Edge Davao 9 Issue 220

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES TIDYING UP. Members of the rebel New People’s Army wash their hands and faces after a formation during the 48th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines in Brgy.

Lumyad, Paquibato District, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

WET CHRISTMAS Thousands evacuated, stranded as Nina batters Luzon, Visayas

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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adlopez0920@gmail.com

HOUSANDS of families in Luzon and Visayas were into stormy Christmas celebration since Sunday, December 25 as typhoon Nina pummelled the areas with a maximum sustained wind of up to 135 kilometer per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 165 kph.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that Nina slightly weakened at around 4:00 a.m. on Monday.

As of 1:00 p.m. on Monday, the eye of Nina was located in the vicinity of Lubang, Occi-

dental Mindoro with a maximum sustained wind of up to 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 215 kph.

Nina will exit the country on Wednesday morning, PAGASA added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said that as of 8:00 a.m. on Monday, a total of 77,560 families or 383,097 individuals were pre-emptively evacuated in the regions of CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, V and VIII. The Department of Social Welfare and Development on the other hand reported that as of 5 a.m. on Monday, a total

of 22,676 families or 95,774 persons from 291 barangays in the Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions were directly affected by the onslaught of typhoon Nina.

Of the figure, 20,624 families or 87,157 persons are currently staying in 310 evacuation centers set up and managed by local government units .

As of 4:00 a.m. on Monday, a total of 16,106 passengers; 1,047 rolling cargoes; 43 vessels; and 6 motorized bancas were stranded in the different ports in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol and eastern Vi-

sayas.

A total of 86 flights were also cancelled last Monday – of which, 70 were domestic while 16 were international flights.

NDRRMC also reported that a total of 83 areas in regions MIMAROPA and V were experiencing power interruptions since Sunday while seven power lines in regions CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and V were cut-off since December 25.

A total of 15 road sections in the areas of Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon and Cordillera were also reported

FWET, 10

DCPO: Christmas in Davao City ‘generally peaceful’

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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HE Davao City Police Office has described as generally peaceful the Christmas celebration all over the city.

DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Catherine dela Rey told Edge Davao on Monday that there had been no vi-

FDCPO, 10

Photo by Lean Daval Jr.

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

PRESIDENTIAL COMFORT. President Rodrigo R. Duterte embraces a cancer-stricken child during his visit at the Southern Philippines Medical Center’s Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Unit in Davao City on Christmas eve. KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo

More Israelis seen to visit RP’s tourist destinations

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ORE visitors from Israel are expected in the coming months as six major travel agencies based in Tel Aviv, Israel vowed to promote Philippine tourism, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Philippine Ambassador to Israel Neal Imperial relayed to the DFA that tour operators from the Middle East nation started making package tours to the Philippines. He said this is a result of a recent trip of tour operators in popular tourism sites in the Philippines.

Tour operators composed of CEOs and managers of Ophir Tours, Mona Tours Ltd., Ayala Travel and Tours Ltd., Galaxy Tours, Ypaymore Ltd. and Alpha Club-Ganim Tours visited Cebu, Bohol, and Metro Manila

from Dec. 6 to 12.

They were joined by Imperial and Mr. Francisco Lardizabal, Head of the DOT–Market Development Group as part of the DOT’s drive to tap the rapidly growing Israeli market.

As of September 2016, a total of 11,800 Israelis have visited the Philippines, a 34 percent increase from last year.

“Israel is becoming an important source of tourists for the Philippines with double-digit growth registered in the last three years,” Lardizabal said.

The tour group held business-to-business meetings with Philippine tour companies, conducted ocular visits to major hotels and experienced activities such as snorkeling,

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Rody brings joy to cancer-stricken children in SPMC on Christmas Eve

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte delivered his holiday cheers to the patients at the House of Hope and Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Units (CCBDU) of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) on Christmas Eve. It is the President’s way of gift giving to children annually, and that Duterte never misses spending Christmas with them even when he was still the mayor of Davao as to provide pure joy to the patients with toys and medications while their treatment is ongoing. He also gave food packs to the patients’ watchers.

The House of Hope and CCBDU were always part of his visits and beneficiaries every Christmas or on simple days to find comfort with them by providing toys to the kids by playing and hugging them.

Duterte would also pray for the patients’ healing aside from providing them financial assistance or help raise funds for the children wards, mostly of low-income families from Davao City and the neighboring provinces.

House of Hope is a temporary home of for children with cancer through a project that was established in August 2007 with the help of the City

Government, Rotary Club of Waling-Waling Davao, and the Davao Children’s Cancer Fund Inc. The facility has already served hundreds of children mostly were diagnosed with leukemia or cancer of the blood; while some suffer cancer of the eye, bone, and muscle.

The President on Christmas Eve also gave a house in a village near SPMC to serve as temporary quarters for the family members and patients to avoid convenience when they have to stay for check-up and medication or when patients are still recovering.

The new home named as ‘Margarita house’ will serve as SPMC’s extension of the cancer ward where children who lost their limbs would practice using their newly-installed prosthetics.

Chief Oncologist Dr. Mae Dolendo and SPMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Leopoldo Vega joined the President during his round at the cancer wards.

SPMC is a government-owned hospital administered under the Department of Health. The facility was established way back in 1917 as a 25-bed capacity hospital but now has grown to accommodate thousands of patients.

T’S all systems go for the 4th Davao Torotot Festival where around 10,000 party-horn blowers are expected to flock to the Rizal Park here to welcome the New Year.

City Tourism Officer Generose Tecson on Sunday said they are very much prepared for the festival, which will start with a parade at 4 p.m. on December 31 from the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company compound along Ponciano St. going to Rizal Park.

Every December 31 since 2013, the city holds a Torotot Festival as its countdown to the new year. MindaNews file

photo But the program proper will start at 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. of January 1, 2017, she said.

“The Davao Torotot Festival is one of its kind in the country, so Dabawenyos should come out and show the rest of the country how to have fun sans firecrackers,” she said.

Smart Communications Regional Head Arnold Dellosa said they are not gunning for a Guinness record for the most number of Torotot blowers this time unlike in 2013 festival where they attempted to

break higher record currently held by Japan with 6,900 people.

“We still would want to focus on the real essence of the festival which is to support the city’s advocacies on Zero Casualty, No Smoking and No Firecrackers,” he said.

He added that organizers are giving P50,000 each for winners of most creative torotot, most creative torotot inspired costume, torotot-inspired cosplay, and hip hop dance battle.

Seniro Insp. Catherin Dela Rey, spokersperson of the Davao City Police Office

(DCPO) said they have yet finalize the security measures.

“We have yet to receive the final activities from the organizers because they said there will be a parade. Rest assured that we are doing our best to make the Torototot Festival successful and secure,” she said.

She encouraged Dabawenyos to take part in the festival and refrain from using firecrackers.

The City Council passed City Ordinance 060-02 on October 15, 2002, which prohibits the manufacture, sale, dis-

Cause of Digos fire All set for 4th Torotot Festival still undetermined I T

HE Bureau of Fire in Digos City, Davao del Sur is still determining the cause of fire that burned a big portion of the old Digos City Public Market on the eve of Christmas Day. Sr. Insp. Karl Badilles, Digos City Fire Marshall, reported that based on initial investigation the fire, which broke at 7:50 p.m on Saturday, affected about one hectare of the market site with an estimated damage of Php 25 million.

The city government reported that about 138 stalls were burned. Salvaged structures and contents were valued at Php 1 billion, but no one was reported injured.

While investigation is being undertaken, stall owners are asking the city government to allow them set up temporary stalls.

The city government has already conducted survey to determine number of affected stall owners and for assistance. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

NEWS 3 Ajero,‘Kapihan’veteran host, gets PIA 11 award

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ENSURING THE PEACE. A police officer inspects the bag of a party goer at the entrance of Yugyugan sa Pasko Fiesta, a Christmas rave party, along San Pedro Street in Davao City on Sunday night. Lean Daval Jr.

Davao City coop joins elite billionaires’club

ETERAN community journalist Antonio M. Ajero, now editor and chairman of the board of Edge Davao, was awarded a plaque of appreciation by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Region 11 for being the pioneer host and convenor of the long running “Kapihan Sa PIA,” a weekly multi media forum started by the late PIA regional director Rey Magno Teves in 1987.

The ‘Kapihan’ was institutionalized by the succeeding PIA regional directors –the late Josefina “Josie” San Pedro and incumbent Efren Elbanbuena.

Ajero received the plaque and a coffee mug specially printed with his bust photo with a puppy during a surprise program after this

year’s last Kapihan session with guests from Davao Light and Power Company (Arturo Milan, Rodger Velasco and Ross Luga), Davao City Water District (Atty. Bernardo Delima ), Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. (Cirllo Almario III) and Civil Defense Office (Brig.

Gen. Leoncio Cirunay ret.).

The ‘Kapihan’ was held in time for the 30th anniversary celebration of PIA. Ajero is also behind the four decade-old “Kapehan sa Dabaw”, a weekly media forum now hosted by SM Davao City at Ecoland every Monday morning.

Kapehan assembles personalities from public and private sectors to discuss topics of interest, including burning issues of the day involving

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By JIMMY K. LAKING

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HE Agdao Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Davao City has recently joined the elite billionaires’ club of Region XI by surpassing the P1-billion mark in total assets, an authority on the cooperative movement revealed.

Antonio dela Cruz, newly-elected chairman of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce told the Habi and Kape press forum that the Agdao MPC has breached the P1-Billion mark in total assets to move into the top five of the 20 outstanding cooperatives in the region.

“I think its total assets has increased to P1.1Billion,”

he said, adding that this was made possible with an increase in membership.

“Of course, part of its success is its board of directorso who have been very prudent in managing the affairs of the cooperative,” he said.

The acknowledged leader in the cooperative movement in the region is the Tagum Coop with a P4-billion asset and the first to make it to the billionaire’s club. It topped the list by being ranked first in four categories---paid-up capital, total assets, net surplus and volume of business.

Data furnished by the Cooperative Development Au-

President Duterte visits Midsayap blast victims

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte flew to Midsayap, North Cotabato on Christmas Day to comfort those who were injured during the grenade blast outside a Catholic church on Christmas Eve. Duterte proceeded to the Anecito T. Pesante Sr. Memorial Hospital where three of the injured were admitted. A total of 18 persons were injured, according to the Presidential News Desk. Three of them were admitted at the Pesante hospital, two in Cotabato Regional Medical Center in Cotabato City, one in Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City while 12 were treated as outpatients.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Midsayap in North Cotabato on Christmas Day to comfort those who were injured in the explosion outside the Sto. Nino Parish in Midsay-

ap, North Cotabato. He visited the victims at the Anecito T. Pesante Sr. Memorial Hospital.

KIWI BULACLAC/ Presidential Photo Duterte handed over financial assistance to them and vowed payment for the hospital and outpatient expenses.

In a statement, Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop of Cotabato, said he hopes the “heartless perpetrators be quickly identified and brought to justice.”

“As chief shepherd of the flock, my heart reaches out with love and compassion to our parishioners wounded in the bombing outside the Church and Shrine of Señor Sto Niño, Midsayap, before the Holy Mass of Christmas ended.

What was a sacred celebration of joy and thanksgiving ended in tragedy and sorrow. I condemn this violent terroristic

FPRESIDENT, 11

thority said the USPD Credit cooperative in Digos City and the Panabo Multi-purpose cooperative are were also poised to join the exclusive club sooner than expected.

According to the CDA, the common denominator among all the successful cooperatives has been their ability to provide and to sustain the required manpower in running the cooperative as well as in recruiting the required number of members.

Their successes also boiled down to sound fiscal management and good governance.

Tagum Coop’s story of

how it started with 38 founding members in 1967 with only P80.00 combined share capital that turned into a P4 billion-asset cooperative in 2016 has been described as miracle of sorts.

It has now more than 120, 000 members in the Davao and Agusan provinces, including Davao City.

Coop vice chair Fe Adlawan said that coop’s metamorphosis into a catalyst and an agent for change has made it a favorite destination of various cooperatives.

She said it was no smooth sailing for the cooperative and

FDAVAO, 10

Alquiza named Asec of DOLE M

ARIANO “MARNIE” R. ALQUIZA, until lately regional director for Region 11 of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has been named assistant sec-

retary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Alquiza’s appointment was confirmed by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III during an interview with

community journalists in Davao City yesterday.

Bello said that Alquiza is assistant secretary in charge of DOLE’s provincial operations nationwide.

Alquiza, a multi-awarded

NEW DOLE ASEC. Newly-appointed assistant secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Mariano “Marnie” R. Alquiza, at left, joins his boss, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, during a briefing of Davao media practitioners yesterday. AMA

civil engineer and government official, brings to DOLE his vast experience and knowledge of the country’s provinces and local leaders having been assigned assigned to various provinces, cities and regions as district engineer and regional director of the DPWH, from the Cordilleras to the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and Davao Region.

He finished civil engineering in the University of San Carlos in Cebu City starting as a university janitor.

He is a holder of a CESO (career executive service officer) rank IV, aside from other qualifications.

Alquiza took his oath of office as DOLE Asec last December 22, but he requested to report next January after winding up his affairs at the DPWH.

EDGEDAVAO

4 ECONOMY

Higher commodity prices to bring Dec‘16 inflation between 2.2-3%

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IGHER prices of rice and fuel are seen to push domestic rate of price increases in December 2016 to a range between 2.2 percent and three percent.

“Thus, the full-year average inflation is likely to settle slightly below the low-end of the 2.0-4.0 percent target range in 2016,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said in a text message to reporters Friday.

Inflation in the first 11 months this year averaged at 1.7 percent.

Last November alone, inflation rose to 2.5 percent from month-ago’s 2.3 percent, the third straight month that it ended within the target range since falling below target in

May 2015.

For December, Tetangco said higher electricity rate in areas being serviced by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) may be another contributor to the possible uptick of inflation.

Weakness of the peso to a US dollar is another factor, he said.

On the other hand, the central bank chief said lower prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) “could partly offset” the acceleration of inflation rate.

“Looking ahead, the BSP will continue to monitor evolving price trends and output conditions to ensure price stability conducive to a balanced and sustainable economic growth,” he added. (PNA)

BSP cites importance of MBOs in ensuring financial inclusion

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CCESS of the public to the formal banking sector has increased but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has admitted that additional measures are needed to further widen financial inclusion among Filipinos.

In a report on the statement of financial inclusion in the country, the central bank said financial access was boosted through the increase in the number of banks, particularly micro-banking offices (MBOs), and other financial institutions.

MBOs are low-cost banking offices or scaled-down banking offices based in municipalities. These provide specific range of banking services such as acceptance of deposits and release of proceeds of all types of microfinance loans.

As of end-June 2016, the number of MBOs reached 617, 93 percent higher than the 320 offices in end-June 2012.

The report noted that although the number of regular branches continue to increase these are mostly located in the National Capital Region (NCR). ”MBOs have been more contributory to financial inclusion by extending the reach of financial services to underserved and unserved areas,” it said, citing that most MBOs are located in the regions of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON), Bicol, Western Visayas, and MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).

BSP said the number of local government units (LGUs) that have MBOs jumped by 105 percent to 392 from 192 in June 2012, with 75 municipalities now being served by these offices.

Average growth of MBOs stood at 18 percent, faster than the four percent growth of other types of banking offices and the four percent expansion in the number of automated teller machines (ATMs), it said.

Through the MBOs the number of micro-savings account, or those with a maintaining balance of not more than PHP100, also rose, it add-

ed.

As of end-June this year, micro-deposit accounts totaled to 2.9 million, 217 percent up from the 925,389 in June 2012.

Deposits placed in this product, designed for the low-income sector, amounted to P6.3 billion as of last June, up 181 percent against the P2.2 billion in June 2012.

Growth of this particular deposit product posted an average year-on-year expansion of 34 percent, higher than the six percent print of other deposit products, the report said.

The BSP, on the other hand, said that despite these positive developments “changes appeared to be gradual and slower in comparison with our peers.”

Citing World Bank (WB) data, the BSP said the number of Filipino adults with a formal account increased by 4.7 percentage points to 31.3 percent in 2014 from 26.6 percent in 2011 “which appears modest compared to the improvement among lower middle income countries which is 14 percentage points.”

“Recognizing that much work needs to be done, BSP remains committed in nurturing a conducive environment to financial inclusion,” it said.

One of the measures targeted to widen financial inclusion in the country is the implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI), which is being chaired

by BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. NSFI was launched in July 2015 during the visit to the Philippines of Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since 2009.

On June 2 this year, then President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order (EO) No. 208 that institutionalized the Financial Inclusion Steering Committee (FISC), the governing body and oversight group in the implementation of the NSFI. (PNA)

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DSWD sets aside P206M to help typhoon victims T

HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced Monday that it will provide P206.36 million in augmentation assistance to 27 local government units (LGUs) hit by Typhoon Nina.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said the assistance covers food and non-food items, consisting of 580,857 family food packs, 2,459 ready-to-eat meals, 1,585 malongs, 885 mosquito nets, 885 blankets, and 585 dignity kits (towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, feminine napkins and others).

This assistance is on top of the goods that have been

pre-positioned to the LGUs, she said.

Aside from relief supplies, the DSWD will also provide a mobile communications vehicle and high-speed Internet service to the Response Cluster Operations Center at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to facilitate speedy monitoring of situations in areas.

As of 5 a.m. on Monday, the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) reported that a total of 22,676 families or 95,774 persons from 291 barangays in the Mimaropa,

Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions have been affected.

Of the figure, 20,624 families or 87,157 persons are currently staying in 310 evacuation centers set up and managed by LGUs. Some 16,106 passengers remain stranded in various seaports in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions.

The department’s field office in Bicol has provided an initial assistance of more than PHP6 million to the LGUs -- P1.6 million for Albay; P3.1 million for Camarines Sur; and P1.4 million for Sorsogon.

Taguiwalo assured that

they have enough relief supplies to respond to the needs of affected families.

“To the affected families, you may approach your LGUs. Goods have already been pre-positioned to them,” she said, assuring LGUs that the department is ready to provide the necessary augmentation assistance to help them address the needs of their constituents.

Meanwhile, she said that DSWD disasters teams on the ground continue to assist and coordinate with LGUs in disaster relief operations and in managing evacuation centers. (PNA)

TANTALIZED. A young child’s eyes are glued to the bright lights of the toys being peddled by a hawker along San Pedro Street in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

Gov’t committed to end labor migration: Bello

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ABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the government is firm in its commitment to generate more sustainable local jobs and eventually do away with labor migration.

Addressing migrant workers and their families at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Bello said the Duterte administration was bound by its vow to “create an environment that would generate enough decent and adequately compensated work for every Filipino in the country, so no one will seek overseas work as a matter of compulsion and necessity.”

“With the help of our partners we will ultimately work on creating sustainable local jobs to end the cycle of forced migration,” he added.

At the same time, Bello said the government was cognizant of the help of the group

Migrante extended to Filipino workers overseas.

“This government acknowledges the great contribution and unwavering dedication of Migrante in ensuring that the fundamental rights of our overseas Filipino workers and their dignity are upheld.

We therefore consider you as a partner of government in looking after the welfare of our modern day heroes while they sacrifice on foreign soil,” Bello said during the organization’s observance of International Migrants Day and the group’s 20th anniversary.

Bello said DOLE had prioritized the implementation of OFW welfare and protection programs, such as the repatriation of distressed workers in Saudi through the ‘Bring them Home’ mission which benefited more than 10,000 displaced OFWs affected by Middle East oil

crisis.

DOLE, through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, has also intensified its drive on anti-illegal recruitment and trafficking in persons by providing legal assistance to victims of illegal recruitment; as well as in clamping down illegal recruiters and agencies, and in informing and educating OFWs on how not to be victimized by illegal recruitment.

“We have also set-up the DOLE 24/7 Hotline 1349 to help local and overseas Filipino workers to report to DOLE or ask assistance about employees’ rights and benefits, working conditions, wages, illegal recruitment, child labor, ‘endo’ and other illegitimate forms contractualization; violations on general labor and occupational safety and health standards; labor

relations, and post-employment issues,” Bello said.

Since July this year, POEA has conducted 26 sessions on Anti-Illegal Recruitment Seminars which was attended by 2,133 participants, as well as signed 49 Memorandum of Understanding on anti-illegal recruitment campaign with government agencies and private organizations.

Bello also ordered for the strengthening of operations and services of Assist WELL Centers to help returning OFWs, especially those who were displaced due to crisis.

Assist WELL’, which stands for ‘Welfare, Employment, Legal, and Livelihood’ is a reintegration assistance or services program that looks into the OFWs’ reintegration needs after their repatriation, especially due to emergency or crisis situations. (PNA)

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BOI approves SME projects

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HE Board of Investments (BOI) has approved investment projects from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under its new streamlined registration process.

Projects from Rizal-based Sooraj Garments Manufacturing, Inc. and Pampanga-based Hardware Labs Performance System, Inc. were the first two SME investments approved by BOI. Through its Board Resolution Numbers 25-02 and 28-02 Series of 2016, BOI delegated the processing and approval of projects of micro and small enterprises to the BOI Executive Director for Industry Development Services for projects in Luzon, and to the Division Chiefs or Officers-in-Charge of BOI Extension Offices for projects in the Visayas and Mindanao.

This is in line with the administration’s thrust to support the growth and development of SMEs. “The delegation of functions aims to speed up processing of applications and thus promote ease of doing business in support of the growth and development of businesses especially micro, small, and medium enterpris-

es (MSMEs),” Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon Lopez said.

The newly streamlined registration process applies to projects in sectors of agriculture, services, tourism and manufacturing sectors with investment cost of P15 million and below.

Sooraj Garments is an export-oriented garments manufacturer investing P1.99 million, generating 64 jobs on a non-pioneer status.

Hardware Labs, a producer of cryocell refrigeration cooling for exports, is investing P4.16 million generating seven new jobs on a non-pioneer status also.

“Given their dynamic and productive characteristics, SMEs are seen as crucial for the country’s inclusive economic growth, employment creation, and innovation,” Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said.

“By including export-oriented projects as one of the preferred activities in the annual Investments Priorities Plan, we encourage SMEs to be more competitive and more active in participating in global value chains,” he added. (PNA)

House body approves tax incentives to Olympic heroes

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HE House of Representatives’ committee on ways and means has approved the tax provisions of a bill seeking to give tax incentives, in the form of tax exemptions and tax deductions, to individuals and corporations giving donations, contributions, gifts and grants to Filipino Olympic medalists.

The committee, in a hearing presided by its vice chairman Rep. Joey Salceda (2nd District, Albay), approved the tax provisions contained in House Bill (HB) 4054 authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, and Rep. Jericho Nograles (Party-list, PBA), among others.

The committee on youth and sports development chaired by Rep. Conrado Estrella III (Party-list, Abono) earlier approved HB 4054 and endorsed it to the committee on ways and means for the approval of the bill’s tax provisions, namely Sections 5, 6 and 7.

HB 4054 provides that any donation, contribution, gift and grant of real or personal property to any Filipino athlete, who has won for the Philippines a bronze, silver or gold medal in the Summer Olympic Games, shall constitute an allowable deduction from the income of the donor for income tax purposes and shall be exempt from donor’s tax in accordance with the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), as amended.

The value of each donor’s donations, contributions, gifts, or grants eligible for the tax exemption and deduction shall only be up to an amount not exceeding P1 million for one taxable year. The value of the donation in excess of P1 million shall be subject to donor’s tax and shall no longer be allowed as tax deduction.

The approved Section 5 of HB 4054, titled “Coverage”,

provides that only donations, contributions, gifts and grants made within one year made from the date the Olympic medal was won shall be made eligible for the tax incentives.

The grant of tax exemption and deduction shall not be available for donations, contributions, gifts and grants to medalists in demonstration and exhibition sports events in the Summer Olympic Games.

The approved Section 6, entitled “Government Incentives”, provides that any award, incentive or grant given by the government, its corporations, institutions, instrumentalities and agencies, to Olympic medalists for winning an Olympic medal shall be exempt from taxes.

Meanwhile, the approved Section 7, entitled “Retroactive Application”, provides the benefits of the Act shall be applicable to awards, incentives, donations, gifts, contributions to an Olympic medalist in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics made prior to the enactment of the Act, provided that these are given within one year from the date the medal was won.

During the hearing, Nograles said that based on the “Athletes Incentives Act of 2016”, the prizes given to champions are actually tax-exempt.

The bill was passed during the 16th Congress.

“They are tax-exempt and the prizes and the awards depend on which competition the athletes joined, whether it is an Olympic competition or an ASEAN competition. That being the case, there is no automatic deduction,” he said.

“I would like to stress that the proposed legislation with the tax exemption is only focused on the donor’s tax, and second, it can only be activated if the athlete will win,” Nograles added. (PNA)

ECONOMY 5

FREE AS IT COMES. Children gather around a city government of Davao commissioned vendor to avail themselves of the free ice cream as part of Pasko Fiesta Davao 2016 celebration at Rizal Park. Lean Daval Jr.

Phl ‘more open’ to RCEP trade pact: Dominguez F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the Duterte administration will look “closely” at the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), given its new policy of moving the country swiftly towards economic integration with its fellow-members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and major trade partners in Asia and the Pacific.

“I personally would like to look at RCEP closely because that’s the 10 ASEAN countries, I think. That one, we are more open to,” Dominguez said in a recent interview.

The RCEP is the proposed 16-nation free trade area comprising the 10 ASEAN member-nations—the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam—and its six trading partners China, South Korea, Australia, India, Japan and New Zealand.

Before this year’s Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC)

summit in Lima, Peru, trade ministers from the 16 countries comprising the RCEP met on Nov. 3-4, in Cebu City and discussed a wide range of issues, including the proposal to remove or drastically reduce duties on a number of goods traded across the region.

Dominguez said the head of the delegation of the European Union to the Philippines has also mentioned a possible free trade agreement between the EU and the Philippines “and we will look at that and give that our priority attention.”

He said that because the Duterte administration is a new one, it wants to thoroughly study these proposed free trade arrangements.

“So we have to think about [these] very carefully, we are a new administration, we want to see the pros and cons, we want to see how we will benefit,” Dominguez said.

The RCEP was conceptualized about a decade ago but was launched only in November 2012.

Its membership of 15 Asian countries account for almost half of the world’s population, almost 30 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over a quarter of the world’s exports.

In terms of merchandise exports, RCEP is larger than the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as China’s exports of $2.3 trillion alone as of 2014 are larger than the combined exports of the US ($1.6 trillion) and Canada ($474 billion), the two lead members of the TPP. The RCEP covers trade in goods and services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property rights, competition policy, and dispute settlement, among other issues.

It does not cover labor, environment and state-owned enterprises During the President’s state visit to China, Dominguez and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said that while the Duterte administration will maintain its good relations with Western econ-

omies, it will now push for “stronger integration” with its neighbors in the region.

They said the Philippines’s economic integration with the ASEAN, along with China, South Korea and Japan, will open opportunities for trade and investment to a market of 1.8 billion people across the region.

“We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors. We share the culture and a better understanding with our region,” Dominguez and Pernia said.

Dominguez and Pernia said the regional integration envisioned by the Duterte administration “is similar to what has been done in the EU, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in North America and Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur) in South America.”

Dominguez told senators earlier that the President is not changing Philippine foreign policy but merely “recalibrat-

Under his proposal, a corporation would be formed to manage the consolidated farms of small farmers who wish to take part in the corporative. The corporation would be owned 40 percent

by LANDBANK and 60 percent by participating commercial banks. The farmers would provide the manpower to keep their lands profitable.

Buenaventura said that under his proposal, 99 percent of the corporation’s earnings would be distributed to the participating farmers “pro-rata according to their respective land ownership” while 1 percent would be declared

as dividends of the corporate owners.

He further explained that part of the proposal is to enable commercial banks taking part in the corporative to fulfill their part under the Agri-Agra Law of allotting 15 percent of their total loanable funds for farmers and fisherfolk and another 10 percent for agrarian reform beneficiaries, rather than pay fines for failing to comply with the law’s requirements. Buenaventura is set to discuss this before concerned regulatory bodies.

“Also, a portion of the profits earned every harvest by the farmers would be used

by them to buy equity in the corporation, until such time that the 60 percent owned by commercial banks is fully divested to the small farmers,” Buenaventura said.

The corporative business model of LANDBANK will serve as a common vehicle for the following lead government agencies to promote inclusive growth among their targeted small farmers: the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), and the National Commission

FGOV’T, 11

LandBank to lend P115B to farmers and fishermen

T

HE Land Bank of the Philippines has committed to drastically increase lending to small farmers and fisherfolk from P37.9 billion to P115 billion over the next six years, in keeping with President Duterte’s goal of dispersing the benefits of growth to the countryside through the development of the farm sector.

New LANDBANK president Alex Buenaventura said that to accomplish this goal, he will initiate a “reengineering” of the credit facilities for small stakeholders in the agriculture sector, and encourage them to enter into “corporatives.”

FLANDBANK, 11

EDGEDAVAO

6 SUBURBIA

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

Tagum, Banaybanay rekindle sisterhood ties I

SISTERHOOD. Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon and Bananay town Mayor Adalia Lopez-Tambuang signed sisterhood ties last December 20, 2016 at Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Tagum City that was witnessed by a number of officials and department heads from both local government units. (Kelvin Palermo/ CIO Tagum)

NorCot grenade attack was drug related: PNP

T

HE bombing outside the Catholic Church here on Christmas eve that left 17 injured was drug related, police officials told President Rodrigo Duterte during a security briefing.

Supt. Bernard Tayong, Midsayap town police chief, said several witnesses have come forward to provide information about the suspects seen leaving the blast site shortly before the incident.

“It was drug related, we have been receiving threats from supporters of drug syndicates operating in the borders of Maguindanao and North Cotabato,” Tayong told reporters.

Pres. Duterte was also told that the attack was not meant for the Church but for the police, which explains why the explosive was lobbed under the parked police patrol car.

Senior Police Officer Johnny Caballero, team leader of police unit securing the Christmas Eve Mass churchgoers, was among those in-

jured. He was near the police car where the grenade exploded.

Mayor Romeo Arania of Midsayap said if the target was the Church or civilians, the explosive would have been tossed in the Church compound or public markets, bus terminals or town plaza.

“That is the risk facing our law enforcers,” Arania told reporters.

Tayong said the police have been successful in its anti-drug operation the past month that led to the arrest of drug syndicates and drug personalities.

Several big sachets of shabu and a dozen high powered firearms, including mortars and cal. 50 machine guns, were seized during big time police-military operations in the village of Tugal in Midsayap, North Cotabato last month.

The target of anti-drug operation was village chairperson Renz Tukaran, also known as “Commander Renz”,

N an attempt to mark the end of the year with a union that seeks harmony, solidarity and bilateral understanding, the City of Tagum, through its local government unit, recently renewed its sisterhood ties with the rice granary of Davao Oriental, Municipality of Banaybanay, concurrent to the latter’s year-end gathering held at Big 8 Corporate Hotel.

Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon and Municipality of Banaybanay Mayor Adalia Lopez-Tambuang signed the sisterhood agreement along with Vice Mayors Geterito Gementiza of Tagum and Jose Amor Bagayas of Banaybanay as witnessed by a number of

officials and department heads from both of the LGUs. The reestablishment of the sisterhood ties is line with the mutual vision of creating an atmosphere in which economic dynamism, infrastructure development, agricultural resiliency, and government efficiency can be strongly implemented and strengthened.

Mayor Rellon found the two local governments’ coming-together as a proactive approach of enlarging their programs and projects especially that the agreement is anchored on the collaboration of both of the LGUs’ best practices.

Under the agreement, Tagum and Banaybanay will

build and promote cooperative government works directed but not limited to economy, commerce, investment, business, culture and the arts, industry and other areas of cooperation that both parties may agree upon.

Meanwhile, Mayor Tambuang expressed her optimism to the rekindling of Banaybanay and Tagum City. She quipped that this relationship, which started in 2004, will signify greater success and will last until the end of their political terms in 2022.

This is the second time during the Rellon-Gementiza Administration that the City Government of Tagum inked

said the joint operation of Esperanza Municipal Police Station, City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), and Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) recovered the forest products with estimated volume of 15,467 board feet around 1:15PM.

The operation stemmed from a tip of a concerned citizen.

Investigation is underway to identify the owner of confiscated logs that are placed under the custody of MENRO-Esperanza.

“This success is attributed to the combined efforts of the PNP, DENR, and other

partner agencies in protecting and conserving the forests in Caraga region,” Felix added.

He also urged the communities to continuously support the intensified anti-illegal logging campaign by providing reliable information to the authorities.

(PIA-Agusan del Sur)

FTAGUM, 11

‘Hot’logs seized in Agusan del Sur E

NVIRONMENT authorities seized 75 pieces of “lawaan” logs amounting to P464,280.00 during the anti-illegal logging operation Wednesday in Brgy. Langag, Esperanza town, Agusan del Sur. Chief Supt Rolando Felix, Caraga Police Director,

FNORCOT, 11

P6-M worth of marijuana plants uprooted in Maguindanao town

F

OR the second time this year, government anti-narcotics agents backed by police and soldiers, uprooted a P6-million worth of marijuana plants in a raid on marijuana plantation in Matanog, Maguindanao at about 10 a.m. Saturday.

This was the second raid since June this year, where some P4 million worth of marijuana plants were also uprooted.

Elements of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEAARMM), Matanog PNP and Maguindanao provincial police personnel, conducted the Saturday raid.

Acting on tips from local residents, the raiders walked for six hours to reach the plan-

tation in Sitio Babakin, Barangay Bayanga Sur, Matanog town at about 10 a.m.

Government operatives uprooted, with the help of local residents, 240 marijuana plants in more than one hectare plantation with an estimated market value of P6 million.

Also seized were 200 marijuana seedlings estimated to cost P250,000 from a nursery nearby. But the cultivators were not around during the raid.

The site was camouflaged by corn and other plants.

Part of the haul was set on fire in the area while some were brought by PDEA to be used as evidence against the plantation allegedly owned

by Radzak Makarimbang, former village chair of Barangay Bayanga Sur. (PNA)

PASKUHAN SA GENSAN. City Mayor Ronnel Rivera gives his message during the closing ceremony of Paskuhan sa Gensan 2016 on December 21 at the Oval Plaza. Mayor Rivera thanked everyone for keeping Paskuhan sa Gensan an “event worth remembering as we join together in celebrating the season.”

(Russell Delvo/ Gensan CPIO)

Christmas Day fire displaces 285 families in Zamboanga

O

NE person died while four others were hospitalized when a more than two-hour fire hit a slum community in this city on Christmas Day. Chief Inspector Clint Cha, district fire marshal, disclosed the fire broke out around 7:37 p.m. Sunday in Sitio Boholano, Barangay Camino Nuevo, this city.

Cha said the fire started in one of the houses and rapidly spread to nearby homes

that are mostly made of light materials.

Investigators have yet to determine the origin of the fire that reached third alarm by 9:20 p.m. The firemen declared fire out around 11 p.m..

The lone fatality was identified as Romeo Ubat, 50, who failed to reach the hospital alive. The cause of his death has yet to be determined.

Hospitalized were Noel

Ludin, Numeña Yabo, Rina Casas, and Mamino Briones.

Ludin and Yabo were hospitalized due to suffocation while Casas suffered abrasion and Briones sustained burns.

Damage to the structures was placed at P2 million.

City Hall Information Officer Belen Sheila Covarrubias said that 285 families with 1,101 dependents were affected by the fire based on the data gathered by the City Social Welfare and Develop-

ment Office (CSWDO).

Covarrubias said the CSWDO has immediately provided food and relief assistance to the fire victims.

Covarrubias said financial aid for the fire victims will come later after validation and recommendation of CSWDO. The fire victims are temporarily sheltered at the Camino Nuevo Barangay Hall and covered court of nearby Barangay Canelar. (PNA)

EDGEDAVAO

7 AGRITRENDS

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

Green super rice:

Answer to looming food crisis?

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

A

FTER almost two decades of testing and implementation around the world, the “Green Super Rice” is starting to have a dramatic effect on crop yields. In the Philippines, more than 5,000 hectares are being planted and some 90,000 tons of rice are expected to be harvested.

“We are at the fruit-bearing stage,” said Dr. Jauhar Ali, a senior scientist and regional project coordinator of the program at the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). “The harvest is good.”

Two years ago, farmers who plant GSR in Maguindanao reported a two to three-fold increase in their rice harvests within three cropping seasons.

“The GSR is a very promising rice variety,” Makimod Mending, regional secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

In the past, farmers only harvested 3.1 to 3.3 metric tons per hectare per cropping season using the in-bred rice varieties. But when they planted GSR, the production went up to seven metric tons per hectare.

In Bohol, a farmer planted a rice strain suited to salt water conditions to an experimental plot but some rains almost drowned the seedlings. Worse, the area dried out at the flowering stage and received no more water thereafter.

“The results were amazing,” Dr. Ali reported. “Normally, the farmer would have received no crop at all. But the plot produced 3.3 tons per hectare.”

The IRRI – crucible of the Green Revolution – developed the GSR together with the Chi-

nese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. A non-profit organization established in 1960s by Ford and Rockefeller Foundation, it now funded by national governments as well as philanthropic organizations like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The GSR program started in 1998 “involving the painstaking crossbreeding of more than 250 different varieties and rice hybrids,” said a news report. Most varieties chosen were those having difficultly growing in such conditions as drought and low inputs, including no pesticide and less fertilizer. Also handpicked were those with rapid establishment rates to out-compete weeds, thus reducing the need for herbicides.

“The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation originally funded the program with an US$18 million, three-year grant,” the news report further said. “Because the strains have been produced by publicly funded organizations, they do not require payment of royalties, such as those demanded

by Monsanto and other commercial companies.”

“Rice bred to perform well in the toughest conditions where the poorest farmers grow rice is a step away from reaching farmers,” said IRRI in a statement. “The GSR varieties are climate-smart and can help farmers protect the environment – and themselves,” it added.

What makes GSR differ from other known varieties or hybrids before? “Unlike present-day rice plants, the new variety produces seed heads on every shoot,” wrote Bob Holmes, in an article which appeared in New Scientist. “This means that the plants do not waste energy on unproductive

shoots. The plants also pack more than two hundred rice grains into each seed head compared with an average of around a hundred a head in present-day rice. In addition, the new ‘architecture; makes the rice plants more compact, allowing farmers to plant them more densely.”

The GSR has been called “super rice” because it is predicted to increase rice yields by 25-50%. “Plant breeders have developed a variety of rice that has the potential to yield a staggering 25% more than today’s best,” wrote Holmes in his report. “This is the first time in nearly thirty years that researchers have raised the ceiling on yields of rice, the grain that feeds half the world’s population.”

This is good news for Asia, where population continues to grow. “We know that for the next 10 years, we need to produce 8 to 10 million more tons (of rice) each year,” Dr. Achim Dobermann, IRRI’s deputy director general for research, was quoted as saying by LiveScience. “That would essentially enable us to keep pace with the growing population.”

But it’s not only population growth that should be prime motivation to develop new rice varieties. “Population growth, increasing demand from changing diets, dwindling land and water resources for agriculture, higher energy costs, and the huge uncertainties regarding the effects of climate change present scientists and policy makers with additional challenges,” wrote Vishakha N. Desai, president of the Asia Society, in the foreword of the report, “Never an Empty Bowl: Sustaining Food Security in Asia.”

In its recent issue of Rice

Today, IRRI said that GSR is “already in the hands of national agricultural agencies in key rice-growing countries for testing and development.”

In the Philippines, the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) is going through a massive adaptability trials under the High Yielding Technology Adaptation (HYTA) program of the Department of Agriculture.

According to Thelma Padolina, one of the implementers of the Food Staples Sufficiency Program’s Accelerating the development and adoption of Next-Generation rice varieties for major ecosystems in the Philippines project, three GSR materials were formally approved as commercial varieties in saline-prone and upland areas.

“These new varieties will be brought to the target areas through the Participatory Variety Selection (PVS) trials for better adoption,” she said.

The GSR is what the world needs now – especially with the looming global warming.

“Climate change poses a big challenge to smallholder farmers who already have limited land and financial resources,” IRRI said.

“Unpredictable weather patterns make them even more vulnerable to crop losses. Giving farmers access to GSR varieties that can withstand multiple stresses from climate change can help mitigate its impact on their livelihood.”

In addition, the research done with GSR does not involve genetic engineering. “It involves taking hundreds of donor cultivars from dozens of different countries, identifying significant variations in responses to drought, global warming and other problems, and ‘backcross’ breeding –

painstakingly crossing a hybrid with one of its parents or with a plant genetically like one of its parents, then screening the backcross bulk populations after one or two backcrosses under severe abiotic and biotic stress conditions to identify transgressive segregants that are doing better than both parents and the checks,” explained an article which appeared in www.konfrontasi.com.

In the New Scientist feature, Holmes believes IRRI’s new rice variety plays a big important in the race to keep food production abreast of population growth. Dr. Mark Rosegrant, an economist with the Washington, D.C.-based International Food Policy Research Institute, was quoted as saying: “You still need to have yields grow at 2 percent per year over the next twenty years to keep rice consumption stable. There are not many ways you can get that

except from this new rice.”

Rice, known in the science world as Oryza sativa, helps feed almost half the people on the planet. And in the Philippines, rice is the leading staple food. In fact, Filipinos spend more on rice than any other food. Rice is the country’s leading staple food. As the late food epicure Doreen Fernandez wrote: “If we did not have rice, our deepest comfort food, we would probably feel less Filipino.”

Although rice is basically a complex carbohydrate, its protein contains all eight of the essential amino acids and complements the amino acids found in other foods. Low in sodium and fat, with no cholesterol or gluten, rice is a boon to weight worriers and those allergic to other grains. Aside from carbohydrates, rice also contains protein, minerals, vitamins, and fiber. (Photos courtesy of IRRI)

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

EDITORIAL

F

Digong’s Christmas promise

OOD on the table, job opportunities and a safer and more comfortable life.

That is the promise of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Filipino people on Christmas Day. The President’s message came with the assurance that government remains committed to bring lasting peace to the country, in pursuit of one of his campaign promises.

He said the government will do that by walking the extra mile.

It is no ordinary promise. Not one you have to do just because you are in the mood for celebrations.

And if there is anything that President Duterte can do to the Filipino people, it is to bring peace to their sur-

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roundings.

The President’s war on drugs along with his passion to bring about an honest government free of corruption and abuse has been the fortress by which the people hold on to with high hopes for this administration.

In most of his engagements, President Duterte is making it clear that he wants Filipinos to join the government in building lasting peace and making the Philippines progressive.

Doable? Yes. But it takes a revolutionary change, not necessarily bloody and confrontational, to bring about a dramatic change, a complete turnaround, for the Philippines.

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EDGEDAVAO

A

LMOST everybody concedes that Christmas, the nativity of Jesus in a manger, has been introduced to the country by the Spaniards. But only very know that the Belen’s provenance is Roman and was started by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223.

The original Belen (Spanish for Bethlehem) had live animals the included live ox, sheep, and donkey. Such tradition did not reach Spain until the 17th century, and a century later was introduced by the missionaries in Mexico from where we got the celebration. (Historically, Lapanday, a barangay in Davao City, was originally named Belen by the Jesuits.)

Overtime, the belen, which only had Jesus, Mary and Joseph as principal characters, expanded to include the Three Kings, representing the three biblical Magis, who, centuries later, were given the names Gaspar (Indian), Melchor (Persian) and Baltazar (Babylonian), after the scholars identified as saints in the Western Christian church calendar.

The Galleon Trade, the world’s oldest intercontinental commerce, has also contributed to the broader image of Christmas in the Philippines via the Flor de la Noche Buena (flower of the Christmas Eve), which the Aztecs of Mexico call as the Cuetlaxochitle, which the early Filipinos christened as pascua, and known around the world as poinsettia, so named after Dr. Joel Poinsettia, the first American envoy to Mexico who was an amateur botanist.

The name poinsettia, according to researchers, did not arrive in the country until the second half of the 19th century, although the

A

DAY before the Christmas celebration, EDGE Davao came out a news report that said P400K-worth of illegal logs in Agusan del Sur was seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“A report from Agusan del Sur Provincial Police Office,” the news dispatched by the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) said that “75 pieces of lawaan logs with an estimated volume of 15,467 board feet” were confiscated by government authorities – thanks to a tip of a concerned citizen.

“The success (of the anti-illegal logging operation) is attributed to the combined efforts of the PNP and the DENR as well as the other partner agencies which helped in protecting and conserving our forest here in Caraga region,” PCSupt. Rolando B. Felix, chief of Caraga Philippine National Police, was quoted as saying.

That’s the second good news for the month of December I knew of regarding the status of the region’s forest conservation.

I said second because a few days before the above news was reported, I got a press release from the Therma South Inc. (TSI), an Aboitiz Power subsidiary.

A total of 315,686 seedlings were grown since 2013 as part of its Carbon Sink Management Program (CSMP). Some 295 hectares of land were planted in the areas of Marilog in Paquibato and those places that surrounds the power plant.

“For the past three years, we have planted and grown different fruit trees, indigenous trees, and fast-growing trees intended for reforestation and carbon sequestration,” Engr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

There’s Mexico in Christmas

VANTAGE POINTS

9

Christmas tree FAST BACKWARD tradition started only during the American occupation, which gave us the mistletoe, the bearded Santa Claus, and snowfilled landscape.

Antonio V. Figueroa Former education secretary Alejandro R. Roces once wrote: “There are two other items worth noting that its inspiration came from Mexico: the panunuluyan and the parol. The parol was, of course, inspired by the Mexican piñata and the luminaria. The Mexican luminaria is a clay pot with a star-shaped cut-out; when a candle is lit inside the pot, the star glows. This was place outside every home as a sign that the Holy Couple who were in search of an inn were welcome. Of course, that journey is commemorated in what is call the posadas in Mexico; the panunuluyan here.”

On the other hand, Santa Claus has its origin with Saint Nicholas, the 4th century Greek bishop of Myra, Turkey. The priest is credited for having introduced today’s ‘presents in a sock’ custom upon learning a man could not afford to pay the dowry of her three daughters, which meant they would remain single or be forced to work as prostitutes with no chance of

landing a job. To save the family from shame, he threw purses with gold coins, under cover of darkness, through the window for three nights.

On the other hand, the centuries-old tradition of gift-giving started with an obscure Christian religious order, which left behind packages on the doorsteps by night. This practice, some scholars say, has been inspired by St. Nicholas, now known as Santa Claus. The Wikipedia says: “Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas (known in Dutch as Sinterklaas), merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the character known to Americans and the rest of the English-speaking world as “Santa Claus” (a phonetic derivation of “Sinterklaas”).

“In the English and later British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving’s History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into “Santa Claus” (a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his bishop’s apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving’s book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.”

Christmas in the Philippines, as a matter of accepted tradition, starts in September when carols reverberate in malls and the first signs of cold weather start to permeate certain re-

gions of the country. Considered as the world’s longest Christmas celebration, the festivity, in recent decades, has been transformed into a commercial event, with Santa Claus as the main attraction, the gift-giving as a must in gathering, and the banquet as a sign of abundance.

The central theme of Christmas, known also in the United States as Yuletide, remains the birth of Christ, which Catholics celebrate through the nine-day dawn Masses, the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster) and the display of simple belens at home. The season is also associated with the sumptuous Noche Buena, Christmas cards, exchanging of gifts (manito and manita), and the Epiphany, or feast of the Three Kings.

Christmas, more significantly, is a time for reunion for most Filipinos. Though some Christian sects, as a matter of religious teaching, do not celebrate the event, they are not barred from joining families and friends as guests in sharing the gifts, food, drinks, and singing that come with the festivity.

To highlight the import of Christmas, the country holds at least two Guinness World Records, namely: the biggest Secret Santa gathering held on Dec. 18, 2011, which drew the participation of 3,500 families, mostly overseas Filipino workers, in the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong; and the largest number of party horns in one setting snatched

by Davao City on Dec. 31, 2013 during the Torotot Festival, with the participation of 7,568 individuals.

Valentin S. SaTHINK ON THESE! ludes III, TSI plant manager, reported.

The CSMP is the power plant’s flagship environmental program that targets to plant and grow one million seed- Henrylito D. Tacio lings from 2013 to 2020 in 1,000 henrytacio@gmail.com hectares of land in Davao City. This is done through partnerships with different communities in Davao City.

One of the main objectives of the program is the planting and growing of trees that will “capture” the carbon dioxide footprint of the power plant, thus creating a “sink” or storage for carbon.

“The tree species that are seen to effectively sequester carbon emissions are falcata, mahogany, mangium, and yemane. These are also planted and grown together with other like fruit-bearing and indigenous trees,” said Andrei Vincent Soriano, TSI pollution control officer.

Those are good news indeed.

If the Philippines will not do something now, it would be the first country in Asia to completely lose its forest cover soon. Cebu is a case in point: It has a “zero-forest cover,” said environment officials.

“Most of the country’s once rich forests are gone,” says the UN Food and Agriculture Orga-

nization’s (FAO) study entitled, “Sustainable Forest Management.”

“We have lost most of our forest of old over the past 50 years and, along with them, many of the ecological services they provide,” deplores Peter Walpole, executive director of the Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC).

In the 1920s, forest still covered 18 million hectares of 60% of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares. It went down to 50% (15 million hectares) in the 1950s. In 1963, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization published data that placed forest cover of the country at 40% (12 million hectares).

By 1970s, the forest cover shrunk to 34% (10.2 million hectares). From 1977 to 1980, deforestation reached an all-time high -- over 300,000 hectares a year, according to a booklet published by ESSC. In 1987, the Swedish Space Corporation put forest cover in the country at 23% (6.9 million hectares). “At the end of the 1980s, out of the 34 major islands that had been very densely forested at the beginning of the century, 24 islands had now less than 10% forest cover,” the ESSC publication said.

In the 1990s, the environment department reported that the country had only 800,000 hectares (2.7%) primary forest cover. Residual forest was placed at 4.7 million hectares.

“Where have all our forests gone?” asked Roy C. Alimoane, the director of the Davaobased Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC). “Why are we losing our trees at a very fast rate?”

The ever-growing population can be partly blamed. “The most likely causes were the increase in population -- up from about 500,000

in 152 to around seven million in 1900,” the ESSC publication surmised. Today, the Philippines is home to more than 100 million Filipinos.

“This was accompanied by the spread of commercial crops (abaca, tobacco and sugarcane) and by growth of pasture lands for cattle raising as the Philippines became part of the world economy,” the publication continued.

But logging -- both legal and illegal -- is seen as the primary culprit. “An important source of deforestation has been the dramatic expansion of destructive logging,” wrote Robert Repetto in The Forest for the Trees? Government Policies and the Misuse of Forest Resources.

The destruction caused by deforestation are already written on the wall. “Deforestation has left upper watersheds unprotected, destabilizing river flows, with significant effects on fish population and agriculture,” Repetto wrote. “The implications for hydroelectric projects and irrigation facilities have already become apparent in Luzon, where anticipated lifetimes of important reservoirs have been cut in half by sedimentation.”

In The World for World is Forest, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote: “A forest ecology is a delicate one. If the forest perishes, its fauna may go with it.” Forest is home to some of the most ecologically-fragile flora and fauna.

The Philippine Eagle Foundation said that a pair of Philippine eagle needs at least 7,000 to 13,000 hectares of forest as nesting territory. “The Philippine eagle has become a critically endangered species because the loss of the forest had made it lose its natural habitat,” explained Dennis Salvador, PEF’s executive director.

Good news about trees

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

NOT A DULL MOMENT. Party goers dance to the rhythm of electronic digital music being played by various disc jockeys during the Yugyugan sa Pasko Fiesta along San Pedro Street in Davao City on Christmas Day. Lean Daval Jr.

WET... FROM 1

impassable since Sunday due to the continued onslaught of typhoon Nina.

The report from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) added that a road section in Eastern Visayas is hardly passable due to major road slip.

Roads considered impassable included sections of Rizal Ave. extension in Eastern Viasayas; the Abra-Cervantes Road including the Baay Bridge and Manicbel Bridge; the Balbalan-Pinukpuk Road (Aparan Section); Tabuk-Banaue Road (Lubo Section); Upper Kalinga, Lubuagan-Batong Buhay Road (Balatoc Section) and (Balatoc to Batong Buhay Section) in the Cordillera region.

Clearing operations are also being conducted in the areas of CALABARZON, particularly along the Marikina-In-

fanta Road in Infanta, Quezon; in the Diokno Highway in Kalaka, Batangas; in Bicol region, particularly along Camarines Sur’s Daang Maharlika Highway, Naga City; at the Tigaon-Goa-Lagonoy-Caramoan Road in Pili-Tigaon-Albay.

The DSWD said it will allocate P206.36 million budget to augment the on-going distribution of assistance being facilitated by 27 LGUs in the typhoon-hit areas.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo told reporters on Monday that the assistance will covers food and non-food items – consisting of 580,857 family food packs; 2,459 ready-to-eat meals; 1,585 malongs; 885 mosquito nets; 885 blankets; and 585 dignity kits with towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and feminine napkins.

watching dolphins in Bohol, a historical tour in Cebu, and shopping in Manila.

“Through the familiarization tour, the participants were

able to experience the exciting destinations of the Philippines and learned more about the beauty of our country and people,” said Imperial. (PNA)

tribution, possession, or use of firecrackers or pyrotechnic devices or such other similar devices.

First time offenders will be fined P1,000 or imprisonment of not more than one month but not less than 20 days, or both fine and imprisonment; second time violators will be

fined P3,000 or imprisonment of not more than three months but not less than one month or both fine and imprisonment; and third time offenders will be fined P5,000 or imprisonment of six months but not less than three months, or both fine and imprisonment. (MindaNews)

the people of Davao City and elsewhere in the country.

The awardee was station manager of DXMC “Radyo Ukay” for 10 years, editor and publisher of Sun.Star Davao for 20 years, and one-time or another associate and managing editor of the Mindanao Daily Mirror, and Mindanao Mirror-Bulletin aside from assisting Sec. Jesus G. Dureza in his defunct weekly television show “Brainstorm” for three years. Ajero has been chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga

Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Davao, president of the Davao Press Club and trustee for Mindanao of the Philippine Press Institute.

In civic work, he has been president of the Rotary Club of East Davao and Ambassador Club of Davao Int’l, trustee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., and Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and vice president of the Davao Inventors Association. (ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ)

More... FROM 2 All... FROM 2

Ajero... FROM 3

Pink pineapple tagged as ‘safe and nutritious’ T

HE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the go-ahead for the strain of pineapple genetically engineered to be pink, which was found to be “safe and nutritious,” it was reported.

In the Philippines, the crop science industry said this was an “interesting new development in GM (genetically modified) pineapple.”

The Philippines is considered a top exporter of juice concentrate and pineapple juice.

It was gathered that instead of its conventional yel-

low flesh, the GM pineapple made by the Del Monte Fresh Produce, had its genes toned down to keep the flesh of the fruit pinker.

The US-FDA in a report confirmed that del Monte submitted information to the agency to demonstrate the pink flesh pineapple is safe and nutritious as its conventional counterparts. “(Del Monte’s) new pineapples has been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment

beta carotene. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so it is commonly and safely consumed,” the US-FDA said.

Initially, the pineapples will be grown in Costa Rica, with Del Monte labeling it as “extra sweet pink fresh pineapple.”

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics has noted that the country has existing pineapple production area of 58,457 hectares, producing a volume of 2,246,806 metric tons in 2011.

Apart from Del Monte,

there were noted continuous increases in area harvested of pineapple from Lapanday, Asian Hybrid, Mt. Kitanglad Agricultural Development, Davao Dentures Corp and Dole in Bukidnon.

There were also increases in area planted and harvested in the Bicol and Socsargen regions, considering the high demand for the product.

The Philippines is also considered second to Thailand in terms of processing, with 85 per cent of the processing belonging to multinational companies like Del Monte and Dole. (PNA)

olent incidents being reported to different police offices in Davao City during the Christmas celebration last Sunday.

The quiet Christmas celebration was due to the street deployment of personnel from stations and headquarters as well as augmentation of more than 200 staffs from the regional office.

Dela Rey also said the bike patrol, the first of its kind in Mindanao, was also implemented to address criminality and terrorism especially in crime prone areas where mobile patrol vehicles cannot reach and that the DCPO is also the first to conduct training on bike patrol in Mindan-

ao.

She said initial reports gathered indicated no injuries being sustained arising from firecracker explosions and other pyro-technique wares.

As of yesterday morning [Monday], Dela Rey said reports from the field showed that Dabawenyos marked the Christmas celebration peacefully.

He added that the appeal made by the Department of Health for residents to observe the city ordinance on firecracker ban received positive response among Dabawenyos.

The city mayor asked city residents to refrain from us-

ing fireworks to avoid unnecessary injuries in celebrating Christmas and the New Year.

This has been confirmed by the records of the Southern Philippines Medical Center and other hospitals based in Davao which reported no significant incident on injuries.

“We have also informed the people in the different community about the firecracker ban,” dela Rey said.

However, despite the law banning firecrackers and pyrotechnics, there were still reports about people selling fireworks and that the DCPO confiscated 18 different types of firecracker materials sold in the city.

Dela Rey said that Toril police confiscated one box of toy guns and the Sta. Ana police seized two boxes of the same items sold in a store along Ramon Magsaysay Avenue a few weeks ago.

“These were replica of guns using gun powder which is prohibited for sale,” Dela Rey explained.

Dela Rey said they are appealing to Dabawenyos to report to the Isumbong mo kay CD hotline or to the 911 any persons who are selling or using firecrackers in the city.

“They can call 911 or Isumbong mo kay CD hotline so we can act immediately on the report,” Dela Rey said.

that it had to undergo a cleansing period when it had to eject what she called “transactional leaders and officers.”

Eventually, with good governance and adherence to financial standards, the cooperative was able to recover for good.

Today, the cooperative boasts of a membership of

51,000 youth and student members with a total deposit of P75 million, something you don’t find elsewhere in the Philippines.

She said the coop’s secret lies in having visionary leaders, well-trained employees, and well-informed members.

Rounding up the top 20 cooperatives in Region X1 are:

Tagum Cooperative, Panabo MPC, Nabunturan Integrated Cooperative, USPD Savings and Credit Cooperative, Agdao MPC, Santa Ana Multi-Purpose Cooperative, King Cooperative, BCS Credit Cooperative, BCS Credit Cooperative, BCS Credit Cooperative, Hijo Employees ARB Coop, Silangan Multi-Purpose Cooeprative,

Diamond Farms ARB MPC, DAPCO ARB Beneficiaries, Tagnanan CARP Beneficiaries Cooperative, USPD Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Samal Island MPC, Toril Community Cooperative, Regional Educators MPC, Kapalong Cooperative,Hijo ARB Cooperative and Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative. (JKL)

DCPO... FROM 1

Davao... FROM 3

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

A shimmering Christmas party

EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, there is always one company party that I look forward to attend and that party is the Marco Polo Davao’s Associate’s Christmas Party.

Fresh from the hotel’s 18th year anniversary celebration, the spirit of Christmas was definitely in the air last December 19 as Marco Polo Davao’s Associates and VIP Guests were welcomed by the Director of Human Resources, Malou Concepcion, General Manager Dottie WürglerCronin, DOSM Pearl Per-

alta-Maclang and other Heads of Department of Marco Polo Davao. The event was also graced by Halifax Davao Hotel Inc. Board of Directors headed by its Chairman, Mr. Bienvenido A. Tan III and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez.

During the program, the associates showed off

their dance talent showcasing songs and moves from three generations— Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millenials. I was again tasked to be one of the judges for the presentations of the different department groups who literally lit the stage on fire.

In the end, Group 2 which comprised of the

Housekeeping, Executive Office, Human Resource and Security departments emerged as champions.

Group 3 (Sales and Marketing; RB&E Kitchen departments) was in second place; Group 1 (RB&E Service and Finance departments) as 3rd place; and Group 4 (Front Office and Technical depart-

ment) was declared 4th place. Ms. Kathleen Trinidad from the Front Office and Mr. Lawrence Ibarra from RB&E Service department were selected as the Most Dazzling Female and Male of the Night.

The party, which is also part of the year-long celebration of the hotel’s 18th Anniversary of Marco Polo Davao, also paid tribute to the hotel’s Service Awardees. The five, tem and 15-year service awardees were introduced to the audience and were given special appreciation by the management.

A surprise tribute was also give to the pioneering members of the hotel.

The evening ended with a heart-warming message of thanks from the HDHI Chairman, Mr. Mr. Bienvenido A. Tan III and a short congratulatory message from the founding chairman and now, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez.

EDGEDAVAO

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TRAVEL

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

SEA

Born of the

WE’VE HEARD STORIES OF PEOPLE DRAWN TO THE OCEAN AND ISLAND LIFE. Of those who’ve left their hometowns and corporate jobs in concrete cities to live a life engineered to perpetually chase waves.

This may be news to you or you’ve probably heard this too many times but it has been a reality for those who chose to brave the road less traveled.

The choice to leave everything you’re familiar with seems to baffle most people. The financial stability, your comfort zones of friends, family and career – these are things traded off for a life of probably lesser comfort or luxury.

This, I think is something that probably only

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Clear blue skies and riding glassy waves make up the better part of living the island life in Siargao.

Photo by Oli Bayer.

The only photo that we had during my stay in Siargao Bleu Resort. This was taken in between their photoshoot.

Prior to moving to Siargao, Mac spent the last 5 years surfing different spots in Luzon. Photo by Allen Aligam.

a handful will completely understand. Though sometimes, this is the only thing that would make sense to those who have taken the same path.

A few months ago, a dream of mine came true when I got to visit Siargao Island for the first time.

I was charmed instantly by the soulful island vibe that emanated from the environment to its community. From barefoot tourists walking on the street to bikini-clad surfers with surfboard in tow walking barefoot towards Cloud 9, I immediately felt my soul give a sigh of relief.

They say that the biggest factor that makes you fall in love with a place is its community. Since it was my first time in Siargao, I knew I had to get off the beaten track of tourist itineraries and dive into the island’s soulful culture.

“I just decided to leave everything and move here. I was tired of living in Manila” said 34 yearold Mac Lubaczewski,

originally from Poland and now working as the manager of Siargao Bleu Resort. I had the pleasure of meeting Mac as he was quite hands-on taking care of guests at the Siargao Bleu, where we were staying.

Previously, he was the general manager of an advertising agency before he decided to leave Manila for good. “I started surfing 5 years ago and my friends have been telling me to try Siargao because

it’s the nicest place to surf and there’s a specific type of wave here like Cloud 9 and Tuason and sizewise it’s bigger than most places here in the Philippines.”

When asked what prompted him to move to Siargao, Mac told me that he was supposed to buy an apartment in Manila but kept postponing it. “I asked myself what was I doing. So there, I sold everything and came here”.

Mac tells me an oddly

familiar story of weekend surfers. City dwellers traveling out of the city during Friday nights just to be able to surf at first light on Saturdays and come back late night on Sundays.

Doing all these for the love of surfing. It’s quite a familiar story considering I’ve done it myself the past years since I started learning to surf. Telling Mac that I knew exactly what he was talking about, he laughed and said that he doesn’t need to continue talking about it. Weekend surfers exactly know how this story goes on.

After living in Manila for 8 years, finally moving to Siargao with his surfboard and a few clothes. I asked Mac how the island life has been. “It’s the best decision I ever made. I’ve never been happier. I don’t see myself going anywhere. I could stay here forever.”

Watch out for the second part of this series next week. More stories about Siargao up on the blog: www.millennialmermaid. com

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

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EDGE DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

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EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

NEWS 11

DOLE to revamp erring labor inspectors L

ABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III on Saturday vowed to revamp labor inspectors and officials for incompetence and dishonesty amid complaints they have turned deaf and blind on violations of labor and safety standards in workplaces.

“I will reorganize some of the people in the department, including labor inspectors,” Bello said, add-

ing that aside from losing their jobs, inspectors will face administrative charges if found guilty of accepting bribes from employers.

He said: “There are reports that some labor inspectors are blind and are turning a deaf ear on the violations of different companies and employers. One example of this violation is the current working state of salesladies who were pro-

act against the innocent as a crime that cries out to heaven, a crime that every religion of love and peace must condemn,” Quevedo said.

“May the victims and

their families find strength and comfort in the Christ Child and in the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother as well as ours,” he said. (MindaNews)

President... FROM 3

LandBank... FROM 5 on Indigenous People (NCIP).

Buenaventura said his proposal is still a work in progress and is currently being presented to various experts and stakeholders in the agriculture sector to further finetune the LANDBANK’s corporative approach, which aims to make small Filipino farmers globally competitive and among the most productive and profitable in Asia.

He noted that loans to the agriculture sector stood at P37.9 billion as of September 2016, which represents only 8.2 percent of the Bank’s total loan portfolio of P482 billion.

Given LANDBANK’s high growth performance as shown by the net increase in its income from P4.1 billion in 2006 to P10.3 billion as of September this year, “it is in a very good position to further expand its services, reach and support especially to its mandated sector, the farmers and fishers,” Buenaventura said.

“We will work on tripling loans to small farmers and fishers to P115 billion by 2022, or in the next six years,” Buenaventura added.

He said the possible cash crops that farmers can plant under the corporative are palm oil, rubber, banana, coconut, cacao and abaca, which have high export potentials.

The scheme will also work for palay farmers who could face new challenges next year with the possible lifting of the quantitative restrictions on rice in 2017.

Buenaventura noted that

previous contract growing arrangements only allowed big farmers to have access to bank loans, shutting out small stakeholders in the farm sector.

Buenaventura’s innovative strategy of dramatically increasing loans to small farmers is in compliance with President Duterte’s directive to promote inclusive growth in rural areas through agriculture, and in line with the administration’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda that encompasses “increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism.”

Under the setup, the DAR will identify the lands owned by small farmers that can be formed into corporatives cultivating rice, sugar and banana.

He is also enjoining the OPAPP to pilot palm oil corporatives in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

Buenaventura proposed that the DOLE will provide additional livelihood opportunities for farmers, while the DILG could assist in convincing local government units to waive the unpaid real property taxes of farmers.

A successful corporative will have to organize farmers multipurpose cooperative that will provide consumer stores, emergency loans, savings program, tuition assistance for their children, housing loans, micro-insurance, value formation, health program and other benefits.

hibited to take short breaks on their duties.”

“Papalitan namin ang mga inspectors dyan na mga walang mata at bingi,” Bello said.

Bello also vowed that the Department will continue to fight for the rights and protection of the workers even as he urged the public to report to or file a complaint at Hotline 1349 on erring labor inspectors.

He added that DOLE is also focusing on the abuses of various hospitals in the country where on-the-job trainees are being compelled to do regular jobs and do extended work despite their prescribed training hours without being paid.

Bello said that the department received reports that there are private hospitals which require nurses

to pay for them to undergo training and gain experience.

“This is a clear violation of labor standards. There are nurses who go to hospitals to be trained, sila pa ang nagbabayad sa ospital para sa training. Anong klaseng patakaran yan? Hospitals should be screened properly by our labor inspectors,” an irate Bello added.

He added, “For our in-

spectors to allow that is the highest form of incompetence and dishonesty.”

Bello added that the Department will continue to fight for the rights and protection of the workers but first, they should report to or file a complaint so that we can immediately take action. Papalitan namin ang mga inspectors dyan na mga walang mata at bingi.

(PNA)

FOR ALL AGES. Dabawenyos, young and old, form a long queue as they wait for their turn to avail themselves of the free carnival ride which is part of this year’s Pasko Fiesta Davao celebration at Rizal Park in Davao City on Christmas Day. Lean Daval Jr.

SC asked to dismiss De Lima petition of writ versus Rody

T

HE Office of the Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition for writ of habeas data filed by Senator Leila De Lima against President Rodrigo Duterte.

This was the response of Solicitor General Jose Calida to the order from the SC resolution dated Nov. 29 asking it to submit a reply memorandum on the issue of presidential immunity in connection to De Lima’s petition.

Calida, who filed the pleading as required by the high court and not as a counsel for the President, invoked the absolute immunity from suit enjoyed by the incumbent president during his tenure in office.

The OSG argued that the presidential immunity is a “well-entrenched doctrine” and that Duterte cannot be held accountable during his six-year term for charges alleged by De Lima.

Calida rebutted the argument of De Lima in her motion for clarification that the issue on immunity touches on the merits of the case and that resolving it would be premature. ”It is settled in jurisprudence that the President enjoys immunity from suit during his or her tenure of office or actual incumbency. Conversely, this presidential privilege of immunity cannot be invoked by a non-sitting president even for

acts committed during his or her tenure,” the OSG said in a 20page reply-memorandum.

The OSG agreed with the high court’s action and stressed that there is no need to require the President to even comment on the petition because his immunity from suits is automatic.

“Presidential immunity automatically attaches to the President by virtue of his office and there is no need to invoke it for its existence,” it stressed. (PNA)

ing” it, following Mr. Duterte’s pronouncements that the Philippines would build new alliances with China and Russia.

He explained at a recent Senate hearing that the President’s recalibration of Philippine foreign policy would open the country to markets other than the traditional ones in the West.

“The President has indicated to us that he’d like to strengthen and exploit oppor-

tunities…in countries other than our traditional trading partners,” Dominguez said.

The Duterte administration plans to ramp up spending on infrastructure over 5 percent of the GDP next year, and maintain or even increase this in the succeeding years to sustain the country’s high growth and create jobs outside Mega Manila, in line with its 10-point socioeconomic agenda on inclusive growth. (PR)

a sisterhood agreement with another LGU. November last 2014, Malaybalay in Bukidnon became Tagum’s sister-city.

The ceremony was highlighted with the exchange of

tokens and local products between the two newly instituted sister LGUs, which signaled the reaching of common goals and perspectives. Roy Banias/ CIO Tagum

Sixteen of them suffered blast injuries but so far none of them required amputation.

Most of them were hand injuries, 12 in all, or 55 percent of the total cases.

Aside from that, four were injured in forearm and arm.

Majority of the injuries (17 cases) happened among active users -- those who admitted that they are using fire-

crackers in the past years.

So far, there is only one firework ingestion recorded.

“If you really love your children, you will not allow them to use firecrackers,” said DOH Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial bial as she reminded parents anew of their responsibilities to ensure the safety of their beloved children. (PNA)

who managed to elude arrest, but not his two followers. He remained at large.

“Commander Renz” vowed to avenge the anti-drug raid that crippled his multi-million illegal drug trade in North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

Pres. Duterte went to Midsayap to visit the blast victims on Christmas Day. Agriculture Sec. Manny Piñol, who hails from North Cotabato, quoted the President as saying “I wanted to comfort and boost the morale” of blast victims.

Piñol was governor of North Cotabato from 1998 to

2007 and Midsayap was close to his heart.

After receiving security briefing, the President emerged from the hospital where a huge crowd chanting “Duterte! Duterte!” greeted him.

Despite advises from his close-in security against doing so, the President still went closer to the people, shook hands with them and posed for “selfies” with the crowd.

The President vowed to bring justice to the victims and extended financial assistance to blast victims.

He left for Davao shortly before 5 p.m. (PNA)

Gov’t... FROM 5

DOH... FROM 13

Tagum... FROM 6 NorCot... FROM 6

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12 COMPETITIVE EDGE

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

Cotabato City, Mindanao’s next big thing

T

HE city government of Cotabato is persevering to pursue the “highly urbanized halal hub” status for Cotabato City in the next years.

With the recent development in the local economic activities and the relatively peaceful environment in Cotabato City, the local government is working double time to multiply its growth and be able to compete in the global arena.

City officials headed by City Mayor Atty. Frances Cynthia J. Guiani-Sayadi is in constant communication with both local and foreign private companies who have expressed their intent to invest in the city and put up several commercial establishments here. One of the biggest investors will come from the People’s Republic of China who will be putting up solar powered street lamps

and will be offering affordable deals on solar power to local consumers. Other investors are eyeing the establishment of franchise hotels, restaurants, telecommunications, and other commercial and service providing companies.

In the 56th Regular Meeting of the Regional Development Council XII, recently hosted by Cotabato City, Mayor Guiani-Sayadi has announced the possibility of building a skyway in Cotabato City very soon to address its worsening traffic situation. This skyway will traverse across Cotabato City, from its entry points in the north and south. This will be the biggest infrastructure project in the city in the last few decades.

Also reported by the City Mayor was the proposed sisterhood between Cotabato

Water service interruptions in some city parts Dec. 28-29

D

AVAO City Water District advises customers of two separate sets of water service interruptions.

First set is low water pressure to no water on December 28, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM affecting some Indangan, Cabantian, and Communal areas particularly Nagkahiusa Village, San Isidro Indangan, Sto. Niño Village, Saint Ignatius, Nueva Esperanza Village, Indangan Relocation, Anita Homeowners Assn., Molave Homes, Adap Village, Millenium Village, Lemon Village, Madradeco Village, Villa Alevida, and Ramon Nena Village.

Also affected are areas included in the Schedule 2 of the rotational water schedule in Cabantian Water Supply System (WSS), specifically Ciudad de Esperanza, Aspen Heights, Blue Diamond Village, Catitipan Homeowners Assn., Deca Homes Subd., Emily Homes Subd., Chula Vista Subd., Emilia Homes Subd., Bacahoa Village, Dela Peña Village, Countryville Executive Homes, Cabantian Country Homes, Greenland Subd. Phases 1 and 2, Victors Executive Homes, Cecilia Heights Subd., Priscilla Estates, and Remedios Heights.

To augment water supply, DCWD will deliver water to these areas.

DCWD’s Indangan Production Well No. 1 and Cabantian Production Well No. 2 will be affected by Davao Light and Power Company’s power interruption on said date needed to facilitate the upgrading of its primary lines along Cabantian Road, thus the water service interruption.

Areas under Schedule 1 of the rotational water supply in Cabantian WSS will still not have water as scheduled.

Second set is from 9:00 PM of December 28, 2016

to 4:00 AM of December 29, 2016 affecting areas served

by DCWD from junction of Malagamot–Davao-Agusan Road to Lasang including Luzville Subd., ILAIECO Compound, Brgy. Ilang, Upper Ilang, Amparo Village, Bugac Ilang, Brgy. Tibungco, Mangahan Village, Upper Mangahan, Cal Village, Vicente Gloria, Pena Village, Brgy. Bunawan, and Brgy. Lasang.

This water service interruption is needed for the tapping / looping of the newly installed 300mm diameter Cement Mortar Line Epoxy Coated Steel Pipe to the existing 400mm diameter Mortar Line Coated Steel Pipe at Davao-Agusan from Crossing Eliong to Buhisan. Said improvement work is part of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project of DCWD which, upon completion, will improve water pressure and increase the availability of water supply in the city.

The DCWD management asks for the understanding and cooperation of would-be affected customers. They are also advised to store enough water prior to the scheduled water interruption. Water supply may be restored earlier if work goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.

The general public may visit DCWD website (www. davao-water.gov.ph) and official Facebook page (www. facebook.com/davaowater) or call the Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297-DCWD (3293) and press “1” on their phone dial for the latest daily water updates.

They may also contact 09277988966, 0925-5113293 and 0908-4410653 for the schedule of water deliveries, other updates, complaints, queries, and matters pertaining to DCWD services. (JOHN WINSTON ANTHONY C. AJERO II)

City and the city of Bandung, Indonesia. Both cities have remarkable similarities especially in their strong cultural heritage, economic strategies, and leaders having strong political will in running the government. This sisterhood relationship will be beneficial to both cities as they will have the chance to exchange ideas regarding their best practices and be able to apply these in their own localities.

“Cotabato City is now moving forward. We are already thinking global. This may be one giant leap but we are taking it with full confidence and strong will. I know that with the support and cooperation of our people and our partners in the government and private sector, we can achieve all our plans”, City Mayor Guiani-Sayadi said.

With the rising trend in the global demand for halal products, Cotabato City is seen to be the country’s “halal hub”.

With half of its population comprising of Muslims and with the establishment of the AA-standard Halal Slaughterhouse, the country’s only and soon to be upgraded to triple A or export-quality standard, Cotabato City has already complied with almost all of the ingredients required for a city to become a halal hub.

First of these ingredients is the local government unit serving as the enabler. The local government, with the active cooperation between the executive and the legislative departments, must be able to craft local laws that will be conducive for the halal industries to grow. The second is the presence of an institution

that will serve as the adviser. In Cotabato City’s case, the Darul Ifta will be the one to provide opinions and guidelines to the implementation of the halal. Third is the presence of a “watchdog” and that role will be played by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board that is also based in Cotabato City. Fourth is the sustainer of the supply chain which will be played by the Tabun Halal Multi Purpose Cooperative.

This organization will be the one to ensure that the supply for halal products will always meet its demand by connecting the traders with the producers. The fifth ingredient of a successful halal hub is the presence of an Islamic financing institution.

Islamic financing is a system of financing that is consistent with the Shariah

principles. It prohibits the specific interest or fees to money loans. Instead, it introduces principles such as Mudharabah or profit-and-loss sharing between the two parties and Musharakah or joint venture.

City administrator Dr. Danda N. Juanday said, as of now, Cotabato City doesn’t have an institution involved in Islamic financing but there are groups or organizations that are now offering Islamic micro-financing.

“This is already the beginning. We can make use of these groups and start small.

All other ingredients are already present in Cotabato City and we should already act and work on it if we really want to be known as a halal hub”, the city administrator said.

With Islam as the world’s

According to the MOA, Edukasyon.ph will provide a cross linking facility for the PhiljobNet registered users within its own website to view details of job vacancies posted by the employers and other career resources at the “Career Conversation Page” and at “Employment Partners” section without any cost on the part of the jobseekers.

The Edukasyon.ph (www. edukasyon.ph), owned by Engadin Corporation is an online education site in the Philippines which bridges information asymmetry gap between scholarship providers, higher education opportunities and other industries that needs an online one-stop-shop for all

courses, scholarships, and other educational opportunities available for Filipinos.

“Edukasyon.ph has a vision that every student deserves a relevant and quality education that leads to employment.

With this agreement with the labor department, students, jobseekers and the public are now easily connected to colleges, scholarships and on various employment opportunities worldwide,” said Henry Motte-Munoz, founder of Edukasyon.ph.

Bello noted that through the MOA, PhilJobNet will have a cross-link of Edukasyon.ph in its website that will enable netizens to immediately connect to relevant technical vocation-

al schools, graduate schools, executive education and other educational resources at its “Search Jobs Page.”

PhilJobNet website by DOLE will also have a hyperlink page transfer at the partners section of the said education website.

Edukasyon.ph will also help the department in promoting its annual activities in the website such as Labor Day Job Fair, Career Guidance Week, National PESO Congress and others as well as in all of its media channels and partners.

PhilJob.Net is the Philippine government’s official web-based labor market information, job search, and job matching portal. (PNA)

FCOTABATO, 13

DOLE, DepEd to offer free web-based job portal soon

A

FREE web based job portal system will soon be available which aims to provide jobseekers opportunities to find their preferred jobs and connect with employers.

The system was developed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Edukasyon.ph, following the signing of a memorandum of agreement.

“We have always been keen on finding ways to provide more job opportunities for the Filipino and we believe that one way of making this possible is by means of the internet and social media,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a statement.

CEB cancels flights due to tropical storm Nina

D

UE to Tropical Storm Nina (international name: Nock-ten), Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) has cancelled several flights on December 26, 2016.

CEB advises all passengers to monitor and check flight status on the website: https://www.cebupacificair.com/Pages/ check-flight-status.aspx We will continue to monitor the development of Tropical Storm Nina and we will also provide updates on our official social media pages: Facebook.com/CebuPacificAir and Twitter.com/CebuPacificAir. Cancelled Flights - December 26, 2016 (Monday) Manila-Bacolod-Manila 5J483/484/474/475/476/477/478/ 479/481/485/486/487/488 Manila-Butuan-Manila 5J785/786/787/788/789/792 Manila-Cotabato- Manila 5J886/887/888 Manila-Cebu-Manila 5J555A/564A/567/562/553/578/565/ 568/581/580/569/566/575/576 Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila 5J397/398/382/383/384/379/380/ 391/392/385/386/389/395 Manila-Cauayan-Manila DG6024/DG6025/DG6026/DG6027 Manila-Dumaguete-Manila 5J 624/625/626/627/628/629 Manila-Dipolog-Manila 5J703/704

Manila-Davao-Manila 5J962/963/964/975/951/ 953/977/971/966/952

Manila-General Santos-Manila 5J989/995/997 Manila-Iloilo-Manila 5J445/449/447/457/455/452/446/45 0/458/456 Manila-Kalibo-Manila 5J339/340/DG6313/DG6317 Manila-Legazpi-Manila 5J321/323/325/327/322/324/326/3 28 Manila-Caticlan-Manila

5J895/899/901/905/892/896/900/9 02 Manila-Ozamis-Manila 5J781/782 Manila-Pagadian-Manila 5J 773/771/774/772 Manila-Puerto Princesa-Manila 5J637/639/635/643/647/645/638/64 0/636/644 Manila-Roxas-Manila 5J375/374 Manila-San Jose-Manila DG6029/DG6031/DG6030/DG6032 Manila-Tacloban-Manila 5J659/653/652/650/660 FCEB, 13

COMPETITIVE EDGE 13

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

LTFRB to suspend accreditation of Uber, Grab du to ‘price surges’

T

HE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has warned Uber and Grab that it will suspend or cancel their accreditation if they impose price surges amid the increasing demand for their services during the holiday season.

In a statement, the LTFRB stated that it has received complaints from passengers that the surge in fares for the ride-sharing apps has ranged from P2,000 to P28,000.

Furthermore, the agency said it was not consulted on Uber’s “up-

front fares based on predictions”.

The upfront fare computes several factors such as time, distance, and surge rate affecting the overall fare, and rounds it off into a single number. It is shown to riders as an estimate of how much they would pay for their trip.

The public is requested to report any violation through its 24/7 hotline at 1342 or SMS/Viber 09175501342 or 09985501342.

They may also e-mail pictures or screenshots of said incidents at complaint.ltfrb.gov.ph@gmail. com. (PNA)

second biggest and the fastest growing religion, companies offering halal products and services have already reached a profit of about 1 trillion dollars every year. Cotabato City targets to attract Muslim tourists who want to visit the Philippines and look for a place where they can experience genuine halal.

To further realize this and expand the market of Cotabato City, plans of establishing an economic zone is already in the works. The city government is now crafting a proposal to be submitted to the Office of the President to declare Cotabato City as a free port to make importing and exporting halal products easier for investors. An area for possible expansion and establishment of an economic zone has already been identified. Once this is established, Cotabato City can

venture in inviting in Business Process Outsourcing like call centers, engage in medical tourism, agro-industrial tourism, and other light and eco-friendly industries.

“Others may say that this is still a long way to go but that should not stop us from moving. We have already slowed down enough and now is the time to run. There is no room for doubt if we really want to be at par with the other highly urbanized centers in the country” Mayor Guiani-Sayadi said.

During the celebration of the Shariff Kabunsuan Festival, the City Government of Cotabato, the Darul Ifta, Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board, and the Tabun Halal, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that states each of these institutions’ roles in launching Cotabato City as a halal hub.

Cotabato... FROM 12

DOH reports 24 firecracker injuries as of Christmas Day T

HE Department of Health (DOH) said 14 of the reported 24 fireworks-related injuries took placed in National Capital Region -- based on the reports obtained as of 6 a.m. of December 25 from sentinel hospitals.

Also, 8 of the 23 cases were caused by Piccolo, the leading cause of firecracker-related injuries in the past

CEB... FROM 12

Manila-Tagbilaran-Manila 5J617/621/620/618/622

few years.

Manila tops with six; Quezon City, three; Marikina, Las Pinas, Malabon, Navotas, and Pasay with one apiece.

A case of firecracker ingestion was also reported in Cainta, Rizal where a six-year old boy apparently swallowed part of a sparkler or “luces”.

The remaining cases were in Regions 1 with three cases;

Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila 5J504/505 Manila-Busuanga-Manila DG6041/DG6043/DG6045/DG6051/ DG6055/DG6042/DG6044/DG6046/ DG6052/DG6056 Manila-Virac-Manila DG6163/DG6165/DG6164/DG6166 Manila-Naga-Manila DG6113/DG6117/DG6114/DG6118 Manila-Zamboanga-Manila 5J859/857/853/855/852/860/858 Manila-Bangkok-Manila 5J929/930 Manila-Hong Kong-Manila 5J110/111 Manila-Incheon-Manila 5J188/189 Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Manila 5J499/500 Manila-Pusan-Manila

Region 4-A with two cases; Region VI with two cases; Region 7 and 11 with one case each.

These cases were gathered through the daily monitoring of DOH Aksyon Paputok Injury Report (APR) 2016 as part of its “Oplan: Iwas Paputok, Fireworks Display and Patok” yearly campaign.

“This is 28 or 55 percent lower than the five-year

5J184/185 Manila-Singapore-Manila 5J805/806

CEB is arranging for the re-accommodation of affected passengers on the soonest available flights. We will continue to operate all other services as scheduled, but passengers are advised to expect delays due to the weather.

Passengers on the cancelled flights and all other guests traveling to and from Manila from December 26-27, 2016 may avail of the following options without penalties: • rebook their flights for travel within 30 days from original departure date; or • opt for full refund or travel fund.

Affected guests may call the CEB reservation hotlines (+632)702-0888 or (+6332)230-8888, or visit CEB’s ticket offices listed below: • NAIA Terminal 3 Sales Office – Lev-

(2011-2015) average and 21 or 48 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

The report also showed that injuries often occurred among men since majority or 19 cases occurred among males The youngest age was recorded at five while the oldest is 62 years old.

FDOH, 11

el 3, Departure Hall, NAIA Terminal 3, Andrews Ave., Pasay City • NAIA Terminal 4 Express Ticket Office – Old Domestic Road, Pasay City • KidZania Manila (rebooking transactions only) – Park Triangle, 3245 North 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, 1634 Taguig City • Robinsons Galleria – West Lane, Level 1, Ortigas Ave. cor. ADB Ave., Quezon City • Robinsons Place Imus – Level 4, Aguinaldo Highway, Imus, Cavite • Robinsons Place Manila – Level 1, Adriatico Wing, Pedro Gil cor. Adriatico St., Ermita, Manila • Cebu Airport Ticket Office – Mactan-Cebu International Airport, LapuLapu Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu • Robinsons Fuente – Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City We sincerely hope for our passengers’ understanding, as everyone’s safety remains our utmost priority.

EDGEDAVAO

14 MOTORING

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

Honda produces 5-Star ASEAN NCAP Club 100 millionth vehicle

Mitsubishi Montero Sport joins

T

HE Mitsubishi Montero Sport, equipped with Active Stability Control (ASC) and Seatbelt Reminder System (SBR) garnered a perfect 5-star score at the ASEAN NCAP in Adult Occupancy Protection (AOP) scoring 15.29 out of a possible 16.00 points.

This accolade proves Mitsubishi’s commitment in prioritizing safety as one of the most

T

important aspects in car development. The Montero Sport’s 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating joins the model’s 5-star safety rating in the Latin NCAP and ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program).

While the model received a 5-star rating in adult protection, the Montero Sport earned a respectable 4-star rating in Child Occupant Protection (COP) thanks

to standard ISOFIX child set anchors. Mitsubishi’s family-friendly SUV garnered a 76 percent score out of 100.

Launched in the Philippines this year, the Montero Sport has received good feedback from the market with its “Dynamic Shield” front design concept. Furthermore, it offers high performance thanks to a 2.4-liter clean diesel engine mated to an 8-speed

automatic.

On higher variants, the Montero Sport comes with advanced safety features such as Forward Collision Mitigation System, Active Stability Control, Active Traction Control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. Furthermore, it has 3-point seatbelts in every seating position as well as two ISOFIX anchors.

Subaru to hike car prices

HE continued weakening of the Philippine Peso is forcing Motor Image Pilipinas, the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country to implement a price increase on selected models. The price increase will affect its core models: the Subaru XV, Forester, and Levorg beginning January 1, 2017.

Citing their vehicles’ exceptional engineering, design, functionality, safety, and quality, Motor Image Pilipinas will have to adjust their pricing as the cost of importing these vehicles from Japan have been made significantly higher than before.

According to sources, the impending increase will be 1.5 percent for the Subaru XV, Forester, and Levorg.

This means the new prices would be: Subaru Forester 2.0iL: ~P 1,468,000 (from P

1,448,000) Subaru Forester 2.0i-Premium: ~P 1,673,000 (from P 1,648,000) Subaru Forester 2.0 XT: ~P 1,948,000 (from P 1,918,000) Subaru Levorg 1.6 GTS: ~P 1,743,000 (from P 1,718,000) Subaru XV 2.0i:

~P 1,338,000 (from P 1,318,000) Subaru XV 2.0i-Premium: ~P 1,520,000 (from P 1,498,000) Motor Image Pilipinas reminds would-be buyers that with a few days before the end of 2016, they are encouraged to take this opportunity to reserve their de-

sired Subaru vehicle before the price hike takes effect next year.

As the Philippine Peso continues to weaken, it’s only going to be a matter of time when the other Subaru models: Legacy, Outback, Subaru BRZ, WRX, and WRX STI will also be subjected to price hikes.

H

ONDA Motor Co., Ltd. announced that the company has reached the milestone of producing 100 million units globally.

“Thanks to the support from our customers around the world, Honda was able to deliver 100 million automobiles. The passion of our company founder who wanted to help people in their daily lives and pursue the joy of driving has been inherited

by Honda associates as the original starting point of Honda automobile manufacturing. Striving to meet the next 100 million customers, Honda will continue delivering increasingly attractive products,” said Mr. Takahiro Hachigo, President, Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said in a statement.

Honda began automobile production in 1963 with the production of the T360 mini-truck, Honda’s first mass-production model, at its Saitama Factory. In the same year, Honda began production of the S500 small-sized sports car at Hamamatsu Factory in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 1964, in order to move forward with full-scale automobile production, Honda employed all of the company’s production technologies and know-how and constructed the first Honda plant dedicated to automobile production, Sayama Factory in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. The new plant began with production of the S600 small-sized sports car. In 1967, Honda began production of the N360, Honda’s first mini-vehicle model.

Since then Honda has been increasing its cumulative production volume while enhancing the product lineup, with key global models including Civic, Accord, CR-V, and Jazz enjoyed by customers all around the world. Further, regional models have been developed to accommodate the unique characteristics of the regions where each model is sold.

Since the company’s foundation, Honda has always conducted its business with an awareness of the global nature of its operations. In 1969, Honda began production of the N600 small-sized passenger car and TN360 mini-truck in Taiwan by signing a technical collaboration agreement with a local company, which became Honda’s first automobile production outside Japan. Moreover, in order to increase international competitiveness, Honda entered overseas markets on its own and began production of Accord in Ohio, in the U.S. in 1982, which became Honda’s first automobile production by its own local subsidiary outside of Japan. This Accord became the first passenger car produced in the U.S. by a Japanese automaker.

Guided by an approach of “building products close to the customer” and striving for the timely offering of products that accommodate the needs of customers all around the world, Honda expanded its automobile production operations to different regions of the world including Asia, Europe, South America, and China.

In recent years, Honda has been pursuing the establishment of a flexible and mutually complementary production system which utilizes Honda’s 34 automobile production operations in 18 countries and territories.

Through these initiatives, Honda reached the 100 million-unit milestone in cumulative automobile production in September 2016, the 54th year since the company started automobile production. Also motorcycle and power products production will add to more than 560 million-unit in cumulative for Honda’s worldwide production.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

NO RECORD ‘Manila Clasico’fails to break stadium record I

T’S not as filled as it was when the PBA first played here two years ago, but there’s still a big enough crowd for the Philippine Cup Christmas Day offering at the Philippine Arena on Sunday.

As per initial estimate, around 10,000 people are already on hand for the first game pitting Blackwater and Mahindra, with the numbers expected to further rise by the time the featured match be-

tween Barangay Ginebra and Star is played.

Asked for a statement on the number of live attendance, media bureau chief Willie Marcial admitted the day’s box-office numbers may not be able to replicate the record crowd of 52,612 during the 2014 season opener that also featured a Ginebra game against TnT Katropa. The mark still remains as the biggest live attendance in the 41-year history of the

league.

Marcial said the Iglesia Ni Cristo, which owns trhe 55,000-seater indoor arena considered the largest in the world, has committed to fill the general admission section of the venue, which numbers to 25,000.

“Sa kanila committed yun,” he said.

So not counting the Iglesia numbers, the league expects to draw in at the most, a crowd of

SPORTS 15

15,000.

Although final figures won’t be released until after a few days, league officials estimated the attendance between 20,000 to 21,000.

Last year, a crowd of 22,000 was on hand at the Mall of Asia Arena for the Philippine Cup playoffs game between the Kings and the Hotshots. Ginebra eliminated Star on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by LA Tenorio in overtime, 92-89.

Federer wants stringent drug testing measures

DRUG TESTING. Former world no. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland is pushing for stricter drug testing in Grand Slam tennis.

F

ORMER world number one Roger Federer has called for more stringent drug testing in tennis, suggesting that all Slam quarter-finalists should be tested.

“With all the money that we have in the sport, you would think that there would be more funding for the anti-doping programme,” Federer told the Times. “I would like to see more fund-

ing [for testing], no doubt about it, especially in the off-season. This is when the players work the hardest.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer lies on court after falling during his match against Canada’s Milos Raonic Switzerland’s Roger Federer lies on court after falling during his match against Canada’s Milos RaonicReuters “The best way is that you get tested every quarter-final that you

play in a tournament. You know there will be testers there when the prize money and the points go up, you know you will be tested. I think for the players’ minds and for the fans, it would be a good thing to have.”

There had been reports earlier in the week that drug testing did not take place at some of the 2016 tournaments. The ITF’s anti-doping programme has an annual budget of $4 million (about £3.2 million).

Mindanao netters shine in PSC-Philta netfest

M

INDANA O players Janus Ringia and Jennifer Pagente won two titles each in the recent Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Tennis Association (PSC-Philta) Age Group Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Ringia, a Grade 9 student at the Koronadal National Comprehensive High School

in South Cotabato, pulled off a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jeremiah Macias III to pocket the boys’ 18-under title in the season-ending tournament organized by Philta, headed by Col. Salvador Andrada.

Ringia, who won the individual bronze and team silver at the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Legazpi City, Albay, annexed the 16-under title after beating Jose Antonio Tria, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

Pagente of Cagayan de Oro City shared the limelight with Ringia when she dominated the girls’ 18-under and 16-un-

der divisions.

Pagente defeated Arianne Nilasca, 6-2, 6-0, to capture the 18-under title and later claimed the 16-under title over Sultan Kudarat’s Carlyn Bless Guarde, 6-4, 6-0.

In other final results, Gaby Zoleta of Lucena City downed Justine Maneja, 6-2, 6-1 to win the girls’ 14-under title while Adeline Abadia rallied past Kaye Ann Emana, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to capture the girls’ 12-under crown.

In the boys’ 14-under category, Jan Harold Trillanes defeated Danielle Estanislao, 6-1, 7-5 in the final. Shant Nuguit

pocketed the boys’ 12-under title over Marc Andrei Jarata, 6-2, 6-2.

Sherwin Nuguit prevailed over Michael Jimenez, 4-0, 4-1, in the unisex 10-under singles final. In the doubles, Joshua Diva and Mica Ella Emana outplayed Nuguit and Jarata, 8-5, to win the title.

Miguel Luis Vicencio and Rafael Liangco downed Diego Dayrit and Manolo Angara, 8-1 to capture the boys’ 14-under doubles title while Gaby Zoleta and Patricia Lim claimed the girls’ 18-under doubles over Emana siblings Kaye Ann and Mica Ella, 8-5. (PNA)

FIRST WIN. Blackwater Elite’s John Pinto, a pro cager from Davao City, dribbles past Nico Elorde of Mahindra Floodbusters during the PBA Philippine Cup. Mahhindra picked up its first win in the conference. PBA Images

MANILA CLASICO. Dabawenyo Ginebra cager Scottie Thompson tries ti wiiggle out of the defense of Justin Melton of Star Hotshots during the Christmas Day ‘Manila Clasico’ match between Ginebra San Miguel and Star Hotshots in the PBA Philippine Cup. PBA Images

Palicte wins first US fight F

ILIPINO pugilist Aston “Mighty” Palicte (22-2-18 knockouts) made his American debut successful by winning a split decision verdict (by scores of 98-92, 96-94, 92-98) over an elusive Oscar Cantu (14-1-0 knockouts)) at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center on Saturday, December 17 in their action packed 10 round headline bout.

Palicte, a member of the Roy Jones Jr. boxing team, entered the arena promoted as the dominant puncher in the contest and he wobbled Cantu (a light hitting boxer) on at least three occasions; but the rough and tough Texan (Cantu) refused to go down and the gathered crowd had his back.

The hardy and constant cheers for Cantu may have persuaded the one judge to favor Cantu; but, my scorecard sided with Palicte, without reservation, due to his throwing harder shots and connecting with more meaningful punches.

My qualm with Cantu, though entertaining, was his frequent leaning forward with his head down at times and taking a few cheap shots off the break and on several occasions, he delivered blows below the belt that eluded warnings. Cantu does deserve praise for his grit and heart. By the 6th round, both fighters had developed an intense dislike for each other and their obvious contempt added drama to a very spirited contest.

With the win, 25 year old Palicte earned the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super flyweight title and the vacant NABF super flyweight belt. In a post-fight interview with the Manila Times, the confident fighter took a verbal swipe at the 25 year old Texan by describing his style as “amateur.”

The victor went on to say he was ready for a world title fight and he hopes to get a shot next year.

He doesn’t lack confidence and

his performance should make his boxing fans in Cebu City, Philippines - where he resides - very happy.

Palicte has been described as the next Manny Pacquiao; that is a stretch but he does have talent and is fun to watch. Cantu entered the contest ranked #4 (WBC flyweight division) and NABO has him listed as #5. The victorious Palicte held an IBF #11 ranking and the WBO considered him the 15th best super flyweight in the world. Based on his performance, those numbers will undoubtedly change.

The “Knockout Night at the D” series is a novel concept presented by the Las Vegas Downtown Events Center and promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Promotions. CBS Sports Network broadcasts the series pairing WWE announcing legend Jim “JR” Ross with Joey Varner at ringside. And once again, the always energetic Jeff Huston handled the role of ring announcer and Master of Ceremonies. There is a mention of my brief conversation with Ross in the boxing news section in this column, please search for and read.

I talked to the tree men before the event started and informed them that junior middleweight fighter Nathaniel Gallimore (comain) was wearing a patch on his boxing trunks that read RIP: Ed Brown, a tribute to his friend and fellow Chicago boxer who was shot on December 3 and died the following day at Mount Sinai Hospital. After the briefing, the broadcast team went into action quickly and produced an appropriate acknowledgement of Brown’s life and ring accomplishments. Most scribes thought Brown (20-0-16 knockouts) was on the brink of fighting for a world title. Once again, we send our condolences to his friends and family members and hope Chicago PD catches his murderer.

BIGWIN. The Philippines’ Aston Palicte (left) connects to the face of Oscar Cantu. (Philboxing.com)

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 9 ISSUE 220 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016

AGAINST THE WORLD Diaz to compete in World liftfest

WORLD COMPETITION. Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz will be competing in the World Werightlifting Championship in the US next year.

O

LYMPIAN Hidilyn Diaz will compete in next year’s World Weightlifting Championship in Anaheim, California.

It will be Diaz’s third time to join the tournament organized by the International Weightlifting Federation. The first was in Paris, France in 2011 where she finished sixth, and the second in Houston, Texas last year where she won the bronze medals in the snatch (96kg), clean and jerk (117kg),

and total (213kg) events in the women’s 53kg division.

Diaz’s performance in Houston helped her qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where she won the silver medal. She also won three golds at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Phuket, Thailand last year.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Weightlifting Association (PWA) are extending full support to the

Zamboangueña’s bid to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Aside from the US trip, Diaz will see action in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“Hidilyn Diaz is in top form. I am optimistic she can win the elusive Olympic gold in Tokyo,” said veteran coach and PWA vice president Elbert Atilano.

Atilano, who heads the Univer-

sidad de Zamboanga Weightlifting Training Center, was responsible for molding Diaz into a world-class athlete.

For his part, PSC chairman William Ramirez said his agency is committed to support the training of Diaz.

“Diaz is a jewel in weightlifting. PSC will support her until she achieves the ultimate goal of winning the gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Ramirez. (PNA)