Edge Davao 9 Issue 40

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

P 15.00 • 20 PAGES

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EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society

‘SUPERHEROES’ OF THE KINGDOM. Foreign delegates of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, Inc. in superhero attires wave to renown international evangelist Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy and his guests during the 11th National Children’s Day in time for the pastor’s birthday celebration at the KJC Compound, Carlos P. Garcia Highway in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

RODY NAILS IT EDGE Analysts say Duterte clear winner in final debate

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

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njb@edgedavao.net

E was expected to be ganged up and hit from all corners, but PDP-LABAN standard bearer and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte comfortably survived unscathed.

In the third leg of the Presidential Debates in Dagupan City last Sunday, Mayor Duterte was the clear winner according to political analysts.

The tough-talking Duterte emerged unruffled and even got the upperhand over his rivals according to Manila Bul-

letin’s Leandro Coronel, who sat as analyst in the ABS-CBN panel in the presidential debate sanctioned by the Commission on Elections.

Speaking before ABSCBN’s “Huling Harapan,” Coronel stressed that of all the candidates who participated in the debate, Duterte proved to be the clear winner.

“Duterte was not mortally wounded contrary to what we expected because of the issues (that have been thrown against him). The clear win-

ner (in the debate) was Duterte,” he stressed.

In the lone occasion that Mayor Duterte was asked of his controversial ‘rape slur’ by Sen. Grace Poe in the face-off round, Duterte easily fended off the allegations by clearing his side of the issue. “It was a narrative,” Duterte explained as he cited had the entire video been shown, it would have cleared the matter.

No other presidential rival came close to asking or rebutting Duterte on the issue.

“It appears when they come face to face with him they are afraid to ask,” said another political analyst.

For a while, Duterte engaged administration bet Mar Roxas to a fierce exchange that appeared to have gotten the better of the incensed LP bet who was losing his cool in that short foray.

Meanwhile, in Rappler’s blow-by-blow coverage of the debate, De La Salle University assistant professor Richard

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DAVAO Sports STEPHIN’ ASIDE P16

Warriors win Game 4 with injured Curry

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

Coalition of young professionals organized for Rody for president

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UNDREDS OF young professionals and entrepreneurs in the Davao area have organized themselves into a movement called ACCORD, for Active Citizens Coalition for Rody Duterte.

“ACCORD will be a venue of our members to support and participate in a vital political activity, “ said Luciano Frederick “Dicky” P. Puyod III, chairman of the new coalition during yesterday’s edition of Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City annex.

Puyod who is an ranking executive of a family-owned export banana company and vice president for trade and commerce of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) explained the objectives of ACCORD to newsmen with Steve Arquiza, coalition vice chairman.

“We organized ourselves when we saw the March surveys indicating that Grace Poe still held the lead in Luzon, and that there is a need for Duterte to win big in Mindanao,” Puyod said.

Arquiza, a JCI and Rotary leader, said that “in our sphere of influence, we want to have our contribution to increased

voter turnout in Davao and eventually Mindanao.”

Historically, he said Mindanao’s turnout of voters (voters who go out and actually vote as against the number of registered voters) is only 80 percent.

Statistical record in Davao indicates that in the past only 60 percent actually vote on election day and “we want to raise this to possibly 90 percent and even more in May 9 election,” Arquiza said.

ACCORD wishes to marshal the relationship among peoples, organizations and communities in support of Mayor Duterte, he said.

At the moment, Aqruiza said the coalition will campaign for members to show support to the Run for Duterte and similar events days before Election Day, and invite members to participate as poll watchers during Election Day. The coalition will provide logistical support, in whatever ways, to the volunteer election watchers, he said.

Puyod said ACCORD is now coordinating with the Duterte Campaign Team and link up with some 200 volunteer groups all over the country. CHENEEN R. CAPON

Random manual audit for May 9 polls in municipal, city canvassing centers

FACE TO FACE. In this photo captured by Vice Mayor Pulong Duterte, Presidential frontrunner Mayor Rodrigo Duterrte answers the question of Sen. Grace Poe in the face-off round of the Presidential Debates on Sunday in Dagupan City.

Habagat to ease drought, but PAGASA fears La Niña

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

Y MAY, southwest monsoon winds popularly known as Habagat, will start and Dabawenyos can expect some rains to pour and ease the El Nino, natural phenomenon behind the long drought the Davao Region and other parts of the country are suffering from.

(Habagat is a wind that usually brings heavy rainful that sometimes results in floods during the wet season.)

This was the good news bared by Regional Director Gerry S. Pedrico of PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophsyical and Astronomical Administration) during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at SM City Annex.

Once Habagat starts, “magulan ulan nay an, the raining zone will be in Davao or northern Davao,” Pedrico told

newsmen present in the media forum.

He said a tropical cyclone is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility sometime last week of May as the wet season sets in.

He said during this month of April and May the country will experience rains but below normal in volume.

Pedrico said that the rains experience by some parts of Davao some nights ago were minimal and cannot be considered as signaling the end of El Nino.

Pedrico reminded newsmen than El Nino affected a total of 26 provinces in the country, many of them in Mindanao.

However, Pedrico warned that the country will experience La Niña after nine months of long drought.

“We will be experiencing

nine months of La Niña starting August this year,” he said, adding that rainfall will be above the normal level which may cause severe flooding and flashfloods.

This phenomenon may cause damage in the Davao Region agriculture sector which has not recovered yet from the adverse effect of El Niño, the PAGASA regional chief said.

He said the long drought which started last year will end by June this year. Different municipal government units of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur have declared state of calamity after recording damages in the agriculture sector.

The local government units of Lupon, San Isidro, Kapalong, and Tagum City of Davao del Norte; Tarragona and Mati City for Davao Ori-

ental; and of Davao del Sur declared state of calamity after attaining damage from the long drought season The Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 earlier reported that a total of 2,503 hectares of lands planted to rice and corn production areas and 2, 564 farmers in the region were adversely affected by the dry spell.

DA 11 regional director Remelyn Recoter said data from January to April 8 bared that both the rice and corn production were the most affected seasonal crops.

For rice, Recoter said a total of 1,183 hectares of rice production areas are ruined by the dry spell, of which 14 hectares are totally damaged.

Amount of damage to the rice sector in terms of volume has

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HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be conducting the Random Manual Audit (RMA) for the May 2016 polls in the municipal/city canvassing centers instead of the polling precincts.

Commissioner Luie Guia, head of the Comelec – RMA Committee (RMAC) noted that the decision to transfer the venue of the RMA aims to make the process more accessible and to ensure that it will be done in a more orderly manner.

He added that in previous elections, there were instances when the RMA teams had a hard time reaching the selected polling precincts.

“It causes delays because some RMA teams do not reach their destinations fast enough.

Now, the vote counting machines (VCMs) and the ballot boxes will be the ones brought to them in the municipal level,” Guia explained.

A total of 715 clustered

precincts are to be subjected to RMA, the number is higher compared to the 234 in 2013.

The poll body official added the RMA will begin as soon as voting results have already been transmitted and the election returns are already printed and after the VCMs and the ballot boxes have been brought to the municipal centers.

RMA is the process that will be used to determine if there is any difference between the automated and manual count of votes.

With this, Guia is optimistic that the RMA will be done within two weeks.

“If our process proves to be good, hopefully we can complete the process faster,” he added.

Section 29 of the Poll Automation law provides that “there shall be a random manual audit in one precinct per congressional district randomly chosen by the Commission.”

(PNA)

F elected to the presidency during the May 9 elections, PDP-Laban standard-bearer Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to end contractualization in the country.

He made this pledge during the third and last leg of the Presidential Debates at the Phinma University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City on Sunday.

“It will (contractualization) stop immediately,” he stressed.

Duterte said he will do this by requesting the Senate President and the House of Representatives Speaker to

come out with bills prohibiting contractualization immediately.

“I will call the Senate President and the House Speaker and tell them I need this bill within the first week of my administration,” he added.

Duterte also called contractualization a waste of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s efforts in creating a world-class work force as its graduates are not given the chance to show their skills and gain more experience.

“It is an injustice to the Filipino people,” he said. (PNA)

Duterte vows to end contractualization

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EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 3

Smartmatic to transmit poll results on May 10

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HE automated election system (AES) provider of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the May 9 national and local polls is expecting to transmit all election results on May 10, the day after Election Day. Smartmatic International Project Manager Marlon Garcia said they are looking to transmit the results from the 92,509 clustered precincts in 24 hours after the close of the polling places.

“This is not a commitment but my take is that it is going to be around 80 percent transmission just on May 9. By noon of May 10, we should already be almost done,” he said in an interview.

Garcia added that sending results could even be faster if not only for the challenge in the geography of the country.

“We know that because of the difficulty in the geography in the Philippines and the availability of the signals in some of the areas, we may not be able to make it on May

9. The platform actually is to receive everything in the canvassing in one hour. But we know, based on our experience here, is it is going to take a while,” he said.

With this, Garcia noted the successful outcome of the Transmission and Readiness Test (TRT) that the poll body conducted last Saturday in Taguig City; Pateros; Quezon City (1st District); Manila (5th District); Digos City and Bansalan in Davao del Sur; Iriga City and Buhi in Camarines Sur; and Alburquerque and Cortes in Bohol.

“We have proven that the platform we are going to use on Election Day is ready. We are ready to go on May 9...

Definitely on May 9, at the end of the day, we are expecting a high transmission percentage,” Garcia added.

He said they were able to get 100 percent transmission on Saturday evening after using cellular or satellite networks.

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CONVERTS. Vice Mayor Pulong Duterte, son of presidential frontrunner Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, does the fist bump pose with two women supporters of another presidential bet Sen. Grace Poe.

4 NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Globe champions sustainability among firms through Project 1

G RELEASE OF CAPTIVE POLICE OFFICERS. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte yesterday talks to the commander of 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion Ka Jinggoy in a ceremony for the release of five captured police officers.

With him is Paquibato Police Station commander Chief Inspector Leonardo V. Tarongoy (to the right of Duterte) who was one of the captives and Pastor Jurie Jaime of Exodus for Peace and Justice. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

Rebs free 5 cops

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

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abf@edgedavao.net

HE New People’s Army (NPA) set free yesterday the station commander of Paquibato Police Station in Davao City and his four subordinates after nine days of captivity.

NPA’s 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion turned over to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte the five police officers identified as Chief Inspector Leonardo V. Tarongoy, Police Officer (PO) 3 Abdul Azis A. Ali Jr., PO2 Neil C. Arellano, PO3 Rosenie L. Cabueňas and PO3 Rudolph Y. Pacete in a covered court in Barangay Lumiad Paquibato district.

Unlike other captured soldiers and police officers whose incarceration lasted for months, the NPA’s Prisoners of War (POW), were just detained for more than a week.

1st Pulang Bagani Battal-

ion commander Ka Jinggoy clarified that there was no difference with their treatment with the released POW from others.

Ka Jingoy, however said based on their findings, there are no enough reasons to hold the police for long.

“Wala sila’y nahimo nga salaod sa katawhan para i-delay nato pagbuhi nila (They have not done anything wrong to the people which can delay their release),” he said.

He narrated that before the group captured the police on April 16, his men were attacking the military detachment of 72nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Salapawan.

Ka Jinggoy said when their group was about to withdraw in the area, they saw the five police officers approaching the area and they immediately

Officials of DOE, Comelec, 5 firms in chamber forum

held them.

“We were surprised when we saw them, they did not also expect to meet us in the area when we withdrew,” he said.

He said the police that time were about to conduct an investigation after receiving information on the incident.

For his part, Duterte said he asked the NPA before not to include the local police on the problem of insurgency because their presence in the area is to investigate crimes.

The mayor said the police are not combatants unlike the soldiers.

He said after learning the incident, he immediately communicated with the rebel group because they already have an agreement on it.

“I was calling them to honor the agreement,” he said.

Ka Jinggoy, however, said

the police, army and other paramilitaries are their legitimate targets which can be subjected for their trial if they did something wrong to the people.

Meanwhile, Duterte said he is thankful for the release of the five police officers.

Tarongoy, for his part, said he is thankful that the rebels did not hold them for so long and treated them with respect to their rights.

He said, in their nine days of being captured, he and his subordinates were treated well by feeding them regularly and attend all their needs.

Tarogoy said, one of his men Ali who is a Muslim, was given an appropriate food in respect to his religious beliefs.

“What I learned their is to respect every rights, just re-

F REBS, 10

LOBE Telecom is leading the way in helping businesses do their share in minimizing environmental impact of electronic waste and countering its harmful effects on health through close collaboration with private corporations on the adoption of Project 1 Phone (P1P) mobile recycling program.

At the forefront of the advocacy is Globe Business which is launching its twomonth environmental sustainability campaign in support of Earth Day 2016 using P1P as a platform. This is the second time for Globe business to rally its enterprise clientele to join the program.

“Apart from adopting environmental sustainability efforts in our own organization, Globe Business is taking it a step further by making it possible for our enterprise customers to be involved in saving the environment integral to their corporate sustainability thrusts,” said Globe Senior Advisor for Enterprise and IT Enabled Services Group Mike Frausing.

Globe Business engages its corporate clients to run the P1P campaign in their organizations by encouraging donations of individual and company e-waste such

as non-working or damaged phones and tablets, mobile phone batteries, and even personal computers. This early, the group has already received commitment from companies like Coca Cola (FEMSA Philippines), Nestle, Bayan Telecommunications, Pilmico, Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Huawei.

As of end 2015, Globe Business was able to contribute significantly to the e-waste collected under P1P by partnering with Huawei, Aboitiz, Coca-Cola, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. among others, resulting in 124,572.19 kg of e-waste generated, up by 56 percent compared to the 2015 collection of 79,968.20 kg. The volume is equivalent to 1.2 million mobile phones or five 20-foot containers full of e-waste. Almost 50 partner organizations have so far adopted the program.

P1P was born in 2014 to help address dwindling earth resources which are further reduced when people carelessly dump e-waste and other hazardous materials in the environment. Many people are unaware that electronic items thrown together with common trash contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury,

F elected to the presidency during the May 9 polls, PDP-Laban standard-bearer Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to create a department which will exclusively handle the deployment and affairs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

He made this vow during the third and last leg of the Presidential Debate which was held in the Phinma University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City on Sunday.

By having this body, Filipino workers abroad will no longer have to go to numerous agencies just to get their documents processed and reducing red tape.

In the same vein, Duterte said he will order all consul generals to be aware of the locations and whereabouts of OFWs in their areas so that when something untoward happens, they can immediately provide help. (PNA)

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Rody to create dep’t exclusively for OFWs I

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Inc. (DCCCII) has invited top officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) and five power companies to a forum on the power situation in Mindanao during its 4th general membership meeting (GMM) starting at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 29, at the ballroom of the Royal Mandaya Hotel along Palma Gil St., in Davao City.

This was announced by DCCCII president Bonifacio T. Tan, who said the answers to the nagging questions asked

by Mindanao consumers, including big stakeholders, will act as guide to the business community during the months that they are suffering from ro-

tational brownouts.

Invited to the forum are executives of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corp., National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), National Power Co., Inc. (Napocor), and Davao Light & Power Co., Inc. (DLPC), and Therma South Inc. (TSI).

The later two companies are subsidiaries of AboitizPower Corp.

Tan said that the DCCCII also invited the regional officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to present to the businessmen the commission’s “preemptive measures to ensure a successful election despite the current

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AFRAID OF PIGEONS? A young girl runs away from the pigeons flying towards her while she was playing at Rizal Park in Davao City yesterday morning.

Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO

6 ECONOMY

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

Sandiganbayan sentences ex-DBP chair to jail for graft

T ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL. Workers of a billboard advertising company conduct a maintenance job in one of the billboard structures along E. Quirino Avenue in Davao City yesterday. The billboard advertising industry in the city is on the downward spiral due to the popularity of social media and online advertising. Lean Daval Jr.

Investors pour P5B in Davao area in Q1

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

ARIOUS business firms poured some P5-billion worth of investments in the Davao Region in the first quarter of 2016.

This, despite that investors’ confidence is usually low during an election period.

Ceferino J. Rodolfo, undersecretary of Industry Development Group (IDG) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said investment in the region went up from P5 million in the previous elec-

tion period.

Rodolfo said in a press conference during the opening of the three-day Negosyo Konsumer at iba pa, a oneDTI service caravan event, at the SMX Convention Center, good governance as well as the growth in different sectors in Davao led to the increase of investors’ confidence.

Rodolfo said the services sector and the manufacturing sector experienced positive growth during the period in

review.

Board of Investment-Davao extension office chief Gil M. Dureza said the biggest investment in the the region was the P2.7-billion feed mill of San Miguel Corporation in Darong, Davao del Sur. “It will be constructed in a 2.7-hectare property in Darong,”Dureza said.

The remaining P2.3-billion investment is between projects of transportations and logistics

thority (PCA) without effecting changes in their charters,” said Guanlao.

Under the bill, the NFSC, which shall be attached to the Office of the President, shall be responsible for policy-making, planning, regulating and coordinating policies and directives concerning food production and all necessary complementary requirements that will promote food self-sufficiency and security.

The council shall closely monitor the production of food in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and mari-culture and rationalize the utilization of infrastructure that complements food production.

A National Food Security Strategic Development Framework (FSSDF) shall be formulated to ensure the adequate

and continuous supply of rice, corn, grain and other key food products at affordable prices especially in times of calamities.

Guanlao said the NSFC should also ensure the economic viability of coconuts taking into consideration their propagation, rejuvenation, promotion and marketing.

In terms of pest management method, NSFC shall promote, monitor and utilize environment-friendly production technologies and application including regulation of inputs for pest management and control.

Moreover, NFSC shall rationalize agriculture extension work and its development in the overall food security thrusts and directions.

Solon seeks sustainable food supply to Filipinos A

LAWMAKER has filed a bill seeking to create a National Food Security Council (NFSC) that will ensure food staples self-sufficiency and food security to 100 million Filipinos.

Party-list BUTIL Rep. Agapito H. Guanlao said House Bill 4611 shall create a body, which rationalizes the current organizational and programmatic initiatives in agriculture that will aid in achieving food availability and affordability at all times.

“This bill seeks to attain focus by harmonizing the programs, functions and providing a single direction to the National Food Authority (NFA), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) and Philippine Coconut Au-

F SOLON, 10

and food manufacturing.

“Both of these facilities will be established in Davao City,” Dureza added.

Dureza said the equipment for the investment for trabsportation and logistics will arrive any time soon.

All projects are in land preparation stage, he said.

It may be recalled that investors infused a total investment of P4.867 billion in Davao Region last year, mostly in real estate development.

HE Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) has secured the conviction of former Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Chairman of the Board Vitaliano Nañagas II. This after the Sandiganbayan found Nanagas guilty beyond reasonable doubt of two counts of estafa and violation of Section 3(i) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”.

In a 36-page ruling written by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, the Sandiganbayan sentenced Nañagas to imprisonment of six to ten years for violating RA No. 3019; four to 12 years imprisonment for the first count of estafa and another four to 14 years for the second count of estafa.

He was also ordered to restitute the government the total amount of PHP377,040.01.

Ombudsman prosecutors successfully established that Nañagas “was able to integrate his personal business with the official travel itinerary using public funds.”

Witnesses testified that in 2004, Nañagas was on official travel to the United States of America.

The official travel included time spent on personal business from May 22-June 8, 2004.

Upon reimbursement of travel expenses, the accused incurred a total of PHP310,665.73 for personal expenses which included lingerie, underwear and jersey shorts and other personal gifts.

Nañagas also requested reimbursement of expenses worth PHP66,374.28 incurred in the Philippines even if he was on travel abroad in the United States.

The Sandiganbayan ruled that “the accused also employed deceit in his claims for reimbursement stating that the expenses were authorized, lawful, necessary and incurred in the discharge of official duties when in fact, some of his expenses were used for personal matters in the USA, and that some of the expenses were incurred in the Philippines while he was still in the USA.” In giving credence to the prosecution, the Sandiganbayan said that “while the members of the Board and the Chairman are entitled to allowable expenses, the same should be in connection with the discharge of their duties and responsibilities as such.” (PNA)

IL firms will slash gas prices by 40 centavos per liter and hike diesel prices by 55 centavos per liter Tuesday.

In separate advisories, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Seaoil Philippines

Inc. and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines said they will apply the new prices at 6:00 a.m., Tuesday.

Shell and Seaoil will also hike kerosene prices by 20 centavos per liter.

(PNA)

Oil firms to adjust pump prices today

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NEW DESTINATIONS. Hazel Gonzales, Corporate Communications Manager of Cebu Pacific, presents the new destinations and fleet of 20-year old airline company Cebu Pacific in yesterday’s lunch with the

Davao City editors and bloggers. At right, M Magazine’s Ian Garcia shows his Davao-Singapore ticket won in the side contest.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

THE ECONOMY 7

Outages prompt DCWD to buy gensets

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Water District (DCWD) has earmarked P20 million for the purchase of two mobile generation sets this year to counter the adverse effect of rotating blackouts enforced by the Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. (DLPC) due to unstable power supply.

Lawyer Bernardo Delima, DCWD spokesman, told reporters covering the Kapehan saDabaw media forum Monday, this is the least the water district can do to minimize stoppage of water distribution, since more than 90 per-

cent of the water of the district is generated by power driver pumping station, and only less than 10 percent from gravity.

The DCWD pumping stations also stop generating water when there is a blackout.

“The longer the blackout, the longer the water interruption,” the DCWD spokesperson said .

Delima said most affected pumping stations are those in the eastern sides of the city, including those in Sasa, Panacan, Lasang experience low to no water supply due to blackouts.

Peso, PSEi down ahead of Fed, BoJ meeting

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OTH the Philippine peso and the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) lost steam Monday ahead of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy meetings this week.

The local unit shed 20 centavos after it finished the week’s first trading day at 46.85 from 46.65 Friday last week.

A trader attributed this to recent hawkish statements from Fed officials, ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting scheduled from April 26-27. Also, BoJ will have its policy meeting from April 27-28.

The trader said investors stood at the sidelines ahead of the central bank meetings and this gave US assets more ground during the day.

“Foreign selling in the local stock market also hurt the peso,” the trader said.

The local unit was generally weak during the day after it was pulled down by the greenback to as much as 46.87 despite rising to 46.70.

This brought the day’s average to 46.77, weaker compared to the 46.57 in the previous session.

Volume of trade reached USD 722.4 million, lower than the USD 819.3 million at the end of last week.

The currency pair is seen to trade between 46.60 and 46.80 Tuesday.

The PSEi went down 0.07 percent, or 5.26 points decline to 7,250.13 points.

Most of the indices followed, led by the property with 1.09 percent or 32.34 points drop to 2,946.05 points.

Other indices that ended the trade on the red were mining and oil, financials and holding firms.

On the other hand, the all shares index rose 1.25 percent, or 54.07 points, to 4,383.48 points along with the industrial and services indices.

Volume of trade reached 1.56 billion amounting to Php 6.04 billion.

Losers led gainers at 112 to 86 while 45 shares were unchanged. (PNA)

Meralco Q1 net income up 4% year-on-year

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HE Manila Electric Co.’s net income for the first quarter increased by 4 percent, compared to the same period last year.

The power firm cited its core net income increased to PHP4.60 billion from PHP4.42 billion, an increase of 4 percent for the first quarter year-on-year. It is comprised of both electricity and non-electricity revenues.

The distribution utility’s electricity revenues fell by 5.3 percent for the period – from PHP61.07 billion in 2015 to PHP57.9 billion in 2016.

Its non-electricity revenues, on the other hand, increased by 53.1 percent from PHP1.5 billion to PHP2.3 billion.

Meralco chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said the higher power consumption was due to the higher temperatures and better perfor-

mance of the economy, while expects a rising sales growth due to the national elections.

“The sustained upward momentum of the Philippine economy, coupled with very warm temperatures throughout the quarter contributed to driving electricity usage to a higher trajectory providing growth opportunities for electricity demand across all industry sectors.

The coming electoral process is expected to further support this growth through the balance of the year,” he said in a disclosure from the Philippine Stock Exchange Monday.

Meralco also reported its consolidated energy sales for the first quarter totalled 9,077 gigawatthours, which is 12-percent higher than 2015’s 8,092 GWh. It also cited its customer count increased by 4 percent to more than 5.8 million yearon-year. (PNA)

Actually the management of the water district had considered purchasing a big number of generating sets but the cost is staggering.

He said some P500 million is needed if the district buy all the generating sets needed to run all the pumping stations.

The project is expensive, considering that the generating sets, which are already expensive by themselves, would need switching stations and additional pieces of land to acquired to accommodate huge machines.

While the Davao City’s power situation could have improved in the past days with the completed repair of the 150-megawatt Unit 1 of the Therma South, Inc. (TSI), he said, the purchase of the mobile generator sets will improve DCWD’s water supply service to its more than 200,000 client households.

“Our study revealed that each generator sets will cost P6 million totalling to P12 million,” he said. “ We’re targeting to have the mobile gensets within this year. Procurement process for the equipment

will take four months.”

Delima said the DCWD purchased only two mobile gensets to ensure its operations will not be interrupted by blackouts.

“It will be only delivered and used in pumping stations located in aread affected by power interruptions,” he added.

The water district, he said, limited its purchase to only two because most of its pumping stations will be put into rest once the Davao City bulk water project of the Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc.

(AAII) and DCWD become operational by 2019.

“The units will only become white elephants if we will add on top of the two gensets,”he added.

While the rest of the P20-million budget will be used for civil works.

Meanwhile, the market has been clamoring for DCWD to have its own power source aside from the DLPC. However, the water district had been firm in the past years that it was not an option to acquire gensets for each pumping stations.

‘BAGSAKAN’ RISING. A fish dealer sorts out milkfish in different sizes at the fish ‘bagsakan’ in Davao City’s Bankerohan Public Market yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

PAGASA warns of heat threat to livestock, crops

T

HE government has urged livestock growers and farmers nationwide to further protect their farm animals and crops against heat, warning temperature can surge to 38°C in lowland farms and 28°C during the 24hour forecast period ending Tuesday.

“Protect farm animals from so much heat and give plenty of water,” state-run Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration

(PAGASA) said in its advisory released Monday.

PAGASA said farmers must mulch their newly planted crops to help maintain soil moisture these require, as dry soil condition is likely in most parts of the country during the forecast period.

Livestock growers and farmers must likewise check their farm animals and crops for possible pests and diseases so they can address these problems accordingly as soon as possible, PAGASA

continued.

The weather bureau said ridge of a high-pressure area is extending over Luzon.

“The easterlies are affecting the eastern section of the Visayas and Mindanao,” PAGASA added.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms are still possible during the forecast period mostly over the eastern section of the Visayas and Mindanao, it noted.

PAGASA also cautioned about fishing and sailing, noting coastal waters over the whole country will be “slight to moderate”.

Light to moderate winds are expected from the east to southeast in Luzon and from the east to northeast in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Fishermen are still advised to always take precautionary measures, especially those using small seacraft, and be updated for the latest weather forecast and farm advisories,” it added. (PNA)

trast between light and dark images.

Samsung Malaysia Electronics Sdn Bhd Head of Consumer Electronics Business Jimmy Tan said the company’s effort at sharing insights on the SUHD TVs was aligned with its intention to ensure that consumers have the information they need to make the most informed decisions when it comes to purchasing a new TV. “Given the Organic Light Emitting Diode is still a fairly

new technology and may experience a number of issues that have yet to be resolved, our goal is to educate our consumers on the differences between display technologies and provide them with the transparency and clear product information they deserve,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Samsung noted that the upgrades were the latest innovations in quantum dot display technology, the major differences in display technologies,

and the growing issues related to the selling of 3K TVs. As the industry leader for 10 consecutive years, Samsung’s ultimate goal is to provide consumers with the information they need to properly evaluate picture quality fairly and accurately.

Samsung’s new SUHD TVs undergo strict calibrations that are required to accurately evaluate HDR picture performance, a process that was demonstrated during the seminar. (PNA/ Bernama)

Samsung shares insights on latest innovations in SUHD TVs

S

AMSUNG Electronics Co Ltd, a global television (TV) manufacturer, has shared the brand’s latest product upgrades for the premium line of SUHD TVs. Samsung’s SUHD TVs with quantum dot display takes TV to the next generation of picture quality, delivering the most lifelike images and purest colors to date.

Quantum dot display sets a new standard for the industry with high definition resolution (HDR) 1,000 that delivers deeper con-

EDGEDAVAO

8 VANTAGE

EDITORIAL

A

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

All in a day’s work

DAY after Sunday’s third round of presidential by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. debate in Dagupan City, Mayor Rodrigo Dute-

The presidential frontrunner secured the release of

rte was looking forward to the next day as his the cops from Ka Jinggoy of the Pulang Bagani Brigade

day of rest.

Instead, he had a long day.

His spokesman, Peter Lavina, posted on social me-

and escorted them to the PNP Regional Headquarters at Camp Catitipan.

It was already dusk when Mayor Duterte and the

dia that except for a call on Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy freed cops were formally presented to media. to greet him on the latter’s birthday, the day was supposed to be his rest day.

His rest day gone, the next day is another grind for

the Duterte entourage in the presidential campaign.

However, the call of duty had Mayor Rodrigo Duterte But that’s Mayor Duterte, he takes time out to do his

flying to remote Paquibato District to ask for the re- job. lease of five police officers taken captive for nine days

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO “A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.” Prov.

10:23-24 *******

F

EAR is gripping the country.

This much is happening today as the Filipinos brace for the 2016 presidential elections.

(Fear is defined in the dictionary as “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectations or awareness of danger; a profound reverence especially of God. Synonyms are dread, fright, alarm, terror, anxiety.

Fear is translated as intimidation; to compel or deter by threats.)

Already warped by centuries of icy dependence on superstitious beliefs handed down from archaic and antiquated thinking, the people are now besieged with warnings coming from sectors who believe they are on the side of moral righteousness and sanctity.

Candidates for the presidency are not perfect. They are no angels and

T

HERE was something that made me feel uneasy over the way administration presidential candidate Manuel Roxas III answered questions posed during the Dagupan City debate with admirable ease.

In fact, Roxas did not only submit his answers quickly, he also cited specific case studies like the story of an OFW from Pangasinan who is now a successful owner of a chain of spas.

There could only be one explanation, I told myself, and it is that Roxas was given a leak of the questions which would be asked during the debate.

A video clip of the question and answer portion posted on youtube. com by a nylede flores showed that the character generation used in flashing on screen salient points of Roxas’ answer was posted at almost the same time the LP standard bearer was pointing it out.

What is irregular about this?

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

The costs of fear

VANTAGE POINTS

9

wear no SPECKS OF LIFE halos. They have flaws and have committed mistakes in the past. If they have not, they should be Fred C. Lumba sainted, revered and adored.

Rodrigo Duterte, the pride of Mindanao who is now atop the survey leader board, was again criticized by moralists for his “wayward utterances.” Four CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) officials are pouncing on his miscue, questioning the former’s fitness to lead after the tough-talking Davao City mayor played fun of an Australian missionary who was raped during a 1989 hostage crisis.

The prelates’ warning, in effect, is subtly cloaked in fear. I felt it when I heard the bishops air their sentiments. Their warnings could create a “climate of fear” among the Filipino population, if that is the intent and goal.

Whether that is the psychological target or not, “fear” was effectively applied by Spanish friars to domesticate the Filipinos and transform them into complete submission and timidity.

Fear was also the Damocles sword the cruel Japanese kempetai employed to shackle Filipino civilians during the brief but bloody Japanese occupation.

Fear of imprisonment without arrest warrants was the instrument of the Marcos dictatorship when martial law was declared to ensure blind obedience from the ignorant mass-based constituency. As fear enveloped the entire country, a ‘noveau riche’ clique emerged who then systematically raided our patrimony and wantonly destroyed it.

The bishops and those hollering to discredit Duterte have, wittingly or unwittingly, created an emergency alarm bell much like an ambulance siren racing to bring a patient to the hospital. If not promptly controverted and refuted, this “fear” could paralyze our independent thinking.

Must we then allow these “fear” plotters to affect our mental behaviour and sanity?

We must remember that mankind

was gifted by God with genuine talents for self-expression. Even God Himself did not deny Adam and Eve to use their gift of free will.

When we allow “fear” to come into our lives, we surrender our innate abilities to be free – in our thoughts, in our actions, in our dreams even.

When we allow “fear” to settle in us, our aspirations are muzzled and our ambitions become small and constrained.

We become timid, stressed and emasculated.

We get discouraged and then withdraw from the race. We become transformed into cowards. We get smothered like a basketball player dribbling downcourt to dunk a steal but is effectively blocked by a hulking Shaquille O’Neal.

This is the fear that we should detest and prevent from happening.

This is not about a philosophical discussion.

There is real harm, a tangible hurt that could arise if we allow fear to overcome our resoluteness.

Let us resist the plotters of “fear.”

(Email your feedback to fredlumba@ yahoo.com.) God bless the Philippines!

Well, the BRAVEHEART chargen crawler is supposed to appear a few seconds after the speaker has made his stateManny Piñol ment as it obviously would need the chargen operator sometime to capture the thought and type it to be displayed on screen.

In the video shown on youtube. com, Roxas was staying “Sa karanasan, binabangga ko ang mga malalaking interes...” at almost the same time, the chargen crawler showed this caption: “Roxas: Binangga ko ang mga malalaking interes.”

This could only be possible if the chargen operator had an advance copy of Roxas’ answers to the questions.

So, what possibly happened was

1.) the Roxas camp was given a leak of the questions to be asked; 2) the Roxas camp prepared answers to the questions; 3) the prepared answers were given to the technical group handling the coverage thus allowing the chargen operator to type the blurbs and post these almost simultaneously with Roxas’ answers.

This could only be possible if there was collaboration from top people of ABS-CBN who were handling the Pilipinas Debate 2016 coverage.

Actually, I was not the only person who noticed the apparently staged managed Q and A for Roxas.

While Roxas’ chances of winning the Presidency ranges from nil to zero, this obvious cheating is a proof of a pattern of dishonest actions by a party which rides on the slogan “Daang Matuwid” whose standard bearer has been bragging about his decency and honesty.

Last night’s deceitful action by Roxas followed other questionable activities by the Liberal Party rang-

ing from the use of government vehicles to campaign, flooding the on-line survey of Rappler with votes from fictitious accounts to make it appear that the LP candidate was No. 1 after the first debate, riding on activities of the Department of Agriculture to promote Roxas, distributing envelopes to participants in a rally in Pikit, North Cotabato, distribution of P5,000 to barangay chairmen and P50,000 to P200,000 to town mayors and the controversial use of government helicopters to ferry presidential sister Kris Aquino to an LP rally.

The greatest irony of it all is the fact that in spite of these acts of cheating and dishonesty, Roxas has not moved up from 4th place.

In the last ABS-CBN/Pulse Asia survey, Roxas was ranked 4th with 18%.

The same survey showed PDP Laban standard bearer Rody Duterte leading with 34%, followed by Grace Poe with 22% and Jejomar Binay with 19%.

Did Roxas cheat?

10 NEWS RODY... FROM 1

Heydarian pointed out how the PDP-LABAN standard bearer was able to show his political will in trying to address Mindanao’s enduring problem on terrorism.

“On that Mindanao issue, (Mayor Duterte) showed conviction,” Heydarian said.

In an opinion article published on Sunday, Inquirer columnist Randy David also gave his analysis on why many Filipino voters continue to support Duterte’s presidential bid.

“Duterte’s rise has equally been made possible by the grievances of Mindanao’s non-Muslim majority…

Davao’s long-time mayor deftly articulates their senti-

ments by harping on the big disparity between Mindanao’s contribution to the country’s gross national product and the pittance it receives in internal revenue allotments.

In this regard, Duterte’s rise mirrors the revolt of the periphery,” David explained.

Despite the rise of countless politicians who portray themselves as men of the masses, none of them challenged the prevailing system the way the Davao mayor did.

“Duterte has made it a point to mock the system and its conventions, seeing in its openings nothing more than channels through which to undermine it,” David stressed.

(With a report from PNA)

reached P12 million. She said a total of 1,390 rice farmers have been affected so far.

Farmers’ yield drop from 180 sacks to only 80 sacks per hectare as a result of El Niño, the DA executive said.

Meanwhile, damage to corn for this year was lower than the same period last year.

“We have to consider that most of our farmers were able to harvest during the months of January and February before the dry season peaked.”

Damage to region’s corn industry reached a total of P25 million, she said.

“A total of 1,320 hectares of corn production areas are affected by El Niño, of which 977 hectares are totally damaged,” Recoter added.

The director said the department also recorded damage due to the long dry season in the high value crop (HVC) sector.

“Most affected HVCs are coffee, cacao, and banana,” she said, adding a total of 1,544 hectares of areas planted with HVC were affected by the El Niño. However, she said the data is still being validated by a team of agriculturists.

cadmium, and beryllium may harm the environment when released into the air or get into the ground or waterways.

Thus, Globe tries to make a difference by collecting e-waste and recycling them.

In this project, Globe collects e-waste from its operations and customers and transports the whole lot to its accredited partner Total Environment Solutions Asset Material Management (TES-AMM) Philippines. After weigh-in, TESAMM Philippines ships the waste to its company in Singapore for proper recycling.

P1P is part of Globe Telecom’s efforts to create a #WonderfulPH by operating responsibly and creating positive environmental impact of its business operations. For more information on how to partner with Globe Business for the Project 1 Phone, corporations may get in touch with their Globe Business Account

Manager.

Globe Business also offers a roster of cloud solutions that help spell the difference towards environmental sustainability such as Canvas Mobile Forms which eliminates paperwork, captures information electronically and allows collected data to be shared instantly- saving up to 75% on paper costs as well as productivity savings. Other cloud solutions which help reduce environmental impact are Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Dedicated Private Cloud (DPC), Back-up-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS). For more information about Globe Business, get in touch with a Globe Business Account Manager or call the Globe Business Premium Support Center at +63 2.730.1288 toll-free using a Globe mobile and landline. You can also visitwww. globe.com.ph/business.

spect human rights,” he said.

Tarongoy also denied the allegation of Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 that they were not treated well.

The PRO 11, earlier, said the police officers were tied in an animal cage but, the

released police station commander said they were treated as ‘human beings.’

Tarongoy said despite the experience of being captured, he said he will continue his police service because danger is part of his job.

power situation that we are facing.”

President Tan urged chamber members, allies and friends to attend the GMM as it will not only be laden with information to guide their conduct of business in the region,

but also a great opportunity to renew business contacts among fellow chamber members and other participating stakeholders.

Antonio M. Ajero, editor of Edge Davao, and DCCCII trustee, will the GMM’s emcee.

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

Habagat... FROM 2

Globe... FROM 4

Rebs... FROM 4

Officials... FROM 4

MEGASTAR CAMPAIGNS FOR HUBBY. Megastar Sharon Cuneta and husband, comebacking senatorial candidate Francis Pangilinan, are greeted by supporters and fans during their arrival at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport on Sunday for a campaign sortie in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

Rallying farmers get 2,000 bags of rice from DSWD, agree to go home F Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) told reporters in Filipino as farmers unload bags of rice from hauler trucks at about 4:30 p.m.

“We are happy with this even our demand for 15,000 bags was not granted, at least this initial aid will help us,” Roxas said, adding that each rally participant will bring home one sack of rice.

“We consider this as victory,” Roxas said following a dialogue with representatives from DSWD and Department

of Agriculture and the South Cotabato provincial crisis management.

“DA also promised to extend us fertilizers and other farm inputs and will be distributed in the farmers’ communities in the coming days,” Roxas added.

“Pasalamat kami nga walay dispersal nga nahitabo (We are happy no dispersal took place),” he said.

“Each person who attended the rally will bring home one sack of rice,” Roxas said,

explaining that a family with four participants will receive four sacks.

It was quiet at the rally site where protesters were resting at past 4 p.m. when three hauler trucks with DSWD markings arrived.

The farmers came close and were told the cargoes were for them. Police stationed nearby moved backward as DSWD personnel alighted from the truck and let the farmers unload the goods.

(PNA)

HE Department of Health (DOH) said Monday that it is currently tracing the index case of the reported cases of Norovirus in Zamboanga City.

Norovirus, sometimes known as winter vomiting bug in the UK, is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans. It affects people of all ages.

“As of now the tracing of index cases is on-going,” said

Health Secretary Janette L. Garin who disclosed that she went in Zamboanga City along with experts from Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and met with chief of hospitals to check the reported rise in cases of diarrhea.

“It was seen that out the 19 samples, 14 turn-out positive for Norovirus,” said Secretary Garin during a press briefing held at DOH media

It shall integrate national and local food security directions and operation with the framework and operational guidelines of the National Convergence Initiative (NCI).

Lastly, the NFSC shall ensure availability and accessibility of food grains, flour, and other food commodities in the market and shall closely monitor and regulate imports especially rice and corn.

The bill also seeks to confront challenges in shrinking agricultural lands, degradation of food resource bases, climate change and reduced food ecosystem and biodiversity.

Guanlao said these challenges erode the economic viability of farming due to

inadequacies in government support to the agricultural sector in terms of financial, credit, technological and skills transfer while cuts and abolition of agricultural subsidies have kept production costs high.

Furthermore, the formation of a Congressional Oversight Committee in the Senate and House of Representatives shall be established to monitor the implementation of the Act. The council shall report regularly to Congress the status of the implementation and operations necessary for all aspects of its programs, operations, financial status and project implementation as reflected by the basic reform indicator. (PNA)

relations unit in Tayuman, Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Garin said that with on-going tracing, they want to find out if the virus is also present there or if it was brought from other places due to mobility of people.

“What is important for us at this point in time is to be aggressive in terms of hygiene,” she reminded while the tracing of the causes are still being done.

She said that spreading of the virus can be due to unhygienic practices of defecating wherein no proper cleansing and handwashing are being done.

She further said that virus can also be spread if the one who cooked the foods did not properly wash their

hand when they had touched a stool.

She also said that they are also checking the possibility that some water source were also contaminated by stools due to open defecation practice.

As part of that, she said they are also identifying which areas has no toilets yet and there are no proper waste disposal as long-term solutions for the problem.

She added that assessments on other causes were also currently being done.

She added that they had downloaded PHP5 million to assist the hospitalization costs of the patients on top of what Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) covers. (PNA)

“It is a small simulation of what the Election Day is going to be like. But we were able to test absolutely everything that we are going to be using on Election Day,” the Smartmatic International official said.

At the same time, Garcia reported that they will deploy some 45,000 technicians in all of the 36,788 voting centers as well as in the canvassing cen-

ters.

“Everywhere where there will be something related on May 9 polls, Smartmatic will be there,” he added.

Smartmatic personnel will also be manning the National Support Center.

In the 2013 polls, the Comelec and Smartmatic were able to attain a 76-percent transmission rate. (PNA)

ARMERS on Monday agreed to disperse and return home after four days of holding a peaceful rally where they demanded rice subsidy from the government.

This, after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-12) turned over to rally organizers 2,000 bags of rice.

“We are terminating our protest rally today but farmers will stay overnight here and will go home tomorrow (Tuesday),” Joselito Roxas of

DOH tracing index case of Norovirus outbreak in Zambo

T

Solon... FROM 6

Smartmatic... FROM 3

11 ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

A sanctuary for marine turtles Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

A

LONG, long time ago, Punta Dumalag was an isolated island. People had to ride an outrigger (banca) to go to the area. In 1962, a freak storm washed-in sand to its shore that created a natural land bridge during low tide.

In the late 1970s, developers came, dumped more sand and gravel and cemented the land bridge. Today, it is now connected to Matina Aplaya.

As a result, the former island is now teeming with houses and people. Some resorts built comes cottages near the shore. During summer and weekends, the beach fronts are full of people. Far from the island, you can see fishing cages.

But what the newer generations don’t know is that the entire island was -- it still is!

-- a nesting ground of marine turtles, particularly Hawksbill.

Known in the science world as “Eretmocheyls imbricata,” it is now considered “critically endangered” because they were hunted for its “shell” which was used for guitar picks, combs and bracelets, among others.

There were also some sightings of Green Sea (“Chelonia mydas”) and Loggerhead (“Caretta caretta”) in the area.

Other marine turtles found in the country are Leatherback (“Dermocheyls coriacea”) and Olive Ridley (“Lepidochelys olivacea”).

All over the world, there are eight species of marine turtles. The three others which are not living the Philippine waters are the Kemp’s Ridley (“Lepidochelys kempi”), Flatback (“Chelonia depressa”) and Black Sea (“Chelonia agassizi”).

Unfortunately, all eight species are listed under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which means the trade of these species and subspecies is strictly “prohibited except for educational, scientific or research and study purposes.”

The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has also classified the eight species as endangered. This is so because “their populations are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate.”

Aside from killing marine turtles for meat and leather and eating eggs as food and aphrodisiacs, they are also being threatened by tourism. “Tourism in natural places that does not take into

account the effect they have to the environment is the threat,” explained Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay, founder and director of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines. “In the Philippines, where it seems that every inch of our beaches will soon be developed for tourism, this will become a big threat for marine turtles.”

According to Dr. Yaptinchay, development of the coast where buildings are to be constructed will displace marine turtles from one of their most important life cycle habitats, referring to the nesting beach.

“Lights, infrastructure, noise, domestic animals, and pollution will not only disturb those nesting females but also their hatchlings,” he said. “Marine turtles will not nest when disturbed.”

Marine turtles spend most of their life in the sea and get all the things they need there.

They even mate in the sea.

But when the time comes to lay their eggs, the females return to shore, usually in the same place where they were hatched.

“If you imagine a first time nester approaching its place of birth, how much do you think of its birth place or nesting beach remains over the last 35-50 years?” Dr. Yaptinchay asked. “I would guess there would be very little space left for it to nest and enough disturbance developed to shoo

the island. Studies conducted showed the island its surrounding waters is home not only to Hawksbill turtle but also of the following: 29 species of trees, 5 species of birds, 16 species of fish, 6 species of sea cucumbers, 6 species of mangroves, and 5 species of seagrasses. Coral reefs also abound between the mangroves and sea waters.

As its corporate responsibility, the power company decided to convert the place into a biodiversity learning center, which would be managed by its subsidiary, the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC).

Called Cleanergy Park (a combination of the words “clean” and “energy”), it is “anchored on our belief that we can do well by doing good, always making the right long term decisions that balance the interest of people, planet and profit,” explained the briefer.

One of its main objectives is to save the critically-endangered marine turtles, locally known as “pawikan.” “They are on the verge of extinction because of habitat loss due to coastal development and human settlement,” said Fermin Edillon, the community relations officer of DLPC. The 2-kilometer stretch of white sand peninsula of Punta Dumalag was once called the Marine Turtle Sanctuary. It is part of the 37-hectare Marine Protected Area that was established through Council Resolution No. 02504-03. Swimming

Marine turtle in recuperation.

Mangrove boardwalk

Eggs and fetus of marine turtles it away. We are preventing them from fulfilling their life purpose. For me this is very tragic.”

The late councilor Leonardo Avila III was very much aware of this. That was the reason why he sponsored a bill which led to the declaration of the 37 hectares of Punta Dumalag as nesting ground for marine turtles. The government also created the Task Force Pawikan Davao, whose primary objective is to protect and conserve the marine reptiles.

Enter the Aboitiz Group, which owns eight hectares in the southeastern portion of

and fishing are not allowed in the area.

Rodolfo Manib, Jr., the 51-year-old DLPC caretaker, grew up in the area. He said that when he was still young, he used to see a lot of marine turtles nesting the beach fronts. Some children took these eggs to their homes and cooked them.

This was in the past. Today, whenever he sees a marine turtle laying eggs, he tries not to disturb it. Once the mother is gone, he carefully handpicks the eggs and transfers them to higher area so the seawater could not reach the eggs. The

hatching area is also surrounded with screen to keep away natural predators.

Once the eggs are hatched, the hatchlings are released into the sea. Only the sides are dug; the hatchlings are allowed to emerge and eventually crawl towards the shoreline. “Only one hatchling survives out of every 100 to become an adult,” says Edillon.

Imprinting purposes is the reason cited why the hatchlings are not helped when they emerge from the nest and crawl towards the sea. “The hatchlings make an imprint, which is called magnetic field imprinting in their nest and in the sand, and another imprinting called chemical imprinting in the sea. This enables them to identify the area of the nest

where they were laid, and after 20 to 25 years, the surviving one percent of these hatchlings will come back here to lay eggs,” Edillon was once quoted as saying.

The hatching area is not far from the turtle sanctuary view deck, where you could see the white sand beach fronts. A board walk is built on top of the mangrove areas. “When we built the boardwalk, no mangrove tree was cut,” Edillon says.

For children, who has low span of attention, a park is built for them. “Ninety percent of all the materials used in our building here come from electric posts that were discarded already,” Edillon says.

There is also a botanical garden where seedlings of var-

ious species of mangroves are grown. Another point of interest: the weather station which regularly monitor the weather conditions.

Edillon says the park is open to the public for free but only on appointment basis with DLPC. “We built this for the public but since this is a sanctuary at the same time, we want to limit the number of people who come on a given day,” he explains.

The Philippines is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and implements the Pawikan Conservation Project throughout the country through the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Since 2001, hunting, sale and killing of marine turtles have been banned in the country.

But despite sincere efforts made by the local and national government and some environmentalist groups to save marine turtles from disappearing in Philippine waters, the decimation of the endangered species continues unabated.

“All of the species found in our country are endangered except for the Hawksbill which is critically endangered,” Dr. Yaptinchay said. “The only sure thing is that marine turtle populations are under tremendous threats and if these are not stopped, extinction is imminent.”

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

INdulge!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

EDGEDAVAO TRAVEL

A new travel pal LAST APRIL 18, PHILIPPINE AIRLINES LAUNCHED THE NEW MABUHAY MILES TRAVEL CARD AT THE SHANGRI LA MACTAN CEBU RESORT. Touted as a game-changer when it comes to travel convenience, the Mabuhay Miles Travel Card is the first-of-itskind multi-currency prepaid travel card that is powered by UnionPay that lets you earn miles while you shop.

I, together with some bloggers from Manila, Bacolod, and Davao, were some of the lucky few to experience the power and convenience of the new card as we toured Cebu City and went shopping at the Queen City’s newest and biggest shopping mall, SM Seaside City the following day.

After lunch and a quick tour around the gigantic mall, we each went on our separate ways looking for things to buy. As I was in need of new clothes for the gym, I immediately headed to Uniqlo to shop for some dry fit tops. With a quick swipe of my PAL Mabuhay Miles Travel Card and a few keystrokes to enter my security PIN, the transaction was quick and easy. Shopping abroad should also be easy, just look for the UnionPay International logo.

For shops that do not have a card terminal, the PAL Mabuhay Miles Travel Card can also be used to withdraw cash at any BancNet ATM terminal in the Philippines or any ATM terminal in the world bearing a UnionPay logo. Imagine the convenience of not bringing along a thick wad of physical money every time you travel.

Aside from the Philippine Peso, the PAL Mabuhay Miles Travel Card can be loaded with US Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars, Singapore Dollars, Hongkong Dollars, Chinese Yuan and Japanese Yen. No more fat burning wallet with different currencies for me.

After a tiring afternoon of shopping, we all made our way to the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

URBANISSIMO A4

Touted as a gamechanger when it comes to travel convenience, the Mabuhay Miles Travel Card is the first-of-itskind multi-currency prepaid travel card that is powered by UnionPay that lets you earn miles while you shop.

A2 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

TRAVEL

DOT-Davao and CEB take 8 prominent Singaporean bloggers on eco-adventure

CEBU PACIFIC AIR, THE PHILIPPINES’ LARGEST AIRLINE, AND THE PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (DAVAO REGION) welcomed eight well-known Singaporean bloggers to Davao and took them on an adrenaline-pumping eco-adventure from 1721 April 2016.

Arranged in partnership with Bloggerati by Nuffnang, a regional talent management agency, these influential bloggers explored some of Davao’s most popular attractions including Eden Nature Park, Davao Crocodile Park’s White Water Rafting Adventure, Maxima Aquafun and Giant Clam Sanctuary in Samal, while immersing themselves in an exciting line-up of activities including sky cycling, river rafting and snorkeling.

The bloggers sampled local cuisine at White House Fusion Cuisine and Wine Lounge, Seda Abreeza Davao, Park Inn by Radisson Davao and Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao. They also learned more about the bustling commercial hub, and will share their adventures with their fans and followers back home.

The trip is in celebration of Cebu Pacific’s latest direct international route to Davao, launched in December 2015, and the highly anticipated Visit Davao Fun Sale. Cebu Pacific now flies directly from Singapore to the eco-adventure capital of Davao thrice weekly, with lowest year-round fares starting from PHP4,438 (SGD182).

Fans and followers can keep up to date with the bloggers’ activities by following #NuffnangSGxCebuPacific on various social media platforms including their personal blogs,

The trip is in celebration of Cebu Pacific’s latest direct international route to Davao, launched in December 2015, and the highly anticipated Visit Davao Fun Sale.

Facebook and Instagram.

The Bloggerati by Nuffnang participants taking part in this trip include, Shenny Yang

(www.shennyyang.com), Charlene Tan (www.im-chacha. blogspot.sg), Keline Woo (www. urbandoll.com.sg), Juli Phang (w w w.bunbunma keuptips. com), Mongchin Yeoh (www. mongabong.com), Clara Chua (www.explodingbelly.com), Limaran Agustina (www.limaranagustina.blogspot.com), and Jason Julius Lim (www.jasonjuliuslim.blogspot.sg).

Established in 2013, Bloggerati by Nuffnang is the talent agency division of Nuffnang Singapore, working with the top bloggers from the Nuffnang community, managing their brand partnerships, media relations and professional development.

CEB flies from Singapore to Manila up to 32 times weekly and also operates up to 7 weekly flights to both Cebu and Clark, up to 3 weekly flights to Iloilo as well as 3 weekly flights to Davao.

For bookings and inquiries, guests can visit www.cebupacificair.com. The latest seat sales and updates may also be found on the Cebu Pacific Air official Facebook and Twitter pages.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

INdulge! A3

ENTERTAINMENT

Gabbi Garcia preps for ‘Encantadia’ requel Derrick Monasterio reveals reason behind cute throwback photo

KAPUSO RISING STAR GABBI GARCIA really fits her role as Alena in Encantadia because of her love for water which she considers detrimental to her health.

“I’m a water person.

Sobrang mahilig ako sa water [that] I’d rather drink water than order juice.

Ang water kasi, [aside from hydrating you], is also healthy for the skin,” the new Sang’gre Alena explained.

“Kaya siya si Alena [kasi] mahilig siya sa water,” her leading man Ruru Madrid agreed whom she shares a beauty ritual with. The actress added, “Nagfeface mask ako every day.

Nagfe-face mask kami pareho.”

The most challenging part of her portrayal is to control her food intake to look as good as the character sketch.

“Matakaw akong tao [so] sobrang challenging for me to [diet]. Grabe, alam mong nagka-calorie count ako every day? As in, ‘yung meal ko, hindi siya mag-o-over [sa suggested calorie count],” the Kapuso star reacted. “[Isang] tingin mo lang sa costume sketch,

macha-challenge ka na eh. ‘Yun ‘yung fitspiration, ang mismong sketch ng costume ko,” she told GMANetwork.com during the GMA summer omnibus plug shoot.

Although she’s having a hard time with the adjustments, her co-love team is there to support her. He commented about her body physique, “Hindi naman siya tabain eh kahit gaano kadami [ang kanyang] kinakain.”

She spends her time working out at home, “Puro core kasi nga nachachallenge ako sa [suot ng character ko so]; dapat flat talaga [ang tiyan ko] with abs. For the first time, ito ‘yung role na parang pinaka-challenging and pinaka-out of the box na papasukan ko.”

Gabbi will be busy training for her new character and said she will spend summertime just here in the metro, “Staycation [and] bonding with the family.”

VAMPIRE ANG DADDY KO (VADK) hunk Derrick Monasterio delighted his fans on Instagram by sharing this cute throwback photo on the photo-sharing app.

Derrick has a hilarious story about this old photo.

He said, “Pag di ganun kagaling sa academics nung bata pa!! Here’s an (pampa lubag-loob) award!! --SOCIABLE!!!!!!”

The young star is currently busy doing his hit afternoon soap Hanggang Makita Kitang Muli and will soon be hitting the road to promote his self-titled debut album under GMA Records.

M o re ove r, K a p u s o televiewers should catch the fantastic offering of VADK this Sunday evening, since the Ventura clan is planning a birthday surprise for Victor.

‘Dolce Amore’ launches ‘World Destiny Tour’ THERE IS TRULY NO STOPPING “DOLCE AMORE,” the number one kilig series in the country, from conquering Philippine television with its string of successes – from its consistent high ratings to the positive feedback it has received from viewers.

The series, starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, has constantly attracted primetime viewers nationwide, with its recorded ratings peaking at 37.5%, based on data from Kantar Media.

There is also an outpouring of positive comments for the love team’s acting prowess, especially during the tender scenes between Serena and Tenten.

“It’s overwhelming. Lalo na we came from Forevermore na magaganda rin ‘yung feedback, so parang ‘yung pressure na dala namin sa ‘Dolce Amore,’ kumbaga parang nawala, or kung ‘di man nawala, nabawasan. Of course, we can’t do that kung wala ang help nina Direk Mae (Cruz-Alvar), Direk Richard (Arellano), and all our staff. Nagpapasalamat rin talaga kami sa suporta nila, ng LizQuen fans, at ng mga Kapamilya natin,” said Enrique.

“We’re glad that all the

hardwork is paying off. Thankful po ako kasi magagaling ang mga kasama namin. Nakakahawa ang galing nilang umarte. But we have so much to learn. We will never take the love for granted,” said Liza.

Coming on the heels of “Dolce’s” success is the launch of the “Dolce Amore Destiny Tour,” which promises to spread even more kilig to the fans of the show, endearingly called Amores, not just in the country but also in other parts of the world.

Its first stop, which is already gaining buzz online, will happen at the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Luneta Park, Manila on May 1 where Amores can get to sing and play with the whole cast.

They will also continue to take the world by storm with legs in Yorkshire, UK on June 11; Paris,

France and Rome, Italy on June 12; Dusseldorf, Germany on June 19. For more information, just visit emea.kapamilya.com.

As the story of “Dolce Amore” continues, Tenten and Serena’s relationship faces uncertainty after Kuya Binggoy (Kean Cipriano) kidnapped Serena in exchange for ransom money for the operation of Tatay Binggoy (Edgar Mortiz).

However, Serena thinks that Tenten is involved in the kidnapping. Will Serena finally go back to Italy?

Don’t miss the country’s number one kilig series, “Dolce Amore” weeknights on ABS-CBN or ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167). Catch its latest episodes on iwantv.com.ph or skyondemand. com.ph for Sky subscribers. For updates, follow @realdolceamore on Twitter and Instagram.

April 20 – 26, 2016

BASTILLE DAY/ * HIGH STRUNG Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Kelly Reilly/ *Nicholas Galitzine, Jane Seymour R13/*PG

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

THE JUNGLE BOOK Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray PG

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

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill PG

1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 LFS

THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt PG

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

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

TRAVEL

URBANISSIMO A1 where we used another feature of the PAL Mabuhay Miles Travel Card.

Instead of paying in cash, we decided to pay for our room night using our Mabuhay Miles which can be earned through purchases, Mabuhay Gift Miles and of course through flying with the heart of the Filipino, Philippine Airlines.

Of course aside from hotel stays and perks, redeeming miles for tickets on Philippine Airlines is always easy with flights available from as low as 3,500 miles. Just fill up and submit a travel award redemption from to any Philippine Airline ticket

office.

So how do you get your own Mabuhay Miles Travel Card? All one needs to do is to register online at www.mabuhaymiles. com or at any Philippine Airlines office, check-in counter or airport lounges. Current Mabuhay

Miles Card members with active miles are automatically enrolled and will be sent their own Mabuhay Miles Travel Card in the coming weeks.

Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter at @ kennethkingong for more travel stories.

DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENT

EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

NEWS 13

DILG ready to face raps Poe’s Mindanao policy statement on Kidapawan dispersal exposes inexperience -- Duterte camp

S

ECRETARY Mel Senen Sarmiento of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday said he is ready to face charges filed against him in connection with the confrontation between protesters and the police in Kidapawan City that led to hostility earlier this month.

Sarmiento made the statement after concerned groups reportedly filed criminal charges against him, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, and ranking local, police and military officials before the Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao.

“As of now, we have not received a copy of the complaint nor have we received an order from the Office of the Ombudsman to comment on or respond to the alleged charges filed against me and other officials,” he said. “However, we stand ready to answer all allegations

pertaining to the incident if and when required to do so,” he added.

The DILG Secretary said based on the reports that he received, he believes that government actions are defensible and that officials involved will be able to answer or respond to all allegations hurled against them.

“As for myself, I only became aware of the incident after the fact. I personally had no hand in the order to disperse the protesters,” he said.

Sarmiento immediately created two fact-finding panels to look into the circumstances behind the April 1 melee.

He also vowed transparency on the results of the probe being undertaken by the Department, as well as full cooperation of the DILG on the Senate investigation, and now the reported Ombudsman investigation. (PNA)

T

HE camp of Mindanawon presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte said Senator Grace Poe exposed her lack of experience as a leader when she said she would go to war to resolve the Mindanao conflict.

“Senator Grace Poe revealed herself as someone who will resort to war instead of peace to resolve the Mindanao problem,” said Peter Laviña, spokesperson of Duterte. “This character and preference of war over peace is the manifestation of Poe’s lack of understanding of the history of the Mindanao conflict and the appreciation of the state of unpeace on the island.”

During the last leg of the presidential debates held in Dagupan, Pangasinan Sunday, Poe said she will launch an all-out war against what she termed as terror groups

that will refuse to negotiate and forge an agreement with the government.

“This revelation is startling as it showed that she is a threat to the Moro people and to Mindanao and to the peace-loving Filipinos who have worked hard to put an end to the Moro armed rebellion,” said Laviña.

Laviña blasted Poe’s apparent lack of understanding of the decades-old Moro struggle against discrimination, abuses, poverty, and other forms of injustice that pushed many of them to join the rebellion.

“It’s clear that Poe hasn’t seen the suffering of Mindanao because of the armed conflict. It’s clear that she hasn’t seen how ugly war can be to the civilians, especially to the children, the elderly, the women. It’s clear that she hasn’t seen too many deaths and grief

because of the war in Mindanao,” said Laviña.

In sharp contrast to Poe’s war prescription, Duterte said the conflict in Mindanao can only be resolved through inclusive peace negotiations.

Among the presidential candidates, it was only Duterte who provided a context to the Mindanao problem.

He said settlers came in droves to Mindanao because the Moro people would not work for the Americans in the early 20th century.

But the conflict that erupted from this cannot go on forever, he said.

“We have to talk. We cannot fight forever,” he said, adding “we have to talk and we have to correct the historical injustice committed against our Moro brothers and sisters.”

One of the keys to establishing sustainable peace in Mindanao is federalism, he

said.

Duterte also said he will pursue peace negotiations with the New People’s Army (NPA).

“There can be no peace, there can never be a Federal Government until we talk to the NPA, which has been fighting us in the 70s, estudyante pa ako. Ngayon, 70 years old na ako,” he said.

“It has to be development, but you have to make the peace there. Bago ka makagalaw. Kapag hindi mo nakausap ito in peace talks, everything will fail,” he said.

Duterte also underscored the importance of fulfilling the aspirations of the Moro people.

“I would like to tell you, and I’m telling you now that in the Republic of the Philippines, nothing will appease the Moro people if you do not give them the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law),” he said.

en banc meeting last Tuesday and I learned that they have yet to send out the VIS to those set to vote in malls. If the project will push through, these voters should have the VIS by this time,” she said.

With this, the poll body official noted that it will be difficult to push through with the mall voting project since they have yet to send the VIS. “This is a problem if these VIS have not been sent to mall

voters yet. It may be difficult to implement on the part of the commission,” Guanzon added.

The VIS is a document that contains the voter’s name, address, the precinct and the place where he is registered, and simplified instructions as to the casting of votes and is printed in the language or dialect understood by a majority of the voters in the region.

Republic Act No. 7904 provides that the Comelec must fur-

nish every registered voter with the VIS at least 30 days before an election is held.

A total of 231,174 registered voters in 337 clustered precincts will cast their votes in 80 participating malls nationwide.

Comelec Chairman Juan Andres Bautista, who is behind the mall voting project, insisted on the legality of the project, noting that the commission en banc has approved its pilot testing. (PNA)

Comelec to comply with SC order on detainee voters Comelec has yet to inform voters who will be voting in malls

T

HE Commission on Elections assured its compliance with the Supreme Court’s order allowing detainee voters to vote for national candidates only.

With this, Comelec Commissioner Luie Guia said the poll body mulls the adoption of a manual voting system for detainee voters.

“We are looking at all possibilities to comply with the SC order, including, possibly, manual counting of votes here at

the Comelec central office,” he added.

At the same time, Guia said they are still studying options, whether they will have to print manual ballots or just let detainees use the pre-printed ballots.

“We just got the restraining order of the SC last Wednesday...

Our main consideration is to find an alternative system that will be less disruptive of what has already been prepared,” the poll body official added. (PNA)

V

OTERS who will be voting in malls in the May 9 polls have yet to be informed about the transfer of their polling precincts, according to an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said they have yet to send out the required Voter Information Sheets (VIS) to those voters that will be voting in the malls.

“I asked them during the

14 COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

Davao Or eliminates malaria, filariasis T

HE Department of Health (DOH) officially declared the Province

of Davao Oriental free of malaria and filariasis.

During the ceremonial

declaration and awarding on April 20 at the Provincial Capitol, DOH Undersecretary

UNVEILING OF THE SEAL. Gov. Corazon Malanyaon together with DOH XI Regional Director Dr. Abdullah Dumama and DOH Undersecretary for Technical Services, Dr. Vicente Belisario, Jr. unveil the Seal for Davao Oriental FilariasisFree and Malaria-Free Status.

Plight of El Niño victims to be forgotten soon: FDC

T

HE Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) again raised the alarm over the continuing crisis spawned by El Nino expressing concern that once the furor over the bloody Kidapawan dispersal subsides, the desperate plight of thousands in El Nino affected areas will be in danger of being forgotten once again.

“Certainly the Kidapawan dispersal brought the issue to national consciousness. It focused attention on the worsening situation in many areas in Mindanao including South Cotabato and put much-needed pressure on the government’s sluggish El Nino effort. But with media and public attention increasingly being pulled towards the elections, there is a risk of the crisis getting drowned out,” Sammy Gamboa, FDC Secretary-General said.

FDC stressed that the hunger and desperation resulting from the worst El Nino episode since 1997-1998 continues and is in fact worsening in some places.

“Three weeks after Kidapawan, we continue to receive reports from our members and partners in affected areas that the situation has not improved and delivery of support remains limited. By the Department of Agriculture’s own estimates, production losses have already reached P4.5 billion for rice and P4.53 billion for corn between February 2015 and March 2016.

A total of 373,494 hectares of farmlands have already been affected,” Gamboa said.

FDC said the current administration and the President himself had a lot of explaining to do in relation to its delayed reaction to the El Nino crisis.

“Pres. Aquino needs to explain why they waited so long to act and why there was no sense of urgency. We find it inexcusable for example, that despite more than a year of advance warning in 2014, Pres. Aquino only ordered the creation of the El Nino Task Force led by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in

mid-August of 2015. As a result, the El Nino response plan called Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Nino (RAIN) was only approved in December 2015,” Gamboa said FDC said the Aquino government’s foot-dragging on El Nino response worsened the crisis saying much more could have been done if government had taken PAGASA’s May 2014 warning seriously.

“Obviously, the opportunity for an early roll-out of mitigation measures early was wasted. The opportunity to procure the necessary supplies and to pre-position them was wasted. It was a disaster compounded by inept and callous government handling,” Gamboa noted.

FDC brushed aside government claims that election-related restrictions, red-tape and stricter Commission on Audit rules severely hampered its ability to respond.

“Everybody knew there was an election coming. Everybody knew there was an El Nino coming. How can they claim that they cannot move because of Comelec restrictions? Even granting that red tape and COA rules are slowing the process down, that would not have been such a big issue if they had not dilly-dallied for over a year,” Gamboa said.

FDC also lambasted the PNP for its inhumane treatment of arrested Kidapawan protesters, particularly elderly farmers and pregnant women who were detained for days in the aftermath of the April 1 confrontation but were recently released.

“The blatant disregard for basic human rights was evident in the detention of elderly farmers who were only recently released by the PNP. No one in his right mind believes that an 78-year old woman, weak from the heat, hunger and lack of sleep will physically assault a uniformed police officer. It was a trumped up charge meant to cow the defenseless lady into silence--cruel insult added to the hunger and injury of the protester,” Gamboa added.

for Technical Services, Dr. Vicente Belisario, Jr., lauded Davao Oriental’s feat for eliminating two major public health diseases.

“This is a major feat because you have eliminated filariasis and malaria which are public health problems that are greatly associated with poverty,” he said.

The elimination of these mosquito-borne diseases has been attributed to the Provincial Government’s years of rigid implementation of disease-control programs.

Provincial Health Officer I, Dr. Joy Sanico, said that the elimination of these public health diseases involves considerable amount of time and effort. She listed several strategies in eliminating these diseases which include among others: early detection and prompt treatment, case surveillance, capability-building among

municipal health workers, and increasing public awareness through extensive information, education, and communication campaign, among many others. In the case of filariasis, the Public Health Office has been giving prophylaxis treatment to susceptible and predisposed groups particularly in farflung areas.

In order to efficiently implement sustainable set of measures to ensure that filariasis and malaria will continually be eliminated as a public health problem here in the province, the DOH has turned over to the Provincial Government a total of P 2 million cash grant for filariasis and malaria control which will further boost the province’s disease-control programs.

DOH XI Regional Director Dr. Abdullah Dumama said he is very proud of this achievement and hopes that Davao

Oriental’s malaria and filariasis-free status would indeed be sustained.

He thanked all the stakeholders, particularly the health workers in the frontline for their contributions on this milestone. “This achievement will not be possible without their efforts,” he said.

He also lauded the Provincial Government’s efforts in championing public health.

“Davao Oriental is truly a model province not only here in the region but in other regions as well,” he said.

For her part, Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon thanked the DOH for supporting her advocacies on public health that contributed in uplifting health services to the people of Davao Oriental.

In the region, Davao Oriental is the first to be declared as malaria-free and third as filariasis-free. KLD/ Photo by Eden Jhan Licayan

It’s TIME to CHANGE THE GAME. Your ads come to life with vivid, clear, crisp colors.

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 40 • TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

SPORTS 15

Cavs complete Batang Gilas whips Laos 133-52 sweep of Pistons T

T

HE Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 100-98, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday. The victory gave the Cavaliers a series sweep.

As would have been expected, the Pistons went down scratching and clawing until the closing seconds of the game that ultimately ended their 2015-16 season. The game was a nip-and-tuck battle for all four quarters, with the two teams alternating the advantage through the first half.

Cleveland entered the final quarter nursing a razor-thin 81-78 edge, and needed a clutch three-pointer from Kyrie Irving with 42 seconds remaining to put some distance between them and the Pistons. Detroit had closed the gap to 97-96 on the prior possession with a timely long-range shot of their own from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 1:07 left.

Reggie Jackson was able to get the Pistons back within two after Irving’s shot with a driving dunk with 32 seconds left, but then misfired on a 26-foot three-point jumper with a second remaining that would have given them a likely 101-100

win. Instead, it’s the Cavaliers that move on to the second round of the playoffs, in their continued attempt to return to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season.

Irving led the way with 31 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal, including a mid-court buzzer beater to close out the third quarter. LeBron James turned in a double-double, totaling 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals. J.R. Smith followed with 15 points and a rebound. Kevin Love produced a double-double of his own, managing 11 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and a steal. Matthew Delladedova paced the bench with 11 points and an assist.

Detroit’s attack was spearheaded by Maurice Morris’s 24 points, which he complemented with a rebound. Tobias Harris supplied a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double that also included a pair of assists. Andre Drummond tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Jackson registered 13 points, 12 assists, three rebounds and a block.

Cleveland will face off with the winner of the Celtics-Hawks series in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

HE Memphis Grizzlies’ 2015-16 season ended at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs as the Spurs completed a first round sweep with a 116-95 victory at FedExForum on Sunday afternoon.

The Spurs (4-0 playoffs) move on to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they will await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks matchup. Memphis (0-4) brings to a close a campaign where the Grizzlies fought through an unprecedented number of roster changes and injuries, using NBA-record 28 different players while losing franchise centerpieces Marc Gasol and Mike Conley for the season, to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time.

The Grizzlies gave it their all once again and kept within striking distance through the opening 24 minutes, outscoring the Spurs 26-22 in the second quarter to bring the halftime deficit to 47-45.

However, a 15-2 run from the Spurs in the third quarter opened up the game and brought the lead to 69-53 with 5:37 to play in the third frame.

From there, the Grizzlies were unable get it back to single digits, and San Antonio would eventually push the lead to a game-high 25 late in the fourth quarter.

Lance Stephenson came off the bench to lead all scorers with 26 points, a career-high for him in the playoffs. He was 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) from the field.

HE Philippines whipped Laos, 133-52, on Sunday night for its second win in the 2016 Seaba Under-18 Championship in Medan, Indonesia.

The Batang Gilas raced to an 8-0 lead and never looked back as the Nationals got a boost in the battle for three

spots to the Fiba-Asia Under-18 Championship.

The Nationals outscored Laos, 27-5, in the second quarter to grab a 59-15 halftime lead.

Alain Jethro Madrigal topscored for Batang Gilas with 23 points as six players scored in double figures for the Phil-

ippine youth squad. Theo Joshua Flores chipped in 19, while Joshua Sinclair added 18 markers.

The Philippines faces Malaysia on Monday.

The scores: Philippines 133 — Madrigal 23, Flores 19, Sinclair 18, Bahio 12, Gozum 12, Tibayan

10, Lee 9, Alfaro 8, Nelle 8, Mendoza 7, Yu 7, Mamuyac 0.

Laos 52— Kham Ek 16, Thavatay 11, Thavatsay 10, Phenphet 10, Joshua 3, Soutthichack 2, Phoummalin 0, Xanasack 0, Phetthavong , Phommala 0, Phonephansa 0.

Quarters: 32-10, 59-15, 98-36, 133-52.

ARCUS Smart is only 22 years and 49 days old, but Sunday night, in a high-pressure, playoff atmosphere, he showed the poise of a 10-year NBA veteran.

With the Celtics trailing early in the fourth quarter, Smart came through in the clutch on both ends of the floor. Defensively, the second-year guard shut down the unstoppable – and much larger – Paul Millsap, while shooting the leather off the ball on the offensive end.

The well-rounded, tenacious effort was just the spark Boston needed as it completed its comeback and earned a 104-95 win in overtime.

“Marcus has had his ups and downs,” C’s coach Brad Stevens said after the game.

“But Marcus, on this stage and with his consistent work ethic and with his competitive spirit, you really trust that good things will happen.”

Most of those good things happened at the most pivotal point in the game: the fourth quarter.

That’s when Smart was assigned to guard Millsap, and that’s also when he scored 13 of his 20 points, which helped Boston erase a six-point fourth-quarter deficit.

After falling behind 8074, Smart went on a personal 11-point tear, which he would later refer to as “one of the best rhythms I’ve had all year.

Smart began the rally at the 8:58 mark of the fourth quarter when he drove for an and-one layup, before throwing down a thunderous dunk a minute and a half later. He capped off the run by netting consecutive 3-pointers during an 18-second span, which gave Boston a one-point lead with 5:21 to go.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, he helped put a stop to Millsap’s best rhythm of the year.

At around the same time that Smart’s offensive tear began, he was assigned to guard the red-hot Hawks forward who had already put up 41 points in the game.

Stevens had tried everything under the sun to stop

Millsap, and it turned out Smart was the answer. Despite being four inches shorter, Smart limited Millsap to just four points during the final 14 minutes of the game.

“Guarding a guy like him and him being so hot, you just got to contain him the best you can and pressure him,” said Smart. “I tried to use my speed and my quickness against him and just tried to get up under him and make him play on his heels.

“I just gave it everything I had on the defensive end and made sure he didn’t beat us.”

Despite the fact that the height disadvantage gave it the appearance of a defensive mismatch, Smart’s teammates had confidence that he could stop Millsap, and were not at all surprised when he did.

“You give Marcus Smart an assignment, he’s probably going to get it done no matter who he’s playing against,” said Isaiah Thomas, who scored a team-high 28 points. “He’s a hell of a competitor and you need guys like that to win in

the Playoffs.”

There are times when Smart’s competitiveness takes him over the top and causes him to lose control.

That’s when his lack of experience shines through; he will certainly make second-year mistakes from time-to-time, such as taking ill-advised shots or committing costly fouls.

But then there are times like Sunday night, when his grit guides the team to victory.

“His aggression, his competitiveness, his spirit !- our team needs it,” said Stevens.

“So, yeah, there’s going to be some times where he might take a shot, or whatever the case may be, that he’d like to have back, but he does a lot of good things that lead to winning and give you a chance to win.”

Without Smart’s efforts Sunday night, the Celtics would likely be facing elimination as they head back to Atlanta. Instead, his veteran-like poise and clutch play on both sides of the ball has brought the series to a 2-2 tie.

HE Golden State Warriors are facing the possibility of another playoff game without star Stephen Curry.

Curry missed the second half of a win over the Houston Rockets in Game Four on Sunday (Monday, Manila time) with a sprained right knee and will have an MRI on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).

Curry was injured on the final play of the first half. He slid awkwardly to the court while defending and immediately grabbed his knee. He got up and looked to have trouble putting weight on it before jogging with a limp to the locker room.

He came out with the team after halftime, but sat on the bench for most of the warmup

time. After talking with coaches, he returned to the locker room.

It was his first game back after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle.

“I just feel so bad for him,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s been healthy all year long and now as soon as the playoffs start, and these things start happening to him.”

Unconfirmed reports say doctors fear Curry may have suffered a sprained MCL. The Warriors made an NBA playoff record 21 three-pointers to cruise to a 121-94 victory on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

If Curry can’t go, the War-

riors will look to Shaun Livingston to make a third start in his place as they try to wrap up the series on Wednesday in Oakland.

The Warriors had four players in double figures on Sunday, led by 23 from Klay Thompson.

“We got contributions from up and down the bench which was fantastic, which we’re going to need as long as we are without Steph,” Kerr said. “Even when he gets back we’re going to need them.”

Draymond Green said they’ll have to bring the same intensity they had in the second half on Sunday if they hope to eliminate the Rockets in Game Five.

“We’ve got to come out and

take the game,” Green said. “We have to know that Steph probably won’t be playing. We can’t expect that we’re at home and it’s a done deal.”

Thompson is certainly concerned about Curry’s status but knows that they have to focus on what they have to do to win instead of feeling sorry for themselves.

“Just his presence alone on the court makes the defense gravitate to him,” Thompson said. “No one is going to make up what he does individually, we have to do it with five people. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better backup than Shaun Livingston because of the way he controls the game. He’s a mismatch for a lot of point guards.”

Celtics ties series with OT win

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Spurs sweep Grizzlies Curry could have suffered sprained MCL T T

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STEPHIN’ ASIDE Warriors win Game 4 with injured Curry

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HE Warriors overcame an injury to the league’s reigning MVP and responded in a major way, posting a 121-94 victory in Game 4 on Sunday in Houston. With the win, the Dubs take a 3-1 series advantage and will look to close it out in Game 5 on Wednesday at Oracle Arena.

After Stephen Curry – who was playing for the first time since the opening minutes of the third quarter of Game 1 last Saturday – suffered a sprained right knee at the end of the first half, the Warriors got hot in the third quarter and turned what was a tie game at the half into a laugher.

Draymond Green started the splash party by hitting a trey on the Dubs’ first possession of the second

half. That would be a sign of things to come, as the Warriors would connect on seven of their first eight 3-pointers in the third quarter. Klay Thompson connected on four treys in the period, Green had three and Harrison Barnes drilled one as the Warriors out-scored the Rockets 4120 in the quarter.

SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE The Warriors announced that Steph Curry suffered a sprained right knee before halftime and will not return for the second half of Game 4 in Houston.

Curry had 6 points and 5 assists in 19 minutes at the half.

VOL. VOL.99ISSUE ISSUE40 40••TUESDAY, TUESDAY,APRIL APRIL26, 26,2016 2016 OUT AGAIN. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors chat lightly with Houston’s Trevor Ariza in Game 4.