Edge Davao 9 Issue 287

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

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HIGH ALERT Army on tight watch as NPA celebrates anniversary EDGEDAVAO www.edgedavao.net

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

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Serving a seamless society

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HE Philippine Army in Davao region and portions of Southern and Central Mindanao has been on high alert as the communist New People’s Army commemorated its 48th founding anniversary on Wednesday, March 29.

Captain Rhyan Batchar, chief information officer of 10th Infantry (Agila) Division said all units in their areas of responsibility were ordered to be on guard and high alert for possible attacks and atrocities of the NPAs during the celebration.

“There is no suspension of military operations. No order has been issued on this from the higher command,” Batchar said.

He also urged the NPAs in the area to “assemble peacefully during your celebration” without any violence.

Batchar added that the rebels should not force or intimidate civilians in villages to come out and join their celebration.

The National Democratic Front in Southern Mindanao Region, in a statement sent to the media here on Wednesday said people are joining the 48th anniversary of the NPAs to advance the peoples’ war amidst the changing political landscape in the country.

The group said no changes are experienced by the Filipino people and communities in almost a year of the new administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

They also criticized the President for giving in to the rightists and militarists as the militarization in the countryside continues under his administration.

But the group also recognized that the continuation of peace talks with the government is vital to achieve lasting and just peace in the country.

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LIGHTING RALLY. Militants under the National Democratic Front’s revolutionary underground groups wearing masks printed with Kumander Parago’s image stage a lightning rally at the junction of E. Quirino Avenue and Magallanes Street in Davao City on Wednesday morning to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA). Lean Daval Jr.

The Tulip Drive food strip

Sports Dahican summer events to draw 10,000 tourists EDGEDAVAO

By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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HE Philippines’ skimboarding capital, Dahican will host eco-sporting events this summer which is eyed to lure around 10,000

visitors.

Dahican in Mati City, Davao Oriental is Visit Davao Fun Sale’s (VDFS) newest feature for its 2017 edition.

To top the list, the 1st Amihan National Skimboarding Competition” and “Ultimate Frisbee Invitational Tournament” slated on April 21 to 23,

2017 in which the winners of this tilt will be representing the country on the upcoming international competition also

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WHOPPING BLATCHE BONANZA P15 ON BOARD P14

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

REVOLUTIONARY SLOGANS. A traffic enforcer from the city Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) picks up the tarpaulins printed with revolutionary slogans left by members of revolutionary underground groups under the National Democratic Front during a lightning rally at the junction of E. Quirino Avenue and Magallanes Street in Davao City on Wednesday morning to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA). Lean Daval Jr.

Tadeco says its contract with Bucor‘above board’

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HE Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO) on Tuesday took exception to the statement of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in his House Resolution No. 867, which looked into the firm’s Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with the Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR).

House Resolution 867 considered the JVA as grossly disadvantageous to the government.But Tadeco argued it was false.

In a statement, TADECO said the arrangement between the company and BUCOR was not a lease arrangement but “a Joint Venture that is primarily aimed at the rehabilitation of the inmates in Davao Penal Colony (DAPECOL).”

“This rehabilitation program has been found to be very successful by BUCOR up to the extent that the latter has even requested TADECO to replicate the JVA program to its penal colony in Iwahig, Palawan,” it added.

It further said that the JVA had been reviewed and found to be advantageous to the government numerous times by the executive and the legislative departments in past administrations.

In fact, TADECO said, the most recent review in the 15th Congress in 2012 once again arrived at the same positive conclusion regarding the JVA and its benefits to government.

The Department of Jus-

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SCAA to be deployed for counter insurgency

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

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HE City Government will establish a Specialized Cafgu Active Auxiliary that will secure the outskirts of the city to answer the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to put a stop to insurgency.

Public Safety and Security Command Center chief Benito de Leon said that three companies or 360 SCAA will be deployed for additional security in Davao City.

“This is to answer the call of President Duterte to give priority to the insurgency here in the region, he required us to put a stop to it,” de Leon

said.

He said that even big establishments such as banana plantations can even hire SCAA in lieu of their security guard to put a stop on extortions and other threats to their companies.

De Leon though clarified that only those companies which are located in the outskirts of the city are encouraged to form their own SCAA and not those companies located in the downtown area.

He said that although the SCAA will be hired by the city, the budget for their salary will

be coming from the National Government. He said that an Executive Order will be created for the creation of SCAA. The City already have a SCAA under the Task Force Davao however, de Leon said that they saw the need for additional SCAA to further enhance the security of the city and to ensure that the city center is safe from any insurgency.

“The Military has requested that 3 companies be formed to help them protect the community in the remote areas of Davao City,” he said.

He said that the SCAA will help the military and police in securing those areas that are already cleared by the security forces to ensure that the rebels will not go back to the area.

De Leon said that they will not let their guards down despite the low level of threat recorded by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

“Despite the low threat level, our security elements has maintained a high threat level of security to maintain good posture in the City,” he said.

share of injustices from state agents citing military officers from the 10th Infantry Division whom she claimed sent her messages and ordered her to sign a paper to “prove” her submission to the officer.

She also cited other incidents of surveillance sighted and reported by her group during the activities they have organized in the city.

Furthermore, the multi-sectoral group questioned the motives of the intelligence who are monitoring their activities which include

engaging with communities on the prospects of peace talks and consulting constituencies on a peace agenda to benefit the people.

“It seems the attacks on people’s defenders and servants are an attempt to discourage people to serve the people, and aspire for a true agenda of just and lasting peace,” said Duazo.

The GRP-NDF panel recently agreed to resume peace talks as peace panels are set to meet on April 2 to 6.

Nurse-turned cop crowned as Ms. Ganda Pulis 2017 Groups blast surveillance, harassment by soldiers

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NURSE-TURNED policewoman from Eastern Visayas was crowned this year’s “Ms. Ganda Pulis 2017”.

The Grand Finals winner is PO1 Arla Ray Paciencia, a survivor of Typhoon “Yolanda” and a nurse by professional training turned policewoman.

Paciencia is currently assigned at the Headquarters of the Police Regional Office 8.

The other winners are 4th Runner Up, PO1 Janice Etang of PRO 13; 3rd Runner Up, PO1 Nove Lago of PRO 11; 2nd Runner Up, PO1 Bernnie Jane

Dela Cruz of PRO 3; and 1st Runner Up, PO1 Liezel Abajero of PRO 9.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) through the Police Community Relations Group, organized the “Ganda Pulis 2017” beauty pageant coinciding with the celebration of the “National Women’s Month”.

The pageant is the first ever “Ms. PNP”, which was a search for the country’s most confidently beautiful policewoman.

The contestants came

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By JERMAINE L. DELA CRUZ

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AVAO-BASED activist groups condemned on Monday what they termed as a series of harassment and surveillance activities they have experienced from the hands of military men over the past two weeks.

Guesting during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum, Rius Valle of Save our Schools Network cited an incident involving Salugpongan Community Learning Center director Ronie Garcia.

Valle said Garcia had just came from a moving up cere-

mony of their school in Brgy.

Palma Gil, Talaingod last March 24 when he and his group were held by plain-clothes soldiers when they crossed Sto. Niño.

Valle said Garcia has been subject to incidents of harassment and suspected surveillance in the past two months.

According to SOS, Garcia’s case is among the 87 cases of continuing attacks on schools by state agents reported since June 2016.

Bayan Muna Southern Mindanao Secretary General Sheena Duazo bared her own

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

NEWS 3 Floirendo denies plot to unseat Speaker Alvarez

D SLAIN COPS’ BENEFITS. Relatives of the recently slain police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur listen to the speeches of officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during the awarding ceremony of Employees’ Compensation Benefits held at Seda Abreeza Hotel on Wednesday morning.

Lean Daval Jr.

Nene Pimentel bucks moves to postpone barangay polls

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ORMER Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr., the “father of the Local Government Code,” is against moves to postpone the October 23, 2017 barangay elections to May 25, 2020 and have his party mate, President Rodrigo Duterte appoint OIC barangay officials.

Pimentel told ANC’s “Beyond Politics” on Tuesday that repeatedly postponing the elections will make the barangay institution “look like a joke.”

“More to the point. If barangay elections were not held, the power of the people to elect their own leaders and not allow their leaders to just be appointed, will be removed away from them. That is a terrible diminution of the power of our people granted to them under a democratic rule,” he said.

Pimentel told MindaNews in an e-mail that “there is no question that having the barangay officials elected by their constituents would be more in consonance with our Constitution than having them appoint-

ed by the President.”

“Getting the barangay officials elected by the people of the barangay concerned makes them beholden to their voters.

Appointing them, on the other hand, makes them feel they owe a debt of gratitude to the appointing power that they have somehow to repay,” added Pimentel, who had served as mayor of Cagayan de Oro, Local Governments Secretary during the transition period of the Aquino administration from 1986 until his election as Senator in 1987. Pimentel also served as Senate President from 2000 to 2001.

Surigao del Norte’s 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has filed House Bill 5359 to postpone the October 2017 polls to May 2020, declare the seats vacant and let the President appoint OIC barangay chairs and councilors.

There are 42,036 barangays nationwide as of December 2016, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority,

AVAO del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr. on Wednesday dispelled rumors that he is plotting to unseat Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

In a statement, Floirendo, son of the late banana magnate Antonio Sr., denied that he was behind any plot to oust Alvarez as Speaker and have him replaced by Pampanga Rep. Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo, who was removed as deputy speaker last March 15 for voting against the death penalty bill.

“I never attempted to talk to Arroyo nor would I ever support any plot to oust Speaker Alvarez who, in the first place, is a good friend of mine and whom I fully supported during the last election and in his bid for the speakership,” Floirendo said.

“If ever there is an iota of truth to the ouster plot, I am 100 percent not a part of it,” he added.

Alvarez and Floirendo are allies of President Rodrigo Duterte. Floirendo was Duterte’s biggest campaign contributor during the May 2016 polls with a contribution amounting to P75 million.

The rift between the Duterte allies developed when Alvarez filed a graft complaint against Floirendo before the Office of the Ombudsman for his alleged unconstitutional “business interest” over his banana firm Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO).

Alvarez also filed House Resolution (HR) No. 867 calling for a congressional inquiry

guard in confronting all possible dangers to the city.

“PSSupt. Val De Leon is a very hardworking person.

Upon assumption of the city director, right away, he gathered the staff and made an inventory about our personnel.

First intention of the OIC is to put more people in the field.

Right now, we are implementing the 95-5 scheme, 95 per cent of the officers are on the field while 5 per cent are in the office. But still he wants to trim down the people in the office, especially the junior officers to maximize our deployment

in order to maintain the low crime rate,” Chief Clamor stated.

Clamor said that the DCPO have deployed more officers in different areas to be able to respond quickly to avoid any untoward incidents from happening.

DCPO has heightened its alert status by 100 per cent and by conducting close monitoring in the different areas in Davao City especially right now that Holy week is fast approaching where an influx of people are to be expected during the celebration.

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DCPO head deploys more men in the field

By JECIA ANNE OPIANA

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EWLY-ASSUMED officer-in-charge of the Davao City Police Office, PS/Supt Valeriano de Leon has deployed more men and officers in the field to maintain low crime rate.

“Right now, we are implementing the 95-5 scheme, 95 per cent of the officers are on the field while 5 per cent are in the office,” said Police Supt. Jed Clamor of the changes initiated

by De Leon upon assumption of office.

Clamor said De Leon wanted to maximize deployment especially of junior officers.

With the recent exit of Director Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria, the Davao City Police Office has been steadfast in ensuring security and safety in the city.

Dubria, who will most likely assume as PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa’s senior executive assistant in Camp Crame, has been replaced by De Leon in an OIC capacity.

During the forum of the Armed Forces of the Philippines/Philippine National Police at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, Clamor said that the city police will not let down its

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Military denounces NPA for burning of Bukidnon school

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HE military on Wednesday denounced the burning of a public school allegedly by elements of the rebel New People’s Army in the hinterland village of Concepcion in Valencia City in Bukidnon.

A belated military report reaching here said that the NPA rebels allegedly burned the public school in Concepcion last Sunday after school officials refused to give in to the rebel’s extortion activities.

“The teachers refused to give in to the demands of the NPA rebels, who resorted to terroristic activities,” Lt. Erwin Bugarin, the spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion, said in the report.

Without considering the effects of their actions to the

civilian populace, especially the students of the said school, the armed group burned the faculty room, one classroom and the school library, Bugarin said.

He said that it becomes evident “that the NPA exempts no one in their extortion activities, not even the schools which are essential in providing education to the pupils and students living in marginal communities.”

Bugarin said that the military and also the civilian community denounced the cowardly acts that “show the real character of the NPA as a terror group even at a time when the resumption of the peace talks was scheduled to commence in the first week of April.” (PNA)

PUSH FOR MATI CITY. Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) Execom chair Benjie Lizada says it’s high time that the private sector in Mati City, Davao Oriental gets organized in relation to the expansion of VDFS. Lizada made the statement during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall on Wednesday morning.

Lean Daval Jr.

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

SoCot job order workers to get 10%-pay hike

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OB order (JO) or contractual employees of the provincial government of South Cotabato are set to receive a 10 percent increase in their salaries.

Alex Basco, chief of the Provincial Human Resources Management Office (PHRMO), said Wednesday they are currently finalizing the salary adjustment, which was earlier endorsed by South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes.

He said they proposed for the move to complement with the increases received by regular employees in line with Local Budget Circular No. 113 issued on Jan. 5 and the previous administration’s Executive Order No. 201 dated Feb. 19, 2016.

“JOs assist and provide support to our regular employees. Their salaries must be commensurate with the services they render,” Basco said.

The official said the local government needs an additional budget of around P15 million to provide for the salary adjustment.

He said Gov. Fuentes has committed to include such allocation in the second supplemental budget for this year.

The final appropriation is subject to deliberation and approval of the Sangguniang

Panlalawigan or provincial board’s finance committee.

The salaries of the provincial government’s 1,135 JO rank and file employees was last adjusted in January 2015 based on the revised rates approved by the provincial board.

It specifically increased the minimum daily wage rate of JO workers to P290.

The adjustment applied to workers until Salary Grade 16, which gets a daily pay of P745.

Meantime, the PHRMO will open next month a search for the most outstanding employees of the provincial government.

The search will comprise six categories: most outstanding executive, most outstanding supervisor, most outstanding office-based employee, most outstanding field worker, most outstanding general services employee, and most outstanding “Bayanihan” worker.

The “Bayanihan” team is composed of employees from different sections and divisions or office of the local government.

The winners, who will receive cash awards, will be announced in September during the provincial government’s celebration of the Civil Service Month. (PNA)

OCCUPANCY. Hotels, Resorts, Spas, Malls and Attractions (HRSMA) representative Thea Dimaano, together with Visit Davao Fun Sale Tours Consortium president Edmund Mayormita, provides updates on her industry’s sales and promotions for the upcoming 4th Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall on Wednesday morning. Lean Daval Jr.

MBC Survey: Businesses remain optimistic with PHL’s growth B

USINESSES remain optimistic with the country’s economic growth for this year, according to First Semester Executive Outlook Survey for 2017 of the Makati Business Club (MBC) released on Tuesday.

The MBC survey shows that 83 percent of the respondent companies said the country will either sur-

pass or sustain this year the 6.8-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2016, while only 17 percent projected GDP this year to be lower than the previous year.

On other economic indicators, MBC member companies forecast higher inflation rate, higher 91-day Treasury bill rate, weaker

Defense chief lauds NDRRMC-Smart’s emergency alert system initiative

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HE rising threat of disasters has prompted the need for an efficient emergency alert system, especially in the Philippines, which is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural hazards.

The urgency of the need was underscored by Defense Secretary DelfinLorenzana during the launch of the nationwide Emergency Cell Broadcast System (ECBS) spearheaded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications.

The demonstration of the ECBS platform was conducted after the full council meeting of NDRRMC members held recently at the Tejeros Hall in Camp Aguinaldo.

“The emergence of hazards with never before seen magnitude underscores the need for the Philippines to develop reliable systems in building disaster-resilient communities. The creation of an emergency warning system that reaches our people through their mobile phones is one concrete step toward this goal,” said Lorenzana.

“Let me take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the commitment of Smart to the enhancement

peso, lower approved investments, lower exports revenues, and also slowing down of imports receipts.

On the other hand, businesses are more upbeat in terms of corporate outlook.

About 83 percent of the respondents expects higher gross revenues for this year compared to last year; 74 percent forecast higher

BFAR, Oceana Philippines team up for National Sardine Framework Management Plan

T of our warning systems in the field of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, as can be seen clearly in the timely development of the ECBS,” he added.

NDRRMC and Smart deployed ECBS to further improve the country’s emergency alert system. The ECBS technology enables the quick transmission of messages to a large number of mobile devices within a target area, making it an effective public warning system in times of calamities.

ECBS uses a dedicated channel separate from that of short message service or SMS, which can get congested due to the volume of

calls and text messages sent during emergencies.

Given that mobile phones are now widely used by Filipinos, these devices have been tapped as effective channels for disseminating information, augmenting the use of TV, radio, newspapers, internet and other forms of media.

“Through ECBS, emergency alerts can be sent to millions of subscribers in near real-time in the affected area, and these alerts can be tailor-fit with location-specific information and will not be hindered by network congestion,” said Brian Poe Llamanzares, who represented Sen. Grace Poe during the

launch.

“We’re very glad Smart invested heavily in this technology,” said Atty. NeriColmenares, adding that the emergency alert should contain warnings from the NDRRMC about the impending disaster as well as information on evacuation centers and relief operations.

Poe and Neri co-authored the Republic Act No. 10639, also known as the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act, which mandates all telecommunication providers to offer free mobile alerts in times of calamities.

Smart is the first telco

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net income; 74 percent will make additional investments at an average of P785 million this year; and 51 percent will hire more workers this year.

The survey was done from Feb. 2 to March 15, with 76 respondents, or representing 20 percent of MBC’s 380 member companies excluding foreign embassies and trade offices. (PNA)

HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Oceana Philippines have teamed up to create a National Management Framework Plan for sardines -- the first of its kind for the country.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Commodore Eduardo Gongona, in his message during the launching of “Sagip Sardines” Tuesday at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City, urged everybody to help in the conservation and protection of the country’s sardines.

“We call on our partners, both locally and internationally, in spreading our message of responsible stewardship, especially when it comes to the management and maintenance of this precious fish resource,” he said.

Sardines are an economically vital fish species to thousands of Filipinos. Over the last five years and according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the sardine industry has yielded an average of 355,000 metric tons worth Php 10.45 billion.

“When we look at data from our Fisherfolk Registration System, we see that there are over 800,000 fisherfolk engaged in capture fishing. That is nearly half of the 1.7 million registered fisherfolk across

the country, almost a million people dependent on sardines and other fish for their everyday living,” said Gongona.

“These numbers mean a lot to your government, which, under the Duterte Administration has committed to provide safe, available, and affordable food for its people,” he said.

Sardines are among if not the most accessible source of protein, considering that the fish can be bought at an average price of only Php 50 to Php 90 per kilo. It has become a staple part of the Filipino diet and culture -- having an average consumption of 2.6 grams per day, or 0.9 kilograms a year.

“With the affordability and abundance of the sardine population, the sardine industry is one of the fisheries subsectors that can help us achieve our food security goals,” said Gongona.

“Considering the innumerable benefits we reap from this remarkable fish resource, it is only fitting that we work to ensure that the sardine population are properly managed and protected,” he added.

Sardines also form the building blocks of the oceanic food chain as they are eaten by larger marine predators like sharks, dolphins and tuna.

(PNA)

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

ECONOMY 5

EDGEDAVAO

Firm says cyber attacks cause severe damages to businesses

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ORGANIC. Mindanao Collective Trademark consultant Peter Domory says there is an immediate need to certify organic products from Mindanao to attract European Union (EU) market. Domory shared his thoughts during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall on Wednesday morning. Lean Daval Jr.

SP Pimentel gives full support to CTRP bill S

ENATE President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. himself has filed a counterpart measure to the Duterte administration’s pending tax reform bill in the House of Representatives as he underscored the importance of implementing tax policy and administration reforms meant to raise sufficient revenues for the government’s unprecedented public investment program, while at the same time plugging value added tax (VAT) leakages he estimated to reach P90 billion every year.

Pimentel said his proposed tax reform measure, Senate Bill No. 1408, will help the Duterte administration raise enough funds for its “Ambisyon Natin 2040” agenda that aims to eradicate extreme poverty in the country within one generation from now.

SB 1408 is similar to House Bill 4774 filed by Quirino Rep.

Dakila Carlo Cua, who chairs the House ways and means committee that is hammering out a refined version of this first package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) of the Department of Finance (DOF) Both bills aim to lower personal income tax (PIT) rates along with while revenue-enhancement measures to make up for the anticipated reduction in tax collections resulting from the hefty PIT cuts.

These accompanying tax reforms include adjusting excise taxes on fuel and automobiles and broadening the VAT base by limiting exemptions to raw food and other necessities such as health and education while keeping the current zero-tax privileges of senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

As in HB 4774, Pimentel’s

measure also aims to set a uniform rate for taxes on property transfers by proposing a flat rate of 6 percent for both estate and donor taxes.

To complement the tax policy reforms in SB 1408, Pimentel also proposed the required use of electronic receipts and the connection of cash registers and point-of-sale or POS machines to servers of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for simultaneous reporting of sales and purchase data, among others.

While under the Constitution, tariff bills should originate in the House of Representatives, the Senate may propose its own measure or concur with the House-proposed amendments.

The bill’s target, Pimentel said, is to generate a net gain of P100 billion in the first year of its implementation, which will

lected reached more or less P90 million in Basilan alone.

Andal blamed the “yellows” or members of the Liberal Party (LP) to be behind the so-called “evil scheme to undermine the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.”

He also accused Cabinet Undersecretary Halmen Valdez for orchestrating such a “scheme” in viewing of Valdez’s purported connection with PAFSAM, which was under Pangilinan during the previous administration.

Pangilinan noted in the resolution that he resigned as Secretary of PAFSAM on September 30, 2015, months before Valdez joined PAFSAM. Andal also said that the accusations against him were

made in connection with the anticipated enactment of Senate Bill 1233 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act. The bill, pending on second reading in the Senate, proposes to establish the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund estimated at about P100 billion in cash and assets for the benefit of the coconut farmers and the development of the coconut industry Pangilinan said that “the ongoing rift and grave accusations between PCA and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary cast serious doubt on the integrity, capacity, and reliability of PCA to administer the proposed trust fund which must be investigated.” (PNA)

Senator seeks probe on alleged corruption in PCA

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EN. Francis Pangilinan on Wednesday sought for a probe on the corruption allegations against Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Avelino Andal.

Pangilinan, former Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM), filed Senate Resolution 338 directing the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to conduct an inquiry on the alleged corruption at the agency.

On March 15, 2017, Andal was suspended for his alleged extortion of P1.50 per board foot of trees being cut in Basilan, Mindoro, Marinduque, and Quezon as well as his alleged order to collect fees on transport permits.

Reports said the fees col-

be “earmarked for investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.” (PR)

LOBAL cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab cautioned that rampant incidents of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on data servers had cause significant losses among businesses and made it a lucrative industry for cybercriminals.

Kaspersky said DDoS attacks are used to disrupt an organization’s online presence or key business processes and can have significant impact for the victim.

Criminal perpetrators of DDoS attacks often target sites or services hosted on high-profile web servers such as banks or credit card payment gateways which may result to financial costs through failed sales or online banking transactions.

Experts from Kaspersky estimated that cybercriminals could paralyze a computer network through DDoS attacks for as low as USD 5 for a 300 second attack to USD 400 for 24 hours. The average price for an attack is worth USD 25 per hour.

Among the factors that affect its cost include the type of attack and its source, duration of the attack and the client’s location.

Another significant factor is the type of victim. Attacks on government websites and resources protected by ded-

icated anti-DDoS solutions are much more expensive, as the former are high risk, while the latter are more difficult to attack.

For instance, on one DDoS-as-a-service website, the cost of an attack on an unprotected website ranges from USD 50 to USD 100, while an attack on a protected site costs USD 400 or more.

Moreover, attackers can demand a ransom from a target in return for not launching a DDoS attack or to call off an ongoing attack.

According to Kaspersky, profitability of a single attack can exceed 95 percent.

“Cybercriminals are constantly on the lookout for new and cheaper ways of organizing botnets, as well as coming up with ever more ingenious attack scenarios that security solutions will have difficulty dealing with.

That’s why, as long as there are vulnerable servers, computers and devices connected to the Internet, and many companies prefer not to invest in security against DDoS attacks, we can expect the profitability of DDoS attacks to continue growing, along with their complexity and frequency,” Denis Makrushin, Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said in a statement. (PNA)

EDGEDAVAO

6 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

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Forging strong ties

FTER strengthening our foreign relations with ASEAN neighbors, the latest being Thailand and Myanmar, the Philippine government is also boosting ties with European countries.

The latest ally to ink some pacts with the Philippines is Hungary, one of the 28 member states of the European Union.

This week, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation was firmed up between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) - Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) of Hungary. Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjártó has formalized this MOU which serves as a framework for cooperation between the two institutions in a move to further strengthen bilateral relations.

With this latest MOU, expect both countries to actively engage in exchange of experts and researchers, conduct joint research programs, symposia, meetings, and conferences, as well as other modes of cooperation.

On July 15, 1976, the two countries signed an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation and this renewed ties is meant to fully implement

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that pact. The Philippines and Hungary officially established diplomatic relations on Sept. 28, 1973.

The cultural cooperation program calls for exchanges between art/cultural professionals and organizations in both countries in the areas of creative and performing arts (i.e. literature, fine arts, music, dance, theater, cinema, publishing) museology, and archives, among other fields.

Hungary has likewise reopened its Embassy in Manila.

Despite the destabilization efforts by some sectors most recently the damning video by Vice President Leni Robredo before an EU conference, the government has continued to pursue boosting foreign relations.

This, despite the threat of economic sanctions made by the EU on the light of the negative impression being drawn before the international community.

It is inspiring to note that even with the air of negativity, there is still no stopping the determined bid of the current administration to boost the country’s economy by strengthening our foreign relations.

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

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EDGEDAVAO

R

EACHING Sandakan by boat from Zamboanga City is roughly a 14hour trip across the timid Sulu Sea that separates the two islands, bypassing the famous Turtle Islands.

While there’s always this nagging fear of an Abu Sayyaf pumpboat chasing passenger ships, this apprehension was not even a figment of imagination two decades ago.

Sandakan, the second largest township in Sabah, sits on the northeastern region of Borneo. Its name in the Suluk language means “the place that was pawned.” The municipality, was the landing point for illegal Filipino immigrants, had around 158,000 in population (2010).

As early as 1995, the coastal town was already home to a five-star hotel and other billeting establishments. In terms of tourist arrivals, as of 2016, the place, though overtaken by Sarawak in terms of growth, remains an attraction due to its Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center, which was established in 1964. (‘Orangutan’ is translated as ‘man of the forest.’)

The Center, which is actually a sanctuary of rescued orangutans (Pongo), ranks as one of Malaysia’s top tourism draws. Situated inside the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, it covers an area of 4,294 hectares of virgin forests. Before entering the sanctuary where orangutans are fed, the visitors are briefed in

I

NSTEAD of just controlling tuberculosis (TB), the Department of Health wants to eliminate the age-old disease.

“When you say elimination, we mean to detect and treat all tuberculosis cases to make it a rare disease from a very prevalent disease,” Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial was quoted as saying by thePhilippine Daily Inquirer.

Currently, the incidence of TB in the country is at 323 per 100,000 persons – that’s about three per 10,000 persons. It becomes a rare disease once the incidence goes down to one case per 10,000 persons.

Dr. Ubial hopes that the disease will be considered rare once the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte ends by 2022.

In recent years, TB cases have been decreasing. In 2015, only 294,907 cases had been reported. “The treatment success rate is at an average of 90%,” the Inquirer report said.

All over the world, despite advance knowledge in science and recent discovery of sophisticated drug regimes, TB has continued its deadly progression. “Tuberculosis is perhaps the greatest killer of all time,” wrote Dr. Frank Ryan, author of Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told.

“Tuberculosis rose slowly, silently, seeping into the homes of millions, like an ageless miasma. Once arrived, TB stayed (and become) a stealthy predator,” Ryan further wrote.

The tenacious TB bacillus has preyed on people since antiquity.

TB-induced skeletal deformities point

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VANTAGE POINTS

7

Of Malaysian primates and monkeys a building that houses a canteen, a souvenir shop, and a mini-museum that exhibits orangutan posters and displays of torn visitors’ handbags.

Reaching the sanctuary, a short distance from the road where tourist buses are parked, is a short walk. A wooden bridge that connects the visitors to the feeding pedestal serves as observation post. Feeding, which is done by forest ranger in their iconic uniform, takes place at 10:00 AM, while another happens at 3:00 PM. Seeing the orangutans come down from the trees rappelling on hemp cords is a sight to behold. On the ground, as if on a drill, they surprisingly wait for the rangers to pass before forming a single file behind them. Food rations consist of bananas and liquid milk infused with multivitamins and medicine. Feeding time is at times nasty and disorderly, especially when the aggressive southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemistrina) starts pestering the orangutans.

For visitors coming from Kota Kinabalu, reaching the sanctuary takes about five hours.

Another important tourist draw in Sandakan is the Kinabatangan River, locally known as Sungai Kinabatangan, the second longest in Malaysia.

It stretches, an online post says, “560 kilometers from its headwaters in the mountains of southwest Sabah, to its outlet at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan.”

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa To get to the heart of the river, which is through the Mermaid Channel, is by speedboat ride from a jetty. With its unspoiled mangroves, Kinabatangan River, which got its name from the land mass sandwiching it, “is known for its remarkable wildlife and fascinating habitats such as limestone caves at Gomantong Hill, dry land dipterocarp forests, riverine forest, freshwater swamp forest, oxbow lakes and salty mangrove swamps near the coast.”

Aside from the otters that frolick on the edge of the riverbanks and the fishermen angling using the hook and line, the main attraction in the riverine area is the indigenous proboscis mon-

keys (Nasalis larvatus), which has an over-sized nose that seems to interfere with eating.

Of course, as an added attraction are the Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), the endemic Borneo river shark (Glyphis fowlerae), and the saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), southeast Asia’s largest reptile, which we were not able to see given the limited time we had.

Travel inside Sandakan, meanwhile, is a struggle in the absence of public transports that resemble the Filipino jeepney. There was an attempt in earlier years to bring in the iconic Sarao to serve as public conveyance but the strong opposition from taxi groups, with the support of powerful politicians close to the Office of the Prime Minister, promptly quashed the intention. Jeepneys, though, are still allowed but only for private cargo transport.

At night, Sandakan is not the place where you can find nocturnal hangouts. There are no innocuous as drinking lounges, go-go bars, and beer gardens. Muslim culture bans any form of sex-oriented and flesh-baring entertainments. To get a drink or two, the foreigners, as visitors, are allowed to gulp few bottles inside the hotels where they stayed. Downing few bottles of beer is literally an expensive exercise given the high taxes imposed on

alcoholic drinks.

There are places, though, that carry memories of wonderful evening dines.

Not too far away from Sandakan Bay Hotel where we stayed, a restaurant on a mountaintop served stewed fresh red grouper (Epinephelus morio), tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon), and blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). From the mesa where the food house is situated, you can have a stunning view of the log ponds below and the setting sun from afar.

Before it was burned down for some mysterious reason years ago, Sandakan used to host a community of Filipino migrants, many of them remnants from the defunct logging years when their family breadwinners, recruited to work in timber concessions, cut trees for export.

On the other hand, the second-generation Pinoys, many of them married to local maidens, retain the Filipino traits, speaking mostly in Ilocano, Ilonggo, and Cebuano. They still talk about the good old days, and the experiences they now face in a foreign land they call home. Most of them, though, yearn for the time when peace will return to Mindanao.

In retrospect, the last time we were in Sandakan was in 1995 while on our way to attend the ASEAN Travel Fair in Kuching City, which is part of Sarawak, Malaysia.

to multiply. If the bacteria multiply, active primary TB will develop.” Symptoms of carriers include coughing, night sweats, weight loss, and fever. A chest X-ray may show shadows or fluid collection between the lung and its lining.

If the bacteria are inhibited, rather than destroyed, the immune cells form a mass known as granuloma or tubercle. In effect, the immune cells form a wall around inactive bacteria. “As long as the immune system remains strong, the TB bacteria remain walled off and inactive,” Padilla maintains. “The tubercle gradually collects calcium deposits to form what is known as a Ghon focus.

These initial tubercles in the lung usually heal, leaving permanent scars that appear as shadows in chest X-rays.”

At this primary stage of TB, the disease does not progress, but bacterial may remain dormant in the body for many years. If the immune system becomes weakened, the tubercle opens, releasing the bacteria, and the infection may develop into active disease, known as secondary TB. In the secondary TB, the formerly dormant bacteria multiply and destroy tissue in the lungs. They also may spread to the rest of the body via the bloodstream. Fluid or air may collect between the lungs and the lining of the lungs, while tubercles continue to develop in the lung, progressively destroying lung tissue. Coughing of blood or phlegm may occur. At this secondary stage, carriers of TB can infect others.

In the past, TB was considered the world’s deadliest disease. Then, in 1944, 21-year-old “Patricia” with

progressive, far-advanced pulmonary TB received the first injection of streptomycin. She improved dramatically during the ensuing five months and was discharged in 1947. She was evaluated in 1954 and found to be healthy and the happy mother of three children. “This injection began the age of modern anti-TB treatment and led until recently - to dramatic reductions in TB in industrialized countries,” the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

The success of drug therapy and the declining rates of disease incidence in the middle part of the 19th century instilled a sense of confidence in public health officials that TB could be conquered.

But like phoenix that rises from ashes, TB has staged a comeback - in a deadlier and more complicated form.

A significant cause of the dramatic rise in TB cases from the mid-1980s onwards is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the microorganism that causes AIDS. Today, TB is the single biggest killer of people infected with HIV. “HIV and TB form a lethal combination, each speeding the other’s progress,” the WHO says. HIV weakens the immune system. Someone who is HIV-positive and infected with TB is 30 times more likely to become sick with TB than someone infected with TB who is HIV-negative.

“There is nothing a person can do to not get TB,” laments the WHO. “You can change your behavior to lower the risk of AIDS, but you cannot stop breathing.”

Stealthy predator

to the disease’s existence as early as 8000 BC. Unmistakable signs of tubercular bone decay were found in the skeletons of Egyptian mummies as long ago as 2400 BC. “Year after year, century after century, it tightened its relentless grip, worsening with wars and famines that reduced people’s resistance, infecting virtually everyone but inexplicably sparing some while destroying others,” wrote Dr. Frank in his book.

Tuberculosis infection is transmitted almost entirely by the aerial route.

“TB is transmitted from person to person, usually by inhaling bacteria-carrying air droplets,” writes Maria Luisa Padilla in Encarta Encyclopedia. “When a person sick with TB coughs, sneezes, or speaks, small particles that carry two or three viable bacteria surrounded by a layer of moisture and released in the air. When these particles are inhaled, bacteria lodge in the lungs and multiply.”

A less common route of transmission is through the skin. Pathologists and laboratory technicians who handle TB specimens may contract the disease through skin wounds. TB has also been reported in people who have received tattoos and people who have been circumcised. A person may become infected with TB bacteria and not develop the disease. His or her immune system may destroy the bacteria completely. In fact, only 5-10 percent of those infected with TB actually become sick.

The four most familiar signs of TB, according to health experts, are chronic cough, mild fever in the afternoon and

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

sweating at night, chest and back pain, and progressive weight loss. In more serious or advanced cases, the symptoms are spitting blood, pale and waxy skin, and a hoarse voice.

The disease can occur in two stages: primary and secondary. “In primary TB,” explains Padilla, “a person has become infected with the TB bacteria but often is not aware of it, since this stage of the disease does not produce noticeable symptoms. Macrophages, immune cells that detect and destroy foreign matter, ingest the TB bacteria and transport them to the lymph nodes where they may be destroyed or inhibited.”

TB is not contagious in the early stage. “About three weeks after initial infection,” Padilla continues, “bacteria may be inhibited, destroyed, or allowed

8

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

9

10 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

COMPENSATION BENEFITS. Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 director Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan gestures while answering queries during the awarding ceremony of Employees’ Compensation Benefits to the families of the recently slain police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur held at Seda Abreeza Hotel on Wednesday morning. Lean Daval Jr.

HIGH... FROM 1

“We are for the resumption of the peace negotiations,” Batchar said, adding that the army is just waiting for the decision of President Duterte to continue the peace talks.

He said the people, espe-

cially those in the countryside really want the peace talks to continue.

The army, Batchar said, is ready to support the desires and aspirations of the people for just and lasting peace.

One of the main agenda is to craft a Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER).

Also guesting, Tony Salubre of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Southern Mindanao Chapter also called justice to his fellow farmers by addressing issues of landlessness, lack of industries and employment for millions.

“Peace is not just the absence of war,” said Duazo who

pointed out the panel must also address the incidents of surveillance and harassment and for the intelligence to be able to distinguish the armed from the unarmed.

For Valle, peace also means ease of access to food, land, quality education and financial security.

The group also plans to file a paper of these incidents to be part of the discussions of the GRP-NDF panel.

from the different PROs, National Support Units (NSUs) and the five districts of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

Likewise, the “Ms. Ganda Pulis 2017”was anchored on the “National Women’s Month” celebration’s commitment for “True Compassion and Real Change” with the theme: “We Make Change

Work for Women”.

It aims to strengthen public advocacy on “National Women’s Month” emphasizing on women’s issues that still need to be addressed.

It also highlights women’s concerns in leadership platforms and capacitating and preparing women and girls to make good their social role and responsibility. (PNA)

into the grossly disadvantageous 25-year lease contract signed by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and TADECO. Floirendo said he considered Alvarez a “good friend” and the beef between them could just be a “brotherly misunderstanding” that could be quickly resolved.

Floirendo, however, admitted he was hurt by the Speaker’s moves against him.

“Admittedly I am hurt with the action of Speaker Alvarez against me. It not only affects me, but also my family, as well as the people of Davao del Norte. But that’s politics. What is important is that I know

deep down my conscience that I have not done anything wrong nor have I committed any criminal act,” he said.

“I welcome any complaint to be filed against me and I am ready to face them with a clear conscience,” he added.

Alvarez, for his part, is unperturbed by alleged threats to unseat him as speaker, saying that “they can pull the trigger and give their best shot.”

Rumors about unseating Alvarez flared up when the House leadership stripped lawmakers of their committee and deputy speakership posts for voting against the death penalty bill. (PNA)

Groups... FROM 2

Nurse... FROM 2

Floirendo... FROM 3

Dahican... FROM 1

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Tadeco... FROM 2 tice, through its representative Atty. Teresita Domingo, during said congressional review also stated that the JVA was actually above board.

TADECO also said there was no truth to the allegation of ill-treatment of its workers in the plantation.

“Such allegation is completely baseless. TADECO takes good care of its workers. This is evident in the high production yield of TADECO, indicating that the workers are well motivated and very productive.

In fact, among all the banana companies in the Philippines, TADECO has been branded as a champion on labor and community relations. It is a regular recipient of awards in the field of labor-management relations,” it stressed.

In fact. TADECO said, it won the Outstanding Labor-Management Cooperation For Industrial Peace Award (in 2013 and 2015) given by the Philippine League of Labor Management Cooperation

to be held in Dahican.

The activity is also in line with the celebration of the 13th anniversary of Dahican’s local skim and surf team.

Also kicking off, the 1st Mayor Carlo Rabat Cup:Ultimate Frisbee Invitational Tournament” is slated on April 22 to 23, 2017 at Menzi Beach Park & Campsite in Dahican.

Twelve teams are expected to compete.

Lastly, the National Invitational Beach Volleyball Tournament slated on May 19 to 21, 2017 at Menzi Beach Park & Campsite, is expected to gather 10 local teams and 2 teams from Manila.

During the Wednesday’s Habi at Kape media event at Abreeza Ayala Mall, Davao, Dashiel Indelible, admin officer of the city government of Mati said they have been promoting the city’s tourism sites for years and with Department of Tourism and

VDFS, they can now expand their promotion to a wider scope of audience.

“I believe it’s our time to shine,” said Indelible.

Indelible bared that Mati government has allocated PhP2 million pesos as a counterpart for the event while the rest was topped up by the VDFS Execom.

On safety and security, Indelible assured the local government has duly coordinated with the city PNP. Meanwhile, on the issue of accommodation, the admin officer said 500 rooms from various DOT-accredited hotels and lodging houses as well as campsites and private resorts will be made available for visitors.

On the part of VDFS Execom Chair Benjamin Lizada, he stressed that the city government and the private sector must strengthen their links to upgrade the facilities in the

area to accommodate more visitors in the future.

To strengthen their partnership, Lizada, Alabado and Indelible inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Wednesday.

In 2013, Davao Oriental was one of the two provinces in the country declared as “Tourism Development Area” (TDA) under Republic Act 10560 along with Kalinga which mandates these provinces to develop their areas specifically for tourism purposes.

Visit Davao Fun Sale will run from April 16 to May 31 featuring discounted offerings in airfare, accommodations, tours, dining, beauty and wellness as well as sporting events, arts, and nightlife.

It is organized by Davao Fun Sale Execom in partnership with DOT and co-presented by Davao City Government, AirAsia, Bonamine, BPI Cards, Cebu Pacific and Tanduay.

with at least 330,000 elected barangay officials at one barangay chair and seven councilors each.

set to October 23 this year by HB 10923 which Barbers’ bill seeks to amend.

Pimentel told ANC’s “Beyond Politics” that assuming there are drug dealers, drug addicts, drug abusers among the barangay officials, “the solution is to prosecute them, put them behind bars and punish them.”

He told MindaNews that on the issue that some barangay officials are drug dealers or users, “the same can be said, I understand, of some higher ranking LGU officials..”

He added: “The matter cannot be used as a valid reason to remove the barangay officials from the authority of the people to place them in positions of power.”

Pimentel’s son, Aquilino III or “Koko” is the incumbent Senate President and President of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP), the political party that fielded Duterte in the 2016 Presidential polls. Duterte serves as national chair of the party.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Jr. on Monday expressed confidence they could pass the postponement law when they resume sessions on May 2 to June 2.

A press release posted on the congress.gov.ph website quoted Alvarez as saying they can pass the bill especially if it is certified as urgent by the President.

At the Senate, however, several senators from both the majority and minority are opposing the move. The Senate President said he will meet with the President to clarify his proposal.

Nene... FROM 3

War on drugs In his explanatory note, Barbers, chair of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, described the barangays as the first line of defense at the grassroots level and that officials “must spearhead the government’s fight against illegal drugs and must maintain a proactive stand in shielding the ordinary people from the drug menace.”

He said he filed the bill in support of Duterte’s call to postpone the barangay polls “because he does not want those financed by drug lords to win.”

Duterte last year also cited the alleged involvement of barangay officials in illegal drugs as the reason why he sought postponement of the October 31, 2016 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

The 2016 election was re-

“Quite a bit messy” On March 23, Duterte was asked in a press conference upon his arrival from Thailand to confirm a statement of Local Governments Secretary Ismael Sueno that the President wanted barangay positions declared vacant and the officials replaced with appointees. (MINDANEWS)

Practitioners (PHILAMCOP) in coordination with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB). It is now vying to be a grand slam winner in this category.

“TADECO continues to perform its obligations and responsibilities under the JVA (and) confident in its contributions to the government and socio-economic development,” it said.

Thus, TADECO said it was befuddled as to the real reasons why the House Speaker had initiated the inquiry.

Alvarez has filed a graft complaint against Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. for allegedly having “financial and pecuniary interest” to a contract for an agricultural business while being a public servant in 2003.

The Speaker charged Floirendo of one count of violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Office of the Ombudsman. (PNA) Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Extension of Validity of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ-DUAL Ordinary Regular Service Case No. R11-EV-PJ2017-C-261 (2014-XI-00261)

APPLE PIE DIZON-TAN, Petitioner

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

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ Dual Ordinary Regular service on the route: MA-A and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on May 31, 2018. In the petition filed on March 20, 2017, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said Certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on APRIL 11, 2017 at 9:20 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

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

WITNESS the Atty. TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ, Chief Transportation Development Officer/Officer-In-Charge,, this st 21 day of March 2017 at Davao City.

Atty. CATLEYA B. ACAYLAR Attorney IV

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

FOOD

EDGEDAVAO

The Tulip Drive food strip

TRUE, it’s not about ‘having’ time; it’s about ‘making’ time. Admittedly, I am not good at keeping a clean calendar and making appointments. At times, I appreciate taking the bullet and making things happen.

Other times, I need to consult my calendar (that includes my phone calendar and my planner -- hooray for planners!).

However, when the tummy grumbles, all hell breaks loose and yes, I eat. Oh wait, I eat and eat.

Being in the South side of the city is both a blessing and a curse. For a foodie, the selection is limited hence it being a curse. Nevertheless, because of the limitation, you also get to enjoy the full menu of dining establishments and in the process, develop a more personal bond with the owners.

One of my recent faves in the South is the growing food strip over at Tulip Drive. The once vacant strip of land is now slowly becoming a most delicious strip of food finds in the city. Not as packed as the rest, it has since been a favourite meeting place for people who has no time to travel north, wait for their meals and travel back south. What the food strip basically offers is comfort and convenience without having to spend more time on the road than in front of the dining table.

At present, there’s Coco’s South Bistro, on the corner most of Tulip Drive, together with company co-owned Buf-

“

The once vacant strip of land is now slowly becoming a most delicious strip of food finds in the city.

fet Palace for that much needed buffet cravings.

Down the road, you’d see the pinkest house that happens to be a beauty salon and has a quaint shoppe on the side (have a go at their shakes and rice meals; affordable too). Beside it is a rustic Filipino restaurant that has slowly becoming packed with diners especially on evenings.

Also found in the strip is a restaurant that satisfies all your lechon cravings, Davao’s best burger place – Red Corner – is also very visible and very packed and Steak ni Juan down on the further side has no competition as to space, that is. What I am most excited about is the addition of Tadakuma and Lachi’s on the strip.

Yes, considered as two of the city’s most frequented dining places, Tadakuma is a Japanese foodie place while Lachi’s is known for their Sans Rival and other sweet pastries. Both have existing restaurants downtown, their addition to the growing South food gems is a most welcome one – especially for us, right.

Tadakuma has since evolved into a full-on sitdown dining place that enables its loyal customers to enjoy every meal any day of the week.

Though not everyone agrees as to the taste of their dishes, Tadakuma remains my favourite go to place for their plate of hot off the pan Beef Ramen and Kakeage.

Their Beef Ramen (with the beef broth), specially on a cold, rainy day, is a perfect de-stress dish. I love that it’s savoury, deep and textured.

This I pair with their Kakeage or tofu (minus the minced pork). I also love their maki’s and Gyudon.

As much as I would like to explore the many other dishes, it’s kind of difficult to request for a plate of chicken gyoza given my food restrictions. Still, Tadakuma is and will remain a favourite dining place for me.

ROYAL CHEF A2

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

FOOD

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

ROYAL CHEF A1

Sweets in Davao is either a fresh durian fruit or a slice of cake from Lachi’s. Correct, right? Lachi’s’ many sweet cakes enables one to abandon his diet and go on a sweet fest in a snap. Of their many offerings, their Sans Rival (but of course) is always a go-to piece when dining here. Aside from that, their mud pie and warm apple pie also hits the spot. Their carrot cake is also one for the books.

With their selection, you can always stick to your guns or explore the perimeter by having something new every time you visit. One thing though, at the Lachi’s Tulip Drive branch, you’d only be served with their cakes and pastries (and drinks).

They do not have their full-on menu.

But that’s okay, with the other savoury restaurants around, you’d surely only have room for dessert.

Want to know my latest food finds?

Follow me on Instagram @iamleebai and my blog theroyalchefeats.wordpress.com.

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

PEOPLE

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

JJ Sanora and the scent of Adventure A SPORTSMAN AND A SCHOLAR, how does one young man manage to excel in both fields?

“It’s just a matter of time management. We all have 24 hours a day to manage and I usually plan out my week in advance and adjust it accordingly. Planning the week helps me keep track of the time and make sure everything is balanced,” said Jj Sarona, a 20-year old young man who’s thinking is mature beyond his years.

Jj is a student of the Ateneo de Davao University taking up BS Accountancy, and outside the campus he is a triathlete.

He was valedictorian in elementary and high school at Philippine Women’s College. In college, he’s consistently on the Dean’s List and won in minor academic contests.

Even before entering the tertiary institution, he became a dedicated athlete.

At 15 years old, he caught an edition of the Durianman, a triathlon that features cross channel swim, bike and run legs. There was an instant attraction to the sport.

“Even as a spectator, I was able to feel the thrill and excitement of the sport. I fell in love with triathlon because of the

variations during everyday training. Training always involves a new adventure day by day.”

He joined the Triathlon Association of Davao (TRIAD), the same group that hosts the prestigious local triathlon event that got him interested in his sport.

The variation of the sport is what excites him. There will always be something new every year, something unique will always come up around the corner, a new adventure, said this young thrill-seeker.

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Triathlon in Davao has a tight-knit society. The camaraderie and support, no matter what team one belongs to, make the sport fun. Competition is tough but it is fun.

“I train 4 to 6 times a week during race season and off-season, 3 to 5 days to maintain my fitness level. By myself on weekdays and with my teammates from TRIAD during weekends.”

Just like the achiever he is in school Jj excells in his sport. He marks “the youngest triathlete to finish the 2015 Ironman 70.3” held in Cebu as his greatest feat. But given the training involved for each contest no matter the distance, he sees every finish as great feat in itself. He has raced in Subic, Bohol, and Phuket for the Ironman 70.3 Thailand, his first race outside the Philippines. Actualizing that commitment into action is already a big achievement, he said.

When asked how education complements athletics, he replied, “School can be quite demanding and sports balances it out, since this is where I can release stress. We all need some kind of release from all the stress in life that’s why it’s recommended we all take some sort of hobby, even if it’s not necessarily through sports.”

Jj cites that one thing in common with the two roles he play is grooming. He prefers to keep his hairstyle short for very practical reasons—it lessens the drag when racing and it adheres to the university requirement, plus, it feels fresher and clean-

er. Short hair works for him since he’s not fond of taking time just to fix my hair in the morning.

“Less shampoo and no styling wax needed. that takes off time from my morning routine.”

Haircut is every two weeks at Rocky’s. “Rocky’s and I have the same birth

year,” he revealed.

“I grew up with Rocky’s. My father and I go to the SM City branch.

I tried out another barbershop but since I am starting to have a more hectic college schedule I went back to Rocky’s SM since it’s nearer and more accessible from our

home.”

“Besides keeping my hair short to feel fresher, I always make sure I have a bottle of fragrance with me everywhere I go.”

Living an active life and staying in school almost all day long, especially with evening classes, takes a toll on odor.

A long lasting fragrance will do the trick.

Recently, Jj discovered Adventure, one of the fragrances of Rocky’s “I tried out Adventure perfume and the smell really describes the name. It has a very distinct smell I like, and the scent can excite the senses, just like an adventure. It also lasts long throughout the day.”

“It delivers to my senses the feel of a triathlon – it’s not boring, it stands out from others, and it endures.”

Adventure perfume, from Rocky’s new fragrance line, is available in all Rocky’s Barbershops at Victoria Plaza, Abreeza Mall, GMall, SM City & SM Lanang Premier in Davao City, and Centrio Ayala Mall and SM City in Cagayan de Oro City.

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

11 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

City recognizes AboitizPower subsidiaries as top taxpayers RIBBON-CUTTING. (Left-Right) 2nd District Congresswoman and Deputy Speaker for Southern Mindanao Hon. Mylene Garcia, Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. President Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz, Head of the Committee on Education Councilor Pilar Braga and representative of Mayor Sarah Duterte Councilor April Mae Dayap lead the ribbon-cutting during the official turnover of the five electrical laboratories last March 22, 2017 at the Francisco Bangoy National High School, Sasa, Davao City. (Davao Light Photo)

Davao Light turns over 5 electrical laboratories

A

BRIGHTER future towards achieving their dreams awaits to the students of five different public high school beneficiaries as Davao Light and Power Co., Inc in partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation formally turned over five electrical laboratories (e.Lab) last March 22, 2017 at the Francisco Bangoy National High School in Sasa, Davao City to the Department of Education’s (DepEd).

The school-beneficiaries of the five e.Labs are Jesus J. Soriano National High School, Francisco Bangoy National High School, Pablo Lorenzo National High School, Tugbok National High School and Dacudao National High School.

The e.Lab is a project, which is in support to DepEd’s Technical Vocational courses for the K to 12 curriculum.

This fully-equipped facility will serve as the training ground of the senior high school students particularly those who will be taking up the Electrical Installation and

Maintenance (EIM) Course.

Davao Light and the Aboitiz Foundation have already donated and turned over 11 e.Lbs to different public high schools within the Davao Light franchise area.

As of March 22, a total of 16 e.Labs were already turned over to the Department of Education.

Present during the formal turnover were Davao Light President Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz, 2nd District Congressman & Deputy Speaker for Southern Mindanao Mylene Garcia, representing the Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte Councilor April Mae Dayap, Head of the Committee on Education Councilor Pilar Braga, DepEd Assistant Regional Director Dr. Teresita G. Tambagan, and Regional Director of TESDA XI Dir. Gaspar Gayona.

Also present were Barangay officials and principals coming from the beneficiary schools.

“We want to help this

T

HE Davao City Government awarded two subsidiaries of AboitizPower for being among its biggest taxpayers for 2016 in terms of business and real property tax payments.

Distribution utility Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) was cited the biggest business taxpayer while power plant operator Therma South was named the biggest real property taxpayer, during the Araw ng Dabaw festivities last week.

City Administrator Zuleika Lopez, representing Mayor Sara Z. Duterte who just gave birth, lauded the support of the city’s top taxpayers for contributing to the growth and development of the city.

“The City Government of Davao is grateful to those in the private sector who religiously pay their taxes, allowing for more projects for the city. Thank you for helping us make Davao City a stronger, safer, cleaner and a more liveable city for all,” Lopez said.

Rodger Velasco, executive vice president and COO

of DavaoLight, said that the power distribution company, being a law abiding corporate citizen, is committed to pay the right taxes on time. “This is also a way to give back to the host city and communities where we operate. We are honored and privileged to serve the city of Davao,” he said.

DavaoLight, which has been providing power to the city since the 1940s, serves the cities of Davao and Panabo as well as the towns of Sto. Tomas, Carmen and Dujali.

Therma South, on the other hand, operates the 300MW baseload power plant which delivers power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao. Completed in 2015, the power plant was one of the key investments that brought Mindanao out of its perennial power supply crisis.

“We are thankful and humbled by the City Government’s recognition of our contribution to its local revenue. This is a realization of

our earlier commitment to significantly contribute to the continued growth of the city under Mayor Sara Duterte’s leadership”, said TSI Vice President and Plant Manager Valentin S. Saludes III who received the award in behalf of the company.

Last February 27, TSI was also awarded by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Collection District 12 as the No. 5 Top Importer for the Port of Davao in terms of duties and taxes paid. BOC District Collector Jamail A. Marahomsalic lauded TSI and the other awardees for “contributing immensely to the attainment of the District goals and collection target of the Port of Davao.”

TSI imports coal from Indonesia in its operation of its Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) thermal power plant in Toril, Davao City.

AboitizPower has long been a partner of the local government of Davao in advancing its communities.

DavaoLight, in partnership with the city government of Davao, pioneered in 2002

the cutting-edge Emergency Computer-Aided Dispatch (ECAD) technology, which became the foundation for the successful Central 911 system of the city. By integrating the emergency response system to DavaoLight’s geographic information system, the City’s emergency response became faster, more efficient and more accurate.

In 2016, DavaoLight started its Underground Distribution System (UDS), starting with the streets around City Hall. The project has then expanded to other areas.

The UDS project is part of the local government’s initiatives to make the city at par with international standards in keeping the streets more visually appealing. The project also promotes safety and prevents power interruptions caused by objects coming into contact with overhead wires.

The first phase of the project was completed last year covering major streets in the city center. The second phase is set to commence this year.

(PR)

F DAVAO, 12

Tourism board seeks airline partner to sponsor web site

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HE Philippines Tourism Board, which produces ThePhilippines.com, the most popular online destination for both foreigners and local Filipinos that are interested in taking a vacation in the Philippines, is looking for an airline partner to sponsor their web site.

Every month, more than 100,000 tourists visit ThePhilippines.com looking for information about hotels, resorts, flights, tourist attractions, restaurants, and more. The web site’s official Facebook page has more than 254,000 fans and followers.

Dante Lee , founder of the organization and web site, comments, “During the past two years, we met several times with Philippines Airlines and their digital advertising agency, Carat, but a sponsorship deal has not been

secured.”

He says that they are now moving on to other airlines that might be interested - like Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia, Japan Airlines, and even US-based Delta Airlines. (All of these airlines have daily flights to Manila and other destinations in the Philippines.)

Lee adds, “We want to partner with an airline that understands the value of our web site’s reach. We have the biggest online audience of travelers who are interested in taking vacations in the Philippines, period. We can easily influence their decision on which airline is the best and safest to fly.”

Other partners and sponsors for ThePhilippines.com include Trivago.com, TripAdvisor.com, El Nido Resorts, and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

(PR)

TOP TAX PAYERS. The Aboitiz team headed by Aboitiz Equity Ventures’ (AEV) Advisor for Mindanao Mr. Art Milan (second from right) recognized as top taxpayers of 2016 during the “Pasidungog: Garbo sa Dabaw” event at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on March 13, 2017. (AbotizPower Photo)

Megaworld bonds upsized to P12-B due to strong demand

P

ROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. has upsized its fixed rate bonds issue to P12 billion from the initial offer size of P8 billion on strong demand from investors.

The Series B fixed rate bonds priced at 5.3535 percent per annum due 2024 were oversubscribed 2.2 times due to strong demand from individuals in the retail market to banks, investment funds, pension funds, insurance companies and other corporates.

The lead underwriter and sole bookrunner of the bonds fully exercised the issue’s P4

billion over-subscription option when the offer period ended last March 21.

The property developer on Tuesday listed its P12-billion seven-year bonds at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. (PDEx), its second foray into the local organized debt market following its maiden issue of P5 billion in 2009.

This represented the initial tranche from its P30-billion shelf registration of debt securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company will use the proceeds from the bond offer-

ing to primarily finance its capital expenditures in relation to its investment properties.

Megaworld has a lineup of 22 townships and integrated lifestyle communities spread across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Its Series B bonds are rated ‘PRS Aaa’ by the Philippine Rating Services Corp. (PhilRatings), the highest rating assigned by the company. The rating denotes that such obligations are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk, and that the issuer’s capacity to meet its financial commit-

ment on the obligations is extremely strong.

BDO Capital & Investment Corp. acted as issue manager, lead underwriter and sole bookrunner for the Series B bonds. China Bank Capital Corp. participated as an underwriter for the bond issue.

With this sixth listing for the year, the year-to-date total of new listings in PDEx increases to P51.08 billion, bringing the total outstanding size of corporate bonds listed to P689.42 billion issued by 44 companies composed of 119 securities. (PNA)

12 PROPERTY EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Defense... FROM 4 in the Philippines to implement ECBS, a landmark compliance to RA 10639, investing P500 million in the mobile technology as part of its 2016 capex for network modernization to support the NDRRMC’s efforts in reducing vulnerability during calamities.

“The challenges that we have encountered in the area of providing early warning to our people via telecommunications technology have been surmounted, thanks to Smart’s commit-

ment,” said NDRRMC Executive Director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ricardo Jalad.

“Smart supports the government in its call to further improve emergency communications systems amid the rising threat of disasters. In times of emergencies and disasters, delivering quick and timely alerts to high-risk communities can help save lives,” said Ramon R. Isberto, head of public affairs at PLDT and Smart. (PR)

young generation as they venture to learn and develop their skills in becoming electricians. We hope to encourage them to pursue further training to become linemen and continue education to become electrical engineers.”

Jim Aboitiz said.

A key of responsibility was handed over by Davao Light’s President, Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz and received by Dr. Teresita G. Tambagan, DepEd’s Assistant Regional Director and the principals of the beneficiary schools.

Two more e-labs will be turned over within the year to other public schools located in the Davao del Norte franchise area of Davao Light.

“I trust that Davao Light and Power Co., Inc will con-

tinue lighting the way of our communities not only by bringing electricity, but by providing educational support throughout more communities in Davao City.” stated Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in her speech through Councilor Dayap.

In its commitment to advance communities and drive change for a better world, Davao Light has reached Paquibato and Marilog Districts and will continue to reach more schools situated in far flung areas.

A simple song was presented and dedicated by the students of F. Bangoy National High School as a sign of their overwhelming gratitude to Davao Light and the Aboitiz Foundation. (PR)

Davao... FROM 11 Early Bird Winners

Esdevco fetes top sellers in Semi-Annual Awards rites

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO njb@edgedavao.net

Early Bird Awardees Mr and Mrs Raul Escovilla - Escovilla Realty Gilbert Monecillo Leuterio Realty

E

SCANDOR Deelopment Corporation (Esdevco) cited its top performing sellers and affiliate realty firms in glitzy ceremonies marking the first Semi Annual Awards Night at The Royal Mandaya Hotel on March 24.

Esdevco President and CEO Glenn Y. Escandor led the awarding ceremonies along with Matina Enclaves Project Director Gerald Kent Garces while Irra Zarina Escandor gave the closing message.

Anthony Leuterio of Leuterio Realty topped the Realtors’ categry with Charity Furog of Furog Realty in second and Letecia Ablas of Ablas Realty placing third.

Julie Mclynn Pinol of JM Realty topped the Brokers category while Gilbert Monecillo of Leuterio Realty topped the Top Performing Sellers caegory.

The complete list of awardees and winners of the special events and awards for the evening are: Top Realtors 1st Place - Anthony Leuterio (Leuterio Realty) 2nd Place - Charity Furog (Furog Realty) 3rd Place - Letecia Ablas (Ablas Realty) 4th Place - Rebecca De Leon (Polinar Realty) 5th Place - Samuel Lao (Property Depot-ROI) 6th Place - Gil Chua (Mega Pacific) 7th Place - Dhina Laruga (Patrimonio Realty) 8th Place - Eric John Villasor (Villasor Realty) 9th Place - Jocelyn Bernal ( Davao Dragon Vibe) 10th Place - Maria Teresa Ortiz (Ortiz Realty) 11th Place - Aimee Maturan (Property Providers) 12th Place - Ricky Hayana (Hayana Realty) 13th Place - Bonifacio Alia (Fullworth Realty)

Top Brokers 1st Place - Julie Mclynn Piñol (JM Realty) 2nd Place - Solomon Bañez (Bañez Realty) 3rd Place - Jetro Carlo Pinili (JC Pinili Realty) 4th Place - Veljean V. Villaraiz (Three V Realty)

Top Performing Sellers (Sales Manager & Agents) 1st Place - Gilbert Monecillo (Leuterio Realty) 2nd Place - Ryan Sayson (Leuterio Realty) 3rd Place - Reynold Barber (Polinar Realty) 4rd Place - Joel Reyes (Patrimonio Realty) 5th Place - Mr & Mrs. Raul Escovilla (Escovillo Realty) 6th Place - Evelyn Acol (Furog Realty) 7th Place - Luzvisminda Dio (Mega Pacific) 8th Place - Joseph Arthur Avila (Leuterio Realty)

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

Male & Female of the Night Winners 9th Place - Shiena Mae Furog (Furog Realty) 10th Place - Jocelyn Santos (Leuterio Realty) 11th Place - Prudencio Melacio (Ablas Realty) 12th Place - Hedelyn Hong Li (Ortiz Realty) 13th Place - Marjorie Osorio (Leuterio Realty)

Top 3 Winners for Tawag ng Tanghalan sa Matina Enclaves Winners Winner - Solomon Bañez Bañez Realty 1st Runner-up - Vilma Garay - Ablas Realty 2nd Realty - Salome Uy Villasor Realty Lady and Man of the Night Female - Joren Namocot Fullworth Realty Male - Japhet Diones

Grand Winner for Raffle Dorothy De Leon - Villasor Realty

is in need of Lay-out Artist

Qualifications: • Male / Female, not more than 30 years old • Knowledgeable in Adobe Photoshop and Indesign application • Willing to work under pressure, flexible and persuasive

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

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

13 SUBURBIA

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Towns, villages join countdown to DavOr’s golden anniversary

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S the Province of Davao Oriental launched its historic countdown to its 50th Founding Anniversary on Friday, March 24, the Local Government Units of Davao Oriental -- from the municipalities down to the barangays -- showcased fun and vibrant activities in their respective towns and villages as their way of showing support to province’s distinc celebration.

Mayors of the eleven towns and one city as well as the officials of the 183 barangays here simultaneously held various activities in their towns and villages ranging from community services, feeding activities, tree-planting, consultation gatherings and even Zumba.

“We woke up early and grabbed our brooms, boots and other cleaning gears for our clean-up drive,” said Nenita Carasca from the Office of the Mayor in Tarragona town.

Not minding the scorching heat, employees of Tarragona Municipal Government said they were very excited to be part of the celebration. Aside from the clean-up drive, LGU Tarragona also held a parade giving the celebration a festive feel.“It’s not every year that the province celebrates its 50thanniversary. The Golden Anniversary of the province is so special that we really want to be part of the historic celebration,” said one employee.

Aside from the LGUs, far-flung villages in the hinterlands have shown their support by conducting consultative gatherings and community dancing activities.

“We are very thrilled of the celebration that we really put so much effort on encouraging community members to participate and took the time in putting up tarpaulins and festive embellishments at the barangay to create a jovial atmosphere,” says an employee of Barangay Jovellar in Tarragona town.

Other towns have also featured some highlight activities. Scores of people in Bos-

ton town planted tree seedlings as part of their campaign in helping to green-up the town’s landscapes. The said activity was participated in by municipal officials, national government agencies, students, municipal employees, and volunteers, among others.

Animated employees of Governor Generoso town greeted the celebration with a Zumba work-out. The Municipal Government of Manay spearheaded an early morning mass with prayers dedicated for the 50th anniversary celebration.

Around 200 participants joined the opening program

for the Information-Education Campaign on the Best Practices of the Protection of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mount Hamiguitan in San Isidro town. Led by renowned environment advocate Mayor Justina Yu, the activity was joined by key officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Gracing the activity include Governor Generoso town Mayor Katrina Joy Orencia and her Vice Mayor Vicente Orencia.

After the activity, guests were led in an experiential tour at the Mount Hamiguitan World Heritage Park.

Meanwhile, the commu-

nities in the towns of Lupon, Caraga, Cateel and Baganga also conducted a clean-up drive with loads of people removing debris from roadways and waterways. Communities in the town of Banaybanay have also gathered for a mass anniversary greeting. In an aerial documentation, well-choreographed employees dotted the municipal grounds forming a massive ‘50’ as their means of conveying cheers to the province. “It is with honor and pride that for 50 years, Davao Oriental continues to soar high, gaining trust of the people and in embodying good governance,” said Banaybanay Mayor AdaliaTambuang.

The City Government of Mati, meanwhile, sponsored a spectacular fireworks display at the Closing Ceremonies of the Davao Athletic Association Meet at the Mati Park and Baywalk for the thousands of athletes and spectators to behold.

The Province of Davao Oriental which is celebrating its 50th Founding Anniversary on July 1 has many reasons for celebrating, says Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang in a message delivered by his representative Vice Governor Niño Uy during the Launching Program on Friday.

“There are more than 50 reasons to celebrate the province’s golden anniversary.

Among them are the follow-

ing: our tourism and the local economy that creates jobs and cultivate local entrepreneurship, our infrastructure which provides service-oriented facilities in local communities; our innovation that redefines local governance; cultural preservation that protects our cultural heritage through local efforts; disaster preparedness that strengthens our capacity toward resiliency; environmental management, revenue generation, water and sanitation, housing and basic utilities, and there are many more! we have passed the test of good local governance.

Proof of it is the latest Seal of Good Local Governance being conferred by the Department of Interior and Local Government to Davao Oriental. We are among the few provinces in the Davao region being conferred with such distinction.

And we will have to raise the ante a notch higher because the challenges of good governance become even more demanding and difficult,” he said.

As Davao Oriental begins its countdown to its much-anticipated Golden Anniversary, Governor Dayanghirang hopes for more achievements and milestones for the province in the coming years. He says there are many possibilities for the province as long as there is unity and cooperation among the people. (Karen Lou Deloso/PIO DavOr)

14 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

BLATCHE ON BOARD Gilas wants Blatche for SEABA tilt

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HE Philippine national men’s basketball team has usually dominated the Southeast Asian basketball scene despite sending an all-local squad.

But for the must-win SEABA Championship in Manila this May, Gilas Pilipinas doesn’t want to be complacent. Team manager Butch Antonio said the team is trying to bring naturalized player Andray Blatche on board in time for the tournament.

“For the SEABA, we’re trying to bring in Andray,” Antonio said. “I think he’s in the CBA (China Basketball Association) now where his

team is competing in the semifinals or finals, I’m not sure.”

Antonio said that signs of Blatche joining Gilas are “positive” but admitted that an agreement has yet to be sealed.

“As far as Andray Blatche is concerned, we’re continuously talking to his handlers. As I’ve always said, it’s positive. But until agreements are formalized, that’s the only time we can say that everything is done. Our talks look OK, but you can never be sure until the signature is there,” Antonio said.

Gilas Pilipinas needs to win the SEABA crown to book a ticket to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, a tournament that will determine

t h e teams that will compete in the six-window qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Al-Hussaini traded to NLEX

R VDFS IN MATI. Local Government Unit of Mati City administrative officer Dashiel Indelible (right), together with 4th time international skimboarding champion Sonny Aporbo (center) and VDFS Frisbee Invitational Tournament organizer Bryle Quimintan, announces the scheduled sporting events which are part the 4th Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) that will showcase the region’s eco-tourism destinations during Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall on Wednesday morning. Lean Daval Jr.

Wizards clinch first Division title in 38 years W ATER pooled on a table in the middle of the noisy locker room and soaked in the carpet. The Washington Wizards had just celebrated clinching the Southeast Division for the franchise’s first division title in 38 years. ‘’We had a little water bottle fight in here,’’ a smiling Bradley Beal said after a 119108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. ‘’It’s history for us.’’

John Wall shot 14 of 25 for 34 points and Beal was held to 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, but the Wizards ended the longest division-title drought

in NBA history with their fourth straight victory. ‘’John and I especially, we’ve been on the team for five years,’’ Beal said. ‘’It’s bigtime for us and we’re excited to keep it moving forward.’’

When the franchise last claimed a division title in 1978-79, it was known as the Bullets of the Atlantic Division and played in suburban Landover, Maryland. The team had won its lone NBA championship the previous season and went on to lose the 1979 Finals to the Seattle SuperSonics. ‘’Quite an accomplishment,’’ first-year coach Scott

Brooks said. ‘’It’s a credit to everyone in the organization.’’

From 1979-80 on, Washington has had one of the worst winning percentages in the league, and while the team has made the playoffs 14 times in that span, it hasn’t gotten past the second round.

Washington put the divisional slump in the past by outscoring the Lakers 37-13 in the fourth.

The Wizards opened on a 19-6 run to tie it at 101 with their second unit in for much of the spurt. ‘’That changed the game,’’ Brooks said. ‘’They’re energy (the bench) and gave our

starters the chance to finish the game off.’’

Wall returned with his team down four and hit a layup and stole D’Angelo Russell’s bad pass for a fast-break one-handed tying dunk.

Beal came back, too, and he and Wall combined to score Washington’s next seven points for a 108-104 lead. ‘’It’s a great accomplishment,’’ Wall said. ‘’It’s something we can cherish, but we have bigger goals and our minds set on other things.’’

The Wizards have won 16 games after trailing by double-digits. They were down 13 to start the fourth.

T

in the first half to go along with 11 rebounds, while Calvin Abueva made 17 markers and six boards2 for the Aces who joined early leaders Meralco and Rain or Shine.

The Bolts and the Elasto Painters2 are battling as of presstime.

Behind the big first half from Jefferson, Alaska gained a 50-40 cushion at the half which they extended to as 16 points in the third quarter.

Mahindra however came alive, with James White leading a 10-0 run that trimmed their deficit to just five points, 83-78,

with just 6:24 left.q Alaska countered with a 14-4 spurt to push the Aces’ lead to 15, 97-82, with 1:47 left and keep the Floodbuster at bay.

White led Mahindra with 30 points and 14 boards but failed to the Floodbuster’s fall to a 1-3 card.

ABEH Al-Hussaini is set for a reunion project with Coach Yeng Guiao as he heads to NLEX after a three-club trade with Meralco and Blackwater was approved by Commissioner Chito Narvasa on Monday.

The transfer, which was made MOVING OVER. Rabeh Al-Hussaini was traded official through the by Meralco to nLEX thru Blackwater Elite.

PBA website, has the six-foot-seven center joining Their team-up, however, the Road Warriors from the was cut short when Al-HusBolts. saini, Nonoy Baclao, and With sister squads Rey Guevarra, the first three barred from making direct picks of the said draft, were trades, they took the Elite shipped to San Miguel, foras the conduit with them merly Petron, via a mid-seagiving up their 2018 second son trade, and Al-Hussaini’s round pick to the Bolts while numbers dipped drastically retaking their 2017 second since then. rounder from the Road WarNow, NLEX got another riors. center to shore up its frontGuiao, then coaching the line alongside import Wayne original Air21 franchise that Chism and locals Asi Tauwas eventually sold to Phoe- lava, Raul Soyud, and Bradnix, got Al-Hussaini as the wyn Guinto, who is part of second overall pick of the the Gilas pool for the SEABA 2010 draft.

Championship. (PNA)

Alaska holds off Mahindra

HE Alaska Aces extended their unbeaten start to three games after turning back the Mahindra Floodbuster, 98-92, in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.2 Import Cory Jefferson poured in 26 out of his 30 points

BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY. Ali Bernan, beach volleyball competition organizer, talks about the upcoming competition slated on May 19 to 21 in Dahican, Mati, Davao Oriental which will be participated by 10 teams both for the men’s and women’s divisions. Bernan graced this week’s edition of Wednesdays @ Habi at Kape at Abreeza Mall. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

EDGEDAVAO

WHOPPING BONANZA

SPORTS15

RPV’s 12th Pomelo Tee Golf offers big prizes

POMELO TEE. Veteran golfer Ting Castillo hits from the fairways during last year’s Pomelo Tee. Boy Lim

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

A

njb@edgedavao.net

MITSUBISHI Montero, a golf share and a Carribean cruise are but some of the huge prizes at stake in the 12th PomeloTee, the annual club tournament of the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club.

This year’s edition of the annual classic will be staged on April 27 to 30 at the scenic rolling course in the hills of Cabantian.

Winners of the event will receive specially-designed trophies while six exciting hole-in-one prizes

are at stake. A brand new Mitsubishi Montero Sport, one RPVGC golf share, Royal Caribbean Cruise, P500,000 cash, a brand new motorcycle and one Daikin airconditioner unit.

Proceeds of the tournament will be used to fund the different charitable project of the Pomelo Tee Foudation Inc. Two of the beneficiaries are the Pablo Lorenzo National High School in Mandug and the Teofilo Fernandez NHS in Indangan.

Organizers have an-

nounced that the tournament’s mode of play will be 36-hole stroke play format for team and individual categories. Each team is composed of a club member and guest.

Entry fee is P4,500 per player with a mulligan of P500 while the giveaway is a Mizuno gift certificate worth P4,000.

The four-day event is presented by RPVGCC and Pomelo Tee Foundation Inc. The platinum sponsors are the Hexat Mining and Phoenix Petroleum Philip-

Curry leads Warriors over Rockets 113-106

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TEPHEN Curry and the Golden State Warriors didn’t get much time to celebrate their 60th win, not with a game at San Antonio coming Wednesday night.

Curry scored 32 points, Klay Thompson had 25 and the Warriors built a big lead early and held on for a 113106 win over the Houston Rockets to become the sixth NBA team to win at least 60 regular season games in three straight seasons.

The Warriors scored 37 points in the first quarter and never trailed on the way to their eighth straight victory.

After handling the third-seeded Rockets, the Western Conference-leading Warriors immediately shifted their focus to the Spurs, who are 2 1/2 games behind them in the standings. ‘’This is an important time of the year, especially with our schedule and teams we have to go up against ... all playoff teams and all at-

mospheres that, whether it’s home or road, that we need to win in,’’ said Curry, who tied a career high with 10 rebounds.

Golden State led by eight after a pair of free throws by Curry with just over three minutes left. Patrick Beverley countered with a tip-in layup for Houston, then was fouled when he was knocked down on a screen by Draymond Green seconds later.

James Harden missed a layup on the next possession before Green added a shot on the other end to put the Warriors up 107-99.

Another layup miss by Harden followed, and Curry made a 3-pointer with 1:46 left to send fans streaming to the exits. ‘’We just didn’t play well for whatever reason,’’ Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. ‘’This is not going to happen very often. This is a good learning experience ... we’ve got to get better.’’

60TH WIN. Steph Curry’s 32 points led the Warriors to their 60th win.

Harden had 24 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 20th triple-double this season. Houston’s four-game winning streak ended on a night when the Rockets made just 5 of 31 3-pointers. ‘’They missed some open ones, but that’s obviously a big focus for us when we play these guys,’’ Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. ‘’We try to keep them off the line, run them off the line and force them to beat us with 2s.’’

Harden has been dealing with a sore left wrist that limited him on Tuesday. ‘’It’s pretty tough man, I’m not going to lie,’’ he said. ‘’I don’t feel sorry for myself at all (but) the shot is just short and it’s frustrating when you can’t really follow through.’’

The Warriors scored the last six points of the third quarter to lead 86-75 entering the fourth.

Golden State led by 22 in the first half and was up 6052 at halftime.

pines while the gold sponsors are Hijo Resources Corp., MonarkCAT, Power Up/ Petron, Romsan and Steniel Mindanao Packaging.

For more inquiries, contact tel. no. 2863673 or Karl Moises (09173121887), Erzza Abuan (0917-7705528) and Wilson Obongen (09156032302).

More exciting slamfest in PBA All-Star

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LARGER contingent of the PBA’s top dunkers will take on each other in the PBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest on April 28 at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena.

Unlike last year at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, when only four players participated, the league opened six more slots for this year’s slam-off, paving the way for former competitors who missed last year’s cut to be back in the fold.

Last year’s participants James Forrester (Blackwater), Chris Newsome (Meralco), and Rey Guevarra (Mahindra), the eventual champion, will make a return to this year’s event with the latter eyeing a fourth consecutive title.

The rest of the field includes returnees Japeth Aguilar (Ginebra), Calvin Abueva (Alaska), JC Intal (Phoenix), Justin Melton (Star), and Gabe Norwood (Rain Or Shine) and first-timers Arnold Van Opstal (San Miguel) and Mo Tautuaa

(TNT).

Unlike the other side events, where each team has a representative, GlobalPort and NLEX did not assign a player to join the dunk contest.

On the other hand, Melton’s return to the dunk off caps a busy night for him as he will also participate in the obstacle challenge earlier in the night.

Melton, Sol Mercado (Ginebra), Stanley Pringle (GlobalPort), RJ Jazul (Phoenix), Chris Ross (San Miguel), Emman Monfort (NLEX), Chris Banchero (Alaska), Roi Sumang (Blackwater), LA Revilla (Mahindra), Ed Daquioag (Meralco), and Kris Rosales (TNT) will try to dethrone Maverick Ahanmisi (ROS) as obstacle challenge champ.

On the other hand, Terrence Romeo’s bid for a third straight PBA three-point shootout title will be met with a very tough set of opponents.

The GlobalPort scorer will have familiar opposition

in Alaska’s Simon Enciso and Meralco’s Jared Dillinger, who joined last year’s edition at “The Big Dome”.

However, the rest of the pack is a good bunch of young gunners and veteran slingers that can give Romeo a run for his money.

Also joining this year’s contest are Blackwater’s Ronjay Buenafe, Ginebra’s LA Tenorio, Mahindra’s Gary David, NLEX’s Juami Tiongson, Phoenix’s Matt Wright, Star’s Allein Maliksi, San Miguel’s Marcio Lassiter, Rain Or Shine’s Chris Tiu, and TNT’s Larry Fonacier.

Among the notable opponents apart from Enciso and Dillinger are David, whose career got rejuvenated early in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup, Wright, arguably the best shooter among the Gilas Cadets, Tiongson, whose own career got a revival after playing for Blu in the D-League, and Maliksi, who early in his career has been more known for his hops than his outside stroke. (PNA)

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 287 • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017