Edge Davao 9 Issue 285

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

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ECONOMY

Cacao, coffee farmers get fertilizer support

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ACAO and coffee farmers in Compostela Valley Province received fertilizer support from President Rodrigo Duterte through the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the provincial government.

The information office of Compostela Valley said on Monday that a total of 2,760 sacks of fertilizers were distributed by Gov. Jayvee Tyrone Uy to more than 200 cacao and coffee farmers in the province.

The distribution of fertilizers is a component of the strengthened “Technology Demonstration for Productivity Enhancement of Existing Coffee and Cacao Trees Rehabilitation Program” that is being implemented by Malacañang through the agriculture department, the press statement added.

Seedlings of cacao and coffee were also distributed to the farmers with the aim of increasing the production of said high-value crops in the province.

Uy also wanted to help cacao and coffee farmers increase their production and income, the statement added.

BIRTHDAY WISH. President Duterte leads an online poll for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2017. The ranking will be revealed on April 20. Duterte, who is celebrating his 72nd birthday today, said he has one wish— strength to serve the country and longer time to do it.

Lean Daval Jr.

FCACAO, 10

14 CONVICTED OF TRAFFICKING Convicted mostly women involved in pimping

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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adlopez0920@gmail.com

TOTAL of 14 people have been convicted of the crime of trafficking in persons in the Davao region with Davao City topping in the number of those convicted.

This was reported by Barbara Mae Flores, deputy regional prosecutor of the Department of Justice in Davao region.

Flores and other personalities involved in the campaign

against human trafficking in the region were interviewed during yesterday’s presentation of Kapehan sa Dabaw at the SM City Davao annex.

The government authorities and the nongovernment

organization leaders reported about the increased cases of trafficking in person in Davao City and the rest of the region last year despite the intensified drive launched by various sectors and agencies of the gov-

ernment.

Pedrita Dimakiling, head of the Community-based Services Unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the city reported of

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

PHL-HUNGARY MOU. Acting Foreign Affairs secretary Enrique Manalo (left) shakes hands with Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU)held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel on Monday. The MOU serves as a framework for cooperation on the exchange of experts and researchers,

Appointing barangay execs ‘unconstitutional’: Macalintal

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N election lawyer said appointing barangay officials is unconstitu-

tional.

“Any law or executive order declaring as “vacant” all existing elective barangay positions and to appoint their replacements is unconstitutional,” said lawyer Romulo Macalintal in a forum on Monday.

He added, “It will also violate the constitutional right to security of tenure of these barangay officials as that would be tantamount to removal from office without a just or valid cause.”

Section 8, Article X of the 1987 Constitution recognizes barangays as “elective local officials” like regional, provincial, city and municipal elected officials.

“Clearly, barangay officials

shall be elected since, like provincial, city and municipal officials, they are referred to in the constitution as “elective officials” governed by R. A. 7160 or the Local Government Code which, as amended, mandates the election of a Punong Barangay and seven Barangay Councilors or Kagawads,” he explained.

“If barangay officials could be appointed and their positions be declared vacant by a mere order of the president, then the same could be applied to governors, mayors and councilors as they belong to the same category of being “local elective officials”. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, so to speak,” Macalintal added.

With this, he noted that

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UNIFIED FRONT

OWWA, DSWD, DOJ join forces vs abuse of OFW kids

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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Ronald Joseph Mercado said after the turnover ceremony of the two Beechcraft King Air TC-90 aircraft in Sangley Point, Cavite on Monday.

Mercado said the PN was still planning possible events with the Japanese ship and personnel.

“We are still planning whatever activities that we are going to have with them, but definitely they are going to

FBIGGEST, 10

adlopez0920@gmail.com

HREE government agencies are set to ink a memorandum of agreement for a unified fight against abuse of children of Overseas Filipino Workers in Davao region.

Speaking before reporters during the regular Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City on Monday, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Regional Director Eduardo Belledo said their agency will work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and De-

partment of Justice in various undertakings to curb cases of abuse of OFW children.

The MOA and the launching of the unified move will be facilitated on Thursday, march 30.

“This is an intensified campaign to offer full protection to children left behind by OFWs in Davao City and the rest of the region,” Belledo said.

The MOA, he added, will enhance the campaigns and coordination among the three

government agencies in looking at the children of OFWs and defend them against abuse and exploitations.

Belledo admitted on the difficulties they are experiencing in monitoring the status of OFW children especially the cases of abuse and exploitation against them.

“We solely rely on reports from their families and from the DSWD,” he added.

With the unified move, Belledo believed that the three agencies will be able to

come up with concrete action program to monitor the children of OFWs in the area.

At present, he added, OWWA could not provide statistics as to the number of OFW children who are abused and exploited.

He said that after the MOA signing, a seminar will follow that will be participated by representatives from the three agencies as well as the non-government organizations from Davao City and the region.

ORE than a hundred expectant mothers on Monday held a forum urging the House of Representatives (HoR) to pass the Expanded Maternity Leave Law as it was done in the Senate.

The forum, which was held in Barangay Commonthwealth, Quezon City, was led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Laguna 3rd District Rep. Sol Aragones, Akbayan Partylist Rep. Tom Villarin and Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte in a bid to sustain the momentum for the passage of a law.

The law seeks to double the number of paid maternity leave days of women to 120 days with pay and an option to extend it

for another 30 days without pay. The 30 days can also be allotted to fathers and alternate caregivers.

Hontiveros, who is also the chair of the Senate Committee on Women, said that contrary to criticism, the passage of an Expanded Maternity Leave law does not mean a vacation for mothers.

“It is not a vacation that mothers and women are asking for but recognition of their role as child-bearers. We want women to have the chance to take care of their children and their health and well-being without worrying about the economic costs of being away from employment,” Hontiveros said.

The neophyte senator further explained that the Expanded Maternity Leave law was at par with international standards and which can truly address the physical, mental and economic burden of pregnancy is long overdue.

“We need a new maternity leave policy that will provide adequate paid maternity leave days for working mothers to fully recover from childbirth, properly care for their child and establish a stronger mother-child bond through breastfeeding,” she added.

Under Hontiveros’ leadership, the Senate has already passed on third and final reading the Expanded Maternity

Leave Law of 2017. However, the measure’s counterpart bill in the House of Representatives is still waiting approval from its members.

The Buntis Congress was organized by the offices of Hontiveros and Belmonte in partnership with the Department of Health (DoH)-National Capital Region, Senate Gender and Development Focal Point, House Committee on Women and Gender Equality and Akbayan Women. It provided free medical services for pregnant women such as pre-natal checkup, ultrasound, laboratory examination, dental health care and counselling. A Lamaze session was also conducted. (PNA)

Congress urged to pass Expanded Maternity Leave Law

Biggest Japanese naval M ship to visit PH by June ELICOPTER carrier JS Izumo, one of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s largest vessels, will pay a visit to the Philippines this coming June.

“The JS Izumo, the largest of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s vessel, will be visiting Subic Bay, Philippines this coming June and we’re looking forward to that visit,” Philippine Navy (PN) flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral

conduct of joint research programs, invitations to symposia, meetings and conference organized by each party, and other modes of cooperation as may be agreed. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

NEWS 3

EDGEDAVAO

NYT articles part of well-funded demolition job vs Rody - Palace

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HUMAN TRAFICKING CASES UP. Department of Justice (DOJ) 11 deputy regional prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores (left) and Talikala Foundation executive director Jeanette Ampog reveal that there is an increase of

trafficking in person cases in Davao City and the rest of the region in 2016 despite the intensified campaigns launched by various sectors and agencies of the government. Lean Daval Jr.

ALACAÑAN on Monday said the series of New York Times (NYT) articles on President Rodrigo Duterte is clearly a part of a well-funded demolition job mounted by certain groups that include politicians.

“NYT’s very obvious demolition work flies in the face of the very high approval of PPRD enjoys. The newspaper tries to stir global outrage in a nation that welcomes its newfound peace and order,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

“One can only conclude that certain personalities and politicians have mounted a well-funded campaign utilizing hack writers and their ilk in their bid to oust President Duterte,” Abella said.

The Palace official noted how in a span of one week, NYT has published three pieces about the President.

He said the news feature

“Becoming Duterte: The Making of a Philippine Strongman” narrated the rise to power of Duterte under the context of violence.

Meanwhile, the editorial, “Accountability for Duterte,” with jailed mutineer and Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano and Jude Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed assassin Edgar Matobato, mouthed unsubstantiated claims.

The third was a video documentary, “When A President Says, “I’ll Kill You,” that zeroed in on the vigilante deaths that occurred under the present administration.

But despite the obvious bid to malign the President and his administration, Abella said the government remains undaunted.

“The Administration will not be deterred in fulfilling its promise of building a progressive and inclusive nation free from drugs, crimes and corruption. (PNA)

Freed militiamen to undergo Surigao del Norte solon files bill medical check-up, debriefing postponing barangay, SK polls

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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adlopez0920@gmail.com

HE 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Army said the two militiamen released by the communists New People’s Army last Friday in Davao Oriental will undergo medical evaluation and debriefing processes.

In a press statement on Monday, 10th ID chief infor-

mation officer Capt. Rhyan Batchar said the 10th ID also welcomed the safe return of militiamen Rene Doller and Carl Mark Nucos.

“We shall then publish the results of these evaluations as soon as it is completed. As of now, they are given time to recover from the physical, mental and emotional trau-

ma they experienced while at the hands of the NPA rebels,” Batchar said.

The 10th ID will also provide the families of Doller and Nocus with the necessary assistance while they are recovering from this traumatic experience.

“We further demand from the NPA the release of their

other kidnap victims and desist from using the victims’ hapless situation in advancing their political propaganda,” Batchar added.

Doller and Nucos were forcibly taken by NPAs belonging to Pulang Bagani Command 6 last February 14 in Sitio Upper Waywayan, Ba-

ALACAÑANG on Monday hit back on international group Human Rights Watch (HRW) for declaring falsehoods against President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration’s war on illegal drugs.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella dismissed recent statements made by HRW Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine as outright lies that somehow exposes the organization’s deep insensitivity to other cultures.

“The war on drugs is not targeted at any particular segment of society. Nothing can be farther from the truth than the HRW accusation that President Duterte has ‘contempt for lives.’

In fact, eight out of ten Filipinos living in Metro Manila now feel

safer and more secure under his administration,” Abella said.

Malacañang issued the statement after Kine remarked Sunday in his Twitter post that Duterte has “finally acknowledged”t that the war on drugs

EALTH personnel in South Cotabato have stepped up their interventions to address the rabies cases in T’boli town that already resulted to three confirmed deaths in the last two months.

Cecil Lorenzo, disease surveillance officer of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said they have launched convergence initiatives to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the area.

She said their personnel have been assisting the municipal government in the monitoring of the affected communities for the possible emergence of new cases.

The Provincial Veterinary Office is currently conducting massive rabies vaccination for pet dogs as well as information and education activities among residents in the municipality, she said.

The dog vaccination covers households within a three-kilo-

meter radius where the rabies cases were reported.

Lorenzo said T’boli town is considered a critical area for rabies since 2011 or in the last seven years.

She said the municipality recorded a total of 10 confirmed deaths due to rabies during the period.

In the entire province, the IPHO already recorded seven rabies deaths from Feb. 1 to March 18.

Two other cases were reported in Lake Sebu and one each in Polomolok and Banga towns. Six of the victims were bitten by unvaccinated dogs.

John Codilla, IPHO’s rabies program coordinator, said the rabies control convergence activities are presently focused in T’boli town.

He said they are set to conduct the same interventions in Barangay Glamang in Polomolok, where a rabies death was recorded two weeks ago. (PNA)

FFREED, 10

Palace blasts HRW for false reports vs Rody M T’boli town steps up anti-rabies drive

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FPALACE, 10

SITUATIONER IN THE LUMAD COMMUNITIES. Rius Valle (left) of SOS Network and Bayan Muna Southern Mindanao Region secretary general Sheena Duazo hold printed copies of alleged military intelligence agents

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LAWMAKER at the House of Representatives has filed a bill seeking to defer the October 2017 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections until May 2020 in a bid stamp out the country’s drug problem.

According to a statement on Monday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has filed House Bill 5359, calling for the postponement of both polls this year, supposedly to cleanse drug-infested villages.

“There is a need to postpone the 2017 Barangay Elections to rid barangays of officials linked to illegal drug operations. The barangay election was postponed last year for the very same reason, and obviously, we have yet to consider our communities drugfree,” Barbers said.

The drug problem begins at the grassroots level, there-

fore, this is where we should start cleansing,” he added.

Barbers said incumbent barangay officials must be terminated and allow President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint “incorruptible” officers-in-charge which could lead to a “drugfree Philippines”.

“Incumbent officials stand to enjoy extended term but fail to address the drug problem that our President has been seeking to exterminate since Day 1,” Barbers said.

“We have given them another year, but the question is, have they proven themselves worthy to be called ‘leaders’ of a country that is dying to be freed from the shackles of illegal drugs?,” he added.

Under the bill, subsequent synchronized barangay and SK elections shall be held on the second Monday of May 2023 and every three years thereafter. (PNA)

who allegedly conducted harassments and surveillance against Lumad school teachers, activists and right defenders during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Smart to roll out LTE to more areas this year

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LDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is stepping up its network improvement program this year and increasing its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage to include a total of 785 municipalities by the end of 2017, in line with its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

This is about half of the target indicated in the threeyear network roll-out plan that PLDT submitted to NTC last year, where it said that Smart is focusing on accelerating its LTE deployment and will make it progressively available to users in 1,551 cities and municipalities across the country by the end of 2018.

For 2017, Smart targets to roll-out 2,165 sites with LTE in low spectrum bands and 3,568 sites in high spectrum bands, according to Joachim Horn, chief technology and information advisor for PLDT and Smart.

“We will also continue to invest in our 2G and 3G networks to meet customer demand and ensure best customer experience,” he added.

The backbone of the PLDT group’s digital pivot, this comprehensive network modernization and expansion program features re-equipping cell sites to use low-frequency bands such as 700 MHz and 850 MHz to improve LTE and 3G services, as these frequency bands travel farther than high-frequency bands and provide better coverage, including indoors.

The rollout also includes deploying high-frequency bands like 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, to increase the capacity of each Smart cell site to handle more calls, texts, and ever-increasing mobile data traffic.

Smart’s network rollout took a big bulk of parent company PLDT’s ramped-up capital expenditure program of P42.8 billion for 2016, which included the utilization of the new frequencies freed up with the acquisition of San Miguel Corporation’s telco assets.

PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan has announced a total capital expenditure of P46 billion this year, inclusive of carry-overs from last year.

“We are improving customer experience through better network services and by offering progressively more relevant and targeted products and services,” Pangilinan said.

Network improvements now bearing fruit These investments in network improvement have been paying off, Horn noted. Last year, Smart completed the rollout of enhanced 4G and 3G coverage using low-band frequencies in Boracay and Metro Davao, where users are now reporting improved mobile internet experience.

Initial results are also beginning to show in Metro Ma-

nila and Metro Cebu, where network upgrades are still ongoing and are expected to be finished in the following months. Initial tests in Metro Cebu, for instance, have produced average LTE download speeds of 20 Mbps and average 3G download rates of 6 Mbps where the new cell site facilities have been installed.

In Rizal, the average download rates in the areas where cell sites have been upgraded are 23.3 Mbps for LTE. LTE delivers superior experience for users, particularly for data. It can also be quickly upgraded to LTE-A, which can provide even faster speeds and greater capacity to subscribers who are using LTE SIMs on LTE-capable handsets.

Smart began rolling out its LTE-A service in April 2016 in preparation for the rise of bandwidth-heavy services such as video streaming and gaming. Initially deployed in Boracay, Smart’s LTE-A service delivers peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps to users with LTE-A capable smartphones. Such download rates are achieved using a capability of LTE-A called “carrier aggregation” which provides subscribers with access to the combined capacity of two or more frequency bands.

“The roll out of our LTE network is strategic not only because it gives an immediate boost to internet speeds and reliability, but also because this lays the foundation for further improvements,” said Horn.

“As more LTE-A capable handsets become available, we can turn on the carrier aggregation feature of LTE and quickly raise internet speeds even more. We are also conducting our LTE roll out in ways that prepare us for the arrival of 5G, which is just three years away,” Horn added.

“We are asking for people’s patience and understanding as we are upgrading in our network facilities. We are taking all possible steps to minimize the impact on our subscribers. Our commitment to all our subscribers is that they will enjoy progressively better mobile data services in the next few months, particularly for those using LTE devices,” said Horn.

Smart is now among a handful of leading operators actively working on ultra-high speed wireless data capacity in anticipation of demand for gigabit speeds.

These breakthroughs have successfully demonstrated that the very high speeds demanded by the advent of the ‘Gigabit Society’ can be supported using LTE technology, and with the spectrum available to PLDT and Smart.

“This is a key part of our efforts to transform the PLDT and Smart network into the country’s most future-ready data infrastructure delivering a wide range of gigabit digital solutions,” Pangilinan said.

(PR)

PROTECTING OFW KIDS. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) 11 director Eduardo Bellido interacts with reporters during this week’s edition of Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday where he talked about the memorandum of agreement that the

agency forged with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The MOA aimed to intensify the agencies campaign to afford full protection to children left behind by the Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Lean Daval Jr.

4 Samal edition events unveiled th

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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HE Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) takes part once again on the 4th season of Visit Davao Fun Sale (VSDF).

This year, the region’s biggest tourism event celebrates its #rocksummer campaign with focus geared towards Davao Region’s eco-tourism destinations.

On May 7, 2017, the island will host the Bonamine Samal Marathon, Visit Samal Sand Sculpting Competition, Bigiw Regatta Competition, Madayaw Hugyaw Sayaw, and Mindanao Dive Photo Seafari and Competition events which will run up to May 7.

Samal will also take part as one of the venues of the Durian Man Triathlon

on April 23.

During the Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum on Monday at SM City Davao, VSDF Execom chairperson Benjamin A. Lizada pointed out that one of Davao City’s biggest pulls in tourism is its proximity to the beaches.

“Everyone raves about our clean pristine waters in Samal and Dahican. It’s about time we highlight its beauty and recognize its contribution to Davao tourism by celebrating Samal and Dahican with these fun and unique events,” he added.

Jennifer Cariaga, Tourism and Investment Officer of Samal expressed her gratitude and excitement on the region’s devotion to highlight

the island as one of the best places in the region to spend their summers on.

“The sport events and competition are truly huge crowd-bringers, and we can’t wait to showcase our city especially to first-time visitors,” she said.

To kick off, a memorandum of agreement was inked between Lizada and Cariaga and among event heads Jeremy James Sarona, Race Chair of BPI Cards Durianman Cross Channel Triathlon, Tom Tan of Davao Sunday Runners Athletic Club, and Fred Medino of Davao Reef Divers Club.

Visit Davao Fun Sale will run from April 16 to May 31, 2017 featuring offerings in airfare, accommodations,

tours, dining, shopping, beauty and wellness, as well as sporting events, arts and nightlife.

The Visit Davao Fun Sale is organized by the Davao Fun Sale Execom in partnership with the Department of Tourism and co presented by the City Government of Davao, AirAsia, Bonamine, BPI Cards, Cebu Pacific and Tanduay.

In a previous media briefing, Department of Tourism Region XI Director Roberto P. Alabado III said a 10 percent increase in tourist arrivals is projected from last year’s 172,000 arrivals in April and 165,866 in May. A 4 percent increase was recorded last year in the same periods despite the election spending.

O help out-of-school youth continue their education, a Senator on Monday urged them to take advantage of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) which provides them with short-term job opportunities.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, who sponsored the new SPES law that was enacted in August last year, said the new law mandates that out-of-school youth and those enrolled in the tertiary, vocational or technical education may be employed at any time of the year.

Meanwhile, high school students shall be employed only during summer and/or Christmas vacations.

“We expanded the law’s

coverage and lengthened its duration so that more youth can benefit, especially those who are out-of-school because of poverty. We encourage them to make their summer break productive and help their families save up for their education,” Angara said.

Republic Act 10917 aims to strengthen the government’s employment program for students to include not only poor but deserving students, but also out-of-school youth, dependents of displaced workers, and would-be displaced workers due to business closures or work stoppages, or natural calamities, who intend to enroll in any secondary, tertiary or technical-vocational institutions.

The SPES was instituted in 1992 under RA 7323, and was amended by RA 9547 in 2009. It aims to help poor but deserving students in pursuing their education by encouraging establishments and government agencies to employ them during summer and Christmas vacations.

Angara, vice chairman of the Senate labor committee, said RA 10917 further raised the age limit of the program’s beneficiaries from 15 to 25 years old to 15 to 30 years old, and extended the SPES employment period from 52 days to 78 days or three months.

To qualify, the combined net income of the beneficiary’s parents, including his/her own income, if any, should not ex-

ceed the latest annual regional poverty threshold level for a family of six.

Sixty percent of the salary of the beneficiaries will be paid by the employer, while the remaining 40 percent will be shouldered by the government, both to be paid in cash.

Such salary will be used for the students’ tuition fees and other education-related expenses including their daily allowance for food and transportation in going to school.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that it has allocated around PHP798 million for the employment of 100,000 to 120,000 students and outof-school youth this summer break. (PNA)

Out-of-school youth encouraged to avail of summer jobs under SPES

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

ECONOMY 5

ASEAN electric, hybrid vehicle producers urged to explore PH

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HE Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) is encouraging electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid vehicles manufacturers in ASEAN to explore the Philippine market, as the organization eyes the country as the EV production hub in the region.

EVAP President Rommel Juan said industry players in ASEAN can look into opportunities in the Philippine market with the demand to modernize the country’s mass transport system like jeepneys and tricycles.

“The business opportunities lie in the need to modernize the aging and ailing mass transport system and electric jeepneys and electric tricycles are the more viable options,” said Juan.

He said the country has around 350,000 diesel-fueled jeepneys and 1.2 million gasfed tricycles.

“And with a large production volume, we can then have the economies of scale to become the manufacturing hub for electric vehicle and parts in the ASEAN region. This we

hope will then open up the ASEAN region as the staging point for subsequently exporting to other parts of the globe,” he added.

To gather EV and hybrid vehicle players in the region, EVAP will hold the first ASEAN Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Summit from June 29 to 30 at the World Trade Center.

The summit will be part of ASEAN National Organizing Committee’s series of events for the country’s ASEAN chairmanship this year.

“We are now travelling around the ASEAN region to invite our ASEAN counterparts to the summit, for them to exhibit their latest products and technologies and to share their best practices with us. It is the perfect opportunity for us in the ASEAN to unite and promote EV applications so that together, we can make a better and cleaner world for the next generation,” said EVAP Vice President Edmund Araga.

The summit is co-organized by the Board of Investments and Manila Electric Company. (PNA)

CONVENTIONS UP IN DAVAO. SMX Convention Center general manager Daphne Alojado bares that the number of conventions that the company caters is increasing since President Duterte won the election last year. Alojado made the statement during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Advanced workshop on screenplay writing and acting slated for April Dominguez lauds sustained BOC drive against suspected cigarette tax cheats T F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has commended the Bureaus of Customs (BOC) and of Internal Revenue (BIR) for their sustained campaign against tax fraud following the BOC’s March 24 raid on two warehouses in Bulacan, which yielded P3.2 billion worth of Mighty Corp. cigarettes bearing fake tax stamps.

Dominguez said the BOC operation, conducted in Barangay Matimbubong in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, will enable the BOC and BIR to strengthen their legal action against Mighty Corp. for possession of cigarette packs with counterfeit internal revenue stamps, specifically for violations of Sections 263 and 265(c) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.

The seized cigarette packs from this latest raid in Bulacan were assessed to have P2.4 billion in unpaid taxes.

The raid was conducted two days after the BIR filed a P9.65 billion criminal complaint against Mighty Corp. before the Department of Justice for unlawful possession of articles subject to excise tax without payment of the tax, and for possession of false, counterfeit, restored or altered stamps.

Dominguez likewise welcomed the ruling of the Manila Regional Trial Court rejecting the writ of preliminary injunction filed by Mighty Corp. against warehouse investigations done by the BOC. The court’s rejection of the plea now paves the way for the BOC and the BIR to continue inspecting warehouses storing cigarettes manufactured by Mighty, including the facilities earlier raided by government operatives in San Simon, Pampanga.

“We commend the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, as well as

other agencies such as the Philippine National Police for remaining relentless in their joint campaign against tax fraud,” Dominguez said.

“The close cooperation we are now seeing between the BIR and the BOC against those who continue to undermine our reform agenda is the kind of teamwork we need in government. Their sustained operations against illegal activities demonstrate the Duterte administration’s firm resolve to expose tax cheats and bring action against them in court,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez said the sustained inspections done by the BOC and BIR on warehouses suspected to be storing cigarettes with counterfeit tax stamps are necessary to expose suspected tax dodgers and demonstrate the government’s resolve to haul them into court.

“The latest inspections done in Bulacan, for instance, would help the government build a strong case against Mighty. Any settlement is now out of the question until the courts say so,” Dominguez said.

Acting on a tip, a BOC border security team from the Port of Manila proceeded to Barangay Matimbubong in San Ildefonso, Bulacan in the early morning of March 24 and inspected two warehouses reported to house illicit cigarette stocks.

The inspections were done in coordination with the Philippine National Police and local officials in the area, according to a report submitted by the BOC to Dominguez.

“The security team conducted random sampling/ checking of each mastercase (of cigarettes) per warehouse using the BIR Stamp Verifier and results confirmed presence of counterfeit/smuggled cigarettes and fake tax stamps,” the report said. (PR)

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA O strengthen its commitment in supporting the growing industry of filmmaking in Mindanao, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation, Inc. (MFTDFI), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Philippine Information Office are holding two major activities for April 2017.

Anthony Rebamonte, Marketing Officer of FDCP announced that an Advanced Screen Writing Workshop on April 18-22 and Advanced

Film Acting Workshop will be happening on April 24-29, 2017.

“This will serve as an avenue for aspiring filmmakers who are serious in their respective crafts of either screenwriting or filmmaking,” said Rebamonte on Monday during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City.

The two advanced workshops are designed to be more comprehensive and in-depth, for aspiring screenwriters, filmmakers and actors interested to act for film and television.

The Advanced Screen-

writing Workshop is open to all participants, ages 13 and above, preferably those with writing backgrounds and filmmaking experience. Techniques in writing effective screenplays will be discussed during the workshop.

For the Advanced Film Acting Workshop, participants who may join are those with ages 16 and above, preferably those with acting experience in theatre and film/TV. It will focus on the construction and control of a character, and the keys to an outstanding performance delivery for film and television.

The workshops will be handled by both independent and mainstream industry practitioners. The official list of speakers will be posted on the official social media accounts of both Cinematheque Davao and the Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation.

Registration will start on April 3, 2017 on a first come, first serve basis. Interested participants who wished to join may contact 09493948064/09774853479 or e-mail them at mindanaofilm@outlook.com or cinemathequedavao@fdcp.ph.

20,688 respectively.

In terms of age, the age level between 15-18 years old still remains the major group in the SPES workforce with 110,554, or 48 percent of the total number of interns, followed by the 19-21 yrs. old bracket with 82, 503 students, and the 22-25 yrs. old group which gathered a total of 36,617 SPES beneficiaries.

“Through the SPES and GIP program of DOLE, we are enhancing the employability of youth workers and improve their job competencies,” Bello said in a statement.

DOLE has recorded a total of 3,061 government and private employers who participated in the implementation of the program in 2016 and 1,314 of them were from the Local Government Units (LGU); 118 from various state universities and colleges; and 31 from other national government agencies.

From the participating private sector employers, 1,269 were private establishments; 307 were private educational institutions; and the remaining 21 were non-government organizations.

The data noted that the engagement of private sector in the program increased to 22 percent or 1,309 in 2015 to 1,597 in 2016, while in the government sector, a 12 .5 percent increase or a total of 1,464 have been involved in the program in 2016.

The 2016 SPES report also showed that a total of P817.96 million pesos were accounted for the program. Out of this amount, P708.75 million was through the General Appropriations Act (GAA); P57.67 million was sourced from the Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB) and the remaining P51.53 million came from the 2015 continuing funds.

The newly amended SPES law extends the age limit of the beneficiaries from 15-25 to 15-30 years old and raises the number of work days or the period engagement of the beneficiaries from 20-52 to 20-78 days.

On the other hand, for the DOLE GIP, the BLE report noted a total of 43, 035 youth beneficiaries resulting into a 114.2 percent accomplishment rate which surpasses the national

target of 37,694 beneficiaries in 2016.

Tutay added on the said number of interns, 15,615 of which came from Visayas; followed by the Luzon group with 15,043 interns and last is in Mindanao with 12,377 GIP beneficiaries.

DOLE RO VIII ranked the highest among all the regions which recorded a total of 8,402 interns, followed by RO XI with 4,654 interns, RO VI with 4,190 beneficiaries, and CARAGA Region with 3,732 interns.

Likewise, it revealed that in terms of gender, the female GIP beneficiaries have outnumbered that of the male interns with a total of 24,289 or 56.44 percent of the total number of beneficiaries gathered in 2016 over the 18,746 or 43.56 percent male interns.

The said interns were assigned at various government offices throughout the country.

33,657 of which were assigned at different Local Government units; 19,415 at cities, municipalities and provinces, while the barangays have accepted 11,211 youth GIP beneficiaries.

(PNA)

300,000 young Filipinos avail Dole’s special employment in 2016

C

LOSE to 300,000 young Filipinos have availed of the government’s special student employment and internship programs last year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

According to a report of the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) to DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III showed that a total of 272,709 youth beneficiaries served by the Special Program for Employment of Student (SPES) and the Government Internship Program (GIP).

BLE Director Dominique Tutay noted that of the figure, a total of 229, 674 completed SPES while 43, 035 trainees developed work competencies after their exposure to the DOLE GIP. She noted a 10.47-percent increase in the total number of beneficiaries for the SPES trainees with 229,674 last year, compared to the 207,898 recorded in 2015.

BLE data revealed that DOLE Regional Office (RO) 3, RO 12, and RO 7 were among the top three regions, which got the highest number of beneficiaries at 26,108; 22,328; and

EDGEDAVAO

6 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

S

All-knowing bullies

O the reputable The New York Times is laying judgment on the Philippine affairs based solely on reports from one side of the world?

The way it condemns the Philippine governent, it seemed like The New York Times think it is in itself infallible and relies on conclusions drawn from one source.

Look, The New York Times recently called on the international community to revoke Philippine trade privileges because it wants to hold President Duterte accountable for his alleged support of the killings under his war on drugs.

The Times’ editorial piece titled “Accountability for Duterte” claims that the President “relishes his image as a defiant crusader, willing to encourage the slaughter of thousands in the name of saving his nation from the scourge of drugs.”

The paper wants the country’s trading partners to rebuke Duterte in the same manner as the European Union’s (EU) threat to hit

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heavily its trade incentives.

The EU has proposed imposing tariffs on Philippine goods and that is exactly what NY Times wants.

These two bullies think they can throw their weight around on lesser lights in the economic map like the Philippines. It’s just too bad that they bought the claims of some groups badly hit by Duterte’s victory in the last elections and his reforms including the anti-drug war.

This is what happens when you have fellow Filipinos, who at one time decry foreign intervention, but are easily the first ones to run to foreign ‘big brothers’ when the odds are not turning on their favor.

Instead of meddling in the affairs of other countries, these foreign entities better take a serious look at their own backyard--a rather more complicated and chaotic environment awaits their very own action.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

JIMMY K. LAKING Associate Editor PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ KENNETH IRVING K. ONG JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO JECIA ANNE OPIANA MEGHANN STA. INES Reporters NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN FUNNY PEARL GAJUNERA Lifestyle CHA MONFORTE LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. ARLENE D. PASAJE Correspondents Cartoons Photography Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. Columnists: D. TACIO G.•DELIGERO • JOHN CARLO TRIA • VIDAGOTIANSE-TAN MIA S. VALVERDE•• NICASIO FRED C. LUMBA • ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA BORBONHENRYLITO • MARY ANN “ADI”• GREGORIO C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

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EDGEDAVAO

T

HE problems that our country is encountering today are the results of the negative attitude that has enveloped our people through the years.

The negative attitude that permeates our society is the result of the collective disenchantment of the people on our elected and appointed leaders who succumbed to corruption and failed to live up to the expectation of the citizens and their constituents.

Because of greed, avarice and covetousness, this nation they call the “Pearl of the Orient Seas” has become a haven for crooks, petty thieves, ten percenters, extortionists, smugglers, drug and gambling lords, big-time operators and influence peddlers.

Our country’s environment and ecology have been unnecessarily wasted, its patrimony ex-

“W

ATER significantly affects our lives. When it is everywhere and when it is nowhere, we have serious problems. That is why we need a water master plan so we can control water, instead of water controlling us.” – Ernesto M. Ordoñez in Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12.20.2016

*** Last year, during the regular press conferences at Abreeza Mall, the Davao City Water District said that should there no new sources of potable water, there is a tendency that water crisis will hit the country’s biggest city by 2019 – that’s two years from now!

Atty. Bernardo D. Delima, Jr., DWCD spokesperson, told those who attended the press briefing that the number of water connections, as per their record, has considerably grown to about 230,000.

The number was expected to even rise to 260,000 by the end of 2016. The primary reason for the leap: the influx of people from nearby provinces and other areas coming to Davao City.

In 2014, only 98.149 million cubic meters of water was being consumed by the city, according to Atty. Delima. By 2019, the projected demand is about 117.265 million cubic meters. But the problem is: DCWD’s demand is only at 104 million cubic meters.

Davao City, one of biggest cit-

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

VANTAGE POINTS

7

Coping ploited by aliens in cahoots with the local elite, its marine resources gobbled up by intruders and our independence contravened by foreign powers and meddlers masquerading as human rights advocates.

Our young people – the youths whom Dr. Jose Rizal described as the “hope of the Fatherland” – are busy tinkering their hi-tech gadgets, unmindful of the dire circumstances they are in as increasing tuition fees, unemployment, soaring costs of staple food and commodities, agrarian and housing problems, inadequate farming outputs and supply continue to haunt the population.

These inequities are basically traceable to the cumulative negligence, inefficiency, incompetence and mal-governance attributed to the past administrations whose

SPECKS OF LIFE Fred C. Lumba unreasonably ambitious leaderships were tempted and lured by personal obsessions of greatness and legacy.

Today, the entire Filipino nation is crudely struggling because

its people have been caught flatfooted, napping and unprepared to cope with the avalanche of change.

For six straight years, we were lulled by the empty promises of a cult that described itself as trekking the straight path, spreading and distributing its messianic rhetoric like a surprised Christmas gift to a homeless street urchin.

As you all can see, only the well-entrenched elite – the oligarchs, the rich and the famous – are not complaining. They have nothing to worry about.

They need not worry because they don’t need to cope.

They don’t need to cope because they are not bothered by the inequities that hobble our society and the smooth flow of basic social services.

They are not bothered because

they have no conscience.

They have no conscience because they don’t have a heart that responds humanely.

They don’t have a human heart that beats and pulsates because they are numb and callous.

They are numb and callous because they are not human beings.

A well-renowned preacher, writer and motivator once wrote: “The greatest struggles are not fought on the world’s battlefields.

They are fought in human hearts as men and women deal with the pressures within which often defeat them.

The real enemies are forces such as fear, worry, inadequacy, inferiority, anger, frustration, hate, greed…and the inability to cope.”

(Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

For a country that is likely to experience severe water shortage, “we must give utmost priority to improving our water security,” Legarda urged. “We need to craft a roadmap for sustainable water use and consolidate all water agencies to address issues such as overlapping and fragmented regulation of water supply services.”

According to Legarda, water security is not only about the provision of sufficient water for the needs of our people and our economic activities, it is also about having healthy ecosystems and building resilience to water-related disasters, including storms, floods and droughts.

“Extreme weather events, such as intense or more frequent rains and increasing number of hot days, along with weak resource management are factors that lead to low water security,” she said.

The right to water is a basic human right. “A person can survive only three to five days without water, in some cases people have survived for an average of one week,” says thewaterpage.com. “Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. The presence of water in the body could mean the difference between life and death.”

Among Filipinos, about 310 to 507 million cubic meters of water are being consumed each day. “A household of five needs at least

120 liters per days to meet basic needs – for drinking, food preparation, cooking and cleaning up, washing and personal hygiene, laundry, house cleaning,” noted David Satterthwaite and Gordon McGranahan in their collaborative report published in the State of the World.

Science has shown that life, as we know it, cannot exist without water. As Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Hungarian biochemist and Nobel Prize winner for medicine, said: “Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”

Water covers 75% of the earth’s surface and the amount that exists is already fixed: some 1,400 million cubic kilometers. Most of this, that is, 97.4%, is salt water; another 2% is locked away in ice caps and glaciers. This leaves only 0.6%, or 8.4 million cubic kilometers, of which some 8 million cubic kilometers are stored underground.

Put it another way, if all the earth’s water were to fit in a gallon jug (4 liters), the available fresh water would be just over one tablespoon.

“Although water is a renewable resource, it is also a finite one,” writes Sandra Postel, author of Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity. “Nature makes only so much available in a given region each year – and supplies can drop considerably below average in times of drought.”

Water crisis is real!

ies in the country, is blessed with abundant fresh drinking water, both ground and surface. According to DCWD’s website, “Mount Apo serves as the recharge point and the areas at the foot of the mountain contain these large reservoirs, the biggest of which is the Calinan, Toril and Talomo Triangle.”

But for how long this water would be available, no one knows.

In 1991, Davao City was one of the nine cities in the country to be included in a study done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency as “water-critical areas.” The eight other cities were Metro Manila, Cebu, Baguio, Angeles, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga.

“We never know the worth of water, till the well is dry.” That was what Thomas Fuller said several centuries ago. It has been used again and again but water is still being taken for granted until now.

“Perhaps the seeming abundance of it creates a sense of complacency without realizing that of all the world’s water, only about 0.5% is suitable for human consumption,” Senator Loren Legarda reminded during the recent World Water Day celebration.

Unknowingly, there are at least 1.8 billion people around the world drink unsafe water. The situation in the Philippines, which is surrounded by water, fares no better.

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

Statistics showed there are eight million Filipinos who lack access to safe water and 26.5 million lack access to improved sanitation.

Eighteen Filipinos die daily from diarrhea and other water-borne diseases; 55 Filipinos die daily from diseases caused by lack of proper sewerage and sanitation facilities.

While the government and some private institutions are trying to address these problems, the country still faces with new challenges.

“Water stress, amplified by climate change, will create a growing security challenge. In fact, the Philippines will likely experience severe water shortage by 2040 due to the combined impact of rapid population growth and climate change,” Legarda said.

8

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

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9

10 NEWS

FILM WORKSHOP. Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation, Inc. chair Dax Cañedo (right), together with FDCP-Davao marketing officer Anthony Rebamonte, announces the upcoming advanced screenwriting

14 CONVICTED... FROM 1

132 cases of human trafficking served by their agency in 2016.

The DSWD, she added, did not limit itself in the filing of cases against human traffickers as the agency also rendered various services to the victims.

“We did not only concentrate child trafficking but also worked on the growing problem of child pornography,” Dimakiling added.

The increased cases of child trafficking and pornography was also confirmed by Jeanette Ampog, executive director of Talikala Foundation in the same press conference Monday.

Among the factors that Ampog cited in the increase is through online recruitment.

“Women and even children are being lured to come to other places through online recruitment. Pimps are also online to lure women and children to their customers,” Ampog said.

She cited the case of a 16-year old girl who was trafficked to a bar in Davao City through online but did not give specific details.

Ampog added that Talikala Foundation is able to record 82 cases of child pornography in the city and the region from January to March this year.

Despite the increase of the number of human trafficking and child pornography last year, gains were also presented by authorities in terms of fighting such crime in the city and the region.

Deputy Regional Prosecutor Flores said 95 cases on human trafficking were filed in court in 2016.

Of the total cases filed, 14 cases resulted in conviction; another 14 cases were dismissed; four cases withdrawn; 12 archived; 6 cases resulted to acquittal; and 45 are still active.

The 95 cases, Flores added involved 145 victims of human trafficking – of which 130 are female and 15 are males.

Of the 130 female victims, 84 of them are minors while 46 are adults, while in male victims, 12 are minors and three are adults.

The 95 cases also involved 149 persons accused, of which 73 are females and 76 are males.

Of the 73 accused females, 46 are now detained in various jail facilities in the city and the region while 27 are still at large – and in the case of 76 accused males, 38 are now detained while 38 are at large.

Flores said foreigners were among those involved in 95 cases of human trafficking in the region – one New Zealander who is presently detained; three Koreans who are all at large; three Americans who are detained; and one British who is at large.

Flores added that most of those convicted last year were pimps who were penalized with 15 years to life imprisonment.

She also explained that cases that were dismissed and withdrawn were due to the lack of evidence and in cases when the complainants and victims no longer appear in courts as they could no longer be located.

Archived cases involved accused who are still at large.

Flores attributed the increase of human trafficking last year into the lack of values that most of the young people exhibited.

“In schools and in homes, we must inculcate into our children and the young generation their values as human beings,” she pointed out.

Ampog, on the other hand, attributed the increase to poverty as she emphasized that most of the victims are living below the poverty line.

basic safety net in time of contingencies. Their SSS contributions is essentially a form of long-term savings for the future, especially when they decide to return home and retire,” Dooc said.

He explained that Filipino mi-

grant workers are often excluded from coverage under the social security schemes of their host countries, whose applicable laws and regulations provide only for the protection of their own nationals. (PR)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Appointing... FROM 2

workshop on April 18 to 22 and advanced film acting workshop on April 24 to 29 during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

Cacao... FROM 1

The distribution of fertilizers and seedlings is also being facilitated by the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO) of Compostela Valley headed by Dr. Rolando Simene.

High-Value Commercial Crops Development Division Chief Minda Agarano said the distribution of seedlings and fertilizers would continue as more farmers in Compostela Valley were now willing to go into high-value crops production.

The first recipients of fertilizers and seedlings late last week were the farmers from

Montevista town where 660 sacks of fertilizers were released.

Montevista Mayor Eutropio Jayectin expressed gratitude to Gov. Uy, DA-11 and PAGRO for the support to the farmers in his municipality.

Jayectin said the distribution of seedlings allow farmers to expand their cacao and coffee areas and increase their production and income.

PAGRO and DA-11 will schedule the distribution of fertilizers and seedlings in other towns, the statement added. (PNA)

is “a war on the poor” and exposes the chief executive’s “contempt for lives.”

Abella pointed out that shabu, the most prevalent drug in the Philippines, is dubbed as poor man’s cocaine because of its low cost as compared to other high end drugs, and its availability in the streets.

Because of this, he said shabu, which largely comes from outside the Philippines, is in great demand from both users and distributors, majority of whom came from poor families.

“Poverty, however, does not justify the use and selling of shabu. As the President said, he has to clean up the streets of drug users, pushers and dealers, regardless of their socio-economic status in life,” the Palace official said.

“HRW and similar other organizations should therefore be more circumspect about meddling in the country’s domestic affairs. Their lack of appreciation of the context and local reality show a deep insensitivity to other cultures,” Abella said. (PNA)

in remote communities in the province.

Shaimah Macadatu, a Maguindanaon women’s group leader, accepted the governor’s challenge. She said on top of advocating for women’s rights, protection against abuses and illegal trafficking, her group will educate mothers how to prevent their teens from joining “unIslamic” groups.

“This is the biggest challenge for us women. Undeni-

ably, we have very important roles to play to prevent the spread of terrorism,” Macadatu said during Tuesday night’s search for “Ginang ng mga Kababaihan” at the town’s gymnasium.

Witnessing the women’s month culminating program were representatives from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). (PNA)

Palace... FROM 3

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DCWD... FROM 14 lude to the official World Water Day celebration on March 30, 2017 where freebies have been given away to paying customers in the different DCWD offices and collection centers.

These activities are part of DCWD’s 2Big Campaign which highlights the water utility’s

services and operation, water conservation, and environmental protection. This year-round campaign aims to collect plastic materials from various sectors to be recycled into school chairs which will be donated to public schools.

(Winston Ajero)

if President Rodrigo Duterte wants to appoint the barangay official, the Constitution should be amended with regard to the matter of local officials.

“If the intention of the President is to identify or monitor the barangay officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs, the remedy is to file appropriate charges against them,” Macalintal said.

He added, “He can also ask Congress to abolish the positions of barangay councilors so it would be easy for him to monitor the 42,095 punong barangays instead of the entire 336,810 barangay officials.”

On the other hand, a Manila priest opined that the people should be given the chance to elect barangay officials.

“Let the people decide whom they want as barangay leaders. Let the law be followed instead of skirting it,” said Fr. Jerome Secillano, Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish in Sampaloc.

“There are legal issues with regards to appointing brgy. officials instead of electing them. Besides, even if the nominees will be named by the religious sector, this practice of appointing them smacks of patronage politics,” he added. (PNA)

allow the visit by some of our troops to have an idea of that particular vessel,” Mercado aid.

He also said that he was able to board the ship during a recent visit to Japan.

The construction of the JS Izumo began in 2011 at an IHI Marine United shipyard in Yokohama, with 113.9 billion yen (USD1.5 billion)funds set aside in 2010 budget.

Ships of this class were initially intended to replace the

two ships of the Shirane class, which were originally scheduled to begin decommissioning in 2014.

JS Izumo, weighing 27,000 long tons and measuring 248 meters long, is the largest Japanese naval vessel since World War II. She was laid down on Jan. 27, 2012 and launched on Aug. 6, 2013. The ship began sea trials on Sept. 29, 2014 and was commissioned on March 25, 2015. (PNA)

rangay Don Mariano, Lupon, Davao Oriental.

Batchar said the militiamen were riding separately in two motorcycles, unarmed and in civilian clothes when flagged down and abducted by the NPAs. The abduction took place after an armed encounter

between the rebels and elements of 28th Infantry Battalion in Purok 2, Barangay New Visayas, Lupon, he added.

Batchar said both Doller and Nucos are now under the custody at the headquarters of 701st Infantry Brigade in Sitio Magay, Barangay Don Martin Marundan, in Mati City.

Piti (Guam), Oahu (Hawaii, United States), and Los Angeles (California, United States).

The 14,000-kilometer cable system estimated to cost at around USD 250 million will consist of two fiber pairs with an initial design capacity of 20 terabits

per second and will use the latest in submarine fiber-optic technology with 100 gigabits per second transmission equipment per pair that will cater to the exponential growth of bandwidth between Southeast Asia and the United States. (PNA)

To further improve their operations, Dacera also said they are set to acquire two units of ambulances to beef up its rescue and response unit.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera had pushed for the construction of the CDRRMO building to establish a permanent disaster and emergency command center for the city.

Such move was among the strategies adopted by the local government in line with its

efforts to institutionalize the CDRRMO, which was formally created in 2012.

The city council approved last year the allocation of P20 million for the construction of the CDRRMO building based on a budget endorsed by the city mayor’s office.

The funding for the project was drawn from the DRRM component of the city’s supplemental budget number 02 for 2015. (PNA)

Biggest... FROM 2

Freed... FROM 3

Globe... FROM 14

GenSan... FROM 11

NOTICE OF LOSS

Notice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s) under LOYOLA PLAN ISSUED TO THE FOLLOWING PLANHOLDERS, TO WIT: PH NAME

1. RITA S. DELOS SANTOS 2. LORETA G. CASTRENCE

3. AURELIO N. MISA

CFP NO.

CONTRACT NO.

UAW-1503707-2 070302 022713

727639-7

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

3/14/21/28

INdulge!

DURIANBURG’S URBANITES who want to live in the heart of the city now have a choice thanks to the recent launch of Cebu Landmasters’ latest condominium development, MesaTierra Garden Residences, at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Hotel last March 20.

“We envision a garden city within an urban enclave. MesaTierra Garden Residences is your own personal paradise located at the heart of Davao City,” said Fred Yuson, CEO of Yuson Comm Investment, the joint venture partner of Cebu Landmasters, Inc..

The 22-storey green residential condominium will be located at Emilio Jacinto Extension, and will house 694 residential units and 259 parking slots.

Garden-inspired amenities like swimming pools, a sky garden, landscape areas, exercise station, fitness gym and playground complete the amenities of the residential tower.

“What would differentiate MesaTierra Garden Residences from other condominiums is its emphasis on environment.

One deserves a home in a garden enclave in the midst of a busy metropolis. We want to be able to give our clients the best experience,” said Jose Soberano III, president and Chief Executive Officer of Cebu Landmasters.

“With MesaTierra and

its eco-friendly and green features, we are providing a space for a breath of fresh air amidst the busy city life of Davao. More than just being physical structures to live in, MesaTierra is a lifestyle statement about a better way of living,” added Yuson. “With MesaTierra Garden Residences, we are welcomed home to greener pastures.”

Each MesaTierra unit features painted walls, partitions and ceilings, vinyl plank floorings, toilet and bath with complete bathroom fixtures, and a kitchen sink with countertop and base cabinet. It also includes provisions for kitchen exhaust, an air-conditioning unit, cable TV, telephone and Internet connections.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

Living ‘green’ at

MESATIERRA

A2 INdulge!

EVENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Tangram meets art THE SEVEN BOARDS OF SKILL, tangram is a puzzle that is put together to form various shapes. At SM City Davao, the puzzle concept was brought to life in a colorful painting competition last March 11.

Mall manager Lynette Lopez opened the event at the Event Center of the Annex. Fifty students from University of Mindanao and the Davao City National High School participated in the contest. The 8 groups, composed of 5 members each, were given unique shapes to paint on. They were tasked to complete their art works in approximately 5 hours.

The challenge was not only of the time constraint but also coming up with a cohesive design concept that would work well with the respective group’s assigned shape. At the end of the competition, Tabula Rasa Art Group members Dinky Munda and Brando Cedeño along with sculptor Nicky Wijangco adjudged the Fish group as the grand winner of the contest. Coming in second and third were the Swan and Boat teams, respectively. The artworks were then exhibited for a week at the ground floor of the Annex.

The Tangram Painting contest is part of SM’s region-wide Art in the City campaign. The campaign features exhibition, sessions and competition in all Mindanao SM malls- SM City Davao, SM Lanang Premier, SM City Cagayan de Oro and SM City General Santos.

For SM Davao events inquiries, call 297-6998.

For event and promo updates, like SM City Davao on Facebook or follow them on twitter and Instagram.

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ENTERTAINMENT

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

Encantadia, Mulawin vs. Ravena stars soar high SOARING HIGH DURING THE 80TH CELEBRATION OF ARAW NG DABAW, the stars of GMA Network’s ground-breaking telefantasya series Encantadia and Mulawin vs. Ravena made their fans extra happy during their various mall shows last March 16 and 17.

The excitement for the much-awaited flight of Mulawin vs. Ravena was evident among locals and tourists the moment Dennis Trillo went on stage during the program’s Kapuso Mall Show in Gaisano Mall Toril last March 16. The Kapuso Drama King charmed his fans who patiently waited for him to take the stage. They were not disappointed, with Dennis showing off

his singing skills to the crowd.

Joining Dennis were his co-stars in the upcoming GMA program, Dion Ignacio and Kiko Estrada. Like Dennis, Dion and Kiko made sure the Dabawenyos had an afternoon they would not forget. Aside from serenading the ladies, the Kapuso hunks were all game when the ladies asked to have photos with them.

Abreeza Mall was also

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beaming with eager fans who were waiting for two of the hottest love teams today—BiGuel and DerBea. Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali; and Derrick Monasterio and Bea Binene, who are also part of Mulawin vs. Ravena, treated their supporters to an afternoon of kilig by singing and dancing to today’s latest hit songs.

Enkantadiks of all ages also rejoiced when Encantadia stars Ruru Madrid, Sanya Lopez, and Glaiza de Castro went to SM City Davao for their Kapuso Mall Show last March 17. Fans who were not able to make it to the jampacked activity center were not dissuaded and positioned themselves in areas surrounding the stage, all the way to the mall’s second floor. Cheers and shouts welcomed Ruru, Sanya, and Glaiza when they went out and greeted their fans.

“Like our Kapusong Dabawenyos, we are elated that the stars of Encantadia and Mulawin vs. Ravena were able to join us in this year’s celebration Araw ng Dabaw,”

said GMA Regional TV head Oli Amoroso. “Encantadia continues to be one of the highest-rating programs on Philippine TV while everyone is looking forward to watch Mulawin vs. Ravena. Bringing these two powerhouse shows to Davao is just a testament of GMA Network’s commitment of giving back to our loyal Kapuso the support they continue to give us. And we’ve only just begun. Watch out for more Kapuso Mall Shows from GMA Regional TV,” he added.

Young Kapuso stars breathe life to iconic ‘Voltes V’ characters THE TIMELESS JAPANESE ANIME CLASSIC Voltes V returns to its home in the Philippines this March 27 as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. Catch the Armstrong brothers with Jamie Robinson and Mark Gordon on GMA Astig Authority as they defeat numerous monster aliens while trying to overthrow the evil Boazanians led by Prince Zardoz.

The voices behind these iconic characters are the most soughtafter Kapuso stars, Derrick Monasterio as Steve

Armstrong, Bea Binene as Jamie Robinson, Jak Roberto as Mark Gor-

don, Hiro Peralta as Big Bert Armstrong, and Ken Chan as the villain

Prince Zardoz.

Beginning Monday, look back on this all-time favorite anime series and follow the story of five friends who edge on their harmony as a team in defeating the most evil creatures on the planet.

Using five Volt Machines that make up the Voltes V robot, Steve, Jamie, Mark, Big Bert and Little John try to protect mankind by using state of the art weapons embedded in each machine. Tune in to Voltes V every Mondays to Fridays, 8:25AM only on GMA-7.

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

11 SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Comval holds agri festival T HE provincial government of Compostela Valley under the leadership of Gov. Jayvee Tyron L. Uy conducted a one-day harvest festival dubbed as “Bulawanong Ani sa Compostela Valley” last March 22 in Barangay Tuo-Tubo, Monkayo town.

The festival that carried the theme “Sa Makanunayong Pagtuon sa Teknolohiya sa Pagpanguma, Dako nga Abot Makab-ot Ta” was held in a 10-hectare Compact Inbred Rice Technology Demonstration in said barangay.

Vice-Governor Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora led the provincial officials during the festival together with Monkayo Mayor Ramil Gentugaya, Rolando Semine of the provincial agriculture office and Christopher Edjic of municipal agriculture office.

The harvest festival was joined by farmers and irrigators associations from Monkayo town, to include the Tinago Irrigators & Marketing Cooperative (TIMARCO), Sugod Rice Farmers Association (SURFA), Rizal United Farmers Communal Irrigators Associ-

ation (RUFCIA), Upper Naboc Irrigators Association (UNIA), Inambatan Farmers Association (IFASS), Poblacion Rice farmers Association (PRFA), Salvacion-Union Agrarian Communal Irrigators Association SUARCIA), Lower Naboc Irrigators Association (LNIA) and Olaycon Farmers Association.

Mayor Gentugaya gives his assurance of support to the farmers with rice farming as one of the main livelihood in the municipality aside from

FLAGSHIP PROJECT. Sarangani province Schools Division Superintendent Isagani dela Cruz presents to the province’s education stakeholders on Thursday the division’s flagship program dubbed as Project CHILD or Communities and Homes Inspiring Innovative Leadership and Learning

mining. He added that he will give assistance to the farmers such as fertilizers and technical trainings to enhance their knowledge and to have a bigger harvest in the future.

“Importante kaayo ang paghatag kanila ug trainings and ideas labi na sa mga bag-ong technology nga mapataas ang output sa ilang mga harvest kay sauna kung unsa ang ilang naandan, mao ra gyud to sama sa traditional nga pamaagi,” he said.

Shionee Meroy, who

owns a 2-hectare rice farm, expressed her gratitude to the program of the government in the conduct of rice technology demonstration in their barangay. She said that along with other farmers, they have learned a lot during the conduct of seminars and training as well as to the actual demonstration in the area.

The agricultural technician shared their ideas as to the land preparation, when to apply pesticides and insecticides, among others.

Designs. The project is expected to bring together families, policy makers, schools and students toward a shared goal of increasing effective learning and teaching. (Jake T. Narte/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

GenSan to build P20-M disaster operations center

T

HE city government of General Santos has started the preparatory works for the construction of its P20 million City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) building.

Dr. Agripino Dacera Jr., CDRRMO head, said the new structure will be built beside the city employees’ association office building within the local

government center.

He said the city government had identified the development of the CDRRMO building as among its priorities this year.

“The preparatory works are ongoing and the actual construction will commence soon,” he said.

Dacera said the building was designed as a three-storey

structure that will host offices under the CDRRMO and the city’s disaster operations center.

He said the building’s ground floor will host the agency’s warehouse and garage for emergency response vehicles and ambulances.

The second floor was set for its offices, conference room and operations center, which

includes the base of the city’s emergency hotline “Rescue 727.”

Dacera said the building’s third level will be utilized for trainings, seminars and other activities of the CDRRMO. He said a radio antenna and tower for communication facilities will also be installed at the rooftop of the new building.

gram of Women’s Month celebration, has expressed alarm over the rising cases of recruitment of young Maguindanaons by jihadists.

“There’s persistent reports of recruitment by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)-inspired groups in the province,” Mangudadatu said.

“We should not allow ex-

treme minds to develop among our youth,” he said, adding that mothers and women should guide their children, especially teens, to a better life. ”Mothers must play their roles to save our children from extremism and radicalism,” the governor added.

He said reports have been going around that extremists,

disguising as religious missionaries, have been luring the youth to join extremists who attack all kinds of people, regardless of faith, color, culture and affiliation.

Military intelligence reports showed that international and local jihadists who pledge allegiance to ISIS are

FGENSAN, 10

Maguindanao guv asks women’s help against extremism

R

ECOGNIZING the role of women or mothers in shaping the future of children, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu urged them to help in the government’s efforts to rid Moro communities of extremists or radicals.

Mangudadatu, speaking during the culminating pro-

FMAGUINDANAO, 10

“Dako gyud kaayo ug deperensiya kung wala tay kahibalo kay sauna makontento lang ta sa atong abot nga 60-70 sacks per hectare unya balik-balik lang atung abono ug medisina nga gigamit. Karon nga naka attend ko ug mga seminars and trainings, dako diay ug bintaha kay sukad nga naka seminar nako kabalo nako kanus-a mag apply ug medisina ug abono unya akong abot miabot na sa 120-130 ka sako per hectare,” said Meroy.

Also attending the harvest

festival are the Manager of BACKPHIL Reynaldo Eniqueza, Rey Lagdameo of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), personnel of 72nd IB, 25th IB, and PCI Gerry Abrogina of Monkayo PNP. The Bulawanong Ani is conducted in collaboration with the DA, Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAGRO), Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAGRO) of Monkayo and the Brgy. Local Government Unit of Tubo-tubo. (Rey Antibo, IDS Comval)

HE municipal government of Polomolok in South Cotabato has created a technical working group (TWG) that will spearhead initiatives in line with its proposed conversion into a city.

Polomolok Mayor Honey Lumayag-Matti said the move is mainly aimed to properly coordinate and fast track efforts for the municipality’s bid to become the province’s second component city.

She said the TWG, which was created through Executive Order No. 2, will specifically lead studies and the gathering of necessary documents to support their cityhood bid.

It was also tasked to keep track of developments on House Bill (HB) 1218 or the proposed “Act converting the municipality of Polomolok in the Province of South Cotabato into a component city to be known as the City of Polomolok.”

HB 1218, which was authored by South Cotabato 1st District Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr., was filed on July 5, 2016 and was referred by the House committee on rules on Aug. 1 to the committee on local government.

The House local government committee is chaired by Acharon.

Matti noted that the municipality has long been qualified to become city based on the amended provisions of Section 450 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

It provided that a “municipality or a cluster of barangays may be converted into a component city if it has a locally generated average annual income, as certified by the Department of Finance, of at least P100 million for the last two consecutive years based on 2000 constant prices.”

The mayor said that Polomolok, which is classified as a first class municipality, has surpassed these requirements as it generated a total income of P327.1 million in 2014 and P368.8 million in 2015.

She said the town is consistently among the top performers in terms of revenue generation in the province and in Region 12.

In 2016, she said Polomolok ranked ninth overall in the entire country in the competitiveness survey for municipalities based on economic dynamism, government efficiency and infrastructures indicators.

The town hosts the pineapple plantations and canning plant of fruit giant Dole Philippines, Inc. as well as several other industries and major agribusiness ventures.

Based on the 2015 census, Polomolok’s population already reached 152,589, surpassing the 150,000 requirement.

In terms of land area, the town covers a total of 33,997 hectares or 339.97 square kilometers or way beyond the 100-square kilometer requirement. (PNA)

SoCot town creates TWG for cityhood bid T

12 HEALTH EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Saving lives of those with dengue

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

W

HILE three journalists from Davao City (ABS-CBN’s Ruben Gonzaga, Department of Agriculture’s Noel Provido, and myself) were receiving awards at the recent Binhi Awards in Makati City, another Dabawenyo (a physician) also got his coveted recognition at the Third Health Exemplar Awards also in Makati.

Dr. Richard T. Mata was named as one of the five recipients of the Health Exemplar Award given by the medical advisory board and editorial staff of Health and Lifestyle Magazine.

Dr. Mata, whose clinic is in Panabo City, was cited for his significant contribution “in raising awareness on dengue and how it can be prevented at the community level.”

Dr. Juan Dela Peña Sanchez Jr. was honored for introducing “innovative means of healthcare delivery, particularly with his Mobile Surgical Unit and soon-to-be-developed Hospital on Wheels.”

Dr. Edgardo Ulysses Nguyen Dorotheo was recognized for his active participation “in various campaigns against smoking here and abroad” while Dr. Iris Thiele Isip-Tan was given the award for harnessing “the power and reach of the internet and social media to enhance awareness on endocrinological problems like diabetes and thyroid disease.”

The Mu Sigma Phi Sorority of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine was commended for its “zealous commitment in serving the marginalized has led to life-changing improvements in

the health and wellness of these people.”

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Mata thanked jokingly the mosquitoes, particularly the dengue-carrying species, because of them, he was given an award.

“There are simply too many dengue deaths worldwide that I do believe could have been prevented,” he said seriously.

According to him, dengue could be the most misunderstood disease in this planet today. “In my years of practice, I have discovered a lot of things that are so important about this disease but it’s not yet written in medical textbooks or in any website, thus I made it an advocacy to teach it in the simplest way possible as (Albert) Einstein said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’”

Most people are terrified of dengue because when the blood platelets decrease, it causes severe bleeding and ultimately death. This thinking, he said, is very wrong.

“That’s a misconception maling akala, ayun nga sa Eraserheads, maraming namamatay sa maling akala,” Dr. Mata pointed out.

In his speech, he cited another disease called ITP, which stands for idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura.

“It is not dengue but it also has low platelets as less than 5 but I noticed patients are just playing around far from dying.

“So, that proves the point, the low platelet is not the main cause of dengue deaths,” he said. “As such, tawatawa and papaya has no much role because platelets is not the issue.

What really kills dengue patients is dehydration.”

Dr. Mata paused for a moment and then explained the whole thing.

“When the mosquito bites you, the dengue virus will enter your blood vessels and it will cause plasma leakage, or what I call as butas ang mga ugat. It’s like you have thousands of pinpoint holes in your blood vessels that causes it to leak with water that will cause

dehydration.

“Para kang supot na may tubig na may butas butas. It’s like a secret diarrhea. And that’s why it’s dangerous because you cannot see the fluids that comes out of the vessels unlike in loose bowel movement where it’s obvious. So, it’s easy to estimate the needed amount of hydration in diarrhea than that of dengue.

All the worst if you don’t even know its dehydration.”

Dr. Mata said dehydration causes shock: “Dahil naubos na ang tubig, wala ng pressure. Kaya nga tinawag na dengue shock.”

Dehydration also causes intestinal ulcer that causes bleeding. “And because the platelets are low, the bleeding becomes severe. But if there was no dehydration, there will be no ulcer and thus no bleeding – even if the platelets are low just like in ITP. So, it still boils down to dehydration.”

Dehydration also causes kidney failure, which result from the decrease in urine output. “This causes the water to be retained in the lungs thereby creating congestion that can kill the patients,” Dr. Mata said.

Many people believe congestion is caused by over hydration. “But the truth is,

it is caused by kidney failure due to dehydration,” he said.

“That’s ironic, right?”

Dr. Mata suggested that doctors should focus on improving the knowledge and the management on hydration. By doing so, he said, “we will save thousands of patients from those complications of dehydration and even from dying.”

If only the scientists got it right from the start, it should have been called dengue dehydration fever and not dengue hemorrhagic fever. “Imagine how many people we could have saved by proper understanding,” he pointed out.

“So how will you know if you are well hydrated,” he asked. “I leave you with this note: ang ihi ng ihi wagi! Dengue patients must be well-hydrated with Oresol and dextrose. If the patients are well hydrated, they will always urinate. With an almost clear color (of the urine)!

“Those who urinate small with longer intervals and with dark colored urine are in danger of severity. The good news is that the quality of the urine can warn us before the blood pressure drops and thus can be hydrated early and save the patient,” Dr. Mata concluded.

During the awarding, Dr.

Mata also brought his whole family to witness the event.

“I thank my wife Erika and my kids Patricia, Amanda and Rich for all the support,” he said, “and to our Lord Jesus Christ for this adventure of opening people’s eyes and saving lives!”

The Third Health Exemplar Awards also bestowed plaques of recognition for the commendable efforts of: the Hepatology Society of the Philippines, which provided “remarkable impetus for research on Hepatitis B and enlightened the public to significantly reduce the unfounded stigma suffered by individuals who are carriers of the Hepatitis B virus” and Dr. Faith Go for her continued support in “serving her hometown and other areas in Misamis Occidental through lay forums and preventive programs on cardiovascular diseases.”

Rosamy “Jing” Castañeda-Velasco, a veteran news personality and celebrity mother, was also recognized for extending “her influence and that of her network (ABSCBN) to help people in dire need of medical assistance; and through her television program, she helps address various family issues on health and wellness.” – ###

13 PROPERTY Living in style with Aeon Towers EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

F

njb@edgedavao.net

IRST there’s the view—the tallest in Davao’s skyline—which provides for the best ever 360-degree scenery of the beauty that is Davao.

Then there’s the fresh, new upscale lifestyle it offers.

All that is the promise of Aeon Towers.

The moving spectacle from Davao City’s future iconic real estate skyscraper Aeon Towers is as breath-taking as a masterpiece of art on moving canvas.

If you are one who loves the tranquillity of your own abode after a busy day in the office, this is your ideal mancave. From one side,

there is the island view—a view of the pristine blue waters of the Davao Gulf and the Island Garden City of Samal on the horizon where white sand beaches abound.

Now, if you are the fast-living city rat, a night creature who loves watching over your idea of Gotham City at night, this is your giant silver screen— the city’s flickering lights, images on LED billboards, cars cruising through the city streets.

Aeon Towers is the signature project of a new player in the real estate market that is truly Davaoborn, FTC Group of Companies has very interesting business interests in the city before it ventured into

real estate development.

Among the fine features of Aeon Towers is its jogging path on the sixth level which provides future residents a place for wellness and physical fitness workouts. It will also have spa and wellness center, an adult and kiddie pool, a library, a function hall and a conference room.

The glass-encased tower will have modern amenities comparable to the best of the Southeast Asian region.

The skydeck on the 33rd floor features a breath-taking view of the

Smart Home technology while green building concept is being observed in all aspects of the construction. The glass walls offer full UV protection.

Aeon Towers recently topped off and is reported at 70 perccent complete. Turnover is expected by December to early 2018.

city and the Davao Gulf. It will have an infinity pool and offices on the tower’s summit.

Rooms on residential floors also feature internet digital controls through

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Kärcher Pressure Washer invades Davao C

USTOMERS of CitiHardware got a chance to have their vehicles cleaned with world-renowned and multi-awarded German-brand Kärcher Pressure Washers. This was done during a three-day Kärcher Carwash and Product Demo Event last March 19 to 21, 2016 at the parking area of CitiHardware, Quimpo Boulevard, Davao city.

Kärcher’s famed product line is expanding its “Full-Control” range of pressure washers with the K 2 and K 3 class models leading the worldwide pressure washer market. The right setting for a particular application utilizes a special key – a display on the trigger gun of the K 3 Full Control shows the selected pressure level, which can be adjusted by twisting the Vario® Power spray lance.

For especially stubborn dirt, a dirt blaster is included with the compact devices.

Self-explanatory symbols on the spray lances help the operator to choose the right accessory and the right setting for every application.

The use of detergents is now possible with the new Kärcher pressure washers.

For this purpose, the Kärcher K 2 Premium Full Control and the Kärcher K 3 models are equipped with a tank, and the Kärcher K 2 Full Control comes with a suction hose.

Washing is surely made easy, thanks to the extendable handle and the smooth-running wheels, Kärcher pressure washers are easy to transport.

A second handle on the base of the new models can be used for loading the device, and ensures good stability. In the “Home” version, the devices come with a surface cleaner.

This ensures quick and easy cleaning of horizontal and vertical surfaces, such as terraces or facades, and helps to guard against spray water.

Other than Kärcher pressure washers, more Kärcher products like vacuum cleaners are also available in all CitiHardware branches. Quality, German technology can now be enjoyed by every Davaoeño washer and cleaner whole year round.

Globe deploys SE Asia-US cable system in Davao City

G

LOBE Telecom installed its Southeast Asia-United States (SEA-US) submarine cable system in Davao City over the weekend.

Globe Business Senior Advisor Mike Frausing said the cable system would be able to provide greater route flexibility and support for applications and services dependent on bandwidth Internet which is necessary for critical operations of businesses.

“We are excited over this development since it won’t take long before we can finally address the rising demand for internet services from businesses in the Philippines,” Frausing said in a statement.

The SEA-US cable was con-

nected to the Globe cable landing station in Brgy. Talomo, Davao City which also houses the power feed equipment necessary to run the system. It is expected to ease the country’s dependence on international cable systems routed through northern Philippines and prevent a repeat of a 2008 incident where major international cables were broken due to the Taiwan earthquake which left the Philippines isolated for a few days in terms of Internet connectivity.

The SEA-US cable system consortium in which Globe is a part of, will link five areas and territories that include Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines),

FGLOBE, 10

DTI, ROBINSONS PARTNERSHIP. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez (4th from L) and Robinsons Department Store President and COO Robina Gokongwei-Pe (3rd from R) led the ceremonial launching of the first Go Lokal! store in Robinsons Place Manila on March 24. Go Lokal! is a retail store concept that serves as incubation, marketing, and branding platform for the best of Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) products including next generation One Town One

Davao Light explains unscheduled March 26 power outages

D

AVAO Light and Power Co. Inc. explains for the unscheduled power interruptions that happened this morning, March 26 affecting various areas within its franchise.

A series of power interruptions occurred between 9:06 am until 11:20 am, when electric service was fully restored in all areas.

The first was a planned interruption affecting Gaisa-

no, Victoria and Pampanga Substations to facilitate the upgrading works at the utility’s 138 kV line due to the Maa bridge expansion project of the DPWH along diversion road.

The second interruption in the same areas was unplanned. This resulted from a technical problem at the company’s Puan switching Station. In order to immediately restore power, the

said loads were temporarily transferred to the utility’s Davao Line 1.

The third power interruption at 11:17 am, also unplanned, was required in order to implement corrective measures.

Further investigation is still being conducted to determine the root cause of the problem.

Another power interruption happened affecting Tug-

conservation. There will be a forum on water quality and water conservation, an offsite customer support booth, and an interactive exhibit. There will also be a community Zumba fitness session to cap off the celebration.

Participants are encouraged to bring used plastic bottles which will be utilized for DCWD’s project in recy-

cling waste plastics into school chairs. These used bottles will be exchanged with giveaways from DCWD such as water tumblers, knapsacks, ball caps, and bags.

No registration fee or other charges will be collected from the participants since this activity is an advocacy campaign promoting water resources and environment

preservation among the general public.

DCWD has been one with the global community in celebrating World Water Day every March 22 to promote the importance and sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year, DCWD conducted a Customers Appreciation Day last March 22 as a pre-

HE state-run Social Security System said it is asking the help of lawmakers to implement the mandatory coverage of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) following its goal to expand its members’ coverage while providing security protection for the country’s new heroes.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc said the shift to mandatory OFW coverage is one of the provisions of the proposed charter amendment the pension fund is pushing in the legislative stage.

“Our objective is not just to strengthen enforcement of compliance for the coverage of employers and employees in the private sector, but also to encourage self-employed individuals and voluntary members like OFWs to register and be active in the system” he added.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that OFW statistics stood at 2.4 million as of 2016. Of this

number, about 20 percent only were paying-members of the SSS or about 500,000 OFWs, with contributions reaching P4.64 billion.

This number, however, represents only 13 percent of the estimated 3.84 million Filipinos working on temporary status abroad, as per latest data of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

He emphasized that the mandatory coverage of OFWs would increase the number of members of the pension fund on the back of SSS’ efforts for universal coverage.

On the other hand, SSS has disbursed P779 million in benefits to OFWs in 2016. These include initial and lump sum benefits fore retirement, death, (funeral with grant) and disability, and short-term benefits for sickness and maternity (for female workers).

“We are pushing for our OFWs to be covered on a mandatory basis in order to secure their

bok and Calinan substations at around 9:54 a.m. until 10:08 a.m. caused by a trip off of the company’s Tagum Line.

Finally, a short service disruption happened affecting Calinan Substation from 9:01 a.m. to 9:04 a.m. due to an electrocuted bird found inside the Calinan substation.

Davao Light apologizes for the inconvenience of the said unscheduled power interruptions. (PR)

DCWD invites Davaoeños to World Water Day 2017 celebration

D

AVAO City Water District encourages Davaoeños to take part in the One Call for All to be conducted on March 30, 2017, 1PM, at the Matina Town Square Pavilion in celebration of World Water Day 2017.

Themed “Water and Wastewater”, this year’s celebration will feature activities that would highlight water

Product (OTOP) offerings, showcasing modern and indigenous quality products crafted, designed, and created by innovative Philippine MSMEs. Joining them were Robinsons Department Store General Manager Johnson Go (leftmost), DTI Director Rhodora Leaño (2nd from L), DTI Asst. Secretary Rosvi Gaetos (3rd from L), Robinsons Malls Luzon Operations Director Irvin Wu (2nd from R) and celebrity endorser Maricar Reyes-Poon (rightmost).

(DTI Photo)

FDCWD, 10

SSS eyes mandatory OFW coverage T

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EDGEDAVAO

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PBA All-Stars, Gilas line-ups bared T

HE PBA on Sunday announced the players who will participate in the 2017 All-Star Week that will pit members of the Gilas Pilipinas pool and some of the league’s stars in three separate games in April.

Players representing the PBA All-Stars in the Mindanao leg on April 26 in Cagayan de Oro are Mark Barroca, Scottie Thompson, PJ Simon, Rafi Reavis, Mac Belo, Jio Jalalon, Cyrus Baguio, RR Garcia, Sonny Thoss, Carlo Lastimosa, Glenn Khobuntin, Baser Amer and Troy Rosario.

They will take on Gilas Pilipinas that will feature Terrence Romeo, June Mar Fajardo, LA Revilla, Mike Tolomia, RR Pogoy, Matthew Wright, Kevin Ferrer, Carl Bryan Cruz,

Fonzo Gotladera, Bradwyn Guinto and Norbert Torres.

For the Luzon leg in Lucena on April 28, the PBA All-Stars will be comprised of Marc Pingris, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Abueva, Paul Lee, Jayson Castro, Mark Caguioa, Alex Cabagnot, LA Tenorio, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, Ranidel De Ocampo and Stanley Pringle.

Team Gilas will be composed of Mike Tolomia, Almond Vosotros, Ed Daquioag, Jonathan Grey, Allein Maliksi, Matthew Wright, Kevin Ferrer, Carl Bryan Cruz, Norbert Torres, Bradwyn Guinto, Raymond Almazan and Arnold Van Opstal.

Playing for the PBA AllStars in the Visayas leg in Cebu on April 30 are James Yap, June Mar Fajardo, Ter-

rence Romeo, Joe Devance, Jeff Chan, Chris Ross, Chris Ellis, Aldrech Ramos, Dondon Hontiveros, Ronald Tubid, Asi Taulava and Jericho Cruz.

Gilas Pilipinas will be having Jayson Castro, Jio Jalalon, LA Revilla, RR Pogoy, Allein Maliksi, Von Pessumal, Mac Belo, Troy Rosario, Calvin Abueva, Raymond Almazan and Japeth Aguilar.

Team Luzon will be handled by San Miguel coach Leo Austria. Team Visayas will be steered by Ginebra coach Tim Cone, while Star coach Chito Victolero will call the shots for Team Mindanao.

Chot Reyes will coach Gilas Pilipinas in those three games which are part of their preparations for the SEABA Championship in Manila in May.

GILAS 5.0. The young Gilas generation (top) and the veterans (bottom) make up the pool of Gilas 5.0.

Unscouted Japanese squad a mystery for local teams L

UP AND UNDER. Kib Montalbo of The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO De La Salle goes for an undergoal stab against Javier Gomez De Liano of the University of the Philippines during the two teams match ending the

UP... FROM 16

Mbala of La Salle and new UP recruit Bright Akhuetie.

Akhuetie clearly outsmarted Mbala in their marquee match-up playing the passing big man role to perfection. With Akhuetie giving up the outlet passes to UP’s gunmen Desiderio and Jun Manzo, threes rained for the State hoopsters.

Desiderio was later named MVP while UP’s Bo Perasol was named Best Coach.

eliminations. The Fighting Maroons went on to defeat the Green Archers in this match and in the finals on Sunday to snare the 80th Araw ng Davao Invitational trophy at the Davao City Recreation Center. Lean Daval Jr.

The win gave UP a big morale boost going into the 80th season of the UAAP, although Akhuetie still needs to sit out a one-year residency before becoming eligible to don the Maroons kit.

Both schools enjoyed the huge support of its local alumni community with the La Sallites led by lawyer Mans Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio.

In the battle for third, Montana Pawnshop of Davao City beat National University Bulldogs 91-84 while Senator Manny Pacquiao’s Pacman Warriors-Gen. Santos City salvaged fifth place after dropping Malacanang Kamao 74-65.

UP also swept the side events as Juan Gomez de Liano took the three-point shootout title while Rob Ricafort won the slam dunk contest.

OCAL teams will be marching clueless when they battle Kobe Shinwa Women’s University in the final round of the Belo Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference starting Thursday at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Seasoned coaches Shaq Delos Santos of Petron and George Pascua of Cignal admitted they have not scouted the fancied Japanese squad, which will serve as the fourth team in the race to the crown of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Asics, Mikasa, Senoh and Mueller with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Delos Santos said they tried their best to search Shinwa’s past games online for any available video but their attempts yielded negative results.

On the same note, Pascua said Kobe Shinwa remains shrouded with mystery as he has yet to get any information

on how it plays.

“All I know is that it plays Japanese brand of volleyball to perfection,” said Pascua, who called the shots for Petron when it tangled with Japanese powerhouse Hisamitsu Springs in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship in Phu Ly, Vietnam in 2015.

“Other than that, we have no idea on how it plays. We tried looking for any available videos online, but we can’t get anything. I guess we’ll just work on the scouting when they arrive here on Tuesday.”

Even a veteran international campaigner in Moro Branislav of Foton admitted that facing Kobe Shinwa would be a major challenge, especially after they lost star spiker Dindin Manabat to a knee injury.

Manabat sustained a grade 2 MCL sprain and a partial ACL tear in their marathon match against Sta. Lucia last week, a

development that would sideline her for the rest of the conference.

Foton would be the first to test the mettle of the Japanese followed by Cignal on Friday and Petron on Saturday in the final match of this tourney that also has UCPB Gen as official insurance provider and Gold’s Gym as official fitness partner.

“This is a very big problem for Foton,” said the noted Serbian tactician. “Although I know that this Japanese team from Kobe is very good, I have no idea on how it plays. Let’s see what will happen. We will do our best to beat them.”

“Jovelyn (Gonzaga), Royse (Tubino) and Rachel (Daquis) were part of the Army team that beat the juniors team of Thailand last year,” said Pascua. “So we will be banking on the experience of our veterans to pull it off. It’s tough, but we will try our very best.”

WAYWARD ELBOW. Jarred Radley Lim of the University of the Philippines tags Andrei Caracut of The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO De La Salle with a wayward elbow. Lean Daval Jr.

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

HISTORY

VOL. 9 ISSUE 285 • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

UP Fighting Maroons dethrone TRMH-CMO La Salle in Araw hoops

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

S

njb@edgedavao.net

TART believing the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons are for real.

The Fighting Maroons were all over on both ends of the court on Sunday night to deny The

Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO De La Salle University a title repeat in the 80th Araw ng Davao Invitational with a crushing 87-79 win.

Paul Desiderio bamboozled the Green Archers with a tour-

nament-high 42 points to lead the Fighting Maroons to the title right on their first try before a jampacked Davao City Recreation Center. UP swept all its four games in the six-team tourna-

ment.

Desiderio fired nine three-pointers to overshadow the anticipated first encounter between UAAP MVP Ben

FUP, 15

RUNNER-UP. Davao City Sports Office head Mikey Aportadera (center) hands over the runnerup trophy to TRMH-CMO DLSU co-owner Glenn Escandor (right).

HISTORY. The UP Fighting Maroons celebrate their historic win over The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO La Salle Green Archers in the 80th Araw ng Davao Invitational Finals.