spectrum sharing is now becoming a global trend. In the last two years, significant regulatory developments have taken place across the world, in countries as diverse as the United States, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malawi, and Ghana, as well as the Philippines,” said Prof. H Nwana, Executive Director of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance.

“Likewise, the ITU Radiocommunication and Development sectors have been gathering and developing technical, regulatory, and socio-economic best practices from around the globe, as evidenced by recent submissions from Botswana, the Philippines, and the United States.”

I was young. I remember the ‘Shoot That Ball’ movie I did many years ago. I was with Tito and Joey plus Martin Nievera, Jimmy Santos and former PBA import Michael Hackett.

We had a lot fun doing that film and had a lot of body pains doing it,”Sotto said.

“That’s why when I heard the TVC will be about basketball, I think I needed to stretch a lot since it’s been a long while

since I played basketball. But I used to play in the PBA and that is the Philippine Bulagaan Association (PBA),” adds Sotto, referring to the then-basketball segment of popular noontime show “Eat Bulaga.”

In the newest TVC, Sotto shares the limelight with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) cagers June Mar Fajardo, Marc Pingris, Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter. They were

up against a group of ‘imports’ for a cooler filled with ice-cold San Miguel Pale Pilsen. He wore his retro basketball outfit and even made the key basket in the TVC’s zany ending.

“These players are fun to work with. I already worked with June Mar and Marc in the first San Miguel television commercial so it was an easy shoot,” Sotto says.

Sotto could not hide his admiration for the four players, who all played for teams under San Miguel Corporation. “June Mar is an MVP and led San Miguel to a championship. Marc is my son-in-law and I know he is a good provider and even won a grandslam. Marcio is a great shooter. Arwind’s threepoint shot was a big factor in the championship and I heard he also has a music career with his song ‘Bagyo’.”

Sotto also paid tribute to San Miguel Pale Pilsen, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year.” It’s like the movie industry. If you are not a good actor, then you won’t last that long with the heavy competition. Just imagine that San Miguel Pale Pilsen has been here for 125 years and it’s still going strong.”

M

A. Lourdes F. Rebueno, the General Manager of the National Development Company (NDC) will be the guest speaker in the 4th General Membership Meeting (GMM) of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) to be held in the T’nalak Function Room of Seda Abreeza Hotel today at 11:00 a.m.

Rebueno will introduce to the members of DCCCII the background of the NDC – its history, vision, and mandate.

Recent projects of NDC in various places in the Philippines will also be presented and discussed.

One of the highlights of

the presentation will be the thorough discussion of the Davao Food Exchange Complex (DFEC). This project aims to develop the 25-hectare NDC-owned property located in Toril, Davao City into an economic zone for the establishment of a food exchange terminal.

Members of the DCCCII from different sectors are expected to attend the membership meeting, as well as other stakeholders of Davao City.

For more information about the event, please contact the Davao City Professional Management Team at 226-4433 or 221-7515 or email at info@davaochamber. com.

Foreigners keynote DSA Global Summit DCWD explains T

HE Dynamic Spectrum Alliance has announced that Ofcom, the IDA (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be keynoting its Global Summit on May 6 to 8 in Manila.

The summit will bring together regulators, academics, researchers, and industry players from around the world to discuss how policymakers and regulators are enabling spectrum sharing technologies, in support of core policy objectives in areas such as education, healthcare, e-government, public safety, energy and environment, small business enablement, and digital and social inclusion.

‘Bossing’remembers old‘Shoot that Ball’ V

IC Sotto loves basketball and remembers fondly his film involving the sport when he did the latest television commercial for San Miguel Pale Pilsen.

Sotto, also known as Bossing, says he once did a film “Shoot That Ball” in 1987 as part of the popular comedy trio of Tito, Vic and Joey.

“I love basketball and started playing the sport when

BOYS OF SUMMER. Vic Sotto, son-in-law Marc Pingris and June Mar Fajardo engage in a banter while doing the newest San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen commercial.

lousy service D

AVAO City Water District apologizes to customers served by Line 2 ofDumoy Water Supply System (WSS) for the emergency low water pressure to no water which started April 28.

Specific areas affected are the left side portion of Diversion Road (from junction of Bangkal to the bridge near crossing MatinaPangi); MatinaPangi (from Km. 7 to Km. 9); Ma-a (from MetrovilleSubd. to Carlos P. Garcia Highway); Buhangin (from J.P Laurel Avenue to Panorama Homes, from Crossing Milan to Holy Trinity Subd. and from Ma-a Bridge to DPWH Panacan including Camp Catitipan, AFP Mutual Homes and Davao International Airport); Poblacion (Barangays 8, 9, 10 & 11, portion of Quirino Avenue [left side portion from Matina] from Bankerohan Public Market to BangkoSentralngPilipinas, Madapo Hills, Marfori Heights environs, Circumferential Road and Bacaca Road); J.P. Laurel Avenue (from Durian Hotel to Davao Agusan Road); Cabaguio (from DECO Machine Shop to J.P. Laurel Avenue); Angliongto / Mamay Road, Hillside Subd., Belisario Village, Diamond Village, Liceralde Village, JLA Subd., St. Anthony Village, Mamay Village, Roseville Subd., Victoria Heights, Vincent Heights, Leah Subd., Damosa and Grand Regal Hotel; entire Lanang, Pampanga and Sasa; and elevated areas in Panacan (Crystal Meadows, Tierra Verde Village, EMI Ville Homes, Empress Subd., Vista Verde I & II and environs).

Initially, DCWD advised of a scheduled two-hour low water pressure to no water from 4:00 AM to 6:00 AMof April 28 affecting all areas served by Dumoy WSS because of a 15-minute sched-

uled power outage by the Davao Light and Power Company affecting DCWD’sTalomo pumping station. Water supply would have already normalized butstarting 9:25 AM said station could not operate full blast because of low power voltage. Normal operation resumed at 4:00 PMof same day. Unfortunately, another emergency power interruption affected same facility on April 29 from 12:39 AM to 3:20 AM. Although power supply has already resumed at the DCWDTalomo pumping station, the low power voltage and emergency power interruption in DCWD’s Talomo pumping stationmade pressure build-up and recovery difficult, thus the water supply interruption.

On behalf of the DCWD management, general manager Edwin V. Regaladoasks for the understanding and cooperation of affected customers and apologizes for the inconvenience that this water supply interruption is causing. Further, he advises them to store water whenever they can.He also added that DCWD has already started water rationing to affected areas prioritizing hospitals and elevated and far areas.

The general public may visit DCWD website (www. davao-water.gov.ph) and official Facebook page (www. facebook.com/davaowater) or call the Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297-DCWD (3293) and press “1” on their phone dial to listen to latest daily water updates. They may also call / text 0927-7988966, 09255113293 and 0908-4410653 for other updates, complaints, queries and matters pertaining to DCWD services.

(JovanaCresta T. Duhaylungsod)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

SPORTS 15

THE MEGAFIGHT: FEARLESS FORCAST

Edge Davao readers take over and shared their thoughts on the Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight Compiled by NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO EDGE Davao asked some of our friends from all sectors and from practically everywhere in the world on their thoughts, particularly their fearless forecast and bold predictions, of the megafight

CHRISTOPHER Y. GO, Executive Assistant to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte: Pacquiao wil stun Mayweather and wil surely taste an unforgettable first loss.

CHO LEONOR, businessman, golfer: It’s a TRILOGY!!! The boxing world needs this fight. Everyone wants to see this fight ... and for that, people will pay good money to see it unfold.

We will witness DRAMA on May 3 ... that’s why I predict a “controversial” win for the MONEY MAN!!! ... Meaning another fight later this year. Although our hero will lose this fight, he’ll go home 1 billion pesos richer ... not bad for 36 minutes of work.

between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather of the United States. The fight happens this Sunday but before that happenes here are the thoughts of our readers.

MAE SANCHEZ, marketing manager, Prime Sports:

It’s going to be a historical battle of two-prized fighters defending not only their titles but their egos. Mayweather to end the fight unscathed keeping his zero-losses record and Pacquiao putting a stop to Mayweather’s mocking and bragging. I bet on the latter of course.

GERALD GARCES, project manager, Matina Enclaves: Very witty si Mayweather especially with his defense.

Pacman has to be intelligent enough to be able to control his anxiety to knock out Mayweather. We don’t want anther scenario like how he lost from his last fight with Marquez.

Out of his too eagerness, he became careless.

PACO MENDOZA, manager, Kia Motors Davao:

KENNETH SAI, sports organizer, Vantage Sports: Pacquiao via UD.

BONG GONZAGA, assistant regional director, Land Transportation Office 11: Pacquiao to win 9 to 12 rounds.

JON DEVELOS, sports editor, Mindanao Times: Pacquiao has to win via knockout. If it goes the distance, Mayweather might win. Pacman must get the early rounds for leverage on possible split decision.

Pinoy pa rin. Pacquiao.

CHITO MALABANAN, Engineer, Saudi Arabia:

ANDY RARA, station manager, DXAB Davao:

This will be a boring first three rounds of fight with much of clenching and running Mayweather in hid usual self,,with some foul tactics..If Pacman can continue the pressure and not be frustrated by Floyd’s antics,,he’ll have a good chance for a knock out in the middle rounds ,,but if it goes the full 12 rounds,,it will be a majority or split decision for Floyd.

If Manny can sustain his volume punching all the way to the last round then he might have a chance to win the fight. Anything less than that kind of performance by Manny would be good for Mayweather. So Manny should not allow Floyd to impose his style and pace to win it.

ATTY. ISRAELITO TORREON, Dean, Cor Jesu College of Digos College of Law: I pray that Pacquaio will send Mayweather to “dreamland” so the latter will also learn the value of humility!

NIMROD QUIñONES, Manager, Alta Vista Golf and Country Club, Cebu:

EMMET PENSON, distributor, Bauerfeind sports suport system: Sunday is gametime for the so-called Fight of the Century. But despite the hype for this megafight, I predict a dance/run/duck routine for the fleety Floyd. He will bring Pacman’s patience and endurance to a supreme test and win with his superior counter punching either by unanimous decision or a cheat punch early in the match.

Pacman’s toe to toe inside boxing will be ineffective with a forever moving and running Floyd. They are aware of the Pacman’s new found power punch. But let’s pray that Pacman gets thru a lucky sleeper of a punch home and send Floyd to Zzzzland and 47-1.

DR. MARK BENIGNOS, urologisttriathlete: Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is classic! Indeed a fight of the century. Both fighters will slug off their best. But i would still go for a KO by Manny with his strong left to Mayweather...on the 4th or 5th round.

There will be no knockout and the bout could end either in a split decision or a draw.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 20 • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

BIGGEST PACMAN CROWD 20,000 Palaro delegates to watch Pacman fight on giant screens T

HE Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex (DNSTC) will be the venue of perhaps the biggest outdoor gathering of Filipino fans rooting for Manny Pacquiao in the most important fight of his fabled career against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sunday.

And the crowd would be representing the entire country—all 17 regions of them.

CONFIDENT. Manny Pacquiao appeared very composed during the fans day at Las Vegas on Tuesday (Wednesday PH Time).

“Easily it would be the biggest public viewing ever for a Manny Pacquiao fight,” Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s Malate.

The 2015 Palarong Pambansa hosts have deliberately delayed the games’ opening ceremonies for a day on Monday to give way to the Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight in Las Vegas that is expected to happen at noon Sunday.

But competitions in some of the 17 sports on the Palaro program will start on Sunday for the weeklong Davao del Norte Palaro backed by the Tagum Agricultural Development Company Inc., Damosa Land, Davao Packaging Corp., Davao International Container Terminal, Inc. and Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

“There will be

four giant LED screens at the DNSTC and we expect all members of each of the delegations from the country’s 17 regions to be there rooting for Manny Pacquiao,” Palaro Organizing Committee Secretariat Chairperson Sofonias Gabonada Jr. said.

The Palaro, supervised by the Department of Education, is the annual grassroot multi-sport competition among students in the primary and secondary level from all of the country’s 17 regions.

Attendance is pegged at no less than 7,000 athletes, plus 3,000 officials, coaches and team support and thousands more team support—chaperones, family members and tourists.

“Not only are the participants in the Palaro expected for the public viewing but all of Tagum City and Davao del Norte who are all eager to see Manny Pacquiao beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.,” del Rosario said.