Edge Davao 8 Issue 38

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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WAITING FOR THE COUNTDOWN. Runners eagerly wait for the countdown to the shower of colors highlighting the color festival of Color Manila Run Davao leg last Sunday at the Davao Crocodile Park. Over 1,000 runners took part in the event. Neil Bravo

RODY: IT’S SUICIDE Duterte clears call center agent in Pequeño massacre

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has cleared the 41-year-old man initially tagged in last Wednesday’s Catalunan Pequeño massacre, saying the incident that saw the deaths of four people was clearly a case of murder-suicide.

Investigators had found an alleged suicide note suspected to have been written by one of the fatalities, 17-year-old Philip Sacro Salazar.

The mayor also said according to the police, Salazar was holding the knife embedded on his chest when he was

found.

Ramon Curray, the stepfather of one of the victims, had initially been arrested after being tagged a “person of interest” in the said crime.

But the suicide note plus records from Sutherland Global Services where he works seem to clear Curray.

Records showed that Curray entered the office at around 6 p.m. on May 19 and went out at 6 a.m. on May 20, the day of the crime.

The massacre was estimated to have occurred at around 6 a.m. on May 20.

The mayor said the police cannot prevent a suicidal instinct and that the massacre was a crime of passion.

Police Officer (PO)3 Wilfredo Gallego, the investigator of the massacre, said probers already have a copy of the CCTV footage of Sutherland Global Services showing that Curray was really in the vicinity of the company during the time of the incident.

Gallego clarified that Curray is still considered a person of interest since he was the first person to see the dead bodies, although Curray is now

out of the safekeeping custody of Talomo Police Station.

Curray is the live-in partner of Vijealyn Sacro Omila, the daughter of victim Virgnia Sacro. Omila is currently working in Japan.

Gallego said all speculations will be answered after the laboratory results comes out.

The laboratory result is expected to come out 10 days after the submission of requirements.

Gallego said police are also looking at rape as one of the angles of the killing.

INSIDE EDGE

WINE SEDUCTION

Indulge A1

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

ENROLLMENT TIME. A father fills up the enrollment form of his daughter during the first day of the Department of Education (DepEd) Oplan Balik Eskwela 2015 at Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Federalism tour swings to Luzon

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HE Duterte for Federalism Movement will tour around the areas of Luzon to promote Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s call for a shift in government system.

Speaking in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Davao at SM City Annex, Duterte for Federalism Movement national vice president Alimodin Usman told reporters there are plans to tour Luzon to increase the support ratings of Duterte in that area.

“Mao man gud kulang didto sa atong ratings. Medyo ang atong pangandoy na ma-

dugangan pa maong didto mi mag focus sa Luzon (That’s what we lack there. Our goal is to increase the ratings, which is why we will focus in Luzon),” Usman said.

He said there is no problem with the mayor’s ratings in Mindanao since Duterte has 90 percent popularity rating and 65 percent in the Visayas area.

He said the group is targeting 40 to 50 percent of support coming from Luzon areas. Usman, however, did

FFEDERALISM, 10

DepEd orders schools to enroll students with previous balance

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HE Department of Education (DepEd) 11 has ordered all public elementary and high schools to allow the enrollment of students even if they have not paid some contributions in the previous school year.

Speaking in a press conference yesterday, DepEd 11 Regional Director Alberto T. Escobarte said he already issued a memorandum addressed to all Division Superintendents of the region stating that all collection from the previous school year will not be payable anymore for this year.

Escobarte said all contributions, including Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and other miscella-

neous fees, from last year are already expired for this school year, which means students are no longer obliged to pay them.

“We see in DepEd regional office 11 that all contributions enacted during last school are now expired and no longer collectible,” he said.

Escobarte also said forcing parents to pay the previous balance means it is “not a voluntary contribution anymore.”

He said his office came up with the memorandum due to the complaints of some parents.

“We are now removing all the obstacles of the parents during enrolment,” he said.

Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

Gabriela foresees increase in dropout rate due to K-12

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

G

ABRIELA Party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said her group sees an increase in the student dropout rate in the next school year because of the implementation of the K-12 program, which is set to be implemented in school year 2016-2017.

Ilagan said the dropout rate will increase because the poor cannot afford the

additional two years of study.

She also said there are many barangays that do not have a national high school.

Ilagan said the country is not yet ready for the full implementation of K-12 program since the schools still do not have facilities to accommodate the additional two years of education.

She also said the teachers who will teach the new

curriculum are not yet ready.

Ilagan said the poor sector also cannot afford to buy the new books that the new curriculum requires.

“If the problem on our education is quality, why would you answer it with quantity? Why don’t we enhance the quality of our education instead of adding two years that will cause burden to the parents?” she said.

She also said the kind of curriculum that the K-12 requires is intended for other countries, not the Philippines.

Ilagan said her group is conducting a signature campaign to stop the K-12 implementation.

Two cases were also filed before the Supreme Court to hold the implementation of the program, she said.

“Duterte has continued to espouse the killing of criminal suspects to combat crime in a city that has long had high numbers of apparent ‘death squad’ killings – more than 1,000 since the late 1990s,” Kine said.

He said the government “should take a zero-tolerance approach to any public official who publicly endorses extrajudicial killings as an acceptable means of crime control…

Duterte’s public support for the extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals should prompt a long overdue investigation into Duterte’s possible role in those deaths.”

Duterte had responded by saying HRW should look at its own country which “cannot even protect the human rights of their country, the American-Africans and other minorities.”

“To all bleeding hearts of US-based crime watch: You want a taste of justice, my style? Come to Davao City, Philippines, and do drugs in my city. I will execute you in public,” Duterte said.

He said that he offers no excuses nor he apologized for the things he said in public on his crime prevention in the city by eliminating illegal drugs.

Duterte dares HRW to file charges against him

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

A

abf@edgedavao.net

FTER slamming the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte challenged the group to sue him in court.

“Go directly to court. File it and we will see,” Duterte said in an interview during the thanksgiving for the police and military personnel who assisted in the recent Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City.

“There is no need for them to go to... the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), they can go directly to court.

That is allowed,” he said.

The mayor said HRW

should file a case against him to find out if there is probable cause to indict him for human rights violations.

“I would like to be cross examined,” he added, adding that the accusations of HRW are not new.

Assked why HRW “resurrected” the issue, Duterte joked: “Baka nabuhay rin yung pinatay (The dead might have resurrected).”

HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine earlier said the Philippine government “should investigate Duterte for his possible involvement on the killings in the city over the past decade.”

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

EAGA to boost sub-regional link K EY officials and representatives from the four-country BIMP-EAGA sub-region convened here Monday at the Princesa Garden Resort for a two-day meeting aimed to firm up initiatives for enhanced economic cooperation.

Dubbed as the BIMP-EAGA Senior Officials and Cluster Heads Post-Summit Meeting, the event gathered senior officials, representatives from various ministries, and business leaders to also take up several directives of the country leaders issued at the 11th EAGA Summit held last month in Malaysia.

Held alongside the regular ASEAN Summit, the BIMP-EAGA Leaders Summit is an annual meeting of heads of states of the four EAGA countries with the aim of assessing the developments and accomplishments of the sub-region.

“We organized this post-summit meeting to reaffirm commitments and revisit targets aimed to improve linkages within the sub-regional grouping,” said Trade Undersecretary Prudencio Reyes Jr., Philippine senior official to the BIMP-EAGA. Reyes explained the twoday meet will result into ac-

FEAGA, 10 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte delivers his message to the participants of the Rotaract DISCON in Tagum City last Saturday. The Convention was attended by Rotary

Japan grants P500-M for Mindanao

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HE Philippines will receive a grant of 1.117 billion Japanese yen or about Php500 million from the Japanese government to finance community development project in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

The grant assistance, which was made possible through the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development, will facilitate the rehabilitation and construction of farm-to-market roads particularly in Bumbaran in Lanao del Sur, Datu Paglas in Maguindanao and Alamada in North Cotabato.

Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and Noriaki Niwa, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippine Office, signed the grant agreement on Monday

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

on behalf of the Philippine and Japanese governments.

“Through linking target farm villages to major highways, the project is expected to enhance the welfare of farmers that rely largely in crop production as their main source of livelihood,” said Balisacan in his statement during the signing.

The community development project, to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture, was endorsed through diplomatic channels on September 17, 2014.

“We look forward to the attainment of full benefits from this undertaking and eventually to the enjoyment of ‘dividends of peace’ in Mindanao through the implementation of various peace and development programs in the area,” Balisacan said. (PNA)

youth representatives from the different regions in Visayas and Mindanao. (CIO)

House committee OKs creation of Minpocor

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE bill on the creation of the Mindanao Power Corporation (Minpocor) that will manage the Agus-Pulangi Hydro Power Complexes and prevent their privatization was approved on the joint committee level on the House of the Representatives on May 20, 2015.

The Joint House committees on Energy, Government Enterprises and Privatization, and Mindanao Affairs which approved the bill was presided over by energy committee chair Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali,

together with Reps. Arnulfo Go of House Committee on Mindanao Affair and Jesus Sacdalan of House Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization.

The bill is titled “An Act Creating the Mindanao Power Corp. and Providing Funds Therefore” and was principally authored by Party-list Rep. Edgardo R. Masongsong of 1 CARE, together with 33 other legislators including Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali of Oriental Mindoro. It aims to substitute House Bills 676, 2621, and 4883.

When approved, the Mindanao-led Minpocor will be managing Mindanao’s main hydro facility Agus Pulangi, which under the law should be privatized just like other stateowned generation assets.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and members of the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (Amreco) had pushed for the approval of the bill.

MinDA director for investment promotions and public affair Romeo Montenegro said Mindanao stakeholders want to show that Mindanao

Mar still on top of LP’s list of standard bearer in 2016

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TIGHT WATCH. As over 1,000 runners are flagged off for the Color Manila Run Davao leg, a soldier keeps tight watch by the sidelines while a drone hovers above at the Davao Crocodile Park on Sunday.

can purchase the complexes from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm).

Meanwhile, Amreco president Sergio Dagooc feared that the cost of power in Mindanao will go up if it will be sold to a non-Mindanawon company.

“I believe Minpocor can buy the Agus Pulangi from the government,” he said, adding that the P10 billion revenue from operation of the hydro complexes is enough to pay the corporation’s debt while subsidizing the rehabilitation. (With PNA)

RESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday clarified that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is on top of the list as possible presidential candidates of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) in 2016. ”As far as our coalition is concerned, he is at the top of the list,” President Aquino said in a media interview after his speech during the Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela 2015 in Marikina City.

President Aquino said Roxas has “demonstrated quite a range of expertise in so many different assignments.” ”He is a valuable member of the Cabinet. He has been a staunch leader of the party even during the days that we are in the opposition,” President Aquino said.

The President also admired the DILG Secretary for

his ability to sacrifice, citing Roxas’ decision to set aside his plan to run for president when a call for then Senator Aquino to run for highest office skyrocketed in 2010 following the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino. ”So all of these traits should point out that, to my mind, as far as our coalition is concerned, he is at the top of the list,” he emphasized.

President Aquino, however, said a lot of consultations are still ongoing regarding the ruling party’s plan in the next year’s elections. ”We will have a consensus,” the President told the media.

Contrary to his previous statement that the LP standard bearer will be known by June, the President said the en-

FMAR, 10

EDGEDAVAO

4 BIGGER PICTURE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

FAVORING A SHIFT

Dabawenyos believe federalism presents better economic opportunities

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

A

NEW survey by the Institute of Popular Opinion (IPO) of the University of Mindanao showed that many Dabawenyos support a shift to a federal form of government because of the possibility of more economic opportunities.

The IPO survey, “Dabawenyos’ Understanding of Federalism” released on May 18 showed that 70 percent of the 1,200 respondents from the three political districts of Davao City favored a shift from the current unitary presidential system to a federal one.

Of this, 49.3 percent pointed out the economic opportunities of federalism, believing that changing to that system will improve their financial condition. The same percentage believes federalism will increase the budget of the local government units.

The survey also suggested that 34 percent of Dabawenyos are in favor of shifting to federalism because they believe it will address the peace and order situation, while 30 percent think it will improve public service. Only 26 percent, however believe federalism will address poverty.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has been going around the country on a “listening tour” on federalism and has been saying it would break the colonization of Mindanao by the “elite in Manila.”

A separate informal survey conducted by EDGE Davao among those from the business, youth, and private sectors as well politicians showed that majority of the respondents believe there is a need to shift to federalism because the current system is no longer effective in addressing social issues.

“I guess it’s about time to shift our system to a new one which is federalism,” Bankerohan barangay captain Edgar P. Ibuyan Jr said in a text message. “For so long our country has never gotten up in terms of economic progress.”

Ibuyan said the Philippines used to be number one in Asia “but our country never progressed be-

cause of our present system of government.”

“It’s scary to try this new system which almost all of us knows little about it. But I guess it’s worth trying than staying in the old one,” he added. “Economically, the federal system could give all the local government units (LGUs) a much bigger share of their

internal revenue (allotment).”

For fourth year Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) AB Political Science student and SAMAHAN president Regel Kent A. Asuero, federalism would address key issues on “unequal redistribution of national wealth, conflicts in Mindanao, and other eco-

nomic and social issues.”

“The proposed federal structure can be a primary game changer in redefining Philippine solidarity,” Asuero said. “This can more likely increase local solidarity amongst people in different regions given the level of autonomy they will enjoy governing themselves without having to depend

on the dictates of imperialistic Manila.”

Private company employee Dalisay Hamo, cashier of EDGE Davao, said she supports federalism because of the higher local budget it entails, but Zion Accuprint marketing specialist Christie Samonte said it would be better to stay with the current struc-

ture because empowering the local governments “will only promote corruption.”

Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) chair Vicente T. Lao and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) president Antonio dela Cruz pushed for federalism.

“A very big yes to Federalism,” Lao said. “ It’s about time that Mindanaoans are allowed to chart our own destiny.”

Dela Cruz said shifting to federalism would allow Davao City to “not be beholden to imperial Manila.”

Lawyer Leoncio Villa-Abirlle said he has experienced federalism firsthand when he resided in the US for 15 years.

“If federalism is successful in a rich country like America, a developing nation like the Philippines has every reason as well to adopt the system for better governance. In a federal system, local problems can be directly addressed outright, while in a unitary system, it takes a long time for the central government to resolve a local concern considering the hundreds of LGUs it has to attend to,” he said.

Villa-Abrilla said under a federal government, every state government is unique and its needs are distinct which the local officials by themselves can locally meet outright to serve the best interest of its own constituents.

“Under federalism, the so-called ‘imperial Manila’ would be de-centralized and progress will be faster with a localized governance,” he said.

Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 regional director Remelyn Recoter said she also favors federalism “so that locals, be it regional or provincial, can decide on their own peculiarities” especially since the Philippines has 16 regions with different cultures that have different needs and aspirations.

“However, measures must be in place to avoid abuse of power and conflicts among regional governments,” she added.

EDGEDAVAO

5 ECONOMY

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

WELCOME. Philippine Export (Philexport) Davao president Ferdinand Marañon welcomes the delegates to yesterday’s OVERVIEW. Export Development Center deputy executive director Emmarita Z. Mijares gives an overview of the Philregional seminar on the Philippine Export Development Plan 2014-2016 at the Grand Regal Hotel in Lanang, Davao ippine Export Development Plan 2014-2016 in her presentation during yesterday’s regional seminar at the Grand City. Lean Daval Jr. Regal Hotel in Lanang, Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

Exporters oppose ComVal’s banana industry ordinance

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

B

ANANA exporters from Davao Region fear that the provincial ordinance of Compostela Valley aiming to develop the banana industry by taxing banana farmers and establishing its own localized quarantine standard will hamper the growth of the region’s banana industry.

“The ordinance, titled ‘The banana industry ordinance

of Compostela Valley,’ is like a double regulation that hampers us, the exporters,” Philippine Exporter Confederation-Davao executive director Edwin A. Sotto told reporters yesterday.

Sotto said the intent of the ordinance is ”good” but the content of the ordinance “seems to defeat the intent.”

He said under the propos-

al, the provincial government is planning to tax banana farmers based on the area of operation.

“This will burden our small banana farmers,” he said.

Sotto also said there is “an overlapping to the function and counterproductive.”

Under the proposal, the provincial government of

Comval is planning to establish quarantine rule in the barangay, municipal, and provincial levels.

“It will add to the bureaucracy. Instead of streamlining government processes, the provincial government wants to add more. This is counterproductive,” Sotto said.

He said the plan to estab-

FEXPORTERS, 10

SSS Flexi-fund incentives up 75% A TOTAL of 37,612 qualified Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with active accounts under the Social Security System’s (SSS) Flexi-fund Program received 75 percent higher additional income on their savings, driven by increased investment earnings.

Total annual incentive benefit (AIB) disbursements for 2014 amounted to P12.68 million, a P5.44-million jump from the P7.24 million released in 2013, SSS Senior Vice President for International Op-

erations Division Judy Frances See said.

AIBs are additional income on savings of OFW members under the SSS Flexi-fund Program, a voluntary provident fund and pension-plan scheme exclusively offered to OFWs that was launched in 2001.

Active Flexi-fund members with no final benefit or full withdrawal claims filed for the year are qualified for AIB. They may receive AIB each year on top of the guaranteed earnings, depending on the ac-

FSSS, 10

6 THE ECONOMY

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Philippines among world’s fastest growing economies

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GONE ORGANIC. An exhibitor fixes his display of organic products before the start of last Sunday’s Lanang Weekend Market at SM Lanang Premier. Lean Daval Jr.

P1.76 billion budget pushed to develop export industry

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

P

crc@edgedavao.net

RIVATE-SECTOR led Export Development Council (EDC) has proposed a P1.76 billion budget through the Export Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the development of the export industry to attain the US$1 billion export target by 2017.

Under the three-year Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2014-2017, the fund, which will be included under the General Appropriation Act (GAA) 2016 by the DBM, will be used to implement strategies that will make Philippines an exporting nation.

“Mindanao will have a huge benefit from these because it will help local exporters from here. Under the plan we will be implementing plans and programs as based on our export industry development strategies,” Export Development Center deputy executive

director Emmarita Z. Mijares told reporters yesterday.

During the regional seminar on the PEDP 2014-2016 at the Grand Regal Hotel, Mijares said Mindanao has a huge potential because of the various export commodities like activated carbon, marine and aquaculture, and processed fruit and vegetables, among others.

Mijares said these commodities are among the key and emerging export sectors that were included in the development plan which is expected to be implemented next year. The plan will also be used to encourage exporters from losing sectors to reconsider their industry and check their role in the value chain.

She said there was a delay in the implementation because the council had to implement public consultations during the drafting of the development plan last year. “The con-

cept is good as approved. We are just waiting for the approval from the DBM,” she said.

The fund will be used to support the establishment of national quality infrastructure, comprehensive packages of support program for key and emerging sector including global value chain analysis, setting up of systems for voluntary certification and labeling, improving of exporters’ access to financing, training and capacity building, including those for certification and qualification compliance.

It will be also used to support product and design development assistance to export and investment and marketing promotions.

Philippine Exporters Confederation-Davao president Ferdinand Marañon lauded the plan, saying the development in the export industry will “propel to economic development.”

“This government agenda to achieve export development goal will make the country more competitive to other Asean countries which are already leading in terms of export performance,”Marañon said.

He said the Philippines is already lagging behind Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand.

“Ours is just a quarter of Thailand, more than half of Vietnam, and just one third of Indonesia’s performance,” he said. “It is sad to note that our export grew for only 5 percent compared to the 18.5 percent of Vietnam and 11.1 of Indonesia.”

The Davao Region, meanwhile, is a top exporter of fresh and processed banana, cacao and coconut, among others.

As an effect of the boost in the export industry, the council expects that the plan will help in creating more jobs and reduce poverty and lead to inclusive growth.

total trade between the two ASEAN countries in 2014 only reached to US$5.3 billion.

Top exports of Malaysia to the Philippines include electrical and electronic products, chemicals and chemical products, palm oil, crude petroleum, and petroleum products while top imports of Malaysia from the Philippines likewise include the same products as well as processed food.

“Our bilateral trade is quite small in the context of our strong economic growth,

so there’s a huge potential,” he said.

He noted that the two countries should also take advantage of the benefits of the ASEAN integration such as the zero-duty on trade of goods.

Moreover, Mohamed also pushed to enhance investment ties of the Philippines and Malaysia.

The Malaysia trade and industry chief has brought 32 companies for a business mission here until Tuesday.

He said the 32 Malaysian

firms are from the sectors of manufacturing, food products, information and communication technology, and services among others.

Malaysian investments that are currently in the Philippines are AlloyMtd, Maybank, AirAsia, Berjaya Philippines, Inc., Resorts World, Shangri-La, and Emerge Technology, among others while Philippine-based firms that expanded to Malaysia are San Miguel Corporation, Univer-

Huge potential for Phl, Malaysia to grow trade and investments

M

ALAYSIAN Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed wants to further boost trade and investments between Malaysia and the Philippines.

Mohamed, who led a business delegation in Manila, told reporters in a briefing Monday that bilateral trade value between the two countries is quite low relative to the strong economic growth of the Philippines and Malaysia.

According to Mohamed,

FHUGE, 10

HE Philippines is among the top five countries in the world with fastest economic growth both in medium and long term, according to United States-based think tank IHS Global Insight.

In its IHS Economics Global Executive Summary published this month, IHS forecasts that the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) will grow at an average of 6.0 percent from 2015 to 2019.

The country’s medium-term GDP growth will be the fourth fastest economic growth in the world only next to India’s average medium-term GDP growth of 7.8 percent, Vietnam’s 6.8 percent, and China’s 6.7 percent.

The 6.0-percent average GDP growth of the Philippines in the medium term is higher than IHS’ GDP growth projection for Nigeria at 5.8 percent, Indonesia at 5.5 percent, Qatar at 5.4 percent, Malaysia at 5.3 percent, Angola at 4.8 percent, and Egypt at 4.5 percent.

In the long term or from 2020 to 2045, IHS said the Philippines’ economic growth will even surpass the China’s and it will be the third fastest growing economy in the world.

IHS’ GDP growth outlook for the Philippine in the long term is seen at an average of 4.6 percent, only next to India and Vietnam at 5.9 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.

Indonesia’s long-term average GDP growth is projected at 4.6 percent while China is at 4.5 percent.

GDP growth winners in

the long run will also include Chile with average growth of 4.4 percent, South Africa at 4.4 percent, Peru at 4.3 percent, Egypt at 4.2 percent, and Angola at 4.0 percent.

Earlier, IHS Asia Pacific Chief Economist Rajiv Biswas noted that the Philippines has the capacity for robust long-term economic growth supported by its strong information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry and remittances from Filipino workers abroad.

Biswas also stressed the need for the Philippine government to improve infrastructure and the local business climate in order to attract more foreign direct investments (FDIs) that will boost job generation.

“While the Aquino government has made efforts to improve this ranking, there is still a great deal of work to do to improve the overall competitiveness of the Philippines to attract large inflows of FDI,” he mentioned.

To improve the country’s business environment, IHS economist mentioned that the government should increase its investments in infrastructure to create high quality transport infrastructure for roads, ports and airports.

There should also be more competitive power sector that will be favorable to manufacturing and services sectors.

“This will help to reduce poverty rates by boosting jobs growth and household incomes,” Biswas stressed.

(PNA)

Free Trade Area study to be completed next year

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RADE officials meeting for the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) agreed to complete the study on the Free Trade Area in the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) by the end of 2016, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, said in a press conference on Sunday.

Domingo was asked by the media what was achieved during the one-and-a-half day MRT meeting with regards to the FTAAP. “As agreed last year in Beijing that we will complete the terms of reference this year, so that was endorsed. And we will complete the study by end of next year, so that was decided during the MRT,” he said as a response.

Asia-Pacific leaders who met in China last year agreed to move towards a new free trade zone strongly backed by Beijing. They agreed to launch a study into the FTAAP. Also during the press conference, Domingo read the APEC MRT statement, with the ministers reaffirming their commitment to promote trade and investment liberalization and strengthen economic cooperation to achieve inclusive growth in the Asia

Pacific region.

“We are committed to building an open economy in the Asia Pacific region featuring innovative development, interconnected growth and shared interests,” the ministers said in the statement.

“We shared ideas and exchanged views on important trade and investment issues to build consensus on how we can work together effectively and efficiently for the betterment of the APEC region.”

They said that as the world economy still struggles to gain traction and as the world trade lags behind its potential, growth has remained uneven and below the pace necessary to generate the jobs that the APEC economies need.

And as the leaders of a dynamic region, which accounts for 46 percent of the world trade, 57 percent of the global GDP and 39 percent of the global population, the ministers said they have an obligation to expand trade and spur economic activity.

The goal is to attain a strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth for the entire Asia Pacific region, they said.

(PNA)

INdulge!

FOOD

By Cheneen R. Capon

F

or the French, drinking wine is an art form. Wine is judged by its color, the length of the “legs,” its aroma, and the taste.

This was the introduction French connoisseurs Daniel and Cristy Barbat gave during a recent wine tasting event at the Swiss Deli and Restaurant Matina Branch.

Determining the quality wine of wine is not assessed in a bulk gulp. It requires patience.

For Daniel, drinking wine is like being with a woman. Indeed, he credits wine for making his and Cristy’s relationship last for 29 years.

First, look, as if the wine are her eyes, and be mesmerized. Smell, as if you’re memorizing her scent, taking every part of it. Taste, as if it’s her lips. Before letting it enter your system, let the wine indulge your palate until it reaches

the back of your mind.

Allow its flavor be remembered “Take another sip and further study its complexities,” Daniel said.

Varying from taste to taste, each bottle of wine bears its own uniqueness.

White wines give a gush of youthfulness and freshness with its citrusy flavor, while red wines share the feeling of solidity and complexity as more flavors are defined and explored.

White wines are usually partnered with pasta, while reds are best suited for meat dishes.

However, there’s actually no need for a pasta or meat dishes if a bottle of wine will be shared by lovers and friends.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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A2 INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

STYLE

Fashion for your feet

By Kenneth Irving Ong

WHAT STARTED OUT as a vision to spread happiness by turning an everyday essential into a colorful design piece with a rigid standard of ultimate quality, craftsmanship and creativity in 2008 by its Swedish founders, Viktor Tell and Mikael Söderlindh, Happy Socks is now making waves.

Viktor Tell, Happy Sock’s Creative Director, worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for several years before finding his place in the fashion world. Inspired by colourful, playful patterns and designs, he is influenced by the daily “everything and nothing” when designing the Happy Socks collections. His motto: “All play, no work” accurately shows what the label is all about, turning a simple and overlooked product into a fun, creative, expressive success story.

The CEO of Happy Socks, Mikael Söderlindh on the other-hand worked in the advertising industry for 10 years before he and long-time friend Viktor Tell started their Happy Socks adventure.

After a decade of working in the service business, Mikael wanted to develop a product on a global

market and build his own brand from A to Z; all driven by a clear strategy and business know-how.

Integrating the corporate structure with a personal touch, Mikael runs Happy Socks by allowing creativity to evolve and grow without interference.

Turning ordinary boring socks into a bright means of expressing one’s self, Happy Socks with its almost endless variety of models and designs, crossing a wide spectrum of color combinations, materials and textures turned out to be a big hit.

The trend of wearing colourful socks was started

by Happy Socks as a way to make a statement with some of Hollywood’s biggest and most fashionable individuals sporting them.

Happy, bright, playful and outgoing de designs of Happy Socks is now sold in more than

70 countries across every continent making Happy Socks a market leader in a segment they created,

with all traditional sock producers now also creating colorful socks; none as original, unique and fash-

ionable as Happy Socks.

Find out more on how to make your feet happy at www.facebook.com/Hap-

pySocksPH. Happy Socks are available at all Chimes Specialty Stores across Davao City.

UP AND ABOUT

Continue the Marvel: Avengers Alliance adventure with Smart’s GameX STILL dealing with a major Avengers hangover after watching this year’s biggest superhero blockbuster film? Fret no more because you can immerse in the Marvel universe with the Marvel: Avenger Alliance,a riveting role-playing game on your Android de-

vice.

Marvel: Avenger Alliance is downloadable for free on GameX, the country’s leading portal for PC and mobile gamers developed by Smart Communications.

The action packed game lets you take on the role of a novice S.H.I.E.L.D. agent tasked to explore a mysterious force with your favorite Marvel Superheroes on your side, including The Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, in over 60 missions and 450 epic battles against the most ruthless villains.

Special rates for in-app purchases To level up your gaming experience, GameX allows you to link your Marvel: Avengers Alliance game to your mobile account, so you can conveniently purchase Energy and Gold, which you shall need to breeze through missions and training, secure weapons and recruit your favorite superheroes.

With GameX, you can boost your Marvel: Avengers Alliance gameplay for as low as Php5.00 under a special promo pe-

riod, charged to your prepaid load or postpaid bill.

Easy one-time registration To set up your GameX

account, simply go to www.gamex.ph, where you will be asked to input your Smart, Sun or Talk ‘N Text number. You’ll

then receive a code on your phone, which you can use to verify your account and finish your onetime registration.

Upon logging in, make sure to indicate your phone model so that you can enjoy all the games and services available for your handset. Simply click the Marvel: Avengers Alliance game in the portal to instantly receive it in your phone for quick installation.

Since the game is now automatically linked to your GameX account, a few clicks is all it takes to make in-app purchases to level up your character and get the most exciting Marvel: Avengers Alliance experience.

For more GameX information and updates, simply visit the GameX official website (www.gamex.ph) and follow the official account on Facebook (www. facebook.com/gamexphilippines).

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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ENTERTAINMENT

Pasion De Amor to heat up primetime TV PRIMETIME television has never been this hot as ABSCBN gathers some of today’s hottest stars for the highlyanticipated remake of the worldwide hit telenovela sensation “Pasion De Amor” premiering this June 1.

Topbilled by Jake Cuenca, Ejay Falcon, Joseph Marco, Ellen Adarna, Coleen Garcia, and newest Kapamilya Arci Munoz, ‘Pasion De Amor’ relives the passionate story of love and revenge between the Samonte brothers and Elizondo sisters.

Despite being orphans at an early age, the Samonte siblings namely Juan (Jake), Oscar (Ejay), Franco (Joseph) and Olivia (Ingrid Dela Paz) grew up filled with love in their hearts and tightly knit as a family.

One mistake would change their lives when Olivia fell in love with rich and married haciendero Bernardo Elizondo (Ronaldo Valdez). After learning about her husband’s infidelity, Gabriela (Teresa Loyzaga) seeks revenge and only Olivia and Bernardo’s death can appease her.

Norma (Arci), Sari (Ellen) and Jamie (Coleen) fall in love with them.

Filipino viewers first loved ‘Pasion De Amor,’ starring Mexican superstar Mario Cimarro, back in 2007. This is the fourth telenovela locally adapted by ABS-CBN following the successful remakes of “Rubi” and popular Thalia-seryes “Maria La Del Barrio” and “Maria Mercedes.”

‘Pasion De Amor’

Gabriela proceeds with her plans and succeeds in getting rid of the two.

The Samonte brothers, meanwhile, get so devastated with what hap-

pened to their youngest sister that they vowed to do everything in their power just to avenge her. In order for them to do this, they step inside

marks the directorial comeback of Eric Quizon for a primetime soap.

Also joining the cast are Teresa Loyzaga, Aubrey Miles, Michelle Madrigal, Ahron Villena, Ingrid Dela Paz, Daria Ramirez, Alex Castro, AJ Dee, Ron Morales, Zeppi Borromeo, Ashley Rivera, Benj Bolivar, Nathaniel Britt, Mauro Lumba, June Macasaet, and with special participation of Mr. Ronaldo Valdez.

Hacienda Elizondo and with their irresistible charms and manly physiques, the three seduce and make Bernardo and Gabriela’s daughters

Jed Madela drops Star Music’s biggest album of the year WORLD singing champion Jed Madela dropped his latest album “Iconic” earlier this month without notice, making him the first Filipino artist to release an album unannounced.

Living up to its album title, “Iconic” features Jed’s unique versions of tracks by music icons such as Madonna (“Like A Prayer”), Mariah Carey (“Love Takes Time”), Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is” feat. 5thGen), and Whitney Houston’s (”Didn’t We Almost Have It All”). Jed is the only male Filipino artist to release an album featuring the said divas’ hits.

“For a time, I was reported to have lost my voice due to sickness, and this album proves that I still have it. I’ve done things in this album that I had not done

before, and you’ll know what they are if you listen to ‘Iconic,’” said Jed. “Iconic,” Star Music’s biggest album for 2015, also marks a first for Jed – a duet with Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid in the classic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Jed also experiments with new sound and

sumptuous beats with EDM-laced tracks such as his remake of Christina Aguilera’s pop ballad “Beautiful,” “Like A Prayer (Brian Cua Sunset Remix),” “Beautiful (Moophs Remix),” and Jed’s original composition “Welcome To My World,” which acts as the album’s opening and closing tracks served up

in two versions.

Also included on the 14-track list are Jed’s remakes of Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen,” Gloria Estefan’s “Don’t Wanna Lose You Now,” Tiffany’s “If Love is Blind,” and Toni Braxton’s “You Mean the World to Me.” “Iconic,” produced by Jonathan Manalo and Jed, is now available at all record bars nationwide for only P350. 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, Amazon.com, 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.

May 22-26, 2015

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult R16

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

PITCH PERFECT 2 Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson PG

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

TOMORROWLAND George Clooney, Britt Robertson PG

R-16

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

SPY Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham R13

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

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

EVENT

Plana Forma comes to town

By Cheneen R. Capon OW, getting fit has come to an excitingly new level.

N

Manila’s latest fitness trend called the bar technique has gone south as the Plana Forma opened its first regional branch in Davao

City at the second level of the FelcrisCentrale.

Fitness tandem Tina and IyaLagdameo conspired to bring Plana Forma after Davao’s fitness community responded positiviely during tryout classes.

That acceptance, along with the growing popularity of this bar technique, paved the way for Plana Forma’s Davao invasion.

Home to the city’ first niche studio that looks like ballet dance student (except that there are no dancers in tutus and ballet shoes), Tina said Plana Forma students here will experience an all in one combination workout of ballet, yoga and pillates.

“Plana Forma is more of an interval training with a lot of stretching in between,” Iya said. “We use bar for stability.”

This bar technique, which was originally created by injured ballet dancers to condition themselves, help their student long and slender figures with their toned muscles.

“We discovered that it is a workout that can be offered to the public,” Tina added.

Their niche studio here can hold 24 students per class. With two instructors, Plana Forma will have six to seven classes daily.

EDGEDAVAO

7 SCIENCE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

El Niño disrupts food production Soon: dwindling rice production

Dry spell

Text and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

A

WEAK El Niño is hovering upon Mindanao. And it is likely to strengthen toward the end of the year, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

In Davao Region, it has already wreaked 1,427.82 hectares of rice production areas while another 591.64 hectares of fields allotted for corn production had been affected. These were the figures bared by Herna Palma, the El Niño focal person of the regional office of Department of Agriculture, to a local daily.

In a recent climate forum for agriculture convened by the agriculture department and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization held last week, Anthony Joseph R. Lucero said that as of April 23, several provinces in Mindanao were affected by dry spell, one of the manifestations of the El Niño phenomenon.

Lucero, senior weather specialist of the weather bureau, had identified the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and Compostela Valley in Davao Region as among those affected by dry spell.

Other provinces in Mindanao suffering the same fate also included Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, Guimaras, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Sultan Kudarat, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. The following provinces in Mindanao were affected with drought were Basilan, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Misamis Occidental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay.

According to PAGASA, a province is said to experience dry spell when there is two consecutive months of way below normal rainfall condition (21%-60% reduction of average rainfall). Drought ensues when the normal rainfall condition is way below for five consecutive months.

“While the weak El Niño is currently present in the tropical Pacific, it has chances of strengthening toward the end of 2015,” the weather bureau man warned.

But the good news is that the onset of the rainy season associated with Southwest monsoon -- locally called habagat -- is expected to commence by mid-June 2015. Habagat is responsible for the great portion of rainfall during the country’s wet

season. “About 60% of the rainfall in the Philippines is associated with Southwest monsoon,” Lucero said.

In his presentation, Lucero said that three provinces in Davao Region -- Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, and Davao del Sur -- “in general might experience near to above normal rainfall conditions during the forecast period.”

On the other hand, Davao Oriental “might experience near to above normal rainfall condition in May, June, August and October 2015.” Also, below normal rainfall condition is expected in July and September 2015.

El Niño, according to the country’s weather bureau, is a “large scale oceanographic/meteorological phenomenon that develops in the Pacific Ocean and is associated with extreme climatic variability (like) devastating rains, winds, droughts, etc.” It is an eccentricity which makes dry places wet, wet places dry, warm places cold, and cold places warm.

But that’s getting ahead of the story. Scientists claim that the oceans, especially the Pacific, exert a powerful effect on world climate through the sheer mass transport of heat and the evaporation of water.

The water vapor thus produced condenses to form storm clouds, releasing latent heat into the atmosphere in the process.

This provides the atmosphere’s largest single heat source, and the higher the ocean temperature in a given location, the greater the production of water vapor, clouds and atmospheric heat. The climate system’s complex internal linkages, only partly understood by scientists, determine how the clouds and heat are distributed around the world.

El Niño starts when, through causes not well understood by scientists, prevailing easterly winds slacken at the equator, allowing a broad but subtle wave of warm water from the western Pacific to flow eastward toward South America.

Wikipedia shares this information: “Because El Niño’s warm pool feeds thunderstorms above, it creates increased rainfall across the east-central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The effects of El Niño in South America are direct and stronger than in North America. An El Niño is associated with warm and very wet summers (December-February) along the coasts of northern Peru and Ecuador, causing major

flooding whenever the event is strong or extreme.

“The effects during the months of February, March and April may become critical. Along the west coast of South America, El Niño reduces the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water that sustains large fish populations, which in turn sustain abundant sea birds, whose droppings support the fertilizer industry. This leads to fish kills offshore Peru.”

The El Niño cycle may be simple, yet, the energy reserve it carries is vast, almost unimaginable. Here’s one account: “(El Niño) contains more energy than has been produced from all the fossil fuels burned in the United States since the beginning of the century – that’s all the gasoline in all the cars, the coal in all the power plants, the natural gas in all the furnaces. It would take more than a million larger power plants, at 1,000 megawatts each, running full tilt for a year, to heat the ocean that much.”

“El Niño events occur on average every four or five years, but irregularly – they can be two years apart, or as many as 10 years,” reminds an official of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Forewarned is forearmed, so goes a familiar saying. This must be the reason why the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) has come up with a compendium of materials on the abnormal weather entitled, The Fiery Fury of El Niño.

Since El Niño is equated with drought in the Philippines, PCARRD advised farmers to plant drought-tolerant crops in time of El Niño. Examples of such crops are sorghum, sweet peppers, asparagus, ube, tugue, alugbati, winged beans, cowpea,

cucumber, kadios, camote, cassava, peanut, ginger, mung beans, and black peppers. The following fruit trees are also drought-tolerant: cashew, mango, citrus, tamarind, avocado, jackfruit, guava, and grapes.

Watering, if necessary, must be done only during the cool part of the day – not on windy days. To keep the crops moist, cover them with mulch. Mulch is a layer of organic materials – usually – that is spread on the surface of the soil.

Where feasible, construct small water impounding reservoirs and other soil and water conservation measures (trench and contour canals, for instance) to catch and store water from rain or divert water from source.

In Mindanao, a non-government organization has developed a farming system that can defy the onslaught of El Niño. It’s called Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT), a scheme recommended for upland areas.

The cost and return analysis

of the SALT demonstration plot at the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, showed that during the El Niño in 1983, the system still managed to give a monthly net income of P436.90.

The previous figure, in 1982, was P597.85 per month. Reported studies showed that most upland farmers in the country during that time get a measly income of only P300 per month.

In 1990, when another drought hit Mindanao, the SALT system had a monthly net income of P1,277.31. This was only 54.34 lower than the previous reported monthly net income of P1,331.74 in 1989.

SALT introduces a scheme whereby denuded uplands can be made productive for farmers using locally available materials.

Planting leguminous trees and shrubs closely as belts, this technology conserves soil and water, making the uplands more favorable for the sustained production

of many annual and perennial agricultural crops.

“I think the reason why our SALT farm still yields crops was due to the hedgerows planted along the contours of the farm,” said Roy C. Alimoane, the center’s director.

Among those that are used for hedgerows are locally-grown “ipil-ipil” (Leucaena leucocephala) and “kakawate” (Gliricidia sepium). Introduced species like Flemingia macrophylla, Indigofera anil, and Desmodium rensonii can also be used. “They all fix nitrogen from the air,” Alimoane says. “As such, they help fertilize the soil with the droppings of their leaves.”

The hedgerows are cut down when they are one meter tall or when they begin to shade crops.

“The cut branches with leaves are piled at the base of the crops to serve as fertilizer,” Alimoane says.

“They also serve as mulching materials so that the moisture can be retained in the soil.”

Sloping Agricultural Land Technology

Cracked soil, a manifestation of drought

Farming in peril

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

S

Vicious cycle

ENATOR Miriam Defensor-Santiago was spot-on when she made the following comment: “Corrupt politicians are threatened by an educated public” The context was a bill she was set to file yesterday calling for an inquiry into the recent decision of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to approve the tuition increase of more than 300 private colleges and universities all over the country. “Making education more accessible to the public,” she said, “should be a priority, right up there, if not taking precedence over, the fight against corruption.”

Indeed, one of the most important things this administration seems to be neglecting is education. And when it does do something about it, it shows a skewed sense of priorities. Government is currently implementing the K-12 program, promising greater benefits for our children when they finally graduate from school to which two years has been added. What it does not say is that getting there will be an uphill climb for both parents and government itself. In the first place, there are only a few schools that are ready to offer the two-year senior high school (SHS) program. The

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educational system is expected to accommodate two more years when it is already strained almost beyond recognition at this point.

The K-12 program does have its merits, but the implementation is sorely lacking. It needs more than just lip service to make it work; this is one of the few things in life that may be addressed by throwing money at it. As it is, however, government refuses to give education everything it needs, and the proof is that we still see classes being held under the proverbial mango tree. Meanwhile, billions of pesos are still being stolen by corrupt officials, depriving schools of the necessary funds to create an educated population.

And that is where Senator Santiago’s statement becomes chillingly real. An educated public will not allow such crimes to be committed, and so corrupt politicians do all they can to keep education at its low level. The blame goes squarely to these criminals in barong tagalogs who keep our people ignorant so they can continue being elected into office. It’s a vicious cycle that must be broken once and for all.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

AGAPITO JOAQUIN JR. Associate Editor

CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY Consultant

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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

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

What the heck is peace and why are some people willing to go to war for it? (Part 1)

HAT do you think of when you read the numbers 0921, 0917, 0918? If this was, say, 1991, would those same numbers have the same meaning? Would they even have any meaning at all? Or how about the colors red, yellow, and green beside the railroad track, would it be just as easy to decipher if you found it posted on the beach instead? Would you still stop, look, and listen?

These are just a few examples of what we take for granted everyday. Simple tasks that have one critical thing in common – they illustrate the fact that meaning exists only when there is context. Whether it is a series of numbers or a set of colors, these would be nothing but random expressions without an understanding of the environment in which it takes place. That there is no meaning without context is a foundational principle of communications, one worth taking to heart and committing to the mind.

For people who fail to appreciate this complex relationship, life is often full of mystery and superstition. A confusing stream of people, places, and events that may or may not be related yet whose impact is strongly felt in their own existence. It can become a minefield of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and

“

ultimately, conflict. This failure, left unchecked, eventually leads to bigger and more complicated problems as it creates its own unbalanced reality that in cycle becomes the foundation of other misunderstandings.

A classic example of this is the flight of Oedipus from his predestined fate only to end up fulfilling it simply because he failed to recognize the flaw in the original premise – that predictions of the future are a load of crap.

It is now this same kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that is tragically at work for those know-nothing naysayers to the BBL and the particular path of peace that it prescribes.

Before going on with what I have to say, let me first draw a clear distinction between those people who have read the BBL and understand

not just what stands for but also the context in which it was created, and those who bitch for the sake of bitching without even bothering to browse through bill. My beef is exclusively with the latter and would welcome any meaningful discourse with the former.

To continue, the problems of Mindanao are a complex mix of culture, religion, social inequality, poverty, and a Pandora’s box-full of other issues. Years of public disagreements and not-so-private wars have done nothing to ease the tensions among all the parties involved. Add to this the mishandling of several well-meaning but ill-prepared peace negotiators from the exalted and enlightened halls of the Capital and what you have is a potent mix of highly flammable emotions from a bunch of very excitable people with guns. Lots of guns.

The situation in these here southern parts of the Philippines, as you can see, is clearly not what one may call “ideal.” Unless of course you’re one of those who delight in pulling off the wings of flies and torturing small animals for fun, in which case I’m sure this is all just a great f---ing party for you. But for the rest of us sane folks, war – the idea of it, the actual waging of it, or anything to do with it – is not a good thing.

addresses po- THINK ON THESE! tentially dangerous congestion in tourist spots while sustaining tourism growth and preserving the environment,” explained Dr. Henry A. Adonado, acting director of ERDB, a line agency of the Henrylito D. Tacio Department of Environment and henrytacio@gmail.com Natural Resources (DENR).

“We have to recognize that most ecotourism sites in the Philippines are in protected areas,” Adonado said. “Thus, CARCAP becomes an imperative to balance tourism’s arrival with the safeguards of the environment.”

The CARCAP guide, called “Manual on Computing the Carrying Capacity of Ecotourism Sites in Protected Areas, is authored by Dr. Lope A. Calanog, former ERDB supervising science research specialist.

In 2013, the environment department has issued Administrative Order (AO) 2013-19 or “Guidelines on Ecotourism Planning and Management in Protected Areas” to support tourism and management of protected areas. The AO prescribes that carrying capacity of each ecotourism site in the PA should be established.

“With CARCAP as part of an ecotourism management plan, visitors’ activities are properly regulated and thus, potential negative impacts on the environment are mitigated,” the ERDB said in a statement.

According to Dr. Calanog, under the CARCAP, the number of visitors that an ecotourism site can accommodate at satisfactory level is determined based on biophysical considerations, recreational activities, visitors’ preferences, equipment brought to the site, and services provided in the site.

A site’s environmental condition, its importance on biodiversity, is also a significant factor in CARCAP. “Sites that serve as breeding grounds for important birds, nesting areas for marine turtles, or spawning grounds for fish species also affect the computation of number of visitors that may be allowed in an area,” the author said.

Socio-cultural aspects should also be considered in the computation of CARCAP. For instance, a portion of an ecotourism set aside

by indigenous people or other ethnolinguistic groups may be cited as a sacred grove.

The ERDB also applies the idea of Limit of Acceptable Change (LAC) in deciding carrying capacity of ecotourism sites. “The LAC process can be used to identify a tourism area’s features and values; describe ‘opportunity classes’ where diversity of an area is increased; select indicators of resource and social conditions; and inventory resource and social conditions,” it explained.

The LAC also records and maps the presence of exotic plants, impacted campsites, damaged vegetation, litter and human waste. Most importantly, costs and benefits of tourism are quantified and assessed.

In order to increase CARCAP of a tourism site based on LAC application, the ERDB recommends the following: redesign of facilities (view decks, tracks, trails), strengthen the durability of resources such as camping and parking areas, and develop access to other interest sites like covered walks.

New recreational activities may be introduced. For instance, visitors to the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) may first be asked to watch a related film, take rides in a nearby mangrove area, or take an alternative river cruise while waiting for their turn.

“The underground river in Puerto Princesa Subterranean (Underground) River in Palawan, Mt. Banahaw in Quezon province, Pamilacan Island in Bohol, and Boracay already adopted a management plan after knowing the results of the study on carrying capacity,” Dr. Calanog said.

Result from the studied showed that the number of visitors that may be accommodated in PPUR is 1,456 per day if recommended distance between boats that carry people is 15 meters. If it is a 100-meter distance between boats, a fewer number of visitors of 18 per day may be allowed.

In the case of the Pamilacan Island in Bohol-- a site for watching dolphins, whales, whale sharks, and manta rays-- the CARCAP has not yet been exceeded by actual tourist arrivals.

ERDB suggests that should there be increase in the number of visitors in the future, the watching sites for dolphins and whales be regulated based on the results of the CARCAP studies.

“While the thrust now is to promote tourism in the country because of its significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is still essential that visitors’ activities are regulated to ensure that the integrity of the natural environment is preserved,” the ERDB concluded.

Making ecotourism sustainable

GETTING away from it all” is understandably popular these days. With so many beautiful places to visit around the country, prices of travel falling, and stresses and strains of everyday life increasing, more people are traveling.

Patrick Durst, regional forestry officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Bangkok, Thailand, once said that one out of every 14 workers around the world owes his or her job to tourism. That makes tourism the largest industry in the world in terms of employment.

In recent years, ecotourism has become a buzzword. The Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism in these words: “purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people.”

In a workshop conducted at Los Baños, Laguna a few years back, ecotourism was defined as “an environmentally sound tourism activity in a given ecosystem yielding socio-economic benefits and enhancing natural and cultural diversity conservation.”

Ecotourism refers to the business of nature travel. Its main focus is environmental awareness and activities range from purely educational (such as studying ecosystems), hobby-oriented (like photo expeditions into exotic habitats), or thrill-seeking (mountain climbing comes to mind).

One of the top ecotourism destinations in the country today is Davao City. Philippines. It has four ecotourism attractions and most of them are for educational purposes. These are: the Philippine Eagle Center (the only one in the country), Malagos Garden Resort, Eden Nature Park, and Davao Crocodile Park. Each has unique ecosystems and different come-ons.

Ecotourism is good but there is always a pay to price. “Ecotourism is the fastest growing part of the world travel business, but whether it destroys more than it protects will depend upon how it is put into practice,” pointed out Erlet Cater, co-editor of Ecotourism: A Sustainable Option?

In this connection, the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) has come up with a manual on visitors’ carrying capacity in ecotourism sites in support of tourism growth and environmental preservation.

Visitors’ carrying capacity -- or simply CARCAP -- of ecotourism sites is an important tool in determining the number of visitors that should be allowed to stay in an area. “This tool

VANTAGE POINTS

9

The port of the matter (Part 2)

H

AVING MY TWO CENTS’ t h e Davao Gulf as an alternative manufacturing and transshipment hub made sense from the John Tria beginning, ecisouth@gmail.com which is why former government officials under the Ramos administration aggressively pushed the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area (BIMP EAGA), where connectivity and contiguity ought to have facilitated trade and investment among hitherto less developed regions of their respective countries. The threat against free trade looming across the West Philippine Sea in Luzon should force the Manila government to embark on an honest -to-goodness dispersal of business activities, particularly manufacturing enterprises to other areas of the country such as Mindanao.

Dispersing manufacturing lowers costs and makes the Philippines more cost competitive Apart from enabling safe distance from possible actual conflict, Mindanao is where electricity rates and the overall cost of living is lower. This can make the existing activities even more competitive due to lower costs.

To date, almost three-fourths of manufacturing and Business Process Outsourcing work is done around Metro Manila, in the Cavite-Laguna Batangas Rizal Quezon (CALABARZON) hub and the north central Luzon corridors extending to the cities of Olongapo, Cabanatuan and Dagupan are where much of our manufacturing is housed, and into which a little over half our 100 million people live or have migrated to. Thus, while regular salaries are made more available, quality of life may sometimes actually be lower than their former lives in the regions they came from.

Davao going beyond bananas For the Davao Region, dispersal ought to create a healthy balance and mix of industries and strategically position each region as a base economy that can produce goods and services that other regions within BIMP EAGA will need. Both Hijo and DICT forecast increase in volume from monocrops such as banana, the demand for which remains strong in the world markets. This is why Cavendish bananas remain our number 1 agricultural export – for now. However, looking at the next twenty or thirty years, Davao-grown coffee and cacao’s value as a commodities may eat into banana’s share of exports and perhaps increase the value of our agricultural exports as a whole. At around 3,000 dollars per metric ton, cacao’s value is more than double that of Cavendish and needs less investment to set up.

Banana’s only advantage is that its return is faster at one year. Other fruits may already eat into the banana dominance, with Singapore’s demand for Philippine grown durian already outstripping supply. Eventually exports such as halal beef, pork, and poultry to BIMP EAGA countries and the rest of Southeast Asia will fill more of our ports, as some of these projects are already in the feasibility study phase or have begun initial exports.

It seems that the recent promotion efforts and trade expositions by groups such as the Davao Chamber, the American Chamber of Commerce in Davao and other groups like PHILEXPORT have increased exportability of other agricultural products.

10 NEWS EDGEDAVAO Hasten action on BBL, Federalism...

Hataman asks Senate

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

FROM 2

A

UTONOMOUS Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman has asked the Senate to follow the example of the House of Representatives and act soonest on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

“We urge our lawmakers in the Senate to take their cue from the Lower House, and take the BBL into the homestretch,” Hataman said in a statement.

Last week, the House ad hoc committee on the BBL approved a substitute version to House Bill No. 4994 which contained the original draft of the measure.

The Senate and House leaderships have earlier committed to have the measure passed soonest to give ample time to prepare for a plebiscite in affected localities in Mindanao.

The measure, as amended at the committee level, is now dubbed the Basic Law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It is set for transmittal to the House plenary with Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez expressing confidence they will be able to muster a House version by June 11.

“This is a race of hope, a race for peace. When the finish line is crossed, we, not just the Bangsamoro but the entire country, will all be winners,” Hataman explained.

“The BBL – much debated, reviled by some, discussed heatedly even by those who have not even read it – is much closer to becoming the law by which we Moros will build the

foundations of peace, security and progress,” he added.

When enacted and ratified by voters in affected localities, the Basic Law will lead to the abolition of the ARMM. When that happens, Hataman will become the last chief executive of the ARMM, an institution created in 1989.

“There may be more discussions, and debates, perhaps even more amendments. We welcome these, because it is through discussion and debate that the BBL can be more widely known and understood,” Hataman clarified.

“As the discussion is raised to the Upper House, we renew our hope that more of our leaders can realize how much we need the BBL,” he added.

Doubts are raised whether the Senate can live up to the same expectation of the House.

Its lead panel considering the BBL, the committee on local government chaired by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos, is still in the stage of conducting public hearings.

On May 18, when the House ad hoc committee was already voting on the measure, Marcos’ committee was conducting hearing among several factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Another is scheduled on May 25 for sultanates and indigenous peoples, and on June 3 for local government officials.

Marcos said that if these hearings are done, his panel could buckle down to the task of writing its report.

Marcos has said that if the entire country has waited for

more than 40 years for peace to dawn in Mindanao, it is justified to wait for a few more months to have the BBL passed.

In a news release on May 20, Marcos said that the expected Senate amendments on the BBL will focus on “provisions on constitutional bodies, the so-called ‘opt-in provision,’ and the provision on Bangsamoro police.”

But Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago on May 21 raised more serious issues.

Santiago, in a news release, said that changing the name of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) “will not make it any less objectionable unless Congress also revamps the bill to address numerous constitutional infirmities.”

Santiago, chair of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, was commenting on the House of Representatives’ approval of its amended version of the bill now called the “Basic Law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.”

“The words ‘basic law’ are attached to the name. ‘Basic law,’ in legal construction, is a synonym for ‘constitutional law’ and ‘organic law,’” the senator said, citing her committee report on the BBL draft, pending as Senate Bill No. 2408.

“It goes without saying that two different constitutional instruments cannot have legal effect at the same time and in the same territory. The proposed BBL must be consistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the Philippines,” she added.

tual year-end investment performance of the Fund.

In 2014, member’s Flexifund savings earned at an average guaranteed interest rate of 1.3 percent.

Guaranteed earnings are based on the average rates of SSS’ short-term peso placements or 91-day Treasury bills, whichever is higher. “The rates are re-priced quarterly to keep the program in step with prevailing market rates,” See said.

See said, with the AIB disbursement, total earnings credited to individual Flexifund accounts swelled to P18.02-million, thus resulting in a higher average rate of return of four percent for qualified members.

The official explained that

the amount of total AIB is determined by deducting the total guaranteed earnings already credited to the accounts of Flexi-fund members from the actual investment income of the Fund at the end of the applicable year.

The maximum AIB that was credited to a member’s account last year amounted to P95,819.83.

As of December 2014, total Flexi-fund equity of members grew to P448.3 million, up by 14.4 percent from the same period in 2013, with membership increasing to 44,626 OFWs as of year-end.

“We hope that more OFW members will choose to save under this program. SSS FlexiFund is safe and secure, which means they will get their sav-

ings as well as the interest earned in full to supplement their retirement fund or whatever benefits they will get from the regular SSS program in the future.” See said.

SSS Flexi-fund savings are built from payments of at least P200 remitted on top of the SSS contributions of an OFW member, who is paying the maximum amount of P1,760 per month. A one-time enrollment is required to be able to join the program.

“OFW members may visit the SSS office nearest them to enroll. They can also inquire more about the Flexi-fund with our OFW Contact Center through the service hotlines (02) 364-7796 and (02) 3747798 or by e-mail at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph,” See said.

activities in the villages.

Rabaya also disclosed that the IPHO formed a medical team and dental team for each district of Cotabato to effectively conduct the outreach programs.

Ed Cadungog, Chairman of Barangay Sadaan, Midsayap whose village was among those areas visited by the doctors and dentists, said he was personally grateful to IPHO for coming over to his barangay.

“It was like an answered prayer because many individ-

uals here could hardly see a doctor or a dentist and now they truly benefited from the outreach program,” Cadungog said.

He lauded the health programs of North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza.

“I am grateful that the IPHO and its partners are here to check on my constituents.

Indeed, this is much need by many families here in Barangay Manupal especially the children and the elders,” said Teofila Enate, Chairwoman of

Barangay Manupal, Matalam, North Cotabato.

Other village chairmen from the three districts of Cotabato whose constituents received free medical-dental services also conveyed their appreciation of the continuing outreach program which answers the health concerns of many individuals in the province.

Rabaya said more villages will be up for visits by the provincial medical and dental teams in the days ahead. (PNA)

SSS... FROM 5

N. Cotabato... FROM 13

not reveal the percentage of support gathered in Luzon.

Usman said the group will go to the different town celebrations in every area to

introduce Duterte and his advocacy on federalism.

Usman said although Duterte is very adamant in rejecting the call to run as pres-

ident, his “listening tour” on Federalism will make people consider him as a presidentiable. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

tions plans on the specific directives from the BIMP-EAGA Leaders and map out the progress of the priority projects identified in the 2015 BIMP-EAGA deliverables.

“I am optimistic that agreements on connectivity within the BIMP-EAGA will eventually result into the revival of air and sea linkages within the sub-region and further enhance connectivity systems through our priority transport routes,” he added.

Currently, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the Philippine coordinating office for BIMP-EAGA is pushing for the enhancement of transport connectivity systems within EAGA particularly in strengthening transport facilities for the Davao-General Santos-Bitung shipping service, the Brooke’s Point Palawan-Kudat RORO service and the Davao-Manado air linkage.

“One of our goals is to

encourage residents from the four EAGA countries to maximize the travel tax exemption approved by the Philippine government for travelers from Mindanao and Palawan heading to any of the BIMP-EAGA destinations,” said MinDA Undersecretary Janet Lopoz.

She said the enhancement of the air and sea links within the sub-region is a key strategy to gradually integrate the economy of Mindanao and Palawan within EAGA, and penetrate further the larger economy of the ASEAN. “I am quite positive that by the end of this two-day meeting, participants from the four EAGA countries will have obtained substantive agreements on how to accelerate the implementation of projects and programs designed to enhance further the connectivity within the sub-region,” said Lopoz.

She added the attainment

of the transport and connectivity targets are crucial in achieving the goals of EAGA’s other four pillars namely food basket, tourism, environment, and socio-cultural and education.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. The initiative was launched in 1994 as a key strategy to accelerate social and economic development of less developed areas in participating countries.

dorsement will be announced ‘probably’ after his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July this year. ”We just want this dialogue to be as thorough and encompassing as possible with all the sectors that are involved in the coalition,” the President said.

Before he left for a state visit in Canada last May 6, the President talked to Senator Grace Poe about the 2016.

Poe, one of the leading

presidential hopefuls based on the surveys, admitted the Malacanang talk but clarified there was no specific position offered by the President.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, vice LP chairman, has said Roxas is the party’s presumptive candidate for president in 2016.

Drilon, however, said the final endorsement will come from the President being chairman of the ruling party.

(PNA)

EAGA... FROM 3

Mar... FROM 3

Exporters... FROM 5 lish quarantine one the local level will overlap with the existing rules and regulation of the Bureau of Plant Quarantine which is under the Department of Agriculture.

Huge... FROM 6

sal Robina Corporation, and Device Dynamics Asia, among others.

Mohamed attended the Asia Pacific Economic Coop-

Petition for Approval of Sale and Transfer of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a FILCAB Ordinary Regular Service

Case No.2015-XI-00375 (2003-XI-02144) JIMMY L. ORILLANEDA, Petitioner-Vendor GEORGE C. SAMBAYON, Petitioner-Vendee

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioners request authority for the Approval of Sale and Transfer executed by JIMMY L. ORILLANEDA in favor of GEORGE C. SAMBAYON of a Certificate of Public Convenience with Equipment issued in this case authorizing the operation of a FILCAB Ordinary Regular service on the route ECOLAND SUBDIVISION (SM CITY OF DAVAO) ROUTE with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate is still valid and subsisting up to September 20, 2017.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on JUNE The proposed ordinance 9, 2015 at 09:40 a.m. at this was also opposed by mem- office at the above address.

bers of the Mindanao Banana At least, TEN (10) days priExporters and Farmers Asso- or to the above date petitioner ciation in a public consulta- shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of tion last week. general circulation in Mindanao

eration’s (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Boracay Island in Aklan province which concluded on Sunday. (PNA)

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) 21029925 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 10139514-9 issued to JUDITH URSAL was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

5/12/19/26

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 13th day of May 2015 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transportation Development Officer

11 CULTURE & ARTS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Lake Sebu is a scenic town in South Cotabato and is the summer capital of the whole region. It is considered as the Home of the Dreamweavers of the famed T’nalak fabric.

A T’boli princess makes a small difference in her small village

By HANNAH JOY N. BENTO

L

AST May 17, 2015, we conducted an outreach activity for 230 or so school children in my birthplace of Barangay Bacdulong in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Some of them even came from adjacent barangays of Takunel and Tasiman. About 98 percent of them belong to the T’boli tribe, like me. Most of them are financially hard up. Every June, it is a perennial challenge among the poor parents to secure basic school supplies for their kids who are desirous to go to school, hoping that something better comes out of it.

Shortly before we distributed the school supply sets, I was asked to speak before the kids. Now I am what people call a yuppie, and While I was talking, in the hope of inspiring them by sharing my life’s story, I saw myself in them. I was once like those little kids with enormous childhood dreams and the courage, eager to conquer the world.

I am a pure-blooded T’boli princess and I am genuinely proud of that, modesty aside.

My maternal grandfather was a Datu who had 24 wives. Our indigenous culture is rich, although not everything in it I am comfortable with, such as early and arranged marriages, polygamy and dowry, among others, but I am not saying that I disdain the things that made me what I am right now. I am a creation of my community. I owe it to my own people. Every single drop of blood that runs in my veins contains the holis-

tic components of my cultural heritage.

Of course, there are threats to indigenous culture and the way of living of my own people. Unchecked modernization is just one of them. A skewed outlook in life of some members of the cultural community is potentially also another.

A Few years ago while I was preparing to go back to college one weekend in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, I met a cousin on the roadside. Holding her child on her right arm, she suddenly said: “You’re lucky. Your father wasn’t greedy enough to exchange your future for a dowry. And while you’re learning in school, I am taking care of my children, earning money to feed them.” My cousin married early, her marriage arranged by her father to an old man who was able to give the dowry my uncle asked of him. She now lives the life she never wished to have.

I am always passionate about us achieving quality education. I always believe that education is still one of the most potent socio-economic levelers. It cannot be stolen; it cannot be grabbed from us, like our lands under the guise of buying the rights, not ownership title, over our ancestral lands. Quality education is as important as any material possession.

When we launched our own outreach initiative, I immediately thought of doing something for the school kids.

We Care Philippines is a private, personal, and grassroots initiative we wish to snowball among our friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. The May 17 activity was our first project. The school supplies we shared were not only meant to supply what is lacking in them.

They were not just designed to help the poor parents with their perennial struggle every school opening. The things we did and the things we shared were meant to inspire them.

It was not just about having new pads of paper and pencils. It was also about having a renewed spirit, a refreshed hope that maybe someday, given good education, things will be a lot better for them, their families, and their community.

My four years in college were full of constant struggles – how to feed myself, how to pay tuition, how to deal with high-strung teachers, how to pass grueling exams. But they were also four beautiful years spent inside an academic institution that equipped me with the ideals to guide me and the skills to help me navigate the world around me. And if I may speak to my fellow yuppies, at the end of the day, the challenge always is how to convert those ideals into something tangible – something our fellow men and women can see, touch, hear, feel and even taste.

Failing to do that, the things we learned will remain as ideals, all confined in the realm of the mind. Are we doing our own share then?

Some of the school kids doing their presentation during the summer schooling culmination during which we distributed the school supplies.

Young T’boli volunteers who help facilitate the summer schooling presenting a typical T’boli dance.

Maybe, all it takes to inspire a child is one box of crayons to draw the good things to dream about. Inspire a An estimated 230 kids from three barangays of Bacdulong, Takunel and Tasiman in Lake Sebu benefited from our outreach activity. child, inspire a nation.

12 CLASSIFIED

EDGEDAVAO

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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

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

CLASSIFIED 13

N. Cotabato indigents benefit from PLGU outreach services

M

ORE than 14,000 indigents from different towns in North Cotabato have benefited from the two-month medical and dental missions conducted by the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), officials said today.

Dr. Eva C. Rabaya, North Cotabato IPHO chief, said that the beneficiaries include residents of the barangays of Sangat, Magallon, Bialong and

Inas in the town of M’lang; Bulacawon and Renibon in Pigcawayan town; Poblacion 1, M’lang; Central Malamote of Matalam town; Magsaysay, Ilomavis, and Binoligan in Kidapawan City; Kisante, Makilala; Poblacion 4, Sadaan, Amado Diaz Hospital in Midsayap municipality; Bao, Sitio Badak, Dado in the mountain town of Alamada; Manupal, Matalam town; Poblacion of Pikit town;

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT AND PARTITION OF ESTATE

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late FERNANDO LOPEZ has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT executed among his heirs per Doc. No.116; Page No.24; Book No. XXVI; Series of 2015, of the NOTARY PUBLIC JOSE M. BALINGIT JR. 5/19,26,6/2

Nabundasan in Tulunan; and Kitubod in Libungan town.

A total of 9,917 individuals who availed of free medical checkup, 2,608 for free dental services and 1,642 free circumcisions for young boys in these villages, IPHO-North Cotabato data showed.

Rabaya said the continuing outreach mission, which started in April and is on going, was part of the year round activity

of the IPHO and its partners in providing free medical and dental services including basic, checkups, tooth extractions and free medicines and vitamins.

The IPHO has 602nd Army Brigade Medical Team, 57th, 45th IB and 7th Infantry Battalions and its attached units and LGU Dental Teams for its partners in carrying out the

FN. COTABATO, 10

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH DEED OF DONATION AND WAIVER OF RIGHTS

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late BENIGNO FRANCISCO PABLO has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT with deed of donation and waiver of rights executed among his heirs per Doc. No.245; Page No.49; Book No. VIII; Series of 2015, of the NOTARY PUBLIC FRANC EVAN L. DANDOY II.

5/19,26/6/2

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

PHILBEX Davao 2015:

Turning vision into reality

S

INCE its inception, Worldbex Services International (WSI), the country’s leading authority in trade events and expositions, has long established its capacity to unlock the shackles of mere potential and yield it instead to generate growth and development in various sectors of the nation’s economic industries. This year, it proved once more its prowess in yielding untapped promise as it held the 2nd Philippine Building and Construction Exposition Davao last May 14 to 17, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center Davao at SM Lanang.

Signaling the beginning of another round of economic bustle, an opening ceremony was held. Led by no less than WSI Founding Chairman Joseph Ang, honorable guests, Davao City Councilor Hon. April Marie Dayap representing Davao City Mayor Hon. Rodrigo R. Duterte, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ms. Mary Antonette Doromal, OIC of DTI Region XI Ms. Ma. Belinda Ambi, and Asst. Regional Director of DPWH Region XI Engr. Tomas Rodriguez together with WSI Co-Founder Mrs. Levi Ang, WSI Executive Director Archt. Francisco Flameño Jr., WSI Managing Director Jill Ang and WSI Marketing Director Jon Richmond Ang graced the event to show their support for the biggest trade event of the season.

For the ceremonial ribbon cutting, WSI’s VIP heads were joined by Hon. April Marie Dayap, Ms. Mary Antonette Doromal, Ms. Ma. Belinda Ambi, Engr. Tomas Rodriguez and the presidents of the associations participating in the event.

If the first installment broke new grounds as WSI paid heed to the threats of nature, the 2nd PHILBEX Davao proved to be a highly relevant and compelling follow up installment as it heralded the theme of “Building Visions in the Realm of ASEAN Integration.” The result was a bigger and bolder exposition, which boasted of an extensive range of product innovations and topnotch service that aim

to promote the world-class caliber of the region’s construction industry.

Without a doubt, PHILBEX Davao 2015 proved to be a resounding success as it surpasses its own records with over 12,680 attendees. What with over 130 exhibitors and around 240 booths, the four-day trade extravaganza allowed visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the latest stateof-the-art products and services that are available in the market.

Indeed, both end-users/buyers and investors benefitted from the productive experience as they combed through alleys and alleys of Mindanao’s best, merely waiting to be discovered.

In partnership with associations such as the European Chamber of Commerce, Filipino Professional Architects, Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Association, Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, and the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers, PHILBEX Davao also impressed the crowd with its interactive galleries that allowed guests to socialize with the industry’s top professionals and experts.

From the Architects gallery and Interior Designers gallery to the Developers gallery, both trade professionals and lifestyle enthusiasts surely experienced a profound and inspiring time as they engaged in meaningful discussions with industry insiders.

Furthermore, as a strong believer of continued learning, PHILBEX Davao offered free registrations for the 2nd edition of its PHILBEX Davao Seminars which encompassed topics relating to sustainable and green design as well as valuable insights in light of the increasingly global market.

PHILBEX Davao also prides itself not only as an all-inclusive construction trade show but also as a design destination as it championed Mindanao’s unique design DNA. Teaming up with Interior Design students and local Mindanao artists, interior design vignettes

Countless business opportunities were ripe for the picking as exhibitors and visitors shared meaningful exchanges on products, services and other relevant topics on construction and design

Philbex Davao opened its doors last May 14 to 17 at the SMX Convention Center Surpassing its own record, Philbex Davao welcomed over 12,680 visitors during its 4 Davao at SM Lanang. day run showcased the talent of both seasoned designers and budding prodigies in infusing the region’s signature design aesthetic with modern elements.

On the other hand, PHILBEX Davao expressed its support to the region’s artisans with the exclusive and custom-made art installation area during the four-day show.

Once again, PHILBEX Davao proved triumphant in

and trade professionals who make up the entire industry were once again provided with a venue to enhance their skills and knowledge as well as expand and grow their network.

Plus, even design and lifestyle aesthetes, as well as, construction enthusiasts got a chance to take part in an entertaining and insightful cultural and trade immersion!

With the continued patron-

age and support of the entire region, WSI is indebted to continue conceptualizing bigger and bolder trade expositions that not only aspire to entertain and excite but even more so, to generate much needed economic bustle to turn the region’s burgeoning potential into ceaseless economic and social development.

For more information, go to www.worldbex.com.

DepEd memo no. 41, s. 2015, is “Tayo Para sa Kalikasan, Kaligtasan at Kahandaan”. The activity aims to prepare the school for the opening of classes this coming June 1.

To ensure proper delegation of tasks, teachers were as-

signed to different committees such as receiving of donations, documentation, and program.

On the opening day, the school principal, Dr. Arlene Bello-Pernes, encouraged the parents to support the Brigada Eskwela.

“Gihangyo nako ang mga ginikanan na dili lamang motabanang pinaagi sa ilang kusog kundi pinaagi pud sa mga butang na kinahanglan sa eskwelahan sa mga kagamitan na wala napalit tungod sa kakulangan sa panudlanan,” Dr. Pernes said. (I ask the parents to help not only by extending their services but also by giving materials that the school was not able to purchase because of money constraint.)

Heeding Dr. Pernes’s call, parents donated cleaning materials and paint for the school renovation.

As part of their corporate social responsibility, Daprea Electrical Services was also

present to fix the electrical connections.

The school received an estimated amount of P 25,000 worth of donations and P 80,000 for the number of hours rendered, as reported by Mr. Glen Villonez, the overall Committee Chair.

Although Brigada Eskwela is usually done before the academic year commences, it may be conducted any time of the year when the need arises.

However, there are some parents who may not be receptive to this endeavor since they think it’s not mandatory.

Ms. Annabel Aguilon, a Filipino teacher, clarified that it has nothing to do with the Brigada Eskwela being mandatory or voluntary in nature. “If they really love their school, then they should be willing to serve,” she said.

Orlando P. Sayman, Jr. With report from Sheila Betita

F. Bangoy HS promotes volunteerism through Brigada Eskwela

P

ARENTS, students, socio-civic organizations, and other stakeholders trooped to Francisco Bangoy National High School in Sasa last May 18-23 for the Brigada Eswela.

This year’s theme, as per

No cobwebs are high enough. Parents join their children in preparing the classrooms for the school opening. Ms. Kristin Marie Arpon

its feat to actualize its vision of a booming construction industry for the region. From promoting the region’s worldclass products and services to championing its unique cultural heritage, it had filled the tremendous gaps that needed to be fused together in hopes of an emboldened industry that is beyond capable of competing in the global field. Most importantly, students, artisans,

The Iron Lady of Bangoy. Known for her efforts in instilling discipline to the school All the hard work is paid off. F. Bangoy teachers show no sign of exhaustion after community, Dr. Arlene B. Pernes is profuse with her words of gratitude to those who the six-day Brigada Eskwela. support the Brigada Eskwela.

VOL. VOL.88ISSUE ISSUE38 38••TUESDAY, TUESDAY,MAY MAY26, 26,2015 2015

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS15

FROM THE FRINGE. Faye Jayno chips one from the fringe during the recent Pomelo Tee golf tournament at Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club. Boy Lim

Colorful day for Roger

R

OGER Federer enlivened a routine day at the office with a violet and pink outfit and a several dabs of brilliance to launch another French Open quest but his mood darkened after a security breach on Sunday.

The evergreen Swiss was in full control against Colombia’s Alejandro Falla, marking the start of his 62nd consecutive appearance at a grand slam tournament with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory on court Philippe Chatrier.

When he walked off, however, a fan sauntered on and began trying to snap a selfie with a mobile phone before he was belatedly removed by a security guard.

“I’m not happy about it. Obviously not one second I’m happy about it. It happened yesterday in the practice, too,” a ruffled Federer told reporters, adding that organisers had apologised.

Tournament director Gilbert Ysern told a news conference that even though a mistake had been made and that the incident was “embarrassing”, there was no reason to change security procedures at the tournament.

The 17-times major win-

ner, champion at Roland Garros in 2009, was the star turn on a low-key opening day in a sunny French capital, taking to the court after women’s third seed Simona Halep got the ball rolling.

Romanian Halep, seeded three after reaching the final last year, was made to work hard by 91st-ranked Russian Evgeniya Rodina, huffing and puffing her way to a 7-5 6-4 victory.

“It was a tough match, because it was the first round and it is always is difficult to start the tournament,” she said.

Federer also made a few errors as he loosened up against a player he almost fell to in the first round at Wimbledon in 2010. But he was never in any danger.

Strolling on to court with a perfectly-matched violet shirt, pink shorts and black bandana, 33-year-old Federer quickly warmed to his task, while Falla offered enough resistance to provide some lunchtime entertainment.

Federer, one of 39 players in their 30s in the men’s draw, breezed through the first two sets and though Falla had a break point in the fifth game of the third, Federer snuffed out

the danger to roll through to round two.

While the “selfie seeking” fan soured his day, Federer was happy enough with his form.

“Winning a match like this is a good thing,” Federer, ever-present at grand slams this century, said. “I hit a lot of balls today. Clearly hope that I will start to play better and better as the match, as the tournament goes on.”

Federer, conveniently in the opposite side of the draw to nine-times champions Rafa Nadal, world number one Novak Djokovic and third seed Andy Murray, will have a few days off before a clash with Spain’s Marcel Granollers.

H i s eighth-seeded compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, one of several players to beat Nadal on clay this season, was a 6-3 6-2 6-3 winner against Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the biggest threat to Federer in the bottom half of the draw, beat French wildcard Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3 7-5 6-1 before

local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rounded off proceedings against Swedish qualifier

Sulaiman told us in an email after Promociones del Pueblo won the purse bid for the Donaire-Ruiz title eliminator with a bid of $537,000 which will be split evenly among the two fighters, “I am very happy to see a good fight lined up for Nonito” and inquired from us whether we had “gotten a response from Nonito about this great opportunity to regain his WBC title.”

While we were unable to talk to Donaire who was

training in a twice daily routine with his father/trainer “Dodong” Donaire, Nonito’s wife Rachel said she didn’t think they would fight Ruiz (even as Top Rank Promotions did not even join the purse bid where the winner would have emerged as the mandatory challenger to current champion Leo Santa Cruz who is expected to relinquish the title and move up in weight.

Top Rank has scheduled a ten round bout for Donaire

(34-3, 22 KO’s) against Anthony Settoul of France who has a record of 20-3 with 8 knockouts in a tune-up fight prior to a showdown with Quigg which was confirmed

by Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin in a conversation with USA Today.

The classy 32 year old Donaire is expected to have a comparatively easy fight against Settpul, similar to his 2nd round TKO of Brazil’s William Prado last March 28, 2015.

COLORFUL DAY. Roger Federer hits a backhand return to Colombia’s Alejandra Falla.

Christian Lindell with a 6-1 6-2 6-2 win.

Germany’s Philip Kohlschreiber, beaten by Murray in a marathon match here last year, dropped only three games against Japan’s Go Soeda, while Spain’s Roberto Bautista-Agut

Donaire shuns title eliminator vs Ruiz

F

IVE division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire has apparently decided to shun a WBC title eliminator against No.1 ranked Hugo Ruiz and instead plans to face Frenchman Anthony Settoul in a ten round super bantamweight bout in Macao on July 18 before hopefully getting a crack at WBA champion Scott Quigg of Britain should Quigg overcome Kiko Martinez also on July 18 in Manchester.

WBC president Mauricio

beat German Florian Mayer, also in straight sets.

Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny’s tournament did not last long. He quit when trailing Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-2 6-1 -smashing his racket into his forehead several times as his frus-

tration boiled over.

Former champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, seeded seventh, reached the second round by beating Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 4-6 6-2 6-0.

Melindo sharply focused for title fight I BF light flyweight title challenger Milan Melindo is “sharply focused” in his bid to win the world title in a showdown against Mexico’s Javier Mendoza on May 30 – June 1 in Manila – in a fight that will take place in Mexico.

ALA Promotions trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor told the New Standard/Boxingmirror. com in an overseas telephone conversation from Los Angeles where Melindo has been training at the Wild Card Gym, that Melindo’s focus was “terrific” and that he is ripped and ready to win a world title in his second attempt after having lost in his bid to wrest the WBO/ WBA flyweight crown from tough and talented Juan Francisco Estrada on July 27, 2013.

Villamor said Melindo had “shown his stuff” in sparring

sessions with Mexican, Japanese and Australian opponents and that “he really wants to win.”

They are scheduled to drive to Mexico today.

Melindo has a record of 32-1 with 12 knockouts while the champion Mendoza has a record of 22-2-1 with 18 knockouts which reflects the Mexican’s punching power.

Mendoza won the title from Ramon Garcia Hirales by a twelve round unanimous decision even as he dropped Garcia Hirales once in round five and then again in round 9 in June 2013.

Garcia Hirales had earlier lost his WBO light flyweight title to Donnie “Ahas” Nietes in Bacolod City with Nietes currently the longest reigning Filipino world champion.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 8 ISSUE 38 • TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

EVEN IF IT HURTS

Lebron carries Cavs past Hawks in OT, moves a win away from Finals

L

EBRON James played through a myriad of injuries Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-111 in overtime to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

James recorded his first triple double of the playoffs, finishing with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists as Cleveland pushed the Hawks to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven series.

“No matter how I am feeling I have got to try and make some plays,” James said. “I felt like I couldn’t give more, but

then it was mind over matter.

I was able to push through.”

The banged up Cavaliers can advance to the NBA finals with a win in game four on Tuesday.

A hobbled James thought about taking himself out of the game in overtime but changed his mind. The pain on his face was plain to see when he drained a three pointer with under a minute left to give the Cavaliers the lead.

Exhausted and sore, James then dropped to the floor after Sheldon Mack’s potentially tying shot from beyond the arc bounced off the

Shrine Hills Challenge set June 28

rim and out of harm’s way as the final buzzer sounded.

“You name them. We could play doctor right now with how many injuries I got,” James said.

“We are a desperate team.

We are a banged up team and if we come out and play as hard as we can, we defend on a high level and we share ball offensively then we will give ourselves a chance to win.”

James, who missed his first 10 shots, ended 14-of-37 from the field. His shot to give Cleveland a 112-111 advantage with 36 seconds left was his only three pointer of the

contest in front of a crowd of 20,500 at Quicken Loans Arena.

He banked in a field goal with 12 seconds left just one possession later, and Mack missed a pair of three-point attempts in the final five seconds.

- Battles through crampsCavaliers coach David Blatt said James was dealing with cramps.

“He played through pain, he played through cramps and he just would not let us lose. He wouldn’t let us lose, amazing,” Blatt said.

James has had dehydra-

tion problems throughout his career. He had to leave game one of the 2014 NBA finals while a member of the Miami Heat with painful and debilitating leg cramps.

Already without Kyle Korver on Sunday due to an ankle injury, the Hawks lost all-star forward Al Horford during the final minute of the opening half following a dust up with Cavaliers Matthew Dellavedova. The incident occurred after Horford and Dellavedova were fighting for a loose ball rebound.

Horford was assessed a foul and was thrown out of

the game. He had scored 14 points on seven-of-10 shooting before leaving the contest.

“He was carrying us,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said.

The scrappy Dellavedova, who was handed a technical foul on the play, injured Korver Friday when he dove into his legs going for a loose ball.

Horford retaliated against Dellavedova after a similar aggressive low dive.

“There has just got to be a line at some point,” Horford said. “He is a competitor. But he has to learn that at end of the day it is a big brotherhood.

Guys look out for each other.”

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

M

abf@edgedavao.net

ORE than 1000 runners are expected to compete in the 15th annual ‘Shrine Hills X Challenge’ on June 28.

In a statement, Davao Sunday Runner’s Club Inc. (SUNRUN) President Yvonne Sasin said that this year’s race will not only treat the runners with a signature DriFit shirts, commemorative medals and breakfast, but also the green surroundings of Matina and Langub’s Hills and the sight of majestic Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak.

She said the race is divided into three categories the 15K, 10K and 5K. Sasin said the event will

have its gun-start at 5:00 a.m. at the Jack’s Ridge Resort and Restaurant with an out and back route in the 5K category while the 10K and 15K will have looping routes with several steep of downhill and uphill.

She said the registration is P550 for the 15K which includes of medal, Dri-Fit shirt, finishing certificate and race bib. The 10k and 5K has a registration fee of P400 which includes Dri-Fit shirt, finishing certificate and race bib.

Sasin said registration is now going on and open from 11:00 a.m. up to 7:00 p.m. at Victoria Plaza Mall Carpark fronting the mall’s door 5.

RAIN OF COLORS. Runners dance to the shower of colors during the Color Manila Run Davao leg at the Davao Crocodile Park on Sunday. More than 1,000 runners took part in the event.