Edge Davao 8 Issue 40

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

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INSIDE EDGE

House committee approves BBL bill The BIG NEWS P2

RRD not meddling in Sasa Port project The BIG NEWS P3

P1.4-B worth of projects for Davao The ECONOMY P6

That thing called weather SCIENCE P7 SKIMMING. Nur Kauzar glides across the water’s surface using a handmade skimboard as he and his peers practice their skills at the sea front of Sta. Ana wharf in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

DUTERTE LASHES BACK AT DE LIMA ‘You fatten criminals inside Bilibid’

Cavaliers sweep Hawks, moves to D NBA Finals Sports P16

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte hit back at Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and accused her of bringing up issues against him for her own political agenda.

Duterte made the statement af-

ter de Lima said on national media that the mayor should be held criminally liable after allegedly admitting his ties with the “DDS.” “Nagpapa-ekek lang yan si de Lima kasi gustong tumakbong senador (De Lima is just drawing

attention to herself because she will run for senator),” Duterte said in an interview on Tuesday night at the Grand Men Seng Hotel.

Duterte said his admission of having ties with the DDS was only

FDUTERTE, 10

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

LAUGH OUT LOUD. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) Davao City division have a good laugh over the mayor’s statements during their meeting at the Grand Men Seng Hotel on Tuesday night. Duterte met with the DepEd officials to discuss the shortage of classrooms for incoming kindergarten students. Lean Daval Jr.

House committee Rody to prioritize food, education approves BBL bill

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. and CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY

T

HE House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means approved with amendments the provisions in the proposed Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region specific to taxation and wealth-sharing.

The committee, chaired

by Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, acted on the proposed measure after it was referred by the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) last week.

GPH (Government of the Philippines) chief peace negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and panel member Senen Bacani were present to serve as resource persons.

Also present were Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Ging Deles and Commissioners Hussein Munoz and Timuay Melanio Ulama of the

Bangsamoro Transition Commission.

During the discussion on the share of the Bangsamoro in the national taxes that will be collected in its territories, Bacani clarified that the shares of the local government units (LGUs) in the Bangsamoro cannot be diminished.

“Of the 70% share under Republic Act No. 9054, 35% are enjoyed by local government units therein while the other half is retained by the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). The percentage the LGUs are getting cannot be diminished as stipulated in the proposed BBL,” explained Bacani.

Under the proposed measure, the current 70% share of the regional government will be increased to 75%.

Also represented in the deliberation were the Depart-

FHOUSE, 10

F

OOD and education will be Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s top priorities if he becomes President.

Duterte himself made the declaration during a meeting with officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) at the Grand Men Seng Hotel Tuesday night.

He emphasized the importance of education as the tool for success for every Filipino.

Children from all walks of life, Duterte said, should have access to quality education whether they are poor or rich.

“I do not want anybody to be deprived of education because they are poor. I do not want to hear that there is a case being denied of education because of poverty,”Duterte said.

The meeting was attended by DepEd Davao City Divi-

sion Supervisor Helen Paguican, kindergarten education program supervisor Janete B. Esteban and curriculum division chief Alma Cifra.

Also present were city administrator Jesus Melchor V. Quitain, assistant city administrator Jhopee A. Agustin and councilor Maria Belen Sunga, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) committee on education.

Duterte said he will also make sure there is enough food supply in the country as he noticed that most of the farmers are not planting food crops anymore but cash crops.

He said planting cash crops will affect the food chain of the country as the farmers only plant the crops to supply the needs of other countries.

Because of this practice, there is a possibility that in the future there will not be enough food supply in the

tional two years in high school will only burden parents.

“The Department of Education projected that about 30 to 40 percent of the Grade 10 graduates nationwide will have to go to private school and avail themselves of the two remaining years there.

Even though the government will subsidize students with P15,000 each, this is not enough to pay all the expenses,” he said.

“If the government is really sincere in implementing this program, it should allow a bigger budget,” he said. “At present, the government only allocates less than 4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for education. Under the standard of the United Nations, it should be at least 6 percent to integrate the education system. We can now see how sincere our government is.”

country and Filipinos might suffer starvation, according to Duterte.

It is important, he explained, that farmers plant food crops nowadays to stabilize the food chain of the country.

The local chief executive, however, reiterated he is not seeking the presidency in the 2016 elections as he has no money to fund his campaign and that he has become tired of politics.

But Duterte’s concern for the farmers and the country’s problem on food security showed in his recent trip to the province of Antique.

Seeing the cracked rice fields of Sibalom town in that Western Visayas province, he declared that irrigation services must be provided to Filipino farmers for free.

The local chief executive made the remark as he de-

plored the failure of Philippine agriculture, especially rice production, to provide water services to farmers.

“Where in the world could you find a situation where it is the rice farmers who are subsidizing the salaries and operational funds of a government agency in charge of irrigation?” Duterte said in a press statement sent to the media.

Duterte said this deplorable situation is happening in the Philippines where a portion of the irrigation fees collected from rice farmers is being used to pay the salaries and the operation of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

The NIA, a government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), is in charge of the construction and maintenance of all irrigation facilities in the Philippines.

ACT to take K-12 to Supreme Court Gabriela pushes

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

T

crc@edgedavao.net

HE Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) will be filing for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the K to 12 program before the Supreme Court at 10 a.m. on Friday.

“The government is basically not ready for the implementation of this ambitious program. It will also cause the layoff of teachers and non-teaching staffs ,” ACT- NCR Union Rosalio “Bobot” Ayque

said in yesterday’s Club 888 media forum at The Marco Polo, Davao.

Ayque said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) itself has projected that about 86,000 teachers and non-teaching staff nationwide will lose their jobs. For Davao Region, some of the estimated 16,000 teachers here are in danger of losing their teaching jobs, he added.

Ayque also said the addi-

FACT, 10

for divorce law

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

T

HE Gabriela Women’s Party hopes to see divorce implemented in the country to benefit the middle class and poor sector.

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said divorce will serve as an additional option for Filipinos who wish to end their marriage. Currently, the only two options are legal

separation and annulment.

Ilagan said annulment in the country is too expensive and cannot be afforded by middle class families.

Legal separation, for its part, does not dissolve the marriage of a couple.

Ilagan said the kind of divorce Gabriela is pushing is

FGABRIELA, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

RRD not meddling in Sasa Port project

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

D INSPECTION. Bureau of Fire district investigator Fire Officer 1 Rogel John Alocelja examines the fire alarm in one of the buildings of a dormitory owned by the Villa Abrille family along Juan Luna Street in Davao City yesterday. An

inspection of all boarding houses around Davao City was conducted by the different government agencies yesterday as part of the preparation for next week’s opening of classes. Lean Daval Jr.

NGCP reiterates campaign on line safety T HE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has reiterated its call for the care and protection of its power transmission lines to ensure public safety, especially in the local communities.

NGCP spokesperson Atty.

Cynthia P. Alabanza once again appealed to the public to help the power grid operator maintain a reliable, safe and secure transmission system, not only for public safety but also to provide quality power system operations.

“We have to maintain quality power supply starting from the transmission sites,” Alabanza emphasized during a recent Power 103 Orientation

on Power System Operations for the media in Mindanao.

She enumerated transmission line safety tips involving NGCP’s transmission structures in its host communities to avoid accidents and outages.

She said parents should strictly monitor their children and prohibit them from flying kites near transmission lines or climb transmission structures to prevent incidents of electrocution.

The safety tips cautioned residents not to build grass fires near or under transmission structures because fires may cause power interruptions in the area.

Plants are also not allowed

to grow close to the structures, or the carrying of long sticks or any object that might reach or come in contact with the power transmission lines.

Installing of antennas, parking of vehicles and building of houses or any structure near or under transmission lines are also strictly prohibited.

NGCP urged residents to report any incident of tangled branches, and in case of accidents, to bring the victim to the nearest medical facility and report the incident to the local police or barangay officials.

Alabanza said NGCP always ensures that its line safe-

HE approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the House panel will benefit the initiatives of the sub-regional economic cooperation Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

This was according to BIMP-EAGA senior official Dr. Prudencio Reyes Jr., Undersecretary, Legal Affairs and Trade Facilitation for SMES of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), during the BIMP-EAGA Post-Summit Senior Officials and Cluster Head Meeting in Puerto Princesa

City, Paalawan province.

“The BBL would probably benefit a lot out of BIMP-EAGA,” Reyes said, adding that even before the passing of the bill, they have already included Cotabato, Zamboanga, and other areas for the sub-regional economic cooperation strategic plan.

Zamboanga, for instance, is now identified as a freeport zone for Halal products.

For Cotabato, Reyes said they are looking into agricultural expansion for plantation of corn and copra together with Davao.

“Davao has a huge surplus

of copra, and we would like to take advantage of that since Africa now has an Ebola epidemic,” he said.

Maguindanao will also benefit, he said, out of the terrestrial cable to speed up Internet connection. “As you all know, our internet is very slow. So, this will arrive in Maguindanao.”

He elaborated that Maguindanao was specifically identified for the plan to strengthen Internet connectivity in the country.

Reyes added that basically, the BIMP-EAGA is a devel-

HE Davao City Police Office will clear the campuses and streets of gangs in preparation for the opening ohe school year.

Speaking at the AFPPNP Press Corps briefing at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, Senior Inspector Milgrace Driz, spokesperson of the DCPO said the proliferation of street-corner gangs is one of the concerns raised in the consultation conducted by

the police with the parents and children.

She said the campaign will involve not only the police but all government functionaries on the grassroots like the barangay police auxiliaries, barangay officials, parents and the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

“It is a social concern that we have to address as a community,” Driz said.

She assured that the lo-

cal government has a shelter and a reform program for children-in-conflict-with the law.

Driz said youthful offenders will be given a chance to change for good.

“The police precincts in Talomo and San Pedro have a tie up with an educational institution where CICL can acquire quality education,” she said. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

BBL to benefit BIMP-EAGA T

FBBL, 10

Campaign vs gangs intensified T

ty campaign would reach the public and increase awareness through the mass media and continuous coordination with barangay and other local officials.

“Please help us make the public understand on the danger of high voltage of transmission lines,” she asked the media during the Power 103 held at Marco Polo Hotel, this city. (PIA-XI/Carina L. Cayon)

abf@edgedavao.net

AVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte will not dip his hands on the controversial P17-billion Sasa Modernization Project of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

“I do not want to enter into a territory (which) I am not in control,” Duterte told reporters in an interview last Tuesday night.

Duterte said that collaboration on the project with the city government will not be a reachable resolution.

“I would rather keep a distance to that especially on the bidding process,” he said.

He said that he almost did not accept the Agri-Pinoy Trading Center food terminal of the Department of Agriculture (DA) because the agency will let the city to supervise the bidding process.

Duterte said that he will not accept the project from the national government if the city will supervise the bidding because he does not want his name to be dragged in controversy such in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

In last Tuesday’s regular City Council session, councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang said Senator Serge Osmeña III is interested in making inquiry on the allegedly overpriced project, which is being undertaken

by DOTC as a Public-Private

Partnership (PPP) project.

Dayanghirang said Osmeña was prompted to call officials of the city after learning of the DCCCII resolution issued last week calling for an investigation on the matter.

The DCCCII had expressed its outright rejection of the project in a strongly-worded position and demanded that the national government place the bidding process on hold and revisit the study and recommendation made by the Development Bank of the Philippines-International Finance Corporation (DBP-IFC).

“We urge everyone, the local government, the City Council of Davao to continue its probe and the Congress to look into this matter with sincere consideration to the well-being of the people of Davao City and the whole Davao Region,” read part of the draft of the position paper of the DCCCII headed by Board chair John Y. Gaisano and president Antonio T. dela Cruz.

Dayanghirang said he was “very grateful that Senator Osmeña will be bringing this out in the Senate.”

Dayanghirang cited Gaisano as saying that the Sasa Port modernization will be detrimental to the business sector because the cost of using it would increase since the project will be built from a loan.

FRODY, 10

EDGEDAVAO

4 SUBURBIA

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

MILITARY HELP. Army soldiers take charge of the mobilization, transportation, and assembly of the custom-fit wheelchairs

PARTNERS. The wheelchair recipients and their caregivers.

DAVAO ORIENTAL

Operation Blessing gives free wheelchairs

A

ROUND 140 patients suffering from different diseases that have made them unable to walk recently received custom-fit wheelchairs from Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, Inc. The foundation said the newly turned over wheelchairs intend to help not just the patients but their caregivers as well, making their daily activities easier and allowing them to lead more fulfilling and productive lives.

Patients who received the wheelchairs include those

TAGUM CITY

who suffer from diseases such as stroke, cerebral palsy, birth abnormalities, and other disabilities that keep them from walking.

Operation Blessing team leader Gino D. Agban said the organization is a worldwide mission to help bring vital social services to communities, especially to the impoverished sector of the society.

He said the wheelchairs are donations from different countries that pooled their resources together to reach out and touch the lives of the poor.

In becoming an eligible

recipient of a wheelchair, families of the patients were required to submit barangay clearance, a photo, social case studies, and medical abstract that prove the patient’s worthiness to receive a wheelchair.

The selection process of the patients also involved tapping the help of Barangay Health Workers who validated the patients’ eligibility to receive. This procedure is deemed vital as the organization discourages patients who still have the capacity to walk from becoming dependent to

wheelchair use.

In partnership with the provincial government and the Philippine Army which gave counterpart in terms of mobilization and coordination, the 140 wheelchairs were directly distributed to patients throughout the province in several rounds of distribution.

Members of the Operation Blessing Team demonstrated the proper use and maintenance of the wheelchairs to extend their life.

Davao Oriental Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon

Boy Scouts increase funds of local council T HE Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) agreed to double the local council share from the members’ annual fee.

The decision was made during the BSP’s 59th Annual Council Meeting on May 20 to 22 at Big8 Corporate Hotel in this city.

BSP Secretary General Wendel Avisado said out of

DAVAO ORIENTAL

the P50 annual fee from each member, the local council can retain P20, a 100 percent increase from the current P10.

“For the first time in the history of the organization, we are increasing the share of the local council, which they can retain immediately before remitting it to the national office,” Avisado said.

He said the P50 fee is bro-

ken down to P20 for the local council, P5 membership fee in the world organization of the scout movement, P5 for member’s financial assistance, and P20 for the national office.

“Previously, it was just P10 pesos. Then we added the P4 national assistance for council operation, which will be abolished starting January next year; and another P6,” he

said.

Avisado said with this additional source, the local council will have more funds for their programs and trainings.

The 59th Annual Council Meeting was attended by Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is also the BSP President, together with more than 700 BSP members in the country.

(PIA 11, Michael Uy)

DavOr celebrates Farmers’and Fisherfolk’s Month

O

VER 700 farmers and fisherfolk from across the province participated in the recent three-day celebration of the farmers and fisherfolk’s month held in the City of Mati.

The Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 11 in close coordination with the provincial, city, and municipal local government units brought together the farmers and fisherfolk to the celebration which was dedicated in their honor.

The DA said the celebration is a way to thank them for their great role in feeding the nation and in the country’s economic progress.

The department said that the occasion also promoted participation among various partners in agriculture as well as to strengthen the bond between farmers and fisherfolk to the different agencies who provide them assistance.

The farmers and fisherfolk who participated in the activity thanked the DA and the provincial government for holding the activity that became a venue for them to learn the latest and current programs of the department.

Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRI) Head Rotchie Ravelo, who represented Governor Corazon N.

Malanyaon, emphasized the vital role farmers and fisherfolk play in the society in the sense that they feed the whole nation with their labor.

He said the farmers and fisherfolk should be given due credit for the various recognition the province had achieved in terms of agriculture.

Aside from lectures, a product exhibit was also held wherein diverse agricultural commodities and products were displayed and sold.

The farmers and fisherfolk also received freebies such as rice and corn seeds, cassava stalks, fishing paraphernalia, fertilizers and

shirts from attached agencies and other stakeholders.

They include the PCI, FIDA, PCA, FPA, PhilMech Mindanao, PCIC, NFA, NMIS, San Miguel Corporation, Kennemer Foods International Inc, and UNAHCO. The celebration of the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month became an annual event pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 33 issued on March 21, 1989 declaring the month of May of each year as a month dedicated to farmers and fisherfolk to honor their valuable contribution in the country’s agriculture and economic growth. Annalyn Padullon

thanked Operation Blessing for its benevolent work for her constituents, saying these blessings symbolize hope for the recipients.

She said the province’s strong partnerships with organizations such as the Operation Blessing help address the needs of poor constituents that are beyond the government’s capacity to attend.

She said institutions that have the heart to help people who are less fortunate are indeed a blessing to the people as they give new hope and a new chance.

Operation Blessing Philippines, Inc. became a frequent partner of the provincial government as it was one of the first few organizations to come to the province’s aid when Typhoon Pablo struck in 2012.

With undertakings that exemplify Christian kindness and compassion, OB’s works involves services covering medical, health, and nutrition interventions, education, livelihood and skills enhancement, and disaster relief, among many others. KL Deloso/Photo by Eden Jhan Licayan

DAVAO DEL NORTE

Panabo student-employees treat school children to SPESyal supplies

A

TOTAL of 43 student-employees of the city government of Panabo recently distributed schools supplies to 120 students of the three public elementary schools in the city.

Under the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), the student-employees handed over to elementary pupils their own hand-made notebooks from scraps, together with pencils, papers, and coloring items.

“The SPES grantees called these supplies their SPESyal gifts to the pupils of the city for the opening of classes,” Panabo Employment Services Office Manager Cherelle Espinosa said.

The identified beneficiaries are Grade 1 pupils of Rizal Elementary School, Panabo Central Elementary School, and Gredu Elementary School.

“From just being a mere aide in the government offices, we added entrepreneur-

ial skills training and community extension services as added learning for the SPES grantees,” Espinosa added.

Espinosa said the 20day summer employment of the student was mixed with training on making and marketing of SPESyal yema.

“In the corners of the government offices, these grantees are like messengers or clerks; but for this summer, we extend their skills and knowledge on entrepreneurship so that they can be equipped with business management skills as young as they are,” she said.

The total SPES grantees for the month of May reached to 219, which was assigned not only to city government offices but also to partner private agencies like Gaisano Grand Mall of Panabo, Panabo Multi-Purpose Cooperative, ACES Polytechnic College, Northlink Technological Institute and Rivera Medical Clinic and New Ventures Cooperative.

(PIA11, Michael Uy)

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

Faster import clearance processing pushed

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

G

OOD news to local importers.

The processing of import clearance certificates will soon be made faster after the Export Development Council (EDC) pushed for the removal of at least 12 unnecessary documentary requirements.

Export Development Center executive director Emmarita Z. Mijares on Monday said they have actually removed two of the 14 documentary requirements under the Philippine Export Development Plan 2014-2017.

Among the removed requirements for the issuance of importation clearance certificate was the registration in the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Aside from the SEC registration, EDC also recommended for the removal of the Bureau of Internal Revenue certificate of registration, BIR’s certification of no tax liability and certification of good standing from regional BIR offices where the importer operates.

The BIR issues import clearance to certify whether

an importer is legitimate. The clearance is necessary before the importer can proceed with his or her importation.

“If only the divisions of BIR are talking to one another, maybe through computerized system, then they don’t need to require another copy of those documents from the applicants or importer (anymore),” Mijares said during the regional forum of the development plant at the Grand Regal Hotel.

Mijares said there has been an exchange of communication between the council and concern divisions of the BIR. “The recommendations have been done by concerned agencies and were already submitted to Commissioner Kim Henares. We are just waiting for her response,” she said.

Exporters and importers in Davao Region have earlier complained that too much requirements are taking the processing of clearance certificates longer.

Philippine Exporter Confederation president Ferdinand Marañon said some of

SURPRISE. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) regional director Glen Geraldino (left) and officials from other government agencies conduct a surprise inspection on a dormitory owned by the Villa Abrille family and other dormitories and boarding houses around Davao City three days before the opening of classes. Lean Daval Jr. their members had a hard time in exporting their products because of the slow processing in the government.

“For instance, one of our

members cannot proceed with the exportation because the certification from Food and Drugs Administration has not been issued. He ap-

plied for it two years ago,” said Marañon, an exporter of fresh and processed Cardava bananas.

Marañon said the govern-

ment need to streamline the processing to further boost the export industry and attain the US $1 billion target by 2017.

6 THE ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

P1.4-B Davao projects awaiting approval

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

A

crc@edgedavao.net

TOTAL 21 subprojects worth P1.445 billion are in the pipeline for the Davao Region and just waiting approval for inclusion in this year’s Philippine Rural Development Project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 11.

DA 11 assistant regional director for operations Maria Febe T. Orbe said of the subprojects for 2015, 15 of these with a total amount of P1.12 billion are under review by the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB).

Six other subprojects costing P321 million are due for submission.

Orbe said the subproject being reviewed and in three batches by the board are all farm-to-market roads (FMR).

The projects were pro-

posed by Davao del Norte with six, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental with only one subprojects each, and Compostela Valley with seven.

For the first batch, the board reviewed the P298.81 million subprojects proposed by the local government unit of the province of the Davao del Norte, including the rehabilitation of the Capungagan- Boundary of San Miguel in Kapalong amounting P102.21 million; rehabilitation of Esperanza- PoblacionSto. Tomas amounting P114.79 million in Sto Tomas; and rehabilitation of Sto. Niño- Igangon worth P81.81 million.

For the second batch, the board reviewed the remaining P210.51 million proposed subprojects of Davao del

Norte, including the rehabilitation of the Poblacion-Limbaan-Suawon-Macgum road with a bridge worth P191.74 million in the municipality of New Corella and the rehabilitation of the Barangay La Filipina to Barangay San Agustin road worth P18.76 million in Tagum City.

Proposed FMR project or the rehabilitation of the Poblacion- San Isidro-Tacul in Magsaysay worth P88.75 million made by the province of Davao del Sur were also included in the second batch of review.

The subprojects in the province of Compostela Valley were also taken up during the second batch of review.

These include the rehabilitation of the Nuevo Iloco to Barangay Panibasan road worth

P18.76 million in Mawab; the rehabilitation of the junction San Miguel to Kidawa road with bridge worth P42.20 million; the rehabilitation of the Barangay Pangutusan to Barangay New Alegria road in Nabunturan and Compostela amounting P110.83 million; rehabilitation of Barangay Poblacion to Magcagong road amounting P12.503 million in Maragusan with a total combined amount of P217.670 million.

Davao Oriental’s rehabilitation of Matavisan farm-tomarket road worth 217.49 million was also reviewed.

For the third batch, subprojects proposed by Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley with a total combined amount of P91.28 million were taken up by the board

for review.

For Davao del Norte, the board reviewed rehabilitation of the KM 64 National highway to Barangay Pandapan road in Tagum Cityworth P37.010 million.

For Compostela Valley, the subprojects were the rehabilitation of the farm to market road in the municipality of Pantukan, including the road rehabilitation from Kinubkuban to Upper Lahi in Pantukan worth P18.764 million; Napnapan proper to Binogsayanraod worth P15.94 million; and the junction national highway to Upper Pangasinan road worth P21.392 million The six projects on the pipeline that are due for submission of documents were the rehabilitation of

FTA talks open

T

PROJECTS. Gov. Corazon Malanyaon (second from right) hands over the certificate of turnover to AFMA president Marlyn Borja in Brgy. Aliwagwag, Cateel Davao Oriental. The ceremony was witnessed by Dr. Rafael Mercado,

ARD for research and regulatory (left), Oliver Binancilan, PAMANA area manager (second from left), Enya Celoso, DA 11 PAMANA focal person and barangay captain Brillo Quibo (right). (Che Palicte/DA 11)

the SitioBuso-buso, Barangay Lavigan, Governor GenerosoSitioPanumbayon, Barangay Lanca in Mati City worth P191.743 million, the construction of paka- Dita road worth P52. 500 million in Tarragona, and the rehabilitation and construction of the Bukobuko Sa Anay road worth P48.250 million in Boston, Davao Oriental.

Compostela Valley’s rehabilitation of the Barangay Andili to SitoEstabilloraod worth P25.95 million and the Davao del Norte’s construction of potable water supply in Kasilakworth P5.94 million and in Dalisay amounting to P5.518 million were also for submission.

“We hope to implement these projects within the year,” Orbe said.

HE Philippines has discussed possible bilateral trade agreement with other countries in the Asia Pacific during its hosting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said in a briefing Wednesday that the country’s hosting of the recently concluded Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Boracay in the province of Aklan was very successful.

Domingo said the Philippines was able to push its initiatives for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the APEC meeting and it was also able to conduct bilateral meetings with other countries in the region for possible free trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines.

On the other hand, DTI Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said the MRT meeting

became a platform for the Philippines for bilateral trade discussions particularly with Mexico, Canada, Chile, and Peru.

“With Mexico, we’re ready to explore the possibilities engaging for preferential trade agreement for an FTA,” Cristobal said.

“For Canada, this is a follow through of the recent visit of President Benigno S. Aquino III to Canada. We reaffirmed the intention of both countries to launch an exploratory discussion on mutual and comprehensive trade agreement,” he added.

He mentioned that there will also be a review on the separate investment promotion protection treaty with Mexico and Canada that was signed during the 1990s to update and upgrade the agreement.

The DTI official mentioned

FFTA, 10

DA, OPAPP turn over P3-M projects to DavOr towns Lower prices of oil, raw materials reduce imports

T

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) together with the provincial government turned over on Tuesday P3.250 million worth of Payapa at MasaganangPamayanan (PAMANA) or Peaceful and Resilient Communities projects to two cooperatives in the municipalities of Cateel and Bagangaon in Davao Oriental.

The Aliwagwag Farmers Multi-purpose Association (AFMA) in Cateel received a project worth P750,000 while theBatawan Upland Corn Farmers Association (BUCFA) in Baganga got a project amounting to P2.5 million.

AFMA acquired an upland rice production and postharvest facilities (single pass rice mill), rice mill shed, weighing scale and one unit bagger while BUCFA acquired corn mill building, multipurpose drying pavement, 100 bags OPV white corn seeds, 50 bags yellow hybrid corn seeds, organic fertilizer, one unit bagger, weighing scale, and welding equipment.

Dr. Rafael Mercado, DA 11 assistant regional director for research and regulatory, told the beneficiaries to be united in order to sustain their projects.

“We have to work hand in hand in order for this project to prosper. This will be a great help for your family and this could somehow uplift your

livelihood and eventually help your children,” Mercado said.

He said DA in Region 11 will continue its support to conflict-affected areas through the PAMANA program.

In 2014, a total of seven farm-to-market roads (FMRs) under PAMANA project were on their pre-implementation phase. The beneficiaries are from the towns of Cateel in Davao Oriental; Monkayo and Compostela in Compostela Valley; Talaingod and Panabo City in Davao del Norte; Magsaysay in Davao del Sur; and Malita in Davao Occidental.

Currently, three FMRs under PAMANA are being prepared for implementation in the region, one in Davao del Sur and two in Compostela

Valley.

The PAMANA program was spearheaded by OPAPP is the national government’s peace and development framework for empowering conflict-affected areas in the country. It is supported by concerned government line agencies, local government units (LGUs) and civil society groups.

It follows a convergence strategy to close the gaps in development and bring progress to conflict-affected areas, where they are needed the most. It also ensures that communities benefit from improved delivery of basic social services and are served by a responsive, transparent and accountable government.

(Che Palicte/DA 11)

M

ERCHANDISE imports decreased by 6.8 percent in March 2015 as lower payments primarily for mineral fuels, lubricants, and raw materials were recorded in the period, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

According to a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority, total import payments fell to US$5.1 billion in March 2015 from US$5.5 billion from the same period last year. The decline came after a 10.2-percent rebound in February 2015 and a 10.8-percent annual growth in March 2014.

Most trade-oriented economies in East and Southeast Asia, except for Viet Nam, posted a decline in merchan-

dise imports in March 2015.

The reduced value of imports primarily from PR China, South Korea and Singapore contributed to a drag on imports during the period.

Lower crude oil prices and the lower demand for non-oil mineral products reduced the value of imported mineral fuels and lubricants by 47.3 percent, to US$681.3 million in March 2015 from US$1.3 billion from the same period last year.

“The low oil-price condition remains favorable to the current balance of trade, particularly for trade-in-goods of the country as global oil prices continue to hover way below US$100 per barrel at US$51.6 for the first quarter of 2015,”

FLOWER, 10

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

EDGEDAVAO

TRAVEL

A magical weekend at the

MÖVENPICK

I

always love my Cebu visits. The culture as well as the people of the Queen City of the South are literally intoxicating.

It is funny though that in all my visits, I never had the opportunity to explore the island of Mactan. Yes the airport may be located in the island and I had a chance to stay at a resort there but I did not have the opportunity to experience the full beauty of Cebu’s famous resort island. Lucky for me, I was invited to a stay by the team of Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu to experience a 5-star weekend escapade at the resort.

The 5-star experience started even before I left Durianburg is many thanks to Philippine Airlines which is re-introducing its daily Davao-Cebu flights which re-connect Mindanao to the flag carrier’s Cebu hub. What made my trip extra special was a seat on PAL’s premium economy section.

Aside from giving priority check-in and extra

Philippine Airline’s Premium Economy seats provide additional creature comforts as well as meals and drinks for a more enjoyable flight.

baggage allowances, Philippine Airline’s premium

economy service has seats that are more comfortable with more pitch, wider seats, and extra leg room. All these together with PAL’s brand of service marked by warmth, charm and Filipino hospitality made the short

flight a dreamy flying experience which touched down at the Mactan Cebu International Airport 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.

After a short drive from the airport I finally set foot at the chic Mediter-

Philippine Airlines re-introduces their Davao-Cebu service with daily flights. ranean-style lobby of the Thanks to the Club Floor 245-room Mövenpick Ho- access, Check-in was quick tel Mactan Island Cebu. and easy, but the true As promised by the prop- breath taker was my beauerty’s MarCom Manager tiful Deluxe Room with a and Edge Davao’s certified balcony providing a view Metro Mom, Meghann of the sea, the hotel’s fabuHernandez, I was in for a luxurious weekend.

Urbanissimo A4

Sunset lounging at the Ibiza Beach Club is a must-do when at the Mövenpick Cebu.

Firedancers light up the stage at the Ibiza Beach Club.

Every meatlover will fall in love with Ibiza’s Currasco.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

FOOD

COCO’S SOUTH BIST Flavours of the World WHAT I am most proud of Davao exceeds the superficial façade of physicality -- it is the many gastronomic places ready to satisfy everyone’s craving anytime of any day. Yes, Davao is a dining hub can introduce your palate to the flavours of the world.

Coco’s South Bistro, certified Davao pride, is one best dining place that can not only satisfy you gastronomically but encourage you to explore beyond your comfort zones. True, not many appreciate the distinct taste and aroma of the world however, here at Coco’s South Bistro, they take you on an adventure one bite at a time.

Considered a must-go-toplace for both locals and visiting foreigners, this classically laden restaurant serves more than just your typical pizza and pasta combo. Here, you get more than just the typical flavours your palate has been accustomed to.

They have an extensive menu that holds forth a treasure of dishes and cuisines unlike anywhere else. From appetizers to soups to steak, they have an array of selection that will greatly satisfy any of your flavour cravings.

More so, make you forget about your diet as soon as you take that first bite.

Are you a big pasta lover? On their menu is an array of the best savoury pasta dishes on this side

of the city. Big on Pesto? They have a plate of al-dente pesto pasta that will surely make you forget about calorie counting. Italian pasta? They too have that – a big plate of Tomato-Basil Pasta is definitely something you must try. They also have Aglio E Olio, Spaghetti Bolognese and others… all you need is ask!

Want something hot and chewy at the same time? Everyone has been raving about their Seafood Chowder – a delightful creamy and smooth soup made of homemade chicken broth, fresh clams served in fresh bread bowl – is perfect to an already perfect day. Don’t get shy. . . they expect

you to tear the bread down.

Pizza lover? Here’s something new and exciting to the senses.

Order their flavour packed Taco Pizza and be transported in the streets of Mexico in a swift. Thin and crusty pizza shells with seasoned ground beef, salsa, two chesses melted to perfection, topped with shredded lettuce --

surely enough to get you smiling from ear to ear.

Not only does Coco’s South Bistro serve some of the most delectable dishes in town, they too are perfect for sharing with family, friends and your intimate significant other. Other than their antique-ish interiors, relaxing

ambiance but they too have big servings worth your every cent.

Hence, if you, your family and friends are up for an afternoon (or evening!) of dining with ease under one roof, then you are in the right place.

Coco’s Bistro South is open from Monday to Sunday – 10:00 am until 11:oopm.

Seda Abreeza holds Japanese foo

By Kenneth Irving Ong SEDA ABREEZA is giving and Tempura, accompanied by Dabawenyos something tuna or salmon sashimi, miso new to taste at the ho- soup, Japanese rice, and fruit tel’s all-day dining res- platter for Php780 nett from taurant, Misto, as it holds May 25 to 30. its first Japanese Food There will also be a Japanese Festival featuring Seda Dinner Buffet on May 29 for JapNuvali’s Executive Sous anese food lovers to truly have Chef Danny Gallardo. their fill of Japanese cuisine.

Seda Nuvali’s Chef Danny Gallardo serving his freshly fried Shrimp Tempura.

“Seda Hotels has a Seda Chef Exchange Program which enables the head chef of each Seda Hotel to visit another of its own and share their expertise in the food industry,” says Seda Abreeza General Manager Kennedy Capulong. “Last month Chef Giovanna “Bang” Flores, our own Executive Sous Chef here at Seda Abreeza, went to Seda Nuvali to introduce them to various Mindanawon and Davao dishes in a Kadayawan Food Fest.”

Banking on Chef Danny’s expertise and experience in Japanese cuisine, Misto offers Japanese Ala Carte dishes as well as set dishes which include a main courses such as Katsudon, Sukiyaki, Buta No Shiogayaki,

Guests can eat their fill from various sushi rolls, sashimi, Kani Salad, Mapo Tofu, Yakisoba, Mixed Tempura, and Okonomiyaki. The buffet will also feature various desserts that will be exclusive for the buffet such as Green Tea Custard, Mochi with Red Bean Paste, and Mizu Yokan, a jelly dessert made with red bean paste and sugar.

The Japanese Dinner Buffet is Php980 nett for adults and Php 680 nett for kids.

The week-long festivity also includes the Seda Rewards Members Japanese Dinner Party on May 28 where members will learn easy and fun ways of creating Japanese dishes through a cooking demo by Chef Danny Gallardo.

Various sushi will highlight the Japanese b on May 29.

Seda Abreeza’s general manager Kennedy Ca Gallardo and Giovanna “Bang” Flores.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

TRO:

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

ABS-CBN’s ‘Pangako Sa’yo’ premieres this Monday on primetime TV ABS-CBN’s highly anticipated drama series “Pangako Sa’yo” is set to tell one of the greatest love stories about romance, promises, and broken vows on May 25 as it makes a grand return on primetime TV starring the reigning love team of the new generation Kathryn Bernado and Daniel Padilla.

love will test Eduardo and Claudia’ son Angelo (Daniel) as he faces the same fate as his father when he meets and falls in love with a simple young woman named Yna (Kathryn).

How will a vow change the lives of Eduardo, Amor, Claudia, Angelo, and Yna? Will their heart fall out of love

because of each other’s broken promises?

Don’t miss the return of the classic Filipino love story on television, “Pangako Sa’yo,” this Monday, after “Nathaniel” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For exclusive updates, log on to Twitter.com/StarCreativesTV and Instagram.com/ StarCreativesTV.

Helmed by three of the best directors in the country Rory Quintos, Dado Lumibao, and Ol-

Coco’s has branches at F. Torres Street, Davao City; Tulip Drive, Matina, Davao City, Victoria Plaza compound, Davao City; and at J.Catolico Street, General Santos City.

Make #TheRoyalChef your Thursday habit. Tag me on instagram @herroyalheiress for your delicious food finds!

od fest

buffet

Crispy and tender Pork Katsu.

apulong (middle) together with Chefs Danny

ivia Lamasan, the story of “Pangako Sa’yo” revolves around the promise made to each other by a cook named Amor (Jodi Sta. Maria) and a young man who grew up in a wealthy family named Eduardo (Ian Veneracion).

Because

of his family’s protest against their relationship, Eduardo is forced to leave the woman he loves the most and marry the woman his mother has chosen for him Claudia (Angelica Panganiban).

After many years, fate and

Alex Gonzaga gets back at her enemies in ‘Inday Bote’ KAPAMILYA TV hostactress Alex Gonzaga’s character is ready to fight for her family in ABS-CBN’s top-rating fantasy drama series “Inday Bote,” which will air its finale episode on May 29.

As her real identity is revealed to everyone, Inday (Alex) will stop at nothing to seek justice for the crime that Fiona (Aiko Melendez) did to her parents.

How will Inday be able to fix all the problems that the Vargas family is facing now that everybody knows that she is Lita’s (Alicia Alonzo) long-lost granddaughter Kristal? Will she be able to stop Fiona’s plans with the help of the dwarves who are protecting her? In the end, will someone have to sacrifice his or her life for peace in everyone’s family?

Under the direction of Manny Palo and Jon Villarin, “Inday Bote” also stars Matteo Guidicelli, Kean Cipriano, Alicia Alonzo, Smokey Manaloto, Nikki Valdez, Malou Crisologo, Jeffrey Santos, Nanding Josef, Alora Sasam, Biboy Ramirez, Izzy Canillo, and Alonzo Muhlach.

Don’t miss the mustsee finale of of “Inday Bote,” this Friday before “TV Patrol” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For

more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/ DreamscapePH, Twitter. com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/ DreamscapePH. Viewers may also catch up on full episodes and past episodes of “Inday Bote” through ABS-CBNmobile. For more information, please go to www.abscbnmobile.com.

May 28 – June 2, 2015

YOU'RE STILL THE ONE Maja Salvador, Dennis Trillo PG

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

SAN ANDREAS Alexandra Daddario, Dwayne Johnson PG

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

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

TRAVEL

My room at the Mövenpick Cebu was odern, chic and spacious

Take time to recharge at the Spa Del Mar.

Urbanissimo A1 lous lagoon pool, white sand beach, and the property’s Ibiza’s Beach Club.

After meeting up with media peers from Manila who arrived later in the day, we finally had lunch at the property’s all-day dining restaurant, The Sails, which showcases an interactive buffet as well as a creative a la carte menu.

We also had our first taste of Manny O’s famous wines which are served all over the resort.

The afternoon meant sunset sessions at the hotel’s signature outlet Ibiza Beach Club which is one

of Cebu’s most happening chill-out venues. Situated at the end of the Mövenpick marina, the Ibiza Beach Club offers the finest in food and world-class entertainment, accompanied with spectacular ocean views and authentic Balearic style 14-course Churrasco as well as Mediterranean tapas. Ibiza’s architecture reflects its Mediterranean name-sake and boasts of a vibrant and lively ambiance where guests can wine and dine under the stars.

After all the eating and partying the night before, a visit to the hotel’s Spa Del Mar for some pampering and relaxation was arranged the following day. Located at a quiet corner of the resort, Spa Del Mar offers an unparalleled experience with a complete range of health and beauty treatments in luxury private rooms for massage and meditation.

The appealing spa menu draws inspiration from diverse Asian influences and

cultures, combining them with contemporary techniques.

Of course not to be left out is the Mövenpick’s internationally acclaimed brand of luxurious ice cream which is flown all the way from Switzerland.

Each scoop of the creamy and indulgent dessert was a welcome respite from Mactan’s hot and humid afternoons.

Of course no luxury Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu experience is ever complete without meeting the wine-maker himself, Mr. Manny Osmeña who toured the group around his own private wine cellar which houses a small part of his world-renowned wine collection, as well as winemaking trophies.

The tour was immediately followed by a winepaired degustation at the Ibiza Beach Club’s Conservatory which featured the Manny O line of wines.

From the scrumptious welcome cocktails paired

with Manny O Celebrus, to the surprising pairing of Lobster Bisque with Golden Parmesan Wafer and 2013 Manny O., Discipulus Syrah, Languedoc.

It was a truly wine-learning experience that money cannot buy.

My favourite pairing of the evening has got to be the Charcoal Seared Grade 7/8 Wagyu Beef with Pommery Gravy which was paired with Manny O’s Bibulus, Bordeaux. This beautiful wine just recently won the “Trophée Vin Rouge”, the highest award, at the Vinalies Internationales 2013 in Paris France, along with five Gold medals and 20 awards from 10 countries.

From the tasting notes to the inspirations behind every wine, the engaging evening was fun as Mr. O gamely answered question from the media, sharing his love and passion for wines which was a truly magical way to cap the weekends at the Mövenpick.

Grilled Grade 7/8 Wagyu Beef. Ibiza’s trademark drink, the Whiskey Sour.

Manny Osmeña and his award winning wines from Manny O.

7 SCIENCE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

Inter-tropical convergence zone (Credit: PAGASA)

Eye of tropical storm (Credit: PAGASA)

That thing called weather Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“

OFTENTIMES, we make the mistake of interchanging climate and weather, but they are actually two different things,” said Dr. Jorge G. de las Alas, a professor of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Climate, Dr. de las Alas explained, is the statistical average of observed weather in a particular area of interest over a relatively long period of time. “Climate is not static,” he said. “It is ever changing like weather but its rate of change is small and generally imperceptible in periods comparable to man’s lifetime.”

In a recent climate forum for agriculture convened by the Department of Agriculture and UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Davao City, Anthony Joseph R. Lucero bared the Philippines has four types of climates.

“Davao City and the rest of Davao Region is under the Type IV,” Lucero, senior weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), pointed out. “The rainfall in these areas is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.”

Other places in the country which has the same type of climate are Camarines Sur, Leyte, Bohol, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Areas with Type I have two pronounced seasons: dry from December to May and wet from June to November.

Maximum rain period is from June to September. Areas characterized by this climate type are Ilocos Norte and Sur, Abra, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Bataan.

Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro Occidental, Iloilo and the western section of Palawan have also this type. So do parts of Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Antique and Negros Oriental.

Those with Type II have no dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period from December to January.

Places with this type include Northern and Eastern Samar, Agusan del Sur, and some parts of Davao Oriental.

Seasons in areas with Type III are not very pronounced. It is relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year just like in Isabela, Rizal, Laguna, Aklan, Cebu, Bukidnon, and North Cotabato.

“Climate is what you expect,” said American humorist and novelist Mark Twain, “weather is what you get.”

Lucero seemed to agree with Twain’s observation when he said that climate in a particular place has been firmly Anthony Joseph Lucero of PAGASA established while the weather is a lot more unpredictable because Northeast. In the former, the “it has to do with the day-to- Asiatic continent becomes day changes in atmospheric warmer than the surrounding conditions,” observed Lucero, seas and a low pressure cell who is with the climate mon- develops over the continent. itoring and prediction section This causes a flow of moist of PAGASA’s Climatology and southwest wind over the Philippine area. At times, when Agrometeorology Division.

The Philippines, given the this southwest flow becomes location and the topography thick in depth, it persists for of the country, experiences a long period causing continseveral weather-causing phe- uous rains which may last for nomena: thunderstorm, cold weeks during the months of front, monsoons, easterly June to September.

The Southwest monsoon, wave, intertropical convergence zone, low pressure area, locally called habagat, is responsible for the great portion and tropical cyclone.

Thunderstorms, called of rainfall during the country’s local storms, occur when tow- wet season. “About 60% of ering cumulus clouds reach the rainfall in the Philippines a height where the tempera- is associated with Southwest ture is well below the freezing monsoon,” Lucero said.

The Northeast monsoon point. Among the associated hazards are heavy rain (which is known locally as amihan. may cause flashflood) and “Northeast monsoon is a wind lightning (which may cause system that reverses in direction, from the southwest to death, burns or fire).

Cold front, which is preva- the northeast,” Lucero said. lent in temperate countries, is “It originates in mainland Asia formed when cold air moves (particularly those in Siberia) over areas of warm air. Since and crosses the Philippines in cold air is heavier than warm northeast direction. During air, the warm air is pushed the amihan, malamig ang aloft by the cold air giving rise panahon sa Pilipinas, which is usually from October to to widespread cloudiness.

“Cold front does not pass March.”

Easterly waves are meanthe country’s area of responsibility,” Lucero said. “What derings (waves) in the wind, we have is only the tail of the which blows from the east cold front. It is very unique in (easterly). Some storms and the Philippines as we have a minor typhoons originate weather that gives us cooler from easterly waves. “Matemperature. There are no hina ang hangin na dala ng such thing in our neighboring easterly waves and it is easily countries like Indonesia, Ma- overcome by Southwest and Northeast monsoons,” Lucero laysia, and Singapore.”

There are two types of said.

The intertropical convermonsoon: Southwest and

Good weather

Flooding at Bankerohan River gence zone (ITCZ), for the information of the uninformed, is an area where the northern hemisphere trades meet the southern hemisphere trades.

According to the weather bureau, ITCZ is characterized by towering clouds of cumulonimbus clouds accompanied with showers of widespread thunderstorms.

“The axis of convergence, which is usually oriented in an east to west direction, does not remain stationery at the equator but migrates north or south of the equator,” PAGASA explains. In the Philippines, it oscillates during the months of May to October.

During the ITCZ, low pressure area (where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations) is embedded. And once ITCZ leaves, low pressure area is left behind. Low-pressure systems, it is said, form under areas of wind divergence which occur in the upper levels of the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.

This brings us to tropical cyclones. These are low pressure systems characterized by relatively low atmospheric pressure at the center with

very strong winds blowing counterclock wise (in the northern hemisphere) towards and around the center.

In the Filipino dialect, tropical cyclones are called “bagyo,” a word which came after a 1911 storm in the city of Baguio, which had a record rainfall of 46 inches within a 24-hour period.

“The Philippines has the highest occurrences of tropical cyclone around the world,” Lucero said. “We are known to have the most number of cyclones: 19-21 cyclones a year.”

In the past, there were only four public storm warning signals (PSWS). The weather bureau recently added a fifth: Super Typhoon (STY). “Typhoons as strong as Super Typhoons with more than 220 kilometers per hour (kph) of sustained winds in the country is becoming more frequent,” PAGASA Acting Director Dr. Vicente Malano was quoted as saying during the launching of the modified PSWS. The complete PSWS of tropical cyclones: Tropical Depression (TD) with 30-60 kph winds; Tropical Storm (TS) with 61-120 kph winds;

Severe Tropical Storm (STS) with 121-170 kph winds; Typhoon (TY) with 171-220 kph winds; and Super Typhoon (STY) with more than 220 kph winds.

Most Super Typhoons don’t landfall,” Lucero said.

“They just enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility and then exit without even touching the land.”

But when a Super Typhoon does, just like Sendong in 2011, Pablo in 2012 and Yolanda in 2013, the devastation is incomprehensible.

Among the dangers associated with typhoons are heavy rainfalls and floods, strong winds, storm surge, landslides and mudflows.

“Landslides can bury people alive and destroy properties,” the weather bureau reminds.

“Mudflows, on the other hand, are hazardous to people and properties, too.”

But there is one good thing about tropical cyclones.

The weather bureau says that the rainfall brought about by tropical cyclones increases the groundwater and water levels of dams. In fact, about 50% of the rainfall of the country comes from tropical cyclones.

8

EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

I

Pity the children

T IS HEARTERNING to know that the city government of Davao is helping children of poor families go to school by giving them regular financial assistance no matter how small the amounts may be. This refers to the project initiated by Councilor Edgar R. Ibuyan Sr. of the First District.

Ibuyan’s project which is sanctioned and supported by the city administration under Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte is the Rody Sagop Bata Para sa Kaugmaon Program which currently benefits more than 15,000 students.

Under the Ibuyan initiative, each elementary student gets P500, while each high school student is given P700 for their PTA (Parents Teachers Association) and miscellaneous fees in public schools. Aside from these, the program also gives P2,500 cash assistance to each college student in both private and public schools.

The fund is administered by the City Social Service and Development Office (CSSDO) using Ibuyan’s Annual Development Fund (ADF).

It is really a very small amount compared to the actual financial needs of the students, but Ibuyan is right when he said the project will hopefully encourage the poor to go school.

Beneficiaries don’t have to bother about maintaining grades because the assistance will be given for as long as the students show interest to

EDGEDAVAO

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finish their studies.

It is hoped that the rest of the 25 city councilors will use their P3-million per year ADF for the same or similar projects, designed to assist poor students in all levels.

Take note that the Ibuyan fund had so far helped 18,432 elementary pupils in 138 schools, 3,855 high school students in 86 schools, and 1,931 college students in 57 colleges and universities.

This is not to ignore the other scholarship programs of the city government and the members of Congress. There are also scholarships funded by civic clubs like the Rotary Club of East Davao and the Young Men Christian Association.

Maybe, all like-minded individuals and organizations obsessed in helping poor students should sit down and assess how much more assistance is needed for the altruistic effort to become more inclusive.

Once they arrive at ways how to expand the assistance, perhaps they can think about the school children in the mountains who walk for days and risk drowning in perilous rivers just to be able to attend classes, the same hapless students who are sometimes devastated to find out they could not hold classes because their schools have been occupied by units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines fighting the insurgents.

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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EDGEDAVAO

Ignoramus

T

HERE is nothing appalling about the fact that majority of respondents in a recent SWS survey are opposed to the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law. And it is not surprising that majority of those opposed to BBL have not read the document at all. This is the one I find revolting to my senses, however: We do not find it necessary to read the document in its entirety.

We are unfortunate skimmers. We skim, we flick through, we simply speed-read online articles of dubious authorship whose titles are a far departure from their actual contents just to catch the attention of any gullible online reader. Then, we take impassionate pleas, infallible stances for or against a social issue.

Sometimes, I find myself arguing with friends and acquaintances. We all want peace, of course. We all support initiatives to find that elusive peace in Mindanao. I am in favor of the BBL. Most of the people I know are against it. Every time they make passionate cries against it, I ask them exactly what specific provision of the draft law they are opposed to. And that would be the end of our conversation. I have read the draft and other agreements and documents before. I was part of the peace process, representing the private tourism sector. I had been to numerous consultations and deliberations, separately initiated both by the government peace panel and by the MILF. I have seen how stakeholders deliberate on specific contentious provisions and how the panel members painstakingly defended every one of them. We exchanged views with the members of the broader sectors, including members of the MNLF

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and Lumad RANDOM THOUGHTS leaders; many of them are business people with so much interests at stake in the peace process. At some point, select members of Congress were Jonallier M. Perez also invited to participate in various deliberations, including the formal negotiations in Kuala Lumpur. Twice, I was so emphatic with my questions, for sheer reason that of the many industries, tourism is most fragile. Manufacturing, agriculture, and some service establishments are far more stable to operate in conflict areas.

For as long as factories are not razed to the ground, farms remaining free from shelling and workers still reporting to work, it is business as usual. But it is far different in the case of tourism. Tourism is experiential. You do not manufacture and export goods, away from conflict areas. Tourism brings IN people. And all that it takes to throw away massive government expenditures in promotions is for a single bomb to blow away limbs and arms in a busy street corner.

I was watching on television the other day a live deliberation of the Senate committee chaired by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. At one point, another senator asked someone from the government panel if the MILF has any appointment paper or Special

Power of Attorney of some sort, authorizing the group to represent the Bangsamoro people. It was reductio ad absurdum! The good senator missed an important point.

The peace negotiation was an attempt to resolve age-old conflict in Mindanao. It was not a formal legislative or judicial deliberation. MILF was not signing a contract on behalf of a party. It was a genuine, transparent attempt at inviting to the negotiating table an armed group waging war against the established authority in the hope of finding peace together. As I have politely reiterated before then panel chair and now Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen, one does not kill an idea with a bullet. Only a better idea does. If we insist on going back to the battlefield, the army may probably kill a thousand rebels, probably including those who murdered the fallen SAF44. The government may burn their villages down.

Towns may experience a temporary lull.

However, we stir another generation of rebels (or freedom fighters, as some would put it). It would only take a little agitation before the grown up orphans of dead MILF rebels pick up arms again and wage war against the government. Then, it would be another vicious cycle, never to break, never to end. For the meantime, those infallible commentators are enjoying the comfort of their homes somewhere in Luzon or the Visayas, away from the battlefields of Mindanao. And the next time we hear them, they are again making passionate cries against a document they have not read at all, save for a few paragraphs on page 1 of a proposed agreement designed to find that elusive peace in Mindanao.

en us a glimpse MY TWO CENTS’ of their China hand. All other presidentiables have so far been silent. It must be noted that the China issue and the Spratlys will be a major considJohn Tria eration for anyecisouth@gmail.com one, and I mean anyone who becomes the Philippine President in 2016.

Thus, dealing with an aggressive China is a reality all presidentiables have to face.

The Binay position comes straight out of a 1990s political analyst’s playbook replete with Binay’s desire for a win-win: set up a joint venture. Draw them in by encouraging investment to jointly develop the resources we all know are present in our western sea. The catch in such a position is that it has been proposed before, and has not deterred further encroachment. Beyond this tired suggestion we have not heard anything else. It perhaps mirrors what other Manila politicians have been pushing, which essentially is nothing. It sounded a lot like a press release from a comfortable political position, the political objective of which is not very clear, but the long term economic and political consequences for the Philippines may not be as robust. Binay has never had to defend his territory and people against an external threat, so his hand in such

things cannot be as firm. He is groping for answers in a situation he does not seem to read very clearly, coming as it is from a man with a need to answer allegations of systematic wrongdoing while in office, with little by way of platform than an assumed popularity. I believe we deserve more from the man presently next in line to succeed the president.

Duterte, on the other hand, explained to us a position, and a few options (Inquirer, April 21), such as pursuing UN arbitration, bilateral engagement, and if these fail, aggressive actions such as calling on allies to help defend our sovereignty. He has also called for a revival of the Reserve Officers Training Corps and obtaining a credible self-reliant defense for the Philippines (Rappler, April 23). He is likewise open to the next President embarking on a joint exploration of the resource rich area. As the mayor of a farflung city, he has faced terrorist threats, the reality of insurgency and criminality at a scale others can only imagine, and all this with little help from Manila. While seemingly simple, it nonetheless is drawn from experience, and the need to obtain a strong negotiating position before actual negotiating. It stems from a smarter reading of history and geopolitics, beginning with measures to defend and safeguard these waters.

At this critical point, we are all invited to examine these positions and decide for ourselves which is more desirable in both the short and long term. Which possible presidential contender can truly deal with China?

Duterte, Binay, and China

S the ongoing issues between China and its neighbors over the West Philippine Sea develop into a series of probably embarrassing international incidents, we can only be appalled at how dangerously close we are to possible war.

But what is more appalling is the Manila government’s lackadaisical attitude towards the situation. It is truly odd that after hundreds of hectares of Philippine territory have been occupied by a foreign nation, there is no talk of convening the important National Security Council.

Of course this is unfamiliar territory to many Manila politicians. The closest anyone in Metro Manila has been to war were the coups d’état of the late 1980s. At that time, then Makati Mayor Binay would often be at the forefront of such challenges, supporting then President Corazon Aquino as she successfully fended off the coups. Of course, all of that is internal conflict, which is basically political in nature.

Nothing that eventual negotiations cannot solve, especially as the United States would eventually step in, flashing its big guns and enforcing what to my mind is a virtual Pax Americana. No territory ceded, few lives lost, and all back to the same normal within a few days.

Hence, the issues surrounding the foggy situation have left the usually boisterous and verbose Manila politicians at a sudden loss for words. As presidential elections are a year away, possible presidential positions are expected on this thorny set of issues. Nonetheless, only Jejomar Binay and Rodrigo Duterte have giv-

9

Our fascination with titles and dynasties THE WORM’S EYEVIEW

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA

I

GUESS it’s human to be fascinated by titles— especially “royal” titles like “datu,” “sultan,” or other honorific including the academic variety like “Doctor,” “Attorney,” or “Engineer.”

Titles bespeak pedigree, nobility, or royalty: a fascination fairly well-established in our society. Where there’s a dearth of titled or pedigreed people, we resort to make-believe.

We crown a make-believe princess or queen during fiestas. We hold festivals where a “Mr This or Mrs That” is chosen or elected— who then ascend a royal “throne” and reign for a day or week or longer.

“Royal” pageants are regular features in our communities—in neighborhoods, schools, districts, municipalities, provinces, in churches too. ***** Even politics is not spared such royal make-believe. Elections in many places assume the character of beauty pageants, or royal battles, their winners behaving thereafter like a reigning queen or king.

And it often happens that the make-believe takes on an earnestness that makes politicos act out the fantasy and forget why they’re in office, which is to serve the community and enhance quality of life.

In their eagerness to act out their royal pretensions, they forget what they’re in office for, their obligations as public servants. Believing they’ve acquired a certain nobility by winning public acclaim during the election, they actually think they’ve entered the ranks of royalty.

And where a royal family reigns, can a royal dynasty be far behind? From such fantasy arises ambition to extend the rule of family or clan indefinitely. Thus starts the phenomenon of dynasty-building. ***** The obsession to have family or clan reign for generations, backed by the individual and collective resources of its members, has resulted in crowding our political system with dynasties that have turned the business of governance into a family enterprise.

Employing patronage, the dynasties fan the community’s fascination for “royalty”. And, sadly, everyone plays along, keeping alive the pretense and the regal affectations of pretentious dynasties.

And so doing, the people themselves denigrate citizen sovereignty, and democracy itself.

It is they who keep such dynasties in power, kowtowing to their whims and caprices, indulging their misplaced self-importance, tolerating their presumptuous attitudes.

It is very bad. It is not good to let public servants indulge in royal pretensions or fantasies.

It feeds their vanity and heightens their propensity for abuse. It deepens their sense of entitlement. It drives them to corruption. ***** Deferential behavior towards pretentious trapos is bad. It encourages them to assume royal airs, and to expect royal treatment. Before long, instead of act like the public servants that they are, they start believing they’re a special breed, are above the law, and can do no wrong.

That’s how we give them wrong ideas about their importance and their indispensability to our community and society. Supporting them and their dynasty oversteps the line beyond what’s proper, legal, or even immoral.

Political fantasy must never trump reality.

Public servants must never get away with strutting around flaunting their power and privilege, making naïve people believe themselves to be their “subjects.” Public servants must never mistake themselves as parent-figures either: a patriarch or matriarch presiding over the family (community)—as in Ama or Ina ng Bayan. It is improper; but no one bothers to rectify the attitude or behavior.

No one challenges the impropriety, or even to admonish against unseemly behavior; so they figure it’s all right with everyone. So they just carry on and treat everyone like junior wards or dependents, forgetting that they are the public servants. ***** Dynastic politics is not new, of course; political dynasties have come and gone. But in more advanced societies, democracy and equality of opportunity are serious business; there is a limit to political monopoly or control over a community.

It is time we moderate the overweening greed for power and the shamelessness in political families. It is time we foster what is proper, desirable, or acceptable in decent society.

No more should we allow a political dynasty to exploit the weaknesses of our community and society. There must be propriety, decency, conscience, compunction, and social responsibility in politics.

10 NEWS

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FIRING BACK. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte lashes back at Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in a live interview by GMA Network’s Jessica Soho in her television program State of the Nation on Tuesday night. Lean Daval Jr.

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ment of Finance (DOF); the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); and the National Tax Research Center (NTRC).

Bacani also explained to the members of the Ways and Means committee the formula used for the annual block grant. “The amount is equal to 4% of the 60% of the BIR net collection three years detached from the fiscal year.

When you compute that for 2016, that is roughly P27 billion -- just a little over what the ARMM received for 2015.”

Members of the committee also discussed the income taxes filing of businesses operating in the Bangsamoro.

“There are businesses operating in the Bangsamoro which have main offices outside and that is where they pay their taxes,” Ad Hoc committee chairman Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City mused.

“That is unfair for the Bangsamoro when you think about it. The business, man-

power, and the income are all from the Bangsamoro. I propose that taxes should also be filed in the Bangsamoro so that they become subject to the 75-25 arrangement,” he continued.

Sulu Rep. Habib Tupay T. Loong agreed and added that “the kind of taxation being proposed is not only fair to the Bangsamoro but is also practical for the businesses operating therein.”

The committee also clarified some provisions of the bill to better reflect its intent such as the tax incentives to be given by the Bangsamoro are only applicable to taxes devolved to it; and that capital gains taxes both refer to sale of real properties and shares of stocks.

Some representatives expressed reservations to the amendments, saying they would continue their questioning at the plenary level which is expected to begin on Wednesday (May 27). (PNA)

Dayanghirang also said the DOTC, without coordination with the city government, purchased a relocation site in Barangay Mahayag in Bunawan District for those who will be affected by the project.

He said the relocation area is not suitable for residential

use since it is in an industrial zone, which is a violation to the zoning ordinance.

Dayanghirang said the question is why the DOTC is in a hurry to do the project and why it did not coordinate properly with the city government.

said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

“The low price of oil prompted an increase in the overall volume of imported crude by 47.8 percent. It is expected that the increase in energy demand during the summer season will further drive imports of petroleum products,” he added.

Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General, emphasized that the low price of imported oil bodes well for the industrial sector, particularly for manufacturing and utilities sub-sectors given their high

reliance on oil-based inputs.

Payments for raw materials and intermediate goods also fell slightly by 1.1 percent, to US$2.09 billion from US$2.11 billion in March last year. This was reflected in the strong decline in the imports of semi-processed raw materials (-6.2%).

“The drop in the imports value for semi-processed raw materials can be attributed to decreasing prices of raw materials, a trend which has been occurring for five consecutive months since November 2014,” Balisacan said.

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“The government should suspend the education and study it thoroughly first,” Ayque added Brokenshire Union president Rodney Baslot said the government should put on hold the K to 12 program because it will only promote contractualization among teaching staff and destroy unions of teachers.

ACT-Davao auditor Danilo Mondoyo, meanwhile, said the 12-year basic education cycle should not be implemented, especially the last two years in high school because of the lack of infrastructure, instructional materials, and education sector personnel.

“The anti-tertiary edu-

cation mantra of the K to 12 program will manufacture young and docile laborers with low-paying, contractual jobs at a time when even many college graduates are unable to find good jobs,” Mondoyo said.

This was supported by Davao youth representative Dave Villamor, president of College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)-Davao, who said offering courses such as Housekeeping, Caregiving, Medical Transcription, and Contact Center Services in the Senior High School curriculum is suitable only for overseas jobs.

“The K to 12 program has no nationalist orientation,” Villamore added.

different from those of other countries’ since there are certain requirements that partners needs to comply with before they are granted divorce.

Among these are that couples should have been separated for at least five years.

Ilagan said Congress should also consider those the plight of victims of domestic violence.

“We have to put other options. Islam has divorce. Why can’t we give it to the majority sector of our country, the

Christians?” she said.

Ilagan said Gabriela is already coordinating with the Catholic Church to explain the kind of divorce it wants to implement.

She also said the party has been disseminating information to the public to educate them about divorce.

The divorce bill has been pending in Congress for the past nine years.

“I hope it won’t take 16 years like the RH (reproductive health) law,” Ilagan said.

that the country also had bilateral talks with Chile to enter discussions for an FTA. “There’s also indication for Peru for possible FTA,” Cristobal said.

He noted that the Philippines is active in exploring FTAs with other economies

aside from its strong interest on regional trade deals such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Currently, the Philippines only has bilateral FTA with Japan. (PNA)

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On the other hand, the value of imported capital goods increased by 16.6 percent while that of consumer goods increased by 2.8 percent.

These increases partly mitigated the drop in imports.

“The growth in the im-

ports of major commodities, particularly capital goods and consumer durables, shows that the confidence in the economy continues to be strong and bodes well for growth this year and next,» said Balisacan. (NEDA)

made “out of exasperation” because de Lima repeatedly brings up the issue.

He also clarified that the “DDS” he was referring to in his television show was his guiding principle in leading the city, which is “Davao Development Strategy.”

“I do not care if you (de Lima) misunderstand me. I have no problem with you.

I am only answerable to the people of Davao City who elected me as mayor,” he said.

The mayor also said he already answered de Lima in 2009 when she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and held an investigation in Davao City.

He explained that the term “Davao Death Squad” was coined by veteran Davao Citybased journalist Jun Ledesma when he was writing about the anti-communist movement Alsa Masa.

Duterte also said he had dared de Lima to file a case in court against him but no such case was filed.

Duterte also accused de Lima of being the “barking dog” of the Aquino administration.

‘Fattening criminals in prison’ Duterte then fired back at de Lima, saying the drug trade inside the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa has continued to thrive under her watch.

“You accused me of extrajudicial killing... You are a Secretary and I told you before look at your own backyard, specially Muntinlupa,” he said.

Duterte said de Lima did not make a move to eradicate illegal drugs in the prison facility in her five years as Secretary of Justice.

“Only recently did you raid

it,” he said.

He said he wanted expose this before but kept it to himself out of respect to President Benigno Aquino.

“But now I am forced to reveal it in public kasi inu-unahan mo ako,” he said.

Duterte said de Lima is ignoring the problems of the National Bilibid Prison in which prisoners are allegedly hired as assassins, kidnappers, and robbers and are able to go in and out of the detention facility.

“You accuse me of extra-judicial killing, then you fatten the criminals inside the Bilibid,” he said.

He said he called the attention of de Lima during the Senate inquiry on alleged rice smuggler Davidson Bangayan, saying instead of criticizing him she should look into the National Bilibid Prison in which crimes happen daily.

Duterte said de Lima never investigated the high-powered guns and prostituted women that are allowed to enter the prison.

“Ngayon magtanong ako, kasali ka ba doon sa pera?

Bakit nakakalabas pasok ang mga criminals? Bakit nakakapasok yung mga babae?

Bakit nakakapasok yung mga masasarap na pagkain? Bakit nakapasok yung mga baril?

Bakit sila nakakaluto ng shabu diyan (Now I will ask you, are involved in the money game there? Why can the criminals go inside and out of the facility? Why are prostituted women and delicious food allowed to enter? Why are the firearms allowed to enter? Why can they make shabu there?),” he said.

“You answer for that to the nation,” Duterte said.

opmental platform to promote trade, people-to-people connectivity, business-to-business matching, and assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

“Again, I would like to express my gratitude to Brunei. We just conducted the cross-border e-commerce, which is staying in your house and conducting e-business, so, I think everybody will benefit out of this,” he said.

BIMP-EAGA senior official Tutiaty Wahab, the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade International Convention Center of Brunei Darussalam, added that the sub-regional economic cooperation should also not be confused with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community for regional economic integration.

“They should not be confused, actually. The BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional initiative within the ASEAN; it’s actually the largest sub-regional cooperation under ASEAN. We have our own agenda in the BIMP-EAGA, and ASEAN also has its own agenda,” Wahab said, supplying that what they are always aiming to do is to “as much as possible try to be the test model for the ASEAN initiatives.”

“If the ASEAN is facing difficulties in calling some of the

initiatives, we try to do it in the BIMP-EAGA because we are smaller, we are closer, and it should be easier. For example in terms of air linkages, we did it first in the BIMP-EAGA and ASEAN followed suit,” she said.

The BIMP-EAGA has successes, she stated, that the ASEAN is modeling itself. Now that the sub-regional economic cooperation is already discussing its post-2015 plans, the ASEAN is also doing the same for the realization of the economic community this year.

“We will then look at how we can complement each other, how we can support other initiatives. So, there is no overlapping; we are trying to support each other,” the senior official said.

In light of the ASEAN Economic Community, Wahab said that priority projects within the BIMP-EAGA, under the implementation blueprint of 2012-2016, have identified 12 infrastructure projects which they agreed to implement.

More or less, most of these have been completed except for two that they will try to complete by the end of 2016.

A lot of these projects are upgrading of ports, building of roads within the BIMP-EAGA, and power connection which will be completed by end of 2015. (PNA)

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DOST: Free Wi-Fi across the country by November

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

T

HE Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s Information and Communication Technology Office (ICTO) plans to set up free public Wi-Fi across the country by November.

“The bid is already open and we are expecting small and large telecommunication companies and cable operators to join the bid,” DOST executive director for E-Society Bettina Quimson told reporters last Tuesday at the ICTO-Davao field office.

Quimson said the winning bidder will be the one to operate the system and will construct the cables necessary for internet connection.

The bid for the P1.7 billion project, dubbed “Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places,” is expected to be awarded before August, while the whole project is set to be completed by November of this year.

The project has two major components. One is the establishment of 14 points of presence (POPs) and the other is the setting up of needed infrastructure, specifically cables, leading to unserved and

underserved municipalities of the country.

For Mindanao, the POPs will be located in the cities of Davao, Zamboanga, and Cagayan de Oro. “The Philippines will start to enjoy the public Wi-Fi internet connection by the end of the year with the speed of 256 kbps,” Quimson said.

Quimson said the project will connect third, fourth, fifth, and sixth class municipalities that are known to be the poorest areas of the country. She said residents will be able to check email, call through Skype, access Facebook, send messages through Viber, and use Wattpad.

“Basically, the free Wi-Fi will be used by the public. It can be also used by government agencies for operation but these offices have to pay for it,” Quimson said.

She said the rates will be determined after the completion of the bidding process in July or August.

She said the Wi-Fi hotspots will be available in public places like town plazas; regional, municipal, and barangay health units; librar-

ies; offices of various government agencies; lobbies of hospitals; and all public elementary and secondary schools All registered devices will have the same speed with varying degrees of speed assurance depending on the level the user is registered to, she added.

She said users using the Captive Portal greeting page with no registration can get 50 megabytes (MB) of data daily with a speed of 256 kbps.

Users can register by presenting a government-issued ID or passport to receive an allocation of 100 MB daily with a speed of 256 kbps.

A third level will give users 300 MB daily at 256 kbps by registering for a digital ID which will be subject to the requirements of the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure

(PNPKI), which is a set of hardware, software, policies, personnel and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates.

According to the ICTO, those registered in the first and second levels can access selected sites, including news, education, government, social networking, and selected public email systems.

Those registered in the third level can access any website, except sites that are blacklisted by the Philippine government.

DOST executive director for E-Society Bettina Quimson (Photo from Twitter)

4 Filipino teachers to join Space Academy

M

ORE than 200 teachers from around the world, including four from the Philippines, are gearing up to take the trip of a lifetime to Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy (HESA), the game-changing experience that inspires teachers to encourage students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers Created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC), Honeywell developed the award-winning scholarship program to help middle school math and science teachers become more effective educators in STEM. Over the past 11 years, Honeywell has awarded scholarships to 2,381 teachers from 55 countries, including 16 from Indonesia.

“Inspiring students begins with inspiring our teachers and this program is all about re-igniting passion in our teachers,” said Michael A. Bennett, President, Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative. “This experience helps teachers learn new techniques for cultivating curiosity for math and science in the next generation of engineers, programmers, mathematicians, and astronauts.”

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the last 10 years, the demand for STEM-related jobs grew three times faster than jobs in other fields. However, according to the U.S. Education Department, only 16 percent of high school seniors are considered proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEM career.

Only half of those students

SPACE ACADEMY. Under the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy, teachers are given rigorous training focused on science and space exploration including astronaut-style exercises like high-performance jet simulation,

who pursue STEM courses in college actually go on to careers in STEM fields.

“It was very exciting to see a big rise in the number of finalists from the region this year, which indicates an increasing interest from the country and extended impact of this great program,” said Jim Bujold, president of Honeywell Southeast Asia for Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. “I would love to see the momentum continue and more teachers and students benefit from it.”

Since 2004, educators have shared their experiences and knowledge to more than 2 million students, inspiring many to pursue STEM education and careers. From winning grants from local and federal governments, to entering students in international and NASA educational projects, to creating STEM-focused after

school programs, the impact of HESA is continuing beyond the classroom.

This year, 205 teachers from 24 countries will attend one of two five-day programs offered over consecutive weeks from June 10-23 at the USSRC in Huntsville, Alabama. Teachers will be given rigorous training focused on science and space exploration including astronaut-style exercises like high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space mission, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynamics programs.

To attend Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy, candidates must complete a thorough application process.

Qualified teachers are awarded scholarships, round-trip airfare, tuition, meals and accommodations sponsored by Honeywell and its employees.

PRNewswire

scenario-based space mission, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynamics programs. (Photo from educators.honeywell. com)

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13

Del Rosario remains richest Cabinet member; Luistro still poorest D EPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert Del Rosario remains the richest Cabinet member while Education Secretary Armin Luistro is still the poorest based on their 2014 statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) re-

leased by Malacanang on Wednesday.

Del Rosario reported a net worth of PhP838,809,918.82 or PhP73.5 million higher compared with his 2013 SALN with zero liability.

On the other hand, Luist-

ro’s net worth has increased by PhP37,672 but remains the poorest Cabinet member of President Benigno Aquino III with only PhP471,064.46 net worth in 2014.

Del Rosario’s net worth came from his businesses that include banking, real estate, insurance,

shipping, telecommunications, consumer products, retail, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

The second richest Cabinet member is Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima whose net worth increased from PhP278.94 million in 2013 to PhP298.94 million in

2014, followed by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. who is relegated to third spot with PhP283.4 million.

Completing the top five richest Cabinet members are fourth placer Interior Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II whose net worth declined from PhP211.07 million in 2013 to PhP202.08 million in 2014, and fifth placer Trade Secretary Gregorio Domingo whose net worth also went down from PhP150.6 million to PhP148.6 million.

Other Cabinet secretaries and their net worth from richest to poorest are: Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, PhP134.24 million; Carlos Jericho Petilla of Energy, PhP122.09 million; Chief Legal Counsel Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, PhP117.17 million; Joseph Emilio Abaya of Transportation, PhP108.1 million; Enrique Ona of

Health, PhP93.69 million; Proceso Alcala of Agriculture, PhP91.170 million; Regolio Singson of Public Works and Highways, PhP82.55 million; Mario Montejo of Science and Technology, PhP61.1 million; Francis Tolentino of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), PhP41.95 million; Patricia Licuanan of Commission on Higher Education, Php39.4 million; Florencio Abad of Budget and Management, PhP33.81 million; Ramon Jesus Paje of Environment and Natural Resources, PhP31.98 million; Arsenio Balisacan of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), PhP25.26 million; Voltaire Gazmin of National Defense, PhP24.7 million; Joel Villanueva of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), PhP24.39 million.

(PNA)

DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORP. De Guzman St., Davao City Telefax (082)225-4473 NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All unredeemed items pawned during the month of January 2015,if not redeemed/renewed on May 30, 2015 will be put on Auction Sale June 2, 2015 at 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P.M. Pahibalo nga ang tanang wala malukat nga prenda sa bulan Enero 2015,kung dili malukat sa Mayo 30, 2015 isubasta sa bulan sa Hunyo 2, 2015 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag hangtud sa alas 5:00 sa hapon.

DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORPORATION

Davao City: 252 San Pedro St., 167 San Pedro St., CVA Bldg., C. M. Recto St., G/F Victoria Plaza Bajada 120-B Lapu-lapu St., Agdao 75C R. Magsaysay Ave., 2nd Level Gaisano Mall Bajada, G/F NCCC Bldg., R. Magsaysay Ave., Centerpoint Plaza Matina Fronting San Pedro College Guerrero St., Carlson Bldg., Lapu-lapu St., Agdao NCCC Mall Matina Saavedra St., Toril

Gaisano South Citimall, Ilustre St., Km. 11 Sasa Km. 13 Panacan Boulevard Buhangin Cabantian Bankerohan Calinan Davao del Norte: Gaisano Mall, Panabo Davao del Norte Gaisano Grand Mall of Tagum, Tagum City Gaisano Mall of Tagum, Tagum City Purok Marilag 11, Quezon St.,Tagum City Davao del Sur: Gaisano Grand Mall of Digos, Quezon St., Digos City

EDGEDAVAO

14 COMMUNITY SENSE

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

Students from the RBI plant mangrove seedlings in the Clenergy Park in Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya with the assistance of their parents and teachers.

Tibungco students get Resources for the Blind students 200 school supplies from DCWD given tour of DLPC Cleanergy Park P D OING something to help Mother Earth is a privilege for everyone even those individuals who are physically challenged.

Last May 22, Davao Light and Power Co. welcomed students and faculty from the Resources for the Blind (RBI), Inc. in the Cleanergy Park in Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya.

The students, who were assisted by their guardians,

together with the RBI teachers and the scholars from the Department of Education toured the newly opened Cleanergy Park and planted mangrove seedlings along the seashore.

This is part of RBI’s educational tour intended to expose the blind students with new activities that would further enhance their other senses and at the same time increase their environmental

awareness.

“We are grateful that RBI chose the Cleanergy to be part of their educational trip.

Though the students will not be able to see the beauty of this park, I know that what they will take home with them is the fact that once in their lives they have been part in making a sustainable environment for their own generation.” said Fermin Edillon, Davao Light Community

Relations Manager.

“Our students cannot see things with their naked-eye but their minds and hearts are not blinded on what the world needs from us to help save Mother Earth through our own little ways.” said Daisy Corpuz, RBI Preschool teacher.

For requests to visit the Cleanergy Park, please call 229-3572 or visit Davao Light Lanang office.

Oceana, PPI team up for fisheries media training

A

TTY. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Vice President of Oceana Philippines, signed a partnership agreement with Atty. Jesus Dureza, Chairman of the Philippine Press Institute, for a series of media workshops on fisheries reporting across the country.

The agreement was signed last May 15, 2015, during the annual National Press Forum of PPI. The workshops are aimed

at helping improve news reportage on the state of our oceans, fisheries, and marine conservation, in order to raise public awareness and citizen participation about these issues.

The partnership also establishes a journalism award for fisheries reporting, as a way of recognizing local newspapers that are making a positive impact in their communities.

Y’s Men International Conference Keynote Speaker Randy H. Halasan (6th from left), 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Emergent Leadership, in a posterity pose with the officers and members of the Y’s Men Club of Metro Davao, host of the 64th Philippine Regional Convention, held on May 8-10, 2015 at Waterfront Insular Hotel. They are (from left)Host Pres. Joval Valenzuela Jr, Past Pres. Rey

Sazon, District Gov. Joe Custodio, YM Al Batao, Regional Convention Chair Nonoy Villa-Abrille, Past District Gov. Vic Banes, Host Directors Tony Ajero & Henry Braceros, Former Vice Mayor Louie Bonguyan, Opening Ceremony Chair Sammy Lu and YM Edison Braceros. Second row are Past Presidents Manny Malim and Dick Villegas. Photo byBert Ninal Sr.

ARTNERS Davao City Water District and the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart assisted 200 children and teenagers in Barangay Tibungco gear up for school this coming June.

Headed by OIC assistant general manager for administration Mildred G. Aviles, DCWD gave back-to-school essentials to the recipients on May 25. Their ages ranged from six to 19 and were selected by the Carmelite Sisters for their active participation in the embroidery and Catechism classes. They came from the chapels of Sto. Niño I, Sto. Niño II, San Vicente and San Jose.

Each received a customized backpack, notebook, ballpen and crayons.

On behalf of the Carmelite Sisters, Sr. Maria Ramona Gutierrez thanked DCWD for the school assistance which would encourage the children to study and do well in school.

Also present during the dis-

tribution was Tibungco barangay captain Margie Calvo who urged the children to take care of their bags and to finish the school year. She thanked DCWD for choosing the children of her barangay as recipients of its outreach program and the Carmelite Sisters for their good works in the community.

Mrs. Aviles likewise encouraged the recipients to study hard for them to ultimately finish their education and have a bright future. She commended the nuns for their different programs that greatly contribute to the spiritual formation and personal development of the children and youth of Barangay Tibungco.

The back-to-school assistance is part of the water utility’s Adopt-a-Community Program implemented by the Community Relations Office under the Community Relations and External Affairs Department. (Jamae G. Dela Cruz)

READY FOR SCHOOL. Davao City Water District assistant general manager for administration Mildred G. Aviles helps a young boy try on his new school backpack given by DCWD.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 40 • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

Injury forces Barriga out of SEA Games L ONDON Olympian Mark Barriga will miss the Southeast Asian Games and a stint in the Aiba Pro Boxing league as he sits out the next three months with an injured right hand.

Barriga had earlier felt the pain went continued training and only recently was it discovered that he had injured a knuckle and will have to undergo surgery.

“Barriga will not play for the next three months,” he said. “’Yung pinakamaliit na knuckle sa kanang kamay lumubog,” said Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philip-

pines (Abap) executive director Ed Picson on Tuesday.

“Dati pa niya nararamdaman ’yan kaya lang noong pinakita namin kay Dr. Ida Tacata kailangan na operahan,” Picson added.

The boxing official said two other doctors ordered surgery the earliest possible time.

“Siguro kasama na rin sa training ‘yan, wear and tear na rin,” he added. “May ligament na naputol kailangan ikabit.”

Barriga bagged the bronze in the Asian Games in September last year in Incheon, South Korea.

Melindo promises a good fight

DAVAO CHALLENGE. Davao's Bebot Uy will be competing in the Mindanao All-Star 5-cock derby of the much-awaited Thunderbird Davao Challenge on June 6 at the New Davao Matina Gallera.

CMO back on the winning track

C

ITY Mayors Office rebounded from its first taste of defeat with a 97 - 87 win over Everball Columbia Computer Center on Tuesday night Game No. 20 of their Basketball Friendly Series at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym. The City Hall dribblers,

who absorbed their first loss in 19 games a week ago, had a more balance scoring output to fuel their victory and strengthen the series gap, 19 - 1.

Four players finished with double figures led by JR De Guzman who dominated the paint. De Guzman had 28 points.

Christopher “Bong”

Go churned out 21 baskets as Michael Peloton and Flores made 134 and 10 points respectively for the CMO which responded mightily to its first loss in nearly five months.

Don De Guzman paced Everball Columbia with 24 points.

CMO won six straight before absorbing its first

HE Eiffel Tower was still standing, the River Seine was flowing away to the sea, the traffic clogged the Peripherique and Rafa Nadal still ruled Roland Garros on Tuesday.

To all intents and purposes it was a normal day at the French Open as Nadal claimed victory number 67 since making his debut in the event in 2005.

It felt a little different though as the soon-to-be 29-year-old walked on to Court Phillipe Chatrier, the rectangle of red clay that has been the stage for his nine titles in a decade of unprecedented domination.

Such has been Nadal’s malaise this year, with claycourt defeats piling up from Monte Carlo to Rome, the Spaniard arrived in Paris only second favorite to claim a record-extending 10th title.

Tasked with providing the first test of Nadal’s supposed fragile confidence was French teenager Quentin Halys, a wildcard making his

grand slam debut.

He did just that, pushing 14-times grand slam champion Nadal hard before succumbing 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Nadal often takes time to get fully into his stride at Roland Garros so Tuesday’s one hour 50 minute workout offered few clues over the health of his game.

His racket was equipped with computer technology, meaning he can download statistics for later analysis.

But the sixth seed knows he will have to reboot his game to win the title, having been placed in the same half of the draw as world number one Novak Djokovic and third seed Andy Murray.

Tournament favorite Djokovic, like Nadal, waited two days for his opening match but quickly found his stride with a 6-2 7-5 6-2 defeat of Finn Jarkko Nieminen.

The Serb, whose winning march now extends to 23

matches, came within a point of a 5-1 deficit in the second set but extricated himself to clinch victory with trademark precision.

Wo m e n ’ s top seed Serena Williams

loss in last year series.

CMO – 97 DE GUZMAN 28, GO 21, PELOTON 13, FLORES 10, CLORIBEL 6, SUMAGANG 6, REYES 5, POLIQUIT 4, ABERILLA 4 EVERBALL – 87 DE GUZMAN 24, CHAVEZ 14, BALISALISA 13, MENDING 10, DELA CERNA 9, SUAREZ 7, BARRIGA 6, AVINANTE 4

Nadal remains a force in France T joined the party, lighting up a dull evening with a pink outfit and some powerful t e n nis to beat Czech qualifier Andrea Hlavackova 6-2 6-3.

If Nadal was nervous, one can only imagine the thoughts going through the mind of 18-year-old Halys.

He dropped his opening

service game but was clearly not intimidated, striking the ball with menace and occasionally having Nadal scrambling behind the baseline.

Another service game went begging when the wildcard served three double-faults but Halys broke Nadal’s serve in the sixth game, prompting loud cheers

F

ORMER flyweight title challenger Milan Melindo won’t underestimate IBF light flyweight champion Javier Mendoza when he gets a second chance at a world title in Mexico on May 31, Manila Time.

In an overseas telephone conversation with the New Standard/boxingmirror.com, Melindo said Mendoza “is a fighter and he’s good” even as he predicted their title clash will be “a good fight.”

Melindo said he had trained long and hard for this second crack at a world title with two months training in the Philippines and two additional months at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and has had “no problems and is feeling good.”

Trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor told us that they will leave today for Mexico and that Melindo is in “great condition” and they have high hopes that his hard work in the gym will pay off on fight night.

Well known strength and conditioning coach Nick Curson has been working with Melindo and if his work with WBO light

flyweight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes is any indication, then Melindo should be in great shape.

Edito’s brother Edmund Villamor had earlier told us that they had watched tapes of Javier Mendoza and indicated he is a fighter who likes to come forward all the time which is the kind of opponent Milan likes to face because he could exploit his counter-punching ability.

Edmund Villamor believes Melindo has a good chance of winning the IBF title even though Mendoza will enjoy a hometown advantage.

The 27 year old Melindo has a record of 32 wins as against 1 loss with 12 wins coming by way of knockout.

His only loss was against the tough and talented Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada on July 27, 2013 at the Cotai Arena in Macau in a WBO/WBA flyweight title bout with Estrada who had earlier won the title with a close, split decision over two division world champion Brian Viloria also at the Cotai Arena in Macau on April 6, 2013.

from a crowd who revere the champion but adore a homegrown youngster taking it to one of the greats.

If the result was never in doubt, Nadal still looked relieved when he secured victory on his first match point.

BRASH AND FEARLESS While professing himself pleased with his game after failing to win a European claycourt event this year, Nadal sounded a little wistful when commenting on a brash and fearless display from Halys, one of seven teenagers in the draw.

“He risked on every single ball,” said the Spaniard.

“That’s the way tennis is going. Younger, aggressive, hitting the ball stronger and quicker, going for the winners all the time.

“But when the point was played in normal conditions I think I played well.”

Nadal’s compatriot David Ferrer, the seventh seed, bustled into the second round with a 6-1

6-3 6-1 win over Slovak Lukas Lacko while U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic hammered Dutchman Robin Haase 6-2 6-4 6-2.

Ferrer, runner-up in 2013, joins Nadal as the second active player to win 300 claycourt matches.

“It’s just a number,” said the no-nonsense Spaniard.

Eugenie Bouchard became the highest seed to fall when the number six, the golden girl of 2014 when she reached the Wimbledon final after making the semis in Paris, slumped 6-4 6-4 to Kristina Mladenovic of France.

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, the men’s 10th seed and the prospective fourth-round opponent for Nadal, fell at the first hurdle for a second consecutive year, going down in three sets to American Jack Sock.

Former women’s champions Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009) and Francesca Schiavone (2008) survived to fight another day after three-set tussles.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

LE-BROOM

VOL. VOL.88ISSUE ISSUE40 40••THURSDAY, THURSDAY,MAY MAY28, 28,2015 2015

James leads Cavs to a sweep of Hawks, advances to NBA Finals

L

EBRON James advanced to his fifth-straight NBA finals, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-88 rout of the Atlanta Hawks and a sweep of the Eastern Conference finals.

Once again James carried the Cavaliers on his back, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and then sitting on the bench and playing cheerleader for much of the final quarter of Tuesday’s contest.

“We worked our tails off all season to get to this point,” James said. “We have everything it takes to win. I have been there. We have grit, determination and a willingness to want to be great.”

It was an impressive 4-0 series sweep for the Cavaliers and their title-starved Cleveland fans.

Cleveland advanced to its first NBA finals since James led a rough and tumble group there in 2007, when they were swept by the mighty San Antonio Spurs. The city hasn’t celebrated a major sports title since the Cleveland Browns won the National Football League championship in 1964.

The Cavaliers franchise has never won an NBA title.

- ‘Unfinished business’ “I’m a guy who believes in unfinished business,” James said.

Kyrie Irving returned for game four in front of a crowd of 20,500 at Quicken Loans Arena following a two-game absence due to a knee injury. He tallied 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes.

Cleveland will face either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in the championship showdown.

Golden State leads that series 3-1.

“It hasn’t always been easy the last 51 years, waiting,” firstyear Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. “We know the people are

behind us and that’s part of our motivation.”

Four-time MVP James has made it to the finals five straight years with two different teams.

He has been in the last four finals with the Miami Heat before deciding to return to his hometown Cavaliers at the beginning of the season.

The days of Cleveland fans burning James’ jersey following his departure to the Heat where he claimed two NBA titles are now a distant memory.

James didn’t make any promises when he returned to his home state in July following that messy divorce from the Cavaliers.

“LeBron took a courageous decision to come back,” said Blatt said of James. “All of this is where his heart and family is and now we are all part of that family. He wants to lead us and we want to keep going.”

James battled through leg cramps late in game three but stayed in the tilt which the Cavaliers won 114-111 in overtime.

The sweep allows the Cavs to rest eight days until the finals begin next Thursday.

Not only will James get to heal some sore muscles but it is also important for Irving to get some recovery time, said Blatt.

“He did fabulously, played beautifully, he moved well,” Blatt said. “He wanted so much to be with his guys and to contribute.”

“We wanted to have this break to get him well,” Blatt said.

Irving scored his first points 38 seconds into the game and James slammed home an emphatic dunk from just inside the foul line a few minutes later as Cleveland roared out to a 12-4 lead.

The Cavaliers were never threatened from there, compiling a 31 point lead at one stage of the fourth quarter.