Edge Davao 9 Issue 11

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte flashes his signature clinched fist sign with this year’s Mutya ng Davao winners led by 2016 Mutya ng Davao Allyza Molly Teodoro (second from right), Diwa ng Davao Dane Rhea Sillo (rightmost), Sinag ng Davao Maria Karis Gabriela M. del Corro (third from left), Pag-asa ng Davao - Elda Louise Aznar (leftmost) and Patnubay ng Davao Angelica Almaden during the 79th Araw ng Davao ‘Parada Davaoeño’ in San Pedro Street yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

RODY: WAIT FOR THE REAL THING

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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Allyza Molly Teodoro is crowned as Mutya ng Davao 2016 during the pageant’s night last Tuesday evening at Davao City Recreation Center – Almendras Gym. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

abf@edgedavao.net

RESIDENTIAL aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said that his ratings on the latest ABSCBN- commissioned Pulse Asia election survey will not determine his victory on May 9 election.

Duterte told reporters at the sidelines of the Parada Davaoeño yesterday that survey results are not enough basis for him to win the presidential election because it changes from time to time.

“Hindi mo man maasahan yang survey (You cannot rely on that survey),” he said.

Duterte said he will just wait for the Election Day and let the people decide who they will vote for.

In the March 1 to 6, 2016 survey result, which was released on Tuesday, Duterte jumped to the second spot with 24 percent next to Sen. Grace Poe who got 28 percent.

Duterte got three percent increase from his previous 21

percent rating reflected in the result of the February 15 to 20 Pulse Asia survey.

Statistically tied in third place are Vice President Jejomar Binay with 21 percent and Liberal party-bet Mar Roxas with 20 percent. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago received 3 percent, while five percent of the respondent gave no preference for any presidential candidate.

Duterte’s campaign manager Leoncio “Jun” Evasco said the results of the Pulse Asia survey that placed the candidate from Mindanao second only to Poe is proof that more and more Filipinos are becoming convinced of his political agenda.

The Pulse Asia-ABS CBN survey showed that that Duterte dominated the Mindanao sector where he garnered 47 percent in the island.

Duterte also finished as one of the top three picks for president in Metro Manila in a

tie with Binay with 23 percent along with Poe who got 30 percent for the top post.

Meanwhile, in Classes A, B and C , Duterte gained top spot with 30 percent, followed

by Binay with 21 percent, Poe and Roxas got 17 percent each.

In the latest Social Weather Station (SWS), however, Duterte dropped to rank 4 with 21 percent.

Duterte, earlier, said that he will not question the standards of the firms who conducted the poll surveys because in the end the people will decide on Election Day. For his part, senatorial aspirant Rafael Alunan III said the survey results only show the “volatility of politics.”

Alunan said the people really change their preferences depending on the information they got from television, radio, newspapers and social media.

“But personally, I still need to understand the results of

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

FAREWELL. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte bids farewell and gives his undying appreciation to the people of Davao City in his last Araw ng Davao speech during yesterday’s ‘Parada Davaoeño,’ the culminating activity of the festival, in San Pedro Street. Lean Daval Jr.

Duterte: Don’t vote for me if you won’t vote for Alan

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residential bet Rodrigo R. Duterte asked the people of Davao City to also vote for his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano for vice president this coming May 9 election.

“Kung magpili gani mo’g bise presidente, huna-hunaa pud ko. Ayaw ko igibulag sa bise president nako kay mura na og magtiayon (Think of me first before you chose a vice president. Do not separate me from my vice president because the tandem is just like a couple),” Duterte said in his speech during the civic parade of the Araw ng Davao.

Duterte said he wants to be with his vice president so that there will be unity in the implementation of his govern-

ment programs once elected.

“Ug tagaan kog bise presindente na tagalaing partido, ang goberno nato magsige na pud og away (If you will give me a vice president that comes from another party, our government will always have fighting),” he said.

“If that is the case, then do not vote for me if you will not vote for Alan,” he added.

Duterte said that in his ‘last chapter’ of his life, he does not want to have conflict in his administration.

“I am asking for your help, think of it, if you will vote for me then vote also for Cayetano,” he said.

Duterte said Cayetano is the only person who could

FDUTERTE, 10

Rody, Alan clearly against crime, corruption: Sen. Pia

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MONG the hopefuls in the May 9 polls, only the tandem of PDP-LABAN standard bearer Rodrigo Duterte and running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has a clear platform on fighting crime and corruption.

Cayetano’s sister and fellow senator Pia emphasize this during campaign sorties of the tandem.

“My brother Alan has been very consistent in fighting corruption even during the past administration. So he and Duterte have come up with the idea of signing a manifesto challenging the other presidential candidates to sign a

bank secrecy waiver to show that they have no ill-gotten wealth,” she said.

“Alan had been thinking about such a move from way back. If you want to run for the highest elective post, then you should be willing to show that you are clean,” she added.

She pointed out that candidates should uphold transparency as she challenged others to do the same.

“The waiver is an anti-corruption measure. If they don’t agree to sign, then it means they’re hiding something,” she said.

Cayetano campaigns

FRODY, ALAN, 10

SC asked to stop Sasa port project

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

N incumbent member of the Davao City Council, three former councilors, members of the Samal City Resort Owners Association, Inc (SCROA) and other concerned citizens filed an urgent petition for writ of continuing mandamus/writ of Kalikasan with prayer for Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) before the Supreme Court last Wednesday to stop the implementation of the controversial P18.9-billion Davao Sasa port modernization project The group includes Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Sr., former councilors Peter Laviña, Pilar Braga, Antonio

Vergara, Benjie Badal and SCROA represented by lawyers Harry Roque and Roger Rayel, asked the highest court to prohibit the implementation of the alleged overpriced port modernization project.

Roque, also one of the complainants, said the project is being rushed to be implemented by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) during the election season.

The petitioners also said the DOTC did not secure an environmental clearance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and did not consult members

of the affected communities before proceeding with the bidding process last year.

Sasa Port is a government operated port terminal with a total area of 18.09 hectares.

The facility handles mainly container cargo, some general and break bulk cargo and small number of passengers.

The Sasa port modernization project is a project enrolled under the Public Private Partnership (PPP). DOTC has invited bidders to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the Sasa Port project.

Earlier, members of the City Council of Davao passed a resolution rejecting the project for alleged violation

of Sections 2 and 27 of the Local Government Code requiring consultation and prior approval from the local government before proceeding with any national government project.

City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte later concurred with the resolution rejecting the project.

Mahipus earlier asked Regional Development Council-11 chairman, Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, to withdraw its resolution endorsing the Sasa Port Project pending coordination efforts from DoTC. The RDC issued Resolution No. 118 on December 21,

peace and order unit (BPOU) members were deployed during the celebration.

After the celebration of the Araw ng Davao, he said, the tight security measures in the city will continue up to the May 9 national and local elections.

Danao said the DCPO will still implement random checkpoints in different parts of the

city.

FSC, 10

Araw measures to continue during Lenten, elections

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has declared the Araw ng Davao celebration marking the 79th founding anniversary as generally peaceful.

DCPO director Sr. Supt.

Vicente D. Danao Jr. told EDGE Davao yesterday that there were no major incidents that occurred in the city during the weeklong celebration.

“We have not received any serious threats,” Danao said.

Danao said the DCPO found the strict implementation of prohibiting backpacks, covered canisters and canned drinks in the major activities as effective measures which contributed to the peaceful celebration of the city.

Around 1,500 DCPO police officers and 800 barangay

“I am still asking the people to please cooperate with the checkpoints to avoid any inconvenience,” he said.

Danao said prohibiting backpacks, covered canisters and canned drinks will also be banned in major activities of the Catholic churches next week in the observance of Holy Week.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

Wireless Internet access program in SUCs pushed

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PERSONAL CHECK. Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Sr. Supt. Vicente Danao Jr. (second from right) personally supervises the security measures undertaken in yesterday’s ‘Parada Davaoeño’. Lean Daval Jr.

Comelec, Gordon, et al face off on voting receipt

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HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the proponents of the voters receipt will face off on today as the Supreme Court (SC) is set to conduct oral arguments concerning the implementation of the Voters Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

This after the Comelec has appealed the SC’s ruling requiring the printing of the voters receipt in compliance with the minimum capabilities set forth under Republic

Act No. 9369, or the “Automated Elections Systems Law”.

The Comelec said the SC decision greatly impacts their preparation for the May 9, 2016 elections.

Among the issues to be deliberated are the following: -- whether the SC ruling can be complied with in good faith for the May 9 elections considering the material time left for preparations; and -- whether there are sufficient safeguards that can

meet the purpose, if not the letter, the statutory requirement of a VVPAT. Both petitioners Bagumbayan-VNP Movement and former Senator Richard J. Gordon and the respondent were given 10 minutes each to give their respective opening statements.

Interpellation will immediately follow the parties’ presentation of arguments.

In a four-page advisory of the SC En Banc, the Comelec was also required to sub-

mit its timeline and relevant work plans to support its position.

Meanwhile, the SC in its two-page notice of resolution signed by Clerk of Court Atty. Felipa B. Anama, denied the petition-in-intervention of former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco.

The SC denied the petition of Syjuco, who would like to intervene in the VVPAT case, for lack of merit. (PNA)

asked BangkoSentralngPilipinas (BSP) Governor AmandoTetangco Jr. for assistance to trace and “possibly freeze” the stolen money.

AMLC conducted its own investigation and preliminary results showed that remittances were indeed received by four accounts maintained with the RCBC Jupiter branch.

These accounts were owned by one Michael Francisco Cruz and received USD 6.029 million; Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, USD 30.28 million; Alfred Vergara, USD 19.999 million; and one Enrico Vasquez, USD 25.001 million.

These were opened in May 15, 2015 and remained untouched until last February, Abad said.

Funds from these four accounts were immediately withdrawn and transferred to an account said to be owned by one William So Go that was opened only on Feb. 1 this year.

During the same hearing, Go, owner of Centurytex Trading, denied owning the account and reiterated his earlier statement that it was RCBC Jupiter branch manager Maia Deguito who opened the account without his consent.

Abad said results of their investigations also showed that after the funds were consolidated in the account allegedly owned by Go, these were transferred and exchanged from US dollars to Philippine pesos through the remittance firm Philrem, which has an account in RCB-

CGreenhills, and transferred to the account of Solaire, which received USD 29 million; Midas Hotel and Casino, USD 21.245 million; and of one Win Khang Zhou, USD 30.691 million.

Abad said inclusion of casinos as among the covered entities under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) could have possibly deterred this problem because unscrupulous individuals would not be able to see a gap on the law.

Relatively, Moncupa said

the country’s anti-money laundering law is “more than sufficient” and proof to this is the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) blacklist in 2005 due to measures put in place to address money laundering loopholes.

“The issue is not the adequacy of the rules. I think it’s the consciousness of how we do these things. Just follow the rules and you’ll be fine,” he added. (PNA)

Banker: Money laundering issue to keep industry wary

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HE money laundering activity that has put in the center a major Philippine universal bank should not be considered as purely negative but, on the flip side, should be taken positively.

East West Banking Corp.

(East West Bank) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Antonio C. Moncupa said the advantage of this situation is that it makes people aware of their responsibilities.

“Look at the positive side.

It brings to the fore the issue and it reiterates the need for banks to be conscious about their efforts to control money laundering. So it’s positive,” he said.

Moncupa, a former officer of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), stressed that the issue “makes everybody aware of what we should be doing.”

Yunchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) is now in the middle of controversy after its Jupiter, Makati branch was found to have been used to launder about USD 81 million of funds, remitted from the dollar account of the Bangladesh Bank, the said country’s central bank, with the Federal Reserve of New York in February 2016.

During the Senate hearing on the issue Tuesday, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Julia Abad said the Council first learned of the issue on Feb. 11, 2016 when Bangladesh Bank Governor AtiurRahman

EEKING to ensure quality education, Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao has stressed the need for government to provide wireless internet access to poor students in all State universities and colleges.

“Public schools, including SUCs, where poor but deserving Filipino students go, often lag behind their private counterparts in providing their students and teachers technology-driven equipment that could increase their capacity to achieve quality education,” Rep. Pacquiao, author of HB 3591, pointed out.

HB 3591 is entitled “An Act establishing the Wireless Internet Access Program in all State Universities and Colleges in the country and appropriating funds therefor,” now pending with the Committee on Higher and Technical Education chaired by Rep. Roman T. Romulo of Pasig City.

Pacquiao said that students of SUCs who are competitive intellectually become disadvantaged when it comes to access to relevant information due to lack of the needed modern facilities, one of which is wireless internet connection within the campus.

Students who cannot afford

to subscribe to internet plans resort to spending time in places that offer free wireless internet such as coffee shops, restaurants and internet cafes instead of staying in their respective school campuses, the lawmaker added in his explanatory note when he filed the bill in 2014.

“This student behavior is understandable given the hunger for knowledge that permeates our society nowadays. The emergence of information technology and globalization has dramatically changed human behavior.

Compared to a few decades ago, the world now runs via information highways, and access to this network of information has never been as important,” he explained.

The bill mandates that the “Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall formulate, establish and maintain the Program to provide wireless internet access to students, faculty members and other non-teaching personnel in the SUCs and to ensure that connectivity requirements of the SUCs are met in an efficient and effective manner.”

FWIRELESS, 10

Zambo detention facility adopts‘E-Dalaw’program

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HE Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (ZCRC) has adopted the “Electronic Dalaw (E-Dalaw)” program to connect the inmates with their loved ones through the Internet.

Supt. Julius Arro, ZCRC warden, told the Philippines News Agency that the program is a joint project of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) through the ZCRC, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Rotary Club of Zamboanga-West.

“This program will be an avenue for our inmates to have an opportunity to communicate with their loved ones who cannot afford to frequently visit them,” Arro said.

Arro said they have six units of computers that are being used in the E-Dalaw pro-

gram with trained BJMP personnel and inmates serving as program facilitators.

Arro said each of the inmates is given the opportunity to communicate with their love ones “for several minutes” through Skype or any social media flat form.

He said inmates who wish to avail of the program must register ahead for purposes of setting the schedule.

However, he said they are properly monitored to ensure the inmates will not utilize the program for unscrupulous activities.

“There are jailguards and trusted inmates monitoring them as part of the security measures,” he added.

The ZCRC houses more than 2,000 male and female inmates who have pending cases in court. (PNA)

SNIPERS. Snipers from the Davao City Police Office check the perimeters of San Pedro Square using a binocular during yesterday’s 79th Araw ng Davao ‘Parada Davaoeño’ in San Pedro Street. DCPO placed Davao City on heightened alert to prevent untoward incidents during the celebration. Lean Daval Jr.

5 ECONOMY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

PHL exports growth seen at 8.8% in 2016, 10.6% in 2017 T HE Philippine Exports Development Plan (PEDP) 2015-2017 projects that the country’s exports growth will range from 6.6-8.8 percent in 2016 and from 7.7 - 10.6 percent in 2017, Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) Director Senen Perlada said on Wednesday.

Perlada, during the Forum on the Regionalization of PEDP 2015-2017 in Pasig City, said growth of total exports reve-

nues in 2015 is forecasted to declined as much as 3.8 percent to USD84.26 billion after merchandise exports dropped by 7.4 percent to USD57.53 billion, accounting for 68 percent of the total exports value last year.

This is despite services exports revenue is projected to grow from 4.9 - 7.6 percent ranging from USD26.73 billion to USD29.89 billion.

This year, the PEDP proj-

ects combined revenues of merchandise and services exports at USD92.19 billion to USD94.07 billion from the 2015 level.

Revenue growth of exports of goods is seen to increase by 5.4 - 8 percent valuing at USD62.3 billion to USD63.84 billion while services exports receipt is projected to increase by 9 - 10.3 percent at USD29.89 billion to USD30.23 billion.

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A merchandise trader takes advantage of the large number of people converged at Rizal Park due to the activities of the 79th Araw ng Davao to sell DU30 caps and other Duterte-inspired products. Lean Daval Jr.

Twidl to launch City Lifebit app

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

AVAO-BASED startup and mobile phone application developer Twidl Inc. will soon formally launched the world’s first mobile application of its own type City Lifebit, a successor of Lifebit which is a photo-topoints platform hyped during last year’s Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS).

Still on trial stage, Twidl Inc. co-founder and CEO Erick Clark Su said that the City Lifebit also uses photo-topoints platform which users can tag photos of food items they brought from some of the big names in the food and beverages industry like McDonald’s and Starbucks.

“City Lifebit uses three solutions to award its users which include rebate system, loyalty points, and the best

customer award,” Su told reporters during the Davao Business Forum at the DermPath at SM City Davao last Tuesday.

Su explained that City Lifebit users can gain points by posting photos of food products which can accumulate and redeem as cash later.

Additional points will be also given to users who will share the post on their respective Facebook accounts.

Bigger points with corresponding amount of money starting from P80 to as much as P160 will be given to clients who will post photos of food items sold by partner merchandise stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.

“We have five existing partner shops from the Philippines and we’re targeting to

grow that by 30 by the end of the year,” he said, adding the platform aims to turn clients into marketing agents once they posted a photo online.

Su said the City Lifebit will also be used as one of the featured apps during this year’s VDFS, a 10-weeklong summer activity of the Department of Tourism (DOT), private tourism players and local government units in the region.

To date, he said Lifebit has more than 123,000 users worldwide while the City Lifebit has already drawn 2,000 users around the country.

He said the application was developed by 10 developers from Davao.

As one of the promising start-ups in Davao City after setting foot in the AngelHack

Silicon Valley in 2013, Su said there is still limited support from the government to the start-ups here.

“There is a very small support for start-ups here compared to other countries like Singapore where its government subsidizes their small start-ups,” he said.

Su said the city has so much potential because of the availability of talents. For Twidl to continue its operation years back, he said they used the US$220,000-fund raised by angel investors when they went to the world’s most renowned IT event.

Su described start-ups as businesses which are exploring and developing new business templates in a bid to tap a bigger market which has lesser competition.

NIA inks P345.2-M deal under BBMP II T

HE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) signed Wednesday a PHP345.2-million contract for the construction of the north main canal of the Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project (BBMP) in Tarlac.

NIA Administrator Dr. Florencio F. Padernal signed the contract awarding the said project to Lorenzo Construction and Development Corporation at the NIA Conference Room in Quezon City.

Padernal said the PHP345,257,601.71 project is part of the Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project Phase II (BBMP II) which envisions providing water supply for year round irrigation of about 39,150 hectares of farmlands in eight municipalities in the province of Tarlac: Concepcion, Gerona, Pura, Ramos, Paniqui, La Paz, Victoria and Tarlac City.

The BBMP is one of the big ticket projects of the adminis-

tration of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Major features of the project include a 113-meter high earth and rock fill dam with a storage capacity of 625 million cubic meters.

The main dam and reservoir is located at Brgy. Maamot, San Jose, Tarlac about 48 kilometers west of the City of Tarlac.

“Once completed, BBMP II aims to mitigate flooding in low-lying areas and to provide the upland communities with the opportunity to engage in inland fish production and potential power generation,” Padernal said.

Incidentally, the initiative that was to become the BBMP started during the time of martyred former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. who campaigned for the construction of a mega dam in western Tarlac that can generate power and irrigate farmlands when he ran for governor in 1965. (PNA)

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

DLI ahead of Seawind sked

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

NLY less than a year since the firm started land preparation, homegrown developer Damosa Land Inc. (DLI), is set to start the construction of the second tower for its maiden condominium project, Seawind, this year.

“This is one of the significant developments for this year. Our original plan was to build one tower per year but with the very good take-up in sales, we want to maximize this opportunity,” DLI vice president Ricardo “Cary” F. Lagdameo told reporters at the sidelines of the inauguration of the Seawind’s entrance complex yesterday.

Not even finished on the first two towers, Lagdameo said all the 326 combined units of Tower 1 and Tower 2 are already sold out while more than 60 percent of the 163 units in Tower 3 are also bought.

Lagdameo said some of the remaining units in fourth tower which has a total of 200 units are up for sale since it was launched last January 23.

However, he said that a “relatively slower sales is expected for the Tower 4 than that of the first three towers because of external factors which he declined to identify.

“However, we are pleased to see that sales continue to be brisk. As of today we have sold about 50 percent of Tower 4’s inventory, after launching just last January,” he said.

“These positive figures have prompted us to accelerate construction. We are currently construction both Tower 1 and 2, as well as the basic land development,” he said the statement.

“Fifty percent of our clients are businessmen from Davao.

We also have buyers that are

up and coming professionals,” he added.

Almost 10 percent of the whole development for the 2.7 hectare condominium project area already finished which include the land development, construction of the main road, and completion of the entrance complex.

Lagdameo also said the DLI has also started the construction of swimming pool and club house which are both eyed to be finished by August this year.

He estimated that they have already spent around P100 million of the P1 billion estimated cost of the midrise condominium project which will have another building allocated for commercial spaces.

“We have already completed the foundation and the ground floor of the first tower.

We’re on the way up,” he said,

adding the eight-storey building will have a total of 163 units which will have a minimum floor area of 37 square meters (sqm) but homeowners can own up to 74 sqm.

Lagdameo said the firm is targeting to turn over the first set of units next year while the whole project is set to be finished in just 4.5 years contrary to the original plan of 6.5 years.

Also, the DLI announced that it was granted by Board of Investments (BOI) various fiscal incentives for the construction of the Towers 4, 5, and 6.

“These towers are the expansion of Seawind, an affordable condominium project, which was launched last March 15 last year,” a press statement reads.

Towers 5 and 6 of the condominium project are targeted to be launched in April and August this year, respectively.

Ricardo “Cary” F. Lagdameo, Jodi Sta. Maria and Ricky Floirendo In addition, the group Brand ambassadress and enalso inaugurated the entrance dorser movie star Jodi Sta. Macomplex in time for the Araw ria also graced the ocassion. ng Dabaw celebrating the During the inauguration, 79th founding anniversary of Lagdameo and Sta Maria cut the city yesterday which was the ribbons through riding a graced by officials of DLI and Ford Fairlanes 1951 instead of parent company, Anflocor. the traditional scissors.

DTI 11 set to establish 5 more Negosyo Centers

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Majorettes from the renowned DMMMA College of Southern Philippines drum and bugle corps perform their baton twirling routine during the 79th Araw ng Davao ‘Parada Davaoeño’ in San Pedro Street yesterday. Most of the universities and colleges in the city join the annual parade to promote their schools and eventually lure new students. Lean Daval Jr.

Smart, Voyager, Rappler make rescue, relief a text away

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Smart, Sun, and TNT subscribers can now request for relief and rescue assistance via SMS with Agos SMS service made possible

by Smart, Voyager, and Rappler. In photo are (from left to right) Move.PH Executive Director Rupert Ambil II, Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center Executive Director Dr. Reena Estuar, Rappler Founder and CEO Maria Ressa, Smart VP for Community Partnerships Darwin Flores, and Nic Santos of Chikka.

E S C U E , search, or relief assistance during disasters can now be obtained by just sending a simple text message. This is made possible by the partnership forged

by Smart Communications (Smart), Voyager Innovations, and Rappler for Project Agos, an initiative that uses mobile and web technologies, plus social media, to mobilize different sectors of society and ordinary citizens during emergencies and disasters.

“Smart supports Project Agos via our SMS service as part of our commitment to improving the efficiency of emergency communications in the country,” said Smart Public Affairs Group Head

Ramon R. Isberto. “The SMS service is a fast and convenient way for Filipinos to call for help,” Isberto added.

“It is an honor for us to be part of Agos, developing the mission critical SMS components of the platform.

We shall now wield our mobile devices to aid victims and those in the frontline in times of calamities. Voyager, our innovations hub, shall continue to explore ways to harness the new digital technologies that must come to our aid during disasters,” shared Chito Bustamante, Head of Chikka, now under the wings of Voyager Innovations, the digital unit of PLDT – Smart.

To avail of the service, which is available for Smart, TNT, and

Sun subscribers, users would only have to send information using any of the following keywords to 2929: RESCUEPH to report rescue assistance; RELIEFPH to request for relief; FINDPH to report missing persons; FLOODPH to report flooded areas; MOVEPH to volunteer for disaster response; and SAFENOW to report that survivors are safe.

The first three messages sent are free while succeeding texts will be charged P2.50.

Crowd-sourced information gathered via Project Agos SMS service is validated by the Rappler team and volunteers. Reports that need action are then passed on to relevant government agen-

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 is set to establish five more Negosyo Centers in Davao region in the first semester of the year in a bid to provide services to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

“The DTI 11 is targeting to establish a total of 14 centers this year. We will set up the other nine centers by the second half of the year,” Marilou D. Laguting, DTI 11 designated chief of staff of the regional director, said in Tuesday’s Davao Business Forum at Dermpath in SM City Davao.

Laguting said the DTI 11 will launch the Negosyo Center in Compostela Valley Municipality on the fourth week of April and another center will be inaugurated on the third week of May located in Malita in the new province of Davao Occidental.

The DTI 11 will also inaugurate the Negosyo Center in Tagum City on the third week of June in time for the Araw ng Davao del Norte.

The Negosyo Center in Baganga, Davao Oriental will be also operational on the first week of June while the second Negosyo Center for Davao City that will be located in Toril to cater to the growing number of agri-food processors will be completed and inaugurated in time for the MSME Week on the second week of July.

DTI- Davao City provincial director Edwin Banquerigo

cies.

Rappler’s Project Agos and Ateneo’s eBayanihan are about to merge into one platform, which will be known as Agos, powered by eBayanihan.

Disaster communications summit Smart launched the Agos SMS service in Baguio last March 3 as part of the

said in another interview that the center in Toril will provide assistance to budding startups and food processors from the southern part of the city.

At present, the city has only one center located at the office of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) in the vicinity of Magsaysay Park Complex. It was the first center in the city which became fully operational July last year.

The agency allocated P800, 000 for the establishment of the first Negosyo Center in Davao City that has a total area of 110-square-meter floor area.

DTI 11 regional director Ma. Belenda Q. Ambi earlier said the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, and Compostela Valley will have three Negosyo Centers each, while the new province of Davao Occidental and Davao City will have one center each.

The DTI allocated some P4.7 million this year for the establishment and operation of the six centers in the region.

The establishment of Negosyo Centers, anchored on Republic Act 10644 or the Go Negosyo Act which was passed in 2014, is one of the flagship programs of DTI which provides assistance and facilitation to SMEs in terms of business registration, capacity building, consultations, and information packages. CHENEEN R. CAPON Cordillera and Autonomous Region (CAR) disaster communications summit, the 3rdleg of the regional meetings being organized by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and supported

by Smart.

Dubbed as ICT Bayanihan, these regional meetings attended by private and public agencies aim to establish di-

F SMART, 10

7 ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

Renewable energy:

Key to sustainable power source?

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Taken during last year’s rotating brownout (Photo by Henrylito D. Tacio)

L

EILA Noel left the Philippines when her hometown Bansalan, as small town in Davao del Sur, did not have electricity yet.

“This was in the late 1970s when the country had to grapple with the oil crisis,” she recalls. “I practically grew up without electricity. When I was in high school, I remember using the kerosene lamp while studying. It seemed to be a way of life then.”

In 1980, she met and married Wim Rispens, a Dutch national whom she met in the Netherlands. The two were blessed with two kids, and when she brought them to her hometown, there was still no electricity.

“It was only in the 1990s that Bansalan started to have good supply of electricity,” the Senior Adviser at the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions and founder of Wimler Foundation said, adding that technology also came simultaneously with electricity.

“It was a great relief and delight when many homes finally had electricity. It propelled economy. People were able to watch television programs, have their own refrigerators and other amenities, which make life simpler.”

Looking back, she cannot help but compare her life in the Netherlands, where she stayed for thirty years, to her life in the Philippines.

“Throughout my stay in the Netherlands, I can only remember a few times when there was a power outage,” she says. “It happens only when

the government is conducting routine electrical checkup, constructing roads or when it renews electrical wiring.

There were also instances during severe typhoons when a few street lamp posts would fell.”

Three years ago, the Rispens couple decided to retire in Bansalan. That was when she learned that life is really different from what she used to have in the Netherlands.

“Since we arrived here in Bansalan, I remember there were only a few days without electricity,” Rispens-Noel discloses. “But summer is different; we had several hours without electricity and most of the time it happened during night time. Modern life is now highly dependent on electricity. In this town, if there is no electricity, there is also no water as the pump is dependent on electricity. And since we rely so much on electricity, we cannot use computers after the batteries ran out.”

The problem of power shortage has been with us since the 1990s.

In a lecture convened by the Press Foundation of Asia for community journalists in 1994, then undersecretary of the Department of Energy Rufino Bomasang aptly said: “Our shortage of electricity is real, serious problem that we cannot downplay. But if we focus exclusively on it, we run the risk of seeing just the trees and not the forest.”

On March 6, 2016, Business Mirror carried this headline: “Mindanao in darkness

again.”

Manuel T. Cayon, who penned the report, wrote: “Several places in Mindanao have been advised to brace themselves for another dark weekend, as two coal plants on the island were expected to go off the Mindanao grid.”

In Davao City, the Davao Light and Power Company explained that the power shortage was “due to the unstable power supply in Mindanao caused by the decreasing water elevation of major hydro power plants caused by the El Niño phenomenon and the bombings of the NGCP (National Grid Corp. of the Philippines) transmission lines.”

Several people, especially businessmen, complain of the lack of electricity in the city.

Most of the small-scale businesses said that they have already huge amount because of the rotating brownouts.

But what is currently being felt is just the beginning.

“Rotating power interruptions is projected to continue until summer,” the Davao Light said in a press statement. “New generating plants in Mindanao, which Davao Light has contracted additional power supply, are said to be available in May and August 2016.”

Summer is just around the corner and people are advised to brace themselves.

“Power outage is a great setback for the development in Mindanao,” Rispens-Noel deplores. “Economic progress is dependent on adequate supplies of electricity. For as long as this problem is not addressed sooner, we cannot

expect some robust economic activities in this region.”

But Mindanao is the not the only facing the dilemma. It is happening in other parts of the country.

“Two challenges face us in the energy sector in this country,” Bomasang said. “A short-term challenge is to be able to address this power shortage once and for all. The longer-term challenge is to find a solution to our continuing dependence on imported energy.”

Renewable energy seems to be the answer. In the keynote speech during the Forum on Making Renewable Energy a Vehicle of Inclusive Growth, Senator Loren Legarda pointed this out: “We are a country rich in renewable energy, the amount of sun and wind is more than enough to power our entire country many times over, and we must take greater steps to harness these abundant natural resources to ensure a sustainable future.”

According to Legarda, the major forms of renewable energy being utilized in the country today are geothermal, hydro, biomass, solar and wind.

Ocean energy is also currently being developed, although not yet in use.

Based on the estimates of the Department of Energy, the country’s untapped renewable energy resources are as follows: 5.1 kilowatt-hour per square meter per day for solar, 13,097 megawatts for hydropower, 2,600 megawatts for geothermal, 70,000 megawatts for wind, and 170,000 megawatts for ocean.

Offices need electricity

Will the electric bills go up (Photo by Henrylito Tacio) “We toil today to provide a brighter future for our children,” Legarda stressed. “But that future can be bleak, dark and dirty if we go business as usual, if we continue to burn fossil fuels, if we continue to believe that coal is cheap, if we continue to rely on oil to fuel our needs.”

As a developing nation, the Philippines needs more energy. “Growth is difficult to imagine without energy; and energy that does not take into consideration the needs of future generations can only destroy and not build,” Legarda said. “Development, progress,

and quality of life cannot be the exclusive domain of a few.”

As such, Legarda suggested the development of more renewable energy sources. “It has been found that renewables, as opposed to fossil fuel industries such as coal, often produce higher-value, better paying, cleaner, healthier jobs.

With hundreds of thousands of untapped renewable energy resources and the legal framework to develop renewable energy in the Philippines, renewable energy is sure to create thousands of good jobs for Filipinos.” -- (Next: The untapped source of power)

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8 VANTAGE

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

EDITORIAL

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Neglect of the elderly and PWDs

HIS one could be heroic but late. Nevertheless, for what it’s worth, we are fully behind it.

It’s a bill pending in Congress that will penalize the criminal neglect of the elderly and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

This means, hundreds of neglected elderly and disabled persons will never be abandoned and will get enough care once this is passed. The bill’s author is Rep. Alfredo D. Vargas III (5th District, Quezon City) who filed House Bill 6460, to be known as the “Care for the Elderly and the Disabled Act,” which seeks to ensure that no one will be abandoned among vulnerable elderly persons and persons with disability.

According to the measure, those who shall be found guilty of criminal neglect of the elderly and PWDs will face a jail term of not less than one year but not exceeding five years and a fine not less than PHP10,000 but not exceeding PHP100, 000.

The bill is premised on the constitutional provision that the

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State values the dignity of every person and guarantees full respect for human rights so it is unjust to abandon and neglect elderly persons and persons with disability.

Under the bill, a person is guilty of criminal neglect of a vulnerable elderly person or a person with a disability when he or she is a caregiver and knowingly acts in a manner likely to cause the vulnerable elderly person or the person with a disability’s life to be endangered, health to be injured, or pre-existing physical or mental condition to deteriorate.

The measure defines a “person with a disability” as someone who is suffering from restriction of different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical or sensory impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being, while a “vulnerable elderly person” refers to any resident of the Philippines at least sixty (60) years old who is suffering from a disease or infirmity associated with advanced age.

AGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR Circulation

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE

LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND D. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts. Specialist General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Mobile: (Smart) 0909-424-7990 Tel: (088) 852-4894

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

9

Primary killers of pregnant women

EMORRHAGE, eclampsia, unsafe abortion, sepsis, and obstructed labor – these are the primary killers of pregnant women in the Philippines, according to former secretary of health.

“Almost half of all pregnancies suffer complications and in 15 percent of them, the complications are serious or life-threatening,” pointed out Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral, also a former secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and past president of Philippine College of Physicians.

Hemorrhage “Women die of hemorrhage during childbirth each year, due to lack of access to safe and adequate blood supplies, or transfusion equipment. A healthy woman can bleed to death in two hours,” wrote Dr. Cabral in an article which appeared in Health and Lifestyle.

There are two kinds of hemorrhage: Obstetrical hemorrhage and post-partum hemorrhage. The former refers to heavy bleeding during pregnancy or labor. Wikipedia notes: “Bleeding may be vaginal and external, or, less commonly but more dangerously, internal, into the abdominal cavity. Typically bleeding is related to the pregnancy itself, but some forms of bleeding are caused by other events. Obstetrical hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality.”

Postpartum hemorrhage is excessive bleeding following the birth of a baby. The University of Rochester Medical Center explains: “Hemorrhage most commonly occurs after the placenta is delivered. The average amount of blood loss after the birth of a single baby in vaginal delivery is about 500 ml. The average

Y

VANTAGE POINTS

amount of blood loss for a caesarean birth is approximately 1,000 ml. Most postpartum hemorrhage occurs right after delivery, but it can occur later as well.”

THINK ON THESE!

ly 800,000, one of the highest rates of unsafe abortions in Asia.

“Because of the absolute prohibition, women have to secretly perform these abortions by themselves or seek out unqualified ‘healers’ – 90,000 women had to seek medical treatment for complications arising from these unsafe abortion practices,” notes “Handbook Philippines,” edited by Niklas Reese and Rainer Werning.

Records available from the Department of Health showed that between 1994 and 1998, abortion-related complications were the third leading cause of hospitalization in government hospitals, trailing after regular births and lung infections.

“About one-half of all pregnancies are unintended – some 1.8 million per year,” Dr. Cabral said. “An estimated 560,000 unsafe abortions are carried out each year. Nearly 1,000 women die and 90,000 are hospitalized from unsafe abortion.”

one or more organs fail. In the worst cases, infection leads to a life-threatening drop in blood pressure, called septic shock. This can quickly lead to the failure of several organs -- lungs, kidneys, and liver -- causing death.

Unsafe abortion Every year, more than 60,000 Filipino women are reported to have been injured from illegal abortion, with 1,000 dying from complications. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) puts annual abortions at near-

Sepsis “Sepsis is common after childbirth – for poor women who give birth at home, in unsanitary conditions, or in clinics that lack sterile equipment; and for wealthier women who contract it in hospitals,” Dr. Cabral said.

Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by an overwhelming immune response to infection, according to WebMD. “Chemicals released into the blood to fight infection trigger widespread inflammation,” it pointed out.

Inflammation may result in organ damage.

Blood clotting during sepsis reduces blood flow to limbs and internal organs, depriving them of nutrients and oxygen. In severe cases,

Obstructed labor “Malnutrition or anemia may stunt women’s bodies, or the bodies of young girls may be immature and too small for a baby’s head to pass easily through the birth canal,” Dr Cabral wrote. “Women without access to caesarean section may suffer days of agonizing labor. The baby usually dies and the woman may be left with serious consequences.”

Obstructed labor occurs when the passage of the fetus through the pelvis is mechanically obstructed. When it is not diagnosed quickly, or when it is improperly managed, obstructed labor is associated with significant complications. According to some studies, it is a major cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 1–5 deaths per 1000 live births.

Clara Padilla of Engender Rights reported that 11 women are dying every day while giving birth in the country. “These preventable deaths could have been avoided if more Filipino women have access to reproductive health information and healthcare,” she declared.

The Department of Health states that family planning can reduce maternal mortality by about 32%. In her article, Dr. Cabral identified three key strategies: access to comprehensive reproductive health services; care by skilled midwives, nurses or doctors during pregnancy and childbirth; and emergency obstetric care for mothers and newborns with complications.

ince. Conscious SPECKS OF LIFE of his circumstances, the young Jovito helped his parents by cutting grass and sold as horse feed by his mother to scrape up Fred C. Lumba enough coins for his school allowance.

Because of his intelligence, industry and diligence, Salonga was able to go through college to finish law. He topped the bar in 1944 alongside another patriot and statesman, Sen. Jose Diokno, with a grade of 95.3 percent.

He also obtained his master of laws degree from the famous Harvard Law School and a doctorate in jurisprudence from the equally prominent Yale University, both American Ivy League institutions of learning.

He imparted his knowledge by teaching law in several universities. Then, entering politics, Salonga was elected congressman of the second district of Rizal in 1961.

Jovy, as his peers and friends fondly call him, was elected thrice to the Senate in 1965, 1971 and 1987, consistently topping them all.

This columnist had the opportunity to meet Sen. Salonga during a political meeting where he pushed his protégé, then matinee idol Pancho Magalona, to challenge the highly entrenched re-electionist Rizal Gov.Isidro Rodriguez in the 1971 local polls.

A staunch Liberal party member, Salonga, described by political observers as the President we never had, was severely injured in the infamous 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing where he lost several fingers. He stayed awhile in the hospital for treatment and recovery.

When martial law was declared, he continued to lead the opposition and was briefly jailed. Then he was exiled to the US for four years.

In 1986 when the conjugal dictatorship was deposed, Salonga was appointed chair of the PCGG (Philippine Commission for Good Government), an agency created by Pres. Cory Aquino tasked to recover the billions stashed away by the Marcos family here and abroad.

Salonga estimated the stolen taxpayers’ money to be around $5B - $10B.

In 1987, he returned as Senate President and in 1992 ran for the highest post of the land but lost.

THE nonagenarian led a life of selfless, dedicated service to his country, free of scandals and controversies that usually rocked the careers of corrupt-leaning, pseudo-political leaders of today.

The Supreme Court, in a tribute to Salonga, said: “He was an intellectual mentor and role model to many generations of lawyers through his courage and integrity. The court recognizes his contribution to the shaping of modern jurisprudence in basic human rights and fundamental civil liberties especially during martial law and after the restoration of democracy.”

As a senator, Salonga enacted significant legislation among which were the Anti-Coup D’Etat Law, the State Scholarship Law, the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the Anti-Plunder Law. As the first post-EDSA Senate chief, Salonga led the “Magnificent 12” in voting for the removal of American military bases in the Philippines. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@ yahoo.com). God bless the Philippines!

Henrylito D. Tacio

henrytacio@gmail.com

Eclampsia “Hypertension in pregnancy often goes undiagnosed, especially among poor women who receive little prenatal health care,” noted Dr. Cabral. “Preeclampsia causes premature deliveries and kills babies and mothers each year.”

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy, preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy in which a woman has high blood pressure and very rapid weight gain.

Most women with preeclampsia do not go on to have seizures. It is hard to predict which women will. Women at high risk of seizures have severe preeclampsia with findings such as: abnormal blood tests, headaches, very high blood pressure, and vision changes.

Ranks of statesmen are thinning

ES, very obviously, the ranks of Filipino statesmen are thinning.

Jovito Salonga, former Senate President, statesman and patriot, recently passed away, at the ripe old age of 95 years.

For those who are not in the know, particularly the idealistic students and youths who were born in the nineties and are just consciously growing up now, it is best to read and re-read your history.

Jovito Salonga’s biography is a good model for the young to pattern their life after.

Those who were old enough to have seen the rollercoaster ride of Philippine government and democracy, Salonga became a pillar of strength and idealism when the country was engulfed by the evils of tyranny and dictatorship.

Salonga was then a rising star in the senate, elected to the Upper Chamber in 1965. He became the voice of the oppressed Filipinos who clamoured for good government. He was deemed to be a presidential timber when the harsh martial law was declared by then Pres.

Ferdinand Marcos.

Salonga was born on June 22, 1920 to a poor family in Pasig, then a town of Rizal prov-

10 NEWS RODY... FROM 1

SWS and Pulse Asia survey because their results are very different from other firms who also do surveys,” he said.

He noted that the survey ratings have different results even if these firms asked “maybe the same voters” or respondents.

“But, I still believe that Mayor Duterte is a strong contender for the presidency because if you will just talk to the common people like taxi and tricycle drivers… they say more positive things about Duterte,” he said.

Alunan said that the people should know how these firms conducted their surveys.

Duterte’s running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, on the other hand, said that the team needs more time to go to weak areas to present their government platform.

“Lahat ng puntahan ng Duterte-Cayetano team, may persuasion, may conversion.

Yung mga katungali natin,

hindi lang nauna pero malaki din ang pera, malaki ang support, may perang gobyerno (All places where the Duterte-Cayetano team went, there were persuasion and conversion. Our opponents did not only have time to be the first to campaign in the areas, but they have a big fund, big support and also have the government money),” he said.

He said their team needs to double the effort in Southern and Northern Luzon as well as in National Capital Region (NCR) because they identified these areas as weak spots.

In the latest survey, Cayetano remained on the fourth rank with 14 percent of the 2,600 respondents from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao surveyed.

However, Cayetano believed that both of them are considered as strong contenders in Mindanao and some parts of Visayas.

2014 endorsing the Sasa Port subject to several conditions which were not complied with by the DOTC until now.

The business sector here also opposed the bid price of P18.99 billion which would translate to higher cost of handling fees and other port and

shipping charges.

Earlier, administration standard bearer Mar Roxas promised Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. president Bonifacio Tan that he will look into the controversy but reneged on his promise.

(CRC with reports from PNA)

help him in his administration because there are programs that might be overlooked as he wants to prioritize the elimination of criminality, illegal drugs and graft and corruption.

Earlier, Duterte assured Cayetano he will not be abandoned despite of his low ratings in the latest survey.

The presidential aspirant, who ranked second in the latest Pulse Asia-ABS-CBN survey, said both of them will work harder together to boost Cay-

etano’s ratings.

He also clarified that he remains a hundred percent supportive of Cayetano despite a controversial statement he made when he was campaigning in the Ilocos region. He said he was only invited there by a close supporter of the Marcos clan.

Duterte earlier told that voters who will not be voting for Cayetano as their vice president should forget about voting for him as well. ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

for her brother and Duterte through “Ronda Bisikleta” where they go to places to talk about the tandem’s anti-corruption measures.

“It’s easier to go through narrow streets and stop in places where people gather

so I can talk to them about the tandem’s anti-corruption and anti-crime message. I am glad that people respond positively to their platform. They believe that Duterte and Alan can lick corruption and crime,” she added. (PNA)

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Wireless... FROM 4 Other objectives include: (a) improving learning techniques through cost efficient and productivity enhancing methods with the use of the wireless internet; (b) modernize the delivery of information to the students through the use and application of information and communications technology; (c) upgrade the capabilities of SUCs relevant to valuable educational materials; and (d) make the SUCs technologically competitive and at par with other educational institutions around the world.

Furthermore, all SUCs shall each appoint a Program Director who shall be the lead person in charge of all activities necessary

for the determination, implementation and management of the Program in their respective campuses.

The Program Director shall be an expert in the field of information and communications technology, particularly, on wireless internet access administration.

The measure also provides for the guidelines on how and who could access the internet and common places where wireless internet connection is available like classrooms, libraries, auditoriums, main lobbies, student lounges, and faculty and administrative offices, among other conducive places as may be determined. (PNA)

saster communication protocols and institutionalize rapid emergency telecommunication teams (RETT) to lead immediate response and support when there are disasters.

CAR is the first region in Luzon to hold the disaster communications summit. The first two conferences, which were both supported by Smart as well, were held last year in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro for Regions 7 and 10, respectively.

Apart from co-organizing the regional communication summits, Smart also developed the Batingaw app for OCDNDRRMC. The Batingaw mobile app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play Store and Apple App Store, is a

handy resource and reporting tool for nationwide disaster management.

An active partner for disaster communications, Smart has also been consistent in providing immediate libreng tawag services to areas affected by disasters. Furthermore, Smart offers a web-based disaster communications solution called Smart Infocast, which has been proven effective in disseminating weather forecasts and warnings.

All these efforts, services, and innovations to help improve communications for humanitarian emergencies are part of Smart’s commitment to the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter.

However, Perlada said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Export Development Council (EDC) set stretched target of 8 - 9 percent exports revenue at end-2016.

For 2017, total exports revenue is forecasted to breach the USD100-billion revenue.

With a projected growth of 7.7 - 10.6 percent, outbound shipments revenue is expected to value at USD99.32 billion to USD104.07 billion.

Merchandise exports receipt is projected at USD66.45 billion to USD70.21 billion while services revenue at USD32.87 billion to USD33.86 billion.

Perlada, who is also the EDC Executive Director, stressed that the country’s exports should move up into higher value chain.

“We analyze why despite

growth in exports since 2006, the Philippine exports sector could have perform better. If not, for the fact, that first it is trading more goods for which more global demand is weak; second, other exporting countries were able to sell more products in the same markets,” the official added.

He said in order for the country to catch up with the exports revenues of neighboring countries in ASEAN, the Philippines must diversify into new markets and products to reduce vulnerabilities; identify and develop export capabilities in products where global demand is growing; address bottlenecks that undermine the competitiveness of existing exports; and harness the potentials of goods and services where the country is competitive but has not yet attained its comparative advantage. (PNA)

to take care of the total well-being of the youth, the F. Bangoy National High School (FBNHS) for its part has continued to intensify its gender and development (GAD) program.

Josephine E. Marcos, the school’s Junior GAD moderator, recalled that FBNHS started its Junior GAD program last 2011. Since then, the club/organization has reaped a lot of commendable achievements.

Hosting the 1st Youth Congress in the city is just one of the feathers on its cap.

Throughout the years, Junior GAD has trained competent peer counselors responsible for hearing the woes of their schoolmates regarding sexuality. The seminars and

workshops are under close supervision of the city’s Department of Health and City Population Office. These peer counselors also do room-toroom campaigns on crucial issues such as teenage sex and HIV/AIDS. Ms. Marcos observed that this works well in attaining the goal of the club to make students come to terms with their own sexuality. She said that only when students are “sexually literate” are they able to make sound choices and judgment for themselves.

Truly, the creation of this Teen Center puts an end to the oppressive silence on sex and gender issues. ALMA MONTESA

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with a very high social cost – the separation of family as a unit, which often led to estrangement, alienation or worst disintegration. According to the Institute of Labor Studies of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the continuing feminization of migration has the most detrimental impact to the family and children, especially when the mother is the one who goes to abroad for work. Families often go through a lot of major adjustments when women migrate because along with her also goes the caregiving and nurturing responsibilities. For the part of women in relation to the majority of work available for them, they often face unfair labor wages, deplorable labor conditions, and sometimes violence and abuse. In some countries, domestic work is not even considered as a formal employment. Studies conducted by non-governmental organizations estimated that about 9 million Filipino children are left behind as one or both parents migrate for work permanently or temporarily to other countries.

In order to help curb the social cost of women migration, DOLE and Coca-Cola Philippines has agreed to put in place enabling mechanisms that can potentially help women OFWs explore possible economic opportunities when they come home. The Women Entrepreneurs Reintegrated and Economically Active at Home (WOMEN REACH!) program launched today aims to economically empower women OFWs by providing them access to business skills and life training and access to business enhancement or start-up capital assets.

“The program partnership is targeted towards our returning women OFWs, especially our domestic workers and caregivers. The program shall equip them with the right support to build their entrepreneurial confidence so they can establish or enhance their own micro-enterprises within their own localities and eliminate the need for them to go abroad again,” says DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz.

This public-private partnership is a combination of several program components, the Coca-Cola Philippines STAR (Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources) and DOLE’s Assist WELL (Welfare, Employment, Legal and Livelihood) programs that can readily accommodate returning women OFWs as they arrive.

Starting this year, the WOMEN REACH! Program shall initially target 10,000 women OFWs profiled and assessed by DOLE, subject to adjustments based on the influx of returning women OFWs. The WOMEN REACH! Program partnership is in collaboration with various DOLE attached agencies, chief of which are the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), Bureau of Workers

with Special Concerns (BWSC), International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB)and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). TESDA is also the primary partner of the Coca-Cola Philippines in the implementation of the STAR Program since 2011.

“We are one with the Philippine Government in helping ensure economic opportunities are available for women.

I believe that this partnership with DOLE will enable us to help bring lasting impact in the lives of marginalized women OFWs. We hope that the combination of each organizations’ expertise will enable the development and implementation of a sustainable, replicable and scalable micro-enterprise support mechanisms for women,” concludes Coca-Cola Philippines President and General Manager Diego Granizo.

The STAR Program is part of The Coca-Cola Company’s 5by20 global initiative that aims to empower 5 million women within its value chain by the year 2020. Started in 2011, the STAR Program is implemented nationwide and has already touched the lives of more than 47,000 women micro-entrepreneurs, this is out of the 200,000 target in the Philippines up to year 2020.

Returning women OFWs with existing micro-retailing businesses such as sari-sari stores or carinderias, shall automatically qualify for STAR Program scholarship to undergo the Basic Entrepreneurship and Gender Sensitivity Training, primarily at the STAR Center for Excellence operated and managed at the TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City and other STAR Program trainings conducted in the regions.

DOLE’s Assist WELL Program, by virtue of DOLE Order No. 139-14, is a package of freeassistance and services to ensure the successful reintegration of any OFWs returning to the country. Sec. Baldoz mandated the establishment of Assist WELL Processing Centers in strategic locations.

Currently, there are 2 international Assist WELL Processing Centers in Seoul, South Korea and Dubai, UAE, and a total of 20 regional centers across the country – allocated one center per region, except for regions 8 and 6 with 2 centers each and NCR with 3 processing centers located at POEA, OWWA and NRCO offices. The WOMEN REACH! Program is among the livelihood opportunities supported under Assist WELL. After the successful training of women OFWs under the 5by20 STAR Program, they will be extended various business enhancement programs of Assist WELL that will enable them to grow their retail businesses.

In the coming months, the WOMEN REACH! Program shall also collaborate in the development of basic entrepreneurship and gender sensitive curriculum and training modules intended for women OFWs who plans to start-up their own micro-enterprises. █

ARAW NG DAVAO SPECIAL 11

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

From Malolos to Batasan Hills

Delegates and lawmakers who represented Davao

BY ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA

D

AVAO’S role in the signing of the draft Malolos Constitution and the conduct of the Malolos Congress, which were actually two separate events, is one of region’s least understood historical involvements. Putting it in accurate perspective, the signing of the draft Malolos Constitution, with 92 signatories, took place on Nov. 29, 1896, while the Malolos Congress, which assembled 193 delegates, was convened on Sept.

15, 1898. Three signatories associated with Davao region were Vicente Somoza, Lorenzo del Rosario, and Jose M. Lerma.

Confusion exists in some sources, including the list issued by the National Historical Commission as to who represented which province in the parliament. There are claims that Lerma, a native of Manila, and Pedro Villaluz Layug, a Lipa, Batangas, writer in Spanish, represented Davao when in fact, by virtue of an edict and by suffrage, respectively, they represented the province of Cotabato. Del Rosario, who hailed from Bulacan, was wrongly identified as the representative of Matti (Mati City) in the Malolos Congress along with Urbano Morales.

Based on the July 7, 1899 official record of the convention, as certified by Malolos Congress President Pedro A. Paterno and the list of the Album Historico de la Primera Asemblea Filipino, which appeared in the 1908 supplement of The Far Eastern Review published in Manila, Davao was represented in the 1898 Malolos Congress by Leon Ma. Guerrero of Manila and Ceferino Pantoja of Lipa, Batangas while Mati City was represented by Vicente Somoza of Maragondon, Cavite, appointed by decree, and Urbano Morales of Tarlac.

Malolos delegates Born in Ermita, Manila, on Jan. 21, 1853, Leon Ma. Guerrero is the father of Philippine botany and pharmacy, and the first in the country to earn a license as a pharmacist. As author, he wrote in 1918 a book about a study he made on the 174 types of medicinal plants with healing

elements, and as an industrial chemist, he invented the “Guerrero gunpowder.”

He was appointed chemical expert of the Audiencia Real, headed the military apothecary in Zamboanga and the marine hospital in Kawit, Cavite; and was professor of Descriptive Botany at the University of Santo Tomas. He was a member of the Council of Health of the Manila City Council and the Sociedad Española de Historia Natural.

He also pursued studies in ornithology and lepidopterology, which earned him the position of zoologist in the forestry bureau of the Spanish government.

For his work in botany, a plant genus, Guerrerola monocephala, and an orchid species, Dendrobium guerreroi, were named in his honor. In 1921, UP honored him with a degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. He died on April 13, 1935 at age 82.

A native of Moncada, Tarlac, Urbano Morales, a rice trader, was married to Carmen Lopez of Ilocos Sur, with whom he had three children). Given their middle-class status, the kids all studied in England. Luis later joined politics; Fidel became a medical doctor; while Eusebio, who married a Briton, became an engineer. On the other hand, very little is known about Ceferino Pantoja, save for the fact that he was a prominent leader from Lipa, Batangas, who became delegate to the Malolos Congress.

The son of Yap Tui Co of Amoy, China (who adopted Faustino Somoza as Christian name), and wife, Espiridiona Ysidra Cua-Peco, a Chinese mestiza from Maragondon, Cavite, Vicente C. Somoza was a delegate to the 1898 Malolos Congress, representing Matti (Mati City), Davao Oriental. He was one of the 92 signatories of the draft Malolos Constitution. He later turned to business and socio-civic activities. On July 19, 1903, along with 21 others, he co-founded the Camara de Comercio Filipino, forerunner of Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

Born on Sept. 13, 1862, Somoza obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de

Manila; he later went to Hongkong to take up Commerce. As one of the first intellectuals from Maragondon to join the Revolution, he did not personally fight in combat but supported the forces with goods and money.

For this contribution, President Emilio Aguinaldo appointed him delegate to the Malolos Congress.

He died on Sept. 26, 1905, at age 43.

Early Congresses (19161986) From 1916 to 1935, five political luminaries represented Davao, then under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, in the Philippine Assembly. Teodoro Palma L. Gil, a classmate of national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal at the Ateneo de Manila, stood for the third district in the 4th Philippine Legislature (1916-19), the fifth district in the 5th Philippine Legislature (1919-22), and the 6th Philippine Legislature (192225).

On the other hand, Arsenio Suazo represented the third district in the 7th Philippine Legislature (1925-1928), while Francisco Bangoy, the first elective Filipino board member of Davao, represented the second district in the 9th Philippine Legislature (1931-34). Julian A. Rodriguez stood for the second district in the 10th Philippine Legislature (1934-35).

With the creation of the Commonwealth, the National Assembly was established. Between 1935 and 1965, eight (8) political figures, including members of the Japanese-sponsored legislature, made a name in the national law-making body, namely: Romualdo C. Quimpo, 1st National Assembly (1935-38) and the Japanese-era National Assembly (1943-44); Cesar M. Sotto, 2nd National Assembly (1938-41); Celestino Chaves, National Assembly (1943-44); Alfonso G. Obosa, National Assembly (1943-44); Juan A. Sarenas, National Assembly (1943-44) and 1st Congress of the Commonwealth (1945); Apolinario Cabigon, 2nd Congress of the Commonwealth (1946) and 1st Congress of the Republic (1946-

REGULAR REPRESENTATIVES (INCUMBENT)

Davao congressmen (left to right): Rommel Amatong (2nd Dist.) and Maria Carmen Zamora (1st Dist.), Compostela Valley Province; Franklin Bautista (2nd Dist.) and Mercedes Cagas (1st Dist.), Davao del Sur; Thelma Z. Almario (1st Dist.) and Nelson Dayanghirang (2nd Dist.), Davao Oriental

DAVAO PARTY-LIST/SECTORAL

(Left to right): Mariano U. Piamonte Jr. (Padada, Davao del Sur; A-Teacher, 2017-10; 2010-13; 2013-16); Carlos Isagani Tabora Zarate (Gen. Santos City; Bayan Muna, 2013-16); Silvestre Hernando Bello III (Gattaran, Cagayan; 1-BAP, 2013-16); Luzviminda Calolot Ilagan (Toril, Davao City; Gabriela, 2007-10; 2010-13; 2013-16); Andrea Maria Patricia Mangrobang Sarenas (Davao City; Abanse, Pinay!, 1998-2001; 2003-04); Rey Magno Teves (Davao City; Urban Poor, appointed, 1988); Joel G. Virador (Kidapawan City; Bayan Muna, 2001-04; 2004-07); Angelina Ludovice-Katoh (Malalag, Davao del Sur; Akbayan, 2015-16); Teodoro Acevedo Casiño (Davao City; Bayan Muna, 2007-10; 2010-13); Roy Señeres (Mambusao, Capiz; OFW Family Club, 2013-Feb. 8, 2016); Joel B. Maglunsod (Dangcagan, Bukidnon; Anakpawis, 2009-10); and Florante T. Tarona (Urban Poor, appointed; 1995-1998).

49); Ismael L. Veloso, 2nd Congress (1949-1953), 3rd Congress (1953-57) and 5th Congress (1961-65); and Gabino R. Sepulveda, 4th Congress (1957-61).

In 1967, Davao was divided into three provinces, each represented by a congressman. Lorenzo S. Sarmiento stood for Davao del Norte, Artemio Al. Loyola for Davao City and Davao del Sur, and Constancio B. Maglana for Davao Oriental. They also represented their respective provinces in the 6th (1966-69) and 7th Congresses (1969-71) until 1972 when Congress was abolished as a result of the declaration of Martial Law.

During military rule, two sets of assemblymen carried the voice of Davao region. In the Interim Batasang Pambansa (1978-84), seven of 10 legislators representing Region 11 were from Davao. They were Alejandro D. Almendras, Sr., Benjamin V. Bautista, Sr., Rodolfo P. del Rosario, Teodoro P. Palma Gil, Felicidad C. Santos, Rogelio M. Sarmiento, and Manuel M. Garcia, all Kilusang Bagong Lipunan members. Garcia and Zafiro L. Anthony del Rosario (1st Dist.) and Antonio F. Lagdameo (2nd Dist.), Davao del Norte; Karlo B. Nograles (1st Dist.), Respicio represented the city in Mylene Garcia-Albano (2nd Dist.), and Isidro Ungab (3rd Dist.), Davao City. the regular Batasang Pambansa (1984-86).

Post-Marcos Legislatures (1988-2016) The ratification of the 1987 Constitution led to the redistricting of numerous cities and provinces nationwide. Davao City was divided into three legislative districts, each with its own congressman. The breakdown of representations as follows: Davao City: First District: Jesus G. Dureza (1987-89; 199295); Prospero C. Nograles (198992; 1995-98;2001-04; 2004-07; 2007-10); Rodrigo R. Duterte (1998-2000); and Karlo Alexei B. Nograles (2010-13; 201316); Second District: Cornelio P. Maskariño (1987-89); Manuel M. Garcia (1992-95; 1995-98; 1998-2000); Vincent J. Garcia (2001-04; 2004-07; 2007-10) and Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (2010-13; 2013-16); Third District: Luis T. Santos (1987-89); Elias B. Lopez (1992-95; 199598; 1998-2000+); Ruy Elias C. Lopez (2001-04; 2004-07), Isidro T. Ungab (2007-10; 200113; 2013-16).

Davao del Norte, on the other hand, was represented by the following: First District: Lorenzo S. Sarmiento (1987-92); Rogelio M. Sarmiento (1992-95; 1995-98); Pantaleon D. Alvarez (1998-2001); Arrel R. Olaño (2001-04; 2004-07; 2007-10); and Antonio Rafael G. del Rosario (2010-13; 2013-16). Second District: Baltazar A. Sator (198792; 1992-95; 1995-98); Antonio R. Floirendo Jr. (1998-2001; 2001-04; 2004-07); and Antonio F. Lagdameo, Jr. (2007-10; 201013; 2013-16); Third District (abolished with the creation of

Compostela Valley Province): Rodolfo P. del Rosario (1987-92; 1992-95; 1995-98).

Davao del Sur, meanwhile, was represented in the regular Batasang Pambansa (1984-86) by assemblymen Douglas Ra. Cagas and Benjamin V. Bautista, Sr. In the post-Marcos era up to 2013, the following represented the province, namely: First District: Juanito G. Camasura, Jr. (1987-1992); Alejandro D. Almendras, Sr. (199295); Alejandro C. Almendras, Jr. (1995-98); Cagas (1998-2001, 2001-04; 2004-07); Marc Douglas Cagas IV (2007-10; 201013). Second District: Benjamin V. Bautista, Sr. (1978-84; 1984-86); Benjamin P. Bautista, Jr. (198792; 1992-95; 1995-98); Franklin P. Bautista (1998-2001; 200710; 2010-13; 2013-16); Claude P. Bautista (2001-04; 2004-07).

Davao Oriental, moreover, was represented by Merced Edith N. Rabat (1984-86) in the regular Batasang Pambansa. She was followed in the post-martial law period by the following: First District: Enrico G. Dayanghirang (1987-92); Ma. Elena T. Palma Gil (1992-95; 1995-98; 19982001); Corazon N. Malanyaon (2001-04; 2004-07); and Nelson L. Dayanghirang (2007-10; 2010-13; 2013-16). Second District: Thelma Z. Almario (198792; 1992-95; 1995-98; 2007-10; 2010-13; 2013-16); and Joel Mayo Z. Almario (1998-2001; 2001-04; 2004-07).

The youngest among four (4) Davao provinces, Compostela Valley, with two congressio-

F DELEGATES, 13

12 CLASSIFIEDS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENT Serving a seamless society

EDGEDAVAO GENSAN PARTNERS Serving a seamless society

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

EDGEDAVAO FOOD

Davao’s ‘hot’ new cuisine

WHILE VISITING SINGAPORE AND PENINSULAR MALAYSIA, I always make it a point to try the local Indian eateries for some spicy Indian cuisine. Complex with its many layers of flavour and tongue-numbing heat, food from the subcontinent never fails to tickle my palate.

Although Davao does have a wide array of ethnic cuisines, Indian food was not one of them as the Indian community in Davao was relatively small but with the coming of many new Indian nationals, both to study and to do business in Davao, there are now many new eateries which specialise in Indian cuisine to give these nationals a taste of home.

One of these places is Pankaj Indian Cuisine located along Aurora Street just off of busy Roxas Avenue which I was able to visit and try thanks to a heads-up from fellow travel writer Jojie A..

Owned by Juvy Sta. Maria and her boyfriend Pankaj

Juvy Sta. Maria and Pankaj Panchal.

Chicken Biryani.

Panchal, Pankaj Indian Cuisine serves authentic vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian delicacies.

Indians are very particular with it comes to the authenticity of their food, and Pankaj Indian Cuisine is all aces here with owner Pankaj actually manning the kitchen.

“All of our spices come from the local Indian

Indian cuisine is never boring. Egg curry and vegetable curry are just two of Pankaj Indian Cuisine’s many vegetarian dishes.

Spicy tandoori Chicken served with some Roti. grocery which import the es since al the dishes are said spices direct from In- cooked fresh. Of course dia,” said Pankaj, “for our Bicolanos might want Basmati Chicken we use to have the heat index of true long-grained Basmati their orders dialled up to rice.” volcanic levels.

The dishes served at My favourite dish durthe restaurant come from ing the tasting was the a the north to the south Chicken Biryani. The of the country offering chicken was tender and dishes that are already moist and the bed of basfamiliar to me such as mati rice had enough spice Samosa (fried stuffed sa- to enhance the chicken voury pastries) and Tan- while not entirely overdoori Chicken (chicken whelming it. The yoghurt marinated in yoghurt and (made in-house), which spices and grilled in an was served together with earthen oven or tandoori), the dish provided some as well as dishes that are sour tanginess and freshnew to my palate such as ness.

Mutton Curry (stewed The lunch experience lamb cooked with various I had at Pankaj Indian Indian spices), and Dosa Cuisine was not just a de(crisp flatbread made of licious experience for me, Dhal or lentils and usually but it was also an exciting served with a vegetable one which adds another curry dipping sauce). Un- ethic cuisine for everyone tensis are optional but you to taste and enjoy in Durimay ask the staff to pro- anburg. vide them if you want.

Pankaj Indian Cuisine Although I love spicy is open daily for lunch food, the heat of the dish- and dinner. They also aces may be a bit daunting cept deliveries as well as for the uninitiated, but food pick-ups. You can Juvy says they can adjust call them at 271-1836 and the spiciness of the dish- 922-5442511.

Various kinds of Dosa served with a curry dip. *** to use throughout the fesTalking about India. tival.

The Holi: Festival of ColTickets at Php300 are ors 2016 is happening this now available at Pankaj Saturday (March 19) at the Indian Cuisine (Aurora Main Entrance Carpark of Quezon St.), Kirti AccesSM Lanang Premier from sories (Gaisano Mall of 5PM onwards. Inspired by Davao), Indian Grocery the original Holi festival (Juna Subd., Matina), in India, Holi: Festival of Food For You (DMSF Colors promotes the ideas Area), Indian Spice Resto of unity and camaraderie (DMSF Area), DMEMS through the colors of ev- Indian Dormitory (near eryday life.

Ateneo University), AlAside from experienc- coHall (Dacudao Ave.), ing Indian dances, songs, Premier Elite Institute food, and exhibits, guests (Rizal Extension), Gentleto the Holi: Festival of man’s Lounge (Loyola St., Colors 2016 will be given Obrero), and at the Davao colourful Gulal Holi Pow- Medical School Foundader, imported from India tion.

Colorful and fun times at the Holi Festival.

EDGEDAVAO

A2 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

FOOD

Garlic Parmesan Wings.

Jalapeno Wings.

World of wings tour at Kung Pao Wings.

TGIFriday’s knows how to make a memorable experience – and it’s not just because of their food. With TGIFriday’s, there’s always a reason to indulge and celebrate every single day… not just on Fridays.

TGIFriday’s

Texas JackWings.

Starting March 2016, TGIFriday’s takes you on a delicious tour around the world with the newest addition to their menu.

Five versions of delectably juicy and flavoured chicken wings cooked to replicate some of the world’s most loved destinations is now made available under one roof. Every dish

Their Spicy Jack Daniels’ Wings is a take on their famous Jack Daniel’s line of dishes that has since been a crowd favorite. comes with a specially concocted sauce. With or without sauce, you’d love munching on these babies.

Now, you need not take a vacation leave to savor some of the world’s most sought after flavours. All you need is your appetite, family and friends and your fingers for a much needed delectable time. I tell you, you’d not look at chicken wings the same

way ever again. (Personally, I love the Texas BBQ Wings – I love dishes that surprise my palate. I love the smoky flavour you get as you bite into the meat.

And no sauce for me.)

Fly across the globe and head over to the land of milk and honey for an awesome foodie time.

TGIFriday’s offers two appetizingly delicious chicken wings recipes for an ultimate indulgence

JD Wings.

unlike any other.

Their Spicy Jack Daniels’ Wings is a take on their famous Jack Daniel’s line of dishes that

has since been a crowd favorite. Perfectly cooked wings tossed in Friday’s signature Jack Daniel’s glaze, dusted with hot

pepper powder for that extra kick and topped with fresh corn salsa. A definite mouthful for the hungry you.

If Southern comfort is what you are after, then a must try is their Texas BBQ Wings to satisfy a craving in a snap. Juicy wings covered in smoky BBQ sauce and Texan spice served with cool ranch dressing and apple lime slaw -- now, who’s hungry?

Craving for some Asian inspired flavours?

No need to book a flight and go through immigration. Now, you can experience Thailand’s many flavours in one sitting – minus the hassle. Take a bite off a mouthwatering

plate of Honey Sriracha Wings – sweet and spicy wings topped with slices of pickled jalapenos and served with homemade bleu cheese dressing -that highlights a combination of gastronomic flavours that which Thailand is known for.

Head over to China and be inspired –culturally and gastronomically – in an instant. Enjoy munching on some Kung Pao Wings and experience the richness of China one bite after another.

TGIFriday’s Kung Pao Wings is cooked with their own version of chili blended sauce, garnished with fresh cilantro and tossed with nuts for that ultimate crunch.

Momentarily say goodbye to Asia and journey on a baroque gastronomic adventure only Italy can offer. For the cheese lovers, TGIFriday’s Garlic Parmesan Wings is your best bet satisfying a craving. Perfectly cooked wings with creamy parmesan, topped with fresh thyme and served with cool ranch dressing is what’ll greet you every single time.

Indulge on a Wing’s World Tour and catch this delicious trend only at TGIFriday’s. Available nationwide until May 2016. Every order is good for sharing.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Donna Cruz launches comeback album

THE ORIGINAL MULTIMEDIA STAR DONNA CRUZ has been busy promoting her new album – “Now and Forever” for weeks now and has been loving every moment of it. Her comeback, this time via Star Music, has “perfect timing,” she said.

“Star Music showed interest when I was really ready. If I really missed something ever since I got married, it’s singing and the feeling that people like listening to my songs and my singing. It’s one of my greatest joys in life.

Singing is my first love and I will always go back to it,” said Donna, one of the most successful Filipino recording artists in the 1990s Her new album contains two originals – “A Love to Last” and “Langit Ang Pag-ibig” – both composed by veteran composer Vehnee Saturno, to whom Donna owes her success.

This is why the fans of Donna should expect songs from the album to sound like, if not better

than, her previous hits.

“Tito Vehnee had a huge part in, and should take a lot of credit for the success of my previous albums and songs, so you can expect to hear ‘Donna Cruz’ kind of songs in the album. You will also recognize my way of singing or style when you listen to the songs, only, with more feelings or emotions now because I have experienced and I know

the feeling of loving someone so much and feeling so much love,” she said.

Aside from the two originals, “Now and Forever” contains six of Donna’s favorite OPM songs, which she personally chose and dedicates to her family and friends.

“Fans should expect to fall in love more with the person they love while listening to the songs

kasi nakaka-in love ang lyrics. The songs I chose are all about love, how it feels to be loved, and to love someone so much,” she said.

These songs include “Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin,” “Friends,” “Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin,” “Nag-iisang Ikaw,” “Hanggang,” and “Ika’y Mahal Pa Rin,” on which she duets with Piolo Pascual.

“When I was recording each song, I was really into it as if I was just singing to to my husband, my son, my daughter, my parents, and friends. It was all positive,” she shared.

“Now and Forever” can now be streamed on Spotify and is now available at all record bars nationwide at P250.

Digital tracks can also be downloaded via online music stores such as ABS-CBN Store, iTunes, Mymusicstore.com.ph, Amazon.com, OneMusic. ph, and Starmusic.ph.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/ starrecordsphil, Twitter. com /s t ar re cordsp h and Instagram.com/ Starmusicph.

Flawless beauty with Divine Lee at SM Lanang Premier

IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S MONTH, SM Lanang Premier is giving ladies enticing treats on Wednesdays and selected dates in March.

The metro’s premier shopping and lifestyle destination, together with Flawless, the country’s preferred aesthetic beauty clinic for face, body and medical services, is bringing model and TV host Divine Lee for a talk on March 18, 4 pm at the mall Atrium.

Shoppers are invited to see Divine share her beauty and skin care tips and wellness regimens on Friday.

Every P500 worth of product or service from FlawlessSM Lanang Premier branch from March 11 to 18 entitles a customer a chance to meet and greet the fashionable cover girl and celebrity blogger.

On March 16, 23 and 30, women can enjoy Wednesday Sale and grab as much as 70% off on fab finds at The SM Store and all participating stores mall-wide.

Ladies can also catch the Mad for Make-up Fair at the Atrium on March 18-20 for great make-up deals on a wide range of cosmetic products. Make-up artist Carinne Bacani will also give a talk on how to boost or enhance a woman’s beauty on March 20, 5pm at the same venue.

It’s all about ‘her’ this Women’s Month at SM Lanang Premier. For inquiries, contact 285-0943 or visit SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for event updates and sale alerts.

Jason Fernandez at SM City Davao Earth Hour Celebration on March 19 ON EARTH HOUR’S 10TH YEAR, SM City Davao once again renews its commitment to taking a stand against climate change on March 19, Saturday.

The observation kicks off with bicycle, skates and hover board free exhibition at the Parking C by 4PM. Young artists will also be painting upcycled globes onsite for the Art for Earth Painting Competition. At 6PM, the program continues with Earth Rocks!, an acoustic jam competition open to all bonafide college students.

By 7:30 PM, biking enthusiasts will be sent off to bike around the city for the Earth Hour Night Ride, spreading the message of the celebration to take a stand against climate change. An in-mall parade will also be participated in by mall employees, tenants and representatives for government agencies.

Former Rivermaya front man and The Voice Philippines finalist Jason Fernandez performs as the lights are shut at 8:30 PM. Parties interested to join the

March 16 – 23, 2016

ALLEGIANT Shailene Woodley, Theo James

PG

12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah PG

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

KUNG FU PANDA 3

Art for Earth and Earth Rocks! competitions may call SM City Davao Marketing Department at 297-6998 local 126 or visit the Mall Administration Office located at the 3rd floor of the Annex Building.

Renew your commitment to Mother Earth and observe the Earth Hour at SM City Davao. Like SM City Davao or follow them on Twitter and Instagram for event and promo updates.

Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman G

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

NORM OF THE NORTH/ *LONDON HAS FALLEN Rob Schneider, Heather Graham/ *Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman PG/*R13

12:35 | 2:20 | 4:05 LFS/ * 5:50 | 7:55 | 10:00 LFS

EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

PEOPLE

Groomed for the race THE MATA MEN AGREE ON THIS: FEED THE NEED FOR SPEED. Bok, 53, got into the sport of motocross racing in the 80s during his college years when he was lent a bike. “The rest is history,” he said.

It wasn’t a surprise that sons Abu, 19, and Thirdy, 23, got into the sport as well, with their dad taking them to his motorbike trail rides, motor shows and races. In fact, this was Bok’s way of encouraging his boys to enter the sport, “I want for them to have the sense of competitiveness. As in all races, preparation is everything. In real life, the same is true.”

In 2005, Abu, then 9, and Thirdy, 13, rode their first bikes and father and sons went out riding every weekend. Two years after they were racing in the mini-class category.

From Quezon Province to Tawi-tawi, they regularly attended local and national races if time permitted.

Retired from competing, Bok turned organizer for the Araw ng Dabaw Motocross and Kadayawan mx races since 2010.

“These day I leave the competing to the kids, who ends up

with podium finishes and are brand ambassadors for Phoenix Cylomax Motorcycle Oils for five years now.”

He also has taken another role— as his kids’ race manager, financier, mechanic, trainor, adviser. His wife and daughter join in as cheer leaders towel bearers, and “tig-paypay.”

“It’s a family thing,” he said.

“This sport has galvanized our bonding. Since we interact most of the time, from preparation to actual racing, we are always there for them.”

If there is another essential thing the Mata men agrees on, it’s being well groomed.

“Good grooming is very important. Our sport attracts a lot of audience so we have to look good when we take off our helmets. Being presentable also applies off the racetrack,” they said.

For their grooming they trust Rocky’s Barbershop.

Bok has been a loyal patron of Rocky’s barbershop after his first haircut at the Victoria Plaza Mall branch 19 years ago in 1997.

“I chanced by it, saw how the place is neat, gave it a try, and found my haircut really cool.

The staff were very profession-

al,” Bok said on his first visit.

Just like in motocross, Bok introduced his kids to Rocky’s, Thirdy in 2006 and Abu in

2007, and just like their dad, the two boys became regular clients.

Excellent quality of service, consistent output and convenience in location of the branches in all the popular malls in the city were the unanimous comments.

“We go to the nearest one.

No ‘suki’, we trust all the barbers enough to get a good haircut,” said Bok and Abu, who prefer the good old barber’s cut, and Thirdy, who prefers a trim on his wavy locks.

On Rocky’s 20th year, this is the Mata men’s message for their favorite barbershop, “Our very best wishes on your 20th anniversary! May your great success continue for many more years!”

Rocky’s Barbershop is the first barbershop to open in a mall in Davao City in 1986. 2016 marks its 20th year in the men’s grooming business. All five branches are conveniently located in malls- Victoria Plaza, Abreeza Mall, GMall, SM City & SM Lanang Premier.

Bok, Thirdy and Abu Mata are the featured Father and Sons personalities in the 2016 Traditions calendar of Rocky’s.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

Delegates... FROM 11 nal districts, has been represented by the following, namely: First District: Rogelio M. Sarmiento (1998-2001); Manuel E. Zamora (2001-04; 2004-07; 2007-10); and Ma. Carmen Zamora-Apsay (2010-13; 2013-16). Second District: Prospero S. Amatong (1998-2001; 2001-04; 200407); and Rommel C. Amatong (2007-10; 2010-13; 2013-16).

Party-List Representatives Few high-profile luminaries, mostly cause-oriented personalities, have made it to Congress via sectoral representation. Some of these populist lawmakers, installed via the party-list system, have etched distinguished careers in legislation.

Interestingly, a dozen of these figures are related to Davao region either by birth, education, residence, or business interest, namely: Rep. A.M. Patricia Mangrobang-Sarenas twice represented party-list Abanse, Pinay!

(1998-2001; 2001-2004) in Congress; as lawmaker, she chaired the Committee on Women in the House. She chaired the CODE-NGO, the largest coalition of non-government groups and the Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks, the biggest coalition of civil society networks. She earned Business Administration course, magna cum laude, from the Philippine Women’s College of Davao, enrolled in the Leaders in Development Course at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (USA) and finished a course in Development Studies on Women, Men and Development at the University of Sussex (UK).

Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilag-

an, known as an educator, activist, and feminist, was party-list Gabriela’s three-term lawmaker (2007-10; 2010-13; 2013-16) in Congress. Born on Jan. 12, 1947 in Daliao, Toril, Davao City, she was married to human rights lawyer Laurente Ilagan. She finished Education at the Ateneo de Davao, cum laude, in 1966, got her Masters of Arts Candidacy in Literary from the same institution, and earned units in Masters in Public Administration at UP. A one-time Davao City councilor, she was also a former faculty of Ateneo de Davao University and executive director of Women Studies and Resource Center.

Although born in Gen. Santos City, Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate practiced law, married, and pursued his advocacies in Davao City. An anti-mining advocate and a human rights lawyer, he represents the party-list Bayan Muna (2013-2016) in Congress. Aside from being a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he was once an active voluntary arbitrator, vice-president for Mindanao of National Union of People’s Lawyers, secretary-general of Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao, coordinator for Davao City of Free Legal Assistance Group, former president of IBP-Davao City chapter, and president of Ateneo de Davao Law School Alumni Association. He finished Law at Ateneo de Davao University, where he also taught, and completed Commerce at the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in Gen. Santos City.

Rep. Mariano U. Piamonte, Jr., founder of Saint Michael’s College in Padada, Davao del Sur, represented in party-list A Teacher (2007-10, 2010-13;

ARAW NG DAVAO SPECIAL 13 2013-16) in Congress for three terms. He was formerly program director and executive director of Davao Association of Colleges and Schools and the executive director of the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines (CEAP). A brilliant student during his school days, he finished BSE Mathematics (1968), magna cum laude, at St. Michael’s College, in Padada, Davao del Sur; Bachelor of Laws (1986), magna cum laude, at the Ateneo de Davao University; and post-graduate studies in Master in Educational Management (scholar, 1976), at the De La Salle University.

Davao City-born Rep. Teodoro A. Casiño, though reared in the urban jungle of Metro Manila, is regarded as one of Davao’s prominent political figures. For three terms (2004-07; 200710; 2010-13) he represented the party-list Bayan Muna in Congress where he chaired the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. Born on Nov. 15, 1968, he earned his college diploma from UP and was awarded the UPLB Distinguished Alumni Award for Extension in 2002. He was once national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines.

He was the principal author of four laws: Public Attorneys Act of 2007 (RA 9406), Tax Relief Act of 2009 (RA 9504), Rent Control Act of 2009 (RA 9653), and Anti-Torture Act of 2009 (RA 9745).

Rep. Silvestre H. Bello III won a seat in Congress as party-list 1BAP representative (2013-16). Born in Gattaran, Cagayan on June 23, 1944, he obtained his Law degree from Ateneo de Manila. A former town councilor of Cawayan, Isabela, he migrated to Davao where he married (now estranged) the daughter of former Davao city

mayor Luis T. Santos. In the first Aquino admin, he was appointed justice undersecretary. Twice he served as justice secretary, appointed as secretary to the Cabinet, solicitor general, presidential adviser for new government centers, general manager and CEO of Philippine Reclamation Authority, ex-oficio commissioner of Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, director of Dangerous Drugs Board, and president and CEO of PNOC Development and Management Corp., among others.

A former Philippine Information Agency regional director and member of the Board of Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, Rey Magno Teves was appointed by then President Corazon C. Aquino as urban poor representative in Congress (1988-1992). He was later barred by the Supreme Court from holding office unless his paper was submitted for confirmation to the Commission on Appointments. During the Arroyo admin, he was appointed as member of the Consultative Commission (2005-06) that drafted the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

On May 13, 2015, following the resignation of Akbayan party-list representative Walden Bello, Rep. Angelina Ludovice-Katoh, a native of Barangay Tagansule, Malalag, Davao del Sur, was sworn in as replacement. Prior to her certification as member of Congress, she was commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor during the Aquino II administration. As a student, she was a founding member of Akbayan, a militant group, and the executive director of the Alternative Center for Organizational Reforms and Development, Inc. (ACORD), an

NGO pushing for policy reforms in government in favor of the marginalized sector. She is an awardee of the prestigious Bayi Citation for Exemplary Women in Politics in Governance.

Another party-list figure closely identified with Davao’s socio-political history is Rep. Joel B. Maglunsod. Born in Dangcagan, Bukidnon, he represented the cause-oriented group Anakpawis in Congress (2009-10). As the voice of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMO) in Mindanao, he led labor protest rallies in Davao City streets and took up the cudgels for beleaguered unionists. He took up priesthood at St. Francis Xavier Regional Seminary at Catalunan Grande, Davao City, but dropped out to pursue degrees in Economics and Philosophy elsewhere.

Rep. Joel G. Virador represented the Bayan Muna party-list for two terms (2003-04, 200407). Born on March 5, 1967, in Davao City, he became national executive vice-president of Bayan Muna before assuming as vice-president of Bayan Muna Southern Mindanao. He later joined the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) in Southern Mindanao. On Feb. 27, 2006, while rebooking his plane ticket for Manila in Davao City, he was arrested by elements of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on the strength of a warrant issued by the justice department in Manila. He was one of the famous ‘Batasan 5’ lawmakers Congress took under its protective custody when police threatened to detain them. A resident of Kidapawan City, he actively led many protest rallies in Davao City. After his stint in Congress, he joined KMU as vice-president for its federation affairs in Southern

Mindanao.

Born on July 6, 1947 at Mambusao, Capiz, Roy Señeres, ex-envoy to the United Arab Emirates and chair of the NLRC, migrated with his family to Mindanao as a young boy. For some time they resided in the then undivided province of Davao del Norte before moving to Butuan where he finished his early educastion. He finished his tertiary course at the UST and earned his Law degree from San Beda. After leaving public service, he helped organize the OFW Family Club party-list, which he represented in Congress (2013-16). On Oct. 11, 2015, he filed his candidacy for President under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka but died from cardiac arrest on Feb. 8, 2016. He is the father of Rep. Christian Señeres, two-term Buhay party-list legislator.

Born on Dec. 17, 1954, Florante T. Tarona represented the Urban Poor in the 10th Congress (1995-1998), replacing Rey Teves Magno. He earned a degree in Literature from the University of the Visayas, finished AB Philosophy from the UST, and completed MA in Morals from the Saint Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary at Catalunan Grande, Davao City. He briefly enrolled at the San Carlos Seminary College, Cebu City, in 1981. Also known in some circles as a media practitioner and environmentalist, he was first and foremost an educator and community organizer before he became a congressman. After his legislative stint, he joined government as action officer of the Provincial Peace and Order Council of Davao Oriental and later as consultant of the Office of the City Mayor, in Mati City. In private, he owned a consultancy firm. Married to Marilou Tarona, he died on Dec. 4, 2015 at age 61.

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

AboitizPower partners with DOLE for OFWs L

OCAL JOB opportunities in the Philippine power industry await Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as AboitizPower signed up for the Assist WELL (Welfare, Employment, Legal and Livelihood) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

AboitizPower and DOLE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the PHILJOBNET media launch at the Hive Hotel and Convention Place in Quezon City last March 10.

DOLE’s Assist WELL program aims to help address the welfare, employment, legal and livelihood needs of Filipino workers. It advocates ample local employment opportunities for Filipinos so that they do not have to work overseas.

“We believe in the Filipino

talents and in nation-building.

We are excited to partner with the Assist WELL program, to provide our OFWs an opportunity to go back to our country to work and live with their families,” said AboitizPower vice president for Human Resources Cindy Rivera.

AboitizPower, through its subsidiaries and affiliates in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services across the country, seeks to provide opportunities, mostly in technical and engineering positions, to overseas Filipino workers to help them build a rewarding career in the country.

In Mindanao, AboitizPower subsidiaries include power barge operator Therma Marine in Agusan del Norte and Compostela Valley, as well as Davao baseload power plant Therma South.

At present, the AboitizPower group employs more than 3,000 Filipinos, helping create A Better Future for their

families. With its business expansion, AboitizPower continuously scouts for more talents to become part of its growing

community.

AboitizPower is committed to fulfill its goal to create sustainable impacts on its

stakeholders and on the environment while providing reliable and reasonably priced power to the nation. █

First teen center in F. Bangoy NHS

I

SSUES concerning teenagers can definitely not be solved by not talking about them. Teenagers’ most confusing stage demands that someone shed light on their curiosities, and the most effective and credible person to do that happen to be their peers.

It is on this premise that the first-ever Teen Center in the whole Davao schools was founded in F. Bangoy National High School. Walking up the stairs of its administration building that houses the center, one cannot help but notice the garden painting on the wall that seems to lead and invite one to its Teen Center office located at the third floor.

Symbolically, the bright

colors of the sunflowers, the butterflies, and the sun downplay the grim realities facing teenagers.

The Commission on Population reported that as of 2013, 13.6 % of females 15-19 years old in Region XI are now mothers. Also, 2 in 5 youth in Davao region have sexual experience or have engaged in premarital sex (42.8 %).

It is all because 58.7 % of young people in the region do not have any source of information about sex. Moreover, only 37.8 % of youth have somebody in school who can help them if they are confronted with sex-related problems.

As the school is mandated

F FIRST-EVER, 10

DOLE, Coca-Cola to empower women OFWs through program

T

HE Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) deployment rate has been steadily increasing in the past 5 years. To date, there are about 2.3 million Filipinos working abroad, of which 50.5% are women who are mostly employed in the domestic, entertainment and care-giving fieldsin Asia, with high concentration in the Middle East countries.

As a country, the Philippines depends on remittances more than any country in Asia and we are ranking third in the world next to India and Mexico. According to BankoSentralngPilipinas, remittances from abroad account to at least 10% of our country’s Gross Domestic Product, this made our economy recession-proof as other countries are impacted with the global economic downturn. The Philippines, as a major supplier of labor migrants to over 100 countries, is also among the leading women migrant sending country along with Indonesia.

At the family level, based on the research conducted by Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the average earnings of OFWs are often 4 to 5 times higher than what they can possibly earn on the same type of work in the Philippines. When remittances arrive to their families, these are spent on debt payment (34%); daily household operations (32%); acquisition of consumer durables (13%); education (10%); business capital (5%); shelter (3%); and savings (1%). While these remittances spending practicespositively impact food, health and education of the families, we can see the lower importance given to possible entrepreneurship venture that can multiply the remitted money and savings for the future. This type of spending behavior entraps women OFWs to the work almost all their productiveyears abroad.

This economic benefit from women OFWs comes

F DOLE, 10

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

SPORTS 15

CEREMONIAL JUMP. Davao City Mayor and presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte presides over the ceremonial jump between Ben Mbala of CMO-TRMH Dela Salle University and Basiwero Sackor of University of the Visayas in last night’s opening game of the 2016 Araw ng Davao Basketball Invitational Tournament at the DCRC. Lean Daval Jr.

Dabawenya Lady Eagle injured

A

TENEO sophomore Maddie Madayag hurt her knee during practice and the Lady Eagles are waiting for test results to determine the extent of the injury, according to tea manager Tony Liao.

“Nangyari ito yesterday sa practice, actually, after na nga ng practice habang nasa spiking drill. Tapos na ang practice noon and nagi-spike na lang sila nina Alyssa (Valdez) and ‘yung iba pa. Nangyari ‘yun after nu’ng running spike niya and she got it on her own.”

The team fears Madayag

suffered an ACL injury, and the Lady Eagles are waiting for confirmation from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raul Canlas.

“Malamang kanan. Noong nangyari ‘yung accident tiningnan siya ng PT (physical therapist) namin and pinisil-pisil. Ang sabi niya ay possible ACL (injury) pero siyempre ang may last say pa rin ay si Dr. Canlas,” said Liao.

The Ateneo middle blocker finished on top of the best server list at the end of the first round of elimination.

The Lady Eagles are in provisional solo first place with an 8-2 win-loss record.

THE SON. Jeron Teng, son of legendary Dabawenyo cager Alvin, of CMO-TRMH Dela Salle University drives his way past Jerom Napao of University of the Visayas in last night’s opening game of the 2016 Araw ng Davao Basketball Invitational Tournament at the DCRC. Lean Daval Jr.

2016 Palaro in full swing this April T

INJURED. Ateneo faces the possibility if playing the rest of te second round without its best server Maddie Madayag.

HE Department of Education (DepEd) will conduct the upcoming 2016 Palarong Pambansa with the theme “Transforming Communities, Transcending Through K to 12” from April 10 to 16 at the Albay Sports and Tourism Complex, Albay Province.

This will be the first time that the staging of the Palaro will be held in Albay and also the first to have 18 regions take action after the inclusion of Negros Island Region.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the annual sporting

program was DepEd’s way of promoting physical education and sports as an integral part of the Basic Education Curriculum with the participation of elementary and secondary students from public and private schools nationwide.

The Palaro will be conducted following very specific provisions of the law, Luistro noted.

According to Republic Act No. 10588, also known as the Palarong Pambansa Act of 2013, the elementary level would have to compete in 15 games and the secondary with 17 games and

four demonstration sports, namely Futsal, Wushu, Billiards and Wrestling. In addition, four special games will also be conducted for special athletes.

The education chief pointed out that the sports program’s goal is to develop athletes that are of international caliber and expand the athletes’ roster to the National Sports Association for international competitions.

Luistro added that this year’s Palarong Pambansa would continue to be clean, green and eco-friendly.

Further, the DepEd, together

with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the provincial government of Albay, will see to it that the coaching staff, the technical officials, and the playing venues conform to international standards.

Meanwhile, Albay Governor Joey Salceda on Monday assured that the province is ready to host the 2016 Palarong Pambansa as the preparations for the sports meet are already in full swing, including the deployment of security, emergency and medical teams in 31 playing venues and 24 billeting areas. (PNA)

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL. 9 ISSUE 11 • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

SLAMMIN’ DEBUT CMO-TRMH Green Archers win SLAM. Ben Mbala of CMO-TRMH Dela Salle University slams his way through the helpless defense of University of the Visayas in last night’s opening game of the 2016 Araw ng Davao Basketball Invitational Tournament at the DCRC. Lean Daval Jr.

‘Battle of the Greens’over UV 95-85

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO njb@edgedavao.net

Ben Mbala and Jayman L Gob imposed 0 their will in1 side the paint x as the Green x Archers’ frontline had a field Games on March 17 (Thursday) 6:00 – 7:30 pm - TRMH – CMO (DLSU) day rattling the rim with vs. Goldstar Hardware slams and 7:30 – 9:00 pm - University of Visayas their backvs. Montaña Pawnshop court feasting on steals and March 18 (Friday) feeds from 6:00 – 7:30 pm - Goldstar Hardware a suffocatvs. University of Visayas ing trapping 7:30 – 9:00 pm - Montaña Pawnshop defense the vs. TRMH – CMO (DLSU) Green Lancers found no solution to.

AAP’S Dela Salle UniThe 6-foot-7 Mbala fed versity, donning the colors of City Mayor’s on bullet passes turned into Office-The Royal Mandaya vicious two-handed slams Hotel, won the ‘Battle of for most of his game-high Greens’ over Cebu collegiate 25 points while the 6-5 Gob champion University of Vi- stepped up big time with 13 sayas, 95-85, last night for a points. King Archer Jeron rousing debut in the 2016 Teng, playing before his faAraw ng Davao Invitational ther’s hometown for the first Basketball Tournament be- time, struggled to find his fore a jampacked Davao City range early, getting his first bucket near the end of the Recreation Center.

TEAM STANDINGS W CMO-TRMH DLSU 1 University of Visayas 0 *Goldstar Hardware x *Montaña Pawnshop x *Still playing at presstime

U

first period and although he had 15 for the night including a triple in the fourth period, was still far from his true deadly form.

The Green Archers took a 24-23 lead after the first period on a booming triple down the buzzer by Thomas Torres.

They slightly padded the lead to 42-39 before erecting their biggest lead at 17, 60-43, on a jumper by Teng midway in the third. The Archers carried a 78-59 cushion which Kirell Montalbo stretched to 21 with a triple from the corner, 81-50 to open the fourth period onslaught.

UV was paced by sweet-shooting 6-4 forward Joseph Santillan with 16 including three treys.

Presidential bet Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the four teams taking part in this year’s tournament sanctioned by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) Region 11 headed by Regino “Boy” Cua. Defending champion Goldstar Hardware was playing multi-titled Montaña Pawnshop in the nightcap.