Edge Davao 9 Issue 253

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

A VIEW TO A CULTURE. Students from Gang Neung Lincoln School in South Korea perform a Korean cultural fan dance during the opening of the International Youth Fellowship world camp at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) in Davao City yesterday.

Lean Daval Jr.

UNRUFFLED Potential investors unfazed by ceasefire lifting 8 NPA fighters yield as

Army steps up assaults

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

I

T’S business as usual for the City Government of Davao as it find it hands full dealing with a surge in investments, ceasefire or no ceasefire.

“We are in the thick of action dealing with the influx of investment inquiries in Davao Region,” said Lemuel Ortonio, head of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center in a news conference on Thursday.

He said they have not received any reports on investors backing out as a result of President Duterte’s all-out war declaration against the communist rebels.

Ortonio said inquiries were pouring in mainly from Japan, China and South Korea.

“Davao remains to stand tall as long as everyone is working hand in hand with the security sector,” he said.

He cited how Davao City and its people easily recovered from the Roxas night market blast that killed 15 people and injured 66 others last Sept.

2 and that several investors were “impressed” with how the city stood up after the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, Ortonio mentioned that the investment

inquiries from foreign parties are in the areas of agribusiness, manufacturing, public-private partnership projects, infrastructure developments, tourism, recreational facilities, and Business Processing Outsourcing.

“We are helping these foreign parties with the requirements in case they are pushing through with their projects so we can convert these investment leads to actual investments,” he said.

Aside from DCIPC, he added that other agencies such as the Board of Investments and the Mindanao Development

Authority are also working to help these investors.

Ortonio pointed out that the local government is focusing in the districts of Calinan, Paquibato, Marilog, and Baguio and that they have identified areas that are allowed for development.

He explained that it is in respect to the ancestral domain located in the four districts of the city.

“We have all reminded the investors and businessmen to respect the Indigenous People in the area,” he said.

Ortonio said that the in-

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Offensives in Davao region to continue to secure communities, army says

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

A

adlopez0920@gmail.com

TOTAL of eight members of the communist New People’s Army surrendered to authorities since February 1, the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Amy said on Thursday.

In a statement, Captain Rhyan Batchar, spokesperson of 10th ID said the surrender of eight rebels was

the offshoot of the offensive operations of the army in the region after the unilateral ceasefire of the government was lifted by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“This is the immediate result of the offensives we launched. These NPAs decided to go back to the folds of the law and to live peacefully

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2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

FIRST-HAND LOOK. President Rodrigo Duterte is accompanied by Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III as he inspects one of the new equipment of the BOC which celebrated its 115th Anniversary at the Port Area in Manila on Thursday. SIMEON CELI JR./Presidential Photo

NPAs abduct 3 persons Experts eye other by-products in Bukidnon town raid

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N estimated force of 200 suspected New People’s Army guerillas have attacked a private home in Talakag, Bukidnon, abducting the owner and two government personnel, including one police officer, Thursday morning.

Aside from the above-mentioned atrocities, the NPAs also torched one backhoe, one dump truck, a mixer and a generator set belonging to the Mindanao Rock Corporation.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, 4th Infantry Division public affair officer, said the incident took place around 5 a.m.

At that time, 200 suspected rebels forcibly entered the home of one Lito Siagan Atoy, 48, married, at Barangay Tika-

laan of the above-mentioned locality.

He added that some of the rebels dragged Atoy and two government personnel, whom they chanced upon at Kilometer 28 of Barangay Tikalaan, before fleeing aboard seven motorcycles.

At this point, the rebels also destroyed the heavy equipment they stole from Mindanao Rock Corporation before heading towards the direction of Lanao Del Sur. One of the abducted government personnel was later identified as a certain PO2 Natividad of the Kalilangan Municipal Police Station.

Pursuit operations are now being conducted by the 1st Special Forces Battalion, Martinez added. (PNA)

DSWD to lead Adoption Consciousness Celebration

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HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with national government agencies and the Association of Child Caring Agencies of the Philippines, will lead this year’s Adoption Consciousness Celebration (ACC) on February 11-19.

With the theme, “Pagmamahal Palaganapin, Legal na Pag-aampon Ating Gawin!”

(Spread Unconditional Love through Legal Adoption), the celebration will promote legal adoption as a means of providing compassion and uncondi-

tional love to abandoned, neglected and surrendered children, the department said in a news release issued Thursday.

The event will also encourage families to undergo legal adoption to protect the welfare of adopted children and ensure that their rights are the same as those of biological children.

“One of the important thrusts of our department is to ensure that all children, whether adopted or legitimate, have the right to have a family that will provide them

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of cacao aside from chocolates

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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HILIPPINE Cacao Industry Development Council (PCIDC) has expressed support to initiatives that are seeking other uses of cacao plant aside from producing chocolates.

President Valente Turtur said on Wednesday’s Habi at Kape media forum at Abreeza Mall, Davao City that in their recent meeting with Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMec), an attached agency to Department of Agriculture, they discussed about the by-products of cacao aside from chocolate.

Last December, PHilMec director Dr. Dionisio G. Alvindia reported that the agency

discovered that sweat drippings from cacao produced before the fermentation process, usually thrown away by growers and processors, can be used to produce vinegar, wine, soft drinks.

The director also bared that cacao pod husks can be developed into biofuel such as fuel briquettes (charcoal), ethanol and the more expensive butanol, commonly used as aviation fuel.

Although the meeting focused more on the cacao bean quality, Turtur consider these discoveries as “good thing” because the other parts of the cacao fruit are usually considered waste but farmers can now make use of them for

other purposes.

“The question now is, mutake off ba siya sa market?” the PCIDC head asked.

Aside from PHilMec, Turtur said the council met with students of the University of Colorado three weeks ago to discuss about the potentials of cacao husks as chick booster.

“They introduced the cacao husk as alternative feeds for chicken. In a study they conducted in India and some parts of South America, they were able find out that putting 10 percent of cacao pods of course, processed into feeds, mixed with commercial fees, there’s additional 10 percent of weight on the chicken,” he

explained.

He said they will conduct an experiment on 300 chicks, divided into four groups, and feed them commercial feeds mixed varying amount of feeds from cacao husks.

“May 20 percent, 12 percent, seven percent, then after 15 days, sige timbang-timbang. By the time na 32 days (harvest time for chicken), among itimbang siya kung tinuod ba jud to,” said Turtur.

Turtur added that in case the experiment will succeed, the discovery will help not only cacao growers but also local poultry farms by becoming cost-efficient while boosting the growth of their livestock.

of North Cotabato, disclosed that the NPA has penetrated some villages of PPALMA in its recruitment activity.

The rebels are conducting small group discussions or “pulong-pulong” to indoctrinate young minds of their ideology, an initial step before joining the communist organization.

Peralta said they have received intelligence reports that the rebels continue with their recruitment activities

even during peace talks.

Both police and military are currently tasked to partner with local officials to conduct symposiums in villages to expose the anti-development acts of NPA rebels.

On Feb. 7, alleged NPA members shot to death a certain Edwin Ijara, a para-military member in Barangay Balete here.

Ijara was riding a motorbike when waylaid by armed men in a secluded portion of

the road in the village.

“It was the NPA who assassinated Ijara,” Peralta asserted.

Meantime, military and police forces are intensifying their anti-insurgency operations across the province.

Recent NPA sightings have also been reported in the towns of Arakan, President Roxas, Makilala, Magpet, Tulunan, M’lang and Kidapawan City, all in the province’s second district. (PNA)

Presence of NPAs in NorCot towns confirmed

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HE provincial police office in North Cotabato has confirmed that the communist New Peoples’ Army has been making its presence felt in the province’s PPALMA area.

The PPALMA stands for the towns of Pikit, Pigcawayan, Alamada, Midsayap and Aleosan, an agri-development cluster in the province.

Sr. Supt. Emmanuel Peralta, provincial police director

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

Committee to oversee success of 80th Araw ng Davao celebration

NEWS 3

By TIZIANA CELINE S. PIATOS

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O ensure the success of this year’s celebration and enable the City Government of Davao to effectively carry out and implement its activities for the 80th Araw ng Dabaw, an order creating an executive committee to oversee the celebration has been issued by Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte – Carpio.

This was according to City Tourism Office head Gene Rose Tecson on Thursday.

Duterte-Carpio, however, would be substituted by City Administrator Zuleika Lopez to lead the committee due to her delicate pregnancy.

Araw ng Dabaw, along with Kadayawan Festival in August and the Pasko Fiesta in December, are among major events packaged as tourist attractions by the local government.

Tecson noted that this year’s private sector co-chairperson would be Renato Gatchalian, owner of Saging Repablik and President of the Davao Tourism Association (Data), with Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte as Vice-Chairperson.

Alongside with her, the members of the committee would include City Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff Atty. Raul Nadela Jr., Asst. City Administrator for Administration Atty.

Tristan Dwight Domingo, City Accountant Vingelina Bajan

and Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre.

“The Execom was tasked to plan and ensure the smooth coordination of the programs, events and activities for this year’s celebration,” Tecson said, adding that they are also encouraging a greater participation from private sector organizations.

She added that they were tasked to “find ways” to support the effective implementation of the activities planned.

As in previous Araw ng Davao celebrations, funds for this year shall come from private sector sponsorships together with appropriations from the City Tourism Office and the City Government of Davao.

“The city government of Davao’s original budget for the 80th Araw ng Dabaw Festival was cut from last year’s P10.5 million to P10 million this year,” Tecson said.

Tecson added that Mayor Duterte-Carpio also wanted to promote the event both locally and internationally through various media outlets, to ensure optimal participation of visitors and tourists.

She said the Mutya ng Dabaw 2017 and Civic Parade will again be one of the highlights and that there is no specific theme for this year’s celebration yet.

Makabayan bloc will not yield death penalty stance

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HE Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Thursday said it will maintain its stance against the reimposition of death penalty even if it means losing key posts in the lower chamber.

The progressive bloc made the statement following Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’ announcement that House leaders who will not support the administration’s priority measure will be replaced.

In a press conference, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio, chair of the House committee on public information, said he would not compromise his principles in an attempt to retain his chairmanship.

“If it comes to that, we don’t have any problem giving up our positions. We won’t turn our backs or let go of our principles and positions against the death penalty,” Tinio said in Filipino.

Apart from Tinio, other Makabayan lawmakers holding cmmittee chair posts include Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus for the poverty alleviation committee and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate for the natural resources committee.

De Jesus stressed the need for mutual respect, noting that

Alvarez should respect the members’ stand on the controversial issue in order to dispel doubts over his leadership.

“While there is respect, I think we could still maintain the status quo that still regards their leadership, as much as they also acknowledge our independence and principles,” De Jesus said.

Alvarez disclosed that death penalty for heinous crimes will no longer be mandatory in the proposed death penalty bill. This was agreed upon by members of the 266-strong “supermajority” coalition during a caucus on Wednesday afternoon.

Alvarez also said that reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment will be added as another option of punishment.

This means it will be up to the judge to decide on what penalty to impose from life imprisonment to death sentence.

Alvarez said that the number of heinous crimes has been trimmed down, but he did not name the specific items.

Alvarez, however, noted that the crime of plunder was delisted from the death penalty bill since there is already a special law which imposes the capital punishment for such crime. (PNA)

Colombian leader urged to visit results of war on drugs in Davao M

ALACANANG on Thursday urged former Colombia President Cesar Gaviria to visit Davao City to see for himself the comprehensive solution of anti-illegal drugs in the home city of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar made this call after the ex-Colombian leader criticized President Duterte’s strong war on drugs in the Philippines.

“President Gaviria should instead go to Davao so that he will be able to see the comprehensive solution of local government, how it solved drug problems and how the rehabilitation of drug addicts worked

through counseling,” Andanar said in a radio interview.

In his opinion peace entitled “President Duterte is repeating my mistakes” that he wrote for the New York Times, the Colombian president from 1990 to 1994 said the fight against illegal drug in the Philippines cannot be won alone by police and military force.

Last Wednesday, President Duterte fired back, calling the Colombian leader ‘idiot’ for lecturing him about the war on drugs.

Andanar repeated President Duterte’s explanations that the drug situations in Colombia and the Philippines are different due to the kind of illegal drugs being trafficked in the two countries.

“I think President Cesar is misinformed because, first, he said it won’t work, I’ve tried it before. He should take into consideration that war on drugs in Colombia have different context,” Andanar explained.

“What I know is that the highest types of drug in Colombia are cocaine and marijuana.

The effect of cocaine to the users is not that serious as compared to shabu. Shabu contains water of batteries that can affect and shrink brains,” he added.

Andanar also explained that war on drugs in the Philippines is comprehensive because of the participation of the Department of Health (DOH) and cooperation of dif-

ferent religious groups and non-profit organizations.

According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippines’ drug problem has contaminated more than 3 million, prompting President Duterte to extend his successful war on drugs in Davao City throughout the country.

Due to Philippine National Police’s anti-drug war ‘Oplan Tokhang’, over one million drug users and pushers surrendered to authorities while 40,000 have been arrested and more than 2,000 killed in legitimate police operations.

The PNP also seized PHP3.7 billion worth of illegal drugs from the country’s 18 regions. (PNA)

4 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

Philippine postmen to play cupid this Valentine’s Day

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TIMELY POINTERS. Police Regional Office 11 director Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan delivers a congratulatory message to the participants and officials of the International Youth Fellowship during the opening program at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) in Davao City yesterday.

Lean Daval Jr.

OSTMEN in the Philippines will play cupid this Valentine’s Day through its “love express” delivery campaign, said the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) on Thursday, adding it is accepting flowers, chocolates and “real” greeting cards for personal delivery this Valentine’s Day. The Philpost will revive the so-called “singing kartero,” wherein people can pay 2,000 pesos (USD40) for a mailman to deliver a bouquet of roses, a greeting card and serenading the recipient with her favorite theme songs -- a romantic Filipino courtship tradition to express a man’s love and admiration even on a distance.

Philpost said postal patrons can avail themselves of the flowers and chocolates that the mailman will deliver to their loved ones.

It also announced that it is issuing a limited edition of Valentine’s Day personalized

stamps that lover’s can use to send their Valentine’s card and love letters. “With the popularity of taking selfies, one can now have their selfies printed on stamps for 17 pesos (0.34 US cents) each,” the Philpost said.

“Love is in the air-mail, sealed and to be delivered by your friendly postman,” the Philpost said.

The Philpost said its Manila Central Post Office will open its postal counters to receive flowers and other special items that people can buy to send to their loved ones from Feb. 8 until Valentine’s Day. Aside from flowers and chocolates, it said love-senders can also pick from its array of gifts like greeting cards, stuffed toys, cakes and other Valentine novelties.

A team of letter carriers called the Express Elite Force, will deliver these gift items via Domestic Express Mail Service

NDOCUMENTED overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the US will still be given government assistance, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said.

Cayetano made the clarification following criticism made by OFW groups against Pres. Duterte for saying that he would “not lift a finger” to help undocumented OFWs if they got caught or deported given new immigration policies.

He said the context of Duterte’s remark was merely to affirm the Philippine government’s non-interference in domestic affairs of the US government.

“Ayaw lang ng Pangulo na diktahan ang Amerika kung

ano ang immigration policy nito, dahil ayaw din nating diktahan tayo (The President does not want to dictate America on its immigration policy, because we don’t want to be dictated either). But it doesn’t mean the President doesn’t care,” he stressed.

The senator also assured OFWs that the administration is currently holding dialogues with its counterparts to ensure due process for them.

He also cited the recent clarification made by US State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner that Filipinos remain welcome in the United States and that the Philippines is not among the countries of concern by the Trump administration. (PNA)

State of calamity Undocumented OFWs in US will be given assistance declared in Lake Sebu U O

FFICIALS of Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato have placed the entire area under a state of calamity due to a recent massive fish kill that destroyed around P126 million worth of tilapia.

Roberto Bagong, action officer of the Lake Sebu Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Thursday the municipal council issued the calamity declaration in a session on Wednesday.

He said the move was based on a recommendation from their office and the MDRRM Council headed by Mayor Antonio Fungan.

But he said the council has

set conditions that they need to accomplish in line with the declaration, among them the immediate submission of some documentary requirements.

Three barangays — Poblacion, Takonel and Bacdulong — were earlier placed under a state of calamity due to the impact of the fish kill from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4.

The fish kill, which is considered the worst in Lake Sebu so far, destroyed around P1.4 million tonnes of tilapia from 4,944 fish cages owned by 464 operators.

Bagong said that based on their latest assessment, the estimated damage value has

Prelate urges Catholic Church to cleanse its ranks of misfits

A

RETIRED Catholic prelate said it would be good if bishops and priests will initiate in filing cases against erring members of the clergy.

Lingayen-Dagupan emeritus Archbishop Oscar Cruz, who is also the Judicial Vicar of the Dispensation Section of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) believed that filing of cases by clergy members against their peers will help cleanse their ranks.

“Each diocese, as a rule, it is automatic that they have a tribunal that can work on that. There is a tribunal that knows how to process this and that case filed against a priest or the priest himself files for it,” he said.

Cruz noted that there are two types of sanctions for members of the clergy who violated their vows, asked

for dispensation from clerical obligation or dismissal from clerical state.

“One is the priest himself who violates his obligations to celibacy, he can ask for it. that is called dispensation from clerical obligations. The other one is dismissal from clerical state,” he explained.

With this, the former CBCP president reported that there is an increase in the number of priests who filed voluntary dispensation, but he did not give an exact figure.

“Yes tumaas yung voluntary. I am talking only what I know. What is happening in different diocese, I don’t know the numbers,” he said, adding that, “Basta ang tumaas ang dispensation.”

Cruz noted that the three effects if clergy members will not follow the call to cleanse the Catholic Church namely:

F PRELATE, 11

reached over P126 million.

The average farm-gate price for tilapia in Lake Sebu is at P90 per kilo.

As next move following the calamity declaration, the official said they will convene the town’s fish cage operators and other stakeholders on Monday next week for a dialogue and consultation.

He said they will introduce to local fishing stakeholders various recommendations made by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the provincial government of South Cotabato to help address the recurrent fish kills at the lake.

These include the enforce-

ment of the 10-percent limit of the lake’s area for aquaculture development as set in Republic Act 8850 or the Philippine Fishery Code of 1998.

Around 20 percent of the 354-hectare lake is presently occupied by fish cages or way higher than its carrying capacity.

“They also recommended the setting of a regular closed season for fishing and a moratorium of two to five years for fish cage operations,” Bagong said.

On the part of the municipal government, he said they will push for the immediate cleanup of water hyacinths or

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ELATED. Task Force Davao commander Colonel Erwin Bernard Neri (left)is optimistic that all plans for the city’s border control inspection facility which will be equipped with new equipment such as narcotics detector, metal and bomb detector and x-ray machines to lessen the inconvenience of the public

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will be realized this year. Neri, who was joined by City Assessor’s Office admin officer Jerry Tizon, made the statement in yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

5 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

Consumer finance provider bullish on PH market

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OME Credit Philippines (HCPH), a Praguebased company offering in-store financing for purchasing appliances and gadgets, plans to expand its nationwide footprint and product offerings to increase its customer base to one million milestones by the end of 2017.

“In terms of development, when the company on the global level looks at our development, we are so far been the fastest growing within the group and they keep on being surprised on how quickly we grow,” said HCPH Chief Executive Officer Annica Witschard in a press briefing on Wednesday.

HCPH is now in about 2,000 partner outlets in Metro Manila and 20 Philippine provinces, with a blueprint to expand its business to other developed cities.

“Most of them (are) still in the NCR (National Capital Region). It’s really the biggest in terms of retail (and) the biggest where you’ll find the customers. But of course as we expand, we’ll also see the larger cities of Visayas and Mindanao,” said Witschard.

The firm currently has 725,000 customers mainly comprising the young peo-

ple and young families, three years after its operations were launched in the Philippines in 2013.

The consumer finance company reached the 600,000-customer mark in December 2016, a two-fold increase from 280,000 customers in July 2016.

“This is definitely a unique market, as the Philippines’ low credit card penetration rate combined with the high unbanked rate contributed to a very high demand for nonbank consumer financing. This demand was met through our continued expansion in third quarter and fourth quarter last year and increasing dominance of our zero percent interest products. And this also puts us in a great position to have another record year in 2017,” she added.

The company’s core business is non-cash, no-collateral in-store financing for purchasing home appliances and mobile devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, through monthly installments without a credit card.

HCPH is part of Home Credit B.V., an international consumer finance provider with operations in 11 countries, including the United States, India and China. (PNA)

Cabinet backs President’s move to ensure due process in mining

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EMBERS of the Cabinet have expressed their full support behind President Duterte’s decision to observe due process before implementing a directive of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to shut down or suspend 28 mining sites across the country.

The DENR’s move, announced by Secretary Gina Lopez on February 2, has triggered outrage in communities hosting mining sites, as some 195,000 direct and indirect workers and their families, or a total of some 1.2 million people, would be adversely affected by the closure and suspensions of the mine sites.

In a statement issued in Malacanang, Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the “President and his Cabinet collectively decided to observe due process with regard to the mining issue.”

Abella said due process would entail giving the affected mining firms the opportunity to “respond or dispute” the mining audit done by the DENR, which up to now has not been made public by Lopez.

The mining firms subject to the closure orders for alleged violations of environmental laws and regulations will also be given the opportunity to “make the necessary remedies to ensure compliance with government standards,” Abella added.

Abella also said the “the

Department of Finance (DOF) shall have further discussions with the DENR in their capacities as concerned government agencies of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC).”

The secretaries of the DENR and DOF co-chair the MICC. Malacanang has swiftly moved to calm fears of massive layoffs in communities affected by Lopez’s sudden moveto close down or suspend mining operations in 10 provinces across the country, after several Cabinet officials expressed concern over the detrimental impactof her decision, which she had apparently kept to herself and even excluded members of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) team that conducted the audit, as well as the panel that reviewed the audit findings.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, for instance, said her department will conduct a survey to determine the extent of joblessness that would result from Lopez’s move.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, meanwhile, has also expressed concern over the plight of the tens of thousands of workers who would lose their jobs as well as the fiscal health of cities and municipalities hosting mine sites, which are heavily dependent on the taxes and fees paid by mining firms for their revenues. (PR)

FAIR DEAL. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio says she already sent a letter to the officials of Mega Harbour telling them that she wants better terms in favor of the city regarding the proposed P40 billion port and coastal development project. Lean Daval Jr.

Sokor experts to share techniques with Davao food processors--DTI

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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EPARTMENT of Trade and Industry Region XI Director Ma. Belenda Q. Ambi disclosed on Wednesday that the agency will be inviting around 10 South Korean experts in the food processing industry to come to Davao City to relay their knowledge and technologies to local small and micro enterprises (SMEs).

During the Habi at Kape media forum at Abreeza Mall, Davao City, Ambi said these experts will be coming this May ahead of their participation to International Food Expo in Manila.

According to the regional director, in their recent meeting with South Korean

Fair Trade Commission, they learned that these nationals are known for their expertise on food processing.

“What we’re planning is to bring in big food processors to visit Davao and then evaluate the food processing capacity natin and then partner not only in terms of trading but in terms of technology,” said Ambi.

She stressed the importance of technology development when it comes to enhancing the quality of processed food. She added that the South Koreans will also provide assistance on packaging and product name.

“They (South Koreans) will be coming to teach them

(SMEs) about technology development and product development as well as food preparation because what is important is the product should conform with the requirements of the buying country,” said the regional director.

At present, Davao Region is exporting Calamansi juice to South Korea citing Alma Uy of Tagum Golden Foods as one of the exporters in the region.

Ambi said DTI will be campaigning to encourage those who want to expand their food processing business because it will also serve as a preparation for the region’s participation in the biggest food expo in South Korea on November.

“We hope to bring our food processors there to expose them to a wider market,” said Ambi.

DTI is looking at generating as many as possible food processors but only those whose business is already registered at Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“FDA (registration) is a requirement for processed food to be able to be exported commercially,” said Ambi.

The regional director hopes to invite 30 or more local SMEs. She added these processors may vary from fruit, meat, and hot chili processors since South Korea posts a huge demand of these products.

graduates. However, we need to carefully study our options for helping people achieve their aspirations for higher education, considering other needs,” he added.

“The proposed free-tuition policy will benefit largely the non-poor students who predominate in SUCs. In 2014, only 12 percent of the students attending SUCs belong to the bottom 20 percent of the family income classification based on the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey,” the economic managers said.

Tuition does not comprise the biggest share of college education cost. Based on the grant structure of the government’s Student Grants-In-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA) cited in the joint position, tuition constitutes merely one-third (P20,000) of the annual cost of P60,000 per student covered by the grant. The bigger chunk of college education cost is for living expenses (at P35,000 for 10 months) and instructional

materials (P5,000). Accordingly, with the government’s provision of free tuition to all SUC students, poor families would still be unable to pay for the remaining two-thirds balance of college education cost, thereby still preventing them from sending their children to college.

Established in 2014 through Republic Act No. 10687, the UniFAST is designed to unify and harmonize all modalities of publicly-funded Student Financial Assistance Programs such as scholarships, grants-in-aid and student loans for tertiary education. The law provides full financing to deserving students, which generally favors the poor.

The economic managers pointed out possible adverse implications of an across-theboard free tuition policy, including the exodus of students towards SUCs from private Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), which would eventually affect the overall quality of graduates given that a number

of private HEIs perform better than SUCs. “Also, the budgetary support for free tuition will be difficult to sustain,” the Cabinet officials said in their joint position.

They explained that if the college tuition funding requirement is to be based on the national average tuition fee of SUCs under the SGP-PA – which is at P20,000 per annum – the estimated 1.4 million students currently enrolled in SUCs would require about P28 billion of budgetary support from the government to cover the students’ total tuition fees.

Thus, the economic managers stressed UniFAST’s other advantages over the acrossthe-board free tuition proposal.

These include a clear delineation among its three modes of financial assistance in terms of objectives and target beneficiaries, applicability in both SUCs and private HEIs, a test-based eligibility requirement, and its adherence to the acceptable standards of the Commission on Higher Education. (PNA)

Alternative to‘across-the-board’free tuition proposal pushed

I

N a joint position paper, the economic managers of the Philippine government recommended fully funding the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) as a better alternative to the proposed legislations on free tuition for all undergraduate students in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

According to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez, and Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, UniFAST provides a more coherent and comprehensive framework to address the educational needs of the students and is better designed to ensure a more efficient and effective use of government funds.

“We recognize that college education is important for Filipinos, based on the results of the focus group discussions and survey on AmBisyon Natin 2040,” Pernia said. “Many employers also prefer college

6 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

Fitch Ratings affirms credit stability of 8 PH banks

F

ITCH Ratings on Wednesday affirmed the ratings of eight Philippine-based banks, including two government financial institutions, as it continues to see strong state backing and improvement of the the private banks’ asset quality and profitability.

In separate statements, the debt rater affirmed the ‘BB+’ rating with positive outlook on the long-term issuer default ratings (IDRs) of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

These ratings, it said, “reflect Fitch’s expectation of extraordinary sovereign support for both banks in times of need.” ”Fitch believes that the sovereign would have a strong propensity to provide extraordinary support to DBP and LBP, if needed, given their full government ownership and policy mandate,” it said.

It explained that “probability of state support is assessed to be moderate overall, taking into account the sovereign’s financial strength.” ”DBP and LBP do not benefit from blanket government guarantees on their liabilities, have received capital support from the state only infrequently on an ad hoc basis and are required to remit dividends to the national government to support the sovereign coffers.

These characteristics indicate the two banks’ self-sufficient operations, stemming from their largely commercial approach to lending, in our view,” it said.

The private banks whose ratings were also affirmed are Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) ‘BBB-’; Syled Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO), ‘BBB-’; Ty-led Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank), ‘BBB-’; Henry Sy’s China Banking Corporation (ChinaBank), ‘BB+’; Tanled Philippine National Bank (PNB), ‘BB+’; and Yuchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), ‘BB+’.

Outlook on all these ratings is Stable.

Fitch said ratings on BPI, BDO and Metrobank “reflect their strong domestic franchises, diverse revenue streams and adequate risk-management frameworks, which help to underpin their steady asset quality, above-average profitability and healthy balance sheet buffers.”

“BPI’s ratings also give credit for its historically prudent risk appetite, and superior profitability, and funding and liquidity metrics,” it said.

For the other three, Fitch said these “have generally shown a greater appetite for growth in recent years as they seek to gain scale and share.” ”But Fitch expects that they will display broadly stable asset quality and profitability backed by acceptable risk controls as they grow.”

Fitch expects the banks to benefit from the positive outlook the credit rater have for the Philippine economy for the next two years due to resiliency of domestic consumption and strong investment growth.

(PNA)

Wider client base to help boost MSMEs’GDP share

T

HE small share of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) can be improved not only by ensuring they have access to capital but also wider audience.

This was stressed by proponents of the electronic commerce (e-commerce) consortium, Ureka Forum, which will have its biggest event on Feb. 25 in SM Megatrade Halls 1 to 3.

The consortium is composed of Union Bank, PLDT SME Nation, Air21, SHOPINAS, DragonPay, AMTI, GeiserMaclang Marketing and Communications Inc., PanahonTV, and Esquire Financing Inc. To date, MSMEs’s share on domestic output is only about 36 percent even as the sector employs about two-third of the country’s labor force and account for 97 percent of all registered businesses.

UnionBank Executive Vice President Genaro Lapez, in an interview, said Ureka, which have so far helped around 700 MSMEs put up their online businesses, said they wanted Philippine-based MSMEs to increase their share on GDP to

around 50 to 60 percent just like in other countries.

He explained that for this to happen the sector has to have a solid base, thus, the bench marking with counterparts in the region.

He said the online platform, through a fast internet connection, was a big help to MSMEs because it increased their chances of attracting clients.

He said Philippine-based MSMEs were already ahead of their counterparts from other countries given the number of overseas Filipinos, which is now at least 10 million, that are prospective clients. ”In short, they are already positioned. But we need to provide two things infrastructure like Ureka and change in mindset,” he said.

Ureka proponents said MSME players needed to realize the opportunity they would have if they maintain an online presence.

Lapez said some MSME players were adamant to put up their online shop for worries on cost and lack of knowhow, which , he said, was what the consortium addressed.

(PNA)

UPBEAT. City Tourism Office head Gene Rose Tecson says the city government of Davao is eyeing a P10 million budget for the celebration of the 80th Araw ng Davao next month. Tecson, together with Davao City

Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) chief Lemuel Ortonio, also provided the details of the celebration’s highlights during yesterday’s I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

Business groups urge Congress to pass CTRP, other measures F

IFTEEN foreign and local business organizations have appealed to Malacanang and the Congress to give top priority to the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) and 11 other legislative proposals that aim to improve the country’s investment climate, create more jobs, sustain the growth momentum and clear the way to economic inclusion.

In a letter to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, these organizations belonging to the Philippine Business Groups – Joint Foreign Chambers (PBG-JFC) said they believe the CTRP and the other economic reform measures they have recommended for swift approval by the legislature are all “in line with the 10-point socioeconomic agenda of the Duterte administration.”

Alongside the CTRP, the 15 business groups also urged Malacanang to include, among others, the lifting of the constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership limits and amendments to the Bank Secrecy Law in its priority agenda for discussion in the next meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

These PBG-JFC member-organizations also called for the swift approval of the following proposed legislation now pending in the Congress: reforms in the Apprenticeship Program implemented by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer law, the Freedom of Information bill, amendments to the Corporation Code, reforms in the telecommunications sector,

the Water Sector Reform Act, amendments to the Public Service Act, emergency powers to address the traffic and transportation crisis and amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act. “All constitute reforms that will improve the business and economic climate of the Philippines and result in more investments, jobs, and inclusive growth,” read the letter, a copy of which was furnished Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. The 15 representatives of the business chambers and associations who signed the letter were: Ernesto Ordonez, chair of the Alyansa Agrikultura; Bruce Winton, president of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Tom Grealy, president of the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the

Philippines, Inc.; Nestor Tan, president of the Bankers Association of the Philippines; Julian Payne, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. ; Guenter Taus, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Benedicta Du Baladad, president of the Financial Executives of the Philippines; Calixto Chikiamco, president of the Foundation for Economic Freedom; Ike Amigo, president and CEO of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines; Yoshio Amano, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Ho-Ik Lee, president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.; Edgar Chua, chairman of the Makati Business Club; Marife Zamora,

help build “economically and environmentally sustainable property developments.”

“We cannot overstate the importance of growing our land to support our nation’s development. Being an archipelago, we actually have less land between mountainside and shoreline for cultivation and habitation than it might seem.

As our population continues to grow, pressure on the land assets will continue to rise,” said Dominguez.

“We have hundreds of thousands of Filipinos residing in hazardous areas. These are areas along steep slopes, riverbanks and shorelines vulnerable to flood surges and landslides. We urgently need new and safer areas to be developed for habitation,” he added.

Said Dominguez: “At present the PRA has identified 96 reclamation projects in various

stages of the evaluation and approvals process. In addition, the agency has identified 487 unauthorized projects for which government is seeking reimbursement or forfeiture of the land.”

“About 20 reclamation projects are ready to commence in the near future.

These projects will potentially produce hundreds of billions of pesos worth of public assets and help modernize some of our most vital ports,” he said.

In addition, he said, “consistent with overall policy, the PRA is now open for unsolicited proposals. This will allow private sector proponents to bring in their own ideas and partner with the government to build economically and environmentally sustainable property developments.”

Dominguez said new land is needed to supplement the

available space for new roads and ports. “This will have an impact on the congestion of our cities and the growing lack of space for schools and residential buildings. Reclamation will provide for these,” he said.

He said the PRA, which has the power and authority to dispose idle public lands and enter into contracts, will play a key role in expanding the land area that the country needs to fill these ever-growing requirements.

Dominguez pointed out that the PRA, is no longer confined to the Manila Bay area as it was during most of the past 40 years as its responsibilities now covers various projects in nearly all our major port cities.

“With the correct leadership and an imaginative blueprint, the PRA holds the potential for enlarging the amount

F BUSINESS, 11

PRA tags 487 unauthorized reclamation projects

T

HE Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has identified 96 reclamation ventures in varying stages of evaluation or approval along with 487 unauthorized projects that the government plans to either seek reimbursement from or take back the lands through forfeiture proceedings.

Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the PRA, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the agency has already given the go-signal to 20 of the 96 projects, which could potentially generate hundreds of billions of pesos worth of public assets and help modernize some of the country’s most vital ports.

The PRA, he said, is also open to unsolicited proposals to enable the private sector proponents to partner with the government and share their innovations and technologies to

F PRA, 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

7 SUBURBIA

Overwhelming services for the poor G

OVERNOR Nelson Dayanghirang overwhelms at least three thousand villagers in this town with practically all kinds of government services as he brought along with him personnel from all government agencies to render much-needed services for the highly-impoverished farming communities in the province.

The latest recipient of the governor’s flagship program, Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan, is the farming village of Don Mariano Marcos.“What an overwhelming services from the government. This is the first time our village was overwhelmed with so much services from the government. Every one of us here is so happy. We are just poor farmers, and the government makes us feel special with these overwhelming services,” says 71-year-old farmer Mariano Jose.

Pooling resources of various agencies and offices, the fourth outreach caravan held on February 7, 2017 has benefitted at least 3,000 residents in Barangay Don Mariano Marcos in Lupon town. Marianita Iwican, 30, a resident of Sitio San Jose, said she was “extremely happy” with the conduct of the outreach caravan as this was the first time that it happened in their village. “It saved us time and money as we don’t have to travel to the city just to avail of these free services,” says Iwican who had her son undergo a medical checkup and availed

READY FOR SUMMER. Drone photo shows the recently completed Road upgrading (gravel to concrete) of the Tibanban-Lavigan Road. The P78.1M, 1.86-KM road project was completed in September 2016. The road is a vital access route to the famed Cape San Agustin (Parola), one of the most sought after tourist destinations of Davao Oriental. (DPWH XI RPAIO)

1k Army, MILF, MNLF forces to unclog Maguindanao River of water hyacinth

S

OME 1,000 men from the military and two Moro rebel fronts that the government is maintaining peace overtures would jointly manually undertake Thursday the task to unclog the Dansalan River from the massive eight-hectare carpet of water hyacinths and “kangkong” (river spinach) that have blocked the flow of current underneath the Sajid Piang Bridge here.

The flooding problem has caused the Dansalan River, a tributary of Mindanao’s largest river, Rio Grande de Mindanao, to overflow due to extreme cold weather condition the past several weeks that inundated this town’s 14 of 16 villages.

Datu Piang is one of the low-lying municipalities situated in the second district of Maguindanao.

A meeting held Wednesday at the office of Mayor Genuine Kamaong here, attended by various concerned agencies, resulted to the strategizing of a plan for a “food for work” scheme and shift loads to free the bridge

from the water floating invasive plants.

Present during the meeting were representatives from the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM- HEART) and Office of Civil Defense – ARMM, among others.

“The plan is to come up with a swift action of personnel working on shifts to immediately clear the bridge from the water hyacinth and river spinach,” James Mlok, head engineer for the Department of Public Works and Highways in Maguindanao’s 2nd district, said.

The workforce would require 200 men working on shifts daily to sluice small parts of the six-meter deep blanket of water plants downstream with the use of chainsaws and Army airboats for pulling purposes. (PNA)

free medicines, school supplies, and food packs. Villagers say the sight of hundreds of government personnel arriving to their hinterland village to deliver different kinds of free services is “heart-warming” that “brings us closer to the government”, noting that their village, being a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area, has long been vulnerable to a long-running Communist insurgency.

Twenty-two national government agencies and provincial government offices have participated in the latest

conduct of outreach caravan, bringing with them various services ranging from free medical checkups and dental services, distribution of food packs and school supplies, legal consultations, provision of seedlings, and conduct of lectures on various government programs, disaster preparedness and climate change, among many others.

Various subprojects were also turned over to the barangay, including a Double-Barrel Box Culvert from the Department of Social Welfare and Development under its Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Program- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Service. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has turned over a small water impounding system providing villagers sufficient access to water.

In support to agriculture, the Department of Agriculture turned over to farmer ben-

eficiaries some 1,000 coffee seedlings, 1,000 cacao seedlings, 100 packs of vegetable seeds, 20 kilos of peanut seeds, and 10 kilos mongo seeds. The Provincial Agriculture Office through the DA also turned over some 20,000 cacao seedlings, 100 bags of corn seeds, and 200 packs of vegetable seeds. The Philippine Coconut Authority turned over 60 bags of salt fertilizers.

Since December 2016, the outreach caravan has already benefitted at least 11,000 residents, including those in the village of Don Mariano Marcos.

The Philippine Army, who serves as one of the main partners in the implementation of the Outreach Caravan, says their forces will continue to serve as a bridge to communicate the people’s needs to the government.

Newly installed Brigade Commander of the 701st Brigade of the Philippine Army, Col. Reuben Basiao, said the

caravan manifests the genuine desire of the government to promote peace in the communities.

Basiao said, however, that peace is a ‘two-way effort’ as it needs complementation of efforts between the government and the people. “For us to attain a sustainable peace and security, the Philippine Army urge the people to cooperate with the authorities, not only with the military but also the police,” he said. He urged the people not to fear the military as they are true to their mandate of protecting the people and backing up the government in addressing social issues at the community.

Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, who initiated the program, has asked for the residents’ support to the government’s effort towards peace.

“Our presence here gives a clear message on our intention to reach out and touch

one voices that will be held at the New City Hall on March 2.

She said that the participants of the 3,000 and one voice will came from different sectors of the society.

“That does not necessarily mean that it will limit us to only 3,000 participants, but it can go to more than 3,000 and one participants,” she said.

City Information Officer Edwin Lasquite also disclosed that 1,000 employees of the city government will join in the presentation as participants.

Casiano also bared that presentation will be have Arwin Q. Tan as conductor, who is a 3-time “Ani ng Dangal” awardee of the National Commission for Culture and Arts

and currently ranked no. 8 in the world by Interkultur and Musica Mundi of Germany.

Other skills and talent competitions and presentations for the 5 in 1 celebration will be Tunog Tagum Battle of the Bands on February 2022, DJ Mixing Competition on February 23-25, Tunog Tagum Songwriting/Battle of the Bands on February 27, Chorale Competition on March 1, Barangay Musikahan on March 1 and 3, Kasikas sa Tagum: DBLC on March 3, Rondal-Awit: Plucked Strings Competition on March 4, Avenida Musika: Brass Band Parade Competition on March 5, Kantahan sa Tagum on March 5, Drumline, Color Guards and Majorette

Competitions on March 6 and Avenida Musika: Symphonic Serenata on March 6.

Meanwhile, the Tagumenyo Bisa’g-Asa: Balik Lantaw and Community Outreach activity will be on March 4 in Barangay Busaon.

On March 7, the 19th Araw ng Tagum will kick off with a parade traversing its major thoroughfares at 5:00 AM. On the same day also, Mayor Allan Rellon will deliver the State of City Address at 2:00 PM at the New City Hall Atrium.

Casiano said that the celebration will end a fireworks display and rave party at the New City Hall Arena at 7:00PM. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

F OVERWHELMING, 11

Tagum holds 5 in 1 celebration T

HE city government of Tagum is now holding a 5 in 1 Tagum-Tagumpay celebration.

These include Musikahan Festival, Tagumenyo Bisa’g-Asa, 19th Araw ng Tagum City, Mayor Allan Rellon’s State of the City Address and 1st City Hall Anniversary.

During the BizTalk at Big 8, City Tourism and Investment Promotion Officer Vicerjean Casiano said that celebration has already started with the Musical Outreach Presentations of the Musikahan Festival last January 15 that will last until February 25.

Casiano stressed that among the highlights of the celebration is the 3,000 and

PTA DONATION. Officials of the Parents, Teachers Association (PTA) of A. Buscano Elementary School received a check worth P20,000 from City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, City Councilor Edmar Yumang and City Councilor VanVan Congson last Monday, February 6. Mayor Rivera is known for dividing

and donating his monthly salary to three different schools in the city – an advocacy he started when he was still city councilor in 2010. (Russel Delvo Gensan-CPIO)

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

EDITORIAL

The right thing to do

P

RESIDENT Duterte did the right thing when he opted to observe due process before implementing a directive of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to shut down or suspend 28 mining sites across the country.

The President’s order was fully supported by the Cabinet as a move to cushion the backlash from the controversial closure and suspension orders by Environment and Natural Resources Gina Lopez against supposedly erring mining companies.

This came despite the insistence of Secretary Lopez that due process was heeded in the industry-wide audit on mining operations in the country.

Lopez based her decision on the results of a months-long

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audit by the DENR in which more than half of the large-scale mining operations failed.

The suspension of mining operations by the affected firms will affect 195,000 direct and indirect workers and their families, or a total of some 1.2 million people. The closure will result to mass layoffs in mining operations in 10 provinces.

The expression of support by the Cabinet stemmed from the overwhelming concern over the detrimental impact of the DENR order.

It is a welcome development that a thorough review of the mining audit will be conducted in the interest of due process.

This gives the mining firms the chance to defend themselves as they awake to the government’s serious campaign towards sustainable mining.

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EDGEDAVAO

W

ITH the disclosure that President Rodrigo Duterte is interested in reviving the now dissolved Philippine Constabulary (PC) in his fight against illegal drugs, curiosity in the defunct institution, which was established during the American period as replacement of the Spanish guardia civil, has surged to a new high.

Actually, it was the Philippine Commission that first broached the idea to create the PC to hunt down the anti-colonial Filipino revolutionarios. When this mission was accomplished, the agency was retained, this time as a government arm imbued with the task to run after criminals, especially rustlers and brigands, and local insurgents.

In The Philippine Islands, Fred W. Atkinson, the first general superintendent of Education, described the PC as an entity that took over the military responsibility from the US Army Volunteers in “maintaining peace in all the provinces that have been organized under civil rule.”

Historically, the PC, first led by West Point alumnus Captain Henry T. Allen of the 6th US Cavalry, was founded on Aug. 18, 1901 by the authority of the second Philippine Commission under Act No. 175. It was supervised by the American civil governor-general of the Philippines.

In organizing, managing, and training the evolving civilian police agency, Captain Allen enlisted the support of four other army officers, all with the rank of captains, namely David Baker, W. Goldsborough, H. Atkinson, and J.S. Garwood. Two Filipinos were commissioned as third lieutenants in the corps during its first

“I

AM scrapping the peace talks with the communists,” President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared on the death anniversary of her mother, Soledad Duterte, whose tomb he visited at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Davao City.

In his Facebook account, Secretary Jesus Dureza of the Office of the Presidential Adviser of the Peace Process, wrote: “If there is anyone who passionately dreams of -- and works on -- bringing about sustainable peace in the land, it is President Duterte. His judgement calls are directed towards this goal.

“At the moment, he has clearly spoken on the directions we all in government should take.

Let’s take guidance from these recent declarations.

“As I always say, the road to just and lasting peace is not easy to traverse. There are humps and bumps, and curves and detours along the way. What is important is that we all stay the course.”

A few days earlier, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Rector was quoted as saying by Philippine Daily Inquirer: “It is never too late to give peace another chance. In search for a settlement, one must never tire of negotiation-fatigue.”

Representative Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna concurred. “As peace advocates, we continue our call for the continuation of the peace process for the greater interests of our people’s quest to have a just and lasting peace in our country,” he pointed out.

Why is peace so elusive? “Peace is not the product of terror or fear,” pointed out Oscar Romero, a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador.

“Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generos-

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

9

PC: An American legacy month. They FAST BACKWARD were Jose Velasquez of Nueva Ecija and Felix Llorente of Manila.

John Morgan Gates, in Schoolbooks and Krags: The United States Army in the P h i l i p p i n e s , Antonio V. Figueroa 1898-1902, explained the role of the PC in the American pacification campaign: “The constabulary, separate from both the army and the municipal police, consisted of units of no more than 150 men in each province. Enlisted members were drawn from the provinces in which the units were formed, but officers or inspectors were drawn chiefly, but not exclusively, from the ranks of the American army…

“The commission had sought the development of such a force since 1900, and it had been both impressed with the effectiveness of the army’s Filipino scouts and the limited ability of municipal police forces to deal with problems of lawlessness outside of their immediate village surroundings. The advantages of Filipino troops, with their ability to distinguish between members of the native population, their knowledge of Filipino languages and customs, their familiarity with local terrain features, and their

access to intelligence data had already been demonstrated. From its beginning the Philippine Constabulary was a success…

“The [PC] was particularly adept at dealing with the problem of brigandage that had plagued the Philippines for centuries. Although poorly armed with shotguns and .45 caliber revolvers because of the fear that members of the force might desert to the revolutionaries with their weapons, the constabulary tracked and brought to bay numerous bands of ladrones.

As a police force its effectiveness was unquestioned. It also contributed to the more pressing problem of ending the guerrilla war and achieving a state of complete pacification in the islands.”

By November 1901 the PC has nearly 1,000 enlisted men, and by the end of the year, it had 160 commissioned officers. A month later, the agency had almost 3,000 uniformed men carrying the mission to keep peace and assist the army in pacifying troubled areas.

On Jan. 30, 1903, Howard Taft, the country’s civil governor, signed a law that further institutionalized the PC. The Act, passed by the Congress of the United States, sought “to promote the efficiency of the Philippine Constabulary, to establish the rank and pay of its commanding officers, and for other purposes.”

Central to the new Act was the detail of officers from the US Army in the PC as chief and assistant chiefs, but their number was limited to four. The chiefs assumed the rank, pay, and allowance of a brigadier-general, while the assistants got the amenities afforded to a colonel.

The law also mandated that companies of Phil-

ippine Scouts tapped to help maintain peace and order were placed only under the command of the PC chief or his assistant chiefs.

When the National Defense Act was passed in 1935, the PC became the central command of the Philippine Army, causing its deactivation and transforming it into a subsidiary agency of the AFP known as Constabulary Division. As a result, the insular police duties the PC was handling was turned over to another unit created by Commonwealth Act No. 88 on Oct. 26, 1936.

When US President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a state of emergency in the US mainland and all it overseas possessions, the PC was placed under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and became part of the national defense of the islands with three infantry regiments created under it. In the postwar era, it was merged with the national police during martial law but was later subsume under the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Jan. 29, 1991.

Acknowledged as the first service command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the PC was known worldwide for its band, formed

by Col. Walter Loving on Oct. 15, 1902 at the behest of the governor-general. The 86-piece pre-war Philippine Constabulary Band toured the United States, lead the inaugural parade of Taft’s 1909 presidential investiture, performed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and invited to the 1915 World’s Fair.

During the Martial Law era (1972-1981), the PC and its soulmate, the Integrated National Police (INP), were labeled as “messengers of death.”

ity. It is right and it THINK ON THESE! is duty.”

Peace is rare.

Someone once said that less than eight percent (8%) of the time since the beginning of recorded time has the world been entirely at peace. In a total of 3,530 years, 286 Henrylito D. Tacio have been warless. henrytacio@gmail.com Eight thousand treaties have been broken in this time. “Peace, peace; where there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14).

American president Ulysses S. Grant wrote in 1868: “Let us have peace.” In 1955, Seymour Miller and Jill Jackson urged: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” Even before that, when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the angels chorused: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”

But until now, peace is elusive as ever. Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa commented: “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Dwight David Eisenhower pointed out: “We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.”

Someone once said that without war, there is no peace. John Andrew Holmes, in Wisdom in Small Doses, penned: “Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war.” Filipino national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, wrote in “Hymn to Labor,” “For our country in war, for our country in peace, the Filipino will be ready, while he lives and when he dies.”

It reminds me of a story I read a few years back. It goes this way:

“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coalmouse asked a wild dove. “Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.

“In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal-mouse said. “I sat on the branch of a fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow – not heavily, not in a raging blizzard – no, just like in a dream, without a wound and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the 3,741,953rd dropped onto the branch, nothing more than nothing, as you say – the branch broke off.”

After saying those words, the coal-mouse flew away.

The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on the matter, thought about the story for some moment, and finally said to herself, “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come to the world.”

Even Martin Luther King, Jr. himself longed for peace. “One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal,” he said. “We must pursue peaceful ends throughpeaceful means.”

British singer John Lennon, when he was still alive, also thought of world peace. “Imagine there’s no heaven,” he sang. “It’s easy if you try, no hell below us, above us only sky. Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine there are no countries. It isn’t hard to do: Nothing to kill or die for, no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”

“Do you know what astonished me most in the world?” asked French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. “(It’s) the inability of force to create anything. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the spirit. Soldiers usually win battles and generals get the credit for them. You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.”

War, indeed, is not the answer. “I have seen war,” said American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “I have seen war on land and sea.

I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war.”

It is only when the war is over that peace can totally be felt. In Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: “Buried was the bloody hatchet; buried was the dreadful war club; buried were all warlike weapons; and the war cry was forgotten. There was peace among the nations.”

Is peace really impossible to attain?

“If you want to make peace,” said Moshe Dayan, “you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.” Martin Luther King, Jr. also said, “One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.”

The peace we are longing for will really happen – not now but in the near future. The time for peace will come when, as the Holy Bible states so, “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spares into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

Imagine!

In search for peace

EDGEDAVAO

10 AGRI TRENDS Raising goats for milk and profit VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“T

HE sole truly universal food for the entire human species.” That is how Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), described breast milk.

“Mother’s milk is a living substance of great biological complexity that not only provides unique protection against disease, but also stimulates the baby’s own immune system,” the WHO points out.

For thousands of years, in all continents, babies have been breastfed for simple reason: mother’s milk is natural. “It comes ready-prepared, pure, warm, does not require mixing or sterilization and above all it is free. It is a living substance,” says one physician.

“Breast milk is a living substance that is impossible to duplicate or replicate in industry,” stressed Dr. Nicholas Alipui, then country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund to the Philippines. “No technology is capable of replicating or duplicating mother’s milk. That’s a fact.”

As the best source of nutrition for babies, breast milk has been proven many times over that breast milk has components that help protect the child against infection and disease.

Dr. Nakajima said breast milk, until recently, has served as “a vital link for nutrition and survival across the entire span of human existence, nurturing the newborn, the infant, and the young child during the most vulnerable years, all the while providing a powerful source of protection from infectious disease.”

Breast milk, the United Nations health agency explains, is more than a simple collection of nutrients. It contains all the essential nutrients like protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and sugars, in exact proportion. It meets the needs of the growing infant at every stage.

While it is true the breast’s milk can never be duplicated or replicated, a lot of mother these days give their children milk that comes from livestock, particularly cows, carabaos and goats.

Cheaper to raise Of the three aforementioned animals, the goat is the least expensive to raise because it is not as big as the two other animals.

“One cattle, for instance, needs at least one hectare to raise it,” says Roy C. Alimoane, the director of the Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC).

In comparison, a farmer can raise a dozen of goats in just half a hectare. “If a goat is bitten by a snake, there are still 11 left. But when a cow is bitten by a snake, a farmer losses everything,” Alimoane explains.

In addition, goat milk is less likely to cause allergy in humans, especially in infants, than cow or carabao milk. In fact, a comparison of three milks (human, cow and goat) made by the US National Academy of Sciences showed goat milk is comparable to that of human milk.

Although a goat is small, she can produce as much as four liters of milk every day if she is

purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional requirements. Also, about 10 native goats can be fed on the feedstuffs sufficient for one cow.

“As a milk producer, the goat is inevitably more efficient where the available fodder is of such low quality that a cow can barely live,” wrote David MacKenzie in his book, Goat Husbandry.

Goats are considered the first hoofed animals ever tamed.

In the Biblical town of Jericho, people kept tame goats as long as 6,000 or 7,000 years before Christ. The ancient Greeks and Romans paid great attention to the rearing of goats. Anyone at all familiar with classical authors will remember how frequently these animals are mentioned, especially in pastoral poems.

According to Alimoane, a lot of Filipinos these days are now raising goats. “We have been raising goats since the early 1970s and we have observed that the demand for the animal has been growing,” he says.

MBRLC is a non-government organization based in barangay Kinuskusan of Bansalan, Davao del Sur. It has been touted as the province’s goat center. “We cannot cope up with the demands of our clienteles,” he admits. “There are people coming all the way from Manila, Cebu and other neighboring provinces just to buy breeding stock from us.”

Augment milk production Alimoane believes that by raising goats, farmers can help augment milk production in the country. The Philippine dairy industry – although considered a vital component of the country’s economic and nutritional development – has remained badly underdeveloped. Although the Philippine Dairy Corporation is making some headway, the government is still far behind its target of 20% national sufficiency in milk.

The Philippines still depends on imports for its dairy food requirements. Last year, from January to September, the country imported 2.07 million metric tons in liquid milk equivalent, up by 50.39% from 2015’s import of 1.38 million metric tons, according to the National Dairy Authority (NDA).

“At present, dairy production in the Philippines is heavily dependent on imports. There is a need for the industry to accelerate and increase the local production to lessen our dependency from import,” Marilyn Mabale, NDA’s Mindanao department manager.

Indeed, there is a bright future for Filipino farmers who will be engaged in milk production. “With an average per capita consumption of 20 kilograms of dairy products and milk every year, a country with an estimated population of 110-million two years from now would be a virtual gold mine for dairy and milk producers,” said Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol of the Department of Agriculture.

Not only that. “If only more and more farmers will raise goats

in their farms, t h e health status of our children will improve,” Alimoane points out. “Not only that, our importation of milk and other dairy products will further decrease.”

Successful raising of dairy goats starts with the right breed.

Highly recommended is the Anglo-Nubian goats. Its average weight is about 65 kilograms.

Some are born with horns while others are hornless. It has long drooping ears, distinct Roman nose and prominent forehead.

Some strains are predominantly black, others brown, and the coat is long.

“Nubian goats produce an average of two liters of milk daily,” Alimoane says. The butterfat content of there is about 5.6 percent. This breed is found to have a satisfactory performance in the Philippines.

If you cannot secure purebred stock, you can start with the best female goats available in your area. Mate them with purebred or upgraded stock. Then, select only their offspring and discard the undesirable ones (you can either sell them or butcher them for meat). Continue this procedure each year, and you will have desirable goat stocks.

Raising goats There are several ways of raising goats. But for dairy goats, the MBRLC recommends zero grazing. In this system, the goats are not allowed to graze in the field. Instead, the pasture is planted to recommended varieties of grasses and legumes which are cut by the strips and carried to the goats in the animal house.

The goats are completely confined in their assigned pens. This system is used mainly for milk production but is becoming popular in meat production as well.

Dairy goats need a simple house for protection. It can be constructed using local materials available in your area. Bamboo slats, ipil-ipil poles, and coconut leaves make fine flooring, siding and roofing, respectively. Nipa or cogon grass can also be utilized for roofing.

Provide at least 15to 20-square per adult goat. Raised the floor of the goat house about 4 feet off the ground to facilitate easy cleaning and manure collecting.

Just remember, a goat does not like rain and damp places.

Dairy goats should be fed nutritious feeds on a year-round basis. The question is how? Na-

tive grasses decline fast, have low volume per hectare, are inadequate for high stocking rates, and do not respond well to fertilization.

Obviously, the solution is to plant new, improved, and more efficient grass and legume species, which are palatable to goats.

Among the recommended legumes are Flemingia macrophylla, Desmodium rensonii, Indigofera anil, andGliricidia sepium. A 50-50 combination of both provides three advantages: improves milk production and chevon quality, fertilizes the soil, and helps prevent soil erosion.

As it has been raising goats since the early 1970s, MBRLC has already come up with a sustainable farming scheme for the uplands where goats are integrated. “The reason for coming with the system is because about 60% of our total land area in the country has slopes of 18 degrees or more, which are categorized as uplands,” Alimoane says.

According to Alimoane, most upland residents belong to the “poorest of the poor.” In addition, their diets are found to be inadequate, both in quality and quantity. Based on studies conducted in Palawan, second and third degree of malnutrition ranging from 41% to 47% is prevalent among the upland population.

Simple Agro-Livestock Technology The farming system is called Simple Agro-Livestock Technology (SALT 2). Actually, it is a modification of the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT), which earned for its former director, Harold R. Watson, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding in 1985.

Under the SALT 2 scheme, 40 percent of the farm’s land is devoted to agricultural crops (like citrus, black pepper, beans, and corn), 40 percent to livestock (particularly goats), and 20 percent to forestry (mostly fruit trees and various nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs).

“Our model farm is only one-half hectare,” says Alimoane.

Instead of raising cattle, which requires a land area of one hectare per animal, MBRLC recommends goats. “Although a goat is small, she can produce as much as four liters of milk every day if she is purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional require-

ments,” he adds.

In SALT 2, 12 does and one buck are raised. The buck is separated from the does so that when it is time to milk the does, the milk won’t “catch” the “goaty smell” of the buck. During breeding, a doe is brought to the cottage of the buck. The manure is utilized as fertilizer for the forage and the crops.

In doing the SALT 2 system, contour lines are located using an A-frame made of three wooden or bamboo poles. One long pole is planted on the ground and the other is move up and down until carpenter’s level on the cross pole shows that the positions of the two long poles are even.

This process is repeated at five-meter intervals and the positions of the poles are marked with stakes until one contour line is marked out along the entire field.

Additional contour lines are laid out four to five meters apart until the whole farm is covered.

The next step is to establish the hedgerows along the contour lines. The located contours are cultivated thoroughly, forming raised beds that are each one-meter wide. Two furrows are made on each bed 50 centimeters apart.

Nitrogen-fixing trees or shrubs are planted in dense row along each furrow. Examples of good hedgerows species are Flemingia macrophylla, Desmodium rensonii, Leucaena leucocephala, L. diversifolia, Gliricidia sepium, and Calliandra calothrysus.

These are also planted along the upper boundaries of the farm.

Fruit trees such as lanzones (Lansium domesticum), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), durian (Durio zibenthinus) or guava (Psidium guajava) may be planted along the side boundaries.

Food the cash crops are planted on the upper half of the farm so that the soil loosened by cultivation is caught on the lower half, which is devoted to permanent fodder crops.

To minimize soil disturbance, 75% of the cropping area is planted to long-term crops (e.g., coffee, cacao, black paper with Gliricidia sepium as trellis) and the remaining 25 percent to short-term species (corn, legumes, melon, etc).

When the hedgerows start shading out the crops, these should be cut to a height of 50 to 100 centimeters. Missing hedge plants should be replanted and

the whole area weeded regularly.

Non-permanent crops should be rotated and the plants sprayed with chemicals only if necessary.

The recommended forages for the lower half of the farm are high-yielding, fast-coppicing high protein species that are palatable to goats. A suggested mix is 50 percent Desmodium rensonii, 25 percent Flemingia macrophylla, 20 percent Gliricidia sepium, and five percent grasses such as Napier (Pennisetum purpureum).

The fodder plants should be well established for six to eight months before the farmer introduces goats in the area.

The goat shed should be built in the middle of the farm between the crop area and the forage to the goats and manure to the fields.

There should be two square meters of floor space per animal.

For convenient removal of manure, it is recommended that the floorboards be nailed about one centimeter apart and raised one meter above the ground. If possible, a separate shed should be built for the buck, or a single shed should be partitioned to separate the buck from the does.

The goats are fed forage and concentrates morning and afternoon at regular times. A good concentrate mixture consists of 36% corn grain or rice middling, 21% copra meal, 18% first-class rice bran, one percent salt, and one percent limestone.

A good forage mixture is 50% Desmodium rensonii, 25% Flemingia macrophylla, and 20% Gliricidia sepium, and five percent grasses. The recommended forage is given daily at the rate of at least 10% of the goat’s body weight. The goats are also supplied with salt and plenty of water daily.

The goat manure is utilized as fertilizer for the forages and agricultural crops (which are planted at the upper portion of the farm).

Studies have shown that goat manure contains 1.5 percent of nitrogen, 1.2 percent of potassium, and 0.5 percent of phosphorus.

There is money in goat’s milk.

At the MBRLC, fresh milk is sold at P27 (330 milligrams), 32 (500 milligrams), and 60 (one liter).

When mixed with chocolate and little sugar, the cost is P32, P40, and P70, respectively. “With fresh goat’s milk, you can be sure that the milk your child is taking is free from harmful chemicals,” Alimoane declares.

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

ARTS AND CULTURE

CONCRETE EXISTENCE

from the abstract I’M BACK IN THE YEAR 1995 (approximately), inside one of Victoria Plaza Mall’s open spaces, sitting with a box of my new oil pastels and a drawing pad in front of me. We are tasked to copy the different wooden shapes in front of us—triangles, rectangles, a cone and a circle; and make them look like three-dimensional by using shading techniques. I feel a bit anxious and I have already broken in half two of my new pastels—the red and the yellow (my favorites).

This was my first childhood memory of having some kind of formal training in art — Victor Secuya’s summer workshop. I was roughly seven years old, one of the first times that I had no idea what I was doing but I was captivated by the results— who knew that shading would have profound effects on a simple line drawing? Also, annoyed how oil pastel colors adhered to my hand so stubbornly that I rubbed it on my paper until my fingers burned and my paper looked so untidy.

If you were born and raised in Davao City, there is a chance that we share this same memory, implanted in us by one of the pioneer and most familiar artists in our city.

Now having a few years passed, I am getting to know my childhood artist and I get to re-live gaining some art tips by Mr. Vic Secuya. “I took up philosophy and had a career being a professor in college.

Before that, I was actually planning to enter the seminary since it was the “fashionable” thing to do during our time—to be a priest.

I can say that I was pretty lucky that I had a very le-

“ nient father, that I was permitted to explore my wants and was free to travel to and from Manila. It was during my days there that I got to meet and tag along a few of our famous Filipino

and/or national artists. All I can say is, if you are really an artist by heart, you will always be directed and redirected to that path one

THEKATCLOSET A3

As an avid fan of abstract art, I enjoy the sheer vibrancy and spontaneity of Vic’s works.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

EVENT

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

A ROYAL CHINESE NEW YEAR

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THE ROYAL MANDAYA HOTEL burst into excitement with drumbeats and traditional lion dances to usher in the Chinese Lunar Year 2017.

It has been a tradition at TRMH to celebrate the Lunar New Year as it is the most important of all traditional Chinese holidays.

Also known as Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, it marks the first day of the New Year in the Lunar calendar.

At this year’s CNY celebration, guests of TRMH were treated to the old Chinese tradition of bringing in the luck to kick off the year.

A Chinese dance presentation set the mood for the CNY night while guests scribble their good

wishes and paste them up on the fortune wall.

The Parade of Waiters brought in the special CNY banquet at the Kamayo Café where diners were also treated to special fortune cookies inside of which are good wishes and special giveaways for lucky guests.

The celebration would not be complete without the Lion Dance which was performed by the Kim Ling Kungfu Lion Dragon Dance Troupe.

Diners at the Kamayo Café also enjoyed 20 percent discount on the CNY dinner.

No less than TRMH

General Manager Benjie Banzon and his staff were on hand to personally welcome guests and joined the revelry.

It was another fortunefilled year past and with heaps of hope, another one coming as the Rooster crows for the good ones in 2017.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

ARTS AND CULTURE THEKATCLOSET A1

way or another—like your insides are literally reaching out to create,” he shares.

As an avid fan of abstract art, I enjoy the sheer vibrancy and spontaneity of Vic’s works. He mentioned that in every canvas in an art series he makes, there is learning and re-learning that happens—painting being a continuous experimental form of capturing beauty. “I used to be pressured in sticking to or finding my own artistic style,

but not anymore, since I was inspired by a quotation I read by a fellow artist—he explained that as an artist you should not box yourself up, because as a human being, you grow and your creations should grow with you. Truthfully, as artists, we first and foremost create for ourselves and our market is just secondary,” Sir Vic states.

Looking around his studio and property, I literally see the transformations of his artworks as he jour-

EDGEDAVAO

neys from one decade to another—from the feathery finishes of oil paintings of plants and still life that were popular during the 90s, to the textured palette knife manipulations and contemporary abstract works with clean-cut treatments that are embraced today. “I think what I want my legacy to be as an artist is to have been able to support and create what once was an artistically desolate city to one of the top art hubs of our nation. And

to be able to hear and realize that I have made a creative influence in your life and others like you, well that alone gives me some sort of pride”, the artist proclaims. A well-distinguished painter, sculptor, and writer of self-published poetry books and manuscripts, Mr. Victor Secuya has developed a serene environment ideal for spiritual healing and relaxation called the “Hebron Art and Healing Sanctuary”, with locations in Ma-a and Ma-

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS11

UNRUFFLED... FROM 1

vestor interest in Mindanao has given investors a strong signal to invest in the region due to President Duterte’s pronouncement of amending the 60-40 constitutional prohibition on foreign ownership of businesses has boosted the interest of foreign investors.

He pointed out that a

number of establishments might apply for accreditation with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority between 2015-2030.

However he reiterated that it is not an assurance yet whether some investors might push through as these are still investment inquiries.

the protection, care and love that they need. Hence, we are advocating for the strengthening of the legal process of adoption to ensure that the rights of adopted children are protected and that they are justly recognized in our society,” Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

For the event’s official launch, adoptive families from DSWD-accredited child placement agencies and the department’s offices in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon region (Cavite, Laguna, Batan-

gas, Rizal and Quezon provinces) will join the “Walk for Legal Adoption” parade to be held at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on February 11.

This will be followed by a press conference with legal adoption experts, advocates, and adoptive families who will discuss the significance of legal adoption in safeguarding the interests of adopted children.

The DSWD will also open Adoption Help Desks with partner government agencies and selected malls. (PNA)

people/laity will be scandalized, other members of the clergy become disoriented, and seminarians are deformed.

Asked if there are more cases filed against priests during the administration of Duterte, he said, “There is no difference before or during Duterte.”

At the same time, the retired Catholic prelate said that there is a good side on the attack of the President against the Catholic Church.

“It is a golden age for the

church for this times to do self cleansing. I think this is a very positive issue when the President attacks the clergy with two wives etc etc. Of course it is painful. But if it is painful, what can you do?!

The bishops should be now more attentive. You just don’t keep your eyes closed to these matters. If you do, they will be more,” he added.

As the judicial vicar of the CBCP’s Dispensation Section, Cruz is handling dismissal cases filed against priests.

(PNA)

DSWD... FROM 2

Prelate... FROM 4

EXTRA JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late DELFIN G. OMAM who died on June 26, 2014 in Davao City has been the subject of anEXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT executed among her heirs, per Doc. No.178; PageNo.36; Book No. 134; Series of 2017, of the NOTARY PUBLIC FATIMA IRENE T. ADIN. 2/10,17,24

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given that ZION ACCUPRINT PUBLISHING, INC. JOB ORDER with series number of 3500 - 3549 issued to Mary Jane E. Caro, got lost.

Any transaction entered into by any person using this missing document shall be null and void.

01/27,02/03,10

UNRUFFLED. A mother and her young daughter brave the rains as they experienced heavy downpour on their way home from school yesterday morning.

Lean Daval Jr.

8 NPA... FROM 1

with their respective families and communities,” Batchar said in a phone interview Thursday.

For security reasons, the real identities of the rebels who recently surrendered are being withheld, as Batchar only identified them through aliases.

He said that alias Joni, Mike, Tenen, Ranil, Jimboy and Francis surrendered to the troopers of 67th Infantry Battalion in Davao Oriental while Robert and Rustom yielded to the 73rd Infantry Battalion in Davao Occidental.

“Joni surrendered on February 1 after the encounter in Sitio Paliwason, Brgy Lambog, Manay, Davao Oriental last February 1, while Mike, Tenen, Ranil and Jimboy on February 7 as a result of the offensive operations launched by 67th IB. Francis returned to the folds of the law on February 8 after being with the NPA for less than two months. They are all members of Guerilla Front 15,” Batchar said.

He added that Robert and Rustom are members of Guerilla Front 71 who voluntarily surrendered last February 6 to the 73rd IB. Hardship and hunger while being with the NPA, including disillusionment forced the eight NPA members to go back to their normal lives.

Aside from the surrenders, Batchar also reported that offensive operations of 10th ID also resulted to two encounters, the discovery of five encampments and the recovery of nine improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Major General Rafael C Valencia, 10th ID commander also called on the individual members of the NPA in the area to return to the folds of the law now.

“They must realize that they are with a terrorist group sowing fear on our own people,” Maj. Gen Valencia said.

The general also asked the people in the area to encourage NPAs to surrender for the good of their families.

lives. We are all from the same province and whatever conflict that would erupt here will affect all of us, especially the poor. So, there’s no reason that we become divided or yet become the cause of strife and division,” he said. “We are all Filipinos. Wouldn’t it be better if we all just get along? All of us want peace and it is my dream as well that someday we may finally achieve the peace that

we have so-long desired,” he added.

Aside from promoting peace in the communities, particularly those that belong to the geographically isolated and depressed areas with marginalized population, the caravan also promotes good governance practices among local government units and agencies. (Karen Lou Deloso, PIO DavOr)

Overwhelming... FROM 7

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) CONTRACT NUMBER

CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT

Herbert J. Calope

10320615-6

21122679

Lilian W. Fabian

130001288

1004247

PH 1 2 3

4 5

6

Herbert J. Calope Juanita C. Rubia

Errol J. V. Denosta Jr. Monito H. Santos

194341-8

193153-2

1043380-3

10354334-9

21143080

21024984 88979

21105573

were lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

1/27,2/3,10

State... FROM 4

water lilies in parts of the lake.

He said they will also forge memorandum of agreements with fish cage operators for the conduct of regular cleanup in areas that they occupy.

He said they will tap the participation of the barangays in the cleanup activities to ensure that they would be sustained.

Experts noted that the overcrowding of fish cages at the lake, the proliferation of water hyacinths and the use of commercial feeds by operators have caused its waters to deteriorate, triggering fish kills.

They were blamed for the occurrence of “kamahong,” a

phenomenon caused by the sudden rise in the water’s temperature.

“Kamahong,” which usually occurs during the rainy season, triggers the rise of sulfuric acid in the lake’s waters that eventually cause the massive fish kill.

BFAR earlier said results of its water sampling on the lake and other physio-chemical parameters showed that Lake Sebu’s waters is “dying”.

Last year, the municipal government recorded at least eight fish kills that destroyed around P1.4 million worth of tilapia. The last major fish kill in the area was in 2014. (MindaNews)

on Valentine’s Day to clients within Metro Manila and nearby areas, the Philpost said.

Philpost also launched its Facebook promo dubbed “Pusuan Me Bes,” wherein those clients who avail of the singing telegram and domestic express mail packages will have a chance to win a dinner for two worth 2,000 pesos (USD40).

All they have to do is take a selfie with the singing mailman

and post it on the official Philpost Facebook, and the entry that gets the highest number of “likes and loves” at noon on Valentine’s Day will win, the Philpost said.

Despite our modern technology, such as the use of text messaging, e-cards, the Philpost said it is more romantic to express your love through the sending of flowers, chocolates and Valentine’s card.

president of the Management Association of the Philippines; Dan Mollov, president of the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarter Inc.; and Danilo Lachica, president of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. Relaxing the provisions of the bank secrecy law for tax fraud cases is actually one of the complementary measures to the CTRP that the Department of Finance (DOF) has proposed to the Congress in endorsing House Bill No. 4774, which covers the first package of this DOF tax reform plan.

Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua is the author of HB 4774 and chairperson of the House ways and means committee, which has started public hearings on this CTRP bill.

Package 1 of the CTRP aims to lower personal income tax rates as well as donor and estate taxes, while adjusting the excise rates for automo-

biles and petroleum products, and expanding the VAT base but retaining exemptions enjoyed by senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

Further reforms being considered by the Congress to complement HB 4774 include imposing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, indexing the motor vehicle user’s charge to inflation, and granting an amnesty to past estate tax cases.

HB 4774 also includes legislated administrative reforms in the Bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and of Customs (BOC), such as the adoption of a fuel marking and monitoring system to prevent oil smuggling--not only to collect the correct taxes but also to ensure that only high-quality petroleum products and not adulterated fuel are sold in the market--along with the use of e-receipts, and the mandatory link of the point-of-sale (POS) systems of establishments directly to the BIR. (PR)

Philippine... FROM 4

Business... FROM 6

12

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

is in need of Marketing Assistant Qualifications: • Graduate of business or any other related courses • Female • With pleasing personality • Fast learner • Can work with minimum supervision

Accounting Clerks (2) Qualifications: • BS Accountancy Graduate • Female • Can work with minimum supervision • Experience of at least one year

Account Executive Qualifications: • BS Marketing Graduate • Male/Female • With pleasing personality Send your application letter and resume to: Ella P. Tingzon HR/Admin Supervisor Edge Davao Review Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Bldg., E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City Or email at edgedavao@gmail.com or ella_tingzon@yahoo.com

COMPETITIVE EDGE 13

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

PRA... FROM 6

of reclaimed land available for residential and commercial development. This agency is a land source and a major provider of assets to support our development goals,” he said.

Dominguez commended the PRA for constantly updating the knowledge and skills of its core of engineers on modern dredging and reclamation technologies, and upgrading this state-run firm’s capacity to monitor its projects.

He likewise lauded the PRA for initiating programs that would open opportunities for public-private, as well as public-public partnerships, which will enable the agency to be pro-active in developing “critically important projects” with local government units nationwide.

“I sense the energy and commitment of the entire agency to be an active contributor to our nation’s progress. I can only encourage you to carry on with your visionary blueRepublic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular Service

Case No. 2002-XI-00017-DS MAMILIANA S. BAQUIAL, Petitioner

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

NOTICE OF HEARING

print,” Dominguez said.

The PRA, formerly the Public Estates Authority, was created 40 years ago to serve as a clearinghouse for the disposal of idle public lands and the reclamation of key areas.

Mandated by law to be self-liquidating, the PRA has produced assets and revenues for the government by reclaiming land and converting these into valuable real estate. The 1,500-hectare Manila Bay Reclamation Project is considered as the PRA’s foremost achievement.

Dominguez said that on top of functioning as a clearinghouse, the PRA “now has the additional task of protecting foreshore areas such as Tacloban.”

“The 1,500 hectare Manila Bay reclamation project now known as Bay City is the PRA’s crowning glory although, I am told, a long list of important projects will be built over the next few years.” he said. (PR)

ANACLETO C. MASIGA, Petitioner

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

NOTICE OF HEARING

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

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

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

MARIE JEAN A. JARALBA Administrative Officer IV Acting Administrative Officer V

enterprises have the potential to significantly improve the women’s household incomes and enhance their ability to provide better health, nutrition, and educational opportunities to their families. In addition to alleviating poverty in the province, the project also aims to establish productive and peaceful bonds between Muslim and Christian women groups within Lanao del Norte.

In a video message, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief

of Mission Michael Klecheski thanked expressed the United States’ commitment to empowering women and girls around the world because of women’s indispensable role in development, saying, “[The Office of Global Women’s Issues] and State Department overall has always operated under the conviction…that empowering women and girls builds stronger communities, stronger society, and helps promote peace all over the world.” (PR)

Case No. 2002-XI-00233-DP

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

WITNESS the Atty. TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ, Chief Transportation Development Officer/Officer-In-Charge, this 31st day of January 2017 at Davao City.

es and improving agricultural productivity. The project will train 132 leaders of women cooperatives from all 22 municipalities of Lanao del Norte how to organize and lead effective women’s organizations; how to produce and market a value-added product; and how to improve agricultural productivity. These women leaders will then engage the estimated 1,600 members of their cooperatives to establish viable microenterprises. These micro-

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular Service

Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular service on the route: TAGUM CITY – BRGY. LINAO, KAPALONG (DAVAO DEL NORTE) AND VICE VERSA and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on July 31, 2017. In the petition filed on January 31, 2017, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said Certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

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

O

N February 2, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, in partnership with Xavier Science Foundation (XSF), launched the Women Organizations Managing Agri-based Networks for a Sustainable Society (WOMAN) project at a ceremony in Iligan City. This two-year initiative aims to reduce poverty in Lanao del Norte by helping rural women create economic opportunities for themselves by developing microenterpris-

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

Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ DUAL Ordinary Regular service on the route: DIGOS CITY – DAVAO CITY and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on February 21, 2017.

In the petition filed on January 30, 2017, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said Certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on FEBRUARY 21, 2017 at 09:20 a.m. at this office at the above address.

Microenterprise for women launched in Lanao del Norte

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on FEBRUARY 20, 2017 at 09:40 a.m. at this office at the above address.

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

WITNESS the Atty. TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ, Chief Transportation Development Officer/Officer-In-Charge, this 30th day of January 2017 at Davao City.

MARIE JEAN A. JARALBA Administrative Officer IV Acting Administrative Officer V

DSWD lauds gratuity pay grant for national agencies MOA workers

E

ARLIER today, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo welcomed Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s formal signing of the Administrative Order (AO) No. 02 which entitles all non-regular government employees a year-end grant worth P2,000 for their dedicated service to the Filipino people.

The AO was signed by the President last January 31, 2017 as recognition of the contribution and efforts of job orders (JO), contracts of service (COS), project-based (PB), and memorandum of agreement (MOA) workers in all national government agencies (NGAs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), government-owned or –controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) who have rendered less than four months of satisfactory service as of December 15, 2016.

Section 1 of the AO states that “All workers whose services are engaged through JO and COS and who have rendered a total or an aggregate of at least four (4) months of satisfactory services as of December 15, 2016 and whose contracts are still effective as of same date, may be granted a onetime Gratuity Pay not ex-

ceeding Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000) each.

Sec. 2 states that “Those who have rendered less than four (4) months of satisfactory service as of December 15, 2016 and with effective contracts as of the same date may also be granted the one-time Gratuity Pay, but not exceeding One Thousand Pesos (P1,000 each).

Sec. 3 states that the order “…Shall cover workers

ment-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs).

Section 6 states that “LGUS are encouraged to adopt in their respective offices the grant of Gratuity Pay to workers whose services are engaged through JO and COS, utilizing appropriate and available funding services.

“Contractual workers comprise most of the

DSWD SUPPORT. Persons with disability Clark Jhon Cortez [left] and Joachim Dapitanon of Mati City receive their wheelchair during the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 66th founding anniversary whose services are engaged through JO, COS, or other similar schemes by national government agencies (NGAs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), govern-

and benefits whenever we can given what resources and means we have. This P2,000 gratuity pay is the result of the collective efforts of contractual employees to push for better benefits and to call attention to their situation. They deserve this and more given their unparalleled dedication and service to our department, our partner-beneficiaries, and to our country,” said Sec. Judy M. Taguiwalo.

celebration in Mati City. A total of 17 wheelchairs and one pair of crutches were donated by DSWD, Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. (DSWD Photo)

DSWD’s workforce as well as the workforce of most other government agencies.

We should support them as much as we can by way of improving their job status

“We are also grateful to the support given by our Pres. Duterte. Without his support, the release of this gratuity pay would not have been possible.” (PR)

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE Bank eyes opening of Abreeza Mall celebrates all CARD three Mindanao branches kinds of love with La La Lovefest C VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

V

ALENTINE’S Day isn’t just for couples; it’s for anyone who’s got love to give! With this in mind, Abreeza Mall launches La La Lovefest, a series of events and activities that encourage customers to express different kinds of love in different kinds of ways.

On February 10, 6pm at the Activity Center, Abreeza Mall partners with Trivia Nights Pinas to hold Trivia Nights: Hugot at Kilig, a Valentine’s-themed quiz event.

All 20 participating teams are required to have a couple in its roster, with each pair in the running to receive special couples-only prizes.

From February 11 to 12 at the Activity Center, pet lovers looking to have their own furry little friend are welcome to adopt a dog or a cat from Happy Animals Club, a Davao-based no-kill shelter dedicated to rescuing and caring for animals in need.

Pet owners are also invited to take a photo with their pets at the Fur-fect Shot photo booth and post the photo on Instagram while tagging @ iloveabreezamall for a chance to win pet grooming gift certificates from Designer Dogs.

Meanwhile, launching on February 12 and running until February 28 at the Ground Floor Hallway is the Dear

Crush exhibit, a touching collection of 20 real letters to crushes submitted by Abreeza Mall’s Facebook followers.

On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Abreeza Mall makes mall-goers swoon with a Valentine’s Serenade featuring performances by local musicians, including singing group Y-FI, at 2pm at the Activity Center. Customers will also get to feel the love while shopping on Valentine’s Day, as participating Abreeza Mall merchants Thai Boran Premiere, Bioessence Serenity Spa, Hair Philosophy

by Jing Monis, David’s Salon, S&R New York Style Pizza, and Nurlika’s Pearl Shoppe

give out Valentine’s Day-exclusive discounts and freebies.

Abreeza Mall earlier kicked off La La Lovefest on February 9 with Dance for a Healthy Heart, a free Zumba party in partnership with Anytime Fitness that encourages customers to love their bodies through exercise.

For inquiries and updates on Abreeza Mall news and events, please visit the Main Concierge at the ground floor or call (082) 321-9332. Stay updated by liking www.facebook.com/AbreezaMall and following @abreezatweets on Twitter and @iloveabreezamall on Instagram.

ARD Bank, Inc. is set to open three more branches in Malita, Davao del Sur, Midsayap, North Cotabato, and Nabunturan, Compostella Valley on the first and second quarter this year.

CARD Bank opened its first Mindanao branch in Davao City at Magallanes Street in 2007. As of December 2016, the bank has eight branches covering the areas of Davao City, Davao del Sur, Cotabato, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental.

“The expansion of CARD Bank in Mindanao is part of enriching and empowering the marginalized sectors of society,” President and CEO Marivic Austria said.

Austria added that the bank will provide its clients wide range of financial services such as loans for business, agriculture, housing, solar, education, and health.

Savings account for members and their kids are also available. The bank also offers domestic and international remittances.

The bank also links its client to various developmental services such as access to microinsurance, business development services and marketing support, education

support, and health protection services. This is through the assistance of the microinsurance and business development arms of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) where CARD Bank is a member institution.

Since 1986, CARD MRI has been strong and committed in empowering the lives of the socioeconomically challenged women and their families by establishing a bank owned by the members.

“Impossible as it may seem but because of the strong dedication of my colleagues and the constant support of our stakeholders, we were able to realize our dream,” Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, founder and managing director of CARD MRI, said.

In 2000, CARD Bank opened its doors to its clients who wanted to be part-owner of the bank. These members can buy shares of stocks of CARD Bank, Inc. through their savings.

“As stockholders, they are receiving annual dividends. To emphasize participation by the members in the policy formulation and governance, selected members sit as Board of Directors of the bank,” Austria said. (PR)

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

SPORTS 15

EDGEDAVAO

STRONG FINISH. National table tennis player Richard Gonzales (left photo) placed eighth in the recently concluded World Championship of Ping Pong (WCPP) at Alexandra Palace in London that was participated by the top 32 world champions. Gonzales, along with fellow national players Nico Cruz and John Russel Misal (right photo), flew to

London via Philippine Airlines. PAL, through its flagship corporate social responsibility program, #RPRSNT Pinoy!, supports exceptional individuals chosen to represent the country and show the best of the Philippines to the world.

Jr. NBA/WNBA camp K goes to CDO Feb. 11-12

Warriors bounce back

J

R. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska opens the second phase of its program, the Regional Selection Camp, in Cagayan de Oro this weekend.

Young cagers in Mindanao aged 10-14 years old are invited to attend the two-day camp on February 11 and 12 at Xavier University, Corrales Avenue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registration and participation are absolutely free.

On the first day, participants undergo vitals tests and skills challenges where their scores in vitals tests and individual skills challenges will determine if they will return the following day to undergo more basketball drills and

team exercises. On the second day, the remaining participants undergo team drills and get to show off their team and individual skills in the final scrimmages. The top performers in the camp will be selected to represent the region in the National Training Camp that will be held in Manila on May 12-14, 2017.

The Camp will be run by Jr. NBA /Jr. WNBA Coach Craig Brown together with other Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA coaches from presenting partner Alaska.

Boys and girls aged 10 to 14 are encouraged to take advantage of the NBA’s international youth development program where they

can learn not only the proper basketball skills but also the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA S.T.A.R values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect.

The camp will give participants the chance to join a learn-and-achieve camp that will test their physical and basketball smarts through vitals tests, NBA style skills tests and basketball drills.

The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Training Camp is the third phase of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program where eight Jr. NBA and eight Jr. WNBA All-Stars will be chosen from among the top participants in the regional selection camps. They will embark on

Suns with 20 points and Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight each finished with 16 as Phoenix lost its eighth in the last nine.

With 1:10 left, Booker fouled Daniels as he made a 3-pointer, and the pair exchanged words. It escalated into a court-wide skirmish, and six players received technical fouls and three players were ejected, including Daniels. ‘’You talk trash sometimes,’’ Booker said of his words with Booker. ‘’I don’t know why he’d be talking trash with me.

He’s been on five teams in three years, and he has the nerve to talk trash to me?’’

Suns coach Earl Watson appreciated the emotional display from his team in a tough loss. ‘’That shows they believe in each other,’’ he said. ‘’And they believe in a purpose.’’

NTERIM Interational Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight (108 pounds) champion Milan Melindo will get a chance to prove his worth anew when he takes on regular IBF light flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi in Japan this summer.

Melindo, a two-time World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight (112 pounds) challenger, won the interim 108-pound crown with a unanimous decision victory over Teeraphong Utaiada last Nov. 26, 2016 in Cebu, while Yaegashi made a third defense of the regular belt with a knockout win over Wittawas Basapean last Dec. 30.

“Earlier last month, it was reported that the clash between IBF interim champion Milan Melindo against regular world champion Akira Yaegashi was negotiated to take place in March. But according to ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer, recent developments have pushed the fight back to May in Japan,”

Grizzlies blow out Suns

T

ROY Daniels hit some big 3-pointers for the Memphis Grizzlies in a blowout win, and he ended the game with some fireworks, too.

Mike Conley scored 23 points, Marc Gasol added 19 and the Grizzlies took advantage of the Phoenix Suns’ poor shooting in a 110-91 victory on Wednesday night.

Memphis held Phoenix to 33 percent shooting and won its third straight and sixth in its last seven.

Six Grizzlies reached double figures, including Daniels with 14 points and JaMychal Green with 11 points and 10 rebounds. ‘’Very happy with our effort defensively. They’re a very good, young offensive team,’’ Conley said of the Suns, adding: ‘’We were proud to have the kind of effort and attention to detail.’’

Devin Booker led the

a unique, overseas NBA experience together with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia later this year.

After Cagayan de Oro, the Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camps will next go to Lucena on February 25-26, Cebu (March 11-12) and Manila (April 1-2).

Young ballers can register for the Regional Selection Camps through the Jr. NBA event website www.jrnba. asia/philippines, where full program terms and conditions can be found.

For more information, please visit Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA presented by Alaska facebook page www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines.

EVIN Durant responded from his worst game since joining the Warriors with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Golden State beat the Chicago Bulls 123-92 Wednesday night for a 138th straight regular-season game without consecutive defeats.

Klay Thompson scored 28 points with six 3-pointers playing on his 27th birthday, Stephen Curry added 13 points and six r e -

bounds and the Warriors had all five starters score in double figures for the fourth time.

Golden State hasn’t lost consecutive regular-season games since April 5 and 7, 2015, at San Antonio and New Orleans, during its championship season.

This was the Warriors’ eighth win following a loss this season and 17th in a row overall since those dates in ‘15.

Robin Lopez had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the undermanned Bulls playing back in the Bay Area where he attended Stanford.

Kevin Durant

Melindo lined up for world title shot I

ALA promotions said in a press statement.

The fight against Yaegashi will be Melindo’s third attempt at a regular title.

He first fought for the World Boxing Association (WBA) and WBO flyweight crown but lost to Juan Francisco Estrada by unanimous decision last July 27, 2013. It was the first loss of his career.

After scoring three recovery wins, he challenged Javier Mendoza for the IBF light flyweight title but lost anew on May 30, 2015.

M e lindo had two more bouts after that but after failing badly to make the 112-pound limit for the

first time against Maximino Flores, a fighter with a 19-2 record, his handlers decided to let him move down to the 108-pound division.

Six months later, he was an interim world champion after beating Utaida.

His record now stands at 35-2, with 12 KOs. On

the other hand, Yaegashi followed a similar path, falling several times before becoming a world champion.

A former World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion, he lost his crown to Roman Gonzalez on Sept.

5, 2014 and was also knocked out in his first attempt for the WBC 108-pound belt.

After two tuneup bouts, he beat Mendoza by unanimous decision on Dec. 29, 2015 to win the IBF crown, making two defenses against Martin Tecuapetla and Wittawas Basapean.

His record stands at 25-5 with 13 Kos. (PNA)

TITLE SHOT. Milan Melindo will be gunning for a regular IBF championship.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

BACK TO THE

GREENS Piñol, Lorenzana to hit ceremonial drives in PAL Interclub

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

I

njb@edgedavao.net

T’S a homecoming of sorts for golfing Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Piñol.

The former sportswriter-turned poitician and now a member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s cabinet, Pinol will be hitting the ceremonial drive to kick off the 70th edition of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Interclub team golf championship.

This year’s Interclub which has lured some 151 teams across the world gets going Feb. 22 to 25 at Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club and Apo Golf and Country Club.

A former campaigner in the media tournament as member of the sports media and later on Mayor of M’Lang and Governor of North Cotabato, Piñol will be a prominent figure on hometurf as he tees off the Senior’s division hostilities which Canlubang will try to win for the second straight year.

Also invited as ceremonial hitter is Defense chief Major Gen. Delfin Lorenzana who will be firing the first shot in the Regular Men’s action that unfolds March 1 to 4 also at the twoDavao courses.

Canlubang will be defending its Senior’s championship, while Manila Southwoods will shoot to win the Regular Men’s title for the third straight year using a youth program that is the best in the land at this time.

Apo Golf, the old, tree-lined layout that is arguably one of the

toughest down south, and Rancho Palos Verdes, a well-manicured, all-weather course, will be the venues for the tournament.

Canlubang coasted to the championship last year at Mimosa in Clark Field, Pampanga and, like what has been for decades now, the Sugar Barons are tipped to encounter their biggest challenge from Luisita.

Spearheaded by former pro Eddie Bagtas, the Luisitans will again field a tough squad that will try and dislodge the Sugar Barons, who are likely to miss the ageless Tommy Manotoc this time.

Southwoods, on the other hand, has some of the best young talents in the land, with Yuto Katsuragawa, a reedy Japanese who is the club’s reigning champion, and Ryan Monsalve leading the charge.

Cebu Country Club and Orchard are the other squads expected to figure prominently in the Men’s division.

The 70th edition of the PAL Interclub is supported by Mareco Broadcasting Network, A&E Networks Asia (History), Radio Mindanao Network, Manila Standard, Fox Network Group, Rolls Royce, TV5, TFC (ABS-CBN) as well as Boeing, GE Aviation (Singapore & Philippines), Asian Air Safari, Airbus, Primax Broadcasting Network, Baron Travel, MX3 and Bombo Radyo.

Donors include Shangri-la, Eton Properties, Tanduay Distillers and Asia Brewery.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 253 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 - 11, 2017

GOLFING SECRETARY. Agriculture Secretary anny Pinol will lead the ceremonial tee off in the PAL Seniors Intercclub.