Edge Davao 9 Issue 222

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

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Serving a seamless society

BONUS. President Rodrigo Duterte listens to Presidential Management Staff head Christopher “Bong” Go as they confer before announcing that he will give cash gifts to Barangay officials during the Christmas party held at the Davao City Recreation Center on Tuesday evening.

Barangay captains received P10,000 each while barangay councilors got P3,000 each. Duterte bared that the money came from a politician’s donation for his electoral campaign which he did not use.

Lean Daval Jr.

NO FIRING OF GUNS

PRO 11 eyes ‘zero casualties’for the New Year Davao Food Terminal

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

T

HE regional office of the Philippine National Police warned anew against indiscriminate firing of guns in welcoming the New Year even as it appealed to law enforcers and private individuals to cooperate in achieving “zero casualties.” .

“We want zero casualties caused by the illegal discharge of firearms and indiscriminate firing during the New Year celebration,” said Deputy Regional Director for Administration of PRO 11 PSSupt. Marcelo Morales.

In a press conference, Morales revealed a directive from PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa that ordered all police officers nationwide to conduct patrols in the streets and to strictly implement the campaign against indiscriminate firing from 5 pm on December 31 to 5 am on January 1.

Likewise, Morales noted dela Rosa’s directive to the policemen to immediately knock on the door of anyone involved in indiscriminate firing and if refused entry, devise means to get inside the house.

The police officials have also been reminded to perform their duty and make sure that no incidents of indiscriminate firing will happen in their areas of responsibility in welcoming the New Year.

Morales assured that he would have “no mercy” on policemen and private individuals who would fire their guns indiscriminately in welcoming the New Year.

He stated that he would make sure that administrative cases or grave misconduct charges would be filed against

those who would violate the directive aside from dismissal from the service.

“Persons found guilty of random gun-firing will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

However, it can be recalled that the PNP for the first time broke its annual tradition of sealing the cops’ gun muzzles to prevent indiscriminate firing in the holiday revelries.

Davao City Police Office (DCPO) chief SSupt. Michael John Dubria, for his part, said the public needs to give the

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set for business in April

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

A

S one of the city government of Davao’s thrusts for the sector of agriculture, the Davao Food Terminal is projected to be operational by April 2017.

“Tuloy na tuloy na ito but it will be a soft opening

on April 2017,” stressed Department of Agriculture OIC Regional Director Ricardo M. Oñarte during the Habi at Kape media forum at Abreeza Mall Davao.

He explained that the

EDGEDAVAO Sports 2016 year in review: Boxing P15

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

IN THE LEAD. The Department of Social Welfare and Development has spearheaded the relief efforts for the families affected by Typhoon Nina in Camarines Sur. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the relief distribution to the typhoon victims in Pili, Camarines Sur on Tuesday. RICHARD MADELO/Presidential Photo

Davao City village officials Typhoon Update: receive bonus from Rody

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte handed out bonuses to the barangay officials in the city on Tuesday during their gathering at the Davao City Recreational Gym. Duterte gave P10, 000 each to the 183 barangay chieftains and P3, 000 each to the barangay councilors in addition to grocery packs.

He said he felt the need to give bonuses to the barangay officials since he could not have been mayor of Davao City if not because of them.

He said that the barangay officials played a big role

during his campaign as the chief executive of Davao City since they all supported him even from the start of his political career.

“I’ll give you additional bonuses since I could not be mayor of Davao City if not because of your help to begin with,” Duterte said.

Duterte though reminded the barangay officials to continue their uphold their sworn duties and not to lend themselves to corruption since he will never tolerate it.

He then said that he even

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NDRRMC continues to monitor Nina’s damage D

ESPITE the departure of Typhoon “Nina” over the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday said it continues to monitor the weather for any eventualities.

NDRRMC executive direc-

tor Ricardo Jalad made this statement as “Nina” exited PAR 11: 40 p.m. Tuesday.

He added that the NDRRM Operations Center remains on red alert for continuous monitoring of “Nina’s” aftermath.

However, according to PAGASA, the northeast monsoon will continue to affect Northern Luzon.

Elsewhere, light to moderate winds coming from the east to northeast is expected.

Meanwhile, gale warning is raised in the seaboards of Northern Luzon. Strong to gale force winds is expected within the provinces of Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, La Union and Pan-

gasinan.

Jalad said rough to very rough sea condition is expected in these areas with a wave height of 3.4 to 4.5 meters.

“Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not venture out into the sea while larger vessels are alerted against big waves,” he added.

(PNA)

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte rallied barangay leaders of Davao City to close ranks behind his all-out war against illegal drugs and corruption, crimes and terrorism and the peace process.

“Let us make our promise a reality,” the President said before the 182 barangay captains and over a hundred kagawad or councilmen during the gift giving activity at Davao City Recreation Center on Tuesday night.

Fresh from Virac, Catanduanes to visit affected families of Typhoon Nina, President Duterte never showed exhaustion. He bantered with the village leaders; then, threw punches at the administration of outgoing United States President Barack Obama for its alleged shortsightedness and the church supposedly for hy-

pocrisy.

The President also expressed disappointment on the continued attack against him over the extrajudicial killings.

He then relayed to his A-1 supporters – the 183 barangay captains and kagawads – his life in Malacañan, the late-night working hours and the bunch of papers he reads at night for signature and the travels from one province to another to visit soldiers, inaugurate projects or for speaking engagements.

The President also detailed his campaign against corruption, illegal drugs and wish for peace in Mindanao.

“Likayi ang korupsyon (Avoid corruption) because I cannot help you. It leaves a bad taste to say,” he said, citing as example the incident involving his Lex Taliones fraternity

brothers in alleged extortion at the Bureau of Immigration, some people at the Energy Regulatory Commission, Land Transportation Office and the Land Franchising Regulatory Board.

“I promise you there will be no corruption,” he said.

“The drive against corruption will continue.”

He also spelled-out his continued all-out war against illegal drugs. With an estimated four million addicts, the President admitted the fight is never easy. “They have become slaves of people who sell drugs. “Siya (addict) na ang gumastos, siya pa ang slave (He [addict] spends yet he is the slave),” he added.

But the President vowed to continue the campaign against illegal drugs until the last day of his term. He asked

the barangay officials to try to arrest and to tell drug addicts and drug lords to surrender peacefully.

He vowed to protect each one of them including the police and military for doing their job within legal means.

The President dismissed accusations about extrajudicial killings. “Wala ta ana (We do not have that),” he said.

If they (barangay officials) are involved in drugs, “do not expect me to be nice with you.”

“I am warning you to stop, otherwise you resign,” he said.

“I won’t allow drugs to spread,” he stressed. He reiterated that there are 6,000 names in his list: almost 4,000 are police officers, 2,000 barangay captains, about 1,000 mayors, a few governors and one or two representatives in

PH respects Kuwaiti court verdict Duterte rallies village leaders to back war against illegal drugs against Filipina linked to ISIS P

T

HE Philippine government respects a sentence of a Kuwaiti court on a Filipino woman who was linked to Islamic State jihadist group or ISIS, a Palace official said on Tuesday. ”We respect the judicial processes of other nations in dealing with Filipinos abroad being prosecuted for violation of the laws of their host countries,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press statement.

According to media reports, a Kuwaiti court sentenced a Filipina to 10 years imprisonment after she was found guilty of joining the ISIS and plotting attacks. ”In the case of the Filipina

in Kuwait, what our embassy can do is to extend legal and consular assistance and make sure our kababayan gets due process and her rights are not violated,” Andanar said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is already verifying the report about the Filipina who was arrested last August.

She reportedly went to Kuwait in June as a household worker but confessed to the Kuwaiti interior ministry that she is an ISIS member.

The Filipina also confessed to the investigators that her husband was an active ISIS fighter in Libya.

She was reportedly plotting terrorist attacks in Kuwait.

(PNA)

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

NEWS 3 Lawless group attacks Basilan village, 5 injured

EDGEDAVAO

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WELCOME TREND. PRO 11 Deputy Regional Director for Administration Senior Superintendent Marcelo Morales (left) says the number of administrative cases filed against police officers who committed crimes in Davao Region is much lower compared to other regions. Morales, together

with Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Senior Superintendent John Michael Dubria (right), graced yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at The Royal Mandaya Hotel. Lean Daval Jr.

HE police on Wednesday disclosed that “rido” is most likely the motive behind the shooting of five people in a hinterland barangay of Basilan province.

Insp. Mujahid Asmawil, operations officer of Tipo-tipo municipal police station, disclosed the incident occurred around 7 a.m. Tuesday in Barangay Bohelebung, Tipo-tipo, Basilan province.

Asmawil identified the victims as the following: Kadua Ballang, seven; Tima Hassan, 47; Saudi Hassan, 40; Faizal Kallung, 30; and, Adzmar Cuevas, 35 yrs old.

The victims were rushed

Duterte presses village leaders to cast their votes for federalism

Rody to Churches: help P steer people from drugs

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte once again lambasted the Catholic Church for criticizing his campaign against illegal drugs and for portraying him as the prime suspect behind alleged extra judicial killings in the country.

Duterte, who spoke in front of the barangay officials of Davao City said that the churches must remind the public to stop using illegal drugs and submit themselves to the authorities instead.

He said that the primary role of the churches is to edu-

cate and to guide their flocks to the right path and it includes distancing themselves away from the illegal drug activities.

“There are about 4 million addicts, and they were all slaves of the illegal drugs. Religion should guide them,” he said.

He said that the recent bombing in Sto. Niṅo church in Midsayap, North Cotabato was a result of drug addiction.

Duterte said that the Police and Military and even the rebels told him that the person behind the Christmas Eve

MGen. Rafael Valencia said on Wednesday.

The military official refused to give the details of the new campaign and that a technical working group was formed earlier this year to conduct a study of Oplan

Bayanihan and to come up with assessments.

“We can say the new campaign plan is about the military’s role in nation-building and defeating the enemies of the state or threats to the se-

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AFP changes tack; Oplan Bayanihan out

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

T

HE Armed Forces of the Philippines will soon replace Oplan Bayanihan as the country’s counterinsurgency drive and will implement a new campaign plan next year to maintain peace in the countryside and to deter

national security threats.

“It [Oplan Bayanihan] will end on December 31 and the AFP will implement the new campaign plan starting January 2017; however, there will be no formal launching,” 10th Infantry Division Commander

US embassy denies plot to unseat President Duterte

T

HE United States Embassy in Manila on Wednesday denied an alleged plot by former Ambassador Philip Goldberg to help unseat Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

The U.S. Embassy said it “categorically denies the allegations and the existence of a ‘blueprint’.”

“As Secretary (John) Kerry said in his meeting with President Duterte in July, the United States respects the sovereignty of the Philippines and the democratic choices made by the Philippine people in selecting their leaders,” U.S. Embassy Press Attaché Molly Koscina said in a statement.

Their reaction is based in an article published by the Manila Times saying that for-

mer U.S. Ambassador Goldberg had left behind a “blueprint to undermine Duterte” that is meant to eventually help remove him from office. The article was written

by Dr. Dante Ang, the owner of the paper citing a reliable source.

Koscina also said that the relationship between the two countries is “broad” and its alliance is one of their “most enduring and important relationships in the Asia Pacific region.”

“It has been a cornerstone of stability for over 70 years. It is built on shared sacrifices for democracy and human rights and strong people-to-people and societal ties. We continue to focus on our broad relationship

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to a hospital in Lamitan City, Basilan for treatment.

Asmawil said the victims were in their community when heavily armed lawless group led by a certain Hamid, appeared and opened fire.

He said the suspects fled on foot towards Barangay Cambog, Al-Barka town after the incident.

He disclosed that there is a long-time family feud or “rido” between the attackers and residents of Bohelebung, Tipo-Tipo.

“Rido” is a Maranao term commonly used in Mindanao referring to clan wars. (PNA)

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte urged over a hundred village leaders in Davao City to vote for a Federal form of government when it will be presented to a plebiscite, probably three years from now.

Speaking before 182 barangay captains and over a hundred kagawads from the three districts here on Tuesday night’s gift giving at Davao City Recreation Center, the President said a Federal government is the answer to the decades-old problem in Mindanao.

“Mao ni ang gusto sa Moro.

Mao pud ni ang gusto nako ihatag sa ila (This is what the Moro wants. This is also what I want to give them),” Duterte said, adding that it would be a salvation for the Philippines when all Filipinos, whether they are Muslims or Christians, will understand one another.

His administration is targeting a year’s time when Congress can pass a law on Federal government; then, if successful, it will be submitted to a plebiscite by 2018.

“I am urging Filipinos to

go for it because it will give us peace,” he said.

Duterte further announced he will form a commission to go around the country to consult and gather information for the crafting of a Federal form of government.

Once everything is in place and there are calls for an election of officials, the President assured he is ready to step down, citing the 1987 Constitution that prohibits a president to seek reelection.

“I will give you my word today,” he said, emphasizing on the good values instilled in him by his parents.

As he leads a campaign for a Federal government, the President also brushed aside speculations he would seek another presidency.

“Do not worry. I have no ambition (to remain president) at all. I guarantee that I will step down and retire. Dili ko pareho sa inyo suspetyoso og hangol sa kwarta (I am not too suspicious and selfish for money. I was not raised that way,” he said.

In his mind, the presi-

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IN UNISON. Barangay officials laugh their hearts out while listening to President Duterte’s funny statements during their Christmas party at the Davao City Recreation Center on Tuesday night. Lean Daval Jr.

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4 ECONOMY

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

DA pressed to raise more funding for cloud seeding T

Peso on sideways, PSEi improves onTuesday

By JIMMY K. LAKING

T

HERE is no defense against climate change.

But the government should allocate more funds for cloud seeding to prevent the region’s fruit-bearing trees from succumbing to the effects of extended drought.

“We hope there would be no repeat of last year when funds for cloud seeding were a little too late,” said Atty. Antonio Partoza, Jr., president of the Mindanao Fruit Development Industry Council.

The council is comprised of 22 associations and cooperatives with memberships

all over Mindanao.

Partoza told the Wednesday Habi and Kape press forum that cloud seeding remains the only option left for government to improve the position of fruit-growers to be able to raise fruits both for the domestic and foreign markets.

Last year’s eight-month drought wiped out one-third of the region’s durian production, including mangosteen, lanzones, cacao and other fruit-bearing trees that rely on irrigation to sustain production.

Palace identifies 6 key areas where Duterte administration fared well

M

ALACANANG identified on Tuesday at least six key areas where the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has shown significant achievements in just first six months of his presidency.

According to Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella, these are in the fields of economy, employment, infrastructure, international partnerships, peace talks and war on illegal drugs.

Regarding economy, Abella said the Philippines is one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia in 2016.

“With a 7 percent GDP growth in the first three quarters, we are sure to achieve, if not surpass, our target of 6 to 7 percent growth for the whole of 2016,” he said.

Abella said household consumption, as well as investments in construction, public infrastructure and durable equipment drove the economic growth.

“This was supported by low inflation, low interest rates, better labor market conditions and the steady growth in the remittances of our overseas Filipino workers,” the Palace official said.

He said other factors that boost the economy are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps; agriculture sector which started to recover and finally breaking five consecutive quarters of decline; manufacturing; construction; utilities and, service sector.

In 2017, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is expecting the gross domestic product (GDP) to grow between 6.5 and 7.5 percent.

“To accelerate poverty reduction, the fight for the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health or the RPRH Law. This is intended to make sure that women become more productive members of the labor force,” he said.

Abella said the Philippine labor market is found to be in

better shape “as employment rate as of October 2016 is at 95.3 percent.”

“This means that there are approximately 41.7 million Filipinos employed, while unemployment rate also declined to a record low of 4.7 percent,” he said.

With the improved local infrastructure and agricultural sector, Abella said employment is expected to improve again next year.

“We also need to strengthen linkages with academe, technical education institutions, and industries to equip students with competencies essential to thrive in today’s competitive work environment,” he said.

In terms of infrastructure, the NEDA Board approved 17 projects in 2016 including Phase 1 of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project; the EDSA Bus Rapid Transit Project; the Plaridel Bypass Road Project; the New Cebu International Container Port Project; the South Line of the North-South Railway Project; and the New Nayong Pilipino and Entertainment City.

“So what are the prospects for 2017? The government is ramping up public infrastructure spending next year, allotting at least 5 percent of the GDP to go to infrastructure projects until 2022,” he said.

President Duterte also delivered remarkable job in improving international partnerships by embarking on foreign trips to Southeast Asian countries, China, Japan, and Peru.

“It was a very fruitful series of trips as the Philippines has now opened more opportunities for trade and investment to a market of 1.8 billion people across the ASEAN region,” he said.

“This is line with our desire for a closer integration in Asia through regional economic rebalancing and diversifying our foreign economic relations,” he added.

In January next year, the

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Partoza said his farm alone saw 422 fruit-bearing durian trees succumbing to the drought, adding that when cloud-seeding came, it was a little too late.

He said that to cope with the drought, he has resorted to the use of resilient rootstock to replenish his crop loss.

One fruit-bearing durian trees requires at least a drum of water for irrigation daily.

By way of unsolicited advice, he said the agriculture department should allocate extra funds for cloud-seeding

as part of the annual budget to cope with any eventuality.

He said the DA should also intervene in terms of providing fertilizer and pesticide requirements to help the industry stay afloat.

“We hope the DA can fulfill this promise it made to fruit growers during the past administration,” he said.

Partoza expressed optimism that the current DA leadership is ‘more well-grounded this time around and can make the situation more favorable to the fruit growers.”

HE Philippine peso has ended on sideways while the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) has finished in the green on Tuesday’s trading.

Peso slightly slipped by P0.04 to P49.81 to a dollar from P49.77 on Dec. 23’s trading.

The local currency opened the day stronger at P49.80 to a dollar.

It traded between P49.78 and P49.84, bringing the average level for the day at P49.81.

Volume of trade reached US$ 209.5 million at the start of the week’s trading.

On the other hand, the local bourse improved by 1.44 percent or 94.53 points with the index ending at 6,658.2

points.

All shares likewise increased by 1.20 percent or 48.10 points to 4,070.60 points.

All sectors improved on Tuesday except for Mining and Oil which went down by 0.86 percent or 102.99 points to 11,820.32 points.

This day’s gains were led

by Industrial which went up by 2.29 percent to 10,494.17 points; Holding Firms, up by 1.70 percent to 6,788.17 points; Property, up by 1.42 percent to 2,968.10 points; Financials, up by 0.49 points to 1,634.46 points; and Services, up by 0.11 percent to 1,260.48 points.

Total value of trade reached P3.28 billion on Tuesday. (PNA)

OKS NA OKS. Ukay-ukay business continues to thrive especially during Christmas season as majority of consumers prefer to buy second-hand rubber shoes and used ready-to-wear clothes due to their affordability. Lean Daval Jr.

ERC’s limiting power assailed at SC T

HE Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PCCI), Ateneo De Manila University, San Beda College (Alabang) and mall owner Riverbanks Development Corporation joined forces in filing a petition with the Supreme Court to question regulations recently issued by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

In a 126-page petition filed on Tuesday (Dec. 27) by former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and past Philippine Bar Association President Rodel Cruz of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia, the petitioners asked the High Court to immediately put a stop to the implementation of the new regulations that compel power consumers with a monthly average peak demand of 1 Megawatt (MW) to abandon their current power supply contracts and enter into new contracts with any of the 23 suppliers chosen by the ERC to

supply the contestable market.

Named respondents to the suit are DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, ERC Chair Jose Vicente Salazar and incumbent ERC Comissioners Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana. The petition came amid a controversy rocking the ERC where Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar has been dragged into an alleged rigging of bids in the procurement office of the agency.

The petitioners questioned the ERC Resolutions authored

by Salazar and other Commissioners and DOE Circular that seek to deprive electricity consumers of their basic constitutional right to freedom of choice.

According to the petitioners, the SC should stop the DOE and the ERC from implementing their resolutions imposing mandatory contestability to electricity consumers because

it limits their choice of suppliers by prohibiting distribution utilities from participating in the contestable market even if the distribution utilities can offer the lowest price to consumers.

They pointed out that the DOE and ERC violated the Constitution and the EPIRA when they issued said regulations.

This latest group has joined Meralco and other consumer groups like FPI, ECOP, SEIPI, Citizenwatch, AGHAM and other distribution utilities belonging to Pepoa, electric cooperatives belonging to Philreca, retail electricity suppliers, etc, in questioning the validity of the DOE and ERC regulations for being anti-consumer.

These business groups, consumer groups and educational leaders are all one in saying that the DOE Circular and ERC Regulations in question do not promote free competition and will lead to higher prices of electricity to ordinary consumers, and will have a negative im-

pact on economy.

Contrary to Salazar’s statements made earlier, it appears that these ERC Resolutions are not “accomplishments” of the embattled chair but a major setback for the agency.

The petitioners lamented that the new regulations abandoned a previous policy allowing distribution utilities and their retail supply units from competing for large consumers in the contestable market.

As a result, the regulations limited choices of large power consumers from the list of retail suppliers deemed qualified by the ERC. The petition also protests the deadline imposed on these big power consumers to enter into new power supply contracts no later than February 26, 2017, or be slapped with the penalty of disconnection or the payment of a hefty 10% premium on their contract price or the Wholesale Electric-

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PIPPA pushes for implementation of mandatory contestability

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HE Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (PIPPA) is pushing for the implementation of mandatory contestability, which will allow contestable customers to select their power supplier,

by February next year, amid the one-month leave of Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Jose Vicente Salazar.

“Mandatory contestability is a new and exciting phase in the electric power industry.

The industry is hopeful that the ERC is on top of its implementation,” PIPPA managing director Anne Estorco Macias said in a statement.

Contestable customers

have a consumption of one megawatt or more.

The organization explained that the one-month leave of Salazar -- to accommodate the investigation of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Commission on Audit regarding the death of ERC director Francisco Villa Jr. -- has put the “industry in uncertainty.”

Macias said the organization hopes the reforms will continue by next year, as the country needs to modernize and expand its current infrastructure.

PIPPA added it supports the initiatives and reforms of the chairman and its commissioners. (PNA)

Customs coordinating with Malaysian counterpart in seizure of 22 diamonds

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HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is coordinating with its Malaysian counterpart in connection with Monday’s seizure of 22 diamonds concealed in a balikbayan box sent from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) chief Col. Neil Anthony Estrella, they asked the help of Malaysian authorities to be able to check if there are links to other activities.

“One of the aspect we are doing as a matter of procedure, even counter drug operation we are pursuing collaborative and intel foreign counterparts. We ask data from our own government agency kelan departure, ano nature of business/work; nature of legality of stay in that country, if police or intel report linked to other activities,” he said.

With this, Estrella reported that the estimated value of the seized precious stones is over P1 million.

At the same time, the Customs official appealed to Filipinos abroad not to abuse the privilege being accorded to them by the government as far

VARIETY. Different kinds of round-shaped fruits are on display at a makeshift store along Monteverde Street in Davao City yesterday. Dabawenyos will start to flock public markets and fruit stalls today to buy round-shaped fruits believed to bring good fortune in the upcoming New Year. Lean Daval Jr.

Challenges for Mindanao fruit industry identified

as balikbayan boxes are concerned, after receiving reports that some people or groups are using it for illegal activities.

“Balikbayan box treatment dapat gamitin ng ating mga kababayan as a matter of privilege papunta sa kamaganak but we received reports it is used by scrupulous individuals or groups for contraband to enter the country,” he added.

It was the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that alerted the BOC that the diamonds are set to arrive on Monday at the Manila International Container Port (MICT).

The bureau said that precious stones were found in a resealable plastic pouch hidden in the balikbayan box from a certain Arturo Rivera and consigned to Lajane Basilio of No. 34 Luakan, Purok 1, Bataan.

The items in the balikbayan box were valued at P56,000.

The law provides that balikbayan boxes sent by Filipinos working or staying abroad amounting not over Php150,000 are exempted from duties and taxes. (PNA)

AILED as the country’s “fruit basket”, Mindanao offers a wide array of produce faced with an overwhelming demand domestically and internationally. However, due to challenges brought by several factors, the fruit industry has failed to respond to such need.

Mindanao Fruit Industry Development Council (MinFruit) President Atty. Antonio Partoza identified climate change as the topmost challenge faced by the industry in 2016. According to Partoza, the seven to eight-month dry spell has severely caused damage to one-third of his durian farm, affecting 120 of his fruit-bearing trees.

“Hindi pa kasali ang shoots (That does not include the shoots), the ones I just planted

for a few months,” stated Partoza during the Habi at Kape media forum at Abreeza Mall Davao.

He pointed out that the inability to sustain large water requirement for irrigation as the main reason for the destruction of the plants.

Partoza said it would take four to five years to fully rehabilitate the damage caused by El Niño.

The MinFruit president also raised his sentiments to the Department of Agriculture (DA)-XI OIC Regional Director Ricardo M. Oñarte who was also guesting in the forum, on cloud seeding which Partoza sees as the only remedy that could have saved the plants on the previous dry spell.

“It was too late and there was no extra fund for cloud

released Circular No. 914 rationalizing the restrictions on lending to subsidiaries and affiliates of banks to support the financing of productive sectors and projects that form part of the priority programs under the Philippine Development Plan and the Public Investment Program.

“In particular, the BSP refined its regulatory guidelines to allow companies the flexibility to engage in different PPP-related project finance activities structured as self-contained special purpose entities (SPEs). Although such SPEs may fall under the definition of an affiliate, they will be treated as independent entities subject to its own SBL if the project cash flows are properly ring-

fenced,” the central bank explained.

“The same Circular also exempts a bank’s or quasi-bank’s loans to its related parties for the purpose of project finance from the 30 percent unsecured individual ceiling during the pre-operational phase of a PPP project,” BSP added.

Likewise, the entry of new foreign banks provides additional potential funding for PPP projects.

There are also syndicated loans that may be structured by existing banks which spread the credit risk exposure arising from big-ticket projects like PPP projects.

Operational PPP projects can be refinanced through issuance of project bonds in the

domestic capital market.

Funding arrangements are also possible through multilateral and international development organizations such as World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the newly formed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Japan International Cooperation Agency which all support PPP projects.

“The decision of the MB to allow the additional SBL window to close takes into consideration the significant systemic risks from credit risk concentration if the regulatory relief is further prolonged. The MB decision is thus firmly in line with the financial stability objectives of the BSP,” the central bank said. (PNA)

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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seeding, all they have was the sole budget for agriculture,” remarked Partoza.

Despite his remarks, Partoza is confident that with the present initiatives being taken

by DA, there is still hope for the revival of Mindanao fruit trees.

Another reason Partoza identified as a detrimental factor is the failure of the fruit farmers to apply agricultural practices which could have boosted their produce.

Partoza was referring to the double or multiple rootstock technology, the growing of plants with two or more rootstocks, a method introduced to him by Dr. Bernardo O. Dizon of PAWB-Dizon Botanic Fruit and Techno-Demo Center at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, Diliman, Quezon City.

He explained that the method will be most useful to Davao Region’s fruit trees such as lanzones, longkong, durian and rambutan. However, it will be difficult to apply to the mangosteen plants due to its structure, according to Partoza.

The MinFruit president hopes that more farmers would engage in learning the method as he emphasized that Dr. Dizon offers free lectures to those who are interested to learn the technology.

Formerly part of USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program,MinFruit is now a ‘stand alone’ group consisting of 22 fruit farmers’ organizations and cooperatives across Mindanao which continues to serve as frontliners of the island region’s fruit industry.

Additional 25% SBL for PPP projects expires on Dec. 28 DepEd releases

T

HE additional 25 percent Single Borrowers’ Limit (SBL) available to banks and quasi-banks which can be tapped to finance Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects will expire on Dec. 28, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Tuesday.

This is after the Monetary Board (MB) has decided to allow the lapse for the additional 25 percent SBL, a three-year regulatory relief in 2010 for PPP projects, on Wednesday after it was extended for another three years.

According to the MB, sufficient feasible funding alternatives for PPP project proponents are already available in the market.

In June 2016, the BSP

PBB in 9 regions T

HE Department of Education (DepEd) has released the performance-based bonus in nine regions Tuesday.

DepEd, in a statement Tuesday said the regions which received the bonus at 3p.m. are: 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 11, 12, CARAGA, CAR, NCR. It ranges from P5,000-35,000 depending on the performance of the personnel.

The department meanwhile said the memorandum for special allotment release order and notice of cash allocation for regions 1, 3, 9 and 10 were already forwarded to the

regional offices of the Department of Budget and Management.

The department also urged regions 2, 7 and 8 to submit their report on ranking of bureaus, offices or delivery units for the processing of their PBB. DepEd Planning Service and Field Operations undersecretary Jesus Mateo earlier signed the memorandum ordering field offices to prepare the payroll based on ranking reports from the Department of Budget and Management.

The department earlier said the bonus was scheduled to be released in November. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

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7 COMPETITIVE EDGE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

BEST ELECTRICIANS. Elektrisyan ng Bayan Award is Davao Light’s way to encourage electricians to comply with the Davao Light’s standards. 319 accredited electricians were narrowed into top 5 Elektrisyan ng Bayan awardees for this year. In photo (from left to right) are Arnold Arsolon (Davao Light’s AVP for Customer Services Group), Rossano Luga (Davao Light’s AVP for Reputation and Enhancement Department), the top five Pablito Bato of United Electricians of

Metro Davao (UEMD), Conrado Dolor of Integrated Electrician Association of Davao (IEAD), Nicasio Oblianda of Davao Private Electricians Association (DAPREA), Alex Montilla (UEMD), Florencio Bernadas (IEAD), Mark Valencia (incoming VP for Engineering Division of Davao Light) and Ronald Chan (AVP for Davao Light’s Panabo Branch).

Davao Light rewards performing electricians L

AST December 16, Friday, Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation Inc. commemorated the excellent works of selected electricians through the 5th

Elektrisyan ng Bayan Award held at the Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City.

“The role of electricians is very important. They make sure that the electrical current flows in a safe and reliable

manner to outlets and electrical equipment,” Davao Light’s Assistant Vice-President, Rossano Luga said during the ceremony.

The ‘Best Electrician’ award for this year was

awarded to Alex F. Montilla of the United Electricians of Metro Davao (UEMD) for ensuring quality loadside works that complied with Davao Light’s standards.

Montilla went home with

the cash grand prize and electrical tools & equipment.

“I just did my job the way it should be, I followed Davao Light standards so that my work will not to be rejected,” Montilla said.

The 1st and 2nd runners up were Pablito P. Bato, Nicasio C. Oblianda, respectively while the 3rd and 4th runners were Florencio L. Bernadas and Conrado D. Dolor, respectively.

NON-PROFIT watch group on toxic chemicals has lauded the fast approaching deadline for the phase-out of lead-containing architectural, household and decorative (AHD) paints on December 31, 2016 as a “victory for children’s health.”

“We are really excited about the impending national ban on lead-added AHD paints as their removal from trade and commerce would help reduce a major source of childhood lead exposure and result in healthier kids,” said Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

“We congratulate our paint manufacturers for taking steps to reformulate their AHD paint products in compliance with the government’s Chemical Control Order (CCO) for lead and its compounds. In fact, Boysen and Davies, the country’s top two paint makers have gone ‘lead-safe’ even before the 2016 deadline,” he added.

“We thank the Philippine Association of Paint Manu-

facturers and their past and current officers for supporting the industry’s shift to more eco-friendly paints with no heavy metals and low volatile organic compounds,” he also said.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2013-24, signed by then Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje on December 23, 2013 and submitted to the Office of the National Administrative Register on January 8, 2014, lays the foundation for the country’s shift to lead-safe paints.

Section 4 of the said A.O. states that the “use of lead and lead compounds shall be strictly prohibited in paints with more than 90 parts per million (ppm) threshold limit beyond three years (20132016) for AHD applications and six years (2013-2019) for industrial applications.”

“The policy is touted as a milestone in the country’s efforts to achieve sound management of chemicals and uphold the people’s rights to health and to a healthy envi-

ronment,” Dizon said.

The country’s lead paint regulation is also recognized internationally and is among the four case studies featured in the “Toolkit for Establishing Laws to Control the Use of Lead in Paint,” along with the policies of the European Union, Uruguay and USA. The toolkit is a product of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, which includes the DENR, Pacific Paint (Boysen) Philippines, Inc., and the EcoWaste Coalition among its partners.

“The CCO for lead and lead compounds is further acknowledged as one of the achievements of the Aquino administration in the arena of priority chemicals policy,” Dizon pointed out, noting that the CCO for polychlorinated biphenyls was promulgated in 2004 during the Arroyo administration.

A CCO is a policy issuance on “priority chemicals that the DENR determined to be regulated, phased-out or banned due to the serious risks they pose to public health, workplace and the environment.”

“The Duterte administration will be remembered for enforcing the 2016 and 2019 phase-out deadlines for lead-containing paints,” Dizon said.

“We thank Secretary Gina Lopez and the entire DENR machinery, particularly the EMB, for ensuring that the phase-out targets are effectively enforced and complied with beginning January 2017,” he said.

According to the “National Report on Lead in New Enamel Household Paints” published in 2015 by the EcoWaste Coalition with IPEN (a global civil society network promoting safe chemicals policies and practices), “while lead exposure is also harmful to adults, lead exposure harms children at much lower levels, and the health effects are generally irreversible and can have a lifelong impact.”

“The younger the child, the more harmful lead can be, and children with nutritional deficiencies absorb ingested lead at an increased rate,” the report said. F GROUP, 10

three components have been formed to effectively address any concern.

He said these components comprise of the emergency preparedness and response, security and peace and order. Cirunay said the EPR will be involved in consequential management where it involves in handling major incident but its forces are embedded in the security and

peace and order groups.

“We will actively monitor the situation. The EPR with our incident management team is ready to respond to any eventuality,” he said.

Cirunay said they will rely much on the city being the host of the event. He said the Emergency Response Center Central 911, Task Force Davao, the Civil Security Unit and the Davao City Police Of-

fice will be together in providing security to our visitors.

Cirunay said they expect 500 foreign visitors by January 2017.

“We are ready for the influx of foreign diplomats. We are forming incident management teams from the national level down to the regional and local groups to assist us,” he said. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

Globe Business spearheads Group lauds looming phase-out of lead-containing paints Healthcare at the digital age A

T

HE year 2016 has been of adjustment and growth for the country’s healthcare industry. Developments such as the implementation of a universal health coverage through PhilHealth, the strengthened execution of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RP-RH) Law, the promotion of mental health education and assistance, and the government’s recent plan to distribute free medicine worth P2 billion to marginalized Filipino families show that the Philippines’ health sector is ripe for disruption especially with more focused government spending and investments on the digitization of healthcare.

For a long time, there has been a high demand for treatment and a low supply of accessible and affordable hospitals, equipment, and doctors. In fact, the ratio of rural doctors to the number of patients accommodated is 3 is to 100,000, while there are 7 city doctors for every 100,000 patients. On an average, it takes close to an hour or two for families to reach health facilities.

Public hospital patients have to deal with overcrowding, while bearing with the pains of recovery. Even with the presence of medical programs and infrastructures for public use, majority of Filipinos still shell out money for medicine and other fees, which is why many forgo consultations and opt for self-medication.

The Department of Health (DOH) acknowledges that

there is a clear disparity between the quality of service received by those who can afford medical aid and those who cannot. In its Philippine Health Agenda, DOH unveiled its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for years 2016 to 2022.

These include financial protection and lower healthcare costs, quality medical services both in private and public infrastructures, and a responsive health system.

One of DOH’s many initiatives to achieve its SDGs is an eHealth Strategic Framework, which aims to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with healthcare. This allows medical facilities to streamline information systems, make use of electronic medical records, process online submission and receipt of clinical results, automate operations and business processes, and create fast access to data and research for healthcare workers. For instance, Telemedicine—the use of ICT to connect with patients for immediate treatment—is quickly gaining popularity, especially in the Philippines where many areas are still in great need of accessible healthcare.

Globe supports the SDGs through a partnership with Salud Interactiva. The number one mobile telecommunications company is offering KonsultaMD to both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.

The service provides Filipinos with convenient and affordable access to licensed Filipino

F GLOBE, 10

OCD- XI braces for the Asean conference and Miss U pageant in January

T

HE Office of Civil Defense XI braces for the New Year revelry, Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference and the holding of the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant here in Davao City.

Leoncio Cirunay, newly-designated director of the OCD XI revealed their agency will lead the emergency preparedness and response and

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

A

No delays please

NEWS report asked: Is there a need for the Senate to immediately call for a “full blown inquiry” on the complaint filed against Senator Leila de Lima?

That question is supposed to be answered in a resolution Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is planning to draft as chair of the Senate committee on ethics tasked to deliberate on the complaint filed by three officials of the House of Representatives — Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali.

But is that even a question in the first place.

For both parties, Senator De Lima as the respondent

EDGEDAVAO

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and the complainants, the earliest the probe can get into motion works for their best interest. For Senator De Lima, her right to defend herself, and for the complainants, their right to have the respondent answer the charges.

We live by the dictum: justice delayed is justice denied.

Likewise, their had been a lot of statements thrown by both parties in the media and so what is there to wait for. We cannot resolve a case by the strength of one’s articulation and name-calling.

And so, the earliest this probe begins, the better for everyone.

Let’s get it on.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

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I

F we want to save this planet – our very home and the only one we have! – then we need to plant a tree or two.

Trees do not provide only food, shelter and medicine, they can also help stave off climate change.

A recent study showed that “half of the carbon dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels is absorbed by plants.” The research also found out that “plants play a role about equal to the oceans in balancing the so-called greenhouse effect.”

In a press statement, Dr. Pieter P. Tans of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said “an analysis of thousands of air samples shows that planting trees and other plants could have a powerful effect in combatting the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

Dr. Tans and four other scientists analyzed carbon dioxide from more than 6,000 flasks that gathered during the study from throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from points on the oceans and from Australia.

Previous studies have found that most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was absorbed by oceans. But the recent study of Dr. Tans and his colleagues “clearly shows” that there was a concentration of carbon dioxide “high enough to suggest that plants play a role equal to the ocean in absorbing the atmospheric gas.”

Most scientists agreed that high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has caused a global temperature increase because of a phenomenon known as the greenhouse

S

INCE the institution of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 1959, only three individuals who took home the Asian equivalent of the global Nobel Prize can be considered to have direct connection to Davao region. Interestingly, all three honorees had been involved in Education. These awardees—two of them working as church workers—are not popularly known but their social contributions qualified them to be part of the roster of distinguished achievers.

If the name Fr. Joaquin Vilallonga, SJ, does not sound familiar, it’s because he was one of the first Magsaysay honorees when the award was first given in 1959. Born in Burriana, Castellon, Spain on August 13, 1868, he was assigned in 1917 as Superior of the local Jesuit mission at Davao before accepting the assignment as Rector of the Diocesan Seminary at Vigan, Ilocos Sur. He was bestowed the recognition at the ripe age of 92.

Recognized as a “learned scholar of philosophy, theology and canon law, a lucid writer and notably a sympathetic priest,” Fr. Vilallonga helped administer the spiritual needs of some 2,100 lepers, 1,600 non-lepers and the 120 members of the Department of Health at the Culion Leper Colony, in Palawan. As an educator, he taught Philosophy, Physics and Mathematics at Ateneo Municipal de Manila before taking a break to defend his Philosophy and Theology theses in the US. On his return to Manila in 1904, he rejoined the Ateneo faculty and was later appointed as its Rector in 1910.

On the other hand, Rev. Harold Watson, an American Baptist minister, was honored

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Forest thoughts

VANTAGE POINTS

9

effect.

C a r b o n THINK ON THESE! dioxide in the atmosphere, as everyone know, allows sunlight to pass through to the Earth’s surface, but the gas molecules block heat Henrylito D. Tacio from being henrytacio@gmail.com radiated back into space, thus acting like glass panes in a greenhouse.

While contemplating on the said news report, I was reminded of the book, Forest Faces: Hopes and Regrets in Philippine Forestry, published in 2008 yet by the regional office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC).

“In few countries of the world has forest management and its successes and failures been played out as dramatically as in the Philippines,” wrote then FAO assistant director-general He Changchui. “The rapid deforestation that has taken place over the past decades has been embedded with a unique context – one that has included vibrant civil society involvement and keen media attention on a range of forest-related issues including natural disasters, corruption, misuse and mismanagement, indigenous peoples’ rights and conflicts over the use and distribution of national endowments.”

That seems to summarize the status of the country’s forest resources. But on second thought, as Jack Westoby penned it, “Forestry is not about trees, it is about people.”

In his introduction, ESSC’s Peter Walpole wrote: “We often speak today of what makes up our forests, with the rich biodiversity and the natural ecosystems, splendid and full of resources, that sustain countless ecological services for our economy and society. But who are the people who give us our forests today?”

Walpole also wrote: “We all have images of forests in our minds, even if we have never seen a real or natural forest. Most of us can relate to the forest or the land, or to the trees of our childhood and the memories they conjure for us. Our grandparents in the provinces may be the sources of our lifetime memory of the forest or verdant riverbanks. For many, the fresh sweet scents of the land and air and the cool sensation of shade and water dominate most recollections. Forests are an inspiration for art and music and our creative aspirations.”

Let’s take a closer look at how some of these people – as featured in the book – look at forests and their memories.

“I must say I served my happiest years visiting these forest communities, seeing things grow, seeing people working together,” said Victor O. Ramos, who served as head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from 1995 to 1998.

“If we care less for the forest, we will not live without the forest. I cannot live without the forest. Without the forest, I feel different in the city seeing big buildings. It is too hot. In the forest,

it is cool and I hear the sounds of different birds.

The changes make me reflect and mixes me up in how I think,” said Dante Sinhayan, a tribal leader in the uplands of Bukidnon.

Joey Ayala, musician and songwriter, has this to say: “We must find a space for the forestal spirit, so that the spirit nature of man will survive accordingly with nature, with capitalism, with the drive for efficiency.”

Patrick Dugan, the son of a Kankanna-ey mother and an American father, who is an agroforestry specialist, said: “Establishing forests is kinda sentimental for me. I am just stunned by the appreciation of what’s there, God’s creation.

Look, we’re a hilly country, and what grows best here? Trees!”

Datu Michael “Mike” Mastura, a noted lawyer, lecturer, peace negotiator, and author from Maguindanao, asked: “Forests are something we need to sort out. Do we have any idea of what is declared as forest area, a clear-cut classification? Are they rational, realistic?”

Elisea “Bebet” Gozun, also a former DENR Secretary, recalled: “I grew up in Manila, but originally came from Cebu City. I’m now settled here in Marikina City, but I like open spaces, climbing trees. Even if I was growing up in a largely urban setting, we used to swim in Angat when I was in high school, and that was where I saw a forest and it was beautiful. We also used to swim in Manila Bay regularly and I remember dipping our boiled bananas in the saltwater so that they’re tastier. Until one time, we saw something floating, and that was the last time I swam there.”

Ah, memories are made of these!

by the Ramon FAST BACKWARD Magsaysay Fo u n d a t i o n for his contribution in the development of the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT), a farming technique using the giant Ha- Antonio V. Figueroa waiian ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) in mitigating soil erosion, thereby promoting productivity in areas where lands are denuded as a result of swidden (kaiñgin) cultivation.

The son of farmers from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Watson, born in 1934, joined the U.S. Air Force after finishing high school. After completing military service, he pursued agricultural education at Mississippi State University before being ordained Baptist minister and went on to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth, Texas.

He also taught vocational agriculture in Eatonville, Mississippi before he accepted the appointment to serve as an agricultural Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board.

Watson, with his wife in tow, arrived in the Philippines in 1964 but a year later the couple moved to Southern Baptist College in M’lang, Cotabato. Later, where he was asked to develop and direct a church camp in Kinuskusan, Davao del Sur with the help of a benefactor who funded the purchase of an abandoned

farm left behind by its owner due to poor soil.

It was here that he experimented on new techniques to control erosion with the help of few hardy souls.

His agricultural contributions did not stop there, though. He also helped develop FAITH (Food Always in the Home) Garden, a simple but impressive farming concept: “Bamboo baskets are sunk a third of a meter in the ground and packed with house and garden waste and ipil ipil leaves. Tomatoes, squash, eggplant and other vegetables are planted around the baskets and draw their fertilizer from them. After each crop the compost in the basket is spread on the soil to enrich it and the basket is refilled. He also introduced new breeds and methods of raising ducks, rabbits, goats, pigs and pond fish; better vegetable seed; and ideas for utilizing Leucaena for feed. The center sells animals and information booklets cheaply to the poor farmers, and encourages translation, reprinting and condensing of all materials in order to distribute widely the information therein.”

On a yearly basis, over 6,000 people come from many Asian countries visit Watson’s farming center. For helping needy farmers and improving farming in impoverished communities, he was honored the 1985 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding.

Following Watson’s idea, thirty-one-yearold Randy Halasan, a teacher in Pegalongan Elementary School, Davao City, received the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership by introduction education and farming as tools in improving the quality of life in a very isolated tribal community of

Matigsalog natives where he also served as public school teacher. (Pegalongan, according to oral tradition, means ‘the place from which the light shines.’)

To reach his place of work, Halasan had to travel seven hours over treacherous terrains riding on motorbikes, walked by foot, and crossed unpredictable rivers. Though initially he was not attracted to the place due to the absence of amenities, including lack of electricity and communication, he found reasons to stay put. In the award’s citation it says: “Moved by compassion for the children who have to walk miles and cross rivers just to get to school, and who often fall asleep in class from hunger and fatigue, and driven by a sense of duty to help the impoverished and defenseless forest tribals against the encroachments of powerful outsiders, Halasan has embraced the Matigsalug community as his own. He has turned down offers for reassignment, and his family often does not see him for many weeks on end.”

Seven years after showing up in that farflung village, the then two-room schoolhouse, as of 2014, had expanded to nine with a compliment of eight educators and 210 students with Halasan as principal teacher. Moreover, he “convinced parents to keep their children in school; discouraged the customary practices of early and arranged marriages; and promoted values of self-help and egalitarianism in the community.”

In 2015, Halasan, for the honor he has brought to the Davao City, was bestowed the Datu Bago Awards, the highest recognition given by the city to its residents.

Davao’s Magsaysay awardees

10 NEWS No... FROM 1

police the trust as the organization is still in the war against illegal drugs aside from following the directive from the national headquarters.

Dubria added that the officers have to show to the community that the police are the ones responsible enough in

handling their service firearms and will only use them in legitimate police operations.

“We need the trust and confidence of the community, so we will also give the cops the trust to use their service firearms responsibly,” Dubria further said.

farmers could make use of the functional area of the five-hectare food terminal to bring and to sell their produce until such time that the facility could be fully utilized.

According to Oñarte, the city government will manage the terminal until it becomes self-sustaining in the hands of the farmers’ cooperatives.

The regional director identified the cooperatives coming from Bansalan, Kapatagan and Davao Occidental as some of the cooperatives that will benefit from the facility.

He added that he DA will serve as the middleman through a task force composed of the marketing department of DA-XI to monitor the quality of the farmers’

produce and to regulate their price.

“Wala na tayong middleman because middlemen only increase the farmers’ expenses,” said the regional director.

Oñarte also said that 10 hauling trucks worth P1.5 billion will be sold to the cooperatives to transport their produce.

According to the regional director, the Davao Food Terminal, now 30 percent to completion, is part of the 25-hectare Davao Food Exchange Complex that will be developed by the local government in the next two years with an allocated budget of P320 million, where P70 million is provided by the Department of Agriculture.

dismissed his 92 fraternity brothers who were holding government posts because of alleged corruption in their ranks.

“Let us make our promise come true. In my government, do not ever attempt to commit corruption, I will never tolerate you,” he said, He then assured the barangay officials that the money he gave to them did not come from graft and corruption.

Duterte said that the money he is using came from a politician who donated to his

election campaign, however, it was not utilized.

“A politician donated this money to me, I returned it to him since I have no intention of using it, however, he did not accept it that it why it is still with me,” he said.

“I did not declare it in my campaign expenditures since I did not use it, I told myself that I will just use it in cases like this,” he added.

Duterte said that he used some of the money to donate on the hospitals and medications of those poor people.

Congress.

The President emphasized the crucial role of the barangay officials in this campaign. According to him, Davao City was successful in bringing down drugs and drugs addicts be-

cause of cooperation.

“We were able to strike fear. The problem of the Philippines is enormous. You are the only one to solve it,” the President told the village leaders.

(PNA)

bombing was a known drug personality.

“According to the police and the military and even the communists, the bombing was a drug related incident,” he said.

Duterte said that the priests have been criticizing him for the alleged extra judicial killings in the country while the bombing occurred that injured 12 civilians.

He said that while the church continued to point fingers on him, they did not realize that more fingers are pointed at them.

“It is about time that I show you the true color of religion. Not all they say is true,” he said.

He said that the hypocrisy of the church is likened to that of the United States. Duterte however, clarified that he is only criticizing US President Barrack Obama’s administration and not the good people of America.

The United States and Catholic Church were among the critics of Duterte for the alleged extra judicial killings in the country and the campaign against illegal drugs.

ity Spot Market (WESM) price, whichever is higher.

The petitioners warned that the regulations could lead to an increase in the cost of their power requirements that could translate to an increase in the prices of goods and ser-

vices that is detrimental to the national economy.

“The new regulations issued by the DOE and ERC violate the EPIRA Law and the constitution,” said Jon Anton Daryl Chua, a counsel for the petitioners. (PNA)

Davao... FROM 1

Officials... FROM 2

Duterte... FROM 2

Rody... FROM 3

ERC... FROM 4

EDGEDAVAO

NEW GEAR. Task Force Davao commander Colonel Erwin Bernard Neri says the city government of Davao will fund new equipment for its city border checkpoints in Lasang and Toril such as x-ray machines to lessen the

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

inconvenience of the public every time they enter Davao City. Neri bared the plan during yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps media forum at The Royal Mandaya Hotel. Lean Daval Jr.

PH culture showcased at Madrid fair P

HILIPPINE culture took centerstage at the second La Navideña Feria Internacional de las Culturas at the Matadero in Madrid from December 17-23, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said.

This year’s fair featured an array of performances, workshop, and concerts from several cultural organizations in Spain. With 75 booths this year, the 2016 Feria

Internacional de las Culturas is touted to be bigger than last year’s event.

The Philippines’ booth showcased an array of Christmas decorations made of capiz shells and sinamay, hand-wovan inabel table linens from La Union, and placemats woven in Basey, Samar.

In addition to Philippine-made textiles and home accessories, Philippine food products

such as lambanog, mango, coffee, and calamansi liqueur were also on display.

Favorite Filipino dishes such as adobo, ginataang kalabasa at sitaw, pancit, Filipino-style barbecue, mango cake, turon, and bibingka were served during the fair.

The Philippines was well-represented in various activities throughout the fair. Among the activities highlighting Filipino art and

culture are the rendition by the Kudyapi Choir of Filipino Christmas songs; a story-telling session that featured José Rizal´s Ang Pagong at ang Matsing; a cooking demonstration featuring the quintissential Filipino dish, adobo; a parol-making workshop; an acoustic concert by Filipina-Spanish singer Alexandra Masangkay; and a kali-arnis tapado demonstration and workshop. (PNA)

curity,” Valencia said.

Valencia added the program would be “geared towards achieving lasting peace.”

He said the enhanced anti-insurgency program factored in the ongoing peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Oplan Bayanihan was the code name of the military-led

“internal peace and security program” launched on December 22, 2010 under the former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. The human rights groups, however, criticized it for alleged vigilante killings, abductions, tortures and mass displacements done by the military and its agents in the countryside.

dent of a Federal government should only be given few powers like authority to dissolve a Federal Parliament, provide the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

But he urged local leaders

to vote for a good and strong president. “We need a strong president,” he said.

Duterte said his thrust is always for the protection of the country’s progress for the future of the young generation.

(PNA)

doctors. With 24/7 available phone consultation, patients can receive medical assessment for general healthcare inquiries, which lessens the instance of self-medication that could lead to more severe problems.

“Our company’s core purpose is to create wonderful experiences for people. Good health contributes to a better quality of life--and we strongly believe that Filipinos deserve both,” mentioned Mike Frausing, Globe Senior Advisor for Enterprise and IT Enabled Services Group.

Aside from KonsultaMD, Globe has also partnered with ACCESS Health to give maternal and child care services. In addition to this, the company has made efforts to supply individuals with HIV awareness, counselling referrals, testing, and treatment programs with the help of the Philippines National Aids Council (PNAC).

Another is Globe Telecom’s HopeLine which is a 24/7 suicide prevention and emotional crisis line wherein customers can call 804-HOPE (4673) or dial 2919 for free.

In creating an easier and

more convenient way to contribute and lend aid, Globe also partnered with Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to allow the public to donate funds to the pediatric clinic rehabilitation through their prepaid credits or charged to their postpaid bill.

The company has also made investments in Kickstart projects, such as Lifetrack which allows accessible radiology readings through a software platform, and Medix, a cloud-based clinic management service.

The country’s healthcare industry still has room for improvement and investments are continuing to pour in, especially in the IT-BPM industry where the health sector is the biggest contributor. In fact, it is projected to gain revenue worth USD6 billion by 2021.

With the high demand for good medical facilities, the renowned quality of service from Filipino medical professionals, and technology well on its way to advancing the healthcare system, the Philippines is becoming an investment hotspot for global healthcare players.

(PNA)

with the Philippines, and will work together in the many areas of mutual interest to improve the livelihoods of

the Philippine people and uphold our shared democratic values,” she pointed out. (PNA)

Philippines will host ASEAN Summit, describing it “a perfect opportunity for the Philippine government to forge more partnerships with our neighboring countries.”

The intensified campaign against illegal drugs highlighted the achievements of President Duterte, resulting in the surrender of more than 900,000 drug personalities and arrest of over 40,000 and the seize of over PHP7 billion worth of illegal drugs.

President Duterte was surprised to know that illegal drugs

have contaminated at least 4 million Filipinos.

“Exposing the drug menace has now led the government to look at it not only as a national security but also now as a public health issue, hence, the building of rehab programs all over the nation,” Abella said.

The Duterte administration also worked hard in reaching peace with the state enemies particularly with the New People’s Army and Moro rebels belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front. (PNA)

“When a young child is exposed to lead, the harm to her or his nervous system makes it more likely that the child will have difficulties in school and engage in impulsive and violent behavior. Lead exposure in young children is also linked to increased rates of hyperactivity, inattentiveness, failure to graduate from high school, conduct disorder, juvenile delinquency, drug use and

incarceration. Lead exposure impacts on children’s continue throughout life and have a long-term impact on a child’s work performance, and – on average – are related to decreased economic success,” the report further explained, citing various studies.

The World Health Organization has stated: “there is no known safe level of exposure to lead.”

AFP... FROM 3

Globe... FROM 7

Federalism... FROM 3

US... FROM 3

Palace... FROM 4

Group... FROM 7

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

FOOD

EDGEDAVAO

Budget friendly Media Noche recipes

HAPPY 2017, ROYALISTAS!

Before we turn and say hello to a new page, let’s take a moment and thank the year that was.

2016 -- 525,600 minutes of fun, laughter, ups and downs. 365 days of learning and embracing change. True, letting go of the past is and will never be easy. But a must to savour life in all of its glory.

Here’s to a new chapter; a new page. Here’s to good life and better health than ever. Cheers to us as we take the path to a new beginning and embrace love like never before. Happy 2017 to us!

Let me share some of my fave dishes for 2016. Though inevitable in every dining table, I made these dishes mine by tweaking age-old recipes to suit my palate. Some of it I mixed and matched with other recipes. So, what’s your 2016 food story?

2016 was when the vegetables, tofu and I reunited -- for good.

Still picky, I have given them one more chance and now, I am enjoying them on a regular basis.

What’s my 2016 veg recipe? Chopsuey. Again, you can add your preferred veg and meat. You can also use flavoured balls (chicken, shrimp, crab etc.) instead of meat pieces.

Ingredients: Boneless chicken, sliced, remove skin Chicken liver, sliced Tofu squares, sliced quarterly Garlic, minced Onion, sliced Bell pepper (red and green), deseeded, and sliced Cauliflower, rinsed and sliced Broccoli, rinsed and sliced Mushrooms, drained and sliced Carrots, peeled, sliced Shrimp bouillon cube dissolved in tepid water Corn starch dissolved in water Oyster sauce Salt and pepper In a pan over low-medium heat, add oil. Sauté

“

onion until translucent.

Add garlic. Sauté until brown.

Add chicken pieces and sauté until brown.

Mix with the garlic and onion for an in-depth flavour.

Add chicken liver pieces and sauté until cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Once cooked, pour dissolved shrimp bouillon cube. Simmer until

rolling boil. Cover pan.

Build up flavour with oyster sauce. Simmer.

Once rolling, add tofu pieces. Simmer.

Add vegetables -- cauliflowers and broccoli first. Stir to incorporate.

Add carrots, bell peppers and mushroom.

Simmer until vegetables are cooked.

Add tofu piece. Simmer.

Pour dissolved corn

starch and mix well.

2016 made me embrace baking and loving every crumbs of it. This year, I learned to mix and match flavours for muffins and cupcakes, bake brownies and simple cakes. One dessert I would equate to 2016 are these yummy Butterscotch Bars.

ROYALCHEF A4

Cheers to us as we take the path to a new beginning and embrace love like never before.

Happy 2017 to us!

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

UP AND ABOUT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Tunnel of Lights at SM Lanang Premier NOW SHOWING

TO BRING JOY AND MAGIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, SM Lanang Premier has recently opened a walkable light installation at the Fountain Court Grounds.

City Tourism Operations Office Head Regina ‘Gene’ Tecson with SM Lanang Premier Assistant Mall Manager Junjie Crisante led the

December 27-30, 2016

SEKLUSYON Rhed Bustamante, Neil Ryan Sese Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

R13

12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 | 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

ANG BABAE SA SEPTIC TANK 2 Eugene Domingo, Jericho Rosales Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

PG

12:35 | 2:25 | 4:15 | 6:05 | 7:55 | 9:45 LFS

DIE BEAUTIFUL Paolo Ballesteros Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

R13

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

SAVING SALLY Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos Guaranteed Seating & One Time Viewing Only

PG

12:45 | 3:00 | 5:15 | 7:30 | 9:45 LFS

Tunnel of Lights. Photograph by Klyde Jarabelo.

launch of the ‘Tunnel of Lights,” a 38-meter (125 ft.) long structure adorned with 20,000 LED lights.

Mallgoers can walk through the said Tunnel and marvel at such a magnificent display of string lights.

The opening of the Tunnel of Lights was sponsored by Krispy Kreme branch at the 1st Level of SM Lanang Premier. Krispy

Kreme also launched its mouthwatering limited-edition Holiday Doughnuts, which will be on sale until January 8, 2017.

Experience a merry magical Christmas at SM Lanang Premier!

For event updates, visit SM Lanang Premier’s official account on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and search for #iLoveSMLanang and #MerrySMChristmas.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

Advertise with

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

Tel No. 082.221.3601/224.1413 Email: edgedavao@gmail.com marketing@edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

FOOD ROYALCHEF A1 ½ c unsalted butter, room temperature 2 c brown sugar 1 ½ c all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt (if using salted butter, omit this) ½ tsp pure vanilla extract 1 c nuts, crushed (you can use anything you want) Preheat oven at 300 degrees. Grease baking pan with flour or butter.

Sift dry ingredients.

Set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter.

Once melted, add brown sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove from heat.

Gradually add dry ingredients to melted butter and sugar mix. Fold in slowly. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold. Add nuts.

OPTIONAL: you can add chocolate or butterscotch chips for a richer flavour.

Pour mix in baking pan. Tap to remove air.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

2016 is the year of the

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

salted egg. Why? Everything is cooked and flavoured with salted egg. From seafood to chips, it is a salted egg feast. Am I complaining? Of course...not!

Here’s my go-to instant lunch dish – Salted Egg Yolk Prawns – a dish I learned to cook because of the abundance of salted egg and prawns at home.

Unsalted butter, room temperature Canola oil Garlic, minced Onion, chopped Birds eye chillies or dried chili flakes Curry powder Salted egg yolks Evaporated milk Water Prawns (or you can use Crabs), deveined, washed and drained Brown sugar Salt and Pepper to taste In a saucepan, with oil, over low-medium heat, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook. Do not burn.

Once fragrant, add chilies and curry powder. Mix to incorporate flavours and textures.

“

This year, I learned to mix and match flavours for muffins and cupcakes, bake brownies and simple cakes. One dessert I would equate to 2016 are these yummy Butterscotch Bars.

Season to taste (you can season yours at the end; I just like to build my flavours in the early stage).

Add mashed (but chunky) salted egg yolks. Mix and mash.

Pour evaporated milk, brown sugar and salt and pepper. Add water if you find the sauce too thick. Let simmer.

Add prawns. Cook until they turn pinkish/ orange. Remove from

heat. *I like serving mine with fried oats (butter, sugar and oats on top of the prawns).

Want to know my latest food finds? Follow me on Instagram @iamleebai and I’ll make you hungry in a snap. For missed features, you can read them on my blog theroyalchefeats.wordpress.com.

Happy munching, #royalistas!

EDGE DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

EDGEDAVAO

11 SUBURBIA

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Negosyo Center opens in Panabo

T

Photo shows hundreds of children who joined the Christmas Party of the employees of the provincial government of Compostela Valley held last December 21 at the provincial capitol building. (A. Dayao/ IDS ComVal)

DAR-ARMM confers 237 CLOAs to beneficiaries in Sulu T

HE agrarian reform office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) conferred Tuesday a total of 237 Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in the town of Siasi in Sulu.

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR-ARMM) Regional Secretary Amihilda Sang-

copan, said reform partners from Tulling Farm Workers Multi-Purpose Cooperative of the Tulling Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) formally received their land ownership certificates.

She said local conflicts arising from land disputes due to ambiguous boundaries of individual lots hampered cooperative activities and thus exacted a toll on the area’s pro-

ductivity in the past.

Sangcopan said her office has initiated a relocation survey by erecting monuments leading to the turnover of CLOA seen as a landmark intervention by the regional government in solving agrarian reform issues in the community.

Provided for under Republic Act 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, CLOA is intended to promote

social justice among the marginalized, specifically workers in the agricultural sector, through land tenure.

It is a legal document that serves as an evidence of ownership, subject to restrictions, and secures the tenure of the farmers to the agricultural land they till.

Among its basic restriction is that the beneficiary could

AGAWIN ko ang lahat ng makakaya para magkaroon kayo ng Cinematheque dito sa Nabunturan (I will do everything so you can have a cinematheque here in Nabunturan),” said Liza Diño-Seguerra, Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) during the NABIFILMEX 4 Stakeholders

Forum on September 22, 2014 held at Villa Amor Hotel, Poblacion, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.

Diño committed to fund the construction of Cinematheque in 2017. Hon. Chelita Amatong, Municipal Mayor of Nabunturan also pledged to allocate the vacant lot at Purok 15 near the Municipal Tourism Office as the site of the project.

The Nabunturan Cinematheque will be a 100-seater cinema house for screening classic and contemporary films, both mainstream and independent, including foreign films sourced through the FDCP’s Film Cultural Exchange Program with other countries.

It will also have multi-purpose halls on the second level to serve as venues for work-

shops, fora and symposiums on film making and other art forms.

Right after the forum, Diño, together with NABIFILMEX festival director Atty. Karen Malaki-Santiago and FDCP Davao Operations Officer Christine Cruz went straight to the site for ocular inspection.

(LGU Nabunturan, Marga Melendres)

TOTAL of 30 civil military officers (CMO) of the 10th Infantry Division took part of the 1st Davao Region Information Forum (Inforum) held at Big 8 Corporate Hotel, Tagum City recently.

Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Director Efren Elbanbuena highlighted the participation of the military as they are also delivering communication services to the grassroots level.

“Aside from the in-

formation officers of the local government units, It is also important that the CMO officers know the services of other government agencies so that they can properly deal with the residents they are serving,” Elbanbuena said.

The Regional Inforum with the theme ‘Communicating Inclusive Governance’ discussed the overview of the peace process, Ambisyon Natin 2040, Energy Conservation in the Household and Social Media.

Major Harold Ho, OICCMO of the 10th ID, said that they need seminars like to better communicate the residents in their area of responsibility and to closely partner with the local government unit information officers in their information, education and communication (IEC) activities.

During the event, CMOs were given a chance to bond with their fellow information officers from the area of responsibility through a Christmas Party. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

F DAR-ARMM, 13

Cinematheque to rise in Nabunturan

“G

CMOs join‘Inforum’inTagum A

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-XI) recently opened another Negosyo Center in the province of Davao del Norte in Panabo City.

DTI Provincial Director Romeo Castanaga told reporters that the Negosyo Center will provide business assistance services to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the city.

The support services will include assistance on business registration, business advisory, and business information, monitoring and evaluation.

DTI-XI Regional Director Maria Belenda Ambi, who also joined the opening clarified that while the Negosyo Center supports aspiring entrepreneurs, it will not provide a direct financial assistance but will only facilitate financial grants from partner

agencies and organizations that can be availed by the MSMEs. City Mayor James G. Gamao, during the opening also announced that the city government of Panabo will offer capability training and soft loans to MSMEs and cooperatives through the Microbiz Program from the Public Employment and Services Office (PESO).

“The city can finance up to P5,000.00 per business through our PESO Microbiz Program, then through the Negosyo Center, it can provide basic guidance in running a business,” Gamao said.

At present, the DTI has established twenty (20) Negosyo Centers all over Davao region. A new business center was also opened last December 27 in New Corella town, Davao del Norte. (Vikki Amorio/CIO Panabo)

Tugboat sinks off Zamboanga City

A

TUGBOAT of the Zamboanga Pilot Harbour Association sunk early Wednesday in an “allision” with a foreign cargo vessel off Zamboanga.

Lt. Cdr. Alvin Dagalea, Zamboanga coastguard station commander, said the incident took place around 8 a.m.

Wednesday in Sta. Cruz Strait, which is just 500 meter from the shore of R.T. Lim Boulevard commonly known as “Cawa-Cawa” Boulevard here.

Dagalea said the starboard quarter of M/T Labella skippered by Capt. Jose Selucia hit

DECEMBER VISIT. General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera greets members of Papua New Guinea’s Musical Team who paid a courtesy call at the City Mayor’s Office last December 21. The musical team performed a concert

the free-board of the foreign cargo vessel, M/V Gold Eagle, while conducting maneuvers.

Subsequently, Dagalea said M/T Labella sunk after the tugboat’s starboard bow hit the anchor of M/V Gold Eagle.

Dagalea said there was no casualty during the incident.

M/V Gold Eagle is set to dock at the port of Zamboanga to unload cargo at the time of the incident.

M/T Labella was fetching the navigator who would maneuver to dock M/V Gold Eagle at the local port. (PNA)

for a cause last December 20 at the MMC Hospital with its proceeds to be donated for the construction of a gymnasium at the Matutum View Academy in Munan, Tupi South Cotabato. (GENSAN CPIO/ Russell Delvo)

EDGEDAVAO

12 ENVIRONMENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Saving sharks from extinction

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“D

URING a latenight beach party on Amity Island, a young woman goes swimming in the ocean. While treading water, she is violently pulled under. The next morning, her partial remains are found on shore. The medical examiner ruling the death a shark attack leads Police Chief Martin Brody to close the beaches. Mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing it will ruin the town’s summer economy.

The coroner now concurs with the mayor’s theory that the girl was killed in a boating accident. Brody reluctantly accepts their conclusion until another fatal shark attack occurs shortly after. Amid an amateur shark-hunting frenzy, local professional shark hunter Quint offers his services for $10,000. Meanwhile, consulting oceanographer Matt Hooper examines the first victim’s remains and concludes the death was from a shark attack.”

That was how Wikipedia describes the 1975 American thriller directed by Steven Spielberg. It was based from a bestselling novel written by Peter Benchley. Now considered one of the greatest films ever made, Jaws became the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars (1977).

Since then, people from all over the world take a closer look at sharks as something sinister, something deadly and something to be annihilated. “They’re better left dead than alive,” someone commented.

It may be interesting to know that until the 16th century, sharks were known to mariners as “sea dogs.” Until now, the etymology of the word “shark” is uncertain.

One (now largely disproved) theory is that it derives from the Yucatec Maya word xok, pronounced ‘shok’. Evidence for this etymology came from the Oxford English Dictionary, which notes shark first came into use after Sir John Hawkins’ sailors exhibited one in London in 1569 and posted “sharke” to refer to the large sharks of the Caribbean Sea. However it got its name, shark is one of the most mysterious groups of creatures roaming the Earth today. Science has identified more than 465 known species of sharks swimming in various oceans

of the world. “(Sharks) range in size from the small dwarf lantern shark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep-sea species of only 17 centimeters in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 meters in length,” Wikipedia bares.

Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths of 2,000 meters or 6,600 feet. They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river shark, which can survive and be found in both seawater and freshwater.

Interestingly, sharks predate the dinosaurs by 200 million years. They are an apex predator at or near the top of their marine food chains, and they regulate the populations of species below them.

According to defenders. org, most sharks are especially active in the evening and night when they hunt. Some sharks migrate over great distances to feed and breed.

This can take them over entire ocean basins. While some shark species are solitary, others display social behavior at various levels. Hammerhead sharks, for instance, school during mating season around seamounts and islands.

Some shark species, like the great white shark, attack and surprise their prey, usually seals and sea lions, from below. Species that dwell on the ocean floor have developed the ability to bottom-feed.

Others attack schooling fish in a feeding frenzy, while large sharks like the whale and basking sharks filter feed by swimming through the ocean with their mouths open wide, filtering large quantities of plankton and krill.

In terms of speed, sharks swim (“cruise”) at an average speed of 8 kilometers per hour, but when feeding or attacking, the average shark can reach speeds upwards of 19 kilometers per hour. That’s according to Wikipedia.

The shortfin mako shark, the fastest shark and one of the fastest fish, can burst at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour. The great white

shark is also capable of speed bursts. These exceptions may be due to the warm-blooded nature of these sharks’ physiology. Sharks can travel 70 to 80 kilometers in a day.

Feared by most, sharks, however, are on the verge of extinction. “One of nature’s oldest, most successful and least visible predators is in profound trouble,” wrote Sandra Blakeslee in an article which appeared in The New York Times.

As many as 90 percent of sharks in the world’s open oceans have disappeared. Juliet Eilperin, author of Demon Fish, said that more than 73 million sharks are killed each year by fishermen who hack off their fins to sell as a coveted ingredient for soup.

The practice is called shark finning, where the shark’s fins are sliced off while the shark is still alive and throwing the rest of its body back into the ocean where it can take days to die.

A report said: “Shark fins are used as the principal ingredient of shark fin soup, an Asian ‘delicacy.’ Demand for shark fin soup has rocketed

in recent years due to the increased prosperity of China and other countries in the Far East. Shark fin soup, which can easily cost $100 a bowl, is often served at wedding celebrations so that the hosts can impress their guests with their affluence.”

The rapid decline of great sharks in the world’s oceans is disrupting the marine ecosystem by allowing more lowly fish to thrive, according to Ian Sample, science correspondent of The Guardian.

Quoting a study done by a team of marine biologists led by Ran Myers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he wrote: “Overfishing of the ancient predators has led to a sudden uprising of species they prey on, causing an abundance of skates, rays and smaller sharks, which are steadily devastating populations of shellfish, including scallops, oysters and clams.”

It is a common knowledge that when one predator disappears from an ecosystem, others that eat the same prey usually take over and keep the balance of the ecosystem in check. But in this case,

where not one, but all, of the top predators are rapidly disappearing, “you lose the resiliency and buffering capacity of one species to step in for another,” Dr. Charles Peterson of the University of North Carolina told LiveScience.

In the Philippines, a country surrounded by large bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has filed a bill in the Senate seeking to prohibit, under pain of imprisonment and fine, all trade of not only sharks but rays as well.

Senate Bill 1245 or the “Sharks and Rays Conservation Act” seeks to impose penalties of up to 12-year imprisonment, or a fine of up to P1 million, or both, to violators of the ban, including those who “inflict injury on sharks and rays.”

In a statement released to media, Zubiri said: “No effort must be spared to protect the biodiversity of our waters as well as the natural balance of our marine ecosystem, for the enjoyment and economic benefit of future generations of Filipinos.” (Photos taken from the net)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Normal baby born to woman infected with Zika: DOH chief

H

EALTH Secretary Paulyn Ubial confirmed Wednesday that a healthy and normal baby boy was born to a woman who had caught the Zika virus.

“We have one (pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika before) who had given birth before Christmas,” said Ubial when asked for an update on Zika infections in the country.

She said they will monitor the baby’s development, especially his brain development, until he is two years old as part of a study on the effects of Zika on babies born to women who were infected when they were pregnant.

The mother of the baby was the 16-year-old from Las Piñas City who contracted the virus on the third trimester of her pregnancy.

The health chief noted that while the baby was born without any abnormality, this does not mean that Zika has no effect on babies whose mothers got infected on the third trimester of their preg-

nancy.

She dispelled the idea that since the brain develops in the first and second trimester of pregnancy, Zika acquired during the late stage of pregnancy has no effect on the baby’s brain. ”Even the WHO (World Health Organization) said this is still being monitored,” she pointed out.

Ubial said her department is following the pregnancy of three other women from Quezon City, Cebu, and Biñan in Laguna. The woman from Cebu is due to give birth this January. “(They) will be under close surveillance because we all know that this is very new phenomena in our health system, so we really don’t know when the manifestations will come out,” Ubial said.

The health department has confirmed 52 Zika cases in health facilities nationwide.

The patients’ ages range from seven to 59 years. Of the total, 34 are female. (PNA)

not sell, transfer, or donate the land awarded to him over a period of 10 years after he received the certificate.

The land area covered by Tulling ARC used to be owned

by Filagro Corporation before it was covered by CARP in 1991. The farm workers then were considered as agricul-

tural laborers who do not have the rights over the land they till.

The Tulling ARC is situated in the northern part of the island municipality of Siasi.

The town is composed of five barangays namely Tulling, Siundoh, Manta, North Manta, Minapan. (PNA)

DAR-ARMM... FROM 11

NEWS13

Renewal of business permits in Davao City to start January 2 T

HE Davao City’s Business Permit and Licensing Division or Business Bureau will put up a one-stop shop for faster processing of the renewal of business permits starting January 2 next year.

Lawyer Marissa Torentera, Officer-in-Charge of the Business Bureau, said the one-stop shop will have representatives from different regulatory offices involved in the processing of

the renewal of the business permits.

The renewal will be done on the ground floor of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Building and at the Kadayawan Hall of NCCC Mall in Matina.

The one-stop shop schedule starts January 2 with extended office hours on selected dates (January 3-6, January 9-13, January 16-19) and ends January 20 from 8 am to 12 midnight at the SP building. The last

day of renewal at the NCCC Mall will close at 10 pm.

Ideally, Torentera said, the renewal of permits is completed within just a day. But the processing of the permits is expected to last until March with the renewal of around 38,000 permits.

Documentary requirements for renewal are Barangay Clearance and Income Tax Returns and other documents that will determine the correspond-

ing taxes, fees, and charges.

Additional documentary requirements as set by the Revenue Code of Davao are previous Mayor’s Permit, previous receipts of payments, notarized List of Employees, Community Tax Certificate, Fire Safety Inspection Certificate, Special Power of Attorney (SPA) for Single Proprietorship, Board/Partnership Resolution, Secretary’s Certificate for other types of organizations. CIO

Of the 70 cases, 36 were caused by the ‘piccolo’, which was also responsible for most injuries last year; eight by the improvised cannon called ‘boga’, six by the ‘whistle bomb’, three by ‘kwitis’, two by ‘luces’ and the rest by other firecrackers. One was a case of firecracker ingestion after the boy mistook the ‘luces’ for candy due to its colorful wrapper.

Of the total, 63 (91 percent) involved males, while 51 (74 percent) involved children aged 15 years and below.

The youngest victim was four

years old and the oldest was 63 years old.

The National Capital Region (NCR) still topped all other regions with 33 cases (47 percent) , while eight were recorded in Western Visayas; seven each in Ilocos and Calabarzon; six in Central Visayas; and three each in Central Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga.

In the NCR, the city of Manila was the topnotcher with 17 cases, followed by Quezon City with six; Navotas four; Marikina two; and one each from Las Piñas, Malabon, Pas-

ay and Pasig.

Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Ubial again urged parents to protect their children from the dangers of firecrackers.

“If you love your children, you will not let them hold firecrackers… You will guard them,” she said, emphasizing that lighting firecrackers can easily go awry and result in disabilities that children could suffer for the rest of their lives.

She said parents should watch over their children and instead opt to welcome the New Year with noise-making instruments. (PNA)

DOH: Firecracker injuries now 70, first case of amputation recorded

T

HE Department of Health on Tuesday reported 70 fireworks-related injuries from Dec. 21 until 6 a.m. of Dec. 27, noting the first case of amputation.

The figure is 73 percent lower compared to the fiveyear average from 2011 to 2015, and 54 percent lower compared to the same time period last year.

A 23-year-old man from Gamay, Northern Samar has lost fingers on his right hand when its first, third, fourth and fifth finger bones were injured by a ‘piccolo’.

14 SPORTS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

MICHAEL PHELPS. Top athlete of 2016.

Phelps tops Xinhua’s 10 world athletes of 2016 FOLLOWING are the world top 10 athletes in 2016 selected by Xinhua News Agency:

1

Michael Phelps (USA) 31, swimmer. At the Rio 2016, his fifth Olympics, Phelps won five golds and one silver, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals, including 23 golds in five consecutive Olympic editions. He was named the FINA Athlete of the Year and received “Aquatic Legend, the Greatest of All Time” award in 2016.

2

Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 30, sprinter. Regarded as the fastest human ever timed, Bolt won the 100m, 200m and 4X100m relay at three consecutive Olympic Games since Beijing 2008, and is the first man to hold both the 100m and 200m world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. He was crowned the IAAF World Athletes of the Year for the sixth time in

2016.

3

Andy Murray (Britain) 29, tennis player.

Murray snatched his career first ATP Tour Finals title by dethroning four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, ascending to year-end No. 1. He also became the first British man to reach world No. 1 since the introduction of rankings in 1973. Murray dominated the calendar year of 2016, winning Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics, followed by four consecutive championships in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris.

4

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 31, soccer player.

Ronaldo played a key role as team captain in lifting the trophy at Euro 2016, Portugal’s first ever triumph in a major tournament, with three goals and three assists, making him the joint second-highest goal scorer. Ronaldo struck the winning penalty in Real

Madrid’s Champions League final shoot-out victory over Atletico Madrid, finishing as top scorer in the competition for a fourth season running with 16 goals. He received his fourth Ballon d’Or in 2016.

5

Zhu Ting (China) 19, volleyball player. Zhu Ting was named Rio Olympics MVP and Best Outside Hitter by FIVB for her stellar performance in helping the Chinese women’s volleyball team win the Olympics championship for the second time in 13 years. Zhu joined Vakifbank club in Turkey in September, setting an unprecedented example for Chinese volleyball players aiming to play abroad in their career peak. Zhu is doing her part to shoot Chinese volleyball to international stardom. She follows in the footsteps of Lang Ping, the women’s volleyball MVP in the 1984 Olympics and the first person, male or female, to have won gold at the Olympics both as a player and as a coach.

6

Simone Biles (USA) 19, gymnast. Biles is the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist. She was also part of the gold medal-winning team in Rio. Biles is a three-time world all-around champion and a three-time world floor champion (in 2013-2015).

She is also a two-time world balance beam champion in (2014 and 2015). Having won a combined total of 19 Olympic and world championship medals, including 10 world championship golds, Biles is the most decorated female gymnast in the world.

7

Stephen Curry (USA) 28, basketball player. Curry, guard for the Golden State Warriors, became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote in the 2015-2016 season.

A season earlier, Curry also won the MVP title, and led the Warriors to their first

championship since 1975.

Curry averaged league-leading 30.1 points and 6.7 assists in the regular season and 25.1 points and 5.2 assists in the playoffs, carrying the Warriors to the 20152016 NBA Finals.

8

Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 27, swimmer.

Hosszu is a three-time Olympic champion and five-time long-course world champion, winning the 100m backstroke, along with the 400m and 200m individual medleys at the Rio Olympics. She is also the world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m individual medleys (long and short courses), 100m backstroke (short course) and 200m backstroke (short course).

Hosszu was crowned FINA Athlete of the Year in 2016.

9

Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia) 25, long-distance runner. Ayana smashed the

Lebron is AP Male Athlete of theYear L

EBRON James was jolted forward when the massive crowd swelled from the sidewalks and into Cleveland’s streets, surrounding the convertible that he and his family were riding in. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

James looked at his wife, Savannah, their baby daughter and two sons and feared for their safety. ‘’We were kind of afraid for a second,’’ James said.

Then relieved.

Scanning the crowd, James spotted people dangling from lamp posts and traffic lights, even a few straddling window ledges to get a glimpse of the champion Cavaliers, who were being honored with a once-in-a-generation downtown parade after their comeback in the NBA Finals. James was awe-struck, and any con-

cerns quickly melted away when he looked at the spectators’ faces and saw only smiles, laughter and tears of joy. ‘’Everybody was just rejoicing in grace and happiness,’’ James said, fondly reflecting on the picture-perfect day in June when Cleveland was transformed into a giant block party. ‘’It was more than I could have ever imagined. It was unforgettable, unbelievable.’’

And he had made it possible.

James, who ended 52 years of sports heartache by bringing Cleveland a championship and used his superstar platform to address social causes, was chosen as The Associated Press 2016 Male Athlete of the Year, an award he won previously in 2013.

Results of the vote by 59 editors from AP member newspapers and customers were an-

nounced Tuesday.

James collected 24 firstplace votes, beating out a pair of Olympic legends: Michael Phelps (16) and Usain Bolt (9), the fastest men in water and on land who are not accustomed to finishing behind anyone.

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, the NL MVP who led his team to its first World Series title since 1908, tied for fourth with Golden State star guard Stephen Curry, last year’s winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Von Miller and Andy Murray also received votes.

James joined Michael Jordan as the only NBA players to win twice. Jordan won it three straight years from 1991-94.

U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was named AP’s top female athlete on Monday.

A rabid sports fan, James was flattered to be in the same

class with Phelps, the 23-time gold medalist who added five more to his record collection at the Rio Olympics. ‘’To be that dominant in your retive

specsport, to see what he’s been able to do over the years, what he does in that water, man, it’s tremendous and very inspiring,’’ James said. ‘’When you have that type of tenure to be able to dominate, when you know that the entire competition is gearing up to beat you and only you - and you’re still able to come

away No. 1 or always be at the top of the food chain, that’s very inspiring.’’

That James received the honor in an Olympic year underscores the weight of his accomplishments.

23-year-old 10,000 meter world record held by Chinese runner Wang Junxia by nearly 14 seconds, winning gold at the Rio Olympics with a time of 29 minutes 17.45 seconds. She was named the female World Athlete of the Year at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2016.

10

Angelique Kerber 28, tennis player. Kerber defeated defending champion and thenworld No. 1 Serena Williams to win the Australia Open, her first Grand Slam title, followed by her second major in US Open. She added to this with a runner-up slot at Wimbledon. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 1 on September 12, becoming the 22nd and oldest player to reach the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

She also became the second player after China’s Li Na to pocket two major titles while aged over 28. (PNA/ Xinhua)

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR. Lebron James is the AP’s pick.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

SPORTS 15

2016 year in review: Boxing I

T was a year in which the sport took some body blows, but 2017 is showing signs of promise.

In a year characterised by venomous politics and the passing of cherished global icons, boxing in 2016 was every bit a microcosm of the wider world.

Rival promotional camps splintered the sport with there being precious few elite match-ups to reflect upon, while the loss of Muhammad Ali in June was felt deeply across the globe.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather surprisingly stayed retired, Manny Pacquiao predictably returned, and the legacy of their overripe 2015 ‘Fight of the Century’ manifested in a slump in pay-perview buys from an apathetic American audience choosing instead to gorge on a feast of MMA. Just one ‘superfight’ came to fruition, in the shape of Andre Ward’s razor-thin decision over Sergey Kovalev in the light-heavyweight division in November, while we watched welterweights Amir Khan and Kell Brook step up and get knocked out

by Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, respectively, as a blockbuster between the two middleweight stars continued to evade us. If 2016 was the year of anything, it was the year of mismatches.

Yet boxing fans aren’t without hope. The signs are increasingly positive that Canelo and Triple G will meet in September, and the first quarter of 2017 is already looking extremely healthy.

Rising star Anthony Joshua is booked to face heavyweight stalwart Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA and IBF titles at Wembley in April, while Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia will unify welterweight belts in March.

Before that, James Degale and Badou Jack will put

their 168lb crowns on the line on January 14. Two weeks later Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz will rematch after their explosive clash last July – and that brings us nicely to our first order of business.

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR 1. Carl Frampton He may have only fought twice, but those two victories came against previously undefeated world champions and saw Frampton unify a division before subsequently becoming a two-weight belt holder.

February’s success in a super-bantam- weight unification against UK nemesis Scott Quigg alone would have made it a vintage year for Frampton, but to then move up and immediately turn over Leo Santa Cruz – the best fighter in the division above – makes him the outstanding candidate for this award.

2. Vasyl Lomachenko The Ukrainian made a successful move up to super-featherweight with dominant wins over WBO champ rocky Martinez and then Nicholas Walters.

It was undoubtedly a breakthrough year for ‘HiTech’ as a much wider audience cottoned on to his mind-blowing skills – 2017 should see him become a household

name.

3. Terence Crawford Three wins from three.

Okay, Hank Lundy and John Molina were soft touches, but there was also a masterful win over Viktor Postol as Crawford unified belts at 140lbs.

BREAKOUT FIGHTER OF THE YEAR 1. Joe Smith Jr Few would have heard of the New Yorker 12 months ago, but two headline-grabbing victories have propelled him right into the mix at the top of the ultra-competitive light-heavyweight division.

Lined up as cannon fodder for top contender Andrzej Fonfara in June, Smith spectacularly turned the tables and destroyed the Pole in just one round in Chicago.

The 25-year-old followed that up by ruining Bernard Hopkins’ 64th and farewell fight by sending ‘The executioner’ clean out of the ring with a brutal combination in the eighth round in Oakland.

2. Oleksandr Usyk The Ukrainian took apart the top-ranked cruiserweight in the world, Krzysztof Glowacki, to capture the WBO title in just his 10th fight before successfully defending it on his American debut against Thabiso Mchunu.

A heavyweight title fight is on his radar.

3. Joseph Diaz The 2012 Team USA Olympian won a perfect four from four in 2016 to go 23-0

and push himself into featherweight title contention.

At 24, he has time on his side but is already ranked inside the top five by one organisation and is one to watch for 2017.

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

1. Abel Sanchez Sanchez continues to expertly guide the career of Golovkin ( but has had other notable successes in 2016.

Murat Gassiev picked up a cruiserweight title with a superb win over veteran Denis Lebedev in Moscow, while Denis Shafikov stayed in the hunt at lightweight with a gritty victory over Richard Comney.

Andy Ruiz impressed but fell just short of claiming the WBO heavyweight title as he dropped a split decision to Joseph Parker in New Zealand.

2. Manny Robles Robles has enhanced his reputation by steering Jesse Magdaleno to the WBO super bantamweight title – beating Nonito Donaire via unanimous decision –and Oscar Valdez to the WBO featherweight crown.

3. Shane McGuigan Is just 28, having hung up his gloves as a promising amateur aged just 21, but McGuigan is making a real

name for himself.

His standout work came with Frampton, while he also helped rejuvenate super middleweight George Groves.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR 1. Francisco Vargas v Orlando Salido With the boxing world reeling from the death of Ali just 24 hours earlier, the two Mexican super featherweights paid tribute in the only way they knew – a ferocious toe-to-toe war.

Both were hurt numerous times as they stood and traded big shots. They combined to throw more than 2,000 punches, with Vargas connecting on 386 (32 per cent) to 328 (34 per cent) for Salido. An astonishing 615 of the 714 shots landed were power punches and the judges couldn’t separate them on the cards.

2. Leo Santa Cruz v Carl Frampton Technical brilliance and a furious and unrelenting tempo made this a captivating watch.

Ultimately, Frampton’s precision power punching trumped Santa Cruz’s indefatigable workrate. They do it again next month.

3. Derrick Chisora v Dillian Whyte T h e t wo

British contenders produced a throwback heavyweight slugfest as the most tempestuous of build-ups – Chisora threw a table at Whyte – came to a boil in Manchester.

Whyte edged a split decision but expect a rematch in 2017.

KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR 1. Vasyl Lomachenko v Rocky Martinez You’ll see heavier onepunch KOs but this was a thing of beauty. Lomachenko landed a huge left uppercut to pop Martinez’s head back and in the blink of an eye a devastating right hand finished the job.

2. Murat Gassiev v Jordan Shimmell Fearsome Russian Gassiev (think Zangief on ‘Streetfighter 2’) could vie for this award every year.

He hit Shimmell so, so hard with a left hook in- side the first round, there was no count.

3. Saul Alvarez v Amir Khan If you disregard that Khan is a welterweight with a questionable chin then this KO is a masterpiece.

Canelo was bigger and stronger but his feints are a lesson to any boxer and here he hoodwinked Khan, naturally the quicker fighter, into eating a massive overhand right.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 9 ISSUE 222 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

BIG COMEBACK ONE ON ONE. Matthew Wright of Phoennix battles Stanley Pringle of GlobalPort.

Phoenix comes back big time in 4th quarter too beat GBP

T

HE Phoenix Fuel Masters fell into a huge hole but dug themselves out just in time as they completed a miracle comeback from 26 points down in the fourth quarter to notch a 101-99 victory over the GlobalPort Batang Pier on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Phoenix had to outscore their opponents, 40-12, to close the game, eking out a slim, two-point margin on a game-winning tip-in from Mark Borboran.

Borboran led the Fuel Masters with 23 points while Matthew Wright added 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win.

Simon Enciso added 14 markers while JC Intal chipped in with nine, including a crucial go-ahead basket late in the game.

It was Phoenix’s second straight comeback win and its fourth in seven Oppo PBA Philippine Cup games so far.

Terrence Romeo starred for the Batang Pier, finishing with 32 points and nine assists in the loss.

He kicked things off for GlobalPort as he got off to a sizzling start. He knocked down four three-pointers in the opening period, scoring 12 of his team’s first 19 points a s the Batang Pier took a 22-20 lead after the first.

Stanley Pringle then picked up the cudgels in the second period. After a scoreless outing in the first, Pringle tallied nine points to lead GlobalPort, which closed the first half on an 18-8 run thanks to three-point shooting from guys like Von Pessumal, Mick Pennisi and JR Quinahan.

The Batang Pier led, 53-42, at the halftime break with Romeo already tallying 16 points and seven assists. Borboran and Enciso each scored 11 markers to lead the Fuel Masters in the first half.

GlobalPort as a team shot 11-for-20 from beyond the arc for an impressive 55-percent clip.

The Batang Pier then blew the game wide open in the third after scoring 12 unanswered points early in the period.

Pennisi hit a three-pointer before Romeo was fouled shooting another and made all three of his attempts from the charity stripe. Romeo then drilled in his next three-point attempt while Pennisi knocked down another to give the Batang Pier a 21-point lead, 6544.

KG Canaleta gave GlobalPort its largest lead of 26 points, 87-61, after hitting another trey to open the fourth quarter.

Phoenix finally showed some signs of life, though, as Chico Lanete and Prince Caperal led them on a 10-0 run, to shrink their deficit down to 16

points.

Despite GlobalPort pushing it past the 20-point mark, Phoenix’s Borboran exploded, single-handedly score eight unanswered points for bring the Fuel Masters right back in the game.

Enciso, Wright and Intal all scored as they kept within striking distance before veteran Cyrus Baguio suddenly caught fire just when they needed him most.

Baguio knocked down a triple, 96-91, before knocking down two free throws, 9693. He shot another triple but missed it, though he tracked down the loose ball for a putback that brought his team within one point, 96-95, with 1:42 remaining.

Intal then put his team right over the top with a drive and a finish, 97-96, with 55 seconds remaining in the game.

GlobalPort missed again before Wright took care of two free throws, 99-96, with 33 seconds left on the clock.

But the Batang Pier were not down yet as Romeo came up huge, drawing another foul on a three-point attempt from the corner. He hit all three of his free throws to tie the game, 99-apiece.

Phoenix, though, made an excellent play to set up a wideopen look for Enciso. Though he missed the shot, Borboran was able to sneak in for a huge tip-in, 101-99, that sealed it in the end.